Nasir Zaidi

                                                        Writing is rewriting. As Ernest Hemingway said, ‘The first draft of anything is shit.’   The second draft is no better. One has to keep polishing, keep editing. Writing is a thankless job. It requires a lot of time and effort. And after that also, when you read, you feel that you have written mediocre stuff. The idea is not to give up. Take that rewritten text and rewrite it again. The writer has to justify the presence of each and every word. Advices are given to budding writers to make minimal use of adverbs. I personally think that such instructions can discourage the novice writer. In fact, he should be told to write without any restriction, without limiting himself. But writers who are a notch higher should refrain from using adverbs excessively. Adverbs weaken the writin...

                                                      Impressing women is not a difficult task. Many men think that women are unpredictable, mysterious and demanding, and therefore impossible to please. That’s not true. But yes, there are certain golden rules that all men should follow. If men don’t adhere to these golden rules then they can forget about impressing women. The rules are: a)     Don’t be after her (the moment a woman knows that a man is after her, she will lose interest in him) b)       Never use vulgar language / pass lewd remarks (it puts them off) c)       Don’t stare at her (never, never, never) d)       Never praise another woman in her presence (no one likes competition, right?) e)       Don’t try to ...

                                         There are three ways to present story ideas: 1.       Concepts 2.       Story lines 3.       Synopses The above is not applicable for beginners. They should write the full script, at least for the first two three instances.   Very briefly, I’ll describe each story idea. Concept is the theme (subject) around which a TV series can be developed but which has still not been written. In less than 1 page, the theme should be presented. Concepts can be segregated into: Situation comedies Serials (daytime or night-time) Episodic dramas Anthologies Children’s programmes Religious / educational programmes Comedy-variety shows A story line is an elaboration of the concept. This should be done within 3 pages. It’s like the skeleton...

We are Indians and we are proud of this identity. We are Indians and we don’t have to prove to anyone about our Indian-ness. We are as Indian as the national flag is or the national anthem is. We are as Indian as the Ganga is or the Himalaya is. We breathe India. India is our heart. India is our soul. We may live anywhere but India lives within us. We are Indians and we’ll always be Indians. Being Indian is non-negotiable. Indian-ness cannot be discussed, argued, debated, contested or questioned. Once an Indian, always an Indian. India is not only a country. It is a way of life. Let’s not disrupt it by asking an Indian if he is an Indian.     India is an ideology. And as Indians, we adhere to it. India doesn’t belong to a select few. India is for all Indians. India is inspiration. It inspires 1.3 billion. India is greater than all Indians. Let’s not tamper with her greatness. Indians are great because of India. Let’s stay that wa...

                                                    From 1930 until 2005, Pluto was officially recognised as the ninth planet of the solar system. Its name was mentioned alongside Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, Uranus, Neptune, Earth and Venus. For 75 years it remained in this august company. Then one day, in 2006, Pluto was stripped off its identity. It was no longer considered a planet. The International Astronomical Union classified it as a dwarf planet, thus endorsing Pluto’s fall from grace. Pluto’s name from the list of planets was removed and the school text books updated. Isn’t life somewhat similar? One day we are cruising along and the next, we are nowhere. One can learn a lot from the Pluto experience. Some of the teachings that we get from it are: ü   Our status can change anytime. ü   Never take for granted what ha...

                                                          Amitabh Bachchan was the fifth choice for Zanjeer . The first four choices were Dev Anand, Raaj Kumar, Dharmendra and Rajesh Khanna. Kishore Kumar was the original choice for the title role in Anand. Between her first marriage to Ganpat Bhosle (with whom she was separated) and second marriage to R.D. Burman (after her break-up with OP), Asha Bhosle was romantically involved with the music director, O.P. Nayyar. In late 40’s and early 50’s, Suraiya was the highest paid star, and was generating the same hysteria that Rajesh Khanna did in the early 70’s. Dharmendra saw Suraiya’s film Dillagi 40 times. At one point in time, Nargis was paid Rs 35,000 per film, while Dilip Kumar was paid Rs 25,000 and Raj Kapoor, Rs 15,000. Mehboob Khan’s directorial debut film had an...

                                                                     The virginal sound. The only sound that retains its virginity despite innumerable chanting since the world was created. The sweetest sound. The clearest sound. The most dynamic sound. The first sound. The original sound. The sound with multiple meanings. The sound that throbbed when there was nothing. The sound that makes the universe throb. Om is not only a tool for meditation, as claimed by various scholars. Om is a tool to understand life. Om connects the self with the cosmic world. Om takes you beyond boundaries. Om resurrects. Om revives. Om rejuvenates. Om is the most sacred sound. Every creation has an essence. Om is the essence of Krishna. Krishna is Om. Om is the essence of Shiv. Shiv is Om. Brahman is Supreme Self. The Creat...

I don’t know what it was. But it was something that I would not like to see again. Even now, it gives me the goose bumps, when I recall its image. Almost twenty years have elapsed since I sighted it but the memory is still fresh. I can feel a tingling sensation run down my spine as I recall that incident. It was a dark and stormy night. Rain was falling in torrents. The street was deserted except for a couple of stray dogs that were shielding themselves from the rain under the eaves of an abandoned shed. I had taken this route because I was too much inspired by Robert Frost’s lines Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less travelled by, And that has made all the difference. I could have gone by the normal road but I took the one that was less travelled by. I don’t get scared easily but then I had never been on such a lonely stretch of road before. So, I was not feeling my usual confident self. When you are on a busy street, howsoever late it is, you ...

                                                              A woman without make-up is like the night sky without stars. Or a garden without the flowers. Make-up enhances a woman’s self-confidence. She feels fresh and bright. Her overall image gets a boost. The use of lipstick has many signals. Allan and Barbara Pease in their book Body Language describe three such signals: Women wearing red lipstick and using larger lip displays are seen as more interested in themselves and men’s attention Women with reduced lip displays and muted or pastel colours are seen as more career-oriented and business-like Women with no lipstick are seen as more serious about work than men but lacking personal skills Lipstick combined with glasses can work wonders in a workplace. While larger lip displays can work magic on dates and...

                                              In only two words (one positive, the other not), I will describe what your birth date means. If your birth date is: 1, it means you are:   Self-confident & demanding 2, it means you are: Kind-hearted & dreamy 3, it means you are: Courageous & emotional 4, it means you are: Reliable & explosive 5, it means you are: Flexible & sarcastic 6, it means you are: Family-oriented & sentimental 7, it means you are: Rational & opinionated   8, it means you are: Economical & impatient 9, it means you are: Broad-minded & stern 10, it means you are: Determined & obstinate 11, it means you are: Perfectionist & touchy 12, it means you are: Artistic & disorganised 13, it means you are: Responsible & biased 14, it means you are: Adve...

                                                          You think you know yourself but the truth is that you don’t. That’s the reason why majority of us are unable to realise our potential. That’s why there is only one Newton and one Einstein and only one Shakespeare and one Ghalib and only one Gandhi and one Mandela and so on and so forth. We all have it in us - believe me - to rise and shine but most of us, if not all, prefer to stay in the background. The comfort zone is the problem. We become so used to it that to do anything out of the way is anathema to us. So, we will not take any risks, we will not try anything new, we will avoid volunteering for extra responsibilities, we will stick to a pattern, and in this way life glides away. One fine morning we realise that we have missed the boat or the bus or the train or whatever y...

                              Gabbar Singh was the most iconic roles of all time of Hindi cinema. Amjad Khan made it unforgettable because of his super performance. What if Amjad Khan had not done this role? What if this role was performed by some other actor? Would Gabbar Singh have still been effective? Would Gabbar Singh have still become a legend?   The history of Hindi cinema spans a period of 106 years. Beginning from 1913, when the first Hindi movie, Raja Harishchandra was released, until now, 2019, numerous actors have played different roles, some as iconic as Gabbar Singh. But are there 10 alternatives to Amjad Khan for the Gabbar Singh role? I took up the challenge and decided to do exactly that. I thought, rethought, and was at the point of giving up but my curiosity kept me going. Finally, I settled on 10 actors who I think could have done justice to the role of Gabbar Singh and at l...

                                                  Jivanji Jamshedji Modi (1854 – 1933) is one of the most decorated priests in the world. For forty years he served as the ‘panthaki’ (head priest) of a Colaba agiary. He was known as Shams-ul-Ulma (sun of scholars) in the Zoroastrian world and even beyond that because of his intellect and wide knowledge. He was also a public servant and community activist.     Apart from being a prolific writer (having authored 70 books – 20 in English, 3 in French, 41 in Gujrati, & 6 memorial volumes), he was also a prolific speaker. He delivered over 350 lectures throughout the world. Many of these lectures are collected in a volume titled Wisdom from a Lifetime . He had deep knowledge on various subjects ranging from ancient Iran, Zoroastrianism and its history, comparative religions, meteorology, natural...

                                                        Do not confuse sadness with depression. Being sad is normal; it is just a passing phase. But if sadness persists and you start feeling helpless and hopeless to stop it, then that is depression. When depressed, you lose interest in everything. Activities that you enjoyed mean nothing to you. You feel lonely and neglected. You start disliking everything. During bouts of depression, do not panic. Do the following when you are in the dumps and thinking that you cannot come out of it: ü   Go for a walk – for the first few days you will have to force yourself, but after that, you’ll get used to it. Walking is the best medicine. Do not underestimate its effects. ü   Watch a comedy show or read a book of humour – laughter will make you feel good. Do this twice a day, if not...