Just A Creative Serendipity
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Some of my friendly readers have started asking me questions, the recent one being about the remarkable similarity in themes between SRK-enacted "Chak De" (HINDI MOVIE) and my story "Gung-ho Team". This story of mine came earlier than the above film and the so-called similarity could at best be a case of creative serendipity. Yes, they have similarities to the extent that both deal with the theme of revival of the national game hockey and both have happy endings. But, "Gung-ho Team" is about the building of a men's hockey team from a level of utter inexperience to one of winning excellence. Chak De about women's team and its consolidation.
Let me quote here a couple of paragraphs from the story.
"Barla repeated what he did in the first match at pre-quarter stage. In an incredible speed within two minutes of the opening of the match, he took possession of the ball from about the mid-field, swerved himself to the right like a bullfighter in chase, gained a sprinting lead of twenty yards or so, dodged just one challenger near the D and scored a marvellous goal. Munia Pradhan followed the lead. Dribbling the ball beautifully he dissected into opponent's defence and charged deep into its area, just to register his invincible presence in the striking circle. The opponents hiked their pace to a desperate level, reached from all possible sides in their bid to block Munia's advance. He could not finally score a goal, but definitely earned a penalty corner. Now it was the turn of Dharam. He placed himself advantageously just outside the striking circle, unperturbed and ready. As Kujur trapped the ball and shifted away smartly, Dharam swerved by about ten degree to go for it. Thereafter he hit the ball in the desired direction and with measured force. Hurrah! It was an impeccable goal.
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"Hurrah! Hockey is about HUG AND KISS. The winners hugged each other, tossed Munia in the air, and sat on the ground on their knees. They were excited and their eyes were moist. The impossible was achieved. The team that was struggling for just one nutrition-rich diet a day at the inaccessible corner of India did it and did it with élan. It once again proved the heart of India lies in hockey and the flesh in cricket. No match-fixing controversy, no inexplicable glamour to feel suspicious about. Even a tiny island could win laurels. Talents are everywhere; they are presented as they are needed."Long live the Andaman Hockey team under the captainship of Sukra, management of Mr Bisra Kujur! Long live sportsmanship! All the seventeen started to chant their golden chorus:
"Dharam has come back, watch gung-ho
The finishing stroke goes this way, say heave-ho."
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By
A. N. Nanda
Sambalpur
05-09-2007
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posted by The Unadorned at
12:05 AM
3 Comments:
Thats simply great Uncle that you came out with a very similar story much before. I guess you will like my next post Mir Negi, the man who inspired the character of SRK in Chak de India
By
Deepak Panigrahy, at 3:19 AM
Page: 1
Dear Mr Nand
My apologies for encroaching upon your valuable time. I just couldn’t help it when I went through your book “Virasat” which I chanced to see lying unclaimed on the floor of our local post office which runs in my building. I leafed through it and immediately claimed to borrow it from the Postmaster, but now he wouldn’t part with it unless I paid him Rs.100/- for it. So did I and the book was mine to read it at my own time and pace. Very soon I found out that I didn’t have to regret my decision. I am not qualified enough to write a review of a literary creation. I am simply trying t put my own views and experience :
While reading this book, I kept on wondering how did you do it, being such a busy person as you must be ? But then, I knew creativity isn’t constrained by time and circumstances. I finished the first story and was tempted to read the next one and then the next one and so it went on till I finished the whole book, admitting to myself all the way how well you have plotted your stories out of the mundane activities of a postal department. Our professor of Creative Writing classes always used to say, “to narrate means to recite or to tell, but to create is to bring into being from nothing”. How you have been able to inspire life and interest into the nondescript people and activities is something possible only of a master craft man, who, apart from being skilled in the art of writing, not only sees; but also observes, for few people write so well that they can sell a story written around a character or theme only. Your readers become emotionally and mentally involved with your characters. It’s nice to see your characters in ‘Virasat’ emerging out of conflicts and thus securing reader’s sympathy and love. The stories have a ring of truth in them. You have been able to write convincingly, your locations and settings are well planned around postal activities which you seem to know like the palm of your hand. That may be very natural for a writer who heads such a department, but then it has gone a long way in planning your material sufficiently within your own experience and understanding so that you have been able to write with great conviction. Every scene is like a dream picture, growing out of actual experience. Simple, beautiful stories with no complexity of plot. The stories published in this book are the “less obviously plotted” stories type, which is the trend of the day. The art of opening and closing being the essence of such stories, has been well managed - while the opening intrigues the reader immediately, the closing leaves him fully satisfied. I hope the same goes for your novel, too.
I am raring to read your “Remix of Orchid” and “In Harness” which I am sure to get one of these days from the Writers Workshop, Calcutta through one of my literary friends. As to your book, the “Remix of Orchid, the foreword by Ruskin Bond”, my favourite writer, who was recently here in Calcutta on the launch of a childrens’ book, makes it more compelling for me to read that book of yours, I must admit.
By
M Jha, at 12:11 PM
Page : 2
contd from page : 1
Last but not the least, I take the opportunity of congratulating you profusely on writing such a beautiful book in our language. It has enriched our literature. We expect many more of your ramblings in times to come. Kindly keep it up. Are you writing any thing new? My literary friend circle will be very glad to know of it. Aren’t you thinking of getting ‘Virasat’ translated into English.? If so, please let us know.
With kind regards and best wishes,
-M Jha
Calcutta
09830054185
By
M Jha, at 12:12 PM
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