The Irish Ghost in Me

Am I attempting a ghost story????

Kind of , I am sharing some ideas about mental my ghosts – sometimes they do occur in the form of ideas. Yesterday an idea stuck me that I should write something about my long term association with Ireland. The ‘association’ is only  a psychological one bordering on obsession. This blog is an attempt to map my obsession with Ireland. 

It started with W.B Yeats and his lovely poems which I read for my  Master’s program.  I did his poem ‘Second Coming’ and to substantiate my knowledge I did some background reading. I discovered two things  about W.B Yeats,

1. He is a victim of unrequited love.
2. His fascination with Irish culture primarily the folklore.

The effect the poem had on me is so much that even today I can quote some lines from the poem,

‘Turning and turning in the ever widening gyre.

The falcon cannot hear the falconer’

Again Literature pulled me towards Ireland. This time it was Drama and the author was George Bernard Shaw. The affiliation started in my under graduate days when I read his ‘The Arms and the Man’. To a certain extent the credit also goes to my professor Mr. Philips who had a unique way of handling the class. Later on both in my student life and teaching career George Bernard Shaw was a dominating figure. As a student I read his ‘Pygmalion’ and as a teacher I saw the movie version of Pygmalion – ‘My Fair Lady’. My professors including VJM used to quote GBS to add the necessary punch to their class.

Another Irish author who made me get interested in Irish life was Frank McCourt. I have read his magnum opus titled Angela’s Ashes. As a teacher it was quite a rich experience to read his academic bio – Teacher Man.

My fascination for Ireland is not just restricted to literature. It also includes some popular culture elements like – U2 and the Corrs. U2 appealed  to me for their eco-supportive songs and their great guitar work. Corrs for their sibling camaraderie and the fresh young  voice especially of the sylvan beauty Andrea. 

I don’t know much about Ireland. I have seen some flicks that were shot in Ireland. I have seen some wallpapers and screensavers. I have heard about the Catholic uprising and the IRA. The issues with Northern Ireland and how the UK is pampering the Irish people. Deep in my heart I do cherish a dream of visiting Ireland and inhaling the smell of the land deep in my nostrils.

Two movies /48 hrs

Recently we watched two movies within a gap of 24 hrs. Both the movies were unique. First one was filled with natural and soft treatment of life. The second was a combination of special effects and race against time. In many ways both had some common ground between them. The movies which we saw were - Loudspeaker (Malayalam) and 2012 (English).

Loudspeaker portrayed the changing face (s)of mankind. The following juxtapositions find place in Loudspeaker- old/new, rural/urban,natural/artificial. The treatment surprisingly is not Loud. There is a human element in the movie and it carries a strong message about our changing lives. The central motif is similar to Rajesh Khanna starrers -Anand and Bawarachi and the copy of copy of all these – Kal ho na ho. Something akin to the saying - He came, he saw and he conquered. Watching a movie with some brilliant snapshots of Kerala is a true nostalgic act for a Gulf Malayalee. Jairaj injects a shot of humanism without the help of Doctor Preacher. In a way it was good to see Jairaj attempting a theme like this which is far removed from his usual misadventures with ‘saffronic’ themes. (Paitherekam, Deshadanam). Even though  Mammoty looks different as the Loud Mike, he lacks a tinge of originality.We felt that he was too glamorous for the role of a ‘farmer/kidney donor from the hills’. Jagathy is wasted with an insignificant character of the apartment secretary . We had heard numerous complaints about the sync technique used ( first time in Malayalam) in the movie but our movie watching experience was complaint free.

2012 is about the end of the world. We all know that the world will end soon and the bad/mad rush has already begun. Copenhagen promoting the theme of hope is one way of creating awareness about the dying earth. ( Sign the petition and become a citizen at www.hopenhagen.com) The world as we know will face death due to either environmental issues, terrorism or an alien attack) Mayans predicted it long back and Indians noticed it and as usual Americans saves the world ( or at least the world of the rich) with the help of hard working China men. A movie filled with American jingoism and propaganda, 2012 is just like Independence Day. The biblical ark is shown in a new avatar. In many ways the movie attempts to yoke Mayan calender with the biblical ark.

The Language of Violence

Google has entered into a partnership with leading publication houses to bring the best from the world of words. i was browsing the titles this morning and i came across a book titled ‘The Violence of Language’. the title made me think about the violent ways of using language. I took some time to mull over the topic and found that it will be worthy of a blog. The fact that today violence is a common thing makes the topic more topical. The topic deals only with the verbal use of language. words which are un- parliamentary may be the starting point. every human being has got a breaking point. If he/she is pushed beyond a certain point then he will break. One of the way’s through which he regains balance is by uttering some words which are like bullets and will hit the target bull’s eye. The language becomes violent.

Cursing,Swearing are all instances were language can get really violent. Studies are being conducted into the violent nature of human communication. What are the effects of bad words on the listener? How does human brain process these words?. Answers will be found soon. Most of the time the powerful language we use is a result of anger and frustration. In these modern times you can see people getting more complex and hard hearted. The use of violent language is becoming more intense and common.

The self-development guru’s (Robin Sharma, Deepak Chopra) are of the opinion that violent words always carry a negative field of energy and that will vitiate the ambience. this is one area which they are minting money. to make the post-post modern beings control their anger and practice the golden rule of silence. as a teacher i sometimes do get angry in the class, but experience has taught me that anger in a classroom is utterly useless. When i browsed the net i even came up with the idea of non-violent communication.

In, developing countries like India, the worst forms of violent communication is used against women and children. teachers against students, parents against children, husband against wife… the list goes on. Money, cultural issues, and lack of education are some of the breeding grounds for these types of communication.

Oman Diary - Part One

This is our second year in Oman. Last year we never had the inclination to explore Oman. This year we thought we will do a bit of exploration so that we will discover Oman. We decided to explore the ‘Real Oman’ far away from the hustle bustle of the Sohar life. So we chose a destination that is 70 kms away from Sohar - Wadi Hibi. Surrounded by mountains the village of Hibi is peaceful and has some of the best picturesque places.

 

There are some structures which our driver cum guide Saed told us were old houses.They are made of perfectly shaped stones and plastered with mud. Omanis lived in these houses maybe some 20 years back. Now they remain as examples of the past. the houses were constructed in such a way that the inhabitants were protected from wind and other adverse weather conditions. It had sub terranean passages and air ducts for ventilation. The modern houses co-exist with these ancient structures, complete with air conditioners and satellite TV.

 

 

This was the taxi which took us on this journey. Behind you can see the mountains and a Masjid. People living in Hibi are usually go to sleep late and they get up late. Most of them are farmers and their pace of life is slow and relaxed. We met some of them and they invited us to eat breakfast with them. The time was 10:30 am. Hibi like any other village is a close knit society. People know each other and they share a sense of camaraderie.  Maybe it is effect of nature on the minds of human beings. People are healthy and active. we met an old man whose age was 80+, walking around with the agility of an 30+ man.

( to be continued)

Oman Diary – Coming Soon

FIVE DAYS BEFORE EID

In this blog, I have chronicled our life in Sohar. the chronicle begins with the day we visited Lulu and ends with the day Oman celebrated Id. I was still using crutches and walker. 5 days of our life were recorded in X1 Office Word and later on complied together for this blog.

17-09-09

I decided to chronicle the daily events of my life. After a gap of 5 days I finally ventured out to the shopping area. I didn't get out of the car; I sat inside and watched the crowd and the activities. There were lots of things to watch. Families flocking towards Lulu to do Ramadan shopping. Shincy went inside to buy things for the household. Me and Saed sat and watched the world moving by. It was a boring thing to do, but I was helpless. One thing I was preoccupied with was watching different types of cars - from Toyota to Audi. It was an interesting exercise especially after the prolonged stay at home. Today Anjali shifted to a new flat somewhere near Indian school. We never had a hand in glove existence but she leaves behind a miniscule sense of emptiness.

18-09-09

Sheetal's visit. After a year long time some relatives visited our home. Sheetal, Rakesh, Ryan and their friend Shony and family. They were enroute to Muscat and they took a pit stop here. We had prepared food and a Kerala delicacy called pazham porichuthu. We tried our best to make them comfortable. They were bit surprised by our 'overflowing hospitality'. After our guests left us, me and Shincy were occupied with updating our Orkut profile. We added some new photos into our albums and created some new albums.

19-09-09

Today was an uneventful day. Shincy washed lots of clothes and she cooked lunch. For dinner we plan to eat some fruits and the local bread called khoobs. Did multiviewing of three Malayalam movies. Not even one was riveting. Six more days for the college to reopen. Time to relax and make the right moves. After taking bath in the evening I started watching the movie - Ruins in HBO. After sometime Shine also joined me. We were bit shaken by the man eating creeper plants. We found redemption through Shrek 3 and slept.

20-09-09

The day was quite uneventful because we got up late. We had some brunch watching the repeat telecast of Ruins. We had some discussion over the creepy situation especially the carnivorous creepers. The day passed away just like. I played for sometime and Uma aunty came in that time to exchange some pleasantries. After prayer and supper we sat watching TV and got hooked to this Malayalam movie - Mattoral (another person) starring Karamana, Mammoty, Urvasi and Seema. The movie explored marital bonds in bold way. We slept like two babies after watching that. Time was 3:00 am.

21-09-09

Today is Eid. Saed came in the morning to give Omani bread and beef stew. After that Mohammed came with chicken rice, sweet and beef fry. We didn't cook anything. As usual got up very late. Evening Uma aunty invited us to join them for a ride. It was a blessing for both of us since we could take in some fresh air. Shincy did some essential shopping. Our Tamil neighbours paid a visit for the first time.

Dr. V. J. Mathew – An Obituary

A few days back Dr V. J passed away. A name that was quite popular in Loyola college, Chennai, for 25 years. He retired from Loyola as the HOD of the English Department and became the co-ordinator of the Self-financed English Department. Then after two years of service he took up the post of Principal of Mar Gregorias College, Chennai. He was involved with AIMS personality development program developed by Sunny Tharappan. He was an avid reader. He liked to walk and talk. He was an excellent teacher. He was a prolific orator.He was my teacher. He made me – He made me discover the student within me. He made me discover the writer in me. He made me discover the teacher in me, He made me to discover the reader in me, He made me to discover the rebel within me. Sir, I will miss you like anything, I love you and may your soul rest  in peace.

Eleven years back, me and my father stood outside the English Department of  Loyola college. We were there waiting for the HOD to get take the entrance exam for admission into the Master’s program. The office assistant, Stella, made us sit and asked us to wait. After some minutes Dr VJ walked into the room. He was wearing a white corduroy and a printed shirt with large collars. He had a silver watch on his wrist and he was wearing classes. He gave me the question paper and asked me to sit in one corner and write. The next day I became a Loyalite. the day also marked my association with Dr. VJ. In our time table he was known as VJM. He taught us PD in the first semester. Then Chaucer, Phonetics, and British poetry in the consecutive semesters . His classes were a heady mixture of info and entertainment. He had his own unique style of handling English Literature. He was also known for his VJ jokes which used to appear in the department newsletter. Sample this:

Son: Dad, which one is more intoxicating?  whisky or brandy

Father: Neither of them, it is Lewinsky…

His classes were never missed and I used to worship him from a distance. We both had a commonality in our names. He was targeted many times for his Malayali roots. I remember that even I was targeted for possessing the same name. Sir,I am so proud that i have your name. It was through him that I received a letter for my first job which i didn’t take up.  the strange is that he is the one who informed me about the opportunity in Nepal and he is the one who dissuaded me from going there. I am sure that he was watching me from a distance maybe he didn’t want to openly show his concern for me fearing a local backlash.

After Masters I joined MCC for my M.Phil and even that time I remember the letter of reference that he had given to Prof. Vishnu Bhatt. It was like our bond was extending even beyond the 100 acre Loyola campus. When I got through my UGC exam I had applied for the post in Loyola and even there, he were present as the HOD of the newly formed SFS English department. I thus became a teacher with his blessings. Sir, I am so happy and i feel blessed that I started my career with you. I remember my first class and how you asked me about the experience after the class. I was amused by the way he used to gel with the young and the old alike.Che, Sugnathi and me were the Young Turks and Prof Arockia Dass and Jeyadoss - the old army. Che and me had numerous discussions with him in the canteen. He was specially interested in the author Fritjof Capra and his book – The Tao of Physics. Che and me, one day took him to watch the movie – A Beautiful Mind. He was so excited about the event. I remember how tensed he was when his brand new Santro hit a tree and had a dent. he was upset for some days. Dr VJ used to be upset for even small things. Maybe he was a sensitive being ( Just like me)

Once i joined MCC as a teacher, I used to visit him at home. We used to go for short walks which sometimes ended near the church. He used to talk about his daughter who got settled in the US and how he loved her. He told me in a funny how she forced him to watch movies related to American style wedding when he visited her for the marriage.His second daughter was more like him – especially when it came to reading. I had befriended many books through him during these home visits. Da Vinci Code was one among them.

I am missing a good friend, a great teacher and moreover a good human being… and i know that i am not the only one…

What’s in a Name?

The inspiration behind this blog came from the noise that my female colleagues create in the office room. They are both away from their homes and they have this special knack to refer to their kids and spouse using different names. Some words are charged and may cause some shock waves in the listener's heart. Anyway this made me think about this whole idea of naming people. Being a student of literature it will be easy for me to talk about the signifier/signified/the significant other and the act of labelling. But I feel there is more to it.

Naming is an act of description. In the Indian context a child is born with different names. His face will give him a name. His nose will give him a name. His smile will bestow a name on him. His gait will give him a name. The planetary influences will give him a name. The list is really endless. Two names will remain with him/her forever i.e. Pet name and his official name. Some of the common pet names found in India are - chintu, chikku, unni, and mani. Even here the list is endless. The official name is the name is the one found in your educational certificates and official documents like passport. This name is chosen with much care and deliberation. Usually the letters from the parental names are combined to make the name. Parents will spend many sleepless nights making these names. Sometimes they do get some lovely names but most often they don’t. Sometimes names of dead ancestors or family names are also added to main name. So a typical Indian name will have a First name, a Middle name and a Surname. Apart from this the name will also carry initials.

Being a Christian I got three names with me. One is my pet name (Kunjumon) which is still the name with which my parents and relatives address me. The official name is Premjith Mathew. I shortened that name into Prem. Now my-in-laws refer to me as Prem. In the church records I am known Joseph. I did have some nicknames with me – the one which I still remember is Valdo. Even my spectacles earned me a name – Kannadi. But these days I have acquired a new name- Baby face.

My name official name is bit strange and different from others. Premjith – it looks like a North Indian name. I still don’t know how my parents managed to conjure up this name.

Whenever I watch movies depicting the Red Indians in USA. I am fascinated by their names. In movies like Hidalgo, Spirit – The Stallion of the Cimarron, Dancing with the Wolves and Apocalypto we can learn a lot about the Red Indian life style and their act of naming. The Red Indian names are usually lengthy and explain a lot about one main characteristic trait of the individual. Their names will be like this – Eagle of the Sun, One who yawns, He who combs, One that walks on four claws, He makes noise. Their names are really interesting but I doubt whether they really call themselves like this today.

In India, I feel nothing is left without a name. Vehicles are named, animals are named and even trees are named. Indian cinema industry to a certain extent thrives on this naming business. The movie names are only chosen after astrological consultations. It is quite common for celebrities to change their names according to the numerological patterns so that it will bring good luck and charm.

the new window for my words

this is again a new experience
long way to go
good luck to myself

My Left Leg - Inside Out

Best Snaps from Sony Cam

My Days in Loho

LOHO stands for Loyola hostel. To be a complete slave of Loyola you should live in the hostel. If the college was a sub jail then Loho was a central prison.

My Loho experience was a mixture of both freedom and restrictions. Being PG students me and my friends never was taken too seriously. We were a minority who enjoyed a certain amount of special rights.

This blog is about my life in LOHO. It is exactly ten years now. I joined the hostel in 1998 and left it in 2000. To get academic admission in Loyola College is much easier when compared to act of entering the hostel. Dad tried his best bringing out all known methods of persuasion to get me a room in the hostel. Even today he talks with an adventurous spirit about this Loho admission episode. I had to stay outside in a hotel till I got my Loho berth. If I remember correctly the name of the hotel was – Vishram. It was located near the central station in wall tax road. So every day I ate from hotel, traveled by suburban train and saw the city a lot. If I am to narrate my outside Loho experiences then I will have to add a sub blog to this main blog.

With Dad’s help I finally kept my feet inside a Loho room. My room number was 417 which was in the 14^th block which was near the railway line. Initial days were spend setting up the room. Frequent visits to Choolaimedu (Choolz) were made. Dad went back leaving me to explore the world known as Loho. Dad had introduced me to some ‘mallu’ students and advised me to stick with them. Most of them were seniors. Some were priests. There was nothing exciting about these ‘mallu’ friends. They were highly biased and they thought that the ‘other’ (locals) were nothing but a bunch of ‘cinema crazy buffoons’. I had two other friends – Pallavan and Sankar. Pallavan was my classmate and Sankar was his Be.d mate. I found these two quite different from what I had heard from the ‘mallu’ circle. This and many other reasons made me quit the M Circle who were growing self-centered and quarrelsome day by day. One more friend who joined our gang was Sundar. We four – (Pallavan, Sankar, Prem, and Sundar) were always found together. We also had two visiting members – Sundaramoorthy and Br Rufus. Both were always busy or at least they feigned that they were. Anyway it was a joy to have them with us especially Br Rufus who was also an assistant warden and member of the Jesuit community who ran Loyola. When he was round we used to enjoy special rights in the mess like getting hot Dosas and some extra eggs like that. He was quite popular in the campus as he was in charge of the choir and campus ministry service. it was true that I was little jealous at Br Rufus SJ.

back to gayl-ash-shibool

after 45 days of resident experience I am back in sohar. looking forward to an interesting academic year.

My State of Stillness

I thought about it for a great deal. Why this strange pause in my life. Suddenly things have come to a standstill. I feel two factors are quite new to me. The first one is- restricted mobility and the second one is the dependence on other's for even the basic human activities. It is not just me who thought and felt seriously about the misfortune but there was also my mother. She blamed it on the evil eye. She even blamed me for flaunting my material possessions including x1 before the world. Now the last line in this line of thought is - things have happened with some divine purpose. My mind strongly suggests that all events happening in my life has got an undying connection with my creator. He sees it all whether it is good or bad. As Philip Yancey summarizes it in his thought triggering book “Where is God When it Hurts”? Human beings tend to criticize the creator for the painful life not really grasping the plan behind it. They are so blinded by the pain factor that they seldom see or think beyond the usual. Most of them are so angry with Him that they spend time cursing and denying Him. It is as if their conscious/reasoning mind is clouded by hatred and a tint of amount of self-denial. To a certain extent it is difficult for people to accept pain and sadness.
Calamity destroys the perfect balance in their lives. It takes lots of time to get back the balance.

My own state of stillness which was due to a fall and fractured leg created lots of unpleasant ripples among my near and dear ones. The central figure
In this whole drama is myself. I am the reason behind my own fall and I am the one who underwent the operation for the insertion of steel nail. Since I am the reason for creating these unpleasant ripples in the family circle I should be the one who should take the necessary steps to mitigate the after effects. I prepared myself with the help of these thoughts

1. It is God’s plan that I lie in a bed for some time. He is either punishing me or testing me. I am happy both the ways. His plan for me will always be good.
2. I am so blessed that I have a fracture only in my left leg. Doctor told me that it is one of the less dangerous fractures that can happen.
3. I remember the scenes in the ICU where I lived for 2 nights. Especially the face of that young boy who was in a state of coma. Tubes running through every hole in his body. He has been lying like that for more than 1 month. God save him and console his family members.
4. I thought about the worst situation that can happen to me and how will I live if something like that happens.
5. God gave me a chance to rediscover the boon of marital bond. She was my strength and support all these days. The person who was gifted to me on Oct 2008.

DEMOCRACY - an essay worth blogging

Democracy’s failing light - (Outlook Mag July 13)
Arundhati Roy

Is democracy a hit with humans because it mirrors our myopia?

While we’re still arguing about whether there’s life after death, can we add another question to the cart? Is there life after democracy? What sort of life will it be? By democracy I don’t mean democracy as an ideal or an aspiration. I mean the working model: Western democracy, and its variants, such as they are.

So, is there life after democracy?

Attempts to answer this question often turn into a comparison of different systems of governance, and end with a somewhere prickly, comabative defense of democracy. Its flawed, we say. It isn’t perfect, but it’s better than everything else that’s an offer. Inevitably someone in the room will say. “Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia…is that what you would prefer?

Whether democracy should be the utopia that all developing societies aspire to is a separate question altogether (I think it should. The early idealistic phase can be quite heady) the question about life after democracy is addressed to those of us who already live in democracies or in countries that pretend to be democracies. It isn’t meant to suggest that we lapse into older, discredited models of totalitarian or authoritarian governance. It’s meant to suggest that the system of representative democracy – too much representation, too little democracy – needs some structural adjustment.

The question here really is what have we done to democracy? What have we turned it into? What happens once democracy has been used up? When it has been hallowed out and emptied of meaning? What happens when each of its institution has metastasized into something dangerous? What happens now that democracy and the Free market have fused into a single predatory organism with a thin constricted imagination that revolves almost entirely around the idea of maximizing the profit? Is it possible to reverse this process? Can something that has mutated go back into what ii used to be?

What we need today for the sake if the survival of this planet is long term vision. Can governments whose very survival depends on immediate, extractive, short term gain provide this? Could it be that democracy, the sacred answer to our short-term hopes and prayers, the protector of our individual freedoms and nurturer of our avaricious dreams, will turn out to be the endgame for the human race? Could it be that democracy is such a hit with modern humans precisely because it mirrors our greatest folly – our nearsteadfastness? Our inability to live entirely in the present (like most animals do) combined with our inability to see very far into the future makes us strange in-between creatures, neither beast nor prophet. Our amazing intelligence seems to have outstripped our instinct for survival. We plunder the earth hoping that accumulating material surplus will make up for the profound, unfathomable thing that we have lost.

It would be conceit to pretend that the essays in this book provide answers to any of these questions. They only demonstrate, in some detail, the fact that it looks as though the beacon could be failing and the democracy can perhaps no longer be relied upon to deliver the justice and stability we once dreamed it would. All the essays were written as urgent public interventions at critical moments in India during the state-backed genocide of Muslims in Gujarat, just before the date set for the hanging of Mohammed Afzal, the accused in the December 13, 2001, Parliament attack; during US President George Bush’s visit to India; during the mass uprising in Kashmir in the summer of 2008; after the November 26, 2008, Mumbai attacks. Often they were not just response to events; they were responses to the responses.

Though many of them were written in anger, at moments when keeping quiet became harder than saying something, the essays do have a common thread. They’re not about unfortunate anomalies or aberration in the democratic process. They’re about the consequences of and the corollaries to democracy; they’re about the fire in the ducts. I should also say that they do not provide a panoramic overview. They’re a detailed under view of specific events that I hoped would reveal some of the ways in which democracy is practiced in the world’s largest democracy. (or the world’s largest ‘demon-crazy’, as a Kashmiri protestor on the streets of Srinagar once put it. His placard said: ‘Democracy without Justice = Demon Crazy’)

As a writer, a fiction writer, I have often wondered whether the attempt to always be precise, to try and get it all factually right somehow reduces the epic scale of what is really going on. Does it eventually mask a larger truth? I worry that I am following myself to be railroaded into offering prosaic, factual precision when maybe what we need is a feral howl or the transformative power and real precision of poetry. Some thing about the cunning Brahminical, intricate, bureaucratic, file bound, apply through proper channel’ nature of governance and subjugation in India seems to have made a clerk out of me.

Art Lives Artist Dies - Obituary- MJ and Lohitadaas

As I write this blog the question that I am asking myself at this moment is this -What is the connection between MJ and my life. It was in 1990's that I started liking him. The good old days at home watching the 2 hour free MTV broadcast in DD Metro. That was the time when his History album came out and the song that shook me was – The Earth Song. It had a noble cause. When I became a teacher I used his 'We are the World' and 'Heal the World' in my theatrical productions and class room presentations. Through his music he sensitized the world about poverty, violence and environment.

Lohitadaas captured my attention through Mrigaya. I even wrote an article about the script. At that time I was interested in the area of cultural studies and film studies. My article was based on the topic of the hunter and the hunted. How cleverly Lohi used the universal motif in the movie even reversing it at the end when the hunter becomes the hunted. Even as an actor I liked him in Udyananu Tharam. In the movie his conversation style was filled with honesty and simplicity.
The artists are gone. But the art remains. MJ had a load of allegations against him. Lohi's life was also riddled with some hot rumors. Both were addicted to drugs and alcohol. As a fan of both these artists, I have to admit the fact that it is easy to identify with the art than the artist.

The artist sacrifices his life so that his art will live forever.

Long live the art

Let the artist rest in peace

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First blog

Wow

First blog posted from x1

Way to go.......

The Taking of Pelham 123

I befriended this movie when I heard about the sudden demise of John Travolta's teenage son which resulted in John not attending the promos of the movie. The movie which is a remake of the 1973 flick of the same name strikes a special chord with the audience right from the first scene. Denzel is shown seated in his Console in the New York Subway control centre. A calm figure as opposed to the would be hijackers who are shown entering the tube station to capture Pelham 123 with disturbed faces. The movie moves forward based on the conversation between Travolta and Denzel Washington. They talk about life, death and fate. Through these conversations they both discover each other and they sense kind of similarity in their life patterns. They hate the system and they want to have their revenge. Denzel is already is charged with charges of bribe.

It was a treat watching Travolta and Denzel on the screen. Their acting chemistry is great between them.

My Outlook

The most important thing in life is to be calm and composed. Most of the time we are in a hurry and we tend to forget the basics of life. When we are calm we tend to listen to more voices not just from outside but even from inside. When we are engaged in the rat race called life, then we will miss upon the beauty of life. It is always better to live breathing the tranquillity of life than inhaling the poisoning fumes of restlessness. I am reminded about a poem which I taught in MCC. All that I remember is that the poem deals with the concept of 'rest'. God bestowed all types of gifts except 'rest'. He wanted mankind to turn towards Him for getting rest. The advancements that mankind is making today can be compared to the 'antics of a madman’. The comforts and luxurious life style that defines the modern life is just a flash in the pan. There is little or no time to halt and think about the consequences of the actions. Some of us do try to make a difference. Good thing.

There is only one little snag about that-we are too conscious about the act itself.

“With a man it is otherwise. /Heroisms on horseback,/Outstripping his desk-diary at a broad desk,/Carving at a tiny ivory ornament/For years: his act worships itself - while for him,/Though he bends to be bent in the prayer, how loud and/above what/Furious spaces of fire do the distracting devils/Orgy and hosanna, under what wilderness /Of black silent waters weep.”

(Thrushes by Ted Hughes)

Symbol 3 in Delhi 6

Last night we watched Delhi 6. It took almost 2 months for the original print to reach here. It took more than 3 years for Rakesh Om Mehara to make a movie after RDB. First, we fell in love with the songs (that was two months back)  especially ‘Masakali’. Then Dish TV provided free 5 minute preview of the movie in the MOD mode. It was enough to make us impatient and restless until we could get the copy from our favourite CD shop in Lulu. 

The movie can be divided based on the three symbols used. The first one is the mad man with the mirror. He goes around thrusting the mirror on each one’s face. At the end Roshan ( AB)  does the same. Tired of the scorching heat of the communal fire, he asks the both the parties to have a look at themselves.The concept of looking within is hinted at in a vey subtle way. When the mirror is broken by the communally blind mob, the question that creeps into our mind is – What is the use of a mirror to a blind society.

Then we have the much talked about dove – Masakali. The dove became something like the Zoozoo characters in the  Vodafone ad. It represents everything that a white bird is supposed to represent – Purity/Freedom. The beauty of Delhi 6 is that the Ram Prakash Mehara has connected the bird with the character Bittu ( SK). She hates to get tied up like Masakali. She is yearning for an exit from her father played brilliantly by Om Puri. she also represents the new face of India and it is also interesting that she is the pivotal figure around which the lovely Masakali song revolves. The dove is a contrast to the Black/Dark Monkey man.

The third and most powerful symbol in the movie is the monkey man whose antics runs throughout the movie. Media is after the monkey man. Police is after the monkey man.                      BUT

The monkey man remains elusive. Nobody till the end realises that the dark/black monkey is actually living inside the human mind.  The attempts to make the monkey man a Muslim and a Hindu is quite funny.

Responsible Tourism – An Introduction

There is an African proverb which says, ‘Treat your guest as a guest for two days - then on the third day give him a hoe’. This proverb achieves greater significance when applied in the context of the topic which I have selected for my project work – ‘Relevance of Responsible Tourism in Kerala’. The concept of Tourism has come out of the happy-go-lucky days and is all set to move towards a more serious participative, issue based model. In simpler terms the guest cannot remain as a guest for a long time. Active participation is demanded from him to make his stay and the well being of others a success.

This project explores the concept of tourism in the light of the newly developed practice which is termed as responsible tourism. The project gains much relevance when done against the backdrop of Kerala – an exotic destination much sought after by both national and international tourists. The need for a study like this will create awareness about the concept of responsible tourism and will certainly help in creating a better eco-sphere where the natural bounties are preserved for the use of generations to come.

Responsible tourism and sustainable tourism have an identical goal, that of sustainable development. The issues that are taken into consideration in both responsible tourism are environmental integrity, social justice and maximising local economic benefit. In responsible tourism individuals, organisations and businesses are asked to take responsibility for their actions and the impacts of their actions. The need for responsible tourism stems from the fact that very little progress has been made on realising sustainable tourism since the Earth Summit in Rio. The emphasis on the word ‘responsibility’ in responsible tourism means that everyone involved in tourism – Government, product owners ,transport owners, community services, NGO’s, tourists ,local communities, industry associations are responsible for achieving the goals of responsible tourism.

The 2002 Cape Town declaration on responsible tourism in destinations defines it as a type of eco-tourism which minimises negative, environmental and social impacts. It should generate greater economic benefits for local people and enhances the well being of host communities. It must make positive contributions to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage embracing diversity. Responsible tourism is mainly conceived with three kinds of responsibilities which are termed as the ‘triple bottom-line’ – economic responsibility, social responsibility and environmental Responsibility. Responsible tourism strives to be culturally sensitive, to encourage respect between tourists and hosts and to build local pride and confidence. Tourism industries in South Africa, the United Kingdom, United States, the Gambia, India, and Sri Lanka are already practicing Responsible tourism and this list is growing. Recognising the global significance of Responsible Tourism World Travel Market one of the world’s largest travel exhibitions had created World Responsible Tourism day to be celebrated annually on November 12. World Responsible Tourism Day is endorsed by the World Tourism Organisation and World Travel and Tourism Council.

There are different factors that prompt the tourism industry to explore the possibilities of practicing responsible tourism. Some of the main factors are the concern about global warming, destruction of the environment, erosion of cultures and lifestyles and the issue of poverty. The number of initiatives aimed at saving some part of the environment, or improving the living conditions is increasing day by day. To a certain extent this awareness has affected the mindset of the people especially the tourists. They have become keener in getting maximum value for the money they invest in their annual holidays. A significant and growing number of tourists are looking for a better experience, a better quality product. They are looking for experiences which enable them to get closer to the ‘real’ living culture of countries and to experience the diverse and natural and cultural heritage. For example in India, after the success of the movie Slumdog Millionaire, an increasing number of westerners are shunning the beaches of Goa and palaces of Rajasthan. There is an increasing demand to see the slum life in Mumbai and other cities. This type of tourism goes by the name of slum tourism or poverty tourism. Slum tourism is promoted by travel companies to reduce poverty and enable local people to participate more effectively in tourism development.

Today there is an increased awareness in the tourism industry with regards to preservation of natural resources especially water. Some of the steps that are being widely practiced to encourage travellers to be economical with their use of water in areas where there is a scarcity and to support local initiatives to improve access for poor to water.

My new Xperience

James Bond (Daniel Craig) uses the brand in both the Bond movies. My  Principal showed it to me. A thought that struck me that the Apple I Phone is just a fancy item. I felt the Paulo Coelho’s SIGNS floating around me. I finally inched towards the mobile shop to own the cute and fascinating X1. X1- is the tech-pet name of Sony Ericsson Windows based pocket PC. It is equipped with a 3.2 megapixel camera with auto focus and flash. It has got Mobile Office ( Word,Excel,PowerPoint) and an excellent connection zone ( Bluetooth,WLAN,Wi Fi and GPS) The phone can be configured for sending and receiving emails through Microsoft Object Push Service. I can stay online through Gmail, Windows Live messenger and Facebook. It has got a Opera Mini browser.  another feature that is worth mentioning are the Panels .Now any you own gadget should become part of our life and it all depends on how we use it to suit our personal needs. Here are some of the ways that i use my X1

• CNN panel to read news (Sports/Entertainment/Current Affairs)
• Mobipocket reader to read EBooks ( the auto scroll function is amazing)
• To check my mails and listen to music and sometimes watch movies
• To put reminders for my work related tasks.
• To browse the net.
• To know the weather in the places that matter to me.
• To play games or to watch other play games
• To get the meaning of words
• To know my location in the world using Google maps

Necks and Shoulders

• Photo taken on 1-06-09
• Place – Oman oil gas station – Sohar,Oman

Madhavi,Kamala,Suraiyya

She passed away yesterday. The writer in her died some years ago. The Hindu in her died before that. The traces of a Malayali disappeared in her  even before that.she had the penchant for changing identities. If a name or a religion can give you a different identity she yearned for it. The above mentioned labels are nothing when compared to the list below. English writer/ political activist/ poet/mystic/liberated soul…

May her soul???? rest in peace

Some Tips to Study Abroad

Let me confess to the fact that I am not an expert in this field. My only experience lies in the fact that I have tried (still trying) for getting admission in a foreign university for my doctoral program. Hope my little experience will be of some use to you and will assist you in getting admitted in a reputed university.

There are two basic rules that matters if you want to study outside India:

• If you have somebody in the target country (not a friend preferably a blood relation) then the task becomes much easier.
• Money is also important factor in studying abroad.

The first thing I did was to narrow down my search to two countries – UK, Australia. I got the list of best 100 universities/colleges in UK and Australia to make my search more focussed. Once this is decided it is easy to proceed with your search for a College or University.

This is can be done in three ways:

1) Through laborious browsing of the Web.

2) Meeting officials at British council and IDB (Australia).

3) The best and the expensive option is to register yourself with some reputed educational consultancies (There are many consultancies’ in Chennai and Bangalore) some of the famous ones are

· Study Abroad

· Edwise

· Chopra’s.

Please note that they may charge you for the services but they will help you a lot. When you approach them be clear about your future plans. They are pukka business people. It is better to do some research of your own before approaching them. Writing a SOP (Statement of Purpose) is also an important step in getting admission in a foreign university.

I did explore the possibility of getting a scholarship for funding my studies. You may get more information regarding scholarships from British Council and IDB. (Chevening Scholarships and Commonwealth Scholarships)

Some of the universities that gave a favourable response to my queries were:

1) La Trobe university – Melbourne

2) University of Southampton - UK

3) University of Adelaide - Australia

4) University of Manchester - UK

5) University of New Castle – Australia

You can also extent your research to get some info about Academy City in Dubai. Most of the foreign and some of the Indian universities have opened their shops in Dubai.

Hope the above information will help you in your re-search.

All the best

Ye college hai meri jaan…

 

6:45 am – 2:00 pm – VTC – Shinas

I think this is the first time that I have given a Hindi title to a blog. The reason – I felt that this will suit the contents. There is a need to make the title reflect the reality. At this point I have a question to myself. Can money cover the hard academic realties that surrounds me? Maybe my dear and near ones thinks it can.

My academic day starts at 7:30 am. I usually is engaged till 10:30am. Here the class is divided into 45 minutes hours. so I handle one hour and thirty minutes. The first session is with RAC department and the second one is with Mechatronics. The first group is a nightmare on the elm street and the second group is a midsummer night’s dream. Once the classes are over, I eat my breakfast that will be around 10:30 am.

To give a better picture about my classes – it is less of TTT and more of STT. even i was stunned by these letters in the beginning of the academic year. Later on i discovered that TTT stood for TEACHER TALK TIME and STT stood for STUDENT TALK TIME. my classroom work is a combination of PPT’s, textbooks and sometimes even the Internet.

Morning Roadie

6:00 am – 6:45 am/ Sohar – Shinas

Early morning taxi ride is not a bad idea. The taxi comes at 5:55am. I will be the first one to get in. The ‘it’ will enter after some considerable time. That time (3-5 minutes) is enough for Abdu to get all worked up. He sometimes wakes up all the inmates of the expat block by honking his horn. He is quite impatient like the Airtel kids. We start at 6am. The roads will be pretty much deserted. When we reach Lulu roundabout I will give a missed call to HDD.’it’ will make the backseat of the car a bed and will be in deep sleep. It takes 10 minutes from Gayl-Ash-Shibool to Falaj where HHD resides. On the way, I usually check out whether the S car is ahead of us. I know that even Abdu is interested in knowing the GPS of the S car. Sometimes we get a chance to engage in a NFS with the S car. I also have the habit of looking at the ad-banners at Safeer Mall and the checking out the construction progress of the new Centerpoint near Safeer roundabout. HHD will be waiting near her flat. ‘It’ n me wishes her good morning. She responds to both of us. Abdu will now hit the Dubai road without wasting any time. HDD takes out the Green, red, white prayer books and will begin her spiritual journey. ‘It’ will go back to her sleep and I will sit in the front looking at the road ahead.From Falaj to Liwa is again another ten minutes. We reach Liwa around 6:20. Liwa roundabout is something which fascinates me. I used to see one of my student standing there waiting for the taxi. His name is also Abdu. I have heard from his friends that he is living in a faraway place surrounded by mountains. Anyway he is a punctual student.

Most of the days the journey is eventless. Certain days we engage in a conversation but those days are few. Each one will be pre-occupied by some thought or the other. If he is in good mood Abdu will joke with me. He likes to listen to the Holy Koran and he seeks my help to fine tune the Abu Dhabi FM station on the radio.

We do see some police cars in the morning and Abdu will ask me to wear the seat belt. Abdu’s normal speed is 120. One he spots the S car then he is pushes it to 140. Anyway he has to reduce his speed when he sees the Speed Radars. Police cars are also seen at accident sites. During rainy season police monitor the Wadi’s and gives the necessary information regarding the water level.

ONE DAY IN MY LIFE

5:00 – 6:00 am/ Gayl-ash-shibool/ Sohar, Oman

The beginning of my day depends a lot on how the previous night ended. Especially if my sleep was a disturbed one then my morning hour will be without energy. I get up from my bed at 5am listening to the mobile phone alarm. I snooze the alarm two times. Each snooze is for 9 minutes. So I leave the comfort of my bed around 5:20am. I switch on the bathroom lights before entering the bathroom and I approach the commode and sit there waiting for the XXXXX to  come out. Once that is done, I XXXXXXXXXX and will move towards the wash tub. I apply paste on my brush and will start the process of brushing. As I brush my teeth I move towards the kitchen and switch on the gas stove. I will wait for the water to boil. I will go to toilet again to wash my mouth and face. Once that is done I am back in kitchen again. I will pour the boiled water into a tea cup, add some sugar and drop a tea bag into it. My morning tea is ready. Sometimes I eat some snacks also. Most of the days I don’t finish my tea because of lack of time. The next step is to enter the bath room. I will move towards the wash tub again to have a hair wash. This is something which I enjoy. After wards I enter the bedroom to change my dress which includes wearing shirt, putting on the trousers, wearing the belt and tie and finally socks and shoes. After that I stand before the mirror to adjust my tie and to button my shirt. I apply perfume and place the rosary in my pocket. I stand before him and make the cross sign. I come to the living room, take my bag and mobile and will leave the home to enter the waiting taxi.

Bryan Adams - Eleven - We Found What We Were Looking For

secret window

this is a wonderful experience as such

hope to use this to the full extent possible

My portable

Understanding

I don’t believe in crying over spilt milk. ‘Jo beet gaya so baat gaya’. A frightening four months gap between my last blog and this one. Since the exercise of writing a blog is purely a personal event, I am not accountable to anybody. In many ways I was indeed involved in a much more personal adventure, the initial days of my marital life. The act of living together in a strange land was something sweet. Now the summer season is here acting on the thermometer in a harsh way. In these four months many things occurred,

One more year has started its journey towards yet an another year
It rained Oscars in India especially on Panchathan Inn – Kodambakam, Chennai.
Celebrated Valentine’s Day in a special way (did something to kill eco killing, maybe meat for another blog)
Bomb blasts in Bombay
Army mutiny in Bangladesh
Kuthiravattam Pappu passed away

This blog is based on a word which is very easy to understand but the process of understanding itself will be a tedious one. The word becomes meaningful when it is used in the following contexts, Religious fundamentalism, protecting our world and Human relationships.

To understand is a virtue
For a better, bright future
Let us open our eyes and ears
And bury our baseless fears
A understanding life is fine
Sans this life is gonna be filled with pain