KRITHI

 My friends say that I am mad. I know that they are not very mistaken. Now, this is not because they love me any less but I shall hold myself accountable for the compliment. Let me tell you that the reason for it is that I talk. A lot. Be it a person I met the last second or a person I've known for years, I could talk to both for the same length of time. They call me a crackhead for texting strangers on social media. People I've never known before. If I were to be totally honest, I don't take the least bit of offense in it and I myself laugh along with them about these designations. This particular habit has brought no particular gain with it except for the existence of an uncountable number of acquaintances and the trouble of attending to many at once if there was to be a public gathering. It does not instil joy in me to know that I have or know a lot of people but it rather feels very distracting to not be able to remain stranger at most places. Then why go through the tr...

"What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead".           - Nelson Mandela "Please, leave me alone" she screamed. But still, he didn't stop, he kept on beating her over and over again, her head broke and blood started rolling down through her cheeks. And once the police reached the spot to arrest him, she cried, " please sir, don't arrest my son, I don't have any complaints "!. Both the son and mother were human beings, but still, what made the son brutally disturb his mother? And how the mother forgive him so easily? Is life a long journey between human being and being humane for both of them? For a while, think about what exactly life is and why are everyone despite being human beings not being humane. Life can be understood as a characteristic that distinguishes physical entities that have biological ...

  While what is to follow might have been subject to your earlier knowledge, I myself was to find this particular piece of information only today and thought it unwise to not be sharing it with those who never knew. It seems to me that there would not be a majority who has not heard of the name Alfred Nobel. Even if you didn't, you still are sure to have heard about the Nobel Prize that is given in various fields so, if you got your guess right, yes, Alfred Nobel was the man who gave life to the idea of the Nobel prize. But little did I know the story, or should I say history, that led to the upcoming of such a series of awards. Turns out, Alfred Nobel was the man who invented the dynamite. An explosive, though not by use, familiar to us all. Prior to this invention, he experimented with Nitro glycerine, a chemical explosive known to be extremely unstable and therefore, not often used. Alfred, in determination to find ways to make use of it, opened his own lab which ended up explod...

                      അടുക്കളയിൽ വേവുന്നത് ജിയോബേബി രചനയുംസംവിധാനവും നിർവ്വഹിച്ച ദി ഗ്രേറ്റ് ഇന്ത്യൻ കിച്ചൺ പിതൃമേധാവിത്വവ്യവസ്ഥനിലനിൽ    ക്കുന്ന സമൂഹത്തിൽ സ്ത്രീയുടെ ജീവിതം എത്ര ദയനീയമാണെന്ന് അടയാളപ്പെടുത്തുന്ന സിനിമയാണ്. പരമ്പരാഗത വിശ്വാസങ്ങൾ അതേപടി പിൻതുടരുന്ന ഒരു നായർ തറവാട്ടിലെ ഏക മകന്റെ ഭാര്യയായെത്തുന്ന പെൺകുട്ടി അകപ്പെട്ടു പോയ ജീവിതഘട്ടങ്ങളാണ് സിനിമയുടെ പ്രമേയം. അടുക്കളയാണ് സിനിമയുടെ പ്രധാന കേന്ദ്രം. ഒറ്റനോട്ടത്തിൽ ആധുനിക ഉപകരണങ്ങളെല്ലാം ഉള്ള അടുക്ക ളയാണത്.   സ്നേഹമുള്ള അച്ഛനമ്മമാരും ഭർത്താവുമുണ്ട്. അദ്ദേഹം അദ്ധ്യാപകനും കുടുംബത്തെക്കുറിച്ച് ക്ലാസിൽ പഠിപ്പിക്കുന്ന ആളുമാണ്.പൊതു വെ ഭദ്ര മെ ന്ന് തോന്നുന്ന ഈ കുടുംബത്തിൽ സ്ത്രീയുടെ അന്തസ്സിനും ആത്മാഭിമാനത്തിനും ആഗ്രഹത്തിനും അഭിപ്രായത്തിനും ഒട്ടും വില കല്പിക്കുന്നില്ല എന്നതാണ് സിനിമ കൈകാര്യം ചെയ്യുന്ന വിഷയം.         ഇന്ത്യൻ സാഹചര്യത്തിൽ അടുക്കളയും സ്ത്രീ ജീവിതവും പരസ്പരം ആഴത്തിൽ ബന്ധപ്പെട്ടിരിക്കുന്നു. അടുക്കളയിൽ ശമ്പളമില്ലാതെ ജോലി ചെയ്...

Novellas- My all-time favourite book type to read. Not short, not lengthy, just the apt ones for me at least. It was when going through Novellas I found a Book - Metamorphosis. The cover page caught my eyes, but as the author was new to me, I felt no interest going for the one. Still considering the number of pages, went for it and till date, it's one of my favourites. Franz Kafka, the author is regarded as Dante and Shakespeare of the twentieth century by the famous literary critic- George Steiner. The book is hardly 100 pages and never burnt my pocket too.        The story is all about a man, Gregor Samsa, who is a salesman. One morning, when Gregor woke from his dreams, he saw himself converted into a horrible vermin, inexplicably. The story proceeds with what all that happens with Gregor. Hailing from an indigent family, his job was what they all had to survive. Seeing his condition, the entire family members are heartbroken. They curse him, for what ...

 Helen Adams Keller was an author, disability rights advocate, activist and lecturer who lost her eyesight and hearing both at the age of nineteen months. She had learned to read, write and speak with the help of her teacher Anne Sullivan and can even talk to others using the Tadoma method. Hers is not a name unknown to the world. She has been a worldwide wonder due to what she has managed to achieve despite her disability. Her autobiography 'The Story of my Life' was the spatula that helped stir the coming generations' attention towards her. She was renowned as an author and disability rights activist but one version of her that most of us(at least most of those I know) rarely paid attention to was that of the socialist she was. If I'm being honest, to know that Helen Keller was a socialist itself was brand new news to me let alone how much she expressed it. Hers was no idle claim of being a party member but rather one that she made clear of to the world around her. Sh...

An enchanting mixture of emotions, beauty, nature and vulnerability of a blind boy with beautiful soul. This is what 'Colour of Paradise' is all about. It is as if the director was writing a song with the colours of nature to describe the innocence and purity of a blind child. The director Majid Majidi, has proven to the world that he is able to demonstrate deep ideas through simple depictions of everyday life in Iran. He shows audience that his country is not just a place where reform movements and revolutions take place, but also where beautiful films are made. As much as any film can, this explicitly religious movie offers a visionary experience of natural world. Moving through feilds of flowers and misty forests across the streams, the film makes sure that we see as well as hear the rugged Iranian landscapes in all sorts of weather. The sound track is a constantly shifting chorus of birds, insects, wind and rain. Movie focuses on a blind boy named Muhammad. He i...

 I know that it looks absurd to be writing about a movie that was supposedly a blockbuster commercial movie. But, believe it or not, today was the first time that I watched the full movie and I must say that it is not a movie to be categorized only along with the commercial movies. The movie K.G.F by director Prashant Neel almost broke all records of the Sandalwood film industry and had its viewers on the edge of their seats. The film is to date the highest grossing Kannada movie with a box office gain of above 250 crores.  However, the reason I am writing this is to not bring your attention onto the movie but rather on its theme. It depicts the lives of swarms of slaves and the way they were treated. In case you never realized, slavery was not something that existed millions of years ago. It is what we were made to believe. We all see slavery as something so ancient. Indeed, it does not exist now(not with the name 'slavery' at least) but that doesn't mean that it was just ...

I  couldn't believe my eyes, for a while i lost my control. I reached in a wonderland, not knowing what to do. I couldn't take my eyes out of him.. His eyes were shining, his face was glowing. Words are insufficient to express my emotions. I had a lot of dreams about the day when i will be meeting him, i had a list of questions too. But once it happened, i literally became a living dead body. I couldn't breathe, i couldn't smile, i simply remained as a stiff body. He came closer to me, and i started having butterflies in my stomach. Nervousness had no bounds that day, he then reached so close.. Waved his hand and passed a smile to me!. Trust me. I saw heaven that day, i was in the paradise of earth. Neither i took a selfie with him, nor i uttered a word to hime, but really, i saw the colour of paradise that day. Not curious about the guy???..😄 All these would have been the mixture of emotions that i would come across, if i had met  'Chotta Bheem', s...

I still remember the smell of the noodles that wafted in the breeze as we were walking through the passage. I remember the taste of the chilli chicken in which cashews crackled and emitted smoky flavour. Indeed flavours were exploding in my mouth in each bite.     We were on our way from Mumbai to Thane, and thats when our uncle called my dad saying that sir has made something for us. Being an avid foodie, born and brought up in Thalassery, a place known for its vivid, exquisite and simply delicious food, i wondered about what a very busy vegetarian teacher would cook. Though i couldn't figure out anything, one thing was absolute,' nothing non veg'. But, when we  reached home, it was a different story. We were gobsmacked by seeing that yummy noodles and mouth watering side dish. And once i started eating them, trust me, i reached the land of heavens. Indeed, each bite said a millions of stories. From that day on, my curiosity had no bounds. I was wondering,'...

 The first thought that came to my mind after learning the story of Romeo and Juliet was, " Where is Juliet? The story is supposed to be about Romeo and Juliet both but is all about Romeo and Juliet comes only in time to love him". Thanks to the director of 'Chandala', Koumarane, for saying " I'm willing to make changes" and giving me that version of the story that I've always longed for. The documentary 'Janani's Juliet' by Pankaj Rishi Kumar, is an abbreviation of the behind the scenes of the play 'Chandala'. A theatre group, Indianostrum, set out to create a remake of the Shakespeare novel Romeo and Juliet but by involving the conflicts caused due to them being from different castes. They wanted to make a play as mentioned but ended up creating such a powerful public statement with layers of refinement with a crystal clear message-To love form a lower/higher caste than yours is sin for which you shall be punished by death. Jack...

Caste, an abstract matter, which can do great dangers. A seed that is planted within everyone, so that they can culture it afterwards. The people with the brain ignore it and move on while some others somehow stick to it.         This message is beautifully conveyed through a docu-drama/movie, Janani's Juliet, directed by Pankaj Rishi Kumar. Happy that at least some are there to introspect on this kind of issues which are generally avoided in the name of controversy. Also, feeling ecstatic that it is the official nomination of our nation for the Oscars.     Moving on to the synopsis of the movie, the movie is based on the story of a girl, Kausalya. She married the love of her life, Shankar, going against the wishes of her upper-caste family. They wish they had was obviously to get her married in the same caste. Both eloped and due to their hatred, Shankar was murdered by Kausalya's family. The play is an adaption of Shakespeare's Romeo and ...

Read the book ' nooru simhasanangal', and now watched the documentary Janani's Juliet. Though all of these are something published recently, they just have one thing to say.. Caste.. Caste.. Caste India is a country which is known to be very cultural throughout the world. However the culture rooted deep in the country has various problems. We are a country that has a prevalent problem of casteism, a great social evil that needs to be done away. Furthermore,intercaste marriage is considered a taboo, and such acts has often given rise to honor killings. The documentary ' Janani's Juliet ', says the story of the consequences faced by Shankar, a dalit guy and Kousalya, an upper-caste girl after getting married. Kousalya was a girl born and brought up in a very orthodox family. She was taught that love, was something evil, her parents even restricted her from having friends who belongs to lower caste communities. And so Kousalya was not able to live her l...

 The teacher is one of that person, who can change the lives of thousands of students. But what if the teacher can transform the lives of an entire village?. By now you may have already guessed what I am talking about. Manikya Kallu, a masterpiece in the era of Masala and dramebaaz films.            Schools are one of the first places where kids' behaviour and future educational success is shaped. Also, everything the teacher says has a great impact on the students. The movie clearly states the message of how teachers can be but how they should be.         Dwelling deeper into the movie, the story takes spot in a government school, which was on the verge of closing down, because of the lesser number of students. Even though the school had done a tremendous period in the past, the teachers had no hope of making any disparity. It is at this scenario, Vinayachandran, a young teacher makes his entry into the school. His pres...

ആരോട് പറയണം എന്നറിയാതെ, എന്ത് ചെയ്യണം എന്നറിയാതെ, അവൾ കുഴയുകയായിരുന്നു. മഴവില്ലുപോലെ വര്ണാഭമായിരുന്ന അവളുടെ സ്വപ്നങ്ങളെ മെല്ലെ കാർമേഘങ്കൾ മൂടാൻ തുടങ്ങി, മനസ്സിനെ മൂടിക്കെട്ടിയ ഇരുൾ മുഖത്തും പ്രതിഫലിക്കുന്നുണ്ടായിരുന്നു.             വിലങ്ങുകളില്ലാത്ത സ്വാതന്ത്ര്യം ആവോളം ആസ്വദിച്ചു കൊണ്ടു വളർന്ന അവൾ, പതിയെ ആ സ്വാതന്ത്ര്യത്തെ വെറുക്കാൻ തുടങ്ങി, സ്വരങ്ങളുടെ ലോകത്ത് അമ്മാനമാടാൻ ഇഷ്ടപ്പെട്ടിരുന്ന അവൾ.. നിശബ്ദതയെ സ്നേഹിക്കാൻ തുടങ്ങി.        അവസരങ്ങളുടെ ആകാശം മുന്നിൽ തുറക്കപ്പെട്ടപ്പോൾ, കളിപ്പാട്ടകടയിൽ അകപ്പെട്ട കുരുന്നിനെ പോലെ അവൾ ആശ്ചര്യപ്പെട്ടു. അനന്തമായ ഈ ലോകത്ത് അവൾ കുതിച്ചുയരാൻ പോകുന്ന മേഖലയെ കുറിച്ച് അവൾ കിനാവുകൾ നെയ്യാൻ തുടങ്ങി, ആ കിനാവുകളിലെ കഥപാത്രമായി ജീവിക്കാൻ തുടങ്ങി. അനേകം എതിർപ്പുകൾ വട്ടമിട്ടു പറന്നിട്ടും അവൾ തന്റെ തീരുമാനത്തിൽ അടിയുറച്ചു നിന്നു, അങ്ങനെ, എവിടെ നിന്നോ സംഭരിച്ച ധൈര്യത്തോടെ പുതിയ ലോകത്തേക്കുള്ള ആദ്യ ചുവട് അവൾ എടുത്ത് വച്ചു. പക്ഷെ ഉറക്ക് കെടുത്തിയ സ്വപ്‌നങ്ങൾ പോലെ ആയിരുന്നില്ല യഥാർഥ്യങ്ങൾ. മനസ്സിൽ കണ്ടതല്ല കാലം ക...

                    BRAIN TEASERS 1. What has a ear but cannot hear, has a colonel      but no army?  2. How many letters are in the alphabet?  3. It has a mouth but never eats, has a bed but       never sleeps, always running never walks,             What is it?  4. What comes once in a minute, twice in a             moment but not a single time in a hundred           years?  5. What has more letters than alphabet?  Answer    1.  Corn 2.  2 'The Alphabet' 3.  A river  4.  The letter ' M '  5. The post office                                                - Mayoogha. V

Two words- Two letters different, yet same meaning, same emotions. A poem of one will always be incomplete without the other. Mother-Father, together called Parents, the greatest gift to us, to humanity. The only people who stay real. People, who can go to any extent, for their beloved child, not expecting anything in return. The seven-letter word has 7 billion emotions.             "What is that"- a short film is enough for all these descriptions made above. Moving to the core, the movie goes by its title. A father and his son are seen sitting on a bench. A question is raised by the father upon seeing a sparrow that landed across them. The son answers the question. This question and answer session goes to a certain extent and ends suddenly when the son bursts out of anger for the same questions raised again and again. Not uttering a single word, the father gets back to his son after leaving for a few seconds. He is back with a diary which the son is s...

Life without parental support can be a disaster. Parents are one of those amazing people that you can find around the world. Their love for children is so immense that they sacrifice everything they have for them.               ' What is that' is a thought provoking video which was released some 12 years ago. Though the video tells a story that most of us might have heard a hundred times, the video is created in such a way that you feel like watching it over and over again.           Soothing background music, meticulous cinematography and fabulous performance of the son and father. With all these elements the director has been able to make the viewers not just watch the video but rather feel the video and grasp the essence of it. The video tells the story of a very old father and a middle aged son sitting together in a park near their house. It's often said that man starts behaving like a child once they reach old ...

A magnificent short film shot and watched so far.No wonders this one bagged the film of the month in June. The short film The English Teacher leaves you with numerous questions without rejoinders is still capable of gratifying the audience.                        Hardly a 15-minute video creates a feathery context- lethal guilt or the absence of a closed one. A short film from the drama genre questions the protagonists' emotional state. An interesting story with a strong plot of twist. Only three protagonists, all of the three brutally interlinked- knowingly or unknowingly. The story is of not one, again all of these.   The synopsis of the story goes like this:-      Robert, an English teacher whose wife has been passed away recently is hired by an Asian migrant, Jin. Jin, a man who is captivated to develop his Basic English into an advanced one. But Jin is seen overpaying Robert for what he...

                                        കരി                              പ്രതിരോധവും പ്രതിഷേധവും     കേരളീയ നവോത്ഥാനംഒരു നൂറ്റാണ്ട് പിന്നിട്ട് കഴിഞ്ഞിട്ടും കേരളത്തിൽ ജാതി ബോധത്തിന് വലിയ മാറ്റമൊന്നും സംഭവിച്ചിട്ടില്ല. സവർണ്ണർ സാമൂഹ്യമായി ഉയർന്നിരിക്കുകയും അവർണ്ണർ അങ്ങേയറ്റം ദയനീയ അവസ്ഥയിലേക്ക് പതിക്കുകയും ചെയ്യുന്നു. ഷാനവാസ് നര ണിപ്പുഴ രചനയും സംവിധാനവും നിർവ്വഹിച്ച 'കരി' എന്ന സിനിമ മലയാളിയുടെ ജാതി ബോധത്തിന്റെ  സൂക്ഷ്മമായ അവതരണമാണ്.        ഗൾഫിൽ ജോലി ചെയ്യുന്ന മലപ്പുറത്തുള്ള  ദിനേശന്റെ വീട്ടിലേക്ക് ചേർത്തലക്കാരനായ ഗോപുകേശ വമേനോനും തൃശൂരിലുള്ള ബിലാലും വരുന്നിടത്താണ് സിനിമ ആരംഭിക്കുന്നത്.ഗോപുവിന്റെ സ്ഥാപനത്തിൽ താത്കാലിക വിസയിൽ ജോലിയെടുക്കുന്ന ദിനേശന് ജോലി സ്ഥിരമാകാൻ വീട്ടുകാർ കരിങ്കാളിയെ കെട്ടിയാടിക്കുന്ന വഴിപാട് നടത്തുന്നു. അതിന് ആവശ്യമായ പണവുമായാണ്  ഗോപുവും ബില...