We the Insensitive

There was seething anger all around... Tempers were flying around... Sense of utter hopelessness and dejection giving vent to sheer frustration at the failure and futility of the system abounded... In short there was palpable tension among the people...

Here if I do nt give you a clue you are apt to run away with the impression of a write up of about yet another " Main Anna Hoon" rally and its associated hullabaloo . The scene was not really a lift up of India Against Corruption Campaign but was from the Studio of NDTV where Barkha Dutt was having a public forum to debate on the dastardly murder of Keenan Santos, Reuben Fernandes on 20th Oct, 2011 in a very populated area of India's financial capital and the heartthrob of many - Mumbai meri Jaan...

The story in short is as follows:

"On 20 October 2011 Keenan Santos, Reuben Fernandes and a group of their friends, who were standing outside Amboli Kitchen and Bar, in Mumbai, were assaulted by a mob. The assault was in retaliation to an altercation between Reuben & Keenan’s friends and a member of the mob, who was drunk and had fallen over one of the girls in the group. In the fight that followed, Keenan Santos was killed and Reuben Fernandes succumbed to his injuries 13 days later at a hospital in Mumbai"...

The rest of the story told in media time and again and discussed widely unfolded in the studio.. Keenan and Santos were murdered brutally in front of around 40 people who chose to be silent spectators and bystanders to the whole gory spectacle...

Is this the modern India we are living in..

Can life be worse under, lets say, some syphilitic dictator in Sub Saharan Africa..

Is it the same India which boasts of its rich human capital.. Human capital for what... Using your education and learning for earning a miserable livelihood.. Whatever happened to values, ethics, standing up against injustice and respect for human life which comes naturally with education...

In the show the father of Keenan was called who said that he is proud of what he's son had done and had no regret. Some of the panelist and audience commented that in such a situation one should always weigh the option and if the battle is 'unwinable' then it is better to quit.

To this the valiant father had the following reply " I understand that my son and his friend could have quitted and left from the scene...and that would have been the end of the matter which otherwise resulted in such a costly price... But just imagine, these goons would have got encouraged further and this would have led to a shift in attitude slowly of Mumbai which prides itself on its non partisan and gender friendly culture"...

Heavy and idealistic word... eh... And that too coming from the father of a son who lost his life barely few days ago.. 

I think as a society we have become so apathetic and 'comfortably numb' and "if- the -incidence- does -not- affect- me- I -really -am -not -bothered -with -whatever -the -hell -happens- to- others" attitude is one day going to land us God knows where.

Each era and generation has stood for something worthwhile and path breaking for which the coming generation remembers them proudly... For India the pre independence era marked zealous and patriotic Indian sacrificing their life for what they believe would be a free and progressive India. The period from Independence to the 70s was marked with people who dedicated worked as one for nation building through technology, industrialisation and education. Late 70s saw our parents' generation stood up against the tyranny of emergency and the threat to the very edifice of our independence and freedom. The 80s saw the path breaking revolution in the form of 'Green Revolution', 'White Revolution' and making India the super power... The 90s saw Economic liberalisation the fruits of which all of us reaped. But come 2000 and the subsequent decade, when it came for our generation to give back something it was totally found wanting. Have we grown so selfish, self centred and self obsessed that we do not see anything beyond 'me, mine and myself'... Only when tragedy strikes us that we roll our eyes in exclamation, carry out our candle marches and cry ourselves hoarse  of ' mein Anna hoon'.. That is as much as we can do... What do you say.. Symbolism.. Think whatever you have to.. We care the least.. In the same way we do to numbers of injustices, violations and gross misuse of powers in our state, city and neighbourhood each day..

Till such time that we are physically subjugated and colonised like the Bristish did, we shall be happy and continue to be carefree, easy going, mall visiting, multiplex viewing and India shinning aam aadmi...

As for the murder, I feel sorry.. But itnin herogiri karne ki kya zaroorrat thi... g/f ko impress kar rahein honge.. ab gaye na kaam se... on another front bro tell me one thing which I even shudder to think... how so many people just stood there... Really brave of them.. For me I would have run away from so much  gore and blood... 

And do nt worry, now that you have told us the story, we will create a facebook page and do some 'viral marekting' of the issue on Twitter.. And yes.. we shall take out a candle march also... See dats d most I can do.. For a no good couch potato who is 24x7 glude to his computer/T.V set this is the most I can do...

 In the meanwhile the words of Keenan's father reverberates asking for answer on why his young son was killed in cold blood for something that was right and was the most logical thing to do...

Just Let it Go!

Often times I have wondered what is it that keeps people rooted in their past refusing to let go.. To let go of feeling of hurt and emotions of a bygone era... It is as if they are letting their past dictate their present as well as future...The one word which I often visualise in such case is "ruminate".. The word is most appropriate for the exercise it undertakes...

While we lose ourselves in such 'rumination', we close eyes to the world of infinite possibility that is waiting to unfold itself if only we allow it to happen...We close eye to the infinite possibility which is within ourselves waiting to manifest itself.. we also deny the blossoming of the great possibility which our near and dear ones have if only we would cast an appreciative glance or turn a 'listening' ears to them... In a single word put, and forgive my linguistic,  'we choose to screw our lives as well as the lives of others who are linked to us by love or fate"...

Here I undertake what I would recommend others to also do as an exercise and analyse (as far as the 'wound' or the thought of the person and/or circumstances which apparently caused those wounds):

1. What was it that was taken from me from such an action?... Nothing... 
2. What does the person causing such hurt means to me?.. Nothing.. 
3. What do I mean to the person in his/her scheme of things?...Nothing..
4. How is this event going to change the course of my life?..In no ways...
5. Do the person who has caused me such hurt ever thinks for even the millionth fraction of time as compared to how much time I spend 'ruminating' about him/her?... Hardly ever...
6. Do I need to put my my entire being in all my relationship and activities in my life now that I have been through this 'hell'... By all means
7. Does the incident/event in any way shows me to be inadequate/ill equipped or plain stupid.. In noways
8. If given a chance would I try to avenge for the treatment I got...Never...
9. Would I let my past, the act of some moron, affect the way my life will be shaped hereafter.. Never
10. Should I make use of the lessons I have learnt from my experience to better my life from henceforth and use it to become a better person... By all means...

I strongly believe in the fact that nobody has the power to make you feel small or belittle you until and unless you yourself allow it to happen. A valuable lesson that I learn early in life is the axiom 'its all in the mind stupid' stands true to this day... Thinking ourselves small and feel belittled due to the frustration and hatred of a given man is no excuse to dishonour the gift that we have within ourselves..

On the other hand the behaviour/attitude of the person who have 'hurt' you or caused you to feel small; should invite pity and sympathy from you. We should really sympathise and try to understand the dissatisfaction, hatred and negative energy which a person has got bottled up inside to such an extent that the same oozes out as hate, derision and frustration at others... This by no mean is a reflection of who you are, what you are capable of and how your life will shape in days to come...

I have strongly come to believe that it is possible to bounce back from  such phases if we have strong believe in our abilities and faith on our own goodness which will help us go higher in life and become a better person.

So friends, live in the present... live in the now... look at the bright futures which beacons to you with open arms and always remind yourself that " if not here then where and if not now then when, if not you then  who...."

And in the meanwhile Just Let it Go...

Jagjit Singh remembered...

Growing up as a teenager in the 90's came with its own challenges... With crazy hairdo (remember Sanju baba et al in Saajan?), baggies pant (Aamir Khan in Joh Jeeta...) and crazy Hawaiian colourful shirts ( a la Govinda style); it was difficult to explain "main aisa kyon hun??" and why someone is unable to comply with such a 'jhakaaas' fashion statement..

On the music front also any song worth its salt was in 'Jhankaar beats' or -else- face- the 'music'-from-the audience kind of a predicament.... 

During such an era, being a teenager and trying to find 'sanity' in doing something 'normal' was definitely a tall order... During such a tumultuous time I was introduced to the world of Gazals and Jagjit Singh... It happened quite unbeknownst to me... It was a birthday of a classmate and we were debating on the gift to be given to him when somebody hit upon the idea of gifting him a cassette of Jagjit Singh's gazal... I remember hearing the deep and melodious voice of the maestro ringing out in the small music shop as the shopkeeper test run it for us post purchase.. Hearing Jagjit singh for me was like being transported to an altogether different world... That was the day when I really fell in love with the man and his music...

Growing up was so much fun with the soothing gazals of Jagjit Singh and hearing him sing I felt as if eleveted to a spiritual plain... His voice, the melody, the sher-o-shayari and the intermittent mix of his own witticism was what made his gazals as soemthign to die for... The man had a deep understanding of the couplets and the complex urdu/persian shayari of masters like Ghalib and Mir.... While in bewteen a gazal, he will pause and translate the complex part with simple translation and then too mix it up with his own brand of humour!

For me the high point of his career was when he sang for the telly series on Mirza Ghalib... As I listened spell bound to one maestro's rendition of another master... Jagjit Singh cast a spell on all of us by immortalising the verses of Mirza ghalib starting from "Aah ko chaahie ek umr asar hone tak, Hazaron Khwaise aisi, woh firaaq aur woh visaal kahan, ...." as we were transporetd to an era unbeknowest to us.. To the by lanes of Purani Dilli  where a pauper lived and died but who left a rich legacy of verses and poetry...Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib has never been the topic of as much discussion and debate or made as famous as after Jagjit Singh's immortal rendition of him...

I had the good privilege to listen to him live in Chennai around 2006-07.... All of us poured in almost late by half an hour and as we settled down still there was a large crowd flowing which did so till the 1st 1 hour... But not a single soul stirred in the hall as they sat spell bound to the magic spell caste by the maestro himself as he dished out a veritable fare of delectable gazals from his rich repertory and kept the audience mesmerised... It was almost 3 hours in to the show and we had lost track of time and space as Jagjit Singh's rich and sonorous voice floated around and up the auditorium... His final rendition of " Kal Chauduvi ki raat thi" brohgt the entire house down as everybody were on their fit clapping as the maestro smiled mischievously and encouraged them to clap on...

Jagjit Singh's death is a great loss to good and uncompromising music. Jagjit belonged to an era which believed in creating music and singing as if you are one with the Creator Himself and also acted as a mean for connecting Him with the audience... As an artist he believed in giving his all to the work that he did and that was to bring solace and act as a balm to strife stricken hearts..

As he so aptly sang the couplet by Ghalib:

"rago.n me.n dau.Date phirane ke ham nahii.n qaayal
jab aa.Nkh hii se na Tapakaa to phir lahuu kyaa hai?"

(We do not believe in only running through the veins,
When it does not drip through the eye, then is it blood at all?)

 So was also practiced by the maestro who believed in giving his all in enthralling and transporting his audience on a journey of ecstasy and spirituality.

 

R.I.P Malini Murmu...

This morning I switched on my laptop and as expected the default yahoo page popped up... What I was not prepared to face was the news it carried "Snubbed on FB, IIM student kills herself".. 

When I read on, what I found out that Malini Murmu, a 23 years old young engineer from KIIT, Bhubaneswar who had made it big in life by cracking the IIM and was in her 1st year at the prestigious B-School.. Recently her boyfriend broke up with her after some disagreement and posted the status on his Facebook account which said “Feeling super cool today. Dumped my new ex-girlfriend. Happy independence day.”...

Disturbed and embarrassed by the status message, Malini did the unthinkable and committed suicide.. 

What disturbed me was not how so little is taught in terms of emotional coping in our so called hallowed educational institutes of learning nor the fact that she was a budding talent who could have made her mark in the world and would have gone on to be a force to reckon with in the future...

What really disturbed me and moved me emotionally was what her parents must be going through... I can well imagine... being the father of a cute 9 months old daughter... I can well imagine... I can well imagine what it is to see the delight of your heart, your princess grow up to be a super achiever one day and suddenly everything coming to a grinding halt one day just because some stupid asshole said something (which does not even register in his thick demented brain as something even closely offensive) and phew.... just like that the fruit of your labour, the centre of your universe and the object of your living deciding to end it all.. your life slips out of the finger gaps like sand... bursts like a soap bubble.. while you watch...watch feeling so powerless and vulnerable...

It gives me sleepless nights thinking of how am I ever going to mange and ensure that my daughter is equipped with the necessary coping mechanism to cope in such situation... How would I ever tell her that she is so precious to us that no matter what other think or write about her it is not going to make an iota of a difference ever to what she means to us... How can I be too sure that she is really ready to take up her stand and manage her world... Will she ever be up to the task.. Will she ever manage the emotional roller coaster we call life...Will she ever be ready... Will I ever be ready...

I am sure such would have been the fear and apprehension that Malini's parent must have had when she came to this world... Indeed,such is the fear and apprehension that each parent undergo who has when blessed with their little one...

Is it not time enough for us to stand up and say that enough voyeurism and exhibitionism on social network site... Was social network supposed to bring people closer and make the global community to 'coalesce' on the same page or drive them to despair and killing them...

While such debbates will rage on for next couple of days on news media, in the intellectual circles and numerous candle march which would be carried out wishing Malini's soul peace, I will again go back to the gloomy corner and scare myself beyond imagination as I ruminate on the future of our children in such a heartless world...

What Independence means to me...

The largest  democracy in the world is gearing up for its 64th Independence Day... The time has come for the nation to again stand together, recall and reaffirm its Tryst with its Destiny ( to paraphrase the words of the great leader )...

Each Independence Day is yet another special day evoking a multitude of emotions ranging from pride, happiness, patriotism etc etc which if summed up together, could be referred to as the unique feeling of Indianness...

Come this Independence Day, I will definitely stand up proudly to sing the national anthem, participate in the festivities and just have yet another nostalgic trip down the memory lane of how our freedom fighters sacrificed everything for the independence of the country... Yet I will do one more thing...

I will devote this time to think and deeply ponder on this question : "What Independence/Freedom means to me"

For me Independence means the following (to cut directly to the chase as they say..)

1. Independence to me mean the freedom to move about freely any place that I want to be without the fear of getting myself blown to shreds coz someone somewhere have not done their homework correctly and lacks 'proper intelignece'
2. Independence to me mean that I could migrate to any place in my country without the fear of getting bashed (for being a U.P wallah, or a Bihari or a Gujarati or somebody from the Northeast ) by somebody who, though claims, but is not a 'Manush' after all
3. Independence to me mean the respect for everybody without being branded as a result of one's ethnicity, gender, profession, caste and religion
4. Independence to me mean that my parents could have their full pension delivered to them immediately after their retirement without having to run around govt. offices at this ripe age greasing the palms of beetle spitting clerks
5. Independence to me is when girls and women can roam freely (yes, even in night) and enjoy themselves wholeheartedly without the fear of being picked up, raped and later face the apathy of the public administration in bringing the culprit to Justice
6. Freedom to me mean the freedom from hunger, where our children so driven by hunger no longer have to eat human excreta for survival
7. Freedom to me mean that our farmers (who are the backbones of our country) do not have to be driven to despair by an apathetic system and end up committing suicide
8. freedom to me mean the freedom from diseases, maternal deaths, the deaths of child and young born which is so preventable and avoidable at very little cost (I had read once that the worth of a society and civilisation is understood by how much consideration it has for its weaker section- which definitely includes the mother and the baby)
9. Freedom to me mean the end of domestic violence where wives are bashed up despite their valuable contribution and endless sacrifice for the brute who does it
10. Freedom to me mean that the guarantee of a basic standard of living for nearly half of the country's population and where growth is equitable (certainly as the country with the largest number of billionaires we can at least ensure this)
11. Freedom to me mean that we address terrorism face on and not get in to the politics of whether it is 'saffron' or 'green' terror while innocent die by hundreds 
12. Freedom to me mean the freedom of expression, the freedom to air my views openly and yet not be judged but be respected for it
13. Freedom to me mean is the openness with which with we embrace our brethren (be it the naxals of naxabari, or the maoist of north east, or the numerous 'indigenous' terror outfits)who because of some reason or the other are not too happy with us thus giving the message loud and clear to all divisive forces (both within and outside) concerned that we would solve all our problems within by talks and negotiations with our own people and they better keep their hands off
14. Lastly freedom to me mean that we live in a country where we do not stoop so low as to march a women naked in the street because of her low caste, or burn kids sleeping in a vehicle coz their father preaches a different religion, or drive out artists from the country coz of their differing view points... Freedom to me mean seeing my country as a prefect example of tolerance, empathy, understanding,proactiveness, of equitable growth and reaching out to those most in need...

 As time and again it is refreshed in our memory that the freedom that we have was gotten beacuse of the high and dear sacrifices maded by our ancestors under condtions of great difficulty against a mighty empire whose sun never used to set... Having got such a well earned and hard fought freedom. let us not fritter it away because of our petty differences, biases, prejudices and mostly coz of our apathy...

I would like to end the post by quoting the last letter of Shahid Bhagat Singh written just few days before he was hanged... I want all of us to reflect on it and decide for ourselves what we need to do at our end for taking our country to greater heights...

"Friends,

'Naturally I should have a wish to live. I do not want to hide it, but I can live on one condition. I do not want to live in prison or under slavery. My name is a symbol of 'Hindustan Inquilab Party'...

 

Today people are not aware of my weaknesses. If I would save my self from the hanging thread , it will come in front of the public and became well known. The glow of the Inquilab will not radiate nor may it will finish.

But if I will die laughingly, then in the case of my death, Indian mothers would wish to model their kids as a Bhagat Singh. This way the number of martyrs will increase to that level that it would be very difficult for evil

imperialistic powers to ignore it.

Yes, one idea always disturbs my heart. Whatever wishes I have for the country and humanity I was not able to fulfill the thousands part of it. If I would have lived then I would have got the chance to fulfill it. Apart from this I did not have any desire or lust to save myself from the hanging thread.

 

Who will be more fortunate than me? Today I am very proud of myself. Now I am desperately waiting for that moment.

 

Your Friend,

Bhagat Singh  

 

22 March 1931

What ails Orissa?

The recent debate on the issue of public agitation against POSCO setting up their factory in Orissa has come under heavy debates from the intelligentsia and Civil Society as such… All are unanimous in their verdict – it is wrong to displace people from their place of habitation and set up industrial activities which are basically ‘evil’ and ‘self serving’ enterprises…

Though I neither endorse the unregulated and unplanned industrial growth at the cost of displacing poor unjustly nor do I actively support the shrill cries of the ‘civil society’ who let out cries of murder at the drop of a hat…

The problem ailing Orissa and for that matter hindering its logical growth (given the rich natural resources and manpower) is to be viewed in its entirety, san any bias and prejudice…

The state which was considered to be an exemplary state, at the forefront of all activities a few centuries ago (known as Kalinga, the land of the warrior king Ashoka. The dramatic change of heart of the warrior king to Buddhism, of its early trade links with Bali, Indonesia; the rich culture and heritage evident in its exquisite temples, dance forms and handicrafts) now finds itself in not so proud list of BIMARU state and other such ignonimity … this as successive rulers (both undemocratic and democratic) have done precious little and wrecked havoc for the state...

Post independence, the only golden period in terms of governance,  political leadership and growth was seen during the regime of the late Chief Minister Biju Pattnaik who was and till date is the only single politician who felt passionately for the state and genuinely worked towards its development… post his era, Orissa saw the dominance of the Congress led government by another Pattnaik who ensured that no stone is left unturned in ensuring rampant corruption and criminalisation of politics… in the absence of credible opposition, the Congress leadership and its Junta rampaged the state and created a sorry figure in the national landscape.. The state of the affair and the deep rot came in its full force to the fore in 1999 when the state was stuck by the Super Cyclone and was rudely woken up to find its coffers empty following which the state chief minister was asked to resign by the congress high command (a case of too little, too late ).. As a clueless Giridhar Gamango (remember the man whose single vote pulled down the Vajpayee led government) took over as state chief minister, the cup of woes for the state has already started to overflow… Benign gesture by the neighbouring state under Chandrababu Naidu saw A.P come to Orissa’s rescue with their entire machinery which was mobilised for possible cyclone at their coastal area… Orissa literally battered equally by the cyclone as also for the attitude of its Sons and Daughters who had exploited and ravaged her, was in a pitiable condition post the super cyclone phase…

In such a scenario, the BJD was born and stormed to power with a relatively inexperienced son of Biju Pattnaik (Navin Pattnaik) at the helm of affairs… Shy and reticent, Navin took oath riding high on the aspirations and hopes of millions of Oriyas hoping for a better tomorrow…

11 years and 3 terms hence, in retrospect, one wonders whether we have progressed towards the chosen land or is it just an illusion of progress which we have been led to believe since then… True Navin has been iron fisted in weeding out corruption from within his party as well as the bureaucracy, but still lacks the political astuteness and understanding to have the necessary bargaining skills to ensure maximum benefits to the state while sticking to his principles (a la Nitish Kumar in Bihar)… Let us not be confused by the 3^rd term of BJD and equate it with its success in Orissa… These are two divergent issues.. Navin’s party’s achievement is similar to the erstwhile Congress party’s recurrent return to power in the state – the lack of a strong and cohesive opposition….

Navin, by his own design, has distanced himself from both Congress and BJP and does not have friend on either side… This equation, considered to be a political suicide in contemporary India (one happens to be the ruling Political party and the other the main opposition at the centre) has not served Navin and the state of Orissa well… Stuck with silly clearance from environmental ministry (since when have we  heard the environmental ministry throwing a spanner in the work of mining and industry in congress and allied led state of UPA) and other myriad smaller issue requiring centre’s clearance; one cannot but pity Navin running from pillar to post in Delhi to push the developmental agenda of the state through… he is also not helped by the pseudo civil society representatives and activists who make matter difficult for him to start any developmental project in the state with their shrill and vociferous opposition…

Only to make matter worse the state is also losing out on many opportunity  namely of utilising indigenous manpower (it has the largest technical manpower in terms of engineers, especially software engineers working in Hyderabad and Bangalore), of huge revenue through tourism ( Having a beautiful landscape dotted with amazing places of tourist attraction. A more business-oriented State for example, would have erected a monument and made the Kalinga battle-field of Ashoka, which converted Chanda Ashoka in to Dharma Ashoka, a `must-see' for all tourists, in addition to charging a whopping entrance fee. In Orissa, Kalinga battle field just happens to be there, on your way to Konark.) To mention a few…

Compounding man made folly, nature also plays a truant especially post 1999 cyclone where scorching summer coupled with an unforgiving monsoon has rendered Orissa as the favoured land of natural calamities. The naxal menace is on the rampage which is again due to lack of a strong political will and commitment (so well demonstrated by the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh).

The Orissa of today is a but a pale ghost of what it was in the yester years and also a Frankenstein of what it could have been given its potential… For this all are to be blamed equally; the political class, the bureaucrats, the general public and the intelligentsia for their apathy and callousness… Equally are to be blamed arm chair Critics like us from the state who are too comfortable leading their cosy life elsewhere and are too insecure to step in to the unknown by taking the initiative in Orissa in their own field and leading the way…

Are you "Ready"?

Saw "Ready" just a day before it disappeared from the theatres here... And boy ! am I glad that I saw it !

To give a  review or even rate the movie will be akin to showing candles to the sun... Literally ! The art of the nonsense which was first started with the series of slapstick by Govinda - David Dhawan has been perfected and institutionalised by Salman Khan...

Salman started his career with a chocolate faced,lover boy, boy next door image... He was known and adored (especially by the youth) for his physical brawn than for his acting prowess... Somehow through the years he has been able to survive and even carve a niche for himself in Bollywood when most of the Shahenshah and Disco dancers were given a run for their money... Salman had since then gone on to prove that the art of the nonsense makes more sense and can be turned in to a major money churner... In the process he has not only helped in reviving the careers of Bollywood veterans (Govinda himself is an example) but also making good of the no gooders in his family too (Arbaaz, Sohail, Malaika et al with daddy dear also jumping the bandwagon with 'Ready')...

the movie's story is a rip off from any average mid 70s movie where there is a damsel in distress waiting to be saved by the hero combined with the god old Samaritan (aka Bawarchi)  combined with a large loving family of the Barjataya/ Johar/ Chopra formula... And Voila ! we have a clear winner here !

The acting is not even close to standard. The only character in the movie capable of tickling the funny bone in the movie  is a surprisingly refreshing Sudesh Lahiri who has time aghain regaled the audience by his funny act in 'Comedy Circus' (remember, the ever hysterical Archana Puran Singh who has rendered Sidhu jobless with her 'mind blowing' laughs)

Not withstanding the many glitches and almost paper thin story line, Salman yet again manages to do the impossible... Rake in the moolahs and set the cash register ringing...

Now that the usual convent bred, English speaking critics have gone to town rubbishing the movie and more so Salman Khan; yet the 'Ready' team, is laughing all the way to the bank...

The only reason the movie is able to pull it off at the B.O (as also the numerous Dabbangs and Partners etc) is because Salman has created his own genre of movies and audience who love those movies... Salman refreshingly takes us back to the 60s and 70s where watching movie did not require special understanding of theatre and cinema (as most of the urbane-sophisticated movie critics would have us believe) nor did you have to have  a special understanding of the different genre of movie or movie making and the art of craftsmanship of masters like Kuberick, Hitchcock et al...  Bollywood movies thrived successfully on a large middle class following in the 60s and 70s which only promised to entertain the mass.. Period...

Frustrated with a crumbling system of reeking of injustice, corruption and red tapism , angry at its own impotence to change one's destiny and living conditions; they tumbled in ones and twos in to the dark theatres to find solace in the almost invincible hero who could do anything and everything... For them the hero epitomised the covert and overt yearnings of people like themselves who were slowly crushed under an unresponsive and draconian system... It gave them an almost vicarious and should I say, sadistic pleasure when they saw the hero slap his dictatorial boss and throws away his job only to become insanely successful (that too in a short span of time) in his new found business !... or looking at the angry young man taking to the underworld to prove a point to the world that he also can become successful and have 'bangla, gaadi and bank balance '... or just the simple joy of dancing around the  tree with the most beautiful girl and rescuing her from the evil villains...

30-40 years hence, things have not changed much.. The fruit of liberalisation has accrued to a chosen few while the poor is again crushed under the weight of a slew of government schemes whose benefits rarely reaches them... Though the angry middle class of the 70s have been pacified to an extent (seeing their children benefit from the 'liberalised economy') its the rural mass which is a shimmering and seething entity now... For them and for numerous of their brethren who have migrated to urban area in the hope of a better future (but alas!), actors like Salman Khan provide an window to be able to dream again wide eyed, aspire and lose themselves in the cool darkness forgetting their toil, misery and pain for the 2 and half hour of bliss when they feel themselves come alive..

For those and many more, Salman will continue to rule their hearts (and hence the box office) not only in years but in decades to come ! So move over the Kubericks, the Benegals, the Rays and the Hitchcocks of the world for Salman is here to cock a snoot at all and do some serious 'dhinka chaka dhinka chaka'....