Something's missing

6.20 p.m. and she was done with her work. She left the air-conditioned office and headed home. Hot and humid air awaited her outdoors. The sun was still shining and she could see the colour of the buildings, rather than the grayish shades that they put on later in the eve. It looked like a different world.

She got into the car and started her drive. 5 radio stations. Not a single one played a good song. Every two seconds, her finger kept pressing the next button, cursing the producer who didn’t think twice before playing that awful number on such a beautiful evening. Luckily she found a CD to her rescue. An old favourite calmed her restless soul.

Nothing could replicate the magic of old songs, she thought. There was meaning in every word that was written. The music was such that generations later people would still cherish it. Why had it become so difficult to live life in that pace, she wondered.

She wished she could pause her life and enjoy all those things she had not in months. Listen to all her favourite songs and get nostalgic. Read the books she had bought with the hope that she’d read them someday. Make a card for that someone special. Have chai in the garden and watch the birds return home. Call up a friend and talk like there were no tomorrow. Cook something special for her family. Go out for a movie with friends. Write on her blog….

She played the song once again, the lyrics crying out her heart’s desire. Dil dhoondhta hai phir wohi fursat ke raat din...

Ad-dicted – The best ads of 2007

From typical saas-bahu soaps to typical reality shows - television programming is getting more and more stereo‘typical’…

Little wonder, there are only 2 things I watch with full devotion on TV – the amazing shows on Travel and Living and advertisements.

2007 I believe has been one of the good years for ad agencies owing to some major changes in marketing strategies, mergers and launch of some great brands. The following are some of my favourite ads that were showcased in 2007:

(Follow the link to watch the ad)

Happydent – Hats off to Prasoon Joshi – the man behind the 100 watts smile. What does he eat? I mean, who would have thought of such huge sets, never-seen-before idea and a crazy execution for a mere chewing gum? Little wonder, all the ad functions went gaga over this ad. It surely deserved it.

Bingo – Bingo marked a new trend in advertising – something that we’d never seen before. A clip which started as a tele-shopping ad for glad bangles gets weirdly associated to Bingo’s combination of mad angles! Stupid? Creative? Whatever people say, the fact is that you remember the ad because of its craziness. No confusion, great combination indeed.

Airtel – The brand moves from its “express yourself” tagline and goes deeper with a new thought, ‘Barriers break when people talk’. The original idea was to set the ad at the Wagah Border, and get Indian and Pakistani soldiers to start a football game together. But later, it was changed to make the appeal much more universal. The result – Airtel breaks the clutter and once again becomes one of the most recalled brands.

Vodafone– Hutch becomes Vodafone and the ads just get better. No dialogues, just some background music, great performances and gripping visuals. You’d leave anything aside to watch these ads one more time. I especially love the elevator ad where the poor chap waits the entire day to meet his soulmate and finally meets her. The song ‘take me away’ was especially made for the ad! Loved it.

Lee- This one’s Lee’s first television ad in India and what a success! Denims get a sensuous look and the song ‘I want to touch you’ does the magic. This one was made by a 6 month old ad agency from Bangalore called ‘Happy’ and here too the song was especially made for this ad.

Madhya Pradesh Tourism –Jheel dekho, taad dekho, sher ki dahaad dekho, aankhein neeche neeche dekho, aankhein phaad phaad dekho...
I wish I make something as lovely as this someday. The addictive music, the perfectly rhyming list of sentences, the tamasha treatment – you are sure to enjoy this ad everytime you watch it.

I’m sure there are many more ads but these are the ones that come to my mind instantly. While the world cribs about increased airtime to ads, I would say they are probably the only creative spots we are left with on Indian television today. And I strongly believe there should be a channel completely dedicated to ads so that soaps and reality shows do not spoil the fun of appreciating creativity at its best. What say :)

O re piyaa...

Bliss
Freedom
Sorrow
Pain
Perplexity
Plea
Love
Longing
Hope

It’s amazing how one song can capture all of these emotions so powerfully. It’s after a really long time that a song has touched my heart so deeply. The lyrics are so euphemistic, the music so sufiana and the voice simply magical...

It’s the song ‘O re piya’ from the movie Aaja Nachle, sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.

O re piya haye
Udne laga kyon man baawla re
Aaya kahan se yeh hosla re
O re piya haye

Tanabana tanabana bunti hawaa haaye bunti hawa
Boondein bhi to aaye nahi baaz yahan

Sagish mein shaamil sara jahan hai
Har zare zare ki yeh iltiza hai

O re Piya
O re Piya haye
O re Piya

Nazrein bolen duniya bole
dil ki zaban haaye dil ki zubaan
Ishq maange ishq chahe koi toofan

Chalna aahiste ishq naya hai
Pehla yeh vada humne kiya hai

O re piya haaye
O re piya
Piyaaaaa....

Nange pairo pe angaro
chalti rahi haaye chalti rahi
Lagta hai ke gairo mein
Palti rahi haaye
le chal wahan jo
Mulk tera hai
Jahil zamana
dushman mera hai

haaye

O re piya haye

You need to listen to it to know what I’m saying. Here it is.

To end on a sweet note...

It had been a hard day for her. In an attempt to divert her mind to something pleasant, she turned on the radio. Just then, she heard that tune – it was one of her favourite songs. She gently smiled; kept the little transistor next to her ears. Every word which was so beautifully woven in that soulful music touched her heart once again…

Aapki manzil hun main, meri manzil aap hain
Kyun main toofan se darun, mera saahil aap hain

Koi toofanon se keh de mil gaya saahil mujhe
Dil ki ae dhadkan thehar ja, mil gayi manzil mujhe

The magic of the song still lingering in her mind, she sighed. All’s well that ends well. Tomorrow shall be a new day…

I Hope You Dance

There are times when you feel so lonely, you almost want to run away from the crowd. Times when you feel so lost, you have no clue of what you are doing. You need someone so badly by your side that every passing minute seems like hell. But you need to calm yourself down and not let this phase overpower your senses. And then, a song comes to your rescue. It’s almost miraculous how the lyrics give you strength to fight a lone battle.

My inspiration comes from this beautiful song by Lee Anne Womak and I thank that someone special for introducing me to it:

I Hope You Dance

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder

You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger,

May you never take one single breath for granted

God forbid love ever leave you empty handed,

I hope you still feel small when you stand besides the ocean,

When one door closes I hope another opens,

Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance,

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance...I hope you dance...

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance

Never settle for the path of least resistance

Livin' might mean takin' chances but they're worth taking,

Lovin' might be a mistake but it's worth making,

Don't let some hell bent heart leave you bitter,

When you come close to sellin' out reconsider,

Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance,

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance...I hope you dance...

I hope you still feel small when you stand besides the ocean,
When one door closes I hope another opens,
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
Dance...I hope you dance...

I hope you dance...I hope you dance...

You can listen to it here.

Who wants to be a Millionaire??

My prophecy has come true! FILMY entertainment channel is actually launching a talent hunt show called "Bathroom Singer"! (Thanks Ritu for the breaking news!) For people who have come in late : http://bhumikaa.blogspot.com/2007/06/on-bathroom-singing.html .The tagline of the show says "Jismein jitna zyaada jhaag hoga woh jeetega". Just incase people have any confusion, they have clearly stated that here 'jhaag' refers to the "entertainment quotient". http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k7/july/july21.php

I simply cannot imagine how will they choose the participants. I have all sorts of ideas which I'd rather not mention here ;). And as far as the audience goes, imagine a participant's mother saying "Isse bachpan se hi gaane ka bahut shauk tha. Jabhi bathroom mein jaati thi, zor zor se gaati thi. Padosi bhi pareshan ho jaate the! Lekin mujhe pata tha ki iske talent to ek din zaroor mauka milega aur aaj yeh 'bathroom singer' ke floor, sorry, manch par aa pahunchi hai!"

The weirdness of this venture doesn’t end here. The prize money is an unbelievable Rs. 2.5 million, higher than all the singing talent hunt shows so far!! So who wants to be a millionaire?? I'm sure there are many takers here.

On bathroom singing...

I do not have a sweet voice. But that doesn’t deter me from singing, atleast not in the bathroom! One tumbler of water and the Lata Mangeshkar in me comes to life. Seriously, what is it about bathrooms and water that you can't help singing in the most horrible voice that has been granted to you?!

Ok, I guess I've figured out some good reasons:

1) You need to do some kind of timepass- obviously, how can you just pick a tumbler and pour water on you all the time?! You need some entertainment bhai...

2) Nobody ever listens to you. So the bathroom serves as a vent for all your pent up feelings. Atleast you can listen to your own voice.

3) The closed 'room' with the shower in your hand makes you feel like you are standing (or sitting, whatever you prefer!) in a karaoke studio and are about to come out with your debut album. SOLO ofcourse ;)

4) It's a good place to practice your singing skills which nobody ever appreciates. Who knows you may enter the next Maha (or is it Vishwa?) Yudh and become the 'Voice of India'!

5) And the most important : You are all alone in the bathroom so no matter how bad you sing, nobody can do anything!

And there are interesting features too that I have cited:

1) The songs HAVE to be fast-numbered or else it slows the pace at which you bathe. You see, the beats of the songs are directly proportional to the speed of bathing. And there are very rare occasions that you can spend hours in bathing.

2) The songs are majorly from the latest flicks, mostly the ones that Radio Mirchi plays in the morning. Only at times do I feel like singing good ol' songs like 'Kabhie-Kabhie', which eventually I have to fast forward due to unavailability of time.

3) Yet another important feature of bathroom singing is that it teaches you to adapt yourself to different situations. Imagine this: you are singing 'Jhoom Barabar Jhoom' (which happens to be my latest favourite) It is the time for you to apply some face wash. Obviously, you cannot continue singing but nothing can stop you from humming. So you continue humming the next stanza with all kinds of alterations in the pitches as your hand moves over the cheeks or the nose.

4) And it definitely evokes creativity. See for yourself - the songs get a personal touch when the latest events become a part of the song. It can be some political event, some problem at home, the name of your loved ones and so on.

Bathroom singing is god's gift to all of us! So do not, I repeat - DO NOT pass off bathroom singing as something frivolous. You never know, in future there might be some competition like 'Bathroom Idol'.

If you too have any logic for bathroom singing or any bathroom favourites, do share it! :)