Voice of India falls silent: Ishmit Singh dies in Maldives

The innocent face and the melliflous voice is no more. Ishmit Singh, who had become a household name after winning the Star TV's Voice of India contest has died.

He was just 20. The atmosphere turned gloomy in millions of households as the news of death was flashed on TV channels on Tuesday night.

After all, just sometime back they had cheered the boy when he sang his way through the Amul Voice of India competition. Ishmeet's family isn't aware whether he could swim or not. But on Tuesday he did step into the pool and lost his life.

He was rushed to hospital but doctors said he was already dead. In his brief professional career he had achieved fame and love. When he had beaten Harshit to become the star, it as the legendary Lata Mangeshkar who had handed over the award. He was a teenager then, just 18 year old.

The voice is no more but the echoes will be heard forever.

Was Malika Sherawat's dress revealing?

Is there no issue left in this nation except dress? Sania Mirza, Cheergirls in IPL matches and now Malika, who was quite well-dress on this occasion.

It's just another publicity stunt. Almost a week after Malika Sherawat appeared at a music launch function in Chennai, a self-styled guardian of our culture has filed a complaint with the police.

The Hindu Makal Kachi leader though a bit late, realised that Mallika had dressed in an improper way. Obviously can't see the gyrating hips of actresses on the channels and the much bawdy dances on South Indian (and of course, North Indian) TV Channels.

It has become a fashion to talk about 'indecent dress' in India. A Moulvi issues a fatwa about Sania Mirza's dress, the actor-turned-politician Shotgun finds the cheergirls obscene and the Tamil Nadu guy finds Malika's dress as vulgar.

He even doesn't like the way she dared to sit ie cross-legged in the presence of Chief Minister. Malika and actresses like her court such controversies but it is also a way to get publicity for little-known politicians by filing cases in either police station or approaching courts on the issue of morality and preserving culture.

The complainant says her revealing dress and expsoure caused mental agony to people. In a lighter vein, I must say that it must have caused agony as she was quite 'over-dressed' given her reputation!

[Bollywood actress Malika Sherawat's photo at the Chennai function]

Shamshad Begum turns 90

It's ironical that one of the greatest living playback singers, the legendary Shamshad Begum, who is alive and living an obscure life in Mumbai, has been forgotten and many websites on the internet and even Wikipedia page till today declares her 'dead'*.

Ten years ago a wrong report was published and on the basis of that many people believed her to be dead. But Shamshad Begum's family didn't issued a denial and the news agency's report still creates confusion, writes Dainik Bhaskar's features editor Rajkumar Kesvani.

"The air was cleared when I spoke to HMV, the company that pays royalty and they confirmed she was alive and living in Paowai's Hiranandai Gardens. With my friends Suman Chaurasia and Raju I headed for her house".

Kesvani writes how he had to deal with the guard and then persuade Shamshad Begum's daughter Usha and son-in-law Colonel Ratra to get to meet the grand lady of Indian music.

"She was sitting amid half-a-dozen women of the building and at the first sight of her graceful persona, the song, Sunte the naam jinkaa ham bahaar se/dekhaa to Dolaa jiyaa jhoom jhoom ke, came to my mind".

I told her, "Ek arsay se aapki qadam-bosi ki tamanna thii, meri zindagi ke chand khushgavaar lamhe aapki aavaaz ki den haiN....." in chaste Urdu. She appeared delighted. In her Punjabi accent, she spoke to the group and they had a nice discussion.

I promised that on every visit to Mumbai, I would meet her. "unki duaaen maa ki loriyon jaisi thi". The pioneering queen of melody was born in Amritsar on April 14, 1919. Her father was deeply religious but a gramophone in the house on which 'naats' were heard, initiated her into the world of music.

At the age of 12, a youg Shamshad Begam had her first audition for the company of Mater Ghulam Haider, who also gave two other great singers Noor Jehan and Lata Mangeshkar to us. In 1940, her song was recorded in Punjabi movie Yamla Jat.

Later in 1944, she reached Mumbai. It was the era of Amirbai Karnataki, Rajkumari and Zohrabai Ambalewali but soon Shamshad became a household name and her songs were heard across the country. She became the most famous singer of her times.

Wishing her Happy B'day and a long life.

(Excerpts from Mr Rajkumar Kesvani's article)

[*The other Shamshad Begum, who died in 1998, was the grandmother of Saira Banu and the mother of Nasim Bano. She was known as Shamshad Begum alias Chhamia who was a singer but never sang for movies.]

PS: I also checked the Wikipedia page and it seems some netizens have tried to correct the mistake but still there is confusion. Music lovers must take cognisance of such a serious error.

Hold Chhat puja in Mumbai: After all, Holi-Diwali are now celebrated in South, Durga Puja & Ganeshotsava reach North India

The merchants of hate and division are creating a needless controversy over Chhat puja in Maharashtra. MNS leader Raj Thackeray has dared Lalu Yadav to perform the puja in Mumbai, after the latter announced his plans with an eye on North Indian votes.

Now the poster girl of Hindutva in the past, Uma Bharti has openly supported Yadav and said that she would also perform the puja. She has challanged Raj to dare stop her from the ritual. At one level you find it all, a non-issue, blown out of proportions.

But the fact is that there should not be any objection to Chhath in Mumbai. Bal Gangadhar Tilak initiated Ganesh Puja in Maharashtra, which was not just nationalist but also had communal overtones. It spread across the state and has in recent years entered Uttar Pradesh and other regions.

People in these states hadn't seen the Ganesha tableaux and the festivity, were surprised but never opposed this 'new culture'. They didn't feel threatened. Similarly, the Durga Puja has now become a national phenonmenon and it is not just Bengalis who participate in it.

Muslim artisans make the idols and people of various religions and regions are part of the celebrations. Until a few years back Holi and Diwali were not celebrated in cities in South India. And if you were in Bangalore or Chennai on Holi, you had a strange feeling.

But North Indians have reached there and now you hear sound of crackers and also colours of Holi splashed in Hyderabad and other metropolitan areas. But when it comes to the most cosmoplitan city of India, the retrogressive and divisive Shiv Sena, and its off-shoot Navnirman Sena, show their xenophobia.

Maharashtrian culture is threatened by Chhath. What nonsense? The culture of Maharashtra is not so weak. The problem is with the governments, both State and Centre.

Those spreading hate, even if they are politicians, should be booked and charged with anti-national activities. The groups and parties who create this atmosphere need to be dealt firmly.
[Photo Chhat puja on Juhu beach courtesy Mumbaidailyphoto]

If the Congress has the guts, it should book these sort of troublemakers and band of goons under the MCOCA because it is organised crime. If one is a leader or member of a political party, he doesn't get license to spread hatred and must not be treated above the law.

But Congress and other parties are equally to be blamed. For pushing its own agenda, it likes to have creatures like Raj Thackeray, who make Shiv Sena and the BJP uncomfortable. That's where lies the failure of Indian political class and our society.

Closing 771 year old police station of Balban's era in Delhi

The Kotwali police station, the oldest police station of Delhi, that survived for 771 years from the era of Sultan Balban, will soon be closed. It was established in 1237 AD and Fakhruddin was the first Kotwal.

The all-power Kotwal of India's capital during the Mughal era, sat here. It was this Chowki where Mirza Ghalib was caught and brought after his arrest for gambling, And itwas in this police chowki that Pt Nehru's grandfather Gangadhar Nehru was a Kotwal. Hundreds of Indian freedom fighters were hanged at the platform in front of this Kotwali after 1857 struggle for independence.

The great historian Ziauddin Burney has mentioned extensively about this chowki. Now the jurisdiction of Kotwali would be handed over to other police stations and the area divided amongst Jama Masjid, Chandni Chowk and Daryaganj police stations.

Kissing in Kolakata: India's love capital!

The usual photographs of rains, which are published in Indian newspapers are that of overflowing drains, women wading through water and scooter riders braving the showers on road.

However, the photos from Kolkata are altogether different. On the left is a couple--deeply immersed in love in a public park--even as it drizzles.

Some might find the photo lovely and others might feel that is is obscene. Depends on one's perception. There are a few more photos from Kolkata in the last fortnight, mostly of couples, holding hands, or enjoying the shower. Is it that the photographers in Kolkata are peeping toms or its that Calcuttan spirit--free and fearless love, without any moral policing. Calcuttans don't make a fuss about kissing or lovemaking--after all, they are doing it for generations in the City of Tagore.

aakhir mohabbat hai, koi jurm to nahin to sharm ki jaaye

The India TV also did a story on Kissing in Kolkata, I have been told (I haven't seen it). They also termed Kolkata as the Kissing Kapital of the Country. Good to see youngsters kissing than killing in the name of caste or religion. At least, it is a million times better than seeing the moral cops in Meerut, beating lovers and blackening their faces, or burning Valentine's Day cards in the Cow Belt by Saffron Brigades. Or for that matter the brouhaha over Shilpa Shetty-Gere kiss and the Matuknath Julie love affair.

The photo on the right is that of another couple. Seems they haven't got a bench yet. One can understand their dilemma. Doin' it right there on the wet ground can soil their dress and make it impossible to go home.

But surely there can't be a better way to welcome rains than lovemaking. And for the self-styled upholders of our culture who haven't bothered to read anything from Kalidasa to Kamasutra, who oppose the celebration of love, I guess they are the deprived lot--khelenge naheen, to khel bigadenge. Better fall in love.

Excessive campaign against tobacco: Wine is Fine

First of all let me clarify that I am neither a smoker or associated with a cigarette brand (or tobacco company) but the pitch against tobacco that is getting shriller every year, really annoys me.

Today was No Tobacco Day and it seemed that consumption of tobacco is a the worst of all crimes in the society. But I don't see any such campaign against the liquor, which makes a person addict in a very different sense than cigarette or gutka.

Once you are addicted to liquor, it takes its toll on your entire family and ruins the life. Tobacco is a health hazard but surely not in this category. But it is made out to be the biggest culprit. While wine is celebrated and promoted these days. Tobacco is much cheaper and smoking is still not such a costly addiction compared to alcoholism that hits the finances of the family. Innumerable families suffer due to alcoholic men.

If tobacco can cause cancer, liquor is no nectar. But liquor seems to have got the approval. Most of the women, I know, approve of social drinking but their eyebrows are raised when a man lights a cigarette (is it because he hasn't asked their permission?).

And smoking doesn't lead to crime but liquor does lead to all kinds of anti-social activities including sexual crimes, still the latter is fast becoming acceptable and cigarette/tobacco is condemned excessively.
I fail to understand this strong movement against smoking, which is acquiring a dangerous momentum with time though smoking 'bidi' has been a part of culture in rural India.

Urban Indians may laugh at it but in rural areas, especially in parts of Haryana, UP, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, women can't do without a 'beedi'.


The advertisements are banned, the cigarette/bidi packets are now carrying warnings in bold letters and every year they are taxed heavily. Though love for liquor grows. I know many would say that alcohol can be beneficial and has medicinal properties but I feel that this requires exceptional restraint which most of the alcohol consumers find nearly impossible to achieve.

(Photographs: A woman enjoys a puff of bidi in Delhi on top right. Here on the left two women light up their bidis)