A blog sans subject- बिन विषयाचा ब्लॉग!

तीन पैशाचा तमाशा is written by Pu La Deshpande https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purushottam_Laxman_Deshpande it is the translation/interpretation of an Opera titled “Three Penny Opera” by Brecht! The operas have a story and theme, and a compère comes in between the acts and moves the story forward. The compère in Marathi is called सूत्रधार!

तीन पैशाचा तमाशा, आणलाय आपल्या भेटिला
इकडून तिकडून करून गोळा, नट अन नटी धरून भेटिला
आणलाssssss
आपल्या आपल्या आपल्या भेटीला!

These are opening lyrics of what the compère says in this Tamasha at the beginning.

My meaning of these lines is

I have brought you a poor man’s opera

I have collected the scattered actors and actresses who were free (my interpretation)

Come one come all to see the Tamasha which is specially brought for you

Tamasha is a grand show, performance, or celebration, especially one involving dance. This is an old art form famous in the rural part of Maharashtra. Those who attend and enjoy Tamasha are supposedly from lower strata in life.

You must be wondering what subject the blog is going to be! When I took a formal course in creative writing from Oxford University, the first thing I learnt was that the title of whatever I write should be attractive, innovative and different. From this background, I got an idea of बिन विषयाचा ब्लॉग- a blog without a subject!

It was a hot summer night, and I could not sleep! I was tossing! AC does not suit me these days. Finally, I went to an uneasy sleep! I woke up again with a jolt; I was sweating profusely. Then I opened my laptop and began writing, what else, a blog! What should be the subject of my blog! I thought of a few topics, but NADA! Nothing was coming to mind, and if I could arrive at a decision about the subject, I could write only a couple of words- it appeared that I was destined to write only about two topics. But these subjects were as ancient as me! I could not write anything about them.

None of my usual methods of deciding the topic for the blog was working. In a recent blog, I had written how I select my topics! In fact, when I wrote a small anecdote about a discussion with a friend’s son about the subject selection, my friend Shrikant jokingly asked me if it was a real story or was it a concocted one!

I skimmed through my favourite books of poems by Kedarnath Singhji, and I saw my favourite sites, scanned the internet! But nothing was working! I was worried and scared! Was this writer’s block, or was it that I had suddenly lost my skills!

I opened the WordPress site! I have not seen my old blogs for some time! I wonder what has happened to me today! Okay, I can not write on the subject of remembrance! I honestly hope that I do not have to write a blog on some dear ones memory! Then, of course, my favourite topic for blogs is Hindi film songs. Daily, Jaya and I listen to the songs, in the background, for at least a couple of hours! But today, none of the songs looks fit to me as a subject for a blog! Pramod, what has happened to you? Where is your prowess? Have you passed it on to someone?

I have been a voracious reader! I saw that some of my blogs were based on a word or a sentence that struck me! Hey, come on, Pramod, you can not be stuck on two subjects! Activate your grey cells! Have a cup of black coffee, not the Irish variety!

Then I started wondering how the great Pu La churned out masterpieces, one after the other? Sorry! I mean, I am nowhere near the great Pu La! But I have been writing every alternate day, something or the other! It is almost time for the first bell to indicate the beginning of the Tamasha- of writing the blog! I got hold of an old notebook and a fancy Montblanc. I am hoping that something will help me kick off my writing! Or is it HIS curse (शाप​)?

Where did I go wrong in the Tamasha called life? Why is even HE upset with me? There are always two sides to anything, including the art forms! Both the artists and the viewers should enjoy the art. Have my friends like you stopped enjoying my writing, my blogs? Have I stopped enjoying writing? Have I stopped enjoying life? I had read somewhere that feelings are not like the On/OFF digital switch, where you either have a value 0 or 1! Oh, great! I am remembering my professional training in engineering- that great Martensitic transformation? That Durval (or am I making a mistake?) process used in foundries to manufacture defect-free castings? Aha! Now I remember something, and maybe I will be able to write that elusive blog.

A Durval is very similar to pouring Beer in a glass! Tilt the glass at 45 degrees angle and pour the Beer slowly with the least possible turbulence! This will retain the bubbly in the tumbler. The same bubbles are not good in foundry technology, so creating defect-free casting use the same technique! My friends were worried that I may start blogging about Metallurgical subjects. One, these topics will bore them, and the second thing, they will not understand anything. When they do not understand my blogs, how will they comment about my blogs? But I have found a way to make Metallurgy enjoyable. Does it mean that my writing prowess is back?

This reminds me of my learning curves in COEP! Post exam, the gang used to have a beer-drinking session- I was a non-drinker and was confined to security duties- to manage the folks who would cross the limits! In my final year of engineering, I realised that I already knew how to create defect-free castings by watching the pouring of Beer!

By the way, do you remember what the subject of today’s blog was? I began with the title A blog sans subject- बिन विषयाचा ब्लॉग!

Oh my God! I had this terrible dream that I am confined to writing blogs san subjects! Or maybe write only about Metallurgy or COEP!

But my good old COEP has taught me how to live life! How to love my friends who love my limited writing! The world has plentiful of everything, including subjects for blogs! So look forward to my next; it will be a blog on a specific topic! Though that rascal of a friend is going to say- write meaningful things which all like! Enough of Blogs sans subject!

What is left in life? It is meaningless!

What is left in this life? It is meaningless! Who has written this? Pramod? Nah, never! Did Count Leo Tolstoy say this? You will be surprised to know that he did say this at one stage! Such a famous personality, such a great world-class writer! He had a large estate and was financially comfortable. But he did lose interest in life at one stage. Why did this happen? One of the reasons for this is an attempt for perfection, all the time! Whatever you are doing in life, for work or pleasure, though you may try to achieve the best all the time, it does not happen that way. The world’s top run-getter, Sachin Tendulkar, is supposed to have a success rate of up to 35%. This is supposed to be one of the highest. You may expect his success rate to be much higher than this, but it did not happen.

I will give another simple example from our day to day life. The kitchen is one area of our homes that gets soiled the most for natural reasons. Water, Oil, Coffee, and many such things get spilt, making the floor dirty. Due to the Indian cooking style, the exhaust systems, gas stoves, ovens, microwave ovens can get a thin oily layer due to fumes. If you try to keep the kitchen absolutely spic and span all the time, you will go crazy. You will start thinking, why the hell am I cleaning things when they get spoilt regularly. Have I nothing else to do? It is meaningless to clean it! The problem here is that you expect the kitchen to be clean all the time, 100%! This expectation brings frustration to our minds. Go below that 100% level, see at what percentage you are comfortable! 80/60/40? The choice is yours! Once you decide the level at which you are satisfied, your frustration will reduce, and you will find the meaning of life! Keeping a kitchen clean is not the only life!

Once you start looking for value in life, you will be better off! Initially, you may struggle to find the meaning of life. You are struggling because you have never given a thought about value. If you have never given thought, then how will you find it. Give yourself some time, do retrospection! By carefully reflecting on our life, we will find that golden path. The golden pot is kept at the end of that path!

The way of doing this is to try to make a structured approach. The reflection should be systematic. Who told you life was easy? In a mirror, you stand in front of it, and you see the reflection. But life’s review needs thinking and observation. You have a friend who appears to be leading a meaningful life. A surgeon friend of yours is extremely busy, but she is never tensed up. Try to understand how she achieves it. There is a meaning behind the active façade; I asked a surgeon friend once. She said, “Pramod, I know that I am swamped with surgeries. But now, I can achieve my goal of doing 15% of my surgeries under a charitable track. I had lost meaning of life because it was all work, work and money. Now I look forward to doing more surgeries as I know that I am doing something worthwhile!”

Another important way of doing this is to realise that we are not Ashwatthama! We have a finite life! Once you understand this, then you will start thinking realistically. What the hell am I doing by driving three hours a day to reach and come back from my workplace. Is it worthwhile? Will I be able to find meaning in life if I get those additional two hours? Of course, you can. Give that extra time to your family, friends and things you have not done. Watch those Pu La Deshpande one-act plays you wanted to see. There is Youtube and Netflix! You have rarely chatted with your dearest friend for a long time as he lives in the Bay Area! You never took that opportunity to walk in the first drizzle with your loved ones! It is okay if you get cold after that walk! At the end of the drizzle, you had your butta, which your not so young teeth had difficulty in managing. Was is it worth it? Did it bring back some meaning in life? Of course, it did!

Have you understood what was coming in your way? You wanted to plan everything! You wanted your kitchen to be spotless all the time, 100%! After your walk in drizzle, you would first go to the bathroom, change and then go to the kitchen for coffee. Now you will rush to the kitchen- nobody is going to punish you if the kitchen floor has some mud and rainwater! Make your coffee and enjoy it. It tastes the same even if the kitchen is not spotless; it may taste even better because of spontaneity!

Have a fresh look at yourself and your life! Nothing in our lives is to be taken for granted. Everything in our lives is transient. There are good things and bad things; there are great things and ugly things. There are happy things and sad things. The only problem is that we think that the bad, ugly and gloomy things will happen to someone else, never to us! But life is a great leveller! This is where we need to change our thinking. Life has great value even when nasty events occur in our life.

I was diagnosed with cancer for the vocal cord in December 2013! Was I shocked? Did I feel devastated? Not really. The only thing I knew was that the battle of life was on! Destiny and treatment helped me come out of it in six months! What else did I do? I took it on the chin as part of life! We caught the reins of life again and started enjoying life! I was lucky to realise the cancer was part of destiny and did not change life’s meaning. Masala Dosa in Vaishali was still enjoyable, so was talking with those crooks Sharya, Ramya, Nayan, Sonya and Vijay! Going with Rhea to Vitthal Mandir was the greatest joy of my life. Cricket World Cup watching at MCG was enjoyable, so was Matterhorn! Parvati and Chatushringi never lost their sheen!

Then again, there was the jolt out of the blue, as we lost Sachin last year in October. It was the most significant bump one could take on life’s journey! Yes, life did change drastically, but did life become meaningless? No Way! This taught me that life is full of values; it is never useless! It is beautiful and ugly at the same time.

Nothing can change the meaning taught by my favourite song!

Kaanto Se Kheench ke anchal from movie Guide! It fills you with Joie de vivre!

KAANTON SE KHEENCH KE YE AANCHAL -LATA JI -SHAILENDRA -S D BURMAN ( GUIDE 1965 ) – Bing video

Gratitude and thanks!

Friends your support in reading my blogs and encouraging me to write, keeps thought processes going in my mind. Some of you keep on consistently giving me your views on what I write; some of you share your own experiences in the life with me, as they were similar to what I have written. These responses are very encouraging and I thought why not compile a few comments and share my thoughts on what is written in responses and comments.

A friend Hemant,  wrote following after reading my blog By God’s Grace

https://panvalkarpramod.wordpress.com/2017/12/23/by-gods-grace/

I had many things to crib have had my quota of health issues even last month but one thing is that I accept all these matters as they come in positive state of mind and one automatically starts feeling better. 

For my all ailments I always say that they are my buddies and will be there till the time I am here. 

By cribbing nothing changes except we spoil our own mood. 

Wow! What a positive way of accepting one’s own health conditions! Friends, all the living persons have something or the other going on the health front. Please follow my friend’s way of accepting things!

 Another friend wrote this after reading the blog “Goodness is Godliness”

https://panvalkarpramod.wordpress.com/2017/12/24/goodness-is-godliness/  

In this blog, I had shared video about a child and a homeless person. This reminded my friend of his early learning in a missionary school!

Prakash wrote: Most catching and innocent video!! And equally Godly write up. Incidentally I have had my early schooling  in an Australian Mission school and just reminded me of godliness of those Christian softer ways and interactions. I loved one of the teacher very much. She is now 93 and still remembers me as one of her favorite boy. (My comment- Prakash you are very lucky!) Thanks for your blog.

Vijay said the following about the same blog. He has gone one step further and explained how these God Moments are present all-around us. Thank you friend for interpreting deeper meaning from my blog!

Vijay wrote: Goodness indeed is Godliness and it comes in God – Moments. These moments are all over and around for us to see. For capturing these wonderful Godly Moments all we need is a Clear and Clean Camera of our Mind! 

Another friend Vivek wrote following message to me. In fact he kick started the blog,  as he is the one who had sent me the video! I am happy that I could add meaning to his sharing the video with others!

Vivek wrote: We sent out that video again to persons to whom it was not sent earlier; but with in introduction para I used a part of the blog: 

Be honest to yourself and think whether your heart was touched more by the video clip above or by some rituals you follow, most of the time blindly or because someone else does it. I feel that if your heart is in the right place, the video film will beat everything else most of the times. Look at the Godliness in the film. The child believes that there is God in this world; his mother beautifully supports that innocent idea. He is too young to follow any teachings. He might have just heard from his teachers and parents that there is God and he is good! The reverse side of the story is that for homeless woman getting something to eat and the love she received unconditionally cannot be anything else but an act of God! The beautiful end is when the child tells his mother, “I met God today, but God is a lady with a beautiful smile!” Similarly, the homeless lady tells her partner, ” I met God today but he was much younger than expected!” What a beautiful way of expressing! 👌👍

Next one is about the blog “Where are you my audience?” My friend has correctly described how the changes have been happening on the cultural side of life! But ultimately, he has accepted that things have to change with time; and accepted that  time & tide wait for no one! Such appropriate interpretation.

https://panvalkarpramod.wordpress.com/2017/12/12/where-are-you-my-audience/ 

Pramod (My friend Pramod) wrote: You have touched the hot topic in the minds of our generation. Surprisingly, I have always wondered where those old melodious Marathi songs have disappeared? Those are not even sung in programs like Sa re ga ma pa and so those programs have become boring. I remember, during Kojagiri Pornima (full moon night), we used to listen to songs about the Moon and stars. Chandra and Chandane, even on TV but that all seems to be lost. Even Pu la Deshpande is becoming irrelevant for this generation. Kalay Tasme Namaha. Time moves on!  

I am very keen to receive thoughts and feedback from you folks. In one of my blogs, I had said that a situation can have two sides and both can be right in their own perspective. Similarly your thoughts invoke different thoughts in me. Friends keep on sending me your comments; I read them with all the humility and appreciate the time you are sparing to read  my writings! I am humbled! 

 

Where are you, my audience?

Sunil Barve actor, producer and a friend, wrote an article about a Marathi play produced by him under the banner Herbarium 2. Herbarium is a collection of preserved plants stored, catalogued, and arranged systematically for study later. The idea is to look at the plants and leaves after enough time has passed, and to view them in posterity. Sunil named his endeavor Herbarium for the old plays to be  enjoyed nostalgically after 3 to 4 decades. Herbarium 1, was extremely successful where Sunil revived five old Marathi plays, in 2010. The response from audience was exceptional, to say the least. Each drama had 25 performances all over Maharashtra. Herbarium 2, started with a Marathi play, Pati Gele Ga Kathewadi पती गेले ग काठेवाडी. This was in September 2017.

Sunil wrote the article in surprise, to the reaction from the audience; he said where has the audience gone? It was just a matter of seven years. In that period, very good response for Herbarium 1, switched to ok response in Herbarium 2. Sunil was wondering what could have happened during this period? Sunil and I spoke on phone on the subject. I think that these seven years were crucial years where the generation which was nostalgic about the old plays, became much older and the younger people were not very keen about those plays.

Life meanders in a way where old likes & dislikes change, new thought processes come up, new technologies and media like Netflix become popular. The traditions and social ethos change with time. We may feel that certain things continue and do not change much. But they do change, though subtly! For example, foods and food habits change over a period. In my childhood drinking coffee in Maharashtra was almost non-existent; now we have so many coffee-shops and bistros. Drinking alcohol during my school times was taboo but now it is a socially accepted drink. Stadiums used to be full for Test matches, but slowly one-day matches took over; T-20 was the next step but IPL jamboree is the most popular now.

50’s in the last century had movies which were themes based on nation which had just earned freedom, मेरे देश की धरती सोना उगले, उगले हिरे मोती. 60’s films were more of sad stories and love stories. Then in the next decade came angry young man movies. So, trends keep on changing. Now the popular movies are, Salman Khan type of movies like Dabang. Connoisseurs of movies may like art movies with subtle stories, but general populace prefers Dabang. Connoisseurs may call such movies gross, but life’s realities are different! Ultimately, making movies and producing plays is business and their success will be dependent the masses and not classes. 

Connoisseurs of dramas would rather see Herbarium 1, but this number is dwindling. Are the days of such revivals numbered? Do people really care for plays in which Dr. Lagoo, Satish Dubashi, Nilu Phule and Kashinath Ghanekar acted? Do people now really care of writers & poets like Vi Sa Khandekar and Kusumagraj? If they are not in awe of such personalities, then there will be no nostalgia. Someone like Pu La Deshpande may remain in the lime light for a generation or two more. Do we hear the names Ga Di Madgulkar and Shanta Shelke these days? Pu La, Lata Mangeshkar, Mohamad Rafi are still on pedestal but for how long will they remain there? The most popular actors of yester years were Clark Cable, Vivian Leigh? Heard these names anywhere lately?

Another thing that comes to mind is the strong drama movement in Newyork’s Broadway and in London. Similarly, strong activity happens in Prithvi theater in Mumbai and NSD in Delhi. This continues at one location in one city! But, does it mean that going to different towns to perform, may not happen in future? The costs have gone up because of travel, and now GST. With these limitations it can be difficult to revive old plays in future. What lies in future for attempts like Herbarium is difficult to judge but indications are that it is going to be a tough call! Maybe equivalent of Prithvi theater in Pune, is the way forward!

I will share one more nostalgic experience with you. Recently, I purchased a device called “Caravan Saregama”. It looks like a Radio of the olden days with knobs and all! It of course, has a remote too! This device has 5000 songs stored on it and these songs can be played by mood, singer, music director and has Amin Sayani’s Binaca Geet Mala songs stored with his commentry. Songs are between the period 1950 to 2000! The moment I saw the advertisement I bought Caravan; nostalgia, love for olden days, not too much efforts to search songs,  were the reasons I bought it. How long this device will sell?  I don’t know. Maybe they can increase its life span by having songs between 1970 to 2010 and so on.  Audience for 50’s & 60’s songs is going to dwindle fast! But will the young gang buy this device for themselves? What is Amin Sayani for them? What is “Hava mein Udata Jaye” for them? I am not sure! In fact, I am sure it does not mean anything to them!

 

Experiments like Herbarium are fantastic things that happened to Marathi theater, but the quality of the play and actors was not the only reason people flocked to see the first edition! Herbarium was “Amin Sayani”  & “Hava mein Udata Jaye”  of theater for them, nostalgia! Is my generation, which around 70, craving for Sehgal’s “Jab Dil hi toot Gaya”? No, it is not! The natural process of fading with the time, goes on all the time! I am quite sure that Sunil will definitely find the right path for more such experiments!

Since I am in filmy mood, let me end up with an appropriate Hindi song Ye Jeevan Hai! It says this is what life is all about! There is some happiness and there is some sorrow! Life goes on and on!