Peter Pan - J. M. Barrie

Started the year with a classic, a children's fantasy story that is wonderfully told by the Scottish novelist and playwright J.M. Barrie, a book I've not read in all these years. Reading Peter Pan showed me how wonderfully creative writers can be, how beautifully such stories can be told and so simply. With no excessive dramatization at all Barrie led me through a breathtaking journey of high drama, deep emotion, love and romance, courage and hope, and told it with the simplicity of a child. So matter-of-factly.

Peter Pan, captain of the lost children comes back from his island Neverland to get his shadow which gets left behind in the house of Mr. and Mrs. Darling. The boy who never grows up, the one with his milk teeth, the one whose cockiness is what gets Captain Hook's goat, the one who fights courageously and draws everyone to him, Peter Pan, finds that his shadow cannot be stuck to himself with soap and is distraught. Wendy, Mrs. Darling's daughter helps Peter by sewing the shadow on, and Peter invites her to Neverland, which is where he lives but which is also the map in a child's mind. To go there she must fly and she learns to do that so do her younger brothers John and Michael. At Neverland they encounter the lost children who so crave for a mother, the jealous fairy Tinker Bell who does not like this growing affection between Peter and Wendy, a gang of pirates led by Captain Hook who has an axe to grind with Peter, mermaids and Indians - oh, its a non-stop adventure that draws you deep into it.

But its the writing that keeps you riveted. Barrie writes so easily the scenes that depict the finest and subtlest of human emotions, the ones that normal writers struggle to express in pages, in the most casual manner without compromising on the emotion one bit. The jealousy between Tinker Bell and Wendy, the lost boys craving for a mother, Hook's vengeance against Peter and his cockiness, the romance between Wendy and Peter, the little scene when Tinker flies in to save Peter and gets a hit, her sadness at Peter being such a silly ass for not understanding her feelings for him - they are told in such simple terms with the greatest effect. Wendy's caring nature for the lost boys and Peter and the manner in which she willingly becomes their mother despite being a child herself is wonderful stuff. Barrie shows women in wonderful light, gets into the Neverland areas of children's minds and makes so many points that adults can take from this book. Could one write like this, so easily and so creatively and draw a reader into such worlds, could one use words so cleverly? I'd not have known if I had not read this book. Loved it.

Interview - Meeting Vijay Lokapally

Vijay Lokapally is a popular, well-known name in cricketing circles in India and abroad. He has been writing on cricket and sports (and other subjects) for over three decades for The Hindu and other publications. All sports lovers have at some point or the other, read his wonderfully incisive and insightful pieces and I for one have always admired the way he gets to the bottom of things quickly and simply. For some reason, after reading his straight-to-the-point articles, I always imagined that Vijay would be a serious, strict, no-nonsense person. But the Vijay I met was completely different.

As I sat quietly in my chair in the PCA stadium at Mohali last week waiting for the Hyderabad-Punjab season opener to begin, I saw a fiftyish, kurta clad, long haired, jhola wala-type of a gentleman who had 'creative' and/or 'writer' written all over him in the way he walked, talked and cocked his head. He came by near me, tried opening a rather reluctant gate that led into the ground and found it stuck. 'Is it locked?' he asked in that simple matter-of-fact manner of his that makes him so easy to talk to. Absolutely no airs. It did not appear so and I said as much. He pushed harder and it opened and he walked away with a smile.


Vijay Lokapally and I at the PCA, Mohali

After a while he returned and asked if I had a newspaper. I had a copy of The Tribune and I gave it to him. We got talking and he told me his name was Vijay and that he was from the Hindu. 'Vijay Lokapally?' I asked, quickly putting two and two together, and he nodded. So here was Vijay Lokapally, I thought. He appeared focussed on his own world, seemingly unaffected by his status as one of India's premier sports journos, and did not throw his weight about as I have seen some do. He had an easy way of talking to strangers, to the men in power, to the younger people, to the waiters - he got his job done without being offensively overbearing or snobbish.

I remembered Satish telling me about how he met Vijay in Trinidad during a World Cup match or some such almost a decade ago, and how they scaled a wall to get their hands on some mangoes. Vijay had then arranged a session of relaxation techniques from the Hapkido school from Satish (who is a black belt and some more) to a few members of the Indian cricket team then. When I recounted that incident later while we were sipping tea, Vijay remembered Satish fondly and the mango incident, and soon we were sipping tea, enjoying lunch together in the press area and talking cricket, Hyderabad and much more. Nothing like Hyderabad chai, he announced on the first day, and we recounted and rated the chai in several Hyderabadi Irani cafes.

Over the four days that we spent together watching the match, we spoke much cricket. We also spoke, among many other things, the new book he contributed to - 'House Full' - on the best of Indian cinema from the 1950s to the 1960s. I could not let one of India's leading sports writers, the author of Sehwag's biography, get away so easily without asking a few questions, so on the last day I cornered him with my questions. He answered patiently but pointedly in that seemingly absent minded manner of his.

Q. How did you get started as a sports journalist?
A. I used to write some freelance stuff but I think the break came when I wrote a piece on Bishen Singh Bedi when he retired, which I sent to the Patriot. Bedi read that piece, took the trouble to contact me, and I met him. He congratulated me on writing that piece and gave me a note of appreciation which I still have with me. Encouraged, I started writing more, short stories, sports writing and so on, for the Patriot. And then when the Asian Games came in 1982 I got accredited and covered the same for the Patriot. After four years, in 1986, I
joined the Hindu and have been with the Hindu ever since.

Q. Why have I became a sports journalist? Chiefly because of my love for cricket, for sports. It is wonderful covering events where there are real heroes - sporting heroes are real heroes as they perform on the
field.

Q. How would you rate sports journalism as a career option now?
A. The industry is booming. Media is growing. India is doing well in sports other than cricket which is a good thing for sports journalism. These days there are more options for sports journalists other than print - like electronic media for instance. Sadly radio has not picked up.

One could start as a sports journalist with a starting salary of Rs. 25000 plus. And the perks are that sports journalism gives you a great opportunity to travel, to meet new people and see the world through a different perspective.

Q. What do you require to be a good sports journalist?
A. You need good, strong language of course. You should have a flair to write. You should understand the sport and more importantly the emotions that go with that sport.

Q. How does one go on to become a sports journalist?
A. There are many good media schools that one can go to study journalism. Almost all media houses have a journalism schools. The Hindu has the Asian College of Journalism which is among the best. Most media houses recruit from their own colleges.

Q. What do you enjoy most about your job?
A. The fact that The Hindu gave me the space to develop as a complete journalist. With The Hindu I could do reporting, write features, write for Frontline and Metro Plus on various subjects (films, music, books).
Reporting is what I like the most. I like the fact that it helps to contribute everyday to readers by observing and relaying to someone who has not watched what you did.

Q. What do you dislike most about your job?
A. Press conferences. That is not creative journalism. I don't like glorifying officials.

Q. What are the best 5 memories or experiences of yours from your three decade long career?
The 1982 Asian Games being the first big event I covered.
V. V. S. Laxman's 281 not out at Kolkata.
Meeting the Bedser brothers in the commentary box at Lord's (London) in 1996.
Meeting Subhash Gupte in Jamaica in 1997.
The 1992 tour of South Africa.

Q. Who were the 5 most interesting people you met?
A: Ravi Shankar, Indira Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Garry Sobers, Jagjit Singh.

Q: People who impacted your life....
A: In journalism - P.V.R. Menon of the Patriot, S. Krishnan and K.P. Mohan (a flawless journalist) of The Hindu. Above all my parents. I came from a middle class family but my father gave me all that I wanted.

Q: Cricket writers you like...
Ray Robinson, Jack Fingleton, Peter Roebuck, Neville Cardus, E. W. Swanton and Sujit Mukherjee.

Q. Who were your sporting heroes?
A. Tiger Pataudi, Sunil Gavaskar, G.R. Viswanath, Kapil Dev (asking me to help him with his two books and acknowledging the same generously), Prakash Padukone and Garry Sobers.

Q. Where do you think sports journalism is heading to?
A. Journalism will become more challenging in the future. It will change. There are already new demands. There is a shift towards news from behind the scenes. The format is getting shorter. Everyone is looking for angles. Going for locker room stories.

Q. What has your three decade long journey taught you?
A. I made a lot of friends. I met larger than life heroes who have taught me how to be humble by just being who they are. People like Sachin Tendulkar, Prakash Padukone, Anil Kumble, VVS Laxman, Virender
Sehwag and others. I am also grateful for the fact that I got this opportunity even though there were many contemporaries who were better than me. Knowing that has helped me stay grounded.

Q. What is your advice to budding sports journalists?
A. Be honest when you write and do not get swayed. Be balanced when criticizing a player. There is a thin line between a player's off day and a bad shot or a careless mistake. Remember that sports is about celebration. It is the most positive section in the newspaper. You must enhance that spirit.

Q: Who are the people close to you?
A: My little family-----Sunanda (wife), Akshay (son), niece (Alekhya Rao), Ajay (brother), my dearest childhood friend Ghaus Mohammad (a reputed sports commentator) and my wonderful colleagues K. P. Mohan, Rakesh Rao, Kamesh Srinivasan and Y. B. Sarangi. Working with them is a most pleasant experience.

Q. Any advice for your son?
A. Don't take things for granted. Be prepared for tomorrow. Never miss reading the morning newspaper.

On all four days of the match Vijay was at the ground by 9 a.m., half an hour before the game started. The rest of the sports journalist landed up anytime between 11 a.m. and 1230 p.m. or sometimes even later. He did not miss a ball. Nor did he lose a chance to write a story, to squeeze out an opportunity hungrily as he did. He did a piece on Sunil Joshi and Pragyan Ojha, the two left arm spinners, he certainly got something out of Harbhajan and Laxman, I saw him talking to Bhupinder Singh Sr about the art of swing and reverse swing and so on, he engaged in conversations with Daljit Singh, M.P. Pandove, Secretary of Punjab Cricket Association, Sushil Kapoor, Arun Sharma (Punjab coach), Jivanjot Singh the debutant who got a double hundred, researched some about young Akshat Reddy, and more, had time for chai and lunches with me, picked the people he wanted to write about during the day's play with an astute eye and did his research on them, organised with his photographer the kind of pictures he wanted, and all this in that seemingly forgetful, mild mannered way. One can easily see why Vijay has been so successful - he is extremely disciplined, has a keen eye for opportunities for stories and a big appetite for writing, meeting people and calling a spade a spade. He is a thorough professional who believes in doing his job well, puts in the effort, remains true to his story and is constantly at it.

When we parted on the final day, I promised to send him a copy of 'The Men Within' and he promised to stay in touch and to call me when in Hyderabad next. To me Vijay Lokapally certainly is one of those who leaves, in his own manner, a lasting impression and the feeling that there is much more to him, which makes you look forward to meeting him again. Until then Vijay, looking forward to more of your writing – on cricket, cinema and all else.

An Apology to The Girl

For all these days after the Delhi gang rape and the subsequent death of the young girl who so badly wanted to live, I really had no words to write about it. There was a deep sense of something heavy building up but no words. It is not the one incident nor the brazenness and the brutality of the entire act that shut me up but the continued silence over many such acts that go on in our country almost every day. Every hour we hear of gang rapes, of incest where fathers rape their children, of teachers raping students, of infants and little children being raped, of policemen, of politicians - there is just no respite. When and how will it stop?

In almost all cases I find little outrage or protest (save the Delhi incident). There is some protest and it all dies down. We hear the same statements from people in power - they should be more careful, they should dress better, they should stay at home. Would they tell the women leaders in their parties to follow what they are advocating? I am sure they would not. In fact people in power should take the blame, feel the shame that they have not been able to discharge their duty and if nothing else, make amends and do something concrete about preventing further incidents. But they still blame the women, their friends and relatives - and absolve themselves of all blame. If we have a bunch of excuse seekers in power who prefer silence to action we cannot really expect any change. Life goes on. Another woman, another girl, another child and the same story again.

What happens to the rapists is best left to the law. But it's time this story moved to another plane. Let us face it - men cannot really accept women and their independence and success in our society. Men, even today get all their power from dominating over the one person they can dominate - the woman in the house, the maid, the helpless child, the school child, the lonely woman. Otherwise most men are mere apologies for life with no conviction, no power and no principles. Most men are happier looking for women they can control. Now how will an educated woman be controlled? She will be polite and nice but will she listen to any nonsense that the man may pile on her? In effect as women get more and more educated and free, the more insecure men will get. In time they will behave like the Taliban.

Man to woman, there is much difference. Men are by nature insecure, less focussed and indecisive. Women outscore men in many areas more so with their courage, conviction and capacity to love. They are the superior gender without any doubt. And they have been oppressed for all these years, perhaps with their own tacit approval, because they know that men will constantly sulk if they are challenged and beaten. It is better that men are made to feel superior. At least they won't sulk and will do some work.

But as I see it men will become more insecure and more desperate and frustrated and impotent as women get more independent, educated and stronger. It is then that men will hunt like animals in a pack like this. Worse, they will be led by people who have similar mindsets - what with the number of leaders with criminal cases sitting in our Assemblies and the Parliament. Nothing can be expected really from such a system. What one needs is not so much fats track courts but a solution that is sensitive, lasting and of a long term nature.

Yesterday I saw a small group of young girls and boys, about ten to fifteen, led by a couple of middle aged men, carrying candles and posters and sloganeering in our colony. I never saw anything like that in the past thirty years here. 'Hang the rapists' they were shouting, the fifteen year olds. How much anger must you have to want such vengeance. I wonder if this is what we should be teaching these children - about instant justice, about vengeance.

There are perhaps two ways to deal with this - one within and one without. First the within. If we have to learn anything from this incident and all those other incidents that go on, it is that we in society, men and women, must stand up when the smaller crimes are going on around us. It is a mindset, a diseased mindset that treats women in such fashion and that has to be condemned in our homes, in our neighbourhoods. Almost every house has a story - from the richest to the poorest, the highest to the lowest, successful to unsuccessful - women have and are being abused, molested and raped under the guise of family, tradition, culture and gender. Some subtly and some not so subtly. If we have to teach the youngsters to stand up and do what is right, it is best to show them by our actions. By cleaning up our homes.

Then the without. In public space the only way up for women is to assert themselves in the elections. They form half the population and they should have more representation in law making. They should have their own - and sensible ones - who can represent them more vocally and push with greater authority. The line has been crossed now and it is time women get together and stop being the sacrificing victims that men take for granted. If you do not want to stay at home and put up with all this nonsense, its high time women as a group control the politics. There are enough women leaders and if you ask me they are the ones who are more sensible, who have more guts and who appear to be real leaders. Most of them are articulate and grounded. Its time to pitch strongly for more women in law making to get some balance into this extremely chauvinistic and hypocritical society we live in. 

10 Things I Would Like to Do More Of This Year

This is not as simple as it looks. But let me try it.

Some place outside Pune

1) Smile - Should not be too difficult I guess. The idea is to meet everyone with a smile, even strangers. And specially people whom I tend to look through like waiters, valets, shop assistants. Hopefully leave them with a smile too.

2) Not Crib - This one thing should save me a lot of time. I will now have a lot of time to be more creative and productive. But I guess I will sorely miss this cribbing activity which puts the blame on everyone else. Time to grow up I guess.

3) Share - If nothing else in terms of ideas, blogs. I also want to do some lectures in schools and colleges and share in such fora.

4) Say yes - Taking life as it comes and saying yes to it without being too suspicious. I guess I have been wary of life springing little surprises on me and have treated it more like a prankster rather than as someone who is giving me newer opportunities. Might help to trust it a bit more.

5) Work - In terms of more focussed and prioritised work. I am certain now that my time has to be better utilised and that all of it will now go to activities that shall please me or grow me. I will choose now and get my work done first - which will mean that I will get some serious work done this year.

6) Listen - Should help get work done more easily. I do think I tend to butt in a  lot more and also force my viewpoint sometimes. Would like to do more interviews. Meet more new people. Say one a week would be good.

7) Feel - Be more in touch with my feelings and not ignore or suppress them. This will need a little bit of sensitising myself to my own feelings which I suspect have now gone numb over the many years of being suppressed. Ah, to free them and see them at the outer tip of my skin. I will be fully aware, free finally.

8) Care - Perhaps look at the other end of the spectrum that I always seem to totally trash and stick to what I think is the right point  of view.

9) Learn - New things certainly. The key is to act. To put myself out of my comfort zone and jump into the deep end. Oh, and there are tonnes of stuff that I can learn and stuff I have been meaning to learn.

10) Express - In terms of being more spontaneous, more courageous, more open in all spheres of my life. Write more, sing more, laugh more.

Seems like a lot. Maybe I shall reduce it to 3 things - grow, smile and express. That should cover all.

Midnight in Paris - Movie Review

Decided to begin my New Year with a Woody Allen movie and picked up 'Midnight in Paris' as the chosen one. This movie did not star Woody Allen but it starred Owen Wilson who funnily, acted and spoke like Woody does. But I did miss Woody - his films are not the same without him.

The movie opens with shots of Paris taken through a loving eye, Woody's surely as his love for Paris is well known. I would love someone to show Hyderabad that way, in winter! We meet Gill Pender (Owen Wilson) a successful screenwriter who is writing a novel. He is holidaying in Paris with his domineering girlfriend's wealthy parents (who disapprove of Gill somewhat). Nothing seems to be in common between Gill and Inez (his girlfriend) - he likes walking in Paris in the rain, she doesn't, she finds Paul, her old Prof, highly intellectual and attractive and he does not etc etc. One fine evening Gil, bored with Paul and company, goes off on his own. While waiting for a cab an old Peugeot stops before him and he is invited in by a raucous bunch of people. From there on starts his foray into a fantasy land where he meets creative heavyweights from the past in a salon - Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda, Ernest Hemmingway, Gertrude Stein, Salvador Dali - and many other highly creative people. He is accepted in Stein's famous salon and every night after that he goes off for his midnight walks (causing much suspicion). By the end, his fantasy world creators cause Gil to see his life in perspective, and it all ends well for Gill Pender who finds true romance in the end.

The movie received much acclaim and even won the best Original Screenplay award at the Academy Awards. It is Woody's 41st film and that number itself boggles my mind. What energy must it require to write so prolifically and so creatively and to direct his own movies at such pace is something that I cannot comprehend. Its almost as if his thought and action are so closely connected. Definitely one of the best creators of our times, Woody takes a unique place in our hearts that one can only admire.

And it is that creative thought process that 'Midnight in Paris' celebrates. It is sweet. It makes you think. It has its moments. It is also a mellow movie, a more reflective version of Woody exploring an idea and not so much a situation. But it holds back his irreverence a bit which is something I love in his work (though there are those subtle digs at the French pronunciations). 'Midnight in Paris' is the kind of a movie I'd love to watch on a rainy day, in a cozy room, with loved ones. It's warm, sweet and beautiful. Certainly must watch.

Those 80s Things We grew Up With - Television Stands, Shutters, Antennae

It was in the late seventies or early eighties that televisions first appeared in India. Until then, we were vaguely aware of these magic boxes that showed moving pictures at home, thanks to Archie comics or some other western comics. The first tvs we saw were large boxes that bulged out from all sides. They came with huge knobs and yes, believe it or not, there were no remote controls. What? What?

I can see half the youngsters gaping in fright already. No remote control? Then how does one operate the television? I can imagine youngsters in a huddle, whipping out their phones and try to find an answer on google. Man, what is this, they'd think. But we had a simple answer to that. We'd walk up to the television and turn it on and off. We used our legs you see! But how do you flip channels, the youngsters would ask in wonder? Hehe. There was only one channel then so however you turned the knob, only one channel worked. The Doordarshan! It was state owned and thereby had several seriously boring programs compered by very old people. The content was well censored stuff that passed for entertainment. Movies that got national awards etc would be aired on prime time. Programs regarding agriculture and crop care would come up. The big draws for us were a half hour music hour called 'Chitrahaar' which played movie songs and a once a week movie that was played. Oh, in case you want to fall off your chair - the television programs would start at 7 p.m. only and end by some 11 p.m. or so. That's it! No satellite tv, no cable tv. Just Doordarshan. Take it or leave it.

Okay youngsters, if you've recovered, let's get on with it. The first televisions came with accessories which took up a large place at home. But then the television was as exalted as a minor god and it was given a place of prominence at a main part in the house. The bulky television was mounted on an aluminium stand that sometimes had wheels. On this stand was a polished wooden case with sliding shutters - almost like a mini theatre with a screen and all. Inside this wooden case was kept the television. Getting to the tv was not easy because the wooden case was kept shut. Some wooden boxes even had a key so no one but authorized persons could open the box that contained the television! The television had wires running all over from its backside but no one bothered. The television was a status symbol in the entire locality.

All televisions came with large insect like antennae that were installed on top of the house. - a vertical stick like thing with a horizontal stick on top that had several such sticks running across. The presence of an antennae gave the owners of the house away. Since many people did not have a television in their house, entire families in the locality would come over to sit in your sitting room and watch television. If you shooed them away it was bad manners. After all they were only watching and not eating your tv! Sometimes these numbers grew many times depending on the program - a movie, Chitrahaar, sports. All this despite the fact that it was all in Black and White. Oops I forgot to mention that but there was no colour television until much later. Black and white, get it.

Television, even in this version, brought much into our lives. We learned about agriculture, pesticides, cattle, common pests, watched Narottam Puri lead the discussion on sports and commentate on cricket dressed immaculately, watched classic Hindi and regional movies and even watched some specials like New Year specials.

But what brought us much joy were the newsreaders who looked as beautiful and out of reach as the air hostesses or the movie heroines. The newsreaders were a lethal combination of good looks and sophistication in terms of English speaking or even the information they were giving us. We'd gaze at them - Salma Sultana, Neeti Ravindran, Minu and among the men Tejeshwar Singh - come to mind. They'd come everyday and breathe some sophistication into our lives and go away and we'd all sigh and go to sleep. If they'd contested elections they would have surely won - that's how popular they were.

Life was as simple as that. One tv in the locality, one channel, two colours.

A New Year, A New beginning

Another New Year comes along. But this one feels different. It feels more purposeful, more heavy. It's a delicious feeling, as if there's a gift awaiting me that I have to unwrap. Starting tomorrow!

A Happy New Year To All - Pic. Satish Nargundkar

And there is much to be thankful for as I sit here and type. My life, my health, my work, my talents, my gifts, my home, my family, my friends, my hopes, my opportunities - ah there are just too many things to be grateful for and I can feel a fullness rising within. Flowers, green grass, tree shades, warm sunshine, a smile on Anjali's face, the blue sky, cool water, a sudden breeze, a friendly touch...and so much more. I cannot wait to get up and see this new world waiting outside for me.

For starters I will walk along tomorrow early morning, and catch the rising sun, the blue skies. A long, deep breath and then I am on my way. Because this year there is much to do and I cannot wait to get going on it.

For all those who read this blog I wish you all a year that gives you much satisfaction, a year that gives you the wisdom to make the choices you wish, a year that gives you plentiful work that you love and cannot wait to get going every day, a year of great health and a year where you find yourself smiling and laughing much more. I wish you all the courage to go after your dreams, the clarity to see those dreams, the strength to work for those, the resilience to face up to challenges and the readiness to accept all the good you wish for and deserve.

May 2013 be the year when you choose empowerment, when you recognize your power and use it for right purposes. May it also be the year that gives you a capability to give and to receive tonnes of love.