Ustad Hotel, written by Anjali Menon and directed by Anwar
Rasheed is quite a watchful film. The writer has finely scripted it with simple and
elegant language. The film brings freshness. Though there has been successful
films based on food, like Salt N’ Pepper, this film out-stands the others with
its innovative theme as well as the heartening take-home-message. Dulquer Salmaan,
Thilakan, Nitya Menon and other actors have done justice to their roles. Anwar
Rasheed, a highly promising director, shows his versatility once again. The
film can be given 3.5/5.
Sooraj Babu S, 26 M, Kollam, Kerala, India. Will be posting in both English and Malayalam...
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Friday, July 13, 2012
Gulbarga Gacchami...
This
March, I had a chance to go to Gulbarga, a city in North Karnataka. Gulbarga, in poetic Persian meant 'The land of flowers and petals'. It is 200
km away from Hyderabad and 623 km north of Bangalore and I went there for
attending a seminar organized by the University of Gulbarga. We reached there
on an early morning by train. I was 1053 km away from my home in Kollam and
this was the farthest I have been.
I was excited!
I was excited!
The seminar organizing committee member collected us from the station and took us in an auto to the venue and reached the hostel by 5’o clock. I was thrilled and didn’t sleep, while the others went to. As the Sun started its voyage in the east, I took my camera and set out for a walk. It was little wintry outside. Near to our hostel was the University Ladies hostel and I saw some girls going for jogging. They were beautiful and it was a pleasant sight to be true. I walked all the way through the University road and saw different Departmental buildings. The whole University stood in about 200 acres. The sun was picturesquely intensifying between the trees and my camera eyes clicked it without contemplation. There were also other older people who were out for their morning walk. The weather conditions slowly changed and slightly started to show its bitter face.
It started to
be hot and dry.
Gulbarga
has a highly versatile climate where the temperatures varied from 7 degrees in
the winter to 48 degrees in the summer. It was midsummer and the heats were at
its zenith. Later I just enquired to the University students for a nearby place
to visit. One of them showed me the Buddha Vihar which was seen as a white
marble dome about 2 km from the University building. It was recently built and
inaugurated by our president Prathibha Patil and His Holiness Dalai Lama. As
planned, I set out for an evening walk. This was not a wandering, like I did in
the morning. I had a target, The Buddha Vihar and that truly makes a great
difference. Thoughts about my Guru and Buddha flickered through my mind. It was
twilight and the white dome became bigger and larger as I walked closer.
Everything seemed
picturesque!
I saw for the first time in reality, a different face of beauty of Her. I deeply breathed as I walked. Though the day was really hot, the slow winds were hot and dry, the air seemed fresh to me. I entered the Buddha Vihar. Again for the first time, I was seeing such a big Vihar, much bigger than the Sree Narayana Guru Vihar at Varkala. It was neatly and orderly maintained. Near to the entry steps, I saw statues of Dalai Lama and some other people, as if they are marching towards the Mandir. I was feeling very thirsty after walking 2 kilometers and asked the gardener who was cropping the way-side bushes as he pointed to a big pot kept under a neem tree. I dashed to the pot and gulped down two glasses of water. Contented, I entered the Mandir.
It
was a big dome and sounds really echo for many seconds. The cealings were
colorfully decorated with marbles and at the other end of the entrance I saw
His statue. I walked nearer. Bhajans were played through a CD player. I saw the
statue of Budhha, as of sitting in half Samadhi with His eyes half closed.
Nearby to the statue, a lamp was lit, some agarbathis were kept burning, a photo
of Dalai Lama and a chair which He sat during the inaugural function. I gave my
pranams and prayed. I then came out and went downstairs to the meditation hall,
where too, was a statue of Buddha and some children were reading a scripture
and it sounded like: Namo buddham sharanam gacchami. Namo dharmam sharanam
gacchami. Namo sangham sharanam gacchami… I was obsessed hearing the word ‘Gacchami’ and just wanted to know its
meaning.
I
just wanted to Google it and thought will see to it on my way back. There were
cushions arranged in front of the statue to sit and meditate and in one of them
I sat and slowly closed my eyes. Thoughts were coming in between of the word ‘Gacchami’ and all, but I meditated for
some time and got up. I came out of the hall and went around the Mandir and meanwhile I googled the word
on my phone and came to know that ‘Gacchami’
meant ‘I GO’ in Sanskrit. I saw the pictorial Sun, now behind a gateway and was clicked to
memory. I came to the front of the Mandir,
gave my last humble prostrations and came down having rejuvenated, my mind still
on the Statue. It was late dusk and was getting dark. I thought of His life and slowly walked back to the hostel,
contented.
Thanks for
reading…
Prayers to the
Almighty, to give us all, a happy and contented life…
Have a
beautiful time….
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Book Review: Wise and Otherwise by Sudha Murthy
I just finished with a beautiful book written by Mrs. Sudha
Murthy – Wise and Otherwise- A salute to life. It’s a non-fiction genre which
has fifty one vignettes showing the varied faces of different people which she
met around her voyages in India. When a person with experiences pens-down, it
will be surely readable. The book is quite inspiring, and worth reading. It might
be more motivational for women and children as most of the episodes concentrate
on strong women and her students. The book shows that, in everybody’s life
there will be many experiences which we just forget off. It explores India and
its mixed cultured people. The book also discusses on globalization,
next-generation people, poor and the affluent, kind and the greedy, fake and
multi-faceted people. Some of the chapters may seem repeating or little boring.
But overall, I think it is wise to read Wise and Otherwise.
Monday, July 9, 2012
The simple and elegant 'Kayalvaram's
Kerala is
blessed with a good number of lakes and rivers. Ashtamudi Lake fondly called as
the Gateway to the backwaters of Kerala is one of the largest and deepest lakes
in Kerala. Ashtamudi means eight cones in Malayalam. The banks or kayalvaram of
the Astamudi lake near my house in Kollam is one of my favorite hangout places.
If I am there in my house in Anchalumood, mostly during weekends and if I am
free, it will be sure that I will be there at the banks in the evenings. There
are mainly two kayalvarams which I love to be – the Pokumthazha Kayalvaram and
the kayalvaram near to Velayudha Mangalam Temple (there are many other
Kayalvarms too). So, what makes me magnetized to this area? It may be the
blissful silence whereby being there is like meditating. It may be the stunning
scenaries- the Chineese nets, the far away seen Shaktikulangara bridge, the
skies, the rising and setting sun, the
boats that passes by slowly, the breezes, the scriptures which is read from a
nearby temple and so on…
Each minute has
its different beauty at these Kayalvarams…At the Pokumthazha Kayalvaram, it is
more silent and lonely than the other kayalvaram. The little bushy like area,
the umbrella trees, the straight and slanted coconut trees and the shallow
banks makes it little different from that of the other Kayalvarams. This Kayalvaram
can be a good hideout than a hangout area.
Hope these types of kayalvarams and
other hangout places bring positiveness and bliss in our lives.
Prayers to the Almighty for
blessing us with zest throughout our life.
Thanks for your kind perusal...
Best wishes...
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
To write...
We have all written compositions and essays for examinations
in schools. It was interesting to write about a topic we like or even about the
given specific topic. Writing is a better way of communication. From the first
to the twelfth standard we have been writing essays for Language papers. I am
not talking about the essays we write for the Science or Social papers. I loved
to write compositions during my school examinations. I even remember how
daringly I wrote about Sania Mirza during my tenth standard board exam English
language paper. But that lure has gone in the last few years. I would like to rejuvenate
my writing skills. To be an efficient writer, you should be an above average
reader. It is scarcity of words more than grammatical problems that lead to
communication gaps and deprived writing skills. Read as much as you can.
Increase your vocabulary. There is more associated with writing. Writing helps to
activate the neurons. As said, it’s a better way of communication and through writing
great thoughts and imaginations occur. Writing is a way of expressing your feelings
through words. The young generations are now deprived of reading and also with
good books. With the advent of internet, most people, especially the young are
attracted to the bad side of it. But a lot of good articles for people of all
ages are available in the internet. It’s all about the attitude and the surfing
skills.
Blogs, brings out a positive attitude ie to write.
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