Hit Morning with Sarthak

I was recently at the Delhi studios of Hit 95FM radio to participate in a live game-show with their star RJ Sarthak.
" Hit Mornings" is their morning show which I listen to regularly, and it is because I love listening to Sarthak and really respect him for his skills.
Oratory skills are of course a given in an RJ. Still, I rarely find people these days equally proficient in Hindi and English. Not only proficient, but respectful towards both the languages. Oh, how I cringe when I listen to grammatically bad English and even worse Hindi, spoken almost contemptuously.
And then, his decency and respect towards the listeners. His treatment of the phone-in listeners (incidentally, Hit 95FM has an impressive listener participation) shows it is not necessary to be irreverent and crass if you want to have fun.
But a voice is, after all, a voice. So I was frankly a bit apprehensive before meeting the person behind it. To my pleasant surprise, however, I was not at all disappointed. He is as graceful and decent as he sounds over the radio. During the time we were together inside the studio, he made us (me and my son Yash) comfortable, and at the end, he generously came out and saw us off at the elevators. And of course we were shown that famous Chinese Bhompoo, the ghanti et al. A thoroughly pleasant experience it was. Sarthak is entitled to a little more than "ghamand".
While thanking Sarthak and wishing him all the very best, I share with you a couple of photos:

Rockstar - The flight of an innocent bird

Rock is not just any music, as my music-literate friends like Puneet and Rahul J tell me. More than being just another genre of music, it is a middle-finger-up attitude, with a capital A, towards life.
Rockstar, the latest Ranbir Kapoor starrer directed by Imtiaz Ali, is my sneak-peek into this world of angst-and-anger-ridden music, what if slightly cosmetic and with some Bollywood cinematic license. And it  rocks!

It is the story of how a simple Delhi boy Janardhan, desperate to become a famous singer like Jim Morrison, almost invents a faux heart-ache to bring pathos in to his singing quality. The heart-ache, however, becomes painfully real and permanent, leading him to embrace music and become extremely famous in his avatar of Jordan but the fame comes to him at the cost of his family, turning him in to a recluse and a loner.
The film rides on Ranbir Kapoor, who has played the protagonist really well. He has carried off the  transition from an awkward, middle-class boy to a famous rock star in a very convincing manner, with the core of his character and his attitude remaining intact till the end. Good characterization, this. From this film onward, Ranbir is firmly in the superstar race.
Nargis, the lead actress, is contrived in the first half but manages to somewhat hold up the act post-interval. All character actors, though, are good, specially Khatana Ji, the wannabe friend-philosopher-guide to the tormented Janardhan.
The other high point of the film is its music by AR Rahman, who has thankfully not lost his ability to surprise us. The songs are all beautiful, although Sadda Haq, the one song which I very much liked initially, does not have much relevance in the film and looks like a patchwork. There is apparently no justification for the protagonist's connection with such save-the-world kind of issues.
Backed by some very imaginative & well-executed editing, the story easily flits back and forth on a time-line. For some, the latter half may be a tad intense and even slightly negative but I think it is this ending which makes it a well-rounded film, bringing the required pathos and  gravitas to the film.
One more thing. Being associated with rock music, Rockstar elicits an inevitable comparison with the other successful, Farhan starrer Rock On. But while Rock On was about the journey of a band and male bonding, Rockstar is all about this one person, whose journey to the core of his own heart is more important than anything else. And who, after all, wants to fly back to his roots - "Ae Naadan Parinday...ghar aaja..."
Like the Rumi he quotes - "Beyond the notions of right and wrong, lies a field (of nothingness)....I shall meet you, o my beloved, there...."
A must watch.  

मैं सिरप लंगोटे वाला सूं.... - Tu Raja Kee Rajdulari

बोल बम.

आज महाशिवरात्रि है. यानी कि शिव-विवाह की रात्रि.

२५-२७ की उम्र तक मैं इस दिन को शिव जी की जयंती समझता था (करारे भक्त-गण माफ़ करें). फिर जब राज़ खुला तो लगा कि हाँ, इस से ज्यादा न्याय-संगत उत्सव कोई और क्या होगा?

जैसा मैं समझा हूँ, हिन्दू पुराणों के अनुसार शिव और पार्वती का समागम इस ब्रह्माण्ड में उपस्थित सभी नर और नारी उर्जाओं के संगम का परिचायक है (शिवलिंग की विभिन्न व्याख्याएं आपको याद होगीं) और इसी लिए इनके विवाह को सृष्टि की निरंतरता का द्योतक भी माना गया होगा और पूजनीय भी. मुझे याद है हमारे घर-परिवारों में शिव-पार्वती विवाह एक धार्मिक कथा के रूप में कहा जाता रहा है.

इस विवाह कथा के संवाद का पहला भाग हरियाणा की एक पुरानी रागिनी के रूप में आप से बांटना चाहता हूँ, जो आप ने नए अवतार में निश्चित ही सुनी होगी - फिल्म "ओये लकी, लकी ओये" का शानदार गीत - "तू राजा की राजदुलारी". 
भक्तों के लिए थोड़ी दिक्कत यह है कि गीत का विडियो मूल फिल्म का ही है, सो भजन का फील नहीं है पर शब्दों से कहानी स्पष्ट होगी:

(विडियो यू-ट्यूब से साभार)

यह रागिनी धार्मिक से ज्यादा सामाजिक और आंचलिक परिपेक्ष्य में देखि जानी चाहिए.

पार्वती के विवाह के आग्रह पर शिव उसे विभिन्न तर्क दे कर विवाह से उन्मुख कर रहे हैं, पंक्तियाँ थोड़ी ठीक कर देने से स्पष्ट होगा -


तू राजा की राज-दुलारी, मैं सिर्फ लंगोटे वाला सूं (हूँ का हरियाणवी बोल)

भांग रगड़ के पिया करूं मैं, उंडी (कटोरा) - सोटे (दंड) वाला सूं
(शिव की वेश भूषा ध्यान कीजिये)...
 तू राजा की छोरी सै, मेरे एक भी दासी दोस्त नहीं
शाल दुशाले ओढ़न वाली, म्हारे कम्बल तक भी पास नहीं...
तू बागां की कोयल सै (है) अढे (यहाँ) बर्फ पड़े, हरी घास नहीं
किस तरयाँ (तरह) दिल लागेगा तेरा, सतरा चौ प्रकाश नहीं
किसी साहूकार के (यहाँ 'से' के अर्थ में प्रयुक्त) ब्याह करवाले, मैं खाली सोटे वाला सूं.
भांग-----
मैं धूनी तपा करूँ, तू आग देख के डर जायगी,
रंग घोल के पिया करूं, मेरा राग देख के डर जायगी
सौ सौ साल पड़े रहे जल में, तू नाग देख के डर जाएगी.
तांडव नाच करे बन में, रंग राग देख के डर जायगी
तने (तुझे) जुल्फां (ज़ुल्फ़) वाला छोरा चाहिए (यानी मोडर्न),
मैं लाम्बे (लम्बे) चोटे (जटा) वाला सूं.
भांग----

बोल बम!   

Leaving Home - अरे रुक जा रे बन्दे (Indian Ocean)

For getting me introduced to Indian Ocean, I need to probably thank my job.

It was around 7-8 years back, when I was assigned to look after a visiting customer and I called him on his mobile that the soulful rendering of "Arre Ruk Ja Re Bandeh" pierced my heart like a sweet thorn of seduction.

What was this sound, I wondered? A so obviously Indian chant in the cacophony of "Indi-pop"?

It was a Delhi band "Indian Ocean", I was informed and I promptly ignored it as one freak good song from one of those innumerable tuneless bands on the circuit, which play cover versions and totally unoriginal songs with western context. I could not, however, get "Bandeh" out of my head.

And then, very recently, "Leaving Home" happened. Since then, times have not been the same.

Leaving Home, though a non-fiction film, is actually a passionate "rockumentary" about how this phenomenon called Indian Ocean was born with the confluence of life-stories of its members and crossing of their destinies and grew to finally reach the exalted perch it occupies now.

More than that, however, it is so obviously a tribute by a fan to their "forceful energy" and "their music which obviously shows no sign of dating". Listening to their music acquires a whole new meaning once you have watched this movie. It makes their passion and musical journey your very own to cherish and the satisfaction of working towards perfection your own to bask in.

Indian Ocean is probably the only truly Indian rock band with a compact (five albums) repertoire of original, soulful songs with Indian sounds. More importantly, all the songs have a context firmly placed in the Indian mindspace. All of them with gravitas and all of them very mellifluous.

Apart from hugely popular "Bandeh", there is the ancient prayer - "Kandisa"; the folk song about Narmada River - "Ma Reva"; the song of the morning - Bhor; the song about the montage called India - Des Mera, which is a part of movie Peepli Live and many more.

The band is known by its main members - Sushmit Sen, Rahul Ram, Amit Kilam and Asheem Chakravarty. Sadly, Asheem passed away in 2009 but seems has provided the band with enough of spine and inspiration which, I trust, would last them their lifetimes to continue producing good songs.

Last weekend, Indian Ocean performed in Gurgaon at a select gathering of around 250 fans, which I was fortunate to be a part of. And right from the moment Rahul struck the first chord on his guitar through the frenzied jugalbandi of Amit and Nikhil (a new member, who I do not know is permanent as of now) till the end two hours later, it was a musical treat so typical of the band - high on energy but never overboard, soulful, talking of things that matter and taking all the audience along.

As I was too busy rocking my head and swaying to their beats, I could not record anything but I have gleaned their most famous Bandeh from Youtube here below for you. If you have heard IO before, I am sure you would like it. 

If you havent yet, welcome now to the IO Fan Club.

(All pictures from the internet)

छल्ला - Chhalla by Rabbi Shergill

पंजाबी गीतों से हम में से अधिकतर लोगों का परिचय धिन्चक किस्म के चलताऊ गीतों से ही हुआ है, जबकि पंजाबी गीतों और साहित्य का बहुत गहरा और शानदार खजाना है.

हाल में चल रहे फिल्म "क्रूक" के एक लोकप्रिय गाने "छल्ला" को इन्टरनेट पर ढूँढ़ते हुए मुझे रब्बी शेरगिल का गाया "छल्ला" नाम का ही एक बेहद खूबसूरत गीत मिला है जो मैं आपके लिए लगा रहा हूँ.

रब्बी की युवा और संजीदा आवाज में एक कशिश है, जो आपने उनके पुराने गानों जैसे "बुल्ला, की जाणा" और "तेरे बिन" जैसे गानों में भी याद होगी.

गीत का भाव कुछ यूँ है कि एक विरहणी अपने प्रियतम की याद में उसके भेंट किये गए छल्ले (angoothi) से ही दिल की बातें कर रही है. 

गीत का मजा लीजिये:

रब्बी शेरगिल की वेबसाइट से चुन कर इस गीत का अंग्रेजी रूपांतर भी लगा रहा हूँ:

English Translation:

 The ring it listens to no one 

The ring it listens only to my mom

It will leave only if she tell it to

Listen my love

Don’t know who’s done this voodoo

The ring it lies on the well

Let’s talk face to face

Listen my love

Don’t you wanna see me sometime 

It’s hard for me not to see you         

The ring a borewell’s water

Where has my love drifted to

I have no news

Listen my love

On your berry has grown a thorn

The ring unripe mangoes

Someone give me sage advices

Let’s commit to contemplation

What’s left of time yours and mine

Listen my love

Or our lives will go waste

The ring a long braid

I kissed it in my dream

The desire had gone blind

But I listened to my heart

Listen my love

Now punish me as you will

The ring a lone banyan

He holds on to the

Earth below and God above

Listen my love

How far run his roots

He knows not himself

Not History, Michael

(Image from www.last.fm)

This morning as I woke up, “Beat It” by Michael Jackson was playing on the radio. And, I was instantly reminded of two persons.
One was, of course Jackson himself, who for me still remains the King of Pop, albeit I admit that the list of “angrezi” singers I am aware of and have heard to is quite impoverished.
The other is my very dear old friend whom I would address as Parry Luther, his preferred moniker a quarter of century back when we were silly teenagers. It was courtesy him that I, a small–town-boy was introduced to a hitherto unexplored world of western music.
And what was western music, if not Michael Jackson! For years, I reveled in the rich sounds of Thriller, followed by Bad and then History.
Parry diligently continued to arrange a wide variety of the latest western pop for us initiated but even with all the choice, Jackson always remained a favourite, with his magnificently distinct vocals & music, his fantastic dancing (moonwalk et al), his grand stage shows and videos with superb production values.
As Wikipedia says, “Time magazine described Jackson's influence as "Star of records, radio, rock video. A one-man rescue team for the music business. A songwriter who sets the beat for a decade. A dancer with the fanciest feet on the street. A singer who cuts across all boundaries of taste and style and color too".
I am deeply saddened to see that today Jackson has been reduced to a caricature of himself, a pale, pale shadow of the phenomenon he was. True it is that success & fame are not worn lightly by everybody.
It is a strange coincidence that as I end this day, the last news item which comes to my notice is that Jackson has announced his swansong in London. I wish him all the very best.
Parry, what say?