SHARMA BRAJWASI-VIV RICHARDS ANTIGUAN, A FAR OUT CONNECT

The news- Masaba Gupta, daughter of Neena Gupta, TV and Bollywood star, and Sir Vivian Richards, the Antiguan and West Indian who is ranked as one of the world's best batsmen ever, marries Satyadeep Mishra. 

So what's special about it and why does it interest me?

Well, Satyadeep is the son of Nalini, daughter of Shri Mahesh Chand Sharma who hailed from Mathura, Brajbhoomi, and Smt. Biya with roots from Bijnor. And so, on to the various connects.

Connect 1. Maheshji's sister, Asha, married my Shashi Mama (Cdr PK Sharma). Nalini, therefore, is the first cousin of Mamiji and Mamaji's children and Satyadeep is their nephew, making him the 2nd cousin of the next generation.

Connect 2. Maheshji's brother, Lt Gen Ramesh Chand Sharma, married Akhila's elder sister, Viplesh, and Nalini is again the first cousin of their children and Satyadeep, their nephew, making him the 2nd cousin of the next generation.

Connect 3. Maheshji's father was the younger brother of the father of my Mausa (Masarji as I used to call him), Brigadier Kishen Chand Sharma. His and Mansi's children are then second cousins of Nalini and Satyadeep is their nephew, this time the 3rd cousin of the next generation.

Connect 4. Biyaji's Nani and my mother-in-law's Dadi were sisters making Nalini and Akhila third cousins, Satyadeep our nephew, and our children his 4th cousins. Incidentally, Maheshji, Biyaji and Nalini were active attendees at Akhila and my wedding.

In these multiple relationships, I guess I become some kind of an in-law of Sir Viv.

How's that, umpire?

Far out!

And now, all the best to Masaba and Satyadeep to carry the relationship forward to second, third, fourth and fifth cousins. Catch up, your cousins are already ahead of you.

P.S. Time for a close-relation tale. Manjula, my cousin, tells me this story. As Masarji and Asha Mami were first cousins, the latter was called Bua by Masarji's children. Manjula, the eldest, had been doing that for more than eight years. When Shashi Mama married Ashaji, Manjula was confused as to how to address her. Mataji, our Nani, firmly settled the issue by telling her that the new relationship superseded the old one, so Bua turned to Mami and that is how it stands. 

REPUBLIC DAY PARADE - SOME RECOLLECTIONS

Watching the Republic Day Parade on TV this morning took me back to the ones I have personally witnessed over the years.

The first was in 1953 when Pitaji brought Mataji and me to Delhi from Jaipur to watch the parade. While they were sitting on chairs, I was on the durrie-covered ground along with other children. In those days, I was a rabid reader of a publication called Classics Illustrated, which was, as its name suggests, a classic novel or play summarised in illustrations, much like a comic. I must have read hundreds of them; in fact, I don't think I read any full volume of a Charles Dickens' or Alexandre Dumas' classic except through this way. On this occasion, I alternated between watching the parade and reading a Classic during the gaps between the numerous contingents and tableaux.

The 1965 parade had a smart and dashing Vinnie Mama leading the naval contingent. That was a matter of pride for us, the family. The next year, I was Flag Lieutenant, as we call an ADC in the Navy, to Air Marshal R Rajaram, Commandant, National Defence College, and accompanied him for a centrestage view of the parade. The mood that year was sombre as we had just lost Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri in Tashkent after signing a peace accord with Pakistan following the 1965 war. That was the only year till 2021 that we had no foreign chief guest. In 2021 and 2022, it was Covid that kept a chief guest away but thankfully, this year we are back to normal with President Abdeh Fattah Al Sisi of Egypt gracing the occasion.

I had two postings in Naval Headquarters and witnessed the parade in 1975 with Akhila and in 1981 and '82 with her, Ruchir and Shumita. That was followed by witnessing Beating Retreat as well.

Prior to the arrival of TV, it was the running commentary on All India Radio that kept us abreast of the proceedings of a parade. Prominent commentators were Melville de Mellow in English whose surname best describes his deep, soothing voice and, in Hindi, the equally fluent and prolific Jasdev Singh who incidentally hailed from Jaipur and Mummy knew well. Now, on TV, the emphasis is more on the visual than the audio.

To get back to '53 and Classics Illustrated. The morning after the parade, there was a snippet in the Hindustan Times, the newspaper everyone in Delhi read those days, that there was a kid who was more interested in following the exploits of Superman through his comic than the goings-on in the parade. I have a sneaking suspicion that the reporter had spotted me though he was wrong about the comic.

P.S. My friend Premvir reminded me of the fact that in the old days, the President used to arrive for the parade in a six-horse buggy. After 1984, following Mrs. Gandhi's assassination, this practice was stopped for security reasons. Briefly, President Pranab Mukherjee returned to the buggy by using it for Beating Retreat ceremony in 2016 and other functions and President Kovind followed suit. President Murmu has been using the big black limousine to perform the functions. Maybe the buggy is now gone forever.

WAS PONDI, IS PUDU - CHERRY FRESH AS EVER

  

In 1963 A.D., not B.C. though it seems so long ago, I was on the ship Khukri which visited Pondicherry. We were at anchorage for a couple of days and one afternoon I went ashore to see this town which had just got its independence from the French and joined India. 

Pondicherry was synonymous with ‘Mother’, the French lady who was the spiritual leader Sri Aurobindo’s confidante after the latter had completely withdrawn from contact with the outside world. Sri Aurobindo had set up an Ashram in Pondi and gave Mother the responsibility of running it and teaching his disciples. He himself passed away in 1950 and Mother was then solely in charge of transforming his ideas into reality. 

A visit to the Ashram was a must and I remember being impressed by the calm and quiet of the place though it was in the heart of town. My other memory is of the unique bakeries where I saw the famous French bread, the baguette, for the first time.

Time was short as we had to get back before sunset since Khukri was anchored quite far away and the sea was rough. I made up my mind to come back some day and see the town properly.

Years went by and I could not find time to keep my date. In the meantime, Pondicherry became Puducherry and a new township named Auroville conceived by Mother came up nearby. At the end of last year, the idea came to get away from the severe winter of Delhi for some time and I thought, ‘Why not Pondi, or rather, Puducherry!’

After successfully running the idea past Akhila, I spoke to Shumita who said Gaurav and the boys were all willing. Thereafter Shumita took charge of organising the visit to Pudu. 

Shiven and Raghav’s winter vacations were from Christmas Day so Akhila and I decided to go in advance and spend a couple of days in Mahabalipuram, another long pending visit which we had not been able to undertake earlier though we had been to Madras, where according to the limerick, a man had spheres of brass the clashing of which in stormy weather resulted in sparks flying out. No longer possible as the city is now Chennai. So we flew to the latter on 22nd December and after a night’s halt, went by road to M’puram. We spent two comfortable nights in the naval mess at INS Pallava, a small, neat and pretty, new base 10 kms. from M’puram.

Daytimes of 23rd and 24th were spent going around M’puram which is a small seaside town famous as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its 7th and 8th century monuments carved out of rock during the Pallava regime. Our visit coincided with year-end holidays, the approach of the popular festival of Pongal, and the end of over two years of lockdown which made people come out in large numbers. The crowds were unbelievable and distinctive as for religious reasons, the ladies were all dressed in deep red and so were many men.

We started with the Shore Temple which has a structure built with blocks of granite and has three shrines, two of Lord Shiva and one of Lord Vishnu. The next was Arjuna’s Penance or Descent of the Ganges which is a giant open-air rock relief, one of the largest in the world. The story is that Lord Shiva and Arjuna were involved in a fight over who killed a boar that both had shot arrows at. When Lord Shiva revealed himself, Arjuna was filled with remorse at having contested with a god and performed the penance which is depicted in the monument. Another version says the depiction is that of Bhagirathi bringing the Ganges to the earth.

In the same compound, there are other carvings such as Draupadi’s Bath, Ganesh Ratha and Krishna’s Butter Ball which is a ball-shaped rock precariously perched on a bigger one. A favourite activity is children trying to push the Ball to roll but it won’t budge a millimeter!

Panch Rathas (Five Chariots) named after the five Pandavas, Arjuna, Bhima, Yudhishtra, Nakul and Sahadeva, each carved from a single piece of rock, are a short walk away. Overlooking all this from top of a hill is an ancient Shiva temple, Olakaneeswara, built by a Pallava king. It is said that it functioned as a lighthouse by lighting a bonfire on top of the temple. The claim of it being a lighthouse is contested but now, alongside it is a present-day tall lighthouse functional since 1904, which operated initially by burning wicks in an oil lamp with a visibility of 10 miles.

On 25th morning, Christmas Day, Shumita with Gaurav and the boys arrived at Chennai and drove in an Innova to INS Pallava to pick us up. We reached Puducherry late in the afternoon, found our villa on Rue Victor Simonel and had a late lunch at an outdoor restaurant in a nearby villa. We then walked to the Promenade beach which was just ten minutes away. Once again, the crowd was huge and it was impossible to walk without bumping into someone. No vehicle is permitted on the beach road called Goubert Avenue. The weather was good though the sea was rough and not suitable for swimming. We covered the beach from the Dupleix statue in the southern end to Gandhiji’s statue towards the north. Back to the villa to refresh and it was time for dinner at another nearby restaurant well-known for its Italian cuisine. On the way back at about 10.30 pm, we came across a big Church, Notre Dame des Anges, which was beautifully illuminated and the evening mass had just concluded. We went inside and offered our prayers which was apt for more reason than one.

The next four days were spent in seeing as much as we could of Puducherry as well as Auroville. First, a brief history which goes back to the 1st century AD when Romans arrived at Pondicherry to begin trading for dyed textiles, pottery and semi-precious stones. From 4th to 14th century, it was ruled in turn by the Pallavas, Cholas and Pandyas and then briefly by Vijaynagar Empire and Sultanate of Bijapur. From 1520 onwards, the Portuguese started visiting it to trade mainly in textiles followed by the Dutch and the Danes. In the 18th century and beginning of the 19th, the British and the French kept fighting over it till the latter finally took control of it from 1815-1954 when the French decided to cede it to India. After a transition period of 8 years, it became a Union Territory as desired by the locals who felt that option was more advantageous to them in order to preserve their own identity and development than joining the Tamil Nadu state.

A canal divides the town into a seaside French Quarter and an inland Tamil Quarter. We took a Heritage Walk through the former and admired the distinctive European classical style of the houses. There is a continuous wall to wall construction of villas without boundaries on any particular street. Houses or villas have ornamental features and a mix of colours on doors and windows and incorporate walled gardens in the property. The names of streets continue to be in French and so we have Rue Dumas, Rue Romain Roland , Rue Suffren, etc. Below the name of a street is a plaque explaining the story behind a name. Only four streets have Indian names, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Salai, Jawahar Lal Nehru Street and Lal Bahadur Shastri Street. The last one is also called Rue Bussy. Many villas have been renovated and I asked our guide if there was any restriction imposed by the authorities asking the owners to follow the old design. He replied that apart from height, the owners were free to choose their own design but they all opted to follow the classical one to preserve the neat symmetry.

Most of the villas in the French Quarter house hotels, cafes, restaurants and bakeries with tempting cakes, pastries and variety of breads. We also came across a workshop run by Christian nuns preserving the old skill of exquisite embroidery which is becoming a rare art now. You could choose your designs on articles such as hankies, napkins, pillow covers etc., as indeed Shumita and Akhila did and delivery of items was promised in a couple of weeks.

On to Auroville conceptualized by Mother on the philosophy of Sri Aurobindo. To quote from her, “A Dream. There should be somewhere upon earth a place no nation could claim as its sole property, a place where all human beings of good will….could live freely as citizens of the world, obeying one single authority, that of the supreme Truth; a place of peace, concord, harmony….” This concept was written for the Aurobindo Ashram in 1954 but then Mother thought of extending it to a wider place and Auroville, about 12 kms. north of Pondicherry was inaugurated on 12 February 1968. 3 years later, construction began for what is known as ‘the soul of Auroville’, the Matrimandir. The design is based on Mother’s vision and selected by her. The main structure looks like a huge golf ball covered with gold with an Inner Chamber for meditation with twelve facets, one for each month of the year. Mother desired that “the sun should enter as a ray, without diffusion: an arrangement must be made so that the ray of sunlight can be seen. When there is no sun (at nights and on cloudy days) lights will be lit which will have the same effect and the same colour.” The Inner Chamber incorporates all these features.

Entry to Matrimandir has to be booked which we did and visited it one early morning. We were taken inside the Inner Chamber and sat there in meditation for about half an hour. There is a strict regimen of silence to be followed and it was satisfying to note that everyone including children (minimum age 10 years) observed it strictly so that one could not even hear anyone clearing one’s throat. 

Just outside, there is a park named Garden of Unity almost completely occupied by a big banyan tree. Another landmark is the amphitheatre made of red sandstone and a little raised slope near the stage with an urn containing soil from 124 countries around the world and all Indian states.

For granting residence, Auroville has its own rules including no ownership rights. As per figures available, in 2019, the township had 3000 residents, 44.5% Indian, 14.1% French, and the rest German, Italian, Dutch and other nationalities.

On the outskirts of Auroville, we visited Mason & Co., producers of organic chocolates with beans from Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Viewing the process was interesting and it was nice to see so many varieties of chocolates being made in a tiny factory with a small staff. The best part was free tasting and then buying chocolates at a well-discounted price!

A visit to the Aurobindo Ashram is a must and we did that one evening joining a long queue of visitors. We paid respects at the ‘samadhi’ where the bodies of Sri Aurobindo and Mother are buried. Once again, we followed all visitors in maintaining the calm, peaceful atmosphere despite the large numbers. Both at Matrimandir and Ashram, one felt as if the mind was being cleansed of all anxiety and turmoil leaving it totally refreshed.

On 30th December, we headed back to Chennai in an Innova. En route, the Deveshwars did their round-up of Mahabalipuram sites while Akhila and I relaxed near Krishna’s Butter Ball. A quick lunch at the well-appointed seaside Radisson Hotel and we resumed our journey making a stop at Tiger’s Cave, a short distance from Mahabalipuram. This is a temple complex that the Pallavas constructed in the 8th century and gets its name from tiger head carvings at the mouth of the Cave. There is also a Shiva temple with an imposing Nandi bull on the outside.

At Chennai, the Deveshwars got off at Leela Hotel while Akhila and I proceeded to the naval mess, 10 kms. away to the north. The mess has a big lawn inside and we soaked in a lot of sun in the time we were there prolonging our stay so as to be away from the freezing weather of polluted Delhi as much as we could. Our suite was comfortable and, as it was after many years, we enjoyed the typical naval mess food. It was nostalgic to savour the desserts we had in the three lunches we ate there, Fruit Custard, Bread Pudding and ‘Semiya’ (vermicelli), typical sweets I have been having in Defence Services' messes ever since joining the NDA in 1955!

On 31st December, New Year’s Eve, Gaurav booked a table at Ottimo Cucina Italiana restaurant at ITC Grand Chola Hotel and invited us to join. We were happy we could be together with Gaurav, Shumita, Shiven and Raghav to bring in 2023. Though there was no dancing, we were treated to recorded remix music of the ‘70s and ‘80s. The DJ seemed partial to Boney M and the only song played twice over was ‘’Rasputin’’, ‘oh those Russians!’

On the way back to the mess at about 1 am, it seemed as if the whole of Chennai was outdoors. The roads were crowded, churches overflowing with people attending midnight mass and cafes open with people indulging in snacks and coffee. On New Year's Day too, Marina beach had massive crowds and you could just see heads of people and not a grain of sand!

The boys were keen to visit a naval ship and the only one that happened to be in Chennai at that time was the survey vessel ‘Darshak’. So we visited it and the Duty Officer took us around and explained the methodology of preparing naval charts.

Before departure on 3rd January, Akhila and I paid a call on the Flag Officer Tamil Nadu Area, Rear Admiral Sai Venkatraman, to thank him for the arrangements made for us by him and his staff in Chennai. He gave us a warm welcome and presented us with some souvenirs. The expansive view from his fourth floor office overlooking the Bay of Bengal and the Chennai coastline was fascinating. Incidentally, he recalled meeting Ruchir at the US Club, Mumbai, in the late '90s.

All of us returned to Delhi on 3rd evening after an enjoyable trip.

QUAINT STREETS OF JAIPUR

 

Jaipur, the ‘Pink City’, needs no introduction. Perhaps everyone reading this has been there at least once. I, of course, proudly belong to that City and like to spend as much time there as I can.  Its history, palaces, forts, monuments, gardens and museums are well known to all and its ever growing tourist industry is busy adding exquisite hotels and lovely cafes by the day. But the soul of the ancient pink city lives on in its quaint streets.

Jaipur lays claim to be the first planned city in the world in the modern era. It is a grid of wide roads connected by a number of narrower streets. The roads have interesting names like ‘Johari Bazar’ meaning a market of jewellers as they set up their business there from the time the city was built. A parallel road is ‘Chaura Rasta’, literally meaning ‘Broadway’, a wide road even by present day standards. At the risk of being termed presumptuous, might I suggest that the Broadway of New York City took its name from here. After all, Jaipur was built in early 18th century and New York in late 19th.

Connecting Chaura Rasta and Johari Bazar is a comparatively wider street named ‘Gopalji Ka Rasta’ so named because of an ancient temple of Lord Krishna known in childhood as ‘Baal Gopal’. In the ‘50s, we could easily drive our Ford Prefect right upto the shops well inside the street. Apart from jewellery shops, the street has been housing ‘halwai’ shops known for fresh milk sweets like ‘kalakand’ and ‘misri mawa’ ever since we came to Jaipur and was the main source of ‘bhog’ offerings for Mataji’s ‘mandir’ at home. 

Right opposite on the other side of the road is Haldiyon Ka Rasta. I do not know how it got its name as ‘haldi’ actually means turmeric while the street has been famous for being home to many jewellers including their doyen, the late Bhuramal Rajmal Surana, who has a haveli there. Originally, that was his family’s residence which I visited often as his second son, Vimal, was my classfellow at St. Xavier’s. The original Surana showroom was also located in the haveli and is now home to artisans as the Surana sons have shifted showrooms and their residences outside the old city.

Just outside Gopalji Ka Rasta, on the main road is the entrance to ‘Purohitji Ka Katla’. ‘Katla’ means a portion or slice and the small area is full of shops selling wholesale dresses for weddings and festivals at bargain prices. It is a favourite haunt of Akhila to buy gifts for relatives and friends.

The next street down south from Haldiyon Ka Rasta is ‘Gheewalon Ka Rasta’. More than ghee, it is famous for special sweets such as ‘Gulab Sakri’ with its unique yummy rose flavour. Next to it is ‘Dhadda Market’, a centre for homeopathic medicines, both German and Indian. On the other side of the road is Laxmi Mishthan Bhandar which lays claims of being the most popular eating place in the old city.

Moving north towards ‘Badi Chaupar’, just short of it after Purohitji Ka Katla, one can see rows of typical multicoloured Jaipuri ‘safas’ and ‘pagris’ displayed on the rooftop of shops. These turbans form an essential part of the formal attire for weddings and ceremonial occasions.

Beyond ‘Badi Chaupar’ and the iconic Hawa Mahal, we enter the palace compound through a gate named ‘Sireh Deori’ and on to another one, ‘Dhundhubi Pol’ also called ‘Naqqar Khana Ka Darwaza’ where in days gone by the playing of Shehnai and Dhol (drum) preceded announcement of the Maharaja’s daily schedule. And so we arrive at ‘Jaleb Chowk’. In Persian, ‘Jaleb’ means ‘soldier’ and the site was so named because the Maharaja’s Army used to carry out its drills there. Later it became popular for being the abode of the sweet ‘jalebi’ which was exclusively prepared here. Pitaji was very fond of jalebis and used to send someone from his domestic staff to fetch hot and juicy ones fresh from the ‘kadhai’ to be had with hot milk for breakfast on Sundays.

A gate to the west leads to the City Palace and Jantar Mantar while one to the north opens the path to Govind Devji Mandir patronized by the Maharaja. It is said that the Maharaja could have his daily ‘darshan’ with powerful binoculars from the Palace’s balcony across the vast lawn between the temple and the Palace.

Now for some interesting names of streets in the old city. Off Chaura Rasta, there is a lane called ‘Lal Ji Saand (bull) Ka Rasta’. The story is that Lal Ji, son of Maharaja Madho Singh from a concubine, used to reside here. He was of a huge build and fat, hence the name. 

Then there is ‘Jat Ke Kue Ka Rasta’ off Chandpole Bazar. I suppose it took its name from a well belonging to someone from the Jat community although the ‘kua’ must have been covered long ago. In fact, in my readings, I have come across ‘Bhoot Ke Kue Ka Rasta’ although I couldn’t find one on the map. However, Nahargarh Fort and Jai Mahal Palace are supposed to be haunted. 

Off Badi Choupar, there is a ‘Chatouri Aurton Ka Chouraha’ named after women who used to gather there to indulge in devouring delicious street food. 

An interesting site is ‘Barah Bhaiyon Ka Chouraha’ (twelve brothers’ crossroads), on Nahargarh Road where a dozen friends of different religions and castes used to meet regularly in a show of solidarity. There is a unique Ganesh temple here with one Ganesh idol on top of another. Presently, it is famous for speciality Jaipur bangles and cosmetic items. There is also ‘Bagruwalo Ka Rasta’ in Chandpole area so named for shops selling Bagru fabrics. ‘Bagru’ is a form of hand block printing, an old tradition of over 300 years.

Off Chandpole, there is a ‘Khajanewalon Ka Rasta’ which takes its name from caretakers of the Maharaja’s vault. The ‘khajanchis’ have long gone and now it has shops selling exquisite statues in stone, marble, plaster of paris, etc., as also garments.

A street named after artisans is ‘Thateron Ka Rasta’ in a locality known as Modikhana in Kishenpol Bazar. ‘Thaterey’ are utensil makers and the clan is as old as the city itself. 200 families of these artisans were invited by the Maharaja in 1727 to shift here from Amer out of which 80 still exist. They make household items like ‘lota’ for storing water, ‘paraat’ for kneading flour dough and items for storing food, out of a mix of brass and copper called ‘peetal’. The beating of the metal with a mallet to give the desired shape makes a sound which gave the name ‘thatera’ to the artisans. 

There are many more and this list is just indicative of what makes the pink city streets so interesting. In a small way, modern Jaipur is keeping the tradition alive. At the junction of Prithviraj Road and Sarojini Marg, there is ‘Aunty’s Café’ followed by a number of vendors of street food. Thus that end of the Marg is now popularly known as ‘Auntyji Ki Gali’. And right across on Prithviraj Road, just after the Statue Circle roundabout, there is a stall boasting of ‘Uncle Coffee’, hot or cold. 

WHAT IS 'OLD'?

 

“Old age isn’t so bad when you consider the alternative”- Maurice Chevalier.

On the golf course the other day, my partner and I were taking a coffee break when someone came to me and asked how old I was. When I gave him the number, he said I was an inspiration to him. Mindful of the ‘nazar na lug jaye’ syndrome, I quickly pointed at my partner and said, “He is 91”. The inquirer duly bowed and touched my partner’s feet.

We got talking some more and my partner said, “Marshal Of The Indian Air Force Arjan Singh was playing golf twice a week at 98. I told them of my father-in-law’s good friend, Shri Dharma Vira, who played till his end at 94.

Back at home, I happened to remember the ballad ‘What is Youth’ sung by a troubadour in Franco Zeferelli’s 1968 brilliant movie “Romeo and Juliet”. That led me to wonder ‘What is Old’ and I decided to look for the answer in what some famous persons have opined.

Jules Renard said, “It’s not how old you are; it’s how you are old.” Or “Age  is a question of mind over matter; if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter” from Satchel Paige. The legendary boxer, Muhammad Ali formerly Cassius Clay, declared, “Age is whatever you think it is. You are as old as you think you are.”

Ingrid Bergman said something sweet, “Getting old is like climbing a mountain; you get a little out of breath but the view is much better.” A contribution from Eleanor Roosevelt, “Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art.” On a truly positive note, a quote from ‘Unknown’ goes, “Age is simply the number of years the world has been enjoying you.” 

Getting back to golf, I like playing fast and often get frustrated by a slow, doddering foursome in front. I used to curse calling them ‘old fogeys’ till it occurred to me, hey, I am not so young myself. So I was encouraged by Francis Bacon’s lines, “I will never be an old man. To me, old age is always 15 years older than I am.”

Also relevant is an excellent one by the great George Bernard Shaw- “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” Michael Pritchard put a spirited spin on this by substituting ‘laughing’ for ‘playing’.

I don’t know what alternative Chevalier was referring to but Daniel Francois Espirit Auber said, “Ageing seems to be the only available way to live a long life!” Of course, in the delightful musical “Gigi”, Chevalier is content singing, “I’m Glad I’m Not Young Anymore”.

There are many songs about old age but for me the perennial favourite will remain Nat King Cole’s “You Will Never Grow Old.” His counsel as in the opening and closing lines-

‘You will never grow old, while there is love in your heart,

Time may silver your golden hair, as you dream in an old rocking chair.

So keep my love in your heart, remember the love tales we told,

For with my love in your heart, my darling,

You will never grow old, you will never grow old.”

To all my dear old ones, ‘Stay young’! 

NANCY-THE LESSER KNOWN SINATRA

 

Frank Sinatra was a legend even in his lifetime. It would be well nigh impossible for his daughter to reach those heights. To her credit, Nancy, his eldest child, did achieve a fair amount of fame with some unforgettable songs.

She came into the limelight in 1966 with the number, “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’” the disc of which sold more than a million copies, earned her two Grammy nominations and became popular for what enthusiasts called its iconic ‘Swinging ‘60s Look’.

Nancy’s best years were from 1966-68 when 10 of her songs were in the top 40 of US Billboard’s Hot 100. She acted in films such as “Speedway” with Elvis Presley and “Marriage On The Rocks” with Frank Sinatra in the roles of father and daughter. She was also sought after on TV.

In mid-‘70s, she slowed down on music and gave up acting to concentrate on looking after her family. There were some releases though including “Kinky Love” in 1976 which had controversial lines and was banned on radio till she revived it in 1998. A big recognition came in 2006 when she was honoured with a star on Hollywood’s Hall Of Fame.

Before I come to her outstanding numbers, those familiar with her would have heard other popular ones such as “How Does That Grab You Darlin’”, “Bang Bang” and “Sugar Town”. She also did many duets with her songwriter Lee Hazlewood including “Jackson”, “Did You Ever” and “Some Velvet Morning”. 

Now, to my ‘four fab’ which I consider as good as any by more famous and prolific singers. We start with her first hit I mentioned earlier, “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’”, which topped both the US and British charts and in many other countries. Songwriter Hazlewood was inspired by a line that Frank Sinatra used in a movie and Frank suggested to Hazlewood to give the vocals to Nancy. The lyrics are about a girl who feels that her lover is taking her for granted and is fooling around with others. She warns him that ‘these boots are made for walkin’, and that’s just what they’ll do. One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you’. Towards the end of the song, that day has arrived and the girl asks the boots to start walkin’ accompanied by simulated sounds of boots stomping presumably all over her cheating lover! 

After considering many established artistes like Frank Sinatra and Shirley Bassey, the famed composer John Barry, on Frank’s suggestion, decided to give the theme song of the Bond film “You Only Live Twice” to Nancy. She sang it brilliantly guided by Barry and accompanied by his superb orchestra. Many critics rate it in the top three of Bond themes and that’s an achievement Nancy can justly be proud of. I personally consider it as perhaps second only to Louis Armstrong’s “We Have All The Time In The World” from “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” revived recently in “No Time To Die’. 

Nancy did a lot of duets with Hazlewood the most popular of which is “Summer Wine”. The two singers combine beautifully in the role of the girl eyeing the silver spurs of the man and tempting him to drink more and more of her ‘Summer Wine’ while he gets drunk and awakens hungover to find his spurs and money gone but still craving for more wine! A delightful song.

And finally, a Frank and Nancy duet , “Somethin’ Stupid” which was a major international hit including the top in US, UK, Australia, South Africa and many European countries. It invited some silly criticism of incest as a father and his daughter were singing a love song but the beautiful rendition made listeners dismiss any foul thought and just enjoy the music. The lyrics are touching with the singer trying to think of something clever to say but ends up ‘’And then I go and spoil it all by saying something stupid like ‘I Love You’” and repeating ‘I love you’ over and over again.

Not as high as her father, but Nancy was tall enough.

JERRY LEE LEWIS - LAST SURVIVING PIONEER OF ROCK 'N ROLL PASSES ON

Jerry Lee Lewis, last surviving pioneer of Rock ‘n Roll music, breathed his last a few days ago.

Rock ‘n Roll music had its origin in the early 1950s. It was derived from jazz, rhythm and blues, boogie woogie, honky tonk, etc. Most people credit Chuck Berry as its inventor. But it was Bill Haley who brought it global recognition and popularity. His group, Bill Haley and his Comets, produced the first big R ‘n R hit with the release of ‘Rock Around The Clock’ in early ’55.

The timing coincided with my joining the NDA and I was captivated by the rhythm, beat and tempo of R ‘n R which helped relieve the tough grind of NDA life.

Right on top among the pioneers and my favourites was Elvis Presley. Who hasn’t heard of him! His singing style, thumping guitar, gyrating and hip-swinging performances made him a cult figure and he soon earned the title of ‘King of Rock ‘n Roll’. ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ was his first hit in January 1956 rapidly followed by ‘Blue Suede Shoes’, ‘Hound Dog’ , ‘Don’t Be Cruel’, ‘All Shook Up’, and the lovable, cuddly ‘(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear’.

He also had three hit movies in that time filled with his numbers including the title songs, ‘Love Me Tender’ (which though was not rock but a straight love song), ‘Jailhouse Rock’, and ‘King Creole’. In ’58, he was drafted for military service and I to the Navy.

Meanwhile, Bill Haley and his Comets continued providing hits notably ’Shake, Rattle and Roll’ and ‘See You Later Alligator’ which became a popular parting greeting and perhaps still is. Memories of a movie, ‘Rock Around The Clock’, featuring Bill Haley and his Comets, reminds me of the frenzy of the music of those days.

Next pioneer on my list is Little Richard. His unusual style of singing with raspy, shouting vocals, screaming and frenetic piano playing earned him the sobriquet of ‘Architect of Rock ‘n Roll’. His ‘Tutti Frutti’ was more flavoured than the ice cream itself! Sample the lyrics:-

‘Wop bop a loo bop a lop bom bom,  

Tutti frutti, oh rootie (5 times)….

Wop bop a loo bop a lop bom bom’, and then on to ‘I got a gal named Sue, who knows just what to do’, and Daisy, ‘she almost drives me crazy’. His other hits were ‘Long Tall Sally’, ‘Lucille’ and ‘Good Golly Miss Molly’. Too soon, he went into religion, Christianity, and gave up singing which saved us from being driven completely crazy.

Gene Vincent with his group The Bluecaps produced a smashing hit, ‘Be-bop-a-lula’. The breathless vocals backed by fluterring echoes made for a catchy song that became immensely popular. Vincent came up with other hits including ‘Bluejean Bop’ and surprisingly, a plain, emotional ‘Unchained Melody’. Drugs and alcohol got the better of Vincent and he died young unable to ever match the success of ‘Be-bop-a-lula’.

The genial Fats Domino, second only to Elvis in Rock ‘n Roll, captivated rock fans with his smooth, slightly nasal, rounded and rolling delivery, accompanied by gentle piano playing.  Singing in a honky-tonk mode, his most popular number was ‘Blueberry Hill’ and, of course, he had a large number of other hits. After ‘Blueberry Hill’, my favourites were ‘Ain’t That a Shame’, ‘I’m Walking’ and the pleasant and lilting ‘I Want To Walk You Home’. As against most R ‘n  R singers, Fats kept free of controversy and had a full life of 89 years. He passed away just 5 years ago on 24 October 2017.

A singer whose life was cruelly cut short was Richie Valens whose R ‘n R adaptation of a traditional Mexican wedding song, ‘La Bamba’, was loved by all and remains popular todate. Alas, he died in an air crash at the age of 17!

An R ‘n R movie I recall from those days was the musical comedy, ‘The Girl Can’t Help It’ starring the buxom blonde Jayne Mansfield. The film featured a number of pioneers of R ‘n R including Little Richard with the title song and ‘Ready Teddy’, Gene Vincent with ‘Be-bop-a-lula’, Fats Domino singing ‘Blue Monday’ and a comic ‘Giddy Up A Ding Dong Giddy Up’ by Freddie Bell and the Bellboys. The movie was a treat for R ‘n R fans. My best song of the movie though was one of my all-time favourites, Julie London’s ‘Cry Me A River’, a non-rock emotional number.

And so, back to where we started, Jerry Lee Lewis. He firmly got on the road to fame with ‘Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On’ closely followed by ‘Great Balls Of Fire’. His style was in the boogie-woogie rapid fire genre and his piano playing was outrageous which would have had Chopin and Liszt turn in their graves. He would pump the piano keys hard with his left hand providing a fast tempo and the frenzied right hand going all over the keyboard rapidly. He would sometimes pound the keys with his feet, sit on the keyboard and stand on the piano. All this with his good looks and enticing voice earned him the nickname ‘Killer’ and he was often referred to as ‘R ‘n R’s first great wild man’.

At the height of his popularity, he fell in love with his 13-year old cousin and married her. He himself was just 22 and already twice married. This caused a huge public uproar and Lewis fell from grace. Some years later, he made a comeback but in Country music where he again made a name for himself. In fact, he kept singing well into the 21st century and in May this year, was inducted into the Country Hall Of Fame.

Once he had reestablished himself, he did make a partial comeback into R ‘n R and I loved his ‘Chantilly Lace’. He continued to perform in public and what caught my attention the other day was a video on YouTube of an old performance in company with Tom Jones in which the latter seems awestruck by Lewis. In fact, Tom Jones has spoken about his admiration for Lewis and his desire for 'Great Balls Of Fire' to be played at his own funeral! 

In my NDA years 1955-58, these pioneers of R ‘n R provided me with much needed comfort on many hard days’ nights.