Holiday Blues

Holiday Blues

Holiday spirit every where
Holiday wishes coming from all around
Seems like everyone is immersed in holiday fun 

A week long stay at home
don't know what to do
but everyday the to do list keeps growing.

A nice day came after a rainy spell
still can't do anything
can you believe it, it is terribly cold

Waited the whole year for holidays
now everyone else seems to be having fun
I am waiting for Monday when the grind will begin

Audio Recording of B.R Lakshman Rao and Dr. H S Venkateshmurthy's interview

Please click here to listen to an Audio Recording of BLR and Dr.HSV's Interview.  The interview was conducted on itsdiff radio program at Stanford's KZSU studio on Sept 15 2010.

Radio Interview with Kannada Poets B.R. Lakshman Rao and H. S. Venkatesh Murthy

Accomplished Kannada poets H.S. Venkateshmurthy and B.R. Lakshman Rao. Photo by: Poornima Swamy

Kannada Radio Program on Wednesday Sept 15 on KZSU Stanford Itsdiff Radio
Interview with famous Kannada Poets B.R. Lakshmana Rao and H. S. Venkatesha Murthy

Details:
Date: September 15th
6.00 AM PST - 7.30 AM PST - Devotional and classical music
7.30 AM PST - 8.30 AM PST - Interview with B.R. Lakshmana Rao and H. S. Venkatesha Murthy
Live On Radio: Stanford KZSU 90.1 FM (in California Bay area)
Live On Internet: http://kzsulive.stanford.edu/ (listen from anywhere in the world)
Host: Madhu Krishnamurthy
Please check this site for updated informtion. http://rasikararajya.blogspot.com/
To listen to previous programs please visit. http://www.itsdiff.com/Kannada.html


For people listening in India. The interview is from IST 8.00 PM to IST 9.00 PM on Sept 15th Wednesday night.

Movie Review: Pirate Radio (2010)

Title: Pirate Radio (2010)

Starring: Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Kenneth Branaugh, Emma Thomson (in a short role).

Written and Directed by: Richard Curtis

Verdict: Light hearted and fun movie set in the rock-n-roll era - the sixties. Feels great to listen to superb rock and roll music including Rolling Stones, The Who, Beach Boys, Smokey Robinson, Jimmy Hendrix, Moody Blues and more.

Score: 6.5 out of 10.

There is great fun in watching a bunch of middle aged men playing the immoral rock-n-roll music and thumbing their nose at the guardians of social sanctity. They live together in a steam boat off of England and are beaming exciting romping music to eager listeners on the main land. They are the 'Pirate Radio'.

This is a movie that is easy to watch and is thoroughly enjoyable not withstanding the fact that it is too easy on itself. The plot is a bit frivolous and the situations are created in such a way that the movie does not stray away from safe light hearted entertainment. Still one can't help admire these men having fun and adventure living on a boat sailing at a distance from the society. Each of them have their radio time slots when they broadcast their music shows to eagerly waiting listeners who go wild at the first sound of their voice. Then they play popular rock and roll numbers. We are shown men and women in various walks of life enjoying listening to these shows. There is of course the customary screaming and dancing from teenage girls.

The boat is fully equipped with supplies and even some one to cook. While the men are not playing music they are playing games like 'Truth or Dare'. Every now and then each men is allowed to be visited by a fan ('an adoring, enthusiastic and female fan').

You can now see why the British government is bummed out at the corrupting influence this radio is having on good men and women of the society. They make it their mission to put this pirate radio out of commission. The people at Pirate Radio are so passionate about music and what they do, they are willing to put a fight. The movie plays out this tussle.

Acting by the cast is very jovial. The captain of the ship is played by Bill Nighy and he turns in a cool performance with his colorful suits and dance moves. The music rocks!

A fun movie. I will give it a 6.5 on 10

Chandamama - The magical magazine

Today I saw my childhood's favorite magazine Chandamama for the first time in more than 2 decades. My friend Srivatsha Joshi writes a weekly column 'Paraga Sparsha' in the Kannada daily Vijaya Karnataka. In his recent writeup he had written about the wonderful days of one's childhood. Starting with Jagjeet Singh's ghazal "yeh daulat bhi lelo" about getting back childhood, he had gone on to reminisce about one's younger days. It is a beautiful article. The link to podcast version is provided at the end of this article. While I enjoyed the article for many reasons, one thing that hit me deep was that it pointed out a link to the website of my childhood's favorite magazine 'Chandamama' - the colorful publication which came every month and contained colorful illustrations and stories. As soon as I heard about Chandamama's web presence I was there looking up the web page. The website is pretty cool with links to Chandamama in various Indian languages as well as in English. It has various categories and you can look up older stories. You can go to the archives and choose older issuea and read them as if you are flipping the printed magazine. The link to Chandamama website is at the end of this article.

Looking at the various pictures and stories I was transported back to my primary school days in Bangalore. During those days we got the English daily Deccan Herald, delivered to our home. Once a week (on Wednesdays) we would receive 'Sudha' the Kannada magazine which had a loving fan-following among Kannadigas. It was a very dignified weekly which catered to refined tastes with serial stories (dharavahi), cartoons, photo comics, interviews and a decent film section. Reading it and discussing its contents formed part of the family's activities. As children, I, my brother and my cousins enjoyed reading comics strips such as Dabu, Majnu, Shuja, Inspector Azad.

I remember that one day I had gone to my aunt's house with my mother. A small book sized magazine caught my eye with its colorful pictures and grand representations of Indian mythology. Flipping through a few pages was enough to suck me into the wonderful magical world this small magazine, namely Chandamama, had created. That particular issue had a picture of Hanuman, his tail wound to form a huge pedestal for himself to sit on. From this tall perch he was staring down at Ravana. Besides this, there was the image of the most spectacular Ashoka Vana, which occupied one full page. When my mother noticed my excitement at reading Chandamama in my aunt's house, she made the decision to subscibe it and I became a regular reader.

Thinking about it now, I feel a lot our mental pictures of ancient India has been painted by magazines like Chandamama and Amar Chitra Katha. I still remember the beautiful representation of Amaravathi - the beautiful capital city of the gods in heaven. I can also recall that eerie picture at the end of the Mahabharatha epic, the picture in which Yudishtira accompanied by a dog, crosses the Vaitharni river to enter the 'after-life' world.


At the beginning of the magazine was the Panchatantra series by Vishnu Sharma. Panchatantra taught valuable life lessons through stories involving characters like foxes, elephants and humans with names like dushta buddi (evil mind) and paapa buddi (bad mind). It was with uncontrollable excitement that I would hold these magazines as they were delivered on the appointed day in the month.


Oh how can one forget the series involving Raja Vikramaditya and the Beethala (ghost). In between all these there would be stories which involve normal human beings. There would be stories about villagers, sanyasis, old time businessmen with names like Ratnayya Sreshti. This was the world from a by gone era. That world was untainted by modern life, technology or vices. Once, I had felt odd when a small story referred to a radio. How can the wonderful world of Chandamama have a radio which is from our 'realistic' world.?

It was mainly through Chandamama that I learnt to read longer Kannada passages. At that age I was perhaps the only kid in my English medium school who could read Kannada stories so fluently. It feels great to experience again that thrill from my child hood days. Here is the link to Chandamama online. Hope you will enjoy it too.

Here is a link to Srivathsa Joshi's Kannada podcast article 'Give me back my childhood.'

Kannada Movie: Beru (The Root)

Title: Beru (2005) (Kannada with English Subtitles).
Starring: H.G. Dattatreya, Suchendra Prasad, M.P Venkata Rao, Baby Sowmya, Neeta, Vidya Murthy, Lakshmi Chandrashekar, T.N Seetharam
Direction: P Sheshadri
Produced by: Mitra Chitra
Music: PraveenKiran
Photography: S Ramachandra
Story: J M Prahlad
Screen Play: P Sheshadri and J M Prahlad

Verdict: An excellent movie which brings out the extent to which corruption and apathy has seeped into the social fabric of the Indian society. Winner of 2005 Indian National Award for "Best Kannada Film" and 2005 Karnataka State Award for "2nd best Kannada Film". This DVD is available in Cupertino Library.

Score: 9 out of 10

Corruption in public life is not a new theme in Indian movies. We have seen many commercially successful as well as critically acclaimed movies before. But Beru by P Sheshadri does a very good job of showing to the audience the entrenchment of corruption and the damage it can cause in the Indian society. We are not talking of corruption in the corridors of power but in everyday lives of the common man.

The story in this movie involves a young and honest government official Raghunandan who takes charge of a Taluk office in a remote village called Karadi Gudda in Karnataka, India. Within a few days he faces his first challenge. A minister's visit is forthcoming and his superiors in the government give him the responsibility of making lodging arrangements for the minister in the government Inspection Bungalow (IB). As it turns out, his own subordinates have used the IB as an excuse to misappropriate funds. At the center of this misuse of funds is the head clerk Venkateshiah played by Dattattreya. Venkateshayya is a regular family man but allows himself to misuse the government funds because he thinks his financial problems are a valid excuse. A central theme that runs in the film is that the house of a poor man is about to be destroyed by the creeping root of a huge tree. He needs government permission to cut the tree and save his house. But the government officials are so corrupt that they barely look at his plight. The director uses the metaphor of the house to show the possible destruction of the Indian society by the deep rooted corruption.

The movie is really beautiful in the sense it has characters which are quite complex and human. The best effect the film has is that it puts us inside the minds of the characters and challenges us to think what we would have done if we too were faced with similarly difficult situations as the characters. Sheshadri the director ensures that movie stays tight and focused without any slack in the pace of the story.

Music by Praveen-Kiran provide a good backdrop with folk tunes. One minor thing I found odd was that the theme music and during some situations (like meeting the Meti) the back ground music try to set a mysterious mood which is not the intention of the movie.

The actors have given superb performances. HG Dattatreya as the corrupt head clerk Venkateshiah simply lives the role. Suchendraprasad as the official Raghunandan is a great study in character. It is very rare to see an Indian movie in which the characters lead the story's movement and display interesting behavioral changes. But this movie is an exception. His role develops so well that we get the satisfaction of seeing and understanding a person up close. Venkat Rao as Goravayya and baby Sowmya as the little girl shine in their roles. Neetha as the wife of Raghunandan's turns in a beautiful performance. All others provide excellent support.

life chitranna

This article was first published in Swarnasetu 2004, an annual magazine brought out by Kannada Koota of Northern California. Later it was also published in thatskannada web portal.

ಏನ್‌ ಗುರು ಸಮಾಚಾರ? ಸಪ್ಪೆ ಮುಖ ಹಾಕಿಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದ ಆಪ್ತ ಗೆಳೆಯನ್ನ ಈ ರೀತಿ ನಾನು ಕೇಳಿದಾಗ ಬಂದ ಉತ್ತರ ’ಲೈಫು ಚಿತ್ರಾನ್ನ ಆಗೋಗಿದೆ ಗುರು’ ಎಂದು. ಮನಸ್ಸಿಗೆ ಬಹಳ ವ್ಯಥೆಯಾಯಿತು. ಪಾಪ! ಹೀಗೇಕಾಯಿತು? ಚಿತ್ರಾನ್ನಕ್ಕೆ ಈ ಗತಿ ಏಕೆ ಬಂತು? ಜೀವನದ ಅರಾಜಕತೆಯನ್ನು ಹಾಗು ನೀರಸತೆಯನ್ನು ವರ್ಣಿಸಲು ಚಿತ್ರಾನ್ನವೇ ಆಗಬೇಕೆ? ಹಾಗೆ ನೋಡಿದರೆ ಚಿತ್ರಾನ್ನ ತಿನ್ನಲು ಬಹಳಾ ರುಚಿ ಅಗಿರುತ್ತೆ. ಜೊತೆಗೆ ನೋಡಲು ಅಂದವಾಗಿರುತ್ತೆ ಕೂಡ.

14 ವರುಷದ ಹಿಂದೆ ಚನ್ನರಾಯಪಟ್ಟಣದ ನನ್ನ ಚಿಕ್ಕಮ್ಮ ಮಾಡಿದ್ದ ಚಿತ್ರಾನ್ನವನ್ನು ಜ್ಞಾಪಿಸಿ ಕೊಂಡರೆ ಇಂದಿಗೂ ನನ್ನ ಬಾಯಲ್ಲಿ ನೀರೂರುತ್ತೆ. ಮಲ್ಲಿಗೆ ಹೂವಿನಂತ ಹಳದಿ ಬಣ್ಣದ ಅನ್ನ, ಎಣ್ಣೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಹುರಿಯಲ್ಪಟ್ಟ ಕಂದು ಬಣ್ಣದ ಕಡ್ಲೆ ಬೀಜ, ಅಲ್ಲಲ್ಲಿ ಮೆರಗು ನೀಡುವ ಹಸಿ ಮೆಣಸಿನ ಕಾಯಿ, ಕರಿಬೇವು ಮತ್ತು ಕರಿ ಸಾಸಿವೆ! ಇಂತಹ ಚಿತ್ರಾನ್ನವನ್ನು ಇವನ ಗೋಳಿನ ಜೀವನಕ್ಕೆ ಹೋಲಿಸುವುದೆ? ಅವನಿಗೆ ಹೇಳಿದೆ ‘ತಪ್ಪು! ದೊಡ್ಡ ತಪ್ಪು! ಇನ್ನೂ ಬೇಕಾದರೆ ಸಾರನ್ನಕ್ಕೆ ಹೋಲಿಸ್ಕೊ.’ ಇದನ್ನು ಕೇಳಿದ ಸ್ನೇಹಿತ ನಿಬ್ಬೆರಗಾಗಿ ನನ್ನನ್ನೇ ನೋಡುತ್ತಾ ನಿಂತ. ಸಾರನ್ನದ ಈ ಮಹತ್ವ ತನಗೆ ತಿಳಿದಿರಲಿಲ್ಲವಲ್ಲ ಎಂದು ಅವನಿಗೆ ತನ್ನ ಬಗ್ಗೆಯೇ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ನಿರಾಶೆಯಾಗಿರಬೇಕು. ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಇರಬೇಕು ಅದಾದ ನಂತರ ಅವನು ನನ್ನ ಬಳಿ ಆ ವಿಷಯ ಮಾತಾಡಿಲ್ಲ.

ನಿಜ ಹೇಳ್ಬೇಕು ಅಂದ್ರೆ ನನಗೂ ಸಾರನ್ನಕ್ಕು ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಅಷ್ಟಕ್ಕಷ್ಟೆ ! . ಒಂದು ಮನೇಲಿ ಇವತ್ತು ಅಡಿಗೆ ಮಾಡಲಾಗಿದೆ ಅನ್ನೋದಕ್ಕೆ ಅನ್ನ ಸಾರು ಒಂದು ಸುಳ್ಳು ಸಾಕ್ಷಿಯೇ ಹೊರತು ಅದಂರಿಂದಲೇ ಹೊಟ್ಟೆ ತುಂಬಿಸ್ಕೋಬೇಕಾದ್ರೆ ಬಹಳ ಕಷ್ಟ ಸ್ವಾಮಿ. ಜೊತೆಗೆ ಹಪ್ಪಳ ಸಂಡಿಗೆ ಕರಿದಿದ್ರೆ ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿರುತ್ತೆ. ಆದ್ರೆ ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಅಮೇರಿಕಾದಲ್ಲಿ ಅದನ್ನೆಲ್ಲ ಕರಿಯೋದೊ ಂದು ದೊಡ್ಡ ತಲೇನೋವು. ಕರಿಯೋದು ಸುಲಭ. ಆದ್ರೆ ಆ ಕರಿದ ಎಣ್ಣೆ ಎಸಿಯೋದು ಒಂದು ರಂಪ? ಅಂಗಡಿ ಸಮೋಸ ಇರೋದ್ರಿಂದ, ಏನೋ ಒಂದಷ್ಟು ಸಾರನ್ನವನ್ನ ಗಂಟಲಲ್ಲಿ ಇಳಿಸ್ಬೋದು.

ಸಾರನ್ನದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ನನ್ನ ಅಭಿಪ್ರಾಯ ಏನಾದರು ಇದ್ದ್ಗೊಂಡ್‌ ಹೋಗ್ಲಿ. ನನ್ನ ಚೀನಿ ಸಹೋದ್ಯೋಗಿಯೂ ಅದರ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಆಕ್ಷೇಪಣೆ ಮಾಡೋದೆ? ಒಂದು ದಿನ ಊಟ ಮಾಡುವಾಗ ಕೇಳಿಯೇಬಿಟ್ಟಳು How come you bring rice inside some kind of soup? ಎಂದು. ಸಾರನ್ನದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಈ ರೀತಿ ಲಘುವಾಗಿ ಮಾತಾಡೋದೆ? ಅವಳು ತರುವ ಊಟದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಏನಾದರೂ ಖಾರವಾಗಿ ಹೇಳಬೇಕು ಎಂದು ಮುಷ್ಟಿ ಬಿಗಿದು ಪ್ರಯತ್ನ ಪಟ್ಟೆ. ಬಾಯಲ್ಲೇ ತಡವರಿಸಿದೆನೆ ಹೊರತು ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಹೇಳಲಾಗಲಿಲ್ಲ. ನಂತರ ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿ ಯೋಚಿಸಿ ಅವಳ ಊಟದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಒಂದು ಒಳ್ಳೆಯ ವ್ಯಾಖ್ಯಾನವನ್ನು ಸಿಧ್ಧ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಂಡೆ. ಅದನ್ನು ಹೇಳಲು ಸರಿಯಾದ ಸಮಯಕ್ಕೆ ಕಾಯುತ್ತಿದ್ದೇನೆ. ಎಷ್ಟೇ ಆದರೂ ನಮ್ಮ ಊಟ ನಮಗೆ ಹೆಚ್ಚು.

ಅದೇ ದಿನ ನನ್ನ ಜಪಾನಿ ಸಹೋದ್ಯೋಗಿಗೆ ಸಾರನ್ನದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಕುತೂಹಲವುಂಟಾಯಿತು. ವಿನಮ್ರತೆಯಿಂದ ಕೇಳಿದ May I try it ? ಎಂದು. ನಾನು ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಅಳುಕಿನಿಂದಲೆ Sure ಎಂದೆ. ಅವನು ಒಂದು ಚಮಚದಷ್ಟನ್ನು ಬಾಯಿಗೆ ಹಾಕಿಕೊಂಡ. ನಾನು ಅವನ ಮುಖವನ್ನೇ ನೋಡ ತೊಡಗಿದ್ದೆ. ಅವನು ತನ್ನ ಕಣ್ಣುಗಳ್ಳನ್ನು ಮುಚ್ಚಿ, ಕತ್ತನ್ನು ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಹಿಂದಕ್ಕೆ ವಾಲಿಸಿ ಸಾರನ್ನವನ್ನು ಮೆಲ್ಲುತ್ತ ‘ಊಂ ಊಂ ಊಂ ಹುಂಹುಂ’ ಎಂದು ತಲೆದೂಗ ತೊಡಗಿದ.

ನಾನು ಕಾತುರತೆಯಿಂದ So What do you think ? ಎಂದೆ. ಅವನು ಕಣ್ಣು ಮುಚ್ಚಿಕೊಂಡೇ It is really cool. I can feel it soothing at the back of my head ಎಂದು ಹೇಳಿ ಮತ್ತೊಮ್ಮೆ I can really feel it here ಎಂದು ಪರಮಾನಂದದಿಂದ ತಲೆಯಾಡಿಸುತ್ತ I can really feel it here ಎಂದು ತನ್ನ ತಲೆಯ ಹಿಂಭಾಗವನ್ನು ತೋರಿಸಿದ. ತಕ್ಷಣ ನನ್ನ ಮನಸ್ಸು ಮನೆಯ Fridgeನಲ್ಲಿ ಕುಳಿತಿರುವ ಸಾರಿನ ಪುಡಿಯ ಕಡೆ ಹರಿಯಿತು. ಹೋದ ವರುಷ ಭಾರತದಿಂದ ತಂದ ಸಾರಿನ ಪುಡಿ ಇತ್ತೀಚೆಗೆ ಮತ್ತು ಬರಿಸುವ ಗುಣಗಳ್ಳನ್ನು ಸಂಪಾದಿಸಿಕೊಂಡುಬಿಟ್ಟಿತ್ತೊ ಹೇಗೆ? ಅಷ್ಟು ಹೊತ್ತು ಊಟ ನಿಲ್ಲಿಸಿದ್ದ ನಾನು ಕೂಡಲೆ ಒಂದು ಚಮಚ ಬಾಯಿಗೆ ಹಾಕಿಕೊಂಡೆ. ಅದರ ರುಚಿ ತಲೆಯ ಹಿಂಬಾಗಕ್ಕೆ ಪರಿಣಾಮ ಬೀರುವುದಿರಲಿ, ನನ್ನ ನಾಲಿಗೆಯ ಮೇಲೆ ರುಚಿಯಿಲ್ಲದೆ ಹರಿದು ಸುಮ್ಮನೆ ಹೊಟ್ಟೆ ಸೇರಿತ್ತು. ಜಪಾನಿ ಸಹೋದ್ಯೋಗಿ ಉತ್ಸಾಹದಿಂದ ಕೇಳಿದ Can I take some for my wife? ನನಗೆ ಆ ವೇಳೆಗೆ ಏನೂ ತೋಚದಂತಾಗಿತ್ತು. ಆಗಲಪ್ಪ ....ತಗೊಂಡು ಹೋಗು ಎಂದು ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಕೊಟ್ಟೆ. ಮಾರನೆ ದಿನ ಊಟದ ಸಮಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಅವನನ್ನು ಕೇಳಿದೆ. So, what did your wife think of ಸಾರನ್ನ?. ಅವನು ಸಂತೃಪ್ತಿಯಿಂದ ಬೀಗುತ್ತಾ ಉತ್ತರಿಸಿದ Oh, she liked it very much. She too felt it was soothing to the nerves on the back of her head. ಅದನ್ನು ಕೇಳಿ ನಾನು ಸುಸ್ತು ಹೊಡೆದು ಹೋದೆ. ಆದರೆ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ನಿಧಾನಿಸಿ ಯೋಚಿಸಿದಾಗ ಅವನ ಸಂಸಾರದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಮೆಚ್ಚುಗೆ ಉಂಟಾಯಿತು. ಪರವಾಗಿಲ್ವೆ! ಗಂಡ-ಹೆಂಡ್ತೀರಿಬ್ಬರೂ ಸರಿಯಾಗಿದಾರೆ! ಏನು ಹೊಂದಾಣಿಕೆ. ‘ಇಬ್ಬರಿಗೂ ತಿಂದ ಅನ್ನ ಒಂದೆ ಜಾಗಕ್ಕೆ ಮೈಗೆ ಹತ್ತತ್ತೆ’. ಅಥವಾ... ಇಬ್ಬರಿಗೂ ನೆತ್ತಿ-ಗಿತ್ತಿ ಹತ್ತಿಬಿಟ್ಟು Confuse ginfuse ಮಾಡಿಕೊಂಡಿರಬಹುದೊ? ಯೋಚನೆ ಮಾಡಿದಷ್ಟೂ ತಲೆ ಕೆಡಲು ಶುರುವಾಯಿತು. ಅದೇ ಯೋಚನೆ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾ ನನ್ನ ಸಾರನ್ನಕೆ ಕೈ ಹಾಕಿದೆ.ಅನ್ನ ಸಾರು ಹೊಟ್ಟೆ ಸೇರಿದಂತೆ ಮನಸ್ಸು ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಶಾಂತವಾಯಿತು. ಸಾರನ್ನದ ಮಹಿಮೆ ಇರಬಹುದೇ ಎಂಬ ಸಂದೇಹ ಸುಳಿಯುತ್ತಿದ್ದಂತೆ ಅದನ್ನು ಅಲ್ಲಿಗೆ ಮೊಟಕುಗೊಳಿಸಿ ಆ ವಿಚಾರ ಅಲ್ಲಿಗೇ ಮರೆತೆ.

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ನನ್ನ ಅಜ್ಜಿ ನನ್ನ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಹೇಳುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ಮಾತು ನೆನಪಿಗೆ ಬರ್ತಾ ಇದೆ. ‘ಇವನಿಗೆ ಊಟ ತಿಂಡಿ ವಿಷಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಕುಷ್ಪಿಷ್ಟಿ ಜಾಸ್ತಿ’ ಅಂತ. ನನಗೋ ಅದು ಭಾರಿ ತಮಾಷೆ ಎನಿಸುತ್ತಿತ್ತು. ಈ ‘ಕುಷ್ಪಿಷ್ಟಿ’ ಅನ್ನೋದು ನಮ್ಮ ಅಜ್ಜಿಯೇ ಹುಟ್ಟುಹಾಕಿದ ಪದ ಎಂದುಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದೆ. ಆದರೆ ಈಚೆಗೆ ನಿಘಂಟಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಅ ಪದ ನೋಡಿದಾಗ ಅದರ ಸರಿಯಾದ ಉಚ್ಛಾರಣೆ ಮತ್ತು ಅರ್ಥ ಈ ರೀತಿ ಇತ್ತು. ‘ಕುಸಿವಿಷ್ಟಿ - ಅತೀ ನಾಜುಕಿನ; ಸುಲಭವಾಗಿ ಮೆಚ್ಚದ’. ಇದೆಲ್ಲ ಊಟ ತಿಂಡಿಯ ವಿಷಯದಲ್ಲಿ ನನಗಿರುವ ಧೋರಣೆಯ ಬಗ್ಗೆ! ಇಷ್ಟಾಗಿ ನಾನು ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದುದಾದರೂ ಏನು? ಕೆಲವೊಮ್ಮೆ ಅಡುಗೆಯ ರುಚಿ ನೋಡದೇ ಅದನ್ನು ಬರಿ ಕಣ್ಣಿನಿಂದ ನೋಡಿ ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ‘ಉಪ್ಪು ಕಮ್ಮಿ’ ಅಂತಾನೊ, ಅಥವಾ ‘ಇದಕ್ಕೆ ಖಾರ ಜಾಸ್ತಿ ಅಂತ ಕಾಣ್ಸತ್ತೆ’ ಎಂದೋ, ಹೇಳುವ ಚಾತುರ್ಯ ನನಗಿತ್ತು. ಕೆಲವೊಮ್ಮೆ ಹೀಗೂ ಹೇಳಿದ್ದುಂಟು - ‘ಅಮ್ಮ ನೀನು ಮಾಡೊ ಇಡ್ಲಿ ಚಟ್ನಿ ಮದುವೆ ಮನೇಲಿ ಅಡುಗೆಯವರು ಮಾಡೊ ತರ ಯಾಕಿರಲ್ಲ?’. ಕೊನೆಗೊಂದು ದಿನ ನನ್ನ ಅಮ್ಮ ಸಿಟ್ಟಿನಿಂದ ಹೀಗೆಂದಿದ್ದರು ‘ ನಿನಗೆ ನೀರುನಿಡಿ ಸಿಗದಲೆ ಇರೊ ಜಾಗಕ್ಕೆ ಕರ್ಕೊಂಡು ಹೋಗಿ ಬಿಡಬೇಕು. ಆಗ ತಿಳಿಯುತ್ತೆ ನಾನು ಮಾಡೊ ಅಡುಗೆಯ ಬೆಲೆ’. ಇದೆಲ್ಲ ನಡೆದು ಅನೇಕ ವರುಷಗಳಾಗಿವೆ. ಈಗ ಆ ಕುಸಿವಿಷ್ಟಿ ಅಂದರೆ ಏನು ಎಂದು ಅರ್ಥ ಹುಡುಕುವಂತಾಗಿದೆ. ನಾನು ಪ್ರತಿದಿನ ಬೆಳಗ್ಗೆ ಕಾರು ನಡೆಸುತ್ತ ಎರಡು Slice ಬ್ರೆಡ್ಡನ್ನು ತಿನ್ನುತ್ತೇನೆ. ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಉಪ್ಪು ಹುಳಿ ಕಾರ ಒಂದೂ ಇರುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ಆದರೂ ಕಳೆದ ಮೂರು ವರುಷದಿಂದ ತಿನ್ನುತ್ತಿದ್ದೇನೆ. ಸುಮ್ಮನೆ ಯಾಂತ್ರಿಕವಾಗಿ ತಿನ್ನುತ್ತೇನೆ. ಕೆಲವೊಮ್ಮೆ Drive ಮಾಡುವ ಭರದಲ್ಲಿ ಬ್ರೆಡ್ಡನ್ನು ಸುತ್ತಿದ ಪೇಪರನ್ನೂ ಸಹ ತಿಂದುಬಿಟ್ಟಿರುತ್ತೇನೆ. ಗೊತ್ತೇ ಆಗಿರುವುದಿಲ್ಲ.

ಆದರೆ ಈಚೆಗೆ ನಾನು ತಲ್ಲಣಿಸುವಂತಹ ಒಂದು ಘಟನೆ ನಡೆದುಹೋಯಿತು. ಹೀಗೆ ಯಾರೊ ಪರಿಚಯದವರ ಮಗುವಿನ ಹುಟ್ಟುಹಬ್ಬದ ಸಂದರ್ಭ. ನನ್ನ ಹೆಂಡತಿ ಹಾಗು ಮಗಳು ಮುಂಚೆಯೇ ಹೋಗಿದ್ದರು. ನಾನು ತಡವಾಗಿ ಬರುವ ಹೊತ್ತಿಗೆ ಬಹು ಪಾಲು ಜನರ ಊಟ ಮುಗಿದಿತ್ತು. ಊಟ ಮಾಡಲು ಹೊಂಚುಹಾಕುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ನನ್ನನು ನೋಡಿ ನನ್ನ ಹೆಂಡತಿ ‘ಬಿಸಿಬೇಳೆ ಬಾತ್‌ ಇದೆ. ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿದೆ! ತಿನ್ನಿ’ ಎಂದು ಹೇಳಿ ಬೇರೆ ಕಡೆ ಗಮನ ಹರಿಸಿದಳು. ನಾನು ಬಿಸಿಬೇಳೆ ಬಾತ್‌ ಹಾಕಿಕೊಂಡು ತಿನ್ನತೊಡಗಿದೆ. ಚೆನ್ನಾಗೇನೂ ಇರಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಆದರೆ ಹಸಿವಾಗಿದ್ದರಿಂದ ಎರಡನೆ ಸುತ್ತಿಗೆ ಇನ್ನಷ್ಟು ಬಿಸಿಬೇಳೆ ಬಾತ್‌ ಹಾಕಿಕೊಂಡು ತಿನ್ನತೊಡಗಿದೆ. ಆಷ್ಟು ಹೊತ್ತು ಯಾರೊಟ್ಟಿಗೋ ಮಾತನಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ನನ್ನ ಪತ್ನಿ ಗಾಭರಿಯಿಂದ ಕೇಳಿದಳು ‘ಅಯ್ಯೋ ಅದನ್ಯಾಕೆ ತಿಂತಾ ಇದೀರಾ?’. ನಾನೆಂದೆ ‘ ನೀನೆ ಹೇಳಿದ್ಯಲ್ಲಾ! ಬಿಸಿಬೇಳೆ ಬಾತ್‌ ತಿನ್ನು ಅಂತ!’ ‘ ಅಯ್ಯಾ ಇದು ಪಾವ್‌ ಬಾಜಿದು ಪಲ್ಯ’ ಎಂದಳು. ಅಷ್ಟಕ್ಕೆ ನಿಲ್ಲಿಸದೆ ಪಿಸುದನಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ನುಡಿದಳು ‘ಅದೂ ಹಳಸಿಹೋಗಿದೆ’.

ಈ ಪ್ರಸಂಗ ನನಗೆ ತೀರ ಆಘಾತವನ್ನುಂಟು ಮಾಡಿತು. ಛೆ! ನಾನು ಈ ಮಟ್ಟಕ್ಕೆ ಇಳೀ ಬಾರದಿತ್ತು! ಬಿಸಿಬೇಳೆ ಭಾತಿಗೂ ಪಾವ್‌ ಬಾಜಿಯ ಪಲ್ಲ್ಯಕ್ಕೂ ವ್ಯತ್ಯಾಸ ತಿಳಿಯದ ಹಾಗಾಗಿ ಹೋಯಿತೆ ನನ್ನ ಕುಸಿವಿಷ್ಟಿ? ಪೇಪರನ್ನು ಬ್ರೆಡ್ಡೆಂದು ಭಾವಿಸಿ ತಿಂದಿದ್ದು ನಿಜ. ಒಪ್ಪ್ಕೋತೀನಿ. ಆದರೆ ಹಳಸಿದ್ದನ್ನು ತಿಂದರೂ ಗೊತ್ತಾಗದೇ ಹೋಗಿದ್ದು? ಇದನ್ನು ಒಪ್ಪಿಕೊಳ್ಳೋಕೆ ನಾನು ಖಂಡಿತ ತಯಾರಿಲ್ಲ.

ಒಟ್ಟಿನಲ್ಲಿ ನಾನು ಹೇಳೋದು ಇಷ್ಟೆ. ಒಂದು-ಪಾವ್‌ ಬಾಜಿ ಪಲ್ಯ ಹಳಸಿದರೆ ಬಿಸಿಬೇಳೆ ಬಾತಿನಂತೆ ರುಚಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ಎರಡನೇದು -ಯಾರಾದರು ಕಷ್ಟಸುಖದ ವಿಷಯ ವಿಚಾರಿಸಿದರೆ ‘ಲೈಫೇ ಚಿತ್ರಾನ್ನ ’ ಅನ್ನುವ ಬದಲು ‘ಲೈಫೇ ಸಾರನ್ನ ’ ಅಂದರೆ ಹೇಗೆ? ವಿವೇಕಶಾಲಿಗಳಾಗ ತಾವುಗಳು ಯಾವುದಕ್ಕೂ ಒಮ್ಮೆ ಪರಿಶೀಲಿಸಿ ನೋಡಿ.

Sham Sundar, thatskannada and my first article

In early 2005 I got an email from SK Shamsundar, chief editor of thatskannada web portal in which he mentioned that he happened to read the Swarnasetu magazine and found my article 'Life Chitranna' very fascinating and suggested that I send it for publication on thatskannada website, which I promptly did. I still remember the morning after a few days, when I saw an email from S.K. Shamsundar telling me that he had just published my article 'Life chitranna' and had congratulated me on a good article. Immediately following was another email from an unfamiliar person saying that he just read my article on thatskannada and he liked it. I see in this how Sham's encouraging gesture had an immediate effect on a potential writer.

I clicked on the link provided by Sham and there came up a web page with my picture and article . Even though I had published articles in KKNC Kannada magazines before, it was a rush of excitement, happiness and satisfaction that filled me when I saw my work in print on a public website. It was on thatskannada that my article reached thousands of readers. This one gesture on Sham's part encouraged me to write more and I am really happy that I have now developed the habit of writing in Kannada and in English. Much more than that it was a great feeling to see readers' comments on my writings.

It is well known among NRI Kannadigas, especially in the California Bay area, that thatskannada is like a training ground for many budding NRI Kannada writers from all over the world. Many of us have got our first Kannada article published in thatskannada and kept writing as a result of encouragement received from thatskannada team and its readers. This web portal has brought together Kannadigas from all over the world and has spread awareness about their life and activities. As a result we have come to form friendships with many many Kannadigas across the globe forming a truly global Kannada community.

Here are some people I know who we are frequent writers on thatskannada website. Some of them were well known for their writings before they started writing in thatskannada. The list below is proof of the impact thatskannada has had on the NRI Kannada community. The list is in no particular order. I am sorry if I have missed out some names. I will be happy to add if you bring it to my attention.

Harihareshwara, M.S. Nataraja, Sreevathsa Joshi, Shesadri (Baraha) Vaasu, Yogesh Devaraj, Sandhya ravindranath, Alamelu Ayyangar, Chandrashekhar, Nalini Maiiyya, Ahitanala, Vallisha Sastry, Srinath Bhalle, Savitha Ravishankar, Jyothi Shekhar, Dattatri Ramanna, Kumbasi Srinivasa Bhat, Triveni Srinivasa Rao, Meena Subabarao, Meera Rajgopal, Mangala Kumar, Sukumar Raghuram, Jyothi Mahadeva, Ravi Gopal Rao, Janardhana Swamy, Vishvanath Hulikal, Anupama Mangalavedhe, GS Sathya, Madhu Krishnamurthy, Malli Sannappanavar, Krishna Sastry, Vani Aravind, Vani Ramadoss (Singapore), Suguna, Gopinath Rao (Dubai), Prashanth Beechi (Nigeria), Prakash Paiyyar, Rajaram Kavale (England), Prakash Rajarao (New Zealand), Seetha Keshava and so on.

I am sure the list does not end here. Hundreds of additional names will be added to it as new writers start writing and publishing their beginning articles. Whenever I am in doubt about whether to write or not, I find guidance in these words spoken by well known Kannada writer Kum Vee. These words (paraphrased by me) apply to all aspiring writers. " There is a writer in you. You need to make that writer work hard. Get a lot of work done by him/her. Do not think too much about what to write. Write about whatever you feel like writing".

Good luck to all budding writers.

Please click here to read my first article published on thatskannada.

(Photo below: Sham Sundar and me during Navika - 2010 in Pasadena, Ca.

Kannada radio program: Interview with S.k. Shamsundar of thatskannada.com

ಜುಲೈ 28ರಂದು ಅಮೇರಿಕದ ಬಾನುಲಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಕನ್ನಡ ರೇಡಿಯೊ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮ

ದಟ್ಸ್ ಕನ್ನಡ ಜಾಲತಾಣದ ಮುಖ್ಯಸಂಪಾದಕರ‍ಾದ ಶಾಮ್ ಸುಂದರ್ ಅವರೊಂದಿಗೆ ಸಂದರ್ಶನ.

ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮದ ವಿವರಗಳು:
ದಿನಾಂಕ: 2010 ಜುಲೈ 28 ಬುಧವಾರ
ಸಮಯ: (ಕ್ಯಾಲಿಫೋರ್ನಿಯ ಸಮಯ)
ಬೆಳಗ್ಗೆ 6.00 AM PST - 7.30 AM PST - ಕನ್ನಡ ಭಕ್ತಿಗೀತೆಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ಶಾಸ್ತ್ರೀಯ ಸಂಗೀತ.
7.30 AM - 8.30 AM PST ದಟ್ಸ್ ಕನ್ನಡ ಮುಖ್ಯ ಸಂಪಾದಕರಾದ ಶ್ರೀ ಶಾಮ್ ಸುಂದರ್ ಅವರೊಂದಿಗೆ ಸಂದರ್ಶನ. ಭಾರತೀಯ ಕಾಲಮಾನಕ್ಕೆ ಕೆಳಗಿರುವ ಟಿಪ್ಪಣೆ ಗಮನಿಸಿ.
ಬಾನುಲಿ ಕೇಂದ್ರ: ಸ್ಟಾನ್‍ಫರ್ಡ್ KZSU 90.1 FM [ಕ್ಯಾಲೀಫೋರ್ನಿಯ ಸ್ಯಾನ್‍ಫ್ರಾನ್‍ಸಿಸ್ಕೊ ಬೇ ಏರಿಯ]
ಇಂಟರ್ನೆಟ್ ಮೂಲಕ: http://kzsulive.stanford.edu/ (from anywhere in the world)
ನಡೆಸಿಕೊಡುವವರು: ಮಧು ಕೃಷ್ಣಮೂರ್ತಿ
ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನ ವಿವರಗಳಿಗೆ ಮತ್ತು ಹಿಂದೆ ಪ್ರಸಾರವಾದ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮಗಳನ್ನು ಕೇಳಲು ಇಲ್ಲಿಗೆ ಭೇಟಿ ನೀಡಿ: http://www.itsdiff.com/Kannada.html

ಭಾರತೀಯ ಕಾಲಮಾನ: ಶಾಮ್‍ಸುಂದರ್ ಅವರೊಂದಿಗಿನ ಸಂದರ್ಶನ ಬುಧವಾರ ರಾತ್ರಿ ೮.೦ ರಿಂದ ೯.೦೦ ರ ವರೆಗೆ.

Movie Review: Shutter Island (2010)

Title: Shutter Island (2010)
Genre: Mystery
Starring: Leonardo Di Caprio, Mark Ruffalo, Sir Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Photography: Robert Richardson
Edited by: Thelma Schoonmaker
Screen play: Laera Kalogridid



Verdict: OK thriller. Very good plot line with good suspense and twists. You will enjoy it if you like mind-bending psycho movies. But the narration looses grip during certain parts of the movie. It could have been an even more gripping movie. I watched it dutifully because it was directed by Martin Scorsese considered one the greatest directors .

Score: 6 out of 10

Yet another Scorsese and Leonardo combo following earlier movies such as The Departed, The Aviator and The Gangs of New York. The story starts with a scene in which the protagonist Teddy played by Leo is sailing on boat. He is a US Federal Marshal heading to Shutter Island to investigate the escape of a deadly psychotic criminal. With him, is his partner Chuck played by Mark Ruffalo. The island houses a mental institution headed by Dr. John Cawley played by Ben Kingsley who says he is following new procedures in psychiatry to cure psychopaths. He belongs to the school of thought which believes in curing dangerous psychotic offenders with understanding and compassion. It is 1952 and there are many situations which have shadows of the second World War on them.

As the US Marshals pull into the island they are met by the deputy warden who gives them a set of rules they need to follow, the first one of which is that they should hand in their weapons. To add to the suspense the Dr. Cawley is very uncooperative a d appears very reluctant to share information with the US Marshals. All he can say is that a female inmate who killed 3 of her own children has disappeared from her cell in mysterious circumstances. As they find out more about what is going on in the island things become more mysterious. It hard to say anything beyond this without giving away the critical parts of the movie.

The highlight of the movie is the island itself. The movie succeeds in creating a sinister aura about the mental institution. The savage storms coming from the ocean makes the island more menacing. But the movie is a bit disappointing. In spite of the very interesting plot the movie meanders away in the narration and fails to generate the thrill we have seen in other movies with similar theme. DiCaprio and Ruffalo are quite convincing in their roles. DiCaprio has succeeded in transitioning from boyish looking roles into role which require a mature persona.
Scorsese is a great director and as is common in his movie, the plot is driven by the characters. The movie has done a good job of bringing out complex relationships and characters. But I felt the movie pulled on for a bit longer than required during many scenes in the island. That was a minor disappointment.

Score: 6 out of 10

Shivanna does the kamsale dance at Navika-2010

Meravanige (traditonal parade) at Navika-2010 World Kannada Conference. Time: 8.30 AM on Sunday July 5th 2010. The downtown was empty. The streets outside the majestic Pasadena convention center were filled with Navika attendees. It was a very nice feeling to 'think' that we have the downtown all for ourselves. The meravanige passed through a couple of down streets around the convention center.

In the video below, after the 54th sec, watch Shivanna perform the kamsaale dance with folk artists from Karnataka.

Audio Recording of Sri Janardhana Swamy's interview

Today I enjoyed my radio interview with Chitradurga MP Janardhana Swamy.I was very impressed with his down to earth attitude and genuine concern. A wonderful comment he made was "If you are not part of the solution, then you are on the side of the problem".

And he still has an Engineer's heart. He was extremely comfortable in handling the post-processing on the audio files. Here is a link to the recording of the audio interview. Please listen for your selves as he addresses issues relevant to India, the issues that India faces and NRIs and what they can do for their country.

(In the Photo: Swamy with Madhu, Raghu Halur and Willy Raj. Photo taken by Basu Ullagaddi)

Audio Recording of itsdiff radio interview on Stanfod Radio with Sri Janardhana Swamy - Member of Indian Parliament

Itsdiff Radio Interview with Sri Janardhana Swamy,Member of Parliament. Wed June 30

Listen to a special Interview with Sri. Janardhana Swamy - Honourable Member of Parliament from Chitradurga Constituency in Karnataka.

Swamy was a technology professional in the valley till 2008. He took the bold step of returning to India and contested the Lok Sabha elections in 2009 and WON. This is an amazing feat for an outsider. With in a short span of one year Swamy has gained the reputation for being a very dedicated and honest politician. He is also very well know for his simple style and genuine interest in the public well being. Tune in to listen to his ideas and get inspired to be involved in public life. Please read more about Swamy at http://www.jswamy.com/ Click on 'Press' to read the good reputation Sri Swamy has earned for being a very dedicated MP.

Itsdiff Radio Program details:
Day and date: Wednesday June 30.
Time: 6.00 AM to 9.00 AM
KZSU Stanford 90.1 FM in California bay area
Listen live on the Internet at http://kzsulive.stanford.edu/
You can listen live and to previous programs here. http://www.itsdiff.com/
(Kannada, Tamil and Hindi program archives)

Highlights:
6.00 AM to 7.40
Regular Programming including Indian Classical Music, Devotional Music, Vanuli Kadambam and Thirulkurral

Interview with Dr. Sri Iyengar (President and convener) and Mr. Vallisha Sastry (VP) of Navika. http://navika2010.org

Interview with Mr. Raghu Halur President of Kannada Koota of Northern California. http://kknc.org

7.45 AM
Interview with Sri Janardhana Swamy - Member of Parliament from Chitradurga

namm aNNa (Our Father)

It was on June 19, 1910 that father's day was celebrated for the first time to honor fatherhood. Soon in the 1930s, commercial interests saw an opportunity to increase business by using father's day as a pretext to promote sales of gifts and greeting cards.

In general I have refrained from getting involved in father's day formalities. The idea of an institutionalized celebration of a very personal figure was and is, anathema to me. However yesterday on radio, I was listening to Eric Idol of the Monty Python fame. There were many middle aged men calling and telling how they got their children interested in Monty Python. I too realized how much my father has influenced me. As a result, this father's day, I felt I need to use this opportunity to recollect some of my fond memories of my father whom we called aNNa.

Since mid 70s, our family of 4 lived near Sreeramapura, in Bengalooru. At that time my father's office was in Shivajinagar. In the mornings my younger brother and I, who were both in primary school at that time, would sit with Anna, as he ate break fast which include the day's special such as UppiTTu or avalakki or chapaati and a glass of hot Horlick's milk . As our mother prepared the 'carrier' (lunch) for aNNa, he would start pacing up and down and start raising fears of missing his bus-number-58 which ran from Rajajinagar Ramamandir to Shivaji Nagar. My mother had a trick to stop this fussiness. In her own words "I will make the Horlicks very hot. That will buy me some time". At 8.40 AM, I and my brother would go and drop him off at the bus stand and wait till his bus leaves. He had a big friend-circle who had formed a passengers-of-58 club and they thought it was cute to see me and my brother at the bus stop in the mornings.

In the evening he would come back in the same bus number 58 which arrived in Devaiah Park at around 7.10 PM. It was a road train with two compartments colored gray and yellow. The sides of bus would carry advertisements such as "kshema nidhi or bala nidhi safe deposits' by Corporation bank. I would receive him at the bus stop as he got down from the bus and take his lunch bag and walk all the way home with him. Many times when my mother was not home, I would make him tea after we came home. I used to look forward to dinner. Not in the least because my mother would cook the most Delicious simple food. Rice, saaru (Karnataka style daal), cucumber kosambri and diluted butter milk immediately come to mind. Another rare delicacy she would make is kaDle bELe and red chili chutney made from chana daal. Such delicious dinner would be accompanied by me telling the jokes I had added newly to my list. My father was always eager for a laugh.

I have come to realize that I have acquired many of my personal traits watching and adopting my father' mannerisms. My grand father was a railway station master and as a result my father lived in different small towns across Karnataka and had collected varied life experiences. He would engage our relatives with his fascinating retelling of hilarious and exciting personal experiences. He would tell a story of how he was attacked by a bison when my grandfather was the station master in the remote Makali Durga railway station. The bison knocked him to the ground and charged at him with horns pointing at him. The only reason aNNa escaped was this - the sharp horns missed anna and got stuck in the ground giving my father enough time to get up and run away.

Watching him narrate the incidents in his own style I felt it was not only OK to talk in one's own unique way but it was the natural thing to do. I was totally influenced by the way he narrated anecdotes. He had a naturally humorous style of speaking which I seem to have adopted. Many of my relatives fondly see my father in me when they hear me tell jokes or recount anecdote. It is common to hear "yalla avarappan thara ne" (just like his dad) or "namm moorthy maataDida haage annisalava". (Does not he sound like our Murthy).

I would help my dad do his work around the house. This was when I was still 4 or 5. My father was fixing an electrical issue . It was common for him keep stool atop a table and he would stand on the stool to reach the ceiling and do his electrical work. I was assisting him by holding the table, the chair or screw drivers etc in my hands. I was also thinking that I was securing the table and stool with my 5 year old hands and helping aNNa not fall down. Once when aNNA was perched in this position he received an electrical shock and he came crashing down along with the stool and table. I remember him telling his friends with a hearty laugh "As I hit the ground I looked around to see what had happened to Madhu and I noticed that he had run away and was peeping from behind the door". He taught me how to iron clothes. Right from when I was 9 or 10 it was my proud job to press his old style woolen trousers and bush-coats. That was when I learned the art of pressing trousers - especially the ones which had a generous dose of pleats.

One of the biggest influences I have had from my father has been his thrill for movies, music and popular entertainment. He would take me and my brother for watching second show movies at the nearby theaters namely Geethanjali, Navarang, Sampige, Central, Savitha and Nataraj. We have seen many movies this way including 'naagara hole' , 'naarada vijaya', 'bangarada manushya', 'singa poorinalli raaja kulla', 'aalemane' 'bara' ans 'sampattige sawal'. His taste for comedy is what runs in me. I can recollect his enjoyment of movies by Dwarakish, Mehmood and Johnny Walker. At the beginning of Dwarakish's movies there is the standard scene where a Karnataka map shows up and Dwarakish roars like the MGM lion. He would get a kick out of it.

He introduced me to Laurel and Hardy which we watched for the first time in Cubbon Park's Bala Bhavan. He also took us to other English movies including 'McKenna's Gold', 'Its a mad mad world' and 'The Crazy Boys' series which was very popular those days.

He was a great fan of Shammi Kapoor, Joy Mukherjee and Mohammed Rafi. He would enjoy songs like 'tum se accha kaun ho' and 'lakho hein nigahame'. The 'Rafi and Asha hit' from Aradhana "gun guna rahi he bhavara khil rahi hi gali gali' had a special place in his heart.He also liked the Junglee title song. He would be beaming as he said "Do you know who screams yahooo in the song. It is actually Jai Kishan of the Shankar Jaikaishan duo'. He would repeat famous dialogues from movies. Consequently my fascination for movie dialogs is equally deep. This was how I learned that being interested in tidbits can provide for great conversation material and is a genuine way to warm up to strangers and friends. When the popular Kannada song 'gombe aatavayya' played on the radio he would wait for the right moment and say "watch now, he is going to softly say 'krishna'" which PBS does in between background music. When the song 'onde ondu hosa haadu' started playing, he would get the same thrill into his face and say "listen to the guitar piece, it is very nice". Such innocent excitement really fills me up even today.

During Ramanavami celebrations, I would go with him, amma, my grand mother and aunts to attend the concerts by star Carnatic music performers at Sheshadripuram college. His favorites included Jesudas, Kannukudi Vaidhyanathan and Kadri Gopalnath. In one of Kadri's conccerts my father got so excited after a piece that he jumped up from where he was sitting and gave a good round of applause. Kannukudi's antiques with his violin like playing it like it is talking was enough to send him into bursts of enjoyment. The concerts would end late after midnight. I must have been 12 or 13 then. It was such a comfortable thought that at 12.30 in the night, we could safely walk back home from Sheshadripuram with women, children and elderly. In fact we would groups of such families on the streets, walking back home, talking about the concert.


He introduced me to the exciting Cantonment area (which according to him were all areas that were not under the influence of Kannada culture and environment). He came from a small town far away from Bangalore. He was brave enough to explore a big new city all by himself and that spirit - I carry with me today too. My mother would often say, "You are just like your aNNa. You seem to be familiar with all nooks and corners of the city".

He had a child like fascination for seeing himself in pictures. He would cheer when he saw his own picture and point at picture and say "hey, guru illidaane'. Seeing the pictures in this article, I am sure he would have been extremely happy. I find it interesting today - especially since it is father's day, that when ever I called him aNNa he would also address me as aNNa'. If I called out to him 'aNNa' he would lovingly reply 'yen aNNa' (What dad). Even though he was echoing my words in an affectionate way, I guess he had seen me going on to be a dad like him one day.

Happy father's day to all.

Photo credit: Thanks to my sister-in-law Archana, brother Arun and my mother for providing the photos. Archana even transferred the old photos from their physical form into electronic form and enhanced the quality of the pictures. Hats off to my mother for preserving these photos in her Godrej bureau. Having received what I asked for within an hour gave me the additional impetus to write this article.

Kannada Radio Program on American airwaves

I will be presenting itsdiff radio programs on the following days.
June 16, June 23, June 30 and July 7th
Time: 6.00 AM to 9.00 AM

Highlights:
6.00 AM to 7.00 - Indian Classical Music
7.35 AM to 8.35 - Special segment 'SPB - the versatile singer!!'

KZSU Stanford 90.1 FM in California bay area
Listen live on the internet at http://kzsulive.stanford.edu/
Further details will follow.

You can listen to previous Kannada programs here.
http://www.itsdiff.com/Kannada.html

Review: Naanu Nanna Kanasu (2010)

Title: naanu nanna kanasu (Me and my dream)
Starring: Prakash Rai, Ramesh Aravind, Achyuthkumar, Seethara, Veena Sunder, Rajesh, Sihikahi Chandru and others.
Direction: Prakash Rai
Screen play, Dialogues: Prakash Rai
Photography: Ananth Urs
Produced by: Duet Movies and Media House Studio



Verdict - An excellent entertaining movie which explores the love a father has for his daughter which gets tested when she becomes an independent adult. It has good funny dialogues, great acting, superb photography and nice music.


Score: 9.5 out of 10



While watching Kannada or Indian movies, have you got bored of the stale adventures of the hero and heroine who fight against all obstacles and eventually teach us that love conquers all - that too not before the most stupid misunderstandings between the lovers themselves.? Have you got sick of how the hero-heroine gyrate in response to gross lyrics and head banging music? Now don't even get me started on movies that try hard to prove that in order to protect our personal dignity and survive in this unruly world, each of us men need to be the equivalent of a Jackie Chan or a Bruce Lee capable of beating the pulp out of twentyfive knife and chain wielding thugs !!

Yes.We badly need an antidote to such movies. We need a movie where the story is about some thing we can relate to, where the characters speak the kind of lines that are spoken around us? Still better, why can't the hero or heroine be in situations which are plausible and natural such that we the audience can relate to it?

Well, seek no more. Such an antidote has arrived. It is the Kannada movie Naanu nanna kanasu directed by Prakash Rai.

Prakash Rai (also known as Prakash Raj) is a popular national award winning actor well known in South Indian cinema. With this movie he has given a stellar performance as a director too.

The story is very new compared to what gets shown on Kannada movie screens. It is about the beautiful relationship and love a father enjoys with his daughter. The story is told by the father as he recollects one joyous event after another involving him and his daughter kanasu right from her birth. The story warmly unfolds as the girl grows from a baby to a toddler, to an adolescent and steps into adulthood. All along the father has been fully engaged in every walk of his daughters life and enjoying it. We also see very humane tendencies displayed by the father. It is to be admired that the story explores some very sensitive aspects like the father's resentment at his little baby growing up to be an independent individual.

In this movie, Prakash Rai has adopted the original Tamil movie (Abhiyum Naanum by Radha Mohan) and transformed it into a movie which fits the Kannada environment very well. Ramesh Aravind, Sihi Kahi Chandru, Seethara and Veena Sunder are very good in their roles

Prakash Rai shines in the role of the dad who tempers his desire to make his girl a strong and capable individual while at the same not wanting to let her out of his circle of love and influence. He has given a really genuine and bold performance bringing out his character's vulnerability, immaturity and fatherly love. His transition from a tense father to a relieved father is very nuanced and convincing.

AchyuthaKumar shines in his role as Patel and executes some juicy moments with assurance and confidence. I am always thrilled when young actors take charge of their role and hold their own. Amoolya as kanasu has given a dignified performance and personifies the role of the adorable daughter. Rajesh Nataranga's portrayal of the role of the supportive friend is very likeable and refreshing.

There are some very colorful picturization of songs with Hamsalekha providing interesting lyrics and fine music. The photography is pleasing. The dialogues are very natural, meaningful, sharp, funny and heartfelt. The song sung by Kailash Kher 'ondu maamara' has a haunting melody and is sure to be a hit.

I liked the cool and confident attitude displayed by Jogi when interacting with his prospective in-laws. This is in keeping with the times and shows the audience a character that has real personality as against the traditional tough guy hero who never-the-less exhibits over the top humility and modesty in front of elders. (I mean the dude who does not forget his culture of folding his hands and stands respectfully in front of guru hiriyaru).

The movie succeeds in being very entertaining while being realistic and natural. The movie demonstrates that a wholesome entertaining movie can be made while being highly artistic too. Going by the box office news, people are coming to watch this movie in large numbers in Karnataka.
So, Gandhinagar, you cannot give this excuse anymore. "We make crude cheap entertainment because if we make clean realistic movies, our Kannadigas do not come to watch it". I have always maintained that this is just taking the easy way out. I know there is always a market for movies which appeal to our base instincts. If people want to cater to it, that's fine. But if they channel their enormous resources they can make movies which they themselves can feel proud about.

I submit there is a huge segment of Kannada film goers who are desirous of watching well made movies. Let's not forget that the most popular and commercially successful director in Kannada is till today Puttanna Kanagal who appealed to such film goers. If Kannada can produce high quality literature, there is no reason why we cannot make high quality movies on our own. As can be see with movies made all over the world, it is the story and script which is the foundation for a good movie. I think we need more people like Prakash Rai who have the desire and confidence to make good movies based on good stories and strong scripts.

naanu nanna kanasu is the kind of movie Kannadigas deserve and have been craving for it. It is a very nice movie which must be watched by all kala rasika kannadigas especially fathers with daughters.

Pictures from our recent Nataka Chaitra 2010

Pictures from Nataka Chaitra 2010 - San Jose CA Nammologobba Najookayya written by T N Seetharam Koriappana Koriography written by Dundiraj. (I was Koriappa) Director: Sharmila Vidyadhara Photos: Ravi Subba Rao

ದೋಸೆ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಹಾಗು ಇತರೆ

ಪುಟ್ಟಿ ಮನೆಗೆ ಬಂದಾಗ

ಇದೇ ತಾನೆ ಊರಿಗೆ ಕಾಲಿಟ್ಟ ಖಾಲಿ ಹೊಟ್ಟೆಯ ಪುಟ್ಟಿಯು
ತಟ್ಟೆಯನು ತಾ ಮುಂದಿಟ್ಟಾಗ, ದೋಸೆ ಹಿಟ್ಟಿನ ಕ್ವಾಲಿಟಿ ತಾ ಮುಖ್ಯವೆ ?
ಸೊಂಯ್ಯೆಂದು ಬಿಟ್ಟ ದೋಸೆಯನು ಕಾಯ್ ಚಟ್ನಿಯಲಿ ಅದ್ದಿ
ಅಮ್ಮನು ಪುಟ್ಟಿಯ ಬಾಯ್ಲಿಡಲು,
ಐಸೊ ನೈನ್ ತೌಸೆಂಡಿಗೆ ಕಿಚ್ಚು ಹಚ್ಚೆಂದ, ತಂತ್ರಜ್ಞ !

ಮೇ ಐದು ೨೦೧೦
ಐದು
ಐದು
ಹತ್ತು
ಈವತ್ತು
ಯಾವತ್ತೂ

ಬೇಗಲ್‍ಏ ತಿನ್‍ಈ ದೋಸೆ

ಕೆಂಪಗೆ ಕಾಯಿಸಿ, ಬೆಣ್ಣೆಯ ಲೇಪಿಸಿ
ಮಸಾಲೆ ದೋಸೆ ಎಂದೇ ಭ್ರಮಿಸಿ
ಟೋಸ್ಟರ್ ಎಂಬ ಕಾವಲಿಯಿಂದ
ಬೇಗಲ್ ಎಂಬ ಒಣಕಲು ಬನ್ನನು
ಬೇಗನೆ ತೆಗೆದು ಮರೆಯಲಿ ಕುಳಿತು
ಬಾಯ ಚಪ್ಪರಿಸಿರೊ ಮಂಕುದಿಣ್ಣೆಗಳ
ಎಂದನಾ ತಂತ್ರಜ್ಞ

ಟಿಪ್ಪಣಿ: ಬೇಗಲ್ ಎನ್ನುವುದು ಅಮೇರಿಕದಲ್ಲಿ ಭಯಂಕರ ಪ್ರಸಿದ್ಧಿ ಹೊಂದಿರುವ ಒಣಗಿದ ಖಡಕ್ ಬನ್ನು

Two Words. SPB ROCKS!!

As I close my eyes and hear the jumpy tune of 'Santhoshakke haadu' (Geetha 1983) with its foot thumping rhythm, I see the image of the bearded man in a hurry, the daring Shankar Nag in his dark glasses. When I hear the classic 'elliruve manava kaaduva roopasiye' I can only picture Ananth flying his helicopter over thick forests. If I listen to 'naa haadalu, neevu haada beku' from kalla kulla the picture that comes to mind is that of Sahasa Simha Vishnuvardhan. But still, one key ingredient in all these songs is the voice of perhaps the most versatile and beloved singer SP Balasubramhanyam. SPB or Balu as he is lovingly called is the most successful play back singer in the South Indian film industry. He is definitely the one singer who has given the most popular songs in Kannada film industry. SPB himself has talked about the love he has received from Kannadigas and has shared his love for the Kannada film industry.(See video link at the end) He has given his musical voice to all prominent actors in the Kannada film industry including Dr. Vishnuvardhan, Anant Nag, Shankar Nag, Ambarish, Suresh Heblikar, Srinath, Rajesh, Dwarakish, Narasimha Raju. In the movie Bahaddur Gandu, the song 'gandu endhare gandu, bhoopathi gandu' sung by SPB is picturised on Dr. Raj. So SPB seems to have left his mark across the board in Kannada movies.

Though not classically trained SPB has the talent and the spirit to bring out the most creative musical performance. In fact one of the advantages of his lack of classical background is that it gives him the freedom to be unbound by the framework of classical music.

I had the opportunity to see him live at the Kannada musical night on May 9th at Hayward California. Most of the songs he sang were my favorites. It was somewhat reassuring to see 1200 other people like the same songs as I did and respond they way I would. SPB delivered the program professionally. They did not waste time between songs. SPB would add tidbits about various songs and established an affectionate bond with the crowd. After doing the traditional somber songs, he sang jeeva vene (Hombisilu) the popularity of which is a great symbol of Kannadigas good taste in music. Then SPB chose my favorite "Entha Soundarya nodu" from mathu tappada maga composed by Ilayaraja. The background music (BGM) in this song reminds me of the BGM in nagu naguta nali nali - the ever green PBS song for Dr. Raj from Bangarada Manushya composed by GK Venkatesh. That is not at all surprising since Ilayaraja arranged the music for over 200 Kannada films as an assistant to GKV.

During the program SPB did sing many melodious songs including 'jotheyali jothe jotheyali(Geetha), ‘naguva nayana’ (Pallavi Anu Pallavi). They were all melodious and I thoroughly enjoyed it. But I love SPB for his jovial and cool spirit which he brings into some of his songs. I feel SPB is the only singer who has established a type of singing which is very original and creative. It is not just his musical ability I am talking about here. It is his ability to innovate in singing which is so distinctively SPB. That makes his songs more entertaining. I honestly feel, it is very rare to find a singer who creates his own style, sticks to it and is successful. I feel most of the singers of the current generation are some what normalized. They do not have a very original style of singing. They try to follow in the lines of legends like Rafi or Kishore. Initially SPB was trying to follow in Ghantasaala's footsteps but luckily for us music lovers, he got out of it and established his own domain where he innovated as he desired and people have simply loved it.

There are the classic SPB hits which are so universally appealing that they speak for themselves. I am referring to Neera biTTu (Hombisilu), aakashadinda dharegilidu rambhe , maamaravello , nammora mandara huvve. These songs are a great joy to listen to. Apart from these, for an example of SPB's creativity, listen to this song from Maagiya Kanasu. The song "ellelloo neene, elliruve jaane" I get goose bumps when he says ellellu neene ehE eHe, elliruve jaane ohO ohO". Another good example is 'hema hema. naakondla naaku' (Shubha mangala) Similarly the rustic songs 'notadaage nageya meeti' and 'teranEri ambaradaage" from Parasangada Gende Thimma" set a new trend in Kannada films resulting in songs like “entha marulayya idu”, "kempaadavo ella kempadavo". There are many such examples including those where SPB displays his talent for comedy in songs. "vahare mere murgha' (Sipaayi Ramu), "nammoor nage naanobne jaana' and "barhtale kanasina raani" are a few of the good funny songs.
SPB also has distinguished himself with his unique talent to morph his voice to suit the actor on whom the song is being picturised. In one of his interviews he says that it is easy for him to mould his voice to suite comedic actors because they have a very distinct mannerism and so it makes sense to imitate their voice. In the case of the regular heroes of Indian movies he says he imitates their style of speaking and adopts it in his singing. This explains why SPB's voice seems to suite a wide range of actors. It is worth noting that he does not try to imitate the actor’s voice as much as the rhythm in their speaking.

It was the first time that I saw SPB live and it was a thrilling experience. I was totally in awe at this great talent who at 65 still sings like he sang 30 years ago. How much can we be in awe of a person who still has the spirit to sing jumpy numbers, romantic poems and who can rock the audience and drive them crazy with his ability to sing cool romping numbers. Two songs towards the end of the concert were very well chosen and drove the audience wild and screaming. He gave a small tidbit about Hamslekha and his song about places in Mysore. The audience smelled what was coming and hooted with excitement. And them SPB put the mike near his mouth and belted in a high pitch ‘are yaarri hedarkoLLoru, bedarkolloru’. The voice shot out like an arrow from great depth and went flying and weaving through the audience. Now the audience went wild as SPB rendered this cool song “koorak kukkralli kere wa wa”. The best was the next song, the grand finale “santhoshakke” from Geetha. It was totally cool when he sang “Hai folks. Good evening. Happy mother’s day. Listen to the crowning music from your fabulous Sanjay”. Enough said. I should just let you experience yourself, the joy this song brings(click here to listen).

Here are some video links which you may enjoy. Thanks to those who uploaded these songs. These videos are really a gold mine.

A Japanese fan singing santhoshakke from Geetha

SPB on the love he has received from Kannadigas.

SPB singing kurigalu saar in Mysore Ananth Swamy’s style.

SPB singing DVG’s baduku jataka bandi

SPB and Ajay Warrier singing C Ashwath and Mysore Ananthasamy’s “Jolly baarinalli koothu”.

SPB Live Jotheyli Jothe Jotheyali from Geetha

The awesome song 'naagara holeyo ammale (naagara hole)

elliruve manava kaaduva roopasiye (bayalu daari)

aakashadinda (chandanada gombe)

neera bittu nelada mele (hombisilu)

Audio

tarikere eri mele - one of the best rock song in Kannada (Devara duddu)

click on 'tarikere' and click 'play selected'

naguva nayana (pallavi anupallavi)

koorak kukkralli kere (nenapirali)

yelu male meleri (Jogi)

Indian Movie Stars need to be more media savvy

Sudeep is a well respected actor in the Kannada film industry. His arrival as a lead actor in the movie Sparsha was welcomed by Kannada cine lovers which was looking for some fresh talent. With his good looks and screen presence he has established himself as a dependable star and has also done his stint as a director. Such being the case I was terribly upset when I watched this interview of Sudeep on youtube (click here to watch the interview. It is on a Kannada TV, but they speak a lot of English). I thought he treated the interviewers with total disregard. I could not help conclude that his handling of the interview lacked finesse and professionalism. I have seen other actors fail to impress as individuals, not because they are not good individuals but they stop being themselves and start behaving arrogantly, once they acheive some amount of stardom.

Obviously this interview is a couple of years old and as such Sudeep may have left it behind him. My views are definitely not a personal comment on Sudeep. It is just that this interview is a typical representation of the mentality of many current Indian movie stars which is worth commenting about.

Now let's take some points raised in the interview. When asked about the success of recent hits like 'Mungaru Male' he was much more interested in denying credit to Ganesh the star of the movie than on talking about what led to the movie's success and learning from it. In fact Ganesh did have a great part in the success of Mungaru Male. Sudeep was upset that so much credit is being given to Ganesh for the success of the film. His comparison of Darshan and Ganesh was unwarranted. It sounds totally ridiculous when one movie star puts down another by saying "Darshan is 6 feet tall and Ganesh is juts 3.5 feet. avanelli ivanelli". I hope Sudeep recognises the irony in his view. Doesn't he know that irrespective of physical attributes the hero always beats the life out of the bad guy and his menacing bunch of 20 or more hoodlums armed with longs and machetes. More ironic was his denial of Ganesh's instant stardom with a reference to how much hard work a superstar like Vishnuvardhan had to endure before he was recognized as a star. We have not seen Dr. Rajkumar or Dr. Vishnu behaving like this in an interview. Even though they are from a previous generation, nothing stopped them from being snooty. But I am mindful of the fact that times are different now. Celebrities are in the public view more now than before what with 24 hour TV and Internet. Comparison is futile in such situations. But public life is as much an opportunity to present yourself impressively as it is a risk of revealing one's dirtier side.


The interviewers looked like very enthusiastic kids who were just eager to do a good interview. They asked pertinent questions. But Sudeep's demeanor was as if he was saying "I know what I should do and I know better than you ." They seemed excited to be given this opportunity to interview a star and he could have been encouraging. But he seemed to gain some satisfaction in putting down their views and questions.


I was impressed with the mild tenacity shown by the interviewers. In spite of being brushed aside by a domineering personality they kept pressing him on with their questions. The way the subject reacts to a question reveals a lot even if the subject does not answer the question.


The Indian film stars will do well if they can demonstrate the skills needed to present a professional public persona. I can't help compare this situation with the way the Nicole Kidmans, Tom Cruises and George Clooneys or the Obamas for that matter, charm the interviewer and the audience leaving a favourable impression.

Now that the world's gaze is falling more and more on the so called 'Bollywood' films industry, our stars will do well to learn that presenting oneself in a public forum is much different on the world stage. Self absorbed boorishness is not the way to go. A charming behavior with a touch of gentle humor sounds like a better choice. If they can demonstrate a whiff of intellect that would make them very sought after guests.

For your viewing please here are some links which speak for themselves. I liked the way Shah Rukh Khan handled his interview. He was very impressive with his awareness of the world around him. Thanks to those who have provided this content.

Sudeep's Interview on Kannada TV (But they speak a lot of English)

Aishwarya Rai on Letterman

Shah Rukh Khan on NPR. (Audio only)

You can also search for Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bacchan's interview on you tube.

Americadalli Bevu Bella (in Kannada)

ಈ ಬಾರಿ ಏಪ್ರಿಲ್‌ನಲ್ಲಿ ಭಾರತಕ್ಕೆ ಪ್ರವಾಸ ಹೋದ ಪ್ರಯುಕ್ತ KKNC ಯುಗಾದಿ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮದಲ್ಲಿ ಪಾಲ್ಗೊಳ್ಳಲಾಗಲಿಲ್ಲ. Thatskannadaದಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಕಟವಾದ ವರದಿಯ ಕೊನೆಯ ಸಾಲು ನನ್ನ ಗಮನ ಸೆಳೆಯಿತು. ಲೇಖಕ ಪ್ರಭು ಮೂರ್ತಿ ಅವರು ಬರೆದಂತೆ KKNC ಯುಗಾದಿ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮದ ಕೊನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಭಾರತದ ಅದಿನಾಯಕನಿಗೂ ಹಾಗು "ಲ್ಯಾಂಡ್ ಅಫ಼್ ದಿ ಬೇವ್"ಗೂ ನಮನ ಸಲ್ಲಿಸಿದರಂತೆ. ಈ ಅಚಾತುರ್ಯದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಪ್ರಸ್ತಾಪಿಸಿದಾಗ ಪ್ರಭು ಅವರು ಗಾಬರಿಯಾಗಿ ಇದರಲ್ಲಿ ತಮ್ಮದೇನೂ ತಪ್ಪಿಲ್ಲವೆನ್ನುತ್ತ, ಮುದ್ರಾರಕ್ಕಸನತ್ತ ಅನುಮಾನದ ಕಿಡಿ ಹಾರಿಸಿದರು. ಅವರಿಗೆ ಅಮೇರಿಕಾದಲ್ಲಿ ತಪ್ಪಕ್ಷರದ ಅಪರಾಧಕ್ಕೆ ಇರುವ ಕಠಿಣ ಶಿಕ್ಷೆಯ ಭಯವಾಗಿರಬೇಕು. ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನ ವಿಚಾರಣೆ ನಡೆಸಲಾಗಿ ಈ ತಪ್ಪಿನ ಹಿಂದೆ ಮುದ್ರಾರಕ್ಕಸನ ಕೈವಾಡ ಇರುವುದು ಮನದಟ್ಟಾಯಿತು. ಯುಗಾದಿಯ ಸಮಯದಲ್ಲಿ land of milk and honey ಉರುಫ಼್ land of the brave ಅರ್ಥಾತ್ good old US of Aಯನ್ನು ಹಾಗೆ ಕರೆಯುವ ಉದ್ದೇಶವಿಲ್ಲದೆಯೆ "ಲ್ಯಾಂಡ್ ಅಫ಼್ ದಿ ಬೇವ್" ಎಂದು ಕರೆದಿರುವುದು ಒಂದು ಮಾರ್ಮಿಕ ಸಂದೇಶವೇ ಸರಿ. ಇದು ಮುದ್ರಾರಾಕ್ಷಸನ fruedian slip ಅಲ್ಲದೆ ಮತ್ತೇನು?. ಯುಗಾದಿ ಹಬ್ಬವನ್ನು ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನಲ್ಲಿ (ಅನೇಕ ವರುಷಗಳಿಂದ) ಆಚರಿಸಿದ ಫಲವಾಗಿ ನಮ್ಮದು land of bevu bella ಎಂದು ಅರಿತು ಬಂದಿದ್ದೆ. ಆದರೆ ಅಮೇರಿಕಾದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಹೇಗೆ ಎಂದು ಯೋಚಿಸಿರಲಿಲ್ಲ. NRIಗಳ ಧ್ವನಿಯಾಗಿರುವ thatskannadaದ ಹೊಟ್ಟೆಯಲ್ಲೆಲ್ಲೊ ಅಡಗಿದ್ದು ಈ ಸತ್ಯ ಈಗ ಹೊರ ಬಿದ್ದಿದ್ದೆ. ಆ ಗಾಢಾರ್ಥದ ಗುಟ್ಟು ಇಷ್ಟೆ "America is the land of ಬೇವ್ [and ಬೆಲ್]".


ಈ ಗಹನವಾದ ವಾಕ್ಯ ಏನು ಹೇಳುತ್ತಿದೆ? ಮೊದಲಿಗೆ land of the ಬೇವ್ ಹೇಗೆ ಬಂತು ನೋಡೋಣ. ಇದು ತೀರ ಸುಲಭದ್ದು. ನನ್ನ ಅಭಿಪ್ರಾಯದಲ್ಲಿ ’ಲ್ಯಾಂಡ್ ಆಫ಼್ ಮಿಲ್ಕ್ ಎಂಡ್ ಹನಿ’ಯಾದಂತಹ ಅಮೇರಿಕಾದಲ್ಲಿ ಬಾಳಲು ಮುಕ್ಕಾಲು ಪಾಲು ಭಾರತೀಯರಿಗೆ ಇರಲೇಬೇಕಾದ ಒಂದು ಅರ್ಹತೆ ಎಂದರೆ ಜೀವನದಲ್ಲಿ Stressಉ. ಬೇವು ಈ ಕಹಿ ಸತ್ಯದ ಸಂಕೇತವಿರಬಹುದೆ? ಹಾಲು ಜೇನಿನ ಕಣಿಕೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಅಡಗಿರುವುದು ಬೇವಿನ ಹೂರಣವೆ?. ಅಥವಾ ಅಮೇರಿಕಾದ ಸಂಕೇತಗಳಾದ ಕೋಕ್ ಮತ್ತು ಪೆಪ್ಸಿಯಂತೆ ಬೇವ್‌ರೇಜ್‌ನ ಸಂಕೇತವೆ? ರೋಡ್ ರೇಜಿನಂತೆ ಈ ಬೇವ್‌ರೇಜ್ ಅಮೇರಿಕ ನಮಗಿತ್ತ ಬಳುವಳಿ. ಅಮೇರಿಕದಲ್ಲಿರುವ ಕರಿಯರು ಈ stressಗೆ ಮಿಕ್ಕವರಿಗಿಂತ ಹೆಚ್ಚಾಗಿ ಬಲಿಯಾಗುತ್ತಾರೆ ಎಂಬುದು ಯಾರೊ ಸಂಶೋದಕರು ಪತ್ತೆ ಮಾಡಿರುವ ಒಂದು ಅಂಶ. ಈ ಬೇವು, Stress ಅಥವ rageಗೆ ಸಂಕೇತವಿರಬಹುದು ಎಂದೇನೊ ಹೇಳಿದೆವು. ಆದರೆ ಕರಿಯ ಜನಾಂಗದಲ್ಲಿ ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯವಾಗಿರುವ ತೊಂದರೆಗಳಿಗೆ ಅಂದರೆ ಕರಿBEVRAGEಇಗೂ ನಮ್ಮ ಕರಿಬೇವಿಗೂ ಯಾವುದೇ ಸಂಬಂಧ ಕಲ್ಪಿಸಬಾರದು ಎನ್ನುವುದನ್ನು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಮರೆಯಬಾರದು.


ಇನ್ನು ಬೆಲ್‌ಗೆ ಬರೋಣ. ತಕ್ಷಣ ಹೊಳೆಯುವುದು Taco bell.
ಅಮೇರಿಕದಲ್ಲಿರುವ ಭಾರತೀಯರು - ಘಂಟೆಗೆ ೭ ಡಾಲರ್ ಸಂಪಾದಿಸುವ ವಿಧ್ಯಾರ್ಥಿಗಳು, ನೂರೈವತ್ತು ಕೇಳುತ್ತಿದ ಕನ್ಸಲ್ಟೆಂಟುಗಳು, ಕಾರಲ್ಲಿ vacation ಹೋಗುವ ಮಂದಿ, ಗ್ಯಾಸ್ ಸ್ಟೇಶನ್ ಪಂಜಾಬಿಗಳು, ಮೋಟೆಲ್ ಗುಜುರಾತಿಗಳು , ವೀಸ ಸಿಕ್ಕ ಭಾಗ್ಯಶಾಲಿ ರಾಜಕಾರಣಿಗಳು - ಎಲ್ಲ ಹೊಟ್ಟೆಹಸಿವಾದಾಗ ನಿರ್ಯೋಚನೆಯಿಂದ ನುಗ್ಗುವುದು TACO Bellಗೇನೆ. ತಿನ್ನುವುದು ಅದೇ Seven layered burritoವನ್ನು. ತಿನ್ನಲು ಏನೊ ಖಾರವಾಗಿ ಸಿಗುತಲ್ಲ - ಅಷ್ಟೇ ಸಾಕು. ಮೆಕ್ಸಿಕೊದ ಪದ್ದತಿಯ ಅಡುಗೆಯಾದರು - TACO BELL ಅಮೆರಿಕದ ಜೀವನದ ಒಂದು ಮುಖ್ಯ ಏಳೆ.

ನೆನಪಿಗೆ ಬರುವ ಇನ್ನೊಂದು ಬೆಲ್ ಎಂದರೆ ಫಿಲಡೆಲ್ಫಿಯಾದ ಓಡೆದ ಲಿಬರ್ಟಿ ಬೆಲ್ಲ್.1776 ಜುಲೈ ೮ರಂದು ಅಮೇರಿಕ ತನ್ನ ಸ್ವಾವಲಂಬನೆಯ ಘೋಷಣೆಯನ್ನು ಬಂದು ಕೇಳಲು, ತನ್ನ ಜನತೆಗೆ ಈ ಘಂಟೆಯನ್ನು ಮೊಳಗಿಸಿ ಕರೆ ನೀಡಿತಂತೆ. ಅದೇಕೆ ಓಡೆಯಿತು ಎನುವುದು ಬೇರೆ ವಿಷಯ.

೭೦ರ ದಶಕದಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಸಿದ್ದಿಯಲ್ಲಿದ ಬೆಲ್‌ಬಾಟಮ್ ಸಹ ಅಮೇರಿಕದ ಕೊಡುಗೆ. ಅಮೇರಿಕ ಎಂದ ಮೇಲೆ ಹಾಲಿವುಡ್ ಮರೆಯಲಾಗುವುದೆ? ಹಾಲಿವುಡ್‌ನ ತಾರೆಗಳು ವಾಸ ಮಾಡುವುದು ಎಲ್ಲಿ ಗೊತ್ತಲ್ಲ! ಬೇವರ್ಲಿ ಹಿಲ್ಲ್ಸ್ ಮತ್ತು ಬೆಲ್ ಏರ್. ಓಹೊ! ಹಾಗಾದರೆ ಹಾಲಿವುಡ್ ಎನ್ನುವುದು ಬೇವ್ ಮತ್ತು ಬೆಲ್ ಮೇಳೈಸಿರುವ ಜಾಗ. ಇನ್ನು ಈ ಸಿಲಿಕಾನ್ ಕಣಿವೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಯಾರನ್ನು ಕೇಳಿದರೂ ಎಲ್ಲರದೂ ಒಂದೇ ಗೋಳು. ಯಾವಾಗ ನೋಡಿದರೂ ಆಫೀಸ್ ಕೆಲಸ. ಹಗಲು, ರಾತ್ರಿ ಹಾಗು ವಾರಾಂತ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ - ಗಂಟೆ ಗಟ್ಟಳೆ ಕೆಲಸ. ಗಂಟೆಗೆ ಇಂಗ್ಲೀಶ್ ಪದ ಗೊತ್ತಲ್ಲ - ಬೆಲ್. ಗಂಟೆಗಟ್ಟಳೆ ಕೆಲಸದಿಂದ ಮತ್ತೆ stressಉ. ಅದೆ ಬೆಲ್, ಅದೇ ಬೇವು. ಈ ರೀತಿ ಹೊರಳಿ ಹೊರಳಿ ಬೇವ್ ಮತ್ತು ಬೆಲ್ ಒಂದಕ್ಕೊಂದು ಹೊಂದಿಕೊಂಡಿರುವುದು ಕಾಣಲು ಸಿಗುವುದು - only in america -the land of bev and bel.
(This article was first printed in Swarnasetu 2005)

Cut Saar and Ganji - A generic recipe

Before the recipe

So! why dont I start this blog post with a technique which comes highly recommended by speech coaches all over the world. Off course when I say world I mean America. It is not the world whose countries have formed that thing called UN. The technique of course is to 'Start your speech with a joke'. Once you have the audience relieved of their apprehensions of your lack of sense of humor you can get into your really serious drivel. By the time the audience realize that the initial promise was only a bait and switch technique you will have finished your speech and you can heave a sigh of relief now.

So I need a joke. Let's see. When I was in India this joke was being told sickeningly forever as if it were a new joke. More sickening was to see at least 90% of the audience laugh at this stale joke. People seem to have a knack for forgetting jokes. Oops! I have slipped a bit in using this technique since after about more than 150 words I still have not told the joke. So the effectiveness of my rant today is not guaranteed. If you do not use the trick in the way it is intended to be used, don't blame the creators if it fails. It is guaranteed only if it is the first thing you say. The only thing you are allowed to say before the joke is perhaps "LET ME START MY SPEECH WITH A JOKE". I am now worried because I have passed almost 2 paragraphs without getting to the goddamn joke. If you are still reading, either you are waiting for the joke or the joke was after all not needed to be the first thing at the beginning to hold your interest. ( not sure if it makes any difference that you are a reader and not a listener)

Now since I have lost the element of surprise I must warn you that the joke is pretty lame. I believe I already said that. So why don't we hold off on the joke... no lets get it out of the way. The joke is timely because the cold virus has touched the Silicon Valley including yours truly. I have been suffering from this disgusting cold for more than 11 days. After the third day I was deceived into thinking it had subsided, only to be blind sided with a knockout fever the same night. Things got slightly better after the 8th and 9th day. However, just when I thought the cold had given up and the game was over for it, I had to content with a stodgy rear gaurd resistance by the tail enders cough and headache on the 10th and 11th day. They carried the night 'not-out' and are playing for a draw today.

The joke is "Don't take medicine for common cold. It will go by itself after 7 days. But if you take medicines it will be gone quickly in just one week". I had warned you that this was not funny.

As was well established before now, last night I was facing a gritty onslaught by cough and head ache. On Face book I posted this blurb for my upcoming recipe for Cut saar-anna also referred to as daal rice, rasam rice by other similarly sick compatriots from India.

Here is the teaser "Steaming hot daal rice with the consistency of soup, generous sprinkling of grated green chilli, hing, jeera and mustard seasoning, salt a bit on the higher side. What does that say to you? To me it says 'wake up, you sick, coughing, on-and-off fevered, fellow'.

This blurb generated such excitement (along with some sympathy) I decided to put down my recipe for Cut Saar. The word Cut is used only to produce the Kannada sound kuT It does not mean anything.

Recipe for Cut Saar
Ingredients:

• 2 cups of (Ravi) rice
• 2 cups of Toor Daal
• Half a jalapeno, which is a fat Mexican chili which has a strong flavor of Indian Chili but is not as spicy. This is ideal for making menasina kayi bonda. Cut the jalapeno into 1/2 inch pieces so that you can separate them from your soup. Or chop it smaller if you enjoy eating them in the soup
• Half a spoon of Jeerige (jeera/cumin)
• Half a spoon of black mustard seeds
• 4 curry leaves
• 1/2 an inch of ginger - minced
• 1/2 spoon salt (3/4 if you like salty)
• 2 spoons of ghee or butter
• 11 cups of water. (the water needs to be split between Rice and Daal).
• 2 tablets of Extra Strength Tylenol or similar generic.
• Steam cooker gas stove, tongs, a pan big enough to make daal

Procedure:

1. Take 2 extra strength Tylenol with 1 cup of water. Don't drink too much water. You need to save water for the rice and daal. Also better to avoid a bio break.
   
2. Bake 2 cups of rice with 8 cups of water to make it soupy in a steam cooker.
   
3. Bake 2 cups of toor daal in 4 cups water in a steam cooker. The daal is expected to be not too watery.
   
4. At this point you should have run out of water (in your water container of course) . Else you did something wrong. Retrace your steps.
5. Wait for the daal and rice to be done (indicated by 3 whistles on your steam cooker followed by 15 minutes of cooling period)
   
6. Heat 2 spoons of ghee or butter in the pan in which you plan to make the daal. Don't use a small bandley (small frying pan). It means you have one more dish to wash.
   
7. When ghee/butter melts add a pinch of hing, half a spoon of black mustard seeds and the chopped curry leaves.
8. When mustard seeds pop add 1/2 spoon of jeera. Now you should be careful not to over roast the jeerige. So IMMEDIATELY after 10secs,
   
9. dump daal into it.
   
10. Add the minced Ginger to the daal.
11. Add 1/2 a spoon salt. Boil for 5 min. Now turn off the stove
12. Mix 2 measures of the above daal to one of measure of rice (assuming you remembered to cook it).
    
13. When nobody is looking use your hands to mix the rice and daal
    
14. It should have the consistency of a soup.
15. Eat hot. ( Instead of 'Serve hot' as suggested by traditional recipe writers)
16. To eat (or drink) use a soup bowl and a deep round spoon like they have in Chinese restaurants in India.

Recipe for Ganji

1. It is very simple to make Ganji (or GnajooTa) from the same recipe.
   
2. Skip making the daal. Cook 2 cups of rice with 8 cups of water.
   
3. Add the seasoning to the rice. A minor update here. After you add the seasoning to the rice, you need to add the ginger and boil the Ganji for about 4 minutes after