The world is so much better connected thanks to the social media apps and groups on WhatsApp  under the nomenclatures like ‘Alma Mater Friends ’ , ‘Office Buddies’  and ‘Our Family’ and other colourfully chatty affiliations have sprouted like wild and wanton flowers blooming across barren fields, bringing kindred joy & uniting lonely souls, if one tried to put it poetically !

However, it’s observed in certain groups there has been a noticeable cool off from earlier bon-homie that old buddies and long time associates of years shared. The harmless banter that friends would often indulge in with their inane interactions through old PJs, ribald pics & clips posted were meant to amuse and no one tried to influence another beliefs and loyalties to causes. Differences in opinions in matters of public policies appears to be driving a strange wedge because some take it upon themselves to act more righteous and vociferous on issues debatable and not easily explained away.

Virtual altercations occur on what’s euphemistically called one’s ‘ideological choices’ that always tends to happen with quintessentially ‘argumentative Indians’. Some of it must be attributed to the exploits of the thriving W’App University that seeks to influence thinking with inventive forwards, memes, stories ! The dissent comes from those who want the group free from that.

One of my dear school friends from an old fun group rued that people took offence to posts by which they felt was mere propaganda. In his eloquent words ‘Friendships endure millions of aberrations, they are incredible as they aren’t judgemental but extremely tolerant and accepting’! He adds that we shouldn’t crib on what others post, it’s their birthright of free speech ! Not to be upstaged in a ‘battle of wits’ here’s my poetic rebuttal to him :  

Friends add friends and don’t do things to divide them, 

They take a stand for them and don’t go with the flow, 

They carefully ponder over what others feel and think, 

They’re what they are, real friends don’t put on a show !

Once upon a time, quite long ago before the digital mediums hadn’t entirely overwhelmed our senses, many of us were avid readers of ‘magazines’ (few also called tabloids) that carried invaluable information and the latest GK  on variety of subjects. Those days, magazines were healthy looking & cheap too !

We are not talking about ones like ‘Stardust’ and ‘Sportsworld’  (which were attractive with glossy, in-the-face style) but of the informative, well-written stories, interesting interviews, reviews  and exciting & funny  pictures that were beautifully compiled in ‘Illustrated Weekly’ earlier and ‘India Today’ later. Sadly over time & business demands, the former disappeared and the latter became a thinner shadow of its former outspoken self ! These aside, there used to be many glossies that thronged book stalls just a few decades ago, but my loyalties remained with ‘Reader’s Digest’ (RD) since early days and till the giant digital-wave all but swept away the magazine industry.

RD was a smart, pocket size monthly that gave us a package of fascinating true stories, life lessons & views on a plethora of issues but what enthralled us who were veritable bookworms was that there were separate sections on ‘Word Power’ and ‘Quotable Quotes’ and many on snippets and anecdotes full of humour, wit & clever puns contributed by people from all over – like in ‘Laughter the Best Medicine’, “Humour in Uniform & ‘Life’s Like That’.. But in surviving challenges, RD lost a fair bit of it’s original charm and it’s new avatar looks emaciated (thin) and highly priced at Rs.100 which BTW is the standard price of any magazine today.

But a few days ago my eyes fell on RD’s April’ 24 issue with a small yellow sign “Special Collector’s Edition’ while browsing through a bookstore.

Even though slim, it is truly a reader’s delight as the RD team thoughtfully has brought together vintage and old articles from their much earlier issues in what they state as ‘Unforgettable Classics – Meet Iconic Figures from the Archives’. It includes wonderful biographies written decades ago on icons such as Marilyn Monroe, Agatha Christie, Sunil Dutt, Shahrukh Khan and Baba Ambedkar apart from all the fun segments that we’d spend hours on. Yesterday, I got so engrossed reading it in the flight that even the turbulence didn’t matter ! As one caption says ‘Catch It If You Can’ ! This is good old RD at its best !

To those who’d studied ‘Statistics’ in their grad/post grad days, terms ‘mean’ & ‘theory of probability’ may be familiar. From practice we know it’s on fairly ‘average’ basis that things pan out in everyday life, be it investing in the money market, having a great day in the office, getting the shopping right as Mrs wanted and her smile of approval or predicting who’ll win today’s IPL match. It’s often not a win-win situation. There’s a funny ‘law of averages’ lurking to play a significant role in our lives.

In IPL, when top ranked KKR took on CSK, I’d predicted that they’d lose, based on the law they couldn’t go on winning. The same thing happened when RR, after 4 straight wins, lost to GT in a last ball thriller. MI too is coming out of its losing streak. The law seems to apply to all sports and contests, markets and business, swings in trade cycles, changes in climatic conditions and even to competitive exams with millions of young aspirants and to fluctuating fortunes of entrepreneurs, actors and our politicians !

The law of averages is the idea that something is sure to happen at some time, because of the number of times it generally happens or is expected to happen. On the law of averages we just can’t go on losing or winning for there is a common belief that the relative frequency of an event should correspond to its probability. People rationalize this with clever truisms ‘You win some, you lose some’ or ‘What goes up must come down’ or that ‘Everyday isn’t Sunday’ all reconciling to the belief that the path of life is uncertain. Nature balances and denies arrogant men of their cult of invincibility !

It’s said that there’s something good in all of us but politeness & civility in public life and discourse has become scarce and it surprises if it comes one’s way. Senior citizens are often at the receiving end of ridicule at home, offices and from gen next for being sloppy and forgetful. Being wise they know that after three good days with no domestic battles the fourth day can be ominous and has to be negotiated safely ! Surrounding themselves with old friends they indulge in harmless pastimes for amusement.

On the other hand, the committed homemakers are superstitious about their efficient maids. They pray that no ‘average law’ casts a spell on continuing good work. Despite problems of getting gainful employment the young are hopeful and such voodoos don’t rattle them till they come face to face with the world. Who can predict the mood of the Interviewers, Employers or Office Boss ? It could be sweet today and sour tomorrow !

On an average, life is as good and as difficult as we make of it. Good news is that as per Jim Rohn, motivational speaker, we are the average of five people we spend most time with. Maintain your good friends and they will make your life better if not the best !

The ‘Hazratganj’ crossing (renamed ‘Atal Chowk Chauraha’ in 2019) in Lucknow, with veritably historical, colourful background is iconic in landmarks – a niche marketplace, bookstores, cinema theatres, banks, restaurants, coffee houses, wayside stalls, many of which are gone with time. Many authors having roots in old Lucknow and nursing the nostalgia of the 60-70s have extensively written about that charming ‘Hazratganj’ that had a sense of welcoming culture and style of its own, that captivated hearts !

A major facelift to the street a decade or so ago and with business models coming in, few old shopsto fold up or don slick avtaars alongside the snazzy modern showrooms that since came up. Yet, despite the overcrowding, noise and parking woes that have come to stay as this city continues to growwith mega-rapidity, one still associates the glittering modern Hazratganj with suavity combining grandeur of aristocratic architecture with ethnic elegance of the older era of being classically laid back in traditional ‘Lucknowi Ada’! 

For me and my childhood friendsbred in Lucknow,Hazratganj has many links to our early life. I can even recall the terrible Lucknow floods of the1960s when boats were sailing in theHazratganj area that was inundated. Later it was ‘the place’ for youth like us to visit shops & British Council (BCL) library to borrow books and occasionally have a cool drink ‘Milk Badam’ then costing five bucks. The most vivid of memories are tied to ‘Mayfair’ cinema and watching classic films of the likes of ‘Ben-Hur’, ‘My Fair Lady’& ‘Sound of Music’ and our first initiation as teenagers to ‘A’ rated ‘James Bond’ films !In our Co-Ed, University days, dates materialised only if the venue was Hazratganj ! 

Fortuitously in 1977 I got posted in the Hazratganj branch of BOB for about five years and became well known to local shops & businesses for being a go-to man to serve all banking needs.Those were days of being a soughtafterbachelor with match-making fathers directly coming to interview me at the Bank. Hilarious while it lasted but thenanother phase began as I got married in 1980. I could mix bank work with pleasure of fixing dates with my wife in elegant restaurants in the vicinity !!

Having moved out of Lucknow at the end of the 1990s, we have always found reasons to return and visits to Hazratganj are inevitable-  it’s so central and now connected to many parts by an efficient Metro rail service. What amazes are the glittering array of shops akin to a huge open mall that has near everything (For Chikan kurtas there’s adjoining Janpath market). Starting from sprawling Halwasiya Market to old ‘Lovers Lane’ to vintage ‘Royal Cafe’, popular for its ‘Basket Chaat’ stall and up to the biggest booksellers ‘Universal’ it’s tough negotiating through crowds and hordes of vehicles ! For those who loved Lucknow, it can be a happy, proverbial walk down memory lane…

For old timers weaned on the acting forte of stalwarts like Ashok Kumar and Balraj Sahani to versatile artists of the 80s of likes of Naseer Shah, Om Puri, Pankaj Kapoor, Sanjeev Kumar and in the later decades, Irrfan Khan and Manoj Bajpayee had set such high standards, that the imagery of an eternal romantic with signature ‘arms-wide’ stance of King Khan was never our ‘cup of chai’ though it still appeals to millions across the globe !

Having said that, SRK’s not just a huge Bollywood super-star but also a cultivated sophisticate and self-styled eloquent ‘man of letters’ who never misses to woo his audiences anywhere with his irresistible wit and charm and his innate ability to win hearts of one and all with disarming humility. On stage, he casts pearls of wisdom & humour swaying people of all ages.

Apart from legendary actor status & iconic acting career of many decades, that’s received a huge boost with mega hits “Pathan’ and ‘Jawan’ last year, SRK’s stellar role as the large-hearted, sporting team-owner of the popular IPL team ‘Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) who takes active interest in their fortunes without hogging limelight from the players, brings another facet. SRK dons many hats, what’s getting revealed are his leadership qualities.

When his IPL team wins big against good opponents, its only human that he rejoices with all the players with warm hugs in his own imitable style and a special pat for those who excelled.However, unlike others, he mixes with the same joyful camaraderie with the opposing team players, many of whom are in awe of him. In yesterday’s match against DC, their Captain Rishabh Pant played a valiant innings but his team lost by a huge margin.Post-match he was sitting forlorn on the field. SRK walked to him, didn’t allow him to stand up and consoled him that this was just a one-off thing.   

We often wonder why only some ‘Extra-ordinary’ gifted people become so popular & loved, despite their weaknesses and failures that often happen. They have that ‘Extra’ (X factor !) that sets them apart from the ordinary.The SRK brand is strong but for players it’s his hug that’s so momentous !

9^th April is literally ‘Mother’s Day’ for us since today is our late Mother, Sandhya Sinha’s 94^th birthday. It’s also fortuitous for me that I write this small tribute to her sitting in hometown Lucknow in the same room and from the same old table on which she worked for decades recording with meticulous detail in her beautiful handwriting, everything life had to offer.

From the amazing historical antecedents of the illustrious Singhi family she got married into in Lucknow, her early years of marriage & challenges of bringing up five children, the memorable stint in teaching profession, devotion to social work, far travel to Amarnath and Africa, to her views on religion & nationalism and myriad stories built around real life incidents.

We wonder whenever we chance upon manuscripts tucked away in her old cupboards, what she’s do if she had access to laptops and keyboards. The prolific writer in her was always eager to express her inner-most thoughts though she faced problems, constricted by a severe hearing disorder and later in facing debilitating old age. She would’ve churned out many more essays and stories, but fortunately some of her brilliant works (in Bengali) could get published with help from our relatives and are now also getting translated into English, thanks to the efforts of our sister, Shibani Dutta.

I had earlier felt that Ma’s penchant for writing prodigiously was a pastime that she indulged in, more so after Dad passed away in 2000 and her social life and friends also started to dwindle. The relevance of putting on record significant events & incidents, dawned on me post my retirement a decade ago and I get that same urge to express myself in writing as best as I can. Just few who wield the pen get fame but only a good writer touches hearts.

In the dynamic state we are in, memories and interests in things are short-lived and forgotten just as today’s headlines will fast get erased by some big ‘breaking news’ that may come tomorrow ! Why not pen down lasting impressions, share those significant life experiences & anecdotes of good Samaritan acts and inspiring deeds, talk of newer ways to help people in need, rejoice in celebrating milestones that motivate and give happiness. Documenting the family history becomes legacy for generations to come.

The Gen X, Y &Z  are losing touch with their roots and & old world reading and writing habits are on the wane. We are fortunate that we received such a rich literary legacy from our parents that has stood us in good stead. We should try percolate it down and awaken in our youngest ones, the joy in creative expression and affinity for writing and learning that helps create better human beings. That would be a ‘Gift’ that would make Ma happy !

Often ‘word of mouth’ works for the discerning viewers in choosing films and web-series among the plethora of content that surfaces on the OTT platform, since the reviews on print media are not necessarily unbiased. Thanks to the fairly positive feedback received from informed friends we decided to latch on to this ostensibly low-budget ‘Hotstar’ film that hasn’t been much talked about. At the end of it we were left happy & inspired !

It should be apparent to the makers that no matter what masala mix, star power & incredible action scenes you inject, a film’s content, its purposeful story-telling and screenplay that etches out real characters, makes a film watchable. Crime-Action-Drama formulahas been beaten to death played  out by jaded superstars with irritating regularity. ‘Patna Shukla’ scores on many points but what appeals is sheer simplicity and sincerity of purpose.

Courtroom dramas have been common in Hindi movies but actors who’ve donned the judge/lawyer robes have hammed and overacted loudly in al-most all barring ones like Manoj Bajpayee’s ‘Bas Ek Banda Sirf Kafi Hai’ ! Here we have Raveena Tandon (far-cry from earlier glamour girl avtaar) effortlessly playing a crusading lawyer who’ll walk many extra miles to get justice and her relentless quest puts her family in jeopardy as she defies powerful bosses to unearth a ‘Marksheet’ scam in the Patna University. The intensity of her nuanced performance was indeed quite a revelation.

Presiding over the case is the no-nonsense, down to earth District Judge and late Satish Kaushik wins our hearts with humorous quips & crisp raps. Anushka Kaushik as the aggrieved student is very impressive as is Manav Vij playing the morally upright husband who stoically stands by his wife ! There’s also a bright cameo from Raju Kher, our dear friend in Mumbai, who endearingly essays the role of a supportive father caught in the legal crossfire. He must go along with his lawyer-daughter for securing justice.  

There are few telling messages that ring true in today’s context. The wily ‘Neta’ facing corruption charges, boasts by saying ‘times have changed, we do illegal things in a legal way’ (like coercion and administrative action). Cinematic license is taken but this is an indictment on the malpractices in system of education. It’s morality and integrity that must win in the end !

A great review deserves as much credit as a great film. It navigates the discerning, niche audience from the maze of mindless high octane action, war films heavy on nationalism, espionage thrillers, badly scripted ones of horror, mystery genre and several sequels to inane, old comedies ! Despite being averse to leaving home comfort of OTT binge watching, we caught ‘Laapataa Ladies’ on a big ‘PVR’ Screen on our Sister’s ‘Five Star’ feedback.

As veteran cine-goers we’ve seen it all in classics from Bimal Roy in 1960s to Hrishikesh Mukherji and Shyam Benegal in ‘80s that reveled in the art of simple storytelling. Here we revisit that simplicity and humane touches of ‘Parekh’ and ‘Sujata’ or a fable retold in Sai Paranjape’s ‘Katha’ to the empowering ‘Queen’ (2103) &the delightful ‘Panchayat’ series (2020). This one relates to age-old suppression of women through a quaint tale set in village milieu of two similarly attired young brides getting switched in the station, as their faces remain entirely covered as per local customs !

‘LL’ brilliantly directed by Kiran Rao, with its witty imagery, screenplay & superb cinematography of our contemporary rural social set-ups, akin to  legendary cartoonist Lakshman’s comic stereotypes like the corrupt, paan chewing local Cop and his moronic sidekick. Social messages come thick and fast with dry humour as when the venerable tea-stall lady calls out the woman’s plight declaring ‘fraud that’s always been perpetrated on us’ or ‘names of stations change with the Govts’ its difficult to recall the names.

Steeped in ancient beliefs and customs sacrosanct to them (and its not just the rural folk), the elders cannot accept women as free & self-dependent !But there’s a twist in this tale. The seemingly helpless lost brides are made of sterner stuff, go-getters in a man’s world they are up for the fight and the two ‘Laapataa’ Ladies, played with charm and conviction by Pratibha Ranta as ‘Jaya’ and Nitanshi Goel as ‘Phool Kumari’ simply steal the show. Men become mere players in the ‘theatre of the absurd’ that’s our society.

Thankfully the absence of big stars works wonderfully for the film as it did for the celebrated hit ‘12^th Fail’. All the characters, though a bit contrived in parts, look essentially genuine. Special mention for Chaaya Kadam who plays ‘Manju Maai’ who’s towering presence gives shelter to the weak. In a surprise cameo is Ravi Kishan – his comic talent and acting chops make us wonder why he doesn’t focus on his craft more than his role as an MP ! With that feel-good effect, this film that teaches us what we always preach. 

What couldn’t be achieved in 16 long years in lifting the IPL Trophy by a group of men, some considered legends of the game, was settled in only their second outing by the spirited, undaunted, never-say-die Smriti Mandhana led band of valiant RCB women ! All the matches went down to the wire, but RCB managed to extricate themselves from impossibly lost situations and unbelievable positions to several remarkable victories !

While we watched all the thrilling encounters, it was theabsolutely magnificent looking Aussie all rounder, Elysee Perry for RCB who dominated the show in the last three matches taking on the fancied MI team single handedly in two games, before playing the sheet anchor in the Finals. It was exhilarating all round cricket at its best, but also brought back nostalgic fan moments and memories of our school days of 1960s. 

Having been allowed to study in La Mart Girls, Lucknow (it was co-ed in those days up Class IV ) we would look up to the top performers on the track and field events with admiration & awe. A marquee event was the Swimming Competitions that were held between the sister institutions of La Mart Lko & Calcutta. What remains in my memory are the highlights of those contests that had the super show by the famous Nafisa Ali, then called the ‘Golden Girl’ not only for gorgeous looks but for her amazing skills as an ace swimmer who walked away with all the medals and the applause. 

Back to WPL, amazing performances of Elysee Perry and Richa Ghosh with the bat and the artful web spun by the RCB spinners on the opposition, held us all spell bound and have raised the bar for women’s cricket. For Smriti Mandhana, victorious Captain who held her nerve and has led RCB with aplomb, it’s validation of her huge potential not only as an elegant batter but as a most promising leader.

It’s a gem from the archives of vintage Hollywood films that we chanced upon on OTT (Prime Video). Rated a landmark film of its time by a great filmmaker, Stanley Kramer, for its bold and thought provoking subject, ‘Judgement at Nuremberg’ (1961) has an amazing star cast of greats like Spencer Tracy, Marlene Dietrich & Burt Lancaster and many others. Akin to a vivid war documentary, it’s a masterpiece for the sheer brilliance of screenplay, dialogues and standout performances.

Set in the post war era of the 1940s, wherein the holocaust of WWII had witnessed massive devastation and heinous atrocities committed against humanity and the Jews in particular, by Nazis who overran Europe, the American law enforcement authorities set up Tribunals to try those responsible for the inhuman war crimes of that regime. The film deals with one such court case held at Nuremberg, Germany, wherein four former eminent German judges are charged with passing sentences that led to the mass executions of innocents as per then laws of the state. None of them, were directly involved with executions or running of concentration camps.

The Tribunal Court with passionate intensity from both sides, debates the dilemma of fixing accountability for the crimes on the accused. There is impassioned plea for their defense- judges give rulings based on evidence and in accordance with the laws that may come as dictats of despotic leader and accord justice from that viewpoint, but moral and ethical issues arose. Judges were upright, learned men who could’ve raised their voice against unilateral, unjust laws but remained silent, though some others(judges) had resigned, left their posts, foreseeing dangers ahead for the system. Element of coercion on the judges existed since the total allegiance to the State was paramount – all had to fall in line for the glory of the Nation !

American Judge presiding over the case (played by Spencer Tracy) tries to understand the psyche & ethos of the German people in a small place like Nuremberg- how a civilized society could watch the kind of torture inflicted on innocent people as Nazis had done ?Locals revealed facets that showed fear, ignorance & helplessness against might of fascist totalitarianism!

The Judge while delivering judgement faces the same moral dilemma that is relevant today. Across many developed nations of the world, sweeping dictatorial powers throttle the voice of ordinary people and opposing ideas in the name of nationalism and march ahead with their grandiose plans, often at heavy cost to justice, order, peace and humanity !