Man Of The Masses

There have been so many negative arguments, talks, discussions on Bala Keshav Thackeray after his death on Nov 17, 2012. Quite amusing to hear intellectuals pontificate over a man who never did pontificate.

As I saw the swarm of humanity (disputes are on whether it was 5 or 10 lakh people) at his funeral ceremony yesterday I remembered at once what my father told me many years ago. One day I came home after seeing a movie and told my Dad, I did not like it and it will be a flop. He laughed. He said the movie will be a hit. He told me your opinion does not matter. It is the mass opinion that matters. That clearly signified I was not one of the mass. I was 'educated' and  lived in a brick-and-cement home with very different realities but yet made opinions on what the majority would like and not like.

Like the movie, while most thought he was a flop, Balasaheb Thackeray  was a hit with the masses. That was clear on Nov 17. But nevertheless, the so called 'illusionary majority' sat in their safe and cozy homes and discussed on how the hell did he get a state funeral, why did the city have to shut-down, why do we need a memorial of him,  his people only knew violence, he held cities to ransom, who is he?. Who is he.. that question only the masses can answer. 

Little wonder then he joins a narrow group of most admired or liked people that includes Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, C N Annadurai, Vallabhbhai Patel and Babasaheb Ambedkar.

Is Corporate India Ashamed Of Mumbai?

Mumbai the next Shanghai. Many have shrugged the idea as a pipe dream, never to happen. But, Mumbai as Mumbai itself is now compelling corporate India to hide their city in shame. A reason for few of them shifting home to Bandra West and office to Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), away from even the better part of Mumbai - South Mumbai. While this is taken as a natural corollary of BKC becoming the next big financial hub, the underlying reasons seems to be far from that.

Recently at a party it was interesting to hear the conversation of a reputed foreign banker and second generation Mumbai-based industrialist seriously discussing why they prefer the suburbs over South Mumbai. For one, it is close to the airport and considering the extent of traveling a CEO does today, as well as the number of international visitors coming in, it is convenient to move closer to the airport.

But as their conversation on the subject became serious, it was shocking to hear the reason for this shift. The industrialist said that he hates to bring foreigners all the way from the airport to South Mumbai because he does not want them to see what Mumbai really is with all its bad roads, traffic, filth, dirt and slums. The entire trip from airport to South Mumbai gets these international visitors all depressed. These are investors coming to INVEST in India. They then begin to wonder about all the great growth figures we are talking of amidst slums and beggars, the sheer absence of infrastructure development and prosperity that should follow growth and more importantly they have been coming to this financial capital of India for so many years now and SEE ABSOLUTELY NO progress.

The banker nodded his head in total agreement. And what he said was even more shocking. He said, he plans international visitors itinerary in such a way that they spend only one day in Mumbai – that too between the airport and suburb hotel -- and the rest of the time the international visitors are taken to Hyderabad, Bangalore or more progressive cities as compared to Mumbai.

Looks like the Maharashtra government is not ashamed of Mumbai in its current deplorable and pathetic state. But, the businessmen and bankers who bring in investors certainly are; they are forced to hide their head in shame as marketing India and its commercial capital is becoming even more difficult for them.

Superstar Friend Rajesh Khanna

Rajesh Khanna, the superstar. But for my family a good friend of my father, M S Krishna, editor of Blitz newspaper (for 30 years till the 1980s).  A friend,  who ensconced himself in rexin office kind chairs at our home,  in his white Kurta and red tomato colour cheeks, eating my mother’s idlis  (served in no classy crockery but stainless steel plates) are memories my family cherish.  And maybe not only our family.   My  neighbours of Patrakar colony too, who always had ready binoculars in their hand, trying hard to get all the action.  Rajesh Khanna and my father were great friends and drinking buddies. 

I remember as a teenager going to the many film parties my dad took us too  … Rajesh Khanna on seeing my father, would pull him to one corner,  oblivious of others who crowded around.   What did they chat so much about?  I now wish I had overheard their conversations instead of concentrating on the five-star buffet dinner and desserts laid out.

But what I cherish most is that their friendship did not end with my father’s exit from Blitz and from limelight journalism. Both met more than once a week as far as I remember till my father’s death in 1999.  Rajesh Khanna, was the only film star to visit my father,  who had undergone a surgery at  the Leelavati Hospital in 1998. He even told the well-known surgeon Nitu Mandke (who is no more) to give personal attention to my father. I guess because he thought nothing of being a film star where it concerned my father. And also because he had no qualms to just walk inside Leelavati at 11.30 pm in the night, all by himself, like any other casual visitor. The security guards and nurses outside the ICU gaped with astonishment and could not even utter a word of protest about him breaking ICU meeting timings and just watched the man walk gracefully and with his endearing smile into my father’s room. After 15 minutes of chat, my father told him to get out… and Rajesh Khanna immediately understood what my father meant – don’t waste your time here in the hospital, as my father used to tell us too. Rajesh Khanna laughed and left only to come again the next day.

Rajesh Khanna’s passing away to our family was a surge of memories of a superstar in his heydays and otherwise, who kept a close friendship always alive. 

Our entire family bids Adieu to the friend Rajesh Khanna.

MY TRIP TO DHARAMSHALA, HIMACHAL PRADESH

June 14th 2012

^{Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh.....residence of the exiled Dalai Lama and the home of the exiled Tibetans since the 1960s. .. Dharamshala is located in the Kangra Valley and lies amidst the high Dhauladhar mountains.}

^{Since 8 years back when my colleague told me about beautiful Dharamshala, I had nurtured a desire to visit the place.  I had conjured in my mind a paradise surrounded by Tibetan and Buddha culture and monasteries amdist beautiful mountains and lakes.} 

The drive from Simla to Dharamshala is breathtaking. As we pass the district of Bilaspur, we see the Gobind Sagar lake which is an artificial lake formed as a result of the world famous Bhakra Dam on the river Sutlej.

^{One crosses such other beautiful districts like Mandi, Hamirpur, Una and finally the beautiful Kangra Valley.}  

<sup>We finally reached our hotel at McLeodGanj, home to Dalai Lama and Tibetans. The hotel (Anand Palace) was a terrible disappointment and we were forced to shift to another hotel (Royal Palace), but no hotel there seemed to have any beautiful view, other than facing either construction or another hotel or traffic loaded streets. 

 We were shaken a bit on arrival. Where were all those beautiful mountains and lakes and other landscapes that we had seen on our way.  Where was all that peace, all the spirituality that we had conjured up in our minds.</sup>

^{The main attraction closeby we were told was the McLoedGanj market. This is like any other market and nothing exciting. Besides there is no place to walk with traffic screeching at you and no great delight shopping there.}  

^{We visited the Monastery of Dalai Lama but it seemed to have a kind of isolated existence, lacking somewhat in spirit and it seemed void of any kind of Tibetan rituals. A strange sight were the 'Real' brand of Orange Juices, Britiannia biscuits, 'lays' wafers and chocolates all stocked up around the Buddha idols. We asked the reason and were told they are  offerings!. We also visited the Norbulingka Institute which depicts various forms of Tibetan culture. But again it seemed to have a more commercial angle to it than anything else.}

^{All this made Dharamshala score very low in my recommended holiday destinations.  I kept asking myself why when even author William Dalrymple mentions it in his book Nine lives under the chapter 'Old Monks'. Why did I seem so disappointed with the place.}

^{To some extent, I guess the place lacks an identity of its own.  It is a melange of sorts. But this also later seemed very interesting.}

^{Walking on an uphill road, very close to our hotel, we were quite surprised at what we saw.  The whole Hippies culture. Mediation, yoga, tantriks, drugs all going on very openly.  I felt I was watching Dev Anand’s 1971 movie Hare Rama, Hare Krishna which depicted the Hippies culture prevalent in India those days and to me it was quite amazing to know that all of it still exists just the same way, here at Dharamshala.}

^{So there is melange of culture that you witness. The red-robed refugee Tibetan monks,  the hippies, the crowd of  Punjabi folk during weekends and then the local Himachal people, all co-existing with each other, accepting very peacefully each other’s differences and all that seems to make for Dharmashala.}

 ^{You keep searching for some particular identity or spirit to attach the place with. But don’t find one.} 

^{Well you also then realise the beauty is not found on ground. One has to move up to experience the real Dharamshala.}

^{One of the main attractions of Dharamshala is Triund hill, 2,895 metres above sea level. Jewel of Dharamshala, Triund is a one day trek at the upper reaches of McLeodGanj, located at a distance of about 9 kilometres from McLeodGanj and 17 km from Dharamshala.} 

^{This was my first major mountainous trek. We did the trek from Galu Devi temple which is located at a height of 2,300 meters. So the trek to Truind is in essence 595 metres which took us 2 and half hours to reach the top.(in our naivety we believed we had done all of 2,895 metres!!). If you ask any of the local taximen or rickshaw drivers, they say it is a just a bit of climb from Galu Devi and then a straight walk.... Perhaps that's why we saw families with small kids who set out to attempt the climb. It is clearly not that easy!!!}

 <sup>It is a steep climb all the way, only a bit of straight walk here and there. While  coming down we did the entire trek down to McLeodGanj which took us 4 hours which is about 800 metres downhill (as McLeodGanj is located at 2,082 metres above sea level).  The downhill again proved interesting... to see a whole set of locals having let out their humble homes to foreigners (a lot of Israelis) who try to imbibe the Indian culture of yoga and mediation and the works, well in their own ways!!. What is interesting to see is the locals living their lives untouched by these foreign elements, yet housing them very beautifully. Guess that is the spirit of India and Indians... tolerant, hospitable and welcoming all. 

Triund hosts the majestic views bestowed upon by nature and possibly in the whole world the nearest snowline in the entire Himalayan mountain range, here snowline is located at the shortest distance of about 13 km (Distance from McLeodGanj).</sup>

 

<sup>From Truind Hill one can go further to Illaqa which is located at a height of 3,300 metres where one can see the snow-capped Dauladhar peak at its closest (the mountain peak of Dauladhar is at a height of 4,800 metres above sea level).

However, we left it for the next time. Perhaps if we had planned better, we could have camped one night at Truind Hill and taken off to Illaqa early next morning.

My first major trek to the Triund Hill,  meeting scores of travellers from different parts of the world, reaching the top to witness the beautiful snow capped Dauladhar ranges, testing and stretching my body limits. Well that was the high point of Dharamshala for me.</sup>

^{At the end of the Himachal Trip, I realise I had visited Shimla too, but Dharamshala was more captivating for me with all its differences and varied experiences and at the end of it you forget the noisy crowds, bad roads, the dirt and the screeching horns and what stays in the mind is a lot of beauty.}

Satyamev Jayate

When I began watching the first episode of Aamir Khan’s Satyamev Jayate, my initial thoughts were - well this is old wine in new bottle... don’t we know all this stuff. And haven’t scores of journalists covered this issue – gender bias - female foeticide - over the years now. But as the show progressed, I realised well here is a STAR who has the guts to do something different – to take on social issues and with solid ground realities at hand. The show is too long – one and half hour and may not have viewers dedicating their precious Sundays to such lengthy serious topics but I sincerely hope that this is not the case. Hopefully the masses watch it for Aamir Khan and we have an enlightened India soon. He made a very important statement in the show – that the atrocities of female foeticide speak of the country’s mental framework and that is so bad for us. So bad when we talk of heightened cultural India on one hand and these atrocious way of thinking on the other. We need to tell ourselves that 9%- 10% GDP growth is of no use when we don’t seem to be growing healthily in mind. These are the things that will keep us backward always – as India will keep taking one step forward and 2 steps backward. Oh and don’t we so need this awakening of the mind against the scores of TV contest shows with judges and their emotional antics dulling the senses of masses and keeping us at a stupid, idoitic level of thinking. I applaud this initiative of Aamir and wish it brings in the long needed revolution. I hear of so many of these kinds of issues from the people who come to work at my home and I wonder always where is the progressive India we talk of. My maid’s story of her family’s preference for a girl child led me to do this short photo essay last year . http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/share-your-world-world-what-would-you-change Satyamev Jayate Aamir