InDepth

The research continues.... 13. Dil mein baji pyar ki (Kohinoor)    A very simple-flowing melody having all the elements of a typical Lata-Naushad combo. On the screen it was the great Meena Kumari with her vivacious presence and charming dance steps. This one, together with " Tere pyar mein dildar " from the movie Mere Mehboob, stands out as two extraordinary tunes by Naushad depicting happiness, charm and frolic. The shehnai interlude, together with nice tabla beats, go very well with the mood and tune of the song. Lata Mangeshkar makes a deliberate attempt to thin her voice so that the rhythm comes to the forefront and the song primarily remains as a dance number. Just listen to the wonderful alaap in the beginning when Rafi lends his voice shortly. Kohinoor is also a nice lighthearted movie, with great acting by Dilip Kumar and Meena Kumari. I give you a trivia - like many other Naushad gems, this one too has different tunes for different antara -s!      ...

At the onset, I must say that Dharmendra has been one of my most favourite actors. So, when I now write a memoir, it would turn out to be a fanboy account. But then, can we find at least one follower of Indian Cinema who has not liked his art! Such has been his effect and contribution. I begin with Bandini , a movie made by Bimal Roy, based on a story by famous Bengali writer Jarashandha. He was new, young, a bit lean, but excellent in his projection. He had a side-role, but whenever he would come to the screen, he would infuse dream in the life of Kalyani, the protagonist. More I would not write, but I would recommend the readers to take some hours off on a lazy afternoon and watch the film, only for Dharmendra. In a later interview, he said, he was groomed by Bimal Roy and was personally praised by S D Burman, who was the music composer of Bandini. Dharmendra did a great part in a film by the name Satyakam. The story was written by Narayan Sanyal, who was a civil engineer by professi...

As the research moves on... 9.  Umariya ghatati jaae re ( Mother India )  This is a rare, a very rare gem of a song sung by Manna Dey, singing to the tune of Naushad-Sahab. There are several reasons that make this song exemplary; first, it is the excellent string of words penned by Shakeel. The words are poignant, simple and deeply meaningful, describing the hardship and trouble of rural India to the most accurate possible way. I cannot remember of another song that depicts the same picture in a better way than this song does. Next, it is the quite extraordinary rendition by the legendary Manna Dey; he pours his heart out to give a soulful feel to this song, which takes the narrative of the movie forward. Here I would like to take a short pause and state that even though we have come a long way to achieve the bare minimum necessities of life, but, some basics are still far from reach of some marginal sections of society. The words in this song still feel true - question is, i...

I had heard of Mozart earlier, mostly through his works. An odd symphony tune would come up as an inspiration for a Bollywood song, or would be used as a background score. I had also heard of Salzburg, the birthplace of Mozart, in Austria. So, the temptation was there to explore the artist through his works and to try to touch his roots through the city, where he had taken his very first breath. As per schedule, me and my nephew started for Salzburg from Villach in a train. I had mentioned earlier - the trains in Austria ran on time and were clean, neat and in order. Much like the trains of Netherlands. The movie through the train-windows that I had been enjoying for the past few days continued further. Some breathtakingly picturesque views from the train onlooking the ridges and mountains kept our eyes and hearts busy. Those small buildings in between! How do the inmates keep their focus on their chores! If I were there, I would have done nothing but gaze the surroundings. It was a ho...

[Continued from part 1] "Morning shows the day!" - we know of this saying. Often in travels I have seen this statement come true. There is a certain charm that a fresh, new day brings and when I am out of house, I feel this much more. Sometimes the freshness stays on, sometimes I need to make an effort to keep it that way. Nevertheless, a tune for the entire day is set by how the sun wakes up, or the rain drizzles or the snow-cover paints its colour or the strong wind blows through the soul. The next morning started meeting my nephew. My father would say - the younger generation is per default more knowledgeable, more reflective and more skilful than you are. I have believed in his statement. This is one of the reasons I feel at ease with my juniors. In this case I was in the company of an intellectual, erudite mind who had travelled far in life to come to continue his inquest in one of the most prestigious research firms in Austria. The breakfast was a schooling session for ...

We all have multiple lives. We juggle between being a parent, a partner, a professional, a sibling, or maybe just being an occasional creative person. While it is true also in my case, I can add a couple of things more to this list - that of being a traveller and a student. When I travel, I focus on people, places, history, landscape, food, drinks, dress, tradition etc. and I often look for a place where I can get most of these together. It may sound a bit strange, but I have always had a belief that a good coffee shop is a place where you can expect many of these to be present at a time.  People who love to relax and meet others come to drink a cup of coffee. If the shop is decorated enough, one will find a glimpse of the town and its landscape through some paintings on its walls. Some shops have local tradition mixed in the menu - a cake or baked sweet item which was founded years ago at the same place where the shop is now housed. Staffanstorp is a small town in between Malmö an...