My Father’s Day Tribute

Jab We Met

Papa

Papa, when I meet you in heaven,

I would be your sweet little girl,

whispering in your ears,

Papa, I have arrived!

To unfold a life, which would have

Been different, enriching & accomplished

With your presence!

But that was not to BE!!

*

Narrate long story

Destiny, which played an

Incredible role

Shaped the story, as your strings are in

Destiny’s hands,

Which makes you dance to its tune,  

holding your threads!

*

Express Gratitude

People, places which shaped

my destiny made my story,

Having a special place in my heart,

Immortalised here!

*

First destination – Bhopal

Your memories forever distinct,

shaped my being I am today,

harnessed my energies, aims,

gave wings to my dreams!

*

Follow on destination- `New Delhi

You remain, my first love,

no place on earth like you,

you embraced me like no other,

Indebted, always, forever!

*

New Delhi, Now & Then

Quaint, lovely by-lanes of Delhi,

greenery & heritage of Lutyens

reduced to a place of protests,

molestations, theft, robbery, treachery!

*

Mumbai

My City of Dreams,

Which never let me sleep,

I touched name, fame on your shores,

fought life’s biggest battles here!

*

Brother

Life, never been same again,

beautiful, rosier, enriching

biggest joy, biggest support

I am nothing, without you!

*

Husband

Precious possession,

destiny brought us together,

conventionally, not made for each other,

eventually, the one for each other!

*

Tanya – Daughter

Your sparkling eyes changed,

my world, status enhanced from

daughter, sister, wife to mother

you are my legacy; you are my pride!

*

Friends – Flying saucer

They dropped like a flying saucers,

in my life’s pan,

since life has been spicy, sizzling,

restless, conventions-defying.

*

People who resurfaced

When we lost track,

we never thought, cross again

years & years rolled, no trace

revisited as ‘Aroma’ in my life!

*

Mom

You are on such a pedestal,

where hardly anyone can reach,

charming, friendly, charismatic,

special then, now & forever!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Election Bugle 2024

BJP SWEEPS NORTHEAST – LOOK EAST POLICY WORKED

March 2, 2023, was another such day when people were hooked to news channels as results for NE states – Tripura, Meghalaya, and Nagaland were to be declared. For the first time, I noticed such hysteria and anxiety over NE results when the entire nation wanted to know.

Northeast India (officially the North Eastern Region (NER)) is the easternmost region of India representing both a geographic and political-administrative division of the country. It comprises eight states—Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura (commonly known as the “Seven Sisters”), and the “brother” state Sikkim.

Results did not deviate much as anticipated, Congress went downhill in these hilly states, and BJPs rise & shine as per guesstimate, owing to the infrastructure development done in this challenging terrain. Moreover, bringing NE into the mainstream, which the Centre has been striving for, has been well recognized and rewarded with this massive win.

BJP, which was a non-entity in NE for so long, made inroads in the hearts of the people of NE with PM crossing half a century through his visits to these neglected states. Modi blew the 2024 election bugle with his address yesterday after the result from BJP Headquarters in New Delhi amidst the huge presence of karyakartas from all over. His address was full of josh! Through his address, PM Modi delivered one of the best punch lines: Now, North East is neither far from Dilli nor Dil…

PM Modi’s magic worked in this tough terrain for the party. He praised the hard work put in by all Karyakartas and particularly of the Northeast. BJPs victory in Tripura for the second time marks the popularity of the Government’s beneficial schemes which helped BJP win supporters even among those who did not support it then.

Winning the three NE states reinforces BJPs continuing ascendancy and marks another boost for its efforts to emerge as a party with a countrywide presence. Now, with Karnataka and Rajasthan elections on the scene, BJP is again busy strategizing, masterminding, and delivering!

Attributing the win to Triveni which drives BJPs success, the PM said:

1. The work of BJP Governments
2. The working style of the BJP
3. The Karyakartas of the Saffron Party

Quite upbeat with the results, where BJP scored 3/3 by keeping Nagaland, Tripura and reuniting with Meghalaya ally, BJP’s Josh is High!  

The stage has been set, still, Dilli is door for all political parties as no one knows which voter will swing in which direction. The opposition, not only needs to unite but also strategize well to counter BJP in the 2024 elections.

Conclusion:

In the final count:

NDPP won 25 seats, BJP won 12

Putting the only pre-poll alliance in the state in a position to comfortably form the next government. This also marks an improvement in the alliance’s performance since the last election, when the two parties jointly won 29 constituencies.

Follow my blog for such updates!

Senior Living

Your SUNSET years brightened!

Indeed, life is challenging when you start ageing. You retire from active work life and look forward to settling in an abode that is calm, quiet, and peaceful … at the same time providing family-like care. After all, you are looking for a home away from home in your sunset years.

Considering their needs, aspirations, and special care needed for senior citizens, mainly when children are busy with their own lives, the concept of senior citizens is catching up fast. A few years ago, the concept was considered taboo to be discussed in Indian drawing rooms. Social pressures were high against leaving one’s parents in senior citizens’ homes. This was an uncomfortable situation many times, but couldn’t be helped.

The concept of senior citizen living gradually started catching up with the onslaught of the software industry and other new-age workplaces. Also, when children started moving abroad for lucrative job opportunities, leaving old parents on their own, the concept gained momentum. Nowadays, you find many senior living complexes which are laden with facilities like medical and health care facilities, banquets, social gatherings, doctor on call, round-the-clock nurse availability, and green patches to live amidst nature.

While on a recent visit to Vadodara, I chanced upon an opportunity to visit a senior living complex which proved quite an eye-opener. Conceptualised and executed by veteran and patriarch, Shri Jitendra Dhadhania (fondly called Jitu Kaka) of Everest Developers, Everest Dignity, which is home to many senior citizens, spending their lives amidst like-minded people from across India. Their second project – Everest Dignity 2 is coming up on Bhayli – Vasna road (across Sun Pharma Road )– Vadodara, Gujarat, India which is a project to watch out for…  It is ready to host senior citizens with a dining facility serving delicious Gujarati food, guest rooms, a doctor’s room, indoor games & gym, and a multi-purpose hall.

A conversation with Jitu Kaka revealed, that after a lot of interactions with authority, Dignity 1 was designed. He adds, “It was a big challenge initially to market the concept as people were not easily accepting it. Then I thought of adding facilities which were tailored as per senior citizen’s requirements and since there has been no looking back.” 

A casual chat with Mr Kaushik Patel along with Paresh bhai ( residents of Dignity 1) revealed that it is a very happy life here and even their children are assured of their safety and well-being here. Their children sometimes come over to spend time with them here.

Staying here has added at least 4-5 years of my life here, signed off Paresh Bhai.

Here, you are living in your dream apartments which are well illuminated and ventilated amidst a beautifully landscaped garden with plenty of activities with your friends…

…Relive your childhood here!

Sari & Shayari, Shayari & life!

“अल्फ़ाज़ ऐसे जो दिलों में आशियाँ बना ले, वही शायरी है।”

“अपने जज़्बात को अल्फ़ाज़ में तब्दील करना ही शायरी है।”

“अपनी ज़िन्दगी रूपी यात्रा में जो लम्हे छाप छोड़ जाते हैं और हमारे ज़हन में अटक जाते हैं, और समय समय पर ग़ुबार बनके निकलते हैं वही शायरी है. “

हम बेहद खुशनसीब हैं की भारत भूमि पर ऐसे अज़ीम शायरों का जन्म हुआ, जिन्होंने अपने सुन्दर कलाम से इस धरती को नवाज़ा जैसे अहमद फ़राज़, मीर तक़ी मीर, अली सरदार जाफरी, कैफ़ी आज़मी, जावेद अख्तर, फैज़ अहमद फैज़, निदा फ़ाज़ली, शहरयार और मिर्ज़ा ग़ालिब! यूँ तो सभी शायर एक से बढ़कर एक हैं पर मिर्ज़ा ग़ालिब का रुतबा  जुदा है जिन्होंने अपने सहज, सरल और सुन्दर शेरो से बड़ी से बड़ी बातें कह डालीं. मैंने जबसे शायरी समझनी शुरू की है मिर्ज़ा ग़ालिब की शायरी हमेशा साथ रही.

उनकी अदायगी भी और शायरी भी लाजवाब…खुद उन्ही के शब्दों में पढ़िए …

“हैं और भी दुनिया में सुखन्वर बहुत अच्छे, कहते हैं कि गालिब का है अन्दाज-ए-बयां और”.

ग़ालिब का सबसे पसंदीदा शेर जो की हम बहुत से लोगों के जीवन की सच्चाई है:

“हज़ारों ख़्वाहिशें ऐसी, के हर ख़्वाहिश पे दम निकले
बहुत निकले मेरे अरमान, लेकिन फिर भी कम निकले”

जब साडी क्लब ने साडी और शायरी का थीम दिया तो मैं अपने को रोक नहीं पायी …
देखीये क्या तारतम्य हो सकता है इन दोनों में…

साडी और शायरी के तारतम्य पर मेरी शायरी:

मुझे नहीं मालूम!

साडी और शायरी का क्या नाता,

अगर होता तो बहुत ही नायाब होता,

शायरी, हमारे ख्यालों का दर्पण है, तो

साडी हमारी सुंदरता का आवरण है.   

शायरी सुन्दर हर्फों का जाल है, तो

साडी स्त्री की पहचान का पर्याय है.

ऐसा तारतम्य क्या सचमुच होता

मुझे नहीं मालूम!

जीवन में महत्वपूर्ण क्या होता है?

वक़्त और समय बदलने के साथ-साथ जरूरतें बदलती है और जरूरते ही तय करती है कि जीवन में महत्वपूर्ण क्या है. बचपन में एक बच्चे के लिए महत्पूर्ण उसके खिलौने, टॉफ़ी, दोस्तों होते है. जब हम युवा होते हैं, तब सफलता हमारे लिए महत्वपूर्ण होती है. जब सफल हो जाते हैं और उम्र बढ़ती है, तब मशहूर होना चाहते हैं, जब मशहूर हो जाते है तो सुकून चाहते हैं. और जब मौत के द्वार पर खड़े होते हैं तो ईश्वर को देखना चाहते हैं या मोक्ष प्राप्त करना चाहते हैं.

अपनी ज़िन्दगी रूपी यात्रा में जो लम्हे छाप छोड़ जाते हैं और हमारे ज़हन में अटक जाते हैं, और समय समय पर ग़ुबार बनके निकलते हैं वही शायरी है.  

तुम शायरी की बात करते हो

मैं तो बातें भी कमाल की करती हूँ…

ऐसा मैं नहीं कुछ लोग कहते हैं …

…

पेशे खिदमत आपके लिए यह नज़्म

Saffron socialist rises AGAIN!

Circa 2022: March 10

Whether we admit it or not, elections results were a shocker.

Pro-Incumbency, there is no other term that could be used to illustrate these elections well. Since the time dates were announced, approaching March 10 was giving butterflies in the stomach. Sleepless nights, anxiety, preoccupation, discussions, analysis, panel discussions, social media outings, media bytes…what not! But yesterday, it all looked worth it, hard work rewarded.

Not many would have imagined that BJP would retain all four states, where it was in power already for the last five years.

The hard work and the work done worked in BJP’s favour. The decision of sending Yogi ji Gorakhpur worked well, though the result wouldn’t have been different, had he contested from elsewhere. Though BJP machinery was at work in all the states but UP was most talked about for obvious reasons…the media mileage it received was just unsurmountable for any event. These were the most closely watched elections.

It can’t be denied that all parties put their might but probably strategies didn’t work or voter had already made up their mind. SP led by Akhilesh single-handedly could garner some good numbers, but his returning to power was questionable. Still, he took a good fight and gave a good fight. He packed quite a punch with numbers. At one point in time, it was looking like a game-changer, putting BJP on tenterhooks. Congress had no agenda except Ladki hoon, lad sakti hoon…which could create no magic. Probably ladkiyan wanted Yogiji to fight for them.

Indeed, UP’s culture, character, infrastructure, and the voter have transformed drastically under Yogi’s tutelage still one couldn’t be so certain of such phenomenal victory. Voter swing and mood are some of the most unpredictable things on this planet. They can surprise you, shock you, overwhelm you … as has happened with these results. As I have been sharing, UP voters are quite aware, conscious, and decide in silence and unison. Here mention of Western UP’s and Purvanchal’s voter needs a special mention who remained unnerved by the Kisan issues.

Double Engine concept…provided assurance. They appreciated Modi-Yogi’s Jodi who is similar in many aspects.

Bulldozer bulldozed many aspirations…

…vaccination drive, free rations, law and order, security & safety of girls, good governance, corruption-free working, heads on the handling of issues, quick revert, etc. silenced many criticisms.

Ram Mandir, Kashi Corridor, attached with every Hindu’s sentiment paved the way for such a big mandate. Moreover, BJP is covering agendas point-by-point as per their manifesto. Of course, Hinduism was the most popular undercurrent in these elections but it can’t be denied that every caste, community, minority, and majority were taken care of well during Covid times. Social engineering and strong social media campaigns were icing on the cake. It is the dawn of a new era, the jinx of repeating the term has broken.

Yogi, an excellent blend of Monk & Manifestation, Yogi & Administrator, Grounded & High-flyer, Traditions & Modernity, who oozes Hinduism but is a global ruler. He is a pleasant personality but a hard taskmaster. He breathes Uttar Pradesh…

Prediction made by Atal ji couldn’t have been truer than now on Congress:

आज आप हमारा उपहास उड़ा लें, लेकिन एक वक्त आएगा जब लोग आपका उपहास उड़ाएंगे।’

Yesterday, Congress faced its worst defeat – Rahul / Priyanka could spell no magic due to their confusing strategies. All these years they took UP voters for granted. Had they done some constructive criticism, things would have been different. In fact, they should felicitate the two winners…

Yogi has proven himself time and again but BJP needs some serious introspection about lost seats. They need to analyze and study the voting pattern of lost seats. Still, winning 4 states out of 5 is no mean feat.

BSP performance, the less said the better. It is an indication that people have voted rising above caste, creed, and religion, which is a positive sign.

BJP – Way to go!!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

My perspective on U.P. Elections!

Aravind Sundaram, CEO, Thought Habitat in an exclusive conversation with Bienu Varma Vaghela, Author – Life: An Existential Cocktail and Blogger.

• UP being your home state, you are closely watching forthcoming elections, besides being a social media influencer and blogger. How were the elections in the 80s and 90s compared to this day?

First and foremost, thanks Aravind for the opportunity to take your audience down memory lane…and present the commoner’s perspective on the most-watched event of 2022 – The U.P. Elections.  

UP has always been a hotbed of politics and the first elections were held in 1957 in independent India. Since, then UP has been witness to the appointment of several CM’s, sacking of CM’s, resignation of CMs, fall of CMs, and successful stints of CMs. Times were different than in the way they were conducted. It was people’s election…candidates and voters interacted face to face and communication were just one-way. People didn’t have a voice in the absence of technology and social media. They were attending rallies, reading newspapers, and believing word of mouth or influential people in society. But the results were astonishing…they made their choice.

The late ’80s saw the emergence of a new kind of politics and CMs emerged from humble backgrounds who were successful in doing effective social engineering which proved a game-changer. Coalition set up was at its peak…due to fractured mandate… so strange bedfellows, completely different ideologies joined hands with a single focus on forming the Government.

As far as outreach was concerned, the main source of publicity for any party were posters which painted the town red, newspaper ads. editorials and loudspeaker announcements besides rallies. There were no 24×7 news channels, influencing your viewpoints and showing panel discussions. But I must say UP has a very conscious voter who understands politics well.

• As everybody is talking about UP elections, I am sure you too must be closely watching it – How do you view elections – 2022?

Today elections are very different, keenly watched…and these are not just any elections, these are the elections to watch out for, for their many firsts. From being a one-way communication from candidates, it a strong two-way communication. Social media activity is at its peak though it has its upside and flipside both, Upside – commoners have an opinion and a voice too, and flip side – too many noises making it chaotic sometimes. People are quite open about expressing their choices and airing their views, whereas in 80 – the 90s people kept it close to their chests. Opinion polls are another effective tool that penetrates the voter’s psyche. Elections have become a round-the-clock preoccupation.  

• So, this way these elections are different, and not too different too. What do you have to say on this?

Yes, you can say so. Some aspects remain the same, some completely transformed. Now, there is a viewpoint and information overload. There is a lot of instigation towards rivals which is in bad taste. Budgets are really big and reach extremely wide – worldwide. Media is playing a strong role in not only airing opinions but in building opinions too.  Elections are different, very different in their magnitude, budgets, outreach, demographics, voters’ profile, and people’s exposure. But I am still surprised that it is still banking on strong social engineering, I mean caste-based politics. We should think as Indians and vote accordingly and not that we belong to some particular caste.  I recommend a regulator for elections like we have RBI or IRDAI to monitor what is content is being circulated and leads to untoward incidents.   

• People say governance has changed with Yogi Adityanath. How true is that?

              When a call came to me from a Lucknow Journo that Yogi ji has been called to Delhi, I was taken aback. I thought Yogi for UP, most politically charged the state with its set of unique problems and the state needs to progress. But I must say what a phenomenal administrator he came out to be, surprising everyone. His knowledge, understanding, technological abilities, commitment, and social connection is praiseworthy. He has inculcated fundamentals of good governance and faster decisions on critical issues. Thus, giving a good image to UP as a State that it lacked. UP has undergone a huge transformation under his regime with good law and order, flyovers, expressways, metros, railway stations, schools, medical colleges, airports… the organization of Kumbh Mela – the biggest congregation of humanity. He has proved his mettle. He lives to breathe UP.

Yogi Adityanath, UP, CM

• You worked as a Class I officer under Mayawati and even Mulayam Singh Yadav. Would you like to share your experience of working with them?

Being in that position and as a young officer, I was always thrilled to go to Vidhan Bhawan for some work or the other. I looked up to Mayawati Ji as she has risen like a meteor in UP politics on her own which was truly inspiring. She was quite clear in her thoughts about how this particular work would be done. Yes, she never forgot to check if I will be dropped home if it was late.

Mulayam Singh Ji, Neta ji and in Neta ji’s mode, had strong political back-up and had been a student leader, so a leader in that sense. His connection with people was great and once I got an opportunity to briefly interact with him when he told me how he wants to see UP as an Industrialised state. He asked me about my position and my family and heard me with attention. He came across as a very amicable leader.

• With outdoor mass campaigning banned, how do you think political parties would cope up by reaching the masses?

Unfortunately, the pandemic spread as a third wave and new variant has changed the flavour of the election but thankfully, we have media, social media, and technology to fall back on. It is challenging for small regional parties which banked on rallies to reach out to voters. But yes, the parties which have the paraphernalia, technology, media bandwidth, and strong social media presence may prove to be a game-changer. But as it is a natural challenge that all parties need to address. Still, parties cannot negate the importance of social connect, reach out to voters, hence taking up aggressive door-to-door campaigns. Not just social engineering but social outreach is also very important and these elections are an amalgamation of that.

No challenge is bigger than the elections!

Go for GREEN Celebration!

Weddings, Festivities and Anniversaries etc. are in full fervour nowadays. People are in the celebratory mode with the best possible means but not without a high lifestyle quotient. At the same time, they want a unique element to the celebration. Some are choosing off-beat destinations to celebrate their special day whereas some are opting for green rather ‘eco-friendly’ weddings in every possible way.

Couple Planting tress on their marriage

This growing consciousness towards the environment is a positive step towards ensuring earth’s sustainability. A small step leads to big outcomes.

Wedding being a once in a lifetime occasion, you want to certainly make it memorable even if you are opting for an ‘eco-friendly’ one. To achieve this, you can opt for potted plants from the nearby nursery instead of expensive floral decoration which becomes a waste after a few hours.  These plants can be retained in your lawns or that of your near and dear ones, once the celebration is over.

Similarly, wastage of food in the Indian wedding is the norm and no one seems to be minding it but it does horrible damage to your expenses, sensibilities and creates havoc for your surroundings. You can opt for organically grown vegetables in limited quantities and keep a backup plan ready for the leftovers. This will certainly help the environment.

Gifting, another important aspect of Indian weddings, this season choose to plant trees as per your might. If you plant a tree for each guest of yours, think how many trees can be planted? This way you can create a mini-forest which is a good value-addition to the green cover of the area. Termed as ‘Miyawaki Forest’, where native trees are planted close to each other so that when these grow up, a dense forest is created. What a beautiful gift it would be for your daughter and her generations who would inherit the greener earth?

Says noted Environmentalist Subhajit Mukherjee who has the credit of planting over 60,000 trees in and around Mumbai, “Miyawaki forests are very important for maintaining the biodiversity of the planet. Moreover, with growing pollution all over, every individual must make provision for his Oxygen by planting trees. You can make your celebrations truly valuable and relevant by planting trees on behalf of your guests. This would be an ideal gift for your grandchildren too.”

Subhajit Mukherjee in action…

Recently, Mumbai witnessed one such green wedding where the father of the bride Mr Parag Shah planted 150 trees on the occasion of his daughter Vidhi’s marriage for Miyawaki forest. Indeed, he is a role model in such times when weddings are such a big show-off of wealth. This is his way of gifting apparel to mother earth, the way we do for our near and dear ones.

Parag Shah

His love for trees is well-known and his relatives are also very pleased with his initiative. But we need more Parags now…

India witnesses nearly 1 crore weddings every year, imagine if every wedding plants just 10 trees, it would be leading to the planting of 10 crore trees which would be a phenomenal number.

The talks about global warming, climate change, increasing pollution and increasing carbon footprints are not just topics of discussion but are impacting our lives significantly. The day is not far, if we do not arrest these, we will have to face dire consequences. 

In case, if you too want to make your occasion green by planting trees, please feel free to connect with Mr Shubhajit Mukherjee (CEO Subhajit Mukherjee Foundation) who will most willingly and professionally organise this for you.

Imagine you gifting your daughter or son a Miyawaki Forest, which would be inherited by your grandchildren too. Can there be a bigger pleasure than this?

Write to us on: trees.subhajit@gmail.com

Mobile No: 93239 42388

visit: www.subhajitmukherjee.com

Puppetry (Kathputli):

Waiting in the wings for revival!

“Bol ri kathputhli dori kaun sang bandhi,” even kathputli doesn’t know who is the holder of her thread and making her dance to his tunes. She happily dances, making everyone happy. It was very famous in olden tales as it was a music and dance medium to tell the mythological tales from Ramayana and Mahabharata. It also narrated social milieus like dowry system, women’s empowerment, illiteracy, poverty, unemployment, and cleanliness etc.

. This folk-art form originated in Rajasthan some 4000 years ago and has been popular since. The tradition of Kathputli is based on folk tales and stories. Scholars believe that folk tales convey the lifestyle of ancient Rajasthani tribal people and Kathputli art might have originated from present-day Nagaur and surrounding areas.

So how did the term evolve?

Kathputli word is the combination of two Rajasthani language words Kath meaning wood and Putli meaning puppet. Kathputli means a puppet that is made entirely from wood covered with a cotton cloth and tied with a metal wire which acts as a string. Being a string marionette, it is controlled by a single string that passes from the top of the puppet over the puppeteers. Puppeteer show his skill with strings like swordsmanship, dancing, horse riding, juggling, and acrobatics. Animal puppets are also used for the shows like camels and horses but only their necks would be movable.

As a child, I loved watching Kathputli dance and use to finish my homework before time to get ready for watching a puppet show. I loved their costumes, makeup, dancing, music, instruments and folk-tales they narrated. The curious child, that I was, my main attention was on – what was going on behind the curtain? How they were moving their hands bound by a thread? How they were synchronising their hand movements with Kathputli? Once, I told my father that I want to watch a puppet show from the back, sitting with the persons who are playing it. Ahoy! My wish was granted, I was amazed at the skill and the art of moving the hands.

I narrated to all my friends in school, what transpired behind the kathputli dance in Assembly Hall’s puppet show? So, what I saw was that Kathputli was tied with a metal wire which acted as a string. Being a string marionette, it was controlled by a single string that passed from the top of the puppet over the puppeteers. Puppeteer showed his skill with strings like swordsmanship, dancing, horse riding, juggling, and acrobatics. How amazing! Isn’t it.

Puppet Show at Club Mahindra, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India

We left Bhopal, so did Puppet Show. I did not get any opportunity to watch a puppet show after that. After several years, when my daughter was a toddler in Kinder Garden, her school organised a puppet show. Now, I was more excited than her, I took leave from the office to accompany her to the venue. What a delightful show it was with kathpulis dancing on the Salman Khan song, “Teri Chunaria Dil le gayi”

I relived my childhood there along with my daughter. Time passed and I had forgotten about it, well almost, till I visited Chowki Dhaani in Jaipur and got to watch Puppet Show again…this was followed by many years later in Udaipur at Club Mahindra Resort, where I enjoyed puppet show after long. Lastly, I got to watch it in Shree Thaal, Jaipur on my last trip in 2019. 

Introduction Puppetry throughout the ages has held an important place in traditional entertainment. It is an ancient art, originated about 3000 years ago. It is the least expensive source of entertainment which imbibes the all-creative expression like painting, sculpture, music, literature, dance and drama etc.1 It has been the most popular form of entertainment for the village people. Almost all types of puppets are found in India. From different parts of the country, they have their own identity. Regional variations of style and theme are reflected in them. The stylized vocabulary of puppetry carries local myths and legends usually with the massage of social awareness, moral values, historical and traditional subjects.

The movement of the puppets on the beats of Dholak with the dialogue delivery creates a well synchronized dramatic atmosphere that mesmerises people across age groups.

Unfortunately, with the onslaught of electronic media into Indian households, the Bhati community of puppeteers are struggling to make two ends meets.

The Government and General Public must make concerted efforts to save this rare art form from fading into oblivion. 

Watch Kathputhli narration and a Kathputli song”

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I started watching OTT platforms during the last lockdown and I was introduced to this new world of Television, by none other than my daughter who asked me to swipe my credit card for a Netflix subscription. Not knowing much about Netflix, I agreed as she convinced me that you will get to see some amazing documentaries which I love to watch. This way Netflix entered the Vaghela household which was followed by a subscription for Prime Video…this time the factor was that I will get to watch old and retro movies. Another rather funny factor was, that with Prime Video you get free delivery on all orders of Amazon, hence huge savings round the year. So, it looked like a Paisa Vasool deal and the subscription was also reasonable. These were followed by many more…

…So off and on I watched some interesting documentaries on Netflix and as the addiction grew, I started moving on to watching movies, shows, serials …whatever you term these…new-age lingo.

Coming to the content of the serials or movies like Tandav (faced lot of opposition), Sir, His Story, The House Wives, Bandish Bandits, Bombay Begums, Kaagaz, Silence, The Family Man, Jamai 2. Qubool hai, and the list is endless…

…Being a content person, I noticed that undoubtedly content was unique, production values slick, stories unusual, locales exotic, acting great, camera work excellent along with highly advanced technology deployment. Everything was good enough for viewers to remain hooked. After watching many of these, I realised why there were talks of censoring the content shown on OTT platforms. My curiosity grew, and I noticed that these platforms are misusing this platform by taking undue liberties particularly with the choice of subjects. These touched upon many taboo subjects prevalent in society, which are just not suitable for family viewing. And they don’t touch upon these cursorily, they are quite explicit while filming these scenes, use of expletives and overall language etc. So much so that nothing is left for imagination … which is easily avoidable. Imagine, such content has entered our drawing rooms and has caught us unaware of its consequences. Their plea must be: Indian audiences are changing, getting mature by the day. But does maturity imply that audience is served the content which they are unable to watch with the family?

India has a unique culture where children are loved and elders are respected and they stay together. Such taboo subjects are not discussed openly in Indian households. The culture and traditions of the nation and the family are passed through generations in a very unique manner. Children are not being told openly as they learn their way and nowadays the internet is the biggest teacher. The parent’s role in these matters has been compromised.

Serial makers should not serve such stuff explicitly which is an attack on Indian culture, affects the human psyche and tears apart the social fabric. They are taking this freedom for granted, and when censorship comes into force, they will cry foul. Hindi movies were always ahead of their times and made some beautiful movies on these so-called difficult subjects. Even in the closed doors of theatres we were not served with such content.

Yes, it is very difficult to filter shows, which ones to watch and which ones not to watch, but monitoring by a family member is a must. Though you may face resistance here, it is needed. The government needs to come into action to contain this frontal attack on Indian culture and save society from further degeneration.

I hope Government is listening…oops watching!

• Author, Life: An Existential Cocktail   

Skyrocketing Fuel Prices: Is it like robbing Peter to pay Paul?

The fuel prices in India have been consistently on the rise for the last few days, so much so, crossed century in many states. But this century did not cheer the Indian middle class, rather it has hit them hard.

After Pandemic Year 2020, when the economy opened in 2021 and people started moving out, fuel prices of cooking gas, CNG, Petrol, Diesel sent the family budget for a toss. The salary cut which was enforced during the pandemic has not been restored in many companies. So, salary stagnant, fuel prices dynamic, what an odd combination!Government, authorities, economists, media are busy explaining the scenario but it has not gone down with the Indian middle class. They want their fuel at reasonable rather rational prices so that they can afford it. It is none of their business that what is happening to fuel prices internationally. They are suffering as they have to cut corners. They are paying taxes on income, expenditure and fuel too. Why they should be taxed additionally? Why can’t fuel be under the ambit of GST, one nation, one tax, one fuel price?

No, because the Government has to drive its welfare programs and infrastructure development. Hence, the poor middle class will helplessly pay some obscene amount for a litre of petrol which he uses to go to the office, take children to school, buying grocery, hospital etc. Isn’t it like robbing Peter to pay Paul? It is like making vote banks happy to make the middle class suffer because they don’t raise their voice collectively. This is where the Indian middle class has failed themselves. They think individually, not collectively. If I can pay, why should I bother about my neighbour?

Government has their reasons to justify skyrocketing fuel prices like less fuel production by manufacturing countries to gain more profit and manufacturing countries are producing less fuel to gain more profit.

FM explained, fuel prices are controlled by Oil companies and we have very little say in the matter. Are Oil companies outside the ambit of the Government of India, which are majorly PSUs?

Another justification of the scenario is that the Centre and the States are doing various development work in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, for which they collect taxes, and these development projects generate jobs. Govt has increased its investment and 34 per cent more capital spending will be done in this budget. State governments will also increase spending. This is why they need to tax fuel.

But isn’t some balance required? One gets a job, others get robbed? There is a balance needed here.

The fuel prices in India have been consistently on the rise for the last few days, so much so, crossed century in many states. But this century did not cheer Indian middle class, rather it has hit them hard. After Pandemic Year 2020, when the economy opened in 2021 and people started moving out, fuel prices of cooking gas, CNG, Petrol, Diesel sent the family budget for a toss. The salary cut which was enforced during the pandemic has not been restored in many companies. So, salary stagnant, fuel prices dynamic, what an odd combination!

Government, authorities, economists, media are busy explaining the scenario but it has not gone down with the Indian middle class. They want their fuel at reasonable rather rational prices so that they can afford it. It is none of their business that what is happening to fuel prices internationally. They are suffering as they have to cut corners. They are paying taxes on income, expenditure and fuel too. Why they should be taxed additionally? Why can’t fuel be under the ambit of GST, one nation, one tax, one fuel price?

No, because the Government has to drive its welfare programs and infrastructure development. Hence, the poor middle class will helplessly pay some obscene amount for a litre of petrol which he uses to go to the office, take children to school, buying grocery, hospital etc. Isn’t it like robbing Peter to pay Paul? It is like making vote banks happy to make the middle class suffer because they don’t raise their voice collectively. This is where the Indian middle class has failed themselves. They think individually, not collectively. If I can pay, why should I bother about my neighbour?

Government has their reasons to justify skyrocketing fuel prices like less fuel production by manufacturing countries to gain more profit and manufacturing countries are producing less fuel to gain more profit.

FM explained, fuel prices are controlled by Oil companies and we have very little say in the matter. Are Oil companies outside the ambit of the Government of India, which are majorly PSUs?

Another justification of the scenario is that the Centre and the States are doing various development work in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, for which they collect taxes, and these development projects generate jobs. Govt has increased its investment and 34 per cent more capital spending will be done in this budget. State governments will also increase spending. This is why they need to tax fuel.

But isn’t some balance required? One gets a job, other gets robbed? There is a balance needed here.

Why the rise in fuel prices?

International oil prices have been on the rise since Saudi Arabia pledged additional voluntary output cuts of 1 million barrels per day under a deal between the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, OPEC+. Oil prices rose to USD 63 per barrel (highest in a year), since the deal.

The output cuts by global oil-producing nations are responsible for the rise in international fuel prices that have resulted in higher retail rates in India.

But the fact remains that price-sensitive Indian consumers are affected by rising petroleum product prices beyond measure and are suffering in silence.

Time is to need to unite and express displeasure at the scenario at least!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time is to need to unite and express displeasure at the scenario at least!