The Times they are a-changing – but not fast enough

Part of the title of this post is explained by the two real-life episodes described below:

First there’s R bai, a feisty lady that works as a maid in Mumbai. This lady’s daughter is getting married soon; to a man she fell in love with. R bai says that she doesn’t really care which rituals are conducted during the marriage ceremony, she doesn’t even care whether the couple undergoes the saat pheras or not, what she is insisting on is that the marriage be registered in court. She feels that rituals do not put any pressure on the guy to actually take care of her precious daughter; and that the lack of a document that can stand up in court implies that they have no recourse to legal action if he ever deserts her or ill-treats her. Three cheers for R bai for thinking of legal action against an errant son-in-law and not echoing the ‘beti shaadi ke baad paraayi hoti hai’ sentiment!

Another heartening story is one of a kabaadiwaala in Delhi, let’s call him K. For some time, when illiterate K goes house-to-house buying old newspapers and magazines for reselling, he has been requesting housewives on his paper-route to point out to him articles about travel and give those magazines to him free. Why ? Because his daughter was attending classes for some travel – and – tourism related training and needed material for her assignments and project submissions. Apparently, K had decided years ago that he would educate both his children, not just the son as many of his friends did; he was determined to ensure that his daughter would be able to stand on her own two feet and never be forced to stay trapped in an unhappy or abusive marriage due to being financially dependent on her husband.

Earlier this year, K’s ambitions were fulfilled, his daughter completed her course and got a government job.

Kudos to this kabaadiwaala for having the guts and the vision for seeing a different future for his daughter, and for having the determination to make it happen, it couldn’t have been an easy journey. And, of course, hats off to the young lady for the hard work she must have put in to get this far.

And just when I begin to exult in how much the status of women in this country has improved, I read stories like the one below in the newspaper :

Mumbai : A 28-year-old housewife has filed a case against her in-laws and neighbours for allegedly stripping and molesting her a fortnight ago. Byculla police said the incident happened on August 17. Senior Inspector Tukaram Godge said the complainant, a resident of Sankalp Siddhi chawl in Byculla, was reportedly beaten up by her mother-in-law for breaking a kitchen utensil. “The women in the neighbourhood allegedly tore her clothes and stripped her while men molested her.”

Desh Mera !

By,
Zen

Atmosphere

I like watching old Hindi movies of the Basu Bhattacharjee or Hrishikesh Mukherjee variety – think ‘Baaton Baaton Mein’, ‘Chhotisi Baat’, ‘Chupke Chupke’,‘Chashme Buddoor’, ‘Golmaal’ etc, often featuring actors such as Uptal Dutt, Om Prakash, Farooque Shaikh, Deepti Naval, Amol Palekar. Movies shot through with warmth, gentle humour and good music; the love story at the centre mellow, not melodramatic.

When I watch these at home in Mumbai, I sometimes find my enjoyment disrupted by a sense of impatience at the slow pace at which events unfold in these movies; a fall-out of the frenetic pace of the work-week in Mumbai, the urge to get things done quickly carries over into the weekend.

Recently I spent a few lazy days with friends at Panchgani, a hill station a few hours away from Mumbai. We went for walks, looked at the rain pouring down from the safety of the porch, admired tall trees in the garden, read books, chatted and basically indulged in aimless meandering activity. Even time spent carefully watching leaves fall in the wind seemed worthwhile, noting how larger leaves turn and spin multiple times in the eddies of wind on their way down, much like boats caught in a whirlpool must spin, I imagine.





One friend had brought along her small music-system. After breakfast and lunch, while others dozed away the heavy meals, we sat out on the porch and listened to music. Listening to ‘raindrops keep falling on my head’ while you’re watching the rain and listening to the wind ruffle leaves on the trees adds so much to the enjoyment of the song; ditto for ‘tiluk kumod’ with the background accompaniment of heavy rain. Or the Byrds singing ‘turn turn turn’ – a song about the cycle of the seasons makes so much sense and strikes a really true note when you’re amid tall trees that have seen many seasons change and weathered it all majestically.



I realised how much the atmosphere had seeped into me when I watched ‘Dulhan wahi jo piya man bhaaye’ for a bit on TV. The pace seemed just right, none of the dialogues seemed too verbose, though some of the emotions expressed were undeniably old-fashioned. Part of the reason might have been that at points in the movie where my attention flagged, the sounds I heard were not busy city sounds – traffic, hawkers, bhangaarwalas crying ‘papaarr’ – that reminded me of my task-list and time flying by, but unchanging unvarying sounds like the wind, rain, crickets chirping, etc, that had been and would continue to be around for millennia.

(Note : ‘Atmosphere’ does not seem to seep into guys thick skulls as much – they watched an action movie called ‘Kick-Ass’ at Panchgani and then 'Remember the Titans'.)

By,
Zen

Navroz Mubarak

To All our Parsi clan,
who carry eccentricity with elan;
Enjoy the New Year with chicken legs,
Parsi pegs,
good cheer,
a glass of beer,
majha masti
and tandarosti.

Happy New Year Everyone !

(p.s. the verse above is not original, but copied from an sms. - Zen)

Holidays. And Books.

A holiday without books – sacrilege ! Part of the excitement of packing for a holiday lies in calling ahead and finding out which books are available at the relative or friend’s house or hotel you are going to stay at, then selecting which books to carry with yourself, factoring in how much free time you will have, what sort of mood you will be in, maybe even where you will sit and read – in a hammock, in an easy chair, curled up near the fireplace, on a bench with a view of the hills and trees etc.

At least one book that I read during a vacation (apart from a guidebook) matches the place that I am travelling to; the atmosphere of the place helps me get so much more involved in the events in the book. I like to carry a book about mountains or mountaineering when in the hills; for instance, ‘Into Thin Air’ by Jon Krakauer (though not advisable while on a high-altitude trek, it’s about a climbing tragedy on Mount Everest), or ‘Nandadevi’ by Bill Aitken or ‘Silk Road on Wheels’ by Akhil Bakshi. When trekking through forests, I revisit chapters about Mirkwood or about the Ents from the ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy. If visiting Buddhist monasteries in Sikkim, Ladakh etc, a book on Buddhism does very well – the autobiography of the Dalai Lama, something by Pico Iyer etc.

It’s always nice to have one thriller or suspense novel at hand too – an Agatha Christie, a Perry Mason. And a light, humourous novel in case the murder mystery gets too scary – P.G.Wodehouse and Terry Pratchett are old favourites; some fibre for the brain to chew on – Amitava Ghosh maybe, nothing too heavy though, no Kafka, no tome on microeconomics, not for me. A collection of poems by various poets is also nice to dip into every now and then.

For one person to lug so many books around is a bit much, even after combining categories by selecting an author such as Bill Bryson (travel writing and humour). Hence I have learnt that choosing travel companions with care is very important. Choose them not for the quality of their conversation, or their enthusiasm levels, or good humour when faced with a ticketing ba**s-up, or the grace with which they lose to you at taboo/scrabble/pictionary etc; choose travel companions for the books they read and you cannot but enjoy the vacation.

By,
Zen

Review of 'I Hate Luv Storys'

With many reviews panning it mercilessly, I thought this above-average-and-entertaining movie deserved some support. It makes for quite an agreeable watch, and has much in its favour.

One, I like the name of the movie, and the chorus on the title track is peppy and catchy.

Two, the hero looks really good; Imran, stay with the stubble and the muscles.

Three, it is very amusing if you have watched several films of the Karan Johar or Aditya Chopra variety before. What makes this one fun is that this movie is a Karan Johar production skewering earlier Karan Johar movies, sending up everything from ‘DDLJ’ to ‘Kuchh Kuchh Hota Hai’ to ‘Kal Ho Na Ho’. My friend and I collapsed into giggles everytime we spotted a famous scene from a hit SRK movie parodied, or when an actor strutting about in a song with the sweater casually flung around his neck leaned back a bit and flung his arms out in an oh-so-famous pose. At apt moments in the movie, we could hear the soundtrack from one of the mushy movies in the background and the effect was hilarious, underscoring some romantic-and-ridiculous phillumi circumstance or happening.

The basic plot is simple, hackneyed really; as the hero’s best friend expresses it during the movie - Simran falls in love with Jai, Jai rejects her, then Jai falls in love with Simran and Simran rejects him. In order to drag this out for two hours, the two character’s attitudes towards love are poles apart; Simran is the romantic who views the world and her place in it through rose-tinted spectacles, Soppy Simran inhabits a world of pink teddy bears, proudly carries the white flower that her boyfriend gives her everyday to work, and smiles sweetly at big red hearts with shiny red confetti on them. Jai is the cool and cynical guy who pooh-poohs romance, prefers short-lived liaisons, and barfs at romantic scenes in the movies he works on (oh yes ! both work for a Bollywood production house).

One interesting scene has the director of romantic films, Vir, getting exasperated with the cynical Jai and explaining that even he realises that the romances he creates are rubbish, but dammit, doesn’t the audience just love ‘em ! (Yes, Karan, we heard you address your detractors loud and clear.)

Unfortunately the romance between the lead pair in this movie is slightly thanda, but I was too busy ogling at Imran Khan to mind. The second half, when Imran undergoes a change of heart and gets all soppy is not as much fun as the first, except for portions where earlier romantic films are parodied. Imran’s acting was patchy towards the end - the worst scene of the movie was undoubtedly Imran’s phone call to his Mum.

Basically, think of this movie like candyfloss, if you want either a healthy meal or the masala of a dum biriyani, you’re going to find it disappointing; nevertheless it is attractive and tasty if you’re in the mood for it.

By,
Zenobia

The Random Self Help Book – The Basic Difference Between People (3)

These guys at The Oatmeal are so much better than my efforts at this (see here and here). Almost make me feel like giving up blogging.

Almost, but not quite.

:-)
Zen.

Quote

Read the quote below in a book called 'Known Turf' by Annie Zaidi; will post a book review in a few days, for now, am reproducing the quote :

'Whoever the homeland may belong to, it is not merely a piece of geography. It is also not just history. Nor is it the rivers of the region, or the mountains. It is all those things that keep getting absorbed in your very being whether you want it or not.
- Krishna Sobti (writing about the creative process in 'Muse India)'

The Monsoon is Here

After tip-toeing meekly into Mumbai a few days ago, the Monsoon announced its arrival in its inimitable style with a furious downpour this morning. Strong winds, heavy rain, overcast sky, grey sea, water slapping the sea-front and throwing spray right over, water on the roads, cabs stalling, traffic jams, umbrellas turning inside out, wet clothes, colds, coughs, sniffles – Monsoon Mayhem 2010 begins now folks !

Notwithstanding the dirt, grime, delays and sundry inconveniences, there are those who love the Monsoon, this post is for them, a Hurrah to the start of the rainy season. Grab a cup of hot coffee or tea, biscuits to dip (or hot pakodas / samosas if you are lucky), put on headphones, stare earnestly at a word doc/ excel file /ppt and play these songs at full volume in the background.

This song first - to welcome in the monsoon, ‘Consider Yourself’ from the movie ‘Oliver Twist’. While it’s not a song about the rain, it does welcome someone with the lines below :
Consider Yourself....at home
Consider yourself.....One of the family
I’ve taken to you
So strong
It’ clear
We’re
Going to get along

And then this classic, ‘Singing in the rain’ from the movie ‘ Singing in the Rain’ starring Gene Kelly. And if you need to wake yourself up, here’s ‘Good Morning’ a perky song from the same movie.

Incidentally, has anyone noticed how the ‘beauty X brains = constant’ equation can be modified to ‘beauty X (sum of all talents) = constant’, and then it holds in every kind of situation. For instance, the best dancers such as Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire aren’t anywhere near as good-looking as Cary Grant or Gregory Peck, who aren’t really known for their dancing skills.

Just have to listen to ‘Raindrops keep falling on my head’ this morning.

This one is not really a song about the rain, but deserves to be listed as it one of Bollywood’s most famous songs sung in the rain – ‘Pyar hua Ikraar hua’ from ‘Shri 420’

‘Dekho zara dekho barsaat ki jhadi’ – a really cute song from ‘Yeh Dillagi, features the effervescent Kajol and Akshay Kumar

And to end with, a funky lively song in Marathi, ‘Dhaga la Lagli Kala’, warning – if you understand Marathi, you might not want to listen to this as it has some improper connotations. I don’t understand sufficient Marathi to get the double entendres and hence totally enjoy the song – yet more proof of the fact that ignorance is bliss !

From Anita – My absolute favourite rain song is this relatively unknown number that goes 'Sawan barse tarse dil' from ‘Dahek’. The song also has nice visuals of a rain drenched city and a happy Sonali Bendre skipping all over the place.Thanks for the contribution, Anita, had forgotten all about this song.


By,
Zen

The Random Self-Help Book: ‘Experience Says’

Zen wisdom for getting on in the corporate world :

1) ‘Check the source of the coo,
Before you end up handling loads of poo’
(Pigeons’ cooing sound nice from a distance, but let them get in, they poo on the floor and you have to clean it up)

2) Check the harness and the ropes before you rapell down a cliff

3) Better to check if you left the gas on before you are kilometers away

4) From ‘Making Money’ by Terry Pratchett :
“....Oh yes, mystic stuff doesn’t hurt, people’ll believe in any damn thing if it sounds old and mysterious. Doth not a penny to a widow outshine the unconquered sun ?”
“What does that mean?”
“I haven’t the foggiest idea,” said Moist, “I just made it up.”

Compiled By,
Zen (who else ?)

A song and a dance about Money

I watched a well choreographed version of the song ‘Money Makes the World Go Round’ at Shiamak Davar’s ‘Summer Funk’ show recently. Was motivated enough to search for the original song on youtube; and then to search for more songs on the same topic. In case you think of any more, drop a comment and I will add it to this post.
Zen.

1. To start with, of course, ‘Money makes the world go round’ from ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’, sung by Alan Cummings. Great song, I prefer this version to the Liza Minelli and Joel Gray version from ‘Cabaret’.

2. 'Money' by Pink Floyd, a Classic ! Sure you all know this song.
Here’s the link to the video, and this link also gives the lyrics.

3. ‘Mujhe mil jo jaaye thoda paisa’ – great song from a band called ‘Agosh’; did they have any other hits, they seemed to have vanished after this one.

Don’t miss the tongue-in-cheek allusions to the corporate world in this song; from ‘The Paisa Group – we change lives’ to the allusion to rich and successful actors in shampoo ads, the anti-pimple ad etc. The at-times-kooky subtitles running across the top of the screen add to the fun.

4. After ‘mujhe mil jo jaaye thoda paisa’, a similar refrain in English ‘If I was a rich man’ from the movie ‘Fiddler on the Roof’. An old favourite since childhood, it has lovely music; and I love the delicious detail in the imagined life the poor man could have had had he been rich, for instance, the wife developing a ‘proper’ (?!) double chin or building a staircase going nowhere ‘just for show’.

Right at the outset, he conversationally poses this question to God (or maybe fate), “so what would have been so terrible if I had a small fortune ?”

And then this is restated in the end of the song as :
“Lord, who made the Lion and the Lamb
You decreed I should be what I am
Would it spoil some vast eternal plan
If I were a wealthy man ?”
Lovely !

5. ‘Teri Dhoom Har Kahin’ – a really old song from an old Dev Anand movie called ‘Kala Bazar’. The film is essentially about an honest man (Dev Anand) who enters the black marketing business because he cannot make money through honest means. Sung by Kishore Kumar, the lyrics proclaim ‘teri dhoom har kahin, tujhsa yaar koi nahin, humko tho pyaare, tu sabse pyaaraa’.

Don’t you just love the irony in the stanza which goes ‘Daulat ka mazhab chalaake.....Hum ek mandir banaake....Poojengey tujhko bithaake’, especially the chanting after each line !

6. ‘Sabse Bada Rupaiyya’ from 'Bluffmaster' – cool Abhishek, catchy tune, enjoyable song.

An ‘inspired’ song, the original was sung by Rafisaab with the lyrics ‘Baap bhala na bhaiyya, Sabse Bhala Rupaiyya’; a later adaptation, sung by Mehmood in a song with Vinod Mehra and Moushumi Chatterji, is clearly recognisable as the ‘Bluffmaster song.

7. ‘Money money money’ by ABBA
This link also has the lyrics in the info section, and here is the video of the song from the movie ‘Mamma Mia! The Movie’.

8. ‘Money for Nothing’ – Dire Straits


9. ‘Paisa paisa’ from the recent movie ‘De Dana Dan’ – not a song I like very much, but in small doses it is quite funny.

10. A famous hit rap song in the 90s by Wu Tang Clan, ‘
Cash Rules Everything Around Me – C.R.E.A.M’ . Can’t say I like the song much, but it fits the theme of this post