The Chinese Mythbuster!!!!

I still remembered the day I first saw ‘The’ Bruce Lee ….in a big screen…when I was in standard II…..the mesmerizing charisma of this legend overwhelmed me so much that it left a life-long impression in m y mind…..like the millions of other Bruce Lee lovers!!! Just his screen presence was so intense…..he didn’t even punched a single punch yet & still started to occupy the space…..such was his personality!! It was “The way of the Dragon” …written, directed & fight choreographed by Bruce himself!! The last fight with the then world karate champ Chuck Norris….is still considered as one of the best martial art scenes ever shot!! Later I also became fan of various martial art actors like Van Damme, Steven Seagal, Mark Dacascos, Jet Lee and many more…..with the latest inclusion of the sensational Panom Yeerum (Tony Jaa)!! You watch them…enjoy them….& forget them…..only as some good martial artists….nothing more!! But when it comes to Bruce…..he is eternal!! He was more than a martial artist…..he was a philosopher….an ambassador….and an eye opener to the whole world!! He single handedly introduced the Chinese martial arts and philosophies to the western world and changed the way they look at the East!! He represented not only china….but the whole of Asia….and showed the world that talent & determination have no racial or regional boundary!! He dared to step into Hollywood with a dream of becoming the first Asian superstar….and to capture the west with something which was then considered as a taboo…something to make fun of….the Chinese martial arts!! It’s a shame that it’s the case still in India…where Akshay Kumar is used as a comedian more than a martial artist…!! It’s more shameful when we find that India was the birthplace of this art…..Kalaripayattu (Kerala) & Varma kalai (Tamil Nadu) are the oldest forms & were considered as the mother of all martial arts!! Chinese kung-fu is believed to be developed from kalari itself…….but still then….in India….it’s considered an intellectual act to make funny comments on martial art & rejecting it as an art form!! Lucky myself….I was allowed to think freely and was taught to keep my mind open…..that I got a chance to respect such extraordinary art forms & philosophies!!


















Bruce’s whole life (a short one though) is an inspiration for millions of youth who dreamt of breaking boundaries & redefining popular beliefs!! “All fixed set patterns are incapable of adaptability or pliability. The truth is outside of all fixed patterns.”…this famous quote by Bruce defines a lot about him and his theories about life……it was a simple theory….’don’t bound yourself in theories’!! “Asians are funny characters….can be used only as comedians”….was the first theory he broke!! Then he kept on breaking several orthodox beliefs…both in West & East!!
He was against the fixed training methods (like katas,blocks, stances, rituals) of the old martial art schools!! He studied almost all the martial art techniques & weapons…..took the jist….and created a new philosophy….”Jeet Kune Do” ….which have no katas or useless trainings without logic!! It is a constantly developing martial art which in simple can be explained as “mixed martial art”….a mixture of some of the best forms like “kung-fu”, “boxing”, “Karate”, “muay-thai”, “jujutshu”, “aIkido” etc…taking the best from each & adding your own!! No wonder Bruce is considered as the “Father of mixed martial art”!! These days MMA tournaments like the UFC flourishes where Bruce’s principle is in practice!! According to Bruce…any technique, however worthy and desirable, becomes a disease when the mind is obsessed with it…so the highest technique is to have no technique!! The more complex the steps are the more difficult is to reach the goal…..so simplify every aspect of your life…to become less decorative & more efficient!!! Like in building a statue, a sculptor doesn't keep adding clay to his subject. Actually, he keeps chiseling away at the inessentials until the truth of its creation is revealed without obstructions. Thus, contrary to other styles, being wise in Jeet Kune-Do doesn't mean adding more; it means to minimize, in other words to hack away the unessential.
It is not daily increase but daily decrease; hack away the unessential.
It’s sad that Bruce never saw his dream coming true…..which was to become a Hollywood superstar instead of having Chinese origin!! He died just before the release of his most successful film which made him immortal in Hollywood & the whole world…it was “Enter The Dragon” ….the first Bruce Lee film (as the lead actor) which was co-produced by a Hollywood studio!! I remember when I saw the movie first time…I was probably in standard III….it was telecasted in the DD-2 channel at the midnight!! After some arguments with my parents…they finally allowed me to watch…& that was an absolute stunner for me!! Later when I grew up…..I have watched it several times….& will watch again in future!! Not because it’s a quality movie….it’s just a very average Hollywood movie….but because of Bruce lee’s presence alone….and the magnetic personality of this legend!!














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Story of a real Man

Being brought up in West Bengal….one of the few states in India with a communist stronghold….there was always an easy availability of Russian books (translated in Bengali of course)…mostly with an inclination towards Marxism!! Although all books were not like that…..some were just Russian books…with no touch of Marx!! One of those was a noble named…. “A Story about a real man” by Boris Polevoy…..in Bengali “Manusher moto manush”……!! I used to hate nobles…… wondered how the hell people finish them?...but the title of this one somehow made me curious enough to give it a try….& that become one of my rare successful tries…when I was in standard V!! In fact I liked it so much…I read the full noble in one day …with only one break!! Later I read it again!! I was totally submerged in the protagonist Alexey (means: defender of mankind)….his never-say-die attitude which for the first time made me feel proud to be a human being…another rare thing in my life!!
The story starts in some remote German occupied Russian territory during WW II…..with a severely wounded Russian pilot……Alexei ….whose I-16 fighter jet was shot down by the German anti-aircrafts…!! His two feet were heavily injured & needed immediate medical attention…..he can barely crawl, writhing In Pain…..with no food or water….in the very backyard of the enemy…who will shoot him at sight!! The first thing he need to do was to get away from the plane & hide himself….as the enemy will reach for the crashed aircraft to find him!! Then he started his unimaginable journey to reach the friendly side of the border……almost crawling….with only a knife and a pistol to save himself from the Nazi army….killing wolfs….eating rats….and grabbing the most valuable asset he possessed….”hope”!! Not one day…not two days….he crawled through the heart of the Nazis…hiding himself in jungles…..for 18 days (can you believe??)…..almost starving to death….his body turned into a skeleton wrapped in human skin….!! His legs stopped bleeding….turned green & started smelling bad….it was so much pain that it was not feeling anymore….yet there was much spirit left in this champ to drag himself for days to reach the border……and he made it at last!!! When he was finally admitted to a hospital…..the doctors couldn’t believe that he survived for 18 days in that condition, without food & water (almost none in the later days)….it was just not possible in medical logic….Alexey broke all theories in their medical book!! …..but that’s what men are born to do…to make the impossible possible….and create their own laws!!











But this was just half of the story……..even greater challenges were waiting for this soldier….which he fought with even more courage!! The doctors found that his two legs were gangrened & to save his life…they were amputated below the knee!! The fearless young pilot was now sitting in a wheel chair instead of the cockpit ….and was never supposed to walk again!! But instead of believing what others predicted…..he believed in himself…..they said you can’t walk….he tried & tried & tried…and at last walked with artificial legs…..then he wanted to dance….they said it’s impossible….he practiced for months with enormous pain & failure…..but never quitted the fight & finally he did became a graceful dancer!! But as it seems…all was his plan to prepare himself for a bigger & outrageous dream…of returning to the cockpit from the wheelchair…….& fight for his country again!!! A dream only a fighter can dare to dream!!! It seems impossible for him to control many functions in the WWII fighter planes….specially those which were operated with the foot!! He made mental, physical & mechanical adjustments & shocking the whole bunch of doctors as well as the well-wishers he regained his post of a fighter pilot!!! And fought as bravely as before & shot down many German planes to prove his heroic return!!

Wikipedia: “During a dog fight in August 1943, he downed three German FW-190 fighters. In total, he completed 86 combat flights and shot down 11 German warplanes. He was awarded the Golden Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union (August 24, 1943), the highest military decoration of the USSR. In 1944, Maresyev joined the CPSU and two years later retired from the army.
In 1952, Maresyev graduated from the Higher Party School. In 1956, he obtained a Ph.D. in History, and started working in the Soviet War Veterans Committee. Eventually he became a member of Supreme Soviet. Maresyev was awarded the Order of Lenin, Order of the October Revolution, Order of the Red Banner of Labor, Order of the Red Star, and numerous medals.
He died of a heart attack May 19, 2001, just an hour ahead of his official 85th birthday celebration.”


Later in his life…..whenever he was praised for his achievements….he repeatedly insisted the praise was exaggerated. "There's nothing extraordinary in what I did," he said in a newspaper interview. "The fact that I've been turned into a legend irritates me.” In another interview he was asked if he believed in fate or not………his reply was…”I believe in climate”….once when he passed a medical examination & was leaving for the far east…he was approached by a lady doctor & she told him “Alyosha, you certainly cannot go. But remember…if you have one foot on the land, all your sickness will pass”….so he thought that….If I can recover, then the pilot shall….And so it was…since then he believed in climate!!!
….so don’t know about others…but for me…..he will always be one of the most influential heroes in my life….always taught me in tough situations….to ”fight hard” & never give up hope!!!






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