Phir Mile Sur?... Not at all!

The Times of India Group and Zoom have launched "Phir Mile Sur" on the 60th Republic Day of India. This new version of that famous song "Mile Sur Mera Tumhara" which made you shudder every single time it was played on Doordarshan is supposed be an endeavor to rekindle patriotism and remind us of the "Unity in Diversity" mantra that India stands for. I remember how years back, while waiting for a movie to begin or during the 5 mins break in between a serial and the news, the magical tune would suddenly be heard on my 18 inches Weston TV and I would run from any corner of the house to lip sing along. My gramma, hailing from a musical background, would help me identify the stalwarts of the music world featuring there right from Pandit Bheemsen Joshi to Shivkumar Sharma. The names used to be so difficult to remember then but somehow they still managed to create a sense of pride whenever I thought about belonging to the same country as them.
Having grown up singing the song in all Indian languages although not having a word-to-word translation, seeing the places that seemed to exist in different world and looking at faces of people belonging to varied race and culture, I could easily accept them all as part of my extended and extensive kin and understand that I share my brotherhood and my National Anthem with people who look different, talk different yet share the mutual feeling of "Oneness".                                                            
The simplicity of technology, people and culture which was reflected in the original version was so true to the  then country. It was a bias-free video showcasing the myriad colours of the nation with shades of township along with the tinge of village-life. When children clad in different colours were shown marching from three different directions to form human-tricolor in sync with the enticing music in back-ground,  it surely sent a chill across the spines of millions of viewers every single time.
Has the new version been even close to getting us there? Has it been able to evoke in us the same sense of belonging for the nation? Has it been able to make us even a little proud of who we are? I certainly doubt. The video for me is nothing more than a visual delight that brings together the celebrities of tinsel town repeating their signature steps on screen, though for a much-heard-song this time. Ironically, even most of the musicians shown in the video are those who have strong media presence. And why  should it not be so when the video itself is an initiative by Zoom and the TOI group who are  the best known people for owning registered recepies of NEWS creation.

For God's sake, India is NOT prominently about Bollywood only. Where are those individuals who have contributed to the nation in other varied fields such as Business, Science, Politics, Armed Forces, etc.  Haven't they done enough to qualify featuring into the video sending message of National Unity and Accord? They have conveniently been left out only because their profiles weren't 'glamorous' enough to accelerate the TRP rating of channels the video would be played on. Isn't one of the responsibilities of such an initiative is  also to educated the masses and inform them about the facts they need to be proud of and NOT show them the same faces which are already there in every second TV commercial, in every game and chat show and even in the social campaigns these days across all channels? Ironically, this great song depicting country's Oneness has been reduced to a just-another-filler, thanks to Zoom and Times of India. Sadly but surely, it horribly failed to leave the impact even close to what the older one had.

The Original 'Mile Sur Mera Humhara'

Phir Mile Sur

A Beautiful Experience!

My friend Christy's wedding... An experience of lifetime that I lived on the 17th of January 2010... Almost a fortnight before the D-day when I had met her, she told me about having me as one of her Bride's Maids and my excitement knew no bounds. Since then, I had been eagerly waiting for her wedding to approach so I get a chance to play the ideal BRIDE’S MAID to this dearest friend of mine:) we watched movies such as Bride Wars, 27 Dresses, etc. to get into the appropriate mood. It was an absolute delight to be able to form an imperative part of the making of the much-awaited nuptials! 

Although being close to Christy right from the initial days of our MBA, I had never imagined that I held this important a place in her life that she would have me as one of the prominent persons on her most special day. Flashing into the memory lane, I see that right from the time when we sat on the first bench promptly taking down notes in first year of college till today when it appears to be a different life altogether, we have always been in close touch atleast during the vital times of each others lives. Strangely enough, we never had any sort of altercations primarily because more than being good friends that we anyways were, there was another special bond that we shared... the "Chechi-Chutki" connection! Yeah, I called her Chechi which is how one addresses elder sisters in Malyalam and she called me Chutki which means the 'younger-one'. It was strange how on most of the issues we seemed to reach an easy consensus even after hailing from completely different school of thoughts. 

To come to think of it, there is actually nothing common between the two of us... Talk about Background - She was born in Kerala and brought up in Dubai which is I-don’t-even-know how many miles away from a town called Darbhanga in Bihar where I grew up. Talk about taste and hobbies - She likes to watch movies, rather is CRAZY about them, can sit through every movie with absolute interest and has the capacity of watching two to three movies back to back and that too in a theater. On the contrary, I like only selected ones which either have absolutely wonderful reviews or stars my favorite actors.... Talk about Career - She is a marketing expert and my specialisation is finance. She worked for a radio and I do consultancy in the field of real estate.... But yeah, there is something that we share - the craze of going foot-loose on a dance-floor but even there the taste of music differs... :)

Well, so the point is even though we are in quite contrast with each-other, there remain some trivial similarities that have been able to strongly keep us together. In fact post college, it was after six months that we met up but we spoke right from where we had left. After spending 4-5 hours or maybe more (I lost a count of hours after a while), we could fill each-other with what was happening in our lives. Honestly, it was then I realised that I share a special relationship with this wonderful person who is as open to me as she gets me to her. There was nothing that kept me from sharing my problems and my shushhed secrets. 

I would have never known how special it feels to be a bride's maid, had she not provided me with the chance. I think I lived the responsibility of the role on the previous day of her wedding more competently than what I did on D-day.  Fortunately having an off from office, I was able to be a company to her for the entire day when she went around winding up her last bit of work before wedding. We roamed around about the city collecting her wedding gown, getting her reception saree ironed, doing some end moment shopping, having a dry-run of her wedding, getting the make-up guy try her hair-do, etc, etc, etc. and finally said a good night after her Rose-Day ceremony.... It was this day when all her bride's maids got to see each other and despite having never met before, made terrific buddies. The war of PJs, comical picture shoot, clumsy dancing, off-tune wedding songs, funny parody, etc. defined our act of fun that left some clapping for us and the rest joining the group.

Having super fun while getting ready together, while singing nuptial hymns and while setting right the make-ups and dresses of each other to exhibiting the efficiency of highest order in getting the bride dressed before the reception was how we proficiently lived up to the role of Bride’s Maids! Christy no doubt looked like a dream! Beauty to its peak and serenity to its superlative degree! Everything… just everything was so perfect about her and her wedding. 

The journey throughout the day was full of excitement and fun. The venue became a rendezvous of all old and new friends who were in the best of dresses and spirits cheering loudly for the prime reason behind them all being together. The entire ceremony was a brilliant combination of grandeur and sophistication. Beautiful people, beautiful place, delicious food and mesmerizing atmosphere got us all joyed and keyed-up. With the culmination of the function, as we headed home, while the others carried with themselves the fondness of this wonderful day, I had with me A Beautiful Experience which is very special and would remain a book-marked page of my diary!

Movie Review

After a long time, I got a chance to watch a movie... and this was one that I had been eagerly waiting for... 3 idiots. With its release, the movie went house-full across all shows in every single theater of the city. Obviously that gave me all the more reasons to let loose the reins on my patience. I had to watch it and watch it soon enough before I get to know any bit of the story from some loud-mouth who, having already watched it, would blurt out the most interesting parts during a casual conversation over a cup of coffee or a meal table.

Finally, I had the opportunity to go for it on the Saturday night in a local theater close to my residence. Caring little for the kind of crowd that would be present there, I was elated to be able to watch it the very first weekend of its release. Although being conscious about not getting late for the movie, I reached only after the show had begun :(

Some initial confusion was faced in finding the allotted seats but once seated, there was no hiatus in the entertainment for next three hours. From the humour to emotions to drama to the inherent message and the stupidity of the college students... it proved out to be pure pack of entertainment which kept me engrossed till the very end. The common college jargon that we all have been used to in student life, the pranks that we have either master-minded or have been a victims to, the weirdest of nick-names that we have called our best friends with... all these and more put together formed this laughter riot that left me with an aching stomach and teary eyes by the end of the fantastic three hours.

The 'Aal izz Well' mantra, the unconventional names of characters, the speech scene, the discussion on the staircase between the three friends, the examination paper-submission incident and scene where Rancho gives a task to the class are some of the best ever parts that tickled every single nerve in my body. I don't even remember when was it after Dil Chahta Hai, that i enjoyed a movie to this extent. The film-makers have ensured we return to our college days and jump with ecstasy upon identifying with characters or scenes atleast a couple of time during the show.

Despite having some unrealistic parts which tried hard to break the momentum, the movie remained a definite treat of 3 hours. Its an experience to live and relive. I would be willing to watch it all over again to have entertainment devoid of any filth and vulgarity, to enjoy the brilliance of cinema that is a rarity in India and most importantly to learn the mantra of "Aal izz Well" which has become an absolute necessity these days. They are right when they say that the movie has a repeat value... it would most certainly find its place in my archives atleast!