OPPORTUNITY AND THE GAME OF GOLF

 OPPORTUNITY      AND        THE     GAME    OF     GOLF

        The  conflict between ability and opportunity  , inheritance and  achievement  is very old. Countries who have shunned such misconceptions have  moved ahead and have benefitted socially others are still struggling to shed their outdated mould. Still we have conservatives lamenting the loss of purity of blood whilst the progressives consider such theories as regressive.

    It is proven in democratic and fledgling societies  that DNA is only a means of identification and not a certificate of greatness, in our busy lives we fail to witness  the abundance of  existence of the truth that opportunity is indeed necessary for achievement and ability is present in all of us in  variety of manner. Nowhere, it is so visible as in the game of golf( I must confess  though that my interest in golf is recent). Even though it is said that the game of golf is a great leveller it is more referred to the unpredictability of the players’ performance and form, the classic case of Tiger woods’ dwindling status is an example. My reference is to caddies who assist in play. Most; at least in India are from poor economic and social background, they work to survive and are in their teens and twenties , but soon pickup the fineness of the game by observing and being on play and advise the novices as well as the established club players. Their advice may not always result in success but their confidence is to be admired.

       Many caddies become great players if given opportunity, Vijay Singh of Fiji is one such example.  Studying their talent and knowledge of the game one wonders as to how they understand in such detail which we learn after much coaching , reading, watching videos whereas they  have been just on the course helping and watching and listening to the established players and thereby learning from them. Indeed, each class has its unique way of learning, some merely afford simple methods others the luxurious ways! Though the game is for the elite it displays that  what people need is opportunity and talent does not belong to a certain class but is  widely prevalent in society waiting for the chance!

  Their  status is similar to that of a respected adviser, a ‘Staff’; a modern day ‘Saarthi’: what ‘Krishna’ was to Arjun . Yes; many may not acknowledge my assessment, it may appear to be far fetched, but it is indeed true. We must remember that Tenzing Norgay the first man to climb the Everest was a ‘porter’ in mountaineering expeditions, but rose to be a ‘climbing partner’ of Sir Edmund Hillary.

YAHOO !! - SHAMMI NO MORE ! LONG LIVE YAHOO !!

YAHOO!!

SHAMMI   IS    DEAD !     LONG   LIVE   YAHOO !

 He was ‘Junglee’, ‘Janwar’, ‘Bluffmaster’, ‘Badtameez’, ‘ Professor’, ‘Prince’, ‘Brahmachari’, ‘Rajkumar’, ‘Latsahab’, ‘Majnu’,, and ‘Pagla Kahi Kaa’. Man , larger than life with western regal looks and Pathan leanage. An exotic charm. Referred lovingly by lovely ladies as Lord Byron!- the great romantic poet of England known for his irresistible looks which disarmed many.

 Perhaps, one of the few actors whose screen persona so very much matched the off screen life. He was indeed quite wild and uncontrollable as the titles of his numerous films suggest; in his hay days of course.

I first saw him in a black and white film titled ‘Hum sab chor hain’, which was screened in our school hall. His thin moustache and neat and lean appearance  I still remember. But, prior to that it was ‘Professor I had seen as a child of six in the cinema hall of Lansdowne. But, for the grand Darshan i had to wait for ‘Junglee’. It was at Palace theatre, civil lines at Allahabad that I saw the film and like the youth of that time and Saira on screen was swept away by the Yahoo! Storm. He was indeed the first dancing star- joy Mukherjee, Jitendra, Mithun and Govinda followed much late , even Shahrukh seems to be greatly influenced by Shammi.

  Actors such as Dilip, Amitabh are known for their acting skills and therefore when we praise  their performance we refer to  the dialogues from their films. In case of Shammi the eternal image is of singing and dancing: ‘Yeh chand sa roshan chehra zulfon ka rang sunhera’ from ‘Kashmir ki Kali’, as he woos  Sharmila   singing  on a Shikara.  Teesri Manzil set the bench mark for musical thrillers , Shammi as Rocky the drummer who sings captivated us with many songs, specially ‘ O hasina zulfon wali jane jahan’ and ‘ Tumne mujhe dekha ho kar meharbaan, ruk gayi ye zameen tham gaya aasman jane man , jane jaan’. For, Brahmachari he won a filmfare award and was one of his last big hits is also known for its music, ‘Mein gaaun tum sojao sukh sapno mein kho jao’, ‘Aaj kal tere mere charche hain zuban par ‘. There are many more.

 He was an urban star and his fame was with the youth like that of Dev Anand . He gave a sense of joy to a generation who searched in cinema  for escape from the reality and also for entertainment, he also provided confidence to  the youth of that time affected by colonial burden.

  Many contributed to his success but since his forte was dance and music the music directors, lyricists and singers are to be credited, chief among them was Mohammad Rafi who sang almost all his songs. Shammi in his interview has paid his gratitude to him , O P Nayyar gave him the initial boost with ‘Tumsa nahi  dekha’ and ‘Kashmir ki Kali’ the later success could be credited to Shankar Jaikishan and Hasrat Jaipuri/ Shailendra- ‘Professor’, ‘Junglee’, ‘An Evening in Paris’, ‘Raajkumar’, ‘Brahmachari’, ‘Andaz’ are some of them.

   Later in his life, he played character roles, grew beard and added much weight- Zameer, PremRog, Vidhata, Betaab, Naseeb are some notable films.

   Star of his stature may be seen again but there will not be any of his style, flourish, élan, robustness and confidence. He set a new status for dance and carried forward the great and unique Indian tradition of performing arts based on movement and music. Yahoo!!

MAHADEV AT COOPERAGE- YAI HAI BOMBAY MERI-JAAN

                                   MAHADEV        AT      COOPERAGE

                                 ‘ YAI     HAI    BOMBAY      MERI   -      JAAN’

                                    This  is Mahadev the Newspaper seller at Cooperage crossing, Bombay.Selling ‘Mid-Day’, at 11.Behind his photo you can see the Statue Of ‘Rajiv Gandhi’, the  PrimeMinister who talked of modern India!  perhaps  the dreamer of modern India!  What an irony!

Mahadev  lives in Machhimar colony opposite the Badhwar park( where Kasab arrived with his gang). He has been selling newspapers since last thirty years. I could only ask his name, where he stays and the years he has been in this profession, before the green light appeared and I had to move. But  Mahadev makes me think , his distinct cap gives him dignity.Indeed this city gives dignity to the downtrodden. People who are oppressed by the class and caste distinction in villages find freedom in this crammed city!

      Mahadev struggles to sustain in South Bombay, from meagre earnings he may be able to save to have a cup of tea in the Persian restaurant at Wodehouse road sometimes or may be managing the ‘cutting chai’. Who would be there in his family? A son !  unemployed ? Would his wife be waiting in the evenings to muster his earning and plan the day(life) ahead? Is it possible that Mahadev would be busting his earnings in ‘country liquor’ neglecting his wife to fend for herself? I am certain sometimes he would be watching cinema at Eros or Regal sitting in the stalls enjoying ‘Buddha hoga tera baap’. That may depend on the sensation the ‘Mid-Day’ may create!

     Will he be ever be able to go back to his village? To commit suicide! He is among the millions who have left their villages in Maharashtra so that now only 40% dwell in villages in the state- Yai Hai Bombay Meri Jaan!