My most recent dekko – The Shawshank Redemption – emphasized the value of man’s most enduring quality till date. I AM talking about hope, that hope which helps Andy Dufresne overcome 20 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, for a murder he didn’t do.
Andy Dufresne: That’s the beauty of music. They can’t get that from you… Haven’t you ever felt that way about music?
Red: I played a mean harmonica as a younger man. Lost interest in it though. Didn’t make much sense in here.
Andy Dufresne: Here’s where it makes the most sense. You need it so you don’t forget.
Red: Forget?
Andy Dufresne: Forget that… there are places in this world that aren’t made out of stone. That there’s something inside… that they can’t get to, that they can’t touch. That’s yours.
Red: What’re you talking about?
Andy Dufresne: Hope.
Andy Dufresne: [in letter to Red] Remember Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.
This is the kind of hope which keeps people alive, whether in calamity or in disaster. Life only dies down in a man when he stops hoping, stops dreaming of the life that was not his to be. This is the kind of hope which keeps a city like Mumbai on its feet, day in and day out. Without hope, the people of Mumbai would have lain down to die a long time ago. Through the 1993 blasts, the train blasts of recent times, communal riots, the monstrous rains of 26/7 and the countless ordeals the common Mumbaikar has been through. Such a man hopes that one day, he will have the life of comfort and that his family might enjoy the fruits of his desire to succeed.
Even Greek Mythology explains the importance of hope. Everybody knows the story of Pandora’s box. It was a box (jar, actually) which contained all the evil of this world. Pandora was a curious woman, and in spite of being warned about opening the jar, she released all evil into this world. But she did manage to close the jar before hope exited. The Greeks considered hope to be a great evil, but they were relieved when Pandora re-opened the jar to let hope out.
Hope and determination go hand in hand. Only an optimistic person will be determined to see his dreams come true. The story about the king who watches the spider in his cave, and inspired by its hope and determination, wins his empire back, is a household by-story for explaining determination.
Hope was most prevalent in two mega-cities of the world, in New York during the Twin Towers collapse and in Mumbai during the recent spate of communalism. Nothing embosses what I want to say in a better manner. People who have lived through it will know. My friend’s father was in one of the trains which contained the bombs, but fortunately escaped with only minor injuries. But life in Mumbai continued as usual. Hope set everything right.
P.S :- Salutations to all those people who have been a victim (directly or indirectly) to all the monstrosities which have plagued Mumbai in the past 2 decades. I wish to God that all these so-called terrorists rot in hell. The sooner, the better.
The Song Remains The Same 