BOLLYWOOD –III- CHHOD AAYE HUM WOH GALIYAN

The streets where I grew up used to be covered up with snow during winter months. Between December and February, we would normally experience snow and see temperatures dip to -15C.

Once, while on the phone, I was complaining to my mother about the temperature in the place where I live now. The temperature at that time of conversation was around -42C. I was telling her that my bones felt brittle in such cold weather. Her response was so typical of her. “Thank your stars that you are not in Siachin. Not only would you have been battling cold temperature, you would have faced lack of Oxygen as well.”

Such is my Mother! She would always want me to put steel in my bones and not complain. Is it tough love? Is it this, this kind of force, which has driven me thus far in life!

As a child, when it used to be cold, I would expect my grandmother to mollycoddle me. I can still hear her voice ring out – “ Hattoo! Kangri manz ma trav atha. Atha dazzi!”

Spoken in Kashmiri, these words would loosely translate to –“Hey you, don’t put your hands in Kangri. You would end up scalding them.”

Kangri is a small earthen pot which has a superstructure of wood on it. The wood is used to hold and carry the Kangri from one place to another. The earthen pot holds live coal which is used as a shield against extreme cold.

Hence, during long cold winter evenings, we kids would sit with our Kangris under our Pherans ( the gown worn in Kashmir valley, made of wool), bake potatoes and listen to songs on Radio. Such was our childhood.

Chhod aaye hum woh galiyan. But I have left those streets where I grew up far behind. In fact, I have not visited those same streets for more than twenty seven years now. Such is life. We humans are mere atoms popping up in different time zones. Geologically, different predominant life forms have existed on earth for some 400 million years. Presently, we humans dominate it. At some point, dinosaurs dominated it. At other point, ferns dominated it. For how long would we dominate it? Who knows? At least I don’t.

Chood aaye hum woh gaaliyan. It is a very beautiful song. In fact, I like much of what Gulzar has written. He made this movie called Maatchis. It is based on the turbulent years of early 1980s in Punjab, when extremism led to much mayhem in that region.

Another important movie in that respect, which I happened to see with a friend of mine was Dil Se. Mani Ratnam’s Dil Se probably spoke of subjects which had been taboo till then. The nature of relationship that security forces have with the population in some of the North Eastern states of India. I still sway to two songs from this movie. Chal chaiyya chaiyya which Rahman composed and Mani filmed on a moving train. The other will remain imprinted on my mind for ever, till I die. Dil se re. The mauve dress in which Manisha Koirala runs towards extended arms of Shah Rukh Khan – while the words – dil tou akhir dil hai na meethi se mushkil haina ,,,, ( heart will beat like a heart, it contains a sweet difficulty though!) rang out- I cannot move away from that scene. That scene makes me forget all the pains of my life. I can live vividly in that imagery. I can breathe that imagery of the wooden bridge, the virgin territory beneath, the green foliage surrounding it, and Manisha, looking ethereal, running towards the camera and Shah Rukh. Thank you Mani Ratnam. Thank you very much for making my miserable life some what tolerable, liveable. Thank you very much for allowing me to breathe and be a human and not lose my touch with the most beautiful thing in life – the beauty of being able to share a creation – of being able to let go!.

Dil se re, dil se re,,,dil tou akhir dil haina, meethi sei mushkil haina piyaa piyaaa ( my heart has a sweet trouble .... love o my love). Mani Ratnam. I have liked much of what Mani Ratnam made. The song Tou hei re, tere bina mein kaisa jiyun (Hey you, how do I live without you) means a lot to me. Manisha Koirala, All innocent Doe eyed.

I have already written three blogs so far and have yet not given you people my top ten.

I think I am verbose. My mother calls me melodramatic. Much like the movies I see. One of the friends from the MBA class once – during a presentation on a women’s product said aloud the words- “If you wanna create drama, go to your Momma!” The whole class had burst out laughing. Now I realise how important that concept is to marketing mavens. But then that is another blog topic I guess.

So my top ten movies from Bollywood. Ah, that would need thinking ,,hmmm,,,,,,,,,,,, but in any case, here they are (and there are many other movies that would be left out, including such beautiful ones like Sholay, Bandini, Anjali, Ardh Satya, Satya etc that it would be hard to not mention them here) –
1. Pyasa
2. Kagaz Ke Phool
3. Do bigha zamin
4. Guide
5. Anand
6. Deewar
7. Roja
8. Jaane bhi do yaaro
9. Rang de basanti
10. 3 Idiots

And if I had to choose someone from within Bollywood fraternity to represent Brand India, someone whom I would consider to be a person of integrity, someone whom I would feel extremely comfortable with, then it is Amir Khan.

His regard for the professional and ethical conduct, in an industry which today probably is bankrolling some of the terrorist activity in India and abroad stands out and must be commended and appreciated.

May more like him be born to Indian Mothers.

But I have left those village streets far behind. And now I only have a tenuous link with those village melodies, those beautiful meadows, the susurration of the streams as they raced down the slopes of mountains to meet with river Jehlum.
Jehlum. My Jehlum.

I miss her so very much. Alas some decisions are gut wrenching. Yet one must accept them.

I have left the streets that I grew up on forever!!