What Sachit Thinks

And ladies and gentlemen, I soldier on, in my quest to write about my observations and thoughts on the 1975 cult classic, Sholay. If you've landed on this page directly, do check out the thirteen nuggets that I've unearthed so far: One - Oont Pahad Ke Neeche Two - Kala Akshar Bhains Barabar Three - Loha Garam Hai, Maardo Hathoda Four - Joon Nahin Rengti Kaan Par Five -Zamindar Ki Bekari Six - Ghoda Ghas Se Dosti Karle To Khayega Kya? Seven - Loha Lohe Ko Katata Hai Eight - Aam Ke Aam Guthliyon Ke Daam Nine - Khota Sikka To Dono Hi Taraf Se Khota Hota Hai Ten - Maine Aapka Namak Khaya Hai Sardar Eleven - Ek Galti Ki Thakur Sahab, Humein Tijori Kholkar Dikhadi Twelve - Kabr Mein Paanv Latke Hona Thirteen - Munh Chadha I've chosen a phrase, or a kahavat from the film this time. Phrase: Parinda Par Bhi Nahin Maar Sakta (परिंदा भी पर नहीं मार सकता) In the 28th minute of the movie, we are introduced to the ' Angrezon Ke Zamane Ke Jailor ', played by the veteran actor, As...

Why do people snitch? In Hindi, there's a nasty word for it - चुगली खोरी  - that sounds a bit adolescent, but that's beside the point. Really, what motivates a person to give someone away? Is it a flaw in a character, or is it a compulsion? The word, snitch and other synonyms like 'ratted on someone' indicate that it's not a very nice thing to do. But the act can always be explained or justified. Isn't it? But the topic of this blog is not chugli khori, but a scene that depicts this act where a proverb from Sholay is used. Muhavra: Munh Chadha (मुँह चढ़ा )  In the 29th minute of the film, new jail inmates Jai and Veeru are left wondering who the jailor's jasoos is. That's when the late actor Raj Kishore (unnamed in the film) steps in and says, " Main bataaun? Woh hai na apna Hariram Nai. Jailor ka bada munh chadha hai mua. Haan " Here Hariram Nai is referred to as the munh chadha or the blue-eyed/favourite/ laadla fellow of the Jailor. But in ...

AK Hangal is an actor I admire, no I worship. In Sholay, his role was that of a blind man, and to practice, he employed a method what he called "psycho-technique". He felt what it was to be blind by traversing eons back to the very beginning of life, when blind amoeba swam in the dark waters. That helped him get that 'gaze'.  Imam sahab, the character he portrayed, was the conscience of the film and he had some memorable dialogues. One of them is the subject of this post. And this time around, I'm trying something different. A well-wisher, who I admire a lot, gave me valuable tips on writing. I hope I have been able to incorporate some of them. Muhavra: Kabr Mein Paanv Latke Hona (कब्र में पांव  लटके होना ) At 1h.57m, Gulzarilal (the postman) is reading a letter from Mukaitullah (the Imam's brother-in-law) that Ahmed's job has been confirmed and to send him to Jabalpur. Ahmed (Imam's only son) walks in (after having shampooed his hair that day) and imp...

I'll be upfront with you. There are a few, in fact very few scenes, where Jai and Veeru don't do justice to either their brains or their brawns. I'm ashamed to bring you one such scene from Sholay. Being a massive Sholay fan myself, my hands tremble as I write this, but the reportage is important, even if to show that the makers of Sholay were only human. Phrase: Ek Galti Ki Thakur Sahab, Humein Tijori Kholkar Dikhadi (एक गलती की ठाकुर साहब, हुमें तिजोरी खोलकर दिखादी ) But first, the analysis of the phrase. Having worked in the corporate world for more than 25 years, I've seen this particular phrase used the most number of times, mostly to describe a deal when one gets to know vital information about the other party, unwittingly revealed by the party itself. And this piece of information gives the other party leverage, or advantage in the deal.  For example, in a competitive RFP sales situation, you get hold of an email (by accident) where the client has placed you as N...

I must confess that bringing this series of Sholay nuggets to you has been an immensely joyful experience. The many hours and days of research, thinking and writing have provided me an escape from the otherwise dull period of the wretched lockdown. And I hope you are enjoying reading it too! In this episode, I'm digging out a proverb that is neatly ensconsed in the famous ' Kitne Aadmi The ' scene. Muhavra: Kisika Namak Khana (किसिका नमक खाना)     Did you realise that Gabbar Singh (the Late Amjad Khan) is introduced well after the first hour of the film? Surprising, considering the import and gravity of the character, but Salim-Javed were true masters at the art of storytelling, and they surely had very good reason to do so. Anyway, when Gabbar is diabolically playing the Russian Roulette of bullets with the three hapless dacoits, at 1h.10m, Kaalia (the Late Viju Khote) s-s-s-s-stammers, ' S-S-S-Sardar, Maine Aapka Namak Khaya Hai, Sardar .'   To which, we all k...

And ladies and gentlemen, I soldier on, in my quest to write about my observations and thoughts on the 1975 cult classic, Sholay. If you've landed on this page directly, do check out the eight nuggets that I've unearthed so far: One - Oont Pahad Ke Neeche Two - Kala Akshar Bhains Barabar Three - Loha Garam Hai, Maardo Hathoda Four - Joon Nahin Rengti Kaan Par Five -Zamindar Ki Bekari Six - Ghoda Ghas Se Dosti Karle To Khayega Kya? Seven - Loha Lohe Ko Katata Hai Eight - Aam Ke Aam Guthliyon Ke Daam And so here I am, on the ninth nugget, and I'm talking about a phrase used in the film that has some interesting perspectives. Phrase: Khota Sikka To Dono Hi Taraf Se Khota Hota Hai (खोटा सिक्का तो दोनो ही तरफ से खोटा होता है)   " Jai, tune meri jaan bachane ke liye, itna bada dhoka diya hai? " is what Veeru surmises during Jai's death scene, and he realizes that Jai had been fooling Veeru all along by flipping a coin with heads on both sides.  That coin was always ...

This happens to be one of my most favourite proverbs used in the film Sholay. Why you might ask? Well, a) I love mangoes and b) I own a mango orchard. :) And I also have an interesting story to tell related to this muhavra . Read on. Muhavra: Aam Ke Aam Guthliyon Ke Daam (आम के आम गुठलियों के दाम)  The scene is this. Imam saab is climbing down the steps of the mosque, when he is accosted by Basanti. Interrupting Basanti's bak bak, Imaam saab requests Basanti to knock some sense into Ahmed to take up the job of the bidi -maker in Jabalpur. Ahmed arrives at that moment and Basanti says (at 0h57m), " Yun to humein bephijool baat karne ki aadat to hai nahin, lekin sochlo yeh, karkhana bidi ka hai, jab tak dil chaha kaam kiya, nahin to aaram se bidi pee li. yaani ke yeh to to wahi misaal hui, ke aam ke aam guthliyon ke daam. "   Aam Ke Aam Guthliyon Ke Daam Loosely translated, she says that you can work as much as you want, and when you want, you can even smoke up a bidi . The...

In case, you've not been following, I've been writing about nuggets hidden in the movie Sholay, that are being presented a bit hatke (differently). And in this episode, I'm choosing a proverb that always has me puzzled. Muhavra: Loha Lohe Ko Katata Hai (लोहा लोहे को काटता है)  During the 40th minute, Thakur sahab and his minion Ramlal meet Jai and Veeru at this half-way house. Thakur is kind of giving a supari (contract) to these two for catching Gabbar Singh (the first time his name is mentioned in the movie). Jai, the smarter one is curious why Thakur chose them for this task even though they are baddies? " Aapki nazron mein, hum bhi to chor-badmaash hain. Phir us daku ko paadne ke liye, hum dono ko kyon chuna? " Thakur replies with an air of triumph that only iron cuts iron. " Isliye, ke loha lohe ko katata hai. "  The English equivalent proverb is "diamond cuts diamond". You know the meaning, it takes something of similar strength to defeat...

Back to muhavras . And this time (the sixth of this series), I've chosen a proverb that is profound indeed. In many ways, it teaches us the meaning of life. I've also tried to give the origin a creative twist. Hope no one is offended. Muhavra: Ghoda Ghas Se Dosti Karle To Khayega Kya? (घोड़ा घास से दोस्ती करले तो खाएगा क्या ?)  This occurs when Basanti is dropping off Jai and Veeru to Thakur sahab's house in Ramgarh. At (46m), Veeru offers her the Rs. 2 fare, as agreed at the start of the trip, but Basanti says that although she doesn't feel like taking the fare from the goodfellas, but if the horse befriends grass, how will it survive? One of the meanings of the proverb is that if you provide a service, don't do it for free. But there is a larger, more profound meaning. And that meaning is hidden in the Mahabharata, more specifically, the Bhagvad Gita. Here's the story. Before the battle, Arjuna sees that the Kauravas, despite being the enemy, are also littered...

I'm now breaking tradition and for the first time, not talking about a muhavra , but an interesting phrase used in the movie Sholay. By the way, if you've reached this page directly, check out the other nuggets that I've painstakingly unearthed from the movie hitherto: One - Oont Pahad Ke Neeche Two - Kala Akshar Bhains Barabar Three - Loha Garam Hai, Maardo Hathoda Four - Joon Nahin Rengti Kaan Par Phrase: Zamindar ki bekaari (ज़मींदार की बेकारी) First the facts, this occurs at the top half of the movie, (42m.25s) to be precise. The scene is that Jai and Veeru have landed at the station (which station? - trivia question for later) and Basanti is outside with her tanga .  She starts her non-stop spiel and instead of simply asking where they want to go, she gives a mighty bhashan.   Basanti saying 'kisi jameendar ki bekaari thodi hai, ke marji na marji karna hi pade' To make the point that she is not forcing them to board the tanga , she sa...

This is the fourth of the series, and this time I've picked a muhavra very few people know exists in the movie.  Muhavra: Kaan Par Joon Na Rengna (कान पर जूँ न रेंगना) Occuring at the end of the 54th minute, the scene is where Basanti is feeding Dhanno and Mausi calls out to Basanti and says, " Ari O chhokariya, din bhar hawa-hawai ghoomti ho. Magar main koi kaam boloon, to joon nahin rengti kaan par. "  Mausi telling Basanti ' Joon nahin rengti kaan par ' I have spent a lot of time trying to research the origin of this proverb, especially since it's a bit odd, but haven't come up with anything. So let me come up with my own theory! What the proverb is trying to say is that there's no point telling someone something, with the English equivalent being 'Falling on deaf ears'. Literally, it means 'Lice don't crawl near the ears'. Hain?!  Odd, isn't it? But it so happens that lice need human blood to live. Head lice usually stay clo...

The third of this series on Sholay is also a muhavra . And it's an example of the genius of Salim-Javed. Muhavra: Loha Garam Hai, Maardo Hathoda (लोहा गरम है, मार दो हथौड़ा) The proverb has been used brilliantly in the movie - why? I will explain in a bit. It appears at (1h.49m) when Girija (from Pipri village) brings the news that Gabbar's nomadic arms suppliers ( Hira aur uske saathi ) have appeared near his village. That's when Thakur tells Jai and Veeru  by predicting that Gabbar will certainly appear to buy arms and says ' Loha Garam Hai, Maar Do Hathoda '. The English equivalent of this proverb is 'Strike while the iron is hot' and even Latin, ' Carpe Diem '. This expression refers to art of the lohar or the blacksmith. In order to get the desired shape, the blacksmith must hit the piece of iron when it is red hot. Once the iron cools down, it cannot be shaped. This idiom has existed in English since at least the 1500s. We find early...

So, I'm not going in any particular order of the appearances of the muhavras , but the second one to catch my attention is this one. Muhavra: Kala Akshar Bhains Barabar (काला अक्षर भैंस बराबर ) To be technically right, the usage in the movie is ' kale ' as against ' kala ' and it appears, again at the end of the movie (at 2h.26m). The scene is that Jai and Veeru have been allegedly killed by the gaonwalas as a gift to Gabbar and sent their bodies as proof.  There are five  dakus who see the alleged bodies and one of dismounts his horse to check. He sees a letter strapped to Veeru (yes, I checked this too!). He says, " Arre, yeh kya hai? Chitthi? " To which another daku  (still mounted) remarks " Kale Akshar Bhains Barabar. Chitthi nahin to kya hai? Padh! "  Then of course, the accursed daku reads the contents of the letter. I my view, this muhavra has not been used correctly. I will explain why.  Let us first understand what this phrase...

Ellis Boy "Red" Redding : I have no idea to this day what those two Italian ladies were singing about. Truth is, I? don't wanna know. I would like to think they were singing about some thing was so beautiful it cant be expressed in words and make your heart ache because of it.I tell you this voice soared higher and farther than anybody in a Gray place dares to dream it is like some beautiful bird flapped into our drab little cage and made these walls dissolve away. For the briefest moment every last man in Shawshank felt free. Andy Dufresne : Remember Red! Hope is a good thing, may be best of things and no good thing ever dies. These two passages from the 1994 icon The Shawshank Redemption streamed through my head as I was watching brilliance unfold in front of me through 'Every Brilliant Thing'. EBT is an intimately inspiring format of theatre, directed by Quasar Thakore Padamsee (or Q), written by Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe and performed by Vive...

Those born in the 60s and 70s have this surreal fascination for the Hindi movie Sholay - in varying degrees of intensity. Many of us regard this as the greatest (Hindi) movie ever made, and a few of us go completely crazy discussing finer points of the movie. So I'm beginning a new series, where I will capture one nugget from the movie and talk a bit about it. These nuggets could be trivia, unknown facts, mysteries or the language used. I will begin by analyzing muhavras (idioms) used in Sholay. For me, the movie is a bhandaar (storehouse) of muhavras , and many of them are unique only to the movie. Muhavra: Oont ka pahad ke neeche ka aana (ऊंट  का  पहाड़ के नीचे का आना) Toward the end of the movie, (at 2h.45m), Veeru, who has arrived to save a trapped-by-dakus Basanti, is himself captured by Gabbar's minions. As he is being pulled into the den, Veeru tries to violently break free, when Gabbar remarks nonchalantly ' Aaj aaya hai oont pahad ke neeche ' 'आज आया...

This is the fifth chapter in my series on travelling around in Bangalore . This time, I'm writing about all the wonderful new options available to getting around in the city. I say wonderful honestly, having used each one of them, and realising how important they are as a transport method. While I have listed a few below, I'm certain that newer ways will manifest in times to come. Also, perhaps because of the nature of the city (IT, tech, innovation) these systems are available only in Bangalore. Some, like OLA, Uber, etc are pan-national, but many, especially that provide localised or last mile connectivity are unique only to the silicon valley of the east. So, if you don't want to drive your own car, don't want to take the bus, train, auto or metro, nor want to walk, will you be stuck at Point A, pining for Point B? Well, no - there are many, many ways of getting around. Here's the current list: 1) Ridesharing/cab-booking apps : Namely, Uber and OLA. Si...

This is the fourth chapter in my series on getting around in Bangalore . And this time, I will be looking at railway trains as an option to move around. For the last 6 months, I've been using the Indian Railways to go back home from work. There are a few nice options available, if I get the timing right. So, here's how it works, considering that I live in Yelahanka New Town (A sector) and my office is at the beginning of Lavelle Road. I first buy an unreserved 2nd class ticket between SBC (KSR railway station) and YNK (Yelahanka), through the Unreserved Ticket Service (UTS) app. There's also a website . Cost is Rs. 10. Payment is via the app wallet (which can be topped up through Paytm) Note: if it's a superfast/express train, the fare is higher. Make sure you know the train is an ordinary passenger or MEMU To reach SBC station, I walk to the Cubbon Park metro station, and take the metro towards Mysuru Road, and alight at KSR Railway Station In the evenings,...

What a breathtaking beauty Saoirse Ronan is! Firstly, her first name is pronounced 'Ser-Sha'...just like inertia. Secondly, according to me, she is the most beautiful face to grace the silver screen since Madhubala. Coming to the film itself, Little Women is not a movie. It is a poem written on a lazy day by the beach. It is a plethora of emotions bundled into a lovely flower bouquet. The story is quite simple. Four sisters and their lives, and how love finds and leaves them. But it's the manner of the story telling that leaves one spell bound. This movie should have got at least one Oscar, and that of the best actress...but that's me:) If you want to uplift your mood, go watch this!

In my series on Getting Around in Bangalore , here’s perhaps the oldest form of public transport – the Bus.  Here’s some history - buses were first launched in Bangalore in 1940 under the branding of Bangalore Transport Company (BTC), to later assume the name of Bangalore Transport Service (BTS) in  1962 and then on to being called Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) in 1997. For many of my generation (in their late 40s), BTS was the standard way of addressing buses. Kannadigas will also fondly recall the alternate full form of ( biTTre thirga sikkalla – ask your localite friend for translation!). For some reason, BMTC (or for that matter BTS or BTC) has never been able to assume the role of being Bangalore’s go-to for public transport. I know many people who have never set foot in a BMTC bus, even though they were born here. But it remains an important cog in the wheel of moving around in Bangalore.  Of late, I’ve been using buses a l...