Oonchi Hai Building, Lift Teri Band Hai :D

My great-great-great grandfather told his son that his great-great-great grandfather was friends with Uncle Darwin. Now, Uncle Darwin was a peculiar kind of a man. He, according to me, was a pessimist who believed that you will be wiped off the surface of the Earth If you don't change. Well, what he really propagated was the theory of natural selection and the survival of the fittest but what a lame person like me understands by it is that if you do not change with the changing world, you will soon be engulfed by obsolescence. 
The easiest example that I can come up with is that of Nokia. The company failed to keep up with the technological changes and lost all its market share to android phones.
They say that the only constant thing in life is change! All is hunky-dory with the concept of change except that it is a real challenge to leave behind things that you so loved and replace them with something better. But the real question that the Philosopher- Surbhi wants to ask is that if change /really/ is as good as it is touted to be. Allow me to put forth my arguments. But before that I would like to state that these are my personal opinions and are not intended to hurt anybody's sentiments, so keep control over your melodramatic tendencies please!

The world of music was bombarded a few years back by this sensation known as Arijit Singh. The whole country was in tears to hear his 'sun raha hai na tu, ro raha hu main.' He is the God of unrequited love and Messiah of jilted lovers.
But I personally believe that no matter how advanced the music industry becomes, how much we sway to Ed Sheeran's Shape of you, nothing can replace the old meaningless songs that the Bollywood produced. These are the songs that I remember singing with my cousins whenever there was a power outage and we had nothing to do except play Antakshri. (Can any game on your Playstore replace this good old Antakshri? And just out of curiosity, how many of you sing Tum hi ho instead of Tu cheez badi hai mast mast in the game?) 
The other day, one of my friends mocked me for maintaining a diary for all the movies I have watched and books I have read. He said I could do that on IMDB and Goodreads. This is one reason that makes me detest changes. It would break my heart if I even think of giving up on my diary and start a list on IMDB! Uncle Darwin said people like me would be wiped off because we lag behind.

Anyway, this post is not about changes per se. It is about the ridiculous lyrics that the songs back then had. It is about the inexplicable solace that I derive listening to these because they somehow connect me to childhood days when there was neither worry nor care! Life was easy and I was not surrounded by scary-looking & big books on GST or had deadlines to meet or stressed about responsibilities at home. This post is about what these songs are symbolic of - cable TV, video games, postcards & greeting cards, carom board & ludo, Kya aap closeup karte hain, Aahat, B.R. Chopra's Mahabharat every Sunday, Champak and what not.

Here are the songs that make me burst out laughing because of their silly lyrics but these never fail to cheer me up because each time I listen to them, I am like - what were they even thinking. :D (An absolutely irrelevant observation is that these are mostly from the movies of Salman Khan :P well, what else can you expect. :P )
Of course, there are countless such songs but here is a compilation of what I can think of at the moment!

1. Tan Tana Tan Tan Taara
I am unable to choose which lines make me laugh the most - suna hai tere chahne wale, aage dus hain piche barah or Tu meri hai pepsi-cola main tera hu coca cola :D
You got to see whole of it to get the feel of Bollywood rhymes and the dance moves because the song itself says ek baar se dil nahi bharta mud ke dekh mujhe dobara :P
Also, I am not ashamed to admit that I loved the movie Judwaa and it is taking all my willpower to resist adding the other songs from the movie, whether it is East or West, India is the best or Duniya mei aaye ho to love kar lo, thoda sa jee lo thoda thoda mar lo :P

2. Hawa Hawai
Awi Wiwi Wiwi Wiwi, chee ho ho honolulu lu lu, honolulu, Hing bekei Hong Kong king kong, I seenoosi yusiloosi hassi toso, lassi pissi, mombasa, ping pong. Ake chikke lakee chikee.
Enough said!
My favourite lines - Bijli girane main hu aayi, hekte hain mujhko hawa hawai :D

3. Papa kehte hain bada naam karega
Every time I did something stupid or scored low marks, I was made to hear this song at home :D And people wonder how I grew up to be so sarcastic!
My favourite lines - Koi engineer ka kaam karega, business mei koi apna naam karega :P

4. O o Jane Jana
Inception of Salman Khan's shirtless era :P
I like this song because of its peppy beats ! And come on, isn't it universally accepted that it is a crime to ignore a guy with guitar? :P Except the fact that this song has Salman Khan, everything about this song is great !
My favourite lines - not the lines but the guitar at the inception of the song!

5. Ole Ole
This is the musical version of the fact 'Men will be men' :P
You may disagree if you wish but this song has accepted the reality that guys go nuts in vicinity of estrogen-carriers.
My favourite lines - the main lines  jab bhi koi ladki dekhu mera dil diwana bole ole ole ole, ole ole ole :D

6. Choli ke peeche kya hai
Kukukukuk... this one needs no introduction :D
It is one of the most sensuous songs of its time! And Madhuri's dance moves are worth dying for! She alone could do justice to the wonderful beats of this song!
My favourite lines - aashiq pade hain piche, koi idhar ko khinche koi udhar ko khinche :P

7. Na jane kahan se aayi hai
Sridevi's expressions need a standing ovation!
My favourite lines  - Kisi ke hath na aygi ye ladki :D

8. Jumma Chumma 
Again, this song has the real touch of what Bollywood represents! It shows the plight of the guy begging the girl for a kiss in a quintessential filmy way ! Listen to this song if you like hardcore hindi music!
My favourite lines - Jumma chumma de de, jumma chumma de de :D

9. Tum par hum hain atke 
The lyrics are typical of Bollywood :D
You got to listen to this for its rhyming scheme :P
My favourite lines - Mere bhaiya toh bharwayenge tujhse to pani ke matke :P

10. Kisi disco mei jayein
How could I not include Govinda's songs :D His epic expressions while dancing the weird dance, set this song apart :P This one still leaves people grooving when played on DJ :D
My favourite lines - chalo ishq ladaye, chalo ishq ladaye :D

This is by no means even the tip of iceberg that the Bollywood music industry is! Comment about your songs that crack you up, in the comment box!


Yours sincerely
A person averse to changes & a 'rigid' fan of RiHiMuSo 
(~Ridiculous Hindi Music Society)

P.S. I am the founder and President of RiHiMuSo.

इबारत रेत पर - My Odyssey with the Sand Dunes.

The truth is, most of us discover where we are heading when we arrive.

This pretty much sums up my journey to ' The Golden City' - Jaisalmer. 

As I type this, the melodious folk music of the city echoes in my ears, the aroma of the delectable dishes of Rajasthani food tickles my olfactory senses and taste buds simultaneously, my eyes are still getting accustomed to absence of sand dunes, my bare feet crave for the touch of cool sand again; Jaisalmer is truly a miniature India in itself.

After planning for weeks and weeks, I found myself amidst the vast stretch of Thar Desert. It was a mind - boggling sight ; from east to west and north to south, each mm of the surface of earth was blanketed with golden yellow sand. Away from the hustle bustle of the metropolitan cities, Jaisalmer is a place to unwind your chaotic mind, open up your restrained heart, rediscover your lost soul. Believe me, it will silence you to the core.

Here is the glimpse of my trip captured in pictures and videos (Apologising beforehand for the low quality - blogspot permits only a 100MB video so I had to compress 250MB to 100MB which ruined the quality of the video!) :-

Sand, Surbhi & Solace

If I sound philosophical it is because the natural beauty that the place has been bestowed with, has broadened my horizon - I was left in awe with the sheer vastness of the desert, the grit of people who manage the tough life in a place that hardly has any vegetation and water, the brilliance of flora and fauna adjusting to the extreme temperatures of the place.

And you just CANNOT miss the sunset and sunrise here... when the sun rays kiss the horizon of earth enveloping everything in a golden-orange glow, your contented soul calls out to the heavens upon witnessing the picturesque sight - Oh My God, why were I missing this beauty for so long?

I feel the need... the need for speed.

If I am giving an impression of a forlorn traveller looking for spiritual stuff and peace, then I would like to clarify that Jaisalmer has a complete recipe for adrenaline rush. The desert safari. Round and round the Thar desert, the jeep ride is a must-to-do if you visit Jaisalmer. Trust me, the fierce rush of wind on your face during the bumpy, sandy ride will leave you invigorated. It will give you a high that no ecstasy can ever manage. It was an ineffable feeling, it can only be felt and can never be described in words! You got to do it to know what it is! 

  notice how the speed blurred the picture? 

The Rajasthani Thali

My father had specifically asked me not to miss the Rajasthani Thali at any cost. And he was right! With 32 items (31 items listed in the menu plus chhaachh) on a single plate, it is a dish you ought to try.

Camel Safari

Camel Ride is another attraction that you simply can't miss when in Jaisalmer. Moving at a slow pace that suits you or a camel race, you can choose your own way to experience and enjoy the tranquillity of desert.
It was my first time on a camel and I am not ashamed to admit that I was scared all the time that I was going to fall flat on my face especially when the camel was rising and sitting down! I was reminded of my niece's words "camel bahot jhoola jaisa hota hai!" as I held on tightly to the harness. Nevertheless, it was one helluva amazing experience and I am going to cherish it till I die!

Tannot Maata Mandir & the Laungewala Border

Again, my dear father had added this in the checklist of 'things to do and places to visit in Jaisalmer'.
Historically, this place is famous because the Pakistanis tried to bomb the temple during the Indo-Pak war of 1965 but none of the bombs exploded in the vicinity. The place was also shown in my all time favourite movie - Border. The un-exploded bombs are still kept in the museum. The temple is now managed by the BSF.
The place gave me a queer mixture of feelings - faith plus patriotism plus pride.

Laungewala Border is yet another place one just cannot miss. They show you a short movie of 20mins that enlightens you about how our valiant soldiers saved our country from the invasion of the enemies.
The destroyed Pakistani tanks are still at display. Here, have a look - 

The Impromptu Visit to Ajmer Sharif

Ajmer Sharif is a place that needs no introduction. It is an epitome of faith. Forgive my naivety, I have little knowledge of Islam but I was left stupefied with wonder upon seeing thousands of people bowing down for the namaaz in unison. You understand why every movie star visits the dargah  before release of his/her movie once you visit the place - the power of faith is palpable, the air itself smells of sanctity and devotion.
Talking about taking a leap of faith; more than the place, it was the way I visited Ajmer that needs to be mentioned here. We were on our way back to Delhi after spending 4 wonderful days in Jaisalmer. 30mins to the station of Ajmer and suddenly everybody decided to get down at Ajmer. We packed our stuff and jumped off at the station just like that! Yes, it was rash but we, undoubtedly, found unexpected joy with this unplanned addition to our trip.


Some special observations -

1.  Rajasthan is a place full of talent. The people are so adept at dancing and the musical instruments that your eyes turn saucers and you can't help but dance to the melody of Rajasthani folk music. 
If there is any place the Government should invest in to promote cultural talent, it is Rajasthan. The Fire dance, The Kalbeliya Gypsy Dance, The Bhavayi Dance and the list is endless! 

2. You will meet the sarangi-players at every nook and cranny of the city. The magical sound leaves you mesmerised. But at the same time, I couldn't help but feel sorry at the sordid state of the talented people playing so joyfully their melodious music for us. These people deserve a better life and a platform to showcase the talent that they have been bestowed with.


3. The food in the city is delectable. The various dishes leave you satiated and tript (I could find no better substitute for the feeling than this word!) Also, don't forget to taste the mirch-pakodas at the station shop in Pokhran.

4. The night sky is indescribably clear and beautiful. I sat for hours looking at the clear starry sky, with my bare feet in the cool sand. It was like heavens had opened the gates for me from above; a sheer bliss for a person like me who has an incurable homesickness for the stars. Every worry was wiped off my mind and I found the sangfroid and solace that I was pining for since the past so many months.



P.S.

I would like to thank my Sir for this wonderful trip. And would also like to apologise in case we caused too much trouble.

Special thanks to the people accompanying me who not only made this trip a cherishing experience but also taught me new things - teen patti :D
Shubhangi Kapoor needs special mention here for being the awesome person that she is and for bearing my nuisance so patiently.