"The wicket looks quite different from the outside.
It feels like it's flat, but
the ball is holding up in the pitch; that's when you realise the pace
changes," said Kohli after RCB's innings.
He also defended the strategy of not going after the bowlers from the start.
"One of us (Virat or Faf du Plessis) had to bat till the end. I feel this total is
effective on this pitch. I am not coming in with any premeditation. I knew I
couldn't get over aggressive, just that I had to keep the bowlers guessing.
They think I will come hard at them," Kohli said.
"It's just experience and maturity of playing the conditions. Even if there's
dew, the surface is rough and dry; won't be easy for the batters," he
observed.
He felt that hitting Chahal or Ashwin wasn't an easy task.
IPL 2024
"I couldn't get under the carrom ball against Ashwin. Couldn't slog towards
mid-wicket, so had to target straight down the ground."
-ADVERTISEMENT-
Kohli's ton went in vain as Jos Buttler powered the Royals to their fourth
win on the trot with an unbeaten century. England's white-ball skipper, in
his 100th IPL appearance, blasted exactly 100 off 58 balls, including 9 fours
and 4 sixes, as Rajasthan Royals defeated Royal Challengers Bengaluru by
six wickets for their fourth win in as many matches.
Why Sahir Ludhianvi Is Relevant Today
By NEETA KOLHATKAR
Last updated on: January 23, 2024 13:53 IST
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While the country is gripped by Ram Mandir frenzy, Danish
Husain -- without shouting from the rooftops -- silently staged
his opinion with this play on one of India's best-known poets,
observes Neeta Kolhatkar.
IMAGE: Danish Husain as Sahir Ludhianvi in the play, Main Pal Do Pal
Ka Shayar Hoon. Photograph: Gorky M
It was a housefull show at the National Centre for Performing Arts in
Mumbai on the weekend as The Hoshruba Repertory staged Main Pal Do
Pal Ka Shayar Hoon.
This 'Hindustani' play, conceptualised and directed by Danish Husain, is on
the life of the renowned poet Sahir Ludhianvi and began with his famous
couplets -- the audience, with an average age span of 60-65 years, sang
Sahir's famous Hindi songs uninhibitedly.
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Photograph: Gorky M
The play begins with a moving rendition composed by composer and
percussionist Aneesh Pradhan.
Then, Srijonee Bhattacharjee sang while Vrinda Vaidhayaat, more like
a sutradhar, narrated Sahir's couplets and sang on a few occasions too.
Sahir, played by Danish Husain, is shown surrounded by books at his
writing table.
At one point, the two ladies and the musicians referenced the late film-
maker Guru Dutt, and the lighting was straight out of his memorable
film Kagaaz Ke Phool and its song, Waqt Ne Kiya Kya Haseen Sitam. The
audience was engrossed as they took in every spoken word, prose or poetry.
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Photograph: Gorky M
Sahir, whose birth name was Abdul Hayee, was born on March 8, 1921 in
Ludhiana.
His father Chaudhri Fazl Mohammed was a wealthy Punjabi, his mother
Sardar Begum originally belonged to Kashmir.
Sections in the play were devoted to Sahir's struggle to find a footing in the
Indian film world and his journey to post-Partition Pakistan after facing
rejection.
After being separated from his mother, they were reunited in Lahore.
While he stayed there, Sahir became the editor of an Urdu
magazine, Savera (Dawn).
When he recited his poem Avaaz-e-Adam (The Voice of Adam), it
prompted the Pakistani government to issue an arrest warrant against him.
The stress of flying to India fearing imminent arrest left him with a fear of
flying for the rest of his life.
When he returned to the land of his birth, he realised that India was
waiting for him.
The focus of the play was also on his love for the poor as Naaz-e-Hind. The
original Nazm (poem) -- 'Jinhe naaz hai Hind par, woh kahan hai? -- was
later incorporated in Guru Dutt's classic Pyaasa.
In the 1940s, a young Sahir became a sensation after his unpopular opinion
in his famous poem, Taj Mahal.
'Ik Shahenshah ne daulat ka sahara lekar/Hum gharibon ki mohabbat ka
udaya hai mazaq/ Meri mehboob kaheein aur mila kar mujh se.'
(An emperor, with help of his wealth has belittled the love of us poor folk,
but henceforth my beloved, meet me somewhere else.)
Photograph: Gorky M
Danish took us through Sahir's journey between British India, Pakistan and
the new India.
While we see Sahir's struggles in his childhood, his decision to stand by his
mother and be with her till the end, the play focuses on Sahir's
indefatigable spirit to stand on the side of justice.
