I remember it as if it was yesterday. In the dark hours of the evening of 13th October in 1987, came a bolt from the blue in the form of some tragic news to all music lovers – Kishore Da, that versatile musical genius, had suddenly passed away in Mumbai at the untimely age of 58 and at the height of overwhelming popularity as the vibrant, majestic singing voice of almost all actors of past and present era, for more than three decades !

Much has been penned about his acting, singing & film career, life’s high and lows and comebacks, a maverick of unconventional ways and personal life-styles with prodigious musical talent sans formal training and amazing legacy of melody that he’s left behind ! Interestingly, barring one dear friend (an avid Mukesh fan) I’ve not met anyone who didn’t love his songs & not tried to croon his style. His clones are a legion themselves.

For me like others of my generation, 1970-80’s was the ‘coming of age’ era of dreams, aspirations, distractions and heartbreaks and bouncing back with resilience against the odds that came our way. It was also the ‘best of times’ in early 70’s when Kishore da was making a glorious comeback under Dada Burman. With Aradhana’s exuberant opening song ‘Mere Sapno Ki Rani’ he was the voice of Rajesh Khanna, later crowned superstar !

In our teens, we identified with all the emotions of romance, mirth, comedy, sorrow & pathos that magically emerged from Kishore da’s incomparable repertoire. My perpetual nostalgia remained with ‘Woh Sham Kuch Ajeeb..’ as I recalled numerous heartbreaks, ‘Jeevan Se Bhari Teri Ankhen..’ gave poetic resonance to love, ‘O mere dil ke chain..’ oozed romance and ‘Zindagi Ka Safar..’ spelt out inevitability of life and death. When I got my first rural posting and travelled by an old bus to the branch with trepidation, my heart sang ‘Musafir hoon yaaron, na ghar hai na thikana..’ but a voice within said to me ‘Ruk jana nahi tu kahi haar ke..’. Songs that brought solace and strength at every stage.

Fortuitously, my genes were inclined to love music and songs because my parents were avid music loving Bengalis and my Dad was an ardent Saigal ‘Bhakt’. After I started my addiction to Kishore songs, Dad grudgingly admitted that some of his soulful songs reminded him of Saigal Saab. My Mom also got into the fan club and had her own set of favourite songs which included ‘Panthi Hoon Main Us Path Ka..’ that was composed by and sung by Kishore himself for film’Door Ka Rahi’ and is considered one of his finest. What better than sing it, remembering Mom and paying a humble tribute to the legend.

It was a highly eventful Sunday evening that didn’t need Netflix to keep you hooked on to a thriller. With usual hype and frenetic ‘media’  build up, people of all ages, bound by our famed ‘cricket’ frenzy, watched the ‘Men in Blue’ (Coach Dravid continued in orange jersey !) take on mighty ‘Aussies’ in their opening World Cup encounter. This was also in progress as curtains dazzlingly came down on the ‘Hangzhou’ Asian Games post India’s truly spectacular show with record medals tally of 107, that many preferred to follow ! Yet, cricket mania ensured that Chennai had its full Indian ‘barmy’ army in attendance.

Foregoing the our ‘Sunday afternoon siesta’ we applauded our bowlers weaving a web of spin that tied the Aussie batters in knots as they got bundled out for a paltry 199, after opting to bat first on what was not considered a difficult pitch. We were all pretty smug that it wouldn’t need much from our boys what with ‘Hitman’ starting the way he does. But ‘kahani mein twist hai’ was horribly apparent as India was down 3 for 2 in no time. Akin to 1983 WC famous 19 for 5 of the historic ‘Turnbulls’ match against Zimbabwe, which had got Kapil rushing out of the shower to rescue ’Team India’, it seems that something similar was happening with KL Rahul, who had to bat lower down at No.5.

Many switched off their TV sets, some decided to take a walk and many tuned in for the awesome ‘Closing’ ceremony rather than get frayed nerves watching India struggle. Boy did they miss a virtuoso ‘Jugalbandi’ between two batting maestros. Initially there were gentle beats with slow ‘taal’ as they ran singles and twos and even a blip when Virat was dropped when just on 12. Thereafter, they got into what artists call their ‘Zone’, the two masters complementing each other nuanced with deft touches and from time to time going into crescendo (of classically hit fours ! ) but never out of sync with each other.

To ask who was better of the two wouldn’t do justice to their intense commitment, never  to go off ‘tune’ when looking at a tricky target ‘sur’ set by the opposition. Spellbinding was their class, maturity and artistry. It was cricket’s ‘poetry in motion’ as King Kohli effortlessly flicked pacers & KL produced classical late cuts reminiscent of Viswanath ! That both Virat and KL narrowly missed their tons was less significant than the way they battled, set templates to other batters, rotate strike, take singles, take the match deep.   

This World Cup did start with an amazing double century partnership in the first match when Kiwis rocked English and then South Africa pulverised Sri Lankan bowlers but the latter didn’t give up without a fight ! Surely, Big players perform best on the Big stage !

The English who’d invented this ‘jolly good game’ had also attributed an iconic line ‘Cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties !’ to it. At times, it feels glorious when you lift the World Cup just as it was slipping out, as in 2019 at home. Ironically, it must feel inglorious (for the English), when the team that they edged out then, hands them one of the biggest and most telling defeats in a World Cup Opening encounter four  years later !  

Avid cricket followers would find some uncanny similarities between the first fixture of the ODI WC played at Ahmedabad yesterday with the memorable opening match of the IPL played in Bengaluru in April, 2008. Those who witnessed that game, would recall that the Kiwi opener, Brendon McCullam playing for KKR, completely annihilated the RCB team with the most audacious stroke play and scored an unbeaten 158, and all the batters just played around that incredible knock !

Cut to ODI,WC of Oct, 2023 and another Kiwi opener, (not as high profile as Brandon but immensely gifted), Devon Conway hits a scintillating 152 not out and demolishes the English attack with disdainful ease to all corners of the park much to the chagrin and horror of the English supporters and the past Captains, who are now commentators ! It certainly was classy batsmanship from Devon and has instilled fear in the other teams.

There were two major differences though in the above two games spread 15 years apart. Devon had for illustrious company and chemistry, young Rachin Ravindra, making an incredible debut in a World Cup which he himself later called ‘unbelievable’ ! Suddenly everyone is sitting up in awe and want to know more about him. For starters his name- ‘Rachin’ has been created by joining ‘RA’ for Rahul and ’CHIN’ from Sachin, by cricket crazy parents of Indian origin.

The other stark difference from the IPL, 2008 was absence of vociferous crowds and our version of the ‘barmy army’ that are the ‘bread and butter’ of our cricket mania. Empty stands in huge stadiums aren’t great ads for 50 overs games competing against T20 ! People it seems are waiting for Sunday when the ‘Men in Blue’ take on the Aussies. As usual there is a lot of hype and burden of expectations on them. Prayers are also needed.

Awe-inspiring displays in the big sporting arena like the Asian Games, 2023 by our Indian athletes and where new champions are being crowned by the day and night, immense pride and feel-good euphoria prevails. Our gritty sportspersons excelled even in lesser followed events such as equestrian, rowing and race-walk. The medals tally is expected to reach three figure mark, an astonishing high-jump from previous Asiads !

In the most exciting event, while ‘Golden Boy’ ‘Neeraj Chopra’ had a magical final throw to clinch the ‘Gold’, he was closely followed by ‘Kishore Jena’ with a super performance.  In the women’s javelin event, the indomitable ‘Annu Rani’ created history with a ‘Gold’. Will these incredible results propel many young athletes to take up this ancient sport that’s got a huge impetus thanks majorly to heroics of now legendary, Neeraj Chopra ?

Most of us have known javelin or ‘bhala’ throw as kind of herculean sport of strength & not suited to those without strong sinews !  A close look reveals that a javelin is a light spear designed to be hurled, historically as a ranged weapon, but today predominantly for sport. The javelin is almost always thrown by hand, unlike the bow and arrow and slingshot, which shoot projectiles from a mechanism.

We read that many African kingdoms have used the javelin as their main weapon since ancient times. Typical African warfare was based on ritualized stand-off encounters involving throwing javelins without advancing for close combat. In the flag of Eswatini there is a shield and two javelins, which symbolize the protection from the country’s enemies. Zulu warriors used a long version of assegai javelin as their primary weapon. Going back further, it’s said the God Runesocesius is identified as a “God of the Javelin”.

How do professional javelin throwers train and achieve perfection, considering that they encounter many vagaries of air pressure etc as they fly ? The forces acting on the javelin while in motion are the drag force and the lift force. The drag force is basically a resistive force and acts against the direction of the flight and the lift force acts vertically to the direction of the flight. Physics of this sport is vital as the ‘swing’ factor in pace bowling !

To achieve the maximum distance in the Javelin, the athlete will have to balance three components – speed, technique and strength. A strong, stable grip is acquired. The grip must remain firm behind the ledge made by the binding (cord), and the javelin must run down the length of the palm and not across it. We’d say, Cricket is easier but ask Neeraj Chopra and you’ll get the right answer. Nothing in sport is easy if you want perfection !!

In an interview, one well known actor stated that he didn’t approve of ‘award functions’ as they had categories for performers called ‘Best’ whereas in his view nobody was ’Best’ (or Perfect) in creative arts but there were good and sometimes, great performances and creations ! Some artists shun the glittering ‘award’ ceremonies citing that subjectivity, bias or parochialism remains attached to them. History is replete with legends who had not accepted ‘awards’ conferred on them to register their protest in support of a cause.

There is also an element of unkindness in declaring who’s the ‘Best’. In our school days there were some who always stood first in class but I recall one great teacher saying ‘To me all three, the first, second and third are best’ and there’s little to choose from them. With some effort, second could upstage the first, if he/she took that place for granted. In life’s journey, however, it doesn’t matter how you started, it’s really where you end up !

Having said that, there is a natural attraction that people work towards ‘rewards and recognition’  which is one of the most essential ingredients in the recipe to fulfillment in work and life. It can come in different forms of work-life balance like a preferred field or place of work, leading a prestigious project or coveted post and rising in the hierarchy ladder with an impressive title and backed and supported by a happy family set-up. As societal values keep evolving, today’s youth isn’t too preoccupied with token awards !

It was said in the good old days ‘There’s no short-cut to success’ and that the intelligent needed to be also diligent to get results. Yet, along with those ‘who achieved greatness’ through sheer dint of merit and years of hard work, didn’t we come across those ‘who had greatness thrust upon them’ ! Despite the fool-proof system of assessing caliber and parameters of performance that applied to everyone, the ones chosen for ‘greatness’ were on top for qualities of suitability- being at right place, right time with right people !

It is in the field of Sports that the ‘charade’ of being the best can get exposed quickly. An initial ‘flash in the pan’ is no guarantee for future success and consistency of class is paramount for remaining in the game. One may have won the ‘Gold’ at an event but the hopes of a billion people will be for repeat of the golden performance and every award that brings with it honour & accolades, also brings with it, great burden of expectations.

As we’re witnessing in the Asian Games,2023, sporting excellence is about perseverance, commitment and mental strength apart from intense training. Dean Karnazes famously said ‘Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must, just never give up’ !

Many of the ever burgeoning middle-class segment qualify to be frequent flyers these days as most times I’ve flown, the flights seem to be full, barring a few middle seats that aren’t as fetching as the ‘window’ or ‘aisle’ ones. Never mind that apart from the stiff air-fares, one must pay an extra (ranging from 150 t0 350 or so) for any seat. Most airlines democratically declare a few seats free, maybe to keep the total back-benchers pacified !

Not being self-indulgent or prone to frequently wandering away to faraway locations for business meetings or on exotic holiday destinations, somehow in the last few months we’ve done a fair bit of domestic air travel and generally preferred ‘Indigo’ because of its reliability and rightly ‘landing on the pitch’, if one were to borrow some cricket jargon. That said, the adhering to time lines don’t always extend to off loading of the luggage and final arrival of the bags. At times, one spends more time at this than the flight itself !

Airlines invariably thank the passengers for flying with them and seek their feedback on the flight towards the end or by sending an SMS later. So this time, let me give one soon. On my last flight a few days back, I experienced something new in the itinerary of Cabin Crew which was a tad unfair and hard on us, on a longish early morning flight ! In their own edgy way the Airlines was promoting ‘carry your own tea and tiffin if you like’ !

It all began with my asking for ‘Tea’ – the smiling hostess shocked me by informing that it would cost Rs.200 but encouraged saying ‘complimentary’ nuts and cookies came with it. I was suitably impressed with this generosity and agreed to have some 5-star type morning ‘Chai’, which I was yearning for. As the hostess didn’t return, I repeated my request but was told that since the ‘Seat Belt’ sign was on, it would have to wait.

So I waited till two hostesses returned pushing their trolley-full of costly goodies. Apparently the rookie air-hostess had old data with her . ‘Sir’ the senior hostess informed ‘You can get beverages only if you order some food item with it’ & new rules had been recently imposed. Stumped by another sudden change in policy ! We’ve always felt that at least the humble ‘chai’ was within reach !

Note that when booking your tickets, there are items known as ‘Add-Ons’ like ordering your meal beforehand & other services such as taxi etc. This will only ‘Add-On’ to your total fare along with taxes and the other service charges that the service providers will levy before you can blink on the key. But airborne, don’t worry about sundry expenses. Just ‘Sit back, Relax & Enjoy the flight’ !

All reactions:

6Neelabh Sarkar, Subramani Natraj and 4 others

It’s a typical late-life crises of the ‘Old and the Critical’ ! We don’t seem to agree or even remotely connect with many of the latest fads and fashions but it’s not wise to comment. We don’t represent popular sentiment of masses and mean no disrespect to their tastes ! But the kind of euphoric reaction to some of the humungous ‘entertainers’ (big budget films) of late, in terms of the mind-boggling box-office numbers and ‘moolah’ raked in by film-makers, fandom of fading superstars restored, is beyond simple logic.

A lot of heavy-duty groundwork, favorable media reporting and pre-release ‘promos’ are the order of the day for these films giving them a ‘larger than life’ look, much before they hit the screens but that’s how show-biz works, one presumes. The amounts invested in their making seem astronomical and would be financial disasters if the films crashed but in the post-Covid times, it’s bahut ‘acche-din’ again for some of the biggies (led by the much acclaimed and invigorating South creations like ‘Pushpa’ & ‘RRR’ but it was SRK’s mega success of ‘Pathan’ and now ‘Jawan’ (with ‘Gadar 2’ also hitting the bull’s eye ! ) that’s revived ‘Bollywood’s’ masala fare and importantly restored SRK his ‘King’ status !

Not having seen any of these blockbusters in the picture halls for various reasons that included ‘Not Our Type’, I finally decided to watch ‘Pathan’ as it’s now available on OTT, having earned 1000 crs globally I read somewhere to my utter incredulity ! Having been weaned on ‘Bond’ films from the tender age of 18, we could sit through any them again, as long as Sean Connery, Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan were James Bond ! The first half-hour of ‘Pathan’ indicated with hi-tech intensive stunts that SRK was playing the desi ‘Bond’, high on nationalism & Deepika does a ‘Halle Berry’ of ‘Die Another Day’ ! While I’m an avid film buff, I admit I had to leave ‘Pathan’ mid-way out of sheer ennui !

Let’s understand the issue on hand, not everyone is an SRK ‘bhakt’ specially if they come from the era of actors in the class of great thespians like Balraj Sahani, Ashok Kumar, Dilip Kumar, later Naseer, Om Puri, Irfan Khan and of course Big B. Even we understand the power SRK’s charisma spread all across as the ‘king of romance’, but his critics will single out only two movies that showed acting prowess ‘Chak De’ and ‘Pardes’- in all his other films, he remained in his super-star stance and imagery – hands spread wide !

As was said earlier on, at our stage of peaceful coexistence, to see profound emotions, great stories, cinematic artistry and aesthetic nuances depicted on screen appeal more to our senses than stunts, mindless fights and gadgets that fly around and that must explain that we aren’t the target audiences for all the action packed blockbusters and sci-fi movies. They will continue to be made as other people seem to love them …

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When I first got posted to the megacity, Mumbai (then Bombay) some two decades ago, a knowledgeable resident said ‘You aren’t a real ‘Mumbaikar’ unless you’ve developed an affinity to our ‘Vada-Pavs’, scrambled on to the BEST buses and jostled with the peak hour crowds in local trains like a artist with suppleness of a professional gymnast ! He was right, though with years behind me ‘I’ve done all that and been there’ as they say !

When I’d visited Mumbai before to attend training progs or on trips (en route to Goa), my earliest memories were what I recall as ‘joy-rides’ atop the second tier of the double-decker buses, specially as there’d always be space there and awesome ringside view of evening city lights and razzle-dazzle of the megacity’s frenetic night life. Back in the 80s, for a newcomer I recall, the buses looked more friendly with numerous stops and routes almost near your doorstep (than local trains which then seemed quite overwhelming !).  

As in all megacities, good public transport plays a major role in people’s lives. Despite advent of modern and comfy ‘metro’ rail and more car-drivers on road, buses remain the ordinary commuter’s  favourite for the last mile connectivity and extensive coverage into remoter areas/lanes. Taxis/autos are convenient but costlier and Ola/Uber for the upper middle class-segment. In this crowded and competitive scenario, we Mumbaikars with nostalgic memories of good-old ‘red double-deckers’ have now been informed by BEST that these buses have attained ‘retired’ (15 year) status and will no longer be in service.

Interestingly, the iconic red buses have a history that dates back to 1937 when they were first introduced, modeled after the motorized double decker buses of London. Reports state that first Limited Bus service in Mumbai started between Colaba & Mahim in 1940.  In the 1960s around 900 of these buses plied in the city but eventually the number dwindled to 48. With its lower viability and high fuel cost, the Non-AC buses have now also completed 15 years of their life and as per RTO rules, they have to be scrapped. The Authorities have however assured that not all double decker buses will go off, it has 16 AC double deckers and more will be added to the fleet. Tourists to Mumbai have also the facility of open air double-decker buses which are used in ‘Mumbai Darshan’ tours. 

With technology, possibly  better facilities will emerge but many things are associated with our time machines and fixation with old memories. Some time back, we had a chance to travel by a Double-decker train from Mumbai to Baroda. Being on the second tier was such fun, reminding us of childhood and fascination for window seats ! As has been said in different ways ‘It’s the journey that matters, not the destination’ !       

We’ve all been used to receiving life ‘tips’ from a young age – from our parents, teachers, coaches, mentors and seniors to improve ourselves. All the above had no pecuniary implications unlike the proverbial ‘tip’ or what has been colloquially known as ‘bakshish’ a small token of the recipient’s appreciation of satisfactory services rendered by sundry workers. Along with the old colonial baggage, ‘tipping’ in India has been customary (it mustn’t be thought like ‘alms’ that no one encourages but continues to thrive on streets). I often feel that service workers must be compensated, even if in a small way, for their honest work which is mostly lowly paid, yet routine and often quite hard in nature.

Question arises with some (specially the tight fisted upstarts !), ‘Why pay extra to people for doing their job’ and what’s the fair amount if one feels large-hearted. The answer lies in empathy & understanding. Most service providers employ workers on meager wages. In average hotels, restaurants, dhabas, serviced apartments, spas and salons and such outlets, staff is not likely to be well paid. Why not shell a little for good service maybe to a family’s sole bread-winner, with today’s inflation ? Paying 10% of the bill is acceptable ‘tipping’. After GST, we can say ‘No’ to the ‘Service charges’ if charged by restaurants !

Fond of visiting exotic places ? Remember while travelling on a private tour or through operators, (unless otherwise advised by the service providers) you’re generally expected and should tip porters, drivers, restaurant staff and other service workers given the low wages they get to earn. In our recent trip to Kashmir, we discovered that ‘tips’ were widespread & had to be factored into our calculations, if one expected comfort & good quality services. We felt that given the rising costs, tips needed an upgrade –what at one time was adequate at Rs. 100, we revised to 200 per head but it’s likely to go upwards !

Understandably, workers in popular destinations, depend on tourists for earning extra income in form of fat ‘tips’ but by sheer numbers they are many. So in hotels you wisely tip one central person at the reception and indicate you wanted it to go to all service staff. Avarice for quick bucks make some drivers quote high rates for the local tours and then expect ‘bakshish’ too, which isn’t really justified.

Travel in India (high cost of flights, hotel rooms, local excursions, god meals, inevitable last minute local shopping etc) is on well on its way to becoming frightfully expensive, depending on the choices you make, but you can’t have a expansive family vacation and try to become very thrifty. In costing, don’t overlook ‘tips’ & ‘bakshish’ everywhere. They play an unsung role in a satisfying trip !

When the English poet, Robert Browning wrote ‘God’s in his heaven , all’s right with the world’ he wasn’t exactly alluding to our Indian passion for good food, music, Bollywood and pure joy of a tumultuous win over archrivals Pakistan- King Kohli’s bat conjuring that old magic alongside fiery resurgence from a resolute KL Rahul, struggling to find a place after a long lay-off, not even in reckoning, till Iyer gave him a providential break !

Never mind if this wasn’t a grand finale of a World event, for what mattered to fans was the sheer dominance of our batters over the hapless Pakis, suddenly beset with injuries starting with their pace spearheads Shaheen Afridi and Rauf. For cricket aficionados, it was a master class of classical batting display from India’s most attractive stroke-makers culminating in posting their highest total against Pak and Virat smashing many records.

 What was equally pleasing was the all round smart performance on the field, return of Bumrah to lead India’s bowling attack with his stinging in/out swingers and Kuldeep’s mesmerizing googlies (5 for 25) which a vaunted Paki line-up couldn’t read ! All this augurs well for a team still gearing up for the World Cup, lined up in their backyard !  

A lot of the Asia Cup has still to be played in inclement weather conditions and prospect of rains always looming large. Was Monday’s superlative show a flash in the pan, that might be difficult to replicate when India takes on Sri Lanka today ? Despite his heroics can Virat’s unbeatable physical reserves of stamina produce another onslaught on the Lankans who’ll come fresh as daisies on the field. Oh, glorious uncertainties of cricket ! What about rotating /resting some big guys. Ask Virat and KL who just hit centuries !!