That is the title of a popular 1980's film. An African tribal finds an empty, plastic water bottle and not understanding what it is, knows that he must get rid of this stellar object. He travels on foot to a distant valley and throws the bottle away in its awesome waterfall. He sees and experiences many weird things on his way. They include a brief spell in a prison. He does not understand what a prison is and spends all his time in the cell in watching the sky from its tiny window. He refuses to eat. Seeing this an American young scientist persuades the warlords to free him or else to have the blood of an innocent man on their hands.
I had not heard of this movie at all. Imagine my pleasure when I chanced upon it on an idle afternoon when I was clicking TV channels at random. I decided to give the movie 5 minutes and stayed glued to the TV set till it was over. Oh! What an enjoyable time it was!
I remembered the movie again because in the labour camp behind our building, there is a new worker who keeps gazing at the nearby tree-tops, the sky and the birds whenever he is out of his tiny shed. He reminds me of the tribal from The Gods must be crazy.
The surroundings of our society are getting commercialized very fast. The bungalow on the right had made way for a four- storey building. A regular office has started on the third storey and work is going on in other parts. The construction workers and security guards stay in make shift sheds on an open plot behind our building.
These are tiny tin sheds. After 2/ 3 instances of rain-induced wall collapses recently, the sheds have been somewhat fortified. There is minimum furniture. One shed boasts of a bed. Ropes have been put up to hang washed clothes.
It rains heavily nowadays and otherwise it is hot. In this tropical climate, there are plenty of birds, butterflies but also insects and creepies and crawlies about.
The workers make light of these difficulties and go about their business punctually without any fuss. There is minimum conversation among them though. There are 7 or 8 of them around. Until recently, there were just 4. Half of them have mobile phones. There is electricity. They appear to be content.
I watch them. When they carry on so well with so little, do I have a right to feel bored?
I had not heard of this movie at all. Imagine my pleasure when I chanced upon it on an idle afternoon when I was clicking TV channels at random. I decided to give the movie 5 minutes and stayed glued to the TV set till it was over. Oh! What an enjoyable time it was!
I remembered the movie again because in the labour camp behind our building, there is a new worker who keeps gazing at the nearby tree-tops, the sky and the birds whenever he is out of his tiny shed. He reminds me of the tribal from The Gods must be crazy.
The surroundings of our society are getting commercialized very fast. The bungalow on the right had made way for a four- storey building. A regular office has started on the third storey and work is going on in other parts. The construction workers and security guards stay in make shift sheds on an open plot behind our building.
These are tiny tin sheds. After 2/ 3 instances of rain-induced wall collapses recently, the sheds have been somewhat fortified. There is minimum furniture. One shed boasts of a bed. Ropes have been put up to hang washed clothes.
It rains heavily nowadays and otherwise it is hot. In this tropical climate, there are plenty of birds, butterflies but also insects and creepies and crawlies about.
The workers make light of these difficulties and go about their business punctually without any fuss. There is minimum conversation among them though. There are 7 or 8 of them around. Until recently, there were just 4. Half of them have mobile phones. There is electricity. They appear to be content.
I watch them. When they carry on so well with so little, do I have a right to feel bored?
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