Jon Krakauer's "Into the Wild"

Finished reading "Into the Wild", biography of idealistic Chris Johnson McCandless, written by Jon Krakauer. McCandless was a brilliant young scholar with Tolstoy and Jack London as his ideals. He loathed civilization and materialism and went cross country across the American Continent in search of peace taking the name Alexander Supertramp. His last frontier was in Alaska where he lived for a long period and ultimately died because of minor mistakes he committed in the harsh terrain. Krakauer has produced the biography with journalistic objectivity and he has avoided glorifying his subject. Chris's negative side of personality has been provided equal space along with his positive traits. His uncalled for hatred against his parents, his temper, his foolishness in rejecting proper gear to survive in Alaska have been presented realistically. How did Chris actually die in Alaska is a matter of controversy. Starvation seems to be the strongest reason for it. Hubris proved to be the doom for Chris as he went to the region without sufficient ration. He also didn't show patience in finding an escape route which was nearby. Chris was not the only person dissatisfied with the evil of modern world as Krakauer gives examples of other young Americans including himself. These anxious souls sought refuge in nature which is so pure that only higher thoughts come into mind in the lap of nature. But nature is cruel to those who ignore her reality. Chris did the same and perished. Had he have some inkling towards eastern yoga techniques, he would have survived. The movie adapted from this book is good as well.   

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives

"अंकल बुन्मी हु क्यान रिकल हिज पास्ट लाइभ्स" भन्ने गहन अर्थ बोकेको तर बुझ्न गाह्रै हुने एउटा थाइ फिल्म हेरेँ । अपिचातपोङ वीरसेथकुलद्वारा निर्देशित तथा सन् २०१० को प्रतिष्ठित कान्स पुरस्कार जित्न सफल यो फिल्ममा हिन्दू तथा बौद्धदर्शनको पुनर्जन्मसम्बन्धी विषयलाई समेटिएको छ । थाइ सेनाका पूर्व फोटोग्राफर बुन्मी किड्नीको समस्याका कारण मृत्‍यु नजिकै पुगेका हुन्छन् र अलि पहिलेदेखि नै  सहरबाट धेरै टाढाको एउटा जंगलमा सानोतिनो घर बनाएर मौरीपालन  गरेर बसेका हुन्छन् । उनलाई लाओसको एकजना केटाले स्याहार गरिरहेका हुन्छन् । उनलाई भेट्न उनकी साली बैंककबाट त्यो जंगलमा पुगेकी हुन्छिन् । बेलुकाको खाना खाँदा बुन्मीकी मृत श्रीमती र छोरा भूत बनेर आउँछन् र लामो कुरा गर्छन् । भूतप्रेत र जीवित मानिस सँगै बसेर कुरा गर्ने जादुई यथार्थवादी शैली अपनाइएको छ फिल्ममा । बुन्मी भूतप्रेतमा विश्वास गर्ने हुनाले भूतसँग तर्सिंदैनन् । आफू मर्ने बेला आएकाले बुन्मी आफ्ना विगतका जीवन सम्झन थाल्छन् । उनी कुनै जन्ममा अर्ना थिए, कुनैमा माछा थिए, कुनैमा राजकुमारी थिए, कुनैमा भिक्षु थिए । यही जन्ममा चाहिँ सैनिक हुँदा उनले थाइल्याण्ड र लाओसको सिमानामा धेरै कम्युनिस्ट गुरिल्लाहरूलाई मारेका थिए र जीवनको उत्तरार्धमा आफ्ना खेतमा कीरा मारेका थिए । यो पापका कारण अर्को जन्ममा दु:ख पाइएला भन्ने उनलाई डर छ । पछि उनी आफ्ना मृत तथा जीवित नातेदारसँग घना जंगलको बीचमा रहेको एक गुफामा पुग्छन् । त्यो गुफा गर्भको आकारको हुन्छ । अर्को जन्ममा पुग्नका लागि फेरि गर्भधारण गर्नु जरुरी त हुन्छ । फिल्मको अन्त्यतिर एउटा भिक्षु गृहस्थीको घरमा आएको र सांसारिक सुविधा भोगेको देखाइएको छ र ती चरित्र  जीवित मानिस हुन् कि मृत छुट्ट्याउनै गाह्रो हुन्छ । कि त्यो भिक्षु बुन्मी हुन् ? यो फिल्ममा खास कथा भन्नु केही छैन । बौद्ध ध्यानमा ध्यानस्थले तत्वमा ध्यान गर्छ र मानसिक विश्लेषणको चक्रव्यूहबाट आफूलाई अलग पार्छ । त्यसैगरी यो फिल्ममा दर्शकले घटनाको अनुभव गरुन्, रौंचिरा विश्लेषण गर्नतिर नलागून् भन्न खोजिएको होला । प्रकृतिका दृश्य  खिच्दा र अन्यत्र पनि एकदमै लामा टेकहरू लिइएका छन् । धैर्यशाली हुनुपर्छ फिल्म हेर्दा । मलाई पनि कतैकतै चाहिँ झ्याउ नै लागेर आयो । यो बौद्ध विषयवस्तुका अलावा राजनीतिक टिप्पणी पनि सूक्ष्म तवरले गरिएको छ फिल्ममा । थाइ सरकारले शीतयुद्धताका कम्युनिस्ट गुरिल्ला माथि      गरेको क्रूर दमन तथा थाइल्याण्डमा हुने मानव अधिकार उल्लंघन (बेपत्ताका घटना) लाई भूतप्रेतको कथामार्फत देखाइएको छ । बुन्मीको छोरा जंगलमा बेपत्ता पारिएर मारिएका रहेछन् । (यस्तै खालको विषयलाई फिलिपिन्सको फिल्म "द रोड" ले पनि उठाएको थियो । फिलिपिन्समा मानिस व्यापक रूपमा बेपत्ता पारिन्छन् ।) जंगल, झर्ना, जनावर, मौरीका सुन्दर दृश्य समावेश छन् फिल्ममा । सुन्दर छायांकनले फिल्मको उँचाइ थपेको छ ।                    

After reading "The Road"

Finished reading Pulitzer prize-winning post-apocalyptic dystopian novel by Cormac MacCarthy, "The Road." Due to an unknown disaster, the earth's ecology has been almost destroyed. People have resorted to cannibalism. In this bleak environment, a father and a son take a long walk over many days southwards, sea-bound. They meet many good and bad guys on the way. The father is a laconic guy and he doesn't answer his son's queries with pleasure. (Sparse dialogue and terse one-liners are distinguishable features of the book.) The son acts as the conscience of the father and asks him to treat humans that they meet with respect. They keep walking down the road but they don't know what they wiil get once they reach the sea. They reach there and the father meets with a disaster. 
This is a good book but not an enjoyable one. Bleakness permeates the whole book. In fact, MacCarthy gives a nod to Charles Dickens's "Bleak House" in style. The seaward journey might be an evoking of the return to the water, the primary habitat of all beings. The father tells the son that they are carrying fire within them which might be the fire of goodness. I find the book to be a strong argument for the preservation of nature and ecology. People should check their recklessness regarding nature. The post-disaster scenario doesn't look nice.