I come from a country which chants the mantra ‘Dream or Die’ in every grocery store, within the walls of the university, in 3rd grade, on Mondays, in Kapoors, in culture, in history, in mythology. Dream or Die.

As part of my Indoenesia Induction, someone gave me the movie ‘Under the Protection of Ka’bah’ to watch (trailer). This movie is based on a 1938 novel that’s known to be one of the most epic works in Indonesia. Read here. The movie and the people in Indonesia have told me time and time again that ‘The higher you fly, the greater the fall’. So, why would you want to fly so high anyway? Stay grounded and let fate determine your path to life.

It doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from or where you think you belong, your life is pre-planned by the higher powers and you’ll only be a fool to try to change something that’s scripted and set in stone.

Here’s what you can do - live. Live your life, be happy and be nice. Everything else will play itself out. Yesterday I heard someone say that they never take Life Insurance. They only insure their car, their home, their furniture. Life’s already insured. Who are you to take that power away from Mr.Fate?

In the same month, I watched Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani (trailer) where Ranbir proudly talks about living life on the edge and never stopping ‘wanting’.

This obviously baffled me to no bounds. As I finished watching the movie, watching a doomed end wherein the protagonists are still filled with optimism and gratitude, I realised how two parts of the same continent have more things in difference than in common. 

6indonesia, jakarta, culture, stories,