Sahir Ludhianvi

Sahir Ludhianvi

For me- he is one of the best Hindi Film Lyricist- almost close to being the best- if not for the 2 flawed songs [according to me ].

I am aware that it will be blasphemous ,to criticize this great person, who has given me immense pleasure with his prolific, realistic and  romantic songs.

I am amazed at his repertoire- how imaginatively romantic  one can get- when one hears the song='  Raat bhi hai kuch bheegi bheegi ' from Muze Jeene Do -1963. Look at the lines- Tum aao to ankhen khole , soyi hui payal ki chham chham . Can you imagine ever for the ubiquitous anklets adorned by Indian women to go to sleep and then be awaken by the subtle noise of someone lovable coming in the vicinity. Fantastic, simply fantastic. Cannot think of a more thrilling ode to the lover.

Continuing in the same vein , the  mirth and joy accompanying the rituals of  marriage== Maang mein bharle rang sakhiri, aanchal bharle taare, milan riitu aa gayi,; jaayegi tu un sang sakhiri , jo  tohe laage pyare- the ultimate consummation of marriage, with the beloved. Each and every word in the song- raising it to the pivotal climax. 

And then again switching gears in the same movie getting philosophical , ruing the fact about the brief life of a child due to the circumstances surrounding his birth. The child's mother, wailing ' Tere bachpan ko jawani ki dua deti hoon , aur dua deke pareshan si ho jaati hoon ' . Not a word out of place, taut emotions. And the third stanza - Bediyan leke lapakta hua kanoon ka haath, tere maa-baap se jab  tuzko mili ye saughat . Each and every line of the lyric fills you with apprehension , the worst sense of foreboding , fear  of unknown danger, lurking in the garb of the law. 

The great Sahir at play here . All the songs of this movie are so beautifully tuned by Jaidev- the master underrated craftsman.

Going further back a few years to Pyasa [ 1957 ], we see the same thing- his switching from Romantic mood to light   masti to philosophical to melancholy with equal ease.. 

Hum aap ki bahon mein- while romancing Mala Sinha , to a woman submitting herself ' Aaj sajan mohe aang laga le ' , switching to a very light song like ' Saar jo tere chakraye ' without ever loosing the momentum. Then again turning seriously critical in - '"ये कूचे, ये नीलामघर दिलकशी के,

ये लुटते हुए कारवां ज़िंदगी के, कहाँ है कहाँ है मुहाफ़िज़ खुदी के? जिन्हें नाज़ है हिंद पर,वो कहाँ हैं?" or subtly agonizing over unrequited love in ' Jaane wo kaise log the jinko pyar se pyar mila ' ; till the climax song of the movie ' ye mahalo, ye takto, ye taajo ki duniyaa

ye inasaa ke dushman samaajo ki duniyaa . Sachinda doing justice  to Sahir's words or Sahir complimenting S D Burman's tunes with appropriate words.

These are just two movies out of the many Sahir penned songs. Unless one sits down to write a book on Sahir's lyrics, it is difficult to put his entire career in a blog. Such a humongous task cannot be achieved or attempted by an ordinary person like me.

However to be very honest , I cannot end this without mentioning 2 songs , penned by this great man, the few lines of  which rankle me no end

1. Naya Daur [ 1957 ]- fantastic music- great lyrics- almost all but 1 line---Mang ke saath tumhara- such a popular romantic song , setting the tone of the romance of the lead pair and the 4th line in the first stanza ' Aas mili armaan mila=== Jeene ka saman mila. What's happening - a person of Sahir's calibre using a word like 'Saman' , which ordinarily denotes luggage. This word ' Samaan' to me is out of sync with the greatness of Sahir.

2. Devdas- 1955- Bimal Roy's classic and according to me the best of the 3 movies by the same name [ 1935 , 1955 and 2002 ]. Everything high calibre in this movie- Direction- Acting- Music- Lyrics except 2 lines in the most beautifully written song of the movie== 'Jise tu kabul karle , wo ada kahan se laon, tere dil ko jo lubhaye wo sada kahan se laon. The first stanza, 2nd line - Meri umr ba-h ga-i hai meri ansuo mein dhalke. First hear and see how Lata has to stretch the word ba-h and gayi to adjust the meter of the song. Secondly I think ' umr' dhalti hai, not bahti hai and aanso bahte hai and not dhalte hai. So appropriately this line should have been -- ' meri umr dhal gayi hai , meri ansuo mein bah ke. Sing along and watch the ease with which this line jells with the song.

I am sorry Sahir saab. This is in no way an attempt to undermine or demean your fantastic achievement. Cannot even imagine it.

You will always be great for me 

Dilip Apte

December 26 , 2014

Massacre in Pakistan

Numb- totally numb

Can anyone display any other feeling , when one learns of the massacre of 132 children.

There are no words of sympathy in any religion or language, which would give solace to the parents of the deceased.

This time the terrorist have gone too far. Massacring innocent children is not done- just not done. No religion approves it- Surely not Islam.

The terrorists have not read the  Quran.

No government should tolerate it- anywhere in the World. Killing the terrorist is just a small consolation. But the planners, the logistics providers, must also be brought to book and punished summarily.

This is not the time to question and analyse- how and why.

This is the time to gather ourselves- toughen our selves and ensure that there is no repeat. Absolutely no repeat

It does not matter if more of us perish for the cause to ensure that there is no repeat.

Let us start at grassroots. 

Wherever we live, we keep our eyes open- increase our vigil and whenever we see any suspicious person- observe and report. If the authorities ignore our report- let us get together and confront the authorities and force them to act.

This is absolutely necessary, as our silence is the encouragement these evil subjects desire. Let us overcome the fear of perishing and resolve to act fearlessly.

The evil should not persist and grow  because of the silence of good people

Its easier said than done- but imagine what is at stake.

 Our future generations- and those who survive among them will surely ask later- why we did nothing .

This is not the story of Pakistan, this effects and affects the entire human race all over the World.

Let us all unite to fight and eradicate this menace

Dilip Apte

11 p m ,December 16, 2014. . 

Divorce

Divorce

Divorce , even in the 21st century , is considered to be taboo and looked down upon  in India.

People [ read MEN ] have got the tendency to look down upon a divorced woman and given the choice, would have nothing to do with them [unless they are interested to offer their shoulder for them to cry on, albeit with a carnal interest- which happens- more often than not ] .I am of the firm opinion that men, go for divorce, with minimum thought- say at the spur of the moment, while women dither from it or try to postpone the inevitable, till the last.

Lets get down to brass tacks

 .Special Marriage Act was passed in 1954 in India,It has its origins in the British act . It is an inter-religious marriage law permitting Indian nationals to marry and divorce irrespective of their religion or faith. The Hindu Marriage Act, passed in 1955  legally permitted divorce to Hindus and other communities who chose to marry under these acts. The Indian Divorce Act 1869 ^[91] is the law relating to the divorce of person professing the Christian religion. Divorce can be sought by a husband or wife on grounds including adultery, cruelty, desertion for two years, religious conversion, mental abnormality, venereal disease, and leprosy. Divorce is also available based on mutual consent of both the spouses, which can be filed after at least one year of separated living. Mutual consent divorce can not be appealed, and the law mandates a minimum period of six months (from the time divorce is applied for) for divorce to be granted. While a Muslim husband can unilaterally bring an end to the marriage by pronouncing talaq, Muslim women need to go to court, claiming any of the grounds provided under the Dissolution of Muslim Marriage Act .

This is the legality of the divorce.as is published in the Marriage Acts.

However divorce , destroys not only the persons involved but also the surrounding social fabric. At the moment according to statistics divorces in India are about 1 %. But that may be just the figures of couples who have legally separated . 

Their are far more couples who are staying together- despite nothing existing between them- for the sake of children- social stigma , parental pressure etc. etc.

Th more the people become economically independent - he more their egos clash.Why me- is the uppermost thing on their mind and that gives an impetus to clash at the first opportunity.

There have been many commentaries on this phenomenon, including movies pertaining to this subject, in many languages. They have superficially dealt with the issue - be it Kramer vs Kramer or Chachi 420 [ a remake of the English movie Mrs. Doubtfire ] . But none have been able to address the issue to the core or been able to exploit the emotional upheaval caused by this traumatic episode.

It is pointless to go into the reasons of the divorce, as each side will have its own views , which will be emphatically put forward. And nothing can be achieved by giving statistics and examples.

Wonder why love marriages end in divorce within no time of the consummation of marriage.

May be as already said many times- the two parties involved during the courtship- offer their best side and most endearingly understanding behaviour, during the courtship. Probably because the meeting time is too short to form opinions about each other. However after marriage, when they stay together for 24 x 7, then the chinks in the armour become visible and thus pose a great threat to the egos.

Is the modern era responsible for our thinking- the availability of choices- may perhaps be making us more choosy. Difficult to sit in judgement, when such emotional issues are concern, as hearing both sides- one finds it difficult to do so.

A very complex issue, which none can deal with and should never have to.

Dilip Apte

November 18 , 2014

The Dream

Well- I had a dream [who doesn't ]. But I had it during my afternoon nap. Exactly that narrows it down.

I recollect it vividly- that sure still further narrows it.

It goes like this

I was in my old dwelling at Matunga [ where I stayed for 65 years of my life- now that it has gone into redevelopment- I stay at another place ]. Somehow  strange though it may seem and although I have shifted to  new premises- all my dreams regarding the house are centered around my old home.

Coming to brass tacks

Narendra Modi- came to the building. Some kid from the building, came to my house to tell me that someone was in the Chowk [ the open space between our two buildings ]- asking for me.

I immediately came out and was astounded to see the Prime Minister. I shook hands with him and the first thing I asked him was that how come h was here- when I saw him in Australia on T V.

He replied- even Hitler had duplicates and thus was seen in many places.

I asked him if he was real or the T V personality. He replied that Australia was fake - and his visit  here was real [ ludicrous].

I asked him the purpose of this unexpected visit. He replied that he just wanted to meet me, after all my diatribe on face book about the previous government- which he was reading regularly [ now that's a foolish fantasy- why should he read my posts ????????????? ].

I asked him why the S P G was not with him. He said that it was all on the other side of the Western Express Highway. I told him that it was wrong to move without any security. I also told him that I was worried from May 16- when he won the elections and the required security was not provided to him immediately. I also told him that I thought it was a conspiracy then and was afraid that something untoward may happen before May 26 [the day he was sworn and came to be protected by the elite group ].

After waving to the building people- we started walking towards Bandra. However the road was not S B Marg [ Tulsi Pipe Road ] but a narrow lane- like the one which exists at Santa Cruz [west] Railway Colony. He shook hands with a few while continuing discussions with me [when I think over of the topics we discussed- which are privy- I wondered- why should he have discussed them with me - someone who was totally a non-entity and not at all well-versed with the subjects- but again that is what dreams are made of- FANTASY- all in capital letters  ].

When we reached that dream Bandra- he started walking back again towards Mahim- and suddenly within a few minutes his guards arrived.

He just waved a good-bye and went away.

This was the dream.

Now I am not going to share the things, we talked about, although I remember clearly what we discussed- simply because I cannot corroborate   and thus it remains with me.

I hope none have such dream and even if they do- at least not remember it with such clarity

Dilip Apte

November 17- 2014

Wandering Mind

Mind wanders all the time- even in the thick of thoughts- new thoughts enter with the speed of a Formula 1 car and disrupt the flow of thoughts and overtake the original track .Maybe I am sounding paranoid ,but am sure people will understand .

Was watching the Salman Khan starer 'Jai Ho ' released a few months ago- not for the Salman type bashing of goondas or his surreal stunts , but for the thought espoused in the film.

'You help someone and then instead of a 'Thank You ' - you ask them to help three other persons .The multi-level marketing schemes everywhere work on similar lines.

Supposing you help someone, without any selfish motive- and do not even expect anything in return- What guarantee you have that someone will acknowledge it and take the idea further. Most of the time people wallow in the sympathy of others.You may call it love- sympathy-empathy anything but the real reason reason is to make the helper a ladder to climb to some milestone. They absorb the good deed like a blood-sucker leach absorbs blood from your body and when satiated, leave you high and dry

Except in movies- it does not happen. Most of the time you are laughed at and ridiculed. for such naivete

The only unconditional unselfish love- I have seen is what parents- let me quantify it- " Mother" has for the children. There is no parallel to it. Rest all the things we do for others under the guise of a selfless act is an utterly selfish act with some hidden motive. We may be able to camouflage it cleverly, but deep inside us we know that there is an ulterior motive for it.However can we blame it on the benefactor ,when the beneficiary is sure to follow the leach path.

I recollect a song from the 1961 film 'Hum Dono' starring Dev Anand-Sadhana and Nanda.. The lyrics of Sahir so poignantly put the thoughts in the right perspective- particularly the third verse. Listen to the song== Kabhi khud pe kabhi halat pe rona aaya. I quote the last verse---

kaun rota hai kisi aur ki khatir ai dost
kaun rota hai kisi aur ki khatir ai dost
sabko apni hi kisi baat pe rona aaya
sabko apni hi kisi baat pe rona aaya.

Here is the song-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GocQLkVQl5Y

HUM DONO (1961) - Kabhi Khud Pe Kabhi Halaat Pe Rona Aaya.avi.flv

Movie- Hum Dono Song- Abhi na jaao chhodkar ke dil abhi bhara nahin Starring- Dev Anand, Sadhana

YOUTUBE.COM

Dilip Apte

September 21 ,2014

Doomsday

Doomsday

" The Third Curve "-a book by Mansoor Khan

It has not yet sunk

 An honest appraisal of the Global Oil Situation- predicting the doomsday scenario backed by facts and figures ,unlike the Nostradamus predictions- a few centuries ago , which may or may not be accurate.

Each and every concerned human being in the world needs to read , sorry study this book. It takes time to even read it, as fact after fact unfolds before you, you feel the urge to go over it again and again, pinch yourself to ascertain whether what you had read is real or surreal .

It took me 24 days to read the 200 odd pages back to back . Normally I finish that many in a day . Not this.

It directly does not concern any of us today . But yes our grandchildren will start facing the crunch and before long ,we may have to go back to the days , when  there was no OIL No plastic , no bitumen , no pharma products , no gas and No No many other things- directly dependent on Oil.

Your grandchildren in their prime may very well see the petrol prices touching 100 $ per litre and  - to make it short., their grandchildren may perhaps even be deprived the   use of a Car

What took more than a quarter billion years for nature to produce, we are going to exhaust in less than 150 years.

The Bell Curve is already on the descending  and will reach its nadir in no time .

When all the mountains are flattened, there won't be any Coal too, available for our needs

We can't do anything about it except rue the fact that we are all cumulatively responsible for it

Oh yes we sure did modernize at an alarming speed in the last one century-. Invented and discovered , performed impossible task, grew exponentially and with that same mesmerizing speed- we are going downhill at battle speed .

Our own greed for progress and more progress ,profits and more profits- made us create a maze of fabricated lies . We fudged growth , to show how well we understood the situation.We manufactured figures by finding new accounting paradigms , to convince ourselves that this is the only way to progress.

I salute Mansoor Khan for painstakingly gathering all facts and figures and putting them together for simple people like me to decipher the painful truth.

Mansoor Khan , never knew that he was such a multi-faceted personality. An I I T -Bombay , alumni , who went on to do his Masters at  Cornell & M I T - U S A  and who also  has incidentally produced and directed 2 commercially successful movies- 1] Qayamat se Qayamat Tak and 2] Jo Jeeta Wohi Siknadar.

Kudos Mansoor Khan- take a bow

Dilip Apte

September 14 , 2014

The Legal drinking age

     The Legal Drinking Age

Can someone more knowledgeable answer my simple question. Is it possible to distinguish, whether the alcohol content in the body is a result of consuming-1]Wine; 2] Beer or 3] Other Hard Liquor. The reason for asking this question is that Government of Maharashtra raised the drinking age to 25 , although persons above 21 can have wine- as wine contains negligible alcohol (according to reports in the newspapers).

Hence can a person below 25, who has consumed hard drinks- get away by saying that he has drunk wine. Am I correct in assuming that on quite a number of occasions a person gets tipsy by consuming wine. Will this not help people get away when caught after an accident and more importantly does it not open a new avenue of corruption?

Take for example a scenario- where an inebriated boy of 22, while driving commits a serious accident. He is not allowed to consume hard liquor by law- but can consume Wine As far as my sparrow -brained grey cells go- the alcohol is indistinguishable . So the boy can manipulate the system - of course with the connivance of the police, to his advantage and get away with a lighter sentence.

What is the merit in enacting such an infructuous law- which will help drunk people get away and the law enforcement arm indulge in rampant corruption.

The Legal Drinking Age for any kind of Alcoholic Drink should be 21 and no ifs and buts . The persons indulging in a drinking spree should although exercise restraint and social responsibility.

Dilip Apte
June 2 ,2011

Mera Bharat Mahan

Mera Bharat Mahan

till remain inaccessible to the common man. These cannot be Prime Minister Candidates, for that you need a Rahul Gandhi.

In the same vein but on a different platform- there are mass popular leaders like Bal Thacekrey or Raj Thackeray- who can gauze the pulse of the public and influence their opinion. The same thing cannot be said about UddhavThackeray- he may be popular but cannot win any popularity contest against the above two.

Sonia Gandhi or Sushama Swaraj or Bimla Karat have the sensitivity to listen to the laity bu they lack the Charisma of Rajiv Gandhi or Atal Bihari Vajpayee or Somnath Chaterjee respectively.
So what do we do- My friends Beggars are not Choosers. We have to make do with the leaders thrust on us like the Laloos and Mulayams-Yedurappas and Jagan Reddys- the Sharad Pawars and the Kalamadis- the Mehbooba Muftis and Abdullas. From Kashmir to Kanyakumari we lack leaders with credibility.
Let the young educated brigade following Anna Hazare and loving the country- vow to change this entire scenario-disband the corrupt old guard and make this country on par with Denmark and New Zealand and Finland and Sweden . The country will not be MAHAN by uttering Mera Bharat mahan, but each one of us striving to make it so.

 Thanks

Dilip Apte
April 24 ,2011

Psychology

Psychology
This is a brief note on Psychology
If you start with a cage containing five monkeys and, inside the cage, hang a banana on a string from the top and then you place a set of stairs under the banana, before long a monkey will go to the stairs and climb toward the banana.
cold water. After a while, another monkey makes an attempt with same result .... all the other monkeys are sprayed with cold water. Pretty soon, when another monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other monkeys will try to prevent it.

Now, put the cold water away. Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new monkey sees the banana and attempts to climb the stairs. To his shock, all of the other monkeys beat the crap out of him. After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs he will be assaulted.
Next, remove another of the original five monkeys, replacing it with a new one. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment... with enthusiasm.
Then, replace a third original monkey with a new one, followed by a fourth, then the fifth. Every time the newest monkey takes to the stairs he is attacked. Most of the monkeys that are beating him have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs. Neither do they know why they are participating in the beating of the newest monkey.
Finally, having replaced all of the original monkeys, none of the remaining monkeys will have ever been sprayed with cold water. Nevertheless, none of the monkeys will try to climb the stairway to the banana.
Why, you ask? Because in their minds .... that is the way it has always been.
This is how Politics operates .... and is why, from time to time, ALL OF THE MONKEYS NEED TO BE REPLACED AT THE SAME TIME!
Dilip Apte

July 26 , 2011

The Anti-Corruption- Movement

The Anti Corruption Movement

 Watching on TV these young lads giving all out support to
 Anna Hazare's movement against corruption gave me courage
haps a decade to reach the non-corrupt standards of Denmark or New Zealand, but it can be done nevertheless. An old English adage aptly says that

 " Charity begins at home."
We have to imbibe the following in our system:
1] Vow that you will not pay any money to a traffic personnel for breaking the signal. If you break the signal- you will pay the fine.
2] Vow that You will not pay any municipal employee any money to regularize your illegal renovation, meaning you will not indulge in any illegal renovation
3] Vow that You will not work for any person who indulges in corruption in any field.
4] Vow that You will follow the law of the land all thetime- whatever the hardships.
5] Vow that- come what may You or you by proxy will not indulge in corruption of any kind.
6] Vow that You will not pay any money in black or accept any black money- whenever you purchase or sell any property.
7)Vow that You will not compromise with any Statutory Tax Authorities like Income-Tax, Sales Tax, Excise etc. to reduce your tax liability payment in exchange of bribe.
8) Vow that You will not encourage touts for Railway Tickets, Court Matters etc.
9) Vow that You will Tell the person coming to ask you for your vote during any election to underwrite a bond of not indulging in corrupt practices
10)Vow that You will always strive to be a model for others.
If we as citizens of India decide not to indulge in and encourage corruption of any sort, we have a moral right toask others to refrain from doing so.
The way Anna Hazare is gaining support from all quarters, I am sure that this movement will see a logical & successful culmination. But for that to happen, each one of us has to introspect and solemnly affirm that we wil abide by this basic ground rules.
Dilip Apte
9869437292
>dilipapte@yahoo.com >
May 31 ,2011

Anant Chaturdashi

Anant Chaturdashi--

The last Ganpati Immersion Day

I am bracing for the evening and dreading it .

Why did I rent a place on a main road where from all the Ganpatis from Mumbai [ it seems like that ] pass.

Well I don't mind the procession per say if it is organized like the one in Pune , where tradition is paramount .We Mumbaikars may smirk at them, but have to accept ,the discipline followed .

In Mumbai, the immersion is accompanied by shrill cacophonous noise . There is an unholy competition among each immersion procession group as to who is the loudest . Wonder [if I cannot tolerate this noise for a few hours ] how this Elephant God, having the biggest ears, does it for the entire duration of his stay.

And then he is ready to accede to their request, to come again the next year.

Last year , it was the lungi dance , the most horrific lyrics set to the most horrific tune by some insane composer and surely sung by people having nothing to do with  playback singing.

Mind well the Ganpati's were from different Mandals [ area-wise groups of people coming together ] ,the decor of each  processions differed , the dancers [ should I qualify them ] were different- but all had a common theme song- Lungi Dance .

It was akin to the entire nation singing our National Anthem in tandem .

Seems like Lungi dance was the National anthem of the Ganpati processions last year .

Which song would it be this year !!.-  am sure it would be an equally horrific,   obnoxious ,inhuman  moronic lyrical outburst ,set to tune by some insane composer and which has nothing to either do anything with music or more prudently the Ganpati festival.

Every year ,I think of going away to some quiet place during this day and of course the 10 days of the Navratri festival ,but I am stuck , due to extraneous circumstances beyond my control.

I am waiting with bated breath for the evening

Oh how I dread this day

Dilip Apte

September 8 , 2014

History in the Making

History in the making--I witnessed it today-

Unprecedented  and unimaginable response from the participating students. This never heard of exercise, covering the entire country, was never attempted, Forget about attempting - it was never even thought of by anyone .

Does this one gesture not make Narendra Modi stand out differently.

Of course, most of the students asking the questions were from English speaking urban schools, though there were students from Dantewada, Chhatisgarh- quite a backward area and they asked the right question.

I appreciated his concern for hygiene- the lack of toilet facilities in schools, which surely is a deterrent for girls in attending schools . He emphasized the need to answer this at the earliest.Quite a challenging step but one of top priority.

Each and every question was answered, peppered with anecdotes from his own childhood . Am sure the children must have instantly connected to that.

He suggested measures to students on how to save power ,cajoled them into participating in the nation building process .Baby steps ,small measures which when totaled, would surely become an Ocean.

I instantly connected with him, when he initated the idea of reading and while giving an example, told them that some are in the habit of reading what is written on the printed paper in which the eatable parcel is wrapped. Most won't relate to it today, as they are used to eating in plates and with  spoons. But I recollect vividly that I had that habit in my childhood. The love for reading was so all-consuming that whenever I ate bhel or brought pav [bread ] wrapped into some paper or for that matter any parcel wrapped in some printed material , I used to read, the written matter and this practice continued for quite a long time, perhaps until ,the packing method was changed.

In the past, Nehru was touted to be in love with children and many a photographs of his interaction with the children were published .Maybe his love sprang from his devotion to his own grandchildren, but it was evident in the published photographs, just  as his taste for good life was evident in the photograph ,where he joined Edwina Mountbatten in cigarette smoking.

Narendra Modi- for all practical purposes has led a celibate life. Hence his love and affection towards children seemed all the more to be authentic but a  big surprise.

Am sure his critics are going to call this a pure publicity stunt, but then why did Manmohan Singh or the short term sleepy Deve Gowda or Inder Gujral or V P Singh never undertake such an exercise. Did not mention Chandrashekhar or Gulzarilal Nanda because they were- blink and you miss Prime Ministers. Poor Lal Bahadur Shastri ,was so busy with the war that he must have hardly had time to interact. Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, am sure did some photo-op with children . But this was unprecedented.

I don't know if all this exercise was a publicity gimmick by the government. Even if it was- I welcome it and more such informal interactions of the Prime Minister with different groups.

Bravo Narendra Modi- keep it up .You have the attention of the nation

Dilip Apte

September 5 , 2014

Political hullabaloo

Four centuries ago, none in India spoke English. Three centuries ago when the British started spreading their tentacles-  our people started learning the language. We  learnt it better in the ensuing years- more for our survival than the love of the language.

Since eons , Sanskrit has been spoken and learnt in India. In fact it was the language used as medium of correspondence  and people all over the world still continue to study it .

The great Dr. Ambedkar had recommended ,Sanskrit to be made the official language post independence. Nehru with his colonial hangup  refused it.

Dr.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, was the second President of India and a great scholar of comparative religion and philosophy. He was also the recipient of the highest civilian honour 'Bharat Ratna'.

September 5 ,his birthday is thus celebrated in India as 'Teachers Day ' or in vernacular 'Shikshak Din'. The teacher has always been revered in India as a 'Guru'. The person who guides the pupil to enlightenment, to higher tiers in life.

Sanskrit is the language used in all Temples across India, including Tamilnadu . By tradition the word 'Guru' is referred to as Teacher. 

I do not know why the Tamilnadu politicians have an issue with September 5 ,being referred to as -'Guru-Utsav' .  Both words , Guru and Utsav being as old as the Tamil language if not older and most likely widely used by people in the state . Many unemployed politicians from the state are creating a ruckus over a non-issue.

Mind well the people of Tamilnadu would have no objection to their children writing an essay about their favourite teacher in their language, but the politicians cutting across party-lines have an issue.

Ludicrous and ridiculous

Dilip Apte

September 1 , 2014

Relationships

Relationship

I think , it starts with what people have to do with each other- be they knit to you by blood like your siblings ,familial cousins ,elders in the family , friends ,acquaintances or casually met persons.

Unless you relate to a person, relationship cannot progress . Love and trust are the two sides in any  relationship ..

Love and trust are build over a period of time. They are never instantaneous .The bond grows stronger . However it can sustain the wrath of time , only when there is a give and take . You give love and exchange it with trust . This kind of exchange over a prolonged period ,can grow into a bond and  be termed as relationship .

Familiarity breeds contempt .Over dependency on one another, leads to expectations. When expectations go unnoticed , a sort of resentment sets in .Comparisons to how much you have sacrificed in the relationship and the returns start upsetting the balance and thus lead to the third angle

.The automatically formed third angle  is denoted as hate- when betrayal of expectations takes place . This again is circumstantial or may be a point of view.

Just as they say- one person's poison is other person's food. Similarly what may sound as betrayal of love and trust may itself be the manifestation of imaginary thoughts .And when the mind starts wandering and wondering, nothing can stop it. You see demons where none exists .You start guessing all kinds of weird and uncannily thought scenarios. You start building defences , where none are required .

This can lead to disastrous consequences ,not only among people but even nations. Although it may start with people. at the grassroots , religion and politics may invite national contours .

What plays a major role in fomenting such kind of extreme behavioral pattern is - EGO . The hurt , pain ,  agony over a minor incidence is enough ammunition to raise the ante.

No rational explanation , logical thinking , mediation can satiate this monster. It just grows and grows, till it engulfs you with the thought of revenge . Nothing short of that will broker peace of mind

And Revenge leads to disaster .

Dilip Apte

September 1 , 2014

Rumblings

Have been awake since 2 a m . No reason for that ,but sleep eluding me .

And as usual ,when you lie awake , mind wanders , then wonderful thoughts start playing all sorts of drama in your brain- thereby driving away ,even the reason to be in bed.

 Here they are

During the ancient times , I feel people had the fighting spirit to stand up for the right causes and fight for them.

Look at Ram and Laxaman. Do you remember , Rishi Vishwamitra , coming to the court of King Dashrath and asking him to lend his sons for some time ,to fight the demons , who were causing a lot of trouble by continuously interrupting and disturbing the religious Yagnas, the Rishis were undertaking . King Dashrath readily agreed to this and Ram  / Laxaman accompanied Rishi Vishwamitra to destroy the demons successfully.

Later ShriKrishna did the same by killing Kauns and the Pandavas ,during their self-imposed exile after the Khandav-van fire followed suit, when Bhim killed Bakasur , who was causing immense misery to the people . Jarasandh too was similarly disposed off ,with tactical help of Shrikrishna .

The destruction and annihilation of evil forces trying to disrupt the society , has thus been going on and on .

Mohammad Gazni , Mohammad Ghori , Ghengis Khan  and other marauders invaded and looted the Country ,but except for Porus ,who successfully protected the Country against Alexander , there was little resistance from the laity or the rulers of that time.

The Moghuls invaded the Country and changed the entire scenario .Except for Akbar, who was truly a great ruler, his descendants led the anarchy and destructed the social fabric of the Country

The scenario changed for a few decades when Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj successfully defended and established a rule of law in the Country .

Vasco de Gama , came and established , his own fiefdom and so did the British under the guise of traders .The British went on to overthrow the already weak Moghuls and govern the whole Country.

This is not a lesson in history- have patience.

Then came the Congress misrule of almost 60 years . The divide and rule policy of the British combined with the inherited qualities of deceit and duplicity combined with avarice and corruption ,served well for the Congress to firmly conquer the imagination of the Country.

Over the centuries the fighting spirit of the people waned , until it totally disappeared and there remained no difference between the laity and a herd of cows. Whatever is left today is the will to fight each other- rather than the evil in the World.

Christians and Muslims and Sikhs etc. are not aliens . Not even 0.1 percent of them are original Christians or Muslims ,but descendants of people locally born and or who adopted  the religion of their choice . This Country belongs as well to them as to Hindus .

The practice of wearing your religion on your sleeves and establishing or brandishing it in public is absurd and wrong .Religion is a personal choice and should be confined to the threshold of the house . Any public display of the same is pure hypocrisy and serves no purpose except fanning animosity.

I N D I A - Independent Nation Declared In August , was I believe how India came to be known by that name. Pakistan chose their name ,while our so called pseudo- secular forefathers accepted what the British thought to give them .

 India is still referred to as Hindustan by Pakistan , Bangladesh and Afghanistan . Whatever you may call a nation by name ,the status of the people does not change .

I believe , a referendum should be held in the Country  and the name finally once for all be decided .

We should fight the enemy within and  the known enemy outside unanimously , instead of fighting with  each other .

No religion advocates War and we should respect all religions .

Maybe just maybe ,I make no sense , but so be it

Dilip Apte

Anarkali (1953)

1 November 2013

Anarkali (1953)

Anarkali Poster

Let us talk about the film - Anarkali - released in 1953.

The star-cast comprised of Pradeep Kumar as the young Jahangir [Salim] and Beena Rai as his beloved 'Anarkali' [Nadira].

The film was a Musical Hit and went on to celebrate Golden Jubilee. It was the highest grossing film of 1953 and again ranks 2nd in the top 25 Best Musical Films of all times according to IMDb.

The story is well-known and we need not go into it again.

The Music was composed by C Ramchandra [though initially Basant Prakash - brother of famous Music director Khemchand Prakash was entrusted with the Musical score.He had also recorded a song in Geeta Dutt's voice]. When C Ramchandra took over, he insisted upon the Filmistan people [the producers] that all songs would be sung by Lata Mangeshkar. This was agreed upon, although in the final cut, a song of Geeta Dutt was retained and that is the famous song - "Aa jaane wafa".




The film had total 12 songs, with 11 composed by C Ramchandra and 1 by Basant Prakash.

Anarkali (1953) Poster

This film was a musical hit. The first ever 'Binaca Geetmala' Annual Program of 1953 - saw  "Ye Zindagi usiki hai" catapulted to  the No. 1 position. This song came in parts in the film. The first two stanzas were when the lovers happy in each others company. The 3 rd stanza - jo dil yahan na mil sake signalled their despair and separation, while the last 2 were of unrequited love, when Anarkali was being cemented into a wall on all sides. Lata Mangeshkar gave her soul in singing this song.

There were other beautiful songs too other than the above  viz. 1. Jaag dard isk jaag [Lata Mangeshkar and Hemant Kumar];  2. Aaja ab to aaja [Lata Mangeshkar- lyricist  Shaillendra]; 3. Mohabbat aisi dhadkan hai [Lata Mangeshkar] 4. Muzse mat puch mere ishq mein kya rakkha hai [Lata Mangeshkar] ; 5. Muhabbat mein aise kadam dagmagaye [Lata Mangeshkar] ; 6. Dua kar ghame dil khuda se dua kar [Lata Mangeshkar].

It was not for nothing that C Ramchandra insisted on Lata Mangeshkar for the songs. The results bear testimony of his belief in her

Altogether 4 lyricist were involved in writing the songs - with Shailendra, Hasrat and Jan Nissar Akhtar penning 1 each, while the rest were written by Rajinder Krishan.

This Filmistan produced film, went on to establish 'Filmistan' as a leading production house of repute.