Gulo main rang bhare

 गुलों में रंग भरे, बाद-ए-नौ-बहार चले

चले भी आओ के गुलशन का कारोबार चले (गुल = फूल, गुलाब), (बाद-ए-नौ-बहार = नई बहार की हवा), (गुलशन = बग़ीचा) क़फ़स उदास है यारों, सबा से कुछ तो कहो कहीं तो बहर-ए-ख़ुदा आज ज़िक्र-ए-यार चले (क़फ़स = पिंजरा), (सबा = मंद हवा), (बहर-ए-ख़ुदा = ख़ुदा के लिए) बड़ा है दर्द का रिश्ता, ये दिल ग़रीब सही तुम्हारे नाम पे आयेंगे ग़मगुसार चले (ग़मगुसार = हमदर्द, दुःख बंटानेवाला) जो हमपे गुज़री सो गुज़री मगर शब-ए-हिज्राँ हमारे अश्क तेरी आक़बत सँवार चले (शब-ए-हिज्राँ = जुदाई की रात), (अश्क = आँसू),  (आक़बत = परलोक, भविष्य) मक़ाम 'फैज़' कोई राह में जँचा ही नहीं जो कू-ए-यार से निकले तो सू-ए-दार चले (मक़ाम = पड़ाव), (कू-ए-यार = प्रेमिका की गली), (सू-ए-दार = फाँसी के फंदे की ओर) -फैज़ अहमद फैज़ml

By this river

 Here we are

Stuck by this river
You and I
Underneath a sky that's ever falling down, down, down
Ever falling down

Through the day
As if on an ocean
Waiting here
Always failing to remember why we came, came, came
I wonder why we came

You talk to me
As if from a distance
And I reply
With impressions chosen from another time, time, time
From another time

Money Heist

 

I had heard a lot about money heist and it had been recommended by friends whose advice I usually value, but only recently did I get a chance to watch it. Its a treat to watch. By clever use of sets and cinematography, except actual gun fight scenes, production value won’t be outrageous and unlike many other series revolving around lead characters, this one develops almost all protagonists and even minor ones. Like a proper Shakespearean tale, people are shown to have weaknesses, at times they know about them and are still not able to overcome them and which impacts their behaviour and clouds their judgement. By the way some Indian tv channel should dub this in Hindi and telecast, in DD monopoly era they used to show dubbed tv serials of other languages and at times they were quite a hit. This series make us like the “bad” guys, interestingly even after earning all the loot money they don’t seem to be indulging in bad behaviour rather just enjoying themselves, an idea which appeals to almost everyone. Further insistence on not killing anyone by robbers is shown as virtue on their part while same on the part of police is conveniently portrayed as weakness. How do the robbers manipulate media and use mass fervour to their advantage is an instructive case study in media management for law enforcement agencies and concerned stakeholders.

Article 15

·         The movie is good and bad. Good parts first but why I call some of it is bad that it has done great disservice to the cause it espouses despite being able to capture some nuances very well.

·         Sleepy north Indian rural milleue with its poverty and infrastructure has been depicted quite accurately, especially government hospital or government residence. In a small town ( overgrown village) the so called gentry consists of business persons and sundry government officials as shown in movie. The new IPS who is essentially a transplant from an alien environment ( not from same state but also the culture ) gets shock and is treated by local people exactly the same way as shown in movie. A seemingly innocuous man like bodyguard of addnl SP who is himself shown involved in the crime , or one fiery village woman who dares to speak truth, or how post-mortem can be manipulated at government hospitals, or how SP deliberately leaks news to media or local businessman tries to get cosy with SP is pretty accurate and shows script write have ear to grounds. The way politician of both sides unite and how victim of dalit community don’t get help from leader of their community is pretty accurate.

·         Sadly though good things end here. First movie tries to allude to a real life incident which was actually an honor killing by the family of the victims in UP. Movie strings together various crimes from all over India over different periods of time in a single time frame in a single place painting a picture of doomsday. The SC police inspector is shown taking orders from dominant caste senior which is so patently false. The sad truth is police is divided across caste lines and more often than now whoever is in position of power plays saviour for people of his caste.

·         The SP must have cleared UPSC, got trained for a year and then at least 2 years in field before becoming SP and his incredulity at surroundings is simply laughable especially when asking who is which caste as the very exam he would have appeared inot and training he would gone through constantly reinforces these ideas.

·         Robin hood of the village who does nothing but sermonises is as unreal as moon in daytime and no demonstration, dharna or morcha by public or family of victim is not what happens in reality.

·         Overall the mood picture paints and especially the cinematography is very good, performance wise people shine in their role, especially corrupt policeman, businessman, lady doctor, assistant police officers , Ayushman acts well but his role is not written perfectly and so is issue with robin hood and his love interest.

·         Overall one should watch the movie but remember that it is fictional and substantial part of it never happens in real.

Sepoy to Subedar

From Sepoy to Subedar is a very rare, first person account of a sepoy who served in both the East India Company's army until the mutiny and then continued serving after the Indian army was brought directly under government control. Sita Ram began his service for the Honorable Company in 1812 and fought in virtually all the army's major campaigns. Ram's narrative describes his active service, and provides a private soldier's insights, into the Gurkha War (1814-1816), the Pindari War (1817-1818), the incursion into Afghanistan(1838-1839), and the subsequent retreat (1842) to include his capture and time as a slave before escaping to return to India. Ram's story continues with his actions in both Sikh wars, and the Mutiny in 1857.

What makes the book interesting is that it provides a soldier's level perspective of all these actions and life in the Indian Army. What makes it even better is it is written by a soldier in the Indian Army along with the insights and perspectives of a Hindu soldier in the service of the Raj. It's this perspective that makes the book unique and worth reading.

As with many soldier's narratives, it lacks the context that would go along with a more polished military history. However, the book's editor provides both context and background at the beginning of each chapter and in the footnotes.

It would be interesting if we get  sepoy/soldier level perspective of IPKf, Kashmir insurgency, naxalism etc. But his memoir also points to some painful reality, like technology won the day for Britishers, caste was an important fact for north Indian hindus which were prevented  to go abroad or serve beyond Indus and even mere touch or eating with impure irritated them to no ends

Cure of Troy

History says, Don’t hope

On this side of the grave.

But then, once in a lifetime

The longed-for tidal wave

Of justice can rise up,

And hope and history rhyme

Video Games

one of my favorite songs

Swinging in the backyard
Pull up in your fast car
Whistling my name

Open up a beer
And you take it over here
And play a video game

I'm in his favorite sun dress
Watching me get undressed
Take that body downtown

I say you the bestest
Lean in for a big kiss
Put his favorite perfume on

Go play a video game

It's you, it's you, it's all for you
Everything I do
I tell you all the time
Heaven is a place on earth with you
Tell me all the things you want to do
I heard that you like the bad girls
Honey, is that true?
It's better than I ever even knew
They say that the world was built for two
Only worth living if somebody is loving you
Baby now you do

Singing in the old bars
Swinging with the old stars
Living for the fame

Kissing in the blue dark
Playing pool and wild darts
Video games

He holds me in his big arms
Drunk and I am seeing stars
This is all I think of

Watching all our friends fall
In and out of Old Paul's
This is my idea of fun
Playing video games

It's you, it's you, it's all for you
Everything I do
I tell you all the time
Heaven is a place on earth with you
Tell me all the things you want to do
I heard that you like the bad girls
Honey, is that true?
It's better than I ever even knew
They say that the world was built for two
Only worth living if somebody is loving you
Baby now you do

(Now you do)

It's you, it's you, it's all for you
Everything I do
I tell you all the time
Heaven is a place on earth with you
Tell me all the things you want to do
I heard that you like the bad girls
Honey, is that true?
It's better than I ever even knew
They say that the world was built for two
Only worth living if somebody is loving you
Baby now you do