3 DECADES GONE, ‘THE WALRUS’ LIVES ON!

Those Childhood Days:

(Teacher: “John, You are Going Nowhere!” John: “Is Nowhere a place for the geniuses, Sir? Then I Probably belong there!”)

70 long years ago, Liverpool witnessed the birth of a mischievous lad who was ordinary in the eyes of every commoner but from within, was a LEGEND in the making. Always up for mischief and popular for his incorrigible ways, this kid possessed an uncanny knack of sketching and versifying at the tender age of 10. He was known as the ‘Happy Go Lucky’ chap who casted a spell with his charmingly appealing smile and got everything he wished for except for his Mother’s Love who abandoned him when he was just five years old. Nevertheless, his Aunt Mimi gave him the love more than his Mother could ever have given him.

Mother Lost, Singer Found:
(“Mother, you had me, but I never had you…I needed you but you didn’t need me”)

His Mother entered his life once again when he was 12years old. She taught him Banjo and bought the first guitar for him. But, his mother passed away in an accident when he was just 17 and he lost her again and this time, forever. This incident had a deep traumatic effect on him and he went on to composing numerous songs for her. He was profoundly influenced by Elvis and his Music. He started his first skiffle band, ‘The Quarrymen’ where he made some wonderful friends like Paul McCartney and George Harrison. (“Nothing really affected me until I heard Elvis.”)

The Silver Beatles to The Beatles: 
(“What’s your message for American teenagers? “Our Message is…buy some more Beatle Records”)

And, the kid is now an adult and already a star! The musical journey that started with Quarrymen, now had a completely new line up. Here’s presenting to you: THE BEATLES with the funny guy drumming, Ringo Starr, the cute guy singing, Paul MCcartney, the serious boy strumming, George Harrison and the smartest one penning and crooning, JOHN LENNON. This was the phase where these Fav Four climbed the ladder of success with every song they composed and soon were at the pinnacle of glory. There was no stopping them and no looking back either. Soon, the world seemed to be a mere spectator of the growing Beatlemania. In 1964, they invaded the USA and created sheer hysteria among the crowds. Nevertheless, Lennon was the most outspoken and the controversial of them all. Thus, he earned the title of “THE MISUNDERSTOOD BEATLE”.(“I don't know which will go first - rock and roll or Christianity!”)

The Break Up:

 (“I am not the Beatles. I'm me. Paul isn't the Beatles...The Beatles are the Beatles. Separately, they are separate.”)

Each member’s artistic vision conflicted with each other and thus came the split in Music History’s one of the most influential groups. The Beatles were no more The Beatles. After the divide, Ringo and George almost vanished while Paul McCartney and John Lennon ruled as individual artists.

Lennon after the Beatles: 
(“Give Peace a chance”)

Lennon with his wife, Yoko Ono, immersed wholly in political activities. They were synonymous with Political Activism and Peace Movements. Lennon employed outright honesty and straightforwardness in his speech and chose his Music as the outlet for his anger towards the high-profile political figures who were real life epitomes of corruption. He acquired an Iconic Status among the old and the young during the turbulent period of the late sixties. But, as usual, he was Controversy’s favorite child and this time the issue was much graver. The then president, Richard Nixon was aggravated by Lennon's Anti-war demonstrations because he felt that would earn him a failure in his presidential campaign. Nixon ordered Lennon to be deported and held serious charges against him, which were successfully cleared three years later. But, nothing stopped Lennon from creating an impact on people’s minds and hearts. He resonates even today…three decades after his assassination.

 (“I've had enough of reading things, by neurotic, psychotic, pig-headed politicians, All I want is the truth…”)

ASSASSINATION AND LEGACY:

“Listen, if anything happens to Yoko and me, it was not an accident.”

8th December, 1980: The Music Dies! 

Mark Chapman, a crazy fan in Jet Black attire waited for days outside Lennon’s Residence, Dakota and on the end of the fourth day, when Lennon returned with Yoko Ono from yet another recording session, the man shot four bullets and Lennon took his last breath on his way to the hospital. The entire world mourned his death for days, weeks and months. The grief was of an unprecedented scale and millions of fans gathered for the ten minutes of silence that was observed the following day.John Lennon was revolution personified and was a product of the Swinging Sixties. But, the Eighties didn’t mark his end when he slept forever for his Words and Works are still very much alive and they resonate louder with every passing year. If he would have lived, the world would have been celebrating his 70th Birthday with him, probably singing some of his favorite numbers. Here, this post of mine is a mere tribute to the TRUE GENIUS who imparted lessons of Peace to the world when everybody was busy experimenting with Violence.

(“If being an egomaniac means I believe in what I do and in my art or music, then in that respect you can call me that... I believe in what I do, and I'll say it. ”)

Happy birthday to 'The Walrus', JOHN LENNON!

Wishes and Dreams, Some Beyond Reach!

My Dear Readers,

Before you reach the heart of this post, I want to make one thing very clear.

I have not yet watched 'Anjaana Anjaani' and this post was under construction over the last few months and it's finally ready. So, it was not the disastrous Rom-Com's aftermath. 

(P.S:Watch the movie for its Songs as well as Ranbir's debonair looks! He is a true charmer.)

Coming back to this post, I am a born dreamer and when I say a 'Dreamer' , I do not mean a dreamer who dreams easily achievable things. My dreams are always Larger Than Life. In the simplest words, I DREAM ONLY BIG ! And, keeping that in mind, when I sat down to pen down my Bucket List, I figured out more than I ever thought I would. But, never mind, when it's MY BUCKET LIST, you must expect such crazy list items. :P Afterall, I truly believe in 'LIVING LIFE KING SIZE..!' What a male chauvinistic phrase that is..! So, I would rather put it this way - "I ENJOY LIVING LIFE, QUEEN SIZE!" Sounds much more sane! :P

Now, moving on to my wish list, there's one more thing to be noted. That is, when you read the list, do not just read it but keep in mind because you can save your money from now on and gift me one or the other listed item for my coming birthdays.

So, here goes MY TREASURED BUCKET-LIST: (Saving the best for the last..so, read till the end!)

- Own an enormous collection of ORIGINAL FOUNTAIN PENS: Oh My God! THEY ARE SO ELEGANT and, it makes me feel like an intellectual when i use a fountain pen for signing or writing. 

- Own a collection of signature Perfumes: Preferably the antique ones with the likes of Coco Chanel, Yardley & Caron..and the list is endless.

- Own a JET BLACK 'Volkswagen Beetle' car: The Older, the better! Infact, even if the steering wheel doesn't work or the tyres cannot be replaced, never mind, I simply wish to have one parked outside my house. 

- Own an 'AGED' Grand Piano: 2nd, 3rd, 4th or even a 5th hand one will do. But, it should belong to the imperial British Raj days!

- Have a ceiling height wallpaper of John Lennon on one of the four walls in my room: Oh my god! am already imagining one! 

- Wish for a truly vintage WINE collection, straight from the French Vineyards, which will grow better with time and be the best by the time I close my eyes as I am neither going to consume them nor let anybody else taste them.

- Wish to visit the Unique Book Fair of our country...atleast once. The Yearly Kolkata Boi Mela (The Calcutta Book Fair)

- Wish to hold my Portrait Photography Exhibition : This is simply because I am just too horrible when it comes to Portrait Photography and yes! I have acquired a bad reputation for clicking photographs wherein apparently, I make all my friends appear fat and ugly. Hence, I have taken up this challenge to prove them wrong and, the name of the exhibition is going to be 'THE FACES'. 

- Wish to attend the National Film Awards ceremony: Oh My ! I will get to see the intellectual cream of the film industry. (Am already dreaming about a start studded evening..mostly hailing from the Cultural Capital of INDIA- Bengal. Sorry! I tend to get pompous and end up being a chauvinist! Can't forget my Creative Writing Prof's comment on my Poem addressing me as Miss Bong ! :P)

- Enjoy a 3 month long vacation in Goa...all alone to myself, reminiscing the best days of life... (preferably during my last days...)

- Learn to play the guitar chords properly.

Now, the most important ones:

- Visit KOLKATA during DURGA PUJA.

- Celebrate one of my birthdays during my 30s or 40s... with the very very few people who know me or understand me the best.

- Trip to France: That's like my One Big Dream ! If anybody asks me which country should be made the world capital for Culture, Art and Literature; without any second thoughts I will vote for France.

  I have already planned the Itinerary for the trip:

  * The Musée du Louvre (Grand Louvre Museum!) 

  * Spend a night watching the glorious Eiffel ! 

  * The picturesque French Riviera.

  * Evening strolls at the shady boulevards of Paris.

  * Cannes (hopefully get a glimpse of the Cannes Film Festival)

  * Notre Dame Cathedral. Want to feel the gothic ambience there.

  * The Stellar architectures of Chateau de Versailles. The grand vestige of the French Monarchy.

  * And, hope to wrap up the trip with an extremely long drive through the breathtaking landscapes of the Alps.

And, with this, ends my Bucket List. Instead of calling it the Bucket List, I guess I can even call it the "Extravagant ways of Material Drain". :P Anyway, It's just a Wish list and Wishes need not always be true though, it feels great when they are a part of our reality. So, here I conclude this list of mine, with fingers crossed and maybe when I take my last breath, my fingers stay crossed even then.

ALWAYS DREAM BIG, RATHER THE BIGGEST DREAMS...in that way, even if the Biggest ones are not fulfilled, the BIG ones surely will be true.

THAT PSYCHEDELIC AGE!

This poem is simply the most random poem I have ever written. During my Creative Writing lecture, the professor came up with this surprise Poetry Writing test and all I could come up was the poem that follows... The attempt could have been better and hence, somehow, I haven't felt the true sense of satisfaction with this work..!

Hope you guys enjoy reading this...!

THAT PSYCHEDELIC AGE!

The clashing reds and the shocking pinks,

The heap of filth that only stinks!

'MAKE LOVE, NOT WAR!' They went around chanting,

It was the reality, the social structure dismantling.

The 'SUMMER OF LOVE!' took the nation by surprise,

The psychedelic anarchy, on the mighty rise!

The weeds ended the lives in ashes,

the 'Purple Haze' was available in sachets.

'TURN ON, TUNE IN AND DROP OUT!, they all fell down,

They flower child mind the people calling him 'THE HAZARDOUS CLOWN'!

The whole of the Western world called them 'Creepies!'

While they proclaimed themselves as the carefree 'Hippies'!

Cheers! Leave Me Alone!

Was going through the Writer's Block phase and wanted to break it.

Tried my hand at versifying free verses but, alas! that's tough to do when writing serious poems after months.

Cheers! Leave Me Alone! 

Cheerful applause filling up the room,

Marching towards me...grand praises galore...

So, what does one carve out of these?

A Rosy life with place only for gayety, isn't it?

Further; racing up the stairs some moments from daybreak, daily...

My curious eardrums absorb the name from voices too many.

"Why me, once again?",the inner voice desires peace of mind,

'Peace of Mind'? Shocked; Tranquility, grew old, too many fortnights.

Popular! accepted with a hint of vanity...

Flashing the universal smile, reviving the sanity.

Scribbling nonsense syllables, engulfed in deep thoughts,

Thoughts; random and ceaseless, distracting; am lost!

"You did it!" laurel comes my way,

The bare void; I know, is still there to stay.

O Victory! do not teach me to celebrate,

Am aware of my ways; let us commemorate!

Another hour brings another cheer,

Another step towards success; am near.

Yet the shadow; Yes! the shadow,

Meets no light too bright; to kindly disappear.

Brilliance! I seek not thee,

It's the endeavour, I never wish for me.

Heard you knocking for sometime now,

Stay on! do not want my guest to be waiting for long!

Silence for an hour and queries are shot like bullets,

Why should I be audible, when I indulge with my heart in word plays?

Why O why, do you need to know every bit of it?

Have I lost the right to keep certain things forever sealed?

The hour of glory, grant me an immediate repose,

Call it a change, but, do not term me morose,

why do you keep digging into my yesterdays,

Yes! that was bliss, I know: but gone are the days.

So you wish to learn the reason for the Void?

Save it for a new day or simply ask Freud.

The man knows them all, the strange games my mind plays,

Spare me, till then, as for now, taciturnity hails!

One Night At An “Intellectual Centre!”

So, what comes to your mind when you hear ‘Prithvi Theatre’? 

A bunch of young struggling actors trying to get that one big break of their life? Or a crowded house full of intellectuals, striking up smart conversations? Or it brings to your mind nothing but the likes of Raj Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah and Boman Irani?

Prithvi Theatre is indeed much more than just that. I fell in love blindly and happily with the welcoming ambience on my very first evening at Prithvi. Staying in Mumbai for almost twenty years now had already acquainted me with the thespian finesse that the place has produced over the decades. To visit it was one of the myriad dreams that I nurtured for years. And it was the evening when my dream was about to come true, finally.

My first encounter with Prithvi was months back when I visited the theatre to watch the Peter Shaffer play, ‘Equus’ performed by a group of talented and creative enthusiasts. The excitement was inconceivable and I reached ‘THE PRITHVI THEATRE– The center of theatrical intelligentsia.’ I was welcomed by the classy lounge…Oh! I discovered later it was popularly called the Prithvi Café where often various book clubs have their private reading sessions and discussions. Moreover, you can simply grab a book or plug in the earphone, sit there and relax. I assure you from my personal experience...nobody will ever break your train of thoughts. So Prithvi gifts you the freedom of indulging in your thoughts for as long as you wish to.

Now, the time came to enter the theatre.

It’s not like one of those huge halls or auditoriums where there are enormous speakers installed at every nook and cranny and your ears are treated with the artificially processed voices of the artists. Here, it’s a cosy little auditorium where you have the liberty to sit wherever you wish to and you get to hear the unadulterated vocals creating magic for hours. The experience is like sitting next to the cream of theater under the same roof without discriminations. And, when the stage is set and the final whistle is blown, for the next couple of hours, the actors desire and indeed deserve your undivided attention. And, guess what? They do not ask for it, they simply command it with their splendiferous repertoires.

The performances are so memorable that even when the lights go off with the conclusion, you still wish for more. 


The Prithvi hangover tends to stay on longer than you expect it to stay. Eversince my first visit, I have made Prithvi my favorite escape and hang out. Everytime I feel low, I find myself browsing through the books at the small yet interesting Prithvi Book Shop…Everytime am truly happy, I wish to go to the prithvi lounge and sit there for hours… and as my culture studies professor puts it, there are indeed some of the cutest guys visiting the theater, so people, if plays and books do not interest you and you find no reason to visit the place, here’s the reason for you. Indeed, the Sulaimani chai over there is awesome and refreshing. Now, ‘Sulaimani Chai’ is a separate story altogether so I prefer saving it for another post, another day.

The simple understatement is that if you are a Mumbaikar or you are visiting Mumbai and wish to see one of the most prestigious possessions of Mumbai, do not ever miss THE PRITHVI THEATRE. Nowhere else will you find the perfect amalgamation of fun along with the overflowing talent which succeeds in casting a spell on you again and again.

An Emotional release or an Accumulation ?

“O hateful error, melancholy's child, 
    Why dost thou show to the apt thoughts of men 
    The things that are not? O error, soon conceived, 
    Thou never comest unto a happy birth, 
    But kill'st the mother that engender'd thee!”

During my schooldays, I paraphrased these lines from ‘Julius Caesar’ over and over again but I recently felt connected to these lines over some of the recent dismaying turn of events. From the play’s point of view, these lines talk about how Cassius resigns to his fate, tries to fight on but ultimately surrenders and ends his life’s journey. But the movie, ‘The Lake House’ made me connect to these lines from a drastically different point of view.  

Ever noticed how we enjoy romantic comedy films on the absolutely carefree days and spend long hours watching back to back films from the drama genre specially the ones which have tragic endings. This particular behavior is not restricted to movies itself. Even our reading tastes consistently complement to our moods. Your days are sunny and you are reading Cecelia Ahern’s ‘The Gift’, Chetan Bhagat’s ‘Five Point Someone’, Sidney Sheldon’s ‘Tell Me Your Dreams’ and as soon as you are surrounded by gloomy blues, you start shifting your reading preferences towards classics like Jane Austen’s ‘Persuasion’, Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s ‘Love in the time of cholera’, Erich Segal’s ‘Love Story’, Danielle Steel’s ‘Heartbeat’ and so on and so forth. Now, the ones who stay away from books are no exceptions. Their musical tastes go hand in hand with their mood swings. From the songs of ‘Red Hot Chilli Peppers’, suddenly the playlist gets loaded with John Denver’s classic tracks.

Before I proceed with the post further, let me paraphrase these lines the way I connect to them. All our mistakes can be considered as the children of our sad thoughts. These very thoughts blind us completely and messes up with our reality in colossal ways. Ultimately, instead of relieving us from grief, it attracts more sadness and negativity into our lives.

Sounds confusing, isn’t it? Indeed it is!

Now, just think when we are feeling terribly low and depressed, why are we immediately inclined towards listening to sad songs or why do we like watching movies wherein the protagonists suffer at the end?

 This reminds me of Percy Bysshe Shelley’s famous quote,

 “Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thoughts”.

Very much true! These fictional characters and sad songs make us connect to them and we feel we are not alone living with pains. For some time, we consider them as some emotional healers and term them as the perfect escape. But, in reality, these movies and books paint our lives with deeper blues during the already blue phases and thus, instead of acting as an emotional release or an outlet, ends up accumulating more and more melancholy in our hearts. So, why do we still let our thoughts be the final decision makers? Let your spirit rise. The blues will indeed make you feel low, desolated and take you away from reality but, it is in your hands to make the final verdict. 

Don’t indulge in any of these forms of literature because literature is more powerful than you think it is. It can take you to cloud # 9 and in the next second instantly make you fall on ground from that height without any parachute and then, you know, where you land, right? The ultimate ‘Land of Despair’. Save yourself from the land of despair and keep yourself engaged with everything entertaining and no serious stuff and see your blues lighten and how magically your mood too brightens.

Cheers!

To Do Or Not To Do ?

“To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd.” 

Here are some of the best lines from the Bard of Avon’s nib, Hamlet’s soliloquy. In the above context, Prince Hamlet is extremely unsure of himself and often wavers between the two extremes – life’ and ‘death’

But, I am neither going to talk about Shakespeare’s greatness nor glorify Hamlet’s decision here. In fact, after reading these lines more than once, I realized there dwells a fundamental actuality which almost everybody experiences in their everyday lives. This is the most confusing sort of fear which can empower your thoughts for more than you can ever imagine. Even though our minds may not necessarily oscillate between the extremes of life and death, we often find ourselves in an unwanted state of fickleness which is usually capricious. Now, for the ones who have already started falsely convincing themselves that they never land up in such moments of obscure bemusement, here are some simple instances from our everyday happenings.

Don’t you ever decide to text anybody and go till the extent of even framing the entire message and just when you are about to add the recipient’s number, you hear a faint little voice within you asking you to stop; gradually the faint voice tends to yell at you and you immediately delete the whole text? In this case, it’s the simple fear of the reply or maybe the fear of no reply is something that impels you to question yourself – TO SEND OR NOT TO SEND?

Often we receive invitations for parties and we are all excited to attend the party and at the twelfth hour, it suddenly strikes that there is going to be that one person whose presence makes you feel uncomfortable and after a while, you not too gladly decide to miss the party. 

Here, TO GO OR NOT TO GO is the ultimate million dollar question.

The most common instance of vacillation is when we reluctantly eat up our words when they are at the tip of our tongues. The thought often pops up – TO SAY OR NOT TO SAY? We indeed face such moments every now and then, don’t we?

Now, the supreme question is 

“WHERE DOES THIS INDEFINABLE CONFUSION STEM FROM?” 

Is it our fear of confronting or our fear of losing an integral part of our existence? Ultimately, it is a vicious circle that has no definite end whatsoever. Especially, even after making the decision at the end of the conflicting thoughts, we still keep wondering as to why we made that very decision and why not otherwise. In all the above instances that I mentioned, our lack of decisiveness is very much visible.

In the case of sending the msg, we ultimately are afraid of the repercussion but we never realize that our not sending the msg might widen the gap which tends to becomes unbridgeable on the longer run. So, in the end, the loss is unavoidable so why fear at the first place?

Now, coming to the second example, we miss the party in order to avoid the uncomfortable feeling we would feel in that SINGLE person’s presence. But, we tend to forget that we miss all the other giggles and laughter in the bargain. Why entertain the not so important EGO and lose all the fun? Why give one SINGLE person so much of importance especially when they make you feel nothing but uncomfortable? But, again, we generally tend to avoid the rest of the group and focus only on that not at all important person.

Finally, coming to the last and the most common confusion – TO SAY OR NOT TO SAY? Don’t know about anybody else, but I personally experience this every single day on various occasions. If I do not agree with some statement, it is not always possible for me to say it out aloud though I may be dying to shoot my point of view. Why don’t I exercise my freedom of speech? Oh no! Do I even have it? But, this is again an inexplicable fear which creates a chaotic situation within my thoughts and at the end of the day; I decide to keep the words to myself. This may lead to unexpected consequences but saying them aloud too might not be very pleasant, will they?

This is not at all any ailment which can be cured with the help of medicines but it is indeed a never ending conflicting situation which we have to live with till the day we fall asleep forever. We cannot run away from these clashes; neither can we hide from them or escape them. All we can do is face them with a brave heart, make the decision that your heart prompts you to make and leave the rest on the SUPREME POWER that governs us all.

Peace!