I Can't Understand What's Happening

Life has been strange recently. 

Couple of days back I had gone to the station to pick up my mother. She saw me and beckoned to me. I went to her. And then she told me she had mistaken me for a porter, this being a reflection of the dress I was wearing. 

I didn't mind it. This wasn't a big deal. I am not particular about my dress. And I haven't gone to a shop to buy a shirt or a pair of trousers in many years.

Things started to go downhill recently.

My niece came home today. Whenever she comes, her cousin also drops in. The two are inseparable.

The quality of discussion at home, which was never high in the first place, has dropped many notches. There is constant chatter about who has acted in which movie, who is getting married / separated and which shop has the best bargains (40% or more or less), where you get nice shoes and so on.

Today, my niece showed me two saris and a blouse and asked me which sari matched (in color, you dumbos) the blouse closer. She and my mother had had a disagreement and they wanted me to settle the matter, me being the man of the house.

I know, I could have handled the question better and pointed to any one of the saris. It wouldn't have mattered which sari I chose. No one takes a man's opinion in these matter seriously anyway. I am reminded of the scene in the movie Mummy where the heroine Rachel Weisz wakes up and finds herself lying on her back with her hands tied, a mouse slowly walking across her belly. That's more or less how I felt. I was minding my own business, reading something when this question (which sari/blouse matched better) was thrown at me and two women looked at me expectantly for an answer. 

But such was my shock at the question that I made a total mess. I shrieked in horror and strange sounds came out of my mouth.

I realized that I have much to learn. The feminine language for instance. And the art of asking opinions from people whose opinion you don't plan to consider anyway.

And the art of giving nonsensical answers with a knowing smile. For example, When someone asks "Why", you just smile patiently and explain that every question need not have a logical answer. One feels sometimes. One intuits. Thereby you would have played your cards close to your chest and you avoid having to defend your reason for eternity.

The other day a friend of mine said to me that she relies on her intuition many times and that her intuition was usually good. I asked her if she had ever come across a person who said that his (or her) intuition usually sucked and he would never trust it. Unfortunately I never got to know her answer as she left suddenly saying she had some urgent work to attend to.

Having said that, I still feel it is good to speak the feminine language. With the right pronunciation. I could have at least sorted out the issue of the matching blouse better.

What Kind Of Man Can We Not Tolerate

A friend and I collated the following traits in men that women cannot tolerate in men. We specifically did not include things like his looks, his wealth etc. We focused only on his traits.

1. He wants to spend a lot of time with you - more than you expect and is possessive. He doesn't give you space. 

2. He listens to the strongest person everywhere (Mother, sibling, friend etc) - like Bingley in Pride and Prejudice. He has no mind of his own. He can't take much stress / responsibility. if there is a problem he usually avoids it. He doesnt take any initiative for most things (to go out, even sex).

4. You can't have a long enjoyable conversation most times with him.

5. He has a foul temper and / or little sense of humor and / or is a chauvinist. He may seek your opinion / decision but his decision will usually be different.

8. He cannot be trusted (with money, women). His integrity is not much to write home about.

The fun is that no man will have ALL these characteristics. Each man will have some of these, and not the rest. Which of these is the worst that YOU cannot tolerate? How would you rank these? Note that the numbers are 1, 2, 4, 5 and 8.

We have taken pains to ensure that there aren't too many points to confuse the reader. And hopefully we have not left out important traits. If women can read these traits and point to one of these and then say "aha THERE is my man. right there", I think our efforts would have been justified. 

Comments welcome. (Earlier we had 8 different points. Then based on the analysis of the comments we got we reclassified the traits, Point 5 includes erstwhile 7. And point 2 includes 3,6)

Impact of Last Name Portability In India (When Spouses Can Be Legally Changed After 90 Days While Still Retaining Same Last Name)

I was discussing with a friend what would happen if this LNP (Last Name Portability) came into vogue and it was legal. LNP is the fictitious option invented by me to legally change your relationship partner if you don't like him (or her) after a minimum time period has elapsed. It is the option to have a no questions asked divorce after 90 days have elapsed. Assume first that there are no children involved. Just like you can change your mobile service operator after 90 days - no questions asked while still retaining your number.

Imagine you been married for some time. Things aren't too good, either for you or your spouse. So you start exploring while you are married and when you find another partner who you think is good. You wait until 90 days are over (let's assume that is the minimum time before you can change partner) and then you inform the partner and leave. Either of the partner will leave (who leaves is something that needs to be decided).

Now you are on to a new relationship. You would find things are ok initially and then they start deteriorating. Perhaps both partners feel that this relationship is also not ok. 

You move on to the third relationship. 

When it comes to the third you will be much more careful. You don't like this business of moving every 90 days. It sounds stupid.

Obviously you would be careful to avoid pregnancy until you have spent 3 years (say) with your partner. There are too many issues to tackle when there are children. You would want to be sure before having a kid.

So this time you would hesitate, wait and try to figure out what went wrong. What are others doing? How are they doing? 

Everyone wants to settle with ONE partner for a LONG time.. PEOPLE ARE NOT interested in changing every 90 days just because there is an option available.

So after one or two juvenile mistakes people will be more cautious. It's similar to how it is with MNP (Mobile Number Portability). Do we keep changing telephone operators? Don't we find out which new operator is good? Or if we think everyone is equally bad, don't we hang on to the incumbent? Only 3% of customers have used LNP in one year as per data I read recently (http://www.mnp-india.com/.)

With LNP, most people would probably go through 2 or 3 or maximum 4 relationships before they apply the brakes and do some serious introspection. People would not be indiscriminately promiscuous or have relationships indiscriminately one after another. Better sense would prevail. 

You will start evaluating new partners in new ways. You will look at how many partners he/she has had. If there were too many that itself would be an issue. Just like companies we wont recruit people who change jobs too often. You may start asking for references from previous partners or get feedback from previous partners. Like in ebay you may give and get positive / negative rating after each relationship.

Having the choice of change (of phone or partner) after 90 days doesn't mean things automatically become better. You still have to be sensible.  And you will become sensible. People DO NOT want to keep changing partners for the heck of it. MEN ALSO WONT like it.

So how would things essentially change compared to now?

People will have had couple more partners than now. They are likely to be happier than now because they have an option to leave a poor relationship and find themselves a more suitable partner. And have kids later in life.

What about assets acquired? There will be prenuptial contracts (formal or just oral). When couples split, they may value the assets and split in the proportion of their contribution. 

LNP would make no sense to partners who don't work (or earn) because they could be left high and dry. Women would find jobs. They would become equal or almost equal to men. There would be less consideration or protection to women because of their gender. The current practice of one person (men) earning and the other taking care of home will become less practical. That worked fine when the marriage was until "death do them part". Losers, men and women who aren't fit to be in a relationship or those who do not make good partners, will move into oblivion. The unfit won't survive.

Parents would have less part to play in the marriage either before or after marriage. Parents (in case of arranged marriages) played an active part in choosing the bride or groom. But if LNP is going to happen to more often, they would not be involved in the process of choosing a partner for their children. The death knell would sound on the old Tamil saying "Aayaram poi cholliyum oru kalyanam pannalaam" (Even 1000 lies can be told in order to conduct a marriage).

Guruji mentioned that marriage expenses would fall. Instead of having one big fat Greek wedding, people may have a few petite weddings. And the groom's side would be expected to contribute equally to the expenses. One would not invest too much on a very risky or a short lived venture.

And guess what? Men would have to learn house work. Guys who are unfamiliar with the kitchen won't make the cut. They would end up with poor ratings or without a partner and then will have no choice but to learn to do household chores. Ain't this nice?

Until LNP becomes a reality in India, women currently have to choose dubious last names such as Rani, Devi, Kumari etc in order to to not anyone know who their current spouse is. With LNP, women can remain a Shah even if their current spouse's last name is Naseeruddin. Men don't have this problem. They don't change their last name just because they have changed their spouse. 

Jesus Christ, what is this? http://www.timescrest.com/society/another-name-for-rape-6767

Additional reading: This is lovely reading.

Love In Titanic

A friend and I were discussing love and what causes it to happen and to break. She cited the love between Kate and Leonardo in the movie Titanic. 

Which woman wouldn't love a character like Leonardo? He was a welcome breeze in her life, she being engaged to an arrogant man she didn't love. She was about to commit suicide when Leonardo saves her and during the course of the next three days becomes a good friend and ultimately gave his life to save her. Fairy tale like, isn't it?

Kate was grateful to him for being a good friend in time of her need. What else did they have in common? That he was from the lower classes and not an unmitigated arrogant ass like Kate's fiance? And that Kate disliked her fiance because she was "sold off" to her fiance?

Now was this really love between Leonardo and Kate? Could it have sustained if the ship didn't sink as it did? What would have happened if they had both survived and been in a relationship?

Would they have loved each other for the next 10 years? Could Kate have been happy with Leonardo's lower middle class life, upbringing and aspirations? Could Leonardo have moved "up" the rung?

This is almost like Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in Roman Holiday. They had 3 days of close friendship but after that they had to go to their separate lives. Their lives couldn't be one. Were Audrey and Gregory in love? Or did circumstances cause a good friendship, with likely a low shelf life? I think it's the latter.

Both sets of couples (in Roman Holiday and Titanic) truly liked each other's company for those three days. Put them together for a longer period of time, then their fondness towards each other would likely have turned sour. I guess I would predict the same with Richard Gere and Julia Roberts in the movie Pretty Woman.

Transient fondness can be created by circumstances. Love cannot be created/sustained if people come from too different a background. And certainly love needs a longer time to grow and take roots. You cannot be in love with a person whom you have known for three days.

Was the love between Eliza and Darcy in Pride and Prejudice (http://vbala99.blogspot.com/2011/11/why-did-elizabeth-love-darcy.html) or between Jennifer and Oliver in Love Story (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Story_(novel)) of a transient kind or a permanent kind?

Comments welcome.

Capital Protection Fund

I came across a presentation which explained how a capital protection scheme worked. 

It's like this. The money is invested for a specified duration, say, 5 years. About 65% of the amount you invest is deployed into debt funds (fixed deposits etc) which at the end of the period will grow to the total amount you invested. Thus your capital is protected no matter what.

Now the balance amount (35% in this case) is invested in equity. Over 5 year period this can double or grow by 50% or you can lose your shirt. Any which way, the capital you invested is protected.

Now, the presentation also had made an analysis in the last 12 years of returns from investment in equity over a rolling 3 year period. There were 3000 odd data points.

I assume the data points were like:

1 Jan 1999 - 1 Jan 2002

2 Jan 1999 - 2 Jan 2002

...

30-Sep-2008 - 30-Sep-2011

You can see that its about 10 yrs (of 240 days each approx, excluding weekends and other holidays) which comes to about 2400 days.

Now coming back to what the analysis in the presentation...

It was mentioned that the investment (in equity) gave positive returns 80% of the time (of the 3000 samples) and gave negative returns 20% of the time. Meaning, if you had blindly invested in equity between 1999 and 2008 and stayed invested for 3 years, there was a 80% chance that you would make money and 20% that you would lose money.

Note:

I am not going into how much one would have profited or lost. I am assuming that it may not be an important factor in this analysis. 

Now if we change the 3 year investment period what happens to the analysis? Investment in equity is risky. One could make or lose a lot. If we reduce the investment period to 2 years then we would have made negative returns probably 40% of the time (instead of 20% of the time as in the case of 3 year lock in).

Conversely, if the lock in period was increased to 5 years, the probability of negative returns would reduce. Maybe it might only be 10% instead of 20%.

Now, if the probability of getting a negative return when we invest in equity market over 5 years is only 10% (and I assume the expected loss is about 15%) then this also is a form of capital protection. You don't lose more than 15% of your capital. While the upside in case of profit would be much higher. Right?

So my question is: why are people selling debt instruments when the investment horizon is 5 years? Why do investors buy it?

Should we not focus on (a) CAGR Returns (b) risk (c) liquidity while making an investment and choose whichever product/instrument which meets our goals. Whether its gold or silver or real estate or sectoral funds or stocks or equity funds or debt funds or balanced funds etc? Why do we compare each asset class with its own benchmark? Should we not instead compare across asset classes using the common parameters like the three mentioned above?    

Getting What You Want

A friend sent me this quote: 

""The only thing worse than not getting what you want is getting what you want". 

I modified it for her.

"WHEN YOU DON'T DESERVE SOMETHING, the only thing worse than not getting what you want is getting what you want".

In Tamil there is a saying "Mudavan kombu thenukku aasai paduvadu pola". It translates roughly as "a lame man wishing to get honey from a tree (how stupid it is, he will never get it)".

If the lame man doesnt deserve it and gets it, later the honey will think "what did I do to deserve this lame man and walk out." Getting something that you don't deserve creates more problems than it solves.

Maths Puzzle - 21 - Forgotten Password

A boy forgot his pin-code which was of 5 digits, but luckily he remembered some hints to remember that password, here are those clues. 

1. First digit is equal to the square of second digit 

2. Second plus 3rd digit are equal to 10 

3. 4th digit equal to the 2nd digit plus 1 

4. 5th plus 3rd digit make 14 

5. Sum of all the five digit make 30. 

Find the pin code. Let's see how your math is.

Maths Puzzle - 20

Only 2% students had solved this question in an exam.

5+3+2=151012 

9+2+4=183662 

8+6+3=482466 

5+4+5=202504 

Then 7+2+5=???

(I couldn't solve it fully. Guruji provided the solution).

Maths Puzzle - 19

Guruji gave me this puzzle.

Try to solve this puzzle. She said only 1 Out of 100 Has been able to solve this. If you’re able to solve it you’re one of those … And your IQ is also above 150. (I don't think this is true. It is far too simple for that.)

IF

7 - 3 = 10124

6 + 3 = 3279

5 – 2 = 763

11 + 2 = 92613

Then,

15 - 3 = ?

Maths Puzzle - 18

A friend gave me this puzzle today.

A man wanted to enter a club

Every member knew the password,

The man hid himself beside a wall and tried to listen to the password.

A member came, watchman said 'twelve'

Member replied 6,

Watchman opened door.

Another member came, watchman said 'six'

Membr replied 3,

Watchman opened door.

Man thought he had got the password

He went to the door,

Watchman said 'eight'

Man replied 4. Watchman didn't open door.

What was the password?

Some Articles On Relationships

A friend sent me a link on relationships; about the kind of men you shouldn't marry I did a back of the envelope calculation: 

There are 7 billion people in the world. 3.5 billion males.

Males up to 18 years age (@20% of total population):  0.7 billion

Males above 60 years of age (@15% of total population): 0.5 billion

Males between 18 and 60: = 3.5 - 0.7 - 0.5 = 2.3 billion

Males (and also females) between 18 and 60 who are not married (@40% of above population): 0.9 billion =900 million.

After you eliminate all of the kind of males listed in the article, I wonder how many of the 900 million males will remain still eligible though. Maybe 2 million?

So 900 million women would be looking out for 2 million men? If a man is part of this 2 million, imagine his odds. Wowowowow.

Another interesting article:

Are you a standby in his life? (http://timesofindia.com/PDATOI/articleshow/10507078.cms)

Why Did Elizabeth Love Darcy?

I recently read Pride and Prejudice and wrote about it (http://vbala99.blogspot.com/2011/11/pride-and-prejudice-by-jane-austen-read.html and http://www.pemberley.com/janeinfo/ppv3n58.html#darcylove). Guruji also read the book.

I asked her today. Why did Eliza love Darcy?

She said:

• All the negatives that Eliza had seen in Darcy earlier were because of her misunderstanding. Darcy was a very good man (he had helped Lydia get married to Wickham).
• Darcy had a strong mind.
• There were not many men like Darcy (My comment: There are also not many men who are five feet tall. Does one fall in love with someone just because he belongs to a rare kind?)
• Eliza said that her disposition was suited to Darcy's. (My comment: That is my question. Why did she say that?)

She stopped here since Dimple had called her to say dinner was ready. She said she will continue after dinner. My thoughts continued. Why did Eliza love Darcy?

• Initially Darcy got off on the wrong foot with Eliza and she thought him to be very arrogant, just as many others thought of Darcy. Later after she ready the letter from Darcy (http://www.online-literature.com/austen/prideprejudice/36/) and after hearing what Darcy's housekeeper had to say about him (http://www.online-literature.com/austen/prideprejudice/43/) she understood that she was not only completely mistaken in her evaluation of him but also that he was a very nice man indeed with a very forbidding exterior.
• The fact that Darcy had left his arrogance aside and had gone out of his way to help her family problem (arranging for Lydia to wed Wickham http://www.online-literature.com/austen/prideprejudice/52/) was only because of his deep love for her. When someone loves us deeply we usually soften our stance and "reduce" the bar. And when Eliza went through these emotions, also recollecting how she had treated an essentially good man, she was shocked, ashamed and finally fiercely in love. That was when she refused to acquiesce to Darcy's aunt (http://www.online-literature.com/austen/prideprejudice/56/).

What Eliza really expected was a man who would accept her spirit and tame it. She definitely would not have tolerated a Bingley who, while an exceedingly nice man, would not have ever got her respect. Darcy had the raw power and the mind to which should would be only glad to surrender.

These were the reasons why Eliza loved Darcy. Have I said anything different from what Guruji told me? Well, not really. I have only explained it better. I have added no new points really.

As I often tell my friends, women have a serious trouble in communicating well. They confuse eloquence for quality.

Why You Should Judge A Woman Before Meeting Her

If you had judged a woman after meeting her, you are likely to be all wrong. There is very little of their selves women don't tinker with. 

If I may venture a guess, at least her mind won't have chemical additives and fresheners. You would be better off exploring her mind to see what she is really like.

Melodious Horse Songs In Indian Movies

I had earlier written a small post on piano duets (http://vbala99.blogspot.com/2011/04/piano-duets-in-hindi-movies.html).

I saw it was time to talk about horses. A few lovely songs come to mind.

The song Azhagukkum Malarukkum sung by PB Srinivas and Janaki from the movie Nenjam Marappathillai (1963, MD:Viswanathan Ramamurthy) has a lovely tune. Devika looks beautiful which sadly one can't say about Kalyankumar. I used to know a girl who looked a lot like Devika. The surprising thing was that her name was also Devika. Na... It wasn't the same person. Just a coincidence.

A melodious horse song is Kadavul Oru Naal sung by P Susheela in the movie Shanthi Nilayam. Kanchana looks gorgeous. Tough what age does to people. When I look at recent pictures of Kanchana or Sadhana ... :(. The song reminds me of Sound of Music with a lot of children and a heroine. Is that Kutralam water falls in the song sequence?

An interesting horse song, melodious too, is Engal Dravida Ponnaadu sung by TR Mahaligam in the movie Maalai Itta Mangai (1956, MD: Viswanathan Ramamurthy). The horse beats have come out pretty well, enough to make OP Nayyar proud.

A beautiful horse song is  Paattu Paadava Paarththu Pesava sung by AM Raja in the movie Then Nilavu (1960, MD: AM Raja). The photography and Vyjayanthimala and Gemini in Kashmir and the melody of the song make an exquisite combination. AM Raja is one of those few people like Hemanta who could sing and create exquisite music.

The next song is Maang Ke Saath Tumhaara from Naya Daur (1957, MD: OP Nayyar) sung by Rafi and Lata which is a classic. Both Dilip and Vyjayanthimala look smashing. Their chemistry is terrific in this song. Another OP Nayyar song with a typical hoof beating tune is in the song Aa Ja Re Aa Ja sung by Asha in the movie Chchoo Mantar (1956).

Now we come to Banda Parwar Phir Wohi Dil Laaya Hoon from Phir Wohi Dil Laaya Hoon (1963, MD: OP Nayyar) sung by Rafi. Though with slightly slower beats this song still makes my heart beat faster.

Again this rather unknown song Aji Pehli Mulaaqaat Mein sung by Asha and Rafi from the movie Do Dilon Ki Daastaan (1966, MD: OP Nayyar) is a typical and cute horse song. As of the time of this update (May 17, 2017) I have been unable to get a video of this song, nor have I watched the movie. From the music I assume this is a horse song. The same thing I would say for the song Waah Waah Re Teri Chaal Kabhi Left Kabhi Right sung by Rafi in the same movie. 

Another OP Nayyar lovely horse song is Yeh Kya Kar Daala Tu Ne sung by Asha in the movie Howrah Bridge (1958, MD: OP Nayyar). While I cannot discern a horse I can see part of the carriage and beats of the hoofs kinda provide the confirmation. And one can see the Howrah bridge also as a bonus. The song also has cars and whistling at the end.

This song Bachpan Ke Din Bhula Na Dena sung by Rafi in the movie Deedar (1951, MD: Naushad) is a horse song I have included because of it's age. This is not a must watch/must hear song. Dilip Kumar looks so young.

The next in the list is an unlikely one: Us Ko Nahi Dekha Hum Ne Kabhi Eh Ma Teri Surat Se Alag sung by Mahendra Kapoor and Rafi in the movie Daadi Ma (1966, MD: Roshan). I never thought I would love a song about parents. In contrast, I think of the song about mother Amma Endru Azhaikkaatha Uyir Illaiye sung by Yesudas in the movie (1992, MD: Ilaiyaraja). I shudder in horror. In about 25 years from 1966 to 1992 what had happened to melody. The latter song has nothing to with horses - just provided for contrast.

Bheega Bheega Pyaar Ka Sama by Rafi and Shamshad Begum in the movie Saawan (1959, MD: Hansraj Behl) is a typical horse song. And sweet. Interesting to hear Shamshad Begum in such a horse song.

Tum Jo Aao Tho Pyaar Aa Jaaye, sung Manna De and Suman Kalyanpur, is a terrific and melodious horse song from the movie Saakhi Robin (1962, MD: Robin Banerjee). 

Titli Udi sung by Sharda from the movie Suraj (1966, MD: Shankar Jaikishan) is a lovely one. This movie is one of my favorites  (Rajendra Kumar, Vyjayantimala and Mumtaz). Great songs by Rafi make it a worth watch. Though this post is about horses, I am tempted to include an elephant song from this movie - Bahaaron Phool Barsaao (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McP9D114BfU&feature=channel) by Rafi. Incidentally Sharda and Rafi sang the sung Badkamma Ekad Boto Ra in the movie Shatranj (1969,  MD: Shankar Jaikishan). Bakkama song is very off beat and terrific though it's a cabaret song and nothing to do with horses. it is mentioned in a my post on dance songs.

A lovely horse song is Jab Liya Haath Mein Haath sung by Rafi and Asha in the movie Vachan (1955, MD: Ravi). So soothing...

Another lovely horse song is Hum Hai Tho Chaand Aur Taare sung by Mukesh in the movie Mein Nashe Mein Hoon (1959, MD: Shankar Jaikishan). This movie also has a nice dance sequence which is listed in the post on dance songs mentioned earlier.

Halke Halke Chalo Saanware is an offbeat song sung by Hemant and Lata in the movie Tange Waali (1955, MD: Salil Choudhury). Hemant's songs are usually slow and deep and I would have hardly imagined him singing a melodious horse song!

Now we come to Duniya Na Dekhe sung by Swijen Mukherji and Lata in the movie Honeymoon (1960, MD: Salil Choudhury). Now I could not locate a video of this lovely horse song, I heard only the audio. But the music is so horsy.

The song Nenjam Undu Nermai Undu sung by TMS from the movie En Annan (1970, MD: MS Viswanathan) is a typical MGR song with lyrics that seem to make the hero a great guy and music that has deteriorated from the high melody of the early 60's. You may listen to this song just to see what mediocre music is like.

The song Zara Hole Hole Chalo sung by Asha from the movie Saawan Ki Ghata (1966, MD:OP Nayyar) is a typical lovely horse song by OP Nayyar. So is Yun Tho Hum Ne Laakh Haseen by Rafi from the movie Tumsa Nahin Dekha (1957, MD: OP Nayyar). The movie is 60 years old and one can see that perhaps the background was shot separately and the foreground separately. Quite cute.

The song Neele Gagan Ke Tale by Mahendra Kapoor from the movie Humraaz (1967, MD: Ravi) is a classic. The melody with the lovely visual background is awesome. Most songs from this movie by Mahendra Kapoor are sweet. Another nice song by the same singer is O Yaaron Ki Tamanna Hai in the movie Kahin Din Kahin Raat (1968, MD: OP Nayyar).

Piya Piya Piya Mera Jiya Pukaare by Kishore and Asha from the movie Baap Re Baap (1955, MD: OP Nayyar) is a beautiful horse song. 

Now we come to the melodious song Piya Mein Hoon Patang sung by Kishore and Asha in the movie Ragini (1958, MD: OP Nayyar). The interesting thing is that the tune is that of a horse song but there is no horse in the song sequence.

Dil Mein Chhupa Ke Pyaar by Rafi from Aan (1952, MD: Naushad) is a sweet song. It's a little different from the other horse songs. The camera rarely focuses on the woman, Nadira. Interesting.

The song Koi Pyaar Ki Dekhe Jaadugari by Rafi and Lata in the movie Kohinoor (1960, MD:Naushad) is ok, not great. Another horse song is Ek Tho Soorat Pyaari by Rafi and Asha from Vallaah Kya Baat Hai (1962, MD: Roshan). Neither one is my favorite. 

An unexpectedly nice horse song is Kaathal Rajyam Enathu sung by TMS and P Susheela in the movie Mannavan Vanthaanadi (1975, MD: MS Viswanathan). The tune is very nice and the beats are as good as a OP Nayyar song.

Another beautiful horse song is Chaand Ko Kya Maaloom by Mukesh from Laal Bangla (1966, MD: Usha Khanna). This is one of the few fast lilting songs by Mukesh. In this context, I have to mention another fast, lovely song Aaya Na Hum Ko Pyaar Jataana sung by Mukesh and Suman Kalyanpur. This is from the movie Pehchaan (1970, MD: Shankar Jaikishan) but this song is not a horse song. Both songs are just wowowow.

A lovely horse song is Teri Reshmi Zulfen Chhoo Kar Jab Waade sung by Mahendra Kapoor and Asha in Aag (1967, MD: Usha Khanna).

An interesting horse song is Ankhiyan Mila Ke Chale Nahi Jaana sung by Zohrabai Ambalavali in the movie Ratan (1944, MD: Naushad) almost 70 years back.

Another interesting horse song is Mein Rangeela Pyaar Ka by Subir Sen and Lata from the movie Chhoti Behen (1959, MD: Shankar Jaikishan) - the song pictured on Mehmood and Shobha Khote  Subir's voice is so like Hemant's. Mehmood and Shubha Khote are sweet as a pair. I can't believe it's the same Khote in the Amul Palekar movie Golmaal. But if you want to see a really cute Subha Khote you gotta see this song Tum Agar Mujhe Bhool Bhi Jaao in the movie Didi (1959, MD: N Dutta) - a song sung by Mukesh and Sudha Malhotra. I will never tire listening to Sudha's gorgeous voice in the song. Note Dutta, like (Guru Dutt) despite having a Bengali sounding surname, was from the west coast. 

Jaane Mera Dil Kise Dhoond Raha Hai sung by Rafi in the movie Laat Saaheb (1967, MD: Shankar Jaikishan) is a sweet sung. Rafi sings for Shammi in this song. 

Another nice Rafi-Shammi song is Pehla Pehla Pyaar Ka Ishaara where Lata (singing for Vyjayanthimala) joins Rafi in the movie College Girl (1960, Shankar Jaikishan).

The song Chalte Hi Jaana by Manna De and Rafi from the movie Usne Kaha Tha (1960, MD: Salil Chowdhury) is one of the less melodious songs.

The Bengali song Prithibi Bodle Geche sung by Kishore in the movie Ananda Ashram (1977, MD: Shyamal Mitra) is another song I like. Uttam Kumar is nice and Sharmila, of course is terrific. You are transported back to the 70's in Bengal. The first line in the lyrics means that the world has changed. And yet this is a happy and fast song. I am reminded of the Tamil song மனிதன் மாறி விட்டான் (Man has changed) in the movie Paava Mannippu - it's a slow song. That was the time when Kishore used to sing for Amitabh and Rajesh Khanna. While mentioning this movie I am reminded of another lovely song which is a slow/sad song, sung by Kishore, Aasha Chilo Bhaalobhaasha Chilo. There is no horse here, but there is a train.

Veerargal Vaazhum Dravidar Naattai Vendravar Kidaiyaadhu is a Tamil song of the 1950's from the movie Sivagangai Cheemai (1959, MD: Viswanathan Ramamurthy). Very sweet and SSR on a horse!

Now, the song Ponnaasai Kondorku sung by TMS in the movie Muradan Muthu (1964, MD: TG Lingappa) is interesting with Sivaji on a horse drawn cart/chariot looking strange to say the least.

A lovely horse song is Jal Jal Jal Enum Chalangai Oli sung by S Janaki in the movie Paasam (1961, MD: Viswanathan Ramamurthy). Saroja Devi driving a horse drawn chariot is very cute just like Hema Malini in the movie Sholay (1975, MD: RD Burman) in the song sequence Koi Haseena Jab Ruth Jaati Hai Tho sung by Kishore (Dharmendra riding a cycle backwards). 

Talking of Dharmendra we have the song Saath Ajube Is Duniya Mein sung by Mukesh and Rafi in the all Singh movie Dharam Veer (1977, MD: Laxmikant Pyarelal). The music obviously reflects the horses' beats and Dharmendra's thighs are much more appealing than Sridevi's.

An interesting melodious horse song is from a relatively new Tamil movie Mannavan Vanthaanadi (1975, MD: MS Viswanathan) sung by TMS and P Susheela. While the color is relatively of poor quality considering this was in 1975 and color in movies had been there since 1960's but the music is very nice. The beat of the horse in the song is so familiar - I wonder if MS didn't kinda, you know - when no one was looking, lifted it from OP Nayyar's horse songs. Just a suspicion.

Additional reading:

• http://vbala99.blogspot.com/2011/04/piano-duets-in-hindi-movies.html
• http://vbala99.blogspot.com/2014/11/telephone-train-cycle-songs.html
• http://vbala99.blogspot.com/2010/12/old-indian-movies-songs-and-actors.html
• http://vbala99.blogspot.com/2011/02/music-directors.html

Money For Nothing And Bits For (Almost) Free

I was reading this article (http://www.linkedin.com/news?actionBar=&articleID=767954867&ids=0Rd3kTejsUdzsIdPkRcPkMe3oTb38TdzkPdPsSdOMNcz8NcjkUdzsIdPoUd3kVdPoT&aag=true&freq=weekly&trk=eml-tod-b-ttle-4&ut=2XTzpsSK6NG4U1) now.

Almost unlimited storage on the cloud for almost no money. Only thing is one has to send and receive the files to and from the cloud which can kill you in bandwidth costs or time for up/downloading.

But assume there comes a time in 2014 when network is reliable and dirt cheap like this company is making hard disk space out to be, then what? Portable hard disks will become extinct or limited to usage inside planes or deep in the jungles of Amazon.

Further along I was thinking of the mobile phone. It comes with a SIM that carries your number and a very little amount of storage space. If you want to move stuff in and out from your phone, you need to have a separate removable storage card. 

Then what is the SIM for? Perhaps as an ID card for the phone. To tell the phone and hence the network provider where the ID (mobile number owner) is currently. Why can't this be software controlled. All it needs is to enter the ID (phone number) on booting the phone, with some password/control mechanism. One can do away with the useless thing called the SIM card.

And if this company's idea (store on the cloud) works and if the network becomes reliable and cheap, one can get rid of the storage disk also on phones. Unless of course one is a no network coverage area and one wants to use non-phone related data such as ebooks, music etc.

Let's wait for 2014. (How am I guessing the year 2014? Just a crystal ball.)

Fashion Liberates Her

Wow, what a story http://ibnlive.in.com/news/fashion-has-a-way-of-liberating-you-sonam/182766-8-66.html.

She doesn't care what others think of her. She is deeply into fashion as others are into CD's. And fashion liberates one (as per the article). 

I wondered. Who is the person who would likely care about fashion? Those who didn't care what people thought or those who did?

And fashion critics apparently follow her to see what she is wearing. Wow, is this a job? 

Fashion liberates you? That's a new one. How does fashion liberate one? And liberate from what?

How does one become a different person because he or she is wearing a nice dress?

Strange.

The Corruption Of Music

In an earlier blog (http://vbala99.blogspot.com/2010/12/old-indian-movies-songs-and-actors.html?showComment=1314263701640#c5213736150309489461) I had mentioned that the quality of music in Indian cinema has been steadily going down.

I wanted to go into more detail on that aspect in this post.

Today I heard the song "Rote Rote Hasnaa Seekho" sung by Kishore in the 1983 movie Andha Kaanoon. The music is set by Laxmikant Pyarelal (LP). The music made me shudder in horror. I thought I will choose a few other songs by the same music directors that I liked.

Na Tu Zameen Ke Liye from Daastan (Rafi, 1972), Mere Dil Mein Aaj Kya Hai from Daag (Kishore, 1973), Tum Bin Jeevan Kaisa Beeta from Anita (Mukesh, 1967), Tere Pyaar Ne Mujhe Gum from Chhaila Babu (Rafi, 1967), Chaahoonga Mein Tujhe from Dosti (Rafi, 1964), Dhal Gaya Din Ho Gayi from Humjoli (Rafi and Asha, 1971).

I liked these songs of LP much more than Rote Rote Hasna Seekho which seemed so pedestrian. The song sounds as though Kishore was talking, rather than singing a melodious song.

I guess the same thing has happened with other directors. The taste of the common man also changed at the same time. Now, did the listener's taste cause the music directors to change course or did the music directors drive the change? 

My guess is that the music directors drove the change, they tried out different things. And focused more on what "sold" more. We the audience wanted to change with the times and move towards was "hip". And this tango never ended. Good music seems to have come to an end by late 1960's and early 1970's. It's rare that I hear a recent song from Hindi or Tamil that I tend to like or remember later and hum.

And a (very young) friend of mine feels old people are quite inflexible in their likes unlike youngsters who are open to good stuff no matter where (and which era) they are from.

Are we supposed to have exacting standards in life or be more accepting?

Gulp.

On Sex

A friend sent me an article on sex (the link doesn't work now).

Apparently there are those (people in their 30's and 40's) who have sex 2 or 3 times a week. While I have heard that the libido of a man decreases as he ages and that of a woman seems to increase, some couples in their late 30's and 40's have sex some have 10 times a week. The latter don't seem to get enough of each other. Being everything for and not getting enough of each other makes a relationship great. 

The same friend said that such a (nice) relationship can hardly exist anywhere except in fiction. Is that so? 

Obviously I don't imply that the frequency of sex is the only determinant of a good relationship. If that was the case, perhaps rabbits will be teachers of relationships.

The Art Of Saying No

Men get to know a woman for a long time (3 minutes) before they ask for sex (or propose marriage). Women reject the proposal for sex / marriage immediately.

Men wonder why. What did they do wrong? Now women dislike jumping into sex/sex chat after 3 mins. For women, sex is a culmination of feelings towards a man. While for men, sex may be the initiator of feelings towards women. 

If only men waited patiently, they would be more likely to get exactly what they wanted... but by speaking out too soon, they blow it.

Same way by being too direct and saying NO soon and lacking diplomacy, some people blow it. While there are people who say NO or "fuck you" in a more effective way. Without the other person even realizing that he was said NO/Fuck You to...

If effectiveness/efficiency is about getting what one wants soonest and with the least effort, then does asking for sex directly or saying NO bluntly qualify as being that? Human beings seek things that are packaged well. Most people accept poorer content as long as the packaging is fine. I heard of a study where patients were much more likely to file a malpractice suit on an irascible doctor than on an amiable one. One just doesn't have the heart to harm a "nice guy". 

How much do these blunt guys lose out in life? Very few people can tolerate them and they are considered an a**hole by people around them. I am reminded of a Thirukkural poem. 

"Iniya ulavaadu innadu kooral 

kaniyiruupa Kaaikavarn dhattru."

Translation: Saying harsh things when there are nice things to say is like eating a raw fruit when there is a ripe one. (Pardon me if there is a mistake in the rendition of the original or in the translation).

So why are some people blunt/harsh? Why don't they couch a NO in a more acceptable form? Perhaps such people see truth and content as much more important than the form in which it is presented. They have not learnt the importance of form or packaging. 

Poor idiots. Sad that they keep making the same mistake over and over again.

Maths Puzzle - 17

I came across this one a few days back.

A number of children are standing in a circle. They are evenly spaced and the 7th child is directly opposite the 17th child. How many children are there altogether?

No Markers

Some people create a mark with their existence. The mark could be negative (as in the case of Osama Bin Laden or Hitler) or positive. Small or big.

There are others who don't leave any marks anywhere they go. There are few signs of their having existed. They also seem to make efforts to obliterate any signs that might have been inadvertently made by them. They live life trying to be inconspicuous as though they were a KGB agent who has come to USA.

What do these people live for? What is their aim in life? They obviously don't exist to make any changes to people around them or to society in general. They exist only for themselves. And if they happen to do something nice, it is because they derive extreme personal satisfaction from that act. Anonymity is something they hold on to as though it were their dear life. They seek few things from society and contribute little. Society is as important as a vending machine. Something that is needed but one doesn't socialize with a vending machine, right?

These people are very happy to have a low balance sheet in life. Low assets, low liabilities. They live life as though they are constantly ready to depart - everything packed in a suitcase and ready. They shun use of assets in any form, especially intangible assets like friendships, goodwill, contacts.

Just as any object seeks a low potential energy, such people constantly seek low interaction levels. To use a cliche, they find solace in solitude. 

Like a thermostat that maintains the temperature within a range, they maintain everything within limits. When their interactions with their outside world reaches a certain level, the internal thermostat kicks in. They forcibly bring the outside interaction back to an agreeable level.

Such people are best left alone. One shouldn't get too close to such people.

Asuras, Devas, Prayer And Poo Midikkardu

Hindu mythology often talks about Asuras (bad people) and Devas (gods or aligned to God). The two constantly fight over world domination.

In those times, a person who wanted something from God would do severe penance (like perhaps standing on one leg or not eating or drinking as people do in the month of Ramadan) for years until God heard them. God might then appear in front of the person and grant that person whatever he wished.

An asura king would do a penance and when God appeared before him he would ask God that become the king of earth or that no one should be able to kill him etc. God would grant him that wish with an exception clause (that he might be killed only when / only by etc).

The asura having gotten this wish would now go about getting what he wanted. He would destroy peace, subjugate and kill people. The people, after a long bout of suffering, would appeal to God. God would then rectify the problem and kill the asura by using the exception clause.

Now the question that came to my mind was, who was at fault? Let's assume that the story of Asuras and Devas and God is true.

Was the asura at fault for dominating the world and making a mess? Well not really. He was morally at fault perhaps. But legally not, since he was only exercising a right - the wish that was granted by God. I am reminded of a quote from Reader's Digest that I read long time back: "Just because you have a (legal) right to do something, it doesn't mean that doing it is (morally) right." Words in bracket are mine. In this case the asura had a legal right. Perhaps not a moral right to do what he did.

Now was God at fault? Why would he grant a man a wish just because the man did a penance? Would you pay someone who cleaned your toilet if you didn't employ him to do it in the first place? 

What if it was generally known that you would pay anyone who would clean your toilet and that the person didn't need to get prior approval from you? 

In the same way, it was generally held that God might/would grant a wish if someone prayed hard enough. So now where is the problem?

Could we say that the problem was in the "prayer leads to granting of wish" rule? I would think so. Therein lies the problem. Because the reward (granting of wish) was in return for effort which made no sense to anyone. Who gives a damn if you prayed for 1 year or 100,000 years?

Now, did God know that the person who asked for a wish, like the one mentioned above, would misuse it? Of course he would. He was God, omniscient. And logically why would anyone want to become king of all earth if he had only honorable and peaceful intentions?

By encouraging prayer, God created a scenario where a man was granted (almost) any wish if he prayed long enough. God couldn't refuse the man the wish. The issue of asuras getting a wish, then misusing it was a direct result of the "prayer to wish" rule in existence then. If the reward is not mapped back and is not in proportion to the work done then we have a problem. "Prayer to Wish" was an example of that problem. I wonder what purpose was served by this option God gave to man.

I am reminded of an incident narrated by a friend of mine (Let me call her A). There is a custom in these parts called "Poo Midikardu" meaning (not literally) to walk on hot coal. It is a very painful thing to walk on burning coal and people do it and often pray to God for something in return.

A has a good friend B. One day A was told by B that B had done that "Poo Midikardu" for the benefit of A. Now A had never asked B to do that, A had no belief in such things. B took it upon himself to do it. When B informed A of this, A didn't know how to respond. Was she supposed to be indebted to B? 

I explained to A. B did something big (as in this case). But the thing was never explicitly or indirectly asked for by A. B did it on his own. There is no debt. A didn't owe B.

Now had A told B that she wanted him to do "Poo midikkardu" on her behalf, then of course she would owe him. Had A let it be known that she wanted someone to do "Poo midikkardu" for her and if B had then done it, then also she would owe him.

(Now some people might think that in friendship there is no debt etc. But I don't agree. Can I go to a bank and claim it to be my friend and ask for a non repayable loan? Seriously, a debt is a debt. That there is a relationship between the giver and the receiver doesn't automatically cause a debt to be written off or nullified).