Byomkesh Bakshi and Jaspal Bhatti!

You Beep. Beep You. Beep Off. Beep. Beep. Beep

Guess what is it? No its not an ECG beep in the climax of a hindi movie. No it is not a detonator just minutes before it explodes… Its one of our young generation’s most popular reality TV shows, where a bunch of immature kids would abuse, bad mouth, fight and conspire to have their 15 seconds of fame and some cash. Mind you, this is just one of the shows in that category and its success (what an irony!) has made sure that all the channels would be flooded with similar shows in the coming months.

What are these shows trying to preach? ‘Dog bite Dog’ philosophy? Teach our generation all the four, five, six…. And don’t know how many letter words? How NOT to make friends and how to betray if you have one?

Some Girl on the show has biggest nos. of Beeps when she speaks. She doesn’t win the show. She is rudest of them all. But… and it’s a Big But… She is selected as a VJ on the same channel… so what message are they sending to our Gimmick stricken young friends?? Be as cheap as possible, go as down as possible, kick the conscience out of your heart and mind and Lo! You are a winner!!!

When our school going kids would watch all these Pravachan coming from the Judges (what a blasphemy, JUDGE used to be a respectable word) and contestants day in and day out, what would be the impact on them? They would start believing that all this is very normal and this is how a cool (or is it Keeeewl!) life is lead.

I have had a small stint with Media Industry and I know (I guess most of us know) reality part in these shows is only 2% and rest all is absolute Script… the dialogues, the attitude of contestants, their emotions, elimination, return; everything is a part of script.

Change the channel and you will be bombarded with, latest offering from our so very original TV producers, Dance and Music talent shows.  It seems as whole of India is dancing, singing, fighting, abusing, flirting and of course…judging. Even news channels are airing clippings from these shows all the time. Looks like Glamour, dance, Movies, songs, news about bollywood stars, these are the only important events happening around the world.

We are shown the marriage of a Pseudo Hero’s star son and a former beauty pageant (Love Me or Hate Me but I find every girl in My Village Beautiful than Her) live on TV, when on the same day one of our Real Heroes, an Indian Army Major, dies fighting terrorists and which, ironically, was being reported on BBC, at the same, a foreign news channel!!

There are hazaar 24 hrs news channels… but how can there be significant news round the clock? So they have to resort to cheap stuff like ‘Aliens are taking away our buffaloes’, ‘Donkeys are committing suicide in Uganda’ (Yes, no prizes for guessing the channel – India TV. Wouldn’t it be better if they changed it to India comedy TV?)

And things they do In the race to report first, Sample this, there was a story on one of the news channels where they showed a terrorist molesting one of the tourists trapped in The Taj during 26/11, later it turned out to be a Mumbai film maker who was just trying to console one of his production team members while coming out of the hotel.   

                                                                                                          

 In another case Principal of a school in Noida was falsely trapped and framed (for taking unfair advantage from Girl students) by the sting operator (reporter) himself!! The day is not far when in the race to get the news first, the media will create news, Bad news! because in Media, bad news is always good news.

Leave alone ethics and ideals of media I will give you something to think about the basic responsibility of media towards its nation… All of us might have seen 911 tragedy on TV. They showed us everything. The Planes hitting the towers, the explosion, the fire, people running and crying, fire-fighters, police, etc. But can you recall a single picture where they showed completely charred bodies, blood soaked limbs of different people separated from the torsos, people carrying blood oozing dead bodies and putting them in vans, thick red blood flowing on the road and sprinkled with small papers, wallets, nails, stones???

Am sure the answer would be a resounding NO! ever thought why? It was a perfect example of the ideals, ethics and responsibilities of Media in such difficult times for a nation. Grief stricken people might have panicked by seeing the gory pictures of dead bodies being carried; it might have destroyed the self esteem and confidence of the nation as whole. They did not want the whole world to see ‘THE US of A’ in such a helpless state.

And now just compare this with what they show here, whenever a tragedy strikes. Be it Gujrat riots, earthquake, Tsunami, 2008 Blasts in different cities, 7/11 Mumbai and many others. Our sensitive media would compete with each other in getting their hands on to the most shocking, gruesome, gory, disturbing pictures and videos, so that the whole world will know that we are a country marred by terror, natural calamities and there is no value for human life.

Vaardaat, haqeeqat, ACP Arjun, India’s Most Wanted show twisted crime stories with lots of masaala thrown in… they create so much of negative energy and have very adverse affect on young, sensitive minds. I thought the era of Manohar kahaaniyan, apraadh kathayen is over but no, they have now entered in our households in the form of these prime time crime shows (there’s a show called CRIME TIME too, ripley’s belive it or not but it is true!!)

There was a time when the word Television used to be synonymous with healthy, light, pure, fun, educational, idealistic Entertainment along with some authentic, simple, precise news. And look at it now…it’s a complete caricature of its past.

Where have my Doordarshan days gone ? (I used to be an absolute keeda of TV watching those days) Where are all the shows, which the whole family used to sit and watch together?

Where have ek Kahani, Mr Yogi, Lekhu, Kakka ji kaheen, Talash, Indrdhanush, stone Boy, Super six, ank ajoobe, turning point, , Byomkesh Bakshi, quiley ka rahasya, tarang, laal bhujakkad chacha, Ulta Pulta  gone??

Flop Show remains the best comedy serial in indian TV history, not even a single double meaning or vulgar dialogue, no artificial laugh in background and whole family used to roll on the floor with laughter. Today can you imagine a comedy show without the toilet humour?

No detective series could match intensity of Byomkesh Bakshi, till date. Had tears in my eyes when saw the final episode of Stone Boy and It were shows like Turning point and Ank ajoobe which drew me towards science and maths in a fun way! ‘Bharat ek Khoj’ taught me more about my country’s history and its significance than any other history textbook.

Well Abdul Kalaam is right when he says that we should ignite young minds because they are the future of the nation. Absolutely! Ignite their minds with Roadies, with splitsvilla, with dance india dance, jhalak dikh laaja, Bigg Boss, ignite, ignite, ignite!!!

Once upon a time…there was only one channel. Limited transmission time. (I miss that theme tone with DD logo slowly spiraling in, 6.00 in the morning) Yet it had something for everybody… chitrahaar, the Sunday evening movie, the mythological serials, the regional movies on Sunday afternoos, those social messages just before the news, those national integration songs… remember ‘Mile sur mera tumhaara’ ?

 But what’s the whole point?… you may say its all about business and there are sub standard shows because there is a market for them… people want to watch them so they make them. TRUE. But that is happening because these kids have not tasted The Real Creativity,real Passion, real intensity. They don’t have anything to compare with. Give them something really Good and they will watch it. Its like people having notion that only Karan Johar movies with mushy romance and emotions are hit in india but I believe that if you really make something passionately and with your heart then a ‘Bheja Fry’, a ‘Chak-De ’, a Lagaan, a Khosla ka ghosla would definitely be a Hit!!

But as far as TV is concerned, I don’t see anything of that sort happening in near future… and that is why I decided something… two years ago… yes, I sold My TV and it has turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life. Am so much at peace with myself, my books, discussions with friends and family, writing, creating, learning…

Its always more fun being a ‘Part of the Game’ than just being a ‘Spectator’.

Joy-less Bollywood

The news of his passing away was lost somewhere in the tributes and memoirs of biggies (quite a few of them) from that golden era of Hindi Cinema, who left us last year... A tribute...

Though he addressed I S Johar as the ‘Bade Miyaan’ in Shagird, (Not Tigmanshu Dhulia’s take on Delhi crime but the old classic) he himself was the original Bade miyaan of Bollywood, standing at above 6 ft. Yes the name cannot be more apt. Joy.. Joy Mukherjee, one of the first ‘Chocolate heroes’ of Bollywood left the industry Joyless on 9^th March 2012. 

One of the first hunks of Hindi film industry who was tall, clean shaven, with well groomed long hair and a disarming smile. His was the image of an ideal, happy -go-lucky handsome guy and never really tried too hard to deviate from that. He knew his USPs and his limitations. And that’s why never tried either to be lovable, innocent joker (Raj Kapoor) or the intense, brooding (Dilp kumar) like his immediate seniors in the industry. Most of the films he acted in were boy-meet-girl when both of them are facing pretty strange and awkward situations in their lives, they fall in love and then the usual problems created by our good old… oops! bad old villains (Most of the times the onus would fall on Pran, who could have given any  hero, even of present generation, a run for his money both in looks as well as acting department!).

Though the films in which Joy Mukherjee worked were no path breaking cinema but he had an ear for music and an eye for the leading ladies (I mean the talent!… considering his spotless image) He had a good on screen chemistry with some of the best actresses of that era, Sadhna (both of them made their debut in Love in Shimla), Asha Parekh (gave most no. of hits with her which includes Love in Tokyo) and Saira Banu (Though Only Shagird clicked at the box office, they worked in a lot of movies together). Joy also had this knack of getting some of the most melodies romantic songs from that golden period of Hindi cinema (O meri shah-e-khuma, aaja re aa zara, phir wahi dil laya hun, le gayi dil gudiya Japan ki and of course bade miyaan deewane aise na bano). Okay now if you are thinking of putting Joy Mukherjee and Emraan Hashmi in the same bracket, don’t even go there…  And I guess you know why!

After his short and successful stint as an actor (cut short by a younger lot of actors of likes of Rajesh Khanna), he tried his hand at production and direction but failed. And he accepted it with grace. He never tried to make desperate attempts to come back as character artiste or the father of the hero or heroine (as was the trend those days) and never stooped down to the levels of selling cheap-joints-pain-removal herbal oil on teleshopping (As is the present trend).

 Last but not the least; I will have to provide a vague connection for today’s young generation to relate to him. Okay guys and girls, so Joy Mukherjee was none other than the Uncle of our very own Kajol! Now you know who am I talking about…Well, he might not have been as popular as Dev Sahab to have a flurry of articles, tributes, memoirs and news reports from all streams of media for weeks, after his death. Sometimes, I wonder if it is the clean and absolutely non-controversial careers of celebrities like Joy that they tend not to remain in public memory for too long. But for true Bollywood lovers he will always have a special place in the warm corners of their hearts… true to his name he brought us a lot of Joy and would continue to do so…forever! RIP Mr Mukherjee… listening to your songs and watching your movies would always be that… A Sheer Joy!

Ever thought about thinking?

Who thought of this concept that an employee needs to work for minimum of 8 hours a day? Where is the time to live one’s life? Office jao, ghar aao, khao, so jao and next day again in office!! Aur do din ki chutti se hota kya hai? Aur do hii din kyunn? baaki din insaan ko apni zindagii jeene ka koi haq nahin hai kya? Well if am working every day, then I should get time to live my life… everyday!! I should get time to pursue my hobbies, to spend time with myself, my family, learn new things, go out, play sports, exercise, date, watch movies, watch plays, go to gym, learn French, join Jive classes, kick boxing, read good books, cook, chat, LIVE…

Tomorrow when  you are waiting for your company transport to pick you up, just look at the faces of the people who are heading for work in different company buses and looking out of  windows like POWs in some St Petersburg jail.  “Arrey yaar main kahan jaa raha hun?? Phir wohi bus, wohi log, wohi road, traffic, office, PL, break, loo, lunch, stroll, bus, evening, home, food, crash, Dead…”. This is written all over their faces . And if you are lucky (on leave and notice a company bus coming back in the evening) and get a chance to see the faces of these very people, you would notice that they are so exhausted they don’t even have energy to crib about their lives as they did in the morning!! Their faces are dead, no energy, no spirit, no glow, no hope, poker-faced, expressionless as if someone has given them anesthesia, and their heads would be hanging out of those POW prison windows like tongue of  a stray dog in African summer.

Aadmi kaam karta hai apni life ko support karne ke liye…. Aur who kaam shuru bhi isii intention se karta hai par after a few years the work engulfs him aur kaam hii uski life ban jaati hai.. aur yahin se shuru hoti hai zindagii ki dhalaan, short mein VAAT!!! Aadmee Mentally, physically, emotionally (aur jitney bhi ..lly hain) drain hone lagta hai. Where are we heading as a society?

 If sitting in front of a machine for 8 hours which makes your eyes watery, gives you spondilitis, backache, migraine, indigestion, obesity, stress, restlessness is called success, respectable life, development and growth then I don’t want this growth.. .if this is what a city life demands then I don’t want to live in a city. 

A long time ago I read somewhere that according to a survey done in early 20^th century, people with professions like cobbling, tailoring, accountancy and others, in short those who sit at a place for long hours and work are the ones who face problems like backache, joints problem, acidity, weakness in bones, obesity, etc once they attain the age of 40. Since profession of software is very new and most of the people are young, we don’t have any idea of its consequences as we don’t see that many problems at present. But in a few years from now, we will know how worse this could be on our health, lives and lives of our dear ones!!When god sent us here He didn’t know that this is what we are going to do to his creation, that is, to ourselves. Torturing ourselves.

And who says we can have only two days leave in a week? Why not 3 days work and 3 days Off… lets have 6 days in a week.. Someone once said, “world is not perfect but what the heck, we can at least try”. And again, who thought of the rule that we have to work for 8 hours? Why can’t we have 4 straight hours of work? In case of IT and other white collar jobs, every one  knows that nobody works for 8 hours in an 8 hours shift. It is hardly 3 to 4 hours. So why not Come at 8.00 am, work with all your zeal, energy and concentration till 10.30, have a 30 min break (Breakfast, tea) and again work efficiently till 12.30 pm and then everybody leave office to live their own lives.

Think about it!!

Goonda Biscuit

Goonda Biscuit

Last weekend, early morning, was standing at a tea stall after ordering ginger tea. Three daily wage labourers (ladies) were squatted nearby in a sort of a circle, having two-by-three tea in plastic cups. They looked clean and fresh in their saaris with hair tightly combed, braided and shining with lot of coconut oil, which, after combing, they had applied on their faces too. They looked all set for the hard and long day at the office.

After some giggling and brainstorming they decided on something. One of the ladies came to the stall and asked for a packet of biscuit. The owner gave her a rectangle shaped 'Parle-G' and she walked back. The other two sent her back without even allowing her to sit. She comes back and says 'Anna, we don't want this. give me 'Goonda Biscuit'. 

I smiled, though I wanted to laugh and curiously looked at the stall owner. But he seemed to know 'what(these) women really want'! And… there he goes under the counter and takes out, a cylindrically shaped... 'Goodday Biscuit' packet!!

I could't control it anymore. I laughed out loud and looked for similar reaction from the 'witnesses' around me but they all threw a puzzled expression at me in response. 

All of them seemed to have a harmonious way of communication which I didn't.