Jedi Knights.

This is an entry commemorating one of the most profound influences in my life - the Jedi Knights that have come from the Star Wars universe.
For the longest while they have served as not only sources of fascination, amusement and ridiculous attempts at emulation, but they have also been sources of guidance and inspiration.
This is an entry dedicated to them. I shall write about some of my favorite Jedi Knights and Star Wars characters, and why I love them the way I do.



Obi Wan Kenobi
The ultimate Jedi.
One of the few star wars characters who is there in all the six movies, Obi-Wan Kenobi has been the living embodiment of all the characteristics that a Jedi must possess. Compassion, serenity, wisdom, love, knowledge, a dry sense of humour and devastating fighting skills are some of his hallmarks. Indeed, it is a pleasure to watch his character evolve from the movies, from the intense, paradox ridden young man in Episode I who is caught between following the orders of his Master and the Order, to the older, wiser Jedi Knight in Episode II who is given the unenviable task of being Master to Anakin, to the almost venerable air he acquires in Episode III. Few actors could have pulled off this role better than Ewan McGregor, and he deserves full marks for doing such a stellar job.
Obi Wan is a master of Form III of lightsaber combat known as Soresu. It is a basic form of combat that evolved in recent times as the Jedi had to face increasingly blaster-armed enemies, and is a highly defensive form. Yet, in this form's simplicity lies its power, and during Obi-Wan's lifetime he had no equal. As Mace Windu tells him in the wonderful book adaptation of Revenge of the Sith when he is selected to battle General Grievous that he is "Not a master. The Master."
Obi-Wan's best lightsaber combat scene in the entire Star Wars saga was undoubtedly his battle with Anakin Skywalker, the Battle of all Battles over the sinking lava fortress of Mustafar, but almost as good was his fight scene with Darth Maul in Episode I. For some reason the dynamic between the young, pure Obi-Wan facing the intense, terrifying Darth Maul and his dual-bladed lightsaber made for some of the most fascinating swordplay that I've ever seen. The whole feel, from the location (the energy station in the heart of Theed city on Naboo) to the background score (John Williams at his best: The Duel of the Fates symphony) to the drama (the auto-locking laser doors) made for one hell of a duel, excluding the corny ending.

Yet, my favorite performance was of Obi-Wan's in Revenge of the Sith. I mean, the serene aura that he seems to acquire around himself in the movie, coupled with the incredible action scenes made it my all time favorite Star Wars movie.



Boba Fett

Another fascinating character, and one that has been the subject of debate amongst star wars geeks who spend hours trying to prove that he is cooler than others such as Darth Maul/Han Solo/General Grievous etc.
Boba Fett is the clone of Jango Fett, a Mandalorian who was the progenitor of the Clone Army. He is among the last of the Mandalorians, an ancient race of warriors of whom the Jedi were sworn enemies.

Yet, Boba Fett's role in the movies is miniscule, save for a brief cameo in episode V when he captures Solo and a little more role in Episode VI where his malfunctioning jetpack sends him comically into the Sarlacc's maw, which even burps after having ingested him!
Fett's true genius comes in non-movie merchandise, such as literature, comics and games. Indeed, some of the best star wars stories revolve around Boba Fett, and the short story A Barve like that is a haunting piece about his time in the Sarlacc's maw, and the conversations he has with the telepathic being.
What really attracted me to Fett were his qualities. Boba Fett is entirely emotionless. All his decisions are made without any emotional influence whatsoever, possibly one of the reasons that make him the number 1 bounty hunter in the star wars universe. In a philosophical context, Fett possibly has the greatest mental clarity amongst all the characters. A deadly, charismatic character, Fett is also adored by fans everywhere for his uber-cool outfit!

Abdul The Evangelist

Today I had an experience that'll stick with me for a while to come.
Professor Sudhakar keeps telling us in class, and even a politician I once met in Nanded had told me, "के जिस काम मैं तुम्हें आनंद मिलता है, उसी काम को करो। " and today I did something which I enjoyed a great deal, and which has given me a lot more renewed hope about future career options.
We have this project in TY Journalism about the Right To Information (RTI) Act. It's basically a survey about awareness levels amongst students about the RTI, and I've covered a lot of colleges and its very sad that the majority of them have next to no clue about what the RTI is. Many of them haven't even heard of it! Only a few students from town colleges had some idea about the procedure, and that too was a dismal number.
Anyway, so in my quest to find out more about RTI awareness and my follow up awareness sessions I finally ended up in the Anjuman-I-Islam campus. My initial reaction upon entering the building was, "What a dump!" and that reaction became more and more descriptive the more I explored the campus.
I wasn't really kidding myself that I'd find anyone who would tell me about PIOs and CICs and Clauses and Exemptions from the Act, but it was still worth a try, and more importantly I'd be able to spread awareness where it was needed more.
I first spoke to the Principal of Junior College. Imagine my shock at seeing a lady! I mean, seriously, in the predominantly patriarchal Muslim society it was very welcome seeing a lady Principal.
She was eloquent, courteous, and very, very helpful.
JC exams were going on when I went, so I came back after they were done. Unsurprisingly, most of the students were eager to run out of the place and just get away.
I felt a bit let down, but managed to grab a few students and started telling them about the RTI.
Now, this will probably sound obnoxious, but I guess it was the fact that someone was speaking loudly and fluently in English that began drawing crowds. Within minutes, I had a horde of students who were listening if not intently, at least curiously. After I was done (my closing section almost always has to bet the lack of political awareness amongst today's youth :P) a few of them asked me to come to one of their classrooms and address some of the students sitting over there. I was glad to oblige, and walked into a classroom that contained about 10 students, mostly girls, staying back and discussing their paper, as all girls are apt to do (snort!).
Oddly enough, I was feeling very much at ease, and after securing their attention, started telling them about the RTI. A few more people came in, drawn by the scene, but it was far too noisy for me to continue, so I shut the door and continued like a true lecturer, writing down facts and details on the board, addressing their queries, telling them how the RTI could help and empower them, how they could take corrupt corporators, administrators and wild policemen to task. The bonding I felt with my community was so strong it was almost terrifying.
After I was done, I passed around a sheet for them to fill in their names and streams, and was chatting with the girls.
Apparently, most of them wanted to do medicine and be doctors, and when I asked them if their parents would let them work, for the most part I saw a sad shaking of heads. A truly sad part, and my query on whether their education was only to embellish a matrimonial was met with laughter, but I thought it had sad, morbid undertones, a grim joke.
Anyway, walking away from the college I felt on top of the world. The complete whole hearted support I got from almost all the teachers and students, both of whom requested me to come again so I could address a bigger audience, and the sincerity and hope of the students themselves made me feel like I was walking on air.
The whole experience was some kind of preview to the kind of satisfaction I would experience in the line of work that I have chosen, and I eagerly await the beginning of my career as a civil servant.
And yes, the experience did also reaffirm my long-term political ambitions. :D