Baaton Baaton Mein

With Dr. Gagandeep Singh

If you could live anywhere on this planet and take everything that you love with you, where would you choose to live? Tell the group about your choice.

I would like to spend my life in English Countryside with my family in a quite environment.

If you could be in the movie of your choice, what movie would you choose and what character would you play? 
My favorite movies: The Lord of the Rings and I would love to play Bilbo Baggins/martin Freeman//A Beautiful Mind and I would love to play John Nash/Russell Crowe

What are your 5 favorite foods? 
Yellow Lentils, Homemade Chicken (cooked by my father or father-in-law), Chickpeas, Biryani and Paranthe

What item that you don't have already, would you most like to own?  
I like to own our own house 

If you could only choose one vacation destination where would you pick and why? 
NICE, France as that was the first time I travelled to Europe with my family and that was just superb.  We still miss the week we spent there.

If you were to create a slogan for your life, what would the slogan be? 
Per ardua ad astra ("Through adversity to the stars" or "Through struggle to the stars").

If you could meet any living person for a chat over a shared dinner, who would you pick and why? 
It should be Peter Jackson, as I really admire his work and creativity.

If you could choose one hobby that now seems out of your reach either financially or time-wise, what hobby would you take up and why? 

I wish to learn composing music especially playing piano, don’t think it would be possible in years to come, but I will keep thinking about it

Creative Corner - Dr. Jyoti Bajaj

History of Indian Cinema

India is a land of variety. It is a land of cultures, language, arts, crafts, performing styles and music. These have been instrumental in depicting stories of Gods and Goddesses, a memory, an emotion like love, betrayal, or just simply about a girl in a small village. Being a cultural hub with some of the best contemporary works on record, stories have shaped India’s path of film-making for more than a century now.

Our glorious 100-year old Indian cinema grows more beautiful every year with addition of about 1,000 movies. Tracing down the roots, as some may like to acknowledge, its prequel is less known and much overlooked. Excerpts from a book compiled by veteran film journalist Mohammad Yaseen Gureja suggest that films were first shown on 7 July, 1896, marking the birth of Indian cinema. The event took place in Bombay at the stylish Watson Hotel. The incredible excitement around prompted the next screening within a few days. Novelty Theatre was chosen as the new venue and the audience was entertained with 24 different shows, which included Dancer, Train, London Girl to name a few. Had you had a chance to watch these shows, you would have cherished the treasure for as low as 4 annas (25 paise). Gradually, film-making was being celebrated and started getting more recognition.  Theatres and open grounds, like the popular Splendid Park in Bombay, were booked for shows for the masses.

In the following six to seven years, the ripples of excitement reached Calcutta, which attracted equal interest in the region. Star Theatre was one of the places where the movies were screened first in Bengal. Back in Bombay, a photographer from Maharastra, Harishchandra Sakharam Bhatvadekar, was so enthralled with the arrival of the cinematograph in India that he ordered a movie camera from London at a price of 21 guineas. In 1897, he captured several shots of a wrestling match at the Hanging Gardens in Bombay, got them processed from London, and this way made his first movie The Wrestlers. An era of movies began thereon.

Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, popularly known as Dadasaheb Phalke, was another legend. Born in a village 18 kms from Nashik in Maharashtra, he was fond of art and theatre. He invested most of his time reading books. In 1912, he managed to go to England to get trained in filmmaking by securing some money from loans. In 1913, Phalke gave India its first full-length feature film, Raja Harishchandra. It gained a premier place in the history of Indian cinema. The period after 1913 saw an immense increase in the number of movies being released—two movies in 1913, one in 1914, four in 1916, four in 1917, seven in 1918, eight in 1919, 18 in 1920, 28 in 1921, 58 in 1922, 43 in 1923, 72 in 1924, and 80 in 1925. The films that followed have defined Indian cinema across generations to the level what we see today.

Creative Corner - Esha Saini

Its Okay

Its okay. Its okay to be lazy at times and do nothing all day. Just taking a break and being in your shell for a while, pondering upon your thoughts, your ideas, your dreams , your goals or any random thing that makes you happy. Though constant hustle and grind is necessary to achieve the things that you want in life but taking out time to relax, to rest, to contemplate, to retrospect, to rewind, to reflect is also important. Its all part of the process. Because after all as it is said, “Life is not a race, its a journey.”

Its okay. Its okay to be vocal about your thoughts your feelings and just don’t live with the fear of offending others because of them. Truth might be hurtful but lies can be destructive. Be someone who helps others to grow and not demolish. After all its all about how much you can give and not what you receive.

Its okay. Its okay to  accomplish your goals your dreams at your own pace. You are doing everything as per your timeline. There is nothing called as “Too late” . Some people are able to achieve great things at the age of twenty and some at the age of forty still struggle to get a decent job but are still happy with what they have. Dont compare yourself with others because you have your own story and you are unique in your own way.

Its okay to fail at doing simple things. Sometimes what simple appears to others may be actually difficult when it comes into action. Dont judge yourself just because they can easily do it and you are struggling at it. Just keep on trying. Try as hard as you can.

Its okay. Its okay to be a little selfish when it comes to your happiness, your dreams, your aspirations ,your ambitions even when the whole world is against you. Fight your battle and prove them wrong. Be the hero of your own story and not a villain because villains only look good in movies ;)

Baaton Baaton Mein...

With Ramaswamy Seshadri

If you could live anywhere on this planet and take everything that you love with you, where would you choose to live? Tell the group about your choice.
I like living in India and won’t like to move anywhere else other than within India. Would like to move away from the humidity of Mumbai and probably move to Ladaakh. Is there a need of a salesperson there?? HR?? 
If you could choose your age forever, what age would you choose and why? 
I have enjoyed every moment of my life. Each day, each year has been great and has given me some wonderful learning experiences. Life has thrown lot of challenges and has given some wonderful opportunities. I have grabbed some, dropped some. No regrets.. So my answer, each age has been exciting and looking ahead to my next.
If you could be in the movie of your choice, what movie would you choose and what character would you play? 
I would like to be in an Avengers movie and play the Iron Man. As The famous Tony Stark says – “I'm just not the hero type. Clearly. With this laundry list of character defects, all the mistakes I've made. The truth is... I am Iron Man.”

What are your 5 favorite foods? 
Vada Pav, Bisi bele bath, Appam, Palada payasam, Pad Thai (Thai Stir-Fried Noodles)
If you were to change your name, what name would you adopt going forward? Why? 
I like my name, but If I were to change it, I don’t mind people calling me Sudarshan. Why? because it means beautiful, Good looking 😊😊 
If you could only choose one vacation destination where would you pick and why? 
I would like to go to Norway. They say it is the happiest country in the world. Want to see the magical northern lights, check out the UNESCO world heritage site “The Geirangerfjord” and enjoy the most astonishing train journey I hear is between Oslo and Bergen.

If you were to create a slogan for your life, what would the slogan be? 
Whatever happens, happens for good.

If you could choose one hobby that now seems out of your reach either financially or time-wise, what hobby would you take up and why? 

I would like to take sky diving as a hobby.. people say it is addictive and gets better each time you do it. The feeling of flying while you freefall, the intense adrenaline, the butterflies that run in your stomach. Hmm.. can’t express how much fun it would be as a hobby. You never know. Might happen someday soon. You might see me falling from the sky 😊😊

Creative Corner - Nitesh Kumar Singh

दास्ताने-इंक़लाब

कब तक दफ़न रखेगी सवालों का ज़लज़ला?

कब तक घोंटती रहेगी अरमानों का गला?

आ गया है अब वक़्त, तेरे फ़िरदौस में गुलों के खिलने का,

आ गया है अब वक़्त, जब आएगा खुशियों का सैलाब!

ज़ेहन में जो तूफान है, उसपे मत लगा तू बंदिश,

कोरे-काग़ज़ पे, रोशनाई से बिखेर दे, दास्ताने-इंक़लाब!

कब तक इज़्तिरार पे अश्क़ बहाती रहेगी?

कब तक इज़्तिराब में खुद को जलाती रहेगी?

आ गया है अब वक़्त, तेरा मुक़द्दर बदलने का,

आ गया है अब वक़्त, लेने का जिल्लतो का हिसाब!

ज़ेहन में जो तूफान है, उसपे मत लगा तू बंदिश,

कोरे-काग़ज़ पे, रोशनाई से बिखेर दे, दास्ताने-इंक़लाब!

कब तक मूरते-परस्तिश हो भी लूटती रहेगी?

कब तक बिखर-बिखर के यूँ जुटती रहेगी?

आ गया है अब वक़्त, तेरा तोड़ने का ख़ामोशी,

आ गया है अब वक़्त, देने का दुनिया को जवाब!

ज़ेहन में जो तूफान है, उसपे मत लगा तू बंदिश,

कोरे-काग़ज़ पे, रोशनाई से बिखेर दे, दास्ताने-इंक़लाब!

कब तक रूह को रखेगी क़ैद, रस्मों के ज़ंजीरों मे?

कब तक खोज़ रहेगी शख़्सियत की आईनों में, तस्वीरों में?

आ गया है अब वक़्त, तोड़ने का बेफ़िज़ूल दस्तूरों को,

आ गया है अब वक़्त, करने का चेहरों को बेनक़ाब!

ज़ेहन में जो तूफान है, उसपे मत लगा तू बंदिश,

कोरे-काग़ज़ पे, रोशनाई से बिखेर दे, दास्ताने-इंक़लाब!

इंक़लाब- Revolution

ज़लज़ला- Earthquake

फ़िरदौस- Paradise

सैलाब- Flood

ज़ेहन- Mind

इज़्तिरार- Helplessness

इज़्तिराब- Restlessness

ज़िल्लत- Humiliation

Creative Corner - Rimina Mohapatra

Yellow Fox

A fox quietly sits

Looking out of the window

A 12-storey high-rise

Asphalt atoms, hanging down 

All his pieces

Into a loop of chipped rain

A suburban pipe dream

Anxious, gleams brown

But his strange fur ears

Curl from a stinging lullaby

That he knows well

Derelict but wilful

A blade of sodium vapour light

Grazes his feral heart

A fox is a little afraid

He laughs at the edge of 

An impossible forest

Clouded by a familiar song

All in my head, he says  

Except the air of that room

Cuts with a tender refrain 

And the typewriter smells of frost

Journey with T&F

Sushmita Das
Managing Editor, Peer Review, Production

This is my 8th year in Taylor and Francis Group and I was the sole member of the Journals Peer Review team in 2011. Currently, we are a team of five members and we undertake quality checks for Journal articles for both Indian and International journals. The team has processed +40000 articles since its inception, responded to numerous queries from authors, editors, journal administrators etc., and worked on various projects. We were part of many workshops and seminars and we also conducted some. We have been applauded by senior, colleagues, Editors and Authors for our service and prompt response times.

This team has expanded over the years and last year with the addition of Journal Production and Reviewer selection team, the team has grown to fourteen members.

Working in Taylor & Francis has been one of the rewarding phases of my career. This has largely been made possible by the company’s warm and vibrant culture of diligent hard work, and goodwill amongst colleagues.

Baaton Baaton Mein...

With Sushmita Das

If you could live anywhere on this planet and take everything that you love with you, where would you choose to live?
I would love to go back and live in some remote, pristine place of Arunachal Pradesh, the place where I was born. The group would be my immediate family.

If you could choose an imaginary friend, who would you choose and why?
Imaginary or real, I would choose my husband, he is my best friend

If you could choose your age forever, what age would you choose and why?
People say I do not look my age, so no choices there

What are your 5 favorite foods?
I like Indian home cooked food, specially the non veg which I cook on my own. My favorite is Hilsa fish curry in mustard sous. I prefer hot saucy “Indian Chinese” when it’s raining outside.

If you were to change your name, what name would you adopt going forward? Why?
I like my current name; it means somebody with a beautiful smile

If you were stranded on a desert island, what three items would you want to have with you?
An oasis resort, family and loads of fun

If you could only choose one vacation destination where would you pick and why?
I like the pristine scenic beauty of Arunachal Pradesh. Walking around the paddy fields, fishing in the mountain streams and trekking used to be so much fun.

If you could choose one hobby that now seems out of your reach either financially or time-wise, what hobby would you take up and why

My hobby has been gardening and I wish to own an orchard someday 

Baaton Baaton Mein...

With Anand Goyal

If you could live anywhere on this planet and take everything that you love with you, where would you choose to live? Tell the group about your choice.
In a small town of Orissa where I have river to take a swim and a forest to roam about 
If you could choose an imaginary friend, who would you choose and why? 
I will have to seek permission from my wife to allow me to choose imaginary friend
If you could choose your age forever, what age would you choose and why? 
18 to 25, when life was simpler and I could take risks and experiment!
If you could be in the movie of your choice, what movie would you choose and what character would you play? 
Gabbar Singh in Sholay

What are your 5 favorite foods? 
Dalma, Rice, berries, Aloo Chop and Pitha an Oriya dish 
If you were to change your name, what name would you adopt going forward? Why? 
I am happy with my name as it symbolizes happiness 

If you were stranded on a desert island, what three items would you want to have with you?  
Sufficient quantity of water, food and camels 
What item that you don't have already, would you most like to own? 
A furnished old age home
If you could only choose one vacation destination where would you pick and why? 
Puri 
If you were to create a slogan for your life, what would the slogan be? (Examples: "Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow, we all die." "Bite off more than you can chew." " There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind.") 
Live and let live

If you could meet any living person for a chat over a shared dinner, who would you pick and why?  
JRD Tata, because I'd love to understand how he created his business empire
If you could choose one hobby that now seems out of your reach either financially or time-wise, what hobby would you take up and why? 
To play flute 

Creative Corner - Robinson Raju

Composition

(on the day when facts will have no implicit meaning and music is no more mere vibrations)

vain thoughts

tumble about

neural affinities

charge opposite

forth and back

cortically swum

whispered with each-

the -other

mumbled mysteries

free radicals proclaimed

memories fecund forlorn 

within gamuts of wheels

where time is lost

& space unfound

yoked in infinity 

on packaged pages

of bound curation

published

recited

cited

sung

begun

in

vain