The Mistress of Ghazal

 Yes, today let us talk of Begum Akhtar. Her birth anniversary, on October 7, happens to be just a week old. Why then talk of a singer (yes, she did act in Bombay Films. Hardly is famous as an actress though. She is etched in to the ears of classical music listeners as the thumi, dadra, ghazal maestro), the mallika-e-ghazal, who passed away in 1974, and is now a relic of the past, born as she was in 1914?

I would say her appeal lies precisely in the fact that in the early twentieth century when India was shackled both by rigid patriarchal traditions and the colonial British masters, this daughter of a 'tawaif' gave the 'kotha' tradition of thumri and ghazal the acceptability and, greater still, the respectability of the AIR, later the broadcasting mode of the newly independent  nation.

Indeed single-handedly is this 'mistress'  ( in both the senses of the term) of ghazal responsible for making the music of the 'badnam galli/mohalla' a major part of the repertoire of the classical music baithak . All her four hundred plus songs are a treat to the ear, even when you may not understand each and every Urdu word therein.

The most loved, however, are "woh jo hum me tum me" and "eh, mohabbat, tere naam pe". Her honeyed voice, with its slight husk, brings out beautifully the deep emotion the two songs elucidate. No wonder, given her contribution, the ghazal is now a much loved sub-genre of the tradition. Due to her path breaking artistry, the ghazal gayaki, continues to be loved ad infinitum by both, the congnoscenti and the uninitiated avid listener.  Long live the tradition of ghazal!

Pratima@ There forked two roads, the dual paths. The one less travelled she chose. And that has made all the difference!

The Lighthouse

 The Lighthouse is a beautiful place. Imagine, it is a no-moon night. Somewhere far away from the city lights, aboard a small, or even a big, boat on the treacherous sea, it is an infinity of darkness, made more dreary because of the weak torch with you, going weaker by the second. As it is a no-moon day, the strong currents, unknown and unseen, are pulling your bark deeper in to the threatening sea. The shores seem a distant dream.

As the receding waters 'appear', though really are not, shallow, there is every creepy possibility that you may meet the Titanic fate. Suddenly, out of nowhere, there are zooming lights, going round and round, showing that there is great guidance here which nullifies the boat-bashing boulder beneath. 

 Nothing now threatens. The distant stars, that seemed so very far away, are now friendly companions absolutely within your ambit. There is a goal now to your rudderless route. Fully assured you are that the shore is just a few feet away. 

That is the magic of a lighthouse. It can make the witchery of a threat in to an absolutely accessible promise. No wonder, 'lighthouse' is a standard metaphor for life. In our life, too, often there are moments that can beat the deep sea typhoons, and make them look like a storm in a teacup.

 As long as there is that someone (preferably your own self-reflexive and resilient 'i'dentity) there who can positively guide you, at times just by being there, every nightmare can magically turn in to a dream that makes a baby smile angelically. Here is to the lighthouses, and the vision behind it, a zillion gratitudes!

Pratima@How apt appears the title of Shantanu Naidu's book on Ratan Tata, though I have not read it.

What does the Dasara mean?

 What is the meaning of Dasara? The mythological stories related to Dasara  are twofold. One is related to the Ramayana ( it was on this day that Rama attained victory over Ravana), while, the other is as if by definition from the Mahabharata. It was on this day that the Pandava brothers could renounce their terrible year of anonymity, and reclaim their identity, so to say. 

Beyond the mythology, what is its importance, its relevance now? I would like to maintain that now it means a better self-control. The Ravana is hidden within. Can be, the excessive ego, laziness, the tendency to constantly procrastinate, for instance. 

Overcoming such vices, becoming more self-aware, and thus being a better individual means the real Dasara now. What say?

Pratima@ New meanings would make our culture existentially relevant to the Gen Z, Gen Alpha,Beta, Thêta, whatever, right?

New Navratri Boons

 Navratri ends, and Dasara is just a few hours away. I am sure the Garba dancers would have loved to dance the night away. The untimely rain, however, has destroyed their hopes. Since the evening of the Navami, it has started raining really badly. Actually, it does rain during the Navratra, but never this intensely!

May be, now the "asuras", the demons, Devi Durga has to assail are different.  Number One demon to be defeated has to be the factors that are leading to the climate changes, and hence to such untimely rain, for instance. 

Yes, in the blog today, let us list the devils that the modern day (interpretation of) Durga must destroy. Number 1 is climate change factors. Number Two would be Wars. Number Three would be nukes and other such hyper destructive war weapons. Number four would be vector borne diseases. Sure we have not yet forgotten the COVID lessons, right?

 Number five should be the ill-treatment of women and the other vulnerable societal species. Number six should be constant politicking over everything. Number seven should be the 'jugad' and the 'everything goes' attitude. Number eight could be the danger posed by the AI. Number nine has to be the individual factors such as malice, jealousy, viciousness, and so on, right? Hope all that is holy in this universe accedes/ grants me these boons!

Pratima@ At the personal level, too, I have my own wishes. It is said that such should never be made public, right?

Healthy mind is the truly wealthy mind

 Mind, as Milton maintained, is in its place, and can make heaven of hell, and hell of heaven. Yes, human mind is paradoxically  both, that strong, that weak; that wise, that foolish. Hence the need for its health.

Currently, moreover, that would be the real human wealth. Why? Well, there are much too many factors that can make it go wayward, make it ill.  For the teenagers, for instance, it is the peer pressure. Often youngsters choose the 'path of dalliance', to quote Shakespeare's Ophelia, because of the peer pressure. Doing drugs, being irresponsible and disrespectful, going for daredevil-eries of all sorts; everything that ruins a young life is due to the powerful peer pressure.

Even the childhood these days is fettered. Hardly is their innocence unsullied as tired and troubled parents introduce them to the t.v. and the mobile as distractions. The wide wor(l)ds in all possible wickedness-es thus enter their tiny universe too early, and corrupt it quick and forever.

The pace of life, the breakdown of communication, the wicked competition, the lonely crowd, thousands are the causes that are ready to attack, to maraud, to destroy the mind. Where exactly is though the divine remedy that can currently make human minds heathy, and thus wealthy in the true sense? That is the question!

Self-awareness about one's roles and identity, be it professional or personal, is, in my opinion, one of the solutions. It is a choice, moreover. Let me give you an example, may be. The moment I am a self-aware sensitive daughter, i can cancel out many a tensions, troubles and worries of my parents. As a self-conscious responsible parent or a professional, I would avoid many pitfalls for my family or firm.

How to develop a healthy self-awareness? Through caring relationships, through wide and deep reading, through meditation, for instance. Available, in brief, are amazing alternatives that lead us to a healthy and hence wealthy mind. Happy World Mental Health Day!

Pratima@ Eckhard Tolle says, "all the problems are illusions of mind". Hence either you nurture and nourish the mind, or the mind disturbs and destroys your  wor(l)ds.

Influencer Incarnate

 Intellectual fashions, as they are practised in the populist arena, are quite some fun. As is said, anything that happens the second time, the imitation  way, is always cheap fun. Let me give you a concrete example.

In every field of existence, be it education, be it employment, often the new entrant, whatever might be the age, requires somebody to hold his/her hand, help gently but efficiently so that the life of the individual in the concerned institute runs smooth. 

Now, in the pop world, given the consumerist mode of life, the 'original mentor' emerged as the "influencer" who would charge a hefty fee to often give extremely trivial advice. The best example of such 'image sculpting'  would be the marriage hall decorators, the bridal make-up artists who make every bride look exactly like the recent most Bollywood fashionista, the 'image consultants' who worry over the colour of the socks the person is wearing, and so on. Even a wrong and shallow insistence on 'soft skills' is an example of such an influencer.

Despite such trivialisation of the original concept, there are genuine people who are influencers incarnate. The late Ratan Tata, l would like to insist, was one such person. Despite being an industrialist, he never cosied up to the powers that be. The best example would the Tata Nano factory in Bengal. He had to shift it to Gujrat, but he never compromised on principles.

He was the man who cared for his employees so much that he quietly visited the WoodLand Society in Pune to enquire after the health of a Tata employee. He was the man who decided not to go for a ceremony organised by King Charles in his honour as his favourite dog was ill.

The latest CSR initiative he encouraged was to look after the elderly in the society in such a way that the trained young would get a paying partnership in the process. In brief, he encouraged talent at the workplace, while he mobilised compassion in the society.

It is such value production that creates the brand image of a company. It is such a leader who encourages, empathises, equalises who is the true influencer. No wonder, in the Delhi High Court, there were common people filing an appeal to grant Ratan Tata, who thought of and executed a cheap car for the common man, the highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna. May his soul rest in peace!

Pratima@In my opinion, in the Indian iconography, the ideal influencer is Shri Krishna, forever friendly, strongly supportive yet encouraging the disciple to be his own self. He advises Arjuna about the most complex issues. Yet the Bhagwad Geeta ends with "यथेच्छसि तथा कुरु" which means, in the final analysis, do what is right in your opinion!

Indian Air Force Day

 If the Israel-Palestine war (at least initially!) has managed anything positive at all, it has made the whole world acutely aware of the power, of the reach, of the inevitability of the Air Force. In fact, until very recently, Israel did not even introduce the infantry. It was either missiles or mostly carpet bombing by the Air Force.

The Air Force, one could say, is literally the wings of any army. Unlike the infantry or the Navy, it can cover a huge distance literally in a jiffy. Moreover, it can strike and return to safety in no time. Obviously hence, it is more devastating as well.

My submission is that the Indian Air Force is as centrally relevant during the peace time as it is during the war. Luckily, despite many skirmishes and a few battles, India has not indulged in warfare of the Ukraine type or the current Israel-Hamas onwards variety.

The Indian Air Force is hence more helpful in peacetime activities such as helping the citizens marooned areas due to the rivers in spate, for instance. In fact, any time there is any natural calamity, the Indian Air Force is present there, literally that very moment, like the genie in the lamp.

It is a real tough training that the officers undergo. They have to be in perfect ship-shape form physically. Their eyesight has to be of the best 'power', for instance. In a way they, too, are operating in the space, without any concrete support. So their highly skillful profession is quite dangerous as well. Their job profile, in brief, is a unique combination of technological awareness, superb skilfulness, and quite some daredevilry.  On the Indian Air Force Day, here is wishing the bravehearts every success.

Pratima@Ever since ancient times, there have been references to the air force. That centrally relevant is this arm of the army.