The 'Long' Culture

There is dearth of good talent in Kannada cinema today. Sandalwood was never in good health over the past decade. It largely survived on remaking films, just plain copy of films from Tamil and Telugu. Originality and creativity were alien to the film makers. Things are changing now but for the worse. violence and rowdy culture are being glorified now. The storyline may be original but the content is awful. Sad, it is these kind of movies that have become a rage with the Kannada youth. To mention some of those :

Shastri
Kalasipalya
Mental Manja
Jogi
Deadly Soma..


Deadly Soma has the caption 'Dumidhre Baro'. In the preview of the movie Jogi on ETV one fan of ShivrajKumar aka Shivanna had this to say :

"Eshto jana hudugiyarigai long thegadirodhanu nodidhave!
Adharae Shivannaru Ammanigoskara long hidithirodhu idhae first timu!"

Seven Jnanpith Awards have been bestowed on Kannada.The film makers are not skilled enough, except Girish Kassaravalli , to convert many good Kannada literature into cinema . Unfortunately Kasaravalli's efforts are not commercially viable.

If there is one man who can stop this, he is Dr.RajKumar.
Annavre, dayavittu enadhru maddi.

Ashes

Test cricket was at its best in the fourth Ashes Test. I hope England wins the fifth test and grabs the Ashes from the Aussies. Is the Aussie supremacy on the decline?

A unique show of respect

In Bangalore , I have observed that in hotels particularly the Darshini kind of hotels there will be a display of delicious food stuffs . Our mouth should water glancing at the display. The actual menu is different though. But in Upahara Mandir, a darshini in Jayanagar, to which I frequent there is no display of food but there is a line up of literary figures. Eminent personalities of Kannda literature . Kuvempu, Da Ra Bendre, Shivarama Karanth, and A.N Murthy Roa. Also displayed are sculptures of Hampi . I appreciate the owner of the Darshini for caring to respect the giants in this unique way. I think, seeing at the kind of cinema that come out of Kannada film industry there is scant respect for the people who shaped the Kannada literature. Hopefully the efforts like the one mentioned draws the attention of people, while they satisfy their hunger, to the literary works of those men.

What He Said

Yesterday, in Vannakam Thamizhalagam programme on Sun TV , a Thamizhl pulavar was the guest. I am not sure of his name. He mentioned about a Sangam age poem, a very beautiful one. I remembered reading the poem in The Hindu. The article was about the Tamil Love Poem "Red Earth & Pouring Rain", which was published in the London Tube .

What He Said

What could my mother be
to yours? What kin is my father
to yours anyway? And how
did you and I meet ever?

But in love

our hearts have mingled
like red earth and puring rain.

The article said ..

"The poem is titled "Red Earth and Pouring Rain". In the background of authors of many works remaining anonymous, in Tamil literary tradition there is this practice of identifying a poet by a phrase or word from his poem. Thus the author of this poem is Sembulapeyaneerar, literally "The poet of red earth and pouring rain".

I liked the excellent metaphor - comparing the union of two souls with the union of the pouring rain and the red earth.The poem has been translated by A K Ramunajan

Image courtesy : Poetry Society

Sri Sivan

My nephew Sri Sivan. The smile of his makes my day.

My Magazine!

Click Here.

Google Style Logo

Click here

Indian Edition of Scientific American

Indian edition of Scientific American has been launched. Scientific American  is a science and technology magazine published since 1845.Its a magazine which has gained a high reputation for its credibility and authority.In India it would be called as Scientific American India.It is priced at Rs 100 but is available for Rs 80 per edition on subscription and is published monthly. Worth subscribing.

The other science magazine I like most is the New Scientist. I wish even that gets published from India as well.

Nostalgic

This class photograph was taken when I was in my first standard. Its sad that though I remember few faces, I am not able to recollect any of my friends names. I cannot even recall the class teacher's name. I remember only the school,Sri Ramakrishna Primary & Middle School, which still stands in Ulsoor, Bangalore.

What would each one of them be doing now ? Where are each one of them? It truly feels nostalgic.

I wish I could rewind time and relive those innocent moments of ones life again.

Energy Treatment - Pseudoscience

Energy Treatment is a practice that is practised by a conman called Sathiyamoorthy.Tune into Vijay TV at 9:00 PM every sunday and you will be surprised to see the talent of his. He owns a device which is nothing but a kind of dipole antenna . He would detect the 'energy radiation' sorrounding ones body and suggest a remedy if there are any violations in the energy distribution. It would suffice to mention one of his claims to rebuke his ideas - he has cure for AIDS! . He has many more things to offer.

It irritates me when I see the innocence of people who fall prey to his tactics. Energy Treatment is just one example of many such programmes that get telecast on TV , especially in Tamil channels. I wish to file a PIL against conmen like Sathiyamoorthy.Is it possible? would the case stand in court?

Check your reaction time

How fast are your reactions?  click here and find how  quick you are in reacting to events.