Side Effects of a Mumbai Visit

I’ve been quite blog-inactive for the past couple of weeks .The reason being I was in Mumbai with only a Blackberry to access the world of internet. Advanced though it may be, mobile web-service is extremely irritating when it comes to managing a blog. For starters mobiles have a miniscule screen and then there is the issue of unavailable softwares, applets etc.etc. Even Facebooking became a chore and the dismal speed left me on the brink of insanity. So I was left to fend for myself. My morning would begin with a hot cup of Red- Label All Spices tea, while I browsed through a crisp copy of The Times of India. Breakfast would follow along with my daily dose of “Breakfast News” on NDTV. I would then be forced and coerced by my mom to take a shower . Some more TV and random reading would ensue. Hot lunch and a quick nap would make -up the afternoon. Evenings would be spent on the balcony along with my grandmom observing passers-by and the innumerable birds that inhabit the trees in the compound. My 4 year old cousin would come by sometimes and provide a bit of unintentional amusement. Come 8 o’clock I would rush in great anticipation to the TV for a new round of DLF IPL match. I would be glued to the TV till it finished, which was usually around 12am, just in time for a trip to the Land- of -Nod.

That sums- up my indolent days at my grandparents’ place it . However, the past two weeks bore witness to a lot of events that I would have liked to mention on my blog but I dindt get to . So here is list that encapsulates some of the queer happenings that caught my eye.

• Raj Thackeray and his clan of “prescient” sycophants played the State patriotism card once again and proposed( through their trademark hooliganism) that institutions bearing the name Bombay must have it changed to Mumbai. Bombay Stock Exchange should become MSE, the prestigious Bombay Scottish School and textile power-house Bombay -Dyeing too would have to lose their brand name. Even the famous dish Bombay -Duck should not be spared. The reasoning- making Mumbai more Maharashtrian. They clearly have their hearts in the right place. A name- change will prove to be a panacea for a city that is plagued by rising crime rates, housing -shortages, power-cuts,decrepit roads and regular monsoon-flooding!
• Star Plus’s Jo Jeeta Wohi Superstar aired a sobby Mother’s Special episode on, come on, take a guess, Mother’s Day!!!! I love my mother but Im just bit too balanced to call her on stage, sing a song and then get so emotional only because its dedicated to my mom. If anything, I would be happy and so would she. I dont understand the tears. It was all a bit overdone for a show that is usually very realistic. The singing was good but I couldn’t watch beyond the second act due to the deluge of tears and switched to Sony. And boy was that a good idea.
• I discovered Comedy Circus. A brilliant reality show that brings India’s leading TV artistes to team up with Stand-up comedians in a fight for the top spot. The judges are Archana ( aha) Singh, Satish Shah and Shekhar Suman. Its already into its second season which means I missed a whole season of great wit! A must watch it airs every Saturday at 10pm.
• Radio Mirchi 98.3FM is conducting their own cricket league called the Mirchi Phaltu League (MPL) in answer to the DLF Indian Premiere League. Each RJ has a team selected on criterias that a national selector would find appalling . Jeeturaaj’s 983 has players who don’t know how to play cricket but just to crack jokes while Sana ke Sena is full of TV stars and singers. Anmol ke Mawaali has a state level player, Sunset Samosa ke Aloo team comprises of heavy weight members weighing over 100 kgs along with their brand ambassador ‘Chaalu Prasad Yadow’ and their slogan is “Jeetega bhai Jeetega Sunset Samosa Ka Aloo jeetega” while the NightroGen Rockstars has the coolest dudes in town. The excitement can be caught live everyday on-air between 6 and 10 pm and from what I remember the finale is on June 5.
• A month back Sprite countered Pepsi’s much-publicised Ranbir-Deepika Youngistaan ad with a clever, witty and very straight forward ad that was very true to its slogan “seedhi baat no bakwas.”In a similar bid, Pepsi has hit out against coca -cola franchise thums up whose trademark logo is a red “thumbs-up” sign Even Channel V has taken inspiration from IPl’s slogan “Manoranjan Ka Baap” and tagged its latest season Get Gorgeous 5 “Manoranjan Ki Ma Ki”. I guess, mimicry is the best form of flattery.
• Kolkatta KnightRiders made the lowest score in the IPL series, 68 all out!!! Balaji took the first hat-rick of the series, Mumbai have 6 straight wins, a calmer sreesanth has taken 13 wickets,Gambhir crossed the 500 run-mark and Rajasthan Royals, the underdogs, are into the semi -finals. The IPL is turning out to be a rollercoaster ride.

Oh well, I can’t recollect any more interesting episodes.Im off to watch Kings XI vs Mumbai Indians

 

Chennai Super Kings Dethroned

Last night, for the first time, I was able to relate to the heightened emotions experienced by football fanatics.There were times when I wanted to shovel Sehwag down a manhole and whack Mc Grath on his head for playing so well. I cried, I sulked and I abused.The Delhi Daredevils, well they came, they played and they conquered. My sunshine squad was left dumbfounded.

Dhoni’s side lost Hayden, Oram and Hussey to country duty and this seems to have taken its toll. Oram’s bowling was well missed but having said that they did played good cricket. It was just not enough to beat the Daredevils.

The homeside (Chennai) won the toss and elected to bat. The opening pair of Parthiv Patel and Stephen Fleming seemed a solid one to crack until Yomahesh walked in. His first over was an exciting one to watch. He duped Fleming into a catch with some brilliant pace attack only to discover it was a no-ball.To add insult to injury Fleming knocked a boundary off the free hit. One more free hit and a boundary later Yomahesh was thrilled to watch the stumps fly off into the air for a change and Fleming returned to the pavillion. Then came in a warrior in the disguise of S.Vidyut and he carried the match on his shoulders. However, wickets kept falling at regular intervals. Even Mc Grath returning hurt to the pavillion didnot benefit the Super Kings much. His niggardly bowling had done enough damage. Morkel added a few mighty boundaries at the very end of the innings and the Super Kings finished at 169 at the end of 20 overs.

Chennai                                                                                        R B 4’s 6’s SR

Parthiv Patel	c Y Mahesh b V Sehwag	21	20	3	0	105.00
Stephen Fleming	b Y Mahesh	13	13	2	0	100.00
Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan	c Y Mahesh b G McGrath	54	37	7	1	145.95
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (c) (wk)	c S Malik b M Asif	32	27	2	1	118.52
Albie Morkel	c V Sehwag b R Bhatia	28	16	3	2	175.00
Suresh Raina	run out (P Sangwan)	3	4	0	0	75.00
Subramaniam Badrinath	not out	11	5	0	1	220.00
Joginder Sharma	not out	0	0	0	0	0.00

Out came the Delhiities. 6 overs later with all wickets intact and a calm and composed innings from Sehwag I was sure this match would be won by the visitors. My TV was in great danger of being hit by one of my mom’s prized sculptures from Kochin, so I switched over to Star Plus instead. As predicted, Sehwag’s team did go on to win with 8 wickets intact. None of the Chennai bowlers could weave much magic save for Gony and Murli, but that too was not enough.

This is the story of how the reigning kings were toppled . They will strike back,oh yes, they will.

Delhi                                                                  R B 4’s 6’s SR

Gautam Gambhir	b M Gony	50	37	5	1	135.14
Virender Sehwag (c)	c M Muralitharan b J Sharma	71	41	7	4	173.17
AB de Villiers	not out	26	21	2	0	123.81
Shikhar Dhawan	not out	19	17	2	0	111.76

 

Ambani’s $2bn Home

Yes,you read right, 2 BILLION DOLLARS. While most of us can only literally dream of our “dream home” Mukesh Ambani has gone ahead and built himself a $2 billion mansion at the plush Altamount Road in Mumbai. This makes it the world’s richest, according to Forbes. A distant second on the list is the penthouse at Pierre Hotel ,New York, worth a what now seems a mere $70 million. Of course, the money being spent by Mukesh is a drop in the ocean compared to his $43 bn net-worth. He is the richest Indian resident and he clearly is leaving no stone unturned in living up to that title.

The end-product will stand tall at 550 feet(equivalent of a 60-storeyed building). The interiors, an approximate 4,00,000 sq ft, will be custom made to the utmost top quality.Each of the 27-floors will have its own distinct decoration and style. Repetition, apparently, was something Mukesh’s wife Nita was strictly averse to. Atop 6 floors of parking sits a grand lobby with 9 lifts. The skyscraper named Antilla, will feature a grand ballroom, cinema a four-storeyed landscaped garden, three-storeyed gymnasium,two floors of glass fronted apartments for guests and an air space floor which will act as a control room for helicopters landing on the helipad above. Phew.That is indeed a lot. To add to all that ,the top floor will be a relaxation space for friends and family with a panaromic view of the Arabian Sea. Now this is what I call living the “High” life.

I see no point in getting jealous,when I cant even afford a house 1/1000th its value. The only person who can probably afford to go green with envy is Mukesh’s brother Anil who is worth a whopping, but very close, 42 billion dollars 😉

 

Dhoni Rajnikanth Iyer.Mind it!

This is the new addition to Pepsi’s Youngistaan Campaign. When introduced as a player from Jharkhand,Dhoni retorts by saying “Eh! Yemm Yesss Dhooooni from Chennaiii.”

All I can say to that is”Super da, Rombo Superrrr”

Amazingly creative and brilliantly entertaining.Indian ads are getting better by the day.

 

An Opinion that doesnot Matter

Be it Hillary,Obama or even HObama,I shouldn’t care. Why? you ask. For the simple reason that because I don’t hold a US passport, my view on the canditates is not going to make any difference to the outcome. I could engage in unending ,acrimonious debates with friends and family on the subject matter but ultimately my opinion doesnt count.I dont have a say in the election of an individual, who is considered to be the most powerful on the planet and whose decisions have a global impact. This I find unfair, shameful and appalling.

In today’s era of global inter-dependency, country- based politics are not restricted to their geographical boundaries. In such a scenario its only fair that individuals from across the globe have an opportunity to elect the Heads of States of countries other than their own. I propose a model where non-citizens from around the world are the given the chance to register with a party of their choice and thus participate in elections of any given country. Of course,a system of allotting weights to the votes will have to be brought into place. Perhaps, a national’s vote could weigh twice that of an outsiders. This should bring in a new era of balanced politics, where parties in question will have to consider not just local interest but also global interests while formulating their policies.

This, of course, is just a thought and probably too idealistic. There are obvious obstacles,language being one and logistics being another. I’m sure, however that there are many who will agree with my sentiment. Until then, I’ll have to show my support for the candidate of my choice through the might of words. But is Hillary listening ?

 

Deccan’s Charge falls short of Delhi’s Daredevillry

Yesterday’s IPL match should have been an interesting display of talent instead it proved to be a wash out with the Delhi Daredevils dominating throughout.I was backing the Deccan Chargers for two reasons,firstly,they belong to South India and secondly,they have some of my favorite players-Vaas,Gibbs and Gillchrist.But yet again,as if out to mock me,the team I supported lost.

Out to bat first was the beningn Laxman’s side.The top 4 batsmen failed to shine and it was upto Rohit sharma to take on the baton and show some strength.He propelled the Hyderabad team to a meagre 142 for the loss of 8 wickets.None of the other Chargers made an impact.

Batsmen		Runs	SR
Adam Gilchrist	b M Asif	8	88.89
Venugopal Rao	c S Dhawan b F Mahroof	14	63.64
VVS Laxman	(c) b M Asif	2	33.33
Andrew Symonds	c D Karthik b F Maharoof	12	92.31
Rohit Sharma	c G McGrath b R Bhatia	66	183.33
Shahid Afridi	lbw b R bhatia	2	28.57
Sanjay Bangar	Run out (Tiwari)	8	57.14
Arjun Yadav	c G Gambhir b Y Mahesh	12	171.43
Chaminda Vaas	Not Out	12	200
RP Singh	Not out	1	100
Pragyan Ojha	–	–	–

A brilliant unbeaten 94 by the skipper Sehwag helped the daredevils reach the required target with ease and with 9 wickets intact.A particularly entertaining and embarrassing over for the Chargers was Symond’s when every alternate ball is smashed for a 6 and 4 by Sehwag.The match was over by the 13th over and left ample time for the Deccan Chargers to ponder over their dismal show.

Batsmen		Runs	SR
Gautam Gambhir	c A Gilchrist b RP Singh	12	133.33
Virender Sehwag (c)	Not Out	94	229.27
Shikhar Dhawan	Not Out	25	89.2

The recent matches have proven that 20/20 is a completely different ball game.Veteran sportsmen have been failing and the “black horses” have taken over the arena.How this will affect the talent pool of cricket,only time will tell.

 

Lords of the Notes

Music forms an integral part of every Indian movie.The films are aptly termed “musicals.”I have always been in awe of composers.Thinking out of the box is commendable but thinking in melodies is a gift.Composers are musical visionaries.I engage in frequent, albeit endless discussions with my musically inclined family on who the legends of the current Hindi music scene are.Although we seem to agree on the shortlisted few, there is always much debate and disagreement on their rankings.I list my favorites in order of preference.

MUSIC COMPOSERS

1. A.R.Rahman : For me he is the undisputed king.He splashed onto the music scene with his debut hit ROJA and since then there has been no looking back for this maestro.His music transcends borders and genres-rock,pop,reggae,soft rock-all have been explored by Rahman.Every song of his has a distinct Rahman stamp that regular listeners will recognize with ease but will find difficult to put a finger on.Such is his genius.He recently composed the score for Elizabeth:The GOlden Age and also the theatre adaptation of the Lord of the RIngs Trilogy.My favorite Rahman compostion is and will always be the Bombay Theme Song*.Also,the Airtel tune is one of the best jingles I have heard.Rangeela, Taal, Dil Se,Lagaan,Guru*and most recently Jodha Akbar* are some of his masterpieces.



2. Shankar -Ehsaan -Loy: The trio was the mastermind behind the revolutionary Dil Chahta Hai album.They sparked off a new era of fusion. All songs from their debut album became instant hits and were to a large extent also responsible for the youth-appeal of the movie.They have since gone from strength to strength belting out melodious tunes like Kal Ho Na Ho* and Maa* and chart -topping numbers such as Move your Body and Aaj Ki Raat.Their USP lies in the varied musical background of the group-Shankar’s classical vocals,Ehsaan’s western rock influence and Loy’s mastery over the Electronic Synthesizer.



3. Vishal-Shekhar:This duo is here with a bang and is fast gaining great popularity amongst the Indian audience. They were made to collaborate as guest composers on their first film “Pyar Main Kabhi Kabhi*” and since then they have been working together.While Pyar Main.. was appreciated and well-received,it was Jhankaar Beats that brought them fame. Each song was a musical masterpiece and a true tribute to R.D.Burman. Tu Hain Aasmaan* is sure to list in the top song choices of many.They also brought the very first Hip-Hop song Right Here Right Now* to the Indian music scene, ably using the talents of Abhishek and Sunidhi.Each album aims to differentiate itself from the previous and it does so with great aplomb.Vishal and Shekhar represent the youth of India.They are the new Shankar Ehsaan Loy.Their latest offering Tashan boasts of tunes that have never been heard before and in doing so lives up to the title of the film-blazing down one’s path in style and with attitude.Both composers are exceptional singers and while Vishal has done a bit of playback and is the lead vocalist of his band Pentagram,Shekhar is more happy composing.I wish he would sing more though.His early Sa Re Ga Ma days are proof to his vocal talents.



4. Ismail Darbar:Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam made everyone fall in love with folk music.Devdas revived classical music.The compositions Bairi Piya* and Kahe Chedd Mohe* were as rich and oppulent as Madhuri’s outfit.Velvet dipped in honey and sprinkled with rose essence-thats the imagery of Darbar’s music in my mind.Although, the movies Kisna and Tera Jadoo Chal Gaya bombed at the box office,their music continues to have a lasting impact.

   

5. Himesh Reshamiyya:You can hat e him.You can love him.But you cant ignore him.This man has rocked the world of music.His sufi-esque tunes had everybody swinging their heads as if in a trance.While he may not be the best singer in the block,this man knows his music and more importantly understands audience demands.Almost every disco in the country has much to owe to “Aashiq Banaya” Reshamaiyya.Personally,his best composition so far has been Tere Naam.Lilting tunes were coupled with songs of pure passion and madness.”Heemes bhai,aap cha gaye ho” (Brother,Himesh,you have swept u s all).



6. Jatin-Lalit:The sibling duo are along with Rahman the most experienced of those mentioned in my list and are veterans.Their style is very bollywood-ish;simple,pure,romantic,soothing and refreshing but the melodies remain embedded in our minds.Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge,Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Gham,Raju Chacha,Aankhien,Chalte Chalte,and Sarfarosh are some of their famous contributions as music directors.Hum Tum was a departure from their usual style and was catered more to young audience but it worked wonders.Sad ly,the duo split in 2005.Fanaa was their last creation together and it was a classic.Chaand Sifar ish and Mere Hath Main were the most popular songs of 2006.I hope they patch up in the future and do the music world a great favour.

While that completes the list of my favorite composers it surely doesnot end my article on the music industry.Songs would be incomplete without the singers and I will explore this aspect in another post.Having said that,it would be unfair to ignore those who laid the foundation for the Hindi film industry.No article will be complete without the mention of musical greats such as RD Burman,SD Burman,OP Nayyar,Laxmikanth Pyarelal,Mohd Rafi,Kishore Kumar,Lata Mangaeshkar,Asha Bhosle and like.We are truly indebted to them.

*Some of these songs and those belonging to the composers mentioned above can be found in the BOX-NET widget in the sidebar.Listen and enjoy!

 

In Focus

This is my amateur attempt at photography taken during my stay in London.It is a city of great inspiration and makes an artist out of everyone.I am keen to hear your view on these pictures.

 

Dhoni humbles the “Young Prince”

Popcorn in hand, I was all set for what I personally considered the two best IPL teams on paper.And what a match! It was worth every minute of my usual telly that I had to miss. A far cry from the one-sided opening match,this one kept hearts pounding till the penultimate over.

Dhoni’s sunshine squad came out to bat having won the toss.After losing a few early wickets to the pace attack of Lee the SuperKings lived up to their name with the arrival of Michael Hussey.He faced 54 balls and hit a mammoth 114( 7 boundaries and 10 sixes).He was ably supported by Raina(31;13 balls,2x4s,3xs) and Badrinath(31 not out;14 balls 3x4s and 2x6s) who thus guided their team to a massive 240 for 5 at the end of 20 overs.Yuvraj’s bowlers did well except for S.Sreesanth who proved extremely costly.

It was now the host’s turn to take up the bat.James Hopes payed a quick innings of 71(33 balls,10x4s;3x6s) and SL wicketkeeper-batsman sangakarra made a brisk 54(33 balls,5x4s,2x6s) but with Hopes dismissal,Kings Xi lost all hope.HE was involved in two successive 50-plus partnerships but it wasnot enough.Murli,Ghoni,amarnath and Joginder were too good,all taking a wicket each.The Punjab side failed to dominate Chennai’s bowling attack and Chennai Super kings won by 33 runs!

As I was writing this Kolkata Knight Riders won a nail-biting match against Deccan Chargers much to my dismay and the fireworks have gone off in Mumbai marking the beginning of an exciting new match.Wohooo

 

ILU,IPL,ILU

I Love U ,IPL, I Love U.

I dont care what the purists say.For me sports is synonymous with excitement and joy and last night was just that-plain unadulterated entertainment. IPL is the new breed of cricket. An amalgamation of not so strange bedfellows-cricket and glamour.The past few months have been nothing short of a whirlwind romance for the two.Money was being thrown around like it was nobody’s business and much hype was created.Ads promoting team loyalities left the Indian public torn ,confused but still very much excited and curious.

Last night’s opening ceremony was surely the icing on the cake.Spectacular,magical and larger-than -life are just a few words to describe the atmosphere at the Chinnaswamy stadiumin Bangalore.A packed stadium waited with baited breath for the start of the ceremony.Suddenly,out of the pitch black, spring night,sprung trapeze artists,acrobats,stilted beauties,fairies in bubbles and the crowd erupted. Dazzling fireworks followed and the stands filled with Shankar-ehsan-loy’s melodious music.This was Cricket Rock!As the team captains were introduced the crowd grew wild with excitement and one man they called “the boss” tendulkar,prompted a deafening cheer that probably could be heard all the way in Chennai.I enjoyed it just as much watching it from home.Although the dancing girls didnt get my approval and made the event border on sleazy,IPL still gets my vote.

The cricket was unpredictable.The wall crumbled and so did his team much to my dismay and it was really a pathetic performance.However,not having developed much of a loyalty yet towards any team the crowd loved McCullum’s innings!McCullum crossed 50 in 32 balls, 100 in 53 and 150 in 70 balls.McCullum’s score is the highest in T20 cricket, beating the previous mark by 17 runs. The short-statured but strong-armed wicketkeeper from New Zealand hit 14 sixes and 10 fours.Each 6 took the crowd to a new high.Shahrukh’s songs belted out each time his team hit a 4 or a 6.It was pure fun.Not since an India-Pakistan match had the Indian public witnessed such levels of passion and frenzy.The brief score of yesterdays’ match is as follows:

Kolkata Knight Riders:222/3 in 20 overs

B.McCullum 158 n.o.;Ponting 20

Bangalore Royal Challengers :82 all out in 15.1 overs

P.Kumar 18 n.o.;A.Dinda 2 for 9;A.Agarkar 3 for 25

Kolkata Knight Riders won by 140 runs.

This game is ruthless.It can bring down the mighty and create stars out of unknowns;and this is its major selling point!Oh well,Im off. Yuvraj’s Kings XI Punjab will face Dhoni’s Chennai SuperKings in a few and I need to get my popcorn ready.The update of that match will be up here pretty soon.