My thoughts on hearing of Benazir Bhutto's assasination

My evenings are usually spent in the pleasantness of my spacious kitchen, which I turn into quite a mess by the time I'm through with the cooking chores. I usually begin with brewing the evening tea that I like with a dash of ginger and tulsi. For me a cup of tea in the evening is more of a luxury and a time to relax when amidst sips of the rejuvenating beverage I also decide on the menu for the dinner.

On the evening of December 27, I was waiting for the fish curry masala to turn golden brown and leave the sides of the vessel in the glow of the hot shimmering cooking medium. I felt satisfied, and with some amount of self-pride I imagined the accolades I'd get for my hard work at the dinner table when the family sat to eat that evening meals.

The time was some minutes past seven-thirty. And as is a usual practice, before I begin with my daily dose of soaps on the idiot box, I like to get updated on all the news and current affairs of the day. So the television was switched on...and my ears heard the unbelieveable even before my eyes could adjust themselves well to interpret the images of people running helter-skelter, screaming and searching for cover.

Benazir Bhutto was shot dead.
All the news channels were reporting the gory act of extreme cowardice with whatever information and footage they could get. And soon reports of rioting in major Pak cities began to pour in. I was reminded of Mrs. Indira Gandhi's assasination almost two decades ago, though apparently there seemed no similarities between the two, in fact they seemed more than poles apart.
Yes, they were both women and had been Prime Ministers of their countries. But other than that, could the two be compared. No, I thought with the firmness of steel as I reminded myself of Mrs.Indira Gandhi's stature as a politician and leader of the people. However on a personal level, as far as family tragedies and losses were concerned, they had both gone through immense pain and distress.

But while Mrs.Indira Gandhi was fortunate to have lived in a democracy, Benazir Bhutto had to bear the misfortune of going through life in exile while her country slogged under unscruplous military leaders. Benazir Bhutto could have lived in Dubai or London peacefully with her children and husband. Was she so innocent as not to have read the writing on the wall and the risks involved in throwing herself in the rising fires of Pak politics? Did she care for her countrymen more than her own children? Was she the true daughter of Pakistan?
Honestly, I wouldn't know.

But strange are the ways of this world. The dead are never bad...all their sins are forgiven, if not forgotten. So we Indians also shower petals of love and may be even shed some tears for the departed leader (of an enemy nation), who, if she had won the coming elections, would have brought democracy in Pakistan. But would the relation between India and Pakistan see much change?

I don't know what will be the fate of elections in Pakistan. There's already speculation whether they'll take place at all. But I surely know that the most hurt and the most scarred for life are Benazir Bhutto's children...how much time they got to spend with her and how close they were as a family is a debatable point, but the fact is their mother is gone forever...

A woman may be good or bad, but as a mother she is goodness personified. Benazir Bhutto's children, Bilawal, Bakhtawar and Aseefa are truly bereaved. They have lost the protective shade of their mother's care and love. This is the price they have paid for being the children of a politically ambitious woman, who perhaps in an emotionally imbalanced moment chose to sacrifice the contentment of motherhood over a dangerously insecure political future.

I wonder if her children realise that their mother could have opted to provide them with a better and much more secure normal family life. I wonder if they realise that she had no right to hurt her family to realise her political ambition.

"Mughal e Azam" touches gold...

"Kya Mughal e Azam bana rahey ho...pagal ho???"
This is often heard when someone is seen indulging in a crazy extravagant affair. The reason indeed is that a film like Mughal e Azam is perhaps impossible to make. As yet nothing like it has been repeated in the history of Bollywood.

Recently, on August 5 to be precise, "Mughal e Azam" completed fifty years of its release. It is no wonder that memories of the making and the glory of its success came rushing back to those who were associated with this magnum opus, which took the master maker late K. Asif about fifteen years to complete.

When a film as huge as "Mughal e Azam" is made it is indeed history. From the intricacy that went into making it an unparalelled genius feat to the arrangement that went into its premier show, all of it can be listed as lessons in making and executing a masterpiece. The invitations that went out were like the "Ruquanama" wrote in the Mughal Era. The war scenes involved 8000 extras including real Indian Army soldiers, 4000 horses and 2000 camels.

Tailors were especially brought from Delhi to stitch the costumes and specialists from Surat-Khambayat were employed for the embroidery. Goldsmiths from Hyderabad designed the period jewellery. Kolhapuri craftsmen designed the crowns adorned by the actors while Rajasthani ironsmiths crafted the weapons and the elaborate footwear was ordered from Agra.

A Lord Krishna idol in one scene was actually made out of real gold. Also, the jewellery that Rani Jodhabhai (played by the aristocratic Durga Khote) wore, was designed in the authentic Rajasthani style of that era. Such was the magnitude of the film fifty years ago.

Naushad made Lata Mangeshkar sing the immortal "Jab pyar kiya to darna kya..." in a bathroom to create the required reverberating effect...and the master-of-romantic poetry Shakeel Badayuni wrote about 105 drafts of this song before it was okayed by Naushad...no wonder it has been a timeless clssic ever since!
A beautiful piece sung by Badey Ghulam Ali Khan in the background of Salim romancing Anarkali cost Rs.25000/-, while the set of Sheesh Mahal is supposed to have cost fifteen lakh. The film at that time was worth a whopping.1.5 crore.

It is said that three days before its release people had lined up for tickets and tickets costing less than Rs.3/- were sold for upto Rs.100/-!!! Dilip Kumar himself could not see the entire film for the first three-four days...and then he bought a ticket for Rs.100/- to watch the film!!!!

Shammi Kapoor describes the film as "mind blowing" while Alka Yagnik is memsmerised by "Mohabbat ki jhooti kahani pe..."

It is supposed to be the craziest of love stories ever told. Four writers, among them late Kamal Amrohi and Zeenat Aman's late father, who worked on the dialogues and screenplay, and what a remarakable work they all did. As a friend recollects,
"My father was in Lucknow that time and he visited Delhi to watch the movie with friends. Prithviraj Kapoor essayed the role in a way that people started thinking of Akbar like Mughal e Azam's Akbar. What a movie ..what a role and what a wonderous urdu pronunciation..."

Subhash Ghai's words sum up the sentiment. He says: "Classics just happen, they are not designed".
But of course one has to work tirelessly and very hard to create one, that stands the test of time for so many years, and indeed stands so much class apart that it cannot be touched for at least another fifty years to come..."Ae Muhabbat tu zindabaad"!!!