Invariably every Hollywood film depicting catastrophe or science fiction showcases imaginative and often ridiculous plots coupled with the American paranoia and its relentless quest to become a superhero. Barring this idiosyncrasy, all such hugely budgeted movies are cleverly filmed with brilliant star cast, amazing cinematography, and immaculate direction and mind blowing special effects, making such films, ultimately riveting and film watching an exquisite experience.
Director Roland Emmerich’s film ‘2012’ is no different and indeed worth watching for its special effects on large screen.
2012 is based on Mayan prophecy which predicted that the Earth's Axe oscillates and changes its position every 26 thousand years and as a result the positions of the neighboring stars change all the time. Obviously the film starts with scenes showing some turbulence on various planets. The next moment a copper mine in India gets affected with rapid over heating.
A simple, intelligent Indian scientist (Jimi Mistry) reveals that the earth’s inner core is boiling caused by ‘Neutrinos’. We quickly learn that neutrinos are uncharged particles created during the nuclear fusion processes in the sun. Jimi alarms his friend Dr. Adrian Helmsley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) a US government scientist who in turn warns the chief of staff Carl Anheuser (Oliver Platt) and the US President (Danny Glover) about impending disaster. Soon the computers take over and the scientists prognosticate the date, when the world would come to an end. This date happens to be 21 Dec 2012, the same date when the Mayan calendar (and inevitably disputed) foresees about the end of life on Earth.
Meanwhile a lake near a restricted zone evaporates and now in few minutes the earth’s crust would buckle. It will rise and shift the tectonic plates by thousands of kilometers. As a result, the audience will witness tremors creating wide cracks on land, sporadic volcano eruptions, and massive tsunamis which could even submerge the Himalayas, topple skyscrapers, and crumble bridges. Amidst flying cars and falling houses, people start to run, dodge, pray, hide and scream but our hero Jackson Curtis (John Cusack), a failed novelist and weekend father remains inquisitive and bravely helps his estranged family to escape safely. John’s performance and expressions are truly marvelous and throughout the movie, he remains calm, composed and considerate.
Woody Harrelson's performance as the eccentric prophet of doom is fantastic and might scare children. Chiwetel Ejiofor makes Adrian endearing and with relative ease, he portrays a virtuous diligent scientist who loves books and values human life. Oliver Platt is brilliant and authoratively demonstrates his leadership and displays his concerns about the future of governance, human race, diplomacy and money.
Kate Curtis, Cusack's ex-wife played by gorgeous Amanda Peet does a reasonable job as the American mother. Danny Glover is outstanding and in the film becomes the last US President. The President's daughter Laura Wilson (Thandie Newton) has a limited role but is seen as sensitive first daughter and an ardent art connoisseur.
Generally four forces affect an aircraft — two assist flight (thrust and lift), and two resist flight (gravity and drag). But Thomas McCarthy, Amanda’s new boyfriend and a plastic surgeon loses the landing gear and reduces the drag. Moreover he miraculously maintains the planes equilibrium through the devastation. Strangely the cell phones continue to remain active despite crumbling buildings that house the telecom towers!
The film succinctly safeguards the interest of G8 nations while the UN and other developing nations appear conspicuously absent. The Copenhagen summit could be few weeks away but strangely both US and China, the two great fuel guzzling and polluting nations prefer to become the saviours in 2012. The film ends in China where poor Tibetans are exploited to construct massive ships that would safely protect the human race and animals from extinction.
The script lacks solidity but the dialogues are equipped with a good mix of technical terms, humour and sarcasm. The films music fails to create the necessary tempo. The direction, camera work and aerial shots are seen to be believed. The film is lengthy but spectacularly blends science, fiction and mythology.
Only time will tell whether we face a global cataclysmic disaster towards the end of 2012 but there is no doubt that the world would certainly vanish if we fail to curb terrorism and greed. Until then do watch, nature emits its fury in the film 2012 and rampantly destroy architectural wonders, state of art infrastructure and human life but thankfully Emmerich refrains from stomping human emotions, feelings and hope!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
The Artist across the Borders! – Part II
Contd from Part I..
Lethal & Cavalier
If you are an Indian, Ricky Ponting’s 140 in 2003 world cup final and Saeed Anwar highest individual score of 194 still send shivers. As an opening batsman, Anwar was capable of dismantling the best bowling attacks around the world. An engineer by graduation, Anwar would relentlessly attack bowlers all over the field and score quickly. His success came from good timing and wrist flicks rather than physical power, and Anwar became famous for his trademark flick. He was able to lift a ball that had pitched outside off stump for six over midwicket.
Sultan of Multan
If you need to witness lethargy in cricket, just watch Inzy also known as the Sultan of Multan laboriously walking towards the crease, or his running between the wickets which could even embarrass a snail. If that fails to tickle your funny bone just see Inzy stand in the slip, and if you are lucky, you might even get to see him reluctantly trotting behind a ball, slowly pursuing it till some young ball boy eagerly stops it behind the fence with gleam and pride.
But make no mistakes, Inzy just fell 3 runs short from breaking Javed’s record and becoming Pakistan’s leading test scorer. Inzammam set a record for scoring the most fifties in One Day Internationals, 83 which has been surpassed by Sachin Tendulkar. He also became the second batsman to score 10,000 runs in One-day Internationals after Tendulkar. Inzamam has been known to be a very destructive batsman in all formats of the game. Like Tendulkar, Inzy has an amazing ability to pick the length of a delivery very early and play very late. His footwork is generally considered to be fast, enabling him to position himself early for shots. Who can forget his brilliant knock in 92 world cup semifinals against New Zealand at Auckland.
Both Inzamman and Younis are fearless and can single handedly change the course of match. They made a good pair of Captain and Vice Captain. But there is a little difference between Inzamman and Younis Khan’s captaincy. Unlike Inzamman, Younis is more stylish, prefers to shave and has a tremendous sense of humour. Unfortunately Inzamman had to adjust his batting and even his leadership to the violent political situation. Not to mention, the intrusion from various managers, coaches including Javed Miandad, the late Bob Woolmer, different board officials. There was a time when this soft spoken lad from Multan took strict disciplinary steps and cleverly handled the whims of Rawalpindi Express- Shoaib Akhtar including facing the criticism of his mentor the legendary Imran Khan.
Barring one incident of forfeiting the test match in England, Inzamman led the team with his bat with grace, dignity and respect. Along with senior talented players like Moin Khan, Shoaib Akhtar and Afridi, he managed to inspire and encourage young Mohd Yusuf (erstwhile Youhana), Younis Khan and Shoaib Malik. Today these same players have become astute match winners. Having said that Captaincy had a positive effect on Inzamam's batting, often leading by example in pressure situations, averaging greater as a captain (52).
Gentle Pathan
Under Inzamam’s captaincy the team prayed more and played less. Inzy’s men looked more like Tablighi Jamaat than Men in Green, leaving late Woolmer exasperated. Thankfully Younis Khan is blessed with a younger team who look more hungry and desperate to showcase their talent, skills and bring glory to their country. Like any other Pathan, Younis Khan is fearless, and will forever be remembered as the second Khan to bring home a world title for Pakistan.
As a batsman, Younis is compact and elegant. His determination and temperament makes it possible to play any format of the game and even score runs with flourish. His sweep shots are close to perfection. The amazing cuts and spectacular off-drives between point and extra cover are worth watching. Sitting on one knee and hitting the classical cover drives would remind you of the Great Gavaskar. Younis is not as tall as Majid Khan but like him rarely hits a straight drive and is not afraid to pull or hook fast bowlers. His on-drives and flicks in midwicket and square leg region are equally good. It is a pleasure to see Younis craft and pace his innings. His stroke plays and running between the wickets sometimes remind you of Asif Iqbal who also played with a certain aura of flamboyance, arrogance, determination and grit.
Elegant All-rounder
Shoaib Malik breathes elegance. His footwork and back-foot drives remind you of the talented Sanjay Manjrekar. Malik is not blessed with a strong physique but compensates with his sense of timing. He has good wrist work and his cuts and drives in off and leg region are indeed a delight to watch. Malik has proved himself as one of the most cerebral batsmen of his era. He does not have Afridi’s brute force or Yousuf’s defense but Pakistan owes many a win to the youngster whose maturity goes far beyond his age. Malik has an amazing pair of hands and rarely spills any catches. The classical off spinners do surprise the batsmen but his bowling action has often come under the scanner and somehow remains a suspect.
Diligent Soldier
The moment he scores a century, this talented batsmen observes Sajdah where he prostrates in gratitude to Allah in the direction of Mecca. Prior to his conversion to Islam in 2005, he walked to the crease and blessed himself by making a cross and repeated the act every time he reached a milestone. Yousuf is humble and has no inhibitions in publicly displaying his faith. His Test average of 56.00 currently ranks him as quality batsmen. Mohd. Yousuf is known for his ability to score runs at exceptional rate through his great technique and composed strokeplay. His batting lacks style but his concentration, determination and hard hitting has always helped Pakistan bounce back from any brink of defeat.
Boom Boom
If you are an Indian, Ricky Ponting’s 140 in 2003 world cup final and Saeed Anwar highest individual score of 194 still send shivers. As an opening batsman, Anwar was capable of dismantling the best bowling attacks around the world. An engineer by graduation, Anwar would relentlessly attack bowlers all over the field and score quickly. His success came from good timing and wrist flicks rather than physical power, and Anwar became famous for his trademark flick. He was able to lift a ball that had pitched outside off stump for six over midwicket.
Sultan of Multan
If you need to witness lethargy in cricket, just watch Inzy also known as the Sultan of Multan laboriously walking towards the crease, or his running between the wickets which could even embarrass a snail. If that fails to tickle your funny bone just see Inzy stand in the slip, and if you are lucky, you might even get to see him reluctantly trotting behind a ball, slowly pursuing it till some young ball boy eagerly stops it behind the fence with gleam and pride.
But make no mistakes, Inzy just fell 3 runs short from breaking Javed’s record and becoming Pakistan’s leading test scorer. Inzammam set a record for scoring the most fifties in One Day Internationals, 83 which has been surpassed by Sachin Tendulkar. He also became the second batsman to score 10,000 runs in One-day Internationals after Tendulkar. Inzamam has been known to be a very destructive batsman in all formats of the game. Like Tendulkar, Inzy has an amazing ability to pick the length of a delivery very early and play very late. His footwork is generally considered to be fast, enabling him to position himself early for shots. Who can forget his brilliant knock in 92 world cup semifinals against New Zealand at Auckland.
Both Inzamman and Younis are fearless and can single handedly change the course of match. They made a good pair of Captain and Vice Captain. But there is a little difference between Inzamman and Younis Khan’s captaincy. Unlike Inzamman, Younis is more stylish, prefers to shave and has a tremendous sense of humour. Unfortunately Inzamman had to adjust his batting and even his leadership to the violent political situation. Not to mention, the intrusion from various managers, coaches including Javed Miandad, the late Bob Woolmer, different board officials. There was a time when this soft spoken lad from Multan took strict disciplinary steps and cleverly handled the whims of Rawalpindi Express- Shoaib Akhtar including facing the criticism of his mentor the legendary Imran Khan.
Barring one incident of forfeiting the test match in England, Inzamman led the team with his bat with grace, dignity and respect. Along with senior talented players like Moin Khan, Shoaib Akhtar and Afridi, he managed to inspire and encourage young Mohd Yusuf (erstwhile Youhana), Younis Khan and Shoaib Malik. Today these same players have become astute match winners. Having said that Captaincy had a positive effect on Inzamam's batting, often leading by example in pressure situations, averaging greater as a captain (52).
Gentle Pathan
Under Inzamam’s captaincy the team prayed more and played less. Inzy’s men looked more like Tablighi Jamaat than Men in Green, leaving late Woolmer exasperated. Thankfully Younis Khan is blessed with a younger team who look more hungry and desperate to showcase their talent, skills and bring glory to their country. Like any other Pathan, Younis Khan is fearless, and will forever be remembered as the second Khan to bring home a world title for Pakistan.
As a batsman, Younis is compact and elegant. His determination and temperament makes it possible to play any format of the game and even score runs with flourish. His sweep shots are close to perfection. The amazing cuts and spectacular off-drives between point and extra cover are worth watching. Sitting on one knee and hitting the classical cover drives would remind you of the Great Gavaskar. Younis is not as tall as Majid Khan but like him rarely hits a straight drive and is not afraid to pull or hook fast bowlers. His on-drives and flicks in midwicket and square leg region are equally good. It is a pleasure to see Younis craft and pace his innings. His stroke plays and running between the wickets sometimes remind you of Asif Iqbal who also played with a certain aura of flamboyance, arrogance, determination and grit.
Elegant All-rounder
Shoaib Malik breathes elegance. His footwork and back-foot drives remind you of the talented Sanjay Manjrekar. Malik is not blessed with a strong physique but compensates with his sense of timing. He has good wrist work and his cuts and drives in off and leg region are indeed a delight to watch. Malik has proved himself as one of the most cerebral batsmen of his era. He does not have Afridi’s brute force or Yousuf’s defense but Pakistan owes many a win to the youngster whose maturity goes far beyond his age. Malik has an amazing pair of hands and rarely spills any catches. The classical off spinners do surprise the batsmen but his bowling action has often come under the scanner and somehow remains a suspect.
Diligent Soldier
The moment he scores a century, this talented batsmen observes Sajdah where he prostrates in gratitude to Allah in the direction of Mecca. Prior to his conversion to Islam in 2005, he walked to the crease and blessed himself by making a cross and repeated the act every time he reached a milestone. Yousuf is humble and has no inhibitions in publicly displaying his faith. His Test average of 56.00 currently ranks him as quality batsmen. Mohd. Yousuf is known for his ability to score runs at exceptional rate through his great technique and composed strokeplay. His batting lacks style but his concentration, determination and hard hitting has always helped Pakistan bounce back from any brink of defeat.
Boom Boom
Boom Boom Afridi is a man in hurry, whether it’s his batting, fielding or even bowling. On his day, he can slay any bowler with brute force and can make the ball fly the distance or even break the windshields in car park. Afridi has everything in his repertoire. His faster one which people find suspicious comes straight at you like a flying missile and rarely miss the timber. He fields with amazing alacrity and his running between the wickers could even bring sprinters to shame.
Future
The country is reeling under fundamentalism, terrorist attack and seems to slowly become an anarchic state. But hopefully accomplishments in cricket and sports would someday curb all these. The recent Twenty20 world cup win seems to have changed the way Pakistani’s now approach their cricket. There is certain bonhomie amongst the players and the younger players appear more vibrant and determined. As expected there is a new captain. It remains to be seen how long does the Pakistan board trust and empower Mohd.Younus with captaincy.
Until then someone should publish a book about the other legendary artist Hanif Mohammed and Nissar Khan, the talented Wasim Raza, Rameez Raja, Wasim Bari, spinners Iqbal Qasim, Abdul Qadir, Mushtaq and Saqlain and those brave hearts mentioned above.
Future
The country is reeling under fundamentalism, terrorist attack and seems to slowly become an anarchic state. But hopefully accomplishments in cricket and sports would someday curb all these. The recent Twenty20 world cup win seems to have changed the way Pakistani’s now approach their cricket. There is certain bonhomie amongst the players and the younger players appear more vibrant and determined. As expected there is a new captain. It remains to be seen how long does the Pakistan board trust and empower Mohd.Younus with captaincy.
Until then someone should publish a book about the other legendary artist Hanif Mohammed and Nissar Khan, the talented Wasim Raza, Rameez Raja, Wasim Bari, spinners Iqbal Qasim, Abdul Qadir, Mushtaq and Saqlain and those brave hearts mentioned above.
The Artist across the Borders! – Part I
When it comes to India – Pakistan matches, nothing can be more ecstatic and perhaps even more patriotic than to see Tendulkar & Sehwag clobber the Pakistani bowlers. But as diehard cricket lover, I must confess my liking for other teams including Pakistan. In the current team, I enjoy watching Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Mohd Ameer and Imran Nazir.
Come to think of, there is a certain amount of artistry and romance associated with people from across the border. The haunting ghazals of Faraz Ahmed brought to life by the mellifluous singing of Mehdi Hassan, the soulful music of Ghulam Ali, the incisive plays authored by Hasan Manto and even the electrifying Sufi music of Strings are an experience in itself. When it comes to individual triumph, Pakistan has always been a favourite at Squash.
India’s strength lies in batting while Pakistan relies on their fast bowlers. However both these neighbours have many things in common. When it comes to cricket and hockey, both India & Pakistan continue to remain unpredictable. Pakistan is troubled by feudalism and we are bogged down with casetism. Both have produced great sportsmen including cricketers and yet their teams continue to display inconsistency. And despite being world champions, both these countries are desperately struggling to resurrect their national game - Hockey!
Run Machine
My admiration for Pakistan team began way back in 1978, when as a 7 year old child, I saw a long haired bespectacled man with a coloured head band and white handkerchief around his neck, mercilessly clobbering our bowlers around the park. That day he remained not out and scored a magnificent 235. In the earlier test, this same man had scored 176 in the first innings and was on his way to score another blistering century in the second innings, but fell prey to a rather innocuous delivery. The score board read Batsman No 4 - Zaheer Abbas, 96 runs, caught Chetan Chauhan bowled Sunil Gavaskar and the match ended in a dull draw!
Zaheer may have missed scoring a century in each innings of a test, but he has an enviable record of scoring a double century and century in a match on four occasions. In those days, Pakistani umpires were known for their notorious decision making. The decisions were often biased and LBW did not exist in their lexicon but that shouldn’t belittle the accomplishments of some of their players including Zaheer.
In 1978, the stylist Majid Khan didn’t play and Mustaq Mohammad was called to captain the side. Along with Zaheer, the team had talented Asif Iqbal, Imran Khan, Wasim Bari, Javed Miandad, Iqbal Qasim, and Sarfaraz Nawaz. The allrounder Mudassar Nazar and his opening partner Moshin Khan were able to see off the new ball and establish good partnership.
While, the 1989 series saw the emergence of Tendulkar and Waqar, the 1978- 79 series brought to fore the amazing talent of Javed, and also introduced the world to Haryana Hurricane- Kapil Dev. India had Ghavri and Kapil but Pakistan’s bowling line up of Imran Khan and Sikhander Bakht was equally ferocious. This series also ended the golden era of our great spinners.
Crafty Accumulator
Javed Miandad with ruffled hair, big eyes, strong forearms, thick moustache and a devilish smile reminded you of those goons from Punjabi flicks. You will rarely associate elegance and style with Javed. But Javed compensates it, with his thinking and astute knowledge of the game. Moreover he has been abundantly blessed with courage, confidence, temperament, skills, talent and innovation. Javed was a fantastic fielder and a master of batting improvisations.
Often bowlers provoke and sledged at batsmen and Javed would wait for such an opportunity. As soon as any bowler provoked Javed, the next moment his bat would retaliate and the ball would be seen behind the ropes. He wouldn’t stop there. Javed was incorrigible and with his presence of mind and tenacity would aptly respond with verbal volleys. Perhaps this is how he motivated himself and till his last test, he continued to provoke and unsettle the bowlers around the world. Standing at short leg or silly point, he would incessantly chatter and play mind games with the opposition. In 1978 Javed scored two brilliant centuries and with Asif Iqbal scampered for singles and clinched the test match and series for Pakistan.
Swiftest Gentleman
Asif Iqbal was stylish and a finest diplomat and advocate of the game. Perhaps Asif was the real finisher at No 6, and excelled in all departments. His bowling was accurate, and his athleticism and fielding very sharp. However it was his batting that saved several tests and won him many accolades. While Asif played a stellar role in 78 series against India in Pakistan, the next year on tour to India, his batting faltered. Under his captaincy Pakistan lost the 1979 series in India.
Cricket is a metaphor of life. Ironically in his final test, the fastest and swiftest runner between the wickets was run out at Eden Gardens. The entire stadium of 80,000 spectators gave Asif a deserving standing ovation. Since 1996 the crowd at Eden Gardens has changed, however it was befitting to see Pakistan team receiving a standing ovation at Chepauk, where barely 18 minutes ago, the colossal Tendulkar stood like Rock of Gibraltar, playing a valiant knock despite excruciating back strain. To my mind, that knock deserves a place along with G.R. Viswanath’s 97 at Chepauk and Laxman’s 281 at Eden Gardens.
The Debonair
The long haired, Oxford educated, debonair Imran had a wonderful physique that any fast bowler would aspire. His Pathan inheritance had blessed him with good height, muscular shoulders, strong wrist, and till date he continues to be an eye candy of every woman. Behind Jeff Thomson and Holding, Imran became the third best fast bowler in the world and had a beautiful run up and a unique bowling style. The final leap and the release of ball, barely before his feet had firmly landed in the crease, were worth watching and many of us still find it difficult to emulate.
In years to come Imran went on to win the world cup in 92, create many records; became a successful captain and was among the top all rounders in the world. Pakistan had several fast bowlers, but it was Imran who inspired everybody in the country to take up the art of fast bowling. Soon you had Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Aqib Javed who in turn carried the legacy left by Imran and encouraged Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Mohammed Sami, Mohammed Asif and now Mohammed Ameer to bowl pace. Imran’s contribution to Pakistan cricket is phenomenal. He has an eye for talent and gave opportunities to several young talents like Abdul Qadir, Salim Malik, Moin Khan, Rameez Raja, Amir Sohail, Saeed Anwar, Inzammam, Saqlain Mustaq, and Afridi in the team.
Left Arm of God
Perhaps no other left hand pace bowler has received such adulation and respect. Akram was thin, lanky, a good hitter and a master of disguise. Wasim Akram with an unorthodox run up and short leap was quick and unplayable on any wicket. Akram ran carrying the ball in his right hand making it difficult for the batsmen and even to the non striker to determine the shiny surface. In no time Akram would reached the bowling crease and before he got into his final delivery stride, the ball had changed hands and sat nonchalantly between his magic fingers.
In a jiffy the ball would have a life of its own. The ball would fly with great speed, seam and often swing and obey his master’s commands. Who can forget his phenomenal spell against England in 92 world cup, getting Alan Lamb and Chris Lewis in quick succession? Wasim had that innate ability to vary his pace and move the ball either ways. Many prolific batsmen including Robin Smith have lost their balance to his toe crushing yorkers.
Peter Roebuck rightly states that “Cricketers like Wasim are not to be judged merely in terms of figures. He has a remarkable record, but that is not the point. No one doubts that Wasim was a great cricketer. Rather, he is to be judged by his contribution to the game, as a match winner and a man who proved that bowling could be as entertaining as batting.” Little wonder then, why the cricketing world considers Wasim as ‘The Left Arm of God!’
Master of Reverse Swing
Waqar and Tendulkar made their debut in the same Test match. Waqar took 4 wickets in the drawn match including wickets of Kapil Dev and Sachin. Waqar was athletic, muscular, and stylish and bowled amazing in-swingers and out-swinger. He also had a good in swinging yorkers but it was his leg cutter that would unfailingly find the gap between the bat and pad. The ability to reverse swing and his explosive speed made him as one of the feared bowlers in modern cricket.
Come to think of, there is a certain amount of artistry and romance associated with people from across the border. The haunting ghazals of Faraz Ahmed brought to life by the mellifluous singing of Mehdi Hassan, the soulful music of Ghulam Ali, the incisive plays authored by Hasan Manto and even the electrifying Sufi music of Strings are an experience in itself. When it comes to individual triumph, Pakistan has always been a favourite at Squash.
India’s strength lies in batting while Pakistan relies on their fast bowlers. However both these neighbours have many things in common. When it comes to cricket and hockey, both India & Pakistan continue to remain unpredictable. Pakistan is troubled by feudalism and we are bogged down with casetism. Both have produced great sportsmen including cricketers and yet their teams continue to display inconsistency. And despite being world champions, both these countries are desperately struggling to resurrect their national game - Hockey!
Run Machine
My admiration for Pakistan team began way back in 1978, when as a 7 year old child, I saw a long haired bespectacled man with a coloured head band and white handkerchief around his neck, mercilessly clobbering our bowlers around the park. That day he remained not out and scored a magnificent 235. In the earlier test, this same man had scored 176 in the first innings and was on his way to score another blistering century in the second innings, but fell prey to a rather innocuous delivery. The score board read Batsman No 4 - Zaheer Abbas, 96 runs, caught Chetan Chauhan bowled Sunil Gavaskar and the match ended in a dull draw!
Zaheer may have missed scoring a century in each innings of a test, but he has an enviable record of scoring a double century and century in a match on four occasions. In those days, Pakistani umpires were known for their notorious decision making. The decisions were often biased and LBW did not exist in their lexicon but that shouldn’t belittle the accomplishments of some of their players including Zaheer.
In 1978, the stylist Majid Khan didn’t play and Mustaq Mohammad was called to captain the side. Along with Zaheer, the team had talented Asif Iqbal, Imran Khan, Wasim Bari, Javed Miandad, Iqbal Qasim, and Sarfaraz Nawaz. The allrounder Mudassar Nazar and his opening partner Moshin Khan were able to see off the new ball and establish good partnership.
While, the 1989 series saw the emergence of Tendulkar and Waqar, the 1978- 79 series brought to fore the amazing talent of Javed, and also introduced the world to Haryana Hurricane- Kapil Dev. India had Ghavri and Kapil but Pakistan’s bowling line up of Imran Khan and Sikhander Bakht was equally ferocious. This series also ended the golden era of our great spinners.
Crafty Accumulator
Javed Miandad with ruffled hair, big eyes, strong forearms, thick moustache and a devilish smile reminded you of those goons from Punjabi flicks. You will rarely associate elegance and style with Javed. But Javed compensates it, with his thinking and astute knowledge of the game. Moreover he has been abundantly blessed with courage, confidence, temperament, skills, talent and innovation. Javed was a fantastic fielder and a master of batting improvisations.
Often bowlers provoke and sledged at batsmen and Javed would wait for such an opportunity. As soon as any bowler provoked Javed, the next moment his bat would retaliate and the ball would be seen behind the ropes. He wouldn’t stop there. Javed was incorrigible and with his presence of mind and tenacity would aptly respond with verbal volleys. Perhaps this is how he motivated himself and till his last test, he continued to provoke and unsettle the bowlers around the world. Standing at short leg or silly point, he would incessantly chatter and play mind games with the opposition. In 1978 Javed scored two brilliant centuries and with Asif Iqbal scampered for singles and clinched the test match and series for Pakistan.
Swiftest Gentleman
Asif Iqbal was stylish and a finest diplomat and advocate of the game. Perhaps Asif was the real finisher at No 6, and excelled in all departments. His bowling was accurate, and his athleticism and fielding very sharp. However it was his batting that saved several tests and won him many accolades. While Asif played a stellar role in 78 series against India in Pakistan, the next year on tour to India, his batting faltered. Under his captaincy Pakistan lost the 1979 series in India.
Cricket is a metaphor of life. Ironically in his final test, the fastest and swiftest runner between the wickets was run out at Eden Gardens. The entire stadium of 80,000 spectators gave Asif a deserving standing ovation. Since 1996 the crowd at Eden Gardens has changed, however it was befitting to see Pakistan team receiving a standing ovation at Chepauk, where barely 18 minutes ago, the colossal Tendulkar stood like Rock of Gibraltar, playing a valiant knock despite excruciating back strain. To my mind, that knock deserves a place along with G.R. Viswanath’s 97 at Chepauk and Laxman’s 281 at Eden Gardens.
The Debonair
The long haired, Oxford educated, debonair Imran had a wonderful physique that any fast bowler would aspire. His Pathan inheritance had blessed him with good height, muscular shoulders, strong wrist, and till date he continues to be an eye candy of every woman. Behind Jeff Thomson and Holding, Imran became the third best fast bowler in the world and had a beautiful run up and a unique bowling style. The final leap and the release of ball, barely before his feet had firmly landed in the crease, were worth watching and many of us still find it difficult to emulate.
In years to come Imran went on to win the world cup in 92, create many records; became a successful captain and was among the top all rounders in the world. Pakistan had several fast bowlers, but it was Imran who inspired everybody in the country to take up the art of fast bowling. Soon you had Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Aqib Javed who in turn carried the legacy left by Imran and encouraged Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Mohammed Sami, Mohammed Asif and now Mohammed Ameer to bowl pace. Imran’s contribution to Pakistan cricket is phenomenal. He has an eye for talent and gave opportunities to several young talents like Abdul Qadir, Salim Malik, Moin Khan, Rameez Raja, Amir Sohail, Saeed Anwar, Inzammam, Saqlain Mustaq, and Afridi in the team.
Left Arm of God
Perhaps no other left hand pace bowler has received such adulation and respect. Akram was thin, lanky, a good hitter and a master of disguise. Wasim Akram with an unorthodox run up and short leap was quick and unplayable on any wicket. Akram ran carrying the ball in his right hand making it difficult for the batsmen and even to the non striker to determine the shiny surface. In no time Akram would reached the bowling crease and before he got into his final delivery stride, the ball had changed hands and sat nonchalantly between his magic fingers.
In a jiffy the ball would have a life of its own. The ball would fly with great speed, seam and often swing and obey his master’s commands. Who can forget his phenomenal spell against England in 92 world cup, getting Alan Lamb and Chris Lewis in quick succession? Wasim had that innate ability to vary his pace and move the ball either ways. Many prolific batsmen including Robin Smith have lost their balance to his toe crushing yorkers.
Peter Roebuck rightly states that “Cricketers like Wasim are not to be judged merely in terms of figures. He has a remarkable record, but that is not the point. No one doubts that Wasim was a great cricketer. Rather, he is to be judged by his contribution to the game, as a match winner and a man who proved that bowling could be as entertaining as batting.” Little wonder then, why the cricketing world considers Wasim as ‘The Left Arm of God!’
Master of Reverse Swing
Waqar and Tendulkar made their debut in the same Test match. Waqar took 4 wickets in the drawn match including wickets of Kapil Dev and Sachin. Waqar was athletic, muscular, and stylish and bowled amazing in-swingers and out-swinger. He also had a good in swinging yorkers but it was his leg cutter that would unfailingly find the gap between the bat and pad. The ability to reverse swing and his explosive speed made him as one of the feared bowlers in modern cricket.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Julie and Julia - A Delectable Flick!
Rarely would you miss films made by Nora Ephron and especially those starring Meryl Streep and Meg Ryan. Writer, director and screen player Nora Ephron is known for her ability to showcase parallel stories and romantic comedies like 'When Harry Met Sally'; 'You’ve Got Mail' and 'Sleepless in Seattle'. So yesterday when Julie and Julia were released, Vrushali and I were indeed ecstatic. The film touches your heart and enlivens your taste buds.
Julie and Julia is based on true stories and takes a sneak peek into the lives of two women. Nora delicately slices, squeezes, squashes and subtly blends Julia Child’s book 'My Life in France' and Julie Powell’s book – 'Julie and Julia' based on Powell’s blog in 2002 documenting her attempt to cook recipes from her idol Julia Child's 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking.'
Powell and Child have a lot in common. They are emotional, childless, extrovert, restless, and bored of their government jobs. Both of them relish food and are happily married to loving, compassionate and supportive husbands.
The film combines culinary history, travel, culture and moves between Paris in 1950 and New York in 2002. Julia Child (Meryl Streep) and her diplomat husband Paul Child (Stanley Tucci) arrive in Paris. The film unravels Julia’s journey from being a bored housewife in Paris to her enthusiastic trips in the local markets, from learning French cooking to eventually becoming a star chef on TV. Pucci gives an incredible performance and prefers to stay in the background.
Meanwhile in New York, Julie Powell’s (Amy Adams) husband Eric Powell (Chris Messina) encourages Julie to cook and write. He eagerly reads her blog and greedily gormandizes like a hungry bear. Both Julie and Julia enjoy experimenting in their kitchen and feeding their friends. Julia’s colleagues Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle (Linda Emond and Helen Carey) are brilliant, encouraging and together they co-author a magnum opus on French cooking.
The direction is brilliant and intimately indulges you in Julie and Julia’s struggles and their triumph of discovering themselves through their culinary skills. Some scenes remain etched in your memory. Julia innocuously blanches tomatoes, seasons the food, chops onions, and shares her candid opinion about butter. Her visit to local bakeries and the joy she experiences from the aroma of fresh, green, leafy vegetables are strikingly infectious and adorable. The conversations between Julia and her husband Paul, and later with her sister Dorothy McWilliams (Jane Lynch) are engaging, lively and simply enriching. Jane Lynch plays a memorable role.
Pitted against these two talented actresses, is the charming Amy Adams who marvelously displays Powell’s mood swings and frustrations. Her kitchen in Queens, N.Y. would perhaps give jitters to Julia but her attempt to dish out all 524 recipes in 365 days is indeed laudable.
Meryl’s inimitable acting and mannerism distinctly re-creates Julia Child – the gourmet and gourmand. The near perfect intonation of Julia appears little melodramatic but that itself brings life into the character. Through her dialogues, Meryl inspires, endears and provides a wonderful glimpse into Julia’s life and yet cleverly avoids making her mockery.
A random check on the internet would show you original videos of Julia Child and also allow access to Julie Powell’s famous blog featuring the ‘F’ word and the one she wrote upon hearing the sad demise of Julia Child in 2004. Both Julia and Meryl are blessed with abundant talent, grace, charm and clearly demonstrate their tenacity to pursue their dreams and passion. No wonder, only Meryl Streep could have played Julia Child!
The film is immaculately blended but long and moves at a gentle pace. The plot lacks some thickness but not consistency and could have delved deeper into Julia’s life. The film ends almost abruptly and creates some curiosity to grab the original manuscripts. The music is loud and distorts the pathos or humor of moments. The director has an amazing eye for detail and the screenplay is fantastic. With amazing dexterity, the camera moves in and out of the characters lives, carefully capturing every emotions, joy and the mouth – watering vibrant texture of food including the few mishaps.
By the end of it all, you begin to love butter, and enjoy the delectable, sensuous French cuisine, peppered with challenges, but garnished with joy and passion and eagerly relish dollops of raspberry cream dessert with rich icing of respect, humour and love.
Bon Appetit!...
Julie and Julia is based on true stories and takes a sneak peek into the lives of two women. Nora delicately slices, squeezes, squashes and subtly blends Julia Child’s book 'My Life in France' and Julie Powell’s book – 'Julie and Julia' based on Powell’s blog in 2002 documenting her attempt to cook recipes from her idol Julia Child's 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking.'
Powell and Child have a lot in common. They are emotional, childless, extrovert, restless, and bored of their government jobs. Both of them relish food and are happily married to loving, compassionate and supportive husbands.
The film combines culinary history, travel, culture and moves between Paris in 1950 and New York in 2002. Julia Child (Meryl Streep) and her diplomat husband Paul Child (Stanley Tucci) arrive in Paris. The film unravels Julia’s journey from being a bored housewife in Paris to her enthusiastic trips in the local markets, from learning French cooking to eventually becoming a star chef on TV. Pucci gives an incredible performance and prefers to stay in the background.
Meanwhile in New York, Julie Powell’s (Amy Adams) husband Eric Powell (Chris Messina) encourages Julie to cook and write. He eagerly reads her blog and greedily gormandizes like a hungry bear. Both Julie and Julia enjoy experimenting in their kitchen and feeding their friends. Julia’s colleagues Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle (Linda Emond and Helen Carey) are brilliant, encouraging and together they co-author a magnum opus on French cooking.
The direction is brilliant and intimately indulges you in Julie and Julia’s struggles and their triumph of discovering themselves through their culinary skills. Some scenes remain etched in your memory. Julia innocuously blanches tomatoes, seasons the food, chops onions, and shares her candid opinion about butter. Her visit to local bakeries and the joy she experiences from the aroma of fresh, green, leafy vegetables are strikingly infectious and adorable. The conversations between Julia and her husband Paul, and later with her sister Dorothy McWilliams (Jane Lynch) are engaging, lively and simply enriching. Jane Lynch plays a memorable role.
Pitted against these two talented actresses, is the charming Amy Adams who marvelously displays Powell’s mood swings and frustrations. Her kitchen in Queens, N.Y. would perhaps give jitters to Julia but her attempt to dish out all 524 recipes in 365 days is indeed laudable.
Meryl’s inimitable acting and mannerism distinctly re-creates Julia Child – the gourmet and gourmand. The near perfect intonation of Julia appears little melodramatic but that itself brings life into the character. Through her dialogues, Meryl inspires, endears and provides a wonderful glimpse into Julia’s life and yet cleverly avoids making her mockery.
A random check on the internet would show you original videos of Julia Child and also allow access to Julie Powell’s famous blog featuring the ‘F’ word and the one she wrote upon hearing the sad demise of Julia Child in 2004. Both Julia and Meryl are blessed with abundant talent, grace, charm and clearly demonstrate their tenacity to pursue their dreams and passion. No wonder, only Meryl Streep could have played Julia Child!
The film is immaculately blended but long and moves at a gentle pace. The plot lacks some thickness but not consistency and could have delved deeper into Julia’s life. The film ends almost abruptly and creates some curiosity to grab the original manuscripts. The music is loud and distorts the pathos or humor of moments. The director has an amazing eye for detail and the screenplay is fantastic. With amazing dexterity, the camera moves in and out of the characters lives, carefully capturing every emotions, joy and the mouth – watering vibrant texture of food including the few mishaps.
By the end of it all, you begin to love butter, and enjoy the delectable, sensuous French cuisine, peppered with challenges, but garnished with joy and passion and eagerly relish dollops of raspberry cream dessert with rich icing of respect, humour and love.
Bon Appetit!...
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Diwali - A Reason to Sparkle !
Diwali or Deepavali means rows of diyas (light in clay lamps). It’s a festival that brings India together, brings hope that light will vanquish the spiritual darkness and that good will triumph over evil. Diwali also marks the end of the harvest season in most of India. It also marks the beginning of the Hindu New Year in North and some parts of Western India. Diwali helps to unite cultures, customs and religions in the flow of its celebrations. No wonder President Obama lit a lamp in the White House. The celebrations start from the day of Dhanteras and extends till the final day of Bhai dooj.
Strangely Diwali also brings back fond memories from my childhood. As soon as the half yearly examinations were over, our school would remain closed for almost 12-15 days. Teachers would give little homework and on the last day of school, we could experience little sadness for missing school and friends. But all this would be short lived.
The school vacations always coincided with mother’s holidays. That meant sheer joy - spending time at home instead in a crèche. Mother would spend her mornings correcting the examination papers from her school and afternoons will be lined up with plenty of chores. She will ensure that we helped her clean our cupboards, drawers and the house and later decorate it for Diwali. In the evenings we would visit shops near the Aarey Road or M.G. Road, and get spices, cereals, masalas, dry fruits and other ingredients required for preparing the delectable Diwali snacks (faral). Along with this, she would buy colourful Rangoli powder.
The mornings would be spent on the play ground, and the afternoons reading or sleeping. A visit to local flour mill was quite enjoyable. It provided necessary lessons in operations research and theory of machines. The big machine would finely grind the various grains and cereals. The small spindle would start rotating and the belt would keep running producing wonderful music. After some time, the machine operator cum proprietor would hit the machine with a small nut or hammer so as to ensure the finely grinded flour seamlessly trickles in the container below. The clinking iof metal would produce a wonderful melody. This was the time when the flour mills would do flourishing business. The Steel tins (dabba) would be covered by flour from all sides. Every dabba would contain 5- 6 kg of various flour mixes of various cereals and grains. Soon this flour would be used to prepare dough that later turned into delectable "chaklis", "karanji", "shankarpali", other sweets and namkeen items. Closer to Diwali, mom would take huge quantity of dry Poha in a big kaddai (vessel) and fry in little oil. In it she will generously add peanuts, chillies, raisins, cashew and garnish with coriander seeds, jeera, turmeric, masala, salt and a tasty chivda is ready to munch anytime.
A week before Diwali, it was time for shopping. It was fun to walk through the crowded station road, watching all those well decorated shops selling fancy items. Almost every shop boasted with signs promoting hefty discount and bumper sale. The shops were well lit and every where people had big smile on their faces. Somehow the crowd never diminished near the Azad Shopping Center – perhaps the biggest mall in Goregaon west then. The Dawood showroom on the ground floor displayed new designs of shoes and sandals that would shine sparkle and smile at you from the glass shelf. The nearby Bata show room had its salesmen standing on the street and eagerly beckon you inside their showroom. I think, Siddhartha was the only authorized shop selling Raymonds and Vimal brand of fabric. Bandra - Linking Road, Aarsa and Nadco shopping center at Andheri and Fashion Street at Churchgate were still unheard of.
The best part of the shopping was buying different kinds of crackers and fire works. No matter how many crackers we bought, as children we always remain insatiated. A new pair of shoes, gifts and new set of clothes to be worn on auspicious Diwali days were almost mandatory. Women’s shopping was always painful and my sister never seemed to like the colour or the design of dresses which my mom chose. Mom would rarely shop for herself but whenever she did, it was a boring. A visit to a saree shop taught us lessons in patience but in hindsight she seems to be much quicker, decisive and guess even more prudent in shopping than my wife. Dad would hardly indulge in shopping but on our insistence would reluctantly buy some shirt and dress material for trousers. Finally shopping was over and I suspect major part of our parent’s salary must have been blown by this time.
It was now time to make a small beautiful lantern (Akaash-Kandil). Mom and I would visit the nearby stationary shops and get some small bamboo sticks, colour papers, strings and glue. At a time when fevicol and joker gum were un-invented, rather un-imagined, the glue would be prepared at home made up of wheat or rice paste. Every afternoon, Mom will teach me how to prepare an akaash – Kandil. This continued for many years and every year there will be new design. Sometimes we even used thermocol and prepared lanterns. Ironically, today the same lanterns are purchased by us at hefty price. Meanwhile, the bamboos would be neatly cut and tied in a diamond shape on the sides. It would be firmly supported from the top and the bottom. Later the colour papers were neatly cut and glued covering the hollow bamboo square shapes. Long paper stripes would be attached as tails. After two days, the lamp would be dangling royally in our balcony. A small electric bulb would bring life to it and radiate the various colours. The light from this lantern would act as a spotlight on the rangoli below. In those days every building in the colony would display some large, beautiful designed and often star shaped lanterns.
Celebrations
On the first day of Diwali, we would wake up early around 4: 30 a.m. Before our bath, we would apply scented oil and utaney or ubtan (herbal scented paste using besan, oil, milk and some herbal paste). I reckon Moti soaps would have flourishing sales during Diwali. Immediately after our bath we would wear new clothes and rush down to lit fire crackers. In our building a small competition ensued, as to who will burst the first fire cracker (preferably atom bomb) early in the morning. Those days ‘captain’ brand bombs or a sutli (green threaded) bomb produced massive noise that woke up everyone in the colony. A chap named Sanjeev whom we affectionately called Pappu regularly won this competition except once. That year I burst a bomb even before having my bath somewhere around 4:20 a.m. Well, I don’t remember Sanjeev waking up early the rest of the year or was it the other way round!
Later in the day, we would perform a small pooja at home and then we would be ready to gormandise on Diwali faral (delicacies) consisting of delectable sweets such as "karanji", "ladoo" made from Besan and Rawa, "shankarpali" and “barfi”, "mithai" as well as some spicy eatables like "Chakli", "Shev" and "Chivda". In addition there will be plenty of dry fruits.
A visit to the famous Ayyappa Temple at Bangur Nagar and Ambe Mata Mandir near Aarey Road was always on the card. Later we would carry some faral and distribute it amongst our relatives and neighbours. They also reciprocated generously. Fortunately or unfortunately there is no tradition of gambling amongst Maharashtrians albeit some of them are now actively participating in stock markets! In the evenings, mom and sister would draw colourful rangoli design. Everybody would flaunt their new clothes. The dark night soon gets illuminated by hundreds of lamps, lanterns and crackers are bursted non stop.
Five Day Festival
A lunar half-month is 15 days. Diwali as a new-moon day marks the last day of a 15-day period. The celebration starts after worshipping Lord Ganesha. As against other parts of the country, Diwali is a three day festival in Bengal, with the first two days being of utmost importance.
In Maharashtra, Diwali starts from Vasubaras which is the 12th day of the 2nd half of the month of Ashwin. In rural areas, this day is celebrated by performing an Aarti of the cow and its calf- which is a symbol of love between mother and her baby. In the rest of the country, Diwali starts from Dhanatrayodashi or Dhanteras. Dhan means "wealth" and Teras means "13th day". Thus, as the name implies, this day falls on the 13th day of the second half of the lunar month. It is an auspicious day for shopping of gold & Silver Ornaments, Idols & Coins and God yantras. Some Maharastrians families would worship cash, jewellery and an idol of the Goddess Laxmi.
Naraka Chaturdasi or Choti Diwali: Chaturdasi is the fourteenth day on which demon Narakasura was killed. It signifies the victory of good over evil and light over darkness.
Laxmi- poojan or Diwali comes on the third day. It occurs on Amavasya i.e. no moon day. Laxmi, the Goddess of wealth and prosperity is welcomed by offering traditional pujas. The business community places their new accounting books in front of the Laxmi deity and offers puja for the well being of the business. In the evening, the Bombay stock exchange performs a token bidding called Muhurat trading and for the past few years this event is beamed across through various TV channels. Generally the traders would buy stock for their kids or grandchildren as security and would not sell it. These traders do not make any payments on that day (according to their belief Laxmi should not be given away but must come home). In every household, cash, jewellery and an idol of the goddess Laxmi is worshipped.
The fourth day is known as ‘Padwa', ‘Bali Pratipada’ or ‘Govardhan Puja’ and it falls on the 1st day of the new month – Kartik, in the Hindu calendar. It is celebrated as the first day of the Vikram Samvat calendar, in Gujarat. In Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, it is celebrated as Bali-Pratipada or Bali Padyami. The day commemorates the victory of Vishnu in his dwarf form Vamana over demon-king Bali, who was pushed to the nether world and the return of Bali to earth from the nether-world. In Maharashtra, it is called as Padava or Nava Diwas ("new day"). Wives would perform Aarti and men in turn would present gifts to their wives on this day. In North India, it is celebrated as Govardhan puja, also called Annakut, and is celebrated as the day Lord Krishna defeated God Indra by lifting the Govardhana hill to save his kinsmen and cattle from rain and floods.
The fifth day known as Bhaubeej or Bhai dooj is the time where the bond of love between a brother and sister is further strengthened. The sisters offer prayers for the general well being of their brothers. Gifts are exchanged expressing brotherly feelings of love and affection.
Significance
Diwali is not just celebrated by the Hindus but also by Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists. It has different reasons of significance for all these communities. In Hinduism there are various reasons for its celebrations. In north, Lord Ram comes home to Ayodhya emerging victorious from Lanka. Down south, the demon Naraka Asura is vanquished by Lord Krishna. Meanwhile in west, Lord Vishnu buries Bali under the earth and in East; an enraged Goddess Kali beheads the demons. In Jainism, Diwali marks the attainment of Nirvana by Lord Mahavira. In Sikhism, the festival of Diwali is significant in accordance with the illumination of the city of Amritsar, on the homecoming of Guru Har Gobindji. Guru Har Gobindji, along with many Hindu gurus were imprisoned by the Mughal Emperor Jahangir. After he got free from the prison, he went to the golden temple in Amritsar. The entire city of Amritsar is lit with lamps. The festival of Diwali is also celebrated by some sections of Buddhists.
Well technology and times have changed and so have the styles of celebration. But the fervor and enthusiasm hasn’t diminished at all. Undoubtedly there are different reasons for cheer but indeed a cracker of festival! …
Here’s wishing all a Very Happy, Sparkling and Safe Diwali!
Strangely Diwali also brings back fond memories from my childhood. As soon as the half yearly examinations were over, our school would remain closed for almost 12-15 days. Teachers would give little homework and on the last day of school, we could experience little sadness for missing school and friends. But all this would be short lived.
The school vacations always coincided with mother’s holidays. That meant sheer joy - spending time at home instead in a crèche. Mother would spend her mornings correcting the examination papers from her school and afternoons will be lined up with plenty of chores. She will ensure that we helped her clean our cupboards, drawers and the house and later decorate it for Diwali. In the evenings we would visit shops near the Aarey Road or M.G. Road, and get spices, cereals, masalas, dry fruits and other ingredients required for preparing the delectable Diwali snacks (faral). Along with this, she would buy colourful Rangoli powder.
The mornings would be spent on the play ground, and the afternoons reading or sleeping. A visit to local flour mill was quite enjoyable. It provided necessary lessons in operations research and theory of machines. The big machine would finely grind the various grains and cereals. The small spindle would start rotating and the belt would keep running producing wonderful music. After some time, the machine operator cum proprietor would hit the machine with a small nut or hammer so as to ensure the finely grinded flour seamlessly trickles in the container below. The clinking iof metal would produce a wonderful melody. This was the time when the flour mills would do flourishing business. The Steel tins (dabba) would be covered by flour from all sides. Every dabba would contain 5- 6 kg of various flour mixes of various cereals and grains. Soon this flour would be used to prepare dough that later turned into delectable "chaklis", "karanji", "shankarpali", other sweets and namkeen items. Closer to Diwali, mom would take huge quantity of dry Poha in a big kaddai (vessel) and fry in little oil. In it she will generously add peanuts, chillies, raisins, cashew and garnish with coriander seeds, jeera, turmeric, masala, salt and a tasty chivda is ready to munch anytime.
A week before Diwali, it was time for shopping. It was fun to walk through the crowded station road, watching all those well decorated shops selling fancy items. Almost every shop boasted with signs promoting hefty discount and bumper sale. The shops were well lit and every where people had big smile on their faces. Somehow the crowd never diminished near the Azad Shopping Center – perhaps the biggest mall in Goregaon west then. The Dawood showroom on the ground floor displayed new designs of shoes and sandals that would shine sparkle and smile at you from the glass shelf. The nearby Bata show room had its salesmen standing on the street and eagerly beckon you inside their showroom. I think, Siddhartha was the only authorized shop selling Raymonds and Vimal brand of fabric. Bandra - Linking Road, Aarsa and Nadco shopping center at Andheri and Fashion Street at Churchgate were still unheard of.
The best part of the shopping was buying different kinds of crackers and fire works. No matter how many crackers we bought, as children we always remain insatiated. A new pair of shoes, gifts and new set of clothes to be worn on auspicious Diwali days were almost mandatory. Women’s shopping was always painful and my sister never seemed to like the colour or the design of dresses which my mom chose. Mom would rarely shop for herself but whenever she did, it was a boring. A visit to a saree shop taught us lessons in patience but in hindsight she seems to be much quicker, decisive and guess even more prudent in shopping than my wife. Dad would hardly indulge in shopping but on our insistence would reluctantly buy some shirt and dress material for trousers. Finally shopping was over and I suspect major part of our parent’s salary must have been blown by this time.
It was now time to make a small beautiful lantern (Akaash-Kandil). Mom and I would visit the nearby stationary shops and get some small bamboo sticks, colour papers, strings and glue. At a time when fevicol and joker gum were un-invented, rather un-imagined, the glue would be prepared at home made up of wheat or rice paste. Every afternoon, Mom will teach me how to prepare an akaash – Kandil. This continued for many years and every year there will be new design. Sometimes we even used thermocol and prepared lanterns. Ironically, today the same lanterns are purchased by us at hefty price. Meanwhile, the bamboos would be neatly cut and tied in a diamond shape on the sides. It would be firmly supported from the top and the bottom. Later the colour papers were neatly cut and glued covering the hollow bamboo square shapes. Long paper stripes would be attached as tails. After two days, the lamp would be dangling royally in our balcony. A small electric bulb would bring life to it and radiate the various colours. The light from this lantern would act as a spotlight on the rangoli below. In those days every building in the colony would display some large, beautiful designed and often star shaped lanterns.
Celebrations
On the first day of Diwali, we would wake up early around 4: 30 a.m. Before our bath, we would apply scented oil and utaney or ubtan (herbal scented paste using besan, oil, milk and some herbal paste). I reckon Moti soaps would have flourishing sales during Diwali. Immediately after our bath we would wear new clothes and rush down to lit fire crackers. In our building a small competition ensued, as to who will burst the first fire cracker (preferably atom bomb) early in the morning. Those days ‘captain’ brand bombs or a sutli (green threaded) bomb produced massive noise that woke up everyone in the colony. A chap named Sanjeev whom we affectionately called Pappu regularly won this competition except once. That year I burst a bomb even before having my bath somewhere around 4:20 a.m. Well, I don’t remember Sanjeev waking up early the rest of the year or was it the other way round!
Later in the day, we would perform a small pooja at home and then we would be ready to gormandise on Diwali faral (delicacies) consisting of delectable sweets such as "karanji", "ladoo" made from Besan and Rawa, "shankarpali" and “barfi”, "mithai" as well as some spicy eatables like "Chakli", "Shev" and "Chivda". In addition there will be plenty of dry fruits.
A visit to the famous Ayyappa Temple at Bangur Nagar and Ambe Mata Mandir near Aarey Road was always on the card. Later we would carry some faral and distribute it amongst our relatives and neighbours. They also reciprocated generously. Fortunately or unfortunately there is no tradition of gambling amongst Maharashtrians albeit some of them are now actively participating in stock markets! In the evenings, mom and sister would draw colourful rangoli design. Everybody would flaunt their new clothes. The dark night soon gets illuminated by hundreds of lamps, lanterns and crackers are bursted non stop.
Five Day Festival
A lunar half-month is 15 days. Diwali as a new-moon day marks the last day of a 15-day period. The celebration starts after worshipping Lord Ganesha. As against other parts of the country, Diwali is a three day festival in Bengal, with the first two days being of utmost importance.
In Maharashtra, Diwali starts from Vasubaras which is the 12th day of the 2nd half of the month of Ashwin. In rural areas, this day is celebrated by performing an Aarti of the cow and its calf- which is a symbol of love between mother and her baby. In the rest of the country, Diwali starts from Dhanatrayodashi or Dhanteras. Dhan means "wealth" and Teras means "13th day". Thus, as the name implies, this day falls on the 13th day of the second half of the lunar month. It is an auspicious day for shopping of gold & Silver Ornaments, Idols & Coins and God yantras. Some Maharastrians families would worship cash, jewellery and an idol of the Goddess Laxmi.
Naraka Chaturdasi or Choti Diwali: Chaturdasi is the fourteenth day on which demon Narakasura was killed. It signifies the victory of good over evil and light over darkness.
Laxmi- poojan or Diwali comes on the third day. It occurs on Amavasya i.e. no moon day. Laxmi, the Goddess of wealth and prosperity is welcomed by offering traditional pujas. The business community places their new accounting books in front of the Laxmi deity and offers puja for the well being of the business. In the evening, the Bombay stock exchange performs a token bidding called Muhurat trading and for the past few years this event is beamed across through various TV channels. Generally the traders would buy stock for their kids or grandchildren as security and would not sell it. These traders do not make any payments on that day (according to their belief Laxmi should not be given away but must come home). In every household, cash, jewellery and an idol of the goddess Laxmi is worshipped.
The fourth day is known as ‘Padwa', ‘Bali Pratipada’ or ‘Govardhan Puja’ and it falls on the 1st day of the new month – Kartik, in the Hindu calendar. It is celebrated as the first day of the Vikram Samvat calendar, in Gujarat. In Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, it is celebrated as Bali-Pratipada or Bali Padyami. The day commemorates the victory of Vishnu in his dwarf form Vamana over demon-king Bali, who was pushed to the nether world and the return of Bali to earth from the nether-world. In Maharashtra, it is called as Padava or Nava Diwas ("new day"). Wives would perform Aarti and men in turn would present gifts to their wives on this day. In North India, it is celebrated as Govardhan puja, also called Annakut, and is celebrated as the day Lord Krishna defeated God Indra by lifting the Govardhana hill to save his kinsmen and cattle from rain and floods.
The fifth day known as Bhaubeej or Bhai dooj is the time where the bond of love between a brother and sister is further strengthened. The sisters offer prayers for the general well being of their brothers. Gifts are exchanged expressing brotherly feelings of love and affection.
Significance
Diwali is not just celebrated by the Hindus but also by Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists. It has different reasons of significance for all these communities. In Hinduism there are various reasons for its celebrations. In north, Lord Ram comes home to Ayodhya emerging victorious from Lanka. Down south, the demon Naraka Asura is vanquished by Lord Krishna. Meanwhile in west, Lord Vishnu buries Bali under the earth and in East; an enraged Goddess Kali beheads the demons. In Jainism, Diwali marks the attainment of Nirvana by Lord Mahavira. In Sikhism, the festival of Diwali is significant in accordance with the illumination of the city of Amritsar, on the homecoming of Guru Har Gobindji. Guru Har Gobindji, along with many Hindu gurus were imprisoned by the Mughal Emperor Jahangir. After he got free from the prison, he went to the golden temple in Amritsar. The entire city of Amritsar is lit with lamps. The festival of Diwali is also celebrated by some sections of Buddhists.
Well technology and times have changed and so have the styles of celebration. But the fervor and enthusiasm hasn’t diminished at all. Undoubtedly there are different reasons for cheer but indeed a cracker of festival! …
Here’s wishing all a Very Happy, Sparkling and Safe Diwali!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Democracy, Elections, and the Power of a Single Vote!
Since 2004, low voter turnout in India and especially in city like Mumbai has become a norm. And yet, when it comes to comparison between the previous poll results and the current exit poll results, these dismal attendances do not seem to display any significant bearing. Isn’t that little strange?
Is it because of the new de-limitation, or because of the rise in regional parties or simply due to political apathy that results in poor voter turnout?
Delimitation has shrunk the constituencies and over the years even the quality of our political class has deteriorated. Barring few, none of our leaders personify the qualities of visionaries and colossal leaders like Gandhi, Nehru, Tilak and Patel just to name a few. Although our population hasn’t shrunk, nor the number of voters but people who actually turn up for voting have definitely reduced. And this is evident from the recently held Lok Sabha and the state assembly elections in Maharashtra.
Maharashtra, known for its rich social, cultural, sports and economical contribution with several national leaders, industries, educational and research institutions, flourishing textile mills, educated people, multiple communities and religions and indeed an inclusive, progressive state has considerably deteriorated. Regular load shedding, farmer suicides, rampant corruption, poor infrastructure, increasing slums, inadequate water supply, illegal and unauthorized constructions, rising unemployment, uncontrollable naxalism coupled with international terrorism and the mad clamor for political power has almost destroyed this once glorious state.
The state once boasted of educated leaders like Gokhale, Dadabhoy Naoroji, Ambedkar, Kriplani, Pherozshah Mehta, Dinshaw Wachha, Phule, Savarkar, Achutrao Patwardhan, P.K. Atre, S.M. Joshi, N G Gore, S.A. Dange, Prabhodhankar Thackeray, Y.B. Chauhan, Vasant Dada Patil, Madhu Dandavate, Datta Patil, Mrinal Gore etc who believed in having healthy discussions, debates and non-violent politics.
Today, politics has become a lucrative family business and electoral seats are exclusively offered to close family members regardless of their competencies and achievements. Little wonder, we get to witness several rebels and defections. The educated middle class and the poor find it increasingly difficult to contest in elections.
With less than 60% of voter turnout across the state, coupled with rebels and division of vote banks, the various exit poll results tend to belie the anti-incumbency factor. Invariably it speculates to bring back the earlier government by default. Psephologists and experts prognosticate a marginal difference between the ruling UPA & the opposition NDA and predict the possibility of a hung assembly. In such a situation, UPA and the NDA have no choice but to lure MNS, other parties and the independent candidates to support from outside or join the government. Moreover with several contenders among every party vying for the chief ministerial position and various ministerial berths, would it then come as a surprise to see the rise in defections once the poll results are announced.
The beauty of our democracy is that every election gives birth to new political parties, various alliances and fragile third / fourth fronts that promote new ideology, promise change and print new colourful manifestos selling the same old wine in a new bottle. Since 1995, hung parliament and assemblies have almost become a routine. And this is largely due to political, ideological and voter indifference.
Perhaps we should learn a lesson from Americans who battled for over 100 years, for their right to vote, but then seem to ignore it when they have received it. In India, we were lucky to get our right to vote immediately after independence but like Americans, we also continue to abstain from election. While American politicians strive hard to fulfill whatever they have promised during elections our politicians simply forget their promises made during polls.
Having said that, seldom do we also miss any opportunity to criticize the government and fight for our rights. No wonder voting is merely looked as a constitutional right but not considered as our moral responsibility and duty. Often lower voter turnout indicates a growing apathy for political parties and politicians. It often indicates the growing indifference, laziness, an unwillingness to deal with all this politics, which make people stay away from the polls. People are more concerned about their personal issues, problems that affect their lives; these become the top priorities and therefore don't give a damn about elections. These people would not even bother to learn about the candidates, nor about their parties and their election manifestos. Moreover people don’t find any trustworthy and competent candidates and therefore prefer to abstain from polls.
Apparently, voter absenteeism also suggest that the average Indian still does not understand the power of excercising their adult franchise. The most often heard excuse for not voting in an election is "a single vote won't make any difference." Yet History is replete with instances about the incredible power of single vote. In many cases, the course of nations has changed because of this single vote. If you think that your vote won't make a difference, please consider the following:
Remember it was one single vote of Saifuddin Soz that toppled the Vajpayee government in 1999. In 1645, one vote gave Oliver Cromwell control of England. In 1649, one vote literally cost King Charles I of England his head. The vote to behead him was 67 against and 68 for — the ax fell thanks to one vote. In 1714, one vote placed King George I on the throne of England and restored the monarchy. In 1844 in Indiana on Election Day, a farmer named Freeman Clark lay seriously ill in bed. He begged his sons to carry him to the county seat so he could vote for David Kelso to become a state senator. The old farmer Freeman Clark got to vote for Kelso but Freeman Clark died on his way back home. Kelso won the election by one vote of Freeman Clark. One vote granted Texas (1845) and California (1850) admission into US as a state. In 1875, a one vote margin changed France from a monarchy to a republic. In 1923, by a majority of one vote, they chose Adolph Hitler to become the NAZI Party leader. In the 1960 presidential election, it was one single vote per precincts that made John F Kennedy the President of USA.
If a single vote can make such a difference, do you feel we must make voting mandatory just like they have it in Australia?
Well, this requires some serious discussions and changes in our law. As per election rules, Section “49-O" provides an opportunity to every voter to abstain from election. In such case a person must go to the polling booth, confirm his identity, get his finger marked and convey the presiding election officer that he doesn't want to vote anyone! Unfortunately there is no provision for counting such votes and protecting identities.
Come to think of, we simply cannot afford to sit back and blame the politicians, parties and the system. In time to come we might see few reforms in election rules, but until then, its time we take responsibility and vote in various elections at every level - national, state, district and local and believe in the power of our single vote!
Is it because of the new de-limitation, or because of the rise in regional parties or simply due to political apathy that results in poor voter turnout?
Delimitation has shrunk the constituencies and over the years even the quality of our political class has deteriorated. Barring few, none of our leaders personify the qualities of visionaries and colossal leaders like Gandhi, Nehru, Tilak and Patel just to name a few. Although our population hasn’t shrunk, nor the number of voters but people who actually turn up for voting have definitely reduced. And this is evident from the recently held Lok Sabha and the state assembly elections in Maharashtra.
Maharashtra, known for its rich social, cultural, sports and economical contribution with several national leaders, industries, educational and research institutions, flourishing textile mills, educated people, multiple communities and religions and indeed an inclusive, progressive state has considerably deteriorated. Regular load shedding, farmer suicides, rampant corruption, poor infrastructure, increasing slums, inadequate water supply, illegal and unauthorized constructions, rising unemployment, uncontrollable naxalism coupled with international terrorism and the mad clamor for political power has almost destroyed this once glorious state.
The state once boasted of educated leaders like Gokhale, Dadabhoy Naoroji, Ambedkar, Kriplani, Pherozshah Mehta, Dinshaw Wachha, Phule, Savarkar, Achutrao Patwardhan, P.K. Atre, S.M. Joshi, N G Gore, S.A. Dange, Prabhodhankar Thackeray, Y.B. Chauhan, Vasant Dada Patil, Madhu Dandavate, Datta Patil, Mrinal Gore etc who believed in having healthy discussions, debates and non-violent politics.
Today, politics has become a lucrative family business and electoral seats are exclusively offered to close family members regardless of their competencies and achievements. Little wonder, we get to witness several rebels and defections. The educated middle class and the poor find it increasingly difficult to contest in elections.
With less than 60% of voter turnout across the state, coupled with rebels and division of vote banks, the various exit poll results tend to belie the anti-incumbency factor. Invariably it speculates to bring back the earlier government by default. Psephologists and experts prognosticate a marginal difference between the ruling UPA & the opposition NDA and predict the possibility of a hung assembly. In such a situation, UPA and the NDA have no choice but to lure MNS, other parties and the independent candidates to support from outside or join the government. Moreover with several contenders among every party vying for the chief ministerial position and various ministerial berths, would it then come as a surprise to see the rise in defections once the poll results are announced.
The beauty of our democracy is that every election gives birth to new political parties, various alliances and fragile third / fourth fronts that promote new ideology, promise change and print new colourful manifestos selling the same old wine in a new bottle. Since 1995, hung parliament and assemblies have almost become a routine. And this is largely due to political, ideological and voter indifference.
Perhaps we should learn a lesson from Americans who battled for over 100 years, for their right to vote, but then seem to ignore it when they have received it. In India, we were lucky to get our right to vote immediately after independence but like Americans, we also continue to abstain from election. While American politicians strive hard to fulfill whatever they have promised during elections our politicians simply forget their promises made during polls.
Having said that, seldom do we also miss any opportunity to criticize the government and fight for our rights. No wonder voting is merely looked as a constitutional right but not considered as our moral responsibility and duty. Often lower voter turnout indicates a growing apathy for political parties and politicians. It often indicates the growing indifference, laziness, an unwillingness to deal with all this politics, which make people stay away from the polls. People are more concerned about their personal issues, problems that affect their lives; these become the top priorities and therefore don't give a damn about elections. These people would not even bother to learn about the candidates, nor about their parties and their election manifestos. Moreover people don’t find any trustworthy and competent candidates and therefore prefer to abstain from polls.
Apparently, voter absenteeism also suggest that the average Indian still does not understand the power of excercising their adult franchise. The most often heard excuse for not voting in an election is "a single vote won't make any difference." Yet History is replete with instances about the incredible power of single vote. In many cases, the course of nations has changed because of this single vote. If you think that your vote won't make a difference, please consider the following:
Remember it was one single vote of Saifuddin Soz that toppled the Vajpayee government in 1999. In 1645, one vote gave Oliver Cromwell control of England. In 1649, one vote literally cost King Charles I of England his head. The vote to behead him was 67 against and 68 for — the ax fell thanks to one vote. In 1714, one vote placed King George I on the throne of England and restored the monarchy. In 1844 in Indiana on Election Day, a farmer named Freeman Clark lay seriously ill in bed. He begged his sons to carry him to the county seat so he could vote for David Kelso to become a state senator. The old farmer Freeman Clark got to vote for Kelso but Freeman Clark died on his way back home. Kelso won the election by one vote of Freeman Clark. One vote granted Texas (1845) and California (1850) admission into US as a state. In 1875, a one vote margin changed France from a monarchy to a republic. In 1923, by a majority of one vote, they chose Adolph Hitler to become the NAZI Party leader. In the 1960 presidential election, it was one single vote per precincts that made John F Kennedy the President of USA.
If a single vote can make such a difference, do you feel we must make voting mandatory just like they have it in Australia?
Well, this requires some serious discussions and changes in our law. As per election rules, Section “49-O" provides an opportunity to every voter to abstain from election. In such case a person must go to the polling booth, confirm his identity, get his finger marked and convey the presiding election officer that he doesn't want to vote anyone! Unfortunately there is no provision for counting such votes and protecting identities.
Come to think of, we simply cannot afford to sit back and blame the politicians, parties and the system. In time to come we might see few reforms in election rules, but until then, its time we take responsibility and vote in various elections at every level - national, state, district and local and believe in the power of our single vote!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
A Walk Through Wilderness !
A hill station is a perfect place to unwind as it provides ample solace, quietude and takes you closer to nature. Out there, the stars appear closer and the moon remains happily perched over your shoulders. Dawn breaks and somewhere in the hills, an orange ball begins to rise. Imagine walking slowly on a beaten track over the slopes, covered with shrubs and dried leaves. The whistling wind clears your path, blows little spec of dust on your shoes and the dead leaves whisper loudly. Thick yellow rays pass through the branches and lit your path. In the next moment, the sun plays hide and seek with the trees.
You slowly wade through the misty clouds, serene, salubrious weather, and pollution free atmosphere. Almost every hill station boasts of quaint shops, gabled houses embellished with wooden decors and brightly coloured sloping roofs with dish antennas. Once in a while you come across charming facades, immaculately painted picket fences surrounding dark colonial stone structures overlooking courtyards, neat little orchards with cleverly laid driveway made from broken bricks, pebbles and gravel.
You stroll further and end up at a turn that offers a breathtaking view. The joy of watching the ground below and the splendid panorama in front is simply unbelievable. You feel rejuvenated and for a moment forget the regular grind of drudged city life. Every object in distance appears smaller and several waterfalls become visible. Somewhere near the horizon, you see a shinning river becoming wider, zigzagging across valleys and intersecting the lush green plains. Suddenly the plains look more attractive and alluring.
People often share their experiences of visiting various hill stations but seldom do we enjoy the beauty of foothills and the nearby plains.
Last week it was fun traveling everyday between Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh. Little did I realize that the place where I was headed to would be so picturesque!
Watching the resplendent blue -green Shivalik hills from Baddi situated in the Solon district of Himachal Pradesh was an amazing experience. Almost every pharmaceutical company whether large or small have built a factory here. With tax incentives schemes and plethora of benefits offered to investors this place seems to be cropping up with reputed Indian and foreign FMCG companies.
I was lucky to spend my time in a place called HIMUDA Educational hub, Barotiwala (20 minutes away from Baddi) located at the foothills of Kasauli hill station. This place promises to become educational hub in Himachal Pradesh with several prominent Universities coming up in the area. It already has Chitkara University, one of the leading educational institutions in North India. With state of the art infrastructure and over 700 students pursuing various courses in engineering, general studies and management, the entire area seems to be a perfect place for emerging and growing companies in HP, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi to attract talent.
The 90 minutes drive from Chandigarh takes you through Haryana via Panchkula and the famous Mogul gardens in Pinjore. The road is surrounded by lush green meadows, maize and wheat fields. The vehicle stops and with it also the clock, making way for the cattle to majestically cross the street. You can see the hand pumps fixed near the plastered brick water tanks. You see men toiling in the fields behind, women carrying water and children sometimes waving and running on the street. Small garages and shops on the road display various wares. The biggest shop in every village is liquor and wine theka (shop) and these shops are well decorated. There are separate shops for country (Tharra – local brew) and Angreji (foreign or branded) liquor. There are tiny Dhaba’s (food joint) with enviable parking space.
Throughout the journey, you see magnificent contours of Shivalik hills, HMT colony and various villages. Several brick kilns greet you as soon as you enter Boratiwala. The tall chimneys remind you of Qutab Minar. Every chimney indicates the religion of the owner as it displays Hindu and Sikh religious symbols with pride. I was glad to find the end product i.e. the bricks similar. The place is abuzz with excavation and construction activities.
The Shivalik hills are also known as sub- Himalayas or foothills and are created due to the rise in Himalayas. The hills run from southwest Kashmir, to North India, into North East in Sikkim and finally end up in Southern Nepal. Their altitude varies between 900 to 2300 meters. These hills are the source of the rivers like Saraswati, Ghaggar, Tangri and Markanda. The hills cover some parts of Haryana viz; Panchkula, Ambala and Yamunanagar districts. The hills consist of layered rocks with beautiful Chir pine, Sal and oak forests. The entire topography has a shallow erodable soil; unsuitable for agriculture however irrigation makes it easier to cultivate paddy.
Lord Indra was extremely benevolent last week. It rained heavily, the hills were no longer visible and a thick fog engulfed everything. After 3 days of incessant rains, the sun came back from its Hammam break (Turkish bath). The meadows glossed in greenery reminding you of golf courses in Ireland. Somewhere up on the ridges, a lone white cloud happily tangoed with the wind. The atmosphere suddenly changed and everything looked pristine.
From the foothills you could clearly see the famous tall imposing Television Tower at Kasauli (6400 feet) and further up, a faint silhouette of the ropeway cable became visible. The rains made the houses in Kasauli look fresh, white washed and inviting. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to identify the famous Lawrence school at Kasauli or perhaps it lies on the other side of the hill.
Kasauli was hardly 35-40 kms away from my work place. From the foothills, it is easier to gauge that Kasauli promises to offer unspoilt natural beauty, lots of options for nature trails, and a refreshing climate. Kasauli is a good detour between Shimla and Kalka, and is often called lesser Shimla. My driver tells me that tourist generally prefer the bustling Shimla which is 3 hours away over this sleepy hill station but Kasauli is fast becoming one of the favorite weekend getaway.
Late afternoon, a leisurely walk around the foothills takes you through stunning flora and fauna. Don’t be surprised if a weird thought of discovering a shortest route to Kasauli crosses your mind. You enter the woods. The birds are mellifluously singing. You come across a dry river bed, and walk in the direction of the hills. Few moments later you begin to enjoy the sound of silence. A cool breeze caresses your face and your hair gently jives in rhythm. The pine–scent gets thicker and everything around you appears brown, dark brown, green and dark green.
You discover a small stream rapidly moving towards the river bed. The clear water forcefully hits the stones, producing greater turbulence and a wonderful symphony. Like a child, you are tempted to pick up the colorful pebbles lying around. Soon you stumble upon an area mushrooming with small weeds, shrubs, plants, wild flowers and carefully avoid trampling it.
The river bends and a ravine begins to unfold. You muster some courage and enter this ravine. Near the sloping edges, you could distinctly see several dusty paths in various directions. Robert Frost’s famous poem “The Road Not Taken” begins to play in your mind.
“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;…”
Suddenly you hear a voice followed with a loud echo. Someone from the group reminds you, “The sun is about to set.” The twilight hue makes the sky dusky, brownish –orange, scattered with light blue pigments. The chirping gets louder and flocks of bird head towards the hills. You halt.
Next moment, you turn around, look in the direction of ravine, your eyes move faster following one of the beaten tracks that quickly disappears in the woods and hopefully leads atop. Slowly and reluctantly you return to the familiar construction site where a car is waiting to take you on that dreadful highway to Chandigarh. The car gathers some speed and the hills move further and further away. It gets dark, the lullaby wind blows, and you quickly fall asleep only to wake up with a sudden jolt. You again shut your eyes; smile because next morning, the Shivaliks would again beckon you.
The road from Chandigarh to Baddi goes through Panchkula, Pinjore and extensively cuts across the state of Haryana. The entire stretch is full of potholes, ditches and craters bigger than those found on the moon. Don’t be surprised if you experience therapeutic manipulations in the car.
Everyday almost hundreds of vehicles ply on this road and yet no one seems to be bothered to repair the road. This is the shortest road to the industrial belt in HP. According to locals, Haryana government does not receive any economic benefit and therefore is least interested to mend this road. I don’t think the locals would object if Haryana government levies and collects toll to maintain the road.
Having said that, the road from Kalka is long and little better. Let’s hopes this road and the spectacular topography of the plains do not detiorate quickly! … But then don’t all economic development, construction, towns and cities sprung and flourish near the foothills!...
You slowly wade through the misty clouds, serene, salubrious weather, and pollution free atmosphere. Almost every hill station boasts of quaint shops, gabled houses embellished with wooden decors and brightly coloured sloping roofs with dish antennas. Once in a while you come across charming facades, immaculately painted picket fences surrounding dark colonial stone structures overlooking courtyards, neat little orchards with cleverly laid driveway made from broken bricks, pebbles and gravel.
You stroll further and end up at a turn that offers a breathtaking view. The joy of watching the ground below and the splendid panorama in front is simply unbelievable. You feel rejuvenated and for a moment forget the regular grind of drudged city life. Every object in distance appears smaller and several waterfalls become visible. Somewhere near the horizon, you see a shinning river becoming wider, zigzagging across valleys and intersecting the lush green plains. Suddenly the plains look more attractive and alluring.
People often share their experiences of visiting various hill stations but seldom do we enjoy the beauty of foothills and the nearby plains.
Last week it was fun traveling everyday between Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh. Little did I realize that the place where I was headed to would be so picturesque!
Watching the resplendent blue -green Shivalik hills from Baddi situated in the Solon district of Himachal Pradesh was an amazing experience. Almost every pharmaceutical company whether large or small have built a factory here. With tax incentives schemes and plethora of benefits offered to investors this place seems to be cropping up with reputed Indian and foreign FMCG companies.
I was lucky to spend my time in a place called HIMUDA Educational hub, Barotiwala (20 minutes away from Baddi) located at the foothills of Kasauli hill station. This place promises to become educational hub in Himachal Pradesh with several prominent Universities coming up in the area. It already has Chitkara University, one of the leading educational institutions in North India. With state of the art infrastructure and over 700 students pursuing various courses in engineering, general studies and management, the entire area seems to be a perfect place for emerging and growing companies in HP, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi to attract talent.
The 90 minutes drive from Chandigarh takes you through Haryana via Panchkula and the famous Mogul gardens in Pinjore. The road is surrounded by lush green meadows, maize and wheat fields. The vehicle stops and with it also the clock, making way for the cattle to majestically cross the street. You can see the hand pumps fixed near the plastered brick water tanks. You see men toiling in the fields behind, women carrying water and children sometimes waving and running on the street. Small garages and shops on the road display various wares. The biggest shop in every village is liquor and wine theka (shop) and these shops are well decorated. There are separate shops for country (Tharra – local brew) and Angreji (foreign or branded) liquor. There are tiny Dhaba’s (food joint) with enviable parking space.
Throughout the journey, you see magnificent contours of Shivalik hills, HMT colony and various villages. Several brick kilns greet you as soon as you enter Boratiwala. The tall chimneys remind you of Qutab Minar. Every chimney indicates the religion of the owner as it displays Hindu and Sikh religious symbols with pride. I was glad to find the end product i.e. the bricks similar. The place is abuzz with excavation and construction activities.
The Shivalik hills are also known as sub- Himalayas or foothills and are created due to the rise in Himalayas. The hills run from southwest Kashmir, to North India, into North East in Sikkim and finally end up in Southern Nepal. Their altitude varies between 900 to 2300 meters. These hills are the source of the rivers like Saraswati, Ghaggar, Tangri and Markanda. The hills cover some parts of Haryana viz; Panchkula, Ambala and Yamunanagar districts. The hills consist of layered rocks with beautiful Chir pine, Sal and oak forests. The entire topography has a shallow erodable soil; unsuitable for agriculture however irrigation makes it easier to cultivate paddy.
Lord Indra was extremely benevolent last week. It rained heavily, the hills were no longer visible and a thick fog engulfed everything. After 3 days of incessant rains, the sun came back from its Hammam break (Turkish bath). The meadows glossed in greenery reminding you of golf courses in Ireland. Somewhere up on the ridges, a lone white cloud happily tangoed with the wind. The atmosphere suddenly changed and everything looked pristine.
From the foothills you could clearly see the famous tall imposing Television Tower at Kasauli (6400 feet) and further up, a faint silhouette of the ropeway cable became visible. The rains made the houses in Kasauli look fresh, white washed and inviting. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to identify the famous Lawrence school at Kasauli or perhaps it lies on the other side of the hill.
Kasauli was hardly 35-40 kms away from my work place. From the foothills, it is easier to gauge that Kasauli promises to offer unspoilt natural beauty, lots of options for nature trails, and a refreshing climate. Kasauli is a good detour between Shimla and Kalka, and is often called lesser Shimla. My driver tells me that tourist generally prefer the bustling Shimla which is 3 hours away over this sleepy hill station but Kasauli is fast becoming one of the favorite weekend getaway.
Late afternoon, a leisurely walk around the foothills takes you through stunning flora and fauna. Don’t be surprised if a weird thought of discovering a shortest route to Kasauli crosses your mind. You enter the woods. The birds are mellifluously singing. You come across a dry river bed, and walk in the direction of the hills. Few moments later you begin to enjoy the sound of silence. A cool breeze caresses your face and your hair gently jives in rhythm. The pine–scent gets thicker and everything around you appears brown, dark brown, green and dark green.
You discover a small stream rapidly moving towards the river bed. The clear water forcefully hits the stones, producing greater turbulence and a wonderful symphony. Like a child, you are tempted to pick up the colorful pebbles lying around. Soon you stumble upon an area mushrooming with small weeds, shrubs, plants, wild flowers and carefully avoid trampling it.
The river bends and a ravine begins to unfold. You muster some courage and enter this ravine. Near the sloping edges, you could distinctly see several dusty paths in various directions. Robert Frost’s famous poem “The Road Not Taken” begins to play in your mind.
“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;…”
Suddenly you hear a voice followed with a loud echo. Someone from the group reminds you, “The sun is about to set.” The twilight hue makes the sky dusky, brownish –orange, scattered with light blue pigments. The chirping gets louder and flocks of bird head towards the hills. You halt.
Next moment, you turn around, look in the direction of ravine, your eyes move faster following one of the beaten tracks that quickly disappears in the woods and hopefully leads atop. Slowly and reluctantly you return to the familiar construction site where a car is waiting to take you on that dreadful highway to Chandigarh. The car gathers some speed and the hills move further and further away. It gets dark, the lullaby wind blows, and you quickly fall asleep only to wake up with a sudden jolt. You again shut your eyes; smile because next morning, the Shivaliks would again beckon you.
The road from Chandigarh to Baddi goes through Panchkula, Pinjore and extensively cuts across the state of Haryana. The entire stretch is full of potholes, ditches and craters bigger than those found on the moon. Don’t be surprised if you experience therapeutic manipulations in the car.
Everyday almost hundreds of vehicles ply on this road and yet no one seems to be bothered to repair the road. This is the shortest road to the industrial belt in HP. According to locals, Haryana government does not receive any economic benefit and therefore is least interested to mend this road. I don’t think the locals would object if Haryana government levies and collects toll to maintain the road.
Having said that, the road from Kalka is long and little better. Let’s hopes this road and the spectacular topography of the plains do not detiorate quickly! … But then don’t all economic development, construction, towns and cities sprung and flourish near the foothills!...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)