Kishore Kumar - Interview

If you are a Kishoreda fan, then you must read this. This is one of the best interviews of Kishore ( Done in the 80's by Pritish Nandy from the Illustrated Weekly of India) - it is provocative, witty and brutally honest.

Kishore lives upto his name - Eccentric, funny and yet deeply philosophical.

Rainbow Quiz - Identify the personality - Week 50

Here is the next weekly "Rainbow" quiz , where I would be giving 7 clues (Hence the name Rainbow) about a personality. Try to discover the person in the least number of clues . You can either leave the answer as a comment / email me . Feedback/ suggestions welcome. Googling is not preferred but then its just for fun and so go ahead if you need to.

This is a commemorative 50th week of Rainbow Quiz ! I will say very less about him here lest I give away the answer ! I am a huge fan of this eccentric genius. One of the most brilliant and effortless singers.Not a day goes by when I don't hear his voice .

clue # 1 : "X" was born as Abhas Kumar Ganguli, in a Bengali family.He was the youngest of four siblings.

clue # 2 : His brother became a famous Bollywood star. "X" used to visit him in Mumbai and started his cinema career as a chorus singer at Bombay Talkies. He did not have a formal training in music and initially used to imitate his idol - K.L.Saigal.

clue # 3 : Music director Khemchand Prakash gave him a chance to sing the song for the film Ziddi in the late 40's. Strangely he never made a great impact as a singer in the next two decades.

clue # 4 : He was not interested in acting, but was too afraid to rebel against his brother, who wanted him to be an actor like himself.After some initial flops as an actor, "X" achieved success as a comic hero in movies.

clue # 5 : Sachin Dev Burman , the famous music director, recognized the versatile singer hidden inside "X" and started grooming him. SDB's film Aradhana proved to be a turning point for "X" and there was no looking back after that . "X" became the voice of the nation and sang for all leading heroes and music directors in the 70's and 80's.

clue # 6 : He led an eccentric personal life. He was married four times to some of the most beautiful women. "X" is said to have been paranoid about not being paid.He also put a "Beware of X" sign at the door of his Warden Road flat.

clue # 7 : His versatility and contribution to Indian films is immeasurable. He was a playback singer,comic actor, lyricist, composer, producer, director, and scriptwriter.

Easy one. Who is X?

The road less traveled

May be that is why they are so beautiful. Here is a photo essay of the 10 most beautiful Indian roads ( Though strangely road 1&2 look the same !).

Wish I could take a stroll in these.....

The name game

Last few weeks have been hectic since I have been shuttling between Singapore and KL for a consulting project. Amex have been my travel agents for most of the trips. Spelling out my name used to be a irritant during travel booking before ( Particularly in the US ).

But now its so simple. Since most of the calls are routed to Indian Call centers, I get to speak to an "Neutral accent" guy who knows the perfect spelling for my first name and last name !

Rainbow Quiz - Identify the personality - Week 49

Here is the next weekly "Rainbow" quiz , where I would be giving 7 clues (Hence the name Rainbow) about a personality. Try to discover the person in the least number of clues . You can either leave the answer as a comment / email me . Feedback/ suggestions welcome. Googling is not preferred but then its just for fun and so go ahead if you need to.

One of the most interesting places that I have visited is the EMP ( Experience Music Project) - an exhibition dedicated to music in Seattle, US.A large portion of the memorabilia in this museum is dedicated to "X" - Arguably the greatest guitarist of all time.

clue # 1 : "X" was born in Seattle, USA. He did not graduate from high school and was expelled for getting poor grades.

clue # 2 : "X" took an interest in music, drawing influence from virtually every major artist at the time. Entirely self-taught, "X"'s inability to read music made him concentrate even harder on the music he heard.

clue # 3 : The first band that he formed was the "King Kasuals".For the next three years, he struggled to make a name and performed mostly in low-key circuits in the South (US).

clue # 4 : However, he was brought by Chandler (Bassist at 'The Animals' , who later became his manager) to London who then helped him form a new band - The "X" experience. He found immediate fame in Europe.

clue # 5 : "X"'s popularity eventually saw him headline the Woodstock music festival held in the US in 1969. Although a number of the world's most talented and popular musicians were invited to the festival, including The Who, Santana, the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane, "X" was considered to be the festival's main attraction and received the top billing.

clue # 6 : At the young age of 27, he was found dead in the basement flat of the Samarkand Hotel in London. He died amid circumstances which have never been fully explained.The popular theory is that he simply misjudged the potency of the sleeping pills, and asphyxiated in his sleep.

clue # 7 : He has been voted by Rolling Stone, Guitar World, and a number of other magazines and polls as the best electric guitarist of all time."X" was ranked number 3 on VH1's list of 100 Best Pop Artists of all time, behind the Rolling Stones and the Beatles.

Who is X?

Rainbow Quiz - Identify the personality - Week 48

Here is the next weekly "Rainbow" quiz , where I would be giving 7 clues (Hence the name Rainbow) about a personality. Try to discover the person in the least number of clues . You can either leave the answer as a comment / email me . Feedback/ suggestions welcome. Googling is not preferred but then its just for fun and so go ahead if you need to.

I love the Theosophical society campus in Chennai. The place always reminds me of X. X's name is synonymous with Indian arts. An amazing women.

clue # 1 : "X" was born in a upper-class brahmin family in the beginning of the 20th century.

clue # 2 : Her first interest in dancing was the western ballet. However,she turned to Indian dance when the ballerina Anna Pavlova advised her to look at the "native arts" of India for inspiration.

clue # 3 : "X" was introduced to Bharata natyam and she almost single-handedly saved Bharata natyam from oblivion. It was buried under the disfavoured devadasi system during the early 20th century.

clue # 4 : A very progressive woman of her times, she shocked the world after her controversial marriage to a Britisher when she was just 16.

clue # 5 : Drawn into the Theosophical Movement, "X" travelled all over the world as an ambassador of Indian culture. In 1936, she started Kalakshetra as a cultural academy for preservation of traditional values in Indian art, especially in the field of dance and music.

clue # 6 : After independence, she was nominated to the Rajya Sabha. As a Member of the Rajya Sabha, she was largely responsible for the legislation for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and for setting up of the Animal Welfare Board . She was a strict vegetarian and did much work to promote vegetarianism in the country.

clue # 7 : In 1977, Morarji Desai offered to nominate her for the post of President of India, which she politely declined.

Who is X?

Spiderman 3 - Tagline

I love the tagline of the movie Spiderman - 3 . " The greatest battle lies within" . There can't be a greater truth and am fighting that battle .

Kalam - Where is he going next ?

After being an unfortunate football in the Presidential circus game, Kalam now seems to have found a new direction. The Bihar Govt is set to offer him a key post in the Nalanda University. The Nalanda University project is an audacious endeavor to create an international university and revive the glory of Nalanda.Kalam reportedly has been very enthusiastic about this project since the beginning.

Not a bad landing from the choppy waters of politics .

Uruguthey Maruguthey

This happens to me often. I hear a song somewhere and become obsessed with it that I keep listening to it again and again.

I heard the song " Uruguthey Maruguthey" from 'Veyil' on the Airtel super singer junior program ( Sung by Vignesh - What an amazing talent at such an young age !). Ever since that, I have been listening to it again and again ( Though I have heard this song before, it suddenly looks angelical). What a fabulous song ! Shankar Mahadevan and Shreya Ghoshal have rendered it flawlessly and G.V.Prakash proves that music is in his genes ( He is the nephew of A.R.Rahman).Till I find my next obsession, I can't enough of this song.

Listen to the song here.

Rainbow Quiz - Identify the personality - Week 47

Here is the next weekly "Rainbow" quiz , where I would be giving 7 clues (Hence the name Rainbow) about a personality. Try to discover the person in the least number of clues . You can either leave the answer as a comment / email me . Feedback/ suggestions welcome. Googling is not preferred but then its just for fun and so go ahead if you need to.

One of the most famous investor, philanthropist and political activist of our times.

clue # 1 : "X" was born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1930 in a Jewish family. As a thirteen year old, he survived the prosecution of Jews by Hitler during the second world war.

clue # 2 : He emigrated to England after the world war and supported himself by working as a railroad porter and a restaurant waiter, graduating in 1952 from the London School of Economics.

clue # 3 : At the London School of Economics, "X" became acquainted with the work of the philosopher Karl Popper, whose ideas on open society had a profound influence on his intellectual development.

clue # 4 : In 1950's, he immigrated to the United States where he worked as a trader and analyst . He then helped to establish an offshore investment fund; and in 1973 he set up a private investment firm that eventually evolved into the Quantum Fund, one of the first hedge funds, through which he accumulated a vast fortune.

clue # 5 : He particularly became famous as a financial speculator. On Black Wednesday (September 16, 1992), "X" became immediately famous when he sold short more than $10 billion worth of pounds, profiting from the Bank of England's reluctance to either raise its interest rates or to float its currency.He was dubbed as "the man who broke the Bank of England".

clue # 6 : X's philanthropic funding in Central and Eastern Europe mostly occurs through the Open Society Institute (OSI) . He has peacefully promoted democracy in many countries in Eastern Europe and Africa.

clue # 7 : During the 2004 US presidential elections, "X" said that removing President George W. Bush from office was the "central focus of my life" and "a matter of life and death." He now backs Barack Obama ( Democrat) for the 2008 elections.

Who is X?

Windmills of Gods

William Kamkwamba is a teenager from Malawi (Africa). Here is his amazing story about how he built a windmill to power his home. Being poor, he has mostly used scrap materials for construction. Quite inspiring !

Rainbow Quiz - Identify the personality - Week 46

Here is the next weekly "Rainbow" quiz , where I would be giving 7 clues (Hence the name Rainbow) about a personality. Try to discover the person in the least number of clues . You can either leave the answer as a comment / email me . Feedback/ suggestions welcome. Googling is not preferred but then its just for fun and so go ahead if you need to.

A true visionary , he made immense contribution to Indian science, education and arts.

clue # 1 : "X"was born in the city of Ahmedabad . His family was a rich business family that was also actively involved in the freedom struggle.

clue # 2 : His mother established a private school on the lines of the Montessori method. After having his initial education there, "X" moved to England and joined the Cambridge University.

clue # 3 : Before Independence, "X" returned to India and joined the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore and began research in cosmic rays under the guidance of Sir C. V. Raman, a Nobel Prize winner.He later returned to Cambridge after the war and was awarded a PhD .

clue # 4 : "X" married a celebrated classical dancer of India in a simple wedding ceremony held in Chennai.Most of his family was unable to attend the wedding due to the Quit India movement.

clue # 5 : "X" founded the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad. He was only 28 at that time. The establishment of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) was also one of his greatest achievements.

clue # 6 : He was also instrumental in the creation of the IIMs (Most notably IIM-A).He also setup CEPT (Center for Environmental Planning and Technology). and BMA (Blind Men Association) , which helps visually challenged people with necessary skills and support.

clue # 7 : :"X", often hailed as the father of the Indian space program, died at an young age of 52 . During his last days, he was under a great amount of stress due to excessive traveling and a huge work-load which adversely affected his health.

Who is X?