Qaid-e-aaina

Yun fursat se tera deedar karte hain,
Lo is baat ka hum aaj izhaar karte hain.

Jo talo aftaab mein nazrein chaar huin,
Shab-e-mahtab tak aahein beshumaar bharte hain.

Kabhi laton ko suljhaana, kabhi aankhon ka sharmaana,
Har mizaaj ko tere, aks mein barqarar rakhte hain.

Bas is aaine se ab humein nikaale koi!



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talo aftaab  - sunrise
shab-e-mahtab - moonlit night
mizaaj - mood
aks - reflection
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p.s. not sure if "qaid-e-aaina" is a legitimate phrase.

Tragedy

"Need a psych", he cried
"An awful script", he decried
So Aeschylus lied.

Are we in luck, for potluck ?

Some are couples, some are single,
But it is always good to mingle,
So call this an idea, or a jingle.

There is no time to duck,
We must show some pluck,
And try for a POTLUCK!

Weekends are far and few,
Well, other days can also do,
So are we ready to cook, grill, and brew?

If schedules permit,
Let us share some food, humour and wit,
For we can all do with more of it!

Kaiku ?

me-ra yeh hai-ku

ba-hut gha-ti-ya ho-ga

daant-na ma-na hai

Baje Sargam Har Taraf Se...

There are a couple of thoughts of interest for this post. I can't seem to find the patience or focus to express it as part of a seamless narrative, so I shall keep them as separate bullets.

1. Coke Studio

I have a lot of respect for the people at Coke Studio in Pakistan. Firstly, their supremely talented house band - such wonderful camaraderie, their trance-like expressions in every performance, the satisfaction on their faces...so much to like about them, so much to learn from them. But recently, as I was watching a behind-the-scenes clip from their upcoming episode, I couldn't help but admire the man management skills of its producer, Rohail Hyatt. His ability to interact with different kinds of artists with equal panache was quite awe-inspiring. As a viewer, I get the impression that each performer, be it the house band or the guest artist, is provided with his/her own creative space, which is probably the most critical element for a collaborative process. This came across strikingly in this particular clip featuring Ustad Naseeruddin Saami, a renowned classical vocalist from Karachi, Pakistan. 

Oh, such a wonderful video! The genuine respect, or 'adab', for such a senior artist is manifested, in their words, when spoken to the artist, or amidst each other, but also through subtle mannerisms, such as the floor seating. Rohail also seems to be doing such a wonderful job of facilitating communication between the artist and the house band. A lot of the credit for this experience must also go to the editing and video departments of the organization! Kudos!

I might just be way off the mark here, but Coke Studio@MTv, in their efforts to cash in on this well-established brand of Coke Studio, seem to have neglected some of these finer aspects, which makes their sister show across the border so endearing. Also, by not providing access to the audio/video of the performances for free, the show significantly distances itself from its fan base. It is an indication that they are not quite confident of their final product and hence would not like an extensive postmortem to be done. Also, to expect that the audience must simply trust the brand of "Coke Studio" to deliver, seems a little naive on their part.

As an aside, its a rather small world: http://www.hindu.com/mp/2011/06/14/stories/2011061422220100.htm

2. Baje Sargam Har Taraf Se

My time away from India continues to provide me with a lot of occasions to remind me of how much more there is to know about the country. Take for instance, the video, 'Baje Sargam Har Taraf Se'. As I attempted to identify the various art forms and the corresponding artists, I realized that my knowledge of the various dance forms is quite limited. Not to mention that I had no clue about the Veena exponent (or even ascertaining what the instrument was - I thought that maybe it was a Rudra Veena! :))

Aside 1: Sundaram Balachander: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sundaram_Balachander#cite_note-3

Aside 2: S. Balachander's performance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My9VUKzssp0

Epilogue:

 I also stumbled upon the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship wikipage, which is the highest honour conferred by the Government of India in performing arts. It is quite a fascinating exercise to see, how many people one is aware of from the list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sangeet_Natak_Akademi_Fellowship

Hemant Kumar

"Just wanted to say that I am around...you don't have to say anything, I don't have anything to say either. But I am around...just letting you know that I am around"

You just sit next to the person. You don't say all those things, but you mean them, just through the action, through the silence.

As wonderful a job the internet does in connecting people, it falls woefully short at critical points. How do you convey that you around to lend an ear, when it is invariably always in your face, that others are always "available"?

As we continue to adapt and get acquainted with the vocabulary of the constantly evolving virtual world, I wonder whether the email  has come to perform the role of "communicating through silence" - the kind I just attempted to describe above.

It lies in your mailbox, waiting for your wholehearted acceptance, but does enough to get your attention. (Of course, you could re-route it, mark it as read, but it is possible to find analogies to those in real life as well.)

Once you have acknowledged its presence, you can continue to read its contents and it is would be like reading the other person's thoughts.

You may choose to respond afterwards, or delete it, or just let it be. But at any rate, the process is not a conversation. It has to be closer to these moments of silence....or may be its just me.

Bhaap

Chashme ko nazarandaaz kiya karte the,
"Andaaz-e-nazar hai yeh!", keh diya karte the.
Jab tum aate to kohre chhaT jaate,
Is matmaile sheeshe ke jo saaf kar diya karte the!

Aur ab yeh zukaam...

Bhaap lene gaye the, ainak sang liye.

Paani ne socha hoga, "miyan kya mazaak hai yeh!"

Safedi de maari ainak pe, bola "ponch to leejiye!"

Ab chamka ki saaf laptop ki screen ko nahin, chashme ko karna tha!