Friday, October 31, 2003

Last Class day
So what did I do? I had a balance of 87 rupees on my co-op society account and I bought CD�s, pens and pouches worth that much. With the next (and our last semester) designed to be a project semester with no classes, today was a day to be remembered. This might, and just might be the last day I ever spend sitting in a classroom.

Saturday, October 25, 2003

Yesterday
Great fun!

Wednesday, October 22, 2003

The Indian connection
The prelude of the tales of the Arabian Nights: the story of Shehrazade, happens in India. One important fact that we seem to have forgotten in recent years is that India was very much part of the Muslim world for many centuries that it is referred to many times in this piece of Arabic literature.
Today in a country with the second largest Muslim population in the world, the idea is now being considered seriously, especially because of current global politics and economics.

Arabian Nights
Do you imagine flying carpets, friendly blue genies, magic, and bad-accented cartoon characters? Forget it!
I�m reading the English translation of the Mahdi version of the 14th century Syrian compilation of Arabic Folklore. It is definitely not what we read as kids. This is adult storytelling at its rawest best.
The strange thing is that the tales of the Arabian Nights have been so much a part of Western exotica, that most stories we�ve known to be Arabic (like Alladin�s lamp) are not original folk tales. Most of them were modified and created by Englishmen and Frenchmen to satiate their own craving for �cool stuff from the east� (very much why :pBollywood:p is thriving today).
In the original world of the Nights, there is magic, adventure, romance, reverence, morality, debauchery, crime, irony and so many other definitely-not-for-children stuff. Sadly now, the names Baghdad, Mosul, Basra and Damascus have taken on negative connotations in today�s �world according to Dubya�.

Maybe I�m weird, maybe I�m right
A filmmaker I want to be, and an Indian one too, but I can�t imaging ever being part of :pBollywood:p. The very name evokes revulsion at the pseudo kitsch they churn out. I wonder why people fool themselves into thinking that Bombay cinema represents Indian cinema. I have two words for them. **** **********!

Monday, October 20, 2003

The NE monsoon
It hath cometh and with it cometh the ubiquitous conjunctivitis. So fondly called Madras eye by us, it hath cometh with its itchiness into the college hostels.
Today I was as squeamish as a little kid when I refused to touch the keyboards in the lab. Hey! Better safe than sorry.

Ending from scratch
DVD�s from Cinema Paradiso are beginning to get stuck while playing. Scratches!
Cinema Paradiso - A DVD shop, probably the only place from where Chennaiites could rent the most important videos of International cinema; and everybody who wanted to appear a movie buff, and was rich enough to afford it were picking up DVD�s by the dozen.
The very depraved South Indian filmmakers who have, until now watched the best movies in the most obscure of film festivals, just because they could afford to travel to Timbuktu, and with the result making the most tasteless rip-offs of great world cinema, have had a field day at Cinema Paradiso. Now before we could see the bad rip-offs on screen, we have had the bad experience of these tasteless idiots scratching the disks. One thing I cannot understand is how a filmmaker can have no respect for disks and prints.
The strange thing is that most of them don�t realise that their so many lakhs and crores and days and months and sweat and blood and tears are contained within the 14,000 feet or so of celluloid. They have absolutely no regard for the dirt that it is dragged through, the grime and graffiti of vandals in the form of distribution agents and projectionists, and the artless cuts they could make.
I think I have digressed. Nevertheless, there are a few who know the value of things and I hope to be one of them.

Phew
Finished some really important work today!

Friday, October 17, 2003

Avid editing
Today I started training with the AVID NLE system at the NFDC studios; finally learning what this course is supposed to teach me. The best part is, the place is very close to Coffee Day and you know what else ;)

Tuesday, October 14, 2003

Gramdmother�s gossip
Here is another post on mythological characters: this one is a juicy piece of gossip from my grandmother. She has read in the recent issue of Kumudham Bhakti Special that Hanuman, considered a noble celibate in Hindu mythology, had a son through a Sri Lankan lady. Of course our warped yellow journalists (yellow being a holy colour for Hindus) have talked about Hanuman�s sweat falling on a Sri Lankan woman as he burnt the island (an alleged act of terrorism in another debate). So much for sex education: they have a problem identifying the proper bodily fluid. Plus the article has a picture of the interracial child as well (an artists impression I guess).
For those who have seen Shankar�s �Boys�, Kumudham Bhakti Special is the book the character Krishna hides his porn in

Moksha for Hiranyakashyap
You would know that fable. Otherwise here goes: Hiranyakashyap the king, hated Narayana the god, but ironically his son was an ardent devotee. This pissed off Hiranya to such an extent that Narayana�s name was always on his mind and lips. Thus when he died, he is said to have attained �moksha� or emancipation for having merely thought of the god all the time. Now why am I telling you this story? I hated all soaps on TV and kept irritating my mother who is an ardent �devotee�. Now the chickens have come home to roost. I remember all the character names and sometimes even remind my mother of a lost storyline. Oh crap!

Alma Matters
Today, personal work took me to PSBB and Loyola. I have been to these places hundreds of times since graduating, yet every time I return, there is a sense of nostalgia. Don�t mistake me: I do not want to relive my student life; especially the grind of high school academics, which I want to forget. What I will not forget are the moments of great achievement, glory, delight and na�ve enjoyment of life. I sound like a sixty year old. :p
I take the liberty afforded by kinship to harangue that the Viscom department of Loyola never learns. They had organised a graphic design exhibition today and I got to know of it only when I went there. The guys have promised that they will be a lot more vociferous in the future. I too have promised to spread the word the next time I get to know of anything. For starters, here�s the brand new website of The Department of Visual Communication Loyola College Chennai

Monday, October 13, 2003

When the heavens gave way
How many Chennaiites loved the rain today? Looming black clouds since 2 in the afternoon and a wonderfully crazy cold stinging downpour an hour later.

Saturday, October 11, 2003

Civic
The corporation of Chennai seems to be doing something about encroachments onto roads: at least around my home. Saravana Bhavan�s newly constructed spacious �parking lot� that took up a lot of road space has been demolished and tarred over. More importantly, a temple in our vicinity, which has forever eluded corporation and traffic hazard regulations, has been asked to shift. For a long time, the best way to elude eviction for small hawkers, auto stand cartels and petty shops, has been to construct a small wall with red and white stripes on it. I guess the authorities have finally decided to go ahead and slaughter the holy cow. In order to keep all sides happy, they have in fact given the temple an alternate piece of land close to the original location, but much away from the road.

Friday, October 10, 2003

Busyness
I have talked and written, but I decided I had to do something about my life. I have kept myself busy.