Tumse Acha Kaun Hai...

On Sunday 14^th August 2011, India woke up to the news of the death of one of the most popular Indian cinema actors, the great Shamsher Raj Kapoor. Although ailing for a while, the news came as a big shock! However, it is amazing to know how Shammi Kapoor, at the age of 79, managed to remain in high spirits till his last moments. 

Although a late 20^th Century product, I grew up admiring the sheer energy Shammiji displayed, on as well as, off screen. A regular follower of Shammiji on Twitter, I would often look forward to his tweets. His love for technology was simply amazing. His childlike enthusiasm when making sure to reply to the innumerable tweets he received daily was simply commendable.    

Who could help but fall in love with the beautiful locations Shammiji took us to through his films? My excitement to visit Kashmir only grew after watching Kashmir Ki Kali. I made sure my parents took me to all the places in Srinagar where the film was shot, as well as don traditional Kashmiri clothes. The icing on the cake for me came in October 2010, when I had the opportunity to meet the leading lady of the film, the beautiful Sharmila Tagore. It was wonderful to hear her speak at length about her first co-star of Hindi films. I have to admit, I watched the movie An Evening in Paris the very next day. I am sure everyone will agree when I say, hanging out of a helicopter in a dressing gown never looked as charming. Even the indifferent Deepa could not help but give in to Shyam’s charisma.  

Remembering Shammi Kapoor, without mentioning the person who made his moves on screen so melodious, is impossible. The exceptional pair of Mohammed Rafi and Shammi Kapoor still manages to rule our hearts. One cannot help but remember Rafi Sahab when watching Shammi Kapoor groove on screen or vice versa. The admiration was mutual. In fact the legendary actor once said, "I am incomplete without Mohammed Rafi. I used to often go for the recoding of my song, which was sung by Mohammed Rafi, only because I used to like telling him how I would perform on this song on screen so that he can sing it that way. Even he liked my involvement". The hugely popular (and my favourite) song, Ishaaron Ishaaron Mein, is a classic example of the camaraderie the two shared.  

My tribute to Shammiji would be incomplete without citing the largely underrated film, Manoranjan. Shammi Kapoor’s take on the classic, Irma la Douce, was much discussed. His portrayal of Dhoop Chhaon was particularly delightful.  Who can forget his oft repeated line in the film, “uska kissa phir kabhi”?   

As the world comes to terms with such a big loss, all I would like to say is Tarif Karun Kya Uski Jinse Tumhe Banaya… 

Art of pronouncing words incorrectly- confidently!

Without sounding pedantic, I have to admit I cringe when I hear someone pronounce simple words incorrectly. After giving a lot of thought to the issue, I decided I had to give my views. I present below some commonly mispronounced words:

• ASK should not be pronounced as AKS!
• ANYWAY is often given an unnecessary sound to make it ANYWAYS. It is not a plural of ANYWAY!
• DESKTOP is often mispronounced as De-Ks-top. There is a reason for its name...
• The expression is Et cetera (etc) and not Ex cetera!  
• When in a café, people confidently order an EXPRESSO. The word is ESPRESSO! Why not order a simple coffee instead???
• Faux pas- need I even say anything here?
• GRIEVANCE is simply pronounced as Gri-Vuns and not Gri-VANS.
• The past tense of ‘I don’t know’ is NOT ‘I didn’t KNEW’. The wrong inflection is as annoying as nails dragged down a chalkboard!        
• The biggest blunder made in the case of MARIJUANA is pronouncing the ‘J’, which is quite unnecessary. ‘JU’ is pronounced as ‘HU’.
• Next comes my favourite- MERCHANDISE, which is often pronounced as MER-KUN-DIZE. It’s MER-CHEN-DIZE.  Geez!
• This last one definitely takes the cake. The word PRONUNCIATION itself is unnecessarily given an extra ‘O’, making it sound like PRO-NOUN-CIA-TION. Please AVOID! 

It is disheartening to know how people go about pronouncing words incorrectly, without knowing its correct pronunciation. I often ask myself, is that how these words were taught or is it simply ignorance? People might argue, different accents result in varied pronunciations of words, however, that cannot be the answer to incorrectly pronounced words. 

There are many more words to be added to the list. I am happy to discuss further over a nice cup of expresso!!!

The new Nitin Desai Movie- the GenY response!

With no (self-proclaimed or otherwise), authority to either comment on Bal Gandharva’s life nor any expertise in writing art reviews/criticism, I’m going to confine my thoughts around my experience of watching the newly released Nitin Desai movie and my views on its significance in today’s time.

My deep-seated passion for Indian classical music drew me to this movie made on the hugely popular Narayan Shripad Rajhans A.K.A. Bal Gandharva. A few months ago my father casually mentioned to me about an upcoming movie based on the life of Bal Gandharva, with songs sung by a very competent young artiste Anand Bhate, fondly known as ‘Anand Gandharva’. Although I didn’t know much about Bal Gandharva then, I was excited about Anand Bhate lending his voice. Being a huge fan of Bharat Ratna, late Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, I have been an avid listener of some of his disciples as well-- Bhate being one such prominent name. Thus began the wait for the release of this biopic to be made by the celebrated art director, Nitin Chandrakant Desai. Looking at Desai’s previous work, there was no doubt the movie would be nothing short of an opulent drama. And has Desai lived up to the expectation? Absolutely! 

The movie finally released last week and I was sure I wanted to watch the movie before the end of the weekend. I wanted to catch it early and well before people started discussing it. I saw the movie with my grandfather and parents. All three generations had their own reasons for watching it. My grandfather had seen the popularity of Bal Gandharva during his younger days. My parents grew up on the stories (legends and fables as well!), of great stalwarts of Marathi ‘Natyasangeet’ like Bal Gandharva, Deenanath Mangeshkar, Keshavrao Bhosle etc. Raw curiosity, coupled with my musical leanings played a role in my watching the movie. 

But I must confess I didn’t go into the movie theatre absolutely clueless about Narayan Shripad Rajhans. Before going for the movie, I spent a good amount of time reading up on the life of Bal Gandharva. I have seen numerous plays at the Bal Gandharva Rangamandir in Pune, but never realized the significance behind its name as much as I did while carrying out this focussed reading. This reading helped me better relate to the sequences portrayed on screen. Given the abundant reading material available on Bal Gandharva, I pretty much knew the crux of the subject and unknowingly even did a comparison between the sequences playing in my head with the ones projected on screen. 

Ever since I found out about Nitin Desai’s plans to make a film on the life of Bal Gandharva, I have often reflected on the significance of making such a movie in today’s time. In the 21^st Century, young Indians like me are slowly losing touch with the Indian classical music scene and our other artistic traditions. Marathi Natyasangeet too is suffering the same fate. A film that portrays a ‘Sangeet Natak’ (a musical play) at the backdrop of India’s freedom movement is extremely significant for today’s youth to know. Although not actively involved in the freedom struggle, Bal Gandharva’s plays solidly supported the freedom movement as well as the social movement. In an era when the Indian society is becoming increasingly dominated by blind aping of western culture, today’s youth is not familiar with the rich and strong bygone era of Marathi theatre. Nitin Desai’s efforts to resurrect the magnanimity (and simplicity at once!) of the man, so many of us have only heard of, are extremely commendable. I often feel disadvantaged to be born in an era where this art is only barely read about. The movie was more like watching a kaleidoscopic amalgamation of various plays of Bal Gandharva on the big screen.

My experience of watching this grand drama cannot be complete without mentioning Anand Bhate’s fine rendering of the ‘Gandharva Gayakee’ (style). Every time Subodh Bhave (the actor playing the role of Bal Gandharva) came on stage and started singing, it was impossible not to picturise Bhate himself singing on stage. The sheer amount of energy and dedication he has put into each song gave me goose bumps. It can be safely said that no other singer in the Marathi music industry today, was more suited to lend his background voice to the film as much as Bhate. Not mentioning about the actors who have brought life to the film will make this piece of writing incomplete- and there the list is long. Each one has done his/her best to be truthful to their characters. And Subodh Bhave has carried the role with dignity and élan!         

The movie was an absolutely amazing audio & visual treat. Given an opportunity, I would love to watch the movie on the big screen once again. Anybody interested?

Permanent Seat for India in the United Nations Security Council

The issue of India being a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council has fascinated me for a long time, compelling me to write my Master’s thesis on the topic. I have often wondered why a nation like India has been left out of the Council so far. Below I present my opinion on why it is time for India to become a permanent member of the UNSC.   

There is no denying that India’s position in Asia has always been that of a great power which has had a strong impact on other Asian nations’ cultures, economies, identities et al. India continues to play an important role in the development of South Asia. India has come a long way since its independence in 1947 to today’s global information age. The following quote from Gurcharan Das’ book, ‘India Unbound’, perfectly explains this claim, “The ascent of a country from poverty to prosperity, from tradition to modernity, is a great and fascinating enterprise. India has recently emerged as a vibrant free- market democracy after the economic reforms in 1991, and it has begun to flex its muscles in the global information economy.”

Keeping in line with the most important feature of the realist school of thought that lays emphasis on national interest and security, India currently maintains the third largest active armed force in the world after China and the United States of America. The Indian government, during its Union Budget of 2010-2011, announced an increase in the allocation for Defence to US $31.9 billion as well as allocating US $12.9 billion for capital expenditure. Although India achieved independence through its policies of non- violence, circumstances and the changing world order have had an influence on the growth of the Indian Military. The Sino- Indian War of 1962 was seen as a catalyst in making defence a high priority between the 1960s and 1970s. Learning from its mistakes in the 1962 conflict, India successfully defeated Pakistan in the 1971 Indo- Pakistan War, thus establishing its military dominance in South Asia. Over the years India has demonstrated its military strength on a number of occasions. Apart from maintaining a large armed force, as of July 2010, India is also the third largest contributor of troops, after Pakistan and Bangladesh, to various UN Peacekeeping missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cyprus, Cambodia, Yemen, Somalia, Rwanda, Namibia, Sinai Peninsula etc.

Adding to its military capacity, India became a nuclear power in 1974 after conducting its first nuclear test, ‘Operation Smiling Buddha’. Further underground testing was carried out in 1998, resulting in India declaring itself a nuclear weapons state. 

Measuring a country’s status on the world stage in terms of its ‘soft power’ is equally important. It won’t be wrong to borrow Joseph Nye’s idea here. According to him, instead of relying solely on coercive use of military and economic right, a nation should also make use of its culture and ideology as well as work towards the propagation of its norms and values. Although both forms of power ride on the ability to influence, Joseph Nye clearly believes soft power is the ability to attract, eventually leading to acquiescence. Just how using its soft power is likely to help India gain an entry into the UNSC is discussed below. 

Despite a shaky start, India, after becoming independent in 1947, embarked upon ambitious plans of industrial development, thus encouraging the setting up of new industries in addition to the expansion of existing ones, the government’s main concern being the protection of Indian industries. India is seen as one of those few countries which used its stringent import policies for the successful development of local industries. A few years after independence India was short on foreign exchange, as a result of which imports had to be restricted. This gave the government the opportunity to encourage indigenous production. This restriction on international trade enabled Indian industries to develop and grow, thus making them self sufficient. Local industries were also encouraged to get into foreign collaborations in order to understand the technicalities behind production. India’s policy of protectionism also involved imposing higher tariffs in order to restrict imports. Moreover a number of products were banned, providing a sheltered market for Indian goods and a number of industries thrived within these protective walls. Initially, products produced in India did not comply with international quality norms, however, over time Indian goods have found a secure place in the international market. During this period Indian industries also manufactured industrial machines making industries more independent. This brought about a new dimension to India’s industrial development.

Apart from manufacturing competitive goods, the Indian Information Technology Industry has also seen rapid growth since the mid 1990s. There is no denying that India has been recognized a technology superpower. A nation with such credential needs to be taken into serious consideration where membership of an international organisation is concerned. India’s success in software and high technology has given some real content to the relationship between the world’s oldest democracy (the United States of America) and the world’s largest democracy (India). It is not wrong to say India is now one of the most important Asian states and other nations’ policies need to accommodate themselves to this new reality. Like Japan and China, India is acquiring the capability to influence developments throughout much of Asia and other regions of the world.

When it comes to gauging a nation’s suitability in becoming an integral member of an international organisation, taking into consideration that nation’s economic standing in the global perspective is one of the most important factors. Although traces of the past autarkic economic policies are still visible, India is slowly developing into an open- market globalised economy. Given the size and versatility of the nation, India has a diverse economy which includes traditional village farming, modern agriculture, handicrafts and a wide range of modern industries as well as a multitude of other services. 

During the global financial crisis in early 2008, India managed to come out unscathed because of cautious banking policies and its relatively lower dependence on international trade.                              

Few facts to consider:

• In 2009, India’s nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was US$1.243 trillion, making India the eleventh largest economy in the world 
• In terms of its Purchasing Power Parity (PPP), Indian economy is the fourth largest in the world at US$3.561 trillion 
•  India’s per capita income of US$3,100 is a very impressive figure

India has also laid a lot of emphasis on the development of the financial infrastructure of the nation. In order to provide the necessary financial infrastructure, the government set up a number of development banks. These development banks helped promote the growth of local industries. As a result of setting up development banks, India today boasts of strong banks and financial institutions, which have played a big role in the expansion of various industries.

India also generates soft power through its public diplomacy. India introduced its own ‘Public Diplomacy Division’ in 2006. The aim behind establishing a separate Public Diplomacy Division was to “educate and influence global and domestic opinion on key policy issues and project a better image of the country, commensurate with its rising international standing.” India’s Public Diplomacy Division is inspired by the United States State Department. The aim is to “sensitise and influence think tanks, universities, media and experts to create a more nuanced understanding of the government’s stance on tricky issues.” The establishment of this division coincides with India’s aspirations of becoming a permanent member of the UNSC. Through its public diplomacy programme, India has been successfully portraying itself as an emerging power in the global world.

Although not a big deciding factor, India’s recent entry to the elite currency club will make India’s case stronger. Introduction of an official symbol to represent the Indian Rupee has made India only the fifth currency, after the Euro, US Dollar, British Pound and the Japanese Yen, to have a symbol of its own. This is an important move in order to being seen as a global power.

India is fast emerging as a major centre for Research and Development projects for Indian businesses as well as global multinationals. A number of companies ranging from the field of Information Technology, Telecommunications, Pharmaceutical, Biotech etc. have and continue to set up Research and Development projects in India. The motive behind this is two- fold; one is to be able to serve the Indian market and also to introduce new products faster in the global market. India being a hub of R&D projects makes it more attractive when being considered as an emerging world power. 

If India is given an opportunity to be a permanent member of the UNSC, other developing nations will have a representative (India) to voice their concerns. India’s position in the Indian Subcontinent will be strengthened with a permanent seat in Council.

India enjoys strong support from other nations, thus further strengthening its position. As a member of the Group of 4 (G4), India has the support of fellow members, Brazil, Germany and Japan. Other countries like Bangladesh, Chile, Australia and members of the African Union have also openly shown their support for India’s candidacy.

Given the various factors that work in India’s favour, the time has come for the world to take note of India’s credentials. The world’s largest democracy cannot be offered a raw deal when it comes to being a member of an international organisation. Justice needs to be done to such a huge population.