Vish-speak

The state of my State

2009-12-12T06:46:00.013+05:30

In the first week of December 2009, the leader of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, Kalvakuntla Chanrashekara Rao declares his intention to go on a fast-unto-death demanding that the Congress party introduce a bill in the Parliament for the creation of a separate state of Telangana. 10 days of agitation by students and some other sections of the society ensue. While everyone in AP and Telugus elsewhere thought this would also end as another political gimmick, the Home Minister at the centre, P Chidambaram does the unexpected. Close to midnight on the intervening night between the 9th and 10th of December, he announces, " ....the process of creation of a separate state of Telangana will be started...".

All the television channels across the state and some across the country, go into overdrive announcing that Telangana is imminent. While this came as a very pleasant surprise to proponents of Telangana, it created an atmosphere of gloom and despair for those who are in favour of a unified state.

In a show of number, people from both Andhra and Rayalaseema go on a state-wide agitation, bringing the state to a standstill. While the state stands to lose crores of revenue, the members of the Legislative Assembly and a few ministers hold the government to ransom, resigning from their posts. Political parties split vertically based on the regions they come from. While the MLAs of the Telangana region sing the tune of separatism, the leaders of the non-T regions grab the opportunity to reconnect with the people with whom they almost never connect.

God knows if the state will get divided, but it has drawn a wedge between people of the three regions, sowing seeds of mistrust and hatred. Friends see each other in new light. Businesses suffer. The unity of the people who built the city of Hyderabad, stands questioned. The 'bhaichaara' turns 'bye-byechaara'. People of different regions meet each other with forced smiles on each other, subconciously taking note of the regions that they are from. There is a new name for most of the residents - 'settlers'. It hurts when someone in your own country calls you a settler. The reason? Well you didnt get to be born here in this region. That is all that is to this problem.

How does it matter where you were born, or where your dad was born? How does that affect the attitude/ mentality of a person in any way? Is it in the water or in the air that makes a person from Kurnool any different from that from Mahbubnagar? If this is not racist, I dont know what is racist.

It is not without a reason, that the people of Telangana want a separate state. There has been discrimination and neglect. There has been diversion of river waters to the affluent areas of the state. They have been a step-motherly treatment to this region. But, separation is not going to solve these problems. Not just that, it would add to the woes of the people here and elsewhere.

Whenever or wherever the topic of separation comes up for discussion people mention a few points in support of separation. The following are the points and my comments on them.

1) Distribution of waters:

Where ever it be, in this world, when there are limited resources, people fight over it. River waters in India are like gold, because most of India lives in her villages, and is the mighty power that it is because of agriculture. With so many people depending on agriculture it would be anyone's guess that people will fight over waters. The grievinace of the Telangana leaders is that waters are being siphoned off to the Andhra region. This is true to most extent. Enough has not been done to distribute waters equally throughout the state. When 10 out of 23 districts are in Telangana, I wonder how and why the leaders of Telangana could not stand their ground and get waters for their region, while the leaders of the other regions are doing a good job for their regions.

Is separation the solution for this? Absolutely not. If separate states can solve water problems, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka would not have burnt 5 years back. Around 5 years back, when the water riots between TN and Katnataka reached their peak, people fought like rabid dogs in the streets of these states. Movies from one state were banned in the other state. A lot of hatred welled up and it has not been resolved yet. Each and every bordering state has water problems with its neighbour. We have problems with TN, Karnataka and Maharastra about water. The only reason why we seem to have 'convinced' those states is because of our sheer size and in effect the most number of seats at the centre. Ofcourse it is sad that it boils down to fights over water between states. Ideally the states should join together and solve the problems together.

Tommorrow if the state gets divided, and Telangana becomes a separate state, how is it going to fight the might of Mah, if it restarts building dams on their side? They are not able to do that now because we are in a position to hold the centre at ransom. The Center Govt. knows that if they displease people in AP, we can pull the plug and have a major effect at the centre. There is always strength in numbers, especially in a federal-democratic form of government.

Two separate states mean smaller, weaker units, which can be easily controlled by the centre. We will become sitting ducks. If you look at our neighbours you will see that they are all big state, but not as big as AP. This is the reason why we are able to keep a check on their designs.

2) Jobs:

One other reason that the T-leaders mention, to explain how Telangana is being exploited, is that fact that people from Andhra and Rayalaseema are taking over jobs in Telangana. But, what else do you expect to happen when Hyd is the capital city. If the capital city of AP was say Kakinada or Kurnool, would not people from all over the state storm those cities? Would people of Telangana not go there in search of livelihood? How many people from Seemaandhra do you see working in towns like Mahbubnagar/Karimnagar/Adilabad/Nizambad? the same number of people from Telangana-Andhra you'd see working in Kurnool/Chittoor - almost none.

In 1969 when 36 GO was issued, ordering the transfer of 25,000 non-Telangana employees, who were posted in the Telangana regions, the Andhra movement take shape. The supreme court stepped in and nullified the order. Now, it is the GO 610 which is doing the rounds. After NT Ramarao introduced this GO in 1985, it has not seen the light of the day, though it was supposed to be implemented by 1986. These two are bound to create unrest in the minds of people. The only way to earn back the lost trust is by implementing this order, down to every letter. It would be stupid to divide the state over a few government jobs.

3) Backwardness:

It is an accepted fact that on an average the regions of Telangana are more backward compared to the much more affluent Andhra region. The reason is the history of the regions. Telangana was under the Mulki rule for 200 years previous to Indian independence. The Andhra region was under direct British rule then. The people of Telangna were taught in Urdu, while the haves in the Andhra region got to learn English. The two regions were merged after Telangana's liberation from the Nizams and the decision to form states based on languages. The Telugu parts of the erstwhile Madras state were merged with the liberated Telangana to form Andhra Pradesh. Because the people of the Andhra region wee educated in Telugu and English, they had a head start in the race to jobs and posts, both in the government and in the private sector.

This has been a bone of contention between the people of both the region. It has been almost 5 decades since then. 50 years is a long time to erase this gap if the leaders of the region took initiative to bridge the gap. If the people of Telangna are still not able to get good jobs as compared to the people of Andhra/Rayalaseema, there could be just one reason: not enough emphasis on education. The leaders should have taken the initiative to build schools/colleges and helped the people two study and get them to compete with the rest in the state. This was not done. It has been so even in the other regions, but the region, which started off as a region where education was neglected, further neglect made the differences with the other regions stark.

Where is there no backwardness in India? The per-capita income(income per head, per year) of AP is Rs 10,540, i.e on an average, a person in AP gets less than Rs1000 a month. How can we say the other areas/regions are in any way better? Look at Rayalaseema. There are regions there where there has not been rain for years. The districts of Chittoor, Ananatapur and Kadapa are now moving away from farming. Yes, Telangana is more backward than the other regions. But why do we have to blame that on people of other regions? Why arent our leaders not doing enough for Telangana? The ministers for the departments of Agriculture and Rural Development have been Telangana leaders(Ponnala Lakshmaiah and D. Srinivas). Why then, have they not done enough for Telangana?

When you elect a leader, you expect that he gets as much funds and projects for your region. That is the least he/she should do. If the leaders from AndhraSeema have been doing this for their region, why dont the leaders of Telangana do it? Telangana leaders have a huge number, why dont they use it? Over the last 8 years, the effort that TRS put into trying to get a separate state, if they have put all that time and effort(and money if you please), would'nt Telangana have become paradise on earth? It is unfair to blame the backwardness of a region on leaders from elsewhere, while in reality its the laziness and inefficiency of the local leaders.

All the problems we face today are because of our leaders. Change them and we will change our lives.

4) Derogatory portrayal of Telangana in movies:

It is a common practice to make 'villains' or 'comedians' in telugu movies speak the Telangana/Rayalaseema dialect while the 'good guys' speak the Godavari/Krishna accent. The reason for this could be that almost everyone in good positions in the Telugu film industry are from the Andhra region. For a person who is born and bought up in Vijayawada, the dialect spoken in Chittoor or Adilabad might seem funny. Unfortunately this has led to a situation where it has become a norm to assign these dialects to the comedians and villains in movies. Even if the movie is set in Hyderabad, the 'Hero and the 'Heroine' speak the Andhra accent, while the heroine's wicked dad, the hero's sidekick and the guys who get beaten in the end, all speak Telangana! And this Telangana dialect would such a crass imitation of the original dialect, that it insults Telanganites. However common this situation might be, it has to be corrected and corrected quickly. Disrespect to culture and traditions of a society are the worst from of insults. Kingdoms have collapsed when people revolted against insults to their culture. Let us not forget that the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, largely accepted as the first fight for Indian independence, was because of the greased cartridges that hurt the religious sentiments of the Hindus and Muslims in the British army.

This would hopefully be corrected by open minded Producers/Directors from other regions or by those of Telangana/Rayalaseema who as of now are very very rare. Media is like a sharp sword. If you dont use it with care, you will be doing more damage than you can imagine, sometimes even to yourself. This attitude of recognizing various cultures of the state, will have to be reflected not just in movies, but also in the other forms of media.

Who gains from separation of the state?

Local leaders: The incentive for a politician is to have greater control over the resources flowing from the coffers. A separate state would ensure more control to the local leaders. The leaders from the other regions definitely stand to lose if Hyderabad goes out of their state. What, with all their investments and business interests here.
Government Employees: Two states mean two governments. People in Telangana can keep all the jobs for themselves and hence do not have to compete. Includes teachers, lawyers etc...
National parties: It is in their interest for national parties to divide states. If AP is divided, it would be a big blow for the local parties like TDP and PRP who would be almost wiped out in Telangana. However Congress and BJP who are national parties can still hold their ground in both the states. This becomes an advantage to the national parties.
Farmers of Telangana: As far as I can see, this is the only welcome development that would follow the creation of a separate state. However it is only a possibility and not something that we can be sure of. I would not be surprised if the local leaders would still blame Maharastra for blocking waters, or AP for 'stealing too much of water by using power at the center'. Would anyone be surprised? Also the Telangana farmer might also lose due to separation, which I will write about in the section below.

What will we lose due to separation?

When a state separates, there is obviously a tussle for funds, properties, agreements and packages. Considering that both parties(or is it three parties), are happy with the distribution(which in reality will never happen), we still lose a lot.

What will each of the two new states lose?

Losses for Andhra/Rayalaseema:

The Capital city of Hyderabad, was built over a period of 50 years with effort and revenue of all the three regions. Everyone has established their businesses, bought properties and have settled there for good all because it is the capital city of their state. Many International and National organizations and corporates have setup offices here. Hyderabad has earned a name for itself. People everywhere recognize it as a IT hub. It took all these years and all that effort to get an things like an International airport, Consulates of other countries and other such infrastructure. Now if the city goes into Telangana state, the region of Andhra or Rayalaseema stand to lose all their effort and work. If that was not enough, it will take a few decades for Andhra Pradesh to build another such capital for itself. It is a sad state of affairs that all the development has been concentrated in this one region while the other second-rung towns in the state have been left to rot. It is an inefficient administration that is to be blamed for such inappropriate distribution of development, concentrating all the development in Hyderabad. Enough has not been done to spread development to smaller towns like Vijayawada/Vishakapatnam/Tirupathi/Kurnool/Warangal. No matter who is to be blamed for it, a separate state will take all the development into Telangana, kicking the rest of AP back a few decades.
Jobs: It is a fact that there are almost no jobs in the much sought after IT sector in any of the second-rung towns in AP. If there are any jobs, it is only the lesser paying jobs of the other sectors.
Farming: Agriculture is going to take a beating with control of all the rivers in Telangana. The centre might impose a few sanction on the upstream Telangana, but going by what is happening in the other states in South India, it is anyone's guess that there will be water-riots between these states. Separation can only put all the water in control of one state, but it cannot solve the water problems of either of the state.
Mineral wealth: It is believed that there are great mineral reserves in the region of Telangana, though unexplored. Separation of the state would make AP poorer in mineral reserves.

Losses for Telangana:

Sea port: Lack of sea ports will weigh down heavily on Telangana. Vishakapatnam serves as the hub for waterways to Andhra Pradesh. Sea ports are not just revenue earners, but also provide lots of jobs. Many businesses and organizations are dependent on sea. Take note of the fact that all the top-revenue earning states of the country have sea ports. All land-locked states(Rajasthan,MP,UP,Bihar, J & K....) are still backward economically. The only exception being Punjab-Haryana. Also Vishakapatnam and Vijayawada are the intermediary transport hubs between the trade hubs of Chennai and Kolkata. Ask anyone from a land-locked state about the importance of a seaport. They would kill for one.
Oil reserves in KG basin: The newly found Oil reserves of the KG basin translates to a lot of wealth to the state. A separate state of Telangna will lose this advantage.
Industries: Most of the industries outside Hyderabad are concentrated near the Andhra region, due to the availability of land, easy accesibility to seaways, connectivity to the cities Chennai/Kolkata. Industries take a lot of years to build and plan. It will take Telangana decades to build and develop industries in the new state. Industries provide employment to most number of people after agriculture in India. also a state that lack industries will not be able to power its development in the other fields.
Easy re-location of the IT-hub: Unlike the other industries which require a lot of resources, long-term construction and raw materials, the IT industry need almost no time and little overhead to re locate to a new location. If the states separate, all the progress made in wooing investments to the states will be lost in competing with each other in diverting funds and investments to the respective states. Unlike the other industries, the IT industry does not depend much on the location.

What will both regions lose?

Strength: The only reason why the other states around us are in check is because we are big in number. We have a presence at the centre. We can have our say, we can have our voices heard no matter who is in power at the center. Mah is letting enough water come to AP because we have a size thats comparable to theirs at the centre. If the state gets divided, they will not listen to what Telangana has to say. We need to note that they are an upstream state and hence have control over river waters. The only reason why they stopped work on the Babli project is because AP is in a position to mount pressure on the Mah govt. through the center. THough Mah has 6 seats more than AP does, it cant do much really. Who the hell listens to smaller states? If divided, both states will be easily sidelined and ignored. Does anyone care about states like Orissa/Bihar/Kerala. Why is it that always AP(42), TN(39), Mah(48) make or break goverments at the centre? Why is Kerala(20) and K'nataka(28) always the "also-ran" state? Strength. In a federal setup, numbers is strength. Even otherwise, there is ALWAYS strength in numbers. A perfect example would be the European countries. The countries which started the two World Wars and plunged the world into anarchy have realized their folly and are coming together as the European Union strengthening each other and emerging as a formidable economic force.
Choice: Imagine, you run a company and you want to take employees into it. When you interview people for it, you pick the best of them. When you are to pick the best of a lot, you would wish you have a bigger lot. A bigger state means the best employees could be selected from all over the state. Better employees means better administration, growth and development. Well, this proves counteractive if your intention is not growth but is providing a temporary solution to the problem of unemployment.
Distribution of resources: Each of the regions has something that it gets to the table. Telangana and Rayalaseema have good mineral and metal deposits. Let us say they establish industries related to those materials in the Telangana-Seema region and the Kostha region does well in the Shipping and Petroleum, collectively we could drive the economy-chart through the roof. This not only benefits both the regions, but also make development cheaper, faster and more stable. If they all fall into two or three states, each of the states loses immensely.
Culture: The identity of the Telugus lies in the unique blend of the cultures of the three regions. You take any of the cultures out and it is not the same. It would be sad if children of one state grow up not knowing what 'Bathkamma' is, or if the children of another state grow up not knowing how 'Aavakaya' tastes, or not learning poems of Pothana or Vemana. Dividing the state would destroy our cultural diversity and make each of our regions dull, bland and monotonous.
Nature: It would make anyone happy that he/she is from a state that has the beautiful beaches of Kosthaandhra, the magnificent waterfalls of Telangana and the thick forests of Nallamala. It would be sad to lose any of them. I wouldnt want to live in any state which doesnt have any of these.
More problems and fights: When we have two states, people become even more regional. There would be more fights, broken trust and hatred. People will try to damage each other due to competition, wherever they compete for some resource. Now, can we forget how AP and TN try to attract investors to their states, even if it means mudslinging and name-calling? Do we need ministers always trying to out do each other at the center, trying to damage each others' interest under the garb of protecting their own? The reason why people are not destroying each other is because we are in one single state. Put them all in different states and you will have hell spilling over.

Even if everything goes well, it will take a lot of time to get things into a rythm. It will take a decade or more for Telangana to establish industries. It will take an equal time to build a new capital for AP that remains. After all the political tussles and wrangling , not much would be left for the people to be happy about. Take the newly formed states in the North. Even though crores of rupees have been spent, hefty packages granted and other forms of assistance given by the center, the news states are nowhere where they expected to get. But yes, the rich in Jharkhand and Uttaranchal have become richer. The land rates have increased, the roads are new, new buildings have sprung up. But development? Not really. Jharkhand is safe haven to Naxals and is an example of what a state should not be. It has gone to elections seven times in the last 10 years. Nitish kumar has recently requested the center to re-merge the states of Jharkhand and Bihar!

Do we have to do all this and lose all the progress? All this over something that can be solved by negotiations and collective effort?

I strongly believe that separation is never the answer for any problem. It definitely is not an answer to this problem either. But, there are ways by which we can solve most of the problems that are the prime causes of the demand for a separate Telangana state.

Ways to solve the problem:

Establish trust - Develop the region - Forget the past

The first and foremost thing for everyone to do is to establish the lost trust among the people of the Telangana region. Allocate more funds to the region. Sanction more projects in the region. Give more control to the local leaders and make it evident. Make allocation of funds a transparent affair. Among the simple things to do so as to gain the support and trust of the people of Telangana, the government has to:

Immediately complete all the pending irrigation projects in the region.
Implement 610 GO
Lay emphasis on education in the region.
Distribute water equally. Have a neutral central committee mediate the process.
Provide employment opportunities in the region.
Gently goad the media to respect the cultures of all regions equally.
Give importance to rural development in the region.
Give important portfolios to leaders of the region. Also give them freedom to allocate funds.
Tilt the balance towards Telangana while allocating funds for the state, so as to offset the neglect in the previous years.
Divide all districts of the state into 3-4 categories based on the backwardness of the district. Allocate equal funds to all districts that fall in a category, irrespective of the region.
Respect the Six-point formula and the Gentleman's agreement.

Good all-round development should be the aim of the government in the region. This should be applicable to all the regions of the state. All-round development is the healthiest way to progress. That being said, the strengths of the region have to be honed. The mineral wealth should drive industries locally, also providing employment to many. Water has to reach every part of the state. Connecting rivers and drawing canals across the three regions to ensure fair distribution of water will ensure that everyone is happy with the goings-on in the state. Everyone in the state has to be made aware of the other cultures in the state. An atmosphere where everyone respects everyone else has to be established. The Govt. can use the media for this.

What can people do for this?

It would be great if everyone could stop being selfish and thought beyond their own needs. Understand that some regions in the state are more backward than the others. Understand that most of the problems can be solved by negotiating and diplomacy. Understand that everyone deserves the same respect as anyone else in the state does. Stop suspecting each other and start working together. Vote leaders who actually work for us, rather than those who keep the show running by dividing us on lines of Caste/Religion/Region. Consider an insult to anyone else in the state, or to that matter anyone else in the country as an insult to you. Get rid of the Religion Vs Religion or Region Vs Region vote dynamics.

....contd

25 ways of passing your time in a train, at night:

2008-09-12T09:52:00.004+05:30

I never thought traveling by train at night could be so boring - not until recently when I went to Kadapa. The predicament was that I would arrive at Kadapa in the dead of the night at 1:00 AM. This meant we couldn’t sleep. It was too short for us to sleep but too long for me to not get bored. Sitting in my berth I was thinking of ways by which I can keep myself amused. I came up with a few ways of passing my time:

(Remember, everyone is asleep, curtains drawn and covered in sheets to save themselves from the A/C)

Sit up in your berth in a meditating pose. Keep mumbling some mantras in a unheard of language. Every now and then wake your friend in the next berth, and ask, “Rakesh, can you see the light? Did I get an Aura?”. Wait for a few minutes until he dozes off and wake him up and enthusiastically ask, “Now? Now? Can you see the Aura?”.
Take a pin/needle along. Go pricking each of the passengers on their feet. And when they wake up startled, laugh out saying, “Haha…Fooled you!!! Don’t worry that wasn’t an insect”. Then walk away to the next person.
Go around pulling off the sheets and asking aloud, “Sudheendra, are you in there?”. Wait till the passenger wakes up irritated and then mumble, “Sudhee, you look strange. What happened?????”. Flick the light on, stare at their face and say, “Oh oh! Sorry! I was looking for my friend!”.
Yell at the top of your voice, “Bomb! Bomb!”. While yelling run from one end of the compartment to another.
Silently creep up to each person’s ear, make hissing noises and slink away. Better still make hissing noises while lying in your berth, fully covered, so that no one knows whos making the noise.
Plug you laptop to some big loud speakers and play Counter-Strike on full volume. Add as many bots as possible to increase the noise level.
Play some annoying sound files at high volume. Sounds such as flushing, burping, Bike races, vessels dropping to the floor, a pack of dogs barking… etc.
Sit facing the window and play bus driver. Make the engine noise with your mouth……”bbffffffrrrrrrrrrruuuuuuuuuuuu”. Be meticulous about changing gears, braking, yelling at other motorists, traffic stops, screeching to halts. All the while making the corresponding sounds orally. Also occasionally stop to look back at those eyeing you and say, “Gachibowli! Anyone getting down?”.
Flick the light on and off repeatedly, like they do in the movies. This will drive the people sleeping mad. If someone gives you an angry look, stare right back and say, “ I’m thinking”, in an emotionless tone.
Save an ‘End User Agreement’ in your laptop. The one that you are asked to go through while installing a software or signing up for an internet service. The Yahoo User Agreement runs into quite a few pages. Read the agreement aloud, as if you are announcing it to the whole compartment. Do this in a news-reader tone. Take ‘commercial breaks’ in between.
Say the dialogues of your favourite actor and do whatever he does in that scene. For example, the long dialogue about railways in the movie ‘Rakhi’(Jr. NTR), or the one in Tagore(Chiranjeevi). Reproduce the same emotions and tones. You could also hum the James Bond Theme song loudly and act as if you are searching someone. Pull the sheets off the people and yell ‘Bond! James Bond!”
Wait till everything is silent and then laugh hysterically at the top of your voice, kicking your legs and rolling in your berth. Be sure to wake everyone up. Sit up suddenly as if you have just woken up and murmur, ”That was a funny dream”, and then lie down.
Go around waking each one of the passengers up and ask them “Do you want to have some tea/coffee?”. I am sure none of them would answer in the affirmative. You would only get irritated looks. But if someone tries to outsmart you and says he wants to have a cup of coffee, tell him in an excited tone, “Wow! That’s great! When you get down to get some coffee at the next station, get me one cup too.”
Pull the chain in the next cabin and run into your berth and wait till the Guard comes with the TC in tow. While the guard is arguing with the people in the next cabin, shout “Why are you guys stopping every now and then?”. Break into a long lecture about how the Indian Railways lacks punctuality.
Pick the fire extinguisher near the toilets. Press the knob and spray foam over all the passengers. Make fire engine noises while doing this. Once you have all the passengers ‘covered’, go around reassuring them, “Don’t worry, I have everything under control. You are all safe!”.
Just before you are about to leave a station, go pick a random passenger and wake him up yelling “Your station has come…your station has come!”. Wait till he sees the train is leaving the station. Help him with his luggage. Even help him out of the train with the luggage. Once he gets off the train and the train has picked up good speed, ask him, “I’m sorry, I seem to have woken up the wrong person and run into the compartment”. Repeat at the next station.
People leave their footwear before climbing into their berths. Kick the footwear around. Make sure that none of the passenger finds their footwear in their cabins. If you are sneaky enough you can even make pairs with wrong foot wear and keep them neatly in their places. For example, one ladies heeled chappal with one men’s sports shoe. However, for you to take complete advantage of this you will have to wait till morning.
Whenever someone opens the door of the compartment, act as if you are suffocating, keep gasping for breath and make breathy noises. In between try yelling with a hoarse breathy voice, “C..ccc…close the ddoooor! Don’t kkkillllll meeeeeee!!! Pllease leave meeee!!”. While everyone is watching you do this, fall dead with mouth and eyes open and tongue hanging out of the mouth. Suddenly sit up and bow to each of those that are watching you and slip back into your blanket.
Make small round projectiles from paper and hit whomever you can. You can team up with one of your friends and play ‘Bullseye’. Assign different points for nose, eyes, lips, forehead, feet…etc.
Sit at the door and act like an immigration agent at the airport. Ask people who board the train for their ‘documents’. Also say sentences like “Welcome to the Republic of Egmore Express sir!”, “Business or Pleasure?”, “I will have to check your luggage sir”, “How long do you wish to stay here?”. For those who are leaving the train, “Thank You Ma’am!”, “Hope you enjoyed the trip sir!”…etc…
Walk past each of the cabins and act as if there are two people talking in whispers. Say things like, “I think they are asleep”, “This bag looks heavy”, “She has a lot of gold on her”, “I’ll pick the lock, you look out for me”, “Don’t be so nervous, this is not the first time we are robbing a train!”. Make it obvious that there are two different voices whispering. When someone pulls the curtains aside to see who is talking act like a guy with split-personality disorder(somewhat like Aparichithudu/Anniyan),.
Shout aloud , “Donga! Donga! Pattukondi! Naa bag! Naa chain!”. Keep yelling and run into the toilet. Walk out as if you know nothing.
Run from one end to another making loud thumping noise. Use all your weight.
Wait till you see a station coming. Put your palms to the cabin wall, lean onto it and act as if you are pushing the train. Make loud groaning noises(Come on! You are stopping a Mega-ton monster). Once the train stops, throw your hands up in air in relief and act exhausted. Repeat it when the train starts, but make sure you change the direction this time. Note: Do not get off the train to do this. Do this inside the compartment.
Wake all your friends up, “5 minutes more for our station.” Wait till everyone hurries to the door with their bags. Let them stand there for some time and then say, “Oh! My watch seems to be running an hour fast! We still have an hour I guess”. Walk back dragging your bags behind.

Dasavataram - Ten on ten

2008-06-18T19:23:00.014+05:30

Okay 'Ten on ten' is an exaggeration but definitely one of the best movies in recent times. What captivates you is the ease and aplomb with which Kamal Hassan tries the ten characters in the film. The storyline is a bit patchy with loopholes here and there, but the underlying concept behind the movie is something that I found interesting.

The story is based on a philosophy called the Chaos theory. This theory says that every event/occurance in the world is related to every other event in some way or the other. In other words, whatever you do results in a change - major or minor - in someones life who is totally unrelated to you opr to your action. The idea is that whatever you do has a ripple effect which gets carried to lives of very distant and unrealted people. None of our acts go without a result.

In the movie, we see how events in one person's life (Dr. Govind) change the lives of many other people. Also how events in other people's lives change that persons' life.

Because the Vishnu idol is drowned in the 1st century, it disturbs the tectonic plates under the seabed and causes a tsunami thousands of years later swallowing the bio-weapon.
Without the sardarji collapsing in the airport, Fletcher and Govind wouldnt have escaped in the airport.
Without Vincent(Dalit leader), Govind wouldnt have escaped from the auditorium.
Without Shingen(The japanese character), Govind wouldnt have been alive and Fletcher wouldnt have killed himself and drowned himself in the sea.
And many more if you observe the story minutely.

Another philosophy the film deals with beatifully is the theory of Karma. Theory of Karma says that everything in the world is balanced. An action of yours will result in another action equal and opposite to yours and you will experience it immediately, in the future or in your next birth.

Let us say you are driving back from work at 12 O'clock in your car. At a remote place on the road you see a person lifting his had and asking you to give him a lift. Do you stop and let him in? Its more probable that you wont. You might think, "Why take the risk? Who knows, there might be his men behind those bushes waiting for my car to stop and to pounce on me? Someone else might give him a lift.". And you move on.

A few days later you are driving back on the same road and your car sputters to a stop at the same spot. You realise you are empty on fuel. Your cellphone is dead and there is now way you can call someone to come pick you up. You wait for some vehicle to pass and motion with your thumb asking them for a lift. I am sure this situation or a similar one would have been experienced by most of us. It could be coincidence. It could also be the result of your actions. his is Karma. Both the situations are the same except that you are on opposite ends in each.

In the film, Nambi dies opposing the kings tirade against Vaishnavism and Vishnu. He is reborn as an atheist(Govind). Balance of Karma. Asin as Nambi's wife is ready to give up her belief in Lord Vishnu, but reborn later, she is someone who is ready to risk her life for the idol.

The movie on the whole is well made except for some logical errors. Sometimes it seems a bit illogical that Fletcher keeps appearing out of nowhere, going around in Tamil Nadu as if he was born and brought up there. However we need to recognize the effort that would have gone into making the script. Weaving a script so complex and being able to connect all the characters is undoubtedly difficult. Kudos to the genius of the story writer for attempting something like this. Kamal Hassan playing so many roles made the broth appear too concentrated with Kamal Hassan appearing in almost every frame in one role or the other. But the effort and patience that might have gone into the project is worth appreciating. What with Kamal having to sit through all those torturous make-up sessions for so many days. Kamal Hassan I'm sure will have started hating the sight of the make-up van.

Another aspect of the movie, thats worth the money spent is the graphics and special effects. Especially the first few scenes (Nambi's story) were beautifully made, which made me wish that story lasted a few minutes more. Also the last few scenes showing a tsunami were also well made. Some very realistic effects capturing the manganimity and the destructive force of the tsunami. Though not upto the level of a good Hollywood movie, but definitely one of the best special effects of any Indian movie. Winds of change are here for computer graphics in Indian movies.

The movie would be just any avergae movie if we dont notice the intricacies and the the undercurrents of the philosophies that the filmaker tried to project. The beauty of the movie lies as much in the underlying philosophy as it does in its special effects and the versatility of one of the greatest actors of our times. Worth watching twice. Infact it seems more meaningful when watched twice.

Tuesday, the 20th of Sep

2005-09-20T13:36:00.000+05:30

Hi,
Just another Tuesday....or thats how it seems so far. My calssmates thought of going to a movie. Couldnt get that permission from our mentors. They were'nt happy with our work. Understandable. Personally I wouldnt have gone to the movie. There's just one Ram Gopal varma movie in town and all of them have already watched it. The other movies are'nt worth the money anyways. All they have in them is the same old story ....boy meets girl.....they fight....fall in love.......their parents find out and object..........then the ususal fighting-for-their-love......story. In between they get to shake a leg an run around the trees , with a bunch of idiots dressed in uniformity.....in the background.

Tomorrow i'm supposed to give a presentation on Photoshop......just thinking of what to say..and wat to show. I guess i'll just go and tell them about the basics of the s/w. 30 minutes wouldnt be enuf for that so i'll just te;llthem wat i can in those 30 minutes.

Ok then c u later. Got to go.

-Vishu

PS: This is the view from our lab window, got this recently.....

Hi everyone....

2005-09-14T22:49:00.000+05:30

Hi guys !!!!!!!!!!
My first blog......

First of a ll let me tell you.......**** ******* ***** *** ******* **** ********** ****.

**** ******* ** *** *** **** ** ********** ** *** ******** ******* ** *** *** ***** ******* ** *** *** ***** ******* ** *** *** ***** ******* ** *** *** ***** ******* ** *** *** ***** ******* ** *** *** *** ** ******* ** *** *** *** ** ******* ** *** *** *** ** ******* ** *** *** ***** ******* ** *** *** *** ** ******* ** *** *** ***

Thats all for now.
bye and take care..........