Enough Is Enough

Oh God, not again please, I can’t bear such news anymore.

After Sanju Baba now it’s Sallu Dada, news channel are crazy for. At a time when people at Hyderabad were wandering for the a piece of mutilated bodies of their relatives shattered in bomb blasts, all the channel (except NDTV) were busy showing Katrina visiting Salman Khan. And I know that this shameless show off of non attachment to larger issues in nation’s interest would go on air for many more days.

News channels like Star News, Aaj Tak, Zee News, India TV, IBN7 etc are full of crap and bullshit. All they need a cheap scoop and they would stick with it for hours till they get another. Then it could be Sanjay Dutt, Salman Khan, Monica Bedi or a sting operation or even a domestic fight of a common person. These channels would never pray for a non scandalous nation cause then their shops would be closed.

On the other hand, Indian celebrities like Sanjay or Salman or Manu Sharma and many others think them above law and want special treatment. But many times I wonder that these people behave like and really act like to live abroad or opt for life outside India. How can they survive in other countries where law is above all or at least applied in full force? Do they ever realize this or they just simply behave outside India?

Mistress

‘Never judge a book by its cover’, very rightly they say. But even then covers do effect your opinions (at least they do mine).

A beautiful, sharp and colorful picture of a Kathakali dancer at the cover forced me to pick the book and I went through its prologue and back cover briefings. I have always loved Indian art and wanted to know more and more about it. Though a hint of a side by story, the prologue and short briefing suggested that this book was about Kathakali dance and Navarasas: the nine emotions and expressions i.e. Sringaaram (love), Haasyam (contempt), Karunam (sorrow), Raudram (fury), Veeram (valour), Bhayaanakam (fear), Beebhalsam (disgust), Adbhutam (wonder) & Shaantam (detachment) used essentially in every ancient Indian art or literature.

It took me 60 days and a reissuing visit to library (still I have to pay late charges, I fear) to complete this 426 pages book written by Anita Nair. Though the writing style of Anita Nair is very interesting, this was entirely my strong willingness to not to return this novel unread that I somehow completed one third of tedious novel.

The main character is Koman, an international famed Kathakali dancer who worked hard and sacrificed a lot in pursuit of this dance art. Story begins when a Chris comes from London to write a book on Koman but he may have a secret mission hidden inside. The story webs in the exotic surroundings of Kerala, where Chris stays at Shyam’s Near-The-Nila resort who is husband of Koman’s niece Radha. Chris and Radha fell in love, no no here I wanna correct, Chris and Radha fell to their lusts and Radha keeps dangling in her mind through the navarasas. There are many complexities in the novel, complexities of the relations of different people. Those relations sounds to be love affairs but according to me those were not.

Writer scrupulously did her research on Kathakali, the within stories related to ‘Katha’ of Kathakali made those pages in novel very interesting, so was the way of relating those episodes with the lives of Koman or Radha. It was only Koman’s story which kept me reading the book otherwise I think Chris or Radha and poor fellow Shyam were unnecessarily dragged in the story, so was the so called hidden mission of Chris which turned out to be almost nothing.

Finally, it was not only about the usual ‘Mistress’ we obviously jumps to (like dear R did) but it’s more about every true artist being the ‘Mistress’ of his/her artistry like Koman or his Aashaan (teacher) or a mad artist in a story. But again the complexity is that either Art is ‘Mistress’ or the Artist.

Woman In Love !

इस स्वतंत्रता का "स्व" कहॉ ?

Today is the day of joy and sorrow. Sorrow cause, we not only got independence from the British Raj but also lost a major part of our country in the partition.

Not only this, but once upon a time Bharatvarsh used to be a country with Ghandhar (now Kandhar), Dard & Kamboj (now part of Afghanistan), Bhu Utthan (now Bhutan), Trivishtap (now Tibet), Nepal, Brahamdesh (now Myanmar), Bengal (now Bangladesh), Sind and Punjab (now in Pakistan) and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) as integral parts. But by the passage of time and due to tactics of various invaders, these areas and people kept parting from India at different periods. Not going very back in the past, still a large part of Kashmir is under Pakistan and another large area of Aksai Chin is held by China.

This is a day to ruminate, that do we have right to sing our national anthem which includes, Punjab, Sind, Bengal as parts of India? And is everything alright across our beloved country? We are celebrating this day under the thick sheet of terror and threats.

Though there are lot of reasons and fields to celebrate about this day but this handicapped and mutilated body of our Bharatmata is demanding us something. Something like if we could not keep our country integrated in the past, at least now we should take care. At least this time we should say India will be divided over my dead body and really mean it unlike 1947 when great leader used to say these words in crowded rallies but never meant those words.

Vande Mataram!

(A very old poem from an unknown poet)

True Music of India

Found this masterpeice of music full of true feelings. Jugalbandi of Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma at santoor and Pandit Hariprasad Churasia at flute, a rare video which is not at all avaiable at our TV. Could not help sharing it here. Enjoy!

Ab To Aaja !

Great Talat Mahmood is his usual mood and rhythm. Though sad but sweet. Listen and enjoy. (Scroll down and pause 'Enjoy What I Play for you" )

I Hope !