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Zohra Sehgal… The Grand Old Lady of Indian Cinema … End of an Era …
Jul 11, 2014
Older than Indian cinema, Zohra Sehgal had a glorious performing career that inspired
generations.
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Zohra Sehgal, a quintessential Bollywood diva who essayed character roles with aplomb in a career spanning over seven decades in both theatre and cinema, died in New Delhi on Thursday at the age of 102. Photo: S. Subramanium The Hindu
Often called the grand old lady of Bollywood, she last appeared in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawariya(with Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor) in 2007. She acted in hits like Cheeni Kum (with Amitabh Bachchan), Dil Se (with Shah Rukh Khan and Manisha Koirala), Veer Zaara (Shah Rukh and Preity Zinta), Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai) and Bend It Like Beckham.
Born on April 27, 1912 in Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh in a traditional Muslim family, Sehgal, third of her seven siblings, grew up in Chakrata near Dehradun and was sent to Lahore to pursue her higher education.
As a dancer, she performed across Japan, Egypt, Europe and the U.S.. She married scientist, painter and dancer Kameshwar Sehgal in August 1942. The couple had two children, Kiran and Pavan. Kameshwar died in 1952 and Zohra raised the children all by herself.
On her return from foreign trips, Sehgal had to don the burqa while studying in Lahore’s prestigious Queen Mary College, meant for daughters of aristocratic families, an institution where strict purdah was observed and males invited to speak there were put behind a screen.
Considered the doyenne of Indian theatre, Ms. Sehgal acted with Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA) and Prithviraj Kapoor’s Prithvi Theatre for 14 years. In 1946, she debuted in IPTA’s first film production Dharti Ke Lal, which dealt with the Bengal famine. She also acted in another IPTA film — Chetan Anand’s Neecha Nagar.
She choreographed for a few Hindi films as well, including classics like Guru Dutt’s Baazi (1951) and the dream sequence song in Raj Kapoor’s film Awaara.
Sehgal moved to London on a drama scholarship in 1962, where she appeared in many TV productions including The Jewel in the Crown, Tandoori Nights, My Beautiful Laundrette and The Raj Quartet.
Born Sahibzadi Zohra Begum Mumtaz-Ullah Khan on April 27, 1912 in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, Zohra Sehgal began her career as a dancer with Uday Shankar in 1935 and performed across Japan, Egypt, Europe and the U.S. In this April 2012 photo, Zohra Sehgal reacts while cutting a cake on her 100th birthday in New Delhi. Photo: PTI
Zohra Sehgal was awarded the Padma Shri in 1998 and the Kalidas Samman in 2001. The Sangeet Natak Akademi presented her with its highest award, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship in 2004. She received the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian honour in 2010. In this April 2010 photo, then President Pratibha Patil presents the Padma Vibhushan to Zohra Segal. Photo: PTI
A rare photo of Zohra Sehgal with Uday Shankar’s wife Amala Shankar at Uday Shankar’s dance centre in Almora. Photo: The Hindu Archives
Zohra Sehgal with her sister from Pakistan Uzra Butt in New Delhi in 2003. “All my life I have been active in my profession since October 8, 1935. Even when my children were born, or my husband committed suicide, I managed to carry on. After the 75th year of my career, I decided to stop,” Zohra Sehgal had said in April 2012 when she turned 100. And when asked whether she had any wishes left, she memorably had said, “I want long blonde hair, an hourglass figure and 5 foot 6 inches height.” Photo: The Hindu
Considered the doyenne of Indian theatre, Zohra Sehgal was associated with the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA) and Prithviraj Kapoor’s Prithvi Theatre for 14 years. She choreographed for a few Hindi films as well, including classics like Guru Dutt’s “Baazi” (1951) and the dream sequence song in Raj Kapoor’s film “Awaara”. In this June 13, 2009 photo, Zohra Sehgal gets emotional during a meeting in the memory of eminent theatre personality and another IPTA veteran Habib Tanvir at Abhimanch Theatre, NSD, in New Delhi. Photo: The Hindu
Source::::: The Hindu… July 11 2014
Natarajan
Curious Coincidence…. !!!
Curious Coincidence of Words……………..
Hate has 4 letters
so does Love………….
Enemies has 7 letters
so does Friends……..
Lying has 5
so does Truth………………..
Negative has 8
so does Positive…….
Under has 5
so does Above………………..
Cry has 3 letters
so does Joy……….
Anger has 5 letters
so does Happy…….
Right has 5 letters
so does Wrong…….
Are they by Coincidences??????
It means Life is like a Double edged Sword,
We should choose the BETTER SIDE OF LIFE……!!!
Source::::::unknown… Input from a friend of mine
Natarajan
Image of the Day… Night Shining Clouds !!!
Electric blue night-shining clouds
2014 has been a great year for noctilucent, or night-shining, clouds, seen at high latitudes only from about mid-May to August. Wondrous, if you can catch them!
Message For the Day…”Make your ‘iccha'{wish} only For GOD…That is Good …”
The first step in spiritual training is to curb the Icchaa shakthi (power of desires), which prompts the senses to pursue objects. If the iccha (wish) is for God, it is good; if, on the other hand, it is for objective pleasure, then it harms the individual… If a dacoit cuts off your hand, it is himsa (injury); if the doctor amputates it, he saves your life and so, it is ahimsa (non-injury). Vishaya vaasana (attachment to sense objects) makes an act low; Bhagavath vaasana (attachment to God) makes it sacrosanct.
” This is Funny …..An Amazing Rhyme …” !!!
This is funny….
GOA RADIO ORGANISED A COMPETITION FOR POEMS, IN WHICH THE FIRST LINE MUST BE ROMANTIC, BUT SECOND LINE SHOULD BE THE OPPOSITE.
Here is the ultimate prize winning poem…
My darling, my lover, my beautiful wife.
Marrying you messed up my life.
I see your face when I am dreaming.
That’s why I always wake up screaming.
Kind, intelligent, loving and hot;
This describes everything you are not.
I love your smile, your face and your eyes,
Damn, I’m good at telling lies!
My feelings for you, no words can tell,
Except for maybe ‘Go to hell.’
What inspired this amazing rhyme?
A bottle of tequila,with some lime!!
Source:::Input from a friend of mine
Natarajan
” Mother is Mother “….Animal Kingdom No Exception …
A parent’s love for their child knows no boundaries, and this is true both of us and of our animal friends. In these heartwarming photos of animal parenting, you’ll recognize many of the same tender and stressful childhood moments that you may have also experienced as a parent or a child.
Ecologists tend to separate animals into two groups based on their parenting – the r and K categories. The K category includes animals like elephants, cats, and us – animals that have relatively few offspring with longer gestational periods. Their fewer offspring require more focused care, and for a longer time – the sort of parenting we’re used to. Parents from the r category go for quantity over quality, with many offspring that grow quickly and individually have small chances of survival.
Image credits: Anton Belovodchenko
Image credits: dailymail.co.uk
Image credits: Jeanette DiAnda
Image credits: Igor Shpilenok
Image credits: Ric Seet
Image credits: pensivesquirrel.wordpress.com
Image credits: Marco Mattiussi
Image credits: Jan Pelcman
Image credits: Laurie Rubin
Image credits: Michael Milicia
Image credits: Chuck Babbitt
Image credits: hqwide.com
Image credits: Tin Man
Image credits: dailymail.co.uk
Image credits: Wolfgang von Vietinghoff
Image credits: Udayan Rao Pawar
Image credits: Daniel Münger
Image credits: dailymail.co.uk
Image credits: Andre Pretorius
Image credits: Frederique Olivier/John Downer Productions
Image credits: imgur.com
Image credits: Jim Ridley
Image credits: Michael Nichols
Image credits: Edwin Kats
A parent’s love for their child knows no boundaries, and this is true both of us and of our animal friends. In these heartwarming photos of animal parenting, you’ll recognize many of the same tender and stressful childhood moments that you may have also experienced as a parent or a child.
Ecologists tend to separate animals into two groups based on their parenting – the r and K categories. The K category includes animals like elephants, cats, and us – animals that have relatively few offspring with longer gestational periods. Their fewer offspring require more focused care, and for a longer time – the sort of parenting we’re used to. Parents from the r category go for quantity over quality, with many offspring that grow quickly and individually have small chances of survival.
Image credits: Anton Belovodchenko
Image credits: dailymail.co.uk
Image credits: Jeanette DiAnda
Image credits: Igor Shpilenok
Image credits: Ric Seet
Image credits: pensivesquirrel.wordpress.com
Image credits: Marco Mattiussi
Image credits: Jan Pelcman
Image credits: Laurie Rubin
Image credits: Michael Milicia
Image credits: Chuck Babbitt
Image credits: hqwide.com
Image credits: Tin Man
Image credits: dailymail.co.uk
Image credits: Wolfgang von Vietinghoff
Image credits: Udayan Rao Pawar
Image credits: Daniel Münger
Image credits: dailymail.co.uk
Image credits: Andre Pretorius
Image credits: Frederique Olivier/John Downer Productions
Image credits: imgur.com
Image credits: Jim Ridley
Image credits: Michael Nichols
Image credits: Edwin Kats
Source::::www.boredpanda.com
Natarajan
Joke of the day…” Read all about…” !!!
A newsboy was standing on the corner with a stack of papers, yelling, “Read all about it; Fifty people swindled!” Fifty people swindled! Curios, a man walked over, bought a paper, and said, “Hey kid, this is an old paper, where’s the story about the big swindle?” The newsboy ignored him and went on calling out, “read all about it; Fifty-one people swindled!”
Source:::joke a day .com
Natarajan
Laughter is The Best Medicine …” You Give me 100 lashes …” !!!
The Punishment for Drinking Booze …
An Englishman, a German and a Frenchman are all in Saudi Arabia, sharing a smuggled crate of booze, when all of a sudden, Saudi police rush in and arrest them. The mere possession of alcohol is a severe offence in Saudi Arabia, so for this terrible crime they are all sentenced to 50 whip lashes each.
On the day of their punishment the Sheikh who will whip them announced: “It’s my wife’s birthday today, and she has asked me to allow each of you one wish before your whipping.” The German was first in line, he thought for a while and then said: “Please tie a pillow to my back.” This was done, but the pillow only lasted 20 lashes before the whip went through.
When the punishment was done the German had to be carried away bleeding and crying with pain. The Frenchman was next up. After watching the German in horror he said smugly: “Please fix two pillows to my back.” But even two pillows could only take 35 lashes before the whip went through again and the Frenchman was soon led away whimpering loudly.
The Englishman was the last one up, but before he could say anything, the Sheikh turned to him and said: “You are from a most beautiful part of the world and your culture is one of the finest in the world. For this, you may have two wishes!”
“Thank you, your Most Royal and Merciful highness,” the Englishman replied. “In recognition of your kindness, my first wish is that you give me not 50, but 100 lashes.” “Not only are you an honorable, handsome and powerful man, you are also very brave,” the Sheikh said with an admiring look on his face. “If 100 lashes is what you desire, then so be it. And your second wish, what is it to be?” the Sheikh asked. The Englishman smiled and said, “Tie the Frenchman and the German to my back.”
Source::: ba-ba mail site
Natarajan
Image of the Day………Glacier in Pakistan !!!
This isn’t the Arctic. It isn’t Greenland. It’s Pakistan. At 63 kilometers (39 miles) in length, Baltoro Glacier in Pakistan is one of the longest glaciers outside the polar regions.
Source:::Earth sky news
Natarajan
