A Scientist's Religion

As mentioned in my earlier post, I am in the presence of a great mind these days. Its in the form of a essays and articles written or spoken by Albert Einstein on various subjects. This one is on how a scientist looks at religion.

“You will hardly find one among the profounder sort of scientific minds without a religious feeling of his own. But it is different from the religiosity of the naïve man. For the latter, God is a being from whose care one hopes to benefit and whose punishment one fears; a sublimation of a feeling similar to that of a child for its father, a being to whom one stands, so to speak, in a personal relation, however deeply it may be tinged with awe.

But the scientist is possessed by the sense of universal causation. The future, to him, is every whit as necessary and determined as the past. There is nothing divine about morality; it is a purely human affair. His religious feeling takes the form of a rapturous amazement at the harmony of natural law, which reveals an intelligence of such superiority that, compared with it, all the systematic thinking and acting of human beings is an utterly insignificant reflection. This feeling is the guiding principle of his life and work, in so far as he succeeds in keeping himself from the shackles of selfish desire. It is beyond question closely akin to that which has possessed the religious geniuses of all ages.”

The book like any other thing I appreciate has become an obsession. Whatever spare time I get in between my busy schedule, even if its a 15 minutes break, I end up making a quick visit to one of the many rooms of the man’s mind to return happier than before. Have you picked up the book yet?

Raga Malhar and its Effect

The first rains of Bombay happened last evening and my friend & me were lucky enough to get caught in it. Though it also brings memories and fear of troubled times (26/7, as branded by the media), all were happy and smiling, including the leaves on the trees, which got a wash. And in my mind I was elated that the rains responded to my invitation. I had invited them by playing (on my music system) 3 kinds of ‘Malhar’ the previous evening. Sur Malhar by Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Gaud Malhar by Pt. Jasraj and Megh Malhar by Rashid Khan.

One of the most unique characteristics of Indian music is the assignment of definite times of the day and night and seasons for performing Raga melodies. There are some Ragas, which are very attractive in the early hours of the mornings, Bhairav or Lalit for example; others, which appeal in the evenings e.g. Yaman & Khamaj, yet others, which spread their fragrance only, near the midnight hour, like Malkauns & Bhopali. Then there are certain Ragas like Malhar and Bahar which invoke the season or the sentiments of that season in the listeners / musician’s mind. No other culture in the world can boast of this kind of richness and depth in the construction of their music.

Now, Raga Malhar comes in various kinds. Slight change in one note here and there in the basic scale of Malhar can turn it into a Sur Malhar or Miyan Ki Malhar. According to the legend, when the summer heat would get beyond tolerance levels of human beings, Tansen, the court singer would sing Miyan ki Malhar (the most famous type and constructed by Tansen himself))…the heat would get drowned in the heavy showers and the great Monsoons of India would announce itself. The same happened last evening bacause of the music by the modern day Tansens (though Rashid Khan doesn’t deserve this adjective). Thats how I the romantic in me choses to look at it.

Coming back to the last evening…cars started honking in gay chaos of the moment, people started running half-heartedly towards the nearest shelter, my leather sandals got wet and amidst all this that special smell arose from the earth…that smell of rains making love to the earth after a gap of one full year!

Then we got into a theater to watch a decent effort by adman Balki, called ‘Cheeni Kum’. The gentleman sitting next to me kept laughing and commenting loudly on every little joke/unjoke of the movie. Reckon the movie is doing good business!

My latest trip:
The two songs I have been listening to almost everyday for the last fortnight. Both are by CSN, both are from their self-titled first album (1969) and both are a trip.
1. Wooden Ships (co-written by Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane and hence appears in their first album too): The song as one of the best opening lines in rock history, “If you smile at me I will understand, that is something everybody everywhere does in the same language"

2. Long Time Gone: This song was written as a response to Robert Kennedy’s assassination

Three Movies and a Play

Shrek III: The 3rd edition of one of the popular icon of our times teaches the lesson, ‘don’t get bothered by what others think of you...just stay true to yourself’. Nicely fairy-taleish and executed in the same brilliance, of the preceding two editions, it’s an easy and funny watch. Though nothing can take away the charm of the first one, purely because it’s the first time you are introduced to the characters and 'Far Far Away'. One thing that has been consistent in all editions of this tale centering on the green monster is the brilliantly timed usage of music…whether its Jason Wade’s version of ‘You belong to me’ in Shrek or Led Zepp’s ‘Immigrant Song’ in the latest one.

Later, I realized that we were one of the first few ones to have watched the movie, as it hasn’t been released officially in the Bombay theaters. Apparently, we had caught the paid preview!

Vivement Dimanche or Finally Sunday (1983): This Black & White tribute to Alfred Hitchcock by Francois Tuffaut (of 400 Blows fame) is an out and out murder mystery with a very attractive looking Fanny Ardent playing the lead. It happened on a Sunday afternoon on Zee Studio, thanks to Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra & UTV combine effort. Truffaut was an expert on Hitchcock and great admirer of his work which explains the deliberate usage of Black & White.

King of Comedy (once again 1983): Along with Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, this movie forms an unofficial trilogy of films by Scorcese and De Niro portraying obsessive characters. It’s a great satire on the cult of celebrity with great performance and among Scorsese’s best. In fact, Scorsese claims that its De Niro’s finest performance under his direction.

Aapki Soniya, a play by Javed Siddiqui: This one is a sequel to the highly popular ‘Tumhari Amrita’ which had Farooque Sheikh & Shabana Azmi. While the impeccable Sheikh continues as the same character from ‘Tumhari…’, Soniya, the new character has been enacted in an unexpected good manner by Sonali Bendre. The format remains the same…which is that of letter-reading between the two characters.

If you appreciate and understand the beauty of Urdu, this one is a must. Mr Siddiqui writes very well with ample amount of Ghalib and Zaukh thrown in at the right moments. So, despite a starving stomach, I enjoyed the play. More so, because my friend’s father (who was also with us) used the interval to ‘pick my brains’ (as he said) trying to understand the nuances of the language. I was glad to be of some help. The play ended in a rather disappointing manner becoming unnecessary soppy like a typical Bollywood movie. But, without getting turned off by the last sentence, go ahead and form your own judgement by watching the play.

May you stay Forever Young

Its Robert Allen Zimmerman's birthday today...he turns 66. My blog gets its name from one of his songs and my first post was on his latest album, 'Modern Times' which reached #1 in the US album charts (making him the oldest living person to top the charts). This one is for him to continue creating the magic that he has always done. May his hands always be busy!

This poem is from his 1974 album called 'Planet Waves' and its called 'Forever Young'. He wrote it for his children and it appears in two versions in the album (I like the slower one).

May God bless and keep you always,
May your wishes all come true,
May you always do for others
And let others do for you.
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.

May you grow up to be righteous,
May you grow up to be true,
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you.
May you always be courageous,
Stand upright and be strong,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.

May your hands always be busy,
May your feet always be swift,
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift.
May your heart always be joyful,
May your song always be sung,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.

To celeberate the occasion, I shall have a nice evening with the man's music and some scotch...what will you do?

Which one am I ?

Rumi has come back in my life through the modern device called mobile phone. Some years ago, I took a trip to Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi’s world, which lasted a month or so. I ended up reading most of his works from the web and buying some of his books. ‘Some’ here reflects my financial status during those days when I was myself like a ‘poor dervish’ on a certain high (or at least, that’s what I would like to think about myself during those times).

Coming back to Good Ol’ Rumi and my new age mobile phone…my good friend works for a firm called ‘Webaroo’ which, apart from other things, is into providing a free service of sending smses to those who subscribe, on subjects like ‘Sufism’, ‘Riddles’, ‘News’, ‘Music Trivia’ etc. On my friend’s insistence, I subscribed to this free service a couple of weeks ago. And now, throughout the day I keep receiving some interesting stuff on my mobile, including Sufi quotes from Rumi.

Rumi was born in what is today’s Afghanistan in the year 1207 AD to a family of learned theologians. He was introduced into the mystical path by a wandering dervish, Shamsuddin of Tabriz. His love and his bereavement for the death of Shams found their expression in a surge of music, dance and lyric poems. In the writer’s opinion, their relationship had shades of homosexuality but this has no relevance in the current context.

The name Rumi stands for Love and ecstatic flight into the infinite. The object of love in his works as is true for all Sufi poetry, is God. Before I get into my personal views regarding the subject of God, allow me to present a few translations of his writings. They were all written in Persian and as translation takes away half the beauty of the work, imagine the original beauty of these.

"In your light I learn how to love.
In your beauty, how to make poems.
You dance inside my chest,
where no one sees you,
but sometimes I do,
and that sight becomes this art."

"The garden of Love is green without limit
and yields many fruits other than sorrow and joy.
Love is beyond either condition:
without spring, without autumn, it is always fresh."

They were all written in Persian and as all translations take away half the beauty of the original work, one can imagine the original beauty of these words. The one which came on my mobile and made me write this post is this.

"I wonder from these
thousands of 'Me's'
which one am I?"

If you also want to subscribe to this free service, you can visit http://sms.webaroo.com/commands and you will get the details. As for me, I just got another sms!

A good city to fall in love

My love-hate affair with Bombay (am stuck with the old name) began 7 years ago, when I came here as a trainee in the advertising industry. Much has happened since then in my experiences with the city and I can dedicate a whole new blog to narrate them. In the meantime, I found this poem in the form of a forward from an old friend…it paints quiet a picture. Anybody who has experienced the city will appreciate it.

A good city to fall in love
Bombay is a good city to fall in love.
My lover lives eight trainstations and two full bus-stops away.
Ten rupees of distance between us.

Courage comes easy.
The citypocked with couples, suspended in amour.
Wet monsoon shivers, filling streetfood. Midday reads to share.

Obstacles, like the sour smell of suburban shit, humidity, thecrowded train.
All defeated by young love.
Bombay, yes, is a good city.

We spread handkerchiefs, sit on them.
One hand held, theother, busy eating something.
By the sea, you explain, we can sit forever.

But the beggars, and the sunset,respective waiting rooms,
dying rush hour, ease us off the sand.
This is the restrained, timed love of office-goers.

At Churchgate, I kept looking at your growingly tiny face.
My local pulling out. I am already fifty paisa away from you.
Yes,I love you.

A quick search on the google yielded the name of the poet...Neha Vishwanathan and she lives in London. You can find more of her works on her blog over here. Thanks, Neha for the nice poem!

Inside a Great Mind - Ideas and Opinions

My sister’s limited culinary skill is responsible for this post. The decision to give cookery books to my newly married sister as a birthday gift got me buying this beautiful collection of writings by one of the finest minds, our world has ever produced. Smart retail strategy (Point of Payment) also had a role to play…the bookshop had kept it at the payment counter, so while paying for the gift, my eyes spotted this collection and I quickly asked it to be added to my bill.
It’s a book called ‘Ideas and Opinions’ and the mind responsible for it is Albert Einstein. The red and black colored book (with a very hazy and bad photograph of the man) contains this great intellectual’s views on subjects as diverse as atomic war, religion, human rights and philosophy of life. Many words have been written on the man, so I shall stay away from it. Instead, I shall put forth some of the words from him (which in a way will reflect a lot on his personality)
Consider this one from an essay called, ‘The World As I See It’ published in 1931. Says a lot on the man’s humanity, curiosity and simplicity.

"To inquire after the meaning or object of one’s own existence or that of all creatures has always seemed to me absurd from an objective point of view. And yet everybody has certain ideals, which determine the direction of his endevours and his judgments. In this sense I have never looked upon ease and happiness as ends in themselves – this ethical basis I call the ideal of pigsty. The ideals, which have lighted my way, and time after time have given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been Kindness, Beauty and Truth. Without the sense of kinship with men of like mind, without the occupation with the objective world, the eternally unattainable in the field of art and scientific endevours, life would have seemed to me empty. The trite objects of human efforts – possessions, outward success, luxury – have always seemed to me contemptible."

Amongst the three ideals mentioned, I was missing Knowledge as the fourth.

And take this small one called ‘On Wealth’ from the year 1934.

"I am absolutely convinced that no wealth in the world can help humanity forward, even in the hands of the most devoted worker in theis cause. The examples of great and pure individuals is the only thing that can lead us to noble thoughts and deeds. Money only appeals to selfishness and irresistibly invites abuse.
Can anyone imagine Moses, Jesus, or Gandhi armed with the money-bags of Carnegie?"

With many more thoughts like these, including a section completely dedicated to ‘Contributions to Science’ makes this one a must buy…if only to sometimes disagree with the great mind’s personal philosophies. Its published by Rupa & Co and priced at a sweet 295/-.

Last Weekend:
It was full of some enjoyable activities in the still-charming city of Pune. Let me illustrate them sequentially:
- A good evening of making music and movie-talk (found a good movie pal) along with good ol’ Chivas
- Authentic Maharashtrian Thali at an authentic Maharashtrian joint called ‘Atithi’ on the next day
- Afternoon swim in the pool with the aide of two friends…one holding my hands and the other holding my waist. Considering that I know nothing about swimming, it was quiet an achievement.
- Relaxing steam bath which cleared my permanently blocked sinusitis nose (if only for a while)
These were the planned activities. Next came the surprise ones:
- A fine chicken dish called C-14 along with a beautiful Bordeaux wine at an exotic Italian joint aptly called La Dolce Vita
- It ended with a lot of phone calls to one number and later, a midnight drive back to Mumbai with Rolling Stones playing inside the lovely Ford Fusion.

Lets see what the coming weekend has in store for me…something says that I shall be working.

Plagiarism and Adaptation

Last fortnight has been terribly busy with the unavoidable materialistic pursuits of life, which explains my absence from this space (though I've been managing to get my ‘movie’ and ‘music’ shots). The earlier mentioned ‘inner circle Woodstock’ has been written about by Mr Bojangles over here, so I shall talk about something else. Let me talk about ‘plagiarism and adaptation’ in art.

Mahesh Bhatt, the film director presented the movie ‘Dil Hai Ki Maanta Nahin’ to the Indian audience in the year 1991 and turned me into an instant fan of the movie. My father reacted by saying that it’s a remake of Raj Kapoor & Nargis starrer ‘Chori Chori’ (1956) which in turn was a remake of Frank Capra’s ‘It Happened One Night’(1931). Since 1991, I’ve watched ‘Dil Hai…’ quiet a few times, enjoying it almost on all the occasions. ‘Chori Chori’ figures vaguely in memory as an enjoyable movie as I watched it as a kid. But, somehow, I never managed to watch the Capra’s classic (excepts for a few shots on certain film documentaries) until recently and that’s when I thought of writing this.

The movie ‘Dil Hai…’ is a frame by frame/dialogue by dialogue lift of the original classic by Capra…it’s just that the context has been made interestingly different with the trademark songs of the Hindi films. Personally I am not against this act of using a classic from one context and adapting it to another. It just makes a good work of art known to a larger and different audience. The sore point about Mr. Bhatt’s effort is that he did not to give due credits to the original. How can a genuine artiste deny acknowledging good work by another artiste? That too when he is using that ‘good work’ to make something of his own. Shakespeare has always been adapted from the likes of Kurosawa (Throne of Blood) to Vishal Bhardwaj (Maqbool) but these good men put a message upfront which says ‘Adapted from Macbeth by William Shakespeare’ and that’s all that it takes to fully appreciate the new effort. This message also draws the line between Plagiarism and Adaptation. ‘Dil Hai…’ is still a nice movie but I have very low respect for Mr Bhatt.

The fact that a movie made more than 75 years ago is still as fresh as yesterday is a story for another post.

My shots:
Contempt (1963, French): Jean Luc Godard’s brilliant adaptation of Alberto Moravia’s ‘Ghost at the Noon’ is a study on man-woman relationship (like most Moravia’s story) with stark/bright colors and a haunting score by Georges Delerue (this score was later used by Martin Scorsese in ‘Casino’)
Volver (2006, Spanish): This all women Oscar nominated movie by Pedro Almodovar has a great script and performance by the attractive Penelope Cruz playing a mother which makes her all the more attractive (speaking strictly for myself).
City of God (2002, Brazil): Thanks to Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s and UTV’s combined effort, I caught this cult classic at the theater and the DVD experience paled in comparison. This is for many more such classics in the theater as that’s the promise.
Pentangle: This one is a discovery (by a couple of music pals) and is currently the source of my happiness, almost every day. A beautifully melodious and lyrical band from the 60s got together 5 musicians (that’s why the name) from different genres like rock/jazz/folk to make some very very good music.

Manuscripts of snow

The last leaves fell like notes from a piano
And left their ovals echoing in the ear;
With gawky music stands, the winter forest
Looks like an empty orchestra, its lines
Ruled on these scattered manuscripts of snow.

- Derek Walcott, Selected poems

ps: I can't smudge the beauty of these words by adding anything from my end.

Keeping a promise

As a comment on my post on Majaaz's nazam, 'Awaargi', a good reader had requested me to to translate the song 'Dikhaayi Diye Yun' from the movie 'Bazaar'. It's actually a Ghazal written by Mir Taqi Mir(1723 - 1810), one of the greatest Urdu poets. Mir was one of the pioneers who gave shape to the Urdu language itself. 

I must accept that when began carrying out the request, with my little knowledge of Urdu, I faced a little difficulty and that perhaps explains the delay in coming out with this post (yeah yeah it took me 4 months to come out with this). I have made an attempt and now its for you readers to judge the result. The basic mood of the Ghazal is that of a spurned (and perhaps bitter) lover.

Dikhayi Diye Yoon Ke Bekhudh Kiya

Humein Aapse Bhi Judaa Kar Chale
My senses loses all on seeing you
To the extent that I end up losing you

Jabeein Sajda Karte Hi Sarse Gayi
Haq-E-Bandigi Hum Ada Kar Chale
Prostrate I lay in front you
The only way I know to worship you

Parastish Kiya Tak Ke Aye But Tujhe
Nazar Mein Sabhon ki Khuda Kar Gaye

Worshipped you so hard O’ Stone

That people now take you for God

Bahut Arzoo Thi Gali Ki Tere
So Ya Se Lahoo Mein Naha Kar Chale
Paid the price of wanting to be in your life
By leaving it soaked in blood of emotions 

Khayyam's beautiful melody adds extreme sadness and beauty to these words. I hope that with the meanings becoming a little clearer now, you will be understand what I mean.Ghalib, another great who came a little after the times of Mir, had to say this for him.

Reekhta kay tumhi ustaad nahi ho Ghalib
Kehtay hain aglay zamanay may koi Meer bhi thaa
You are not the only master of Urdu Ghalib

They say there used to be a Meer in the past

Enjoy the long weekend. I am sure am going to because it promises to be like an 'inner circle woodstock' (last paragraph).

Namak Isk ka

Consider this,

"Sara, Sara,
Sweet virgin angel, sweet love of my life,
Sara, Sara,
Radiant jewel, mystical wife." - Bob Dylan, Desire

And consider this,

"Gud Se Meetha Ishq Ishq
Imli Se Khatta Ishq Ishq."
(Love is Sweeter than Jaggery,
Tangier than Tamarind) - Anand Bakshi, Taal

The emotion called 'Love' in the language of poetry has always been associated with things sweet and tangy...things like Honey, Jaggery, Sugar, Tamarind etc. In fact, most of the words that I have mentioned are also used as pet-names by which people call their loved ones. The popular north Indian pet-name 'Guddu' comes from the word 'Gud' which means jaggery. In the western culture, Honey and Sugar are the names by which spouses address each other.

Now, read this,

"Jabaan Pe Laaga, Laaga Re
Namak Isk Ka
(My tongue got the salty taste of Love) - Gulzar, Omkara

It takes a Gulzar to turn to Love into something salty and hot as the situation in the movie demanded it. The song along with 'Beedi' (from the same Omkara) are two of the most cleverly and stylishly written sleazy songs ever from Hindi movies. Check out another line from the song:

Raat Bhar Chaana Chaana Re
Namak Isk ka
(Sieved it throughout the night,
This Salt of Love)

Last time he did something like this was when he turned a 'Mujra/Item' number into a classily written ode to a woman's beauty. Remember 'Kajraare'?

Of some movies

In the second attempt we got the tickets, at a mighty 100% premium (also known as 'black' in the usual parlance) knowing somewhere that its going to be worth it. 15 minutes into the movie, I was more than happy about being inside the theater. To me, the plot of Mira Nair's 'The Namesake' (2006) is pretty ordinary...the story of anybody migrating from his / her country (read culture) of birth to another country (once again, read culture) isn't new and is definitely not the aspect that works for this movie (at least not for me).
Whats extraordinary about the movie are the performances of Irrfan Khan & Tabu as the quintessential Bengali couple and the evolution of their relationship over a period of time. Irrfan's rendition of a typical 'Bangaaali' from Calcutta with the typical 'Bangaali' accented English (if you know what I mean) is phenomenal. In the words of my father who himself is part Bengali, "Even an authentic Bengali wouldn't have managed to do justice to the character of Ashok Ganguli". From their relationship aspect, the sequence in which he calls up his Ashima (Tabu) from the hospital will remain with you forever, amongst other such brilliant sequences. Tabu as the Bengali mother of 2 teenage kids, is so convincing that one forgets that she isnt even married in real life. Im glad that we have such actors around us.
As my good friend, who sent me the DVD had mentioned, Jim Jarmuschs 'Coffee and Cigarettes' (2003) is as free flowing as Henry Miller's writings and the 11 short vignettes are like the themes from Kafka's 'Meditations'. Shot in Black & White and always over a coffee table in different contexts, this experimental and independent film is beautifully existential (and comical). It's quiet absorbing for the likes of us....if you know what I mean!
Revisiting Martin Scorsese's 'Raging Bull' (1980) got me thinking about three aspects. Firstly, about the degradation of Martin Scorsese as a director and the late and highly undeserving Best Director Academy that he got for 'The Departed'. Much has already been written about the second aspect...in fact the judges at the Academy (and this time rightly) awarded the man with the Best Actor. I'm talking about the authenticity of Robert De Niro as Jake La Motta, the boxer with a stupid anger and a doubting mind.
Lastly and most importantly, I saw myself cringing at the sport of 'Boxing'...I can't believe that while we call ourselves a civilized society, we continue (and in a very blatant way) with this bloody and gruesome sport. There have been instances of death, major injuries and an infamous 'ear-chewing', while we kept enjoying it (and still do). Is this being civilized? If we consider that the armed forces of a certain superpower nation is killing the innocent citizens of a small country, maybe it is.

Coming up in my next post is an interesting aspect of Gulzar's poetry in 'Omkaara'...and yes, I remember that I have to translate Mir Taqi Mir's 'Dikhaayi Diye Yun'...am working on it.

Words on 'Music'

Two months ago, I started on one of the most wonderful journeys of my life and the fact that its endless, makes it all the more beautiful...I began learning the 'language of music'. The idea for this post came, when I opened up one of the music theory books, the other day. The book began with some very wise words on a 'musician' by the Pulitzer Prize (yeah...they give Pulitzer for music) winning American (has to be, if its Pulitzer) composer, Virgil Thomson. While appreciating his quote, I thought maybe I should put up some of my favourite quotes on music over here. I shall begin with the one that sparked off this post.

"I've never known a musician who regretted being one. Whatever deceptions life may have in store for you, music itself is not going to let you down." - Virgil Thomson

"Without music life would be a mistake." - Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

"And the night shall be filled with music,

And the cares that infest the day

Shall fold their tents like the Arabs

And as silently steal away." - HW Longfellow, The Day is Done

“Music and rhythm find their way into the secret places of the soul." - Plato

"Come baby, teach me, come baby, reach me, let the music start." - Bob Dylan, Emotinally Yours

"After silence that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music." - Aldous Huxley

"If music be the food of love; play on." - William Shakespeare

"I got music runnin' in my head, Makes me feel like a young bird flyin' " - Neil Diamond, Canta Libre

"Come hear Uncle John's Band playing to the tide,Come on along, or go alone,He's come to take his children home." - Robert Hunter (Grateful Dead), Uncle John's Band

"I love you as much as I love music." - Mr Bojangles

"I dont teach Harmonica, I teach music." - Rustom Karva, my music teacher

"Music is nothing separate from me. It is me...You'd have to remove the music surgically." - Ray Charles

As usual, feel free to add to the music (this list) and have a good weekend!

My Weekend

It involved 2 night outs and 3 'art enjoyment' activities. While the night outs were about the usual spirited activities, the 'art enjoyment' activities are more worthy of a mention here.

Activity No. 1 - 'A clever exchange of letters' or 'When Mr. Shaw and the Shah's came together'
The ever enthusiastic friend (one who watched Black Friday twice) had booked the tickets almost a couple of weeks in advance for Naseeruddin Shah & Ratna Pathak Shah's rendition of Jerome Kilty's 'Dear Liar', a play based on the letters between the great George Bernard Shaw and the actress Mrs Patrick Campbell.

Despite having married lives of their own, the two had an affair for a while but their letters extended beyond that 'for a while'...in fact, till Mrs Campbell's death. Mrs Campbell was the one who made Shaw's famous creation 'Eliza Doolittle' on the stage at the ripe age of 49 (Phew! Can you imagine?). The sophisticated and very clever English of Mr Shaw (most consider him as the greatest writer of the Queen's language after Shakespeare) and a mind blowing performance of the Shahs makes this play, one of the finest I have seen. One just has to observe the way Mr Shah grows old with the passage of time to realize his acting genius. Don't miss this one, even if you haven't read anything by GBS...I have just read one play.

Activity no. 2 - 'A Musical Puzzle' or 'When Bach meets Beatles'
My good friend was gifted this beautiful audio CD by his music teacher and thats how I got to hear it. Those acquainted with both the styles of music can only begin to imagine whats inside that CD. Performed by a contemporary American pianist, John Bayless, the beautiful melodies of 'The Beatles' starts to sound pretty much like the soft, quick and short flow of 'The Art of Fugue'. The most interesting aspect of this collection is the puzzle part of it....it's a while (even for a die-hard fan like me) before you get the drift of the song, Mr Bayless is playing. And when you get it, it's one of those little blissful moments. If you are interested in solving this puzzle, put up your mail IDs and I shall mail a few tracks after removing the track's name.

Activity No. 3 - 'Revisiting Water in the theater'
Deepa Mehta's finest effort so far was a delight on the big screen. Stunning visuals, a great soundtrack, tight performances from Sarla (plays the little Chuhiya) / often unsung Seema Biswas and the hope (and hence tears) inducing climax makes this one a must for anybody who digs movies. The ubiquitous yet subtle presence of Gandhi throughout the movie is beautifully executed. Thank you, Ms Mehta!

Flesh and Bone in Music

The idea for this post came to me from a colleagues music speakers. She began the morning by playing the big songs of 'Queen' and I said to myself, 'Wish I had seen the man and the band performinge live'.
Last one month has been good to the music lovers of Mumbai. We witnessed the classy 'One Tree Festival' by / with Johnnie Walker, followed by the grand 'Roger Waters' and the 'SOI' concerts last weekend (In fact, I heard myself answering 'How is life?' sort of question from a friend by saying 'Its happening in between musical weekends').
At the One Tree Festival, some kids hired by the organizers came to me with a form to know about the other musicians on my 'wish list' of live acts. The first and the only name that came to my mind in their (the kids) hurry to make me fill up the form was 'Van Morrison' (speaks about my move for the man and his music).
So,today's 'Queen' morning found myself making a 'wish list' of live acts and this is what it looks like. Some from the list is definitely going to go unfulfilled.

- Van Morrison (to hear Van the Man ....to be born again)
- Grateful Dead (Uncle John and his Band...alas!)
- Queen (they defined Grandness in every possible way...alas!)
- Bob Dylan (i hear that he is pretty bad in his live acts...but just to see the man in flesh and blood)
- James Brown (cant ever see him sing and move...alas!)
- Jimi Hendrix (biggest guitar acts ever...alas!...and even SRV ain't around)
- Bruce Springsteen (the original American dude)
- Dave Matthews Band (easily the most talented band around)
- U2 (cant miss them from this list...can i?)
- The Doors (for Mr Morrison's persona, antiques and my teenage days...alas!)

From the above list, I can only see a U2 and Springsteen happening in the near future....what do you guys think? And please share your list too.

When BLACK FRIDAY came to the theaters

Worth all the wait, worth all the hype and much more...thats how me and my friends found Anurag Kashyap's 'Black Friday'. The three of us, walked out of the theater at 1:10 am

(of a weekday) in the morning, stunned, shocked, happy, hypnotised and totally charged up to continue the movie in our conversations for the next one hour. For one of us, it was the second viewing.

Inspired by the likes of Gavras's Oscar winning 'Z' (1969) and Greengrass's 'Bloody Sunday' (2002), Anurag Kashyap, comes up with a chillingly stark and unbiased narrative of the '93 Bombay Blasts. The jinxed director must be very happy about his first theater release, which is based on a book by S Hussain Zaidi. Divided into different chapters, the flavour of a well-researched book prevails throughout the movie.

Excellent performances from everyone (even if he/she is there for a couple of small sequences), the reality like docu-drama structure and a brilliant score by Indian Ocean makes this one a major achievement by an Indian filmmaker. The movie must be heavily promoted in the outside world to showcase Mr Kashyap's talent.

Of lately, our nation is coming of age in allowing the freedom of speech in the movies. This was reflected earlier in 'Parzania' and now, this one. Good for us viewers, I'd say (am already planning my second viewing)

Other flicks in the last few days:

- Blowup (1966) by Michelangelo Antonioni: With the stylish 60's London, a brilliant plot magically and vaguely executed (the usual Anonioni touch), a great score by 'Herbie Hancock' and 'The Yardbirds' this one inspired many a movies like Palma's BlowOut, Coppola's 'The Conversations' and our very own first black comedy, Kundan Shah's 'Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron'.

- Elling (2001), a Norwegian movie by Petter Naess: A beautiful tale of two adult individuals who havent ever faced the world on their own, coming together to do so. This one got a nomination at the Oscars in the foreign movie category.

Changing water to wine

"The day is like water which turns into wine with the passage of time." (wrote this long ago to express my love for night)

thanks to a barter with a good man, i got hold of Brian Eno's beautifully poetic, melodic and bizarre (for those times...this was '75) album, 'Another Green World'. thereafter, ive been tripping on it off and on. you will be able to get a hint of its poetic beauty by the lyrics of the song i am putting up here. to experience the melody, bizarreness and Mr Eno's clipped Brit accent singing, go ahead and pick up the album.

Golden Hours
The passage of time is flicking dimly upon the screen;
I can't see the lines I used to think I could read between.
Perhaps my brains have turned to sand.

Oh me oh my, I think it's been an eternity.
You'd be surprised at my degree of uncertainty.
How can moments go so slow?
(impossible to describe the beauty of the guitar riff which follows)

Several times I've seen the evening slide away.
Watching the signs taking over from the fading day.
Perhaps my brains are old and scrambled ...

Several times I've seen the evening slide away.
Watching the signs taking over from the fading day.
Changing water into wine...

(sung simaltaneously with the above para)
Who could believe what a poor set of eyes can show you?
Who would believe what an innocent voice could do?
Never a silence, always a face at the door

Several times I've seen the evening slide away.
Watching the signs taking over from the fading day.
Putting grapes back on the vine...

(sung simultaneously with the above para)
Who would believe what a poor set of ears can tell you?
Who would believe what a weak pair of hands can do?
Never a silence, always a foot in the door.

going back to the opening line...with my new pursuits, i dont get to spend enough time with the wine...hope she misses me...i do.

The last of the Golden era (The pain)

i defied the promise made in the post on Goa by putting up something on goodness in advertising as the subsequent one. accept my apologies for the same and here goes my tribute to the legenday OP Nayyar.

my father is a great lover of hindi film music and growing up with him, i also turned into one. learning to differentiate between the styles of different composers and identifying them by merely listening to a song was a favorite childhood game (still is). two of the composers, namely Mr Salil Chowdhury and Mr O P Nayyar were always the easiest ones to crack because of their totally distinct styles. the highly experimental Mr Chowdhury expired a few years ago and the master of happy, romantic, youthful and the trademark cadence-filled melodies, Mr Nayyar expired a week ago.

Omkar Prasad Nayyar shot into the popularity charts with the success of Guru Dutt' s 'Aar Paar' (1954) and thereafter, kept giving music lovers some of the finest melodies, sung usually by Rafi or Asha/Geeta Dutt (but, never Lata). old age and degenerating quality of film music made him take a bow from the composing circuit, but he made one nice comeback in a movie called Nishchay (1992). his unique mix of rhythm and melody gave the songs an ability to continue in your head long after they have ended. thats how good old OPEE will be to me and tons of his fans.

my favorite OPEE melodies (in no particular order)

- Yehi Woh Jagah Hai (Asha Bhonsale, 'Yeh Raat Raat Phir na Aayegi')

- Deewana Hua Baadal (Asha and Rafi, 'Kashmir Ki Kali')

- Jaaiye Aap Kahaan Jaayenge (Asha, Mere Sanam)

- Pukarta Chala Hoon Main (Rafi, Mere Sanam)

- Phir Miloge Kabhi (Asha and Rafi, Yeh Raat Phir Na Aayegi)

- Chain Se Humko Kabhi (Asha, 'Chambal Ki Kasam')

- Aankhon hi Aankhon Mein (Geeta Dutt and Rafi, 'CID)

- Sun Sun Sun Zaalima (Geeta Dutt and Rafi, 'Aar Paar')

- Aapke Haseen Rukh pe Aaj Naya Noor Hai (Rafi, 'Bahaarein Phir Bhi Aayengi)

- Huye Hain Tumpe Aashiq hum (Rafi, 'Ek Musaafir Ek Hasina')

keep him alive in your system.

You are beautiful - good advertising!

The art project You Are Beautiful aims to "make a difference in the world by catching us in the midst of daily life and creating moments of positive self realization."
Its idea is simple: post the phrase "You are beautiful" in random places where anyone can see them. This has inspired people throughout the world to create installations along roadways or plaster signs in windows.
"You are beautiful" stickers are another primary way to spread this message. Stickers can be ordered directly from the "YAB" site (send a self-addressed stamped envelope and check the site for postal rates) or can be printed on label sheets using the sticker PDF available for download from the site.
An excerpt from the site's essay explains why trends toward empowering people through grassroots methods continue to grow:
The reasons why street artists are doing what they are doing, in the way that they are doing, is not simply to question their surroundings; but to provide alternative perspectives, meanings, or values to those of consumerism.
Advertising elicits a response to buy, where this project elicits a response to do something. The attempt with You Are Beautiful is to create activism instead of consumerism.
You Are Beautiful uses the medium of advertising and commercialization to spread a positive message.
View some of their installations here.

Pleasure and the Pain

been wanting to write about a few things, but worldly affairs like work kept me away from this space. now, with a major project over and 3 musical evenings ahead of me, i am in that right frame of mind to write something about those few things....actually two. the pleasure filled time i had on an Arabian sea beach and the pain i felt because of the loss of someone very familiar. once again the common link here is music.

Pleasure (the waves are still lashing on my ear)
borrowing from Chris Rea of 'great voice', 'i know nothing about swimming, but they watched me go and then stay there'. 'the sea of Palolem, Goa is like a vast and salty swimming pool', a 'Palolem addict' friend of mine had once said about the place and thats what we experienced. amongst all my visits to beaches, i spent maximum amount of my time in the sea on this occasion. and thanks to my co-traveller, i ended up learning a few things about swimming. but thats not what i want to write about.

growing up on the legend of 'woodstock' and then later watching the movie, i've always regretted the fact that i wasnt there. this regret has been eased to an extent now. let me narrate how...

while taking one of those barefeet evening walks on the water-soaked beach, we heard a speaker led live and acoustic sound of the song 'lay down sally'. as we approached the sound we saw a live band at one of the beach restaurants and the evening plan was made. after a quick shower, and armed with a bottle of red wine, we parked ourselves (along with many others) in front of the band, on the sand. the stars had come out and some people from were beginning to show some movements in the direction of a bonfire. the musicmakers were 2 acoustic guitarists and vocalists and 1 female lead with a tambourine. they played beautiful music for the next 40 minutes and we kept getting high. at a distance some fireworks kept happening...friday night at a south Goan beach!

as if this wasnt enough, the band then decided to get down from their stage and joined us, the group listening to them. the bonfire was warm and shining by now and our wine bottle, half-empty. the group became intimate, the music sweeter, the musicians happier. spirits, smokes, music, sea, life! my ears noticed a new and tiny sound of mandolin and i looked in its direction to realize that a sombrero wearing mandolin player has joined us from somewhere. this was followed by the sound of a congo, then an african drum and the songs kept happening....'one of us', 'whats going on', 'nothing else matters', firworks and the sound of the waves lashing...(wordless)....became wineless. i went out looking for more and my partner went looking for some sleep. this bliss continued till the wee hours of the morning.

Pain:
monday morning, and i was back to mechanical life of civilization to read the news of a death...that of a favorite musician. OP Nayyar expired at the age of 81. quiet symbolic, i thought.

more on OP and his music in my next post...right now, am ready to enjoy some blues and scotch. have a good weekend!

ps: will put up the pics when i upload them on the computer.

pps: apologies for writing another long one, mouse!