Category: English

  • Ruskin’s Rusty

    Ever since I took my first dive in English literature, Ruskin Bond has been my one of the favorite author. His stories have fascinated me since my first read. I don’t know how many times I have reread them. But for some reason, Ruskin’s Rusty always have dodged me. It’s not the case that I didn’t get a chance to buy it before or it was out of print. When your bestie is with you and you both are very crazy about books, some things just click. I know one should not judge a book by its cover but guys, this edition of “The room on the roof” is so irresistible with a fabulous watercolor cover which you can’t just ignore and move on. We both bought it. That day, I changed my topic for ‘R’ of this A to Z challenge. It can’t be anything other than “Ruskin’s Rusty”

    Just like any other Ruskin Bond book, it doesn’t let you leave the book without finishing the story. Or should I say, just like this book his all other stories hold you until you finish the reading? This is the first book Ruskin ever wrote. My copy being the special edition for the 60th anniversary of this award-winning book. It comes with a bonus of introduction by Tom Alter, and Ruskin’s special preface telling us the story covering the time past 60 years of this book. Eye catching water-color illustrations by Gunjan Ahlawat comes with the classic words of Ruskin as the special feature of this special edition.

    As this is the first novel in the Rusty series, It introduces us to an Anglo-Indian boy from his late teens living his unhappy life with his stern guardian, who elopes the house of his guardian to live among his friends from the town of Dehra. It is fascinating to read how life can take turns so dramatically without giving any signs for the same. One fine day, Rusty is with his friends enjoying the hustle of bazaar, enjoying baths on the common tank in the town, eating chaats with his buddies, and then one by one, his well-wisher walk on different paths of their lives. To know what happens when lonely Rusty takes decision to leave Dehra for England, you better grab your copy. I am sure you won’t leave it until you get the answer of this question.

    You can grab your copy at

    Amazon

    Flipkart

    And a bookstore near you

    ~~~~~

    I am participating in A to Z challenge with Blogchatter and this is my take on day 18 challenge. “R is about Ruskin’s Rusty”

    R.jpg

  • Playback Queen – Asha Bhosle

    I am sure, there won’t be a single soul in India who doesn’t know the name of this playback queen. Asha Tai is ruling our minds ever since she recorded her first song. Record keepers must be tired of keeping the record of the sheer number of her songs. List of the languages in which she had sung is also lengthy one. Though it is said that music doesn’t need language to communicate, but film songs do. If you know the language, you will enjoy the song with more connect with it. Whenever I get a chance to listen to this queen, my ears get drenched in the showers of heavenly voice.

    You name the music type and you will find a song already recorded by Asha Tai. She had rocked the world of film music, pop and she poured her soul in ghazals, bhajans, traditional Indian classical music, folk songs, qawwalis, and Rabindra Sangeets. Recently she had recorded an album of Marathi ghazals by Suresh Bhat set to the tunes of rock music. We all know about her musical relationship with O P Nayyar, Khayyam Sahab, S D Burman and Panchamda. Today, if I sit to list my favourites by her, I am sure I can make an another entire set of A to Z posts on each alphabet. But I am bringing you full 10 songs list  with mix of her hits, Marathi and Hindi. I am sure you all will enjoy the songs by our beloved Playback Queen

    Tu tu hai vahi

    Film: Yeh waada Raha

    https://youtu.be/XMUorZkMBow

     

    Jawani jaane man

    Film: namak halal

     

    Mujhe rang de

    Film: Takshak

     

    In ankhonki masti me

    Film: Umrao Jaan

    Raat Akeli hai

    Film: Jewel thief

    Kevha tari pahate

    Tarun aage ratra ajuni

    Chandane shimpit jaashi

    Mage ubha Mangesh

    Jai shaarade vageshwari

    ~~~~

    I am participating in A to Z challenge with Blogchatter and this is my take on day 17 challenge. “Q is of the Queen”

    Q.jpg

  • My prism

    I had lost my precious prism,

    which, from a temple, I had stolen.

    Since then,

    Butterflies from my eyes flew off and they are gone,

    Dousing the sparkle on dewdrops that once brightly shone

    Now grass is just green and sky is a blue shallow,

    And my fellow humans had lost their rainbow glow.

    Yesterday, a kid came bubbling with laughter.

    Eyes full of amusement and constant chatter.

    “Hey isn’t it amazing?

    the sky is not blue, and grass is no green.

    Humans are of rainbows,

    this, have you ever seen? “

    Her question got me amused,

    Is it my prism which she used?

    How many are still there?

    Prism of the temple chandelier?

    ~~~~

    This is my first ever attempt to take classic Marathi poetry to you guys who can’t understand the language. This is my attempt to translate “माझा लोलक” by legend शांता शेळके (Shanta Shelke), renowned Marathi poetess and songwriter. She has given so many classic songs to the Marathi language. Here is the original poem too for you guys…

    देवाच्या देवळातून चोरून आणलेला लोलक, हरवला माझ्या हातून.

    तेव्हा डोळ्यातली फुलपाखरं उडून गेली,

    आणि विझली पाण्याच्या थेंबातली इंद्रफुलं.

    आता गवत नुसतंच हिरवं दिसतं, आणि आभाळ नुसतंच निळं.

    घराघरांना, माणसांना फुटतच नाहीत इंद्रधनुष्याच्या रेषा.

    परवा एक पोर आली उड्या मारत,

    हातांचे पंख पसरून डोळे विस्फारून खिदळत मला म्हणाली,

    गम्मत बघ, गवत हिरवं नसतं, आभाळ निळं नसतं

    आणि माणसं असतात इंद्रधनुष्याची बनलेली. माहितीये तुला?

    माझा लोलक हिला कुठे सापडला?

    देवळातल्या झुंबराला किती लोलक आहेत अजून?

    ~~~

    I am participating in A to Z challenge with Blogchatter and this is my take on day 16 challenge. “P for Prism”

  • O. P. Nayyar – Creator of melodies

    Pencil sketch by Ponnada Murty

    ‘FM 101.4आकाशवाणीचे हे नाशिक केंद्र आहे, रात्रीचे ठीक ९-३० वाजलेत, थोड्याच वेळात प्रसारित करीत आहोत हिंदी चित्रपट गीतांचा कार्यक्रम.’ (FM 101.4, this is Nasik station of All India Radio, we  will broadcast program of Hindi film music shortly) When I was around 6-7 years, I used to keep track of time for this announcement. Recently Nasik station of All India Radio got commissioned and it became my gateway for the Hindi film music. I and my aunt used to wait eagerly for this show. This show introduced me to the legendary music composer, O P Nayyar.

    Whenever you hear this name, an image of a slim old guy wearing a light-colored shirt, glasses and a signature fedora hat appear in your mind and tunes of his classic numbers are playing in the background. I have a strong belief that O P Nayyar can’t be remembered without his fedora and his melodious tunes ever.

    When I listened to the song “Maang Ke Saath Tumhara” I was in love with his music. The idea of using just the sound of horse carriage as rhythm was amazing that I still crave for this some every once in a while. Since that time, O. P. saab has been very close to my heart. We used to crave for the next O P Nayyar song that gets broadcasted by AIR Nasik. But soon the idea struck that, ‘as we have a tape recorder with inbuilt radio, why don’t we can record the songs.’ We have recorded so many of his songs in our tape recorder so that we can enjoy them when we like. If we got bored with one tape, we could easily tape new songs on that cassette.

    Then after years, we entered the era of internet and YouTube. If you check my YouTube history, you will find visits I made to these oldies for musical pleasures. I liked his music cause he never used too many instruments, he created divine pleasure with a very small orchestra. O. P. Nayyar had given so many melodious moments to us as music lovers that I am forever indebted to him. I would like to share some of my favorite songs created by this legend as my tribute to him.

    1 – Maang ke saath tumhara

    Film: Naya Daur (1957)

    2 – Jaane kaha Mera Jigar gaya ji

    Film: Mr. & Mrs. ’55 (1955)

    3 – Yeh hai bombay meri jaan

    Film: C.I.D. (1956)

    4 – Tumsa nahi dekha

    Film: Tumsa nahi dekha (1957)

    5 – Aaiye meherban

    Film: Hawrah Bridge (1958)

    6 – Deewana huwa baadal

    Film: Kashmir ki kali (1964)

    7 – Pukarta chala hu mnai

    Film: Mere sanam (1965)

    8 – Lakhon hai nigah me

    Film: Phir wahi dil laya hu (1963)

    9 – Babuji dhire chalna

    Film: Aar paar (1954)

    10 – Kajra Mohabbat Wala

    Film: Kismat (1968)

    ~~~~

    I am participating in A to Z challenge with Blogchatter and this is my take on day 15 challenge. “O for O. P. Nayyar”

  • Starting a new

    Turn the page — by Lori Spray

    It has been days for me turning that page. I put the full stop on our relationship. You know how difficult it is to move on and starting a new life. When there is no further page to turn, you have to accept the end. We had such a good time together. But alas, the journey has its destination. Wait, wasn’t I aware of this destination since the beginning? Ever since I took that first step with her, back of the mind I was always staging for the moment when we reach the end of this road.

    Isn’t it obvious for a book? If you open the cover and dived in the amazing world created by an author, there is always “the end” written on the last page of the book. When the book is so fascinating, it kind of cast a spell on you and take you along the journey of its characters. I get involved in the story so much that I start thinking of being part of the story. The author takes the characters by hand and takes them to their destination by the end of the book. They fulfill their destiny. If writer gave them happy moments at the end, they enjoy them. If it’s tragedy, characters at least get closure at the end. But hey dude, you forget to write something for me? What about my destiny at the end? What about my share of the closure? Haven’t you thought about me as an uninvited traveler of this journey when you wrote a book?

    This is my condition when I turn that last page of every fascinating book. I need more time to come out of the world between those covers. I know it’s crazy to some other level, but hey my fellow bibliophiles, aren’t we all crazy in the same way? Just like some love yearning person, I fell for a new world. I get pulled to the bookshelf. Aroma of those printed pages always fascinates me. It entices me to pick up a new book and start a new.

    ~~~~

    I am participating in A to Z challenge with Blogchatter and this is my take on day 14 challenge. “N for Starting a new”

  • Your move, Sir

    Rakesh was sitting at the table of the title game for his Grandmaster title. The game was on, he and his opponent were confident and calm at the same time. He was all ready for this tough match. He had trained himself for such prestige matches ever since he had decided to dive in this mind game as his career. He has trained with most honored Grandmaster in the country for years and achieved all his FIDE norms for the title in last two years at various championships.

    Rakesh picked up the game in later years of his childhood but the way he mastered the techniques was a matter of amusement for his loved ones. His grasp was good considering his elder age. Generally, people think if you pick up chess at elder age, your grasping capacity is not your best friend. But Rakesh tamed his grasping power and mastered his moves. He has never felt agitated because of the long stretched game. If he is not at the table for the game, you can find him sitting in a corner chair with his earpiece on. He enjoyed classical vocals. He claimed it helped him to calm and concentrate on his next game.

    Rakesh was in his prime when this title match got scheduled. He was ready for this moment. His opponent was also in his best form. He was unbeaten for last 30 games. Media had made it a pressure point against Rakesh. But Rakesh is calm and composed. He reached the venue an hour before. Everyone was arriving. Press tried to get his pre-match statement but he avoided them. Opponent entered into the hall. Rakesh exchanged glances with him. They shared respectful head nods. His earphones were playing his favorite renditions by the maestro. Officials started arranging the table. A Decent crowd was chess lovers gathered in the gallery of the hall. Press crew was waiting for the match to start.

    The table was all set for the match. Clock ringed for the scheduled hour. Both of the players arrived at the table. They were formally introduced. Pleasantries exchanged. Today, Rakesh was playing with the blacks. Rakesh tripped the clock and the game started. Whites made the opening move and opponent offered, “Your move, sir” and the game was on.

    ~~~~

    I am participating in A to Z challenge with Blogchatter and this is my take on day 13 challenge. “M for Your move, Sir”