The Tears of Mumbai.

Mumbai,the city of hope,the city of rich,vibrant and colourful cultural heritage,the city of artists, writers and luminaries from all around life;the city of success,the city of

desire,the city of dreams,the city of sky high ambitions,the city of Bollywood,the city of Sunil Gavaskar,the city of ever on the move life line,the city full of hustle and bustle,the city of show buissness,glamour and glitz,the city always bubbling with life,the city which never sleeps ,which never stops,the financial capital of India,the city of sky scrappers;all such metaphors are true for Mumbai as; for most of Indians, a visit to Mumbai is cherished one.

But sometimes this city weeps and laments.It’s heart bleeds and aches.It mourns and feels anguish,pain and helplessness.

Yes this city wept when in 1993 serial bomb blasts shattered the ever moving life line of this great city.It wept when communal,riots took place here.It wept when bomb blasts rocked the local trains.It wept when people were beaten up on the basis of being North Indians.It wept when children living in slums were termed as slumdogs;It wept when media persons were beaten up by so called political activists.It wept when young boys and girls were assaulted and humiliated at Valentine’s Day and on new year eve,by so called custodians of values and culture.It wept on 26-11-08.The terrorist attacked on the spirit and fabric of Mumbai.When C.S.T.,Nariman House and Leopold Café were attacked.It bled when Taj and Trident hotels were attacked and in all of this macabre drama,innocent men,women and children were killed in cold blood by terrorists.Yes; Mumbai wept.

Mumbai wept when it’s brave cops laid down their life for the sake of their mother land.All Indians did and do and shall ever salute the martyrdom of Hemant Karkare,Ashok Kampte, Vijay Salaskar Major Unnikrishnan and many more daring cops who made supreme sacrifice for duty..They are heroes of our Nation.

The saddest and tragic part is that the same politician,the then state home minister;who was sacked after 26-11-08,is back in less than a year in office.The then chief minister of the state who visited Taj Hotel after the carnage,with his actor son and director friend,as he was having a family picnic; and was removed from chief minister ship after much hue and cry;was later inducted as a central minister.

The so called custodians of culture were not at all seen at the time when the city was under savage rampage.When there was blood on the streets;when humanity was on the tenterhooks,when general innocent public was being killed.Where were they?The brave commandoes fought bravely to save the people,no politicians were around there,they were just tucked inside their heavily guarded chambers.The so called Public figures were just away from public when public was attacked.What a paradox.What an irony and what a pity?Disgusting.

The city weeps when one of it’s most glorious and illustrious son Sachin Tendulakar is politically attacked for his claim of being an Indian first.

But Mumbai and it’s spirit can never be dampened, it is always soaring high and will always rise higher and higher.The texture of mumbai is pride of country.A big salute to Mumbai and Mumbaikars.They have fought bravely and stood together.The spirit of Mumbai is divine.Three cheers for our beloved city,the pride of India.We love you Mumbai.

Down The Memory Lane 'A Floral Tribute

When i lie back on my couch and retrospect, many forlorn memories flash across the screen of mind.They are very much

like granny's bed time stories about which it seems, sometimes we remember and sometimes we tend to forget.We come across many people but some of them matter to us.They touch our life and make a sound impression on our heart.One day we hear that any of them has departed to his/her Heavenly Abode,and thus we just go on missing that person throughout the life.Only the memories are left to treasure.
For me, my grand parents whom i lovingly used to call Baba /Dada showered their heart on me .Their name was Vishnu Swaroop and Hari Devi.They used to call me Puttan.I was apple of their eyes.Then it was my father Dwarika Nath Srivastava "Dwarkesh".I miss him so much in every stage of life.I used to call him Pitajee.He was my biggest supporter in life and had immense faith in me.He used to bring gifts for me all the time.When i passed Intermediate Examination in July 1981,i asked him to get me a stereo record player,and he bought me one,from Punjab Gramophone House,Aminabad,Lucknow.Then in 1982,he gifted me a Citizen Quartz wrist watch.Once, i remember; he went to Hardoi on official visit and got me a sweater as a gift.For many many years i proudly used to wear his shirts,ties,coats and sweaters.He had been a man of taste.Always well dressed and soft spoken.I am proud to be his son.I lost him unfortunately on 24-11-1989.He was my hero and would always remain so.Pitajee i miss you so much.
Apart from them ,i fondly rememberMr.Shanti Prasad, popularly known as Shanti Babu,a close friend of my Pitajee;They used to sing songs together as both of them vere avid fans of music and songs; Pitajee was fan of Mukesh,Hemant Kumar,Talat Mehmood and Kishore Kumar,whereas Shanti Babu was Mohammad Rafi's devotee. I am happy that he was present on my marriage reception to bless me.Mr.C.P.Saxena of Kathgodam,MrS.C.Saxena,Mr.Lallan Parasad,,Mr.A.P.Mishra'Unmatt Ji', my pitajee's childhood friend from Pratapgarh, and a poet, he wrote "Mati O Mahtari", "Prahri Sawdhan" and many other Awadhi poems,Squadran Leader Vipin Bihari Srivastava,Mr.Raj Kumar Srivastava, who helped our family in our times of need and stood by us,always extended moral and emotional supporet to us,Adawal Auntie, an epitome of affection and motherly love,Mr and Mrs Krishna Mohan Srivastava,Kamla Baijal Auntie; my close friend Salil Baijal's mother who used to talk to me affectionately and sometimes cooked Ghuiyan Ki Sabzi with Desi Ghee Parathas.I miss that taste. Mr and Mrs Mahesh Prasad Srivastava, in whose house i used to live in Banda, when i was mentally and emotionally very upset on unfortunate turn of events in my life after father's death.They treated me with love,though i was a stranger for them.They welcomed me with open arms and treated me with affection and love,i was like a family member for them."Ammajee",was like a mother figure for me.She used to make morning tea for me and she herself used to come to my room and give that glass full of tea to me.Such a noble soul they used to be. Later their eldest son Sharad and myself grew into intimte friends,Dr.(Mrs.)Pramila Srivastava my sister Shilpi's mom in law and an authority on Mathematics as a professor of Maths in Allahabad University,she was a woman much ahead of her times.Her intellect and behaviour was just a class above.my Taujee Mr.Vishambhar Nath Srivastava 'Mister',who affectionately used to call me 'Babu Sahab'.My Younger brother kaivalya was 'Rai Sahab' for him.I remember that in my childhood and teenage years;i used to call him Bhaiya.Mr.D.K.Srivastava,popularly known as my mother's one and only" Daddan Mama", my friend Mr.K.D.Gupta have always been close to my heart as they are alive in my memories.I still feel their affection and love.They were gems among humans,an ornament to my heartfelt emotions.I miss them.
"Bade shauq se zamaana sun raha tha magar,Tumhee so gaye dastan kahte kahte".
Those who live in the heart of others never die.

Literary Values vs Scientific Spirit

We are living in an age of rapidfire scientific advancements . Technological development is making almost miracles to happen.Be it in the industry or in services,information or communication,transport or consumer durables,education or sports everywhere scientific advancement is on the rise,day by day.Technocrats may argue that these developments are essential for making our world a better place to live.Yes;nothing exaggerating about this claim.
Some time it seems that art and humanities have taken a back seat,yielding frontage to science or to some extent to management and financial studies.Internet and computer have made the exposure so easy for all.
But it is also true that science has some limitations and has nothing to do with the moral or spiritual development of man.Creative spirit may be pampered to a limited manner by science but it can not provide inspiration to the crying and suffering humanity.It can beautify the outer surface of life but can not create the gift of vision or insightwhich might afford solace to the sad humanity , which is facing the threat of devastating lethal weapons.The horror of war have left all the peace lovers sleepless.
Science has no role to play in eradicating poverty,unemployment,nuclear waste,exploitation of the poor and helpless and other evils of society.It can not edify the human spirit.
Literature uplifts the soul and fathoms the inner feelings of the heart. All the humanities i.e.literature,fine arts ,music,folklore,fairy tales,granny bed time stories,painting
sculpture have soothing and healing impact on vageries of day to day life.It enriches our emotional and aesthetic prowess.Even Blogging has come as an effective means of present day literary trend,which is increasingly popular.
Literature involves us most in life and enables us to experience depths and heights, intensifies and complexities to experience which would otherwise have been beyond us.

Literary values,combined with scientific temper are needed for everlasting welfare of human mind,soul and heart.It is the call of hour.

The Virtues Of Literature.

Literature is a treasure house of language in which language is put to its noblest use.It is an imaginative and creative perception of reality with an universal appeal.It is the nursery of language in which words grow, bloom,form patterns of beauty and attain the greatest expressiveness.
Literature protects language from losing its suggestive richness as well as beauty from the onslaughts of the world of mass media as from the tendency of the sciences
to make words as bare of meaning as possible and as direct and transparent as can be.
Literature studies man as a human being. It deals with the sublime and noble feelings of the human heart.It enlightens and uplifts the emotions and often purifies them through catharsis.It highlights the subtleties of human life and provides depth to our aesthetic sense.

Literature adds many dimensions of human experience to our limited lives.it thus extends our capabilities as well as knowledge.It has a humanising impact on man. It affords imaginative as well as intellectual pleasure and exercise,a discipline of the feelings as well as of the mind.All other subjects afford only one of these.
Philosophy and History too,deal with human vision,ideas and actions.
But while philosophy can only present and interpret abstract and rather confusing arguements and history simply records the events as they happened and why they happened but can not tell how they should have happened.Both these subjects lack a concrete interpretation of morality.Literature on the other hand ,excels both in presenting picture of life next door.It deals with human life in its moral as well as metaphysical aspects in the forms through characters, which create the illusion of real life.So we can identify ourselves with them.
In this age of materialistic world,cut throat competition,and growing depression,where life is confused and moral fibre is becoming weak and effete day by day,literary values can provide food for the mind,solace for the heart and inspiration for the spirt.They soften the human heart and enrich human emotions.
Literature uplifts the soul and fathoms the inner feelings of the heart.This is the boon of the Muses,which is bound to reign supreme.

Jinhe Naaz Hai Hind Par Wo Kahan Hain?

We have grown up; listening to the endless stories of our great,rich and vibrant civilization and culture,Ours is a great country with glorious past,'The Wonder That Was India' as A.L. Basham calls it.Be it inArts,Crafts,Architecture,Astronomy,Maths,Music,Philosophy,Literature,Medicine,Surgery,Sports,Politics;we have luminaries and torch bearers in every field in the past and in the present and certainly in the future too.India is on the move;the great indian economy,India as the super power,with all the shine and gleam of booming economic and technological boom.All seems bright and full of gloss.

Why it is so that one of our bright young army officer,Captain Saurabh Kalia is captured by Pakistani Army during Kargil War and against all civil norms and against the Geneva Convention regarding the P.O.W. treatment; is brutally tortured and inhumanly killed and his mutilated body along with those of many other unfortunate soldiers is given back to India.A brave officer,died for the honour of his motherland. Sheer disgusting is the fact that our government has been lacklustre in teaching Pakistan a befitting lesson.Our Government did nothing to bring the Pakistani cowardice in the notice of whole world.What U.N.O. is doing?Why our political establishment failed to retaliate?Are we so weak?Who is to blame?Suppose such treatment had been meted out to a politician,all hell would have broke loose.

A group of B.S.F. personnel have been abducted by Bangladesh Rifles in Assam border.Some days later their badly tortured and mutilated bodies are found.Bangladesh Rifles dared to indulge in such dastardly act against Indian soldiers and our Atomic power nation kept mum.Who is to blame?

In our great nation; democratically elected government set free hardened terrorists and criminals in exchange of Indian home minister's abducted daughter.Remember Mufti Mohammad Sayeed's daughter case.Who is to blame?

Our plane is hijacked in Nepal,lands at Amritsar for fuel.Government knowing fully well that it has been hi jacked;allows fuel to be filled and let it fly out of country.Why?who is to blame?The plane moved to Afghanistan and landed at Kandhar.Indian government send senior minister to escort hardened terrorist to Kandhar in lieu of hostages there.We the super power country of around 1.17 billion people remained mute spectater of all the shameful drama.No one to answer?

Our Akshardham and Raghunath temples are attacked,Parliament is attacked,Railway stations,Bus-stands,Busy markets and schools are attacked,Local trains,buses,army and civilian residential areas are attacked,.Luxurious five star hotels are attacked,indiscriminately whole India is being attacked again and again.Who is to blame?

Brave police officers die fighting with terrorists,their supreme sacrifice is later ridiculed by politicians for narrow political goals;remember Delhi's Batla House shoot out and 26-11 in Mumbai.When whole nation was paying heart felt tributes to the bravery and courage of Police officers who were killed while performing their duty,some politicians were demanding probe on the pretext that they were not killed by terrorists at all.Horrible,just horrible is the nadir of politics.

Why in the name of VIP security; traffic is stopped,no matter if a patient is going to hospital for urgent treatment,dies, in traffic jam due to it;or small school children and old people suffer waiting for the VIP to pass first;why at the cost of sufferings of taxpayer; general public;VIP cavalcade must be smoothly passed?

Why our farmers are forced to commit suicide?

Why the issue of Kashmiri pandits who have left their homes and are reduced to the level of refugee in their own country is not being raised effectively?who is to blame?

Why we can not say that we are Indians first and everything comes after that only.Why Pride Of Nation Sachin Tendulkar has been criticised for petty political motives for his genuine claim of being an Indian first.Why so much politics against him?He is gem of country.Why people have been beaten up in Mumbai because of their origin from other states?Who is responsible for all this?Why the law enforcement machinery is being paid at all?For what?

Why little children are being exploited and abused as domestic help and as servants in hazardous factories and Tea shops and dhabas?Poor small children were abused and killed in Nithari,such inhuman acts take place in our Nation and we call ourselves civilized.Recently a bus of school children was attacked in Allahabad,innocent school children were beaten up by anti social elements in broad day light on the busy G.T.Road,infront of Elephant park.Where was the police?Who is responsible for all this sordid affair?Is our police just for escorting V.I.P.s?Children are gift of God,only a devil can think of beating them;my heart bleeds on such events.

Why we can not get up and say that it is enough,no more.Why we can not show grit,determination and gusto to assert our rightful share,to retain our self respect.Why India has been a soft target?Why Indian students are attacked in Australia?Why we can not do any thing for such incidents?Why our feeble neighbour countries dare to create trouble for us and we just talk of peace and our glorious past.Do not make the maxim of Ahimsa (Non Violence) a mockery.Our Army is immensely powerful and well efficient to ward off any enemy.So why our political establishment is so timid and in capable of action.In the larger interest of our country why we can not stop all that?I have full faith in the might and ability of our constitution and in our democratic set up.I have highest regards for the people of my country. I exhort our leadership to arise,awake and rest not till the goal is achieved. Jinhe naaz hai Hind par wo kahan hain?

The Genius Of Gulshan Nanda

Gulshan Nanda has been immensely popular and impressive story teller of late sixties and seventies era.He has written novels and stories to entertain his readers.A number of Bollywood blockbusters have been made on his novels.Reading his novels just gives an impression of watching an entertaining movie of days gone by.His plots are always interwoven with masterly craft of a wordsmith of superlative genre.His focus is always on social issues which he deals with an undercurrent of romance.His romanticism is always intune with moral issues.He just mesmrises his readers with the magic of his pen.What he wrote was powerful and popular fiction.He was a visionary and a dreamer who was also able to take our fancy for a ride along with his dream and make us feel that it is our dream and we are a part of that dream.He has written about the dreams and aspirations,smiles and cheers,tears and turbulations,frustrations and helplessness,joy and fun of general public.When we talk about the novels of Sharat Chandra,Bankim Chandra,Tagore,Charles Dickens,Thomas Hardy,Jane Austen,George Orwell or even Henry Fielding,they all used their writing skills to interweave the social scenario of their times and its various dimensions on human mind and ethos.Gulsha Nanda also did that. He was also a shayer and wrote shayeri in his novels like-Sheeshe Ki Deewar,Vaapsi and Naya Zamaana.Re reading his novels is a nostalgic visit to flashback.

Here is a list of his novels-

1-Sanvli Raat

2-Rakh Aur Angarey

3-Kalankini

4-Devchaya

5-Neelkanth

6-Gaylord

7-Andhere Chirag

8-Sitaron Se Aage

9-Saanjh Ki Bela

10-Sheeshe Ki Deewar

11-Jalti Chattan

12-Toote pankh

13-Ghat Ka Patthar

14-Gali Kuche (Edited Stories)

15-Chingari

16-Patthar Ke Honth

17-Ek Nadi Do Paat

18-Darpok

19-Sukhe Ped Sabz patte

20-Madhvi

21-Sisakte Saaz

22-Kali Ghata

23-Main Akeli

24-Gunah Ke Phool

25-Teen Ikke

26-Kaanch Ki Chooriyan

27-Maili Chandni

28-Kati Patang

29-Pyasa Sawan

30-Jheel Ke Us Paar

31-Sharmilee

32-Bhanwar

33-Ajnabi

34-Sone Ki Lanka

35-Pinjra

36-Mehbooba

37-Asman Chup Hai

38-Vaapsi

39-Pale Khan

40-Mehdi

41-Devta

42-Chandan

43-Neel Kamal

44-Daag

45-Naya Zamaana

46-Awara Badal

47-Umrao Jaan.