सुना है बहोत बारिश है तुम्हारे शहरमें
संभालना, ज्यादा भीगना मत
अगर धुल गयी सारी गलतफहमियाँ
तो बहोत याद आयेंगे हम......
(Forwarded)
संभालना, ज्यादा भीगना मत
अगर धुल गयी सारी गलतफहमियाँ
तो बहोत याद आयेंगे हम......
(Forwarded)
Saturday, July 30, 2016
Black Box Thinking - Matthew Syed
Half-Lion - How P.V. Narasimha Rao Transformed India - by Vinay Sitapati
Half-Lion - How P.V. Narasimha Rao Transformed India - by Vinay Sitapati
Lights Out (Spoiler Alert!)
I am not sure if it is wise to watch two horror movies in movie halls in a span of a month. A bit of an overkill, isn't it? And it wasn't as if I didn't have a choice. After all, the new Star Trek movie is out. I have been a die-hard fan of the franchise ever since I laid my eyes on the original Captain Kirk, his USS Enterprise, its crew and their mission to seek out new lives and new civilizations to boldly go where no 'man' has gone before. Oh, and the new 'Bones' is so much easier on the eyes than the old one that the Sick Bay must be the best place on the Enterprise. :-) Sigh!
Okay, back to the horror flick. There were mixed reviews on imdb for both movies - people loved and hated them in equal measures....almost. So we decided that we might as well be scared out of our wits, again! Given the fact that this movie is from the makers of the 'The Conjuring', it seemed like a safe bet.
The movie is about a family - a mother-son pair actually, since the daughter has moved out as she is working in the city and the dad is no more. They are haunted by a ghostly presence that can only be seen when the lights are turned out. The dad, or the stepdad as far as the daughter is concerned, was killed by the same entity. As the movie progresses we learn that the daughter suffered a traumatic childhood as her biological father disappeared one day and the mother took to talking to someone called Diana who no one else can see. She left as soon as she could fend for herself but it is evident that the spirit is now after her kid step-brother. She is forced to come back to her childhood home just to make sure that he is not harmed. And then things just spiral out of control.
As far as my verdict goes, let me put it this way - there were quite a few moments of fright, especially when the lights were turned out on screen. But the story appeared very thin and in the end left me with one big question - if Diana was a spirit, how was her scene burnt when light fell on it? Ghosts don't have bodies. Was it a ghost or a person?
I would have been better off betting on captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise :-(
Okay, back to the horror flick. There were mixed reviews on imdb for both movies - people loved and hated them in equal measures....almost. So we decided that we might as well be scared out of our wits, again! Given the fact that this movie is from the makers of the 'The Conjuring', it seemed like a safe bet.
The movie is about a family - a mother-son pair actually, since the daughter has moved out as she is working in the city and the dad is no more. They are haunted by a ghostly presence that can only be seen when the lights are turned out. The dad, or the stepdad as far as the daughter is concerned, was killed by the same entity. As the movie progresses we learn that the daughter suffered a traumatic childhood as her biological father disappeared one day and the mother took to talking to someone called Diana who no one else can see. She left as soon as she could fend for herself but it is evident that the spirit is now after her kid step-brother. She is forced to come back to her childhood home just to make sure that he is not harmed. And then things just spiral out of control.
As far as my verdict goes, let me put it this way - there were quite a few moments of fright, especially when the lights were turned out on screen. But the story appeared very thin and in the end left me with one big question - if Diana was a spirit, how was her scene burnt when light fell on it? Ghosts don't have bodies. Was it a ghost or a person?
I would have been better off betting on captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise :-(
The Fifth Mountain - Paulo Coelho
It has been quite a while since I read this book. But every time I thought of writing about it here, I would be at a loss for words. What was more maddening was that I was simply unable to put a finger on the reason for it - until today morning when I had my own Eureka moment. Of course, I didn't respond to it in as dramatic a fashion as good old Archimedes did. Anyway, the problem, as it turned out, was that I couldn't identify with the concept of God as portrayed in this book. To explain it further, it is necessary to give a bit of a background of the story.
This story is of Elijah - a young man who is a prophet. He can hear the angels who convey the God's orders to him. The king of his country, king Ahab, marries a princess, Jezebel, who is from a foreign land called Phoenicia. The new queen quickly sets about replacing the native God, who is referred to as simply the Lord, with the God of her country, the Baal. Elijah's countrymen are furious about it but can do precious little to stop it. And then one day Elijah gets a message from God that unless the worship of Baal is ceased, the land would be plagued by a severe famine. It falls on him to convey this message to the royal couple with the result that Jezebel starts executing the prophets and Elijah has to get out of the city to save himself. The rest of the story is about where he goes and what he does.
Now, my unease stemmed from this image of God who takes offense that some other God is being worshipped. Make no mistake, my own religion, Hinduism, is replete with stories of jealous, petty Gods who lose patience at the drop of a hat and do not hesitate to curse even an innocent person. But I have never identified with those Gods either - my least favorite one being Indra, the king of the Gods. They are just stories - made up to either put the fear of the Almighty in humans or to make the Gods appear closer to mankind by showing them capable of harboring the same base feelings and instincts as humans. So I cannot pretend that the concept of an unreasonable God shocked me to the core or otherwise. But I guess that did color the lens through which I viewed the rest of Elijah's story.
Having said that, I must confess that the book does talk about a few ideas which might seem rather rebellious when it comes to religion. e.g. God likes those who challenge his will rather than submitting to it meekly. Hmmmm......God knows there are moments when I start having serious doubts about the concept of 'free will' but I think someone mighty enough to create this whole universe would have been bored ages ago if everything were to go as He had planned it to be. Where is the surprise in that, right? One other idea that I simply loved from this book was that the meaning of your life is whatever you want it to be. Beautiful!
I could not resist collecting a few of my favorite paragraphs - if only to come back and read them again when I feel confused or let down by life. Here goes:
“What is temporary?” asked Elijah.
“The unavoidable.”
“And what is lasting?”
“The lessons of the unavoidable.”
“Every man hath the right to doubt his task, and to forsake it from time to time; but what he must not do is forget it. Whoever doubteth not himself is unworthy–for in his unquestioning belief in his ability, he commiteth the sin of pride. Blessed are they who go through moments of indecision.”
“Fear exists until the moment when the unavoidable happens,” he told Elijah. “After that, we must waste none of our energy on it.”
“Everything that could have happened but did not is carried away with the wind and leaves no trace,” said the shepherd. “Life is made of our attitudes. And there are certain things that the gods oblige us to live through. Their reason for this does not matter, and there is no action we can take to make them pass us by.”
“If you have a past that dissatisfies you, forget it now,” he went on. “Imagine a new story of your life, and believe in it. Concentrate only on those moments in which you achieved what you desired, and this strength will help you to accomplish what you want.”
A child can always teach an adult three things: to be happy for no reason, to always be busy with something, and to know how to demand with all his might that which he desires.
Sometimes it was necessary to struggle with God.
From heaven, God smiles contentedly, for it was this that He desired, that each person take into his hands the responsibility for his own life. For, in the final analysis, He had given His children the greatest of all gifts: the capacity to choose and determine their acts.
He had fled from doubt. From defeat. From moments of indecision. But the Lord was generous and had led him to the abyss of the unavoidable, to show him that man must choose–and not accept–his fate.
Sadness does not last forever when we walk in the direction of that which we always desired.
“It's always necessary to know when a stage of one's life has ended. If you stubbornly cling to it after the need has passed, you lose the joy and meaning of the rest. And you risk being shaken to your senses by God.”
“The Lord is stern.”
“Only with those He has chosen.”
This story is of Elijah - a young man who is a prophet. He can hear the angels who convey the God's orders to him. The king of his country, king Ahab, marries a princess, Jezebel, who is from a foreign land called Phoenicia. The new queen quickly sets about replacing the native God, who is referred to as simply the Lord, with the God of her country, the Baal. Elijah's countrymen are furious about it but can do precious little to stop it. And then one day Elijah gets a message from God that unless the worship of Baal is ceased, the land would be plagued by a severe famine. It falls on him to convey this message to the royal couple with the result that Jezebel starts executing the prophets and Elijah has to get out of the city to save himself. The rest of the story is about where he goes and what he does.
Now, my unease stemmed from this image of God who takes offense that some other God is being worshipped. Make no mistake, my own religion, Hinduism, is replete with stories of jealous, petty Gods who lose patience at the drop of a hat and do not hesitate to curse even an innocent person. But I have never identified with those Gods either - my least favorite one being Indra, the king of the Gods. They are just stories - made up to either put the fear of the Almighty in humans or to make the Gods appear closer to mankind by showing them capable of harboring the same base feelings and instincts as humans. So I cannot pretend that the concept of an unreasonable God shocked me to the core or otherwise. But I guess that did color the lens through which I viewed the rest of Elijah's story.
Having said that, I must confess that the book does talk about a few ideas which might seem rather rebellious when it comes to religion. e.g. God likes those who challenge his will rather than submitting to it meekly. Hmmmm......God knows there are moments when I start having serious doubts about the concept of 'free will' but I think someone mighty enough to create this whole universe would have been bored ages ago if everything were to go as He had planned it to be. Where is the surprise in that, right? One other idea that I simply loved from this book was that the meaning of your life is whatever you want it to be. Beautiful!
I could not resist collecting a few of my favorite paragraphs - if only to come back and read them again when I feel confused or let down by life. Here goes:
“What is temporary?” asked Elijah.
“The unavoidable.”
“And what is lasting?”
“The lessons of the unavoidable.”
“Every man hath the right to doubt his task, and to forsake it from time to time; but what he must not do is forget it. Whoever doubteth not himself is unworthy–for in his unquestioning belief in his ability, he commiteth the sin of pride. Blessed are they who go through moments of indecision.”
“Fear exists until the moment when the unavoidable happens,” he told Elijah. “After that, we must waste none of our energy on it.”
“Everything that could have happened but did not is carried away with the wind and leaves no trace,” said the shepherd. “Life is made of our attitudes. And there are certain things that the gods oblige us to live through. Their reason for this does not matter, and there is no action we can take to make them pass us by.”
“If you have a past that dissatisfies you, forget it now,” he went on. “Imagine a new story of your life, and believe in it. Concentrate only on those moments in which you achieved what you desired, and this strength will help you to accomplish what you want.”
A child can always teach an adult three things: to be happy for no reason, to always be busy with something, and to know how to demand with all his might that which he desires.
Sometimes it was necessary to struggle with God.
From heaven, God smiles contentedly, for it was this that He desired, that each person take into his hands the responsibility for his own life. For, in the final analysis, He had given His children the greatest of all gifts: the capacity to choose and determine their acts.
He had fled from doubt. From defeat. From moments of indecision. But the Lord was generous and had led him to the abyss of the unavoidable, to show him that man must choose–and not accept–his fate.
Sadness does not last forever when we walk in the direction of that which we always desired.
“It's always necessary to know when a stage of one's life has ended. If you stubbornly cling to it after the need has passed, you lose the joy and meaning of the rest. And you risk being shaken to your senses by God.”
“The Lord is stern.”
“Only with those He has chosen.”
I guess I am going to use my entire month's dongle quota on downloading the podcasts of BBC History Hour. :-) In the past few days I have listened to the accounts of the rehabilitation of those jailed wrongly during Stalin's regime after his death, the first suicide terrorist attack in Amman, Jordan, the Mossad's failed attempt to assassinate Hamas leader in Jordan, the massacre of East Timor protesters by the Indonesian army, the killings at Delhi's Trilokpuri area during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, the 1946 Lhasa visit by two foreigners one of whom went on to write the book 'Seven Years In Tibet', the WWI battle of Verdun, the 2001 foot-in-mouth epidemic in the UK, the 1947 Christian Dior show in Paris and much much more.
It's like attending a lecture in history but in a totally fascinating and interesting way. It's a pleasure to listen to these podcasts at the end of the day. Can't wait to find out what's more in store. :-) I feel like a kid in a candy store :-)
It's like attending a lecture in history but in a totally fascinating and interesting way. It's a pleasure to listen to these podcasts at the end of the day. Can't wait to find out what's more in store. :-) I feel like a kid in a candy store :-)
कोडमंत्र
मी ह्या ब्लॉगवर अनेकदा म्हटल्याप्रमाणे लोकसत्तात परिक्षण वाचल्याशिवाय मी सहसा कुठलंही नाटक बघायला जात नाही. पण कोडमंत्र बद्दल बरंच वाचलं होतं. A Few Good Men हे एरॉन सोर्कीन ह्या लेखकाचं गाजलेलं नाटक. ह्याचे ब्रॉडवेवर तर प्रयोग झालेच पण ह्यावर एक इंग्रजी सिनेमाही निघाला. इतरही अनेक भाषांत त्याचे प्रयोग झाले. आपल्या देशात निदान गुजराती रंगभूमीवर तरी 'कोडमंत्र' ह्याच नावाने ह्याचे प्रयोग झाल्याचं माझ्या वाचनात आहे. त्यामुळे नाटक चांगलंच असणार ह्याची खात्री होती. तसंही A Few Good Men हा सिनेमा मी कधी पूर्णपणे पाहिलेला नाहीच.
नाटकाच्या कथेला पार्श्वभूमी आहे ती अर्थातच भारतीय सेनेची. सुरुवात होते ती रवी शेलार नावाच्या मराठा रेजिमेंटमधल्या एका सैनिकाने आपल्या आईला लिहिलेल्या पत्राने. त्याने लिहिलेलं असतं की तिथलं ट्रेनिंग खूप खडतर आहे आणि त्याच्या प्रकृतीला ते झेपत नसल्याने त्याने बदलीचा अर्ज केलाय. मग तिला पुढली बातमी मिळते ती त्याच्या मृत्यूची. तो मृत्यूही नैसर्गिक नाही तर खून. आणि तो खून केलेला असतो तो प्रत्यक्ष त्याच्या मोठ्या भावाने विक्रम शेलारने. ती हबकून जाते. आपल्या मोठ्या मुलाला वाचवण्यासाठी प्रख्यात मिलिटरी लॉयर अहिल्या देशमुखकडे जाते. घडलेल्या घटनेला साक्षीदार असल्याने तुमच्या मुलाला वाचवायला मी फारसं काही करू शकेन असं वाटत नाही हे अहिल्या तिला प्रांजळपणे सांगते. पण रवीच्या आईचं म्हणणं एकच - माझा मुलगा असं करू शकत नाही. तो निर्दोष आहे. त्यात सरकारतर्फे प्रसिध्द वकिल विश्वास राजेशिर्के काम पहाणार आहेत अस कळतं. त्यामुळे अहिल्याला कुठेतरी पाणी मुरतंय असा संशय यायला लागतो. ती ही केस घ्यायचं ठरवते. आणि इथेच आपली ओळख होते ती 'कोडमंत्र' ची. काय असतो हा 'कोडमंत्र'? त्याचा आणि कुठल्याही प्रकारच्या सेनेचा काय संबंध? तो आवश्यक की जुलुमी? रवी शेलारच्या मृत्यूशी त्याचा काय संबंध?
कर्तव्यदक्षता आणि कर्तव्याचा अतिरेक ह्यातली सीमारेषा फार धुसर असते हे नक्की. सैन्यात शिस्त ही असलीच पाहिजे हेही नक्की. पण म्हणून माणुसकी विसरली जाता कामा नये हे नाटक पाहिल्यावर अत्यंत प्रकर्षाने जाणवतं. आपल्याकडे सैन्य, सीमा, शत्रूदेश ह्या विषयावर अनेक चित्रपट निघालेत पण रंगभूमीवर फारशी नाटकं आली नाहीत. ४०-५० माणसांचा संच घेऊन प्रयोग करणं तितकं सोपंही नाही म्हणा. पण हे आव्हान ह्या टीमने लीलया पेललं आहे. अगदी सीमेवरच्या तळाच्या सेटपासून ते मधूनमधून कवायत करत जाणाऱ्या सैनिकांपर्यंत सगळं काही आपल्याला आपण नाटक पाहतोय ह्याचा विसर पाडतं. मुक्ता बर्वे आणि अजय पुरकर दोघांचाही अभिनय लाजवाब पण बाकीच्या सगळ्यांची सुध्दा त्यांना उत्तम साथ मिळालेय.
कर्नल निंबाळकरांचं एक मत मात्र मला अगदी पटलं - इस्त्रायलमध्ये जसं तरुणांना वयात आल्यावर लष्करी शिक्षण दिलं जातं तसं आपल्या देशातही करायला हवं. मी तर असंही म्हणेन स्त्री आणि पुरुष असा भेदभाव न करता हा नियम सर्व तरुणांना लागू करण्यात यावा. त्यामुळे एक तर आपल्या सैनिकांना किती खडतर परिस्थितीत काम करावं लागतं ह्याची जाणीव राहील आणि दुसरं हे की देशात एकूणच जो 'चलता है' चा भोंगळ गलथान कारभार आहे तो दूर व्हायला मदत होईल.
देशभक्तीपर मेसेजेस फॉरवर्ड करण्याइतपतच देशभक्ती उरलेल्या आपल्या देशात प्रत्येकाने आवर्जून बघावं असंच हे नाटक आहे.
नाटकाच्या कथेला पार्श्वभूमी आहे ती अर्थातच भारतीय सेनेची. सुरुवात होते ती रवी शेलार नावाच्या मराठा रेजिमेंटमधल्या एका सैनिकाने आपल्या आईला लिहिलेल्या पत्राने. त्याने लिहिलेलं असतं की तिथलं ट्रेनिंग खूप खडतर आहे आणि त्याच्या प्रकृतीला ते झेपत नसल्याने त्याने बदलीचा अर्ज केलाय. मग तिला पुढली बातमी मिळते ती त्याच्या मृत्यूची. तो मृत्यूही नैसर्गिक नाही तर खून. आणि तो खून केलेला असतो तो प्रत्यक्ष त्याच्या मोठ्या भावाने विक्रम शेलारने. ती हबकून जाते. आपल्या मोठ्या मुलाला वाचवण्यासाठी प्रख्यात मिलिटरी लॉयर अहिल्या देशमुखकडे जाते. घडलेल्या घटनेला साक्षीदार असल्याने तुमच्या मुलाला वाचवायला मी फारसं काही करू शकेन असं वाटत नाही हे अहिल्या तिला प्रांजळपणे सांगते. पण रवीच्या आईचं म्हणणं एकच - माझा मुलगा असं करू शकत नाही. तो निर्दोष आहे. त्यात सरकारतर्फे प्रसिध्द वकिल विश्वास राजेशिर्के काम पहाणार आहेत अस कळतं. त्यामुळे अहिल्याला कुठेतरी पाणी मुरतंय असा संशय यायला लागतो. ती ही केस घ्यायचं ठरवते. आणि इथेच आपली ओळख होते ती 'कोडमंत्र' ची. काय असतो हा 'कोडमंत्र'? त्याचा आणि कुठल्याही प्रकारच्या सेनेचा काय संबंध? तो आवश्यक की जुलुमी? रवी शेलारच्या मृत्यूशी त्याचा काय संबंध?
कर्तव्यदक्षता आणि कर्तव्याचा अतिरेक ह्यातली सीमारेषा फार धुसर असते हे नक्की. सैन्यात शिस्त ही असलीच पाहिजे हेही नक्की. पण म्हणून माणुसकी विसरली जाता कामा नये हे नाटक पाहिल्यावर अत्यंत प्रकर्षाने जाणवतं. आपल्याकडे सैन्य, सीमा, शत्रूदेश ह्या विषयावर अनेक चित्रपट निघालेत पण रंगभूमीवर फारशी नाटकं आली नाहीत. ४०-५० माणसांचा संच घेऊन प्रयोग करणं तितकं सोपंही नाही म्हणा. पण हे आव्हान ह्या टीमने लीलया पेललं आहे. अगदी सीमेवरच्या तळाच्या सेटपासून ते मधूनमधून कवायत करत जाणाऱ्या सैनिकांपर्यंत सगळं काही आपल्याला आपण नाटक पाहतोय ह्याचा विसर पाडतं. मुक्ता बर्वे आणि अजय पुरकर दोघांचाही अभिनय लाजवाब पण बाकीच्या सगळ्यांची सुध्दा त्यांना उत्तम साथ मिळालेय.
कर्नल निंबाळकरांचं एक मत मात्र मला अगदी पटलं - इस्त्रायलमध्ये जसं तरुणांना वयात आल्यावर लष्करी शिक्षण दिलं जातं तसं आपल्या देशातही करायला हवं. मी तर असंही म्हणेन स्त्री आणि पुरुष असा भेदभाव न करता हा नियम सर्व तरुणांना लागू करण्यात यावा. त्यामुळे एक तर आपल्या सैनिकांना किती खडतर परिस्थितीत काम करावं लागतं ह्याची जाणीव राहील आणि दुसरं हे की देशात एकूणच जो 'चलता है' चा भोंगळ गलथान कारभार आहे तो दूर व्हायला मदत होईल.
देशभक्तीपर मेसेजेस फॉरवर्ड करण्याइतपतच देशभक्ती उरलेल्या आपल्या देशात प्रत्येकाने आवर्जून बघावं असंच हे नाटक आहे.
About two weeks back Vividh Bharati broadcast the third, and last, part of the series of interviews with sons of late music director Madanmohan. Here are some of the memories they shared with the audience:
9. When music director Roshan passed away all of the songs of the movie 'Anokhi Raat' had already been recorded - except for one. His wife, Ira Roshan, decided that she will arrange to get this last song recorded. She wrote to all the music directors of that time and requested them to be present for this recording as a sign of their support. MadanmohanJi's son recalled being present in the studio along with his dad and said that he saw all the music directors of that time, without any exception, there that day. The song that was recorded was 'खुशी खुशी कर दो विदा, तुम्हारी बेटी राज करेगी'.
10. One of the sons recalled an event from his childhood. One morning he was getting ready for school when the doorbell rang. When he opened the door, he saw S.D. Burman standing there. Burmanda asked him to fetch his dad. The kid ran inside and woke up his father. MadanmohanJi came to the door and requested Burmanda to come inside but he remained where he was and simply said that he loved the songs from the movie 'Heer Ranzha'. Having said that he turned on his heel and left. He used to live in Khar back then and had driven all the way from there himself to the Kohalis' residence in Peddar Road - just to let MadanmohanJi know that he had liked his composition from the movie.
11. There is one incident related to the song 'सिमटीसी शरमायीसी किस दुनियासे तुम आयी हो'. During the last phase of MadanmohanJi's career the music directors who were doing a lot of films used to book the studios well in advance for more than a month or so - with the expectation that one or other of the songs that they are doing would be recorded there. MadanmohanJi was finding it a bit difficult to get the dates of the studios and singers at that time. The late singer Kishor Kumar was supposed to record one of his songs before leaving for the US later that night. But he didn't turn up for the recording as promised in the afternoon. MadanmohanJi knew that he was doing recording for R.D. Burman in a nearby studio. Phones were not much in use by then. So after waiting for a long time MadanmohanJi himself drove over there and told R.D. Burman about his pending recording. R.D. Burman didn't know about this and asked Kishor Kumar to return after completing MadanmohanJi's recording.
12. When MadanmohanJi passed away, Lata Mangeshkar was somewhere abroad. In a function someone mentioned to her that a well-known music director had passed away India. She realized that it was going to be someone she knew. But two full days passed before she could place a call home and learn about MadanmohanJi's death. The late singer Mohammad Rafi also was on tour at that time, somewhere in the middle east. He landed at the airport and was told of MadanmohanJi's death. He reached the crematorium just as MadanmohanJi's elder son was about to light the funeral pyre but managed to pay his last respects to his dear friend. MadanmohanJi's son remarked that they saw him cry for the first time in their lives.
9. When music director Roshan passed away all of the songs of the movie 'Anokhi Raat' had already been recorded - except for one. His wife, Ira Roshan, decided that she will arrange to get this last song recorded. She wrote to all the music directors of that time and requested them to be present for this recording as a sign of their support. MadanmohanJi's son recalled being present in the studio along with his dad and said that he saw all the music directors of that time, without any exception, there that day. The song that was recorded was 'खुशी खुशी कर दो विदा, तुम्हारी बेटी राज करेगी'.
10. One of the sons recalled an event from his childhood. One morning he was getting ready for school when the doorbell rang. When he opened the door, he saw S.D. Burman standing there. Burmanda asked him to fetch his dad. The kid ran inside and woke up his father. MadanmohanJi came to the door and requested Burmanda to come inside but he remained where he was and simply said that he loved the songs from the movie 'Heer Ranzha'. Having said that he turned on his heel and left. He used to live in Khar back then and had driven all the way from there himself to the Kohalis' residence in Peddar Road - just to let MadanmohanJi know that he had liked his composition from the movie.
11. There is one incident related to the song 'सिमटीसी शरमायीसी किस दुनियासे तुम आयी हो'. During the last phase of MadanmohanJi's career the music directors who were doing a lot of films used to book the studios well in advance for more than a month or so - with the expectation that one or other of the songs that they are doing would be recorded there. MadanmohanJi was finding it a bit difficult to get the dates of the studios and singers at that time. The late singer Kishor Kumar was supposed to record one of his songs before leaving for the US later that night. But he didn't turn up for the recording as promised in the afternoon. MadanmohanJi knew that he was doing recording for R.D. Burman in a nearby studio. Phones were not much in use by then. So after waiting for a long time MadanmohanJi himself drove over there and told R.D. Burman about his pending recording. R.D. Burman didn't know about this and asked Kishor Kumar to return after completing MadanmohanJi's recording.
12. When MadanmohanJi passed away, Lata Mangeshkar was somewhere abroad. In a function someone mentioned to her that a well-known music director had passed away India. She realized that it was going to be someone she knew. But two full days passed before she could place a call home and learn about MadanmohanJi's death. The late singer Mohammad Rafi also was on tour at that time, somewhere in the middle east. He landed at the airport and was told of MadanmohanJi's death. He reached the crematorium just as MadanmohanJi's elder son was about to light the funeral pyre but managed to pay his last respects to his dear friend. MadanmohanJi's son remarked that they saw him cry for the first time in their lives.
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