He has an upright gait and conducts himself gently, with well-thought out nuances to his person. His name is unknown, but there is a small, wise smile on his lips as he takes a morning walk. The location is pleasantly green and decidedly ‘posh’.
VOICEOVER The city awakes to experience a brand new day. In these early hours, this could be any city of the world almost indescribable underneath the hazy sunlight. But look closer and you find the little clues that make it unique…this is Lahore, the city that never sleeps, and the city where no one goes hungry. This is the city in which ancient and modern combine to rewrite cultural traditions every day. Underneath the shadow of grand billboards advertising everything from cellular phones to luxury apartments, I take a walk to remember the new face of the changing world.
(As the MAN takes a walk, he walks through a park and then goes outside, walks along the road. His retreat from the park is shot from the back; the emphasis is on how his shadow lengthens as the early morning sun rises.)
(Brief cut to a hazy montage of a morning in a village. The landscape is dotted with farms. It is a memory. )
FADE OUT.
Scene II
Ext: Morning; 7:30 am – 8:00 am.
FADE IN.
(The MAN is shown exiting a high-end gym. the gym is packed full of people, with plenty of health-conscious freaks working out on treadmills etc. He passes them by, clutching his membership forms. He looks fairly amused with what he has experienced inside. He has just signed up for the membership of the gym on his son's persistence. He walks a few yards, slowly, at his leisure, keenly observing the people coming out and going in to the gym.)
VOICEOVER I need to preserve my health, my son informed me, and so I find myself here with the membership plan in my hands. It sounds exciting, it looks exceptional…but memory tugs at my heart.
(A hazy montage of an ‘akhara’, with ‘pehlwaan’s’ exercising there, some lounging on charpais.)
VOICEOVER The visions of inner city roads leading up to that famous akhara with its famous pehlwans…for me, as a child, those men with their minds disciplined and bodies dedicated to kasrat were Titans. The hard exercise followed by hearty meals…wah, that was the fun part of life! Somehow along the way, outdoors has given in to indoors. Now I can indulge in physical exercise clothed in brand name clothes in the gym, make friends with machines and experience an entirely new face of warzish. Fair enough!
(The MAN finally approaches an OLD CAR that is in his belonging. His DRIVER steps forward to open the door of the car for him but he politely refuses and opens it for himself. He settles down in the back seat of the car, taking a moment to breathe deeply and look down at the brochure of the posh gym in his hands. He gazes at it intently for a few moments before carefully laying it down beside himself on the seat. He turns his face to the window as the car starts. He is looking out on the traffic, but he is not focused on anything. He is deep in thought.)
FADE OUT.
Scene III
Int: Mid-day; 12:30 pm – 1:00 pm.
FADE IN.
(The same gentleman walks in to a café, carefully stepping past the excited and vibrant groups of young people that fill the place. He has a newspaper rolled under one of his arms. He places his order at the counter. He looks at the sweet treats available for consumption with longing but finally shakes his head, refusing to buy them. It is apparent from his gestures that he has not bought these because of medical reasons. He goes to sit at the table which is farthest from the ‘usual crowd’ of youngsters and people in their twenties who are just ‘hanging out’.)
VOICEOVER When I was young, a teacher called me a ‘slave to the details’. I felt belittled then; but now I understand I truly am a slave to the details and how blessed that makes me. I’m at the age where I have seen and lived the past and I carry on that knowledge in this new age of technological advancement, of science and space travel. The mode of survival is different now and everyone around me seems to be rushing to cash in on the change. They want to make the best of their abilities and become the ‘global citizen’. For me, this is amazing. I play the amused stranger amongst the crowds and observe how this puzzle is coming together.
