अर्ज किया है.....

ना आशिक माना ना सनम माना
तूने तो हमेशा हमे सबसे कम माना
दिया दर्दभी जो तूने हमे
हमने उन्हेभी अपना हमदम माना

प्रेमा तुझा रंग कसा

वाऱ्यावरची वरात पाहिलं तेव्हा मला वाटलं होतं की माझा २०११ चा नाटकांचा कोटा संपला. पण 'प्रेमा तुझा रंग कसा' ची जाहिरात पाहिली आणि ठरवलं की कसंही करून पहायचंच. विषय तसा साधाच पण अनेक प्रश्न उभे करणारा - स्वत: प्रेमविवाह केलेले आईवडील मुलं प्रेमविवाह करताहेत म्हटल्यावर विरोधात उभे का ठाकतात? लग्नाआधी एकमेकावर जीव टाकणारं प्रेमी जोडपं लग्न झाल्यावर आणि भांडण झाल्यावर 'माझा चोइस चुकला' असं का म्हणतं? 'माझं तुझ्यावर प्रेम आहे' असं न म्हणताही प्रेम करता येतं? प्रेमाचा अर्थ काय?

नाटकाची गोष्ट इथे सांगायच्या फंदात पडत नाही. अशोक सराफांना रंगमंचावर पाहायची माझी पहिलीच खेप. त्यांचा प्रोफेसर बल्लाळ खूप आवडला. जयंत सावरकरांचे कोळसेवाले गोरेसुध्दा. चारुशीला साबळेंची प्रियंवदा कुठल्याही मध्यमवर्गीय गृहिणीसारखी, थोडक्यात खूप ओळखीची, वाटली. बच्चू आणि सुशील तुळजापूरकर ह्या भूमिका करणारया कलाकारांनीही धमाल केली. बब्बड आणि तिचा नवरा ह्यांच्या भूमिका करणारया कलाकारांनीही जीव ओतून काम केल्याचं जाणवत होतं - विशेषत: बब्बडच्या नवरयाचं मधेच छाती फुगवून आवेशात बोलण आणि माहेरी पाठवण्यात आल्यामुळे बब्बडचा होणारा त्रागा. दिवाणखान्याचा सेट सुरेख लावला होता. फक्त एमएचे क्लासेस घेणार्या प्रोफेसरांच्या पुस्तकाच्या शेल्फवर व्हिज्युअल बेसिकचं पुस्तक का होतं ते कळलं नाही. :-)

माझ्यापुरतं विचाराल तर उत्तरं मिळायच्या अपेक्षेने मी गेलेच नव्हते. प्रश्न पडायच्या अपेक्षेने गेले होते असं म्हटलंत तरी चालेल. कारण जगण्याच्या धबडग्यात हे असे प्रश्न पडतच नाहीत तर उत्तरं शोधणार कशी आणि शोधणार कोण? ही अपेक्षा मात्र नाटकाने पुरेपूर पुरी केली. जन्मभर लक्षात राहील तो बल्लाळ आणि प्रियंवदा ह्यांच्यातला शेवटचा लोणावळ्याच्या ट्रीपबद्दलचा संवाद. माझी खात्री आहे की तोच संवाद आणि बरेचसे प्रश्न मनात घेऊन प्रेक्षक घरी गेले असतील. आता उत्तरं मिळतात की नाही हे ज्याचं त्याला ठाऊक. शेवटी काय? "प्रेमा तुझा रंग कसा" हा असा प्रश्न आहे की ज्याचं उत्तर प्रत्येकाने स्वत:चं शोधायचं आणि ते प्रत्येकाचं वेगळंच येणार :-)

The economists might very well say that India shouldn't get rattled because of the grim global scenario when she has such a huge domestic market - thanks to her population. The same population, however, gets on to the nerves of us mere mortals. Oh no, I am not talking about the rush-hour traffic or weekend stampede at the supermarkets. I am talking about your friendly-neighborhood ATM.

Just the other day I went to one to withdraw some money. Looked like the bank hadn't yet got a chance to refill it after the new year eve because the machine told me that it couldn't hand over the entire amount requested by me and suggested a sum which I could withdraw instead. As if I had any choice! When I agreed to do so, it spit out the currency notes in denominations of 100 instead of 500. Oh no! I had to make sure the amount was right before I left the premises. Just then I heard the room door bang shut. I looked over to see a man waiting outside. This opening and closing of the door is the way we Indians seem to tell each other that our patience is running thin and to hurry.

I pulled out the receipt as well as card from the machine and started counting the cash. I hate to keep anyone waiting so I hurried myself and so probably counted one note less. That meant I had to start over again. The crispness of the notes wasn't helping the process. To make matters worse, I now saw that another person had joined the queue outside. I could practically hear them wonder in their minds about the primary school I attended and the quality of its maths teachers. But funnily enough I was now getting annoyed with the people outside. They don't have a right to rush me because if I end up with less money than what the receipt indicates, it is I who will have to run from pillar to post to sort out the matter with the bank. So though this time the counting told me that the amount was right, I counted a 3rd time just to be sure.

All was well. So I put everything in the purse and walked out. One of the guys glared at me and I glared back.

As I walked down the street, I wondered if there will still be a queue if the banks put an ATM on every street corner. I agreed that there will be. And I realized another thing - the next time I find myself on the other side of the door at an ATM location, I am going to end up glaring at someone who takes, what as per my estimate is, an unnecessary long time inside. Human nature is a funny business!

Do you have any idea why some women use a money purse that has several compartments? I don't. Here you are, standing in the supermarket checkout queue, waiting for your turn with the last ounce of patience that you can muster when the employee at the counter announces the bill amount to the lady standing ahead of you. You are relieved that finally it will be your turn to get the checkout done and walk out. The lady slowly opens up her multi-compartment purse. She fumbles for the supermarket membership card. You count your lucky stars if she finds it in the first compartment she checks in. She waits for the employee to finish swiping the card and only then starts fishing for the money. You resist the urge to ask her why she couldn't do that while the swiping was in progress. In the meantime, the lady looks through more than one compartment and hands over the cash. You look heavenwards the way Sachin Tendulkar does when he scores a century. More often than not, the employee asks for some change. You stifle the urge to yell in frustration. More fumbling in the purse and the change is handed over. You heave a big sigh of relief when the lady marches away with her grocery.

I have gone through this situation so many times that these days I never join a queue when I see a lady with that multi-compartment money purse. :-)

अर्ज किया है.....

यू डरते तो हम मौतसेभी नही
खौफ अब बस तेरी बरिश्तगीका है
मौतने तो हर लम्हा साथ दिया
बेवफाईका सिला तो कम्बख्त जिंदगीका है

Chakh Le India - Kacha Rasta

It's true that we live to learn new things every day. For example, I would never have thought that meat can be mixed up with kadhipatta (Curry Leaves) and rai (mustard seeds). Yes, that's precisely what chef Aditya Bal did when he made a fried mutton dish. That's Chettinad cuisine for you, I guess. I just hope that before I die I get a chance to roam around India and sample these treats for myself. Or some travel channel offers me a chance to anchor one such program. :-)

Food Tech and Rick Stein's Mediterranean Escapes

If you like to watch shows about cooking and/or travelling and don't mind investing an hour of your life, I would recommend two TV programs. The first one is called 'Food Tech' - either History or Fox Traveller shows it. Yesterday I chanced upon its 'Chinese Takeaway' episode halfway through. The information on how Oyster sauce and fortune cookies are made was, in Spock's words, fascinating! There was also a segment on how the boxes used for takeaway are manufactured. I think I could get addicted to this program :-)

The other program is Rick Stein's Mediterranean Escapes (BBC Entertainment) - he covered Morocco and Turkey - places to visit, culinary delights etc. I am not sure if there are other episodes of this program but if there are, I would sure like to watch them.

Secret Kitchen

Have you ever seen anyone cook using ginger oil? Coconut oil, yes. Mustard oil, yes. But probably not ginger oil, right? Okay, here's another question for you. Did you know that the Tamils were cooking a dish very similar to the Biryani (meat and rice combo) centuries before the Mughals set foot in India? Do you know what the tribals in Kerala's Periyaar reserve eat? Do you know where to find the best Jewish food in Kochi?

Well, if you don't know but are curious to find out, make it a point to watch the Tamilnadu and Kerala episodes of "Secret Kitchen" (History channel). I did and I thought that it was an hour well spent.

Just one regret though - as I watched one old lady after another dish out these delicacies, I wondered if the recipes will survive a few years from now on. :-( No one seems to be caring about this culinary treasure trove that might soon slip away from us if not carefully preserved.

नव्या वर्षाचं पाहिलं पोस्ट आणि तेसुध्दा मराठीतून! हम्म, हा मातृभाषेचा अभिमान म्हणायचा का दुराभिमान? दुराभिमान नक्कीच नाही. कारण मला इंग्लिश आवडते, हिंदी आवडते - विशेषत: तिचा दुसर्यांना आदर देऊन बोलायचा लेहेजा. आता मी हिंदी बोलताना दुसर्याला 'आप' म्हणत असले तरी अजूनही माझं हिंदी बरचसं 'बंबैय्या' आहे हेही तितकंच खरं :-) मुंबईत रहात असल्याने गुजराती बोलता येत नसलं तरी बोललेलं बऱ्यापैकी कळतं (काठीयावाडी वगैरे नसेल तर!) खरं तर एक भारतीय आणि एक विदेशी भाषा शिकायची हा निश्चय करून अनेक वर्षं झाली. विदेशी भाषेत का कोणास ठाऊक पण मला स्पेनिश शिकायची आहे. आणि भारतीय भाषेत बंगाली - ह्याचं कारण मात्र रविंद्रनाथ टागोर आणि इतर बंगाली लेखकांचं साहित्य मूळ बंगालीतून वाचायची इच्छा हे आहे. एखादी तरी दाक्षिणात्य भाषा शिकायला हवी हे खरंय. एक शिकली की बाकीच्या दाक्षिणात्य भाषा शिकणं थोडं सोपं जातं हेही ऐकलंय. पण ती एकच दाक्षिणात्य भाषा शिकायची हे काम कठीण वाटतंय. :-(

देवा! निदान ह्या वर्षी तरी माझ्या ह्या भाषा शिकायच्या निर्णयाची अंमलबजावणी होऊ देत :-)