The 25 Glorious Years of VHS

1984:
It was during the summer vacation of 1984, when I first heard about Videos. The VCR/VCP/VHS terminology was still a few years away for me. That summer the enterprising community of Kharsiya had suddenly found a new way to make quick money while witnessing a big dose of entertainment too. Within a matter of few weeks more than 5 or so Video parlors (in one's courtyard, or godown, or even a portion of the shop converted to a makeshift viewing room with few chairs, and green curtains and a gatekeeper). Till then Kharsiya used to posses only one "non working" TV set in the house of the richest person of the town called Fakir seth, who was the tobacco baron. We just used to watch the antenna standing right up his mansion and wondered what all they might be seeing in Television with the nearest TV station being around 200 kms away in Raipur. But with this video stuff the fifteen thousand or so kharsiya-ites which so far boasted of two theaters running year old movies to jam packed houses, suddenly were stirred by this whole idea of watching the latest movies from Bombay right there in the town itself instead of going to Raipur. I remember hearing from friends about these parlors playing DeshPremi and Tohfa (just released) while few of us would be standing outside to get a sneak peek. At that time I am sure nobody including the owners of those talkies ever wondered that this Video thingy is for here to stay and will impact their industry in dramatic way for years to come. The entertainment revolution had just begun on that part of the country!

1985-1993:
By the time I left Kharsiya there were already news of raids from excise deptt. to these video parlors who were ripping off the state govt coffers by avoiding the hefty entertainment tax. So maybe that was the reason, in Raipur I didn’t see that mushrooms of parlors. But this was also the city which boasted of 10 theaters during those days each catering to different needs of the city population be it latest hindi releases at Raj or Anand, or evergreen oldies at Jairam or Babulal or Regional / Hollywood at Amardeep or Shyam. But that doesn’t mean craze was any less for video. In fact those days the video Player and a Color TV set was THE STATUS SYMBOL…or a must have gazette for the niche. But for the majority who were not in that elite club there was Sundar Kiraya Bhandar and hundreds of those who started making fortune by renting out the players and the cassettes.
There would not be a single public function be it Ganesh Puja, Durga Puja, Holi nights, marriage party, b'day parties or any public or social gatherings which would continue deep into the night…not to have a video show. These shows (back to back movies) were MUST and was an ASSUMED event. And then on certain special occasions one would rent it out for just the family (including selected neighborhood friends) viewing. Rate used to be around 100Rs for 12 hrs rents which would include 4 movies of your choice and the player and the color TV set, or 50 Rs for three to four cassettes plus player for 12hrs. That price would also include the services of Pappu…who will arrive along with the sets, sitting like a KING in rickshaw well aware of the fact of the ogling jantas to find out his final destination. Other than being the delivery boy, Pappu also used to be an expert in setting up the instruments and a great techno geek who knows how to fight those ghost images of the video and tracking and tuning. You try to avoid him and do it yourself and chances are high you will be looking at some nice black and white patterns.

Going by its popularity and trend we too got an opportunity and were able to convince Baba-Maa once for one night of video show soon after my 1st year exams. I still remember just to impress our parents and in the hope that it becomes a regular event at our home…we 3 brothers decided to bring 2 English, 1 Bangla and 1 Hindi movie instead of all 4 hindi blockbusters. The English movies were chosen such that it was 100% guaranteed to impress Baba by selecting Guns of Navarone and Mackennas Gold..after all it is him only who told us the stories of these classics while getting uninterrupted "sursuries" from three of us in past years. Bangla one I don’t recollect but the hindi movie was Ram Lakhan. The whole idea of watching the movies back to back, with tea and snacks being served in between, couple of friends deciding to stay over for a night out, the going to bed at 4AM with alarm set to 7 so that to finish the rest of the movie before Pappu comes in…it was unbelievable. Watching Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit in our portable BnW TV at 6 in the morning while brushing was too much of an excitement and the idea of play/pause/rewind/replay...it was bound to appeal to anyone. Years later we would learn that was probably the first phase of what we now call Video-On-Demand!

It will be injustice if I finish Raipur chapter of this journey without mentioning Payal and Classic. These two were the most famous video parlors of the city…and yes they were pretty much legit. They used to give proper tickets to audience which were slightly higher in price than movie tickets. After all the price would include entertainment taxes to govt and kinds to its officials, but still they used to attract a good amount of “regular” audience. Because of so many movie theaters already running hindi cinemas their USP was not Bollywood but Hollywood hits. Once with a visiting cousin of mine we went to Payal to watch Conan the Barbarian. The strange and unique part of these two parlors were they also used to insert lots of "trailer materials" suddenly while the advertised movie was being played…probably the audience liked it…but unfortunately law officials used to like it too in a way that it became cause for occasional raids to these places. Owners being the famous figures of the city.....after a temporary shutdown they used to be back in business within few weeks.

But then there was someone in Bombay who probably got upset looking at the these parlors' addiction to Hollywood and their subsequent pain with the raids. He was none other than Gulshan Kumar (T-Series fame..who I think was a true legend and big factor behind Bollywood’s and its music industries’ worldwide popularity and success ) and he tried to change something. He made a video movie, avialble only in VHS….exclusively for these parlor industry and home viewing only. This was called Lal Duppata Malmal Kaa…and there is no need to tell it how big blockbuster it became. Click on the link to revitalize your memory with "kyaa karte they sajna or Soone soone ankhiyon se". What a great business strategy that was…. Though his next "Phir Lahraya Lal Dupatta" could not repeat the lahrao part of its predecessor but still it was worth an attempt from the king of mass entertainer...probably he was thinking 20 years ahead of his time. It is indian movie/music industry's bad luck that he left us (not intentionally though) much earlier.

1993-1997:
I moved to big cities like Bangalore and New Delhi, working at c-dot and coming across some great new friends. I was lucky to get allotted to the flat where c-dot had kept a VCP for its trainees. Eventually every weekend there used to be a film fest starting with hindi and regional and ending up with usual western flicks. When we moved to our apartment we lost the luxury of owning a VCP for a while but the cable industry had just started picking up with lots of new players moving in to the Indian sky. Doordarshan's days were literally over with plethora of 24x7 channels showing variety of programs. The cable operator of Rajinder Nagar used to be our neighbor there and video/movie-on-demand was still very much applicable as he could play our request on his dedicated movie channel. That was when I watched brand new Diabolique, God Father series, Mask, Speed etc. Later on we too became proud owners of VCP (thanks to DD), though as I said before, cable industry had slowly started making it feel less important. This was the time frame I also watched some of the greatest Indian classics ..the movies about which I had only heard of or read about..but thanks to initiative from Khandu and our ORN gang and ofcourse our new VHS player we decided to have a revival of bollywood memories. For them it was revival..for me it was introduction. I remember we started with Trishul and for the next few months ,on every available chance we rented out movies which covered many hindi classics of various genres. An unforgettable experience indeed.

1997-2000:
Moved to Singapore. The landlord with whom I stayed as a paying guest was another big movie fan. Mr Sylvam had only two “interest in his life Tiger Beer and Tamil/Hindi cinemas…while coming back from work on Friday my job was to get 12 packs of beer while he used to make sure we have non stop supply of chicken, fish and movie cassettes. But this soon ended when I moved to my own apartment in 98. Fortunately it was a furnished acco. so the VCP company was there too. For next two years I bought two Sony VCRs from Mustafa ..first for parents…and then for in-laws. Those days you could hardly see anyone (indian) leaving Changi airport without a VCR carton. That was a sheer obsession and a great buy ofcourse. Two days before leaving Singapore we went to Mustafa one last time . The standards being different in US (NTSC) there was no reason to buy a VHS player. So we bought a state of the art VCD player. It supported VCD 2.0 and SVCD…were very happy to invest in this big upcoming format.

2000-2009:
Soon after moving to US…I realized people here have not even heard of VCD..but they were talking something about DVD. It is a still big mystery for me how US transitioned from VHS to DVD, where as in Asia (Singapore/China/India) they all spent a significant time with VCD in between.

Anyways…one thing which was clear within a week after moving here…that buying a VHS player was MUST. That would become our sole connection to India aka Bollywood. So for this first time we bought a VHS player "for our own use". It was Sharp VCR with 4 head (viewing while fast-forward/rewind) . One can feel its importance as it was bought on the same day as TV. Both were incomplete without each other. And our love story with VCR continued uninterrupted for next 4 years or so when finally DVD player became quite affordable and DVDs getting popularity. When Blockbuster finally switched from VHS to all digital we too decided to get our 1st DVD player. But our sharp player was still very much in demand. All the indian movies were available from the local story only in VHS format. To be exact...it used to be like 4 cassettes for $4 for a week. This particular shop as its name implied "Bollywood video and Groceries" main business was renting cassettes and secondary was grocery. People used to call him first and book the cassette for a just released movie...while his behind the shop small "copy" room used to work non stop. Once I asked him..What is the max time one can record on the same VHS without affecting quality....I got a free rental but not my answer. First there used to be late fees…slowly it was waived off. I think that was the first symptom of its upcoming demise. Slowly the hindi movies became available in DVDs with $1 per day but still with strict late fees. More and more stores started popping up offering these DVDs. And as of today those DVDs are available for sale the very day the move is released just for $1 or $2.

But our VCR was STILL running without any single complaints and was still very much in regular use. And this was because of its new found usage in recording/playing kids videos. So instead of playing the bollywood (which became DVD player's sole ownership)…this was playing Pooh Bear, Boobah, Barneys, Elmos and then to transitioning to Thomas Train and finally Tom and Jerry for R while he grew up from few months to almost 5 years!

Time changes everything and "R" now prefers to watch Tom N Jerry in Youtube directly. I too came across torrent and don’t feel the need of going to rent or buy those “pirated” hindi dvds. None of the shops offer VHS any more. Just like its amrican cousin Blockbuster, Bollywood Video and Groceries also became all Digital disposing off their huge cassette collection by selling it off dirt cheap. My sharp VCR player was still being used by me as a poor man’s DVR, where we would record some PBS programs or Games and watch that later at convenience.

Few weeks back while trying to play one recorded PBS show, I noticed some display issues with it. Maybe dust…maybe some minor scratches in the head. After some quick debugging realized it had stopped recording too. Sending it to service was out of question. Strange enough I didn't feel the usual concern or the pain with this loss maybe realizing how less important it has become in our life. And then finally last week to make some space for the government’s free digital to analog converter box in our already congested entertainment center..we decided to RETIRE ("dispose" sounds too cruel) the sharp VHS player. I personally doubt we will ever come across or use this wonderful machine again. In past I have been wrong…this time I don't think I will be wrong.

But this is true that I didn't feel this way for our disposed VCD player, neither I am going to feel this way for our DVD player when inevitably it is going to be replaced with the Blue-Ray! The journey with the VHS was a special one indeed. And as I can see I have glorious 25 years of memories associated with it...and that part is not going to RETIRE ever!

Bhadralokosaurus

It has been many weeks since the last post….and while I was wondering from where to restart…I came across this email from a friend asking how much it is true and where exactly I fit in?

Waao…I cant believe how “well” informed and experienced the Telegraph contributor must have been. It seems pretty accurate. As far as where I am fitting in there…even though I may not fit in all of the 50 points with the exception of point 1 and point 50 (remember…I am a Probashi) , but I swear I know many of them who certainly can cover for me on the rest. From that perspective full marks to The Telegraph!

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1091004/jsp/calcutta/story_11572595.jsp

But the funniest part would be Greatbong’s defense. There couldn’t be a better satirical response which is equally true bit by bit and sometimes much funnier than the attack itself.

http://greatbong.net/2009/10/11/in-defense-of-bangali-men/

But at the end it is a Sad example of One Bong’s offense (Telegraph) and another Bong’s defense (Arnab Da) for every Bong as well as Non Bong’s entertainment on the slow extinction of creatures called "The Great Bangali Bhadralok"

Subho Bijoya :-)

--
courtesy Vishal/Telegraph/Greatbong

On 25th August 2009!

Sometimes I wonder is that attachment so strong just because it was my 1^st job…

but then it must be something more special than that else why the colleague sitting beside me doesn’t talk about that of Intel (his first job).

Was it because that was when I went out of Home for the first time…but then why Ashok and Arindam (who were in Hostel since teens) is as fond of C-Dot as me.

Was it because I got the taste of Money and Independence….but then why don’t I recall WDC that often with more money and more freedom than I got in C-Dot.

I keep on thinking….

Not even Dr Abrol’s recent paper, Sam Pitroda’s interview or Silver Jubilee Committee’s plethora of nostalgic emails can explain…

So finally I give up…and accept that

Let me just keep enjoying this special feeling and bonding and memories without much whys and whats….

And while the world is celebrating C-Dot’s 25^th bday today and remembering its contribution to nation…

I decided to turn little more selfish today and saying a big Thanks to C-Dot

For its contribution to what I am today…and of course for giving me friends like you for lifelong.

Happy 25^th Bday to C-Dot.

======================================================================================

(re posting the mail I sent to few of the closest and dearest frnds today. Pic courtesy: cdot.com home page)

Fatak...

Ginti na karna iski Yaaro Mein..
Awara Ghumein galiyoro Mein..

Yeh chipku Hamesha Staayega
Yeh Jaayega fir Laut aayega

Khoone ke Mele Katre Hai..
Jaan ke Saare Katar Ke

ki aaya raat ka jaaya re
Fatak Fatak....(whiplash)

Sampooran Singh Kalra– aka Gulzar.

The Maestro who can transform a hackneyed Social Message to a chartbuster!

Happy 73rd Birthday!

---------
courtesy: khandwa...another die hard Gullu Fan.

Summer of 1986 (and the 4 Ms)

Continuing the nostalgic saga...................

Miandad:
17th April 1986.

That was the last day of the 10th board exam for the MP's first batch of 10+2 students. The past year's eventful session with Operation Blue Star and post Indira Gandhi riots, weeks long curfew, Bhopal Gas tragedy and two back to back elections were considered too much stress for the 9th grade students by Arjun Singh (then CM) and had granted a state wide general promotion. With no filtering on 9th graders for the past year so many eyes were already on this crucial board examination. And as it would prove later that was probably the worst year of MP's educational history in terms of 10th board results but as of that day I was the happiest person. Not because my board exams were finally over but the fact that finally I had earned the right to watch an "usual" cinema (and not a tax free kids one) and the very next day I was going to franchise my right along with few other colony friends. B Sai Babu Reddy was one of them. There were two choices in the list. Sultanat (with Sunny Deol/Juhi/Sridevi) at Babulal theater, or Ilzaam (introducing Govinda, Neelam) at Anand talkies. Going by the music and craze Ilzaam was the obvious winner. I still remember Bsai trying his best to postpone our movie plan in favor of watching the ongoing cricket Match at Sharjah but giving in at the end. Matinee show was its peak at Anand talkies, we were little late in entering the hall but that experience of searching for our seats in that semi dark theater..... as the big silver screen with Govinda's dance and blaring music of I am a street Dancer throwing the young audience into frenzy....Unforgettable.

Coming out of theater we were surprised to see the somberness of the city street and at the Rly. Institute (our regular meeting point in loco colony). Soon we found out that while we were immersed in silver screen's Dunia kee aisi-ki-taisi, in reality Javed Miandad did that to Chetan Sharma in the match's last ball's by hitting a sixer and winning the Australasia cup. I am not sure if Bsai was happy to miss the sad episode of India losing the finals or sad to miss that historic occasion of the world of cricket.

Moni:
20th April 1986.

When Moni (my grandma) came to our house in late 1985 she told that she is not going anywhere else from there. Generally throughout my childhood she stayed with us with occasional trips to Calcutta but because of Baba's transfer and moving from Kharsia to Raipur, waiting for the quarter etc this time she was in Calcutta for last 1 and 1/2 year or so.
And this time when I saw her...she seemed very different than what I remembered before, much silent, much weaker and not that active as she was known for. She was already sick and very weak since past few weeks when on 19th Baba decided that maybe it is the rising heat. Summer had just begun. So we went to order for a cooler. The one we liked was out of stock and would take around a week. On 20th around midnight while Baba and we three brothers were asleep in outside courtyard (Maa was with Moni in the room), Maa called us as Moni was taking deep breaths making that hissing noise. Her eyes were closed and she would not respond to anything. Maa already had seen dadu (her father) in his last moments and told us its not a good sign. Baba asked the night watchman to fetch our local doctor immediately while all five of us just sit there besides Moni who was quite senseless by then. I remember we all tried to drip water through her partly opened mouth. We never knew exactly when she passed away but but by the time doctor came in around 2AM it was late. She was 88 years old. A strong willed and very forward and open minded lady during her times, and so darling to all her grand kids. I was trying to gauge Baba more and feeling the pain but he never broke down and maintained himself thoroughly. Only time he broke down was at funeral ghaat the next afternoon. I too could not stop tears at that time. The coming few days would be hectic for all of us with lots of rituals and preparation for the shraadh ceremony. Sometimes I think maybe it is that sheer cleverness of our founder fathers who made these rules and social gatherings a must which immensely helps in forgetting the real cause behind all this and eases the transition period of mourning to normalcy. And in 15/20 days things became as usual..regular routine life, except Moni was now with us in memory and a big picture frame with a garland around her. Time does not STOP for anyone.

After many days while having dinner Baba wondered once if the cooler would have made any difference. Probably not but then there are things which stays with you forever......"what if" !

Mits:
May 1986:

Lokesh (now Zaab!), Manish (Khedu) and me cleared the first level of NCERT exams from our school and the second level was scheduled for one Sunday morning of May'86 in the capital city of Bhopal in Model school. Baba, Maa and we three brothers all went to Bhopal via Nagpur. Both the places we have relatives and some wonderful Dadas and Didis (cousins). It was a change too for all of us after Moni's death. The multiple choice exam was a total flop. I did realize that no chance to move to 3rd level to Delhi just minutes after seeing the question paper. But it was overall a great experience. The trip also included a quick luncheon visit to an address in Shaktinagar, Bhopal.

12 years later I would go to the same address again but for a very different and more permanent reason.

Maradona.
21st June 1986.

We three brothers were demanding to get a TV set since long, but there were so many reasons/excuses and it was turned down each time. But the world cup soccer of 1986 changed that for ever. Maybe it was Bong's ever-strong love affair with football, so though Baba never played soccer (I think) but he was following that with much enthusiasm that year. Finally Baba/Maa with lot of pursuance from Dida (Maa's mother who visited us then) agreed to get a TV set. With many conditions like when it will be ON, when it will be OFF, what we can see and what we can not. We three were so excited and agreed to all the conditions without any hesitation. Much of the world cup was already over by that then. Baba decided to get it on Saturday 21^st June so that we could watch the first quarterfinal. The TV set which came to our house that evening was a CROWN portable BnW. It was a cute little red box with turn-style knobs for 12 or 13 channels it had and two rabbit ear antennae. I remember watching the movie which Doordarshan played that Saturday night “Pirates of the 20^th Century” followed by the most thriller soccer match I have ever seen till date. This was the first quarter final between Brazil and France with greats of Platini, Socrates and Zico. France won (rather Brazil lost because of Zico missing the last of the penalty shootout kick). What a great historic day to purchase a TV and witness one of the classics. Unfortunately next day same time when we would eagerly wait for the Argentina-England quarter final to see that tournament's hero Maradona in action the TV simply stopped working. Just plain dead. Kicking, Praying, Voodoing nothing worked. So seeing Maradona’s Hands of God Goal in live was not in our kismet that night but based on previous night's experience we could hardly complain. The TV was replaced by another similar set the very next day and would stay at our home without any issues for two more FIFA world cup seasons.

To be continued......

Fax and me...

Last night I faxed quite a few pages from home using my very own "new" Fax machine. It might sound very strange, but yes I did finally aquire this equipment. With scanners, windows fax and first and foremost when using Fax from Work is considered a standard perk worldwide, I doubt now a days anyone would even think to purchase a "stand alone" Fax, but I did.

Couple of weeks back I had to fax few pages urgently to our agent. I told him that I can send him the scanned copy but he was keen on fax only. So at 9 in the night I had to rush to local Fedex Kinko's store. And I could not believe it.....sending 14 pages locally cost me around $20. Exorbitant! Is it because demand is low? I cant justify it ever as local telephone calls are free, so I was paying literally for using their machine. The store manager accepted the fact but also mentioned that now a days hardly any one use this mode of communication. Anyways very next day while browsing thru Fry's I got hold of a brand new Canon Fax (on clearnace ofcourse) and price I paid was exactly $20! I am sure the cartridge itself would cost more than the machine's price. All pricing logic fail here!

Reminds me of 16/17 years back...1992/93. I was eagerly waiting for my appointment letter from HR of C-DoT. On my last visit to NewDelhi, the HR secretary gave me enough clue that my name appears on the list but with nothing else in hand I was desperate to get that appointment letter. And when the promised day passed by with postman giving an apologetic look I decided to call the HR office. Those days the STD charges were at its peak, I think for Raipur-Delhi during office time would cost me 30 or 40 Rs per minute. Me absolutely "bekar" could not think of requesting this amount from home just to check have they sent the apptmt letter or not.

And then came FAX again...Fax to the rescue. The neighborhood STD/PCO/FAX guy asked me why don't I use Fax. Sending a half page would cost only Rs 20, you can put more words than you can speak probably and you have the mental piece of knowing it is already at HR desk! Better than the courier or speed post. Over the next few weeks while entire country was virtually shut down post Babri Masjid and C-DoT HR working at its slowest pace for valid reason...Fax was only method of communication for me.... The same Fax which is now considered extinct.

I feel proud of my new Fax machine and will keep it at my desk for as long as I can.

Summer of 1989.

It was a special summer indeed. Many events...and some of them deep enough to leave a permanent mark in memory with exact location, date and time as it took place. Now as I start writing about that time frame of my life, events after events have just started folding out in front of me waiting to be picked and placed in here as well. Another way to make them timeless I guess. Let me start from the beginning.

This was the summer when I had just finished my second semester of engineering, there was a month long vacation and after that based on results my engineering branch would be decided.
And then came LaluDa..suddenly...one fine morning he was there in his usual attire of tee-shirt , and a big backpack. Lalu Da is my cousin..but ask anyone in our family and they will tell me he is my childhood Guru. The ever smiling one, humorous to the core and a look alike of Kamal Hasan in his early days...who taught me many things even before my friends got that opportunity..he is my one of the most fav cousin. While growing up I am sure all of us have some cousin maybe few years older but who is your idol, a confidante and at the same time a great friend. Lalu da was on a month and half long North-India darshan trip which was "granted" to him from Pishey (his dad) because of his excellent performance on their only sister (Chaiti Di's marriage) couple of months back. His trip included Raipur-Nagpur-Bhopal-Agra-Delhi-Sahibabad-Hardwar and back on the same route. Thanks to our large family tree other than Agra and Hardwar it was also going to serve him the opportunity to meet the elders and other members of our clan!

With me waiting for my results and no classes, Lalu Da requested my parents if I could also join him on this long trip. Lalu da was Baba's favorite too or may be it was that special Mama-Bhanja thing.....and also to make their elder son little more smarter my parents agreed. It would be my first trip without them....and with Lalu da along...I cant describe how excited I was about it.

Baba took out a PTO (basically a concession Train ticket, where one pays only 1/3rd of the fare, a popular incentive from the world's largest employer) for me and I got a new pair of jeans (my first) and then I started my roller coaster ride of "Firsts" of many things one after another in my life!

The first one in Nagpur would be, thanks to another great cousins Montu Da and Papa da, my first 750ml of Kingfisher in a dimly light bar. Suddenly I had turned a fully grown adult I would think. Lots of wandering and roaming in and around nice places of Nagpur in Papa Da's luna. My first devouring of an English Novel, Mario Puzo's Godfather and getting addicted to that since then. Unfortunately it would be followed by Harold Robins, Irving Wallace, James Hadley, Ian Fleming and likes....before I would turn into some serious reading which one can mention proudly!

On the way from Nagpur to Bhopal..me and lalu da passing some special comments in bangla about our co-passenger thinking we are too smart....and then while she was getting down telling us to enjoy our trip and vacation...in pure and chaste bangla. That was a close shave.

Realizing in Agra that we are running short of Money and cutting short the stay and moving to Delhi few days before scheduled. Having a wonderful time at Delhi and Hardwar...and then
I came to know about a new term in my life "Preponement". Till then I used to know Postpone but never realized there can be a word like Prepone. And years later I would realize that it was OK for me to not know about it :-) "Preponement"

It happened so that because of our budgetary reasons we decided to return back to Raipur one week before scheduled. So I along with Laluda went to that famous New Delhi Reservation Center and canceled my PTO and tried to book my ticket one week before. And then came the biggest shock of the whole trip when resv. clerk said you cant cancel and reuse PTO for a new booking. You have to do a new full price reservation now. You should have PREPONED your reservation and that would have cost no money! I had no idea where the extra money would come from...and believe me just as if by God's blessing another miracle happened. Luci Di (another great sis) met us on the same day in Delhi (she was on a training there) and it was her sheer generosity she helped me out in that troubled time without me even asking her...and this all happened without anyone knowing...and without any embarrassment.

On the way back it was no less fun with stopovers at Bhopal and Nagpur. Finally on the rainy afternoon of 5th August we arrived at Raipur..exactly before one week. No cell-phone then so baba-maa had no idea and we surprised all by turning in one week ahead. Finally the trip would end in most saddest manner possible that I still remember the day....5th August of 1989.

In the evening that same day while having tea and sharing our trip stories, two policemen came inquiring our address. Baba talked with them, they came to inform about a road accident and the driver had our address in his pocket. I can never forget that moment and even right now I am getting the shivers. They didn't tell us who it is and what happened but just asked Baba to accompany them to the police station. Within hours we came to know it was Gautam Da who met a fatal accident that same rainy afternoon on his way to office..... As I was waiting with others in the morgue on that night I think all the excitement of the Summer of 89 just vanished in a second, and thinking about how crude the life can be. After exactly twenty years I am thinking of that excited summer once again and that terrible night and Gautam Da's bearded and smiling face.

Good Luck Mr Gorsky :-)

Today while marking down the 40th anniv. of the moon landing experience, there is still a big buzz (google's search number 3 related to moon landing) whether that whole thing was staged or not. Unbelievable. No matter what..I guess this thing will go and on.

But what amazes me is the few accessories of this still ongoing debate...which though not as preposterous as the original one, but are certainly of great amusing nature....I guess the conspiracy theorists need some backup to keep the ball rolling....and yes..successful they are.

Neil Armstrong’s first sentence on the moon: “Good Luck Mr Gorsky” and not the "small step, giant step one..."

Neil Armstrong hearing the Azaan on Moon and then later converting to Islam. Wao!

--
PS: pic courtesy, bing. It was shocking to see that Google's home page forgot to ack the event till noon....bing certainly scored a good point today!

Jabalpur haunts back...

JABALPUR:

Probably it is the most discussed city in our "close" friend circle with few hailing from there and some spending their significant 4 years of life. So though I never stayed there, but hearing the legendary stories of the city and its natives....there was always something spcl about it, and to me it still carries that mystical aura around.

And now..when Gurudev is back there... the discussion had to resume!

Few words about Gurudev first. When "Gurudev" became Gurudev, I cant recollect, but why he became Gurudev the select six of us know very well. Gurudev possesses a magical power (ie if he speaks ill for somebody for real or even in joke) that poor soul would experience it within 24 hrs..guranteed (like fracture, high fever, accident, exam failed etc) ..and I am told by KT few days back only, that power still exists, but more about that in another post. I remember during the final days of college I obtained an Abhaydan from him (which he cant ever revoke in future and no fine prints...it was clarified) in exchange I think I had to prepare his final semester lab notes.

Anyways with that Abhaydan still very much in place, I just cant stop myself from "reproducing" few of the recent emails from him on Jabalpur as I think these e-mails are too valuable to stay in Inbox and then get deleted unceremoniously one fine day, when inbox quota is just near full.

So here it is...Jabalpur once again, from Gurudev's perspective (generally after a 6 pack) and who for past 16 years stayed in the enclaves of Gurgaon/Bangalore, a short stint in Japan and Chennai...and now suddenly finding himself in the core heartland of Bundelkhand! And enjoying to the core.

I am in jabalpur - "snip - aaj kal US / europe mein kaafi lagi padi hai, so as of this hafta I have my job thanks to --snip, with a "quarter" (not the "hich hic quarter" -but a 3 BHK one! - me currently focussing on the --snip-- assignment)

--snip--

I opted for jabalpur (among the choices of Bhoipal, Indore and JBP) - Hills, Narmada, Kanha and Bandhavgarh etc etc - and for KT, Narsinghpur also comes under my "consulting" program.

15 days - and some genuine real samosas, and a gujrati bhojnalay thali, simple and yet great food, nice environment, the summer is unforgiving though - 43 deg - not good for someone someone spoilt by bangalore by getting used to 20 deg in summer - but should be ok by another week -

But great to see those gothic kind of bungalows - probably built during the british raj - not one, not two - but hundreds! "khapre" ka bungalow with half an acre surrounding - and though some in destroyed condition and many in excellent condition - and this is the case wherever you look -

language nuances - like - got to hear "Apan" jaayenge na sir" from the autowallah (Autos are more in number than rickshaws, for a change)

and "Aaloo Chaap and Gol Gappe" thelas - than the dilli "Aaloo tikki and paani puris"

though dilli made me accustomed to get hearing to BC and "Maa ki" etc, the "Maadar..." is more prevalent in this place!

The music still is predominatly the Mukesh / Rafi stuff, with an occasional Brian silas working the piano on the melodies of the 50's and 60's!

AR Rahman , Shankar Loy Ehsaan and Farhan Akhtar yet to gain some ground!

Have an option to be here and enjoy peace - or to chase that elusive dollar in the west with no identified use as of yet - dekhte hain - got a couple of months to decide on that!
--snip---

But I feel at home now and here in this place - Jabalpur! yeh jagah lagta hai still hasnt changed (43 Deg C !)- I mean, I haven't (hadn't) seen so many scooters in the last 10 years as I have seen in the last 10 days - bikkat saare "Luna"s bhee nazar aaya - nothing to do with selective nostalgia!

- and the sad part as well - 60 + elders pulling rickshaws - kind of dilemma - help with / or deprive them of the expected ten odd Rs - Cruel -

Ok - some lighter things,relatively so to speak

- So much ki TV mein bhee wohi "Dil ki girah Khol" vaale gaana chal raha hai - in "Zee Classic" - yeh channel to Bangalore mein to aata bhee nahin (playing "Chin Chin Choo" as I type this one) - its all Sonam Kapoor and Katrina there -

and you still get a "thali" here for 15 Rs - with daal, chawal, roti and sabji, with pyaz and achar -

and for a bit more, you get the taste of "dubraaj" - unlike the omnipresent and overused "basmati" - wow! I love being here!

KT (a veteran on anything related to Jabalpur) remarks:

You are walking down the crowded street.
Scooterwala peechhe se aakar tumhe thok dega aur bolega...
"KAYE DEKH KE NAHI CHALO KA!!"

--
Once I was watching film Justice Chaudhary (Jitendra, Sridevi, music by bappi da).
Jitendra & sridevi are talking about their wedding.
Jitu asks "honeymoon ke liye kahan chalna hai?"
Before Sridevi could answer, lower class se ek buland si awaz aayi......"Gwari Ghat!!!!!"
---
Did you notice, people call Narabda instead of Narmada there.
And density of "Hanuman-Bhakts" is max in Jabalpur area.

Jai Narabda maiya ki!!!

From Khandwa (another JBPLR specialist)!
I heard this conversation once, while coming out of a theater after watching Baazigar

kisi nay apney dost se poocha " Badde picture kaisi rahi".
His frnd : Woi..Sajan ki saheli jaisi.
Dost : Kyon.? Dono filme to bilkul hi alag type ki hai.
His frnd: Wame bhi chate rahe aur yame bhi chate.

--
This weekend I watched movie "Luck by Chance"
Usame Hero ki movie hit hoti hai, to khabar aati hai ki saare hindustaan me movie super hit ho gayee hai. Aur abhi abhi khabar aayee hai ki Jabalpur me ticket line me ek aadmi ka khoon ho gaya..
What a right selection of city !! It has to be Sanskardhani Jabalpur.
--

The Jabalpur saga (and our addiction to it) will continue.....


Courtesy: With presumed approvals from Gurudev/KT/Khandu.

Stockholm Syndrome

"Stockholm syndrome is a psychological response sometimes seen in abducted hostages, in which the hostage shows signs of loyalty to the hostage-taker, regardless of the danger or risk in which they have been placed"

It is now around 5 years that I am with this same auto-insurance company who every year around this time sends their renewal letter and each time bumping up the price by a narrow margin. Maybe in the past I didn't ever notice the difference, or probably it was insignificant increase, but this year they crossed all the limits and without any REASON the premium was increased by a whopping $100! When I called them up the "official" excuse they came up with (cause now I drive more miles to work than past years) didn't even convince the agent...but she was simply passing the information...I cant blame her.

After deciding that it is time to switch to those much advertised companies who claim they can reduce the premium by 20% or more, I got all the paperwork ready and was all set to activate from today ie July 1st. And then it happened. The inevitable. Two weeks back, on a friday evening while searching for a friend's house in an unknown territory, I bumped my car into the curbside and one of the door got significant damage.

Since then everything went so smooth..from calling the insurance company, setting up with the body shopper, driving a rental Pontiac G6 for a week, and getting back the fixed car with a minor deductible and signing off a significant bill (which is more than the annual premimum I pay) to the insurance company and then receiving a letter from them asking me to rate their service.

This morning I renewed my Auto-Insurance with the same company. I am sure it is not their great customer service, it is not my guilt conscience and it is nothing else...but me showing symptom of Stockholm Syndrome!

Tribute to the KING!

Michael Jackson (1958- Kings never die)

" when a 13 yr old from a small town in India wonders how one can moonwalk...and tries to practice those steps in vain for hours for the upcoming dusherra cultural nite. There is NO MTV (or for that matter any TV), No FM (or AM which plays English music), and the only connection for him to the western world is through some local news papers Sunday supplements, and anecdotes from his elderly Calcutta cousins. Bappi Da's disco revolution along with GunMaster-G9 (AKA Mithun) are still at its infancy . This 13yr old may not know who the current American President is, He has no idea about Cliff Richard, Elvis, Beatles or Eagles...but he and his friends can discuss, listen and watch (if fortunate to steal a glimpse in the town's only video parlor) in awe for hours....the king of the pop Michael Jackson".

Thats the phenomenon called the Michael Jackson. Once the most popular person in the earth...and an icon, a legend, a rags to riches story...(and to rags again!) and finally the controversies about his Neverland ranch, and his mysterious health problems. It is sad that now when he is gone....that very media which disowned and ridiculed him at every possible chance is heads over hills for him once again.

My last reading about him was few months bac about the 50 Europian shows of "This Is It" and how it was sold out the very first day and some expensive bidding going on over e-bay, and 13th July 2009 was considered to be his COMEBACK day! I am sure there will be speculations about this sudden death, but it is my belief that probably the rigorous rehearsals to make that show the best one has ever seen....and where fans are ready to spend anything to see him Moonwalk once again at the age of 50 caused this untimely and ultimate end. I wish MJ would have once again saw how the world is remembering him today.

But it is for sure.....MJ's legacy is going to continue for a long time....and you know what I mean if you followed BGT-2009!!!!!

The SHOW MUST GO ON

RIP: MJ, there will never be another like you!

Slogan...

The team which probable entered the fray with the most hype (on media/web)....once again finds itself in the bottom most position.....and I guess the slight deviation from their original slogan explains it all.....

Jhagda Karbo....Aaaposey Ladbo...Shatru Kay Jetabo!!!


Anyways....they can always roar:

Aaschey Bachor Aaabar Haubay (There is always the next year!)

On 15th May...!

Finally...the most busy week of the year is coming to an end. Started with Mothers day, then Anniversary and then 15th May. But just like the past 2 years... as I was thinking with what to update this time....as if just godsend I saw the following news clip originated few hours back only, and this certainly can make the day of any die-hard fan.

Comeback Trail

Now, I am not sure if there is any one else who has acted in a lead role against Father as well as Son. A bold and confident move...Is it a first timer?

Anyways...For everything else Zindagi Migzara (Life Goes On!)

And a Big Thank You to everyone.

On Mothers Day....!

Few weeks back there was an email link from a friend which contained Premchand's works, and what a treat it was to revive those short stories once again. That also sort of triggered me to start searching for Tagore's works. One from that collection is The Crescent Moon (1903, a collection of poems) which many critics consider as great as Geetanjali! When I read that last time, I was in college and it was more about knowing Tagore and his works...but this time while reading I could truly FEEL it...may be because I am seeing a child and mom 24x7?
Though it was translated by Tagore himself, but wish I could get the original Bengali version (Shishu) somewhere...

The below are 3 of my favorites from that collection...Enjoy! A nice dedication to all the Mothers (today) and Kaviguru himself on his 148th birth anniversary (yesterday)!

*************************************************
The Astronomer (Child Referring about his mom)
*************************************************

I ONLY said, "When in the evening the round full moon gets entangled among the branches of that Kadam tree, couldn't somebody catch it?"

But dâdâ [elder brother] laughed at me and said, "Baby, you are the silliest child I have ever known. The moon is ever so far from us, how could anybody catch it?"

I said, "Dâdâ how foolish you are! When mother looks out of her window and smiles down at us playing, would you call her far away?"

Still said, "You are a stupid child! But, baby, where could you find a net big enough to catch the moon with?"

I said, "Surely you could catch it with your hands."

But dâdâ laughed and said, "You are the silliest child I have known. If it came nearer, you would see how big the moon is."

I said, "Dâdâ, what nonsense they teach at your school! When mother bends her face down to kiss us does her face look very big?"

But still dâdâ says, "You are a stupid child."

*************************************************
The Wicked Postman (Child to his mom)
*************************************************

WHY do you sit there on the floor so quiet and silent, tell me, mother dear?

The rain is coming in through the open window, making you all wet, and you don't mind it.

Do you hear the gong striking four? It is time for my brother to come home from school.

What has happened to you that you look so strange?

Haven't you got a letter from father to-day?

I saw the postman bringing letters in his bag for almost everybody in the town.

Only, father's letters he keeps to read himself. I am sure the postman is a wicked man.

But don't be unhappy about that, mother dear.

To-morrow is market day in the next village. You ask your maid to buy some pens and papers.

I myself will write all father's letters; you will not find a single mistake.

I shall write from A right up to K.

But, mother, why do you smile?

You don't believe that I can write as nicely as father does!

But I shall rule my paper carefully, and write all the letters beautifully big.

When I finish my writing, do you think I shall be so foolish as father and drop it into the horrid postman's bag?

I shall bring it to you myself without waiting, and letter by letter help you to read my writing.

I know the postman does not like to give you the really nice letters.

*************************************************
The Begenining (Mother to her baby)
*************************************************

"WHERE have I come from, where did you pick me up?" the baby asked its mother.

She answered half crying, half laughing, and clasping the baby to her breast,-- "You were hidden in my heart as its desire, my darling.

You were in the dolls of my childhood's games; and when with clay I made the image of my god every morning, I made and unmade you then.

You were enshrined with our household deity, in his worship I worshipped you.

In all my hopes and my loves, in my life, in the life of my mother you have lived.

In the lap of the deathless Spirit who rules our home you have been nursed for ages.

When in girlhood my heart was opening its petals, you hovered as a fragrance about it.

Your tender softness bloomed in my youthful limbs, like a glow in the sky before the sunrise.

Heaven's first darling, twin-born with the morning light, you have floated down the stream of the world's life, and at last you have stranded on my heart.

As I gaze on your face, mystery overwhelms me; you who belong to all have become mine.

For fear of losing you I hold you tight to my breast. What magic has snared the world's treasure in these slender arms of mine?"

****************************************************************************************

Note: referred from ibiblio.org

Saying NO to Mean YES

Thanks to our city council members the above phrase which so far was generally associated with one particular gender (no offense please :-) ) finally gets a unisex tone! Now whole of Dallasites must say NO to mean YES, or YES to mean NO.

The city is in the final voting phase about whether to build a Convention Center Hotel using half a billion dollar tax payer's money. The issue is quite discussed, talked and advertised only to end with the slogan "Vote for NO to say YES" . Personally I find it very hard to to foresee some big company having a convention here with no major attractions and a very dry down town, instead of going to Vegas, Orlando or even Denver...but what makes me more curious how many voters will find the proposition very confusing and probably miscast. Could not it be made simpler?

We will find out tomorrow what people really voted for and what they meant actually.
Atleast there is no option for Maybe!

100 Days...A sure hit !

A traditional bollywood thriller made in 1991, but one of its first in many categories. Excellent performances by all the crew members but it is the director and lead actors who hold it together extremely well, even seeming tightly focused overall. Many unexpected twists and turns but at the end everything seems under control. Had its own lighter and romantic part too and immediately connecting to families and particularly to younger audiences. Media played a significant role in publicizing by photos, reviews and constantly playing the popular numbers from it. The tone is definitely in sharp contrast to work done by some of its predecessor aka RGV and Ramsay Brothers, so shares some inevitable criticism from that sector too.

Overall an impressive work by debutant director Partho Ghosh...and a welcome change and declared a HIT by the public and scoring 4 out of 5!

And...if you reached here accidentally, while searching for "100 days of BO's scorecard" you did not miss much. Believe me.

Freaking Cats Hiding Dogs

Have you ever wondered how some phrases you come across suddenly..and then it stays with you for long.

It has been few nights since caught this offbeat news item on AC360..and it still makes me laugh.....Worth sharing.

A lady siting in her office turns on the webcam in her home just to see that two strangers burgling her house. Calls 911 and operator asks her to stay on the line and describe what see is seeing while police is on their way.

"Okay, here's just one. He's running to the front. The other one is trying to figure out which way to go. The cat's freaked out. The dogs are hiding. My God. This is crazy. They've got things in their hands."

I might forget about this weird news item...but will hardly ever forget about those Freaking Cats and Hiding Dogs.

Race to Million: Recount Request

It is more than 4 days now, but still I am finding it so hard to digest the fact that one celebrity figure could beat CNN. I was hoping to see some recount request in web...but not yet.. looks like all just gave in to the fact that Twitter, which started primarily for sharing news has been HIJACKED by the these celebrities (latest being Oprah!)...and like many others I am concerned for its future.

But wait...why we cant raise a request for recount. I think one point has been ignored so far, and just like any other valid election we shall take that into account too. Don't count the users who are following both aplusk and cnnbrk. Right? It should have been unique users for both of this acct. Simple point.....isnt it.

I suddenly miss my skills in these web based software etc...else it is not a tough task to find out the number of users who followed both aplusk and cnnbrk....and VOID their count.

Let the Race begin again after that (But please not take back those mosquito bed nets. That was the best possible outcome of this circus...I think.)

An interview with Dev D!

Getting hold of him was not easy, but finally with some influence from a friend of mine, I was able to meet the now famous Mr Dev. D for a quick and informal one-on-one. Excerpts from that:

i: Thanks Dev, for granting me this maiden interview of yours. I can understand you are quite busy with your new found "image"..and I promise I will keep it short and quick.
Dev. D aka Devdas was right there, sitting in front of me, relaxed and calm, clean shaved and dressed quite smartly (wasn't expecting that).....as I was examining his appearance in total disbelief he interrupted me : Well...The other day, Mr "V" called me from Hosur and persuaded that I must meet you and share my side of the story. Though I don't want any more publicity but I am making this one time exception only. No more role-models for those lost in love ones..enough of that already. I hope this interview will show some light to them, so I agreed.

i: Thanx again...So tell me how u r feeling?
D (smilingly): You are seeing it right?...Cant be more happy. Feeling so relaxed and peaceful now. You cant imagine how it felt for those last 90 years...and now freedom at last!

i: And the credit goes to.....
D: Who else but Anurag Kashyap! This young iconoclastic guy had the courage and dared something which no one could ever think before. You know since Mr Chattopadhyay created this character of mine....everyone just followed it blindly. They made me the symbol of a great lover...but at the end it was nothing but Tragedy. From Shakespeare to Sharat Chandra and even today these great authors/poets used Tragedies for their audience' emotional cleansing...little bit bothering about the reality. But this guy..AK...you must admire him, he tried to look at it from a different perspective and probably the most realistic angle...and see where I am now today! By the way go and watch Gulal....another AK masterpiece.

i (speaking softly): But these ratings are just user created...one can vote and..
D (interrupting me): So what....see ToI, HT and other major reviews. This new story of mine has been accepted by masses and critics alike...You cant deny it. There are some who wont accept it ever but they must have their own reasons.

i: So you think this Devdas I am facing, is the Truth, and original which I knew so far was not?
D: Yes..I think original was complete fictional and unrealistic, and what you see in me now is Reality. And now people are liking it more..because they can relate to it and they see the nuisance and uselessness of my old character!

i: Hmm..thats strange for sure..so...how is Paro...Are you in touch with her...any feelings left? After all the original "you" died for her. Hope you dont mind me asking about it.
D (starts laughing): No no..its ok. I dont mind and I have no idea. See at the end I had two options....ruin myself..thinking about the love, and Paro and why she didn't feel for me what I felt for her, or just embrace the plain fact that love-shove is all "faltoo and bakwaas" and make myself live longer and live happily. Maybe I didn't had any true feelings...it was all superficial. So after 9 hindi, bengali, tamil and other Devdas's stupid demises the 10th one for sure makes the right choice!

i: But what Paro might be thinking of you now?
D: Should never have taken Dev for granted...ha ha...but seriously I don't want to sound mean...but believe me the day I stop thinking about what the other thinks of me, and that the effort I spent in maintaining the image of lover or even a good and caring friend....I found myself a complete new person with full of zeal for life. It was too much of a stress otherwise. I shall live for myself and not for others. Write it down mister....There is nothing called "ideal" and "selfless" love. Those things in all practicality don't exist. In nature everything has to be balanced...so love has to be TWO way too...or simply it just cant survive.


i: But Paro also had same feelings for you.....
D: And what makes you think so? Tell me. Just because we spent our childhood together, or she shared her toys with me, or written few letters to me. And just one misunderstanding....good bye for ever? Is that the love you are talking about. Just remember at the end of the day it is me who died at her doorsteps coughing throughout the cold night.


i: Hmm..I think you are really making me nervous now...I am sure many are NOT going to like this philosophy..and that also when coming from Devdas. Any comments?
D: Choice is yours. There is no lack of masochists in the world. They like to remain in that gloom and that's why they enjoy that pain which they cause themselves. They would like to magnify the small gestures from the other side much more than what it really means. And later on they will crib why the other is not reciprocating in same manner. Then there are people who take pride to think they are in love irrespective of reality. So yes...you are right, they will remain so till they realize the truth. I wish they all get some AK who can take them out of their miserable state.

i: Any comments for the other woman who through out loved you, but never got it back.
D: Yes...true...and I feel bad for that. But again it was more of a mutual need, that's the equilibrium I was talking about before....Now we both are happy..and that reminds me..you need to excuse me as I have an appointment. I hope I've answered all of your questions.

i: Oh sure. But just one last thing. You have anything to advice...any tips for your old fans?
D: Yes....sure. Just "Be yourself. Don't waste time in pretending what you are not and Don't ever let anyone else take control of your life. And just say NO to EMOTIONAL ATYACHAR " and You will live Happily Ever After. That's the Brand New Dev speaking.

While Dev D left to keep his appointment with Chandramukhi......I kept on wondering was it really that same Devdas whom we all knew so far or am I simply dreaming!

Out of Hibernation

A long 3 months gap is probably the max time I can be away from here. The urge of sharing absolute timepass thoughts can't be suppressed any more I guess. So what can be a better day than today to start that today being Poila Baisakh (Bongs new year day!). Always good to have couple of new years day in one whole year...to start, break and restart resolutions.

Though I was away form here...but not completely. I was still following my favorite blogs regularly, tweeted myself often and from everywhere (small is beautiful..isnt it) and kept wondering how come an inactive blog page can still keep increasing the visitor count. After a quick research the answer baffles me completely....the max visits to this page from people all over the world is being caused by a search for Christina Rosenthall. Now I am not sure if it is that same person whom I referred here couple of years back..or is it some other namesake and now a celebrity. But I certainly don't recollect this "name" getting any attention in past few months. Probably a mere coincidence. But this certainly gives me some idea about my next post...which will be an interview with a famous but very opposite personality than what Christina Rosenthall was and always stood for.

Come back soon :-)

Obamaugration!

Tuesday 20th Jan 2009:

Last day of "YES...WE CAN".

First day of "NOW...WE MUST".

With Best Compliments from all over the world!

Saving the weekend....

The otherwise quite a boring and lethargic weekend (Overdose of Obamaugration, Continuing Depressing news of Industry and a Pathetic movie called Ghajini) was just saved by one email and one sms....!


The email: Garfield at his best




The sms : Dissection of a name.

Rama Lingam Raju, by telling the Truth (Satyam) has kept Rama with himself and..

Given his 2nd part of name to all the investors!

Jai Ho....!!!

I feel good that I watched Slumdog Millionaire 24 hrs before it scored at Golden Globe in a big way! Maybe watching it post 1/11 would have made me biased and would have made me to like the movie more than it truly deserves probably.

So though it is creating big roar and most probably going to win couple of Oscars too, but personally for me I dont think it really deserved to be The Number One Best Picture at Golden Globe! Wonder would it be such a darling in west had one Indian Director made it. The theme is unique, screen play and direction was excellent..but to me still it missed so much in department of simple storytelling, with lots of loopholes, so away from reality, so many open ended loops and highlighting the plight and poverty of slums...and all of these in extremes. Dont want to be the spoiler but if you have seen it already or going to watch it soon...you will realize what I am talking about. Probably the west's fascination to darker side of Mumbai is still a long way to go (Salam Bombay..remember?). I hope the next big Hollywood project based on India is not one of Monkey head eating kings (Temple of Doom), Slums or Red Light Areas (so many to mention), the Holi men (once again too many are there and the very recent...that disgusting Love Guru) or the modern Call centers (Outsourced)..rather something different..something very Normal which does not try to choke you through issues of poverty, riots, prostitution, begging or just sheer lawlessness of the land.

But at the end clearly if some one truly deserves all the credit and salute for Slumdog is A R Rahman and his team, and his excellent background score through out the movie, the haunting Latika's theme...and of course the Jai-Ho (the best original score of the year for Golden Globe!) and its choreography . What an recognition for him and making entire Bollywood and the nation proud.

At the end it was certainly a big night for India with king SRK, Anil Kapoor and A R Rahman sharing that coveted prestigious stage and being watched by audience over 160 countries worldwide !!!

Indeed...a Jai Ho (Hail Victory!) Night.

2009 : Hoping 2 b yr of Rise N Shine!

And A Happy New Year

A humorous greeting received from a friend in a financial institution.

It’s a powerful, yet amusing, reminder of the recent past.

Let’s usher in 2009 with renewed hope and a smile.......!!!