The Dark Knight - Nolan meets Nash

As madness of Joker touches eight-plus on Richter scale towards climax of the movie, he rigs bombs aboard two ferries, one carrying civilians and other carrying prisoners. He also gives each ferry a detonator warning they have to explode the other by midnight if they want to save themselves. Joker also threatens if both decide not to detonate, he will blow up both! It is a classic game theory situation. Game theory is applied in a typical game played by two players - people on two ferries here - where each player is trying to gain more points by knowing the strategy of other player with also knowing the other player also trying to gain the same way!

Prisoner's dilemma is a classic situation used to explain the application of Game theory. It is a situation where two criminals are interrogated separately and are given a deal that whoever testifies other will be freed and the testified will get a 10-year. If both are testified by each other, each will get a 5-yr and they 'd get nothing if both remained silent . It is a very interesting behavioral situation. If each trust other, they could escape. but they had to overcome fear, uncertainty and mistrust. If both could prevail, it is clearly a win-win. In case of an element of uncertainty popping up in one or both minds, penalty is for sure.

In the movie, this situation is applied with interesting twists and much more depth. The players - civilians and prisoners - involved are of very conflicting nature in behavior. The behavioral response of one could be very opposite of other. The nature of outcomes is also very different as there is an increase of penalty - both being blown away by Joker - in case of inaction by both as opposed to a decrease in penalty in Prisoner's dilemma - they could escape in case of inaction. It is very blissful to watch how these two groups play the game set by Joker. Both decide not to detonate and chose an apparently sub-optimal decision. Hope and humanity prevails over mistrust, uncertainty, fear and strategy to gain. How even prisoners look good in front of a monster throw another deep perception of subjectivity about good and evil!

The decision taken by people on the Ferries is also in alignment with John Nash's (Famous Game Theorist) proof of existence of an equilibrium with best strategy possible for each player if played cooperatively! The application, little twists to the classic situation and the depth of philosophy multiplies the credit that Nolan deserves!

Coin toss is one of the most unbiased ways to take a decision by chance. There is a 50-50 chance of an outcome - Head or Tail. DA in the movie takes a decision each time by tossing up a coin apparently looking to others like leaving things to chance which he later in the movie reveals that the coin is indeed a biased one with head being on both sides! It is one of many crooked ways of direction in the movie that indeed tells a good thing! You decide your luck and there is nothing called chance! In later part of movie when DA loses one side of his face with Rachel, his girl friend, losing her life to a trap set by Joker, the coin held by Rachel while dying loses its one side and becomes an unbiased one through a biased way - very crooked indeed! How two-faced DA now uses this unbiased coin to leave others life to apparently a fair chance as against using the coin biased then to create his own luck is quite interesting!

Nolan crookedly manipulates the probabilistic events in his way to forward the movie and to capture the impact of Joker's madness on others. One final piece of thought: The overwhelming response to the movie is significantly biased by sympathy for Heath Ledger, excessive exploitation of good-vs-evil philosophy, seemingly intelligent but overtly crooked direction.

The Dark Knight - My Interpretation

The movie is such a gripping illustration of evil! Nolan's interpretations are deep, dark, intelligent and interesting. Nolan fulcrums the comics characters and the script at his own set of thought-provoking interpretations. Good and evil are always in equilibrium for our continued sustainability. Joker says to Batman, "Why do I want to kill you? What 'd I do without you? You complete me!" Well, is not it true? Sure, It is! Good tries to triumph evil by a strategy; evil changes its strategy accordingly to gain an upper hand; Good again changes its strategy to pull evil down. The battles are won and lost by both. but the war is never won by neither! You can either choose to be happy about the good's tenacity or get afraid of evil's intensity.

A clown pulling a gun on another, asks, "I bet the Joker told you to kill me as soon as we loaded the cash?" He gets a slightly confusing and playful response "No, no, he killed the bus driver" "Bus driver? what bus driver....?" he was done before completing it and the joker escapes with all the money! It is like you win rummy with all Jokers! Barring the impossibility, you still enjoy the smartness, crookedness and more importantly the intelligence. He strikes you for the first time and forever. The Joker is not governed by trust, beliefs, or principles; The Joker is neither emotional nor logical; The joker is neither materialistic nor philosophical; He does not have any schemes or go by plans. He does it as it comes! He is a concept, just opposite of good!

What a mesmerizing presence Heath Ledger brings on the screen! It is extraordinarily brilliant! He grips the entire movie by his menacing presence. Be it the scene when he makes a pencil disappear into a thug's head (!) or he combs his hair with his knife at the sight of Rachel or his utterly playful disgust look at two-faced DA in the hospital or his encounters with Batman. Man, he leaves such a lasting impact on a viewer. "An unstoppable force and an immovable object! You are not corruptible. You won't kill me out of your self-righteousness and I won't kill you because you are too much fun!", Joker says to Batman. But It is Joker who is too much fun! We don't want him to be killed! He is done developing in your mind such a vivid definition to the concept of Joker by the time movie gets over. How he unleashes fear on you through his scary-looking torn-and-stitched clown face is a mind-bending black magic.

The magnitude of Joker's strike on DA's spiritual self, making him slip down from a high level of his creating his own luck to a low level of his leaving others life to unfair chances, is immeasurable on any scale! You slowly realize the intensity of evilness brought out by Joker and so does Batman. The intensity is spectacularly sound engineered by Newton Howard in many scenes and in particular the ones where Joker goes freaky. There is indeed a sense of relief in the air when evils of lesser force are pulled into good's orbit at the time of madness and immorality. The civilians had to finally join forces to come into equilibrium with Joker.

Joker's another stunning piece of dialogue - "I am not a Monster. I am just ahead of the curve!!!" - stands a proof for Nolan's depth of understanding of Joker's character. Heath Ledger and Christopher Nolan are thoroughly enjoyable. Enjoy the movie but don't be so serious? Joker does not like it!

எல்லாமும் நீயே....

வண்மை நீ, வெண்மை நீ, பெண்மை நீ, என் ஆண்மையும் நீ!
விழிமலர் நீ, மதிமலர் நீ, திருமலர் நீ, என் நறுமலரும் நீ!
மாங்கனி நீ, தீங்கனி நீ, முக்கனி நீ, என் எக்கனியும் நீ!
மிகுசுவை நீ, அறுசுவை நீ, தனிசுவை நீ, என் நவைசுவையும் நீ!
சங்கினி நீ, அக்கினி நீ, மோகினி நீ, என் ராகினியும் நீ!!

English Version:

You are the character of strength;
You are the character of impeccability;
You are the symbol of womanhood;
Thus you are my courage!

Your eyes are always the blooming flower;
Your face is always the shining moon;
Your body is the blossomed lotus;
Thus you are the only flower I smell!

You are ripe like mangoes;
You are sweet like fruits;
You are the three principal fruits;
Thus you are the only fruit I relish!

You are the taste when appetizing;
You are the taste of all six flavors;
You are the taste that is very unique;
Thus you are all good and bad I taste in life!

You are the symbol of sex;
You are the love with fire;
You are the symbol of attraction;
Thus you are my queen of love!

Glossary of Tamil poetry:

• எல்லாமும் நீயே - It is all about "you are everything!"
• வண்மை - strength; வெண்மை - impeccability; பெண்மை - womanhood; ஆண்மை - manhood
• விழிமலர் - flower eyes; மதிமலர் - moon face; திருமலர் - lotus body; நறுமலர் - fragrant flower
• மாங்கனி - mango; தீங்கனி - fruit; முக்கனி - three fruits; எக்கனி - all fruits
• மிகுசுவை - best relish; அறுசுவை - six flavors; தனிசுவை - uniqueness; நவைசுவை - good n evil
• சங்கினி - sex symbol; அக்கினி - symbol of fire; மோகினி - attractive woman; ராகினி - queen

சொர்கமே என்றாலும்....(வெண்பா)

சேவல் எழுப்ப எழுந்த நிறைவு
செல்போன் சிணுங்க எழுவதில் இல்லை!
வெட்ட வெளியில் குளித்த மகிழ்ச்சி
சீலை மறைவில் குளிப்பதில் இல்லை!
ஆவி பறக்கும் உணவின் அறுசுவை
ஆவி மறையும் உணவினில் இல்லை!
பனைகளும் பாதமுமாய் வாழ்ந்த பயணம்
வினைகளும் வேகமுமாய் வாழ்வதில் இல்லை!
அன்று நிலவிய அச்சொர்க்கம் ஏனோ
இன்று நிலைத்தபடி இல்லை!!

When Mind falls in love with Heart………..

Many years ago, Mind and Heart were born at the same time in one of the neighborhoods of a beautiful place surrounded by mountains, rivers and trees. As they knew each other forever, they used to play, learn and grow together. But they could never become friends! They disagreed on many things and ended up always fighting with each other.
(Image Source: www.tsscontent.ca)

Many years later, Mind and Heart are now seen kissing and hugging each other on their first night! Yes, they got married this morning! As Mind is lying on the lap of Heart…..

Heart: I can’t believe you have so much Grey hair now!
Mind: Me too! You are also not walking as fast these days.
Heart: It is you who took a long time to see our love.
Mind: I thought you were always too innocent for me.
Heart: I thought you never used your brain.
Mind: I feel sad to realize I 'd been a fool all these years.
Heart: It is OK. I love you so much dear.
Mind: I love you too.

And as Mind starts kissing Heart again, Heart switches off the light!

வெண்பா - Illustrated

சில கவிதைகளை கிறுக்கி கொண்டிருக்கையில், நண்பர் ஒருவருடன் வெண்பாக்கள் பற்றிய பேச்சு எழுந்தது. அதனை தொடர்ந்து, வெண்பாக்கள் பற்றி அறிய வேண்டுமென்ற ஒரு உந்துதலும் ஏற்பட்டது. சில முயற்சிகளுக்கு பின், வெண்பா இயற்றுதலை நிர்ணயிக்கும் யாப்பிலக்கணத்தின் மரபு உறுப்புக்களான அசை (syllable), சீர் (foot), அடி (line) மற்றும் தளை (phonetic harmony) போன்றவற்றையும் மற்றும் யாப்பிலக்கணத்தின் இடம் சார இலக்கணத்தன்மையையும் (context free grammar) அறிய நேர்ந்தது.

நான் எழுதிய hypocrites பற்றிய ஒரு கவிதையை வெண்பாவாக மாற்றும் எனது முயற்சியை மேற்கொண்டதன் விளைவை கீழே உள்ள கவிதையையும் இதற்கு முன் நான் எழுதிய இதன் அசலையும் ஒப்பிடுவதன் மூலம் அறியலாம். நான் புரிந்து கொண்டதிலிருந்து, வெண்பாவின் யாப்பிலக்கணத்தை பற்றி சுருக்கமாக இங்கே கூறுகிறேன். யாப்பிலக்கணம் மிகவும் பழமை வாய்ந்ததால், சற்றே கடினமாக தோன்றும் மரபுகளை (grammar) கொண்டுள்ளது.

- பாடலின் சந்த சுவையை காப்பதற்காக (attainment of musical flow through phonetic harmony) அமைக்கப்பட்டதாக தெரிகிறது.

- யாப்பிலக்கனத்திர்க்குட்பட்ட வெண்பாக்கள் இரண்டு முதல் பன்னிரண்டு அடிகளையே (2 to 12 lines) கொண்டிருத்தல்வேண்டும்.

- ஈற்றடியை (last line) தவிர ஏனைய ஒவ்வொரு அடியும் நான்கு சீர்களை (feet - words are to sentence is as feet are to line) கொண்டதாகவும், ஈற்றடி முச்சீர்களை கொண்டதாகவும் அமைய வேண்டும்.
வெண்பாவின் ஒவ்வொரு சீரும் பெரும்பாலும் ஈரசயோ (two syllable) அல்லது மூவசையோ (three syllable) கொண்டதாக இருக்கும்.

- ஈரசை எனில் மாச்சீராகவோ (combination of two simple syllables (காணா, கூவும்) or combination of a compound syllable followed by a simple syllable (இனிமை, எழுச்சி)), அல்லது விளச்சீராகவோ (combination of two compound syllables (நடையினில், உடையினில்) or combination of a simple syllable followed by a compound syllable (வாக்கினில், சிந்தையில்)), மூவசை எனில் காய்ச்சீராகவோ (மாச்சீர் அல்லது விளச்சீரை தொடர்ந்து கூட்டு அசை அல்லாத (compound syllable) ஒற்றை எளிய அசையை கொண்டுள்ள (simple syllable) சீர் (மாறுகின்ற, கூறுகின்ற)) இருத்தல் வேண்டும்.

- ஈற்றடியில் உள்ள ஈற்றுச்சீர் (last syllable) ஒற்றை அசைச்சீராகவோ அல்லது மாச்சீரகவோ இருத்தல் வேண்டும் (நெறியில்)

- ஒரு அடியில் முதலில் வரும் ஈரசை சீரின் (preceding foot) இறுதி அசையும் (last syllable) அடுத்து வரும் சீரின் (succeeding foot) முதல் அசையும் (first syllable) தன்மையில் வேறுபட்டிருக்கவேண்டும். (For example, if the last syllable of preceding foot is simple, the first syllable of succeeding foot should be compound and vice versa - சிந்தையில் காணா, அவரின் தொலியில்)

- ஒரு அடியில் முதலில் வரும் மூவசை சீரின் இறுதி அசையும் அடுத்து வரும் சீரின் முதல் அசையும் எளிய அசையாக இருக்க வேண்டும் (கூறுகின்ற கூற்றில்).

மேற்காணும் நெறிகள், சந்தத்தின் (musical flow) மீதான ஒலிப்பியலின் (phonetics) நிர்ணயத்தை பற்றி ஆழ்ந்து அறிந்த பின்னரே அமைக்க பட்டிருக்க வேண்டும். ஒரு பாவை பொருள் நயத்துடன் மட்டும் எழுதுவது ஒற்றை பரிமாண கோட்டை மட்டும் இழுப்பது போன்றதாகும். அதே பாவை சொல் நயத்துடனும் எழுதுவது ரெட்டை பரிமாண உருவங்களை வரைவது போன்றதாகும். அதே பாவை வெண்பாவாக எழுதுவது முப்பரிமான திட பொருட்களை உருவாக்குவது போன்றதாகும்.

வெண்பாவின் யாப்பிலக்கணம் கொண்டுள்ள கட்டுக்கோப்பான மரபுகள் ஏற்படுத்தும் தளைகள் (constraints), ஒருவரது மொழி புலமைக்கும் கற்பனை வளத்திற்கும் சவாலாக விளங்கும் என்றால் அது மிகை இல்லை. எனது அறை நண்பர் கூறிய ஒன்றையும் இங்கு சொல்லியாக வேண்டும். கவி பேரரசு வைரமுத்து அவர்கள் தம் பன்னிரெண்டாம் அகவையிலேயே வெண்பா புனைந்த்ததாக ஒரு பேட்டியில் கூறியுள்ளார்! வெண்பாவின் யாபிலக்கனதிற்கு பா புனைவது, மற்ற எந்த ஒரு இசை இலக்கணத்திற்கும் (tunes) பா புனைவதின் முதல் படியாக தோன்றுகிறது!

வெண்பா

சிந்தையில் காணா பரிணாம மாற்றம்,
தம்முடைய வாக்கினில் மீளும் பொருளில்!
அணியும் உடையினில் மாறுகின்ற வண்ணம்,
அவரின் நடையினில் கூறுகின்ற கூற்றில்!
சதையின் இனிமை அவரின் தொலியில்,
தொலியின் வெறுமை அவரின் சதையில்!
எழுச்சியின் மீறலோ கூவும் குரலில்,
தளர்ச்சியோ ஒழுகும் நெறியில்!

அசல்

சிந்தையிலிலா பரிணாம வளர்ச்சி,
அவரின் சொல்லில்!
அணியும் உடையில் மாறும் நிறம்,
அவரின் நடையில்!
சதையின் இனிமை அவர் தோலில்;
தோலின் வெறுமை அவர் சதையில்!
எழுச்சியோ அவர் குரலில்;
தளர்ச்சியோ அவர் நீதியில்!

பாவின் இவ்விரு வடிவங்களையும் ஒப்பிடுகையில் சந்தச்சுவையில் உள்ள இடைவெளியை தெளிவாக உணர முடிகிறது. நம் முன்னோரின் மொழிப்புலமைக்கு மட்டுமல்லாது, தற்போதைய நவீன அறிவியல் பிரிவுகளில் ஒன்றான ஒலிப்பியலை (phonetics) பற்றிய புலமைக்கும் சிறந்த எடுத்துக்காட்டாய் யாப்பிலக்கணம் விளங்குகிறது.

Hypocrites....

சிந்தையிலிலா பரிணாம வளர்ச்சி, அவரின் சொல்லில்!
அணியும் உடையில் மாறும் நிறம், அவரின் நடையில்!
சதையின் இனிமை அவர் தோலில்; தோலின் வெறுமை அவர் சதையில்!
எழுச்சியோ அவர் குரலில்; தளர்ச்சியோ அவர் நீதியில்!

The Butterfly Effect

“The Butterfly Effect” is an abstract or mere a secluded observation of two events happening one after another. Why does a butterfly flutter its wings in first place or what all other things might have influenced or catalyzed or even ultimately caused the butterfly’s fluttering leading to a Typhoon or a Tsunami in some other part of the world or more importantly what effects were made after “The butterfly effect”? Ever since the existence of mankind, there has been a question about the existence of the creator. As apparently more or more pieces are put together by the great minds, the puzzle seems to have been solved in a moment. But it starts puzzling again in the next moment.

Somebody says it is butterfly effect; somebody says it is an evolution; somebody says it is an intelligent system; somebody says it is God’s act; somebody even says it is astrological! What happens if butterflies never existed? I mean what happens if an event of our interest never happens. What all other events should not or at least might not have happened for the event of our interest not to have happened? What all other effects could not or might not have been made because a particular effect was not caused by the event of our interest that never happened!

As you might realize, the above inquisition grows rapidly as a thought set in an exponential fashion. Consider yourself a wish of about 10 things that never happened or happened slightly differently in your life and eventually ask yourself the causes and effects of your wish. Your head must have started spinning as your neural network is getting jammed up with thousands of inquisitive signals. Personally, I have a long wish list too getting regularly updated as the time evolves. In the past, I wished I had got a broader frame; I wished I had got a couple of marks more in Biology in my 12th grade; I wished I had chosen Regional Engineering College over Guindy Engineering College; I wished I had got the I-20 from North Carolina State University on time; The wish list goes on. I am glad none of these wishes ever turned true! If any of these had happened, I might not be writing this blog right now!

The afore-explained is just slice of one person’s life of thirty years. How big of a slice the life of six billion people living on this earth could become! I wonder here what if I were born to different parents! I also wonder here what if my dad were married to another woman or my mom were married to another man! How bigger the slice could further get when you add animals, birds and insects?

I still remember an apparently random incident in my life: a scorpion bit my mom when we were living in a rented house and I was a little kid then. We did not quite realize that was a very old house until the scorpion bit my mom and eventually we decided to leave the house. My mom did not like the house where we moved to and decided to leave that house too. Quite alarmingly, my mom did not like the second new house too! My dad finally found a solution to my mom’s complex problem of not liking the rented houses she moves to: he came up with the idea to build our own house! What followed was a total turn of events: He went bankrupt as he put in all his savings in building the house and was thrown in a situation to become dependent on someone else. He started focusing on me and my education much more than ever. He became very instrumental in driving me to come to US for my higher studies. My god or my butterfly or my Saturn or whatever! Is that the scorpion is what made me to start writing this blog! Very freaky indeed!!

How thick and big the slice now gets when you add vegetables, flowers and fruits. Since I was a kid, I was very averse of vegetables and fruits. What if I had liked those? Might I have put on more weight and acquired a broader frame? I would not be writing this blog again! My fiancée is the one who inspires me a lot to write. You don’t get it? If I had got little thicker, I would have probably found a girl much earlier in my life who might have been totally averse to reading or writing! My god or my butterfly or my Saturn or whatever! The vegetables and fruits are the ones that quite influenced me to start writing the blog!

How tasty the already bigger and thicker slice gets when you add humankind’s inventions, discoveries and strategies including electricity, telephone, automobiles, tall and huge structures, computers, internet, discovery of new planets, globalization and so on. In an apparently fortunate turn of events in my life, the invention of automobiles in another side of the world couple of centuries ago helped me in securing a job in a manufacturing company after my graduation in Industrial Engineering. I had a plan to work for a year just to get a hands-on and come to US for my masters. In another apparently chaotic turn of events in my life, the job demanded a lot and had to work long hours as our over-work was used as a competitive advantage by top management to compete in a global economy. I could not come home early enough to prepare for my exams to come to US and ended up taking one more year finishing all the preparations.

Just one week after I landed in Arizona, 911 attacks happened. Man, why those structures had to be so tall and huge?! My engagement got broken as the US economy crashed! Here I am: I got engaged again with my fiancée and needless to say I am writing this blog right now!! Is it the invention of automobiles couple of century ago or the globalization or my aunt’s myopia or the hugeness of tall structures attacked during 9/11 or the radical thoughts of whoever involved in those attacks? What all influenced, catalyzed or even ultimately caused me writing this blog right now?? What about the invention of computers and internet? Might I have been otherwise knocking the publication offices’ doors instead of comfortably publishing this blog through a mouse click???

Your apprehension of these events becomes almost impossible when you realize the ever-increasing possibility of mankind’s existence in one more planet. You become really crazy when you hear astronomers predicting the existence of planets in quite a few of millions of stars they see through telescope. Quite inapprehensible it gets!! What are all the effects of me writing this blog? One of the very obvious is you are reading it now! What else could be? Well, you and I have to wait for another 30 or 40 years to at least see few of the very obvious effects. One of them could well be: Some script-writer end up reading this blog and get quite impressed and ask me if I am interested in working as an assistant and I eventually become another Manoj K. Shyamalan. You know, you never know!!

What if I never wrote this blog? Well, obviously again, you won’t be reading this and I may not become (only, may not!) another Manoj K. Shyamalan! But what all would not or might not have happened for me not to have written this blog? Well, Scorpions should have never existed (forget about biting my mom in first place); I should have liked lots of vegetables and fruits; I should have probably got those couple of marks in biology and ended up in Medical school; Automobiles should have never invented; Swadesh movement in India should have fought hard against globalization; My aunt should have been more loving to my dad; Bin laden should have been born dumb or Bush should have been born intelligent; I should not have born to my parents or not have born at all; I should have at least not seen the movie “The Butterfly Effect” last night!!

Warning: Don’t watch the movie “The Butterfly Effect”. It is extremely thought-provoking!!