THE BAND CALLED BOLLYWOOD!!

Could you do a simple exercise for me?  Recall all the movie (Bollywood or any 'wood') songs that you have heard till date.  List them one after another and write the name of the vocalist, composer, lyricist, guitarist, drummer and people who played the other accompaniments.  

One sample listing would look like:

Song: XYZ

Movie: Name of the movie correctly written

Actor: Name of the actor correctly written

Composer: Bollywood/ABCwood

Lyricist: Bollywood/ABCwood

Leads: Bollywood/ABCwood

Bass: Bollywood/ABCwood

Drums: Bollywood/ABCwood

Tabla: Bollywood/ABCwood

Flute: Bollywood/ABCwood

Keyboard: Bollywood/ABCwood.

This is the case not just with you and me, but with every other individual.  Why are we unable to acknowledge these artists (famed or otherwise) for their good work, for the good music that they have composed? 

Some, of course, believe that this is futile.  They defend their position by these very common arguments, 'It's not necessary', 'I enjoy the music, that's enough', 'It's not possible to remember the artist and the composer for each and every song', 'See, I do not know the intricacies of music. So, I don't know the artist' and many many other countless arguments.  

I believe that these are just arguments for the sake of it.  The actual reason is indifference.  To a small extent, the whole system, which categorizes songs based on the actors in the film, is also to be blamed. 

The Indian music tradition accorded equal respect for the artist, composer and the percussionists.  But, somehow this practice got lost in thin air with the advent of film music.  May be that, every other day, there are uncountable number of music releases that it is actually not possible to take a note of the craftsmen.  

If not for all, we can actually pause to delve into the details of the songs we cherish, as an individual.  The taste may be different.  But, that's fine. 

This is where western music is markedly different from Indian music (or Indian film music as it has become the face of the latter).  Even though all the music forms are infinitesimal subsets of the rich Indian music, the 'band culture' is still alive in Western Music.  Film music, except for the background score, contributes little to the 'quantum' of music in the west.  

Of course, the pure form of Indian music, the Indian Classical music, lives on with the tradition of respecting the artists and the percussionists.  The entire process of imparting this knowledge is such that it not possible to ignore the composers.  And, normally, the audience of Classical music, pays due credit to the individual members of the 'band'. 

Interestingly, a guy who takes the artists and the composers seriously is shunned or mocked upon by the 'i-just-love-music' kind of listeners.  

Film music has made lot of contributions to the field of music.  It has given the platform for many a talented artists, who otherwise would never have got a chance to entertain an audience.  It has produced a lot of world famous artists.  Even though, today, a large majority of film music is plain crap and unworthy of listening, the good part of it cannot be ignored.  

Every individual has his or her own taste.  Everyone may not enjoy the classical form.  But yes, there would be few who do not enjoy any form of music.  So, the next time we hear a piece of music, a few minutes can be spared to 'google' the makers of it.  On the part of the music media, it should learn to respect the artists and brand a song based on the artists rather than based on the actor.  The actor should be respected for his acting rather than for 'singing'.

PS: Even though the title emphasizes 'bollywood', the story applies to the entire film industry.

MODERN DAY SCHOOLS & ALL-ROUND DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN

The other day I was at the stationery store late in the evening. A lady, with a Blackberry in her left hand and an E72 in her right, rushes in and enquires, "Do you make projects for school-children?" The shopkeeper replies, "No, we don't. One store located in Sadar Bazaar does". The lady had a sigh of relief upon hearing this. She pestered the shopkeeper for another 10 minutes and gathered the phone number of the 'project-maker' and drove away to Sadar Bazar to place her order.

Moral of the story,"If you have money, then why not 'buy' projects of the best quality". This is what is happening in modern India. After all, every parent would want his or her child to bag the best grade in the project.

Read any advertisement of the so-called 'international' schools. Every other school claims of imparting an all-round development to the child and not just 'schooling'. In the name of making the children 'all rounders', the school charges an exorbitant fee. Average- incomed parents break their backs by signing the cheques in favour of the school.

If your kid is not enrolled with one of the 'International' schools, then probably he or she is not quite doing well or his or her career is in jeopardy. Parents would want their children to get the best possible education available in the country. Just like the lady who outsourced her kid's project to the 'project-maker', the modern-day parent is trying hard to buy 'all-round' development for his kid by pumping cash into the treasury of these 'international schools' or by 'getting things done professionally'.

Now, the question is 'what is best' or 'what is all-round development'? Is it knowing how to ride a horse and at the same time getting a 100 percent in the Math paper or is it visiting London on an 'educational tour' and topping the quiz competition held in the school at the same time?

Projects were always a nightmare to school going students. Going by the very intention of the activity called 'project', it is an activity where in the student gets an opportunity to go outside the textbooks, use his common-sense, venture into something new and create something on his own. It is nothing, but a means to empower and instill confidence in the school-goer.

Project alone is not the one way to gain confidence. There may be numerous other ways. The crux is that, it is this confidence that would translate to self-belief. Alas, money cannot buy confidence or self-belief. Once the kid is thrown into the dirty pool called society, he or she has to fight it out. More than swimming learnt in the 'Olympic-sized-pool' at school, it is self-belief and common-sense that would save him or her from drowning.

The second most important point is sensitizing the student towards the society. The fact that society cannot treated as an alien for long, drives home the point that the student should be taught and trained to become a responsible citizen.

The national academic bodies should research more on the means of imparting education so that education becomes more relevant to the present day India and would help in carving out responsible citizens.

WELCOME TO MILLENNIUM CITY-PART 2

I asked the residents yet another simple question. I asked them where they lodged a complaint in case of a power failure. Again, they were clueless. ‘Lodge a complaint? Is that possible?’ was their reaction. Suddenly I felt immensely proud to be a Keralite and of the fact that KSEB is a very ‘efficient’ organization. Down south, you swear the moment the lights go off. You call KSEB all the names that you have learnt since childhood. But, at least, you have some system in place and the fact that people are well informed makes all the difference.

Yes, India is not self sufficient in meeting its electricity needs. Fine, but what is required is action and also information regarding the same. The citizens must be well informed and must have clarity in such matters of concern.

Another shocking discovery during my initial days in Gurgaon was that you don’t have any public transport system. The only mode of transport available is overcrowded autorickshaws in which you hang on to the autorickshaw as though in some chase scene in the climax of Priyadarsan movies. Including the driver, 16 people travel ‘comfortably’ in this super carrier. And, you don’t have ‘those kinds of autos’ as you find elsewhere, where 1 person can independently hire the auto for his or her private use. It is totally unknown and unheard of in this part of the country.

Forget about buses. Apart from a few that you can count with your 5 fingers, you cannot find buses plying from one destination to the other. Even those few buses run in a straight line route between two destinations. To go to places located in various sectors, either you hire the cycle rickshaws or walk or have your own vehicle or even worse, beg for a lift.

If you take the officials of the transport department of the Haryana Government to cities like Calicut, Cannanore or Cochin (to Kerala for that matter), they would go crazy seeing the huge number of buses plying between all possible destinations. No wonder if they go on to ask, “Why the hell do you have so many buses? People need to have their own vehicles.”

Traffic jam is assuming its worst possible forms day by day as people resort to own vehicles even to go to the market to buy a needle or a packet of milk. The affordability and showbiz is so high that people do not prefer to drive a bike to the market, but rather show case their most expensive cars. Result-Lengthy cars-difficult to maneuver-more traffic jams.

Come rainy season (an annual event that lasts for 7 days), things get an added flavour. Even after the slightest drizzle which has less intensity than a child peeing, you may be tempted to believe that you are in flood-affected-Mumbai. You will have to literally wade through water that would get stagnated within minutes for want of drains to flow into. I think text books of civil engineering taught in engineering colleges of Haryana do not have the chapter pertaining to drainage and sewage disposal systems. That might be the reason the PWD engineers are not aware of the fact that you need to drain water after it rains or you need to have good waste water drainage system.

Even for a single day, if it rains with the same intensity as it rains in Kerala or Karnataka, trust me, Gurgaon will be totally submerged. It would be a good option to put the PWD civil engineers on a training program in one of the towns in Kerala so that they can study ‘Effective methods of disposing water’. One week of training during the monsoons would be more than sufficient.

The Haryana Government is supposed to be one of the richest state governments. In spite of that, the performance and fund utilization is pathetic and condemnable. Only if the people react, will be situation get any better. And also, they should not commit the mistake of electing under performing governments for consecutive tenures as it is in the present situation.

I welcome you all to have a taste of this unique ‘Gurgaon experience’, after which you will have more respect and pride towards the city in which you currently reside.

Welcome to the Millennium City!!!

WELCOME TO MILLENNIUM CITY-PART I

Hearty Welcome to the Millennium City, the city which is called the call centre capital of India, the one and only Gurgaon.

I do not see a single reason why this place is called so. A place where you do not have electricity for more than 12 hours on an average day (seriously, I am not joking), a place where there is huge dearth of public transport system, a place where the drainage system is in its worst form. The list continues endlessly.

Every city or town has its own limitations and shortcomings. But, if you are hailing a city as the ‘Millennium City’, there must be reasons enough to do so. But frankly speaking, I couldn’t find any. But, yes, if the name is on account of the hoards of corporate offices and the sprawling malls located in Gurgaon, then perhaps the name befits this city. You can find all the big names flashing on electronic boards adorning multi-storeyed buildings. You also have the biggest malls in India located here.

Gurgaon is a classic example of irresponsible and lackadaisical style of governance. I wonder how the government passes its time during its tenure. Its not enough to have big corporate offices and malls located in the city. What are required are basic needs. Here, you have everything else, but basic needs.

The most shocking of all is power cuts for more than 12 hours a day. Ask someone who has resided in Gurgaon if you are unable to believe it. Sometimes, I feel that I am stranded in some remote adivasi village located in some remote corner of the country or I feel as if I am currently in the 1980s where the government is still trying to figure out how to go about running the administration. It resembles the 1980s literally as everything is black and white as you do not have electricity so as to realize any colour around you. No way have I ever felt that I am amidst the 21st century.

The sad part is that there is enough power to run the industries and offices. The civilians suffer the most on account of the former. And also, thanks to the generator and invertor lobby which I suspect to have its presence here. Every household and every other office or building has the most powerful and efficient generator sets. The need would have arisen in the past due to some genuine short supply of electricity. But once they captured the market, why would they restrain themselves from lobbying? They might lure the government with some petty bribe to deliberate power cuts and meanwhile, make more profit by selling generator sets. It is simple logic and nothing else.

To top it all, the residents have no clue about all the mess that is here. Let alone people like me who are non residents of Gurgaon and who have come here to make a living. I have talked to people who have been residing in Gurgaon for more than 10 years about the acute shortage of electricity. The answers that I got were not convincing at all. Some opined that ‘it is like that only’, whereas some others were of the opinion that all the power from Gurgaon is supplied to light up Delhi. Bullshit.

INDIAN PAISA LEAGUE

As the 50 day 'extravaganza' comes to a close yesterday, I experience a sigh of relief. Now at least, I can watch TV channels in which people would be talking of something other than IPL.

During the last 50 days, you turn on any TV channel, you find some X, Y and Z talking some crap about the match which was played the day before, the match which would be played the same day and matches which would be played on the subsequent days. They seem to 'analyse' the performance on real time basis. I wonder if any of their analyses, predictions and projections have ever come true or not.

Now you might tell me that if I am not interested, I shouldn't be watching the matches and the discussions or rather I must be watching some other channel. Yeah, I was trying to do exactly that. But, trust me, finding a channel devoid of IPL content seemed to be the toughest thing on earth.

Let alone the discussions, the controversies that followed were even worse. The whole nation was discussing nothing but IPL. All the discussions about Dantewada massacre and other national issues were simply sidelined. Just sit back and think, what was all the drama about? Was it really necessary?

If fund misappropriation was the issue, didn't the IT department smell the rot one or two years back? Why did not anyone question about the source of funds or fund utilisation last year or the year before when it was clearly evident that huge sums of money were involved.

The very fact that a player (read M S Dhoni) was paid 6 crores in the very first edition of the tournament should have raised eyebrows of the IT department. It took three years the resignation of a reputed Minister of the parliament for the government to wake up and look in to the situation.

It was quite obvious that all these drama would happen as everyone wants the monkey's share of anything and everything that involves money. As mentioned in my previous posts, cricket, glamour (Bollywood) and politics have deep rooted connections. But, this time, more than the Bollywood, it was the tussle between politics and cricket.

First of all, cricket and politics should be completely delinked. Other wise, you would know people like Sharad Pawar for being someone linked with the BCCI and the IPL rather than an Agricultural Minister. Other than his active participation in the controversies, has he made any impact or radical change in the Agricultural sector which is ailing because of multiple reasons and which requires immediate and urgent attention?

With due respect to all fans of this great game, my request to all the cricket fans would be to apply commonsense and intution to question corruption and nepotism. Let us not delude ourselves by digging ourselves in the sand like an ostrich and believe that cricket is pristine and clean.

There are so many aspiring cricketers dreaming of becoming a Tendulkar or a Kumble. Let us not dissappoint them by commercialising and killing the game. Let the spirit of the game be alive!!

LIVE PERFORMANCES...DO THEY HAVE ENOUGH LIFE IN THEM? Part I

I would say, it is the easiest to 'perform live' in India if you are a celebrity. But if you are a 'normal human being', it would be the toughest thing on earth.

Thanks to all those reality shows, which 'nurture young and fresh talent'. And also, thanks to various celebrations that happen across the country all round the year. Both really help to 'nurture' talent.

And, particularly in our country, any celebration is incomplete without a celebrity being invited to 'perform live'. (An overdose of inverted comas is to remind you to read everything in context.) Imagine that you are gearing up for any celebration, it is a very natural question to ask, " Hey, who is coming for the show? Who is gonna peform?"

Now, please don't think that I am against celebrations or live performances. I am very much for it. But, what bothers me is the genuineness of it, the genuineness of the live performances.

The concept of an artist performing live to entertain the audience dates back to our ancestral times. The same is being carried forward even now, even though in a different format.

Yesterday, I was a part of the 'Family Day Celebrations' of my organization, MARUTI SUZUKI INDIA LTD. There was a gorgeous lady singing on the stage, whose name I don't remember. But, sources said that she was a contestant in one of the many music competitions in one of the television channels. No doubt her voice was as gorgeous as she herself. She 'sang' some popular Hindi songs, both old and new. The audience seemed to be thoroughly engrossed.

Towards, the end of the program, I noticed that there was no 'band' accompanying her. Its a pity that I took notice only towards the end. Anyways, she was singing 'effortlessly'. Upon a closer watch on the big screen, her 'lip singing' was clearly visible. I was shocked. In fact, I need not be, because 99 out of 100 live performances in India are just 'enacted' on stage.

I would say, its cruelty towards music, towards art and towards the audience. Aren't they making fun of the audience and trying to a make of a fool out of them? Again, I do not know the inside story, i.e., is there any pact signed between the artists the organizers of the event (the one who is paying for the event) stating that the performance wouldn't be live, but an enactment. I am yet to discover that. If it is not so, then the situation is even worse.

Chetta, Oru Chaaya.....

The signature statement of any Keralite.

Chaayakkada (n): Tea Stall.

There is something unique to these tea stalls which are found in every nook and corner of the God's Own Country. Mostly found to posess the same model across most of the south indian states like Kerala, Karnatka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, the model, according to me, is in the most strongest form in Kerala.

Mostly a 15ft. by 15 ft. space furnished with old wooden tables and mostly benches as in primary classrooms, illuminated by a 100W bulb and protected by a thatched roof, these tea stalls stand as signature buildings of the Kerala State, just as red painted KSRTC buses which are unique to the state.

The proud owner of the tea stall would be either one of the Kumarettan, Chandrettan or Sukumarettan or the likes of it. In some cases, the owner would be the chef, 'tea-maker', waiter or would play any suitable role that he/she would fit into. Yet, in some other cases, the owner would play the role of a hotel manager.

As the rooster gives away the alarm at sunrise, these tea stalls also come into life as early as 5.30 or even earlier. From morning-walkers, temple-goers, auto rickshaw drivers to daily wages labourers, the customer profile varies from one end to the other. Be it any customer, service from the cafe would be uniform across (Regular customers may be served even better).

The rates of all the items on the menu, mostly written with a white paint on a blackboard hung on the wall, are supposed to be economical and affordable. To maintain goodwill, the owner might serve the customers on credit as well.

These tea stalls become the centre for heated debates and discussions from early morning itself. From politics in Kerala to the Capital (thalasthanam), from Congress to the Left parties, from petty issues to national issues and what not. Everything under the sun is discussed here. Of course, the panel varies at various point in time of the day.

Another thing that is unique to these tea stalls is that all these tea stalls have at least one local or sometimes a Kerala state daily for its customers to read. Even if a person doesn't have a newspaper at his home (which rarely happens in Kerala), he can very well grab the day's top stories from the daily at the tea stall. This actually creates a big impact in the way people think and opine about the various social and economic issues concerning the state and the nation, making him a responsible citizen.

I have rarely seen this format of tea stalls in North India. Hence, the kind of information flow created by these 'news houses' are absent in North India. The south being blessed with this format of tea stalls, enjoys the priviledges endowed by these mostly unnoticed and rarely talked about tea stalls.

Anyways, be it a long drive or a tiresome journey, for me a 'choodu chaaya' (hot cup of tea) is inevitable. Thanks to the small tea stalls. But for them, I could never have relished the strong tea served in glass vessels.