END GAME

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END GAME

     As in chess so in life the ‘end game’ matters the most; all is well that ends well ! You may not live well, but must die well! ( in peace! ) The good taste must linger on! The end is indeed important; though few care for it, busy as they are to make the ends meet! The philosophy of beginning, middle and end is applicable to so many aspects of life, in addition to life itself ! In our early days we were taught that an ‘essay’ has three parts: introduction, main body and the conclusion. After initiating the topic it is expected that the core issue will be discussed in the main body and finally in the conclusion the issues discussed are reemphasised to make an impact, the reader is expected to form an opinion on the basis of the complete work , but relies on the last  sentences and its impact.

    In fact ‘the end’ is the sum total of life. Few cases would only be there who have led a steady-straight life, ' copy book' style . Life is like the oceanic tide - 'ebb and flow' ; as the moon phase controls the tides it controls the human life;' waxing and waning'; yet few pass out of the night with ‘full moon’ glowing peacefully. Usually many infirmities and inadequacies strike us as we enter old age; illness of body and mind, lack of love of partner ( companionship)or attention of children and therefore the gains of youth and manhood seem waste. Of what avail is the sweetest fruit if it does not ripen well !Eeven though it may have flowered and taken perfect shape on the most prosperous tree! But if we achieve solace of mind and heart on own or through help the life spent is successful, but then the Indian view on after life gives chance to all those who do not make to the post ! It is not ‘nirvana’ that most seek though, but all wish to board the train to eternity with confirmed booking !!

A few illustrations from the life of the imminent figures of the past should suffice here to clarify my view: Shah Jahan the 17^th century Moghal Emperor was married to the beautiful Mumtaj Mahal ( Arjumand) and sired 14 children; in those times this was one way to show your love! The Empress died in the battle field whilst delivering their last child. In her memory and to convey to the world her beauty and his love of her he built the famous Taj Mahal – the symbol of beauty. He is known to be the biggest builder of that era and Lal Quila, Juma Masjid are credited to him,but he died a broken man as his son Auranzeb captured him and put him in the Agra Fort in caged condition , he died in very old age and for his living he had to teach children ‘Quran’. He was defeated in the ‘end game’. We know the story of King Lear as dramatzsed by Shakespeare: King with three lovely daughters who deceived himself with some bad decisions. Nehru led a life of challenges and glory, he was the man truly loved by the masses. He would have preferred to die in a satisfied manner handing the baton to the generation next; but that was not to be: the Chinese betrayal shattered him , his image also suffered setback and he died a very sad man; the debacle curtailed his life span.

    The aspect of ‘end game’ could  be discerned in the field of literature and Art. Sahir Ludhiyanvi the famous Urdu poet who wrote successfully for films was of known leftist leanings, the people remember him for the last few lines he wrote on Taj “ik Shahenshah ne daulat ka sahara lekar hum garibon ki mohabbat ka uraya hai mazak” (The emperor has mocked on the poor on the strength of his wealth). The famous American Poet Robert Frost is known from the last four lines of his poem ‘Stopping by the woods on a snowy evening’:

"The woods are lovely dark and deep

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep

And miles to go before I sleep".

     Cinema is the place where this theory is well defined. Many a famous Director fail at the end ; so often we have witnessed the audience walking out of the cinema as the film  reaches the climax. The ending has a tremendous impact on the feedback which is given by the audience and often decides the fate of the film at Box office. Directors ‘unfold’ the plot well but when the time comes to ‘fold’ the plot and reach the end they falter , in most cases it is evident that the script is weak and not much attention is given to the foundation and therefore they reap what they have sown. Imminent filmmakers such as Raj Kapoor, Bimal Roy, Mehboob Khan,  Guru Dutt ,Vijay Anand balanced the plot in such a manner that the end was uplifting, the audience experienced catharsis ( purgation of emotion). The last scene of ‘Pyasa’ where Guru Dutt denounces the world and the flimsy fame and walks into the sunset  holding the hand of Waheeda Rehman is imprinted in the minds of the public; that is the way we would like to retreat to our cocoon with our loved one , far from the material world. The ending of ‘Guide’ as filmed by Vijay Anand is different from the book; the book shows that ‘Raju Guide’ dies in the end after many days of fasting for the rains but in the film it finally rains on the hills and the villagers are overjoyed as Raju passes away . This ending is very rejuvenating as it depicts that Raju has finally purified himself, sort of redeemed himself and the effect is tremendous.

   The end of Mahabharata the longest epic poem is with the Pandavas handing over their kingdom to Parikshit the son of Abhimanu and proceeding to the Himalayas to die one after the other, only the truthful Yudhisthir the eldest of them is sent a chariot to be taken to the higher abode. After achieving name , fame , glory, kingdom and victory in the war of ‘principles’ and restoring their honour it was the most appropriate ‘end’ for the Pandavas as well as for the poem; in harmony with the theory of renunciation and temporariness of material happiness. It remains the bestseller to this day.

   The Indian concept of the four phases of life- brahmacharya( student age), grihasta ( married life), vanprastha( life in forest) and sanyas( renunciation) teach us to lead a balanced and satisfactory life giving adequate attention and emphasis to each phase . Hardly few attain the concept envisaged by our sages. Though even in such times their seems hope of turnaround.

   Life will end one day. But the day must end peacefully as we recede into the night to attend to another day, and each day will count to make our ‘end game’!!

SHAILENDRA SAHIR SHAKEEL

SHAILENDRA - SAAHIR - SHAKEEL


My grudge is that our ‘Geetkars’ have not received that respect and recognition which they deserve by the nation who have regaled to their songs generation after generation.
Shailendra, Saahir Ludhiyanvi and Shakeel Badayuni were not only ‘geetkaars’ of hindi cinema who reigned the cinema scene from forties to early seventies ( though Sahir made songs till early eighties) but were true poets of superior standard. Their poetry has withstood the test of time as when we listen to them we not only acknowledge their poetic depth but are saddened with the standards of present times where there is only ‘sound’ but no ‘soul’.
Shakespeare wrote his plays hurriedly borrowing from the various Italian stories and history to meet the deadlines of the theatre owners. In many instances the play was performed the very day or next. It is to the credit of that genius that we do not notice any casualness in his work and today it is the foundation of English Literature and the Bard’s relevance to English speaking culture is the same as what Mahabharat and Ramayan are to Indian culture. But, whilst he was writing those plays he could have never imagined that his works would conquer many continents. After all who decides if a person deserves to be categorised as an artist/poet or a mere craftsman/geetkaar? It is the public ( Aawaam) , the people the masses who saw and heard Shakespeare made him a legend. Similarly our ‘geetkars’ ( lyricists who have given so much of joy and emotional tonic to the people that they deserve a higher status.

In my assessment the poets( Shayers/geetkaars) who wrote for Cinema in the 40s/50s/60s were of high calibre and their talent was even superior to that of many film makers for whom they composed songs. We are fortunate that they were compelled to write for cinema in order to survive economically otherwise we would have been deprived of ‘poetry’ of ‘high seriousness’. Cannot we make out from the songs that are played on TV sometimes that the visual display does not match the audio creation. The words used are very simple of everyday usage so that the common man could understand and relate to them. The vast movie goers also understood the ‘subtext’ of such songs as they had experienced it all, suffered depravity, poverty, rejection etc.

Shailendra started his career with Raj Kapoor’s ‘Barssat’ and thereafter never looked back. During his lifetime he was rated the best. He formed a formidable team with Raj Kapoor, Shankar Jaikishen, Hasrat Jaipuri,Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh. Apart from the R K Banner he gave memorable songs with S D Burman and Salil Chaudhary for Dev Anand ,Bimal Roy films. Who can ever forget the music of Barsaat, Awaara, Shree 420, Sangam, Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai, Teesri Kasam, Anari, Madhumati, Bandini , Parakh, Guide, Kala Bazaar ……. The list is endless. I will not dwell here on the songs he wrote for that will require a separate dedicated space but it is sufficient to mention that the lyrics he wrote formed an integral part of the film.His songs added character to the film--- what is ‘Guide’ without “ gata rahe mera dil…”? Can we think of ‘Sangam’ without “ dost dost na raha” ? or ‘Madhumati’ without “ suhana safar ye mausam hansi..”, ‘Teesri Kasam’ devoid of “ sajan re jhoot mat bolo”?. The inherent simplicity with depth of meaning is the most endearing quality of his songs.
I wonder as what was the status of our ‘Bhakti’ poets during their lifetime? Tulsidas, Kabir, Rahim, Surdas,Raskhan, Tukaram etc because they created in popular voice and not in the language of the ruling class. They have been made famous not by the imminent scholars of Universities or by the ruling class of that era but by the common folks to whom they have provided spiritual sustenance; a source of survival! Deep in the Indian villages in ‘choupals’ such poets are remembered for they wrote for the masses. Are Shailendra-Sahir- Shakeel less important in their literary substance to Sumitra Nandan Pant, Mahadevi Verma, Harvansh Rai Bachhan or Maithalisharan Gupt? I do not think so . Or their folly for writing for films is so unpardonable that they will be denied their true status?
. Sahir could be categorised as a revolutionary poet. He used words which few could imagine or had courage to write at that time—‘Aurat ne janam diya mardon ko mardon ne uce bazaar diya’( Sadhna), ‘ye mahlon ye thakton ye tazon ki duniya’( Pyasa). His poetry appealed particularly to the youth who were frustrated with the unemployment post independence and the failure of the leaders who had promised a progressive India. Sahir’s romantic poetry is as famous and appealing as his songs on social subjects ,and his language was the fine balance between Hindi and Urdu- a true Hindustani ‘zuban’ . He was a very successful ‘geetkaar’ and produced many immortal songs with ‘Roshan’ ( Chitrelekha, Taj Mahal, Barsaat ki Raat ), ‘Ravi’( Sadhna, Waqt, Gumrah, Hamraaj), ‘Khayyam’( Kabhi Kabhi, Woh Subha Kabhi To Ayegi) and with Sachin Dev Burman (Jaal, Devdas, Munimji ,House no 44,Taxi Driver,Pyasa, Baazi)and even his son R D Burman( Aa gale lagja). Nav Ketan films of Dev Anand should be indebted to him for providing immortality to their music—
‘ jayen to jayen kahan samjhe ga kaun yahan ( Taxi Driver), ‘dukhi man mere sun mera kahna jahan nahi chaina wahan nahi rehna’ ( Funtoosh), ‘tadbir se bigdi hui taqdeer bana je kismet me bharosa ha to ye dav laga le ( Baazi) ‘ mein zindagi ka saath nibha ta chala gaya har fikr ko dhuan me ura ta chala gaya’ ( Hum Dono). However he composed lyrics for most of the films of B R Chopra and fo Yash Chopra right upto ‘Kala Patthar’, though he touched his peak with Guru Dutt’s ‘Pyasa’ in which Guru Dutt himself played the role of poet ‘Vijay’.His romantic songs are rated as one of the finest and are hummed even to this day—‘ abhi na jao chod kar ke dil abhi bhara nahin’ ( Hum Dono), ‘jane kya tune kahi jane kya maine kahi bat kuch ban hi gayi’ ( Pyasa),’’ mere dil mein aaj kya hei tu kahe to mein bata dun’( Daag),’chalo ik bar phir se ajnabi ban jayen hum dono’( Gumrah), ‘aye meri zohrazanbi tujhe maloom nahin tu abhi tak he hansi aur mein jawan’( Waqt ), ‘zindagi bhar nahi bhulegi ye barsaat ki raa( Barsaat ki raat). Sahir’s lyrics fo Kedar Sharma’s ‘Chitrelekha’ and in particular the Rafi song ‘ man re tu kahi na dhir dhare o nirmohi moh na jane jin ka moh kare’ stands tallest among songs of all eras probably a notch higher than his more popular philosophical song ‘mein zindagi saath nibha ta chala gaya har fikr ko dhuen me ura ta chala gaya’ of ‘Humdono’. Some of the very good songs of Sahir would have been even more popular had they been sung by Rafi instead of Mahendra Kapoor who was regular with Ravi , but an ordinary singer
Shakeel did most of his work with with Naushad, it is ironical that he received the three filmfare awards for songs composed with Ravi ‘ Bharonsa’ and ‘chaudhivin ka chand’ and Hemant Kumar composed ‘kahin deep jale kahin dil’ for ‘bees saal baad’. His poetry has more urdu words but he was at ease with the rural tongue and created compositions for ‘Baiju bawra’, ‘Mother India’ and ‘Ganga Jamuna’ which were soaked in rural soil. It is to his credit that he provided lyrics to wide ranging themes --a historical ‘Mugal e-azam’ a romantic film such as ‘Mera Mehboob’, a typical eastern UP song for ‘Ganga Jamuna’- ‘nein lar jahiyen to manwa ma khatak hoebe kari’. The depth of his understanding of Hindustani culture, knowledge of various north Indian dialects such as Awadhi, Bhojpuri and Braj could be ascertained from the songs he wrote relating to Hindu mythology and ethos to which the masses connect: ‘mohe panghat pen and lal ched gayo re’- ‘Mughal-e-azam’, ‘tu ganga ki mauj mein jamuna ka dhara ho rahega milan’-‘ Baiju Bawra’,’man tadpat hari darshan ko aaj’- ‘Biju Bawra’ are some examples. I think he was as good as Sahir in his love songs epitomized in ‘Mere Mehboob’- ‘mere mehboob tuzhe meri mohabbat ki kasam’ and longing for love ‘koi door se awaaz de chale aao’, from ‘Sahib Bivi aur Ghulam’ and finally the song which will never be forgotten as long as there exists women and beauty—‘Chaudhivin ka chand ho ya aftab ho job hi ho khuda ki kasam la jawab ho’.
It is not the elite ruling class who accord status of ‘poet’ to a person, but it is the people in the streets in a democracy, who do not even need literacy certificate to understand and enjoy the sound of music created by these poets. We need not conduct any opinion poll for we can fathom the popularity of such poets from far as their songs and sounds are heard in the nook and corner of our cities, towns and even villages. Their songs supply love songs to young and old alike and remain submerged in our consciousness even if we forget the film. The ‘Antakshari’ programme is testimony to their popularity, and perhaps the only original Indian live tv programme
It is my firm belief that very soon the poetry of Shailendra-Sahir-Shakeel will be taught in colleges and Universities imparting lessons on Indian Cinema. Their status as ‘Poets’ of serious stuff will soar and they will attain what they deserved , even though posthumously

IN WHOSE HONOUR?

IN WHOSE HONOUR ?

This week ‘Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge’ will complete 800 weeks run at Maratha Mandir Cinema hall at Mumbai, it is a record for a hindi film in India. The story if we recollect is of ‘Raj’ and ‘Simran’ who meet during a European tour, initially dislike each other but fall in love. Simran’s traditional father wants her to marry the boy of his choice in India ( Punjab) and returns to his roots leaving his well established business in London. Raj follows her to India and despite the stiff opposition from her father wins her. The movie is a benchmark in the love stories genre . The present generation seems to relate to it in the same manner as our generation related to ‘Bobby’ in the seventies.
The reality is that in Democratic India ‘Honour Killings’ are on the rise. In last one year 326 ‘ honour killings’ have been reported , out of these 72% are related to couples who married outside their ‘caste’ , ‘community’. As the Nation prepares to counter the economic conflicts which the liberalization has created we are caught unaware with the ‘social churning’ stimulated by the internet, television and to an extent by ‘economic independence’ . The freedom of interaction and communication which exists has given new confidence to the new generation and by taking their own decision they are not only questioning the old values but are in fact undermining the existing ‘Authority’ of family and Village elders. But then the insecurity of parents and village elders is to such an extent that they feel no guilt or remorse in killing their kith and kin?
Democracy is dynamic , as it moves forward the established practices will be challenged. We have seen it in case of poll reforms, code of conduct etc where it was inconceivable to think that booth capturing, criminal record of candidates will ever be controlled, but gradually the things have changed. Similarly the society will have to accept this change that the young will not only think independently but will ‘feel’ independently too. The false sense of honour will have to shed, though parents will have their own plans and recommendations and in the matter of marriage even the most revered leaders have faulted , not many of us know that Pandit Nehru was not in favour of his daughter Indira marrying a Parsi Firoj Gandhi, he had desired that she should marry Mohan Kumar Manglam a promising left oriented leader, he even persuaded Bapu to influence Indira to change her mind. It is known that Bapu also counselled her but she was adamant. Therefore difference of understanding/ opinion/interest will always remain but a civilised society reacts differently. They do not kill or consider such steps as an affront to their honour. There may be break in relationship, complete distance from each other, removal from share of property but all within the socially accepted behaviour.
The visible social change is a healthy sign of a confident generation who intend to carve their own destiny even at the peril to their lives .