Doodle your way out
We all need more honest self-expression in our lives
Spoiler alert!
‘Taare Zameen Par’ (Like Stars on Earth) is a film that has a special place in my heart. Ishaan (Darsheel Safary), the troubled dyslexic 3rd grader who finds his refuge in painting and doodling — especially to express himself as the alphabets are an alien way of communication for him. When he is sent to the boarding school against his will by his father for ‘disciplining’ him- he stops painting. He stops expressing. Because he is so devastated by the separation from the family, loneliness, the constant judgement and shaming and even punishments by teachers- he is just bottling everything inside.
Then Ram Nikumbh (Aamir Khan), a temporary art teacher, enters Ishaan’s life. He takes a special interest in the troubled Ishaan as he is failing academically and is living in discomfort. Ishaan is not home- in fact, it seems like he has even given up on the hope of finding a home.
The movie then becomes an uplifting story of how Ishaan overcomes his problems with the help of intervention by Ram. Ishaan regains his excitement and energy in life again, shown in the powerful scene of him drawing a painting that expresses himself quite beautifully and winning the award at the drawing competition.
One aspect that I noticed was how Ishaan’s expression of art was used to clearly show the changes in his personality. He has had a special interest in painting since he was very young. He loses that interest as he loses self-confidence at the boarding school. Ram takes an extraordinary effort to make him draw again, becoming the most significant milestone in Ishaan’s development and finding that self-confidence again.
See how Ram talks about Ishaan’s painting as a way to express his frustration.
“Just think…a child barely eight or nine, can’t read or write…can’t do his daily chores like his classmates. What must he be going through? His self-confidence must have been shattered. Hiding his inabilities in disobedience, he must be fighting with the world, must’ve created a riot here. Why admit I can’t, I’d rather say, “I don’t want to.” Kids learn it from adults…Now, his rebellion is also crushed out there. I’m sorry to say, he has stopped painting altogether.”
As soon I heard this, a realisation hit me hard:
Self-expression is a powerful tool for one’s well-being.
Fight club is another favourite movie of mine. The film completed 20 years of its release in 2020, yet the public discourse on the movie is still going on. Such has been the impact that resonated with so many people- especially young men. The film was based on the book written by Chuck Palahniuk. He has been writing such stories which have been ‘different’ from the traditional storytelling and hit the audience differently.
For Chuck, writing has been a form of therapy. It has been a way of dealing with traumatic memories of a difficult childhood. For him, expressing himself through stories is not just a profession but a way of living. He claims that people like telling their personal stories until they have resolved their issue with them. I do think there is some truth to that. I often repeat the same stories to different people as a way to feel better. Every time I share it, it somehow seems to get better.
So again:
Self-expression is a powerful tool for one’s well-being.
The important question is also is what kind of stories we share? How truthful are we? How honest are we?
I have often wondered at the rise of short video apps like Tiktok, which have made expressing oneself through video and music so easy. Seeing its popularity among the subaltern class that had been not as well-connected with the internet before hints at the human desire to ‘create’ and ‘share’ stories.
Most of them are not as profound or discussion-worthy as fight club because they are not as honest- they are expressing to deal with a deeper aspect of life in a short video. It is not bad; entertainment has its importance. I am just trying to distinguish different types of expression and art. Radhe and Coolie no.1 are expressions, but it is not what anyone would call ‘moving’. It is cringe.
I want to highlight something as ‘honest self-expression’, which often articulates a difficult emotion or feeling through different media. This is a type of expression that changes people’s lives. It is a process where the creator takes an effort to bring out the hidden and suppressed emotion and memories that feel raw and fresh yet well articulated. Ishaan and Chuck both have been doing it for their own good, which can later become good for other people.
Honest self-expression is more profound and can move other people.
I have been using honest self-expression since my childhood through paintings, doodling and poem. I do it even these days, once in a while. I am deliberately writing an article about it because it is so easy to forget, especially when it is so easy to just keep consuming information.
I get inspiration to doodle from time to time. It helps me deal with emotions in a better way.
I realised the importance of expressing myself through different media when doing an assignment for my “happiness, habits and success” course in my last semester. We had to draw a ‘river of life’ that is like a visual story you create of your life. It was one of the most impactful assignments for me as it helped me go through my past failures and successes and make a wholesome story.
With this pandemic and lockdown, it is just easy to shelter ourselves in distractions, to not think, to just consume. The concept of leisure has now become just about passive consumption. I want to remind you again of the power of honest self-expression.
So take a time out and play around with the pencil, pen, paintbrushes or the drawing app on your phone. Create something honest. Write a story, share a story, be a little vulnerable. Maybe your expression might change someone’s life. Perhaps just keep it for yourself, for your own good.
As the ‘Kholo Kholo’ song in Taare Zameen par inspires me quite well
https://open.spotify.com/track/1IfhPnZpm0IZOoAM1PDjtw?si=ea8d9f660c724ff7
Kyun is kadar hairaan tu
Mausam ka hai mehmaan tu
O.. Duniya saji tere liye
Khud ko zara pehchan tuTu dhoop hai chham se bikhar
Tu hai nadi o bekbhar
Beh chal kahin
Ud chal kahin Dil khush jahaan
Teri to manzil hai waheen…
Translation:
Why are you surprised like this
You’re a guest to the seasons
The world is decorated for you
Try to recognize yourself
You’re the sunlight, spread yourself
You’re unaware that you’re like a river
Start flowing somewhere
Start flying somewhere
Wherever your heart is happy
Your destination is right there
