In my previous post I had written about my preparation to travel cross country. The total driving distance was approximately 2500 miles, almost all of it on I-80 one of the longest east-west arterial roads in the continental United States. Since I was driving alone, I intended to drive for four days and sleep in motels en route for three of those nights. The actual cities where I intended to sleep were not known to me. My plan was to drive roughly 650 miles each day and before it turned dark, find Motel 6 to crash for the night and start all over again the next day!
Those were definitely simpler times!
My intention here is not bore you with mile by mile details of this expedition. Moreover, after more than 20 years, I barely remember little more than the highlights.
From Bay Area, I took I-680 till it joined I-80. I remember giving a hitchhiker a ride against all advice to the contrary. I picked up a middle aged person outside Sacramento. The drive through the Sierra Nevada was particularly fun especially on the downhill sections when I would put my stick shift in neutral and barrel down. I crossed into Nevada and after dropping of my passenger at Reno, continued ahead into desert country. Long straight roads with scrub like vegetation loomed ahead. Next I drove by a town called Winnemucca, NV. The reason this name stuck in my mind was the self-deprecating humorous sign "6 Billion have never been here". Finally after covering little less than 550 miles, I reached Elko, Nevada at about 6PM and stopped at a Motel 6. Guess whom I saw at the reception? If your answer is anything other than a Gujarati lady with the last name of Patel, you would be wrong!
The following day, after completing my morning ablutions, I headed out east and within an hour or so crossed into Mormon country, Utah. If you look in the interstate map of USA, you will notice that I-80 is quite straight in most sections. This particular section could only have been made with a straight edge. The sign at the outset warns you about the lack of fuel stops, rest areas, and in fact any humanity, for the next nearly 100 miles. Coming from India it is hard for us to understand abject barrenness. I still remember vividly the loneliness I felt at that moment. The highlight of the day was a traipse around the south side of the Great Salt Lake. Till then I had never seen an inland water body that large. Here was a lake whose opposite shore was too far to see! Of course that changed when I saw the Great Lakes in Michigan a few months later.
As I headed east of Salt Lake City, I started to get into mountain country. I wish I had the ability to describe the majesty of the Rocky Mountains. I could use a lot superlatives without describing anything of value. Each turn of the winding road opened spectacular views of the range. I would be in a valley with two mountains looming on each side or on top of a mountain with a view of ever more mountains both behind and ahead of me. After driving nearly 650 miles, I decided to break for the night at a town called Laramie, Wyoming. I again found a Motel 6 just off the freeway and parked my bags.
And then I had an adventure.
After getting directions, I went to eat at a Pizza Hut on the main street. The food was delicious as it usually is after a long and tiring day behind the wheel. It was time to pay and head back to hit the sack.
Things turned bad.
I discovered that I did not have my wallet. With a lot of embarrassment, I explained my predicament and told the cashier that I had left my wallet along with my jacket and that in the motel and pay him with in the hour. I am not sure that the the cashier, a young kid, found my confession plausible. Would you? Nevertheless he let me go.
Things then got worse. I was stopped by a police officer for speeding.
It seems I was doing 35 in a 25 MPH zone. With even more difficulty I explained why I was driving without a valid license and how I was getting back to the motel to pay for my dinner. The cop probably subscribed to the motto trust but verify and tailed me all the way back to the motel and waited for me to get back to from my room.
The outlook then got further worse. I could not find my jacket or my wallet!
Now I was worried about things beyond paying for my dinner or even explaining to the police. How was I going to pay for the motel? How was I going to get to the East Lansing? What the hell was I going to do? In a short span of 2 minutes every possible horrible scenario played itself in my mind. I came out and showed the cop everything except my driver license such as my insurance information! As I was talking; a preposterous idea came into my mind; what if I had had my jacket all along and had really left it in the Pizza Hut. Before I could consider this any further the police office ducked into the car, made a quick call and came out. I waited with bated breath for the axe to fall. The police officer told me to listen quietly. Then he told me to go back to the Pizza Hut and told me to pick up my wallet and jacket. He then told me to drive slowly through town! With relief I thanked the officer, I went back. it turned out that when I took my seat at the booth, I had put my jacket, out of sight, on the other side of the booth. The explanation only made me feel more foolish. With as much dignity as I could muster, I collected my stuff, laughed at my stupidity, paid my bill and drove back.
Then the worst happened, the sky fell.
Or so it seemed to me. I had never seen clouds this dark. I had never seen rain this thick. It felt more like a sheet of water was pouring on my windshield rather than drops. I had never seen so much lightning flashing nor thunder so loud. I have never before driven during a cloudburst. It made me completely aware of my insignificance in the grand scheme of things as never before.
Even though I drove very slowly and the wiper was at maximum speed visibility was literally nil. I somehow managed to get back to the motel without hurting my car, or myself, or more importantly anyone else. Thus ended my second day, both physically and emotionally exhausted.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Cross Country Travel 1990 - Part I
Couple of years ago, I had written about my first year in this country. That was in the left coast, now I am in the right coast. How did I get here?
The stated goal when I first came to the US was; learn automated chip testing and setup a chip testing facility in India to test chips used to support Bubble Memories. Towards this noble goal, I spent several weeks in a training facility at Schlumberger in San Jose, learning to read chip manuals and to write software based on the specifications. With help from my boss Ajay, I also created a novel high-speed technique to measure current; traditional current measurements required milli-seconds whereas we only had a few micro-seconds.
Anyway, within 6 months of my stay here, it was clear that the contract I came for would not be renewed for various reasons. I was dumb. Instead of finding another job in the Bay Area, I decided to look into academics. With my boss's blessing, I picked what I was told was a good school, University of Wisconsin at Madison, and several middle of the pack schools such as Michigan State (MSU) in East Lansing, MI, San Jose State in Bay Area, Oklahoma State in Still Water, OK, and lower ones such as Wayne State (WSU) in Detroit, MI. Do not ask me about my criteria for selecting these schools. I am sure I could not have put more than a limited amount of thought in the process; how else does one explain this rather more than random list of schools!
All except University of Wisconsin gave me admission; UW had good standards and they wanted to keep it that way! No school other than Wayne State gave me a scholarship. Without expending anymore thought than one would in changing clothes, I chose to uproot myself and move across the continent to MSU. You may ask, If WSU gave me scholarship why did I go to East Lansing?
Well my friend, PG who was then at MSU, assured me that if I got good grades during summer term, the chances of getting a Teaching Assistant ship (TA-ship) in fall was a near certainty. For those of you that did not go to graduate school in the USA, getting a TA-ship is akin to a professor getting a tenure, This meant that you were a cool-cat and you now had a little more financial security and consequently you could now afford to eat out once every other week at Pizza Hut!
Back to the answer; my thought process was; Detroit is a bare 100 miles away from East Lansing; if it did not pan out in MSU, I could always transfer to Detroit where I had a scholarship. I had the proverbial bird in hand. Anyway that is another story.
So here I was at the end of May 1990, in San Jose, CA ready to embark on a long journey. I had made my plans; I had PG's phone number in East Lansing, I had gotten my car checked out, I had changed the engine oil, and I had loaded the car with my worldly possessions. It is amusing that there was a time when everything I possessed could fit into the back of my Honda Civic with space to spare! Now my 4 bedroom house is not large enough!
That's it; I was ready. No wait, I also had gone to AAA of California and had gotten maps of the route I was going to follow!
I did not know how many days I was going to travel, I did not know where I was going to sleep each night, I did no know who I could call in case of emergencies! It is not that planning was an anathema to me; I just did not think! I had a map, I had a car, I had a rough idea that I was going to a place called Spartan Village in East Lansing; what more did I have to know!
I expressed my gratitude to the host family with whom I had been a paying guest for the past year and after saying my adieus, I drove away. It is hard to express the feelings that were going through my mind at that time. Many years later I heard these lines spoken by Morgan Freeman in one of my favorite movies, The Shawshank Redemption. You may remember that near the end of the movie, Red breaks parole and heads to Zihuatanejo, Mexico to be with his friend Andy. As he is riding the bus, you hear a voice over
... I find I am so excited I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it is an excitement only a free man can feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain ...
The stated goal when I first came to the US was; learn automated chip testing and setup a chip testing facility in India to test chips used to support Bubble Memories. Towards this noble goal, I spent several weeks in a training facility at Schlumberger in San Jose, learning to read chip manuals and to write software based on the specifications. With help from my boss Ajay, I also created a novel high-speed technique to measure current; traditional current measurements required milli-seconds whereas we only had a few micro-seconds.
Anyway, within 6 months of my stay here, it was clear that the contract I came for would not be renewed for various reasons. I was dumb. Instead of finding another job in the Bay Area, I decided to look into academics. With my boss's blessing, I picked what I was told was a good school, University of Wisconsin at Madison, and several middle of the pack schools such as Michigan State (MSU) in East Lansing, MI, San Jose State in Bay Area, Oklahoma State in Still Water, OK, and lower ones such as Wayne State (WSU) in Detroit, MI. Do not ask me about my criteria for selecting these schools. I am sure I could not have put more than a limited amount of thought in the process; how else does one explain this rather more than random list of schools!
All except University of Wisconsin gave me admission; UW had good standards and they wanted to keep it that way! No school other than Wayne State gave me a scholarship. Without expending anymore thought than one would in changing clothes, I chose to uproot myself and move across the continent to MSU. You may ask, If WSU gave me scholarship why did I go to East Lansing?
Well my friend, PG who was then at MSU, assured me that if I got good grades during summer term, the chances of getting a Teaching Assistant ship (TA-ship) in fall was a near certainty. For those of you that did not go to graduate school in the USA, getting a TA-ship is akin to a professor getting a tenure, This meant that you were a cool-cat and you now had a little more financial security and consequently you could now afford to eat out once every other week at Pizza Hut!
Back to the answer; my thought process was; Detroit is a bare 100 miles away from East Lansing; if it did not pan out in MSU, I could always transfer to Detroit where I had a scholarship. I had the proverbial bird in hand. Anyway that is another story.
So here I was at the end of May 1990, in San Jose, CA ready to embark on a long journey. I had made my plans; I had PG's phone number in East Lansing, I had gotten my car checked out, I had changed the engine oil, and I had loaded the car with my worldly possessions. It is amusing that there was a time when everything I possessed could fit into the back of my Honda Civic with space to spare! Now my 4 bedroom house is not large enough!
That's it; I was ready. No wait, I also had gone to AAA of California and had gotten maps of the route I was going to follow!
I did not know how many days I was going to travel, I did not know where I was going to sleep each night, I did no know who I could call in case of emergencies! It is not that planning was an anathema to me; I just did not think! I had a map, I had a car, I had a rough idea that I was going to a place called Spartan Village in East Lansing; what more did I have to know!
I expressed my gratitude to the host family with whom I had been a paying guest for the past year and after saying my adieus, I drove away. It is hard to express the feelings that were going through my mind at that time. Many years later I heard these lines spoken by Morgan Freeman in one of my favorite movies, The Shawshank Redemption. You may remember that near the end of the movie, Red breaks parole and heads to Zihuatanejo, Mexico to be with his friend Andy. As he is riding the bus, you hear a voice over
... I find I am so excited I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it is an excitement only a free man can feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain ...
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Report Card for Raag
As it is well known, I am extremely insecure. I have always suspected that my parents loved my sister more; my teachers liked Pankaj more, and our friends liked my wife more. Devi has always loved her mom more. Let us see what Maa thinks of me.
In January of this year, my parents received a report card from Maalini about Jan's and my performance. While her comments about her mom were good, she told my parents that I interups a lot and watches too much TV! My wife got the ultimate kudo when Maa made a Mother's day card for her even if your just a plane MoM you macke a big difrince. She forgot both Father's day and my birthday - boo hoo.
I couldn't let it go. So I would needle Maa and ask her "Who do you love more amma, akka, or appa". Depending on her mood it would be amma or akka for the first position, but the constant was always, yours truly at the bottom. I expanded the list and added a whole slew of people to the list, grandparents, her aunts and uncles, cousins, and even friends. I found to my chagrin that my position did not improve, they all were inserted into the list somewhere below her mom and her sister but always above me. Wait one person did fare worse than I did, my sister; well she is as strict parent as I am!
I taxed her on her lack of affection for me and her comment was - At least you are above your sister!
I told this to my sister and her reaction was that she was glad that she was at least I am in Maa's list.
I needed perspective. Now I too am glad I am on the list.
In January of this year, my parents received a report card from Maalini about Jan's and my performance. While her comments about her mom were good, she told my parents that I interups a lot and watches too much TV! My wife got the ultimate kudo when Maa made a Mother's day card for her even if your just a plane MoM you macke a big difrince. She forgot both Father's day and my birthday - boo hoo.
I couldn't let it go. So I would needle Maa and ask her "Who do you love more amma, akka, or appa". Depending on her mood it would be amma or akka for the first position, but the constant was always, yours truly at the bottom. I expanded the list and added a whole slew of people to the list, grandparents, her aunts and uncles, cousins, and even friends. I found to my chagrin that my position did not improve, they all were inserted into the list somewhere below her mom and her sister but always above me. Wait one person did fare worse than I did, my sister; well she is as strict parent as I am!
I taxed her on her lack of affection for me and her comment was - At least you are above your sister!
I told this to my sister and her reaction was that she was glad that she was at least I am in Maa's list.
I needed perspective. Now I too am glad I am on the list.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Weighing Machine, Weighing Machine on the Floor ...
You know the story of Snow White and Seven Dwarfs. The Evil Queen asks the mirror on the wall the same question everyday, "Mirror, mirror on the wall / Who in the land is fairest of all?". The mirror repetitiously answers "You, my Queen" until one day when mirror tells the queen that Snow White, not the Queen is the fairest of all.
Unlike the queen, most of us men in our mid-life obsess not about our fairness or beauty. Most of us should have no illusion about our looks especially with kids in the teens or older. We instead talk endlessly about how gravity impacts us. How as we have gotten older, there seems to be more gravity around us. We feel heavier.
Each day we wake up in the morning and go to the bathroom where most of us have a weighing machine. We then ask the machine the same question, "Weighing Scale, Weighing Scale on the Floor / who in this land is the slimmest of all". Just like the queen, until the fateful day, we get the same answer.
Not you for sure, Ha Ha!
For the first thirty years of my life this was not a question, I had ever asked anyone or anything. In fact I did not possess a weighing machine. Sometime in my mid-thirties, I made the fatal mistake of getting one and since then my life has been one of misery. As I stood on top of it and wondered what I was going to see, hoping against hope, to see a small number, I got down each time after seeing the needle pointed towards larger and larger numbers.
Recently, the doctor had also started talking about the fried foods I liked to consume. He then talked about the health risks of increased cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triglycerides. Even some of my friends had started talking about my expanding waistline.
It got so bad last summer, I swear, I heard the scale whisper "Fatty" as I left the bathroom. Now I know you would say, I have a vivid imagination if I told you that around last Thanksgiving, I heard a groan from my bathroom and a whispered comment, "Is it too much to ask? Why can't you eat less!".
The last one was too much for me to swallow. I had to take matters into my hand. I could take digs from my children and needling from friends. I will be damned if I take sarcasm from a weighing scale. So went and got a new one.
Lovingly I opened it and stood on it for the first time and asked the same question "Weighing Machine, Weighing machine ..." and the strange answer I got was
Fewer chips a day, keeps the doctor away!
Unlike the queen, most of us men in our mid-life obsess not about our fairness or beauty. Most of us should have no illusion about our looks especially with kids in the teens or older. We instead talk endlessly about how gravity impacts us. How as we have gotten older, there seems to be more gravity around us. We feel heavier.
Each day we wake up in the morning and go to the bathroom where most of us have a weighing machine. We then ask the machine the same question, "Weighing Scale, Weighing Scale on the Floor / who in this land is the slimmest of all". Just like the queen, until the fateful day, we get the same answer.
Not you for sure, Ha Ha!
For the first thirty years of my life this was not a question, I had ever asked anyone or anything. In fact I did not possess a weighing machine. Sometime in my mid-thirties, I made the fatal mistake of getting one and since then my life has been one of misery. As I stood on top of it and wondered what I was going to see, hoping against hope, to see a small number, I got down each time after seeing the needle pointed towards larger and larger numbers.
Recently, the doctor had also started talking about the fried foods I liked to consume. He then talked about the health risks of increased cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triglycerides. Even some of my friends had started talking about my expanding waistline.
It got so bad last summer, I swear, I heard the scale whisper "Fatty" as I left the bathroom. Now I know you would say, I have a vivid imagination if I told you that around last Thanksgiving, I heard a groan from my bathroom and a whispered comment, "Is it too much to ask? Why can't you eat less!".
The last one was too much for me to swallow. I had to take matters into my hand. I could take digs from my children and needling from friends. I will be damned if I take sarcasm from a weighing scale. So went and got a new one.
Lovingly I opened it and stood on it for the first time and asked the same question "Weighing Machine, Weighing machine ..." and the strange answer I got was
Fewer chips a day, keeps the doctor away!
Monday, May 02, 2011
Am I any longer a Geek?
One of my favorite Wodehouse title is Carry On, Jeeves, a collection of short stories. The first story, Jeeves Takes Charge, introduces us to Bertie and Jeeves and tells the story of how Jeeves came to be Bertie's boss, I mean valet. In this story, Bertie is engaged to the autocratic but beautiful Lady Florence, who wants to improve his mind by feeding him a book titled Types of Ethical Theory that contained this memorable prose.
Of the two antithetic terms in the Greek philosophy one only was real and self-subsisting; and that one was Ideal Thought as opposed to that which it has to penetrate and mould. The other, corresponding to our Nature, was in itself phenomenal, unreal, without any permanent footing, having no predicates that held true for two moments together; in short redeemed from negation only by including indwelling realities appearing through.
Right Ho. Naturally Bertie's engagement did not last much longer. I found this to be a funny story without paying anymore attention to it.
Recently I saw that my friend had posted on Facebook a comment on NP-Complete problems and remembered reading about this in graduate school decade and a half ago and actually doing well enough to get an A on that course. Since I no longer knew what it was, I looked my favorite source, The Wikipedia and, I kid you not, this was what I read.
In computational complexity theory, the complexity class NP-complete (abbreviated NP-C or NPC) is a class of decision problems. A decision problem L is NP-complete if it is in the set of NP problems so that any given solution to the decision problem can be verified in polynomial time, and also in the set of NP-hard problems so that any NP problem can be converted into L by a transformation of the inputs in polynomial time.
Quite lucid you say
I on the other hand am no longer feel smart enough to comprehend such material.
Of the two antithetic terms in the Greek philosophy one only was real and self-subsisting; and that one was Ideal Thought as opposed to that which it has to penetrate and mould. The other, corresponding to our Nature, was in itself phenomenal, unreal, without any permanent footing, having no predicates that held true for two moments together; in short redeemed from negation only by including indwelling realities appearing through.
Right Ho. Naturally Bertie's engagement did not last much longer. I found this to be a funny story without paying anymore attention to it.
Recently I saw that my friend had posted on Facebook a comment on NP-Complete problems and remembered reading about this in graduate school decade and a half ago and actually doing well enough to get an A on that course. Since I no longer knew what it was, I looked my favorite source, The Wikipedia and, I kid you not, this was what I read.
In computational complexity theory, the complexity class NP-complete (abbreviated NP-C or NPC) is a class of decision problems. A decision problem L is NP-complete if it is in the set of NP problems so that any given solution to the decision problem can be verified in polynomial time, and also in the set of NP-hard problems so that any NP problem can be converted into L by a transformation of the inputs in polynomial time.
Quite lucid you say
I on the other hand am no longer feel smart enough to comprehend such material.
Sunday, March 06, 2011
Music I Like
Single place for all the lists that I have published. This article will evolve as I create newer lists.
Asha and Rafi Top 10
Asha and Rafi Next 10
Asha and Kishore Top 10
Asha and Kishore Next 10
Lata and Rafi Top 10
Asha and Rafi Top 10
Asha and Rafi Next 10
Asha and Kishore Top 10
Asha and Kishore Next 10
Lata and Rafi Top 10
Tuesday, March 01, 2011
My first century (of anything)
I have never been associated with the number 100. You know how you finish your exam and when you get it back, the only questions your parents ask you were
Who got first? -- And the answer invariably did not include me. It was always one of the three girls Sangeeta Chandra, Namita Giridhar, Renu Aggarwal! Well no surprise; Sangeeta is a doctor from Maulana Azad and the other two went to DCE with me.
Whom did you leave behind the 5 marks for? It is not like the teachers were asking for some! -- Sarcasm was a wonderful tool. Of course it was always one-way, since talking back was not an option. I have tried and there are a few dents in my head to show for the effort.
Why am I reopening those wounds? This post is all about me reaching a milestone.
This post is my one hundredth!
I have been writing for a little under 5 years. When I started I had no suspicion that I would write for so long. I started writing about the books I read. I found out very quickly that they were not popular, I mean the posts, not the books! The change in focus came when during a trip to India I wrote about my experiences. Some people liked it; a little; and that was encouragement enough for me to keep writing. It was not like I was getting rave reviews and encouragement. Initially it was read by no one, now I have graduated to rarely read!
It is more of, "If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears ....". You know how that goes. No matter. I knew I had many things to say, even if like the proverbial fallen trees, there is no one to hear them.
Today I wanted to explore one of my favorite topic; Bollywood Music, of which I have now written a few posts. But for this one I could think of no two persons worthy of dedicating it, Mohammed Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar.
I will list here their Top-10 duets (In my not so humble opinion).
1) Dil Pukare, Jewel Thief (Audio|Video)
SD Burman is amazing in this movie. Listen to the complex orchestration combined with great melody.
As is usually the case in all my post, there is a digression. There is another song in this movie where Tanuja literally throws herself at Dev Anand; in this really sexy song, Raat Akeli Hai (Audio|Video) only to be rebuffed! You see the song and tell me if the hero is not totally nuts! There are not many songs even in today that is this sizzling hot! Asha Bhosle's dynamics of voice is amazing. I am sorry I digressed about Asha in a post about Lata!
2) Paaon Choolene Do Phoolon Ko Enayet Hogi, Taj Mahal (Audio|Video)
The singer tells the heroine to let the flowers touch her feet as it will be a compliment to the flowers (as best as I could translate Urdu)! Beautiful sentiment.
3) Tasveer Teri Dil Mein, Maya (Audio|Video)
I noticed a pattern of Dev Anand dominating my lists. Salil Chaudhary was an amazing composer! The only nit I can pick is the heroine. I never liked Mala Sinha, although to be fair, she was one of the most successful female star of her era.
4) Tere Husn Ki Kya Tareef, Leader (Audio|Video)
The hero and heroine praise each others looks but pretend they are scared to say nice things about the other, since they are afraid that it would be mistaken for love. Dilip Kumar is one of the few actors who looks like he is the one who are really singing!
5) Agar Mein Poochon Javab Doge, Shikari (Audio|Video)
A really beautiful song, nice lyrics, wasted on two unknown actors. Who are they?
6) Jhilmil Sitaron Ka, Jeevan Mrityu (Audio|Video)
This movie is a Decently Bollywoodized remake of the Count of Monte Cristo. Dharmedra plays the role of Edmond Dantes and Rakhee plays the role of Mercedes. In a change from the original and to suit the Indian sensibilities, the heroine does not marry unlike in the book. I have always admired Rakhee for her acting, but in this movie she was actually thin! See the video if you do not believe me.
7) Chand Jaane Kahan Kho Gaya, Main Chup Rahungi (Audio|Video)
How the devil did Sunil Dutt make it to the big leagues? Was there such a dearth of male stars in those days?
8) Dekho Rootha Na Karo, Tere Ghar Ke Saamne (Audio|Video)
Nutan won 5 Film Fare Awards for Best Actress. Dev Anand just exists!
9) Do Ghadi Voh Jo Paas Aa Baite, Gateway Of India (Audio|Video)
What a beautiful song? Another hero about whom you wonder, How the devil did Bharat Bhushan make it big? That he was paired with Madhubala is the height of injustice!
10) Jeevan Mein Piya Tera, Goonj Uti Shehnai (Audio|Video)
This song starts rather slowly and feels like onset of some tragedy. The song quickly makes a recovery and never looks back. Lata and Rafi sing with a gusto. I do not know who this actress is either.
PS: If you the impression that I had tough parents, it is not all poor Raag. I was a difficult child too. There never was a punishment I did not deserve and more.
Who got first? -- And the answer invariably did not include me. It was always one of the three girls Sangeeta Chandra, Namita Giridhar, Renu Aggarwal! Well no surprise; Sangeeta is a doctor from Maulana Azad and the other two went to DCE with me.
Whom did you leave behind the 5 marks for? It is not like the teachers were asking for some! -- Sarcasm was a wonderful tool. Of course it was always one-way, since talking back was not an option. I have tried and there are a few dents in my head to show for the effort.
Why am I reopening those wounds? This post is all about me reaching a milestone.
This post is my one hundredth!
I have been writing for a little under 5 years. When I started I had no suspicion that I would write for so long. I started writing about the books I read. I found out very quickly that they were not popular, I mean the posts, not the books! The change in focus came when during a trip to India I wrote about my experiences. Some people liked it; a little; and that was encouragement enough for me to keep writing. It was not like I was getting rave reviews and encouragement. Initially it was read by no one, now I have graduated to rarely read!
It is more of, "If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears ....". You know how that goes. No matter. I knew I had many things to say, even if like the proverbial fallen trees, there is no one to hear them.
Today I wanted to explore one of my favorite topic; Bollywood Music, of which I have now written a few posts. But for this one I could think of no two persons worthy of dedicating it, Mohammed Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar.
I will list here their Top-10 duets (In my not so humble opinion).
1) Dil Pukare, Jewel Thief (Audio|Video)
SD Burman is amazing in this movie. Listen to the complex orchestration combined with great melody.
As is usually the case in all my post, there is a digression. There is another song in this movie where Tanuja literally throws herself at Dev Anand; in this really sexy song, Raat Akeli Hai (Audio|Video) only to be rebuffed! You see the song and tell me if the hero is not totally nuts! There are not many songs even in today that is this sizzling hot! Asha Bhosle's dynamics of voice is amazing. I am sorry I digressed about Asha in a post about Lata!
2) Paaon Choolene Do Phoolon Ko Enayet Hogi, Taj Mahal (Audio|Video)
The singer tells the heroine to let the flowers touch her feet as it will be a compliment to the flowers (as best as I could translate Urdu)! Beautiful sentiment.
3) Tasveer Teri Dil Mein, Maya (Audio|Video)
I noticed a pattern of Dev Anand dominating my lists. Salil Chaudhary was an amazing composer! The only nit I can pick is the heroine. I never liked Mala Sinha, although to be fair, she was one of the most successful female star of her era.
4) Tere Husn Ki Kya Tareef, Leader (Audio|Video)
The hero and heroine praise each others looks but pretend they are scared to say nice things about the other, since they are afraid that it would be mistaken for love. Dilip Kumar is one of the few actors who looks like he is the one who are really singing!
5) Agar Mein Poochon Javab Doge, Shikari (Audio|Video)
A really beautiful song, nice lyrics, wasted on two unknown actors. Who are they?
6) Jhilmil Sitaron Ka, Jeevan Mrityu (Audio|Video)
This movie is a Decently Bollywoodized remake of the Count of Monte Cristo. Dharmedra plays the role of Edmond Dantes and Rakhee plays the role of Mercedes. In a change from the original and to suit the Indian sensibilities, the heroine does not marry unlike in the book. I have always admired Rakhee for her acting, but in this movie she was actually thin! See the video if you do not believe me.
7) Chand Jaane Kahan Kho Gaya, Main Chup Rahungi (Audio|Video)
How the devil did Sunil Dutt make it to the big leagues? Was there such a dearth of male stars in those days?
8) Dekho Rootha Na Karo, Tere Ghar Ke Saamne (Audio|Video)
Nutan won 5 Film Fare Awards for Best Actress. Dev Anand just exists!
9) Do Ghadi Voh Jo Paas Aa Baite, Gateway Of India (Audio|Video)
What a beautiful song? Another hero about whom you wonder, How the devil did Bharat Bhushan make it big? That he was paired with Madhubala is the height of injustice!
10) Jeevan Mein Piya Tera, Goonj Uti Shehnai (Audio|Video)
This song starts rather slowly and feels like onset of some tragedy. The song quickly makes a recovery and never looks back. Lata and Rafi sing with a gusto. I do not know who this actress is either.
PS: If you the impression that I had tough parents, it is not all poor Raag. I was a difficult child too. There never was a punishment I did not deserve and more.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Top 20 - Rafi and Asha
A year and half ago, I started making lists of songs I like. I started with a Top-10 of my favorite couple, Mohammed Rafi and Asha Bhosle. Recently I had an opportunity to review that list when I discovered two songs that should have been in it. I also discovered that I could easily come up with another 10 songs that were quite worthy of an audience. Here it is.
11) O Haseena Zulfon Vali, Teesri Manzil (Audio|Video)
The first movie for which RD composed music is Teesri Manzil. What an amazing debut!
12) Main Pyar Ka Rahi Hoon, Ek Musafir Ek Hasina (Audio|Video)
It is almost like hit duets come in threes. Here is a movie with three Asha-Rafi duets. Unfortunately I could not find any video.
13) Humsafar Saath Apna, Aakhri Dao (Audio|Video)
Nutan has always been a favorite actress of mine; I do not know the name of the hero. Very touching song and haunting melody.
14) Chura Liya Hai Tumne Jo Dil Ko, Yaadon Ki Baarat (Audio|Video)
Zeenie Baby, Wow! It took 25 more years before the rest of the Indian Film heroines had a figure like that! I am sorry I had to delegate this song so far down the list. I definitely am partial to the classical period of Hindi Film Music, if I may refer to 1950s and 1960s in that manner.
15) Aap Ko Pyaar Chupane Ki, Neela Akash (Audio|Video)
Sounds like the tale of my romance!
16) Haay Re Haay Ye Mere Haath, Kashmir Ki Kali (Audio|Video)
Well another movie with three Asha-Rafi duets.
17) O Mere Sona, Teesri Manzil (Audio|Video)
Do you feel like my comments are sometimes repetitious? Another movie with three Asha-Rafi duets in it.
18) Ye Raat Ye Fizayen, Batvara (Audio|Video)
A very haunting melody. Starts slowly and picks up tempo, barely.
19) Yeh Ladka Hai Allah, Hum Kissi Se Kum Naheen (Audio|Video)
This movie had only two great Asha-Rafi duets! Bummer! I do not know who the hero or heroine are. They could not have acted in many more films.
20) Baalam Tere Pyaar Ki Thandi, Ram Aur Shyam (Audio|Video)
I like this song a lot although it seems to be quite low in the list. Also I prefer the Tamil version of this movie, Enga Veetu Pillai, with MGR in a double role it.
11) O Haseena Zulfon Vali, Teesri Manzil (Audio|Video)
The first movie for which RD composed music is Teesri Manzil. What an amazing debut!
12) Main Pyar Ka Rahi Hoon, Ek Musafir Ek Hasina (Audio|Video)
It is almost like hit duets come in threes. Here is a movie with three Asha-Rafi duets. Unfortunately I could not find any video.
13) Humsafar Saath Apna, Aakhri Dao (Audio|Video)
Nutan has always been a favorite actress of mine; I do not know the name of the hero. Very touching song and haunting melody.
14) Chura Liya Hai Tumne Jo Dil Ko, Yaadon Ki Baarat (Audio|Video)
Zeenie Baby, Wow! It took 25 more years before the rest of the Indian Film heroines had a figure like that! I am sorry I had to delegate this song so far down the list. I definitely am partial to the classical period of Hindi Film Music, if I may refer to 1950s and 1960s in that manner.
15) Aap Ko Pyaar Chupane Ki, Neela Akash (Audio|Video)
Sounds like the tale of my romance!
16) Haay Re Haay Ye Mere Haath, Kashmir Ki Kali (Audio|Video)
Well another movie with three Asha-Rafi duets.
17) O Mere Sona, Teesri Manzil (Audio|Video)
Do you feel like my comments are sometimes repetitious? Another movie with three Asha-Rafi duets in it.
18) Ye Raat Ye Fizayen, Batvara (Audio|Video)
A very haunting melody. Starts slowly and picks up tempo, barely.
19) Yeh Ladka Hai Allah, Hum Kissi Se Kum Naheen (Audio|Video)
This movie had only two great Asha-Rafi duets! Bummer! I do not know who the hero or heroine are. They could not have acted in many more films.
20) Baalam Tere Pyaar Ki Thandi, Ram Aur Shyam (Audio|Video)
I like this song a lot although it seems to be quite low in the list. Also I prefer the Tamil version of this movie, Enga Veetu Pillai, with MGR in a double role it.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Mohammed Rafi
I believe there is a god. There must be. After all Mohammad Rafi lived in this world. Please let me indulge in hyperbole for an instant.
Most popular singer of his era, unarguably the greatest voice in Bollywood, smooth as silk, soft as velvet, a genius, voice like an angel, unmatched versatility, unmatched vocal range, career spanning four decades, still displaying an ability to connect with connoisseurs nearly three decades after his death. His existence cannot be ascribed to chance.
Ergo, there is a god.
Rafi's music definitely has addled my brain; I am sorry; I stand by everything except the last and I am sure you will also agree with me. I mean, about Rafi music being unparalleled not my brain being addled.
So I started making a list of solos that I like and someone pointed that they are all sad melodies. In my opinion happiness does not have the same depth of sadness. I also realized that it is hard for me to mix moods. I cannot listen to Chahe Koi Mujhe Junglee Kahe or Yeh Chand Sa Roshan Chehra after listening to one of the songs listed below.
So without much ado, here is a list of top 10 Rafi sad melodies
1) Din Dhal Jaaye Hai Raat Na Jaaye, Guide (Audio|Video)
The line that leads to this song is "Zindagi bhi ek nasha hai dost, jab chadta hai to poocho mat kya aalam rehta hai, lekin jab utarta hai ....". Very beautiful song.
2) Koi Sagar Dil Ko Behalata, Dil Diya Dard Liya (Audio| Video)
Dilip Kumar does a wonderful job in this song; you get the feeling that it is he who is singing not Rafi!
3) Khabi Khud Pe Khabi Halat Pe Rona, Hum Dono (Audio|Video)
Have a glass of wine in your hand when you listen to this song. It just makes sense. But unless you are a fan of Dev Anand, you will agree that he does not do justice to the pathos Rafi injects into this song.
4) Yaad Na Jaaye Beete Dinon Ki, Dil Ek Mandir (Audio|Video)
I saw this movie at an age when I could not appreciate it. I was 12 and there is nothing worse than a romantic tragedy. No dishoom dishoom.
5) Yeh Duniya Agar Mil Bhi Jaaye To Kya Hai (Audio|Video)
From my favorite director, Guru Dutt. Fifty years later we still do not make such movies.
6) Zindagi Aaj Mere Naam Se Sharmati Hai, Son Of India (Audio|Video)
The next line is "Apni halat pe mujhe khud bhi hasi aati hai".
7) O Duniya Ke Rakhvale (Audio|Video)
Rafi shows amazing range. There is an urban legend associated with this song; that it hurt Rafi so much to sing this song that he spat blood after the recording!
8) Taqdeer Ka Fasaana, Sehra (Audio|Video)
Forget the stupidity of this movie; here is another song where Rafi shows amazing range.
9) Raha Gardishon Mein Hardam Mere Isqh Ka Sitara, Do Badan (Audio|Video)
The number of romances Pran has ruined is countless. Man I hated him so much. Although in this particular movie I do not understand why Asha Parekh is sad. There are worse things than being married to Pran; being married to Manoj Kumar!
10) Hui Shaam Unka Khayal, Mere Humdam Mere Dost (Audio|Video)
Because Dharmendra is a hunk, he is underestimated as a serious actor. He was my favorite hero and for a while it used to bother me that Amitabh was more popular.
This list naturally represents my opinion and it is by no means complete. I was easily able to identify another ten songs that could have reasonably made this list.
Maybe that is for another post. What do you think of this list?
Most popular singer of his era, unarguably the greatest voice in Bollywood, smooth as silk, soft as velvet, a genius, voice like an angel, unmatched versatility, unmatched vocal range, career spanning four decades, still displaying an ability to connect with connoisseurs nearly three decades after his death. His existence cannot be ascribed to chance.
Ergo, there is a god.
Rafi's music definitely has addled my brain; I am sorry; I stand by everything except the last and I am sure you will also agree with me. I mean, about Rafi music being unparalleled not my brain being addled.
So I started making a list of solos that I like and someone pointed that they are all sad melodies. In my opinion happiness does not have the same depth of sadness. I also realized that it is hard for me to mix moods. I cannot listen to Chahe Koi Mujhe Junglee Kahe or Yeh Chand Sa Roshan Chehra after listening to one of the songs listed below.
So without much ado, here is a list of top 10 Rafi sad melodies
1) Din Dhal Jaaye Hai Raat Na Jaaye, Guide (Audio|Video)
The line that leads to this song is "Zindagi bhi ek nasha hai dost, jab chadta hai to poocho mat kya aalam rehta hai, lekin jab utarta hai ....". Very beautiful song.
2) Koi Sagar Dil Ko Behalata, Dil Diya Dard Liya (Audio| Video)
Dilip Kumar does a wonderful job in this song; you get the feeling that it is he who is singing not Rafi!
3) Khabi Khud Pe Khabi Halat Pe Rona, Hum Dono (Audio|Video)
Have a glass of wine in your hand when you listen to this song. It just makes sense. But unless you are a fan of Dev Anand, you will agree that he does not do justice to the pathos Rafi injects into this song.
4) Yaad Na Jaaye Beete Dinon Ki, Dil Ek Mandir (Audio|Video)
I saw this movie at an age when I could not appreciate it. I was 12 and there is nothing worse than a romantic tragedy. No dishoom dishoom.
5) Yeh Duniya Agar Mil Bhi Jaaye To Kya Hai (Audio|Video)
From my favorite director, Guru Dutt. Fifty years later we still do not make such movies.
6) Zindagi Aaj Mere Naam Se Sharmati Hai, Son Of India (Audio|Video)
The next line is "Apni halat pe mujhe khud bhi hasi aati hai".
7) O Duniya Ke Rakhvale (Audio|Video)
Rafi shows amazing range. There is an urban legend associated with this song; that it hurt Rafi so much to sing this song that he spat blood after the recording!
8) Taqdeer Ka Fasaana, Sehra (Audio|Video)
Forget the stupidity of this movie; here is another song where Rafi shows amazing range.
9) Raha Gardishon Mein Hardam Mere Isqh Ka Sitara, Do Badan (Audio|Video)
The number of romances Pran has ruined is countless. Man I hated him so much. Although in this particular movie I do not understand why Asha Parekh is sad. There are worse things than being married to Pran; being married to Manoj Kumar!
10) Hui Shaam Unka Khayal, Mere Humdam Mere Dost (Audio|Video)
Because Dharmendra is a hunk, he is underestimated as a serious actor. He was my favorite hero and for a while it used to bother me that Amitabh was more popular.
This list naturally represents my opinion and it is by no means complete. I was easily able to identify another ten songs that could have reasonably made this list.
Maybe that is for another post. What do you think of this list?
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