Jan 26

Melodies from the Bhatt clan!!

Mahesh Bhatt is a personality of Indian Film Industry unlike none other. I had a lot of admiration for this capabilities sans his controversies. Barring a few mistakes off late (that he likes to call movies), I still admire a lot of his movies, simply for the deft direction, acting, and ofcourse the immensely melodious and meaningful songs. If the movie is from the Bhatt clan, one is certainly assured of a lilting number to keep the mind occupied. Even though off late, the movie by itself seems to be less and less capable of doing it. And as is the purpose of my monloguing here (which I would still like to call blogging), I would like to list some of my favorite numbers from the movies that had something to do with the Bhatts!! 😛
I am not quite sure of the first movie directed by Mahesh Bhatt, which could be either Sakat, or Manzilein Aur bhi hain. But my list of songs would rather start with Lahu ke do rang.
Lahu ke do rang :- One of my all time favorites of KJY – zid na karo ab toh ruko yeh raat nahin aayegi, and there is another often forgotten song by Kishore Kumar – Muskuraata hua gul khilaata hua mera yaar both of which used to be constantly featured during the afternoon – Aap ki farmaaish on vividh bhaarathi, radio station.
Arth :- Hailed as the biographical movie by Mahesh Bhatt, this movie featured top class acting by Shabana Azmi, Smitha Patil and Kulbhushan Karbanda; not to mention some of the evergreen songs ever composed in Bollywood – Tum itna jo muskuraa rahe ho (brilliantly shot on Shabana Azmi, this song is a stand alone example on the acting prowess of this star), Jhuki Jhuki si nazar, to mention a couple. Both the songs have been sung by Jagjit Singh.
Naam :- The one most famous heart-rending song from this movie is but known to everyone – Chitti aayi hai vatan se Chitti aayi hai. Sung by Pankaj udhaas, it continues to bring tears into the eyes of lots of non-resident Indians to this day!
Kaash :- O Yaara… tu pyaaron se hai pyaara sung by Anupama Deshpande and Kishore Kumar, this movie also featured another beautiful ghazal by Asha Bhonsle and Mohd. Aziz – Chhoti si hai baat koi nahin jaane.
Aashiqui :- The movie which shot to fame the utterly forgettable Rahul Roy, and Anu Agarwal; it also became the much awaited boost for Kumar Sanu and Anuradha Paudwal. Some of the beautiful numbers of this movie include Bas ik sanam chaahiye, Ab tere bin jee lenge hum, Mein duniya bhulaa doonga teri chaahat mein, Nazar ke saamne jigar ke paas… Absolute melody was the hallmark of this movie.
Jurm :- Remember the song – Jab koi baat bigad jaaye ? Need I say more of it?
Sadak :- A much acclaimed movie that gave a new face to villainy – Sadashiv Amrapurkar (its a tragedy that the filmdom didn’t know how to use his talents), some of the melodious hits of this movie are Tumhe apna banane ki kasam, Hum tere bin kahin reh nahin paate.
Dil Hai Ki Maanta Nahin :- A movie one instantly falls in love with, it holds a very special place in my life (Read on to know why..). Anupam Kher excelled himself in the comic role as Pooja Bhatt’s father. Aamir’s tongue in cheek performances, and Pooja bhatt as herself (the spoilt daughter of a rich father) makes this movie memorable along with its hit numbers – Galyat sangli son yachi (the song for which me and my crush had danced together 😉 ), dil hai ki maanta nahin, tu chaahat hai kisi aur ka, mainu ishq daan lagiya rog.
Daddy :- The movie proved that the most simple story can take a multi-dimensional stature when it is coupled with mesmerizing performances by actors like Anupam Kher, wonderful lyrics from the likes of Suraj Sanim and equally awesome singers like Talat Aziz. Aaina mujhse meri pehli si surat maange, Waffa jo tumse ki hoti, were my all time favorites from this movie.
Saatwan Aasmaan :- A movie that was totally forgettable if not for a couple of really beautiful songs – Tum kyaa mile jaane jaan pyaar zindagi se ho gaya, Where is the time to hate (it sounds so much like a kid’s poem), Socha tumhein khat likhoon, & Tum tum ho ke nahin. The one good thing this movie indeed do, is to convince Vivek Mushran of being creatively challenged! Well it did write off the epilogue for his acting career.
Phir Teri Kahaani Yaad Aayi :- The two memorable facts of this movie were that the poster was a rip off of “Basic Instinct”, and the other being the songs – Tere dar par sanam chale aaye, Baadalon mein chup raha hai chaand kyon.
Naaraaz :- Yeddanoder fogeddable (am down with cold) movie with equally memorable songs – Chaaha to bahut na chaahen tujhe, Tere bin mein kuch.
Papa Kehte Hain :- Sure as hell, Mahesh Bhatt must have quit directing movies by now! This movie tried to launch that utterly chocolaty Jugal Hansraj into the mainstream, but was a complete washout! If it were released as a private album, I guess, it pretty much would’ve made equal sense! The songs were the only saving grace in this movie! Every song – Ghar se nikal te hi, Yeh joh thode se hain paise, pehli pyaar ka pehla gam, Pyar mein hota hai, Mujhse naaraaz ho toh were hummed over and over again in my bathroom, much to the dismay of my neighbors and family! Oh Well!!
Zakhm :- Finally a justifiably Mahesh Bhatt movie, it was again based on his real life, and provided us with a respite of melodies such as Gali mein aaj chaand, Hum yahan tum yahan, and Raat saari bekaraari mein. M M Kreem had set the tunes liltingly, which was an added bliss.
Well, the later films by the Bhatt clan including Pooja Bhatt, did have a few numbers that haunted and sometimes topped the music charts from movies – Kasoor, Murder, Paap, Raaz, Saaya, Zeher, etc.
Most of the songs from these movies need no special mentioning but nevertheless in the passing some of my favorites are :-
Garaj Baras, Mann ki lagan, Aalaap – from PAAP.
Bheege Hont tere, Kaho na kaho – from MURDER.
Aapke pyaar mein hum – from RAAZ.
Jaadu hai nasha hai, Aawaarapan Banjarapan, – from JISM.
Agar tum mil jao, Woh lamhe Woh baatein – from ZEHER.
Well, thatz that – my take on some of the memorable songs from his movies/production. Any more to add? Keep lookin’!

Jan 26

Rustling up some Russell!

“Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. The mediocre mind is incapable of understanding the man who refuses to bow blindly to conventional prejudices and chooses instead to express his opinions courageously and honestly.”
–Albert Einstein in a letter to Morris Raphael Cohen, professor emeritus of philosophy at the College of the City of New York, defending the controversial appointment of Bertrand Russell to a teaching position, dated March 19, 1940.
It seemed quite justifiable that I start this blog with a quote by Einstein on Bertrand Russell, for it was he, who introduced me to him! Weird as it may seem, I had taken profound interest in Quantum physics and found Einstein a divus in this land! In his book “Ideas and Opinions”, he spoke with extreme veneration on Bertrand Russell. What really drove me to him nevertheless, was an excerpt from his book mentioned by good ol’ Alby, in his essay. The excerpt was from a book by Russell – “An Inquiry into Meaning and Truth”. Now mind you, me and my imbecile brain were both at a Pre-University level, and to tell you the truth, could garner abysmally minimal amount of what Bertrand had penned. I have indeed come a long way since then, with my mediocrity, and yes, he still holds me in awe! A change being that now, much like a slow learner, I have begun to understand the simple matters, intricately woven in his verbal maze!
Bertrand Russell is ruthless in his presentation of matters, and seldom tries to simplify his thoughts! I have found him unrelenting in his expression of his ideas and views, which bludgeons the principles he speaks of, and holds the reader in rapt attention (whether he understands it or not is a different issue altogether). There are some simple books that one may want to start with –
  • The Conquest of Happiness :- After several months of abstaining from Bertrand Russell, invariably scared by his verbal aptitude as also the complexity of the ideas presented, I chanced upon this book. It exposed a more humane front of Russell – one wherein he is relatively simple in his expression. As for the ideas he talks of in this book, well let me tell you, this isn’t a How-to-be-happy-in-24-hrs book in the layman sense of it. As with any great philosopher, he expects the reader to be mature enough to contemplate on his views, and not just accept them at the face value. In the end, one is convinced of his view of happiness and how one is to be happy amidst the rigmaroles of day-to-day lives.
  • Education and Social Order :- Education is one of Russell’s most passionate topics. His concern is clearly evident when he lucidly talks about topics that range from the method of teaching, to the subjects involved in educating the younger minds! He raises a very interesting question in this book. He wonders about how the younger generation must be educated? Must they be groomed to become ideal citizens? Or to become ideal Individuals? Want to have a take on this one?

  • Mysticism and Logic :- The book starts with one of the celebrated essays of Bertrand Russell – “A Freeman’s Worship”. In this book he explores the various aspects of Religion, science, and metaphysics. He dwells at length on topics like mathematics, and its relation with the real world, philosophy and metaphysics. Here’s an insightful writing coming directly from his pen, “The habit of being unable to recognize merit until it is dead is too apt to be the result of a purely bookish life, and a culture based wholly on the past will seldom be able to pierce through everday surroundings to the essential splendour of contemporary things, or to the hope of still greater splendour in the future.” [Chapter 3: The Place of Science in Liberal Education, pp-51]

  • An Inquiry into Meaning and Truth :- By far it is the most complicated book amongst all that I have read so far. His expositions on meaning begins right with the very base of words, language, and their use to express the ideas and feelings. Then comes the question of Truth! What is truth? What is the measure of truth? Here is where Russell lost me (or wherein I lost him)! The ethical view points on truth dives deep into the aspects of science, psychology and metaphysics! When I read this book, I was in my I PUC. Probably, I may change.

    • On the hindsight, the role of Russell’s writings in giving newer aspects to my thought, would perhaps be augmented, if I had the capability to understand his line of philosophy. In whatever small manner he has imprinted his ideas on me, has certainly changed my perspective on many things. Yet, to wholly understand Russell, would be a challenge worth taking, and would make me very proud if I would be able to do it sometime, before long! Welches Sagen Sie Sir?

Jan 24

It’s only words…

A couple of days ago, a friend of mine, wrote a beautiful mail to me. In which she wrote about words; words that we utter, that we write, that we use to express our deepest feelings and desires. It had me thinking about the importance of words in our day to day lives. Ofcourse they are important. As already said, that is how we express! That is how we have learnt to put across the multitudinous feelings that rage within us. Ever wondered how it would be if we were incapable of expressing with words? So, words have thus, made themselves very important for us. Yet another factor is who utters those words! Isn’t it? Words that we would have heard over and over again, gain a certain importance when they come from a certain group of people. Words that a stranger (a person with whom we may feel no connection whatsoever) may not even reach our ears, but the slightest murmur of discomfort from our closest people is enough to create a storm of feelings in our minds.
What that offsets, determines to a large extent the future of the relationships. Often, harsh words give rise to harsh words. My teacher would remind us often, “People who fly into a rage, always make a bad landing”. Words uttered in anger, dismay, confusion, only leads to more of it. To react to that in the same manner, only worsens the situations. So how is one to have the balance maintained in such a way, that it remains unaltered in the most adverse situations? How is one to give rise to words of love, and comfort when one is being abused? I am yet to learn it. But I am sure that it can be done.
Sure, they are only words, words that were created by us. But words are all we have, to build a better world.

Jan 20

Divine praises in a Divine Language

There is a famous Ganesha temple opposite to my house in Bangalore. It is located on top of a huge hill on the 100 Ft Ring Road. Every year during the anniversary celebrations they invite several eminent singers from all over the State, and hold devotional recitals. During one such recitals I had heard a wonderful song on Lord Ayyappa – Harivaraasanam. Today nearly 7 years later, I chanced on that wonderful stotra once again, and even as I listen to its soothing rendering from the very voice of KJY, I am restraining the tears of joy that are almost ready to burst out of my eyes! I thought of compiling a list of someof the most melodious, soothing, enriching and simply wonderful stotras from Sanskrit.

  • Rudram and Chamakam :- Found in the 4th book of taittiriya samhita called Krishna yajurveda, these two stotras are among the most magnificent not just due to their rendition and verbal grandeur but also for the deep philosophical and religious meaning embedded in them. They sing the praise of Rudra – the destructive form of Lord Shiva, hailing him in different forms. Extremely intricate to say, these stotras are nevertheless very soothing and refreshing when one listenes to them in the early morning and late evenings.
  • Vishnu Sahasranaama :- The most celebrated stotra amongst the sahasranaamas, this is taken from the great Indian epic – Mahabharatha. It was recited to Yudhisthira by the great warrior and scholar Mahatma Bheeshma himself. It contains 1008 names of Lord Vishnu and is very easy to learn and recite. Appropriate recital is known to improve one’s pronunciation as also improve the mental abilities. The reverberations generated by appropriate pronunciation is also known to cure several ailments!
  • Lalitha Sahasranaama :- The beauty of the Hindu dharma and its basic language Sanskrit, is that enormous knowledge of science, acoustics and psychology has been vested in even the simplest of the verses. The Lalitha sahasranaama is a celebration of the Mother Godess. The deep philosophical meaning hidden in its introduction verses – that speaks of the various tantric secrets, the praaNa philosophy, and kundalini yoga only gets more and more intricate as one begins to recite the 1008 names of the Mother. Spiritually enlightening, one has to gain an indepth knowledge of it to truly appreciate the beauty of these verses.

All of the above mentioned verses have very complicated structuring and understanding that is hard to achieve for commoners like us. They ought to be learnt under the guidance of an able Guru and requires tremendous amounts of Sadhana and discipline on the part of the devotee. The following few hymns though simpler are none the less equally powerful in their devotional magnificence. They are easy to learn, easy to recite, melodious, verbally powerful, spiritually enlightening and psychologically enriching!

  • Harivaraasanam :- A stotra of 8 verses (ashtakams) that sing the praises of Lord Ayyappa.
  • Sikshaashtakam :- A composition by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, explaining the 8 fold emotions that a devotee goes through before surrendering to the supreme Lord. This has been brilliantly rendered by Smt. M S Subbulakshmi. She carries the listener to the supreme levels of spiritual ecstasy into a brilliant climax that brings tears to ones eyes. One can feel the heart rending pleads of an ardent devotee in her voice. It is a MUST LISTEN.
  • Shiva Tandava Stotram :- Composed by Ravana himself, in praise of Lord Shiva, this is one of the most magnificent stotras composed on Lord Shiva. It is beautiful in its grammatical composition, rich in its verbal treasure, and quite a mouthful if I can say so. The Onomatopoeia of this stotra makes it a gleaming example on the powerful vocabulary vested in the most ancient language of this earth!
  • Soundarya Lahari :- Shankaracharya composed this describing the beauty of Godess Parvathi. A wonderful collection of verses that not only celebrates the Universal Mother, but also instills the entire nature around us in her form and thus is also visually rich! The verses are abound with their references to natural beauty – animate and inanimate!
  • Madhuraashtakam :- Another stotra having 8 verses that extoll the beauty of Lord Krishna. It is very rhythmic, melodious and visually rich in its description of Govinda.
  • Vande Vandyam Sadaanandam :- A composition that has been used in the movie “Madhvacharya” by G V Iyer, it has been sung by Dr. M Balamurali krishna. I have no information as to the composer of this wonderful stotra. It brings together the grandeur of Lord Vishnu heralding him as the supreme person, and his role as the Moksha pradaayaka, the one who eventually relives the jiva of the worldly bonds.
  • Shyaamala Dandakam :- Another brilliant composition by Shri Shankarachaarya – this was made extremely famous by including in the movie “Kaviratna Kalidasa”. Dr Rajkumar astonishes in his impeccable rendition of this unique form of composition (a dandaka). It describes the beauty and grandeur of the destructive form of Parvathi – Goddess Kali.
  • Sivashtakam :- Extremely rhythmic with terse words, and extremely resounding to the ear, this stotra of 8 verses is extremely famous. One can easily enjoy the beauty of its composition by listening as much as by reciting it! consider this :- paTaadhrOnivaasam mahATTAttahaasam mahA pApa naasham sadA suprakASam.

Several others of such stotras include “Bhaja Govindam”, “Lingashtakam”, “Kaalabhairavaashtakam”, “Siva panchakshara stotram”, “Rama rakshaa stotram”, “Shaarada dandakam”, “Naama Raamayana”, and several others. To talk of each of these would take decades. Nevertheless at regular intervals, I would like to share a few of my knowings with you all and together relish the beauty of them.

Jan 20

More on the oceans….

Long long ago I had written a blog on oceans – the ol’ blues of the world! Enormous quantities of water, and yet held within its limits! Varied secrets of the past, all hidden in its depths! The silent witness to the change that has been effective ever since the life was first formed in its wombs. Even more, being a part of that change, of that evolution! Bridging civilizations, and continents! Sometimes collecting a rather heavy toll for this service! The originator for several adventures, fairy tales, myths and legends! The mighty ocean!
One thing that is absolutely astounding about the ocean is its majesticity, and composure! Sure people have taken it for granted! They use it as a burial ground for the crap and s**** they want to discard! Every now and then, they spill oil into the oceans over a war that is only governed by selfish desires and personal hegemonies! And before long, they run to the oceans, feeling sorry for their deeds, trying to make up for their mistakes by cleaning up the mess that would not have been there in the first place, if man for his sense had the ability to control his tempers and desires! What more! they try to utilize the resources of the ocean, thanklessly plundering its vast riches for their personal benefits! Directly feeding their poisonous discards into its calm waters, making them murky, just like their minds – full of anger, suspicion, hatred, and disrespect for fellow humans. Before long, the ocean digests it all, rejuvenates and again holds its arms aloft for the life!
Then again, there comes a time, when in rage, the mighty ocean soars to heights that man cannot fathom, with a strength that dwarfs the technological prowess and power established by man, and in a single gulp destroys everything that it had sustained! Nature is the very repository for the calm. When humans mistake this, and take it for granted, abusing it, and misusing it, they are but digging their own burial grounds. For a day may come, when the earth shall rumble, and the oceans may set out to scale new limits, and then, man quivers!
What is amusing is that man, at that time, sets out to write poems and articles and makes movies, calling upon the nature to recollect what its duty is supposed to be! Deploring its rage! Asking it to forget the loads of abuse mankind has heaped on it! Sometimes, I do wonder, what the ocean would think about mankind! Mankind calls upon a relationship that it failed to respect and honor at the moment of its abuse – one wonders just how much more opportunist can man get to be! Before long, the ocean regains its composure! The cosmic silence again fills its depths, and rumbles onto the surface carried out by the mighty winds!
I admire nature, and its patience.

Jan 19

A Glossary for Netizens!

The Jan 16, 2006 edition of TIME has several interesting articles that makes it worth having in the collection. Some of the issues that it has concentrated this time around, includes the cultural dilemma faced by the many cross-culture breeds and more so, the Asian Americans; the recent scandal to rock the White House in the form of Jack Abramoff, and more importantly a series of articles based on some recent findings about the human brain and its effective utilization.
Of interest here is the last one. The growing techno-savviness, the rat race, and the urge to stay way ahead of everyone has, as the articles claim, begun to take a heavy toll on the power of our brains. Rather than enabling us to utilize the brain even more, such heavy gadgety trend has made us alarmingly dependent on the machines and hence even as our productivity is on a decline, various forms of disorders are on the rise. With this bird-view, I would leave it to the interests of my readers to either pursue and find out more, or else just ignore this post! (Oh! Well.. yet another on the list!).
For those of you, who continued to read on.. one of the articles concentrated on the issue of “Multi-tasking”. This caught my attention because, I do a lot of this. Even as I am typing out my blog on my office computer, I have a program being executed on my laptop, a messenger running, a conversation over the cell phone, and not to forget the intermediate visits by my colleagues and supervisors….. oops.. just remembered something, lemme jot it down real quick on this stick pad, right next to me! I too like many others am deluged to think that I am being more productive, the article nevertheless begs to differ! This overt increase in the quantity of work, on the longer run seems to deteriorate the quality of the same!!
Well, it also lists a glossary of terms that have been introduced to funkily name our little “idiosyncracy” (as I would like it to be called.. rather than a compulsive disorder). I am sure, a lot of you out there, would be amazed to identify yourselves with them.
  1. Screen Sucking:- Wasting time online long after you have finished what you signed on to do.
  2. Frazzing:- Frantic, ineffective multitasking, typically with the delusion that you are getting a lot done. The quality of the work, however, is poor. (Thankfully, I feel I am at a stage where I can retract and revamp myself)
  3. Pizzled:- How you feel when someone you are with pulls out a cell phone or Blackberry and uses it without an apology or explanation. A cross between pissed off and puzzled! (A lot of my friends were though.. and well heck! am not even picking up my cell phone now! Phew!)
  4. Doomdart:- The internal distraction of a forgotten task that pops into your mind when you are doing something else. A side of frazzing.

Well all of these were taken from the article in the TIME magazine. It has in turn borrowed the same from a forthcoming book, CrazyBusy:Overstretched, Overbooked and About to Snap – Strategies for Coping in a World Gone ADD (Ballantine Books; 246 Pages) authored by psychiatrist Edward Hallowell.