Back in 70s, in the good old days, the diligent ones became doctors, 

Brightest joined the Civil Services, And academics became professors,   

The was set pattern to our studies, we aspired to become great in life,

Professionals in suits, name & fame, with bank balance, family and wife,

Few could however achieve the goal, for life is more than a job & earning,

Some professions need compassion, dedication to serve, spirit of helping,

Our Alma mater proudly contributed, preparing many for this noble work,

Our classmate Dr Surya too is part of, journey five decades ago he’d embark,

There’d surely so many who can recall, your kind words & your healing touch,

In the unwavering dedication to serve, you’ll try to treat and not speak much, 

May your birthday be truly as magical, as your ability to diagnose and to heal ,

Here’s wishing u many happy patients, less late nights and no missing a meal !

Best Wishes, Somnath & Tandra

(Funny Videos on Youtube/Facebook)

If we were to research, we’d discover that no topic has evinced more amusement and a sense of elated release from one’s own mundane marital woes than listening to the ‘tit for tat’ repartees between two intelligent consenting grown-ups who happen to be much married for decades on ! Despite surviving it, people talk about being married in mock seriousness & self-deprecation. Here’s what Henry Youngman said “We were married for better or worse. I couldn’t have done better, and she couldn’t have done worse.”

The legion of quotes on marriage is extensive. In one of our banking seminars on work-life balance, the humorous speaker said in jest ‘Marriage cannot be described in one word, it is a ‘sentence’ for life. It may appear from literary works of men that men are ‘oppressed’, yet Ruth Bader explains ‘In every good marriage, it pays sometimes to be a little deaf’. However, Ogden Nash feels ‘Marriage is the bond between the a person who never remembers anniversaries and one who never forgets them’ ! And in this struggle of wits & patience ‘its one where each partner secretly suspects they got the better deal’ ! Stand up comedians (ones who play it safe !) haven’t still got tired of making cracks at the much-married class, starting with their own spouses, so that’s nothing very novel.

But of late, Tandra and I are both hooked in the battle of wits and words between a real life pair, Dheeraj and Supriya Sarna, who have been prolific in making short videos on their domestic tussles on virtually every issue that arises with the middle class domain. What’s fascinating is the level of comfort each derives while ‘fighting’ and standing their ground – be it shopping, entertaining, household budgets, child’s educational demands, time with friends & drinking beer, planning holidays & most importantly : ‘FOOD’ !  It’s so real and amazingly hilarious that they almost hold a mirror to us all married folks. 

Interestingly, it’s clear that though they’ve been married for about 15 years, Dheeraj & Supriya share a great rapport, but in arguments that arise on almost every subject that comes up for ‘important discussion’, Dheeraj is hopelessly ends up unable to convince his wife, who invariably terminates the talk. It looks eerily familiar to people married for years on &  who often think  ‘East and West- twain could never meet’. This pair succeeds in making us enjoy realizing that lots of energy is spent in disagreements and verbal battles that arise on daily basis but are quickly forgotten: for another fight another day!

Hat’s off to their acting prowess as they play their parts with realism and ‘Sarnas’ have our whole hearted applause for a comedy act that’s clean and free from profanities. The lesson we can get – ‘Married folks are funny, let’s have more comedy than melodrama !’

(Funny Videos on Youtube/Facebook)

If we were to research, we’d discover that no topic has evinced more amusement and a sense of elated release from one’s own mundane marital woes than listening to the ‘tit for tat’ repartees between two intelligent consenting grown-ups who happen to be much married for decades on ! Despite surviving it, people talk about being married in mock seriousness & self-deprecation. Here’s what Henry Youngman said “We were married for better or worse. I couldn’t have done better, and she couldn’t have done worse.”

The legion of quotes on marriage is extensive. In one of our banking seminars on work-life balance, the humorous speaker said in jest ‘Marriage cannot be described in one word, it is a ‘sentence’ for life. It may appear from literary works of men that men are ‘oppressed’, yet Ruth Bader explains ‘In every good marriage, it pays sometimes to be a little deaf’. However, Ogden Nash feels ‘Marriage is the bond between the a person who never remembers anniversaries and one who never forgets them’ ! And in this struggle of wits & patience ‘its one where each partner secretly suspects they got the better deal’ ! Stand up comedians (ones who play it safe !) haven’t still got tired of making cracks at the much-married class, starting with their own spouses, so that’s nothing very novel.

But of late, Tandra and I are both hooked in the battle of wits and words between a real life pair, Dheeraj and Supriya Sarna, who have been prolific in making short videos on their domestic tussles on virtually every issue that arises with the middle class domain. What’s fascinating is the level of comfort each derives while ‘fighting’ and standing their ground – be it shopping, entertaining, household budgets, child’s educational demands, time with friends & drinking beer, planning holidays & most importantly : ‘FOOD’ !  It’s so real and amazingly hilarious that they almost hold a mirror to us all married folks. 

Interestingly, it’s clear that though they’ve been married for about 15 years, Dheeraj & Supriya share a great rapport, but in arguments that arise on almost every subject that comes up for ‘important discussion’, Dheeraj is hopelessly ends up unable to convince his wife, who invariably terminates the talk. It looks eerily familiar to people married for years on &  who often think  ‘East and West- twain could never meet’. This pair succeeds in making us enjoy realizing that lots of energy is spent in disagreements and verbal battles that arise on daily basis but are quickly forgotten: for another fight another day!

Hat’s off to their acting prowess as they play their parts with realism and ‘Sarnas’ have our whole hearted applause for a comedy act that’s clean and free from profanities. The lesson we can get – ‘Married folks are funny, let’s have more comedy than melodrama !’

It’s said ‘What’s in a name’ but for people from the North the genial form of address as in ‘Sharma-ji’ is not only age-old but has an endearing ring to it. That’s because not only do people with the surname ‘Sharma’ abound here, many have achieved fame & success. For me, there are some fond memories of the ‘Sharma’ family who were our neighbours in Lucknow in the 70-80’s and of many friends in school and college who’s claim to fame was excellence in academics & sports, apart from their famous surname. Because it also belonged to one our late Presidents, poets and writers across the spectrum.

While working in BOB, I recall two genial Hindi Officers who we loved to call ‘Sharma-Verma’ Bandhu since they preferred to refer to all of us as ‘Bandhu-Gan’ ! Late Rishi Kapoor’s finest(unfinished) roles was a lovable character in ‘Sharmaji Namkeen’ (2022).   Though some indiscreet stand-up comedians are in ‘eye of the storm’, there’s one ‘Kapil Sharma’ and his ‘Comedy Show’ that has more crass than class, but he rules the roost. Call them ’Sharma-ji’ if you will, but they’ve been indispensable to us in many ways ! 

In our country, contributions in the cricket arena become folklore and ‘Sharmas’ have scored heavily in this field. Remember the late Yashpal Sharma, the doughty right hand batter who was one of the 1983 World cup Heroes. How can one forget pacer Chetan Sharma who’s a superb hat-trick was slightly marred in history by Miandad’s last ball 6. Ishant Sharma, the tallest of pacers still rolls his arm in IPL after a great Test career. A lesser known talented all rounder was UP’s Gopal Sharma who also played for India.

That said, it’s the present day cricketing super-stars who are in limelight. Leading the pack is ‘Hitman’ Rohit Sharma, India’s Captain who brought home two World Cups in a year and has led MI 5 times as IPL Champions. Yet, he’s looking woefully out of touch in IPL 25, but his leadership skills are vindicated & he’s likely to remain India’s Captain. A sensational talent emerging from the IPL ranks is Abhishek Sharma (playing for SRH) who’s blistering 141 in 55 balls stunned a resurgent Punjab into an unexpected defeat.  He’s mentored by splendid Yuvraj Singh that doesn’t augur well for opposition bowlers. Also, there are at least three other ‘Sharmas’ playing for the various IPL franchises now.    

It’s unintended but we’ve talked so far about the ‘Sharma-jis’ and all the likeable men but how can there no mention of illustrious ladies ? Anushka Sharma was one of the finest stars who had a superb start with Ranvir Singh in ‘Band Bajaa Baraat’ and acted in powerful roles as in ‘NH-10’. Now, less active as an actress she’s been acknowledged by her husband, the iconic King Kohli, as his biggest support system. Not in same league, but starting out well in films are two young actresses Neha Sharma and Adah Sharma.

This article is a small tribute to all the versatile and charming ‘Sharmas’ I’ve known !  

Sinha’s Premier ‘Jamai’ – In a League of His Own

Life’s akin to a game of Cricket, Where some do score & thrive

Having ‘Class & Consistency’, In executing a perfect Drive

He’s faced many a tough battle, New Switch-hits aren’t his style

Performing in India & Overseas, With pure elegance and a smile

All-rounder who plays shots, Without  risk & much fanfare

He’s always taken the route, Which only few can ever dare

Backing himself and strengths,  Playing the game fair & square

For him life’s not a T20 league, It’s match-on & a Test for sure

At 75 , He happens to remind, He’s truly GOAT of all times !

Happy Birthday, dear Sapanda, Love & Wishes – Sanju, Tandra

A quote I read says ‘Grandfather is a man who has no clock, no plans and lots of time for his grandkids’. Some fondest recollections are my childhood years spent with my Grand-Dad, Sri Narendra Nath Sinha. ‘Dadu’- as we siblings called him- was my Dad’s Dad and was originally a Barrister who’d also been sent to London to study Law by his illustrious Father, Kali Prasonna Singho, a Dist. Judge in the British colonial era. Dadu had been a widower for long, having lost his wife early, due to illness. His two children were Dad & our Aunt, whom he dearly loved. Dad was a devoted son & Dadu stayed with our family.

Dadu’s world centered around his grandchildren till he passed away in 1970 at age of 85.   Naturally, as a very young boy I spent a lot of time with my Dadu, to me, one of the  best story tellers I’ve ever known. From the Shakespearean tragedies like ‘Othello’ & ‘Julius Caesar’ to the ‘French Revolution’ and classic ‘Tale of Two Cities’, from escapades of that ‘damned elusive Scarlet Pimpernal’ to the revenge of the ‘Count of Monte Cristo’, he had us spellbound with his dramatic narrations which made the stories come alive.

One of his preferred tales was the fascinating battle for the ‘Ashes’ and an amazing man, Don Bradman, whose prowess became cricketing folklore for all times. Why ‘Ashes’ and more importantly whose ashes I had then asked. As we now know ‘The Ashes’ Cricket Series is traditionally of five Tests, hosted in turn by England and Australia at least once every four years. But term originated in a satirical obituary published in British paper, which stated that English cricket had died, and the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia. The mythical ashes immediately became associated with the 1882–83 series played in Australia, before which the English captain Ivo Bligh had vowed to “regain those ashes”. English media then took over, calling it ‘The Ashes’ !

Dadu’s recounting would start from the 1930s when a small built batsman called Donald Bradman made an unimpressive debut and the inexperienced Australians were heavily defeated by a very strong English batting side with the likes of Wally Hammond, Jack Hobbs & Billy Sutcliffe. But the legendary ‘Bradman’ show was to follow to make history forever. I vaguely remember seeing a Scrapbook that had pictures of  Bradman. As Dadu would unfold to us the dramatic story, it was the awe of Bradman’s invincible bat that caused England’s Captain Douglas Jardine (1932-33) to adopt the nasty tactic of fast leg theory, known as the infamous Bodyline. Although England decisively won the Ashes 4–1, Bodyline caused such a furore in Australia that it was banished from laws of Cricket.

Apart from Cricket, Dadu was a lover of English cinema & often mentioned the name of  ‘Ellen Terry’, the actress of late 19^th & early 20^th centuries and would sing her songs, that were reasonably tuneful. That didn’t mean he didn’t have Indian favourites like ‘Wahidu Rehman’ & ‘Meena (Kumari)’ and he’d take us to Hindi films and ice cream thereafter ! He’d recite ‘Ramayana’ and ‘Mahabharata’ as they were known to him by heart. We like to call knowledgeable old folks as well-read. Dadu was truly learned – of another league !

Someone (read Shakespeare) had famously said ‘The course of true love never did run smooth’. However, for venerable Mumbaikars, simple act of road travel from home to workplace & vice-versa is generally so long that no one minds a few potholes, roadblocks and traffic blues in the journey, as long as they eventually reach their destinations. Since Mumbai’s annual ‘Paoos’ (rains) arrive around June second week (at least, they used to 10 years ago !) there is always frenetic digging activity which include road repairs, laying new pipelines, widening and the endless ‘Metro’ work, some three to six months prior !

Well-seasoned Mumbaikars always understand all complex municipal issues involved in maintaining this burgeoning metropolis but even the most resilient have suddenly found that navigating the traffic has become more challenging in the recent times with spurt of digging, making half of the road inaccessible & roadblocks across most lanes & by-lanes.  Auto-walas are generally unfazed by minor disruptions (Yahan aisa hi chalta hai !) but of late they too are a confused lot ! When I got onto one yesterday, he asked me ‘Kidhar se jaye, sabhi road toh khod ke rakha, baad mein mat kehna – that I took a longer route’…

While this may be a universal problem for the daily road commuters, we retired senior citizens have made our own strategies as we always do. I’ve now stopped driving and my Car’s unscathed, doesn’t face parking problems, stationed as it is in my own paid Society space nor does hurly burly of reckless two wheelers, speeding autos & errant bus drivers pose a threat to my declining motor driving skills ! More importantly, I’m saving on gas (petrol) that last checked was about Rs.104 per litre and doesn’t look like coming down. But ‘look before you leap’ into an auto for base price has quietly risen to 26/- from 23/- !

Also shouldn’t there’ve been a net positive impact on the middle class household budget, now that the trips to the petrol pump are over ! Not really, for staying at home one tends to consume for power and with return of Mumbai’s sweltering afternoons, the ACs come into play in a big way. Equipped digitally than ever before, why go out when on-line you can get ‘dal, sabji, fruits ‘ delivered home. Who can resist those ‘Swiggy’ & ‘Zomato’ good samaritan like offers for Pizzas, Burgers, Chole Bature & Biryani .. just check the menus. And at any cost, don’t forget the monthly payouts or else Tata Play, Netflix, Prime, Jio, Hotstar will stop your TV binge-watching and Mobiles will lose their signals promptly ! 

All one has to do is be ready to spend (with GST thereon) and not worry about expenses. There is this recurring problem of small change and being equipped with small notes is being wise. But digitalization has solved that issue also – just scan with G-Pay and pay ! 

As cinema buffs there was no way we’d miss out on a well constructed documentary film on one of the great legends of parallel cinema, late Shyam Benegal. Written and directed by the renowned critic & writer Khaled Mohammed, it has narration by none other than his most famed protege, Naseeruddin Shah.

Screened on 26th March at the Experimental Theatre, NCPA, this was an enthralling   experience for cinema lovers beyond expectations ! From initial forays into advertising industry and more importantly his early struggles from which emerged and bloomed an amazing body of work – gets told to us with fine detailing mainly through the maestro’s own words. It begins with humorous side to his original name that had ‘Sunder’ in the middle. In self-deprecatory terms he says that since he wasn’t good looking (sunder), it was completely dropped and it became Shyam Benegal, as the world came to know him !

There are sharing of experiences with funny anecdotes and untold  narratives & snippets from immensely talented actors & artists, most of whom got their biggest breaks in his meaningful films made with social purpose that were a far cry from the staple Bollywood masala! Of them, the candid interviews with Shabana Azmi, Late Girish Karnad, Writer  Javed Akhtar, Music Composer Vanraj Bhatia, all of whom were closely associated with his works, provide special insights into the persona and the working style of Benegal but one missed Govind Nihalani and of course Naseeruddin, who does the film’s narration. 

As a viewer with some basic understanding of cinema, one feels that Benegal had a niche audience though he denied that his films catered to the intellectual taste but argued that they were simply told and everyone could relate to them. We have preferences and my favourites would be ‘Ankur’, ‘Manthan’ and ‘Kalyug’ possibly because they had intense drama in their story telling but one must confess not having seen many of the later ones. To us it came as real revelation that Benegal had the distinction of being specially sought out for making a documentary on the iconic Satyajit Ray by the Master (Ray) himself  !

At the end of a most engrossing 90 Mts film, there were glowing tributes from one of his celebrated actors, Rajat Kapoor (of big theatre fame) and the man who played ‘Mahatma Gandhi’ in his remarkable film ‘The Making of the Mahatma’ & acted in many of his other movies. Rajat shared with much depth of personal feeling his fulfilling & cherished experiences of the life and times with the creative genius that was Shyam Benegal. It was a moving finale to a beautiful film on a legend, the likes of whom may not be seen again.

Staying fairly far away in the North side suburbs, a visit to the bustling Nariman Point and the ride along Marine Drive brings the ‘de ja vu’ feel like a drive down memory lane, having worked for over a decade in the South Mumbai area during 2003 to 2014. From time to time we visit the NCPA, where we’ve caught up with wonderful films and plays.

Yesterday on the sidelines of the remarkable documentary film at NCPA that we saw, to our utter delight we bumped into one of our favourite TOI columnists and writers, the renowned, witty & ageless Bachi Karkaria ! Sweet, elegant and unassuming she actually held aside an old friend to chat with us saying ‘Wait, I’m chatting with two of my avid fans who think I write better than my old friend, Jug Suraiya, ha ha !’

During our lively tete’-a-tete’ she shared she and Jug Suraiya had a ‘writers’ connection from their ‘Kolkata’ stints and that her favourite authors initially were P G Wodehouse & Oscar Wilde and of course many others came later. That’s relatable given the witticisms, puns and play on words in the sharp socio-political messages in all her writings that we so enjoy reading in her satirical ‘Erratica’ pieces in TOI middle pages and other papers. Upon our introducing ourselves, she seemed fascinated with my wife’s typically Bengali name ‘Tandra’ and I suggested she use it for a character in one of her stories !

In Class IX, I recall that our erudite English Teacher was displeased since the brightest student with a great command over the language, acted superior to the other classmates. One morning our Teacher decided to admonish him in front of the class with wise words ‘Having vocabulary is good but not being humble isn’t. It’ll prevent any more learning !’

‘Humble’ (the adjective, not the noun or the verb !) is often confused with being ‘Meek’ which none of us want to look. Closely like modest & unassuming, what being ‘humble’ simply means is not to consider one-self better or more important than the others. But, humility is not always acknowledged as a solid trait to possess and in a razzmatazz world of cut-throat competition & hype, coaches will urge trainees to show bold assertiveness. 

Why is humility such a remarkable character strength as our parents and teachers had made it out to be ? Humility is the ability to accurately view your strengths, talents and also flaws while being void of any arrogance. Some believe that being humble means having low self-esteem and a lack of confidence, but it’s the opposite. Humility is having the self-esteem to understand that even if you or your family & children are doing very well, you don’t shout about it from the rooftops or in tweets. Class speaks loudly itself !  

While it may sound an old-world attribute but there’s something inherently low-key and gentle about humility. Different phrases ‘humble means’ and ‘modest income’ convey that the less affluent may have little to crow about but a lot to dream of. Yet if and when they attain the ‘high places’, that’s the time to be humble. It helps one stay grounded and develop a humane approach in dealing with others, influences how one perceives oneself  and the world around. When setbacks revisit, as they can, it equips one to cope better !

The humblest person I’ve ever closely known was my Dad, ever ready to remain modest about achievements and his virtues of kindness and charity. In the 1960-80’s decades, importance was attached to ethics & fair play and one-upmanship, self- promotion and a patronizing attitude frowned upon. Humble, ego-less folks had compassion for fellow beings, respect for others’ beliefs and opinions. This happened because humility offered the opportunity to become less self-involved and more attuned to the feelings of others. While in service, I’d once said to Boss ‘We should highlight all our achievements in the presentations..’ He said ‘We’ll provide all the data, let the praise come from the others’ !

The world of business & culture has had biggest names like Late Ratan Tata and Ustad Zakir Husain as the role models in humility & grace. In sporting arenas, legends such as Roger Federer, Kane Williamson & Rahul Dravid have exemplified true sportsmanship, but that’s just naming a few. All this despite intense media pressure to hype their feats ! Experts feel humility can produce happiness, positive emotions and well-being because a person has a clearer understanding of the Self & being comfortable with who they are and who they are not.  That is – if one’s willing to be true & transparent in today’s world.