Driving away mid-week blues with Shafqat Amanat Ali

Read my interview at: 

https://smallscreenaddict.blogspot.com/2021/03/i-can-connect-to-god-through-sufi.html

https://www.hindustantimes.com/music/i-can-connect-to-god-through-sufi/story-wtIgpMthH4Qh47zOVGUZbM.html
 

Sufi music has been popular with people who liked soft music while going on long drives. 

It has remained an all-time favourite of people especially after NDTV Imagine's programme Junoon: Kuchh kar dikhane ka. 

Of late, a genre called Sufi rock has taken birth. Pakistani, as well as Indian bands, are popularising it. 

Be it Jal, Strings, Abida Parveen, Allan Fakir, Kailash Kher, Rabbi Shergill or the latest Sufi sensation Shafqat Amanat Ali - Ustad Amanat Ali's son - all share one common factor in them - they all specialise in this genre. Shafqat Amanat Ali's Sufi rock cured me of all my day's blues on a rainy Wednesday evening. 

Braving heavy showers, like other Sufi lovers, I too managed to reach Siri Fort well in time for the concert. 

Let me confess this was my first live Sufi concert and probably my dream one, too! I had butterflies in my stomach as I took my place in the packed auditorium. The concert kicked off with an introduction to Shafqat and the launch of his latest album Tabeer. 

As the hall became dark, Shafqat with his band Fuzon, belted out my favourite numbers Mora Sayyan (Khamaj), Yeh Haunsla (Dor), and all songs from his latest album. Shafqat even went to the audience and invited three people from the audience who sang 'Yeh Haunsla' with him on the stage. He was also the voice, which enthralled listeners with 'Mitwa' from the movie Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna. His album Tabeer was launched by Music Today through a three-city launch tour, in New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. 

One identifiable feature about his voice is that when he speaks on the mike, its barely audible, but at the same time, you would be shocked at the pitch that he sings in. After the formal launch of his new album, he transported the audience from the real world to his own world - the world of music. 

For two hours, we remained entranced as the music ebbed and flowed from soft numbers like Teray Bina, Khairheyan de naal, Mora sayyan, Ankhon ke sagar, naina to fast-paced rock numbers like Dum-ali-dum-ali.

Books for a Woman's soul!

Have you ever wondered what is it with women and that self-help' book section in the bookstore? Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, Who Moved your Cheese?, A Fish Tale. These names may sound familiar to you. In case you haven't you can go to any bookstore's 'Self-help' or 'Non-fiction' segment and check them out.
Wait, in case you are still wondering what I am talking about, then let me tell you that I am actually talking about the Chicken Soup series and the How-to-win-back-your-husband/girlfriend/boyfriend type of books - those which you might scoff at and end up believing, sometimes even following the tips given in these books to solve your life's crises - very religiously!
In fact, having read a few such books, I remained curious behind the psyche of picking these books from the bookshelf to simply even flip through! The titles too attract your attention. Some even have an attractive coffee table book jacket with some good eye-catching graphics.
I spoke to most of my friends and a few colleagues - some of whom agreed, while others disagreed with my theory that self-help books become a part-and-parcel of a woman's existence, helping her through the most difficult times.
Sumegha, a student of Delhi college of Arts and Commerce, says that she read some of them more out of curiosity, initially. But admits the main reason one would pick up such books are when you may feel low or defeated. For instance, she read Born to win after she was rejected in LSR college, and says she got good vibes and positive thoughts after reading it.
Sometimes bitter personal experiences make one read these books too. Twenty-seven-year-old interior designer Amrita Singh, who has had several heartbreaks, has now turned to relationship books to find solace. "I have read a couple of books on relationships by Paulo Coelho, but found them very depressing. I recently read 'The Secret' by Rhonda Byrne and found the chapter on love and friendship very interesting. Another book that I have read is 'Brida' by Paulo Coelho, which is also about love and finding your soulmate," she says.
If these books are so 'preachy', then what is the reason behind such a huge readership? Well, surprisingly most women feel that they could either identify with the protagonist of the book or one of the situations mentioned in it. Media professional Nitasha Sharma says that when she began reading Sheila O Flanagan's Yours faithfully, she began to identify with the second wife of the man in the book, even thinking of what would she as the second wife do after she found out about her husband's first marriage. Such is the involvement that the author creates with the reader!

Some say these books even help them analyse their present situation/crises in their life. Media professional Kanika Mehta says she reads them to just analyse her feelings and reactions to people. "They kind of reaffirm my stand at times," she explains, saying that most people read these books to know their boyfriends or life partners better. Both guys and girls want to sort out problems between friends and more than 50 per cent are low on confidence and use these as morale boosters. How true, isnt't it?
For Srishti Jha, a student of Miranda House, these books have never ended up mapping her life. She says, "Reading books on relationships makes me to look at life in different colours and strengthens my approach towards relationships in my life. Such books really help me discovering my limits and the limits that I should pose to people in my life. I have read the God Of Small Things. But, they have never influenced me nor have they changed my way of thinking."Agreeing with Srishti, a former staffer of Crossword, Suja Pisharody says women can read these books, but they cannot expect to live their life according to the diktats of the book. So, one must not take these books seriously - especially to improve your relationships with your family/spouse/even friends!
At the end of it all, I was even more surprised when I found out that even men read such books. DJ Madhu Prasad admits he just wanted to read these books to find out what people think when they write about these topics. "I have read Boundaries: When to Say Yes, When to Say No to Take Control of Your Life by Henry Cloud and John Townsend," he says.
Women after all have been known to be 'emotional' fools and it's an open secret that all women at some point in their life, do read these books - accept or reject it!

Missing 'Single in the City' column

Missing Single in the City column? Yeah that's right! Its been almost six months since Sushmita Bose stopped writing this column. I guess whoseover used to read Hindustan Times - my guarantee is that male/female, would never have missed reading her amazing stories about living as a Single in Delhi. I miss it thoroughly now! Though I would have loved to live truly 'single' in the big bad Capital (by default am with my parents!), I just satisfy myself with 'adventurous' tales that I hear from my gang here (mostly males) about either going to Gurgaon and eating hot paranthas at midnight from the Moolchand flyover or perhaps going on a long drive on the Gurgaon Expressway. But I can still boast about my adventure that I had with a couple of friends who bought beer and chicken. We waited for all our colleagues to leave office and had it right outside our office building - that too at midnight! Oh it was such fun, trust me as we worked right through the night even after a peg or two...I reckon, it increased our productivity that day...Oops!! :)

Mukhbiir

Starring: Sameer Dattani, Om Puri, Jackie Shroff, Suneil Shetty, Sushant Singh, Rahul Dev

You may have watched terrorist movies under varied themes: the most common being a terrorist on the run from the Interpol, a Gangster's love story, a don running a Company (RGV fame), a Satya and perhaps more.

But have you ever given a thought about the 'informer' who tips off the cops about the 'terrorist'? His life? or even his mere anonymous existence? The answer is a big NO.

The first rushes of Mukhbiir would make you think that its one of those 'run-of-the-mill' terrorist movies. But as the scenes unfold, each layer of the movie reveals new details you would never have imagined.

Kailash (Sameer Dattani) as the protagonist, plays his role of an anonymous informer with aplomb. Like other police officers, the local SP (Om Puri), also picks up Kailash in one of the rounds and uses him as his informer for dangerous operations. From helping the police to find a naxal leader to exposing the top brass of the police department involved in drug trafficking and global organ trade, he leads a dark, anonymous existence. Apart from this, with every operation, Kailash has to change his appearance and even religion to protect the operation and his identity.

For a police officer, his Mukhbiir is his biggest asset to cracking cases and in this case, Om Puri is under pressure at all times, to reveal the name of his informer. Mukhbiir empathises with this informer whose life is quite unstable, and often unpredictable. It borders on the extremes as he has to put his life in danger at all times.

So as to not make it look like parallel cinema, Mani has even managed to insert a love angle with Raima Sen playing Sameer's love interest (just one scene!).

The film has spine chilling moments when Sameer is tortured by a gang to identify his cop 'friend' Om Puri and also when he is asked by gang leader (Sushant Singh) to shoot at a woman and child. Sameer's intense acting manages to Mani Shankar has managed to keep the film gripping towards the second half.

Perhaps the movie's USP lies in the fact that unlike other terror films, it focuses on the informer/informers who probably die in operations, remaining unknown.

The movie has its weak moments which have been overshadowed by some brilliant piece of acting. The musical score of the movie has been given by Illayaraja and Karthik Raja.

Whether it is protagonist Sameer Dattani who breaks his chocolate boy image, Sushant Singh as the cruel gangster warlord or Rahul Dev as a calculative, global terror leader, Suneil Shetty and Om Puri as the honest cops - director Mani Shankar has managed to keep the intensity of the film and the audience focus on the theme. And unlike other terror films, it focuses on the informer/informers who probably die in operations, remaining largely unknown.

This movie may not be a song-and-dance one, but it will surely give you something to take back and cherish!

Mirroring Persia in frames...

Veils, iron curtain, underground schools, war, veiled women with guns ('Nuns with guns' was the most famous caption for these women) ... these are the images of Iran that come to mind. Iran is indeed an elusive Islamic republic! But I realised there's more to this tiny country. The book Persian Mirrors written by an Italian scribe exposes the fallacies of Iran's rulers and clergymen who ruled Iran for decades and in the name of Islam's tenets, how they instilled fear among women, so much so they all got closeted within the four doors of a household/gym/private parties!! Whether it is Khamanei, Khomenei, or Mohammad Khatami: authority has not managed to put down the Iranian women. They all seem to have carved their own niche in society; they run their own business, are doctors, lawyers and even sportswomen. Some women featured in the book have shown remarkable courage in speaking out openly against authority, have courted arrest. One of the women's newspaper even faced shutdown thrice. Yet she continued her fight for women's rights unrelentlessly!
At the end of it all, the book manages to shatter many myths and perceptions about Iran! The USPs of this book: the author's narrative abilities! What totally appealed to me is Elaine's courage to have gone to Iran and reported events over 3 decades - sometimes even putting her own life in danger (covering the hostage crisis and the Iran-Iraq war) - the signs of a true journalist!
This is one of the best books that I've read and strongly recommend to everyone out there... :)

Love bein' single!!

Here I am back again with my set of contradictions...Deny this or not, I am sure that at some point in life, you surely would have loved the feeling of being single!! Yeah I still feel the need for that 'someone' special...Thank god! I hv not yet reached the cynicism levels of some older frnds of mine who are 'technically' single and depressed. I still do have a ray of hope here - that I will someday meet that 'special' one! Hmm...anyways, singlehood doesnt always mean your relationship sans a partner! It could simply even be a bent of mind - doing things your way, handling ur own finances, living on your own in a strange city (Read Sushmita Bose's column 'Single in the City' in HT!!). Its your faith in yourself that matters at the end of the day! Anyway, since I hate getting preachy, I will stop right here! My personal experience with relationships has taught me to be independent - mostly in my thoughts! Thats because I have been independent otherwise in all spheres (thanks to my parents!). I have always seen that somewhere, somehow, and all the time, I have been for my friends during their distress times, but when I needed them during my crisis period, I'd always end up being alone (dont blame my frnds at all for that - its all circumstances!). So all that made me keep my feelings to myself...handle all my crisis on my own as I hate being judged! Some may think its being snobbish...but that is also a part of 'singlehood', I guess! So being single is not as boring/negative as its universally perceived. Having faith in yourself is the core idea of any relationship (with oneself/friends/lover/parents) . They say: If your bond with yourself is strong, then u can succeed in any relationship in life!! You would never even have to try!! People perceive relationships as a tool to reduce their loneliness and as a panacea to their singlehood. But it never works that way: fortunately or unfortunately! You could even remain depressed even with that special someone. I have strengthened myself to the hilt that I can stand alone with my head held high! So now all u guys, now u know why I am called 'Pozicool'!! :)

Love bein' single...

Here I am back again with my set of contradictions...Deny this or not, I am sure that at some point in life, you surely would have loved the feeling of being single!! Yeah I still feel the need for that 'someone' special...Thank god! I hv not yet reached the cynicism levels of some older frnds of mine who are 'technically' single and depressed. I still do have a ray of hope here - that I will someday meet that 'special' one! Hmm...anyways, singlehood doesnt always mean your relationship sans a partner! It could simply even be a bent of mind - doing things your way, handling ur own finances, living on your own in a strange city (Read Sushmita Bose's column 'Single in the City' in HT!!). Its a misconception that you can share love with your partner/peers only if you are physically with them!!