Jamun, and Mango, summer delights. Mangoes come in infinite varieties and sizes.
Ice apple, called Tadgola - a palm fruit, in the summer.
Corn, fresh, in the monsoon? Remember eating roasted bhutta on the way to Mandu on the roadside.
Strawberries are also seasonal, probably during the rainy season or winter.
Guavas are also seasonal, in July August.
Hurda, the raw grain (usually jowar), roasted, is available in winter months. Eaten with jaggery and spice, it's delicious.
If they were made on current happenings, their titles might be-
1. Khul ja Hormuz
2. Mamata ki Kshamata
3. Hormuz- Kabhi khushi de kabhi gham
4. LPG- a Neverland
5. Hormuz ki dum Tedhi ki Tedhi
6. Iran Yuddh ka Kahufnaak Sach
7. Israel ki Giraft mein Trump
8. Vijay hi asli cheez hai
9. Keralam aur Raga- ek Prem Kahani
When you are in a job, you can be useful to friends in your network, either due to your expertise, or your position, or contacts. Maybe you can get things done. Fix a summer internship for your friend's son/daughter, or call someone to do someone a favour.
When you stop working, most of these "powers" go away almost instantly. People who knew you 'forget' you, and you are pretty useless to anyone. It's a different feeling, and can affect you negatively.
But there's also a positive. It's liberating, the feeling that you are no longer going to be approached by anybody to do things for them. You can play God no longer, you are just a human on your own.
Freedom, at last?
Saw a musical show at Balgandharva in Pune- 60s to 90s. Singing by various artistes, reasonably good. Song selection could have been better, in my view. But the show was free, so worth the three hours or so. One good idea was visuals from Youtube were flashed along with the singing, so relived a theatre experience with original actors, alongside.. my favourite was Khatuba, from Alibaba aur Chalis Chor, filmed on Zeenat Aman. Ek main aur ek tu was good too, and Kanta lagaa..
Exit polls were Ok in Bengal and Assam, also in Kerala, but off in Tamil Nadu (except one I think).
Change happened in all states except Assam.
Maybe the lesson is that everything has an expiry date. Dictator or democrat, doesn't matter. Sometimes elections displace them, sometimes a revolution, or an assassination.
Many a time, electors have limited choices. They vote for what seems most likely to benefit, or least likely to harm them.
Congress ruled at the Centre for a long, long time. So did the Communists in Bengal. But at some point, the need for a change became apparent, and it happened. So it is this time.
And yes, the name Vijay helps you win. Not just in Hindi films.
Saw the film about Michael Jackson recently (April 2026). I was in the U.S. when he was a phenomenon, in the late 80s, and we saw a lot of his numbers on MTV then. Liked most of them. Some of them are reprised here, and quite well too- must have been tough for the choreographer and the actor who looks a lot like him.
The prejudice against Black singers coming on MTV is well depicted. So are his love for kids and animals, and cartoons. Of course, this is a positive film, so the only negative is his dominant father who tries to push him into things he does not want, after it is clear that he is a star creator and performer on his own. His social sensitivities are also brought out well.
The music selection is good, and is the highlight- as it should be, for a film about a musician. The signature moves are captured well.
I like Prabhu Deva, the Indian equivalent too. And I still remember the performance of I'm Bad! by Katarina Witt, chamion ice skater, at the Calgary Winter Olympics. It was Good!
To end April, we assembled for a party at our place, with many people in attendance. The oldest was 90, an aunt, and the youngest, around 6. The karaoke added a lot of fun to the proceedings, with everyone participating- with the mic, or in the chorus. The amazing food and drinks meant that we closed pretty late.
Jamun, and Mango, summer delights. Mangoes come in infinite varieties and sizes. Ice apple, called Tadgola - a palm fruit, in the summer. C...
