Isometric view!

                                                                '.                             "Isometric View"

Lalit Modi is a disgraced Indian Cricket Czar hiding in UK mostly.  The idea of IPL can certainly be accounted to his credit . Of course as the tournament became commercially successful several powerful entities wanted a ride on the gravy train. Some wanted a free ride to boot! That led to what can only be termed as falling out of the thieves ! 

You might remember the fiscal controversy about now defunct Kochi Tuskars  Kerala franchise & the tragic demise of its 'sweat equity' holder Sunanda Pushkar under very mysterious circumstances. Supposedly due to complications of the Lupus disease or a drug interaction; or both; or a sophisticated, hard to detect poison called polonium, traditionally used by KGB to assassinate rivals! That famous '50 crore ki girl friend' remark about Shashi Tharoor by Narendra Modi is epic. Perhaps one day I will write about it -  when I feel like a crime thriller !

For now Lalit Modi has an interesting proposition !  He proposes that One day cricket format of 50 overs variety should be abolished entirely and cricket world should focus on test cricket; which is the classical 5 day, white clothes, red ball , 2 innings per team format and T20 format which is like after dinner, evening entertainment of 120 balls for each team kind. Wildly successful and popular IPL is a T20 tournament! There is ,as expected, a stiff opposition to this idea and even a sense of dismissal out of hand by some quarters because it is 'Lalit Modi' !

 

You do not know Swapan Mitra. He was my drafts person for a very long time. He was quite a bit older than I was and he was exceptionally good at his job. It was before cad software and a plethora of AI tools had made most of the drafting skills redundant. One thing that he really excelled in was 'Isometric View'. This comes from the world of design and simply put it is a 3 dimensional representation of an object in 2 dimensions; done in scale without any foreshortening as  you would find in a perspective view. One can accurately measure all dimensions. It gives a complete view of the object as if one is looking down from above the frame. 

 

So Mitra always made an isometric view for every plan; at times he made an exploded view too. He made that decision without my input. Fact is I was able to explain my concept to clients countless times on the strength of that Isometric view. Otherwise we as designers tend to focus  primarily at the plan view. It took me some time to realize why Mitra included it in every presentation ! Well; because it is the best client centrist view! And I am not even talking about design here!

 

When we look at people, life, events, concepts, theories; ideas, whatever; we must look at an isometric view! No foreshortening; no distortion; clearly measurable dimensions on all X Y Z axis. At the same time we must  look at the entire picture from above and avoid getting into the frame. Remaining a bit distanced and staying critical will lead us to see things clearly for how they truly are!  Get complete picture & present complete information! Mitra taught me this life lesson; though he is not aware that he did!

 

Let's circle back  to cricket! It is well known that cricket originated in England. Power  and decision making stayed there for a very long time. As the game spread across British colonies like Australia; South Africa; west Indies and the Indian sub continent; that power continued to grow and stay concentrated in MCC, England. First challenge to it came from Australia as their teams started winning matches. Don Bradman , arguably the greatest batsman ever was the face of it. They have produced several great players in every generation. Jeff Thompson  was tearaway; fastest ever according to some while Shane Warned is considered the greatest leg spinner ever! 

That challenge  to English power was managed well. Australians were white, western and subjects of the British crown. They got co-opted. The challenge turned into a great rivalry limited to the playing field. Off the field they merrily consulted and shared  power & cricketing  decision making. Moral and ethical considerations regarding their apartheid policies kept white South Africa out of the world cricket for decades. They were only readmitted after apartheid was dismantled in 1991 with a tour of India! 

There is no country called West Indies! It is a group of separate nations. Little specks somewhere in the Caribbean sea and North Atlantic ocean ; that field a joint cricket team. To my knowledge it is the only multi national team playing under one banner, in any sports anywhere in the world. Gary Sobers and Lance Gibbs are well known old stalwarts of the team. Clive Lloyd, Rohan Kanhai, Alvin Kalicharan and batting giant Brian Lara of a later generation are noteworthy. What really propelled west Indies to firmly dominate world cricket was their legendary ' fearsome four'; express bowling attack.

Holding; Roberts; Garner and Croft established west Indies at the top during '70 and 80'. And who can forget Malcolm Marshall? An absolute delight of fierceness ; if there is even such a word! Together they pummelled every opposition in sight and left them in dust. Smaller individual cricket boards making up  West Indies gained a lot of traction over the years but the power quietly stayed with ECB - English Cricket Board.

 

Trust Pakistan to play a sly hand! They perfected the reverse swing. It is achieved by roughening one side of the cricket ball and keeping the other side shiny. The aerodynamics at high speed ensures that the ball unpredictably and unconventionally swings to the shiny side instead of the rough. They achieved that by picking the seams with fingernails and roughening one side with bottle caps and other found material. It was not illegal at the time although not exactly in line with the spirit of the game. Their quick bowlers achieved tremendous success . Imran , Akram and Waqar easily come to mind. The success was rather short lived . White nations ensured that the rules changed and 'Making' the ball became illegal as it should always have been. Pakistan never became the centre of the cricketing universe.

 

In between an  Australian media tycoon, Kerry Packer of  channel 9 designed the one day match - a short format of cricket played in the evening wearing colourful dresses and a white ball! It allowed a lot more people to watch it on TV. The cheeky tag line was, " Big Boys Play at Night"! Marketing , sponsorship and international playing talent made sure that it catches public interest. There was a lot of opposition by various cricketing boards. Several players got banned for participating in this so called circus, but the money was good; way too good ! 

Money eclipses your brain cells; blinds your eyes and softens your heart!  Eventually it makes one forget  all principles; if there were any to begin with! Short format and Long money had come to stay in cricket.

 

Money! You can not keep Indians far from money! They are like a trained bloodhound tracking a prey! Traditionally Indian teams were known for their spin bowling and some batting brilliance like Gavaskar holding the highest test run record for long and that flag bearer of his legacy , Tendulkar; who has that record now as well as the record for all time highest total runs in all formats together . You may even have heard about Suravanshi ; a young 15 year old ,that is promising to carry that baton now!

Bedi, Chadrashekhar and Prasanna are the much celebrated Indian spin trio. Indian Fast bowling was rather slow and cricket pitches, game and rules were slowly veering towards favouring quick bowling. This is when Kapil Dev rose to prominence. He was quick and he was  supremely talented. With the bat as well! He won India the short format world cup in 1983 and changed the loosing Indian mindset for ever. 1.4 billion people now have 10 fresh world class talents available for selection; to replace one retiring player. India can and at times does field more than one National team simultaneously. They can boast  of a world champion Indian women's cricket team as well!

 

It was bound to happen! With this big a market; third largest economy growing  @ 7%( highest in the world); massive popularity of cricket and visible rise in the disposable incomes; something had to give. India generates 80% of all the cricketing revenues worldwide and money talks! The Board of Control for Cricket in India ( BCCI) is very powerful to say the least. Currently even the chairmanship of International Cricket Council (ICC) is held by India as well. Who likes it ? It is complicated but the short answer is nobody! Specially people that held the reins for so long and those envious people that can never hope to do so. Who can do anything about it ? See the answer above!

 

 If India wants to relegate 50 over one day format to disuse....... the format will reach the end of the road pronto! So coming back to Lalit Modi's proposal. I think he has a point or two there. 5 day red ball, white dress, test cricket is absolutely beautiful, classical and everything good cricket is all about. Except test cricket is hard to monetise. It should receive support and funding because You can not sustain it by gate money and few sponsors  alone. People also have paucity of time to engage with it fully even when they appreciate it. Money has to come from the shorter T20 format which has the potential to engage several times more people; can be easily organised frequently ; can also have more participating teams that can qualify to play at the world stage and has shown to generate several times more advertising revenue from TV rights. Redistribution of these funds will support test cricket and make all the cricket purists like myself happy.

 

50 over format increasingly fails to fall in either the classical category or in the  revenue generating entertainment category. It can easily be retired to enable strengthening the other  two formats. 

That sounds like a good plan for cricket's future. At least that is what my isometric view shows!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Birds Of a Feather !

 

                    Digital Mosaic of singing bird images

As you grow older, life continues to impart new meanings to old beliefs. The firm knowledge that there is life that ends in death , does not look so firm after all! Depending on your perspective there is no death , since there is life after death! Conversely there is no life apparently for some ; since life can be more cruel than death itself. Some souls can not live a single day because they are so tormented; while some other souls can never die because they are so accomplished.

God is rather benevolent; of course for those that believe ! It does take some insight to recognize the great gifts universe bestows each and everyone of us. These gifts come in various shapes , sizes and kind. Some are in the shape of circumstances. Like getting born into the Kennedy family for instance. Some blessings come in the shape of people that God sends your way; like coach Ramakant Achrekar that came into the life of one little boy named Sachin Tendulkar!  It sometimes takes the shape of a special talent like Leonardo da Vinci; who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect.

The difference between these great achievers and us is 1. They recognized their blessings. 2. They did something about it. Most of the time they really really worked very hard and showed up consistently to nurture what God gifted  them.  When I look back at my own life, since I am now old enough to do so; I see where I dropped the ball. I had several blessings been given to me. Some I lost entirely, some I utilised partially and for others I just did not work hard enough. I Should have drawn more; designed more; written more. I Should have done more of what makes me - me! Sadly I lost motivation, lost vision, lost focus..... Onus of my mediocrity lies entirely with me!

Orchard with Cypresses, a painting by Vincent Van Gogh sold for $117millions in 2022.

Yeah! there is no mistake in the numbers! It is 117 million US dollars for one canvas!  In his lifetime he only sold one solitary work  for 400 francs. Did that stop him from nourishing his blessing ? He worked everyday at his craft. Van Gogh died on 29th July  1890. He was only 37.  Is he really dead? His work is what he was and his works live ! Is he alive?

What would you say about someone who has had an active career spanning 80 years?  Who has recorded 12,000 songs in 20 different languages; most she did not even speak. I can personally vouch for the songs she recorded in the Kashmiri language. Her diction and pronunciation sounds better than mine - and I am a native speaker. She was one face of female Indian playback singing; other being her elder sister - the incomparable Lata Mangeshkar ! At times people compare the two. I think it is an insult to both of them. No two singers are similar but totally different. Maybe we will talk about this concept some time.  Just as an aside their third sister Usha also sings and their brother Hridaynath is a musician. So was their father Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar. Do you see a pattern here? Do you see how God blessed her  firstly by sending her in the right family; then by giving her an inherited talent that got honed by the in house  teacher - her own father. And then providing her the celestial umbrella of an elder sister to look up to for inspiration! This is the very epitome of "Birds of a feather flock together"!

She started singing early with Lata tai to make ends meet since their father passed away when the children were young. Life could not have been a cakewalk! One can only imagine the struggles their family had to endure. The thing is they were honest enough to respect their blessing that God gifted  them- their music. They stayed with it and music returned their loyalty; multiplying it many folds. It elevated them to be the best version of themselves and gave them immortality. Here is a list of some of her iconic songs ( not compiled by Me)  

https://youtu.be/_JAcOdCcqZM?si=VDQyKQXDCTEleoe2

 

My Personal favourites list is very long; spanning almost her entire eight decades long career. Over 100 songs on it; but if you want to know the number one -  here it is. Never fails to bring up a well of emotions, memories, longings and lot of tears.

https://youtu.be/OlvXDGJAMT0?si=6pNPPaotIAUrMAId 

Movie:- Ijaazat (1987)

Song:- Mera Kuch Samaan Tumhare Pas Pada Hai 

Singer:-Asha Bhosle

Lyricist:- Gulzar

Music Director:- R. D. Burman 

Asha Tai , as she is lovingly called worked with several composers. O. P. Nayyar and Asha Bhosle have given some amazing numbers that are on everyone's lips even fifty years later. He is the one who gave her a distinct identity and shaped her career. Blessings can take the shape of adversity too! O.P. Nayyar did not work with Lata Mangeshkar, the reigning diva of Indian music. They had  some professional differences and What God did  instead was to send Asha Bhonsle in his life. The only wildly successful composer of the era that did not work with Lata Mangeshkar gave his best compositions to Asha  Bhonsle and Geeta Dutt to some extent. Absolutely legendary timeless music got  created as the result. You decide who was a blessing and who got blessed!

The composer who really  polished her is R. D. Burman. Most of her modern numbers came from this collaboration. Together they changed the face of Hindi film music forever. Their professional union is the stuff legends are made of.  They were married to each other too. Sadly it did not stand the test of time as well as their professional relationship.

I find it  awkward  saying Asha Bhonsle is no more! Maybe for some she is  no more. However for me Asha Tai meant her music and that lives ! Is she alive or is she dead?  Do the loyal ones ; one's that do not betray their blessings find eternal life? If history is any indication, they do ! They just do not die. They live with you; in your heart; and they will talk to you through the work of their life time. Generations after generations.

Listen these people are a  great blessing universe just put in our lap. They live through their work and deserve  our respect & honour as all  blessings do!

To paraphrase what they say in England , Asha is dead. Long live Asha as her music!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

धुआंधार!

Nabeel Gabol & Rakesh Bedi

नबील गोबोल बिचारा परेशान हो गया है, सफाई पेश करते करते! किस किस को बताए कि वो हिंदुस्तान का जासूस नहीं ! और न उसका दामाद वो अदृश्य आदमी जो पाकिस्तान में भारत के दुश्मन साफ कर रहा है। अरे भाई मसाला फिल्म है, कोई डॉक्यूमेंट्री नहीं!  बस यही तो है वो बात जिसने इस फिल्म को मकबूल कर दिया। सत्य की कहानी के साथ बनी कॉकटेल! जबरदस्त!

 

चलो शुरू से बताता हूं। तो भैया मैने धर की धुरंधर नहीं देखी। थोड़ा बहुत जो सुना वो बहुत घिसा पिटा लगा। उस पर रणवीर सिंह भी इतना पसंद नहीं। मेरे न देखने से कोई फर्क नहीं पड़ता, फिल्म खूब चली। अब पार्ट 2 भी देखने का कोई इरादा न था। पर मेरी घर में कोई खास नहीं चलती। टिकट भी मेरे से ही बुक करवाई गई; गाड़ी भी मै ही चला कर ले गया। इसलिए बोलूंगा भी मै ही!

 

हाल लगभग पूरा भरा था, तो समझो अभी दो तीन हफ्ते नेटफ्लिक्स पर नहीं आएगी। पहले अच्छी अच्छी बातें बताता चलूं। फिल्म में सच को बड़ी सफाई से कहानी में मिलाया गया है। कहानी सच ही लगती है। कई पात्र असली शख्सियतों पर आधारित है जिन्हें दर्शक देखते ही पहचान जाते हैं। फिल्म में नवाज शरीफ और जरदारी है ,छोटे से रोल में। जरदारी के 10% कमीशन का जिक्र है। नबील गाबोल  जासूस है, जिसकी बेटी हमारे हीरो की बीबी है। भारत के NSA डोभाल का अहम रोल है।

सबसे अच्छी बात जो मुझे लगी कि फालतू की चुम्मा चाटी और ठूंसा हुआ रोमांस नहीं है। हीरोइन नई है, ठीक लगती है; जिसके करने को कुछ खास नहीं है।

 

फिल्म में बलूचिस्तान की आजादी की लड़ाई को कथानक में पिरोया गया है। बलोच खुश होंगे उससे। पाकिस्तानी आर्मी को भला बुरा कहा गया है। उनके बांग्लादेश में किए गए बलात्कारों और उनकी हार का कई बार जिक्र आता है। टेरेरिज्म से लड़ाई की बात है, पाकिस्तानियों से नहीं।

पाकिस्तानी थोड़े नाखुश रहेंगे पर देखो ये हुआ तो था।

 

नोट बंदी को कहानी में पिरोया गया और अतीक अहमद को ISI का गुर्गा बताया गया। यू पी  के इलेक्शन  में माफिया और ISI का साथ ऑपरेशन भी दिखाया है। ये वजह बनी सरकार विरोधी लोगों के फिल्म के प्रति नफरत की। मुझे ज्यादा प्रोपोगंडा जैसी समस्या नहीं दिखी।

देखो अतीक अहमद माफिया था; पुलिस प्रशासन सब उसकी जूती पर था! 500/1000 की करेंसी बंद हुई थी । चाय वाला प्रधान मंत्री बना था। फिल्म ने बस इसका उपयोग अपनी कहानी बताने में किया। जो नाराज़ हो तो वो घर बैठे! कोई जबरदस्ती तो दिखा नहीं रहा। टिकट कोई सस्ती है?

एक पाकिस्तानी दोस्त ने बताया कि रहमान डकैत इतना बड़ा कैरेक्टर नहीं था जितना फिल्म में दर्शाया गया है। दोस्त समझदार है, सही कह रहा होगा! उससे भी बड़ी बात है कि मुहाजिर कौमी मूवमेंट और कराची के राजा अल्ताफ हुसैन को कहानी ने छुआ तक नहीं। चलो!

 

फिल्म वैसे भी लंबी बहुत है ;चैप्टर पे चैप्टर। मेरे विचार में स्क्रिप्ट को थोड़ा और टाइट किया जाना चाहिए था। ऐसे लगता है नेटफ्लिक्स की 13 पार्ट की सीरीज एक साथ देख ली हो। निर्देशक का यह डिटेलिंग हो सकता है पर मुझे अति लगी। कैसे बताए; क्या बताए;  क्या छोड़ें; यही तो निर्देशन है। 

 

हीरो है, गोली लगती नहीं, चाकू से वो  मरता नहीं। बीबी को उसकी कई साल पता नहीं चलता कि ये मुसलमान नहीं। खतना, नमाज़, रोजा कुछ उसे दिखा नहीं! उसका अपना बाप इंडियन एजेंट है। गजब!  निर्देशक ने ये डिटेल क्रिएटिव लाइसेंस पर छोड़ दी।  ऐसा न हो तो फिर हिंदी फिल्म क्या होगी। अंत में हीरो अपनी गली के मुहाने से लौट आता है। इस पर थोड़ी बहस हो सकती है। क्यों? बहन के पति को मारा था; माँ पहचान न पाई तो नाराज़ हो गया; वो मरा रहेगा तो घर पैसा आता रहेगा...... थोड़ा  सा ओपन एंड है। दिमाग पे जोर लगेगा और ये ऐसी इंटेलेक्चुअल फिल्म नहीं है तो इस से एकदम झटका लगता है।

 

फिल्म में हिंसा धुआंधार है। कुछ लोगों को बहुत ज्यादा लगेगी। खास तौर पे कटते अंगों के दृश्य और कटे सर से फुटबॉल खेलने वाले सीन विचलित कर सकते है। पर भैया लियारी में पठान और बलोच की गैंग वार सच में थी/ है। हिंसा और खून खराब आम सी बात है। महात्मा बुध के जीवन पर ये कहानी नहीं बनी। फालतू का मीन मेंख नहीं न चाहिए!

  

और फिर  एक भारतीय होने के नाते कुछ मुस्कराहट आती है। काश ऐसे धुरंधर सच में हों जो आतंकवादियों को निपटा रहे हों। काश सच में दाऊद इब्राहिम को  रॉ ने स्लो पॉयजन दिया हो। थोड़ा विशफुल और फिल्मी  है !  पर फिर ये फिल्म ही तो है, क्यों?

 

रणवीर सिंह ओवर द टॉप , अतिरंजित एक्टिंग करता है, अब ये रोल ऐसा ही था तो चल गया। राकेश बेदी ने मौके का सही उपयोग किया। आर माधवन , अजीत डोभाल के रोल में जचते हैं। बाकी सब भी ठीक हैं। मेक अप आपको पसंद आयेगा। संगीत कुछ ज्यादा नहीं है। ABBA का रा रा रासपुतिन गाना बड़ी द्विअर्थी मायने में इस्तेमाल हुआ है। रा रा.... समझे? 

लो भैया लिखते लिखते टीवी पर पहली भी देख डाली। सारी बातें वही हैं; दूसरी थोड़ी बेहतर है। ऑस्कर फिर नहीं मिलेगा! पर बॉलीवुड ने स्पाई फिल्म के नाम पर आजतक जो कचरा कूड़ा परोसा है उसको देखते हुए कोई हैरानी नहीं कि इस फिल्म को बॉक्स ऑफिस से इतना प्यार मिला। याद करें पाकी स्पाई और इंडियन स्पाई...प्यार...स्विट्जरलैंड में गाना...मिल के एक तीसरे बेनाम से दुश्मन का कूंड़ा..। 

उल्टी आती है; इतनी हिपोक्रेसी !

अलग से देखें तो ये दोनों 5/10 फिल्में  है। 4 घंटे फ़ज़ूल के पड़े हों तो एक बार आप देख सकते हैं। बस ये दुआ करें कि धुरंधर 3 न बने! हीरो की बीबी और बच्चा उधर नबील गाबोल के पास पाकिस्तान में रह गए है ! भगवान न करे भाई गड्डी लेकर, रस्ते में, सड़क पर, इक मोड़ से उधर निकल पड़े। बहुत ज्यादा हो जाएगा !! 

 

Solid, Liquid, Gas!

AI generated representative picture of a sixtes Gas station.

Matter is indestructible. It can not be created or destroyed; only transformed. Which actually is just a rearrangement of its atoms. French chemist Antoine Lavoisier explained this in 1789. Matter exists in three primary states—solid, liquid, and gas—defined by particle arrangement and energy. Solids have a fixed shape and volume with tightly packed, vibrating particles. Liquids have a definite volume but take the container's shape, with particles that slide past each other. Gases fill their container, holding no fixed shape or volume. 

 

Gas forms the most part of space. It  actually is plasma which consists of ionized hydrogen and helium. Gas apparently is the most common state of everything! Yes I said it ! Even humans and human interactions! Let us not go into the morbid area of death eventually transforming one into smoke; but let me give you a story from a gas station. Yeah a petrol pump is called that in a large part of the world!

 

I was new those days and as I went in to fill up my car at a self serve pump, I saw another customer doing so at an adjacent pump. He was quite a bit older than I was. We kind of finished filling up at the same time and I let him walk ahead of me to go in the store to pay for it. I was lined up behind him at the counter and could not help hearing this conversation. So when he asked for the amount owing for his pump the attendant gave him a number. This person was surprised," that's a lot, how? Gas is 43 cents isn't it? He asked. The counter person said, " That's right but you filled premium gas, that is 55." "Damn !" said the customer and then he turned to me and said, " I don't care, it is my wife's car".

 

I was shocked to the core by this statement; as you can imagine!  24 years later I still remember this incident. "My wife's car"! So his wife must have pushed him to go get the car filled; he came in and filled  the expensive stuff without care. High octane gas is usually used in High end or sports models and  is not required for regular cars. He then  paid for it, I am assuming with his wife's credit card. The loss was entirely his wife's and not his! I am certain he never told his wife about it either! 

 

What was the state of his marriage you think; Solid, liquid , or gas? I was a decade into my marriage and I assume this guy was likely into a much longer one but the loss was not his ! The loss was not his! Imagine! What the Fish were they together for ?

 

It was not just a marriage that is all gas - no shape, volume or form; other relations are in a similar state. It was driven home to me as I attended a party soon after. So I got talking to a person at the party. We chatted about things and politics and life. He seemed fairly well informed and a decent sort. Then he threw a bomb! "You know" , He said; I gave my son a great deal"! Oh! how? I asked. , " I let him stay in my basement for $400 till he got a job again"! The rent is about $ 2000/month now but in those days the going rate for a basement apartment was $800. He expected me to appreciate his kindness. I did murmur a diplomatic "Nice"!  

 

In my heart I simply despised his heartless, graceless greed ! This was rent being charged by a father to his own child who had actually lost his job! How horribly mean! I in his place would rather put a bullet through my head before Such a thought crosses my mind! This I am afraid is the state of all the relations  - Gas, gas and more gas! It does liquefy from time to time to fill the shape of selfish goals  but I do not think any thing is in  a solid state any more.

 

Just check all that is happening in the world. We can say "Gas" in a nut shell. Someone has it, someone wants it and someone is ready to kill and be killed  to control it. From Venezuela to Iran to middle east and china ; even Ukraine war is a question of gas in many ways. In India gas is the star question! Actually In India apparently there is no shortage of cooking gas and there is a shortage. As soon as the supply chain got strained people started hoarding cylinders creating a crisis to profit from; where no shortage existed. As an exception to the rule  the selfish greed is solid!

That reminds me of a time when after spending the evening together I used to go drop someone off  at her rented apartment, which she shared with a classmate. Invariably she would ask and I stayed for dinner which she cooked. I used to eat with her and then go back home where I ate again to avoid questions and information on where I had been. There, do you see my relation with family was less than solid ?

For about six months we played 'house'. A foretaste of how it could be in future together. I adored every minute of it but in time it proved to be my gross over expectation. 

A political assassination and severe civil disturbance as its aftermath also happened during this period. I read somewhere that bonds get stronger when you go through a dangerous situation together. Like forged in fire. 

So what really happened  during those riots is that being young and restless  I got very uneasy and decided to rescue her to the relative safety of a family. Off I went on a bicycle. Completely unmindful of the raging riots on the roads I cycled about 20 km from my home in the very east end of the city to the last neighbourhood of Bhogal, close to lajpat nagar III in central south of the metropolis. I pedalled back with my rescued passenger on the cycle carrier. It is a miracle we remained safe and unmolested; exposed on the lawless roads like that! On reflection this was quite foolhardy on my part. I really put her in the harms way during the long ride. She would have been as safe at her apartment. It was a gated railway staff colony. Retrospective vision is always 20/20. I was a devil may care youngster and did not think straight. Just between you and me I would do it again even when I know now that it was pointless!

Just for the  record it did not make our bond solid. Everything ended in ash and smoke ! Literally! What did Lavoisier tell us about material? It can not be created or destroyed. Same with this bond. It just appeared when there were dozens of completely valid reasons against it. It was burned down with vengeance so long ago that not a vestige should have been left by now. It has gotten transformed into  a state of dissipating energy instead, that has lost all vigour. Its elements are far far apart and diffusing further and further away in the ether on their never ending journey.

 

Someday, when I get transformed into diffusing atoms myself our paths might cross again; or not! My atoms colliding with the energy of the bond! Their resonance will be something solid...perhaps ! Maybe not, since gas is the most enduring state of things!

 

 

 

Churr Chot!

 digitally created representative image of a Shikara in Dal Lake

Growing up the question was," where were you when Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon"? Well I for one was too young to remember . Anyway We came to know about a man on the moon in our school morning assembly. They used to have senior students  read from the newspaper. Must have been a few days later. Do you know if they read out news in the morning assembly these days ? An earlier  generation used to ask, "where were you when USA detonated nuclear devices over Japan and effectively ended the world war II"? Of course I was not even born! Do I look that old? 

 

I can tell you where I was when I definitely knew I love 'Churr Chot' (छुर चोट )! Have patience, I will tell you what it is! It is a crepe made out of rice flour. Coarse thick rice grain flour works best. The sound 'Churr' is the sizzling sound it makes as you put the batter on the griddle and 'chot' translates as bread, flat bread in this case. Actually it is a savoury sizzling crepe. It of course is from my native land; Kashmir. There are some differences but if you have had plain dosa from the south of India; It is similar.  A number of cuisine  world wide have a related item.

 

Essentially you take a little rice flour ; add some salt to taste; add some cumin seeds and optionally add a pinch of baking soda. That's it. Make a runny batter; use cold water and let it stand for a few minutes unless you are in a hurry! Traditionally it is cooked in mustard oil. That imparts  its unique flavour and  that bit of a sharpness to taste loved by connoisseurs. You can use sunflower oil or vegetable oil instead if you do not have mustard oil or can not bear its pungency. it is a bit of an acquired taste. Do not use butter, please! So spread a teaspoonful oil on the hot griddle and spread some batter thinly on it in a circular shape. keep the heat medium to low. let it cook for about two minutes or until bottom is crisp. Add few drops of oil to the sides if it feels too dry. There is no need to cook both sides. In fact a crisp side with a little soft gooey inside tastes best. Enjoy  fresh with a hot cup of sweetened tea. Traditionally it is eaten with kehwa which is also a kind of tea. Kehwa flavoured with cardmom and a strand or two of saffron is something to die for!

 

As I was telling you I was in my maternal grandmother's massive kitchen. I lived there for the first couple of years of my life. Sort of my foster home! why is a bit complicated! My maternal grandma Sonabatani a.k.a. Bhabhi was an exceptional cook and she was making 'Yaaz'. A steamed thick rice flour dumpling with walnut pieces. It is shaped like a conical skull cap. Steamed pieces are slowly crisp fried in oily water in an earthen pot . Another heavenly food made of rice flour that is rarely made these days because of  the time, precise care and culinary expertise it takes. I was young, between 2 to 3 years of age and she gave me one of the 'Yaaz'. I found it hard to handle and my grand ma right away made a small "churr Chot' for me. That was the day and that is where I was when I knew. 

 

I made a few for my breakfast this Sunday with rather mixed results. Which is a polite way of saying they were less than good! Yeah, I still ate all three of them! Don't you give  an evil eye to my appetite! In a tragic twist of fate the same  grand mother  had to live her last days sharing  a one bedroom flat smaller than her kitchen of her own home in the valley of Kashmir, with four other members.  Islamic terrorism had violently uprooted her and  her circumstances had gotten severally reduced. 'Churr Chot' and 'Yaaz' became luxuries sacrificed at  the alter of survival.

 

On that note tell me where were you  when Islamic terrorists blew up the twin  towers in New York? I was finalizing the details of a pavilion design we were doing for Steel Authority of India and getting 1:100 scale model made simultaneously. Presentation was round the corner. That day Nitin, my drafts person who was working on the  Cad file  for me went on a news website and found out about it. "Ashutosh Sir"; he shouted! I was  with the freelance model maker one door down the hall !

 

 'Churr Chot' is a life long love  but isn't there  something  called 'love of a life time'? Where were  you when you finally knew you have found it? If you did?  One day in August long time ago I took a late night bus to another city. I arrived early morning. I brushed  my teeth and changed my tee shirt at the bus terminal; walked to a girls hostel and sent a message through the security guard. Person I had  travelled to see came out holding an unfinished sandwich from her breakfast. She shared her sandwich with me ; grumbled a little but missed her class too for me.  We went to a municipal park not too far away. That park was not exactly the garden of Eden!

 

Soon it started drizzling lightly and it became a lot cooler. She was wearing a blue skirt and I am partial to blue on a women; specially Ultramarine and Prussian blue. She looked like the most beautiful women on earth. I looked on mesmerized! Immediately  I thought She must be cold and I have nothing to cover her  with. I realized I was thinking like her parent; her friend and her lover all at once! I wanted to simply dissolve my entire being into her and make her loose herself in mine! I knew for sure this was it  for life! That is were I was; in that derelict public park! 

 

She did something that day because she has occupied every cell of mine since. I have failed completely to get her out. I Can't really figure out what in the blazes this connection is. I am crazy; because a life time has passed since and I have nothing to show for all those decades. I received nothing but a lifelong stain  and this person  does not even exist any more in this physical dimension except in my memory! A seriously shrunk version of this person does exist somewhere. They are in their comfort zone and do not care any more; even about basic courtesy! Maybe this is happening in an alternate reality that I just do not comprehend. I don't know !

 

It is rather pointless now but I will tell you where I was when I definitely knew I am no longer in her life! I did not want to believe it at the time though! It did get confirmed a day or two later when I got stranded because my person  had to go shopping with her 'friend'. I had only travelled 5000 km to see her; not so important! was it ?

 

Ironically it was a place diametrically opposite to that dreary little park we talked about previously.  Kashmir valley is one of most beautiful places on earth. Before Islamic terrorism destroyed it millions visited it for tourism and on special occasion like honeymoons and romantic getaways. So there we were sitting next to each other in a Shikara enjoying a lazy boat ride in the calm waters of the Dal lake. Venice is no match to what you can experience on the Dal lake with the right company. 

 

It was a bright sunny day. It might as well have been gloomy and cloudy. My companion on the boat was emotionally absent! There was no warmth in her voice; much less any love; but she was talking constantly. It was all about the richness of her friends, their car, material things she missed getting her hands on, a fourth party that tried to date her! Everything but 'us'. it was all very performative. Much later I realized it was a mechanism to avoid having a substantive discussion with me or giving me a honest   sit-rep.  It was clear that I was always a convenience and never a commitment. I was a poor  rejected option and by showing up I had become an annoyance. An irritant that needed to be kept stalled in a web of dishonest lies by bread crumbing and finally ghosting. It was a carefully planned and calibrated maneuver. Betrayal, as you know, is never a mistake. It is a choice that requires detailed planning, clear will and serious action.

 

Yeah, I was with the person of my dreams; in one of the most romantic places on earth, floating gently on a boat on a serene lake. It was a bright sunny beautiful day! It was such a good day to die! Wasn't it? Innocent pure version of myself; one with an empathetic heart died that day.  Irony of the situation is not lost on you; is it?

 

I am a grounded person. Fought really hard with my demons for decades to achieve this balance. I am not looking for anything at this stage of life. I do not need to prove anything and I do not require outside validation. However at times I wonder where were they when they decided betrayal is better than taking responsibility for a relationship. Abandoning and running away is better than  showing up for your person? Where they decided it is beneficial  to get money for their self respect, identity, professional career, family and culture. Where were they when they decided unconditional love should be sacrificed for their selfish lust?  Where were they when they decided strategic lying and planned silence is easier than  accountable action and  honest communication? Where did they resolve to treat people; who only gave them love, even when they were not in a good place; like toilet paper?  Where were they when they decided it is OK  to be impervious to the near mortal pain they are  causing; to be rude; disrespectful; pathetically cold and hide away?

 

Where were they when they decided it validates them to sleep with their married boss! Supposedly a 'pregnant' friend's husband. In a hotel room somewhere in the city! Perhaps during one of their trysts at a scenic spot, where they told me  it would require a 'car'!

 

Anyway it is a never ending game! This  'where were you'! Try some of your own life events. It might illuminate your understanding of the ways of the world. By the way isn't it quite amazing how devouring a couple of sizzling crepe for breakfast could unleash this runaway train of old memories and  wildly berserk thoughts in me!

 

Listen , if nothing else try making a 'Churr Chot'. Chances are you will like the taste and years from now you will have a  'where were you' story. Only better than mine! I hope! Many blessings of ' Navreh'; Kashmiri new year and also a new year for most of the Indian communities.

 

 

 

 

सौनथ!

वसंत आगमन की शुभ कामनाएं!

The Family Feast !

My grandmother Umawati died in her early forties. She had a rather short life sadly. My youngest uncle was eight. I was not going to be born for another four years and my father was a post graduate student. My youngest aunt was  yet in high school. My grand father was close to retiring from his job at the post office.

 

My grandfather had remarried as his first wife had passed  just a few years into marriage leaving behind a boy and a girl. Someday we will talk about these two but not today. This was my grandfather's one of the two major  regrets in life. His companions did not survive long enough and left him facing life alone! He confided this to my mother when she joined the household as the new daughter in law. He was not lucky in the matter of the opposite gender, should we say!  The other regret was that he could never beat 'Shav talang' in swimming as at 6'4" he was a full 2" taller than my grandfather.  Shav talang was a mockery of the name Shiv and came from raw envy of the length of his stroke; I assume!

 

If my mother is to be believed, " My grandfather was a loving, caring, intelligent  and a principled individual. He was quite broad minded as a father in law, specially for the era he lived in. He was very empathetic to the enormous responsibilities my mother as a nineteen year old young daughter in law had to shoulder from day one! A true father figure; my mother believes that his spiritual blessings are the reason we did well in life after starting with nothing in hand. 

 

Around this time of the year two stories always circle back in my mind; stories my father has told me. They are important and I' ll tell you how!

First story is from our village; Safapora. The village is on the banks of Manasbal. This is the biggest freshwater lake of India.  We all talk of this economic system and that system but our village had the perfect system. The system was fair to everyone and  this is how it worked: 

 

We had a bit of a land and grew paddy. So Rice is all we had but there  was a lot of rice. Another neighbour had no land and they worked on the lake growing lotus.  They had access to a lot of fresh succulent lotus roots.

Some others in the village had  nothing so they caught fish for a living. Some others grew oil seeds, or fresh vegetables from their little patch. Specially collard greens; hakh in Kashmiri. That is it, you get the idea. Village had everything they needed and no one needed any money or a shop to buy these items individually. A barter system was established by common consent so X amount of item 1 is equal to Y amount of item 2. It took into account fair wages for everyone and a fair price for your inputs in producing that item. You could exchange any good or service for the good you want. You wanted a haircut, just take along five lotus root stems to pay for it. If this sounds Utopian; it is. In a very good way! Nobody went hungry in the village and everyone had almost similar  plentiful nourishment. Even much later it was not uncommon to pay the teacher of your children in eggs! Society was inter dependent, cohesive and harmonious. 

 

Why I always remember this is because my father has always joked about small quantities of the menu items we have cooked for the feast after Shivratri. Herath as we call it is the biggest celebration in Kashmir Hindu society. Inviting Lord Shiva to your house; include so many other deities, bhairavs and celestial beings  and  celebrate his wedding with Ma Parvati is the height of Kashmir Shaivism. My father has always bragged about how his mother would barter 40 seers of paddy and get 8 seers of fish for the feast. Seer is close to a kilo gram, 933.10 grams to be exact.

 

There are a few theories but generally it is believed Islamic invasion of Kashmir and their ruthless barbaric rule forced the society to add meat even into the worship rituals. The society caved in and did so in order to at least save their traditions and avoid forced conversions to Islam. About 90% of the population still became victims.

Although most people today have shunned the practice of adding meat to the main worship. It is considered a serious violation of the sanctity and purity of the ritual, forced on the Hindu community by the tyrannical Islamic rule as an insult to our faith and  as a running indignity for the Hindu society. 

 

The feast afterwards  still has non vegetarian items on the menu! No matter what the logic, the fact is that Sanatan Dharma is organic. It grows and modifies as the time and place changes.  Dharma as they say is informed by the era you live in and the geographical place you are at. It is not necessary to follow a ritual that has outlived its necessity. A lot of people I know like my family no longer has any meat of any kind during the entire festival including the  big feast for friends and family afterwards. We do think we have cleaned up our spiritual karma! What do you think?

 

Anyway the whole idea was to showcase what an non exploiter, egalitarian economic system is and how these micro economic systems were  self sufficient and infinitely better than the greedy consumerist capitalism or the disaster of the socialist central planning. 

 

Remember I told you about the passing of my grandmother. It happened late evening/early night during the bitter cold months; I forgot which month ! Apparently just after Shivratri festival if my memory serves me right. First thing in the morning next day; before even  the dawn had broken out; my father being the most available young man was tasked to fetch our priest ; Guru ji, in our parlance to preside over her last rites. My father trudged through the dark, slushy, cold  downtown streets to his house. Cold frozen muck smeared his thin rubber shoes; he was shivering in the bitter cold despite him carrying coal burning clay fire pot called Kangri under his cloak called  Feran.  It was dark still so he also took a torch and a stick to ward off stray dogs.

 

Guru ji was not home. His wife told my father that he had gone to the bathing ghats for his daily morning rituals. My father was surprised ... in this cold! Anyway he made his way to the river and got the shock of his life! Guru ji was praying mid stream in the icy cold half frozen river with just a loin cloth for cover. My father looked mesmerized as Guru ji took his own  time ; finished his bath unhurriedly and completed the entire morning chants and ritual worship before he finally came out of the water and  saw my father. Why are you here son, he asked?

 

On their way home he explained a little bit about discipline and how It is his duty as brahmin to be as pure physically; mentally and spiritually as  he could. Not only for his own journey in this world but for his "yazmans" ; people that depend on him to guide them spiritually  and conduct different Dharmic rites. 

 

Imagine; can you even imagine how honest this person was ? How dedicated; how unselfish ; how responsible to his calling ? I do not care what his knowledge of scriptures was; although given his behaviour I am certain he learned them with the same unwavering focus; dedication and pure honesty.  What a shining example he set for  the young man that my father  then was.  And it was all done by his choice of actions and not by some lofty talk. When I look at my father's life I can clearly see the  reflections of that morning of lessons that our family Guru ji imparted. Honesty is measured by what you do when no one is watching!

 

Where are such people now and how  in the blazes are we not more like them ? I do not have an answer or at least and an answer that I can squarely face! 

This story comes to mind every Shivratri because as the eldest son and the fact that my wife is a  votary of the traditional value system; my parents have handed over the responsibilities of Herath and several other yearly rituals of a Kashmiri brahmin  household to us. In fact everything  has been handed over to us.

My parents are thankfully here  and it is not my turn yet.  Trouble is they are  old and I am so inadequate! Nevertheless it is my responsibility now and I have to conduct the worship myself since no guru ji is accessible here. I always remember the story of our Guru ji wistfully ! Realization that I am short on physical, mental and spiritual purity; short on the knowledge of rituals; short on honesty and pretty much every other requirement, becomes so overbearing. 

Only thing that keeps us going is that no matter what; I can't fail my parents. These old traditions that our ancestors held on to even at the cost of their life and limb during the worst of hundreds of years of Islamic tyranny, slow exodus from our homes in the valley throughout centuries; suppression, cruelties, brutality, conversions and the barbaric Hindu Holocaust of the last forty odd years; should not be allowed to  die out. People have continued to follow it when they were living in leaking tents and had nothing! They never gave up when under the Islamic tyranny they could loose their head for just worshipping. They put just three walnuts in a small bowl of water and maintained the ritual even under most trying challenges, tragedies and personal crisis! 

I won't let it go! It wont happen! Not on my watch! They have named me after Lord Shiva too! I got to honour that! Remember we are not just this individual body. We are more than our body. अहम ब्रह्मासमी. "I am the cosmos" , says a saying. We are from God and we are part of our ancestors. If you actually read Sanskrit you'll realize a number of our rituals including the worship for Shivratri includes not our direct ancestors from both mother and fathers side. It also includes your in laws. It includes nature, animal kingdom, bees and flies too. I am not kidding! Our souls are close to many and we carry them in us even when our ego fails to recognize this.

 

I will do what I can with my apologies to all Guru ji's and of course with the knowledge that God is always benevolent and forgives our acts of commission and omissions. The tradition is bigger than I am and it will live!

 

आह्वानं नैव जानामि नैवजानामि पूजनम ।

पूजा - पाठम न जानामि क्षमयातं परमेश्वर ।।

(God; sorry, I do not know how to address you! Please forgive my ignorance of the principles of the ritual worship!)

I share this Watuk Nath with  all my friends , family and strangers. If you so wish you could  pray to it too  for an abundance of peace, wisdom, piety, kindness, wealth of  true friends and good health. In fact your prayers will complete what my worship has lacked! May Lord Shiva bless you!

Herath' Poshte'!