I was hooked on to Vivid Bharti and Radio Ceylon in my childhood being an aficionado of Bollywood music. Those were the days when unlike today, if one heard 50 songs in a day, 48 would be divided amongst 4-5 top names – Lata, Asha, Rafi, Kishore and Mukesh. However, one thing never failed to surprise me – a very much Lata sounding song would be attributed to Suman Kalyanpur by the announcer announcing the credits of the song. May be greater connoisseurs, including the famous music makers of those days knew the nuanced difference that made Lata overshadow others including Suman, but ordinary mortals would only reluctantly believe the announcers announcement, such being the similarity between their voices. 

She sang a few songs, but more importantly the songs that were originally composed for the nightingale, which she couldn’t sing for one reason or the other. When for years, Rafi and Lata decided not to sing together, Suman was enlisted for songs that couldn’t do without Rafi while Mahendra Kapoor benefitted by singing songs that couldn’t do without Lata! 

While some songs are now very famously attributed to Suman – rahe na rahe hum, aajkal tere mere pyar ke charche etc – some continue to surprise still like the title song of Dil Ek Mandir that I came to know only the other day was sung by Suman and not Lata! 

She bowed out rather early and could have contributed more! But whatever work she did had an air of exclusivity and distinctiveness and it’d continue to keep her alive in the memory of her millions of admirers for the time immemorial! 

As one ages, nostalgia takes a precedence over all other emotions. I felt deeply nostalgic when I came across a news item that almost six decades after it came into existence, the iconic Shastri Bhavan along with another iconic adjacent building Krishi Bhavan would be getting demolished to pave way for central vista redevelopment project. 

I have lots of childhood memories associated with Shastri Bhavan. My father, who worked in Ministry of Education headquartered in Shastri Bhavan, went there everyday for decades! The office special DTC bus originating from R K Puram would terminate at Krishi Bhavan and at the close of office, long queues of office goers would await their turn to get aboard one of the buses to go back home.

I remember having gone to my father’s office in Shastri Bhavan on 2-3 occasions. This would usually be around the Republic Day when the full dress rehearsal parade, days in advance of the final pageant on the 26th January on the adjoining Rajpath ( rechristened Vijaypath) was a big attraction and was followed by a short visit to my father’s office and the canteen that served delicacies at very cheap rates. The dimly lit corridors had doors on both the sides that opened into departmental offices as also the chambers of senior officials – under secretaries onwards. A senior officer, whom my father reported, welcomed me warmly and gave a chocolate, a rarity in those days of low salaries. Mango shake, kept stored in glass bottles inside an icebox at a shop in Krishi Bhavan was something I never got to drink again, despite being able to afford the best, would complete this detour. 

The news item says that the murals by Satish Gujral installed on the facade of Shastri Bhavan will be removed and relocated before the demolition. 

Passing through these magnificent buildings used to be quite often though after leaving Delhi, I have not been to that area in decades and am yet to see the new Parliament House. Rechristening of places, closure of famous places, demolition of iconic buildings all are symbolic of the change being the only constant and that we all must readily adapt to the changes happening around us. But nostalgia is an emotion that’s beyond one’s control and one has no option but to relive the memories! 

Growing up is fun up to a stage in life and we all look forward to celebrating our birthdays. Then as we age further, it’s no longer an occasion to be looked forward to. Old age sets in with lots of supplemental issues – weakening body and reflexes, waning stamina, loss of muscles and age related or other ailments.

However, aging is a natural and irreversible process and must be taken into stride. This fact is reemphasised by the tons of good wishes that we receive from our well wishers and friends from across all the channels, irrespective of the milestone that we achieved.

Like all my birthdays in the past, this one was no different and the love and affection by each one of you made me a year younger! Thanks to each one of you from the bottom of my heart.

We all want to finish our bucket list before we finally kick the bucket. However, the contents of the modern day bucket list are very different from the simple bucket lists of the yore! Travelling to exotic places, indulging in gravity defying adventures, owning the house in the most expensive neighbourhood, driving a customised iconic car – and I am not even mentioning the space odyssey or Mount Everest climbing here-  are some of the elements of the modern day bucket list.

As goes a popular English saying, “ To each his own” and I actually heartily admire those who either aspire or dare to venture into either all or few of the above and several more. And for others, I came across a new acronym in an interesting post shared by a friend of mine, ABL – anti bucket list ! Nothing is right or wrong as no two individuals are alike. Therefore, whether you have a bucket list or an anti bucket list, the idea is to attain happiness and satisfaction in life and live life on one’s own terms. 

Yesterday, May 21, was International Tea Day.

There’s always this discussion that which drink is consumed more ( and I don’t want to include alcohol here, which is consumed in different context and times) – tea or coffee. While the Southern part of India prefer coffee, East and North have tea as the main beverage. However, like everything else, things have changed with the coffee chains taking coffee to tea drinkers and tea quietly making inroads into coffee drinking territory.

There’s something about tea that’s unique. It rejuvenates body during the break, while stimulating the mind at work. Nothing can beat a cup of tea served during a friendly chat, while offering tea to a guest is the epitome of hospitality.

Another thing unique about tea is that it can be served and consumed at any point of time during the day. Some people can’t get up in the morning without their morning cuppa, while a few others can’t sleep unless served tea at bed time. I usually need three cups of coffee- bed tea, a cup with breakfast and one cup in the evening. Anything additional is a welcome bonus !

There are many truths and myths around tea – it containing caffeine, excess tea creating gastric problems, children to be kept away from tea, tea at bedtime interfering with sound sleep et al – but notwithstanding all or some of the above, there’s no doubt about its ability to bring humans together! And the experience of dipping a rusk or biscuit in the cup and having it is heavenly. The theme for International Tea Day is “Fostering Growth and Inclusion” alongside the complementary focus of “Sustaining Tea, Supporting Communities”. As more and more tea is consumed, while it benefits millions of farmers and tea estate workers besides massive employment in tea industry, it also brings communities together.

Whether green or herbal, white or black, with sugar or without , at day or night, tea lifts the spirits whenever consumed and what else can be a greater relaxant than a cuppa on today’s fast paced and tension filled life.

In my childhood, I used to hear a Punjabi song that had lines

“Angrez chale gaye, saanu ki de gaye?

Chhoti ji nishani bas tea de gaye! “

Britishers left and took away everything before leaving us free!

However, gratitude to them for small mercy of introducing us to tea!

Happy international Tea Day. Let’s celebrate it by having a hot cuppa!

Yesterday my grandchild sought my help in writing an essay on the current west Asian crisis. However, the request came with a clear caveat – no use of ChatGPT or any such similar technology and it must be original.  

It made me ponder whether ChatGPT or other similar tools weren’t original? If several users requested help on the same topic, would the output be same? 

If you think of it, what AI does it to put all available information on any event in a text format, which is accurate, factual, logical and eminently readable! In contrast, essays or other written articles not using AI could consist of dated or insufficient information, viewpoints prejudiced by unverified contents ( read social media) and grammatical or syntax errors! 

But institutions are increasingly encouraging pupils not to use AI, but think and write what’s perceived and understood by them. And this could be true of other users of this technology – authors, bloggers, content writer, storytellers, official correspondence users etc. 

I myself have so far not used AI assistance in any of my writing, but I am told by those using it that one could make out whether contents of a writing are AI driven! I seek feedback from those who have first hand experience of this.

But on a different note, while we have mechanised and now robotised almost all of our manufacturing sectors, we are still ready to pay a premium on handmade articles (handicrafts) that entail an artist’s creativity, skill, effort and rare art! I think that’s what will define difference between a self created and an AI generated work! While the latter will be precise, predictable, polished and particularly efficient, the former will testify a creator’s originality, creativity, thought process and individuality! And the use of word creator, instead of writer is deliberate as the above applies across a whole spectrum! 

Mother dedicates her life to the welfare of her children. Therefore, dedicating a day to her is neither sufficient nor can be deemed to be an expression of gratitude towards her! However, in the hustle and bustle of life, when chasing success and affluence is paramount, a dedicated day to thank her is not all that bad! 

This Mother’s Day, I bow in obeisance to all the mothers, who keep children in their womb for 9 months and then see them through their infancy, childhood and adolescence till they attain adulthood and independence. While children become independent and busy, mother’s heart keeps on beating for her children till she breathes her last! To express it poetically:

Mother’s heart beats for her children

For her children come always first,

She can bear anything with a smile

Except her child’s problem, hunger and thirst!

When children become parents

Their children then become their first concern;

Their lives start revolving solely around them

That’s what life teaches them and they learn!

But in this scheme of things

Aging fathers and mothers should also fit somewhere;

Because getting old is a harsh reality

What we sow will also have to be reaped here! 

Happy Mother’s Day! 

One of the sincerest wishes of any human being is to have a future that’s full of all the great comforts of life, notwithstanding the quality of life lived till date. And if such a rosy future can be predicted and told to us, it makes life zestful right from that moment. 

There’s no harm in dreaming – aspiring big as we cannot widen our horizons without having grandiose plans for the future and working towards achieving such goals. But what does our past experience tell us?  Does life always move on the expected line, without any shock or surprise! Don’t we all experience ups and downs, highs and lows, happiness and sadness, good days and bad days? 

Sometimes a simple thought can clear confusion and lend clarity . I love to read good thoughts  on display boards outside schools and churches and sometimes  come across something that leaves a deep impact. The other day a thought on the board of a neighbourhood church read, “Life is an adventure not a package tour.” Doesn’t this simple thought adequately explain all our doubts about the future? I see this very relevant in the current moment as its promotion and increment time and while some friends would have romped home, others be in for deep disappointment. The above quote should enlighten both the sets for the next round! 

In times when the good news are few and far between, a report appearing in today’s Times of India warms the cockles of my heart. As per the report, in 2025, the country’s carbon dioxide output has edged down, breaking a decades-long trend of steady increases. The drop has been driven largely by cyclical factors linked to a strong monsoon last year, along side a continued robust expansion of renewable capacity. 

The above highlights two important aspects. The need for expanding renewable capacity, mainly wind and solar, has been acutely felt during the current geopolitical crisis when the supply of fossil fuels has been terribly impacted. Fossil fuels not only drain our precious forex reserves, but contribute to carbon emission and global warming. 

India is blessed with almost all the natural resources, including the abundance of sun and wind ( also water) and all these need to be conserved and put to productive use. All new skyscrapers and large buildings should necessarily have solar panels and rainwater harvesting. And it’s high time our manufacturing sector stopped polluting the environment through emissions and effluents. 

The aforesaid report is an evidence that if we all demonstrate collective will, we can do it. 

Asha Bhosle was the first diva of Indian music industry, much before the looks and stage performance assumed importance. Till then, the singers, including the playback singers, used to stand before a microphone with a harmonium in front, singing by reading the lyrics from a copy in front of them, with an appreciative audience sitting quietly. However, Asha was like a diva on the stage- well dressed and singing and dancing to the accompanying rhythm and taking the audience along with her.

For most part of her career spanning more than seven decades, she chose to remain in the shadows of her more illustrious sister, the great Lata a Mangeshkar, who was all along the first choice of all the music directors. Asha would get to sing songs for side actors, vamps and those declined by Lata. However, composers like O P Nayyar and R D Burman exploited her potential to the fullest by composing the songs specifically for her. Chain se humko kabhi, her last collaboration with OP, for which she won a National Award and Piya tu ab to aaja for RD gave a new rhythm to Indian movies. She also won a National Award for her ghazals in Umrao Jaan. Towards the latter half of her career, maestro A R Rahman made her sing a few memorable numbers, including the tracks of his first original album in Hindi, Rangeela.

Awards were just reaffirmation of the brilliant talent that she possessed. She sang with zest and chutzpah though she was fully versed and trained in classical music.

She also loved cooking and she took her this passion to professional heights by opening a restaurant chain “ Asha”.

She has died rather suddenly and till very recently was actively singing, including doing stage shows.

Singling out her exceptional songs will be an exercise in futility, because she made almost everything that she sang exceptional. We can only thank almighty for giving us Asha and keep her alive in our memories by listening to a wide repertoire of songs she has left us for us.