NATIONAL FILM AWARDS-NEW TREND

National Film Awards declared and Malayalam movies got what it deserved. Not a single film of the 13 sent got any awards! Not a word from the self-declared doyens of the Malayalam film world who were fighting each other all these years abuses reaching vulgar after Kerala Awards declaration.

It is time the film makers realized their films are sub-standard and rubbish. Malayalam movies move around the flabby heroes delivering bombastic dialogues with no acting as expressions fail to come through the fat deposits in the body. Heroines are brought in not to act but to show their sex-appeal and they are rated today on the size of bust, belly and buttocks. Then comes some chocolate movies depicting the far from truth campus life and adolescent love. Film makers of yesteryears who had made excellent films live in the past glory with their imaginations drained out and dried up .No life in these movies but only the make belief artificial stories made in a shabby manner. Movie making has become a business to earn money and glory and investment is done by underworld dons and filthy rich who do not have any idea what a good movie is. People with creative idea and real passion for movies are no more to be seen. Real talents should enter the field and only then we will have good movies.

The present National Awards creates an impression that undue importance is given to the Bollywood commercial movies. This is a dangerous trend which will have  adverse impact on the upcoming young film makers who want to make good movies.

VEILED IDENTITY

Identity card means a document enabling identification of the person and photo identity means identifying through the photo of the person. If the photo is with face fully covered with black garb like the terrorists or convicts taken to gallows how the person can be identified.

 

After the Supreme Court judgment that photos with face fully covered is not to be taken for election identity card is just a logical thinking (the issue should not have wasted the valuable time of the Apex Court and should have settled in lower court or at the Election Commission).

Visit to Birla Mandir, New Delhi years ago comes to mind. An young couple from UP poses infront of it for photograph. Husband insists but wife refused to remove the purdha from face at least for a moment. And she won. The poor man left with the a human shape clad in black garb by his side phtographed as his wife.

Kerala TV channels have a detailed discussion of this issue roping in important personalities as participants. It is shear common sense that photo identity card is for identifying the person through his/her photo and when the face is completely covered with mask the person cannot be identified and it is mere foolishness or ridiculous to take this subject for discussion. After all these are TV channels!

MINISTERS- JOBLESS

The racial attacks on Indians in Australia had turned ugly with the murder of an Indian youth. Report coming in doubts another murder, as a dead body is found possibly of  an Indian. Assault on Indians is on the increase even though promises are coming from the Australian Government. Our External Affairs Ministry has reacted strongly and threatens stringent action affecting even bilateral relations.

Indian Newspapers carried the news that some of our Ministers of State complained to the Prime Minister that they are not given any job and are free without any work.

We have our Minister of State for External Affairs who can do something using his diplomatic experience. He was the Under Secretary in the UN and had luck favoured he would have been the Secretary General of the United Nations, the sole authority to keep peace world over. He has lot of experience as official in the UN. This experience and his connections and the goodwill he earned can be used effectively to end these racial attacks, we hope.

BURJ DUBAI- WHAT FOR?

839 meter tall. 160 plus storeys. Burj Dubai.The tallest building in the world!Spent 1.5 billion dollars for accommodating just 12000 people! Arabs celebrate and shows the world proudly their prestigious monument.

Was there really any need for such a gigantic building? What the world gained?

Serves no purpose other than to show the world the power of money.

It was built on an island. Thousands of tonnes of concrete and steel put on this fragile land. Can the earth withstand such huge structure on it? These types of foolish acts will definitely affect the ecological equilibrium the nature maintains and ultimately pave way for great disasters. Already the sea is rising because of man’s thoughtless acts. Seems we need not wait even till 2012.

Another huge building is in the making in Saudi Arabia. Kingdom Towers. Surpassing the Dubai structure. 1.1 kilometer tall! Will the rulers intoxitated with the power of money think prudently  before indiscriminately exploiting the natural resources and destroying our earth?

We have seen the fury of nature in Haithy days back.

Be considerate to fellow beings. To  Nature, To the Earth.

NATIONAL ANTHEM TO BE BURIED?

       Our National Anthem seems being phased out. “Jana Gana Mana” was there at all our functions. Over the years it was conveniently avoided and preserved only for the official functions. Now that custom also seems to be scrapped. The Indian Science Congress held at Thiruvananthapuram on 3.1.2010 inaugurated by the Hon. Prime Minister of India went without singing of our National Anthem. The reasoning - people do not give proper attention or due respect to it when it is played. And the easy way – stop playing National Anthem! Just like burning one’s house to fright the mouse away! It was attended by the learned and educated delegates and can’t they remain standing in attention for just 52 seconds? Procedure to be followed at the time of playing National Anthem is formulated but we can’t enforce it! Instead we took the short cut of doing away with the National Anthem.

“The Anthem may be sung on occasions which, although not strictly ceremonial, are nevertheless invested with significance because of presence of Ministers etc.” the Government of India directive says. Our function was having Hon.Prime Minister, H.E, the Governor, Hon. Chief Minister, Hon. Union Ministers, Hon. State Ministers, Worshipful Mayor, and a lot of dignitaries.

Constituent Assembly adopted “Jana Gana Mana” as our National Anthem on 24.1.1950 . It is the symbol of our unity and a lot more to the nation and to each citizen. It brings in pride to be an Indian and reminds one the freedom struggle, the great leaders,  the great cultural heritage and civilization of our nation and fills in patriotism. Who cares for patriotism now? National Anthem “Jana Gana Mana” seems to go the same of way of our National Song “Vande Mataram”.

TERRORIST VISA

Headly and Rana came to India, moved around the country freely, made survey of all the targets for attacks, held meeting with local terrorists, planned attack of 26/11 and returned quietly. They have come on valid visa issued by the Indian embassy. They may not be the lone terrorist visitors. Many similar terrorists might have made many such visits earlier and some still doing subversive activities in India.

All these terrorists are coming here due to our lax visa rules. Any Tom Dick and Harry can come to India on a tourist visa,stay here as they wish. All in the name of developing tourism! What we gain from it? Some foreign exchange? Do we need these peanuts to have a square meal? Should we wait before the foreigners with begging bowl for some dollars? We should have self-esteem and should be proud to be an Indian. We should earn our food rather than looking towards United States.

The decision of making the visa rules stringent is the right one. No diluting  for heaven's sake.Let us have genuine tourists and not terrorists coming to kill us.

Some may be naturally uneasy with this decision. These people still see US as the eldarado. They do not mind undergaoing full body checked in US airports and even by the US airline in India but feel very much agitated when India makes Rules really strict to save our motherland. It is their obsession with US and we can feel sorry for them.

TERRORISM-KERALA STYLE

Fear gripped our leaders the moment Karnataka Police got hold of the Malayalee LeT terrorist Thadiyantavide Nazeer. Panic-stricken leaders started hurling accusations and challenges at each other. This was a clever ploy to camouflage their involvement and to hush up their connivance in terrorism. But this drama did not succeed and the people of Kerala having serious doubts all along about their  involvement realized fully well the truth that:

1) Both the fronts have some thing to hide,


2) Both have tried to cover up and


3) Both have done many things to scuttle probes against terrorism.



Startling revelations coming out of the interrogation cells of the Karnataka police confirms the worst fear that Kerala has been a breeding ground for the last many years and that terrorism has spread its tentacles so deep. We were ridiculously inefficient in containing terrorism.



Shedding the ego we have at last done the wise thing and handed over terrorism cases to National Investigation Agency. It is a hall mark decision. For the sake of our State and in the larger interest of our Motherland we should entrust with the NIA investigations of all terrorist activities in Kerala.

Terrorism is a heinous crime by all means. It is an act against the sovereignity of our nation and against each citizen of India. For the same reason terrorists are awarded heavy punishment. Abetting is also a crime of the same magnitude as terrorism. So all the people who have helped, collided, shielded, suppressed information, avoided taking action and in any way connected with terrorism should be brought to book and tried for the same crime of terrorism. They should not be let free by virtue of their position. Then only we will be able to wipe out terrorism from the soil of India.