Something that makes me smile

S

Sunflower

Valinor
Don't know quite where to put this, I thought of putting it in one of the New Year's threads, but changed my mind.

I discovered this little gem of a video over the summer. Had it buried in my files, but the link changes every so often, so I'm glad someone re-posted it today at the site I got it from. This is one of those things I've sent to all kinds of people. I loved it back in August and even more so now, seeing as how the world has changed in just the short time since this came out.

This goes loosely in the "Happy New Year'" category I think. This guy has a sense of "Estel"--what do you think?

"Happy People Dancing On Planet Earth"
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080722.html

Enjoy.
 
Yes, that's a good way to put it. I saw this a few months ago too, but I'm glad you posted it again, at this time of year, it's very fitting.

He must be an amazing person, to have come up with this idea, this dream, and then to have actually made it happen.

Thanks, Sunflower!
 
Thanks for posting this again, Sunflower. [:)]

It is amazing how it seems silly at first, but then becomes so very inspirational. It reminds me of the phrase "Why can't we all just get along?". If everyone had this positive attitude in life.....maybe we could.

The song is so perfect and fitting for that video, I had to find out more about it. In the credits, it gives the title "Praan", with lyrics adapted from the poem "Stream of Life" from Gitanjali by Rabindranath Tagore (published 1913). The vocalist is 17-year-old Palbasha Siddique.




Stream of Life

The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day
runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures.

It is the same life that shoots in joy through the dust of the earth
in numberless blades of grass
and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers.

It is the same life that is rocked in the ocean-cradle of birth
and of death, in ebb and in flow.

I feel my limbs are made glorious by the touch of this world of life.
And my pride is from the life-throb of ages dancing in my blood this moment.​

​




And the lyrics, which are in Bengali (I think):

​

Bhulbona ar shohojete
Shei praan e mon uthbe mete
Mrittu majhe dhaka ache
je ontohin praan

Bojre tomar baje bashi
She ki shohoj gaan
Shei shurete jagbo ami
(Repeat 2X)

Bojre tomar baje bashi
She ki shohoj gaan
dao more shei gaan

Shei jhor jeno shoi anonde
Chittobinar taare
Shotto-shundu dosh digonto
Nachao je jhonkare!

Bojre tomar baje bashi
She ki shohoj gaan
Shei shurete jagbo ami
(Repeat 3X)

Bojre tomar baje bashi
She ki shohoj gaan
Shei shurete jagbo ami

Bojre tomar baje bashi
She ki shohoj gaan
dao more shei gaan



​
 
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I too hadn't noticed the Mumbai bit--but who would have in August? Also, I noticed that the Israeli crowd was filmed in Tel Aviv, while the Palestinian kids were filmed in Jersualem.

But really--you watch this enough, you forget the headlines! This is as timely as ever. Yep, I needed the tissues the first time I saw this, and the "Bollywood" bit is my favorite too. I can't stop smiling, thinking how long they must have taken to perfect that bit--Matt learning those moves.

Sorry if this was the 3rd post on this--I didn't know! I wish I had gotten it in my Inbox the day it came out. But I'm glad it's up all the same...

*grovels to Stormcrow*--THANK YOU for posting those lyrics!!! and the translation! The singer is only 17? She sounds 10 yrs older. Amazing.
I've been wanting to get hold of "Praan" and forgot to download it!
 
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I'm going to save that poem. In fact I may steal part for my sig.

I love that video - not least because it ends up in my home town! The Bollywood bit is my favorite. And the Papua New Guinea part. And the Korean DMZ. And . . .
 
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I didn't notice this thread yesterday, but somehow I thought of this video. I wanted to see it again but didn't remember the name or anything, so I was going to try to find by Googling -- then here it is!

I love this. Thanks for your timely post. [:)]
 
and my reaction was the same as yours. I just had this huge grin on my face and tears were rolling down my face. This is so beautiful, joyful and divine:). I absolutely loved this. Thank you Sunflower, just amazing.
Matt Harding, ambassador to...[:)]everywhere!
I nominate Matt Harding for: International Morale Officer/Ambassador.

Thanks to all who got involved with this. It needs to be brought up now and again for all who have seen it and those who haven't.
 
Wow, that was heartwarming. Hard not to cry, isn't it??

I missed this when it was posted previously, so many thanks for sending the link. It made my day, and I sent the link to lots of my friends.

a.s.
 
...just means it has universal and timeless appeal. These things come to us when we need them and it's not a bad thing to start the new year out on a positive and inclusive note.
 
So if you like the poem, you may wish to investigate Ray's films. (I usually list Pather Panchali (1955) as my all-time favorite movie.) Ray's Three Daughters (1961), Charulata (1964), and The Home and the World (1984) are based on Tagore stories.

Possibly in a mode closer to LotR, Ray made some adventure films for children, The Golden Fortress (1974) and The Elephant God (1978). I haven't seen them -- has anyone here done so?
 
And I love the Apu films. LIke you, I put "Pather Panchali" (Song Of The Road) on my Top 10 of All Time List.
Now I will have to look up this poet and his work. I've never heard of him.
I am a HUGE fan of Kahlil Gibran, the Lebanese poet from roughly the same time period. I have a big (luckily hard-covered!) volume of all his works, but my favorite remains "The Prophet" and I carry a little pocket edition of that around in my purse sometimes.
Tagore sounds a lot like Gibran. His style seems to be similar.

I'm with you, Silneldor. Frankly, I'm surprised at how hard this hits me the 2nd+ time around I see it. I'd almost totally forgotten it. Both in a happy and sad way. Sad (and haunting) b/c now, 4-5 monthslater, so many of these countries you can go down the list and rattle off some harrowing headline...you think of the economic crisis and how it's gone global...but I'll bet that if Matt had gone around doing this today it would have been the same. This is timeless and universal.

Another shot I find unable to control my tears. In the East Jerusalem shot, blink for a second and it's gone, but in the righthand side of the screen you see the Palestinian mother laughing. A real good laugh. That's what Matt was talking about. Some things are universal.

After reading those lyrics last night, I've been unable to get this out of my head. And today walking down the street, and in the bitter cold (7degrees F) and seeing the people shuffling about in their heavy coats and hunched over, all I just wanted to do was go Bollywood[laugh].

So when I got home, I remembered that this was all over YouTube. There's some GREAT "making of" material on this! Go to YouTube and type "Happy People Dancing On Planet Earth" in the search engine, and you'll find links to Matt himself doing lectures on the making of this video. Great stuff, and Matt has a real great dry sense of humor. One of the lectures ends withhim inviting the audfience onstage to make their own video segment!
There are a couple of really great spoofs too (whhich are def. NOT kiddie material, BTW.)
 
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...that the site where I got this from, both back in August and yesterday, was The Oil Drum, http://www.theoildrum.com
--the site where I've been following issues of energy independence and now, the unfolding economic drama. This is a website started by, and inhabited by, scientists and oilmen and farmers and engineers and sober-minded businessmen types. It popped up in the Comments section of a thread devoted to the daily energy-related headlines.(the "Drumbeat" entry for Jan.1--either that or the "Campfire" entry), In the middle of a discussion on the price of oil and gas taxes, (of all things) we got this!

Just goes to show you what a big impact this thing has had, and how far-reaching it is.(I can't picture any of these guys and gals going Bollywood! [sly])
It truly is timeless.
 
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I hope no one else has already pointed this out; if so, my apologies!

If you scroll down to the "Facing My Spider Phobia" video, Matt makes a cool Tolkien reference near the end. Not one you might think re: spiders, either.

[cool]

a.s.
 
above the video has some absolutely amazing shots.
I just had a thread on the stars but i think if you have a moment, please check out some of these pictures. The collection is immense but here are a few in the first fifth of all there is:

2008-nov22 from moon sunrise to sunset (sub links)
2008-sept20 a darkened sky
2008apr17-messier63-the SUNFLOWER galaxy
2008april23-above the clouds
2007-dec25-mars over monument valley
2007-sept30-milky way band- TELL ME WHAT YOU SEE[shocked]
2006-dec28-moon over andromeda
2006-dec18- aurora over IOWA
2006-june-sunrise solstice over STONEHENGE

There are endless beauties here. Find one yourself?
 
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