A Tribute to Shail Chaturvedi

Shail Chaturvedi, eminent Hindi poet, humorist, lyricist and Bollywood character actor, passed away early Monday morning.

A former lecturer at Allahabad University, Chaturvedi had also played character roles in several television serials and Bollywood movies, including Uphaar, Chitchor, Naiyya, Hum Do Hamaare Do, Chameli Ki Shaadi, Narasimha, Kareeb, Jahan Tum Le Chalo.

A contemporary of humourists like Kaka Hathrasi, Pradeep Chaubey and Ashok Chakradhar, Chaturvedi formed the A-league of hasya kavis. His works took a candid dig at the changing face of Indian politics through the 70’s and the 80’s. Chaturvedi was well-known for his cynical approach to everyday life. He had a quirk ready for anything odd that caught his eye.

When colour television was still a novel concept, Chaturvedi was synonymous with the annual kavi sammelan broadcast on Doordarshan every Holi. The exchange of repartees with fellow poets never failed to tickle even the weakest of the funny bones. When he was done having audiences at kavi sammelans in splits, he graced the small-screen with his large frame.

I remember those years fondly when we used to eagerly await Hasya Kavi Sammelan shows on TV.

Wise Words

Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power. If you realize that you have enough, you are truly rich.

By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.

Few are there are among men who arrive at the other shore. The other people here run up and down the shore - Taoist saying.

Remembering the Scorpions

Heard the song 'Wind of Change' after a long time.

"Wind of Change" is a 1990 Power ballad written by Klaus Meine, vocalist of Scorpions.

The lyrics celebrate the political changes in Eastern Europe at that time – such as the fall of the Berlin Wall, the increasing freedom in the communist bloc (which would soon lead to the fall of the USSR), and the clearly imminent end of the Cold War.

You can catch the same on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5muLIq9PqUk

Passing Thoughts
[Quote by Doris Lessing - Nobel Prize Winner for Literature (2007) ]
That is what learning is. You suddenly understand something you've understood all your life, but in a new way.

Interesting Coincidence
My zen story for today is also about Scorpions and i just happened to observe the coincidence after putting up the blog on 'Wind of Change' by Scorpions. Strange !!

Ghalib ki Yaad Mein

Zulmat_kade meiN mere shab-e-GHam ka josh hai
Ik shamma'a hai daleel-e-sahar, so KHamosh hai

The literal translation of this shai'r would be as follows:
In my place of cruelty/torture; the night of sadness/repentance reigns ....
a candle is the evidence of break of day; so it is silent.

Verses Demystifying (by an unknown contributor)

• The metaphoric meanings to this shai'r can be broken off into many tangents, but the one that prominently stands out in my mind is that he is referring to "zulmat kade" as his mind or thought process which is vieled by a blanket of darkness and regret. His pain is morphing into verses; he has stayed up all night composing a shai'r to mirror his state of mind, but it is always overcome by pain and cannot be materialised. He goes on to say that there is a light at the end of the tunnel...a candle which is still lit. He is clinging on to this last straw, in the hope that it will transform into a verse that will mirror his emotions. The candle is a symbol of faith...perhaps his confidence to overcome the darkness. He sees the hurdle and wants to overcome it, but needs the strength to reach out to his faith.
• Another angle to look at this shai'r would be to interpret "zulmet kade" as the world we live in. Darkness and despair has overcome him and taken control of his life. He finds himself heartless and alone; relating to no one and nothing. The "shama" in this case would refer to God, as his only hope for redemption and the feeling of belonging. He wants a divine intervention at this point in his life to keep things real...he wants God to talk to him, and tell him everything is alright ( so khamosh hai ).It would not be irrelevant at this point to say that "god is dead"(Nietzche) for Ghalib. It is interesting to note though that he says it in a way so as to keep it ambiguous as to whether he believes in God or not (doosrah misra'a). What I mean is that it could be lit and he just can't relate to it, or that it is there but its not lit anymore.

Silence Perforce

Life has its ways of silencing people and i encountered it recently.
A month of tumultuous happenings kept me busy from writing my thoughts on the blog.

Hopefully the tide has mellowed and the fury of the tempest has died down. Slowly breathing again and inching back to normalcy.