Blog Writing - A retrospective

Why to write a blog? Is there any use? One use is that we get practice of writing. Especially if one is a (budding) writer!

Other use is just pour out your feelings. If you don’t have any follower, all the woes can be ‘puked’ on the paper, oops on WordJ

I have an aim, an objective, a goal – both personal and professional.

I have promised myself that I am going to complete one fiction and a non-fiction before end September 2012.

Anyway I have a long term goal. I have to compete for a Booker prize. The amount is very luring.  This could make our life, our kids’ life easier to some extent!

But there is a saying... in any competition it is important to participate, winning is not important.

Well, may be I should just participate. Anyway prize is some sort of reward for my effort, if my work is liked by others.

Then why not write a book which is liked by others?

I remember my novel Jeevanmukhi which was serialized in the most famous weekly magazine in Kannada – Sudha. I was a newcomer then. (even now I am ‘modest’ enough to say I am a ‘newcomer’!) I met the editor. He was keen to know how I made my manuscript ready. It was typed in computer (In 1998, it was still a novelty). The neat script was attractive to anyone’s eyes.

I was eager to know the fate of my novel. I was traveling a lot those days. Especially interior of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. When I was in TN, I had no chance of searching for the magazine. I had not got any letter from the magazine, at least a rejection letter!

I think I was in a place called Basarikatte, a very small place near Balehonnur, in a coffee estate. I was the project manager for the erection of a coffee pulping machine.

One evening I went to the town nearby. I wanted to buy soap, toothpaste etc., I saw a magazine store and out of curiosity started turning the pages of the latest Sudha magazine. Suppose my novel has started... what a lovely feeling it was!

At one page my hand stopped so did my heartbeat!

There was the small box item..... our next novel Yathiraj Veerambudhi’s heartfelt novel Jeevanmukhi (face towards life)

I was thinking... why did they choose my novel over many experienced writers’ novels? Probably they would have used the process of elimination. Language – good, Grammar – correct, politically correct? – Yes, any derogatory passages-no, style – looks ok, story content – decent, twist in the end- very nice.

Why I am reminiscing the old days?

Simple. I want to write the blog in a new style. A week has 7 days. Taking into consideration that I will write each day of the week, three days the fiction will appear and the other three days are the non-fiction’s time. The seventh day is to write any nonsense.. I mean just chatting... how does it sound? When do I start? Not yet sure. But it is definitely worth trying since I have a goal of completing one each of fiction and non-fiction.

So, get ready and bear with me to get ‘bored’!!!!!

Burman

When I first heard the song ‘yeh dil na hota bechara’ of Kishor Kumar from the movie Jewel Thief, I was thrilled. So easy to sing! (I use it in Antakshari!) I came to know that the music director is Sachin Dev
Burman (S D Burman).

Wow, what a music director! There are so many songs I want to remember. Let me try the listing!

Rula ke gaya sapna mera – what a melancholy!

Raat akeli hai... – sexy

Yeh dil na hota bechara... carefree

Aasmaan ke neeche – love song

Hoton pe aisi baat – beats and dance

Dil pukare aare aare – melody of pahadi music at its best

Funny, I have taken songs from one single movie! Can you  believe it? How melodious one can get?

When it comes to soft songs we have many – chanda hai tu, khil te hai gul yahan, gunghunarahee hai, most melodious kora kaagaz tha ye man mera  (this is my phone ringing tune!), tushimaare tushimaa, Raina soyi soyi, palkon ke peeche se, tere naina talash....piya bina... ab to hai tum se

When it is beats... reshmi ujaala hai, roop tera mastana..

Comedy – Mera naami aavo, babu horn pukare

His son Rahul Dev Burman was also a genius.

I was thinking that he is good is only jazz music. Then I came to know that he has changed his style when he gave music to Teesri Manzil.

What a great music director! For melody o majhi re, beeti na bitaaye raina, bada natkhat hai re, the ever green raina beet jaaye, mere naina saawan bhadon.... the list is countless

Of course RD means beats... mehbooba o mehbooba.. chalajaa ta hoon...

Comedy... ek chatur naari kar hoshiyar can be taken as the only example. There are songs like mutthu kozhi kavaadi hai da...

Both have carved a niche for  themselves in the hearts of Hindi film music lovers.

Amar Prem Kishor is somewhat different. Each song is a gem. For Rajesh Khanna and Dev Anand there are some immortal songs. Parbat ke peeche for RK and Bahut door mujhe chale jaana hai for Dev.

For a non old Hindi music lover  the article would be very boring.

After a long time, I came to know a third Burman. I don’t know whether Hindi music is liked, whether a singer...... my colleague Ms. Susmita BurmanJ

Mr. Ameen Sayani

If one is above 40 years and lover of Hindi film songs, I am sure he/she would have heard the name of Ameen Sayani. A man with a distinct voice.

His Geetmala program was quite interesting and entertaining. I remember listening to it in Radio Ceylon during early 70s.

That way I knew Hindi songs earlier than that. Thanks to my mother. She was an ardent lover of Hindi movies. I believe her father – my grandfather – used to take her and her sister to all the Hindi movies of 40s and 50s, 2^nd show in an imported car – Morris Minor!

Coming back to Mr. Ameen Sayani. He used to entertain us with his unique style.)

After being 50 years (yes, Golden Jubilee) in Radio, he is giving life to the songs of those days. He has brought out 35 volumes of his talk and songs. The specialty of the volumes is like this.

Geetmala (with various Toothpastes attached to its name) was mainly catering to the popularity of the songs of the week – depending on many factors.

Then many programs based on Geetmala were aired in radio.

Saregama hit upon an idea.

The songs which are famous for the year are ok. But how about some songs which are really good (in fact, more excellent than the ‘popular’ ones)?

So, the idea of Geetmala ki Chhao mein was born. The meaning is simple. The songs of Geetmala which remained in the obscure.

The Geetmala started from 1952. So the volumes started from that year. Now the volumes are 35, but the years covered ends at 1972. At least 5 years are still left for the silver jubilee of Geetmala.

The format is like this. The popular songs are mentioned and a few lines are played. At the same time, the not so popular but melodious songs are played almost full. Added to these, interviews of the stars, music directors, lyricists and the whole gamut of Bollywood.

The mix is very heady!

I keep listening to them whenever I find time. In fact, I have emailed him my happiness and grouse. Mr. Ameen Sayani has replied me!

He talks about some things which we always wanted to know and we never knew!

Can you believe that he is 80 year old this year!

But the voice is the same as the first day. May God bless him with long life and the same distinct voice so that he completes at least another 10 volumes which he is planning.

Statistics

There is a funny link when you observe today. 7.5.12

Yes, 7+5= 12. Amazing isn’t it? I don’t know whether some statistician has taken this into his/her account!

Statistician…. Well, I remember Mr. B B Mama (is Mr. right? I have not seen him/oops her!)

For the sake of ease, I will call him ‘him’. If he is a ‘her’ let me know please!

This person was keeping track of cricket scores in Sportsweek magazine those days. I used to buy them (though I was not earning those days) for the gatefold of big cricketers Sunny Gavaskar, Javed Miandad, G R Visvanath and so on.

The scores were really difficult to keep because most of the records were kept manually.

Today, uff.. it is so easy!

You will know how many times a fielder let the ball slip through between his legs (pun unintended!) in the last say, 5 overs!

Isn’t it amazing what the computers can do? You can see yellow lines showing the path of sixers and red and blue for 4 and twos may be.

Other statistics apart from cricket are also good. Yesterday Aamir Khan was mentioning today there are 914 girls for 1000 boys.  When the number becomes big the gap becomes wider.

He also said in the next 10 years, 2 crore boys will not have girls for their marriage (or live – in)

When I mentioned this to my colleagues in the cab while traveling today, she gave an exclamation “oh my God, what do I do to get a girl for my son!” Her son will be of marriageable age by then!

The digression of the subject is too much. This means I am sleepy. See you tomorrow! Hopefully with more stuff!!

Lonely

I am feeling suddenly lonely today. The reason is simple. My family has gone to Mysore to attend a function. I told I shall enjoy being alone. But is it true?

Looks like it is not! Suddenly the walls and doors have become silent. I feel very uncomfortable. Hope I had told at least one of my friends to come and give me company for some time at least.

The loneliness is different from solitude. Sometimes I need my space. I go and shut my inner doors and keep to myself. That is different.  Being alone is different. Being lonely is very different.

I was watching Aamir Khan’s new series ‘Satyamev jayate’  A bold approach.  He has taken female genocide as the first topic. Really burning one.

What was shocking is that the people kill their unborn granddaughter. But they want a daughter-in-law for their son. So they buy from other states. Yes, even Karnataka girls are being ‘purchased’ to bear their kuldeepak (the light of their family)

If I say something, it sounds preachy. Mother, sister, wife are all female. Why not daughter? What difference it makes? Is it the dowry? Is that why people are committing such crimes?

The program showed the audience crying when they heard two of the ladies who underwent torture in their in law’s place because they decided to give birth to their female child.

Even Aamir was shown wiping his tears.

Will it help?

He says people should take up the issue. They are the only ones who could solve this imbalance of male and female ratio 1000 boys to 914 girls as of today.

Aamir generally does what he says and says what he does.

We will all lend our support to a good cause.

Otherwise the daughter in law of the house would be very lonely in fighting this battle. Mostly she will concede defeat without any support.

Mind is bored

Sometimes the mind goes blank. Today is like that. I woke up early. (not earlier than my weekday routine timing!). Brought milk and curd. Had my coffee. Bath. Went to Bank to check the balance. Couriered a document to friend. Went for a long journey via Nagarbhavi to Malleswaram (there is a reason for this too. We cannot go through Nayandahalli which is a pain to pass through in any vehicle, any day, any time of the day!) Reached Malleswaram. Went to LIC office. There were three counters. None of the counters had the queue moving. May be each person had more than two premiums to pay. (LIC should make a special counter for single premium payer, like they do in Star Bazaar) Some guy announced that there is a fourth counter. As usual all the tail enders rushed and formed the new queue, again I was at the end!  The lady in the counter was painfully  slow. She was coughing horribly (God! Why doesn’t she take Glycodin syrup?). Finally I paid my premium and left from there. Went to my friend’s cd store. Found my most favourite Carnatic Classical singers’ latest albums. Purchased them. Had a tea at his store which came from his home. A real good masala tea.

Again started from there to Vijayanagar. I was really absent minded. A very bad trait. Was listening to Aruna Sairam (my most fave singer among the lot). I was trying to park near Shanti Sagar and suddenly discovered that Shanti Sagar is little further.

Then I made a blunder. I swerved to the left without bothering to look back and a youth in a car which had already put on his right signal dangerously swerved to the right and I suddenly realized that I am going to hit the car and I again swerved to the right averting a major accident. That youth must have had his heart in his mouth! He was furious. I rushed to him and apologised profusely and hurried further.

I can’t tell anyone at home, so  I am chronicling the incident!

Reached home.  Had food. Slept. Again left for another round to Vijayanagar. This time to pay the instalment for my site which is being a carrot in front of me since 2006! There is a controversy. I feel it was my wife Usha who suggested regarding buying a site and she is sure that I am the culprit!

I faced another embarrassing moment in the office where I was supposed to pay the money. I pulled out the old receipts and there was this really unwanted letter! The letter was an accusation on the person who is the president of this housing society! He saw the letter and laughed. You are keeping this? Even if hundred more such letters come, I shall still be elected as the president.  I should kick myself for keeping that letter.

Now I am at my pc writing this. Feeling hungry. My daughter has cut cucumber. So I stop here!

A few Novel plots

When I started writing novels (in Kannada) I had so many ideas. Some of them are good and some ha-baked ideas. Just want to share with you, oh readers! Let me know whether there is any ‘juice’ in the plots.

The first one:

Not a great attachment between the husband and wife. The wife is of suspicious type. She keeps nagging the husband. Actually she earns more than him. Did I say that he is a ‘full-time’ writer?! His one job is to drop his daughter to the bus-stop where she gets into the school bus. He watches a young woman with her son. The boy is in the same class as his daughter. Naturally, he is attracted to the mother of the boy. To his delight he finds that the lady is single mother (she is a divorcee is a suspense point!). The opportunity presents itself for him to be connected to her. Now the fun starts as things get boiled up....

The second one:

A girl, very pompously brought up by a doting father and loving elder brothers, falls in love with a detective. She starts helping him and slowly the love blossoms. The ego clashes come in between and she becomes her lover’s competitor in solving crimes.....

The third one:

The boy is very handsome and most good looking. The rich girl falls for him. The marriage takes place and a daughter is born. Alas, the wife comes to know that the husband is suffering from a terminal disease. She throws him out of the house. The court also gives the custody of the daughter to the mother. Now the husband lives in the wood. He loves Mukesh’s songs. He has one last desire. To spend some time with his daughter. Of course, the wife will never agree. He kidnaps the girl..... (by the way, the girl loves her father!)

The fourth one:

A Human Trafficking officer along with a lady journalist go in search of his mother. There is another story where a prostitute has a son. She is ‘kept’ by a local rowdy forcefully. The rowdy becomes a big politician. (may be MLA). The prostitute is left high and dry. Her son is sent by her to the city for studies. The lady journalist meets the prostitute. The prostitute makes some remark about the rowdy turned politician. Now her life is in danger. The officer and journalist (who wrote the story) race against time to save the prostitute. Why? What is the connection?

The fifth one:

A boy is friends with his classmate – a girl. The boy is poor and the rich girl takes care of his many financial needs. The girl’s father is an Intelligent Officer in the RAW wing. One day the boy, accidentally picks up some information from the girl’s house. A very dangerous info as far as the nation is concerned. But the boy’s close friend decides to ‘sell’ the info to the enemy country. The boy is in dilemma. The error may end up in the girl’s father jailed and what not.... AND MANY MORE PLOTS..