Of Bhangara ,Thappattam , Elections and feigned deafness!

With Elections to the legislative assembly of Tamil Nadu round the corner, I had to inspect the polling stations pertaining to my jurisdiction, only to report and further ensure if all the infrastructural facilities for the conduct of elections were in place at the designated locations.

Four days ago, while I entered one of the schools(99 % of  the polling stations are located in schools nearby), loud Bhangara beats beckoned me, as though there was a drum roll set up for my entry!!

I resisted hard.Really very hard to not move to the rhythm.

With others from my office around,I could not have gathered myself to even shifting my weight from one leg to another!

I was bound hand and foot.Quite figuratively.

Feigning total deafness, as though the dhols, dholaks and high-energy music hardly ever impacted me,I walked away.

What a hypocrite, my inner voice lambasted me.

Huh!

Inner voices are meant to be endured I thought and walked up to my car to get on with the rest of my work.

Fast forward-Two day back.

We are entrusted with planning and execution of SVEEP.

For the benefit of those who do not want to google it( that is typically the ones like me), and at the risk of making it sound like an election training lecture,SVEEP is an acronym for the Systematic voters education and electoral participation programme.

Typically during the implementation of SVEEP ,we identify areas where voter turnout is usually low and take special efforts to impress upon the voters to cast their vote,with focus on ethical and inducement free voting, and emphasis on bridging gender gap.

Now,I am done with election lessons!

Fast forward- circa,nay exactly- 12/3/2016.

I enter Natesan park,T Nagar for the SVEEP prog.A brilliant band welcomes the walkers and stalkers alike!

I reach the rear end of the park where an event is scheduled.

The mikes are in place.So are the chairs and banners( no MCC violation here).

Oh myyyy what am I hearing! One of my recent favourites, the title song from Rajini murugan. Actually more than the song,I love the rhythm in the song( thakita thakita thakita thathaam;thaam,thaam,thaam,thaam,thathaam).

Being played brilliantly by an ebullient band.

I resisted the sway.I am sure most of you find it really tough to desist from swaying to any riveting rhythm.

The miniscule difference lies in whether or not you are able to shed your inhibitions.

Just like there are bathroom singers, there are for sure, bathroom dancers too!

Now getting back to work;
The event starts,and I am asked to talk.
Two things give me a heart in the mouth feeling.
One-When appa asks me to sing.
Two-When I am asked to talk.

I nevertheless pick up the mike,blurt out something and there you go,I am done with it!

The officer incharge of SVEEP makes a lovely speech in chaste Thamizh though.

The mandatory speeches are over and we get on to the actual act.A street play is slated for the evening.

Starts Thappattam.And I am already swooning,unable to contain myself.The heart starts pounding in excitement,trying to sync with the naiyandimelam and thappu and the electrifying atmosphere.

Ohm Ohm ohm.I fix my glance and thoughts on some remote nothingness and bring stillness.

Among the many things I find difficult, to act an officer tops it all.

I finally settle down, again feigning partial deafness, partly because I am actually distributing pamphlets!

And later I get fully engrossed in the street play by Bharatalaya,also keenly following the sign language interpreter's mudhras and abhinaya alongside.

There was this 'Meyadha maan' mention for which his interpretation was unbelievably awesome.

(There is some research material available on the evolution of sign lnterpretation from mudras and my curiosity to read it has been kindled).
In other news I made friends with Smitha, a sweet and svelte disability activist.

Time for curtain call.

-Street play by street theatre group Bharatalaya headed by Mr.Sathyan.
-Sign language interpretation by Mr.Suresh.

PS 1-
This post is for that one person who called me from a far away country the moment he got hold of my number,courtesy,election news and asked me as to why I had not been blogging,and to one of my friends who was upset that I had deleted one of my other blog accounts.

PS 2-
About 20 years back during one of my performances in Malappuram,Kerala, there was a very gripping tappeta gullu performance by a team from Andra that performed after me.
I am, ever since, singing adavi talliki dandalo, one of the songs for which the group performed.
This post is also to them.

PS 3-
With so many events,folk music and dance slated over the coming months until elections,I am seriously thinking if I should carry ear plugs for better self-management!

11th October!

This day, almost 7 decades back, a sweet kid was born to a poor farming couple.He lost his mom when he was barely 3 and was the doted child to his father, two elder brothers and one elder sister who were much older than him.And the little child had a sweeter younger sis who was hardly one-year-old when they lost their mom.This child grew up singing and whistling and was a fond pet to all his teachers.On one occasion, our child and his dad went to some function where the then Governor was giving a speech and the then district collector translated it.Way back home the father asked the kid," the governor must be a very learned person?" the kid nodded yes."And to translate what the governor said the collector must be even more 'intelligent'?".The father didn't wait for a reply but said 'nee andha padippu dhaan pa padikkanum'...'you must 'study' IAS'.Thus, our kid had a goal set early in his life and started working towards it.
He met his lady love during preparations for the Civil service examinations, and, the pretty damsel was also keenly pursuing the Civil Services!
Our kid got selected for the IPS and central services during his first attempt and got into the IAS when his daughter was 1-year-old!
He was a very successful officer and loved his family and children(a daughter&a son) very much.
The daughter, however, was his most doted on 'target' of singing and teaching movie songs.His only regret being that the daughter didn't become a 'singer'.He would often recall how the daughter would ask for certain songs from a juke box in some hotel when he was working in Vellore.
He is a great speaker and can talk for hours together recalling fond memories and experiences from the past. Our kid is retired from service now and is a typical brat. Wouldn't go for a walk, would be glued to Arnab and his relentless debates, would finish a pack of cigarettes a day..wouldn't eat in time ...so on and so forth.However, these tantrums can be happily condoned with.As, not every daughter is lucky to have a kid-dad!!! Happy Birthday  appa!!! I am sure if he reads this he will start off with,"you should keep writing about something everyday!".

Nipped before they bloomed....

It is about two months since baby Mahi,trapped in a bore well near her house breathed her last.Media as expected slashed out at the delayed response by the police and civic authorities which is not condoned by us either.The child's parents must have experienced hell on earth, totally traumatised and shattered by the irreparable loss and the sudden jolt of ill-fated events.While our deepest sympathies go with them,there is also,very unfortunately a sense of seething anger against them.For,while the pit was very much near their residence,was dug by their landlord,had nothing to do with the civic authorities for them to come and close it in time(whether they will cover it in time even if they knew it earlier is a much debatable question altogether but my inner conscience says they will!),was it not their very very basic responsibility to ensure it is covered even with a concrete slab? Now is any amount of lamenting going to bring back the innocent little child,who deserved to live with us,but for the callousness of some people including her parents?

Contrarily the school which should assumably be a haven to children especially the naive,threw caution and conscience to the wind in the case of Sruthi who had a gory death after she fell from the floor of her school bus and was crushed under its wheels.It was only a matter of a few seconds before she was to get down and even waved at her mother ironically as though a good bye... Her father who ferried school children for a living in his autorickshaw,made sure he dropped all of them back home safely even as he gripped in a state of shock and stillness on hearing the fatal end of his beloved daughter.... paradoxical really. According to some reports,several representations were made to the school management earlier about the holes on the floor of the ill-fated bus but the authorities concerned simply washed their hands off the issue,with a devil-may-care attitude saying that the bus was hired on contract.Cruel.Reckless. The High court of Madras which had suo moto taken note of the incident directed the State Government to frame the draft rules within two weeks as the Tamil Nadu Motor Vehicles Rules had no provision with regard to maintenance, fitness and conditions for plying school buses. About the FC issued,the less said the better.

“Does it take much to prevent such incidents?” the Supreme Court asked in November 2009 directing the State governments to ensure that all abandoned borewells and tubewells were capped. Well we have had precedents and directions earlier....... These innocent children will haunt our thoughts for long and their innocent faces will ever remain etched in our memory.... Rest in peace Children.You are in safer hands. If you happen to visit us again here is assuring you that WE WILL KEEP YOU AND PROTECT YOU. The following encomium by my friend Amutha sums it all. குழந்தைகள் துர்மரணம் அடைய நேரிடும் பொழுது அவர்கள் மெள்ன விழிகள் கேட்கும் கடைசி கேள்வி உங்களையும் என்னையும் சமுதாயத்தையும் நோக்கியதாகத்தான் இருக்கிறது அது சொல்கிறது ஏன் ஏன் என்னைய ..?? நா என்ன தப்பு பண்ணினேன் அம்மு For the benefit of those who cannot read Thamizh,the gist of it is WHY ME? a question pitted against us...

She stole my heart.....

This is not a story!
When I was in class 12,my dad was transferred to Chennai from Tanjore.I was no longer a child,hence I instantly objected to changing schools often as I had already done 8 schools upto 11th std! I kicked up a racket but eventually gave heed and agreed to go with them as my parents were never comfortable putting me in a hostel.
Then I asked my dad if it was an all girls school,he affirmed.I was all the more annoyed as I had never gone to an all girls school till my 11th in tanjore,and had a miserable time trying to make friends! Nonetheless my dad coaxed me into saying yes.I don't know anybody there-was my next retort.He said I could make friends with Bujanga Rao uncle's daughter who was in the same class where I was supposed to join.How do I get to know Bujanga Rao uncle's daughter? was the next.....My dad, taken unawares looked at me for a moment and said,she has a mild polio attack.....she is a different child.
I stood still,I did not know how to react.

We met in school and became the best of friends.......our love for music and Ilayaraja strengthened the bond,we were always singing,more the merrier!

She was friendly,affectionate,loving,'advising'{should I mention? ever her indulgence!},sensitive {ok!please read as ultra sensitive!},annoying,'preaching'!{for hours},tolerant{to my nonsense!},snobbish,theatrical,clinically precise,brandish,silent,childish,ethereal,stormy,breezy,guileless,appealing,pragmatic,utopian...............

She stood first in class,and always nurtured a dream to become a doctor.In her own words-"When I was young I had a recurring dream. I thought I would if a dream be possible in this life, sit on a stool in India, and for as long as it took, administer polio drops to children here. I dreamt that I would become old and gray before all the children were protected, but the dream would indeed be then fulfilled!"

She became a doctor and specialised in Pediatrics later on.We moved on towards our respective pursuits but were always there for each other.Life I often think,has not been fair to many,one of them being my friend.She lost her dad when she was just 29.Uncle tripped down the stairs,was in coma for ten days before the family took the most difficult decision of taking him off the ventilators.
It was unimaginable.The trauma and the emptiness.She took it all.

She surged forward with an inherent incessant pain lingering,as though born for it.

My tryst with Dance began when I was 4,with many Schools,many masters,many gurus and one Dance form.For some strange reason the only School where I did not dance but sang 'pillalara.paapallara' along with some classmates,not too sure if 'she' sang too,was during my stint with her.
For her,life has been a constant battle,either official or emotional.Most times we have sailed in the same boat in as far as our relationships and the way we handled it were concerned.

AIDS-care,support and treatment became her forte and passion.She joined the TANSACS and after varied stints,rose up to become one of the Joint Directors,TANSACS.She walked with clutches,yet completely independent.She used to travel like 2000 kms in 3 days all by herself in her modified car.Her passion towards her profession is unparalleled.I often chide her for not giving herself the time that she richly deserved.She only smiles for a reply!
In the official front also life was not kind to her,as though being disabled was her will and choice.
Well,sometimes reality can be hard to digest.While her contractual obligation with TANSACS ended only in 2012 December,one fine day the leading dailies called for applications to fill up her post.She was shattered for a moment,but decided to take up the exams undeterred.She stood first,once again,not surprisingly!
But call it insensitivity or official apathy or whatever you may choose to use,her candidature was rejected quoting disability as the reason for the same.People chose to forget that it was the same person who put her heart and soul and all her time and gave it her best for the cause of AIDS and AIDS support especially for women and children during the past several years.
She has knocked at the court's doors and the rest of the story remains to be seen.....

Having a friend who is differently abled haunts you with many questions unanswered,smothering the heart.You find yourself wallowing in guilt and helplessness.It is a strange feeling where you are left with crying aloud within the four walls!

I find myself asking this question often.If I had something like a magic wand with which I could change just one thing in this birth,what would that be.Without an inkling of second thought I find praying hard for my friend to be normal like you and me.Each time I have a performance and I have to get on to the stage to dance,Iam clouded with emotions.If I could walk,run and dance,why not my friend? what was it that made our two lives too very different.Why did not God be fair or seen to be fair if He ever existed?

And now why add insult to injury when she had absolutely no qualms about anything.All that she wanted now was do what she loved the best.AIDS related,help and support.How can fate be so cruel that she has to wait with bated breath and sit in solace due to official insolence?
hmmm some mysteries remain unfolded.I only hope there is something better coming up her way.I find it really difficult to cope with it when she says she is depressed.Nothing was her fault after all.
To me............................
SHE IS LIKE THE YIN AND YANG,IN DYNAMIC EQUILIBRIUM!
A MULTI -TASKER,CONFIDENCE PERSONIFIED.
I have not known anybody who will both shower encomiums and stab with words uninhibitedly!
Nor have a known anybody who handles both social writing and amorous poetry with deftness and great elan!
She has an undaunting zest for life and can give the best singers a run for their money!
Well life is a gift and there is no rewind button even in God's hands!
Hopes and love to this indomitable spirit.....here you go...love you loads!

Some of you might want to know her name.....it is just as beautiful as she.
AISWARYA.

Of Dev,Dance,and Intellectual Property rights!

How does it feel,when your child born of love and passion,once sacredly cocooned in your womb's comfort,is one fine day claimed by someone else as their very own,taking you all unawares?

How is it like when your beloved walks off and unrepentantly at that,adding insult to injury?

What comes of you when you think you are lost in the wilderness?

All of this put together conglomerated with agony, deep pain, rejection, depression and humiliation would be the state of mind of an artist whose much cherished work is copied,unapologetically and presented spinelessly,with false-pride by those who defy all norms of modesty and self-esteem.

Such a good soul that DEV is,he has taken all of this in his stride!
For those of you who do not know what exactly transpired to provoke me into writing this piece,here is a synopsis:

In namma pettai chennai, Devanand aka DEV, runs Deivs' school of danz, an institute specialising in Hip-hop, jazz, jive, salsa, free style, contemporary, western, Indian..... and so on. You name it and he has it! His troupe of dancers have carved a niche for themselves in the world of dance going from strength to strength winning many competitions that Chennai can boast of.What started as a passion,nurtured since childhood,has now become Dev's Profession,and flagging off his career was Lata Rajnikanth's Ashram School,under which banner he did DAYA 2000 and 2001.

The feathers on his cap include his choreography for the filmfare Awards, Ad films for pothy's Chennai Silks....Thangamaligai, theatre productions like 'The wizard of OZ', 'phantom of the opera','music of the night' to name a few!

Most important of his choreographies is 'REFLECTIONS',which is a truly intelligent and honestly original work where Dev had incorporated mirror images {well now you know why its named reflections!} through his choreographic prowess.
This piece was an instant hit and created a rage in all the places that it was staged.
And it did'nt quite stop there!!!

It was unscrupulously copied by the more experienced,highly respected and much reputed choreographers,and presented ruthlessly in all the popular channels garnering undue honour and attention unabashedly which should have all been Dev's.
{wake up friends! the synopsis is over!!!}

Well in this scenario,Iam very tempted and inclined to talk about the
Intellectual Property Rights.

The term Intellectual Property (IP) reflects the idea that its subject matter is the product of the mind or the intellect.IP, protected through law, like any other form of property can be a matter of trade, that is, it can be owned, bequeathed, sold or bought.The major features that distinguish it from other forms are their intangibility and non-exhaustion by consumption.
A UN agency, namely, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) based in Geneva administers treaties in the field of intellectual property.India is a member of WIPO.
India is also member of 2 major treaties, namely, Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property (relating to patents, trademarks, designs, etc.) of 1883 and the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works (relating to copyright) of 1886. Apart from these, India is also a member of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) which facilitates obtaining of patents in several countries by filing a single application.India is also a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The WTO agreement, inter-alia, contains an agreement on IP, namely, the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS). This Agreement made protection of intellectual property an enforceable obligation of the Member States. TRIPS Agreement sets out minimum standards of intellectual property protection for Member States.
India has complied with the obligations contained in the TRIPS Agreement and amended/enacted IP laws.

Thus Intellectual property rights are legal rights, which result from intellectual activity in the industrial, scientific, literary and artistic fields. These rights give statutory expression to the moral and economic rights of creators in their creations. Intellectual property rights safeguard creators and other producers of intellectual goods and services by granting them certain time-limited rights to control the use made of those productions.
Intellectual property is divided into two categories: Industrial property which includes patents for inventions, trademarks, industrial designs and geographical indications and Copyright and related rights which cover literary and artistic expressions (e.g. books, films, music, architecture, art), plus the rights of performing artists in their performances, producers of phonograms in their recordings, and broadcasters in their radio and television broadcasts which are also referred to as neighbouring rights.
In this view,Intellectual property is a non-tangible property that takes the form of abstract designs,patterns,ideas or collection of ideas.
One of the many defenders of Intellectual property says,"THERE IS NO PROPERTY MORE PECULIARLY A MAN'S OWN THAN THAT WHICH IS PRODUCED BY THE LABOUR OF HIS MIND."...................
He also says,"THE MAN WHO BRINGS OUT OF NOTHINGNESS SOME CHILD OF HIS THOUGHT HAS RIGHTS THEREIN WHICH CANNOT BELONG TO ANY OTHER SORT OF PROPERTY."

Copyright protection in India-

India has one of the most modern copyright protection laws in the world. Major development in the area of copyright during 1999 was the amendment to the Copyright Act of 1957 to make it fully compatible with the provisions of the TRIPS Agreement. Called the Copyright (Amendment) Act, 1999, this amendment was signed by the President of India on December 30, 1999 and came into force on January 15, 2000.

The earlier 1994 amendment to the Copyright Act of 1957 had provided protection to all original literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works, cinematography, films and sound recordings. It also brought sectors such as satellite broadcasting, computer software and digital technology under Indian copyright protection.

Section 63 of the Copyright Act, 1957 provides that an offense of infringement of copyright or other rights conferred by the Act shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than six months but which may extend to three years with fine which shall not be less than fifty thousand rupees but which may extend to two lakh rupees (Rs. 200,000).

Now isnt that news to most of us?
Am sure reading this brings a sense of assurance and confidence in original artists some of whom have in the past approached the court to redress their grievances against those who bask in borrowed glory!
This write up is for Dev whose unassuming intellectual poise inspired me into broaching this less talked about topic!

NARENDRAKUMAR -A DANCER PAR EXCELLENCE !

In one of my previous blogs, I had expressed my fascination for smt.ALARMEL VALLI's DANCE.Here Iam now, to talk about yet another of my favourites,this time a male dancer who has with his histrionic skills captured many a heart world over.This young dancer is a charmer and tends to bowl you over with his humility ! Well Iam talking about L .NARENDRAKUMAR ,an extremely talented BHARATANATYAM artist and choreographer.This star has really toiled hard to attain an enviable place amongst the dancers.Hailing from a middle class family with no background whatsoever in music or dance,Narendraa has scaled new heights in his chosen field of Bharatanatyam sheerly due to his hard work and dedication.Well known for his innovative choreography,Narendra surprises his fans and critics alike sculpting each piece adequately with nuances of abhinaya and intricacies of nritta.His KALINGA NARTANAM thillana is very much in par with the virtuosity in SMT.ARUNA SAYEERAM'S rendition of the same,a OOTHUKADU VENKATASUBIAR composition.KALINGA NARTANAM,SAKTHI,GAYATRI,MRUTA SANJEEVANI,GANGA.............each production bringing out new dimensions in choreography,aweinspiring the audience!
With a penchant for solo repertoires also, Narendra choreographs in accordance with the calibre and expertise of the artist concerned.
His better half ANUSHA, is an accomplished dancer and research scholar.She plays a pro-active role in all of Narendra's endeavours.His students are no less proficient,the petite Anamika and the svelte Poornima have already proved themselves to be good dancers.
An excellent dancer himself, Narendraa has carved a niche in the dance world.MAY HIS DANCE FLOURISH !

WHISTLING WIZARDS !

Whoever said WHISTLING is the forte of road side romeos and college goers for cat-calls and booing, would have been put to shame had they watched the first ever whistling competition in INDIA held at CHENNAI recently.
Chennai’s pride truly!
For those of you bloggers / readers who do not know that there exists an association for whistlers/whistling, the INDIAN WHISTLERS’ASSOCIATION was formed on 19th September 2004 as a yahoo group founded by MR.RIGVEDA DESHPANDEY all of 18 years hence. It is quite typical of the teen age young man to whistle at pretty women, but MR.RIGVEDA DESHPANDEY foresightedly formed the IWA bringing into existence a new ‘clan’ of ‘whistlers’ thereby taking them to a much elevated platform promoting them from being ‘bath-room whistlers’ to ‘professional whistlers’.
There used to be a time when it was preconceived by the public at large that whistling was an exhibition of indecent behaviour. Some of our friends may also have been chided at home for whistling. However things have changed for the better! As of now, our friends in the IWA get a lot of encouragement from kith and kin alike. After all it is the most cherished human ‘instrument’ isn’t it?
Whistling itself has evolved over the years emerging as a musical human instrument with tremendous scope to improvise. The popularity of this new art form has grown in magnitude with numerous CD’s, movies and commercials featuring WHISTLING !
Now moving on to the first ever whistling competition held at Chennai, the show was a stupendous success! Ably shouldered by MR.JAGAT TARKAS, who heads the Chennai chapter of the IWA, the show was a great hit!
Competitions were held in four categories, namely- HINDI SONGS, TAMIL SONGS,
WESTERN SONGS AND CLASSICAL SONGS. A panel of eminent judges were invited for the morning and afternoon sessions respectively. For the morning session the judges were MRS.KAVITA PATEL, MR.SAJAN SHENOY and MR.HITESH SHELT.
The afternoon session had MR.SHYAM SUNDAR, MRS.NIKILA and MR.RAMANA as the judges. MR.RIGVEDA DESHPANDEY the founder and MR.CHITAN BHIDE ,the founder member were the chief guests for both the sessions. They also enthralled the audience with their guest performance!
The audience who consisted mostly of close relatives and friends of the participants were awestruck with the professionalism and class shown by the whistlers! They cheered non-stop, totally involved in the masterful show. The passion for whistling was very much evident in the child-like enthusiasm shown by some of the elderly participants, who also savoured every moment of their whistling, rendered so melodiously and effortlessly!
In other words our participants were not blowing their own trumphets but were playing their own flutes! Karaoke music was used by most of the participants and they did their best in the allotted 4 minutes. Hindi and Tamil music category had quite a number of participants while the classical and western had very few. What was heartening to note was that girls participated very eagerly encouraged and applauded by their parents. The participants and their guests sat through the entire day, quite eager to know the results.
MR.JAGAT TARKAS, as I mentioned earlier had made all arrangements meticulously, including that of excellent acoustics thanks to MR.GANESH, also the DJ for the day.
Nevertheless, I would like to make a few suggestions which the organizers may ponder over!
Firstly, whistling requires a lot of stamina, and the level of stamina gradually comes down as one ages. Breath control and stamina of a twenty year old and that of a forty year old vary drastically and it would only be prudent to categorise the participants into two categories-below 30 years and above 30 years.
Secondly, the participants were free to use either karaoke music or whistle along with the actual song apart from those who opted to have no music at all. This should also be addressed to next time and whistling along with the actual song may be discouraged.
Thirdly, classical category had some of the participants perform certain film songs which fell under the semi-classical variety and not under the classical category in the true sense of the word. The above mentioned are only some of the initial hiccups that any growing forum may undergo.
Moving away from the competition, the IWA should in the long run form its own ‘WHISTLERS SYMPHONY’, a completely professional whistlers’ troupe competent enough to perform in various sabhas and other organizations devoted to music.
I am sure with the youthful exuberance of the likes of MR.RIGVEDA and the elderly wisdom of the likes of MR.JAGAT, the IWA is sure to go places………….and the days are not very far off !