HUM PAANCH on ZEE TV

Ekta Kapoor is the doyenne of Indian television, a brand in herself – creator of the successful Balaji Telefilms that now produces various kinds of content from feature films to TV serials to webcontent. She is most famous (or notorious depending on your viewpoint) for producing ‘Saas-Bahu’ daily soap operas the most famous being ‘Kyunki Saas bhi kabhu Bahu thi’ about 2 decades earlier and in the process also creating many super star talents.  These were for primarily the satellite television but Ekta had been doing TV series for DD earlier a lot of them equally successful.

The Vagina Monologues

No two shows of the Vagina Monologues are the same, and its definitely worth watching several times preferably in different cities.

I saw only the Indian version in English of the Vagina Monologues.  This was created by Mahabano Modi Kotwal a prominent theater artist and producer in Mumbai, who saw the original show in the US and got in touch with them to produce an Indian version.

India’s Trail Mixes or the ‘Mixture’

The ‘Mixture” in India is the ubiquitous snack sold across the width and breadth and not limited to any region.  More curiously everyone calls it by the english name ‘mixture’.

A close description of it for the west would be the trail mixes and the japanese rice cracker mixes you get of different shapes and flavors.

Maa Retire Hoti Hai

I had the fortune of watching the premiere of the play “Maa Retire Hoti hai” starring Jaya Bachchan.

This was in Dubai, and there was no chance in the world that i could even dream of attending this, and not just because I couldn’t afford it.

The Guru-Shishya parampara in Hindi film songs

A common recurring theme employed  in Indian film music is the Guru (teacher) singing with his Shishya (pupil) and gently urging him/her to follow the lines s/he’s singing and then take wing...

Priya Tendulkar – India’s first TV superstar

Television in India bloomed pretty late and even after it took off it took forever to get traction.  Today some of the best talent in India work in television, right from production to scripts to acting – and this is across both Hindi General entertainment to regional TV content. I think Indian talent is among the best globally and they work hard and try and be as professional as they come.

However the first ‘star’ in the true sense (at least for me and folks of my generation) would be the late Priya Tendulkar.

Lata Mangeshkar - the soul of India

As a kid I strongly believed that If God had to speak she’d sound just like Lata Mangeshkar.

In the Western coastal belt - Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka - most of my generation grew up listening to bhajans of Bhimsen Joshi and Lata Mangeshkar.  The great Bhimsen Joshi renowned for classical music was at stratospheric levels that seemed beyond reach. Even singing his Bhajans was impossible.  Lata Mangeshkar on the other hand seemed part of everyone’s family and a voice that soothed everyone.

The Dharwad Peda

The Dharwad Peda is one of my favorites I discovered later in life, but its unique and I think what makes it also special is its unlikely to be available outside some parts of India.

Curiously, I had it first when I was a kid and didn't like it. But then I didn't pretty much like anything when I was a sickly skinny kid who could barely eat much food and was too tired most of the time.  

Musical Great - Vanraj Bhatia

Vanraj Bhatia is one of the most prolific music director of the Indian film & advertising industry and chances, are very few know or have heard of him.

But in terms of music he, IMHO would be there among the top, and I loved his music and found it superlative and on par with the best in the world.

Sai Paranjpye and her “Jaadu ka Shankh”

If you belong to my generation or the prevous, there’s a good chance that you have seen and enjoyed the works of Sai Paranjpye but an equally good chance that you barely knew who she was. Since DoorDarshan was the only channel available those days, and Sai Paranjpye somehow had cracked how to deal with bureaucrats from both the films division departments as well as the Doordarshan, she did a lot of work with them which we got to see on television and boy was it good!.

Food Coma from A Gujarati Thaali and my favourite restaurants

I now this might sound a little simplistic overclaim (possibly even pathetic), but perhaps some of my happiest times have been over a Gujarati Thaali. 

Yes, its true.  I have had the pleasure of eating some of the most amazing Gujarati Thaalis in India and enjoyed each one of them, and the food coma that follows – where if you are lucky you can just crash and spend this blissfully in a siesta crashing at home.  The entire experience is simply to die for… I know I am exaggerating, but its an absolutely lovely package.

ETV Marathi, ZEE Marathi and Home Minister

The language Marathi is part of my culture and something I am immensely fond of, even though I cant speak it. My mom’s from Aurangabad, and this was the lingua franca at her home, even though Konkani was our mother tongue (Konkani, which is very very very similar to Marathi)

But the influence of Marathi was everywhere. Most of the best Bhajans (IMO) are in Marathi.  I have spent a lot of time in Maharashtra, and the neighbouring Goa has similar cultures to my community of the GSBs

Bhajans – devotional music

Singing Bhajans – devotional songs, have been an integral part of my family.  It was a ritual, a daily practice even, when we were kids.  In my community (the GSB – Gowd Saraswat Brahmans) this used to be a common practice in my father’s generations.  In the evening when the lamps were lit, there would be a short session of Bhajans.

For me, it started off as an unwanted discipline and chore that I couldn’t avoid, to now something I genuinely enjoy and is one of my favourite things to do.

Apsara Aali Laavani from Natarang

Again, no connoisseur of great music - but in my limited view, I think this song's possibly one of the most perfect songs I have seen in a really long time in my lifetime.

Indian films celebrate music, romanticisim by creating the fantasy sequences (started by Raj Kapoor) - as well as the surrealistic scene where the actors begin singing and dancing, and there's great music that magically appears as an accompaniment.