मंतरलेला काळ, मंतरलेला क्षण ...

(मंगळवार २० ऑगस्ट २०१३ रोजी अंधश्रद्धा निर्मूलन समितीचे अध्यक्ष डॉ नरेंद्र दाभोलकर यांचा पुण्यात निर्घृण खून करण्यात आला. त्यानंतर लिहिलेला हा ब्लॉग... )

मंगळवारच्या घटनेनंतर  मनात आलेल्या तीव्र आणि विविध भावना आता थोड्या प्रमाणात निवळण्याची प्रक्रिया चालू झाली आहे. आणि याचबरोबर मनात येताहेत जुन्या आठवणी ! एखाद्या चल -चित्राप्रमाणे पण काही वेळा संगती न लागणाऱ्या, आठवणी येत आहेत . . . . 

या आठवणी आहेत मी अंधश्रद्धा निर्मूलन समितीशी काही काळ एक सामान्य कार्यकर्ता म्हणून जोडलो गेलो होतो त्या काळाच्या ! साधारणपणे १९८७पासून ते १९९० पर्यंतचा हा काळ असेल. म्हणजे सध्या जसं २४ तास टीव्हीचं बोम्बारडिंग असतं तसं तेव्हा नव्हतं . . ना मोबाईल . . . ना इंटरनेट. . . पण त्या कॉलेज काळातील वयाला अनुसरून bubbling energy मात्र निश्चित होती . प्रत्येकजण आपापल्या स्वभाव आणि शरीर धर्माप्रमाणे कुठल्या न कुठल्या उपक्रमात सहभागी व्हायचा. संगीत/नृत्य हे छंद असोत किंवा मग गिर्यारोहण, खेळ, व्यायामशाळा असे शारीरिक क्षमता जोपासण्याचे प्रकार असोत. . . त्यात आम्ही शरीर आणि मन दोन्ही दृष्ट्या जडत्वाकडे झुकणारे असल्यामुळे शारीरिक कष्ट जिथे होणार असतील त्यापासून अंमळ लांबच राहिलो ! माझी आई आणि माझा मित्र निखिल शाह- जे दोघेही अंधश्रद्धा निर्मूलन समितीचे सभासद होते- त्यांच्यामुळे मीही या गोष्टीत रस घेऊ लागलो . आणि हळूहळू हे काम आवडू लागलं. ते विचार पटू लागले. आणि या कामात मजाही येऊ लागली. आपण काहीतरी छान समाजोपयोगी काम करत आहोत, ज्यामुळे समाजात काहीतरी बदल होणार आहे अशी भावना त्यावेळी असे. .. . . 

आणि ही कामं होतीही तशी. . .  

बिबवेवाडीत तेव्हा एक 'चष्मे-उतारो बाबा' आला होता. अगदी पुण्यासारख्या शहरात राहून हा चष्मा आणि डोळ्यांचे विकार दूर करण्याचा दावा करे. समितीने त्याच्या विरोधात आंदोलन केले. आम्ही तो बिबवेवाडीत जिथे उतरला होता तिथे गेलो होतो- आधी आम्ही पेशंट असल्याचा बनाव करून. आणि नंतर उघडपणाने परंतु शांतपणे, कुठलीही दमदाटी न करता त्याच्याशी बोललो होतो. वर्तमानपत्रात या आंदोलनाला चांगली प्रसिद्धी मिळाली आणि त्या बाबाला पळ काढावा लागला होता. . . . 

निर्मलादेवींच्या विरोधातील निदर्शनेही आठवतात . . . काय त्यांचा डामडौल ! त्यांचे परदेशी अनुयायी . . . त्यांचे ते सिंहासनावर एखाद्या राणी प्रमाणे बसणे ! निर्मलादेवींचे  एड्स पासून थेट कॅन्सर पर्यंत सर्व आजार कुंडलिनी जागृती मुळे पूर्ण बरे करण्याचे ते पोकळ दावे ! त्यांच्या भाषणातून त्यांनी अं.नि .स ला दिलेले धमकी वजा इशारे . . . आम्ही त्यांच्या त्या सार्वजनिक कुंडलिनी जागृतीच्या कार्यक्रमात सहभागी झालो होतो. त्यांच्या त्या सर्व कवायती केल्या. . . पण खरं सांगतो, कुंडलिनी जागृती तर सोडाच, काहीही वेगळं वाटलं नाही. 

जनमताचा रेटा कसा असतो आणि त्यापुढे अं.नि .स ची ताकद किती तुटपुंजी असते याचाही अनुभव आम्ही वाकडला हनुमान जयंतीच्या दिवशी पाळल्या जाणाऱ्या एका अघोरी प्रथेच्या निमित्ताने घेतला होता. तेव्हा वाकड हे एक खेडं होतं . आतासारखं कॉन्क्रीटचं जंगल नव्हतं. तिथे एक प्रथा होती. चैत्र पौर्णिमेच्या दिवशी एका घराण्यातील एका पुरुषाच्या पाठीत लोखंडी आकडा घालून त्याला उंच खांबावर लटकावले जाई . (अजून हे चालते का हे माहित नाही) ह्या गोष्टीला विरोध करण्यासाठी समितीतर्फे आम्ही काही कार्यकर्ते (तेव्हाचे कार्याध्यक्ष डॉ. विद्याधर बोरकर यांच्यासह) गेलो होतो. या प्रथेविरोधात वर्तमानपत्रात खूप काही छापून आले होते. वातावरण तापले होते. आम्ही फार तर २०-२२ लोक असू आणि तिथे पंचक्रोशीतून हजारो माणसं जमली होती. तिथले सरपंच आले आणि आम्हांला त्यांनी शांत शब्दात पण स्पष्टपणे सांगितले की याला विरोध करू नये. आणि संख्येच्या जोरापुढे आमचे काही चालले नसतेच. तेव्हा आम्ही माघारी फ़िरलो. 

समिती मध्ये सहभागी होणारे बरेचसे तरुण आणि काही डॉ बोरकरांसारखे मध्यमवयीन तर माझी आई किंवा मिसेस प्रधान यांच्यासारखेही काही सभासद होते. पण निखिल शाह, शुभांगी शाह, शरद शाह, मिलिंद जोशी, मनोज जोशी, सुनित करंदीकर, उज्ज्वला परांजपे, प्रकाश घाटपांडे, मिलिंद देशमुख, तानाजी खिलारे, मंगला पराते, निलिमा भाले, माधव गोखले असा एक छान, उत्साही  ग्रुप होता. त्यांनी मला त्यांच्यात सामावून घेतले. आणि मग या ग्रुपला भेटणे, चर्चा, गप्पा असे चालू झाले. मी सगळ्यात उशिरा आलो आणि तसे माझे काम फारच मर्यादित होते. म्हणजे अगदी गर्दी वाढविण्याएवढेच. . .  एकदा फक्त आम्ही पुणे ते सासवड असा सायकल प्रवास केला होता. वाटेत ४-५ गावी थांबून पोस्टर प्रदर्शन, पथनाट्य, गाणी असा कार्यक्रम होता. त्यात मी ग्रुप मध्ये - देवकीनंदन गोपाला या सिनेमातले संत गाडगेबाबा यांचे भारूड - ' घबाड मिळू दे मला रे खंडोबा घबाड मिळू दे मला ' म्हटले होते. एवढाच काय तो माझा सक्रिय सहभाग होता. पण आत कुठे तरी या विचारांचा परिणाम होत होता जो अजूनही  टिकला आहे. 

आता विचार करता मला असे वाटते की  या सर्व काळातला परमोच्च क्षण कुठला असेल तर तो डॉ. नरेंद्र दाभोलकर यांच्या बरोबर शुभांगी/शरद शाह यांच्या घरी झालेल्या एका मीटिंगचा. . . किंबहुना मीटिंग काय झाली हेही मला आठवत नाही. पण आठवते ते त्यांचे अत्यंत साधे रूप, विचारांचा स्पष्टपणा आणि मुद्देसूद बोलणे. . कुठलाही अभिनिवेश नाही. . . शिवाय अतिशय फोकस असलेला विचार. . . त्यांचे व्यक्तिमत्व असे होते की आदर वाटायचाच पण ते accessible ही वाटायचे. या मीटिंग नंतर सहज गप्पा-गप्पांतून गाण्याचा कार्यक्रम सुरू झाला. आणि डॉ. दाभोलकरांच्या उपस्थितीमध्ये अस्मादिकांना देखील गाण्याची संधी मिळाली ! ' तरूण आहे रात्र अजुनी', ' लाजून हासणे' ते 'सागरा प्राण तळमळला' पर्यंत गाणी झाली. ती त्यांनाही बहुदा आवडली असावीत. रात्री उशिरापर्यंत रंगलेली ही मैफल अजूनही माझ्या डोळ्यासमोर आहे !

My take on ' Ship of Theseus'

  

(For all the Film makers, actors, script writers, Film critics on my timeline- please forgive my audacity of writing this 'review')

I won't say it is impossible, but it is certainly rare for all the film critics to unanimously & profusely appreciate a film. They would not do so without a reason. So indeed it was imperative for me to watch it- even if that meant sacrificing Sunday afternoon siesta, venturing out in rains, travelling from one end of the city to another & searching a parking place in the winding parking section of the mall where PVR cinema is located, buying 1st row tickets(only those were left!) at a little bit higher price (tickets for YJHD costed Rs. 230. This one was Rs.250) & above all risking wife's negative comments- "Where have you brought me & why?" But I am glad that all my risk paid off & all the efforts were indeed worth it.

Although I had read the basic story line of the movie, I would still say, I was unprepared for what unfolded in front of me. As an ordinary spectator, who is used to being fed by a Hindi movie, this was something different. You had to be actively involved & actually think during the movie. When was the last time that such a thing happened ? 'Being fed' is an important phrase here. As that's what we, as audience, are used to. I had actually liked 'Kahaani'. But Outlook's film critic- Namrata Joshi, I remember, had written that the director simplifies everything for the audience to make understand, leaving nothing for imagination.In that sense,   'Ship of Theseus' is like a classic book- to which you relate with as per your sensitivity, your disposition & your life experiences. There are no ready made answers like Navneet guides. Also, like a book, it doesn't leave you.. In fact it comes back to you time & again.

Each of the three stories is engaging. The idea of a visually challenged  person clicking photos & holding exhibitions for the blind in itself is amazing.I empathized more with the story of the monk-who on one hand fights a court case against the use of animals in drug trials as that amounts to violence & fights with a firm resolve to refuse any treatment for himself as that would have meant he was not walking the talk. But movingly & paradoxically , he succumbs this fight to his instinct to survive. That is also made possible because of a conflict /clash of ideas & thoughts that he has with a young lawyer- Charvaka. This guy comes up with such penetrating questions that even the monk is left speechless. For instance he asks the monk- how was his act of refusing to take medicine not equivalent to violence he was committing on himself & how was his choice not different from that of a suicide bomber who is so convinced about his political & religious thoughts.Being so used to gradual build up of a scene,air of anticipation & then dramatic dialogue delivery over the years( Remember- Deewar- Kya hai tumhare paas? or Sholay- Kitne aadmi thhe?) or being used to rhetorical questions like- Hum aapke hai kaun?, these type of confronting questions in SoT, simply come out of nowhere, at a very rapid pace catching you unawares. The third story of Navin- who has undergone renal transplant & one fine day is confronted with the possibility of he receiving the kidney via organ transplant racket. Pricked by his conscience, he wants to return his kidney- an absurd idea which takes him to try & deal with a problem which is actually not his. But he tries his best even if that means going  all the way to Stockholm & finding the recipient of 'stolen kidney'. Finally, he obviously can't retrieve that kidney & return it to its owner. But ironically, the donor too doesn't want it back. He is happy with lakhs of rupees deposited by the Swede in his bank! What I liked about this story is the way in which he earnestly narrates this to his grand mother saying he tried his best but nothing happened. To which she says- Itna hi hota hai! There is a fine humor in this story. And then the manner in which these stories are connected in the end is really wonderful.

The movie not just blew me away as spectator, but also as a doctor. The questions - is it possible for a 'life element'(if I may use such word)  from one person to get transferred to another? What changes take place in that person who receives such foreign part?-are really intriguing. This is of course no excuse, but being a  doctor from alternative medicine, I was not confronted with such questions. The film has brought to fore moral, ethical, philosophical, humane aspects of transplant in such an unassuming manner. There is no posturing, no pomp about it.

I heard that the writer & director Anand Gandhi is the same person who wrote episodes for the daily soap- ' ' Kyu ki saans bhi kabhi bahu thi.' If that is so, then this guy has evolved unbelievably. I would now certainly look forward to more such work from him.

After coming home, there were run of the mill movies - Sagar & Shaan on TV. In normal circumstances, I could have watched them over & over again. But now.. I was not interested. Does that graduate me to becoming an audience of a different type? I would like to say yes. But the fact is, I have a long way to go. But SoT has showed the way, that's for sure...

आज … तळजाईवर. . .

 

     Painted Francolin

आज खूप दिवसांनी तळजाई टेकडीवर गेलो. एखाद्या वारकऱ्याला जशी विठ्ठल भेटीची आस  लागते … अगदी तेवढ्या तीव्रतेने नाही तरी त्याच जातकुळीतील ओढ मला तळजाईकडे  घेऊन जाते. तिथे असं नेमकं काय आहे हे शब्दांत सांगणे अवघड आहे. पण मला वाटतं की शहरात राहूनही दाट झाडी, हिरवळ, विस्तीर्ण जागा आणि मुख्य म्हणजे इथले पक्षी यामुळे एका छोटेखानी जंगलात गेल्यासारखं वाटतं. आणि दरवेळी काहीतरी नवीन हाती लागतं ज्यामुळे इथे पुन्हा पुन्हा यावंसं वाटतं. 

आज गेल्या गेल्या आमचं स्वागत पावश्याने त्याच्या ' पेरते व्हा ' ह्या signature call ने केलं. एकीकडे हा आवाज चालू असताना दुसरीकडून Painted Francolin ने जुगलबंदी चालू केली. यातच मध्ये मोरांची केकावली ऐकू येऊ लागली. तिकडे सातभाई यांचे "बायका किटी पार्टीत जशा गलका करून हसतात तसे " हसणे चालू झाले.( लोकहो ही उपमा मी दिलेली नाही तर ती  सुप्रसिद्ध पक्षी तज्ज्ञ किरण पुरंदरे यांनी आमच्या पक्षी निरीक्षणाच्या सुरवातीच्या काळात आम्हांला सांगितलेली होती.) या आवाजात आणखी भर टाकली ती होल्याच्या आवाजाने! यातून एक वेगळीच सरमिसळ तयार झाली. शहरातील चित्रविचित्र आवाजांना, गोंगाटाला सरावलेल्या कानांना हा बदल छान वाटला. यात लक्षात घेण्यासारखी गोष्ट ही आहे की एक मोर सोडल्यास यातील कुठल्याही पक्ष्याचा आवाज सुमधुर नाही. आणि मोराचा तरी कुठे एवढा श्रवणीय call असतो ? पावशा आणि Francolin च्या आवाजाने तर सगळा परिसर दुमदुमून गेला. या जुगलबंदीत असं वेगळं काय होतं ?त्यांचे शब्दात वर्णन करणे शक्य नाही. त्यासाठी ह्या लिंकचा आधार घेतो…आधी Francolin चा आवाज ऐका आणि मग पावशाचा...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8JWGuf91iY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N078QZWyRbY

 

      पावशा ( Hawk Cuckoo )

मला वाटतं की यात एक  होती एक आश्वासकता… दर  वर्षी याच दिवसात त्यांचे इथे येणे आणि गाणे हे निसर्गचक्र अजूनतरी व्यवस्थित चालू असल्याचे लक्षण आहे. 

अशा 'तुका म्हणे होई मनाशी संवाद . . . आपुलाची वाद आपणांसी' अवस्थेची शक्यता असताना नेमकी ही स्थिती भंग पावते कारण कोणाच्यातरी मोबाईल वर जोरात गाणी लावलेली असतात.आणि तो फोन हातात घेऊन तो माणूस तुमच्या शेजारून जातो.       मी कितीही जरी गाण्यांचा शौकीन असलो तरी अशा वेळी मला ती अस्थानी वाटतात. एकतानता बिघडवणारी वाटतात. अर्थात आपण कोणाला काही बोलू शकत नाही किंवा ती गाणी ऐकण्यापासून थांबवू शकत नाही.मनात या पक्ष्यांच्या आवाजाची प्रतिमा साठवून परतीच्या वाटेला  लागलो. . . 

(सूज्ञांस सांगणे न लागे की हे फोटो अथवा व्हिडीओ माझे नाहीत. माझ्या लिखाणाला एक दृक-श्राव्य परिमाण देण्याचा तो एक छोटा प्रयत्न !)

R D Burman: One song.. different moods..

   

It's not easy to come out of the hang over of Madan Mohan songs just posted on 25th. But it would be nothing short of blasphemy if I miss RD's birth anniversary on 27th June! So what I would do is continue the same theme that I had for Madan Mohan- two versions of the same song...

RD too has many such songs as we all know so very well. It is not possible to post all of them. Here is a list of some of them-
1) Humein aur jeene ki chahat na hoti- Sung by Lata & Kishore from Agar tum na hote(1983) 

2) Yaad aa rahi hai- Lata, Amit Kumar as a duet & then solo by Amitkumar, from Love  Story (1981)  

3) Yaado ki baaraat -Lata & Kishore/Rafi-Yaado ki baaraat (1973) 
     
4) Mere naina saawan bhado -Lata & Kishore Mehbooba(1976)-There is an interesting story about this song which RD himself has talked about-the song based on Raag Shivranjani was first sung by Lata.. Kishore Kumar was apprehensive whether he would be able to render such a song based on classical music. So RD gave him the song recorded in Lata's voice. Kishore Kumar heard & practiced it & then sung it to perfection. It doesn't appear that he has rehearsed the song. Have a look.. Since I am given to biases for Lata Mangeshkar, I like Lata's version equally, if not more. Kya kare!
a) Kishore Kumar-

https://youtu.be/eHxK5L_kvzg

 b) Lata-

https://youtu.be/rq2cavrvH24

5) Humein tumse pyar kitna- Kishore Kumar & Parveen Sultana- Kudrat (1981)- It is a master stroke to use classical singer Parveen Sultana's voice for this Bhairavi & that too for Aruna Irani.

https://youtu.be/KyoLP2CETg0

6) Tera mujhse hai pehle ka naata koi- Kishore Kumar & Sushma Shreshtha -Aa gale lag jaa (1973) 

7) Phoolo ka taaro ka sabka kehna hai- Lata/R D & Kishore Kumar- Hare Rama hare Krishna (1971)

8) One song but two male version is also a permutation available for the film Pyar ka Mausam(1969) - Tum bin jau kahan sung by Rafi & Kishore

a) Kishore Kumar 

https://youtu.be/3kvlg-kVVgs

b) Mohammad Rafi 

https://youtu.be/7F3IHlvUZA4

9) Then there is this song from Masoom(1981)-

a) Lata- 

https://youtu.be/DNHWs6IO5J4

b) Anup Ghoshal's version- Don't know why he didn't make it big in Hindi film music. If Shailendrasingh with flat voice could, then why couldn't this guy..He sings & then says a few lines in between very well-

https://youtu.be/_UEpGEXcMn4

10) Considering the ongoing rainy season- can this song be ever behind? Again, I like Lata's version too-from the film Manzil(1979)-

a) Kishore Kumar-

b) Lata- The way in which she sings la la la.. too good..

11) Saagar Kinare- Lata/Kishore as a duet & then solo by Lata- Saagar (1985)- As is known the roots of this song go back to Thandi hawayein(SD), then Madan Mohan song- Yehi hai tamanna, then Roshan- Rahe na rahe hum (Mamta)..

a) Lata/Kishore-

https://youtu.be/Ly49vgfhf_Y

b) Lata-

https://youtu.be/MBudI7bloaQ

12) Final Lata song is from one of the last films of RD- 1942 : A Love story (1994). I guess this is also by far the best song of Kumar Sanu..

a) Kumar Sanu-

b) Lata-

13) There are a few Asha Bhosale songs too & both are my favorites- first of them from Sanam Teri Kasam(1982)-Kitne bhi tu karle sitam

a) Kishore Kumar-

b) Asha Bhosale-

14) A beautiful song this from Sunny (1984)-Aur kya ehde-wafa hote hai 

a) Asha Bhosale-

b) Suresh Wadkar

As I said, this list is by no means comprehensive. Any additions are always welcome...

Madan Mohan: Dil dhoondta hai...

Different situations in Hindi movies are associated with different songs. Obviously when the mood is happy & romantic,the songs are of that type.  And when there is a twist in the tale or a break-up or a judai or a deceit (bewafai) or an unforeseen calamity, then the same song is used to depict that mood. More often than not, the rhythm of the two types of songs is different- happy songs in fast rhythm & sad ones in a slow pace. The use of instruments also differs.Sometimes the lyrics change.. Sometime the lyrics are same but the change in tune & rhythm creates an entirely different impact. .

Madan Mohan in his many films has done this giving us some wonderful songs.. Posting some of them on his birth anniversary today (25th June) ..

1) The first one is from the film- Adalat (1958).. Here probably Nargis is yearning for Pradip Kumar(who has deceived her?) & that emotion is depicted through the slow rhythm & tune & importantly the lyrics- (tujhko garaj kya meri wafa se.. Jiyu ya maru mein teri balaa se)... But in the same song, the mood changes.. the song becomes a mujra.. Then you have sarangi & clarinet( reminiscent of  OPN) in fast rhythm. Lata Mangeshkar sings for Nargis & for mujra dancer Asha Bhosale lends her voice.

2) The second song is again from a Pradip Kumar starrer- Duniya na mane  (1959) - Here the happy song is a duet sung by Lata Mangeshkar & Mukesh- Tum chal rahe ho, hum chal rahe hai.. magar duniyawalo ke dil jal rahe hai..

And the sad version is rendered by Mukesh- with change in lyrics & also the tense of the song- Hum chal rahe the, wo chal rahe the.. magar duniyawalo ke dil jal rahe the.. Have a look-

a) Lata & Mukesh http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeTOuQzzuBc

b) Mukesh-

3) In the next film Ghazal (1964)- there are not one, not two but three versions of the same song- Interesting part is that happiest/ romantic version is in slow pace. This is the first time the hero meets the heroine. The song which depicts the feeling of deceit,hurt, pain & anger as the heroine marries another person has a fast tempo.Lyricist Sahir has penned the emotions so very well-

a) Lata- 

https://youtu.be/GL1tSZsklnE

b) The second time, the hero presents the song in a mushaira where of course she is also there.. the song is in a different andaz..

Rafi- 

https://youtu.be/nsKElh3VCFE

c) Rafi- 

https://youtu.be/4MBzPfIYRU8

4) And now we come to two of my favorites- the first one is from Mausam (1975) I could listen to this song forever & still never get tired of it..The connect is also with the lyrics- Dil dhoonta hai fir wohi.. fursat ke raat-din.. Here the lyrics don't change in both the moods.. But what wonders has Bhupindersingh's voice created in this song!

a) The start of this song is with Lata's superbly echoing prelude & then after the guitar piece, how well does Bhupinder pick up the song! 

https://youtu.be/2RL0XVbs3Us

b) Bhupindersingh-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiQT44E9hLM 

5) And the last song is from film Chirag (1969) - Here probably the pace of the song doesn't change but still the two situations are different in the film. In Lata's version, heroine has lost her eyesight which has affected the hero quite a bit. And it is she who pacifies him with this song.. The lyrics change in the Lata's version..Previously, I used to like Rafi's version. But now I feel Lata's version gives a feeling difficult to describe- may be a quietness, serenity, peace.. sukoon.. 

a) Rafi- 

b) Lata- 

Letter from a married man to a would-be married man !!!

Dear Ambarish (& Hemangi),

You would wonder why I have mentioned Hemangi’s name in bracket. But there is a definite reason-which you would come to know by the end of this letter…

When I came to know that you were going to get married on 30^th May.. I wondered-Why on earth on 30th May? These days it is an in thing to get married on some fancy dates.. For example- 10/10/10 or 12/12/12 etc.So you could have easily chosen 11/12/13 as a date for your marriage. Or people prefer Valentine’s Day or any national holiday so that the marriage date is remembered not just by all others but by the couple as well ! But why 30/05/2013 ? Apparently, there is nothing unusual about this date… Then it struck to me that it happens to be the date of your grandparents-Tatyamama & Mami’s wedding… So you would want your marriage to be on that day..30^th May is special also because it’s birthday of Manisha (your maushi) … 

 Oh.. & then it suddenly clicked.! It is also the day on which I got married to Vrinda ! So in one masterly stroke, you have put the ball in my court.. So now it becomes obligatory for me to share some of the lesser known secrets of my marriage..With 15 years of experience at my hand, here I am giving you some useful tips…You can call this a self-help guide.. Or this could be like Chetan Bhagat’s articles in TOI-which can fix any problem in the world so easily. Very soon I  too intend to write a best-selling book on this topic.

First & foremost- the shopping ! Wherever you decide to stay- whether in Mumbai, Coimbatore or any other place, there is always going to be some place like what we have in Pune- Tulshibag! Going to such places, I tell you from my experience, is nothing short of a punishment.(Except of course for the eye-catching beauties!) But you have job at your hand- you have to carry the shopping bags & that too in a crowd which is so busy in shopping that it doesn’t care if you are able to walk properly or not ! If you take my advice, try & find excuses to avoid going to such places- say that there is not enough place for parking, the police vans pounce upon your vehicle or something like that! This will not work for quite some time… You will have to go..But don’t lose patience! Avoid any stand-off  but still persist with your stand ! Once your resistance gets registered, a time will come ( der hai par andher nahi!) when either she will go herself for shopping all those womanly things or she will ask you to park your vehicle outside such shopping area & she will come back (hopefully) fast..

While we are still on shopping, let me tell you - set an example..How? Whenever you have to shop for yourself, take her along with you, go to a specific shop, ask for a specific colored shirt, make payment & leave.. All this in just 5 minutes ! You know what will this make? In words of famous Hindi cricket commentator, Sushil Doshi- it will build a mano- vaigyanik dabaav on her.. Now  the onus will be on her to shop with such a precision of a surgeon & also finish it fast ! This will also raise the bar- she will find it difficult but she will have to learn to speed up the things when it comes to shopping. You will save one topic of argument as your actions have already spoken louder than words ! 

And when you go with her in a mall for shopping (like D Mart), then I wish you all the very best ! I bet she will be lured & tempted not by exorbitantly priced  branded apparels or foot wear (thank God!)  but by discounts on Liberty oils, Bombino Sevai & Surf Excel! So you would end up buying 10 items which you had not thought of buying at the outset. Shopping in a mall could be a boring exercise. But while your wife is busy shopping, you could create your own image  ( for other wives to see, little bit enviously) of a very choosy, responsible & duty bound husband by scanning aimlessly the gehu or dal or picking randomly the biscuits which you are not going to buy.. After all, what matters is perception !

Now for some other important things in life than shopping (are there any?)…

Keep in mind one thing- there cannot be any argument when it comes to Pani-puri, Sugarcane juice, Vada-pav & Kanda Bhaji…. The most unhygienic roadside vendor will easily beat the choicest hotel in your city. Which simply means she will not have any problem after having eaten in such chaupatis & small food joints. But she might have GI upset after a dinner in a posh hotel! Why ? You cannot reason out ! In fact, the next tip is try & find out such points & issues which you can’t reason out & argue.. As the time goes on, you will find out that  this list will keep on growing !

Now sample this-

1   1) Favorite director- Yester years- Gurudutt Padukone. Current-  Madhur Bhandarkar.

2   2) Favorite actress- Yester years- Urmila Matondkar. Current- Deepika Padukone/ Amrita Rao

F   3) Favorite Cricket player- Yester years- Sunil Gavaskar. Current- (obviously) Sachin Tendulkar

4   4) Favorite Author- P L Deshpande, Ravindra Pinge

5   5) Favorite Poet- B.B. Borkar, Mangesh Padgaonkar

6   6) Favorite Hotel- Any Kamat

No… this is not some kind of a couples’ game where I am telling you how I know what my wife likes..  Take a closer look.. What do you find? There are many ‘kars’ in the list..( I suspect the reason why Vrinda said yes to me was probably because we are Pusal’kar’!)  But that’s not the main point..The point is all the people from the list are GSBs (Gaud Saraswat Brahmins) –the community that Vrinda belongs to ! So there is this natural tendency to have a bias towards them..So  any new movie of Deepika is fit to be sent for Oscars…Sachin Tendulkar can do no wrong.. Madhur Bhandarkar’s films are the best thing to have happened to Bollywood… The bigger point is find out if your wife too has similar list.. You can score few brownie points by talking positive about the people in her list. In any case, avoid talking negative about them.Tread cautiously ! If there any negative markings in relationships, you would end up getting many such points !

Then there are some universal truths which can also be termed as cliches.. They hold true always.. One of them is that whenever there is an argument between you & your wife, there are only 2 possibilities- either she wins or you lose ! But even in this, I can give you some useful tip.. Always have some evidence with you.. This is an era of evidence based practice.. So keep the evidence handy.. It could be – On this & this day when we were discussing this… you had worn a black dress.. we were returning from a movie... it was raining… you had said that & now you are saying exactly the opposite! There is no guarantee that this will help you win, but what this could do is create some kind of confusion in her mind..She will be forced to look in to all the evidences rather than continue with her point ! That would help deflect the subject for a while. This is nothing short of a moral victory!

Well, I could go on & on.. but if I spill all the beans here, who will buy my book & read? How will it then be a best seller? I have given you some useful tips.. Now it is up to you to show the letter to Hemangi & share the secrets!That is why I have addressed her name in brackets.

Anyway, Congratulations to both of you & I am sure that both of you (with some help of my tips) are going to have a Happy Married life.

With love & best wishes,

-Rajesh Mama

मानसीच्या सत्कारानिमित्त राजकीय पुढारयाचे भाषण !!!

(आमची मैत्रीण मानसी हुलसूरकर (इ. बारावी),मागच्या वर्षी स्कॉलरशिप मिळवून जर्मनीला गेली होती त्यावेळी मी हे लिहिले होते.) 
कल्पना करा.... मानसी जर्मनीला जातेय म्हणून तिचा एक जंगी सत्कार होतोय आणि या कार्यक्रमाला एक राजकीय पुढारी आणि त्यांचे सेक्रेटरी येतात. असे कार्यक्रम म्हणजे पुढाऱ्यांसाठी पर्वणीच असते हे वेगळे सांगायला नकोच ! तर या नेत्याने काय भाषण केलं, कशी फटकेबाजी केली याचा हा सविस्तर वृत्तांत-

सर्व उपस्थित माननीय बंधू आणि भगिनींनो,
आज या ठिकाणी आपण मानसीताई जर्मन या ठिकाणी जाणार म्हणून त्यांचा या ठिकाणी सत्कार करण्यासाठी जमलो आहोत..    मला या ठिकाणी यायला थोडा उशीर झाला कारण ठिकठिकाणी फ्लेक्स लागले आहेत. त्यात माझा फोटो १० फूट आणि मानसीताई यांचा फोटो अर्धा फूट लागला आहे. त्यामुळे माझ्या कार्यकर्त्यांचे सारखे फोन येऊ लागले- मनासारखा राजा आणि राजासारखे मन असलेले, आमचे मार्गदर्शक.. आमचे आधार कार्ड... सॉरी.. आमचे आधारस्तंभ.. आम्हाला न सांगता जर्मनला चालले? असं कसं ? त्यांची समजूत काढता काढता इकडे यायला उशीर झाला..असो.

आज आपल्यात आमच्या मंडळी नाहीत......म्हणजे तशा त्या आहेत... पण हितं नाहीत.. त्या असत्या तर त्यांनी मानसीताईना परदेश प्रवासाचे सल्ले दिले असते.. पण त्या सारख्या म्हणत होत्या.. किती उकाडा हाये पुण्यात ! म्हणून त्यानला कांद्याचे भाव का पडतात या समस्येचा अभ्यास करण्यासाठी न्यूझीलंडला पाठवला.. म्हणजे तिकडे त्या बी खूष आणि इकडे... असो..

मानसीताई जर्मनला चालल्या हे बेस झालं. त्यानला आमच्या शुभेच्छा हायेतच.. पण नुसत्या कोरड्या शुभेच्छा नाहीत हा.. आमच्या त्यांच्या कडून खुप- खुप अपेक्षा बी हायेत... खुद्द शिवाजी महाराजांनी म्हटलंय - करावे पर्यटन... (सेक्रेटरी नेत्याच्या कानात पुटपुटतात- अहो ते करावे देशाटन असं आहे आणि ते शिवाजी महाराजांनी नाही ...सेक्रेटरीचे बोलणे मध्येच तोडून नेते माईक चालू असताना नेते बोलतात-) काय बिघडलं आम्ही महाराज म्हटलं तर? आमच्या प्रत्येक भाषणात एकदातरी त्यांचा उल्लेख येणारच! आम्ही पुढे काय म्हणतो ते महत्त्वाचे! हां... तर (सेक्रेटरी कडे छद्मीपणाने बघत)- करावे देशाटन... आणि शिकावे मलेरियाचे उच्चाटन ! (सेक्रेटरीचा चेहरा अगदी पाहण्यासारखा) नेते सेक्रेटरी कडे बघत म्हणतात- नाय नाय आम्ही काय बी चुकीचं बोललो नाय..म्हणजे असं- तुम्ही देश सोडा.. पण जिथं जाल तिथं देशाचा विचार सोडू नका.. आपले प्रश्न, आपल्या समस्या एक वेळ देशात राहून समजणार न्हाईत.. पण देशाबाहेर गेल्यावर कळतील. आपल्याकडे समस्या तरी किती? एवढी वर्षं झाली, सगळ्यांनी गप्पी मासे पाळले.. पण हिवताप गेला का? न्हाई ना? हां ...तेच म्हणतो.. तर त्याचा अभ्यास करा.. टन- टन गहू का सडतो? महाराष्ट्रात दुष्काळ का पडला? प्रश्न तरी किती? आत्ता परवाच आमीरखान कडून कळलं- स्त्री भ्रूण हत्या का काय ते.. आम्हाला माहीतच नव्हतं ! पण असं कसं होईल? आमचा पक्ष एवढा महिलाभिमुख, आम्ही एवढे महिलाप्रिय नेते तरी हे असं? तर याचा अभ्यास झाला पाहिजे..

मानसीताई जर्मन या ठिकाणी जाताहेत.. त्यांचा आदर्श ठेउन आणखी काही महिला जातील. नाही.. चांगलंच हाये ते.. मी तर म्हणल अशा हजारो- लाखो महिलांनी जावं.. मागे मीच म्हणालो होतो- एक मुलगी शिकल तर देश शिकल... तसंच हाये हे- एक मुलगी देश सोडल तर आख्खा देश देश सोडल... तुम्ही म्हणाल हे कसं ? अहो ...मुली जातील.. तर त्यांच्या मागं मागं पोरं बी जातीलच ना? एवढ्या मुली जातात तरी कुठं हे बघायला? मग पोरं तिथं गेल्यावर त्यांची काळजी घ्यायला आम्हाला बी जावंच लागनार.. आपल्या सांस्कृतिक परंपरा तिथं कोण बघणार? दहीहंडी झाली, गणपती झाला, नवरात्रीचं तोरण हाये.. हे सगळं कोण बघणार? त्यासाठी जर्मन मध्ये आमच्या पक्षाची शाखा झाली पाहिजेले...सगळ्या पक्षांची गावोगावी शाखा आहे.. पण जर्मन मध्ये हाये का कोणाची? 

तर माझी मानसीताई यानला विनंती आहे की त्यांनी तिथं जावं आणि (सेक्रेटरीना विचारतात -कोण हो ते त्यांचे प्रमुख- Anjelo Mathews ? सॉरी ते तर आईपीएलचं बेनं हाये ... मंग अंजेलिना जोली ?.. सॉरी सॉरी .. ती तर हिरवीण ना ) हां तर कोणीतरी मरकळ बाई हायेत त्यानला भेटावं आणि आमच्या पक्षाची तिथं शाखा काढता येईल का हे विचारावं...
मानसीताई यांचं मी पुन्हा एकदा कौतुक करतो.. आज मला बहुमोल सल्ला देण्यासाठी इथे बोलावलं म्हणून आभार मानतो.. हां .. मानसीताई यांना परीक्षेत घवघवीत यश मिळाले..... (सेक्रेटरी म्हणतात-अहो रिझल्ट लागायचाय अजून) का तुम्ही सारखे मला मधेच अडवता? आता ज्या ताई जर्मनला चालल्या त्यानला मार्क भेटणारच ना चांगले? मग? तर त्यांचे अभिनंदन! आणि मी माझे दोन शब्द संपवतो.. जय हिंद.. जय महाराष्ट्र !

Amader Tagore(Our Tagore)…

 

I don’t really remember since when did my fascination for Rabindranath Tagore begin.The earliest I remember is when we had been to Kolkata to spend our vacations at my maternal uncle’s(Mr. Y.M. Deosthalee) place. That was way back in 1980. He had been posted there. We were in all 15-16 guests. It was one of the most memorable trips that we have ever had. 

One fine day, the elders announced that they would be going to Shantiniketan & children would not be going as they would get bored there. I don’t know for what, but I had thrown one of my biggest tantrums then & had succeeded to get an entry for myself for the trip. What could a 10 year old child have known about Tagore or Shantiniketan? Was it because elders were going for trip by train & leaving us in the confines of the home that I forced my parents to take me along? Or was it that I, like Rabindranath Tagore, shared the dislike for conventional school (the reason for me not liking the school was entirely different… Well that’s another subject & beside the point!) , that attracted me to go & have a look at other innovative method of education? I would be lying if I say it was the latter.

Nevertheless, it was a good cause to throw a tantrum for! Even after so many years, I still have vivid memories of our visit. The 4 hour long train journey through the interiors of W. Bengal,  the greenery, the village landscape, paddy fields, many water sources-lakes, ponds & rivers.  And of course the place itself!  If you want to experience the word serenity, you could visit Shantiniketan. The canopied trees, the Quiet & calmness were more pronounced after the experience of hustle & bustle of Kolkata.  A perfect setting & atmosphere for learning –in the lap of Nature! Unfortunately there was no class going on. So we could not actually see the famed scene of a teacher & his disciples learning under a tree.

 

We also visited the museum (? Uttarayan) -where personal belongings of Tagore were on display. As a memorabilia, I had purchased a statue of Tagore made of Tera kota type material.  It was really nice. But somehow that statue got damaged during our stay at Kolkata. For me, at that age, it was a prized possession. That I had to throw it off left me really sad & dejected.

Then through the books written by Marathi authors like P.L. Deshpande (Ravindranath: 3 Vyakhane & Porvai) &  Ba. Bha. Borkar- (Anandyatri Ravindranath- Sanskar ani Sadhana) the greatness of this legendary Sage unfolded. How many facets can a person have? A sensitive poet was, I think, his core. A love for Nature & also the Child in him always remained alive. Music, painting, novels, theater, dance, education… You name it & he has contributed to these fields leaving his long lasting & classical impression. Truly a versatile artist who expressed through so many different & diverse forms! I think his pioneering work in the field of education, his penning of our national anthem & coining of the term Mahatma for M K Gandhi were more than enough contributions to India! By winning Nobel Prize for literature, he truly became the pride of India.

The stories written by him were with so much of a visual imagery that  many movies were based on them- Kabuliwala, Khudito Pashan, Ghare Baire, Char Adhyay & more recently- Chokher Bali & Noukadubi  to just name a few. 

Balraj Sahani in film Kaabuliwala 

He portrayed simple yet likeable characters, set in familiar time & circumstances that anybody could identify with strongly. Commemorating 150^th birthday celebrations of Rabindranath Tagore, Govt. of India in association with NFDC came up with a pack of 6 DVDs title Tagore Stories on films. It is indeed a collector’s item…

Here is a link to the song penned by Tagore & sung by Kishore Kumar from the film- Ghare Baire. Interesting to note is that there is absolutely no orchestra in the song-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIMVrHSW4so

There is also this sweet song, penned by Rabindranath Tagore, from the film Charulata sung again by Kishore Kumar-
https://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi90Njls9DTAhULuI8KHWcaAN4QtwIILTAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D_HinFn8DWSo&usg=AFQjCNHPwVeNGlgZMFF4-huWDiLAv_RUrg&sig2=WEQX_DQ3rR7A0-LC_YIgqg

Though this cannot be an excuse, I must say that since I do not know how to read Bengali script, I have had to depend either on authors who have written about him in other languages or on films with English subtitles to understand his work. But the volume of his work is so immense that I don’t claim I know him even one percent. Though I wish I could know him more.

But above all, I think he was a trinamool or poet at grass root level. I can cite 2 examples for this.  One of my cousin sisters has married a Bengali person. Once they had come at our place for a stay over. I noticed that my Brother-in-law would sing for his toddler son a peculiar song which was of only 2 lines. But what rhyming lines were they! –‘Jol pade, Pata nade’ -that’s it. He would then repeat the lines- by joining with- Ae ae ae.. Simple lines with such a visual experience associated with them. These were the initial lines modified & simplified by Tagore from Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar’s Varnamala- which had a complex classical touch to it. Another example is more recent- we watched the movie Kahani in a theater. At the end of it was the song- Ekla chalo re- sung by Amitabh Bachchan.

 That in itself was a pleasant surprise. Behind us was an ordinary looking Bengali family. They had tears in their eyes while leaving the auditorium & had the poem by heart. They too were singing it. My heart was really filled with joy-Even after 72 years of his death; Rabindranath Tagore still lives on in the minds of the people.What more would a poet want than his verses being sung not just by classes but by masses as well!

Here is the text of the poem in Bengali first & then its translation in English-

(Jodi tor daak shune keu naa se tobe ekla cholo re
Tobe ekla cholo, ekla cholo, ekla cholo, ekla cholo re)2

Jodi keu kothaa naa koye, ore ore o abhaagaa, keu kothaa na koye
(Jodi shobai thaake mukh phiraaye shobai kore bhoye)2
Tobe poraan khule (o tui mukh phute tor moner kothaa, eklaa bolo re)2

Jodi shobai phire jaaye, ore ore o abhaagaa, shobai phire jaaye
(Jodi gohan pothe jaabaar kaale keu phir naa chaaye)2
Tobe pothera kaantaa (o tui rokto maakhaa choronatole eklaa dolo re)2

Jodi aalo naa dhore, ore ore o abhaagaa, aalo na dhore
(Jodi jhor-baadole aadhaara raate duyaar deye ghore)2
Tobe bajraanole (aapon buker paajor jaaliye niye ekalaa jolo re)2

English translation-

If they answer not to thy call walk alone

If they are afraid and cower mutely facing the wall,

O thou unlucky one,

open thy mind and speak out alone.

If they turn away, and desert you when crossing the wilderness,

O thou unlucky one,

trample the thorns under thy tread,

and along the blood-lined track travel alone.

If they do not hold up the light when the night is troubled with storm,

O thou unlucky one,

with the thunder flame of pain ignite thy own heart,

and let it burn alone.

Here is a link to this song sung by Kishore Kumar-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pmzvr3aZXQc

अंतस्थ हेतू

 Tuesday, 25 October 2011

( Just before Diwali) 

नमस्कार मित्र हो !

तुम्हा सर्वांना दिवाळीच्या निखळ आणि निरपेक्ष शुभेच्छा !

हल्ली स्वत:च्या निरपेक्षपणाबद्दल जे स्वत:च बोलतात, त्यांच्या बाबतीत शंका घेतली जाते.

त्यामुळे तुम्हालाही वाटेल की या शुभेच्छांमागे  

माझा काही अंतस्थ हेतू तर नाही ना?

घाबरू नका..

कुठलेसे funkangan विकणारा मी कोणी नामांकित सराफ नाही..

(अंगा-पिंडाने दिसत असलो ) तरी तुम्हांला flats च्या schemes देणारा  मी बिल्डर नाही..

माझं LCD/LED/Plasma TV चं दुकानही नाही.

माझ्याकडे mobiles च्या Galaxysची कुठली रेंज ही नाही.

त्यामुळे मी तुम्हाला काहीही विकणार नाही ...

मग पटतंय ना -माझा अंतस्थ हेतू नाही ते ?

प्रत्येक सण हा आता एक इव्हेंट असतो 

आणि त्यात सहभागी होणारे आपण Consumer असतो. 

'ग्राहक-राजा' ला आकर्षित करण्यासाठी 

बाजारपेठा नुसत्या सजल्याच नाहीत तर अक्षरश: उधळल्या आहेत.

खोटं कशाला बोलू ? 

मी ही भुललो... मी ही खरेदी केलीच! 

पण... मला या बाजारात माझ्यासकट दिसतात...

(वयाने मोठी झालेली) लहान मुले! 

Ice-cream  किंवा खेळण्याच्या दुकानात गेल्यावर 

भिरभिरत्या नजरेने पाहणारी..

काय घेऊ आणि काय नको अशी अवस्था होणारी !

ते अतृप्त मूलच tempt होतं या बाजारातील रंगीबेरंगी भुल्भुलैय्याना! 

माझ्या अंतस्थ हेतूबद्दल तुम्हाला आता वेगळीच शंका तर येऊ लागली नाही ना? 

नाही.. मी कुठलेही प्रवचन किंवा प्रबोधन करणार नाही.

पण मला सांगा-

आपण वर्षभर खरेदी करतो..

फराळाचे पदार्थ वर्षभर केव्हाही खातो...

फटाके कधीही उडवतो...

दिवाळी पहाट सारखे सांस्कृतिक कार्यक्रम कुठे ना कुठे बघतोच. 

मग हा दिवाळीचाच अट्टहास का?

हे सगळं स्पर्धेनं करणं का?

सणांसाठी आपण की आपल्यासाठी सण? 

तुम्ही म्हणाल याचा अगदी 'समाजवादी वैचारिक गोंधळ' उडाला आहे.

आहे खरा! 

पण तरीही मला वाटतं- या दिवाळीत आपण काहीतरी वेगळं करूयात.

नातेवाईक-मित्र परिवाराला भेटूया..

नात्यांची वीण घट्ट करूयात.

संवाद वाढवूयात ..

'अंधाराकडून प्रकाशाकडे' या दिवाळीच्या व्यापक अर्थाचा विचार करूयात.

आपले पूर्वग्रह, अभिनिवेश तपासून पाहूयात.

माझा असलाच तर अंतस्थ हेतू, तुम्हाला हे सांगण्याचा आहे की 

आपण आपल्या परीने, दुसऱ्याच्या आयुष्यात 

मिणमिणती का असेना पण पणती बनून 

प्रकाश देण्याचा प्रयत्न करूयात.

Those were the days! (Part 1)

 Tuesday, 25 January 2011

The world was experiencing turmoil everywhere-from collapse of Soviet Union to collapse of Berlin wall (1990) to invasion of Kuwait by Iraq leading to war that was seen world wide via cable…

Closer home, the gigantic majority was lost by Rajiv Gandhi… there was introduction of Mandal Commission, assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, process of economic liberalization just about started, Babri masjid was demolished…

Australia & Pakistan won cricket world cups in 1987 & 1992 respectively, while the then West Germany won World cup football in 1990…

(As if) Oblivious to all of this… we attended College from 1987 to 1993 to complete our graduation! Those 5 1/2 years were indeed mesmerizing & memorable days of our life. This is an attempt to re-visit those days from different perspective-through Hindi film music! This is a compilation of 40 songs (40 because we have now crossed that milestone-age-wise) from 1987-1993. The choice of songs is mine & may be prejudiced & suited to my temperament (so no dhan-te-dhan type of songs). But if legendary Lata Mangeshkar’s choice of songs can be questioned… then who am I? So just enjoy the songs… you might be pleasantly surprised to know that melody was preserved in our days too.

(The songs are in alphabetical order.)

1)    Aaj phir tumpe pyaar aaya hai-

Film- Dayavaan, 1988 Singers-Pankaj Udhaas & Anuradha Paudwal.

Lyrics-Aziz Kaisee        Music-Laxmikant Pyarelal.

Picturized on-Vinod Khanna & Madhuri Dixit.

This song has Madhuri & long, visually pleasing interludes! No further explanations required!

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_VOf7ZAq-I

2)   Aaja meri jaan-

Film-  Aaja Meri Jaan 1993     Singers-S.P.Balsubramaniam & Anuradha Paudwal.

Lyrics- Sameer                       Music- R D Burman

Picturized on- Krishen Kumar & Tanya Singh  

Why this song? You might wonder.. But listen to the saxophone, the change of scale.. SP’s yodeling.. this song also takes you back to Sagar-(remember Dimple’s introductory swim shots?) & of course, this is RD’s song. I will be biased towards him! So forget the people on whom it is picturized & listen…

 http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=BC94A87FB49BD77A&playnext=1&v=ShW2yFwMcwI

3)   Aake teri baahon mein-

Film-  Vansh 1992 Singers-S.P.Balsubramaniam & Lata Mangeshkar

Lyrics- Sameer       Music- Anand-Milind

Picturized on- Sushant Ray & Ekta

A morning raga- Vibhaas. The rhythm of Anand Milind with female chorus & use of flute is typically seen here. These were the days when Lata would manage to sing high notes well.. Again a good song to listen than see the forgettable pair. Their best claim to fame? He is grandson of legendary V Shantaram & she is wife of Mohnish Behl!

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbONcbygtW0 

4)   Aanewala kal ek sapna hai-

Film- Phir Teri Kahani Yaad aayee 1993   Singer- Kumar Sanu

Lyrics- Kaifee Azmee    Music- Anu Malik

Picturized on- Rahul Roy & Pooja Bhat

Imagine Kaifee Azmee (who wrote ‘Waqt ne kiya kyaa haseen sitam’) penning a song for Anu Malik!  Good meaningful song..And must say that Anu was also up to the task. A beautiful song, the railway-feel quite interesting throughout the song! Also accordion piece gives nostalgic feeling. Was perhaps the first movie made for viewing on cable.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGbC42qc5gg

5)   Aate jaate hastey gaate-

Film- Maine Pyaar Kiya  1989   Singers- S.P.Balsubramaniam & Lata Mangeshkar

Lyrics-  Dev Kohli   Music- Ram Laxman

Picturized on- Salman Khan  & Bhagyashree.

Not a bad desi version of Stevie Wonder’s-‘I just called to say I love you’ !

Salman Khan’s first major hit. The movie led to a wave of black colored ‘Friends’ caps everywhere. Times were changing & so were friends-turning in to lovers!

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhkADyPektU

6)   Aina mujhse meri pehli si soorat maange-

Film- Daddy  1991  Singers- Talat Aziz   Lyrics-  Sooraj Sanim  

Music- Rajesh Roshan  

Picturized on- Anupam Kher & Pooja Bhat .

I actually used to think that this song was sung by Anupam Kher himself, until one of my classmates corrected me. They don’t play this song anymore-lost in to oblivion. Leave apart the loud-ish orchestration, the tune & Talat’s voice is good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGkmoCv4R6w

7)   Akele hai to kya ghum hai-

Film- Qayamat se Qayamat tak  1988 Singers- Udit Narayan & Alka Yagnik Lyrics- Majrooh Sultanpuri Music- Anand-Milind

Picturized on- Aamir Khan & Juhi Chawla.

Fresh faces, fresh music directors & singers, fresh director made a great combination & even the clichéd story (or the lack of it) looked different. The film was such a rage. I too might have seen at least 4 times in theatres. One of it was at Deccan- searching the protagonists in between the pillars of the theatre. Need I write that it was  Aamir Khan’s 1st film as a lead actor? Majroohsaab might have written his first song in 1940s, but here he is almost 50 years later, still in sync with the times!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjTkIuDSVfE 

8)   Aur is dil mein kyaa rakha hai-

Film- Imaandaar 1987 Singers- Suresh Wadkar & Asha Bhosale  

Lyrics-Prakash Mehra  Music- Kalyanji- Anandji

Picturized on- Sanjay Dutt & Farah 

A soulful number going on screen to a wrong person-he is absolutely clueless! Might be one of the last movies of Kalyanji-Anandji with a good track.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoNrhZjxwZg&ob=av3el 

9)   Baazigar o Baazigar-

Film- Baazigar  1993  Singers- Kumar Sanu & Alka yagnik  

Lyrics-Nawab Arzoo   Music- Anu Malik

Picturized on- Shah Rukh Khan & Kajol

 The eternal- sapano-ka-raajkumar-riding-a-horse song! But good guitar pieces. Kajol looks unbelievably bad. Those were the days when Shah Rukh Khan was trying different things. And then, he just became Raj & Rahul in every other film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dBSne6Ycf0 

10) Bada dukh dina tere lakhan ne-

Film- Ram Lakhan  1989  Singer- Lata Mangeshkar.    

Lyrics- Anand Bakshi      Music- Laxmikant Pyarelal

Picturized (mainly)on- Madhuri Dixit & Anil Kapoor.

Again, Madhuri Dixit… so no explanations required. A kind of mujra but Madhuri takes  it to a different level. The pain of virah expressed by Madhuri v.well. LP’s typical orchestration with multiple sitars & chorus quite evident. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jzDib0EIpY 

11)  Chandani raat hai-
Film- Baaghi  1990  Singers- Abhijeet & Kavita Krishnamurthy   
Lyrics-  Sameer       Music- Anand-Milind
Picturized  on- Salman Khan & Naghma
Not many songs of Salman Khan with Abhijeet as playback. One of the many south-made movies of that time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqC530rCaiw

12)   Chhotisi kahani se-
Film- Ijaazat 1988  Singer- Asha Bhosale    
Lyrics-  Gulzar      Music- R D Burman
Picturized  on- Title track
Gulzar’s best movie till date. A mature take on husband-wife relationship! Unfortunately, it was not a commercially successful film. RD was in full form & so was Asha.The visuals complimented the lyrics v.well & the mixing of 2 voices of Asha was wonderful.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVg7aR64DBg

13)  Chhotisi Asha-

Film- Roja 1992  Singer-Min Mini   
Lyrics-  PK Mishra       Music- A R Rahman
Picturized  on- Madhu
Mani Ratnam & Rahman made a strong impression. Beautiful & refreshing visuals, different & path breaking music. Madhu literally lived the role of Roja. Though a dubbed movie, was worth watching. First movie of the trilogy of sorts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCSaFkW6Dkc&feature=fvst

14)   Dhak dhak karne laga-

Film- Beta 1992   Singers- Anuradha Paudwal & Udit Narayan   
Lyrics-  Sameer       Music- Anand Milind
Picturized  on- Madhuri Dixit & Anil Kapoor
 The song that gave Madhuri the Dhak-dhak tag! Don’t ask why the song is there in the movie. Just see!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmvQgeMPALM

15)   Dil hai ke manta nahi-

Film- Dil hai ke manta nahi 1991   Singers- Anuradha Paudwal & Kumar Sanu    
Lyrics-  Sameer       Music- Nadeem-Shravan
Picturized  on- Aamir Khan & Pooja Bhat
Mahesh Bhat’s interpretation of Roman Holiday or Chori Chori? Those were the days when he was actually calling the shots & not asking anyone to ghost direct the films. Good composition & simple yet romantic picturization.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L8PRRCcse0

16)   Dil hoom hoom kare-

Film- Rudaali 1993   Singer-Lata Mangeshkar  
Lyrics-  Gulzar      Music- Bhupen Hazarika
Picturized  on- Dimple Kapadia
Quintessentially a Dimple’s movie. Hoom hoom is a unique word & Lata sings it in a peculiar way.A different use of instruments.A folk based song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLL5dsIVCcc

17)    Ghoongat ki aad se-

Film- Hum hai raahi pyaar ke  1993   Singers- Kumar Sanu-Alka Yagnik   
Lyrics- Sameer  Music- Nadeem Shravan
Picturized  on- Aamir Khan & Juhi Chawla  
Mahesh Bhat ki aad se Aamir Khan ne direct kia hua movie? A Fun movie!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3uAc9ffOv4

18)   Humko aaj kal hai intezar-

Film-Sailab 1990   Singer- Alka Yagnik  
Lyrics- Javed Akhtar   Music- Bappi Lahiri  
Picturized  on- Madhuri Dixit

Both lyricist & music director seem unlikely for this song. Chorus seems to have more lines to sing than Alka!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dg4EP7UhsLo

19)   Jadoo teri nazar-

Film- Darr 1993   Singer-Udit Narayan 
Lyrics- Anand Bakshi  Music- Shiv-Hari
Picturized  on- Shah Rukh  Khan & Juhi Chawla 
Ga..ga..ga..ga..good guitar pa..pa…pa…pieces!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFUv89uvXfg

20)Jab koi baat bigad-

Film- Jurm 1990   Singer-Kumar Sanu & Sadhana Sargam   
Lyrics- Indivar   Music- Rajesh Roshan  
Picturized  on- Vinod Khanna & Meenakshi Sheshadri

A soft, romantic number…oldie Vinod Khanna’s last ditch effort to convince us that he was still a hero material. Most of his heroines looked like his daughters.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_mtmnptlTA