To rephrase the lines of a beautiful Shelley poem ‘if winter is here, can woollen jackets be far away’ !Being the preferred apparel specially among trendy millennial in the areas that have cooler climates, elite, fashion conscious too will adorn them even in peak summers.The craze for sporting jackets and their variedavatarsby both men and women of all ages for sartorial statementshas started to make the traditional coat look outdated. Recently when we met an old friend over lunch attired in suave suit with a natty scarf tucked in, he looked quite formal compared to us in our colourful jackets !

Just like sneakers have stolen a march over black leather shoes of yester years, jackets have become increasingly popular. Largely classless, they are now quite affordable to all sections of society. A warm traditional coat costs more, it needs to be treated with care & have to be maintained. Simple jackets offer a practical combination of warmth, protection from the elements (like cold, wind and rain) and combine versatility in style with rough and tough use and wear, allowing people to adapt their looks to different situations while maintaining comfort and functionality. This had made them a staple item in most wardrobes across various climates and fashion trends all over the world. 

Apart from the above universalised features, their wide range of designs, materials, and cuts, jackets can be dressed up or down to suit different occasions, from casual to formal. Different jacket styles can reflect the individual’s personality&fashion tastes. From rugged, macho to the elegant, classy look, it allows people to express themselves through their clothing choices. Then there are specific types of jackets designed for particular activities like hiking, cycling, horse-riding, swimmingor skiing, providing tailored features for optimal performance. 

Without being a fashion expert, one has observed great evolution of ‘Leather jackets’ modelled by the rich and famous, the film heroes and pop stars, often associated with cool, edgy style. Trend possibly started with Hollywood movies and the ‘tough guy’ image created in Westerns. On a humbler level were ‘Denim’ jackets:classic, versatilecustomized with patches or embroidery and having a timeless appeal for all. Then are the Puffer jackets with excellent insulation for cold weather, lightweight and packable for easy carrying. We all grew up wearing the ‘College’ Blazer with the school badge. Sports-stars don the country colours in smart blazers that gives them much pride !

In our country, the traditional official wear has the veritable ‘jacket’ as its integral part when it comes to political class, netas& party leaders, though the corporate honchos, staid bankers& business class still subscribes to the formal suit and tie when in office. Outside the workspace, bandh-gala jackets are preferred by men in light winters while fashionistas have wide range in ‘haute couture’ for women that suit different dresses.  Wedding outfits now include ethnic jackets along with the conventional ‘sherwanis’.

Does everyone love wearing jackets ?John Krasinski said ‘My main focus is to always try to be myself firstand then dress. And hey, if I wear a cool jacket, that’s a bonus !’

Poet WH Davies wrote the poem ‘Leisure’ during a time (1820s) when the Industrial Revolution hadfairly transformedEngland’s aristocracy into a society bustling with energetic work, so much so that it begins with the line “What is this life if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare”. A plea for what the HR professionals call ‘Work-Life Balance’ butcan’timplement.Some now say, there’s no work or life to balance !

Those like us, who started working in 1970s, would recall certain jobs (like banking) had undefined stretchable working hours for officers but were lucrativeto the award staff who’d get extra hours incentivised by substantial ‘overtime’ payouts based on agreements worked out with the managements. Those were facilities of the past, later compensated somewhat by thewage revisions and pay hikes across the board, while organisations tried cleverlyto prune increasing staff& costs to save dwindling profits.

Cut to the last two decades and with the looming cost of living crisis and energy bills playing on everyone’s minds, all realise importance of earning enough to make a fair living.We’re growing increasingly more connected through newer technology and social media. WFH (working from home) has become the new normal. It’s becoming more and more difficult to separate work from personal lives& find ‘Family’ time. It’s commonplace to check emails at all hours, take business calls at the dinner table and work on laptops on weekends. Old folks look with sadness at a ‘strained’ millennial.  

Employers and Bosses expect more from the employees, which leads to them feeling more pressure to achieve greater results. Wheneverthe top leaders recommend longer work hours there’s resentment but when recently a Corporate Honcho suggested 90 hr workweek, his exhortation had pressures reach a breaking point from all quarters. More so, his innocuous remark about one aimlessly‘staring at the spouse’ rather than working on Sundays, has been met by wild memes & jeers & no cheers fromanyone !

If this Gent had read the Davies poemat hisleisure any time in life, he wouldn’t use the word ‘stare’ loosely. The poet meant ‘gaze’ and gentle reflection. But all married people (barring newly-weds) know ‘staring’ at your spouse (&definitelyatother’s! ) is quite fraught with big risks. Normally the home-makers react tersely ‘Why are you staring, is my new hairdo soawful ?’ or ‘Stop staring and get busy, there’s lots to be done !’. When the Mrs stares at her better-half, it often means ‘This explanation had better be a good one !’. Yet ‘loyalty is the best policy’& Mr.Anand Mahindra gallantly says ‘I love staring at my Wife’. Others express words meaning leave ‘Sunday’ alone !

Maintaining a proper work-life balance is not only important for health, well-being & relationships, but it can also improve an employee’s productivityand ultimately his performance and life in general. Put simply, if our people don’t view work as a chore, then they will work harder, make fewer mistakes and will be there to spend more time with the family and for leisure, even stare lovingly at the spouse (in extreme cases ) !

Many of my friends chastise me for ‘taking, walking, speaking’ cricket in most things I write and talk about. That’s not too strange in a nation where the game is a religion. However, when a living legend like Ravi Ashwin who’s been around for 18 years and has become India’s second highest wicket taker, suddenly decides to hang up his boots with no ostensible reasons offered, it’s Ashwin’s ultimate carrom ball to his followers& fans compelled to ask ‘Why now ?’ to his fast in-cutting delivery – ‘Why not now’ ?

For better part of last week, glowing tributes and statistical eulogies have pervaded the social media ,from past legends, ex-team-mates, gloomy dressing room comradesto rivals in the opposite camps and ace-presenter Harsha Bhogle to sports scribes like Boria Mazumdar, all have shared their admiringly personal takes on their association, interactions & experiences with the great ‘Offie’ & India’s thinking ‘Anna’ of Cricket. Shocked, sad, disappointed are understatements to fans who followed fascinatingly Ashwin’s tumultuous journey the crescendo of high fives and silence of ‘sitting it out’.

As a movie buff, I recall our love for Western movies where the impassively tough guys after vanquishing baddies, would ‘ride into the sunset’ not waiting for laurels & despite his unceremonious exit (some would say), Ash remains a hero of many battles. A highly illustrious career was obviously drawing to a close but to end like this was an Alfred Hitchcock thriller building up to a climax but curtains came down too soon. Since we’re not averse to drawing parallels, when ‘God of Cricket’ Sachin played his final match at Wankhede & gave an emotional speech, Mumbai stopped for few hours. Why’s India’s most celebrated off-spin wizard not being celebrated for lofty standards in taking a life-changing decision on his terms and make way for many in the wings ?

A lot has been said and we’ll hear more on ‘Ashwin’ saga but what comes as a truly heartwarming tribute is from the person closest to his heart, his wife Priti, that we found in this Sunday’s TOI ! The piece is below – emotional, beautiful and inspiring !

Wemust concede it’s at times toomany ‘words’ (in the pieces that we write) that have elicited views of some friends about being lengthy and consequently less readable. In our old friends’W’App chat, I was asked to give my views on an exhaustive article which I did in an explanatory style. Curt response from acynic friend was ‘Executive Summary Please !’ (yes, quite likeones we used to submit to our Bank Bosses since they were supposed to be loaded with plethora of bulky notes & files). To me it was a reminder of the academic importance of that ‘French’ word called ‘Precis’ !

For the uninitiated, word ‘Precis’ means summarizing the process of writing a lengthy passage that can be described in a few words without changing it’s main theme or idea. ‘Precis’ writing got us fair marks from teachers but working at our Bank it was more challenging since a ‘Summary’meant a well-presented form of statements or notes containing headings& sub-headings, that Bosses could put the fingers on.The catch was workmanlike details were left for officers to incorporate in main proposal.But, retired citizens like us now have an unhindered liberty to express without a word limit and many have the propensity to talk & write at length!Of course, they repeat !

However, this is the age of short forms, abbreviations & minimal one-wordresponses since millennial and Gen Zee have little time to read. This is often attributed to ‘low attention span’ & ‘let’s get on with it’ syndrome ! If a heartfelt, emotional message receivesa one-word reply (or worse, is ignored), that’s sad for thesender. It’s heart-breaking getting a cryptic ‘Thanks’ toprofoundly expressed thoughts. An anecdote goes that late EnglishCaptain& ace commentator, Tony Grieg was once giving a longish speech at a felicitation ceremony. Turning to his wife in the audience he asked “Did you ever in your wildest dreams, think I’d come this far..’ to which she promptly countered ‘But, you’ve never appeared in my wildest dreams’ !

The incomparable Shakespearegave us the famous lines ‘Brevity is the Soul of Wit’ ! When it comes to humourand reparteeit must be crisp, shortand have punch in it. Every stand-up comic artist these days uses a maximum of three sentences before the final punchline to get the laughs, else he must face the boos !A much-married family man was asked to say ‘Do Shabdh’ at the family event where the relatives were speaking endlessly. He got up, said ‘Thank You’ and sat down, having played his part.

What’s the ideal length forarticles (or talks)?At times they’re fixed by thepublishers. Organisers request speakers to be short. Butunhindered freelancers write their hearts out their own way to make an impact. Yet, there’s no guarantee that they’llbe read !

At the outset please accept my apologies for this inordinate delay in acknowledging your beautiful thoughts in the birthday wishes for me expressed with the flair and flavour of the accomplished writer and person we all know &admire !Tandra and Iare fortunate to have such thoughtful friends and I’m blessed to be the recipient ofsuch accolades that are more than what I deserve ! Turning 70, I’ve discovered more than ever before, thatfor ‘joie de vivre’ and fulfilment in life, we need the camaraderie &goodwill that comes only from old and loyal friends who become our ‘lodestars’ !

We’ve followed with much interest on social media, the constant stream of awards and recognition that come your way for your outstanding literary contributions while your repertoire of skills extend beyond writing to poetry, painting and photography. We know from personal experience the pleasure of being associated with your work.

Today being 31^stDecember, three resounding words ‘Happy New Year’ echo through excited voices and messages everywhere as we cheerfully ring out 2024 and usher in New 2025 !Please accept our heartiest greetings for a rich & rewarding ‘New Year’ for you and your family. May your pen & paintbrush vie with each other for excellence !

With Warm Regards,

Somnath with Tandra

31.12.24.

Switching on the TV on a cold, murky morning in hometown Lucknow. I was rewarded by some brilliant rearguard action from India’s most in form batter on show on this Indian tour ‘Down Under’.Young Nitish Reddy, deservedly earned his Test Cap from his idol Virat Kohli and as per team management’s logic he was slotted to bat at No.6being selected as an all rounder in place of Shubhman Gill.

However, as it’s often been happening the top order (barring Jaiswal’s classy show) faltered against the Aussie pacers – it was left to the level headed, technically perfect butinexperienced batter, Nitish, to achieve a remarkable record 8^th wicket partnership with the dependable Washy who’s maturely‘Sundar’ batting inspired him- both then blunted the Aussie attack after our senior pros had left the team tottering again ! 

Against the predictable run of play with all going the Aussie way, Nitish and Washy completely caught themoff guard with their steady yet sparkling stroke play and rotation of strike with defence that seemed impregnable, till Washy edged one to the slips. Suddenly, it seemed Nitish, now in his 90s was running out of partners and it was the dauntless Siraj to who held his end and finally with a flourish came, the most masterly century by the third youngest Indian batter against cricket’s best opposition. The match that was heading one way till Nitish came, now’s become anyone’s game !

After this stupendous performance Nitish Reddy deserves to go up the order possibly No.4. It’s also time for Rohit to rethink onhis own position in the team but let’s see…

Starring : Abhishek Bachchan, Ahilya Bamroo, Jayant Kriplani & Others

He hasn’t yet become a Bollywood superstar (notwithstanding his legendary heritage) but Junior Big B combines gravitas with classiness, humourand loads of acting talent and a distinctive baritone that’s his own. His latest film titled‘I Want To Talk’ helmed by renowned maker Shoojit Sarkar hit the theatres in Nov’24& it predictably bombed, not having the star power&hype of blockbusters. OTT is right place forniche films and we buffs,presumptuously feel that such films deserve wider recognition !

The film’sslow first half hour appears a bit gloomy and depressing, reminiscent of the terminally ill in poignantfilms like the philosophical ‘Safar’ &‘Anand’ that had great positivity. The protagonist is a marketing whiz-guy settled in US, Arjun Sen’s future suddenly appears terminatedasthe doctorsdeclare ‘you won’t live for more than 100 days‘! Howdoes any man react to such a deadly prognosis ? His customary bubbly spirits start taking a nose-dive to point of breakdown. Attempt at suicide is thwarted butfrom then on, urged byhis very compassionate nurse, Nancy, ‘survival’ becomes watchword for him.How does go about fighting the Big C and medical opinions ?!

Senresearches medical histories, works on published longevity averages and sets out to defy established medical theories& norms. One by one he undergoes 20 surgeries starting with laryngeal cancer. Though despite surgery, the cancer spreads all over his body affecting his colon and stomach, he somehow emerges triumphant after each major medical encounter. In this long ‘painful’ roller coaster ridehe meets Dr Jayant Deb, a maverick ace surgeon with quaint sense of dark humour. As their relationship grows, the Doctor realises his recalcitrant patient is stubborn with guts of a maniac !

The film explores from another level, Arjun’s distraught personal life in managing a complex relationship with his daughter (Reya) as a single parent. His wife divorces him leading them to co-parent their daughter Reya, who’s growing up, rebellious and critical of her father’s hiding his operationsand neglecting her. Slowly she comes to terms with his mental condition and will power, becomes his anchor and it’s through regular hospital trips,the relationship is healed. Avoiding spoilers, it’s an exhilarating and inspiring experience that surprises and amazes you as does the film’s ending !

Shoojit Sarkar blends the despair of cancer survivors with pithy humour.In one scene the message is death has 1% point against Arjun’s 99% forwill to live and in another, someone remarks his surgeries bring good luck to his business. Yet, it’s an Abhishek Bachchan show, vulnerability & helplessness in facing the odds to a growing strength to challenge critical illnessesto physical transformation after each surgery, he nails it.But why doesn’t he speak any Bengali ?Young Ahilya Bamroo plays daughter, Reya with effortless ease while the veteran Jayant Kriplani as Dr Deb is quite marvellous.

Here Comes‘2025’ !

The three resounding words ‘Happy New Year’ echo through our excited voices and messages everywhere as we cheerfully ring out the Old 2024 and usher in New2025 !As if a season of fresh optimism starts with boundless hope, New Year’s is the perfect time to reflect on the year gone by. It’s a chance to motivate yourself, uplift others, set new goals and embrace exciting opportunities ahead.

Thinkers and writers often raise the question, is this year-changing time the beginning of a new chapter, a new verse, or just the same old story? We should decide, it’s our life and the choice is ours.We all get the exact same 365 days but the only difference is what we do with them. Sure, if you don’t like something, change it and if you can’t change it, change your attitude. And there are enough instances to show that you are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.

For my septuagenarian contemporaries, what can we look forward to this year ?The four ‘H’ factors should be the focus of our lives, Health, Happiness, Harmony & Hope. We all make resolutions about diet, yogaand exercise for our physicalwell being that we often forget specially on those frequent celebratory occasions.It’s to each his own. ‘Harmony’ and ‘happiness’sound so good on paper but are elusive in adodgy world of ideological differences, inflated egos andrelationshipissues.

You realize there is much more to the book than the page you were stuck on.Look beyond themundane, broaden your horizons, empathise with others, condonetheir lapses that seemedgenuine, make peace with big aspirations, own up to your faults.Revel in company of old friends,visit new places, let serene music lift up your spirits.  Oprah Winfrey says“Cheers to theNew Year and another chance for us to get it right.”

December with its ‘soft rays of winter sun’ and the Yuletide spirit spreading good cheer, is also the ‘gifting’ time as we all rack our brains to find the right ones for the right occasion andpeople, with all the weddings, birthdays, anniversaries & celebratory events that take place.

What started this benevolent tradition we’ve been observing since childhood but which has acquired its own branding, class and style with time ? Interestingly, the practice of giving gifts dates back to the beginning of human civilization and may even predate it. Some believe that cavemen gave gifts to strengthen social connections and show appreciation, such as by giving animal teeth or unusual shaped rocks. Having come a long way, it’s customary in all societies that gifts accompany festivals, functions, events, parties or achievements worth celebrating !

Like all things that spell good taste, choosing right gifts for the occasion is also a fine art that often can bear the signature of the giver. While favourites are items like apparels, jewellery junkets, showpieces, kitchenware&home appliances, a ‘special’ gift is a thoughtful, unique one that shows a deep understanding of the recipient’s interests or needs. It’s more than a generic gift and demonstrates genuine care and effort. There’s the old cliché that says ‘It’s the heartfelt gesture that matters most’ for its intrinsic value !

As a music lover, loved ones and well-wishers have bowled me over time with sets of audio tapes, CDs, ear-phones, head phones, speakers and also books on music legends & their art.In the last few years, my Son & D-in-law having had their fill of tees, kurtas, jackets, have been gifting old classics in hard bound because of my penchant for reading&writing !Some of the most heartwarming gifts come from small children for their parents like a smudged painting of Daddy or handmade craft curated for Mummy based on their imagination. As they grow older, they become sensitive to their parent’s tastes and needs.

But at times best efforts can bring disastrous results – I remember when as young school going siblings, my two elder sisters decided that Dad should be gifted a pair of black leather shoes on his birthday. They boldly placed an order from a nearby shoe-maker without researching Dad’s foot size. When the grand moment came to surprise him, Dad was most displeased at the ‘clod-hoppers’ presented to him. But later he acknowledged our ‘good’ intentions’. In our extended Sinha family spread far and wide, distances have never stopped exchange of gifts. We admire our wonderful nieces & nephews who plan exotic trips for their parents as gifts !

The expression of love & devotion is often packaged in unique forms. A few years ago, I had given a surprise party on my wife’s milestone 60^th birthday. Not to be outdone, she prepared heart & soul for my 70th, contacting old friends, sending invites, collaborating with my niece for all the arrangements & preparing the action plan, dextrously keeping me out of the loop.Agrandluncheon affair, everyone was regaled & treated to great food. It was her gift of love.

Ultimately, gifts are also grace and goodwill that people bestow on us. Just recently, blessings came to me in form a beautiful diary and calendar with sayings from the ‘Divine Mother’. It was a beautiful gift from friendsUdayanda& Rajashri Mukherji of Kolkata, on my birthday !

The incomparable Julie Andrews and the unforgettable ‘Sound Of Music’ gave us our favourite teenage film and an evergreen song of mirth &happiness  ‘These Are A Few of My Favourite Things’ as Maria regales the children with her enchanting wish list of goodies. We all have nursed our favourites in colours, clothes, cakes, classic films, close friends (to name a few) and to the point of being obsessed with some of them. As we age with (misplaced?) maturity, a list of ‘unfavourites’ starts becoming longer.

To begin with, since we’ve just said goodbye to ‘2024’, the idea of celebrating the New Year’s Eve with friends that was once exciting, now sounds very scary what with the horrendous traffic snarls, road blocks, drunken drivers and crazy revellers taking over the city’s streets fromearly evening and throwing the normal citizen’s life out of gear. It took a friend visiting us in the afternoon of the NY Eve, full 90 Minutes to reach our home of just a 20 Mts drive !Call it ‘Seniors Syndrome’, now it’s safer staying home !

There’s an old saying ‘spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak’ and in the autumn years the adage takes over our proclivities as the world rapidly adopts new ways. With on-line orderingtrending in urban families, fast food & ‘gourmet’ delights come to our doorsteps, we’re also reminded of our latest medical reports. So from burgers, pizzas and samosasseniorsmust take a regularbreak !We’re at a stage wheneven bending down to tie shoe laces is cumbersome, as ispulling on polo neck cardigans &climbing stairs that we’dearlier run up easily. Taking the lifts in the Metro station is coolwhile millennialcan climb stairs! Morning walks soundgreat but require more will power !

Loud music (remember Boney M tracks) &jiving to its beats was pure joy but today’s jarring pop &rap songs don’t inspire old legs to get up &dance !Also, old favourites in the 70s were likes of Neeti Ravindran or Geetanjali Iyer reading the English news -so suave, objectively non-partisan&never playing to the gallery! Today all the prime time news channels are look painfully lopsided, selective in reporting, the debates are slanging matches organised for sumo wrestlers called spokespersons.Toughest to take arefake stories swarming social media, the constant rants and divisive influencing  in WhatsApp groups and with AI interventions seeping in, no holds seem to barred !

Are then no ‘favourites things’ left for us ?There will always be so many – from great artists’, poets’& writers’ works to classics of Bimal Roy & Benegal, Rafi’s retro songs, Zakir’s recitals to the highsfrom sports world there will never be a dearth.‘ A thing of beauty is a joy forever’ andtechnology and OTT has made it possible torevisit gems. Finally, two kinds of favourites make our day, our old friends & our little grandkids !