Wishing the readers a very Happy April Fools’ Day
When I wrote a sincere article, doing a comprehensive review of the songs of 1947 on the 1st April last year, Canasya commented, “you have fooled us”, because he was expecting something else appropriate to the occasion. N Venkataraman echoed the sentiments. By now, the readers have a good picture of Venkataramanji in their minds. He has earned a reputation for himself as a towering intellectual. Canasya has so far shrouded himself in complete anonymity (except for a brief lifting of the veil once), though his erudite comments are well known to the readers. I hope he would not mind if I disclose that he is a BTech, MBA and a PhD, and is a Don (not the Amitabh Bachchan-type, but academic) at one of the premier IIMs. You don’t get any smarter than that. Yet, these two learned persons felt that they were fooled. They are not two individuals, but they represent a large segment of the population. These are the people with high Mensa scores. Additionally, they fortify themselves for the 1st April by keeping a watch on the calendar for a year so that they are not caught off-guard. (Venkataramanji kept awake the whole preceding night, and pinched himself at 00.55 AM that the 1st April has arrived, and alerted everyone on SoY by posting a comment at that unearthly hour.) When the day comes, they smile unto themselves, look into any corners and crevices, and are on high alert for any hidden meaning in the day’s happenings and conversations with friends and family. When the world around them goes about its business as usual, they feel cheated because all their precaution has gone waste. They are Clever Fools who are fooled when no one makes a fool of them on the April Fools’ Day.
The second category of fools may, in fact, be seen as a sub-category of the above. They are equally smart with a very high IQ, but they are the type who forget their wedding anniversary or their wives’ birthday. Naturally, they are oblivious when the 1st of April comes, and it is too late when they realise that someone has played April Fool on them. They are clever, but careless April-Fool Fools. The song April Fool banaya refers to this type of fools.
April Fool banaya by Rafi from April Fool (1964), lyrics Hasrat Jaipuri, music Shankar-Jaikishan
The third type of fools let greed get the better of them. They easily fall prey to Ponzi schemes, such as double your money in six months; or pay ₹ 50,000 and become the owner of a teak forest worth ₹ 50 crores in ten years, and so on. When the promoter vanishes with their money, they start crying, government, government, protect our investment. Where does the state come into this? They are not poor illiterates. The most charitable description for them is that they are Greedy Gullible Fools, or Gullible Fools Type 1.
Now you understand there must be Gullible Fools Type 2, who are not greedy, but who often take leave off their brains. This person gets a call from some sweet-sounding Anita or Sunita, or Rina, Tina or Meena, Sir, I am from ABC Bank. Your ATM card has been blocked. Do you want it to be activated? Now no one wants his ATM card to be blocked, therefore, he passes on the 16-digit card number, 3-digit CVV code at the back, and the OTP which would have come in his registered mobile number. No sooner has the conversation ended, than he receives a message from the bank of a successful transaction and his account has been debited of ₹5 lakhs.
The fifth type of fools would require some explanation. They are quite common across the board, but I would illustrate it from the card game of bridge. In bridge, there is something called ‘deceptive play’ (which is different from ‘bluffing’ in poker). It is common sense that you would win a trick with the cheapest possible card, or follow to a losing trick with the smallest card. If you use a very high card instead, you may deceive the other side into taking a wrong line of play. The deceptive play works only when the victim is intelligent enough to analyse the hidden cards by the fall of the cards. But it is wasted on a player who is too innocent. You get the hang of it. They are the Fools who are too dumb to be fooled.
Voltaire once said that to succeed in the world it is not enough to be stupid, you must also be well-mannered. Now, you would rarely find a person who does not take pride in being successful in life and a decent human being, and by now you know where to slot them. If you want to escape being categorised as a Voltaire Fool, you have to have some redeeming vice.
The above vertical divisions of the society cover the entire population. There is an overarching class of fools cutting across all the above categories. This is the category called ‘husbands’ whose wives are frustrated that ‘Tumhein to kucch samajh mein hi nahi aata; or, Tumhein to koi bhi bewaqoof bana sakata hai’. Women sometimes make fools of men, but most guys are the do-it-yourself type. They may be called Husband Fools. You might say that this expression contains a tautological error; once you say ‘Husband’, there is no need to add a redundant word ‘Fools’. I am not a grammarian. Fortunately, among the SoY readers there are at least two writers and editors by profession – Anuradha Warrier and Madhulika Liddle. I have a huge respect for them for their command over English language. I leave it to them to decide what should be the grammatically correct expression for this category of fools.
Let me add a disclaimer here that this part of the classification is based on my observation of husbands in general. It is not intended to refer directly or indirectly or remotely to any specific husband, much less the husbands of the very respected lady readers of this blog, unless they also subscribe to this view. Nevertheless, if I have inadvertently caused any offence to any reader, I tender my unequivocal and unconditional apology. I also state that this apology is being offered in all sincerity, unlike the serial apology offered by the well-known, foul-mouthed public personality, also going by the initials AK (let us call him K by his surname to avoid confusion), when faced with a slew of defamation cases. The readers would remember that when things started going badly for him in the court due to the rantings of his equally foul-mouthed lawyer J, he disowned him stating that J was speaking without instructions. A furious J left the brief and publicly called K a ‘Fool’.
I mentioned in the beginning Amitabh Bachchan’s Don. There is an interesting scene of DCP Saheb (Iftekhar) tutoring the Banaraswala Vijay to take the place of his look-alike Don. When Iftekhar checks up with him a couple of times whether he has understood, Amitabh Bachchan tells him: DCP Saheb, Ek baat kahun, bura mat maaniyega. Aap jo har baat par humse pooch lete hain, ‘samajh gaye na’, to aapne kya humein bilkul Shikarpur ka samajh rakha hai? Are Bhai, samajhengein kyon nahi?
Amitabh Bachchan made the reference to Shikarpur funny. But with a real Shikarpurean the conversation may turn nasty:
Which state are you from?
From UP.
Which district in UP?
Bulandshahar.
Which tehsil in Bulandshahar?
Abe, Teri to xxx, Tu to peechhe hi pad gaya hai. Haan main Shikarpur ka hun, to tu mera kya ukhaad lega?
Shikarpur is a generic name; every state has its own Shikarpur by different names. In the generic sense, this may be taken to include ethnic jokes such as Sardarji or Polish or Pathan jokes etc. Thus, we have another category of fools called Shikarpur Fools.
I read the draft of this post again and again before uploading it because of the sensitivities involved. When I could not find any apparent error in my analysis, my thoughts went to a statement made by Justice Markandey Katju (retired) a few years ago that 90% Indians are fools. This naturally caused a great furore. I was as incensed as others that the learned Judge had made a highly irresponsible statement not befitting his status. Now, I have an entirely different view on this. Justice Katju was quite circumspect in making an understatement by 10%, and keeping it limited to India to avoid any diplomatic repercussions.
With the correction for the understatement, the amended statement can be described as Katju-AK Theorem of Fools, which is simply ‘All are Fools’. This can be also described as The Unified Theory of Fools, which is a significant breakthrough opening new vistas of research in varied fields, such as psychology, anthropology and sociology. Just imagine the enormity of this discovery considering that the top particle physicists of the world are still struggling with The Unified Field Theory, or its next step, The Theory of Everything.
I don’t know what it is about Songs of Yore that a large percentage of its active members are from science and mathematics background, and they would not be satisfied unless I give a rigorous proof of the Theorem. I proceed to do that by the method of reductio ad absurdum, i.e. testing the alternative hypotheses – ‘The Theorem is true’ or ‘The Theorem is false’ – on the touchstone of a scientific discovery which was announced some time back.
Dr Dagmar Anderson of Sweden’s Lindbergh University Medical Centre has concluded after a long study that the most serious health risk factor is not cigarettes, caffeine or fatty food, but the stress caused by dealing with idiots. If the Theorem is true, read with Dr Anderson’s study, it would mean we are all stressed by everyone else around us every moment; therefore, in the long run we would be all dead. If the Theorem is false, it means some of us are not so stressed and, thus, would not die in the long run. This is absurd and a contradiction on the face of it. Therefore, the Theorem is True. Q.E.D.
“In the long run we are all dead” must have been quoted millions of times without anyone understanding its meaning. When Keynes said that, he was not making a trite statement, nor was he paraphrasing Gita’s जातस्य हि ध्रुवो मृत्युः। A prescient man, he foresaw the Katju-AK Theorem ninety-six years before it was propounded, and stated it in a euphemistic, but un-mathematical language.
If that be so, let me wish the readers a very Happy April Fools’ Day. All the fools of the world, rejoice yourselves, you have nothing to lose but your foolishness. We are lucky to be born on this planet, which is described as a paradise, short for a Fools’ Paradise.
{ 108 comments… read them below or add one }
AK,
You’ve made a fool of all of us who so eagerly wait for a barrage of songs in an SoY post by including but one song! Anyway, here’s a classic Tamizh film song sung by and picturized on the comdeian, J.P.Chandrababu. The meaning of the ‘mukhda’ is ‘I am a fool’:
‘Naan oru muttalunga’ by J.P.Chandrababu, from ‘Sahodari’ (MD – R.Sudarasanam, Lyrics – Kannadasan)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej-3DVyqwu0
Most people pronounce the Hindi word for flower as ‘fool’ instead of ‘phool’… and in light of what you have written, maybe what the heroine in ‘Saraswatichandra’ was actually telling the hero was this
‘Phool tumhe bheja hai khat mein
Fool nahin mera dil hai’
‘What a fool I was, what a dominated fool
To think that you were the earth and the sky
What a fool I was, what an elevated fool
What a mutton-headed dote was I!’
sings Eliza Doolittle in this song from ‘My Fair Lady’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3mC4485Ue0
‘Moorakh ko tum raj diyata ho
Pandit phirata bhikaari
Karama ki gati nyaari’
says Meerabai in this bhajan sung by Lata and tuned by Hridaynath in Raga Hamsadhwani
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xo98uD3xEx0
‘Seek God, seek God, O Fool’ exhorts Adi Shankaracharya in his immortal ‘Bhaja Govindam’ rendered here by MS in ragamala:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Go-mAJpH6_w
My first formal music lesson was a bhajan in Maand. As most people familiar with Hindustani Music would agree, to say this was unusual is an understatement, but I suppose my teacher wanted to start with a song in praise of the Almighty, hence the selection. Here is the text of the bhajan:
Prabhuji suniyo araj hamaar
Hum baalak tujhe charan pade
Lijiyo bega ubaar
Hamari mandamati shuddha hove tumse
Maya prabal tumhaar
40 years later, I remember with gratitude the basics he drilled into my head, starting with that first lesson….
Ashwin,
Please don’t mind if I start with correcting you. If you read the ‘Unifed Theory of Fools’ carefully, you would realise no one can ‘make’ a fool of another person. No one has to be ‘made’ a fool of.
Then I have to thank you enormously for adding such befitting songs. Frankly, since I was on to a great discovery, finding ten songs as per the norm of a post was far from my mind.
@2, I must say you have a very sharp ear. This was too subtle to be noticed. Now I realise punning also sharpens your senses.
@3, Thanks for adding this ditty from My Fair Lady.
@4, Reminds me of Bhartrihari’s यत्विधिना लिखितं ललाटपटले तन्मार्जितुम् को क्षम: (What has been etched by the destiny on someone’s forehead, who can erase that?).
@5, 6, Did Tulsidas say, Prabhuji, hum moorakh tum gyani?
What a delightful way to celebrate All Fools Day!
The world is saved because there are fools! Imagine a world where all or almost everyone is a non-fool: no one will agree with another ( as demonstrated by economists, lawyers, scientists, politicians, reformers, etc) and there would be greater mess than there is at present.
The funny part of being foolish is that once one realises one is a fool, he is no more foolish!
That we are stressed by having to deal with fools is a foolish notion, propounded by some educated fool, no doubt. Of course we all have faced such a situation in our careers when we had to deal with foolish superiors in the hierarchy, but it did not fool anyone who knew about the Peter Principle or even Parkinson’s Law. What else can we expect, when the old saying goes that position comes to the foolish often, because it is so ordained{ “Padhavi poorva punyanam”, not a reward for brilliance! Do we not see a battery of bright young IAS fools kowtowing to the whims and weaknesses of even greater fools of politicians!
There is even need for studied foolishness or the art of deliberately cultivated foolishness. This is what we witness in all our TV channels-whether it is entertainment or anything else. The mega serials or soaps flourish on the willing suspension of disbelief and judgement; the debates assume the viewers are filtered fools. What fun would there be if we call the bluff! John Naisbitt invented the expression ‘High Tech/High Touch. Though he meant that high tech is made tolerable only by a whiff of human touch, that human touch is nothing more than our earthly foolishness, with which we are all endowed! When we remember that in the view of Louise Hay [ You Can Heal Your Life fame] we all find ourselves in difficulties and problems by following our best judgement, it follows that giving free reign to our innate foolishness may bring us better fortune!
But then, the seemingly foolish often accomplish wonderful results, or we won’t be celebrating a Mulla Nusruddin or our own Tenali Ramakrishna! The most serious situations call for a touch of foolishness to add life and spirit, and this not only in our movies, where every hero has a smart side kick, appropriately foolish! But the secret here is this is just a device to make the hero look better than he is! ( ie less foolish than he is.) How foolish he is we know when he sheepishly stands before the heroine!
Victory to the world of fools! They save the Planet!
Thanks AK for a very apt and topical post. I have always felt that the right to be foolish should be enshrined as a fundamental right in our constitution!
There are Shikarpurs in every state, as you have correctly observed. There was (past tense, because now it has been gobbled up by urban sprawl) a village named Kursi near Lucknow, known for the IQ of its denizens. A shair immortalized this village with these famous lines:
Suna hai ki Kursi mein ullu ke patthe;
Rag-e gul se bulbul ke par bandhte hain.
There is also a village called Bhogaon in Mainpuri district, with a comparable claim to fame.
Fools have been celebrated in film songs, but you have already done a post on that theme, with some inspiration and contribution from me.
May we all be happy in our folly.
R Nanjappa,
There used to be a saying, ‘One who knows not, and knows not that he knows not, is a fool. You have so aptly highlighted the importance of self-awareness of one’s foolishness. I guess that is the state of Nirvana, the ultimate state we all desire. You mentioned suspension of disbelief. Some filmmakers, like Rohit Shetty, proudly say that their films require the viewers to leave their brains behind. I am very fond of his films.
We are into election season, and this is a perfect time for the political parties to believe that the voters are fools.
The comic sidekick has a very ancient origin in विदूषक. Your ‘foolish’ hero reminded me of the film Without a Clue (1988), which was a spoof of Sherlock Holmes. In this film, Holmes (played by Michael Caine) was actually a bumbling fool, and Dr Watson (played by Ben Kingsley) was the real brain solving the crimes, but giving credit to Holmes. Subodh had long ago mentioned the film The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980) in which as long as the hero was acting rationally, the heroine didn’t give him any attention. It was only when he started bumbling that the lady warmed up to him.
Thanks a lot for your appreciation and interesting comments.
Subodh,
I am happy you liked the post.
‘Fundamental Rights’: I think being foolish is something like the principles of ‘natural justice’, it is not mentioned in the constitution or in any law, but it permeates every jurisprudence. I don’t think our lawmakers are wise enough to amend the constitution to include ‘Right of being foolish’ as one of the Fundamental Rights. But we don’t have to lose heart, ‘natural justice’ is inviolate.
So UP being a large state has many Shikarpurs. I think every large state has multiple Shikarpurs. Thanks for reminding Romancing the dunce or Mahamoorkhon ke gaane, you sowed the seeds of that idea. I compliment you for foreseeing the Unified Theory so much in advance.
AKji,
At the unearthly hour, on the convergence of 31st March and 1st April, when other members of the SoY were fast asleep, I kept the midnight oil burning, when sleep was not forthcoming and made an open invitation “Aa bail, mujhe maar”. You responded in grand style and rewarded me by including me in his topmost category of fools, and by honouring me as the Joint Guest-in Chief along with Canasyaji at this Maha Moorkon ka Mela which I expect to be open for a week or more. Thank you Akji.
But I am neither pleased nor amused entirely. I feel slighted when you introduced me as a “towering intellectual” and put me in the same bracket with Canasyaji. Canasyaji in no match to me. Since I am a“natural fool”, I have the sole right to occupy the post of the Royal Fool in the court of AK’s durbar. I do not mean the Delhi Durbar of the other AK, but SoY Durbar. Mitronn, I hope you would agree with me.
Court fools in the early Tudor period were ‘natural fools’ and had a privileged role to play at the Tudor court. A statute of 1540 establishes the royal prerogative over ‘idiots and natural fools’. Even Shakespeare’s All’s Well that Ends Well mentions ‘a dumb innocent’, pregnant because she ‘could not say him nay’! These instances indicate that natural fools had a privileged status.
Robert Armin in his ‘Foole upon Foole’ wrote the poor fellow’s epitaph.
Few men were more beloved than was this Fool,
Whose merry prate kept with the King much rule.
When he was sad, the King and he could rhyme,
Thus Will exiled sadness many a time.
Robert Armin was leading stage actor and a scholar with a keen interest in the ancient lineage of fools. He was one of the first to chronicle their history at length in his ‘Foole upon Foole’ (1605).
Thank you Akji for this wonderful article which seems to be like a Hindi blockbuster, albeit without any song. Your post gives equal opportunity alike to the erudite to share their intellectual thoughts, and to the dudes to talk nineteen to the dozen. Will come back with more prattle.
PS: BTW, If I remember right Cansyaji made his debut in your 2013 post “Romancing the dunce or ‘Mahamoorkhon Ke Gaane’”.
Enjoyed the write up and the comments.
Happy April fool’s day to all the readers and AKji.
🙂
Venkataramanji,
Your act at the stroke of the midnight hour may appear like Aa bail mujhe maar, but please realise your and Canasya’s nudging has led to the discovery of a Fundamental Truth. You shouldn’t feel any remorse as you have made a valuable contribution to the mankind.
That you are a towering intellectual and Canasya is a Don, no one can question. But the beauty of the Unified Theory is that it is the most egalitarian theory ever developed in the history of human discoveries. Not only the competition for No. 1 slot becomes irrelevant, even lesser mortals like the rest of us can claim parity with you.
If Canasya appeared on SoY first with the Romancing the dunce or Mahamoorkhon ke gaane, that is very significant. It was befitting that I made a special mention of him today in this post.
Let me part with this nice song:
O Darling! I am but a fool by Neial Sadaka
Anup,
Thanks a lot for your appreciation.
AK,
You really fooled us with your post with only one song, but gave a real treat. This essay brings forth all your writing skills, knowledge and the sense of humor. As I was reading it I went on counting under which heads I come as a fool and lost count only to realize at the end all are fools!
Already Ashwin has come up with some related songs.(he is also a’pun’kar!) More songs will pour out from other experts, I hope.
Thank you again for the very enjoyable post.
Ashwinji @ 1-6
You opened with a sixer. After what Akji has said, I need not add any more.
Your first song was a fantastic posting. I am sure you understand Tamil very well.
‘Naan oru muttalunga enru Nalla padichavanga Naalu Peru Sonnanga’ (I am but a fool – and was told so by four literate souls), is a timeless classic on foolish experiences, based on Kannadasan’s autobiographical experiences. The lyric was voiced by eccentric comedian singer & actor J.P.Chandrababu. Chandrababu, was also no stranger to foolish acts in his personal life. Thus this soul-stirring song will remain evergreen, for its in depth beauty, gathered from the experiences of two talented artistes who burnt both ends of their candles and had unusually short life spans.
That reminds me of another song penned by Kavignar Kannadasan for the film ‘Padithaal Mattum Pothuma’ (1962), ‘O ho Ho Ho Manitharkale Oduvathenge Sollungal’ (O ho Ho Ho Humankind – Let me know where are you galloping towards), sung by T.M.Soundararajan. ‘Padithaal Maddum Pothuma’, meaning ‘education alone is not enough’, was based on a short Bengali Novel ‘Naa’, written by Tara Shankar Bandopadhyay.
This is an interesting song. Vengkaayam (onion) is an allegorical word used commonly in Tamil for a fool. It could be that foolish acts bring tears to many. Also that, peeling an onion layer by layer brings out nothing. E V Ramaswamy Naicker (Periyaar), founder of the Dravida Kazhagam (DK) used this coinage frequently. Kannadasan uses this Venkaayam word effectively to sketch the traits of fools. The second stanza of the lyric read as follows:
“Azhuhi pona kaai kari kooda samayaluku ahaathu
Arivillathavan uyirum manamum oorukku uthavaathu
Urithu paarthaal venkaayathil onrum irukkaathu
Ulari thiripavan vaarthaiyile oru uruppadi theraathu.”
a rough translation
Spoiled leaves and meat aren’t worth cooking
Mindless man’s life and mind isn’t worth for many
An onion peeled would turn out to be empty
The words of a fool aren’t worth even a penny
Music Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BdEkXJBUqs
Mr Giri,
Thanks a lot for your compliments. Another regular reader wrote to me that he had not yet posted his comments because he was trying to figure out which slot he fits in. Since it is a Unified and Universal Theory, the category becomes immaterial. Everyone fits somewhere, most persons in multiple categories.
Thanks again for your appreciation.
Akji,
Where will the ultimate buyer or the greater fool of the ‘Great Fool Theory” fit in? I think in the Gullible Fools Type 1.
Now, another dialogue again from a Amitabh Bachchan film
O Murkh hota hai jo sirf sach ko hi janta hai, aur sach aur jhooth ke farq ko nahi janta, Amitabh Bachchan’s dialogue from Badl. Listen to the dialogue @ 01:36
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSlgu8AQAd4
AKji,
Having made a valuable contribution towards the discovery of the fundamental truth mentioned by you let me carry the subject a little further. I said earlier that in March we had only two posts. But if March had 32 days then …-
Let us refer to Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. In the Nun’s Priest’s Tale, a vain Chauntecleer is tricked by a fox on “Syn March bigan thritty dayes and two”, which readers came to understand meant “since March began thirty days and two”. And without going further into the details, if draw a similar analogy then we can consider this article to have appeared on 32 March.
Now let me add a short story
March Has 32 Days
The story is of John Billings, who fails to inspect a bridge on March 31 in order to say goodbye to his wife, Lisa, at the airport before she leaves on a flight to an unspecified location. Later that day the bridge collapses, and although no one is hurt, John feels guilty. John wishes he could live that day over again, although he laments that he would just wind up making the same decision again, anyway. Without explanation, he blacks out and wakes up to find that the date is still March 31. John is determined to inspect the bridge this time, but he is persuaded otherwise by a colleague who insists that the bridge has already been inspected and is safe. On his way to the airport, John realizes he’s doing just what he feared he would, and drives to the bridge instead. There, he finds a structural flaw, and prevents the bridge’s collapse. While John dismisses the experience as a dream, astronomers note with confusion that they have determined that this year, March had 32 days, “and we’ll never know why!”
I do not know to which category you would fit me after reading my
I do not know to which category you would fit me after reading my yarn.
Venkataramanji,
‘Ultimate Buyer’: Perhaps you referring to the last in the chain marketing. While those higher in the chain have made their money, he finds he has none to sell to, and he holds dead asset. If this is what you have in mind, he would be a combination of Gullible Fool Type 1 and Type 2, because he knows no chain can go on forever.
It is interesting – Amitabh Bachchan gives another category of Fool. Thanks a lot for posting it.
Venkatramanji @21,
I now suspect you want to create a record that you fit in all the categories.
AK ji;
I am an Engineer and I fool around with Machines ……La Charlie Chaplin in Modern Times . My Factory Door says….Vacancies not for Idiots but Fools are welcomed.
In Chalti Ka Naam Ghadi ….Kishore was Automobile Engineer and Anoop Kumar was Auto Mechanic ….always nervous , confuse ….a very close to fool/idiot combo.
No one can beat Kishore Kumar in fooling every character by way of his actions, antics, dancing , singing etc. ….be it heroin, papa mama, villain, …..and so on . For confirmation here is a song from Chacha Zindabad …..
Kishore Kumar – Des Chhudaye Bhes Chhudaye……MM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3_02gbdhXk
AK,
Rejoicing!
Got the answer to the question I was looking for a long time.
I have always wondered why every one around me is stressed?
Thanks for allowing me opportunity to talk nineteen to dozen with erudite, intellectual like Venkataramanji.
KS Bhatiaji,
Charlie Chaplin in Modern Times was hardly in a state to fool around with machines. He had himself become a machine. The President of the company was indeed fooling around from his cabin by giving directions to speed up the assembly line. And those who were doing the sales pitch for the automatic feeding machine were too fooling around.
KK’s Des chhudaye is the best fooling around. You must have seen my post on Kishore Kumar’s wild, crazy songs.
Mumbaikar8,
I am happy, too, at your self-discovery. You must be equally stressed by everyone around you.
AK,
जैसे मर्द को दर्द नहीं होता वैसे fools को stress नहीं होता (perhaps you would not know)
Mumbaikar8,
Yes, I am generally not stressed.
Venkatramanji @ 17,
Yes, I can read, write and speak Tamil decently. Not surprising, considering I grew up in Madras. Thanks for sharing the Sivaji/TMS song. I had not heard it before.
Ashwin,
I am amazed at your knowledgeof music across genres and languages. Your mentioning Sahodari song (#1) is fantastic. The picture was released in 1959, I think. I doubt if you have seen the movie. How did you zero in on that?(I have seen the movie but it didn’t come to my mind)
Bhatiaji,
Des chhudaye , as AKji has already mentioned, is the epitome of fooling around.
Let me post a vintage number.
Kise Karata Murakh by Ashok Kumar, film Achyut Kanya (1936), lyrics J Kashyap, music Saraswati Devi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYwv6jUjbow&feature=player_embedded
Mumbaikarji, Akji
I too rarely get stressed. Villain Rami Reddy’s well-known dialogue, ‘Tension lene ka nahi hai, Dene ka hai’.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8x4PK11Vwg
Ashwinji, Giriji
There are more Kannadasan’s songs on fools and foolish acts.
In the following song , Kaalam seitha komali-thanathil Ulagam piranthathu, Kannadasan characterized different types of clownish acts among humans.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eeod3MiL-YQ
Venkatraman ji @12:
You are most welcome to the pole position. I do not think I stand a chance against somebody who can say ‘fool’ in so many different languages! And in case you are trying to incite me into entering the ‘machine’ as in ‘Hirok Rajar Deshe’ and accept the ‘truth’, you are grossly underestimating the resolve of a ‘steadfast’ (see the five-fold Biblical typology below).
https://iblp.org/questions/what-are-five-types-fools
AKji:
Once an academic, always an academic. The very sight of a ‘mathematical’ theorem instinctively forces the critic in me to take over. And while you get full marks for novelty and topicality, I would be remiss in my obligation to the scientific community if I failed to point out some minor inaccuracies in your statement of the Katju- AK Theorem of Fools, that are nevertheless probably fatal to your entire thesis entitled ‘The Unified Theory of Fools’, making it unacceptable for publication in a prestigious outlet. Note that I am only looking at the statement of the theorem and not at its proof, for which I suggest another eminently qualified referee in Gaddeswarup ji.
The flaw in this theorem as stated has been known for centuries. The Epimenides paradox is an early form. He is believed to have said: ‘All Cretans are liars.’ Of course, he was himself a Cretan! The first formal treatment of these paradoxes, however, was by Russell. Self-referential problems of this nature are, therefore, famous among the cognoscenti as ‘Russell’s paradox’. A popular version is the barber paradox stated as follows:
There is a small town (of grown up men only) where everybody must be shaved. There is a barber who shaves all those, and those alone, who do not shave themselves. Who shaves the barber?
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-russells-paradox/
I’ll try to explain it in layman’s terms in the context of your theorem, and in a manner, which will also point out towards a possible resolution. For simplicity, let us limit ourselves to New Delhi first (with borders artificially closed). An unqualified fool (or an idiot, the other moniker used by you in the proof) is incapable of labeling another person a fool. He or she must be so labeled by a person who is not an unqualified fool. Let that person be AK, without the ornamental clothing around the neck, and let him label persons within the confines of the city fools. According to the Katju- AK Theorem of Fools, all (Delhiites) are fools. If the theorem is true, AK is either a fool, or he is not a Delhiite. Let AK belong to the rest of the world. Next, we do the same exercise for the rest of the world. Let AK label every person in the rest of the world fool. According to the Katju- AK Theorem of Fools, everybody belonging to the rest of the world is fool. Thus, AK is fool, a contradiction.
But you should not despair. Solutions have been suggested by Zermelo, Fraenkel, Quines, and others, as well as by Nobel Laureates von Neumann, and Russell. I borrow one from Russell which is the simplest. One only needs to assume that AK is an ‘Out of this World Fool’ (a higher ‘Type’, in Russell’s terminology), and everything falls in place. Because he is not an unqualified fool, nothing prevents him from labeling others fool.
In the election season, let me end with a Sharad Joshi story as told by Aamir Khan in ‘Satyamev Jayate’:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9vrmzxIoiI
April 01 doesn’t come once in a year, we have many on various days when politicians promise to deliver anything they think would please the general public.
O Moorakh Insaan, Apne Ko Pehchaan… by Rafi
Film: Ann Daataa (1952)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKfxg1oKMB8
Giriji @ 31,
Thanks for the kind words. As for the Chandrababu song, it was featured many times in the ‘Oliyum Oliyum’ programme (SOY readers – this was the DD Madras version of ‘Chitrahaar’), and hence it stuck in my head. Besides it’s such a classic.
Venkatramanji @ 34,
Thanks for sharing the ‘Komaali’ song. It is the first time I have come across yodelling in a Tamil film.
In Comment #3, please read ‘dolt’ in place of ‘dote’.
How could I have forgotten Amir Khansaheb’s rendition of Marwa, which includes the drut bandish ‘Guru bina gyaan’, the complete text of which is as follows:
‘Guru bin gyaan na pave
Man moorakh soch soch kaahe pachhtaave
Sadaguru ki sangat karle gyaani
Tab gunijan mein guni kahaave’
The drut bandish starts at 26:32 of the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hm6bdl28lIw
AK Ji,
The song Khali Dabba Khali Botal le le mere yaar, Manna Dey, Film Neelkamal, 1968, Sahir Ludhianvi, Ravi seems apt here. It refers to the emptiness of big minds.
Canasyaji @ 35,
AKji (@ 14) commented
“Not only the competition for No. 1 slot becomes irrelevant, even lesser mortals like the rest of us can claim parity with you.”
It reminds me of the story “Monkeys and a pole”. Thank you for conceding the pole position generously and keeping yourself out. Unfortunately whenever one tries to stand out from others, they will try to pull you back down to be more “normal’ like them.
And a trivial or rather foolish question, can one enter the ‘Machine’ more than once?
Manojji @36
Finding appropriate songs for this post requires some effort, not impossible. Thanks for posting the song O Moorakh Insaan, Apne Ko Pehchaan.
Re moorakh kis baat par by Md. Rafi, film Bhakt Puran (1952), lyrics Ramesh Ch.Pandey, music Chitragupt
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOltpCAz_NA
Ashwinji,
@38,
‘Guru bin gyaan na pave Man moorakh soch soch kaahe pachhtaave’ by Ustad Amir Khan, is a welcome relief. Thanks for posting.
A vintage number,
Mann Murakh Kehna Maan by K C Dey, film Meenakshi (1942), lyrics Pandit Bhushan, music Pankaj Mullick
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZEjq1CcPgA
Shachindraji @ 39,
Khali Dabba Khali Bottle Lele Mere Yaar, Nice addition. Here is the link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ppkzx8jwLwY
Venkatraman ji,@34
Thanks for uploading Padithal mattum poduma songs. Kannadasan was a master lyricist, of course.
Giriji @44
Since you liked the Kannadasan songs on this theme, I would like to post a song from the film Bale Pandiya (1962). Moreover the flow of comments has slowed down/ drying up,
Yaarai enge vaipathu enru yaarukkum puriyale [No one doesn’t know where to place anyone?], penned by Kavignar Kannadasan, music Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy and sung by T.M.Soundararajan,
In this satirical song, Yaarai enge vaipathu enru yaarukkum puriyale, Kannadsasan complains about the mixing of the real thing and the fake among humans. The first stanza mentions,
Yaarai enge vaipathu enru
yaarukkum puriyale – Ada
Andam kaakaikum kuyilkalukkum
Petham puriyale.
Rough translation,
No one doesn’t know
where to place anyone? –
One can’t see the difference
between a crow and a cuckoo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSiPV9GZojI
N Venkatraman ji;
Its an Election time and election fever is at its boiling temperature . Every news channel is debating the possibilities and working on ….how to solve problem like maria [ La–sound of music] ….working on Maths Theorems…..>nine point circle>….with as many windows for representatives for their bla bla bla . The least qualified is loudest and intelligent one is unheard. The politicians promises heavens before elections and hell thereafter . They spend huge amount on highways and have no funds for lowways [ residential pot hole roads ].
Anyway its the Centre [govt] of the nine point circle which holds the solution and wait to solve till next election …..This is what Mehmood is telling all in a song……
Mera Gadha Gadhon Ka Leader – Mehmood | Mohammed Rafi | Meharbaan….Ravi…..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_URMh0Qyqc
Canasya @35,
I welcome your critique of the Katju-AK Theorem. I know it has to pass through experts before it can be fit for publication. But as a lay person, the Russel Paradox or the Cretan’s Liar Paradox presupposes a paradox – i.e. if a liar is making a true-false type statement, it has to be opposite of what it says, so you eneter into a self-referential paradox, and therefore, there is a need to ‘resolve’ it by some mathematical logic, such as creating a hierarchy of sets of sets of numbers. Or as in your solution, assuming AK (of the Katju-AK part) to be an ‘Out of this World Fool’. The need for this device arises because you are treating a ‘Fool’ as a ‘Liar’, in the sense that just as a liar is incapable of making a true statement, a ‘fool’ is incapable of calling others a ‘fool’. But is this mathematical parity valid? A liar’s statement is per se untrue by definition, but Fool A’s statement that B is a Fool cannot be discared as untrue per se. There is no similar mathematical presumption in this case. Thus the Theorem does not suffer from a self-referential paradox requiring a resolution unlike other paradoxes you have mentioned.
But I must stop this blabbering before an academic. I wish Gaddeswarupji joins at this stage. I am flattrered that you have described me as an ‘Out of this world fool’, even if it was only for resolving a paradox.
Venkataramanji @40,
You mentioned “Monkeys and a Pole’ story. Therefore, you mean you will try to pull me up the pole? “Enter the Machine more than once?” went over my head.
Venkataramanji, Manoj,
My article was meant to be completely whacky. Had I tried to post ten songs like a normal post, it would have become very trite, and would not fit with this write-up. Therefore, looking for songs never entered my mind. Had I done so Man moorakh kahnna maan would have been obvious choice, but you have beaten me to it. Another very apt song is Bhimsen Joshi singing Surdas’s bhajan Re man moorakh janam ganwayo.
Re man moorakh janam ganwayo by Bhimsen Joshi (Surdas bhajan)
You see both these contain very profound thoughts of self-realisation, surreneder of ego before the Lord. They do not belong to a whacky 1st April post.
AK ji, Venkatraman ji;
Self proclaimed gods aren’t hard to find …but they run hard when game is on to find the fools. Pigs like most when fools gets dirty….only they could laugh a bit. In this fast moving world even look alike gods are hard to find. Vision makes mind to dictate .
Man Murakh Kyu Diwana Hai | Bhabhi (1938)….Saroj Borkar…S.Devi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBDnqleNhnY
Bhatiaji @ 47
I was waiting for an appropriate posting from you. You did not disappoint me.
Here is a comedy scene from the same film, which should fit the post.
Mehmood & his donkey turn race tipster from the film Meharbaan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtN03BeZJwg
AKji @ 48, 1st part
Addressing your second query first, it was genuinely supposed to be a foolish question and expected go over your head. Thus it proves that lesser mortals like you are not yet ready to claim parity with me in this matter. I leave the answer to the first question to you. You need to do some ‘serious’ soul searching!
2nd part
Re man moorakh janam ganwayo is also a nice posting.
I understand the reason for not posting any song with this write up. Yes it would have appeared hackneyed. But that is not case of the readers. Habits die hard. Our acquired habits and subsequent actions have become part of our unconscious. They start to run on autopilot mode, like I am posting the following song only because it has the word ‘Ganwar” in the lyrics, else the song may not fit the bill.
Main Hoon Ganwar by Md.Rafi film Ganwar (1970), lyrics Rajinder Krishan, music Naushad
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiq2rd3Gatc
I suppose this would be more close to the theme.
A song from the film Insaniyat (1955), singer Md.Rafi, lyrics Rajindra Krishan, music C Ramchandra
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=33&v=HEV2Nu5PbM8
Venkataramanji,
I have given up the rat race of being a bigger fool than the others. I thought the Unified Theory creates the most egalitarian society the mankind had ever visualised. Canasya’s ‘Out of This World Fool’ did not mean qualitatively a superior fool, but it was a mathematical construct to keep ‘AK’ away from the fools in general in order to resolve an apparent self-referential paradox.
The Urduists are apt to say the same thing as इस हमाम में हम सभी नंगे हैं. That is the same egalitarian society as that of the Unified Theory.
Bhatiaji @ 49,
Your mention of pigs reminded me of some of the charcters in ‘Animal Farm’.
‘Napoleon’, the pig who emerges as the leader of Animal Farm after the Rebellion, using military force (his nine loyal attack dogs) to intimidate the other animals and consolidate his power, Crafty Napoleon proves more treacherous than his counterpart, Snowball.
Snowball , another pig who challenges Napoleon for the control of Animal Farm after the Rebellion. Snowball is intelligent, passionate, eloquent, and less subtle and devious than his counterpart, Napoleon. Snowball seems to win the loyalty of the other animals and cement his power.
Squealer, the pig who spreads Napoleon’s propaganda among the other animals. Squealer justifies the pigs’ monopolization of resources and spreads false statistics pointing to the farm’s success. Orwell uses Squealer to explore the ways in which those in power often use rhetoric and language to twist the truth and gain and maintain social and political control..
Minimus – A poetic pig who writes the second and third national anthems of Animal Farm.
The piglets – Hinted to be the children of Napoleon and are the first generation of animals subjugated to his idea of animal inequality.
The young pigs – Four pigs who complain about Napoleon’s takeover of the farm but are quickly silenced and later executed, the first animals killed in Napoleon’s farm purge.
Pinkey – A minor pig who is mentioned only once; he is the pig that tastes Napoleon’s food to make sure it is not poisoned.
here are a couple of links
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPn_JIuAKJM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ebk71P_b5vk
AKji @ 52
Accepting your Unified Theory of fools, I concede we all are equals and leave the contest to the more equals who are outside the realm of SoY. Truce.
Let me part with an amusing poem of illogical foolery,
Master Sexton, a person of known wit,
As he at my Lord Cardinal’s board
did sit,
Greedily wrought at a goblet of wine:
Drink none (said my lord) for that sore leg of thine,
I warrant your grace (quoth Sexten)
I provide
For my leg: For I drink on t’other side.
Venkatraman ji,
Thanks for the song from’Bale Pandia’. Kannadasan has penned innumerable number of songs like these.
Nice post AK, your posting of the Neil Sedaka song and other comments reminded me of this little gem called “Tears for Affairs” from the Scottish Group Camera Obscura. It speaks of the folly of being a fool and yet some wisdom gained out of the folly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aT-9hUXQmgk
These are the lyrics if you are interested.
https://genius.com/Camera-obscura-tears-for-affairs-lyrics
SSS,
Thanks a lot for your appreciation and thanks for the song, ‘Tears for affairs’.
AK ji;
Going thru all the comment ….I am feeling like a student attending classes of ….School for Scoundrels . This movie of the 60s was a treat for fools to watch . B R Chopra made a remake out of that film titled…Choti si baat . A funny scene from the film…..
Choti si baat — baba
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQHyuP4UIbU
The Unified Theory of Fools!
Venturing to write something sensible here is like “Fools rush in where the angels fear to tread”
But then I am one of the “SoY “members!
The above phrase and saying was coined by the English poet Alexander Pope in his 1711 poem “An Essay on Criticism”.
This was slightly changed by Cary grant in the film “Bishop’s Wife” as “angels rush in where fools fear to tread”.
“Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear to Tread)”, a 1940 song written by Johnny Mercer and Rube Bloom, sung by Frank Sinatra, Ricky Nelson, Bow Wow Wow and many others.
This enough now about the post:
The post looks a very wide ball on the pitch of Songs of Yore. However one has to admit that the contents and the points made are very affecting and agonizing and somebody has to discuss them as the Indian society and the world community as whole is made fools or a ship of fools by some clever and antisocial and stark criminal elements. On this point the wide ball is not wide but as legitimate as other posts are.
I will not justify the making fools of people when they were not careful or are gullible because whether there is any reward for fool makers or not is not important but the very idea of making somebody fool is itself not building good society.
But the making fools as an entertainment may be a mild kind of game.
I do not like the idea of the “Fool and his/her money will be soon parted.” I want a society in which a young innocent person or disabled person is taken for a ride by some nuts or downright thugs taking advantage of others inexperience or inexperience.
A few years back in the UK mainly by the Pakistani young and old people did a major net of young white girls as the forced slaves as the sex workers inducing them all kinds of drugs. This kind of evil act was in a way making fools of young white girls attracted by the hallucination drugs.
I want a society in which a child a girl, a woman an old doddering person should feel secured and allow having their interests pursued without fear or favour.
But this aspiration is not in reality workable. We have in a play called Mrichhakatikam the Vidushak (the proverbial fool in the play) being the friend of Charudatt the hero warns him that night is an evil time when all kinds of evil people are fully operative everywhere.
Since from the ancient times laws come in force but in the same play Mrichhkatikam the brother of the king uses his power to chase a young girl and also threatens his subordinate officer killing if he would not do what he told him to do so.
Here power corrupts absolutely. People need to be conscious about it. But that is not possible.
When India had fresh start in 1947 the government became multi-faced hydra and corruptions of all kinds got footings.
Now it is just a game and one kind of people are replaced by worse kind of people and people in power are going to play the April Fool game on the voters who themselves participate in that game.
The fools in the plays are popular since Greek and Roman times. The “Comedia dela Arte” in which all kinds of clowns and jokers present a special kind of quick fire acts.
In India there are similar kinds of versions. It is also in Indian holy literature Krishna plays jokes on his Gopies and even on his very close friend Sudama. But these are just pranks and not evil acts.
Many Shakespeare’s plays use fools in tragedy and comedy as well. Hamlet is the fool in the tragedy and also clever to make fools out of king’s spies Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
In our time Indian born Tom Stoppard started his career by developing the play from the above characters “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead,” a most comic and tragic play achieved the author as Shakespeare in our time.
The theme of the play was the same as other were going to make fools of them and sadly in the play hamlet a minor characters in the play does it and makes us wonder how these poor characters being played upon by the king and also by Hamlet.
Hollywood has a period of silent films when Comedy was the king and many famous and other characters played jokes on others. Stan laurel always played a joke on Oliver Hardy.
There were famous comic actors in the New Theatre’s films and Bombay films. Actors like Ghori and Dixit were very popular in forties films.
Hindi films got richer in fifties and sixties films with the actors like Johnny Walker and Mehmood.
But Raj Kapoor in many films made jokes and seriousness as two faces of his career like the famous Greek Mask of jocund and tragic sides.
This is very famous from the Greek Plays to Shakespearean plays. Old Hamlet plays used to have this carried by Hamlet himself on the stage or the actor in the play within the play. It was called “The sock and buskin are two ancient symbols of comedy and tragedy. In Greek theatre, actors in tragic roles wore a boot called a buskin (Latin cothurnus) that elevated them above the other actors. The actors with comedic roles only wore a thin soled shoe called a sock (Latin soccus ).
Here is the song that RK act in the voice of Mukesh:
सब कुछ सीखा हमने ना सीखी होशियारी
सच है दुनियावालों कि हम हैं अनाड़ी
From the film Anaadi 1959 Music Shankar Jaikishan. The film Anaadi is a good example how an innocent person was going to be made fool So was in the film Shri 420 as well.
Later actors like Amitabh Bacchan made the comic actors obsolescent as the separate actors like in the Sanskrit plays and also Shakespearean plays where fools were necessary. The heroes did all kinds of acting within the film.
One could find many songs of RK with both the touches like comic and tragic either within one song or in separate way.
Shalan Lal
Shalan,
You have taken the discussion to another plane. Thanks for your enlightening comments.
AKji:
Here is an anthem for this post!
Everybody’s fool – Evanescence:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7apWr6hz4U
AKji,
I wonder why the lively, educative and bantering debate has not touched the famous story Emperor’s New Clothes by Hans Christian Anderson. I, for one, think the tale is quite pertinent to theme. Its analysis by stalwart scholars of SOY shall surely bring forth more ideas and aspects enhancing the FOOL flavor.
I always felt foolish participating in this forum ( I do not know the language, I have not seen any film of Amitabh Bachan, j
I do not know any thing about classical music…) but my theory is that one cannot learn if one is not prepared to make a fool of himself, The net gain has been finding so many melodious songs ( that is one thing that I associate with Hindi film songs) and a place to look for them in future. Bonus today: I learn that a quote I always attributed to Shakespeare is due to Alexander Pope. And my tribute to each of those silly composers ‘He was silly like us: His gift survived it all.’
The mention of Shudraka’s Mricchakatikam by Shalan Lal brought to mind the legend and lore around another Sanskrit playwright – Kalidasa. The story of his transformation from a being a man who could not foresee the implications of cutting the very tree branch that he was sitting on, to becoming the playwright and poet who gave us ‘Abhijnanashakuntalam’ and ‘Kumarasambhava’, should serve as a beacon of hope to fools around the world … if they realize that they are fools, in the first place.
‘Wise as an owl’ is an English idiom. Contrast it with ‘ullu ka pattha’ in the Hindi heartland….
‘Ullu ka pattha’ by Arijit Singh, Nikita Gandhi & Vivienne Poocha, from ‘Jaggy Jasoos’ (MD – Pritam, Lyricist – Amitabh Bhattacharya)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_UWq8lXfYo
AK @60
Thanks for your quick response.
Mr S Prasad @62
You are very right the story of the Emperors Clothes ” is a con business with a sting of telling the truth.”
About forty or so years I had seen this story dramatized by an amateur theatre. The king was shown as if dressed like Hitler in invisible clothes.
He gets mad at the little boy who said “The King is naked”. He ordered the little boy to be put in the gas chamber.
The interpreter was very much appreciated and the play went o playing for the audience for nearly six months.
Shalan Lal
Ashwin B @ 64 & 65
As for Kalidas as I read from the legend story that he was born as an idiot or village fool. But he worshipped the Goddess Kali who gave him wisdom and power of poetry hence his name Kalidas probably was friend of the King Vikramadiya of Ujjaini.
Your second comment about Owl in two cultures is great.
Shalan Lal
Ms. Shalan Lal @59;
Your comments touched various interesting subjects .
Ancient Greek masks were used as representation of silly and serious characters . How this symbolism entered hollywood ….I wonder. A few years back I saw a movie where all the dancers were wearing such masks and I was unable to catch up the the theme vis a vis the characters of the movies. If i remember it correctly it was directed by Kubric with scene set on waltz music.
Raj Kapoor used these greek masks as symbolic representation of theme of Shree 420 in its Title music . Later Raj drew these masks on black board after famous …Icchik dana biccik dana…song. In fact RK ‘s Shree420 and Awara are best examples of ….rich , fool, poor….and ….poor fool rich . Ultimately comedy wins .
An example for a passer by….a scene/clip from Shree420….
Jhute Makkaro Ka Shehar Bambai – Shree 420
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5pkCr_vSHs
Gaddeswarup @ 63
Thanks for your comment.
About learning music one does not have to be a fool.
Three is something unhealthy about the teaching of Indian Classical music or about many things that are taught in India, the ways they are taught.
I believe the experience of exploration of human beings making various sounds needed to be looked in modern times as India has embraced the democracy which means everything is for all.
I do not know if the Classical Indian Music is on the curriculum of the schools in India or music in general and even film music. And whether the film music is used to teach music?
If it is then who it is taught to?
I know about the European music the way it is taught in the schools.
In Primary and secondary schools in the UK schools it is one of the subjects in all schools.
Then there is peripatetic teacher who goes around the schools for the special interested or those who have shown early talents to teach those children who get special attention.
There is also right from the beginning a baby is exposed to songs of nursery songs. Though these are nursery songs they contain the basic notes of the European music and also the language.
There are various methods a music teacher uses to make the children more interested in music.
The book of Japanese Suzuki about how to learn to play a violin is very famous. This book is not just about learning a violin but any kind of art, language, science etc.
But I find the single string teaching to gradual all strings of “Sitar” very long and boring.
I took some lessons of Guitar and I found them extremely good.
The teacher explained the various kinds of Guitars. Basically they are two. One is classical and other is Spanish. From Spanish the pop, rock and other modern music developed which is based on the Chords.
A chord is made from the two or more notes of Solfege that is C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C, you can name it as do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do.
And the classical Guitar is classical European music which is very different than the pop.
All learning whether it is classical or pop is made easy and no body is made to look a fool if the person has not been able to learn quickly.
What is one learned on the Guitar can be passed on any other instrument including Piano. Each instrument has its own sound and sometimes that is called voice this includes human voice as well.
Something like, did not happen in the teaching of the Indian classical music. It becomes a special thing for the gifted person who has developed an ear for it.
Almost all Indian Classical music is Vocal and transferred it into other musical instruments like Sitar, Sarangi etc.
So your efforts if not in unison with the traditional idea of singing then certainly you may feel to be stupid among the pundits of the music.
But if the teaching method is changed then the music learning will be for all people and there could be no exclusion.
Shalan Lal
As I read the article on 1st, I started unwinding my own reels to remember the instances when I have been a fool of the each flavor.
And as I started remembering instances after instances, I got deep into the reverie in endless mode.
When I woke up this song was in my unconscious memory:
Insaan Kitne Yug Bite Raha Naadan…. Moorakh Hai Insaan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HVN17R2A0c
Ashokji,
There would be no one who doesn’t belong to multiple category of fools. Thanks a lot for adding another Fool song.
A parody song, Sudesh Bhosle mimics Shatrughan Sinha, Jagdeep, Ajit, Omprakash ……, can fit this theme too.
O Daddy Cool Cool Cool Mera Beta Fool Fool Fool by Sudesh Bhosle & Devang Patel, film Chaahat (1996), lyrics Nidi Fazil, music Anu Malik
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=9&v=HcvGUM0o49g
And also Raj Kumar
N.Venkatraman @ 72
I like the song of singer Sudesh Bhosle. I wonder if he is from the house of Asha Bhosale.
Your other many contributions for this post are also very good.
Shalan Lal
ksbhatia @ 68
You hit the right nail in the right wall which Gope and Mquari were trying out in the film “Sazaa”. Muqari was a very good comedian and so was Gope.
Yes indeed without the ancient Greek theatre there would not have been European theatre and the film and television plays and art.
Your other comments in this post are also very intelligent and worth making a section. Sometimes I think about doing it for my reference but other things crowding on me presently.
Shalan
Shalanji @ 74,
I do not think Suresh Bhosle is related to or belongs to ASHA Bhosle’s family. His parents are N R Bhosle and Sumantai Bhosle.
What an article. We knew AK had such sense of humour, but this is too much. I do not have either wise words or foolish words to praise this one. And the comments are much more enlightening. You started with naming two persons from our great array of commenters. Did you have in mind the 1973 film Do Phool. This film was produced by Mehmood. The title was Do Phool but in fact the story was about two ‘fools’. In the end it turned out to be three fools because Mehmood had a double role. Govinda, Chunky Pandey starrer Ankhen was perhaps some kind of remake of that film.
The theory is perhaps very old, but main thing is the presentation. We have mostly read Akbar-Birbal jokes. In one story, Akbar sees a fool and asks Birbal how many fools are there in this world to which Birbal replied everybody is a fool. Akbar said can you prove it. Birbal promised and after passage of some time he started repairing his ‘jooti’ in front of the durbar gate. Akbar came and asked Birbal what was he doing. Birbal said my point is proved that everybody is a fool. In some stories the word fool is replaced by ‘andha’. We have songs also on the same theory. ‘Duniya paglon ka bazaar’ ‘is duniya men sab chor chor’ or ‘duniya paagal hai ya phir main deewana’. One of the meanings or the word ‘deewana’ is paagal which means fool.
There have been a lot of interesting comments, but here I would take the comment on Kalidas, the legendary poet. The story of Kalidas cutting the same branch on which he was sitting has been told again and again. But, has somebody reflected on it a bit. In fact, it is possible to cut the same branch on which you are sitting, without falling. Shalanji has called him a village fool. This reminds me of the eternal war of wits among villagers and town people. The villagers call town people fools while the town people have manufactured many jokes about the foolish dehatis. Even if the story of Kalidas is true then the story fits more likely to town people who do not know how to cut a tree. I have lived in towns but am very closely connected to villages because most of my kin are settled in villages. In old times when wood was the main fuel, it was very usual to prune the trees after two or three years. So they would sit on the branches and cut them. Sometimes they cut the same branch. Even if somebody started cutting the same branch the wrong way (Kalidas way), he would know that it is dangerous after one or two strokes of the axe. So it is more probable that a ‘shahari’ behaves like a fool in such situations. The villagers will behave like fools in the city matters. So both can call each other fools with pride and believing in the truth of the statement.
Hans,
Thanks a lot for your compliments and your great comments. The two persons from our great SoY families have distinguished themselves and made themselves stand out for this honour. I haven’t seen Do Phool, but it is interesting that fools are shown in cinema and literature in pairs. Laurel and Hardy come to mind whom KS Bhatiaji often mentions. We had our own Gope-Yaqub pair. Bade Miyan Chhote Miyan also rests on this premise. Ek Phool Do Maali could have been made on an entirely different theme.
The subsequent part of the fool Kalidas legend is more interesting when he is pitted against Vidyottama, the daughter of the King, who had become too arrogant for her knowledge. She is so blinded by her scholarship that she takes Kalidas’s foolish responses as highest erudition, and agrees to marry him.
Hansji,
Thanks for your erudite comments. I would like to post a scene from Do Phool
Mehmood as South Indian – Do Phool
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oe-n97JAeJ8
Hans ji, Venkatraman ji ;
In hindi cinema Mehmood, Dhumal and Shobha Khote …..picked up the threads when vetran comedians Yakub , Gope took the exit mode. This Trio made quite a number films together and appeared as a sidey comedy in social and serious cinema . Mehmood for Shobha….well like …Mein tere pyar mein kya kya na bana ….the song that says it all .
In the following clip see how Mehmood makes fool of Dhumal ….
Mehmood, Shubha Khote,Dhumal……. Ziddi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVboxTFY2Vs
AK ji , Hans ji;
In mathematics, a corollary is a theorem connected by a short proof to an existing theorem . While I did Theorem perfectly fine in my school days but Corollary used to irritate me a lot….pronouncing it was more difficult than proving it. I used to wonder why we write QED in both the cases…..even when we can’t prove.
Do Fool have corollary to prove? After watching Ziddi clip ….Dhumal praying, rather pleading god for achieving right and good times. What followed was worse….. as a ….Corollary: If there is a worse time for something to go wrong, it will happen then. Love always sides with the hidden flaw…..and it is never foolproof .
ksbhatia@ 80
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia:
Q.E.D. (also written QED, sometimes italicized) is an initialism of the Latin phrase “quod erat demonstrandum” meaning “what was to be shown”[1] or “thus it has been demonstrated.”
Traditionally, the abbreviation is placed at the end of a mathematical proof or philosophical argument to indicate that the proof or argument is complete.
There is more if you want to red about it.
The idea of the Greek theorems in the school curriculum is to prepare the students that their arguments should be based on solid examples and well illustrated.
Most of the Indians are always argumental but do not correctly argue their points of view. Many go on chiselling the words and trying to score the points which is often vexing and irritating. AK has ways to end the argument by saying “each has his own… etc.
Shalan Lal
P.S. your comment about Mehmood, Dhumal and Shobah Khote trinity is very interesting. They have certainly enriched the humour in the films.
But then his success got in his head and his downfall started.
Hans @76
Your comment is very interesting. But the Hindi word “Ganwar” shows not just rustic meaning but there is “foolishness” in it as well opposite to urbane.
When I lived in New York I lived in a place called “Greenwich Village”. This place by tradition from the late Victorian times was known for the residence of great intelligent people and writers, artists etc. P.G. Wodehouse lived there for a while. People always visited this place when they went to New York.
But I think it is not fair on the village people to say that they are all stupid people. We are now connected to the modern world by various modern inventions. The railways were the first communication to most India. Gandhi was asked by his Guru Gokhale to go and see India sitting in the third class. So Gandhi’s wisdom came from people in general.
I grew up in Bombay until I was seventeen. At that time people in Bombay always told their visitors “Yeh Bambai Hai, Baabu!” Hence the song of Johnny Walker and also the name of the film in which Dev Aanand acted.
However there was film in the forties called “Shahar Se Door” which showed that the Shahari people are cheaters and bad people.
I called Kalidas as “Village Fool” because his wife mentioned by AK in his comment said so due to his sleeping on the floor instead of next to her in the four poster bed after he was married to her. That is just according to the time.
In our time I would never call village people as “Ganwar”.
Their wisdom and cunningness will match with every “Shahari”
Shastri.
Shahryar, the Sassanid king in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights.
Shalan Lal
Ranganji,
Probably I could locate the Tamil film song you were inquiring about yesterday. The song ‘April Fool, April Fool, April Fool ennra oru jaadhi’ is from the Gemini Ganeshan & Saroja Devi starrer ‘Pannirthirai’ (1961). It was a remake of the 1959 Hindi film ‘Ardhangini’. Here is the link to the song.’
April Fool, April Fool, April Fool ennra oru jaadhi’ by P Susheela & A L Raghavan, lyrics Kothamangalam Subbu, music K V Mahadevan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YK7LjVNyyrs
The shooting location, as you can observe, is the Vaigai Dam in the Theni district. The nature park on both sides of the Dam, the bridge connecting both the sides, the children’s play area are all visible in the background. The dam was inaugurated in 1959 and the film was shot in 1960 and released in 1961.
AK
Actually this topic you have presented in a light way but Indian thought takes this very seriously. This Kalidas episode has many morals in it. In Haryana villages I have listened from elders who never went to school a phrase which says about educated people ‘padhya sai par kadhya nahi sai’. This is a old haryanvi saying. Kadhya in haryanvi means who has faced tough struggles of life. As per this saying Vidyotama was also an educated fool, who later realised her folly later. Somebody wrote ‘wise as an owl’. We call the owl wise as well as use it to describe a fool. Similarly about the crow also we have two totally different stories. In the story ‘chalak lomdi’ we she the crow as a fool, but in the other story the crow is wise when it drops stones in the pot to quench his thirst. There are so many other examples which confirm diverse philosophy.
In a lighter vein look at the dilemma of Manoj Kumar. Asha Parekh asks him ‘mat jaiyo naukaria chhod ke’
https://youtu.be/pfsl6aCQECc
But Zeenat Aman tells him that his naukari is of the value of ‘do taka’ while her sawan is valued at lakhs.
https://youtu.be/ZypKKy1i9LU
So advise him what should he do.
Hans,
Thanks for your excellent comments showing convergence of ‘wise’ and ‘fool’. This gives an interesting dimension to the theme which comes out obliquely in my post.
In both the songs Manoj Kumar’s choice is limited by the feisty girls – chuck the job.
Venkataramanji
Thanks for the kind words. You have splattered this post with a lot of diverse info which is desi, videshi and what not. But, the famed ‘andher nagari’ by Bhartendu Harishchandra has escaped your as well as AK’s notice. I dont know whether he was inspired by Mohammad Tughlaq or some one else, but the king in that natak was shown as a fool. In the old radio days, a small skit used to be broadcast by Vividh Bharati in the evening, in which there was a similar fool king by the name of Maharaj Mand Buddhi Singh who used to pronounce funny sentences in cases brought to his Durbar.
In English literature Henry Fielding created the character of Partridge in his famed novel Tom Jones. This character is the dumbest soul I have found till now. He used to talk in his half cooked Latin at times. One lady character – I dont remember the name – told him that you must be a most confounded fool to speak Latin to a lady. ‘Talking Latin to a lady’ may be a phrase in that era, which might not be true even in that era. But, this has come to my mind and fits the situations when we are displaying our ‘gyaan’ to others many of whom might be thinking like that lady in Tom Jones. I also remember a scene shown on DD of old days where an old beggar-like person was ralking about the contemporary politics, economics and what not to an audience. But when the camera showed the audience in the end a small puppy was listening attentively to him, a 4/5 year old child was staring at him besides perhaps a pig and an ass or some other animals busy with the garbage dump in front of him.
But dont get disheartened, we both as well as AK and others will continue to distribute the prasad of our ‘gyaan’, because we are of benevolent disposition and somebody someday may benefit from our HUGE GYAAN. 😉
Hans ji;
I am attending a wedding party tonite and I am going to wear smile after reading your comments / observations @ 85 and 87.
Yes, I remember those Vividh Bharti Radio Days when Budhhi Singh Maharaj episodes were aired . ” Yeh dekh kar mere hathoan ke Tote udh gaye”….was one of the famous dialogue of the complaint and Maharaja ordered ….. ” Maha Mantri , Jahan kahin bhi hoan inke Tote dhhund ke laao ” . The AIR artistes were great for such comic skits. Yes, Those were the days when Tatiya Khan ruled such Radio Days comedy.
Manoj Kumar’s reference added to this theme ….but someone might be complaining ….Ganga Ram ki samajh mein na aaye.
Hansji @ 85, 87
You have added great value to the post by sharing a few pearls of wisdom from your large repertoire. Maharaj Mand Buddhi Singh’s skit was new to me. Yes, I missed Andher Nagari while littering diverse …….‘desi,videsi and what not’.
“We both as well as AK and others will continue to distribute the prasad of our ‘gyaan’, because we are of benevolent disposition and somebody someday may benefit from our HUGE GYAAN”
I would like to tell the those who differ with your gem of a wisdom,
Suno hamaari baat o bandhu chhodo ye taqraar
iss sansaar mein har vastu ka hota hai vyapaar
AMAN KI RAKSHAK KAUME BECHE, ZEHREELE HATHIYAAR
han to phir Hamne “Gyaan” baanTen to kyu itni hahakaar
Here are two songs, from two different films of 1955, which should fit the post.
Andher Nagri Chaupat Raja by Shamshad Begum & Others, film Andher Nagri Chaupat Raja (1955), lyrics Bharat Vyas, music Avinash Vyas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTFaVQlgDoc
A train with its passenger get stranded on an isolated railway platform, incidentally in place named “Andher Nagari”, when a natural disaster delays their train for 24 hours.
Andher Nagri Chaupat Raja by Md.Rafi, Asha Bhosle, Manmohan Krishna, S D Batish, film Railway Platform (1955), lyrics Sahir Ludhyanvi, music Madan Mohan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWNG41nbx7U
N Venkatraman ji;
One more song on ….Andher nagri …
Suno Re Suno …..Tere Mere Sapne…. Manna Dey…SDB
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OflRI96M72M
Bhatiaji
You have a sharp memory. Everybody in those days waited till maharaj mand buddhi singh announced ‘ab hum samajh gaye sara majra, ab hum nyay karenge’ and then came his judgement full of gyaan.
There are two types of ganga rams or may be 3 types. One, those who dont understand and the ones who understand but pretend otherwise. The third type of gangarams were those who understood late but they were called tubelights. This 3rd type was used in so many films where mostly the comedian gave a late reaction.
We heard a joke about fauji bhais. A comedian was called to present his jokes. He gave his best performance ever but no jawan laughed even once. The surprised comedian stopped. Now an officer came and announced ‘ab jawan hansega’ and all jawans started laughing. Such type of discipline was shown in a number of films. The films which come to mind are Khoobsoorat, Junglee and Professor.
Regarding your mention of dhumal-mehmood jodi, they produced good comedy in Arzoo too. The 3rd angle there was Kharaiti of panjabi films. Dhumal also played a double role in Devar, where he is husband of a hindu wife under the name Rambharose and of a christian wife under the name R.B. Rose. In panjabi films, you will remember there was an actor Meher Mittal who played mostly a dumb person. In hindi films, in addition to those you mentioned, there were a number of others like Johny Walker and Rajendra Nath, who played the dumb person quite admirably. In film Guide, when Dev Anand becomes a sadhu after jail, his life is changed by a dumb character who presents his words differently to villagers and he is forced to undergo a fast which ultimately results in his death.
Hans, Ksbhatiaji, Venkataramanji, AK,
ज्ञान की बातें सुन सुन के थोड़ा ज्ञान बाट ने का मन करता है
I have seen a normal, urban literate person try detect a gas cylinder leak by lighting a match stick.
That is the universal truth, मूर्खता हर कोई करता है some gets caught with hand in the till others don’t, some pay a price for it others get away, सब तक़दीर की बात है that is why it is better to be lucky than good.
Aaj ka kalidas paid a price http://www.nbcnews.com/id/39377851/ns/world_news-europe/t/segway-company-owner-rides-scooter-cliff-dies/#.XLKFr-hKjIU
Hans ji @87; Bhatia ji @88:
The mention of AIR serial ‘Maharaj Mand Buddhi Singh’ reminds me of a Bhojpuri serial entitled ‘Loha Singh’ by Rameshwar Singh Kashyap that used to be broadcast by AIR Patna at 6 pm on Sundays in the early sixties. It used to be a rage. A Bhojpuri movie was also made with the same title. Here is a song from that movie (‘Ajab kaila leela’, Rafi; MD: SNT). The lyrics are by Rameshwar Singh Kashyap.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_jUpnzZ0Ds
Unfortunately, we are not good at preserving our heritage. Neither the scripts nor the tapes of those broadcasts seem to be available. Here is an ad hoc skit performed by fans:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htF12mhetqk
Shalanji
I had made a mention about you just to tell that village and town people call each other fools. This has been happening from time immemorial. Even among villagers people of one area call people of other area fools and still have marital and all kind of relations with each other. AK and Subodh have already mentioned Shikarpur and other places.
But I dont agree that Vidyotama called Kalidas fool because he wanted to sleep on the floor. She called him fool after he told that he was illiterate.
From your comments you appear to be a fan of Gandhi. But here also it appears you do not have complete knowledge about his 3rd class excursions. The 3rd class compartment in which he travelled was forcibly occupied by his chelas who behaved like goons and did not let others enter that compartment. In the CWMG there is a mention of such an incident when his goons pushed a person who tried to enter the compartment and he was killed. Gandhi did not show any remorse for that incident.
Bhatiaji,
As Hansji has said you have a sharp memory. Thanks for the song from Tere mere Sapne.
Mumbaikarji,
Thanks for joining us in Gyaan Bitaran.
Sometime foolish acts or actions of foolish too can lead to some beneficial results. Many of us may remember that a foolish act of one Akhil Babu/ Okhil Babu is what got us toilets in Indian trains. (Or was it the Jack-fruit?) The year was 1909, one Bengali gentleman by the name Okhil Chandra Sen was travelling by train, after having too many helpings of ripe jack-fruit. Wrote Okhilbabuin a language that he was conversant in but whose grammatical nuances he was yet to master: “I am arrive by passenger train at Ahmedpur station and my belly is too much swelling with jackfruit.” Okhilbabu, in the state that he was in, had to visit the “privy”. He got off the train. But while he was doing the job, the guard blew the whistle and the train started to chug out. Okhilbabu raced, holding up both “lota and dhoti”, but still got left behind. To add insult to injury, he tripped, fell over and exposed “all my shockings to man and woman on platform”. No wonder he railed against the guard in his letter, demanding that a hefty fine be levied on him. The next thing we know, Indian trains were fitted with toilets.
Bhatiaji,
On a sober note, first a Shabad Kirtan,
Man murakh kahe billaiye
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhXarl-39zU
AKji,, Bhatiyaji
…and then a vintage song
Kaun Hai Kisaka Meet Murakh by Akbar Khan Durrani Peshawari, film Abhagin (1938) lyrics ?, music R C Boral
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52OZjfpUi-M
Hansji @ 94
Sorry for the delay in answering your comment.
The story of Kalidas is a legend and as such it will not be good to argue whose version is correct as there is no documentary evidence as the story about his death that he was murdered by a prostitute when he was on a visit to Lanka. These are hearsays and cannot be used to the disputed argument.
About your point about Gandhiji I say the information you have given is stunning and somehow looks uncharacteristic to the life Gandhiji presented mainly high lighted by his book called “My Experiments with Truth”.
Just to mention here that I am not a fan or follower of Gandhiji. I have many points on which I differ with the “Marg Of Gandhiji”. However I acknowledge that he was one of the political agitators about India’s Freedom.
Also when the Indian Independence was about to occur he was very much consulted by the viceroy of India. So he was one of the person responsible for bringing in the Freedom along with the pangs sorrows of the partition of India. This made a tragedy that is hardly mentioned that the partition of India made Hindu Sindhis stateless people. In the Tagore song “Jana Gan Mana ….” Sindh is mentioned. Tagore’s idea of India according to the languages of India was later on used after the death of Andhra man Pottulu Ramalu to reorganize the states of India according to the languages.
Somebody should tell me how it is helpful to India by creating so many fanatics about their own languages and not caring for other people’s languages or cultures?
Another tragedy was the state of Christen people. They too have became stateless.
So I think even the great people also make great mistakes. But we should not throw out the window the baby and bath water.
We should make argumentation without passions and not look for scoring the points. There is a saying in Sanskirt that arguments lead to correct knowledge as Shankarachary did in his “Bhashya” on many Sanskrit books. One is free to argue on this point.
Shalan Lal
N Venkatraman ji @96&97;
Thanks for the shabad….Man murakh kahe billaiye . A divine feeling . There are many and the one I am looking for is…..Main bawara sab khalak siyaane…by Ragi.. Harbhans Singh ….which I am unable to locate.
The Vintage song…Kaun Hai Kisaka Meet Murakh by Akbar Khan Durrani ….is too good. The lyrics and composition and that too from late 30s….simply awesome !
A pick of a rare song from Radio Days collection….
O PAGLE DER NA HOGI PALCHHIN KI -RAFI -USHA -NYAYA SHARMA -JAIDEV (KINARE KINARE 1964)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FaIkrZQNrs
What about an article on …best of Radio Days songs….again a request to AK ji to keep it in waiting list.
AKji,
I read an election news that makes me feel very uneasy. A young man, perhaps a debutant voter, got confused and cast his vote wrongly. He was so disturbed that he chopped his finger after coming back home.
What a pathetic coincidence that this happened in SHiKARPUR, Bulandshahar, U P.
Shacindra Prasad,
This would have been comic had it not been so tragic. I hope my article had nothing to do with it.
Shalanji @ 98
The place Shikarpur was discussed in length by AKji and Subodhji too comented that there are Shikarpurs in every state. Sachindra Prasadji has mentioned another very sad incident at Shikarpur in UP that happened a few days back. Your reference to Sindhis and Sindh reminded me of Shikarpur in the Sindh province of Pakistan. Nothing remotely related to this post.
From the pre-colonial days Sikharpur was a place for bankers, with their moneylending networks extending across Central Asia, most of the Hindus were traders and administrators patronized and protected by the Musilm rulers and majority.
You wrote that the partition of India made Hindu Sindhis stateless people. True; but was it possible to carve out a state for exclusively for Sindhi speaking people? I don’t have an answer.
I would like to share a few statistics. Approximately 14.00,000 Sindhi Hindus migrated to India after partition. There were three significant points of departure. From Karachi by steamer headed towards Alexandra Docks, Bombay; From Hyderabad and Mirpur Khas by train, the ultimate destination being Jodhpur. And there was smaller number who travelled by Air to Bombay and Delhi. I believe the Sindhi Diaspora has not only retained, but has solidified its original geographical spread in India. Approximately 92% of the Sindhis are concentrated in the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and to some extent in Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradrsh. Almost a third of India’s Sindhis are located in Maharashtra, in or near the city of Mumbai, their original destination.
Bhatiaji @ 99
I was sure, you would not only love the Shabad Kirtan and the vintage beauty, was also expecting a good posting from you. You did not disappoint me. O Pagle der na hogi was nice posting.
Probably you were looking for the Shabad kirtan “Mere baba mai baura, mai baura sab khalak siyaane”. I could not locate the rendition by Bhai Harbhans Singh. But here is a link to Bhai Ravinder Singh’s rendition.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHEnjnlZb6k
Venkataramanji@102
Sindhi are located in a city named Ulhasnagar. I remember vividly, before the Chinse product took over, streets of Bombay were flooded with products made in USA.
Obviously USA did not stand for “United States of America” but for “Ulhasnagar Sindhi Association”.
Mumbaikarji,
Yes, you are right and you must be knowing better.
The erstwhile refugee camp(s) at Kalyan was later known as Ulhasnagar. I believe Ulhasnagar along with Kubernagar in Ahmedabad and Adipur in Gandhidam continue to be Sindh dominated neighbourhoods. I hope we can still find shops with names Sadoromal & Sons, Parsram Pasari … and Sindhi is still spoken in these places.
Ram Jethmalani was born in Shikarpur, Sindh.
AK Sir,
Very recently I come across this delightful article from you. I must say the article & the comments made my heart full of joy.
Anyway you deserved Bharatratna for your this discovery of Unified Theory of Fools.
The article make me remember a Hindi film named Chocolate – Deep Secrets… in which Anil Kapoor playing roll of a famous lawyer and … Let me not to mention the story line for those who didn’t have seen this movie. YouTube link is https://youtu.be/NWsGXoKVeuc.
Regards,
– Kalpesh Bhatt
P.S. – I have not much hold of English language, so please bear with my shortcomings, thanks.
Kalpesh Bhatt,
Welcome to SoY and thanks a lot for your appreciation. With your praise I have got my award.