Category Archives: Everything Else

ಮರ್ಯಾದೆ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆ — My view

ಇದು ನಾನು Dramadoseನಲ್ಲಿ ಬರ್ಯೋ ಥರ ನಾಟಕ ವಿಮರ್ಶೆ ಅಲ್ಲ. ಇದು ಕೇವಲ ನಂಗೆ ಈ “ಮರ್ಯಾದೆ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆ” ನಾಟಕದದಲ್ಲಿ ಏನು ಇಷ್ಟ ಆಯ್ತು, ಏನು ಆಗ್ಲಿಲ್ಲ ಅನ್ನೋದ್ರ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಒಂದು ಸಣ್ಣ ಲೇಖನ ಅಷ್ಟೆ. ಈ ಲೇಖನದಲ್ಲಿ ನಂಗೆ ಸಮಾಧಾನ ಆಗೋಂಥ ಕನ್ನಡ ಪದ ಎಲ್ಲೆಲ್ಲಿ ಸಿಗ್ಲಿಲ್ವೋ ಅಲ್ಲೆಲ್ಲಾ English ಪದಾನೇ ಉಪ್ಯೋಗ್ಸಿದೀನಿ.

ಇಷ್ಟವಾದದ್ದು:

ನಿರೂಪಣೆಯ non-linearity. ಕಥಾವಸ್ತು ಕೂಡ ಒಂಥರ ಹೊಸದಾಗೆ ಇತ್ತು. 

ಇಷ್ಟವಾಗದೇ ಇದ್ದದ್ದು:

ಸಂಭಾಷಣೆಯಲ್ಲಿನ inconsistency: “ಆಗ್ತದೆ”, “ಆಗುತ್ತೆ”, “ಹೌದಲ್ಲೋ”, ಹೀಗೆ ಆಡು ಭಾಷೆ-ಪಠ್ಯಪುಸ್ತಕದ/ ಔಪಚಾರಿಕ ಭಾಷೆಗಳ ಕಲಸುಮೇಲೋಗರ ಸಂಭಾಷಣೆಯಲ್ಲಿತ್ತು. ಈ ನಾಟಕದಲ್ಲಿ ಕೆಲ್ವು ಪ್ರಮುಖ ಪಾತ್ರಗಳು ದಾವಣಗೆರೆ ಮೂಲದವ್ರು. ನಂಗೆ ಅನ್ಮಾನ ಬಂದು ಅದೇ ಊರಿನ ನನ್ನ ಸ್ನೇಹಿತನೊಬ್ಬನ್ನ ಕೇಳಿದ್ದಕ್ಕೆ, ಅವ್ರ ಕಡೆ “ಆಗ್ತದೆ” ಅಂತ ಉಪ್ಯೋಗ್ಸಲ್ಲ ಅಂತ ತಿಳೀತು.

Amateur ಸಂಭಾಷಣೆ: ನಾನು ಆ ಪಾತ್ರಗಳು ಓದಿದಂಥ collegeನಲ್ಲಿ ಓದಿಲ್ಲ. ಅಥ್ವಾ ಇದ್ನ generation gap ಅಂತಾನೂ ಕರೀಬೌದು. ಆದ್ರೂ ಕೆಲ್ವು ಕಡೆ fuck ಹಾಗೂ shit ಪದಗ್ಳ್ನ ಆಸಾಂಧರ್ಭಿಕವಾಗಿ, ಅತಿಯಾಗಿ ಉಪ್ಯೋಗ್ಸಿದಾರೆ ಅನ್ಸ್ತು.

ಬೆಳಕು: ನಮ್ family ವಿಷ್ಯಕ್ಕೆ ಬರ್ಬೇಡಿ ಅಂತ ಕೈ ಮುಂದೆ ಮಾಡ್ದಾಗ, ಬೆರ್ಳಾಗ್ಲೀ, ಕೈ ಆಗ್ಲೀ ಕಾಣ್ಸ್ತಾ ಇರ್ಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಊರ್ಮಿದೂ ಒಂದು ಸನ್ನಿವೇಶ ಹಾಗೇ ಇತ್ತು. ಜೊತೆಗೆ, ನಮ್ಮ ಬಲ್ಗಡೆ ಇದ್ದ ಕುರ್ಚಿ ಬೆಳಕಿನ ಜಾಗಕ್ಕೆ center-align ಆಗಿರ್ಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಇದು ಬೆಳಕಿನ ವಿನ್ಯಾಸದಲ್ಲಾಗಿರೋ ತಪ್ಪೋ, ಪಾತ್ರಧಾರಿಗಳ ತಪ್ಪೋ ನಂಗೊತ್ತಿಲ್ಲ.  ಅಥ್ವಾ ಎರಡೂ ಅಲ್ದೇ, Consistent error is a feature ಅನ್ನೋ ಹಾಗೆ, ಇದು ಇರೋದೇ ಹೀಗೋ ಅದೂ ಗೊತ್ತಿಲ್ಲ. 

Unprofessional ಅಂತ್ಯ: ನಾಟ್ಕ ಮುಗಿದ್ಮೇಲೆ ಪಾತ್ರಧಾರಿಗಳ ಪರಿಚಯ ಆಗ್ಲೀ, feedback mechanismಆಗ್ಲೀ ಇರ್ಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಇದು ಬಹುಶಃ ದಿನದ ಕೊನೆಯ ಪ್ರದರ್ಶನ ಆಗಿದ್ರಿಂದ ಕೂಡ ಇರ್ಬೌದು. 

Sidewing:

ಈ ನಾಟ್ಕದ ಮೂಲ, German ಲೇಖಕ Lutz Hubner ಬರ್ದ Respect. ಇದನ್ನ ಕನ್ನಡಕ್ಕೆ ಭಾಷಾಂತರಿಸ್ದವ್ರು ಖ್ಯಾತ ನಾಟಕಕಾರ ಸುರೇಂದ್ರನಾಥ್ ಅವ್ರು. ನಾನು ಎಲ್ಲೋ ಓದಿದ ಹಾಗೆ, ಈ ನಾಟಕ ತಂಡ, ಈ ಕೃತಿಗೆ ಬದಾಲವಣೆಗಳ್ನ ಮಾಡಿ stage ಮೇಲೆ ತಂದಿದೆ. ಸುರೇಂದ್ರನಾಥ್ ಅವ್ರ version ಸಿಕ್ರೆ ಅದ್ನ ಓದಿ ಇವ್ರು ಏನೇನ್ ಬದಲಾವಣೆಗಳು ಮಾಡಿದಾರೆ ಅನ್ನೋದ್ನ ತಿಳ್ಕೋಬೇಕು. 

ಈ ನಾಟ್ಕ ನೋಡಿ ಸುಮಾರು ಒಂದು ತಿಂಗ್ಳಾಯ್ತು. ಮಾಮೂಲಾಗಿ ನಾಟ್ಕ ನೋಡಿ ಬಂದ ತಕ್ಷ್ಣನಾನೆ ಈ ಲೇಖನ ಬರ್ದಿಟ್ಟಿದ್ದೆ. ಆದ್ರೆ ನನ್ನ ಸ್ನೇಹಿತರೊಬ್ಬರ ಸ್ನೇಹಿತ ಈ ನಾಟಕದಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಮುಖ ಪಾತ್ರವಹಿಸಿದ್ದರಿಂದ ಇದ್ನ publish ಮಾಡೋಕೆ ಹಿಂದೇಟು ಹಾಕಿದ್ದೆ. ಆದ್ರೆ ಇವತ್ತು ನನ್ನ ಕೆಲ ಸ್ನೇಹಿತರ ಸಲಹೆ/ ಪ್ರೇರಣೆಯಿಂದ ಸೊಲ್ಪ fine-tune ಮಾಡಿ ಹಾಕಿದ್ದೀನಿ. 

In search of divini-tea…

I was a diehard fan of my mom’s strong filter coffee for a very long time. Due to some health reasons, I stopped having coffee moved to tea 3-4 years back.

Initially, I was having a hard time finding a good teashop anywhere in my neighborhood (The definition of my neighborhood in this case is about 10 Kms radius from my house in Thyagarajanagar.). I tried tea in many places, from a roadside cyclewallah to big banner shops. But I was never happy with it. The only place I found a reasonably good tea was at Cuppa. Their Mumbai Cutting Chai was the best I could get. The tea was strong and the place was good to hangout with friends. But at Rs.80 per cup, it was still not a place I can visit often.

Chai Point

Few months back, I came across this outlet called Chai Point in N.R. Colony. Their Dum Chai was so damn good I started referring all my friends to this place. The best part was their price. I don’t think I can get a better tea elsewhere for Rs.15.

Off late, their Dum Chai lost its original taste and I have shifted to Ginger Tea. So far, it is pretty good and most of the times, I can feel the tanginess of the Ginger when it reaches my throat.

My Tea House

My colleague, who is also a tea lover, introduced me to My Tea House. At first, I mistook it as Infinitea on Cunningham Road, but later learned that this is on the Outer Ring Road, near Kamakya Theatre. It has been there for several years but I never noticed it.

I first visited this place about a month back and have been a regular ever since. I love this place for multiple reasons.

  • The tea is good and reasonably priced (starts from Rs.35). They have a huge variety of teas, though not many in the with-milk category. Their Assam tea is my latest favorite.
  • It is hardly a 3-minute drive from my place, if I don’t count the waiting period at the Devegowda Petrol Bunk signal.
  • It is right next to the busy main road. But once you are in, you barely hear any outside noise.
  • The taste of food is above-average. I have tried a thali meal, French Fries, and Mixed Veg Pakodas. The thali meal costs Rs.200 and you get two rotis (or one parotha), a gravy, a tea, and a piece of cake. The quantity of French Fries and Pakodas serves two.
  • It is an awesome place to catch up with friends and have a long chat, very much similar to Rangashankara canteen.

Mom’s Magic

Mom’s Magic is off K.R.Road, near Brigade MM. I had been there earlier for some chaats after I read good reviews in some newspaper. But I guess I was too South Indian for their North Indian flavor, so I did not quite like it and never visited again. But when my tea-loving colleague recommended this place for Masala Tea, I could not resist.

I have had tea three times in this place now. It has been a different experience every time.

My first visit was during the long weekend of Diwali. I don’t know what they gave me, but it did not taste anything like tea. When I discussed this with my friend, she told me that even she visited during the same period and had a similar experience. We concluded that the regular chef might have gone on leave, so the temporary staff could not get right. So, I decided to try again.

My second visit was almost two weeks after Diwali. I expected the regular chef to be back and hoped get to taste some genuine stuff. This time, whatever they served tasted like tea, but it was sweet. Again, when I asked my friend if this is how their tea is supposed to taste, she told me that I should specifically ask them not to make it sweet. I was like, “Seriously???  Sweet is the last thing I expect in a Masala Tea. I don’t have to ask to exclude it, because it should not be there in first place!”

My last visit was with the same colleague who spoke so highly about it. This time we specifically asked for Masala Tea without sweet and the taste was okay-ish. Nothing great, but it was not as bad as my previous experiences.

The tea at Mom’s Magic costs Rs.15, same as Chai Point. They serve in a matka, which makes it look good. But, Chai Point’s Ginger tea served in a glass “lota” tastes way better any day.

Infinitea

I came across Infinitea when I was searching for My Tea House. Cunningham Road is way too far from my place. I finally went to this place yesterday, almost after two months of discovering it. It was about 1 p.m. when I entered this place, but I guess I was their first customer place.

The place is good. I particularly liked their pedestal tables facing the road, perfect for singles like me. Just like My Tea House, they have a good variety of teas, but very less in with-milk category. Since this was my first visit to the place, I preferred to go with a known flavor and  ordered Masala Tea with Ginger flavor (they have Cardamom  flavor version as well).

The teas are expensive. The Masala Tea costs Rs.130, but the tea comes in a kettle or pot. Mine came in a small kettle. I don’t remember reading that in the menu card, so I was quite surprised and happy. They gave sugar cubes separately. Though the tea did not seem to have even an ounce of Ginger in it, it was strong to the level I wanted it. The quantity was enough for three rounds. So, I did not complaint.

The food is expensive as well and they don’t have much to offer in the vegetarian category. I did not try anything.

Overall, it is a very nice place to hangout with friends or just alone on a lazy day, with a book to read. I will definitely visit again to try their other varieties.

Sidewing:

If you visit Chai Point, try their Samosas. They taste yum and not surprisingly, they sell like hot cakes.

My Tea House is easy to miss. Once you pass Devegowda Petrol Bunk on your right, keep an eye on the left for the Popular Bajaj showroom. My Tea House is right next to this showroom,

I have read some pretty nasty feedback about the staff at My Tea House online. But I never had issues. I am not sure whether my expectations are too low or they have learned their lessons. 🙂

I have read that Mom’s Magic is good for lot of other things. Next time I go there, I will definitely try a soup or lassi.

Lucia, a ground-breaking Kannada movie

Lucia, a Kannada movie you, the audience, produced is due to release late August in movie halls. This movie recently won the Audience award in a London film festival. One of the finest actors of Indian cinema, Irrfan Khan, has appreciated this movie and expressed interest in making this in Hindi.

 

I first heard about this movie when makers sent a shout out calling for producers, I was apprehensive about their potential and ignored it. Few months later, I even saw the video calling for potential singers for the movie’s most popular song “Tinbeda Kammi”. I liked the video and but ignored it as a gimmick.

Sometime after that, I came across of the the movie’s trailer on YouTube and clicked the link only because I saw Ninasam Satish there. I admire theater and personally believe actors who come from theater background are excellent performers, whichever platform they are on. Rajat Kapoor, T.S Nagabharana, Mandya Ramesh, Konkana Sen Sharma, Prakash Raj, Naseeruddin Shah, Lakshmi Chandrashekar… the list of such brilliant actors is endless. I had seen Satish in Yograj Bhat’s Drama and quite liked him.

Coming back to the trailer, what started as a curiosity went on to amaze me completely! I never, ever thought in my life that I would see a movie on a dark subject in Kannada, with an ample dose of commercial masala elements. I am not a keen follower of Kannada cinema, but to the best of my knowledge, not many of our filmmakers have successfully done this. However, Pawan Kumar, the director of this movie and his team has dared to take the risk and have come out with a gem of a product. 

Watch the trailer here.

You can visit the Lucia channel on YouTube at:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRyPJvv_7LPImzR3AleNa1Db-k4knBRyE

By then, the filmmakers were looking for distributors and I immediately bought an online distributorship of this movie by paying Rs.1000. From then on, I have successfully convinced my friend to do the same and shared all important posts and posters on my Facebook, with the sole objective of giving as much visibility to this project and encouraging others to put money on this. 

I am confident that you are impressed by the trailer, so I will not really talk much about it. My journey started with skepticism, moved to curiosity, and finally ended up at excitement. Watch the trailer, trust the team behind this, and encourage them to make more landmark movies like this. The opportunity ends on August 15th. Do not miss it!

You can find the FAQ and pre-order the movie here.

http://www.hometalkies.com/lucia/pre-order/

If you have any additional queries, you can contact Pawan Kumar at: [email protected]

If you cannot pre-order the movie for any reason, but still want to watch it, check your city’s local listings and watch it on big screen.

Sidewing:

I have the rights to the movie and can watch it at my convenience. But I will still go to the movie hall and watch it atleast once. If somebody is interested, I may even sponsor their tickets. The objective is simple. People who have invested in this movie should make profits. The entire team, right from the director Pawan Kumar to the unknown spot boy should be rewarded for their efforts. This should motivate many more people to take this route. Eventually, the Kannadiga who lost hopes in Kannada movies years ago should come back to multiplexes and Sandalwood should revive its lost glory.

Let the world know that we have people who make intelligent movies which are not limited to award festivals, but also are successful commercially.

Skepticism > Curiosity > Excitement. It happened once. It can happen again. This time, it can be YOU.

Once in a lifetime experience

I was at Rangashankara to watch Agni Mattu Male on Saturday.

While I was waiting for my Jaljeera at the cafe, a gentleman came over and ordered for some Saboodaana. I could instantly guess it was Hamsalekha, Sandalwood’s most popular music director of his generation. However, I also got a doubt because there was nobody around him. I mean, no fans, nobody from Natana (the troupe staging the play). Eventually, we just exchanged glances and walked our own way.

While I was sipping my jaljeera, Mandya Ramesh (director of the play) came over and sought the music maestro’s blessings. I was delighted.

Hamsalekha is known to be a very jovial person. Every person who has spent time with him has said that laughter fills the room he is in. The skeptic in me always thought that these people are telling this just to please him. However, in less than a minute he met Mandya Ramesh, I could hear them cracking up. Later when he met B.Jayashree and her group, I heard a roaring laughter! Sometimes it is good to be proved wrong. 🙂

Thoughts in my mind, naguva, nagisuva, nagisi naguta baaLuva varava mige neenu bedikoLo mankutimma. Salute to the man who does this.

I also saw Girish Karnad (the playwright of Agni Mattu Male) at the venue. For me, it was like a dream come true. I simply could not believe my eyes. Just the thought of watching his play with him gave me goosebumps.

After the show, he was called on to stage to receive some honors. He walked down the seating area, removed his footwear, offered his salutations to the stage, and got on to the stage. I was spellbound by the charisma, simplicity, and modesty of the man. When he was receiving the flower bouquet from Mandya Ramesh, I was so overwhelmed that I had a lump in my throat. First time that has happened in my 5 yrs of theatre-watching experience.

This is one moment I will cherish for a very long time.

Chitra Sante 2012

Yesterday was a hectic day.

When the day began, I had my plans clearly defined.

  1. Visit the temple at 10.30 a.m.
  2. Have breakfast at CTR or NKB, Malleshwaram.
  3. Reach Chitra Sante at 11.30.
  4. Come back home for lunch by 1.30.
  5. Sleep till 5 or so and head to RS for the Sanjay and his Master play.

But then, my plans never work.

First up, Balu, called me at 10 a.m and said that his plans of visiting Chitra Sante with his friends is cancelled and he will be joining me. I was so glad to hear that. Balu is an artist. So, it is always a delight to visit Santhe with him. He explains me whats, whys, and hows of a painting. He has been accompanying me for the last 4 years or so and during this period, I have learnt to appreciate the art (in this case, paintings) in a much better way just because of him.

We met at the Monotype bus stand, visited the temple at Majestic and reached Chitra Sante at 11.30. Both of us had agreed that we have some important work to do back home and should leave the place by 1.30 max.

But as we went around, we realized that the number of stalls have increased and we have so much to see. Among them, there were few excellent ones, many good ones, some bad, and atleast one worst.

Art is about creativity. It is about being different, being oneself. There may be 10 paintings of a river flowing between two hills, but a good artist can bring in uniqueness in each of them and yet maintain his/her signature style. This time, we got to see some such exquisite piece of work which will stay in our mind for long. The innocent smile of two kids sitting on a branch of tree, the anticipation in the eyes of a lady leaning on a pillar at the entrance of her house, the rage of bulls in bullfighting, or a mural depicting the stone age carvings in caves — each of them was perfect. They were different. They had the Wow! factor.

The most unfortunate trend we saw in this year’s fest was the increase in number of copycats. For example, few years ago, a painting of an elephant sold for a record amount in this fest. This time, we saw that every third stall had atleast one similar painting. It was either the exact replica (which means the same color, size, and position, and not the same quality), or a slightly modified version.

Similarly, we had several paintings of Buddha’s face, Godhuli, Ravivarma’s works, etc. Some of them were good, but none of them were convincing.

Here is the pic taken at the entrance of the fest: Crowd at Chitra Santhe I haven’t taken pictures of even the best ones because I don’t want to see their imitations next year.

Finally, we were done by 3 p.m. It was not as early as we wanted it to be, but it was still the quickest of our visits.

Sidewing:

About Chitra Sante
Chitra Sante is an annual art fest organized by Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath. Anybody (from amateurs to professionals) can book a stall, which is an area of about 10 ft x10 ft on the Kumara Krupa Road’s footpath, for a nominal fee (this year, it was Rs. 100). Every year, there are hundreds of stalls showcasing thousands of paintings and murals.

My association with Chitra Sante:
My ex-colleague from Edutech, Suresh Waghmore, a regular participant in this fest, invited me to this fest when we were working together. Back then, for me, it was just an opportunity to see his works. Later, after I left Edutech, it was also an opportunity to meet some old friends who come to see his works. And yeah, he does some wonderful paintings. This is not just my opinion, it is Balu’s as well. (Balu is quite frank on that front. If he finds some issue in a painting, he explains it to me. It doesn’t matter to him if it is my friend’s work or his friend’s work.) You can see a sample (which does not his include his latest passion — Abstracts) at http://www.visualartz.net/.