'Mausiqui Ek Khoj'- A Series on Doordarshan on Indian Classical Music

This is a very very unique programme on Doordarshan. As we all know that Doordarshan always tries to inculcate the rich heritage of India to its audience through its various programmes. Going with the same aim, this programme 'Mausiqui Ek Khoj' is made. It is a programme on Indian Classical Music, showing us the magnitude of a 'raaga' by classical singers and also referring to famous bandishes, Gazals, non filmy and Hindi film songs on the same 'raaga'.

Ustaad Shujaat Khan is the presenter of the show, who introduces the particular 'raaga' in the beginning of each episode. His introduction is really beautiful as he sings the 'movement' (/'chalan') of the 'raag' along with playing the same on his sitar. After that, the same 'raag' is presented (vocal/instrumental) in 2- 3 different ways. In between, famous film songs on the same 'raaga' are also shown. Sometime film songs are performed live by an artist :). Many eminent artists as well as new talents have made their appearances in the show.

I have watched the episodes featuring Darbaari Kanada, Desh, Hamir, Jaunpuri, Jog, Jogkaus and some more.

There are total 52 episodes in the programme, as mentioned by Ustaad Shujaat Khan in one of the episodes. Which means they have covered 52  'raagas' of Indian Classical Music. What a great endeavour!! It was made by Gyan Seth Productions in 2005 and the background narration was done by- Shammi Narang. 

I am so happy to find this series! It is so so rare, like... finding a treasure :). A treat for the lovers of Classical Music!

I want to thank the Director Produced Mr Gyan Seth for making such a gem of a programme. The name of the production house is 'Gyan Seth Productions'. The series was made on 2005. I am giving these details for the interested readers who want to watch it. 


It is very sad that the complete series is still not there on YouTube... Hope someone or Doordarshan will upload the same which has immense value for all the music lovers!

Some episodes are there on Youtube if we search with the words- 'Mausiqui ek Khoj'. Do watch them. Thanks to the uploaders for making those parts available :) 

Now a days it is being aired on DD India, every morning at 8 am. Even if it is not being aired, do keep on watching Doordarshan (DD National, DD Bharati and DD India- all the three channels) as they keep on repeating all the programmes after a while.

With lots of best wishes.

(Edit- Previously I have included some episode videos here, but removed them later due to copyright issue.)

'Drishti Pradip'- A Bengali novel by Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay

This was my first reading of any Bibhutibhushan story. I have heard so much about his writing, this book is a nice one. Previously I have only watched 'Pather Panchali' trilogy but have never read the original story.

This story is about the life of Jitu who at first lived in Darjeeling with his parents and brother- sister. Later their life changed completely as his father lost his mental balance and they had to shift to their ancestor's house for shelter. Here they faced poverty which affected all the characters in different ways.

It is the the main protagonist of the story-  Jitu, whose narration we read in the novel. We see the things and happenings from his point of view. He observes the life around him and responds to them.

Stressed about the poverty and lack of care in his ancestral house, Jitu comes to Kolkata to pursue studies. Then we remain with Jitu during his stay in Kolkata. Later during his job and also when he travels to various districts of the state, where he meets many people. There is a spiritual quest always in Jitu as he searches for something higher in the daily mundane life. Observing the general people and their faith, he feels about God and devotion in his own way, while attending a religious fair. This topic also returns later in the novel. 


He meets two ladies- Malati and later Hiranmayee- both of them touch his life in unique ways. Malati has a powerful impression on him through her personality, approach to life and through the spontaneous spirituality which is an integral part of her. I really loved the character of Malati. A lot is there to learn by all of us from her selfless service to others, Her simplicity, warmth of the heart and dedication towards her chosen vocation- makes her stand out among all the characters of this novel.

Hiranmayee comes late in Jitu's life when his personality has almost matured. 

Jitu feels for his father- mother- brother- sister, their life struggle pains him. He tries to help them and sometimes like any other person, he feels himself incapable of doing anything for them. Still he tries to take care of his family members sincerely. There are many more characters whom he meets and we get a glimpse of the society of that time. Jitu also spends some time like an ascetic in the company of a saint.

Reading this novel, I also remembered 'Srikanto' by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, where Srikanto also was a person who did not stay in a particular place for long, who would roam from one place to another and gather experiences throughout his life. There also we can notice the absence of any permanent 'home' (/ house) in the proper sense, as Srikanto always preferred travelling in comparison to staying at a particular home like the character Jitu here.

One interesting element of the novel is the 'visions' which Jitu used to have from childhood. Sometime they were like premonition, sometime they were the dream of another world- perfect and inspiring- sometime they were like a Realisation- a moment of Bliss, of motivation- to carry on with life, to realise that everything is in their right place and creation will go on. Jitu realises God according his understanding and finds peace in those thoughtful moments. Some of the moments are so vivid that they almost emerge in front of our eyes, we look at them and feel the same as Jitu. These descriptions by Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay are wonderful!!! Just fills our heart with Bliss :). The title of the novel- 'Drishti Pradip' is significant because of these wonderful visions by Jitu! 

Overall this novel is a journey, we take with through the ups and downs of his life, sharing his experiences of real life along with his ideal/ dream life- which exists in the mind of all of us. The element of Spirituality- inspired by nature, or from everyday life-  is another speciality of this novel.

(Here I have uploaded the cover page of 'Drishti Pradip' published by Dey's Publishing. Photo is used for the purpose of appreciation only. No personal profit intended.)

Sadhusanga: A Book in Bengali by Gajendra Kumar Mitra

Sadhusanga is a compilation of tales about saints and monks, experienced by the author or by the friends, relatives, acquaintances of the writer. This book delves deep into the lives of monks, their life stories, philosophies. The stories amaze us, make us think and look more minutely in our life. Some stories are so astonishing that you need to read the book to experience it!

The ascetics are also from this world around us- we realise it while reading the book. Many stories have left an impression on me. From beginning to the end this book makes us walk with the saints, feeling their emotions, realising their life, their aim, daily details of their existence- very very fascinating book it is indeed. On one hand the stories are spiritual or ascetic if we consider their inner essence, on the other, yet not so in the sense that the stories also narrate the incidents of very ordinary family life, the life we lead normally, still they have the elements of sacrifice, renunciation and contentment in them, an aim to reach the Highest.

Another reason why I enjoyed this book so much is because many of the stories describe Haridwar and along with it many more famous religious places, how they were a hundred years ago. I felt this is so unique feature of the book as we have visited Haridwar many times and know many of the places described in some of the stories. While reading the book, it was amusing to imagine those known places in old days, with so few people around!

Do read the book to bring a new aspect in your life which will enhance your 'vision' by letting you see the world in a new light :).

Jai Shri Krishna.

(Here I have uploaded the cover photo of Sadhusanga by Mitra O Ghosh Publishers. Photo is used for the purpose of appreciation only. No personal profit intended.)

Bishwasghaatak: A Bengali Novel by Narayan Sanyal

This is a story of Manhattan Project, that is, the making of Atom Bomb in Los Alamos Virginia.

The plot is a mystery story, to find the person (scientist) who also supplied the formula of the bomb to Russia, while working in the team in America.

The story tells us the point of view of the scientist why he took the decision.

It is to keep the readers guessing that I am not mentioning his name here :D

At first about the writing. The very thing which attracts our attention while starting the novel, is the explanations of all the tough chemical formula/ theory in Bengali. Narayan Sanyal has done such a wonderful job here! Lucid language makes it easy for even a lay man to understand the difficult scientific procedures. How the energy inside the atom is released is narrated with step by step inventions by the scientists as well as with illustrations by the writer himself. I personally enjoyed this part of the book very much. Before starting the main storyline, Narayan Sanyal introduces us to the process of how actually the bomb is made.

Then in the story, we meet so many famous personalities! Famous in history or scientific world, like- J Oppenheimer, R Feynman, Max Planck, L Szilard, Niels Bohr, Hans Bethe and many more.

Many life stories by eminent writers or the autobiographies of the scientists themselves were the source of this novel, according to the Index at the back of the novel. Thus we can find so many amusing incidents about all of them in the story. Really enjoyable and astonishing! They tell us about those persons, their habit, their genius, way of working, their faith- we get amazed while reading them! We feel as if we are present when all these we were happening :).

The story unfolds itself in a very interesting manner. At first the probe begins about the probable traitor. Then the writer takes us back to the early days how the plan to make a nuclear bomb was first conceived. Then contacting the famous scientists and the various stages of research work. Then actual making of the bomb and all the discussions on the part of the Government and the scientists. We get a glimpse of the different characteristics of all those persons involved in the work from 1942- 1946. So many aspects are there in the whole story that it is impossible to write about all of them. You need to read the book to realise the full implication of the nuclear bomb. How some of the scientists were concerned about the well being of the world, how the endeavours of Einstein went in vain, how the wrong assumption about the research work going on in Germany led the scientists of America work harder, how the World War forced so many people along with the scientists to leave their motherland in Europe and take refuge in America and work for them (America). Life presents such difficult situations in front of us!

One interesting thing also is the way the scientists of Germany were working, how they coped with the existing situation there and decided to continue their work in an intrigued manner. We feel the emotions of all those characters while reading about them.

I enjoyed the story because of its unique storyline, detailed information and the way the case is dealt with.

At the end there is a Timeline also, so that the reader we can look at the happenings with reference to history. Another list of the spellings of the original names of the personalities  mentioned in this book along with the Bengali spelling which Narayal Sanyal used in the novel is also there. Some more Notes are also there at the end of the book which are very helpful for the readers.

Really a wonderful work by the multifaceted Narayan Sanyal!

(Here I have uploaded the cover photo of the 2014 edition of the book by Dey's Publishing.

Cover photo used only for the purpose of appreciation, no personal profit intended.)

Bawarchi (1972)- Hindi Film

Dear Friends, today I am writing about the famous film - Bawarchi, by  Hrishikesh Mukherjee. An enjoyable movie with a great messege about how we can live hapily. Everyone knows about the film :), so much has already been written :) :). Now I am just noting down the points which I enjoyed while watching it again now.

I liked the unique beginning where a red curtain is shown and the narrration of the title credit is read out by Amitabh Bachchan. So creative :) :). After that, playing the role as a  Sutradhar of Sanskrit plays, Amitji introduces us with the characters of 'Shaanti Nivaas' (the name of the residence where the characters of the film live). 

All of us are made of many elements, many emotions. Each of us have different nature from others. So it is quite difficult to run a family or a society or a nation smoothly. This is true even for the inmates of 'Shaanti Nivaas'. All persons having different nature, priorities, aspirations - gradually became self centred and indifferent to others.

Here takes place the entry of the new Bawarchi - Raghu, who, as if transforms the house into a heaven on earth!!! Which astonishes us is the way he does it. It appears to be so so simple! But before watching the movie most of us haven't thought about it! Here lies the greatness of the story - Tapan Sinha and the expertise of direction by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, that we get so nice a message through the mode of entertainment of watching a movie :).

Many many scenes of the film are memorable!! The way Raghu teaches them to help others by doing their work also, along with one's own work, the way he tells and makes them experience that we become happy by making others happy. All invaluable lessons about life!!

He takes care of Krishna, gives power/ authority to the old Shiva Prasad and also asks him to use it :). He makes Mita free of her ego regarding dance and teaches her to be humble. The two sister in laws start feeling affection and respect for each other, the start taking care and serving each other :) :). The two elder brothers become loving again. The happiness which Raghu creates in the house starts changing the members and their relations. We can notice the changes which come in them during the course of the story.

The reason behind all these was the selfless and devoted service of Raghu. About which we come to know at the end of the story. Raghu had such a great aim in his life!!! When he realised and experienced true happiness, he did not kept it only to himself. He wanted to spread it to all, so decided to serve mankind in the way he can, using his abilities of Knowledge, Music, Dance and Cooking. This whole-hearted dedication of Raghu in his life's mission is evident from all his actions. That is the reason he can enter any household as a Bawarchi and show his magic on all the members of the house, to make them better human being, to create a better/ happy place to live in. It is as if he has the constant flow of energy within him, a fountain of Happiness. Which pushes him to do all the work, teaching lessons about life and remaining happy all the time. Such a wonderful character! So much to learn from him, just by observing him, along with all the life philosophy he teaches us :) :).


I am at a loss of words while writing about the film. It has touched the core of my heart with its simplicity and dedication. The motivation which we can feel when we go deep into the character of Raghu, can take us so much ahead in life!! True spirit of God is there in the endless motivation to do good to others, serve others, teaching them the proper way to lead a meaningful life. 


All the songs are melodious. Music is by Madan Mohan. 


Do watch the film to feel the true happiness which is within all of us :) 


Jai Shri Krishna.

PK (2014)- Hindi Film

As soon as we take the name of PK, all the controversies come into our mind. Many of them spread by the people who themselves haven't watched it, but only have heard about the plot of the film. Today I thought to write about the points which I liked while watching PK.

A 'being' from another planet observing us and trying to make sense of the activities of the society - the plot is a creative one. I remember the film 'Gods Must Be Crazy'- while watching it, as that film also captures the nuiances of civilization, very beautifully. 'Gods Must be Crazy' is also one of my favourite film :).

Coming back to PK. We start to feel Oneness with PK, when he tells his story to Jaggu, in a police lock up. Then we realise how tough a journey it has been for him. A person not able to understand the language of the land where he is, losing the connection with his own planet, how desperate a state he has been into!!

He narrates about his journey from one place of God to another (temple, Church, Mosque) and so on. The difficulties faced by him in understanding the  different rituals of various religions, as a result, very naturally, the confusions experienced by him, trying everything to impress Bhagwaan and still being unable to do so - all these scenes touch us because of their realistic portrayal. We feel it can happen around us. They are so true!! A being who does not know the systems/rituals, will feel the same as PK. The scene when PK comes to the place where the idol of Ma Durga was being made and earnestly asks Her to help him- that scene touched me so much! Also the lyrics of the song - "Bhagwaan, hai kahan re tu" are so true, in such a mental state!

The credit of the director lies that all these serious issues are dealt with many many light-hearted funny scenes. Audience get the message not through serious situations but through direct practical day to day scenes.  And we also keep on smiling throughout the whole film :).

PK terming different religions as 'company', searching for 'thappa' on new borns, giving a practical example how faith can be used to earn profit (exam day- college gate scene), dressing different people in different attire, referring to his theory of 'wrong number', thinking that Bhagwaan does our work according to the payments made by us and his action of taking refund from temples- all these scenes make us laugh. As well as they are a satire on the social system. The core values of all religions are the same. Limited or wrong interpretation makes all the difference... So much so that all the religions SEEM different from each other to us!...  But if one goes deep into the theories of any religion and reflect on it, the conclusion he/she will reach, will be the same in each case.  

The self helping attitude of PK teaches us that in any difficult situation, we should keep on trying with different approaches. If our search is true, then God will help us definitely, in the same way as PK got the help of Jaggu later :).

True Love is another theme which runs parallel to the theme of religion and faith, throughout the whole film. The way PK shows selfless love for Jaggu, helps her and at last leaves her free before going back to his planet- teaches the essence of Love. That is, to empower and to set free :)

Also PK's love/ concern for the whole mankind is shown in his actions/ plans after he meets Jaggu. He becomes eager to tear away the veil of lies used by so called heads of different religions (like Tapasviji in the film). He wants to bring a relief to common man that if proper help is not coming from their gurudev (master), they can help each other. And that would be enough. That concern of PK about the society, was out of the Humane qualities in him. The innocence, kindness and the quick-wit of PK are portrayed beautifully by Aamir Khan.

Another thing which attracted me in this movie is that the shooting of many scenes were done in Delhi. We can actually see many of Delhi's famous places throughout the film. So watching the film was like touring various places of Delhi :) :). 


Overall a good film with nice messages which make us think about many issues.


Jai Shri Krishna. 

(Photo taken from internet. Credit goes to the uploader.)

Kanho Banyo Common Man- A serial on Colors Gujarati

These days I am watching a Gujarati serial named ‘Kanho Banyo Common Man’. It is a nice serial which tells the story of Krishna as a common human being on earth. A young person (Gopal) meets Krishna after his death and complains of his untimely death. Krishna accepts the challenge given by Gopal to come to earth (without any special power) and lead the life of a common man.

Many incidents from our daily life are shown in the serial. I really love those scenes in which Gopal (the role played by Krishna) explains many concepts to the family members or to his friends, from the point of view of spirituality. The values which are conveyed by those scenes are really nice. Those scenes seem like coming directly from Shri Krishna.

Though I do not understand the language completely, still I get an idea about the main points of all the scenes.

Here I am trying to note down some of the points covered by Gopal-

# During Rakshabandhan, he made a gift for his dear sister which had the pictures of both the brothers (Gopal and Bhupesh) and a mirror where their sister Kokila can see her own face, along with her two brothers.

# In one episode, Gopal explained how fasting helps our body and why it is necessary.

# In a track which dealt with smuggling of alcohol, Gopal exclaimed if only people would try to read the Geeta instead of using it only for swearing in the court…

# Gopal explained about Puraan, how they present an ideal life which the society can follow, in one of the episodes.

# He also explained about Krishna’s leela with Gopis to his friend Geetika, when she asked Gopal about vastraharan leela of the Lord.

# During Randhan Chhath (along with Naag panchami, Shitala Satam-  all the Panch parv) Gopal explained why we worship the kitchen, how any food made with a pure heart can be considered as a prasaad and how the food made with any kind of negativity and selfishness in mind, loses its vitality. Why sharing is necessary for the society was also discussed.

 I remembered the 12^th and 13th  shlok of Chapter 3 of Gita, while watching the episode.

  [ Ishtaan bhogaan hi vo devaa daasyante yajnabhaavitaah

    Tair dattaan apradaayaibhyo yo bhungkte stena eva sah // 3.12 //

    Devas, cherished by the sacrifice, will give you the desired objects. Indeed, he who

    enjoys objects given by the Devas without offering in return to them is verily a thief.

    Yajnashishtaashinah santo muchyante sarva kilbishaih

    Bhunjate te twagham paapaa ye pachantyaatma kaaranaat // 3.13 //

The righteous who eat the remnants of the sacrifice are freed from all sins; but those

sinful ones who cook food only for their own sake, verily eat sin.  ]

# Once the Mehta family (Gopal’s family) arranged a Satyanarayan Puja in their home. I enjoyed that episode so much!! Gopal was surprised that he had to worship himself.

He took the name of Sage Sandipani as his teacher.

He also realsed the bliss which a devotee feels when he worships his ‘aaradhya’.

That track was very very special.

# In one of the episodes, he taught a neighbour- Durjan Singh, why following the Truth is always better than indulging in any wrong ways.

# Once there was a lady named Satyabhama in a track. Gopal was very surprised to know her name and almost exclaimed aloud that- ‘this is the name of my wife’.

# Recently they had a Geeta Shlok Pathan Competition. During one of those episodes, Gopal recited the shlokas from Chapter 10, like

  [ Ahamaatmaa gudaakesha sarvabhootaashayasthitah

    Ahamaadishcha madhyam cha bhootaanaamanta eve cha // 10.20 //

  

  I am the Self, O Gudakesa, seated in the hearts of all beings; I am the beginning, the

  middle and also the end of all beings

   Aadityaanaamaham vishnur jyotishaam raviramshumaan

   Mareechirmarutaamasmi nakshatraanaamaham shashee // 10.21 //

  

Among the (twelve) Adityas I am the Vishnu ; among the luminaries, the radiant sun; I

  am Marichi among the winds; among the stars I am the moon.]

And also to teach an egoistic person a lesson, Gopal recited many more famous shlokas from Geeta.

I enjoyed those episodes very much.

In that track, Gopal explained that in comparison to memorizing the shlokas of Geeta without realizing their meaning, helping others or serving the society is better as any such action show the application of the teachings of Geeta.

In this track, the parents of Gopal wanted to test the knowledge of their son  by asking him questions on scriptures- that scene was so humuorous!!

# Around November, a track was going on about a devotee, who used to sing in the nearby temple of Gopal’s house. I was loving the track, the way Gopal was appreciating the sincere devotion in the voice of the singer, but those days I became busy and could not finish it…

#  Once a track was there where they prepared a play named ‘Kanho Shaano Chhaano Maano’. There Gopal got the role of Duryodhan.  So surpising! I laughed so much watching the fun! And Gopal’s elder brother Bhupesh, got the role of Krishna.  There Gopal also conveyed some dialogues with sincerity which was loved by all, but I could not understand the meaning of that scene.

# One day Gopal explained to her sister-in-law about our religion and why we should never leave it, as she was discussing the same topic with one of her friends.

# During Diwali I think, Gopal explained the true meaning of Dhanteras. How Devi Lakshmi also brings peace and prosperity along with riches. So only money is not enough, peace and properity are also the attributes of Devi Lakshmi, which most people forget easily, and keep on praying for more and more money to the Goddess.

# Now the track which was the latest and I enjoyed to core of my heart. It was about a girl named Miraande who has come to India from abroad. She was interested in Hindu rituals and wanted to do a research on Shri Krishna. Gopal explained the concepts of Aarti, tilak, about bell of the temple and many more rituals which we follow in our daily life. All those scene were very nice.

Then Miraande told Gopal about her understanding regarding Mahabharat characters as a proof of evolution of life on earth. She considers Kunti to be mother earth. Karn to be the first living being. Yudhishthir = Intellect, Bheem= Energy, Arjun= Mind , Nakul and Sehdev= Hands and Legs. Gopal was very surprised to hear such a theory and appreciated her.

Later Miraande felt the call of the Lord in her heart and wanted to leave the sansaar and Gopal explained to her that she can  continue with her normal  life and simultaneously can be devoted to the Lord. All the knowledge received from Gopal elevated Miraande to a new level.

This track was very sweet, it touched my heart. God Himself resides in the heart of a pure devotee. It was evident from this track.

- These are some of the scenes/ tracks which I could remember now. Many more good scenes are there in all the daily episodes.

Very nice effort from the Production Company. I do not know the names of all the artists, but came to know about the name of Mayank Pancal in the title role. I also like the actress who plays the mother of Gopal. She is a sweet and affectionate lady.


Do watch the serial to enjoy the messeges and feel the bliss of the Lord.

With lots of best wishes

Jai Shri Krishna.

(Geeta Shlokas taken from E- Samskriti website. Photo taken from internet, credit goes to the uploaders. Used only for the purpose of spreading devotion.)