Writing on Shiva

Writing books on poor Shiva is the flavour of 2013/14. We have had Amish Tripathy, then Devdutt Patnaik and now I hear of a couple more under way. Here are some title ideas:

The Linga Code
God with the Pindi
Lord of the Lings (written by someone in Delhi)
Shiva and the Goblet of Poison
Vibhuti Shades of Grey
A tale of Dhurjati
The Inheritance of Ash
Five Faced Someone
The God of All Lings (see Lord of the Lings above)

And when K Jo makes his film will it be titled Trident of The Year?

After the last post of Kapali this will seem a sad comedown but I couldn’t help it…

Nitin GotWorry

Going overboard on Rajesh Khanna

Let me assure one and all that I am a fan of Rajesh Khanna’s early films. But I still feel that we have gone overboard in mourning the passing of a man who was a superstar for 10 years only. After that he was a mess. His later movies (I remember one called Maqsad) were egregiously bad. And so why does a national newspaper which would have reported Sivaji Ganesan’s passing as “veteran actor passes” devote four columns on page 1 to Kaka? Is it a case of kakka?

Based on this, I have left my mind run wild and here are some aspects that have been left out:

1. Arnab Goswami – A panel discussion with Dimple, Tina Munim and Anju Mahendru – Did Rajesh Khanna die of old age or did he miss his fans?

2. A statement from MK- Thambi Rajes was always a lover of Tamil and this is evident in the films of Devar that he acted in. He must have also been sympathetic to Eelam. So I demand a statue of his be put up on the Marina. If I had been in power, it would have been done.

3. PB Srinivos – I have composed a raga called Rajeshkhannapriya. I have also composed a poem on him

4. Mamata Bannerjee’s ultimate tribute – He was not a maoist

5. S Muthiah (after it was explained as to who Rajesh Khanna was) – We will declare Madras Week as Rajesh Khanna week

6. His ardent follower Sriram V – These will be the list of Madras Musings talks for Madras (sorry, Rajesh Khanna week)

19th – S Muthiah – The Anju Mahendru photo that hangs in the Madras Cricket Club – this will also be the subject of a Madras Miscellany column with several postman’s knocks afterwards.

20th – Sriram V – The stories of some of Kaka’s films. A powerpoint presentation

21st – Karthik Bhatt – The Gujarati connection – Rajesh Khanna and Tina Munim

22nd – Sushila Ravindranath – Did his films make money for theatres in Madras?

23rd (Madras day) – Release of first-day cover depicting Rajesh Khanna in Devar’s Haathi Mere Saathi

Talk by Mohan Raman – Kakavum Yaanaiyum

24th – Randor Guy – What Kaka did while not shooting in Madras

25th – Shobha Menon – Trees that Rajesh Khanna ran around in wet clothes while shooting in Madras

26th -Chitrahaar/Oliyum Oliyum special – Song and dance sequences from Rajesh Khanna films

It is also reliably learnt that the Federation of City Based Sabhas has declared that this year’s Music Festival will be dedicated to Rajesh Khanna. All singers must include at least one song each on Rajeshwari and Kannan. The dance programmes must include Rajesh Khanna’s typical movements of angular head shakes and jogging. Lec dems will include a special discussion on the Karanas in Kaka’s Dance.A slew of new awards – Sangita Kakanidhi, Sangita Kaka Shikhamani, Isai premnagar, Sangita Kakacharya etc will be instituted.

However Kalakshetra will not participate in this as it will be busy filing court cases against itself. It has also refused to change its name to Kakakshetra.

Any more ideas welcome

Pic of the month

And just after his Mommy said that the Party had too many leaders!

Youth Congress ad in TN

Ariyakudi’s email ID

ariyakudi@gmail.com – going by the invitation card of the Sri Ariyakudi Music Foundation.

Among other things this organisation is featuring a Kathak dance recital by Sharmishta Mukherjee who apart from being a talented dancer is also Pranab Mukherjee’s relative, not that that information is relevant anyway.

I also learn from the invitation card that the Tirumeignanam Brothers, who are performing nagaswaram, are dedicated to continue the tradition of their Bosom guru and father.

I meet Rushdie

The newspapers are full of his visit to Jaipur and how the radicals are all against it. I am no fan of his, not having read any of his books bar one – Haroun and the Sea of Stories, which I really liked. This was several years ago and I remember reading it aloud later to my kids as well. But now, with all this hoopla about him, I cant help remember by brief and practically non-meeting with him around five (or was it six) years ago. We almost rubbed shoulders for we sat on the same sofa.

It was at the second Madras Week celebration. We had a three-day programme at The Amethyst, which was then at its old location – Sunder Mahal. Muthiah was speaking on Madras and there was a good crowd to listen. I went in late (not being part of the organising committee then) and got a seat somewhere at the rear. Halfway through the talk, a tall vision appeared in something short and behind her, short, rather like her dress, came another being whom I vaguely recognised as someone I had seen in some photo.

“That is Padma Lakshmi,” said my neighbour. “And therefore that is Rushdie,” I deduced. And sure enough it was him. Even Muthiah was taken aback and paused mid-presentation before continuing as though nothing had happened. The vision and her companion looked around for a seat and finally came and sat, next to me. I wondered what conversation I could make. Surely not about the fatwa. I had a fear somewhere at the back of my mind that Amethyst and all of us were at risk. If I had only been carrying my copy of Haroun… with me, I could have asked for an autograph. What if the man at the other end of the room was staring pointedly at us, were to have a gun and a poor aim? What if the neighbour who recognised them be a Mata Hari?

I need not have worried or bothered. 15 minutes further into the talk, the vision and her companion vanished. Perhaps I had imagined it all for when the meeting ended, nobody spoke about their arrival, or departure.

Thought for Vaikunta Ekadasi

Jaya vs Sasi

=

Srirangam vs Mannargudi

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Rangaraja vs Rajagopala

Therefore Vishnu vs Vishnu?

Vumboids for the day # 1/2012

- If Anna Hazare had to give up fasting owing to medical advice, surely members of his team could have continued with it?

- Karunanidhi to tour cyclone hit areas. Will it be a whirlwind tour?

- TOI announces that Jayalalithaa’s dance guru KJ Sarasa is dead. That was definitely not the only claim to fame for that respected dance guru.

The Slapping Sensation

Harvinder Singh, may his tribe increase
Is waging his own war on grease
Sukhram got a kick in the base
Pawar a resounding slap in the face
But will all this make corruption decrease?

Some new words

Seevari = Chips

Kulambi = Coffee

Panikkuzhayam = Ice cream

I am told Nalli Stores protested strongly when the word Pandaram was suggested