Touching Fame

A few days back, I ran into some amazing luck. Long story cut short, I got to see the cast of The Amazing Spiderman at a red carpet event. And needless to say, I took away something from that event (NO, I do not mean a selfie; it never got that far T.T)

 Most people are simply 'fans' and a smaller fraction of people are actually a little more than fans, they are worshipers. In that crowd of children and adults who were dying to catch one glimpse of the cast, I guess less than 50% of them were real Marvel Fans (Stat Source: My Brain). The rest were there for the fun.

I've read a load of Marvel Comics and it's pretty obvious that a Marvel fan would rather empty his pockets and head over to Comic Con and not to a Red Carpet event; unless he really wanted free merchandise. Which kind of brings me to what I really wanted to say - I wasn't there as a Marvel fan. This was the second time in my life I would get the chance to see internationally acclaimed artists up close. I didn't want to miss this chance. AND it was Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. The movie buff inside of me just did a somersault!

The Chaos that was my Eyeball.

                       

There is something about seeing your favorite icons in real life. It kind of propels the breath out of your lungs. You're in absolute awe. HOW... just HOW can someone be so amazing on screen as well as in real life? It's downright impossible. Those people must be Gods.It's not about the wealth or the glamour. It's not about the looks or the clothes or any other materialistic aspect. It's about the sheer brilliance of their talent. The mere fact that we see these people on the silver screen, chosen out of a million others for that one role, and being absolutely fabulous at it. And then all of a sudden, they are in front of you, like just another ordinary human but absolutely extraordinary in every way. And you are gazing at them, jaw dropping, shaking, completely and utterly breath-taken by the enormity of the situation.

Truly larger than life. In that moment, everything else is indistinguishable. These people aren't just themselves. They symbolize an image of success which is bigger than any achievement you have ever achieved till now. They give a solid shape to Fame herself, and Fame is not just any glamorous girl. Fame can trick you, make you delusional and gullible; Fame can unearth you from the responsibilities you undertook when you set out to achieve her. But then again Fame can uplift you, she can make your soul take wing and fly,  she can and she will make sure you are the brightest star in the dark sky which is imprinted with so many other stars.

You believe you can FLY!

                   

And here you are, just minutes away from touching someone who is Famous. Everyone wants Fame, and with one touch and one wrong move, many people obtain her. Some carry her with pride, and some go down with her into the shadows. Some gain her with merit, some steal her. It's contagious, this longing for Fame. Those who seek only Fame thrive under the gaze of six billion people everyday. Whereas those who become Famous unexpectedly, often grow to hate this gaze.


I spent those few minutes at the very feet of Fame and every heart string inside of me wanted to be famous. To have the whole world die to see you!The magnanimity of the situation did not help me think. I did what any normal fan would do; I screamed and yelled and wanted to immortalize that moment forever. It's only later that I realized the causes and implications of Fame.


                                

These people, had worked hard for their whole life to reach where they are now. Fame is attainable, but the process isn't a bed of roses. It's the presence of unique talent that drives you to such a high level in life. If these people were not especially talented, they'd never be at that Red Carpet event. We would never know them. Every famous person must have broken through in some way, whatever way that may have been. Every famous person must have made some sacrifice to reach this status in life. And we as admirers often overlook this process and only appreciate the result.

Once the euphoria of the moment had died away, and I had reached back home, I realized one important thing. That humble bed, that messy desk, those untidy drawers...these tired hands. They were all mine in a way that Fame would never be. Fame would be borrowed and shared and juggled. But these normal pleasures in life; old books on shelves, making maggi after midnight and watching movies in pajamas. These moments won't be private anymore; and I wouldn't trade these priceless moments for anything in the world.

Beyond the ceiling of this tiny room, and up above lies the colossal weight of the future. Who knows if that may carry a hint of Fame? Till then, I'll be content with a cup of chocolate and a bag of marshmallows. To be famous is not in my hands, I'm just glad I got to be near it.

Ambivalence

Poetry.

After About a Millennium; all thanks to Inspiration being few and far between. 

                       

Ambivalence

Long black boots,

drenched in the rain.

The sudden shower;

the warm mist rose

from the pavement.

Inhaling the rainfall,

the sweet smell;

the fumes from the 

Coffee Shop. 

Notebook bound in

rich crimson velvet,

Ink deep in thoughts

Darkening towers

of rising indecision.

You eyed the Wine;

I doted on Earl Grey

But the Coffee Shop

Never raced by. 

I've never been so

inconclusively pensive; 

while you narrate stories 

of your loves and hates;

your glorified debates;

surrounded by the

talks of ancient marines;

the discordant humming

of the pretty Barista.

Love isn't a complete 

Stranger; and many a boy

has charmed and gone;

Good men haven't stayed.

I'd love to love; but

the strangely inconsistent

quiet ambivalence

of my stormy mind

floods the path I tread.

The rain fogs up the

windows; the Coffee 

Shop lights up in evening

colours; this may never

stay the same.

Days will pass by;

the stream of letters

will run eternally dry;

Calls will be missed. 

Black boots; now dry

A little warm from the

fire within; a little warm

from the lingering touch 

of your hand. 

Notebooks close; we rise

to go; the sparkling rain

hasn't ceased a bit.

We never needed umbrellas. 

Note:  Picture taken from DeviantArt by Artist Proxile. A beautiful rendition of Summer Rain in Moscow. :)

Oh Lorien!

So......for the Middle-Earth illiterate (and non-fantasy lovers); this new backdrop will not ring a bell. In fact, it's surprising how even those who have followed each and every word that Tolkien ever wrote, sometimes fail to recognize this place:

Lothlorien -The Land of Golden Sunshine

                                         

This magical, beautiful place is the home of Silvan elves. The golden, crispy blend of reds and oranges that form this fantastical, yet strangely realistic notion of home. Lothlorien, the loveliest of the lovely Elven kingdoms. 

Though not technically a kingdom with a dynasty, and not at all close to a kingdom with a history of war;  Lothlorien is the golden abode of the most tranquil creatures. It's almost like heaven, with sunshine tilting in abundance from the skies and starlight flooding in at night. The poem about Amroth said:

Of Old He was an Elven-King,
A lord of tree and glen,
When golden were the boughs in spring,
In fair Lothlorien. 

Lothlorien: The Land of Silver Moonlight

There is of course, a deeper reason in my choice of this wallpaper. The coming of spring, the season of flowers; the season when sweetness courses through the air like flower petals on a breeze. When the colours ripen around you and nature assembles to celebrate the blossoming of many precious buds; many special moments. The golden wealth of nature. The wealth of Lothlorien, the Valley of Singing Gold, the land Treebeard called 'Dreamflower'.  

Lothlorien is the land of dreams and of course, my personal favorite. While I have pictured the ravishing landscapes of Narnia, Rivendell, the Shire and Oz, there is no place which captures my fancy as much as Lorien. The intelligent will mock me and call this a figment of my overexcited imagination. Lothlorien is but fictional!

The truth is we all know that the creation of fictional places have a root in reality. Lothlorien is not just an ethereal 'place'; nor is it modeled after a glorious county in Great Britain. 

Lothlorien is a state of mind. 

It's an equivalent of heaven and peace. This is the treasured home of the gorgeous Galadriel and her consort Celeborn. These images, these creatures are but the reflection of a serenity that we all turn to when we are in pain or suffering. The reason I adore Lorien is because when I'm down, this place materializes in my head and gives me a sense of security. It's my personal chamber of secrets. And it comes with a triumphant sort of healing quality. 

Okay, and so before I launch into a philosophical 'discourse' on the state of mind, I shall, but naturally, STOP. There's a lot to know about Lothlorien; it's a side of Middle-Earth which will dazzle you to bits and you will yet never know all of it. 

It's only fit to end with this link; the instrumental version of Enya's composition 'Lothlorien'. This beautiful piece of music speaks for itself :) Enjoy!