Zindagi Ek Safar Hai Suhana…

Life is a beautiful journey. Look out for opportunities rather than stressing upon the term ‘Uncertainty’, writes Sumeet Naik

Since last couple of weeks, I have been attending webinars pertaining to various subject matters. A patient listener in me is always curious to hear about new ideas and forever hungry for expanding knowledge. As I heard various speakers, I realised that most of them were stressing upon one particular word either at the start or at end of their interaction with audience. The word…Uncertainty. 

Since emergence of current pandemic, so much liberty is been taken while using this term that at some point one might get a feeling that ‘Uncertainty’ never ever existed prior to this. It did, it always did. The very moment we are born, uncertainty begins. Only thing I feel what has changed today is the face and quantum of it. 

My memory goes back to a very popular song from the 1971 multi-starrer film Andaz, picturised on Rajesh Khanna and Hema Malini. Directed by Ramesh Sippy, the film also had Shammi Kapoor and Simi Garewal paying a major role in it. The song I am referring to is…Zindagi Ek Safar Hai Suhana. Yahan Kal Kya Hoh, Kisne Jana. So wonderfully sung by Kishor Kumar that until date it is one of the best Bollywood yodels. There is one stanza in the song that says, Maut Ani Hai, Ayegi Ek Din. Jan Jani Hai, Jayegi Ek Din. Aaisi Batoon Se Kya Ghabrana. Yahan Kal Kya Hoh, Kisne Jana. 

Life is a beautiful journey and we do not know what is going to happen next. Death is certain and it will come one day. So why fear thinking about it now itself, rather enjoy this beautiful journey called life. This is what this song conveys to all of us. Ironically, this song happened to be the last song composed and recorded by legendary duo of Shankar-Jaikishan. On September 12, 1971, Jaikishan died of liver cirrhosis at the age of 42. Can there be bigger ‘Uncertainty’ than this? 

Day in and day out, be it in the present or in future, Uncertainty is there to stay. It is and has always been a part of us. What would really matter in days ahead is how one manages to create opportunity or opportunities at the backdrop of ‘Uncertainty’. I would personally like to hear more about ‘Opportunity’ rather than ‘Uncertainty’. Tell me something new and not something, which always existed. Do not magnify dark clouds rather show me a rainbow. We have overcome difficult times in the past and we shall do it again. 

Between this blog and the next one, lots will happen around me. Some are a part of routine, which has come to be part of day-to-day living. Amidst those, there will be few things that I have never experience in life. Real beauty lies in that. After all life is a beautiful journey…

(Writer was former News Editor with The Free Press Journal (Mumbai) and currently a columnist)

A Mother on comeback trail…

By Sumeet Naik

It is a stark irony of our times that while paeans of gratitude are being sung to mothers all over the world on every Mother’s Day, the Mother of all Mothers remains not only unsung but keeps bleeding thanks to the unending greed of its offspring.

The world has turned topsy-turvy in the last few months and as you leaf through this, Mother Nature is mutating and reconfiguring faster than our minds can anticipate in our locked down discretion. Far too resilient and blessed with a self-mitigating mechanism, Mother Nature has devolved upon itself to take a corrective course right on the nose of the very species that considers it to be its repository.

The absurdity of this all is staring in our face and how! The entire human might is today confined to its safe confines even as man-made boundaries have become redundant and of little consequence. The humanity is brought to its knees by a tiny, unsparing virus in its relentless onslaught and has reduced it to being a mute spectator as Mother Nature pays back in kind. All it can do now is to keep its sanity and unity together in this desperate battle for survival clueless as to what the future forebodes. Human prestige and pride has seldom taken this kind of beating. The much-vaunted human supremacy lies bruised, thrown by the wayside by a minute entity, which is out to settle scores with a vengeance. Mother Nature has hired its own assassins.

The pandemic has a grim and ominous message for all of us. Do not take Mother Nature for granted and tinker with its primeval existence. It reserves the right to reboot and reset when its faculties stretch beyond its endurance. The indications are there to see. Even as humanity grapples with this global hazard, it has already donned its protective gear with an unequivocal message to humans: You are not the sole owners of this eco-system the other co-habitants are no less stakeholders.

A good mother both nurtures and chastises. Betrayed and demeaned by its own children, it is still giving them another chance to mend their ways. The onus is now on us to take this chance and atone for the sins of the past. It should sober us that this is not a change of our own sweet will but we were compelled to fall in line. The takeaways are many. We are now programmed to live frugally with bare minimum, shake our lethargy and walk to fetch essentials, revert to board games that are more fun and less harmful than mobiles that are physically and mentally consuming. Enjoy the sheer pleasure of mirth and laughter with your near and dear ones to the background music of birds chirping away and flitting around you and the heavenly bliss of the Oxygen-deprived ambience!

Mother Nature’s tutorials have begun, and for once, humans will have to acquiesce to be its probationers. Time to grab this Motherly affection and fall into its lap! For the planet, this is history in the making. However, it also comes with a strong reminder: Those who do not learn from it are condemned to repeat it.

(Writer was former News Editor with The Free Press Journal (Mumbai) and currently a columnist)

Thanks for everything…

An unexpected support, few minutes of conversation and a life-long memory is what Irrfan Khan will always be for me, writes Sumeet Naik

In 2004, I got an opportunity to cover an overseas entertainment event, despite not being my beat as a journalist. No doubt, movies and songs were an integral part of my leisure time then, but never a professional regime. It was also my first opportunity to travel abroad and Dubai being the most happening destination I could not thank enough my stars as I boarded the flight.

On arrival at the Dubai airport something unexpected happened which was equally scary for a first timer like me. An emigration officer asked me to step aside as there were some visa formalities, which had to be completed. Having previously read about detention and deportation, the air-conditioned lobby at Dubai Airport could not be of much help to calm down my nerves.

As I sat down on one of the chairs put outside the Emigration Officer’s cabin, a tap on my shoulder and very soft voice greeted me by saying, “Aree yaar, tum bhi”. I looked aside to see none other than Irrfan Khan sitting next to me with a smile on his face as if he knew me since ages. That moment I did not know what to say, because here was the man who had already made his presence felt on screen with a British film ‘The Warrior’, ‘Haasil’ and ‘Maqbool’, who sensing nervousness on my face was trying to uplift my morale by striking a conversation.  

“Tension maat lo, mein bhi tumhare saath hi hoon. Passport pe thappa marke apneko jane denge,” Irrfan was trying to explain it to me. Moreover, as a star struck fan I was just smiling and nodding my head forgetting anything and everything that was happening around me.

As we got into conversation, he asked me about which publication I worked for and I asked him about his forthcoming films. Until then, an Arab official came out from the cabin and holding just one passport in hand, looked towards both of us, and again at the passport loudly said, “Amitabh Bachchan, tum dono mein se, kaun hai Amitabh Bachchan.” We both looked at each other laughing, while Irrfan pointed his finger towards me. Next minute, the jovial Arab official called out my real name and while handing over my passport told me that everything had been cleared and I can proceed towards the exit.

As I stood up, Irrfan said, “Bhai mere liye bahar rukna, kya maloom mere liye gadi hai bhi ya nahin. Varna mein tere saath aaunga.” He said it with such an ease without an iota of stardom that I actually did not want to leave him there and move ahead. Once again sensing my dilemma, he signaled me to proceed ahead and assured me that he too would be out soon.

As I stepped out of the airport, I could see chauffer holding a placard with Irrfan Khan written on it. However, I could not see anyone looking out for me, not even my fellow companions who had travelled with me from Mumbai or anyone from the event organisers.

“Kya hua, tuzhe saab chhod ke chale gaye kya? Tu chaal mere saath,” shouted Irrfan, who too had come out and knew his car was waiting for him.

“Aap niklo aage, aapka resort alag hai aur humara alag. Sham ko event pe milte hai,” that was what I could only say. Just then, one of the event management person had come back to the airport looking out for me.

Asked him to wait for a minute, I walked towards Irrfan and extended my hand towards him said, “Thanks for everything.” Sitting in the car he said, “Pagaal hai kya. Chal sham ko milte hai”.

We never met after that, not even that particular evening. Every time I happen to see Irrfan Khan on screen, I always remembered this one particular incident. In those few minutes of interaction, he made a special place in my heart, as he did in the hearts of millions.

(Writer was former News Editor with The Free Press Journal (Mumbai) and currently a columnist)