Multiplier effect**

In the economics when we discuss about spending and savings an interesting effect of these comes out - namely "multiplier effect". This ensures that the effect of spending or saving gets multiplied many times so that its good and bad effects are also multiplied thereby ensuring progression of an economy. As we come to the end of 2006 and look back at the past probably this multiplier effect (henceforth designated as MF) is present everywhere in the society and like money multiplier, gets spread over the whole humanity.

As through the evolutions and revolutions we have progressed to a more modern and liberal society we have gained immense knowledge. This weapon, as gets spread has its own MF. It has multiplied the weight of educated society, the boisterous views on traditionalism, the division between the educated and the uneducated, the economy and above all the character and mind of the people living on earth.
Education, in most cases, brings money (there are exception, like India) and money brings contempt. The contempt multiplies in the society with the multiplication of money and education and helps in the division of humanity. Again this division has its own MF. Depending on which side of the battlefield you are fighting, your power of MF varies and also brings out its own characteristics as well as "moments of truth".
Liberalization has always been accompanied by its twin called democratic progression (India again was an exception till some time before, not now) and carried its own MF. With democracy came the power of majority, with majority came the scathing knowledge of deciding "in larger interest of humanity" and with this knowledge came the absolute adjudicating power of proclaiming who are "with us or against us". Like all other rules, this MF also has some exceptions but again that exception has its MF. The exception multiplied in numbers, in geography (as majority had to have a presence all over the globe) and widened its base to carry forward this tradition.
Religion, the biggest glue humanity has ever discovered, has its MF which is pronounced in every activity and belief worldwide.Every religion has its own pace of multiplying, multiplying the emergence of hard and soft liners, multiplying its presence in geography and thereby multiplying invasion. Invasion outclassed the natives, displaced and forced them to become invaders - thus creating a never ending circle of MF. This had an effect on history - invaders writing the history of the invaded land and producing only garbage for the future generation. This garbage of knowledge written by outsiders multiplied in creating numerous uprooted races who later created havoc by propagating the beneficial effects of their own society (which in first place was not theirs) which really speaking, never existed.
Law, the biggest messiah for the oppressed and distressed soul created the definition of lawful and unlawful cases. As time progressed, its MF was more pronounced in creating more unlawful society and once these people became majority then there was no stopping for them. Every flaw in the law created uproar in the enlightened society and multiplied it's effect in delivering innumerable historic judgements even before proofs were discussed in the court of law.Every thief created many more after being criticised by law, every scandal and scam became more popular after they came under scathing attack of law and one flawed law created many more - an extraordinary example of MF.
Last but not the least is the MF of a liberalised mind and soul. Every such soul gives rise to innumerable such others and a force to sustain this brute marching. As souls became more liberated they lacked humanity and power of rationality (quite natural as these poor souls have limited space for all these qualities and no wonder that liberty and education has taken the maximum leaving little for others) and one such fertile soul created many more. These mindless souls enjoy brutal deaths as well as holy wars, they conceptualize the downfall of someone and later desert them multiplying the number of such soul. Liberalized mind lacked tolerance and showed its MF in fragmented society (more known as nuclear family), a fragmented society created callous citizens and a self conscious social animal with an immense power of fertility.
Hence, the effect of those are what we are today and what we will create tommorrow.
In physics, we were taught that all matter always tries to be at its lowest state of energy and sociology later showed that the only exception of that rule is known as "Homo sapiens sapiens". Economics taught that multiplier effect is omnipresent and money market is probably the slowest example of that.However, there is only one fear lurking in the corner - called "conservation of mass". When the so called torch bearers of the MF crosses the critical mass, the atom bomb might explode any time, anywhere - wiping out the rest and spare a moment to think what lies ahead if conservation of mass" holds true.
Once more should physics lose to economics, but this time for the benefit of humanity and with a higher MF.

** The writer acknowledges the inspiration of this piece to a recent post in ibnlive blog.

Highs and lows of my cricketing romance

There have been two completely contratsing feelings during the last few days and I must admit that probably the romance with cricket is taking a back seat for me. There is a lurking danger that in the long run when cricket starts loosing some of its glorious and flamboyant characters or hard fighters, I might not call it a gentleman's game anymore.

At a time when whole of India is busking in the glory of one of the most comprehensive victrories overseas,let me also go berserk. This has been especially a special one and for obvious reasons pumped a deep sense of relief within. On a day when everybody is talking about how great this victory has been, how the team has shown character and fighting spirit after being down in the dumps there would be probably few like me (seriously speaking, sometimes I guess I become too much cynic to handle, but there is this old wine which seems to gush the wrong feelings) who would like to beleive this victory as a different story all together.

There were times when cricket seemed to be the worst game on the planet, Indian team was nothing more than a group of 11 foreign players whom I didn't recognize and kept up the charge only with the false belief that this team doesn't represent a foolish like me. But probably with this victory I would mix in the majority again, slowly but surely. Probably that's why this game is called a great leveller.

The next essay of Indian saga would start on the Boxing day at the Kingsmead stadium, Durban - where India will again start from 0/0. Who knows, they may put up a repeat of the shameful overseas capitulation, they might go down without a semblance of fight which is so natural to this mercurical group or may be to all of our surprise they could pull out one more unbelievable win again.

But whatever happens, I would congratulate a small player in this galaxy of stars to be able to carry successfully my hopes and come out winner against all odds to instill a sense of pride within a community.

This must be one of those days in the history of this great game that after few more days one would like it not to appear at all. But, even as we continue to mourn the loss of arguably one of the most charismatic characters on the cricket field, the truth remains that till date we have been fortunate enough to be mesmerised by the sheer magical power of this wizard.

Lets pay a homage to Shane Keith Warne, the greatest leg spinner ever to grace the cricketing arena. As we prepare to bid farewell to this flamboyant magician, who has been charming to say the least (both on and off the field) - our mind would be reliving those magical moments that he had delivered throughout his illustrious career. The ball of the century, the duel with tendulkar, the famous talk with ganguly (after which he became tempted and got stumpted and India lost the game), the honest confession about the nightmares, the spellbound final over of the 1999 WC semifinal, the innumerable webbing spells of spin magic which enabled australia to be the victorious side - each and every instance would be a part of the folklore which would continue to encourage and inspire children in the future to be a leg spinner.

He is the reason for the popularity and craze behind the leg spin, he is the epitome of all fighting spirit and like phoenix has come alive after every thrasing - be it personal or professional. One of the rare talent who probably has not ever been dropped because of poor form, one of the rare character who sometimes pushed the line too much yet the player who has provided the purest and wildest entertainment to viwers around the world. The scene of him spinnig the red cherry in his magical fingers, the vicious spin which would put any groundsman to utter shame and disbelief and the fear amongst the batsmen across the world about facing him at any time are testimony to his greatness.

He has enviable record against all big cricket teams and unlike some other players has not increased his tally by merely taking wickets against minnows. Also, he has been generous enough to give credit to batsmen when it was due. All these make him a character to remember for ever.

No doubt that cricket would be less attractive from a day in near future and except batsmen, nobody inside or outside the field would enjoy the game unlike it has been till date.

Tribute to an unsung singer...

Few days back during a chat with one of my close friend I happened to say something about some famous singer (who is no doubt one of the best playback singer world has ever produced) which offended him as it was against popularity and as most would say showed my inept understanding about music and art. However, as I have described so many times through numerous blogs (on my page obviously) that in most of the cases I happen to swim across the tide and current. Whether that's good or bad only time will judge.
However, through this writing I would pay tribiute to my favourite female singer in indian film domain, who unfortunately is not as frequently remembered as her famous counterparts.

On 23rd of November, I happened to take a look at almost all the main newspapers in mumbai (thanks to our enriched library) and to my horrific surprise found that not a single line was mentioned about the fact which I had expected. It happened to be the birthday of my most favoured female singer - Geeta Dutt.
Geeta Roy was born in Faridpur District in East Bengal in 1930. In 1942 when she was just twelve her parents shifted to Mumbai. Over there in their modest flat at Dadar music director Hanuman Prasad heard her singing casually. He gave her two lines to sing in the film Bhakt Prahlad ( 1946 ). "I gave playback for some children." she said. But her rendering of those two lines stood out and astonished everybody in the recording studio. A minor incident became the genesis of a great musical career. Her major assignment come the following year, 1947, with Filmistan's Do Bhai. Music Director S.D. Burman had heard the song in Bhakt Prahlad and he promptly got hold of her address and met her to use her voice in the film. The music of that film clicked in a big way particularly 'Mera sundar sapna beet gaya.' Geeta Roy had arrived. Disc scales of the song rocketed to new heights. 1947-1949 saw Geeta Roy rule as the number one playback singer in the Mumbai film industry as she moved from strength to strength.
As time progressed, Geeta Roy started gaining new grounds but the fight started in 1949 when "Mahal" got released. A young singer, till then unknown to most of India, swang to stardom with only one song of "Mahal" - it was 'Aayega aanewala' and everything after that is history. She went on to become the greatest playback singer the Indian screen has ever seen. Only two singers managed to survive the Lata onslaught in the 1950s. Shamshad Begam and Geeta Roy. Geeta managed to hold her own against Lata for more than a decade and she and Lata were the premier two female playback singers of the 1950s.
To her own credit, Geeta Roy had created a popularity which was unique like her songs. Each and every song of her, even if as I listen them today was a boquet of emotions ranging from sad to bar music. The turning point of her career came in 1951, when Bazzi got released. This was the film which brought Geeta and Guru Dutt together and created a confluence which gave indian film industry some of the best productions in conjunction with S.D.Buman and O.P.Naiyaar. The song in this film "Taqdeer se bigdi hui" is one of the most verve song I have ever heard.
The first thing that strikes one when you hear Geeta Dutt sing was that she never sang. She just glided through a tune. Of all her contemporaries her musical training was perhaps the sketchiest but what she lacked in training and technique, she more than made it with her ability to breathe life and emotion into any song she was singing. In the recording room there was no matching Geeta's vivacity, vitality and spontaneity, her sense of rhythm unparalleled. Her capacity to be both sensual yet sensitive gives Geeta Dutt's voice a unique ethereal quality.

S.D.Burman and Geeta Dutt:
S.D. Burman was among the earliest to discover the magic in Geeta Dutt's voice. In 1947 with Filmistan's DoBhai. S.D. Burman effectively used the Bengali lilt in her voice memorably in films like Devdas and Pyaasa. Thesong 'Aaj sajan mohe ang lagalo' from the latter is one of the finest examples of the Bengali kirtan put over on the Hindi screen. No female singer has better articulated the spirit of Burmanda's music in its early years. In fact in 1957, when he fell out with Lata, Burmanda was looking to make Geeta his main singer rather than the upcoming Asha Bhonsle. After all by then Geeta was a mature singer while Asha was still raw. But due to her troubled marriage Geeta was not free to practice in the style required by S.D.Burman who was a hard taskmaster in matter of rehearsals. He joined O.P. Nayyar in shaping Asha rather than wait for Geeta. Some memorable songs sung by Geeta under S.D. Burman's baton are:

'Mera sundar sapna beet gaya' (Do Bhai - 1947 )
'Woh sapnewaali raat' (Pyaar - 1950 )
'Tadbir se bigdi hui taqdeer' (Baazi - 1951 )
'Aan milo aan milo' (Devdas - 1955 ) with Manna Dey
'Aaj sajan mohe ang lagalo' (Pyaasa - 1957 )
'Hawa dhire aana' (Sujata - 1959 )
'Waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam ' (Kaagaz ke Phool - 1959 )

O.P.Nayaar connection:
Geeta suited O.P. Nayyar's ebullient themes to a T. He developed the side of Geeta which had emerged with Baazi. Under his freewheeling baton Geeta developed into a really hep singer who could belt out any number - soft, sultry, happy, snappy, romantic, teasing or tragic. It was Geeta Dutt's rare gift that she could effervescently sing for both the doll and the moll.Some immortal gems sung by Geeta Dutt underO.P. Nayyar's baton :

'Zara saamne aa'( Baaz - 1953 )
'Babuji dhire chalna' (Aar Paar - 1954 )
'Thandi hawa kali ghata' (Mr. & Mrs 55 - 1955 )
'Jab badal lehraya' (Chchoomantar - 1956 )
'Mere zindagi ke humsafar' (Shrimati 420 - 1956 )
'Chor, lutere, daku'( Ustad - 1957 )
'Mera naan chin chin choo' (Howrah Bridge - 1958 )
'Kaisa jadoo balam tune dara' (12 o'clock - 1958 )

This is not to say that Geeta Dutt was less effective with other music directors. Her songs in association with Hemant Kumar in Anandmath ( 1952 ), Bahu ( 1954 ),Ek Jhalak ( 1957 ), Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam ( 1962 ) bear testimony to this. It's just that for the sheer volume and the scaleof popularity that the songs of S.D. Burman and O.P. Nayyar reached make them special in Geeta's oeuvre.

Some comments on Geeta Dutt:
As O.P.Nayaar puts it: "..........Who will deny there is a unique quality to her singing. Give her a blatantly westernized tune this momentand a complex classical composition the next, and she will do equal justice to both with an ease of expression which a singer can only be born with. She is particularly good for songs accompanying boisterous jamborees. With that tantalizing lilt and fascinating curves she puts into her singing,she is the ideal choice if it is seductive allure you want in a song........Geeta Dutt is an asset to any music director. "

To quote Raju Bharathan, Music critic in Filmfare February 1-15, 1985 Page 89,
" Geeta Dutt was thandi hawa and kaali ghata rolled into one. The moment she came, you got the refreshing feeling of aa hi gayi jhoom ke. There was a rare swing in her voice. She hit you like a thunderclap..........This made Geeta Dutt the one singer that Lata Mangeshkar really feared. In training and technique Lata was way ahead but neither training nor technique was of much use when pitted against Geeta in the recording room........This put Lata on the defensive and I think she avoided singing with Geeta as far as possible. (They have sung few duets) I vaguely remember Lata acknowledging this fact when Geeta died on July 20, 1972."

Most of today's generation have not even probably heard of her let alone listening to her charming voice. I found it appealing to say the least. The depth and freshness in her voice is unmatched till today. She might not be as successful as others but who cares. For connoisseurs she was as brilliant as anybody else and for her small fan club she is unmatched in her moods and portray of sadness in the songs. Never ever has any singer touched the rawness in her singing as much she did due to her unmatched quality.
I still remain awed by those mesmerising moments she had created long back through her voice.

Thanks to: http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/ducksoup/26/GeetaDutt.htm