Amitabh Bachchan

It is most unfortunate that  Amitabh Bachchan is touchy about anyone successfully imitating his baritone voice. He is planning to copyright his voice.He wrote in his blog, "an asset must be delivered to the one that created the asset !" Obviously, we don't like this tone of his voice..! The whole tenor of our discussion might change with this rhetoric of the mega-megastar.The author has rightly pointed out that imitation is the best form of flattery. Has he forgotten that Sudesh Bhosale, the talented singer provided delightful playback for Amitabh Bachchan in many  successful movies including Hum and Baghbaan. Could he have sung the song "Jumma Chumma " better than Sudesh Bhosale, with better results? Sudesh Bhosale sounds so much like Amitabh Bachchan even while imitating his dialogues. I would like to remind Big B that S P Balasubrahmaniam is a very popular singer of Indian film industry. He was assigned as the default dubbing artist for Kamal Hassan's many Telugu and Tamil movies which were a great success commercially. He has also dubbed voices for various artists including Salman Khan. Kamal Hassan strongly believes the credit for his success goes to S P Balasubrahmaniam. Now, may I ask Amitabh Sir, to kindly change his views.  

My first letter ..

Salman khan comments on the Channel Express 24/7 claiming 26/11 attacks were hyped because the elite were targetted and later apology for his "insensitive" statement seems more of an intentional controversy at the time of his latest movie Dabangg ! This type of controversy generates a great deal of publicity for the film.The film can be a financial success owing to this controversy! A new technique of advertisement has suddenly cropped up lately. There are two ways of getting publicity,first is by going to reality shows and the next a pre-release controversy. It is well known that My Name Is khan was a success due to pre-release controversy. A political party blocking the release of a film ensures the commercial success of the film. 3 idiots was a big success due to Chetan Bhagat controversy. Hence by saying those controversial statements in his interview Salman has not put his foot in mouth but he has put his best foot forward ! 

Mohd Habib..

Here's a story I want you to read: Mohammed Habib, Delhi's Dead Body Collector, has just turned 8o, and he has no plans of his retirement. He has been collecting the city's unclaimed corpses since seven decades! He must have disposed hundred of bodies for free,he had picked up many dead bodies during the 1984 riots after Indira Gandhi's assassination and must have buried countless during the partition of India and Pakistan. Nothing has changed in Habib's life, he still lives in the same footpath with his blind wife Amna Begum. His meeting with his wife was equally interesting, 19 years ago, when he was attracted to her by her statement, "Whenever she felt cold she hugged a dead body and slept as they never troubled her and they never turned around!" This undertaker of dead bodies, has no fear of dead bodies. Occasionally, he slept with a corpse the whole night to protect them from animals! He has a daughter who lives with him and a son who has died.He once adopted a small baby girl whose mother got killed by a speeding train. Since the child was a Hindu, he brought her up as per Hindu traditions and got her married to a Hindu boy. Habib is always worried about winters and the biting northerly winds. The number of deaths doubles during winters. Earthquake and floods don't discriminate between rich and the poor, but unfortunately, the winter does discriminate; the winter kills many every year due to their lack of proper clothing! Habib is also worried about one more thing : " What will happen to a person after him, who comes to Delhi in winters in search of a job?"

Mamta Banerjaee..

Mamta Banerjee is not against industrialisation. She is against the regressive policies of the Left Front, Which have stalled the development in the state for decades.
Banerjee cares about the welfare of the people of Bengal. We hope that she wins the assembly elections and puts the state on the road to development.

Faiz Ahmed Faiz...

A committed Marxist, one of the greatest Urdu poets, a journalist, film maker, trade unionist, broadcaster, teacher, translator, Lenin Peace Prize winner, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, had also served the British Indian Army rising to the rank of Lt Colonel. Born in Sailkot, Faiz was educated in Lahore, the city which served as his base throughout his life.  He continued to live there after the unfortunate partition of the sub-continent.  The trauma, torture and torment of the partition are deeply reflected in his poetry. His love for the liberation of the peoples of the sub-continent as a whole was unquestionable.  When Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated, a London newspaper said that he was “A brave enough man to fly from Lahore to Delhi for Gandhi’s funeral at the height of the Indo-Pakistan hatred”.
Adopting the penname, Faiz, which can be best described to mean `dedication to the service of his fellowmen’, he revolutionised Urdu poetry. He relentlessly showed that the pen is mightier than the sword  in rousing the people.
May God Bless His Soul !

Karan Thapar...

. I must congratulate Karan Thapar for the superbly written genuine article. The author gave a detailed account of his Doon school days. The story of Doon School Scholar's blazer was really touching and sentimental best!  But the author seemed a bit biased towards Doon school. He is steadfast in his belief that Doon is the best school. He is also a staunch supporter of Doon school and its faculty. He was wonderfully nostalgic about the platinum jubilee celebrations of the school and his being awarded the first scholar's blazer. He was delightfully mushy and sentimental when he took us down his memory lane. But he made a mistake in saying that Doon was special. I beg to differ . School days are special to every child, whether it is a Doon or a Municipal school, school days are the best days of  one's life. I would strongly protest if my modest school is not considered hallowed, compared to Doon. I still take pride in talking about my modest school and I too vividly remember all my school teachers and their voices like the author.                                    

Dil Diwana Ye Kahe.......Dr P Pradeep, Anaes, Sec'bad. Dedicated to my D...