Nuggets of Sholay: Fourteen - Parinda Par Bhi Nahin Maar Sakta

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, Asrani. He's just called 'Jailor' - wonder why he wasn't given a name. Anyway, this character was brilliantly crafted by Salim-Javed and inspired by the Hitler from Chaplin's The Great Dictator, and even from Mel Brooks's To Be Or Not To Be.

The Jailor is giving his opening speech to the inmates and tells them how tightly he runs his ship. And being omnipresent and omniscient, he proclaims, 'Hamare jane bina, yahan parinda bhi par nahin maar sakta', or without my knowledge, even a bird cannot flap its wings here. And as if on cue, a pigeon promptly flies past the Jailor's face!

Yahan Parinda Bhi Par Nahin Maar Sakta

 

This phrase is mostly used to describe how secure a place is. 

That was the nugget. Samjhe ke nahin? Agar achha laga to comment kijiye. Agar achha nahin laga to lament kijiye.

Goodbye, aadab and namaste.        

Nuggets of Sholay: Thirteen - Munh Chadha

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 the same breath, Mr. Kishore calls him 'apna' (our own) as well as gives him away. 

Jailor Ka Bada Munh Chadha Hai Mua. Haan

The question remains, what enmity did Mr. Kishore have against Hariram Nai that he ratted on him? What was the motivation? Here's a frivolous figment of my imagination. 

Let's first give Mr. Raj Kishore character's a name. Munna.

Story: Why Munna ratted on Hariram Nai

So Munna, as you know, or guessed, is a eunuch, and probably gay. He's a good-natured person, but given his leanings, jail inmates and staff generally stay away from him. One person who finds it impossible to stay away from Munna is our Hariram Nai, the jail barber. See the deal is that unless Hariram doesn't shave at least 10 inmates in a day, he wouldn't be eligible for his annual parole. And Munna's turn would come once a week, at least. The issue was that whenever Hariram would shave Munna, the eunuch would use the opportunity to fondle the barber. Hariram's hands were occupied and hence could only request Munna to stop, although such requests would be ignored.

Hariram was quite disturbed. Moreover, since the inmates' uniform was shorts, Munna had begun to get more adventurous. With no other way to make this stop, Hariram went and complained to the jailor, and offered his services of being the jailor's spy, if he somehow solved the issue. The jailor, a wicked and sadist person, saw the opportunity and immediately transferred Munna to the women's wing. Poor Munna had to endure the lascivious and licentious tendencies of the women there for a week. 

When Munna returned, he had nothing but hatred and ill intentions towards Hariram. Therefore, to take revenge, Munna used Jai and Veeru to wreak havoc on Hariram Nai. And that is why Munna ratted on Hariram Nai. 

That was the nugget. Samjhe ke nahin? Agar achha laga to comment kijiye. Agar achha nahin laga to lament kijiye.

Goodbye, aadab and namaste.     

                

Nuggets of Sholay: Twelve - Kabr Mein Paanv Latke Hona

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 implores Basanti (who is just whiling away her time) through mimes to dissuade the Imam from packing him off to Jabalpur.

To make his point, the Imam says, 'Arre bhai ajeeb bewakoof hai yeh ladka. Miyan, main to ab kabr mein paanv latkaye baitha hoon. Tumhare saamne saari zindagi hai. Kab tak mere daaman se bandhe baithe rahoge?' Translated, he says that his one foot is in the grave (which is the English equivalent of the proverb), his whole life is in front of him and he should not depend on him. If you look at it from Imam's perspective, he is being practical, but from Ahmed's perspective, that's exactly what he doesn't want to hear, especially being the only son.

Main to ab kabr mein paanv latkaye baitha hoon

So, at this juncture, let me introduce a new character to this scene. I'm trying something new here, and hope it works. So again, a new character in this scene. Who can that be? Hmm...ok and that's you. Yes, you. Place yourself let's say, right in front of the Imam. What would you say? How would you say it? While you think about it, let me tell you what I would say. Something like, 'Imam sahab, aisa mat kahiye. Ahmed ko hausla dijiye ki aapko kuchh nahin hoga. Aap yahan asani se reh loge. Agar aap marne ki baatein karenge to Ahmed kathe hi nahin jayega?'  Translated, what I'm basically telling Imam is that he has  to encourage Ahmed by saying that he can take care of yourself, and not dissuade him by saying that his father might kick the bucket anytime! Honestly, I find this proverb a bit pessimistic. 

So hey you - have you thought of what you would say, if you were placed in that scene? Would it be what I said or something different? Let me know through a comment. 

By the way, One Foot in the Grave was a popular British comedy serial aired by BBC in the 1990s. I've just begun watching it and it's funny.

Goodbye, aadab and namaste. 

Nuggets of Sholay: Eleven - Ek Galti Ki Thakur Sahab, Humein Tijori Kholkar Dikhadi

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 No. 1 in the evaluation process. That piece of information surely changes the way you approach negotiation in that deal. That's when you say, 'Ek galti ki thakur sahab.....'  

And now, coming to the topic that will have all die-hard Sholay fans cringe. Let me break this story into 3 acts (the dramatist in me at his dramatic best!)

Act 1: Enter, the tijori

Jai and Veeru have finally arrived at Thakur's haveli in Ramgarh, and Thakur motions Ramlal to give them their money's due. At 0h47m, Ramlal goes towards the tijori (safe), opens it, takes out ₹5,000 and hands it to Jai. While Ramlal has the tijori open, Jai and Veeru get a peek at the loads of cash stored there. But the thing to note is in the picture below.

Carefully note how Ramlal opens the tijori (safe)

   

Act 2: Evil designs

Ramlal then escorts Jai and Veeru to their guest house, where they decide to wipe the tijori clean in the night. But as they enter the house, they are put to a stern physical test. They pass the test with flying colours of course, and then Thakur arrives. When Jai asks them why he had goons sent, Thakur says that he did not do any galati (mistake) by calling the two. When Thakur leaves the room, Jai adds a rejoinder, 'Ek Galti Ki Thakur Sahab, Humein Tijori Kholkar Dikhadi'. Translated as 'You made one mistake Thakur, you opened the safe and showed it to us'.

Ek Galti Ki Thakur Sahab, Humein Tijori Kholkar Dikhadi

Act 3: Nimwits!

As night befalls the Thakur household, Jai and Veeru gingerly go back to the haveli and head straight for the tijori. A small mental note - why was the door open? Perhaps Thakur was the trusting type. Anyway, they have a torch and a set of thieves' masterkey (called Ashen Key I think). First Jai tries, with Veeru holding the torch, and then Veeru tries with Jai holding the torch. But both are unable to open the safe even after trying so hard. Do you know why? See the picture below and compare it to the first picture above.  If you still don't get it, please ask me in the comment section below.

And see how these two try to open it

Where were their powers of observation when Ramlal opened the safe? Makes me think that Tijori Dikhakar, Thakur Ne Koi Galti Nahin Ki!  

That was the nugget. Samjhe ke nahin? Agar achha laga to comment kijiye. Agar achha nahin laga to lament kijiye.

Goodbye, aadab and namaste.     

Nuggets of Sholay: Ten - Maine Aapka Namak Khaya Hai Sardar

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 know what Gabbar nonchalantly replies. 

S-S-S-Sardar, Maine Aapka Namak Khaya Hai, Sardar.

The sentence literally means 'I have eaten your salt'. But what it actually means is that 'I am very loyal to you'. But what's the connection of eating salt and being loyal? Any idea? Think..think...Sachitism to the rescue :) 

Rewind a few hundred years. Salt was in those days a very precious commodity, and anyone owning salt was either very rich, or very important.  Imagine in those times, you cooked a meal, but ran out of salt. You wouldn't wan to eat that insipid food, right? So you ran out and went to the nearest friend's house and asked for salt. Whichever friend gave you salt, you would be extremely grateful to him/her, correct? Except in those days, you would be more than grateful - you would be loyal to that friend forever.  Therefore, if you eat salt given by someone, you became indebted, bonded and loyal to that someone forever.

Over time, this proverb somehow got linked with Islam (don't know how), because the one who upheld this salt-forged bond is called namak halaal (faithful), the one who betrayed it is called namak haram (traitor).  Halaal vs haraam, remember in the context of meat? While this sinks in, please allow me to mischievously take this thread elsewhere, with unimportant trivia that Amitabh Bachchan acted in both the versions of the aforementioned namak suffixes, and of course was also in Sholay, where the namak proverb was used!

But to think that namak is not even a Hindi word - it's Urdu/Farsi. The correct word is  lavarn (लवण).

That was the nugget. Samjhe ke nahin? Agar achha laga to comment kijiye. Agar achha nahin laga to lament kijiye.

Goodbye, aadab and namaste.     

Nuggets of Sholay: Nine - Khota Sikka To Dono Hi Taraf Se Khota Hota Hai

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 a khota sikka (fake coin) throughout the movie. But what Veeru finds out at the end of the movie, the audience is given a hint right at the beginning of the film. 

At 5m.30s during the initial interaction between the Jailor and Thakur sahab, here's what transpires:

Jailor:         Thakur sahab, main yeh to nahi jaanta ki aapko kya kaam hai, lekin

                   itna zaroor jaanta hoon ki yeh dono kisi kaam ke nahin.

Thakur:      Nahin Jailor sahab, agar ek taraf in mein yeh sab kharabiyaan hain to 

                  doosri taraf kuchh khubiyaan bhi hain.

Jailer:         Khota sikka to dono hi taraf se khota hota hai

Thakur:      Sikke aur insaan mein shayad yehi faraq hai

There, the underlined sentence is the giveaway, but I'm wondering how many in the audience, even after watching Sholay a 100 times, would have noticed and made the connection? That a fake coin is fake on both sides - and so is the coin used in the movie. 

This coin was specially handcrafted by the production team of Sholay, where two heads were stuck together. Production had made six double-headed coins for retakes. For the long shots Khalish Lukhnavi, the production assistant would hand Veeru normal twenty-five-paise coins, and for the close-ups, the handcrafted double-headed one. At the end, Veeru struggled with the coin in the rocky terrain, and by the time the shot was finished, they ended up with just one last fake coin. And that is the coin that is in Jai's hand when he dies. No one knows where the other 5 double-headers are.

The double sided fake coin used in Sholay

But eventually, enterprising people started recreating the coins and selling them on auctions. I've even heard that the coin was sold for crores of rupees. One such incident occurred in 2016, when many Sholay coins began to flood the rare coin market. “It started like it always does with a guy on Facebook showing off a photo saying he had managed to procure a Sholay coin,” says a collector. “In two to three months, the coin begins popping up everywhere. Soon every dealer in the country has about 20 of these coins (remember that originally, only 6 had been produced and five lost in the rockies of Ramanagaram). It even begins showing up at (rare coin) exhibitions.” According to the story put out, these coins had been produced because of an error at the mint in Kolkata. A single Sholay coin was then going for Rs 1.6 lakh.

A few people began to raise doubts. And a numismatist, acting upon these suspicions, was able to get a response from the Kolkata mint saying it had never produced these coins. Some medal and souvenir maker had managed to create a dye to make these coins in a factory… About three sacks filled with these coins were found there!

The only reliable source of the coin is an auction house called Rajgor's that lists the coin to be sold to a 'Bollywood fan' for Rs. 26,000. You can see the listing details here. 

But coming back to the film, this concept of tossing the coin was inspired from the 1954 Western, Garden of Evil, where Gary Cooper and Richard Windmark draw cards to see who will stay back and fight the Apaches pursuing them. Windmark, the 'winner,' stays and dies. Salim and Javed took this thread, converted cards to the coin and stretched it to weave it throughout the movie. And helped Jai take the right decision everytime the two were in a dilemma! So the khota sikka always did khara kaam!  

That was the nugget. Samjhe ke nahin? Agar achha laga to comment kijiye. Agar achha nahin laga to lament kijiye.

Goodbye, aadab and namaste.

Nuggets of Sholay: Eight - Aam Ke Aam Guthliyon Ke Daam

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. Therefore it's like  the proverb where you not only get to eat the lovely mangoes, but you get money for the seeds.

The English equivalent of this proverb is 'Two birds with one stone" or even "Have your cake and eat it too". Meaning that you get an add-on benefit when you do something.

Adn now the story. Last year, I was in the great city of Benares. While strolling through the wonderful ghats, once I saw a small gathering of people who were discussing some interesting topic. It was a cold morning and they were sipping ginger-chai served through a steaming aluminium teapot. Looked inviting, so I sat with them and got hold of a cuppa. There was a sadhu in the midst and they were discussing life and politics.  One of them was narrating the story of a lucky politician and said, "...Aam ke aam guthliyon ke daam..." Everyone else laughed to this, and so did the sadhu. However, the sadhu then went on to explain the origin of this proverb. And I listened intently.

According to the sadhu, many years ago, it was an annual ritual for the village boys and girls in UP to steal from mango orchards nearby. And there was one particular boy near Benares who would get into a particular orchard, grab as many mangoes he could, go to the pond and devour all of them. He would carefully store the seeds though. He would do this everyday till he reached 100 seeds, upon which he would go to the local bus stop and sell the seeds to passengers. And thus he not only had the pleasure of the mangoes, but also made money by selling seeds. And that, according to the sadhu is the origin of this proverb. Aam ke aam guthliyon ke daam.

That was the nugget. Samjhe ke nahin? Agar achha laga to comment kijiye. Agar achha nahin laga to lament kijiye.

Goodbye, aadab and namaste.

 

 

Nuggets of Sholay: Seven - Loha Lohe Ko Katata Hai

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 the other. On a funnier note, this line was extended in Gangs of Wasseypur, where Piyush Mishra's voiceover says in the beginning "Jaise loha lohe ko katata hai...waise ch**tiya hi to ch**tiye ko katata hai"  

But whenever I've heard this proverb, I've always wondered why only iron or diamond that can cut its own species? Why don't other metals or matter do the same? Why can't gold cut gold, silver cut silver, copper cut copper, paper cut paper, water cut water, plastic cut plastic, cloth cut cloth...? I can go on, but for the sake of sanity, I will stop there.

Loha lohe ko katata hai

But the question still remains, why only iron or diamond have these properties? Does this have a chemistry answer, physics answer or a philosophy answer? Readers please  educate me.

That was the nugget. Samjhe ke nahin? Agar achha laga to comment kijiye. Agar achha nahin laga to lament kijiye.

Goodbye, aadab and namaste.

Nuggets of Sholay: Six - Ghoda Ghas Se Dosti Karle To Khayega Kya?

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 with his cousins, fathers, grandfathers, teachers, brothers, uncles, grandsons, in-laws and friends. He casts away his bow and arrows and sits in the chariot in the middle of the battlefield, asking Krishna how can he fight.

Krishna advising Arjuna on his dharma

In the process of convincing him, Krishna lays out essentially a philosophy for living, and accordingly, Krishna tells Arjuna that his dharma in this life is to be a warrior and if he doesn't fight them, how will the good and justice win? He is at the battlefield and the Kauravas are the enemy, no more no less.

In this context, Krishna gives Arjuna the example of horses and grass. That if the horse befriends grass, how will it survive? "Just as the horse views grass, so should you view Kauravas as your enemy, O Arjuna, no more, no less", exhorts Krishna.

That was the nugget. Samjhe ke nahin? Agar achha laga to comment kijiye. Agar achha nahin laga to lament kijiye.

Goodbye, aadab and namaste.

   

Nuggets of Sholay: Five - Zamindar Ki Bekari

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 says this, "...ab koi jabardasti ka sauda to hain nahin. baithe baithe, nahin baithe nahin bathe. arre yeh to basanti ka tanga hai. kisi jameendar ki bekaari thodi hai, ke marji na marji karna hi pade." The use of 'zamindaar ki bekaari' is interesting here, and more specifically 'bekaari'. The word instantly brings to mind unemployment, laziness or  worthlessness. But then, with that meaning, it won't fit into the sentence. I mean, why will you want to do the unemployment of the landlord?

So I asked around, especially people in the know of the language spoken in UP and MP. It seems that in this context, the 'bekaari' here is 'beqaari', spoken from the epiglottis (like qasam or qayamat or qeemat...somebody stop me :)), which is a colloquial word meaning 'forced to do something'.  So bekaari is unemployment and beqaari is force. I'm sure in Urdu, you would use a nukta-cheen below the ka. Therefore the right meaning of the sentence 'kisi jameendar ki bekaari thodi hai, ke marji na marji karna hi pade' is 'this is not the landlord's force, which you have to do anyway'.

That was the nugget. Samjhe ke nahin? Agar achha laga to comment kijiye. Agar achha nahin laga to lament kijiye.

Goodbye, aadab and namaste.

Nuggets of Sholay: Four - Joon Nahin Rengti Kaan Par

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 close to the scalp and especially behind the ears. See pic below. FYI, Louse is the singular form of lice.

Lice behind the ears

So therefore, let me now try to make sense of the proverb. Imagine if (god forbid) lice are happily ensconced behind your ears, and let's say, your wife and/or mom are telling you something repeatedly in a loud voice, it just doesn't disturb the lice, as in they don't start crawling around because of the repeated cacophony.  

Therefore, mere lakh chillaane ke baad bhi tere kaanon mein joon tak nahin rengti. 

That was the nugget. Samjhe ke nahin? Agar achha laga to comment kijiye. Agar achha nahin laga to lament kijiye.

Goodbye, aadab and namaste.

Nuggets of Sholay: Three - Loha Garam Hai, Maardo Hathoda

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 examples in Chaucer, John Lyly, and many early English authors. The expression itself dates back to ancient times.

I'm not sure when this was translated into its Hindi form, but it's used to denote that timing is everything in life.

Coming back to the brilliance I was talking about. Here's some Q&A for you:

• Q: Why does Thakur use this proverb? 
• A: Because he analyzes the situation and thinks the timing is right. 
• Q: Who tells Thakur that the nomads have arrived? 
• A: Girija from Pipri. 
• Q: Who is Girija? 
• A: A blacksmith or lohar! 

Get the connection? Wah Salim-Javed saheban, Wah. Kya likhavat! I am not sure on how many caught this subtlety, but it's pure screenwriting magic.


Finally, does anyone recognise this actor who played Girija? He looks so much like Dhumal to me.

Hmm..that was the nugget. Samjhe ke nahin? Agar achha laga to comment kijiye. Agar achha nahin laga to lament kijiye.

Goodbye, aadab and namaste.

Nuggets of Sholay: Two - Kala Akshar Bhains Barabar

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""Kale (or kala) Akshar Bhains Barabar"  means. According to Quora, the proverb literally means “Black letter(s) and (black) buffalo are similar to each other.” An accurate contextual translation would be “An illiterate person equates black letters with black buffalo.” or “Both black letters and black buffalo appear similar to an illiterate person.” This is a famous Hindi proverb in Hindi conveys how an illiterate person comprehends text printed/written with black ink i. e. text written/printed with black ink on paper appears similar to a black buffalo to an illiterate person.

Now, coming back to my analysis - when the mounted daku taunts the dismounted daku with this proverb, why does he then ask him to read the letter! Dismounted daku should be illiterate right? And unperturbed by the remarkable jibe, dismounted actually reads the letter, thus nullifying the proverb's accusation! Readers of this blog would do well to correct my analysis here.

On a funny note, while researching then origin of this muhavra (I didn't find any), I came across this interesting poster on Pinterest. It's funny, really.

Hmm..that was the nugget. Samjhe ke nahin? Agar achha laga to comment kijiye. Agar achha nahin laga to lament kijiye.

Goodbye, aadab and namaste.

Every Brilliant Thing

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 Vivek Madan (yes, it's a solo).

While the play (can it even be called a play? to me, it was more of a conversation) talks about a million brilliant things, ranging from the smell of old books to coffee to every good thing under the sun, I would like to extend that list to 1,000,001 (a million and one) - Vivek Madan. Boy ain't he a mesmerizing magician. He so effortlessly weaved a story in front of us, that made it impossible not to ebb and flow with the character's feelings. I smiled, laughed, cringed, twinged, smirked, cried, laughed some more...to the entire credit of Vivek Madan, who tends to his audience like..like...like...a puppy!

I came away bewitched. And I implore the reader of this post - do not miss the opportunity of seeing this play when it's on next!

*****

Nuggets of Sholay: One - Oont Pahad Ke Neeche

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 है ऊंट पहाड़ के नीचे' . Have you ever given a thought on what this means? Oont? Pahad? Neeche?...Hain?...

I myself didn't know, until recently, I found out. It's a muhavra that has a quaint story to it. Here it is.

Literally, it means: Today the camel has come under the mountain.

It originates from an anonymous folk tale, where a camel proud of its height, behaves arrogantly, since it is tall and could see farther than anyone else, including its master. One day, the master takes the camel to a mountainous area and there the camel realizes that though it is tall, the mountain is taller and it therefore could see farther.

The owner of the camel was happy that his proud camel had been brought down to earth.

This muhavra  is used when you wish to say, that someone has been cut down to size, or someone has been shown his/her place or that someone has been finally humbled.

So that was the story. Samjhe ke nahin? Agar achha laga to comment kijiye. Agar achha nahin laga to lament kijiye.

Goodbye, aadab and namaste.

Chapter 5: New methods of travel in Bangalore

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. Since Bangalore has never had a proper taxi service (like the other 4 metros), these two caught on like wildfire since they hit the roads 5-6 years ago. For many, this has become the default option of either daily commute or isolated travel. I myself used them a lot, but have removed them from my list of favourites. I listed them high up the order only because of their popularity.

(Note: There's a similar service on bikes called Rapido)

• Advantages
• Available 24x7, city-wide
• Ease of use, courtesy of the mobile app
• Option to either share a ride, or book a cab
• Autos also available on the platform. I see this as a huge advantage, since you avoid haggling with the auto-drivers
• Option of going cashless. The cash option is also available, making is accessible to the older generation and those with loads of black money!
          
• Disadvantages
• No longer cheap. And sometimes, because of surge pricing, it can be crazy. A trip on Friday evening from work to home will be as high as ₹500.  And the pricing is not transparent. When they say 'taxes and tolls', they don't specify how much for each.
• And just because it's available 24x7, doesn't mean you will get it! Driver cancellation rates are very high. They are looking for longer fares, so if you are going for a short distance, or not to Koramangala or Indiranagar, forget it.
• Smelly cabs. Have you noticed that typical suffocating smell?
• No phone support. If you have an issue, you are forced to wade through a series of questions, in categories that are not flexible, and then type out your complaint. You have to wait for someone to respond. 
• Unsafe for women at night. Some drivers do look that sort

My verdict: Last option to resort to.

2) Carpooling apps: Technically, even OLA and Uber can be called as car pooling apps, but they aren't really. There are a few specialised car pooling services that have come up in the last 2-3 years. Some of them are:

• QuickRide
• SRide
• Bla Bla car

There's a longer list of these carpooling apps here. The main difference between these apps and OLA/Uber is that in this case, the car is being driven by people like you and me, going to work daily. And they decide to take on other riders, for a fee. Now legally, they can't accept payment, else they will be called taxis, and the vehicles would need to be converted to yellow boards. Therefore, these apps have found a workaround. For example, QuickRide, calls it 'fuel-sharing' and uses a point based system for transacting on a ride. These 'points' can be bought or sold through Paytm, where a point is a rupee. I thought that was really smart. 

• Advantages
• Much cheaper than OLA/Uber and autos
• Trusted drivers. They verify through the driver's company email id and not gmail or yahoo
• Cars of much better quality and importantly, no smell!
• Great conversations. It's like meeting someone on the airplane
• Cashless, so easy to manage payments
          
• Disadvantages
• Low Availability. Some rides are very popular and always booked. 
• Also during out of office hours or weekends, there is low/no availability
• It's not a sofa to chair transfer (read home to office). You might need to walk or take another form of transport at either end (sometimes both ends)
• The ride can be uncomfortable depending on the vehicle and number of passengers. I once travelled to Electronic City in an Alto, where I was in between two other well-built riders. And one of them was not of the petite kind!

My verdict: If you have well defined start and end hours, this is a great option. Young chaps - you might also find your jeevansaathi here ;)

3) Bike rentals: Have you been to Goa? And hired bikes there? That concept has kind of been replicated here, with a few changes. But extremely effective nonetheless, not only as a great last mile connectivity, but also as a general travelling option.  There are 3 categories of these bike rental services: 

1. The Goa model (hire for a few hours or days): Zap, DriveEasy..
2. Station to station (ride between pre-determined spots): Vogo, Yulu..
3. Freebird (anywhere to anywhere): Bounce

I have been using these quite extensively, and am deeply in love with them. But, like others, let us analyse their pros and cons as well.

• Advantages
• The cheapest among the newage options. Only more expensive than buses and trains
• All the benefits of a bike, without owning one. So no servicing, insurance, etc
• High availability, especially Bounce
• Low impact on environment. Yulu and Bounce offer cycles and electric options - no pollution
• Cashless, so easy to manage payments
          
• Disadvantages
• Quality of these bikes and cycles are sometimes suspect. So it's a risk. 
• Many of these bikes don't have helmets (stolen by bikers). So either you have to carry your own, or run the risk of being fined. 

My verdict: Yes, yes, yes! Although these could be perceived to be only for students, in my view they are a big help. I use them a lot, especially Bounce and Yulu. Big shout out to them.


Note: All views expressed here are my own. All brands and trademarks belong to their respective owners. Usage here is for illustration purposes only.

Chapter 4: Travelling by Train in Bangalore

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, I have the following options from SBC to YNK
• 17307 Basava Express. ETD 1700. ₹30 (Express)
• 66523 Hindupur MEMU. ETD 1745. ₹10 (Passenger)
• 76525 Channapatna Kolar MEMU. ETD 1810.  ₹10 (Passenger)
• 12786 Mysore Kacheguda Express. ETD 1820. ₹45 (Superfast)
• 12627 Karnataka Express. ETD 1900. ₹45 (Superfast)
• 11302 Udyan Express. ETD 2030. ₹30 (Express)
• The journey between SBC and YNK takes about 40-45 minutes
• From Yelahanka station, my home is about 2 kms. Depending on my mood and energy level, I either
• Walk (20 minutes)
• Bounce (I love this service. Will write separately)
• Bus. The stop is close by. Takes about 15 minutes. Fare is ₹10
• The entire journey takes about 90 minutes

Even if I drive, the time taken is only 15 minutes lesser. But the advantage of this methos, is that I get to avoid the road completely! And like Sujata mentioned in her comment in one of my posts, I derive sadistic pleasure in looking at traffic jams along the train route. :)

So, take the trouble of doing some research and spend a few extra minutes. The train is certainly a stressfree and cheaper mode of going home.

If they introduce a few more trains in the morning, I would love to use trains even for coming to work.

Review of 'Little Women'

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!

Chapter 3: Travelling by Bus in Bangalore

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 lot, especially when coming to the office in the morning. It’s cheap, relatively clean, on time more or less, I usually get a seat and therefore free to read/listen to music/watch Netflix/whatever else. What’s more, bus live movements are published on Google Maps, so it really becomes easy to get information on which bus to board from where. There’s a mobile app, but it’s not very user friendly.

I really like BMTC, but there is huge scope of improvement. Here are my suggestions:

• Go electric (like Pune has). Will reduce pollution big time (both sound and air), and reduce cost, I guess

• Move away from the hub and spoke model (Majestic, Shivajinagar and KR Market). Waste of time and money. Plus, imagine what can be done with the kind of prime real estate BMTC has. Surely, research can be done on routes

• Go cashless. Big loss of revenue for BMTC – many conductors pocket the fare for short distances and conveniently forget to return change.

• Which brings me to an important point – get rid of conductors. Think of it, why need conductors if it’s cashless? But we also need to think of how to re-employ them. Perhaps they are allocated to bus stops to guide people?

• Become profitable. Else, get privatized.

Finally, I appeal to every Bangalorean – ride buses. They’re not as bad you imagine them to be!