Zindagi ka safar, hai ye kaisa safar, koi jana nahin, koi samjha nahin....

“Babumoshai…Zindagi ek rangmanch hai, aur hum sab us rangmanch ki kathputliyan… Jiski dor upar wale ke haath me hai… Usse na aap badal sakte hain na hum”

O Mere Dil Ke Chaen, Chaen Aaye Mere Dil Ko Dua Kijiye - as Rajesh Khanna sashayed in his sports car, scarf flowing from his neck, shades in place, crooning Kishore Kumar's mellifluous melody in Mere Jeevan Saathi, lakhs of Indian women missed a heart beat.

Yes, 'Roop Tera Mastana' or 'Chingari Koi Badke' also symbolised RK, but for me the abiding image of Rajesh Khanna will always remain 'O Mere Dil Ke Chaen.' It captured India's first megastar in all his many-splendoured glory. Rajesh Khanna was a true blue superstar, a demigod who embodied the characteristics of two legends of the yesteryear - the romanticism, flair and chutzpah of Dev Anand and the tragi-histrionic abilities of Dilip Kumar.

In the five-year span which saw him emerge as B-Town's first superstar, Rajesh Khanna, or Kaka as he was known in the industry, was all the rage, until he was supplanted by the Paul Muni-baritoned Amitabh Bachchan in Namak Haram. In fact, at the premiere of Namak Haram at Mumbai's Liberty cinema, Khanna in his candour told director Hrishi-da - 'My time is up, the new superstar has arrived,' pointing to his co-star - Bachchan.

He did hits like Ittefaq,Amar Prem, Kati Patang, Anuraag, Anurodh, Ajnabee, Mehbooba,Aan Milo Sajna and Andaz , Khamoshi,Safar,Prem Kahani etc. As many as 15 blockbuster hits simply rolled off the conveyor belt. With Hrishi-da, he made many memorable and acclaimed films - Anand, Bawarchi, Namak Haram. His ouevre being a combination of stylish romantic and the emotionally high-strung tragic heroes. Personally, he was egotistical, whimsical and completely paranoid about failure.

Those were not the days of the Rs.100-crore club. The success of a film was decided by how long it ran. Hit films celebrated silver, golden or platinum jubilee at single screen theatres.

Khanna started the trend of romantic films in Bollywood and gave consecutive hits, which created a frenzy of sorts at the box office. Film-makers would call him the Midas Man of the box office. They would work overtime on romantic scripts to suit Khanna's appeal and work at ensuring great music, which they knew would do wonders if teamed with Khanna.

At the peak of his popularity, Kaka would sign small-budget films that did wonders at the box office only because of his presence.

"Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Anand was the biggest example of a small-budget film which went on to become a phenomenal success at the box office. Till date, Anand is known as one of the best examples of a small-budget film that made a fortune," 

It was this aura that never let him go though he was pushed to the sidelines by the angry young men of subsequent generations. So he came back with superlative character roles in Avtaar and Amrit and re-established his relevance in commercial cinema. And maybe it was out of a sense of premonition that he got off his sick bed to acknowledge the generations who stood behind him with the punchline, “Babumoshai, mere fans mujhse koi nahi chheen sakta (nobody can take my fans away from me).”

What was his secret that made him so unique?  Shashi Kapoor was killer in the looks department.  Joy, Biswajeet, Feroz, Sanjay, Jeetu, Manoj were all proven romantic material, so what made him so… different?  In 2012, it might be near impossible for youngistan to understand, but he transmitted a charm – innocent and romantic – that was mesmeric and universal, making him a true har-dil-azeez. Add to it,  his stylised dialogue delivery (“Pushpa – I hate tears”), mannerisms, style of dancing, enchanting way of carrying songs, ability to emote (Anand, Safar, Namak Haram, Bawarchi, Amar Prem, Aap Ki Kasam, Aavishkar, Khamoshi) when called for…

“Babu moshai, zindagi badi honi chahiye, lambi nahi”

With all the glories and stardom , that one can ever achieved,after making his life really BADI, our  beloved KAKA passed away on July 18 due to liver infection. But he'll undoubtedtly remain THE IMMORTAL SUPERSTAR GLITTERING IN THE HEARTS OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE FOREVER.......

"ANAND MARA NAHIN, ANAND MARTE NAHIN."

This piece of poetry from the film UDAAN always reminds me of my slow but steady transition from the farthest day that I could remember to the latest day I am living.
Awesome, awesome, awesome...... a piece of self memorabilia

Snatched Happiness.......

This is a story , I remember my mom's telling me last year this day and also I came across this story a magazine.










It was 8th March. Parvati didn't know the date, the day or the occasion that was being celebrated in the cities. she did not want to know also. She has never seen city lights. A woman from a village who dreamt that one day she would see the city lights, but there she was, sitting in the corner of the room. To call it a room will be wrong, it was worse than a prison cell.



She recalls the day of her marriage. She was young, only 18, but excited. Her husband had promised her to take to the citysome day, but that day never came. Parvathi's husband was a city bus conductor. The news came that the bus had met with an accident and the conductor had died.


Parvati was not in love with him, but she cared and respected him. He passed away after two months of their marriage. He was 10 years older than her.


The news came yesterday and the body came today. She was not even allowed to touch the body. Her colourful dresses and jewellery were snatched and burnt the minute the news came. She was traumatised by her husband's death but even more shaken by her in-laws behaviour.


Tears ran down her cheeck. She knew what would haappen to her now. two men dashed in through the door. parvati looked up. 


"Will this be the end then?" she thought. She was just 18, she wanted to see the world. 


Two men pulled her up by the arms. She was taken outside and saw that her husband's pyre burning. The flames mystified her eyes. Her ears listened to the words that were being called to her- witch, murderer, demon, cursed and so on, but her instinct did not react. Her cheeks glistened with teardrops.


She knew what would happen to her now. She did not open her mouth. She just blamed the society in which she was born and envied the women in the cities which was far far away from her village.


the men gripped her hand tighter and she knew that she did not have any more time. Parvati closed her eyes as they pushed her into the fire and she was engulfed by the burning flames.

Parvati did not even know it was actually her day, it was WOMEN'S DAY. She could not have imagined that her gender itself had a day foe themselves, that tere was a day for women. Yes, the world has a WOMEN'S DAY, but what use of it when so many women like parvati in rural areas across the country are victims of malpractices, superstitions, archaic rituals of our society. 







We can celebrate womanhood in true spirit when these rituals are abolished. On this day for Womanity, let's raise a toast to the allegory of birth,love,patience, serenity, divine THE WOMAN, and vow to initiate a step forward to stop the wretched society against HER.

Magic Does Exist......

Magic exists... who can doubt it when there are rainbows and wildflowers, the music of the wind and the silence of the stars? Anyone who has loved has been touched by magic. It is such a simple,such an extraordinary part of life we lead.

I define magic as the state of trance when only genuine positive and beautiful thoughts rush through your blood. You feel like floating in the cloud of happiness no matter how much unhappy you are.

I am feeling the moment of magic now.... in the rooftop of my hostel. The cool breeze brushing aside my hairs making them dance to their tune. The faint ,enchanting chants of namaz has wrapped the sky in its warmth. I see the white sun turning orange.... yellow... vermilion....red... then!!! disappearing to the infinite horizon. Is it not magic??? With the clouds, playing faces change and moon judging  their game.. My heart is witnessing the pangs of magical beauty. The long meadows of greenary appears as a gown of fine silk on the earth. And thinking about all these magic, a chill of shiver runs in me... as if I have bcome a captive of its hypnotism.

And now when the cutains of darkness starting to fall... the 'jugnus' are making the moments for me. The little flying things floating in the smoothness of air reminding me of the flying lamps in the fairy tales stories.... those fairy tales which used to take my childhood dreams into the grasp of imagination..

M silent, the world around me is peaceful.... and in the midst of this eerie of silence I could hear a murmuring sound.... Oh!!! got hold of it.... itz my heart singing a self made tune of melody... although itz a bit trackless.. but m loving it.... I got the lessons of self-love from silence only......




I left the rooftop with memorable a state of ataraxy......... AMEN !!!