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| Slum and shanty posters alongside Swiss rail tracks (2010) |
It was somewhere in the late 90s.
UG was in Mumbai and was put up in Bandra in Mukesh Bhatt's ( Film Director Mahesh Bhatt's brother) place.
Nataraj, the German astrologer and self were hanging out with UG that sultry afternoon.
Nothing much was happening. At some point, UG went over to the balcony and stayed out for a very long time.
Curious to know what kept him busy, I joined him at the balcony. There he was with his hands folded behind, motionless, looking transfixed at a 'chawl' (slum in Hindi), right in front of the apartment! It was a beehive of activity with cascading rows of shanties and crisscrossing lanes, bursting with people, full of noise.
After watching the scene for a while, I finally broke the silence and muttered, "UG, these poor people live in such pathetic conditions!".
UG shot back,
"Sir! Poverty will never be eradicated. It supports many lucrative careers. It will be maintained at all costs!
Ending poverty means end of career for the politician who gets elected on the promise of ending poverty;
It will finish the saint who peddles hope & salvation to the miserable and
Will put an end to the box office collections of our man (referring to Mahesh Bhatt) who sells dreams to all those hopeless people.
Tell me ! Do you think, you and I will ever buy a ticket, that too in black, to watch his worthless films? It is these people who have made him rich!"
Leaves me wondering about the message of those posters in the picture - Is that a stark reminder of the harsh poverty across the globe ? Or is that art and entertainment for the rich on a jaunt in Switzerland?
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This is to be in Absolutely no disharmony with WHAT IS. fullstop.
ReplyDeleteWhat UG said is response to your thought structure.
He was in no way separate from REALITY anytime.
What he states about filmmaker or politician is extenssion of that REALITY only.
Yes Udayji! Agreed for UG, there is no such thing as conflict as he himself explained many times. He is perhaps pointing here to the artificial division between the poor and the rich and the status quo. Society is built on the foundation of hierarchy - the rulers and ruled , Though this division is artificially created, it is stubbornly and violently maintained. Regards
DeleteYes .It has its own self perputating momentum,like swing of clock pendulum.
ReplyDeleteThank you Suresh for sharing this powerful memory of UG! He really lays it out like it is without any bullshit. This is amazing!
ReplyDeleteThanks Doug!
DeleteVery interesting share Suresh. I recall one event when he ambled into a fishermen village at Palavakkam beach in Chennai. It was in 1989 March. Mahesh Bhatt was also with him. After they both returned to the bungalow on the beach where lwe all were staying UG started telling excitedly how he mingled with the fishermen there. He talked to them in Tamil and found them very intelligent and shrewd. They paid no attention to Mahesh. One old man was critical in his remarks regarding the Government's projects to help the poor. I still vividly remember how happy UG felt going to that small hamlet on the shores of the ocean.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing sir!
DeleteThank you Chandrasekhar for your wonderful reminiscence of UG!
ReplyDeleteUg is a class apart in everything and very good point made by u suresh about the divisions in society.
ReplyDeleteYes Tarun, UG could see things as clear as daylight!
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