Fine Show by Radhika Koppala's Samaya Centre for Performing Arts

Radhika was my student at the University of Hyderabad, Department of Dance where I teach 'Art Managment', and when she invited me to be a guest at the performance of her students (her dance institution is called Samaya Centre for Performing Arts) at Ravindra Bharathi on the 6th of February I had to go. It appeared to be a high profile event with many Ministers as guests - I was happy to see my friend Senthil on the guest list as well. I was hoping to rope in someone to accompany me but Sagar dropped off so I went alone. I walked in at 7 pm and it had just got started. 

Wall filled with posters of great world cinema as you enter

Radhika teaches Bharatanatyam. The students were from various age groups, really young children to older teens. The show was compered well and clearly a lot of effort was taken - music, rehearsals, vocalist, special effects, costumes and mostly, managing the energies of the children. Of everyone. Radhika did a fine job while also doing the nattuvangam she also kept an eye on the children who needed help, synced with the musicians and did a fine job of holding it all together.

Classy

As I walked in I saw this lovely plaque announcing the day when Ravindra Bharathi was inaugurated - May 11, 1961 by Vice President Dr S Radhakrishnan. The only other names on the plaue were fittingly those of the engineer, T Veernath Rai, and the architect, M Fayazuddin. Unlike to day when everyone wants to be mentioned everywhere. Clearly class or sensibility is a thing of the past. I also saw the wall filled with  posters of great world cinema - City of God, Citizen Kane, Apu Trilogy and so on. Tasteful.

From my first vantage

Once inside I seated myself close to the left side which I found to be very cold for some reason - also many people seemed to be moving around making me fold and unfold my legs. I went back a couple of rows, deeper into the hall. The seats were made for the 1960s people - slim - and I found myself just about fitting in - some people could seriously get stuck. 

The second vantage

The young kids performed well. Some have a natural rhythm, some move rigidly but they will evolve. Kids missing the beat, slipping and falling were to be expected and I enjoyed the way they took it in the stride and went on with the show. I enjoyed the choreography and the performances. After some time I moved further away to the right of the auditorium where it was not as cold.

The third vantage - Radhika second from left (sitting) on stage

There was a introduction of Senthil and his wife Ruhee though I could not see them. Maybe I could bump into them at some point I thought. I could see some gentlemen wrapped in blankets or scarves and realised these people were genuine art lovers - not parents or guests but the general public who had walked in to enjoy art.

My great art appreciator friend

Like this gentleman who sauntered in and sat behind me to start with. As he passed me I got a whiff of some strong spirit. Even as he sat he began clapping loudly, clearly enjoying the program. When a child made a mistake he clapped for her. He clapped at every opportunity, saying wah, wah (and also certain other things I could not hear). Then he moved in front of me and kept clapping. I noticed there were others like him, singles, who walked in after a tipple to enjoy art. I wondered what they had to go back t home to, what they were voiding, postponing, what pleasure they got from watching this world that was so removed from their reality and like my friend here, finding so much joy in this performance. No one clapped as hard as he did or as much.

I could also get a better view of Radhika on stage and I could watch her handle the show and the children and I think she did a great job. I left after the last performance- it had been a very hectic day for me but not before I saw Senthil being called on stage.

Group pic

Radhika - in red

Radhika being felicitated by the Chief Guest

Here's Radhika's bio- its impressive. Wishing her many more such programs and success in whatever she endeavours to do.

It was a very enjoyable evening. A perfect artist date. Thanks Radhika for the invite and the opportunity.

Em and the Big Hoom - Jerry Pinto

 I have always meant to read this book - the title was what grabbed me. But if I had read this before the HLF 2023 I would have grabbed Jerry and somehow got him to talk to me about it - there were so many times that we met including the time I bought this book and got it signed by him and he said '- you haven't read it yet? I mumbled something about always meaning to but had not.

And what a book it turned out to be. These are books that make you wonder if you can call yourself a writer - you can only wonder at how well they write. The love story - between Em and the Big Hoom - comes across powerfully. Em being 'Mother' and Big Hoom the father (who normally replies with a Big Hoom). The children, a boy and his older sister, deal with their mother's bipolar disorder, just as their father does, patiently, with great love, in Bombay of the 80s, a Goan Catholic family. Em comes across brilliantly, as does the Big Hoom and Jerry writes his personal story with a flair one can only dream of. But this is his story, and it comes from pain and memory, so it is best not to waste my words trying to write about it. One can only experience the writing and for that, one must read the book.

The line where the kid from the Chinese thela gives the chicken manchurian and says 'uncle ko bolo, free,' somehow brings the perspective back.

Now, how can I get in touch with Jerry Pinto? Oh man, what a book.   

Well Played Anil Kak - You've Filled the World With a Million Smiles

The first image one gets of Anil from memory is that of this incredibly handsome face that is always smiling. I have not seen him otherwise. Maybe the first time I met Anil was in 1983, when he was bowling in the MCH nets at Parade grounds where Baig sir produced a dozen or more fast bowlers with minimum infrastructure. Anil was there, so was Gavin, Osman and RK said they were there and so was Asad they said. Anil had this bustling run up which ended in an explosive action. He bowled outswingers mainly, got good bounce and was one of those few fast bowlers who could bowl an effective bouncer. Gavin somehow never bowled a bouncer (nor did Sanjay).

Right top Anil - someone shared this pic on WhatsApp

Always polite, smiling, heart breakingly good looking, with light eyes and curly hair, he was easy to get along with. I was senior to him - so he always added that much respect when we spoke. I would go to those nets too and I feel that a week with Baig sir in those nets changed my cricketing destiny - he just made me something else for a season. Next I knew, Anil was playing for Hyderabad Under 19 and was among the new crop of fast bowlers coached by Baig sir who seemed to be running a fast bowling factory.

Marked - Next to him is Asad, Osman to far left (Under 17 team led by Masood, behind the cup)

Anil was my brother Ram's junior at JNTU, 1985-89, so we bumped into each other again. There were parties at home and they would drop in. Anil was just too good looking not to have a girl friend - one would think that with his looks he had his choice - but then I heard murmurs about his lady love and how he was devoted to her. None of us had any love interests so we were always interested in what was happening around. We'd meet at Inter University matches. I am not sure if he was in the JNTU team when the strongest Osmania team that we were part of lost the first match, while JNTU went on to the second round in Calicut before losing to the champions Madras University - which had WV Raman as skipper. Fareed was there, Soumitri was skipper. Ram.

Another one from WhatsApp - Champion

Anil played for Shamnagar (I think) and I remember one match to this day simply because he thought me out. Osmania University (my team) was playing Shanmnagar at OU, A grounds. Anil was bowling (and I remember seeing Asad bowl too and was impressed with his high arm action). I walked in to bat and OU is a good wicket to bat - have three hundreds there. Anil comes in to bowl and against all expectations, bounces at me. Perfect bouncer - coming at my head, aimed at the right shoulder. I was too egoistic to let it go and despite knowing there was a square leg for the shot, pulled at it weakly. Soft as hell, that dismissal. I felt like a fool. But I cannot forget the fact that Anil thought me out, read my psyche well and planned it to perfection. Hmmm. Another thing that I got seven wickets when they batted and we won but it always pricked me - that dismissal. Rare to see a fast bowler who thinks. A person who thinks actually.

Anil, far left, at the PES program

We got through our engineering days. There was a sports tournament that the OU College conducted which had an Old Boys team - we had passed out then but someone had this brilliant idea of playing an Old Boys team. We scraped around somehow and made the final. Ram was leading JNTU and we played against them and won - somehow it did not go well with them because it was not an Old Boy's tournament. Anyway, we didn't complain. Couple of boys from JNTU - Murthy for instance, played for MCC. Wonder why Anil did not play? Maybe he was already playing for Shamnagar perhaps.

PES - Anil, far left

We ran into each other when we played for OUCCMB (OU MBA) while I was studying MBA and we beat JNTU at Parade Grounds. It was a close match and we scraped through but I remember Anil being livid about certain decisions during that game. He was a fierce competitor and hated to lose. Suresh always remembers that - how livid Anil was at the decisions. 

Then it was work and jobs. When I was working with ITW Signode I was surprised to see him and Lalji walk into our Jeedimetla Office - they were supplying some material to ITW. I was highly impressed. Here was a Mechanical Engineer who was plying his trade and working as an entrepreneur. Old school stuff, kind of stuff we heard in the 60s that were drenched with idealism. We chatted for a bit and then he was gone.

He'd drop in at home to meet Ram. And then Ram set up Eersha and Anil and Sumeeta, the love of his life, came back into out lives. Sumeeta worked with Eersha and meeting them was more frequent. Anil was there when I launched my first novel 'The Men Within'. And sometime then, he would bring his ten year old nephew, a bespectacled Kartik, who then lived in Kenya or some place. (Anil's older brother Ajay was a table tennis champion and Kartik was his son.) Anil spotted potential rightaway and would bring him to Baig sir for coaching. He would also bring his young son Aryan, who had an action and run up exactly like Anil had. We'd meet there at the ML Jaisimha Academy those days. Kartik was a serious student even then.

At the launch of my first book The Men Within - 2007, Bhave saab took a shine for Anil somehow

 

After launch party at Sec'bad Club with other cricketers Vijay, Chetan, Bansi, Anil partially hidden 

Then Anil joined PES Engineers, Vasu and Suresh's company, perhaps frustrated with life as an entrepreneur. When I went to Delhi to launch my second book 'If You Love Somone..' he was there at the event. He came with us when we went to D Suresh's house for dinner that evening and the next evening, he took Prasad and me out for dinner in a lovely place. He was part of every single book launch after that I think. I distinctly remember him being part of the gang of cricketers that met at the screening of 'Golconda High School' at Prasad's - we talked until they shut the place down that evening.

In Delhi at the launch of 'If You Love Someone...' in 2010 at Pragati Maidan - Anil, me and Prasad 

At the Hyderabad launch of 'If You Love Someone..' 2010, Bhave saab again

My next significant memory was when I conducted a 'Visioning and Culture Setting' workshop for PES in 2016. The leadership team was there - 12 of them. Anil said something during the course of that workshop that I will never forget ever. After giving the team a job to do I sat back, waiting for them to figure it out in their own way. After the exercise, he came to me and said 'I am amazed at how you stepped back and let us figure it out by ourselves, not interfering, not prompting, just letting us be. It is impressive.' Or something like that. It was highly perceptive of him to notice that - I learned to do that after years of practice - to not interfere with the process. I don't think Anil ever knew how much it meant to me. That program also included playing a game of cricket which everyone played. Anil was his usual self, playing, competing, enjoying himself.

The PES team - Anil third from left

Ranjan worked with him and he would always be amazed at how Anil would not compromise on what he wanted. He would treat himself well, live in comfort, eat and drink the good stuff. That was a sign of healthy self-worth for me. Anil left PES sometime, but he continued to bring Kartik to Baig sir. He would talk to me and to many others about how Kartik was not getting the breaks he needed. Kartik meanwhile worked hard, had the intelligence, the skill and more importantly the performance in big matches and I knew it was a matter of time before he made his 'chachu's' dream come true.

The PES Leadership Meeting

A couple of years ago I heard from Ram that Anil had kidney issues and was on dialysis. That was devastating news. Ram told Anil to talk to me since I had a kidney issue a decade ago. Anil came home and I put him on to my nephrologist and good friend Dr Krishnan. I remembering us talking about working on the illness medically and also spiritually, mentally and in as many ways as he could. I might even have given him a copy of my favorite go-to book 'You Can Heal Your Life'. He was stoic and listened to all I said and said he would stay in touch. 

Out of the blue, a month ago I heard that he got a kidney transplant done miraculously. One of those out of turn things because the ones who were on the list were not available. The surgery was successful, he was recovering and I felt so happy for him. I called him and he said Dr Krishnan was very helpful - I never knew he was still with him. Six months of total care and he should be fine. A miracle. 

The PES Leadership team - Anil in the middle

Meanwhile Kartik made rapid strides and made his Ranji Trophy debut this year which must have made Anil's heart sing. Not just play, he got 24 wickets! I called him after Kartik got seven wickets against Maharashtra and we talked for a while. I messaged him again when Kartik did well and he replied.

But by then, I think the infection must have set in. Out of the blue I heard from Ram that he passed away. That was a shock because I was all set to see him normal. Why this infection suddenly? 

I went to Anil's funeral. Ram said he could not bear to see him like that and did not come. 

I was early at the Moosapet crematorium. I did not realise there was a crematorium there, next to the RTC depot. Vikram Muratee was there waiting. We chatted for a while, went for chai. Kartik and Suresh kept me in the loop. Suresh and Anil were thick - they had a deep friendship and Suresh would do anything for his handsome friend. RK  was effusive in his praise for Suresh - 'he did so much for Anil.' Apparently all his friends stood by him. Heartwarming to see such friendship. Dilip was there, Mahender, Suresh, Lalji, others from JNTU. Ajay, Anil's brother and relatives who came from Kashmir. Osman showed up coming from across the town - apparently he had gone to Bansilalpet that morning. RK was there with his young one Dhanush. Fittingly the cricketing fraternity was represented by four fast bowlers - Kartik, RK, Osman and me - Anil would have liked that.

Well played Anil. You lived life on your terms, something that many cannot claim to have done. I am glad you saw Kartik make his strides and I am sure you will see him fulfill the potential you always saw in him. Keep sending your blessings from up there - and stop worrying about him. 

Always a nice memory when I think of you Anil. So it is now, and I suspect, will always remain so.    

                  

Book Your Ticket Now - "Dear Omana - Notes of How to be a Literary Sensation" - Play by Krishna Shastri Devulapalli

 My dear friend Krishna Shastri's play 'Dear Omana' - a hilarious take on writers and lit fests is coming to Hyderabad on the 18th of February, 2023. And is being presented by Taher Ali Baig, my young friend, director of hit plays and man about town.

Book now! See you there! You won't regret it. 

https://in.bookmyshow.com/plays/dear-omana/ET00350410

https://in.bookmyshow.com/plays/dear-omana/ET00350410

Coaching Stories 7 - We Did a Lot of Work (But What About Impact)

 We made a list of things to do which was a big move forward by itself. And then we met to check progress on how we are faring. There were many items on the to do list and most were ticked off. Everyone was happy. 

One of the items that was ticked of was 'Suggestion Box'. Implemented. 

There was a sigh of relief at having ticked off the box. Job done!

...

Coaching Principle - it is not about the amount of work done, it is about the impact.

So in this case, if one feels that putting up a suggestion box is good work, it is not - yet. Simply because it is impact we measure and not work. So what is the impact of putting a suggestion box if no one gives suggestions? Nil.

The work is complete only when the suggestion box 
- encourages many people to give suggestions
- their suggestions are considered and rewarded and recognised
- a culture of sharing ideas is fostered 
- the culture is perpetuated through set processes 

The job is complete only when all this happens and the suggestion box serves its purpose. Whatever work you are doing, can you look at its impact and see how you can make most impact. As a leader your job is to think up processes and improvements. All the time.

Impact. Not just work. 

 

Asylum - Jerry Pinto

This is Jerry's debut collection of poems. They are intense - and then when I started reading his book 'Em and the Big Hoom' realised that many of them are from his life, from that book. The poem abut the piano, the asylum, Mukesh Mills. There are six about trees and one for his students. 

But they move you, stay with you, with imagery, thoughts that are placed in such a way that you have to pay them attention - no ordinary thoughts. They have a crazy energy. Can read them again and again and find more layers each time.

 The cover is dramatic. I realised that much later. Precious.

Meeting Abhijit and Rudra

 Abhijit Datta was the topper of VII C when I joined All Saints High School in 1977. I was pretty intimidated by the school, the city, the language - coming from small town Kazipet. But I could hold my own in English and could do passably well in other subjects. I would top in Kazipet but here I never topped, at best coming second to Abhijit. 

Abhijit, me and Rudra

Our class was on the third floor - in a corner, slightly compromised for space. But it offered a glimpse of Abids, the blue skies above - to me, a glimpse of freedom. Our teacher was Martina teacher, very young at that stage, still finding her feet, but with the intent and earnestness that one warms up to. One Mrs Luthra I remember from those days and I would be scared of Mr Dixit, our Physical Education sir.    

Abhijit was the Bengali babu of the class - a bit of a rebel in the sense that he was one of the few who would wear blue jeans to class instead of the school uniform (which was also blue). His academic record was impeccable - no one could touch him with a barge pole - and his supreme self-confidence (being a Bengali gave him that I suppose) gave him an air that perhaps scared people off. He was not easily threatened or scared (like me) and had clear and strong arguments and though he had an easy smile and demeanour, not many would mess with him. 

With my books!

It took a while for us to warm up to one another but once we did, we hit it off very well. We would talk about books, go to the library together and read story books, discuss novels, stories, ideas, movies. I remember we would exchange books to read from our collections - he would advise me to read Alistair Maclean which was on banned list for me at home, would tell me of his well-read cousins and their emphatic and articulate arguments and we would wish we could become like them. He lived in Nallakunta and would take a cycle rickshaw home I remember. 

Once he invited me home for lunch and my one fear about this English speaking Bengali boy and his posh mannerisms was that the family would eat with knives and forks and while on the way to their home actually asked him. He played along and said that they did and let me stew in my worry for a bit until we went to their place and had a good laugh at my expense. But that was how he was and how he looked - intelligent, articulate, clear headed, supremely self confident.

When I started playing cricket for the school and state in my tenth class we kind of drifted apart a bit and then he went to Little Flower and I went to St Alphonso. (Surprisingly there is not a single photo of ours taken by the school during those four years I spent at school - there's no picture of us from those days) 

Before leaving - good to catch up and hope to meet again soon

But when I joined Osmania University College of Engineering, I made it a point to go to his house which was close to my college. Abhijit had joined Roorkee University to study something in chemistry, had become even more of an academic, had that same air about him. He's the kind of a guy who you walk with and people know you have intelligent company. Then he went abroad and we lost touch. Until the Internet came and we connected on LinkedIn perhaps.

Then, over a decade ago I saw news of his father passing away and attended the funeral. It was not the ideal way to catch up but we did and once again he disappeared. Until yesterday when he messaged me - hey, am in town. I fixed up a breakfast meeting with him and invited old pal Rudra too -- we had just spoken about Abhijit a week ago.

It was great fun catching up. He is in San Diego in a company that does stuff in bio something, has patents to his name, two kids - both grown up. Lots of chat, memories and I gifted him copies of all my books. He already had TWIED which he said he bought when he visited India last. We discussed this and that and it was just too short to catch up really but glad we could do this. One thing though - we had planned to meet at 830 and he was there on the dot, a couple of minutes before me. Impressed!

But yes. It was good to catch up and now that I have his number - will surely stay in touch a lot more. Good to catch up Abhijit my old friend. Net time, we'll spend more time together. There's a lot to share.