The riddle wrapped in a mystery

Kishore Kumar delivered emotional authenticity of human feelings.

The enigmatic singer was an amazing pack of multiple identities, ever changing with time. Instinctive and spontaneous, he expressed himself in parts, but the sum of parts never revealed his true identity. The defining aspect of his identity – the songs – oscillate between deceptive complexity and actual simplicity, creating curiosity of discovering him and his ways.  Kishore Kumar: The Ultimate Biography is an ambitious undertaking at discovering Kishore the person, whose appetite for excellence made him a genius; Kishore the voice, that delivered emotional authenticity of human feelings; and Kishore the icon, who personified musical veneration. It is a tribute to a singer who has continued to have a hold on the airwaves ever since. 

It has been 35 years since his passing, but Kishore’s voice remains endearing to the listeners. He was an unschooled genius who could not read music notes, but his fans included classical maestros such as Bhimsen Joshi and Kumar Ghandharva. To the extent that classical vocalist Kanika Bandyopadhayay had once remarked: ‘Just to listen to these songs is a motivation to live longer’. Kishore’s rendition of choral backed raag Yaman composition Woh sham kuch ajeeb thee (Khamoshi, 1969), and raag Charukeshi-based Jeevan se bhari teri ankhen (Safar, 1970) stand testimony to the ease with which he negotiated classical compositions to sublime perfection.  

Born with an abnormally hoarse voice that produced a coughing sound, Kishore would not have become a singer had his right toe not got accidently severed by a kitchen knife back in 1934. That one moment in childhood opened the door to an unimaginable future awaiting Kishore. In the absence of strong antibiotics, he had cried incessantly for some seventeen or eighteen hours a day for a few weeks that gave way to a clear, distinctive high-quality phonation. At the cost of his school studies, the destiny’s child carefully nurtured trait of effortless singing. Kishore never allowed the child in him to die, liberally using nonsensical words, scatting and yodelling as part of the song. The classic comedy (Padosan,1968) came handy for Kishore to impromptu create the song Mere bhole balam, and insert innovations like Oye tedhe, Seedhe ho jaa re during the final recording of Ek chatur naar, that R D Burman had no hesitation to accept. 

There are hundreds of stories about the inimitable Kishore, about his genius, about his parsimony, about his eccentricity, and about his run down with his directors which are meaningful curated to give the narrative a credence of an ultimate biography. The 550-page biography is indeed more factual, more accurate, and far more informative. However, when each of Kishore’s 3,000 odd songs has a story to tell, one wonders if serious Kishore Kumar aficionado will ever have enough on the maverick singer. Kishore not only sang his way into the hearts of people, but he did also so while proposing to Leena Chandavarkar over phone singing Mere dil me aaj kya hai (Daag, 1973). 

Kishore was borne to sing. Little realizing that his words would prove to be prophetic, he had once nonchalantly responded to the reprimand of his teacher for playing table on the desk saying: ‘sir, this will be my career one day’. Kishore persisted with his devil-may-care attitude throughout life, which had helped him sail through ups and down in his life. With his voice so fluent and mellifluous, he could generate entire spectrum of emotions with utmost ease. If his carefree yoddling number Zindagi ek safar hai suhana (Andaz, 1971) could make life worthy of more, the more sombre Zindagi ka safar (Safar, 1970) can drown the listener in tears.  

Kishore’s long-standing friend Pritish Nandy, journalist and filmmaker, defined him in three words: Madcap. Mystic. Magician. At the other end, Bhattacharjee and Dhar count him as the last ‘great natural’ in Indian cinema, who continues to be part of listeners from dawn to dusk. No wonder, the ultimate biography documents the life of Kishore Kumar as per the time-based rule of raags, beginning with morning raag Bhairav and concluding with night raag Kedar. Kishore Kumar: The Ultimate Biography is an absorbing book on the life and times of Kishore Kumar, the eccentric talent who did not quite go by the book.  

Kishore Kumar: The Ultimate Biography
by Anirudh Bhattacharjee & Parthiv Dhar
HarperCollins, New Delhi 
Extent: 544, Price: Rs. 699.

First published in The Hindu on Oct 27, 2022. 

Getting wild at the wildlife

The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and species-specific conservation initiatives have succeeded in putting wildlife under existential stress.

The ceremonious airlifting of the long extinct Cheetah, the fastest big cat on the planet, from Namibia to the Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, and a recent alarming report indicting humans for being wild at the wildlife, leading to extermination of at least 70 percent of the world’s wildlife, offers a disturbing backdrop to reading WildlifeIndia@50, supposedly a celebration of five decades of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, an edited volume with contributions from administrators, foresters, conservationists, activists, and journalists. In last five decades, the law has gone through several amendments but its implementation has been found wanting.

Indira Gandhi’s deep interest in wildlife had led to the enactment of the central legislation in 1972, the provisions of which were essentially aimed at regulating hunting. Over the decades, however, the National Board for Wildlife under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister has made the law exhaustive and brawny, but the corresponding political commitment to uphold its provisions have only waned. Nothing could be more appalling than to learn that two consecutive prime ministers snoozed through the all-important board meetings and the recent-past environment minister tweeted his excitement regarding the board’s permission for the expansion of a railway line through a tiger reserve and a wildlife sanctuary in the Western Ghats. How does the diversion and destruction of pristine forests translate to wildlife conservation? If anything, it is a breach of public trust!

While many contributors to the volume are disillusioned that forests and wildlife have continued to shrink, there are others who contend that the glorious legacy of the National Board for Wildlife stands tattered. The contributions to the volume are both revealing and reflective, providing an engrossing journey by conservationists and practitioners on the twists and travails of a landmark legislation which was projected as ‘ever vigilant in the cause of free-loving fellow citizens ie., wild animals and birds’. Far from serving its primary objective, however, the provisions under the legislation have been twisted to grant rights to violate wildlife habitats. The frenetic pace with which such permissions are being granted by the Standing Committee, constituted by the Board, the area under 990 Protected Areas is likely to shrink from the present 5.2 percent of the country’s geographical area, which is already below the world average of 9.3 percent. 

The essential take home from the lived experiences and perceived reflections by contributing writers in WildlifeIndia@50 is that good intentions are not necessarily paved with expected outcomes. Ironically, multiple enabling amendments to the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and subsequent species-specific conservation initiatives have broadly succeeded in putting wildlife under existential stress. Nothing could be more shocking than the fact that the institutions created by the law to protect wildlife have proved counter-productive. The provisions of the Act have been  so conveniently misinterpreted that the misinterpretations have become de facto provisions. As a result, there is a progressive law that lacks corresponding order.

The idea behind this commemorative volume, claims the editor, is to inform, entertain, and enlighten. It informs and enlightens for sure, but not without amusing the reader. Sample this: a rare albino sloth bear was relocated to the zoo as then chief minister of the state desired the unique animal to be seen by the public at large. What purpose the animal serves if no one gets to see it? The legal provisions were suitably compromised to honor the fancy, and the unlucky animal landed in the zoo to the joy of viewers. Nowhere does the law proclaim that wild animals are government property, however, the idea has remained ingrained in the minds of power that be. 

The question that begs an answer is: has the Wildlife (Protection) Act with its half a dozen amendments been objectively understood by those who are supposed to uphold it? The volume under reference provides enough evidence that officers, judges and lawyers are still grappling to make a sense of its provisions. Had that not been so, a court would not have acquitted a magician for illegally possessing an ajgar because in its wisdom an ajgar is too young to be a python. While the law does not draw any distinction on the age of the animal to be protected , the court observed that only after attaining the age of maturity does an ajgar become a python. On top, ajgar is not mentioned in any of the schedules. It is rightly said that a law is only as good as it is understood. 

Himself a forester, Manoj Misra deserves credit for collating contributions from those engaged in the pursuit of protecting the wildlife and its habitats. WildlifeIndia@50 makes for interesting, amusing and shocking reading, highlighting the fact that the power of citizens to question the decision of the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife is legally out of question. It leaves the reader to hunt for answers.

Wildlife India @ 50 
by Manoj Kumar Misra (Ed)
Rupa Books, New Delhi 
Extent: 517, Price: Rs. 995.

First published in The Hindu on October 23, 2022.  

Not Maid to order

Only a polished mirror reflects your face of innocence back to you.

This is a story of a nobody involved in the murder of a somebody, who holds a prism for everybody on life and life lessons. Nobody is the protagonist, Molly Gray, a room-cleaner in an upscale hotel, the dead is a wealthy somebody, Mr. Blake, and everybody is the reader at large. Molly is a diligent worker who parts her hair in the middle, and likes things plain and simple. Her explanation of things invites suspicion from the police, who eventually arrest her as the prime suspect. But with help from the people around her who believe in her innocence, Molly finds a way out. 

On the outside it may seem an open-and shut case unworthy of writing about. Not really as I've yet to read anything quite like The Maid - a beautifully crafted novel that sits at the intersection of crime and wisdom. Walking unseen through our world, Molly silently cleans the allotted rooms at the hotel, and once back from work finds solace in the company of her deceased grandma whose wise words continue to resonate and rekindle a sense of direction to her life. Molly’s voice may be subdued, but not her story. And, the murder creates a bloody opportunity for her to be heard. Nita Prose lends her flawless writing skills to make Molly express herself as she carries her perfectly stacked maid’s trolley through corridors of the hotel every morning. Cleaning to her is a re-energizing activity. ‘If you feel sad just grab a duster.’ One can bust inertia in the process.

By keeping it plain and simple, the novel concludes that people are a mystery that can never be solved. The narrative ends up being a commentary on the hypocrisies of society, which never accords fair treatment to innocent people. Nita uses carefully crafted prose to counter verbal jousts and jabs often hurled at ordinary people. The nuanced treatment of the characters makes it clear that we are all the same but in different ways. Molly’s inner journey is handled with empathetic concern, letting the reader align with her memorable reflections on life. It is an unputdownable page-turner that seems like a mirror held on us. ‘Only a polished mirror reflects your face of innocence back to you’.  

Toronto-based Nita Prose, a longtime editor and book promoter,  has made good use of her editorial skills in her debut novel that has stirred the bestselling lists on both sides of the Atlantic. And justifiably so, as Nita  turns  a  simple plot  into  a riveting and deliciously refreshing novel. At the end, one feels it is more than just a murder mystery. 

The Maid lets you feel for those faceless people who clean you hotel rooms. Without doubt, the well-stocked housekeeping trolley is a portable sanitation miracle. In doing what a maid does to bring the room to order, she knows more about the person who slept in the cozy bed and soiled the toilet seat. But we often know pretty little about the one who knows lot about us. Skillfully layered  and masterfully told, the endearing tale of a faceless maid is a reflection on how we treat those who seem to harbor a sixth sense to know what lies behind our outer façade. Nita has given a literary fling to the narrative that is both gripping and engaging.

I have deliberately avoided revealing the story because that is not necessarily important in the context of the small world that Nita has opened up for all of us. It is inspiring to note that a lowly maid holds the strength of her character to make everything orderly again, as if she is cleaning a room of its dust and grime. It is her plucky optimism for life that lends her courage to get a clean-chit for the murder in which she is erroneously embroiled. Is it her penchant for details that helps her do so? The Maid hits all the right notes to cast an endearing appeal. 

Heart-warming and refreshing, Nita Prose makes us view the world through a nobody, the lowly maid. Molly makes her presence felt from the first page: ‘If you love your job, you’ll never work a day in your life.’ There could be nothing more compelling in the world where very few of us enjoy our jobs. Molly turns out to be a charming maid, living life on her own terms.

The Maid 
by Nita Prose
Harper Collins, New Delhi 
Extent: 343, Price: Rs. 450.

First published in Deccan Herald on Oct 23, 2022.