Habba?

 When women world over (this part of the world) are busy preparing festival specials with lot of enthusiasm and devotion, I am trying to blog my meaningless blog. Nero? 

It's difficult. But, who is stopping me from joining them and trying to make the best festival out of the situation?OK, ok, I will prepare one sweet and may be a kosambari. But later. First I need my daily cleansing. 

Ha, I almost forgot. I watched the film Thappad yesterday. I know all the news and noise about the movie have long stopped. But when I watched a review about Kantara and heard about this film, decided why not. 

Sirf, ek hi to thappad thi. It was just one slap. That's what everyone told Amritha when she was slapped by her rich, successful, loving (in his own way !) husband in a party. But her world is destroyed. She tells herself and everyone else that her husband does not have the right to slap her. Not even once. And starts divorce proceedings. 

But her domestic help is being slapped every day by her husband. As are most women world over. If not physically, emotionally. Many women in all classes, in all countries are abused by their spouses or partners. If only divorce was easy, half the women would have divorced their spouses. 

In that party, Amritha's husband Vikram starts shouting at his boss and gets angrier each moment and Amritha was trying to stop her husband from the fight. When he slaps her.

Later on, that boss with whom Vikram was very angry in the party, tells Vikram that he was wrong. He tells him 'remember how angry you were with me that day. But you didn't slap me'. Yes, one doesn't slap others no matter how angry he gets except for spouse. Where else can she go? 

Yes, it is wonderful film. Not just feminists, all women must watch this film. At least to feel happy that in stories they have found the solution. 

I will tell you another story.

Joads are traveling west to California.  Because the farm they were cultivating could not grow much because of dust storms. And the land lord flattened to farms and asked them to leave. They are going in a truck with their entire family and what little belongings they had. Which is not much. 

They are going to California because they have seen pamphlets telling that they need hundreds of workers in orange and grape fields. 

Grampa who never wanted to leave his home, falls very sick and then dies. Gramma is sick too. They have little food, very little money and a long distance to cover. 

In one of their rest stops, they come across another traveler. He funnily is traveling back from California. He reluctantly tells them how bad the situation is in there. There are too many people and not so much work. And the people they have traveled very long distance with lot of hope and nothing else (no money). They are desperate. The work contractor knows their situation and pays them very very little. 

The man says it took him to lose his kids and his wife to realize the truth. That he was wrong in coming there and decided to go back. 

Does this speech discourage Tom Joad and others? But Joads have no where to go back to. They have to continue their journey and face the situation.

Yes, this story from a century ago is one of the greatest books of John Steinback  - 'The grapes of Wrath'.