Taj, Salim and the Birds!

One of the things about working in an MNC is that in the 25th Dec – 1st January week, no one in US, Europe or Asia-Pacific works. The benefit is that no one cares if you too go on vacation in India during this week. For me this translates into good time to take your car and drive down to some interesting location. Now given the condition of my decade old Palio, I only feel safer to venture out to locations within 4-5 hours drive (this is the only time I rue my stubborn-ness for not upgrading my car. To me the car has always been a mode of transport to go from Point A to Point B - nothing more. But things are changing fast and it is getting difficult to keep the ‘peer-pressure’ at bay).

Well, last year it was Jaipur and Neemrana Fort for me. This time we ventured out to Agra, Fatehpur Sikri and Bharatpur.







I initially thought this would be a nice shoe-string budget trip but soon realized that if you remove the cost of Airfare, the trip was as expensive as any other holiday!

Reason: In this ‘season’ the hotel rates are alarmingly high, especially in Northern India, where this is the time to ‘make your hay when the sun shines’ (in this case when the sun shines lighter) for service industry. Part that and part recent inflation, I actually felt like I had the ‘Midas touch’ – everything I put my finger on became of gold! So expensive! Even in the road-side truck-wallahs’ dhaba, I could feel money losing its worth pretty fast.

Money aside, the trip with few family members was a memorable one. My Palio kept true and didn’t ditch me even for once. Driving on highways in India is still fun when compared to the lousy cocktail of horrible traffic and crater roads in City.

Here, as an exception, we had only one messy traffic situation on our way back to Delhi (on the Bharatpur-Mathura road). This was one of those roads with traffic running both ways. At one of the bottlenecks, the vehicles from our side became impatient and started moving on to the side which was supposed to be for incoming vehicles . Result? Complete traffic jam!

I was dismayed when one after the other vehicles were passing us and choking the way for incoming traffic – how on earth they thought the traffic would move! But as most of us already know ‘they’ don’t think – ‘they’ just drive. Typical Indian mentality to do first and think later! Interestingly, many a times this ‘they’ include you and me as well! But I liked when all those guys zooming past us were asked to reverse to ease bottleneck. A rare example of justice done on our roads.

Taj was fun. I was visiting it after almost 10 years but was still fascinated by its sheer towering presence, which is majestic, to say the least.



Since we went relatively early in the morning to view Taj, the photographs were not so great as it was still a bit hazy but the good thing was we witnessed the Yamuna completely covered with dense fog and there we were -standing at its bank – seemed like we were in heaven, walking in the clouds.



Like Banaras have Pandas, here you’ll be hassled by govt. certified guides. The guide who got us told me that there were 380 such guides, which explains their behavior. The guide was Muslim and seemed defensive about Shahjahan & Aurangzeb. When I asked is it true that Shahjahan ordered to ‘cut hands’ of the involved masons after Taj was completed, he replied “cutting hands” (Hindi idiom) referred to the contract which he drew with these people that they won’t work on any other project after completing Taj.

Regarding Aurangzeb, his view was that Shahjahan wanted to make a black Taj as well and he ordered to collect hefty taxes for the same – that’s when Aurangzeb intervened and arrested him for people’s sake. That is so much about history –many versions – who knows which is true!

I told the guide that we weren’t interested in his ramble on smaller details, as we were here for sheer fun and were more interested in clicking photographs than to follow his stories. To my surprise, he was adamant that we listen to all that he had to say. It was such an obsessive-compulsive behavior.

This in fact reminded me of my days as ‘Medical Representative’ where the criteria of a successful doctor call was to make the doctor listen to our entire parroted ‘detailing story’, even if it meant either him looking at his watch all the time or was yawning his way to glory! Similar guide behavior was repeated at Fatehpur Sikri.

The bird sanctuary at Koleodeo National park was a pleasant surprise. It is nicely tucked in a village-like sleepy outskirts of Bharatpur . A long pukka road cuts through the natural winter habitat of birds from all over the world. Cycling on that road and enjoying the flora and fauna on both sides was very satisfying.



Locals say that once there came a cow which made her home under a banana tree and secreted milk even without ‘milking’. The Raja asked to dig the banana tree to get to the base of such miracle and found a Shivling - hence the name Koleodeo. Koleo for banana tree and deo for the Shivling.

Here are few snaps which I took from my ordinary Sony Cybershot camera (can’t tell how much I missed a good camera with big zoom):

















Would you believe that the birds here can paint as well? Here is a picture of two trees painted white by these birds:



By now you would have probably guessed how they painted it (what else -the mighty bird shit!)

The only thorn in the flesh was a proud official stone which engraved the exploits of mighty shikari people (of the likes of Lord Curzon, Lord Harding or Chelmsford etc.), who killed thousands of innocent bird for showcasing their might or for the sake of creating records.



I am no vegetarian and can understand if birds are killed to be eaten. But for record's sake killing more than 4000 birds in a single day! Atrocious, to say the least. But then everything is so relative. There would many of you who would despise killing of birds even for food!

Either ways, it was an intervention of none other than the ‘birdman of India’ Salim Ali, which helped putting a ban on the killing of birds here and creating the bird sanctuary, which now is a UNESCO world heritage site.



I conclude my blog piece with his words:

“it is true that I despise purposeless killing, and regard it as an act of vandalism, deserving the severest condemnation. But my love for birds is not of the sentimental variety. It is essentially aesthetic and scientific…. for a scientific approach to bird study, it is often necessary to sacrifice a few, ... (and) I have no doubt that but for the methodical collecting of specimens in my earlier years - several thousands, alas - it would have been impossible to advance our taxonomical knowledge of Indian birds ...”— Ali (1985)

Mulakaat

Ishq Mein

Puppets

He created
a lonely desert
with dry hot sand,
snakes, lizards

then pitying the desert
a plant he sent
with a beautiful flower-
very fragrant

for desert this change was
like a shower
it fell in love
with that lovely flower

desert thanked him
but the flower cursed
by doing this
is he amused?

We can’t make sense
thus become insane
why he created the desert,
the flower and the pain!

An Obsolete Currency?

The other day my doctor friend Ajay had asked me on my views on Gandhiji. Tough job!

It is so much simpler to write on contemporary themes as we can easily relate to them, find them relevant enough for our ever-wavering attention.

Gandhi is not relevant in that sense. Yes, the name is all pervasive but either it is churned out to boredom by the dry government machinery or has been trivialized by us to the extent of becoming butt of jokes (how many would actually relate to and not scoff statements like, “If someone hits you on your right cheek, offer him your left too”).

To my mind, this is because we are missing the wood for the trees. We selectively and superficially pick his acts and sayings and use them completely out-of-context. Like, for example, we see ‘non-violence’ as an “act” and not as a “value.” If you perform a solitary act of non-violence, most likely you’ll be the one at the receiving end – it would have been true then, and it would be true now, as well.

But if one’s life is built on a core value then it is altogether a different thing. For Gandhi, ‘non-violence’ was as an intrinsic, ingrained value so when he was faced with even brutal violence, there was absolute clarity in his mind to respond through non-violence. No ambiguity, no conflict– but complete sync with his value and thus with his inner self.



That is where he would derive his energy and power from. His clear internal reservoir of peace (in absence of any internal conflict). This was Gandhiji. Because of this accumulated power, he could afford to offer his other cheek. The power from his inner-self was such that without any physical weapon he could seem dangerous to most powerful of the men.

It is not by chance that he sparked such a big revolution against the Brits. It was not a chance either, that he had such mass following across the whole country and that people trusted him with their lives against the ruthless, armed British soldiers. This could happen only because of that inner reservoir of power he had, practicing values like truth and non-violence. A true leader who led with his Principles and Values, much before the Stephen Coveys of the world wrote books about it.

In early years, one of the books which impacted me was –“My Experiments with Truth”. This explores the struggle between one’s inner values and expectations put by the society externally. It is the story of shaping of a character, of building of a powerhouse – The Mahatma. Whether it is the student which refuses to listen to his own teacher to do a wrong to impress the invigilator or whether a son who dares to own up his theft to his strict father – Mohandas always stuck to his ‘values’, even if it meant being at the receiving end. In longer run, this was all helping him to power his inner self.



In later years Gandhiji was accused of giving in to Jinnah, to the extent of being a responsible party in letting him have the nation split. He might have erred there, but we have to accept Gandhi in totality, we need to accept him as a human being who however great might be, would still have his weak spots. In Hindu mythology, even when the god himself demonstrated the virtues of a human being by playing ‘Maryada Purushottam Sri Ram Chandra’, he couldn’t get it all right. He couldn’t keep all happy. He might have done what he did as per the norms of his times but the generations would keep faulting him.

That is the curse of being Gandhi. When he tried to play fair between Nehru & Jinnah (between Hindus and Muslims), he was still living his “Secular” value but which at that time seemed weaker than the pushes and pull s of ambitions on either side.

He fought against untouchability. He championed the cause of lowest cast, down trodden people whom he referred as ‘harijans’. He was a leader who stood by his ‘values’ and won the hearts of crores of Indians and helped them win their Independence too.

Decades later, the name is still all-pervasive but has become less and less relevant. Just like plenty of Buddha statues all over- right from our drawing rooms to airports and the exquisite spas –idols of a man who was against idol worship! Same question again, are we not missing the woods for the trees?

Zest: The Passion

The other day I wrote about Dev anand. He was "passion" personified. It is so wonderful to come across people who are passionate about things, issues and even the life. If they do something they would go all the way into it - no half measures, no 'chalta hai' attitude. I wonder from where such strong emotions do come? At times I even envy their "zest for life". I present here one of my old poems on passion - titled "unmaad ka rang". Hope you'll like it.

Main Zindagi ka Saath Nibhata Chala Gaya...

After Amitabh Bachchan, he was (is) my second most all time favorite Bollywood star. Dev Anand’s demise is a loss. In an era of serious actors in serious movies, he was like a breeze of fresh air. In my book, he was the most handsome hero in Indian Cinema. His movies were colorful even in the black & white era. I saw his “Teen Devian” in 90s in a theatre in Kanpur and was completely swept away by the way he romanced his heroines. So romantic Dev Anand was – right till the end.



He brought such life to the tunes set by Burmans and character to the voice of Rafi & even more strikingly to Kishore’s. I would still like to escape into the world of those songs where he wearing a bright coloured sweater on some beautiful hill station, is romancing a beautiful, young actress singing a song in melodious pahadi tune – his heart up in his sleeves!



I had an opportunity to see him and hear him in person in Chandigarh few years back where he had come to release his book. I was staying in the same hotel where the book-function was organized. In mid-eighties when for most people the idea of passion would be to play with their grand or great grand children or just chat, joke or walk with their few remaining contemporaries , Dev Anand so passionately was talking about his book….about his heroines…about jealous & scheming Raj Kapoor who tried to wean Zeenat Aman away! He was speaking like a passionate teen-ager. His passion did rub, at that moment , into all the people present there in that hall. He was feeling young, he was looking young and he was young!

Next to him was standing Sunil Anand – so listless, so quiet, so old!

I would always remember Dev Saheb as a fountain of charm, youth, conviction, never-say-die-attitude and full of positivity. If I get to live so long as him, his persona, his energy and his positivity shall remain my driving force and my motivation. Long live Dev Anand!

Navras

The reactions to "Volcano" has surprised me to say the least! On positive side, felt good that friends suddenly were concerned as to why suddenly such a sad poem. On flipside, was alarmed that people take the work as autobiographical!

Obviously, everything people write can't be autobiographical. Lot is inspired by what other people feel/ have felt or experienced. At other times it could be pure fantasy. Another aspect is even if it is autobiographical - it could be separated from present by the fourth dimension of time - means you may just write something based on an old experience or an already lived emotion. I wonder how it works for each one of you and if you'd agree with my hypotheses.

For me, the expression is based on the "mood" at that moment - each one of go through various moods through-out the day and something written during a particular mood definitely gets colored or flavoured by it.



When I'm feeling relatively low (could be because of small things like a bad day in office), I tend to be quieter than usual, more inward focused and creatively perhaps at a higher level. I guess that's the time when one feels like expressing it and getting it out of the system. That's when people are more creative. Haven't we heard "hain sab se madhur wo geet jinhe hum dard ke sur mein gaate hain..."

In one survey, in some magazine long time ago, I remember reading this that - in offices where the there is an overall serious atmosphere, people worked more. In my experience, when I'm poignant or cheerless, I am relatively at a deeper mental state, am more attentive, detail oriented, more focused and like finishing one thing after other. May not be true for all, I guess. One size doesn't fit all. Does it?

Volcano (my new poem)

Late on a Sunday evening
I decided to clear my mind
sorted out clutter and litter
expecting a calm

this couldn’t happen though as
the more I emptied,
the more it got filled
with a vast gloomy grey void

unbearable became
the dongs of silence
emanating from void
and hammering the mind

the painful moment stood stubborn
like frozen hands of a clock
no escape, no running
just the pain and the void

yes, I did ask respite from
my cluttered existence so far
where did I bargain for lava flowing
from an otherwise dormant volcano inside?

Recycling 2020

Imagine a newspaper cartoon of the cacophony of climbing humans each trying to move up while few on top are pushing the ones below them down – making it even hard for them to stabilize or climb. Sounds more like insects struggling in a Darwinian cauldron titled “survival of the fittest”.

Yes! It is difficult for anyone to reach to the top of his/her field. It does require a lot of talent, hard work, sacrifice, politicking, networking, frequent smiles from lady luck and above all a fire in the belly. Some have a seemingly unfair advantage as their parents feed them with bright shiny silver spoons!

To me this “seemingly unfair” is not “really unfair” because of my belief that the Nature can’t be unfair. How can it be as it maintains everything so beautifully –so well synchronized, despite humans trying their best to upset the cart. To my mind, there is more to this ‘seemingly unfairness” than what meets the eye. The cause of this effect could be possibly the “karma theory” – you are free to act but your actions bind to you – these actions shape your energy, your frequency, or your aura. When the body dies, the aura remains affected by your actions and when you are born – this karma-affected aura becomes the cause. The effect being where and how you begin your journey in this cacophony of climbing humans.

Coming back to the point, except for the “flash-in-the-pans” who could be as superficial as the Poonam Pandeys of the world, most successful people have had something in them.

The point I want to make is that once you have reached there, the fire in the belly subsides but a new fight begins – to sustain - somehow sustain – what you have is this brand created by you and your focus is how much you can milk it. Some keep adding value to themselves and brand grows, for others a downward spiral starts – there can only be so much milk in the udders!

I was disappointed by two biggies on their latest offerings – Chetan Bhagat & Shahrukh Khan.

Just finished reading Chetan’s “Revolution 2020” and was surprised how Hindi movie-like it was! Seemed he is only milking his brand now.




What has he done – took the story of Amitabh and Shashi starrer “Deewar”, changed the smugglers’ background to education system, swapped the character of Maa (Nirupa Roy) with a heroine Aarti who unlike the Maa has some grey shades as differentiator! The remaining story and the emotions remain amazing same with characters just changing names/professions– like the Dawar Seth becomes a politician. Even scenes are copied like – the anti-hero Gopal itching to tell the hero Raghav in Bachchan style – “dekh tere paas kya hai, mere paas bangla hai, gaadi hai..."




In the end the anti-hero has the same question – “main tera achcha beta hoon na maa?”

Sri Shahrukh created a squid in Ra.One. He even exposed his limitations as an actor by portraying a Tamilian Techy who looks and talks more like a north Indian Raj (except few times when he suddenly remembers he have to behave like a Tamilian!) ditto his robot act where the Robot suddenly starts looking and behaving like a human.




But being the King Khan, he milked his brand name like no one else can do, to make the movie a hit even before it was released. He rode his way laughing to the bank riding on more than 30 consumer brands using Ra.One ads plus the sale of overseas rights, satellite rights so on and so forth, notwithstanding the teary distributors and yawning public.

To be fair to him, he at least accepts what he does as he commented in an interview after the release that ‘yes, he made it an overnight success but it took 20 years of hard work!’

both the offerings were “hit”, I am sure both Chetan and Shahrukh would know that they would need to deposit more before withdrawing further to arrest any decline in their brand name.