Telangana Survey - What they asked and what they didn't!

The much publicised and over hyped in media Telangana Survey also known as the Samagra Kutumba Survey evoked tremendous response according to the Chief Minister, who called it a 'Hit'. 

However the Questions in the Survey itself didn't seem to serve much purpose personally!  For a forward caste, private employed, middle class Tamilian this survey had no expectations though!

I have enlisted a few Questions that amused me and a few that really didn't:

Aadhar Card number - Yes | Ration Card - NO

~ Wasn't this exercise all about weeding out bogus ration cards in the first place?

Mobile Number - Yes | Fixed Land line number - NO. 

~ "House" hold survey right?

Water Connection & Can Number - Yes |  But not how frequently water is supplied in the locality? - NO

~  For the record: Once a week for 1 hour.

Electricity Bill number - Yes | But not how many hours electricity is supplied (or not supplied)? - NO 

~ For the record - presently 5 to 6 hours power cut every day.

Type of Asset: Air Conditioner? - Yes | Why not Automatic Washing Machine, Double Door Refrigerator, Geysers, LCD Televisions, Persian Carpets and lot more such luxury items?

~ Who decided this query?

Pet Dogs - Yes |  Why No cognizance of the dozen rabid stray dogs on the street lying right in front of the house? - They make life miserable!

Epic signing off:  I solemnly declare the above in the name of God / Self. No other options?

Forced Bandh: Buses, Autos, Taxis, Shops, Schools, Colleges, Offices, Banks, Diagnostic Centres, Petrol Bunks and even a few Hospitals - every thing was closed - Roads Deserted Wine Shops remain open whole day!

~ It's a topsy-tipsy survey !

Tail piece:

My wife was enlisted as 'Housewife' but Mother was not - Reason: There is only 1 Kitchen in your house. - Outrageous.

Of niceties in Sport and punishing law breakers!

Lahore October 16, 1987: It was almost twilight and West Indies were on the threshold of entering their fourth consecutive Semi Final place in World Cups. Pakistan required 2 runs from the last ball with Abdul Qadir on strike, the non striker Saleem Jaffar was backing up too far and should have been out ‘Mankaded’. 

But the Caribbean giant Courtney Walsh decided to play gentleman and stopped in his tracks to allow the Pakistan no. 11 back in his crease. The next ball Qadir got the runs for a famous victory. West Indies lost, but Walsh won a million hearts and the incident remains etched even after 26 years.

That was then. Cricket and the World have traversed millions of miles around the Sun and human life has evolved much around the principal of vengeance.

While cricket is now played with fierce competitive spirit with no team missing a chance to sledge and disturb the other team, the Englishmen, credited with inventing the game of Cricket and branding it a gentleman’s game, are no saints either and have a fair share of bringing disrepute to the tag. Not new to breaking the law, crying hoarse and playing victim is something the English cricketers are not new to either.

The recent incident involving English batsman Jos Buttler and Sri Lankan spinner Sachitra Senanayake is moot case in point.

After a whirlwind century in a losing cause Jos had come into this deciding fifth One Day International with a huge responsibility. What was irresponsible on his part was his constant ambling outside the crease at the non striker’s end while the bowler ran up to bowl. Having been warned a few times in the earlier match and twice by Senanayake, Jos was in for a rude shock when the bowler coolly ran him out Mankaded. That hastened the end of the English innings and a seemingly achievable target meant the Lankan side won the match and series.

While it would be fair for the home crowd to feel cheated and boo the opposition for the alleged un-sportive act of the Lankan captain upholding the appeal for Out, it also brings to fore the unfair  advantage sportsmen take by breaking the law. Yes, lawfully Buttler was out and he didn’t deserve a third warning.

For a strong believer in sportsmanship and fairplay, I may not have Mankaded a non striker while bowling, but as a stickler to rules I always believed, the one who breaks the rule deserves to be punished. 

On this day English Cricket had to be punished, and they were!

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Ashes ~ Cricket at it's best!

IF Cricket is Religion... Ashes is it's most revered celebration!

July 10, 2013: Once again it's that time of the year when the most keenly fought and most keenly followed series in the history of Cricket begins! 

While Australia and England fight for the pride of the historical trophy, Ashes over the years has changed hands much. More so in the recent years after the consistent supremacy of the team from down under was broken. The rivalry between the teams has seen many a high point and a few lows too, for the modern day cricket is quite 'no holds barred'. 

The Ashes 2013 is going to be no different, for the war of words and strategies have already begun. 

While we Indians have been subjected to an extreme overdose of T20, especially the much-tainted IPL, the  recent Champions Trophy has been a refreshing change from the shortest format to the One-Day version. 

However, Test Cricket has been universally accepted as the real 'test' of cricket, and there cannot be a better way to start the season but for Ashes. While I would like to go on and on in eulogising the 'real form of cricket', for the ardent follower of cricket, just the mention Test, is enough. 

The much celebrated Australian team is not the same again. Sans Ricky Ponting, this inexperienced team lead by Michael Clarke will be up against a rejuvenated English team lead by Alastair Cook. Rejuvenated from their recent successes in cricket and buoyed by a sports crazy nation basking in the glory of the historical achievement of its favourite Tennis star.

Andy Murray, who won for his country at home, the mecca of Tennis - Wimbledon after a long wait of 77 years, will surely be a huge inspiration for England.

The mecca of Cricket - Lords, beckons another War!

July 10, 2013 is a day of reckoning, an eagerly awaited date for the connoisseurs of the game, for this will decide whether the longest version of the game will bite the dust or rise from the Ashes.

Thus, I sign off with the same lines as my previous Ashes blog post ended (appended below)

--------------- My July 5, 2009 blogpost on Ashes ---------------

(http://venkrekzworld.blogspot.in/2009/07/ashes-to-ashes-dust-to-dust.html )

Ashes to Ashes, dust to dust...

…If Thomson doesn't get you, Lillee must!

So goes the folklore of cricket that seems to have been the hallmark of what cricket was all about – Test Cricket! Add Gary Gilmour to the attack, and cricket in the 70s and 80s was in its fiercest form of competitiveness, in spite of the fact that it was played over six days with a day’s break in between. The West Indies defined the four pronged pace attack and the spearheads like Croft, Roberts, Holding, Garner, Marshall sent chill down the spine of the batsmen. There were batsmen of the likes of Geoff Boycott and Sunil Gavaskar who would play out days and nights to blunt the above attack.

Cricket in flannels is still considered the purest form and Ashes the flag bearer. Today cricket is followed as religion in India but then the passionate following that this game has dates back to 1882 when a young London journalist, Reginald Shirley Brooks wrote a mock obituary in the Sporting Times, which read: “In affectionate remembrance of English cricket which died at The Oval, 29th August, 1882. Deeply lamented by a large circle of sorrowing friends and acquaintances, RIP. NB: The body will be cremated and the Ashes taken to Australia.” That was to be Australia's first victory on English soil over the full strength of England.

Things haven’t changed much even to this day, Ashes conjures some of the most competitive displays of the gentleman’s game and has stood the test of time. If the overdose of Twenty 20 through the Indian Premier League and the T20 World Cup makes the modern follower feel that test cricket is losing its sheen, then look back to the year when Kerry Packer hijacked the cream of the cricketers to a new brand of coloured clothing game, which brought a revolution to the fifty over format.

The 1978-79 Ashes was played in direct competition to the unofficial WSC matches elsewhere in Australia and, while England lost a few regulars, Australia fielded a weak side that lost the series 5-1. The crowds dwindled and Test cricket seemed threatened. After things settled down the following year Ashes saw some of the most memorable performances The 1979 series was notable for the remarkable number of players who made nineties - Kim Hughes (99) Boycott (99*) David Gower (98*) Greg Chappell (98*) and Graham Gooch (99), missing out his maiden century being run-out. Those days cricket was keenly followed on BBC and ABC radio and of course through the newspaper columns. Even as One Day cricket with coloured clothing and white ball made strides, Test cricket continued to flourish and yes with some record breaking performances across the World.

After almost two decades of dominance Australia lost the Ashes to the English in 2005, but then regained it at home eighteen months later with an emphatic 5-0 whitewash. Two years later and with the cream of the Aussies leaving, the team from down under are facing a stiff challenge, not just to retain the Ashes, but also uphold the dispassionate interest that followers of the game have always had in the five day version.

July 8, 2009 is a day of reckoning, an eagerly awaited date for the connoisseurs of the game, for this will decide whether the longest version of the game will bite the dust or rise from the Ashes.

--------------------------------------------- pics : Internet--------------------------------------------------

An India that lives in Villages!

4.15 am: Thursday June 13, 2013: We (I was accompanied by my friend from Hyderabad) alighted at Villupuram in Tamil Nadu (Vizhupuram in Tamil) after a 5 hour journey from Coimbatore. Too early in the day for our proposed meeting with an Agri Professor in a deep interior village, so we decided to stay put in the town for the next six hours.

10.15 am: Boarded a private town bus from Villupuram to Vikravandi, the distance of about 15kms took over half hour, with frequent stoppages for the filled-to-the-brim bus to offload passengers at the villages and take more in.

Vikravandi (Panchayat), I learnt, had a very high literacy rate, the dusty town bus stand led me to the narrow street where I asked the auto guy for directions to Ganapathipattu, a village some 8 – 9 kms from the bus stand. He said it would cost Rs. 150 one way. We had no choice and got into the auto for a long winding ride on some tarred roads, some stoned roads and some no roads leading through some amazing greenery. 

As we reached our destination half hour later, Shiva Kumar, the auto guy introduced himself thus, asked would we take long. I said we would need an hour and half, and he may leave if he wanted to. He said there was no way we would be able to go back to town as there was no other mode of transport. His was the only auto that reached the village edge at that moment. Shiva volunteered to come back if called, but then changed his mind to stay back till we were done with our work.

About an hour and 45 minutes later, having finished our meeting with the highly intellectual humble Agriculturist, we were back in his auto for the return journey. Shiva told us that we would find it difficult to reach our next destination from the Vikravandi bus stop and offered to drop us on the Highway near the toll gate, where we could have our lunch and also board any bus towards Chennai. The idea sounded good for we were very hungry and tired

 

That’s when I got started talking (for my friend knew very little Tamil, he was a silent spectator), enquiring about the way of life, the political scenario, the rains, the real estate boom and its effect on the land prices and then to Shiva and his family. Like most villages abutting the highways in India, the farming was fast disappearing, the agricultural lands were being gobbled up by realtors and sold at exorbitant prices. Politicians had their fingers in every pie and this place was no different. I steered away from the topic and thought it would rather be interesting to know about the young man and why he preferred to drive an auto in the small town.

At 30, Shiva was the youngest amongst 5 siblings. One of his sisters was a teacher in a private school in a nearby town and another was a home maker, his two brothers were well educated, one was a post graduate and the other a doctorate. He too did his intermediate, for he was quite fluent in English, and followed it up with an ITI certification in electrical winding. Jobs for his qualification were hard to come by and the mills in his town hardly paid much. He did find offers from other major cities, Coimbatore and Salem offered lucrative jobs, but he wanted to stay closer to his home town and with his ageing parents. 

Married and blessed with two kids, Shiva for a brief period worked to cultivate his 10 acres of farm, his frail body couldn’t allow him to do much and continue with it, that’s when he sought his brother-in-law’s services to toil in the land. He found the local travel in and around the twenty odd villages of Vikravandi was quite difficult and thus bought an Auto to ferry people. The earnings did make his ends meet and he was happy with what he was doing, despite the strong objection from his brothers and sisters, who wanted him to do something better.

His two children are going to school and he takes much interest in their education. For someone who has not moved out of his district, Shiva dreams of his children to cross the seas.

With pressure mounting from his family, Shiva yearns to earn a little more to have a travel company of his own, a humble fleet of 2-3 cars, himself driving one of them across the State.

Soon, we were on the highway, as we alighted I asked how much? Shiva simply said “ungallukku yenna thonardho kudungo saar” (Give what you think is right Sir). Overwhelmed with the simpleton I bid goodbye to him after paying him aptly.

Post a sumptuous late lunch, we boarded a bus near the Vikravandi Highway Tollgate and soon my friend dozed off, I was not sleepy and preferred to watch the the outside, as looked out of the window at the vast greenery I was lost in thought…

In an era when most youth of his age and education would not think twice to move to greener pastures across the World, here was a villager who earned a decent livelihood, stayed grounded and dreamt of a Worldly living for his children.

… And thus the World Ended on Doomsday December 21st!

Many religions, calendars and prophecies point to Dec. 21, 2012 as the end of the world. Is this another "Theory of the Apocalypse" that will come and go like others we have seen, or is this one that we should be paying attention to?

Ronnie is an investment banker with a multinational, has his hands full with things to do all the time, when not busy juggling his finances, he is browsing the internet for interesting recipes and has a very acute sense of humour. Cryptic at most times, his thoughts like his humour go un-noticed.

Joe is the silent of the trio, IT Consultant, avid cricket follower, plays the game too apart from Tennis. Though very proximal to Ronnie, loves to differ with him and has Sam for company in pulling the banker’s legs.

Sam is a creative guy, the thinker, who is lost beyond his time, comes out as an affable character and is seen on the time lines of social media most times.

All three work in the same building, with offices on the same floor and routinely met at various intervals of the day.

December 21, 2012:

Driving through Friday morning traffic from different corners of the city, fighting off the week’s struggles both at work place and domestic front, the three converged on to the most famous address in town, the most visible landmark of the metropolitan city.

10.30 am: As every day the trio met at the street side tea shop opposite the Metro railway station and was having a mirthful discussion of the previous day’s cricket match, a topic which was almost alien to Ronnie. While Joe and Ronnie preferred Tea, Sam sipped coffee with his smoke, the stray discussions on each one’s professional hardships slowly veered towards the hot topic of the day - Dooms Day.

While Sam recollected reading Nostradamus predictions on the internet and related it through Mayan calendar declaring December 21, 2012 as the ‘end of the world day’, quite interestingly Ronnie had a version of his own, his readings told him that the world will not end by way of disaster caused by fire or water but through a giant monster gobbling up the world in one go, he even gave his own version of the monster, more on that later. Joe was quite content listening to the other two and was only keen to see the day after!

They disbursed only to meet post lunch!

2.00 pm: Same tea stall: Armed with info on the end-of-the-world Joe and Sam told Ronnie that the time has come. It is destined to end at 4.31 pm (16.31 IST). Even as they laughed at the heavy lunch they all had, which could eventually be their last meal, Ronnie remarked with confidence “I’m immune to this doomsday prediction, Apocalypse will not effect me, I’m going to be alone… all alone… and shall enjoy watching it happen”. Things couldn’t have been easier for Ronnie to comprehend as Joe brought in a new dimension to ‘doomsday’, he added "there was not going to be any disaster, just that all life forms would simply disappear”.

Yes – ‘All life forms would simply disappear’ is what all three agreed to and promised to reassemble at quarter past four, for one final round of tea, coffee and smokes!

4.15 pm: Just as Sam paid the tea stall guy the day’s charges, Joe picked on Ronnie to throw away all money, for he would require none of them soon in a deserted world. Time ticked away and then as it turned 4.30 pm, Ronnie walked away in to the deserted by lane slowly blowing smoke in the air.

An Hour later: Silence engulfed his world, Ronnie felt he went deaf… couldn’t even hear the crickets, it got dark… a few lights across the road… he walked on to reach his office... the lift was there at the ground floor. Went into a silent office and found none… picked his laptop and went down to the parking lot. His small car was parked in the corner, as he found his way to the main road, one which had over thousands of two wheelers, cars, buses, taxis seemed still and a few vehicles parked haphazardly at various points.

He realized it had come true, the world had ended, but no calamity, no disaster, no earthquake or floods, no tsunami either. Life had disappeared, sans him! It was generally cold winter evening and he suddenly seemed to be the only man alive, rather human alive and soon he felt an eerie realisation, he must have been the only living being alive. There were no dogs, no birds and no animals in sight. No, the dead weren’t present either, they just disappeared. But he was wrong, the plants breathed, the air seemed fresh, the oxygen kept him going. He drove randomly to the nearest automobile showroom parked his car on the drive and drove away with a plush luxury sedan, filled fuel on his own at a filling station. Drove further, no signals, no vehicular movement absolutely no one in sight. Was he scared? NO, he had expected this and was not bothered about the solitude.

It was only when the radio in his car remained silent Ronnie realized that there was more in store than he expected. There was none to operate a radio station, but the audio CDs kept him company. The volume seemed to reverberate in to the alleys leading to his home. As he walked into his first floor home he was greeted by none. His two German shepherd dogs, his family all gone, no, he wasn’t shattered with emotions… simply stoic in silence. The TV had no signals, so all the world’s news was his to view and find out and none to tell him what happened.

It seemed to be quite an instantaneous happening that the World Wide Web too was gone, nothing to tell him where, how, when, why it all started and… he wasn’t bothered much now. There was milk in his refrigerator, he made some hot coffee and switched the air conditioner on and glad the power was not affected. Lit a smoke and started recounting the people who he thought went missing... his memory faded about the names of the people in his life.

An enterprising person, Ronnie never allowed boredom take over, so now too he just got up and drove down to the nearest mall, entered the best apparel showroom, dressed into one of the most comfortable outfits and slowly walked into the next door food joint, none to serve, but lots to eat. He helped himself to some delicacies and thought for a while – will they last long? How long? Well, not much of bother for now.

Next stop was the marine drive, the shallow beach, beautiful sight with the moon hovering. The chill had set in. Ronnie walked the sands alone and realized he needed to go home no more now! An hour passed gazing at the waves in moonlight and then the drive stopped earlier than expected at the 7 star international Hotel, amazing interiors, none to welcome… the food court was amazingly well decorated. The bar had the best of the world’s spirits. An occasional drinker, tonight Ronnie toasted to himself and didn’t know what to wish. The day had been long, actually the evening turned out longer. After relishing the spread of rich international cuisine, he checked into the nearest suite and lay there tired and soon fast asleep.

December 22

He woke to the sounds of silence! There was no movement, breeze was the only factor… he slowly walked out on to the lawns and the swimming pool. The first signs of lack of human touch started growing on Ronnie, he didn’t know how to get his tea ordered, so found his way into the kitchen and found enough stuff to make a decent breakfast.

It wasn’t until late evening of a sedate day of driving around in six different luxury cars across the different corners of the metropolis did it start dawning on Ronnie, the need for auditing his resources. He knew food was going to be his main worry. The refrigerated stuff in all the super markets would last for months, the fruits and vegetables were also sufficient for over a month.

As he drank, ate and dozed off, he felt alone.

December 23

Waking up to no chores, no entertainment, no news, no television, no internet, no life forms of any kind, Ronnie was quite literally marooned in a huge metropolis, with the towering skyscrapers and never ending and ever winding roads totally deserted of any life form. The first signs of boredom started creeping into the new found freedom.

Ronnie bathed and dressed in the best ever attire walked into the Church, he prayed, rang the gong and heard the reverberations for long. Life started to reminisce itself as he sat in the long corridor alone.

For years he struggled to make a living, to support his family, create some assets, wine – dine and enjoy life to its full. Now as he had the world all for himself, he was getting to feel lonely.

Suddenly a thought struck him, am I the only one living or is there someone else too? He started to feel better, the search for a companion in the concrete jungle began. His mobile phone never rang, the signals were still there. There was electricity, which he knew not would last how long.

The banker checked his balance, inconsequential he thought, money had no value, suddenly a chill crept up his spine – Life itself had no value, unless if he were to find another human being.

He quest for a companion saw him drive around and took him through deserted temples, airports, railway stations, stadiums, bus stands, and soon he was on the high way. Another town another deserted place, and the day seemed unending. He was now 350 kms away from his place into another not-so-long-ago bustling metropolis. The only signs of existence of life here was the huge no of vehicles spread across the city. Much chiller weather, lots of greenery, fountains, gardens and yes many more skyscrapers. Not soul in sight, Ronnie soon settled down in another luxury living place in the new city.

As he puffed away at his cigarette for the first time he thought of Joe and Sam, wondered how it would have been with the three of them around. A tear crept out of his eyes and trickled down his cheek. Had he wished too much for himself and been insensitive to others. It didn’t matter anymore. The only noises he ever heard in the past hour were his mind pounding with the thoughts of his friends and family.

He yearned to have them back. The thought made him emotional, he started crying and as the eyes swelled more… he told himself loud “I am not going to die without seeing them”.

He drove his latest acquisition, the German luxury car fuel filled to the brim, back to his city. The next 4 hours he drove like a man possessed, looking out for life forms on the moon kissed highways and the sprawling farm lands. Eventually he reached his home well past midnight. Parked the car and walked straight into his bedroom and crashed like a kid.

December 24

The alarm on his mobile started ringing, he snoozed it and dozed off again. Slowly he pulled himself to get up and saw the time, it was 9 am! He heard some noises. His house was still deserted. He walked out of his bedroom into the living area and then out in the balcony.

What he saw astonished him. He was shocked! Standing outside his gate were Sam and Joe in an animated discussion with Ronnie’s wife. He shouted out to them “Where the hell did you guys go”?

They shouted back “What the hell did you drink last night”

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The lines that move my life !

Confessions of a flawed perfectionist ~ The series continues!

Self made, self motivated, self driven… well almost… with loads of support from lots of quarters - family, friends, acquaintances. Some things that stay eternally with me are the powerful lyrics from Hindi films that have been travelling with me throughout my life. Yes, Hindi has been the most influential language for me and I fancy myself as a ‘Hindi fanatic’.

Here I sink deep and try to bring forth some of them that really keep me going in good, bad and tough times.

The belief that Life is beautiful and meant to be shared though ups and lows of one another has been my anthem and is beautifully captured in one of my all time favourites..

Kisi ki muskurahaton pe ho nisaar, kisi ka dard mil sake to le udhar, kisi ke vaasthe ho dil me pyaar... Jeena isi ka naam hai… Yes this is what life is all about.

Listening to Hindi film music started as early as 1978 when I was just Eight, thanks to Vividh Bharati, the constant companion – through the rugged Murphy Radio that belted out memorable numbers day in and day out. Early in life I got hooked to Kishore Kumar, Mohd. Rafi and Mukesh and spent lot of time writing out favourite lyrics on bits of paper and in old note books. Singing most times and humming at all times I realized there was this powerful means to motivate oneself or get immersed in solitude with mystical lines coupled with lilting music.

Learning came easy with Hindi and life’s learning too – Soon I got another catch line for life: “Geet gaata hoon mai, gunghunatha hoon mai, maine hasne ka waada kiya tha kabhi is liye ab sada muskuratha hoon mai”… and thus I sing, I hum, I wear the smile!

Schooling in CBSE comes with loads of opportunities to bring to fore the singing skills… sometimes some songs we sing not only keep following us, but also reinforce the belief in the lines that are sung. One such song that goes on defining my outlook to life is “har koi chahtha hai ek muththi aasman.. har koi dhoondtha hai ek muththi aasman”, the search continues even to this day.

The 1980s has to be the most memorable period of my life, this is when I saw almost all the Hindi films of the 50s, 60s and 70s during my college days. Almost every second day I would be in Zamarrud, Lata, Palace, Royal or Dilshad ~ Hyderabad’s classic theatres of yore which screened these movies and provided an opportunity to relive the music, heard on radio, on the big screen. Then there was also the good old Doordarshan which etched the hit melodies of the black and white and the Eastman colour era through Chitrahaar and Rangoli.

Soon, I graduated and was living life solitary in Chennai, a career as medical representative began with much loneliness, but the constant companions were Kishore, Rafi, Mukesh, Manna Dey, Hemant and the rest. My days were dotted by "Aane wala pal.. jaane wala hai...!", "Badi sooni sooni hai... zindagi yeh zindagi!", "Ghungroo ki tarah bajhtha hi raha hoon mai!", “Ek akela is shehr mey… raat aur dopahr mey”, “Chal akela, chal akela, chal akela… tera mela peeche choota raahi chal akela”, "Beqarar dil tu gaaye ja…” to name a few. The last one from ‘Door ka rahi’ epitomised the solitude the veerana pann of the period and continues to be one of my favourites… I just cant get over the tear inducing lines… “aise hi baharen gaati rahe aur sajhthi rahe veerane… jinhe sunn ke duniya jhoom uthe, aur jhoom ke dil deewane”

There are many, many more that come to mind, but I will save them for another visit - a sequel.

I always found solace in the company of my friends, and Lord, I have so many friends that I had to think a lot before showcasing this song – “Diye jalte hain, phool khilthe hain... badi mushkil se magar duniya mey dost milthe hain” as an ode to friendship and my personal dedication to all the friends in my life who have been the biggest influence in making me what I am today.

Nostalgia is the basis of this blog post that I have embarked upon and what best song to speak of nostalgia than. "Lehron ki tarah yaadein, dil se takrathi hain... toofan uthathi hain", which just about sums up the journey of my life.

This Mukesh number will stand out as one of the most philosophical pieces "Kahin door jab din dhal jaaye..." especially the lines from this song.. "Ghani thi uljhan bairi apna mann... apna hi hoke sahe dard paraye... dard paraye" is something that does not leave me on most occasions.

Talking of philosophy, there is more to it than just being a dipsomaniac’s rendition... these lines have had a long lasting effect "Manzilen apni jagah hain, raaste apni jagah... jab kadam hi saath na de, toh musafir kya kare", I just cannot get enough of my love for Amitabh Bachchan songs, I will surely dedicate an exclusive piece for that. (oh another blog post sequel)

That song from Sharaabi of course reminds me of the spirits and what most people miss not having known it... aptly summarised in the lines "Jo na peeye woh kya jaane, peete hain kyun hum deewane yaar.. jab se humne peena seekha, jeena seekha marna seekha yaar", yes, quite some learning in life from the spirits, brought to fore by Rajesh Khanna in the Namak Haram number "Nadiya se dariya... dariya se sagar".

Going back in time with that, will be the next one, my eternal favourite.. "Ohre taal mile nadi ke jal mey... nadi mile saagar mey.. saagar mile koun se jal koi jane na", another of Mukesh's memorable ones… another of my philosophical motivators… “Boond chupi kis baadal mey koi jaane na!”

If all those songs make one think that I have a penchant only for melancholy... I beg to differ... I have been known for my pranks and the playful numbers are not something that can be taken away from me.

Take this for one: “Duniya mein logon ko dhokha kabhi ho jaata hai” in RD Burman’s westernized tone or for that matter "Dekha na hai re, socha na hai re... rakh di nishaane pe jaan" would go down as one of the most memorable group numbers followed by the Teesri Kasam chorus "Chalat musafir moh liyo re pinjade wali muniya" or the Mohd Rafi foot tapping club song... "Aaj kal tere mere pyar ke charche har zubaan par" and "Dil ke jharokhe me tujhko bitha kar" the last two incidentally from the Shammi Kapoor film Brahmachari. (Oh! I can go on and on about Shammi songs)

I have never been perceived as a romantic, but then the romance flows through the songs I sing and relate through... "Yeh reshmi zulfein.. yeh sharbathi aankhen" is the first that comes to mind while talking about romance. Further I would go on and on with numerous ones... like “Tere chehre mey wo jaadu hai… bin dor khincha jaata hoon” or the soulful ones like... “Woh jab yaad aaye... bahut yaad aaye” - mellifluous Rafi can move the stone hearted to tears.

Not until 1997 did I meet my life partner… but I had these lines etched in my memory much earlier “apsara koi aaye to dekoon naheen, koi bahkaaye haske to behkoon naheen, tore matvaare nainon ne jaadu kiya, teri ulfat sanam sar aakon par” Radical in thought and plain speak, I have never wavered in my approach to life and the love for music was only doubled with my wife having the same taste for the kind of songs that I followed.

Equally good or rather a much better singer than me Rekha, my wife, partners along in my quest for living life through Hindi film songs. We sang together varying genre, from the classical Saanjh aur Sawera number “Ajhun aaye baalma, saawan beetha jaaye” to the all time favourite duet “Jaane kaise kab kahan ikraar ho gaya.. hum sochthe hi reh gaye aur pyaar ho gaya!” with much aplomb.

This story would be incomplete without mentioning a few other songs and singers I always rever ~ Manna Dey’s Hindustani classics are innumerable and unmatchable, but I will cherish “Tu pyaar ka sagar hai” most and the lines “Ghayal mann ka paagal panchi udd ne ko beqaraar” is truly epic.

Then there is Hemant Kumar’s “Sooraj re jalthe rehna..” Yesudas’ “Khushiyan hi khushiyan ho..” Asha Bhosale’s “Do lafzon ki hai.. dil ki kahani” and Lata Mangeshkar’s "Ajeeb Dastaan hai" and “Dil toh hai dil… dil ka aitbaar kya cheez hai” – This last one I still feel should have been a Kishore number!

I would love to sign off with one of my most favourite Mohd. Rafi numbers "Yaad na jaaye beethe dinon ki... jaake na aaye jo din, dil kyun bulaye unhe" with the promise that I would surely return to pen more and more of the "lines that have defined my life" in a sequel or should I say sequels.

Until then keep humming with me – “Rimjhim gire saawan, sulag sulag jaaye mann… bheege aaj iss mausam mey lagi kaisi yeh agan!" ~ Most people know this as the unchanged caller tune and ringtone on mobile phone for almost a decade now!

Au revoir

Life is not a level playing field

There comes a time in everyone’s life, or rather numerous occasions, when you feel let down by what you trust most and the thought process that takes you forward culminates in the belief that ‘life is not a level playing field.’

For one whose life is driven totally by listening and humming to only Hindi film songs, I have an English song by Rod Stewart that instantly comes to mind…

Some guys have all the luck
Some guys have all the pain
Some guys get all the breaks
Some guys do nothing but complain

Well, in gist this is life, or is it?

There is more to it than meets the eye; the World Wide Web will throw up a billion pages of content that would form the means to address the situation, motivational quotes, analogies of purportedly successful men and women and more, a thousand ways to make one believe that positive attitude is the key and that opportunities galore for the seeker… I can just go on and on…! But then, the basic premise that I embarked upon with an insanely true cliché, will stay… Yes - Life is not a level playing field!

The ‘saint’ is a myth. A perfectly contended or a ‘completely in peace’ human being is as much truth as Ethiopia being Utopia.

The fifth verse of the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament says “The meek shall inherit the Earth”, the context of the biblical world that it was uttered in has changed meaning now – it serves to aptly exemplify the present day lives – ‘the powerless will lead a life without striving’. I may be condemned of mis-interpreting one of the most famous of the Beatitudes, but then in times of media-judging, logical interpretations are the first things that are almost always, thrown out of the window.

How else can one explain the relentless struggle of the moralistic heart to overcome the constantly greed driven mind and succeeding only to succumb, endlessly.

Moving into a pluralistic society from the days of colonialism and subjugation has not meant equal opportunities but that of irresponsible growth of the incompetent through sustained sycophancy. This is true in all walks of life and corporate ladders are strewn by faithful followers of the doctrine – boot licking upwards.

In conclusion, even as I try hard to refrain from being positive, I am tempted to, and I succumb to, quote the verse from the Bhagawad Gita, that in which I had utmost faith and one which is gradually taking a beating:

Karmanye Vadhikaraste, Ma phaleshou kada chana,
Ma Karma Phala Hetur Bhurmatey Sangostva Akarmani

In simple terms which mean: Keep on performing your duties without expecting for any reward in return, leading a selfless life – this it what it is all about.

…. And when all fails I will retort to Deuteronomy 32:41

------------------------------------Notes: --------------------------
Pluralism: A social organization in which diversity of racial, religious, ethnic or cultural groups is tolerated
Mathew 5.5: The fifth verse of the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament
Deuteronomy 32:41: If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me.