Navratri time

 If there is any festival that is celebrated with great pomp and splendor across the country in different forms- it is Navratri. Be it the garba in Gujarat, the Ram-leelas in UP, the Durga-pandals in West Bengal or the Golu in Tamil Nadu- every state has its own unique way of commencing the festival.

Navratri is one time of the year that I eagerly wait for. Arranging the Golu bommais, trying novel ways of setting them, making new kolams and buying new dolls every year really builds up the excitement. There needs to be elaborate planning, shifting of things and a proper arrangement while setting up the Golu padi. It is time consuming, but fun. 

This is the third year of keeping Golu in our house and trust me, every year I have learnt something new. It became a lot easier to set up all the items. I developed passion towards decoration and learnt how to keep things simple without over-doing it. 

                                                                   

Yes, sometimes we may not be satisfied with the outcome- so we have no apprehensions in spending extra time to re-do it. Sometimes, we may not agree with each other about certain ways of arrangement and have deep discussions about it, but at the end of the day, we are contended. We don't even get proper sleep-time, but still  wake up the next day and arrange everything for the morning puja and carry on with our daily chores. 

For me, Navratri is equivalent to great memories and new learning experiences. During Navratri, I get solid time to spend with my family. Dinner-time discussions on a variety of topics become more frequent. We watch films together, go outside and enjoy to the core!

One more reason why I like Navratri is because of the gatherings at home. For 9 days, our house will be brimming with people. Wearing a wide range of clothes, photographs, games, meet-ups with old friends, relishing the different kinds of prasadams- there is everything!

Navratri is a full-fledged festival. It gives immense satisfaction to everyone celebrating it. Wishing all my readers a very happy Navratri! Enjoy your holidays! Sit back, relax, savor new varieties of food and I will meet you very soon with my next blog!

Cheers till then!

                                    - Anusha Sridhar

 

Grandparents Day

 Grandparents. They have seen all generations and have observed the changes- both in lifestyle and in behavioral patterns. This makes them the most experienced persons who can guide and support during crucial times. Their tips regarding certain affairs prove how knowledgeable they are. 

 They might not agree with our viewpoint at times. They might strain themselves over trivial things. We might feel they are overprotective of their grandchildren. But the truth is that, it gives them immense satisfaction to always be by their grandchild's side. 

Old age is called a 'second childhood.' They may have mood swings. But we grandchildren must be considerate towards them. It is our duty to take care of them and get them accustomed to the new world.

They may lose their basic body functions. They might be dependent on others. But they regain all their lost energy and become a spring chicken when their grandchild is around. That is the true love they have towards them.

They are ready to learn new technology to understand them better. They don't want to be left behind in terms of connectivity to the Gen-Z.  Infact, now few grandparents have caught up with the trend very well! They have watched more films, serials and series than their grandchildren. They are even featuring on social media platforms, which is a positive sign of inclusivity.

They clap the hardest for your success. They sob the most when you are sad. They fight for you with your parents. They are your company whenever you feel bored. They are chirpy, emotional, savage, innocent and have a sweet little smile that instantly melts your heart.

Regardless of the fact whether your grandparents are physically present or not, they always hold a special place in your heart. These memories have to be cherished. And today, September 11th, on account of Grandparents Day, let us thank them from the bottom of our heart for giving us unforgettable memories and evergreen stories to share with the future generations. 

We always love you however you are. And remember, we always have your back.

Love you Tatagaru and Amamma! Happy Grandparents Day!

                                                - Anusha Sridhar

 

Ponniyin Selvan- the finesse

 Finally, back to blogging after a hectic 6 months! I am quite excited to be back on this platform which has given me a voice and an identity. Furthermore, I am thrilled to be back to my favorite routine i.e. reading books! Ah! How much I missed this pastime!

I got my hands on one of the most celebrated novels in Tamil literature- Ponniyin Selvan translated by Pavitra Srinivasan and Varsha Venugopal. 

I am grateful to them for translating this masterpiece and introducing me to the world of Chozhas. I am contended that I could finally read the book that has always been on the top for its themes that are even relevant in today's times. 

My excitement got piqued since there is a movie releasing based on the book. So without further ado, I immediately started reading, and my God! I couldn't resist myself at all. I was reading chapter after chapter without any pause. I was so engrossed, that I never knew the time. I became emotionally invested. Each character had equal importance in contributing towards the story. Subtle sarcasm, tragedy, revenge, conspiracy, friendship, romance, bravery- it has everything. The twists in the end leave you gasping for breath. 

Normally many people presume that this book is based on complete history. But it is a little different since its genre is historical fiction- meaning that few characters are the brainchild of the author. This has made it a riveting account of the Chozhas.

The author- Kalki R Krishnamurthy- gives vivid descriptions of all the palaces, temples, rivers and festivals. He uses allegory during the conversations between characters and uses similes and metaphors (with a lil exaggeration, of course) while describing the characters' looks, their venerable feats and titles. The book takes your imagery to the next level and no doubt cinephiles are awaiting this movie. 

The best part is that every person has their own imagination about the characters. But Mani Ratnam sir has chosen actors in such a way that has equally satisfied everyone's fantasies. Every actor looks perfect for their respective roles.

Making 'Ponniyin Selvan' has been the dream of Tamil cinema for 60 years. An unfulfilled dream film of several directors due to some constraints is now being released on September 30th 2022. The long wait of everyone is finally coming to an end.

As audience, let us first trust the director's vision. Who knows what is there under his sleeve? Let us not spoil the mood for the film by mere speculations or comparisons.

Remember that making a film of such grandeur is not a normal task and hats off to everyone who worked behind creating this project. 

For Non-Tamilians, it might be a little difficult to pronounce the names of characters. Even I myself struggled at the start because I found the names too long! (haha) But once you go forward with the books, you will even learn to pronounce them and why, you will even fondly remember them!

                            - Anusha Sridhar

(P.S My question to the people who read the book- who is your favorite character and why?  Let us have a discussion in the comments. To the people who have not, I urge you to either please read the book or watch the movie. If feasible, do both! :) Don't miss upon such literary classics. It gives you once in a lifetime experience which when you look back becomes very memorable.) 

 

A reflection

 After two long years, I finally went to the theatre to watch a film-'83'. Certain films are meant to be watched on the big screen and '83' was one of them. I was hooked to the story despite knowing how it would end. I cried hard for a few sequences and was very happy that there was no patriotism being forcefully injected. Everything that I felt in the theatre was something that sprung from the depth of my heart. The songs encapsulated the situation beautifully and we audience were elated to take the roller-coaster ride of emotions. This film, hands down, was one of the best movie experiences I ever had!!

After a week or so, there was an article which popped up on my feed. It stated ‘Pushpa has eaten up the market of 83.’ I was astonished. A movie which was so beautifully written and executed failed to rake in the numbers? Well, no qualms regarding Allu Arjun’s finesse as an actor and the blood and sweat he sheds to prepare for a role, but I still couldn’t digest the fact.  A movie having great reviews and good word-of-mouth, failed to capture audiences’ attention? Shocking, but not surprising.

In general, there are two kinds of audience. First are those who watch movies just for the sake of entertainment and don’t look for logic, and second are those who are very particular with their choices and scrutinize a film very aptly. Sadly, there are very few people who have the mindset of the second kind.

 “Why should we waste a Saturday by watching something serious, something which requires thinking”, is the first question that will strike a moviegoer’s mind. Anyone watching a movie with their friends or family just to pass time would prefer a breezy rom-com over a thriller or a message-oriented film or a biopic.

So, does that mean that no other genre gets a good BO income? That is not the case either. Films having a decent storyline, good songs and supported by a great performance by the main leads are deciding factors to make a movie successful. If a movie- regardless of the genre- satisfies all these conditions, it is sure to become a great film and something that would be remembered for ages.

Frankly, 83’s case is a complete exception. Maybe the hype surrounding Pushpa and Spiderman, killed the excitement for the film? Maybe people did not want to watch it because the audience was tired of biopics? Maybe they did not want to watch it because of the routine rising-from-the-ashes-like-the-phoenix theme? Nobody knows.

At the same time, there was an update that Pushpa would release on Amazon Prime. I was really excited to watch the rugged look of Allu Arjun and the raw, rustic and slick action sequences.

After watching the film, I had a mixed response. No doubt, I thoroughly enjoyed the film and was completely invested throughout the running minutes. But there were a few things that made me very uncomfortable and raised few serious questions in my mind.

Cinema is a very powerful tool. If utilized in the right way, it can make a profound impact on people. It can break old stigmas and start a new wave of universal acceptance. It can highlight our illustrious culture in an enchanting manner. It can transport us to a whole new different world through picturesque cinematography.

Our cinema has evolved over the years. We have broken cliched stereotypes and are showing progressive, real and grounded stories. But there is only one problem I have with today’s cinema-
‘GLORIFICATION’

If we observe, during olden days there was this quintessential hero, the heroine who was always the damsel in distress and the villain who was a psycho and a guy with flaws. This was the common plot for most of the films then.

But, now-a -days, filmmakers are not hesitating to write about a character with flaws. Actors aren’t reluctant to portray complex characters with grey shades and are accepting such roles with open arms. Audience too welcome this change and there is a breath of fresh air in the industry. The notion of the utopian hero has finally broken and flaws are being embraced as natural human tendencies.

Sometimes, a filmmaker might want the public to hate a character for a particular action. With that in mind, a scene is written. The problem arises when in such a process the imperfections are shown to be cool. This in turn glorifies the hero and the audience, instead of reprimanding the character for his actions, go gaga and pour in their full-fledged support. They start justifying the character’s actions and go to any extent to support him.

 What such people don’t understand is that there is a thin line of difference between reel and real. Characters we see in films- don’t always exist in real life.

I have another objection with today’s cinema. When we have such a glorious history and great source material, why don’t filmmakers make movies on that? Why should we remake most of the films when we have a storehouse of ideas? There are stories of gallantry and innovativeness from different parts of the country. We can reach out their stories to the masses. It is not necessary to have an extravagant budget to get things done. A simple story with lots of inspiration will surely captivate the audience.

One should always view the art over the artist. But it is completely opposite in India. The artist is given higher priority over the art. A star’s film is seen through a partial lens and given a clear chit despite lacking a solid story.

The day when CINEMA will stand for something that Captivates Interests, is Neutral, Enigmatic, not Monotonic and is Associative will be the day when this sheer form of art will achieve its zenith.

                                                                                                                   

                                                               -       Anusha Sridhar

 (P.S I can’t fathom the amount of hard work each and every person associated with the film 83 would have done. To get the cricketing mannerisms right, to select actors who resemble the legends is such a mammoth task. 2-3 years of practice, shooting all the matches in actual locations, I mean take a bow!! You guys have done a fantabulous job! This is one of the biggest gifts you gave to all the cricket fans who weren’t born during that era. We could relive that era because of you! My heartfelt thanks!!)

(P.S I don’t demean Pushpa in any way. It is also a good film. The actor’s conviction towards his character is evident in every frame. Big fan of Allu Arjun and his dance. How he managed to dance with his shoulders like that still remains a mystery for me….)

New year wishes

 One year has passed like a spree
Don't know whether to be sad 
or to jump in glee.

Few incidents left permanent scars
Few people turned into overnight stars
We witnessed the true essence of humanity
and walked hand-in-hand to face this calamity.

Sometimes we stumbled
But we never grumbled
We learnt through our experiences
every single day
We grew up to become matured individuals
and understood the roles we'd essay.

It is not wrong to be wrong
It is wrong to not accept we are wrong
We should understand this fact
and change our tact.

Our mistakes should not taunt us
They should teach us
Aim for excellence
Success will reach us.

Every sunset
is an opportunity to reset
Wish you all a happy new year
and a year ahead with no regret!

                        - Anusha Sridhar

(A very happy new year to all my readers who have been a constant support system for me...who have provided me ideas and tips to improve my writing....Hope you keep supporting me throughout this beautiful journey....)

Feminism-A general outlook

If there is something which has gained lots of momentum, support and has divided even the best of minds in the recent years is the debate on feminism. This topic has gained a  lot of popularity in the recent years  and every person has his own opinion about it . Most importantly, this topic is considered to be a double-edged sword and people signing in to express their views in public are considered to be putting foot in their mouth.

Why is there a horrific response given to a topic like feminism whose  purpose is equality for all? Isn't it supposed to be a really simple topic on which we can have open discussions about without getting irked? Sadly, it is not.

Yes, the sole objective of feminism is to give equal rights and an equal pay to both men and women without any discrimination. But this is just a definition that has been coined and  accepted at a superficial level. But there are types of people who believe in 'types of feminism'.  Fascinating right? Well.....not quite.

There are three types of  beliefs or rather three kinds of people we find when we try to start a conversation about this topic. 

1. Feminism=Man hating:
This is something really disturbing which has to be addressed. Many women (pardon me, but this is a fact) think men to be a burden in the society. They feel that men always have an upper hand in everything (well, in some cases it is true, but not always) and even blame their personal failure as something caused intentionally by a man. They are also against any success achieved by a man.

 If someone really supports the practice of misandry and is under the false impression that women are always superior, then I am sorry, your lens is flawed and you are behaving exactly like a misogynist. 

These are the people who think themselves to be the pioneer of revolution, proclaim themselves to be the messiah of the female race and crown themselves as the leader of the feminist movement. What these people don't realise is they are putting the entire feminist movement down and are putting the efforts of people truly striving for equality for a toss.

2.Casually using the word anywhere without knowing its meaning:
This is also something very common which is seen in youngsters in general. Many -a-times, they get fascinated by the word for some reason and decide to incorporate it in their daily conversations. 

If switching words inadvertently and using hard words occasionally  to appear 'cool 'in the friend's circle is being done, it will have a grave impact on their understanding levels, and people will never feel like learning more.

But comparatively, this isn't quite a major problem. It can be solved by intervening at the right time, teaching them the proper usage of such words and educating them as to where and where not to use those words.

3.People who don't believe in the concept of feminism itself:
This is a really dangerous group of people. Few people with such beliefs put out their thoughts in such a convincing manner that for a second even we believe their thoughts and question our ideologies.

These are the people who think that it is not necessary for a woman to work outside. They believe that working is a man's job and serving the family and catering to the needs of the family is a woman's job. They can't accept roles being switched and aren't even interested to give it a try.

These are the biggest hypocrites of the lot. They always say that they worship women- treat them as Goddesses, but they are the ones who curtail the freedom of a woman and always blame her.

It is said that too many cooks spoil the broth. Similarly, too many opinions dilute the gravity of the situation; the subject starts to feel repetitive, boring and unimportant. Rallies hold no significance in the eyes of a common person; for him it is just another group of people bickering about their bad days. 

In such a situation, it is important to make sure that the topic doesn't reach a level of exhaustion. It is important to understand that people's opinions are shaped based on their surroundings, their upbringing and the situations they were exposed to in a young age. Experiences shape a person. Opinions influence them. Keeping this in mind, we should tread the path carefully; should ensure that the idea gets conveyed properly without offending anyone.

Feminism just doesn't mean fighting for equality of men and women. It also means to celebrate the differences that exist between them. Feminism just corresponds to inclusivity; its sole purpose is to make people understand the concept of equality in inequality. 

 A true feminist acknowledges the differences between a man and a woman and fights for equality in places where it is required. He knows that it is not possible to be equal in all manners. He knows where to draw the line. He knows the cause for his fight and to which extent it is applicable. He doesn't have half-baked arguments, he stands firm on his opinion without getting influenced.

"A man and a woman can never be equal." A man goes by logic, a woman goes by emotion. A man is physically strong, a woman is mentally strong. If these differences don't exist, then the idea of feminism itself would be baseless and our society will lose its true beauty.

 The day we look at at both the genders not as two extremes, but as a spectrum is the day when feminism will achieve its true glory.

                                                            - Anusha Sridhar

(P.S This is solely based on my opinion and my intent is not to hurt anyone's views. This is based on my observations and is my take on the topic. The places where the masculine gender is used is even applicable for the feminine gender. No offence intended to anyone.)

The unparalleled feat

 The Indian campaign in the 2020 Summer Olympics has officially come to an end. With 4 bronze, 2 silver and 1 gold medal, India won 7 medals in total, better than the performance in the London and Rio Olympics in the year 2012 and 2016 respectively. We have raised the bar higher with our great performance and hope we continue to do so and bag more medals in the 2024 Summer Olympics. Tears, sweat, determination, mental prowess during these tough times and oodles of confidence in oneself has helped us achieve this magnificent feat. Several players even tested positive for COVID, but they battled it, fought like a tiger and gifted the prestigious Olympic medals to the country.

This year's Olympics is not special just because the country's medal tally rose. It is special because we made history in all the fields. Hockey's lost glory was back as Indian Hockey team won a bronze after 41 years, Ravi Kumar Dahiya won a silver in wrestling after 9 years, Mirabai Chanu won a medal in weight lifting after 20 years, and most importantly, Neeraj Chopra became the youngest player to win a gold in javelin throw, thus giving a stylish finish to the Indian campaign, ending the 121 year wait for the first athletics medal. Milkha Singh's wish to see India win a gold in athletics  and the entire nation's desire to hear the national anthem play and resonate in the stadium was finally fulfilled.

This year for the first time ever, India competed in the sport of fencing; a sport which many weren't aware of. 

PV Sindhu became the only Indian to win two successive medals in the Olympics. Lovlina Boroghain became the third Indian to win a bronze medal in boxing. Kamalpreet Kaur-despite not winning a medal- holds the record of the best discus throw; higher than the qualification mark (Neeraj Chopra too crossed the qualification mark in javelin, thus sealing a direct spot in the finals). Bajrang Punia won a bronze in wrestling thus helping India to equal the 2012 tally of 6 medals. The women's hockey team and Aditi Ashok- both missed bronze by a whisker- but they have become an inspiration for several people across the country. 

This year is also special for another reason. Most Indians, who didn't really show much interest in sports other than cricket, have started to watch all the Olympic matches due to the spectacular performances of our athletes. No offence to the former sport as it has brought us a lot of glory and produced many stars, but it is important to give all the sports equal respect and importance because laurels won in any field only increases the glory of the country. Many people have understood this fact and have placed other sports too on the same pedestal as cricket. 

  Even though we may not know the technicalities of a sport, we truly enjoyed watching all our fellow Indian players making us proud. There may be a few people who will compare the number of medals won and may point fingers at us, but one thing what I am sure of is that this is just a beginning to a glorious start. We have made records this year and we will continue to do so. There will surely be a rise in the tally due to increase in the acceptance of all the sports as game-changers and as something that will take our country to the pinnacle.

With my head high and my heart thumping with patriotism, I salute all our athletes who made our country proud. I thank them for opening my eyes, for making me look beyond only one sport. Once again, I wish them good luck and pray that they outdo themselves next time.

With utmost respect and regards,

Anusha Sridhar

(An interesting fact:  7th August 2021- the day when the Indian National Anthem was played in Tokyo to honour the country's historic win- was the 80th death anniversary of its creator Rabindranath Tagore! Don't know if it is a mere coincidence, but this is something very special which will forever be remembered. Couldn't be more prouder!)

(P.S As a DAVian, I am really proud and super happy that our gold-winning champion Neeraj Chopra and hockey player Hardik Singh are alumni of DAV! You have become an inspiration for the entire nation and of course, all the young DAVians wanting to pursue a career in sports.