Thursday, November 25, 2004

Boss Kaun Hai... Malum hai kya?

Theme : Say it with Songs #9 ( As per Sam's request.. tho its totally different from the previous songs..)

History: Compilation of RD Songs over half a year.. just to select my best .. Some history tidbits n cookies.. from the internet and otherwise..



Name : Rahul Dev Burman... a.k.a. Pancham...
Resume: Sagar, Amar Prem, 1942 a Love Story, Yaadon Ki baarat, Sunny, Love Story, Ijaazat, Masoom, Parichay, Teesri Manzil, Anamika, Satte Pe Satta, Ghar , Aandhi, Sholay, Hum Kissi se Kum Nahin, Namak Haram,Khel Khel Mein,Hare Rama Hare Krishna, Kati Patang,Padosan, GolMaal... I CAN GO ON!!


Job to Do : Please help me select the best 10 out of these 50... I have failed repeatedly... Can you? :-) All comments welcome..



Here is the list of my favs.. Just have a look at the myriad of moods.. and the variety of music.. Just humm the first line itself... and you will get to know what I am saying :)




RD is All About Guitar !! And Soft Beats !!

1) Chura liya (Yaadon Ki Baaraat):
Asha at her best, and Zeenat too !!

2) Dum maro dum (Hare Krishna Hare Rama):
The beats, the start!! the ambience... its just awesome..

3) Ek main aur ek tu (Khel Khel Main):
It is one of the best songs of the young and naughty Rishi Kapoor-Neetu Singh pair!

4) Saagar Jaisi Aankhonwaali.... (Saagar)
Just look at the guitar piece at the start of this song !! Gives you goosebumps !!

5) Mehbooba Mehbooba (Sholay):
The strings, the beats and the vocals! Mehbooba was all about vivacity. And the icing is Helen... Just think about it... Sholay wouldnt have been sholay without this song.. No way.. Its still a super hit.. and will still be.. Just try pitting this against any of the item numbers that we have nowadays.. or for the last 15 years... and you wont have to decide ...

6) Jaane kaise (Shakti):
This upbeat romantic number was further enhanced by the use of 'wop wop' sounds in the orchestration. Trust RD to make music out of a racket.

RD is the depths of Passion..

1) Yaad aa rahi hai (Love Story):
This is Amit Kumar's best number.
The song even made (father) Kishore Kumar cry when he was recuperating at a hospital following a stroke.
" Yaad aane se, tere jaane se... Jaan... Jaa rahi hai..."
:)
Lovely.... Optimal Orchestra Utilization in this song....


Or if you want me to list "Kya hua .. tera waada" ,,, :) which onez better?

2) Saagar Kinaare ... (Saagar)
3) Kya yahi pyaar hai (Rocky): Mushy, sweet and melodious. Sanjay Dutt owes his first and most memorable love song to R D.

4) Mera kuch saamaan (Ijaazat):
This has a haunting melody. One of my all time favorites.. It is unbelievable how RD missed the National Award when
Asha Bhosle and Gulzar bagged it for this song. Ijaazat's songs cant be beaten.. I can never start listening to Ijaazat and not finish it totally before doing sumthing else..
"Ek akeli Chhatri mein jab aadhe aadhe bheeg rahe they"!!

5) Aise na mujhe tum dekho (Darling Darling):
For those who have only been exposed to the pathetic remix by Vikas Bhalla,
you must check out the original. It is mind-blowing.

6)Tere bina zindagi (Aandhi): All the songs of this film are great hits from the winning combination of lyricist Gulzar and RDB. Its immortalized by the phenomenal Suchitra Sen as the politician.. and Sanjeev Kumar as the estranged lover..

7) Jaane do naa (Saagar):
If a girl sings this way, who would let her go? LOL!! This song is among the most sensual ones.

8) Tumse milke aisa laga (Parinda): One of the most melodious compositions from RDB.. Suresh Wadkar at his best.. My friend, Akhil's fav song..


RD is melody personified in his songs

1) Jaane kya baat hai (Sunny):
What an immortal classic in Lata Mangeshkar's voice! I think this is very close to my best.. definitely in my top 10

2) Aapke aankhon mein kuch (Ghar): Even today, you can feel the freshness of RDB's music through this song.

3) Pyar hua chupke se (1942: A Love Story): All songs of 1942 are good .. Ek ladki ko dekha, Kuch na kaho and Yeh safar .. RD 's personal fav was "yeh Safar" !! Kavita Krish won the Filmfare for Pyar Hua.. remember?

4) Katra katra (Ijaazat): R D and Gulzar at it again. Asha Bhosle's beautiful voice and R D's zingy melody . The 2 Ashas singing effect is awesome

5) Tumne mujhe dekha (Teesri Manzil):
Although "O haseena zulfonwali" and "O mere sona re" were a rage, my personal favourite is the elegantly composed Tumne mujhe dekha.

6) Naam Gum jaayega !! With BHupinder and the immortal Lata.... (Kinara)

7) Diye jalte hain (Namak Haram):
One of the most beautifully written songs on friendship treated with complete justice by R D's gentle melody. This can be dedicated to your best friend anyday.. it says it all.
Just Remember kakaji singing and Big B with the mike.. two super heroes, and truly melodious


The Classical Rahul Dev

1) Beeti na bitaye raina (Parichay):
This song won Lata Mangeshkar and Bhupinder National Awards. From the famous Raag Behag..

2) Raina beeti jaaye (Amar Prem): Dont know the Raga
An unforgettable melody. Truly classic!
Please dont forget "Kuchhh to log kahenge..." and "Chingari Koi" !!

3) Mere naina sawan bhadon (Mehbooba)
Raag Shivaranjani.. one of the only semi classical songs sung by Koshore Kumar.. after days and days of practice..
R D captured the reincarnation theme of the film by lending a haunting touch and a sense of incompleteness to this song.

4) The essential Yaaman kalyan.. in "Huzur is kadar bhii na itraa ke chaliye..

5) Ghar aaja Ghir aayi.. in Raag Maalgunji... superb superb song :) too melodious ... RD's first hit with lata...


RD is subtelity

1) Do naina aur ek kahani (Masoom): Everything about Masoom rocks. Tujhse naraaz, Lakdi ki kaathi and Huzoor iss kadar are marvels in their own right. But the bedtime lullaby in Arati Mukherjis voice is a personal favourite.
everybody else's personal fav: Huzoor is Qadar i guess !!

2) Tu, tu hai wahee (Yeh Waada Raha):
This is a beautiful romantic duet. the film is okay too. Even the pathetic remix sounds good sumtimes! I remember how Rishi Kapoor got angry and retaliated.. when he first saw the pathetic remix..

3) Tujhse naaraaz nahin (Masoom): Another great hit from RDB.
Gum hai kisike pyaar mein (Rampur Ka Lakshman)


4) Iss mod se (Aandhi):


RD is Party !!

1) Pyaar me dilpe maar de goli (Mahaan):
Try and sing this song and you will see how charged you can get! One of my top dance hungama songs !!

2) Jahaan teri yeh nazar hai (Kaalia):
The perfect party track. Slow pace, yet it gets you to your feet!

3) Pyar karne waale (Shaan):
I remember my friend Yashodhara thru this song

4) Aaja aaja main hoon pyaar tera (Teesri Manzil):
The breathlessness of the singers was used as rhythm for this song. it made the legendary music composer Anil Biswas say, 'Had Pancham not been younger to me, I would have touched his feet.'

5) Aao twist karein (Bhoot Bungla):
The king of classical numbers Manna De sang this fresh pop number.
truly classic...


6) Dekha na (Bombay To Goa):
Fast-paced, foot-tapping and at times crazy, Dekha na had Amitabh Bachchan and the nation dancing to its tune! even now .. i guess.. people singing Hindi film songs together in any group anywhere sing this song...

7) Chadthi jawani teri (Caravan): Mohammed Rafi and Asha Bhosle at their best under RDB, with foot-tapping music... Please dont listen to the remix..


8) Piya tu (Caravan)
:) Helen.. helen .. Helen...


RD is the whole spectrum moods.... (ALL MY BEST SONGS)

1) Kiska rasta dekhe (Joshila):
The song is a great blend of Kishore Kumar's voice and the haunting music of RDB. One feels the pain by simply listening to it.
"Bhooli duniya tujhe bhii mujhe.
Phir kyon aankh bhar aayi!!"

2) Kisi baat par mein kissi (Bemisaal): One of my favourites , a true proof of versatility... R D's brooding tune, Anand Bakshi's eloquent lyrics and Amitabh Bachchan's mysteriously sulky disposition make together this perfect song.

3) Phir Wohi Raat hai..
I cant explain this song.. Dont know the lyricist.. but amzing amazing words.. and only RD could put justice to the lyrics...

4) Musaafir Hoon Yaaron...
Aumkar, my friends.. song.. Aum Bhai, wont forget the road trip to Goa when you sang this

5) Jaane jaan doondtha (Jawani Deewani): Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle at their best, in this evergreen hit from lyricist Anand Bakshi.

6) O manjhi re (Khushboo): O manjhi re was more an experience than a song. It is so easy to imagine yourself on a boat philosophising about life and its musings.

7) Rimjhim Gire Saawan ! Sulag sulag jaaye man .. Bheege aaj is mausam mein... !!
Basu Chatterjee's classic Manzil.. I loved the film.. Amitabh at his best..



RD is Innovation

1) Ek chatur naar (Padosan): Who can forget this song? It's the greatest funny song composed in Hindi music.. Reach out for Kishore Kumar and Manna De, interspersed with Mehmood's Tamil touch..

2) Kasme wade nibhaayenge hum (Kasme Wade):
The reason i put this in this category is cos did you know this was composed in the kitchen of lyricist Gulshan Bawra. Even without much concentration, Pancham could compose such immortal tunes. But have a look at the simplicity yet the melody of the composition

3) Baahon mein chale aao (Anamika):
Check out Lata Mangeshkar's voice. Can one get any naughtier? And Jaya Bhaduri didnt have to show any cleavage and oomph like the remix girl does.. the song and the picturization .. (with Sanjeev Kumar) are really beautiful..
The remix and the original really bring out the change of taste of film directors..

4) Na jaa jaane jaa (Joshilay):
R D sang this song for Sunny Deol. He sang the mukhda in all possible permutations and combinations.
Just awesome .... Javed Akhtar??


5) Mamaiya kaiero mama (Arjun):
This song signifies youth. What attitude! Loved the young sunny deol..

6) Hum kisise kam nahin (Hum Kisise Kam Nahin):
Talk of qawwali, here comes the king.
The hit combination -- Majrooh Sultanpuri and RDB and Nasir Hussain. HKKN along with Yaadon Ki Baaraat and Zamane Ko Dhikhana.

7) Lalla lalla lori (Mukti):
This was the nation's lori (lullaby) composed by the legend.

8) Yeh dosti (Sholay)
Teri jeet meri jeet teri haar meri haar.. aisa apna pyaar. :)
The song that captured the whole theme of the mega movie..

9) Kaanchi re Kaanchi (Hare Rama Hare Krishna)
Lovely Pahadi theme interspersed with the film's screenplay..

10) Pyar humein kis mod (Satte Pe Satta):
:) One of the funniest.. . "Battiyan bujhaane waali jaane kab aayegi " ;-) ;-)

11) Yamma Yamma..
Lovely combination with Rafi Sa'ab.. RD with his Hoo - Haa !! a Blast-Off start to the song and the awesome pace...


Some other numbers (not so favorites personally , but huge hits):

1) Pyar diwana hota hai (Kati Patang)
2) Bade achche lagte hain (Balika Badhu)
3) Dilbar mere (Satte Pe Satta)
4) Hamen tumse pyaar (Kudrat)
5) Aane wala pal (Gol Maal)
6) Ek din bik jaayega (Dharam Karam)
7) Aanewaala pal (Golmaal):
9) Jiss gali mein tera ghar (Kati Patang): Mukesh and RD !!10)Yeh jo mohhabbat hai
11)Pyar diwana hota hain
12) Kehdoon tumhe (Deewar):
13) Hum bewafa (Shalimar):



RD is still the best... Even 5 films like Jhankaar Beats are not enough tribute to him..

I hope we have such a genius again in our lifetime.. or I will spend my life listening to his compositions only.. !!

Friday, November 19, 2004

Translating a genius, on love

What is anxiety my friend? Oh playmate, what is agony?
You all say day and night, 'love, love,love'
Tell me my playmate, what is love? Is it only torment?
It is only shedding tears? Is that only sorrow's breathing?
Why then, in what expectation of joy, people hopefully embrace such sorrow?


In my eyes all is handsome, All fresh, all spotless.
The blue sky, darkgreen wood, Liberal moonlight, the soft flowers - every thing like me.
They only smile, only sing,
and wish to die after a sportive game
(love) knows no pain, knows no crying, its above all kinds of agony.
Flowers laugh while they get shed, the moonlight smilingly disappears,
In the sea of light the star, all smiles, does his form abandon.


Who is happy like me? Come friend, come near to me
The joyous song of a happy heart will feed your mind with solace.
If everyday you cry, why not laugh for a single day
Forget all sadness for at least a day, let us sing together.


A Translation of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore's "Sakhi Bhavana Kaharey Bale"
--- The adolescent knocking on the doors of womanhood, to her confidante, about her overwhelming yet ambivalent feeling of love...

Picturised on a early 20th century newly wed 16 year old girl talking to her friend who has come to visit her at her inlaws, over a moonlit gardenside...

Friday, November 12, 2004

Mobile Musings

One of the biggest revolutions the past decade that has been a benchmark of the technological and social progress for all economies in both developed and developing world has been the mobile revolution. Over the last 5-6 years, we are witnessing a n exponential growth of cellphone users, and that’s exactly what was expected. I checked the statistics for the current Indian cellphone subscribers the other day, and the number is 350 lacs and counting. The reach has been widespread, over all realms of society, over rural and urban lifestyles and for both personal and work based necessity. People now term it almost as successful as the great television revolution of the 80s that helped the society take great strides towards progress. Communicative media has undergone huge changes, long distances don’t matter that much anymore, and people are relishing the power of a 24 hour anyplace anytime connectivity.

“The Effects of Feel-Good Fashion” : Are we listening?

The mobile revolution apart from taking the large strides in reaching out to the masses, has also fuelled a greater usage and dependence on phone calls. Over all countries people can be found spending increasing amount of hours on the mobile, at the workplace, in transit or just to call a person for a cup of tea.

But are we listening to the scientific reports and the research labs statements that are coming up year after year? They persistently indicate that cellphone users need to actively worry about the health hazards to using cell-phones and take apt precautionary steps to avoid bad consequences.

Here are some of the facts as I have read on the internet and on papers:
a) Heavy Mobile Phone users are at high risk of Emanating Radiation.. It has been tested using animals and some human cells as well. There are substantial evidence to these results..
b) Not only physical distraction in case of driving, crossing the road, mobiles affect concentration. They affect short term memory and therefore can affect stablility.
c) The Radiation volume is not negligible. Also long heavy usage can lead to permanent loss of concentration and can affect the safety of the human being.

A Root Cause Analysis : OverIndulgence ? Or is it the need of the times?

When it started, mobile culture was hep. In my college times, you were cool when you got a ring in the campus. It made you look important, and you would always “Excuse Me” your way out of your group, your current occupation and animatedly talk your way out into a distance while the others gaped on. Remember the days of 16 rupees outgoing and 8 rupees incoming? Nowadays I see neighborhood mothers swear by how important her freshman daughter’s mobile call after every class in the varsity is to her, to let her know that she is safe. Others nod their heads in approval. There have been protests from guardians when schools principals disallowed cellphone usage in schools. It requires 4 cell-phones in a family of a housewife, father of two running a shop 4 blocks away, a college and a just joined office employee. Somewhere down these few years, inadvertently the luxury has transformed into a necessity. And why not, after all aren’t Raju Plumber and Manjunath Electrician legit entries in my own cellphone? What the heck, the carpenter is also there for just in case. Does my mother need to go in person to the grocer for the monthly this and that? Naah. She calls the number instead.

Off late the mobile is also the most apt testbed for technical gizmos. Its never just a phone. Mridul, my friend, recently showed me the whole Price of Persia game developed in Java downloaded to his mobile.. My colleague Kiran has recently bought a Nokia N-GAGE and I got to see the whole of Adnan Sami’s “Lift Karadey” on his mobile running a 1K MB Memory card. Fantastic. Anything on the work fronts ? Ashok, another colleague tells me of how Invensys worked on database secure calls over phone sms to its systems from the UNIX Administrator’s cell phone.

So where is the youth without a mobile? Its no-more just to make/receive calls. It’s a camera for the times you need one, it’s the extended PDA with Mailbox, web browsing capabilities. Its your organizer, your calculator, and even your entertainer.

As companies dole out new models one after the other, spare some time to look at how much time the city youth spends with his mobile, either gaming away or talking to friends, or maybe just like that.. So for these handset companies who are laughing their way to the bank shouldn’t there be any moral responsibility to safeguard health interests of its customer?

Twist my arm or bend my back : It’s the Corporate’s World

Not a long while ago, Coke India successfully rubbished up a medical institution’s claims that their concentrate/liquid contained pesticides. The director of that small institution was shown as having ulterior motives, claims were made about 99% quality and “we’ll look into the matter” and as usual the topic lived its own course and died in a month.

Here is some more read up information:
a) More and More government agencies are issuing warnings against the excessive usage of cellphones. But they cant admit a “general risk” for cellphone users. Governments themselves are hesitant to admit the problem cos it will blow the matter out and inside their inner corridors, the corporates have enough muscles to flex on their own.
b) The mobile industry is deemed “unfit” to participate in an open discussion. Every handset manufacturer claims that there is a lack of proper evidence and testing.
c) “Legal Liability prevents industry to enter into a co-operative effort to solve a problem they don’t even recognize. Precautionary Steps therefore are also being blocked.”
d) New technology will make the cellphone costlier on the purse and a direct loss of great future markets of China and India will ensue. If cellphones are to undergo the sort of procedures e.g. followed by drugs it will be far costlier for the companies.


You point at us.. why don’t you give a feasible solution

The fight will be really between the economic bigwigs. The capitalist corporate that has over the years made the phone cheaper and easier to use on one hand, with all the advantages that I describe before, and the socialist medical and research organization that thinks this to be a health danger, that thinks that the consumer ought to have the right to judge and the information about the potential consequence (that the corporates can deftly hide) but alas doesn’t have the standing and clout to fight out his cause. The solutions are in an active participation of organizations like TRAI, the ISI, the MRTPC and the Consumer Courts, the foreign counterparts FDA and other public health authorities. They should oblige and take a stern posture for these reports.

Its not easy to embed biochips for diagnostics or implement the EMX standards so widely talked about and give it to the common man, but atleast, we shouldn’t just coffin up this issue. For you can maybe do without your Coke everyday, will you be able to leave the phone? And if you cant prevent or stop the radiation, why prevent an active participation on statutory warnings on cellphone usage, or give health messages for need based use of a mobile and its safe handling. But I guess, then you enrage the other section of corporate giants who have been the other money churners - the cellular service providers themselves. Why would they want a reduction of phone calls? Hutch just announced a whole new east India package yesterday. It can eat out these research organizations 50 times over and not even burp.

What I think ….. : But who am I anyways..

I have an everyday average talk time of 45 minutes. I have my daily mp3 sessions over the earphone for 3 hours. I generally find me correcting myself for speaking too loudly sometimes, and remember the days when I could speak slowly into the speaker and the caller on the other end could hear but the person three paces away couldn’t.. :)

My Mother had called me a few months back saying.. “Don’t put the phone on your trouser pocket. People are becoming impotent” . Thats not utterly hilarious anymore. I can say I am veering towards the superstitious line too. Should I keep it in the chest pocket or the trouser one?

ATMs have warning boards, the air hostess gives her customary interfering with airplane systems announcement atleast 3 times on the flight deck, precaution in petrol pumps is the thing to abide by, some gentlemen also take care to switch their phones off before hospital medical gadgets, but why cant we be aware of our own biological system that’s in danger and take positive steps in this regard? I think this is a far dangerous and widespread customer quality issue that needs to be addressed, maybe more than anything else in city world..

All the same, its mostly us that have made ourselves overtly dependant on the gadget. People might disagree but its more Indians who I find chatting away on the local Mumbai train or across Marine drive than whatever I could see of the busy New Yorker walking past me at Manhattan. I have seen my American colleagues switch off their mobiles while at work.. keep it at entirely personal basis and more importantly.. I didn’t find the left hand of their youth always grabbing the gadget while at the theater.. or the mall or place it on the table during the office meet , maybe its generally put inside of the handbag or inside of any other carrier.. But never does it occupy one hand always as it does to the young in our cities…

Most of us remember the Nokia Handsfree advertisement that used to show a city full of neck-craned people due to over exposure to the tilted cellphone posture. Maybe some Human Rights Organizations should portray deaf and dumb people walking past in each other in the year 2015.. I don’t know the way to bring this matter to the notice of the people and start some corrective action. but can only plead or urge the capable..

My phone’s playing Guns and Roses’ Sweet Child o’ Mine at a distance. That means Akhil must have called.. I gotta take this.. :) Bye for now..

Wednesday, November 10, 2004

The Festival of Lights !!

Its Diwali !! The Festival of Lights !!

Wishing all visitors a very happy and prosperous Diwali and a happy Eid !!

Enjoy with your family n friends ! Eat lots of sweets !! Burst Crackers , light up your house and wish everyone you find :)

Have a safe diwali folks !!













Tuesday, November 09, 2004

Back @ Bangalore !!

Life in Bangalore is back to normal… My cubicle at office, meetings, Heated discussions, the stroll after lunchtime, coping with the ever changing one way roads of the city and the fluctuations in climate.. the friendly evening drizzle, the haggling autowallahs.. and the ever pleasing Kannada brethren… It feels good to be back here and I am already tingling at the prospect of a good outing outside of the city in the coming long weekend and holidays.. I have ten places on my mind, but have to catch up with lots of personal work and commitments all the same..

Lots of spare time in the US made me used to the idiot box more than I had expected I would.. News channels there are a farce. They are biased and have closed views, demeaning to other cultures and are over obsessed with Security, Lawsuits and Celebrities. Good ol’ Discovery did help a lot but I didn’t mind watching old re-runs of Friends and Everybody loves Raymond… Some talked about serials were watched too , during cooking time.. like, Smallville, and 7th Heaven..

I am back to watching Shaan’s SaReGaMaPa., or EnCounter at CNBC,or HARDTalk at BBC, or Rendezvous with Simi, Unluckily, my Sunday 5:30 Formula One appointment will have to wait till the start of the next season..( I missed all the last 8 races ) but could get a bit of the Champions league (UEFA) and the Chennai Test vs Australia I am happy about that..

Some nice Adverts on air too :) especially liked the Old couple in the SBI life Insurance Ad :)) .. love it when the gentleman says “Hire ko kya pataa tumhaari umr kya hai ?” :)
The Saif – Tiger Pataudi Lays ad is pretty hilarious too :) .. so is the new Pepsi comm, with Big B and Arshad ‘Circuit’ Warsi !!

But perharps the most refreshing one was when I heard the first “Babbar Sher” on Radio City after 4 months !! And I went “Oh yes Babe !! I missed this.. !! And I am back” :) :)

Bangalore is as green as it gets.. Also Its fall time still and some pavements are littered with shedded seasonal flowers and leaves.. The KGA Golf Course on my way to office looks an awesome sight… and maybe it’s the laid back pleasant climate that goads you to occasional indulgements and keep a happy demeanor.

I don’t think many people can boast of having a cubicle with such a beautiful view of the city as I have.. From one side of my seat, I can view the entire Bangalore Race Course. If youre tired of your work, just go to the window sill with a cup of coffee and watch the thoroughbred bangtails being pruned.. cleaned meticulously or the occasional trot they are given .. or just the orderly rambling about ..

On the other side toward the canteen end.. is a full blown panoramic view of Central Bangalore.. You can see the majestic Vidhana Soudha (the General Assembly) jutting its head from amongst the tree blanket.. and to the right, what you would call Downtown Bangalore.. the buildings across / about M.G.Road .. other taller buildings can be seen in a distance,, but what is the most pleasing is the rich abundance of flora the city presents you.. cap it with a light breeze and a drizzle here and there.. and it makes up for a pretty artistic setting.. Refreshing too..
I have started with V.S.Naipaul’s India- A Million Mutinies now.. Looks a good book, the first chapter was a pretty interesting read, and such is the power of these exceptional writers and such is the command over the language, that they can make you believe in anything they say.. He has begun by presenting what he understood Mumbai as when he visted the city in the early nineties. And you are shocked at his interpretations and awestruck with the dexterity at which he describes the city. at the same time.. I had been late for his speech at the Crosswords, Bangalore and he had left minutes after I had reached there.. but I had heard. I hadn’t missed much since he was disgusted at the way people were moving about while he was reading about excerpts from one of his recent books.. (dont remember the name) and that he had cut it short..

Right now, its both hands full for me … I have loads of work and many project deliveries lined up.. Have to meet loads of friends.. some relatives.. Some old acquaintances have added themselves to the ever growing populace of this IT city and they demand quick meetups.. I wouldn’t mind less.. Have to catch on with what has been happening here over the past months as well.. plus its festival and holidays time.. so.. I’d better finalize the plans… and the reservations and the booking that are needed alongside

They say you should that change the smile and greets from your face to the omnipresent Indian frown to be more at ease when you land in India.. Thankfully it hasn’t been the case for me. Instead of arching the lower lip backwards.. I find people getting more glimpses of my teeth than ever before.. I am back to motherland.. for the time being.. and I am happy about it..

The smiles don’t cease… and I pray to God , and hope that they wont.. J

Meanwhile, some overheard raillery from across the picket fence
Wife to Husband.. “You look like a Saint”..
Husband : “Thank you :) Which saint?”
Wife: “A Saint Bernard”


Cheers !! :) !!

Saturday, November 06, 2004

Miracle on Mumbai Matinee :)

India defended at paltry target of 106 runs sucessfully the last test against Australia !!
And I can believe it.. The expressions on the faces of team members of both sides was worth watching...

The despair on Matt Hayden squatting on the pitch when he is done in by Bhajji :) from behind his legs ..
The "Get-Back-To-The-Pavilion" gesture by Murali Karthik to Clarke when he clean bowled him with an arm ball..
The ecstacy of Harbhajan and Kartik

But Most Important of all , Awesome support given by the 40K strong Mumbai crowd.. They were loud boisterous.. on one hand.. and supportive of good work done by both sides on the other...
Everyone was shocked at the Ricky Ponting stunner of a catch to dismiss Dinesh Kartik.. (the replay detected a .48 secs reaction time ) and a movement of 1 mtr. Only the best can do that...

I like Michael Clarke as well.. He has quite a bit of cheer and freshness.. in his attitude. Always smiles... People say he is the Future captain of Cricket Australia.. but I feel there is a lot to learn, a lot more path to tread.. to make him capable enough to handle the best side of the world.

Kumble was awesome , so was Zaheer.. and Bhajji.. Our Bowlers were a revelation..
But equally pathetic were the batters..

One magestic innings cant account for the fact that VVS botched up innnings after innings in the previous 7 tries.. They kept changing the opening slot and I think Tendulkar and Ganguly should be taught about their roles again.

However I dont think its fair to criticise these sportsmen the way the media and a section of the players have been over the last year...
There seems to be a set strategy by the ex-players as well..
I heard a days commentary at DD Sports .. Given by Krishnamachari Srikkanth and half the time he spent in Ganguly bashing..
If you see the Bangalore TImes of India.. It keeps harping about how dravid should be made the captain.. and The Mumbai times of India.. speaks of how Ganguly was in Mumbai .. and attended a Photo shoot when he was sposed to be playing..
The media knows exactly where to tap into the sentiments of the local crowd.. and they have been doing that for years..
eg. An Aaj Tak interviewer to Saurav Ganguly.. " How do you think your bad form should affect your captaincy? Its said that your selections are causing a rift in the team.. "

No prizes for guessing the euphemisms heaped on Saurav Ganguly at the Kolkata TOI..
I remember seeing one of the papers.. which gave full credit to Ganguly for the Test Rahul Dravid won in Pakistan !!

Anyways. its time we perform again as a unit.. Its No disgrace to be No 2. and also like the top slot... its one thing to be No. 2 .. by 10 times as difficult to keep that position..


There are plans for cricket going on at my end too. .. plus plans to diwali.. and various other plans ,.... Lets see.






Thursday, November 04, 2004

Chaddha's First Impressions And the Viewer's Prejudice

Its astonishing sometimes how much leeway bad directors and dumb politicians get just because of hype created around them... Money can account for any mistakes, any crime or misdeed, any anomaly or fault, in our society and nowadays it can also gain you the license of forcing any amount of crap down the throats of the city-movie goer under the garb of “conventional / off stream” cinema. A rank ordinary movie can generate good sales, even when critics have repeatedly panned it, just because.. the director can flex his financial muscles for creating all interest and hype and that they know how to flash their glitzy banners, the well oiled marketing machinery and tug into the heart strings of the young aspirations filled crowd, themselves torn in a dilemma between media blaring out western culture the and the age old family values .


I had a chance to see the much talked about movie Bride and Prejudice yesterday.. and it just strengthened my belief about really how much unwanted attention we are giving to some foreign based puppet directors and their films instead of taking our home cinema to better quality and backing them for their forays abroad .
It seems Talent or creativity doesn’t seem to be the litmus for a director and cinema aesthetics, screenplay, lyrics and subject handling the corresponding for the film anymore..
Here is what I think Bride and Prejudice represents in Indian Cinema,


Who really is the Bride ?

The current Mississippi Masala cult of directors who are in the profession of doling out Indian –touch foreign cinema, who claim to be capturing India as it is.. but really cater to showing foreign audiences what they expect and want to view India and its culture as...
Mira Nair, Gurinder Chadha to name a few. Some Bollywood colleagues do dream of joining the league, they do the hanky-panky and dabble around with the East Meets West funda, but the coffers haven’t been ringing for them as yet. EntrĂ©e…. Big Banners like Karan Johar and Subhash Ghai

So what Constitutes a Nair -Chadha movie?


Some very basic things.
a) The Punjabi Family or the Punjabi guy
A Punjabi family and its culture is always what constitutes the whole of India... 4 basic essential ingredients. It has to have Bhangra.. and the Karva Chauth.. and the sugarcane field and the Sarson ka Saag..
The only time when it can't be a Punjabi family is when its a Gujrati family.. but the condition is that the Garba is done everyday...

b) Marriage
Marriage and Dowry are the only pillars of the Indian Culture... They keep marrying their daughters and haggling for the price.. They keep arranging marriages where the groom is always the scum of the earth.. its either the vain and contemptuous Apoorva of Pardes, or Killer Khalsa the fat greedy wrestler who can give the father in law a business deal in Bollywood Hollywood, or Mr. Kohli of BnP who flaunts his mannerisms at the dinner table.. The bride groom always has to be bad, sloppy , old, a jackass, (Mira Nair doesn’t spare even kings in this regard) Its just to keep reminding .. “The Indian father in law will still give his daughter” and that’s how blind arranged marriages are... .. Father in Laws keep asking other people for money, they keep salivating over NRIs , stooping as low as they can for that cause..
And they can marry off their daughters to as weird a person.. only if he is from the states or from the UK.

c) The imposing issue
There is always a Indian who has been wronged in the film.. He is the victim of racist abuses in England but stayed on to the Foreign land and fought for his honor, or the American Dreams care-a-damn-for-my-country brat.. or the old lady of Canada who has lived her age , and remembered the sugarcane fields and Vedic texts with all the time.
Or more importantly, she is the sexually molested child that always seems to be commonplace in our homes.. Or if not the above, there is always the sexually debauched woman .

d) The East meets west culture
What if??
The Western fantasy pasted tastelessly on the Indian .. Lets see some of the topics that these films have tried to depict.
Lesbianism in the Temple City of our Country (Fire)
Circumcision and Muslim Brit ( East meets East)
The Love with the Western Guy refuting the ongoing attempts for an arranged marriage (B and P, BILB, East meets East)

These are the issues directors like these produce.. film after film , year after year..
Do you think they reflect the persona of our culture? Or the way its evolving.. ?
No..
The are exactly the kind of shit , that would appeal to the outsider to cater to his own beliefs.. to make sure, he is self assured in his position, that his culture is right, he is going the right way and that the older historic civilizations are also paying heed to his way of living.. they are taking to his ways.. cos that’s cool ..


And Who are the prejudiced?
The Indian audiences themselves.. they keep salivating on Gurinder Chadha... and her likes...
"they are the different ones.. Look how Mira Nair was bold to do KamaSutra.. or Fire.. "
" And its actually a western director.. and look how she is really showing how an indian family is like there...or how they like to keep their traditions " or
"this is exactly what happens in a Punjabi family.. This is how they show off.. .. "

I heard a friend come up and say.. . look at how She portrays Ash doing the America bashing… how “Lalita” handles the high nosed Yankee, She gives him a mouthful ... shows him how their perceptions of India are totally wrong.. That Darcy guy is sposed to have realized how Indians really are.. and that you cant be hippocrites , and blah and blah

Madam, its you who is at fault.. Thinking an American will see this movie.. Just search for a review for this at any of the web papers of America.. There is none.. except one.. and look at the disdain and the number of lines at which the movie review has been finished.

Is it really the Populist Sentiment?
We fail to realize that all creative effort is always confined to the handful of showpiece skits that these directors shell out time and time again All the above films and the handful of ideas they cater to are exactly similar to what we now term the Bollywood formula of Separated brothers or ReinCarnation or the Rich Guy Poor Girl themes.
Yes. The above points ARE the formulae of these Mississipi Masala Cult for making a successful Indian film to be marketed in Hollywood or UK . And they don’t have to have the talent of a Manmohan Desai or a Yash Chopra for success. Only Financial Strategy is what is needed. No wonder you see a scum of a film in the Top 10 charts of the UK right now. And that’s exactly the mass these people plan to cater
a) The High nosed brit ever eager for pointing the finger at the Indian Diaspora , cos now apart from doing his menial jobs, these dark skins are staking claim at the very jobs he owns cos they are better equipped and more intelligent.
And ??
b) The immigrated Indians.. who are the most sizeable business population especially the Gujraties and the Punjabis, technologists, ppl from all over India, And maybe is a self realization, a self assurance of these expatriates as well.. who left their communities and roots a long back.. Those people who grew up and were made capable by the milk and grain of this homeland.. but are servile workers to econo-social welfare and leisure of the others.. . Its them who are barely sure of their roots.. have forgotten their culture.. have their kids fooling around in all directions.. and they themselves.. have never been accepted in the same pedestal ever in the country they are servicing .. are still racially abused and looked down upon,, it pains them to come back to their country,, cos they wont be able to adjust here as well., They keep reminding themselves.. “We are still sure of our culture”, “India is facing the same cultural degradation back home as well” .. This is exactly the sentiments you can find in any NRI .. Go to any of their houses… or just in any of the transit airports.. Their talk reeks of their unsurety, about their discomfiture when they see people staying closer and actually caring for their elders back in India, and still being extremely successful and walking tall and servicing in THEIR own society , living their own life. With Pride.




"First Impressions" was the original name of this legendary Jane Austen English classic. It took Jane Austen 15 long years to and a considerable revision to bring it to the classic as we know it today..

Bride and Prejudice has nothing creative, nothing intellectual and nothing thought provoking. Its not even an proper transfiguration of the classic to an Indian setting, take aside editorial efforts. What could you expect from a copy cat anyways…

Sometimes I feel, that even as these self-styled torch-bearers of Indian culture to the outside world cry hoarse at every small provocation and comments at their work and swear to fight by their birthright of the freedom of speech, commercial mainstream cinema should still warrant a basic censuring of quality in films, and should be guided by certain laid down rules by eminent and knowledgable persons in this artistic line, to set certain boundaries which you shouldn’t cross, and more importantly exhibit a bit social responsibility. As the citizens of a nation where films are the generally only way to fantasize, to leisure about, for the poor who can barely make ends meet.. , Our Censor Board should do lot more to guard gullible minds against .. this ridicule of our culture.. Don’t block the freedom to express.. but then don’t take such a blasphemous distortion of our culture lying down. The KamaSutra is a scientific treatise, not a 3rd grade porn flick, Lesbianism is not a product of our society and therefore cant be imposed as commonplace.. Our Girls Don’t Fall for Foreign People at the first sight and NO
We don’t wed our daughters to any Bald Fat Americanized expat.,

Not Anymore.


Me is back to my old workplace... back to Bangalore City... it feels good to be back at my desk.. Everyone says I have put on weight.. and that US has been bad on my health.. perhaps its the frequent chicken nuggets at Bojangles..... or the daily dose of butter I used to have ... or the lack of exercise... or maybe they all are the culprits .. But I desperately plan to get back into shape... I have the will, hope I can get the discipline.

I will play cricket... jog a lot.. do some stomach crunches, and build on the free-hands slowly, many such things on the checklist.. but at present I am just happy to be back home..

Ciao.