!!!!***!!!***GANAPATI BAPPA MORAYA***!!!***!!!!

Hi there!!
The Lord is all over town.
It's Ganesh Chaturthi. Time for Modaks and Karanjis and steamed modaks.
Sharing Tanu's Ganesh with all of you.
Child art at its best. 

New Marine Fish Tank at home.

After a long wait finally the marine fish tank is here. Everyone's happy. It takes a long time to set up a marine fish tank. Right from the coral sand to the lava rocks. Filling in matured water. Waiting for the PH level to settle. The PH is set but the Nitrate level is too high. So the water is being treated using some bacteria. The kids were too eager to have fish in the tank so after the PH was set got a pair of percular clowns and a sea anemone. Didn't know that marine fish are very territorial. The clowns stay in the anemone. 2 clowns and 1 anemone. "Bahut naainsaafi hai."
The stronger clown killed the weaker one over territory. It wasn't a gory death. But the weaker clown was nipped in its gills. It was injured and had settled at the bottom of the tank. Then suddenly the soul left; it flipped over and next instant its lifeless body was afloat. The kids were sad but were happy to feel the dead clown "NEMO".
The next day two more fish were introduced; Yellow Tang and Regal Tang. Good colorful fish. Still small slowly getting adjusted to the new environment. Nitrate is still high so we are considering change of water.
Will post a pix soon. .... Okay going under.....blurp ...blub .... glug.

KASHMIR HEAVENLY KASHMIR

It was decided that after Teju's threadceremony we should go to kashmir. History repeating itself after 28years. We had been to Kashmir after my thread ceremony in 1978. So decided to take Mom and Dad along too. So it was... 27th April to 6th of May.... Mission Kashmir.
Despite media in India and abroad blasting the TV screens with news about the violence in kashmir, terror attacks, ... and what not we decided to go. My friends Bharat and Abhijeet Patil of Raja Rani Travels assured us that it was absolutely safe to go and that we would really have great time. And we couldnt ask for more.
Saw Kashmir after 28years. Things have really changed. Lot more development has happenned.
Gulmarg now has a Gondola ride highest in the world 14,000 ft. At that altitude you are really one with the Almighty. Clean air, Blue sky and white snow till the horizon.
Gulmarg, Khilanmarg, Pahalgam, Sonmarg, Chandanwari.... snow everywhere. Kids has their first experience of snowball fights, sledge rides and skiing.
Yusmarg and Aroo were other sceneic destinations with carpets of green greenery all over.
In Srinagar we stayed in the Deluxe House Boats in The Dal Lake. It was a unique experience for the Kids. Houseboat to land travel was by a "Shikara". Getting in and out of the Shikara is a balancing act for heavy weights.
We also had the good fortune of eating typical Kashmiri gourmet "Wazvaan"...yum yum
.. just can't forget the mutton nalli rogan josh, Rishta and bushtaba.
If you have any plans of visiting heaven then all roads certainly lead to Kashmir: Jannat hai to yahin hai.
If heaven it is here it is.

BRAHMOPADESHAM

On 19th April 2006 was a very auspicious day for the family. It was my son Taejusvin's Upanayanam or Thread ceremony. It is the day when a hindu brahmin boy comes of age and is initiated "Brahmacharyashram". This is the time when he is given the "Brahmopadesham" and from that day he starts wearing the Sacred Thread. The ceremony is almost like a wedding with lots of rituals. The initial pooja is followed by a head tonsuring ceremony. Then there is the "Matrubhojan" the last time when the boy will be hand fed by his mother.
Then the boy is brought by his uncle to the decorated pandal where amidst vedic chants the boy's father teaches him the sacred "Gayatri Mantra" in front of the sacred fire. From that day the boy will perform Sandhya vandan three times a day to invoke godess Gayatri's blessings through out his life.

Another Great Jingle in the making.

I got a call from Famous house of Animation that they were budgeting for a 25sec. 2D-Animation promo for "Tropicana". Agency JWT Delhi.
Agency had specified that they wanted me to do the Jingle.
One lead voice and 4 additional vocals was what I quoted for. Compositon fees were to be charged separately. The agency was asking me to compose and production house was in a fix over the budget. Finally had to find a way out.
So had a meeting with dear friend E.Suresh head Honcho of famous animation. Saw the script. But it was his character design that gave me the "KICK". We did a rough timing on what kind of treatment he was looking at (Jingle wise). It was going way over 25sec. Trying to accomadate everything according to the script would be suicidal. I was not so impressed by the tune which Suresh was singing. My composition fees was also a problem.

Now the SOLUTION.

Called up the agency creative and told them that if they wanted a great jingle, they would have to sacrifice some lines. They all agreed. Now regarding the tune. I had suggested that Famous Animation should take the services of Music Director Zubin Balaporia (Great Musician and a nice person) for the track. I had done some lovely tracks for ELF with Zubin. He has a great sense of arrangement. Has great sounds in his hardware. My budget for the voices was approved soI told Suresh that I will reduce the no. of voices so that he could accomadate my composition fees. Suresh said OK and then and there I rattled the jingle to Suresh. He was thrilled.

Next day at the recording:

Suresh said that since Zubin was called in as the music director let him also come up with a tune. I came in late for the recording. Giving Zubin some time to think about the tune. I landed at 12.30p.m and asked Suresh if there was any breakthrough. Then I asked I told Zubin what I had in mind and he gracefully accepted it.

The Outcome:

In an hour and half the track was in shape, ready to take the voices. The final product was amazing. The agency was thrilled. Now Famous will do some amazing animation and the film will be on air probably in a months time.

Guys' the jingle is rocking !!! Super dupper hit hai bossss.

Tropicana Ek Bada glass piyo rozanna!!!

Bluff Master’s real bluff is out!

Feeling a little better. Every tabloid carries an article about my Singing for Bluff Master.Here's another one.
Last week I got a call from someone in DNA asking me if I had sung the Title track of Bluff Master. She couldnot believe that I had sung the song. She was then told by Vishal and Shekhar. So she called again and asked a few questions. This one has appeared in the DNA today.
The Whole thing is that....... at.

When I was just a little boy.........

 

The Masters and The Voice

Me and the Masters of the field.
Got a chance to be with them on the sets of the "Pepsi Bubbly Music Video".
The men in blue smiling when Rahul Dravid the Indian Captain told everyone " Just move your lips and Chetan will do the talking".

Interview on Zee Cinemascope for "Bluff Master".

Truth always prevails. Today I was interviewed by Zee music for the prelude to the release of "Bluff Master". They were shocked when Vishal-Shekar [mus. dir duo] told them that the voice on the track " Sabse bada rupaiyya" was sung by Chetan Sashital and that it was not the original track of Mehmood. The interview will be aired on 13th Dec 2005 8.30 p.m on Zee music channel prog. " Cinemascope". Enjoy!!!

Midday Article about my song for "Bluff Master"

Was really upset when I saw that my name was printed under "additional vocals" on the CD cover of "Bluff Master" the movie. Couldn't digest that bluff. Finally spoke to my friend and well wisher Chaitanya Padukone who write's for the afternoon tabloid " Mid-Day". Read about the Master of bluff here

restored photo

Mr. Venkatrao Raghunathrao Sashital & family in 1940. The little boy in the centre is my father Durgadas Sashital.
When I was excavating my dad's cupboard, I came across this photo. It was "overexposed" to years wear and tear. Had lots of scratches; few portions lapped up by silver fish. But it was real archive material. Dad got very senti when he saw the photo. Cut to flash back of 1940. The old family home, the servants, the sisters, the masti and mischief and the days of the RAJ. The whole vision turned sepia.
Thought I would give dad a surprise by restoring the photo to its original glory. Gave it to a professional photo studio which charged me a bomb for a shitty restoration job.
Finally decided to do it on my own. Cut to Adobe photoshop elements on my WIAO. Groped my way through the software and finally cracked it. Got a print out framed and presented it to dad.
He looked at the frame and that was a "Kodak Moment".
Guess the line "Do it yourself" works....... really.