Vajpayee - An Obituary

Rarely do you see a politician who does not answer to the image that most have carved out for themselves. He was one. Can't really think of another one in our country. Nelson Mandela, maybe.

"School chalein hum," was a song of his that was played on radio a lot. Such a simple message, and effective. Communication was his forte, but one among many. Being humane, and respectful even in disagreement, was another.

His speeches were a delight to listen to, and I have heard a million in my life which were not. His pregnant pauses, a lesson to those unable to deliver in their verbal barrages..

His attempt to connect India through a road network of Highways has only an American parallel that I know of. His brand of coalition politics was very different from many others'. He left an indelible stamp on everything he did, from asserting India's right to nuclear testing, to many other things.

A colossus.

Talking to School Children at Nanded

Had a unique opportunity to talk to school kids at a Nanded school. It was scary too, because I was new to this experience. The talk was on careers, since the small-town Indians are generally a bit less aware of career options, and their parents may be less aggressive in hunting for options other than the mainstream- CA, Medical or Engineering. Though I am a mainstream engineer/MBA, my kids are not, so I gave examples of careers that are non-mainstream.

These are the kids-all of them, with some teachers.Biggest audience for my talk in recent times!

Nanded is famous for a Gurudwara too, and here are some pics of this amazing place of worship.

Karwaan (Hindi)- Film Review

Irrfan and the dialogues (by Hussain Dalal) are riveting. Mithila Palkar reminded me of every teenager who rolls her eyes and says "whatever"every chance she gets. Salman (not that one) is a revelation, with an underplayed hero's role if there ever was one.

The direction reminded me of the best in this genre. Akarsh Khurana is a debutant director? Hard to believe. Every frame of the screenplay is crafted to perfection, and flows seamlessly, from the first scene in the bus headed for Gangotri, to the last, set in Kerala. The Kerala shots reminded me of Chef which was also shot there, among beautiful surroundings.

Kriti Kharbanda, who has made it big in Kannada films, has an endearing small role.

But just for Irrfan and the dialogue, the film is a must-watch (mast watch too). 5 stars from me.

Staying Loyal

This is not about relationships-go look for an agony aunt-but about loyalty to organisations/jobs.

What makes people want to continue to work for an organisation, say after 2-3 years?

Learning
Inertia
Good pay/perks-golden handcuffs, as they are known sometimes
Challenge
New responsibilities/promise of promotion
Emotional attachment to people in the organisation
A bond signed in return for something like training given, study leave granted,..

In my case, there were any or many of these whenever I stayed back for more than two years. I have stayed more than two years at Kirloskar Institute (18 hole Golf course), IMT Nagpur (great people), and at IIM Indore (Poha, kachori and jalebi being the Sev-ing grace)-close to my fifth birthday here now. At Vignana Jyoti, too, which was a startup B-school in Hyderabad, and the biryani was irresistible. Yes, Biryani can be a reason too.

Mandu in the Monsoon

Some more pics of an outing to Mandu. 2018.

I am up to my usual tricks-photographic ones.

Tea for Lilliputs?

Jahaz -mahaling.

Perfect! The board and the bhutta!Teen Deviyan bhutta khane pahunch gayin dharti par.

Outdoors in Indore

This is the best season at Indore with rains, and greenery. Also a great time to go out. So we did. Joined by a friend from Vizag, we took a short road trip to Mandu, by a road less travelled.

Listening to Kishore Kumar- Ina Mina Dika

I never get tired of listening to him. His voice is full of life. I must have first heard him in the late sixties, on radio when I was around 8 or 9. The early songs may have been Yeh dil, na hota bechara, from Jewel Thief, and then the delectable Mere sapnon ki rani kab aayegi tu from Aradhana. I still listen to these two.

In between, the range of songs I heard and liked grew into a big number. Almost all Rajesh Khanna films had him, and so did most Dev Anand films. Pal bhar ke liye koi hamein pyar kar le, picturised on Dev Anand and Hema Mailini was  a favourite those days, and so was the duet from the same film (Johny Mera Naam) -O mere Raja,..and still are.

Hum the woh thi aur samaa rangeen was my favourite among many lovely songs in Chalti ka Naam Gaadi, and his own acting was even better. Paanch rupiah baarah aana, also for its innovative lyrics. The film called Padosan was non-stop fun, in large part due to his singing and acting.

He also sang some superb songs in relatively unknown films- only the songs are remembered today. Pyar maanga hai tumhise from College Girl, Tum kitni khoobsurat ho fro Jangal Mein Mangal, O hansini from Zahreela Insaan, Aise na mujhe tum dekho from Darling Darling are some examples.

His duets from Aandhi are probably the best ever. And there were three in the film. Other duets that are memorable, for me Koi maane ya na maane, from Adhikaar, Pyar hua hai jab se, Mere meet bata, Tu laali hai savere wali, Gore rang pe na itna gumaan kar, Maar gayi mujhe teri judaai, Jaisa des waisa bhes phir kya darna, Neend churake raaton mein, Tum bhi chalo hum bhi chalen chalti rahe zindagi,..

Soulful songs? Those were in plenty also- Ajnabi, tum jaane pehchane se lagte ho is one standout song in this category. Mere mehboob qayamat hogi is another. All his songs from Amar Prem too.

Qawwali? He sang one in Anokhi Ada in this style- Haal kya hai dilon ka na poocchho sanam. Bhajan? Jai Govindam, Jai Gopalam (a parody), with the funniest lines- peechhe pad gaya income taxum, etc..

Nonsense lyrics? Ina mina dika, ..