Sometime ago, JP gave me a movie to watch: Kungfu Panda, an animation movie. There is a Valley of Peace, protected by the Furious Five – Tigress, Monkey, Mantis, Viper, and Crane – a quintet of warriors trained in kung fu by the wise tortoise Master Oogway and his protégé, the red panda Master Shifu. Yes, animals spoke and were venerated as martial art masters, in China those days. Then, there is a secret scroll. Whoever finds the secret, he or she will reign supreme. And the movie is all about the secret hidden in the scroll.

When I was a child, I too was after secrets: in books, places, people. I thought that secret has got to be powerful- simply because it is not known to 'masses'. Like a shortcut, it would take me to the peak fast, while the crowd is still slogging at the road down below. Yes, with all the tenacity and innocence of a child, I kept on looking for a 'secret'. On and on..

Yes, as a stammerer too, I kept on looking for a trick, which would make me fluent fast and easily- and forever. This is what a typical young PWS does- hopes and dreams and prays for a 'short cut', a 'secret' technique. Just like the Panda: “..It's the story about a lazy, irreverent slacker panda, named Po, who is the biggest fan of Kung Fu around...which doesn't exactly come in handy while working every day in his family's noodle shop...” (from IMDB)

Why do we do this? Are we the only ones who are looking for secrets outside? I think, human physiology is geared to the outside world: we hear, see, feel external stimuli better than the ones coming from with in. Example: Recently I had a bout of bad bronchitis. It sometime, causes narrowing of air tubes in the chest and the passing air can create a fine whistling sound occasionally. One night, when I heard a fine whistling sound in my bed, my first reaction was – a musk rat or an insect must have gotten into my bed! For quite sometime, I kept looking for it. Only, much later I realized that it was only a “rhonchi”, a sound from inside my chest!

Same way, towards the end, the panda opens the ancient scroll- after a huge fight with evil Tai Lung (snow leopard), finds it empty!- and then realizes that the secret is “no secret”. You just have to have faith in yourself. And then, it uses its weight to its advantage and smashes Tai Lung in to smithereens! Yes, Panda realizes that its weight was not a setback- but an asset- and uses it to great effect against a much superior opponent.

So, this movie is less about martial arts. It is more about having faith in oneself, in one's own assets, whatever they may be. Just like life. There are no secrets. This is the only secret!