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Published: 09 May 2025

Last Updated: 09 May 2025

This is from a PhD dissertation in Hindi, submitted to a university from Jhansi in 1989.

In Hindi poetry, Upma Alankar is a type of rhetorical device that involves drawing a comparison between two things, using words like "like" or "as," to highlight a similarity or shared characteristic. 

It's a form of simile.

Some examples follow:

Upmaa

1- Chaand si mahbooba ho meri, kab maine aisa socha tha.
2- Ban than ke main bhi le nikli, jaise saawan mein chamke bijli.
3- Kaari raina ke maathe pe chamke chaand si bindiya.
4- Tapasviyon si hain atal ye parvaton ki chotiyaan.
5- Khile phoolsi teri javaani, koi bataaye kahaan kasar hai.
6- Nainon mein amrit ke pyaale, tan neelgagan sa nirmal hai.
7- Chandra saa mukhda tha uska, chandra-mukhi tha naam.
8- Moti jaisa rang, rang mein ras ka saagar lahraaye.
9- Gaure gaure chaand se mukh par kaali kaali ankhen.
10- Lachke mori sutlisi jo kamariya.

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New DS-376

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Published: 22 August 2023

Last Updated: 22 August 2023

Kishore Kumar : The Ultimate Biography
by Anirudha Bhattacharjee, Parthiv Dhar

Available everywhere.

When I was growing up, I knew about Kishore Kumar as a singer who sometimes sang for Dev Anand. I knew that he acted also but the first film I saw was Pyar Kiye Ja (1966), then Padosan (1968). Then I went to the US for studies and missed the whole Kishore Kumar-Rajesh Khanna phenomenon. When I returned in 1975, he was singing lots of popular songs for everybody.

On the whole I thought he was a good singer (could have been another KL Saigal!). And a comedic actor with a good sense of timing. But I did not know much more.

What I wanted to know and learnt by reading this book is best expressed in the Introduction by Prince Rama Varma, Carnatic singer and veena artiste

"Despite being diehard admirers of Kishore Kumar, the authors have succeeded in keeping things in proper perspective throughout the book, without making anything sentimental or one-sided. In the present-day scenario, when sensationalizing anything and everything seems to be the general trend, they have kept things as objective and balanced as possible, even though the subject of the book was an extremely colourful individual, to say the least. His four marriages, his run-ins with income tax authorities, with Indira Gandhi’s Emergency, his perceived rivalry with good friend and legend Mohammed Rafi—all these and more have been covered in a matter-of-fact manner."

Basically all my questions about him are answered (and much more is covered) in 534 pages, more than 450 end-notes, with fully-sourced information, no gossip, so much so that the book may be eligible for a PhD thesis in Film Studies!

I must admit that I have read the book like one reads an encyclopedia, dipping into articles and savoring the information provided. So, I can say at this stage, I have not found anything that I do not like about this book. Going by the previous books by Anirudha Bhattacharjee, I don't think I will find anything.

Happy Birthday Anirudha (and his other co-author Balaji Vittal, how they managed to be born on the same day is a mystery!)

Note: The car photo is from the website https://www.team-bhp.com/ where they have a whole thread on Bollywood and cars.

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Published: 04 April 2025

Last Updated: 04 April 2025

Many of you are no doubt familiar the website on Kanan Devi launched by Dr Jyoti Prakash Guha. I am happy to report that this website has found another home. It is now available in a section of my website.Here is the link

Dr Guha's Kanan Devi website