Max had recently won many accolades in his professional circle, so our magazines wanted to profile and carry a story on him. He happened to teach at a premier institute of Engineering and Robotics and was known for his arrogance. I reached his office and started with the interview, but he looked visibly upset.
I asked Max, "Sir, what is 3D film and why we wear polarized glasses while watching such a movie?"
He came back arrogantly, "You would not understand, it is advanced technology."
I requested again, "What is 3D?"
He rebutted, "You would never understand 3D stuff."
I quizzed again, "Hello! Dear friend Max, what is 3D and what relationship it has with polarized glasses?"
He revolted, "It requires brains and intellect and a common girl like you cannot understand it."
I calmly countered, "Well that might be your opinion, but I don`t agree. Sir, would you share your experience with 3D and polarized glasses with common folks?"
He stared blankly and I knew that he had his egos and his little world to protect but he had no specific answers. The interview was over and I had to call my magazine about my experience.
I was quite amused by his avoidance like a seasoned politician. I thought he was an insecure guy, who hid by making personal attacks. Often I thought why should I take his all shit? Why I? Why? Why? Why only I? I had an answer, "Because dealing with evasive and arrogant people is my job. As long I get both verbal and unspoken answers, it is ok. Nobody CANNOT NOT communicate."
I often wondered while interacting with him, "How a poor communicator with a lot of arrogance can be an expert and a teacher? Do all our premier institutes are addas or places for the arrogant? Or is he an exception? Is he teaching or ruining his students? Well, his arrogance was a lot of thrill for me. The world is filled up with harsh and unreasonable people like him. Later, I carried my own little Google research and I got an answer. It was a reasonably good answer for my curiosity but I need to get the byte from experts or so-called experts.
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Well firstly let me introduce myself and I am Sauna, a woman of simple rules. I teach, freelance and I recently finished my PhD in Computer Science. So far I have written sixteen books both fiction and nonfiction. I contribute both to national and international magazines and journals. I do write anything under the sun; also of course under the moon, as I like to see the world as it is all the time. I love mornings as much as evenings and I love deep nights and crazy days. I claim to be no expert, but I do like to throw wisdom and simplicity in whatever I write. Yes, I do care to ask questions and a lot of simple, fair, hard and stupid questions.
As I am a freelance, so I do love to write sometimes about grotesque people, People who come with many strange labels of success, expert and famous. I love reading and writing latest in the market. It keeps me updated and gives me hope towards the future.
Well, I am not a great movie buff. Till now, before I migrated to this new city, I had never watched an English movie. I am a great fan of authors and writers and I have read many works and I revere them a lot. Lately, I have started reading some very serious stuff in almost all areas of knowledge and now, I am trying to connect many knowledge areas.
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A few days ago I was walking in the park to my evening yoga area. A message beamed in my cell from an expert, and the text read, `Come for a movie at PVR.``
I was surprised to see a short period notice for a movie by an expert and I almost ignored it. I thought, `It`s not an emergency. Well, it is kind of some 2nd line of action or my editor would have pulled him a bit.``
Another message came, `Are you coming?`` Yet another message, `I will be there within ten minutes.`` I hurried towards my yoga gathering and spread my mat and started with my yoga exercises. How could I let an abusive expert dominate my interactions? I am a respected lady, not his cheap dainty chick on road.
There was another message, `Where are you Sauna?`` I texted, `Well, I am at Yoga Center.``
The moment I answered the text, I found another message texted by my editor, it read, "I have booked special privileged passes to the new movie. Kindly accompany Max to the movie and then conduct the interview." I was angry at this mistimed message, but I had a remunerative yoga project, so I had to rush.
I had joined yoga to learn its complexities so that I could write on it. I aimed at writing a few articles for my next project as my editor was looking for fresh knowledge and insights on Pranayam, Meditation and Yoga. My editor trusted me a lot for this series and financed my crazy writing idea.
To my embarrassment, he appeared at yoga class and waived towards me. I was a bit angry, but I had to leave. Later, I was angry at him for coming to yoga class. I accompanied him in his car and in hurry, I kept my car parking at the park. We reached the mall and I kept enquiring about movie timing and name, but he didn`t answer it. I knew him bit deeply now, so I kept quiet.
At last, we entered the movie. It was a star war series. The theatre was moderately filled and I was a bit surprised to see more girls than boys in the movie. After advertising the movie started. I was annoyed at the image of the movie, `I said it is blurring, overlapping and it`s bad print quality.`` He was too lost in his mobile social networking and said, `It would get ok after some time.``
I kept ruminating and guessing throughout the movie that either it was pirated stuff or some kind of mismanagement. The story of the movie was good and the action sequence was great, but the movie was blurring and overlapping. After long distracted viewing, the intermission happened. We both were angry at people for not reporting the issue to management. Also, I was angry at the magazine for giving us passes to such a bad movie, so we decided to leave the movie during the interval and complete the interview.
As I dialled the crew and I was also thinking of leaving, A teenager, who had observed us not wearing glasses, who was sitting next to me, asked curiously, "Are not you using glasses?"
I said embarrassingly, "Which glasses!"
He said, "Polarized or 3D glasses."
Suddenly, I saw people wearing or holding glasses or eye wears and I had sudden realization, " OMG! its 3D movie, Another episode of bad communication.` I was embarrassed, but I had my moment and I amusingly asked the teenage, "What is 3D?"
The teenage answered confidently, "Stereoscopic or 3D viewing denotes a process by which two photographs of the same object taken at slightly different angles are viewed together, creating an impression of depth and solidity."
I was bit taken aback and inquired further, "Why do we wear special glasses?"
The child was intelligent and answered confidently, "In 3D movies, we use polarized glasses to enhance illusion and depth perception. We use glasses as 3D movies can cause mild disorientation, eye sensation and also, headache Also, polarized glasses give a clearer view along with the elimination of glare."
I complimented child while nudging Max, "That`s a wonderful explanation. You are a sweet little university professor."
The child was angry, "Don`t call me a professor, they don`t know the jargon and technology."
It was the biggest truth that I ever heard. The Universities considered themselves as knowledge hubs and the outside world as seas of ignorance like this professor sitting next to me. I had my greatest answer, "Keep questioning, the answer will come looking for you. Now, you have a great story."
Max, the expert, sat in uneasily after listening to the child`s brilliance. The little child had crushed his fragile ego under his childlike innocence.
I said angrily to him, `You should have at least told me that it is a 3D movie.``
He said, "Ohh, I thought they are running pirated stuff.``
At last, I turned to him and asked, "Dear Professor, Greatest technocrat on earth, Modern day Einstein...Kindly explain what are 3D and Polaroid glasses?"
He stared blankly and I knew that he had been crushed and now he had answers.
We did watch the next half with polarized glasses and once finished, we were highly disoriented. When I got outside the mall, I could not make out where I was and to which side I had to go to fetch my vehicle. Once I was on road, I went in the wrong direction and could not recognize the streets.
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Follow Up or Epilogue:
The editor called, "Congratulations! You did a great story. How did you bear his arrogance?"
I jokingly said, "It`s another story."