Things Miyagi San Can Remind You Of

So, I’m watching The Karate Kid Part II for the umpteenth time. I know that Jaden Smith was suuchaacutieee in The Karate Kid with Jackie Chan. But I’m still a fan of the original, the one with Ralph Macchio as Daniel San and Noriyuki Pat Morita as Miyagi San. Old school. Plus, it reminds me of the times I spent with Bhaiya when I was little. He introduced me to the world of wax on-wax off, Miyagi San, life of a high school student in California in the 80s, etc. We even had our own little routine - he was on offence, I was on defence. 

In the second movie, Miyagi San who lives in California receives a letter telling him of his father’s ill health. Miyagi San hails from Tomi village in Okinawa, Japan. As Miyagi San begins packing to leave for Okinawa, Daniel asks him why he left Okinawa in the first place. Miyagi San tells Daniel that he had fallen in love with a girl. But her family had arranged for her to be married to Sato, the son of the village’s richest guy, Miyagi’s best friend. When Miyagi declared his love for Yukie to the entire village, Sato took it as an attack on his honor and challenged him to a fight. Miyagi didn’t believe in fighting unless it was in defence (“Hey, can you break a log of wood like that?" "Don’t know, never been attacked by tree.”) and so he left Okinawa the next day.

Daniel accompanies Miyagi San to Okinawa because Miyagi San is obviously more important than his education (and because he has the option to defer joining by a semester or year, unlike in India). Sato is still waiting for that fight. It has been 40 years. But then, as Miyagi San says, “Daniel San, in Okinawa, honor have no time limit.” Turns out, Yukei never married Sato. And you can see the chemistry that Yukie and Miyagi San share despite having not been in touch for 4 decades. You can’t help but go all ‘awwwwwwww’ when you see them together.

So, when Miyagi San and Yukie are on a date, sort of, after all these years. She asks him, ‘Miyagi, do you remember our song?’. He says, ‘Of course I do.’

And that dialogue got me thinking. 

Songs. They’re magic, beauty and a time machine.

When an old or former lover asks if you remember the song you two shared, I hardly believe that you could forget about it completely. You may be old. You may be young. You may still love them. You may now hate them. But I don’t think that the song goes away.

Your best friend and you could have a song. Your sibling and you could have a song. Your classmates and you could have a song. You could even have a song with a random stranger with whom you feel sudden kinship when you’re standing together and hear this song and instantly feel happy or feel the beats and smile. You could have a song that could take you back to the year that you attach it with. A song can take you back to that part of your life that feels like a lifetime ago. A song that could be your generation’s anthem. A song you first danced to. A song you remember every time it rains. A song you remember every winter. A song whose video has a particular scene that you always look out for. A song that you know that will almost instantaneously change your mood - happy or nostalgic or sad. A song that was so ridiculous that you burst out laughing just thinking about. A song that reminds you of the person who told you to listen to it. A song that takes you back to that amazing night at the concert where you were next to your closest friends. A song that reminds you that you were preparing for your GRE vocabulary section while listening to it. A song that you made your cousin dance to along with you when you were 9 and she was 21. A song that reminds me you of how beautiful a language could be. A song that makes you crack the same joke every single time.

Songs are amazing time capsules. I don’t know if anything else could work better as a time capsule for such a vast scope of things. Like sure, this particular tee shirt reminds you of one significant event. Writing - a little doodle or a scribble in the middle of your notes on Caste and Tribe - can you remind you of so much, as well. But songs are just ... a lot more. From time to time, I love going through old mobile phone instruments or even old, forgotten folders on the laptop or hard drive - I go through the play list. It reminds me of who I was and stuff that was happening in my life back then. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3TJl_gyXPc - This is the song I will associate with this blog post. It is playing as I type this last line out, a background score as the credits roll on screen. 

 

Courtesy : https://www.facebook.com/itsthehappypage

 P.S. - The Karate Kid is a LOT more than Daniel and Miyagi San's love interests. WATCHIT.