LOVE KNOWS NO BOUNDARY, GOES BEYOND TIME...“The substance and the shadow” – an Autobiography by Dilip Kumar

   LOVE KNOWS NO BOUNDARY,GOES BEYOND TIME               

                    By KIRAN DEEP

“The substance and the shadow” – an Autobiography by Dilip Kumar

As I opened the autobiography – “The Substance and the Shadow”, the first stanza on the opening page struck me as it speaks a lot about the depth of love…

“Sukoon-e-dil ke liye kuchh to ehtemaam karoon

Zara nazar jo miley phir unhein salaam karoon

Mujhe to hosh nahin aap mashwara dijiyey

Kahan se chedoon fasana kahan tamaam karoon….”

Saira Banu had been in love with Dilip Kumar since she was all of 12 years. Dilip Sahab took time to respond, but it happened one day while strolling at a beach. Both of them were listening to the gentle sound of waves when Dilip Kumar looked at her and said: “Saira, you are not the kind of girl I want to drive around with or be seen around with…I would like to marry you…will you be my wife?” Saira was only 22 and Dilip Kumar 44 when they got married on October 11, 1966. It’s a real love story, one that only embellishes the fact that true love can never be overrated. A true story of love and truth beyond time.

While reading Dilip Sahab’s autobiography, it reminded me about the 2008 movie “Sorry Bhai”. “Love can never be overrated. Either you have never been in love or you are too much in love and it is driving you nuts,” lead actor Chitrangada Singh (playing the role of a teacher) had said while answering a student who said love was overrated in classic Hollywood movie “Casablanca”. This accidental watching of “Sorry Bhai” evoked the urge in me to watch “Casablanca” and I had to shelve out 750 rupees to procure the original VCD of the movie as Google search engine failed to fulfill my hunger for an unedited version of the classic. After watching Casablanca, I could easily relate to the statement that love can never be overrated and yes, Dilip Kumar’s movie “Mughal-e-Azam” falls in the same class. That was the caliber of Dilip Kumar.

“The Substance and the Shadow” presents Dilip Kumar, an institution in himself, in the true light and dispels many notions about his life which have been hitherto reported, the biggest being on his relationship with Madhubala. This nearly 500 pager is replete with details about his magnetic personality, status, hard work, style of functioning and nature which is a clear reflection of the respect that he gets from everyone in the industry.

Bringing to you interesting facts from the book:

On moving to Pune…

Dilip Kumar’s family hailed from Peshawar and was into the business of fruits. Though they enjoyed a good economic status, the family saw rough times during the Second World War. To beat the financial odds, Dilip Kumar moved to Pune to work as an assistant to manager at Army Club. Going was so rough that he even sold sandwiches outside the club. But things looked up due to this sandwich business and he managed to earn an amount of five thousand rupees in those days within a small period.

Accidental Actor Dilip Kumar…

It can surprise many that Dilip Kumar had no inclination or ambition to become an actor and his first break was an accidental one. It all happened when he came to Mumbai from Pune looking for a job and this one incident changed his life entirely. One morning, he was waiting at Church Gate for psychologist Dr Masani, who had once given a lecture on vocational choices for arts students at Wilson College, to discuss his job prospects. Dr Masani took Dilip Kumar to Bombay Talkies studio and introduced him to Devika Rani, the owner of the studio. This meeting proved to be a turning point not only for his life but for the entire Bollywood industry. She offered him a salary of 1250 rupees per month – an amount hard to believe in those days and rechristened him Dilip Kumar from Yusuf Khan. His first movie was Jwar Bhata in 1944 and the rest as they say is history. He never looked back and went on to give us great movies like Devdas, Kohinoor, Naya Daur, Mughal-e-Azam, Ram Aur Shyam, Ganga Jamuna, and later, blockbusters like Shakti, Kranti and Saudagar.

On his teacher…

It was Devika Rani who taught Dilip Kumar the nuances of acting. She had pointed out that a director may be satisfied with the shot an actor has given, but it is for the actor to discern for himself whether he had really given his best. The actor, she told me was within his rights to request for another take if he felt he could do better…This lesson helped Dilip Kumar reach the heights that he did in the Bollywood industry.

On team work…

“If coordination is well orchestrated, it shows in the final product. If not, it shows equally in the frayed look of the product. Film making, unlike some other art forms like painting or writing poetry, for instance, has a great deal to do with communication. Communication between actor and the director, between the director and the cameraman and the art director, between the director and the editor, between the artiste and the cameraman and so on.”

On actor’s instincts…

While explaining a particular situation that every actor has to go through, Dilip Kumar mentions that: “I became aware that an actor needed to strengthen his instincts because the duality between the real and unreal cannot be sorted out by the mind, which is more concerned with truth and logic in any normal situations. The mind will always tell you this is nonsense.”

On Madhubala…

While commenting on the break-up with Madhubala, Dilip Kumar says that: “I did feel sorry for Madhu and wished she had the will to protect her interest at least on the professional front without thoughtlessly bowing to her father’s wishes all the time. Such submission had an adverse impact not only on her professional reputation but also on her health. He also said that parting of the ways did not affect me as was concocted by writers in the media. Journalists were not as rash as they are now but they were just unmindful of factual accuracy when they wrote about actors.”

Dilip Kumar proved that when the going gets tough, the tough get going. The clear message that Dilip Kumar has tried to give through is autobiography is to the youngsters – to never give up under any circumstances. He has shown by example that you must find new ways and methods to overcome crisis in your life rather than giving up… Wherever he was and whatever he did, he did whole heartedly with innovative ways. That’s why today, he is an institution in himself.

This Opinion published in the newspaper lokmarg with this link

http://lokmarg.com/true-love-can-never-be-overrated-2/

FOR MANMOHAN, COMPULSIONS OF COALITION POLITICS OR SOMETHING ELSE?

                                                       By KIRAN DEEP

Once termed harmless accountants responsible only for auditing, former Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai had beyond doubt proved what CAG can do to expose the wrongdoings in the Central government. The CAG report has exposed some of the biggest scams that defamed the UPA government and the country. The 2G scam caused a loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore and the coal scam was responsible for a loss of Rs 1.86 lakh crore to the exchequer. The CAG report was sharply criticised when it was tabled in the Parliament.

Taking his fearless act of exposing the ill practices of the government further, Rai has got his experiences published “Not Just an Accountant”. In this soon-to-be released book, Rai has printed new evidence directly accusing former PM Dr Manmohan Singh of being fully aware of issues in 2G and coal allocations during his tenure. However, Rai says, Dr Manmohan Singh did nothing to stop it, presumably because his hands were tied by the strings of coalition politics. He also accused MPs of pressuring him to omit former PM names from the reference in the report.

I have no doubt about former PM’s honesty, but the big question baffling me is why did he not resign as PMduring UPA-II when he was aware of all these wrongdoings in his cabinet? Why did he not speak up against the politicians behind the scams? Why did he remain a silent spectator? Is it only compulsions of coalition politics or something else? Having enjoyed all the benefits of being the head of the state, the former PM must answer all these questions. And, an honest answer at that.

 

The former PM has not only kept quiet about Rai’s allegations, but also those of his own media advisor Sanjay Baru (Accidental Prime Minister) and former secretary, Ministry of Coal, PC Parekh (Crusader or Conspirator? Coalgate and other Truths). While Baru laid bare some facts about the way the PM functioned during the UPA-II, the coal secretary went on to allege that there was coal mafia inside the UPA government. Not only this, former Minister of External Affairs K Natwar Singh alleged that former PM did not respond to the wrongdoings in the government in his autobiography  “One Life is Not Enough” released after the Lok Sabha elections results.

Although Daman Singh, former PM Manmohan Singh’s daughter, has also written a book “Strictly Personal”, she has chosen to only highlight the struggle of Manmohan Singh from his school days, hard work, intellect, scholarship for higher studies at Cambridge University and Oxford, his achievements as the RBI Governor, Finance Minister and then as the Prime Minister. She has refrained from making any references to the allegations leveled against PM in connection with any of the scams that the UPA-II has been accused of. I feel the credit for exposing this level of corruption also goes to the Supreme Court and media – the two other organs of the system.

I was eagerly waiting for the book and managed to get hold of “Not Just an Accountant” before its official release, as many book stores across the country have got it delivered in advance. In his 267-pager, Rai dedicates 24 pages to the 2G scam and concludes the chapter by saying: “This is a story that reflects lack of probity. This is a story of the total bankruptcy of any pretence of morality. This is a story of the misguided belief that the underlying objective of all action is to remain in power and keep a coalition secure – the nation and its people be damned. Hence, this is a story worth narrating”.

As far as the scathing attack on Rai by Congress politicians, in terming CAG reports as baseless and bundle of lies, goes, the apex court has rightly come to the rescue of this constitutional authority. In its observation, while dismissing a petition challenging CAG reports on 2G spectrum, Coalgate, etc, a Bench of the Supreme Court said: “CAG is not a munimji or an accountant or something like that. He is a constitutional authority who can examine the revenue allocation and matters relating to the economy. CAG is the principal auditor whose function is to go into the economy, effectiveness and efficiency of the use of resources by the government. If the CAG won’t, then who else will do it”.

In a democratic system, nobody is above law be it the Prime Minster, Members of Parliament, senior functionaries of government or big industrialists. The functioning of the government has to be transparent and there has to be a strong check on the crony capitalists preventing them to loot the natural resources and getting contracts by adopting corrupt practices. All that the country needs from Dr Manmohan Singh is an honest answer and not just “I did my duty” as he said at his daughter’s book launch in Delhi.

I could not find anything better than lines from the foreward to “Not Just An Accountant” written by Dr A.P.J Abdul Kalam, former President of India, “I find that in countries across the globe, a new paradigm is emerging – that of transparency in functioning, not only within the government but also in private institutions and civil society, with morality and righteousness being fundamental principles. “Not Just An Accountant” draws attention to these principles and emphasises the importance of ethical governance in our country. This has to be the long term goal of all nations. Let us work to make India a great nation, with righteousness in the heart and the pursuit of excellence in our endeavours. All I can say is Amen to that!

This Opinion published in the newspaper Lokmarg with this link 

http://lokmarg.com/for-manmohan-compulsions-of-coalition-politics-or-something-else/

ELECTIONS IN HARYANA: WHICH WAY THE WAVE WILL SWING?

                                                        By KIRAN DEEP                     

I remember the year 2004, when people from far flung areas of Haryana were eagerly waiting for Congress president Sonia Gandhi as part of her road show before the Lok Sabha elections at Gohana town of Sonepat district in Haryana. People of all ages were there to see the “lady with a beautiful skin”, with some women even expressing their desire to touch her. The small place located in the market was barricaded so that Sonia Gandhi could meet and greet the people. But, as is the norm during elections, Sonia Gandhi, who was scheduled to reach in the morning, arrived quite late in the evening. On her trail was a cavalcade of vehicles carrying politicians, party workers and journalists from the national capital. People waited patiently the whole day, but lost their cool when they were told that an interaction with her wouldn’t be possible. People broke the barricade and NSG commandos had to swing into action while the police resorted to a lathicharge to manage the crowd. I also had to run for safety, as I was also camping at the spot since morning for my assignment with national English daily. Such was the charisma of Sonia Gandhi!

Cut to the present situation….a decade later, the scene is quite different. Congress is carrying the weight of a humiliating defeat in the Lok Sabha elections. BJP has made history by winning complete majority. In Haryana too, the Narendra Modi wave secured 7 of the 10 seats for BJP, with one seat going to Congress and two going the INLD way.

Under these circumstances, the state Assembly elections, scheduled to be held on October 15, are expected to throw up many surprises. The Congress headed by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who ruled the state for the 10 years now, is facing a strong anti-incumbency wave due to his style of functioning and dissension. To Hooda’s and the party’s consternation, many of Congress senior leaders have already joined hands with BJP. Leading the pack is Union minister Rao Inderjit Singh. Recently, senior leader Chaudhary Birender Singh also quit the party to join the BJP. In a major setback for the Congress, Vinod Sharma, considered the right hand of the CM Hooda, too quit the Congress and floated his own party, Jan Chetna Party. So, Hooda is on a sticky wicket.

The Indian National Lok Dal, headed by Om Parkash Chautala, was voted out of power in the 2005 assembly elections. Among other things that went against the INLD were the leader’s autocratic style of functioning and increase in the crime rate. This time situation is better for INLD than the last assembly election. However, the INLD supremo Om Parkash Chautala is in jail along with his son Ajay Chautala following their conviction in the JBT recruitment scam. By the time the state went into the next elections, I felt the situation had not improved for INLD. It turned out true when Congress managed to win the elections and Hooda once again formed the government with the help of Haryana Janhit Congress breakaway MLAs and independents in 2005.

However, the INLD seems to be in a better position this time, mainly due to the strong anti-incumbency wave against the Congress and the allegations of corruption against the Congress in allotting agricultural land to builders at throwaway prices. But it still not that strong that it would be able to form the next government all alone. It would need a partner, but who is the question. Had the supremo Om Parkash Chautala been out of jail, he would have been able to swing the voters in his favour. But, it is his son Abhey Chautala who is at the helm of affairs and he definitely does not enjoy the same appeal.

On the other hand, Haryana Janhit Congress led by its chief Kuldeep Bishnoi, who broke his alliance with BJP to join hands with Vinod Sharma-led Jan Chetna Party, will have to really work hard to tilt the balance in his favour. And, he doesn’t even have the sympathy and loyalty factor enjoyed by his father former chief minister Bhajan Lal.

The flavor of elections in a state known for its “Aaya Ram and Gaya Ram” politics has changed this time due to the breakaway factions. One of them, Congress MP from Karnal, Arvind Kumar Sharma, who joined the BSP recently and is being projected as its chief ministerial candidate, will have a tough time proving his credentials. BSP had won the Chhachhrauli seat in the last assembly elections and had supported the Congress government. Then there is former Haryana minister and Independent MLA from Sirsa city, Gopal Goyal Kanda, who had withdrawn support to the Hooda government and launched his own political party, Haryana Lokhit Party. As Kanda is facing trial in the suicide case of air-hostess Geetika Sharma and is currently out on bail, he is not expected to have a smooth sail.

Finally, the Aam Aadmi Party! Though it was expected to add to the spice in the state elections, the defeat in the Lok Sabha elections compelled AAP to stay away from Haryana.

There is no doubt that issues in Lok Sabha and Assembly elections are different, with the Assembly elections being more about local issues. It will be much interesting to see this time whether BJP riding high on the Modi wave will be able to form the government all alone or whether INLD can assume power independently or even more interestingly, Congress would rewrite history by making a hat trick or whether it would be a hung house!!!

This Opinion published in the Lokmarg online Newspaper 

 http://lokmarg.com/elections-in-haryana-which-way-the-wave-will-swing/