One year since this blog started

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9/11 has another significance

September 11th 2006 has a special significance. It not only marks the fifth anniversary of the attacks on New York and Washington, it also marks 100 years to the day that Mahatma Gandhi launched the modern nonviolent resistance movement. The non-vilolent movement known as 'Satyagraha' is made of two words- 'Satya' and 'Agraha' means 'Pursuit of truth' or 'Endeavour in Truth'.

Next Monday September 11th, the film Gandhi will be screened across the USA. Try and catch it in your city.

With so much violence and hatred plaguing the world even today, Gandhiji's message still stands true. His simple technique goes beyond religion, culture and political boundaries. It is so basic to human nature that it is nothing but the truth itself.

Gandhiji noted:

In the application of Satyagraha, I discovered, in the earliest stages, that pursuit of Truth did not admit of violence being inflicted on one's opponent, but that he must be weaned from error by patience and sympathy. For, what appears to be truth to the one may appear to be error to the other. And patience means self-suffering. So the doctrine came to mean vindication of Truth, not by infliction of suffering on the opponent but one's own self.

He also pointed out:

I have drawn the distinction between passive resistance as understood and practised in the West and satyagraha before I had evolved the doctrine of the latter to its full logical and spiritual extent. I often used 'passive resistance' and 'satyagraha' as synonymous terms: but as the doctrine of satyagraha developed, the expression 'passive resistance' ceases even to be synonymous, as passive resistance has admitted of violence as in the case of suffragettes and has been universally acknowledged to be a weapon of the weak. Moreover passive resistance does not necessarily involve complete adherence to truth under every circumstance. Therefore it is different from satyagraha in three essentials: Satyagraha is a weapon of the strong; it admits of no violence under any circumstance whatever; and it ever insists upon truth. I think I have now made the distinction perfectly clear.

He said, “Violence will prevail over violence, only when someone can prove to me that darkness can be dispelled by darkness.”

On September 11th, 1906, speaking before 3,000 Indians gathered at a theater in Johannesburg, the Mahatma organized a strategy of nonviolent resistance to oppose racist policies in South Africa. Satyagraha was born and since then, it has been adopted by many around the world to resist social injustice and oppression.

Mahatma Gandhi used it in India to lead the resistance against the British. The Reverend Martin Luther King used it in the United States to oppose segregation and Nelson Mandela used it in South Africa to end apartheid.

Please listen to a recent interview on Democracy Now with Arun Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi's grandson [here].

More information on democracynow.org and wikipedia.

Additional comment based on a reader's feedback: Perhaps it is important to mention that the 1893 session of the Parliament of the World's Religions took place between Sep 11 and Sep 18 in Chicago. It was here that the 7000 odd audience greeted Swami Vivekananda with a 3 minute standing applause stirred by his historic speech. Read more here.[Link]

Vande Mataram wins hearts and minds!

We talked about the Indian National Anthem- Jana Gana Mana recently on the occasion of our Independence Day. And we spoke a bit about Vande Mataram on our radio show. Vande Mataram, the national song of India is in the news again for two reasons.

First, today marks the centenary of the adoption of this beautiful song written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee as the national song of India. The song was originally composed in 1876.

Secondly, Vande Mataram has been voted as the second most Favourite Song in the World, after the Irish song- A Nation Once Again. That is certainly a huge recognition! BBC news Link.

Vande Mataram was first sung at the Indian Congress Sessions in early 1900's among many by Rabindranath Tagore and Sarala Devi Chaudurani. It was quickly adopted as the national cry for freedom against the British occupation. Read more on Wiki. [Link]

On the occasion of adopting a National Anthem Dr. Rajendra Prasad accounced to the Constituent Assembly "The composition consisting of words and music known as Jana Gana Mana is the National Anthem of India, subject to such alterations as the Government may authorise as occasion arises, and the song Vande Mataram, which has played a historic part in the struggle for Indian freedom, shall be honored equally with Jana Gana Mana and shall have equal status with it."

Hopefully the current governments won't make a mockery of the sanctity of the song by haggling as to who should sing it and who shouldn't.

वन्दे मातरम्
सुजलां सुफलां मलयजशीतलाम्
बहुबलधारिणीं नमामि तारिणीम्
रिपुदलवारिणीं मातरम्॥

Vande Mataram!!

Taraana Playlist:: Sep 6, 2006

Of course! Music from Don opens the show tonight!

Don the Theme:: Instrumental
Main Hoon Don:: Shaan
Khaike Paan Bana Raswaala:: Udit Narayan, Shahrukh Khan

Khaike Paan Bana Raswaala:: Kishore Kumar:: Don 1978

Sky Kisses Earth:: Prem JOshua
Aakarshan:: Abhijit, Ajay Pohankar:: Shanti

Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas:: Kishore Kumar:: Blackmail
Dil Tumhare Bina:: Himesh & Alka Yagnik:: 36 China Town

Apni Tasveer Ko:: Ghulam Ali
Gaao Re:: Aradhna:: Satsang

World Music:: Indrajit Banerjee
Commentary on Shiv:: Pandit Jasraj's Shiv Shambho
Remember Tomorrow:: Mo' Horizons:: Putumayo Asian Groove

Tintal Gat:: Indrajit Banerjee on Sitar accompaied by Gouri Shankar on Tabla
Jai Madhav Madan Murari:: Jagjit/ Chitra:: Krishna Bhajans
Sabse Oonchi Prem:: Jagjit/ Chitra:: Krishna Bhajan

Desert Heart Beat:: Zakir Hussain:: Music of the Deserts

Download the podcast Thursday afternoon onto your iTunes and enjoy!

A New Dawn

"Don ke dushman ki sabse badi galti hai ki woh don ka dushman hai. "

The New- Don (2006)
One of 1970's Amitabh Bachchan classics 'DON' has been been remade by Farhan Akhtar, son of story-writer, poet and lyricist Javed Akhtar. The music album was just released last month and has been amazingly adapted to cater to the new generation. Shahrukh Khan plays the lead role in Don, while Priyanka Chopra is the female lead, and Kareena Kapoor does the Helen jig.

Farhan, the maker of Dil Chahta Hai, and Lakshya has stuck with his favourite trio Shankar-Eshaan-Loy to deliver the goodies. The new ‘Don’ has five songs. Of these five, two are new compositions while three are altered versions of songs from the original movie Don (1978) that starred Amitabh Bachchan in the lead role. The three songs taken from the original movie are Khaike Paan Banaraswala, Main Hoon Don and Yeh Mera Dil. ‘Don’ is slated to hit the theatres during Diwali/ Eid .

Check out the music this week on Taraana!

The original-Don (1978)

Superstar Amitabh Bachchan appeared in a double role in this action film. There was the sexy and glamorous tom-boyish Zeenat Aman and a lovely number 'Yeh mera dil pyaar ka deewana' by Helen.

In the film, there is this 'Don' Amitabh who is a ruthless smuggler. His only soft spot is Zeenat Aman. 'Don' dies in a police confrontation, and as a co-incidence there is his look-alike a country bumpkin, who has come to a city for the first time and breaks into 'Yeh hai bambai nagariya tu dekh babua'.

Cop Iftekhar spots the duplicate Amitabh and sends him as 'Don' to the notorious gang that is now being monitored by Pran. Zeenat comes to know the difference but she has already fallen in love with Don Duplicate. She joins him and Iftekhar in the guerilla warfare against Pran and his accomplices. (reproduced in part from Apunkachoice.com)