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.