Truly a star on earth

Watching ‘Taare Zameen Par’ will make you feel nostalgic about your school days says Anita Iyer.

The story of Taare Zameen Par revolves around an eight year old kid Ishaan Awasthi (Darsheel Safary) who suffers from dyslexia. The child is always in his dream world filled with colours, fishes, space ships and drawing them on canvas but least interested in numbers and alphabets. When things don’t seem to get better, he is packed off to a boarding school but things get too worse than before. The child goes into shell, keeps to himself and leaves painting his imaginations as he did earlier.

Adding to this is the trauma of being away from his family. The bonding between the son and his mother (Tisca Chopra) leaves you moist-eyed at several moments. Then, to help the child, a new arts teacher enters the boarding school, Ram Shankar Nikumbh (Aamir Khan). He provides wings to Ishaan’s imagination and helps him break out from his shell.

It is a movie that doesn’t merely entertain but also educates the audience about the learning disorder dyslexia. As Aamir discovers patterns in Ishaan’s book like mirror image writings, confusion between same sounding words, the viewers are also able to learn and connect with him.

The child, Ishaan is capable to hold on the audiences in the first half without the entry of Aamir Khan and also excels in the second half. At many places, the small kid leaves you spell bound with his natural acting skills and you can actually feel how the kid might be struggling every day. The child’s emotions are captured in beautiful way leaving tears in your eyes throughout.

At the end, Aamir Khan emerges as a true story-teller and deserves a merit to make the child perform in an impeccable manner. The compositions by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and soothing to your ears and accentuate the scenes. The lyric of the song Maa by Prasoon Joshi rightly explains the bond between the son and the mother. Also special note has to made of the visual effects and animations in the movie.

Watching the movie makes you feel nostalgic about our own school days. The movie has a message for all saying parents also pressurize their children to excel academically but parents should enhance the hidden potentials in their child.

Looking at the promos gives an impression that it is a kiddie movie but in the movie a grave problem is discussed in a spectacular manner. It is a movie to be watched along with your kids and it surely change the way you look at them!

Believe in yourself

Raghav Sachar, an up-coming music director and a self-taught master of 30 musical instruments shares a moment with, Anita Iyer

• Tell us something about your background? Do you come from musical lineage?

I do not have a musical lineage but my father’s natural interest in music developed a musical talent in me too. I remember my father who was a Police DG and he had gifted me the first ever-musical instrument ‘Harmonica’ on my fourth birthday and since then he gifted me a new instrument on every birthdays.

• Did you have a craze to learn to play so many instruments from the childhood itself?

I had a fetish for musical instruments right from the beginning. On every birthday I received an instrument and today I play 30 musical instruments including saxophone, harmonica, flute etc. Looking at the instrument, I knew I could play it. As a child, when I used to play the instrument people used to appreciate my talent, this was a motivating factor for me to perform well.

• What are the instruments you play?

The harmonica, flute, three kinds of saxophones, the keyboard, the clarinet, the recorder, the blues harp, the guitar and the didgeridoo (a long wooden flute) are some of them.

• Where did you perform during your initial years?

My father admitted me in a music school in Delhi when I was eight and that further brushed my musical talent. I used to love playing the guitar during my school days and was a part of the rock band - “Canzona”. Along with this band, I traveled all over India and played at IIT Institutions, BITS Pilani etc.

• As a budding artist, who were your inspirations?

I was fond of R D Burman and Mohammed Rafi in my initial years. I used to love Kenny G and his music.

• How did you get started with your career in music?

I used to perform with Canzona rock band and others too. In the meantime, I was involved in making jingles with Shantanu Moitra and Daniel B George. Later in 2001, I went to Monash University in Australia to study Music & Composition and I also specialized in Jazz. When in Australia, I was called by Shantanu Moitra for playing in albums for Shubha Mudgal and Viva. Later, when I came to India I worked on Bollywood flicks like Kal Ho Na Ho, Hum Tum, Kyon Ho Gaya Na, Parineeta and Dhoom, Parineeta and a few more.

• How did you land up being a music composer of ‘Kabul Express’?

I was called for by Yashraj clan for instrumentation of old Yashraj songs. While the proposal was in process, one person saw my composition and they asked if I would like to pitch music for their movie Kabul Express. I readily agreed and the rest is history. Kabul Express was a hit but the instrumentation album never took off!

• Your songs have a lot of western influence complete with jazz to Arabic tones?

While I went for my education abroad, I travelled extensively in South East Asia performing at places like Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia etc. So, when I compose there is a blend of music inspired from different countries, so you can hear diverse genres and fusions in my music. Also, my soul and essence is Indian but education is western so there is again a blend.

• You have worked for Bollywood songs and also albums. So, what do you love doing the most?

I enjoy doing my albums, as my albums are mirror images of events that have happened in my life. The visuals in the video are triggered by personal experiences and my feelings are penned as lyrics in the songs. Whereas, when you compose for movies, there are restrictions. At a point your freedom ends and you have to follow what the director says so your creativity gets restricted.

• How lucrative or challenging is it to perform shows in India and abroad?

Internationally, the audience has a better understanding of the western instruments I play. Also, in India, more importance is given to the singers than the musicians.

• What are you currently working on?

‘Play it loud’ is my recent album, besides that I am composing tracks for movies by Kumar Mangat like Sunday, Halle Dil etc and also some prominent banners.

• Did you even guess that you would achieve so much so early in life?

I think I was lucky as I started off with my career at an early age and also had my bachelors in music. What further came as a boon was that I got noticed and my music was liked by people.

• Now that you have tasted success what is the mantra of your success for aspiring talents?

My advice would be remain focused and be determined to the field. Always believe in yourself and no obstacles can pull you down.

Magic with lasers

Known for his animated series on Panchatantra, Manick Sorcar converses with Anita Iyer about his magical animation journey.

• Being son of legendary magician P.C. Sorcar how did laser excite you rather than magic?
  

I am excited more about doing magic with laser than doing traditional magic. Love for art and science is something, I inherited from my father, late P.C. Sorcar. As a youngster, I helped in painting the backdrops and the lightning design for the various magic items, which inspired me to become an electrical engineer and artist. I still remember, my father taught us that anything can be 'magic' when it is 'extraordinary'. So, I create magic through Laser animations!

• How did you get introduced to laser lighting?

It sort of came as a by-product of lighting in which I had hands-on experience as a child, trained as a part of my engineering degree, and still practicing it. Laser is the acronym name for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation and is a special type of lighting. At my electrical engineering firm in USA we deal with laser lighting for many purposes. Being also an animator and director of our own stage shows, one day it struck me to use the strong beam of laser for animation on stage. The challenge was how to tame the dangerous stick of light to act as a painting brush. One led to another and soon I was using laser animation to act with live actors on stage. The results were astonishing, which brought me recognition and took off like a rocket.

• Tell us something about your initial experiments using laser for animation?

My traditional animation dealt with drawing on papers with a pen, or painting directly on a computer canvas with an electronic pen for animated movements. For laser animation, the strong beam of light is manipulated to be used as a painting brush and then use it either on the screen for 2D or in the space for a 3D animation.

• How difficult was it in 1980's to make an animated character before the revolution in computer graphics?
  

Very difficult, because virtually all art work needed to be done by hand, which needed a great amount of manpower. Computer helped in doing the in-betweens and painting the background scenes, but even today, I prefer to draw some of the important movements of animated characters by hand to give the warmth in it. Computer softwares tend to give a mechanical look in the movements, which I do not like.

• What was the main motive behind making animated series based on Indian stories like ‘Panchtantra’? Was it to revive our Indian culture?

The original purpose was to attract my two US-born daughters to their roots and Indian culture. The first film “Deepa & Rupa” was based on a classic fable from Bengal where live action was uniquely weaved with animated characters. My older daughter Piya (then 12) acted in the lead role. The film bagged over half a dozen top awards from international film festivals and was telecast on TV numerous times. The cultural gap that I was trying to bridge for my daughters, soon got international exposure and was warmly welcomed by mainstream America. It was vividly clear that there was a demand for quality animation for children, which will provide more than just temporary entertainment. I made a series of animation based on fables from the Panchatantra, and other classic sources of India, which became popular at schools, and were repeatedly telecast on prestigious educational channels around the country. I am proud to say, this will be the 16^th straight year my animation films will be aired by the prestigious Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Channels of Colorado; next telecast will be on the New Years Day, January 1, 2008 when the US state will ring in the first morning with these classic Indian animations.

• Tell us something about the production of 'Deepa and Rupa' in 1990, as it was one of its kinds in India?

Deepa & Rupa was recorded as the Very First Indian animation mixed with live action. It was my first major production and the key actors were my daughter Piya (Rupa), and Deepa Reddy (Deepa). It took me almost three years to make as I could only work on it at nights, weekends, and any time I could spare from my daytime engineering profession. It was made in the late eighties when softwares on character animation and picture scanners were still unheard of. As a result, a good portion of the movements of animated characters and background scenes were hand painted and then frame-grabbed to be digitized. It was a long painstaking process, but the end results were brilliant. The media, newspapers, magazines - all gave rave reviews after watching the show on TV, which made it a household name. We got a surge of invitations from schools to make presentation of the film and take question and answer session with the aspiring students who wanted to learn about Indian culture and/or be animators.

• Your animation films have now become a subject of research for academic degrees? How does it feel?

It is most pleasing that my animation films have now become a subject of research for academic degrees. Two years ago “Manick Sorcar Animations that Teach Indian Cultures” was the topic of research work for an American student’s BFA (Bachelor in Fine Arts) degree with double major in animation and visual effects at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia. It feels great as what started as an attempt to instill Indian culture in my daughters became a cultural bridge between East and West.

• How challenging was weaving the animated character with live character before the revolution of computer graphics?

It wasn’t impossible, but would take a substantial amount of trial and error effort before achieving the proper result.

• Tell us something about the technique ‘SorcarScope’?

Laser shows are fun to watch but laser can be quite dangerous if not used properly. “SorcarScope” is a technique I developed through which live actors on stage can act simultaneously with laser without any danger.

• Tell us something about your initial showcases of animation works?

After some experiments I dared making “Calcutta Forever: A Laser Fantasy”, a documentary on the 300 year old history of Calcutta that was shown at the prestigious Nandan Theater of West Bengal in 2000. This was recorded as the very first laser documentary ever to be shown inside a theater in India, and was a hit. After that, I went a step further where I mixed life-size laser animation with live performers on stage, which resulted in the creation of “Dancing with My Soul”, and later “Enlightenment of Buddha”. I was delighted when at the international contest; “Enlightenment of Buddha” won the First Place in Italy, and received the Artistic Award, from the International Laser Display Association.

• Your show ‘Laser toons’ at Nicco Park had a record of 78 shows in one month, drawing over 140,000 jubilant spectators. How was the experience?

Very, very thrilling! To be very frank, the entire show was mainly designed with children in mind. But its appeal and the magical effects of the laser became so popular that it started drawing crowd exponentially. People of all ages and demographics, ranging from ordinary people, film actors, and nuns of Mother Teresa to Buddhist Monks came to see the show – some repeatedly.

• How does it feel to be internationally acclaimed for your animation and laser works?

By Almighty’s grace, I have been showered with all kinds of awards and acclaim which indeed made me happy. But I will have to confess; none of them are as pleasing or heart contending as seeing the smile the shows bring on a child’s face.

• Coming from a magical background, didn’t you ever think of fusing animation with magic?

No! I have been busy fusing magic with animation. My award- winning laser animations are only a small sample of that.

• Are you planning something innovative on the animation side now?

Absolutely! My target is to take the technique to a level where nobody has gone before. In my next laser animation you will be able to take a physical tour inside the screen, walking around the 3-D characters!

• What would be your advice to budding animators?

Love your work with heart and have full confidence in yourself. Then follow the teaching of Swami Vivekananda: “Stop not till the goal is reached” and success is all yours.

Ideal marriage!

Tulsi Vivah is considered as a very auspicious ritual in the Hindu wedding tradition, says Anita Iyer.

Tulsi or the Holy Basil is the sacred plant of the Hindus and symbolizes purity. A Hindu house is considered incomplete without the Tulsi plant in the courtyard. It is a part of tradition to water the tulsi plant, light up a diya near it and worship it daily. Tulsi leaves are used in temples for worship purposes and also a part of several customs like marriage and funerals. Tulsi is believed to bestow the inhabitants with happiness and promote longevity.

Guruji Nishikant Upadhyay, a pandit says, “The festival of Tulsi Vivah inaugurates the annual marriage season in India as it is considered lucky for the couple. The general belief is that one who performs this wedding ceremony of marrying Tulsi to Vishnu considering her as their own daughter, gets the esteem of having performed Kanyadan, which is regarded as an extremely meritorious act in Hindu religion”. Tulsi Vivah usually occurs on the 11th or 12th day of the Kartik month on the day after of Kartik Ekadashi.

The legend behind celebration of this festival goes back to the incarnation of Goddess Tulsi devi who was born as Vrinda. Tulsi was married to the demon King Jalandhar. Getting married to him, she prayed to Lord Vishnu for longevity of her demon husband. King Jalandhar received a boon that he would be free from death till his wife Vrinda was chaste. It was believed that he was immortal, unless someone broke the ‘pati vrat’ of his wife. Misusing his powers, Jalandhar declared war and becomes a cause of danger to the gods. To avert the menace, Lord Vishnu on the request of the other gods took the form of Jalandhar and stayed with Tulsi thereby breaking the ‘Pati vrat’. After Jalandhar's death, Vrinda cursed Lord Vishnu and turned him to stone (Shaligram) and collapsed on the floor and from her body emerged the tulsi plant. It is a result of this mythological story that Vishnu pooja is considered incomplete without tulsi leaves.

On the day of Tulsi Vivah, a full meal consisting of rice, moongachi gathi, puri , sweet potato kheer , red pumpkin vegetable cooked with pieces of sugarcane, amla and tamarind is offered to Tulsi Vrindavan.

In the evening, tulsi pot is coloured and the plant decorated as a bride. Sugarcane sticks and branches of tamarind and amla are planted alongside the tulsi plant. On the marriage day, a fast is observed and Tulsi vivah ceremony takes place in the late evening. An emblem, either an image of Krishna or generally the Shaligram stone is placed next to Tulsi plant.

The marriage is performed like a normal Hindu wedding by applying Turmeric and Vermilion powder on the plant, chanting of mantras and tying Mangal Sutra around the Tulsi plant. A cloth is held between the 'bridegroom' (Shaligram stone) and the 'bride' (tulsi plant). The cloth is removed after the last mantra of the marriage, ‘Mangal Ashtak’ is chanted and the word ‘Savadhan’ is pronounced and all the people shower ‘Akshat’ on the married couple. After the marriage, Panchamrit (mixture of five dailies - curd, ghee, milk. honey and sugar), and sweets are distributed as prasad among family members and friends.

Tulsi Vivah is a part of our old traditions and finds a mention in Padma Puran. Rajishri Kokate, a chartered accountant by profession says, “This ritual of "Tulsi Vivah", though an old tradition is celebrated with great devotion even today. I was introduced to the concept at my parental home and I still follow it after my marriage. This has been carried forward by our generations and I would imbibe it even in my daughter to follow the tradition in future”.

Interestingly in Goa, the festival takes a different form with sending of Goan Ojhe (sweet) to married daughters from her parental home along with jodi, threads used in oil lamps. This festival of Tulsi Vivah is celebrated in each and every household of Goa with delicious sweets.

Owing to its significance, it is believed that couples getting married on the day of Tulsi Vivah will be together for their next seven lives.

At his fingertips

Arvind Sule uses his fingernails to carve unique works of art, says Anita Iyer

Sule makes portraits, designs, themes, memory drawings and cartoons by moving his pointed thumbnail on a piece of paper. This movement gives birth to beautiful designs. “I remember when I went to Kolkatta, I was amused seeing a man-pulled rickshaw with hefty people sitting on it. I carved that on a piece of paper as a remembrance. I love to portray what I see around - people playing garba, for instance. Also, nature inspires me to draw birds and animals like the tiger.”

Involved in this art form for around 50 years now, Arvind Sule has a collection of about 200 pictures till date. Recollecting the first time he experimented with this art, he states, “Decades back, while travelling to college, I saw a man in the bus carving designs on the ticket. Out of curiosity, I asked him about this art and he showed me the method. I just saw him do it once on the ticket and learnt it after practising many times”.

The art requires a great deal of dedication and patience. Arvind says: “Learning any form of art requires dedication and even carving on paper was difficult. I tried to engrave on newspapers initially and sometimes the paper would tear or the subject would be distorted”.

The most challenging part of his art form is he carves the subject directly on the paper without drawing any prior outline or sketch with a pencil. More surprising is the fact that he never had any formal training in painting or for that reason any form of art, yet the accuracy is maintained.

Arvind explains: “I am more interested in making portraits as it is more challenging owning to the fact that expressions are of paramount importance in such pieces and eyes, lips are to be engraved beautifully”. He has made portraits of Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, P.L. Deshpande, Babasaheb Purandare and the famous Common Man cartoon, among others. Arvind Sule also carves thoughts in words and calligraphy and finds it comparatively easy because it involves curves and moves which are already etched in our minds.

The artist had recently displayed his works at Haiku Art Gallery, Thane. At the exhibition he said, “There are many artists who do something unusual and unique and go unnoticed. My message would be to hold exhibitions if you know of any art form, as only then would it create awareness and other people might consider adapting it”.

Striking the right chord

Lesle Lewis, the veteran of Hindi-pop, shares his musical journey with Anita Iyer

Did you have a musical lineage?

Being a son of P.L. Raj, the renowned choreographer in Bollywood, I was at an advantage. I have been on recordings with my father and have seen music being composed by known music directors like R D Burman, Zakhirji, Laxmikant Pyarelal, Kalyanji-Anandji and later accompanied them as a guitarist.

Did you always want to be a guitarist?

In my teens, I wanted to be a drummer, but it was difficult to carry the drum kit so I shifted to guitar because it was easy to carry. I remember on the last day of our school, when asked what my ambitions were, I said, ‘I want to play the guitar’ and the whole class laughed at me but today I am proud that I am a guitarist.

How were you introduced to rock music?

I did my schooling in a boarding school and once a week we could play records there. So, there I got acquainted with the best of rock music with works of Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Beatles, among others. These later become my role models.

How did you start your career?

After my schooling, I came back to Bombay and decided to play the guitar. I started playing in Dharavi, Fisherman’s Colony, Police Quarters, and on railway stations. I remember earning Rs. 30 per show and performing once a month. I had to spend Re. 1 each day to carry my amplifiers and instruments in the cab for rehearsals and Re 1 back home. So my income was just Rs.30 and my expenses were nearly Rs. 60 a month. So at that time, playing the guitar was more of a passion for me than a profession. My dad was furious about the fact that being a son of a renowned person in Bollywood, I was performing on the streets but my mother used to cover up for me.

You also played at the Oberoi Towers in the early days?

Yes, while doing jingles alongside, I was also playing at Mumbai's Cafe Royale, Oberoi Towers. I still visit the place; the structure is the same, the podium I used to perform is still there, only the name has changed. Even today some of the waiters know me and it feels great to revert to the old memories sometimes, seeing what I have achieved.

How did you think of making albums when it was not a viable option? How did you perceive of doing something distinct?

I didn’t want to do something that was distinct but something that I liked. My dad, who was a part of Bollywood, always said if you wanted to do music and establish yourself it had to be Bollywood. Anything outside Bollywood wouldn’t work. But I had made my mind to do something alternative to Hindi cinema. I had a panga with my dad and I am happy I opted for non-filmi music.

How did you take the risk of introducing an alternative music at the time when filmi-music ruled?

I would say, maybe I was just lucky that my music clicked. I have played with the aam-janta dancing to my tunes in Umbergaon, Dharavi, so I knew what would stay. It’s all about striking the right chord and making the janta groove to the music.

Tell us something about your love for jingles, which also won you the Indian Academy of Advertising Film Art in 1989.

I was into making jingles with Louis Banks, who was also crazy about electronics and technology oriented like me. There was a time when we did nothing but compose three to four jingles a day. It was fun to make a short tune, which would create waves for 30 seconds. Later, I came up with my own company to record jingles for commercials.

How did Colonial Cousins happen?

Once while I was playing my guitar, Hariharan just hummed some lines and it sounded good. We thought of doing something concrete and Colonial Cousins happened. The Indo-western fusion was rare and it clicked.

You are into jingles and your songs have a lot of western influence, so how was it working with Hariharan, who hails from a classical background?

Not many people know that I am well versed with Indian folk and Bollywood songs, owing to the fact that my dad was into Bollywood. Although coming from a classical gharana, Hariharan had a fair exposure to western music from his schooling days and western music is not alien to him. So, the harmonious blend of western with Indian music came unsurprisingly to us.

All your compositions, right from Paree hu mein to Piyu tu, are distinct…

I make songs specifically for the artist. I design songs keeping in mind the strengths and weakness of the singer. For every artist I have worked with - Suneeta Rao, Alisha, Ashaji, Band of Boys, KK – the compositions are made suiting their voice quality, bringing out the strong points

What do you think about the Hindi-Pop scenario today?

Pop has come up so high today and it is very much become a part of Bollywood. Bollywood does not allow anything bigger than it to survive; it assimilates and makes it a part of Bollywood. Bollywood film music, which had its own identity, has made pop music its property, and therefore today Bollywood music sounds like pop. It is just because Hindi-pop has become a part of Bollywood that it has survived.

What do you think about the remixes in today's music scenario?

Today remixes have become more of video than audio where models dance in skimpy clothes. Remixes entirely depend on taste and if it is done in a good way, it is acceptable or else it’s bad.

What is your take on the endless reality shows which are aired on channels?

The main question that arises about reality shows is - How many know the Indian idols so we actually know who made it real big? It is all about shaping your career and making the right moves to sustain yourself in the industry. Today reality shows have become just an entertainment drama for the viewers with all masala guaranteed.

Tell us something about your new academy for budding artists?

It is an academy for youngsters who believe in music and want to make it big in the musical world. Today in this cut-throat competition, singing is no more about liking, it is about hard-core money. So you have to invest money and at this academy we style you, design you and make sure you get a hearing at the record companies. We would make the artist sound as polished as we can and this academy would be creating lot of opportunities for music directors, technicians and so on.