SHOWCASE: THE WORLD OF MOHAN TIWARI

That Mohan Tiwari has a razor-sharp insight into political life was a fact most of us, especially those dabbling in youth politics, are acutely aware of, having faced the full ire of his grilling based on an underlying disbelief of all that we say and do. What I did not know, nor could have imagined, was that his talents stretch beyond a masterly command of words and encompass the realm of visual representation. Needless to say, this combination of journalist and caricaturist is lethal: politicians everywhere now have one more reason to fear not just Mr. Tiwari's pen but also his pencil!

The public, on the other hand, ought to be more than grateful.

To sample more of Mohan Tiwari's acerbic caricatures on contemporary political life, facebook him.

Read More (आगे और पढ़ें)......

Sanjeev Goes Sufi!

Sanjeev Shukla is the first elected state NSUI president of Chhattisgarh. Besides being a lawyer, he is also a singer and entertainer par excellence.

He was recently invited to preside over a Qawwali function at Kawardha in which quite a few notable sufi singers were to perform. Quite naturally the audience were more interested in listening to the music than in hearing politicians (Sanjeev included) make long, dull speeches.

Sanjeev therefore very wisely decided to desist from speechifying and instead donned his Sufi-singer's cap, going on to give a superb impromptu rendition of the popular sufi anthem, Piya Haji Ali. Needless to say, the mostly rural audience were thrilled- and the politicians saved from the inevitable jeering!

To me, Sanjeev- and several others like him- represent the emerging politicians of today's India. Read More (आगे और पढ़ें)......

AJIT JOGI AT THE LBSNAA, c. 1969

The Lal Bahadur Shashtri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), incubator of Union and Central services officers all across the nation and abroad, completed its 50th anniversary this year. A CD of archival photographs has been released to commemorate the occasion.

While browsing through the CD, I was pleasantly surprised to spot Papa in at least 5 of the 50 photos it contains. He was enrolled as an Indian Administrative Service (IAS)-trainee at the LBSNAA way back in 1969-70. And from what I've been told about him by his batchmates- including, most recently, His Excellency the Governor of Chhattisgarh, Mr Narasimhan- Papa was already showing symptoms of where he was headed: he made something of a record by serving three consecutive terms as President of the Academy's Mess Committee (the only elected office among trainees), topped his class in equestrian sports (horse riding, polo etc.) and shooting, and scandalized everybody by inviting the then very young- and if the photos are anything to go by, very pretty- Odissi danseuse, Ms. Sonal Mansingh, to dine at the high-table, which had thus far played host to only those above the age of 65. These photos, I believe, convey the joie de vivre of that time.

Many thanks to Mr. Gaurav Dwivedi, Deputy Director of LBSNAA, and Dr. Alaudin Farishta, our family doctor, for making the CD available. To download these photos, please visit my Gallery.

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Tiger Tiger Burning Bright...

The last time we were in Kanha, the closest we came to spotting a tiger were a couple of pug-marks. This time however we got lucky when we least expected it: a Tigress very conveniently parked herself on the dirt-track, whereupon she proceeded to strike a number of rather 'sexy' poses for our viewing pleasure. This video- peppered with SNT's highly imaginative running-commentary- captures our excitement at making this totally unexpected discovery. The footage has been shot by Dr. Saibel Farishta.

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SHOWCASE: VIVEK TANK, THE HUMAN SHEHNAI!

Vivek Tank is a national award winning flutist. He is also a very gifted human shehnai (note that he is not a shehnai-wadak but shehnai-incarnate). In this pod, he does a solo recital first; then accompanies Anuj Sharma in a duet. Enjoy!

AJ Read More (आगे और पढ़ें)......

SNT's Holi Milan: I Dance!

SNT threw one helluva Holi party last evening. Anuj got his friend, Vivek Tank, the national award winning flutist, to perform for us; Amit Tiwari organized bhajias and thandai; and VN flew in some excellent kebabs from a joint in Mumbai. Needless to say, the occasion called for a certain amount of joie de vivre: in this clip, the youthful Dr. Farishta (Saibel's father) persuades me to dance.

Readers will note that despite my best efforts, I am no Travolta.

AJ Read More (आगे और पढ़ें)......

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SNT!

SNT turns 42 today (although I overheard him tell someone that he's hit the half-century mark). I surprised him last night- at the precise stroke of the midnight hour- with an impromptu cake (courtesy: Mr. Monty) the moment we returned home after attending a wedding at Pallari, some sixty kilometres away.

The first photograph shows SNT cutting the cake, with a little help from Papa and me.

In the next one, the birthday baby is force-feeding the first slice- and a very large slice at that- to Papa. I can be seen trying to save Papa from an otherwise inevitable bout of indigestion. (SNT's rather skewed version is that I was trying to steal a piece for myself before Papa could eat it!) Manoj, Papa's attendant, can be seen beaming in the background.

The following evening witnessed heavy-duty partying at SNT's hideout by a very select gathering. While photographs were taken by the incorrigible Girish, it's for the best if they are not displayed here for fear of evoking the censor board's- not to mention, the ever-trusting Mrs. SNT's- wrath!

In any event, I wish SNT all the very best.

AJ

Picture (dis-)credit: Pammu Read More (आगे और पढ़ें)......

Deux Videos: In flagrante delicto!

I. While you were Snoring

'le enfant terrible' saurav secretly video-recorded me while i was sleeping at SNT's: definitive proof that i am a polyphonic if somewhat loud snorer. the really astute observer, however, will notice an ever-so-slight dis-sync between the audio and video components of the recording. cfsl, i.e., the central forensic and scientific laboratory, has recently confirmed that the voiceover matches saurav's ;)

II. SNT's Challenge

yesterday, shailesh nitin trivedi put up a challenge: he said he could climb down a waterfall (tamraguda, about ten kilometres upstream from chitrakote) and come back in less than twenty minutes. in less than five, he returned- having covered less than 1% of his expected-itinerary. age, it seems, finally caught up with fancy. still, snt's joie de vivre is more than commendable: it's positively heroic.

this recording shows a footage of "the wannable-bastaria dr. livingstone's expedition"! no points for guessing that the white figure moving at the speed of light is none other than mr. trivedi. Read More (आगे और पढ़ें)......