Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Valentine week - 3




I would like to share my taste of movies, in this theme, romantic movies till date. The list is pretty common too. Enjoy them this time of the year.

“She did. You are the miracle” 

The sad movie adoption of book by Nicholas Sparks, “A Walk to Remember” is the best love story I have ever seen. People who read the book found movie not impressive. I read the book later and felt the movie had a dynamic approach and spirit of young love. However, both are worth exploring. The beginning of their love story is with a wonderful kiss and a date followed.

Moving on to Bollywood, it took a while for me to decide on my favorite. It might not be common. It actually is controversial. It is not the usual suspect of Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge or Kuch kuch hota hai or any such romance of SRK. It is Love Aaj Kal. I have more friends who just don’t dislike but hate the movie than who like it. It is an outlaw. Very few Indians can digest a newly wed woman running away. That is the love epiphany for her actually. I felt the true essence of the movie, what the director was putting forward can be summed up in the line, “Ek-o-ek kahani, bas badle zamana” Times change, people are now more practical. They have choices, even in people. But still the concept of monogamy and inertia in love is alive and it will be, in my view.

Romeo & Juliet, Devdas & Parvathi, Heer & Ranjha whoever died for love, would have chosen to live together at any cost and fought for it if they had a choice.

If I turn now towards my mother tongue, I have three all-time favorites. It is the routine list. One would be, Cheli of Gautham Menon. It is a beautiful, simple love story with awesome cast. The love epiphany for the male protagonist occurs immediately after he sees the girl. This happens when you have preset ideas of a perfect someone and you encounter him/her in a way just like you imagined. The plot is pretty romanticized but life in it is the elegance with which it is screened.




Another is the beautiful “Priyuralu Pilichindi” of two couples. It is the remake of “Sense & Sensibility” or could be called Indian adoption of book “Sense & Sensibility” of Jane Austen. It contrasts the idea of love between two sisters. It also has the sub-theme of women empowerment. It was great watching such gorgeous actresses and handsome actors work together with enchanting music. Love epiphany in this is pretty complicated. But you can see it in the case for younger sister more clearly.

The final choice in Tollywood would be “Sakhi”, the heights of romance from Mani Rathnam. It has the freshness of love and also has ingrained love epiphany with a phone call and also in the climax. Well, I got to say; I am disappointed that all my choices of Telugu movies are actually the remakes of Tamil versions.
I see many people feeling that romantic movies are easy to make. It is true. You just need three parts, a meeting for girl and the guy, a reason for parting or conflict and a climax, happy or sad. Well, you can see this is common theme for all the above but yet it is not enough. It takes immense chemistry and sensibility for making a Titanic or DDLJ after all. 

Monday, February 11, 2013

Valentine week - 4


"Aur waise bhi pyar hai kya, kya hai yeh pyar Payal. Hormones, Testosterone. Estrogen" - Tanu weds Manu

People over there who think love is in personal space and not an area for study, will be shocked to know that there has been extensive research in the field of psychology as well as physiology of love. Diving into psychology, there are few interesting theories I found online. Well, if you are one of those who think love is just to be experienced and not analyzed, I recommend not to proceed any further with the post.

Primarily, love was being categorized by many scholars based on the experience. Steinberg is the first one to compose love of three basic components and categorized it into 8 types with the level of each component. The basic components are Intimacy, Passion and Commitment. Intimacy is associated with bonding, the extent of closeness you experience in a relationship. Passion comprises of attraction, sexual component and such like. Commitment relates to the decision to stick to the relationship.


The picture needs to be read like this, for example, your relationship has high intimacy and passion but low on commitment, you need to check the line connecting high components, i.e romantic love. If your relationship is experiencing every element in abundance, it is called consummate love.

In addition, he describes if one is experiencing only intimacy it is liking, only passion, it is infatuation and only commitment, is empty love.




Another theory by Lee, connects types of love with colors. According to him, eros, ludus and storge(pronounced as store-gay) are primary colors of love. Eros represents the sexual component, ludus is all about skill and viewing love as a game where as storge stands for trust and stability. He says combination of eros and ludus lends Manic lover. This love type is “irrational, extremely jealous, obsessive, and often unhappy. Eros and storge leads to Agape. It is an all-giving selfless love style. Finally a mixture of ludus and storge will be a Pragmatic lover who shops for compatible partner.

I have a theory too. I am not a great psychologist or a love doctor. From what I could observe from people around me, I felt there are three kinds of relationships which are possible in youngsters. They are Habituated, Addicted and Actual love

Habituated starts due to getting into a relationship for the sake of having girlfriend/boyfriend. There is no attraction or attachment or missing when apart, but constant companionship for the sake of it. People tend to stay in it until there are attractions towards someone else. You can see it with people around you who follow duty of calling and meeting daily. People sometimes find it difficult to find a reason to end such relationship.

Addicted is another fallacy of love. This begins due to "care" mostly. Majorly in youngsters who stay away from home and find solace in a person who gives constant attention. Often this kind of a relationship leads to extremes of pain and pleasure. This is when people find it hard to realize it is not as what they think it is and get held up for a long time.

Actual love in youngsters is possible with a lot of understanding and commitment. Here you do not observe any mandatory calls of Habituation or possessiveness of Addiction, but enduring attachment and growing friendship. There is caring of Addiction and companionship of Habituation without the loss of self worth as in both.

I hope anything of it made sense!

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Valentine week - 5



This post lets explore what great writers gotta say about the experience of love.
When you love, things make even more sense. - Paulo Coelho
To love is to lose control. - Paulo Coelho
Love is begun by time, and time qualifies the spark and fire of it. - William Shakespeare
I know not why
I love this youth; and I have heard you say. Love's reason's without reason. - William Shakespeare
Relationship is a structure, and love is unstructured. - Osho
Moving towards love is moving towards an abyss. One starts wavering, one feels dizzy. Go to a height in the Himalayas and look down at the valley; that valley is no-thing. When you look down at the valley of love, a tremendous fear grips you. You are almost paralyzed: you cannot run away, you cannot take the jump. You simply tremble in infinite fear. What to do? - Osho

I finally understood what true love meant...love meant that you care for another person's happiness more than your own, no matter how painful the choices you face might be. - Nicholas Sparks, Dear John

My daddy said, that the first time you fall in love, it changes you forever and no matter how hard you try, that feeling just never goes away. - Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook

"And when her lips met mine, I knew that I could live to be a hundred and visit every country in the world, but nothing would ever compare to that single moment when I first kissed the girl of my dreams and knew that my love would last forever." - Nicholas Sparks
"I held her close to me with my eyes closed, wondering if anything in my life had ever been this perfect and knowing at the same time that it hadn't. I was in love, and the feeling was even more wonderful than I ever imagined it could be." - Nicholas Sparks
There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness. - Friedrich Nietzsche

To love is to receive a glimpse of heaven. - Karen Sunde

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Valentine week - 6



When you speak of realizing love for someone, you find signs. One of the most important and beautiful sign is Blushing. Maria blushed after dancing with Georg Von Trapp (The Sound of Music) and became aware of her feelings for him. It's a common thing. So I wanted to delve into depth about why is that so and is it really so. 



Blush is defined as reddening of the face as a sign of embarrassment or shame. a uniquely human trait  -  eluded even Charles Darwin who called it 'the most peculiar and the most human of all expressions'. While the psychology of blushing remains elusive, we do understand the physical process involved. Basically, an involuntary reaction of our sympathetic nervous system causes the blood vessels in our face to dilate. This increases blood flow to the area, resulting in a color that ranges from light pink to dark red. Because it is involuntary, it is something we cannot control, despite our best efforts. We blush after doing something socially embarrassing. In general, Not only are blushing people viewed as more trustworthy, they actually are more trustworthy, according to a study.

Beware, excessive blushing is a disease which needs attention and medical support.



There are three primary theories of why people in love blush.


1. Evolution/Attraction: If we take our cue from apes, rosy cheeks are crucial in the dating game, says a new study. Scientists at Stirling University in Great Britain have found that primates prefer mates with red faces. A rosy glow might also act as a similar cue in humans, say the British researchers, sending a message of good health.


2. Sign of loyalty: Neuroscientists have noted that women blush more than men and therefore women may use it to demonstrate their honesty to men and foster trust. 'Blushing it tell you that I can't cuckold you,' V.S Ramachandran from the University of California said. 
'If you ask me about infidelity I can't lie - my blush gives me away.'

3. Pleasure: MRI scans of the brain have shown that there’s more activity in those parts of the brain that are concerned with pleasure and arousal. That’s the result of two neurotransmitter hormones. There are other hormones involved as well, which are secreted from the posterior part of the pituitary. These cause your blood pressure to go up and the blood flow increases to your cheeks – and that’s why you blush.

These are just theories and no solid explanation has been given till date on blushing.  

Well, also there are scientific proofs that people in love experience butterflies in stomach, loss of sleep, obsession and suppressed social judgement. All in all, love makes one crazy.

If someone thinks absence of these signs mean you are not in love, read what Shakespeare gotta say here.

As you like it, Act 3 Scene 2

ORLANDO.
I am he that is so love-shaked: I pray you tell me your remedy.

ROSALIND.
There is none of my uncle's marks upon you; he taught me how to know a man in love; in which cage of rushes I am sure you are not prisoner.

ORLANDO.
What were his marks?

ROSALIND.
A lean cheek; which you have not: a blue eye and sunken; which you have not: an unquestionable spirit; which you have not: a beard neglected; which you have not: but I pardon you for that, for simply your having in beard is a younger brother's revenue:-- then your hose should be ungartered, your bonnet unbanded, your sleeve unbuttoned, your shoe untied, and every thing about you demonstrating a careless desolation. But you are no such man; you are rather point-device in your accoutrements, as loving yourself than seeming the lover of any other.

ORLANDO.
Fair youth, I would I could make thee believe I love.

ROSALIND.
Me believe it! you may as soon make her that you love believe it; which, I warrant, she is apter to do than to confess she does: that is one of the points in the which women still give the lie to their consciences.

(In simpler English)

ORLANDO
Well, I’m the man you’re speaking of. Please, tell me your cure.

ROSALIND
But you don’t have any of the symptoms my uncle told me about. He taught me how to recognize a man in love, and you’re not a prisoner of love, I’m sure.

ORLANDO
What did he say the symptoms were?

ROSALIND
A thin face, which you don’t have; a sleepless, sunken eye, which you don’t have; an irritable temper, which you don’t have; a neglected beard, which you don’t have—but that might not be so telling, since you don’t have much beard anyway. Your stockings should be falling down around your ankles, your hat flying off your head, your sleeves unbuttoned, your shoes untied, and everything about you demonstrating carelessness and misery. But you’re no such man. You’re so neat and well put-together that you look like you love yourself more than anyone else.

ORLANDO
Young boy, I wish I could make you believe that I’m in love.

ROSALIND
Make me believe it? You might as well make the one you love believe it, which she’s more likely to do than admit that she does—that’s one of the ways that women fool their own consciences.