Pushkar Pens

बात दिसंबर 1995 की है। हमारे हिंदू कॉलेज में सर्दी की छुट्टियां हो रखी थी। और हम लोग हॉस्टल में ऐसे ही वेल्ले तफरी काट रहे थे।  अच्छे से ध्यान नहीं है, पर शायद जेब में इतने पैसे नहीं रहे होंगे कि उन छुट्टियों में घर जाया जा सके। छुट्टियों में अगर आप अपने घर नहीं गए हो तो हॉस्टल में एक अलग तरह का सन्नाटा होता है। क्योंकि आपके अधिकतर साथी छुट्टियां मनाने घर जा चुके होते हैं, और जो थोड़े बहुत पीछे रुके हुए होते हैं वो भी दिन में कहीं ना कहीं बाहर निकल जाने का बहाना ढूंढते हैं... और दिल्ली में ऐसे बहानों की कमी कभी रही नहीं।  तो हम लोग पड़े हुए थे ऐसे हीं। दिन में किसी कमरे में, शाम को किसी और कमरे में, और रात को किसी और कमरे में। समय निकालने का बहाना ढूंढते हुए। 'हम लोग'...  मतलब ?? मैं, पिंकू, सांटा और संजय पांडे सर।  पिंकू और मैं, बिहार के एक छोटे से शहर बोकारो के रहने वाले थे और एक अच्छे भविष्य का सपना लिए कक्षा 12वीं के बाद दिल्ली आए थे।  नाओरेम सांटाक्रूज सिंह, यानि सांटा, उसी भविष्य की तलाश में मनीपुर के काकचिंग से दिल्ली आया था। संजय पांडे सर हमसे एक वर्ष सी...

  Coursemates in the armed forces are a strange breed. Young hooligans thrown together by fate, and bound together for life,,, someone said. The days and nights spent together in the Training Academy all those years back, have forged a bond so strong, which no family or friend can replace. The agonies and the ecstacies of our training have ensured that.  Today, I may not have met some of them for last 25 years; but one call on mobile from any of them in any part of the country, is enough to transform you into a different person.  Wives have come to understand it. Children try to decode it.  Karanbir was one such youthful chatterbox. Tall, fair and handsome, he was from the Dhadiala Natt Village, situated close to Batala in the Gurdaspur district in Punjab.  We both had joined the Officers' Training Academy (OTA) Chennai, right out of our Colleges, in the autumn of 1997. We were young and shared a dream of serving our nation through the Olive Greens. Being in th...

Nope, this does not do justice at all to what Raj Kumar Hirani is known for.  Munna Bhai movies, 3 Idiots, Ferrari ki Sawaari and PK have all put him on a pedestal where his name is enough to watch a movie. Alas! Things are slightly different this time. To be honest, it's not a bad movie. And in fact it is much better than some of the trash seen in recent past. It is more of a what could have have been!! Three friends with a London dream set on an illegal immigration journey and are assisted by SRK in the process. Towards the end of the movie, it's "India calling" for them again, and a 25 years older SRK is there again to help them come back. Throw in some doses of comedy, love, friendship and Desi emotions.... And that's Dunki for you. First things first, I have got sick of these big budget movies using Indian Army's name just for the sake of gaining some brownie points and then making a complete mockery of not trying to get even the basics right. We have see...

Yes it is delayed... The movie was released two months back; but I watched it on screen yesterday and could not help myself from writing this nonetheless. I went with zero expectations as I had not read or heard any reviews. Just thought of spending a chilled out Friday evening,, and ended up enjoying some quality stuff on the screen. We get to delve into an important question - Is it about the destination or the journey?   Here is a motorcycle adventure that proves that there is more to a trip than these,, as on the road so in life. When four ordinary women go on a motorcycle adventure to Khardung La, among the world's highest motorable passes, they also embark on a journey of self discovery and identity. For the uninitiated, Khardung La Pass is on the Ladakh Range, North of Leh, and connects the Indus River Valley and the Shyok River Valley. It also forms the gateway to the Nubra Valley, beyond which lies the Siachen Glacier. Made as a travelogue, the movie is a wonderful mix...

I had a hunch that it will not be a good movie. So I avoided it during its first week. Meanwhile we kept getting reviews that it has become a hit and has collected a few hundred crores during this week. Eventually I had to relent in front of my wife (Ranbir Kapoor fan !!) and ended up watching it on big screen. I wish I could have spent a better evening. These movies do not make their 100s of crores on the weight of cinematic excellence. They earn their money by creating a frenzy around the movie which our audiences fall for prior to the release. Add to that the cult status of a superstar and a sub standard product ends up being lauded over by a bunch of paid critics and media . And the latest trend is to add the glam quotient of more than one movie industries to generate added pre release glitter... So we see the Bollywood guys adding the star masaala of Tollywood, Kollywood, Sandalwood, Mollywood... and inciting new audiences. So we see Shahrukh Khan with Nayanthara in Jawaan , Rajin...

Watch this biopic for the sheer inspiration this man brings for every Indian. First things first, After frequently watching the trash that is dished out to audiences in the name of Indian Army in commercial blockbusters like Gadar-2 and Jawaan, it is really pleasing to see that the basics of our Army have been correctly depicted here. Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw.... Field Marshal SHFJ Manekshaw... A near-mythical colossus who lived after being shot nine times by a Japanese soldier in WWII... Sam, to his admirers... Sam, to his critics... Sam Bahadur, to his soldiers, with whom he lived, for whom he breathed.... They don't make Generals more colourful these days. He was an integral part of all the wars which the Indian Army fought during his military career.... WW-II, 1947-48, 1962, 1965, 1971... How many can boast of this CV, Rare Indeed... Add a ' Military Cross ' to it, and you get a rarer breed.... Go on to add a " Padma Vibhushan ' and...