Yes , I am heading back home after a year and half being in London. Although I have been visiting home every year , this time its special. Special for one reason and one reason only , I have made up my mind to return for good.
Since the time I took the decision to return back for good , I keep dreaming about home , making plans for what all I want to do when I get back , what all I want my son to learn etc etc.
Its strange that we need to be far away from the most important parts of our lives to realise how much we miss them. This tendency of taking for granted all the things that are very important and what defines us as a person has been baffling me for long. But I am happy I did this stint outside , as I have realised how and why I have always been a proud Indian.
India , here I come :)
Tuesday, 3 August 2010
Wednesday, 7 July 2010
To Kill A Mockingbird
I got the opportunity to watch "To Kill A Mockingbird" recently. Movie is an adaptation of American author Harper Lee's novel of the same name. Its simply remarkable and remarkably simple story and movie.
The story is very simple story but with a lot of life changing thoughts especially on prejudices that one might have on certain aspects of life and how these affect a individual, family , community and entire humanity as a whole.
Even though the story is based in 1930's USA , in the southern region , I think it is still relevant in this day.
Gregory Peck is absolutely brilliant as the morally upright Atticus Finch. Its his children and their friend who are more endearing , more so since the story unfolds from the perspective of Finch's daughter Scout.
I dont think there is anything for me to say , more than it has already been said all these years on this masterclass of a movie. I cannot wait to own the book and DVD , as I am sure it is going to be one for the collection that will pass down to the next generation.
The story is very simple story but with a lot of life changing thoughts especially on prejudices that one might have on certain aspects of life and how these affect a individual, family , community and entire humanity as a whole.
Even though the story is based in 1930's USA , in the southern region , I think it is still relevant in this day.
Gregory Peck is absolutely brilliant as the morally upright Atticus Finch. Its his children and their friend who are more endearing , more so since the story unfolds from the perspective of Finch's daughter Scout.
I dont think there is anything for me to say , more than it has already been said all these years on this masterclass of a movie. I cannot wait to own the book and DVD , as I am sure it is going to be one for the collection that will pass down to the next generation.
Sunday, 6 June 2010
Raavan(an)
I took my time in posting my review of Raavan(a) [ bi-lingual ] album by A R Rahman.
Expectations were obviously sky high , what with the never failing combination of Mani Ratnam and Rahman , and with lyrics by Gulzar.
After careful and repeated listening , I can now say the album has lived upto its expectations.
Starting with Beera , as that is the first one I took to immediate liking.. is a rousing intro song of the hero. The beats are real good .. with a heady mix of African rythm thrown in. Its a short but high impact song.
Ranjha Ranjha , is the next best song in the album. Rekha bharadwaj is unrecognisable because of the high pitch nature of the song. Structure is complicated , but all credit to Rahman for making this work.
Behene de starts of with oriental piece and is powerfully backed up by Karthik's vocals. Needs atleast couple of hearing to get to grips with the changin flow of the song. Its worth the patience though.
Thok de killi and Khata Khata are fast paced numbers , but situational. Hopefully , if retained in the movie , they should be good to watch on screen.
Khili re , is good for Reena Bhardwaj's soothing voice.
All in all , a album worth the hype. I believe credit should go to ManiRatnam. People say Rahman reserves the best for Mani , but I think that is because Mani Ratnam has a very good ear for music and understands Rahman completely.
From the trailers the locales and picturisation looks awesome.
Can't wait for the movie.
Expectations were obviously sky high , what with the never failing combination of Mani Ratnam and Rahman , and with lyrics by Gulzar.
After careful and repeated listening , I can now say the album has lived upto its expectations.
Starting with Beera , as that is the first one I took to immediate liking.. is a rousing intro song of the hero. The beats are real good .. with a heady mix of African rythm thrown in. Its a short but high impact song.
Ranjha Ranjha , is the next best song in the album. Rekha bharadwaj is unrecognisable because of the high pitch nature of the song. Structure is complicated , but all credit to Rahman for making this work.
Behene de starts of with oriental piece and is powerfully backed up by Karthik's vocals. Needs atleast couple of hearing to get to grips with the changin flow of the song. Its worth the patience though.
Thok de killi and Khata Khata are fast paced numbers , but situational. Hopefully , if retained in the movie , they should be good to watch on screen.
Khili re , is good for Reena Bhardwaj's soothing voice.
All in all , a album worth the hype. I believe credit should go to ManiRatnam. People say Rahman reserves the best for Mani , but I think that is because Mani Ratnam has a very good ear for music and understands Rahman completely.
From the trailers the locales and picturisation looks awesome.
Can't wait for the movie.
Friday, 23 April 2010
Steig Larsson - Millenium Trilogy
Millenium Trilogy is a series of 3 crime thriller novel's written by Swedish author Steig Larsson. The novels were published posthumously and have become immediate success worldwide.
I do not want to reveal more of the plot here , but what got me hooked on is the intensity of the protagonist. I ended up watching all the 3 parts back to back . It just gets you hooked on to the level of being addictive. I would like to add here that this is not for the faint hearted , as some of the scenes are graphic.
Highly recommended.
- "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo"
- "The Girl Who Played With Fire"
- "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest"
I do not want to reveal more of the plot here , but what got me hooked on is the intensity of the protagonist. I ended up watching all the 3 parts back to back . It just gets you hooked on to the level of being addictive. I would like to add here that this is not for the faint hearted , as some of the scenes are graphic.
Highly recommended.
Wednesday, 24 February 2010
Rasarushi Kuvempu
Rasarushi Kuvempu is a biopic , releasing sometime soon.
I think it has been overdue for a long time and was surprised why no movie on Kuvempu's early life and his inspiration and motivation was ever made till this date. Anyways , was very pleased when I got to know this, during my usual search for new music releases.
Kuvempu is considered one of the greatest poets of 20th century Kannada literature. He was much more than a writer.
I never had the inclination or awareness to understand Kuvempu , neither read any of his works. My source of knowledge on this great writer and human being , have been through his songs. I have always liked the passion in the words of songs like " O nanna chetana , agu nee aniketana " or " Baa illi sambhavisu indenna hrudayadali nityavu avataripa satyaavataara " and one of my all time favourites " Tanuvu ninnadu manava ninnadu ".
I hope everyone watches this movie and will inspire people to read more about Kuvempu. In this day and age where local culture and its richness is slowly eroding , it is important to refresh the rich heritage left behind by such great thinkers like Kuvempu.
Ending the post with analysis of one of his works composed to a brilliant song by Mysore Anantaswamy , gives a hint of Kuvempu's greatness.
_________________________________________________________________
Baa Illi Sambhavisu - Analysis
Baa illi sambhavisu indhenna hrudayadhali nithyavoo avatharipa sathyaavathara
mannaagi maravaagi migavaagi khagavaagi bhavavadhi bavisihe bhavavidhoora
The poet says God is in different forms of nature on this earth. Soil, beasts, birds, trees etc. And is inviting God to take the form of his inner soul.
manthanake marathanake migathanake khagathanake
munnadege kannadha guruve baara
koodi bandhenna nara roopa chethanadhi
naarayanathvakke daari thora
This could be seen in two dimensions. He is talking about the evolution. First came soil, then animals etc., and finally human beings. Now I am in the final stage as a human being. Take the form of my inner soul and show me the
route to salvation.
Another way of looking at it is, "maNthana, marathana" etc., being the qualities of human being. "maNthana" - down to earth, swanthike etc., "marathana" - growing big and guiding others, "migathana" - cruel, the bad side of us, "khagathana" - being free etc., With all these qualities, we are formed. Show me the right qualities to be retained and those to get rid off to reach my final destination - salvation (narayaNathva)
andhu aramaneyalli matthe seremaneyalli
alli thurupattiyalli illi kirugudisilali
desaha deshadhi vesha veshantharavanaanthu
vishwa saarathiyaagi leela rathavanenthu
chodhisiruveyo anthe srusti lola
The poets gives examples of different forms of God who is driving this entire world. Andhu aramaneyalli - Lord Rama, matthe seremaneyalli - Lord Krishna, alli thurupatti - Lord Jesus, illi kirugudisalali - Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. In these forms, you drove the entire world. And just like you did that, drive me towards salvation.
_________________________________________________________________
I think it has been overdue for a long time and was surprised why no movie on Kuvempu's early life and his inspiration and motivation was ever made till this date. Anyways , was very pleased when I got to know this, during my usual search for new music releases.
Kuvempu is considered one of the greatest poets of 20th century Kannada literature. He was much more than a writer.
I never had the inclination or awareness to understand Kuvempu , neither read any of his works. My source of knowledge on this great writer and human being , have been through his songs. I have always liked the passion in the words of songs like " O nanna chetana , agu nee aniketana " or " Baa illi sambhavisu indenna hrudayadali nityavu avataripa satyaavataara " and one of my all time favourites " Tanuvu ninnadu manava ninnadu ".
I hope everyone watches this movie and will inspire people to read more about Kuvempu. In this day and age where local culture and its richness is slowly eroding , it is important to refresh the rich heritage left behind by such great thinkers like Kuvempu.
Ending the post with analysis of one of his works composed to a brilliant song by Mysore Anantaswamy , gives a hint of Kuvempu's greatness.
_________________________________________________________________
Baa Illi Sambhavisu - Analysis
Baa illi sambhavisu indhenna hrudayadhali nithyavoo avatharipa sathyaavathara
mannaagi maravaagi migavaagi khagavaagi bhavavadhi bavisihe bhavavidhoora
The poet says God is in different forms of nature on this earth. Soil, beasts, birds, trees etc. And is inviting God to take the form of his inner soul.
manthanake marathanake migathanake khagathanake
munnadege kannadha guruve baara
koodi bandhenna nara roopa chethanadhi
naarayanathvakke daari thora
This could be seen in two dimensions. He is talking about the evolution. First came soil, then animals etc., and finally human beings. Now I am in the final stage as a human being. Take the form of my inner soul and show me the
route to salvation.
Another way of looking at it is, "maNthana, marathana" etc., being the qualities of human being. "maNthana" - down to earth, swanthike etc., "marathana" - growing big and guiding others, "migathana" - cruel, the bad side of us, "khagathana" - being free etc., With all these qualities, we are formed. Show me the right qualities to be retained and those to get rid off to reach my final destination - salvation (narayaNathva)
andhu aramaneyalli matthe seremaneyalli
alli thurupattiyalli illi kirugudisilali
desaha deshadhi vesha veshantharavanaanthu
vishwa saarathiyaagi leela rathavanenthu
chodhisiruveyo anthe srusti lola
The poets gives examples of different forms of God who is driving this entire world. Andhu aramaneyalli - Lord Rama, matthe seremaneyalli - Lord Krishna, alli thurupatti - Lord Jesus, illi kirugudisalali - Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. In these forms, you drove the entire world. And just like you did that, drive me towards salvation.
_________________________________________________________________
Sunday, 3 January 2010
C Ashwath
One of the doyens of that unique and special flavour of music Bhavageete , C Ashwath , is no more.
I have always loved Bhavageete in kannada, since good old doordarshan days. There used to be music videos , like this one
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oUSphxJO1Y,
simple ones with meaningful melodious bhavageete as the background captivated me and boosted my interest in all forms of music.
C Aswath along with Mysore Anantswamy were my favourites. The music is always simple with emphasis on the lyrics and Bhaava. All those brilliant words and feeling in them were brought to life effortlessly by these two.
I was proud that in this age of western musicians ( all credit to them ) hogging all limelight with one after another concerts in Palace Grounds, Bangalore.. one of the biggest concerts was "Kannadave Satya" , an evening of Bhavageete , organised by C Ashwat.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpXg6T3B_XE
I hope artists like Ratnamala Prakash, B R Chaya , Pallavi Dattu keep the flame alive of this beautiful , unique form of music.
For me atleast it is end of an era.
I have always loved Bhavageete in kannada, since good old doordarshan days. There used to be music videos , like this one
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oUSphxJO1Y,
simple ones with meaningful melodious bhavageete as the background captivated me and boosted my interest in all forms of music.
C Aswath along with Mysore Anantswamy were my favourites. The music is always simple with emphasis on the lyrics and Bhaava. All those brilliant words and feeling in them were brought to life effortlessly by these two.
I was proud that in this age of western musicians ( all credit to them ) hogging all limelight with one after another concerts in Palace Grounds, Bangalore.. one of the biggest concerts was "Kannadave Satya" , an evening of Bhavageete , organised by C Ashwat.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpXg6T3B_XE
I hope artists like Ratnamala Prakash, B R Chaya , Pallavi Dattu keep the flame alive of this beautiful , unique form of music.
For me atleast it is end of an era.
Wednesday, 2 December 2009
TED
I bumped into a video recently and because of that discovered TED.
TED India - Pranav Mistry
" TED: Ideas worth spreading " is a non-profit user community bringing together people from 3 worlds - Technology , Entertainment , Design. The more I found out about this community , the more I am drawn into it.
To start with I think it is a brilliant idea to bring together best of the brains for different walk of life. TED conferences are excellent watch and leads to a lot of healthy discussions on burning topics around the world.
I leave you with 2 more clips.
Devdutt Pattanaik
Hans Rosling
TED India - Pranav Mistry
" TED: Ideas worth spreading " is a non-profit user community bringing together people from 3 worlds - Technology , Entertainment , Design. The more I found out about this community , the more I am drawn into it.
To start with I think it is a brilliant idea to bring together best of the brains for different walk of life. TED conferences are excellent watch and leads to a lot of healthy discussions on burning topics around the world.
I leave you with 2 more clips.
Devdutt Pattanaik
Hans Rosling
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