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Ali's Notes

Dev - the treasure
Midnight. Pune. I am driving to a hotel in an autorickshaw being driven by a man who is in his seventies. He sees a picture of Dev Anand on the cover of one of the magazines I am carrying. He starts talking about Dev till we reach the hotel. He says Dev is one of the greatest human miracles he has seen. He has not missed any film of Dev during the last forty years. Good or bad, he has seen all of Dev’s films "because he keeps me young and fit. He brings so much joy in life. All the odds and obstacles that have come in his way have not stopped him from going on making films his way. All the other stars of his time have come, grown old and died but Dev Anand has been a young as ever. Who can say he is seventy-seven and is still going so strong. Ask any of the great young stars of today to last as long as he has? I challenge any of today’s stars to gon on as long as Dev Sahab has. I consider him only next to God. Please give him my good wishes and luck and prayers for a very long life," he says. I present him with the picture of Dev Sahab. He thinks he has found a treasure he always longed for.

And for the umpteenth time when a journalist asked Dev from where he got all the money to make his films, even though he made some films which did not show any signs of making money at the box-office. Dev said: "Dev has a very strong bond with Dev above. He knows that I never waste money, that I spend every rupee only on the making of my films, that I never owe any money to anyone in the industry and that I know how to respect money because I know what money means in today’s world. I don’t waste money on trivial things. I have for the last forty years spent money only in making my films the way I want to make them. If I had hoarded all the money I made I could have bought a major part of Bombay, believe me. And tell me one thing? Why are people so interested in knowing from where I get money? Let them mind their own business. Have I ever asked them from where they get their money and what they do or don’t do with their money. All I know is that I get the money when I need it because I know how to respect money". In the meanwhile as people talk Dev has completed Censor his umpteenth film which makes an attempt to take a look at the censors in our country. He has completed the film in just one year and has twenty-six major star making in it. Some of them have worked just for the joy and thrill of working with a man-miracle like Dev Anand, the man who never says no.

Mai, Lata and Mary
How very luck you are, dear Lataji
How so deservingly lucky you’ve been
How so lucky, how so blessed, how so nearly divine
In my own humble way I have realised the truth, the why of it all
First it was your father, the late Master Deenanath Mangeshkar
Who had this rare gift to gift all his
Little children with the love for great music
Love, passion, worship for music, music which
Was created to elevate man to soaring levels of living
It was then your mother, the late Mai Mangeshkar
Who drilled sense into you and all the little Mangeshkars
You youseful talk about the tremendous contribution
Made by Mai to make you what you all are today
She knew her husband was a great music maestro
She knew not many had the opportunity to learn from her
She made you little Mangeshkars practice what he wanted you to master
You and all you Mangeshkars were lucky to have a woman
Who knew what was good both for her husband and her little ones
You yourself have said you would not be what you are without Mai
Without her little givings, without her little knocks when necessary
Where do we have greateful children like you today?
Then years later, my dear Lataji
You found a girl called Mary, Mary the name of
The modest mother of Jesus Christ, the messiah
She was your maid servant, but she took charge of your life
It’s her dedication, her service, her giving
Her life to you giving it for all time
That has made life easy for you, that has made Lata Lata Mangeshkar
Believe it or not Mary has done it for you
Marys always do it, Mary did it for her son, Jesus,
Mary, my mother, did it for me
Marys are born special, blessed
Thank you Mary, for living for Lataji
Because what you’ve done for Lataji
Is a favour to the world
The world thanks you, Mary
May Lataji live long
May Mary live long to look after Lataji
That’s my prayer, a prayer I know will be heard


Vani, my gift
In the beginning Vani came to me as a gift. She came at a time when life was losing all its charm, growing more and more disturbing than difficult. I was about to give up and live up as best as I could when Vani barged into my room just like a gush of fragrant, fresh air. That morning changed my life, made it look brighter. She gave me reasons to smile, she ushered in a season of light I believed I’d never experience but I had not given up hope. I had even stopped believing that they make girls like Vani. But I am an optimist like I always say and my optimism paid off when I first met Divya Dutta and then Vani. There is something about them that makes me send up a little prayer to the great power above to fulfil whatever wishes, whatever ambitions the two girls have. Now, look at the thought behind this poem sent to me by Vani. She wants to say just what I want to say to her and to all of us who keep fighting, try our best never to lose hope, will never lose hope. Why should Vani send it to me? Because she wants to spread happiness, optimism, hope, her goal

"Don’t quit
When things go wrong
As they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill
When the funds are low and the debts are high
When care is pressing you down
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit
Life is queer with its twists and turns
As everyone of us sometimes learns
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow
You may succeed with another blow
Success is failure turned inside out
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt
And you never can tell how close you are
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the flight when you’re hardest hit It’s when things seem worst
that you mustn’t quit"

Thank you, Vani for the wonderful gift. Thank you for making your mind a leading light for so many who are groping in the dark, waiting for hope, waiting for nice little gifts like you. I know it is only gifts like you than make life look bright. Looking at you, listening to your thoughts, trying to understand you at your age makes life smile, makes life so lovable, so livable. Why don’t you make more Vanis, O you maker of Vanis? Don’t you think they will make Your world a better world? They can make life a better life. Only they. These Vanis are the only hope to save Your world from slipping from the brink it is now so precariously perched on. You would never let that happen, though you can. You’ll never feel like doing it till You have Your Vanis around. These Vanis are Your voice, Your message, Your saving grace for this world growing sinister, snobbish, all set to strangle itself.

Kher ka kamaal
Like I always say and firmly believe the one thing that has kept me going (and going) without any major regrets or complaints, are some rare success stories which tell the inside of the spirit to rejoice (yes, let your spirit rejoice and you will see the difference in your attitude to life.

And the greatest success stories I have seen very very closely are the success stories of the Kher Brothers, Anupam and Raju. The world knows all about Anupam’s story by now. He was a nobody with no work and no money to buy his next meal once. He is a big man today, really big in every way, a big man who has the power to make small men/women big, change lives for the better He who could not dare attend small parties in Kherwadi, the slum where he lived is now with his wife Kiron and considered the highlight of all the grand parties in Mumbai. Their presence puts the stamp of sophistication, style and satisfaction to all the parties they attend bring honour to the host. Anupam who once went walking from office to office looking for work now sits on his high chair and distributes jobs like Santa Claus distributer’s "goodies" whenever he gets into a good mood (which he is mostly in). He who lacked in confidence when he spoke to people today addresses meetings and seminars and conferences and symposiums on some of the most sensitive subjects like one of those rare enlightened ones. He has already proved that man can be born more than once if he has the will, the rare power to change his own destiny.

And while thinking and talking of Anupam I am also thinking of his brother Raju who played a very prominent part in the growth of Anupam (he brought in the money, working in a tin factory). Raju, then became Anupam’s secretary. He soon and strangely discovered the actor in him and proved himself a very good actor in some good serials and films. He has grown faster than his brother, Anupam, it seems. He has already taken to direction now. The Khers have even started what they call their second chapter. Aaage aage dekho hota hai kya. Yeh Kher bandhu ka kamaal dekhte rahiye. Mazaa guaranteed hai.