Masoom Banda

CoViD, ward , Hospi                   July 25,  2020                  Sat 11:29 AM

Yesterday Friday was Shravani Shukrvaar .. and the Gods are dressed in their ornamental best for the day .. 

Shravan Fridays & Mondays are considered like special days for pooja of Goddess Jivati Aai  ( Friday) & Lord Shiva ( Monday ). Especially in Shravan month lot of offerings are made to Lord Shiva across india on Mondays.

Goddes Jivati ..   her pooja is generally done by all the mothers for the good and well being of their children. It’s said that when the child is born from that day counting to the 5 th day . . Small pooja is done on where we invite Goddes Jivati Aai to write the bhavishya/ Bhagya of the child.😇🙏🏻.. so from that time when the child is born all the mothers they offer pooja to Goddes Jivati Aai for all the well being of the children. And in shravan month Friday’s are considered for that pooja and in general also Fridays are considered for Goddess Pooja : Mahalakshmi / Jevati etc. all the Devi’s 😇🙏🏻 And Shravan Monday are days where Lord shiv ki upaasna hoti hai.. innumerable stories of Shiva .. Shravan maas Mondays are considered very good and auspicious for doing upvaas , fast  and offerings to lord Shiva😇🙏🏻 Also it’s believed from Shravan Month, Mother Nature is kind of Rejuvenating / Reviving herself to start giving good things for the next year ..  transformation happens with in her in this month is believed.

… and today Saturday is Naag Panchami ..

Naga Panchami is a day of traditional worship of Nagas or snakes observed by Hindus throughout India, Nepal, and other countries where Hindu adherents live. The worship is offered on the fifth day of bright half of lunar month of Shravana, according to the Hindu calendar.

.. and the brightest talent of the little girl plays from the early morning hours driving the gloom of the hospice .. she adorns the other social media outlets at T and FB and I .. so difficult to mix Karnatak and Western Pop together and with such finesse .. neither the rag and aalaap nor the singing of pop find any error .. simply amazing ..

Have put some of it here for my Ef ..

Jalsa, Mumbai                         Sept 1,  2019                 Sun/Mon  1:25 AM

Ganesh Chaturthi/Vinayaka Chaturthi .. Monday, September 2

.. the auspicious days with Ganesh ji begin and the prayers and celebrations in His honour and blessings begin .. the destroyer of all pain and difficulty, of implementing peace and the joys of existence .. unique in its celebration in this State of Maharashtra ..

.. may His Almighty presence bring fulfilment and happiness ever in all ..

There is the detail of the presence of love that prevails each Sunday .. all pervading , all encompassing , all there .. even with the pouring rain ..

.. and there are the gifts of immense proportions .. that have been painstakingly crafted and created for this day .. the imagery in fine art work .. which is so so endearing and real ..

.. that is stone work .. and from the region of its excellence Rajasthan .. so thankful for this gift and for its presentation .. love

But the presence of them that come from distances and just for that glimpse and for the sight of at gate .. is the truest form of the affection that expresses itself each Sunday ..

… and the constant neighbour , by the window .. quiet silent and in sublime look .. just a namaskaar and over ..

.. but of the most inspiring has been the time with Father’s works at recording , a work that had been pending for long but is now in some nearing .. nostalgic, emotional, binding and in its ability to bring alive moments that could have transpired years and years ago ..

.. a mission that I do hope shall see the waves of communication in its earliest avatar ..

My love to all ..

Dubrovnik - Croatia (by annajewels) 

Jalsa, Mumbai                   Jan 7,  2018                  Sun 11:08 PM   

Birthday - EF - Eman Abd El Sat-Taar Ahmed Mohmmed  Monday, Jan 8, 2018 to the Ef from Egypt where there is great love and admiration for our films, we send you birthday greetings and more .. from the Ef

rehab in the morning , rehab in the noon .. resting most of the day with film .. yet finding them in supine bloom ..

The motto for most of the day envelops such thoughts and deeds .. they are of idle design, but they are quite mobile .. for, non mobility shall address a certain section of the structure you carry all your life ; mobility shall outlive all ..

There really is no interest or need to bring matters to head, purely because of its mobile debate .. no .. the data that remains behind in the instrument is the worth and value of the phone .. that data never dies .. it remains alive for long years .. giving credentials of its presence all along .. 

to whom .. ?

to them that have just visited in personal capacity to insure that the department shall ever be of some imbalance and strength, despite all the ratings of negativity ! Got it ..?

No did not .. ok shall make another try .. but that may not fructify for some more days .. alright .. ?? 

Good ..

Good reminds me of my Father’s autograph .. his auto graphs would sign off with his name .. and he would put :

…. and the autograph hunters would ask him .. ‘why are you writing ‘good’ instead of your signature .. and he would explain to them that that really is his signature .. in Hindi .. see .. it starts with a ब , then the 2 च and न  ,, बच्चन 

pretty simple be it not .. 

and that is exactly what he exemplified - simplicity - in his demeanour , in his writings , in his culture and philosophy .. yet strong and powerful in sentiment !

crowds loved him .. when he would take me along to those middle of the night poetic symposiums the ‘kavi sammelan’, कवि सम्मेलन , he was always the last to recite .. they deliberately did that .. else the crowds would leave after his recitation .. the chants of his popular works would reverberate in the dawn of each night .. they never let him stop .. they insisted they had more appetite , more want for the essence of his words .. and once over, they would reluctantly disperse .. till the next one .. and the next and the next ..

and we would return back home in the early hours .. 

पैसा बड़ी मुश्किल से मिलता है भाई  …

punching blocks of the white in the black is a trying profession .. a job that most do not accept .. but there it is .. so having to do what most get others to do, is tiring too .. there is always the apprehension that they shall not conform to your tastes and aesthetics, but then sitting with them on all accounts is also a bother .. so reliance on another is not desired .. you mess it up yourself ..

.. ok so all you palm readers get back to me  .. hehehaa ..

time to depart my dears .. love ..

Puri Pai, Thailand            Dec 16,  2017             Sat 7:03 am local time 

Up from around 5 am here in the wilds of Thailand and pulling the curtains to the mist and fog and the cold of the day .. I did .. contemplate ..

.. there is no desire to rest further .. there is no desire to get back under the covers of the warmth coverings .. there is no desire to attempt another few shut eyed dreams ..

.. there is but desire to waken to the silence of words .. words that speak not sleep not, disturb not .. and reaching out to to the works of revered Babuji, chance upon one of his works that astonishingly portray sentiments that have similarity to what churns in the mind ..

i did tell my pain and sorrow, not to you, to my writing equipment, my quill .. if it did not send it across to you .. then i shall not fault you ..

i did tell my pain and sorrow, not to you, to the paper i wrote on .. if you did not understand me  .. then i shall not fault you ..

i did tell my pain and sorrow, not to you, to the words that i wrote .. if they did not evoke your sympathy for me .. then i shall not fault you .. 

i did tell my pain and sorrow, not to you .. to the dark nights, ; to those speechless stars of no voice ; to those lorn, bleak, desolate, forlorn and gloomy skies .. if the resonance of their echos did not rest within you .. then i shall not fault you ..

for i knew that one day .. the pangs of anguish of my pain shall leave me .. but the pangs of my pain and anguish shall never desert and break the relationship that i did preserve of them, in my words ..

Jalsa, Mumbai                      Dec 4/5,  2017                  Mon/Tue 1:15 AM  

“हम ज़िंदगी को अपनी कहाँ तक सम्भालते  

इस क़ीमती किताब का काग़ज़ ख़राब था “

                                                     ~ rumi jafri

Standing elegantly without a care in the world, I saw him standing by a Mercedes Sports car, a convertible, a smart trimmed beard and moustache, adorning involuntarily, the face of this incredibly handsome man. It was a picture that filled almost an entire page of a magazine. 

Shashi Kapoor …  son of Prithviraj Kapoor, younger brother to Raj Kapoor and Shammi Kapoor, making a debut in a forthcoming film, is what the caption read ..

And I said to myself, as very uncertain thoughts raced through my mind of wanting to become a film actor, that, with men like him around, I stood no chance at all ..

1969, and those early years of efforts to join the Industry were also the times when there was a close proximity, to the area of an atmosphere, that swivelled around this most attractive man. On and off, common friends in the Industry, which I was just getting acquainted with, would introduce me to him at select social gatherings ..

“ Shashi Kapoor !” was what one heard as he extended a warm soft hand out to you in introduction ; that devastating smile complimenting the twinkle in his eyes. He needn’t have done so. Every one knew him. But this was his infectious humble self. When he spoke, there was a mischievous, gentle, almost inaudible, delicate, yodel, in his voice - most endearing and comforting to the one he was introduced to. The self introduction habit, was a gem. The one being introduced to, was, quite obviously, prompted to say his or her name as well, when they heard his. It was a remarkable tool to come to know the other persons name .. and .. if and when there was to be another meeting after many forgettable years, the same technology was most helpful in remembering the other persons name, in case you had forgotten it .. !!

I must admit .. it was a technology that remained with me as a learning, assisting me in using it during those uncomfortable times, when out of the blue someone would come out to you and address himself as a long lost buddy , with a : 

“remember me ! we last met 6 years ago at the crossing of Kemps Corner, as you drove past and waved to me” !!!

My mind is warning me .. ‘of course you don’t, how could you possibly’ .. ‘stick that hand out ala Shashi Kapoor and act friendly..’ 

I obey .. 

‘yes of course I do’ ..  I say .. looking recognisably lost .. ( sticking hand out ) .. Amitabh Bachchan ..!!

And he would assure me with his .. and Kemp’s Corner and waving by, passing travelling vehicle, suddenly all come flashing by .. I am saved .. and he goes away with some rather impressionable opinions about me .. 

The next .. was his semi curly hair on head, falling carelessly over his forehead and ears, not quite covering it ..  and my upper story mumbled again : ‘hey ! maybe you should think of covering your ears as well ..’ … and off I went to Hakim the hair dresser at Taj Hotel with my plan .. and executed, it remained till date ..

What followed .. is a documentation of very intimate association, personal exigencies .. collective professional camaraderie .. ending in family bindings  ..

He had been ailing  .. somewhere he had let himself go after the passing away of his dear wife Jennifer .. I had visited him on occasion in Hospital during some of the times he had been hospitalised earlier .. but I never went to see him again .. I would never have .. I never ever wanted to see this beautiful friend and ‘samdhi’ in the state I saw him in hospital .. 

…. and I did not today, when they informed me that he had gone …

The words of the ‘sher’ at the opening came to me minutes after Rumi Jafri, eminent writer in our film industry, sent them to me on learning of his death ..

“how long could I have preserved this exquisite and expensive book of life ; the pages of the book were damaged ..”

He fondly addressed me as ‘babbua’ .. and with him have gone many incredible unread chapters of his and my life .. 

Jalsa, Mumbai                     Nov 22/23,  2017                  Wed/Thu  1:20 AM

It is now determined fact … having to sit at home and not go to work is the biggest disease ever that infected the human .. okay .. so some cancellations took place and work shifted, but it shifted the mind and body too .. I mean how many times can one see the same Cricket Football and Basketball game on the tele .. its on repeat for the station, but it becomes the repeat for us too ..

The ladies abhor the Sports Channel, so one has to secretly steal a moment away in a separate room to catch all the latest .. not to say that all ladies dislike it .. in general .. they would rather be viewing the social dramas, the comedic interludes and so .. but no sport .. uurrghgrru .. !!

And its 44 years of Namak Haram .. the film that Hrishi Da directed with great enthusiasm soon after the making of Anand .. and giving me that angry ebullient character of the businessman and his friend, played with such finesse by Rajesh Khanna .. a wonderful adaptation of the play “Beckett” .. 

In the play and the film that was made, it recounted to some extent the historical relationship between the King of England and the Head of the Church .. both friends of immense stature and value  .. and then one day their personal view points differ and the results thereafter .. the King getting rid of his best friend ..

I believe Peter O Toole played King to Richard Burton’s head of the Church .. what a cast .. and I believe on stage they would after a certain period of time switch roles .. or so I heard .. magnificent !!

Hrishi Da made it a socialist drama .. the difference in temperament and perhaps leanings between a capitalist and a factory worker .. friends beyond all, but the magnate asking the friend to join the ranks of his factory to feed back mutterings of revolt or workings among the labor, and to get the friend to effectively change their minds .. the friend does so, but his conscience realises that the worker was right and alienates himself with his friend .. that gives rise to the conflict amongst the dearest of friends and the results thereafter .. it is indicated that the magnate gets rid of the friend and is convicted  .. 

Beautifully scripted and written by Gulzar .. it used to be a joy to be on set and in the company of such talent around .. Hrishikesh Mukherji, Gulzar, RD Burman, and the superstar Rajesh Khanna .. 

Shot entirely at the Mohan Studios, now demolished and given up to high rise apartments .. and I often wonder .. what happens when spaces such as these are taken over commercially .. I mean do those that occupy these spaces now, ever wonder that they live and domesticate the very air that breathed some of the greatest movies made in the times of the Indian Film Industry .. 

There are times now when I work on the sets at Film City, or Mehboob Studios .. and RK Studios the reminisce of films made at various stages of my career at these locations and floors .. at times getting deeply nostalgic and getting into the habit of narrating to those unaware of the times of the times ..   

Most of them that listen in to the narrations seem disinterested .. they should .. who would want to hear of the past .. for them the present and the future is of greater interest .. rightly so .. 

Nostalgia grips the personal by the chest, embraces it with the warmth of the brightest .. the present and future is still too impersonal .. it will require time for it to be noticed and talked or thought about ..

It is strange .. I now shall lead myself to my bed .. but am apprehensive about what I shall dream of tonight .. will it be pleasant, will it be filed with unknown visions of distress .. shall there be hope in them .. or will they just be dark forgetful features, lost and forgotten as soon as the eyes open ..

What ..?

Or shall find out and reveal tomorrow .. good night ..