Just Jo

I don’t know…

I don’t know whom to believe any more.

Some say that Maoists are fighting for the tribals because of the abuse they face by the corporates and government. Maoists seem to be a group of people fighting for a cause.

But then I see Maoists killing people, jawans and civilians alike, and that makes me think how can such a group of killers ever fight effectively for a just cause.

Then some activists, including some ex-Naxalites, sign a press copy saying that they condemn the heinous acts of Maoists. They say that both the state and Maoists are abusing the tribals. They say that the fight against the mining industry was born even before Mao himself. And if Maoists have any sincerity in the matter, they should first fight the mining corporates than just plainly taxing them for business.

I don’t know. The picture that I get from all these is of the state and its politicians who make way for some corporates to function smoothly because there is big money for everyone to make in those thick, dark layers of land. And a set of killing machines who kill people to overthrow a corrupt system to replace it with another more centralized and violent system in the name of revolution. And a state-sponsored militia that fights/kills/abuses it’s own people.

I don’t know whom or what to believe anymore. But I do know that I should thank God that I was not born a tribal. For, at the end of the day, they are the ones who are most suffered, abused and wiped out of history that we, rest of the people in this land, keep making. I should be happy that I am not one of those unlucky tribals. But then that darn line keeps ringing in my head:

“THEN THEY CAME for me
and by that time no one was left to speak up.“

The Malayali Factor

Today’s is a guest post from a friend, Sally Varma. Please post your thoughts in the comments section.

==========================================

On May 22, 2010, Saturday morning, an Air India Express plane from Dubai overshot the table-top runway at the Mangalore airport and plunged over a cliff into a wooded valley, killing 158 persons. There were 160 passengers and six crew members on board Flight IX-812. The passengers included 137 adults, 19 children and 4 infants. Eight passengers survived miraculously.

The whole of India was shocked with the news. I was at home watching TV and was going through the different news channels showing the news of the crash. I went through all the regional news channels first and was shocked to find a harrowing truth. All the Malayalam news channels only cared about the Malayalees in the flight. Among the 160 passengers in the plane, the only reports that were being shown was about the Malayalees who were in the plane. The newsreader kept repeating the same news of the number of Malayalees on board, the number of Malayalees killed, the number of Malayalees who escaped etc… It is a sad state that we live in where such bias takes place. Is this not a tragedy for India as a whole or is it in the viewpoint of all these Malayali channel’s ‘just a tragedy for Kerala’? What about the other people and their families, the non-Malayalees on that ill-fated flight? Don’t they too deserve the same prayers as the Malayalees?

I then switched channels and went to the Tamil news channels, which were faithfully showing the news of the crash with no partiality or bias towards only the Tamilian people on board. Also channels like CNN-IBN, Times Now, NDTV 24×7, were all showing religious coverage of the crash.

So, I think this shows the Malayali attitude of selfishness and regional chauvinism. And to think that all these channels and papers were criticizing Bal Thackeray for his comments on Sachin.  Bal Thackeray had slammed master blaster Sachin Tendulkar for his statement that he is an Indian first and then a Maharashtrian. If these Malayali channels can do this sort of bias while reporting news of a national tragedy like the Air India plane crash, then I think the comment from Bal Thackeray also can be justified.

It is high time that the Malayali media stop promoting such regional sensationalism and start to consider everyone as equal human beings.

In memory of the 158 HUMAN BEINGS who were killed in the Air India plane crash of October 22, 2010. May their souls rest in peace.

Sreemathi Teacher’s English

There is a YouTube video doing the rounds through emails in these days. Featured in the video is an English speech by P K Sreemathi, Kerala’s Minister of Health. The clip shows her struggling to speak in English and it was taken off a political satire programme broadcasted in Manorama News channel. The video is quite popular now and everybody is making fun of the level of softskills of our ministers.

I do agree that the politicians should learn how to speak in fluent English as there is no other language that they can use these days to communicate their opinion nationally and internationally. When they can’t speak on their own, they should at least attempt to read a written speech in such seminars or conferences just to avoid any embarrassment to themselves or to the people whom they represent. Here the minister has been made a point of ridicule, but I wonder how many of our local politicians/ministers of all parties actually know how to speak good English. Show me one, please (and exclude Shashi Tharoor for now).

English has become an important language to communicate in these days and times, but the reason for such ridiculing of the minister is our obsession with the English language. Though not many of us speak good English, we want the person next to us to speak good English or we make fun of them. Even “good English” has become a farce term these days as some people consider British English to be superior and most of the soft skills sessions in the IT and ITES or other corporate industries now ask people to unlearn the British English and learn it in the American way.

And if our media makes so much fun of a state minister, what would they do about a President if he speaks bad English or doesn’t speak English at all? Search “Sarkozy English Speech” in Google and see how the French president speaks in English. But French are proud of their own language and culture so they worry very little about this. But we celebrate/worship people like Ranjini Haridas who has made Manglish a fashion signature and keeps killing the language as the lead anchor in a popular television show.

Then what about the Malayalam media? How many people in the Malayalam television media know how to speak good English? How many of them can pronounce the English words right? I have seen in many instances where the interviewer struggles to speak English in our television channels.

And what about the rest of us, if I may ask? We are the people who can’t even rightly pronounce “audio” or “auditorium”. Just take a look at the people who work in the so-called elite service sectors, including IT. Most of them speak funny English, leave alone grammar. I remember attending an interview in a company that has offices in USA and North India, and the HR person spoke funny English and was struggling to find the right words. Are those the guys who represents a multi-national company?

So I think before we start making fun of an old lady (I doubt if the media would care a hoot if she belonged to Congress party), we, the young guns, should at least take a look at ourselves and ponder over the matter. I think Sreemathi teacher spoke better English than an average Malayalee. But my advice for her is to at least have a written speech next time.

Left & Right – United

The Varkala Murder case (in Kerala State) and the Police relating it to a Dalit organization have once again exposed the mindset of mainstream media, mainstream Left and extreme Right. The interesting thing is that the Left and Right (CPM and Shiv Sena) allegedly join hands along with Police to hunt down the Dalits in this case. Journalist BRP Bhaskar who has had a chance to visit the Dalit colonies in Varkala writes:

This FB friend voiced two other criticisms about the video, which was taken by a member of the fact-finding team. One is that there are no men in sight. The other is that the women refer to RSS, not Shiv Sena. The answer is simple. No men are in the video because they are all in police custody or hiding to avoid arrest and torture. The women mention RSS because they lack the sophistication needed to distinguish between different elements of Hindutva. [...]

[...]The major media institutions did not cover the Commission’s visit to Varkala, although they had prior knowledge about it. That, however, did not inhibit them from playing up the statements critical of the Commission’s visit. There was nothing to indicate that they had sought the Commission’s response to the allegations. Incidentally, Malayala Manorama and Mathrubhumi which have consistently ignored the police’s month-long Dalit hunt, found time to pursue the appearance of mysterious white drawings at the site of Sivaprasad’s cremation.

Also read: Chengara / Varkala : Beware of the Dalit – Insight Young Voices

Blogswara Interview on Manorama News

So here is the interview that aired on Manorama News channel today at 2:30 PM. Those who missed it can watch it on TV tomorrow at 5 AM and 9:30 AM. Let me know how it is.

Part I:

Part II:

Thanks to Divya and her mom for uploading the YouTube video.

Man eats 68 “dogs” in 10 minutes!

Don’t believe it? Check out the front page of today’s Deshabhimani newspaper (click on the image below to see the full and enlarged version). It says a man ate 68 dogs in a competition organized in America as part of the independence day. And the second prize winner ate the flesh of 64.5 dogs. If you are just stunned at how a person could eat 68 “dogs” in just 10 minutes, check out this link.

As the Malayalam saying goes, “kaala pettu ennu kekkumbum kayar edukkaruthu“…

The WTF advertisements

The word “Soosoo” in the local Malayalam dialect refers to urinating and is used while talking to children. “Mone, do you need to soosoo now?”, you would hear parents asking their little ones. Or the kids drawing attention of their parents to tell them that they need to pass “Soosoo“. Anyways, I’m not writing about any toilet ads here but some ads that definitely needs to be flushed out.

The Zoozoo ads by Vodafone have become very popular and it has a huge fan following in You Tube. The ads filled the TV space and the fans praised it through their blogs and email forwards. The concept and character creation of the Zoozoo ads are totally cool and I very much liked it. However, I felt odd by watching some of their ads in the Zoozoo series. I actually felt bad by watching a particular ad. It is the one given below.

Such a violent ad! Agreed, that there is no blood or explicit gore, but didn’t they get any better script to point out that you can set a busy message in Vodafone? Towards the end you will watch it with an odd feeling while you hear one of the Zoozoos screaming out and the phone ringing. Reminds you of some kind of a horror movie! Did they really think that it is funny?

But the above mentioned Zoozoo ad is nothing compared to the “Sweet Bomb” ad of Cadbury Eclairs. After you enjoy the initial background music and the smiley faces in the ad, the heads of the people begin to explode! Yes, explode!! I don’t know about the others, but the explosion of the heads in the chocolate form actually terrified me. For a moment, I thought I was watching a movie like Hostel or something. It was so gory! Watch it below:

I just don’t understand what these ad agencies were thinking while scripting/conceptualizing these ads and I wonder if there is no one from the companies to check out the final form of an advertisement before it goes on TV. I mean, WTF!!!

FM war – The best and worst slogans

You would get to hear the slogans of FM stations everywhere now, since the FM frenzy has caught up in Kerala. The major FM stations in Kerala are Club FM, Radio Mango, BIG FM, S FM, Best FM and Radio Mirchi. The slogans blast at you several times a day in these channels. Let us a have a look and see which of them is best and which is worst – in a descending order.

6) S FM – Kelkkoo, Kelkoo, Kettu Kondeyirikku
(Owned by: Sun Network)

The main problem with this slogan is that it’s too long. Too long for an FM station that has the shortest name in the market (S FM). And the word “Kelkkoo” repeats. It doesn’t stay in your mind.

5) BIG FM – Kelkoo, Kelpikkoo, Life Kondaadu
(Owned by: AdLabs Films Ltd, subsidiary of Reliance group)

Again, it’s too long. It is also identical with the S FM slogan. You wouldn’t want to hear these two slogans repeatedly when you listen to these FM stations. Just that slogan would be enough to make the listener switch to a different radio station.

4) Radio Mirchi – Sangathi Hot Aanu
(Owned by: Entertainment Network India Ltd)

It sounds hip and cool when you hear this slogan in English (“It’s Hot”), but the problem comes when you literally translate it to Malayalam. The word “Sangathi” with “Hot” may not go well with every one as it could be interpreted with a dual meaning.

3) Radio Mango – Naattilengum Paattaayi
(Owned by: Malayala Manorama)

It rhymes well (Naattu & Paattu), but the focus of the slogan is on music alone, while the FM radios are meant to be not just for music but also for fun and entertainment. In the local dialect, the Malayalam phrase “naattilengum paattaayi” refers to a fast spreading local news, mostly a gossip. Either way, I don’t think they got it right. But yes, it is a catchy line.

2) Club FM – Ton Kanakkinu Fun
(Owned by: Mathrubhumi)

It means “Tons of Fun” in English. It rhymes well and everytime I hear this, a box full of fun and entertainment comes to my mind, which itself makes me keep listening to this FM station. Goes to the second place in my rating.

1) Best FM – Tringalaalaa…
(Owned by: Asianet)

This gets you straight to a holiday mood. It is short, precise, musical and relaxed. What more do you need to convey with an FM station? Goes to the first place in this rating.

(Coming up: FM stations in Kerala – The best Theme Music)

The Evergreen Voice – M Thankamani

[M Thankamani, who won accolades for her unique voice as a presenter and drama artiste at All India Radio (Akashvani), India’s national broadcaster, and as a film dubbing artiste, talks to KK Moidu during her first visit to Dubai.].

---

Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy Award winner M Thankamani’s voice is familiar to listeners of the radio for more than three decades now. She is the presenter at Akashvani and those who have heard her voice once cannot forget the attractive and enticing tone. She has secured a place in the hearts of millions of listeners through the roles of numerous characters on radio dramas like Sooryakanthiye Snehicha Penkutty, Moodhevi, Theyyam, Indulekha etc. Her special talent for the vocalisation of people of all ages like old women, young ladies, college students or little girls, endeared her to audiences.

M Thankamani was born in Shoranur in Palghat district, Kerala, in a Namboothiri family. She is the third daughter of the great social reformer Mullamangalath Raman Bhattathirippadu aka MRB and Umadevi Antharjanam. Her father MRB was a playwright, poet and author of many books and made history by marrying a widow in the Namboothiri community.
Continue reading

The times of Times of India

I admit that when I read a news report titled “NGOs, Teesta spiced up Gujarat riot incidents: SIT” in Times of India, I almost bought it. I know it is stupid to blindly believe everything that the media churns out, but the story was published in TOI and they quoted the SIT  in their news report which added to some primary credibility. Then there were immediate responses from Sangh Parivar sympathizers. They said that the “pseudo-secular media” conveniently withheld the story from publishing since it is election time. They attacked their enemies, those who stand for the secular ethos of the country. They also wanted the Supreme Court to initiate action on the “pseudo secular media” because of their silence on the issue.

I was shocked to read the whole thing. I got confused too, as whom to believe and whom not to believe on such sensitive issues. I thought that the very same secular values that many people in this great country stood for have just got dirty because of people like Teesta. Like I said before, I almost bought it.

Yet, the main charges/claims of the Times of India reporter had no substance and it did not come from the SIT. The major claims in the Times of India report mentioned the following:

• The riot witnesses were tutored by Teesta Setalvad before submitting the affidavits
• The celebrated rights activist [referring to Teesta] cooked up macabre tales of wanton killings
• The gangrape on Kausar Banu, and the gouging out of her foetus by the mob was found with “no truth”
• Dumping of dead bodies into a well by rioters at Naroda Patiya was also found with “no truth”

The TOI report said that all of these were told by SIT chief R K Raghavan in the Supreme Court on April 13th, Monday. But hold your horses, because none from the SIT or Mr. Raghavan himself were present in the apex court on April 13 to tell anything.

Even though the TOI article was referring to the SIT report, the person whom they quoted was Gujarat government’s counsel, Mukul Rohtagi. And the SIT chief Mr. Raghavan told Hindutan Times that the alleged leaks appear to have been based on statements of state police officials and “cannot be termed as findings of the report.”[via]

Then came the second article in Times of India, by the same reporter and this time the reporter said nothing about the above claims and rather held on to “discrepancies” and “contradictions“. No word about Kausar Banu, Wanton Killing or the Tutoring of Teesta. He chose to be silent on those allegations which he had earlier stated as the “SIT found untrue“.

So yes, if this is the kind of journalism we are fed with, there needs to have legal action against “such” media houses. Unfortunately, these are the times of India.

PS: It doesn’t take a genius to guess why the Gujarat counsel’s claims made news just 3 days before the 1st phase of general elections. I am not for or against Teesta’s case. We have a process of law in place and our Supreme Court to judge the case. So let the law take it’s due course.

Related reading:

About warped minds - Dilip D’Souza
‘Cooking Up Macabre Tales’: FAQ – Outlook