Whenever someone says something hurtful, insensitive or something you don’t want to hear, remember:

1) You are not a fig-leaf that can be blown away by the words of anyone
2) You are giving the person TOO MUCH importance by thinking about and being affected by the negative words
3) Separate the words from the person - discard the words (if they are not constructive) and love the person
4) Don’t see intention behind the words
5) Say ‘I forgive you for the words’ and give a mental hug to the person who’s said words you don’t like
6) Listen to the song in the video below

शब्दों के जंगल में तू क्यों फंसा है रे
Shabdon ke jungle mein tu kyon phansa hai re
Why are you entangled in the jungle of words?

परब्रह्म के रस से तेरा नस नस रमा है रे
Parbrahm ke ras se tera nas nas rama hai re
The nectar of God flows through each vein of yours => there is God in you

आनंद तू ही, परमानन्द तू ही
Anand tu hi, Parmanand tu hi
You are happiness and bliss; you are the creator of the supreme bliss

ॐ में खो कर, ॐ में रम कर, ॐ में मिलना है
Om mein kho kar, Om mein ram kar, Om mein milna hai
We are to get lost in Om, to blend in Om, to to be one with Om

शब्दों के जंगल में तू क्यों फंसा है रे
Shabdon ke jungle mein tu kyon phansa hai re
Why are you entangled in the jungle of words?

परब्रह्म के रस से तेरा नस नस रमा है रे
Parbrahm ke ras se tera nas nas rama hai re
The nectar of God flows through each vein of yours => there is God in you

मान अपमान होता कहाँ रे
Maan apmaan hota kahan re
What is respect and insult after all?

ये तो है शब्दों की पकड़
Ye to hai shabdon ki pakad
This is just play with words

भले बुरे शब्द तुझे हिला दे
Bhale bure shabd tujhe hila de
For good and bad words to shake you

इतना तू नहीं है कमज़ोर
Itna tu nahin hai kamzor
You are not that weak

ॐ में खो कर, ॐ में रम कर, ॐ में मिलना है
Om mein kho kar, Om mein ram kar, Om mein milna hai
We are to get lost in Om, to blend in Om, to to be one with Om

शब्दों के जंगल में तू क्यों फंसा है रे
Shabdon ke jungle mein tu kyon phansa hai re
Why are you entangled in the jungle of words?

परब्रह्म के रस से तेरा नस नस रमा है रे
Parbrahm ke ras se tera nas nas rama hai re
The nectar of God flows through each vein of yours => there is God in you

Miss Subba never taught me. Yet, when I read the news on Facebook of her having passed away last night, the sense of loss was personal.

Thoughts flash back to the second-storey classroom in one of the two old stone buildings below the main field (both were demolished in the 1980s/90s to make way for new buildings). Lieutenant Colonel Francis Younghusband and his regiment of British Indian forces had used these buildings in 1904 as their garrison while making a forced march into Tibet. My thoughts, of course, are of a much later era in 1982. I was in L.K.G. (Lower Kindergarten) and Late Mrs Damayanti Gathraj was my classteacher. From the classroom next door, there were frequent sounds of singing and dancing - little kids, perhaps a year older than I was, would raise their arms up in the air and dance to the sounds of ‘Doomdooma doomdooma doomdooma doomdooma’…the teacher leading that class and singing in unison was Miss B. Subba. Each time I heard the singing, I looked forward to going to Miss Subba’s U.K.G. (Upper Kindergarten) class the following year and joining in all the fun.

When I got a double promotion from L.K.G. to Class I, my biggest regret was having to miss Miss Subba’s class. Of course, that was not to be in any case, as even if I had studied U.K.G., I was to be in the other section taught by Mrs. Gurung.

One afternoon, a few years later, my close friend Animikh told me over lunch, “When I passed by the classroom, I saw Miss Subba sitting on her chair before the teacher’s desk with her spectacles on the tip of her nose. She looked just like a doll.” The words may not have been exact, but were similar. Miss Subba was short, chubby, cute, with curly hair forming a halo and a deep voice. As I reflected on Animikh’s words, she was indeed a beautiful doll in a sari.

One morning as I walked up the road from the school gate to the main building, inadvertently wishing ‘Good morning’ to the teachers I met along the way, a voice called me from behind as I approached the side of the main school building with the words in green, “Enter for Wisdom and Learn to Serve”. “Naaaaresh, I’m soooooo sorry. I didn’t hear you. GoooooOOOD morning! Goood morning!” The amiable and loving words in the loud, enthusiastic voice were Miss Subba’s. I hadn’t even noticed that she hadn’t wished me back and was deeply touched to see her take the trouble to come after me and wish me ‘Good morning.’

In 1991 and in Class IX, when I was writing an article on the History of TNA for the school magazine, I was told that two good sources of information would be Mr P.B. Chakraborty (who was no longer in TNA then) and Miss B. Subba. I was surprised to learn that Miss B Subba was so old in the school, and that she was almost nearing 60 then. I thought she was 20 years younger. From all my memories of her from kindergarten to Class XII, Miss Subba looked the same. She never aged.

In 2004, when Siddhartha helped me fulfil my wish of singing on stage, and there was one big laugh riot in the school auditorium as I sang ‘Taarif karoon kya uski..jisne tumhe banaaya’, and people held their tummies to control their laughter, Miss Subba came up to me and held my hand. She was laughing continuously as she shook my hands repeatedly and congratulating me, said, “Naarrreeesh. That was hooooooooooorrrrible.” That was the fondest compliment I got that day

I don’t remember having seen her in the years since leaving TNA in 1995, but my memories of her are as fresh as ever.

On learning about the acclaimed actor Patrick Swayze’s death on Facebook recently, a friend remarked, “Life is not too short for a life that has made a mark.” Thank you, Miss Subba, for having left a mark on generations of Tenacians - the proud students from Tashi Namgyal Academy, Gangtok. We all remember you fondly!

I have a simple motto in life, “to be happy always”. This is what I wish for all my friends and all the people I interact with - that they be happy always. I’ve learnt that happiness is not something that comes with circumstances - you don’t become happy when you get something or achieve something. Similarly, happiness is not something you postpone UNTIL you get something or achieve something. We’ve got to be happy right here, right now! Happy with all that we have, and all that we don’t have. It is important to realize that You and I are not leaves, that can be blown away by circumstances - one person says an unpleasant word, and we become unhappy; the train is late and we become unhappy. It’s like exposing our cheeks to the whole wide world, where each person and each event is free to come slap us every now and then in whichever way it pleases. I read somewhere that happiness is an art that ought to be learnt, practised and perfected like playing an violin. I think it is true.

There is an important prerequisite to happiness — forgiveness. To be happy and in peace with ourselves and the entire world, we’ve got to forgive EACH and EVERY person in the world. I was once told a story where there was a man who said that he was ready to forgive the whole wide world, but he could NEVER forgive two people Mr X and Ms Y, who had really hurt him in the past. The fact is, nobody can hurt you without your permission. This person was told that if he wanted, he was free to hold grudges against the entire world…all he had to do was to forgive these two people.

Until we forgive people who’ve pained us, we continue to give them a lot of undue importance and they continue to dwell in our minds. Thus, contrary to our liking, we end up closely holding those people who we supposedly dislike.

The Jains have a lovely festival. Each year, at the end of an 8-day festival, they ask for forgiveness from all and sundry, saying, “Michhami Dukkadam” [Michchami=fruitless; Dukkadam=bad deeds] [”My bad deed (with you) be fruitless”] [”May any bad deeds I have committed towards you be forgiven”]. I got to know of this lovely festival when I received an email from a friend and his wife about two years ago with the subject: “Michchami Dukkadam”, and with words something like, “I request your forgiveness, if I may have hurt you, intentionally or unintentionally by thoughts, words or action.” I couldn’t remember them having hurt me, but it didn’t matter. The greeting (whether in person, on the phone, through a letter, email, sms, a facebook message or a tweet) is to be sent to (or felt for) one and all.

Today happens to be that day for 2009. So to everyone, Michchami Dukkadam!

क्षमा Kshama [forgiveness]
वीरस्य Veerasya [of the brave]
भूषणं Bhushnam [is the ornament]

Forgiveness is the ornament of the brave! So forgive all those who’ve hurt you, seek forgiveness from all those you’ve hurt, seek forgiveness from yourself. On this day, let us all endeavour to forgive and be happy!

If you want to practise forgiveness, I found the following steps on the world wide web, attributed most likely to Dr Christiane Northrup in her book on women: “Northrup, C. (2006). Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom: Creating Physical and Emotional Health and Healing, 3rd edition. Bantam Dell: New York, NY.”

step 1
close your eyes….for a moment just reflect on what the word
Forgiveness
might really mean.

What is forgiveness?
[ponder for a short while and after contemplating goto next]

step 2
And now, very gently — no force — just as an experiment in truth —
just for a moment — allow the image of someone for whom you have
much resentment — someone from whom you have anger and a sense
of distance — let them just gently — gently, come into your mind —
As an image, as a feeling.

May be you feel them at the centre of your chest as fear, as resistance.
However they manifest in your mind body, just invite them in very gently
for this — moment — for this experiment.

And in your heart, silently say to them, ‘ I forgive you’.
‘I forgive you for whatever you have done in the past that caused me
pain, intentionally or unintentionally. However you have caused me pain,
I forgive you’.

Speak gently to them in your heart with your ownwords– in your own way.
[close your eyes and talk in your heart with them– only for forgiveness]

In your heart, say to them, ‘I forgive you for whatever you may have done in
the past, through your words, through your actions, through your thoughts
that caused me pain, intentionally or unintentionally. I forgive you.’

Allow….Allow them to be touched… power of your thought is immense
and it would touch them….
just for a moment at least…
by your forgiveness.
Allow forgiveness.

It is so painful to hold someone out of your heart.
How can you hold on to that pain,
that resentment, even a moment longer?
Fear, doubt… let it go… and for this moment,
touch them with your forgiveness.

‘I FORGIVE YOU.’

Now let them go gently, let them leave quietly.
Let them go with your blessings.

step 3
Now picture someone who has great resentment for you.
Someone near or dear
May be a friend, customer/client oremployer/employee…..
staff or family…
supplier/creditor or a banker/broker of insurance
anyone who has any cause of resentment for you.
Could be spouse or parent, children or neighbour
who had any cause of resentment for you in recent past.

Feel them in your chest, may be in heart, seeing themin your mind as an image
— sense of their being. Invite them gently in.
Someone who has resentment, Anger —
someone who is unforgiving towards you.
Let them into your heart at this moment.
And in your heart, say to them ‘ I ask your forgiveness,
for whatever I may have done in the past that caused you pain,
intentionally or unintentionally —
through my words, through my actions, through my thoughts.
However I caused you pain,
I ask your forgiveness. I ask your forgiveness.’

‘Through my anger, my fear, my blindness, my laziness.
However I caused you pain,
intentionally or unintentionally — I ask your forgiveness.’

Let it be. Allow that forgiveness in.
Allow your self to be touched by their forgiveness.
Power of your thoughts is immense… they are forgiving you.
If the mind rises up
with thoughts like self-indulgence or doubt,
just see how profound our mercilessness is
with ourself and be open to the forgiveness.

Allow yourself to be forgiven.
Allow yourself to be forgiven.

However I caused you pain,
I ask for your forgiveness.
Allow yourself feel their forgiveness.
Let it be.
Let it be.

And gently …. very gently … let them go on their way
in forgiveness for you — in blessings foryou.

step 4
And turn to yourself in your own heart andsay
‘ I forgive you’ to you/rself.
whatever tries to block that
the merciless and fear.
Let it go.

Let it be touched by your forgiveness andyour mercy.
And gently in your heart, calling yourselfby
your own first name, say,
‘ I FORGIVE YOU ‘ to you.

It is so painful to put yourself out of your heart.
Let yourself in. Allow yourself to be touched
by this forgiveness.
Let the healing in.
Say, ‘ I FORGIVE YOU ‘ to you.

[ you will feel very peaceful…light hearted and relieved
if not, try repeating step 2,3 & 4….
till you have softened your heart, feel your inner peace…
then goto step 5]

step 5

[ say with immense love and joy,….openly, loudly…]

Let that forgiveness be extended to the beings all around you.
May all beings forgive themselves.
May they discover joy.
May all being be freed of suffering.
May all beings be healed.
May they be at one with their thru nature.
May they be free from suffering.
May they be at peace.
Let that loving kindness,
that forgiveness,
extend to the whole planet…
extend to entire universe
to every level of existence, seen and unseen.
May all beings be freed of sufferings.

May they know the power of forgiveness,
may they know their true being.
May they know their vastness
their infinite peacefulness.
May all beings be free.
May all beings be free.

Written on Saturday August 15, 2009

This independence day, I wish that my country(wo)men:

* Remember the greatness of India and its values while striving to do well materially

* Contribute to the country (whether from India or outside it) and not just know four things: ka, kha, gha and ma (ka: kaam karna - work for a living; kha: khana - eat; gha: ghar banana - build a house; ma: marna - die)

* Will not be quick to trade our passports for easy visa access or easy entry into elite universities

* Stop blaming politicians and the ’system’ and take responsibility for bringing about change

* Strive to root out all evil from our society - whether those linked to caste, regionalism, corruption, female infanticide, intolerance, etc.

* Fight against all forms of dicrimination

* Take their lives seriously and stop the ‘chalta hai’ (its okay) attitude

* Strive towards excellence in all spheres

* Strive to uplift those weaker than us - whether physically or materially

* Strive to live for others

* Promise to bring about one positive change to the lives of others - however big or small

* Learn to be happy always and spread this happiness around the world

Jai Hind!

Written on Sunday May 17, 2009

I’m so happy for India…I’d just begun to lose faith in India and the Indian system (especially since reservations on the basis of caste were increased to more than 50%)…when India as a whole bounced back to show what it is capable of…this is the power of India…this is the power of Indian democracy. These are some of the choices that the pan-Indian voter has made (at least for the next 5 years):

1) “No”, to those who opposed the forward-looking Indo-US nuclear deal
2) “No” to right-wing or left-wing politics
3) “Yes” to development and performance - whether on a regional basis (Bihar under Nitish Kumar, Orissa under Patnaik, Delhi under Sheila Dixit or Sikkim under Chamling) or a national basis (Right to Information Act, NREGS, Indo-US nuclear deal)
4) “No” to regional leaders who place class and caste before national interest and greater good (Mayawati’s Bahujan Samajwadi Party, Mulayam’s SP, Lalu’s RJD) and wanted to extract a price for playing king-makers
5) “No” to all wannabe prime-ministers
6) “Yes” to stability and a centrist-policy
7) “Yes” to a greater role for the younger generation and a new mindset in Indian politics

"Kesariya Baalam the to aao ni padharo mahre des" (केसरिया बालम थे तो आओ नी पधारो माहरे देस) [O beloved with the saffron coloured turban, I heartily welcome you to my country], is a folk-tune from Rajasthan based on Raag Maand. Part of the Indo-Pak composite culture of Hindustaani music, it is a song of the Thar desert and has been sung through centuries. The tune has been used in movies (Dor, in Lekin by Lata Mangeshkar with lyrics changed, the Oscar-winning Little Terrorist, and recently in 99.9FM by Zila Khan), in Classical Music albums (Ustad Zakir Hussein in the album ‘Music of the Deserts’), in TV soaps (Balika Vadhu), reality-singing shows (Raja Hasan in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Aishwarya in Chote Ustad), and sung by Singers from both Pakistan (Mehdi Hasan, Ustad Naseer-ud-din Saami) and India (Zarina Begum, Manganiyars 1, 2). As Siddhartha puts it, the Manganiyars are "a great example of Hindu-Islamic synthesis - practicing muslims who sing praise songs to Hindu gods!  And that is besides their musicality!"

In 2005-06, I made a painting with the same title

After my wedding on 8 December 2003, I had 10-hours of video footage. I’d imagined that I’d edit the video into a 10-minute or 30-minute version (where this song would find a prominent place). I haven’t yet gotten around to doing that (as of 7 Jun 2009), but found some time today to create 4 shorts 30-second music videos from my wedding photos  (archa-na-resh wedding) using an online tool. These 4 versions are based on 4 versions of Kesariaya Baalam sung by different singers. The copyright for the music resides with the respective owners (I’ve used what was available freely on youtube). The photos are mine.

Let me know which version you like the best.

Manganiyar version

Instrumental Folk version

Raja Hasan version

Lata Mangeshar version from Lekin

Ever since organized religion has existed in the world, people in different parts of the world have tried to establish the name by which they call God as greater than any other name used to call God. Those who use the same name as theirs come within the ‘We or Us’ circle. Those who use a different name are addressed as ‘They or Them’ and fall outside the ‘We’ circle.

Some say “Krishna is the greatest”, some say “Shiva is the greatest”, some say, “There is no God but Allah”, some say “Christ is the greatest”…

Those who call God by the names of Rama/Krishna/Vishnu, they call themselves Vaishnavas or Gaudya Vaishnavas (represented in ISKCON or Hare Krishna movement today that establishes Lord Krishna as supreme). Those who call God by the name of Shiva call themselves Shaivas. In India, if you go to Maharashtra, you’ll see people remembering God by the name of Ganesh. If you go to West Bengal, you will find people chanting the names Durga or Kali. In India and in other parts of the world, those who know the son of God by the name of Jesus Christ call themselves Christians (or Roman Catholics or Protestants, etc. when they disagree over various aspects). Similarly, those who do not recognize any other name for God apart from Allah call themselves Muslims (or Shias or Sunnis, a distinction established after the death of Prophet Mohammad when his followers couldn’t agree on whether the leadership after the great Prophet should be based on lineage or capability).

Remember God by any name (including those of Energy, Time, Consciousness, etc.), and He (or She if you see God in the female form) will manifest within you in that particular form [जाकी रही भावना जैसी प्रभु मूरति देखी तिन तैसी Jaaki rahi bhawna jaisi, Prabhu murat dekhi tin taisi “One sees God as per his/her feelings”, or “the form of God you see is a reflection of your thought process”, says Tulsidas in Ram Charit Manas]. Call God by any name you wish, s/he’ll present himself/herself in the image, form, symbol (or lack thereof) you wish to see.

In this beautiful video from the new Ramayan made by Sagar Arts and presented in the Indian channel ‘NDTV Imagine’, Lord Ram establishes that He is a bhakta or devotee of Lord Shiva (thus, He’s a Shaiva). On the other hand, Lord Shiva establishes that He is a devotee of Lord Rama (thus, He’s a Vaishnava). Thus, Lord Rama sings and plays the instrument in devotion of Lord Shiva. On the other hand, Lord Shiva dances in devotion of Lord Ram. Each is trying to please his Lord. Each is the devotee of the other. Each is the Lord of the other.

In Hindu scriptures, there are 18 puranas - each dedicated to a particular name for God - and each establishing that name as supreme. The Shiva purana establishes Lord Shiva as the greatest. The Vishnu purana establishes Lord Vishnu as the greatest. The Shrimad Bhagvad Purana establishes Lord Krishna as the greatest. Do you see a contradiction? There is a welcome contradiction. It has been done purposely so that the devotee can be free to choose the name/form of God s/he is most comfortable with, and also be assured that the name s/he is chanting is the greatest. Similarly, there is nothing wrong when we, as Christians, recognize the name Jesus Christ as the greatest or when we, as Muslims, recognize the name Allah as the greatest.

However, we should understand that while we have the right to call the name we know for God as greatest, other fellow human beings have the right to call the name they know for God as greatest. This essentially means that call Him (or Her, if you’re a feminist) by any name, we are all reaching out to the same God within us and outside us and all around us. Instead of fighting over which name is greater, devote yourself in realizing the name/form/words of the God you worship deep within you. If you’re a Hindu, be a good Hindu. If you’re a Muslim, be a good Muslim. If you’re a Christian, be a good Christian.

While it is perfectly fine to have your favorite name for God, don’t give your faiths a bad name by looking down at those in other faiths who address God by their own favorite name(s), or by having the misconception that those who address God by different names or try to reach him through different paths will go to hell. Observe the other path(s), go for a trek using the other path(s), meet and speak to people who’ve taken that way, read the guidebooks detailing those path(s) and you’ll find that it may be better or worse laid out, there might be more people treading them or less people treading them, but they too lead to the same peak up there! We are giving ourselves too much of credit when we think that there is only one superhighway leading to God and that anybody who is not on it will land up nowhere and that it is our moral duty to coerce them, beg them, pull them into the highway - even if the person was already on a well-paved road leading to the peak. If you really want to help the person, show him how to be a better driver or trekker on the road s/he already is, instead of trying to change his/her road to the peak.

When the missionary E. Stanley Jones had met with Mahatma Gandhi, he had asked him, “Mr. Gandhi, though you quote the words of Christ often, why is that you appear to so adamantly reject becoming his follower?” Gandhi had replied, “Oh, I don’t reject Christ. I love Christ. It’s just that so many of you Christians are so unlike Christ.” “If Christians would really live according to the teachings of Christ, as found in the Bible, all of India would be Christian today,” he added (Dibin Samuel, 14 Aug 2008, Mahatma Gandhi and Christianity, Christian Today).

On quest for conversion to Christianity, Gandhi’s message was that instead of preaching Christianity, if a Christian Missionary was to live his life in service as exemplified by Christ, the message would be better received…”live the life according to the light…. If, therefore, you go on serving people and ask them also to serve, they would understand. But you quote instead John 3:16 and ask them to believe it and that has no appeal to me, and I am sure people will not understand it.” “A rose does not need to preach. It simply spreads its fragrance. The fragrance is its own sermon…the fragrance of religious and spiritual life is much finer and subtler than that of the rose.” (Dibin Samuel, 14 Aug 2008, Mahatma Gandhi and Christianity, Christian Today).

For Martin Luther King: “Mahatma Gandhi was the first person in human history to lift the ethic of love of Jesus Christ, above mere interaction between individuals and make it into a powerful and effective social force on a large scale. If humanity is to progress, Gandhi is inescapable. We may ignore him at our own peril”. When an American churchman upbraided him for this he replied “It is ironic yet inescapably true that the greatest Christian of the modern world was a man who never embraced Christianity.” (Ambassador (Retd) Alan Nazareth, Gandhi and Christianity, mkgandhi.org)

“Ekam sat vipra bahauda vadanti” (There is but one REALITY, though the wise speak of it in many ways), declared the Rig Veda [I.164.46 ], the oldest scripture of the oldest living religion in the world. In the few millenniums since the Rig Veda, the human race is still struggling to understand this simple truth.

Thus, instead of trying to establish the supremacy of Krishna or Rama or Shiva or Allah or Christ, we should recognize that they are different ways to address the same God (who is all pervading and within each one of us and all around us). Our quest should be to realize this God within us - to remove the layer of dust that is covering our inner soul. As a Hindu and as an Indian, I can safely say that this is the essence of Hinduism. This is the essence of India!

हर मानव में छिपी हुई है दिव्य गुणों की आग
दिल से मर्म शिखा बस छू दो, तुरन्त उठेगी जाग

“Inside every human is hidden a fire of divine qualities
Simply touch the molten tip with all your heart, and it will immediately set ablaze”

So forget about establishing which name of God is the greatest! Go seek out the God inside you. Once you know that there is God within you, and that God can do anything, you’ll see that nothing is impossible! Go, outshine the stars!!

I read of passing of former Indian President R Venkatraman somewhere hidden inside Rediff news on the second tab. Perhaps he wasn’t celebrity enough.

I have two personal memories of him:

One, when he passed by in a closed government car in the ‘hospital daara’ (area in front of STNM hospital) of Gangtok, Sikkim in 1987 as we, as children, stood watching, most with a little paper Tricolor in our hands.

Second, when he walked past us in December 2001, wearing a traditional white shirt and weshti, and a red shawl over his shoulders, at the Kalahasti temple near Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. I was on a temple tour of South India taking my parents and elder sister on a pilgrimage right after their surgeries. Sri Kalahasti is one of the five temples celebrating Lord Shiva as the embodiment of the 5 elements - with ‘air’ being the element under worship here, thus referred to as ‘Vayu Lingam’.

Ramaswamy Venkatraman passed away at the age of 98.

Fall was here in New York City…now it’s beginning to get cold. Before the trees turned into brown skeletons, Archana, 6-week old Eesha and I went to the Pelham Bay Park to soak in the yellow, red and orange of the autumn leaves.

When I watched this beautiful video, was reminded of the great Rabindranath Tagore’s message through his song penned in 1905 when Bengal was to be partitioned:

Have tried to translate it in English with the help of Tagore’s English version and Nikhil Kulkarni’s blog, and the Hindi translation from the English one arrived at). The player below has the song in Kishore Kumar’s voice:

যদি তোর ডাক শুনে কেউ না আসে তবে একলা চলো রে। (2)
Jodi tor đak shune keu na ashe tôbe êkla chôlo re, (2)
जोदी तोर डाक शुने केउ ना आशे तॉबे एख्ला चॉलो रे (2)
(यदि तोरी डाक सुनके कोई ना आए तब अकेले चलो रे
If they answer not to your call walk alone)

তবে একলা চলো, একলা চলো, একলা চলো, একলা চলো রে॥ (2)
tôbe Êkla chôlo, êkla chôlo, êkla chôlo, êkla chôlo re. (2)
तॉबे एख्ला चॉलो, एख्ला चॉलो, एख्ला चॉलो, एख्ला चॉलो रे (2)
(अकेले चलो, अकेले चलो, अकेले चलो, अकेले चलो रे
walk alone, walk alone, walk alone, O walk alone)

যদি তোর ডাক শুনে কেউ না আসে তবে একলা চলো রে।
Jodi tor đak shune keu na ashe tôbe êkla chôlo re,
जोदी तोर डाक शुने केउ ना आशे तॉबे एख्ला चॉलो रे
(यदि तोरी डाक सुनके कोई ना आए तब अकेले चलो रे
If they answer not to your call walk alone)

যদি কেউ কথা না কয়, ওরে ওরে ও অভাগা,
Jodi keu kôtha na kôe, ore ore o ôbhaga,
जोदी केउ कॉथा ना कोए, ओरे ओरे ओ अभागा
(यदि कोई बात ना करे, अरे अरे ओ अभागा
if no one speaks to you, O you unlucky one)

যদি সবাই থাকে মুখ ফিরায়ে সবাই করে ভয়—
Jodi shôbai thake mukh firaee shôbai kôre bhôe—
जोदी शॉबाय थाके मूख फिराए शॉबाय कोरे भॉय (2)
(यदि सभी तोसे मुह फिराए सबको हो भय
if they are afraid and cower mutely facing the wall,)

তবে পরান খুলে
Tôbe pôran khule
तॉबे पॉरान खूले
(तब पूरे मन से
then wholeheartedly)

ও তুই মুখ ফুটে তোর মনের কথা একলা বলো রে॥
O tui mukh fuţe tor moner kôtha êkla bôlo re.
ओ तूई मूख़ फूटे तोर मोनेर कॉथा एख्ला बॉलो रे (2)
(ओ तू मुह खोल के तेरे मन की गाथा अकेले बोल रे
open what’s in your mind and speak up alone.)

যদি তোর ডাক শুনে কেউ না আসে তবে একলা চলো রে।
Jodi tor đak shune keu na ashe tôbe êkla chôlo re,
जोदी तोर डाक शुने केउ ना आशे तॉबे एख्ला चॉलो रे
(यदि तोरी डाक सुनके कोई ना आए तब अकेले चलो रे
If they answer not to your call walk alone)

যদি সবাই ফিরে যায়, ওরে ওরে ও অভাগা,
Jodi shôbai fire jae, ore ore o ôbhaga,
जोदी शॉबाय फिरे जाय, ओरे ओरे ओ अभागा
(यदि सब फ़िर जाएँ, अरे अरे ओ अभागा
if everyone turns away, O you unlucky one)

যদি গহন পথে যাবার কালে কেউ ফিরে না চায়—
Jodi gôhon pôthe jabar kale keu fire na chae—
जोदी गॉहोन पॉथे जबॉर काले केउ फिरे ना चाए (2)
(यदि गहन पथ में तेरे साथ कोई फिरना न चाहे 
If they turn away, and desert you when crossing the wilderness)

তবে পথের কাঁটা
Tôbe pôther kãţa
तॉबे पॉथेर काँटा
(तब पथ के कांटे
then the thorns on your path)

ও তুই রক্তমাখা চরণতলে একলা দলো রে॥
O tui rôktomakha chôrontôle êkla dôlo re.
ओ तूई रॉक्तोमाखा चॉरोनतॉले एख्ला डॉलो रे (2)
(ओ तू रक्त सने चरण तले दे के अकेले डोल रे
O you trample them under your feet and travel alone with your blood-soaked feet)

যদি তোর ডাক শুনে কেউ না আসে তবে একলা চলো রে।
Jodi tor đak shune keu na ashe tôbe êkla chôlo re,
जोदी तोर डाक शुने केउ ना आशे तॉबे एख्ला चॉलो रे
(यदि तोरी डाक सुनके कोई ना आए तब अकेले चलो रे
If they answer not to your call walk alone)

যদি আলো না ধরে, ওরে ওরে ও অভাগা,
Jodi alo na dhôre, ore ore o ôbhaga,
जोदी आलो ना धॉरे, ओरे ओरे ओ अभागा
(यदि दिया न जलाये, अरे अरे ओ अभागा
If they do not hold up the light, O you unlucky one)

যদি ঝড়-বাদলে আঁধার রাতে দুয়ার দেয় ঘরে—
Jodi jhôŗ-badole ãdhar rate duar dêe ghôre—
जोदी झॉड़-बादोले आधार राते दुआर दऐई घॉरे (2)
(यदि घोर बादल में आधी रात में रौशनी दूर हो घर की
When its the middle of the night with stormy winds and clouds, and the light of your house is far)

তবে বজ্রানলে 
Tôbe bojranôle
तॉबे बोज्रनॉले
(तब दुःख की वज्र ज्योति से
then with the thunder flame of pain)

আপন বুকের পাঁজর জ্বালিয়ে নিয়ে একলা জ্বলো রে॥
Apon buker pãjor jalie nie êkla jôlo re.
आपोन बुकेर पाजोर जालीये नीये एख्ला जॉलो रे (2)
(अपने मन में ज्योत जला के अकेले जलो रे
ignite your own heart and let it burn alone)

যদি তোর ডাক শুনে কেউ না আসে তবে একলা চলো রে।
Jodi tor đak shune keu na ashe tôbe êkla chôlo re,
जोदी तोर डाक शुने केउ ना आशे तॉबे एख्ला चॉलो रे
(यदि तोरी डाक सुनके कोई ना आए तब अकेले चलो रे
If they answer not to your call walk alone)

The mouth-organ piece with the soul of the song well preserved:

In Day 36 of his blog, Amitabh Bachchan acknowledged a poem written by the grandfather (Shri Krishna Mittra) of one of the 494 commentators on his previous day entry (where Amitabh had described the person his father, the well-known poet, Mr Harivanshrai Bachchan was).

The poem by Shree Krishna Mitra is indeed beautiful. I believe it brings forth the purpose of our lives and can serve as an inspiration, as it was to his granddaughter Vibhuti.

श्रीकृष्ण मित्रा द्वारा लिखी गई कविता
(उनकी पोती ‘vibhuti love’ ने अमिताभ बच्चन के Day 35  ब्लॉग के comments में post किया)

आँख जिनकी नहीं उनकी आंखें बनो aankh jinki nahin unki aankhein bano (those who don’t have eyes, become their eyes)
पंख बिन कुछ परिंदों की पंखें बनो pankh bin kuch parindo ki pankh bano (become wings of those birds who are without wings)
जिनको चलने में होती हैं कठिनाईयाँ  jinko chalne mein hoti hai kathinaayeian  (those who have difficulty walking)
बन सको तो बनो उनकी परछाईयाँ ban sako to bano unki parchaiyaan (if you can, become their shadows)
जिनके बाजू को थोड़ा सा बल चाहिए jinke bazoo ko thoda sa bal chahiye (those whose arm requires a little strength)
या जिन्हें ज़िंदगी में पहल चाहिए ya jinhein zindagi mein pehal chahiye (or those who need to get ahead in life)
उनके हर काम में तुम सहारे बनो unke har kaam mein tum sahaare bano (become their support in whatever they do)
रौशनी के लिए चाँद तारे बनो roushni ke liye chaand taare bano (to spread the light, become the moon and the stars)

In the same vein, I’m reminded of the lines of the song of a Hindi movie I watched years ago on Doordarshan as a kid…(which incidentally I listened today after all these years. I remember Ashok Kumar singing to a group of kids. Somewhere, I’ve been affected by the beautiful lines. Looks like its from the movie ‘Anurodh’ and sung by Manna Dey (the 89-year old legend lives in Bengaluru) and chorus. The lyrics (by Anand Bakshi) speak for themselves:

तुम बेसहारा हो तो किसी का सहारा बनो (२) tum besahaara ho to kisi ka sahaara bano (2) (if you are helpless, become somebody’s support)
तुमको अपने आप ही सहारा मिल जायेगा tumko apne aap hi sahaara mil jaayega (you will automatically get help and support)
कश्ती कोई डूबती पहुँचा दो किनारे पे kashti koi doobti pahunch do kinaare pe (take a drowning boat to the shore)
तुमको अपने आप ही किनारा मिल जायेगा tumko apne aap hi kinaara mil jaayega (you will automatically find the shore)
तुम बेसहारा हो तो किसी का सहारा बनो tum besahaara ho to kisi ka sahaara bano (if you are helpless, become somebody’s support)
तुम बेसहारा हो तो tum besahaara ho to (if you are helpless…)

हंस कर ज़िंदा रहना पड़ता है hans kar zinda rehna padta hai (we have to smile and live/survive)
अपना दुःख ख़ुद सहना पड़ता है apna dukh khud sehna padta hai (we have to bear our pain/difficulties ourselves)
रस्ता चाहे कितना लंबा हो rastaa chahe kinta lamba ho (howsoever long the path might be)
दरिया को तो बहना पड़ता है dariya ko to behna padta hai (the stream has to keep flowing)

हो ho
तुम हो एक अकेले तो tum ho ek akele to (if you are all alone)
रुक मत जाओ चल निकलो ruk mat jaao chal niklo (don’t stop, come on, get up)
रस्ते में कोई साथी तुम्हारा मिल जायेगा raste mein koi saathi tumhara mil jaayega (along the way, you’ll meet some friend/companion)
तुम बेसहारा हो तो किसी का सहारा बनो tum besahaara ho to kisi ka sahaara bano (if you are helpless, become somebody’s support)
तुम बेसहारा हो तो tum besahaara ho to (if you are helpless…)

ला ल ल ल ला (२) laa la la la laa (2)
ल ल ला (२) ला  la la laa (2) laa
ल ला (३) la laa (3)

जीवन तो एक जैसा होता है jeewan to ek jaisa hota hai (life is the same)
कोई हँसता कोई रोता है koi hansta koi rota hai (someone laughs/smiles someone cries)
सब्र से जीना आसान होता है sabra se jeena aasaan hota hai (to live with patience/perseverence is easier)
फिक्र से जीना मुश्किल होता है fikra se jeena mushkil hota hai (to live with worry is difficult)

हो ho
थोड़े फूल और कांटे हैं thode phool aur kaante hain (there are a few flowers and a few thorns)
जो तकदीर ने बांटे हैं jo takdeer ne baante hain (that destiny has distrubuted)
हमको इनमें से हिस्सा हमारा मिल जायेगा humko inmein se hissa hamaara mil jaayega (we will get our share from these)
तुम बेसहारा हो तो किसी का सहारा बनो tum besahaara ho to kisi ka sahaara bano (if you are helpless, become somebody’s support)
तुम बेसहारा हो तो tum besaaraa ho to (if you are helpless…)

The sad version has an additional paragraph:

ना बस्ती में ना वीरानों में na basti mein na veeranon mein (not in the village, not in the wilderness)
ना खेतों में न खलियानों में na kheton mein na khaliyaanon mein (not in the fields)
ना मिलता है प्यार बजारों में na milta hai pyar bazaaron mein (neither can you find love in the markets)
न बिकता हैं चैन दुकानों में na bikta hai chain dukanon mein (nor is peace of mind sold in shops)
ढूँढ रहे हो तुम जिसको dhoond rahe ho tum jisko (the one you’re looking for)
उसको बाहर मत ढूंढो usko baahar mat dhoondo (don’t search outside)
मन के अन्दर ढूंढो प्रीतम प्यारा मिल जायेगा man ke andar dhoondo preetam pyara mil jaayega (search within your mind, you’ll find your dearmost lover)
तुम बेसहारा हो तो किसी का सहारा बनो tum besahaara ho to kisi ka sahaara bano (if you are helpless, become somebody’s support)
तुम बेसहारा हो तो tum besahaara ho to (if you are helpless…)

My poem ‘A passage to dreams‘ has similar sentiment.

Sometime more than a week ago, Amitabh Bachchan decided to utilize a new medium for making his stand clear on things - where his words are not filtered through the press. He started his personal blog.

Recent media reports targeting him for his supposed lack of contribution to Maharashtra had disturbed me to an extent…not so much for him in particular, but for the state of affairs in our country where caste and regional identities are repeatedly made to come out stronger than our national identity or basic humanity.  I decided to write to him, voicing my thoughts on this issue, and about the ways in which I had known him. I was glad to see his response to me the next day. Was happy to note that of the 578 comments he received on that single day, my name was on top in his response. I had managed to convey my thoughts to Amitabh the person and not the star.

Given below are his response and my entry. In the following days, I responded to him on two other occassions as well (but that will make for another entry some day..or they may lie buried in the sea of comments that have started flooding his blog, which, as per a Rediff piece, "may still take a while before".."reach[ing] the huge number Aamir Khan gets for his blog").

Amitabh’s response to my comments on the night of April 19, 2008,

"Naresh Agarwal from Singapore did a huge page and description of his links with my films and my issues and i thank him for his views and his strong support."

Copied below is what I had written:

Naresh Kumar Agarwal Says:
April 19th, 2008 at 9:42 pm

Singapore 19 April 2008

Dear Mr Bachchan / Amit ji / Amit Uncle,

Haven’t ever thought of addressing you in any particular way, but this is an opportunity. Perhaps I’d go for Amit ji. It is not too professional in a western sense, preserves your individuality with no reference to age, is worthy of my Indian and family values, and is respectful of your stature.

A BRIEF BACKGROUND: I’m a 31-year old Indian, based in Singapore for the past 13 years. Hailing from my beautiful Sikkim, I’ve studied and excelled in the most prestigious school in Sikkim, Tashi Namgyal Academy. In 1995, I won a 100% scholarship for undergraduate education in Singapore. Got my Computer Engineering degree and worked for a few years in the IT industry. Am currently pursuing a PhD in Information Systems at the National University of Singapore. Will move to US for an Academic career once I finish. Hope to make a lot of difference to India and the world during my lifetime. More details here.

Growing up in Sikkim in the 1980s, you were ‘Amitabachan’ in my mind as a child. I remember watching ‘Coolie’ (the song..saari duniya ka bojh hum uthaate hain..), flashes of barbed wire on your forehead in Desh Premee (and I turned my head away to avoid seeing your pain), how I wanted to watch Mahaan because you had a triple role..and Kaalia (still haven’t watched both the movies). Everyone used to say Sholay is superhit. When I watched it as a child, I didn’t like the violence and didn’t understand why it was so great. Didn’t like to see the sadness in Jaya Bhaduri in the white saree of a widow.

As I grew up and understood the meaning of life and people, I stopped being in awe of filmstars. Understood that they’re just doing their job the way I am. No point putting them on a pedestal or pulling them down. The only personality I’m still in awe of is Lata Mangeshkar. That’s because she has especially been blessed by God to heal millions with the divinity in her voice. My ideal in life is Mahatma Gandhi..again, not because he was so great or extraordinary, but precisely because he was as ordinary as I am or you are (don’t mean to pull you down by putting ‘you’ here, but am talking on a human level). It was his staunch belief in Truth and in himself that made him extraordinary. That we do a disservice to him by putting him on a pedestal. My motto in life is ‘Let your inner spark ‘glow’..you and I could be the next Gandhi.’ You can read more on my thougts about life here.

One of my hobbies has been painting (oil/watercolor) and sketching. In 2001, I made a pencil sketch of yours as a gift to a friend who was a die-hard fan of yours. You can see the sketch here.

 

For some time, I worked as a software engineer with a digital cinema company which was setting up digital cinema servers in theatres in India in partnership with Mr Manmohan Shetty/Adlabs. Hrithik Roshan had invited you and other film personalities for a premiere at Adlabs. I was in that theatre, watching you all from a balcony right above your heads, along with another friend (at one point, Hrithik Roshan looked up, and must have wondered who this guy is or what is he doing here). The friend with me was saying, ‘Ab dekhna. Aise gale milenge jaise bachpan se langotia yaar ho. Peeth peeche burai karenge.’ Not sure about that, but what I noticed was the way you all met was just what happens in any of the parties I’ve attended or any youngster attends today…normal Hi’s and hugs. Yes, majority are social acquaintances, some close friends perhaps. Something which struck me about you was your sense of punctuality. You came in and sat on a chair towards the back when the theatre was empty - the first person to come in. If I remember correctly, you were wearing long kurta-pyjamas. You stood up and greeted graciously, the people who came to meet you. Bipasha Basu came and introduced her mother to you. She mentioned how she’s a big fan of yours. There was Rani, Perizad Zorabien, Aamir Khan with a big moustache for Mangal Pandey, and various others.

In recent years, I have felt that celebrities don’t do enough to make a difference to the society around them, given the amount of adulation and reach you people have. Yes, there are the charity functions and endorsement to campaigns. But it usually ends there (Lata Mangeshkar’s hospital, your starting a school in UP, Sanjay Dutt’s work for charities, Sushmita Sen’s adopting a child and Shabana Azmi’s unrelenting fights, among others, are welcome exceptions). Celebrities are too busy doing their jobs (getting films and acting in them, struggling with the press for the quotes and the misquotes, zealously guarding your family from prying eyes, and, at the end of the day, just trying to lead a normal life). It takes courage for a Bhaichung Bhutia to stand up and say that he won’t run with the Olympic torch in support of the Tibetans, or for an Aamir Khan to take a stand against attending Award Functions. Your biggest act of courage, I feel, has been the way you quietly fought back and resurrected yourself after everyone was raving to pull you down since your first stint as superstar. You’re open to learning new methods and from youngsters. This openness is what keeps you in the news and the public memory - that you were willing to still compete and not just bask in your past glory. Your presence in this blog today is testimony to that.

Coming to the politics over your contribution to Maharashtra, here are my thoughts. We all know the whole issue is political and nothing else. Politicians are ready to trade the essential values of our country and constitution just to establish their hold on power. Our anthemma is that our regional and caste identities are stronger than our national identiy. That said, immigration is always a major issue with countries. In our case, with Mumbai and Delhi, its happening within the same country and cannot be termed immigration. Our constitution provides every Indian a right to move, work and settle anywhere in the country. What Mumbaikars need to understand is that however difficult it may seem, the countries that have done exceedingly well in the long run are those that have welcomed immigration - case in point Singapore and the United States. Singapore has done so well, and was able to move from the third world to the first world, was because it welcomed foreign talent from all over - from India, China, and other countries (even though it meant more competition for jobs for the local population). In the long run, it helped in creating more jobs for the local population, and helped increased their skill levels. Mumbai is what it is today because of its assimilation of people from all over and of all kinds. This is the idea of India, of Hinduism, and of democracy. Anybody who doesn’t understand is living in a fool’s world, and is a person who doesn’t believe in his or her own abilities and in God. S/he is just seeking an easy way out and doesn’t want to earn his/her bread.

The big question! Has Amitabh Bachchan done enough for Maharashtra? Has Amitabh Bachchan done enough for any other parts of India..for India as a whole..or for humanity? In his own way, Yes! By being himself, Yes! Did it have a big impact - Yes! Has he done enough in the way other people would have liked - Perhaps No. But 1) why should he? As he himself says, he’s a public figure, not a public official. 2) Why should he be singled out..if he’s not done enough..celebrities as a whole perhaps have not done enough..perhaps a Sachin Tendulkar, a Shah Rukh Khan, perhaps even a Lata Mangeshkar..How much has Madhuri Dikshit, a Marathi/Maharashtrian done for Maharashtra? Should she be doing more? May be/May be not. 3) And why single out celebrities? What about the politicians? How much has Raj Thackrey done for Maharashtra? What about people from other professions? The so called ‘aam-aadmi’ or the ‘common’ man.

Before anybody in Maharashtra gets the right to demand, ‘How much has Amitabh Bachchan done for Maharashtra?’ a question every Maharashtran must be asking is, ‘How much have ‘I’ done for Maharashtra?’ ‘How much have ‘I’ done for India?’ If the aam-aadmi is struggling in his day to day life, so is Amitabh Bachchan, in his own way. That’s because it is the way life is, difficult by its very nature. It doesn’t differentiate between an Amitabh Bachchan, a Raj Thakarey, a Mahatma Gandhi, a Lata Mangeshkar, a Mayawati, or an aam-aadmi in giving his/her share of difficulties. While we don’t have choice over our circumstances or conditions, we do have the choice over how we react to our circumstances. And this is what makes all the difference. This is what made Mohandas into Mahatma Gandhi - not because he was any more privileged than the rest or life was any easier for him.

Regarding the construction of your school in UP…If Maharashtrians feel that that uneducated people from Uttar Pradesh flocking into Maharashtra are doing harm to the State, then the biggest service anyone can do to Maharashtra is by creating conditions in Uttar Pradesh whereby poor people don’t need to leave the state in the first place. A prerequisite is education. Amitabh Bachchan, by starting a school in Uttar Pradesh, has thus, done the biggest service to Maharashtra. If more and more good quality schools are constructed in UP and Bihar, it will do Mumbai and Maharashtra good in the long run. If this doesn’t make sense to a reader, he should try and think why our Central Government, despite our difficult relations with Pakistan, says that a happy and prosperous Pakistan is in the best interests of India.

I’m sure you didn’t really need to know all my thoughts..they may or may not have any importance..I may not appear to be an adulating fan (though I respect your body of work and enjoy a lot of your movies; you’re the best of what we have in any case)..but now that you’ve decided to reach out directly to people, I thought it was time for me to reach out directly to you.

I’d be glad if you let me know your thoughts on what I’ve said. You may reply either through this blog or directly to me on my email.

Warm regards,

A fellow Indian,
Naresh Agarwal

Wesbite: http://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/~naresh
Blog: http://naresh.blogsome.com

On 10 April 2008, the Supreme Court of India upheld a law which provides for 27 percent reservation for the Socially and Educationally backward ‘castes’ of India (many communities have fought and are fighting to get their surname recognized as an OBC surname), termed OBCs, in premier educational institutions supported by Central Government, which includes the IITs, IIMs and AIIMS. This ruling takes the quota of reserved seats in India’s premier higher education institutes to 49.5%. In a balanced judgment, the creamy layer (or the rich) among the OBCs were excluded from the reservation. Government jobs already have had quotas implemented. Many political parties want to extend the quota and reservation to the private sector as well - which could mean that all MNCs coming to India may be expected to provide reservations based on the family name of the applicant.

Indian society, since ages, had been divided into 4 major ‘varnas’ or classes. These included, from the higest to the lowest - the Brahmin (the priest or the teacher or the scholar or the advisor), the Kshatriya (the warrior or the ruler or the king), the Vaishya (the trader, the businessman, the professional) and the Shudra (the lowest caste - service-providing groups, some artisan groups).

"The Manu Smriti claims that by the time it was written, Hindu society included another class (untouchables) of people without a position in any of the four Varnas and therefore associated with the lowest of the jobs. The upper classes, who were supposed to maintain ritual and corporal purity, came to regard them as untouchables. The people of this "fifth varna" are now called Dalits (the oppressed) or Harijans; they were formerly known as "untouchables" or "pariahs". However, this last addition social strata is not a part of the religion of Hinduism. Hinduism only categorizes occupations in to four categories" (Wikipedia - Varna in Hinduism).

The caste system was first introduced in India to promote division of labour as per one’s expertise. It was not supposed to be hereditary.

‘It is very clear that in the early Vedic times, the Varna system (if at all it existed) meant classes with free mobility of jobs and intermarriage’ (Wikipedia - Varna in Hinduism). One hymn of the Rig Veda states:

कारुरहं ततो भिषगुपलप्रक्षिणी नना । (RV 9.112.3)
"I am a bard, my father is a physician, my mother’s job is to grind the corn……"

The highest classes, in order to protect their status and their children, refused to let go and slowly people started identifying castes with their family name. The thousands of surnames attached to people’s names in India can roughly be slotted into any of the four varnas. ‘Offsprings of differnent ‘varnas’ belong to different ‘Jatis’ [or castes]’ (Wikipedia - Caste System in India). With independence in 1947, and a constitution providing equality for all, people started growing and developing irrespective of their castes. In KR Narayanan, India had its first Dalit president - a person of the lowest caste occupying the highest office of the land. Still social injustice prevails at various levels, especially in the villages. The rich and the poor in modern India can no longer be classified on the basis of the castes. There are rich Brahmins, and the poorest of Brahmins (no better than beggars, hoping for every person to give them 1-rupee for appying ’tilak’ or a red dot on a person’s forehead), the rich Kshatriyas and the poor Kshatriyas (in a democracy, monarchs anyways lost their traditional rights to rule on the basis of birth), the rich Vaishyas and the poor Vaishyas, and also the rich Shudras and the poor Shudras.

In 1947, reservation was provided to the lowest classes, to help in their social upliftment. It was intended to be for a period of 10 years, and slowly done away with. The vote bank politics of a democracy ensured that successive governments only increased the quantum of quota and spread the reservation/quota net far and wide (with more and more people clamouring for quota and reservation). Now, after 60 years of India’s independence, this reservation has increased to close to 50%.

The justification is a politics of revenge. It is way of fighting historical inequality not be providing equal opportunity to all or affirmative action on the basis of one’s financial condition (but making surname a criterion for admission into universities). It is like trying to fight dowry not by making it illegal, but by making it mandatory for the groom’s family to pay hefty amounts to the bride’s family (as a means to avenge historical wrongs where the bride’s family has to suffer due to demands from the groom’s family).

So looking to the future in a 21st century India (the largest democracy in the world and one of its fastest growing economies), the caste system of India has been hailed. The division in society has been kept, maintained, solidified and institutionalized. Only the order has been reversed. This is the new order:

1) Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (SCs/STs) - highest caste (The new Brahmins)

2) The Other Backward Classes (OBCs) (without creamy layer) - the ruling class (The new Kshatriyas)

3) OBCs with creamy layer - the new Vaishyas (they may fight to be counted amongst the ruling class)

4) The General or Forward Class (people in India having surnames signifying higher caste) - the new Shudras (they will either suffer or flee to foreign lands and foreign Universities).

Their is no point lamenting over ‘brain drain’. It has been institutionalized!

I read about the killing of Benazir Bhutto 15 minutes ago (Thu 27 Dec, 10:30am New York Time, 9:30pm in India). I’m shocked and shuddering. My feet were cold and I was delaying wearing thick socks for a while. Not sure whether it was the temperature or the news - I actually shivered on reading about Benazir Bhutto’s assassination. Somehow, it doesn’t feel like a news story on somebody’s passing which they cover in detail in the media - from the Nepal royals to Pramod Mahajan to Teji Bachchan.

I was shocked, angry and sad..it was as if I had some personal hope for Pakistan from Benazir that I hadn’t realized. I don’t remember a moment so personally shocking since the killing of Rajiv Gandhi. When Rajiv Gandhi was killed - there was this feeling..how can they do this…how can they kill the most charismatic leader of India…weren’t they satisfied having witnessed the deaths of Indira and Sanjay Gandhi…how can you make a single family suffer so much….what will happen to India..that was May 1991..

And now…end of 2007…I am overcome with the same thoughts…how can they make a particular family suffer so much…Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the sons Murtaza Bhutto, Shahnawaz Bhutto and now..Benazir herself…with all her imperfections….Pakistan was witnessing a change…what will happen to Pakistan…what will happen to the world…is there any hope? You might disagree with her..but how can you kill her?

Suddenly the moments when I read her autobiography ‘Daughter of the East’ during my school days in Gangtok all flashed before my eyes…the way her mother taught her to count a no. of times to make sure her teeth are brushed and clean…the recent interviews on ibnlive.com that I watched where Karan Thapar interviewed her on Devil’s Advocate…all the news of her intent to return to Pakistan…her return..assassination bid…threats to her life…flashes of names..her husband Asif Ali Zardari…her mother Nusrat Bhutto…her niece…Fatima Bhutto…Murtaza’s daughter…who hates Benazir..I think she’d be sad and crying too…sad for the Bhutto family, despite her disagreements with Benazir…

As the news is slowly sinking in, I think it’s a sad day for Pakistan..for India..for the world…it brings to the fore an ongoing war - between the fundamentalists and uncivilized people (who do not know how to disagree without violence)..and the normal world as we know it ..or think it is…Perhaps the world is not what it seems…it seems like a very dangerous world…anybody who wants to do something gets killed… Is there hope? There must be…images of Mahatma Gandhi lying dead flash….there can only be hope in non-violence…when people learn to disagree through non-violent means…

Today, a reader Pissu Perera mailed me asking for the English translations of 2 Hindi songs from one of my favourite movies - Rang de Basanti.

"hi, nice blog. i’ve been looking for the english translations of khoon chala and roobaroo with no luck so far.. is there anyway you can help me out? thanks"

"The DVD I got doesn’t have subtitles for the songs and while I can more or less understand dialogues the meanings of songs are above me. The film struck a chord in me so I was just wondering what they meant. I managed to find the translation of Luka Chupi and it is heart breaking."

 

"PS - your post on RDB and the critiquing contest gave me goosebumps just like the film did. Great post."

As the translations were not be found anywhere, I decided to translate the two songs and to post them here for others as well.

Thanks Pissu, I enjoyed listening to the songs with an understanding of the meaning of the lines - they’re beautiful! 

So, here are the lyrics and their translations:

Song: Roobaroo Roshani (face-to-face with light)
Film: Rang de Basanti (Paint me Yellow)
Singers: A. R. Rehman, Naresh Iyer

Watch the song video here  

Translated on Oct 26, 2007 1:14 – 1:49am, Singapore

Song: Khoon chala Khoon chala (Blood travels blood travels)
Film: Rang de Basanti (Paint me Yellow)
Singer: Mohil Chauhan

Watch the song video here

Translated on Oct 26, 2007 1:55 – 2:11am, Singapore

Three concurrent music reality shows happened in India - Zee TV’s Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Star Plus’ Voice of India and Sony’s Indian Idol. All were designed to discover singing talents through public voting. There are a few salient features of these shows: a) Some real talent and extremely good singing comes to the forefront b) Big names in the music industry come as judges and show people that they can quarrell too c) People can vote any number of times paying a premium on the telephone calls/SMS d) Voting is not based on singing capabilities alone but who people can identity with e) A combination of community pride and unlimited voting ensures that the organizers smile their way to the bank f) Girls almost never made it to the very top People feel a personal sense of involvement in these shows, as they play ‘king-makers’. In India, a country of diverse communities - these shows have contributed to accentuation of regional and community pride and a chance to make the local boy or girl a part of the national mainstream. Indian Idol was won by Prashant Tamang - who managed to unite all Nepali-speaking people from parts of India, Nepal and overseas into voting for him and feeling a shared joy of ethnic pride. Sony’s Voice of India contest is still continuing. In my view, some of the contestants of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa are way above competition. They are trained, seasoned singers with an ability to mesmerize. My favourite in the show was Raja Hasan of India, followed by Amanat Ali of Pakistan. Raja’s performances such as Piya Haji Ali, Vande Maatram, Allah Ke Bande , Padharo Mahre Desh, Omkara and Naina Thag Lenge left me spellbound. Some of the memorable performances by Amanat were Tujhse naaraaz nahin zindagi, Ye housla kaise jhuke, Mitwa, Albela Sajan, Tori Lachke and Hungama Hai Kyon Barpa. In the finals on October 13, votes got divided into India and Overseas. In the Indian voting, Raja stood 1st, while Amanat 3rd - Aneek Dhar of India stood 2nd. In the overseas voting , Amanat stood 1st while Raja 3rd, with Aneek 2nd. Because the votes of Raja and Amanat getting divided, the ultimate winner was Aneek. Despite being a good singer, he had lost a lot of goodwill because of the excessive promotion by his mentor Himesh Reshammiya. In many ways, he won because of Himesh. In many ways, he won despite Himesh. Below are the tabulation of the votes.

This piece is for all those who wonder about the idol worship is Hinduism. Do Hindus practice polytheism and pantheism? Listen to part of the speech by Swami Vivekananda’s on his Paper on Hinduism, delivered at the World Parliament on Religions, Chicago, 1893. As ‘ramnirmal’, a YouTube user puts it, "Swami Vivekananda clarifies the misconceptions of Hinduism. He explains the reason behind Idol worship. According to Hinduism, Idol worship is for the beginners, and for the experienced it is not mandatory. [It] is the starting step of the search, to recognize that the God is omnipresent."

First of all, a Merry Christmas to one and all! And a Happy New Year 2007!! For five years (1990 to 1994), Class VIII to XII in school, I maintained a daily diary. It was something I liked doing, and was a good habit I think. For some reason, it got discontinued once I came to Singapore, though there are a few odd days documented here and there. December end was a time when I used to sit for 2-3 days each year and send New Year cards to all my friends - that’s how one of it landed at Archana’s grandfather’s address one year (after our very first meeting in 1993), and created a furore as to who was the card from Since coming to Singapore, I started sending year-end emails/e-cards to all my friends and contacts - a way of saying that I haven’t forgotten you. Over the last 2-3 years, I haven’t done that. This year, I’ve decided I’ll send New Year greetings to all my friends. Before I do that, I’d also like to reflect on the year that is slipping down the hourglass. Below are some of the major events in my life this year:

Just found this old 10-minute video I’d put together from photos and 1-minute video clips taken by Prateek on my 2002 birthday at Tanjong Katong Road…check it out

दम दारा दम दारा म्स्त म्स्त Dum dara dum dara mast mast दारा दम दारा दम दारा म्स्त म्स्त Dara dum dara dum dara mast mast दारा दम दारा दम दम Dara dum dara dum dum ओ हमदम िबन तेरे क्या जीना (२) Oh humdum bin tere kya jeena (2) Oh my love, what’s living without you Its one piece of music one hears and gets instantly mesmerized by. This piece by AR Rehman is, as a blogger wrote somewhere, ‘divine’. Listen to the song below:

Watch a short video version below:The lyrics (by Gulzar), can be found here Rehman is said to have been inspired by a rendition by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan ‘सानू इक पल चैन न आवे, सजणा तेरे िबना’ (I’m not at ease even for a moment without you my love) when composing this song. The inspiration here is not in the sense of copying. The final version is a masterpiece in its own right. The NFAK piece is simple and beautiful. I used to love the Tabla piece in the beginning. Listen to सजणा तेरे िबना below: