A riot of colours as I would like to put it, this is one festival that has remained a fascination, an enigma for a malayali like me to this day. It heralds the arrival of spring after a long, harsh winter and nature, herself, proclaims it by generously adorning the trees and plants with colourful flowers and blossoms. There is a vibrant air of expectancy, all around, as people look forward to the beginning of the festival season.
It was in spring ’73 that I was exposed to this festival, for the first time while at Pune, when I was a first termer at the NDA. I must admit that I was exposed to the ‘naughtier’ version of playing initially, that day and my instant reaction was that of revulsion. Earlier, in the days preceding ‘Holi’, I was struck by a few of my seniors strategizing as to how they should play it with the Kapoors(Mr. Kapoor was a civilian contractor supplying the cadets’ uniforms at the academy). On the day of Holi, the Kapoors who were passing by on their scooter, were stopped by the cadets and it was a free-for-all, with the majority of the guys making a beeline for applying colours on the hapless lady- she was indeed pretty- with Mr. Kapoor standing beside helplessly! Subsequent play with colours amongst us cadets, irrespective of seniority, was a great experience. Over the years, I’ve had some wonderful experiences especially on board the ships that I’d commanded, at INS Hamla where I was on a laughing binge thanks to a generous intake of ‘bhang’, at INS Agrani, Coimbatore(it was here that my coursemate, Sampath Kumar, died of a tragic accident on a ‘Holi’ afternoon) and at Haldia with the Banerjees, where I learnt to play it with the elders and cherish those moments even to this day.
Tomorrow, our servant maid, Meena and her family would be the first to play colours with us – I’ve always observed with amusement as to how her children linger on to us that extra minute while applying colours as they don’t get a chance to mess up with their ‘saabji’ or ‘memsaabji’ everyday- followed by a few of my close friends. We shall not step out of the house by any chance. May the festival of colours bring health, wealth and happiness to every home of this great nation.
PS. And the sweet ‘gujiya’ associated with the festival is something that I’m fond of!
Tailpiece.
1. On this occasion, one feels bad for the quake-hit Chilean and Haitian people who’ve suffered a tragedy of unimaginable proportions. It’s a sincere hope that timely help would reach the needy and the process of rehabilitation and reconstruction would take off on a war footing. A tear and a prayer for the thousands of unfortunate people who lost their lives in the catastrophe.
2. Today was ‘Attukal Pongala’ – a ceremony attended by lakhs of women devotees epicentred at the Attukal temple, about three kms from the heart of Thiruvananthapuram city. The devotees, make ‘payasam’ made of rice and jaggery on temporarily collected stones and firewood, that act as makeshift stoves and offer it to the goddess. The event marks the victory of the goddess over a demon king and occurs around the Ides of March, every year. Almost all the ladies from my amma’s family- except for amma as she was looking after achan- had taken part in the event.
3. And the heavy woollens after wash and airdrying have gone back into the cupboards for yet another winter.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
A collage of thoughts
1. Budget times and pre fuel hike blues
It’s always an amusing spectacle to see people do crazy things prior to an imminent fuel hike or just around budget time and Delhi seems to have them in huge numbers. Yesterday, the finance minister had presented the general budget in Parliament and there were predictable reactions from various sections of the society. The bit of news that seemed to get instant response was that of the fuel price hike from midnight and petrol bunks, all over the city, were jammed with motorists who wanted to top up their tanks with fuel, at the existing rates. Perfectly understandable from those sections of the society for whom saving every penny of their personal income is important but what baffles me is that, more often than not, the crowd that throng on such occasions are made up from the affluent lot. What is their reason to do such panic buying? Is it the thrill of beating the system, albeit short lived, which propels them to do so?
2. The movie
Saw ‘My name is Khan’ finally, this afternoon and it was a thought provoking movie. What some people have gone through, in the name of security, seems have been both barbaric and gruesome but I’d still commend President Bush for having set up ‘the homeland security’ for the sake of his country. Its effectiveness says it all, in that, there has been no other terrorist attack after 9/11 in the USA! Two important lessons that need to be learnt from it by us, Indians – an effective security system is shorn of emotions and every man, however high he might be on the social ladder, is equal to the common man in front of the law. On a personal level, I felt extremely sad after seeing the movie, exactly like what I’d felt after seeing Om Puri’s debut ‘Ardha Satya’, years ago. I’m a dreamer and would not like my dreams to be interrupted with the harsh truths that are prevalent around me by watching serious movies because, I must shamefacedly admit that I like watching only those that have happy endings!!
It’s always an amusing spectacle to see people do crazy things prior to an imminent fuel hike or just around budget time and Delhi seems to have them in huge numbers. Yesterday, the finance minister had presented the general budget in Parliament and there were predictable reactions from various sections of the society. The bit of news that seemed to get instant response was that of the fuel price hike from midnight and petrol bunks, all over the city, were jammed with motorists who wanted to top up their tanks with fuel, at the existing rates. Perfectly understandable from those sections of the society for whom saving every penny of their personal income is important but what baffles me is that, more often than not, the crowd that throng on such occasions are made up from the affluent lot. What is their reason to do such panic buying? Is it the thrill of beating the system, albeit short lived, which propels them to do so?
2. The movie
Saw ‘My name is Khan’ finally, this afternoon and it was a thought provoking movie. What some people have gone through, in the name of security, seems have been both barbaric and gruesome but I’d still commend President Bush for having set up ‘the homeland security’ for the sake of his country. Its effectiveness says it all, in that, there has been no other terrorist attack after 9/11 in the USA! Two important lessons that need to be learnt from it by us, Indians – an effective security system is shorn of emotions and every man, however high he might be on the social ladder, is equal to the common man in front of the law. On a personal level, I felt extremely sad after seeing the movie, exactly like what I’d felt after seeing Om Puri’s debut ‘Ardha Satya’, years ago. I’m a dreamer and would not like my dreams to be interrupted with the harsh truths that are prevalent around me by watching serious movies because, I must shamefacedly admit that I like watching only those that have happy endings!!
Friday, February 26, 2010
My name is Khan revisited
Captain Matloob Aslam Khan and his gracious wife, Afshan are friends that we’ve picked for life, during my rather long stint at the Directorate of Contracts and Cost Management. I’m fond of him for his naiveté and helping attitude and I suppose he reciprocates it too, in that he has often shown his fondness for me unabashedly – like including me and Lekha for his son’s ‘baraat’, that went all the way to Aligarh, for the wedding and Mrs Khan made it a point to sit with Lekha for the entire day while I underwent a surgery recently. These are priceless gestures, among so many others for which, the both of us will remain indebted to them eternally.
Of late, he’s been quite dejected with his brothers(they’re five siblings- two brothers and two sisters, all elder to him) who’re fighting a dirty legal battle, with the connivance of one of the sisters, over ancestral property – around 100 acres of mango orchard in Bulandshahr. They try every dirty trick to pin him down and the sentimental guy that he is, has tears in his eyes as he narrates every such episode. But the Khans have wonderful assets in the form of their children, Minhaj and Safia, who’re in turn lucky to have wonderful spouses in Aiman and Salman. It’s the chilren’s love that keeps Matloob Khan going, as he is badly racked with a host of ailments – a case of lingering hernia despite three surgeries, recurrent bronchial asthma and to top it all, affliction of the Parkinson’s syndrome!
The Khans are on their way to London, by the early morning 0330h British Airways flight, where they’ll spend five days before flying off to Lagos, Nigeria. Minhaj and Aiman have already fetched up at London yesterday, to be at hand, to receive them. But this trip did not seem to be possible till 1600h this evening simply because the British visa was taking its own time to come. It all started about ten days back, when the visa was applied for, after having got their Nigerian one. It’s said that in Delhi, it usually takes almost a month, to get a British visa and the Khans’ should’ve rightfully catered for this time lag. However, tragedy struck in their immediate circle in the death of a course mate’s wife and they were deeply involved in the attendant ceremonies and hence, the delay in submission of their applications. The British High Commission was in no mood to relent even after being told by the Vice Chief – ‘Dabbu’ Dewan and Matloob Khan are coursemates- that he’s a serving naval officer, all because of the fact that the Britishers do not mess up with security and the most important factor was that his name was Khan!
Here’s wishing the Khans an easy security clearance at the airport, bon voyage and a wonderful holiday. They deserve that after a nerve wracking fortnight!!
Tailpiece. Shaizan, Safia’s son is the youngest person on whom I’ve rendered a ‘Conduct Certificate’, when he was three months’ old, as dictated by the application for his passport. Some crazy requirement, this!!! And incidentally, Matloob Khan was the navy's ace hurdler in his prime.
Of late, he’s been quite dejected with his brothers(they’re five siblings- two brothers and two sisters, all elder to him) who’re fighting a dirty legal battle, with the connivance of one of the sisters, over ancestral property – around 100 acres of mango orchard in Bulandshahr. They try every dirty trick to pin him down and the sentimental guy that he is, has tears in his eyes as he narrates every such episode. But the Khans have wonderful assets in the form of their children, Minhaj and Safia, who’re in turn lucky to have wonderful spouses in Aiman and Salman. It’s the chilren’s love that keeps Matloob Khan going, as he is badly racked with a host of ailments – a case of lingering hernia despite three surgeries, recurrent bronchial asthma and to top it all, affliction of the Parkinson’s syndrome!
The Khans are on their way to London, by the early morning 0330h British Airways flight, where they’ll spend five days before flying off to Lagos, Nigeria. Minhaj and Aiman have already fetched up at London yesterday, to be at hand, to receive them. But this trip did not seem to be possible till 1600h this evening simply because the British visa was taking its own time to come. It all started about ten days back, when the visa was applied for, after having got their Nigerian one. It’s said that in Delhi, it usually takes almost a month, to get a British visa and the Khans’ should’ve rightfully catered for this time lag. However, tragedy struck in their immediate circle in the death of a course mate’s wife and they were deeply involved in the attendant ceremonies and hence, the delay in submission of their applications. The British High Commission was in no mood to relent even after being told by the Vice Chief – ‘Dabbu’ Dewan and Matloob Khan are coursemates- that he’s a serving naval officer, all because of the fact that the Britishers do not mess up with security and the most important factor was that his name was Khan!
Here’s wishing the Khans an easy security clearance at the airport, bon voyage and a wonderful holiday. They deserve that after a nerve wracking fortnight!!
Tailpiece. Shaizan, Safia’s son is the youngest person on whom I’ve rendered a ‘Conduct Certificate’, when he was three months’ old, as dictated by the application for his passport. Some crazy requirement, this!!! And incidentally, Matloob Khan was the navy's ace hurdler in his prime.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
The agony of being a Muslim
Are the muslims, the world over, looked at through tinted glasses? Why is their loyalty towards their countries – be it India or the USA or the UK – looked at in askance? Was this phenomenon existent since times immemorial or has it sprung up ever since the destruction of the twin towers of New York on 9/11? Is India really secular in her acceptance of all religions as equal? I have my own doubts because of a few incidents that I’ve been privy to over a period of time.
I think I was fortunate in having been brought up in a family that was progressive in its thinking and the tone of liberalism, in thought, was set by none other than my grandparents – both paternal and maternal. I remember being taken to Christian homes to celebrate Christmas, Muslim homes during Id and frankly speaking, would always look forward to attending those dos as there was plenty of fun and frolic and the food was immaculate, full of variety and tasted vastly different from what I used to have at my home! And it was as a matter of routine that those uncles and aunts joined us during Vishu and Onam. Furthermore, if I remember correctly, religion was never discussed at home. So much so, my ignorance of Jailani –a year junior to me in school and in the navy- being a muslim till recently, is reason for much mirth amongst my classmates and coursemates! And religion has never been the basis of my friendships as is the case with most of us who have been part of the armed forces’ fraternity.
But this has been changing over the last few years and especially in the aftermath of the Gujarat riots, I was appalled to hear many, amongst the educated lot, who sincerely felt that the muslims have been taught a lesson at last. I’ve also come to this conclusion – hope I’m absolutely wrong on this one- that there’s a sizable part of the population in our country which feels that the muslims should realize that they’re in a minority and therefore, not do anything that might upset the majority despite the provocation. In other words, live as second class citizens!! It is dangerous if in a society, there are sections that are not considered as equals exist, then fury and hatred for each other will fester and snowball into a violent reaction – the example of the ethnic strife of Sri Lanka, in our own backyard, needs no further explanation. A homogenous society cannot have people being treated differently and a truly secular state ensures peaceful coexistence of people from different religions or regions.
Tailpiece.
Having said thus, the undermentioned are some of the remedies that, according to me, if followed in spirit and to the letter, will go a long way towards making a strong and secular India:-
(a) The policy of appeasement of the minorities, by the government and the political parties needs to be stopped forthwith.
(b) Religions must be practiced within one’s own homes or religious places and should never spill into public places in the form of processions or celebrations.
(c) Freedom of expression for all individuals is good but it does not encompass utterances or depiction of aspects that disturb the sensitivities of the others(It’s just like refraining from doing certain things, say like smoking, in front of one’s parents or elders. Period!)
I think I was fortunate in having been brought up in a family that was progressive in its thinking and the tone of liberalism, in thought, was set by none other than my grandparents – both paternal and maternal. I remember being taken to Christian homes to celebrate Christmas, Muslim homes during Id and frankly speaking, would always look forward to attending those dos as there was plenty of fun and frolic and the food was immaculate, full of variety and tasted vastly different from what I used to have at my home! And it was as a matter of routine that those uncles and aunts joined us during Vishu and Onam. Furthermore, if I remember correctly, religion was never discussed at home. So much so, my ignorance of Jailani –a year junior to me in school and in the navy- being a muslim till recently, is reason for much mirth amongst my classmates and coursemates! And religion has never been the basis of my friendships as is the case with most of us who have been part of the armed forces’ fraternity.
But this has been changing over the last few years and especially in the aftermath of the Gujarat riots, I was appalled to hear many, amongst the educated lot, who sincerely felt that the muslims have been taught a lesson at last. I’ve also come to this conclusion – hope I’m absolutely wrong on this one- that there’s a sizable part of the population in our country which feels that the muslims should realize that they’re in a minority and therefore, not do anything that might upset the majority despite the provocation. In other words, live as second class citizens!! It is dangerous if in a society, there are sections that are not considered as equals exist, then fury and hatred for each other will fester and snowball into a violent reaction – the example of the ethnic strife of Sri Lanka, in our own backyard, needs no further explanation. A homogenous society cannot have people being treated differently and a truly secular state ensures peaceful coexistence of people from different religions or regions.
Tailpiece.
Having said thus, the undermentioned are some of the remedies that, according to me, if followed in spirit and to the letter, will go a long way towards making a strong and secular India:-
(a) The policy of appeasement of the minorities, by the government and the political parties needs to be stopped forthwith.
(b) Religions must be practiced within one’s own homes or religious places and should never spill into public places in the form of processions or celebrations.
(c) Freedom of expression for all individuals is good but it does not encompass utterances or depiction of aspects that disturb the sensitivities of the others(It’s just like refraining from doing certain things, say like smoking, in front of one’s parents or elders. Period!)
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Railway budget over the years and me
Today it was Mamata Banerjee’s yet another railway budget in parliament and predictably, she got bouquets from the ruling benches and brickbats from the opposition benches. The trend has been the same all these years as I began to comprehend the rigmarole, after my childhood years. Barring the slow, incremental improvement over so many decades, there’s nothing spectacular or discernible by way of improved facilities and latest technology at railway stations, smart and comfortable coaches with telecommunication connectivity, complete electrification of the existing routes etc, etc. Rail travel in the USA, UK, Europe and Japan is a pleasure as one understands from people who’ve experienced it and one always wonders as to why ours can’t reach those standards, if not better them. Apologists might say that it’s the best and the largest government owned enterprise in the world and is efficient despite the constraints of funds. Utter balderdash, I would counter because the budget outlay for the coming financial year is over Rs. 20,000 crores, so where is the lack of funds? And one cannot afford to forget that a sizable length of the tracks is crying for modernization which needs to be taken up as a matter of routine along with the woefully outdated signalling and related safety/alarm apparatuses. To my mind, the Indian Railways is chugging along with comparatively less gruesome accidents only because of luck, fresh air and sunshine!
Why do successive Railway ministers pander to their constituencies and their states with an eye on the vote bank and in the process, end up being regional railway ministers? Why do they forget that the income the railways rake in every year from passengers and freight is drawn from all over the country and for that singular reason, all of them are entitled to the benefits of development in an equitable manner? Why should the government be so parochial in its decisions bringing about haphazard development? Sadly, this is why regionalism and extremist thoughts like that of the Maoists germinate.
The only discernible change in rail travel as I perceive from my childhood is, that today’s children need not worry about their dads being left over at a station as he’d got down to get drinking water from the station’s platform!
Why do successive Railway ministers pander to their constituencies and their states with an eye on the vote bank and in the process, end up being regional railway ministers? Why do they forget that the income the railways rake in every year from passengers and freight is drawn from all over the country and for that singular reason, all of them are entitled to the benefits of development in an equitable manner? Why should the government be so parochial in its decisions bringing about haphazard development? Sadly, this is why regionalism and extremist thoughts like that of the Maoists germinate.
The only discernible change in rail travel as I perceive from my childhood is, that today’s children need not worry about their dads being left over at a station as he’d got down to get drinking water from the station’s platform!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
An officer and a gentleman
Today there was an ugly spat in our office between an officer and a civilian staff member over something very, very innocuous. The officer hails from Haryana and is quite full of himself with the fact that his state produces adequate food material for his entire state but alas, there were too many migrants who’ve come into Delhi, causing shortages and the consequent spiralling of prices of essential goods. The civilian guy, who hails from Uttar Pradesh appears rustic, belies his appearance and is fairly well versed with the political, economic and social conditions of the area. He was touched to the quick and started reeling out statistics to show as to how the migrant labour was indeed being used by the local folk profitably, for their own ends. As the former
started losing his plot, he resorted to the next best alternative by asking the latter to shut up. After the acrimony was over, as a responsible senior I spoke to the junior, the jist of which is reproduced below and I must admit that this is what I’ve followed in my life, all through, and never once have I failed, as I reckon, but the confirmation can only be given by the others who’ve had close interaction with me but here I go:-
(a) As an officer, one is always expected to be an epitome of gentlemanliness, punctilious courtesy and a good human being.
(b) His concern for the others far exceeds the discomfort that he has to go through in ensuring their welfare/safety/genuine requirements.
(c) His words have to be weighed before he utters anything and as far as possible, he must be in full control of his emotions( a place where I still have miles to go!).
(d) He never discusses women or money at the dining table or in any public place.
(e) He never gets into any arguments, discusses controversial subjects like religion and as part of any discussion, if he were to realise that he’s wrong he should be gracious enough to admit it and withdraw.
And finally, I quoted a saying from the walls of Hunter Squadron at the NDA that I’d seen, both while standing in an upright position and while being upside down- as a part of the numerous ragging episodes- and reflected over it many times, which according to me, puts the whole thing so succinctly and in the right perspective,
“If you are a gentleman, nothing else matters
If you are not a gentleman, still nothing matters.”
started losing his plot, he resorted to the next best alternative by asking the latter to shut up. After the acrimony was over, as a responsible senior I spoke to the junior, the jist of which is reproduced below and I must admit that this is what I’ve followed in my life, all through, and never once have I failed, as I reckon, but the confirmation can only be given by the others who’ve had close interaction with me but here I go:-
(a) As an officer, one is always expected to be an epitome of gentlemanliness, punctilious courtesy and a good human being.
(b) His concern for the others far exceeds the discomfort that he has to go through in ensuring their welfare/safety/genuine requirements.
(c) His words have to be weighed before he utters anything and as far as possible, he must be in full control of his emotions( a place where I still have miles to go!).
(d) He never discusses women or money at the dining table or in any public place.
(e) He never gets into any arguments, discusses controversial subjects like religion and as part of any discussion, if he were to realise that he’s wrong he should be gracious enough to admit it and withdraw.
And finally, I quoted a saying from the walls of Hunter Squadron at the NDA that I’d seen, both while standing in an upright position and while being upside down- as a part of the numerous ragging episodes- and reflected over it many times, which according to me, puts the whole thing so succinctly and in the right perspective,
“If you are a gentleman, nothing else matters
If you are not a gentleman, still nothing matters.”
Monday, February 22, 2010
Caravan - the summer(?) in autumn '72
This evening, I was on my regular walk in the sheltered cantonment area. The brisk walk over a stretch of roughly six kms takes me around 48 minutes to complete but freshens me for the remaining part of the evening besides being able to reflect over the day’s proceedings. Normally, I’m out of the house by a quarter to seven and it’s during this time when I also do a bit of breezy socializing by saying a hello or simply give a friendly wave or even talk to a few fellow walkers, who’ve become familiar, over a period of time and such exchanges always invigorate me.
Of this circuit, there’s a stretch of a kilometer and a half over the Mall road, where music wafts through speakers, fitted on electric poles at regular intervals, for the benefit of the walkers and I enjoy it thoroughly always hoping that I do not have to pick up conversation with anybody to enable savouring the music at hand. This evening, much to my delight it was the song, ‘Arrey ho, ho, ho, ho goriya kahan tera desh re….’ from the evergreen Jeetender, Asha Parekh hit ‘Caravan’ as this is related to a special occasion in my life.
Thirty eight years back, sometime in Sep ’72 after clearing the SSB(Services Selection Board) interview, at Mysore, for the NDA, I was out on liberty for the evening, on cloud nine and absolutely thrilled with life. I was to report to the IAM(Institute of Aviation Medicine) at Bangalore for my medicals and the Chamundi express, on which I’d got my reservation, was available only next morning. I and my schoolmate, Sebastian Thomas – the only two guys to clear from our batch of 28 guys – had then decided to see ‘Caravan’. It was while taking my seat in the auditorium, that I saw three girls being needled by two guys and one of the girls was close to tears. The chivalrous guys that we were quickly took charge and sent the guys packing to another set of seats and we took over as temporary guardians of the girls at hand.
I must admit that the girl who was close to tears, had tugged at my heart –her name was Shantini- and as I’d said earlier in this blog of mine, one of the numerous ‘loves’ that I’d fallen headlong into. And mind you, that affair lasted only during the space of that one evening and I don’t even know whether she reciprocated the sentiments! Incidentally, the song cited above was liked by both of us, as we exchanged notes after the movie, over icecreams at a Dasaprakash outlet!
Of this circuit, there’s a stretch of a kilometer and a half over the Mall road, where music wafts through speakers, fitted on electric poles at regular intervals, for the benefit of the walkers and I enjoy it thoroughly always hoping that I do not have to pick up conversation with anybody to enable savouring the music at hand. This evening, much to my delight it was the song, ‘Arrey ho, ho, ho, ho goriya kahan tera desh re….’ from the evergreen Jeetender, Asha Parekh hit ‘Caravan’ as this is related to a special occasion in my life.
Thirty eight years back, sometime in Sep ’72 after clearing the SSB(Services Selection Board) interview, at Mysore, for the NDA, I was out on liberty for the evening, on cloud nine and absolutely thrilled with life. I was to report to the IAM(Institute of Aviation Medicine) at Bangalore for my medicals and the Chamundi express, on which I’d got my reservation, was available only next morning. I and my schoolmate, Sebastian Thomas – the only two guys to clear from our batch of 28 guys – had then decided to see ‘Caravan’. It was while taking my seat in the auditorium, that I saw three girls being needled by two guys and one of the girls was close to tears. The chivalrous guys that we were quickly took charge and sent the guys packing to another set of seats and we took over as temporary guardians of the girls at hand.
I must admit that the girl who was close to tears, had tugged at my heart –her name was Shantini- and as I’d said earlier in this blog of mine, one of the numerous ‘loves’ that I’d fallen headlong into. And mind you, that affair lasted only during the space of that one evening and I don’t even know whether she reciprocated the sentiments! Incidentally, the song cited above was liked by both of us, as we exchanged notes after the movie, over icecreams at a Dasaprakash outlet!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Billu barber revisited
After a fairly hectic day, was back home by 1700h and as usual, decided to watch the evening movie on the Asianet channel. I was delighted to find that it was ‘Katha Parayumbol’ (literally translated, it means ‘while telling the story’) starring the superstar, Mammooty and a host of other actors, which was a superhit on release.
It has a simple storyline that talks of a friendship from school, where one of them happens to be from a home that’s more economically well off than the other who does not even have the wherewithal to have a square meal a day. After school, they part and while the former is a barber in a village, the latter goes on to become a successful film star and he has fetched up in that very same village, as a member of a film unit, on location shooting. The barber is hesitant to meet his friend, despite coaxing and taunts from every quarter, as he’s unsure as to whether his friend would even recognize him, in his present state of affluence and fame! How he’s proved wrong in his perception is the climax of the film.
I have seen the Tamil remake starring Rajnikant and of course, 'Billu barber' starring Shahrukh Khan, both of which were miserable flops at the box office. Why did that happen? Dispassionately speaking and not because of being a ‘mallu’, I thought both the remakes strayed away from the simple storyline and gave too much of screen space/importance to the movie star by weaving the story around him! Was it to justify the star value of Rajnikant or Shahrukh Khan I wonder, but it definitely did not work with the masses.
Malayalam movies had ventured into ‘parallel/art cinema’ in the seventies, through stalwarts like Adoor Gopalakrishnan and therefore, treated like a holy cow in movie appreciations, the world over and only Bengali films have matched, if not scored over them, in pure class, finesse and quality.
But ‘Katha Parayumbol’ is an out and out commercial film. And that’s what makes me happy. Here’s wishing that there are many more such films from the Malayalam moviemakers in the years to come.
It has a simple storyline that talks of a friendship from school, where one of them happens to be from a home that’s more economically well off than the other who does not even have the wherewithal to have a square meal a day. After school, they part and while the former is a barber in a village, the latter goes on to become a successful film star and he has fetched up in that very same village, as a member of a film unit, on location shooting. The barber is hesitant to meet his friend, despite coaxing and taunts from every quarter, as he’s unsure as to whether his friend would even recognize him, in his present state of affluence and fame! How he’s proved wrong in his perception is the climax of the film.
I have seen the Tamil remake starring Rajnikant and of course, 'Billu barber' starring Shahrukh Khan, both of which were miserable flops at the box office. Why did that happen? Dispassionately speaking and not because of being a ‘mallu’, I thought both the remakes strayed away from the simple storyline and gave too much of screen space/importance to the movie star by weaving the story around him! Was it to justify the star value of Rajnikant or Shahrukh Khan I wonder, but it definitely did not work with the masses.
Malayalam movies had ventured into ‘parallel/art cinema’ in the seventies, through stalwarts like Adoor Gopalakrishnan and therefore, treated like a holy cow in movie appreciations, the world over and only Bengali films have matched, if not scored over them, in pure class, finesse and quality.
But ‘Katha Parayumbol’ is an out and out commercial film. And that’s what makes me happy. Here’s wishing that there are many more such films from the Malayalam moviemakers in the years to come.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
By George!
One of the notable news lines of today was yet another episode of the ugly saga of the ongoing tussle between George Fernandes’ immediate family and his close associates.
Why’ve Leila Kabir, his wife and their son come now to protect George, after so many years of staying away from him? And belated though, why did Jaya Jaitley and his other close associates make him a pathetic spectacle during the last general elections to the Lok Sabha? These questions defy logic but it’s amply clear that both the parties are jostling not for his wealth, as the media makes us believe, but to take control of his political space.
I was his liaison officer for two days, during his visit to Kochi, way back during the latter half of 1998, when he was the defence minister. As a politician, I must confess that he’d never impressed me because his rise in politics was mainly because of his theatrics- he was a vitriolic ‘anti-Indira Gandhi’ man as she had him incarcerated in jail during the ‘emergency’ thanks to his involvement in the infamous ‘Baroda dynamite case’. (As the railways’ trade union leader, he was accused to have masterminded a plot to blow up the main rail track near that city to show Mrs. Gandhi’s government in poor light). But through bits and pieces of my conversations with him, I gleaned that he had tremendous respect for the firebrand socialist of the ‘50s and the ‘60s, Ram Manohar Lohia, whom he claimed to be his guru. And seeing my inquisitiveness, he passed on one of Lohia’s gems to me viz, ‘for any man to be successful in politics, he must respect it like he does his religion but, also, must understand that religion is long term politics.’
During those two days of my association with him, I’d seen him interact with the naval dockyard and Cochin shipyard workers, the senior clergymen of the Christian diocese besides of course, attending the naval functions. He relished the pomp and show of our ceremonials and I wondered, then, as to whether he ever thought that he’d be a minister in his wildest of dreams, twenty years earlier! I must admit that he was not a demanding guy to be liaison officer with and the IAS officer, his PS ensured that he sent me a thank you letter on his return to Delhi. And, in retrospect, I suppose this country shall always remember him for making the Konkan rail a reality and for sacking Adm Vishnu Bhagwat, the naval chief!!
The once fiery and vociferous politician is now in this world without knowing the purpose of his life, thanks to the deadly Alzheimer’s illness and it’s pathetic to see his close relatives and friends trying to take advantage of his helplessness. Sad!
Why’ve Leila Kabir, his wife and their son come now to protect George, after so many years of staying away from him? And belated though, why did Jaya Jaitley and his other close associates make him a pathetic spectacle during the last general elections to the Lok Sabha? These questions defy logic but it’s amply clear that both the parties are jostling not for his wealth, as the media makes us believe, but to take control of his political space.
I was his liaison officer for two days, during his visit to Kochi, way back during the latter half of 1998, when he was the defence minister. As a politician, I must confess that he’d never impressed me because his rise in politics was mainly because of his theatrics- he was a vitriolic ‘anti-Indira Gandhi’ man as she had him incarcerated in jail during the ‘emergency’ thanks to his involvement in the infamous ‘Baroda dynamite case’. (As the railways’ trade union leader, he was accused to have masterminded a plot to blow up the main rail track near that city to show Mrs. Gandhi’s government in poor light). But through bits and pieces of my conversations with him, I gleaned that he had tremendous respect for the firebrand socialist of the ‘50s and the ‘60s, Ram Manohar Lohia, whom he claimed to be his guru. And seeing my inquisitiveness, he passed on one of Lohia’s gems to me viz, ‘for any man to be successful in politics, he must respect it like he does his religion but, also, must understand that religion is long term politics.’
During those two days of my association with him, I’d seen him interact with the naval dockyard and Cochin shipyard workers, the senior clergymen of the Christian diocese besides of course, attending the naval functions. He relished the pomp and show of our ceremonials and I wondered, then, as to whether he ever thought that he’d be a minister in his wildest of dreams, twenty years earlier! I must admit that he was not a demanding guy to be liaison officer with and the IAS officer, his PS ensured that he sent me a thank you letter on his return to Delhi. And, in retrospect, I suppose this country shall always remember him for making the Konkan rail a reality and for sacking Adm Vishnu Bhagwat, the naval chief!!
The once fiery and vociferous politician is now in this world without knowing the purpose of his life, thanks to the deadly Alzheimer’s illness and it’s pathetic to see his close relatives and friends trying to take advantage of his helplessness. Sad!
Friday, February 19, 2010
Friends
Yesterday while at office, a colleague of mine told me that he’s quite jealous of me for the fact that I’d so many friends. He must have noticed that people have been calling me every now and then, at times just for making a polite conversation laced with a lot of lighthearted banter. Yes, I am indeed blessed with quite a few of them that spread through a timeframe, beginning from my schooldays. He also stated that I do go out of my way to reach out to people which he just cannot do.
I’m really amused with this observation. To explain about the individual that I’d mentioned above and his predicament, it doesn’t require much of analysis or thinking. What I’d observed of him is that he does connect up with people but only if he had a requirement and he is fully aware of whom to tap depending on the circumstances– at times, he even pleads and cajoles and always gets his way - and achieves what he wants. And then the communication gets non-existent. His deduction is that there’s no necessity in keeping a large circle of friends which is at best infructuous and a time and money waster thanks to the accompanying telephone bills. And therein lies his problem and I did tell him that and he seems to have taken it well.
My take on this is nothing very extraordinary because I believe that friendship is a two way process and there is no profit or loss account that needs to be maintained in a relationship. At times, it’s simple things that contribute to a robust relationship like lending a shoulder to cry on or giving a patient hearing to what the other has to say without sitting in judgment or by just remembering an occasion that has a special place in the other’s life. It can also extend to a larger area of partnership be it on the professional, social, financial or emotional levels but the underlying fact being that such a relationship has to be without letting the other burdened with a sense of obligation (if that were to happen, the person receiving your largesse, however needy he/she might be, will feel small and inferior and over a period of time, feel extremely suffocated in the relationship which ultimately has to snap!)
My grandmother, Mrs PN Panicker, used to tell me and I quote, ‘A good friend is like a mirror, you should be able to see yourself with your warts and the moles through him/her achievable by free and frank communication’ and I don't think that I could have put it any better.
I’m really amused with this observation. To explain about the individual that I’d mentioned above and his predicament, it doesn’t require much of analysis or thinking. What I’d observed of him is that he does connect up with people but only if he had a requirement and he is fully aware of whom to tap depending on the circumstances– at times, he even pleads and cajoles and always gets his way - and achieves what he wants. And then the communication gets non-existent. His deduction is that there’s no necessity in keeping a large circle of friends which is at best infructuous and a time and money waster thanks to the accompanying telephone bills. And therein lies his problem and I did tell him that and he seems to have taken it well.
My take on this is nothing very extraordinary because I believe that friendship is a two way process and there is no profit or loss account that needs to be maintained in a relationship. At times, it’s simple things that contribute to a robust relationship like lending a shoulder to cry on or giving a patient hearing to what the other has to say without sitting in judgment or by just remembering an occasion that has a special place in the other’s life. It can also extend to a larger area of partnership be it on the professional, social, financial or emotional levels but the underlying fact being that such a relationship has to be without letting the other burdened with a sense of obligation (if that were to happen, the person receiving your largesse, however needy he/she might be, will feel small and inferior and over a period of time, feel extremely suffocated in the relationship which ultimately has to snap!)
My grandmother, Mrs PN Panicker, used to tell me and I quote, ‘A good friend is like a mirror, you should be able to see yourself with your warts and the moles through him/her achievable by free and frank communication’ and I don't think that I could have put it any better.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Numero uno in test cricket - Congratulations!
It was yet another day, when I saw the entire set of officers and staff of my directorate either crowding in front of the LCD screen or around the cellphone which was giving a ball-by-ball description of the game, eagerly waiting with bated breath for the result of the second cricket test match between India and South Africa, played at Calcutta’s lovely Eden Garden. The anxiety was especially palpable in the last fifteen overs when there was just one more wicket to fall. Normal work in the office had come to a grinding halt, every ball that went past without earning a wicket was greeted with shaking of heads in utter disgust but the choicest of epithets were reserved for any sort of misfielding and mind you, everyone had some advice or the other to give to Dhoni for wrapping up the game as quickly as possible.
By saying all this, I’m not trying to say that I was different, being much superior to the rest and that, these things did not matter to me. It’s ingrained in me that if I were to closely follow the game, the Indians had a propensity to lose and therefore, always prefer to hear the good news later on. And there’s another angle to my present approach to cricket as a game.
Many years back, while I was at school, I was a member of the school cricket team and had won matches by the sheer strength of my batting and leg spin bowling. It was this halo that I carried with me into the NDA. Sometime, within the first week of my first term, we were assembled at the squadron grounds and our sixth term appointments were eager to know as to what games we had played and excelled in. When my turn came, the moment I’d uttered ‘cricket’, our CSM- Cadet Sergeant Major-Anil Kumar Rai gave me one tight whack on my shins, with a hockey stick, saying that I should never say it again as he was only interested in guys who played troop games like football, hockey and basketball which fetched points for the squadron on the Inter Squadron championships. The acute pain in my shin (though I was given immediate medical attention) with blood trickling from the wound brought instant tears to my eyes- but concealed it to the best of my ability because I did not want those guys to think that they’d cowed me down- but something deep within me, my immense love for cricket snapped that instant. Over the years, I’ve played and organized many cricket matches, but the adrenaline rush all through me that I used to experience during my schooldays, has always been missing!
Anyways, back to the present, congratulations to the Indian cricket team for retaining the number one position in the world, in test cricket!!
By saying all this, I’m not trying to say that I was different, being much superior to the rest and that, these things did not matter to me. It’s ingrained in me that if I were to closely follow the game, the Indians had a propensity to lose and therefore, always prefer to hear the good news later on. And there’s another angle to my present approach to cricket as a game.
Many years back, while I was at school, I was a member of the school cricket team and had won matches by the sheer strength of my batting and leg spin bowling. It was this halo that I carried with me into the NDA. Sometime, within the first week of my first term, we were assembled at the squadron grounds and our sixth term appointments were eager to know as to what games we had played and excelled in. When my turn came, the moment I’d uttered ‘cricket’, our CSM- Cadet Sergeant Major-Anil Kumar Rai gave me one tight whack on my shins, with a hockey stick, saying that I should never say it again as he was only interested in guys who played troop games like football, hockey and basketball which fetched points for the squadron on the Inter Squadron championships. The acute pain in my shin (though I was given immediate medical attention) with blood trickling from the wound brought instant tears to my eyes- but concealed it to the best of my ability because I did not want those guys to think that they’d cowed me down- but something deep within me, my immense love for cricket snapped that instant. Over the years, I’ve played and organized many cricket matches, but the adrenaline rush all through me that I used to experience during my schooldays, has always been missing!
Anyways, back to the present, congratulations to the Indian cricket team for retaining the number one position in the world, in test cricket!!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
To school at 4 - the right step!
I was extremely delighted to see that the government is seriously mulling over raising the school entrance age of children to four, from the existing three, so that a child sits in class one, only on attaining six years of age. The minister for Human Resource Development, had called a meeting of the concerned ministers, drawn from all the states, in Delhi last week where the idea was mooted and my opinion is, that, it’s a step in the right direction (though three states viz. Kerala, UP and West Bengal went unrepresented, playing petty politics as usual, I’m sure that they too would eventually warm up to this well conceived idea).
What we see these days is the sad plight of children being sent to daycares, crèches and pre-schools, literally from their cradles so that their parents can take up jobs to bring in increased income to the family. The results are disastrous for everyone to see – the kids are brought up by untrained people, who are a completely harried lot, as they’re exposed to the tantrums thrown up by the children and hence do not hesitate to use any means to control difficult behavioural patterns and unwittingly in the process, inflict psychological scars on the children. And another sad consequence of this trend is that the kids lose their childlike innocence quite early and they’re made to run the race of life when many of them are woefully unequipped to take on the mad scramble! They become more and more like robots and I cringe when I hear children mouth dialogues/conversational pieces much beyond their age. For the children’s sake, my appeal to all parents would be, ‘please let them be what they are and do not force the pace on them.’Furthermore, to bring about a revolutionary change, education should be a continuously enthralling experience, where the teacher – student dialogue is an ongoing process with the rote system completely shunned and teaching, as a profession, given its pride of place as teachers mould the country’s future.
What we see these days is the sad plight of children being sent to daycares, crèches and pre-schools, literally from their cradles so that their parents can take up jobs to bring in increased income to the family. The results are disastrous for everyone to see – the kids are brought up by untrained people, who are a completely harried lot, as they’re exposed to the tantrums thrown up by the children and hence do not hesitate to use any means to control difficult behavioural patterns and unwittingly in the process, inflict psychological scars on the children. And another sad consequence of this trend is that the kids lose their childlike innocence quite early and they’re made to run the race of life when many of them are woefully unequipped to take on the mad scramble! They become more and more like robots and I cringe when I hear children mouth dialogues/conversational pieces much beyond their age. For the children’s sake, my appeal to all parents would be, ‘please let them be what they are and do not force the pace on them.’Furthermore, to bring about a revolutionary change, education should be a continuously enthralling experience, where the teacher – student dialogue is an ongoing process with the rote system completely shunned and teaching, as a profession, given its pride of place as teachers mould the country’s future.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Indian Advertisements - Are they going regressive?
An advertisement is considered good when the product it’s trying to popularize, is tantalizingly put across, so that the viewer will not rest till he or she has satisfied the urge to use it. Indian advertising has come a long way and today it can boast to be the best in its department, capable of beating the world’s best, in class, substance and genre. But what worries me is, that, of late, there’s an increasing tendency to bank on negativity to highlight the goodness of a product. The most glaring example that comes to my mind is the battle between ‘Complan’ and ‘Horlicks’ – some of the facts being bandied about wouldn’t even stand an honest technical scrutiny! And lesser said about the ad on ‘Fair and Lovely’ cream, the better it would be. It’s simply obnoxious and regressive and there’s no doubt on that score, at least to my mind!! It just goes to reinforce the age old Indian weakness for the white skin, and we’ve no right to blame the likes of the late Michael Jackson or even the hot Hollywood actress, Halle Beri for bleaching their skin. There’s yet another class of advertisements which try to put down age old and time tested practices as granny’s idiosyncrasies – the ones on ‘Chik Satin Shampoo’ and ‘Vivel’ readily come to my mind.
An ideal ad, to my mind, should be positive oriented and catchy enough to urge the viewer to get into the product’s user bandwagon at the earliest.
An ideal ad, to my mind, should be positive oriented and catchy enough to urge the viewer to get into the product’s user bandwagon at the earliest.
Monday, February 15, 2010
On the newshour
As is my habit during primetime, I make it a point to surf news channels to find out as to how the media is covering the day’s burning issues and I must admit to my sneaky preference to hear what Pronoy Roy or Arnab Goswami has to tell us. This is over and above what I absorb from the BBC/CNN on international news and the Asianet/Surya channels for the ones that are Kerala specific. I’m of the firm opinion that the media, unwittingly, gives terrorists, unwanted ruffians( Muthalik is the best example in this category along with the Thackerays –both uncle and nephew) and many banned outfits, too much of media space and ample coverage to sell their wares. And what’s most disparaging is, that, these bad men spew so much of venom that can easily sway the minds of misguided youth and drifters as they, in turn, realize (much to our agony later, perhaps) that they too can get wide coverage by virtue of the path of destruction that they choose for themselves!
To cite this evening’s instance, the two news lines that were predominant were the Pune blasts being linked to the ‘Karachi plot’ and the Maoists’ deadly attack on two police camps in the state of West Bengal. In the process a guy called ‘Maki’ was shown spewing the most vitriolic language and threats to India, from somewhere in Pakistan. Similarly, known Maoist sympathizers were covered, giving their opinions and justifying their actions against the state, in another clip. Both the parties, according to me, have achieved the otherwise impossible accomplishment – tell the whole country that they can do and strike at any place of their choosing and our state machinery just can’t do a fig to stop or prevent them!
For once, the media needs to stop going overboard in their coverage of Pakistan, terrorist organizations and outfits of nuisance value like the Ramsene and give more coverage to the many good things that are happening around us everyday and the numerous unsung heroes of our society who carry on their good work despite all odds and difficulty. The media can definitely be more balanced in their coverage of news towards fulfilling their moral responsibility to society.
To cite this evening’s instance, the two news lines that were predominant were the Pune blasts being linked to the ‘Karachi plot’ and the Maoists’ deadly attack on two police camps in the state of West Bengal. In the process a guy called ‘Maki’ was shown spewing the most vitriolic language and threats to India, from somewhere in Pakistan. Similarly, known Maoist sympathizers were covered, giving their opinions and justifying their actions against the state, in another clip. Both the parties, according to me, have achieved the otherwise impossible accomplishment – tell the whole country that they can do and strike at any place of their choosing and our state machinery just can’t do a fig to stop or prevent them!
For once, the media needs to stop going overboard in their coverage of Pakistan, terrorist organizations and outfits of nuisance value like the Ramsene and give more coverage to the many good things that are happening around us everyday and the numerous unsung heroes of our society who carry on their good work despite all odds and difficulty. The media can definitely be more balanced in their coverage of news towards fulfilling their moral responsibility to society.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
The madness of terror
It’s almost 24 hours beyond that wretched blast in Pune, last evening. I was elsewhere, when someone broke this news to me and the selfish me immediately rang up all my folks out there just to hear their voices so as to comfort myself that my immediate world still held together. But what about those unlucky ones who might have planned so many things for the morrow, never to be able to see through their wishes fulfilled? Why has life been so unkind to them? As the gory details came on the TV channels, a sense of deep anguish coupled with rage, born out of a sense of impotency and helplessness to do something, has engulfed me. A sense of personal loss is all pervading and I’ve not been able to shake off that feeling.
What sort of people are the terrorists? Do they really understand their religion to be displaying such inhuman behaviour? What happens to them if their own kith and kin were to lose their lives or face grave danger under similar circumstances? No religion in this world propagates elimination of life or property. So why do these people get to do this and spread so much of hatred amongst fellow human beings? From past records and analyses, it’s fairly clear that almost all of those- so- called- terrorists were drifters, easily mouldable through indoctrination to do the extreme act of taking the life of another, never mind losing one’s own life in the process.
Is this, then, the trend of the times? Will all those who’re unable to do well in life, go in droves to achieve ‘fame’ through ignominy? I’d like to believe otherwise, because as I put these thoughts of mine, there’s a musical reality show being telecast on the Asianet channel involving children with their sparkling eyes so full of hope and confidence in their demeanour , which reinforces that famous number, ‘we shall overcome’.
Tailpiece. Being Valentine’s day, my spirits were lifted thanks to a number of cute messages received from many of my young friends, all through the day. And yes, we’ve the responsibility to give them a caring and loving tomorrow.
What sort of people are the terrorists? Do they really understand their religion to be displaying such inhuman behaviour? What happens to them if their own kith and kin were to lose their lives or face grave danger under similar circumstances? No religion in this world propagates elimination of life or property. So why do these people get to do this and spread so much of hatred amongst fellow human beings? From past records and analyses, it’s fairly clear that almost all of those- so- called- terrorists were drifters, easily mouldable through indoctrination to do the extreme act of taking the life of another, never mind losing one’s own life in the process.
Is this, then, the trend of the times? Will all those who’re unable to do well in life, go in droves to achieve ‘fame’ through ignominy? I’d like to believe otherwise, because as I put these thoughts of mine, there’s a musical reality show being telecast on the Asianet channel involving children with their sparkling eyes so full of hope and confidence in their demeanour , which reinforces that famous number, ‘we shall overcome’.
Tailpiece. Being Valentine’s day, my spirits were lifted thanks to a number of cute messages received from many of my young friends, all through the day. And yes, we’ve the responsibility to give them a caring and loving tomorrow.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Valentine's day and me being a party animal
Today, I’ve been invited to a Valentine’s eve dinner. I’m of the firm belief that Valentine’s day is more relevant to the youngsters who take their first step in love, go through heartbreaks only to kiss and make up soon after and exchange vows to be together for the rest of their lives. It’s really a great thing to be in love though my own experience about falling in love was more on a frequency, that, matched the Bombayites getting in and out of BEST buses and more often than not, my feelings were hopelessly one sided, in that the objects of my feelings never reciprocated the same! But I really enjoy seeing people in love and the extent to which the concerned couple can go, to be together is truly amazing – Rajat Gupta, my latest young friend, courtesy the recent Pune-Delhi trip, is a classic example and incidentally, he’s off to Chandigarh to be with his girl for the weekend. I feel that the expression of love cannot be restricted to a single day and it transcends religion, region and even age! It’s the purity of feelings that one has for the other 24x7, 365 days a year, period!!
And I’m no party animal though I’m an invitee to some of them. Basically shy, I’d rather spend my time alone, either watching the TV or settling down with a good book. I wouldn’t like to be vain, thinking that I’m extremely popular thanks to my ready wit and knowledge of things (a Jack of all trades, since I make it a point to read anything and everything that comes my way and I observe people and events- human behaviour really fascinates me – and this definitely gives me an advantage to pick up the thread of conversation, while in a group, without being voluble. But while I tell a joke, I always fluff the punch line!) or that I’m good looking (with my 5’3” frame and buck teeth, I’ve given myself a 4 out of 10 in this department long, long ago and at 54, it really doesn’t matter).Then why do I get the invites? Probably, an inebriated me with all my clumsiness, must be a continuous source of entertainment for the hosts and the guests as they’re kept in splits all through. I must, however, admit that I enjoy every bit of it and I wonder whether the others also do so in equal measure, if not more, to have me around them?
Tailpiece. After having seen the programme ‘Raaz Pichale Janam Ka’, I’ve this feeling that I was a mughal emperor – probably, Akbar – in my previous birth and hence go for a session when the programme goes on air again. But I also I’ve this lingering fear as to what would happen if it were to be established that I was Aurangzeb, instead! People will skin me for all his deeds!!
And I’m no party animal though I’m an invitee to some of them. Basically shy, I’d rather spend my time alone, either watching the TV or settling down with a good book. I wouldn’t like to be vain, thinking that I’m extremely popular thanks to my ready wit and knowledge of things (a Jack of all trades, since I make it a point to read anything and everything that comes my way and I observe people and events- human behaviour really fascinates me – and this definitely gives me an advantage to pick up the thread of conversation, while in a group, without being voluble. But while I tell a joke, I always fluff the punch line!) or that I’m good looking (with my 5’3” frame and buck teeth, I’ve given myself a 4 out of 10 in this department long, long ago and at 54, it really doesn’t matter).Then why do I get the invites? Probably, an inebriated me with all my clumsiness, must be a continuous source of entertainment for the hosts and the guests as they’re kept in splits all through. I must, however, admit that I enjoy every bit of it and I wonder whether the others also do so in equal measure, if not more, to have me around them?
Tailpiece. After having seen the programme ‘Raaz Pichale Janam Ka’, I’ve this feeling that I was a mughal emperor – probably, Akbar – in my previous birth and hence go for a session when the programme goes on air again. But I also I’ve this lingering fear as to what would happen if it were to be established that I was Aurangzeb, instead! People will skin me for all his deeds!!
An aspect of life that fascinates me, always!
It’s a very common thing that happens to me, either when I’m all by myself reflecting over something or even when I’m with others and that too during interaction, my mind (or is it my soul?) wanders out of my body, goes to faraway places that are familiar to me or visit people who mean a lot to me, spends time around there/with them and returns, without causing any disruption to the work that I’ve been doing. I’ve also gleaned from my conversations with others that it’s a phenomenon which has been experienced by every one of them and that too, on a regular basis. It can thus be safely deduced that it’s an aspect of life that every man or woman born on this earth is privy to. What fascinates me is that one’s mind( or the soul) always returns to one’s body without ever losing its way enroute! And the baffling thing is that there are many such movements, involving enormous distances, crisscrossing one another as they take place at the same time.
Conversely, imagine the chaos that would erupt if someone else’s mind (or the soul) were to fetch up into one’s body!! The beauty is that it never happens and that’s yet another law of nature or the cosmic truth.
Obit. The 89 year old gentleman who was admitted the other day into the Base Hospital, Delhi Cantt for a broken femur, passed away late this afternoon. He’d suffered a cardiac arrest in the wee hours of this morning, revived by the doctors and put on life support systems for the whole of the forenoon. I got the impression that he’d lost the will to live, thanks to the hideous atmosphere of the ICU and he was begging his son to have him taken out of that place, yesterday evening. His 79 year old wife, who is back home says that she’s missed his angry howls and taunts for the last few days that he had been here and now she will hear them never again. As I write this, he’s on his way to his final resting place at Moga. May his soul rest in peace and may God give courage to the old lady and the family to bear the loss.
Conversely, imagine the chaos that would erupt if someone else’s mind (or the soul) were to fetch up into one’s body!! The beauty is that it never happens and that’s yet another law of nature or the cosmic truth.
Obit. The 89 year old gentleman who was admitted the other day into the Base Hospital, Delhi Cantt for a broken femur, passed away late this afternoon. He’d suffered a cardiac arrest in the wee hours of this morning, revived by the doctors and put on life support systems for the whole of the forenoon. I got the impression that he’d lost the will to live, thanks to the hideous atmosphere of the ICU and he was begging his son to have him taken out of that place, yesterday evening. His 79 year old wife, who is back home says that she’s missed his angry howls and taunts for the last few days that he had been here and now she will hear them never again. As I write this, he’s on his way to his final resting place at Moga. May his soul rest in peace and may God give courage to the old lady and the family to bear the loss.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Mixed Reactions
I was thinking of revisiting my innermost questions and doubts on God, but shall leave them for another occasion as two items on this evening’s news menu struck me as ominous yet laudable all the way. It just goes to show how the resilient common man can react to obnoxious people/ trying situations when he gets the right opportunity. Of course, there is a morality factor involved in this as to whether taking the law into one’s own hand is justified at all, because, if everyone were to resort to such a step, it would be chaotic and catastrophic! Anyways, the following are the newslines that gladdened but saddened me too, on rumination.
(a) Muthalik, the Ramsene chief gets a taste of his own medicine. It was exactly a year ago, during Valentine’s day, when Muthalik and his goons played moral policemen and molested five young girls for celebrating the occasion and he’d gone on record to say that the incident was trivial and a befitting lesson for the future. Today, the very same guy was humiliated on the streets of Bangalore when he was surrounded by a group of young men who painted his face with black paint and he definitely wasn’t amused. I was extremely thrilled to see the clip but do fear for the safety of those young men, because Muthalik and his goons will definitely go all out to wreak vengeance on them. May God be with them as I can assure them that the happiest souls would be those five hapless girls who’d to go through ignominy for no fault of theirs! Here’s wishing that their gratitude acts as talisman for the young men from all evils.
(b) Davender Ghai gets the British Law to permit the last rites of his choice. After years of legal battle, this Indian who has been a resident in London for the last 54 years has been permitted to get an open air cremation upon his death, which was considered illegal in that country till this day and he is naturally jubilant. I was glad that the 71 year old gentleman had the grit and stamina to fight a gruelling legal battle but I also have a fundamental question in this regard and that is, when one decides to go and settle down in another place/country shouldn’t one act, do and live by the rules, customs and traditions prevalent there and not hurt their sentiments by insisting on doing things one’s own way? I wouldn’t be surprised if Mr. Ghai has hurt many of the Britishers, especially the younger generation and who knows, whether this hurt snowballs into hatred towards Indians at a later date? I sincerely hope it doesn’t.
(a) Muthalik, the Ramsene chief gets a taste of his own medicine. It was exactly a year ago, during Valentine’s day, when Muthalik and his goons played moral policemen and molested five young girls for celebrating the occasion and he’d gone on record to say that the incident was trivial and a befitting lesson for the future. Today, the very same guy was humiliated on the streets of Bangalore when he was surrounded by a group of young men who painted his face with black paint and he definitely wasn’t amused. I was extremely thrilled to see the clip but do fear for the safety of those young men, because Muthalik and his goons will definitely go all out to wreak vengeance on them. May God be with them as I can assure them that the happiest souls would be those five hapless girls who’d to go through ignominy for no fault of theirs! Here’s wishing that their gratitude acts as talisman for the young men from all evils.
(b) Davender Ghai gets the British Law to permit the last rites of his choice. After years of legal battle, this Indian who has been a resident in London for the last 54 years has been permitted to get an open air cremation upon his death, which was considered illegal in that country till this day and he is naturally jubilant. I was glad that the 71 year old gentleman had the grit and stamina to fight a gruelling legal battle but I also have a fundamental question in this regard and that is, when one decides to go and settle down in another place/country shouldn’t one act, do and live by the rules, customs and traditions prevalent there and not hurt their sentiments by insisting on doing things one’s own way? I wouldn’t be surprised if Mr. Ghai has hurt many of the Britishers, especially the younger generation and who knows, whether this hurt snowballs into hatred towards Indians at a later date? I sincerely hope it doesn’t.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
God, you've to take the call on your 'looks'
I’ve always tried to visualize as to how my God looks like? This is because, I take refuge in the concept of God quite often and have a dialogue (actually, a monologue and give expression to my prevalent frame of my mind). The circumstances dictate the God and the gender which I shall try to explain – when my grandfather was on the throes of death, I was appealing to Lord Siva that he should continue to be with us, but when I was taking a test – any exam for that matter- it had to be the Goddess Saraswati for ensuring success and before the commencement of anything- like taking up a new appointment- Lord Ganesh was to be appeased, so that no obstacle came my way during the execution. The list, thus, is endless.
Recently, I’d the opportunity to read Richard Dawkins’ ‘God Delusion’ where the author dispels the theory of God and reaffirms his point of view, that, God is a figment of imagination among the people thanks to the fear of retribution from somebody powerful, much more powerful than him/her, who’s continuously monitoring mankind and meticulously maintaining an account of each individual’s good deeds as well as the sins! This thought has been given credence through lots of myths and stories built around it and continuously reinforced in everyone, by the clergy of every religious group.
Till recently, I was sure that God was a powerful mass of energy guarding the universe and all of us who inhabit it. But inherent in this thought was a dichotomy as to how ‘It’ can discharge emotional functions. And resorting to prayers and visits to holy places for achieving aims desperately sought by one’s mind – highlighted in the first paragraph - knocks the bottom of this theory.
That’s why I’d like to believe that God has many forms as seen in the Hindu concept where He is a family man himself and each God has a definite area of responsibility! And my favourite is Lord Krishna who’s most practical in tackling the aspects of life as articulated beautifully in the ‘Bhagwad Gita’.
Recently, I’d the opportunity to read Richard Dawkins’ ‘God Delusion’ where the author dispels the theory of God and reaffirms his point of view, that, God is a figment of imagination among the people thanks to the fear of retribution from somebody powerful, much more powerful than him/her, who’s continuously monitoring mankind and meticulously maintaining an account of each individual’s good deeds as well as the sins! This thought has been given credence through lots of myths and stories built around it and continuously reinforced in everyone, by the clergy of every religious group.
Till recently, I was sure that God was a powerful mass of energy guarding the universe and all of us who inhabit it. But inherent in this thought was a dichotomy as to how ‘It’ can discharge emotional functions. And resorting to prayers and visits to holy places for achieving aims desperately sought by one’s mind – highlighted in the first paragraph - knocks the bottom of this theory.
That’s why I’d like to believe that God has many forms as seen in the Hindu concept where He is a family man himself and each God has a definite area of responsibility! And my favourite is Lord Krishna who’s most practical in tackling the aspects of life as articulated beautifully in the ‘Bhagwad Gita’.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
A day when nothing seemed to go right
A day when nothing seemed to go right. The geyser had stopped working 20 minutes after being switched on. So, hot water had become something that was available only at a premium. The 'Devraag' had by then gone kaput. To make matters worse, the car pool guys were astonishingly late eventhough I was ready to the dot despite the shortfall of the hot water for my creature comforts. The day seemed to be full of rains and the sky was overcast, beckoning us Delhiites to a very dull day. The traffic was irritable and it took us almost half an hour to reach Sena Bhavan which is just about 7 kms away – so much about Delhi traffic!
I was supposed to be chairing a meeting at the Shipyard House at Safdarjung enclave and can you beat it, there was no vehicle available, to convey me to the venue? Finally, after a lot of permutation and combination, pleading and cajoling, I could manage a vehicle and fetch up at the venue, grinning self consciously from ear to ear, and trying to cover myself with the weakest of alibis for being late. The only saving grace was that, after the discussions, I could allay frayed tempers and arrive at a commonly acceptable decision by the end of the day( why does each and everyone covet only the victory podium?). On return, I was exasperated to find that somebody had walked away with my umbrella and that the Naval pay office had to say something very unreasonable about my forthcoming pay. Soon it was secure time and I’d to then manage another vehicle to find my way home and by the time I did reach there, it was too late to watch the Malayalam news which is a must for me everyday, failing which I find that I’m all at sea and totally helpless.. Disgusted with how the day had worked out for me, I went for my customary brisk walk which was the only saving grace for the day. On return and a telephone call later, I was bewildered and frustrated to find the phone slammed on my face leaving me totally forlorn and sad. Then my friend, Madhu fetched up and the tempo of the evening started picking up. It really has been a long, long day!!
And as I get ready to tuck myself into bed, it’s my sincere wish that tomorrow will be a good day. Insha Allah it 'll be!!!
I was supposed to be chairing a meeting at the Shipyard House at Safdarjung enclave and can you beat it, there was no vehicle available, to convey me to the venue? Finally, after a lot of permutation and combination, pleading and cajoling, I could manage a vehicle and fetch up at the venue, grinning self consciously from ear to ear, and trying to cover myself with the weakest of alibis for being late. The only saving grace was that, after the discussions, I could allay frayed tempers and arrive at a commonly acceptable decision by the end of the day( why does each and everyone covet only the victory podium?). On return, I was exasperated to find that somebody had walked away with my umbrella and that the Naval pay office had to say something very unreasonable about my forthcoming pay. Soon it was secure time and I’d to then manage another vehicle to find my way home and by the time I did reach there, it was too late to watch the Malayalam news which is a must for me everyday, failing which I find that I’m all at sea and totally helpless.. Disgusted with how the day had worked out for me, I went for my customary brisk walk which was the only saving grace for the day. On return and a telephone call later, I was bewildered and frustrated to find the phone slammed on my face leaving me totally forlorn and sad. Then my friend, Madhu fetched up and the tempo of the evening started picking up. It really has been a long, long day!!
And as I get ready to tuck myself into bed, it’s my sincere wish that tomorrow will be a good day. Insha Allah it 'll be!!!
Monday, February 8, 2010
O God, please look after my parents
I was not expecting to find time to write my blog today. It was because I was on an errand for a good friend of mine. He’d got the news from his home early this morning that his father had fallen down and fractured his femur. The old gentleman is 89 years old and lives in a godforsaken village, Moga of Punjab. He was brought in from there around 2100 hrs, taken straight to the Base Hospital close by and since the orthopedic surgeon is a good friend of mine, has undergone a corrective surgery and should be out of harm’s way. Delhi has been wet throughout this evening thanks to the continuous rains and I only hope that tomorrow’s bright and sunny. Thankfully, the cold has reduced considerably and I’m sure God has taken note of my good deed.
It’s my fond hope that some good Samaritan will look after my aged parents, back home, should they need help.
It’s my fond hope that some good Samaritan will look after my aged parents, back home, should they need help.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman
It almost looked like a coincidence and that too a pleasant one. Last night, I happened to see the programme called, “Total Recall” on the Times Now channel on Dev Anand and this morning, the “Rangoli” on the National channel which paid a tribute to Waheeda Rehman. I said coincidental because whenever I think or talk of one of them, the other invariably comes into the ambit. Probably, the movie, ‘Guide’ has a role to play in the memory etched deeply in my mind.
Waheeda Rehman, in her heydays, is what I’d term as statuesque beauty. The language that she conveys through her face- especially the eyes- during the song ‘chaudhavi ka chand ho’ is exquisite as though every part of her body understands the soul of the lyrics.
But my personal favourite is her role in the movie ‘Darpan’ with Sunil Dutt in which she looks stunning and ethereal. Even now, her visage is what I understand as ageless beauty and she’s simply graceful.
Dev Anand, on the other hand has a very pleasant countenance and his presence on screen in all his films has a magical and irresistible charm. All his films have one underlying quality in that they’ve excellent music- both haunting and melodious. I mean one can never be bored hearing any of them again and again but my all time favourite is the song ‘Phoolon ke rang se’ from ‘Prem Pujari’. His zest for films and film making continues to be as ardent, if not more, than what one expects in a newcomer.We, Indians, are blessed to have these actors as ours and should be grateful to them for having regaled us for years. Here’s wishing the both of them health and happiness with a fond hope that they will be with us forever.
Waheeda Rehman, in her heydays, is what I’d term as statuesque beauty. The language that she conveys through her face- especially the eyes- during the song ‘chaudhavi ka chand ho’ is exquisite as though every part of her body understands the soul of the lyrics.
But my personal favourite is her role in the movie ‘Darpan’ with Sunil Dutt in which she looks stunning and ethereal. Even now, her visage is what I understand as ageless beauty and she’s simply graceful.
Dev Anand, on the other hand has a very pleasant countenance and his presence on screen in all his films has a magical and irresistible charm. All his films have one underlying quality in that they’ve excellent music- both haunting and melodious. I mean one can never be bored hearing any of them again and again but my all time favourite is the song ‘Phoolon ke rang se’ from ‘Prem Pujari’. His zest for films and film making continues to be as ardent, if not more, than what one expects in a newcomer.We, Indians, are blessed to have these actors as ours and should be grateful to them for having regaled us for years. Here’s wishing the both of them health and happiness with a fond hope that they will be with us forever.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Do I want to do it all over again?
“Give me some sunshine
Give me some rain
Give me another chance
I wanna’ grow up once again.”
These are the opening lines of one of the numbers from the super hit Hindi movie ‘Three Idiots’ and as I heard them sometime, earlier in the day, the thought struck me as to whether I too felt the same way about my life spent thus far.
Long time back, as a kid, when I used to see my father coming home with a lot of gifts and it used to be celebration time at my grandparents’ home, I wanted to grow up fast, become successful, so that I could be like him.
After that, once I’d joined the Sainik School in VII th Standard and saw my seniors coming back to school, during their hols, I again wished that I grew up fast and brought glory to the school. (On passing out from school, I was more inclined to be a doctor because, to my mind, the profession of medicine was the best, as a doctor brought back mankind from the brink of death and I must confess that movies like ‘Safar’ and ‘Anand’ helped bolster this thought at that impressionable age).
And then, on joining the NDA when I saw my DivOs and other officers of the staff, I wanted to pass out as early as possible to become a worthy officer and achieve laurels. And lo and behold, I became one!
What I’ve done so far in the Navy and also about my achievements, I have no regret but I’d be kidding if I were to say that I was not upset when I wasn’t made a Captain, on the select list!! It’s almost a decade back and time has definitely helped heal the wound!!!
And, if I were to meet God tomorrow who grants me a wish to live my life all over again, would I like to live the same way that I’ve lived thus far? My answer has a rider and that is, “Yes, I’d love to grow up the same way, provided, I get back all those people whom I’ve lost till now, without whose nurturing, I could have never reached this stage of my life and also, let me have the continued presence of all those who mean very much to my existence. Otherwise, it’s a big no.”
Give me some rain
Give me another chance
I wanna’ grow up once again.”
These are the opening lines of one of the numbers from the super hit Hindi movie ‘Three Idiots’ and as I heard them sometime, earlier in the day, the thought struck me as to whether I too felt the same way about my life spent thus far.
Long time back, as a kid, when I used to see my father coming home with a lot of gifts and it used to be celebration time at my grandparents’ home, I wanted to grow up fast, become successful, so that I could be like him.
After that, once I’d joined the Sainik School in VII th Standard and saw my seniors coming back to school, during their hols, I again wished that I grew up fast and brought glory to the school. (On passing out from school, I was more inclined to be a doctor because, to my mind, the profession of medicine was the best, as a doctor brought back mankind from the brink of death and I must confess that movies like ‘Safar’ and ‘Anand’ helped bolster this thought at that impressionable age).
And then, on joining the NDA when I saw my DivOs and other officers of the staff, I wanted to pass out as early as possible to become a worthy officer and achieve laurels. And lo and behold, I became one!
What I’ve done so far in the Navy and also about my achievements, I have no regret but I’d be kidding if I were to say that I was not upset when I wasn’t made a Captain, on the select list!! It’s almost a decade back and time has definitely helped heal the wound!!!
And, if I were to meet God tomorrow who grants me a wish to live my life all over again, would I like to live the same way that I’ve lived thus far? My answer has a rider and that is, “Yes, I’d love to grow up the same way, provided, I get back all those people whom I’ve lost till now, without whose nurturing, I could have never reached this stage of my life and also, let me have the continued presence of all those who mean very much to my existence. Otherwise, it’s a big no.”
Friday, February 5, 2010
On the negotiating table
Today, I and my team were negotiating with an American firm as we’re interested in an equipment of their’s. Negotiations can be long winded- like it was in this case- or absolutely short and sweet. The essence of a successful negotiation, in my view, is that the concerned parties should end up with a win-win feeling. After having been a party to countless negotiations over the last 10 years, it’s my firm conclusion that there’s always an element of theatrics associated with the whole affair – there’s anger, sarcasm, intimidation, dejection, joy, frustration, waffling, back slapping and the works- on the whole, there’s never a dull moment during the entire process!
The vendor’s team consisted of two yanks, one, the CEO himself and the other his technical consultant and two young, smart Indian lads, in their mid thirties, who articulated their points extremely well. From the body language of the yanks, it was pretty clear that they were convinced with our point of view but the Indian lads just wouldn’t budge. It was ironic to see them picking up cudgels against their own countrymen but it was fair and I don’t blame them for standing their ground as they’re just showing their loyalty to the organization that was paying them and doing a good job at that!!
On a personal level, I cannot do this to my country and it was for this singular reason that I’d rejected some tempting offers in the past. Money and good life are not the end all of life. Altogether, an interesting experience and an afternoon well spent.
The vendor’s team consisted of two yanks, one, the CEO himself and the other his technical consultant and two young, smart Indian lads, in their mid thirties, who articulated their points extremely well. From the body language of the yanks, it was pretty clear that they were convinced with our point of view but the Indian lads just wouldn’t budge. It was ironic to see them picking up cudgels against their own countrymen but it was fair and I don’t blame them for standing their ground as they’re just showing their loyalty to the organization that was paying them and doing a good job at that!!
On a personal level, I cannot do this to my country and it was for this singular reason that I’d rejected some tempting offers in the past. Money and good life are not the end all of life. Altogether, an interesting experience and an afternoon well spent.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Oh, those killer roads!
This morning’s Times of India had the depressing news of the deaths of five teens on the roads of Delhi. The incidents were separate events having taken place in different parts of the city and the most gut –wrenching story was that of the accident of a brother and sister run over by a speeding bus. The story of the killer roads is a never ending saga and reeks of callousness, blatant flouting of rules regarding safety procedures to be complied with and a couldn’t-care-less attitude on the part of the law makers as well as the law breakers. A masochistic streak while driving high-definition vehicles are commonly prevalent amongst quite a few misguided youth and with alcohol and drugs, the ‘cocktail’ gets to be deadly and dangerous for others to be on the road along with them!
One must concede that the spate of accidents, as in the days of old, has reduced thanks to the centre- dividers on many roads but much more needs to be done. All buses must have speed governors that would prevent the drivers from crossing speed limits and the drivers educated about driving etiquettes so as to enable them to drive with an attitude of empathy towards fellow motorists.
I remember our big moustached driver, Sasi, from whom I’d the privilege to learn the nuances of driving when I was young. He used to tell me that a person’s upbringing could be gauged by the way he or she drove. To honk at pedestrians was boorishness and a big no-no for him and so was driving at night with the hi-beam on! ‘You must drive fully aware of the other driver’s difficulties and avoid giving him a problem from your side’ was his constant refrain. Sasi was a disarmingly simple man who’d not seen the portals of a school beyond IV standard but was a repository of worldly wisdom.
It’s my fervent wish that our countrymen learned to drive more sensibly and with empathy towards other fellow motorists and for the five lives that had been wasted yesterday, my silent prayers that God give their parents/ guardians the strength to bear the tremendous loss.
One must concede that the spate of accidents, as in the days of old, has reduced thanks to the centre- dividers on many roads but much more needs to be done. All buses must have speed governors that would prevent the drivers from crossing speed limits and the drivers educated about driving etiquettes so as to enable them to drive with an attitude of empathy towards fellow motorists.
I remember our big moustached driver, Sasi, from whom I’d the privilege to learn the nuances of driving when I was young. He used to tell me that a person’s upbringing could be gauged by the way he or she drove. To honk at pedestrians was boorishness and a big no-no for him and so was driving at night with the hi-beam on! ‘You must drive fully aware of the other driver’s difficulties and avoid giving him a problem from your side’ was his constant refrain. Sasi was a disarmingly simple man who’d not seen the portals of a school beyond IV standard but was a repository of worldly wisdom.
It’s my fervent wish that our countrymen learned to drive more sensibly and with empathy towards other fellow motorists and for the five lives that had been wasted yesterday, my silent prayers that God give their parents/ guardians the strength to bear the tremendous loss.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
My heart bleeds for you, Bombay
1. I was saddened by the posturing of various luminaries and personalities on the continuing war of words on the ‘Mumbai for Mumbaikars’ issue. To take stock of the present impasse, it would be worthwhile to have a quick, chronological rundown of the events to understand as to how a non-issue has become an issue:-
(a) During the IPL auction, Pakistani cricketers were shunned by all team owners and
today’s press makes us believe that, perhaps, Lalit Modi might have had a hand in the
backroom games associated with it.
(b) Shah Rukh Khan speaks out against the unfortunate incident prompting Bal Thackeray
to express his anger and he and his goons decide that the actor’s forthcoming film,
‘My name is Khan’ will not be released in the theatres of Bombay.
(c) Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi on a tour of Bihar says that Bombay is for all Indians
and reminds crowds that the very same people who’re rooting for ‘Mumbai for
Mumbaikars’ have forgotten the fact that the NSG commandos deployed in Bombay
during 26/11 were drawn from Bihar and UP and many had laid down their lives in
their fight against the terrorists.
(d) Udhav Thackeray asks Rahul Gandhi to stop his utterances, failing which he’d
not be allowed to enter Bombay. And he further terms Chidambaram as having
spoken like the Home Minister of Pakistan when he’d opined that the entire IPL
auction incident was unfortunate.
2. Bollywood seems to be badly divided on the issue which is the most unfortunate thing.
If they’d rallied together and told the people, from a common platform, that every
Indian has the right to come to Bombay and earn his livelihood, it would definitely
have thwarted the divisive tactics of the Thackeray goons and given them a befitting
reply. Unfortunately, that’s not to be and notwithstanding the fact that huge sums of money is at stake, everyone seems to be doing things for his own benefit.
3. My doubts that I’d like to ask the Bollywood actors are as follows:-
(a) Why can’t you be real life heroes for once?
(b) As men of public adulation, shouldn’t you stand up and expose the wrongdoings
of the politicians as part of your social responsibility?
(c) Or are you also on the Hindu- Muslim divide amongst your own circles?
(d) In times of trouble, why don’t you set aside personal differences and work unitedly towards a common goal.
4. I’ve this sad feeling that many amongst them think like Thackeray and his ilk. May God be with you in these trying times!
(a) During the IPL auction, Pakistani cricketers were shunned by all team owners and
today’s press makes us believe that, perhaps, Lalit Modi might have had a hand in the
backroom games associated with it.
(b) Shah Rukh Khan speaks out against the unfortunate incident prompting Bal Thackeray
to express his anger and he and his goons decide that the actor’s forthcoming film,
‘My name is Khan’ will not be released in the theatres of Bombay.
(c) Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi on a tour of Bihar says that Bombay is for all Indians
and reminds crowds that the very same people who’re rooting for ‘Mumbai for
Mumbaikars’ have forgotten the fact that the NSG commandos deployed in Bombay
during 26/11 were drawn from Bihar and UP and many had laid down their lives in
their fight against the terrorists.
(d) Udhav Thackeray asks Rahul Gandhi to stop his utterances, failing which he’d
not be allowed to enter Bombay. And he further terms Chidambaram as having
spoken like the Home Minister of Pakistan when he’d opined that the entire IPL
auction incident was unfortunate.
2. Bollywood seems to be badly divided on the issue which is the most unfortunate thing.
If they’d rallied together and told the people, from a common platform, that every
Indian has the right to come to Bombay and earn his livelihood, it would definitely
have thwarted the divisive tactics of the Thackeray goons and given them a befitting
reply. Unfortunately, that’s not to be and notwithstanding the fact that huge sums of money is at stake, everyone seems to be doing things for his own benefit.
3. My doubts that I’d like to ask the Bollywood actors are as follows:-
(a) Why can’t you be real life heroes for once?
(b) As men of public adulation, shouldn’t you stand up and expose the wrongdoings
of the politicians as part of your social responsibility?
(c) Or are you also on the Hindu- Muslim divide amongst your own circles?
(d) In times of trouble, why don’t you set aside personal differences and work unitedly towards a common goal.
4. I’ve this sad feeling that many amongst them think like Thackeray and his ilk. May God be with you in these trying times!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Rajni, tusi great ho!
In our constant search for icons – looking for individuals of excellence, worthy of emulation – we miss out on real life heroes and heroines, often, within our immediate surroundings just because they lack the halo of the media hoopla and are downright simple but fiercely committed to their cause. They do stupendous work in helping the needy of the society, often at ridiculous rates of remuneration and shun any sort of publicity as it were the plague. Then, what keeps them motivated and committed to their cause? To my mind, it’s their calling from deep within, a passion born out of compassion for fellow human beings and an attitude to help without caring a damn about their own discomfort or difficulty.
Ms. Rajni Parmar is one such person. A shy, ever smiling girl touching 50 and the wife of a brother officer, she’s a ‘Speech Language Therapist’. Her normal day starts at 7 as she has to visit two schools to help the special children, who look forward to being with her. Their love for her and dependence on her, are indeed touching and deep.
I must confess here to having had a quirk in me, many years back and about how I was able to overcome it by a humbling experience that happened in my life. I used to be quite repulsed by deformity in people so much so that I used to studiously keep away from them – an environment centered around my early years in the Holy Angel’s Convent and the Sainik School, both in Thiruvananthapuram and later, in the NDA kept me sheltered ( it was on the same lines that Shashi Kapoor expressed on sighting the charred face of Zeenat Aman, for the first time, in the movie ‘Satyam, Sivam, Sundaram’). It continued till years later in ’93, when my wife went through the harsh devastation of the debilitating illness, SLE (Systemic Lupus Erythmatosis) and ended up with deformities in her hands that I was able to come out of my quirk. And I’m glad that this change did come about.
And now, coming back to the brood of people like Rajni Parmar, I doff my hat in praise of them -born out of utmost respect to their selfless work- because they must definitely be having the following sterling qualities which make them different from us, ordinary mortals, which are:-
(a) Enormous patience
(b) Genuine love for people and
(c) Empathy.
Rajni, tusi great ho!
Ms. Rajni Parmar is one such person. A shy, ever smiling girl touching 50 and the wife of a brother officer, she’s a ‘Speech Language Therapist’. Her normal day starts at 7 as she has to visit two schools to help the special children, who look forward to being with her. Their love for her and dependence on her, are indeed touching and deep.
I must confess here to having had a quirk in me, many years back and about how I was able to overcome it by a humbling experience that happened in my life. I used to be quite repulsed by deformity in people so much so that I used to studiously keep away from them – an environment centered around my early years in the Holy Angel’s Convent and the Sainik School, both in Thiruvananthapuram and later, in the NDA kept me sheltered ( it was on the same lines that Shashi Kapoor expressed on sighting the charred face of Zeenat Aman, for the first time, in the movie ‘Satyam, Sivam, Sundaram’). It continued till years later in ’93, when my wife went through the harsh devastation of the debilitating illness, SLE (Systemic Lupus Erythmatosis) and ended up with deformities in her hands that I was able to come out of my quirk. And I’m glad that this change did come about.
And now, coming back to the brood of people like Rajni Parmar, I doff my hat in praise of them -born out of utmost respect to their selfless work- because they must definitely be having the following sterling qualities which make them different from us, ordinary mortals, which are:-
(a) Enormous patience
(b) Genuine love for people and
(c) Empathy.
Rajni, tusi great ho!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Melancholia
As I sit on the keyboard today, my mind is ruffled seeing a musical reality show on the Asianet channel on TV. It was an elimination round and four out of the eight contestants, who were in the danger zone after the ninth stage, have been shown the door. Their parting words tugged at something deep within and my heart really went out to them. May the best one win amongst the remaining ones and I wish that all those who’ve been eliminated will definitely find new avenues opening their way, they’ll work harder and carve a niche for themselves eventually – that’s the law of nature and the cosmic truth!
After my evening walk, I’d to visit the nearby market to fetch some photographs and as I was driving, the song that was playing on the FM was the late Nazia Hassan’s ‘Aap Jaisa Koi Meri Zindagi Mein Aaye’ from the 1982 hit ‘Qurbani’. Nazia Hassan was a strikingly good looking girl, born and brought up in London, and this was her debut number. She’d a promising career but her life was cut short by cancer. A similarly sad ending befell another favourite singer of mine – Karen Carpenter, who’d immortalized the album ‘Carpenters’ with her brother. God definitely played spoilsport on the lives of these two gifted singers. But having said that, I must reiterate that they shall always remain immortal in the minds and hearts of mankind through their hauntingly melodious voice.
After my evening walk, I’d to visit the nearby market to fetch some photographs and as I was driving, the song that was playing on the FM was the late Nazia Hassan’s ‘Aap Jaisa Koi Meri Zindagi Mein Aaye’ from the 1982 hit ‘Qurbani’. Nazia Hassan was a strikingly good looking girl, born and brought up in London, and this was her debut number. She’d a promising career but her life was cut short by cancer. A similarly sad ending befell another favourite singer of mine – Karen Carpenter, who’d immortalized the album ‘Carpenters’ with her brother. God definitely played spoilsport on the lives of these two gifted singers. But having said that, I must reiterate that they shall always remain immortal in the minds and hearts of mankind through their hauntingly melodious voice.
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