tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30107088679723042582026-08-23T12:34:33.684-04:00The flight chronicles of a whimsical mind....Rituhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06833068252721349169noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3010708867972304258.post-21032641892284205152017-11-24T09:33:00.000-05:002017-11-24T09:33:44.855-05:00

Woke up today morning to read the sad news of the passing of singer Meena Kapoor.  Her voice has been ringing in my ears since and the mind goes into a slow flashback.... The year was 2006, I was in India for a short assignment and we burst upon the idea of organizing a centenary show for SD Burman, whose hundredth birthday fell that year.  Organizing a show of this kind was a once

Rituhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06833068252721349169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3010708867972304258.post-26207133715520186552012-12-05T22:27:00.002-05:002013-08-18T11:24:10.601-04:00

 Art can be a curious thing. Within its many folds and many layers it conceals a strange paradox. While on one side it is said, for any creation to be truthful it has to transcend time and space and straddle the timeless horse on the other side nothing chronicles that same time, space and era as does the art of the time. Popular art for centuries has provided a window to the aspirations

Rituhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06833068252721349169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3010708867972304258.post-15925246042048765402012-09-26T22:21:00.004-04:002012-12-05T18:03:13.275-05:00

The vast majority of emotions that a human experiences are such that they cannot be articulated, they cannot be expressed they are only meant to be felt. Well, atleast by the mere mortals. But then God created artists. The messiahs who can not only articulate the unspoken but they also have magical powers to invoke them again and again by the sheer dint of their art. Different

Rituhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06833068252721349169noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3010708867972304258.post-18026109760024234712012-07-04T15:03:00.002-04:002012-07-15T23:51:03.468-04:00

One abiding sin that I must confess to is a hyperactive imagination. Dangle a wisp of a thought and my mind would soon have conjured up a story. Poke a little more, it will add sounds & smells, another nudge and lo behold, you have alternate reality! This habit has led to many a comic, annoying and sometimes even tragic let-downs. Reality, after all, seldom lives up to fantasy…. However

Rituhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06833068252721349169noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3010708867972304258.post-15268272958946247142012-06-02T16:02:00.000-04:002012-06-03T23:33:00.259-04:00

Prelude  We had started www.SDBurman.Net as a great labour of love. It was a journey that three kindred souls, diverse in age, background, nationality and geography undertook together. More than anything else SDBurman.Net was a triumph of human bonding and universality of music. I an Indian, Maajid Saab (Maajid Maqbool) a Pakistani and Chowdhury Saab(HQ Chowdhury

Rituhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06833068252721349169noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3010708867972304258.post-2696964593346108472011-10-01T17:38:00.025-04:002012-06-03T09:38:52.051-04:00

Many suns, moons, springs and falls ago, I was in school and we had to write essays. They were a staple of the growing up years. As I lazily finger dust off random spots of memory on this languid Saturday afternoon, the gentle revelation is that not all memories around these essays are pleasant. Writing was not one of my preoccupations in childhood and these essays - they were all over the

Rituhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06833068252721349169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3010708867972304258.post-49336518350763548192009-12-25T18:54:00.035-05:002012-06-03T09:38:37.736-04:00

Do you sometimes have those moments? Moments when a general feeling of well-being suddenly whips up into something more potent. Quite like an ecstacy that completely engulfs the being. These are those moments when there was no yesterday, there is no tomorrow, there is just that moment and the luminous beauty of the moment.... I have those moments once in a while. Born mostly out of

Rituhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06833068252721349169noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3010708867972304258.post-59598989440254429712009-07-20T08:12:00.018-04:002012-06-03T09:39:15.474-04:00

A lot of feedback to the List of definitive Geeta Dutt songs has rued the exclusion of her equally delightful but lesser known songs. Since the purpose of the earlier exercise was to profile Geeta Dutt through her known output, a lot of good songs did not get the space they more than deserved. So, here is another list. This time the endeavour is to commemorate Geeta Dutt with the help of

Rituhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06833068252721349169noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3010708867972304258.post-1197881531004268672009-06-13T20:20:00.031-04:002012-06-03T11:32:36.420-04:00

In this universe there are two kinds of people - those who are music lovers and those who are not. The second lot are more or less off our radar. They are after all deprived souls who have missed being tuned into most vital frequency of all and we will let them be (after expressing our gloating sympathy ofcourse). It is the second category of homo sapiens, the music lovers, that are of interest

Rituhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06833068252721349169noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3010708867972304258.post-37635640572028993602009-06-02T12:30:00.026-04:002009-12-26T09:51:44.566-05:00

On May 30th, the flight of my fancy flew past it's first landmark - one whole year of flapping it's wings in cyberspace. When I had started blogging last year, it was one of those sudden whims that suddenly consumed me and lo behold a blog was born with just 24 hours of gestation. It was hurriedly (and may I add sloppily) put together. The temporary name was a convoluted one - 'In the footsteps

Rituhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06833068252721349169noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3010708867972304258.post-82780594862438216002009-04-14T19:05:00.016-04:002012-06-03T09:39:41.493-04:00

Many many moons ago, there was no Lata Mangeshker in the world of film music. Incredulous as it sounds, this is true. It was the great Kundan Lal Saigal who blazed the skies with his deeply expressive voice, outshining every other male singer on the firmament. But the corner of the sky occupied by female singers had many sparkling little stars. Each had her own strengths, character and

Rituhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06833068252721349169noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3010708867972304258.post-12126007428239881972009-02-17T08:02:00.030-05:002012-06-03T09:40:08.006-04:00

In the recent past I have made an interesting observation. The greatest truths of life dawn upon me when I am indulging in my favourite guilty pleasure - you Tubing. The last time it was the discovery of the phenomenal talent called Dr Chaudhury, this time it is the realisation of the phenomenal luck of Kalpana Kartik. For those who have been weaned on the trivia of Indian cinema it is a

Rituhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06833068252721349169noreply@blogger.com38tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3010708867972304258.post-13551946094971437132009-02-08T15:14:00.042-05:002009-02-12T00:17:38.175-05:00

Note : This review was started in November when I saw the film.So there I have finally met him!I met Bond, James Bond. Yes, I am talking of Daniel Craig, the (not so) new James Bond. After somehow missing 'Casino Royale' I watched the latest Bond flick - 'Quantum of Solace'over the week-end. I know talking about the 'newness' of a James Bond after he is two films old is a crime punishable by

Rituhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06833068252721349169noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3010708867972304258.post-793565196577450892008-12-22T04:55:00.015-05:002012-06-03T09:40:30.389-04:00

Continued from In Pursuit of Manna Dey (Preparing for the concert) - Part1 In Pursuit of Manna Dey (Pre-interval) - Part 2    Concluding Part Manna da walked off  stage for his cuppa and people started flocking out. Swimming through the crowd in the foyer we tried to spot a tea kiosk. But no luck. Seems the tea was only for the performers. Meanwhile, we

Rituhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06833068252721349169noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3010708867972304258.post-37551581641436435522008-12-02T11:47:00.002-05:002012-06-03T11:32:55.558-04:00

A beautiful poem reflecting the sentiment of the day. It is time for India to awaken. इस बार नहीं> इस बार जब वोह छोटी सी बच्ची मेरे पास अपनी खरोंच ले कर आएगी मैं उसे फू फू कर नहीं बहलाऊँगा पनपने दूँगा उसकी टीस को इस बार नहीं इस बार जब मैं चेहरों पर दर्द लिखा देखूँगा नहीं गाऊँगा गीत पीड़ा भुला देने वाले दर्द को रिसने दूँगा,उतरने दूँगा अन्दर गहरे इस बार नहीं इस बार मैं न मरहम लगाऊँगा न ही

Rituhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06833068252721349169noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3010708867972304258.post-86994073421803021902008-11-13T23:04:00.014-05:002012-06-04T00:10:15.643-04:00

Continuing from Guru Dutt Genuis? (Introduction) -1 Guru Dutt Genius? (Subjects and Characterizations) - 2 Song Picturisations Indian cinema has long been accused of looking westward for inspiration, both in subject matter and in technique, a charge that is not completely baseless. However, despite all the inspiration the truth is that our stamp is uniquely ours. If one

Rituhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06833068252721349169noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3010708867972304258.post-15014883707385228542008-11-12T17:21:00.029-05:002008-12-22T08:05:11.057-05:00

Continuing from Guru Dutt Genuis? (Introduction) -1 Subjects and Characterizations The grays in Guru Dutt’s cinema deliciously mellowed the starkness of the black and white era The main subjects that Indian cinema explored in the 50s and early 60s were strongly social in nature. Idealism was in the air and despite the low rumblings of discontent; films were essentially bright in the eyes. All

Rituhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06833068252721349169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3010708867972304258.post-63208424632564745622008-10-31T20:44:00.015-04:002012-06-03T09:41:24.379-04:00

A character sketch of SD Burman. (This was written in 2006 for the souvenier released to commemorate his birth centenary ) Reconstructing a personality behind a name is always a challenging task. More so if the person concerned left the world thirty one years back. Those early decades when SD Burman was most active as a musician, have only scattered footprints remaining today. No one

Rituhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06833068252721349169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3010708867972304258.post-34026586314729689592008-10-31T11:04:00.013-04:002012-06-03T09:41:52.432-04:00

Today is the 33rd Death Anniversary of Sachin Dev Burman. The month of October also marked the first death anniversary of his wife Meera Dev Burman an accomplished artist herself who assisted Dada for many memorable films. On this occasion I pay my respects to the maestro whose music continues to give me moments of immeasurable pleasure. As a mark of tribute to the Burmans I have uploaded

Rituhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06833068252721349169noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3010708867972304258.post-53634345407459584582008-10-26T14:48:00.017-04:002008-10-28T11:20:44.985-04:00

One side-effect of the economic downturn is that the blokes left hanging(on a single thread if I may add!) on Wall Street like yours truly have a lot of time to while away. Projects have been scrapped and funding withdrawn and the few people that are being tolerated, because some critical element is linked to them, are usually just waiting around(and hoping) for some disaster to happen so that

Rituhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06833068252721349169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3010708867972304258.post-78707049022744870522008-10-13T14:36:00.013-04:002012-06-04T00:00:26.444-04:00

At the outset let me lay out my disclaimers bold and clear. I am not a journalist, I am not a film critic and I am not a student of cinema. And however much I would have loved to, I never took a course on film appreciation either. Hence my opinions are all the unfettered rambling of an average film-goer and are based purely on instinct and observation. The month of October marks the death

Rituhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06833068252721349169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3010708867972304258.post-21798108367027012472008-10-11T09:10:00.013-04:002012-06-04T00:12:57.859-04:00

youTubing this fine saturday morning I bumped into an old favourite. It is a song from the 1952 film 'Jaal'. Having a compulsive weakness for fisherman songs there was no way this song would have escaped my radar (let me confess, in moments of intense introspection I have often wondered if I sat selling wares in a fish market in my previous life). But it is not only the fragrance of the

Rituhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06833068252721349169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3010708867972304258.post-51819204770692625902008-10-07T23:25:00.033-04:002008-10-08T21:00:30.066-04:00

I just finished watching the presidential debate.  Here is a scribble with  some initial impressions...Even though I have been rooting for Barack Obama since the day Hillary was out of the race, I must say John McCain made more sense today than he ever has. Esp. when it came to foreign policy issues.Indians, by and large have been quite pleased with Obama in the recent past. Infact they have been

Rituhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06833068252721349169noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3010708867972304258.post-47234477152170266972008-10-01T00:04:00.010-04:002012-06-03T09:42:43.045-04:00

A very Happy Birthday to our dearest Burmanda. The grand old man of Hindi film music is hundred and two years young today. The legendary music directory was born on 1st October 1906. The month of October marks SD Burman's birth anniversary as well as death anniversary. I shall make some uploads down the month to mark the occasion. I am starting off with uploading a small video on his life

Rituhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06833068252721349169noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3010708867972304258.post-61230163887281110022008-09-26T00:02:00.044-04:002012-06-03T09:43:10.991-04:00

September 26, 2008 The day marks 85 years of an incredible life. A life filled with glory, glamour, grit and guts. The guts to take risks, the guts to follow convictions and most importantly the guts to believe in the self long after the world stopped believing in it. Today is the 85th Birthday of the irrepressible phenomena, the matinee idol of the past and the tireless maker of the

Rituhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06833068252721349169noreply@blogger.com27