Side B

I saw a movie recently, Meri Pyaari Bindu. In my teenage and 20s, Yash Raj Films like Daag, Trishul, Kabhi Kabhi, Chandni, and Lamhe left a deep impression on my personality. Of Late YRF films have become a victim of SRK/KJo Gang and ruined what they were known for, good scripts, great poetry, and memorable music. I had stopped watching YRF films for years however a pirated DVD of Meri Pyari Bindu was worth the 40 Rs spent.  The movie reminded me a lot of my teenage /20s, my terrace room, Delhi Monsoons and above all Audio Cassettes, fondly remembered as Tapes. Confession be made, music was my first love and will always be. Vividh Bharti's radio and T series audio tapes introduced me to all genres of music.  As I started to earn, my first "asset" was a cassette, Aandhi,  Mausam, and  Kinara. Many won't remember but you needed to know the sides and tracks well. Side A and Side B. The Side B was always the other complimentary music, it was the "lagging" music. Side A was always the prominent side.

Today's blog is not about Side A of life, it's about Side B. Some thoughts and songs which always stay unheard.
Today's song is a Side B favourite ...Jaane Kya Soch Kar Nahin Guzra ...Ek Pal Raat Bhar Nahin Guzra, from the movie Kinara . A rare Gulzar/RD/Kishore Trinity Gem. 

Monetization of Bliss: The way the economics of society is evolving, it carefully mapped everything which brought happiness and bliss to mankind and monetized that activity. Walks have become Jogs and you need walking and running gear. Water bodies cant be enjoyed unless you stay at a beach resort , music on the radio has a musical commercial act, temples have become museums, jokes have become stand up comedy acts, even walks through ruins have become paid historic walks. Take a pause and think of what brought you happiness and smile but didn't have a $ sign attached to it. I knew one, Walk in the rain. Not Rain Dance, just the walk in the rain. Many years ago, in 2003, I interviewed a fine young man at Accenture , I was fatigued by the templates of questions and answers so I asked him an offbeat one "What do you do besides production and consumption of money ", he was sharp enough to read my subtle sarcasm and depth, he said, I play golf and teach golf to beginners for free , gives me a sense of satisfaction . Years later, we became good friends and he still reminds me that my question left him stunned. We are so married to money that we cant think beyond it , I often think that Money is the "bhasmasur" man created .....

न हों पैसे तो इस्तक़बालियों से कुछ नहीं होगा , किसी शायर का ख़ाली तालियों से कुछ नहीं होगा

Yeh Dil Maange More: I often wonder how much do we really need. One of Hinduism's spiritual tenets is "Santosh" which is contentment. On a weekend, I was reorganizing my wardrobe and I often realize, that  I have too many things, I was counting socks and thinking why do I need 8 socks, they are far more than what I would ever need. Even if you live in a 20000 sq feet house, one would still need a 6 by 6 bed to sleep. How much food is wasted these days unconsumed, and how much tea turns cold and not consumed? Mankind is producing far more than it can consume. On Bangalore Roads, do you really need a big car? We keep taking our needs up buying bigger TVs, bigger Cars, bigger water bottles, bigger coffee mugs, bigger serving and chopping vegetables for decoration. Same is the case with our choices, how many TV channels we have these days, how many books we have access to? Restaurant menus are getting bigger but are our appetite bigger? More and more things are "unlimited " from Thalis to data plans but is this who we need to be. How many needs that one has diminished with time passing, lesser clothes, lesser things and may be even lesser people around. Dil Maange more is not always good, dil maange less is probably apter . 

न इब्तिदा की ख़बर है ......न इंतिहा मालूम , रहा ये वहम कि हम हैं सो वो भी क्या मालूम.....

Music of life: I have always believed that Music has the "vibrations" which talks about the soul , we make excuse to listen to music, in temples, in Bhajans , In gurudwaras , in Churches , at festivals like Holi , at parties , in Car , even in the background of videos and even on phone while we are on hold . I have always wondered why there is a "pull" to music. It is the manifestation of your soul's vibrations. Some like Tabla and some like Metal. We just need an excuse to build a vibration (even by tapping tables and using spoons on thalis) . Poetry works like asking on the cake. 

I heard a story once, read it maybe.

Two men were walking along a crowded sidewalk in a downtown business area. Suddenly one exclaimed, "Listen to the lovely sound of that harmonium!" But the other did not hear. He asked his companion how he could detect the sound of a harmonium amidst the chaos of people and traffic. The first man had trained himself to listen to the voices of nature, but he did not explain. 

Instead, he took a coin out of his pocket and dropped it on the sidewalk. Low and behold, a dozen people were suddenly looking at them!

"We hear," he said, "what we listen for."

बुतों को पूजने वालों को क्यूँ इल्ज़ाम देते हो, डरो उस से कि जिस ने उन को इस क़ाबिल बनाया है.....

There are people who can listen only to the sound of a falling coin on the ground - that´s their only music. Poor people! They think they are rich, but they are poor people, whose whole music consists only of the sound of a coin falling on the ground. Very poor people... starving. They don´t know what life consists of. They don´t know the infinite possibilities, they don´t know the infinite melodies surrounding you - the multi-dimensional richness. 

जाने  क्या सोच कर  गुज़रा , इक पल रात भर नहीं गुज़रा ..... 

अपनी तनहाई का औरों से ना शिकवा करना  , तुम अकेले ही नहीं हो... सभी अकेले हैं

ये अकेला सफ़र नहीं गुज़रा ....... जाने क्या सोचकर नहीं गुज़रा

दो घड़ी जीने की मोहलत तो मिली है सबको ......

तुम भी मिल जाओ घड़ी भर तो ये ग़म होता है......इस घड़ी का सफ़र नहीं गुज़रा

जाने क्या सोचकर नहीं गुज़रा......इक पल रात भर नहीं गुज़रा