KISSA KISS KA

When I was in my 20s, the ultimate in a love song was a kiss. The crude desire of "Let's Spend The Night Together" came much later. Early on, The Beatles were content with "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" but later advanced to 'Close your eyes and I'll kiss you' in "All My Loving", asking for just a kiss even while going away for quite a while.

The best 'kiss' song on my list is "Kiss Of Fire". Georgia Gibbs sang it first but the version that I love is Caterina Valente's. Her singing ignited the passion that the lyrics required. Listen to her sing, 'Give me your lips, the lips you only let me borrow, love me tonight and let the devil take tomorrow. I know that I must have your kiss although it dooms me, though it consumes me, your kiss of fire.'

An unforgettable song is "As Time Goes By" from the timeless classic movie "Casablanca". In fact, this song is No. 2 on the American Film Institute's 100 years...100 songs which is a list of the top 100 songs in American cinema of the 20th century. The 'kiss' connection- 'You must remember this, a kiss is just a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh, the fundamental things apply, as time goes by.' Sheer bliss.

Another popular oldie was "It's Been A Long Long Time'. A host of famous singers like Bing Crosby, Perry Como and Louis Armstrong sang it. Some lines, 'Kiss me once, then kiss me twice, then kiss me once again, it's been a long, long time.'

Louis Armstrong in his pleasant, cheery way asked for no more than "A Kiss To Build A Dream On" to let his imagination thrive upon that kiss and feed his hungry heart. 'Oh, give me your lips for just a moment, and my imagination will make that moment live...A kiss to build a dream on.' Our Hindi filmmakers were so taken up by this song that they copied it as "Kaisi Paheli Zindgani" for Sunidhi Chauhan to sing in "Parineeta". I must admit Sunidhi sang it very well and the song became a great hit.

Shirley Bassey burst on the music scene in 1959 with "Kiss Me, Honey Honey, Kiss Me". In the song, she starts out with 'I'd like to play a little game with you, a little game especially made for two. If you come close then I will show you how.' But soon the teacher becomes a pupil, 'You kiss so well my lips begin to burn, and I can tell I've got a lot to learn.' This song with its catchy lyrics was a popular number at parties in my younger days.

Don Everly was so stirred by a personal experience that he wrote a song, "(Till) I Kissed You" describing how one kiss could change a life forever. The song was a hit for The Everly Brothers. These lines tell it all:

"Never felt like this until I kissed you,

How did I exist until I kissed you,

Never had you on my mind, now you're there all the time....

Now I can't live without you,

Never knew what I missed until I kissed you, uh-huh,

I kissed you, oh yeah.'

"Sealed With A Kiss" was a song by Bobbie Vinton which probably is out of date because nobody writes a letter these days. But in 1972, it was a romantic thought-

"Though we gotta say goodbye for the summer,

Darling I promise you this,

I'll send you all my love every day in a letter

Sealed with a kiss."

Someone away from his loved one has fantasies of what he will do when he meets her. This is vividly emoted by the group "Exile" in "Kiss You All Over."

"When I get home, babe, gonna light your fire,

All day I've been thinkin' about you, babe, you're my one desire....

I want to kiss you all over and over again,

I want to kiss you all over 'til the night closes in,

'Til the night closes in."

And now, since I am writing this on a Sunday, it is appropriate to end with Melina Mercouri's hugely popular song we were all singing in my youth, "Never On A Sunday."

"Oh you can kiss me on a Monday a Monday a Monday is very good,

Or you can kiss me on a Tuesday a Tuesday a Tuesday in fact I wish you would,

Or you can kiss me on a Wednesday a Thursday a Friday and Saturday is best,

But never never on a Sunday a Sunday 'cause that's my day of rest." 

FLY INTO THE PAST WITH VINTAGE MUSIC IN "ROCKY AUR RANI KI PREM KAHANI'

 

Akhila and I are fond of movies and before the onset of Covid, used to see at least 2-3 movies every month in a Cinema hall. Then, from February 2020 to July 2023, movie watching was confined to TV and our visits to a theatre could be counted on the fingers of one hand.

 

End-July changed that. Suddenly, there were so many movies that had to be seen in a theatre. “Oppenheimer” was the first. A brilliant movie, it will surely land a few Oscars and other international awards in time to come. Next was “Barbie”, an eye-pleasing movie straight out of a doll house. The colour pink is in great demand and the movie is minting money. And the third in that movie crazy week was “Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani”.

 

“Rocky And Rani” is an all-round good production with a nice story and great acting. But what is exquisitely appealing about it is the way vintage Bollywood music is used to intertweave two love stories, an old romance of Kanwal and Jamini played by Dharmendra and Shabana Azmi, and the fresh, burgeoning love of Rocky and Rani played by Ranveer and Alia Bhatt.

 

Karan Johar is experienced in this art as displayed in his movie “Ae Dil Hai Mushkil” seven years ago. So is Pritam, music composer of  “Ae Dil…” as well as “Rocky Aur Rani” who has said that the music album of the latter is his homage to Hindi film music of the 1960s-70s. The songs chosen by Pritam were all outstanding hits in their time and would blissfully transport people of my generation to those days in a state of nostalgia.

 

Early into “Rocky Aur Rani”, Kanwal, wheelchair confined and suffering from amnesia, comes face to face with Jamini, his week-long lover of 40 years ago, recognizes her, gets up and walks up to her singing ‘Abhi Na Jao Chhod Kar’, the unforgettable song from “Hum Dono”, the Dev Anand-Sadhana starrer of 1961. The Mohd. Rafi-Asha Bhosle song with Sahir Ludhianvi’s superb lyrics flowing from desire to desperation was brilliantly brought to the screen by Dev Anand in his typical charming and flirty way with Sadhana as the demure lover in a dilemma to stay or leave before it got too dark. The song is regarded as one of the best love songs of all time. It took me back to my days on the ship Gomati in Bombay watching the movie with my shipmate and friend Jack Suri who perished with Khukri in 1971 and left this world too soon.

 

For “Rocky Aur Rani”, Pritam composed a number, ‘What Jhumka’ which is adapted from the enormously popular song ‘Jhumka Gira Re’ from the 1966 movie “Mera Saaya” also starring Sadhana. People might have forgotten the movie but not the Asha Bhosle song. Mention ‘Bareilly’ or ‘jhumka’ or even ‘bazaar’ and the song comes to mind. Its impact can be gauged from the fact that in 2020, 54 years after the release of the song, a brass and copper ‘jhumka’ weighing 200 kgs was installed on a 14 ft-high pole at the entrance to Bareilly on National Highway 24 and the T-point named ‘Jhumka Tiraha’. Ignoring historical and mythical facts like being the birthplace of Draupadi, Bareilly is now 'jhumka' city thanks to the song.

 

The origin of ‘jhumka’ story dates back to 1941 when Harivanshrai Bachchan first met Teji Suri in Bareilly at a new year's party and both fell in love with each other. Sometime later, the poet Raja Mehdi Ali Khan, Mr. Bachchan’s friend, asked if they were a couple. Miss Suri is believed to have said, “Mera jhumka toh Bareilly mein hi gir gaya tha’ thus confirming her falling in love. Mr. Khan recalled this while working for the film “Mera Saaya” and wrote the song ‘Jhumka…’ along with the music composer Madan Mohan.

 

In 1966, I was Flag Lt to Commandant, National Defence College, New Delhi, and Wing Cdr Suchanti was Junior Directing Staff (Air Force). In parties, people would ask Mrs Suchanti to sing a song. With a little persuasion, she would sing and coyly act out the single line, “Jhumka gira re, Bareilly ke bazaar mein, jhumka gira re’. No more, no less! Years later, I was in Wellington doing my Staff College Course and Air Commodore Suchanti was Chief Instructor (Air Force).  Recalling the NDC days, I would urge Mrs Suchanti to sing ‘Jhumka’ and she would charmingly oblige with the same line.

 

‘Yeh Shaam Mastani’ from “Kati Patang” features too. Rajesh Khanna with Kishore Kumar’s voice was in his prime in early ‘70s. In 1972, Akhila and I were in Vishakhapatnam just after our wedding. “Kati Patang” had been running in the naval base cinema for some time when we decided to see it. At the hall, we saw Surg Lt Cdr NP Mukherjee (Doc Mukko), my old shipmate on Gomati, standing at the back with a glass of whisky in his hand. Mukko said his wife was away in Calcutta and although he had seen the movie on the very first day, he had been walking across from the Wardroom nearby for every show just to hear ‘Yeh Shaam…’

 

Then there is ‘Aap Jaisa Koi’. This song from the film “Qurbani” in 1980 introduced the Pakistani singer Nazia Hassan to Bollywood and everyone was fascinated by her singing. We had just moved from Wellington, where I was a Directing Staff, to Delhi and were staying in Kotah House awaiting allocation of regular accommodation. Ruchir was 6 and Shumita 3. One day, we were walking outside when colleague Soli Contractor and his wife Jeroo met us. Soli picked up Shumita and started swaying to the rhythm of 'Aap Jaisa Koi' playing in the background. Now Soli had a bald pate as smooth as a baby’s bottom and Shumita stared it for some time and then started patting it with the beat of the song saying, “Takloo, Takloo”. Embarrassed, Akhila started to admonish her but Soli laughed and Jeroo said Shumita was only stating a fact! 

 

To list a few others, there are romantic ones like ‘Do Dil Mil Rahe Hain’, ‘Pyar Ka Nagma’ and ‘Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna Hai’ to lighter ones such as ‘Haal Kaisa Hai Janab Ka’, ‘Aaj Yeh Mausam Bada Beyimaan Hai’ and ‘Aaja Meri Gaadi Mein Baith Ja’. Towards the end, ‘Dola Re Dola’ from “Devdas” is used for a kathak dance by Ranveer and Tota Roy Choudhury.

 

All that makes for a melodious journey into the past refreshing sweet memories.

 

 

BAAYEIN HAATH KA KHEL

The oldest golf tournament in the world, The Open or the British Open as some call it for easier identification, was held last week. The Open was first held in 1860 and the 2023 Championship was the 151st.

As in Tennis, Golf has four tournaments that are recognised as 'Major'. These are The Masters, US Open and PGA Championship played in the USA and The Open played in UK. Anyone winning all four in a calendar year would be said to have won a Grand Slam.

So far, no one in the modern era has achieved that feat though Tiger Woods came close to it by winning the last 3 Majors in 2000 and The Masters in 2001 thus holding all 4 trophies simultaneously. The only player ever to have won the Grand Slam was the US player Bobby Jones in 1930 when it comprised of different championships.

Around 150 of the best golfers in the world contest each of the Majors and the competition is intense. Two or more well-known players fight it out till the end and the lead keeps changing making for an exciting finish. Often, there is a tie at the end of 72 holes and the leaders play a few more 'sudden death' holes till a winner emerges. 

Many golfers starting the final round with a comfortable lead have been known to suffer a meltdown and end up way down from the top. Perhaps the best example was at the 1999 Open when the Frenchman Jean Van de Velde had a 3-stroke lead on the final tee. That is big and everyone thought he had won The Open. As he drove off the 18th tee, the crowd was applauding who they thought was the new Champion and de Velde was acknowledging their cheers with a contented smile. Foolish aggression, however, brought him grief, he lost the 3-stroke advantage, the match went into sudden death and the Frenchman ended up losing the trophy.

Golf is essentially a right hand game and there are fewer left handed players compared to other games. With 14 clubs of different lofts, clubs have to be specially made for lefties. Many like my cousin Rajiv, natural left handers, end up playing right handed. Prior to 2023, there were only two left handed golfers who had won The Open. Bob Charles of New Zealand was the first in 1963 and the American Phil Mickelson in 2013. Overall, the Majors have had only 4 winners including Charles and Mickelson at The Open, Mickelson with 3 Masters and 2 PGAs, American Bubba Watson with 2 Masters and Canadian Mike Weir also with 1 Masters. No lefty has won the US Open though Phil Mickelson has ended up runners-up on a number of occasions at times losing the lead after 54 holes.

It is also interesting to note that contrary to lefties becoming right handed for golf, Mickelson and Weir are actually right handers who play only golf left handed! Mickelson said he learned his golf by mirroring his father's right hand swing.

With the 2023 Open, Brian Harman became only the 3rd left hander to win that tournament and just the 5th to win a Major. 

There is a saying in Hindi, 'Yeh to baayein haath ka khel hai', meaning that the task is so simple that it could be accomplished by anyone using his left hand. The saying assumes the person to be a normal right hander finishing the job easily even with his left hand. But let us take it literally for now.

In winning The Open, Harman defied a number of odds. To start with, he is a left hander and, therefore, at an inherent disadvantage. Then, he was way down in the rankings competing against favourites like Scheffler of US,  McIlroy of Ireland and Rahm of Spain, world nos. 1, 2 and 3 respectively, and other well-known players. Harman's past record was nothing exciting having won just 2 minor titles in his long professional career. His best finish was in the 2017 US Open when he had the lead after 54 holes but blew it on the final day.

This year at The Open, he stormed into a 4-stroke lead after a brilliant second round. On the third day, he held firm to increase the lead to 5, something unusual in a Major. When Tiger Woods was going into large leads in the Majors in early 2000s, it was expected of him; he was in his 20s, recognised as a prodigy, and a crowd favourite. But Harman was all of 36 with his best years expected to be behind him and largely unrecognised.

Harman was determined to prove everyone wrong and win this Major. In 17 holes on the final day, he had played steady golf and increased his lead to 6. On the last hole, he played carefully but still landed in the bunker with his 3rd shot. Ah, was there going to be a massive meltdown now? No sir, his bunker shot was first-rate and his putt right in for a par and he had preserved his 6-shot lead right to the end. The prize money was US $ 3 million and if he had bet on himself at odds of 125 to 1, he would have added substantially to his winnings.

He had proved, 'Yeh to baayein haath ka khel hai'!

Tailpiece: A man and his wife were avid golfers. She fell sick and thought she was going to die. So she called her husband to her bedside and said, "Darling, when I am no more, please do marry again. I would hate to see you lonely."

He: "That's very sweet of you, my dear."

She: "You can give her all my jewellery."

He: "If you say so, dearest."

She: "Also my dresses."

He: "That's too kind."

She: "And my golf set."

He: "No dear, that I can not."

She: "Why, darling? Do you love me so much that you cannot give my set to anybody else?"

He: "No dear. She is left-handed."

  

GOODBYE SINEAD O'CONNOR AND TONY BENNETT

Two celebrated singers passed away in the last few days. 

Sinead O’Connor’s death was declared on 26 July by her family. The cause of death is unknown but she was just 56. 

Sinead hit the top of the charts in 1990 with the deeply moving song ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’. Ruchir, Shumita and I would listen to it many times in a day and I still play the video often. The video is exceptional for the intense passion Sinead puts in the song. In my list, it is right on top of love and heartbreak songs. 

It reminds me of three similar songs from my younger days sung with enormous feeling. Johnnie Ray recorded ‘Cry’ in 1951. There was no video those days but it sounded as if Ray was actually crying while singing the song. The other two, ‘I’ll Never Fall in Love Again’ and ‘Yesterday’ are by Tom Jones who sounds and looks as if he is breaking down while singing the songs.

I don’t really know more about Sinead but that one song is unforgettable. Nothing compares to ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’.

Tony Bennett was 40 years her senior and breathed his last on 20 July, a little short of 97.  He came into the limelight in 1951 with ‘Because of You’ and kept bringing out hits after hits in a career lasting 70 years. His last disc release was ‘Love For Sale’ with Lady Gaga in 2021 with which he broke the individual record for the longest run of a top-10 album on the Billboard 200 chart for any living artist with his first Top 10 record being ‘I Left My Heart in San Francisco’ in 1962. With ‘Love For Sale’, he also broke the Guinness World Record for the oldest person to release an album of new material at the age of 95+. In his long career, he won 20 Grammies, a Lifetime Achievement Award and a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame.

His singing style was smooth like that of Frank Sinatra who said of Bennett in 1965,  “For my money, Tony Bennett is the best singer in the business”.

Apart from ‘Because of You’ and ‘I Left My Heart in San Francisco’, my pick of his songs includes, ‘Stranger in Paradise’, ‘I Get a Kick Out of You’, ‘Don’t Get Around Much Any More’, ‘I Can’t Give You Anything But Love’ , and ‘Cheek to Cheek’ with Lady Gaga. And special mention for ‘Shoo-Gah (My Pretty Sugar)’ which I wrote about in my earlier post, ‘Sugar is Sweet'.

Sinead O'Connor and Tony Bennett, RIP.

 

SUMMER 2023 IN JAIPUR - JUNE BUSTIN' OUT ALL OVER

Ruchir's plans were for a summer holiday for all of us in Italy but Akhila was not feeling quite fit, so she and I decided against travel abroad and take a break in Jaipur. 

Our main concern was the usual scorching heat in the summer of north India. But from the word go, we were treated to rain and cool weather. Rain accompanied us on the car journey from Delhi and we reached home in Jaipur welcomed by a dancing peacock on 'mori atariya' across our front lawn.. Mostly, the weather remained like that throughout our month and a half stay and the daily temperatures were about 32/24, reminding us of Singapore where all through the year, it was like that with the maximum reading a degree up meaning heat wave and the minimum degree one down indicating time for winter wear! 

My cousin Rajiv, who is settled in Jaipur and plays golf eight days a week, got me to join him a number of times and we had some enjoyable games at the Rambagh Golf Club. On one pleasant afternoon, we got talking about songs from his father and my Vinnie Mama's long playing disc collection of Rodgers and Hammerstein musical classics which I have described in my previous blog, 'Nostalgic Music Banter'. Indeed, it was June bustin' out all over just as in 'Carousel'.

Then came Rajiv's birthday and he and his sweet wife, Reena, asked us to join them for dinner They offered two choices for the venue- Meraki Kitchen and Niro's, and I had no hesitation in picking the latter, the old restaurant which is my favourite having opened in 1949, just one year before we moved to Jaipur. The decor obviously keeps changing but the basic structure remains the same making me feel at home. The present owner has followed the family tradition of studying at St. Xavier's. He proudly told me he was from the 1977 batch but was slightly shaken when I said I was of 1954 vintage. I asked my pet question whether 'Knickerbocker Glory' sundae continued to be on the A La Carte and was happy to get a 'yes'. This exclusive dessert has been on their menu since they opened the restaurant. Rajiv insisted on ordering it though we were quite full. Finally we went for 'one into two'; it was delicious but I found I couldn't finish my half. Wonder how I used to scrape the glass clean in my younger days!

In the third week of June, Shumita and her sons, Shiven and Raghav,  came over for 5 days. Shumita tried to fit in as much sightseeing as she could for the boys and we joined them whenever we could.

The famous travel writer, Paul Theroux, has said that he has travelled extensively all over the world and yet there is so much more to see. However, there was very little excuse for us not to have visited the wild life sanctuary of Jhalana, famous for its leopards, which is just ten kms. from our house. No wonder, Rambagh Palace was once a hunting lodge! So it was nice to fill in that blank by visiting the sanctuary with Shumita and the boys. 

Our safari began with a climb up on to a 'machaan' which gives a spectacular view of the whole sanctuary. When we got back into our jeep, our driver received a tip-off about a leopard whereabouts. So he drove to the spot and there was the leopard, Rana, just ten metres from us, sitting unperturbed on a wall, refreshing itself by licking its limbs. It then went to sleep while all the watchers in about a dozen vehicles waited quietly and patiently for it to move. After what seemed an eternity, it rose majestically, climbed down the wall and strolled to a water hole nearby. By now, it was almost sunset and it had been about 90 minutes with Rana. So we left it as it continued to lap up water from the pond. A rewarding trip with the satisfaction of a long, clear sighting and lots of photos.

We had a number of meals out with Shumita and the boys. As Rambagh Palace had just been named the World's No.1 Hotel by the renowned tour company, TripAdvisor, in its Travellers' Choice Awards, a dinner at the Hotel's Suvarna Mahal Restaurant was a must. The Manager offered to take us around the Hotel including the lavish Sawai Man Singh and Maharani Gayatri Devi suites- last words in luxury!

At Narain Niwas Palace, we knew about the colourful Bar Palladio and Shikar Bagh Restaurant with rickshaws and buggies serving as tables on the lawn, but discovered a new place, Cafe Orleans, set on one side of the large verandah. It is said that the founder of Narain Niwas, late General Amar Singh, who was stationed in Orleans, France, during WWI, became fond of travel and French cuisine and the Cafe was set up as a tribute to him and to preserve his legacy. Indeed, we were impressed by the coffee and snacks served, the decor largely in light blue and the view of the Palace gardens through floor-to-ceiling arched windows.

We were nearing the end of our stay and wanted to have a get-together before leaving. Date suitable to all turned out to be 4 July, American Independence Day, and we thought it would be a good idea to celebrate the fresh bonhomie between Joe Biden and Narendra Modi. So we had a dinner at Rambagh Golf Club with the weather perfect for sitting in the outdoor Hut overlooking the 2nd and 3rd fairways and the 2nd green.

Not by design but later, I realised something special about the small gathering at Dinner. The naval ranks were represented from Commander to full Admiral with an officer from each rank. (I am cheating a bit as I am counting myself as both  Captain and Commodore considering the latter is more of an appointment in the Navy. It would have been totally accurate if Capt RN Singh had not declined as he was not feeling well). Also, it was a distinguished gathering as there were three gentlemen who had reached the top of their profession: Admiral Madhvendra Singh, head of Indian Navy, Lt Gen/Vice Adm Karni Singh, highest rank in the Defence Services medical branch, and Kamal Surana, top Indian jeweller. 

Oh, and 4 July is also Akhila's birthday.

No trip to Jaipur is complete without my paying a call on the resident doyen of the Navy, Capt RN Singh. Apart from being confined to a wheelchair due to his age, he had a throat infection and we kept putting off our meeting till the day before my departure. Finally, I called on him at the Diggi Palace, a stone's throw from my house, and as usual, got talking about our fun times in the Navy. His stories need to be told in detail and I hope to compile them at a later date. For the time being let me just say that he is perhaps one of the very few people in the world to have travelled from UK to India by air, road and sea.

Delhi beckoned and we hit the road promising to come back to Jaipur soon. My favourite quote, "I haven't been everywhere but it's on my list" comes to mind with  Castle Kanota, Meraki Kitchen, Serai Brews Cafe.....

GROW OLD OR STAY YOUNG?

Almost every day, a classmate or coursemate turns 84/85. Spouses are clocking 75-80. Are we growing old?

In his unforgettable song in "Gigi", Maurice Chevalier is glad he is not young anymore-

'How lovely to sit here in the shade, with none of the woes of man and maid....

No more confusion, no morning-after surprise,

No self-delusion that when you are telling those lies, she isn't wise....

No more frustation, no star-crossed lover am I....

I've never been so comfortable before,

I'm so glad I'm not young anymore.'

But he does not say he is 'old'!

In her classic song 'Abhi Toh Mein Jawan Hoon', Malika Pukhraj has no thought of giving up her 'jawani'-

'Abhi toh mein jawan hoon....

Yeh bulbulon ke chahchahey, yeh gulrukhon keh qah-qahey,

Yeh ishq ki kahaaniyaan, yeh ras bhari jawaaniyaan, 

Woh raag chherh mutriba, tarab-fizaa alam-rubaa,

Asar sadaa-e-saaz-ka, jigar mein aag de lagaa,

Har ik lab pe ho sadaa, na haath rok saaqiyaa, pilaaye ja pilaaye ja,

Abhi toh mein jawan hoon.'

And why not? Robert De Niro and Al Pacino have become fathers again at 83. Whenever Akhila and I show reluctance at travelling, Ruchir quotes the example of Frank Wisner, former US Ambassador to India, who at 85, with half his body parts replaced, keeps constantly on the move all over the world as a member of various organisations. The other day I read about an Indian lady who at 106 regularly takes part in Veteran races and recently won three medals!

On entering teens, one is impatient to become an adult. At the age if 14, I went and got myself a shaving kit. Vinnie Mama saw it and told me not to be in a hurry as, in time, I would have to shave every day, maybe more, and get tired of the daily ritual. That observation has come true as I have now made it an alternate day affair sometimes extended by another non-shaving day. And I repeat Vinnie Mama's advice to my grandsons.

Part of growing up, love happens. Little Rita Faye sang a sweet song of a schoolgirl whose mother had to tell her to 'Wait A Little Longer'-

' I've got a sweetheart, he carries home my books,

He stays in my dollhouse and says he likes my looks,

I'll tell you a secret, he wants to marry me,

But Mama says that I'm too little to have such thoughts as these.

So wait a little longer, till I'm a little bit older,

I'll love you and kiss you too, I'll be a little bit bolder.'

Chances are 'Mama' had the experience of her mother's advice at the former's daughter's age!

So one goes through the ups and downs of life with one's own experiences till one may realise as Charles Aznavour put it-

'Yesterday when I was young, there were so many songs that waited to be sung,

So many wild pleasures that lay in store for me....

I ran so fast that time and youth at last ran out,

I never stopped to think what life was all about.'

But all songs can never be sung and one should be content, happy and grateful for those which one could sing. The sinking feeling of the roller-coaster of life going down is pleasantly relieved by the thrill and pleasure of ristng. Maurice Chevalier may be glad in not being young anymore but in our hearts, we should hark to Frank Sinatra-

'Fairytales can come true, it can happen to you if you're young at heart,

For it's hard you will find, to be narrow of mind if you're young at heart,

You can go to extremes with impossible schemes,

You can laugh when your dreams fall apart at the seams....

Don't you know that it's worth every treasure on earth to be young at heart,

For as rich as you are, it's much better by far, to be young at heart.

And if you should survive to 105, look at all you'll derive out of being alive....

If you are among the very young at heart.'

For our loved ones (and, hopefully, vice versa!), there is Nat King Cole-

'You will never grow old, while there's 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.'

'

'

NOSTALGIC MUSIC BANTER

It was the day of the storm.

Rajeev, my cousin, and I had started our afternoon game of golf in bright, hot sunlight. We had played four holes when the sky started turning a muddy grey. A duststorm soon hit us, the one that originated in Bikaner and spread over a large part of Rajasthan. Next day, the papers said that the wind speed was more than 110 kms per hour. We don't know what it was on the golf course but a 200-yard swing was getting us less than 50 against the wind and, with following wind, just a gentle tap of a putt making the ball roll 10 feet past the pin.

Nevertheless, we decided to continue our game and with the weather cooling off, got in a musical mood. Rajeev launched into lines he recalled Vinnie Mama, his father, singing to him from "Annie Get Your Gun", 

'Folks like us could never fuss with schools and books and learnin', 

Still, we've gone from A to Zee, a-doin' what comes naturally.' 

I remembered some lines too-

'My uncle out in Texas, can't even write his name,

He signs his cheques with Xs but they cash 'em just the same.

If you saw my pa and ma,  you'd know they had no learnin',

Still they've raised a family, doin' what comes naturally'.

Still on "Annie",  Rajeev and I indulged in a bit of 'Anything you can do, I can do better, I can do anything better than you.'

Rajeev remembered Vinnie Mama's LP disc of "Oklahoma", the musical that marked the beginning of the success of Rodgers and Hammerstein. I too sought that disc whenever I went to Vinnie Mama's house. It's songs are a pure delight beginning with-

'Oh, what a beautiful mornin', oh, what a beautiful day.

I've got a beautiful feelin', everything's goin' my way!'

Then the shy, romantic "People Will Say We're In Love." First, the hesitancy from the girl-

'Don't sigh and gaze at me, your sighs are so like mine,

Your eyes mustn't glow like mine, people will say we're in love.'

The boy is shy too-

'Don't take my arm too much, don't keep your hand in mine,

Your hand feels so grand in mine, people will say we're in love.'

And then he throws caution to the winds and shouts to anybody who can hear him-

'I want 'em to know that Miss Laurey Williams is my girl!

Let people will say we're in love, starlight looks well on us,

Let the stars beam from above, who cares if they tell on us,

Let people say we're in love.'

The next song truly lays down the framework of love-

'With me it's all er nuthin', is it all er nuthin' with you,

It cain't be "in between", it cain't be "now or then",

No half and half romance will do.'

A word of regret here, I haven't had a chance to see "Oklahoma" on stage.

Not so with R&H's second big hit, "Carousel", the revival of which I saw on Broadway during a visit to New York a few years back. The music was mind blowing topped by "If I Loved You" which in my book is one of the best love songs ever. The characters Billy and Julie are too shy to openly declare their love for each other, so they resort to 'if'! 

'If I loved you, time and again I would try to say,

All I'd want you to know,

If I loved you, words wouldn't come in an easy way,

Round in circles I'd go.

Longing to tell you but afraid and shy,

I'd let my golden chances pass me by.

Soon you'd leave me, off you would go in the mist of day,

Never, never to know, how I loved you,

If I loved you.'

If that doesn't touch one's heart, nothing will!

Another stirring but inspiring song is "You'll Never Walk Alone" featured twice in the play, the second time by the dead, invisible Billy at his daughter's graduation ceremony, 'When you walk through a storm, hold your head up high, and don't be afraid of the dark....Walk on. walk on, with hope in your heart, and you'll never walk alone.'

Getting back to the present, it struck me that we were in the month of June which in "Carousel" was 'bustin' out all over.' Not quite bustin' in Jaipur but it was pretty springy when it could have been searing hot.

Finally from the musical, the fascinating "Carousel Waltz" which has one pirouetting as I did all the way home while returning after listening to it at New York Philharmonic Orchestra's performance in Central Park a few days after I saw "Carousel".

I recalled another big R&H hit I was fortunate to see on stage; "South Pacific" has a story culled from James Michener's "Tales of the South Pacific". Its most popular number was "Some Enchanted Evening", a love song sung by the character Emile de Bacque, a middle-aged person who falls in love at first sight with a much younger woman, Nellie. Emile sings it as a solo, telling himself to 'make her your own, or all through your life you may dream all alone. Once you have found her, never let her go.'

Nellie is confused about the relationship and while having a shower and shampoo, determines to 'I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair'. But you know what happens!

Fun and motherly advice is provided by a native woman, Bloody Mary, who sings of the charm of her native village, "Bali Ha'i".

The storm had blown over as our game continued but now darkness was approaching and for a finale we moved from R&H to Lerner-Loewe's "Gigi". The 1958 movie was an outstanding success and the play I saw on Broadway in 2015, a worthy refresher. Gaston, a grown-up philandering bachelor, pays no attention to Gigi, a precocious, pert teenager he knows from her childhood. Then one day, he suddenly realises that she has grown into a captivating young lady whose charm he cannot resist:

'Oh, Gigi! Why, you've been growing up before my eyes,

Gigi! You're not at all that funny, awkward little girl I knew,

Overnight there's been a breathless change in you....

When did your sparkle turn to fire?

And your warmth become desire?

Oh what miracle has made you the way you are?'

But I will always remember the movie for the debonair Maurice Chevalier's jaunty rendition of "Thank Heaven For Little Girls", 

'Thank heaven for little girls, thank heaven for them all,

No matter where, no matter who, 

Without them, what would little boys do.

Thank heaven for little girls.'

Sunset. Game over. End of banter. Until next game?!

'