Authors Note: Though this post is not quite part
of the same series, you may read: Notes on 'Chinky' and this thing called
'racism' (Part-I) – HERE
and Part-II: HERE.
Notes
on 'Mainland India' and the "unknown" part called 'the North East' can be read: HERE.
In the
previous post we discussed about the coining of new terminologies like
'Mainland India' ... among other things of course.
But how
have we responded to the above?
Umm, well, so far we have managed to establish a
string of high-end restaurants and appropriately named them: Mainland China.
They serve one of the best Manchurian cuisines, this side of the Himalayan
ranges. I say 'Manchurian Cuisine' and not 'Mandarin Cuisine' since the former
is adapted to the Indian palate; so much so that folks from the land of dragons
would have fire in their mouths and smoke coming out of their nose and ears ... even if
they so much as tasted it.
That's ahimsa.
(A
longish pause)
Phew! Now
that this ahimsa bit is safely out of the way, lets retrace our steps a
couple of decades or so ago. To be precise, let us reminisce about how things
were, about a couple of decades and a half ago - 'coz anything beyond that will
be a tad difficult for yours truly to shed light on. [Note: Nevertheless, lets also
keep all the media-created-and-sundry-activists-and-talking-heads-fueled perception, that: 'Mainland India' is unaware of the seven states that make up
the "remote" North East i.e. the North-Eastern parts of the country - at the back of our minds.]
Must say,
things were rather different, no?
We did not have computers then, let alone the 'wonders' of the
Internet to 'enlighten' us. We also did not have mobile phones or endless
channels to surf or SMS messages to send. And no 24/7 news either! It was an
era when the newsreaders or anchors never yelled out the day's events or spoke
in the weirdest accents. [Do read my last post HERE
- to know more.]
A bit about DD: Our national broadcaster - Doordarshan
(DD) - turned 50 on September 15, 2009. DD had a modest beginning with the
experimental telecast starting in Delhi on 15 September 1959 with a small
transmitter and a makeshift studio. The regular daily transmission started in
1965 as a part of All India Radio (AIR). The television service was extended to
Bombay (now Mumbai) and Amritsar in 1972. Up until 1975, only seven Indian
cities had a television service and DD remained the sole provider of television
in India. Television services were separated from radio on April 1, 1976. Each
office of AIR and DD were placed under the management of two separate Director
Generals in New Delhi. Finally, in 1982, DD as a National Broadcaster came into
existence. "Krishi Darshan" was the first program telecast on DD; it commenced
on January 26, 1967 and is one of the longest-running programs on Indian
television.
DD is a division of Prasar
Bharati. It is one of the largest broadcasting
organizations in India in terms of the infrastructure of studios and
transmitters. Recently, it has also started Digital Terrestrial Transmitters.
So, from one transmitter in 1959, our first-ever TV channel
(Doordarshan) had indeed come a long way ... until it first faded-off and then
decimated in the battle for viewership by a clutch of pesky upstarts and pretenders -
that had no substance or quality, except that they arrived in the form of an unmitigated deluge. We have
not recovered ever since, and watching TV has never been the same again.
National program was introduced in 1982. In the same year, colour
TV was introduced in the Indian market to coincide with the live telecast of
the Independence Day speech by the then prime minister, Indira Gandhi - on 15
August 1982; this was followed by the 1982 Asian Games held in Delhi. Now
whatever it's outcome, Appu - the celebrity mascot of the 1982 Asiad, became
widely known and loved. At least that's what I have heard from my elders. Sadly
though, Appu passed away on May 14 2005; he had fallen into a septic tank (in
1992), fractured his limbs and was maimed ever since. Poor thing :(
This 29-year-old lovable elephant had captured the imagination of
the country during the '82 Asiad, gamboling about near the Games Village in the
capital. Officials had refused to make a live animal the mascot, but
Kuttinarayanan alias Appu, then six years old, was inalienably identified with
the balloon mascot that kept bobbing up over the Games venue. Doordarshan
beamed footage of Appu being petted by Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister,
across the country. That was one of the enduring images that marked a
milestone. [The Asian Games had set the stage for the launch of live television
broadcast in colour in the country.] The Games also saw the transformation of
Delhi into a modern capital. An explosive spell of construction (much maligned
then) changed the face of our national capital - forever.
We may have missed the '82 Asian Games, but those of us that
have watched the 1988 Seoul Olympics on television are unlikely to ever forget the
images etched in our memories: of track-and-field stars Carl Lewis, Ben
Johnson, Florence Griffith-Joyner ("FloJo") and Jackie Joyner-Kersee; ace
pole-vaulter Sergei Bubka, tennis queen Steffi Graf, swimmers Kristin Otto and
Matt Biondi ... and the other greats; besides the opening and the closing
ceremonies. [Note: In disgust at not being considered a co-host
of the Seoul Olympic Games, North Korea boycotted the Games. Only Ethiopia and
Cuba joined N. Korea's boycott; thus the 1988 Olympics turned out to be a
very large, exciting, and competitive event. Approximately 8,500 athletes
participated, representing 159 countries.]
Ben Johnson was famous for the power of his start, Carl Lewis for
the pace of his finish. Bubka was such a soaring sensation that he had only himself to
compete with, while ice-maiden Steffi was the "Fraulein Forehand".
Steffi
had arrived on the tennis scene as a 17-year-old in '86-87. This golden-haired
girl belonged to West Germany - it being the pre-Berlin-Wall-demolition era.
Her game focused on power, countering the effectiveness of the serve-and-volley
play; she possessed an amazing inside out forehand that became her weapon of
choice as well as tremendous foot-speed. As Steffi rose to number one in 1987,
1988 and 1989, another tennis great Martina Navratilova fell to number two. In
1988, the all-conquering Graf arrived at the Seoul Olympics - having swept all
of the four tennis grand slams: the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon
and the US Open in her wake. Seoul was to become her crowning glory; 'coz it was here that
she scooped up the Gold - to achieve a rare Golden Slam by defeating
the raven-haired Argentine - Gabriela Sabatani. But they later teamed up to win the Bronze medal. It was Steffi's year. It was also the year that tennis returned to the Olympics as a medal sport after a 64-year hiatus. [In 1984, in Los Angeles, tennis was merely a demonstration sport ... but Steffi was the Champion there too.] Of course, all of this was all very exciting for us (then) kids and we watched all of those engaging
matches on television with much interest and appropriate gusto. The tennis grand-slams were telecast from the Q/F onwards,
though there would be a recap or highlights - the following day. [The 1988 Women's tennis medal ceremony: LINK.]
Graf had arrived
in Seoul mentally and physically exhausted. The pursuit of the Grand Slams had
taken it's toll. People thought: perhaps she was trying to accomplish too much
in one-year. But as the Olympics progressed, she slowly became rejuvenated. She
is a track fan who could easily make the West German team, her father, Peter
Graf, said. Steffi even went for some runs on the training track at the
Athlete's Village, outpacing a former Olympian, Harold Schmidt. Her enthusiasm
returned and it showed on the court in her last two matches. She played one of
her best matches ever, defeating Zina Garrison in the semifinals. Then appearing
more relaxed and uninhibited than she was during the US Open final,
Graf completed what probably will be regarded as the finest year ever in
tennis, defeating Gabriela Sabatini of Argentina, 6-3, 6-3, to win the Olympic
gold medal.
While trawling the net I came across several images that made me
nostalgic, but then I came across one that not only took me back to the 1988
Seoul Olympics but also (to my mind at least) defined it. That moment of Ben
Johnson crossing the line by that far - was such an unbelievable performance
that it simply blew all of us away.
Though it happened 24 years ago, I still remember the day clearly.
It was billed as the race of the century. On September 24, 1988, Carl Lewis,
the defending Olympic champion of the 100 metres, was to race against Ben
Johnson. The excitement was at fever pitch.
The race made history for other reasons as well. Ben Johnson
tested positive for performance enhancing drugs and was stripped of his title
and Carl Lewis was declared the winner. The news came to us the following day;
and so while Lewis basked in Olympic glory, Johnson was quietly whisked away
to the airport.
Yet, this race remains arguably the greatest ever men's 100 metres
final, or perhaps the worst. It is certainly the most famous. And infamous. Yet
what remains with us in our memories is that one indelible image: that of Ben
Johnson with his right hand up in a sign of victory and Carl Lewis following. The clock stopped at 9.79. A new world record. [Nobody quite remembered
Linford Christie amidst all the hoopla.]
There had been a lull ever since. Carl Lewis and Ben Johnson were
the rock stars of athletics world and the Olympics. So, when Usain Bolt took on
the upstart Yohan Blake - during the (recently concluded) 2012 London Olympics,
the excitement and hype had been building for months. And thank god for that! Track
and field events have an energy and charm of it's own, that no other sport can
match. So, if the excitement has returned in the shape of Usain Bolt and Yohan
Blake ... great! But unlike Johnson and Lewis, Bolt and Blake are training
partners and friends. They do not despise each other. So far so good.
DD provided round the clock coverage of many a sporting
event. We have much to thank this unassuming channel for. It diligently brought to us all the
great sporting events and sports icons that we watched from the comfort of our
homes, and we are indeed grateful for all the memories that we cherish today. Sadly, ever since that great
deluge called liberalization, there has been an overkill; watching
sports has become a different ball game altogether. A difficult and complicated one at that.
In the glory days of DD we were also served quality serials and programs.
Hindi film songs-based programs like: Chitrahaar, Rangoli, Ek Se
Badkar Ek and Superhit Muqabla instantly grabbed eyeballs.
Crime based and detective serials like: Jasoos Karamchand, Super
Six, Faster Fene, Ek Do Teen Char, Reporter (Shekhar Suman's first appearance
on TV), Tehkikaat, Jaanki Jasoos, PC 1008, Agatha Christie's Poirot and the
Basu Chatterji-directed "Byomkesh Bakshi" - were all prime-time watch.
The surprisingly popular "Jasoos Karamchand" featured a semi-comical, carrot-chomping Pankaj Kapoor in
the title role; Sushmita Mukherjee essayed the role of his merry sidekick - "Kitty". Sushmita was so hilarious as "Kitty" that in no time she had carved out
a clear niche for herself. This was no mean feat, considering that Pankaj Kapoor was
and remains a powerhouse performer. [For all those that haven't watched this iconic
series: Karamchand was a detective who helped the local police solve murder
cases in his inimitable style: playing chess - with the police inspector.]
"Byomkesh Bakshi" - yet another of Bengal's contribution to the
detective genre, was created by the celebrated Sharadendu Bandopadhyay in 1932.
It is generally believed that Byomkesh was Sharadendu's alter ego.
The understated but dashing Rajit Kapur - who featured in and as Satyanveshi Byomkesh Bakshi - had many a fan; but when in the IXth standard we accidentally discovered he was 34, needless to say, there were many glum faces :)
The understated but dashing Rajit Kapur - who featured in and as Satyanveshi Byomkesh Bakshi - had many a fan; but when in the IXth standard we accidentally discovered he was 34, needless to say, there were many glum faces :)
Umm, let me not digress ... it's not good. I tend to go off on a tangent.
(Pause - for effect)
Satyanveshi means "the truth seeker". However, I must say
that despite being a Kapur, Rajit carried the "dhuti-panjabi-look" with
élan. And what's more he even possessed the charisma to pull off a Seventies' sleuth-look
in dhuti-panjabi and thick-framed glasses. See for yourself:
To all those that are confused, the kurta worn by Bengali men on special occasions is called "panjabi" in Bangla. [Perhaps the kurta arrived in Bengal thanks to the Punjabis - i.e. the people of Punjab, who came as traders or soldiers.]
Frankly, I cannot think of anyone else with the exception of
Soumitro Chattopadhyay of course - that looks so good in the traditional
Bengali attire (think: Charulata, Baksho Badal, Basanta Bilap, et al.] But
Soumitro had already essayed the role of "Felu-da" - Satyajit Ray's hugely
popular fictional detective character, and therefore could not have been cast
as "Byomkesh Bakshi" as well; plus he was much senior to Rajit (by over two
decades) ... and Hindi was not his forte either.
But, as you might have rightly guessed by now ... no complaints
whatsoever :)
Cut to present times: I hear that Tollywood
(the Bangla film industry) actor Abir Chatterjee (who featured in a blink-and-miss role in the
Vidya Balan-starrer "Kahaani" - as her husband) is now reprising the role
of "Byomkesh Bakshi" - on the silver screen. I haven't watched any of Abir's movies, and am no fan of the director (whatshisname) either. But that's not all there is to it. What really riled, shocked and saddened me was to learn that Prosenjit Chatterjee, another veteran
Tollywooder-cum-sometime-Bollywood-aspirant-cum-B-Town-flop-show, is also doing his own version of the iconic Satyanveshi.
Prosenjit is unpalatable - as far as yours truly is concerned; all he has ever done is 'star' in sorry imitations of cheap and garish B-Town's B-grade pot-boilers - in Tollywood. To be precinct:
I simply cannot stand him. And this extends to the director, Rituparno Ghosh as
well. Frankly, I have no issues with his orientation, but what I am curious about is: who finances all his 'masterpieces' ... given that he churns them out at regular intervals? Big mystery.
Bottomline: I cannot imagine myself watching either Abir or
Prosenjit - as Byomkesh; and even if someone were to gift me free
tickets, I would promptly donate them to the nearest available person and get
hold of DVDs featuring Rajit Kapur instead.
However, getting back to the traditional Bengali attire, there
is this one other person that I can think of, who would look debonair in a dhuti-panjabi
ensemble ... and that is actor Victor Banerjee.
Here is the dhuti-panjabi clad now-septuagenarian
Soumitro. [And he looked equally dashing in a suit.
Think of the 1965 Mrinal Sen-helmed Akash-Kusum. You get me, don't you?]
None of the current bare-chested, steroid-fed, gelled-haired Himbos can hold a
candle to the likes of Soumitro. Ever.
Which means: Parambrato come back!
Note: Website dedicated to Soumitro: LINK.
(Stay tuned…)
Pictures: 1. Pic1 - Fire-breathing fierce Red Dragon 2. Pic2 - Ahimsic Baby Dragon. 3. Pic3 - DD logo. 4. Pic4
- the '82 Asian Games mascot/ the lovable Appu. 5. Pic5 - Steffi Graf achieved the 'Golden Slam' in tennis - all four Grand Slam titles plus the Olympic gold medal. No one in tennis has achieved it. 6. Pic6 - iconic
image from the 1988 Seoul Olympics/ Ben Johnson celebrates as he crosses the
line well ahead of Carl Lewis of the USA and Linford Christie of Great Britain. 7. Pic7 - the dashing Rajit Kapur as Satyanveshi Byomkesh
Bakshi. 8. Pic8 - A dhuti-panjabi-clad Soumitra in a still from Mrinal Sen's Akash Kusum. 9. Pic9 - Soumitra and Aparna Sen in yet another still from Akash Kusum.
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