The Hindu reports that President Kalam has stated that he hasn’t watched a movie in the last 50 years:

President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has not watched a movie in the last 50 years as he was literally wedded to his scientific research. “You won’t believe it but it is true,” Mr. Kalam told Radio Kashmir’s news editor Gurjeet Malik in an informal chat here.

I pity the great man, for he has missed quite a lot of stunning movies made in this country. A fine example of which is Kannathil Muthamittaal, which I saw for the nth time yesterday (n > 30).

Kannathil Muthamittaal, made is 2002, should rank as one of the most wonderful films our country has produced. Set against the backdrop of crisis in Sri Lanka, the movie weaves together multiple themes of terrorism, adoption, love and motherhood in a fantastic visual spectacle.

It is the kind of movie you can feel proud about, that it was made in our country; the kind of movie which makes you want to rank Mani Ratnam alongside Hollywood greats like Spielberg, Scorsese, Kubrick and Coppola.

Taut screenplay, excellent, measured acting by everyone (Madhavan was so good; Simran with her best performance; Keerthana who won a National Award), and terrific score by A.R. Rahman, who also won a National Awar, lend weight to a brilliant script. Not surprisingly, at the National Awards for that year, the movie was adjudged the Best Picture.

The irony, though, is that the movie was not India’s nominee to the Oscars. We sent Devdas — yes, Devdas! — to the Oscars, and it turned out to be such a huge flop! Terrorism and adoption were the issues du jour then in America. And we chose to showcase a mediocre display of grandeur instead of true Indian masterpiece. Sad. And makes us wonder if Murphy’s laws about committee’s are indeed true.

Links: The Hindu Friday Review, Wikipedia, IMDB, Madras Talkies

 

FISMThe Swedish capital, Stockholm, is now under a spell. Yes, the plays host to The World Magic Championships 2006! The championships begin today, and end on Saturday, August 5.

The contestants will have 10 minutes each to impress the judges. The contests are separated into two heads: Stage contests and Close-up contests. The categories of magic on display include card tricks, mental magic, manipulations, parlour magic and illusions.

Magicians from over 64 countries are in the fray. Sadly though, there is no participant from India. So, the great Indian rope trick isn’t on show!

Interested? Do check out the championships’ website for detailed information.

 

This is the man now hailed by Arabs from Syria to Egypt as the new Nasser. He is also the terrorist whom Israel must kill to claim victory in southern Lebanon. And, for all the rumours, he is believed to have stayed in Beirut throughout this war, racing between hiding places in unmarked family saloon cars as the Israeli air force tries to catch up.


The survival of Sheikh Nasrallah is already remarkable. Even more so is the West’s sudden obsession with his leadership — not just of Hezbollah but also, for all practical purposes, of Lebanon and of an upsurge of pan-Arab solidarity potentially more powerful than any since the Yom Kippur war of 1973.


His support on the Arab street will not of itself rebuild Lebanon or destroy Israel, which remains a key Hezbollah goal. But it has made him the new face of jihadism, with an appeal transcending border and sectarian divides. This is why, with stunning swiftness, Sheikh Nasrallah has eclipsed even Osama bin Laden as the West’s most potent enemy in the War on Terror.

The Times profiles Hizbollah leader, Hasan Nasrallah.

 

India has been ranked 125th in the list of the world’s happiest countries. Adrian White, a British analytical social psychologist, has compiled this list based on various reports available with the UN and the World Health Organization.

Denmark tops the list of the 178 countries studied, while Burundi has to be content being the least happiest. While the US has been placed 23rd, China and Japan are at positions 82 and 90. What we Indians most like is a comparison with Pakistan. However, the rank for our neighbour is not readily available!

Reuters has more on this study…

“We’re looking much more at whether you are satisfied with your life in general,” White told Reuters. “Whether you are satisfied with your situation and environment.”


The main factors that affected happiness were health provision, wealth and education, according to White who said his research had produced the “first world map of happiness.”

Jul 292006
 

With its recent announcement about entering the portable MP3 player business with Zune, Microsoft is entering a dangerous territory, one which in which Apple, with its iPods, has a clear lead. So what is the Seattle giant thinking? Peter Burrows explains the risks and the payoffs in the battle for your ears…

The partnering strategy hasn’t worked, and it’s time to try something new. And who knows, Microsoft may well have dreamed up a winning product. After all, it’s giving Sony fits with its Xbox. But that’s a big if. Apple has a gargantuan lead and isn’t sitting still–as the world will likely find out during Steve Jobs’ keynote at the Worldwide Developers Conference on Aug. 8. What’s more, not all music fans feel comfortable buying into a closed system–and most of those that do have probably already begun building their iTunes collections.

 

Ruud van Nistelrooy moves out... ... and Michael Carrick moves in!
Ruud van Nistelrooy leaves Man United, as Michael Carrick walks in.

Real Madrid have confirmed that Manchester United’s Ruud van Nistelrooy has passed a medical, and would be formally unveiled as a Real Madrid player. The Dutchman becomes the second high-profile player to move from Old Trafford to the Bernabeu in the last three years. van Nistelrooy, whose prolific goalscoring brought United top honours in the Premier League in 2003, will now be reunited with David Beckham.

Reports suggest that Manchester United have signed English midfielder Michael Carrick from London side, Tottenham Hotspur. The 25 year-old is expected to fill the void created by the sudden departure of talismanic captain Roy Keane last November. The deal is reportedly worth 15 million pounds.

There are rumours than United may also sign Argentinian Javier Mascherano. It is yet to be seen if Sir Alex Ferguson will add another striker to the Red Devils frontline.

 

Google Talk is my favourite IM. Despite being not as feature-rich as its counterparts from Yahoo! and MSN are, Google Talk trumps because it exploits fully its USP — it is simple. It has the look-and-feel of an app that you and I would have developed to practise basic networking in Java.

But Google has constantly come up with newer versions, adding a few features with each new release. Voice-chat, integration with GMail etc.

Now the latest version of Google Talk (download link) has added file sharing, voice mail and the ability to display what music you are currently playing on your computer. This last feature is really cool – I remember there was a plugin for Yahoo Messenger which would do the same. But this inbuilt feature is sure to please quite a lot of users.

Read all about it here. And don’t forget to download it!

P.S.: Thanks Suresh, for the link.

 

Just saw a clipping from Imsai Arasan 23-m Pulikesi. A very interesting dialogue. Nasser comes to meet Vadivelu. The dialogue runs something like this…

Nasser: Maatrangal pala irukkindranave (There is so much change since I was last here)

Vadivelu: Maatram ondru dhaane, mama, ulagil maaramal iruppadhu (But, Uncle, isn’t change the only quantity that doesn’t change in this world?)

Nasser: Parava illaye! Naan illaadha neraththil geethai ellaam kooda payindru irukkiraai polum? (Not bad… I see you’ve take to the Bhagavad Gita, while I had been away)

Vadivelu: Kannan-aaga vaazhbavanukku geethai edharkku? (Of what use is the Gita for one who lives like Krishna?)

Despite the fact that the dialogue is from a comedy movie, it is worth pondering over. Are practices and customs of religious worship of any use at all, if the worshipper doesn’t realize and experience God and His infinite graces?

Reminds me of a not-so-similar passage from Paulo Coelho’s By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept. Indeed one of the few relieving moments of a very forgettable book I read almost two years ago:

A Spanish missionary was visiting an island when he came across three Aztec priests.


“How do you pray?” the missionary asked.


“We have only one prayer,” answered one of the Aztecs. “We say, ‘God, you are three, we are three. Have pity on us.”


“A beautiful prayer,” said the missionary. “But it is not exactly the one that God heeds. I’m going to teach you one that’s much better.”


The padre taught them a Catholic prayer and then continued on this path of evangelism. Years later, when he was returning to Spain, his ship stopped again at the island. From the deck, the missionary saw the three priests on the shore and waved to them.


Just then, the three men began to walk across the water toward him.


“Padre! Padre!” one of them called, approaching the ship. “Teach us again that prayer that God heeds. We’ve forgotten how it goes.”


“It doesn’t matter,” responded the missionary, witnessing the miracle. And he promptly asked God’s forgiveness to recognize that He speaks all languages.

 

One of the few things that everyone in my house shares a passion for is songs from old Tamil movies. Yes, there are new songs and we all listen to them too. But old songs have a charm of their own. Simple, and with music that is non-obstructive and (hence?) pleasing to the ear, these songs live on, gaining a few — if indeed, precious few — lovers each passing day!

Starting today, I’m planning to post lyrics from old songs that I love. I’ll post the lyrics in Tamil, give an English transliteration, and attempt a translation. If possible, a link to the song, and also a photo. As for the translation, may I warn you that it is only indicative — because, in addition to being a poor writer, I’m pathetic at poetry!

The first in this list is one of the most popular songs in Tamil film history. It is still sung on stage, and is one of the few songs whose fan-following transcends age groups.

Song: Senthamizh Then Mozhiyaal
Movie: Maalayitta Mangai (1958)
Singer: T.R. Mahalingam
Music Director: M.S. Viswanathan – T.K. Ramamurthy
Lyrics: Kannadasan
Listen online: MusicIndiaOnline.

சில்லென்று பூத்த சிறு நெரிஞ்சிக் காட்டினிலே
நில்லென்று கூறி நிறுத்தி வழி போனாளே
நின்றதுபோல் நின்றாள், நெடுந்தூரம் பறந்தாள்,
நிற்குமோ ஆவி? நிலைக்குமோ நெஞ்சம்?
மணம் பெறுமோ வாழ்வே?

( அவள் ) செந்தமிழ் தேன் மொழியாள்
நிலாவென சிரிக்கும் மலர்க் கொடியாள்
நிலாவென சிரிக்கும் மலர்க் கொடியாள்
பைங்கனி இதழில் பழரசம் தருவாள்
பருகிட தலைகுனிவா?

காற்றினில் பிறந்தவளோ?
புதிதாய் கற்பனை வடித்தவளோ?
சேற்றினில் மலர்ந்த செந்தாமரையோ?
செவ்வந்திப் பூச்சரமோ? ( அவள் )

கண்களில் நீலம் விளைத்தவளோ?
அதை கடலினில் கொண்டு கரைத்தவளோ?
பெண்ணுக்கு பெண்ணே பேராசை கொள்ளும்
பேரழகெல்லாம் படைத்தவளோ? ( அவள் )

The transliteration follows. Continue reading »

 

Marionette: a man-made puppet manipulated by strings

Martinet: a woman who pulls the strings on men

 

Today, a few colleagues were watching the video of an old advertisement. I remember seeing it on Doordarshan in the last ’80s. The ad was one of the most remarkable ones of those years.

Yes, “Hamara Bajaj” had a universal appeal. It was filled with elements that made the scooter seem like a commodity that everyone in the family treasured. For example, observe how the old woman sports a smile. Or the kid jumping on seeing the balloons, with the bike in the background. Or the way the man who cleans it blows at the Bajaj logo before dusting it. In a way, this touching ad typified that age.

The jingle sounded (and still sounds) excellent. It ends with the line…

Buland Bharat ki, Buland tasveer…
Hamara Bajaj! Hamara Bajaj!

And though I don’t know what it means, it made me think that I should own a Bajaj scooter when I grew up. That I ride a Bajaj Caliber was not influenced by this ad though!

 

Thank you for visiting! If you’re reading this, you are probably already aware that I’ve moved my blog to my own domain.

I must thank the Government of India for spurring me to make this move. The decision to move has been on the cards for a while; but the Government order restraining ISPs from providing access to the Blogspot.com domain (or the interpretation of same, by the ISPs) proved to be the catalyst.

This change requires some effort, for it pushes me from a known territory to an unknown. However, moving to WordPress has been a nice experience — a lot less blood than I had assumed. To be honest, I have had very few complaints about Blogger; but WordPress is good in its own way. It puts me in control. Special thanks to Thejo for helping me make the switch!

In case you have bookmarked or blogrolled my earlier blog (link), please update your links to this one: http://www.vkpedia.com. Even otherwise, you can bookmark / link to me. In case you are using a feedreader, the feed URL is http://www.vkpedia.com/feed. Your visits and comments spur me on.

This switch is currently a work in progress. If you find something awry, do let me know. Once again, thanks for visiting! Have a great time here!

 

Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita (Ch. 4, V. 8 ):

paritranaya sadhunam
vinasaya ca duskrtam
dharma-samsthapanarthaya
sambhavami yuge yuge

In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium.

In the glorious traditions of Adi Shankara, Ramanuja, Madhvacharya, Raja Rammohan Roy, Swami Vivekananda and Mahatma Gandhi comes Hinduism’s newest reformer — Sagarika Ghose.

Yes, Ms. Ghose, who reads presents news in CNN-IBN, lists down “pondering about Hinduism” as her chief hobby. This spurs her from time to time to present her views on Hinduism, how it has degenerated, how women are being looked down in Hinduism, and how the religion needs a new reformer. Especially, when she runs out of sensational news items, like these Mumbai blasts for example. (For how long can one keep exorcising the spirit of the city?)

And ever since the controversy that has “erupted” in Sabarimala, Ms. Ghose has risen as the unquestioned, undisputed champion of Hinduism. So here are a few questions which I would like to pose to her…

  1. Ms. Ghose, what ails you?

  2. It is common knowledge that Hindus do not take their religion very seriously. They don’t care as much about their religious sentiments being attacked. In effect, in a debate on religion, Hindus are soft targets. Is this why you choose to harp on Hinduism?

  3. I dare you, Ma’am. Why don’t you launch an offensive on the oppression that women in other religions are forced to undergo? You talk about women being denied entry into one single temple. Why not talk about the equality of the genders, as practised in other religions?

  4. You seem to buy too easily into the argument that Sabarimala is / was a Buddhist monastery. Why? In your blog, you quote Mr. Sanal Edamaruku of the Indian Rationalist Association. The reason these gentlemen give is that the area surrounding Sabarimala is littered with ancient Buddhist sites, hence this should also be one. There is a saying: “If you jump into a ring with 12 clowns, and start reading Shakespeare, onlookers will think of you as the thirteenth clown!” Ever come across it?

  5. Assuming Mr. Edamaruku is correct, how can one possibly explain the Makara jyoti — the sacred light which appears unfailingly every Makara Shankaranti (January 14) amidst the hills opposite the shrine? Which Buddhist monastery in the world has recorded a similar event?

  6. Can Mr. Edamaruku and his rational-thinking colleagues explain the flight of the Garuda which sails over the route to guard the cache of jewels that are transported from the palace of the Pandalam king to the shrine, again during Makara Shankaranti?

  7. Why do you, Ms. Ghose, restrict the debate on religion to feminism and women’s liberation alone? In fact, you are moving the debate into the zone of reductio ad absurdum. You twist every single argument to give it a feminist angle, and thus kill it. “Religion. Hinduism. Sabarimala. Women not allowed. Inequality. Injustice. Male chauvinism. Let’s change tradition.” That is the progression of the debate. “Reduction to absurdity” was never used more cunningly!

  8. You asked one of your invitees, a priest at the Meenakshi Temple in Madurai, “Why are women not allowed inside the garbagriha of the temple?” I would like to draw your attention to the fact that your invitee responded, “But even the Shankaracharya of the Kanchi Mutt is not allowed into the garbagriha!” Is that reason enough to start a men’s liberation movement?

  9. Why use such narrow arguments like “Do women pollute the shrine?” Maybe you are using the term, pollution, for want of a better word. But it does not convey the right meaning. My mom doesn’t allow me to loiter around in the house when I’m back from a haircut. I’m barred from the kitchen and the prayer room till I get a bath. Extending your now-famous stump line “Will Lord Ayyappa ever open his doors to women?”, I am going to ask my mom, “Will God ever open his doors to me when I haven’t bathed?” Fair logic, eh?

  10. Are traditions meant only to be changed, Ms Ghose? Yes, they are, but only with strong reasons. That conservatives are averse to change, is a wrong opinion. Change, just for the sake of it, is what conservatives are against. The means are just as important. I ask you, Ms. Ghose, what do you wish to achieve by effecting change in Sabarimala? Let us assume that the doors of Lord Ayyappa are indeed opened to women. Will it ensure that women will not have any problems at all? Will all you feminists and pseudo-liberalists be satisfied?

  11. If traditions are to be changed, why Ms. Ghose do you begin every newscast with a smile and a greeting? Let me try arguing like you do. “If you wish us ‘Good evening’, is that going to make our evening good? Hence the greeting is a waste of time. If I am in grief, it is going to enrage me. Why stick to values of the Victorian era?” I dare you again, Ms. Ghose, why don’t you try this?

  12. There are so many burning issues to address. Your channel has launched a Light-a-Candle campaign to donate to the victims of the Mumbai blasts. Why don’t you take a hard stance on a hard issue? Say, the Israel-Lebanon conflict. Why not start a Light-a-Candle campaign to end this? Why just stay content with taking potshots at soft targets? Why don’t you give us some “real news”? As I noted a few days ago in these same pages, why don’t you just “leave my faith alone?”

 

The verdict is out! The four clubs which were implicated in the match-fixing scandal have all been meted out harsh punishments.

Juventus have been relegated to Serie B. The Bianconeri have been stripped of their league titles of this season and the last. They will start Serie B with minus 30 points. The Italian Serie B has 22 teams, which play 42 games across the season. Only the top three teams win promotion to the Serie A. This year, Atalanta (81), Catania (78) and Torino (76) have been promoted to the Serie A. If the trend were to continue in the coming season, the old lady of Turin will have to secure at least 110 points to be assured of getting back to the top flight. 110 points out of 126? Simple. Win 35 games. Draw 5. Keep praying! Juve are out of the Champions League for the next two seasons, at least! How are they going to manage this if there is going to be a player clear-out?

AC Milan is the only club of the four that has not been relegated. However, the Rossoneri will start with a 15-point penalty. They have been booted out of the coming season’s Champions League. And this penalty might mean that it will be a tough fight for them to get there next season too. However, if they perform just as well as the did in the last season, their chances are bright. Milan ended with 88 points, to fourth-placed Fiorentina’s 74. In Italy, the top two teams get a direct entry, and the next two will have to play a qualifying round. The advantage they have enjoyed this season is just as much as the penalty. In any case, Milan will play in the UEFA Cup, though it is not as money-spinning as the Champions League. Have we seen the last of the impeccable Paolo Maldini in Europe’s biggest club competition?

Fiorentina and Lazio have also been relegated. Further they been handed out 12- and 7-point deductions respectively.

 

The World Cup is over. Life returns to normalcy; the Italians return home to a glorious welcome; men return to work, and TV remotes to women. Comparing one tournament to another doesn’t really take us anywhere. The World Cup is a self-contained event, and to derive pleasure from it, it is better to look at it in isolation, and enjoy the great moments that it has produced. New heroes, new villains, new records…

There were two important moments in this World Cup, two “points of inflection”, to derive a term from mathematics. One was noticeable, the other, I assume. And both these moments happened in the second round. The first was Franck Ribery’s brilliant run past Iker Casillas to score France’s equalizer. This came after David Villa had struck a penalty to put the Spaniards in front. France was in poor form till then, and had barely managed to scrape through to the knock-out phase. That goal galvanised the Gauls, and it took them all the way to Berlin.

The other important moment was dubious penalty decision that went in favour of the Italians against Guus Hiddink’s Australia. The Azzuri, who generally find themselves at the wrong end of such decisions, grabbed this lifeline with both hands. Totti stepped in to convert, and Italy hasn’t looked back since that moment.It was a moment of truth for the Italians. Faced with an uncertain future back home, tagged as under-achievers, and with very little self-belief, this team could have faltered at the very first hurdle. Yet, like a batsman who knows that he is in for a big hundred when a close lbw decision is not given or a straightforward catch is grassed at the outset, this Italian side surmounted every single test from then on to keep their date with Dame Fortune.

Winners, losers et al

Zidane was awarded the Golden Ball. I would have thought Cannavaro was the more impressive of the two. This decision also outlines the general inequity in the game. That those who play in attacking positions are in the money and in the spotlight always. I can’t remember any defender winning the FIFA World Footballer of the Year award. Paolo Maldini came second sometime in the mid-90s.

Ivory Coast were the most unlucky of all the sides that bowed out after the first round. They played such excellent football that had they been placed in any other group, they would have progressed to the knock-out phase. Ghana played exciting football, beating the Czechs against all odds, but were unlucky to walk right into Brazil.

The match of the tournament was Germany v/s Italy. It was worthy of a final. The final itself was quite competitive.

Italy walked away with the trophy, deserved winners. But the real winners are the people of Germany, who have, by all accounts, made this World Cup “a time to make friends”. Thank you, Deutschland!

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