I must have read all his books, while others my age were busy tucking away the great and ever so praised Harry Potter novels. I remember a certain girl in my class who by the age of 10 had scaled the walls of Hogwarts uncovering its mysteries and had become deeply entangled in this mystical and magical world created by J.K Rowling. She commanded great respect from myself as well as many others as she had managed to read all the novels released by then.
Roald Dahl's books were nothing short of pure genius.His word play was unimaginable and each time you picked up one of his books,you disappeared into this timeless, hidden world where you'd encounter the most astounding characters.
There was Charlie Bucket,who most are familiar with(You remember the giant chocolate factory that poked at the food savage in us) who by a twist of fate met Willy Wonka,and rose from the ashes from a destitute upbringing to become the heir to a confectionery empire. Then there was George who decided to tweak his spiteful old grandmother with the most absurd concoction. The witches. Danny the Champion of the world.Matilda.The BFG. And James with his giant peach.
Like I said pure genius. These characters belonged to a place and a time I could only remotely relate to,but there was something they ignited in me as a child and each time I followed Roald Dahl's words it was as if the events in his tales were unfolding before my very own eyes.
Danny the Champion of the World definitely wins as my favourite Roald Dahl novel of all time. The story is told through the eyes of a nine year old. And the way he brings out the simplicity of a child's mind coupled with the complexity of the realization of the world around him and its injustices is alluring.
Fantasy.It opens your mind to a whole world of possibilities. Anything and everything is possible.And while one is engaged in it,they are no longer enslaved by human constraints such as time or money. It's is freedom in it's purest form.
As I grew older I took to film,the screens,T.V shows.Undoubtedly,books are portable magic as described by one Stephen King but I guess the characterization of great works of writing plays well with my soul.It plunges one into this world where one is lost until the credits begin to pop up on the screen. Then there's this rude awakening,a slap from reality. That repulsive feeling one gets when the lights are turned on at the cinemas at the end of a movie. And you have to watch people shuffle back to their ordinary lives,and you must come to terms with the fact that you must also do the same. Any movie that tugs at my heart strings leaves me in a daze. And unlike Alice,I never want to leave Wonderland.
I'm a hobbit geek.
Oh!My incurable love for overstatements. Given not the constraints of the location of my 'Hakuna Matata' country I'd probably attend all those conventions and everything. Initially,I wouldn't even have considered watching the trailers let alone snuggling in my bed to cover the lengthy time period taken to watch each movie in the Hobbit sequel.
It's an epic adventure that sings to my gypsy spirit. We follow the journey of Bilbo Baggins,the protagonist of J.R.R Tolkien's 1937 novel. From a sedentary farmer to a thief who is somehow obliged to become a makeshift warrior under Thorin the great dwarf king.As much as one is a mere spectator,one adopts Bilbo's character and as he journeys away from the Shire,it is as if we too are journeying away from our reality and just like Mr.Baggins from our ordinary,dull,unadventurous and routine lifestyle.
And as the various fictional characters and worlds are revealed to him,it is as if we too are viewing these revelations. I was deeply saddened,by the final scene in 'The Battle of five armies' as we are once again returned to the simple lifestyle of Bilbo before the unexpected journey began.
He is musing while sitting in his chair,and his advancement in age is evident.It is as if the fantasy we were riding on has come to an end. We had been awarded the pleasure of burrowing through J.R.R Tolkien's creativity as well as the creativity of those who developed the movie but that privilege has now been withdrawn. And our ticket to join in the adventure has long expired.
Having been on such a phenomenal mind escape we too like Bilbo are forced to return to the life we knew before. Obviously a little disoriented and pained by nostalgia.Though ours is not a physical return like that of Bilbo but a mental return.But just like Bilbo we are not quite the same upon our return.We have seen things(I joke).
Our spirits which were once wild and free experiencing the roller coaster of events that occurred throughout the sequel leading us finally to Erebor and back are once again put away into their cages guarded by the expectations of reality.
Oh,the illusion of fantasy and the thrill we feel when we escape if not physically,mentally. And it's simply wondrous how the mind is opened up to unbelievable dimensions we didn't think existed and worlds beyond this one where the soul and spirit are free to roam freely.
And all that's needed is for us to simply close our eyes,dream or even look beyond the clouds and wander. Or sail out on the enchanting waters painted by someone else's imagination played out in words in books or by characters in films.
They say it is not drugs that make one a drug addict, but the need to escape. As humans I believe, in order to survive we must find a way to escape the worry and tire of everyday life.But perhaps with something less toxic and legal.
Music,is one such beloved form of escape whose function is said to be"To release us from the tyranny of conscious thought".Confucius stated that "Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without". But that's just it, humans cannot do without their forms of escape and it is these escapes,disguised in all forms of art that make life worthwhile. They enable us to live out our fantasies.Display our daydreams.
All art forms for generations have soothed souls,cured heartaches,expressed what words have failed to.But I think what tops it all of is its universality ,where some kind/form/type of art speaks to someone's soul somewhere somehow.
Neither language barriers nor borders limit its universality and that is where its power lies.How these art forms give flight to our imagination regardless of ethnicity,gender and all the other classifications society has subjected people to.They are indeed our wings.
'The creative adult is the child who survived'.We're all born with the ability to flee our reality.To create a world beyond our own.To dream. To believe. To hope.This is tolerated in children and blamed on their naivety.
However one of our failures is that we allow our imagination to be toned down as we grow older.But it is this very imagination that sustains us through difficult times,giving us the ability to imagine a rainbow beyond the dark clouds.
To free one's minds from what's considered 'reasonable' in as far as possibilities are concerned is only vital.Great minds strive to test the limits of human creativity and innovation which is fanned by their imagination.
The thing with a great movie or book or any means of escape is as you lose yourself in it,in the process you find yourself. As you delve in a world beyond your own,in the midst of the adventure and the rush of your soul,it is as if the world around you is silenced.And you are left with the comfort of your thoughts and you are able to reach the depths of your mind. And it is then and only then, as you are immersed in a world of reckless possibility you are truly true to yourself and upon disembarking of this great adventure you are able to follow your heart.
So often are we clouded by reality and ideals of realistic living that we become distant to our true selves and in the process we become accustomed to a life we despise as it's rhythm does not resonate with the beat in our hearts.
'The heart is just a beat box for the song of your life'.
To live peacefully and in harmony with our true self we must ensure they're have the same tune.Unleash our fantasies through art not only as a form of escapism but also as a form of self discovery.There is so much to be learnt about ourselves and how to amicably handle the challenges that face us each and everyday,in times beyond our own,worlds beyond our own,struggles and stories beyond our own.Live beyond yourself.
Do not be misguided,it is not that we maybe lost in a world of fiction.You know, lost in a dream.But so that as we wander we may refresh our soul,awaken our spirit and add a little magic in our lives and live in such a way that our soul,the rawest form of our self may be pleased.
"And above all watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places.
Those who don't believe in magic will never find it"
-Roald Dahl
1916-1990
Comments