PUBLIC GARDEN.. HYDERABAD'S FIRST BIG GARDEN/ PARK

Yesterday, 26th november 2011, my dearest friend kumar was going to listen to swamy paripurnananda at lalitha kala thoranam. I was not keen and ready to listen to spiritual discourse and preferred being with my spirit. Luckily it stuck to me that i can drop him there and spend time at public gardens walking and sitting all by myself.I loved my decision. The walking was a pleasure particularly because there was not much crowd and i could see the same trees which were there since 1975.. The walking was a pleasure and fortunately it is still being maintained well. I didnt beleive that i was so near to the crowded place outside.

The museum, jubilee hall, the lake, the big park with in the garden and the masjid were all intact.just went down the memory lane and remembered all those nice innocent things that we did as children. Going to public garden was very special and it would happen only once every 2 months.We would get ready with all excitement and wait for the bus. The food and water would be packed. Water in that solid glass bottle and food in steel dabbas.

We children would play hide and seek, chinamchaani, meaning chase and catch the thief. And ofcourse, dastee round round.. gather in a circle and the player would place the handkerchief on someone's behind and that person has to identify and chase the player and catch before he finishes one circle and sits in his place. Very rarely we would  buy baloons and play orelse it was all the running around, and not getting tired. No Tv to run back hometo watch favorites and yes we would take the radio and listen to Vividh Bharathi. ( transistor was just getting popular replacing big fat Status symbol radios) 

The only money spent if any was on the desi bhel puri( dont remember what was it called then) from a guy who would never cut tomatoes and put lemon for us. But that was rare and home special food was there for eating. We would never get tired of being there and hated going back home.

Adults would say, let us watch the train and then go home. there was one train which would come at 8 pm and its engine would set off  to set right the coaches ,and it was called shunting. We would love to see engine brings coaches and run up and down.

just cannot reproduce the excitement of watching the train and the engine and the shunting process. I also vividly remember the sad feeling when we had to go home. Such raw innocent happiness is not experienced these days at all.

After Grusha and other kids were born in the family, we would all go to Public gardens in 1998 to 2000 and try to relive the same. We were partly successful but now we had to buy several things including cool drinks and toys. The only 2 things which were common were the desi bhelpuri and Sugar cane juice.  manualSugar cane bandi was replaced with automated bandi. This is a relief as i would always feel misreable when they were extracting sugar cane juice manually.

i relived all the good of the childhood in public gardens and very happy to notice that not much has changed inside and that good feeling and clamness is still there. That lake is still maintained decently and the extension of the park is also very decent.

Thank all the people who are responsible to keep the PURITY intact.

ALEXANDER HAIR CUTTING SALON

One guy suddenly got up after his shave and started shouting at the person who did the shaving for him. I was startled and confused as he threatened the hair salon worker with police complaint and said he will get him arrested and take severe action. I mean how can anyone talk such extreme and drastic? Admitted the boy mustn’t have done the shave to his satisfaction but such reaction and walk away? This boy got so demoralized that i wondered if ever he will regain his confidence and work properly. Despite being cut on shave on my neck region by the owner himself (seriously truthful and no exaggeration at all) i pacified that boy and asked him to take it easy by giving several examples of success failure dynamics and people’s attitudes hoping it will help him.

This incident made me recollect my child hood and the hair cutting salons. The owners always seemed confidence personified and knowledgeable. They would talk authoritatively on anything from cricket to cinema to politics. Most of their knowledge was based on newspaper, Radio and commonsense. All the customers would seek the owner’s opinions on issues and he would exude total confidence as if he is going to decide the future of the country. It was all cute and everyone would listen to them. This was not pertained to one shop and this was the pattern of all owners. I always wondered at their confidence and the place seemed like power centre. They would order tea only to the elite and senior people and that was a privilege. I can’t forget the day when i was in intermediate when the tea was ordered for me and i was excited and volunteered to pay but was denied. Such was the time spent with importance there in such places.

It was in 1970’s that the movies like bobby, deewar, sholay , zanjeer got released and not in this order. All of us had so much information and trivia on movies that it surprises me sometimes as to how?  No net, no websites, no television and only screen and film fare were available. And these salons were the centres to read them. Homes were not allowed for such reading and we could not afford to buy them or take on a rent. Every fate of a politician and movie and cricket was decided at such places. Hence the wait and queue in the salon was not only felt worth but was exciting. There was also some camaraderie among people visiting. No impatience and no arrogance. There was hardly dettol and wonder if they ever used fresh blades or towels. There is no suggestion that this is preferable but that total fearlessness was the order in the absence of viruses.

Styles would be based on bollywood movies and that manual machine was a culprit as parents would insist on running the same for all children for short hair. It was a freedom and fun when we were allowed to go on our own but we could not go for more than an hour and definitely not other than morning.

When i was very young, they would put a plank in the wooden chair and then do the hair cutting. They day they stopped using that was the indication of growth. Another yardstick was when they would listen to us and stop using the machine and only use the scissors. Then of course, using of razor to get the finish beneath years and back of neck. Then shaving and the rest as they say is hair story. Hence the evolution was also indicated from that place. In that sense it was so much part of the cultural context and the growing up.

These centres were the places of informal research centres, opinionated knowledge based places and discussion platforms and more objective and healthy than the ones that happens on the news channels in the name of experts. Gone are those times and salons of such culture is rare. Now we have hugely hygiene centres, expensive and very impersonal. The tip paid to the performer is part of this new culture and nothing wrong. Earlier that smile and a warm thank you after a deadly no extra penny hair massage was the order. Times change, tempers change and hence the warmth of the people.. lage raho , and everything as they say is for the good.

How can i forget the dream of going to Alexander hair cutting next to AIR opp assembly.. My god, it had AC and chairs had the recliner and probably get to see film stars. By the time i could fulfil the desire life had changed so much and the gap between Alexander and all salons became small. But i indeed went to that place for a special hair cut and shave 2 days before my marriage. Still remember with what pride and satisfaction i walked out.. indeed times change and so do people.

WHO IS A FAN????

Mallesh, 18 years,  is a labourer working in karimnagar in a small hotel, earning about 20 to 30 rupees a day and gets to eat some food free from his hotel. He comes from a small village . vamsi, 20 years  is working in rajamundry with a coconut vendor earning 15 to 20 rupees a day, his living and eating taken care of. Saidulu , 21 years working for a mechanic shed for 50 odd rupees in cuddapah is also from a small town. Seenu is working in a hair cut saloon in Hyderabad and is from nalgonda .

All of these people have the same religion, the ardent indescribable admiration, craze, life sacrificing liking for telugu movies and telugu stars. The names of the stars do not matter for us, but the reality of these people does. Someone is making a movie for some star and there is all the business that is involved in the whole process. The entire business module success rests primarily on these kind of vulnerable people who make the movie hit by putting all the savings for their stars. Most of them do not have the 2 square meal to eat, can’t support their families, they have no clue how their next will be.. But their unstinted support, following, loyalty is undying and very touching.

The stars are gods for them.. they come for the audio launches, success meets, celebrations from faraway places and did not ever understand how they manage to reach the venue and be there to cheer and set the hall on fire with their positive vibrations and only one thing on their mind.. to see their star speak, smile and be happy. Can there be any unconditional love than this? Most of the times, the fans won’t even get to have a second glance as they are seated so far away. The feeling that they are part of this is enough to sustain them till the next function and they just survive.. The stars give them energies, the hope and just about everything.. Not material things like money etc..  In that sense, the stars are so blessed.

There are endless stories on how some of them do not eat food properly for several days to be able to spend the money for high ticketed premier show early in the morning or how the fans keep watching the same movie dozen times. In some cases they even watch the same movie endlessly to figure out why the movie did not do well. The blame can never be on the hero but all others and various factors and the hit can only happen because of the Hero. Being a fan is not madness as being mad also some rationality. Being a fan is not being emotional as emotions can also hurt. Being a fan is not a achievement as achievement have limits, and fan is fan is a fan who lives his life on the star. Hence there can never be a retirement for the star.

One has to know, interact and understand a typical fan to know what it means to be so. One should never make any judgement or belittle them. They are an amazingly innocent and honest people who live by their single formula goal, to see their stars succeed. Such unconditional love is the reality. The stars know every bit of this and also feel helpless on the repayment angle. But as they already do, they need to give more hits and that is how it can be repaid. Success is not easy but is less when compared to the perseverance and religiosity of these wonderful fans. Every star who has a fan is a blessed soul and that’s the property on which they can feel secured and assured. Can they? They should as the way it comes is only divine and is a blessing.

NADAAN PARINDEY ... GHAR AATE REHANA

I didn’t ever know or believe that i can talk to pigeons and only those pigeons that come and visit my balconies.  But since the communication is not so apparently two ways, i have my own observations and doubts. I don’t want to go google and know instantly all about them. I am willing to wait lifelong to know the answers myself as i feel i am loosing the habit and the need to discover on our own..

Some observations, probably know to all.  1) Pigeons love Puttnaalu pappu ( that daal used for making chutney with coconut) so much that they fight amongst themselves for a fast grab and fight ferociously between them.  2) There is a significant male domination and males do not allow female pigeons to eat peacefully.  3)  There is some family bondage and both the male and female protect the younger ones. 4) They don’t hatch the eggs when they are even vaguely touched by humans. 5) They have preference of eating places within the same house.. For instance they do not prefer to eat if you feed them on a bedroom balcony in normal conditions. 6) They get angry, excited, they are possessive. 6) They can also take humans for granted as they don’t fear people if they feed them regularly. Hence they are also intelligent enough to perceive danger and safety. 7) They understand our language better than we understand them.

What is most appalling is the way they hatch the eggs. They are so vigilant and watchful, OMG it’s very bewildering. The way they teach the younger ones to walk, fly without getting frustrated is to be seen to be believed. Don’t know at what point they get disconnect from the younger ones. I don’t know when they die? How they die? What will happen after their death? I don’t even want to know. For me its the same pigeons .. though i do make the difference.. its so easy not to have name, class, creed and all the yardsticks of separation.

They are very playful and can tease you no end if you are vulnerable.. They will walk inside house if you are seriously studying and distract you. They make sounds as if to say. Come on spot me.. they play hide and seek with me.  But i do i miss sparrows as i grew up with them in my school and early college days. They were different and their making of the nest is something of a great wonder of life. I feel some loss of essence in my life when these sparrows have become extinct, at least in most parts of Hyderabad. We have literally robbed the co existence of the living with us. What a pity? Slowly we have also disintegrated a lot. Joint families are gone.. Nuclear families are under threat and god its so scary. But the innocent pigeons, the nadaan parindey are so much fun to observe, learn. I love them and they are so essential part of my otherwise normal life. Thanks pigeons and keep coming to my balcony all the while. I won’t even obstruct you with washing machine or any modern gadget or the nets to prevent you. I promise..

SADA HAQ.. IMPRESSIONS ON ROCK STAR

The only one thing that can be criticized about rock star movie if at all is, if Imtiaz had made this movie to get a commercial hit, then he made a blunder. He knows the formula to appeal to the gallery and could have  easily made one. But it seemed more like the one which is straight from the heart. This movie grows on you like  all A.R.Rahman music. Take most of the albums of rehman and people liked after listening to it several times. In fact a classic book, scotch whisky, bitter gourd, and many such intense things are liked with times and experience. Rock star belongs to this category. OMG, how much intensity, how much depth, how much subtle and how much intrinsic.. It gets into the subconscious as it’s a very serious movie , a rhetoric on freedom, choices, love , music , achievement , standards, right, wrong ..  Each of these is said in a very abstract manner, yet hard hitting method. In that sense the movie is very engaging and one can’t watch this in a light hearted manner.

The best thing about the movie is Ranbir and his characterization. One wonders, if this could be the inspiration from Imtiaz own life, or else how can one get into such intricate details, most of it unsaid but still communicated. One has to love life, to like this movie. There is a rebellion in ranbir yet very loving, very possessive yet detached, and there are so many shades to his character that, it does not fit into black and white understanding. This is what the leading characters say about life. There are caught in a web called society and a chance meet is the discovery about their innate comfort with each other but not explicitly stated or admitted. It s too late for them and they missed one another.  They come together and destiny separates them.

They are willing to give up the passions for being together but they get incarcerated in their passions and compulsions. The treatment of the movie is at least 3 years ahead of time and editing is extremely innovative. The details in the screenplay is amazing and seems very complicated but actually too detailed.. The shot divisions, the lighting, are not like a typical Indian movie at all. It’s very perspective and real too.

What can one say about Rehman music.  Re recording is so aptly done that , at many points, there is just that natural ambience sounds and no music. The songs touch the deepest chord and aur ho, job hi chahoon, sada haq can be anthems for people in love. The lyrics are so much contemporary and the expression has the romantic poetry and also the rationality of future mind set.

Ranbir is the star of next 2 decades. He reminds one of Hrithik in koi mil gaya , aamir khan in few scenes, farhan akhtar, and Shah rukh khan in many other scenes. He is a complete actor and this movie gave him greatest scope to prove his prowess as there are so many shades to his character in the movie.

It’s an out and out Ranbir, imtiaz and rehman movie.. Nargis acted either as if it’s her 50^th movie or she is experiencing this in real life. If movie can be a space for philosophy and platform for issues, then this movie has plenty of issues concerning change, youth, society, patterns of thinking, stereo types , paradigms , and many more subtle issues. If you are a serious movie buff.... do not miss to watch this 2 times.. If you want a chilled movie and only regular time pass, avoid this as you will tend to damage the new trend of movie making ... A great intellectual, emotional and spiritual treat.. Imtiaz proved once again that he is a class apart and Rehman proves to himself how he can keep giving us immortal music.

There are movies that entertain, there are movies that make a mark, there are movies that are feel good that are classic and that are very successful and other wise... But rock star doesn’t belong to any category and its a reflection, it’s a novel, it’s a work of an art of philosophy.

DETACHMENT ... ONE MORE PERSPECTIVE

Detachment as a concept and as a word is probably used more often and in many situations these days and hence it’s also abused or misused.. As someone who is eternally striving to be detached, this perspective also can be read and yes judged and criticized. Being detached about this piece of writing is not ok.

The year 2011, people have become savages to comfort and technology and rightfully so. The press of the button or the switch or its equal is the way of life and the habit is so deep and vast that we don’t know any other way to live. The first such luxury was probably the bulb which used to glow with the press of the switch and then the fan and all the electrical appliances. It reduced the pains of lighting the home with a cumbersome process. That was just the beginning. Remember, or know the first time, we heard about the press of a button and how the scooter starts.  We didn’t have to kick was a huge relief. We have travelled from there to now ATM’s , black berries , freaky digital camera and appliances , to i pads, i phones to most technology and comfort that needs the use of fingers to get anything done or derive any happiness.  In that sense we are all more attached. This attachment has got in us the massive taken for granted attitude in just about everything and with that is the lineage of impatience and non tolerance. We don’t want to know or we tend to forget all alternative methods to get our things done.

Why should we be detached when everything is literally at our finger tips? Money can buy all of these and as the cliché goes it can’t buy the peace and happiness. We are talking of the mind when we talk about detachment and we are also meaning actual engagement of mind to have a detached feeling, until it becomes a habit. But the contrast is all technology is making our mind dull and drab. We don’t even need to memorize or remember as we have google. We don’t need to store anything as you tube does the job. Can anyone criticize these 2 wonders of modern world? Instead everyone might say to hell with detachment.....if it comes to preferring detachment to these wonders. This is still fair enough. What if the photon or data cards or internet fails on a day and people can’t access net? what if ATM crashes for a day and what if banks and all net processed activities go out of order for 2 days ?If life is so uncertain, can any of these be certain? Why is the dependency then, which is the root of attachment to anything in life. Dependency assumes taken for granted attitude and beings with it intolerance and impatience.

The only 2 things that we can take for granted and survive is mother and god.. For both these entities we have scant respect and for all other which can crash like pack of cards, we depend, we trust, we swear and we live by it. Understanding the 2 entities, means understanding of the detachment. One can read and know tons of articles and hundreds of books and listen to volumes of speeches on detachment. But the realization that detachment is the key for happiness for all can be experienced genuinely by understanding mother and god. Both of them have several qualities in abundance of which, sacrifice, empathy, understanding, immense patience, undeterred tolerance is few of them. They never expect anything in return and just keep giving in the respite that children’s happiness is their happiness. This quality of giving is more detached than anything that any scriptures can teach. Never ignore them and keep respecting and praying to be grounded and know the true essence of life. There are mothers and there are people with motherly qualities. There is hardly any difference.

Enjoy the comfort, live on the advancement of technology, and freak out on the best gadgets and lifestyle. But only the blend and balance of traditional thought, living and values with the modernity will give happiness and peace. The former teaches to separate pain from the product (Detachment) and the latter gives the immediate and momentary happiness. Painlessness is detachment and that will make us happy forever and ever. Detachment is never indifference nor does it have any negative attributes.

In fact detachment always multiplies the pleasure of anything as we are never feeling in secured of losing them as we don’t own anything in strict sense, not even our body on which we spend all our life. Body including fingers get us attached and soul consciousness which is permanent helps us to detach. In fact for all the rationalists detachment is actually the maintenance of individual identity without being arrogant, indifferent or egoistic. Everyone got to know, read and practise this mantra to have the everlasting happiness, peace and health.

B POSITIVE .....

Greater energies or surely same energies are spent in negativity. If a person is doing a creative thing , he spends lot of energy in putting it together and get a decent product. At the same time, someone could be waiting to see that as a failure and he or she spends all the time to watch and monitor on the same. The failure will get him or her the delight but he would have spent huge amount of energies on a negative plane and that is sure to affect the person in more than one way in the long run. On the contrary, the good energies spent on the creativity will only yield good positive energy even if there is a failure. The process of creating a good energy has the power of sending the great vibes around . Success has a energy that is very positive to all and not restricted to only the creator.

We often witness the dissipation of energies in all negative things. In any field more people are waiting for the failure as the successful people are only a minority. These people who wait for the failure thrive on their own inefficiency and hence they spread bad energy. One best instance is the movie field where all others are waiting for the failure and hence so many reviews at a speed of a sms or BBM.  People want failures in others and hence the negative vibes all around. Competition and competitiveness is different from wanting the failure.

News channels spend equal negative energies in bringing out a scandal or a controversy. So much negativity is filled and perpetuated.  On the contrary if the same people, get set to correct and show the way with half the energies spent , instead of mudslinging , the world would be a far more positive and hence happy place to live with. Struggle for your own success and do not strive for others failures. Do not report failures and negatives stories and talk about them all along .. 

We should have the habit of just calling our friends and relatives and just share positives as a habit or else each time you get a call or information from someone out of the blue, we dread to hear bad...  I think its a habit to talk, feel and think positive and that can be cultivated by doing it consciously. Just call people only if you have positive to share and bury the negative inside. Its possible and so do it