Taraana Playlist: Wed Feb 15, 2006

1. Salaam Namaste:: Kunal Ganjawala, Vasundhara Das:: Salaam Namaste
2. Dola Re Dola:: Kavita Krishnamurty, Shreya Ghoshal:: Devdaas
3. Hamesha Tumko Chaha:: Udit Narayan:: Devdaas

4. Mere Sapnon Ki Rani:: Kishore Kumar:: Aradhana
5. Roop Tera Mastana:: Kishore Kumar:: Aradhana

6. Aai Mere Humsafar:: Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik:: Qyamat Se Qyamat Tak

7. Dil Hai Ki Maanta Nahin:: Kumar Sanu, Anuradha Paudwal:: Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin
8. O Mere Sapnon Ke Saudagar:: Anuradha paudwal:: Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin

9. Dil to Paagal Hai:: Udit Narayan, Lata Mangeshkar:: Dil To Paagal Hai
10. Pyar Kar:: Udit Narayan, Lata Mangeshkar:: Dil To Paagal Hai

11. Mere Khwabon Mein Jo Aai:: Lata Mangeshkar:: Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayeinge
12. Tujhe Dekha To Yeh Jana Sanam:: Kumar Sanu, Lata mangeshkar:: Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayeinge

13. Deewaana Hai Yeh Dil:: Sonu Nigam, Shankar Mahadevan, Hema Sardesai:: Pardes
14. Meri Mehbooba:: Kumar Sanu, Alka Yagnik:: Pardes

15. Ek Pal Ka Jeena:: Lucky Ali:: Kaho Na Pyar Hai
16. Kaho Na Pyar Hai:: Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik:: Kaho Na Pyar Hai

17. Bheegein Honth Tere:: Kunal Ganjawala:: Murder

18. Piyu Bole:: Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal:: Parineeta
19. Raat Hamaari To:: Chitra:: Parineeta

Next week: In my absence, Alan takes to the board and promises another thrilling evening with some brilliant music.

Happy Valentine's Day!

This is the 1ooth post on Made In India, since we began in September last year- not bad huh!

Tune in to Taraana on Wednesday night 7pm, 89.1FM for a special Valentine's Day edition.

So happy Valentine's day folks!

How about looking for romance amidst the hundreds of films being churned out from Bollywood each year? That's certainly the easiest thing I have ever done- however coming up with the best of romantic hits for a 2 hr radio show is the challenging part! We take a peek at Rekha T.P.'s article on sify.com 3 years back and create our own list today to feature on the next Taraana.

Bollywood (the Indian film industry in Mumbai) : A valentine's paradise
Can you imagine a Bollywood flick devoid of romance? Nah! Bollywood always relied on the tried and tested formula of soft, breezy romance.

With showmen like Yash Chopra and the immortal Raj Kapoor around, Bollywood managed to churn out the best of romance. Simple stories, enchanting music, and talented stars, those films had them all in abundance. Here, we take a look at some of the romantic films that have stood out in Bollywood.

Devdas (a servant of the Lord- here name of the protagonist):
Bengali author Sarat Chandra’s novel on the 'defeated lover' was adapted into the silver screen thrice. The name Devdas has become synonymous with the 'bearded disenchanted lover'. In the film, Devdas turns into an alcoholic wreck after his childhood love Paro ties the knot with someone else. Pundits say Indian audience would still watch the film if made again. That's the impact the love saga leaves on us.

Aradhana (Worship):
Bollywood saw the birth of a soft romantic hero with 'Aradhana'. The movie was a remarkable feel-good romance, and had melodious music.

Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (Apocalypse to apocalypse):
This tale of star-crossed adolescent lovers defying a blood vendetta between their princely clans became a hit.

Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin (The heart does not understand):
'It happened one night' in Bollywood! A remake of the Hollywood classic was cute and sweet, to put it simple.

Hum Aapke Hai Kaun(Who am I to you?):
The biggest hit of 1994 ran for 52 weeks. On the whole, this movie was a trend-setter in Indian cinema.

Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge(The brave heart will carry the bride away):
This film narrated the story of two NRIs (Non Resident Indians). The movie emphasized on Indian family values rich in beautiful locations and soulful songs, this movie would still be a crowd puller if screened in the theatres! The movie is a complete family entertainer and a very memorable one at that.

Pardes (Foreign land):
Similar to the dual nation setting of 1995's Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Pardes takes a serious look at the lives of Westernized Non-Resident South Asians in North America. Of course, the director Subhash Ghai has wisely packaged this message in a very entertaining and thoroughly engrossing film. To what degree is it acceptable to try to fit into a Western Society? Should we encourage our children to be more Westernized or South East Asian? And at what point do we lose the Indian/Pakistani identiity?

Kaho Na Pyar Hai (Tell me- you love me):
The film has everything, romance, action, and, most importantly, a bit of suspense. A struggling singer and a rich and spoilt brat fall in love through a variety of interesting situations.

Murder:
This is an engrossing entertainer. It is a story of a sexy woman who’s also a bored and neglected wife of a rich man. She bumps into an old flame eventually and after a bit of dithering they heat up the screen with their passion.
Bheegein Honth Tere (Your Wet Lips)- This sensuous song from the movie Murder was one of hits last year and I remember being on the request list on this show on the last Valentine’s Day.

Parineeta (Betrothed):
This is an adaptation of a famous 1914 Bengali novel by Sharat Chandra, the same author as the story we featured earlier in this show- Devdas, updated here to 1960s Calcutta. This is about the story of rich boy Shekhar, defying society and family to fall in love with a lower class girl Lolita. The film is devoid of the usual excesses of the formula, with a focus on characterization, mood and period detail to convey fragile relationships.

Time is changing fast, and new breed of films are being born. The list above wasn’t an exhaustive one by any standards- 2hrs won’t be enough for that. But the verdict is clear....romance rules in Bollywood!

Tune in to Taraana on Wednesday night 7pm, 89.1FM for a special Valentine's Day edition.
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Credits: partially adapted from 'Romance Rules in Bollywood' by Rekha in http://sify.com/

Playlist- Feb08, 2006; Cartoons and Kabir

Film Name- Chingari
1. Dank Maare:: Sunidhi Chauhan
2. Dulhan Dulhan:: Vijayata Pandit
3. Jab Jab Saiyyan:: Himani Kapoor
4. Kitni Sardi Kitni Garmi:: Aadesh Shrivastava

Film Name- Sun Zarra
1. Unse Nazrein Mili:: Instrumental
2. O Jaane Tere Pyar Mein:: Neeraj Giridhar
3. Dil Ki Sun Zarra:: Shreya Ghoshal, Amit Sana

Film Name- Taxi Number 9211
1. Bambai Nagariya:: Bappi Lahairi, Vishal Dadlani, Nana Patekar
2. Meter Down:: Adnan Sami

- Paathsala:: Aslam, Blaaze, Naresh Iyer:: Rang De Basanti
- Maati Kahe Kumhar Se:: Anup Jalota

The NEWS channels in the last few days have been overflowing with the cartoon controversy that started with the publication in the Danish media. As one side resorts to extreme measures, the other side is relentless in carrying on the attack- citing 'free speech rights'. Two wrongs do not make things right! Has comm0n sense failed these so called guardians of the society (I refer to the media)? Such ignorance and insensitivity from the press is unbelievable! This is not freedom of speech- this is immaturity, arrogance and irresponsibility speaking at once! Even after so much technological advancements, the human mind has not been able to expand- we are still indulging in petty self-aggrandizement tactics. What's the point? Hasn't the press got better things to do? And even after two weeks we are still so focussed on the wrong side of the issue that we fail to look within and see where we went wrong. Has the media forgotten the evergreen quote-"With freedom comes responsibility"?

I guess some people need this advice:

Aisee Vani Boliye, Mun Ka Aapa Khoye
Apna Tan Sheetal Kare, Auran Ko Sukh Hoye
(Speak such words, sans ego's ploy
That not only soothes you, it gives the listener joy)

I think that's where Kabir comes in ... I present to you more of his simple words ... his truely Universal language of love and understanding ...

Kabir:
Kabir(1440 - 1518) was an Indian mystic who preached an ideal of seeing all of humanity as one.His greatest work is the Bijak, or Seedling, an idea of the fundamental one. This collection of poems demonstrates Kabir's own universal view of spirituality. His vocabulary is constantly full of ideas regarding Brahman and Hindu ideas of karma and reincarnation, and yet he also espouses ideas that are clearly Sufi as well as Hindu Bhakti understandings of God. His Hindi was a very vernacular, straightforward kind, much like his philosophies. He often advocated leaving aside the Qur'an and Vedas and to simply follow Sahaj path, or the Simple/Natural Way to oneness in God.The major part of Kabir's work as a Sikh Bhagat was collected by the first Sikh guru, Guru Nanak, and is published in the holy Sikh book "Guru Granth Sahib". - Wikipedia [Link]

An exceptional resource on Kabir's work (translated by Rabindranath Tagore): http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/sok/

Compositions from Kabir's couplets we played tonight:

- Kabira Khara Bazaar Mein- A rendering of Kabir's couplets- unknown artist

Kabir's dohas (couplets):

Chalti Chakki Dekh Kar, Diya Kabira Roye
Dui Paatan Ke Beech Mein,Sabit Bacha Na Koye

Looking at the grinding stones, Kabir laments
In the duel of wheels, nothing stays intact.

Kaal Kare So Aaj Kar, Aaj Kare So Ub
Pal Mein Pralaya Hoyegi, Bahuri Karoge Kub

Tomorrows work do today, today's work now
if the moment is lost, the work be done how

Kabira Khara Bazaar Mein, Mange Sabki Khair
Na Kahu Se Dosti, Na Kahu Se Bair

Kabira in the market place, wishes welfare of all
Neither friendship nor enmity with anyone at all [More dohas]

The last tune we played tonight ...
- Garden of Dreams(Madhu Malati):: Ali Akbar Khan:: Garden of Dreams

Next week: Tune in for a Valentine's Day special!

History in Black and White

'India Then and Now', is a new book by Vir Sanghvi and Rudrangshu Mukherjee, Roli Books, India. This has just been released with some amazing pictures of India from the early 1900s. Check out some of the pictures reproduced on BBC. [Link]

The Authors

Vir Sanghvi is currently the Editorial Director of Hindustan Times. He did schooling at Mayo College, Ajmer and then went to Oxford University. He became the founder editors of the Bombay magazine when he was just 17. In 1997, he was appointed as the Consulting editor for Ananda Bazaar Patrika group. Then in 1999 he became the editor of the widely read daily Hindustan Times. He has also anchored several shows on television. His popular shows include The Last Word (on Headlines Today), Round Table, A Question of Answers, Vir ke Teer (on STAR News), and Star Talk. Read more about him. [Link]

Rudrangshu Mukherjee was educated at Presidency College, Kolkata, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and St. Edmund Hall, Oxford. He was awarded a D.Phil. in Modern History by the University of Oxford in 1981. He has taught history at the University of Calcutta and held visiting appointments at Princeton University, the University of Manchester and the University of California, Santa Cruz. He is author of Mangal Pandey: Brave Martyr or Accidental Hero? ; Awadh in Revolt 1857-58: A Study of Popular Resistance (Delhi, 1984, repr. 2002) and Spectre of Violence: The 1857 Kanpur Massacres (Delhi, 1988). He has also edited The Penguin Gandhi Reader (Delhi, 1993) and the Art of Bengal: A Vision Defined, 1955–75 (Kolkata, 2003). He is the co-editor of Trade and Politics and the Indian Ocean World: Essays in Honour of Ashin Das Gupta (Delhi, 1998). He is now editor, editorial pages, The Telegraph.

Here's an interesting article by him- End of cricket as we knew it. [Link]

Usual Suspects

The State of Union's Mystery Suspect
An anti-war activist and a congressman's wife weren't the only ones detained by the Capitol Police.
For close to an hour the man, who was born in India but is an American citizen, was questioned by the Police, who thought he resembled someone on a Secret Service photo watch list, according to Capitol Police Chief Terrance Gainer. Eventually, the police realized it was a case of mistaken identity and let him go.

The man, who did not want his identity revealed after the disturbing incident, was a personal guest of Florida Democrat Alcee Hastings. Read the full story[Link].

- on Time.com on Feb4th, 2006.

Police Investigate Why Indian-Born Man Was Detained at State of Union

In other news from Washington, the Capitol Police, Secret Service and FBI have launched an investigation into why a U.S. citizen of Indian descent was detained for over an hour after he attended the State of the Union as a guest of a member of Congress. Police said the man resembled someone on Secret Service photo watch list. After Bush's address ended, 10 law enforcement officers surrounded the man as he exited the chamber of the House. They whisked him away to a room where they questioned him for close to an hour. After the incident the man told his Congressman, Alcee Hastings, that the experience was "maybe just the price of being brown in America." At the same event anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan was arrested and removed for wearing a t-shirt that read "2,245 Dead. How Many More?" in reference to US troops killed in Iraq. The charges were later dropped.

- on Democracy Now today.

H1B wows!

Reuters- Canada reports today:

MAPLEWOOD, Minnesota (Reuters) - President George W. Bush on Thursday called on Congress to raise the cap on the so-called H-1B visas that allow companies to fill high tech jobs with foreign workers.

"The problem is, is that
Congress has limited the number of H-1B visas," Bush said in a speech.
"I think it's a mistake not to encourage more really bright folks who can fill the
jobs that are having trouble being filled in America, to limit their number. So
I call upon Congress to be realistic and reasonable to raise that cap," he said.

Only time can prove the truth, because just heard Democracy Now report today:

Just one day after President Bush drew headlines for pledging to reduce the country’s reliance on Middle Eastern oil by 75 percent by the year 2025, two top administration officials said Bush’s promise was not meant literally.

If it turns out false, it's ok- just don't grunt out in pain ... :) [Link]

Taraana Playlist: Feb 1st, 2006

1. Jan Gan Man:: Various artists:: Jan Gan Man
2. Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya:: Krishna Das:: Breath of the Heart

3. Rang De Basanti:: Chitra, Daler Mehndi:: Rang De Basanti
4. Paathsala:: Mohd. Aslam, Naresh Iyer:: Rang De Basanti
5. Warriors in Peace:: composed by AR Rahman:: Warriors of Heaven and Earth

6. Mere Samne Wali Khidki:: Kishore Kumar:: Padosan - listener request
7. Mere Bhole Balam:: Kishore Kumar:: Padosan

8. Dol Dol:: Rap & Lyrics by Blazee, Shahin Badar:: Yuva (Aayitha Ezhuthu)
9. Nenjam Ellam:: Adnan Sami, Sujatha:: Yuva (Aayitha Ezhuthu)
10. Khelenge Khelenge:: Sukhwinder Singh:: Iqbal - Congratulations to the Pakistani Cricket Team on winning the Test series against India!

11. Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera:: AR Rahman:: Swades
12. Yun Hi Chala Chal:: Udit Narayan, Hariharan, Kailash Kher:: Swades

13. Aaakarshan:: Ajay, Abhijit Pohankar:: Shanti
14. Vayavi:: Abhijit Pohankar:: Shanti

15. Surya Bollo Ish:: Suman Chattopadhya
16. Tomake Avibaadhan:: Suman Chattopadhya
17. Ae Jay:: Nochiketa

Next week: A special on Kabir- The Mystic Poet. Kabir initiated the Bhakti movement in India. Who was Kabir? What was his contribution? Why are we still talking about his poetry? Get your answers on Taraana next week. Wednesday 7pm on KEOS 89.1 FM.