A Poem: Social Structure and the Little Kid

Social Structure and the Little Kid

Besides the scrapper,
Lay a hut
Which housed a family
Just like 'us'

Evenings daily made a way
For all toddlers to go and play
Never was seen, however, a kid
For Behind the hut always he hid

Secretly would he weep,
For he was a son of who sweep
All did he was to give back
If only came the ball to him

For once was he tempted
To feel the ball
Scorned was he in public
By one and all

All what they said,
“O, Filthy for you,
have we no room
Be your mother,
go and get a broom”.
On one such mocking
Gathered did he some courage
Fitting gave a reply
To a kid of his age

Quick was the kid to call
And in came his mother
To settle it for all

With her right hand raised
To him she said
“If seen around these boys
Stop would she ‘their’ bread!”

High in confidence ran the toddler
Thought he firmly on the way
“ I too have a mother
Who would settle it as I say  

Hugged he his mother tight
Poured before her, his unrest
And made her a sweet request

Mom, said the kid
I just touched the ball
Scorned was I by all
And what the lady said
Stop would she our bread

You, being my mother
Felt never I any bother
Go and scold them all
Trouble won’t they me ever

Troubled was his mother
Of how to convince her kid
That, what he said, if she did
How the family would she feed

The only thing she could say
From the mouth, made the words a way
Oh my son sweet
Its due to them we eat

Puzzled was the kid
On the mention of ‘them’
The only thing sad he felt
Didn’t for his help mom came


Aashay

Passing Thoughts

1. Somewhere in July 2009 :

I was in a speedy autorickshaw at Paud road, Pune, when this conversation happened. I was with my grandmother, and it was just three weeks before I left for the United States for my masters degree education. My grandmother had been to the United States, as her son i.e my uncle was working there. So, we were talking in general about the life in the United States and the education over there as a whole. Suddenly, I spoke something ....something which strikes you at the spur of the moment...and you express it. I said to her, that when I land up in a US university, the first thing I would do is to collaborate with the Music Department over there. I would share something I know about Indian Classical Music, and would get to know something their music has to offer. It would be exciting, I said to her. If that was not enough, I said to her, that I would like to give a seminar on the same topic, to a music class. Not knowing, what lies ahead of me, I began to dream about me giving a seminar about this great music of ours.

2. August 2009:
I am at my new university in the United States. There is a welcome week going on and we are busy interacting with the new students. But within all these proceedings, I have one thought in my mind.....the one I spoke to my grandmother in that autorickshaw. Suddenly, I get charged up....with some hope in my mind of me getting set in the university...in the city. I ask the student ambassador about the university having a Music Department of its own.....but....the answer is NO! Aaahhhhhhh....there my hopes go dashing, and I am, for a moment left thinking that my time in this university would hardly go nice. Intuitions! Can't help it...! But then, suddenly I am told that there is a Piano in the University, and I am contented, playing it for the rest of the semester.

3. Spring Semester 2010:
I see the Arts Building every time I pass by it, while going to the Science Building. It is, I guess the same feeling, a mother has for her child when she leaves for work. Science is my job, whereas Arts is my love! As simple as that...:) But, due to the new semester, new university, new job....I find it difficult to adjust my timings, and go towards my passion. I make an unsuccessful attempt of going to the music department and asking for the piano to play. They are curt enough to reply me that it is only for the Music Majors. After the semester, I am in India in the summer and return some weeks before the Fall Semester begins.

4. Fall Semester 2010:
I grab a job in the university bookstore and meet a guy over there, who becomes a good friend. I also call up Mr. Madan Oak.....a santoor player from California....who is involved in a lot of music activities over there. I met Madan ji on Orkut, a social networking site, way back in 2008, when I was in India. I asked for his telephone number, one fine afternoon as I wanted to know what should I do to arrange a marathi drama at Houston. That telephone conversation turned out to be an eye-opener for many issues...and I began to understand and dream about the various things I could do about music in San Antonio. I began to search for Music teachers, teaching Indian Music in San Antonio.....and yeah...I did find one! His name was Mr. Rick Henderson! I was overjoyed to the core and began to get some more information about him. I found that he was the student of the Great Ustad Ali Akbar Khan...one of my Heroes! Everything was fitting like a jigsaw puzzle! One fine day, after giving a call to Rick ji....he agreed to meet me in one of the Starbucks shops at Bandera Road....and that was a great meet...! I could discuss a lot about Indian Classical Music with him...core issues, which I could never perhaps discuss with anybody else! We decided to do something in Indian Classical Music on the UTSA campus....and he was very kind to help me in this. I was fired up and spent that day building castles in the air.
A section of the jigsaw puzzle was still remaining though! I was wondering how to get to the Music Department...and then this happened! I was working in the bookstore and I came across this guy, whom I have mentioned in the previous paragraph. In a casual conversation, he mentioned me that he was a music student! The jigsaw was complete!

September 2010:
I am sitting in the office of the Music Department. The guy in the bookstore...my colleague has taken me to the department. The lady is kind enough to give me the e-mail address of one Dr. Mark Brill....a professor of World Music at UTSA. I e-mail him and schedule an appointment with him and on the day of the meeting I announce ' Biotechnology is my Livlihood, but Music is my life! '....he seems convinced! I introduce the name of Mr. Henderson to him...and we discuss a lot of issue about Music on-campus. Finally I ask him about me participating in the Music Department activities as a voluntary artist...to which he replies in the affirmative. He asks me to do something in the First week of November...when they would be covering Indian Music...and with no hesitation I agree. Finally, on the 3rd of November, came the day when I gave a 25 minutes performance on an afternoon raag and gave a small Lecture/Demo on Indian Instruments and Music Patterns to those Music Students. The entire thing lasted for an hour, to which there was an amazing response! With this,.....what I told my grandmother last year, in that autorickshaw at Paud Road....came out to be successful!

Nostalgic 90s

I must admit that it was a great time growing up in the 90s. And those who experienced childhood in that period would accept....that it was indeed a time, when a bicycle was the medium of transport for us, and scooters were monotonous. It was the time, when having a land-line phone made our chest swell with pride, and calling friends at their home land-line phone was a daily routine. Mobile phones had a heavy calling charge, on both incoming and outgoing calls...and were still in an infant stage, compared to pagers! Cable networks were a part of selected televisions. In school, talking to a girl meant you had an affair with her, getting punished was not yet an act of heroism, teachers were called 'miss' instead of ma'am, no matter howsoever old they were( quite a 'mis'nomer !)
If in the early teens of mine, 'Kaun Banega Crorepati' created an unusually rare scene of streets and railway platforms getting emptied around 9.00 pm, there was a kids version of this, in my childhood. Yes, during Sunday mornings at 10.00 am. It was the time for 'Jungle book'.....in which a 'yellow underwear-clad' junglee boy was our hero. His name was Mowgli. This collection of stories by Rudyard Kipling was a perfect start to our Sunday morning. Believe me, there was no child soul to be seen playing downstairs at 10.00 am on a Sunday morning Some years later, this was replaced by Disney hour, where Pluto ended up getting nothing, Uncle Scrooge aimed for a treasure hunt, Mickey and Minne mouse had a lovely affair, Donald Duck ended up getting bashed, and Goofy with his special tone captured our imagination. This was way before 'Cartoon Network' set its feet in India. Some years later, this typical Sunday morning had 'Mahabharat' at 11.30 am in the morning, and it became a moment for the entire family to be together glued to the television. I remember, myself watching this great epic in awe, with a secret admiration for 'Bhim'. He was my favorite character, and as such kids get influenced by strength.
In those 90s, cable television had not made a mark in my house. All entertainment was confined in two channels....DD National and DD Metro. I just can't imagine it now....only two channels in a television! But still, we enjoyed it. That was perhaps because, there were some television serials which complemented our feelings at that age. There was 'The Great Maratha' and 'Tipu Sultan' to generate a warrior feeling,while 'Mahabharat' and 'Jai Hanuman' had in them the much needed mythology. I remember, watching in awe, the fighting Mahadji Shinde, in the battle of Panipat, so also I remembered, the 'gadayuddha' between Bhim and Duryodhan, which ultimately ends in the latter death. In the fourth standard, Myself and one of my friends, on every Monday morning in school, would discuss what happened the previous day in 'Mahabharat' and used to render those dialogues loudly. I wonder, how many students today would have these topics to discuss in their classroom.
Who would forget the detective serials 'Tehkikaat', where Detective Sam Desilva and his assistant Gopi, would nab thieves, much within the limits of fantasy. This serial was then replaced by 'Raja aur Ranchho', where perhaps for the first time, a monkey assisted the detective in solving criminal cases. If these were the representatives of the detective serials, comedy serials were not far behind, rather a step ahead. I cannot forget a young Shekhar Suman in 'Dekh bhai dekh', followed by 'Zaban sambhal ke', where Pankaj Kapoor attempts to teach Hindi to a diverse non-Hindi students. Then came, 'Shrimaan Shrimati', where a hilarious Jatin Kanakia made us role over the floor with laughter. It was unfortunate that Jatin died an early death, otherwise he would have acted in many more such comical serials. And who would forget the 'tu tu main main' between Reema and Supriya? I would also never forget 'the battles between 'He-Man' and 'Skeleton' telecasted every Friday.
There were many more serials, which should find a mention here.....notably 'Chandrakanta', 'Shaktimaan', 'Jaldi Jaldi', 'Tiger', 'Junoon', 'Vijay'....for which I had a glimpse, but could not watch them in a whole. But their memories sometimes erupt up. All these in those two channels!!!
One of the striking memories of the 90s, which are preserved, thanks to youtube, are the television advertisements. These made an impact on everybody so much, that there would be hardly a person, who doesn't remember 'Hamara Bajaj'....who has forgotten the sweet little child saying 'jalebi', in the 'Dhara' commercial. And one of my favorite commercials was the 'poorab se sooraj uga', which emphasized the importance of education! The beautiful tune, in raag Bhatiyar, still lingers in my mind. How lively is the expression of the grandfather in this commercial, when he sees the same boy whom he taught to read and write in his childhood, now painting sign-boards and earning a living. Then came a young girl with dimples in the 'liril' soap advertisement and later became Priety Zinta. And then there was also a young girl saying "I Love you Rasna'. And the complan boys and girls, who later went on to become Shahid kapoor and Ayesha Takia. And then the famous dialogue....'Yeh baat kuch hajab nahi hui'...and immediately followed by 'hajmola sir!' And the rabbit excaiming 'Lijjat Papad'! And who will forget the old man with strong teeth attributing this to Vicco Vajradanti..!!!! And the girl, freely dancing in a cricket ground, eating Cadbury, when her boyfriend hits a century. And finally, the dialogue....'yeh fevicol ka jod hain...tutega nahi'....seriosuly....how natural these advertisements were...how creative.
And would like to specially mention the creative 'fillers' that were created between the television serials. How can we forget the array of talented, greatest artists singing 'Mile sur mera tumhara', which used to make me run from nowhere to the television to just hear those melodious voices. There was attempt to re-create the 'Mile Sur', with new artists, but according to me, it has no such effects as the older version. Then the athletes of India, running with the fire flame, where I used to have a special feeling seeing Sunil Gavaskar. How resonant was the running of P.T Usha shown in this ,when she runs alongside the running deer. And then the very melodious 'Baje Sargam'. In short, the decade was very creative, I would say.
We often accuse our parents and grandparents of not understanding us and sticking to the old principles. We often think, that these guys don't want to change. But, then as I remembered this decade of my childhood, immediately I started comparisons with the children of today. I immediately felt, aah..my childhood was better..these guys are not as innocent as me ( in terms of childhood of course!)....there is a lack of creativity everywhere blah blah blah. Myself, only two decades and a couple of years old....started to feel my childhood was better than the children today...so, what is wrong if the adults think so! But then, that is nostalgia...that is attachment...and that is what me and many of my age have for this decade!! This beautiful decade, which lingers in our mind, not only because it was creative in its content, but also because our childhood was associated with it!!!

Sachin Tendulkar-2

The year 1998 can be remembered as a year only for Sachin. That is because Sachin became brand Sachin! But more than that, the year can be remembered as a start of a rivalry between two greatest sportsmen of the decade....Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne. A lot was talked about them, when the Aussies toured India. And turned out to be the same....but the ultimate result was that it was a nightmare for the latter. The tour began with Mumbai playing the Australians. Thanks to Sachin's magnificent double century, can you believe it....Mumbai defeated the Australins! The Aussies could never have dreamed that an Indian city would defeat them...but only because Mumbai had Sachin with her! The first test began at Chennai, and in the First innings, Sachin was cheaply dismissed by Warne on 4. Immediately the newspapers started barking...experts started croaking..."Warne dominates Sachin." Even Sachin was asked about it...but he coolly replied" It was a nice delivery by him". But then, as we know...sachin's bat does the talking! Quick was he to reply by a classy 155 in the second innings and remained unbeaten to take India to victory. The ultimate result of the test series was India winning it 2-1....but if you see Sachin's performance in the next innings, it was.....79, 177 and 31. It was a complete dominance over Warne....and Warne could not take his wicket in that series! But the most memorable tour of that year was India playing a triangular series in Sharjah...which had Australia and New-Zealand! This series will be remembered as a complete annihilation of Shane Warne by Sachin! In the triangular series....India had to qualify to the finals, and they were to qualify if they would score a particular number of runs at a specific run-rate. This match was like a semi-final for us.
But Sachin had something else in his mind. Before this innings of his, Sanath jayasuriya was the only player who was thought to be the most aggressive! But in this series, Sachin stamped a fresh authority of his domination in One Day internationals. Those who did not see this innings live on television, will be surely cursing their fate now! Sachin's batting had such a plethora of batting shots. He made 143 in that match....Fleming, Kasparovicz, Warne, Mark Waugh....no one was spared. At this score, Sachin was dismissed, however, only to ensure an Indian entry into the finals. The final was two days later...on the 24th of april...which incidentally was Sachin's 25th birthday. A lot was expected from him that day. And he did deliver!!! Sachin was prepared from the word go! His start to the innings with a magnificent cover-drive prompted Tony Greg in the commentary to say that today's innings has to be special! And indeed it was something special. The huge sixes, the magnificent fours.....all was a spectacle worth watching...! One of the best moments of that innings was that Sachin coming dancing down the track against Kasparowicz and hitting a long six....and Tony Grieg in the commentary box shouting, "What a six!" almost 3 times in a row....and finally saying that this man is the next best thing to Bradman! After the series Shane Warne was the one who admitted that he had nightmares of Sachin coming down the track and hitting him for a six! That was his aura.....that perhaps the best leg spinner of all time had to say this! At the end of the series....it was Sachin, who was the man of the match, man of the series...and everything! This innings is best remembered as the sandstorm innings! Mark Taylor, the captain of the Australian team, is remembered saying..." we lost to a man called Sachin Tendulkar."
Came July and there was a tri-series in Sri-Lanka. It was the Singer-Akai-Nidahas trophy, featuring India, Sri-Lanka and New Zealand. In this series, India struggled in the league matches....or rather I would say, were not fluent enough. But the best moment came in the finals of the series. It was between India and SriLanka. Sachin Tendulkar and Saurav Ganguly, smashed a world record of maximum runs scored by an opening pair in one day internationals. They scored a whooping 256 runs, until Sachin was dismissed for 126 and Saurav for 108. I still remember that afternoon, when I was in my tuition classes, with the tuition teacher switching on the television in intervals, just to watch Sachin get to his century. The television was switched on, when Sachin was in his 90s, and we kids watched in delight....and shouted in joy, as he reached the three-figure mark. Such is the influence of the man, on each and every person in this country. But the Sri Lankans also gave a tough fight to us, during their innings. The tensed moment was the lengthy partnership between De-Silva and Ranatunga. Ranatunga was removed by Agarkar, who took 4 crucial wickets in that match. De-Silva managed to make a century, but was removed late in the innings. The match went up to the last over, and with some tight bowling by the Indians, resulted in an Indian victory by a matter of runs! Sachin was again the man-of-the-match....needless to say...!
Another important cricket series that comes in my mind when I think of the year 1998 is...the champions trophy at Dhaka. There were league matches, followed by semi-finals and the finals! However the only difference was that the league matches were knock-out. India had to face the mighty Australians And hence, it was the time of Sachin to face his favorite opponents. And he did! It was also Azhar's 300th match, but for him nothing came other than a duck. Sachin however, hit an awesome 141, with 13 fours and 3 huge sixes. He was unstoppable....only evident from the fact that he was finally dismissed as run-out! Thanks to Jadeja's unbeaten 71, India could pose 305 as their score. The Aussies innings started with fireworks from Mark Waugh. But the Indian bowling was also Sachin-special! Sachin took crucial 4 wickets at the end....including the one of the dangerous Steve Waugh....to steer India to victory! I still remember, how difficult it was for Steve to face Sachin's spins! Finally, he was dismissed caught and bowled by Sachin. A normally calm Sachin....let out a strong sarcastic laugh, which was caught by the stump microphones...when he dismissed Waugh! A surprised, dejected Waugh, looking helplessly at Sachin, with his trademark chewing-gum...is still remembered! Sachin, in the semi-finals against the Windies, scored a mere 8...but thanks to the loose effort by the rest...India could manage a small total. A magnificent bowling performance by Sachin, could not prevent the West-Indies from defeating India.
Many bowlers have challenged Sachin....to get noticed! But sadly, it has always resulted in the termination of their careers, from the man who they challenged! Henry Olonga was one of them. In the tri-series at Sharjah, featuring India, Sri-lanka and Zimbabve....he dismissed Sachin with a bouncer in one of the league matches. Immediately he was seen talking to the press that he would do the same in the finals....and he knows how to dismiss Sachin. Sachin did not utter a word....but smashed an unbeaten 124, in the finals.....and not sparing Olonga...and any other Zimbabwean bowler!!! The intensity with which sachin was smashing everybody was just superb. Again, he made a point....but with his bat! I remember,myself eating mom-made home-made pizza and watching that innings!
But one of the striking feature of this year for Sachin was that, there was one match that made him superior to all his batting competitors. That match was held at Lord's and was between the MCC 11 and the Rest of the world 11. It was a Diana memorial benefit match. In this match, Sachin played for the Rest of the world. The MCC had the likes of bowlers like McGrath, Donald, Kumble on its side. This meant that Sachin had to face almost all of the world's quality bowlers. But with the best batsman-ship, he did not spare any of them, and made a fine 125. He was finally dismissed bowled by Anil Kumble. The video of him destroying Aamir Sohail's bowling is available on youtube. Mike Atherton, the skipper of the MCC-11 had to speak that Sachin Tendulkar was a better batsman than the legendary Englishman W.G Grace. In this way, Sachin showed the world, that he stood tall among his peers and 'graced' the occasion! He completed his century in just 94 balls, with 15 boundaries and 4 sixes.
Another series comes into mind, when we think of the year 1998. It was the India-Pakistan-Bangladesh tri-series at Dhaka! And what a series that was! Sachin was in a terrific form in the league matches...scoring a quickfire 65 in the match against Pakistan, and also taking the crucial wicket of Inzamam-ul-Haq and bagging the man-of-the-match award. The finals were a best of three, and Sachin scored a brilliant 95 in the first final. The men demolished in this series were the Pakistani spinners.....Saqlain Mushtaq and Mushtaq Ahmed. However, the most interesting match in the series was the last finals. Pakistan chose to bat first and scored 314 in the first innings. Chasing 300 in those days was a daunting task...and was considered impossible. 300 was a rare target in those days, as the bowlers had an equal amount of respect in the game. Sachin and Saurav....one of the finest opening pairs in ODI-history went on a flying start...especially Sachin. However, Sachin was dismissed only for 31, but had done the crucial role of increasing the run-rate. Saurav played a magnificent innings of 124. But the real tensed moment was in the last over of the match. India needed 3 runs in the last 2 balls. Hrishikesh kanitkar....a new player on the International circuit, surprised and delighted all, by hitting a boundary of Saqlain Mushtaq...and the series was clinched by the Indians!
But this year also had a frustrating side to it. Cricket was for the first time introduced in the commonwealth games, which were held at Kuala Lumpur. And at the same time, there also was the Sahara cup tournament at Toronto, Canada, between India and Pakistan. Hence, the Indian team was split into two...and Sachin was in the team which went for the commonwealth games. As a result, Sahara cup matches became boring and the Indian team started to put a lame fight against the Pakistanis. We lost all the first four matches, out of the series of five. Unfortunately at the commonwealth games the Indian team did not perform and lost the hopes of a medal. Hence, a lot of criticism was directed against the management, and the players too. But, in order to avoid a whitewash at Toronto, Sachin was sent for the last match! Such has been a value of Sachin Tendulkar. And he scored a fine 74-odd runs in the last match. India won that match, and hence avoided a complete whitewash from the traditional rivals!

Such was 1998, a successful year for both Sachin and India.

How Indian Classical Music engulfed me!

Here I am in a mood to write something about my beloved Indian Classical Music! Needless to stress here that I am listening to it, while I write this....as that is the thing I have been doing regularly, along with my sleep and food, for the past eleven years! But suddenly, while listening to Pt. Bhimsen Joshi's raag basant bahar, I was moved back eleven years...the time when there was a huge transition in me! I was in my eighth standard of school. I clearly remember singing songs of films like Josh in my first semester before Diwali vacations. The song 'Apun Bola tu meri laila. woh boli phekta hain saala' was famous that time. I wonder, nine years later, whether such creations can be even categorized as songs! But after Diwali vacation ended, and the new semester started...I started to sing classical 'bandishs', natyageets, thumris, instrumental dhuns...with a simultaneous 'taal' rhythm on the bench! But what happened between those days? What made this transition possible? How, a person...within a single vacation of 25 days....could change his outlook towards music? Well, yes! There was a moment...a moment which defined my future music taste! A moment, which I am glad to admit, is making me feel relieved that it came to me! Because, had it not been for me....I would not have experienced the ultimate joy that I can experience now. But before that I would like to throw some light on my life, before this moment!

My maternal uncle has a great love for Indian Classical Music. That is because his maternal grandfather....i.e my great maternal grandfather had the same type of craze! He used to live at Girgaon, where I was told a young 15-16 year old Kumar gandharva used to give concerts! I remember my maternal grandmother telling me that Kumar, dressed in a half pant and half sleeve shirt, would give concerts for hours! So, this is how, due to a rich musical environment, my mother got a taste of Indian Classical Music, from her childhood. My mother, though, not a hardcore classical music lover, has a very good understanding of music. She knows how much of a joy can you experience through music. She is a very good singer, though she does not sing in public. But had she sung, she would have drawn a good fan following! I remember, in my childhood, she used to call me and insist, 'aashu, chal tula gaana shikavte' ( aashay, I will teach you a song)....only in resulting me running away from the place! How I regret those moments! Had I learned that time, I would not have the biggest regret of my life, of me not able to sing! But to be frank, I would enjoy some hindi and marathi songs played around me. But yet, I had not listened to something, giving me an absolute joy. A joy, that I could relish every clock-ticking moment of my life! A feeling that I could relate with every passing moment around me. That music was yet awaiting me. In such circumstances, my mother asked me whether I would like to learn singing, or learn any instrument of the Tabla or the Harmonium. That was in the third standard. I admit, at that time I was mostly a shy person. So, vocals was out of question! I chose the harmonium, and with that choice, I was asked to go to Shri Vinayak Samant, a harmonium teacher living right opposite our apartment! I still remember that first day of class.... I was asked by him to count the beats of the 'teentaal rhythm'...the rhythmic cycle was being played on a machine. ( There are 16 beats in this taal)...My answer ranged from 18 to 25...! Such a poor chap I was in music! But with that day, I started to learn harmonium under him. Those were the days of extreme unwillingness to learn that instrument. I seriously had no interest in harmonium, no interest in Indian Classical Music....I just wanted to go and play cricket outside! But still, I started to learn something....till the eighth standard. Meanwhile, I passed three exams in Harmonium, the first one with a first class and the rest two with a distinction. And my harmonium playing improved somewhat, I must admit. But as far as music is concerned, I was a person with a confused state! I used to bring cassettes of film- songs, only to keep them unlistened. Because, after listening to maybe 1-2 times, I would loose interest in them.

I remember, my maternal uncle had a cassette series titled '50 glorious years of Indian Classical Music'...which had recordings, from Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan to Ustad Zakir Hussain. He used to frequently play those recordings when I used to visit his place. I remember, one such night, when he was playing a record of Pt. Kumar Gandharva, from that series. The bandish was "rajan, ab toh aa ja re". from raag nand. Mama introduced me to the singer...."he Kumar Gandharva ahet". I was not knowing, that I am listening to a singer, who I would be idolizing in the next few years time. I responded him with an uninterested nod. But I would say, that recording made a slight impact on me. Though I was not interested, I could make out that those sur (musical notes) had something to say. They had a language, which could make a communication with any soul, that was non-prejudiced towards them. They had a flamboyance, a majestic touch, a confident appeal, and yet a tenderness within them! This I guess was a start, a stimulation, towards me getting an interest in Indian Classical Music. But the biggest moment was yet to come! In those years, i.e in my seventh and start of eight standard....I attended some of the small music concerts in Panvel. Those were the one organized by Panvel Cultural Centre. So poor was I in ICM those days, that I remember in one such concerts, my cousin shantanu telling me 'hi Bhairavi ahe, hi concert chya end madhye gaatat" ( this is raag bhairavi, this is sung at the end of the concert)! Some concerts were like, I used to run away in between, ensuring that my maternal uncle would not see me leaving. It feels so much ironical, that a person, so much in love with music,would run from concerts in those days.

But then what are moments for? Even the great Sachin Tendulkar decided to get the cricket bat in his hand, when he saw the Indian cricket team lifting the world cup 1983. That was the moment for him....the moment which defined his attitude towards life...towards cricket. He himself admits that this was what made him play cricket...and the Sachin what we see today is all because of this. And a similar moment came in my life too.....that was in perhaps november-december. As I said, the recording of Kumar ji, made some inroads into my life. Those inroads were to such an extent, that I brought that cassette at my place to listen to. I was not sure, why I was doing this. It was not as if this recording had changed my life. I still listened to film-songs like my friends did....still talked about movies....but this recording had occupied an iota of space in my mind. This was unknowingly true! But at home, my mom was listening to that cassette more than me. But one night, when I was going to my mom's room to say her good-night, she was listening to that cassette. And as I was standing there...yeah...I still remember....the small black tape-recorder, atop the black 3-drawer small cupboard....was rendering a recording. The recording was 'jaoon mein tope balihari'. Fiery taans marked the recording, with also rendering of some very fierce, but sweet alaaps. The recording was too catchy to avoid. In my harmonium classes, I learned how to play the taans....which is the fast tempo rendering of the musical notes. As it requires some very skillful use of the fingers while playing the harmonium, it requires an amazing breath control, while singing. But here, in this recording....the artist seemed not to stop in his taans. They were just too lengthy to believe! I was tempted to ask my mom ' Kon ahe ha artist?' My mom immediately replied "Bhimsen Joshi."

Next morning was a day like everyday....school! One girl was reading some paper in the value education lecture. I was expected to pay attention to what was being read. But while trying to pay attention, I suddenly remembered the recording I listened last night. I could hear that recording within me...I could hear those taans....I could hear those words....and most importantly I could hear that VOICE. I could do nothing but to start humming the tune.This continued almost throughout the lecture. After some 2-3 lectures, here that voice was again to haunt me. Again I found myself humming that dhun, with that voice in my mind. I was not able to understand why I am remembering that recording again and again. I understood that there is something inside me that is compelling me to go home and listen to the recording again and again. Yeah, and that was true, as the first thing I did after going home and taking lunch, was that I listened to the recording. After lunch, was the time to go for classes....but again before leaving home, I made it a point to listen to that recording. It was a funny experience for a person who was phobic to Indian Classical Music over these days. But then this was the moment which defined my entire attitude towards music. The man who induced this feeling in me was PT. BHIMSEN JOSHI.
I remembered the independence day celebrations of 1997. The maestro was singing 'Vande Mataram' in the Indian Parliament. This was around 11.30 pm in the night of 14th august. I remember asking my mother, 'ha kon therda gaatoy'..( who is this mad old man singing?) I remembered liking the Vande mataram version of A.R Rahman over this piece. However, I still like rahman's version, but I more closely follow Panditji's version.
Over the years, my taste and hunger for Indian Classical Music started to grow....and it has reached a point, where, my life without it is impossible. I owe a lot to these great maestros, who have continued to influence me all these years, and helped me achieve a rich taste of the great music of ours!

Sachin Tendulkar-1

This is India 2030. Sachin Aashay Gune, asks his father," Baba, why was my name kept Sachin?" Sachin, then perhaps 10-12 years old is curious to know, like many of his 'name-alikes' the reason of his name being Sachin. His Father is nostalgic, about the mention of his hero....and like all other fathers of his age....and many elder to him and younger too...start the topic about a man whose fan-following equaled only to that of Mahatma Gandhi. And then begins a talk, which every Indian of Aashay's age loved to have at his age. He describes his son a phenomenon called a certain Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar...till his son is finally convinced that indeed, keeping to the common tradition of Hindus, his father has given him a name of GOD.
The above conversation is highly superficial, but it has in it, the essence of how this man has influenced Indians all over the world. Yes, a tribute to the greatest cricketer ever....Sachin Tendulkar.
I would like to add here the scenario in which this man made his mark in International cricket. It was India 1989. The country was reeling under a highly unstable government. Prime Ministers changed in a matter of months. India lacked a hero, after Sunil Gavaskar had retired from cricket. P.T Usha missing a medal in the olympics by one-hundredth of a second was a very good achievement in Indian sports. Hockey, as usual relied on its past glory. It was the time, when the telecom revolution was about to make a mark in India. That was the time, when a kid, 16 years old is not selected to go to the tour of West-Indies because he is too timid to face the likes of Marshall and a battery of Windies fast bowlers! When asked in an interview, if ready to face them, he confidently replied in a YES. In the next tour of India to Pakistan, however, he finds a place in the team. And when he makes his debut in his first ever test series....he finds the entire Pakistani audience yelling " Bacche, doodh pi...cricket kya khel raha hain"...( hey kid, go and drink milk, how come you are on a cricket field'?) How could that have felt...that everybody around is against you...and that too as a 16-year old kid? And in the same match....comes a bouncer from Waqar Younis...and strikes the kid's face. Blood oozes from his face. I am sure, any mother in India, watching that match live on television, would have missed a beat! The batsman at the non-striker's end rushes and asks the kid whether he wants to leave the ground....and comes a firm reply...'NO'. And the next ball from waqar is hit for a boundary. This was the kid...who later became a hero of the entire nation! He was Sachin Tendulkar! Unknown till that time, and the surname Tendulkar had achieved fame due to Vijay Tendulkar. Also, after that test series, there was an exhibition match of 20 overs between the two sides. Abdul Qadir, one of the best spinners in the world from Pakistan then was playing the match, alongwith Mushtaq Ahmed, one of the upcoming spinners. Sachin hit Mushtaq for 2 sixes in a single over. Qadir, asked Sachin openly...." Bacche ko kya mar rahe hon....dum hain toh uske ustad ko...hume...maar ke dikhao". (why are you hitting that kid...if you have guts, hit his mentor...hit me....)The answer was straight from the bat, by Sachin....Qadir, in his next over was smashed for 4 sixes.
This is why Sachin Tendulkar is a legend. a legend has always stories floating around him.Talking with the bat, became a habit for this man, perhaps after this incident. While players in his generation took to sledging...this man achieved everything without a prior boast, or even a declaration. His down-to-earth nature, and also the nature of not always keen to hog the limelight resembles a typical maharashtrian middle-class attitude.....a fact also associated with his mentor....Sunil Gavaskar. After this incident, a legend was born.....a legend which inspired an entire generation of people....and made them think that success was possible through fair means. ( Who would forget the scandal of harshad mehta, that happened at almost the same time, when Sachin made his debut). A legend, to whom the nation owes, in having some of its name in the International Sports Arena. Every kid of that era wanted to be a Sachin Tendulkar.
The first memorable incident in my mind about this man, was in the world cup 1996 match against Kenya. That was the time, I was getting an interest in cricket. Me and my grandfather used to watch cricket matches for hours. Sachin hit an unbeaten 126 to win the match for India. And then the entire world cup batting was his! He went on to score 80 in the next match against the West-Indies, a 90 against the Australians and a whooping 137 against the Sri Lankans. Thanks to the loose efforts of the Indian team, we lost against the Aussies and the Lankans. But then later, thanks to an unbeaten 106 by Vinod kambli against the Zimbabweans, India could qualify for the quarter finals. The Quarter finals was against the Pakistanis, in which Sachin played a moderate and quick innings of 31....but the most painful moment in the world cup was in the semi-finals against Sri lanka.!!! In the semis, the bowlers did a good job in restricting the Lankans to 251. When the Indian innings began, Sachin was at his explosive best...and scored a quickfire 65. He was unlucky to be dismissed stump-out off the bowling of Jayasurya. However, later....the Indian batting fell like a pack of cards...with the team reaching the score of 120/8. The crowd at Kolkata, could not bear this sight....and started a havoc at the stadium, and the match refree Clive Lloyd decided to favour the match to the Lankans. A weeping Vinod Kambli is still remembered by die-hard cricket fans...as an effect of that match! I still remember, myself loudly abusing the Indian team...and also ultimately crying loudly for the loss. I was 9 years old then....and the result was undigestable for me. My father ultimately came and consoled me. How I felt sorry...and why only me...the nation felt sorry for a one-man effort of Sachin! But then, by that time, it was a ritual for the Indian team, to loose when Sachin did not score..and win when he played well!

Now on, I would focus on all the memories that I have of this great man. I have started with world cup 1996....and with each passing year, I would add the memories associated with it!
To be added in the subsequent articles on the maestro....

The State of Women in India

Every year there are certain schemes for the women in India.....either through annual budgets, or through seat reservations, and the respective government claims that it has done enough for uplifting the status of women in India. We have every government reserving some of its ministerial berths for women, we have some 20-odd percent academic reservations for women. But, the bottom-line is....does this help? Does this help in eradicating a mentality that is existing, not only in Indian men, but also in her people overall?
There is a very touching life-story of the great singer Padmavibhushan Dr. Gangubai Hangal, who passed away just last year. In her childhood and teen-age years, she was literally taunted by those 'men' as 'gaanewali-bai'. These men used to make life difficult for her, as her simple walk on a road elicited a response from them. The only objection for these men was that she, being a woman, was singing. But then, what if a woman sings? It is an accepted fact that singing is a medium to express what is in one's mind. But then, why a woman has no right to express what is in her mind. Perhaps, that is the reason Indian women are tolerant.....because they have not been allowed to express anything over the years. Dr. Hangal then says that, in the world of music...if men excel...they are designated as Pandits and Ustads.....but what about women? They are simply called....'bai'....like Hirabai, Gangubai and Kesarbai. Yes, this is what is Indian culture with all its 5000-years history. Even, in the famous Maharashtrian musical drama tradition, there were no female performers, till perhaps 60-odd years from now. Men used to do the roles of women. Why? It seems unimaginable, sitting here in the United States, with confident women around you, that in my country, women were not allowed to socialize! It was the time when Barbara McClintock was busy discovering about jumping genes, Indian women, were not allowed to freely participate in activities. This was the state of women in India that time.

But has it changed? We are in the 21st century now. But the significance of the 21st century seems to be for a selected few of the country. Overall, regarding the attitude towards women in India, little seems to have changed. From over-cautious parents, to hyper-possessive boyfriends and from restrictive in-laws, to dominating husbands...a girl has to bear this all. Only in these cases, a small cry from her child, is what holds her back...and she has to bear this all her life. Does she not think sometimes that....let everything of this go to hell....I want to live my own life! A life on my own terms! With nobody telling me anything......of how should I behave...how should I dress...how should I talk....to whom should I talk...where should I work...what should I not do.....but...then there is something called society which asks the same questions to her! The society is choosy enough not to ask these questions to him... but only to her! He is not the one who is under the scanner, but she always is! Frankly, Indian society has a very possessive feeling about its women...a feeling that goes to the extent of not allowing her to work on her own terms. This is the case...yes...in the 21st century!
I have seen this....men laughing at the site of a girl driving a car. Why can't they digest the site of a girl confidently doing something! A girl, doing something confidently in India...whether its answering any question, whether driving a car...or simply voicing her opinion...becomes a scene for a suppressed laughter among the men! There is a tendency of people talking..."despite being a girl, she did this...she did that!" But why this despite? This statement itself states that you have an inherent low confidence for the woman. I have never seen this sort of an attitude towards women in the United States. For people, who see this as an innocent opinion-formation....let me make it clear. I am in no mood to state that there is no male -domination here. Males do dominate. But, here, there is no existence of an attitude of under-estimating a person, because she is a woman! Here, a woman is free to decide her own terms. Men are gentle enough to allow a woman get into a public transport bus...but I have seen people cramming inside a public transport bus in India...with no care about the women around. If these men are not gentle at these instances, how in the world will we justify the term gentlemen?

In how many families, a girl is treated equally like a boy? A boy is asked to marry at an age of 25, or sometimes even more than that. However, in most of the families, a girl is asked to marry at an age of 20-21. Why is she then not asked whether she has to continue her education? Is graduation only a last step for the girl to study? I have come across one such family, where a girl though elder had to walk to her office, whereas the boy, who had just passed his standard tenth examination, had a right to a motorcycle!
In the society too, the scenario is not different. I have seen people referring to Indira Gandhi's tenure as a Prime Minister, as " Bai phaar kadak hoti"( The woman was very severe)....I mean I have never heard people say the same thing about a guy holding a position. I have seen on the television, Balasaheb Thakre saying" Congress-wale bai chya maage maage phirtat" ( The people of congress are always following that lady)....I have never seen such a reference to a guy....then are you not secretly not accepting the fact that a lady can't be on a top position? I have heard of conflicts in the family, egos getting hurt when the wife earns more than the husband. People around are found commenting that the guy is living on the girl's salary. We are too happy to accept the fact that a girl lives on the guy's salary....but then why is the reverse not true? In some cases, the girl is even forced to leave the job..and this happens in civilized families too! If this is the case, can we trust the fact that the mentality regarding women in the Indian society has changed?
The mentality towards women worsens if a marriage fails and there results in a divorce. Instead of making a woman stand on her feet, the society is always to demoralize her....always asking her in a sarcastic manner...how will she survive without her husband? If a husband can survive after a divorce, why does not our society encourage a woman to stand on her own feet? If a man can lead a life alone, a woman also should be able to do that? In most of the cases, a woman has to suffer from the hands of her in-laws...but the girl's family gulps it in dismay, because if this would result in a divorce the girl has to lead a lonely life!
I have to mention one more example of this deeply-rooted problem. This example is the one which I have experienced closely! In Maharashtrian families there is a custom of 'haldi-kunku'...where all the women assemble at one place( the host-woman's home ) and apply haldi and kunku on the forehead of all the women present. My mother and grandmother were invited to all such ceremonies. But, when my grandfather expired, invitations to my grandmother for such functions stopped! Why? Because she is a widow? She has no right to socialize? Is this not blatant discrimination? My grandmother...who never discriminated between me and my cousin sister, even for equally dividing a glass of sherbet....has to see this day? This is the most unfortunate thing to happen. So, are not the women, in these cases, showing their backward attitude towards themselves? This makes us feel that this problem is deeply rooted in the psyche of everybody!

And why only the adults? Are we the youngsters not thinking the same way? If we see a couple around us, we immediately gossip about the girl....but do we care to gossip about the guy? If it results in a breakup of them, we are looking with suspicious eyes towards the girl...whereas the guy is again assimilated in his friends! The girl, in most of the cases becomes an out-caste! The bottom-line is that, we all are too partial in our attitude....we tend to blame the girl and never the guy! This results in the making of careless guys, taking advantage of the girls....because they feel, that whatever they do, they are superior...and the society is with them!
This mentality can be eradicated from the society, only and only if the following situation is handled according to the girl's wishes:
A girl is getting married. Both families have decided for the date. Both are having good jobs. Suddenly, the girl's company gives her an offer to work in the United States. It is a very good opportunity for the girl to excel in her respective field. The girl's family is keen that their daughter should go for it. When asked to the guy's family...they happily exclaim...and allow the girl to catch her dreams. What if a similar situation had occurred in the guy's life? He would be allowed, isn't it?