On the eve of Republic Day, we sat down to try and put together a list of songs that speak of our unity. Maybe our mood is driven by nostalgia for a sense of unity that seems to be evaporating, if ever it totally existed.
The first few on our list are a blast from the past, apologies for the poor picture quality on these:
The first, of course, the ‘Ek Titli, Anek Titliyaan’ broadcast on Doordarshan during the 80s and 90s.
‘Mile Sur Mera Tumhara’ – another regular feature on Doordarshan’s menu in the 90s, and it’s new avatar released today – ‘Phir mile sur mera tumhara’
On those lines, also ‘Baje Sargam’ (Desh Rag) from DD days
The ‘Hamara Bajaj’ ad – Buland Bharat ki Buland Tasveer
Rabbi’s contemporary version of ‘Jinhe Naaz hai Hind pe’ from Guru Dutt’s epic ‘Pyaasa’.
To add to the list of songs, we tweaked the theme to include facets of patriotism too. Though some recent songs crept into the list too, many of these were re-interpretations of old songs or from new movies about our history.
‘Bande mein tha dum’ from ‘Lage Raho Munnabhai’ – I know it sounds blasphemous, but I think it’s quite a good attempt to re-interpret the song and the Mahatma for a younger audience; and The original ‘Vande Mataram’ from ‘Anand Math’
‘Yeh jo desh hai tera’ from ‘Swades’
‘Desh mere desh mere meri jaan hai tu’ from ‘Legend of Bhagat Singh’
‘Sarfaroshi Ki Tammana ab humaare dil mein hai’ from the movies ‘Rang de basanti’ and ‘Legend of Bhagat singh’, the latter being one of the rare instances of Bollywood music doing justice to great original poetry.
‘Ae mere watan ke logon’ – this composition and Lata Mangeshkar’s melodious voice can bring tears to your eyes. This song has a lot of history associated with it; it was composed to commemorate Indian soldiers who died during the Sino-Indian war, check this link for details and for the lyrics.
‘ Jab zero diya mere bharat ne’ from ‘Purab aur Pashchim’, very corny picturisation though; another song from the Manoj Kumar stable – ‘Mere desh ki dharti’ from ‘Upkaar’, though I prefer ‘Jab zero diya...’
That’s all for this post. Stay tuned for some poetry along similar themes next week.
p.s. In case of any errors in this post, do post a comment so I can correct it. Also, do add to the list of songs here if you can think of more.
Jai Hind !
Songs in this post were remembered by,
Zen and friends.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Mannu Bhai motor chali pum-pum-pum
Wonder how many of you recall this Kishore Kumar song that was popular years ago, the lyrics are as follows :
Mannu Bhai motor chali pum pum pum
Chaupaati jaayengey ne bhelpuri khayengey
Acchhi achhi sooraton se aankhen ladaayengey
Hallaa machaayengey ! Gulla machaayengey !
Bandbaajaa bajegaa dham dham dham !
If Mannu Bhai had been a taxi driver and been reborn in Bombay - ooooppps Mumbai - today, he might have had to change his name to Mahadev Bhau and sing this song in Marathi instead :
Mannu dada motor chalali pum pum pum
Chaupati jauya ani bhelphuri khauya
Chhaan chhaan mulinshi dolyaat dole milauya
Gondhal ghaluya ! Dhamal karuya !
Bandbaaja waje dham dham dham !
While some people may term this move by the Maharashtra State Government misguided, parochial or just plain silly, I think it’s quite a good idea, though not fully thought out. There is one flaw in this policy that could keep it from achieving maximum impact. While it makes Marathi compulsory, it does not make forgetting Hindi equally necessary. There may be taxi drivers that know both Marathi and Hindi, and hence conversation between passenger and taxi driver may yet be conducted in a language other than Marathi.
Lacking funds to implement either a linguistic memory wipe or partial lobotomy for taxi drivers, I suggest the state take recourse in the simple solution of passing a policy that makes it compulsory for passengers in taxis to know and speak in Marathi too. It should not be too difficult to monitor this. The state could invest in a speed-gun like instrument that detects and identifies the source of any non-Marathi language being spoken within a fixed radius. Policemen wielding this - let’s call it the ‘Language Lathi’ - could be stationed at traffic signals, major crossings etc and could dole out hefty fines and / or imprisonment for inadequate Marathi knowledge. (Note : I have stocked up on copies of ‘Learn Marathi in 30 Days’ – contact me once the copies in shops are sold out.)
Once this phase has been implemented, I suggest that in phase 2 the state focus on easy identification and targeting for MOB (Marathi Observation Bureau) purposes. In this phase, it will be made compulsory for every cabbie to display a black-and-white map of India on the taxi’s windshield with only the cabbie’s state-of-origin marked in colour. Every inhabitant of Mumbai should also be forced to carry a small map that declares state-of-origin in a similar fashion - though they can keep it in their wallets and do not need to stick it on their foreheads or chests.
In phase 3 the Grand Plan really comes together. Now, each religion will be assigned a colour and the state-of-origin should be in that colour. So now, we meet anyone and we know all that is important about them. Ah ! Bihar in Green, this person is a Muslim from Bihar. TN in saffron, a Hindu from TN ! Aiga ! Maharashtra in saffron – a mulga from the motherland ! Somebody wake up Mr. Nilekani, these are the important details for the Unique Identification card, all other details are just incidental.
Acknowledgements – Many thanks to Adolf Bhau for showing the way through his experiments with the yellow star (info here and here).
I Remain,
Yours sincerely,
Zenobai
Mannu Bhai motor chali pum pum pum
Chaupaati jaayengey ne bhelpuri khayengey
Acchhi achhi sooraton se aankhen ladaayengey
Hallaa machaayengey ! Gulla machaayengey !
Bandbaajaa bajegaa dham dham dham !
If Mannu Bhai had been a taxi driver and been reborn in Bombay - ooooppps Mumbai - today, he might have had to change his name to Mahadev Bhau and sing this song in Marathi instead :
Mannu dada motor chalali pum pum pum
Chaupati jauya ani bhelphuri khauya
Chhaan chhaan mulinshi dolyaat dole milauya
Gondhal ghaluya ! Dhamal karuya !
Bandbaaja waje dham dham dham !
While some people may term this move by the Maharashtra State Government misguided, parochial or just plain silly, I think it’s quite a good idea, though not fully thought out. There is one flaw in this policy that could keep it from achieving maximum impact. While it makes Marathi compulsory, it does not make forgetting Hindi equally necessary. There may be taxi drivers that know both Marathi and Hindi, and hence conversation between passenger and taxi driver may yet be conducted in a language other than Marathi.
Lacking funds to implement either a linguistic memory wipe or partial lobotomy for taxi drivers, I suggest the state take recourse in the simple solution of passing a policy that makes it compulsory for passengers in taxis to know and speak in Marathi too. It should not be too difficult to monitor this. The state could invest in a speed-gun like instrument that detects and identifies the source of any non-Marathi language being spoken within a fixed radius. Policemen wielding this - let’s call it the ‘Language Lathi’ - could be stationed at traffic signals, major crossings etc and could dole out hefty fines and / or imprisonment for inadequate Marathi knowledge. (Note : I have stocked up on copies of ‘Learn Marathi in 30 Days’ – contact me once the copies in shops are sold out.)
Once this phase has been implemented, I suggest that in phase 2 the state focus on easy identification and targeting for MOB (Marathi Observation Bureau) purposes. In this phase, it will be made compulsory for every cabbie to display a black-and-white map of India on the taxi’s windshield with only the cabbie’s state-of-origin marked in colour. Every inhabitant of Mumbai should also be forced to carry a small map that declares state-of-origin in a similar fashion - though they can keep it in their wallets and do not need to stick it on their foreheads or chests.
In phase 3 the Grand Plan really comes together. Now, each religion will be assigned a colour and the state-of-origin should be in that colour. So now, we meet anyone and we know all that is important about them. Ah ! Bihar in Green, this person is a Muslim from Bihar. TN in saffron, a Hindu from TN ! Aiga ! Maharashtra in saffron – a mulga from the motherland ! Somebody wake up Mr. Nilekani, these are the important details for the Unique Identification card, all other details are just incidental.
Acknowledgements – Many thanks to Adolf Bhau for showing the way through his experiments with the yellow star (info here and here).
I Remain,
Yours sincerely,
Zenobai
Monday, January 11, 2010
Another Chapter for ‘The Random Self-Help Book’
Those readers who have forgotten this project can refresh their memories here. The post below is the first entry for a Chapter titled ‘I would rather learn some things through observation than through experience’
I attended a fusion concert last week where I witnessed something interesting. The noted blues harmonica master Corky Siegel was one of those performing. When it was his turn to perform, he ambled on stage, simply dressed, with a water bottle in hand and set it down beside the piano. No one in the audience recognised him and no one clapped. Like me, I guess they mistook him for someone from the artists’ retinue who was ensuring that water was available in case the maestro felt thirsty. Only when he faced the audience, gazed straight at them for a few seconds and then bowed was there some perfunctory applause to welcome him on stage.
But after he played the harmonica, boy, was there some applause ! What an awesome performance ! No one in the audience had any doubts about being privileged to hear a musical genius and they showed their appreciation by clapping loud and long.
Which leads me to the dilemma – which of the following morals do I choose as the learning from this incident :
1) Being modest and self-effacing is all very well, but overdo it and you may be mistaken for a water-carrier. Sometimes a GRAND entry is necessary, ANNOUNCE your arrival in style.
2) It doesn’t matter if people don’t notice your arrival, as long as your performance leaves them spellbound and begging for more
You tell me, which moral would you choose ?
Zen.
I attended a fusion concert last week where I witnessed something interesting. The noted blues harmonica master Corky Siegel was one of those performing. When it was his turn to perform, he ambled on stage, simply dressed, with a water bottle in hand and set it down beside the piano. No one in the audience recognised him and no one clapped. Like me, I guess they mistook him for someone from the artists’ retinue who was ensuring that water was available in case the maestro felt thirsty. Only when he faced the audience, gazed straight at them for a few seconds and then bowed was there some perfunctory applause to welcome him on stage.
But after he played the harmonica, boy, was there some applause ! What an awesome performance ! No one in the audience had any doubts about being privileged to hear a musical genius and they showed their appreciation by clapping loud and long.
Which leads me to the dilemma – which of the following morals do I choose as the learning from this incident :
1) Being modest and self-effacing is all very well, but overdo it and you may be mistaken for a water-carrier. Sometimes a GRAND entry is necessary, ANNOUNCE your arrival in style.
2) It doesn’t matter if people don’t notice your arrival, as long as your performance leaves them spellbound and begging for more
You tell me, which moral would you choose ?
Zen.
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
What to do in Tawang.....
...Apart from the usual visit to the monastery and to the Bum La Pass.
Visit the Ani Gompa (monastery for female monks). Unlike the main Tawang monastery whose presence dominates the town and which has bright yellow roofs that are visible from a distance, the Ani Gompa is tucked away discreetly on a hillside away from the town.
Visit Hotel Maa for a meal or a snack – awesome rasmalai and yummy parathas.
Visit the small music shops and ask for their own selection of English / Hindi music. These guys record eclectic mixtures of songs and music styles that make for great listening while travelling. You never know which song is going to play next, the unexpected melodies match the adventure waiting around the next turn.
Drive around aimlessly over the hills just outside town. Notice army presence, also old bunkers scattered on the hills, realize how close and fragile the border is over here. Then visit the war memorial in the centre of town – it commemorates the soldiers that died during the 1962 war with China.
Just walk around town. Notice the contrast between the expanse of the blue sky, the towering white mountains in the distance, and bunches of tiny red and orange flowers growing on the balconies of the houses nearby.
One of the photographs at the exhibition currently at Ravindra Natya Mandir in Mumbai captured exactly this scene and prompted this post. If, like me, you haven’t trekked in a while, an hour spent gazing at the photographs at the exhibition and exchanging memories of treks with friends is well worth it. Of course, it will result in a lot of wasted time the next day while you gaze at other photographs and schedule your next trek etc.
By,
Zen
Visit the Ani Gompa (monastery for female monks). Unlike the main Tawang monastery whose presence dominates the town and which has bright yellow roofs that are visible from a distance, the Ani Gompa is tucked away discreetly on a hillside away from the town.
Visit Hotel Maa for a meal or a snack – awesome rasmalai and yummy parathas.
Visit the small music shops and ask for their own selection of English / Hindi music. These guys record eclectic mixtures of songs and music styles that make for great listening while travelling. You never know which song is going to play next, the unexpected melodies match the adventure waiting around the next turn.
Drive around aimlessly over the hills just outside town. Notice army presence, also old bunkers scattered on the hills, realize how close and fragile the border is over here. Then visit the war memorial in the centre of town – it commemorates the soldiers that died during the 1962 war with China.
Just walk around town. Notice the contrast between the expanse of the blue sky, the towering white mountains in the distance, and bunches of tiny red and orange flowers growing on the balconies of the houses nearby.
One of the photographs at the exhibition currently at Ravindra Natya Mandir in Mumbai captured exactly this scene and prompted this post. If, like me, you haven’t trekked in a while, an hour spent gazing at the photographs at the exhibition and exchanging memories of treks with friends is well worth it. Of course, it will result in a lot of wasted time the next day while you gaze at other photographs and schedule your next trek etc.
By,
Zen
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