Thursday, December 25, 2025

Film Sanju might rescript the biopic genre for Hindi cinema

By
tehelka
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Biopics are not a point of strength for Hindi cinema. Despite being part of world’s biggest film industry, Indian films have found maintaining authenticity a challenge. The biggest testimony to this fact is Gandhi, Richard Attenborough’s 1981classic. More than thirty years since, Indians still relate to Ben Kingsley as Mahatma when the film plays on TV on Independence Day. Seasoned veterans like Naseeruddin Shah, Annu Kapoor and Darshan Jariwala have attempted to explore different facets of Gandhi’s persona in different films; and yet have fallen short. Their performances might be convincing but the milieu, setting and narratives of the films (Hey Ram, Sardar, Gandhi My Father) have not done justice to the universal connection which the real Mahatma Gandhi had left amongst the people across the world. A narrow view of the Mahatma’s life onscreen is a strong example that when it comes to biopics, Hindi cinema has failed to strike the right note.

A big factor in biopics falling short of expectations is the lack of research and insight that goes in to creating an era, a specific period in history or in a person’s life. Within this framework, Rajkumar Hirani’s Sanju has raised hopes of breaking Hindi cinema’s mediocre run with the biopic genre. For instance, unlike Mary Kom, a bonafide hit where Priyanka Chopra gave her best but didn’t look one bit like the boxer from Manipur, in Hirani’s Sanju, Ranbir Kapoor resembles the controversial movie star, Sanjay Dutt. In fact, Ranbir’s look for the film varies, in sync with the various phases of Dutt’s life, giving the film the feel of authenticity.

Rajkumar Hirani, as a filmmaker has delivered record-breaking blockbusters that tell a good story. Often, his films tend to have a social message. Such films tend to be non-entertaining, or at least, not very popular. Hirani has successfully upturned this perception. Film PK took on superstition with flair. His Munna Bhai series, dependent on the suspension of disbelief, made important points about India’s medical practices and the real estate mafia in our cities. Perhaps his most resonant message is the one from Three Idiots, about the overwhelming obsession with engineering degrees and high scores in India today. All the four films are entertaining and hugely popular.

Always having co-written his films with Abhijat Joshi, an academician turned writer, Hirani spends ample amounts of time researching, reading, exploring and debating over their scripts. They confess to taking walks around their homes for an entire day to crack just one scene at times. Given his method towards writing a film, his approach towards making Sanju, an idea that Dutt himself proposed to the filmmaker has been a research oriented. “When he first began speaking, Sanju (Sanjay Dutt) really opened up to me. We spent a day talking about how one spends time inside a jail, how does one go through a day, “Hirani said. “On the second day, he spoke to me at length again, about a similar episode of his life. That is when I called up Abhijat to join me for these conversations. For 25 days, Abhijat and I would go and just listen to him. Having spoken to him for all these days, I realised that my life is just a dwarf compared to his. He has experienced so much and gone through so much.”

Hirani’s research material for the film began with the first hand conversations with Dutt. Abhijat and he went on to read old magazines, news reports to get their facts right, and set about writing the story. Both admitted that while writing this film, the biggest challenge was of omitting facts; what would one keep and what would one leave out in an eventful, dramatic life of a prominent celebrity.

Casting Ranbir Kapoor was a natural choice for both the filmmaker and writer, but they didn’t do it without thought. Kapoor, an established star, auditioned for a portion as a test of whether he would look as Sanjay Dutt. “When I first heard the script, I was blown by it. I didn’t know if I had it in me to do this role, if I could become Sanjay Dutt….I am a big fan. I had his poster up on my cupboard as a kid. Now, I have the daunting task of playing him and representing him (onscreen). I respect him a lot and look up to him. I really want Sanju Sir to like my work in the film,” Ranbir said at a press meet. Ranbir has faced a difficult phase of his career prior to this film. Despite having worked with India’s most promising filmmakers — Anurag Kashyap, Imtiaz Ali and others, his films flopped. He found a lifeline with Karan Johar’s Ae Dil Hain Mushkil, but his performance in this one wasn’t amongst his strongest. Given the fact that Sanju is a significant film that will again prove his stand as performer par excellence, Ranbir seems both nervous and confident about this role. He has spent two years playing Dutt over a lifetime, adding muscular bulk in one portion and losing tons of weight in another to resemble the star. Kapoor reiterates that the film is a lesson of sorts, for all to learn from the mistakes that Dutt has made through a lifetime, a strong hint that the film might finally reveal what made a leading superstar choose to mix with the dreaded underworld and mafia.

Vidhu Vinod Chopra, co-producer of Sanju, has spoken time and again about the brilliance of Ranbir Kapoor’s performance in the film. When asked if ‘Sanju’ intends to explain Dutt’s side of the story on terror, Chopra replied in the negative, while director-producer Hirani chose to duck the question. Their response seems to indicate that the film, given Sanjay Dutt’s complete involvement in the project, will have his version of events ruling the narrative. The film’s trailer also hints where Dutt admits to being a drunkard, a drug addict and promiscuous but states that he is not a terrorist.

Sanjay Dutt’s life doesn’t hold surprises for the public. His liaisons with women outside of his marriage are a well-known fact. He used to have multiple girlfriends and women. Dutt had also addressed his drug addiction issues with interviews when he recovered from a rehab in the USA; way back in the eighties. As Khalnayak and other grey roles, he owned his aggressive, party hearty and bad boy persona onscreen too. It is known that he shares a distant relationship with daughter Trishala from his first marriage. So there are no surprises here.

But his reasons for keeping an AK 47 with him, and keeping the company of the underworld have always remained vague. Popular media has captured Dutt’s prison terms and his return to his home regularly. What actually happened and why he did, what he did, was never very clear. Sanju, the film, will possibly hinge on this detail.

With an all-star cast of Manisha Koirala as Nargis Dutt, Paresh Rawal as Sunil Dutt, Dia Mirza as wife Maanyata, Anushka Sharma as a biographer, Vicky Kaushal as a close friend, Sonam Kapoor Ahuja as his first wife, Sanju holds a big draw for the audience. Will the film hold up to an objective fact check? One hopes so. For this biopic to set a benchmark in the genre in Hindi cinema, Sanju will need to go beyond authenticity, drama and an entertaining story. It will need to reflect the reality of a controversial but much-loved celebrity of our generation.

letters@tehelka.com

A poetic rebel

By
Humra Quraishi
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The very title of this volume- The Evolution of Ghalib, carries the crux. True, we, the Ghalib lovers can recite his verse or rattle details of his life and times, but, would be unsure how this poetic genius evolved. Author Hasan Abdullah has focused exactly on this in this volume.

Quite obviously this former IITianis an intense Ghalib lover to delve deep into different and varying phases and stages of Ghalib’s poetic journey so as to put across the story. To quote him from the preface, “Around a decade ago, when I, along with a friend, scanned all the available books on Ghalib in English, we were surprised that despite the vast amount of literature on his poetry, the aspect of time was missing. Even in Urdu, the solitary exception was the chronological compilation of Ghalib’s complete Urdu poetry by Kalidas Gupta Reza. However, people ignored it and continued to read the popular Diwan-e Ghalib, the selection of Ghalib’s poetry arranged according to rhyme and no litterateur ever tried to take advantage of this gold mine to have a peep into the evolution of Ghalib — as an intellectual or even as a poet. I felt that a chronological study of Ghalib’s Urdu ghazals would help in the better appreciation of his poetry and shed some light on what are, or appear to be radically divergent views. The result of my research is this book wherein I have interpreted selected couplets that are chronologically arranged, thereby revealing Ghalib’s evolution of thought.”

This brings me to write that though this book does stand out, as a researcher’s bounty, but, heavy doses of prose do came in way of the poetic verse of Ghalib. The mix and match do not tilt towards a free-flowing, relaxed read, especially for those ardent lovers of Ghalib’s verse who do not have the patience to let any of the factual details to his turbulent life and the more than turbulent times he’d lived in, come in the way.

And, though every single stage of Ghalib’s life carried his poetic genius, but,the stark traits to his personality stood out right from the very start. Known for his wit and subtle humour and defiance, one could quite easily call him a rebel poet as he defied norms, lived life according to his own terms. Honest, daring and baring, he remained unchanged right till his twilight years. To quote from this book —“in this last phase, Ghalib, the Dwindling Star, realises that he is almost exhausted, physically and mentally, but his determination remains unchanged. He says very little and has practically nothing new to add in this last decade… he remains committed to his views; and the nearness of death does not change or revise them, including those on post-death life.”

There is also certain continuity in his verse after verse on love; that quest for that longing and for that fulfilment. And, also those sorrow laden pangs that love inevitably drags along. All possible emotions relayed so very subtly and gently. To quote his verse from this volume — ‘That love is so vulnerable Ghalib brings tears to my eyes/ Whose home will its afflictions visit after I breathe my last?’

Leaving the readers with more of Ghalib’s verse, as in these harsh times all that is needed is someone out there nudging us to grasp the reality, to observe the unmasked. Remarkable it is that even after all these decades Ghalib’s verse holds each one of us!

‘The affairs of nightingale make flowers go on chuckling/
That what people perceive as love is but quirks of mind.’

‘From bonds of love I freed myself a hundred times/
But I am helpless, my heart itself is foe of freedom,’

‘Now it is me and my craving for gloom and melancholy, Ghaib/
Feeling warm greeting of worldly people heart got burnt to ashes.’

letters@tehelka.com
Book

When mother Earth menstruates in Assam

By
Nava Thakuria
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For millions of tourists, not to speak of pilgrims, who visit Guwahati in northeast India, Kamrup remains synonymous to Goddess Kamakhya or Kameshwari (Goddess of Desire). And, most of them pay a sacred visit to the pre-historic Kamakhya temple nestled atop Nilachal hills in the heart of the city on the southern bank of the mighty Brahmaputra. Now, a small district covering the city of Guwahati with its fringe areas, Kamrup was otherwise a gigantic empire covering all eastern Indian provinces in the days of Mahabharat.

One of the major religious festivals organised annually in the picturesque temple is the Ambubachi Mela (also known as Amoti and Ambabati) that attracts hundred thousand Hindu pilgrims from various parts of the globe. So like previous occasions, this year’s Ambubachi festival (22 June to 25 June 2018) also emerges as a major challenge for the administration and a rare opportunity for the Guwahatians to showcase their hospitability to the visitors.

During the revered festival, the temple’s primary door gets closed for the first three days. The religious belief narrates that during the period the Mother Earth experiences the annual cycle of menstruation and it is reflected in Devi Kamakhya’s genital organ (Yoni). No religious performances are organised in this period. The farmers across the Hindu world avoid cultivating works during the period so that Mother Earth can get an undisturbed ambience.

On the fourth day, the temple door is reopened after Devi’s ritual-bathing and devotees throng in for Darshan and worshipping Maa Kamakhya. Devotees expect a small piece of Rakta Bastra (red silk cloth, which Devi uses during the period) and regard the Anga Bastra as very precious. One can witness a sea of humans with a large number of Hindu saints in the temple premises during the festival.

Kamakhya temple, which is recognised as one of sacred 108 Shakti Peeths of Mother Goddess Durga was built by Kamdev (God of Lust) with the help of God Vishwakarma. According to the Hindu mythology, the demon king Narakasura constructed a stiffstone path (known as Mekhela Ujowa Poth) connecting the temple from the foothills with an aim to marry Devi Kamakhya.

The Muslim convert Kalapahar, the king of Coach Behar in western Assam destroyed the temple in 1553 AD. Maharaja Biswa Singh later repaired it in the seventeenth century. The king Nar Narayan, who ascended to the throne of Coach Behar after his father Biswa Singh’s demise, constructed the upper portion of the temple with the help of his brother Mahabir Chilarai. The present form of the main temple and its surrounding was shaped during the time of Nar Narayan, one of the greatest kings of ancient Assam.

As the legend goes, Sati (Kamakhya or Parvati) was one of the incarnations of Goddess Shakti and she sacrificed her life protesting the behaviour of her father Dakshya Nripati. The wife of Maheswar (one of the holy Hindu Trinities after Lord Brahma and Lord Bishnu), Sati took her life at a Yagna, a sacrificial rite organized by her father Dakshya. The son of Brahma, Dakshya was not happy with his son-in-law (Shiva or Mahadev or Maheswar, the destroyer of the universe). Shiva was even not invited for the ceremony.

Sati arrived at Yagna Bhumi, but she was also not welcomed by Dakshya. He also made some unpleasant comments on Shiva. Annoyed Sati sacrificed her life at the location of Yagna. Listening to the death of Sati, Shiva got angry and appeared at Yagna Bhumi. After pronouncing punishment to Dakshya, furious Shiva started Tandav Nritya (the dance of demolition) with the corpse of his beloved wife Sati on his shoulder. The Tandav Nritya continued for several days and the universe was on the brink of being destroyed.

Apprehending it, all the gods and goddesses appealed Lord Bishnu to pave way for bringing an end to Maheshwar’s dance of destruction. The caretaker of the universe chopped-off the corpse of Sati with his Sudarshan Chakra to bring back Shiva to sanity. Her lifeless body was made into 51 pieces, which fell in different parts of Bharatbarsha and each location later emerged as a holy place (Shakti Peeth). The Yoni of Sati fell on the spot at Nilachal hills, where the Kamakhya temple was erected.

Many other legends relating to Devi Bhagawati still spread in the society. In such a legend, it is said that once Devi appeared before Narakasur, the demon king of Pragjyotispur. The powerful king got attracted to the unusual beauty of Devi Kamakhya and fell in love with the deity. Even the proud king proposed to marry her. Devi put a condition to the king that she might agree to his proposal if the king can construct a stone path from the foothills to the temple in a single night.

Confident Narakasura agreed to the condition and he started the work at dusk. The demon king had almost completed the stone path.

Witnessing the rapid work, worried Kamakhya ordered an elusive-cock to start crowing that symbolizes the dawn. Smelling conspiracy, the king chased the cock and finally killed it. Later, the Devi killed Narakasura with the help of Lord Bishnu.

Kalika Purana, an ancient work in Sanskrit describes Devi Kamakhya as the deity to fulfil the desires of devotees and gives salvation. The temple does not contain any image or statue of Kamakhya. There is only a sculptured image of the Yoni of the Goddess in a cave inside the main temple. A natural spring believes to keep the stone always moist.

The devotees with all purity touch the silk cloth draped stone and offer Bilwa Patra and flowers on it. Besides Ambubachi, many other religious festivals are organized in the sacrosanct temple premises annually that include Durga Puja, Basanti Puja, Manasa Puja, Shivaratri Mahotsav etc. Visitors (read Hindus) are allowed to have Darshan and worship Maa Kamakhya in the daytime.

Though there is no visible notice or announcement that the temple is open only for Hindus, the Pandas (assistants to priests) keep preaching about it. The temple has over 150 recognised priests, whereas more than 500 Pandas stay on the campus to help the devotees in various rituals. A pond nearby the main temple named Soubhagya Kunda (fortune pond) is believed to be built by Devaraj Indra. Religious rites are performed in western bank of the pond. Devotees believe that going round the pond is a holy exercise. There is another pond named Bhairab Kunda in the temple premises, which is famous for few giant turtles.

Sacrifices are done every morning in the temple before the Puja starts. The sacrifice by the devotees can be of anything like pigeon, goat, buffalo ,etc. However, nowadays they prefer to set free the animals taken for sacrifices. The large flocks of pigeons, eve the goats, in the temple campus have grown up together.

Marriages with Hindu rituals are also arranged in the temple regularly with necessary precautions.

The author is a Guwahati based political commentator

letters@tehelka.com

A city in deep water crisis

By
Rakesh Rocky
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Hills are not calling you’’! This is the WhatsApp status of many youths in Shimla nowadays. Previously, the usual message for summers used to be- “Hills are calling you’’. Despite problems, which are common in many hilly areas, Shimlites love inviting friends and relatives to Shimla in summers and stroll on the Mall Road and Ridge. But, this time the scenario has changed. The reason ismounting water scarcity problem in the hilly town.

The seriousness of the crises could be judged from the fact that around 35 per cent hoteliers in Shimla have stopped fresh bookings as there is an acute shortage of water in the hotels to meet the requisite necessity. And, those who are arriving have been asked by the hotels to manage drinking water on their own. The administration has less than half of the water available to meet the total demand of the city per day. People are getting water after a gap of five days and that too for a teeny-weeny time. The latest problem which the Irrigation and the Public Health (IPH) department and Municipal Corporation (MC) authorities are facing is presence of huge silt after recent rains. This has affected the pumping of water from at least three water sources.

The most serious water crisis has not only created drinking water problems but also there is the shortage of water in the flush to clean the defecation. To save home water, many people are being seen defecating in the open. The sewerage tanks are stinking and those who are forced to drink unclean water from the natural water sources without filtration are entering in the unknown vortex of the disease. In May, the sewerage water got mixed with drinking water supply in the city which caused health problems to at least half dozen people. Two years ago, such negligence caused the death of more than two dozen people, including an IAS officer, died due to Jaundice in Shimla.

Himachal Pradesh High Court has instructed that extra water supply was stopped to the VIPs and influential hotels. Now, the administration has come out with the rationing of the water and issued an area-wise schedule for water supply in the city. After the strictness of the court, the day-to-day water supply chain is being given to the public through newspapers and radio, including the mobile number of the corporation concerned nodal officer.

Shimla’s water crisis shows the failure of all the governments till now and their indifference towards the future. According to experts, the water crisis of this time is a dangerous sign of future of Shimla. Many organisations and intellectuals have been suggesting that Shimla should remain only as a tourist place and the capital should be shifted somewhere else, or big offices should be shifted to Dharamshala, Mandi or Sundernagar.

The representatives of Municipal Corporation, who are elected to solve the problems of the city, have failed to fulfil their responsibilities. The Shimla Mayor, amid serious water crisis, went on a trip to China on May 26. She came back after eight days. It is now being demanded that foreign/ study tours of MC office bearers should be stopped running at the cost of public money.

The major sources of water supply to the city of Shimla are Gumma, Giri, Churath, Cheyad and Koti Brandi. The IPH department was lifting average 18 Million Litres Per Day (MLD) from Gumma, 10 MLD from Giri, 2 MLD from Churath, 1 MLD from Cheyad and 2 MLD from Koti Brandi water sources which is still about 10 MLD less than the actual demand. Then the leakage of water on the big scale. The reason is that during pumping and The water supply has distribution, the water is wasted in huge litres.

In Ashwani Khad, the testing of water got failed recently, resulting in no water supply from this main source of water in Shimla. There have been many cases of water pollution in the sewage treatment of Malyana recently. In the British period, a large tank was made on the ridge to collect water, after which there was no tank to collect the water. Hundreds of tourists and local people roam over the same tank every day. Before the court directions, people were angry over the ill-treatment of water supply in the city. They were alleging that water supply in the VIP areas is being made for more than one hour but to the common people for only for 20 minutes. Now, after the strictness of the court, many hotels stranded without getting more water are taking new tourists or asking them to make arrangements for drinking water themselves. They are also being given half bucket for use.

According to Vineet Chaudhary, the chief secretary of the state government, the reason for the water supply being done in Shimla was that the water sources got dried in the Gumma drinking water source. According to Chaudhary, this time, due to low snowfall, rainfall and high temperature, the problem got deepen.

In spite of this crisis in Shimla, a large number of tourists are coming. Every day around 14 to 18 thousand tourists are reaching the capital city. By June 15, about 35 per cent of the hotels has closed the new bookings. Despite this, the fact is that 50 per cent of the tourists do not come by making advance bookings and they search for hotels after reaching here.

Mohinder Seth, President, Shimla Hoteliers Association, said that the municipal officials had been warned about water problem about a month ago “but they took it lightly and no efforts were made to face the problem. This has hit our business and we have to bear the loss of this negligence of the corporation and the tourists are going away.”

The threat of water problem in the city even reached the court. The Himachal High Court Bar Association boycotted the court proceedings on the issue of water shortage. The Bar Association raised this issue to show solidarity with the Shimlites on the issue. The Association has alleged that there is no shortage of water in Shimla, yet the administration is not making people available with water according to their needs. The association also said that if there was such a shortage of water, then why not there is lack of water in homes of VIPs and hotels. The association has warned that if the situation does not change then a big movement will be launched. The Bar Association also alleged that black marketing of water is going on in the city due to which the people have been affected. Chief Minister Jayaram Thakur held many review meetings in the last few days. It was informed in the meeting that an adequate number of tankers has been deployed to ensure water supply in Shimla Municipal Corporation and at least one tanker has been installed in each ward.

Sushmita Arya, a tourist from Dehradoon, who was staying in a local hotel said that they were provided only half bucket of water for baths by the hotel people. Another tourist Nagendra from Ahmedabad told Tehelka that he had to purchase drinking water from the shop as hotel refused to provide the same.

letters@tehelka.com

Why I ‘fast’ but do not ‘feast’

By
Kulsum Mustafa
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What is really exhilarating about Ramadan is the abundance of food all around. What is disturbing is that it keeps circulating chiefly among the ‘have all’ and not the ‘havenots’. Sadly, those who follow the dictates of Allah in this Holy month and remain off from food and water even in the sternest of weather seem to feast after sunset as their religious duty. It makes one wonder, whether the new scientific finding- that 25-day at a stretch fasting is healthy holds any water here. Frugal eating during Ramadan is observed by very few. While all day the rozedaar shows extreme restraint, the lavish iftaar in the evening — from Korma, pulao, zarda, sheermal, nihari can put many a waistline to quiver in distress.

Now, this brings to another new aspect of Ramadan, the ‘iftaar parties’. I strongly object to the word iftaar parties. What is surprising is many Muslims organises iftaar parties to break their fast, which by all account is actually a very solemn and spiritual affair.

There is a certain sanctity attached to Ramadan fasting. You stay hungry and thirsty all day, fulfilling Allah’s raza (Will). Richest of the rich Muslims, who would have otherwise,never know what it is to experience hunger and thirst even observe fast. When you break your fast the aura of piety all pervades your soul. It is a spirituality that comes from doing what the Almighty wanted you to do, it is certainly not a ‘party’ feeling. While Islam believes in ‘community’ concept and eating together is certainly a way of creating bonds. Calling iftaar a ‘party’ is most objectionable and misleading.

Why do we have these sumptuous affairs at all? In the good old days, breaking of Ramadan fast was just iftaar, there was no ‘party’ attached to it. In fact, for iftaar, ‘iftaari’ used to be sent to different mosques, relatives and friends, comprised of basic eatables- dates, dahi phulki (pakoras in curd made with gramflour sans any onions or other vegetables) and chanas. This was welcome and the rozedaars would enjoy this in the comfort of their surroundings without having to make long journeys to home to ‘break fasts.’

This trend of sending iftaari is fast dwindling. People are now organising iftaars at home or hotels. This can be justified to an extent as it is generally done by relatives and friends so one gets the chance to meet and exchange pleasantries. What is trending now is the political and social iftaars. Politicians in their zeal to garner support and to increase their vote banks have been organising lavish iftaars in five-star hotels but, it is the socialites and businessmen who have scaled up this trend. One may find people putting invites on Facebook (FB). Needless to say that the iftaar parties offer perfect picture opportunity to social media lovers, splashing pictures all over FB and WhatsApp groups. They also get a chance to show off their designer pre- Eid attires and jewellery. You will find a lot of socialites preparing for these iftaars much in advance, in fact, many pay more attention to preparing themselves for these iftaar parties than for Eid.

Here, I will go as far as to add that these are totally ‘un-Islamic ‘as they blatantly violate the basic principle of charity where it is said that alms should be given in the manner where the right hand should not know what the left hand is doing. Islam promotes the kind of charity which is silent and which is done with dignity, and not for publicising one’s philanthropic deeds. I am all for the great gesture of distributing food and gifts to the less privileged, not just during Ramadan but, throughout the year. All religions preach ‘giving without publicity but, seems that this part is being totally ignored in the age of virtual world. Hope that this article will help curb this fake way of getting a notch higher on the social media ladder.

letters@tehelka.com

The Reluctant Musician: Pt. Kaivalya Kumar

By
tehelka
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For one born into a musical family as its third generation, one would have thought that Kaivalya Kumar would have his path cut out for him. But possibly unwilling to undertake initially the rigours of the intense ‘talim’ his family was known for and disappointed with the trials his father Pt. Sangameshwar Gurav faced, in college, as he studied to be a Civil Engineer, he put his naturally mellifluous voice to the service of what he himself described as “disco singing”. But at the same time, he was sentient of the special gift of classical music that his family carried with his grandfather Pt. Ganpatrao Gurav, a first batch disciple of Ustad Abdul Karim Khan, founder of the Kirana Gharana.

“Grandfather would tell me stories about the greatness of his Guru whom he called an ‘Auliya’. I remember him telling me about Khan sahib that his hand was always in a giving position and not a taking position. So much so that he never even accepted his payments himself. I also remember that Miraj, was the place where Abdul Karim Khan’s cancer disappeared. It was believed to be a miracle of the Sufi saint Meerasaheb. He sand every year at his Urs and announced that he would like to be buried at his feet” recalled Kaivalya Kumar.

His turn towards serious Hindustani music emerged out of a dare his father friend, one Dandekar challenged him with. He told young Kaivalya that every one studied and wanted to know from him what he was doing with the gift of music. To show how musical he was, the youngster sang the Manna Dey song ‘Poochho na Kaise”. Impressed Dandekar upped the bar and asked him to sing a Bal Gandharva song which he played for him twice. “I always take on challenges, and after hearing it twice I sang it. My father was listening too and grudgingly agreed to teach me if I really wanted to learn”. This was an important turning point in his life when reluctantly he embraced his musical heritage.

“The training from my father was unusual. He would pinch me on my thigh if I sang wrong. Often my thigh was red with the number of times he would pinch me. He wouldn’t tell me what is wrong. He wouldn’t show me what is right, but just pinch me. All those pinches eventually had the desired impact and I learnt to sing” tells Kaivalya Kumar of the peculiar pedagogy followed by his father. But then the annals of transmitting knowledge under the Guru Shishya parampara is replete with even older stories!

Meanwhile, the same Dandekar made him enter in toa music competition at Ichakaranji, the ancestral village of the maestro Balkrishan Buwa, who musicologist Susheela Mishra describes as “the founder of Khayal Gayaki in Maharashtra”. Describing that night as he in a local hotel, Kaivalya Kumar said, “Abdul Karim Khan appeared in a dream and told me that when I go on to the stage I should behave like theking of the world, and when I come off,I should feel like the most insignificant person in the world. I followed his instructions”. The result was that Kaivalya Kumar won a prize of a thousand rupees and a big trophy. “My father cried when he heard of the dream and told me that given the fact that ours is unstructured music that has tobecreated instantaneously, it is our willpower that carries us, and that by appearing in my dream the master had given me the secret himself.” The regret of the lost early years was converted into a decade of penance when he did nothing but riyaaz “day and night” as he himself described. This gave him an unforgettable and hauntingly beautiful musical quality to his voice, that makes him one of India’s most admired singers It was a time of great contemplation. Over time he became conscious of an energy that would pass through his body. He credited it to the Omkara meditation that he did in the early hours. It was as if the ‘kundalini’ was being awakened and he seemed to understand the secret landscape of music. “I believe that only when a note boils does it appear before you. I was generating so much heat but I was able to reduce my temper” he described by way of worlding this other worldly experience that he was undergoing. “While I have never done a ‘chilla’ the forty day music meditation, I have lived my life as a ‘chilla’- never having emerged from the depths of the ocean of my music” he admitted.

Having travelled around the world, and having been open to all music, he realises that some music is written and hence predictable; some like Carnatic Music is mathematical, while Hindustani is creative. “Nothing is in your hands. It comes to you. You cannot force a taan. At best you can create a space and invite it to enter. Further, there is no standardisation in our music. The Rishabh of every Raga is different. So you can be taught a raga or a composition, but you have to learn to sing it yourself.” As a singer of Natya Sangeet he enjoys poetry and the poetic mood, which through the emotional quotient in his voice he communicates effectively to his audiences. This sets him apart from other Khayal singers.

He has a treasure trove of compositions to sing in different ragas. His mind is like an autocad reader and he claims that he sees their architecture from different angles. Instead of arrogance, this only adds to his humility. “When I go from one note to another note, I take its permission before entering it. You can’t go bursting through musical notes.” Having heard about aboriginal people taking the permission of water before entering it whether as river, lake or pond, this did not sound strange to me at all!

What are his views about the Guru Shishya Parampara, that many claim is the soul of the transfer of musical knowledge and which is regrettably under treat in the times of institutionalisation. “No institution can teach music. It can give you a degree that can help put food on the table. Jeewan banana ke liye Guru ka ashirwad chahiye (you need the blessings of a Guru to make your life” he said categorically. “But there comes a stage” he added, “when you must leave the Guru and find your own path. 10 per cent of your music is eventually what the Guru gives and 90 percent is your own quest. In that, nature can be your teacher” he explains having experienced it and knowing what he is talking about.

He has minimised his needs, contented to live in pastoral Dharwar, with very few acquisitions. He enjoys gardening and watching cricket, but even there he bemoans the appearance of money power. He likes to be surrounded with beauty and has a collection of terracotta images. He is proud that his wife runs a small scale but successful pickle making company that gives employment to many other women. He only strives for simplicity and the humane pursuit of happiness which he describes as — “insaaniyat and sanskaara” and for his music to be always luminous with “bhava and raga”!

letters@tehelka.com

Will Kathua case redraw political map of Jammu?

By
Riyaz Wani
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The trial in Kathua rape and murder case has been going on at the district and sessions court in Pathankot. The court has framed charges against seven of the eight accused in the rape and murder case of an eight-year-old nomadic girl in J&K’s Kathua. The eighth accused in the case is a juvenile.

The girl was kidnapped on January 10 and raped in captivity at a small village temple before being bludgeoned to death. The rape and murder triggered a global outrage, leading even the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to promise justice to “our daughters”.

The Supreme Court, on the plea of the victim’s father, shifted the case to Pathankot and ordered day-to-day in-camera trial to ensure a speedy justice. The trial began on May 31. There are 226 witnesses in the case mentioned by the CB in its charge sheet.

However, along the way, the case has assumed a huge political dimension. A fullfledged campaign is on in Jammu for a CBI probe into the crime and it is led by the senior BJP leader, Chaudhary Lal Singh.

Singh was earlier ousted as the forest minister for participating in the rally of Hindu Ekta Manch in support of the accused. But, soon after Singh plunged headlong in to an ongoing campaign seeking a CBI probe into the case, major flak was also seen drawn to his own party. Nevertheless, he drew large crowds wherever he went.

Stoking the campaign is a deep-rooted communally tinged suspicion of the investigation into the crime carried out by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Crime Branch of the J&K Police. Even though the team is headed by a Kashmiri Pandit, most of its members are Muslim.

After a month of leading it, Singh has harnessed the campaign to enhance his political standing. The scale of the political mobilisation has threatened to redraw the political map of Jammu. The situation has reached a point where the BJP leaders elected from the area- speaker Nirmal Singh and newly inducted ministers Rajiv Jasrotia and Devendra Kumar Manyal — are finding it difficult to visit their constituencies.

The overwhelming public response to the campaign finally forced the BJP high command in New Delhi to take note. The BJP president Amit Shah summoned Lal Singh to New Delhi and gave him a “free-hand” to carry out his political campaign.

“The national president during the hour-long meeting endorsed Lal Singh’s assertion that there was a conspiracy against Jammu and the CBI probe into the Rasana case was inevitable if the party wanted to retain the political support in the province,” the state BJP president Ravinder Raina told media.

Going forward and with the campaign for the CBI probe into the Kathua case unlikely to reach its logical conclusion, there is scope for a lot more of politics over the ghastly crime. Singh’s successful rallying of the crowds over the issue has persuaded the BJP to revisit its dissociation from him, fearing this would raise his political standing to the detriment of the party.

In recent past, Singh has also tried to expand the social base of his campaign by trying to enlist the support of the other communities to his cause. To this end, he changed the name of the Hindu Ekta Manch to Dogra Ekta Manch, opening the doors to Muslims of Jammu to also join. Instead, he pitted the Dogras against an imaginary enemy in Kashmiri Muslims, separated by a safe distance of 300 kilometres.

“Gone are the days when the Kashmir-centric parties could gag our voice through oppressive means. Now, Dogras have decided to fight,” Singh said during the recent Dogra Swabhiman Rally. “We don’t want any lessons on secularism and brotherhood from the Kashmir-centric parties which lack guts to speak against fundamentalists. Since the times immemorial, Dogras have accommodated people of all religion and regions.”

The campaign is set to go a long way. If Singh doesn’t feel sufficiently rehabilitated by the BJP, his expanded support base could become a problem for the party. More so, in the wake of the next 2019 general election. And, Congress is also waiting in the wings to electorally benefit from the possible showdown between Singh and the BJP. For now, however, the BJP has mended fences with Singh.

letters@tehelka.com

All in a Day’s Work: Tête-à-tête with Yashodhara Lal Sharma

By
tehelka
-

How I Became a Farmer’s Wife’ is a book about rearing chickens, dairy and poultry farming. Having a corporate job in a metropolitan city, how did you get this idea for the book? How closely is it based on your own true story?

So, ‘How I Became a Farmer’s Wife’ isn’t really about rearing chickens, but yes, there is dairy farming in it. I got the inspiration for the book by living through the experience when my crazy husband decided to follow his passion and actually try his hand at dairy farming on land near Gurgaon! He surprised us all by renting the land, buying seven cows and seven calves and starting up operations — the rest is history — well, in the book, anyway!

Do you ever secretly imagine or wish to live the life of a farmer’s wife?

I am already living that life because my husband seems to have decided that farming is going to be a part of our lives in some shape or the other — no spoilers, of course, so I don’t want to say too much about it. We are not actually living on a farm, of course, but it was quite a rollercoaster ride going through the dairy farm experiment — the exposure to an entirely different life and set of challenges. But to answer your question — no, I never either imagined or wished to live that life! I am quite the city girl, although, I actually grew to love the interludes on the farm. That break from the chaotic craziness that our lives have become is quite a welcome one.

You began your writing journey as a blogger. How did the transition from blogger to author happen?

I had been blogging since 2007, and I never really thought I would end up writing so many books at the time. I had wanted to, of course, but it had been a hidden, secret desire. That changed in 2010 when I had a complicated second pregnancy and realised that life is really short, so may as well fill it up with what you really want to do. So, I sat and wrote my first book, ‘Just Married, Please Excuse’ and HarperCollins picked it up. Ever since, I have published many more with them as well as with Duckbill for a couple of children’s books too. Blogging still means a lot to me, although no one really seems to read blogs these days.. I don’t get much time for it, but I still somehow maintain it and hope to continue to do so.

How difficult is it to write humorous books?

It’s the only type I think I can write, so not difficult. Probably would be difficult to write something without humour! I think I just grew up reading books like these — the gentle humour of James Herriot, the wry observations of Gerald Durrell and more recently, the hilarious Bill Bryson. So, I think I am naturally attuned to writing humorous books based on real-life events. I’ve also tried my hand at fiction, but even there, there’s quite a bit of inspiration from life. I have reconciled to the fact that this is the only way I can write.

You’ve probably been asked this a hundred times already. Anyway, for the hundred-and-first time, as a full-time mom of three, marketing professional and Zumba instructor, just how do you balance all of these roles so seamlessly?

Hahahaha, you got that one right! But it’s ok, because the question is the same and I think my answer keeps changing. So, one thing is that each of these roles takes away energy, but they also add that back. The other is that I have given up aiming for perfectionism. I don’t aim to get to the top of any of these fields; I am just really happy to have these things in my life and to be able to continue to do so many of them even after I came back off a sabbatical to the world of full-time work. Oh, and the sabbatical was amazing in terms of getting myself trained to be a Zumba instructor, doing a lot of writing and so on. I don’t think my life would be the same today if I hadn’t taken that pause.

Tell our readers a little about your recent TedX talk on exploring one’s multidimensional self for a fuller life.

It was a lovely experience. I got a call from the Symbiosis Institute of Telecom Management last year to deliver this talk. It was a lovely campus, the room was full of highly engaged students and the video turned out to be pretty great too. I worked hard to prepare this talk even though I was short on time, and it helped me to get clarity on a lot of things myself. However, to be completely honest, there are days when I am struggling with overload at work and I look at that video and think ‘Wow, what a fake…she really looks like she has it all together. Only I know the truth about how messed up she feels right now!’ 

Apart from this, you have also been learning the piano and the guitar. Tell us more about your family’s relationship with music.

Not many people know this, but I am the granddaughter of a very accomplished sitarist Jitendra Pratap Singh, who was also a longstanding contributor to writing about music as a critic. My grandmother too was naturally musical, so it runs on my mother’s side of the family. I learnt guitar from the time I was fifteen, but never was very good at it — I still am not. But I’m taking classes once a week and trying to stay connected to the instrument. The piano playing started a few years ago because my daughter was learning and I just decided to pick it up at the same school as her since I was there anyway. I haven’t made that much progress, but I recently managed my first ever piece called ‘Silver Inches’ and am inordinately proud of it! I think music is the perfect example for me, of pursuing something enjoyable without an end goal in mind. That’s really important, and besides, it helps me relax!

What are some of the books, authors you have been reading lately?

I’m much bigger on non-fiction than I am on fiction these days. I am trying to get through ‘Sapiens’, which I find fascinating, but hard to pick up once you put it down! And I have got ‘Irresistible’, which is hopefully going to help me go on my own digital detox soon. It talks about screens as addictions — something I know I have. Another book is ‘The Antidote’, which is kind of like an anti-self-help-book, and yet most helpful; along with ‘The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck’, another interesting one.

After your sixth book, what’s your next book going to be about?

My second kid’s book, based on my daughter, ‘Peanut Vs. The Piano’, will be published by Duckbill later this year. Further, my next novel, tentatively titled ‘The Last Summer Being Gudia’ will be published by HarperCollins in 2019. It’s a childhood memoir of sorts, but basically, a coming-of-age story set in the early 90s in Delhi about an awkward middle-class middle-kid trying to find her own space in the world. It’s very close to my heart, and I hope a wide variety of people — adults as well as children — pick it up, enjoy it and relate to it.

letters@tehelka.com

Akhilesh Yadav calls bungalow row a BJP’s conspiracy

By
Mudit Mathur
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The patriarch of Samajwadi Party, Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son and former chief minister, Akhilesh Yadav, have lost possession of their palatial official bungalows after an elongated battle to retain it by hook or crook. They even resorted to all sorts of legal options and legislative way out to escape the adverse verdict of the Supreme Court that ordered evicting of the gigantic bungalows occupied by former chief ministers.

The controversy erupted when allegations against Akhilesh Yadav surfaced that he took away valuable lightings, décor from the newly reconstructed, furnished bungalow and left a damaged floors and roofs at the time of vacating it. Pictures published by media showed damaged floor tiles and laminations. Air conditioning ducts of the centrally air-conditioned house had been pulled out, swimming pool, modular kitchen, cycle track, decorative plants, lights, bathroom fittings,etc. were found damaged or missing.

Confirming the reports, Yogesh Shukla, Estate Officer told Tehelka, “We are in a process of verifying our inventories issued to Yadav from time to time and to scrutinise sanctions of fixtures and furniture him, only then I will be able to say something about the quantum of damages and assessment of loss.”

The Supreme Court has ordered former chief ministers to vacate the government bungalows allotted to them after demitting their office. Since the judgment has affected not only the father-son duo but also, BJP stalwarts like Kalyan Singh and Rajnath Singh, BSP president Mayawati and 93-year-old veteran Congress leader Narayan Dutt Tiwari, therefore, all the members of the legislature passed this act to legitimise their occupation on government bungalows.

The Supreme Court held this exercise of power and struck it down terming it to be unconstitutional. The changes were “arbitrary and discriminatory” and violated the concept of equality, the judges said. The Supreme Court judgment ruled, “It is a legislative exercise based on irrelevant and legally unacceptable considerations, unsupported by any constitutional sanctity.”

To escape media coverage, the Akhilesh Yadav government under the garb of the earlier judgment of 2016 affecting former CMs, unnecessarily dragged journalists into its ambit by cancelling allotment of flats to all the journalists. Thereafter, his government adopted a policy to re-allot them under newly enacted Act and rules. In fact, the Apex Court had no occasion to examine the issue relating to allotment of type IV and V flats in favour of working journalists on rent basis as it was not impugned by the petitioner, NGO Lok Prahari, led by retired IAS officer and its secretary Satya Narain Shukla.

“The issue relating to allotment of government accommodation on rent to working journalists was in-depth considered and settled by the Apex Court in an earlier verdict in the case of Shiv Sagar Tiwari. The Apex Court approved the guidelines suggested by Press Council of India to regulate allotments of flats to working journalists. The present ruling did not interfere with settled position,” said veteran journalist Sharat Pradhan.

The former secretary, Government of India, Vijay Shankar Pandey demanded penal action against Akhilesh Yadav for causing huge damage to the government bungalow while vacating it days ago. Pandey alleged the state government had spent around 42 crore in the renovation of the bungalow located at 4-Vikramaditya Marg in Lucknow. The damage was deliberate and out of sheer frustration of vacating it after Supreme Court verdict, said he.

BJP leaders are up in arms adding fuel to fire over this issue. “The damage done to the bungalow by Yadav shows his frustration”, said BJP spokesperson Harish Chandra Srivastav. On the other hand, Samajwadi Party leader Sunil Singh Sajan, a close aide of Yadav, called it a conspiracy to malign the image of Yadav following the defeat of BJP in Kairana and Noorpur by-elections.

Yadav too reacted to allegations, “If one should learn from BJP how to defame someone. The government should say what has been damaged and what is missing.” “These officers should be aware that governments come and go. I have seen officials pick up cups and plates, they should not get in to such behaviour of smearing my name in public.”

letters@tehelka.com

Six months in office, Jai Ram Thakur still faces challenges

By
Rakesh Rocky
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BJP leader Jai Ram Thakur will complete six months as the Chief Minister of the hilly state of Himachal Pradesh on June 27. When he was elected as leader of the BJP legislative party in December 2017, after the shocking defeat of party’s chief ministerial candidate Prem Kumar Dhumal in the Assembly elections, many questions were raised about Jai Ram’s capabilities as CM. However, he is trying hard to firm his grip on the Bureaucracy and his party BJP. On the other, hand after a humiliating defeat in the Assembly elections opposition Congress party seems to be caught in the infighting in these six months as former chief minister Virbhadra Singh and Pradesh Congress Committee chief Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu are all out to insult each other in the public.

Even after six months as chief minister, Jai Ram Thakur is facing challenges on many fronts. On the government front, his biggest challenge is to overcome the worst financial condition of the hilly state which is facing a whopping 48,000 crores debt. After the BJP government came to power in December 2017, it has raised over 4,950 crore loans till June 10. ‘’I admit we are facing a grim financial situation. We have reduced expenditures, however still we are facing a lot of problems on this front,’’ CM told the Tehelka. Sources said that state government even facing paying salaries and pensions. The situation is that state is not in a position to manage finances without raising loans.

Chief Minister Jai Ram had admitted during the Assembly session in April that state has total debt of 46,502.42 crores which now have crossed 48,000 crores. The state has a great scope in the field of tourism, but nothing concrete has been done to enhance infrastructure to attract more tourists in the state. ‘’Tourism is the only sector after power where Himachal have great possibilities. If sincere efforts are made with the help of central government, Himachal can use this sector to improve its financial situation,’’ said BD Sharma, a former director in the state government.

Another problem which Jai Ram is facing is the rising water crises in the capital city of Himachal Pradesh and some other districts in the state. Shimla faced worst kind of water scarcity this summer. People were forced to demonstrate on the streets. This is interesting to note that water level in many areas have gone down and more than half hand pumps in the state have gone dry now. There are fewer rains in the state and glaciers are melting due to rise in the temperature. Experts feel that state needs a solid water management policy, otherwise, coming years will be more troublesome for the people of the state.

After a shake-up in the bureaucracy, the new chief minister, Jai Ram, tried to firm his grip on officers, who otherwise in the state are ‘’divided’’ on the political lines. Like many other states bureaucracy used to play a big role in the success of governments, especially, in the implementation of ambitious projects of ruling parties or chief ministers. Former Chief Ministers Virbhadra Singh and Prem Kumar Dhumal were considered as strong leaders who had a grip on the bureaucracy. Jai Ram, who is known as ‘’soft leader’’ in the political circles, wants to come out of this image.

A senior member in the Jai Ram cabinet, on the condition of anonymity told this correspondent that ‘’afsarshahi belagam ghode kee tarah hoti hai aur usse aap bina sakht huye kaam nahin karva sakte (the bureaucracy is like an uncontrolled horse and you cannot be a successful government if you fail to control the officers). He, however, denied to comment on a question that chief minister was “soft’’ towards the bureaucracy but added that officers are part of the government.

On the political front, Jai Ram is facing multiple pressures. State BJP has two former chief ministers Prem Kumar Dhumal and Shanta Kumar. Besides them, a strong Union Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda too have clout in the state power corridors. He was a cabinet minister in the previous (2007-2012) Dhumal government and now considered to be a close confidant of Prime Minister Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah. Jai Ram has to keep balance not only between Dhumal and Shanta Kumar, but Nadda also. Jai Ram never had a strong group in the state BJP and even after becoming the chief minister he had mainly focused on government only. Former CM Prem Dhumal despite facing defeat in the assembly elections still havea stronghold in the state. Even state BJP chief Satpal Satti is considered to be close to him.

There are words doing the rounds that BJP high command will change at least three candidates out of total four Lok Sabha seats in the state in the coming Parliament elections including Shanta Kumar who is 85 years now. It is said that party may field Prem Dhumal from Hamirpur from where his son Anurag Thakur is MP at present. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur wants a candidate of his choice from Mandi, which is his home constituency.

When asked to comment on six months performance of the Jai Ram government, CPM legislator Rakesh Singha gave it only 2 marks out of ten. ‘’BJP government have not fulfilled even a single promise it made to the people during elections, he said and added that right from farmers to the common man are extremely unhappy with the government.

The Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader in the Assembly Mukesh Agnihotri described the Jai Ram government as ‘’proxy government’’ of the RSS. ‘’This government is working under the influence of RSS. It has failed on all fronts and law and order situation is out of control, he added. However, state BJP chief Satpal Satti described the Jai Ram government as successful. ‘’In the small period of six months, it has worked for the welfare of all sections of the society and fast working to fulfil the promises, added the state BJP chief.

letters@tehelka.com

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