My first film-set experience

I love movies, this love started in childhood and still going on strong. Movies were the only entertainment that was available for free. India's national TV channel, Doordarshan, the only TV channel back then, used to telecast three movies per week, one in Hindi, one in Marathi (because we lived in Maharashtra where most people speak Marathi), and one in any other regional language. I tried to watch all three, even though we did not have our own TV set until my teenage years. I watch all kinds of movies, thanks to Doordarshan days as we could not select which movie to watch whatever was telecasted was a movie of our choice and we enjoyed it. 

However, I never got a chance to visit a movie set to see how actual movies are shot. I always wondered why there is a long list of people in the end credits and why moviemaking needs to involve so many people. My dream was fulfilled and most questions were answered this month. On May 23, I got to participate as an extra on the sets of a movie called ReEntry. My daughter, Sara, is working in the production unit of this movie and she told me that they needed some extras for a scene, I gladly volunteered and I am glad that I did. It was such an amazing and unforgettable experience to see the process and hard work that goes into moviemaking from such close quarters. We got to interact with the writer, assistant directors, production assistants, and other extras. Even though moviemaking is a group effort, movies are the director's medium. The director controls shots on the set, of course, there is a team to support the director, but the director is the captain of the team. There are so many things going on on the sets starting from arranging chairs to managing expensive camera units, food also has to be arranged for all people working on the set, it is amazing to see how all this works and how there is some system in what looks like chaos from the outside. Without passion and love, apart from actors I don't think people can work longer in the moviemaking profession. There is too much hassle and mental and physical work, without all the fame and love that only actors and a few others like really successful directors, producers, and writers get. Most people who do all the hard work are mentioned in the end credits the audience hardly cares to watch, but now I know that their contribution is equally important and many times is the reason why the movie looks so great. These are the people who make errands to get the mint that actors need before their intimate scene, they make sure that the lead actor's demands are fulfilled so that they are focused on giving a great shot, and they make sure extras are there on the set and are ready whenever a shot is ready, they make sure retakes are taken without any problem or boredom. A film set is an amusement park in itself, where many things happen and one can feel like being in a wonderland. My experience of witnessing filmmaking was great. This experience has made me appreciate the movies even more. Now, even after watching a bad movie, I can appreciate the efforts behind making it. Now, I feel that every movie deserves applause just for all the hard work the entire film crew puts in to make that movie and bring it to the audience.  

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©Vinay Thakur,  Vinay can be reached at thevinay2022@gmail.com

Generation Superiority Syndrome

The phenomenon where the current generation (parents) think that they are superior compared to the next generation (their kids) is very common. Especially, in terms of their work ethics, hard work, morality, respectfulness, and the difficulties they faced in their life parents feel that they are better compared to their kids, without having any data to support this claim. It is so common that almost every kid has to listen to parents or other elders complaining about how their life was much more difficult, how they worked their asses off to reach where they are, how they started with nothing, how they used to respect their elders much more compared to these kids, and also listen these elder's whining about how morality has eroded over time. I call this phenomenon "generation superiority syndrome" (GSS). 

Under the GSS, the current generation thinks exactly the opposite of what reality is. They assert their claims assertively taking full advantage of their seniority without providing any data or apple-to-apple comparison. Some of the common symptoms are: they completely discount the challenges faced by the next generation and only focus on their own difficulties; they also ignore improved moral standards of the current world and love to talk fondly about the good old days, no matter how regressive those days were; they also don't miss any opportunity to point out how they are not receiving the respect they deserve for their hard work and sacrifices. I know these things because I suffered from the same syndrome. It is true that there were hardships in my life, I immigrated to a completely unknown and strange country, had to chart my own path with my family, and faced many uncertainties. But it is also true that my kids also have to face their own challenges that may have been more difficult than what I faced. Glorifying our own challenges and diminishing our kids' challenges is a mean thing any parent can do, but many parents do this all the time without realizing the impact of this on their kids. Different generations face different difficulties and hardships. Many times, they are not comparable, hence difficult to judge which one is harder. Sometimes physical comforts are better, but psychological difficulties are harder, sometimes there is more money but there are more distractions. It is hard to find apples-to-apples comparisons, but people suffering from the GSS don't care about these things, they just like to harp about their greatness and sacrifices. 

If you are a parent or guardian, please check from time to time if you are suffering from the GSS. If you are, please take corrective measures before your kids realize that you are a jerk without any idea what kids are going through. Please acknowledge your kids' difficulties in the same way you want to get acknowledged your own. Be cognizant of the fact that every generation has pushed the boundaries on various fronts compared to the previous generations. Remember, just a few decades back women were not allowed to work or go to college, but now they can, at least in most countries. So, it is clear that our forefathers did not have superior morality standards compared to the current standards. Let's give credit where it's due and offer constructive criticism where it's needed. Most people who suffer from GSS don't even know about it, so don't be one of them. Good luck and happy parenting.

Thank you for reading and please share your views on this topic. 

© Vinay Thakur, All rights reserved, Vinay can be reached at thevinay2022@gmail.com 

Thank you Pappa for teaching me the value of hard work

I call my father "Pappa" or "Seth." Most of you know that many address their father as Pappa, but what about Seth? I call him Seth because he owns a shop, and in Hindi, Marathi, or Bhojpuri shop owners are addressed as sethjee, that's why some of us in our family started calling him Seth. But this post is not about various titles that one can give to their parents, but it is about some very important lessons that Pappa taught me, the most important was the value of hard work. Pappa by his own example taught me that there is no substitute for hard work, there are no shortcuts. His story is very interesting as well as inspiring.

After finishing high school, Pappa moved from his home town Bhadohi in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh to Pune to work in a factory (Vanaz Pvt. Ltd.). While working in Vanaz, he built a small house, put us in a reasonably good school, and had a stable job. Suddenly in the late 1980s, the company for which he worked for more than a decade started facing financial hardships, and it decided to offer a voluntary retirement scheme or the option of continuing working on a reduced salary to its workers. Pappa took the option of VRS and he started a dairy-sweet shop in 1989, investing all the money which he received from VRS. He never had any previous experience in this sector.  I still do not know why he chose this business, I must ask him, I am also curious, why dairy and sweet, among various other choices. It was a risky move, especially with three young kids to support. The area of Pune where he opened his shop was not that populated that's why he could buy that shop with whatever money he had. Today that shop is known as Pankaj Sweets, a well-known place in that area for sweats and snacks, but this was after years of work by Pappa.

Since the day he opened the shop, I saw him working tirelessly to build its reputation, and sales, earning customers' trust, and loyalty and making it a reliable brand. He used to get up around 5AM and work until 10PM every day, 365 days a year, without taking even a single vacation. Many times, he never even got time to go home for lunch, I or my brother used to take a lunch box for him to eat at the shop. He also used to delegate the responsibility of the shop to us since we were kids, he had no option, as there was no one else to help him. This taught us a few important lessons and also allowed us to see his hard work and struggle firsthand. Pappa did this for many years, actually, he followed this routine until my youngest brother started helping him out regularly and eventually took over the management of the shop. Still, he goes to the shop regularly, he just cannot keep himself away from the action. He also taught me that no work is small or big, and one can learn anything if one is willing to put in the required effort. He used to do everything at our shop, starting from sweeping the shop, cleaning floors, washing utensils, working in the shop's kitchen, managing sales, keeping books, and doing all business transactions. He acted like a one-man army. I never saw him shying away from doing any work if it was necessary for the day-to-day operations of his shop. This is another valuable lesson that I learned from him. Watching Pappa work so passionately towards something under uncertainty about what is there for us in the future, especially when there was no one who was traveling the same path that he chose was really something special, not everyone gets a chance to witness something like this in their own family. People who get such a chance are lucky to learn some valuable lifelong lessons and I am proud to say that I am one of them.

I learned quite a few important lessons from this phase of my life. First, if you believe in yourself, don't worry even if no one is following the path you want to follow, trust your instincts and give your best, chances of success are high. Second, there is no substitute for hard work, no point in looking for shortcuts, just focus on your goal and work towards it tirelessly, hard work towards your goal has its own fun and reward. Third, destiny favors risk-takers, if you waste too much time thinking and calculating you might miss the opportunity and it may never come again, so be brave, and take your chances. And the last one, unless your mission becomes your passion, nothing changes in your life. I saw Pappa demonstrating these lessons for me. Many times, we look towards so-called celebrities and successful people for motivation and inspiration even though we can find it within our own family or immediate surroundings. I am lucky to have a few people around me who motivated and inspired me and Pappa is definitely one of them. I and he do not agree on many points, our political and social views differ drastically but that does not stop me from admiring his certain qualities which I appreciate and aspire to learn. Thank you Pappa for everything that you did for me, especially thank you for teaching me the value of hard work.

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Have fun

When anyone from our home leaves for work or school and says bye to me, I reply, "Have fun" instead of saying "Bye" or "See ya." I didn't realize this for long until Reena brought this to my attention and that made me think why I say that. By saying have fun, I did not mean that don't work hard or don't focus on studies. The general perception about having fun is that people are careless and lose their focus. I definitely did not mean that by "have fun." I meant that go and enjoy your work or study. No doubt, it is important to focus on our work and give our 100%, focus on our studies, and be an attentive student, but if we do that while having fun our performance will be much better and we will not only feel good about what we are doing but also would derive satisfaction and joy from it.

So, why it is important to have fun while doing your work, attending school, or studying. I can provide a very simple rationale: our work or studies including school and college are an integral part of our lives and they also occupy quite a substantial portion of our lives, and if we do not enjoy these activities then imagine spending such a huge chunk of our life in doing things which we dislike. How unhealthy it will be for our mental health. Imagine going to school or college and hating to be there. Imagine going to work only to look forward to the weekend and dislike what we do five days a week. Enjoying our work and studies not only makes us better in our studies or work but also makes our lives more happy and fulfilling. Find what you like and pursue that with all the rigor and passion. Work hard towards what you want. You may or may not achieve it, but at least you will have the satisfaction of a joyful journey. There will be days of struggle and failure, and you will face obstacles that sometimes will look impossible to conquer, but if you like what you do and have fun while doing it that will make that struggle a worthy endeavor to pursue. Remember, if we don't value our talent, if we don't pursue our passion, no one else will. So, my advice to all readers is, to remember that life is very short and unpredictable, so, don't forget to have fun at every stage of your life.

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Everyone is not born special, but we all can become special

The tagline "Everyone is special" sounds very good to hear. It is meant to be motivational and inspiring for all of us. This term is heavily overused, especially by motivational speakers who use this a lot. But is it really inspiring? Or it is very confusing or even misleading? Many speakers who use this term want to make people feel good, they want their audience to think that every one of them is equipped with special qualities and they should feel very proud about it. Actually, if we use the biological criteria, we all are unique, our fingerprints are different, we have different retina patterns, and everyone's genome is unique. So, in many ways, we all are unique and special but that is not what this "special" means. It hints that we all have some special talent or quality that makes each one of us a uniquely gifted person. I think this is not entirely true. Such statements sound very sweet and are made with extremely good intentions to motivate us or to make us feel better, but I feel many times they are misleading.

Many of us fail to acquire any noticeable special talent when we complete our education. We acquire some professional degree or certificate, but not each one of us can claim that we are specially gifted in that area. We can list various reasons for this, we can even blame the school system for not providing a very conducive environment to spot and groom any such special talent and this is what happens with most of us. Actually, very few people are born with some unique talent. Very few of us can understand very early in life about our special talent, if we have any. It is not easy for many of us to figure out our true interests and start working passionately towards some definite goal very early in our lives. Not everyone can become a dancer and singer like Michael Jackson, a basketball player like Michael Jordon, a cricketer like Sachin Tendulkar, or a singer like Lata Mangeshkar or Elvis Presley. There are very few people like them who realize very early in their life about the mission of their life and work tirelessly towards it. Most of us struggle to find the actual area of interest where we can utilize our skills. Many of us struggle even to realize what type of unique skills we have. For most of us, it is a very long journey to figure out the area where we can excel. Our education system, society, and many times our parents make us fit into various stereotypes and try to guide us to what they think is good and proper for us. This leaves most of us thinking about various options at various stages of our lives. Some of us might think being a doctor is a great idea just because our parents are very successful doctors. Some of us might think being a lawyer or an engineer or an actor or politician is a great option without even evaluating whether we possess all the required set of qualities to be successful in that profession. I strongly believe that no matter what area or profession we choose, we can become successful in that area by working hard. It requires lots of hard work, patience, and practice to achieve success in any field unless you have some legacy advantage. Even all so-called naturally gifted people from every field practice hard and go through rigorous training to achieve phenomenal success in their respective fields.  Malcolm Gladwell has written about this phenomenon very nicely in his book 'Outliers', the chapter about the '10,000-hour rule' is a very interesting read, he has tried to explain the importance of practice to master any technique or talent we want to acquire.

I believe that even though we all are not born special, each one of us can become special through our hard work and perseverance. We all can acquire greatness, it is not a gift or genetic trait that we either possess or don't possess but it is an achievable thing. Just by thinking we are special, we might feel good about ourselves, but to achieve it we need to work hard. Even a natural gift or a talent without proper practice and hard training can only help to a limited extent. We need to put a lot of effort into achieving our dreams. Let's work hard to achieve that specialness. We may not be special today but definitely, every one of us can become special through our hard work and perseverance. 

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[Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing]