Mohammad Rafi - his best songs

 

Five songs that legendary singer Mohammad Rafi rated as his best

(from: https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/art-and-culture/five-songs-muhammad-rafi-considered-as-his-best-death-anniversary-39-5866984/) 

 

Written by Sumit Paul

Sukoon-e-dil ke liye kuchh to ehtemaam karoon
Zara nazar jo mile, phir unhein salaam karoon
Mujhe toh hosh nahin, aap mashvara deejiye
Kahaan se chhedoon fasana, kahaan tamaam karoon

—Shakeel Badayuni

(Let me do something worthwhile for the peace of heart/When I get to see her, I greet silently/I’m clueless, you’d better advise/Where to start it from and where to end).  

The last line of Shakeel Badayuni’s immortal quatrain seems apt to define the boundless musical greatness of the one and only Mohammad Rafi, who breathed his last 39 years ago on Friday, July 31, 1980. Even after almost four decades, the genius of Rafi is still discussed and deified. The reason is obvious. He was born to sing. Ek maamooli mutrib hoon, faqat gaana jaanta hoon (I’m but an ordinary singer; I know just to sing), he had once said. That was his disarming humility.

Out of the 7,405 songs (not 26,000; that’s an exaggeration by hardcore Rafi fans) in several Indian languages, Rafi sang 4,334 Hindi songs. Nearly 70 songs have no official LP records and were never uploaded on YouTube. All India Radio, Urdu Service and Vividh Bharati also don’t have many songs that the stalwart sang in his distinguished career. I’m afraid, even writer Raju Bhartan’s Rafi Geet Kosh doesn’t have these songs like, Ae meri jaane-tamanna, meri jaan-e-ghazal….‘ (Film Sundari, 1950), Ek jaam pila de saaqi, raat abhi hai baaqi  (Tere Do Nain, 1951), among others.

When it comes to picking up Rafi’s five best songs, one really gets confounded because the man sang so many fabulous songs that choosing just five best is akin to looking for a needle in the haystack. Way back in 1961, when Vimala and Kamini Ganjwar of Radio Ceylon interviewed him for a Hindi magazine and asked Rafi about his best songs, the singer replied, “Muhabbat zinda rahti hai, muhabbat mar nahin sakti (Changez Khan, Qamar Jalalabadi; Hansraj Bahal, 1956), Maine chaand aur sitaron ki tamanna ki thi (Film: Chandrakanta, Lyrics: Sahir Ludhianavi, Music: Dutta Naik aka N Dutta, 1956) and Aaye bahaar ban ke lubhaye chale gaye (Film: Raajhath, Lyricist: Hasrat Jaipuri, Music: Shankar-Jaikishan, 1958).”

But, when late Sadiq Ali of BBC interviewed him in 1979 and later for The Jung Group of Newspapers in Pakistan, Rafi selected some amazingly beautiful, but very rare songs as his best and didn’t mention any of the three songs that he liked in 1961. This proves that a creative person’s perceptions dramatically undergo a sea-change to accept something altogether new and novel.

Well, when I met Sadiq Ali in Sargodha, Punjab-Pakistan for my second Doctorate on ‘Rafi ki aawaaz ki naghmai baareeqiyan‘ (the musical nuances of Rafi’s voice), he provided rare insights into the songs which Rafi shared with him. To start with, the first song that Rafi always considered as his best was: Kaise kategi zindagi tere baghair (Film: Kaise kategi zindagi, unreleased, 1963). This song was the closest to the great man’s heart as it was to be picturised on his best friend Uttam Kumar, the icon of Bengali cinema. Had it happened, it would have been Uttam’s maiden foray into Hindi cinema. The film had to be shelved owing to lack of funds. But its song ‘Kaise kategi zindagi….’ survived and was brought to listeners’ notice only after the demise of Rafi in 1980. This song has the longest prelude — one minute and 16 seconds — in the history of film music and it’s on the Stradivarius violin, first and last time used in Indian film or popular music, played by Kunwar Mahendra Pratap Singh, the scion of a royal family in Rajasthan.

The song, which he considered to be his second-best, was: ‘Gham-e-hasti se bas begana hota, khudaya kaash main deewana hota‘ (Film: Wallah Kya Baat Hai, Lyrics: Anand Bakhshi, Composer: Roshan Lal Nagarath, 1962). In this film, Rafi jokingly nudged Shammi Kapoor that, ‘Parde pe aapko ye naghma zara sanjeedgi se gaana hai‘ (You’re supposed to lip-synch on celluloid with controlled emotions). Contrary to Shammi’s flamboyant image, this is one song which is very sombre. Rarely played nowadays, Shammi Kapoor cried after listening to this song and Roshan Lal Nagrath asked Anand Bakshi after its recording, “Recording room mein koi farishta gaa raha tha kya?” (Was there an angel singing this song in the recording room?). Rafi didn’t take any money for this song.

Now comes his third best: Mujhe tumse muhabbat hai magar main kah (not ‘keh’, this is erroneous English transliteration of Hindi/Urdu terms) nahin sakta (Film: Bachpan, Lyrics: Hasrat Jaipuri, Music: Sardar Malik, 1963, print and video unavailable). This magnificently romantic number was filmed on Salim Khan, the handsome father of Salman Khan, who came to Bombay from Indore to become a hero. Sadiq Ali added that Rafi asked Hasrat: “Parde pe kaun hoga?” When he came to know that a young man was the hero, he sang extra-soulfully so as to establish the young Salim Khan. Music critics Rustom Irani, Malika Rastogi and Ravindra Kapoor are of the view that this song is the epitome of romanticism with its words and Sardar Malik’s amazing composition. Rafi’s rendition was the icing on the cake. Hasrat shared that Rafi requested to make a few alterations to the song and they were duly incorporated, but the unassuming great said, “Mujhe kahaan shayari aati hai?” (I don’t know anything of poetry). It was Navin Nishchal’s favourite song and whenever the actor met up with Rafi, he requested him to sing it. Rafi always obliged.

The fourth song was Kahin se maut ko laao ke gham ki raat kate (Film: Mera Qusoor Kya Hai, Lyrics: Rajendra Krishna, Music: Chitragupt Srivastav, 1964). This is considered to be the depressingly most beautiful number ever recorded in Indian cinema. Picturised on Dharmendra, Rafi was not very happy with the lyrics and requested the lyricist to make it less depressing. “Ye kuchh zyada hi ghamgeen hai...” he said. But on that very day, he got the news about the passing away of his childhood friend Darshan Singh at a hospital in Lahore. He cried and phoned Chitragupt and lyricist Rajendra Krishna that he’d sing the song sans any change as a tribute to his friend, who Rafi had helped financially and also got him admitted to the Military Hospital, Lahore Cantonment. The song exudes pain and pathos in such a manner that unless you listen to it, admiration will be akin to describing a rainbow to a blind man. The director R Krishnan and S Panju cried hysterically after watching and hearing it on the screen.

The last song that he chose was the finest nazm: ‘Kahin ek maasoom nazuk-si ladki‘ (Film: Shankar-Hussain, Lyrics: Kamaal Amrohi, Music: Muhammad Zahoor Khayyam Hashmi aka Khyyaam). This is a long nazm (not a ghazal, it’s often mistaken for a ghazal by the uninitiated announcers and listeners). Rafi was very happy after recording this song and the taciturn legend hugged Kamaal Amrohi and said, “Aap likhte kyon nahin?” (Why don’t you write more?). He corrected a word grammatically in this song. The word was ‘qalam‘, used in Urdu as a feminine gender (muannas) and in Persian as a masculine gender (muzakkar). Rafi suggested that ‘Qalam haath se chhoot jaata (not jaati)’ will sound better because we often say in Persian: Qalam goyad ke man shah-e-jahanam…Qalam kahta, not kahti, hai ke main duniya ka baadshah hoon: (The quill proclaims that I’m the Emperor of the world). Rafi fell in love with the imagery used by Amrohi and complimented Khayyam on his lilting composition.

In that longest interview of his life, Rafi shared some rare gems and even admitted that he ought not to have sung songs like Savere wali gaadi se chale jayenge, ‘Main jatt yamla pagla deewana’ or ‘John-jaani janardan.’ Yet the humble man added: “Mujhe zindagi aur kisi shakhs se koi shikayat nahin rahi” (I’ve no grievances whatsoever).

He also mentioned that there were quite a few songs that were close to his heart like “Mujhe dard-e-dil ka pata na tha” (Akashdeep, 1965, Lyricist: Majrooh Sultanpuri and music: Chitragupt), ‘Jaag dil-e-deewana rut jaagi‘ (Oonche Log, Majrooh Sutanpuri and Chitragupt, 1965), ‘Zindagi ke safar mein akele thay hum‘ (Film: Nartaki, Music: Ravishankar Sharma, Lyrics: Shakeel Badayuni, 1963) etc. Sadiq told me that Rafi had a premonition of his death during the interview in December 1979 and January 1980. He shuffled off the mortal coil after a few months. The posterity will forever remember you, Rafi sahab. Some individuals are simply indelible. Their incandescent memories can never be erased.

Sumit Paul is an advanced research scholar of Semitic languages, civilisations and religions.

 

 

 

 

Lata didi

Lata Mangeshkar, at the pinnacle of playback singing passed away in Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai in February 2022, leaving many mourning her leaving the mortal coil. We needn't be sad. She was 92, had a fulfilling life and left the world after ensuring that her songs are available for future generations to listen to and enjoy!

I doubt if there is any genre of film songs that she hasn't sung. Maybe not qawwali, since I haven't heard any....but maybe she may not have left that genre. Here is a selection of songs that have given untold pleasure to me while listening to them. I am giving the links with the youtube videos embedded here.

The first has to be the bhajan that was a favourite of Mahatma Gandhi too! I am embedding the Live recording of Lata's rendering of the bhajan here.

(Please note: Some embedded videos may not be displayed because of copyright issues. I have given the YouTube link below the embedded videos in case the embedded videos don't play)

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJ_8-O8EvZg)

The next song is from a classic Dil Ek Mandir "Ruk jaa raat thehar jaa re chanda". The pathos of the situation is brought so wonderfully by Lata Mangeshkar that you want the night to not end.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CadsK5qwhdw)

Now for another prayer song. This is from the Dev Anand classic Hum Dono. The song Allah tero naam. The song is so strong on devotion that one is bound to have some tears well up in their eyes listening to the voice and modulation of Lata didi.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prJ9NbOycEI)

The next song is about 'rains'. Among Hindi film songs, the songs on rain (barkha, saawan, etc) have been classics - especially the ones from the 1950's to the 1970's. There are so many, so please excuse me if this not not among your favourites! This one is from Parakh. The song, O sajnaa barkha bahaar aayi  has some wonderful musical accompaniment.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI50w-uttTA)

The next one is from the movie Dil Apna Aur Preet Parayi. The film had Meena Kumari and Raj Kumar in central roles. The former as a nurse in the latter's hospital. Secretly pining for Raj Kumar, but unable to express her love, she finds that Raj Kumar is betrothed to another lady. The song in a party on a boat has some excellent musical accompaniment. Enjoy.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AU-hut9lGQ4)

The next song is a dance number picturised on the beautiful and excellent dancer, Vyjayanthimala from the movie, Amrapali. The song expresses the love that the leading lady has for her lover when she is waiting for him. The song, Neel gagan ki chaaon mein has excellent music and dance choreography. The movie had music by Shankar Jaikishen with all songs sung by Lata Mangeshkar.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55LRrp3XNA4)

Among Lata's songs that are picturised on the leading lady or supporting actress with a child, the one in Aradhana is always a classic. The song Chanda hai tu, mera suraj hai tu is different from the other songs in the movie, and that is why I have included it here!

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXSEr_hg7iE)

With a view to be different, here is a cabaret number sung by Lata. Probably the only cabaret number that she sang as if to tell her more accomplished sister, Asha Bhosle (in that genre) that what you can do, I can do too and with some panache to boot. The song is fromt the film, Inteqaam. The song is Aa jaane jaan.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dCDKtYElYQ)

The next and the last one in this blog is from the movie Mughal-E-Azam. The song, Pyaar kiya to darna kya was filmed on the ravishing Madhubala and was a super duper hit. One aspect that caught the attention of listeners was the echo effect in the song when technology was not there to record such an effect. A rumour started doing the rounds that Naushad had asked Lata to record the song in a bathroom to get the effect in the recording. However, in an interview (https://bit.ly/3SrJsQC), Lata had this to say, "The only way to do it (getting the echo effect) was singing the same line of the song at three different places and then overlapping the recordings." So, Lata Mangeshkar started from a room and then came to a hall and finally to a room where the recording device was put. Later, that effect made the song memorable.

But none of the places was a bathroom. She categorically denied the rumour but said that she is immensely proud of that song.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzVG01dDTCA

Thanks for reading!

Rocketry - the movie

I watched the movie yesterday. I had heard about it for the last few months but hadn't seen the trailer that was released a few weeks earlier. Wanted to see the whole movie and not the trailer which would have biased me.  Being an engineer by qualification and an industrial and quality engineer by profession, grabbing the scientific terms and the technical details wouldn't be too difficult, I thought. How wrong I was! It is not as if I understood the terms 'thrust', 'pressure', 'combustion', etc and how they impact the design framework of rockets, but the way it was presented in the movie made me realize that the makers had taken some pains to ensure that even though the terms may not be understood by the lay people, at least its importance in the context of the movie would not be lost on many. Kudos to Maddy for making that happen.

The challenges at work that Nambi Narayanan faced in ISRO and the obstacles that he had to cross to learn the latest technology in France and bring the rocket parts from Russia later were captured wonderfully well; though one could not help but agree to what Suriya (I watched the movie in Chennai - Tamil dialogues - some issues regarding that will be discussed later) remarked in the movie, 'it looked like a James Bond movie!" Whether Nambi Narayanan really did imitate James Bond or Maddy did with cinematic liberty, only Nambi Narayanan and his close associates can answer! That doesn't take away anything from the movie, though.

[Warning: Spoilers ahead - not much though]

Being a biopic on the rocket scientist, it is obvious that the character of Nambi Narayanan would be the central focus of the movie. Any comment that other characters were given short shrift doesn't go well with what the director wished to convey in the given 150 minutes (approximately). I cannot but remark that Meena (Simran in the movie) was superb in the time she got in the movie and her performance as the troubled wife of Nambi Narayanan was heart-wrenching. Maddy really lived the role, and as Nambi Narayanan has remarked in his interviews, it is as if God ordained that the two should meet and that Maddy should not only be making the movie, but also act as Nambi Narayanan. Other roles of Kalam, Vikram Sarabhai, Unni, U R Rao, etc were capably performed by the actors.

The production values and the art direction, especially in scenes where the team tests engines in France, were wonderful.

By and large, the whole movie wasn't heavy on emotions. But they came to the fore during the scenes where Nambi Narayanan returns home from jail only to find his wife under severe depression. At the same time, the public is seen raising slogans against Nambi Narayanan and throwing stones at his house with the police mutely standing by - as if complicit in the whole sordid affair. That small scene plus where the CBI officer informs his superior about the role of Gopal, the Police Inspector, shows where and how the conspiracy may have been hatched. 

I watched the movie in Chennai and if at all I have some issue, it is that it looked very odd to me to hear Tamil being spoken by the foreign characters and even the characters like Vikram Sarabhai and Satish Dhawan. I can only speak about myself here and I would have preferred the characters to speak in the language that was spoken there with subtitles helping the viewers understand what is being spoken. With so many webseries nowadays where that is the norm, it shouldn't have been too difficult to get this organised.

On the whole a wonderful movie and a rich addition to the growing collection of the best Indian movies of the millenium. My only wish is that Nambi Narayanan's wish - knowing who hatched the conspiracy and punishing them - is fulfilled soon!

Subterranean Farming

 Last night I had a dream. Now, to set the record straight, I am not a dreamer of the Dr. Abdul Kalam type who said, "dreams should keep one awake". This was about underground farming.

I dreamt that I had visited one such farm a few metres below ground where there was an experimental farm growing cash crops. I thought I have solved some great land shortage issue by making people take up this innovative way of using land below for agriculture! 

However, I am not alone. Others have dreamt of this already and made it a reality. As usual, my dream is only a reflection of some one else's reality.

Experimental Subterranean farming

Among the myriad advantages of underground farming is the fact that we can have farms below ground in urban centres where land for agriculture is non-existent.

I am sure more and more adventurous spirits will take up this over the next decades since more and more agricultural land near cities and metropolises is being taken away for non-agricultural uses.

Grandfathers - A. K. Subbiah and P. S. Krishnan and their families

A. K. Subbiah - my paternal grandfather

Extracts from my grandfather's diaries. My paternal grandfather's name is A. K. Subbiah (full name would be Ariyanayakipuram Krishna Iyer Subbiah). Ariyanayakipuram is the name of the village in Tirunelveli district where our family hails from. The diaries were collected by my father, Mr. A. S. Dandapani, Mr. Subbiah's son, and then typed on a Tamil typewriter taking the help of a person who knew Tamil typing. My father then got them photocopied and distributed the copies among his siblings.

My grandfather retired as a Circle Inspector of Police long ago - prior to India gaining independence. As a police officer, he probably needed to be very conscientious in maintaining his documents and so in his private life too, he maintained a diary detailing out the various postings, cases he was assigned, his travails of being in the police under the Englishmen, and policing the areas under his control with whatever resources were available to police officers of those days.

Subbiah was born in the month of June 1882 in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. He doesn't mention the date in his diary.

He writes that in his initial school days he was a scared boy and got frightened easily. Even for the mistakes not commited by him, he would say he was guilty, being scared of punishment by the teacher. He adds that later on he wasn't like that. Of course!

He lost his mother early on - probably when he was still in his primary school (the dates are not clearly mentioned in the diary). He writes that he appeared for III Form examination in 1893. There were two parts - compulsory and optional subjects. My grandfather and another student passed the compulsory subjects; but the other students didn't pass both subjects. Inspite of this, my grandfather was admitted to the college for his IV Form. He passed his F.A. (Inter) in 1901. He writes that he wasn't a good student. He had a strong desire to study medicine. He writes rather jokingly how he got this desire. While still young, he suffered from severe cold and went to a local apothecary for medicines and asked for smelling salts. Recognising from his voice that he had cold, the apothecary vacated his chair and invited my grandfather to sit on that chair and prescribe medicines for others waiting there. My grandfather writes that he said he would do so after studying for medicine! He later rues that he didn't have money to study medicine and the boys having money ridiculed him that he wouldn't be able to study for 5 years to complete the course. That was the end of his desire for the noble profession! However, when my cousin and my sister both got admitted to medical colleges, he was a happy man and congratulated them by writing a letter. I remember the letter written to my sister; my cousin is considerably older and lived in Poona and I wouldn't know if he also got a letter.

Subbiah got a clerk's job in the collector office on the recommendation of an official. The reason being that my grandfather had passed his FA and had good handwriting. [I can attest to his handwriting since even when he was 90 he would write letters to my father and his writing was absolutely wonderful. Cursive writing of the early 1900s]. His first job was as a clerk in the Fair Copy Department in the collector office. He started his first job when he was 19 on 10th March 1902 on a salary of Rs. 15 per month.

He writes about the police policy then in vogue. Back in 1905 there was a commission appointed by the government of (British) India to improve the image of police forces. Back in the day each police station was headed by a Head Constable, who wouldn't be much educated and would be lacking in policing and enquiry skills. Mostly they would catch an accused and resort to third degree treatment to get a confession for crimes. This had resulted in heavy criticism across the country. The commission suggested that educated people be selected, trained for one year in Vellore, and after training be posted as Sub-Inspectors in police stations. The government accepted this recommendation. The salary for the sub-inspector was Rs. 50 per month plus horse allowance of Rs. 15. There were many applicants with graduate and post-graduate degrees in addition ot matriculation passed candidates.

My grandfather applied for the post and was interviewed by the DIG of Coimbatore and was one of the only candidates selected from that batch of applicants. He joined the Vellore Police Training College on 10th October, 1905. His posting was mostly in Salem, Karur, Jayamkondan, Ariyalur, Kulithalai and other police stations.

Subbiah married Visalakshi. I have no information about my grandmother since she passed away at a fairly young age - in the late 1940s. Subbiah and Visalakshi were parents to about 10 children, out of which 9 survived for long. One daughter died immediately after she gave birth to a second child and that left my grandparents distraught. They lost the small child too due to illness. Four of his sons (including my father) and four daughters lived a long life.

I have a family tree of my paternal side going back about 13 generations. The doyen, Mahaan Shri Gopinatha Iyer, lived in Ariyanayakipuram village in Tirunelveli district. Whether he settled there after travelling from somewhere, or grew up there, we don't know. This must have been the 16th century at least. The family tree gives only the males (chauvinism, you may say) and is not fully complete across all branches. It is too big to accommodate here in this blog.

Gopinatha Iyer was supposed to have travelled to Kashi and on his return brought an idol of Vishwanath. That idol was consecrated in our village temple.

(Plaque mentioning about my ancestor Gopinatha Iyer who brought the 

idol of Kashi Visalakshi and Viswanatha. 

The plaque mentions the kumbabhishekam done in 1972)

(Mr. Subbiah with his sons and daughters-in-law - photo taken in 1964 during Mr. Subbiah's sadabhishekam)

Subbiah celebrated his 80th birthday (we call that Sadabhishekam - meaning one who has witnessed thousand full moons) in 1964. 

(Picture taken during the wedding of Mr. A.S. Raman, fourth son of A. K. Subbiah, 1952)

Eldest son, Krishnamurthy studied B.A., B.L, and practised as an advocate in Tirunelveli itself. There are some interesting anecdotes about him; he was overcome by nationalism and wanted to join Gandhiji's salt satyagraha; but was convinced not to participate. He took up cases where he didn't have to lie and missed taking up a lot of cases and opportunities to make money. He would take up real estate cases mostly, I am told.

Second son was A.S. Mani, who qualified Indian Foreign Service and retired as India's Permanent Representative to UN. Prior to that he had travelled to African countries and England as a diplomat.

My father was the third son, but not very good in studies. He didn't study beyond Intermediate. He joined Imperial Bank; left that and joined the Army (while still the British Army) and was posted to Jammu, Delhi, and Burma among other places. 

(A. S. Dandapani, 1st Sep, 1941)

Dandapani retired from the Army in 1957, the year I was born. 

(A. S. Dandapani, Indian Army)

After retiring from the Army, Dandapani got a job in Hindustan Steel Ltd in Delhi. In 1960 my father came to Ranchi and continued there till his retirement in 1976. My father was in the Chairman's office of HSL as his Personal Secretary. He continued there till SAIL was formed, he declined the Delhi transfer, and got posted as PS to the GM of SAIL R&D. My father had a very good working relationship with all his bosses and I remember all of them visiting our home and having a cup of coffee/tea in our home. To others he was considered a terror and many of my friends who came home to study with me have faced his wrath on at least one occasion.

My father married Sita, my mother, in 1946 on May 26th. The marriage was held in my mother's village - a mere three miles from my father's village in Tirunelveli district.

(A. S. Dandapani weds Sitalakshmi, 26th May, 1946)

My maternal grandfather - Mr. P. S. Krishnan

Sita, as my mother was known, was the only daughter of Mr. P. S. Krishnan. Mr Krishnan had one son by his first wife, and after she expired within a short time giving birth to a boy, he married again. The second marriage resulted in two sons, Mr. Sitaraman and Mr. Subramanian plus my mother Sita. Mr. Krishnan was a farmer with a small landholding in a village, Pappakudi, in Tirunelveli district.

(Picture taken during the Sadabhishekham of Mr. P.S. Krishnan, 1965)

My eldest uncle, Mr. Lakshminarayanan (second from left - standing), joined Central Bank and retired from there. He had no children. His younger brother, Sitaraman (second from right - standing) also joined Central Bank and retired as Manager. He had two daughters (elder sitting right extreme, younger squatting second from left). Third son, Mr. Subramanian qualified as a Chartered Accountant and practised in Raichur, Karnataka. He had two daughters and a son. Elder daughter (squatting left extreme), son (squatting second from right), and the youngest daughter squeezed between my grandfather and grandmother. Sita is standing third from right. Only three of my sisters attended the function. My father, myself, and my eldest sister couldn't travel from Ranchi. My second sister is sitting extreme left, third sister is squatting extreme right, and youngest one is squatting third from left.

(A. S. Dandapani and Sita Dandapani, sometime in 1950s)

Contrary to many families that I know of, my father's siblings and my mother's siblings didn't have any quarrels with one another. There have been brief periods of 'cold war' between two siblings, but on the whole the families were well-knit and came to support one another when in need. I remember my father taking loans for paying exam fees or buying books for my sisters, or for weddings for my sisters. For weddings especially my mother's brothers would lend money readily. We siblings (my four sisters and I - though only three sisters survive now) are similar and have a fantastic bonding to this date!

Stray

There is a stray dog near my flat door. It lies there during the warm part of the day; and sleeps there at night. It has been lying around this place for the last couple of months. I don't know where it came from and why it chooses to lie down near my flat door. It is definitely not the coolest place around, and I am hardly friendly with it. But still every day it lies there.

Now because the dog - a stray dog actually - has been lying down opposite my flat door, it causes inconvenience to us when we want to step out or when any e-commerce delivery person comes home to deliver items that we order. So we 'shoo' it away and reluctantly it gets up, looks at us dolefully as if we are heartless, and ambles away down one flight of steps to lie down comfortably in the landing. It will lie there for a couple of hours till there is relative silence and then when we are not looking, walk back up and park itself opposite our door again.

A couple of weeks ago, my wife insisted I take up this matter with our association to see if this dog could be taken away by some organisation. I took it up with the association representative, but she only referred me to Blue Cross and asked me to handle the issue myself since the dog chooses to be my 'doorkeeper'. Well, I did contact Blue Cross and other than some 'cross talk' (each of us being cross with the other), they refused to take the dog away saying that in these Covid times they themselves are overwhelmed by other animals to care for and a dog that presumes my house to be his, is no great danger to me, nor is it too unwell to be taken away and cared for by them. So Blue Cross had to be crossed out as an option. But the lady from Blue Cross did mention and give me the phone number of Chennai Corporation and asked me to contact them. I am a bit wary of Corporation and I have witnessed the horrible treatment meted out to strays, so I stayed away from contacting them.

Meanwhile we haven't fed the dog, thinking that if we don't it will get angry and leave us; but no it is getting some nourishment from someone and that is keeping it healthy; but its sleeping place is near my main door. I have seen a plastic container (that may have contained milk and water) and some biscuit pieces scattered near the dog, so I am quite sure there are some good samaritans taking care of the dog's stomach. Why they don't invite it over to their doorstep is something that I don't know!

We do believe in after-life and sometimes I feel as if my mother's soul has entered this dog and it recognises me as its son and that's why it takes liberties to lie down opposite my house! On the other hand it could be Ajmal Kasab's soul also. That's why I am not going to feed it or provide any form of nourishment. Only 'shoo' it away whenever I see it near my door.

Exit WhatsApp

 Yes, I have finally done that. I have exited WhatsApp.

My association with this messaging app was for about 7 years. No, this is not the proverbial seven year itch. The recent announcement by WhatsApp that it has changed its privacy policy to reveal some more information about me doesn't sit well with me.

I am not paranoid about my privacy. I don't have anything to hide. I don't have anything of value that is lucrative enough for hackers. But what I don't like are dual standards adopted by the messaging app where for India the changed policy would be applicable effective May 15 (and where we don't have an option for an "opt out"). Whereas this policy is not going to be implemented in Europe. Are we lesser beings? Someone mentioned that Europe has tighter regulatory framework and that is why. Others said why are you bothering as if other apps don't collect and share your data. They may, but since I don't know if they do or don't, I can't be bothered.

I understand that Signal offers better security (whatever that may mean) and I intend to migrate to that app for my instant messaging.

Next in line is removing all my messages, replies and likes from Facebook and deleting my account with the parent organisation also to complete the circle. Twitter would likely follow.

When a close friend exited our WhatsApp group a couple of months back, I asked him a few weeks later if he has any "withdrawal symptoms". He said he had that for a couple of days, but later found out that he is saving about an hour or more per day by not having WhatsApp and not looking at various messages that get loaded. Messages that most of us cannot ignore; messages that are mostly forwards; messages that we can avoid in our day to day life. Finally, messages that I too contribute by forwarding many each day!