Kalam Ka Sipahi

Don't worry, we have Bumrah

noreply@blogger.com (Shoonya) — Sun, 30 Jun 2024 10:13:00 +0000

India finally wins an ICC tournament, but I was reflecting on a side story after the win.

There was a moment in India vs Pak game last month. A Child was disheartened that India's total seemed very small and Pakistan was cruising towards the target. His Father cheered him up with, don't worry .. we have Bumrah. And then the boy saw what happened next, and then he became a fan.

https://x.com/i/status/1799889813585510649

We had games when ball was keeping low, when it was swinging, when the wind was a factor, when the wicket was slow, when the wicket was fast, and you get the drift ... but there was one constant. Bumrah was there!

Come to the final, India's total was good but not safe. SA innings starts and then he gives you a wicket with a dream delivery. 'What a ball, what a bowler' ...kind of goosebumps!

And then SA start their charge, and then they cruise like Pakistan were doing and then it seemed all hopeless. But... watch out for what commentators were saying.

After the powerplay: SA need to be ahead they can't keep things to the end, 30 runs from 2 or 3 overs are very different when you have 2 of them from Bumrah !

When Heinrich Klaasen was showing his class, and all hopes were lost: Rohit surely needs to bring Bumrah NOW, if there is anything that can happen for India, it is that guy!

After the match is finished: Rohit, Arshdeep and Axar were brilliant, Kuldeep showed his class in the tournament but how do you explain this guy, Jasprit Bumrah ?

So how do you explain Bumrah ? It is not the statistics, neither the wickets tally that does justice to him. It is the belief that people have on him. The pundits, his captains, the opposition and the fans. Here is a bowler who is at top of his game, sure of his skills and beyond the need of any external validation. Absolute Genius!

There was a time in the final when I was resigned to the fact that SA are winning the cup, I was in fact OK with this. Why? Because if India cannot win it, my second favorite would be SA .... always. I was planning to switch off the tv and go to sleep but not before... you know, Bumrah bowls!

And he bowls, and the buzz is back, India is in the game. There are very few players who have this ability, who become more than just good players. Who carry the belief of a nation on their shoulders with such consistency and spunk. Players who come once in a generation and Bumrah is one of them!

Navratri 2022 in Bilaspur

noreply@blogger.com (Shoonya) — Thu, 06 Oct 2022 17:32:00 +0000

One of the fondest memories from my childhood involves Durga puja in Bilaspur. The city almost transforms into another world. 'Metaverse' is the closest which comes to mind if I have to describe it using the latest vocabulary. As we go into last 3-4 days of Navratri and the sun sets, the city starts getting ready. People gather around pandals navigating traffic and chaos in the narrow lanes, sound of songs celebrating the goddess and smell of dhoop overpower all the cacophony.

I am at a stage where I have spent more than half my life outside my hometown Bilaspur, this realization itself brings a lot of mixed emotions. I left this place to pursue higher education and career aspirations and since then I am a confused soul who doesn't know where he belongs. Every time I come, I invariably try to find memories which take me back to younger days and festivals tend to be the easiest memories you can recollect.

I do come for every Diwali except for few due to unavoidable reasons. But Diwali is a festival which I associate more with Home and Family, not necessarily with the city. The lights, decoration, markets buzzing with people do add an argument but still Diwali is a more personal and intimate festival for me. Whereas Durga puja is all about outside environment, the city is an integral part of it.

I was in Bilaspur for Durga puja after nearly 2 decades. I was here last year but 2 years of covid had sadly taken everything out of festivities and the celebrations were lukewarm. This time, it looked as if the flavor and fervor is truly back and it was time to go out and experience it. So I did !!

And it brought so much of nostalgia. Good old times when we used to do a city tour in a rikshaw, eyes wide open, filled with excitement and having a great time looking at all the 'grandeur'. I put grandeur in quotes because becoming older and wiser, seeing a lot more places and things has put things in perspective. I admit the charm is not the same but still, hopping around durga pandals took me back to those younger days which in itself is something to be thrilled about.

So all my younger friends, if you are having a good time, be there and cherish it. As the Japanese say "Itchi-go-itchi-e"

लॉक डाउन - लॉक डाउन !!

noreply@blogger.com (Shoonya) — Sun, 05 Jul 2020 10:46:00 +0000

आज बैंगलोर बंद है, सुना है लॉक डाउन है। पूरे एक दिन का !!

जब मार्च में प्रधान मंत्री जी ने पूरे देश में लॉक डाउन की घोषणा की तब हमें लगा की ये हमारे लिए जरूरी है। अगर अर्थव्यवस्था को नुक्सान होगा तो सह लेंगे पर लोगों की जान तो बच जाए।

बात सही भी थी, हमें कोरोना के बारे में बहुत काम जानकारी थी। WHO के अधिकारी भी भरोसा जताने वाली बातें नहीं कर रहे थे, ये कैसा वायरस है, कैसे फैलता है , इसका संक्रमण कैसे रोका जा सकता है और अगर हो गया तो इलाज क्या है। हमें कुछ नहीं पता था, बस इतना पता था कि अगर ये बहुत तेजी से फैला तो हमारी चिकित्सा व्यवस्था संभल नहीं पाएगी। मास्क्स नहीं थे, P.P.E कीटस नहीं थे , वेंटिलेटर्स, दवाइयां सबकी कमी थी।

एक बात जो धीरे धीरे समझ आयी की लॉक डाउन करने से कोरोना ख़तम नहीं होने वाला है, इससे हमें कुछ समय मिल रहा है की हम तैयारी कर पाएं ,और अगर हम वो कर पाए हैं तो वही लॉक डाउन का सही फायदा है।

और आज जब हमारे पास थोड़ी ज्यादा जानकारी है , मास्क्स और सोशल डिस्टन्सिंग के फायदे पता हैं और सबसे बड़ी बात ये पता है कि कोरोना कहीं जाने वाला नहीं है , हमें इसके साथ ही रहना सीखना पड़ेगा !

ये सुनकर निराशा होती है कि अभी भी हम लॉक डाउन से आगे कुछ सोच नहीं पा रहे हैं। ये कदम ऐसा ही है कि नहीं करने से अच्छा कुछ तो करो,भले उसका असर हो या न हो। लॉक डाउन नहीं हुआ, हरताल हो गया। दुकानें बंद करो, ठेले बंद करो, जो घर से निकल रहा है, उसको अंदर करो। पूरी पुलिस की ताकत लॉक डाउन कराने में ही लगी हुई है।

मेरी राय में तो एक दिन के लॉक डाउन से व्यापारियों के नुक्सान के अलावा कुछ ज्यादा नहीं होने वाला। ये लड़ाई ऐसे सांकेतिक क़दमों से नहीं जीती जा सकती :(

Hello Indigo !!

noreply@blogger.com (Shoonya) — Mon, 04 Nov 2019 17:04:00 +0000

In general compartments of a train or a bus, one needs to block a seat by standing hours in queue before departure. First come, first serve; fair enough. But never thought one needs to do that even for confirmed tickets in a flight !!
I had a vague idea that this can happen, but never thought about it seriously since it never happened to me or anyone I know.

I had a confirmed ticket in my indigo flight (8E-829) yesterday (3 Nov) and I was in the check-in queue one hour before the scheduled time. All set I guess, but I had a rude shock when I was denied a seat since the flight was already full.

The catch was that we had 2 separate PNRs (one for my wife and daughter and other for myself). They checked in my wife and daughter and run out of seats for my ticket. We were told we need to travel separately !!

There are multiple things wrong here. First, the flight being overbooked is not passenger's fault. Second, the decision to travel in an alternate flight is at passenger's discretion. Whatever algorithm or data science Indigo is following is not ethical to customers.

I had read about it earlier but getting denied a seat even after having confirmed ticket was a shock to me, I didn't know how to react. I had to travel in the same flight because of my own reasons, so I insisted and held my ground in front of the crew. After a lot of uncertain ifs and buts, I got a seat due to some other passenger cancelling his travel voluntarily.

In the heat of the moment, I forgot to thank an indigo crew member who went out of his way calling multiple people and accommodating a seat for me in the flight. Thank you Mohammed Salman (sorry if I am misspelling your name). I really apperciate your effort and handling of the passengers (there were at least 4-5 more behind me who were denied boarding !!)

I do not blame the crew for this, it is airlines fault. I have traveled Indigo multiple times and the experience has always been good. But this has left really bad impression. I guess this is the other side of Indigo's award winning services.

Anyway, I think there are few lessons here
For Indigo :

Stop overbooking. Put the passengers in standby if you are overbooked so that they are ready for this surprise.
Some of the crew started arguing that we were late. We were close but yet well within 45 minutes before departure. And my wife and daughter got checked in at the same time btw. Doing this to your customers so that you save some money for your airline ?

For Passengers :

Always web checkin. I didn't do it because I was not getting seats together in web-checkin. But at-least I would have got a seat. Anyway, this will just shift the queue online from the counter. You have to rely on others to be lazy (:P)
Arrive hours before the flight, sleep in airport if you want.
Pray.

खुशी

noreply@blogger.com (Shoonya) — Tue, 09 May 2017 09:37:00 +0000

ये रेत की तरह है, जितना कस के पकड़ना चाहो हाथ से फिसलते चली जाती है। तितली की तरह है, अगर पीछा करो तो भाग जाती है।

पर अगर स्थिर रहो, शांत रहो तो संभव है कि रेत लम्बे समय तक हमारे हाथ में ही रहे; तितली हमारे सामने आकर बैठ जाये।

खुशी चीज ही ऐसी है। कभी कभी हम जितना इसके पीछे भागते हैं, उतना हमसे दूर जाते जाती है। पर अगर हम इसकी आशा न रखें तो हमें पता चलता है कि जिंदगी की छोटी-छोटी खुशियां हमारे आसपास ही होती हैं, हम ही किसी और उम्मीद में इन पर ध्यान नहीं दे पाते।

हमें चाहिए कि इन छोटी छोटी खुशियों को जी भरकर जियें, उन्हें समय दें, उन्हें महसूस करें। ये हमेशा नहीं रहेगी, हमें उस पल को नहीं खोना चाहिए। अगर इन्हीं पलों में खुश रह सकें तो शायद वो भी मिल जाए जिसकी तलाश में हम बेचैन रहते हैं।

हमें अहसास होगा कि हम जिसके पीछे भागते रहते हैं, वो हमसे कोई बहुत दूर नहीं है, हम ही देख नहीं पाते !!

अगर किसी चीज को पूरी शिद्दत से चाहो तो सारी कायनात ...... सिर्फ फिल्म में होता है 😀

दोस्ती, रिश्ते और अकेलापन

noreply@blogger.com (Shoonya) — Sun, 07 May 2017 06:37:00 +0000

शोध के मुताबिक जल्दी मौत का सबसे बड़ा कारण अकेलापन है। कैंसर, मोटापा, दिल की बीमारी, प्रदूषण, तनाव ये सभी जानलेवा हैं, लेकिन फिर भी जितना घातक मन का रोग है, उतना कोई और नहीं। शायद इसके मूल में एक वही सच है जो हमने बचपन में पढ़ा है "मनुष्य एक सामाजिक प्राणी है"।

जब हम बच्चे होते हैं, हमारे माता-पिता हमारी जीवन रेखा होते हैं। शायद यही एक रिश्ता है जिसमें कोई मतलब नहीं होता, जो हमेेशा हमारे साथ होते हैं। हमारा बचपन हमारे माता-पिता और रिश्तेदारों के बीच गुजरता है। रिश्तेदारों में कुछ ऐसे होते हैं जिनसे हमें बहुत लगाव होता है, जो हमें प्रभावित करते हैं।

किशोरावस्था में हम दोस्त बनाते हैं, फिर अपने भविष्य, पढाई, या किसी और कारण से उनका साथ छूट जाता है। अगर किस्मत अच्छी रही तो कुछ ऐसे दोस्त बचते हैं जिनका साथ कभी नहीं छूटता। फिर जब शादी होती है तो हमें एक 'जीवनसाथी' मिलता है। जीवनसाथी एक दिलचस्प शब्द है, इसका मतलब है वो इंसान जो हमेशा आपके साथ रहेगा - जिंदगी भर।

ये सारे लोग हमें अच्छी तरह से जानते हैं। हमारी अच्छाइयां भी, बुराइयां भी। हमारी योग्यता भी और हमारी कमियां भी।

वो रिश्ते सहेज कर रखने चाहिए जो हमें अपनी कमियों के साथ स्वीकार करते हैं और अगर हम ये कर सकें तो शायद अकेलेपन से बच सकते हैं।

तो अगर हमें लंबी जिंदगी जीना है तो हर उस साथ को अहमियत देनी चाहिए जिससे हमें खुशी मिलती है, हमारा अकेलापन दूर होता है। यही हमारी यादें बनती हैं और यही खुशनुमा यादें जिंदगी यादगार बनाती हैं।

पर क्या ऐसा हो सकता है कि हम किसी के साथ हैं, फिर भी अकेले हैं? हम बात तो करते हैं पर एक दूसरे को समझ नहीं पाते। जरुर हो सकता है, और शायद ऐसे साथ से अकेलापन ही बेहतर है। आखिर ऐसी लम्बी उम्र जीकर क्या फायदा ? जिंदगी बड़ी होनी चाहिए लंबी नहीं !!

Munshi Premchand

noreply@blogger.com (Shoonya) — Sun, 31 Jul 2016 06:11:00 +0000

Google को बहुत धन्यवाद मुंशीजी को एक Doodle समर्पित करने के लिए

मुंशी जी के बारे में जितना कहा जाय उतना कम है, जो कोई भी थोड़ी बहुत हिंदी साहित्य में रूचि रखता है उसके लिए मुंशी प्रेमचंद का नाम ही उनका परिचय है। उनकी लेखनी के बारे में तो कइयों ने कहा है और मैं इतनी काबिलियत भी नहीं रखता कि उस विषय में कुछ कह सकूँ। यहाँ मैं उनकी जिंदगी के एक अलग पहलू के बारे में अपनी बात रखना चाहता हूँ जो मुझे पिछले कुछ दिनों में उनके बारे में पढ़ने के बाद पता चली।

इस आदमी की जिंदगी में संघर्ष तो था ही जो की उन्नीसवी सदी के लगभग सभी महानायकों के जीवन का एक अनिवार्य हिस्सा जैसा लगता है, पर जो बात मुझे उनके बारे में बहुत उत्सुक करती है वो यह है कि उन्होंने अपना अधिकांश काम एक ऐसे सामान्य आदमी की तरह रहते हुए किया है जिसकी जिंदगी में एक रोजमर्रा की नौकरी है जो उसे अपना घर चलाने के लिए करनी है, घर पहुँच के रोज रोज की कहा सुनी भी है और मन के अंदर एक कशमकश भी है इस रोज की जिंदगी को छोड़ कर कुछ अलग किया जाये।

उन्होंने अपनी ज्यादातर कहानियां और उपन्यास इन्ही सब के बीच में लिखे हैं, यह बात मुझे बहुत प्रेरणा दायक लगती है। शायद ये उनका एक तरीका था एक आम आदमी की जद्दोजहद और थकान को ऐसा रूप देने का जो सदियों तक लोगों के मन में बस जाये, लोग उससे प्रेरणा लेते रहें और कहानियों में ही सही पर एक आम आदमी नायक बन सके। जटिल से जटिल चीजें कितनी सरलता से कही जा सकती है ये हमें उनकी कहानियों से पता चलता है। अपने नौकरीपेशा दोस्तों के लिए उनकी कहानियों में से ही एक पंक्ति पेश करना चाहता हूँ जो इस बात का प्रत्यक्ष प्रमाण है

"वेतन तो पूरनमासी के चाँद की तरह होता है जो एक दिन दिखाई देता है और घटते घटते धीरे धीरे लुप्त हो जाता है" :)

Kai Po Che

noreply@blogger.com (Shoonya) — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 16:16:00 +0000

I did not look at my watch till the end of the movie. Generally, that means the movie is good. That is the primary criteria for a movie to be called good, it should get you hooked.

The movie just does not let you go. It is like a book which you picked up to read for a while but could not put down until you have finished reading it ! No, I am not talking about the book on which it is based on. I have not read 'Three Mistakes' but I guess it must be engaging if this movie is based on that book.

All the performances are very competent. All of them are new in the industry, and it helps the movie in a way. In my opinion (strictly personal) A star presence might have diluted the movie experience.

The effort that has gone into making the movie shows in all aspects; screenplay, dialogues, cinematography, background music; it all comes together very nicely on screen. Thumbs up to the director for providing this quality entertainer !

Happy Diwali

noreply@blogger.com (Shoonya) — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 02:30:00 +0000

If you are the arm chair intellectual who

Drives SUVs or other oil guzzlers
Loves formula-1 and thinks it is a sign of India shining
Loves cricket matches in flood lights
Loaths public transport because of the inconvenience
Can't live without AC
Uses plastic bags

AND preach about making festivals more eco-friendly.
I wish you a quiet and peaceful Diwali.

And to the rest of us ... have a cracking Diwali, have a blast !!

Barkha rani... barkha rani

noreply@blogger.com (Shoonya) — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 17:40:00 +0000

बरखा रानी, बरखा रानी

तू क्यूँ इतना इतराती है;

एक झलक तो तू दिखलाती है,

पर पलक झपी और तू गायब हो जाती है;

हम आस में तेरी बैठे हैं,

और तू इतना बलखाती है;

कुछ राहत दे हम झुलसों को,

मध्धम मद्धम सी पवन चला;

कि .. आज हमारा जी भर के गाने को जी चाहता है !!

वो बचपना था और चला गया,

डरता था जो तूफानों से;

कागज के नाव बनाता था,

और पहरा देता था नालों पे;

न बचपन है, न कागज है,

न नाव मेरी वो कागज़ की;

एक कश्ती ऐसी व्याकुल है,

न उसे जरूरत साहिल की;

और .. हर तूफ़ान से उसका टकराने को जी चाहता है !!

घनघोर अँधेरा भी कर दे,

तो भी कोई परवाह नहीं;

तेरी भीषण हुंकार भी हो,

तो भी भीतर से आह नहीं;

चमक भी तू, गरज भी तू,

उमड़ भी तू, घुमड़ भी तू;

न देर कर बरस भी जा,

न और तू हमें तडपा;

कि... आज हमारा भीग जाने को जी चाहता है !!

The curious case of an Indian Cricket Fan

noreply@blogger.com (Shoonya) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 17:47:00 +0000

Flashback : Feb 2011
Team India is favorite to win the world cup. This team has the best chance of winning the prestigious cup of all the teams that India has fielded till now. Dhoni and co are getting praises which were not conferred on any other team before.

Cut to 14th March 2011
Team India has lost a close match, tied another. They are being criticized and we are told this team has no chance of winning the cup. The batsman are a bunch of losers and captain has lost his mind. Bowling can not be called an attack, at best it is a defense mechanism which can not even defend a par score :P. Every Tom, Dick and Harry and their cousin can take better decisions than a certain hyped and useless captain.

Confusing ??
Off course it is, but the truth is somewhere in between. A little bit of prudence says that the team was not as great as it was made out be 3 weeks before and neither is it as bad as it is portrayed right now.

It takes just one match to form reputation and another to destroy it in a cricket mad country called India. The Indian cricket fan belongs to a peculiar species. An average cricket fan from India has abused and worshipped the same player at different points of time. Nothing wrong with that, since a player goes to different phases in a long career. Sometimes it looks like he can do no wrong and sometimes Geff Boycott's mother seem to be a better bet than him. But the extent to which he is scrutinized in the public eye is exemplary.

I understand that people are passionate about cricket. The way cricket unites the country, there is nothing else that does it in the same way. But the way they over react is beyond comprehension. There is a thin line between being partisan and being jingoistic and I am afraid we have crossed that line long time back. There is no need to get your blood boiling over someone getting hit for a six, no need to involve mother-sister of a batsman for a reckless shot and I might get killed for this but no need to make someone a deity because he plays the straight drive like no one else in this world could, can and will ever do.

And as far as the cricketers are concerned. They need not worry, they can die another day. They are still in the cup. One good match and everything will be forgotten. India has an outside chance of winning the cup since they have to win 3 knockout matches and this world cup is the most open world cup since 1996, But so are the chances of many other teams.

So dear Indian cricket fan, please sit back, relax and off course discuss the tactics of the game but if you can watch only the matches where your team wins, please go to youtube, live TV is not for you.

And dear Indian cricketers, you need not worry. This scrutiny goes on for few days, but everything comes back to normality. I am sure you will qualify for the knockout stage and play to the best of your ability. And even if you lose after that, there is a certain Indian Phoohad League awaiting, which will take care of an average Indian Cricket Fan.

PS: If you happen to be an Indian cricket fan and you were hurt by this (which is another famous trait of you). My sincere apologies. Please don't burn my effigies, stone my house, destroy my bike or engage in similar destructive behavior.

Solace

noreply@blogger.com (Shoonya) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 10:38:00 +0000

कोई शिकवा न रखो दिल तोड़ने वालों से,
आखिर उन्होंने भी कहीं दिल लगाया होगा ;

ये जानकर की लोग पत्थर को पूजते हैं,
अपने दिल को पत्थर बनाया होगा ;

रोना इस बात का न रखो की भुला दिया तुम्हे,
इस बात पे रोवो की रो रोकर भुलाया होगा !!

Udaan

noreply@blogger.com (Shoonya) — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 16:31:00 +0000

They say it is impossible to fly,
I say, but what about giving it a try;

They say there are do's and don'ts,

Right and wrong, boundaries all along,

Hurdles to clear, stakes too high,

Isn't it reason enough to stop asking why ;

I say that is precisely the point,

hurdles to jump and demons to deny,

will make the journey special,

and confer the elusive high;

They say the logics are impossible to defy,

I say, Can I just give it a try

And so I persist,

and keep giving it a try,

and so I insist,

there will be a day, when I will fly !!

The (medium-) fast and furious

noreply@blogger.com (Shoonya) — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 06:06:00 +0000

The (medium-) fast and furious

Main stream media - I

noreply@blogger.com (Shoonya) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:47:00 +0000

This post is dedicated to all Sagarika Ghosh fans. I am not going to do an introduction here, her name is enough. If you do not know her, you can stop reading the post here.

She conducted a 'debate' after the phenomena of spot fixing by Pakistani players happened. And here are her tweets about the same.

Ponting says western cricketers have different values from south asians: are we just a congenitally corrupt society? FTN at 10pm

Oh, I think we must be a congenitally corrupt society since Mr. Ponting whose 'integrity can not be questioned' says so

Good morning. Depressing views from panelists last night on FTN. cheating and dishonesty hardwired into the subcontinetal dna..

Yes, I definitely think that only subcontinental dna has this problem. All other dnas are clean and such skullduggery is not in their dna, So what if they were punished for this.

We need a mental revolution. a moral renaissance. each one of us has to inculcate personal honesty at all levels

Yes I think we do. But I did not know that it is because some cricketers took some money. Thanks for letting us know.

sadly our religions too have become degraded. noble spirit of hinduism reduced to minority bashing. islam used for violence and mayhem.

Oh, thats deep ! spot fixing -> corrupt society -> degraded religion, hinduism, islam -> minority. I could have never gained this foresight, Thanks, thanks a lot !

something drastic needs to happen. panelists believe shock treatment from West and globalisation will force us to adhere to norms..

Oh yeah, we need to be royally spanked by the west (our big daddys), so that we behave properly.

when society loses its spiritual core, moral collapse follows When spirituality itself becomes political& violent, god is dead

Oh ho ho, this is something I still can not sight. Truly genius of you.

Miss Ghosh, you are truly a boon for us mere mortals. It is a privilege for all dishonest people with corrupt dnas to get enlightened by you. I hope you keep educating us on issues !

Challenges !!

noreply@blogger.com (Shoonya) — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 17:03:00 +0000

तूफानों की ओर घुमा दो नाविक निज पतवार

आज सिन्धु ने विष उगला है
लहरों का यौवन मचला है
आज ह्रदय में और सिन्धु में
साथ उठा है ज्वार

तूफानों की ओर घुमा दो नाविक निज पतवार

लहरों के स्वर में कुछ बोलो
इस अन्द्दह्द में साहस तोलो
कभी कभी मिलता जीवन में
तूफानों का प्यार

तूफानों की ओर घुमा दो नाविक निज पतवार

यह असीम निज सीमा जाने
सागर भी तो यह पहचाने
मिटटी के पुतले मानव ने
कभी न मानी हार

तूफानों की ओर घुमा दो नाविक निज पतवार

सागर की अपनी छमता है
पर मांझी भी कब थकता है
जब तक सांसों में स्पंदन है
उसका हाथ नहीं रुकता है
इसके ही बल पर कर डाले
सातों सागर पार

तूफानों की ओर घुमा दो नाविक निज पतवार

- शिवमंगल सिंह 'सुमन'

Women: the mystery unraveled

noreply@blogger.com (Shoonya) — Sun, 23 May 2010 03:51:00 +0000

'In the beginning, when Twashtri (the Divine Artificer) came to the creation of woman he found that he had exhausted his materials in the making of man and that no solid elements were left. In this dilemma, after profound meditation, he did as follows: he took the rotundity of the moon, and the curves of the creepers, and the clinging of tendrils, and the trembling of grass, and the slenderness of the reed, and the bloom of flowers, and the lightness of leaves, and the tapering of the elephant's trunk, and the glances of deer, and the clustering of rows of bees, and the joyous gaiety of sunbeams, and the weeping of clouds, and the fickleness of the winds, and the timidity of the hare, and the vanity of the peacock, and the softness of the parrot's bosom, and the hardness of adamant, and the sweetness of honey, and the cruelty of the tiger, and the worm glow of fire, and the coldness of snow, and the chattering of jays, and the cooing of kokila, and the hypocrisy of the crane, and the fidelity of the chakravaka; and compounding all these together, he made woman and gave her to man'.

- excerpts from The Digit of the Moon by F.W. Bain

TIME Magazine's quote on Sachin

noreply@blogger.com (Shoonya) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 08:19:00 +0000

TIME Magazine's quote on Sachin

Ishqiya

noreply@blogger.com (Shoonya) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:11:00 +0000

There are many among the new 'cool' generation, who use desi as a derogatory term in their conversations. Thanks to Vishal Bhardwaj, desi is the new cool :). Some Bollywood lovers call him Quentin Tarantino of Bollywood, which I fail to understand (More on this in my last post). Without any disrespect to him and his fans, i would say that I have not seen a lot of Tarantino's work, so i do not know care who he is. However, if we are comparing Vishal Bhardwaj with him, he has to be good :)

Having said that, this post is not about Vishal Bhardwaj and he has not directed Ishqiya. It is directed by his protegé Abhishek Chaubey, who does not deny that the movie has Vishal Bhardwaj stamp on it. If you have any doubts about the debuting director's potential, the first few scenes in the movie will answer all of them.

The starting scene of the movie tells a lot about the competent director. The main protagonist of the movie will get you hooked right from this very first scene. You will instantly come to know that you are watching something special. Everything from the sets, costumes, mannerisms and language is so refreshingly different and I am not talking about the much talked about abuses. Yes, abuses are there but they are just a small prop in a large structure. The still water, holy cows, grasslands, dusty roads, glowing eyes of the villagers are captured beautifully. The rustic visuals create an old world charm throughout the movie.

There is no dull moment in the movie. It moves at a brisk pace with smooth transition from one scene to another largely because of the crisp writing. The dialogues are quirky and witty at the same times. That is the most fabulous part of the script. The wit in the dialogues is not forced to put some light humor,it is there because the situation is like that. No one is trying to tell a joke (apart from one latifa as the last wish before death :D) and there are no caricature like comic characters.

Dialogues are witty but they have deep meanings also. It is a very deadly combination to have. Watch out for the one liners on sexism, casteism and such wide-ranging topics. I am really inclined to give some examples, but I do not want to add spoilers here. The director touches the most sensitive topics affecting our country like naxalism, law and order, fanaticism in the deepest of manners with just few one liners here and there. And the beauty of all this is, you will be giggling on those dialogues. What audacity !!

One of the things which makes the movie hugely enjoyable is its music. We all know what happens when Vishal Bhardwaj and Gulzar combine for an album. The starting scene which i mentioned earlier has Vidya balan humming the song Ab mujhe koi intezaar kahan which is sensual in its unique way. Ibn-E-Batuta kicks the start credits with lot of chutzpah and élan. Then there is a classical song in melodious voice of Rekha Bhardwaj, this is exactly the kind of song we do not hear that often in our movies and yearn for those. And then comes the song of the album, i would dare say that this is the song of the year (i know it is just january .. but still) Dil to bachha hai Ji. What a song, what a fantastic piece of art !! , I think it is one of those songs that will remain in the pubic memory for a long long time. The background score is just about perfect for a thriller. And yes, the use of the songs from the past, which i think is Vishal Bhardwaj way of giving tribute to the Classics is incorporated to elevate the impact of the scenes to another level.

The kind of movie Ishqiya is, it relies heavily on performances. And that is where the casting team of the movie scores the brownie points. Every character fits the part to the T. Right from the child artist to the old woman with the torch have a sense of participation in carrying forward the movie. The goofy don played by Salman Shahid makes us laugh without making any apparent effort towards doing so. Coming to the lead trio, There is no doubt that Arshad Warsi is one of the most underutilized actors in Bollywood. He has really side-splitting lines and he delivers them with aplomb. It is time that the industry gives him the roles, which he is worthy of. Naseeruddin Shah expresses every characteristic of an aging man who falls for a young woman so wonderfully that the viewer almost tends to believe that he has a genuine chance against his younger competitor :). You have to just watch his expressions of helplessness when he comes to know that the woman was just manipulating him. Vidya Balan is playing a character which requires her to look madly in love, vulnerable & helpless yet tough & menacing, epitome of grace yet wild & seductive. And at times the camera just had to focus on her face and she manages to express all those wide-ranging emotions without uttering a word ! If this is not class, tell me what is? I just wish she makes the right moves; She has all the ingredients of becoming an all time great.

Ishqiya is the true Indian movie. It celebrates the rural heartlands of India with lot of spunk and style. The only complain i have with Ishqiya is that it ends too soon :)

Team Ishqiya, take a bow !!

Angry old man

noreply@blogger.com (Shoonya) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 05:09:00 +0000

"I hate the idea of every aspect of our work being compared with those of the Western world. It is demeaning to us as individuals and demeaning to us as a country. Whereas we do not ever want to take anything away from the achievements of those that function beyond Indian shores, I feel that this penchant for equating us continuously with a Western synonym, is objectionable and untoward. Shah Rukh the Tom Cruise, Abhishek-Aishwarya the Brangelina, Mithun the John Travolta of India, are synonymous with a culture that reeks of our abject submission to our colonial past. We are our own people now, with our own standing and relevance and very proud of it. I have not seen Nicole Kidman in The Hours and have no desire to fall into this unnecessary exercise of comparison. To me the response from the people of my country is the final verdict. I am interested in what they like or dislike. Nothing more."

This was the answer from Mr. Amitabh Bachchan, When a journalist asks "Your performance in Paa came across like Nicole Kidman’s Oscar-winning performance as Virginia Woolf in The Hours where you could not make out it was her."

I feel like whistling, clapping and applauding this statement like i used to do for every dialogue of his 'angry young man' days. I feel this applies to our thinking beyond movies, and in general we are obsessed with the western culture. Bachchan saab, thanks for putting the thoughts so succinctly.

Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge - II

noreply@blogger.com (Shoonya) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:29:00 +0000

Warning : If you have not seen DDLJ, you might miss the fun.

Raj : simran, hamein bhagna hi hoga. Ye log hamari shadi nahi hone denge simran.

Simran : Ye tum kya kah rahe ho raj. Tum to kahte the ki tum yahan kisi ka dil todne nahi, dil jeetne aaye ho. Hamari shadi tabhi hogi jab babuji mera hath khud tumhare hathon mein denge. Tumhara irada kyun badal gaya raj?

Raj : simran, main janta hun tum kya soch rahi ho. Tumhe lagta hai ki main bahut hi awara kism ka ghatiya ladka hun. Par aisa nahi hai simran, main janta hun ki ek hindustani ladki ki izzat kya hoti hai. Maine kabhi sapne mein bhi tumhe bhagane ke baare mein nahi socha tha.

Simran : phir ab aisa kya ho gaya raj ? Yaad hai tumhari maa kya kaha karti thi tumse. "Beta, zindagi ke har mod pe tumhe do raste milenge ek galat aur ek sahi. Galat rasta asaan hoga, tumhe apni taraf kheenchega. Aur jo sahi rasta hoga, ho sakta hai usmein tumhe kadi mushkilon ka samna karna pade, bahut taklif mile; par yaad rakhna akhir mein jeet tumhari hi hogi."

Raj : wo sab to theek hai simran lekin .......

Simran : lekin kya raj ? Ab to tum mere babuji ko bhi jan gaye ho. Thode kadak mijaj hain, par agar tum roj hamare ghar kaam karne aaoge, maa ka rasoi mein hath bataoge, chutki pe apna fraud gentleman image jhadoge, buaji ke liye saree kharidkar unhe maska lagaoge. Subah 5 baje uthkar, dhoti pahankar, kabootaron ko dana daloge; to babuji tumse jaroor impress ho jayenge raj. Tum mere liye itna bhi nahi kar sakte !

Raj : simran, tum galat samajh rahi ho. Ghar ke kaam karne mein mujhe koi aitraj nahi hai (Main aur koi kaam kar bhi nahi sakta) Aur ladkiyon (Auraton) ko dana dalne mein bhi mujhe koi problem nahi hogi (Akhir tumko bhi to aise hi pataya tha), Rahi baat babuji ki.. simarn wo sab to main kar hi raha hun, roj subah subah dhoti pahankar kheton mein jata hun, kabootaron ko dana dalne. Ab to wahan ke kabootar bhi "tujhe dekha to ye jana sanam..." gane lage hain. Aur babuji ...... mujhe apne pyaar pe poora bharosa hai ki aaj nahi to kal wo maan jayenge.

Simran : Phir tum kis baat se ghabra rahe ho raj ? You are "The Raj Malhotra" (Who failed in a london university) yaad hai tumhe; jab tumne mujhse poocha tha.. pyar karti ho mujhse? bharosa hai mujh par ? to maine tumse kya kaha tha

Raj : Yaad hai simran, sab yaad hai. Par jitna bharosa tumhe is Raj par hai, utna hi bharosa mujhe us Raj par.

Simran : Kya matlab ???

Raj : simran, yeh sab jo tumhe yaad hai, wo ddlj-I tha. Ab ddlj-II chal rahi hai. Aur ismein tum aur tumhare babuji punjabi nahin, marathi hain, aur main ek north indian. MNS ne press conference mein yeh elaan kiya hai ki keval 'sons of the soil' hi marathi ladkiyon se shadi kar sakte hain. Outsiders ne hamari naukriyan to cheen hi li hain, chokriyan ham nahin cheenne denge. ab tum hi batao simran main kya karun.. mujh jaise ek north indian ka vanmanoos se shadi karna asaan hai, par ek marathi manoos se nahi.

Simran : ye kya kah rahe ho raj. Raj hi mere raj ka dushman ban gaya ?

Raj : han simran, hamare pass koi aur rasta nahi hai, hamein bhagna hi hoga. hamein bhagna hi hoga simran.

Before they could run away after seeking the blessings of his pops and her babuji, MNS got the news. They came with lathis and guns, kuldeep also joined them and started beating everybody. Raj (malhotra), his pop, her babuji, ajeete and everybody. No gurror ko lalkarna buisness worked to awake the hidden fighter in Raj and all of them got thrashed brutally by the MNS.

In between all this mayhem, raj found a chance to utter his final dialogues

Raj : simran, maine pahle hi kaha tha tumse, ki chalo bhag chalte hain. Tum hi nahi mani. Par jo bhi hua, shayad sahi hua simran. Ye (MNS wale) hamare neta hain, ham inhe vote dekar parliament bhejte hain. Hamein koi haq nahin banta ki ham apni khushi ke liye inke samman ko thes pahunchayein. Akhir ye hamare neta hain, hamara bhala bura hamse behtar samajh sakte hain. Tumahri shadi mujh jaise kisi awara ladke se nahi ho sakti. To kya hua agar ye awara tumhein diwanon ki tarah pyar karta hai, to kya hua agar use tumhare alawa aur koi chehra dikhai nahi deta. To kya hua simran, to kya hua ..... pyar sab kuch to nahi hota na.

And he hops into the local train without simran (since there was MNS, it was mumbai. And since it was mumbai, there was local train). Simran is crying and pleading to the MNS workers. In fact everybody is pleading.. that fellow kuldeep also starts feeling sympathetic towards her. But MNS is made of tough people. Their resolve could not be broken by some stupid romance.. to kya hua agar (oh forget it.. these corny dialogues suit only a hippy looking, stammering srk)

Now, there are two options for the climax :

The first is that MNS will not let simran run towards the train. So, in that case this movie may need to be titled differently. "Soil-wale dulhaniya le jayenge"

The second option is that MNS heart (I presume they also have heart, head, brain; please avoid the debate) melts and the leave simran's hand saying... " ja simran ja, jee le apni jindagi; is ladke se jyada pyar tujhe aur koi nahi kar sakta" . simran will run, raj will hang at the train gate (he was hanging from the gate anyway.. mumbai local remember). But simran will still be not able to make it (It is tough enough to catch a standing local, forget a running one. What were you thinking simran). And mumbai will "move-on" from this tragedy. After-all 'bade bade (pra)deshon mein aisi choti choti baatein hoti rahti hain"

So irrespective of the two possible climaxes, the movie will still be titled " Soil-wale dulhaniya le jayenge"

Disclaimer : The author was watching DDLJ, when he started reading a news regarding marathi pride. So he had a deadly cocktail for his mind, and the result was a nasty hangover. So, if anybody is offended, please forgive the author for his drunken like state. And yeah... when i said MNS, i meant Marathi Nari Sena, not that MNS. You controversy loving sickos :P

Golden Jubilee !!

noreply@blogger.com (Shoonya) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 04:45:00 +0000

Sunday used to be so different in my early childhood. All my cousins, aunts, uncles used to come to our house early morning. I used to look forward to each of those mornings, because it was a refreshing change from the routine school going week days. It was a perfect example of a big fat indian family get together. Now if you are thinking, we used to have a family function every sunday, you are wrong. Our joint family is big, but not that much :)

They came to our house to watch Mahabharat. In those days, Doordarshan signal was not available in the outskirts of the city where my cousins live. But such was the craze of Mahabharat, that they used to come to our place every sunday morning, sharp at 10 AM. Earlier was fine, but nobody was late. It is so hard to believe that people can become so crazy about a TV serial. Especially when i know that none of them are a TV serial addict now. But Mahabharat was no ordinary TV serial. If i believe my parents and elders, traffic used to stop from 10 AM to 11 AM, sunday mornings used to be a family get-together not only for us, but most of the joint families.

And speaking of the popularity of the TV serials, Mahabharat is probably the biggest TV serial made in the history of indian television. But this was not the only hit from Doordarshan. Ask any person who was watching TV in late 80s and early 90s, they will get a twinkle in their eyes when you mention Doordarshan. No matter what age, what culture one belongs to; DD had something for everybody. Ramayan and Mahabharat are iconic mythology serials in indian television history. Programs like jungle book, surabhi, bharat ek khoj, chanakya, dekh bhai dekh, hum log, buniyad, vyomkesh bakshi are still remembered fondly. And the ads, can any one ever forget 'mile sur mera tumhara' ?

What about news? I remember when DD used to telecast india's cricket matches, an hour break used to come for news (general news + parliament news in hindi and english). It was very tough on me to bear those 1 hours, and god forbid if i miss sachin's batting, all hell broke loose. In one of those frustrated moments i once asked, why can't they show news after match? I never understood it when my dad said that news is the most important thing in TV and should never be compromised, No matter what is the price one has to pay.

Sadly that is what the present media has done. Today the 24x7 news channels look more like entertainment channels. We do get tit-bits of news, but that is packaged in a hysteria making substance and presented by loud mouth journalists. The debates shown on the most of the news channels are like DOSA. It is a term i read in an article published in 'The Hindu'. It means Decision Oriented System Analyses. Most of the channels already have a conclusion for their debates, they just want the experts to fill in with some facts. That defies the logic of journalism. It has to be dispassionate, it should respect the audience intelligence and let them form an opinion based on the news provided by them.

That is where DD has still maintained the dignity of a news channel. The news reader are sober in appearance, in mannerism, not over the top, present the news dispassionately and do not sensitize the issues unnecessarily. I would say, if you care for news, DD news is the best place for you.

I agree, that Doordarshan has lost its sheen in presence of private channels. But if you are asked to recall a landmark serial; chances are that it will be from Doordarshan. The rich history of Doordarshan makes me believe that it can still produce quality programs. It is different from private channels in the sense that while serving entertainment, it also has to contribute to public welfare. This makes DDs jobs harder than the private channels, but the romantic optimist inside me thinks that it will manage.

Kuch to baat hai hummein, Jo hasti mitti nahin !

Pursuit of happiness

noreply@blogger.com (Shoonya) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:59:00 +0000

Kaminey

noreply@blogger.com (Shoonya) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 06:18:00 +0000

जिसका भी चेहरा छीला, अन्दर से और निकला

मासूम सा कबूतर, नाचा तो मोर निकला

कभी हम कमिने निकले, कभी दोस्ती कमिनी, मेरे यार भी कमिने

इक दिल से दोस्ती थी, ये हुजूर भी कमिने !!

Guljar saheb is the best !!

Are we really preventing unlawful activities?

noreply@blogger.com (Shoonya) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 03:46:00 +0000

Person A:

------------

'Tamil nadu would witness a bloodbath even if the slightest harm befell LTTE leader V. Prabhakaran'.

-LTTE is a banned organization by government of india.

-Threatening with bloodbath is enticing the public for unlawful activity.

'It is a long time since people of tamil nadu had forgotten about Sripermbadur (assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi)'

-The statement directly means justifying the assassination.

'India will not remain one country, if Mahinda rajpaksha did not stop the war against LTTE and india did not argue him to stop the war.'

-The statesman is questioning the sovereignty and integrity of nation, and promoting separatism.

Person B:

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'If anyone raises a hand against hindus, i swear on the Gita, that i will cut that hand off.'

-This promotes violence and disrespect towards law.

Note : According to popular media belief, this is a communal statement. But i see it as a pro hindu statement, not communal statement.

Putting things in perspective :

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When i see these two cases, person B's statements seem much more milder to me. The other thing to be noted down is :

-Person A is not apologetic of his remarks and is proud of his association with LTTE.

-Person B says, certain parts of his speech are doctored, he has not said anything communal.

Result :

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Person B is charged against National Security Act, suffering in jail and Person A is enjoying the freedom of speech !! Why ?

India should be careful when they advice Pakistan to try all the leaders of banned organizations in court and punish them. After all, when we have a person contesting parliamentary elections who openly supports a banned organization ; do we have a right to expect others to follow our advice? We need to have a honest look within ourselves and should practice what we preach.