Kabir Ki Saakhiyan

Some of the not-so-popular ones.



Previous post on poems - Miscellaneous

Amitabh On Sunil Dutt

The transcript is here.

And The Result Is..

Dil Ke Armaan Aansooon Mein Beh Gaye...that's after watching B & B. Rather, I should say, I have mixed feelings watching the movie. Even if you leave your brains at home, the movie still doesn't seem to work as it could have.

Ok, they showed a blink-a-miss glimpse of Lucknow(the sprawling Railway Station, Hazratganj & old city). Though they played the trick by showing Harcourt Butler Technological Institute(HBTI) in Lucknow, which is actually in Kanpur.

Yes, they showed quite a bit of Kanpur - the Railway Station, famous Thaggu Halwai's shop at Parade Square(in fact, they have pinched the punch line of this shop - Aisa Koi Saga Nahin, Jisey Humney Thaga Nahin - to make it the punch line of B & B), Hotel Landmark, and a bit of Bithur Ghat.

And they also showed quite a lot of Agra(Taj Mahal), a little of Rishikesh(Laxman Jhoola), Allahabad(Phursat Ganj, as they called it), and Varanasi here there.

Actors keep the film afloat. Rani sizzles, Abhishek is adorable, and Amitabh rocks. Locations are real, cinematography is awesome at those real locations. This brings a whiff of freshness to the whole movie.

But, the only problem is in the script. Situations lack completeness. They try to be funny, but they are not as often they should be. Pace is suppose to be fast, however, its all but that. Amitabh is introduced a bit too late. Editing is bad, perhaps due to bad scripting.

So you can see the reason of my mixed feelings. It can be seen once, and the chemistry between the three can be enjoyed. If only, it was written better.

Bunty Aur Bubbly

"Bunty Aur Bubbly comes to town..."

Waiting for this movie for more than six months now, ever since I first heard about it.

Ok, it might turn out to be a big let down like Kaal, or just be so so like Lucky. Still, expectations run sky high. Promos are rocking with Amitabh Bachhan's rap video. Both Bunty and Bubbly are looking hot together. Yesterday, they were reading news bulletin. MTV Bakra is doing round. All in all, a fun look is there to the movie.

The other reason is those "dusty" towns of my home state where it has been shot. Well, dusty they might be to others, but they are where I belong to. I love those smells because that brings a lot of memory. So this would be a nostalgia movie for me.

The unfortunate part is that though these two are in the town, I am still not able to secure a ticket for myself. Never mind, will go for a black, if I would.

An Exception To The Rule

Is this guy for real, or its just a piece of fiction ?

Reminds me of those stories when kings use to make a round of their kingdom in disguise just to have the feel about the problems of their subjects. This man seems to be straight out of those fairy lands. God bless him!

A Fighter No More

When Sunil Dutt's Cessna aircraft crash-landed four years ago, he still survived. He did that probably because he was a fighter & survivor. Or perhaps, the goodwill he had generated in every walk of life helped him through.

He survived partition, struggle for his career, his wife's & daughter-in-law's cancer, his son's various notorious ways - brush with drugs, imprisonment, underworld connection. Still, I haven't seen another actor with a face so soulful and full of life.

I haven't seen a more tearful funeral of a celebrity since Rajiv Gandhi's fourteen years ago. Have seen so many actors genuinely crying for the first time, as well. Almost every one in the industry is indebted to him in some form or the other, with Amitabh being the biggest of all. His first screen test was taken Nargis and Sunil Dutt.

Why only actors, so many people from street, brothels, chaals were crying too. The story is same, be it Mumbai - his constituency, Haryana - in his village, Gujrat -where Mother India was shot, almost every where in India.

His moral values get reflected in the movies he did, both as an actor and director. Most of them had definite message. I particularly loved his role in Mother India, Mujhe Jeeney Do, Mera Saya, Milan & Padosan. Yaadein & Dard Ka Rishta were brave efforts too.

Apart from being a good person, he was a brave man too. He saved his would be wife from ravaging fires. But that's a much later incident. Here is one incident which not many people know about which happened much earlier.

At that time he had just resettled in India, and was visiting Delhi for sight seeing. While he was near India Gate, he saw a person drowning in a pond. Despite of the fact that he didn't know swimming, he jumped into the water to save that person. This act of selflessness & extraordinary courage brought his name and photograph on the front page Hindustan Times next day.

Well, such stories are profound in the lives of real life heroes, and hero Sunil Dutt was. One can emulate him as an artist, as a politician, as a human being. You will be emulated, Mr. Dutt.

Miscellaneous

A compilation of some very nice Hindi Gazal and Ashaar.



Previous post on poems - Ek

When A Stranger Makes You Smile

Reading this post from Vandy (about an unexpected pleasant behaviour exhibited by a stranger) reminds me of a small, pleasant incident which took place on the day I had mirchi at Mirchi Kola.

While I was parking my car on a road side paid parking space, owing to insufficient lights, I turned the vehicle a trifle too close to a Maruti Omni. As a result, the left side of my car's back bumper got slightly unhooked from its slot, and was left a bit dangling.

Not much problem I thought. Now days I have grown myself beyond these minor damages. But the two parking attendants were more alarmed than I was. They earnestly began searching for the broken hook which keeps the bumper in the slot. I joined them, but also told them that since it was broken, it was of no use, so cool it off.

Soon, I forgot about that incident, and made myself busy at the busy MG Road. After shopping and dining, when I returned back to my car after two hours I noticed that the bumper was no more dangling. On looking more closely, I realized that those boys had tied the left bumper to the slot with a metallic wire. I was pleasantly surprised.

These men, not earning even fifty rupees a day, not sure of their jobs next day, having tonnes of the other worries, actually made an effort to fix the problem for which even I had no concern. This was not their job. It was the fag end of a hot, sultry day. They must have toiled whole day under the relentless sun.

I promptly approached them and expressed my gratitude. They smiled it off. The mirchi in my mouth immediately vanished. The ride back home was a better one. We need more such persons who bring you unexpected smiles.

About Sholay

Some interesting facts about Sholay which I have heard over the time. That Amitabh wanted Gabbar's role, while Dharmendra pined for Thakur Baldev Singh's.

Shatrughan Sinha came very close of claiming Jai's role, while Danny was the first choice of Gabbar but had to miss out because he was shooting for Dharmatma in Afghanistan.

Salim & Javed were paid only fifty thousand for the script, screenplay and dialogues while they had demanded two lakhs for it because they had only the outline of the story ready at that time.

While the ready script of Mazboor fetched 2 lakhs for which they had originally asked 1 lakh. On hind sight, Sippys got both the scripts for peanuts. Not that Salim-Javed were complaining. The original concept was derived from the movie Magnificent Seven.

The movie was shot at a place called Avantikam near Banglore. The bike's number which the duo of Jai & Veru rode was MYB 3047. The song 'Mehbooba Mehbooba' was to be originally sung by Asha Bhonsle.

The movie was released on 15th August 1975, and ran for 5 years in Mumbai's Minerva. It broke the record of Gyan Mukherjee's Kismet, which ran in Roxy, Kolkota. It was first 70 mm movie with stereophonic sound.

The only Filmfare award won by this movie was for Best Editing.

Mirchi Kola

Somewhat in the middle of the Pune city, there is MG Road. Somewhat in the middle of MG Road, there is a hip, hep, and much harped about restraunt called Mirchi Kola.

Recommended by a friend, tried its food last night. The trial turned out to be an error, literally. True to its name, Biryani was all mirchi and Cola( read dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane ) I didn't order.

The whole gut was burning. Water was extensively used to ease that out. No that all was teekha. The Sabzi was actually meethi. I shoo away from sugary vegetable curries, and as a rule, make sure with the person taking the order that there is no sugar in the dish. But never expected good old Saag Makai would be tampered too.

Caught between the devil and deep sea, kisi tarah bhookh mitai. Of course, no tip. For me, the Biryani at Le Meridian has still found no match in Pune and not to say Lucknowi one - the king of all Biryanis. This Mirchi Kola has badly fizzled out.

Times Are So Bad...

...that perverts are trying to suggest that a person like Arun Shourie can be corrupt. Stupid is forever, ignorance can be fixed. Like they say in Hindi - 'Inki Aankh Ka Pani Mar Gaya Hai' (meaning there is absolutely no shame left in them)


...that Venkatesh Prasad wants to be the bowling coach of India. He wants to share his "experience with the boys". Sigh. But who will hire a coach for Venkatesh Prasad to make him ready to coach India! Didn't somebody tell him that even Anil Kumble, at this age, bowls faster than he did at his prime ?

The Voice of God

"Bekraar Karkey Humey Yun Na Jaaiye Aapko Humari Kasam Laut Aaiye..."

When a voice as mesmerizing as this says to you, I guess, absolutely nobody will go. Personally, if this song comes on TV/Radio, I don't budge. As music director Salil Chowdhari famously remarked about him - 'If God were to sing, he would have sung in the voice of Hemant Kumar.

Remember the haunting - "Tum Pukar Lo, Tumhara Intezaar Hai.." from Khamoshi or "Na Tum Humey Jaano, Na Hum Tumhe Jaane.." from Baat Ek Raat Ki? It really sounds like the voice of God.

Often it seems that there is a lot of pain in his voice, but it adds so much value to the songs. A good example is "Jane Woh Kaise Log The Jinkey Pyar Ko Pyar Mila.." from Pyasa. It was a very beautifully sung song that speaks volume about the desperate love life of the protagonist of the movie.

At the same time he fishes out lovely romantic numbers like the naughty "Hai Apna Dil To Awara Na Jane Kis Per Aayega.." from Solwan Saal, or haunting "Yeh Raat Yeh Chandini Fir Kahan.." from Jaal with elan.

But my personal favourite is "Nishana Chook Na Jai Zara Nazron Se Keh Do Ji.." from, again, Bees Saal Baad. Music is by Hemant Kumar himself. The lyrics are perfect by Shakeel Badayuni. One can't write better than this. But the killer punch is given by the singer.

In between this song, there are a few lines which the singer doesn't sing, but actually speaks. There you hear the real Hemant Kumar. It is, gosh, so captivating. These types of voices rule the world. And the way he renders those sentences is also very different.

My father had old sony audio cassette(remember those green ones ?) of a live performance by him. Use to hear it again and again when I was a kid. This song kind of grew on me since those days. From my college days, I remember at least one person who is a bigger fan of Hemant Kumar is Ishan. I remember giving him a Hemant Kumar audio cassette for his birthday, which ironically was lost by me. He has never forgiven me for that.

Here are the lyrics of this lovely song. Enjoy.

Zara Nazron Se Keh Do Ji Nishaana Chook Na Jaye
Zara Nazron Se Keh Do Ji
Maza Jab Hai Tumhari Har Ada Qaatil Hi Kehlaye
Zara Nazron Se Keh Do Ji

Qaatil Tumhe Pukarun Ke Jaan-E-Vafa Kahun
Hairat Mein Pad Gaya Hoon Ke Maein Tum Ko Kya Kahun
Zamaana Hai Tumhaara
Zamaana Hai Tumhaara Chaahe Jiski Zindagi Le Lo
Agar Mera Kaha Maano To Aise Khel Na Khelo
Tumhaari Is Sharaarat Se Na Jaane Kis Ki Maut Aaye
Zara Nazron Se Keh Do Ji

Haye, Kitni Maasoom Lag Rahi Ho Tum
Tumko Zaalim Kahe Vo Jhootha Hai
Ye Bholaapan Tumhaara
Ye Bholaapan Tumhaara Ye Sharaarat Aur Ye Shokhi
Zarurat Kya Tumhen Talwaar Ki Teeron Ki Khanjar Ki
Nazar Bhar Ke Jise Tum Dekh Lo Vo Khud Hi Mar Jaye
Zara Nazron Se Keh Do Ji

Hum Pe Kyun Is Qadar Bigadti Ho
Chhedhne Vaale Tumko Aur Bhi Hain
Bahaaron Par Karo Gussa Ulajhti Hain Jo Aankhon Se
Havaaon Par Karo Gussa Jo Takraati Hain Zulfon Se
Kahin Aisa Na Ho Koi Tumhaara Dil Bhi Le Jaye
Zara Nazron Se Keh Do Ji

Ek...

A beautiful thought by Bhagwati Sharan Srivastava.

Tum Daal Daal, Mai Paat Paat

Well recently, I have been bitten by this equity bug courtesy my friends Saurabh Srivastava and Shivshankar Bajpai.

I have been well advised by them that one can actually make some money with the stocks because until now I was of the firm belief that the third fastest way to burn your hard earned money is to invest them in stock market. The fastest way is, of course, to burn it literally. The second fastest way ..ahem.. pardon me, is to hand over you credit/debit/ATM cards to your wife, girlfriend, whoever.

Enlightened, I decided to further enlighten myself and hooked on to following programs - SubahLaxmi of CNBC-TV18 and Bohni of NDTV Profit - to get more feel of the market. The beginning was good. There would be a well informed host, and one guest consultant from some leading brokering agency. Analysis and discussion would follow. Some distraught people's SOS were also entertained.

So far so good. Then it happened.

One fine morning I saw a familiar looking lady sharing the table with the host on SubahLaxmi. Now we have two hosts. To my shock, I realized that this girl use to previously (badly)anchor a shady program called Raat Baki in NDTV Hindi in a highly irritating voice. It is a daily half an hour capsule, weekdays, on Mumbai night life. All crass, no substance.

I wondered what she is doing here. I got my answer soon. She was there to bungle the whole gem-of-the show. Every now and then she would interrupt, either the guest, or the host. For those who are not aware, I may add here that CNBC TV18 has some ravishing hosts and analysts, but they are not there for their faces. They are terrific in the analysis and very good presenters.

Alas, this show was ruined. But wait till I tell you about NDTV Profit. When they came to know about this new entry in their rival channel, they decided to emulate. Lousy copycats, because their copy was even worse. The problem was very basic. The program is in Hindi, and the lady doesn't know the language.

Same bungling and interruption started. NDTV Profit already had this habit of showing non business headlines ditto copied from NDTV 24X7 and NDTV Hindi every now and then. These 'headlines', in fact, are stretched quite in detail reducing the actual time for the business related stuff. Pray, somebody please tell them that for the news we can watch other channels.

If this was not enough, they took a step ahead of CNBC TV18. The original presenter is gone from past two days and the lady is all by herself with guest. It is really hilariously frustrating to watch the show now. Hope he returns. As far as show is concerned, it is nipped in the bud, I would say.

And nipped in the bud are my stock investment dreams.

Laloo's Humble Pie

The problem with Laloo is that he still thinks he is in opposition and BJP is in the power. The so called stone throwing incident in Gujrat last month, and his recent launch of a scathing attack at election commission are the two stand out examples of that.

As it turned out, no stone was thrown, they were just water polythenes. All the damage to his car was later done by Laloo and his goons themselves in order to frame Modi government.

Similarly, now in the election commission issue, his tirade against election commissioner Tandon, and Lal Krishna Advani has fallen flat. The legal issues have cropped up, and Laloo's blabber has turned into a whimper.

For the nth number of times, he has been forced to eat a humble pie, but he doesn't know to do even that properly.

Father Vs Mother

Like what was happening last year just before Bihar elections when there was this unfortunate windfall of kidnappings in Bihar, outrageous crimes against woman is the shocking flavour of this summer. While the debates about the dress sense, or about death sentence to the rapists continue, still, every instance of any new such incident seems more ghastly than the previous one.

In the thick of such things, the Star News is showing a news story, which is now fast taking the shape of a soap opera. This about the famed Nandi case of Lucknow, where the husband had put a writ application to stop her wife from aborting her child. Some people like Amit Varma are disgusted at the argument of the husband, while I am pained at his situation.

This person is in such a an unfortunate situation, that there is no justice for him. Court was kind of enough to entertain the appeal and even forwarded it to legislation to amend the laws about it. This is a fit case of role reversal. Like there are thousands of cases of men harassing women, here we have this man harassed by his better half.

Imagine a man gets married after months of courtship where his fiancee calls him almost daily. Then together they have a lovely honeymoon, where they decide to plan a baby. Meanwhile wife goes back to her home town to attend a cousin's marriage. When she returns she decides that she no longer can live so far from her parents.There is also an ashram over there where she regularly visits.

She decides to head back to her parent's house. Then arbitrarily she decides to abort the baby. Then she decides ....but hello? Will all the decisions be taken by the lady only? Isn't there a person who has married her only last November; who loves her; who had dreamt of a happy life; with a woman who was perfectly happy with her marriage, with her pregnancy just weeks ago.

So what does the husband do? Please remember he would have done the following. On her first homesick bout, he would have smiled knowingly. Well, who isn't. It will get over. Then she would have raised her pitch about the homesickness. He would have sympathized. Mind you she would be calling her parents daily and vice-versa.

Then she would explode the bomb to the shock of this guy that she can't live without her parents, so far from her city. She is hell bent on that. He is pleading with her. He now gets frustrated at the sight of no relenting. She is stubborn. Come what may, she will go. Fights start, and her parents are summoned. Situation get worsened. And now she decides to abort her child.

Imagine the plight of this guy. Until a few months ago, he had a loving wife, he was expecting a baby. The bliss was doubled, the planning for future had started. And now he has nothing just because the woman was homesick. This man has lost wife, child, peace of mind, and money.

I think this woman is disgusting. Just because the womb is hers, she doesn't get the right to kill that fetus. The right has to be earned. This is not a rape. Nor there is any medical complication. This is for sheer selfishness. This can't be allowed. If there is no such law, then it should be made. The man should also have a say and the court should decide subjectively.

But this poor guy would have nothing. No wife, no child. He is in further trouble. This lady now wants to take the police action on him for - hold your breath - killing her child by kicking her stomach. Not only that. She also wants to slap a dowry case, harassment case, abuse and what not!

This man is finished, in little less than seven months.

A Day Of Ironies

Our annual salary revision letters were to be distributed on 11 th May. Never before in the history of my stay in the company, we have been given those letters on promised time.

To our pleasant shock, we were informed that those letters would be distributed two days before, that is, today. Kuchh Bhavuk Prakriti Ke Logon Ki Ankhon Mein To Khushi Ke Aansoo Tak Chhalak Aaye.

Was still smarting under the shock, when in came our HR Manager. " Hey Manish !" Smiles. " Since your boss is on leave, you will have to distribute the salary letters in your group." More smiles.

My pleasure ! Or so as I thought. "But your letter be given by your boss himself", she added a few moments later. Damn!

Damn! Damn! Darnest of Damn !

"What an irony!", I let out without bothering to suppress my disgust. Chirag Taley Andhera. I would be distributing letters while, ironically, I would be getting letter on the day it was orginally promised.

More smiles, and she flew away.

In Visions ..

In Visions of the dark night
I have dreamt of joy departed
But a waking dream of life and light
Hath left me broken hearted

I Would I Were A Careless Child

I wish that too. Enjoy this.

I WOULD I were a careless child,
Still dwelling in my highland cave,
Or roaming through the dusky wild,
Or bounding o'er the dark blue wave;
The cumbrous pomp of Saxon pride
Accords not with the freeborn soul,
Which loves the mountain's craggy side,
And seeks the rocks where billows roll.

Fortune! take back these cultured lands,
Take back this name of splendid sound!
I hate the touch of servile hands,
I hate the slaves that cringe around.
Place me among the rocks I love,
Which sound to Ocean's wildest roar;
I ask but this -- again to rove
Through scenes my youth hath known before.
Few are my years,
and yet I feel The world was ne'er designed for me:

Ah! why do dark'ning shades conceal
The hour when man must cease to be?
Once I beheld a splendid dream,
A visionary scene of bliss:
Truth! -- wherefore did thy hated beam
Awake me to a world like this?
I loved -- but those I loved are gone;
Had friends -- my early friends are fled:
How cheerless feels the heart alone
When all its former hopes are dead!
Though gay companions o'er the bowl
Dispel awhile the sense of ill;
Though pleasure stirs the maddening soul,
The heart -- the heart -- is lonely still.

How dull! to hear the voice of those
Whom rank or chance, whom wealth or power,
Have made, though neither friends nor foes,
Associates of the festive hour.
Give me again a faithful few,
In years and feelings still the same,
And I will fly the midnight crew,
Where boist'rous joy is but a name.

And woman, lovely woman! thou,
My hope, my comforter, my all!
How cold must be my bosom now,
When e'en thy smiles begin to pall!
Without a sigh I would resign
This busy scene of splendid woe,
To make that calm contentment mine,
Which virtue knows, or seems to know.

Fain would I fly the haunts of men--
I seek to shun, not hate mankind;
My breast requires the sullen glen,
Whose gloom may suit a darken'd mind.
Oh! that to me the wings were given
Which bear the turtle to her nest!
Then would I cleave the vault of heaven,
To flee away and be at rest.

Lord Byron, (George Gordon)

Bashir Badra

Bashir means a messenger of good news. My eyes lit up whenever I see him any of those Kavi Sammelans or Mushairas on TV. He is good news to me.

This Soorma Bhopali always uses simple, easy-to-understand words. No mindboggling stuff. Never restricted to Urdu, he very lavishly uses Hindi & English in his works. Unfortunately, he never writes in Devnagri script therefore that should limit his reading audience. Still this poet's popularity is amazing. That's courtesy various translations.

Here is the compilation of a few of his famous Sher. You must have read or heard them before. No harm in revisiting them.

Pardon....

Pardon me friends. Facing extreme paucity of time, so enjoy another Muktak. Instead of putting up some junk, I thought this was a better option.



Previous Poem - Yayavar

Treat Life...

...With A Pinch Of Salt. That's what these words also say.



Previous Poem - Chah

(A)KAAL

Kaal is no Dhamaal, but Jee Ka Janjaal. A big let down, a huge waste of money, not worthy all the hype. Tigers have nothing to do with it, and that's where they have created the hype.

Dramatic elements have been forcibly added in an effort to create terror, but there is none. Deepak was bang on target when he said, everything looks so artificial in the trailer. In his words, it indeed is a storm in the tea cup.

The script has loops & loops of loopholes. I wondered, is that what they had been harping about endlessly on television for past one week? People disappear for no reason, only to reappear. People are killed somewhere else, and dead body ends up miles away. Dead men walking or what ?

So much about the script.

The icing on the cake was the climax. Extremely disappointing and hurried ending. No worhty performance, not even Devgan. In fact, Vivek and Lara have an irritating characterisation. They both are unconvincing of what they speak. It never seems to be coming from their heart.

Thanks heavens the whole experience was just a two hour stretch. Avoid it if you must.