JNDSD~My take 9th February 2017 ~ obey orders & follow messages
It's generally believed that faiths, philosophies doctrines, works of great thinkers set out to explore reasoning and logic to life. Faith though across the world is considered the inspired word of a revered deity specific to a particular belief. Faiths in society are seen to cater and strengthen the moral fabric of the social order.Teachings are based on striking order and harmony amongst communities.However history shows examples where in the name of religion great wars have been fought in the past. Turn of the the twenty century also showed persecution of the Jews making the holocaust a shameful blot on the face of humanity. Currently the wave of anti Islam sweeps the world. Regrettably after much thought it seems to me that faith teachings are misinterpretated , and manipulated to gain selfish ulterior motives which leads to hatred amongst world communities. Thus contrary to conviction that the majority of faiths preach messages of tolerance, compassion and love, peoples stand divided and apart, even ready to take live, innocent or otherwise in the name of creeds. To me in their journey Atharv and Vividha tackle the issue of being judged on the basis of their assumed faith. Their entry on the other side of the border is taken to be as an act of infiltration, and such they have to prove their religion to stay alive to complete their task at hand.
Vividha gets to see the shrewd thinker of strategies in her Atharv. He orders, she obeys and follows . For to him, now that he was in den of the terrorists their best bet is to follow them to their huts for that in itself will indicate Ravish's whereabouts. This is his strategic thinking that Atharv keeps in focus apart from his responsibility of keeping Vividha right close behind him. Vividha's hope that the amulet will eventually get into the right hands is miraculously granted. Her unflinching faith is realized . The innocent animal ,the lamb does relay the innocent souls call of assistance to the right people ! thus sounds off the message that compassion and righteousness surely boils down to individuals and cannot be just restricted under the banner of faith. It's about whether individuals act out the teachings of their scriptures or not? The Muslim woman gave Vividha the taweez with a prayer of protection which plants hope in Atharv and Vividha hearts too, and in turn the Muslim prayer picks up more strength when a Hindu girl too prays for protection before her deities. One can see that both creeds sought the same..so why fore such divisive between the two religions?? Perhaps the basic human values of creeds are not reiterated enough ,I nstead the banter is more about the differences within them lead to widening the gaps within the global communities.
They find the hideout of the terrorists . but not without a price. They are captured , he follows, with his protective arm around Vividha's shoulders.. They dupe names ,countries even religions .. for the one they love and aim to rescue. For the saying goes all's fair in love and war! Atharv perhaps works out he's outnumbered! risk being caught by these men who are known killers, he' ll have to use deceptive strategies , to hoodwink them, to save their lives, yet stay on this side of the border. New identity, he tells their captors he Ruslan and she his wife Zubeida .. both Pakistani Muslims! Atharv's presence of mind even takes Vividha aback . His sided gaze seems to say, leave it to me dear erhh wife! His acts, his facial expressions his clear cut Urdu and his out of this world politeness very nearly convinces and wins over who appears to be their leader.
The real test of him being a Muslim is the final one. Vividha is gobsmacked when he is commanded to pray! Thus begins Atharv's test of all that he can relate to in Islam.. being a Hindu, he reminds them devotion and obeisance demands reverence and respect not defilement .That gods name should not be taken for the sake of it! or put to some test! Still to prove that he is a true Muslim , he would perform namaaz, as yet another opportunity to take god's name!
To me he actually celebrates the rituals performed in preparation of a sacred act. A muslim praying to his god. Covers his head as a mark of respect for the almighty god. Performs ablution of the hands to indicate a pure body before being offered in prayer to his god . Like a Hindu would do under the watchful eyes of the captors eyes his eyes revolve and work out the positioning of the holy Kaaba then he spreads his prayer mate. Vividha holds her breathe, as Atharv closes his eyes, recalls the voice of the muezzin calling muslims to pray.. recalls the actions of Abdul chacha how they were in sync with the Azzan...thus Atharv sinks to his knees and bows with his body in complete submission., bends in body and soul thus Atharv offers his whole being to the will of Allah.. do Atharv and Vividha prepare themselves before their devotion begins too? As for Atharv and vividha due to Atharv's shrewd thinking ,and his fine ability to receive and retain the teachings of Abdul chachaa he is accepted by all.. Atharv even reminds them of what the holy Quran says in Sura Baqrah that compulsion or force is not seen as right! That reality is always greater than lies! Vividha too finds her courage and reminds them. That our religion is for the lost! to help them find their way instead they doubted and suspected them... in a way she tells them that like Atharva says they lost their way in the snow and hence drifted this way! so both Atharv andVividha in a way serve reminders to them of what their faith preaches yet they seem not to follow its teachings!
By sheer presence of mind ,use of a calm disposition and respectful mannerisms. Both are even allowed to spend the night with the captors. While the army stands bound by their uniforms and wait for the call of duty by an order! Atharv trusts Vividha to check the house for Ravish ..whist he bonds with the blokes by the bonfire. They relax,, which is what he wants and entertains them further by a Sufi kalaam sung in Urdu which is in keeping with their role play.. the song Kun Fayakun.. means" to be", or exist ..thus Be, and it is! A Quranic verse that symbolizes gods creative power.. his will and absolute control over creation.. the song refers to distances being destroyed , asking the beloved to fill the void, without her, there is an emptiness..Rangreza, he who fills me with colour.. imagesof Vividha come to his mind..distances could be Ravish's from them.. The Rangrez are a Muslim community found in North India. They are also known as Sabbag. Many members of Muslim Rangrez community have migrated to Pakistan after independence and have settled in Karachi, Sindh. The song is chosen aptly as both Atharv and Vividha are pretending to be Pakistani Muslims.
Final part of their mission completes as Vividha finds Ravish tied up to a chair and knocked out of his senses..both Atharv watch his sorry state .. Atharv determined than ever before declares, neither their god nor ours can stop them for what they are about to do!
I reckon the episode belongs to Atharv . I warmed to this preaching Atharv, his dialogues had depth .VSC performed very well ,sober, staid and effective as Atharv .. the dialogues were not offensive as the ones before. It was clearly religion based.. I would rather look at the positive than negatives. wish someone would talk about peaceful co-existence... still we hope... hamlet5.. 1o.2.17
#sorry I have visitors so posting late..