Mile Sur Mera Tumhara

 

There are songs you enjoy, songs you remember, and then there are songs that become a part of who you are. Today, Mile Sur Mera Tumhara has been on loop.

For me, no other song has come even remotely close to capturing the diversity, heritage, cultures, languages, music, folk traditions, landscapes, and spirit of India the way this one does. It reminds me that our differences were never meant to divide us. They were meant to come together, just as countless rivers eventually find the same ocean.

I've also shared the lyrics below in case you'd like to follow along or even sing it yourself. Trust me, if you've never done it before, give it a try. I have been doing it since morning. Especially, the finale... the song gently flows into the tune of Jana Gana Mana, I still get goosebumps. Every! Single! Time!

My hope for the generations that will shape India's future is that they inherit not just our progress, but also the values that have held this country together for centuries. Respect for diversity, openness to different cultures, and the understanding that unity doesn't require uniformity.

Happy Republic Day! 🇮🇳

 

Hindi

Mile sur mera tumharaa, to sur bane hamaraa....

Sur kee nadhiyaan har disha se behke saagar mein milee...

Baadalon ka roop lekar barsen halke halke...

Mile sur mera tumharaa.. toh... sur bane hamaara..

Mile sur mera tumhara...

Kashmiri 

Chaain taraj tahin nyay taraj

Ek but baniye saayen taraj

Punjabi

Tera sur mile mere sur de naal

Milke bane ek nava surtaal

Hindi

Mile sur mera tumharaa....

To sur bane hamaara..

Sindhi

Mohnja sur tohi desa pyara mile jadein

Geet ashaanjo madhur tarano bane tadein

Urdu

Sur ka dariya behke saagar me mile

Punjabi 

Badlaan da roop leike barasan hole hole

Tamil

Isaindhal namm iruvarin suramum namadhakum..

Dhisai veru aanalum aariser aarugal

Mugilai mazaiyai pozivadu pol isai

...Namm isssaiiii....

Padhant

Thik thakida thathikakida....thaka thimi thaka junu

Kannada

Nanna danige ninna daniyu,

Seridante namma daniyu..

Telugu

Naa swaramu nee swaramu sangammamai,

Mana swaram ga avatarinchey

Malayalam

Ente swaravum ningalude swaravum

Otthu chernnu nammude swaramai....

Bengali

Tomaar shoor moder shoor srishti korook oikyashoor...

Tomaar shoor moder shoor srishti korook oikyashoor...

Assamese

Srishti hok oikyatan

Oriya

Toma mora swarer milan srishti kare chalbochatano

Gujarati

Male sur jo taro maro, bane aapno sur niralo

Marathi

Majhya tumchya julta tara madhur suranchya barasti dhara

Hindi

Sur ki nadiya har disha se behke saagar mein mile...Baadlo ka roop leke barse halke halke..

Oh...Mile sur mera tumhara tho....sur bane hamara...

Mile Sur mera tumhara

To sur bane hamara tho sur bane hamara

To sur bane hamara

.......

And then...

🎶 Jaya he, jaya he... jaya jaya jaya he...

भगवानदास माहौर (स्मृतिदिन १२ मार्च १९७९)

में विद्रोही हूँ उत्पीड़क सत्ता को ललकार रहा हूँ 

खूब समझता हूँ में खुद ही अपनी मौत पुकार रहा हूँ 

मेरे शोणितकी लालीसे कुछ तो लाल धरा होगी ही | 

मेरे वर्त्तनसे परिवर्तित कुछ तो परंपरा होगी ही || 

में जो उल्टे सीधे स्वरसे गाता रहता करुण कथाएँ | 

सुनकर अकुलाती ही होंगी, व्यथितोंकी चिरमूक व्यथाएँ || 

मेरे स्वरसे कुछ तो मुखरित जगती दुःखभरा होगी ही | 

मेरे शोणितकी लालीसे कुछ तो लाल धरा होगी ही || 

--x--

Game of Thrones

I can't help but quote my favourite dialogues from GoT! As a fan who's fallen in love with the books and TV series I am listing below my top 10 dialogues from this series! 

1. "Never forget what you are. The rest of the world will not. Wear it like armour, and it can never be used to hurt you." - Tyrion Lannister
2. "A lion doesn't concern himself with the opinions of the sheep." - Tywin Lannister
3. "It's easy to confuse 'what is' with 'what ought to be', especially when 'what is' has worked out in your favour." - Tyrion Lannister
4. "I think mothers and fathers made up the Gods because they wanted their children to sleep through the night." - Davos Seaworth
5. "A very small man can cast a very large shadow" - Tyrion Lannister
6. Bran thought about it, "can a man be brave if he is afraid?" "That is the only time a man can be brave!" - Ned Stark
7. "The more people you love, the weaker you are." - Cersei Lannister
8. "A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who doesn't read lives only one." Jojen Reed
9. "Remember what father used to say? Everything before 'but' is horse shit." Jon Snow
10. "If we die, we die. But first we live." - Ygritte

संसार से भागे फिरते हो

A person who's known life beyond beliefs and faith is capable of  penning down such a brilliant song. Sahir Ludhianvi is without a doubt one of my favorite lyricist. My admiration and love for his writings grows with reading every thing he's ever written. Music director and Singer's combination of Roshan and Lata Mangeshkar was a hit for obvious reasons. This song is no exception to that golden pair. And last but not the least, Meena Kumari shows her caliber as an actress in a way that proves there's no one like her and there won't be anyone like her, in every sense of the term!

संसार से भागे फिरते हो 

भगवान को तुम क्या पाओगे 

इस लोग को भी अपना न सके 

उस लोग में भी पछताओगे 

संसार से भागे फिरते हो। 

ये पाप है क्या ये पून्य है क्या 

रीतों पर धरम की मोहरें हे 

हर युग में बदलते धरमों को  

कैसे आदर्श बनाओगे ?

संसार से भागे फिरते हो। 

ये भोग भी एक तपस्या है 

तुम त्याग के मारे क्या जानो 

अपमान रचेता का होगा 

रचना को अगर ठुकराओगे 

संसार से भागे फिरते हो। 

हम कहते है ये जग अपना है 

तुम कहते हो झूठा सपना है 

हम जनम बिता कर जायेंगे 

तुम जनम गवां कर जाओगे 

संसार से भागे फिरते हो 

भगवान को तुम क्या पाओगे

संसार से भागे फिरते हो। 

Beautiful lines I have read

These are selected few sentences I have loved in the context of their books as well as out of it. 

1. "After all, tomorrow is another day." - Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
2. "Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody." - The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger 
3. "In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you." - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 
4. "In spite of everything, I still believe people are really good at heart." - The diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank
5. "Beauty is truth, truth beauty" - Ode on a Grecian Urn by John Keats
6. "I wondered if that was how forgiving budded; not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering its things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night" - The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
7. "It does not do well to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that." - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling
8. "I have never met a strong person with an easy past." - To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee
9. "The question isn't who is going to let me, it's who is going to stop me." - The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
10. "Great men are not born great, they grow great". - The Godfather by Mario Puzo 

गुलजार

ऐ उम्र !

कुछ कहा मैँने,

पर शायद तूने सुना नहीं .. 

तू छीन सकती है बचपन मेरा,

पर बचपना नहीं!!

हर बात का कोई जवाब नही होता 

हर इश्क का नाम खराब नही होता। 

यु तो झूम लेते है नशेमें पीनेवाले 

मगर हर नशे का नाम शराब नही होता।

खामोश चहरे पर हजारों पहरे होते है 

हंसती आखों में भी जख्म गहरे होते है 

जिनसे अक्सर रूठ जाते है हम,

असल में उनसे ही रिश्ते गहरे होते है। 

किसी ने खुदासे दुआ मांगी 

दुआ में अपनी मौत मांगी,

खुदा ने कहा, मौत तो तुझे दे दू मगर,

उसे क्या कहु जिसने तेरी जिंदगी की दुआ मांगी .. 

हर इन्सान का दिल बुरा नहीं होता 

हर एक इन्सान बुरा नहीं होता 

बुझ जाते है दिये कभी तेल की कमी से ..  

हर बार कुसूर हवा का नहीं होता!!!

What you see is what you get

Although an experiment meant for photographers to emphasize their importance in photography (see the write up of this experiment here), it speaks equally about how our prejudices influence the way we see people. How our judgments corrupt our vision. And how, with just a change in paradigm we can alter what we see!

The model in these photo sessions came in the same clothes, met the photographers at the same location and greeted them in the same way! The only difference was the background of the model informed to the photographers which they were supposed to capture. The experiment was to suggest that the quality of photos depends more on who's behind the camera than who's in front of it! But in behavioral context it holds more than true, how our prejudices define the way we see things! 

Master Oogway Special

Sharing glimpses of one of my favorite character's from Kung Fu Panda movie (2008) - Master Ooway! 

1. What an amazing perspective!
Oogway: There are no accidents.

2. The importance of a Mentor in our lives!
Shifu: Illusion? 
Oogway: Yes. [Points at peach tree] Look at this tree, Shifu. I cannot make it blossom when it suits me, nor make it bear fruit before its time.
Shifu: But there are things we can control. [Kicks the tree so that peaches fall] I can control when the fruit will fall! [He slices a peach and throws the seed in a pit] I can control where to plant the seed! That is no illusion, Master!
Oogway: Ah, yes. But no matter what you do, that seed will grow to be a peach tree. You may wish for an apple or an orange, but you will get a peach.
Shifu: But a peach cannot defeat Tai Lung!
Oogway: [Folding mud over the peach pit] May be it can, if you are willing to guide it, to nurture it, to believe in it!
Shifu: But how? How? I need your help, Master!
Oogway: No, you just need to believe. Promise me, Shifu. Promise me you will believe.
Shifu: I... I will try.

3. To help someone begins from understanding them first!
Oogway: [Walking towards Po] Ah! I see that you have found the Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom!
Po: [Po turns around with a lot of peaches stuffed in his mouth.] Is that what this is? I am so sorry! I just thought it was a regular peach tree!
Oogway: I understand. You eat when you are upset.
Po: Upset? I am not upset. Why, what makes you think I am upset?
Oogway: So why are you upset?
Po: [Sighs] I probably sucked more today than anybody in the history of Kung Fu. In the history of China. In the History of sucking! ... May be I should just quit and go back to making noodles.
Oogway: Quit, don't quit. Noodles, don't noodles. You are too concerned about what was and what will be. There is a saying - "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today, is a gift. That is why it is called 'The Present'.

4. News V/s Good or Bad.
Shifu: Master! I have... Its very bad news!
Oogway: Ah, Shifu! There is just news. There is no good or bad.
Shifu: Master, your vision. Your vision was right! Tai-Lung has broken out of prison. He is on his way! 
Oogway: [Pause] That IS bad news!

5. Truth be told! (One of my favorites from this movie!)
Oogway: One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it.

Raymond - The Complete Man

I was rather moved by this advertisement! There are very few ads that actually portray healthy reality scenarios in our country. The over glorified social traditions and plots sometimes cause much disappointment than the actual expected excitement. But then, there are also these types of ads that give a rare picture of hopeful real world we would want to see around us!

Out of these very rare advertisements, this Raymond totally marks my favorite. It gives so much hope to working women in our society! For once, someone felt like showing the side of working women who struggle with the "Working Mother's Guilt" in order to balance their professional and personal lives. And also associate "Completeness" to the Men who not only understand it, but also support it in every way! I respect all those men who fall in this category from the bottom of my heart! Thank you for understanding, supporting and breaking the image of Stereotypical Men of our Society!

Most importantly, thank you Raymond for this advertisement!

The Soundtrack of Our Earliest Memories

 

One of the things that never ceases to amaze me about music is how it reaches places within us that we didn't even know existed. It has an extraordinary ability to unlock memories, emotions, and sensations long after we've forgotten the events themselves.

I don't remember much of my childhood before the age of ten, but I remember the songs that drifted into my sleep. Perhaps that is why some of my earliest childhood memories are not visual at all. They are musical.

Speaking of sleep, my earliest memories through music are lullabies.

In India, many lullabies are passed down through generations, not because they are written down, but because they are remembered. Their soothing rhythm, familiar melodies, and gentle words become a part of our nervous system. Years later, as adults, we find ourselves humming the very same songs to a little baby who slowly falls asleep to our voice.

There is something profoundly healing about that moment.

It is a feeling that is meant to be lived, more than it can ever be told.

These are some of the lullabies I keep returning to. They've become an important part of my own winding down routine, gently reminding me that rest, too, can have a soundtrack. Bollywood has truly made these songs immortal!

1. Dheere Dheere Aa Re O Baadal
2. Ahista Ahista Nindiya
3. Pyara Sa Gaon
4. Dheere Se Aa Ri Akhiyan Mein Nindiya
5. Do Naina Aur Ek Kahani
6. Nanhi Kali Sone Chali
7. Surmayee Ankhiyon Mein
8. Luka Chuppi
9. Jaage Hain Der Se
10. Chadariya Jhini Re Jhini
11. Chanda Hai Tu Mera Suraj Hai Tu
12. Meri Laadli Ri, Meri Laadli Ri Bani Hai

Perhaps someday, I'd love to travel across India collecting lullabies from different regions and languages. It would be a beautiful way to preserve a small but precious part of our cultural heritage, one gentle song at a time.

Coffee Lover's Stop

Can you smell the coffee yet?? :-)

Language

Who is better than Stephen Fry to write and read it himself about a subject so vast??? Sharing one of my favorite artists at his best!! :-)

मन वढाय वढाय - बहिणा बाई चौधरी

 

सुशिक्षित अणि ज्ञानी ह्या दोन भिन्न गोष्टी आहेत ही वस्तुस्थिति बहिणा बाई दाखवून जातात. निसर्ग अनेक प्रकारे आपल्याला धडे शिकवत असतो, आपणंच ते बघण्यात कमी पडतो. कही गोष्टी अजरामर का होतात हे अशा ओळी वाचल्यावरच कळु शकतं.

मन वढाय वढाय, उभ्या पीकातलं ढोर । 

किती हकला हकला, फिरी येतं पिकांवर ।।

मन मोकाट मोकाट, त्याले ठायी ठायी वाटा ।
जशा वाऱ्यानं चालल्या, पानावर्हल्यारे लाटा ।।

मन लहरी लहरी, त्याले हाती धरे कोन ।
उंडारलं उंडारलं जसं वारा वाहादन ।।

मन जह्यरी जह्यरी, याचं न्यारं रे तंतर ।
आरे इचू साप बरा, त्याले उतारे मंतर  ।।

मन पाखरू पाखरु, त्याची काय सांगू मात? ।
आता व्हतं भुईवर, गेलं गेलं आभायात ।।

मन चप्पय चप्पय, त्याले नही जरा धीर ।
तठे व्हयीसनी ईज, आलं आलं धर्तीवर ।।

मन एवढं एवढं, जसा खाकसचा दाना ।
मन केवढं केवढं? आभायात बी मायेना ।।

देवा, कसं देलं मन आसं नही दुनियात ।
आसा कसा रे तू योगी काय तुझी करामत? ।।

देवा, आसं कसं मन? आसं कसं रे घडलं? ।
कुठे जागेपनी तूले असं सपनं पडलं ।। 

इस मोड़ से जातें हैं

The magic that can be created by this Golden Pair of Gulzar and R. D. Burman is simply unbelievable! By the time you are still figuring out how can simple words make so profound expressions, the music will drag you to your heart touching memories! And the ultimate effect is that you just wait there, bask in those memories and thank them big time for making you realize that "Its always about those precious things you have that money can't buy!"

इस मोड़ से जातें हैं, कुछ सुस्त कदम रस्ते 

कुछ तेज कदम राहे

पत्थर की  हवेली को, शीशे के घरोंदो मैं 

तिनकों के नशेमन तक 

इस मोड़ से जातें हैं ...

आंधी की तरह उड़कर, एक राह गुजरती हैं 

शरमाती हुई कोई, कदमों से उतरती हैं 

इन रेशमी राहों में, एक राह तो वो होगी 

तुम तक जो पहुंचती हैं

इस मोड़ से जाती हैं ...

एक दूर से आती है, पास आके पलटती है 

एक राह अकेली सी, रुकती है न चलती हैं 

ये सोच के बैठी हूँ, एक राह तो वो होगी 

तुम तक जो पहुंचती हैं

इस मोड़ से जाती हैं ...

The Road Not Taken - Robert Frost

A very powerful poem I always quote to myself in the times of confusion. It always makes my opinion of conventions seldom lead to greatness! You have to be path breaking to make a difference! 

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way, 

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Who Moved My Cheese

p.s: One of the very few good renditions of books I have seen. A very inspiring story!

जन पळभर म्हणतिल हाय हाय

जन पळभर म्हणतिल हाय हाय !

मी जाता राहिल कार्य काय?

सूर्य तळपतिल, चंद्र झळकतिल, 

तारे आपुला क्रम आचरतिल, 

असेच वारे पुढे वहतिल

होईल काही का अंतराय?

मेघ वर्षतिल, शेते पिकतिल, 

गर्वाने या नदया वाहतिल,

पुन्हा कळजि की न उमटतिल,

पुन्हा तटावर हेच पाय?

सखेसोयरे डोले पुसतिल, 

पुन्हा आपुल्या कामी लगतिला,

उठतिल, बसतिल, हसुनी खिदळतिल,

मी जाता त्यांचे काय जाय?

अशा जगस्तव काय कुढावे,

मोही कुणाच्या का गुंतावे?

हरिदुता का विन्मुख व्हावे?

का जिरावुनाये शांतित काय?

Working Women

My mother worked for 40 years. My wife is the COO at an international bank. It makes me proud. She doesn't make phulkas for me. We outsource that work to our help, and it doesn't really bother me. If my wife had spent her life in the kitchen, it would have bothered me more.

One,

a man who marries a career woman gets a partner to discuss his own career with. A working woman may be able to relate better to organizational issues than a housewife. A spouse who understands office politics and can give you good advice can be an asset.

Two,

a working woman diversifies the family income streams. In the era of expensive apartments and frequent lay-offs, a working spouse can help you afford a decent house and feel more secure about finances.

Three,

a working woman is better exposed to the world. She brings back knowledge and information that can be useful to the family. Whether it's the latest deals or the best mutual fund to invest in, or even new holiday destinations, a working woman can add to the quality of life.

Four,

the children of a working woman learn to be more independent and will do better than mollycoddled children.

Five,

working women often find some fulfillment in their jobs, apart from home. Hence, they may have better life satisfaction, and feel less dependent on the man. This in turn can lead to more harmony.

Please choose your partner carefully.

Don't just tolerate, but accept and even celebrate our successful women. They take our homes ahead and our country forward. We may have less hot phulkas, but we will have a better nation. 

— Chetan Bhagat

ती गेली तेव्हा रिमझिम... - ग्रेस

माझ्या सर्वाधिक आवडत्या गाण्यांपैकी हे एक गाणं. कविता अणि चाल ह्या अश्या काही एकरूप झाल्या आहेत की आपण नेमक कश्यानी धुंद होतो, तेच कळेनासं होत.

ती गेली तेव्हा रिमझिम, पाउस निनादत होता

मेघांत अडकली किरणे, हा सूर्य सोडवित होता 

ती आई होती म्हणुनी, घन व्याकुळ मी ही रडलो 

त्या वेळी वारा सावध, पचोळा उडवित होता 

अंगणात गमले मजला, संपले बालपण माझे 

खिडकीवर धुरकट तेव्हा, कंदील एकटा होता 

Tea

This is one of my favorite posts from "The Salmon of Doubt" by "Douglas Adams". It is so brilliant that I do not wish to spoil its spontaneity by explaining why I like it... Go ahead and enjoy simple pure genius!! :-)

Tea

One or two Americans have asked me why the English like tea so much, which never seems to them to be a very good drink. To understand, you have to make it properly.
There is a very simple principle to the making of tea, and it’s this—to get the proper flavour of tea, the water has to be boilING (Not boilED) when it hits the tea leaves. If it’s merely hot, then the tea will be insipid. That’s why we English have these odd rituals, such as warming the teapot first (so as no to cause the boiling water to cool down too fast as it hits the pot). And that’s why American habit of bringing a teacup, a tea bag, and a pot of hot water to the table is merely the perfect way of making a tin, pale, watery cup of tea that nobody in their right mind would want to drink. The Americans are all mystified about why the English make such a big thing out of tea because most Americans HAVE NEVER HAD A GOOD CUP OF TEA. That’s why they don’t understand. In fact, the truth of the matter is that most English people don’t know how to make tea anymore either, and most people drink cheap instant coffee instead, which is a pity, and gives Americans the impression that the English are just generally clueless about hot stimulants.
So the best advice I can give to an American arriving in England is this: Go to Marks and Spencer and buy a packet of Earl Grey tea. Go back to where you’re staying and boil a kettle of water. While it is coming to the boil, open the sealed packet and sniff. Careful---you may feel a bit dizzy, but this is in fact perfectly legal. When the kettle has boiled, pour a little of it into a teapot, swirl it around, and tip it out again. Put a couple (or three, depending on the size of the pot) of tea bags into the pot. (If I was really trying to lead you into the paths of righteousness, I would tell you to use free leaves rather than bags, but let’s just take this in easy stages.) Bring the kettle back up to the boil, and then pour the boiling water as quickly as you can into the pot. Let is stand for two or three minutes, and then pour it into a cup. Some people will tell you that you shouldn’t have milk with Earl Grey, just a slice of lemon. Screw them. I like it with milk. If you think you will like it with milk, then it’s probably best to put some milk into the bottom of the cup before you pour in the tea.* If you pour milk into a cup of hot tea, you will scald the milk. If you think you will prefer it with a slice of lemon, then, well, add a slice of lemon.
Drink it. After a few moments you will begin to think that the place you’ve come to isn’t maybe quite so strange and crazy after all.

* This is socially incorrect. The socially correct way of pouring tea is to put the milk in after the tea. Social correctness has traditionally had nothing whatever to do with reason, logic or physics. In fact, in England it is generally considered socially incorrect to know stuff or think about things. It's worth bearing this in mind when visiting.