With best wishes, Shashi Kapoor

Juhu, Nov 18, 2009. A man emerges from Kishore Kumar Marg onto the beach. Low tide had started. A very wide area of the beach is wet and is covered with a thin layer of receding water. Waves are very distant, small and low on energy. They seem to be doing their job of making waves or just being themselves, in a very indifferent and uninterested way.
It is nearly 3pm, usually it would be a forbidding afternoon to be here; but it is not hot. The sky is a bit over caste and also it is past mid November. There were very few people around. A group is huddled up in a distance. The man walks in a deliberate relaxed way. He does not want to sweat. His phone beeps. SMS. It from Mana. “I am going tomo at 6. Impressions of Bhima.” He calls her back.
Arun: Hi Mana.
Mana: Hi Arun uncle. Where are you?
Arun: you will be surprised. I am walking on Juhu beach.
Mana: Why?
Arun: Just…
(Arun had a secret mission to accomplish, which he had done)
Arun: I don’t have the ticket for the play. It may be houseful already. Let me see.
Mana: Ok, I thought I will tell you.
Arun: Thanks Mana.
Now that we know the man’s name, let us change from ‘him or he’ to Arun. So he, err Arun had planned to walk the length of the beach; but with this call another exciting idea had crept into his head. He changes course and goes off the sand and onto the road. He walks to Misra Pan shop, grabs a ‘sada pan’ and jumps into the first auto.
Arun: Janki Kutir.
Auto driver: Kidhar saab?
Arun: Prithvi theatre… you new guys do not know anything.
Auto driver: Saab rickshaw yahan ka nahin hai.
Arun: (frustrated) Seedha jao.
There were tickets available for the show, ‘Impressions of Bhima’. Due to Prithvi festival, most shows had been sold out. Booking clerk handed him a ticket for Nov 19, 6pm show. Making a small conversation, Arun asked him, “how is Shashiji?”
Clerk: (with a quizzical look) …he is ok.
Arun: Does he still come down and sit here?
Clerk: no not that often. He is not keeping too well.
Arun: oh.
Arun keeps the ticket pensively and goes home. He has his karate class in the evening. His favorite teacher Dr. Ravi Lalvani too came and also took the class. It was a very tough class; but he enjoyed it thoroughly. His knuckles are red and hurting badly, but he is on a high.
Next day he is very busy at home. Arun has decided to make short films from his left over video clippings and then delete them. He is cleaning up his HDD. The day passes very smoothly. Three films have come out of this effort. He chooses the theme as ‘camera on the move’ - on roads, in trains and in Nainital.
Arun is out at 5pm to reach Prithvi. He looks for Mana as he walks into Prithvi compound, takes a round of space but does not find her. Few people are already in the entry ‘queue’. Looking all around for Mana, he notices a wheel chair is brought in with a stooping, gray haired old man in it… oh my god! Arun realized, “that’s Shashiji!” Just yesterday he had asked about his welfare! Arun walked up to him.
Arun: sir, can I sit by your side?
Shashi Kapoor: of course, of course.
Arun: (sitting down on his toes) Sir I… whenever I come here I always ask people about you and your health.
Not being able to place him, Shashiji looks at him quizzically.
Arun: I have done two films with you sir.
Shashi Kapoor: Really?
(a very familiar smile occupied his face)
Arun: it was long back Shashiji. One film was ‘The Witness’ by Raj Marbros. I was an assistant in sound with Narinder Singh.
Shashi Kapoor waves his hand backward meaning that’s far long back.
Arun: and sir the second film was ‘Insaniyat’. Shashiji repeated the same gesture.
Shashi Kapoor: what’s your name?
Arun: Arun, Arun sir.
Shashiji nods.
A waiter from the café placed a goblet of some yellow cold drink on a table near him. Arun thinks it might be pineapple juice. Shashiji took a sip.
Arun: (placing one hand on Shashiji’s knee) so, how are you sir?
Shashi Kapoor: (looking directly into his eyes) not good… not good.
Arun’s face fell at this open and honest answer. ‘Oh’ was all, he could say.
Arun: (trying to make it a bit lighter) what is this drink Shashiji?
Shashi Kapoor: (looking confused and uninterested) I don’t know.
(He tries to look back to find a waiter for the answer)
Arun picks up the glass, smelled it but couldn’t guess.
Shashi Kapoor: why don’t you taste it? Taste it… see what is it?
Now. This was going to be a monumental moment for Arun, one of the most precious.
Arun picks up Shashi Kapoor’s goblet of cold drink… aaaand… with Shashi looking at him, takes a sip. It can’t get better than this.
Arun: (realizing the taste) sir, it is ginger. Ginger ale!
Shashi Kapoor: Oh good. There you are.
Arun had noticed Prithvi Theatre year-book, ‘Kala Desh Ki Seva Mein’ costing Rs 500/-; on sale, but had no intentions of buying it then, but, situation was different now. Taking advantage of his good luck, he wanted more. Arun said, “sir if I buy that book will you sign it for me?”
Shashi Kapoor: of course.
Arun buys the book and brings it to him. He hands him a ball pen from his pouch.
Shashi Kapoor: (ready to write) where? Should I write here? (pointing to a space on first page)
Arun: ok sir, write it here and write for ‘Arun’.
The pen did not write in many flowing strokes that he made. He must have signed close to a million autographs in that fashion. A bit let down, Arun takes the pen from him and pressing it down, makes a few hard strokes on the back of the receipt and hands it back to Shashiji.
“To Arun
With Best wishes
Shashi Kapoor”.
Arun has a large collection of books, but now he feels this is his most precious possession, not because of the content, but the signature.
Arun: thank you. You know sir, I feel like meeting you every time, I come here; but obviously no one encourages me to just go up to hello. It is fine, but I wish I could meet you a little a more.
(Arun hoped that Shashiji has people to give him company, in these bleak times for him)
As Arun was engrossed in conversation with Shashi Kapoor, the queue to go inside had grown quite long. Mana called him on cell, he could see her in queue. Reluctantly he told Shashiji, ‘sir I have to go in now. It was very nice talking to you. Bye Shashiji.’
Shashi Kapoor: sure, carry on…
Arun loved the play, ‘Impressions of Bhima’. Mana filled him up with small details of the group Adishakti and about the lead actor. It was just an hour-long solo act. After the show they both went to have ice cream at the old original Natural. Two people there recognized him. It seems like a good day for him.
Last part of this little story is also seems like a setup and very filmy. Mana was getting a ride home with an old friend of her, who was in the area. She suggested Fab India, as the rendezvous. No Rikshaws stopped for them, so they had been walking right from Prithvi theatre…
They entered the lane of Fab India and stepped on the footpath. On cue a car honked from behind. It was Mana’s friend.
Life couldn’t get better than this.

Conversation with a brave girl

My niece Rima has gone to Afghanistan on a DAI mission. Once we were online and she narrated this scary incidence to me. Frankly I lost my cool sitting at home and shiver ran down my skin; so one can guess what she must have gone through herself; read on...

Rimko u r there?
in Afg...?
8:20pmRima
hi arun uncle
8:21pmArun
hi
8:21pmRima
yes
i am in kabul
i am in kabul
8:21pmArun
how does it look as first exp?
8:22pmRima
war torn
everything broken
damaged
8:22pmArun
oh even the city?
8:22pmRima
lots of military
it looks like parts of kashmir/the pahadi region
yah, kabul
8:22pmArun
ok
damaged so much / sad
8:22pmRima
the afghans are STUNNING , Men especially
so so good looking.
8:23pmArun
actually women too but they cover so much
8:23pmRima
yah, some afghan women are pretty
not all.....
but all the afghan men look good
without exception, literally
8:23pmArun
r they friendly or undoubting?
cool
8:24pmRima
very very friendly
8:24pmArun
vow
8:24pmRima
soo hospitable, simple
8:24pmArun
grt
8:24pmRima
people
8:24pmArun
hope u r clicking pix of those frndly people
i wanna see
them too
8:26pmRima
i have not clicked that much yet.
coz our movements are so restricted
im in a armoured car
bullet proof car
all the time
i go to work and I come back.
last night I had a scare
8:26pmArun
what
8:27pmRima
you know the UN has cleared about 6-8 restaurants that expats community can visit
8:27pmArun
do u hear gun shots etc in distance?
ok
8:27pmRima
and all the restaurants have disguised entrances, so keep it quiet and underground away from the taliban
8:27pmArun
hmmm
8:28pmRima
so last night my colleagues were going to this restaurant
and I joined them later around 9.30
i called for the car to drop me, and so we went on our way
and we suddenly stopped at a checkpost.
8:28pmArun
ok
8:29pmRima
we've been given security briefing that there are many checkposts and so we must not get off, the driver
ad the body guard will deal with it.
8:29pmArun
ok
8:29pmRima
so i just stayed quiet, saying my prayers
then the guard opens my door and asks me to step out
8:30pmArun
;-/
8:30pmRima
i hesitated but I had to, so I did.
then the guys at the checkpost aasked me to enter a room
8:30pmArun
OMG
8:30pmRima
i thought this is it, I am going to be arrested and taken away in my second day
8:31pmArun
haan
8:31pmRima
then I stepped into the room ( by then I was shaking), it was a small room
8:31pmArun
Rima is no longer online. The following was not sent:
ok (send as a message)
8:32pmRima is online.
8:32pmRima
then I stepped into the room ( by then I was shaking), it was a small room
one guy was there with a desk and chair
and he looks at me up and down and asked me if I were afghan
8:32pmArun
u were in burqa na?
8:33pmRima
i said no, he asked if I have a passport, I showed him my passport and then he asks me to step into a
door.
no no, in kabul u don't have to wear a burkha, but u have to wear long kurtas ad shalwars or pants
underneath and u have to cover ur head with a head scarf
8:34pmArun
ok
then?
8:34pmRima
then i step into the next room, that room is much bigger and it has a "charpai" u know those beds u have
in dhabbas in punjab
8:35pmArun
haan
8:35pmRima
I just started crying, i thought i was going to get raped and killed or sold to the taliban !!!!!!!
by then I was really trembling
then suddenly the man screams loudly and another door opens
8:35pmArun
my god rima...
8:36pmRima
and one man comes out and says okay, you have been cleared for security and u can enter the restaurant
!!!!!!!!!!!
I was shaking for the next 2 hours
8:36pmArun
so this security post was for restaurant?
8:36pmRima
Apparently this restaurant had been under attack by the taliban in the past coz its only for foreigners and
they had increased security
and created the entrance like a check post
i had no clue
no one informed me at work
8:37pmArun
oic
8:37pmRima
i was terrified all evening after that
8:37pmArun
thank god
yaar
8:37pmRima
yah, so all restaurants apparently have this sort of entrance and disuise
8:37pmArun
u had dinner?
8:38pmRima
i was alone for the first time in the car yesterday and its only my second day, so don't know much
was really frightening
8:38pmArun
i m sure
8:38pmRima
i can laugh about it now, but it wasn't funny yesterday
8:38pmArun
no no even i cant laugh about it
after hearing it from u
Rima if u got things to do u can carry on

Rima is no longer online. The following was not sent:
because i m at home just chatting with u (send as a message)
8:40pmRima is online.
8:40pmRima
yah
so its scary
in many ways
im nervous to go anywhere alone
coz u just never know
they think i am afghan every where
8:41pmArun
but my dear u r not supposed to go alone na
8:41pmRima
if i dont open my mouth, everyone talks to me in dari or pashtu
but the advantge is that almost every afghan speaks urdu and hindi
8:41pmArun
oh strange
8:41pmRima
so its perfectly fine
most fled to pakistan during the taliban and returned after 2001
and they all watch hindi movis
so they have a pakistani accent
most afghan
8:42pmArun
really?
8:42pmRima
so it feels like home
yah
8:44pmArun
rima sushila says hi to u she is with indu
in pune
went for 2 days
8:44pmRima
oh okay
yes, I was talking to mamma on skype
last evening
and sushila aunty just reached home
8:45pmArun
oh ok / what r ur hotel rooms like?
8:45pmRima
so i talked to her little bit too
8:45pmArun
how many of u in a room?
8:45pmRima
im staying in a guest house uncle
8:45pmArun
ok
8:45pmRima
the compny has 2 guesthouses
about 3 floors, 6 rooms in the house
in each guesthouse
we have a common dining, kitchen
and we have a cook who cooks for us dinner
8:46pmRima
breakfast nad lunch we eat at the office
8:46pmArun
ok good / this comp is urs or company's
8:47pmRima is offline.
8:50pmArun
rima chalo byee u take care i love you
8:51pmRima
okay uncle lots of love xoxoxoxo
talk to you soon
i'll try and take photos

(Though the incidence is very disturbing, but it speaks very high of the kind of security commitment Kabul is providing to the teams from abroad)

Gautam and Indriyavijay

Indriyavijay enters ever open door of Gautam’s hut. Gautam is drinking green tea with a lot of concentration – like always. That kind of concentration comes easy to him. Indriyavijay takes a seat in front of him. Rays of soft morning sun are filtering from the window behind his head. He looks inside the teacup, lifts it with both his hands. As the cup comes close to his face, the vapor from the cup brightens due to the shaft of sun. Waves of vapor take a few moments hanging near Gautam’s face and almost unwillingly move away, vanishing as they rise beyond his face and sunray. Gautam sips tea with closed eyes and slowly replaces the cup at the same spot. His eyes followed the cup throughout, Indriyavijay noticed. He knows it is Gautam’s tea meditation. Gautam has this habit of turning any day-to-day activity into a meditation. All his meals, bath, walk or chopping wood looks like slow-motioned Tai Chi. After two sips Gautam looks up. Indriyavijay does not know if he is looking at him or his vision going through him. However, by now he knows Gautam too well.
Indriyavijay: Is something wrong, you are looking a little glum.
Gautam: What is glum?
Indriyavijay: (correcting himself) I mean perhaps a little quieter.
Gautam: Yes I am feeling quieter internally. Isn't that good.
Indriyavijay: Yes… it is. (Deciding not to ask any more probing questions)
Gautam: you did come to ask me anything. You came to tell me something.
Indriyavijay: we are going to pick wood from forest. Are you coming?
Gautam: Actually my plans are to exercise my feet and legs, touch my toes few times, work on the strength of my fingers and palm and finally do some weight lifting.
Indriyavijay: oh, you have a busy schedule. So, we will carry on. We need wood for making tea and cooking dinner.
Gautam: (picking the cup) fine.
Indriyavijay bows and swiftly moves and starts calling out to others to join him. In a few moments a group of monks are seen collecting dried twigs from the ground. After sometime monks noticed Gautam too was collecting wood and was ahead of them.
A surprised Indriyavijay asked, ‘but you wanted to exercise!’
Gautam: (looking down) see that’s precisely what I am doing; walking, touching my toes, working on my fingers and palms and lifting gradually growing weight…

Taj Mahal Palace and Tower

Hotel Taj Mahal Palace & Tower held a prayer meeting to remember its employees who were killed on duty, during the terror attack (Nov 26-28, 2008). I am told it was a very touching and somber ceremony held at the NCPA on Dec 6. As a homage to its loyal employees Taj printed a booklet offering tributes to the deceased. It mentions the names with their job areas, personal qualities and a B&W picture.

In the printed message Chairman Mr. Ratan Tata, in his personal message to the bereaved (present in the meeting) said,

“Dear Colleagues,

The terrorist attack on the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Mumbai has been a devastating event which none of us will forget for a long time. Some of our colleagues have been injured and some have lost their lives, leaving their families in grief… my sympathies and condolences go out to all those who have suffered… All through this terrible night, many of you risked your personal safety, showed great courage and presence of mind in protecting the guests who were in the hotel, and the property. No words could adequately express my appreciation for the tremendous courage and personal sacrifice, which you have displayed, despite the danger… The spirit, loyalty, unity and sense of belonging… go to make up the major strength of the Taj. It is what makes the difference… It is important that we all stand together with the same sense of unity and the same spirit as we re-build the Taj to its earlier glory, and rebuild our lives after this horrible event.

With my personal regards and appreciations,

Yours sincerely,

Ratan N Tata”

Employees and some of their family members who are mentioned in the booklet:

Chef Vijay Rao Banja, 48; Kaizad Kamdin, 28 (Asst Chef); trainee chef Gautam Singh Gosain, 22; trainee chef Zaheen Mateen, 25; head waiter Faustine Martis, 47; cook Sadanand Patil, 25; waiter Rahamathulla Shaukat Ali, 54; management trainee Boris Rego, 23; steward Thomas Verghese, 49; general tradesman Rajan Kamble, 49; security Ravindra Jagan Kuwar, 32; Mrs. Rupinder Randhawa (wife of Capt. Randhawa, TajAir) and in-house general manager Mr. Karambir Kang tragically lost his entire family, wife Neeti Kang, sons Uday and Samar in the fire that engulfed their suite.

Sadly Taj is losing more people who are hospitalized due to grievous injuries. No stone is left unturned in order to extend best medical care or financial help to them.

This is my appreciation and tribute for ‘TATA’ - one of the greatest if not the greatest of all Indian corporate houses.

Spirit of Mumbai, taken for granted

9.03 am, November 28, 2008.
TV is on and the live telecast of multiple terror attacks on my city, Mumbai is in its 36th hour! I am tired of hearing too many words that are being spoken faster than machine guns. If alone I switch off the sound and only read the scroll. If not then I prefer to sit in another room and listen to the rat-tat.
Everyone knows that we Mumbai-ites are so used to being terrorized – in the extreme ‘extreme ways’. In Feb 93, I was in the thick of it. I filmed all the eleven bloodied locations of the serial blasts. Many more serial blasts followed in Mumbai, Delhi and several other cities; but present ‘36 hour’ long action is unthinkable. We keep a meticulous register of all the blasts and shoot outs in our records for future references, to draw guidance for our course of action. The CCTV grabs some people carrying gifts wrapped in shiny papers are boarding trains and get off at the next station leaving behind the gifts. A car slowly parks/a scooter parks/a cycle parks; a man gets off casually for shopping and vanishes in to thin air. It can take from a few months up to ‘n’ number of years to find that ‘man’. This kind of investigation is not risky, not stressful and can add outstation holidays for work. Our politicians and security forces learn their lessons from the standard method of ‘what has happened’. There is no class that teaches them ‘what could happen!’ Well you could say that even USA could not avoid 9/11. It is considered to be the one of the most meticulously planned and executed project in the world. Like famous code 9/11 we too have our own codes like, 12/03, 13/9, 7/11, 5/14… So even present attack will have to get a figure-code assigned to it – perhaps 11/26, but I am not sure if the government and record keepers will be happy with it, since the action has spilled into next day i.e. Nov 27 too and… is not over yet. Technically they are right if they don’t agree to 11/26. I suggest 11/26-27 may be more appropriate. Sure it is a little clumsy but it is true, which is of paramount importance - the truth! Fact is that 9/11 was over in a few hours, 12/03 (famous ’93 Mumbai blasts) in half a day, 13/9 (Delhi), 7/11 (Mumbai trains) or 5/14 (Jaipur), all few hours… nothing spilled over to next date. We have to wait until it gets over. Then only politicians and record keepers will approve a figure ‘code’ denoting current crisis.
Well to re-cap all that you already know. A bunch of twenty odd young and highly motivated boys are dropped in rubber speedboats on high seas. They all are dressed in jeans, T-shirts and are carrying a backpack. Ubiquitous backpack is not a problem; but it is a problem that they all have a backpack each. That sure seems odd.
A friend from Delhi calls and tells us to watch news; there are blasts happening. Reluctantly I switch my TV. The newsreader is all worked up in her reporting. The scroll is claiming that hotel Taj at the Gate Way of India, Oberoi at Nariman Point and Nariman House (houses Jew families) have been taken over by terrorists. Soon the visuals are splashed - a man’s body on a street, a blown up taxi near airport, hospitals, outside Metro theatre, inside CST and a speeding police van occupied by ‘backpack boys.’ Soon the random visual clippings turn into direct live telecast by numerous channels. Now I realize it is not the usual stuff. Not the one from government registers.
Some think that police walked in quite late at the Taj. Some guests had already been killed.
A confidant looking senior cop sat in his Jeep with two colleagues saying, ‘don’t worry I am going to be there soon’… but before they could reach any where, all three of them were stopped and shot dead like sitting ducks and their Jeep taken away. As I said they also became victims of the ‘register records.’ They did not follow the ‘dress code’ while going to meet the backpackers. With all due regards and salutes to their exemplary bravery; they perhaps did not think that this enemy was going to be vastly different from the first timer gun wielder ‘Rahul Raj’… In all 14 cops have been victims of the ‘register’. Of course not to forget nearly 400 versions of me – the poor common-man. Responsibility shifts from police to NSG, Indian Army and Navy.
I am genuinely feeling so bad about what our Taj has been out to go through. It is an expensive hotel for the super rich guests. Taj has been the first choice of many top CEOs, country presidents and sports personalities. Yet a common-man (me) never got a feeling that I was not welcome there. It always maintained that warmth… Now it was horrible to see the same warm, welcoming and tender interiors of the hotel being blasted with hand grenades, automatic guns and being set on fire. Taj at 105 years is older than the Gate Way of India. It is a beauty filled with grandeur inside out. It is 11am but still the Taj is not entirely free of terror elements. The scroll says a NSG person is injured on the eighth floor of Taj during sanitization process.
It is sad that south Mumbai is under curfew. I am dying to go there and see the hotel for myself.
Trident-Oberoi hotel too had very bad times. But right now it is said to be cleared of backpackers and the guests have been rescued. Nariman House is a war zone right now. For the first time Mumbai witnessed the visuals of helicopters dropping commandoes on the terrace of that building. We can hear automatic gun sounds. A pitched battle seems to be on right in the lap of Colaba. It may be over soon, but really don’t ask me to commit anything at this point. I just junked my register in the garbage.
At the time of publishing it, firing has resumed at the Taj. At least one militant is supposedly battling NSG commandos and may be holding some hostages. I guess it is not over until it is ‘over’.
However, I am waiting to see shots of a much traumatized Ratan Tata and Krishna Kumar surveying their beloved property to take stock.
Finally, Mumbai may survive many terrorists’ attacks; but I am really not sure if it can survive current breed of politicians for too long.