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

HE... THE OMNIPRESENT !!!

(Disclaimer: These days, anybody’s sentiments can be hurt by anything. So at the very outset, Please forgive me if I might have hurt your sentiments. Best way is do not read further if you feel so. And please do not sue me for blasphemy!)

HE is OMNIPRESENT…

HE is here… HE is there…

Everywhere….

From today, HE’ll even be at your home

To make you a Millionaire!  

HE comes in different Avatars…

Earlier…

HE was Vijay…

HE had the ‘Shakti’ of ‘Trishul’

No ‘Deewar’ or ‘Kala Paththar'

Could stand against HIM.

Victory was HIS.. against all odds.

HE was a Rebel without a Cause,

Seething like a Coal,

Fighting the Establishment..

And yes,

Fighting twenty people all at once. 

HE was Romantic.

We loved HIS funny antics.

We even loved HIS singing…

We loved as we saw ourselves in HIM. 

But then…

Suddenly, HE thought…

HE was ‘Mahaan’.. HE was ‘Toofan’

Not just a ‘Jaadugar’ but an ‘Ajooba’ by HIMSELF

A ‘Shahenshah’ & a ‘(Laal) Baadshah’ 

HIS IMAGE grew larger than HIM…

Nowadays….

HE ‘sells’ everything…

From Chocolates to Cement,

From Oil to Ointment..

And yes,

HE is also seen in Jungles,

Selling us the Gujarati Asmita! 

HE is always (politically) Correct.

HE can do No Wrong.

HE is always Right.

And on the Right Side of Politicians & Corporates. 

HE is not HIS earlier, reclusive SELF.

HE is In-sync with ‘TIMES’

HE writes.. HE comments,

HE blogs… HE even tweets.  

These days…

HE romances girls younger than his Daughter.. 

Dances with Daughter-in-law..

& plays Son to HIS (poor) Son!  

HE inaugurates bridges…

Attends Marathi literary fest 

And like a humble SON,

Recites HIS father’s poetic best.

Gods don’t stop…

Gods don’t retire.

So how can HE?

HE goes ON & ON.

(Oh sorry).. Avirat.. Avirat…Avirat!