tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61588199042189345892024-03-14T16:38:36.049+00:00Aham BrahmasmiSEEVEES-Science& Spirituality,
Earth,Entertainment,View points,
Entae anubhavangal,Entae kathakal, Sports; Astrology,India,advaita, Language,Travel, Current affairs, Religions, Geography,Heritage,Politics,Mathematics,Family,Positive thinking,Kerala,Flora,Fauna,Life,Arts,Culture, Medicine, Malayalam, Genetics,Friends,Movies, Books,Sanskrit,Cricket,Philosophy,Sociology,Karma, History,Tradition, Vedas,Music,Fashion,literature, Cooking, Economics,Space, Crafts,Communism,Nature,IndologyPCVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12865190746248266517noreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158819904218934589.post-84431876294851876482013-11-16T22:49:00.002+00:002013-11-16T22:49:38.769+00:00Tourist Home<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Watched a Malayalam movie 'tourist home'. Excellent idea and direction (though there are similarities to another movie called Trivandrum Lodge). It is a thriller directed by Shebi that <span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">plots a series of incidents which take place in 10 rooms of a 'lodge' supposed to be near Medical College Hospital, Trivandrum.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">The highlight of the movie is that the entire story (</span><span style="line-height: 19.190340042114258px;">in fact</span><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"> 10 short stories) is </span><span style="line-height: 19.190340042114258px;">filmed</span><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"> using a single shot. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">The 10 stories written by 10 different writers </span><span style="line-height: 19.1875px;">depicts</span><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 19.1875px;">different</span><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"> facets of human lives, the struggles, ethics and </span><span style="line-height: 19.1875px;">behavior</span><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">. The director says that he was inspired by the movie Russian Ark which was also filmed using a single sequnce (2002). This technique is not new and has been experimented by Hitchcock and Max Oppenheimer. It is probably</span><span style="line-height: 19.1875px;"> the first Indian movie to be made using this technique.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.1875px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The performance of over 30 actors and actresses are memorable. Well done Shebi and team!</span></span></div>
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PCVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12865190746248266517noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158819904218934589.post-37814644804039062242011-08-27T22:22:00.001+01:002011-08-27T23:44:03.367+01:001000 must read novels<span class="Apple-style-span"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><b></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><b><b style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span></b></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b><b style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family:"Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-latin;mso-fareast-language: EN-GB">I came across this amazing list of 1000 novels selected by the Guardian's Review team and a panel of expert judges in January 2009. This list includes only novels – no memoirs, no short stories, no long poems – from any decade and in any language. Originally published in thematic supplements – love, crime, comedy, family and self, state of the nation, science fiction and fantasy, war and travel <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></b></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span"><b><b style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span style="font-family:"Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-latin;mso-fareast-language: EN-GB">After going through the list I realize (and I always knew) that I have miles to go before I sleep......</span><b><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-language: EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p></span></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 200%; "><b><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB"><span><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/jan/19/1000-novels-comedy-introduction">Comedy</a></span><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 200%; "><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;background:white;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB">Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis
<br />Money by Martin Amis
<br />The Information by Martin Amis
<br />The Bottle Factory Outing by Beryl Bainbridge
<br />According to Queeney by Beryl Bainbridge
<br />Flaubert's Parrot by Julian Barnes
<br />A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters by Julian Barnes
<br />Augustus Carp, Esq. by Himself: Being the Autobiography of a Really Good Man by Henry Howarth Bashford
<br />Molloy by Samuel Beckett
<br />Zuleika Dobson by Max Beerbohm
<br />The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow
<br />The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
<br />Queen Lucia by EF Benson
<br />The Ascent of Rum Doodle by WE Bowman
<br />A Good Man in Africa by William Boyd
<br />The History Man by Malcolm Bradbury
<br />No Bed for Bacon by Caryl Brahms and SJ Simon
<br />Illywhacker by Peter Carey
<br />A Season in Sinji by JL Carr
<br />The Harpole Report by JL Carr
<br />The Hearing Trumpet by Leonora Carrington
<br />Mister Johnson by Joyce Cary
<br />The Horse's Mouth by Joyce Cary
<br />Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
<br />The Case of the Gilded Fly by Edmund Crispin
<br />Just William by Richmal Crompton
<br />The Provincial Lady by EM Delafield
<br />Slouching Towards Kalamazoo by Peter De Vries
<br />The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens
<br />Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens
<br />Jacques the Fatalist and his Master by Denis Diderot
<br />A Fairy Tale of New York by JP Donleavy
<br />The Commitments by Roddy Doyle
<br />Ennui by Maria Edgeworth
<br />Cheese by Willem Elsschot
<br />Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding
<br />Joseph Andrews by Henry Fielding
<br />Tom Jones by Henry Fielding
<br />Caprice by Ronald Firbank
<br />Bouvard et Pécuchet by Gustave Flaubert
<br />Towards the End of the Morning by Michael Frayn
<br />The Polygots by William Gerhardie
<br />Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
<br />Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol
<br />Oblomov by Ivan Goncharov
<br />The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
<br />Brewster's Millions by Richard Greaves (George Barr McCutcheon)
<br />Squire Haggard's Journal by Michael Green
<br />Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene
<br />Travels with My Aunt by Graham Greene
<br />Diary of a Nobody by George Grossmith
<br />The Little World of Don Camillo by Giovanni Guareschi
<br />The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
<br />Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
<br />Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House by Eric Hodgkins
<br />High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
<br />I Served the King of England by Bohumil Hrabal
<br />The Lecturer's Tale by James Hynes
<br />Mr Norris Changes Trains by Christopher Isherwood
<br />The Mighty Walzer Howard by Jacobson
<br />Pictures from an Institution by Randall Jarrell
<br />Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K Jerome
<br />Finnegans Wake by James Joyce
<br />The Castle by Franz Kafka
<br />Lake Wobegon Days by Garrison Keillor
<br />Death and the Penguin by Andrey Kurkov
<br />The Debt to Pleasure by John Lanchester
<br />L'Histoire de Gil Blas de Santillane (Gil Blas) Alain-René Lesage
<br />Changing Places by David Lodge
<br />Nice Work by David Lodge
<br />The Towers of Trebizond by Rose Macaulay
<br />England, Their England by AG Macdonell
<br />Whisky Galore by Compton Mackenzie
<br />Memoirs of a Gnostic Dwarf by David Madsen
<br />Cakes and Ale - Or, the Skeleton in the Cupboard by W Somerset Maugham
<br />Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin
<br />Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney
<br />Puckoon by Spike Milligan
<br />The Restraint of Beasts by Magnus Mills
<br />Charade by John Mortimer
<br />Titmuss Regained by John Mortimer
<br />Under the Net by Iris Murdoch
<br />Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov
<br />Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov
<br />Fireflies by Shiva Naipaul
<br />The Sacred Book of the Werewolf by Victor Pelevin
<br />La Disparition by Georges Perec
<br />Les Revenentes by Georges Perec
<br />La Vie Mode d'Emploi by Georges Perec
<br />My Search for Warren Harding by Robert Plunkett
<br />A Dance to the Music of Time by Anthony Powell
<br />A Time to be Born by Dawn Powell
<br />Excellent Women by Barbara Pym
<br />Less Than Angels by Barbara Pym
<br />Zazie in the Metro by Raymond Queneau
<br />Solomon Gursky Was Here by Mordecai Richler
<br />Alms for Oblivion by Simon Raven
<br />Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth
<br />The Westminster Alice by Saki
<br />The Unbearable Bassington by Saki</span><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB"> <span style="background:white">
<br />Hurrah for St Trinian's by Ronald Searle
<br />Great Apes by Will Self
<br />Porterhouse Blue by Tom Sharpe
<br />Blott on the Landscape by Tom Sharpe
<br />Office Politics by Wilfrid Sheed
<br />Belles Lettres Papers: A Novel by Charles Simmons
<br />Moo by Jane Smiley
<br />Topper Takes a Trip by Thorne Smith
<br />The Adventures of Ferdinand Count Fathom by Tobias Smollett
<br />The Adventures of Roderick Random by Tobias Smollett
<br />The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle by Tobias Smollett
<br />The Expedition of Humphry Clinker by Tobias Smollett
<br />The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark
<br />The Girls of Slender Means by Muriel Spark
<br />The Driver's Seat by Muriel Spark
<br />Loitering with Intent by Muriel Spark
<br />A Far Cry from Kensington by Muriel Spark
<br />The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne
<br />White Man Falling by Mike Stocks
<br />Handley Cross by RS Surtees
<br />A Tale of a Tub by Jonathan Swift
<br />Penrod by Booth Tarkington
<br />The Luck of Barry Lyndon by William Makepeace Thackeray
<br />Before Lunch by Angela Thirkell
<br />Tropic of Ruislip by Leslie Thomas
<br />A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
<br />Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope
<br />Venus on the Half-Shell by Kilgore Trout
<br />The Mysterious Stranger by Mark Twain
<br />The Witches of Eastwick by John Updike
<br />Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut
<br />Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
<br />Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh
<br />Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh
<br />Black Mischief by Evelyn Waugh
<br />Scoop by Evelyn Waugh
<br />The Loved One by Evelyn Waugh
<br />A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh</span> <span style="background:white">
<br />The Life and Loves of a She-Devil by Fay Weldon
<br />Tono Bungay by HG Wells
<br />Molesworth by Geoffrey Willans and Ronald Searle
<br />The Wimbledon Poisoner by Nigel Williams
<br />Anglo-Saxon Attitudes by Angus Wilson
<br />Something Fresh by PG Wodehouse
<br />Piccadilly Jim by PG Wodehouse
<br />Thank You Jeeves by PG Wodehouse
<br />Heavy Weather by PG Wodehouse
<br />The Code of the Woosters by PG Wodehouse
<br />Joy in the Morning by PG Wodehouse<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 200%; "><b><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/jan/18/1000-novels-crime-mystery-past-investigation"><span>Crime</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 200%; "><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;background:white;mso-fareast-language: EN-GB">The Man with the Golden Arm by Nelson Algren
<br />Fantomas by Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre
<br />The Mask of Dimitrios by Eric Ambler
<br />Epitaph for a Spy by Eric Ambler
<br />Journey into Fear by Eric Ambler
<br />The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster
<br />Trent's Last Case by EC Bentley
<br />The Poisoned Chocolates Case by Anthony Berkeley
<br />The Beast Must Die by Nicholas Blake
<br />Lady Audley's Secret by Mary E Braddon
<br />The Neon Rain by James Lee Burke
<br />The Tin Roof Blowdown by James Lee Burke
<br />The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan
<br />Greenmantle by John Buchan
<br />The Asphalt Jungle by WR Burnett
<br />The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M Cain
<br />Double Indemnity by James M Cain
<br />True History of the Ned Kelly Gang by Peter Carey
<br />The Hollow Man by John Dickson Carr
<br />The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
<br />The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler
<br />No Orchids for Miss Blandish by James Hadley Chase
<br />The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers
<br />And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
<br />The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
<br />The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
<br />The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie
<br />The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie
<br />The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
<br />The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
<br />A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle
<br />The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
<br />The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle
<br />The Manchurian Candidate by Richard Condon
<br />The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad
<br />Under Western Eyes by Joseph Conrad
<br />Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell
<br />The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
<br />Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
<br />Poetic Justice by Amanda Cross
<br />The Ipcress File by Len Deighton
<br />Last Seen Wearing by Colin Dexter
<br />The Remorseful Day by Colin Dexter
<br />Ratking by Michael Dibdin
<br />Dead Lagoon by Michael Dibdin
<br />Dirty Tricks by Michael Dibdin
<br />A Rich Full Death by Michael Dibdin
<br />Vendetta by Michael Dibdin
<br />Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
<br />An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser
<br />My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier
<br />The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
<br />The Pledge by Friedrich Durrenmatt
<br />The Crime of Father Amado by José Maria de Eça de Queiroz
<br />The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
<br />American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
<br />LA Confidential by James Ellroy
<br />The Big Nowhere by James Ellroy
<br />A Quiet Belief in Angels by RJ Ellory
<br />Sanctuary by William Faulkner
<br />Casino Royale by Ian Fleming
<br />Goldfinger by Ian Fleming
<br />You Only Live Twice by Ian Fleming
<br />The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth
<br />Brighton Rock by Graham Greene
<br />A Gun for Sale by Graham Greene
<br />The Ministry of Fear by Graham Greene
<br />The Third Man by Graham Greene
<br />A Time to Kill by John Grisham
<br />The King of Torts by John Grisham
<br />Hangover Square by Patrick Hamilton
<br />The Glass Key by Dashiell Hammett
<br />The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
<br />Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett
<br />The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett
<br />Fatherland by Robert Harris
<br />Black Sunday by Thomas Harris
<br />Red Dragon by Thomas Harris
<br />Tourist Season by Carl Hiaasen
<br />The Friends of Eddie Coyle by George V Higgins
<br />Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith
<br />The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
<br />Bones and Silence by Reginald Hill
<br />A Rage in Harlem by Chester Himes
<br />Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow by Peter Hoeg
<br />Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household
<br />Malice Aforethought by Francis Iles
<br />Silence of the Grave by Arnadur Indridason
<br />Death at the President's Lodging by Michael Innes
<br />Cover Her Face by PD James
<br />A Taste for Death by PD James
<br />Friday the Rabbi Slept Late by Harry Kemelman
<br />Misery by Stephen King
<br />Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King
<br />Kim by Rudyard Kipling
<br />The Constant Gardener by John le Carre
<br />Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carre
<br />The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carre
<br />To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
<br />52 Pick-up by Elmore Leonard
<br />Get Shorty by Elmore Leonard
<br />Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem
<br />The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum
<br />Cop Hater by Ed McBain
<br />No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
<br />Enduring Love by Ian McEwan
<br />Sidetracked by Henning Mankell
<br />Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley
<br />The Great Impersonation by E Phillips Oppenheim
<br />The Strange Borders of Palace Crescent by E Phillips Oppenheim
<br />My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk
<br />Toxic Shock by Sara Paretsky
<br />Blacklist by Sara Paretsky
<br />Nineteen Seventy Four by David Peace
<br />Nineteen Seventy Seven by David Peace
<br />The Big Blowdown by George Pelecanos
<br />Hard Revolution by George Pelecanos
<br />Lush Life by Richard Price
<br />The Godfather by Mario Puzo
<br />V by Thomas Pynchon
<br />The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon
<br />Black and Blue by Ian Rankin
<br />The Hanging Gardens by Ian Rankin
<br />Exit Music by Ian Rankin
<br />Judgment in Stone by Ruth Rendell
<br />Live Flesh by Ruth Rendell
<br />Dissolution by CJ Sansom
<br />Whose Body? by Dorothy L Sayers
<br />Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy Le Sayers
<br />The Madman of Bergerac by Georges Simenon
<br />The Blue Room by Georges Simenon
<br />The Laughing Policeman by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo
<br />Gorky Park by Martin Cruz Smith
<br />Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
<br />The League of Frightened Men by Rex Stout
<br />Perfume by Patrick Suskind
<br />The Secret History by Donna Tartt
<br />The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey
<br />The Getaway by Jim Thompson
<br />Pudd'nhead Wilson by Mark Twain
<br />A Dark-Adapted Eye by Barbara Vine
<br />A Fatal inversion by Barbara Vine
<br />King Solomon's Carpet by Barbara Vine
<br />The Four Just Men by Edgar Wallace
<br />Fingersmith by Sarah Waters</span><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-language: EN-GB"> <span style="background:white">
<br />Native Son by Richard Wright
<br />Therese Raquin by Emile Zola<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 200%; "><b><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/jan/20/1000-novels-family-self-part-one"><span>Family and self</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 200%; "><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;background:white;mso-fareast-language: EN-GB">The Face of Another by Kobo Abe
<br />Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
<br />Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson
<br />Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood
<br />Epileptic by David B
<br />Room Temperature by Nicholson Baker
<br />Eugenie Grandet by Honore de Balzac
<br />Le Pere Goriot by Honore de Balzac
<br />The Crow Road by Iain Banks
<br />The L Shaped Room by Lynne Reid Banks
<br />Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
<br />Malone Dies by Samuel Beckett
<br />A Legacy by Sybille Bedford
<br />Herzog by Saul Bellow
<br />Humboldt's Gift by Saul Bellow
<br />The Old Wives' Tale by Arnold Bennett
<br />G by John Berger
<br />Extinction by Thomas Bernhard
<br />Two Serious Ladies by Jane Bowles
<br />Any Human Heart by William Boyd
<br />The Death of Virgil by Hermann Broch
<br />Evelina by Fanny Burney
<br />The Way of All Flesh by Samuel Butler
<br />The Sound of my Voice by Ron Butlin
<br />The Outsider by Albert Camus
<br />Wise Children by Angela Carter
<br />The Professor's House by Willa Cather
<br />The Wapshot Chronicle by John Cheever
<br />The Awakening by Kate Chopin
<br />Les Enfants Terrible by Jean Cocteau
<br />The Vagabond by Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette
<br />Manservant and Maidservant by Ivy Compton-Burnett
<br />Being Dead by Jim Crace
<br />Quarantine by Jim Crace
<br />The Mandarins by Simone de Beauvoir
<br />Roxana by Daniel Defoe
<br />Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
<br />The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
<br />My New York Diary by Julie Doucet
<br />The Millstone by Margaret Drabble
<br />My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell
<br />Silence by Shusaku Endo
<br />The Gathering by Anne Enright
<br />Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
<br />As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
<br />The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
<br />The Sportswriter by Richard Ford
<br />Howards End by EM Forster
<br />Spies by Michael Frayn
<br />Hideous Kinky by Esther Freud
<br />The Man of Property by John Galsworthy
<br />Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell
<br />The Immoralist by Andre Gide
<br />The Vatican Cellars by Andre Gide
<br />The Vicar of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith
<br />The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene
<br />Hunger by Knut Hamsun
<br />The Shrimp and the Anemone by LP Hartley
<br />The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
<br />Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse
<br />Narziss and Goldmund by Hermann Hesse
<br />The Three Paradoxes by Paul Hornschemeier
<br />Tom Brown's Schooldays by Thomas Hughes
<br />A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
<br />The Ambassadors by Henry James
<br />Washington Square by Henry James
<br />The Tortoise and the Hare by Elizabeth Jenkins
<br />The Unfortunates by BS Johnson
<br />A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
<br />Ulysses by James Joyce
<br />Good Behaviour by Molly Keane
<br />Memet my Hawk by Yasar Kemal
<br />One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
<br />The Buddha of Suburbia by Hanif Kureishi
<br />Sons and Lovers by DH Lawrence
<br />Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee
<br />Invitation to the Waltz by Rosamond Lehmann
<br />The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing
<br />How Green was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn
<br />Martin Eden by Jack London
<br />Under the Volcano by Malcolm Lowry
<br />The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers
<br />Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz
<br />The Assistant by Bernard Malamud
<br />Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann
<br />The Chateau by William Maxwell
<br />The Rector's Daughter by FM Mayor</span><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-language: EN-GB"> <span style="background:white">
<br />The Ordeal of Richard Feverek by George Meredith
<br />Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry
<br />Sour Sweet by Timothy Mo
<br />The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne by Brian Moore
<br />The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
<br />Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
<br />Who Do You Think You Are? by Alice Munro
<br />The Black Prince by Iris Murdoch
<br />The Man Without Qualities by Robert Musil</span> <span style="background: white">
<br />A House for Mr Biswas by VS Naipaul
<br />At-Swim-Two-Birds by Flann O'Brien
<br />Teach Us to Outgrow Our Madness by Kezaburo Oe
<br />The Moviegoer by Walker Percy
<br />The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
<br />My Name Is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok
<br />The Good Companions by JB Priestley
<br />The Shipping News by E Annie Proulx
<br />Remembrance of Things Past by Marcel Proust
<br />A Married Man by Piers Paul Read
<br />Pointed Roofs by Dorothy Richardson
<br />The Fortunes of Richard Mahoney by Henry Handel Richardson
<br />Call it Sleep by Henry Roth
<br />Julie, ou la Nouvelle Heloise by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
<br />The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
<br />The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
<br />Alberta and Jacob by Cora Sandel</span> <span style="background:white">
<br />A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth
<br />Unless by Carol Shields
<br />We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
<br />The Three Sisters by May Sinclair
<br />The Family Moskat or The Manor or The Estate by Isaac Bashevis Singer
<br />A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley
<br />On Beauty by Zadie Smith
<br />The Man Who Loved Children by Christina Stead
<br />East of Eden by John Steinbeck
<br />Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfield
<br />Confessions of Zeno by Italo Svevo
<br />The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington
<br />Angel by Elizabeth Taylor
<br />Lark Rise to Candleford by Flora Thompson
<br />The Blackwater Lightship by Colm Toibin
<br />The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4 by Sue Townsend
<br />Death in Summer by William Trevor
<br />Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev
<br />Peace in War by Miguel de Unamuno</span> <span style="background:white">
<br />The Rabbit Omnibus by John Updike
<br />The Color Purple by Alice Walker
<br />Jimmy Corrigan, The Smarest Kid on Earth by Chris Ware
<br />Morvern Callar by Alan Warner
<br />The History of Mr Polly by HG Wells
<br />The Fountain Overflows by Rebecca West
<br />Frost in May by Antonia White
<br />The Tree of Man by Patrick White
<br />The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
<br />Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
<br />I'll Go to Bed at Noon by Gerard Woodward
<br />To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
<br />Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
<br />Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 200%; "><b><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/jan/17/1000-novels-what-makes-great-love-story"><span>Love</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 200%; "><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;background:white;mso-fareast-language: EN-GB">Le Grand Meaulnes by Henri Alain-Fournier
<br />Dom Casmurro Joaquim by Maria Machado de Assis
<br />Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
<br />Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
<br />Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
<br />Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
<br />Emma by Jane Austen
<br />Persuasion by Jane Austen
<br />Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin
<br />Nightwood by Djuna Barnes
<br />The Garden of the Finzi-Cortinis by Giorgio Bassani
<br />Love for Lydia by HE Bates
<br />More Die of Heartbreak by Saul Bellow
<br />Lorna Doone by RD Blackmore
<br />The Death of the Heart by Elizabeth Bowen
<br />The Heat of the Day by Elizabeth Bowen
<br />Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
<br />Vilette by Charlotte Bronte
<br />Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
<br />Look At Me by Anita Brookner
<br />Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown
<br />Possession by AS Byatt
<br />Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
<br />Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey
<br />A Month in the Country by JL Carr
<br />My Antonia by Willa Cather
<br />A Lost Lady by Willa Cather
<br />Claudine a l'ecole by Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette
<br />Cheri by Sidonie-Gabrielle Collette
<br />Victory: An Island Tale by Joseph Conrad
<br />The Princess of Cleves by Madame de Lafayette
<br />The Parasites by Daphne du Maurier
<br />Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
<br />The Lover by Marguerite Duras
<br />Adam Bede by George Eliot
<br />Daniel Deronda by George Eliot
<br />The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot
<br />The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
<br />The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald
<br />Tender is the Night by F Scott Fitzgerald
<br />The Blue Flower by Penelope Fitzgerald
<br />Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
<br />The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford
<br />A Room with a View by EM Forster
<br />The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles
<br />The Snow Goose by Paul Gallico
<br />Ruth by Elizabeth Gaskell
<br />Strait is the Gate by Andre Gide
<br />Sunset Song by Lewis Grassic Gibbon
<br />The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang Goethe
<br />Living by Henry Green
<br />The End of the Affair by Graham Greene
<br />The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall
<br />Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
<br />Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy
<br />Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
<br />The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy
<br />The Go-Between by LP Hartley
<br />The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
<br />The Transit of Venus by Shirley Hazzard
<br />A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
<br />The Infamous Army by Georgette Heyer
<br />Regency Buck by Georgette Heyer
<br />The Swimming-Pool Library by Alan Hollinghurst
<br />Green Mansions: A Romance of the Tropical Forest by WH Hudson
<br />Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
<br />Crome Yellow by Aldous Huxley
<br />The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
<br />Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
<br />The Wings of the Dove by Henry James
<br />The Piano Teacher by Elfriede Jelinek
<br />Beauty and Saddness by Yasunari Kawabata
<br />The Far Pavillions by Mary Margaret Kaye
<br />Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis
<br />Moon over Africa by Pamela Kent
<br />The Book of Laughter and Forgetting by Milan Kundera
<br />The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
<br />Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Pierre-Ambroise-Francois Choderlos de Laclos</span><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB"> <span style="background:white">
<br />Lady Chatterley's Lover by DH Lawrence
<br />The Rainbow by DH Lawrence
<br />Women in Love by DH Lawrence
<br />The Echoing Grove by Rosamond Lehmann
<br />The Weather in the Streets by Rosamond Lehmann
<br />Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos
<br />Zami by Audre Lorde
<br />Foreign Affairs by Alison Lurie
<br />Samarkand by Amin Maalouf
<br />Death in Venice by Thomas Mann
<br />The Silent Duchess by Dacia Maraini
<br />A Heart So White by Javier Marias
<br />Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
<br />Of Human Bondage by Somerset Maugham
<br />So Long, See you Tomorrow by William Maxwell
<br />The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
<br />Atonement by Ian McEwan
<br />The Child in Time by Ian McEwan
<br />The Egoist by George Meredith
<br />Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller
<br />Patience and Sarah by Isabel Miller
<br />Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
<br />The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford
<br />Love in a Cold Climate by Nancy Mitford
<br />Arturo's Island by Elsa Morante
<br />Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
<br />Lolita, or the Confessions of a White Widowed Male by Vladimir Nabokov
<br />The Painter of Signs by RK Narayan
<br />Delta of Venus by Anais Nin
<br />All Souls Day by Cees Nooteboom
<br />The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
<br />Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak
<br />Manon Lescaut by Abbe Prevost
<br />Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
<br />Maurice Guest by Henry Handel Richardson
<br />Pamela by Samuel Richardson
<br />Clarissa by Samuel Richardson
<br />Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
<br />Bonjour Tristesse by Francoise Sagan
<br />Ali and Nino by Kurban Said
<br />Light Years by James Salter
<br />A Sport and a Passtime by James Salter
<br />The Reader by Benhardq Schlink
<br />The Reluctant Orphan by Aara Seale
<br />Love Story by Eric Segal
<br />Enemies, a Love Story by Isaac Bashevis Singer
<br />At Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept by Elizabeth Smart
<br />I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
<br />The Map of Love by Ahdaf Soueif
<br />Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann
<br />Waterland by Graham Swift
<br />Diary of a Mad Old Man by Junichiro Tanizaki
<br />Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
<br />Music and Silence by Rose Tremain
<br />First Love by Ivan Turgenev
<br />Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler
<br />The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler
<br />The Night Watch by Sarah Waters
<br />The Graduate by Charles Webb
<br />The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
<br />The Passion by Jeanette Winterson
<br />East Lynne by Ellen Wood
<br />Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 200%; "><b><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/jan/22/1000-novels-fiction-fantasy-introduction"><span>Science fiction and fantasy</span></a></span></b><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;background:white;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 200%; "><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;background:white;mso-fareast-language: EN-GB">The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
<br />Non-Stop by Brian W Aldiss
<br />Foundation by Isaac Asimov
<br />The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
<br />The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
<br />In the Country of Last Things by Paul Auster
<br />The Drowned World by JG Ballard
<br />Crash by JG Ballard
<br />Millennium People by JG Ballard
<br />The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks
<br />Consider Phlebas by Iain M Banks
<br />Weaveworld by Clive Barker
<br />Darkmans by Nicola Barker</span><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-language: EN-GB"> <span style="background:white">
<br />The Time Ships by Stephen Baxter
<br />Darwin's Radio by Greg Bear
<br />Vathek by William Beckford
<br />The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester
<br />Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
<br />Lost Souls by Poppy Z Brite
<br />Wieland by Charles Brockden Brown
<br />Rogue Moon by Algis Budrys
<br />The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
<br />The Coming Race by EGEL Bulwer-Lytton
<br />A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
<br />The End of the World News by Anthony Burgess
<br />A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
<br />Naked Lunch by William Burroughs
<br />Kindred by Octavia Butler
<br />Erewhon by Samuel Butler
<br />The Baron in the Trees by Italo Calvino
<br />The Influence by Ramsey Campbell
<br />Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
<br />Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll
<br />Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter</span> <span style="background:white">
<br />The Passion of New Eve by Angela Carter
<br />The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon</span> <span style="background:white">
<br />The Man who was Thursday by GK Chesterton
<br />Childhood's End by Arthur C Clarke
<br />Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
<br />Hello Summer, Goodbye by Michael G Coney
<br />Girlfriend in a Coma by Douglas Coupland
<br />House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski
<br />Pig Tales by Marie Darrieussecq
<br />The Einstein Intersection by Samuel R Delaney
<br />Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K Dick
<br />The Man in the High Castle by Philip K Dick
<br />Camp Concentration by Thomas M Disch
<br />Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco
<br />Under the Skin by Michel Faber
<br />The Magus by John Fowles
<br />American Gods by Neil Gaiman
<br />Red Shift by Alan Garner
<br />Neuromancer by William Gibson
<br />Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
<br />Lord of the Flies by William Golding
<br />The Forever War by Joe Haldeman
<br />Light by M John Harrison
<br />The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
<br />Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A Heinlein
<br />Dune by Frank L Herbert
<br />The Glass Bead Game by Herman Hesse
<br />Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban</span> <span style="background:white">
<br />The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner by James Hogg
<br />Atomised by Michel Houellebecq
<br />Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
<br />The Unconsoled by Kazuo Ishiguro
<br />The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
<br />The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
<br />The Children of Men by PD James
<br />After London; or, Wild England by Richard Jefferies
<br />Bold as Love by Gwyneth Jones
<br />The Trial by Franz Kafka
<br />Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
<br />The Shining by Stephen King
<br />The Victorian Chaise-longue by Marghanita Laski
<br />Uncle Silas by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
<br />The Earthsea Series by Ursula Le Guin
<br />The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin
<br />Solaris by Stanislaw Lem</span> <span style="background:white">
<br />Memoirs of a Survivor by Doris Lessing
<br />The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis
<br />The Monk by Matthew Lewis
<br />A Voyage to Arcturus by David Lindsay
<br />The Night Sessions by Ken Macleod
<br />Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel
<br />Only Forward by Michael Marshall Smith
<br />I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
<br />Melmoth the Wanderer by Charles Maturin
<br />The Butcher Boy by Patrick McCabe
<br />The Road by Cormac McCarthy
<br />Ascent by Jed Mercurio
<br />The Scar by China Mieville
<br />Ingenious Pain by Andrew Miller
<br />A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M Miller Jr
<br />Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
<br />Mother London by Michael Moorcock
<br />News from Nowhere by William Morris
<br />Beloved by Toni Morrison
<br />The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
<br />Ada or Ardor by Vladimir Nabokov
<br />The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
<br />Ringworld by Larry Niven
<br />Vurt by Jeff Noon
<br />The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien
<br />The Famished Road by Ben Okri
<br />Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
<br />Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
<br />Nightmare Abbey by Thomas Love Peacock
<br />Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake
<br />The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl and CM Kornbluth
<br />A Glastonbury Romance by John Cowper Powys
<br />The Discworld Series by Terry Pratchett
<br />The Prestige by Christopher Priest
<br />His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
<br />Gargantua and Pantagruel by Francois Rabelais
<br />The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe
<br />Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds
<br />The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson
<br />Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by JK Rowling
<br />Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie
<br />The Female Man by Joanna Russ
<br />Air by Geoff Ryman
<br />The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
<br />Blindness by Jose Saramago
<br />How the Dead Live by Will Self
<br />Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
<br />Hyperion by Dan Simmons
<br />Star Maker by Olaf Stapledon
<br />Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
<br />The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
<br />Dracula by Bram Stoker
<br />The Insult by Rupert Thomson
<br />The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
<br />The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
<br />A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain
<br />Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut
<br />The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole
<br />Institute Benjamenta by Robert Walser
<br />Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner</span> <span style="background: white">
<br />Affinity by Sarah Waters</span> <span style="background:white">
<br />The Time Machine by HG Wells
<br />The War of the Worlds by HG Wells
<br />The Sword in the Stone by TH White
<br />The Old Men at the Zoo by Angus Wilson
<br />The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe
<br />Orlando by Virginia Woolf
<br />Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham
<br />The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham
<br />We by Yevgeny Zamyatin<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 200%; "><b><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/jan/21/1000-novels-state-of-the-nation2"><span>State of the nation</span></a></span></b><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;background:white;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 200%; "><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;background:white;mso-fareast-language: EN-GB">Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
<br />Anthills of the Savannah by Chinua Achebe
<br />London Fields by Martin Amis
<br />Untouchable by Mulk Raj Anand
<br />Go Tell it on the Mountain by James Baldwin
<br />La Comedie Humaine by Honore de Balzac
<br />They Were Counted by Miklos Banffy
<br />A Kind of Loving by Stan Barstow
<br />Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
<br />Oroonoko, or The Royal Slave by Aphra Behn
<br />Clayhanger by Arnold Bennett
<br />The Last September by Elizabeth Bowen
<br />Room at the Top by John Braine
<br />A Dry White Season by Andre Brink
<br />Shirley by Charlotte Bronte
<br />Earthly Powers by Anthony Burgess
<br />The Virgin in the Garden by AS Byatt
<br />Tobacco Road by Erskine Caldwell
<br />The Plague by Albert Camus
<br />The Kingdom of this World by Alejo Carpentier
<br />What a Carve Up! by Jonathan Coe
<br />Disgrace by JM Coetzee
<br />Waiting for the Barbarians by JM Coeztee
<br />Microserfs by Douglas Coupland
<br />Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe
<br />Underworld by Don DeLillo
<br />White Noise by Don DeLillo
<br />A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
<br />Bleak House by Charles Dickens
<br />Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens
<br />Hard Times by Charles Dickens
<br />Little Dorritt by Charles Dickens
<br />Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
<br />Play It As It Lays by Joan Didion
<br />Sybil or The Two Nations by Benjamin Disraeli
<br />Berlin Alexanderplatz by Alfred Döblin
<br />The Book of Daniel by EL Doctorow
<br />Notes from the Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky
<br />The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky
<br />USA by John Dos Passos
<br />Sister Carrie by Theodor Dreiser
<br />Castle Rackrent by Maria Edgeworth
<br />Middlemarch by George Eliot
<br />Silas Marner by George Eliot
<br />The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
<br />Sentimental Education by Gustave Flaubert
<br />Effi Briest by Theodore Fontane
<br />Independence Day by Richard Ford
<br />A Passage to India by EM Forster
<br />The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
<br />The Recognitions by William Gaddis
<br />Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
<br />North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
<br />The Counterfeiters by Andre Gide
<br />The Odd Women by George Gissing
<br />New Grub Street by George Gissing
<br />July's People by Nadine Gordimer
<br />Mother by Maxim Gorky
<br />Lanark by Alastair Gray
<br />Love on the Dole by Walter Greenwood
<br />The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy
<br />A Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hines
<br />The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst
<br />South Riding by Winifred Holtby
<br />Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
<br />Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood
<br />Chronicle in Stone by Ismael Kadare
<br />How Late it Was, How Late by James Kelman
<br />The Leopard by Giuseppi di Lampedusa
<br />A Girl in Winter by Philip Larkin
<br />Passing by Nella Larsen
<br />The Grass is Singing by Doris Lessing
<br />Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis
<br />Elmer Gantry by Sinclair Lewis
<br />Main Street by Sinclair Lewis
<br />Absolute Beginners by Colin MacInnes
<br />The Group by Mary McCarthy
<br />Amongst Women by John McGahern
<br />The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas by Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis
<br />Of Love & Hunger by Julian Maclaren-Ross
<br />Remembering Babylon by David Malouf
<br />The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann
<br />The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni
<br />Bel-Ami by Guy de Maupassant
<br />A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
<br />The Time of Indifference by Alberto Moravia
<br />A Bend in the River by VS Naipaul
<br />McTeague by Frank Norris
<br />Personality by Andrew O'Hagan
<br />Animal Farm by George Orwell
<br />The Ragazzi Pier by Paolo Pasolini
<br />Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton
<br />The Moon and the Bonfire by Cesare Pavese
<br />GB84 by David Peace
<br />Headlong Hall by Thomas Love Peacock
<br />Afternoon Men by Anthony Powell
<br />Vineland by Thomas Pynchon
<br />The Radetzky March by Joseph Roth
<br />American Pastoral by Philip Roth
<br />The Human Stain by Philip Roth
<br />Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
<br />Shame by Salman Rushdie
<br />To Each his Own by Leonardo Sciascia
<br />Staying On by Paul Scott
<br />Last Exit to Brooklyn by Hubert Selby Jr
<br />The Lonely Londoners by Samuel Selvon
<br />God's Bit of Wood by Ousmane Sembene
<br />The Case of Comrade Tulayev by Victor Serge
<br />Richshaw Boy by Lao She
<br />Saturday Night and Sunday Morning by Alan Sillitoe
<br />The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
<br />Novel on Yellow Paper by Stevie Smith
<br />White Teeth by Zadie Smith
<br />One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovtich by Alexandr Solzhenitsyn
<br />The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
<br />The Red and the Black by Stendhal
<br />This Sporting Life by David Storey
<br />The Red Room by August Stringberg
<br />The Home and the World by Rabindranath Tagore
<br />Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
<br />The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell
<br />The Last Chronicle of Barset by Anthony Trollope
<br />The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope
<br />The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
<br />Couples by John Updike
<br />Z by Vassilis Vassilikos
<br />Billy Liar by Keith Waterhouse
<br />Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh
<br />The Day of the Locust by Nathanael West
<br />The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West
<br />The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
<br />The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe
<br />Germinal by Emile Zola
<br />La Bete Humaine by Emile Zola<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 200%; "><b><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/jan/23/1000-novels-war-travel2"><span>War and travel</span></a></span></b><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;background:white;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; line-height: 200%; "><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;background:white;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB">Silver Stallion by Junghyo Ahn
<br />Death of a Hero by Richard Aldington
<br />Master Georgie by Beryl Bainbridge
<br />Darkness Falls from the Air by Nigel Balchin
<br />Empire of the Sun by JG Ballard
<br />Regeneration by Pat Barker
<br />A Long Long Way by Sebastian Barry
<br />Fair Stood the Wind for France by HE Bates
<br />Carrie's War by Nina Bawden
<br />The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolano
<br />The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles
<br />An Ice-Cream War by William Boyd
<br />When the Wind Blows by Raymond Briggs
<br />Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino
<br />Auto-da-Fe by Elias Canetti
<br />One of Ours by Willa Cather
<br />Journey to the End of the Night by Louis-Ferdinand Celine
<br />Monkey by Wu Ch'eng-en
<br />Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
<br />Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad
<br />Nostromo by Joseph Conrad
<br />Sharpe's Eagle by Bernard Cornwell
<br />The History of Pompey the Little by Francis Coventry
<br />The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
<br />Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
<br />Bomber by Len Deighton
<br />Deliverance by James Dickey
<br />Three Soldiers by John Dos Passos
<br />South Wind by Norman Douglas
<br />The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
<br />Justine by Lawrence Durrell
<br />The Bamboo Bed by William Eastlake
<br />The Siege of Krishnapur by JG Farrell
<br />Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks
<br />Parade's End by Ford Madox Ford
<br />The African Queen by CS Forester
<br />The Ship by CS Forester
<br />Flashman by George MacDonald Fraser
<br />Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
<br />The Beach by Alex Garland
<br />To The Ends of the Earth trilogy by William Golding
<br />Asterix the Gaul by Rene Goscinny
<br />The Tin Drum by Gunter Grass
<br />Count Belisarius by Robert Graves
<br />Life and Fate by Vassily Grossman
<br />De Niro's Game by Rawi Hage
<br />King Solomon's Mines by H Rider Haggard
<br />She: A History of Adventure by H Rider Haggard
<br />The Slaves of Solitude by Patrick Hamilton
<br />Covenant with Death by John Harris
<br />Enigma by Robert Harris
<br />The Good Soldier Svejk by Jaroslav Hasek
<br />For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
<br />The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope
<br />The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
<br />A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes
<br />Rasselas by Samuel Johnson
<br />From Here to Eternity by James Jones
<br />Andersonville by MacKinlay Kantor
<br />Confederates by Thomas Keneally
<br />Schindler's Ark by Thomas Keneally
<br />Day by AL Kennedy
<br />On the Road by Jack Kerouac
<br />Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler
<br />The Painted Bird by Jerzy Kosinski
<br />If Not Now, When? by Primo Levi
<br />The Call of the Wild by Jack London
<br />The Guns of Navarone by Alistair MacLean
<br />All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
<br />Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
<br />The Mark of Zorro by Johnston McCulley
<br />Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurty
<br />The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer
<br />La Condition Humaine by Andre Malraux
<br />Fortunes of War by Olivia Manning
<br />One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
<br />The Children of the New Forest by Frederick Marryat
<br />Moby-Dick or, The Whale by Herman Melville
<br />Tales of the South Pacific by James Michener
<br />The Cruel Sea by Nicholas Monsarrat
<br />History by Elsa Morante
<br />Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
<br />The Sorrow of War by Bao Ninh
<br />Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian
<br />The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
<br />The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy
<br />Burmese Days by George Orwell
<br />Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig
<br />The Valley of Bones by Anthony Powell
<br />The Soldier's Art by Anthony Powell
<br />The Military Philosophers by Anthony Powell
<br />Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon
<br />The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchausen by Rudolp Erich Raspe
<br />All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
<br />The Crab with the Golden Claws by Georges Remi Herge
<br />Tintin in Tibet by Georges Remi Herge
<br />The Castafiore Emerald by Georges Remi Herge
<br />The Devil to Pay in the Backlands by Joao Guimaraes Rosa
<br />Sacaramouche by Rafael Sabatini
<br />Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini
<br />Everything is Illuminated by Jonathon Safran Foer
<br />The Hunters by James Salter
<br />Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott
<br />The Rings of Saturn by WG Sebald
<br />Austerlitz by WG Sebald
<br />Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
<br />The Young Lions by Irwin Shaw
<br />A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute
<br />Maus by Art Spiegelman
<br />The Charterhouse of Parma by Stendhal
<br />Cryptonomicon by Neil Stephenson
<br />A Sentimental Journey by Lawrence Sterne
<br />Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
<br />Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
<br />A Flag for Sunrise by Robert Stone
<br />Sophie's Choice by William Styron
<br />Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
<br />War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
<br />The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
<br />Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne
<br />A Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne
<br />Williwaw by Gore Vidal
<br />Candide by Voltaire
<br />Slaughter-House Five by Kurt Vonnegut
<br />Put Out More Flags by Evelyn Waugh
<br />Men at Arms by Evelyn Waugh
<br />The Island of Dr Moreau by HG Wells
<br />The Machine-Gunners by Robert Westall
<br />Voss by Patrick White
<br />The Virginian by Owen Wister</span><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-language: EN-GB"> <span style="background:white">
<br />The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk
<br />The Debacle by Emile Zola <o:p></o:p></span></span></p></b></span>
<br /><p></p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><div id="Middle2" class=" hide-on-popup" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; position: relative; z-index: 1; clear: both; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; "></div></span>PCVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12865190746248266517noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158819904218934589.post-38666515960096528592011-07-10T13:06:00.006+01:002011-07-10T13:45:40.866+01:00Delhi BellyWatched Delhi belly last evening. A totally different movie from Bollywood. It portrays three friends living in Delhi depicting their adventures in an authentic manner.....a refreshing change from the 'bollywood masalas' and the usual juvenile and imbecile comedies.<div><br /></div><div>I never read any reviews before deciding to watch it, as it was from Aamir khan, Kiran Rao and Ronnie Srewvala. The first shot of the movie took me to India and was a true depiction of Delhi suburbs. Most of the movie is in English delivering the accent (Delhi) in the most original sense. It was entertaining, artistically good and great choice of actors/ actresses. I think it was a bold attempt to portray contemporary broad Indian youth and I must say that the film makers were successful in this.Some of the dialogues are said so fast that one should listen keenly to understand and enjoy the meaning behind it. </div><div><br /></div><div>The highlight of this movie was the fact that none of the actors/ actresses over-acted and still impressed well in their respective roles; there were no protagonists, as it was a combined effort from all the people involved in making the movie-both in and behind this celluloid creation. There were some exaggerated visuals and dialogues in between, though all in all it was a good entertainment, worth the money. </div><div><br /></div><div>Tailpiece: Anyone watching this movie will think THRICE before buying tandoori chicken from street vendors in Delhi!</div>PCVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12865190746248266517noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158819904218934589.post-51066019735058198932011-05-02T23:16:00.020+01:002011-05-04T01:11:15.202+01:004 Cricket matches, 3 Birthday parties, 2 Weddings and a FuneralLast 2 weeks in April and beginning of May this year happened to be long holiday weekend(s) for most people in the UK. Last week it was Good Friday with Easter bank holiday Monday and this week it was 'Royal wedding' (on Friday the 29th) with Mayday bank holiday Monday. Three days of annual leave would guarantee an easy 11 day holiday (seven days annual leave would give a 17 day break!). This happens very rarely in UK (other than during the Christmas/New year time). It was also the hottest April month in last 100 years!<div><br /></div><div>I watched IPL, which has been a mixed bag for the team from Kerala- the Kochi Tuskers. They had lost the last 3 games in dramatic fashion and today was the fourth match, which they had to win to be in contention for the play-off's. It was the most bizzare game that was played with Delhi dare-devils due to various reasons; but the one thing which stays in mind is that how many runs can you give off a single delivery? This was the fifth ball of Umesh Yadav's first over. First he bowled a wide delivery - a high bouncer (an extra run), then his beamer flew for a six (that was above waist high for Brendon McCullum whose stylish reflexes made the ball fly over fine leg for a maximum- now 1+1+6) before he finally managed to bowl a legal delivery that McCullum crash-pulled over the midwicket boundary i.e. 1+1+6+6=14 runs! Anyway the match was won by the Tuskers.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Royal Wedding was fantastic. We watched the whole programme live on tele and it felt really nice. Kate and William appeared to be a couple in love. I wish their married life is happy and successful. The wedding was truly royal- the systematic arrival of guests, the elegant arrival of Kate (now the Duchess of Cambridge), the church service, the journey of the newly weds back to the palace, the drive in Aston Martin and the finale was the Balcony kiss. The whole world (some 2 billion) watched the whole show directed from London displaying the pomp and lavishness that Britain does so well. It was like a fairy tale come true to many people sealed with a kiss. I would say it was like 'love in time of cholera!'</div><div><br /></div><div>We went to Durham for the seventh annual day celebrations of 'Sruthi' on Sunday (30th) It was an authentic malayali cultural evening (as always). The highlight was the tribute of UK malayalees to ONV Kurup, who was recently awarded the 'jnanapitam', the highest literary honour given in India. It was a fantastic evening of 'ONVmayam' that included "Kavyadrishyangal"- a unique portrayal of woman and nature as depicted in many ONV poems, " Aatmaavil Muttivilichathu Pole- An informal discussion and poetry session with ONV, "Varika Gandharvagayaka Veendum"- A short musical focussing on contemporary life and incorporating many nostalgic ONV songs and finally "Maanikyaveena Ganamela" led by Aparna Rajeev featuring many melodious, memorable and everlasting ONV lyrics that have mesmerised generations. It was also good to see Mr K Natarajan's (affectionately called 'Rajettan') first book being launched by Sri ONV Kurup. The book is titled 'Guruvum Laghuvum' a collection of simple yet elegant poems written in malayalam. It was a rejuvenating and nostalgic evening. I did not feel tired driving to Durham and back at a stretch (6hours)! </div><div><br /></div><div>Manikutty had her birthday in between. We had a small cake cutting on her birthday, followed by a barbecue party on Sunday. Both went very well. It was good weather, family, friends, great food and a delicious cake:). She is planning a third party for her school friends this weekend- A' canoeing party' at Leicester Outdoor pursuits centre!</div><div><br /></div><div>There was also the wedding of Malayalam film actor Prithviraj to his love in Kerala. I cannot understand the 'hoo haa' raised by this, especially among some of the fairer sex who are not 'fully happy or satisfied' by this wedding. My feeling is that if the couple who got married, their families and friends do not have any major issues, then why are some annoyed about this?</div><div><br /></div><div> The holiday culminated with the news of a 'sea funeral' that my brother broke early on Monday morning. i.e. the death of OBL in a dramatic action by 'US navy seals' in the 'heart' of Pakistan... </div>PCVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12865190746248266517noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158819904218934589.post-68590915660279293052011-04-04T22:22:00.006+01:002011-04-26T10:29:11.069+01:00Wonders of Universe<div>I finished watching this four part series presented by Brian Cox in BBC 2 (Sundays at 21:00). Who are we? Where do we come from? For thousands of years humanity has turned to religion and myth for answers to these enduring questions. But in this series, Brian presents a different set of answers - answers provided by science.</div><div><br /></div><div>This was one of the finest science programmes I have watched on the relationship between 'time-space-matter-light-nature'. </div><div><br /></div><b>1. Destiny</b><div><br />In this episode, Brian Cox considers the nature of time. He explores the cycles of time that define the lives of humans on the earth, and compares them to the cycles of time on a cosmic scale. Cox also discusses the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics (Entropy- eg: many ways of reaaranging the sand grains with out changing the structure) and its effect on time, and the Heat Death theory concerning the end of the Universe.</div><div><br />Brian seeks to understand the nature of time and its role in creating both the universe and ourselves. From an extraordinary calendar built into the landscape of Peru (The 2,500-year-old solar calendar in Chankillo was built by a civilization of which very little is known), he travels through the beaches of Costa Rica where Sea tutles come and lay eggs at night in the beach- something that has been happening for the last 100 million years. He explores the cycles of time which define our experience of life on Earth. But even the most epic cycles of life can't begin to compare to the vast expanse of cosmic time. For instance, just as the Earth orbits the Sun, the solar system orbits the entire Milky Way galaxy. This orbit takes a staggering 250 million years to complete. We have probably travelled 1% of that time (humans I mean!)</div><div><br />Arrow of time; as each moment passes, things change and these are irreversible. Is this an illusion?<br /><br />Ultimately, Brian discovers that time is not characterised by repetition but by irreversible change. From the relentless march of a glacier, to the decay of an old mining town, the ravaging effects of time are all around us. The vast universe is subject to these same laws of change.<br /><br />As we look out to the cosmos, we can see the story of its evolution unfold, from the death of the first stars to the birth of the youngest. How giant stars explodes rather implodes and death/ birth of stars. ie the explosive death of one of the first stars in the universe.This journey from birth to death will ultimately lead to the destruction not just of our planet, but also the entire universe, and with it the end of time itself.<br /><br />Yet without this inevitable destruction, the universe would be without what is perhaps the greatest wonder of all; the brief moment in time in which life can exist.<br /><br /><b>2.Stardust</b></div><div><b><br /></b>In this episode, Brian discusses the elements of which all living things, including humans, are made. He explains how these elements are related to the life cycles of the stars and the recycling of matter in the Universe.<br /><br />In the second stop in his exploration of the wonders of the universe, Professor Brian Cox goes in search of humanity's very essence to answer the biggest questions of all: what are we? And where do we come from? This film is the story of matter - the stuff of which we are all made.<br /><br />Brian reveals how our origins are entwined with the life cycle of the stars. But he begins his journey here on Earth. In Nepal, he observes a Hindu cremation. Hindu philosophy is based on an eternal cycle of creation and destruction, where the physical elements of the body are recycled on to the next stage. Brian draws a parallel with the life cycle of the stars that led to our own creation.<br /><br />Next, he explains how the Earth's resources have been recycled through the ages. How every atom that makes up everything we see, was at some time a part of something else. Our world is made up of just 92 elements, and these same 92 elements are found throughout the entire universe. We are part of the universe because we are made of the same stuff as the universe.<br /><br /></div><div><b>3. Falling</b></div><div><br />This episode documents how gravity has an effect across the Universe, and how the relatively weak force creates an orbit. We also see how a neutron star's gravity works. Finally, there is a look back at how research on gravity has enabled us to better understand the cosmos.<br /><br />Gravity seems so familiar, and yet it is one of the strangest and most surprising forces in the universe. Starting with a zero gravity flight, Brian experiences the feeling of total weightlessness, and considers how much of an effect gravity has had on the world around us.<br /><br />But gravity also acts over much greater distances. It is the great orchestrator of the cosmos. It dictates our orbit around the sun, our relationship with the other planets in our solar system, and even the way in which our solar system orbits our galaxy.<br /><br />Yet the paradox of gravity is that it is actually a relatively weak force. Brian takes a face distorting trip in a centrifuge to explain how it is that gravity achieves its great power, before looking at the role it plays in one of the most extraordinary phenomena in the universe - a neutron star. Although it is just a few kilometres across, it is so dense that its gravity is 100, 000 million times as strong as on Earth.<br /><br />Over the centuries our quest to understand gravity has allowed us to understand some of the true wonders of the universe, and Brian reveals that it is scientists' continuing search for answers that inspires his own sense of wonder</div><div><br /></div><div><b>4. Messengers</b></div><div><br /><br />The final episode shows how the unique properties of light provide an insight into the origins and development of mankind and the Universe. We also see how the speed of light is both a measure of time and distance. This leads on to pinpoint one of the early events in the evolution of life.He travels from the fossils of the Burgess Shale to the sands of the oldest desert in the world to show how light holds the key to our understanding of the whole universe, including our own deepest origins. </div><div><br /></div><div>To understand how light holds the key to the story of the universe, we first have to understand its peculiar properties. Brian considers how the properties of light that lend colour to desert sands and the spectrum of a rainbow can lead to profound insights into the history and evolution of our universe. Finally, with some of the world's most fascinating fossils in hand, Brian considers how but for an apparently obscure moment in the early evolutionary history of life, all the secrets of light may have remained hidden. Because although the universe is bathed in light that carries extraordinary amounts of information about where we come from, it would have remained invisible without a crucial evolutionary development that allowed us to see. Only because of that development, i.e. the observation that Light travels with a finite speed through space at a rate of 299 792 458 metre/second or 10 million million km in one year or 1 light year; So a light year is not just a measure of distance but also a measure of time! Because of this we can we now observe, capture and contemplate the incredible wonders of the universe that we inhabit.</div><div><br /></div><div>I seemed to understand some of the meaning of Universe and birth of it when I was watching the programme, but now it feels to have gone out of my mind with a big bang! </div><div><br /></div><div>I think it is interesting to note the similarities and differences in this programme and the views expressed in Indian Philosophy. The Hindu cosmology and time lines in a way is the closest to modern scientific time lines and even more, which might indicate that the big bang is not the beginning of everything but just the start of the present cycle preceded by an infinite number of universes and to be followed by another infinite number of universes. The Rig Veda questions the origin of the cosmos in:</div><div><br /></div>Neither being (sat) nor non-being was as yet. What was concealed? And where? And in whose protection?…Who really knows? Who can declare it? Whence was it born, and whence came this creation? The devas were born later than this world's creation, so who knows from where it came into existence? None can know from where creation has arisen, and whether he has or has not produced it. He who surveys it in the highest heavens, he alone knows-or perhaps does not know. (Rig Veda 10. 129)<div><br />The later puranic view asserts that the universe is created, destroyed, and re-created in an eternally repetitive series of cycles. In Hindu cosmology, a universe endures for about 4,320,000,000 years (one day of Brahma, the creator or kalpa) and is then destroyed by fire or water elements. At this point, Brahma rests for one night, just as long as the day. This process, named pralaya (Cataclysm), repeats for 100 Brahma years (311 trillion, 40 billion human years) that represents Brahma's lifespan.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>According to Bhagavad Gita "sahasra-yuga paryantam ahar-yad brahmano viduh", meaning, a day of brahma is of 1000 mahayugas. Thus a day of Brahma, kalpa, is of duration: 4.32 billion solar years. </div><div><br /></div><div>1000 Mahayugas = 1 kalpa = 1 day (day only) of Brahma<br />(Two kalpas constitute a day and night of Brahma)<br />30 days of Brahma = 1 month of Brahma (259.2 billion human years)<br />12 months of Brahma = 1 year of Brahma (3.1104 trillion human years)<br />50 years of Brahma = 1 Pararddha<br />2 parardhas = 100 years of Brahma = 1 Para = 1 Mahakalpa (the lifespan of Brahma)(311.04 trillion human years)<br />One day of Brahma is divided into 10,000 parts called charanas. The charanas are divided as follows:<br />The Four Yugas<br />4 charanas (1,728,000 solar years) Satya Yuga<br />3 charanas (1,296,000 solar years) Treta Yuga<br />2 charanas (864,000 solar years) Dwapar Yuga<br />1 charanas (432,000 solar years) Kali Yuga<br /><br />The current Kali Yuga began at midnight 17 February / 18 February in 3102 BC (Julian calendar)</div><div><br />According to Carl Sagan and Fritjof Capra, similarities between what they consider the latest scientific understanding of the age of the universe, and the Hindu concept of a "day and night of Brahma", is much closer to the current assumed age of the universe than other creation myths (when taken literally). The days and nights of Brahma postulate a view of the universe that is divinely created, and is not strictly evolutionary, but an ongoing cycle of birth, death, and rebirth of the universe. </div><div><br /></div><div>According to Sagan: Hinduism is the only one of the world's great faiths dedicated to the idea that the Cosmos itself undergoes an immense, indeed an infinite, number of deaths and rebirths. It is the only religion in which time scales correspond, no doubt by accident, to those of modern scientific cosmology. Its cycles run from our ordinary day and night to a day and night of Brahma, 8.64 billion years long, longer than the age of the Earth or the Sun and about half the time since the Big Bang. And there are much longer time scale still.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Some believe that with the "AUM" sound, known as "pranava manthra", the Universe was started, similar to the big bang theory. "Omkara", the sound of 'Ohm', is very important in Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism.</div><div><br />Capra, in his popular book, The Tao of Physics, wrote that: This idea of a periodically expanding and contracting universe, which involves a scale of time and space of vast proportions, has arisen not only in modern cosmology, but also in ancient Indian mythology. Experiencing the universe as an organic and rhythmically moving cosmos, the Hindus were able to develop evolutionary cosmologies which come very close to our modern scientific models. One of these cosmologies is based on the Hindu myth of lila—the divine play—in which Brahman transforms himself into the world.</div><div><br />I like the statement made by Swami Vivekananda who interpreted the Adhvaitha Vedantic understanding of evolution to be in harmony with Darwinian theory. In his commentary on Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, he writes:<div><br />"There seems to be a great difference between modern science and all religions at this point. Every religion has the idea that the universe comes out of intelligence. The theory of God, taking it in its psychological significance, apart from all ideas of personality, is that intelligence is first in the order of creation, and that out of intelligence comes what we call gross matter. Modern philosophers say that intelligence is the last to come. They say that unintelligent things slowly evolve into animals, and from animals into men. They claim that instead of everything coming out of intelligence, intelligence itself is the last to come. Both the religious and the scientific statements, though seeming directly opposed to each other are true. Take an infinite series, A—B—A—B —A—B. etc. The question is — which is first, A or B? If you take the series as A—B. you will say that A is first, but if you take it as B—A, you will say that B is first. It depends upon the way we look at it. Intelligence undergoes modification and becomes the gross matter, this again merges into intelligence, and thus the process goes on. The Sankhyas, and other religionists, put intelligence first, and the series becomes intelligence, then matter. The scientific man puts his finger on matter, and says matter, then intelligence. They both indicate the same chain. Indian philosophy, however, goes beyond both intelligence and matter, and finds a Purusha, or Self, which is beyond intelligence, of which intelligence is but the borrowed light."<br /><br /></div></div>PCVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12865190746248266517noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158819904218934589.post-78774342028413881122010-06-27T10:10:00.004+01:002010-06-27T15:18:52.725+01:00RaavanayanamThe new Mani Ratnam movie Raavanan (Tamil version) or Raavan (Hindi version) has brought the major epic 'Ramayana' again as a hot debate topic.This epic as told by Valmiki is the story of the 'perfect man' Rama and his accomplishments. But shouldn't it be called 'Raaavanayanam' as this epic is as much the story of Raavana as is it of Rama based on the perspective, how we look at it? Perhaps if there was another 'Valmiki' and if he had made Raavana as the central character, the whole aspect of this struggle between good and evil and moral and immoral would be viewed completely differently.<br /><br />Ravana's characterization is open to interpretations.The name Ravana is from 'ra' meaning the sun and 'vana' signifying generation. He is the great grandson of Lord Brahma. A metaphorical interpretation of Ravana's 10 heads is that the heads are a symbolic way to show the world about his knowledge of the six Shastras as well as four Vedas, ten Holy Scriptures in all.<br /><br />Even though Ravana is portrayed as the villain in Ramayana, this view is open to question due to lack of any overt instances, and is so questioned by a considerable number of believers. It can be argued, for example, that Ravana’s abduction of Sita was not driven by lust for her, but instead it was done to punish Ram for attacking his sister Shurpanakha. What Lakshmana did to her ie cutting of her nose for proposing to him after Rama rejected her was a reaction out of proportion to what Shurpanakha did. It may be that Lakshmana did this for fear of Sita's safety. The extreme nature of the act upon his unarmed sister enraged Ravana (as a brother) and he abducted Sita to avenge the insult- if Ravana would not avenge his own sister - then no one would look up to him as a protector of his subjects/ dependents. Nevertheless Ravana never ever touched Sita while she was being held as his hostage. He visited her regularly and asked her consent to marry him. Every time Sita declined, but there is not a single instance when Ravana misbehaved with Sita. He plays the role of a gentleman to the core, (though this could have been due to a curse from Kubera's son that he would lose all his 10 heads if he forced himself on any woman).<br /><br />Ravana also authored Ravana Sanhita, a powerful book on the Hindu astrology. Ravana possessed a thorough knowledge of Ayurveda and political science. He is said to have possessed the nectar of immortality, which was stored under his navel, thanks to a celestial boon by Brahma. Pleased with his resilience and devotion, Shiva gave to him the divine sword 'Chandrahasa'. Ravana was a lifelong devotee of Lord Shiva and is said to have composed the hymn known as Shiva Tandava Stotra.<br /><br />Mani Ratnam's movie, Raavan (Hindi) and Raavanan(Tamil), clearly inspired by this epic was a movie I had been waiting for some time since I heard of it a couple of years ago.<br /><br />I went to watch the Tamil version first and had to go all the way to Birmingham to watch it. But the trip was worth it as the movie was simply wonderful. It was stimulating and entertaining...a great treat- the photography, music, script, location, direction and above all the performances of Vikram (as Raavanan), Prithviraj(as Rama) and Aishwariya (as sita).<br /><br />Vikram was amazing and I felt he brought out the various expressions and emotions of the tribal leader Veera to all its glory.He acted as though he had 'ten heads' with varying facial expressions. Prithviraj as Dev (the police officer) and Aishwarya (as his wife) also had a chemistry together and did well. Aishwarya's transformational change of feelings towards both men were enacted superbly. This would probably stand out as one of her best performances possibly after her debut movie 'Iruvar'.<br /><br />I then watched the Hindi version (in Leicester) and I must say that it was disappointing! Though the back ground artists were all the same, the central character Beera (Raavana) by Abhishek Bachchan was at the best average, especially if we compare it with the performance of Vikram in the Tamil version. I will not be surprised, if in the future Raavanan (Tamil) would be considered a huge hit among Mani Ratnam's movies and Raavan(Hindi) as an average film.<br /><br />I was also impressed by the interviews given by the artists at the London Premiere of the movie. These interviews in the 'you tube' are also a good hit! Prithviraj was quite eloquent and articulate in his comments. Vikram and Suhasini(who wrote the script) were also quite impressive. But both Mr and Mrs Junior Bachchans were depressing in their words especially if you see that the crowds were cheering almost just for them. They could have been a bit more prepared to face the interviews at such a landmark venue.<br /><br />After reading Ramayana, two questions, every firm believer of Lord Rama would love to avoid are<br />1.How could the divine person hide behind the trees and murder Bali/ Vali (brother of Sugreeva) behind his back?<br />2.Why did he suspect Sita and later ditched her?<br /><br />In this film these two aspects are brought up in a sublime manner. Dev, the inspector is hiding in crowd of women and shoots Veera from behind when he is actively taking part in his sisters marriage ceremony. Also later to accomplish his mission of destroying Veera, Dev starts questioning his wife about her chastity and asks why she could not take a lie-detector test!<br /><br />I have never found any convincing answers for these actions of Lord Rama. It might be that he wanted to give an impression that even the 'perfect human being' can never be perfect and will have some negative connotations left to ones own interpretation.<br /><br />Tail piece: I hope in the future some one will make a movie on Mahabharata with Karna (my favourite person in the epic) as the central character.PCVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12865190746248266517noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158819904218934589.post-47729723415164511862008-07-15T23:42:00.007+01:002009-11-14T09:54:55.589+00:00Koodalmanikyam temple<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE3HbW7kusDL79HlbPfB3PFADY5904-E9NicjgfvlepxmQz0r_WwHCnDRHBGvWoUT-aKKAIjfwZv3yClbNQx0859dqYahUMMkRr4OKbmq7kPa7TGTHULSyQr7fMQkVVMpMXNUEDK_BY0U/s1600-h/DSC08677.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223375311474883698" style="" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE3HbW7kusDL79HlbPfB3PFADY5904-E9NicjgfvlepxmQz0r_WwHCnDRHBGvWoUT-aKKAIjfwZv3yClbNQx0859dqYahUMMkRr4OKbmq7kPa7TGTHULSyQr7fMQkVVMpMXNUEDK_BY0U/s320/DSC08677.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">I have visited Triprayar many times before; But this was my first visit to Koodalmanikyam temple<br /><br />I was on my way to Thrissur in November 2007 from Peruvaram with Vava and Manikutty, when suddenly I felt like visiting the temple. Great temple with a lot of history. Koodalmanikyam Temple has many unique features/ legends:<br />1. It holds the image of only one deity and th</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">ere are no 'chuttambalam'/sub deities in this temple.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br />2</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">. It is the only temple in India dedicated to the worship of Bharata.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">3. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">There is a view that this temple belonged to the Jains.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">4.There is another view that the dei</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">ty is the incarnation of “Dhanvanthara moorthi” or the saint of healing. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">5. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">The idol of this temple radiated bright light like 'manikyam' (a mythological precious stone) </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">A 'manikyam' kept in </span></span><st1:place><st1:placename><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Kayamkulam</span></span></st1:placename></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> palace was brought to this temple to compare which is brighter. It seems that the palace manikyam when brought near the idol merged with the idol! (koodal manikyam means merger of manikyams)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">6. T</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">hetchi and thulasi flowers are not grown in the temple premises.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">7. Incense sticks and camphor are not used for the pooja. </span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">People had to wait for sometime before the temple</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> opened for evening poojas on that day as there was some 'shuddhikalasham' ceremony taking place inside the temple. One of the temple persons was not very happy with Vava's dresscode ( She was wearing a Kavi Mundu, that was perfectly alright for entering the temple) , but another person said its fine. I Could feel the power and aura surrounding the temple......This feeling was very strong when I did the pradakshinam around the temple and also when we went around the temple pond.<br /><br />I would like to do the Nalambala yatra some day in the future; ie starting with Triprayar (Sree Raman), then Koodalmanikyam and Moozhikkulam (Lakshmanan) and ending at Shatrughna temple at Payammel.<br />There is also a Sreekrishna temple called Elambalakkattu at Edakulam while going to the Shathrugna temple. </span></span><div></div></div>PCVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12865190746248266517noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158819904218934589.post-6768556978114364642009-11-01T17:25:00.005+00:002009-11-01T18:55:13.816+00:00Mani nadam 2Manikutty was asked to write a favourite poem during this half-term holidays...It was interesting to note that she selected one of my all time favourites from school days. ie "Stopping by woods on a snowy evening". I asked her why did she liked it...she said it is because it describes the forests and snow. I tried to explain the deeper meaning of it and may be she understood a bit of the holistic perspective!<br /><br /><br /><p class="mobile-photo"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ5G_FCKRlMFP63oaNEwdc43EUmyMZ5-TWaoPTGh6zfiAgEqGaEuvPplLZ8p9hw5srAAs_sFj-ZXphl-cxmwMjlsEoO1HmVKH0AHILZpwbB1AF9_Oa_c19k86ABp-i6KS7gFCW9kzSHao/s1600-h/DSC04589.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ5G_FCKRlMFP63oaNEwdc43EUmyMZ5-TWaoPTGh6zfiAgEqGaEuvPplLZ8p9hw5srAAs_sFj-ZXphl-cxmwMjlsEoO1HmVKH0AHILZpwbB1AF9_Oa_c19k86ABp-i6KS7gFCW9kzSHao/s400/DSC04589.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399189698851528402" border="0" /></a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></p><p class="mobile-photo"><br /></p><p class="mobile-photo">I felt that I should upload this just because of the sheer depth of meaning of life explained in such a simple style by a great poet of the twentieth century. I remember my English teacher in school reciting this poem and saying this was the favourite of Pandit Nehru's too.<br /></p><p class="mobile-photo">'The woods are lovely, dark and deep</p><p class="mobile-photo">But I have promises to keep</p><p class="mobile-photo">And miles to go before I sleep</p><p class="mobile-photo">And miles to go before I sleep'</p><p class="mobile-photo">3 simple sentences conveying the truth of nature, of our selves......<br /></p>PCVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12865190746248266517noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158819904218934589.post-28765371963958573692008-11-05T10:29:00.003+00:002009-10-12T21:32:42.987+01:00Oh Boy! America My America!!Barack Obama has been chosen as the new president elect of US. What a resounding and convincing victory! This is probably one US presidential election that the whole world had been following with keen interest. It was clear watching the television-result-saga into early hours of morning, that Obama is going to be the first non-white president of US when he will be sworn in on Jan 20, 2009.<br /><br />Obama has been a ray of hope to the whole world and specifically the US where its been bad news after bad news in every field. In his own words after the victory"America is a place where all things are possible and the "dream of our founders" is alive; "It's been a long time coming but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America"<br /><br />The whole world it seems hoped and prayed for his victory. In fact a recent BBC poll showed that all the 22 countries that took part in the poll wanted Obama to be the president of US. Everyone hopes that he will improve the situation in US and also its relations with other countries in today's multipolar world.PCVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12865190746248266517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158819904218934589.post-60762967584859661342009-10-09T20:55:00.015+01:002009-10-12T21:26:24.268+01:00Peace, piece and politics<div class="article-text"><br /><div class="articleLead"><br /><p>Why did Obama get the Nobel peace prize? This is the intriguing question everyone seems to be asking. Even his hard-core supporters were 'taken aback' (in a positive sense) and surprised by the announcement. Obama himself seems a bit overwhelmed by this extraordinary gesture; he may have expected it after his 4 year or possibly 8 year term when the fruits of his promises may have cretated a more peaceful world, but definitely not so early in his political career.<br /></p><p>According to the Norwegian nobel committee he won for efforts to boost diplomacy and co-operation. "Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future; his diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population." The Nobel committee’s logic appears to be a proactive one. This award reflects the tremendous hope that people have seen with the emergence of Obama as a world figure with high expectations.<br /></p><p>But still the question remains ie do you reward accomplishments, or encourage future actions? It is very surprising to note that President Obama was nominated for the coveted prize just 2 weeks in to his presidency (the dead line for Nobel prize nominations every year is Feb 1 and he took oath as president a fortnight before that!). Can some one be awarded just based on the way he or she 'speaks' than his or her 'actions'?</p><br /><p>This award could possibly be a reply to the former US administration by the ' old Europe'...Possibly the last big slap on the face for the republicans and for the former 'cow-boy' team who ruled US (and world) with arrogance and hawkish attitude. </p><br /><p>Of all the Nobel prizes awarded every year it is the peace prize that always creates the most controversy both for acts of omission and commission! The glaring omission I can think of is not giving the peace prize to Mahatma Gandhi (though he was nominated for peace prize 5 times). It is widely rumored that the nobel committee may have selected Mahatma Gandhi as the likely winner in 1948. It didn't give it because he passed away before the announcement and that it wouldn't award it posthumously......though they awarded it posthumously to a fellow Scandinavian in 1961, who died after being nominated. I don't have to cite examples of acts of commission as many 'winners', especially in the field of 'world peace' have been awarded the prize. </p><p></p><p>Any way you cannot take back the award once its announced, though most people think it is a bit premature. This award brings with it additional responsibilities for Obama and hopefully we can look forward to some sensible and fair decisions from the present US administration. May this award serve as an impetus for consensus, courage and compromise rather than one of crime, confrontation and confusion. </p></div></div>PCVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12865190746248266517noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158819904218934589.post-25451220137790621972009-07-27T00:00:00.007+01:002009-07-29T13:05:35.438+01:00I came I saw I conquered....<p style="font-family:georgia;"><strong>The Kannur I Saw</strong></p><p style="font-family:georgia;">For a person born and brought up in Trivandrum, as a kid, Cannanore (anglicised version of Kannur) was always a place very very far away. </p><p style="font-family:georgia;">My childhood memories of Kannur are filled with communist movements and comrades. I remember achan saying about AKG (the legendary communist leader, who is one of his favourite idols and mine too), EK Nayanar etc. Later it was all the comrades or their families who comes for various reasons to Trivandrum (ie visiting secretatriat or PSC or Medical college hospital/RCC/ Sreechitra MC). They would come to our house, usually stay at our place, mummy cooks food for them, especially if anyone is undergoing specialist treatment at the hospital. </p><p style="font-family:georgia;">Though Kannur has a lot of history and is the land of Theyyams, in recent times it is infamous for all the wrong reasons like political killings, bombs, police firings, 'the kannur lobby' of party etc...</p><p style="font-family:georgia;">In 2007 we met Chinthu and Manoj and through them many other friends in Kannur. I visited Kannur in 2008 for the first time and stayed for a day with Chinthu's parents. </p><p style="FONT-FAMILY: georgia">The people of Kannur, I felt generally were open and simple. The landscape is very green with many rivers, mountains, temples, virgin-beaches etc. I felt it was a mixture of laid back village folks, the colourful Theyyams, traditional temples, red-forts of communism with a bit of modernism in and around Kannur city. No wonder Kannur is said to be one of best ten cities in India to reside! Kannur international airport is coming up at mattanur,once operational Kannur international airport will be the largest airport in Kerala. Kannur is also the place of the only muslim royal family in Kerala (Arackkal)</p><p style="FONT-FAMILY: georgia"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmP_YHTozT2BynnSGV3_H4uVVBFp186Q0DgP-JGZTFY-keqLky8DNJrr-GSjls7IxOcJwyzIYaulGJsPpye_BCqB5zfhXdjuBckBNlz-Dy0bbLyzuGB80PqkLuKklk-NutZQspPWxVfq4/s1600-h/Slide7-720936.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362021941953555458" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmP_YHTozT2BynnSGV3_H4uVVBFp186Q0DgP-JGZTFY-keqLky8DNJrr-GSjls7IxOcJwyzIYaulGJsPpye_BCqB5zfhXdjuBckBNlz-Dy0bbLyzuGB80PqkLuKklk-NutZQspPWxVfq4/s320/Slide7-720936.JPG" border="0" /></a>Chinthu's home is situated near thrichambaram temple. It stands on the top of a small hill with good views of greenery around. It was the peak of south-west monsoon. The rain, calm atmosphere, lush green trees, serene surroundings creates a nostalgic aura.....sort of a romantic nature or indeed the nature felt to be romantic....An ideal place for a writer for some innovative creation. </p><p style="FONT-FAMILY: georgia">According to one of my close friends "the homes around 'thrichambaram temple' appear brighter and had some sort of divine blessing; however, houses in the vicinity of 'rajarajeshwara temple' always felt a bit dull and dark"!</p><p style="FONT-FAMILY: georgia">So my temple journey during this visit to Kerala started here. The first was Madayyilppara and then by next 14 days I had done a 'spiritual marathon' of 53 temples!! (<a href="http://adhvaitha.blogspot.com/2008/12/53-temples-in-2-weeks.html">http://adhvaitha.blogspot.com/2008/12/53-temples-in-2-weeks.html</a>)</p><p style="FONT-FAMILY: georgia"><span style="font-size:130%;">1. Madayilppara Bhagavathi temple<br /></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;">Madayilppara is a hilly area (infact there are lots of hills around Kannur including Ezhimala where the Naval academy is situated) located at Pazhayanangadi. The government has a project plan to transform the area into a cultural village.<br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2abmze2FhKIBb6CItJXQo8ltWEYP2m9QidwihHDEAIwuTTLcIKNF4NFt_8Rqv_L8PZBJEmybp6bHtwr6UsqGKhmaWn9Q6AyO60AVg4M9-g2t3DKCMVaimeb1KkL56w2Ec6LurKpYfn0/s1600-h/Slide2-716423.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362021928111929010" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2abmze2FhKIBb6CItJXQo8ltWEYP2m9QidwihHDEAIwuTTLcIKNF4NFt_8Rqv_L8PZBJEmybp6bHtwr6UsqGKhmaWn9Q6AyO60AVg4M9-g2t3DKCMVaimeb1KkL56w2Ec6LurKpYfn0/s320/Slide2-716423.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">This temple is supposed to be the most popular Bhagavathi temple of North Malabar (the main Diety is Shiva- East facing): On the Southern side of Shiva's 'srikovil' is Bhadrakali (West facing), the diety with most importance and prominence. The priests are 'Piradanmar' who does Shaktheya puja. Devi is supposed to be in fearsome and fiery mood here who is present in the state after </span><span style="font-family:georgia;">killing demon Darikan. It seems one of the main offerings here is cooked meat.</span></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p><p face="georgia"><span style="font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">2. Vadakunnu Shiva temple</span><br /></span></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtM7OiVz7ItD14bXOXaBXAXHa7tEHRrWWwTk_2yoUT8jrc69f6tI-tRc_tl-ZzmDXUGVh4hg4hiWLmSBjNcnvzpOM9vK0X0v8HwHJhHrxo6RlcqSU1MC9d0o3f-J_S8i39HrjgLoMgtEY/s1600-h/Slide3-717214.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362021929352866754" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtM7OiVz7ItD14bXOXaBXAXHa7tEHRrWWwTk_2yoUT8jrc69f6tI-tRc_tl-ZzmDXUGVh4hg4hiWLmSBjNcnvzpOM9vK0X0v8HwHJhHrxo6RlcqSU1MC9d0o3f-J_S8i39HrjgLoMgtEY/s320/Slide3-717214.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><p><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;">The next stop was the famous Vadukunnu Shiva temple on hillock of the Madayippara. This is an old structure and is currently under renovation. There is a beautiful lake nearby. Mythology says that Devi, after killing the demon Darikan, took a dip in this lake. It is said that this lake, situated on the top of a hill, never dries; even in the hottest summer. </span></p><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;">3. Cheruthazhom Raghavapuram Hanuman temple:<br /></span><br /><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqH3nGyL2xxpOEJ3N4VMoIyZDLdfNXNBjiwdtESPZ_Z646SrorBgoCiFb_5aho19shM27KhAWAyn3vxZEqhEW2ScDc8bfKKTO5ZuTYiBkgy3ThtXxoH-Pkk4lCRGCt_xVq4h5f9wmPeuw/s1600-h/Slide4-718719.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362021936287830098" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqH3nGyL2xxpOEJ3N4VMoIyZDLdfNXNBjiwdtESPZ_Z646SrorBgoCiFb_5aho19shM27KhAWAyn3vxZEqhEW2ScDc8bfKKTO5ZuTYiBkgy3ThtXxoH-Pkk4lCRGCt_xVq4h5f9wmPeuw/s320/Slide4-718719.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">Though the main diety is Sriraman here, the temple is known for Hanuman swamy. There is a large pond in front of the temple. It was 'ramayana month' (Karkidakam) and so could hear ramayanam being recited..nostalgic....The prasadam ('aval') from here was arranged by uncle previously...</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">4. Parasshinikadavu Muthappan temple: Arguably the most famous and prominent temple in Kannur. This temple is revered by most religious people of Kannur and Kasarkode. A temple where alcohol is an offering and is not banned in the temple premises!</span><br /></span><br /></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9XtotcTR5__m_A0nejud-L_SbNGCKCUiIKOD8HNsH53PnsvQ_3K3NyOEfIbBRwS-RowaUHDp5Ktm93_4MYtPrz6nixaePGirBzujzORuTvZ54N6tOLd49gzIytkPBUDHyCWHXAqXIZ3A/s1600-h/Slide12-725345.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362021964981310082" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9XtotcTR5__m_A0nejud-L_SbNGCKCUiIKOD8HNsH53PnsvQ_3K3NyOEfIbBRwS-RowaUHDp5Ktm93_4MYtPrz6nixaePGirBzujzORuTvZ54N6tOLd49gzIytkPBUDHyCWHXAqXIZ3A/s320/Slide12-725345.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"> </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">We parked our car here and walked to the temple. On the way saw a toddy shop and further down a Communist party office...It may be a coincidence (or may be not) that a communist party office, toddy shop and a temple are all in a short distance which was like a snap-shot of Kannur!</span><br /></span></p><p face="georgia"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-sOoRB5mqDyDFPG0FzK5kq6S034xbRAndGWCFmrC5zF19EQOKeQCqXcZp-CyVeJcqH18W-VD99N4AgzVm8h8Bl7kqDHH8grGvml8u2LRNOF4VmOT-v2lNMnQIT_zBdz-L8agXvlphyphenhyphenp0/s1600-h/Slide13-726021.JPG"><strong><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362021971463229282" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-sOoRB5mqDyDFPG0FzK5kq6S034xbRAndGWCFmrC5zF19EQOKeQCqXcZp-CyVeJcqH18W-VD99N4AgzVm8h8Bl7kqDHH8grGvml8u2LRNOF4VmOT-v2lNMnQIT_zBdz-L8agXvlphyphenhyphenp0/s320/Slide13-726021.JPG" border="0" /></strong></a></span></span><br /></p><p style="FONT-FAMILY: georgia"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHVDcZAg-GF_dGNcuN4cfO1V-ASraxaBDk-pJOtM8EETvlHFj4ZzUmAXVo75cNtu8L6s2d799kG3TQnNxABMBwXMkGQ3zXPQeEnbDN4pEcppvtDWEdN65gn-8D-6-6bRnlLZEJqgFoL9Y/s1600-h/Slide5-719664.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362021939566870946" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHVDcZAg-GF_dGNcuN4cfO1V-ASraxaBDk-pJOtM8EETvlHFj4ZzUmAXVo75cNtu8L6s2d799kG3TQnNxABMBwXMkGQ3zXPQeEnbDN4pEcppvtDWEdN65gn-8D-6-6bRnlLZEJqgFoL9Y/s320/Slide5-719664.JPG" border="0" /></a></strong></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><strong></strong></span></span></p><p style="FONT-FAMILY: georgia"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>Theyyam</strong>: I should write a few words on THEYYAM. This is an art form that has religious, cultural and social dimensions. It is a highly ritualistic folk-dance, well preserved with its rare and gorgeous make-up and costume, lively foot work with lot of verbal and non-verbal expressions. Theyyam is unique to Kannur and Kasargode ('Kolathunadu') and I think represents the glorious past and culture of Kannur. </span></span></p><p face="georgia"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">Though I have seen Theyyam in Tele, this was the first time I was watching it. The belief is, that gods and goddesses come in to our midst through the medium of the possessed dancers and converse with us. The performers usually belong to Vannan, Malayan and Velan communities.</span><br /></span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_V21JneIbRouiEmNwjlxJBj4bhDrKYY-2-mvYoJJlbaTUmWxNV8_t5TNgcTUkIxM88Mz2wl6WJK13dm4Ma3xkh1oQkyMD_1xO2yGOlopjLjKipdiBpRP2px5_jvdpfXSZAPBxYBrskG4/s1600-h/Slide14-726479.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362021968538803890" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_V21JneIbRouiEmNwjlxJBj4bhDrKYY-2-mvYoJJlbaTUmWxNV8_t5TNgcTUkIxM88Mz2wl6WJK13dm4Ma3xkh1oQkyMD_1xO2yGOlopjLjKipdiBpRP2px5_jvdpfXSZAPBxYBrskG4/s320/Slide14-726479.JPG" border="0" /></a></span></span><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;">We went to Parashinnnikadavu temple the next morning to catch a glimpse of it. 'Lord Muthappan' probably represents the dual divinity of Shiva and Vishnu. Therefore there are two Theyyams- 'Thiruvappana' and 'Vellatom' (Shiva- cresent shaped crown and Vishnu- fish shaped crown). They come as a long procession with lots of music, singing and performance. The songs were very traditional with folk rhythms. </span></p><p face="georgia"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">Thiruvappana theyyam looked and felt more powerful. Aunty said that we could go and speak to the theyyam and even ask questions. After the initial rituals and performance that went for about 30 minutes I slowly headed towards them. The Vellatom theyyam held my hands....looked into my eyes and said that I was coming from very long distance...and also that everything is and will be fine in the future :-). It was really powerful.....</span><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Cb5HgP0ZIYQXSFdfur04-V5-POO8HNAAnn9IJOM1DyH-hqRtJGjcBPJo7e8_bj5g277TDwavC8MMKE05bToeuhGgUzcwHliY9EHrtXx_78QJ4_W5mjIzMQEqMiG78hzWa683wJtrG78/s1600-h/Slide15-727435.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362021972144942946" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Cb5HgP0ZIYQXSFdfur04-V5-POO8HNAAnn9IJOM1DyH-hqRtJGjcBPJo7e8_bj5g277TDwavC8MMKE05bToeuhGgUzcwHliY9EHrtXx_78QJ4_W5mjIzMQEqMiG78hzWa683wJtrG78/s320/Slide15-727435.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;">I think if some one wish to learn about the ancient past of North malabar, they should learn about Theyyams. It is so rich in art, culture, heritage, language, rituals and music. Later we went and had prasadam- ie Tea, boiled gram (peas) with coconut slices.</span></p><p face="georgia"><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:130%;">Some distinct features ot temple</span></p><p face="georgia"><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:130%;">1. Dogs are allowed and found inside temple premises</span></p><p style="FONT-FAMILY: georgia"><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:130%;">2. Alcohol/ dry fish/ meat are offerings </span></p><p style="FONT-FAMILY: georgia"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Georgia;">3. Free food given in temple</span><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHjESe0OwvVWJzjzlg-TS_G5A7K_7piI1Mye4RS84Sh0n3dDz-I8IvMYbNSC2LpNL6edXt21NR83f2r8jAo3-wp88ZznJWihGNstGBWcQebsTdRex_DedjAl3JvFD-YngZJIrls69pmeI/s1600-h/Slide17-728980.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362021977423241202" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHjESe0OwvVWJzjzlg-TS_G5A7K_7piI1Mye4RS84Sh0n3dDz-I8IvMYbNSC2LpNL6edXt21NR83f2r8jAo3-wp88ZznJWihGNstGBWcQebsTdRex_DedjAl3JvFD-YngZJIrls69pmeI/s320/Slide17-728980.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeyuGO88GXRD7Vvm5Gs7zux5dK_zmvhPql_B-AqjrH_kL_Sqz_MvWnjg7iBOpiINDSLeQs7AfVESkqBgQJby8LQTaenTVnhapgt1L4Qpg0h-17j-xvpHZ7RGmnZA7iqnCFQsx_MTczTPo/s1600-h/Slide16-728212.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362021977390082850" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeyuGO88GXRD7Vvm5Gs7zux5dK_zmvhPql_B-AqjrH_kL_Sqz_MvWnjg7iBOpiINDSLeQs7AfVESkqBgQJby8LQTaenTVnhapgt1L4Qpg0h-17j-xvpHZ7RGmnZA7iqnCFQsx_MTczTPo/s320/Slide16-728212.JPG" border="0" /></a></span><br /></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">Behind the temple is Valappattanam river. It was monsoon at its best and appeared really beautiful</span><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglFfIxjmLFTSzLcACUCRYyidmiJonbCIK_Rj2Pei1Fg4zl5dfzhtOQGSqb4HkNsZbFpZar-aDxloICFS-vY0UXdWYSDXQci6jOgEecyGZs_zbFTDoz6BVdF0ipDOngoplRtl-3y33KuDY/s1600-h/Slide6-720370.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362021943105942930" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglFfIxjmLFTSzLcACUCRYyidmiJonbCIK_Rj2Pei1Fg4zl5dfzhtOQGSqb4HkNsZbFpZar-aDxloICFS-vY0UXdWYSDXQci6jOgEecyGZs_zbFTDoz6BVdF0ipDOngoplRtl-3y33KuDY/s320/Slide6-720370.JPG" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">Also went to the famous snake park established by none other than Comrade MVR..Never realised that the park had such a rich variety of reptiles and other animals. Will write on this separately. </span><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">That evening went to the famous trinity temples of Kanjirangad, Rajarajeshwara and Thrichambaram.</span><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZHHx9mZIu4OihozpzEDNZy8-uEHbjaL71uI2-A_Q3mF9TFCjAEvCuRLT8aQ9GGqTa51ebw_0uu9P47HtOUzNKysgP37LMB-4FKfoXO2xgh9HAN0-ztSYjVM_N9itFW-Y0XGBm1WU1fKI/s1600-h/Slide8-721788.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362021947382379618" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZHHx9mZIu4OihozpzEDNZy8-uEHbjaL71uI2-A_Q3mF9TFCjAEvCuRLT8aQ9GGqTa51ebw_0uu9P47HtOUzNKysgP37LMB-4FKfoXO2xgh9HAN0-ztSYjVM_N9itFW-Y0XGBm1WU1fKI/s320/Slide8-721788.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">On the way to Kanjirangad</span>...<br /></span><br /><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCAT_nOZ2ewL3cwY_Vx3XuSfp9-VUBxN6pE5bh8H09obbliJjQDM3ziehe546XonJ50lCx_kTgKycuSO6zCV1MqLWzo0aBm_7pIaTKjiJDnkbLQ68T-Kj8jminMqvkSvkqXMex0O8eNsQ/s1600-h/Slide9-722468.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362021952695769458" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCAT_nOZ2ewL3cwY_Vx3XuSfp9-VUBxN6pE5bh8H09obbliJjQDM3ziehe546XonJ50lCx_kTgKycuSO6zCV1MqLWzo0aBm_7pIaTKjiJDnkbLQ68T-Kj8jminMqvkSvkqXMex0O8eNsQ/s320/Slide9-722468.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><p><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;">5. Kanjirangad Vaidyanatha temple: This ancient temple is situated in Pariyaram Panchayat (6km fom Taliparambu and it seems Kooveri is only about 5 km from this place. Should try to visit there this year) ...The main diety is Shiva (believed to be svayambu or self-originated) in 'physician' form. According to Manoj's dad Shiva here is 'doctor's doctor'. Main festival is on Sivarathri but Thiruvathira in the malayalam month of Dhanu is also very important. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">If 6th day of the Malayalam month is Sunday then the devotees will call it 'Six Sunday' ('aarum njayyar')and is considered important. It is believed the same day was the temple installed. Another legend is that as brahmin ladies were prohibited from entering Rajarajeshwara temple(see below) the Kolathiri raja (Shathasoman) constructed this temple.</span><br /></span></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxOcwtrTDsoPeKw8qgTlAuZ9J_NRlyGQ2plVX_ODKepIYB7_uErNKCY6S7hXD86J8BEO2lT0TnoYlVQmrrsOzxSt78FBbUhN1PQoov7muEvf8d9ZDiYbNI7pdurWW5CrPnTH7Hz-9zsuo/s1600-h/Slide10-723534.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362021957938804626" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxOcwtrTDsoPeKw8qgTlAuZ9J_NRlyGQ2plVX_ODKepIYB7_uErNKCY6S7hXD86J8BEO2lT0TnoYlVQmrrsOzxSt78FBbUhN1PQoov7muEvf8d9ZDiYbNI7pdurWW5CrPnTH7Hz-9zsuo/s320/Slide10-723534.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><p><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;">6. Rajarajeshwara temple:<br />This was the second temple we visited that evening. Felt very strong vibes at this temple.. Taliparamba is regarded as one of the ancient Shakti Peethams. Legend has it that the head of Sati fell here after Shiva's tandavam following Sati's self-immolation. The main festival celebrations are Shivarathri and Vishu. In olden days there were 64days festival during the interval between Shivarathri and Vishu.<br /><br />The temple is considered as one of the 108 ancient Shiva temples of Kerala by most experts. It has a prominent place amongst the numerous Shiva temples in south India. If any problem is encountered in temples of South India, the final solution is said to be sorted here by 'prashnamvaippu'<br /><br />Some unique characteristics:<br /><br />1.The temple has no kodi maram as opposed to most other temples in Kerala<br />2.Men are allowed to enter the shrine at any time, but women are allowed only after 8 PM (the belief is that shiva would have gone to Cherukuunu Annapoorneshwari temple by then)<br />3.It may be that the main diety could be in Shankaranarayanan form or rajaguru Brihaspathy as Rajarajeshwara sankalpam (acceptable to both Shaivites and Vaishnavites). However, it is generally and widely accepted that Shiva is the main diety, though 'Koovalam' flowers that are dearest to Shiva are not used here for pujas<br />4. Only 'Neyyvilakku' (ghee) is allowed inside the 'chuttamblam' and oil is not permitted<br />5."Moonnedhathu thozheekuka"- A custom whereby pregant women (except brahmins) visit and pray at three prominent temples in Taliparamba. Apart from Rajarajeshwara temple, the other two temples are Sri Krishna temple at Trichambaram and Vaidyanatha (Shiva) at Kanjiragad. It is believed that Shiva at Rajarajeshwara temple assures the child a high status, Sri Krishna of Trichambaram bestows it with good nature and mental qualities and Shiva at Kanjiragad temple gives the child long life. (Brahmin ladies, instead of this temple goes to Thrichambaram, Mazhoor and Kanjirangad)<br />6.This temple is also considered as most sacred for performing Koodiyattam and Chakyar Koothu Whenever a new Koodiyattam is being directed, it is first performed at this temple. The title "Vidūshakaratnam" and "Veerashringhala", a Golden Bracelet are given from this temple for acheivements in these performing arts </span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">7.It is also believed that Sri Raman during his victorious return from Lanka, stopped here to offer worship to Lord Shiva. In honor of his presence, devotees are not allowed into the 'namaskara mandapam' even today</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">History:<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">The Shiva linga here is believed to be thousands of years old. Legend has it that Siva gave three sacred Siva lingas to Parvati for worship.<br /><br />1. A sage called Maandhata prayed Shiva and it seems lord Shiva gave one of the Siva lingas to him and said to install only at a place where there was no cremation ground. The sage, after searching all over, found Taliparamba the most sacred spot where he installed the Shivalinga. After his death, the linga however disappeared into the earth.<br />2. Maandhats's son Muchukunda offered similar prayers to Siva and got a second linga, which too disappeared in course of time.<br />3. After many centuries the third Shivalinga was handed down to King Shathasoman. He then installed it in the present temple built by him</span><br /></span><br /><br /><br /></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkdWMMrxMT4HV7pHXTmlG4TkNSmhkjwbmvm2tBKSya8SA0buUakRoliyWm2jILZsyG68NTbNirLl0c_grRSCAl3MmkfhptLG_6lBNIM7r9hfulA0V6cYD8Q8MTsHij_uT7xbc8hXRQxzw/s1600-h/Slide11-724302.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362021962238483410" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkdWMMrxMT4HV7pHXTmlG4TkNSmhkjwbmvm2tBKSya8SA0buUakRoliyWm2jILZsyG68NTbNirLl0c_grRSCAl3MmkfhptLG_6lBNIM7r9hfulA0V6cYD8Q8MTsHij_uT7xbc8hXRQxzw/s320/Slide11-724302.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;">7. Thrichambaram Sreekrishna temple </span><span class="HoverPopup" id="l5796562"><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;">This temple is considered the 'grama-temple' of Thaliparambu. </span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">The temple is believed to have got the name from Thiru Shambara or the holy shambara in reverence to Maharishi Shambara. Trichambaram Temple has three ponds attached to it, with the temple for Durga(Jaladurga). There is also a belief that as Srikrishna is in 'roudra bhavam' (Fiery mood) praying here early in the morning may not be 'utthamam' </span><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;">The annual temple festival is for a fortnight-from Kumbham 22 (usually March 6) every year to Meenam 6 (which generally falls on March 20). Elephants are not permitted for the festival celebrations.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">On Kumbham 22 'Balaraman' comes from Mazhoor temple . Till meenam 2nd there is '</span><span style="font-family:georgia;">thitambu-nritham' at pookottunada. On Meenam third there is no major ritual. On the 4th there is 'nadu valamvaikkal'. On the 5th it is 'Chirayil aarrattu'. On the 6th its brothers parting (Koodipiriyyal). This is said to be very emotional. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:130%;">It was raining heavily when we were doing the pradashinam. It was pitch dark when we came to sree-ayyappan's kovil. But somehow lights came on when we started praying. It was amazing! The lights went off as soon as we left!! The puja for Jala-durga was also amazing. A lot of strong vibes in the vicinity..... </span></p><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">8. Perillasherry Sri Subrahmanya temple<br />This temple is located at Perillasherry near koothuparambu. I was excited to hear that this is AKG's place; but the journey along the Kannur – Koothuparambu road was Horrible with abundant holes, bumps and 'small rainwater pools'. Literally the roads to Perillasherry were in Perils.</span><br /></span><br /><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIVGGsBQ6cqF6vDLl2hLNCNzk5qX28_L95iVL46kFNkh4gzudS4U2o3ZKxpo3gahAQttr7aMtxYxM-Z77ljyQikEjNQNNG88u4jrH8azFcKmbs7zbqwakQo0A56WYm8nNqzzoenZNUL5k/s1600-h/Slide18-729627.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362021984696507442" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIVGGsBQ6cqF6vDLl2hLNCNzk5qX28_L95iVL46kFNkh4gzudS4U2o3ZKxpo3gahAQttr7aMtxYxM-Z77ljyQikEjNQNNG88u4jrH8azFcKmbs7zbqwakQo0A56WYm8nNqzzoenZNUL5k/s320/Slide18-729627.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">According to Manoj's dad, the temple is said to be consecrated by Sriraman. As Hanuman was late bringing the idol, Sriraman took his bangle ('peruvala') and made the idol...so it is called 'peru-vala-cherri' that later became perillasherry</span>.</span><br /><br /><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqwZhYBnxUwsNU3I_RT8YLW6PkOveb1EmrCnopDhIVUBtNyqK4uXULc-cW1MWlUkAfsLnRAlGVJqFuNd4pqd8hB6hTtGXGfBVyq05eC1aAUXGjXA8otwfUQ3Ygq-A3KvAYlCUvh4PswvA/s1600-h/Slide19-730268.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362021987211635666" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqwZhYBnxUwsNU3I_RT8YLW6PkOveb1EmrCnopDhIVUBtNyqK4uXULc-cW1MWlUkAfsLnRAlGVJqFuNd4pqd8hB6hTtGXGfBVyq05eC1aAUXGjXA8otwfUQ3Ygq-A3KvAYlCUvh4PswvA/s320/Slide19-730268.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmUvzbb5zSCB4NNfaeYYieMcU8kn0UlC8tpZjoCqiGm-SxY_GJ5gjx7TyQjc261J7fHE6JhsxwOmrxKa-BOn4bTVHxkCmWHuk4xVq0sGlnjeouuqgncEBvLXorbgeKNtYh4S01DdY1hIc/s1600-h/Slide20-730929.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362021987342153506" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmUvzbb5zSCB4NNfaeYYieMcU8kn0UlC8tpZjoCqiGm-SxY_GJ5gjx7TyQjc261J7fHE6JhsxwOmrxKa-BOn4bTVHxkCmWHuk4xVq0sGlnjeouuqgncEBvLXorbgeKNtYh4S01DdY1hIc/s320/Slide20-730929.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><p><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">There is a huge pool in front of the temple. It had well laiden bricks and steps... After Perillashery went to see Parameshwaran Namboodiri and then it was good bye to Kannur.</span> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZZgh4gUHDWVLK4-NjnsFtQHec56Ln0aRCLBhGDaSy-l-1h9PenAZltTrvjzJFA5yTQfZkdM8bSHEhQCHtlAVjqPqgG00aNECDCTWTC5bM21awXWlrg2tPM8yaYZLe8J2-Vo1J9JnXPvI/s1600-h/Slide21-731582.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362021992584272834" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZZgh4gUHDWVLK4-NjnsFtQHec56Ln0aRCLBhGDaSy-l-1h9PenAZltTrvjzJFA5yTQfZkdM8bSHEhQCHtlAVjqPqgG00aNECDCTWTC5bM21awXWlrg2tPM8yaYZLe8J2-Vo1J9JnXPvI/s320/Slide21-731582.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:130%;">On my way to Thrissur now......a short but sweet visit . A kind of Déjà vu......May be I should be saying I came I saw and I got conquered by the beauty and fragrance of north malabar.....</span></p></span>PCVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12865190746248266517noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158819904218934589.post-37106011205716818652009-07-22T22:06:00.010+01:002009-07-24T11:40:42.403+01:00100 moments of solitudeMost people are afraid of solitude...Not having a friend or a partner or family with you all the time is something many people cannot imagine. But doesn't solitude have a beauty of its own? In fact if you consider this is in a philosophical way we come to the world on our own (unless we are one of the twins/triplets!), go from this world on our own and when we sleep (ie more than one third of our life time), we are on our own (not sure until we wake up)...<br /><br />Solitude, I meant is not complete isolation or loneliness or complete lack of social contact. Infact on the contrary I meant it as living on our own at the same time having a great social life...It is important to make a distinction between 'Loneliness' and 'Solitude'.<br /><br />Loneliness is a negative state, marked by a sense of isolation. One feels that something is missing. You can be in a big party and can feel completely lost or you could be with people you know and still feel lonely (I remember a movie written by MT Vasudevan Nair-'aalkoottathil thaniyae'..this concept is beautifully expressed!).<br /><br />Solitude is the state of being alone without being lonely. It is a positive feeling and constructive state of engagement with oneself. In solitude you yourself are your best companion! Solitude would be an ideal opportunity to reflect on ones own life...A person will have all the time in the world and it is no longer time that controls you, but you control time. You are not adjusting your life for someone else but your life gets adjusted for you. There is no hidden agenda, no sacrifices, no disturbances...you are like a free bird. Solitude in this manner can be refreshing, rejuvenating, replenising and revitalizing ones own inner state of richness.<br /><br />The duration and degree of solitude and its effects also depends on ones personality: For some its alright attitude and feel very comfortable on their own, some cannot remain on their own even for a few minutes and gets terribly disturbed and dissatisfied, for others like monks solitude is a way to spiritual awakening (specifically long-term solitude).<br /><br />In scientific terms human nature is to form social/ personal relationships especially from a evolutionary point of view. Though long term total isolation can be disturbing and might have untoward effects on human physiology; solitude can be a bliss; where you are what you are, how you are and be 'yourself'.<br /><br />I conclude by a popular quote: Loneliness is the poverty of self and solitude is the richness of self.PCVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12865190746248266517noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158819904218934589.post-77104128430105536332009-07-04T00:25:00.005+01:002009-07-06T09:38:08.371+01:00Homosexuality in IndiaThe Delhi High court in a landmark judgement last week struck down the provision of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code which criminalised consensual sexual acts of adults in private, holding that it violated the fundamental right of life and liberty and the right to equality as guaranteed in the Constitution. However, the court was clear that “the provisions of Section 377 will continue to govern non-consensual sex and sex involving minors.” The court quoted from Nehru's own words "the theme of inclusiveness" that is so fundamental to India's constitution ie the rights of minority sect.<br /><br />This ruling doesn't mean that homosexual act in india is legal, but it is not criminal. It is important to make this distinction in the judgement between decriminalising the act and legalising the act. Indian judiciary has stepped in once again when the politicians, legislatures and conservatives hesitated to act conclusively. This indicates the strength, power and fairness of the Indian constituition /Judiciary<br /><br />There will be a lot of opposition especially from the conservative elements of the society. The points that are likely to be raised against this ruling are that-Homosexuality is against the law of nature (I don't know who dictates or defines 'law of nature'?), it is not according to the traditions, values, religion(s) and that the society will fall into chaos.<br /><br />A persons sexual orientation or behaviour is likely to be influened by both nature and nurture; wearing my hat as a scientist I would say it's more in your 'genes than in your jeans'. ie more genetic factors combined with hormonal (pre and post natal) and environmental influences. So from a medical point of view homosexuality could a 'normal' variant (or 'abnormal' based on ones thinking)<br /><br />The issue has been mentioned in various religious traditions. All the abrahamic religions(Judaisim, Christianity and Islam) believe that homosexual behaviour is sinful. In Indian religious traditions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism) it is less clear and is seldom discussed in detail. However, rig veda says 'Vikruti Evam Prakriti' which probably mean 'what seems un-natural is also natural', and some interpret this as 'any act is natural'.<br /><br />I also remember a malayalam movie in this context- 'Deshadanakkili Karayarilla'...a movie that clearly portraits the relationship between two girls (a lesbian and possibly a bi-sexual) so subtly handled by none other than late P. Padmarajan. He is so skillful and tactful in producing such a work of art during his time. This reveals his genius nature and wide variety of themes he uses in his movies.<br /><br />Coming back to the subject of LGBT, a change in law doesn't change society's perception. This is a step, society may take many years to accept or follow. It would be better to debate on this subject from a social, political and legal angle rather than bringing religion into it. Most importantly what is required is an awareness, education and more open discussion.PCVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12865190746248266517noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158819904218934589.post-76324347388920382552009-06-28T09:50:00.012+01:002009-06-29T23:50:37.870+01:00കഥ പറയും മുന്പേ......AK Lohithadas passed away this morning...Very sad and unexpected loss to the whole malayalam film industry.<br /><br />I would say that he is one of this kind of 'scripwriter- director' whose movies were high in artistic content,but at the same time, depicted common mans life and themes in a realistic way...very similar to the 'Padmarajan- Bharathan', 'Sreenivasan-Sathyan Anthikad' combinations he made many successful movies in what is called the 'Golden age of Malayalam cinema' (eighties and ninties) with Sibi Malayil. Before this time there were broadly two types of movies ie either the art /parallel cinema and the mainstream commercial movies. The boundary between these two were gone in the late 80's ...thanks to all these filmakers.<br /><br />Lohithadas' first script was for the movie 'thaniavarthanam' and after that there was no turning back. He wrote script for about 30 movies, directed about 10 movies, acted and wrote songs in a few. He received many state and atleast one national award (Bhoothakannadi-his debut movie as a director) if I remember correctly. Most of his movies had a bit of tragedy in it and may be thats one of the reason it stays in mind for ever.<br /><br />Some of his memorable movies and scenes for me include:<br />1. The helpless mother mixing poison in rice and giving it to her son (Thaniavarthanam)<br />2. The dashing of the hopes and aspirations of a middleclass young man and his family due to just one incident and how the society sees it and dictates the life of people (Kireedam)<br />3. The relationship and love between two brothers and the circumstances that lead to one's concealment of the others death and the trauma, he experiences..... (Bharatham)<br />4. The dreams of a poor fisherman father (and daughter) who wants his daughter to become a doctor being shattered by her love and subsequent marriage to her childhood friend (Amaram)<br />5. The life of an extended farming family in Kerala told through the responsible and loving elder brother (Vatsalyam)<br /><br />One dialogue I cannot forget is in Dasharatham (Mohanlal). This dialogue probably summarises what Lohithadas has to say about life....<br /><br />"ഇതു എന്റെ life ആണ് . ഞാന് അത് ചില്ല് പാത്രം പോലെ എറിഞ്ഞു പൊട്ടിക്കും , അലമാരിക്കുള്ളില് ഇട്ടു പൂട്ടും , ചപ്പാത്തി പോലെ പരത്തും ,റബ്ബര് പന്ത് പോലെ കളിക്കും അത് എന്റെ ഇഷ്ടം . ആരും ഒന്നും പറയണ്ട ”<br /><br />This list is endless ...His highness abdullah, Kamaladalam, Adharam, Sallapam, Kanmadam etc, etc...His loss is irreplacable( like Padmarajan), but I hope he has shown the way for others to make similar themes in the future and bring back the golden days of Malayalam cinema...PCVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12865190746248266517noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158819904218934589.post-90030541027979789602009-06-26T09:22:00.021+01:002009-06-26T15:50:33.138+01:00A tribute to the 'King of pop'I was in disbelief when LA Times and CNBC first confirmed the death of Michael Jackson last night. He 'is' the king of pop music...a true legend. His music was an inspiration for one whole generation. He produced the sort of music which is played and popular in all parts of the world.<br /><br />Michael Jackson's music was of a unique variety that left a long lasting impression when one hear it. It appealed all ages from paediatrics to geriatrics....He was a popular culture for over 4 decades...The influence and inspiration he had on the young generation is amazing. His flamboyant clothing (tight military style jacket) his dance movements like backward-gliding moonwalk, his feverish sometimes squeaky, crotch-grabbing dance moves and his high-pitched singing with his trademark sunglasses and his ever-changing, surgically altered appearance all meade him arguably the most exciting performer of his generation<br /><br />I first listened Micheal Jacksons songs as a kid in school. His album Thriller was a great hit..one of the all time hits. His songs in that ie Thriller, Billie jean, Beat it etc were just out of the world...<br /><br />The whole world is mourning his death....from Tokyo to Timbaktu...from Mombasa to Mexico<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKEPo1VAGqiVr0U_7mspbjaBmLZxpQuhWLGfjEENDTZifXfWFbEnbf3QXPV-REnTdO4JB-lvevtad6UEnGtmKUWZsSHUn5p7IBjvotqoR7MWUq1M_c8fprXk9ttW4SQMQNvHOtHzLFfsA/s1600-h/MJ.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKEPo1VAGqiVr0U_7mspbjaBmLZxpQuhWLGfjEENDTZifXfWFbEnbf3QXPV-REnTdO4JB-lvevtad6UEnGtmKUWZsSHUn5p7IBjvotqoR7MWUq1M_c8fprXk9ttW4SQMQNvHOtHzLFfsA/s1600-h/MJ.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKEPo1VAGqiVr0U_7mspbjaBmLZxpQuhWLGfjEENDTZifXfWFbEnbf3QXPV-REnTdO4JB-lvevtad6UEnGtmKUWZsSHUn5p7IBjvotqoR7MWUq1M_c8fprXk9ttW4SQMQNvHOtHzLFfsA/s1600-h/MJ.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351557287725384834" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 271px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKEPo1VAGqiVr0U_7mspbjaBmLZxpQuhWLGfjEENDTZifXfWFbEnbf3QXPV-REnTdO4JB-lvevtad6UEnGtmKUWZsSHUn5p7IBjvotqoR7MWUq1M_c8fprXk9ttW4SQMQNvHOtHzLFfsA/s400/MJ.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />A mourning fan in front of his wax statue in Las vegas<br /><br />In our college there used to be lot of people who dressed, acted and 'idoled' him. I remember a guy at Mar-Ivanious who was just like him...his mannerisms..the way he rode the bike etc..<br />Another major influence MJ had was in 'Break dance'....All the youngsters tried his signature moonwalking or various acrobatics!...infact every, almost every other student wanted to be like him.... If you speak to any person (young or old) about western music they would all know Michael Jackson. Such was his popularity......It seems that even a 'drink' in Malayasia is named after him!<br /><br />Michael Jackson was the biggest pop sensation of our time (similar to Elvis and 'Beatles' in the previous era) . One of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, his other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records—including one for "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time"—13 Grammy Awards, 13 number one singles in his solo career—more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era. His peak was in mid 80's to mid 90's. Later in his life he faced many accusations and was described as a 'tortured genius'.<br /><br />He was coming to London next month, where I was planning to watch him live for the first time :-( .......But his style and music will remain in millions of hearts for generations to come..........<br /><br />His albums were:<br />Got to Be There (1972)<br />Ben (1972)<br />Music and Me (1973)<br />Forever, Michael (1975)<br />Off the Wall (1979)<br />Thriller (1982) Thriller is said to be the world's best-selling record of all time.<br />Bad (1987)<br />Dangerous (1991)<br />HIStory (1995)<br />Invincible (2001)PCVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12865190746248266517noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158819904218934589.post-84193636623909170132009-04-10T19:07:00.007+01:002009-06-26T13:22:53.979+01:00Idealess and hopeless star singer contestI couldn't help not writing a few words on this programme which I started watching recently.....Its called Idea Star Singer 2008, supposed to be a 'hit' programme in Kerala.I had asianet TV for the last 6 years but have not watched this till this year. <div><br /></div><div>What happened on the 'Kacheri round' for Somadas and the subsequent bullying of him in the hands of the Anchor-girl and Judging panel is beyond some thing civilised people could comprehend in the 21st century. The respect and interest I had for this have gone..... <div><br /></div><div>A person should never have been humiliated like this in front of a live audience and those watching this programme all over the world (and in youtube).....</div><div><br /></div><div>To add insult to injury, the anchor person was appealing to the public (indirectly) not to vote for Somadas</div><div>Except one judge all were brutal, cruel and saddistic towards this unfortunate chap. I dont have any civilised words in my dictionary to express this atrocity...sorry.....</div></div>PCVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12865190746248266517noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158819904218934589.post-8089736206425812272009-02-12T22:55:00.005+00:002009-06-24T13:38:18.170+01:00Raja Yoga- 2First and Second session: http://adhvaitha.blogspot.com/2009/02/raja-yoga.html<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Third Session (10.2.09)</span><br /><br />Soul is a point of light which has three different levels of energy/ consciousness<br /><br />1. Mind (Conscious)<br />2. Intellect (Conscience)<br />3. Sanskaras( Sub-conscious)<br /><br />Mind creates a thought and then experiences the thought; The intellect acts like a filter, it analyses the experiences and thoughts and finally the action is made. This creates an imprint on our soul and this is called Sanskaras (or sub-conscious mind), that determine our personal traits.<br /><br />Paramjit explained this by an example of smoking addiction. How we first generate the thought of smoking due to various reasons (trail or peer pressure or other reasons), then we act and later we act with out intellect and thus it becomes a habit/ addiction. Its a vicious cycle. In order to break this habit or stop the addiction we need to use our intellect to filter out the urge to act sub-consciously. Therefore the key to stop or quit an addiction or habit is to awaken your intellect.<br /><br />When one is 'body conscious' ones intellect is sleeping and when one is 'soul conscious' our intellect is awake. Remember the most important aspect of Raja Yoga meditation is to consistently making our intellect stronger and thereby strengthening our conscience.<br /><br />Paramjit also emphasised on speaking less and listening more that is a key communication skill. So speak less, speak softly and speak sweetly.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Fourth Session (12.02.2009)</span><br /><br />Today's session was on Law of Karma.<br /><br />Paramjit explained to us Karma ie 'the law of cause and effect'. As Laws in physics state there is an equal and opposite reaction to every action; in Spiritual terms this is "To what ever I give, I get back an equal amount".<br /><br />The types of Action:<br /><br />1. Positive<br />2. Negative<br />3. Neutral<br /><br />A positive action would be to help others, to serve, to smile etc. A negative action is hatred, be angry, to hit etc and a neutral action is like "Iam going to write an article"...Now what you write can be a positive action or a negative action depending on the content.<br /><br />There are 2 important aspects in Action<br /><ul><li>Actions are determined by intentions</li><li>Intentions are based on Awareness</li></ul>What determines the action is not the 'act' itself, its the intention behind the action.. Both the Murderer and a Surgeon have a knife in hand to 'rip' open the body......but ones intention is to take life and others is to save life...<br /><br />Similarly Paramjit gave the scenario of a recent charity dinner where one person comes forward and when every one looks on writes a hefty sum on a cheque and hand it over to the lord mayor. He gets a great applause. Another person meanwhile walks quietly along the side of the auditorium, writes a similar amount and drops it anonymously. No body notices this action. Both the persons were giving the same amount...so the action is the same, but the intention is different. Both had opened a 'karmic account'. The first one had settled it then and there itself, when he gets the applause, instant popularity and probably a television interview. For the second person he has now got a 'credit' in his/ her 'karmic account'.<br /><br />In the cycle of "Past- Present- Future", the vital part is present. The present is 'the gift'. Make good use of present. Do positive action with good intention, unconditionally. Your past(or past karmas) cannot be changed and future (according to the law of karma) is based on present and past actions. So do good action altruistically in the present.<br /><br />There are 3 ways to settle karma<br />1. Suffering<br />2. Good action<br />3. Is possibly the easiest way(?), which Paramjit promised to explore in the next session<br /><br />A few more quotes from today<br /><br />"Be simple and be a sample"<br />"Never give sorrow, never take sorrow"<br /><br />We are half way through the course. It has been a fascinating journey so far and re-discovering ourselves. I must conclude that Paramjit is doing a great service to the society. om shanthi............PCVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12865190746248266517noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158819904218934589.post-89108270009609325082008-09-03T10:16:00.024+01:002009-06-23T22:25:41.627+01:00First day at new school03.09.08<br />Today was the first day for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Manikutty</span> at new school. I went back many years and tried to recollect what happened on my first day at school. I remember clearly the Nursery which <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Anju</span> and I went as 3-4 year <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">olds</span>. It had huge walls all around like a fort, so that 3 year <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">olds</span> wouldn't jump over it! Royal-blue coloured big gates, had an open space in the centre, classrooms all around, a kitchen, dining hall and office room at one end. It was like a '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">nallukettu</span>' so that all teachers and students can see whats happening in the central field. I remember that for many years we had a group nursery-photo taken at that time in our house, but don't know where is it now.<br /><br />I also remember clearly when my parents took me to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">HolyAngels</span> Nursery school (Marion Villa Convent) at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Kumarapuram</span> for admission to Grade 1. I some how did not like the school, probably terrified by the traditional habit worn by the Nun sisters:-(; It seemed that I was very upset and tried to run away ( in fact ran...) from the school office when I saw the 'officials'..... My parents were puzzled by my behaviour which seemed to be quite uncharacteristic of me. Anyway they got the message that I didn't like the school and so took me another school. That's when I saw <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Arya</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Kumara</span> Ashram or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Arya</span> Central School for the first time.<br /><br />I felt in love with the school when I saw it the first time. It had lots of play grounds, few nice buildings and classrooms. There were lot of paintings from Hindu Mythology all around the office walls. I especially remember <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Saraswati</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">devi</span>, Lakshmi <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">devi</span>, Lord Shiva and also Swami Vivekananda. I met Mr <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Shankaran</span> Nair, the strict principal at school. He was a bit bald, but what ever hair was left on his temporal side of the head was nicely combed backwards. He always wore light colored clothes (well pressed) and walked around with a long cane in his hand. Usually children from Upper Kindergarten at that school progress on to Grade 1. So I had to write an entrance test that included learning an <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">altogetherly</span> new subject for me - HINDI. I had a couple of days to prepare for the test, including learning and writing all the Hindi alphabets. It seems that I came first in the test( that's what my mother told me) and was offered a place in Grade1 ( though I had a few more months left for my 5<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">th</span> birthday).<br /><br />Now back to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Manikutty</span>. After her 2 years at Montessori Preparatory school and Grammar school, we were looking for good schools around Leicester for year1. We shortlisted a few schools and she was offered a place in all the 4 schools after assessment. Though <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">fairfield</span> prep was the furthest of all schools, we (M<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">anikutty</span> too) chose it, due to many reasons. The moment I saw the school, I felt like studying here! It was a sense of belonging. The school was big with many buildings and lot of open space and playgrounds. It had a proven track history...More than 500 years is not so bad ahh!( <a href="http://www.leshigh.org/">http://www.leshigh.org/</a>) .The approach and attitude of all the officials were fantastic, especially the Head Teacher.<br /><br />Woke up early today and prepared breakfast and packed lunch for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">Manikutty</span>. Woke her up and got her ready for school. While driving and waiting in the traffic congestion with Manikutty sitting at rear seat, thought about how our parents went through all this; 10 years each for all of us.......felt good and relaxed.....We were listening to '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">Shivakeerthanam</span>' in car stereo. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">Manikutty</span> was also relaxed (as usual) and at the same time excited to reach schools as fast as possible. But the traffic was slow moving, especially when we were nearing L<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">oughborough</span> schools. Somehow got a parking space and carried Mani and her school bag n lunch to reach the classroom before start. It was nice to see the parents, students, teachers etc walking in an orderly fashion through the walkway that led to school. Mrs <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">Collington</span> ( Class teacher) was waiting outside Year I classroom...She welcomed us and took Mani inside. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">Manikutty</span> was fine and I gave her a kiss before heading back to the car. It all appeared like a movie...so surreal....<br /><br /><em>Tail piece</em>: Just read that 30 years ago on this day, a group of young men started shooting a Malayalam movie in front of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">Attukal</span> temple in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">Trivandrum</span>. Any guesses?.........<br />The movie's name was '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">Thiranottam</span>' and the actor who took the first shot was none other than <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">Mohanlal</span>.PCVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12865190746248266517noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158819904218934589.post-12242320840852201182008-10-22T10:28:00.010+01:002009-06-23T13:36:15.933+01:00Over the MoonIndia successfully launched Chandrayaan-1. Its a major achievement for Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). <span style="MARGIN-LEFT: 2pt">It is a time for jubilation for all Indians and specifically the scientific community of India and they are cherishing every moment of it with the successful launch.</span> In two weeks time the robotic probe will reach the lunar orbit (about 100 km).It will orbit the Moon, compiling a 3-D atlas of the lunar surface and mapping the distribution of elements and minerals.<br /><br />ISRO revealed that Chandrayaan-1 is only the beginning, and that the mission, which is expected to last for two years, will be followed by Chandrayaan-2, which will go even further, by landing on the Moon, and continue exploration with a rover. India’s plans don’t stop here, and in the future, the ISRO also hopes it will be able to send an unmanned spacecraft to Mars and beyond (to asteroids and comets, and even one to study the Sun). Mr Madhavan Nair Chairman of ISRO announced that they plan to send a man to space in 2015. For the time being, the Moon awaits......<br /><br />Unlike the lunar and space race in the 60's and 70's that was probably exploratory or for supremacy (between erstwhile Soviet Union and US), the present spike of interest in moon exploration (especially from Europe, Japan and China) is more commercial, scientific and even has tactical implications. It is to find out what is there on the moon, and whether technologies can be developed on earth to make rewarding use of lunar resources.The presence of helium-3, believed to be a clean and excellent fuel of the future is just one of the reasons why countries want to literally, reach for the moon. The Moon may well hold hidden tales about the early history of the Solar System, its evolution and of the crucial period when life emerged on the Earth.<br /><br />The Chandrayaan-1 lunar probe marks an effort by ISRO to go beyond the Vikram Sarabhai dream (Father of Indian Space Program) — a first step in taking on the challenges of deep space exploration. ISRO is setting a trend in space exploration by demonstrating the fact that we are all one world ie "Vasudeva Kudumbakam" (the entire creation of God is one family). It is exemplified by the fact that the mission includes five ISRO payloads and six payloads from other international space agencies including NASA, ESA and the Bulgarian Aerospace Agency, which are being carried free of cost. Congrats to all the scientists and people behind this successful venture. I conclude with the words of Professor Vikram Sarabhai (1919-1971)<br /><br />"There are some who question the relevance of space activities in a developing nation. To us, there is no ambiguity of purpose. We do not have the fantasy of competing with the economically advanced nations in the exploration of the moon or the planets or manned space-flight. But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second to none in the application of advanced technologies to the real problems of man and society. "PCVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12865190746248266517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158819904218934589.post-58393392279196866742008-07-21T16:08:00.005+01:002009-06-23T12:33:29.965+01:00Barnhill farm<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSva5Wato3S0VbZ27UKibf7ttIjCq_y79vDBRokgR1sxlle91EzK3ZBea_ib_tuLqNDg_VOeQMUAS1HdcB9zPjwip9Ezsa2_33YIL29Mslyxd7tsKkry-MkhJMjajkogqf2XNEpy2IYDM/s1600-h/DSC00971.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225484584955722914" style="CURSOR: pointer" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSva5Wato3S0VbZ27UKibf7ttIjCq_y79vDBRokgR1sxlle91EzK3ZBea_ib_tuLqNDg_VOeQMUAS1HdcB9zPjwip9Ezsa2_33YIL29Mslyxd7tsKkry-MkhJMjajkogqf2XNEpy2IYDM/s320/DSC00971.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Yes, this is a free range poultry farm in the north west of London at Balumaman's home! He has done spectacularly well in converting his back garden into a good poultry farm and says his dream is to live in a big farmland house. This reminded me very much of our childhood days at Santhi cottage. We used to let open all the chickens into our compound, run around to catch all off them and then lock them up. Prasanth was the expert!PCVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12865190746248266517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158819904218934589.post-75648848424368389722008-10-19T06:12:00.016+01:002009-06-23T12:29:49.582+01:00Kerala Art and Literary AssociationYesterday went to the KALA (Kerala Art and Literary Association) annual get-together. It always feels nice to be at KALA. The main reason being its different from the usual malayali get-together.<br /><br />This association is the Brain child of Dr Sukumaran Nair, started in 1996. As its website says KALA is <span class="Normal-C5">an ever growing network of like-<wbr>minded friends and families based across the length and breadth of United Kingdom committed to promoting Kerala's rich and varied artistic, literary and cultural heritage among international community, particularly younger British Malayalees.<br /><br />The annual day celebrations have been held for the last few years at Parmiters school hall in Watford, usually on a Saturday evening in October. I still remember the first time I went to the KALA garden party in 1999 with Balumaman and Susha aunty. It was like a 'small kerala' recreated in this part of the world. Since then I have tried to attend the annual celebrations every year, but have not been successful a few years due to various commitments. I think Balumaman has been to almost every KALA function since 1999.<br /><br />Every year there will be a couple of invited chief guests who are eminent malayalees from the socio-cultural-literary world. Over the last decade the chief guests have included Sri Madhusudhanan Nair, Sri ONV Kurup, Sri Nedumudi Venu, Singer Sri Venugopal, Sri Vishnu Narayanan Namboothiri etc. 'KALA evenings' reminds me to some extend of the 'Surya' cultural society celebrations or other cultural evenings at Kanakakunnu palace, Trivandrum.<br /><br />The performances at KALA are usually a class of its own ; but probably the the best part of this evening is catching up with our old friends, meeting new ones and sometimes surprise meeting with a person whom you have not met for many years (how just a casual comment by Unnikrishnan snowballed into a big circle of new friends for me is a long story...will write on that later....)<br /><br />The dinner is in traditional kerala style..but I like the 'vada' and snacks more, that are served at the start of the meeting. This year I was particularly impressed with the performance of KALA Youth; the skit was excellent. Another unique feature of KALA is the in-house magazine PALMLEAF that has a rich mix of articles written by the malayali talents in UK. All in all it was a superb evening with wonderful performances, great crowd, delicious food and colourful atmosphere. ....like a real 'malabar dream' come true.....<br /></span>PCVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12865190746248266517noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158819904218934589.post-20699363812069231342008-09-22T10:11:00.020+01:002009-06-23T12:28:35.072+01:00The poly-tricks in KeralaKerala has a lot of firsts to its credit. First Indian State to achieve total literacy/ State first to implement land reforms/ State with highest life expectancy/ State with lowest birth rate/ State with lowest infant mortality/ Only state with hospital facility in every village/ State in which the communication infrastructure is the highest.<br /><br />Every political party in power, will high-light these 'firsts' as their own achievement...But there is also another side...ie its the state with the highest suicide rate, highest alcohol consumption rate, highest morbidity, highest unemployment rate and probably the home of caste, communal and coalition politics......<br /><br />In Modern Kerala the usual trend especially in the last 25 years is to vote in either of the two 'democratic' coalitions (Interestingly in the dictionary coalition describes a temporary group or union of organisations usually formed for a <span style="font-size:+0;">particular advantage!</span>). The two fronts are the LDF or the Left Democratic Front headed by CPI(M) or Communist Party of India( Marxist) and the UDF or United Democratic Front lead by the Indian National Congress or simply the Congress party.<br /><br />The first coalition was in 1967 when the Communist party under the late EMS (Elamkulam Manakkal Sankaran Namboodiripad) led a seven-party coalition including the Muslim League (now called by the Communist party as a communal party) to form the government. Before that in 1957 he had led the Communists to victory in the first election for the state government, making him the first communist leader anywhere to head a popularly elected democratic government. It is said that that government was probably one of the better ones that Kerala had as each and every minister with a couple of exceptions were experts and specialists in their own field like Prof Joseph Mundassery for Education, Dr AR Menon for Health, Mr VR Krishna Iyer for Law etc. This government soon introduced the land Reform Ordinance and Education Bill and subsequently was dismissed in 1959 by the Central Government, which invoked the controversial Article 356 of the Indian Constitution following what became later known as the 'Liberation Struggle' or വിമോചന സമരം ...<br /><br />Over the years coalition governments with and without the Communists or Congress and with the help of so called 'communal parties' (overtly or covertly) came to power in Kerala. The most popular and deep rooted political party in Kerala is the Marxist party or CPI(M), (though the CPI or UDF wouldn't agree to that)... Their policies have a big influence in the daily life of Kerala. The other parties tends to follow or react to what Marxist party does. However, the CPI(M) tend to exhibit their basic instinct of study and struggle (as the "kutti" comrades of their student faction) even when they are in power. The CPI(M) since the demise of EMS have been searching for a theoretician who can lead them and this remains as one of their main problems. When I recently visited Kannur, Karunakaran Uncle told me that EMS was good in Tharkashasthram ie creating a debate out of context and from no-where, winning the debate and reaping the benefits. The vacuum left by EMS is yet to be filled.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitaiRpl0HkOOPSjG0KQ0tdTV9_mX27dgiQXLgFyUD0kJ8GSbQuqZca3FerMT3Jes0lq70Jt4Vo6OamGXFyXrR2-UDqAWWm20WP8IWjbjLtKiqHOT_UsH9CBh-puLZlLYUKARRfiMoGR78/s1600-h/ems.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272176496636132962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 265px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitaiRpl0HkOOPSjG0KQ0tdTV9_mX27dgiQXLgFyUD0kJ8GSbQuqZca3FerMT3Jes0lq70Jt4Vo6OamGXFyXrR2-UDqAWWm20WP8IWjbjLtKiqHOT_UsH9CBh-puLZlLYUKARRfiMoGR78/s400/ems.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />At the other end what the congress party (and UDF) does, is to wait for every alternate 5 years to get into power. The UDF and their supporters love to be in power as it's the 'harvest time'. They become cold as soon as they are in opposition and take a break or holiday for 5 years before coming back into power on an anti-incumbency wave. There is nothing much to say about this party which has been slowly degenerating over the years. There were two major factions the Antony and the Karunakaran group. But now it's all the Antony group, which is being led by Mr Oomen Chandy who is probably one of the better Congress leaders. It's good for kerala and specifically Congress party, that Karunakaran group has lost it's stranglehold in the party.<br /><br />The 100% literate Keralites are very happy to vote either the LDF or the UDF alternately every 5 years, who are not much different from each other. So Keralites literally and figuratively follow the words of de Tocqueville, who said “in a democracy, the people get the government they deserve.”PCVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12865190746248266517noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158819904218934589.post-19826302885060166712008-10-21T23:00:00.019+01:002009-06-23T12:23:05.268+01:00Mohanlal and Suraaj show<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje5XkQjYO1cG29LalJ2TR0MsYM3VYLR50Sznprgk5e4UmIC_v9U-tHe5YJqTFnzqWXaUSMVaXm0bc-tPawGI6XwMbnwsxkPnsSlxWtqIe_NoY-iA_qHRnHGfSpx3DU4j6lL8OW4RMo2iI/s1600-h/Mohanlal-Bristol_104.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259907119885328242" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje5XkQjYO1cG29LalJ2TR0MsYM3VYLR50Sznprgk5e4UmIC_v9U-tHe5YJqTFnzqWXaUSMVaXm0bc-tPawGI6XwMbnwsxkPnsSlxWtqIe_NoY-iA_qHRnHGfSpx3DU4j6lL8OW4RMo2iI/s400/Mohanlal-Bristol_104.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />The feedback from the Mohanlal show (termed Mohanlal Daily Delight show 2008- Europe) was that it was average.We went with Sunil and family and it at Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham. One of the reasons why people said it is average because most of the malayali homes at present have Satellite TV and have watched the skits and other similar performances before.<br /><br />Generally, I liked the programme especially the performance of Suraj Venjarumoodu. He was the star of the show. Mohanlal was also impressive. It was a great feeling watching a legend perform on stage at a liveshow.In dance performances Mohanlal was very flexible and his movements were very subtle and elegant. However, the lip singing was quite evident, though he tried to make it up with his acting performanc. The female artists ie Jyotirmayi and Lakshmi Gopalaswamy were good. Meera Nandan, Jagadish, Mukesh, Afzal and Vineeth were average.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6SEzcrbwrcsEGdd8zHSQ4OezzBwNRV3uU8mbMZEmQOx6hf29-CMPRyyRHm2PNft-ebB8szOUbqtz-StUH_lPCqa2cyrcv0qeQh2doCUvgZAgMCmZIQiu5ERliiGcxQC_-XkAsEXJeV1c/s1600-h/Mohanlal-Bristol+097.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259730771121079906" style="CURSOR: pointer" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6SEzcrbwrcsEGdd8zHSQ4OezzBwNRV3uU8mbMZEmQOx6hf29-CMPRyyRHm2PNft-ebB8szOUbqtz-StUH_lPCqa2cyrcv0qeQh2doCUvgZAgMCmZIQiu5ERliiGcxQC_-XkAsEXJeV1c/s400/Mohanlal-Bristol+097.jpg" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKiMlMdOCkj5R3-2h99-Dzg2eSEouHB0J0uZK47Ay-_EUd8PfxCTbJ85bwD0O-JOtxbfKrwBY5y6rkJfLqySI3CIf0bFZFbooBUFtOg5YDnsh2KrRp9geJh_2FpZ-o9rbU0YmE-EZrP9g/s1600-h/Mohanlal-Bristol_069.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259903277069162770" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; WIDTH: 237px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 269px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKiMlMdOCkj5R3-2h99-Dzg2eSEouHB0J0uZK47Ay-_EUd8PfxCTbJ85bwD0O-JOtxbfKrwBY5y6rkJfLqySI3CIf0bFZFbooBUFtOg5YDnsh2KrRp9geJh_2FpZ-o9rbU0YmE-EZrP9g/s400/Mohanlal-Bristol_069.jpg" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5uIi5tH7XTffs9dRC4IxOmm5UlWc34rlJWKztXGotpOvdI6VgbCEHcifeC-N14rZR4LUD7BE226R-5RCxDD9JRLLSM-rF9rkwM8U86LEqS5yBv43YMqKcBpcmKtfI0o3k-D5L8J6OpsE/s1600-h/Mohanlal-Bristol_078.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259903461781980850" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; CURSOR: pointer" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5uIi5tH7XTffs9dRC4IxOmm5UlWc34rlJWKztXGotpOvdI6VgbCEHcifeC-N14rZR4LUD7BE226R-5RCxDD9JRLLSM-rF9rkwM8U86LEqS5yBv43YMqKcBpcmKtfI0o3k-D5L8J6OpsE/s400/Mohanlal-Bristol_078.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1I2G6kQHjXSGu5wuoe6MlNx7TcKFfz9hbps7tDFfhNAjfPhBQC8iay-PpgodB2TdjMal-5Jx8X1i7qSOpWwCu4Vdr08CpJvFgp1Fno4E2i2F8zgPOhSLMs4qKdLyXWkG1hcoiT21eEBM/s1600-h/Mohanlal-Bristol+100.jpg"></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRoUJqSufQYfQm-8lRO_knixxK8v8URaNvmM_D3gsLwxw8Zxsln4R2nCmDDETLsnBnSr2owsQC8SHSVdhch-OR1vyBZAiOlleqqxrwHeyqjqjEqhElJjBj8Fh-GzI98RDRO7tqgaN0lzg/s1600-h/Mohanlal-Bristol+006.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259730674744517554" style="WIDTH: 245px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 335px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRoUJqSufQYfQm-8lRO_knixxK8v8URaNvmM_D3gsLwxw8Zxsln4R2nCmDDETLsnBnSr2owsQC8SHSVdhch-OR1vyBZAiOlleqqxrwHeyqjqjEqhElJjBj8Fh-GzI98RDRO7tqgaN0lzg/s400/Mohanlal-Bristol+006.jpg" border="0" /></a>PCVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12865190746248266517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158819904218934589.post-84498601184683539412008-07-14T11:33:00.002+01:002009-06-23T12:22:16.281+01:00My first blogI was never a good writer, I don't think still I am one....I read a lot of articles everyday (other than my routine pub-med search). Some of them are very good....I always wonder how can someone write so well. How can they reflect what's in their mind so beautifully. Is it a talent or experience or hard work or a combination of all of these virtues.<br />I had been thinking about writing something for a long time. I used to write my diary as a child, since 12 years of age. I think I still have some of my diaries back home in Trivandrum<br />I think I will start with what happened in my previous 24 hours.<br /><br />After my Sunday morning tea and checking my mails, I thought of making Pathiri( ie Kozhikodan style , v.thin and smooth; unlike the Trivandrum Oratti, which is quite thick) Mixed hot water and rice flour as per instructions from a friend and started to roll the mixed dough into shape...Good lord, it was breaking in between and felt something was missing.....So had to change the idea of pathiri into Idiappam...that came out very well. Also made some Kozhukatta ( the one with jaggery and coconut mix inside) with the remaining dough. To be frank all this came out very well, including a nice potato curry with coconut milk. I think if you make any thing with coconut milk it will come out fine, even in the hands of a person who cannot boil water. I realised how lucky these so called eminent 'cooks' are in kerala, who always add coconut in to anything and everything they make, like the 'Thais'...<br /><br />Afternoon watched a nice movie about Koodiyattam. Great movie......The dance form, more than 2000 years old is said to be much more classical and elegant, in form and content, than Kathakali. Nice roles played by Nedumudi and Jagathy, as usual. The lead female is herself the doyenne of Koodiyattom. The best was saved till the last scene. The climax depicted Nedumudi enacting Bali’s (one of my favourite characters in Ramayana) death in the story Balivadham. I initially thought the lead person is going to do the same like a lot of other climax scenes when the actor dies playing a character. But the anticlimax was the twinkle in Venus eyes when he come of out of 'death' . It was simply superb.....<br /><br />In the evening made kozhukatta ('pidi' as is called in Thrissur and Ambalakozhukatta in Padmanabhapuram it seems). Vava likes brown kozhukatta, so added Jaggery into it.<br /><br />Evening watched "Panchavadipalam"...A classic movie...V. Nostalgic...How KG George named his characters...Dushasanna kurup, Iravathykuzhi panchayat, Mandodhari, Jeemoothavahanan, Bhiman pillai, isahaq tharakan, yudas etc etc. The film seemed v. contemporary especially if we think that the central govt in India is facing a very similar (no) confidence motion. Poly-tricks are all the same, even it's a panchayat or State/ central/federal govt anywhere in the world. This will happen again and again and again...<br /><br />Last night, also heard a prabhashanam by Amma in Amrita Television. As usual she was using very simple language and stories to convey her message. I was attracted to a very simple message she said and felt it to be so true. For anything to happen we need 3 things<br />1. Time or 'Kalam'<br />2. Effort or 'Prayatnam'<br />3. Gods Grace or 'Daivanugraham'<br /><br />V. true indeed.<br />I think it is 33%, 33% and 34%.....PCVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12865190746248266517noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158819904218934589.post-13010068421438617472008-09-15T21:47:00.014+01:002009-06-23T12:20:42.850+01:00Amazing AmazonI was watching a program by Bruce Parry (on BBC 0ne) who begins an epic adventure in the Amazon following its downstream journey from High Andes. He travels over 6,000 kms down the length of the Amazon river. Parry meets and lives with local tribes, coca growers, loggers and illegal miners during the six part series. In this first part of the series he is in the Amazon part of Peru. This journey takes him from High Andes (with caravans of Llamas and donkeys following an ancient trial) to the Apuramic Valley and Ashaninka tribe, down the amazon river, the path used since the Incan times. The first tribe live about 4000 metres above sea level on snowy mountains....Its a tough place to live and an irresistible challenge...<br /><br />'Apuramic' is a Quechuan word...the language of Incas ...'apu' means God and 'rimac' meaning speak or to talk. The river ('head waters') changes its name many times (the Ene, the Tambo, the Urubamba, the Ucayali) before it gets the name AMAZON.....one of the greatest (if not the greatest) river system on earth.<br /><br />It seems over 100 tonnes of cocaine are made here every year. Amazing...how they clear the forests to make bases (bossas) to process Coca leaves. This is illegal of course. They add kerosene, sulphuric acid, ammonia and all sorts of chemicals and put in 4 days of hard work that earns them $80-$100 per harvest (almost the same price of 1 gram of cocaine in the streets of London). This is the start of the multi-billion dollar drug industry. Colombia is the largest producer of Cocaine and Peru is second. It seems Peru is catching up fast. Everywhere the forests are burned to make new coca fields.<br /><br />This is also the stronghold of redzone (river Ene) which is the last refuge of the most brutal terrorist organisation in this part of the world...Shining Zone (Maoist revolutionaries who fought a bloody war in the 70's and 80's)<br /><br />'Ashaninka' (literally means 'a brother to all') is one of the oldest and original indigenous tribes in South America...mainly seen in Peru and some in bordering Brazilian forests. Saw how Masato (the local beer) is made. It seems that the women chew 'Yuca' (Cassava or the 'kappa' as called in Kerala) and spit back into a container!The saliva ferments it!!<br /><br />Should try to watch the rest of the programme in the coming weeks.PCVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12865190746248266517noreply@blogger.com0