Spoken word: Jugalbandi of words and art

Love of poetry and storytelling had me stop flipping radio stations and listen to "The deck of cards" by Tex Williams; experiencing a  Haruki Murakami moment "Whatever it is you are seeking won't come in the form you are expecting." I had discovered a form of art, spoken word. An estuary of narrative and music  for the soul. A confluence of words and performing art, dance and theatre. All this, over a banal trip, ridden with gnarling Delhi traffic, browsing through FM channels indifferently, driving back across 3 states from work.

I was in the throes of a scripturient urge to celebrate my abecedarian finding. The drive seemed longer than usual, there was so much to do; quench my curiosity by reading more, attend to a deluge of examples, listen to new finds and compile a playlist. Most of this though, was curtailed to the luxury of late evenings that afforded time for myself.

Sunscreen,  Are you lonesome tonight, Yeh kahan aa gaye hum, have been all time favorites, only today I  know better, I can flaunt the genre of music they belong to and discover more such gems.

Political motivations, social causes, religious discourses, leadership speak, life experiences, stories, folklore and many more expressions have found themselves in this experimental art form.

I have put together a humble playlist of Hindi spoken-word tracks to show and tell what spoken-word is all about,  and with your suggestions it could only get better. 

Get the complete playlist: Here

4 beautiful poems written by Javed Akhtar recited by Farhan Akhtar in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

Apne Hone Par Mujhko Yaqeen Aa Gaya | Yeh Jaane Kaisa Raaz Hai | Dil Aakhir Tu Kyun Rota Hai | Toh Zinda Ho Tum

An all time favorite from a movie which is poetry in motion, Rituparno Ghosh's Raincoat. The movie is an adaptation of O' Henry's short story "The GIft of Magi". Enjoy the recitation in Gulzar's baritone and Shubha Mudgal's voice in Piya tora kaisa abhiman.

Calling Amitabh Bachchan fans. Silsila scores high on music  and poetry. Yeh Kahaan aa gaye hum has Amitabh Bachchan monologues and Lata Mangeshkar singing to Javed Akhtar's  lyrics.

Unboxing Indian languages

My tryst with languages has been that of, love-hate. Education, across a string of schools and cities throws at you challenges, of what some might recall, as 2nd and 3rd languages. Compulsory languages, that you had to cross the mark on, to make it to the next grade. I had my encounters with Hindi, Bengali, Gurmukhi, Sanskrit and acquainted myself with French and Urdu. Thankfully, English was the marathon friend.


When it came to taking a second language, for boards, the hoity-toity had, French. As much as, the bourgeois bug appealed to me, I had to resign to Hindi "A". Then, I had kicked myself for not having scored lesser, so that I could have been assigned to the batch of Hindi "B". The scholarly subscribed to Sanskrit- oh boy, for that cramming! I have a fundamental disconnect with the whole, memorizing without understanding, school of education, but addressing that would merit an entire post. Honestly, I would have opted for neither French, nor Sanskrit, or the long tail German, Russian, and more. It’s the lack of choices, which sets you off on the "what if" mode. Sometimes, no option is not such a bad option, after all. It makes life simple.

Story of India- The Amul way

2014

History as we write it each day...

2013

Flashback of the year that was...

1978

India’s timeline-1978: The Amul way from Dilpreeta Vasudeva

1976

A-Z Brand Slogans & Advertising Tag lines

A | B | C | D | E |F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A

1. We know Money - AIG or American International Group Insurance Company
2. Making the Sky the best place on Earth - Air France
3. Its good to be home - Airwick
4. Thodi Sharafat, Thodi Shararat - Aliva
5. Macharoan ka Yamraaj - All Out
6. Friday Dressing - Allen Solly
7. My World, My Way - Allen Solly
8. The Power on your side - Allianz Group
9. You are in good hands - Allstate Insurance Company
10. Lalach Aaha Laplap - Alpenliebe
11. Lets Go - Alto
12. Lasts Long, Really Long, Ting Tong - Amaron
13. Fragrance Your Imagination - Ambipur
14. Its Gone - Amrutanjan
15. Kick Out Pain - Amrutanjan
16. Pure Healthy Essence - Amrutanjan
17. Ye toh bada toing hain - Amul Macho
18. Better Ideas - Amway
19. We are listening - Amway
20. Racing DNA Unleashed - Apache
21. Cool Drink to Hang Out With - Appy Fizz
22. USA 1851 - Arrow
23. Be Life Confident - AXA UK
24. Stop @ Nothing - A Star
25. Making More Possible - ABN AMRO Bank

Experience Delhi

It was about three weeks back that a concept was actualized.

Experience Delhi.
The genesis of which was a New Year resolution, only it wasn’t an annual one. It was a way of life. After not much deliberation I arrived at self-development. Ideally pursuing a passion should be best suited but I could not seem to find one-a passion, a passion in its truest form. What I discovered although was that I had varied interests, a multitude of activities I enjoyed dabbling in.

I wanted to make time for myself.

Enjoy simple things.

Uncomplicate pleasure.

There always has been joy in doing small things, only this time it was about making memories of those moments.

Living and absorbing.

Meeting friends over drinks and meals isn’t very enriching and engaging, needed something more concrete, something that would genuinely help bond.
It then occurred to me that I had lived in Delhi for a decade if not more but had almost next to never experienced the culture and its richness that it has to offer. Most of its beauty was about living in nostalgia. Thus the ball got rolling and I soon was thoroughly enjoying myself.

25th August-Driving to work it dawned upon me that there would be several like-minded folk who would like to break away from the web of complacency. I could only imagine how exhilarating it would be to have shared experiences. Learn from each other, meet interesting people, enrich one another, dig into our abilities and discover new possibilities. I experienced an adrenaline rush thorugh the day and could not stop thinking about getting started.

Activities spanning from heritage walks followed by breakfast to karaoke, From concerts to theatre, dance recitals to museums, sound & light show to mid-night photography and drives, cookery to pottery workshops, root for your favorite team at a watering hole or go for a game, learn an instrument or learn a language, movie marathon to short get- aways from Delhi, fine dining to rustic culinary indulgence.

Imagine, appreciate, participate, motivate!

Exploring, learning and growing! Together.

The mechanics of it were simple too- initiate a group on Facebook, yes one more amongst the several. The invitation sent to some like-minded people with whom the concept would resonate and only if it excited them would they join. A truly joint effort, a community where everyone contributes, participates and takes initiative. Comfortable being just a handful, even if it means to be able to count us on one hand to begin with.

17th Sep- We met and witnessed bi-polar Delhi at its best!

Bon Voyage

It all began with a start! Dad waking me up with a cup of tea and I habitual of romancing Mozart looking at it dismally. Why had it let me down? I didn’t remember putting it on snooze. 10 mins to 4am and am checking mail, instinctively. Who raised a storm in the cup of life in the last 3 and a quarter hrs of my being away? No one. Absolutely no one. Its these moments that being inconsequential is blissful to otherwise one’s belief in self –love and indulging in Ptolemic theory until the disruptive heliocentricism strikes
I wonder where I get abundant energy and enthusiasm to spring into action at unearthy hours like these. On other days it takes innumerable snoozes in a span of 1 hr, which needless to say is not sans grunts and moans.
Here I am getting everyone into action. Assuming my dads role for once. We have landed at weddings while the florist and caterers were setting up the place and the girls side still absconding, at dinners before the host , so much for abiding by his clockwork. Punctuality in Delhi is so mediocre. Delay, to my father, once an NDA cadet and forever an officer, is blasphemy. On all other occasions I hold true to Indian Standard Time, but this one time, an exception. This, one more time, am my dad’s daughter, this one time am ready a complete half hour before time. I have already begun to surprise myself.
Car reversed and ready to load, paper foot mats from last night’s servicing discarded, two sticks with abundant music plugged, and an ISB Alumnus sticker displayed! Phew hadn’t found the time to do this in a month. Had purchased it from campus during my last trip with Di and Pratima, my niece.
Windows rolled down -Mom, Dad and I join our hands for a pact- a fun filled, memorable holiday as the car rolled out of the driveway. Driver? Me.
God bless mom for all the goodies she packed for the journey. Traditional picnics have been a while and may I add the chai in a thermos with sandwiches, paranthas and biscuits, bargained rather poorly. Thanks to her had enough to chomp on shakad pade, crackers, chocolate cookies and fruits. Of course I dig the unhealthy munchies, afterall have just started my way to cleansing, it will be a while. Mum recited her morning prayers and side view mirror captured the crack of dawn in its full glory.
Those monster faces, I can imagine them come alive, or at least did when I was 17, in a session with my driving school instructor. He urged me to drive through the most busy streets and chug along trucks that although had been adorned lavishly yet it didn’t take away from the angry gluttonous look they wore. The truth, I thank him. Today their gangs didn’t bother me.
When you are driving towards perfect state of mind, uncanny how the things move towards perfection. A perfect frame of laden clouds against a backdrop of verdant Aravalli’s, luscious fields, full wheat cods, tar road and music. Music to which mom and I crooned away. I could see,Dad, from the corner of my eyes drumming his fingers, sitting beside.
Paranthas, masala tea, customary visit to the washroom, couple of stretches and a photo shoot later at the pitstop we resumed the road trip.
We overshot the bypass for Ajmer and the navigator who had been deputed to receive us lead us to our accommodation at Jaipur. We loomed into the thick of traffic, coordinating on calls and stopping several times to seek directions ( the benefit of women drivers).Here is a tip when asking for directions in Jaipur. Watch the hand, cause what they say is left/right agnostic, everything is “seedha” while their hands are thrown all over the place in a truly animated manner. At their expense we had many laughs and of course my driving skills tested through narrow lanes.
Chai is the red bull of India. It energizes, revitalizes, and brings us back to life. Sipping tea, I knew, now there is no rush, I have time on my side, am not running and I could hear the birds chirp. The holiday has begun.The Road trip to Rajasthan.

An ode to Udaipur

A spec in the dust
raises a storm
of its sand.

Carries with the wind
a whistling whirlpool
of dying roots
and staple citrus rind.

An arid land,
thorny bushes and cacti.
Changing hues of the sky,
from blues to grey to tan.

Topography changing hands
where past and present blend.
Mirages of civilization
in the narrow alleys of palaces
tourists smitten by eerie fascination.

Copper pots and pans
women adornd with silver embellishments
men with overt masculine demonstrations
a culture entrenched in rich tradition.

Srinagar Days

On countless occasions I have wanted to be inspired
Twirled a pencil
Doodled on paper
Stared at the laptop
and just when I wanted to send a "wassup?" sms I could not stop myself
Inspired in the parking lot... on a mobile
There I was reliving my stay in Srinagar!

An ivy covered bungalow
icicles of its roof.
Mulberries, cherries, apples, apricots, almonds, pears
and many other fruits,
French windows with a panoramic view.
A bed of strawberries,
A slope covered with wild lilies.
Pebbled backyard,
Lush green front lawns with brick boundaries.
A turquoise swing
and wanting puppies.
Magnificent Chinar tree,
generously lent its golden leaves to the entry.
Glass room with bukhari,
Overlooking the Pehelgam, Gulmarg pahadi.
View of Shankracharya from the driveway,
A kilometer from the gate which kept the militancy away.
A ninety degree drop over which I saddled over soldiers bikes
much to their agony.
Sworn to never cross the sacrosanct boundary
Sneaked a glance at boat houses on Jhelum
and its vicinity.
Frisked in school as a part of security, daily
The favorite friend’s secret corner- a pipe
along which grew bichu butti.
Two daily needs markets,
the owners of which one knew personally.
Our only associate from the Valley,
a Kashmiri shawl vendor Nur-u-din.
A small town cantt theatre
with a smaller gentry.
Huffed and puffed paddling,
triple knit handmade woolens,
A troop of soldiers to make our lives easy.
A neighborhood where we knew everybody,
A gardener's family held to ransom
to cause destruction to army premises
A life where entertainment was sans devices

Some stray thoughts on a random day
Of childhood memories, in Srinagar
the year I turned eight.