A.R RAHMAN.. MERE BEBASI KA BAYAAN

In   certain facts of life, one should not think even for a while if it is an Exaggeration or real ...  It does not matter what it is... The expression and feeling is important and sometimes it may not even matter, how one interprets or reacts... One such reality is what happens to me when i listen to Aur Ho from Rock star.  Only Rahman can do this ... This has happened to me before, when i heard,  hey ajnabi from dil se, jaage from Guru , Suntha hai from Pukaar, Ahista from swades, Nahin samne from taal, Pyar ye from rangeela, hum hai from kisna, jaane na kahan from jaane tu and few more...

Basically, these songs melt the deep rooted emotional clogs inside us and the release of emotions comes out in the form of a discovery of the self. Essentially these songs do what a successful mediation and prayer ought to be doing... One experiences a deep sense of the contact with the self and also with the hidden pains and pleasures of the world. It seems as if we are in complete rhythm with the best things in the world. The pain seems like the pain; the pleasure like the pleasure and just about everything seems and becomes natural and non synthetic.

The sounds, the rhythms, the voices, the vocals, the mood, the take off, the meat, the end and the mix of all these is so wonderful that, it gives a complete feel.  The wholesome experience that we strive for eternally.. of seeking god or the experience of it many times can be felt when we listen to bebasi or any of the songs that is mentioned above.  It is as if Rahman knows the formula of the bliss and peace, and so he is able to collect the elements from the nature and put it together and give us such master pieces ... He does the music when the whole world is sleeping and when god has time to attend and focus on few things. That’s when he also decides to help rahman to being the best ...  His music is just divine and the experience and joy of travel in his music has to be felt and surely one gets rejuvenated and reverberates with the rhythm of the nature ...  This song from Rock star is one such example.

But one caution to everyone is that, this song like many rahman’s songs can’t be heard in a hurry or as a back ground song or while you are doing something. If one really wants peace and solace from the regular world that each of us live in,  set time for yourself , go for a drive, stop on the high way road, and just remain calm and listen to this or above mentioned songs in isolation and spend time with yourself .

The best way to pamper oneself is to sit quite completely at home all by oneself and sit relaxed, switch off all lights and let the lights from the music system alone be seen, Just listen to this music and that light will seem like a light of the life or universe and we will be completely filled up with energies of joy and peace. That is the magic of rahman’s music ...  This is not for the people who are in a hurry to judge music, or write reviews or make comparisons.  This is for people who are real connoisseurs of music and can take time to listen to music exclusively for themselves and without mobiles and commitments to meet. This song from Rock star, mere bebasi is beyond the basic human relations and we get bliss if we go beyond the realm of fundamental human emotions to understand and experience the song.

Jai ho Rahman....  

DOWN THE MEMORY LANE OF HYDERABAD

The other day, i went to the banana selling pushcart and asked the old man as to why doesn’t he have the cheetiyale mouse ...  He looked at me in wonder and said...  “ Kahan saap , aap jaise purane logaan bahut kamm hain... Assal mein inn logon ko kahan maloom ye sab”. ( In Jest, it means that, people do not know the value of that breed of banana which tastes good and they mistake them to be in the state of getting rotten..  That triggered off some nostalgia in me .. These push carts were a big part of me and my age groups cultural context. The way they would make their presence felt on the streets , in a kind of musical note for selling ,  attracted us ...  The same was the case with the vegetable vendors on the push cart ..  Women and children would spend quite a good time near them , talking , selecting etc and the exercise was a past time and also a regular group activity ...  simple pleasures, bonding between people was a regular feature and there were several such situations in our child hood.  I can’t forget the sounds and sights of tomato vendor and the way he used to sound musical about the price and tomato selling..  Honestly for me, they were the heroes as they simply exuded confidence.. Since the society was a majority middle class, even they would never feel threatened and always felt part of the group.. The bargains were not bitter and they were also like a tease.

The constables, the bus drivers, the bus conductors were our role models.. They are the professions and occupations which was visible to us and owing to their body language, we all felt that they were most happening..  Our games and play time would significantly involve playing those characters.  I still remember playing Bus game for hours together.  There would be a competition as to who should be a conductor and a driver. My sister would always feel that the driver is most powerful as he would decide as to where the bus stops.  Likewise we would play train train , teacher teacher and many common life dramas. We would interestingly weave our own stories.  Playing a doctor was fun without even apron but with some stick for stethoscope. Sometimes i would doze off acting as a patient and it was fun fighting after that.

Life was simple and so was our life style and perceptions.. Happiness and joy was all around.  All we ever sought was simple time and space.  We knew no cribbing, no complaints and no disappointments. Simple games, movie once a month, an ordinary park at central bank koti, occasional trip to Public gardens ( with food packed along with water) ..  The only money spent was for commuting in the bus.. Hence there was no pressure of wanting money for anything..

And yes we would enjoy cheetiyale mouse once a week ... Good down the memory lane ... thanks to that comment of the push cart gentleman...  Feel like saying kahan gaye woh din ... iss shaher ka .  fond memories of growing up in a simple manner .

THE LADY AMITABH .... the face of telugu television

Ask anyone who watches at least one hour of telugu television as to who is their favourite person and anchor... There is no contest, no dilemma and no contradiction and one name that comes to mind in children, women and men... both young and old is Suma....  What makes her such a favourite? Why and how does she continue to rule the television space despite presence for long years.. Film heroines have come and gone... Every field in the entertainment space has seen changes but she is staying strong and will do so for another 5 years very actively...

Suma has not only established the standards for the television anchoring but also has also created a huge gap between her and the rest ... Every show planned by all channels start with the grand plan of launching the show with a new anchor in the name of bringing innovation or thinking out of box and end up requesting the fabulous lady to do the anchoring. . The same situation happens for all the ground events, especially the one that involves big time celebrities.. Suma in the event not only makes it a hit proposition , but she also fills up lots of gaps all the time in what is planned and what is practical .

So the big and also the easy question is why is she preferred and why does she seem like indispensable? For the channels, she is the smooth operator and easy to work with ... A thorough professional, stickler to the time, non fussy and easily adaptable..  She gets into the concept and the role with such ease, making everyone wonder as if it was designed for her..  The way she owns up the concept leaves everyone wonder as to how is it possible that way and hence she is the queen of the small screen.

Alacrity on the set, most amazing spontaneity, terrific sense of timeliness, natural humour, empathy of the participants and inexplicable understanding of the audience is what makes her what she is..  Punctuality, discipline, adjustments, politeness, amicability with the entire crew are probably part of her nature. Its a great pleasure for the entire crew to be working with her..  Anger, arrogance, moodiness, short temper is not known to her ...  one can never miss the pleasantness and smile eternally.. The job on the set turns into a picnic and that reflects in the show output. She may have had some issues, or presence of her children sometime on the set or any discomfort, but the moment the action is announced, she is just romancing with the mike and camera as if nothing exists and nothing else ever matters.. She defines what professionalism is and what is to be a professional.

When the attitude is such , when the learning is constantly happening  owing to the unprecedented openness in her, the show can only be success and the person can only reign the small screen for close to 2 decades now...  What happens when such a person is hosting the show. There is  Success and happiness all the way to the audience,’ untiring joy to millions for ever.

At many public functions women mob her much more,  than they do it for the glamorous divas of tollywood.  They prefer her more than anyone else.. She is treated as the favourite daughter, daughter in law and sister and good family member..  In a way she is blessed to be receiving so much of genuine love from millions.. She deserves every bit of it.  Sometime one gets a feeling that she probably is the only person who can win elections hands down from any constituency in AP, going by the adulation and popularity she has.  But she should never get into politics.

One has to learn from the balance with which she manages family and profession.  Management gurus can get a good topic for research on this.  Her goodness makes her a winner in every situation. She has a deep sense of spirituality and good living and sets a bench mark and standards in personal living also. She is an inspirational personality .

Who can be more naturally witty, having easy communication , pleasant on screen and most entertaining for the family audience than her.  Her performances in Cinemaa awards, her sheer presence in bhale chance le, her multi faceted talent in genes, her versatility in star mahila, her mind blowing panchavataram and her best connect with audience in all events is what people will vouch for , ever and ever .

The best ratings and the record tam ratings have come in all the shows where she was featured , be it Wow, Adrustam or any show .   Suma is MG( Minimum Guarantee) for television and NG for audience ( NO GUILT of waste of time) ...  She is Amitabh of telugu television and the best ever and totally irreplaceable. God bless her and give her a long life in media and public life as the humour quotient , the goodness aspect and commitment and professionalism have become a rare commodity .

Must admit here that its so difficult to write about her as everyone knows her ......... but writing is not always meant to show the knowledge and sometimes an inspiration and wonder can be shared..... Hope it does create same feeling among the most..

KBC AND AMITABH

Television is often talked and perceived as the medium predominantly patronized by women and that they have the control on the remote. Even the TAM data substantiates this.  Only those television channels and programmes do well which cater largely to the women audience and hence serials are more successful and sought after, among all genres of programmes.

But the best and the everlasting is always exceptional and since it is the best, it surpasses all notions and assumptions. Undoubtedly, KBC is the only one which substantiates this view point. KBC is a genre by itself and hence it does not come under any existing stereotype genre or understanding. The show has reality, drama and competition and is also very filmy sometimes.  Most of us know what impact KBC made when it was launched in 2000.  It formed the collective consciousness of india and everyone was talking about KBC everywhere and most of the times. . Movies in the theatres got affected, all television programmes went for a toss and  all of  India got united in aspiring to be part of this programme. One crore was gettable and meeting Mr bachhan was a dream come true..  The chance was seen as accomplishment of life dreams as one crore meant a lot.  There are hundreds of successful stories and hundreds of sad stories too and millions of opportunity lost.

We then saw 2 more seasons ... Channel tasted success partially and people got used to it and so it lost the sheen and excitement.   Then came the recent series and people had their doubts. A show on quiz for 90 minutes and 5 crore ... Someone else wins and we watch it....  not a very invalid thought process.. But such apprehensions and doubts proved totally wrong..  The latest is not only a huge hit but has got back channel  Sony to Number 2 position and is consistently no 2 programme on all india basis.

5 days a week, and every day is 90 minutes.... Trust me, its difficult to go away during breaks, we hesitate to go to wash room during question gaps, nor do we want to take a phone call... Just keep it on for 2 minutes and you are sure to get glued for one hour and 30 minutes.  Its Amitabh all the way.. His care for the people causes,  concern for their conditions, connect to their living ways, empathy, understanding, spontaneity, presence of mind and host of hundred feelings and realities make this show a huge hit.

The information that AB uses about contestants is very engrossing and he makes us feel as if the player is one of our family member and that he or she should not loose.  He brings the aspect of wanting to win for home, for marriage, for education, for charity and for just simple livelihood.  How he connects with the absolute common Indian is a research subject. His smile, his utter sincerity in his eyes, his most warm body language, his movements, his pauses and many inexplicable feelings of him brings moist in the eyes and throat gets choked. Yes we are sure to cry with his very soothing words and expressions.

He wants people to genuinely win the prize and wants to see them happy. He resonates with their feelings and reverberates with their needs..  How it is possible to be so empathetic is always a wonder... There must be a total sense of accomplishment and absolute complacency in him. Not to miss humility and authentic understanding of the common man. He makes us feel that there is a common Indian conscience and that we could naturally and easily feel for the co human and want others to be happy.  It is these qualities which have made him what he is .. Let us also not forget his huge health setbacks and his successful fights to come back.  Life was never easy for him and he comes across as the most concerned family head for all Indian families.  This is very touching when caring for the other is a rare occurrence and when concern is manufactured and when empathy is all about business like.

KBC makes me strongly convinced that the great and the greatest cannot be what they are, unless they have tremendous qualities of a great human. Let us not talk about exceptions here... Good human makes good success and good success brings great quality in all work that happens and that leaves a mark...  Amitabh is the greatest show man that India can ever have and its not KBC but Amitabh which makes the difference or else other stars, in other languages would have tasted some bit of success.

I salute this great Indian who has made a great impact in millions of people like me.. Sometimes i wonder if growing up watching his movies had a great impact or watching and understanding him on KBC has greater impact. For once i want to live in wonder and do not want an answer.

HAPPINESS AND SENSITIVITY

                   If we ask 10 people to define what happiness is....?  We obviously get 10 answers..  Most of us including me really do not know what happiness is and also not know; how we can be happy...  this is said with the assumption that happiness has to be long lasting or forever.  All spiritual knowledge tells us that happiness is being and not becoming. Most of us have read enough material and we keep hearing from many sources on what is being happy and how does one achieve this and all that....

The fundamental law and rule of any living is to be joyful and happy. No one will deny this as everything we do, we do for being happy.  The measure and meaning of the concept keeps changing and this is also different for different people, different generations and different times. All the time, all of us want to be happy but we do not know for sure what it means and why do we fail to be happy.

As long as we keep chasing happiness, it will surely evade us as we are searching and seeking for it everywhere else except inside us... It is embedded all over us .  It is deep rooted inside us and we need to get in touch with it.  The nature of the happiness is that, its very personal and has to be experienced by being with oneself...  There is no substitute for this.. Feeling happy for someone is not that real and one has to delve into this to accept this...  If we are not happy we can’t experience others happiness. Happiness in that sense is the mirror and hence it reflects within us and with us.

All of us experience happiness because of several reasons and it varies obviously from person to person. There is nothing like real happiness and great happiness and all that...  Meditation beings happiness to me, yoga can do the same to other, going to gym for someone else and walking to someone else.  But that is momentary, and the real happiness is to know oneself, love the self and acknowledge everything about the self. The respect, care, love, for the self is what brings the real happiness.  But the problem starts there....... again ... yes it does..

Once we are alright with the self, then comes the society, which includes the family, friends, neighbours, colleagues, unknown vulnerable people etc .  Can i be happy eating pizza when i see and know someone out there is searching in the garbage for some food.   Can i be happy driving the car, when a old lady is waiting in the bus stand and has to wait for 2 hours before she reaches home.  Can i be happy with my home when i see the watchman sleeping on the ground....on a rainy winter night ..  Can i be happy buying something for my children when i see the hapless children on the street, lost and sad.

Can i feel happy when i visit the hospitals and have the knowledge of the sick people not having money for treatment and better life.... Can i be happy when a wife is being harassed and a husband is helpless at his wives indifference?  Can we all be happy if we see millions suffering because of complete failure of leadership in all walks of life..... then what happiness are we talking about ?  Do we need to hide ourselves to be happy?  Can someone be happy with all the sensitivity?  Do we need to be insensitive to be happy? Can sensitive people not be happy? Yes we can be and we are.. 

The world is not such a bad place.... We need to get hooked to some spiritual knowledge and more importantly practise and cut down on our needs, on misguided definitions of life, surely on greed, lust desire, and need to be powerful and dominant.. This piece is as much to me as to all the people who are striving to find happiness. 

Today morning i read what Dadi janki said  ( the 94 year old happily

 surviving brahma kumari) ...   The great when asked how does she feel , she said GREAT...  This great is a combination of happiness, joy and calmness. She said elaborately how to feel great and protect the feeling but couple of things appealed to me ...

1)    Be the same inside and outside... If my inner world that is my thoughts, feelings, attitudes are in order and harmony then my outer life, that is my actions, words and relationship will be the same...  Amazing point and wish to practise this...

2)    We cannot feel great if we are victims of habits

3)    I am the master of my own and i don’t blame anyone and i do my actions and i change the way i respond.

4)    Observe how my inner world functions. When i see myself as i am , i accept myself as i am and then i can begin to create peace inside. When there is peace, then positivity follows and so is happiness.

5)    When my mood fluctuates sometimes peaceful and sometimes not, then others are never sure how to deal with me. Then they cannot feel great. I must help others feel great by being stable.

None of the above is preaching....  I felt happiness can’t be there when one is sensitive about the world around... But we can radiate happiness by genuinely being happy...  It costs nothing to be happy... Just wanting and being happy is enough and yes not by intellectualizing ....

God bless all