Author: Somnath Sinha

Professional banker, sports enthusiast. music lover, singer, writer and amateur film critic

RD and the Great “Pancham” Swar

It is absolutely heartrending and so reassuring that ‘class’ is permanent and can never fade as was the musical genius of the incomparable R.D. Burman and fondly known as “Pancham” and whose 79th Birth Anniversary yesterday was marked with many celebrations !

After a spate of remixes of his superb creations by lesser equipped musicians and directors, there remains sheer all round admiration among followers of all ages of the original – his immense creativity and innovative processes far beyond his time. Along with musical shows to commemorate the occasion, 91.9 FM radio has a month long morning slot in his memory with contributions from many of his protégés.

While purists have their own thinking of the western influence and mix in Pancham’s tunes, there are many classical gems like ‘Aayo Kaha Se Ghanshyam..’ sung beautifully by Manna Dey in “Buddha Mil Gaya”, the incomparable compositions in films like ‘Amar Prem’, ‘Parichay’ and ‘Ghar’ and chartbusters with classical flavours and also with folk music like the Kishore special ‘Meri Pyaari Bindu…’ from ‘Padoson’. It would be such pleasure to have 91.9 FM also playing lesser known gems like  ‘Jaane Kya Sochkar..’ by Kishoreda from ‘Kinara’ , ‘Kya Hua Kis Baat Par..’ by Amit Kumar from ‘Teri Kasam’, and ‘Kiska Raasta Dekhe..’ from ‘Joshila’ again by Kishore, apart from super-hit favourites from ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna’, ‘Sholay’ and ‘Hum Kisise Kam Nahin’ !

While RD forged a life long alliance with the virtuoso songstress Asha Bhonsle culminating in marriage, his best and unforgettable tunes were reserved to be rendered by the versatile Kishore, who was well on his way to a superb comeback as the voice of superstar Rajesh Khanna in the 70s( and later equally effective as the voice of Amitabh Bachan !) – RD’s effervescent music formed a formidable combo with them and Kishore till the late 80’s. It seems with the passing away of Kishore in mid-80s and the advent of crass culture in Bollywood music, RD started losing his touch with the Hindi film industry which had revered his talent for so long.

As a devoted fan and follower of the father, S.D.Burman and then his son, R.D. for the last forty five years, one thing baffles people like us. While many stars have received recognition and rewards far beyond their actual worth, at times, true legends like these have often not been applauded in the same measure. In the case of Pancham, how could the industry suddenly disown and get disenchanted with his melody till he came back with a blockbuster like “Love Story-1942” as his swan song !

Despite being the son of a legendary music director, RD created his own style and flavor of modern Indian music which withstood the test of time ! Today, the world of Hindi cinema remembers RD as the pioneer of innovation in film music, an ‘avant garde’ in his quintessential musical sensibilities which all composers revere and would love to emulate !

RD Burman

( pic source : hindustantimes.com )

June’s Here, Can ‘Mumbai Rains’ Be Far Behind ?

In Hrishida’s delightful 70’s breezy comedy “Chupke Chupke’, the dimpled heroine bashfully sings ‘Ab Ke Sajan Sawan Mein, Aag Lagegi… ’ to conjure up visions of idyllic joy and gay abandon, welcoming the monsoon rains, while Big B in one of his earlier films, croons Kishoreda’s evergreen melody ‘ Rimjhim Gire Sawan, Sulag Sulag Jaye…’ with the same heady romance. These are only two of the many scores of musical treats dedicated to the rains by the imaginative Bollywood song-writers since decades, so much so, that a song-dance rain sequence was mandatory in Hindi films till some time ago.

Why do rains bring such emotions of liberation and mystic adventure with all its myriad hues, lush greenness and even rainbows on odd days ?! What deserve special mention are the famous ‘Mumbai Rains’  that typically hit the metropolis (and the state) in June first week and last about two months. The famed ‘Mumbaikar spirit’ is known as much by its undeterred ability to weather the lashing winds and heavy downpours as being enthralled by the lyrical ‘monsoon’ flavors akin to the surreal aura created in our films !

The love Mumbai has had for it’s rains is simply quite incomparable. The maximum city that runs over each other all throughout the year and where, life in general and commuters in particular, mean no less than a struggle, all takes a break for good month or two as it breathes the cool ‘monsoon’ air that brings the soaring temperatures and sultriness down dramatically.

There are certain experiences that everyone living here should have to make the Mumbai rains a memorable one. One of my first cultural initiations to this city was the walk along the iconic Marine Drive with Arabian Sea winds blowing across a strong drizzle. Watching huge waves lashing the rocks on Bandra Bandstand or the Worli Sea-face is another major draw for people  across the megapolis, while thousands throng the Juhu beach in the rains. The historic Gateway of India is the perennial tourist’s delight with ferries and catamarans plying across turbulent waters of the Arabian Sea for a thrilling experience. What add to the ‘monsoon’ flavours are the eateries working overtime – from ‘chai, vada-pav and bhujias’ of the road-side vendors to the classy, quaint cafes of South Mumbai, the range is awesome !

Over the years, with the teeming millions that have made Mumbai their home, the endless high-rises springing up to cater to them, ineffectiveness of the BMC to keep the roads travel worthy, authorities continually engaged to extend the metro rail network and such other factors have put immense pressure of city’s infrastructure and drainage system-consequently every monsoon becomes a nightmare for commuters with almost all major roads getting water logged, potholes galore, dilapidated buildings, trees crashing down, local trains delayed, buses, cars getting caught in huge traffic snarls ! Maximum city’s ‘monsoon’ joy is slowly transforming into maximum woes.

Yet with Mumbai there’s always hope that things will surely improve – for Mumbaikars will yet say  ‘Jo Bhiga Hai, Woh Baarish Se Nahi Darta Hai..’ !

Mumbai Rains

Banking – The Going Gets Tough

Navjot Sidhu is a man of many apt words (now less heard though) and he once described Indian team’s predicament on a bad day in the field as ‘ .. lying flat on it’s back and the only way it can look is – upwards !’ With all the battering that the PSU banks are being subjected to, it could well their story but unlike our cricket’s fortunes there’s no ‘VIRAT’ standing up for them.

To make matters worse are certain opinions in the media on the nuances of banking from such sections that has never seen the inside of a modern PSU bank. The image of PSU banks, alarmingly in the last two years has suddenly transformed from ‘people’s friends’ to ‘social parasites’ and Govt’s bogey, with their staggering bad debts, massive doses of capital  infusion required and the recent spate of banking-related scams, thus making them synonymous with big frauds, malfeasance and poor corporate governance.

For instance a famous pulp fiction writer had articulated in a leading paper ‘..it really isn’t hard to hatch a plan… can imagine the wild party in progress inside those dusty PSB branches’. As much as it’s lurid sensationalism from the author, for justifiably outraged stakeholders it might appear factual, given the magnitude of frauds coming to the fore.

It is as if overnight the PSU banks (which have been beasts of burden for populist govt. schemes for years on and have always paid the price  for it) have become ‘bad boys’ of the financial world and most of them barring the gargantuan SBI, need to bunched or merged together to stem the rot ! The alternative to safe and sound banking being projected are the ‘blue eyed’ private sector banks looking lean (less NPAs) and good (making profits). This impression was working well till the largest private bank and it’s redoubtable Chief were rocked by conflict of interest allegations that have set in motion many actions and have raised concerns of corporate governance in private banks.

In its efforts to portray a strong intent to come down heavily on wrong doers in terms of suspected cases of large bank loan frauds detected in PSU banks, the prime investigative agencies have started summarily arresting and taking into custody, the Heads and Top Management teams (previous and existing  in cases) and widely publicizing these actions in the media, even without really establishing their direct involvement, connivance and any malafide intentions, provoking strong protests from the IBA and PSU bank unions.

For people who spent better part of their existence having served with diligent integrity and more importantly, the large community of literally a million employees committed to their long working hours in some 21 PSU banks, what is the morale like and who’s addressing it ? Apart from a early rebuttal from the MD of SBI group on the ‘private good vs public bad’ issue of banks and a few stray voices from the wilderness of retired groups of officers, there seems to be not much coming out from the promoter/owners and the management to dispel the gloom spread all around and meet the challenge fairly and squarely highlighting stringent action where necessary.

Major battles have been fought by PSU banks from many fronts in it’s long history. It’s well-known internal weaknesses of low margins and strengths of reach and spread and myriad external factors must be addressed by the Govt. and regulators.The bigger war against NPA and credit related frauds has to be fought by a determined and dedicated army led with ‘Churchill’ like tenacity by its owners and leaders and regulators much as depicted in the Oscar winning film ‘The Darkest Hour’ !

( pic source : danscartoons.com )

Banking

‘Jamai’ Celebrated In ( law ) Style

This Tuesday was special to many a married Bengali as it happened to be “Jamai Shasti” or the old Bengali tradition of honouring  the Jamai or son-in-law. This noble festival is classless as it is freely extended to all Jamai’s, the good, the new and even the retired ! Doting mothers-in-law bless their Jamai with gifts and more importantly, delectable Bengali fish and variety of Bhajas and sweets and what have you, for the gallant role they might have played (or are expected to play) in the growth and prosperity of  the family. Wives i.e. the daughters also take part but are not over-excited with all the hoo-ha over the men, as if to say “Why spoil them further in these difficult times!”.

Why is this special celebration for sons-in-law in this day and age of gender equality, one may well ask. The traditional festival of Jamai-shasti originated ages ago as a part of a women’s socio-religious duty. The son-in-law is called ‘Jamai’ and ‘Shasti’ means sixth, thus the festival is observed on sixth day of  Shukla Paksh in Jyestha month of traditional Hindu calendar. The  popular social custom lays foundation of a strong family bonding. All the son-in-laws get a treat from their in-laws or ‘Shoshur bari’. While the day is celebrated since olden days by the Hindu families all over West Bengal it is equally popular in other parts with Bengali influence spreading far and wide.

As the festival plays vital role in bringing the son-in-law closer to the girl’s family, the traditional Jamai gradually becomes “Gharer Chele“ (local guy) and helps to make family ties sound, sorts out home matters, arranges marriage alliances for younger sisters/brothers and maintains diplomatic ties all around. However, the modern day “Jamai” appears to have got lost in the time-warp and is often found to distance himself from complicated family issues, agreeing  to meet /visit in-laws and even relatives only on special occasions like marriage or sagaai within close family !

Being a “Jamai” has its share of burdens  as the great Big B himself would agree. Being married to a Bengali (Jaya Bhaduri), he is embraced by effusive Kolkata as their Jamai and is so besieged by family and friends for gracing various occasions and inaugurating functions. Of course it helps that he spent his initial years as a professional in Kolkata before becoming an actor. Rest is certainly, Indian history !

Everything said and done “ Jamai Shasti “ is recognition of the tireless efforts of the good “Jamai” to maintain order and peace under all circumstances and for all those against this, I would only exhort  “ It is better to be a Jamai and observe “Shasti“ than to be free with no Shashur Bari !”

Jamai Shasti

Revisiting Malthus ?

Natural disasters happening with alarming frequency – earthquakes, tycoons, storms, deluge of floods all over the world. Alternating between certain years of droughts are torrential rains in various parts of our country, presently inundating some of our North-Eastern states. Too close for comfort are the spells that paralyze life, disrupt public transport and maroon many parts of our ‘maximum city’ Mumbai – also a startling reminder of the famous economist, Robert Malthus and his classical work we read in our post-graduate classes famously known as the ‘Malthusian theory of population growth’.

We would recall that Malthus examined the relationship between population growth and resources and arrived at the theory that population growth occurs exponentially, so it increases according to birth rate. On the other hand, food production increases arithmetically, so it only increases only at given points in time. Thus he had derived the postulate that, left unchecked, populations can outgrow their resources.

There are two types of ‘checks’ that can reduce a population’s growth rate according to Malthus. Preventive checks are voluntary actions people can take to avoid contributing to the population. Because of his religious beliefs, he supported a concept he called moral restraint, in which people resist the urge to marry and reproduce until they are capable of supporting a family. Positive checks to population growth are things that may shorten the average lifespan, such as natural calamities and disease, warfare, famine, poor living and working environments. The startling prediction was that eventually these positive checks would result in a Malthusian catastrophe which is a forced return of a population to basic survival.

Though later contested by many economists, the subsequent industrial revolution and technological breakthroughs in almost all fields, the Malthus postulates conceived some three centuries ago, suddenly appear too close for comfort.

As  one noted ecologist has opined ‘ while global warming is exacerbating environmental disasters, the root causes often lie in poor planning, disregard for good science and citizen apathy’. Studies now reveal that global warming is expected to make vegetables significantly scarcer around the world, unless new growing practices and resilient crop varieties are adopted and environmental changes such as increased temperature and water scarcity may pose a real threat to global agricultural production with likely further impact on food and health and lives of people.

Of greatest concern is the recent report from India’s think-tank Niti Aayog that our county may be heading for its worst water crises and almost 800 million people may face acute water shortage very soon. It also estimates that demand for water will be twice as much as the available supplies by 2030. What will it do to our economy and people ?

All this highlights the crying need to protect the environment, curb the staggering pollution levels that are engulfing our cities, develop alternate sources of energy, control unbridled population growth and bring about an abiding balance between man and nature – bereft of which, the future doesn’t seem to look very bright for the next generation.

( pic source : the nextweb.com )

pollution

Magical Melody of Hemanta Mukherji

One of the great benefits of being senior is getting to spend more quality time with retired, elderly folks and sharing their encylopeadic knowledge of classic films, music, literature et all ! Visiting us, Ma-in-law, an absolute Bengali TV buff, informed that there so many Hemanta Mukherji songs being played on Kolkata DD since it’s the legend’s 98th birthday today !

For music lovers like us ( albeit from the 60s), Hemanta Kumar’s name spelt many things. A beautiful, deeply soulful voice, which melody queen Lata described a ‘poojari’s pure prayer in a distant temple’ – you recall his ‘chupa lo yun dil mein pyar mera, ki jaise mandir mein lao diye ki ..’ !

His pathos-filled unforgettable gems ‘ jane woh kaise log the jinko..’ and ‘teri duniya mein jeene se, toh behtar hai ki mar jayen..’ or “ kaise koi jiye, jehar hai zindagi..’ to the haunting ‘yeh nayan dare dare…’and ‘na tum hame jano, na hum tume jane..’ to the delightful ‘bekarar karke hame yun na jayiye …’ and many other film songs in Hindi, are timeless melodies of a complete singer with an incredibly manly yet silken timber.

But, he was much more of an artiste par excellence than just a playback singer… Hemanta Mukherjee, often credited as Hemant Kumar , outside Bengal, was an Indian playback singer, music director and film producer, who sang in Bengali,Hindi & other Indian languages . His superb compositions in classic films like ‘Sahib, Biwi aur Ghulam’, ‘Bees Saal Baad’, ‘Khamoshi’ and others in the 50-70s remain immortal till today !

In Kolkata film industry, he came to be popularly known as the voice of the legendary actor ‘Uttam Kumar’ and was associated with him as a super-hit jodi of that era when romantic Uttam-Suchitra pair was a rage.  He was also the greatest exponent of Rabindra Sangeet. In the 1960s he was the predominant and lead male voice in many of Tagore’s musical dramas. With Kanika Bandopadhyay and Suchitra Mitra who were the lead female voices in these, he was part of the Rabindra Sangeet triumvirate that was popular and respected. It was referred as ‘Hemanta-Kanika-Suchitra’ and, with Debabrata Biswas, this quartet was to be the mostly heard exponents of Tagore compositions.

Though, he won two National awards for the category best male playback singer he richly deserved much higher accolades from the highest level.

His legacy still lives on through his memorable songs, the music he had composed, and through many male singers in Bengal and the rest of India who continue to emulate his inimitable resonant singing style. The exquisite Hemanta Kumar music will always mesmerize us with its lilting melody ‘ tuum pukar lo, tumhara intezar hain..’

Hemanta Mukherji

The Fallen Hero – Savings Deposit

Till some time back it was the sacred religion of all bankers (and more particularly the PSU banks of all sizes ) to memorize and practice three magic watchwords– the operating bottom-line (meaning bank’s margins and profitability), recovery of funds lent ( of NPAs) and CASA – the popular acronym for Current and Savings Bank (SB) accounts.

Of these, like the traditional values cherished by our Indian sensibilities, Savings Deposits ( the major part of CASA) had all the virtues you could aspire for – less costly, stable, spread among all sections/ages of people and free from undue risks. No wonder, all banks ended up vying for a piece of the Savings cake by offering hybrid-products, linking it to fixed deposits (by ‘sweep’ the excess amount method), freebees for those maintaining special type of accounts with higher balance. While after the deregulation of Savings interest rate by RBI in 2011, many private banks started offering higher rates, PSU banks stoically continued at 4% rate.

However, suddenly, SB, the dependable veteran is not much sought after akin to the discarded parents in family drama ‘Baghbaan’. The biggest Bank felt that too much Savings has come in and it no longer needs to attract depositors with the same force. This has led to an all round free fall of SB deposit rates to as low as 3.5%. The justification, available on hand is – this will lead to higher margins and lower loan rates all across.

Who are the people who keep their money in Savings deposits (and FDs) – a widely dispersed class such as retired people, daily wage labourers, shopkeepers, vendors, average salaried small savers and also non-profit organizations like schools. The convenience and security of possessing debit cards, passbooks, cheque-books of banks overrides such people’s concern for earning high interest but squeezing this to 3.5% is to even wipe any real interest accounting for 4% inflation. It is accepted that for most, the returns on fixed and SB deposit are the social security for real.

‘ The time has come..’(to quote the Walrus from ‘Alice in Wonderland’ ) to look at other avenues of investment like mutual funds and the large number of schemes on offer. But is the average person educated in the risks and rewards of these investments vis-à-vis Savings accounts and laudable objectives of financial inclusion ?!

(Pic source : citysavings.com.ph )

Savings account

FIFA World Cup 2018 – The Greatest Kick-Off

Being a sports-lover who’s reasonably informed about the IPL or the Ashes, the Wimbledon and the Grand Slams and our fight with the Chinese for badminton supremacy, I have felt inadequate with my knowledge and lack of interest in the incredible happenings of planet ‘soccer’, its most sought-after stars (I’m literate enough to know of Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo). What I can’t fathom is – why fight over ‘Arsenal’ and ‘Chelsea’ !

I was not unduly concerned till I realized that the most stupendous sporting event, called the world’s biggest extravaganza “FIFA World Cup, 2018’ is about to kick off in Moscow with the opening match between hosts Russia and Saudi Arabia. Estimated to be followed by many millions of soccer-maniacs across the earth via live telecasts, football-fever will grip Russia and its 11 host cities as about one million fans from 32 participating nations pour into the country. Some say the ‘festival of life’ is back for next 30 days!

From the standpoint of politics and economics, a smoothly organized World Cup will add to the stature and standing of Russian leadership and its people as it seeks to establish itself as a premier force to reckon with. International sports throw up heroes and evoke impassioned nationalism.

My studies of this WC, show that the nations to watch out for are Germany, the last WC champions, (with key player Thomas Muller), France (with key player Antoine Griezmann), Brazil (with star player Neymar ), the Last WC Finalists, Argentina (boasting of the iconic Messi ), Belgium and last but not least Portugal ( mainly for the charisma of Ronaldo). Spain is besieged with last minute problems with their Coach Lopetegui being given the sack.

One avid sports-writer hopes that this WC turns into a clash of the today’s titans, Messi and Ronaldo – if both of them could propel their respective teams through virtuoso brilliance into a perfected scripted Argentina vs Portugal final and like other greats, call it curtains on incredible careers !

So let’s sit back and become part of the soccer-mania, for as one headline screams out ‘ It’s time to kick off  Russian Roulette’ !

messi vs ronaldo

FIFA World Cup 2018 – As Big As It Gets

Being a sports-lover who’s reasonably informed about the IPL or the Ashes, the Wimbledon and the Grand Slams and our fight with the Chinese for badminton supremacy, I have felt inadequate with my knowledge and lack of interest in the incredible happenings of planet ‘soccer’, its most sought-after stars (I’m literate enough to know of the legends, Pele and Maradona and the present greats, Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo). What I can’t fathom is – why fight over ‘Arsenal’ and ‘Chelsea’ !

I was not unduly concerned till I realized that the most stupendous sporting event, called the world’s biggest extravaganza “FIFA World Cup, 2018’ is about to kick off in Moscow with the opening match between hosts Russia and Saudi Arabia. Estimated to be followed by many millions of soccer-maniacs across the earth via live telecasts, football-fever will grip Russia and its 11 host cities as about one million fans from 32 participating nations pour into the country. Some say the ‘festival of life’ is back for next 30 days!

From the standpoint of politics and economics, a smoothly organized World Cup will add to the stature and standing of Russian leadership and its people as it seeks to establish itself as a premier force to reckon with. International sports and specially soccer can throw up new heroes and evoke impassioned nationalism.

My studies of this World Cup, show that the nations to watch out for are Germany, the last WC champions, (with key player Thomas Muller), France (with key player Antoine Griezmann), Brazil (with star player Neymar ), the Last WC Finalists, Argentina (boasting of the iconic Messi ), Belgium and last but not least Portugal ( mainly for the charisma of Ronaldo). Spain is besieged with some last minute problems with their Coach Lopetegui being given the sack. However, they face Portugal in a tough encounter on Thursday.

One avid sports-writer hopes that this WC turns into a clash of  today’s titans, Messi and Ronaldo – if both of them could propel their respective teams through their virtuoso play and brilliance into a perfected scripted Argentina vs Portugal final and then like other greats, call it curtains on their incredible careers at their peak !

So let’s sit back and become part of the soccer-mania, for as one headline today screamed out ‘ It’s time to kick off  Russian Roulette’ !

messi vs ronaldo

( Picture source : messivsronaldo.net)

‘Afghan’ Khan Superstar

A question often asked in the larger scheme of things – can one man make a difference ? No, it’s not about the one who is always talked about and dissected, but of another man’s  coming from the relative obscurity of a small strife-torn country, to becoming a sensation through sheer brilliance and who is largely responsible for minnows, Afghanistan becoming a unit and  their remarkable entry into the international cricket scene !

In our country where films and cricket, are followed like religion, three famous ‘Khans’ have ruled Bollywood for the last two decades but now face stiff competition from others (somewhat like the present ruling party !). As is it’s wont, IPL ( cricket’s big annual bash ) has thrown up a new ‘Khan-icon’ in form of that unflappable leggie, ‘Rashid Khan’ who’s inscrutable bowling skills and on-field exploits has taken the cricketing world by storm !

Such has been his meteoric rise to fame (in the shorter format of the game) that an improbable story became viral in the social media of our people seeking Rashid’s citizenship to add to our cricketing assets and the Afghani authorities politely refusing to spare their hero from his national duties !

A  leading Indian magazine has carried out a two-day feature on him aptly putting the poser – What does it mean to be Rashid Khan – a big-league cricket star in a war-ravaged country .. and carrying the expectations of the entire nation, expecting a five-wicket haul in every match he plays. It’s the stuff dreams are made of, but despite the adulation coming his way, so far Rashid appears a perfect role model – committed, grounded, utterly loyal to his country and a real hero who rode into big battles from nowhere !

Much is being written in our papers of how cricket in Afghanistan picked up as late as 1980 from the refugee camps and showed amazing progress over the years to almost qualify for the 2011 World Cup in 2009 and later qualifying for World T20 in 2010 to fulfill their dream of playing a major international event. In 2017, ICC impressed with their progress inducted them as a Test playing nation.

Our own star batsman Dinesh Kartik, who’s as eloquent when he speaks as when he bats, said on the eve of historic First Test to be played in Bangalore tomorrow between India and Afghanistan ‘ It’s been beautiful … to have a Test nation like Afghanistan. Their journey has been an inspiration for international cricket …’ A feat that the Afghans can be really proud of as they cheer on for their team and real-time hero, Rashid Khan !

Rashid Khan