The suppressed cry...

Little Neeta walked towards the kitchen. She raised her glary eyes to her loving mother. Mother was fully equipped with the breakfast preparation and she knew mother had no time to care her. Neeta slowly stepped out of the kitchen and moved into her den. The room is small, with less furniture and is almost bare. But the four walls had an intense affection to Neeta. They have seen her weeping in agony, laughing at pranks, wondering at stars and shouting at herself. Nobody could have known Neeta better.

Little Neeta had tears ready to roll down her cheeks. As she entered the room, she could hear the loud horn of her school van. Neeta jumped onto the bed and draped herself with the blanket as if to hide. She could hear her classmate Rithika’s loud voice and a few other sounds from the van. “Neeta is not well. She has stomach pain,” Neeta’s dear Daddy said to the driver. Neeta looked helplessly up to the roof with her tearful eyes.

Neeta could sense the tears rolling down her cheeks faster than before. She knew it was uncontrollable. She kept the tip of the blanket at her mouth and bit it heavily so that the sound gets suppressed. Her tears could make her mother cry and that is something she really cannot bear.

The horn of a scooter awake Neeta from weeping. She got up and peeped out of the room to the sit out. The curtain prevented her view, but the wind occasionally moved it sideways for her to see. “That is Rajeev Uncle, Daddy’s friend. Why is he here?” thought Neeta for a moment and stood. She could hear Daddy talking on phone. He is asking somebody to bring money. It is sure that is to help Rajeev uncle.

Neeta moved nearer to the door. “Ah..You didn’t go to your school today? What happened?” Rajeev uncle bent to little Neeta and asked. “She is not feeling well, stomach pain,” her father replied as if he never wanted Neeta to answer. Neeta’s dull face supported her father’s lie.

Another bike entered the gate and a stout dark man walked towards the sit out. Neeta’s father and Rajeev uncle stood up with smiling faces and greeted the man. Neeta moved backward and watched them silently. He handed over a thick bundle of money to her father, who in turn passed it onto Rajeev uncle.

“Daddy could have taken five hundred rupees out of it and paid my fee”, thought Neeta. The thought made her broken and she wanted to cry aloud. Neeta ran into her room crying stronger, but silently. “You know to get money for others. You could have did the same and paid your daughter’s fee. Are you a father?” While pressing her head onto the pillow, mother’s voice banged her ears.

Breaking news is breaking the head!!!

Lazy days are increasing in my life. It is either because I am growing lazy or because something else is preventing me from doing what I love the most. But, that is the reason why I am glued on sofa as a couch potato thinking innumerable things and creating stupid, sometimes not-so-stupid thoughts on things around. This time the thought is about the news channels.

Yes! Another Olympics. Although I am not a diehard sportsperson, I definitely owe to watch a few stunning games. It is not for the sake of seeing the winning medals, but for the colourfulness and cheer of the events. And there I am, surfing through the channels.

I reached channel No. 44 and ceased for a moment. There scrolls a breaking news-an update on Anna’s fast. He is healthy on the second day of the fast. The issue is really burning, not just on televisions, but in my mind as well. Lokpal bill-Would that not lead to a creation of a new Government above the existing one? As a citizen, I am too unfaithful because I pay bribes to make my things work fast. I have done it many times despite of knowing it is unlawful. Trust me, this does not mean that I am against Lokpal bill. I see the tortures at Government offices for getting a document signed. In addition, the shameful scams of the recent years. It is definitely high time to put an end to these torments. How about legalising the act of bribes? I still have not thought its pros and cons, especially because I felt the idea as little stupid.

Whatsoever, my thought was definitely not about Lokpal bill. It is time for me to continue my voyage. This time it is channel 37, again another breaking news scrolling. This time the topic was new and yes, it was about a verbal fight between two prominent ministers. My surfing continued. Channel No. 32, 28, 23, 22, 14, 9, 8, 3....every news channel had its share of breaking news. Interestingly, each one was different and I must say the first time read was worth.

As I said in the beginning, I still have lots of time and so, the browsing goes ascending. Channel No. 1, 3, 8, 9, 14, 22, 23...several news channels pass in front of my eyes, breaking the repeated news. I watched half an hour of Slumdog Millionaire and continued my surfing. Still the same breaking news passes through every channel. Which viewer in this country expects breaking news every second? I sincerely wanted to ask this question to the promo producers. I remembered the golden days when breaking news really meant something spontaneous and new. Isn’t it time to have a research to find viewers’ tastes rather than just calculating TRPs?

The need of a voice from deep beneath

The day is quite moody. I do not blame the showering rain of God’s own country for this darkness. Forgo the reason, the day reminds me of a girl with a gloomy face who seems to have fought with someone so dear to her. I saw a similar girl at the doorstep of my neighbour. No reason to notice her, except her red glossy frock that contrasted her skin colour. She is dark, with a peculiar curve at her nose. She has worn red matching bangles, which again did a disaster to her beauty.

She was wearing her slippers back on her foot, which clearly implied her visit at the neighbour’s house was done. As she walked away, the beauty pageant of our flat, the wife of my neighbour put her head out and saw the lazy me, staring at the little girl. I was with my morning newspaper, wearing a loose worn out t-shirt that my uncle presented me years ago. The mustard colour of the t-shirt has almost faded and my mother keeps blaming me for using it over the years.

“That is our servant’s daughter. You remember bhai arranging a seat for her in Carmel Gardens. She refused that seat,” my sizzling neighbour said.

I wondered why my neighbour beauty addressed her husband bhai, which according to me denoted brother in Hindi. Whatsoever, I know the matter she said. My neighbour is a rich politically acclaimed personality, who truly stands for the emancipation of downtrodden. He has helped many and this time his generous heart was extended towards his servant’s daughter. He managed to arrange a seat for her in a well known school in the city.

“She refused to go to that school. She has no idea of the foolishness she did,” my neighbour continued.

I could understand that little girl’s fear of entering into a different class of society. I remembered a similar incident my teacher told me some time back.

Yes, there are voices raised to uplift every oppressed. There are reservations, organizations and law to ensure the justice. But, who works to free them from the mental shackles they undergo? After all, it is the mentality that makes a man a loser or a winner.

As I lifted the newspaper, I saw a big flick of a crowned politician shouting for the rights of the people.

My fear...

I fear rounded eyes, dirty looking men staring at me.

I fear the man who sits near me in the bus.

I fear to walk through the road after 7pm.

I fear the stranger sitting next to me in the theater.

I fear to cross through a crowded market.

I fear to travel alone in a vehicle on a lonely road.

As the list progresses, I realise my fear is just one, but in different situations. Whom should I blame for not giving me a protective environment?

There is a reason for everything to happen

There were times she wanted to be like other girls - Roaming around with friends, arguing for the latest gadgets at home, cheating parents, gift her boy friend the costliest gift. She never did any of these because she had a different life, difficult to explain to the world. She browsed internet, read books and watched movies to find a similar story as that of her life. Surprisingly, that remains hitherto unsaid.

When tears rolled down through her cheeks, she asked blatantly, “Why me?” Nobody could explain her reason, but somehow it was obvious that her walks of life are strange. She had a generous heart for not cursing the situations or the people who drove her life. Naturally, she became patient and that is where she won.

It is now the spring time for her. She is on a stable path, being respected and recognised. She is known for her uniqueness and charisma among the mass. Looking back, she says “My life had to be weird, to make me who I am”.

Books-turned-movies impress M’wood

The industry has had some exceptional film adaptations of short stories and novels, and more are in the offing..

Over the years, tinseltown has had several literary classics shot into flicks. But more often than not, they fail to live up to the magic cast by the book, disheartening the audience at large; be it the much hyped Harry Potter or Twilight series; though, M’wood has had some exceptional books-turned movies. A pursuit into the mind of the audience … 

THE IMPACT VARIES… 

Madhura Somayaji, a communication student, says the problem lies with the perception of readers. “While reading a book, a reader creates his own imagery of the story in his mind, replete with things that a filmmaker might not exactly bring on screen. When the characters are cut to size and the filmmaker takes liberty with the plot, a movie might refuse its viewer the bliss the book gave him as a reader.” Yasha Shetty, a student, adds, “Directors forget the fact that the book has already made an impact on the minds of the readers. The only book-turned movie that matched my expectation is The Lord of the Rings,” she opines. 

    However, there are a few readers who feel that a film has to change the story in accordance with two factors – the time it is to be presented in and the taste of the audience. “The book may be written for a particular segment of people. Such stories might have to be modified when the target in mind is a larger film audience,” says Karthick Sharma, an aspiring movie maker. 

THE M-TOWN SCENARIO 

Over the years, M-Town has had many movies adapted from well-known novels, with director P Padmarajan leading the front with most of his films being adaptations of mostly his own novels and short stories — 

Thoovanathumbikal, Itha Ivide Vare, Nakshathrangale Kaaval, Rathinirvedam, Vadakakku Oru Hridayam, Thakara and Kallan Pavithran, among them. 

    “The clash of visualisation happens here as well, but most novel-turned-movies in Malayalam keep up the pace of the original story and therefore, are appealing,” says Ratna Kumari, an avid reader and film buff. “One must also remember that turning books into movies is a solution to reach out to multiple audiences when the book would have otherwise been limited to the readers’ domain.” 

WAY TO GO… 

Imbibing the audience’s interest in books-turned-films, M’wood will witness a number of such projects soon, including 

Randamoozham, EMS um Penkuttiyum, Ivan Megharoopan and Balyakalasakhi. 

    “Film and book are two different media, each demanding a different treatment,” says Aravind Suresh, a short filmmaker himself. 

    Nonetheless, when movies, such as the Harry Potter series target a universal audience, the issue of customisation may not come into play. “The books are meant to be read and enjoyed as series. When they are broken into a two-and-a-half hour film, naturally, the audience don’t find the experience equally gripping.” 

RIA LAKSHMAN. V

This article is published in Times of India on 20th July 2012.

Link-http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Search&Key=TOIKRKO/2012/07/20/17/Ar01700.xml&CollName=TOI_KOCHI_ARCHIVE_2012&DOCID=44434&Keyword=%28%3Cmany%3E%3Cstem%3Eria%3Cand%3E%3Cmany%3E%3Cstem%3Elakshman%29&skin=pastissues2&AppName=2&ViewMode=HTML

    

Games which celebs play at party!

Party games are what spice up any get-togethers. Apart from the entertainment factor, they help break the ice and help guests bond better. We ask a few celebrities from the south Indian film industry, who are regulars at the party circuit, about their favourite party games.

Srikanth 

The actor loves Taboo and Pictionary as they are activity oriented. However, Srikanth adds that he is selective when it comes to party games. "Most of the time, Pictionary and Taboo involve cheating and the teams end up fighting," quips Srikanth.

Nani 

This Telugu star says he is a fan of Pictionary - the guessing game. The game is played with teams, with the players trying to identify the words from their friends' drawings. Nani says it is lot of fun to guess words by looking at the weird drawings. "I also enjoy distracting the opposite teams. However, Pictionary is really a hard nut to crack," he says. 

Jishnu Raghavan

Jishnu is yet another M-Town star, who loves to play Dumb Charades. "It is a lot of fun and even large groups can easily fit in. I also like to play Botticelli, where the player pretends he is a particular celebrity and reveals just the initial letter of the name, and the group will have to find out who he is," says Jishnu.

Asif Ali 

The most happening M-Town star says he is a fan of Truth or Dare, a game which is very popular among adolescents and children, but is sometimes played by adults too. "It's a game full of thrill and excitement and l love it," he says and adds that he always chooses dare and does anything daring that his friends ask of him. 

John Kokken 

This handsome villain's favourite game is Spin the Bottle, where people stand or sit or kneel in a circle. "It is the most embarrassing game at parties as the person who spins the bottle will have to kiss the person to whom the bottle points when it stops spinning," he says. He also finds a couple of other games such as Truth or Dare and Taboo - a word guessing game, very interesting.

Kailash 

Kailash loves the question game, in which the player is made to answer the questions about his chosen partner. "Mostly, the questions are too silly like the number of buttons on the partner's shirt or the brand of jeans that he is wearing and so on," says the actor, who claims to be an expert in the game by now. 

Meera Vasudevan 

Meera and her friends love card games and the movie guessing games, using only objects as hints. "We usually play the movie guessing games and the losers are made to do several activities which lead to a laugh riot. That is the best part of the game," she says.

Ranjini Haridas 

This small screen diva, who is all set to sizzle on the big screen, is a party animal. She loves to play Dumb Charades, which she finds very exciting. "We can begin Dumb Charades without any prior preparation. Also, I sometimes cheat friends by surfing the net on my phone for movie names," she says. Another game she loves to play is Poker, but only if she is partying with her close friends. 

Ria Lakshman V

This article is published in Times of India on 17th July 2012.

Link-http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-07-17/news-and-interviews/32699309_1_party-animal-pictionary-jishnu

Being aimless..

It was a day I had hundred reasons to laugh. I looked upon the sky and said I wanted to cry. While I do so, I had no idea if God existed or not. Perhaps, it was out of a habit I did so. And, the reason to cry was not known. As in the ghost movies, I expected a lightening to tear the sky apart, so that a figure could get revealed through the shimmering chasm. Nothing happened for a minute. I continued to walk straight through the leading path facing me, which actually said I had nowhere to go. I could sense a shiver within me because I was aimless. I had no past, no future. There was only a haunting present.  It was truly haunting. I felt as if I am lost.

Namelessly, a rain poured. Once again I looked to the sky, to see if a character had appeared. The sky was dark, in a shade of blue, which reminded me the colour of poison. However, I had never seen a poison. Yet my mind visualised it in dark blue.  I am unaware of the significance of the dark blue. But something from inside told me it is dangerous. Still, I continued to walk. I had nothing better to do.

After 1km, the road had a turn to the right. I decided to go through that turn. It was more shabby and unclean. I didn’t care the dirt that stuck to my slippers. The creepy sounds of insects never bothered me. I was only concerned about the reasonless fear within me. And, there I saw, a little girl, wailing. Her eyes reflected the fear I had. But those were not reasonless. There was something strong behind her tears. I could sense she was not aimless. I could feel she had a past, a present and an aspiring future. For few moments, my thought was only that little girl. My mind dragged my body towards her. Neither the feeling to cry, nor the feeling of directionless was lingering in me. As I queried her, took her with me and walked far, I felt a new energy. I felt to laugh. Now I know why I wanted to cry. It was because I was aimless and had no future!

Girls are hard-core gamers too

... taking a liking for noisy boyish games than their mellowed down versions

Photo Courtesy: TOI

Youngsters are spoilt for choice when it comes to entertainment, with a plethora of games at their disposal. However, most of the apps and online websites are compartmentalised for both genders — clear, calm and lightweight games for gals, and hard, tough and noisy games for guys. But girls don't want this exclusivity. "We are hard-core gamers too," they say.

Banushree, a college student, says, "I am a hard-core gamer. I need vigorous, stalwart games and not those cold, unexciting ones." However, most of the girls begin their visit to game zones with their male friends. "Girls often accompany boys. It is only after their second or third visit that they start playing on their own," says Jithu, a game zone manager in the city. He says little boys and girls are also his customers and are accompanied by their parents.

"Little girls are in fact addicted to play stations. We have a minimum of 15 to 20 customers per week and they are mostly girls," says a shopkeeper in the city. He adds that the trend is fast catching up and most of the homes have at least one play station. "Usually, parents purchase one set of games for the boys. Soon girls too get wooed by the excitement of the games from their brothers and naturally lose interest in playing soft games," says Dr Raveendran, a parent.

Gaming sure seems to have crossed the gender barrier!

RIA LAKSHMAN. V

This article is published in Times of India on 9th July 2012.

Link-http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-07-09/man-woman/32589076_1_hard-core-gamers-boys-and-girls-gender-barrier

I never break rules: Anoop

LOYAL CITIZEN: Anoop Menon

Anoop Menon sternly imprints himself as a law abiding citizen by all means. "I am a rightful person. I never break rules — not even the traffic rules and that is where I have to adjourn my driver," says the actor. "By law, I mean the right way of living. When I live by laws, I feel proud that I exist," he adds. 

The actor who plays the character of an ethically veracious doctor in the movie 916 is happy that he got a character that he can relate to. "916 is not my cup of tea. I may not be able to write such characters and that is why I need to be a part of this movie," he shares. 

RIA LAKSHMAN. V

This article is published in Times of India on 7th July 2012.

Link:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/regional/malayalam/news-and-interviews/I-never-break-rules-Anoop/articleshow/14715861.cms

Tradition meets contemporary home decor

Despite the demand for contemporary home decor, Keralites continue to treasure traditional Kerala architecture.

Inspired by the West, many Keralites are incorporating modern aesthetic sensibilities while designing their dream homes. Flamboyant, carved and wooden furniture are passe. The craze is for elegant and minimal designs. At the same time they can't completely do away with the traditional designs. This has resulted in a harmonious blend of the traditional and the contemporary. Kochi Times takes a look at a few traditional architectural designs that have found their way into modern homes.

Nadumuttom (Central courtyard)

The central courtyard has always been a part of Kerala architecture and it has several advantages too. It brings in a lot of daylight and fresh air and thereby brings the outdoors in. However, these courtyards in modern homes have undergone a change due to security concerns. They are now covered with steel railings or thick glasses.

Aattu Kattil (The swinging chair)

The old wooden swinging chairs called aattu kattil wide enough to accommodate three or four people have attained new forms and are now available in wrought iron as well. They add an ethnic touch to a large modern living room.

Manichithra-thaazhu (The ornate lock)

The front doors of many urban Kerala houses are adorned with a manichitrathaazhu, the ornate lock made of gold-plated metal and carved with intricate designs. This timeless design gives an impression of grandeur and elegance to any entrance.

Mural paintings

Mural paintings or frescos depicting stories from mythology and legends once used to adorn the walls of palaces. Now these paintings have found a pride of place in the living rooms of modern homes. Keralites are ready to spend a fortune on these paintings these days.

Chuttu verandah

The wooden benches with carved decorative resting are another feature that has found its way into modern homes. It helps to accommodate an ample number of guests and makes a perfect place for visitors to sit and chat.

RIA LAKSHMAN.V

This article is published in Times of India on July 4th 2012. 

Link-http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-07-04/home-garden/32524863_1_keralites-designs-contemporary-home