TV Show: Nukkad (1986-87)

NUKKAD

Nukkad (Street Corner) was a popular Hindi TV serial that was aired on the Indian television channel DD National from 1986 till 1987. It was directed by Kundan Shah and Saeed Akhtar Mirza and was written by Prabodh Joshi. Each of the episodes revolves around the local street corner “nukkad” where everyone meets in the late afternoon and share their life stories with each other.

CAST:

• Dilip Dhawan—Guru
• Avtar Gill—Kaderbhai
• Pavan Malhotra—Hari
• Sameer Khakhar—Khopdi
• Haidar Ali—Raja
• Sangeeta Naik—Radha 

The show, based in Mumbai, aims to portray the struggles of the lower income labour class in cities. It also tries to bring forward some of the social problems prevalent in the Indian society and how they affect a common man's life. The show trails the life of a group of friends as they try to make a living in an increasingly harsh social and economic climate of the urban India.

Nukkad was aired for 13 episodes (like most other serials those days), and all them were quite fascinating.

Nukkad is a part of the glorious Golden Era of Indian Television. The show has everything that a good TV show must be made of: comedy, drama and emotions in perfect balance. It also had social message. A thing that cannot be said about the balderdash that is shoved down our throats under the tag of TV shows these days.

Pyaasa Movie (1957)

PYAASA

Pyaasa opens with a jobless poet Vijay (Guru Dutt) lying in the lap of Nature, which accepts him, unquestioning and non-judgemental. The world he lives in, we soon see, is very different. Vijay is a talented writer, but the world has yet to wake up to his stark, stirring poetry. He is treated with contempt by publishers. His evil brothers evict him from his house when he chides them for selling off his poems to a raddiwala.
His life changes after a chance encounter with Meena, his college sweetheart and her husband Ghosh, a famous publisher at the college reunion.

Pyaasa works at two levels simultaneously -- it is an entertainer with an absorbing story as well as a comment on the commodification of people in the quest for success, money, and power. It is a well thought out story of an anguished man, seeking love and respect. Guru Dutt's work speaks volumes about his talent not only as an actor but also as a producer and a director.  Mala Sinha and Waheeda Rehman are the charming heroines of the film, one a high society princess and the other a heavyhearted prostitute.

Another great aspect of this movie is S.D. Burman’s brilliant music along with the thoughtful verses penned down by Sahir Ludhianvi. So amazing is the direction of the film that it sustains the viewer’s interest throughout.  

Time magazine in 2005 justifiably rated Pyaasa as one of the 100 best films of all time.

Ten Iconic Photos

TEN ICONIC PHOTOS 

Last attempt at survival.

The scratch marks of the Jews who were gassed to death in the Auschwitz Gas Chambers.

Breaking of a wall, Unification of Humanity

This is the photo of the initial breaking of the Berlin Wall which separated West Berlin from East Berlin.

Cloud of death and destruction.

The infamous mushroom cloud which sprouted when the atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on 6 August, 1945.

Loyalty doesn't stop at death. 

The dog, 'Leao' did not leave his owner's grave two days after she died in the Rio de Janeiro floods.

Band of Brotherhood.

Christians form a ring around muslims praying in Egypt to protect them from in going riots.

One tiny footstep, one giant imprint.

Photo of Man's first footstep on moon, a remarkable day in the history of mankind.

India's dream taking off.

World cheapest Mars Mission by India, Mangalyaan, takes off. It cost only 450 crores.

Partition of a nation's soul.

India's partition in 1947 which killed over a million people is the largest mass migration in human history.

Sunrise in another world.

The photo of the sun rising in Mars taken by the Mars Rover.

A Nation's Dream Realised.

The historic 1983 Cricket World Cup win when India defeated the mighty West Indies to emerge as world champions for the first time. 

Tryst with Destiny

Speeches are an important window to our historical past and are an integral part of our archives. Radio has enabled us, for the first time in history, to broadcast some of the most important historical moments to the world. 

Jawaharlal Nehru’s historical speech “Tryst with Destiny” was delivered to the Indian Constituent Assembly in the Parliament on August 14^th, 1947 at midnight just as India gained independence. This landmark narration highlights all the aspects of India’s triumphant non-violent struggle for freedom from the British Raj.

By the 1940s, British politicians, apart from Churchill, realised independence would soon be inevitable. The Labour government then appointed a new viceroy, Louis Mountbatten, under orders to get Britain out by June 1948. Independence Day was set for August 15.  India's assembly would be convened on the afternoon of August 14 and continue in session until Nehru's speech shortly before midnight, when, to the chiming of an English clock and the blowing of Indian conch shells, independent India would be born. 

Airing of the speech on radio enabled millions of Indians to listen to the speech without being there in person. Radio binded the whole country together that night and India woke up to a morning where they were independent.

“Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially.

At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance.

It is fitting that at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity.”

Jai Hind. 

Technology: The Hope for the Future

No matter what disadvantages technology may have, its benefits and relevance in today's day and age is undeniable. Here is a story of a small town girl and how technology has played an important role in her life.

Shraddha* is a bubbly and hardworking cashier at the Bharath Bookmark outlet near Tiger Circle, Manipal. She is 22 years old, a localite and she has been working in this shop for 8 months now. She told me how technology has drastically improved the way things are run nowadays. She used to initially work in a bookshop which had no computers and bills had to be handwritten. She said that the technology-deficit system had several flaws. It was difficult to keep track of the inventory and it doubled her workload. If any item went missing, they were blamed and had to pay for the loss themselves. It created unnecessary pressure and prevented her from enjoying work. She was not at satisfied with her job so she left it.

After leaving her job at that place she joined Bharath Bookmark which has a completely computerized system. All items are bar coded and all you need is a bar code reader and voila, there is your bill. It prevents any sort of tampering with rates and makes the work of the cashiers twice as faster. As it is a large store it helps keep track of their vast inventory. Corresponding with the various companies who supply the stocks has become easier through email. Also, she spoke of the recently installed CCTV cameras in the store which has prevented lots of loss by petty thefts. She further went on to tell how much technology has helped her in her in her daily life. WhatsApp and Skype she says and inextricable parts of her life. Her sister works in Chennai  and they often video chat on Skype. Shraddha also added that although technology has multiple benefits it has equal number of disadvantages too. She says it’s a fifty-fifty ratio. Technology may have made work faster and more efficient, but at the same time it means people are losing their jobs as well because machines are replacing them. But at the end of the day there is no denying how integral a part of our life technology and internet has become.

*names have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals. 

The Ugly Side of Technology

Is technology really as great and revolutionary as it claims to be? Most of us only know about how drastically it as changed lives for the good, but we all tend to forget there are two sides to every coin. Upon talking to some locals in and around Udupi and Manipal I came across many whose lives have been affected negatively by technology. Here is one story which really intrigued me.

When Mr. Venugopal Rao* opened up Krishna Travels* in 1980 it was his pride and joy. After working under several others and saving enough money did he venture into opening up his own business. He worked day and night to make it a success. His initial ventures were in booking domestic air, bus and train tickets. As his business flourished he started bringing out more branches. He started with a shop near the Udupi bus stand and later opened two more shops in Udupi in the late 1990s. The late 1990s were also a time when international travel was new and he took great pride in helping people cross the seven seas. It was all jolly till the advent of technology.

Mr. Venugopal Rao’s* son, Mr. Vasant Rao* currently sits in their main shop near the Udupi KSRTC Bus stand. He is a very withdrawn person and refused to answer any questions especially pertaining to his business. After he refused to answer absolutely any question for five minutes, I thought of leaving just when I met his son, Mr. Ashish Rao*. He is the third generation Rao who is looking after the family business of Krishna Travels. His father was once a jolly man but has turned taciturn and aloof of late. He told me the whole story. After the business flourished for a couple of decades, the slow poison of technology started spreading. They had three shops all over Udupi with four counters in each to do bookings. But as technology and use of internet became more widespread their business slowly started decreasing. He also lost 70% of his business after the rise in popularity of internet bookings. From 2003 to 2011, he had to bring down the number of shops to two from here with only three counters in each shop. He said it is understandable that people would prefer to conveniently book the tickets on the internet sitting comfortably at home but it pains him to see his grandfather’s business slowly crumbling away. Due to decreasing business they have started charging extra commission on credit card usage. They also had to resort to other cost cutting methods of late. Mr. Ashish Rao* said he is doing all he can to revive the business to atleast a semblance of its former glory but has also wisely said that they must think rationally and keep other options open and not be too optimistic either.

*names have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals