Book Review: Bhaas ke Natak

 Just finished reading this. #bookreview

My first issue with the book is that it is not presented in the natak format of dialogues and structure etc. Instead, a synopsis of the story is given.

The stories are mostly from the classics - Ramayana and Mahabharata, and Vasavadutta is included.

But, maybe it was for the best.

For reasons one cannot explain, the book was gripping. The Vasavadutta story had some dialogues that made one crack up and I realised that perhaps the format of "Naatak" or "Manchan" has remained unchanged in India over centuries - some wit, some humour, a lot of fast-paced story telling.

The other thought while reading this book was - these plays must have been fantastic to watch. They must necessarily have gorgeous sets, great witty dialogues, and a long-ish run time. I missed something, not having watched them. And am grateful for the traditional theater performances that we still get to watch in India. Maybe will try to watch them even more now.

The book is a short read - about 6 hours in total even if u read slowly. The plays are not too long (perhaps this is the reason why they were presented as stories and not in the play format - to keep them brief) and the narrative is definitely gripping.

I would recommend this book for sure.

Review of Rocketry and the dead nuclear scientists of India

 

Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein made Madhavan my favourite actor. Rocketry made him my hero. 

Unlike most people who are watching the movie (and Kashmir Files before this), I was not completely unaware of the injustice meted out to Dr. Nambi. I was also aware of the tragic and sudden deaths of more than 12 nuclear scientists of India, and had read the paper that explained the American connection behind these deaths. Nor was I unmindful of the question that Nambi sir asked at the end - If I am innocent, someone is guilty. Who is that? 

But about Dr. Nambi, did not have the details presented in the film. 

Like with all biographical films, the viewing of the movie was followed by a rigorous fact check. (Wikipedia is not opened during that fact check). It is sad that very little of Dr. Nambi's achievements and academic background is available in the public domain. 

Most institutions have a link to the resumes of all its scientists. I could not find such a link on the ISRO website. 

But I was surprised to find that the story, as told, is largely authentic - no embellishment, no exaggeration, no 'creative freedom'. 

The job of a story teller is to tell a story so no one wants to get up. 

With Rocketry, that is exactly what Madhavan has done. He could have made it a biography story - starting at the beginning and going towards the end. But he chose to start with the climax, and weave the past and the future around that. What is extremely interesting is the format - an interview with the scientist, conducted by an actor, playing himself. 

The story of his life and family integrates into the story of his professional success as it can only for an Indian. Watching this movie helped me realise a beautiful aspect of Indian society yet again - the work is not separate from the individual. Our entire Varna system is based on the chosen profession. Our social identity is based on our profession. Unlike the choice that Dr. Crocco had to make, in India, the interdependence of the workplace and the family is implicit. 

If I have to give full marks to one person, it is the locations and set director. The locations are so well chosen, particularly where the team is shown in France and Princeton. (except, perhaps, the scene where they strategise how to get into a department - in the middle of the street, that, if it really did happen that way, is illustration of truth is stranger than fiction). 

The art direction comes next. But every single technical department truly excels. Costumes, hair, cars, and the volume of traffic on the road - they got all of that right. In all the street scenes, I was only wondering with dropped jaw - How did you find so many working cars of these vintage models? How did you do this? 

Even sound deserves a mention - esp. in the shots related to rocket testing - the sound effects, subtle, but well designed, made the experience of watching the rocket testing that much real for us. 

The background music was subtle and hit all the right chords without intruding upon the storytelling process. 

To summarise: 

It is a well directed film. It has an excellent technical team, and a small, but good cast. 

The story is well told and well edited. 

An actor would have ended the film with the spotlight on himself. A director put the spotlight on the real hero - Dr. Nambi Narayanan. And that, is what makes Madhavan a star. I have never before seen a director do this - bring the real person to close the narrative in his own words. (Dr. Nambi is an articulate person. His interviews in the promotions of Rocketry are quite impressive). 

And, in case you are interested, here are the details of the Indian scientists who have died mysteriously, and whose stories still remain untold. If we look at this list, Dr. Narayanan must have been really special, to avoid this fate. 

BARC has reported 680 employee deaths during the last 15 years. \

92 persons employed with the Indira Gandhi Center for Atomic Research Kalapakkam have died. 

Within a 15 year period, 684 deaths have occured at ISRO. 

Here is a list: 

1. October 2013: K K Josh and Abhish Shivam

2. 1966 - Dr. Homi Jehangir Bhabha

3. 2009 - Lokanathan Mahalingam

4. 2011 - Dr Uma Rao

5. Feb 2010 - Mahadevan Padmanabhan Iyer

6. June 2009 - Umang Singh and Partha Pratim Bag

7. 2012 - Mohammad Mustafa

9. 1971 - Vikram Sarabhai 

And here are interesting takes on the NN case itself: 

https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/here-s-the-real-story-of-isro-spy-case-that-rocked-the-nation-in-1990s-118091600109_1.html

https://www.news18.com/news/opinion/hurdles-conspiracies-espionage-to-nambi-effect-the-story-behind-denial-of-cryogenic-engine-tech-to-india-5578081.html

Nambi Narayanan speaks on conspiracy against him & India over ISRO's cryogenic program (republicworld.com)

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Mystery-behind-Vikram-Sarabhais-death/articleshow/3910516.cms

https://indiafacts.org/list-of-indian-nuclear-scientists-who-died-mysterious-deaths/

https://asiatimes.com/2019/07/indias-vanishing-nuclear-scientists/

http://www.sunday-guardian.com/news/pmo-unconcerned-about-scientist-deaths - This link has been removed. 

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/11-indian-nuclear-scientists-died-unnatural-deaths-in-4-years-1229793

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/11-nuclear-scientists-died-in-mysterious-circumstances-in-4-years/articleshow/49272275.cms

https://www.theweek.in/news/india/2021/01/06/from-the-archives-when-several-indian-nuclear-scientists-died-mysteriously.html

https://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/tapan-misra-is-not-alone-isro-scientists-have-died-mysterious-deaths-faced-espionage-charges-531398.html

And Indians are not alone: 

https://listverse.com/2016/08/09/10-leading-scientists-who-died-in-suspicious-circumstances/

Item Girl

हम, जो चीजें हैं 

हमें चीजें नहीं होना था। 

*********** 

Translation: 

We, the things 

Did not want to be things. 

*********** 

Context: Item songs are a special kind of Hindi film song. The idea is to create a "bold" dance sequence. The lead dancer to such a song (always a lady) is called an item girl. Item is also Mumbai slang for a good looking girl. 

PS: I am actually writing this definition of item songs in the hope that some day, there are no more item songs in films and children wonder what the words item girl or item song mean. 

Review: Dr. Arora on Sony Liv

Dr. Vishesh Arora is the world's cutest stalker, but he is a stalker.

Given that the trailer set high expectations, and one was actually waiting for this to release on the 22nd of July, the letdown hurt twice as much. But the review is being written after a cooling off period, so the emotions are subdued, and I have tried to write a regular review. (yes, my regular reviews are this detailed)

What was this?

I am a little confused about the genre of this series.

This is not an awareness series (unless you count the name of the condition mentioned briefly on the screen).

This is not a love story.

It is not a mystery series of why his wife left him in the first place. Because that mystery never gets solved.

This is not a story of relationships, because all characters are so poorly sketched and even more shallowly presented.

If the idea was to showcase that Indians are not as open to their problems in bed as our woke metro brethren, that also flops, because, as the director already knows, sexologists are found only in small town India. And they make enough moneys to put large scale full wall ads from where the makers have shamelessly picked the name of the series. (I hope they sent a small royalty cheque to the original Dr. Arora, whose name also they have blatantly just picked up).

I am not sure, honestly, what this is. The short answer is, it really isn't anything. Its just that random mishmash that amounts to absolutely nothing.

Why this series should not have seen the light of day/night/OTT

I don't know any baba that gives private meetings of a certain kind to all female devotees.

I also don't know any SP who walks as comically as the character of SP Tomar.

I don't know any three time MLA who gets so publicly humiliated by his bedridden father at all times.

Women do not randomly invite male neighbours home, nor scream to them at night. That is not how colonies in small town India operate.

But most offensive of all, was the stalking of his ex-wife by Dr. Vishesh Arora. By the fourth episode, it is perfectly easy to start despising the character and wondering why he is stalking someone who so completely rejected him more than 17 years ago. What kind of content is being sold with the background music of a romantic song? A random romantic song playing in the background, a middle aged man looking wistfully into the distance, does not make stalking ok. I can't remember when I was that angry about the way women are projected on screen. (hence, the cooling off period before the review) .

There is no storyline.

The characters, like I mentioned already, are shallow and poorly sketched. Make that not sketched at all. Its like a series of random caricatures that one forcibly fits into a room and then tries to build something around them.

The dialogues are so forgettable that i can't remember a single representative one, and I usually write a couple of representative dialogues in the review.

The art direction is as cliched as it gets. Neither authentic nor intriguing.

The other technical aspects - lighting, sound, cinematography, research, well, lets just say they are being omitted for a reason. The director omitted them from his work too.

Only one thing they did well - the casting. A script so laughable, so wrong at so many levels, needed superb acting. And the cast - lead and ensemble, does just that. Each actor is well chosen.

What their writer forgot to do in the script, the casting director has done in the auditions - and that is doubly laudable because s/he had so little to go on.

One line review:

This is the work of a woke director sitting in some metro who does not know his/her characters, their stories, their life beliefs, even their mannerisms, but insists on telling a story about them.

A tiny miracle and a guardian angel

This happened 2 days ago, but the need to record it has not diminished. 

So, recording. 

Usually, after sending the child to school, I nap for 2-3 hours. Being a late night sleeper, this is good. 

2 days ago, when I retired to my room as usual to take the morning nap, there was a sharp pain in the left jaw. Since this happens very often, I didn't worry about it at first. Then, the pain grew. Quite a bit. 

Some power literally did not allow me to lie down with that pain. (Lying down with the head raised usually helps in this pain). 

Slowly, I put the reiki hand to the heart, and within 3-4 minutes, the pain subsided. Then, of course, one had the nap as usual. 

This is probably the third time in life that I have actually felt a guardian presence stopping one action and almost commanding another. And each time, it has been a helpful gesture. 

This time, I was asked to record the incident. So, recording. :) 

Second Triveni

सूखे पेड़ों पे चटक सा धब्बा 

सब पर अपना रंग चढ़ा देता है 

जीवन, पलाश का फूल हो जैसे 

Palash is a tree that flowers after shedding all its leaves. Its the only thing that remains on the tree. 

At Holi, this flower is used to make colour.

My first Triveni

बरबस भर भी आए, छलक भी गए नैन 

गला रूँधा, कुछ कहते न बना 

"कैसी हो?" बस इतना ही तो पूछा था.. 

नट जमूरा / Nat Jamoora

 वो रो रहा था 

हम हंस रहे थे 

"देखो, कैसा अच्छा खेल दिखाता है!"

वो रो रहा था 

हम हंस रहे थे 

"देखो, कितना अच्छा रो के दिखाता है!" 

जो उस दिन हम न हँसते 

कितने अच्छे इंसान बनते! 

पितरों  के मोक्ष के अभिप्राय से 

भगीरथ ने की थी 

कठिन साधना 

गंगा के अवतरण के लिए  

गंगा ने समझा 

भगीरथ को उस से आसक्ति है 

पितरों के मोक्ष के बाद 

भगीरथ ने गंगा को प्रणाम किया 

और विदा ली। 

मेरी स्मृतियों के अवशेष

तुम उसी गंगा में विसर्जित करना 

जिसे भगीरथ ने

बिसार दिया था। 

********** 

अपने पित्तरां नू तारण जोग, 

भागीरथ ने तप कित्ता 

गंगा लई:

गंगा निमाणी सोचे 

भगीरथ नू खौरे 

मेरा मोह 

पित्रां दे तरण तो बाद 

भगीरथ ने गंगा नु 

कित्ता परणाम 

ते विदा हो गया 

न सेवा 

न शरीका 

मेरे फुल वी काका जा के 

ऑसे गंगा विच तारीं 

जिणु विसर गया सी 

आप भगीरथ