Sometime last year, I just heard strains of "Allah Hoo" in the promos of the movie Khuda Ke Liye. Those were enough to convince me to buy the disc and to this date the haunting voice behind Allah Hoo plays in my car almost daily. Unfortunately, the CD did not carry any credits for the music, but after a little bit of hunting, I came across the man behind the song - a voice so great that I was left wondering to this day how was I unaware of him till recently.
The voice in the song belongs a man called Zahur Ahmed, better known as Sain Zahur. He is an absolute illliterate, but it is said that he knows more than 10,000 songs. Most of us are familar with Sufi verses due to the likes of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Abida Parveen, Wadali Brothers or more recently through Rabbi Shergill or Junoon. But that's not his what is so special about him. What makes him special that he sings those Sufi verses as they were perhaps sung by the real Sufis - the wandering minstrels who roamed all over the subcontinent, an ektara in hand singing in praise of their Murshid. He ladies and gentleman
is the Real McCoy. His voice is unlike that of the classical trained Sufi singers that we know - he sings the way the songs were really sung.
He won the BBC's "Voice of the Year - 2006" purely on word of mouth - He hadn't cut a record to date. He learnt his music at the Dargah of Baba BUlleh Shah of all people, and has wandered from dargah to dargah since he was young boy. His attire is those of the Sufis of old, with ghungroos on his feet and tassels around his ektara - dancing his way into a trance. Hear him - for he is the voice of the great men themselves.
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Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Nano - a view from the other side
While the Indian press and public have been going ga-ga over the Tata Nano, let's have a look at what the world thinks of it. Of course most of the stuff dished out is by guys who've never been to India nor seen / driven the Nano for real - but its still fascinating to have a look at their perspective.
Foreman, a popular blogger on the Top Gear Website has this to say, "... Avoid all the options (like a brake servo, lighter socket or parcel shelf) and it comes in under £1,400. Small wonder its home country, India, is going berserk for the Tata Nano." More interesting though are the comments on this post.
Kilroy says, "When it finally arrives in Europe, at least you can be assured that it would never be stolen.. No self-respecting little chav would be caught dead in one for fear of being beaten to death by the rest of his mates…..
Remember those old Skoda jokes years ago? Like how do you double the value of a Skoda? Fill it with petrol?? Gentlemen, I give you your new Skoda… At least Skoda got better as time went on…"
while Qasim says, "Look, the thing is, no matter how much hype they make about this car in India, it is still, for most, too damn expensive.
People in the sub-continent have to take loans that take decades, even generations for some families to clear.Vicious cycle, Economics 101. I fear like many things, this may too, be an elusive dream for most Indians..."
And here is what F1fan says, "im an indian(a pretty well off one at that) and this madness seriously degrades me. A stupid little pointless peace of rubbish to my culture , I say. Anyways, how would I know? I drive an R8."
A Washington Post reporter test drove a Nano recently, and this is is her perspective. She writes and I quote, "On the track, with one of the car's engineers offering encouragement from the passenger seat, it felt comfortable and surprisingly sturdy and spacious. The seats are set high off the road, allaying some people's fear that it would be like driving a go-cart. In a country where a family car must provide space for mothers-in-law, the car has vast legroom."
People who commented on her article are mostly Indian, and here is a sample of what they had to say..
"fairenbalanced wrote: another condescending piece of crap article about India tinged with jealousy by ms wax, who should be sent back to wherever she came from. comparing a car to a lawnmower, words like pride and self esteem thrown in. im sick of these condescending pricks. proud, esteem, you guys are proud of your troops."
" Bangal wrote: What a arrogant attitude! Half of the article devoted to bashing India's traffic. Did you forget traffic jams in LA, NY, Chicago and of your beloved Washington DC? If we have revamped Nano in here instead of the gas guzzler,we better we be better of economically and environmentally."
While the lines are drawn and the vote is divided, here is my personal take. I think the Nano is a great car - an engineering achievement at the cost at which is going to be sold. But frankly its going to lead to more chaos in the small towns. Any one who's tried to drive through towns like Saharanpur, Agra, Bayana or Nellore would probably understand what I am trying to say.
It is commendable for a company like Tata to come up with an affordable car for Indians, but what we also need are the roads to drive them on. Sadly, there seems to be no effort in that direction from the authorities. The Nano will sell regardless of what people say about it - but I can only see the situation on the street going from bad to worse.
Now... you can chew my head off too :D
Foreman, a popular blogger on the Top Gear Website has this to say, "... Avoid all the options (like a brake servo, lighter socket or parcel shelf) and it comes in under £1,400. Small wonder its home country, India, is going berserk for the Tata Nano." More interesting though are the comments on this post.
Kilroy says, "When it finally arrives in Europe, at least you can be assured that it would never be stolen.. No self-respecting little chav would be caught dead in one for fear of being beaten to death by the rest of his mates…..
Remember those old Skoda jokes years ago? Like how do you double the value of a Skoda? Fill it with petrol?? Gentlemen, I give you your new Skoda… At least Skoda got better as time went on…"
while Qasim says, "Look, the thing is, no matter how much hype they make about this car in India, it is still, for most, too damn expensive.
People in the sub-continent have to take loans that take decades, even generations for some families to clear.Vicious cycle, Economics 101. I fear like many things, this may too, be an elusive dream for most Indians..."
And here is what F1fan says, "im an indian(a pretty well off one at that) and this madness seriously degrades me. A stupid little pointless peace of rubbish to my culture , I say. Anyways, how would I know? I drive an R8."
A Washington Post reporter test drove a Nano recently, and this is is her perspective. She writes and I quote, "On the track, with one of the car's engineers offering encouragement from the passenger seat, it felt comfortable and surprisingly sturdy and spacious. The seats are set high off the road, allaying some people's fear that it would be like driving a go-cart. In a country where a family car must provide space for mothers-in-law, the car has vast legroom."
People who commented on her article are mostly Indian, and here is a sample of what they had to say..
"fairenbalanced wrote: another condescending piece of crap article about India tinged with jealousy by ms wax, who should be sent back to wherever she came from. comparing a car to a lawnmower, words like pride and self esteem thrown in. im sick of these condescending pricks. proud, esteem, you guys are proud of your troops."
" Bangal wrote: What a arrogant attitude! Half of the article devoted to bashing India's traffic. Did you forget traffic jams in LA, NY, Chicago and of your beloved Washington DC? If we have revamped Nano in here instead of the gas guzzler,we better we be better of economically and environmentally."
While the lines are drawn and the vote is divided, here is my personal take. I think the Nano is a great car - an engineering achievement at the cost at which is going to be sold. But frankly its going to lead to more chaos in the small towns. Any one who's tried to drive through towns like Saharanpur, Agra, Bayana or Nellore would probably understand what I am trying to say.
It is commendable for a company like Tata to come up with an affordable car for Indians, but what we also need are the roads to drive them on. Sadly, there seems to be no effort in that direction from the authorities. The Nano will sell regardless of what people say about it - but I can only see the situation on the street going from bad to worse.
Now... you can chew my head off too :D
Sunday, April 05, 2009
The Ten Tag
Tag time again ppl and it comes from Chandu. I'm supposed to relate the first ten numbers with important stuff from my life... lets see how it goes
10 - The name of the first and best Pearl Jam album ever. One of my all time favourites.
9 - The number of years we've been together and I've loved each one of them.
8 - liters of beer, that's my record for a single evening... :D
7 - the number of women I have dated
6 - pairs of footwear I own currently, the most I have ever had in one go
5 - the number of times I have read the complete Lord of the Rings - cover to cover
4 - the total number of goals I have scored in my hockey career
3 - the number of days that I survived on 2 bars of Snickers only
2 - the number of cameras i own
1 - my wife, the #1 person in the world
10 - The name of the first and best Pearl Jam album ever. One of my all time favourites.
9 - The number of years we've been together and I've loved each one of them.
8 - liters of beer, that's my record for a single evening... :D
7 - the number of women I have dated
6 - pairs of footwear I own currently, the most I have ever had in one go
5 - the number of times I have read the complete Lord of the Rings - cover to cover
4 - the total number of goals I have scored in my hockey career
3 - the number of days that I survived on 2 bars of Snickers only
2 - the number of cameras i own
1 - my wife, the #1 person in the world
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