memories
PAYANANGAL MUDIVATHILAI-Journeys Never End.
EPISODE-2-Soodu aana Nei-biscuit rendu ruva-Hot clarified-butter biscuits for two rupees.
No train journey is complete without savouring the various eatables that are available on the local trains. This episode is dedicated to the Nei biscuit.
Made out of clarified butter, sugar and flour it is sometimes flavoured with pineapple essence and baked in a perfect round shape. It is something to be tasted and enjoyed. Some variants include the coconut and choco biscuit. Priced at Rs 2 and sold by placing it in an old newspaper bit, it is a slice of joy for the young as well as the old.
Friday, June 30, 2006
memories
PAYANANGAL MUDIVATHILAI-Journeys Never End.
Travelling in India's public transprt system, be it buses, trains or aeroplanes is the best way to study humanity. I live in a town called Tiruvallur in Tamil Nadu, which is about 45 kilometres from the state capital Chennai, the erstwhile Madras. Right from my college days to the present while coming to office I commute by the local train or EMU as it is called.
This is the beginning of a series in which I plan to chronicle the different people whom I meet on the train, their stories, the struggles of the hawkers and the persistence of the pestering beggars on the train.
EPISODE-1-They can't see but they struggle......
Hats off.... to this select group of about 50 people which includes both men and women, they are visually-challenged and spend almost 14 hours a day on the train selling various items that include-remote-covers, key-chains, toy mobile-phones for kids, batteries, ball-pens etc... .
I personally know a bunch of lazy people who have no physical handicap, but prefer to stay at home and survive on the earnings of their other family members. When I see them, I often wonder at the tragic-irony of life and wonder what great things these blind people would have achieved if they had normal eye-sight.
Life is a daily struggle for these hawkers. They make about 400 to 500 rupees a day. Of this about 300 rupees goes to the cost of buying the articles, 50 to 60 rupees goes as bribe-money to the R.P.F.(railway-police). At the end they make about 100 to 175 rupees a day.
There are a couple of blind couples too, the man hawks key-chains and batteries while the lady sells pop-corn packets. A struggle indeed. The next time you travel by train by something from these hawkers, it will bring a smile on their face and you will feel happy too.
PAYANANGAL MUDIVATHILAI-Journeys Never End.
Travelling in India's public transprt system, be it buses, trains or aeroplanes is the best way to study humanity. I live in a town called Tiruvallur in Tamil Nadu, which is about 45 kilometres from the state capital Chennai, the erstwhile Madras. Right from my college days to the present while coming to office I commute by the local train or EMU as it is called.
This is the beginning of a series in which I plan to chronicle the different people whom I meet on the train, their stories, the struggles of the hawkers and the persistence of the pestering beggars on the train.
EPISODE-1-They can't see but they struggle......
Hats off.... to this select group of about 50 people which includes both men and women, they are visually-challenged and spend almost 14 hours a day on the train selling various items that include-remote-covers, key-chains, toy mobile-phones for kids, batteries, ball-pens etc... .
I personally know a bunch of lazy people who have no physical handicap, but prefer to stay at home and survive on the earnings of their other family members. When I see them, I often wonder at the tragic-irony of life and wonder what great things these blind people would have achieved if they had normal eye-sight.
Life is a daily struggle for these hawkers. They make about 400 to 500 rupees a day. Of this about 300 rupees goes to the cost of buying the articles, 50 to 60 rupees goes as bribe-money to the R.P.F.(railway-police). At the end they make about 100 to 175 rupees a day.
There are a couple of blind couples too, the man hawks key-chains and batteries while the lady sells pop-corn packets. A struggle indeed. The next time you travel by train by something from these hawkers, it will bring a smile on their face and you will feel happy too.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
memories
A Twist in the Temple's Tale
The Sabarimala Temple authorities and the Travancore Devaswom Board members are in the eye of a storm, after the confession of Kannada actress Jayamala that she entered the sanctum-sanctorum and touched the feet of the deity.
Why the Fuss?
Lord Ayappa is a brahmachari. Women only above the age of 60 or girls who have not reached puberty are allowed to visit the temple. So this startling relevation means that "punyajanam" special purification ceremonies will have to be performed to restore the holiness and purity of the temple.
Prasnam-The namboodiri's prediction and discovery.
Unnikrishna Panicker, an astrologer announced that the sanctity of the inner sanctorum had been breached by a young woman.
This report was published in a newspaper, and Jayamala immediately confirmed the report by saying that she had visited the temple 20 years ago. She was pushed by the crowd and she unwittingly touched the feet of the deity.
What the officials say?
The officials refute the claim saying that it is impossible for a woman to enter the temple let alone the inner sanctum as the security is very strict.
What is going to happen?
A judicial probe is most likely to be ordered by the Kerala government and some people are going to be ashamed if the reports are confirmed and may have to do a lot of explaining to the administration and the devotees.
A Twist in the Temple's Tale
The Sabarimala Temple authorities and the Travancore Devaswom Board members are in the eye of a storm, after the confession of Kannada actress Jayamala that she entered the sanctum-sanctorum and touched the feet of the deity.
Why the Fuss?
Lord Ayappa is a brahmachari. Women only above the age of 60 or girls who have not reached puberty are allowed to visit the temple. So this startling relevation means that "punyajanam" special purification ceremonies will have to be performed to restore the holiness and purity of the temple.
Prasnam-The namboodiri's prediction and discovery.
Unnikrishna Panicker, an astrologer announced that the sanctity of the inner sanctorum had been breached by a young woman.
This report was published in a newspaper, and Jayamala immediately confirmed the report by saying that she had visited the temple 20 years ago. She was pushed by the crowd and she unwittingly touched the feet of the deity.
What the officials say?
The officials refute the claim saying that it is impossible for a woman to enter the temple let alone the inner sanctum as the security is very strict.
What is going to happen?
A judicial probe is most likely to be ordered by the Kerala government and some people are going to be ashamed if the reports are confirmed and may have to do a lot of explaining to the administration and the devotees.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
memories
INDIA'S CARIBBEAN CALYPSO
This seems to be a series loaded with controversies. The Lara-Dhoni episode shocked cricket lovers. The third test saw very poor umpiring and the Indians were denied many good appeals for lbw.
The test ended in a draw like the previous two tests.
Scores-West Indies-581 and 172/6 declared.
India-362 and 298/4.
Laxman got a century in the first innings and 63 in the second and Sehwag scored a quickfire 65 in the second innings.
Darren Ganga was declared the man-of-the-match for his batting performance.
INDIA'S CARIBBEAN CALYPSO
This seems to be a series loaded with controversies. The Lara-Dhoni episode shocked cricket lovers. The third test saw very poor umpiring and the Indians were denied many good appeals for lbw.
The test ended in a draw like the previous two tests.
Scores-West Indies-581 and 172/6 declared.
India-362 and 298/4.
Laxman got a century in the first innings and 63 in the second and Sehwag scored a quickfire 65 in the second innings.
Darren Ganga was declared the man-of-the-match for his batting performance.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
memories
ORU AAL MAATHRAM (ONE MAN ALONE)
Mammooty was bold enough to take Bollywood by it's throat at the IIFA Awards ceremony. He stood his ground and criticised the Bollywood film fraternity for not giving South-Indian films their due regard. He said that the IIFA Awards just represented and rewarded Hindi cinema and there was no logic in calling it the International Indian Film Awards.
Three cheers for Mammookka for his grit and courage to speak the truth. Hope the narrow minds of Bollywood open their minds to the gems of the South.
ORU AAL MAATHRAM (ONE MAN ALONE)
Mammooty was bold enough to take Bollywood by it's throat at the IIFA Awards ceremony. He stood his ground and criticised the Bollywood film fraternity for not giving South-Indian films their due regard. He said that the IIFA Awards just represented and rewarded Hindi cinema and there was no logic in calling it the International Indian Film Awards.
Three cheers for Mammookka for his grit and courage to speak the truth. Hope the narrow minds of Bollywood open their minds to the gems of the South.
Thursday, June 08, 2006
memories
CRICKET CONTROVERSIES
Cricket is called "a gentleman's game", but it has had its fair share of controversies-match-fixing, sledging, racial discrimination, misappropriation of funds etc... . In the recently concluded first test match between India and the West Indies at Antigua, something really ugly happened.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Dhoni was going all hammer and tongs at the West Indies bowlers and smashing the red-cherry to all corners of the park. He hit six sixes and four fours in his total of 69. He hit a ball of Dave Mohammed which was caught on the boundary by Darren Ganga. It appeared that the fielder had touched the boundary rope when taking the catch. The decision was referred to the third umpire who could not give a concrete answer. The decision was made in favour of the batsman and it appeared that Dhoni would continue his blitzkrieg. Lara suddenly grabbed the ball from umpire rauf's hand almost walked off the field. Then he spoke to Dhoni and assured that his fielder had taken a clean catch. Things were heating up, when Mr.Cool Dravid declared the Indian innings and the issue ended.
Now we hear that the match refree has fined Sehwag for excessive appealing. My query is if you fine a player for excessive appealing, what do you do to a captain who behaves rudely with the umpires and the opposite team's players. It seems that the Indian players are once again being unjustly punished by the I.C.C. officials. This is not in the true spirit of the game and will spoil the image of free and fair cricket.
CRICKET CONTROVERSIES
Cricket is called "a gentleman's game", but it has had its fair share of controversies-match-fixing, sledging, racial discrimination, misappropriation of funds etc... . In the recently concluded first test match between India and the West Indies at Antigua, something really ugly happened.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Dhoni was going all hammer and tongs at the West Indies bowlers and smashing the red-cherry to all corners of the park. He hit six sixes and four fours in his total of 69. He hit a ball of Dave Mohammed which was caught on the boundary by Darren Ganga. It appeared that the fielder had touched the boundary rope when taking the catch. The decision was referred to the third umpire who could not give a concrete answer. The decision was made in favour of the batsman and it appeared that Dhoni would continue his blitzkrieg. Lara suddenly grabbed the ball from umpire rauf's hand almost walked off the field. Then he spoke to Dhoni and assured that his fielder had taken a clean catch. Things were heating up, when Mr.Cool Dravid declared the Indian innings and the issue ended.
Now we hear that the match refree has fined Sehwag for excessive appealing. My query is if you fine a player for excessive appealing, what do you do to a captain who behaves rudely with the umpires and the opposite team's players. It seems that the Indian players are once again being unjustly punished by the I.C.C. officials. This is not in the true spirit of the game and will spoil the image of free and fair cricket.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
memories
LALETTAN STRIKES GOLD WITH VADAKKUMNATHAN
Mohanlal's long awaited movie Vadakkumnathan(The Lord of the North-Shiva) is turning out to be a superhit with the ladies and children loving his onscreen antics.
The movie is scripted by lyricist Girish Puthencherry and is evidently inspired by the Russell Crowe starrer "A Beautiful Mind."
Mohanlal plays the role of a brilliant Sanskrit professor-Bharath Pisharody. He runs away from his house on the eve of his wedding. No one understands the cause for this as he was to marry his childhood sweetheart Meera played by Padmapriya.
Years pass and he is presumed to be dead. His mother and brother visit Haridwar to perform his last rites. Lo and behold he is there and he is taken home. Why did he run? What happenned to him? Does he marry Meera?
Watch the movie to get the answers for these questions.
It is a hatrick for Lalettan with Thanmatra, Rasatanthram and Vadakkumnathan.
Hope his form continues and his Onam release Mahasamudhram and July bilingual release Aran/Keerthichakra are big hits.
LALETTAN STRIKES GOLD WITH VADAKKUMNATHAN
Mohanlal's long awaited movie Vadakkumnathan(The Lord of the North-Shiva) is turning out to be a superhit with the ladies and children loving his onscreen antics.
The movie is scripted by lyricist Girish Puthencherry and is evidently inspired by the Russell Crowe starrer "A Beautiful Mind."
Mohanlal plays the role of a brilliant Sanskrit professor-Bharath Pisharody. He runs away from his house on the eve of his wedding. No one understands the cause for this as he was to marry his childhood sweetheart Meera played by Padmapriya.
Years pass and he is presumed to be dead. His mother and brother visit Haridwar to perform his last rites. Lo and behold he is there and he is taken home. Why did he run? What happenned to him? Does he marry Meera?
Watch the movie to get the answers for these questions.
It is a hatrick for Lalettan with Thanmatra, Rasatanthram and Vadakkumnathan.
Hope his form continues and his Onam release Mahasamudhram and July bilingual release Aran/Keerthichakra are big hits.
memories
THE DA VINCI CODE AND PETTY POLITICS
The Tamil Nadu government dropped a bombshell on all movie-lovers early in the morning today. The 8 A.M. news on Sun T.V. proudly proclaimed the ban on the English and Tamil versions of The Da Vinci Code which was due for release on June 2.
It is really funny to note that primarily Catholic countries like Poland have raised no hue and cry over the release of this movie.
At a time when even mainstream cinema is full of sex, violence and dialogues with double entendres, it is a ridiculous on the part of the government to ban one of the most eagerly awaited movies of the year.
It is a bit funny when you notice that the government has taken no steps to ban movies of Shakeela and other porn queens, but it feels that Ron Howard's movie will corrupt the public especially the youth.
Mr. Karunanidhi is a shrewd politician and in an effort to save his Christian vote bank, he is playing to the galleries and has been instrumental in banning the movie.
Guys an afterthought-
DVDs of the movies are available for less than 100 bucks in various parts of the city. So watch the movie in your house.
Cheers.
THE DA VINCI CODE AND PETTY POLITICS
The Tamil Nadu government dropped a bombshell on all movie-lovers early in the morning today. The 8 A.M. news on Sun T.V. proudly proclaimed the ban on the English and Tamil versions of The Da Vinci Code which was due for release on June 2.
It is really funny to note that primarily Catholic countries like Poland have raised no hue and cry over the release of this movie.
At a time when even mainstream cinema is full of sex, violence and dialogues with double entendres, it is a ridiculous on the part of the government to ban one of the most eagerly awaited movies of the year.
It is a bit funny when you notice that the government has taken no steps to ban movies of Shakeela and other porn queens, but it feels that Ron Howard's movie will corrupt the public especially the youth.
Mr. Karunanidhi is a shrewd politician and in an effort to save his Christian vote bank, he is playing to the galleries and has been instrumental in banning the movie.
Guys an afterthought-
DVDs of the movies are available for less than 100 bucks in various parts of the city. So watch the movie in your house.
Cheers.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
memories
An 80 year old man was sitting on the sofa in his house along with his 45 years old highly educated son. Suddenly a crow perched on their window. The Father asked his Son, "What is this?" The Son replied "It is a crow". After a few minutes, the Father asked his Son the 2nd time, "What is this." The Son said "Father, I have just now told you "It's a crow". After a little while, the old Father again asked his Son the 3rd time, "What is this?" At this time some expression of irritation was felt in the Son's tone when he said to his Father with a rebuff. "It's a crow, a crow". A little after, the Father again asked his Son t he 4th time, "What is this?" This time the Son shouted at his Father, "Why do you keep asking me the same question again and again, although I have told you so many times 'IT IS A CROW'. Are you not able to understand this?" A little later the Father went to his room and came back with an old tattered diary, which he had maintained since his Son was born. On opening a page, he asked his Son to read that page. When the son read it, the following words were written in the diary :- "Today my little son aged three was sitting with me on the sofa, when a crow was sitting on the window. My Son asked me 23 times what it was, and I replied to him all 23 times that it was a Crow. I hugged him lovingly each time h e asked me the same question again and again for 23 times. I did not at all feel irritated I rather felt affection for my innocent child". While the little child asked him 23 times "What is this", the Father had felt no irritation in replying to the same question all 23 times and when today the Father asked his Son the same question just 4 times, the Son felt irritated and annoyed. So.. If your parents attain old age, do not repulse them or look at them as a burden, but speak to them a gracious word, be cool, obedient, humble and kind to them. Be considerate to your parents.From today say this aloud, "I want to see my parents happy forever. They have cared for me ever since I was a little child. They have always showered their selfless love on me. They crossed all mountains and valleys without seeing the storm and heat to make me a person presentable in the society today". Say a prayer to God, "I will serve my old parents in the BEST way. I will say all good and kind words to my dear parents, no matter how they behave". All of us should read this story and realise that our parents have undergone many sacrifices to rear us. They would have gone that extra mile to satisfy our childish desires. The growing number of old-age homes proves that people are becoming inhuman and no longer have any time to take care of their aged parents.We should remember that "Where Love is God is."A soft answer and a loving smile goes a long way in comforting our parents. Spread the message of love and care and respect all aged people.
An 80 year old man was sitting on the sofa in his house along with his 45 years old highly educated son. Suddenly a crow perched on their window. The Father asked his Son, "What is this?" The Son replied "It is a crow". After a few minutes, the Father asked his Son the 2nd time, "What is this." The Son said "Father, I have just now told you "It's a crow". After a little while, the old Father again asked his Son the 3rd time, "What is this?" At this time some expression of irritation was felt in the Son's tone when he said to his Father with a rebuff. "It's a crow, a crow". A little after, the Father again asked his Son t he 4th time, "What is this?" This time the Son shouted at his Father, "Why do you keep asking me the same question again and again, although I have told you so many times 'IT IS A CROW'. Are you not able to understand this?" A little later the Father went to his room and came back with an old tattered diary, which he had maintained since his Son was born. On opening a page, he asked his Son to read that page. When the son read it, the following words were written in the diary :- "Today my little son aged three was sitting with me on the sofa, when a crow was sitting on the window. My Son asked me 23 times what it was, and I replied to him all 23 times that it was a Crow. I hugged him lovingly each time h e asked me the same question again and again for 23 times. I did not at all feel irritated I rather felt affection for my innocent child". While the little child asked him 23 times "What is this", the Father had felt no irritation in replying to the same question all 23 times and when today the Father asked his Son the same question just 4 times, the Son felt irritated and annoyed. So.. If your parents attain old age, do not repulse them or look at them as a burden, but speak to them a gracious word, be cool, obedient, humble and kind to them. Be considerate to your parents.From today say this aloud, "I want to see my parents happy forever. They have cared for me ever since I was a little child. They have always showered their selfless love on me. They crossed all mountains and valleys without seeing the storm and heat to make me a person presentable in the society today". Say a prayer to God, "I will serve my old parents in the BEST way. I will say all good and kind words to my dear parents, no matter how they behave". All of us should read this story and realise that our parents have undergone many sacrifices to rear us. They would have gone that extra mile to satisfy our childish desires. The growing number of old-age homes proves that people are becoming inhuman and no longer have any time to take care of their aged parents.We should remember that "Where Love is God is."A soft answer and a loving smile goes a long way in comforting our parents. Spread the message of love and care and respect all aged people.
Monday, May 29, 2006
memories
A Wake-up call for Team India
Well all said and done we lost the one-day series in the West Indies 4-1. It is a shame all matches were close finishes and we should have won the second match. I believe that the defeat in the second match upset the apple-cart for the Indians. The B.C.C.I. continues to baffle me and others with its really strange team selection. The best bowler for India in the one-day series Ajit Agarkar has been dropped. Robin Uthappa is a budding player and giving him just one chance to play defies logic. I am not sure how V.R. V. Singh is going to bowl. The Test series will start in a few days and we shall find out if we can defeat the Caribs in the longer version of the game. Sehwag was unlucky to miss a century twice in succession. If only he had carried on the series would have ended in India's favour. Hope he maintains his form and scores a double century in West Indies.
A Wake-up call for Team India
Well all said and done we lost the one-day series in the West Indies 4-1. It is a shame all matches were close finishes and we should have won the second match. I believe that the defeat in the second match upset the apple-cart for the Indians. The B.C.C.I. continues to baffle me and others with its really strange team selection. The best bowler for India in the one-day series Ajit Agarkar has been dropped. Robin Uthappa is a budding player and giving him just one chance to play defies logic. I am not sure how V.R. V. Singh is going to bowl. The Test series will start in a few days and we shall find out if we can defeat the Caribs in the longer version of the game. Sehwag was unlucky to miss a century twice in succession. If only he had carried on the series would have ended in India's favour. Hope he maintains his form and scores a double century in West Indies.
Friday, May 26, 2006
memories
The Rising Caste of Education
I have nothing personal against the C ongress government or Mr. Arjun Singh, but I do feel that the Congress is following the tried and tested British formula of Divide and Rule. 27% reservation for backward communities is the burning issue right now. It has got more prominence than Amir's Fanaa and Sachin's shoulder injury. Merit is what counts if you go on making reservations how do you expect to produce quality students who will become top-notch professionals. Everyone talks about M.B.C., O.B.C., S.C./S.T., but what about the students belonging to the Forward Communities. Brilliant F.C. students with aspirations to become engineers and doctors often end up doing B.Sc. and B.Com. courses.
We talk of providing more money and better jobs for people of backward communities. I will provide some statistics here, which will provide the true picture.
At a time when the Congress government wants to raise the quota for Other Backward Classes to 49.5 per cent in private and public sectors, nobody talks about the plight of the upper castes. The public image of the Brahmins, for instance, is that of an affluent, pampered class. But is it so today?...Did you know that you stumble upon a number of Brahmins working as coolies at Delhi's railway stations? One of them, Kripa Shankar Sharma, says while his daughter is doing her Bachelors in Science he is not sure if she will secure a job. "Dalits often have five to six kids, but they are confident of placing them easily and well," he says. As a result, the Dalit population is increasing in villa ges. He adds: "Dalits are provided with housing, even their pigs have spaces; whereas there is no provision for gaushalas (cowsheds) for the cows of the Brahmins.".. .This reverse discrimination is also found in bureaucracy and politics. Most of the intellectual Brahmin Tamil class has emigrated outside Tamil Nadu. Only 5 seats out of 600 in the combined UP and Bihar assembly are held by Brahmins -- the rest are in the hands of the Yadavs. 400,000 Brahmins of the Kashmir valley, the once respected Kashmiri Pandits, now live as refugees in their own country, sometimes in refugee camps in Jammu and Delhi in appalling conditions. But who cares about them? Their vote bank is negligible. And this is not limited to the North alone. 75 per cent of domestic help and cooks in Andhra Pradesh are Brahmins. A study of the Brahmin community in a district in Andhra Pradesh (Brahmins of India by J. Radhakrishna, published by Chugh Publications) reveals that today all purohits live below the poverty line. Eighty per cent of those surveyed stated that their poverty and traditional style of dress and hair (tuft) had made them the butt of ridicu le. Financial constraints coupled with the existing system of reservations for the 'backward classes' prevented them from providing secular education to their children. ...There is no reason to believe that the condition of Brahmins in other parts of the country is different. In this connection it would be revealing to quote the per capita income of various communities as stated by the Karnataka finance minister in the state assembly: Christians Rs 1,562, Vokkaligas Rs 914, Muslims Rs 794, Scheduled castes Rs 680, Scheduled Tribes Rs 577 and Brahmins Rs 537....Priests are under tremendous difficulty today, sometimes even forced to beg for alms for survival. There are innumerable instances in which Brahmin priests who spent a lifetime studying Vedas are being ridiculed and disrespected. At Tamil Nadu's Ranganathaswamy Temple, a priest's monthly salary is Rs 300 (Census Department studies) and a daily allowance of one measure of rice. The government staff at the same temple receive Rs 2,500 plus per month. But these facts have not modified the priests' reputation as 'haves' and as 'exploiters.' T he destitution of Hindu priests has moved none, not even the parties known for Hindu sympathy.
Now after reading this, tell me who is the exploited community. Karunanidhi is bound to make the lives of the priests even worse. He has decided to pass a legislation that people belonging to any community can perform the duties of a priest. I shall present some facts here:
Do you think only Brahmins perform pujas in Tamil Nadu, think again you are wrong. The Gurukal community who are not exactly Brahmins but coming under F.C. perform pujas, many temples have Brahmins as pujaris too. Now there are numerous small Amman temples (Goddess Shakti in her various forms) where people belonging to the backward communities and even many women perform pujas. If you do not believe me enroute to Chennai Central railway station on Pallavan Salai there are two Amman temples parallel to each other. In one of these temples a lady does puja on most of the days. Similarly there are many temples across the state whwere the so called "underprivileged people" perform pujas.
There is no harm in learning or studying the Vedas but to forcefully impress your ideologies of Anti-Brahminism on the people of the state whom you govern is nothing short of absolute dictatorship. These people have to realise that Brahmins have contributed a lot to the growth of this country. Some great luminaries like Rajaji, Ramanujam, Sir C.V. Raman belong to the F.C.
Coming back to the issue of student quotas why can't they provide scholarships for those students from the backward communities. In the end it is the middle-class student from the forward community who suffers the most marks do not mean everything any longer you should be born a shudra to succeed in India. I personally feel that this trend will make a Brahmin feel -"It is a curse to be born a Brahmin in India."
This Remandalisation is going to destroy the economic and social progress of this country. God made man and man made Religion. Caste system was based on the profesion that followed in the Aryan period. Slowly it became a symbol of power and and agression and then it became hereditary. It has become so deep-rooted in our culture that it has become an accepted part of our lives. I believe that in most of India except for some distant villages the curse of Untouchability has been removed. A few yers back it was announced that people who converted to Christianity would be given the same facilities given as people from SC/ST communities. This resulted in mass conversion and whole villages in Tamil Nadu, Orissa and Karnataka became complete Christian communities.
The protest of doctors continues throughout the country, but this government wants to make us slaves. Oh Lord when shall this country become self-sufficient and free of the narrow dreary corridoors of doom called casteism? Please post your comments and give me your opinion on this topic.
The Rising Caste of Education
I have nothing personal against the C ongress government or Mr. Arjun Singh, but I do feel that the Congress is following the tried and tested British formula of Divide and Rule. 27% reservation for backward communities is the burning issue right now. It has got more prominence than Amir's Fanaa and Sachin's shoulder injury. Merit is what counts if you go on making reservations how do you expect to produce quality students who will become top-notch professionals. Everyone talks about M.B.C., O.B.C., S.C./S.T., but what about the students belonging to the Forward Communities. Brilliant F.C. students with aspirations to become engineers and doctors often end up doing B.Sc. and B.Com. courses.
We talk of providing more money and better jobs for people of backward communities. I will provide some statistics here, which will provide the true picture.
At a time when the Congress government wants to raise the quota for Other Backward Classes to 49.5 per cent in private and public sectors, nobody talks about the plight of the upper castes. The public image of the Brahmins, for instance, is that of an affluent, pampered class. But is it so today?...Did you know that you stumble upon a number of Brahmins working as coolies at Delhi's railway stations? One of them, Kripa Shankar Sharma, says while his daughter is doing her Bachelors in Science he is not sure if she will secure a job. "Dalits often have five to six kids, but they are confident of placing them easily and well," he says. As a result, the Dalit population is increasing in villa ges. He adds: "Dalits are provided with housing, even their pigs have spaces; whereas there is no provision for gaushalas (cowsheds) for the cows of the Brahmins.".. .This reverse discrimination is also found in bureaucracy and politics. Most of the intellectual Brahmin Tamil class has emigrated outside Tamil Nadu. Only 5 seats out of 600 in the combined UP and Bihar assembly are held by Brahmins -- the rest are in the hands of the Yadavs. 400,000 Brahmins of the Kashmir valley, the once respected Kashmiri Pandits, now live as refugees in their own country, sometimes in refugee camps in Jammu and Delhi in appalling conditions. But who cares about them? Their vote bank is negligible. And this is not limited to the North alone. 75 per cent of domestic help and cooks in Andhra Pradesh are Brahmins. A study of the Brahmin community in a district in Andhra Pradesh (Brahmins of India by J. Radhakrishna, published by Chugh Publications) reveals that today all purohits live below the poverty line. Eighty per cent of those surveyed stated that their poverty and traditional style of dress and hair (tuft) had made them the butt of ridicu le. Financial constraints coupled with the existing system of reservations for the 'backward classes' prevented them from providing secular education to their children. ...There is no reason to believe that the condition of Brahmins in other parts of the country is different. In this connection it would be revealing to quote the per capita income of various communities as stated by the Karnataka finance minister in the state assembly: Christians Rs 1,562, Vokkaligas Rs 914, Muslims Rs 794, Scheduled castes Rs 680, Scheduled Tribes Rs 577 and Brahmins Rs 537....Priests are under tremendous difficulty today, sometimes even forced to beg for alms for survival. There are innumerable instances in which Brahmin priests who spent a lifetime studying Vedas are being ridiculed and disrespected. At Tamil Nadu's Ranganathaswamy Temple, a priest's monthly salary is Rs 300 (Census Department studies) and a daily allowance of one measure of rice. The government staff at the same temple receive Rs 2,500 plus per month. But these facts have not modified the priests' reputation as 'haves' and as 'exploiters.' T he destitution of Hindu priests has moved none, not even the parties known for Hindu sympathy.
Now after reading this, tell me who is the exploited community. Karunanidhi is bound to make the lives of the priests even worse. He has decided to pass a legislation that people belonging to any community can perform the duties of a priest. I shall present some facts here:
Do you think only Brahmins perform pujas in Tamil Nadu, think again you are wrong. The Gurukal community who are not exactly Brahmins but coming under F.C. perform pujas, many temples have Brahmins as pujaris too. Now there are numerous small Amman temples (Goddess Shakti in her various forms) where people belonging to the backward communities and even many women perform pujas. If you do not believe me enroute to Chennai Central railway station on Pallavan Salai there are two Amman temples parallel to each other. In one of these temples a lady does puja on most of the days. Similarly there are many temples across the state whwere the so called "underprivileged people" perform pujas.
There is no harm in learning or studying the Vedas but to forcefully impress your ideologies of Anti-Brahminism on the people of the state whom you govern is nothing short of absolute dictatorship. These people have to realise that Brahmins have contributed a lot to the growth of this country. Some great luminaries like Rajaji, Ramanujam, Sir C.V. Raman belong to the F.C.
Coming back to the issue of student quotas why can't they provide scholarships for those students from the backward communities. In the end it is the middle-class student from the forward community who suffers the most marks do not mean everything any longer you should be born a shudra to succeed in India. I personally feel that this trend will make a Brahmin feel -"It is a curse to be born a Brahmin in India."
This Remandalisation is going to destroy the economic and social progress of this country. God made man and man made Religion. Caste system was based on the profesion that followed in the Aryan period. Slowly it became a symbol of power and and agression and then it became hereditary. It has become so deep-rooted in our culture that it has become an accepted part of our lives. I believe that in most of India except for some distant villages the curse of Untouchability has been removed. A few yers back it was announced that people who converted to Christianity would be given the same facilities given as people from SC/ST communities. This resulted in mass conversion and whole villages in Tamil Nadu, Orissa and Karnataka became complete Christian communities.
The protest of doctors continues throughout the country, but this government wants to make us slaves. Oh Lord when shall this country become self-sufficient and free of the narrow dreary corridoors of doom called casteism? Please post your comments and give me your opinion on this topic.
Monday, May 22, 2006
memories
Rasatanthram(Chemistry)-Movie Review
Wine matures and tastes better with age. Similarly the Mohanlal-Sathyan Anthikad combination which returns to the silverscreen after 12 long years for a superhit presentation-Rasatanthram. I saw the movie at Anand theatre, Chennai on Sunday. The theatre was 75% full which is pretty good and everyone enjoyed Lal ettan and Velayudhan Kutty's(Meera in disguise) antics.
Premachandran (Mohanlal) is the middle class friendly neighbourhood Mr Nice Guy who goes out of his way to make life better for others. He is extremely hardworking and devoted to his work as a carpenter and is an expert in Vaastu shastra. The man virtually lives for others with his gang of expert carpenters Manikandan Asari (Innocent) and others.
People in the village have blind faith in Premachandran and he stays with his father whom he calls Master (Gopi) a retired teacher. His neighbour (KPAC Lalitha), her daughter who has a silent admiration for him, house owner (Oduvil Unnikrishnan) a failed carpenter (Mamukoya) are the other people in the village.
One day while repairing the house of a rich contractor Roy Joseph (Sreekumar) Premachandran comes across Kanmani (Meera Jasmine) the maid servant who is like a slave in the house. He saves her from suicide and due to certain circumstances he disguises Kanmani as a boy Velayudhan Kutty and she comes to live in his house.
But one day police nab her after a complaint from Roy. In the court she blurts out that she is in love with Premachandran creating fresh problems for the man. Actually Premachandran has a past as he has taken upon himself a murder committed by someone else to save his sister’s honour! Now Premachandran has to look after Kanmani, the burden of his father and the entire village which has been evicted by the government for a power project.
The problem with Rasathantram is that it lacks a story but works on the Sathyan formula of Mohanlal as a do-gooder and provides comedy and sentiments in the right dose. Mohanlal is simply superb and his comedy timing, controlled emotions and outburst in the climax take the film to great heights. The scene where he removes the roof tiles and accidentally sees Meera taking a bath brings the house down.
Meera is perfect foil for Mohanlal and she does a great comedy act. As Velayudhan Kutty in disguise, her body language is a treat to watch. The way she falls for Premachandran and slowly makes him interested in her can be done only by a versatile actress like Meera. Sathyan regulars –Innocent, Oduvil, Mamukoya all are good. In the climax, Jagathy’s character is a bit contrived. Gopi as Mohanlal’s father is a right choice as the father-son emotional scenes are well handled. The songs are melodious with three chartbusters-Attangara ...., Poo-poo kunguma poo and thevaram...
Watch the movie.
Rating ****/5.
Rasatanthram(Chemistry)-Movie Review
Wine matures and tastes better with age. Similarly the Mohanlal-Sathyan Anthikad combination which returns to the silverscreen after 12 long years for a superhit presentation-Rasatanthram. I saw the movie at Anand theatre, Chennai on Sunday. The theatre was 75% full which is pretty good and everyone enjoyed Lal ettan and Velayudhan Kutty's(Meera in disguise) antics.
Premachandran (Mohanlal) is the middle class friendly neighbourhood Mr Nice Guy who goes out of his way to make life better for others. He is extremely hardworking and devoted to his work as a carpenter and is an expert in Vaastu shastra. The man virtually lives for others with his gang of expert carpenters Manikandan Asari (Innocent) and others.
People in the village have blind faith in Premachandran and he stays with his father whom he calls Master (Gopi) a retired teacher. His neighbour (KPAC Lalitha), her daughter who has a silent admiration for him, house owner (Oduvil Unnikrishnan) a failed carpenter (Mamukoya) are the other people in the village.
One day while repairing the house of a rich contractor Roy Joseph (Sreekumar) Premachandran comes across Kanmani (Meera Jasmine) the maid servant who is like a slave in the house. He saves her from suicide and due to certain circumstances he disguises Kanmani as a boy Velayudhan Kutty and she comes to live in his house.
But one day police nab her after a complaint from Roy. In the court she blurts out that she is in love with Premachandran creating fresh problems for the man. Actually Premachandran has a past as he has taken upon himself a murder committed by someone else to save his sister’s honour! Now Premachandran has to look after Kanmani, the burden of his father and the entire village which has been evicted by the government for a power project.
The problem with Rasathantram is that it lacks a story but works on the Sathyan formula of Mohanlal as a do-gooder and provides comedy and sentiments in the right dose. Mohanlal is simply superb and his comedy timing, controlled emotions and outburst in the climax take the film to great heights. The scene where he removes the roof tiles and accidentally sees Meera taking a bath brings the house down.
Meera is perfect foil for Mohanlal and she does a great comedy act. As Velayudhan Kutty in disguise, her body language is a treat to watch. The way she falls for Premachandran and slowly makes him interested in her can be done only by a versatile actress like Meera. Sathyan regulars –Innocent, Oduvil, Mamukoya all are good. In the climax, Jagathy’s character is a bit contrived. Gopi as Mohanlal’s father is a right choice as the father-son emotional scenes are well handled. The songs are melodious with three chartbusters-Attangara ...., Poo-poo kunguma poo and thevaram...
Watch the movie.
Rating ****/5.
memories: May 2006
India's tour of the Carribean
The second match was a tear-jerker in the real sense. India's unbeaten streak of winning 17 matches chasing a total was broken when India lost the match by a run. Chasing a modest total of 199, India were all out for 197. This was largely due to Sarwan's wonderful unbeaten innings of 98.
Meanwhile, Yuvraj played a largely restrained innings, which consumed 121 balls and included eight fours and a six. Dismissed cheaply in the first ODI, he showed exemplary character in carry the Indian innings on his shoulders in energy sapping conditions.
Yuvraj featured in two vital partnerships. He added 64 runs for the fifth wicket with Suresh Raina (27) in the middle overs to help side recover from the doldrums of 60 for four.
The left-hander then added another 47 runs for the eighth wicket with Ramesh Powar that saw India rebound from 134 for seven to needing 22 runs of as many balls.
Ian Bradshaw, the best bowler on view on Thursday, proved to be the nemesis again, claiming 3-33 with his nagging length.
The left arm seamer did the early damage, having Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid in his new ball spell, before returning to remove Ajit Agarkar in the latter part of the innings.
Also frustrating the Indian batsmen were part-time slow bowlers Marlon Samuels (2-30) and Chris Gayle (1-33). The West Indian fielding was also sharper that helped the bowlers maintain the pressure on the Indian batsmen while defending a meagre total.
The third match is on Tuesday.
India's tour of the Carribean
The second match was a tear-jerker in the real sense. India's unbeaten streak of winning 17 matches chasing a total was broken when India lost the match by a run. Chasing a modest total of 199, India were all out for 197. This was largely due to Sarwan's wonderful unbeaten innings of 98.
Meanwhile, Yuvraj played a largely restrained innings, which consumed 121 balls and included eight fours and a six. Dismissed cheaply in the first ODI, he showed exemplary character in carry the Indian innings on his shoulders in energy sapping conditions.
Yuvraj featured in two vital partnerships. He added 64 runs for the fifth wicket with Suresh Raina (27) in the middle overs to help side recover from the doldrums of 60 for four.
The left-hander then added another 47 runs for the eighth wicket with Ramesh Powar that saw India rebound from 134 for seven to needing 22 runs of as many balls.
Ian Bradshaw, the best bowler on view on Thursday, proved to be the nemesis again, claiming 3-33 with his nagging length.
The left arm seamer did the early damage, having Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid in his new ball spell, before returning to remove Ajit Agarkar in the latter part of the innings.
Also frustrating the Indian batsmen were part-time slow bowlers Marlon Samuels (2-30) and Chris Gayle (1-33). The West Indian fielding was also sharper that helped the bowlers maintain the pressure on the Indian batsmen while defending a meagre total.
The third match is on Tuesday.
Saturday, May 20, 2006
memories: May 2006
India's Tour of the Carribean
Well we started the tour with a victory, Dravid's excellent knock of 105 along with the 66 scored by Kaif(who has finally found his form) enabled India to win the first O.D.I. against West Indies.
The match at Kingston was reduced to a 45 overs a side match because of overnight rains. Dravid won the toss and elected to field. Chris Gayle struck a solid 123 runs and at one stage it looked like the Caribs would score 280. Agarkar and Harbhajan bowled superbly to restrict the Caribs to 250.
Dravid and Sehwag opened the batting and Sehwag got out because of a silly run-out. Irfan and Yuvraj failed and Dhoni hit a couple of balls to the fence. Kaif and Dravid built a solid partnership and along with Raina Kaif hit a four of the penultimate ball of the Indian innings to guide India to a five-wicket win.
India's Tour of the Carribean
Well we started the tour with a victory, Dravid's excellent knock of 105 along with the 66 scored by Kaif(who has finally found his form) enabled India to win the first O.D.I. against West Indies.
The match at Kingston was reduced to a 45 overs a side match because of overnight rains. Dravid won the toss and elected to field. Chris Gayle struck a solid 123 runs and at one stage it looked like the Caribs would score 280. Agarkar and Harbhajan bowled superbly to restrict the Caribs to 250.
Dravid and Sehwag opened the batting and Sehwag got out because of a silly run-out. Irfan and Yuvraj failed and Dhoni hit a couple of balls to the fence. Kaif and Dravid built a solid partnership and along with Raina Kaif hit a four of the penultimate ball of the Indian innings to guide India to a five-wicket win.
memories
Netaji-An Undying Legacy
There is something about Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose that refuses to die from the minds of the general Indian public. The British and the successive Congress governments at the centre tried to feed a lie saying that Netaji died in a plane-crash near Taipei in Taiwan. There is no documented proof that such an air-crash occurred. The Justice Mukherjee Commission reiterates this and declares that Netaji is dead but he did not die in the crash. Recently an article appeared in which an 104 year old man claiming to be Netaji's bodyguard said that Netaji died in Uttar Pradesh where he lived incognito calling himself Baba. Reports of Netaji staying in teh erstwhile U.S.S.R. and his meetings with Stalin are documented in K.G.B. dossiers. Whatever may be it is certain that Netaji is dead by now. If he were alive he would be 109 years old. Just imagine if he was at the for-front the whole scheme of the Indian freedom-struggle would have changed. We would have got our independence earlier and would have been a military super-power. If he is alive hope he is fine, if he is dead my salutations to a true martyr. Jai Hind.
Netaji-An Undying Legacy
There is something about Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose that refuses to die from the minds of the general Indian public. The British and the successive Congress governments at the centre tried to feed a lie saying that Netaji died in a plane-crash near Taipei in Taiwan. There is no documented proof that such an air-crash occurred. The Justice Mukherjee Commission reiterates this and declares that Netaji is dead but he did not die in the crash. Recently an article appeared in which an 104 year old man claiming to be Netaji's bodyguard said that Netaji died in Uttar Pradesh where he lived incognito calling himself Baba. Reports of Netaji staying in teh erstwhile U.S.S.R. and his meetings with Stalin are documented in K.G.B. dossiers. Whatever may be it is certain that Netaji is dead by now. If he were alive he would be 109 years old. Just imagine if he was at the for-front the whole scheme of the Indian freedom-struggle would have changed. We would have got our independence earlier and would have been a military super-power. If he is alive hope he is fine, if he is dead my salutations to a true martyr. Jai Hind.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Cinema, You and I
Guys go watch this movie, this is not the usual run-of-the-mill, Tamil action+love+comedy+sentiment+item song movie. The story and presentation is slick and different. The theme is "Crime does not pay." Jeevan, Malavika, Sonia Agarwal, Vivek, Abbas, Manoj K. Jayan and the director Susi Ganeshan all have pivotal roles in the movie. I am not going to spoil the party by revealing the full story. I will just give a brief outline-Manickam, played by Jeevan is sent to the city to live with his uncle a police officer. He chances upon an illicit affair between Malavika and Abbas and videotapes their "act". He blackmails them and travels to Australia along with his village friends. An encounter with Rosie, Sonia Agarwal, who is not what she pretends to be, love, blackmail, fights and retribution make the movie a must-watch. Who is Rosie? What happens to Malavika and Manickam? How does the detective help Manoj? Watch the movie and get the answers to these questions. Good music by Bharadwaj, with two chartbusters-"Poi Solaporen" and "Thiruttu Payale", Vivek watch out your comedy is getting stale. Excellent cinematography and intelligent direction. Rating ****/5*s
Guys go watch this movie, this is not the usual run-of-the-mill, Tamil action+love+comedy+sentiment+item song movie. The story and presentation is slick and different. The theme is "Crime does not pay." Jeevan, Malavika, Sonia Agarwal, Vivek, Abbas, Manoj K. Jayan and the director Susi Ganeshan all have pivotal roles in the movie. I am not going to spoil the party by revealing the full story. I will just give a brief outline-Manickam, played by Jeevan is sent to the city to live with his uncle a police officer. He chances upon an illicit affair between Malavika and Abbas and videotapes their "act". He blackmails them and travels to Australia along with his village friends. An encounter with Rosie, Sonia Agarwal, who is not what she pretends to be, love, blackmail, fights and retribution make the movie a must-watch. Who is Rosie? What happens to Malavika and Manickam? How does the detective help Manoj? Watch the movie and get the answers to these questions. Good music by Bharadwaj, with two chartbusters-"Poi Solaporen" and "Thiruttu Payale", Vivek watch out your comedy is getting stale. Excellent cinematography and intelligent direction. Rating ****/5*s
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Cinema, You and I
This is one awesome movie that every Indian should watch. Director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra merges two plots in Rang De Basanti. The first is about a group of friends, their bonding, the carefree lifestyle they lead. The second plot pertains to the past, when freedom fighters sacrificed their lives during the pre-independence era. Without doubt, Mehra’s intentions are noble, since portions in the film do succeed in pricking your conscience. Mehra draws parallels between Indians ruled by the British and Indians ruled by corrupt politicians today. The message is subtle at first, but echoes piercingly before it reaches its finale. The transition of the five friends from meaningless to meaningful existence is done brilliantly. But the impact Rang De Basanti ought to make gets diluted to an extent… If the awakening, after one of their friends dies in an air crash, is a master stroke from the writing point of view, the sequence of events that lead to the climax take an idealistic route. The friends enter a radio station, force the staffers to leave the premises, go Live, confess to the world that they’ve gunned down the Defence Minister for certain reasons. By then, the commandos get into action and the radio station turns into a battleground. A better finale was the need of the hour! Also, Rang De Basanti unfolds at a leisurely pace all through. After establishing the characters in the first 30 minutes, the story doesn’t really race forward. The sepia-tone parallels are engaging at times, not always. Besides, the message that the film carries with it tends to get diluted towards the climax. Most importantly, a common man buying a ticket to watch Rang De Basanti may definitely be aware that it’s all about youth and patriotism [thanks to the well-crafted promos], but the treatment of the subject isn’t the type that’ll meet with universal acceptance. The handling of the subject would restrict it to the elite, the thinking viewer or those who frequent the multiplexes. If this faction of movie-going audience might give it a thumbs up, the aam junta or those looking for a solid entertainer might look the other way. Let’s face it, Rang De Basanti offers entertainment, but it’s not your run-of-the-mill kind of a movie. Sue [Alice Patten], a young, London-based film-maker chances upon the diaries of her grandfather, who served in the British Police Force in India during the freedom struggle. Excited about these memoirs, she makes plans to shoot a film on the Indian revolutionaries mentioned in the diaries. She flies to Delhi and casts a group of five friends to play the pivotal roles of these revolutionaries. The youngsters are DJ [Aamir Khan], Karan [Siddharth], Aslam [Kunal Kapoor], Sukhi [Sharman Joshi] and Sonia [Soha Ali Khan]. One of their foes, Laxman [Atul Kulkarni], also joins them subsequently. However, products of modern India, the five youngsters initially refuse to be part of the project as they don't identify with these characters from the past. Not surprising, considering that they are a part of a generation of Indians that believes in consumerism. To them issues like patriotism and giving one's life for one's beliefs is the stuff text-books are made of. They would rather party than be patriots. In the film, both the 1930s British India and the India today run parallel and intersect with each other at crucial points. Director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra opens the cards at the very outset. Alice’s sequences at the start, right till her arrival in Delhi and conducting a screen-test, are intriguing. But the film actually gets a push the moment the focus shifts to the five friends. From being hesitant to eventually agreeing to enact the roles of the revolutionaries in Alice’s film, these sequences take the film to an all-time high. In between, the sequences featuring Atul Kulkarni and Kiron Kher only cement the goings-on. The glitch is that the narrative goes into the past and returns to the present with alarming regularity, which tends to confuse the viewer at times. Besides, after the first 30 minutes or so, there’s not much movement in the story. If the first half abounds in light moments, the post-interval portions get into a serious mode. The story takes a turn when one of their friends [Madhavan] expires in an air crash. The film holds your attention right till the elimination of the Defence Minister [Mohan Agashe], but the remainder, which leads to the climax, is a downer. The climax should’ve been the highpoint of the film, taking the film to a crescendo, but it doesn’t. In fact, the climax ruins the impact considerably. Another drawback is that the film goes into a major flashback in the second half. Agreed, it has been deftly executed, but the film could’ve done without those portions. The writers should’ve come to the point straightaway: The air crash, the awakening and the revenge. Even the songs -- in the second half specifically -- don’t really contribute in taking the story forward. Director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra has an eye for detail and it is more than evident in his second endeavor. But it’s the writing [screenplay: Rensil D Silva and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra; story-script: Kamlesh Pandey] that’s not foolproof. Yet, there’s no denying that Mehra proves his prowess in a number of sequences. Two shining examples: Aamir breaks down while having supper with Alice and the group getting upset after hearing the Defence Minister’s speech. Technically, it’s a first-rate effort. Dialogues [Prasoon Joshi, Rensil D Silva] are excellent. The usage of Punjabi words gives the film that certain freshness. A.R. Rahman's music is ordinary. Barring ‘Paathshala’ and the title track, Rahman’s score doesn’t stay with you after the screening has ended. Cinematography [Binod Pradhan] is outstanding. The lensman captures the essence of Delhi beautifully. Stunts [Allan Amin] are okay. Visual effects [Pankaj Khandpur] are topnotch. You expect Aamir Khan to deliver yet another astounding performance in Rang De Basanti and he does, but it’s not Aamir alone that you applaud in the film. Of course, Aamir gets into the skin of the character and delivers a knockout performance from start to end, but the film has more gems when it comes to performances: Siddharth [excellent], Atul Kulkarni [fantastic], Soha Ali Khan [a complete revelation; efficient], Kunal Kapoor [natural] and Sharman Joshi [powerful]. Alice Patten is brilliant and besides delivering a flawless performance, her style of speaking Hindi is sure to win a lot of hearts. Madhavan is likeable. Waheeda Rehman is graceful as ever. Both Om Puri and Anupam Kher don’t get much scope. Kiron Kher is exceptional yet again. Mohan Agashe, Steven Mckintosh, K.K. Raina and Lekh Tandon are adequate. Songs are A-grade especially Roobaroo and RDB title track. The movie gets a rating of ****/5 Watch it, and think how you can challenge and change the system.
This is one awesome movie that every Indian should watch. Director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra merges two plots in Rang De Basanti. The first is about a group of friends, their bonding, the carefree lifestyle they lead. The second plot pertains to the past, when freedom fighters sacrificed their lives during the pre-independence era. Without doubt, Mehra’s intentions are noble, since portions in the film do succeed in pricking your conscience. Mehra draws parallels between Indians ruled by the British and Indians ruled by corrupt politicians today. The message is subtle at first, but echoes piercingly before it reaches its finale. The transition of the five friends from meaningless to meaningful existence is done brilliantly. But the impact Rang De Basanti ought to make gets diluted to an extent… If the awakening, after one of their friends dies in an air crash, is a master stroke from the writing point of view, the sequence of events that lead to the climax take an idealistic route. The friends enter a radio station, force the staffers to leave the premises, go Live, confess to the world that they’ve gunned down the Defence Minister for certain reasons. By then, the commandos get into action and the radio station turns into a battleground. A better finale was the need of the hour! Also, Rang De Basanti unfolds at a leisurely pace all through. After establishing the characters in the first 30 minutes, the story doesn’t really race forward. The sepia-tone parallels are engaging at times, not always. Besides, the message that the film carries with it tends to get diluted towards the climax. Most importantly, a common man buying a ticket to watch Rang De Basanti may definitely be aware that it’s all about youth and patriotism [thanks to the well-crafted promos], but the treatment of the subject isn’t the type that’ll meet with universal acceptance. The handling of the subject would restrict it to the elite, the thinking viewer or those who frequent the multiplexes. If this faction of movie-going audience might give it a thumbs up, the aam junta or those looking for a solid entertainer might look the other way. Let’s face it, Rang De Basanti offers entertainment, but it’s not your run-of-the-mill kind of a movie. Sue [Alice Patten], a young, London-based film-maker chances upon the diaries of her grandfather, who served in the British Police Force in India during the freedom struggle. Excited about these memoirs, she makes plans to shoot a film on the Indian revolutionaries mentioned in the diaries. She flies to Delhi and casts a group of five friends to play the pivotal roles of these revolutionaries. The youngsters are DJ [Aamir Khan], Karan [Siddharth], Aslam [Kunal Kapoor], Sukhi [Sharman Joshi] and Sonia [Soha Ali Khan]. One of their foes, Laxman [Atul Kulkarni], also joins them subsequently. However, products of modern India, the five youngsters initially refuse to be part of the project as they don't identify with these characters from the past. Not surprising, considering that they are a part of a generation of Indians that believes in consumerism. To them issues like patriotism and giving one's life for one's beliefs is the stuff text-books are made of. They would rather party than be patriots. In the film, both the 1930s British India and the India today run parallel and intersect with each other at crucial points. Director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra opens the cards at the very outset. Alice’s sequences at the start, right till her arrival in Delhi and conducting a screen-test, are intriguing. But the film actually gets a push the moment the focus shifts to the five friends. From being hesitant to eventually agreeing to enact the roles of the revolutionaries in Alice’s film, these sequences take the film to an all-time high. In between, the sequences featuring Atul Kulkarni and Kiron Kher only cement the goings-on. The glitch is that the narrative goes into the past and returns to the present with alarming regularity, which tends to confuse the viewer at times. Besides, after the first 30 minutes or so, there’s not much movement in the story. If the first half abounds in light moments, the post-interval portions get into a serious mode. The story takes a turn when one of their friends [Madhavan] expires in an air crash. The film holds your attention right till the elimination of the Defence Minister [Mohan Agashe], but the remainder, which leads to the climax, is a downer. The climax should’ve been the highpoint of the film, taking the film to a crescendo, but it doesn’t. In fact, the climax ruins the impact considerably. Another drawback is that the film goes into a major flashback in the second half. Agreed, it has been deftly executed, but the film could’ve done without those portions. The writers should’ve come to the point straightaway: The air crash, the awakening and the revenge. Even the songs -- in the second half specifically -- don’t really contribute in taking the story forward. Director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra has an eye for detail and it is more than evident in his second endeavor. But it’s the writing [screenplay: Rensil D Silva and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra; story-script: Kamlesh Pandey] that’s not foolproof. Yet, there’s no denying that Mehra proves his prowess in a number of sequences. Two shining examples: Aamir breaks down while having supper with Alice and the group getting upset after hearing the Defence Minister’s speech. Technically, it’s a first-rate effort. Dialogues [Prasoon Joshi, Rensil D Silva] are excellent. The usage of Punjabi words gives the film that certain freshness. A.R. Rahman's music is ordinary. Barring ‘Paathshala’ and the title track, Rahman’s score doesn’t stay with you after the screening has ended. Cinematography [Binod Pradhan] is outstanding. The lensman captures the essence of Delhi beautifully. Stunts [Allan Amin] are okay. Visual effects [Pankaj Khandpur] are topnotch. You expect Aamir Khan to deliver yet another astounding performance in Rang De Basanti and he does, but it’s not Aamir alone that you applaud in the film. Of course, Aamir gets into the skin of the character and delivers a knockout performance from start to end, but the film has more gems when it comes to performances: Siddharth [excellent], Atul Kulkarni [fantastic], Soha Ali Khan [a complete revelation; efficient], Kunal Kapoor [natural] and Sharman Joshi [powerful]. Alice Patten is brilliant and besides delivering a flawless performance, her style of speaking Hindi is sure to win a lot of hearts. Madhavan is likeable. Waheeda Rehman is graceful as ever. Both Om Puri and Anupam Kher don’t get much scope. Kiron Kher is exceptional yet again. Mohan Agashe, Steven Mckintosh, K.K. Raina and Lekh Tandon are adequate. Songs are A-grade especially Roobaroo and RDB title track. The movie gets a rating of ****/5 Watch it, and think how you can challenge and change the system.
Cinema, You and I
The latest movie from the Bhatt-camp-"Gangster", is releasing this week. Expectations are very high as this is directed by Anurag Basu, the guy who gave ud-"Murder". The movie stars our "serial-kisser", Emraan Hashmi, Shiney Ahuja and debutant Kangana. The movie is shot in Seoul and has stunning visuals. The movie is slightly inspired from the Abu Salem affair. The music is already topping the charts and it seems the movie will be a hit.
The latest movie from the Bhatt-camp-"Gangster", is releasing this week. Expectations are very high as this is directed by Anurag Basu, the guy who gave ud-"Murder". The movie stars our "serial-kisser", Emraan Hashmi, Shiney Ahuja and debutant Kangana. The movie is shot in Seoul and has stunning visuals. The movie is slightly inspired from the Abu Salem affair. The music is already topping the charts and it seems the movie will be a hit.
Monday, April 24, 2006
Cinema, You and I
Pachakuthira-Movie Review
Much was expected from Dileep after the stupendous success of Chanthupottu. Lion was a commercil pot-boiler, so I am not taking it into consideration. Kamal is a great director, but this movie lacks a proper plot and storyline. A horde of comedians form the supporting cast and do the usual comic antics which are supposed to make you laugh. Dileep is trying what Kamalahasan used to do, come in different get-ups in each movie. The movie is touted to be a complete family entertainer. The first half drags but the second half of the movie saves it from falling flat on its face. Sentiments and comedy alone cannot guarantee success for a movie. Ilayaraja's music is a big letdown. The basic plot of the film is lifted from Dustin Hoffman-Tom Cruise 1988 Oscar winning Rain Man which has been Indianised to suit Dileep’s comedy image but every scene from the beginning to end is predictable and clichéd. Anandakuttan (Dileep), a happy-go-lucky guy is a supplier of extras in films and he has a group of artists (Salim Kumar, Gopika and others) with him. One day a travel agent tells him that he has a brother Akash Menon (Dileep) in Germany who is coming down to stay with him after his mother passed away there!!Akash Menon is an autistic who has a mental growth of a 5-year-old who makes life miserable for Anandakuttan till he finally decides to give him away for adoption to a rich family in Germany! But how Anadakuttan develops love and sympathy towards his brother and prevents the adoption forms the rest of the sentimental second half. In the Vishu-collection race this "green horse", will lose the race to Thuruppu Gulan and Rasatanthiram.
Pachakuthira-Movie Review
Much was expected from Dileep after the stupendous success of Chanthupottu. Lion was a commercil pot-boiler, so I am not taking it into consideration. Kamal is a great director, but this movie lacks a proper plot and storyline. A horde of comedians form the supporting cast and do the usual comic antics which are supposed to make you laugh. Dileep is trying what Kamalahasan used to do, come in different get-ups in each movie. The movie is touted to be a complete family entertainer. The first half drags but the second half of the movie saves it from falling flat on its face. Sentiments and comedy alone cannot guarantee success for a movie. Ilayaraja's music is a big letdown. The basic plot of the film is lifted from Dustin Hoffman-Tom Cruise 1988 Oscar winning Rain Man which has been Indianised to suit Dileep’s comedy image but every scene from the beginning to end is predictable and clichéd. Anandakuttan (Dileep), a happy-go-lucky guy is a supplier of extras in films and he has a group of artists (Salim Kumar, Gopika and others) with him. One day a travel agent tells him that he has a brother Akash Menon (Dileep) in Germany who is coming down to stay with him after his mother passed away there!!Akash Menon is an autistic who has a mental growth of a 5-year-old who makes life miserable for Anandakuttan till he finally decides to give him away for adoption to a rich family in Germany! But how Anadakuttan develops love and sympathy towards his brother and prevents the adoption forms the rest of the sentimental second half. In the Vishu-collection race this "green horse", will lose the race to Thuruppu Gulan and Rasatanthiram.
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