Shammi Kapoor – The Original Yahoo

As an IT journalist, for most part of my career, I had almost nothing to do with the film industry people. Most actors and actresses are tech-ignorants, though of late they have started opening blogs, Twitter and Facebook accounts. However, I strongly doubt how much the running of these accounts is done by themselves! That’s why in the late 1990s, I was pleasantly surprised when Dewang Mehta, then President of the software industry association, Nasscom, introduced me to Shammi Kapoor, describing the Kapoor stalwart as “tech-savvy Netholic”.

That was the time of Nasscom’s annual software industry meet, and I had to spend almost a whole day with Shammi Kapoor.

It was 1998, and very few people had their own website . Shammiji explained to me how he created the site himself, and described his vision about putting interactive data about the whole Kapoor family into the site. He claimed that he used to spend about 8-10 hours everyday on updating the site, and the computer was situated next to his puja room. With remarkable ease he talked about Frontpage, Corel Web Designer and other Web apps and packages, and, believe me, it was not an actor’s gloss-over. Yahoo and Junglee.com were names that were making rounds at that time, and a fellow journalist asked Shammiji if he was planning to sue Yahoo, since he had made that expression famous. Shammi Kapoor just smiled, probably knowing better about the IPR laws better that the scribe.

In the evening before getting to the cab for going to the airport, Shammiji invited me to his house in Bombay, and said, “May be one day we can go beyond this website, and form an Internet company. Come over, we’ll discuss.”

We never met after that. I remembered his words when dotcom movement was sweeping the infotech industry, and the bust that purged the leeches. Dewang Mehta also departed prematurely a few years later, and Shammi Kapoor went off my radar.

May the tech-savvy Kapoor Rest In Peace.

A Surprise Guest at Moosi Maharani Ki Chhatri

Last weekend, me and my wife Aditi, were at Alwar. On Saturday afternoon, we dropped in at the City Palace (now the home of Collectorate, Court and other Govt offices) to meet the District Magistrate of Alwar, Ashutosh Pedankar. Ashutosh wasn’t in, so we decided to visit the Moosi Maharani Ki Chhatri, the imposing and exquisitely carved monument adjoining the erstwhile palace.

Located in the foothills of Aravali Range, the Moosi Maharani ki Chhatri is one of the most famous cenotaphs in Alwar. Vinay Singh built the structure in honour of the Maharaja Bakhtawar Singh and his queen Rani Moosi in 1815. The chhatri has unusual Bengali roof and arches. To gain the access to the cenotaph, we took the steps on the far left when facing the palace.

The cenotaph is built on a pillared red stone. It is a double-storeyed structure. The upper storey boasts a magnificent architecture of marble. The interiors of the structure are equally attractive as they boast intricate carvings. There is also a huge water tank, called Sagar, located opposite to the chhatri.

This artificial tank lined by a beautifully symmetrical chain of ghats with four pavilions on each side and two at each end, was built in 1815 A.D. by Maharaja Vinay Singh with few temples along its banks.

It was 6.00 pm and the light was fast fading. After seeing the Chhatri, we decided to go around the square tank before leaving the place. As we stepped down to the level of side alcoves, we saw at the left a huge barasinga deer sitting on an alcove. Clearly it was a stray deer that came from the hills at the back. It appeared fearless and composed, giving the required natural touch to the nearly 200-year-old monuments around. It seemed oblivious of the stray tourists, government babus leaving for home at the distance, children playing Cricket at the nearby ground, and honking of motorbikes and buses. Much like this old city that remained steeped in traditions and customs, despite the onslaught of the modern era.

Stay at a Palace at Rs 100 a Day

That is if you have a government job. Otherwise it would be Rs 300. But considering that you would bstaying at a palace built in 1875, with all the period furniture around and the tennis court size rooms with 30 feet high vaulted ceilings, even this amount appears measly.

The city is Alwar. A beautiful getaway, steeped in Mughal and Rajput history, just 150 km away from Delhi. And it’s not a hotel we are talking about, but the Circuit House. The Maharaja of Alwar’s State Guest House till 1947, the Circuit House is about 4 km away from the Alwar Railway Station, situated near Hotel Meenal of RTDC. The huge, well-maintained two-storied palace has 12 rooms (or suites) for guests, in the midst of a forest-garden spread over 15 acres.

Every room has AC, TV, huge queen beds, boudoir, and period furniture thrown in. There are more than 100-year old teakwood furniture even in the dining room, with a 16-sitter ‘legless’ dining table in the middle. The wide balcony at the first floor level will not just give you a green view of the well-manicured lawn in front, but also a beautiful sunrise with chirping of birds, and a look at the secret passages and alleys and anterooms at the corners.

While you seep in the ambiance and start feeling rejuvenated, the old cook Hiralal will whip up a fluffy Omelette, fine Darjeeling tea, and toast and milk-cornflakes breakfast. Then have a walk in the forest around, where deer and Nilgais will cross your ways, and scores of peacocks will stare at you from the tree-tops and the alleys.If I go to Alwar again, I will stay nowhere else but the Circuit House, I have already threatened Chouhan, the Chief Caretaker of the Circuit House, Alwar.