Fyodor Dostoevsky

The date Nov.11-th marks the birthday of great Russian authuor,sage and champion of the oppressed - Fyodor Dostoevsky. The above picture of Dostoevsky is depicted in a new sub-way station opened recently in Moscow - named 'Dostoevskaya Metro'.

Excerpts from Dostoevsky's novel The Idiot : [ The scene of first-meeting between the hero of the story Prince 'Idiot' Myshkin and heroine Nastasya Filippovna.]

CHAPTER IX

Nastasya Filippovna looked at Myshkin with astonishment.

"Prince? He is a prince? Only fancy, I took him for the footman just now and sent him in to announce me! Ha,ha,ha !"

"No harm done- no harm done", put in Ferdyshtchenko, going up to her quickly, relieved that all had begun to laugh. "No harm: se non e vero. . ."

"And I was almost swearing at you, prince! Forgive me, please. Ferdyshtchenko, how do you come to be here at such an hour ? I did not expect to meet you here, anyway. Who ? What prince ? Myshkin ?" she questioned Ganya, who , still holding Myshkin by the shoulder, had by now introduced him.

"Our boarder", repeated Ganya.

It was obvious that they presented him and almost thrust him upon Nastasya Filippovna as a curiosity, as a means of escape from a false position. Myshkin distinctly caught the word 'idiot' pronounced behind his back, probably by Ferdyshtchenko, as though in explanation to Nastasya Filippovna.

"Tell me, why didn't you undeceive me just now when I made such a dreadful mistake about you ? Nastasya Filippovna went on , scanning Myshkin from head to foot in a most unceremonious fashion.

She waited with impatience for an answer, as though she were the answer would be so stupid as to make them laugh.

"I was surprised at seeing you so suddenly " Myshkin muttered.

"And how did you know it was I ? Where have you seen me before ? But how is it ? Really, it seems as though I had seen him somewhere. And tell me why were you so astonished just now ? What is there so amazing about me ?"

"Come now, come," Ferdyshtchenko went on, simpering. "Come now! Oh Lord, the things I would say in answer to such a question! Come!... We shall think you are a duffer next, prince!"

"I should say them too in your place", said Myshkin, laughing, to Ferdyshtchenko."I was very much struck to-day by your portrait", he went on, adressing Nastasya Filippovna. " Then I talked to the Epanchins about you; and early this morning in the train, before I reached Petersberg, Parfyon Rogozin told me a great deal about you....And the very minute I opened the door to you, I was thinking about you too, and then suddenly you appeared".

"And how did you recognise that it was I ?"

"From the photograph, and..."

"And what ?"

"And you were just as I had imagined you....I feel as though I had seen you somewhere too".

"Where - where ?"

"I feel as though I had seen your eyes somewhere ...but that's impossible. That's nonsense....

I've never been here before. Perhaps in a dream...."

"Bravo prince!" cried Ferdyshtchenko. "Yes, I take back my 'se non e vero'. But it's all his innocence", he added regretfully.

Myshkin had uttered his few sentences in an uneasy voice, often stopping to take breath. Everything about him suggested strong emotion. Nastasya Filippovna looked at him with interest, but she was not laughing now.

Nazia Hassan

singer : Nazia Hassan
lyrics : Nazia Hassan/Zoheb Hassan
music : Biddu
album : lekin mera dil(1982)

Princess Nazia : An elegy of a fan

It's been 30-years since you came into our lives & mesmerised us with your voice (and looks).

It's been 10-years since you have departed - leaving us in grief & bereavement.

Like a shooting-star, you came - illuminating,enlightening & entertaining.

You have gone but your aura still remain with us.

Your golden voice still ring in our ears.

Your songs still brings us joy, sorrow, agony & ecstacy.

Now you reside in the Taj Mahal build in our hearts, minds & soul.

Your legacy we shall continue to impart to the future generations.

You are not only great singer, a great performer, a great star

You are a great human-being.

by DJ Synth-bach

CWG - 2010

The Common wealth games

The controversial and much maligned Commonwealth Games in Delhi (CWG-2010) has finally came to an end. The great sporting country Australia once again asserted their supremacy by topping the medal tally. Despite heavy odds and adverse conditions (and withdrawal of top-athletes), the Kangaroos dominated the show even with a 2-nd string side. The medals also rained cats & dogs for the host country India, and still they could only finish 2-nd. But the local-media ignored the achievements of the Aussies (and also winners of other nations) in their desperation to make a celebrity out of each & every medal-winner of the host-country. At least for a week - even those who otherwise not interested in sports also joined the band-wagon - blissfully ignoring the fact that standard of the competition was quite low. Thankfully, the hype surrounding CWG-celebrities may not last long. The Asian Games which starts in a few weeks time will give a clear picture about where Indian sports stands. It's also a time for Indian sports to get rid of their tag of being "tigers at home, kittens abroad".

Tail-piece: The games-mascot "Shera" (tiger) was utter flop, esp. considering that "Appu" (elephant) the mascot of 1982-Asian Games is still popular.

CIRCUS

Has Come to the Town !

I celebrated my birthday in a unique way - by going to watch circus which has come to the town.

No, I'm not refering to the Commonwealth-Games 'circus' which has commenced in Delhi a few days ago. After all, it is nothing but an 'extravaganza' put up by the organisers to impress their masters. The common-people were largely excluded from it and the athletes were mere puppets of the show. (But more about it on a later post.) I'm refering here about the real circus - the world of trapezes, acrobatics, contortions, jugglings, clowns etc.- performed by a few unsung heroes and heroines, far away from the glitz & lime-light, untouched by cheap-nationalism or jingoism.


In this internet-age, anyone with a good broadband connection can enjoy the best of world circus - whether it is Russian , Chinese or European. And not to mention the regular fair which appear on various TV-channels nowadays. But to see a circus performance , very much in flesh & blood under an old-fashioned circus-tent, is something no amount of technology can substitute. You watch - without any care of hours passing by - these practitioners of' mother of all performing arts', as they stretch the limits of human-body into new heights , giving an excellent display of arts and sports combined.


I am watching circus after a long gap. In the 90s, I used to watch it almost every year. I well remember, in 1996 I drove a long 80km to watch a circus ( which featurd Russian artists), then drove back the same day, then ran out of petrol & gas-stations, and was forced to put up in a motel till next day. But it was worth all the trouble - that brilliant performance by the Russians are still fresh in my memory.

Compared to those in the 90s, the one I saw on my birthday was no mega-event. But still they could boost few new-items which made it a worthwhile outing. They also featured few foreign artists too. A gruop of African acrobats displayed their wonderfull rhythm and athleticsm. Nepali contortionists showcased the best of Chinese acrobatics. A lone Russian - a stunner a la Anna Kournikova - dazzled to perform beautifull ring-dance - one of the best I've seen. Among the host-country, there was a martial-arts from Manipur with their breath-taking performances.

The use of animals in circuses always make me uneasy - particularly wild animals. Over the years, this pratice have been curtailed for good and this circus is no exception. But there were elephants and camels whose presece is not very comforting for a modern viewer. But still, no circus is complete without birds, dogs and horses.

This is the first circus I'm watching after the theatre-workshop I participated (in 2007) with French artists(which included circus performers too). So I was looking at various technichal aspects of each performances - like the props,body-language,music, lighting, costumes etc. In many ways, it was an eye-opener: despite the onslaught of technology (including 3-D) the significance of a live-performance is still strong as ever. I shall call on all my friends and well-wishers to encourage and promote such live-performances - circus, theatre, music or sports - and shatter the myth that only those who appear on TV or films have got talent.

Last year I celebrated my birthday by throwing a party to friends and cousins.(I had my reasons to celebrate.) This year I wanted it to be low profile, but these artistic, athletic and flexible performers made it a memorable day.

GYPSY KINGS

Makes A Comeback

lyrics of "Bamboleo" :

Ese amor llega así de esta manera
no tiene la culpa,caballo de danza vana
porque es muy despreciado por eso
no te perdona llorar
ese amor llega así esta manera
no tiene la culpa
amor de compra y venta
amor en el pasado.

Bembele bembele
bembelebem bembele bembele
Bamboleo bambolea
porque mi vida yo la quiero vivir así
Bamboleo bambolea
porque mi vida yo la quiero vivir así

No tiene perdón de Dios
tú eres mi vida, la fortuna del destino
en el destino del desamparado
lo mismo ya que ayer,lo mismo soy yo

No te encuentro l'abandon.
Eres imposible no te encuentro de verdad
Por eso un día no cuento si de nada
Lo mismo ya que ayer,
Lo pienso en ti

Bamboleo bambolea
porque mi vida yo la quiero vivir así
Bamboleo bambolea
porque mi vida yo la quiero vivir así

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTrIFMVKQD8 ("Bamboleo" by Gypsy Kings)

movie review : Karate Kid - 2010

by DJ Synth-bach

Martial arts movies, along with American-western are my favourite genres. I have hardly missed the best and worst of them. I grew up on a staple diet of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan movies and nowadays I'm a fan of Jet Li. Watching martial-art movies brings me the memories of my hyper-active teenage years.

One of my favourite martial-arts movie is No Retreat No Surrender(1986). To make this movie, it's director, the reknowned Corey Yuen took inspiration from an earlier movie called Karate Kid (1984). Corey thought Karate Kid too slowpaced and made a fast and funky version which became a cult-classic. In the 2010 version of Karate Kid, I expected similar pace and sleekness typical of all martial-arts movies. But it was rather missing.

Kidstuff
Karate Kid-2010 turned out to be yet another movie with all hype and no substance. After all, is this a movie ? It could have well been a documentary or a 30-minute TV-episode, or even shorter - a music video. ( Infact, internet-search reveals that the director is an accomplished music-video/short film-maker.) I must warn the hardcore martial-arts movie fans not to be befooled by the trailers and patronising reviews. At best this movie could be watched in the comfort of your living room, and not at the theatres.

Jackie Chan the actor
The only highlight of the movie, apart from a crash-course on Chinese culture, is Jackie Chan's acting skills. He proves that he can act even in a non-martial arts movie. But at times he looks jaded and disinterested. Jackie Chan fans will miss the unbridled energy characteristic of his movies. Being a filmmaker himself, Chan must have caught in two minds about the outcome of this movie. His worries were not misplaced.

Lacking punch
The boyish-hero of the original Karate Kid was a typical 80's kid (like me) who exuded innocence despite his vulnerability. The 'hero' of 2010-version is spoilt-brat with a chip on his shoulder. The audience would n't have minded if he got beaten up - no matter in China, U.S or Africa. Infact, I thought the performance of boy who acted as bully more convincing.

Misfired launch ?
Despite a high profile launch, debutant Will Smith's son (what's his name ?) fails to impress. He obviously lack the natural acting ability of his father. Atleast he can take solace that many martial-arts stars are poor actors. And being a star-kid, he will not be lacking in oppurtunities even if he continues to be mediocre. Let's hope Hollywood will not take cue from Bollywood and set up star-dynasties, and there by blocking the entry of real talents.

Harmony & discord :

in music and in nature

An year long festivities, exhibitions and cultural programmes have been inaugurated in Bengal to mark the 150-th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore. Continueing with my posts of Tagore's Selected Letters, the great polymath who invented Bengal's own music idiom - 'Rabindra-sangeet'- compares the distinctive styles of Indian music and European music. The Letters are written while touring to his family-estates as a manager, living in his house-boat off the Padma river.

Shelidah (Bangladesh)
10 August 1894

Last night the river woke me with a violent bubbling that made the boat billow in the swell - probably the inrush of a freshet: a thing that happens almost daily in this season. As I sat listening I suddenly had the impression that the whole river was alive and highly agitated. Through the planks at my feet I could clearly sense the gamut of ceaseless movement below : tremors, quakes, upheave and downturn, as if I were taking the river's palpitating pulse. The disturbance must have been quite something to set the water racing so wildly.

For a long time I sat on a bench beside the window. Outside was a hazy light that made the excited river look even madder. The sky was spotted with clouds. The reflection of a particularly bright star glimmered on the waters like a gash of agony. Both banks were dim and drowsy with slumber but between them surged an insomniac restlessness.

The day-world calls to mind European music with its various concords and discords, orchestrated into a great, purposeful ensemble. And the night-world is like the sphere of Indian music with its unadulterated melody, sombre and poignant. Both move us, though they are in striking contrast. And why should they disturb us ? Pairs of opposites lie at the very root of creation : king and queen, night and day, unity and disunity, the eternal and the evolving.

We Indians are under the rule of night; we are besotted with the eternal, the One. Our melodies are intended for the solitary individual; European music is for the multitude. Our music removes us from the domain of everyday joys and sorrows to a region devoid of company, as aloof as the universe ; the music of Europe revels in the perpetual oscillations of the human condition.