Friday, July 27, 2007

MUCH ADO ABOUT SHAMBO


Finally, it's all over for Shambo. UK law has prevailed, with the `sacred' bull taken from the South Wales temple for slaughter. End of all the outrage and indignation which turned the whole affair into a bull run on the media.

Was it right to put Shambo to death? Bovine tuberculosis has been a raging problem for farmers in the UK and there is a clear policy that if a bull/cow tests positive it should be slaughtered to prevent spreading of the disease. Bringing religion and multiculturalism into the picture in trying to cling on to a diseased animal is ridiculous. The law of the land should apply to everyone.

Shambo's `protectors' were harping on the sanctity of all life. Does sanctity apply to only this one bull? Forget Spain and bullfighting. Check out Tamil Nadu and the rural sport of Jallikattu, part of Pongal celebrations. Here macho men are supposed to take the bull by its horns (literally). The bull is not killed here but the brutal sport can gore these men to death. It doesn't help that the bull here is given a generous dose of alcohol. But will Shambo-protectors question the `sanctity' of tradition?



There are better things one can do for the community, instead of wasting time and breath over a bull. Taking a life is hard, but it was a necessary step here.

No more Shambo headlines now. Shambo Mahadeva, as Mohanlal's punchline goes in the film Aaram Thampuran.

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Hamid Ansari vs Najma Heptullah vs Rasheed Masood. For the first time in Independent India all the political groupings have come up with candidates from the same community for a President/Vice-President poll. Works as a CBM (Confidence Building Measure) in the light of Indian citizens coming into the terror focus for the first time.

At the same time, it's sad that all the choices offered are from merely one community. If the idea was to reiterate faith in the Muslim community and dismiss the terror attacks as the act of a misguided few, all parties should have got together and formed a consensus.

The fact that only one community can contest a Vice-President poll is a dangerous trend. The President election this time, despite all the controversy, was not so `exclusive', where one had to belong to a community. But next time, the Vice-President poll trend may well replicate itself in the Presidential polls. Dalit candidate vs Dalit candidate, Muslim candidate vs Muslim candidate, OBC candidate vs OBC candidate.

As far as stature goes, former diplomat Hamid Ansari seems the best bet. And he is not a career politician, in the Kalam mould. But then by the Left's wierd criteria of `political' President and`non-political' Vice-President, he has no business being in the picture when the next Presidential election comes up five years down the line.

Najma Heptullah has enough reasons to kick herself. If she had not hitched herself to the India Shining bandwagon and joined the BJP close to the 2004 elections, she might have ended up in Raisina Hill now and not Pratibha Patil. Now Maulana Azad's grand-niece is destined to contest and lose.

Thursday, July 19, 2007

FIRST CITIZEN

What a letdown! Anointing a colourless lightweight as President. My first reaction after Pratibha Patil's nomination for the Presidential poll. A consensus candidate conjured up from desperation, only because the Left did not have the occasion or need to cross swords with her in the past. Being in the political wilderness for long helped, as she had no opportunity to rub anybody in the UPA the wrong way.

But then Patil was the first woman in India to come into the presidential picture (Captain Lakshmi may have contested against Kalam, but hers was a lost cause at the outset). Positive tidbits about Patil appeared all over the media.

She must have some calibre in her if she became an MLA at the young age of 27 in 1962 when she was not even married (She got married three years later). A single woman at a young age becoming a legislator from interior Maharashtra more than 40 years ago is undoubtedly commendable. And educational institutions galore established over the years. Malayala Manorama's wonderful headline 'Pradhamam Ee Pratibha' ( first, this talent) said it all.

But the cookie crumbled with breathtaking speed and the slide was initiated by her. A public speech and what does she come with - a silly line about the Mughal invasion having led to the purdah system to protect women from the invaders. Muslim groups and historians cried foul.
Wonder what her campaign(image) managers were doing?

The media and the BJP smelt blood, and what does Pratibha do? Plays into their hands with her revelations about talking to spirits. It was only a matter of focussing on Maharashtra's sugar belt, her home turf. And skeletons started tumbling out with alarming regularity.

Maybe she is not directly involved in any of the scams. But what does it show? A weak-kneed person turning a blind eye while her relatives make merry. Coming back to the `lightweight' point, has she done anything of note as a politician in her over 40 years of public life? India is stuck with a yes-woman (unless the NDA comes to power at the Centre).

That said, the BJP must take the blame for initiating a sustained dirty tricks campaign against Patil, making it sound like a college election full of tabloid masala about rival candidates. The Congress too did not cover itself with glory, with its attacks on Shekhawat.

A news channel had the SMS question, "Has the public lost faith in the Presidency?". Here is an election where the public does not get to vote and what do those they elect present them with? A no-holds-barred slanging match.

The perfect breeding ground for cynicism.

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

GOD'S OWN CHAOS-II

For once, sense or rather a sense of shame has prevailed. The Congress-led UDF has put off its call for a hartal tomorrow (Wednesday) in protest against the LDF government's `failure' to tackle the chikungunya and viral fever outbreak across the state.

First time in my memory such a thing is happening in hartal-happy Kerala. But this time the hartal announcers went way too far. Announcing it just when the state needs its entire infrastructure in running condition to help people battered by fever. Add to it heavy rain. Public and media distaste was too overpowering.

But will the hartal culture ever come to an end? The ruling Left has to change it spots for that. A mentality which goes ahead with a complete shutdown and acts of vandalism just because Saddam Hussein was executed in faraway Iraq does not help at all. The act may be worthy of condemnation, but not at the cost of the functioning of the people and the economy.

Monday, July 16, 2007

GOD'S OWN CHAOS

Kerala or rather its politicians have an insatiable appetite for bandhs and hartals. But the latest hartal announcement takes the disease to ridiculous levels. The opposition UDF has called for a bandh tomorrow (Tuesday), to raise its voice against the LDF government's failure in containing the mass outbreak of chikungunya and viral fever across the state.

Here is a state where even though health facilities are better off, the infrastructure is struggling to cope with the sheer scale of the diseases. Consider the statistics, around 25000-30000 cases reported every day and around two lakh people affected since January. Not to forget a battered economy, with major money-spinners like rubber cultivation suffering because the tappers are too sick.

At a time when people need their basics and infrastructure functioning properly, all the opposition can come up with is a hartal. Denying them the very access they badly need. The UDF could easily have been more pro-active in the state assembly. But then everybody was busy with Munnar and whether Tata's board should be removed. Talk about missing the wood for the trees.

The ruling LDF is predictably crying foul and mocking the UDF, but the fact remains that if the UDF had been in power, the Left would have made life miserable with their cadre gleefully going on a hartal trip. And the Left has always been far more vocal.

And what have VS Achuthanandan and company been up to? A demolition drive which looked more like a one-upmanship bid within the CPI-M. While Munnar and the Deshabhimani bribe scandal dominated the headlines, fever got pushed down. The LDF was too busy attending to its internal troubles to wake up to the mess.

Even with the chikungunya threat such a potent one, Kerala's commercial capital Kochi was struggling to find a place to dispose off its garbage. The perfect recipe for mosquitos to breath (breed) easier.

God's Own Country has turned into God's Own Chaos.

Friday, July 13, 2007

TINTIN AU CONGO

There's suddenly furore in the UK over Tintin in the Congo being racist. What's so new about it? It's an out-and-out racist work with blacks portrayed as imbeciles and the white man's burden (here the Belgian colonial regime). That's why the colour version came out in English only as late as 2005, that too to satisfy Tintinophiles.

Forget the racism bit, Tintin in the Congo is crap. The jokes are crude and not funny in the least. And there's enough for animal rights activists to holler. You'll see a heap of antelopes killed by Tintin and a rhinoceros dynamited to death among other things. In short, it's only of archival value for devoted Tintin fans.

Also it was one of Herge's early works, in fact his second, when he was still a greenhorn. And Herge was not free of the colonial perjudices of Imperial Belgium. A product of its times, emabarrassing now. Herge himself disowned the book, calling it a sin of youth.

It's a flawed product in every respect which should be ignored and forgotten. Instead there is hue and cry.

But keeping the book in the children's section is just not on. It's meant only for Tintinophiles and should be consigned somewhere in the adult graphic novel section.

When I was in school I read an article in The Week about a new book "Tintin in the New World" by Frederic Tuten. Tintin got married to somebody called Claudia and he has an increasingly fractious relationship with her. Lo and behold, when I went to a lending library in Thiruvananthapuram soon after, what do I find? The same book, lying with the other Tintins.

I wasn't daring enough to borrow it though I knew the content. I planned to pick it up in my next trip but I did not find the book. And never again did I find that book in the library. Some agitated parent's doing I am sure.

The point I am trying to make is, instead of raking up the issue, just remove Tintin in the Congo from where it is not supposed to be - the children's section. Let's not judge a book written in 1930 by today's standards. Just ignore it.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

SMART CITY STINKS

Kerala's commercial capital. Tourist hotspots in and around. Where you find all the latest car models zipping past. And the venue of the proposed Smart City project.

But at the same time a traffic nightmare. Last December, a trip from one end of MG Road to another took me around 40 minutes. I have similar memories from seven years back. With Smart City and hordes of cars to join the traffic in the not-too-distant future, where's the city headed? Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan waxed eloquent about bringing the metro to the city, after a trip on the Delhi Metro, but is it feasible for a small place like Kochi? As it is, the Left government is only about rhetoric.

But the bigger crisis now is that the city stinks, literally. The city does not have a proper dumping area for its tonnes of garbage. Kochi has tried to palm it off on neighbouring villages, but in a densely-populated state like Kerala with settlements all around, the villagers were bound to react. Finally, the authorities had to change their tune, after residents of Brahmapuram protested against dumping waste there. A solid waste treatment plant is coming up at the same place but then this should have been operating years ago.

An irate High Court too is a victim of the stink, pointing out recently that its functioning was paralysed for an hour because of the stench from the garbage lying on the nearby road

The administration, be it officials or politicians have been slow, but can't help feeling that the residents too should have woken up much earlier. Too much easy money and rampant consumerism and these issues are simply swept under the carpet.

Breeding spaces for mosquitos and chikungunya, tonnes of garbage is a scary prospect.

A photo I saw in a Malayalam newspaper last December said it all. A poster for the Suresh Gopi starrer "Smart City" pasted on a wall, while the area was strewn with garbage.

The wake-up call has been sounded, but Kochi simply cannot afford any let-up.


Monday, July 09, 2007

WHO'S THE GREATEST?

The man's a chameleon. Roger Federer's the man for all surfaces. Be it serve and volley or slugging it out from the baseline, Fedex can change his colours at the drop of a hat. He's closing in with supreme ease on Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam titles. By now, he would have won everything in sight, if not for a Spaniard who's just too good on clay. But is he the greatest in the Open Era? (after the Grand Slams were thrown open to professionals in 1968)

For all his genius, Federer's had a free run for years without a worthy rival. Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt were humiliated time and time again, exposing them as one-dimensional, limited players. Marat Safin once showed he had it in him to oust Federer (2004 Australian Open semifinal) but then the temperamental Russian is his own biggest enemy. Age had caught up with Andre Agassi, by the time Federer displayed his wares on the big stage.

Only now has Federer found a rival who's here to stay. Rafael Nadal is the first Spaniard in the last three decades who's made the effort to prove he's not just a clay-court bully. Nadal this time proved he is serious competition to Federer even on grass. His sharp angles and net charges left one spellbound. The one drawback being the lack of a killer serve, with Nadal coming up with just one ace compared to Federer's 24.

Nadal's just 21 and a great rivalry is in the offing, with Federer yet to win the French Open and Nadal still awaiting his first Wimbledon title.

Cut back to 2001. Wimbledon 4th round. A talented Swiss youngster halts Pete Sampras in his tracks. At a time when Pistol Pete was unstoppable on grass, with seven Wimbledon crowns already. And he was poised to equal Bjorn Borg's feat of five successive Wimbledons.

The one and only time Roger Federer and Pete Sampras faced each other. The beginning of sunset for Sampras, who never won another Wimbledon. Fittingly enough, the man who scuttled Sampras' plans to emulate Borg's feat, has now achieved exactly that. Pity Sampras and Federer straddled different decades.

Coming to Sampras, did he have a worthy rival who pushed him all the time? Andre Agassi had an all-court game, but he discovered consistency only by the time he was pushing 30. And he couldn't hold a candle to Sampras on grass. Edberg and Becker were on the decline by the time Sampras won his first Wimbledon in 1993, Goran Ivanisevic was far too often consumed by his inner demons and Pat Rafter could have done much more though his serve-and-volley game was a treat to watch.

Federer scores over Sampras, thanks to Sampras' feet of clay when it came to Roland Garros. Only one semifinal appearance in so many attempts does take away some of the sheen from his legend status. For Federer too, the French Open remains a mystery, but that's not because he's failed to come to grips with clay. Just that he has to contend with a formidable rival, who's just too good.

So who's combined Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer year after year? Six titles on clay and five on grass, that too operating from the baseline. The answer is the Ice Cool Swede Bjorn Borg.

Borg consistently managed to be first among equals in a bad-tempered, colourful and competitive era. And it was quite a feat to remain ice cool pitted against the likes of John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors and Illie Nastase at their nasty worst.

Borg was supreme on clay, but when it came to Wimbledon he had to fight every inch of the way.

One side there was Jimmy Connors, who barked after losing to Borg in the 1978 Wimbledon final, "I'll chase that son of a bitch Borg to the ends of the earth." When it came to the US Open the same year, Connors thrashed Borg in straight sets.

At the other end, the sublime touch artist John McEnroe, who saved matchpoint after matchpoint to clinch a dramatic fourth set tiebreak in the 1980 final. Only for Borg to bounce back in the final set.

Five successive triumphs with Connors and McEnroe breathing down his neck is no mean feat. But then Borg too had one achilles heel, the US Open, where he reached the final four times, never to win.

The sheer versatility in his game enables Federer to score over Sampras and Borg. But when it comes to competition, Borg had a tougher time. It's thus stalemate between Federer and Borg.

So who's the greatest in the Open Era? It's still Rod Laver, who won the Grand Slam in 1969 at 30-plus.

Thursday, July 05, 2007

SIVAJI - THEATRE OF THE ABSURD


Finally got around to watching Sivaji, that too in a half-empty hall. And I got exactly what I expected from a Rajini flick.

Only that this time we saw a tech-savvy superstar, thanks to his alliance with a director who makes it a point to pepper the screen with special effects and technical wizardry. Be it a voice-recognition password or MMS, Rajini bridged the digital divide in style. And the style mannan had a `cool' catchphrase to wash away the wrinkles of 57 years.

Style, yes in abundance. But what about substance? Director Shankar is known for his vigilante justice films where the medium(hero) is driven by the message - be it Kamal Haasan in Indian, Vikram in Anniyan or Arjun in Muthalvan, all battling corruption. But with the superstar it's all about the medium and his antics, the message is incidental.

Well, big deal. That's exactly why Rajinikanth is the superstar. One razor-sharp punchline, a witty repartee, a twirl of his fingers, a flip of the coin (he's become more genteel now with cigarettes uncool) - fans are ready to lap it up. Forget story, forget script, it's all about weaving together sequences pandering to the hero's demigod status. Also finding prominent space are sequences depicting Rajini as a do-gooder, donating generously to the poor.

And sycophancy is there all around. Song lyrics extolling the hero, the heroine/sidekick singing his praises, it's all there. Even the AR Rahman soundtrack is subservient to his movements and style. Which means, one identifies the soundtrack as that of a Rajini film first and then only the Rahman identity crops up.

Being a cult figure also means paying obeisance to past icons. At one point Sivaji refers to himself as Parashakti (Sivaji Ganesan's debut film scripted by Karunanidhi) and later he is back as MGR (M G Ravichandran) after a miraculous escape from death. MGR too made a comeback from death's door in 1984, and stunningly orchestrated an election victory in absentia, while recovering in a New York hospital.

So Rajini has to show that he is a worthy inheritor to the MGR/Sivaji mantle. And check out some of the song lyrics.
"Annan vanda Tamil Nadu America" - If Sivaji comes to Tamil Nadu, it will become America
"Kaveri Aaru marakalamah" - Can we forget the Kaveri River?

Kaveri's one emotive issue the superstar has to highlight. After all, he has to be more loyal than his loyalists considering his Bangalore roots.

There's toilet humour and it's loud. But the man still carries it off, as nobody else can. And he's always got great comic timing.

Sivaji also has its ode to Rajini's Japanese fans, with the bald MGR/Sivaji fight sequences at the end bearing the unmistakable stamp of manga comics.

So there you go, Sivaji's cool, finish, repeat for Rajini fans. Though I did not find a killer dialogue as in Baasha or a killer sequence as in Padayappa (Rajini hoisting himself to a higher pedestal than Ramya Krishnan)

In school, we used to poke fun at Rajinikanth with the tale about him using a blade to split a bullet into two when the gun was fired. Now it'll be sheer pleasure to watch him doing that on screen. It's all about making the absurd endearing.

By the way, it's ironic that for a film which takes up cudgels against black-marketeering, people end up paying more than 1000 to buy a ticket in black.

Monday, July 02, 2007

Dilip Sardesai is no more.

All I have seen of his batting is from highlights packages of the historic 1971 India-England series. But his greatest contribution to Indian cricket was certainly in the previous series the same year. His 642 runs in 5 tests played a crucial role in India clinching the series against the West Indies.

The series though is remembered more for Sunil Gavaskar's phenomenal debut - 774 runs in 4 tests. But the backbone of the batting was clearly Sardesai in the middle order, who was always there to bail India out of trouble. Remember reading a Sportstar article long back labelling him the forgotten hero of the 1971 series.

First test - Batting first, India was five down for 75 only for a crucial partnership between Sardesai and Solkar. Sardesai's contribution being a monumental 212, which was more than half of the Indian score of 387.

The West Indian innings folded up for 217. And Indian captain Ajit Wadekar stunned the Caribbeans, walking up to skipper Gary Sobers and asking him to follow on. A shocked Sobers had forgotten that the match had been reduced to four days, since no play happended on day one. In a four-day match 150 runs behind meant a follow-on and not 200. India dominating abroad against a big side for the first time.

The West Indies did save the test but the second test (Sunil Gavaskar's debut) saw India emerging triumphant. Gavaskar did contribute 65 but the man who shored up India's innings yet again was Sardesai with 112 out of 352. India had a 138 run first innings lead, setting the stage for victory.

Fourth test - West Indies declares at a mammoth 501 for five. India is staring down the barrel at 70 for 6. Enter Sardesai with a 150 and another crucial partnership with Solkar. India was out of the woods.

Don't think there's any video of this series. What a pity!

Two double centuries and over 2000 runs in tests. Maybe he could have done more but Dilip Sardesai was never a regular fixture in the side during his 11 year career. Unlucky not to be remembered but undoubtedly an achiever.

SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER


(This piece is all thanks to a sleepless film buff flipping through the idiot box last Saturday night. Could resist everything except the temptation to watch Thazhvaaram a second time)

A wide sweep of rugged terrain, followed by an unshaven Mohanlal trudging determinedly up the hill. And a bird of prey looking down. Thazhvaaram (The Valley) begins on an ominous note. A Western transplanted to somewhere in the Western Ghats.

There is a brief flashback but without too many words it's clear that the hero is out for revenge. He finds a landowning settler from the plains Nanu (Shankaradi) and his daughter Kochooti(Sumalatha) and staying right next to them is his quarry Raju who's now become Raghavan (Salim Ghouse in his Malayalam debut). Raju though is not at home.

Balan (Mohanlal) goes down the hill in search and encounters his prey. He pins Raju down, and a kneeling Raju begs for forgiveness. But in the next instant, the deceitful Raju's pulled the rug from under Balan's feet. He is on top of Balan but voices nearby prevent him from delivering the final blow. Raju then pushes Balan down a treacherous slope.

Here's an all-too human hero who fails to learn from the mistakes of the past. A wounded Balan is discovered by Kochooti and is brought up to her house. As a limping Balan slowly recovers, the cat-and-mouse game begins between the two antagonists.

With an injured Balan on the defensive, Raju steps up his efforts to kill him. But luck and pluck continues to thwart him. In between, small flashback capsules bring back the past, where Raju murdered Balan's wife, when she saw him stealing money from their home. That too on their wedding night.

Cut to the present, Raju reveals his true lecherous colours to Kochooti. Eventually leading to Balan revealing the past to her. But an unaware Nanu continues to swear by Raju and Raju also succeeds in poisoning his mind against Balan.

A romantic attraction between Balan and Kochooti is subtly hinted at. But the only overt display fo affection between the two in the entire film (when Kochooti holds Balan's hand) is seen by Nanu, leading to an explosion.

Raju now has all the aces and matters are not helped by the fact that Balan is caught holding what is actually his money, which he found at Raju's hut.

But Raju knows things are getting too hot for him and when he sees jewels lying in Kochooti and Nanu's house, greed simply takes over and he runs with the booty. Only to confront a waiting Balan.

Unlike the usual Indian film though, hardly anything is said during the finale. It's matter-of-fact revenge, in a laconic Clint Eastwood-esque fashion. The vulture too is back, scenting prey.

And there's no embracing the heroine, with the hero silently making his journey back, away from the heroine and her father.

Thaazhvaaram talks to the viewer through visuals and actions. Dialogues are there only when it's absolutely necessary. But tension simmers throughout and at no point does one wish things could go faster. The background score also never intrudes. And yes, there are a couple of songs.

Also it's a brooding tale of isolation. Father and daughter isolated in a rugged, hilly terrain eagerly accepting the company of Raju. And Balan without his wife looking for deliverance from a sense of guilt, having been blind to his former friend Raju's vices. Just four characters fill up most of the frames crafted by director Bharatan and scriptwriter M T Vasudevan Nair. Two legends uniting to craft a visual masterpiece. Helped in no small measure by first-rate performances from the cast.

I would say this 1989 flick is the best and the most subtle revenge flick made in India. And full points for the way Thazhvaaram evoked a Western flick. And the way it depicted violence. There are killings, but without a blood-and-gore show. And no rape/molestation in the flashback sequences, which is standard staple for revenge dramas.

Just for the record, second and third in my revenge drama list would be Kamal Haasan's Chanakyan (Malayalam) and Amitabh Bachchan's Aakhri Raasta. Both do have rape/molestation in the flashback sequences (expectedly)