Tribute to Hazaaron Khwahishein Aisi

These days I have been hearing a lot of Gazals from Ghalib. Was so inspired by it that I have tried extending one of the most famous of his gazals by two verses of my own. My tribute to the greatest poet of all time in Urdu.

हज़ारों ख्वाहिशें ऐसी के हर ख्वाहिश पे दम निकले,
बहुत निकले मेरे अरमान लेकिन फिर भी कम निकले.

मुझे उस राह-ए-मज़ाज़ी ना था जाना कभी लेकिन,
चला जब में तो मुझसे मेरे मुनकीर कदम निकले

(Raah-e-mazazi : way of the materialistic, munkir : atheist / one who doesnt believe)

घुटन इस बज़म-ए-कुश मे नामंज़ूर हमें फिर भी
ना हम जा सके ना उनसे मुदब्बिर रहम निकले

(Bazm-e-Kush : Happy crowd, mudabbir - Judicious)

P.S. have tried writing this in urdu which isnt first , second or third language to me. I have tried using minimum vocab and dictionary to best suit the poetry for my thought. Apologies if I have used it incorrectly, please feel free to correct me.

One Gujarati Poem - Jeevan to vistar "Tu"

પ્રેમ તૂ, ને છે પારાવાર તૂ,
મુજ મા મુજ થી સાકાર તૂ,
વિસ્તાર જીવન નો બસ 'તૂ',
મારા બ્રહ્માંડ નો આકાર તૂ;

રમી જગત થી ભાગતો રહુ,
ઘર મા વસતો છે કરાર તૂ,
તૂ સંત-વાણી ને સંસાર તૂ,
તૂ ભોમયો ને ભૂલ્યો દ્વાર તૂ;

તારા કને સહુ માંગતા રહ્યા,
સહુનો લેતો નથી આભાર તૂ,
ક્યારેક દરિયા ની અંધાધુંધી,
તરસ્યા નળ મા જળધાર તૂ;

પૂજસ્થાન પર પૂજતા રહ્યા,
ગીતા નો ક્યારેક કથા-સાર તૂ
મંદિરો ની પ્રસાદી મા ક્યા હતો,
ભૂખ્યા લોકો નો હતો આહાર તૂ;

Sach Ka Saamna - My views on TV

Let us start if you can face your moment of truth oopsie , sach ka samna, (this might reflect my views on television, NOM to them though),

Q1. Do you secretly like watching Fashion TV and Zee Trends?
(this is cheating you cannot ask an embarassing one to start with)
Ans. Yes
TRUE
Q2. Do you consider Aaj tak and India TV to be cheap entertainment of third grade?
(Yes, this one is better)
Ans. Yes
TRUE
Q3. Even when you make fun of your wife, you like watching Bandini along with her ?
(Don't do that to me! I should not have started the show)
Ans . Yes
TRUE
Q4. You feel that Raghu (Roadies fame) is cool and he should be given a whip to flog the mindless participants having no idea / direction of life?
(Oh my god, I should have not put this on Blog, it might hurt)
Ans. : Yes
TRUE
Q5. You think that Archana Puran Singh has done an implantation ? Of her vocal chords?
(Uff, these people seem to have profiled me for my viewing habits)
Ans : Yes
TRUE
Ek aur sawaaal aur 1 lakh Rupyee aapke.

Q6. The Moment we ask this question and the music is played for getting in to an embarassing break, you will not switch the channel waiting for the "Manforce" Ads
(Dhan tan dhen dhan tan dhen. Break. Aage dekhiye kya wo ye ad dekhenge?)
Ans. (An embarassed and "had a good break" expression) Yes
TRUE

You have won 1 lakh rupees. Kya aap aage badhna chahenge, 5 our question aur aap jeet sakte hai 5 lakhs. You are playing it well, par questions aur personal hote jayenge.

Q7. You liked Star movies in your school days more than the star movies now, you also liked TB6 ?
(OMG, they remember this. Hope My mom doesnt know what these channel showed)
Ans. Yes.
TRUE
Q8. You told your friends that you love National Geographic and Discovery channel programs more than silk stalking on AXN, even when it was wrong?
(I know they too told me the same things. I dont mind answering this. But why does he seem obsessed with S*X)
Ans : Yes
TRUE
Q9. You secretly wish that you can extend the lovescenes that appear in English movie. You would appreciate an interactive Dish feature on it?
(see here he goes again. It seems some teenager has framed the questions)
Ans: Yes
TRUE
Q10. You feel that your wife ditched you on your first date feigning sickness to watch Karan-Gouri 's marriage in Kyunki saas bhi kabhi Bahu thi?
Ans. Yes
TRUE

One More question aur 5 lakh rupye aapke.

Q11. Your wife bought that 20K saaree last year that looked like Kumkum. What did you feel like putting on fire – Your wife or her Saree?

Wife Presses the buzzer, she would not be able to handle it. He says that this is an answer your wife doesn’t want to listen. Ab doosra sawal, isse difficult bhi ho sakta hai. For 5 lakh rupees. If you cant speak the truth you take nothing.

Q11. Have you lost any of your wife’s money on Udyan Mukherjee’s suggestion?
(Dhan tan dhen dhan tan dhen. Break. Contestant rushes to the TV screen)
Ans. Yes.
TRUE

You win 5 lakh rupees. Wife has a tear in her eye; she also had abuses on her mind that not all could read. “Saree or me? My Money?****”
Too Much Has already been exposed, would you like to continue.
I feel I should sit here as long as I can, don’t want to go home after those questions anyways.
Aage sawaal aur bhi difficult hoge, kya aap tayiar hai ?
Turning to wife, he seems to be investing a lot of money in stock markets.
“Yes”
So what does he watches the most on TV
“CNBC-TV18, he is one of those intellectual sorts”

Q12.Though your wife seems to be impressed with your intellectual viewing, you watch CNBC TV 18 waiting for Shireen Bhan?
People might think I am going to get divorced after this show, I feel I am going to be kicked everyday now.
Ans, Yes
TRUE

I avoid looking at wife.

Now we come to the danger number 13. You answer this and you move ahead towards 10 lakhs, you don’t and you lose your 5 lakhs.
Wife, what kind of girls did he like before you got married?
Classy, Stylish, speaking impressive English, Simple, You see, just like me.
Q13. You watch ten minutes of “Jyoti” waiting for Rakhi ka swayamwar , do you love the show?
(Ofcourse I don’t , how can anyone love Rakhi and her stupidity, this is too simple)
Ans. No
Ye Jawab, Sach ……….. Nahi hai …. This answer is FALSE.
My wife breaks down, I find it weird. Do I really like watching her swayamwar?!!!

P.S. : Did you watch the Manmohan Episode?! Hlarious. I think she will marry Elesh.

A Few People Whom I Met

{Inspired from real life}

Us lodge ki deemak khati lakdi
se bani wo dining table
Aur waha pe rehte pandeyji,
Ek dhoti pehankar
Amiro ke dukh sehankar
Muchho ko taav dete
Khane ki baat karte
"Khana achha bana hai"
Aisa kaha kisi ne baju ki table se,
Pandeyji muskurate,
Thehthehate,
Baat karte, haste,
Paani bhar rahe the pital ke glass mein wo,
Tab poocha maine,
"Pandeyji, kaha se ho?"
Mein utsuk tha, kaha se hoge wo,
Kaun si jagah pe khusia,
Rukti nahi hai tute darwazo mein,
Kaun si jagah pe baatein
Khilti hai ek rasoi ghar mein,
Unki hasi waisi hi thi,
Kaha usi andaaz se,
Ke wo hai,
"Hindustan se"

*******************************************************

Mumbai ki bheegti baarish mein,
Ek chhoti si chhat wala bus-stand tha,
Woh tha ucchi imaarato ke saamne,
Par waha ke raaste, basti se bhi aate the,
Mein kuch logo ke saath,
Waaha khada bus ke intezar mein,
Thoda sa bheeg raaha tha ki tab,
Ek chhoti bachhi haath mein fati gudiya leke,
Ayi kaha "Kuch dedo Sahab"
Meine socha jeb mein pade chhute do rupiyo ka,
Phir Socha, iska baap inhi se daaru piyega,
Isko shayad pitega, ya usse bhi kharab,
Meine usko dekha, socha ki kaise madad karu,
Bus aa gayi, mein katar mein dheere dheere door gaya usse,
Bus mein aage ki seat mein baitha tha wo,
Jisne khidki se is ladki ko dekha,
Paas bulaya, aur khidki se apna aadha khaya,
Burger usko de dia.
Mein soch raha tha, kya ye itna mushkil tha?

*****************************************************

Mein aya tha waha tumhe milne ke lie,
Paise hote nahi the hotel mein rehne ke lie,
TO us lodge mein jaha mein ruka tha,
Jaha Pandeyji khana banate the,
Meine kamra share kia tha kisi ke saath,
Wo keh raha tha mein kerela se hu,
Mera beta school mein doosri class mein hai,
Biwi silai bunai kar leti hai, hum gareeb nahi hai,
Salesman ki job mein jab aise bahar aata hu,
Roz ka paanch sau rupiye extra paata hu,
Usne phir baatein kari thi apne gaaon ki,
Apne logo ki jinki haalat kharab hai,
Maine sab ki kahani sochi thi,
Kitne alag aur dilchasp the wo log,
Jinse mila bhi nahi tha mein,
Aaj yaaha baithke dekhta hu,
Chai pine aur baaton mein nipatane ke,
Din ke Paanch sau rupiye lete log,
Rote rehte hai paiso ki kami pe,
Sabki Kahani ek hai,
Sabki baatein ek si,
Kaash maine uska pata poocha hota,
Inko bhejta un dilchasp logo ke paas,
Dekhte ki paisa kam hai agar paisa
Paiso ke lie ho to
Aur paisa paryapt hai agar wo,
Biwi ke kangan aur School ke baste ke lie ho.

Kaminey Music Review

Would Request you to read my review online on Planet Bollywood website. Here is the link for the same : http://planetbollywood.com/displayReview.php?id=m071609062011

Here comes the baap of albums that have come this year. This for sure is the one everyone had waited for and this for sure is the one that would not disappoint. It has experimented with both Music and lyrics. Even if this album is not played often and remembered for long, this would be one of my favourite for this year and for the time being for sure. It makes me feel elated.

Especially Lyrics by Gulzar are awesome. I dont know who else could write a poetic song on AIDS or a Poetry using the word "Kaminey". Vishal Bhardwaj reserves his best music for Gulzar's films and Gulzar reserves his best lyrics for Vishal's.

The Album starts with a very upbeat "Dhan te Nan". The song starts with a solo trumpet and then the beats carry it into a beautiful flow, the moment when they sing "Dhan Te Nan" you feel like smiling. It is sung beautifully by Vishal Dadlani and Sukhvinder sing. Its wonderful how both of them complement each other, like another song where Kailash Kher does the same.
Aaja Aaaja Dil Nichode,
Raat Ki matki phode,
Koi Goodluck nikale,
koi gullak to phode.

No one could have used English and Hindi in such a nice sync. Its evident also in his thoughts when he says life is like a "one way" and there is only one chance. Also in the second stanza(3:50)there is one thing that I liked. "Kai Kabre hai, Kai Khabrein Hai...". This song is a blast for sure.

Next on the list is "Fatak". Just like the song before, you can see how Kailash Kher's voice can mix into Sukhvinder's voice, at times I forgot who is singing what. It has a beautiful sound of the whip "Fatak" and solid drums playing in the back ground. It is what makes Vishal Bhardwaj's Music so special and so earthy.

Bhanwara Bhanwara aya re, (the way sukhvinder extends the "re" makes it typically beautiful)

Gun Gun Karta Aya re ....

And the Bhanwara here refers to AIDS. I could not think of any other lyricist who could have turned message on AIDS in to such a poetic song. Especially listen to Sukhvinder (around 2:20) followed by Kailash kher,
"Jitna bhi jhooth bole thoda hai,
Keedo ki basti ka makoda hai .... "

And at the end Gulzaar saab tells us what Bhanwara is through the most famous sher " Ye ishq nahi aasan, AIDS ka khatra hai ..."

Message : Ke Naiya Dube na, ye Bhanwara Kaate na.

Then comes the GO Charlie Go theme and I assume that this would merge well with the story for "Fahid Kapur's" acts. It sounds a little like a background score of a thriller / mystery movie. Midway it starts with the "Dhan Te Nan" extension and it sounds very much like the 80s thriller after that. This would look better after the movie is released.

Then is one of the most beautiful compositions - The Title track.
Kya kare zindagi, isko hum jo mile,
Iski Jaan Kha Gaye, Raat Din ke gile, .... Raat din gile,
Meri Aarzooooo , Kamini,
Mere khwaaab bhiiiiiiiiii, Kaminey,
EK Dil se dosti thi, ye huzoor bhi Kaminey.

(Vishal Bhardwaj's vocal suits Kaminey in a very poetically painful way here. It somehow reminded me of No Smoking songs).

I wish he could have composed one more of similar track with his own voice. The lyrics are beautifully done. This is the best one from Gulzaar saab in this album. A few very-Gulzaar touches

"Kabhi zindagi se maanga,pinjare mein chaand laado,
Kabhi laal Ten deke, kaha aasman pe taango,
Jeene Ke sab Karine, The Hamesha se Kaminey"

Poetry generally is written with two lines rhyming and impact in the second half of the second line. But I like Gulzaarsaab who uses the third line with the word "Kaminey" and it makes it beautifully poetic. I just cant stop myself typing these lyrics, and just before these lines is a beautifully composed symphony :

"Jiska bhi chehra chila, Andar se aur bhi nikala,
Masoom sa Kabootar, Nacha to Mor Nikala,
Kabhi hum Kaminey nikale, Kabhi doosre ..... Kaminey"

Hail Gulazaar saab, Hail Vishal for not just composing this beautifully but singing it in such an intoxicating way. It is not full of pathos, but its full of feeling of pain and betrayal that can come from heart and can make the word soothing.

Next comes something for the slow song fans, the Mohit Chauhan club. I like this song though it isnt something that is out of the league. It is very much the usually beautifully romantic song in between an extraordinary album.
"Dil Ne kaisi Harkat Ki hai, Pehli baar mohabbat ki hai, Aakhiri baar Mohabbat ki hai" .

Vishal uses the background score to make the song linger in your minds and the voice of Mohit chahuhan seems apt for the song. I am sure this song would look good on screen with Shahid kapoor and Priyanka Chopra. Pick of the lyrics in this song would be

"Tujhe Gudgudana, satana, yunhi sote hue,
Gaal pe Tipana, Michna, bewajah be sabab.....
yaad hai, pipal ke jiske ghane saaye the,
Hamne Gilhari ke jhoothe Matar Khaye the,
Ye Barkat un Hazrat ki hai...... Pehli baar Mohabbat ki hai..."

Last song in the series would be "Raat Ke Dhai Baje" which looks like a celebration mix for Pehli baar Mohabbat. It is sung by a number of singers (Kunal Ganjawala, Sunidhi Chauhan, Rekha Bhardwaj, Suresh Wadkar, Earl) and is a typical song that is going to be played in celebrations and discs alike along with "Dhan Te Nan". Singing in this song isnt too impressive but the way the song is composed its great. I liked the following lyrics in the song :

Ishq mein jalte hue, saans Tezaabi lage,
Chikne Chikne Lachhe hai, Reshami se phande,
Chupdi Chupdi Baaton mein Bhole bhale bande,
Tanhai ne fursat di hai.... pehli baar mohabbat ki hai..."

Vishal Bhardwaj happens to be one of my favourite personalities in the world of cinema, and I await his work in all faculties. It is like listening to someone, who worships the medium. And Kaminey just makes you feel so much better about him. You might compare these tracks with his earlier works "Omkara", "U Me aur Hum" or even "No Smoking" and "Maachis" but all his works stand out in the crowd on their own. They are like different human beings. You cannot say one is better than the other. Songs I am sure apart from the beauty they show now are also situational and would make the movie a lot better.

Its a Vishal Bhardwaj- Gulzaar Album, with their classic flavors, so we dont need a review to grab this one. Its sure to please you.

I am not qualified to rate this but on my liking scale it is 8.5 out of 10.

Aaj Bhi Zindagi Gaati Hai

I think I have become more poem friendly post Happy's birth. Will get back to the written word soon. Here is one more poem.

Inspiration : A girl I had a chat with yesterday, Vishal Bhardwaj's voice in Kaminey title track, Women in my life forward in the morning, The daughter I dont have, the sister i craved for, Too much of Gulzaar and Prasoon joshi songs, and life ofcourse.

Zindagi Gaati Hai
-Jaykumar Shah

Zindagi gaati hai, chillati hai,
Khamoshi mein, chupke se,
Koi Awaaz nahi hoti phir bhi
Zindagi gaati hai khamoshi mein.

Un dino jab aangan bade the,
Gudiya tasveer banati thi,
Kabhi suraj ko lal kar deti wo,
Kabhi meri moochein banati thi,
Kabhi maa ko chudi pehnati thi,
Kabhi deewaro pe likh jaati thi,
Uske banaye lal suraj mein,
Un hari hari si chhudiyon mein,
Aaj bhi,
Zindagi gaati hai Khamoshi mein.

Tumse mulakat hui thi sapno mein,
Phir college ke un raasto pe,
Din tumhari parchai se the,
Ghazalein meri baaton si,
Chandi bana kya tha wo jhumka
Jo khelta tha un gaalo pe?
Wo Jhumke ke khel ki khanak,
Tumne nahi suni hogi par ,
Aaj bhi,
Zindagi gaati hai khamoshi mein.

Nanhe nanhe do haathon mein,
Wo Enak pakad leti thi mere,
Aankhen kam kholti thi lekin,
Soye soye baatein karti thi,
Papa mein jab badi houngi,
Aapsi baatein karungi,
Wo baatein jo sochi maine,
Bekhbar usne kari thi jo,
Aaj bhi,
Zindagi gaati hai khamoshi mein

Dhalti shaam, Gudiya ka lal suraj,
Tumhara Jhumka, Maaki Choodi,
Mera Enak, Nanhi ki baatein,
Bandh bakse se, Guzre waqt sa,
Nikalke roz mujhse milta hai,
Kuch thi baatein kuch awaaze,
Kuch nahi thi wo bhi yaadein,
Aaj bhi,
Zindagi Gaati hai khamoshi mein.