Despair and joy on a Saturday

Saturday morning despair:
For the third day running, the front page revealed more sordid details of the Tower of Deceit (official name Adarsh Society) scandal. A six-storey building in Colaba, Mumbai, meant for Kargil War widows, has got metamorphosed – thanx to the corruption, wheeling-dealing and intense lobbying of politicians and bureaucrats – into a 32-storey highrise housing some of the most powerful, influential and rich of the city.
A flat which costs Rs 60 lakh when the project was flagged off, is now pegged at Rs 8 crore.
Among the past and present VIPs who own flats there: three armed forces chiefs, the Maharashtra chief minister’s mother-in-law and relatives, the city’s collector, bureaucrats from the revenue department, ministers and their relatives belonging to the ruling Congress and NCP parties… oh, the list is endless…
The Adarsh hall of shame
Some of the bureaucrats and politicians who are accused of fraudulently obtaining flats for themselves or their relatives:
Ashok Chavan, chief minister, Maharashtra
Jairaj Phatak, ex-municipal commissioner (flat in the name of his son Kanishka J Phatak)
Ramanand Tiwari, state information commissioner (in the name of son, Onkar Tiwari)
Suresh Prabhu, Shiv Sena (own name)
Pradeep Vyas, ex-collector, Mumbai ( in the name of his wife and fellow IAS officer Seema Vyas)
Jitender Awhad, NCP (own name)
Indris Kundan, ex-collector, Mumbai (own name)
Kanhaiyalal Gidwani, Congress (along with 2 sons, Kailash and Amit)
Uttam Khobragade, BEST GM (in the name of daughter, Devyani, an Indian Foreign Service official)
Babasaheb Kupekar, Congress (own name)
D K Sankaran, Ex-chief secretary (in the name of daughter, Devyani) Shriniwas Patil, NCP (own name)
C S Sangitrao, ex-collector, suburban (in the name of son, Ranjit
Krishnarao Patil, Congress
S C Deshmukh, Collector, Pune (own name)
Arun Pawar, ex-income tax commissioner (own name)
P V Deshmukh, secretary, urban development (own name)

Saturday evening joy:
From Parasmani in 1963 to Barsaat Ki Raat 35 years later, the LP team dominated Hindi film music like no one before. Laxmikant Shantaram Kudalkar (1937–1998) and Pyarelal Ramprasad Sharma (born 1940) composed music for 493 films as the winning Laxmikant-Pyarelal jodi.
Last evening, 70-year-old Pyrarelal stood on stage for four hours, directing a live orchestra that belted out one hit LP number after the other. A live music show is an altogether different experience and watching singers like Kavita Krishnamurthy and Suresh Wadkar – who got their first breaks in LP films – sing live hit songs they had recorded for movies years earlier was a memorable experience.
Other singers included Sudesh Bhonsle (singing Kishore Kumar numbers), Shrikant (Mohammed Rafi), Bela Shende (Lata Mangeshkar) and Anand (Mukesh).
Some of the songs that the 3000-strong audience clapped and sang along with:
Saawan ka mahina (Milan)
Badi mastani hain meri mehbooba (Jeene Ki Raah)
Achcha to hum chalte hain (Aan milo sajna)
Hasta hua noorani chehera (Parasmani)
Chhup gaye saare nazare (Do Raaste)
My name is Anthony Golsalves (Amar Akbar Anthony)
Dard e dil dard e jigar (Karz)
Satyam Shivam Sundaram (Satyam Shivam Sundaram)
Mere mehboob quayamat hogi (Mr X In Bombay)
Paisa yeh kaisa paisa (Karz)
Hawa hawai (Mr India)
Juma chuma de de (Hum)

Eavesdropping: Beginning of the end?

Man 1: Have you noticed how well Sachin Tendulkar is playing at this advanced age? He didn’t bat so beautifully a decade ago.
Man 2: Have you noticed a candle’s flame? It burns brightest for a little while before extinguishing. Believe me, the forthcoming World Cup will be his last.

Eavesdropping: Happy birthday

Friend 1: “You should check out this new Thai restaurant in Bandra West. Went there with my family on Sunday to celebrate my 17th birthday.”
Friend 2: “It was your birthday in Sunday?”
“Yes, and you didn’t even wish me, forget giving me a gift.”
“Sorry boss, but how come Facebook didn’t announce your birth date?”