Eyeful

He outstretched his arms and told me,

" I know her.This is the creation of your imagination. But where's the other one?"

Sadness, spreadeagled like a wall between our gardens.

My sheep are not back from the green pastures.

Child is still asleep.

I'm on the last line of my poem, short of a word.

She stood behind me, veiling her face with a smile,

Being my root, like a flower opted to be disdained.

"Give me an ear, I shall give you a word."

And I replied, "She's infallible and not visible!"

Cooking With Stella

Talmiz Ahmad's comments were quite inappropriate and untimely, utilising his official position, when the majority of the film viewers took it to their heart. As Deepa Mehta says he has all the right to express his opinion against the film. But what led to his attacking on the film so severely? There is nothing in the film that generalises or justifies a bad deed which as he fears would destroy the images we built up so far. There is nothing derogatory to the clan of diplomats who seldom feel the pulse of a common man. He could take the story as a one off case. Has he or his core of diplomats done anything to stem such incidents back at their fort? I strongly feel that he belongs to a group that went againt 'Pather Panjali', ''Fire'', ''Water'', ''Slumdog Millionaire'' etc, claiming that they all had exposures on India's underbelly. Rough realities make a few who believe in window dressing unhappy. Why a majority of the film viewers did like the film? Why do we want to come out fully and elegantly dressed when we have burning issues snigger on us? We are in front to cover our shortcomings and appear swankily, covering all holes with darkness! One has to see more films and climb down to the realities that pull us back from getting on to goosebumps as the biggest democracy.

I represent a group of serious filmviewers who certainly believe in responding to injustice and unjustifiable social practices and deem 'Çooking with it Stella' is a mode of self criticism brought out by Deepa Mehta Dilip Mehta through their own medium.

On Dropping the Other Shoe...

By Suresh Nellikode

When I mentioned about the shoes with GPS tracking system, Nandu's mercury of curiosity rose.

"What... Shoes with GPS..?"

I said, "probably a company must have had a feasibility study sometime ago in order to bring out a challenging offer to people like your mom and dad who belong to the unknown majority, who in public do not admit, but certainly with a zodiac of a directionally challenged."

Nandu's imagination shot up.

Shoes with a built in navigation system that beeps and shouts at you, if you take a wrong step! The one refuses to move if you do not listen to it! What if the battery gets exhausted at a point you try to overrule the gentle beeps? You have no choice but leave it there itself and walk down to a sandal shop for a cheapest one, feeding your homing instinct.

He said.

Perhaps Chandu needs one set.Oh no! Not he. Amma wants one fix it on him to track down his movements. He comes late from university debiting the account of special classes or combined studies whereas there were no such things in existence, at his place. Oh yeah, that's a good idea!

He continued: But I'm sure he, like a typical Kerala bumbledom who deliberately damaged the attendance machines in their offices, will purposely damage it or it should have an unlimited warranty.

I asked, ''How about you, having a set?''He said : No, not needed. I never go out of my rails. Like a horse fitted with a blinker, I used to shuttle home and school. Ask me why.

Why?
There are human antennae everywhere till I reach my school, entrusted by my sweet Mom.They never default, keep sending regular reports on which way I went and came back. Also, whether I stopped at that Slovenian girl's house and sent my rays of thoughts inside, or did I turn left, instead of right straight to school, to the convenience shop and bought a coke and what not....! Where do I get a chance to go wrong amongst these punctilious lots?

After taking a deep sigh he continued.

I'm sure their scions will blow up their interitances. That's my only relief at old age, in looking at them; a sort of avenging my wronged enemies!
That's how I resolved to walk straight to school and back not looking at any trifles, as long as they do not attack me. It's better be a law abiding citizen student in Burlington lest I should be gathering a lot of moses that can't be washed away. It's recession time and I'm sure that these hawkshaws may not get employed temporarily even in shops like Walmart and Price-chopper. My bad patch of stars will continue for another year till I finish off my schooling. Let me finish my studies to show them how to put shoe on the other foot!

I registered my gratitude to Suja unofficially, for taking care of things in my absence.

By the way, how come you sprung up suddenly with an idea of GPS Shoes? Which is the company? What's the brand name?, he asked.

It's a Gulf News columnist.

I know. I guessed. It must be Suresh Menon, the one who makes everything possible! He only has a swell time always with funny ideas!

Oh my guilt-sick conscience! The cat is out...!

I laughed out of the other side of my mouth.

***

Countertenor of the Unheard

'' I love A R Rahman's music. Among the classical maestros it is Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Amjad Ali Khan'', says John Altman, the Emmy Award Winner, who made his debut in India with a Malayalam film. It was Aakasha Gopuram (A Castle in the Air), directed by K P Kumaran, a renowned film maker. Don't you all remember John Altman who gave music to 'Titanic' and 'Shall We Dance?'. Aakasha Gopuram is the first Malayalam film with an international crew, subject and a music with universal appeal.

He loves Sarangi, the Indian musical instrument, tho most. He is a Jazz person, admires Elmer Bernstein and Steve Wonder.

When I met him at Naji's riverside mansion at Thames (we saw it in Aishwarya Rai's 'Bride & Prejudice'!!) he was sharing a story with Nigel, a co-producer of about 25 Indian movies. He is a treasure-chest of mythical Irish tales, unending. It's quite interesting to listen to Nigel and there your time flies on swift-wings. Probably that may be the reason, as it whiles away, the listeners like Mohan Lal and Sreenivasan huddled together all ears.

John Altman told us about the online music sharing.He prefers to hear, "I went out and bought a CD", to "I downloaded an album from the internet".

Bollywood is bridging out to Hollywood. And John may be one of the many who flies over a host of boundaries to reach Indian theatres, be it screen or stage.

Snigdha was happy to cover Nigel and John for 'Outlook' and me a for a couple of other Indian publications.

Aakasha Gopuram was an Indian adaptation of 'Master Builder' by Henrik Ibsen, entirely shot in the UK. As a newly landed immigrant, Albert Samson was undergoing all sorts of hassles. He went pillar to post to earn a living. Like a migratory bird he changed his nests quite often. All of a sudden his cycle of fate changes. All the doors had been opened and he climbed the ladders of success crushing off all stood against his whims and fancies. In his journey of becoming a successful architect he turned stubbornly resolute to the soft corners of human relationships. But on the other hand, his personal life started eroding away. He confessed to Dr Issac that he stopped building towers and skyscrapers as the inhabitants in those do not know how to live peacefully there. The Halvard Soleness in 'Master Builder became Mohan Lal's Albert Samson in Aakasha Gopuram. Sreenivasan, the scene-stealer-comedian of Malayalam screen acts in a serious role of Dr Issac, which is Dr. Herdel for Ibsen.

I tip my hat to K P Kumaran, for taking up such a challenge.