Naushad, the legend and Sadhna ...article which I wrote on 25 Dec.

On the occasion of the 97th birth anniversary of the legendary Naushad (born on 25 Dec 1919), I append few points from his life and career stolen from the internet:

• When he got married, the band was playing the tunes of the super hit songs of the film 'Rattan'. While his father and father-in-law were condemning the musician who had composed these songs, Naushad dared not tell them that it was he who had composed the music.
• His greatest contribution was to bring Indian classical music into the film medium. Naushad's style was renowned for his ability to incorporate classical rhythms into his symphonies. He based his music upon the "ragas" that formed a basis in Indian classical music, and thus his music took on complex formations
• He often spent nights sleeping on the footpath opposite the Broadway theatre in Bombay, and dreamt of seeing his music played over there. Sixteen years later, he burst into tears at the premiere of Baiju Bawra (1952), at that same theatre.
• He also introduced the accordion to Hindi film music and was among the first to concentrate on background music to extend characters' moods and dialogue through music.
• He is known for introducing Lata Mangeshkar, Mohd Rahi and Surayya to the scale that we know today.
• For Aan (1952), he was the first to use a 100-piece orchestra.
• For Mughal-e-Azam (1960) song Ae Mohabbat Zindabad, he used a chorus of 100 persons. He asked Lata Mangeshkar to render a part of the song "Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya" in a bathroom that had glazed tiles and then recorded the music to get the echo effect.
• During the early 1940s, his recordings were done in quiet parks and gardens after midnight because the studios did not have sound-proof recording rooms. In the gardens there would be no echo and disturbances, unlike the studios where the sound reverberated because of the tin roofs.
• From 1942 until the late 1960s, he was one of the top music directors in Hindi films. While he did less than a hundred films during his lifetime, 26 of those films celebrated Silver jubilees (25 weeks run) – 8 celebrated golden jubilees (50 weeks run) and 4 celebrated diamond jubilees (60 weeks run).
• Five films have been made on his life and work. Biographical books published are Dastaan-E-Naushad (Marathi) by Shashikant Kinikar; Aaj Gaawat Man Mero (Gujarati); Hindi and Urdu biographical sketches in Shama & Sushma Magazines respectively, titled "Naushad Ki Kahani, Naushad Ki Zubani"; the last one was translated into Marathi by Shashikant Kinikar. Kinikar also came up with a book titled "Notes of Naushad" which puts together some interesting anecdotes of Naushad's life.

A small common element with Sadhna whose Ist death anniversary also falls today: Mere Mehboob

of pigeons and doves...

The association with pigeons has been a bit prolonged for my family. The alliance to my memory runs for some close to 3 decades now. 
It started with small amounts of rice thrown in to the intruders while they murmured with gloated throats around the balcony. With this quotidian benevolence, the numbers soon began to rise; seemed as if they had a wonderful shout-out system to ensure that the message goes to as many. The courtyard seemed occupied by the intruders for most part of the day. The kit / flight, as I googled out the collective noun to be, included all hues of the Columbidae family from the pure silvery shining, the light gray with dirty spots around, the magenta necked overall deep gray to the close-to-black and the lapis-lazuli shade bearers. At some point I had become so used to the lot that I could distinctly make out the hungry note from the satisfied croaking.
I remember being asked to ferry a small sack of grains from a place which I used to get on my cycle. In the initial phase, it used to last a month. But with a degree of benevolence growing through me and my younger sister, it started to last less than a fortnight. But yes, the pains (for me) and the cost (for my parents) were worth it; the sheer pleasure of having these entities around and the awe-generation because of the timing maintained by them irrespective of the climate and the part of the year. They could recognize the person who was throwing the grains because I could see a distinct comfort among them when my father or mother were in the act. When the rolls changed over to me (which was very rare, though), they maintained a larger distance from the hand and some had a stoic silence on their crop (that is a distinct belonging of pigeons and doves which I learnt later).
While I was physically detached from my roots @ Rourkela for studies and then for the job treks, I was always thrilled with the news of these winged entities. As I was away, there happened three changes in the addresses for my parents back there but these entities followed them ritually.
As I headed home after almost 1 1/2 years, I was pleased to find the continuity of the ritual. The place of action has now shifted to the modestly large rooftop. My son had his quota of excitement amidst the multiple hurls of wheat, yes thats the new food for the visiting columbidaes.
Am sure each of these winged entities had something to do with the rapid growth of goodwill and blessings for my family.

got jealous...

Few days back I was out to Delhi on a personal trip. Was glad to meet an old pal Subhankar after many many years. Thanks to him, I also managed to speak with another old friend Shalini.

I am normally beyond negations and negative thoughts but I got jealous for few minutes hearing that the two of them have 3 daughters in between them. The first thing that I did after coming back to Kolkata was to pack some gifts for them.

Durga 2016 coming: Celebrating through sketches and colours

Today being a holiday, I had planned a painting of Durga. Not that I would be getting into that profession but but for the few hours of association that this verb would bring. The result is below to see.

Never knew the Hitler-Odisha connection...

During the Second World War, aluminum was used as a prime ingredient in fire bombs, including napalm, which killed tens of thousands of civilians in air raids over Germany and Japan. In fact, the main ores for war metals are all found in Orissa — iron, chromite and manganese for steel, bauxite, and uranium. Hitler was apparently well aware of Orissa’s iron and bauxite deposits, one reason why Japanese bombs were dropped on Orissa’s ports.

Hitler’s interest in Orissa’s bauxite/aluminium and iron ore is outlined in an article inOriya in Samaj, May 3, 2005 by Ajit Mahapatra who met one of Hitler’s key metal experts,and the widow of another.

Hitler, or one of his metallurgists is said to have remarked that “he who controls Orissa’s iron, controls the world”

Mali Aja: plants, plantations and planters

How much does one think of other, what about a person who has been thinking mostly about others. There was this person whose name is not important because he was popular as Mali Aja (normal Odia word for the maternal grandfather) to juniors and Mali Mausa (typical Odia word for uncle). This was so because of the fact that he was indeed a mali, a connuesior of flowers, flower pots, vegetables and trees. All old timers of REC campus shall vouche for the beauty that was in and around the institution and few houses which had the touch of this gem. Trees standing today bear testimony to the efforts of this person who had no idea about his real date birth and he also did not remember the classes which he had studied (he had not sat for Matriculation, for sure).

But yes, he did remember the names of the various flower plants which would seldom be covered in our school books, the exact period for which a grafting is required to be attached to the tree, which species of plants had a better chances of bearing fruits faster if raised through conditioned germination and if a barren patch of land were to be converted to a flower bed what cheap ingredients were required. He had answers to all questions of plants, trees and plantings. Numerous mango trees, rubber trees and pineapple bushes still bear his signature though he is no more.

He came from a non-descript place of Odisha but that is not at all important. Be it the dispensary where he was posted or the library to which he was attached for substantial long time, all had a unique style of brick-layout for seasonal plants and each season bore a different set of colours w.r.t to the plants that breathed life into. While he was spotted making cow-dung syrup (that is the best word that I can use) at places, at times he could be find dirtying his hands in cow-dung spreading them for the sun to kiss them and he was also seen making a bed of sand-mud-dry leaves for some non-descript life to be born. It seemed as if plants and plant-making were his life; that was his first love and the last purpose of his existence.

Lastly the point on how I was connected to this non-descript entity; well, I still conjure the best memoirs of the vegetables which were planted, watered &tended by him, I still feel nostalgic with the typical cow-dung smell in my nostrils (I used to detest the same in kidhood) and I have grown seeing sheer miracles happening with non-flowering plants bearing fruits.

It instilled in me and my father a deep sense of regards for Mother Nature. My father at a later date went on to fill every single vacant square feet our ancestral village with trees and he went to plant trees in the vacant spaces of government offices. Employment Exchange at Rourkela still bears the mark of the seed that was planted in the form of plants that were planted by Mali Aja.

He had a great popularity among the employees of REC; all the employees of any department of the institution in which he worked would throng him with requests for guiding them on grafting, lawn making and flowering. Numerous kids along with the parents have developed the taste of gardening because of this person.

The other learning from him was the financial discipline which he maintained. At this age, we are aware of systematic methods of saving and expenditure. In those times, he used to miraculously manage his small salary with a fixed debit towards his family (used to stay at his native place) and a fixed savings every month (which most often used to land in Post Office or as advised by my father).

Now he is no more but the undying spirit of passion towards plants has been ingrained in the minds of almost every individual who came in contact with him during his lifetime.