[Reader-list] Fwd: Strugglers & Jugglers

[iram at sarai.net]

------  Original Message  ------
Subject: Fwd: Strugglers & Jugglers
To:      reader-list at sarai.net
From:    Prashant Pandey <jumpshark at gmail.com>
Date:    Mon, 07 Nov 2005 08:40:16 +0100


Saukat Rana is in his early twenties. He is from Calcutta.I meet him
in the Indian Idol Auditions at the Ravindra Natya mandir, Dadar,
Mumbai. I call him Shaukat. He tells me " Its Saukat".



He has not learnt classical but he says that he is an orchestra singer
in Calcutta. He follows Kumar Sanu. He takes out his notebook which
has some 1000 kumar sanu songs in Bengali and Hindi.

"I sing only sanu da". If they give me a mike here I will tear apart
everybody." (sabki phaad doonga). I tell him there is no mike here and
one has to just sing.

He says "no problem " and starts to sing sanus' latest album song.
Everybody notices Rana and his shrill nasal style. Some people smile.
Others comment that he is a Kalkatia (one belonging to kolkota) and
like all kalkatias can not think beyond Sanu and Babul Supriyo and
Kishore .

Ravi, a cable tv technician from Allahabad comments "aap ka pucca ho
jaiga….lo biskut khao" we eat Parle G biscuits. Its 7 pm. auditions
are tomorrow. Yet there is crowd of almost 500 participants that
refuses to leave. Rana says " kaha jaiga" paisa khatam ho gaya. Rana
has no money. He was staying at his friends' buas' bari( he means
home) but he is not comfortable there as "they ask too many
questions."

I ask him that he is an orchestra singer…doesn't he make money ?

He tells me that programmes are very rare.  That's why he has come to
idol so that he gets stage shows. I tell him to work hard and
impromptu he hums a starting tune of a kishore kumar song which has
shades of raag Darbari. He asks me to repeat it. I do.

"isse gala thik rahta hai" ( this is good for throat)

I am learning classical and its quite amusing to see Rana do his voice
culture from a hindi film song.

I ask him why he likes sanu so much.

He says " uska gaana sabse meetha hai" he sings chehra kya dekhto ho
dil me utar kar dekho na.

"Sanu da dil me bas jata hai"….( Sanu makes a place in ur heart).

I tell Rana that when I was in class 11th I used to sing in an
orchestra and I sang sanu da's songs. Rana feels very happy. He holds
my hands…as if making a promise " Tum agar dil se gaaya hai na toh
jaroor upaar jaiga" ( if u have sung with your heart you will go
ahead)



10 minutes later…….



I offer that I will treat everybody. I tell that I am working and let
me pay for this chai and everyone can eat whatever one wants. I keep
saying to myself that this is not my job and these people are not my
subjects for a book or case study.

I must never be condescending. Everybody here wants to be a part of
the music industry that's the bottom line. Ravi, volunteers to pay the
bill. I say " kya hai" drawing his hands away. I pay 45 rupees for
wada paavs, chai and biscuits.



Rana's song book is funny. His Hindi is pointless. Does he remember
all these songs ? "Yes… hamara kali puja me iska puja karta hai. Gaana
nahi jaata."

(I worship my notebook in Diwali kali puja. That's why I remember all
the songs.)



By now everybody has started calling him Sanu. I tell him not to worry
and just focus on the auditions. I suggest that we will pool in money
for Sanu's back ticket.  Rana now christened as Sanu looks wretched. I
ask him if he has eaten.



Half an hour later we are sitting in a crowded South Indian restaurant
in Dadar.

There is no ventilation and fried rice fumes keep hanging in there
above our heads. I tell him that not to think anything and eat as he
is from a different city visiting Bombay.

He says "tum kaalkatta aaega to mere ghaar rukna." (If you come to
Calcutta you stay at my place)



We start chatting. This is roughly what we chatted about.





Tell me a bit about your family



I have a mother and an elder sister who is married in Murshidabad now.

We are originally weavers. My father used to make and sell cloth. We
did nt have a shop but esee hee cycle pe bechta tha.



So?



Vo marr gaya.( he is dead)



Ok.



And you do not want to be a weaver.



 Naa…essa sawaal kyo poochta hai ( why do ask such a question? )  I
want to sing. One day I will have my own album.

Just now a music company owner in Calcutta called me and told to sing
a song in an album. I told him that I am in Bombay.



Ohh… what a miss…



Haa… paisa hota to plane se chal  ke jata. ( if I was rich I would
have taken a flight). I was after this mans life. He is a big music
promoter from Calcutta. he has a  record label also. He had promised
me a song. Now it was time but I am in Bombay.



So tell him that you are doing a show in Bombay and will record after
you reach Calcutta.



Yes… it's a good idea.





Are you studying?



No. 9th takk kiya hai .( just till 9th standard) singing and studies
do not go together. Stage pe jaiga…school nahi. ( will only do stage
shows wont go to schools)



But you don't get enough stage shows.



Milega. That's why idol me aaya hai. (That's why I am participating in
Indian idol)





How do you like Bombay?



Accha hai… dadar kitna bara hai re… sala itna bara station itna rush..
howra bhi phail hai…parr idhar do cheez bahut bekar hai.  Pehla toilet
nahi hai doosra police kuch madad nahi karta. ( Bombay is good. Dadar
station is so big.. its so crowded much more than what is there in
howrah. But there are two things that I do not like above Bombay.
First there are no toilets then police does not help.)



How long have you been in Bombay?



3 days.



Where is your luggage …



He shows me his little bag which has just a t-shirt, his mobile phone
charger, a tooth brush, tooth paste and a comb.



So for three days you have been wearing the same clothes.



Yes..



I notice his green pants and deep red polo t-shirt and white shoes.



Bombay everybody is so stylish. I wanted to compete with them. So I
have got best of my clothes. But phir bhi yaha par bahut hero hai.



Clothes do not matter.



NO! Like you are so well dressed. In Calcutta if you go like this no
body will touch you.



Ok… if you clear this round. You can take my shirt. But plz tell sonu
sir that this is Prashant's shirt.



He smiles.





In Bombay nobody talks to you. Noboby looks at you. You must have lots
of time to talk to me. Or you must be a good person as you are taking
me to this restaurant.



Now I do not feel like telling him about my research work on the music
industry.



Its banal, artificial and it is going to kill all the innocence that
is their in our conversation.



I tell him that I am doing all this because I have a job and hence I
can afford to pay and then I expect him to do the same I once I m in
Calcutta.



What is your job?



  My job is research.





Are you from Zee Tv. ?



(This shocks me)   No I am just a writer.



But you are a singer… are nt you ?



Yes I am a singer.



Then you make money by singing or by writing.



Sanu is asking very tough questions. But I think something and tell him .





I make money by writing and use it to learn singing.



Ok… you are learning..



Yes….



What ?





Hindustani classical…



Ok ok





Why do you have to learn…. Just sing like I do.

Be free. Classical se dimaag kharab ho jata hai…



Kaise ?





Mera bahut dost Calcutta me classical sikha hai( a lot of my friends
have learnt classical in kolkata) they are scared. Ek ek suur lagane
me darta hai . (Every note they sing ….they are scared)





Tell me about your friends….



 I have two girlfriends….



Girlfriends?



Yes… I don't make friends. I make girlfriends but now my heart has
taken a beating. (He puts his hand on his chest) iss dil ne bahut kuch
saha hai.



You had a break-up?



Yes… ten days back. My girlfriend told me that I am good for nothing.

She hurt me. She said that I would never become a singer. She called me
loafer.

You tell me…. was kishore da a loafer?



No



Then?? ….everybody needs time. I am just 19. I can not give her expensive
gift.

I don't have a car. I told her you should love a seth.( a rich man)



Seth ?



In Calcutta marwaris have so many girlfriends and they have so much
money which never finshes.



Ok.  Are you jealous of marwaris……..



No no… I have some marwaris friends also. I meet then when I go to the
city.



Means ? you live in Calcutta na ?



No. not exactly in the city. But very near. It's a place called santragacchi.



Ok. And your girlfriend is from santaragashi ?



No no she is from Calcutta. She thinks I am a village joker.



How old is she?



She is 25.



You are 19?



Yes .



Tum bahut shane ho yaar.



Nahi…earlier she came after me… but when I became serious she ran way…



Why ?



Because I am a very passionate person…. Jaisa vo darr me shahrukh khan
jaisa…she is just a school teacher. She ran away. How can she ever
feel what I feel?



Why?



See I am artist. I think different from her.  Before parting I told
her…. "tum makkhi hai " ( you are a filthy fly)



So what was her reply?



Nothing. She said nothing. Not even a change of expression. You know
what…..never ever care for a silent type of girl.



He tells me a sher, a couplet in urdu which sounds very funny due to
his accent.

It has words like " khamosi"



So you think girls go after rich guys….say marwaris that's why you
want to be a singer…….rich……. and famous so that girls come to you.



Yes……… like makkhi (flies)



Oh… yes…



We have spent a lot of time talking. I ask him about his plans. He
says I want to follow Sanu Da's foot steps.



He has become a film producer.



You know him



No



Then how do you know



Just like that.



You tell and you hide. Everybody in Bombay is like that only.



Do not speak much against this city. If you want to be a singer you
are going to live in this city.



Oh when I asked about your plan I meant plan right now



We are planning to spend the night in the nearby park. (There are
nearly 100 people camping for the next day auditions)



Ok.



I suggest that you all go to Dadar Station and spend the night there.





When I say this I have these people around - 2 college students from
pune, , Ravi, a cable tv technician from Allahabad, Suman, a 17 year
talented singer from jabalpur with his father and Nitin, a pest
control worker from Indore and Rana aka Sanu,  the orchestra singer
from Kolkata.



Sumans' father says that there is a temple nearby and he has made
arrangements there. Nitin and Ravi want to go to Dadar as Ravi wants a
good shave and facial, a solid bench to sleep and Nitin wants to see
Mumbai call girls.

The two college students are going to a nearby guesthouse called
"Mother India" where they will pay 280 rupees for a night.



Police  have dispersed this motley crowd of strugglers twice. Its
clear. It's a posh locality. We don't want complain from the Society
(as in the building association) No trouble here. Go anywhere. Mumbai
is very big .Rot anywhere.  Not here. Stern and polite.



"Where will you go? Come with us", everybody says.

"How can you sleep? "

"Common we will sing songs…"



Nitin says "raat ka nazara dekhenge".



I just have to smile. I know these requests will die out and I would
be back in my comfy room in an hour. They do not have homes. They are
strangers. I should not spend/waste my time or spend too much time
with them.



After all they are what. They are strugglers.



Its 11 pm.



I wish Sanu and Suman goodbye. Rest of the people are somewhere. I
feel relieved as Nitin is not around. He has gone to gather support
for a visit to a local bar and then to a nearby red-light lane.
Sumans' father, a worker in a chemical factory in jabalpur, says " kal
jaroor aana". He says that a lot of kids are not serious and have come
at the pretext of giving auditions. The tea-vendor says" He (Nitin)
was asking me about girls…do I look like a pimp?

"Gaana gane ka aur ghar jaane ka".



 Sing and go home.
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(End of post)

Sarai
Prashant Pandey
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Subject: Strugglers & Jugglers
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