Tilak Rishi's weblog

Musings on writing, expression, world politics, journalism, movies, philosophy, life, humour...

My Photo
Name:

Tilak Rishi, born in India, has been working as a career corporate executive, after doing his MBA. Passionately pursuing his hobby for writing, he also remained a regular contributor to newspapers in India and the U.S. Many true happenings and characters he came across in life, including interaction with former president Bill Clinton, inspired Paradise Lost and Found, his first novel. A family saga, it starts from Kashmir, when this paradise on earth is lost for the tourists who thronged in thousands every year to enjoy its scenic splendor. Terrorists have turned it into one of the most dangerous places in the world. The family is not only a witness to the loss of this paradise, but also to another tragedy of much bigger magnitude. In the aftermath of the partition of India, along with millions uprooted from their homes in Pakistan, the family leaves behind all that it has in Lahore. Starting from a scratch on the difficult path to progress, it still has many joyful moments when along the way it makes a difference in many a life. The survival-to-success story climaxes in California where the family finds the paradise that was lost in Kashmir.

Wednesday, June 01, 2016

Dev Anand - The Evergreen Hero!




“Be free of mind and thought and be in love of happiness .. and smiles and laughter .. let them that deprive you of that live their lives in devising and planning to be such .. our lives should be in avoidance of theirs that follow the path of deviousness ..” (Big B Blog DAY 2982)
What an inspiring post, particularly the lines quoted above that are like a lesson to lead a happy life. Reading the lines, I was instantly reminded of the evergreen hero of Hindi cinema, Dev Anand, or better known as Dev Saab in later years, who remained ‘evergreen’ and in high spirits till the last day of his life. Evergreen promises something eternally fresh, something that doesn't seem to age or change. Dev saab, debonair, dapper and dashing as he was till the end, couldn't quite trick Father Time entirely.
But even when Dev Saab started to feel a little antiquated, and long after most people stopped watching his films, he kept going: introducing new actresses, taking on issues that intrigued him – hippies and drugs (Hare Rama Hare Krishna), godmen (Swami Dada), censorship (Censor), the Indian immigrant in the USA (Love at Times Square). He remained personally untouched by his success and his numerous awards, including the Padma Bhushan and the Dadasaheb Phalke award. Nor did he take his romantic image too seriously. His heroines often talked of feeling ‘safe' with him. But really off and on screen, he was a youth icon who spoke their language, used their music, chose their subjects.  His disarming and infectiously charming smile and dashing personality used to be a topic of discussion in the Bollywood circles and filmy parties.  His fans enjoyed his never say die attitude and his romance with Hindi films. When asked what was the secret of his happiness and high spirits, in spite of the back to back failures of his films at the box-office lately, he laughed at the question and answered smiling all the way:
“I  brushed off flops as if they were specks of dust on my pristine pastel sweaters. I moved on and didn’t stop to look back and get sad over films that did not succeed. And most importantly, I didn’t care  how the critics commented on my movies or my colleagues in the industry criticised for my failures. That may be their business, but I do mine, move on to my next project. Neither I sermonise anyone nor take it from anyone. This is what keeps me happy and in high spirits.”
And this, indeed, is the true understanding of the quoted message - “Be free of mind and thought and be in love of happiness .. and smiles and laughter ..”
Dev Saab’s thoughts on happiness are well supplemented in this beautiful song from film “Hum Dono”:
Mai zindagi ka sath
Nibhata chala gaya
Har fikr ko dhuen mein
Udata chala gaya
Barabadiyo ka sog
Manana fizul tha
Barabadiyo ka jashn
Manata chala gaya
Gam aur khushi me fark
Na mahasus ho jahan
Mai dil ko us muqam
Pe lata chala gaya
Mai zindagi ka sath
Nibhata chala gaya
Har fikr ko dhune
Me udata chala gaya.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home