Save Kerala Flood Victims ~ Do for Kerala ~ CMDRF ~ #DoForKerala : Blog # 333

Save Kerala Flood Victims ~ Do for Kerala ~ Kerala relief funds

#DoForKerala ~ CMDRF

Many of you will have fond memories of Kerala. You would have spent a vacation or two in God’s own country. Today, the state is ravished by rains and floods. The state and its people need your help to get back on their feet. Half of the state is affected by floods. About 54,000 people are in relief centers.

The armed forces and the central government is helping the state government administration to expedite the relief efforts. A helping hand however small it is, will add to the relief efforts.

Kindly check the hashtag #DoForKerala for more avenues to help. Will be updating this blog from time to time. 

Below is how you may help:

You may contribute materials ~

·        Bedsheets, blankets, nighties

·        Rusk, Biscuits, Purifying tablets, water 20ltr can

·        Rice, sugar, mat, salt, dettol, anti septic, bleaching powder, napkins, candles, match box, Pampers, ORS

·        School Kit for kids: bag, notebooks, pencil

Kindly send the materials to below addresses:

Collection Centre: Regional Sports Center, Kadavanthra, Cochin, Kerala - 682020 (from August 11th onwards 9am to 9pm)

Contact Number: 9809700000 / 9895320567 / 9544811555

Or

Iritty taluk office, Kannur District, Kerala – 670703(Ph: 9645216958)

Control Room, Collectorate, Kannur District, Kerala – 670002 (Ph: 04972700645)

Or

District Collector, civil station, Kalpetta, Wayanad district, Kerala- - 673122

Or

District Collector Idukki, Idukki Collectorate, Painavu PO, Kuyilimala, Idukki - 685603.

 You may donate money to the below mentioned account:

CM's Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF)

You may choose to mail cheque/DD. You may send them to:

The Principal Secretary (Finance) Treasurer,

Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund,

Secretariat, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala -1

If you choose to make the donation online, account details are as follows:

Account number: 67319948232

Bank: State Bank of India

Branch: City branch, Thiruvananthapuram

IFS Code: SBIN0070028

PAN: AAAGD0584M

Name of Donee: CMDRF

You may donate online here: Kerala Chief Minister's Relief Fund

Koode, Malayalam movie ~ A movie review : Blog #332

Koode, Malayalam movie ~ A movie review

*No Spoilers

Have you seen movies which make your eyes moist, fill up a lump in your throat and before your eyelids give way to tears, make you smile? ‘Koode’ directed by Anjali Menon is one such movie. I feel the hall mark of a great movie is for the audience to fall in love with more than one character in the story. If one were to go with that benchmark, ‘Koode’ is way ahead in the greatness category. 

Prithviraj is earnestness personified when he portrays Joshua. One feels sympathy, empathy, happiness, sadness and helplessness towards the character of Joshua. I just can’t get over the scene where as a young teenager he had to go away from his family. How scared, vulnerable, lost a child would feel at that age to be away from his parents! The scene where his uncle and he stand at the train’s door is so powerful. How subtly, the message has been conveyed. Although, I felt that particular subject could have been explored a little more over the course of the story. The internal struggles of Joshua is so relatable and endearing. His parents, played by veterans, Parvathi T & Ranjith are characters with such depth. The pain that his father feels for having let his son go and his helplessness is so sincerely portrayed. I felt his mother’s emotional turmoil is greater. There are a couple of scenes where she steels the show. One where she tells her mother (Joshua’s grandmother) as to how she lived alone all her life. Another one where she is left speechless after the marriage proposal scene she tried to bring for Joshua. Joshua is not a yesteryear hero who is full of virtue. He is just a mere human like you and I who struggles with self pity towards one's own self and the love he has towards his family. Prithviraj's movies have almost never let down his viewers and nor does this one. The finesse of his craft and dedication shines thorough all along the movie. 

Nazriya, being away from the movies for a while hasn’t lost touch at all. If anything, she has only got better. She brings the much-needed charm and happiness to the movie through her character, Jenny. The character is in a way the anchor to the story. I loved how much care is taken to not make her character preachy. She eases in and out of emotions with her characteristic charm. There are some scenes where the window glass of the van is fogged up. One can’t clearly see her face. Even in those scenes, her emotions shine through. The scene where she asks if her family will forget her is heart wrenching.

Parvathy who plays Sophie lends a lot of dignity to her character. There are two scenes which stand out. One is where she feels unsafe in her own house on a particular night. The shock and disbelief she portrays is so vivid. The second one is my favourite where her family takes her away from Joshua from the old house where they used to play. I felt what she portrayed there was not fear or angst. It was the humiliation that she endured. The fact that her family thought they could decide whom she should meet and where she should be which rattled her. It was so well emoted.

Zubin, the boy who plays younger days of Prithviraj is such an apt casting. His performance is subtle and very endearing. He has the freshness and earnestness of a new comer and there is no awkwardness in his portrayal at all.

I have always been an Atul Kulkarni fan. The coach played by him are the kind of good people we need in our society in today’s age and time. His effortless, understated acting is worth a watch.

Krish, played by Roshan Mathew is so real. The scene where he says ‘he just left’ is so true. At that age, who knows what is the right thing to do? All one feels is fear. The few scenes he had are enacted so well. He is an actor to watch out for.

A special mention for the nurse, Kochuthresiamma played by Pouly Valsan. Her comic timing is to die for. With small, micro expressions and dialogues, she makes her presence hilarious. It is heartening to see that even small characters in a story are so well thought of and given the space that they rightfully deserve.

And about the talented story teller, Anjali Menon. To begin with, what visuals! I so loved the opening scenes of the movie where the camera zooms out of the bus and then does a top view of a round- about. Before you get over that, the bus moves in to the lush greenery of Joshua’s home town. I must say it is extremely brave to have the scene (where Prithviraj meets his Parents and other relatives for the first time in the movie) included in the first 10 minutes of the movie. The bravery has to be acknowledged. I absolutely admire her ability to nurture each and every single character in the story. I found the subtlety to be for lack of a better word, delicious! I so hoped in the last scene, they wouldn’t call the baby Jenny and they did not. Some things are not to be told. They are just to be left, unsaid. The emotional tussles between the characters are so real and life like. I couldn’t trace any artifice anywhere. Anjali menon must make movies more often is all one feels while walking away from the cinema hall.

Since we are talking about earnest relationships, here is a video that tells the story of a Mother and Son from Kerala who is so full of Love and affection. They went on road trips together!. These are the little stories today’s world needs to reaffirm its belief in goodness and Love.

Click here to read blogs on Dulquer Salman's filmography.

Arun babu

Sorry Buzzfeed. Failing at School is not cool! : Blog # 331

Sorry Buzzfeed. Failing at School is not cool!

            Before I start, let me tell you that I was never a topper at school. I was an average student who struggled with some subjects, was moderately good at a few and may be was good at one or two. I happened to see the below video from Buzzfeed. I felt the video tries to misguide school/college goers a great deal. Below are the aspects I feel the video has got horribly wrong:

1.      The video tries to glorify being an under achiever at school: One of the parameters at doing well in school is getting good marks. Other parameters being good at arts, craft, sports and the works. Most of the people who are featured in the video have nothing to boast about regarding academic scores. They even sound a bit proud about it. What is the glory in getting bad scores?

2.      Getting good marks at school involves hard work: Anyone who has scored good marks in school will tell you that it did not come easy to them. There is a lot of work that goes in to scoring good grades. It is an indication of the consistency of hard work that a person can put in over a period of time. Come to think of it, it is this consistent hard work that helps people become achievers in life -  be it in the field of art, sports or corporate.

3.      Is the video promoting the culture of being dumb? In 100 meters race, the parameter that is used to judge the winner is time that is taken to cover the 100 meters. One can argue that it should be the poise with which a person runs which should be made the criteria. Similarly, marks indicate a person is bright. Marks alone doesn’t indicate intellect. But it is one of the parameters. The video tries to say that marks doesn’t matter at all. It is evident from the video that except Sonia (the lady in blue) no one else had good marks in school and they are quite proud about it!

4.      What have these people achieved in life? I don’t mean to be mean or judgemental. I am just asking an objective question. Other than making 5 minute videos that people watch and forget forever, what contribution have these people made to the real world? Also, these 5 minute videos are a fad which aren’t going to last forever. If these people are going to focus their energies on doing just this, how will they have a career? More importantly, if they don’t have the discipline to get decent marks in school, will they be able to consistently deliver good scripts for videos like these?

5.      Not everything is easy or enjoyable in life: Gaining knowledge, landing a job from tens of thousands of competitors, reading books, making money are all difficult aspects of life. The video somewhere sends out the message that the difficult things in life can be done away with. It hints at the fact that rigour is not needed.

I understand the fact that the video is trying to point out flaws in our education system (I hope so, at least). But this is not the way to go about it. This video is just being populist and lazily appealing to a bunch of people who don’t work to work hard in life at all. Then how do we show flaws in the education system? I do not know! Then why do I criticise them? Because I do not sit with multiple social media platforms with the sole aim of making videos and listicles. It is not my day job. But it is the day/night and full-time job of people at Buzzfeed! Hence the criticism.

So guys and girls at Buzzfeed, there are people who have given their blood and sweat to achieve the marks they got in school and college. There are people who work 9 hours a day in a corporate job trying to make meaningful contributions to the economy and the society that they live in. They are as cool as you guys who make fun videos. Do not dumb down life.

Blog on Dulquer Salman’s Filmography #7 : Blog # 330

Blog on Dulquer Salman’s Filmography #7

Mahanati: 

Mahanati / Nadigaiyar Thilagam is one of those movies that will be cherished and looked back at fondly when the history of Cinema is written. Dulquer has been receiving rave reviews for his portrayal of Gemini Ganesan in this movie. Infact, the whole cast and crew deserve a  good loud round of applause for the heart they have put in to create the magic that is Mahanati.

In Mahanati, Dulquer essays the role of Gemini Ganesan. What a treat it is to watch! The character is so well written. There is this unapologetic streak about his being. He know his flaws and he owns them. Depiction of Gemini Ganesan is a quintessential today's hero depiction - an image that is not white washed by the moralities of the society. 

There are beautiful moments between Gemini Ganesan and Savitri (played brilliantly well by Gayatri Suresh). Some that stand out in my memory is one when he tells her that he is already married and has 2 kids. Another one is when they get married. There are many scenes where the behavior of Gemini Ganesan is not something we expect. For instance, in the bar. He gets angry but he is gentle with Savitri. There is no negativity in that anger. What those scenes portray is that the anger that Ganesan feels is towards himself and he is careful to let Savitri know that it is not directed towards her. Such was their love.  Dulquer has enacted them with quite some panache. I am sure this movie will endear him towards the welcoming Telugu audience. It will be a crime if I don't acknowledge Gayatri Suresh's acting prowess. Not even for a moment could I see her on screen. All I saw was Savitri. How wonderfully she has essayed the role and with such sensitivity!

Dulquer has come a long way in a time span of just about 6 years. Think about this – 1.6 Million followers on Twitter, 5.1 Million on Facebook, 2.2 Million on Instagram, 72K subscribers on YouTube.  How more popular can you get? By now, his movies have garnered both commercial and critical acclaim across the states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh/Telangana as well. If OK Kanmani and Mahanati wasn’t enough, coming soon is the romcom, KKK (Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal)

One was thinking if he will ever make a Bollywood debut. That is when the announcements of Karwaan and Zoya factor came along!

            Apart from movies, he is making some meaningful interventions as well. There was a Facebook post about him meeting the inspiring lady called Dhanya who is a significant part of an NGO called www.amrithavarshini.org which creates awareness regarding Osteogenesis Imperfecta. It is good to see a movie star doing his bit to add to the goodness of society.

            He has endorsements raining left, right and center be it Otto, Malabar Developers, Club FM or many more. Would he have thought while doing the below Ad of Funskool, this was going to be a way of life for him? I don’t think so :) 

Once in a while, comes along some advertisements that stand apart from the crowd. His new ad for Malayala Manorama is one such. And the red Merc, the poetry of a car and the number board - astute move!

Earlier blogs on Dulquer’s Filmography:

Blog 1 : The rise of a new star

Blog 2: Bangalore days and more

Blog 3 : The grand entrance to Tamil film industry

Blog 4 : Charlie all the way

Blog 5 : Comrade in America 

Blog 6 : Spoilt for Choice 

One day for Love on Social Media: Blog # 328

One day for Love on Social Media

        Often, Social media is looked up on as a fertile ground for hate. Be it Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, people choose to unleash nastiest version of themselves on these channels. People say the kind of things to each other which they would never tell another person to their face.

There are times when posts on social media channels have caused riots, racially motivated attacks and heinous crimes. These deplorable, mindless deeds lead to many people quitting social media and staying away from these channels which if we used in a good, positive way can do a great deal of good for humanity.

So why not start off by choosing one day to share only positivity on social media? This May 1^st, let us decide to not share anything negative on any platform. We won’t tweet mean comments, share hate invoking posts or vent anger at someone’s picture.

Here are some ways to spread love and positivity on the social media channels on 1^st of May.

Thank your family for all that they have done for you.

Tell your loved one how much you love them.

Tell your friends how they have a special place in your heart.

Tell your colleagues how grateful you are for their support.

It really is very simple. On May 1^st, let us share Love, Appreciation, Gratitude, Care and everything positive. Feel free to download and use the below cards 😊.

Wild Wild Country ,a Netflix Documentary on Bhagwan Osho Rajneesh : Blog # 327

Wild Wild Country , a Netflix Documentary on Bhagwan Osho Rajneesh

Was Bhagwan Osho Rajneesh an enlightened spiritual guru or was he a conman turned criminal? The beauty of the Netflix documentary, Wild Wild Country directed by Mclain Way & Chapman Way is that it doesn’t confirm either of those suspicions. Rarely does one get to see a documentary that is so balanced and honest. It talks about Osho from the perspective of his disciples, the residents of Oregon as well as the government authorities.

As the film progresses, one can’t stop wondering as to how one individual can have so many people under his spell. The residents of Oregon describe the citizens of Rajaneeshpuram as having a ‘look’. When one sees the visuals of sanyasins, one can’t not notice the strange  look in their eyes – of joy, of bewilderment, of having known the unknown. All of them were under Osho’s magical spell. Seeing them, one wonders what it would have felt like to be in that commune as a believer. Did they truly enjoy joy and liberation?

Although the documentary leaves one thinking about thousands of believers who became sanyasins, their lives, beliefs and doubts, here are a few principal characters from the documentary who have a haunting effect on you.

Ma Anand Sheela – For me, Sheela’s character is the most captivating, may be more than Osho’s himself. Osho was a spiritual being or he claimed to be so. Sheela was human -like you and I. Her journey from meeting Osho for the first time as a teenager to becoming his personal secretary to being the all-powerful Ma Anand Sheela is nothing sort of fascinating. What stands out is her conviction and will. Her conviction of feeling absolutely correct in whatever she did and the will to achieve her goals. The interview clippings from her earlier days shows her as someone who is arrogant, power hungry, wealthy and blunt. But what surprised me was that the Sheela of current day isn’t far too different from her earlier self. Her spirit remains the same. What is disturbing though is an absence of guilt and remorse. She seemed to think only about herself. Not even once does she mention anyone else. One expects Sheela to have changed over time. One expects Sheela to have had an evolved and dispassionate thought process by now. But No. She remains unchanged. One wonders if one should admire or despise Sheela.  

Residents of Oregon & Antelope – As the documentary begins, one identifies a lot with the residents of the tiny town of Antelope. No one likes a bunch of strangers taking over one’s town. The smaller the town, the stronger this feeling. Rajneeshes, as the followers of Osho were known also gave the people of Antelope reasons to be worried knowingly and at times, unknowingly. Repeatedly, the residents say they feared the unknown. Somewhere half way through the documentary, one feels a bit swayed towards the sanyasins. One wonders if the residents of Antleope were being unreasonable with the residents of Rajneeshpuram asking them to leave. But then again, one can’t help but feel bad for the tiny elderly population of Antelope.

Swami Prem Niren – He is a lawyer and a bright one at that. He talks about being disenchanted with life and turning to Osho and his way of being to find solace. I couldn’t help but wonder if startups are today’s Osho. There are so many youngsters who are getting disenchanted with corporate life and turning to startups. Swami Prem is the kind of character who lends a bit of humane-ness to Osho. One tends to believe what Prem is saying. He looks and speaks like a sensible person. Unlike Ma Sheela, there was no arrogance in him. Much in the documentary, he almost speaks in a matter of fact manner about Osho making one wonder if it is the same person who defended Osho in the courts so very vigorously. Later in to the film, one can see that the embers of worship are still burning. He believes strongly that the world missed a chance to lead the Osho way of life.

Ma Shanti B – Of the characters in the documentary, it is easier to relate to this lady. She goes through the familiar cycle of getting spell bound, committing acts that are objectionable, regretting them and now having reconciled with her past. Although she talks about the experiences she has had and cherishes them, she also looks at a moment when she got out of the ‘spell’. The moment in court that she describes when she goes to see her son is quite poignant. Her character is testimony to the fact that ordinary people like you and I will do outrageous deeds under extra ordinary circumstances. Surround yourself with unusual people, put yourself in an uncommon situation and you will surprise yourself with your ability to do commit unbelievable actions!

Osho Rajneesh – Somewhere along the documentary, I felt that maybe I should read his books. I wondered if he was really the spiritual being he was made out to be. The smiles and constant laughter displayed by the sanyasins make one want to gravitate towards the promise land. Something I found strange about him was how less he blinked. Through out the documentary, his eyes blinked for very very few times. To me, those eyes did not seem like luminous wells of mercy and generosity. To me, they felt a bit threatening. I lost the wish to read up about him when he behaved like a mere human towards Sheela. If he were indeed the benevolent being he claimed to be, he would have never talked about Sheela the way he did – dripping with vengeance. I admire his courage to have shown his want for material things. Unlike many other sages, he did not denounce worldly pleasures. Instead, he embraced them.

Ma Anand Sheela – Yes, I am aware that I wrote about Sheela in one of the paragraphs above. But don’t you feel she is one of a kind? I have not seen a character like that in my life! Neither in stories nor in life. What makes her unique? Is it her complete lack of care for others? Is it her deep conviction that she is right in whatever she did? Is it her unwavering devotion to Osho, the Bhagwan? Is it her way of leaving Osho on one fine day without as much as a good bye? Is it the way she faced the court, the officers, the press and people? How does she appear to you? Like a body without a soul OR a heart made of steel? 

Justice for Charlie, the dog: Blog # 326

Justice for Charlie, the dog

For those of you who don’t know, Charlie is a 6 year old dog. Bubba Atkinson is her human. Earlier in the day, Bubba accused Charlie of having got in the trash. Bubba also has apparent video evidence to prove this on Twitter. You may watch it here.

Now, myself and thousands of people all over internet have decided to stand with Charlie. Primary reason being what proves that Charlie has got in the trash? Nothing. Charlie was acting guilty just for fun. She wanted to humour her human. That’s all.

Now, let us assume for a second that Charlie did go in the trash. The human should have been more careful! She was bored at home and had nothing else to do. Trash was right there and Charlie thought why not explore it a bit.

Also, below are the reasons why we should stand to get #Justice4Charlie

1.      How can a dog be so ADORABLE!!!

2.      The first 15 seconds of the video make our eyes well up.

3.      Charlie deserved a hug in the first 15 seconds.

4.      Charlie remained silent although she had a chance to defend herself

5.      Charlie can give Meryl Streep a run for her money

6.      Charlie can’t even make eye contact

7.      Charlie can teach humans a thing or two about guilt

8.      Charlie can give a damn TED speech on penance

9.      Charlie made the internet explode with LOVE. How many humans can do that?

And

10. Human Race owes a collective apology to Animals for all that we have done to them.

If you believe Charlie deserves justice, please tweet using #Justice4Charlie and #FreeCharlie!

p.s. Having said all of the above, we know that Charlie’s human loves her to death. He took her swimming, got her toy and even played fetch at the park. Here is to more humans like Bubba and more doggos like Charlie!

Is Elon Musk a cowboy CEO to delete Facebook?: Blog #325

Is Elon Musk a cowboy CEO to delete Facebook?

Elon Musk of Tesla deletes the Facebook pages of himself, Tesla and SpaceX. I think it is a tad bit foolish of him to do that. If he wanted to show that he is taking a stand, he could have deleted the Facebook profile that belonged to himself. Deleting the Facebook pages of both the firms is impulse and drama without any reason.

I feel this is a classic case of a CEO thinking he knows everything to know about anything there is. I am sure there is a team that manages the social media account of Tesla and Space X. He should have consulted them. It doesn’t look like that consultation happened. Reason being the FB pages were deleted in 20 minutes after Elon Musk’s Tweet. Any social media team worth its salt would have resisted this move. The resistance wouldn’t have come to an agreement in 20 minutes if there was a constructive discussion unless Musk is surrounded by Yes men.

Anyone who knows something about managing a Facebook page will know that having a corporate page is a huge advantage. In any firm, sooner or later things go a bit unright. I am not saying wrong, but unright (somewhere between right and wrong). In such instances, you need all the avenues at your disposal to clarify where you stand as a firm and what your explanation about the situation is. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIN and other social media channels come handy in situations like this.

Tesla and SpaceX are much loved and admired firms. There is considerable interest among the general public about both the organizations. People like to know what the firms are up to and the media of the day is social media. If you expect everyone to visit the firms’ websites and understand what they are up to, that is a bit foolish and presumptuous.

Add to that the fact that Tesla and SpaceX are both commercial firms. They don’t exist just for furthering research and science. There is a business aspect to both the firms. In such a situation, why would you take such a reckless step that risks your connect with your potential customers?

After the above knee jerk reaction, Musk has kept himself and Tesla in the news through multiple missteps. Be it announcing taking the firm private on Twitter or the spat with a diver -rescuer, Elon can do with a bit of good old "restraint". 

May the light of ‘Social’ wisdom shine on Elon Musk soon!