Ravi S. Iyer: Worldly

From my recent Facebook posts: Mrs Robinson by Simon and Garfunkel (1968): (Only audio), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9C1BCAgu2I8 , around 4 mins. ---- Sittin' on the dock of a bay by Otis Redding (1968), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISxskvJ9FwI , around 3 min. ---- Joan Baez - The night they drove old dixie down (1971), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKrdbCbAxZ0 , 3 min 20 secs. ---- Simon & Garfunkel - Homeward Bound (1966): Only audio, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z9wd9bS1FM , 2 min. 30 secs. ---- Beatles - Yellow Submarine (1969): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2uTFF_3MaA , 2 min. 45 secs. ---- Pink Floyd - We don't need no education (1979); https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T38Y81FBEcQ , 3 min. 26 secs. ---- Beatles - Yesterday (1965): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSuVCyT63II , 2 mins. ---- Beatles - Let it Be (1970); https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xDzVZcqtYI , around 4 mins. ---- Abba - Money, money, money (1976); https://www...

From my recent Facebook posts: Brown Girl In The Ring by Boney M (1978). This song was very popular among Bombay (Mumbai) English Pop Music listeners of the late 70s and early 80s. I have heard the audio so many times then. But I had not seen the video renditions of it. So it was pleasure to see a couple of them now: a) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywA_aZp1Vd8 b) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiX2PbrBXCQ By the rivers of Babylon, Ma Baker, Love for Sale, Daddy Cool are some of the other big hits of Boney M that I had heard many times in those days. But I think the biggest hit in my Bombay circles was Brown Girl In The Ring. The lyrics did not make such sense for us guys but nobody was bothered about that - the music and voice was great. And I think the Brown Girl bit appealed to us brown skin guys :-). By the rivers of Babylon with lyrics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vz6LRBLPKSM Another rendition of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QUi8MFElq0 ---- Whitney H...

Harvard Political Science Prof at its JFK school of govt. Graham Allison's straight talk about prospect of Great Powers war between established top power USA and rising power China. Around 19 mins, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XewnyUJgyA4 , published 20th Nov. 2018.

Readers may want to see my recent post on another blog: US President Trump hosts Diwali event in White House; Am thankful to President Trump for words of support for religious pluralism,  https://ravisiyer.blogspot.com/2018/11/us-president-trump-hosts-diwali-event.html , 14th Nov. 2018

Last updated on 14th Nov. 2018 Major update:  https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/13/us/politics/trump-macron-france.html states that French President Macron did ****NOT**** say that a European army was required to defend against the USA. The above article states, " In his tweet, Mr. Trump chose to use a distorted version of what Mr. Macron said in the interview, even though the French president explained over the weekend what he actually said. Mr. Macron had told the interviewer that Europe needed to defend itself against cyberattacks that originate in a variety of places, including Russia, China and even the United States. Only later in the interview did he suggest building a European army. " Hmm. So Mr. Trump seems to have jumped the gun. Ideally he should apologize and delete the tweet. But I doubt if Mr. Trump will even delete the tweet. I am so glad to see this NYT report clearly stating that French President Macron did not say what Mr. Trump alleged, i.e. Macron ...

Please note that I have a PUBLICLY POLITICALLY NEUTRAL role in these social media posts that I put up related to Indian political leaders which may include leaders in government currently and those not in government. I am an Indian citizen and resident of India. I do vote in Indian elections but I keep who I vote for as a private matter. I should also say that I am a beneficiary, a lover and an open supporter of democracy in India. Shri Jairam Ramesh, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jairam_Ramesh , http://www.elections.in/political-leaders/jairam-ramesh.html , born 1954, is an Indian political leader. He was a Member of (Indian) Parliament representing Andhra Pradesh (my state) in the Rajya Sabha (Upper house of Indian Parliament) from June 2004 to June 2016. Shri Ramesh had been Union Minister of state (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Environment and Forests from May 2009 to July 2011. He was also Union Minister for Rural Development and Union Minister for Drinking Water and S...

Kishore Kumar sings it in a suitably mad way. That was a rare genius that Kishore Kumar had. Amitabh acts it out very well. Not the angry young man role which is how he burst onto Hindi film stardom, but as a mad, crazy in love guy with lots of self-deprecating slapstick comedy. I saw the movie either in 1977 or 1978, if I recall correctly, when I would have been 15 or 16 years old. But I have such vivid recollection of having seen this movie then. It was a multi-starrer - 3 top heroes and 3 heroines and a pretty good villain cast as well. It also had a multi-faith harmony theme with the three heroes being raised in Christian, Islam and Hindu faiths. I think it was advertised very heavily. It was produced and directed by Manmohan Desai and was the highest-grossing Indian film of the year. For more on the movie, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amar_Akbar_Anthony .  Here's the song: Around 5 mins, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl2T-Itb7WQ ---- In the same film, Mohd. Rafi...

When author of post or comment is not mentioned, it should be assumed that it is me (Ravi S. Iyer). FB post of mine,  https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/2351453788404518 , dated 27th Nov. 2018: USA  President Trump: "On the ten-year anniversary of the Mumbai terror attack, the U.S. stands with the people of India in their quest for justice. The attack killed 166 innocents, including six Americans. We will never let terrorists win, or even come close to winning!" Source: https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1067142262545674240 , 26th Nov. 2018. My tweet response to him: "Thank you Mr. President of the USA, for your determined fight against terrorists. - From an Indian resident who was born, educated and worked for a living in Mumbai and so loves Mumbai.", https://twitter.com/RaviSaiIyer/status/1067308677189709824 ... FB post of mine,  https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/2351070535109510 , dated 27th Nov. 2018 shares Maharashtra Chief ...

Different renditions of the song are given below. The lyrics and informal English translation of it are given towards the end of the post. 1) Claims to be audio of live event - certainly seems to be the Great Kishore Kumar singing: Kishore Kumar Live - Los Angeles Concert - Main Hu Jhumru (Mid 1970s), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmBFTWNt5v8 , around 4 mins. 2) Mein hoon jhum jhum jhumroo..jhumroo-kishore da you live in your music,in our hearts (mainly audio), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MuzvaBj8w8 , around 4 mins 3) The original film video clip - the song is played at the beginning of the movie along with the credits of the film: Main Hoon Jhoom Jhoom Jhumroo - Jhumroo Songs - Kishore Kumar - Madhubala - Fun Song - Filmigaane, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYV7wRovPhY , 3 min. 19 secs. 4) Interesting part rendition of the song: Mai Hu Jhum Jhum Jhumroo By Gautam Ghosh, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mgmda7ndfYw , 2 min. 49 secs, published on Oct. 7th 2018. 5) Nic...

Very popular 70s Hindi film song - Yaari Hai Emaan Mera Yaar Meri Zindagi - sung by Manna Dey. Main actors are Pran and Amitabh and the film is Zanjeer (1973). Yaari Hai Iman Mera Yaar Meri Zindagi - Manna Dey - Zanjeer (1973) - HD, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KIcWTV3MME , 6 min. 36 secs. A great line from the song: Jaan bhi jaaye agar yaari mein yaaro gam nahi Informal English translation of it is: Even if life is lost in friendship, friends there is no sorrow The main line of the song: Yaari hain emaan mera yaar meri zindagi informally translated means: Friendship is my Dharma (religion) and my friend is my life. Pran plays the role of a Pathan/Pashtun, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pashtuns . Pathans had (and may still have) the reputation of being fiercely independent and are Muslims traditionally hailing from Pakistan and Afghanistan. BTW current Pakistani president Imran Khan is a Pathan/Pashtun. I think this song celebrates the best of friends that, accordi...

Former Speaker of US House of Representatives, who may be the next Speaker, Nancy Pelosi speaking on Democrats winning the House of Representatives in the 2018 mid-term elections: Nancy Pelosi on Democratic majority: 'Tomorrow will be a new day in America', https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Azmek-5rTiI , 8 min. 13 secs., published on 6th Nov. 2018 by PBS NewsHour Please note that I have a PUBLICLY (POLITICALLY) NEUTRAL informal-student-observer role in these posts that I put up about USA politics. Of course, as I am an Indian citizen living in India, there is no question of me having voted in USA elections.

1) US mid-term election results 2018: Maps, charts and analysis, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46076389 A small extract from the above, "In a dramatic election night President Donald Trump's Republican Party have retained control of the Senate and the Democrats now have control of the House of Representatives." 2) From Two Years After Trump’s Victory, Voters Erect an Impediment to His Power, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/06/us/politics/trump-house-senate.html , 6th Nov. 2018 "The vaunted blue wave that Democrats had hoped for failed to fully materialize on Tuesday night, but the days of one-party control in Washington are now over. President Trump’s strength in rural areas kept the Senate in Republican control, but voters in urban and suburban districts across the country sent the White House a clear message: They want a check on the president." 3) From https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/11/06/us/elections/results-house-elections.html...

Readers may want to view my post on another blog of mine: Using top ten countries' GDP data to assess how the world changed (materially) from my personal perspective, since I began working in 1984, https://ravisiyer.blogspot.com/2018/11/using-top-ten-countries-gdp-data-to.html , 5th Nov. 2018

Recep Tayyip Erdogan: Saudi Arabia still has many questions to answer about Jamal Khashoggi’s killing, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/global-opinions/wp/2018/11/02/recep-tayyip-erdogan-saudi-arabia-still-has-many-questions-to-answer-about-jamal-khashoggis-killing/ , 2nd Nov. 2018 President Erdogan writes: The story is all too familiar: Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and a family man, entered Saudi Arabia’s Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 for marriage formalities. No one – not even his fiancee, who was waiting outside the compound — has ever seen him again. Over the course of the past month, Turkey has moved heaven and earth to shed light on all aspects of this case. As a result of our efforts, the world has learned that Khashoggi was killed in cold blood by a death squad, and it has been established that his murder was premeditated. ... No one should dare to commit such acts on the soil of a NATO ally again. If anyone chooses to ignore that warning, they will face s...

A sentence I came across in a recent Western world mainstream media article about how democratic contests for power could become across the world: "Turn your opponents into enemies, dial up the fury and the fear, and power will be yours." It is very scary that democratic election contests are becoming so bitter and hateful in many parts of the world, including India. Yes, of course, they still are much better than contestants killing and maiming each other and each others' supporters which is what happened prior to democracy. And democracy is a comparatively new thing in the world. So contestants for power killing and maiming each other is what has happened for most of the known history of the world. But democracy can be a kinder contest for power. One hopes and prays that democratic contests for power across the world will become kinder and nobler.

Brazil is the largest country in South America. It is also the fifth-largest country by area and sixth-largest by population (208 million). It has the eighth largest (nominal) GDP in the world. For more see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazil . I read this article in today's The Hindu (1st Nov. 2018) print newspaper: Mapping Brazil’s far-right shift, https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/mapping-brazils-far-right-shift/article25383453.ece , 31st Oct. 2018 published by The Hindu That led me to view some youtube videos on Brazil's elections and related matters. Given below are some of them. Brazil's newly elected president Jair Bolsonaro victory speech, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1AHeijvzDA , around 8 mins, published on 28th Oct. 2018 by FRANCE 24 English Why Brazilian Women Support Jair Bolsonaro | Dispatches, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oldbOFe4gfk , around 9 mins published on 28th Oct. 2018 by New York Times Why this far-right candidate won Brazil...