One of the nicest opening lines in a film...

is - "This picture takes place in Paris in those wonderful days when a siren was a brunette and not an alarm --- and if a Frenchman turned out the light, it was not on account of an air raid!"

...from Ninotchka, made in 1939.

After the credits, the film's prologue is viewed over a long shot view of the Place de la Concorde in Paris, and that's when you hear this line.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

Mary Poppins:
Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay
Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay
It's...
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
Even though the sound of it
Is something quite atrocious
If you say it loud enough
You'll always sound precocious

All:
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay
Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay!

Bert:
Because I was afraid to speak
When I was just a lad
My father gave me nose a tweak
And told me I was bad
But then one day I learned a word
That saved me achin' nose

Bert, Mary Poppins and Chorus:
The biggest word I ever heard
And this is how it goes: Oh!
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
Even though the sound of it
Is something quite atrocious
If you say it loud enough
You'll always sound precocious
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay
Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay!

Mary Poppins:
He traveled all around the world
And everywhere he went
He'd use his word and all would say
"There goes a clever gent"

Bert:
When Dukes and maharajas
Pass the time of day with me
I say me special word and then
They ask me out to tea

Bert, Mary Poppins and Chorus:
Oh..
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
Even though the sound of it
Is something quite atrocious
If you say it loud enough
You'll always sound precocious
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay
Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay!

Mary Poppins:
So when the cat has got your tongue
There's no need for dismay
Just summon up this word
And then you've got a lot to say
But better use it carefully
Or it could change your life

The Perlie:
One night I said it to me girl
And now me girl's my wife!

The Perlie, Mary Poppins and Chorus:
Oh..
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
Even though the sound of it
Is something quite atrocious
If you say it loud enough
You'll always sound precocious
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay
Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay!

Click on the subject of this post for some pretty interesting information on "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious".

Before the Word

Corn is great, on the cob or otherwise,
but before corn in the ear there was life.
Fire is holy especially for Zoroastrians,
but before fire too there was life.
Before the bowstring and the flint arrow sang,
there was life.

The word is great,
yet there was life before the word.
We can't turn romantic and say
we were into bird speech or river-roar then,
into the silence of frost
or the language of rain.
But forest speech and swamp speech
came through easier to us.
When lightning crashed,
the cry of the marsh bird was our cry,
and we flung ourselves to the other branch
like any other baboon.

As winter whined on windy cliff,
we shivered with the yellow grass.
In winter-dark a hundred eyes
flared yellow in the jungle scrub.
When seasons changed, blood coursed with sap
and flowered in meadows. We were at home.
Nor eyes nor bat cries bothered us.
What if we didn't know
a bat assessed reality
from the ricochet of its cry?

Though there were no words,
fear had a voice with many echoes.
Worship was quieter, adoration
spoke only through the eyes or knees.

What was it like before language dropped like dew,
covering the scuffed grass of our lives?



Keki N. Daruwala is an eminent poet and fiction writer.
He writes in English and lives in New Delhi.

sheher ki bechirag galiyon mein
zindagi tujhko dhoondti hai kahin...

...so said someone to someone else...wonder what happened after that...

A prostitute to her daughter - K. Satchidanandan

Dear child, say without shame
that I am your mother
and this city is your father.
Go, tell the chaste wives,
I teach their men how to love.

I offered myself
in place of a thousand women,
and became a saint.

Man, my child, is endless Desire,
you should cross that sea
the way I rose above my body.

Raise your head;
be my survivor, grow to be great.
You should have a tryst with tomorrow:
you should see the sun
that I could not.

I do not want to weep before Jesus
nor do I want Upagupta to weep before me.
Every night I turn red hot,
every morning I become gold.

I conquered lust;
you should transcend greed.
We are the bountiful Earth
and we, the giving Nature.


(Translated from Malayalam by the poet with Rizio Raj)

Words

"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less."
"The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many different things."
"The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master - that's all."

Na aaj lutf kar itna ke kal guzar na sake
woh raat jo ke tere gesoo'on ki raat nahin
ye aarzoo bhi baRi cheez hai magar hamdam
visaal-e-yaar faqat aarzoo ki baat nahin

Grant me not so much bounty today that tomorrow
night, without your locks,
may be too wearisome.
Yearning is a great thing, O friend,
but union with the beloved is not just a matter of
longing.

Delhi Times/Delhi Slimes

Today's "Delhi Slimes" has an article about our Blogger Meet.

TTG also has a post about the article.

Now, the thing about the article is that, well, one, that Delhi Times (now Slimes) has sunk the lowest they could ever go; and two, that this article completely and totally misinterprets everything that was said that day.

I'm so fuckin' furious!

The only lucky thing about it, as TTG says too, is that River's name in the article isn't her real name.

I so hope Vulturo posts this "James' " number on his blog!


Update: James' number- 9818205432

...aur theek taraazu ke kaante par ardh satya

One of my friends was talking about Govind Nihalani's Ardh Satya the other day. :)

Couldn't help but remember the poem (by the same name) in the film. It was written by Dilip Chitre.

chakravyuh mein ghusne se pehle
main kaun tha aur kaisa tha
yeh mujhe yaad hi na rahega

chakravyuh mein ghusne ke baad
mere aur chakravyuh ke beech
sirf ek jaanleva nikat-ta thi
iska mujhe pata hi na chalega

chakravyuh se nikalne ke baad
main mukt ho jaoon bhale hi
phir bhi chakravyuh ki rachna mein
fark hi na padega

marun ya maarun
maara jaoon ya jaan se maardun
iska faisla kabhi na ho paayega

soya hua aadmi jab
neend se uthkar
chalna shuru karta hai
tab sapno ka sansar use
dobara dikh hi na paayega

us roshni mein jo nirnay ki roshni hai
sab kuchh samaan hoga kya?

ek palde mein napunsakta
ek palde mein paurush
aur theek taraazu ke kaante par
ardh satya

happy, happy, happy

"In that direction," the grinning cat said, waving its paw round, "lives a Hatter: and in that direction," waving the other paw, "lives a March Hare. Visit either if you like: they're both mad."
"But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat. "We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad."
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said that Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here. By-the-bye, what became of the baby?"
"It turned into a pig," Alice answered very quietly.
"I thought it would," said the Cat, and vanished quite slowly, beginning with the end on the tail, and ending with the grin, which remained some time after the rest of it had gone.
"Well! I've often seen a cat without a grin," thought Alice; "but a grin without a cat! It's the most curious thing!"

Apparently...

Aanchal, you're a Golden Retriever!

No bones about it, you're a popular, fun-loving Golden Retriever. Adored by all and too cool for school, you're extroverted and enthusiastic. Your magnetic personality makes you the life of any bash. Since you're a true people-dog, you genuinely love all kinds of social gatherings. Going to parties, dinners, and other shindigs is the best way to add faces to your constantly growing circle of friends. But besides being on the social A-list, you're a confident, well-rounded pup who's definitely something to bark about. Pretty accomplished at anything you set your mind to, your sunny nature and winning ways make you one of everyone's favorite dogs. Woof!

The Accidental Elephant

...is a lovely new blog with children's poetry and illustrations. :)

I'M BACK!

...to stay! :)

The reason for my long-drawn absence was a mixture of nothing much to write about and having got a life. But, like I said...
I'm back!

Today:

Went to Blogger's Meet at the (supposedly quieter!) Barista Creme. Other bloggers in attendance: River, TTG and Vulturo, and a sweet guy called James (who I hear was there since 4:30 p.m.!). We talked and had nice coffees.
More on today's Blogger's Meet: Here and here.

Went back to Majnu ka Tila (after ages!) for some Beef Chilli and Tingmos and Shabhaklep. Was nice as always.

Contemplated going to Blues for a long overdue glass of Don't Dig It, but decided against it.

Came back home, played with Xena some, made a firm resolve to get back to blogging.

A very nice poem here.

P.S.: I shall be back soon.