Sensory Jukebox: Bollywood & Mughal Empires

The clouds kept pouring some billions of litres of water over suburbs of Mumbai last afternoon till evening. And I had the opportunity of spending time with two wonderfully learned and experienced souls.

First it was Uday Tara Nair who is currently editing the Autobiography of Shri Dilip Kumar [Indian Cinema Legend] and then it was Zafar Iqbal [former IAS officer and former CEO of Shapoorji Pallonji Realty].
Taraji has spent her entire life in the Bollywood Industry and is one of the most respected journalist having spent a long time as Editor of the Screen Magazine in India. During our conversations, we traversed several topics but the one that I really enjoyed were her anecdotal accounts of humane experiences in Bollywood. She narrated the hows of sensory overload in this industry which keeps its people absolutely on super-anxious zone…the way how each movie’s success is a metaphoric EMI paid for staying in the industry or how it turns out to become a repossession case in cases of failure. And even despite all the sensory circus, Taraji has maintained her vivek [discretion] and not bowed down to pressures of influence. Her humble demeanor earned her the title of “respectable access to star” from none other than Shri Amitabh Bacchan. Some of our conversations even captured the management mantras coming out of Bollywood…as in how in the earlier days after the movie was being shot [they didn’t have possibility of real time rewind-play of the scene shot and hence waited for the shoot completion and then processed the film for a preview], even the spotboys used to be called for previews and the Director-Producer used to take their opinion. This, she very proudly mentions, was a very participative approach and a more sensible one. That how there is a secular approach to religion amongst  some of the Bollywood legends…that some of them have even read multiple scriptural texts…is worth taking note of. That some legends became and remained one owing to their humility, moderation of their desires, discipline of health & genuinely generous orientations.  

The colors of Bollywood sort of went in the black-white era of the Mughal presence in India when I met with Zafar Iqbalji. Zarafsaahab  fluently played the distinct eras of Mamluk, Khilji, Tughlaq, Sayeed, Lodhi, Babar, Humayun, Akbar, Jahangeer, Shahjahan & Aurangzeb. His animated narration enlivened the era in front of my eyes. His account of several life lessons from the history simple amazes. That Mughal Empire is generally misconstrued as only an "Invasion Brigade". That the logic of core competence coming from Akbar’s Nine Jewel or Vikramaditya’s Navaratnas or Vedic Four Varnas.  The theory of Corporate Shared Service Centers [in different King’s Empire] governing the several geographical Strategic Business Units [Conquered or Ruled Territories] is simply founded in historical accounts. That how Nawab Hafiz Muhammad Ibrahim Khan Salarzai of Tonk managed to have longest reign despite several invasion attempts [competitor strategies to quell] owing to his steady state  of wisdom [sthitha pradnya], calm demeanor and peaceful approach. That how spiritual values [not necessarily religious bred] were at the heart of several empires. That how the sensory overload was moderated by right satsang [group of wise men meeting frequently]. That how the discipline of spiritual fitness [remembering axis of existence] multiple times a day or week [in most religions like five times in Parsi/Muslim or four times in Hindus] makes a difference while transacting in this sensory mall called world.

Sensory Jukebox plays the tune,
Most times its Worldly, few times its true you,
Dip History or Dip in the Current
Lessons not Change, Teachers Do.