Food for thought...

The US presidential elections are over and Barack Obama has won it. US and world media have come out and said that the country has taken a big step forward with Obama’s election and rightfully so. Several democracies and countries had already demonstrated their commitment to equality by electing women, people from religious minorities etc as heads of governments and the US, despite being a vibrant democracy, was previously questioned in that aspect. That question can be put to rest now.

One of the interesting things that I have always observed is how we humans tend to perceive things differently for different people. Unfortunately, in our sub-conscious, the color of skin does play a big part in our perceptions. This is true of many countries, including India, where I wouldn’t classify such behavior as racist rather as sub-conscious discrimination. It is omnipresent in the daily life and ranges from marriage proposals to advertisements exhorting fair skin to build confidence and success in life. That is truly sad and I believe much work needs to be done to overcome such opinions.

I recently received an e-mail regarding the two candidates for the presidency of the U.S. with respect to how they are perceived by the public. I haven’t validated anything that has been said in it, but it did make for some interesting reading. I’ll post it verbatim.

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The question emerged - "What if things were switched around?"

What if the Obamas had paraded five children across the stage following the debate, including a three month-old infant and an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter? How do you suppose your average Midwesterner would've reacted to THAT?

What if John McCain was a former president of the Harvard Law Review? Do you think he would be making a big thing of it?

What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his college graduating class like McCain did? Would anyone look at that any differently?

What if McCain had only married once and Obama was the one who was divorced instead?

What if Obama had met his second wife in a bar and had a long affair while he was still married? Can you imagine the treatment Obama would get over THAT?

What if Michelle Obama was the wife who not only became addicted to pain killers but also acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?

What if Obama, instead of McCain, had been a member of the Keating Five? (The Keating Five were United States Senators accused of corruption in 1989, igniting a major political scandal as part of the larger Savings and Loan crisis of the late 1980s and early 1990s)

What if Obama was the one who had military experience that included discipline problems and a record of crashing four planes? Think that might come up or would we just talk about his years in a POW camp?

What if Obama was the one who was known to publicly acknowledge a serious anger management problem?

What if Michelle Obama's family had made their money from beer distribution?

Nayagan...two decades since

Nayagan was a trendsetter in many ways in tamil film history, even Indian film history.

Kamal Haasan was renowned even back then as an exciting actor essaying varied roles in films like 16 Vayathinile, Salangai Oli while also dabbling in masala cinema such as Sakalakala Vallavan, Thoongathe Thambi Thoongathe, Kakki Sattai etc. But I seriously believe it was this film that catapulted him into the status of one of India’s greatest actors and also gave him the motivation and chutzpah to make career defining films such as Aboorva Sahodarargal, Mahanadhi, Guna, Kurudhipunal etc. Back in 1987, Kamal was presumed to be taking a huge risk, going in for a new look, sans the moustache, and there was a lot of curiosity as to how that would show up on screen. He was also acting in perhaps the first biopic of his career in a role that traversed the lifetime of the protagonist, with a director who wasn’t yet too well known at that time. Suffice to say, the move did pay off big time with Kamal bagging the national award and receiving accolades for his role. Even today, Kamal’s portrayal of Velu Nayakar is regarded as one of the greatest performances in Indian film history.

Mani Ratnam, despite delivering two hits in Idhaya Kovil and Mouna Ragam, the latter coming in for lavish and critical praise, was still not a known entity in the eyes of the masses. This film changed all that and established him firmly as one of India’s foremost directors. Though the movie evoked comparisons to The Godfather trilogy, it was magnificently adapted to an Indian scenario and can be considered a tutorial in screenplay and direction. The total absence of a separate comedy track as well as the casting of several newcomers like Tinnu Anand, Nasser, Karthika and Saranya was also considered a major risk. There are several scenes in the movie that exhibit the now hallmark virtuoso technique of the film maker. The very fact that the talent of the director shone through, despite the dominating performance of the star cast is proof of his incredible skills. Capturing the angst of Tamils in Dharavi has never been done better since.

There are several facets that made this movie great. Cinematography by PC Sriram was stellar and possibly contributed in redefining how Indian movies are shot. The usage of lighting and camera angles in this movie was completely new to Indian cinema. For instance, shots of two characters conversing with only one facing the camera were unseen in Indian cinema prior. If Balu Mahendra was a master at using natural light, PC was the foundation stone to the newer generation of cinematographers in using mood lighting. Art by Thotha Tharani was another highlight in the film and rightfully bagged him a national award as well. The Dharavi sets, the period details etc were critically focused upon and the whole technical crew came up with a masterstroke in this film.

Another highlight of this film (and all films of Mani Ratnam) was the music of Ilayaraja. It was exceptional and really integrated very well into the screenplay. “Nee Oru Kadhal Sangeetham” and “Thenpandi Seemayile” are couple of standout tracks that flowed with the story of the film. Even though Mani Ratnam had to trade-off with the distributors and include a masala song (as per his interviews later), the song “Nila Adhu Vaanathu” became a raging hit. The concept of theme music was quite a rare feature in the annals of Indian film history until then. The only aspect prevalent until then was a “family” song that would later be sung by the lead actors to result in a re-union. Ilayaraja’s diverse usage of the theme music was intrinsic to the film, complementing the narrative and helped propel the film to the masterpiece category. The BGM of the movie is also a textbook lesson in the art of re-recording for a film. Here is an example clip with a detailed analysis of the scene: http://manismagic.iespana.es/nayakan.htm

Even the posters and publicity stills of the film were very unique with only shots of Kamal’s Holi colored face staring at you. It is obvious that a lot of thought and care was given to the film to make it special and unique.

Nayagan is a landmark film in the careers of everyone who had a part in it. The very fact that it is still spoken about highly, is a testament to its greatness…

Ooh Lalala...

I love the show “Ooh Lalala” on Sun TV!! This is probably the first initiative by anyone to showcase a band’s ability in a competition on Indian TV. Most of the existing shows display an individual’s talent in such competitions however this show features bands flaunting own compositions as well as remixes of past numbers. Well, remixes here are not remixes in the normal sense as in adding a rhythm track to a slow number etc, but the ability of the band to innovate, adapt and make the number completely indistinguishable from the original…and this adds to the fun. First off, for a band, it’s extremely difficult to get any avenues to exhibit their prowess and it’s even more of a struggle to get a record label to listen to them. This opportunity is golden for bands and individuals willing to make a mark (and a career) in the music scene. From what I hear, this was the brainchild of the music label Saregama and Pepsico which then joined hands with India’s famous composer A.R.Rahman to bring this to fruition. Winners of this contest will get a chance to record an album in Rahman’s state-of-art music studio which itself would make any emerging artist swoon with its capabilities. This is a huge feather on Rahman’s cap for associating with this venture and attempting to unearth talent. Kudos to him.

Some of the bands that have showed up have real talent and have displayed tremendous ability in terms of composition, execution and flair. There have also been some that have not lived up to the standards put on by others. However, it does tell me that the organizers have a very good recruiting system and only quality performers have been able to step forward to compete. I have been very impressed with the music, the harmony lines and musical concepts demonstrated by some bands. With more exposure, I’m sure, many of these performers will learn to exhibit more panache and stage presence which is one thing I found lacking with many. It is understandable though since at this stage, these bands have landed here only on strength of their musical ability with no coach or retinue to teach them showmanship. I have also been astounded by some of the compositions in the remix segment. Usually, I’m very wary of remixes because I feel they dilute the essence of the original song and can never compare. But here, bands have been striving to give a different take on the originals and are succeeding at that. For example, I loved the remix of “Kadhal Sadugudu” from Alai Payuthe, which in itself is an awesome song by Rahman.

There are also some things I don’t like about the show. For starters, the show is too short at half hour. This show deserves at least an hour to go through all the contestants without sounding rushed. The short time also ensures that the editing team is really busy in post production which makes this show heavily clipped…and that’s a shame. We never get to hear fully what the judges want to say. I would have also been happier to see the comperes behave like normal people instead of practicing various exercise routines during introductions and indulging in hyperbole during the show. It almost makes me want A.V.Ramanan back to host this show (which tells you what I think about the existing comperes). I personally like two of the judges because I think they have real talent, though I would prefer them to be more loquacious. I have personally interacted with Paul Jacob when he used to perform in Pilani during his Anna University days and he is a humble, talented individual. Shivamani needs no introduction and it’s a pleasure to see him perform and judge. I don’t really know why Vasundhara Das needs to be here. Her resume might look impressive to some, but I find that she is not a great judge and doesn’t have the talent or accomplishments to sit on this panel. I remember on one of the days when she waxed eloquent about a band because they were employing a four part harmony which she said she was hearing for the first time in tamil music. This has been done previously several times by the giants of tamil music like MSV, Ilaiyaraja and Rahman. Obviously, she has a lot of music to catch up with. The garish set and production values could also have been much better.

Anyways, the niggles are few and far less important than the music on display. What’s important is the talent that’s being paraded for music buffs like us who are starved of original concept shows and have to make do with knock-offs from other countries.

You can watch previous episodes of the show at http://oohlalala.in/tamilnadu/tamilnadu_home1.php and keep track of the happenings here.

Go ahead, enjoy some good music, for a change!!

2007 India VS England Test match series

India won the test series in England after 21 long years. This is a terrific achievement for the Indian team which has faced a lot of criticism, rightly so, since the early World Cup exit. I can imagine the pressure faced by the team members as they set out on this tour against the No: 2 ranked nation in test cricket. For their part, I suspect the English also underestimated this Indian side. The Fab Four would have been an integral part of their plans however they perhaps did not account for the relatively inexperienced bowling arsenal as well as the gritty openers. The Indians did perform as a team which is very evident in the high scores game after game without a single top order batsman going on to hit a century. The fact is that this successful series has a serious chance to figure as a trivia question in the future on account of Anil Kumble’s solitary hundred. Dinesh Karthik had a very good tour, surprising many skeptics, though he would do better to concentrate more on the field and not drop dollies. Rahul Dravid had a surprisingly poor series while Sachin Tendulkar played his recent new role of a bulwark to perfection. Laxman, as usual, didn’t inspire much confidence, though he sparkled sporadically and is still in the periphery of the test team. The most fluent run scorer had to be Sourav Ganguly who was delightful as well as effective in the series. It’s a testament to his tenacity and perseverance to see him come back so strongly after he was completely banished from the cricket scene by the powers-that-be. The bowlers, especially Zaheer Khan, did surprise the English with their variety and skill. It was a joy to see them firing in unison and with so much passion and ability. Sreesanth would also do better if he used his fire towards improving his concentration and bowling skills rather than mouthing off as though he was a Dennis Lillee (which clearly he is not!!). Dhoni’s keeping was below par and I don’t buy the argument that the Duke ball was swinging a lot in those conditions. The more I see him, he reminds me of a soccer goal keeper rather than a test wicketkeeper, in terms of his technique. However, he played two crucial innings and has to be commended for that.

The English side had its moments too. Kevin Pietersen, Ryan Sidebottom and Michael Vaughan performed creditably and if a few things had gone their way, this series could have ended with a different result. It didn’t help that they got shocking contributions or lack thereof, from Matt Prior, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood etc. The bowlers too shone only in patches and it was this lack of team effort which got in the England’s way. But that’s what test cricket is all about; it’s about taking your chances and making the best out of it, being gritty and unrelenting till the end.

One other aspect needs mentioning and it’s the umpiring. The general standard of umpiring was abysmal with appalling decisions handed out to both sides, more so to the Indians. Both Simon Taufel and Ian Howell had a bad series and gave some absolute shockers. The present situation is such that everybody including the spectators, commentators and TV viewers has access to technology to judge decisions, except the umpires. So, when an umpire makes a bad decision, it gets really magnified almost immediately. I do agree that all decisions cannot be referred to the third umpire since that would dilute the on-field umpire’s authority as well make their jobs redundant. There is an idea which can be borrowed from NFL and which has presently found its way into tennis too. One possible solution to this would be to have a concept of say maximum 3 challenges for each team for a test match. They could use them either when they are fielding or batting. So, when the umpire gives an incorrect decision, the captain of the affected team has a right to challenge the decision which will be reviewed by the third umpire. The team loses the challenge if the umpire was correct in his decision and vice versa. However, since it a maximum of 3 challenges, teams will be wise to only challenge those decisions that might be crucial to the game or involves one of their top players etc. This is an idea worth pursuing and implementing which gives the teams involved a chance to redress wrong decisions.

The next battle is the one day series which begins in a week and it promises to be a heady affair…

PS: All photos © Getty Images

Bitz 'n Pieces

Let me start out by congratulating Baradwaj Rangan, friend and classmate from BITS Pilani, who was awarded the “Best Critic” National Award in India recently. Baddy, as I recall, was always a jovial and good natured person. Yet, his journey to writer’s world is as stupendous as his writing. I’m sure, back then; this profession was the last thing on his mind. However he did answer his true calling and today he has been recognized as one of the best. This is truly a great honor and I congratulate him warmly along with the enormous number of his growing fans. His reviews can also be found at http://desipundit.com/baradwajrangan/

On one hand, it is heartening to see deserving people being rewarded for their efforts by recognition and appreciation. On the other, it is shocking to see certain legends being repeatedly shunned by the powers-that-be for greater honors. The other day I was casually browsing the list of people who have been honored by the Indian government. I have nothing against any of the winners and I’m sure most of them deserved some sort of recognition. It’s interesting to see that the list of people who were awarded the Padma Shri (the last in the hierarchy of civilian awards) includes Mohan Babu, Balachandra Menon, Sania Mirza, Kavita krishnamurthi, Shahrukh Khan, Bharathiraja, Shekhar Kapur etc. One name conspicuously absent from this and any other government honors list is Ilaiyaraja. One of the greatest original composers from India continues to be eschewed from these lists and treated with utter disdain. Raaja’s achievements and contributions need no recounting to anyone even slightly knowledgeable about Indian music. This is surely a blight on India and its honor system.

On another note, it is also depressing to see Subramanian Badrinath being repeatedly snubbed by the Indian cricket selectors. He has been one of the most consistent batsmen the past two seasons and has often scored in big matches too proving he has the right temperament to go with the talent. In the ongoing Kenya trip by India A, he has already scored two centuries in two games but has been left out of the senior Indian squads. This could quickly turn out to be another familiar episode in the “falling by the wayside” soap opera of Indian cricket brought upon by politicized, shortsighted management.

Well, what can we do…other than wail?

WC 2007 – India VS Bangladesh review (Group match)

In the end, it was a comprehensive victory for a young Bangladesh team. I’m not sure if India went into the match a touch complacent but they did err in opting to bat on winning the toss. Both the Bangladesh opening bowlers were accurate and didn’t give too much width to the Indian batsmen. By now, every fast bowler must now have this template hung up on their refrigerator doors. Bowl an incutter from outside off stump to Sehwag and he will oblige by playing the Chinese cut onto his stumps which is what he did today to get out cheaply. Robin played a loose shot while Sachin departed without inspiring any confidence. When Dravid got out, India was in a soup of its own making. Yuvraj and Ganguly steadied the innings with a good partnership but got out at crucial moments. It’s perhaps a touch easier to forgive Ganguly for his bad stroke since he batted for almost 43 overs and held up one side. “Parattai” Dhoni was tricked into playing a loose stroke outside off and ended up giving a catch in gully. Except for a face saving partnership between the last pair, there was nothing much to write about the rest of the batsmen. I was quite impressed by Bangladesh’s commitment on the field and their excellent fast bowling performance. The spinners also kept varying their line, length and pace and never gave the Indian batsmen a chance to break free.

Even at the break, I was confident that India could pull the match through. When Bangladesh began their innings, Tamim Iqbal set the tone for their innings blasting the bowlers around. It did not help that India did not put their best foot forward in the fielding department. Given that the total was small, both Sakib and Rahim bided their time at the crease and guided them home. Munaf was the only bowler who looked threatening initially while Sehwag did bowl well.

Even though Bangladesh’s record is nothing to crow about, they must be doing something right to have so many talented youngsters in their team. In course of time, they will mature and hopefully establish themselves as a consistently good team. It didn’t help that they were pushed into the international fold by Dalmiya’s shenanigans and not on merit. But based on their display in this match, they did all the right things towards winning the game. A win is a win and that’s all matters.

India on the other hand, have to take this loss in their stride and try and play their best to win the next couple of games comprehensively. It might come down to run rate in deciding the Super 8 entries from this group. India doesn’t have too much bench strength either to tinker around with the squad. It also didn’t help to inspire any confidence to see Pathan sitting around with a huge ice pack on his left shoulder during the game.

I’m wondering if this WC does not turn out too well for India, will we see the return of Ganguly as the skipper? That will be an interesting possibility…

Anyways, we are only one game down in the schedule and so we’ll see how India fares in the next few games. This loss must definitely hurt them. There’s no doubt about that!!

Anyways, the cup just got interesting…

PADAL - Available Now

Click here to buy


Official Press Release

Contact: Shankar Nagarajan Phone: (617) 285-1266 shankar@h1bees.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 9 A.M. EDT, January 26, 2007

SRIKANTH DEVARAJAN’S PADAL ^©

TAMIL MUSIC ALBUM

WASHINGTON DC, usa January 26TH 2007

Srikanth Devarajan, an Indian Composer based in Gaithersburg, MD USA is releasing his fourth music album titled "pAdal"^© on January 26th 2007. Srikanth Devarajan is a computer engineer by profession and a gifted musician. This is Srikanth’s fourth commercial music album. His previous album titled “H1BEES” received rave reviews and press from media around the world.

Padal^© features 10 tracks in Tamil, ranging from youthful to romantic, humorous and classical songs steeped in culture. The album has an innovative mix of style and substance, embodifying the creativity of the composer. Padal^© also features Karthik, one of the leading film playback singers in India besides talented vocalists, lyricists and instrumentalists from USA. The composer, executive producers and the production crew involved in this album have put forth their best efforts over the last year and have worked meticulously to make this production a grand musical success.

H1BEES iNC takes great pride in releasing the music album. For further information please visit http://www.h1bees.com

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