When the face is the fortune...

The face is the index of the mind. The face can say a million stories and also reflect what on the person's mind. Face readers could tell you that! There are some who would recognize that from day one and would either be proud of their beauty or work hard on the beautification process- try and try and try to look young and beautiful as long as they could. And for people from showbiz( read actors, models and the like) it's even more important. Well their face gets them the moolah, the fame etc.

Hence the face is the fortune, more so in the entertainment industry. But then one must always admit that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.And most importantly the concept of beauty has changed over the years. And it for sure varies from country to country. In the earlier days of cinema too, the concept of beauty was different. A more conventionally beautiful face was liked by audiences and people as a whole. There wasn't much talk about hot and sexy in those days. The women had fuller figures. They didn't care too much about proportion or a washboard tummy or strong shapely legs during those days!



Indian actress Sadhana(pictured above) was considered one of the most beautiful heroines of her time when she came into limelight. Her Audrey Hepburn inspired fringe came to be known as the Sadhana cut in the early sixties. She defined fashion at that time with her tight churidar kurtas. I'm sure there were many men during those times who drooled over her stunning beauty. But one stroke of bad luck changed it all. The fringe remained but things changed by the late sixties for the actress. Sadhana is said to have had a major thyroid problem and more so it affected her eyes which were considered the most beautiful features on her face. There's much talk about the problem even now as there were( and still are on some discussions boards and articles online) talks about her having protruding eyes and a bloated face on screen.

The misfortune has been credited to exophthalmic goitre (Thyroid related problem) by some who did the research on her condition. She had moved to Boston for eye treatment and when she came back, it's said she lost many offers. How hard it must have been for the once upon a time beauty! 'Inteqaam' in 1969, "Ek Phool Do Mali" in 1969, "Geeta Mera Naam" were some of her post thyroid films and the difference was clearly seen. By the end of it, only the fringe was there and the charm was gone. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the difference. After the film "Geeta Mera Naam" she stopped acting saying she wanted her fans to remember her as a beautiful young lady. She was barely seen in media circles after that. She went through miscarriages but remained with husband RK Nayyar as long as he lived.

Well, after a long sabbatical she recently got photographed by the media(that's around 35 years later, some two months back to watch her relative Kareena Kapoor's 'We are Family') with some of her old colleagues- Waheeda Rehman,Nanda, Helen and the late Raj Kapoor's wife Krishna Raj Kapoor. They all have gotten old but Sadhana the one time classic beauty has fared the worst. She's become almost unrecognizable( picture below, Sadhana is on extreme right alongside Nanda, Helen and Waheeda Rehman). Well, Sadhana's transformation has been almost complete. It happens to a lot of people and old age is inevitable, but time particularly is cruel to some even more.

We tend to talk about actors and models more often just because they are in the limelight most of the time. Talking of actors, even Sadhana's cousin Babita( Kareena's mother) hasn't aged gracefully. But in Babita's case all that happened after she quit the movies to marry into the Kapoor family and have her actress daughters Karisma and Kareena.

If it happens at the height of one's career, it's really very unfortunate and sad. That way,the few celebs that have aged gracefully are really lucky. It's Diwali( the festival of lights) time, time to remove ignorance(lighting up should actually signify that). I love the spirit of this festival and it's not just a religious time, but a time to light up and make your surroundings happy and beautiful too. And maybe I'm depressing you guys a little with some depressing talk.

But that's the reality of life and maybe we all need to talk about all that a bit. In Hollywood, the worst sufferer of something very unfortunate of that sort is my all time favorite classic actor Montgomery Clift.

Sometimes really terrible things happen to nice people. Monty Clift had a wonderfully chiseled face which captivated the hearts of millions. But one vcar crash one night in the mid 50s changed it all. It was a heart wrecking story and that coupled with some of his other psychological issues and social constraints of that time subsequently led to the sensitive actor's self destruction.



While driving back from very close friend Liz Taylor's home in the mid fifties, Clift's car hit a post and the front side crashed completely.Taylor had to take two of his teeth stuck in his throat to save his life and prevent him from choking. A long spell at the hospital did cure him but his handsome face changed forever.

And he took to drug and alcohol addiction after that to ease the pain from the accident. At that time he was shooting for 'Raintree County' and many went to see the film just to see the two different faces of Clift. It was only a downward spiral after that for the sensitive and talented method actor who was so dedicated to his art. The poor guy indeed went through a lot and my heart breaks to even talk about it.Life can be really cruel to very good people sometimes too.



Well, this video shows the transformation a bit too.



In modern times,there have been botched plastic surgeries wreaking havoc.

It's worst for a celeb. I remember when an Indian TV actress met with a terrible car crash some years back. Later she said how grateful she was that her face was saved.

She made quite a successful comeback but had grown older and had put on some weight by then and only ended up getting elderly roles from then on. Still she had reasons to be grateful.

An Indian starlet went through a major trauma just two years back when it appeared she had a botched nose job followed by a unnatural brow lift and lip work(made them look too big).

She found many detractors at that time( people can be really cruel when anyone is down and out) who called her plastic, an alien and the desi Michael Jackson. Thankfully with proper medical help she got over it all and is doing quite well with some international work too( though she doesn't look all that natural any more and there's something made up/ artificial about her face). But kudos to her bravery.

I remember when I was very young, one of our teachers, a nun had said," Don't be too proud of beauty. One bout of chicken pox and it would end. Instead try being a good person."

I recalled that almost all the time when I actually got it not too long ago and was terrified. A few others have reported feeling the same during an illness of that sort which temporarily disfigures one. Believe me, it's a disgusting feeling mixed with fear, apprehension and sadness.


Well, I always try to be a better person and value my good heart but valued my face too which brought me far in my life( in terms of work and betterment of life) though I never considered myself conventionally very beautiful. Others calling you pretty, sexy or beautiful is better than blowing your own trumpet.

One needs to be grateful to God, is they have some of that. Looking good helps to build one's overall personality too.

Thankfully the nightmare got over and I could look nice again.

In life nothing is permanent and the same goes for beauty. Many people have lost theirs with age.

So ego and arrogance over it makes no sense at all. In fact one should enjoy it gracefully as long as it lasts and maybe try to make it last( even by natural means) as long as they can. And then age gracefully for sure, physically, mentally and spiritually.

Well,only the truly wise have come to terms with and accepted this fact!

And Ash goes on...

This woman sure is a one of a kind Indian actress. She turns a year older today and is happily on the wrong side of 30. But that hasn't bothered her physically( she still looks like a million bucks) or caused anything negative to happen in her career.

All that in an industry where age is such an important issue. Most actresses are shown the door the moment they turn 30( the problem is that they look it too!). Being around till 32/33 is nothing short of a miracle.

Of course marrying into the Indian film industry's first family has helped. But that's more like the icing on the cake as Ash was always meant to be right up there. Babetude felt it as a little girl in the early and mid 90s when this Grey Green eyed beauty was first seen in the Indian media and feels the same till now. I never really cared about what her detractors felt.

After all, I feel that most people dislike Ash just because of pure envy. Many want to be her and they can't be her and usually it's seen in life that resentment stems out of something like that. Very few people are like Babetude who has logical reasons behind not liking someone. I'm proud that as a woman I never really disliked anyone in the media or otherwise out of envy( it's great to unlike so many people who become petty because of that). I want and wanted to like people for what they are( good human beings) apart from being achievers. And some people just exuded negative vibes( and I was always right, thank God for the instinct, wish I had used it more) and were out of my list of good people I like..

But Ash was different. She's a very beautiful woman who's handled her career very well from day one and also maintained her family values as a daughter, sister and now as a daughter-in-law. I feel she'll make a great mother too and really hope something of that sorts happens soon.

So in short, there's no logical reason to hate her. In fact one should be proud that she can look good and rock regardless of her age. One of her favorite directors Sanjay Leela Bhansali is calling her 'timeless' now.

And yes, this lady is very international which is such an important aspect.I remember walking by Madame Tussuad in New York and meeting a white guy doing promotions for the museum. While talking of Indian actors, this guy got confused with Amitabh Bachchan's name but he remembered Aishwarya well and went on to explain how her statue was borrowed from the London museum for few days.

Will Smith, Julia Roberts, Oprah etc have been the more famous personalities who showered praise on her!


Like many others she takes my breath away with her new dance number from the eagerly awaited Sanjay Leela Bhansali movie 'Guzaarish'...


At this rate she will set a record soon of being the first Indian actress with such a long spanning career.

Keep up the good work, girl. A little girl or guy( meaning a baby) in her life will surely make this lovely lady come full circle now!!!

Wish you a very Happy B'day with health, happiness, long life and so on, now and always.

Faces that fascinates Babetude!

Babetude's in the mood to praise some female faces in this new post. And I would like to talk about something contemporary this time around after all the nice classic stuff we spoke about for a while now. After going international so many times, it would be nice to talk of some desi stuff today! So have a look at some nice Indian faces...

Oh yeah, I know it's kind of a frivolous topic but then once in a while a little fun is fine, right?

After travelling a bit and reading and researching so much I realise that on an international platform it's a totally different ball game. Many non-Indians think,the typical Indian beauty can look pretty but is not hot enough.It's difficult to experiment with her look and in the end she ends up looking the same and very typical over and over again.

That's why maybe we hardly had any Indian international actor or model who could do as well internationally as Jessica Alba, Gisele Bundchen, Salma Hayek or Penelope Cruz.

That way Freida Pinto is far more international in the sense that she could morph into various characters regardless of its nationality. Her figure, face and style are also best suited for the international platform. So she anded up right there...

Though she was hardly noticed in Bollywood(she herself said many thought she was too flat chested), she created quite a sensation abroad.She still has a long way to go but she's already made a really good start.


Now let's get back to where we were- the Indian beauties.

The new movie 'Dabbang', I heard many good things about. The film hasn't released as yet where I stay and I guess it's a film for the masses and not the classes.

But most importantly I really like the new girl's face. Sonakshi Sinha. It's not that I like her just because she's a star daughter.



There's something about a face that really catches Babetude's attention. The faces should be one of a kind, it should register and stay on my mind. Well, some say this one does look like a few Indian heroines of yesteryears'. But she's the modern version and is chic and dresses up really nicely.



Three years ago it was Sonam Kapoor who caught Babetude's attention.This girl looks very, very classy with her lovely long hair,long legs and chiseled facial features. And her amazing fashion sense which she presents at various events is like the ulitimate icing on the cake.

It's always good if an actress knows how to dress up.That way, it's easy to stand out in a crowd where the competition is so very intense.



A coupla years before that it was Soha Ali Khan. Well, some of these faces never went on to become big stars.

But I'm talking about just a few fasinating faces here with good bone structure and a different look. I must admit that I get mighty tired of seeing the same type of faces over and over again in the media. On Indian Television, almost all look the same. It's really very boring and many abroad who gather the courage to view Indian soaps at times, feel the same.

And the normal favorites and hit faces in the Indian movie industry don't interest me.



Frankly speaking, I never cared about stars as they are here today and gone tomorrow. No one could sustain as long as Aishwarya Rai Bachchan anyway! Yes, Kareena Kapoor could be the next one, but then it's also her family background that helped her in a big way.


Ash is considered an international beauty and no matter what her detractors say, that will never change.Will Smith, Oprah, Julia Roberts and closer to the country of her birth, Ashutosh Gowarikar and others have vouched for her immense beauty and charm.

Asin and Deepika Padkone, both Southern belles caught my eye when they made their first appearance on screen.



These two sure are true blue Indian beauties.


And for sure my old favorites, Amrita and Genelia who can really pass off as twins at times. They have developed a similar fashion sense too! These two can real be considered the perfect examples of homely beauties who can look youthful and bubbly for a long, long time!


Most of these girls I talk about aren't great actresses. I don't blame them much since there are very few substantial Hindi movies made. Soha is good with student/ journo kind of roles and Amrita with simple and village belle kind of roles. But there aren't too many such roles in Bollywood and the stardom has eluded both of them.


Riddhima Kapoor Sahni never went on to act. But her social appearances, modelling and her wedding and work always made news, thanks to her famous Kapoor background.She knows how to portray the face of a classy and dignified married woman from a respectable family. She looks quite like her mother Neetu Kapoor nee Singh, though Neetu was far more bubbly and lively.







Sarika was an amazing beauty of her times and still looks quite stunning. Daughter Shruti is very pretty too with a nice voice. I just hope she reaches her full potential and make her very talented actor parents prouder!




Ayesha Takia could fascinate with her face too,and her acting was okay. But weight problems got her a lot of flak.Now she's married and I guess we won't see much of her on the silver screen again.




Same goes for Esha Deol. She started with a bang, danced really well and she was liked a bit because she resembled her mother, dream girl Hema Malini a lot( though Mommy was far more charming and charismatic).She's making a comeback with Mommy's help, so maybe she will live up to some of the expectations finally! Let's wait and watch.

Remembering the Mahatma

My tryst with Gandhian ideologies, like many other Indian children started with my literature school text books, when I got to read about his life story and also various excerpts from his very famous ‘An Autobiography of My Experiments with Truth’ and other work. There was Richard Attenborough's classic movie 'Gandhi' too. And of course later when I studied Indian history thoroughly while majoring in History.

But only now that I’ve become older, wiser and more spiritual, I understand his philosophy much better…

On the occasion of his 141st birth anniversary, I think I’m now able to finally write a few words about the man, the Mahatma, the father of the Indian nation, the man who made the country free.

So much has already been written, said and depicted about the great man, that with my limited knowledge I can only put forth some of my views here.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was a great political leader whose persistence & philosophy brought about India’s independence. But most importantly he was great a spiritual leader and that's what I connect with the most.

I realize the reality a lot more now and it's a real great feeling to be enlightened and feel so very wise.

His ideas crossed over and influenced many notable being Rev Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela.

And it’s not just all idealism. Well, many commoners might think it’s so and that his ideas of non violence (for which he’s mostly known) will never work in today cut throat competitive world where every day can be a struggle for the common man.

While doing my research on the Hindu religious book ‘The Bhagavad Gita’ I bumped into how he deciphered it.

Till now I and many other took one of our famous epics 'The Mahabharata' quite literally…As a story, not realizing as a little girl how much meaning it otherwise holds.


Well, sadly there weren’t anyone as such to explain that to me either.


Gandhiji in his commentary on The Gita had interpreted the battle (of Kurukshetra, the big battle which culminates the epic) as "an allegory in which the battlefield is the soul and Arjuna( the character that listened to Krishna's commentary which became ‘The Geeta’) man's higher impulses struggling against evil.


Now while exploring my own spiritual side, I personally realize that it’s such a beautiful interpretation.

So he talks about how that the war is constantly going on within man between the tendencies of good and evil." It’s actually all within us- the struggle between good and evil.

A spiritual development class I attended said the demons, the evil within one were classified as greed, lust, arrogance, unhealthy attachment and anger.

Other scripture and wise preaching would add in selfishness, envy, ingratitude, gluttony, ignorance, cowardice,slyness, manipulation, craftiness,cruelty, hypocrisy,sycophancy,apathy and vanity to the list as well.

So it's up to us- what should win and what should lose. It’s difficult for any human being to achieve that but one should ideally try for the good to never outweigh the evil.

Sadly most people end up letting evil win which combined together can wreak havoc and make the person who carries the vices look like a demon himself.

Whoever could reach that high level and conquer the same would rise up and become a great soul and become a great human being, a great person.

That’s simply what our religious leaders and gurus of different sects had achieved…

That’s how they became what they were and came to be revered forever. Thus they became what they became, achieved nirvana, liberation and so on.

And hence it’s said: The kingdom of heaven is within us. We just need to find it.

Only a few can while the rest drift around aimlessly through life.

I wish I knew and understood all this well before, but I was naive, a young teen and had no guidance to help me properly decipher things.

Now Mahatma means a great soul.

Rabindra Nath Tagore accorded and popularized a very apt name for the man indeed!


He was a doer, he strongly believed like a few wise men before him in practicing whatever he preached. He had said: "An ounce of practice is worth more than tones of preaching”.

It’s well documented how he would often test his desires and check if he could control them. It was another matter that he was criticized for the same as well.It's been well known that he always practiced 'simple living and high thinking'.

Along with other things, he checked his will power by going on hunger strikes. He totally believed in punctuality and loved to keep himself busy with work. He had asked people to not belittle any form of work as no work is big or small.

It’s so true because for the right kind of balance in the society all types of work are important (but of course the work shouldn’t harm anyone).

As Gandhi thoroughly imbibed selflessness in his life, it perhaps led to a few strains in his relationships with his family. He believed that everything he had belonged to everyone which kind of led to a slightly rocky and troubled relationship with his son Harilal( talked about in the Indian movie ‘Gandhi, my father’).

There are many similar examples about his way of life.

He taught people to love children (which ideally every wise man should do as children are the world’s future) and saw the image of God in them.

Vaishnavo jana to tene kahiye je.... was one of his favorite bhajans..

And it basically meant that one who is a vaishnav, knows the pain of others, does good to the ones in misery and does not let pride or ego take over his mind and so on...

Truly wise and noble, right?

His modesty he reflected and wanted to propagate with the quotes like these: "It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err."

He was a doer and he had said, "Whatever you do may seem insignificant to you, but it is most important that you do it."

He was a firm believer in practicing whatever he preached. He had said: "An Ounce of practice is worth more than tonnes of preaching".

And he would ask people to never lose faith ever by saying: "When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it--always. "

The world is cruel and tough and it’s difficult to keep the faith all the time but this kind of inspiration is really wonderful to have.


Gandhiji was above religion.

Another favorite bhajan of his raghupati raaghav raajaaraam...iishvar Allah tero naam, sab ko sanmati de bhagavaan which when translated would say, “God or Allah is your( The supreme soul) name, and bless everyone with this wisdom, Lord.”

Sadly though the wisdom couldn’t be imbibed by all, was misunderstood and his life was cut short by a Hindu extremist.

He was greatly influenced by the teachings of Christ.


Martin Luther King Jr had later said: “Christ gave us the goals and Mahatma Gandhi the tactics.”

Some of Gandhi’s quotes and beliefs clearly reflected Christ’s teachings.
He exactly followed some things which Christ had preached.

It seems that's one source from which idea of non violence struggle, the passive resistance came from

He had said: "The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong."

"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."


He too was okay with offering the other cheek if someone would slap him on one.

Once he had said perhaps when the constant struggle with the British made him slightly wary :"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians (he meant only, some I'm sure). Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."


He had quoted: "A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave"

It’s sad that most people still think that goodness, patience and politeness is weakness.

His Birthday October 2nd apart from being ‘Gandhi Jayanti’ in India is now the ‘International Day of Non-Violence.


Talking of inspirations apart from the ones already mentioned, he inspired James Lawson, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Aung San Suu Kyi, and even John Lennon and a few others. Physicist Albert Einstein exchanged written letters with Gandhi, and called him "a role model for the generations to come"

It was good to see Time Magazine name The 14th Dalai Lama, Lech Wałęsa, Martin Luther King, Cesar Chavez, Aung San Suu Kyi, Benigno Aquino, Jr., Desmond Tutu, and Nelson Mandela, Children of Gandhi, his spiritual heirs to non-violence.

His ideals just continue to inspire …
US president Barack Obama had said just before becoming president: “Throughout my life, I have always looked to Mahatma Gandhi as an inspiration, because he embodies the kind of transformational change that can be made when ordinary people come together to do extraordinary things. That is why his portrait hangs in my Senate office: to remind me that real results will come not just from Washington—they will come from the people”
When asked once as to who was the one person, dead or live, that he would choose to dine with, he had quickly said, ‘Gandhi as he’s somebody I find a lot of inspiration in. He inspired Dr. King with his message of nonviolence. He ended up doing so much and changed the world just by the power of his ethics."

Sadly in the India Gandhiji made, there’s so much corruption and most people have moved away from his teachings, his way of life, his philosophy and don’t take it seriously or perhaps find it just too idealistic. The world as a whole would have been a much better place if the right philosophy was adapted by majority.
But maybe it’s the law of nature and the world can’t become like heaven…

At times as these one can recall what he had said, "You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty."

Just like how Paulo Coelho later said in the very famous 'The Alchemist' (that whatever you desperately want in life, the universe conspires to get for you), Gandhi had believed, "A man is but the product of his thoughts what he thinks, he becomes."

"Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well."

I for one like a few commoners of my kind have a lot to thank for this kind of wisdom, which he imbibed, followed and preached.

Thankfully a few kind people have asked me how I manage to portray the image of a good human being and look happy, good and positive at most times. I think it’s because I kept the innocence of my childhood (when human beings have no vices as such, have no lust, greed, envy, ingratitude, selfishness, etc ) alive and gradually got influenced by good philosophy of this kind.

There’s a long way to go. But it’s a wonderful feeling to be on the right path, to be influenced by the right kind of things and to be cultivating lovely values. It makes life much more meaningful when one is of high spiritual order.

It’s all very idealistic, but I would simply say thank you Mahatma and all those who kept the spirit of the Mahatma alive in all these years and will continue doing so in the years to come!

Old time Rock 'n' Roll: The love affair continues...

Listening to rock 'n' roll is indeed a joy. When I'm blue, or feel a little down, it's music that elevates my mood. And if it's old time rock 'n' roll,the effect is rea; fast. And how can any such write up be complete without Elvis, the king of rock 'n' roll. He was someone who defined 'rock n roll' as a musical genre and also made it a big part of youth culture.
The king is regarded as one of the originators of rockabilly, an uptempo, back beat-driven fusion of country and rhythm and blues alongside guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black. His fame has transcended generations and crossed boundaries.


At the age of 21, he became one of the most popular persons of the world. Even many who don't know American showbiz as such, know Elvis. I for one, as a child growing up in a small town knew very little about Hollywood, but knew Elvis pretty well. The legacy lives on...
There were many others who came, saw and conquered.
Check out more from the oldie goldie collection...
I must always admit that it was the Richard Valenzuela better known as Ritchie Valens' biopic La Bamba which I only saw not too long agoin TV, that got me stuck even more on rock n roll. Lou Diamond Philips did a wonderful job as a debutante. I've shed many tears every time I have watched the movie 'La Bamba'. Here was the story of an incredible teenager who achieved a lot but left every thing too early...

He was wise beyond his years. The support of his mother and love but also resentment(rising out of jealousy)of his half brother Bob is well portrayed. This youngster was different from his brother and the others. While other teenagers were seeking fun, he wanted to compose, write songs, be a star and really, truly love his girl Donna. This real life Valenzuela family fully supported that movie. Bob Morales and Connie Valenzuela came to the set to help the actors portray their characters correctly, and Connie makes an appearance as an older lady sitting next to Ritchie at the family's first party.

Lou Diamond Philips bonded greatly with the Valenzuelas and, at one point, actually became Ritchie to them. There was an incident when the actors began shooting for the final fatal scene and started boarding the plane. The scene was interrupted by Connie Lemos, Ritchie's real life sister who was only six years old when the accident happened. She hysterically tried to keep Phillips from boarding the plane. She was heard shouting, "Don't go Ritchie!

Please don't get on the plane! Why did you have to die?" Later she admitted she realized at that moment that she never fully accepted her brother's death.Of course it was a very hard thing to accept when the brother was just 17 years old and had just become a star...

Even Buddy Holly's wife(who was pregnant at that time) later admitted that if she was around that day she would never have let him get on that airplane. Wonder what would have been, if it was so... If that would have actually happened, the rock 'n' roll scene would have been different today.
The legacy truly lives on, thanks to the lasting power of the music and the true blue fans!

Babetude loves Rock 'n' Roll

I've liked entertainment stuff from the 50s and the 60s so much that some have said that I'm born in the wrong era. Well, the passion is really intense and for a long time now. I've really wanted to time travel too and go back in time. So I don't really blame them.

Or maybe I was a rock n roll star, an actor or artiste in Hollywood in my previous birth.

Well, it could be you know, considering the undying passion since childhood, despite being born in a small town, somewhere close to the Far East, a little over two decades ago... Hey, now don't tell me that I'm freaking you out guys. Just telling you all, what I feel sometimes:-)

I must tell you all that rock n roll just turns me on anytime, anyhwere.

I love to dance. I've done some Hindi film style dance and some Latin which I'm supposed to pursue further. But I do the twist and all sorts of retro steps even better.I love retro outfits.

Elvis,Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly, Richie Valens et al- their music still rocks bigtime for me. I've never been a big fan of pop,hip hop or hard rock. And I'm mighty sure it's not so just for me.There are many others who feel the same about old school rock 'n' roll and there are enogh reasons for that.

The older folks would definitely still appreciate the music always for the nostalgia factor...


Elvis was indeed the king. A good actor- performer and a true blue entertainer.

Now listen to this lovely Buddy Holly song and you'll know what I mean. His talent was nipped in the bud but his legend lives on.Kudos.


When he was with his band members, they supported him really well. It's been more than 50 years since Holly left the world, but there are still many die hard fans who say that his music will make him live forever.

Then there was this super talented youngster Richard Steven Valenzuela better known as Ritchie Valens.

He hadn't lost his baby fat yet and was still in high school but destiny made him a huge star who could use his God given talent at a very young age. His raw beautiful voice sounded so honest, so deep, so true at an age when there weren't many ways to technically correct voices.

This guy's recording career lasted only eight months but he scored several hits during the period. He was an accomplished singer and guitarist who despite being left-handed, mastered the traditionally right-handed version of the instrument thanks to his eagerness.

He was really special in many other ways too. Here was a guy who was just a teenager but who knew how to truely love a woman. Check out the song 'O Donna' which was written and performed for his real life girlfriend Donna Fox. She's still known as Ritche's Donna and her personalized license plate reads "ODONNA".

The song and the lyrics beautifully bring out his talent and the earnesty in his voice.

And this was the guy who also made "La Bamba" popular. Now this was originally a Mexican folk song that he transformed with a rock rhythm and beat that became an instant hit and still is.

Here it from the pioneer of the Spanish-speaking rock and roll movement...


The movie La Bamba with Lou Diamond Philips( in his best role ever) chronicles this talented musician's life well and also talks about his mother's encouraging role in his career.


February 3, 1959, was a black day in the history of music, a day that took away three great musicians- Valens, The Big Bopper and Holly. It also reportedly led to the gradual decline of rock n roll( though the die hard fans keep it very much alive!)

It's said fans lined the streets and cried for days.

Don McLean with his popular ballad "American Pie" later immortalized February 3 the saddest day in rock history as "The Day the Music Died".

Don was then a young boy and a newspaper delivery boy.
Later he wrote:

"A long long time ago
I can still remember how that music used to make me smile
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And maybe they'd be happy for a while
But February made me shiver
With every paper I'd deliver
Bad news on the doorstep
I couldn't take one more step
I can't remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride(ref: Holly's widow María Elena Holly)
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died

So, bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my chevy to the levee
But the levee was dry
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin' this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die

Did you write the Book of Love
And do you have faith in God above
If the Bible tells you so
Do you believe in rock n' roll
Can music save your mortal soul
And can you teach me how to dance real slow...
"

Well, the real fans of rock n roll did do their bit well!

A poet, but only for a while...

India's biggest male star Amitabh Bacchhan is able to bring meaning to this very beautiful song. The fact that his father the late Dr. Harivansh Rai Bachchan was a famous Hindi poet, probably helped him to do some nice poetic roles of his career.


Well, the song was sung by the very talented and evergreen singer Mukesh, but Mr Bachchan has truely performed well here.

Main pal do pal ka shayar hoon,pal do pal meri kahaani hai, pal do pal meri hasti hai, pal do pal meri jawani hai...

By the way,the poet, the very talented Sahir Ludhianvi should get a lot of credit here as he is the man who wrote the beautiful Urdu words which Mr Bachchan is seen using to emote in the visuals.

He's basically saying that he's a poet,but his story, his existence, his youth will last only for a while.

Umm...quite wisely said.

Check out the translation...

I'm a poet only for a moment or two...

My story is only for a moment or two

My existence, whole being is only for a moment or two

My youth is only for a moment or two

Many poets came before me, and then departed;

Some went sighing, And some went singing songs.

They were only the story of a moment in time; I too am only the story of a moment.

Tomorrow I will be separated from you, But for today, I'm a part of you. I'm a poet of a moment or two, not more.

Tomorrow new songs will arrive, Fresh blossoms will be plucked.

There will be better storytellers than me,

And better listeners than you.

Tomorrow, someone might remember me;

But why should anyone remember me?

For my sake, Why Should This Busy World Waste Its Time?

I'm A Poet Only For A Moment Or Two

Babetude also like some another Mukesh song Ek din bik jayega maati ke mol which asks the listeners to leave a legacy behind...


Ek din bik jaaegaa, maatii ke mol jag mein rah jaaenge, pyaare tere bol duuje ke hothon ko, dekar apane giit koii nishaanii chhod, phir duniyaa se Dol ik din bik jaayegaa maati ke mol

And the meaning of the same is:

A day will come when you will get sold for the price of clay. All that will be left in the world will be what you have said. So, give your songs to someone's lips. Leave a mark, then leave this world.

Wow,giving people a reality check and great advice,but packaging it as a wonderful song. Very intelligent, must say.

Babetude admires the poets, philosophers and the truely wise who always ended up finding the true meaning of things all the time. And things just turn out to be almost universal then and now.

Like how I said in my previous posts,we only seem to realise things as we turn a little older and a little wiser.

Babetude personally is very happy that she's getting enlightened in her 20s itself, rather then waiting to be so in her 30s and 40s. In fact if it was sooner than that, it would have been better.

Looking forward to the times to come to learn even more, but definitely not the hard way, again!

The sooner you get wisdom the better it is. Drifting makes no sense and wisdom gives one clarity, direction and better choices. Period.