കഴമ്പില്ലാത്ത ഒരു പഴശ്ശിരാജയും ജൂറി ചെയര്‍മാനും

പതിവ് തെറ്റിയില്ല. രാജ്യാന്തര ചലച്ചിത്ര മേളയിലെ ഇന്ത്യന്‍ പനോരമയിലേക്ക് ചിത്രങ്ങള്‍ തിരഞ്ഞെടുക്കുന്നത് സംബന്ധിച്ച് ഇക്കുറിയും വെടി പൊട്ടി.

എം ടി - ഹരിഹരന്‍ - റസൂല്‍ പൂക്കുട്ടി കൂടുകെട്ടില്‍ ജനിച്ചു വയനാടന്‍ മലയിറങ്ങി ലോകമെങ്ങും സഞ്ചരിച്ചുകൊണ്ടിരിക്കുന്ന പഴശ്ശിരാജ കഴമ്പില്ലാത്തതുകൊണ്ടാണ് പനോരമയില്‍ കടക്കാതിരുന്നതെന്ന് സമിതി ചെയര്‍മാനും പ്രശസ്ത ചലച്ചിത്രകാരനുമായ മുസഫര്‍ അലി. പനോരമയില്‍ മലയാള ചിത്രങ്ങളെ തഴഞ്ഞെന്ന പരാതിക്ക് എരിവു പകര്‍ന്നു അദ്ദേഹം ഒന്ന് കൂടി പറഞ്ഞു, സാങ്കേതിക മികവിനപ്പുറം പഴശ്ശിരാജയില്‍ ഒരു ചുക്കുമില്ലത്രേ!

എന്നാല്‍ സിനിമ കാണാതെ തീരുമാനമെടുത്ത ജൂറിക്കാന് കഴമ്പില്ലാത്തതെന്നു ഹരിഹരന്‍. തന്‍റെ സിനിമ കാണാതെ തീയട്ടരിനുള്ളിലിരുന്നു ഉറങ്ങിയതാണ് മുസഫര്‍ അലിക്ക് പറ്റിയതെന്നു അദ്ദേഹം വിശ്വസിക്കുന്നു.

മൊത്തം 104 സിനിമകളില്‍ നിന്ന് 26 എണ്ണമാണ് പനോരമയിലേക്ക് തിരഞ്ഞെടുക്കപെട്ടത്‌. മലയാളത്തില്‍നിന്ന് പഴശ്ശിരാജക്ക് പുറമേ കേരള കഫെയും മത്സരത്തിനുണ്ടയിരുന്നെങ്കിലും തഴയപ്പെട്ടു. പത്തു സംവിധായകരുടെ പത്തു സിനിമകള്‍ കോര്‍ത്തിണക്കിയ കേരള കഫെയില്‍ മുസഫര്‍ അലിക്ക് ഒരു പുതുമയും തോന്നിയില്ലത്രേ.

ജനമധ്യത്തില്‍ കൊള്ളാവുന്ന ഒറ്റ ചിത്രവും സംവിധാനം ചെയ്ത ചരിത്രമില്ലാത്ത മുസഫര്‍ അലിക്ക് സില്‍മ പഠിക്കാന്‍ തന്‍റെ ചെലവില്‍ കേരളത്തില്‍ അവസരമോരുക്കമെന്നാണ് സംവിധായകന്‍ രഞ്ജിത്തിന്റെ വാഗ്ദാനം. അല്ലെങ്കില്‍ കേരള കഫേയിലെ ഏതെങ്കിലും ഒരു സിനിമ കണ്ടു സംവിധാനം എന്താണെന്നു അലി പഠിക്കണമെന്ന് വരെ പറഞ്ഞു രഞ്ജിത്ത്.

പഴശ്ശിരാജ ചെയ്തതിനെക്കാള്‍ വലിയ യുദ്ധമായിരുന്നു താന്‍ സിനിമയുടെ ഷൂട്ടിംഗ് സമയത്ത് ചെയ്തതെന്നും നിര്‍മാതാവ് ഉള്‍പ്പെടെ ആരും അത് മനസ്സിലാക്കിയിട്ടുണ്ടെന്നു തോന്നുന്നില്ലെന്നും ഹരിഹരന്‍ പരിഭവിച്ചത് ഈയടുത്തായിരുന്നു. അതിനേക്കാള്‍ വലിയ യുദ്ധമാണല്ലോ പാവം ഇപ്പോള്‍ ചെയ്യുന്നത്...

A trip to the Scotland of India

Misty hills, lush forest, acres and acres of tea and coffee plantation, orange groves, and breathtaking views... Kodagu has lot to offer for tourists. Dubbed as the Scotland of India, it is located on the Western Ghats.

The word Coorg or Kodagu (originally called Kodaimalenadu) means 'dense forest on steep hill'. It lies on Karnataka's southwestern end, covering an area of 4,102 sq km.

Coorg is famous for its tea, coffee, pepper and cardamom plantations

A cardamom plantation in Coorg

Beside a Gua plantation, this guest house was a wonderful place to sleep in the nightBe here once and experience the freshness of air and the charm of nature.

An old fashioned bungalow in one of the estates.

Don't be panic... This is not a wild elephant... a scene from the Madikeri-Mysore highway.

The Golden temple at Kushalnagar

Cauvery Nisrgadhama

Nisargadama is s beautiful forest resort just three kilometers from Kushalnagar towards Madikeri off the state highway.

Formed by river Kaveri, this 25 acre scenic island is covered with bamboo, teak and sandalwood tree streams.

Here everything has got a bamboo touch. The beautiful and eco-friendly bamboo huts and other places to rest is a wonderful experience.

This hanging bridge links the island and helps travellers to cross the cauvery river.

This symbolises the myth behind Talacauvery. Located in the Brahmagiri hill, Talacauvery is presumed to be the origin of the Cauvery River. A tank had been built here and it is supposed that the Talacauvery received water from here. Talacauvery is an important religious place, as a holy kundike is believed to have been emerged from a small permanent spring. Today, however, the source has dried up. Cauvery continues to flow and is considered a holy river by most of the South Indians. A small temple had been built to mark the place.

We were told that, at Nisargadhama one can find deer, elephants, peacocks and some other usual wild animals if lucky. But, unfortunately we couldn't find anything except this!!!

Pudupet: The Auto Nagar of Chennai

You can buy all parts of a maruti car or Hero Honda bike, assemble them there itself and drive it away at a very low cost. When quizzed, what is special about Pudupet?, this was the answer from K Abdul Manaf, hailing from Alandur. Though seems to be quite exaggerated, one could find it is true on a whistle tour through the streets of Pudupet.

Pudupet, Chennai's exclusive automobile market, which is around hundred years old, is a one-stop destination for A to Z of two wheeler and four wheeler spare parts. Whether it be the parts of a latest imported car or the original spare parts for restoring vintage and classic cars or bikes, Pudupet will be the wisest choice.

Pudupet market comprises of seven streets, such as Adithnar Salai(Harris Road), Venkatachala Naickern Street, Venkatachala Achari Street, Chandrabanu Street, Nagappa Mudali Street, Kancheepuram Pachiappa Mudali Street, South Coovum Road and West Coovum Road.

For automobile crazys, walking through the lanes of Pudupet is a joyous experience. Cars and bikes stripped down to their shell, engine heads open and mechanics peering over them and tinkering away the body shells and shops diplaying both new and second hand body parts, Pudupet is seems to be teeming all the time.

S Dilip, a Plus Two student from Ambattur, don't mind to ride all the way from Ambattur to buy a new horn or change the tail lamb of his `dressed up' Hero Honda bike. "Pudupet is synonymous with two wheeler spare parts in the City,'' Says S Dilip and MF Hameem. "I often visit here to by accessories for my bike and compared to the other parts of the city, it is cheapest here,'' adds Dilip.

Special areas for spare parts of cars, bikes are here in Pudupet. Exclusive areas for horns, wheel cups, head and tail lamps, seat covers and other extra fittings offer customers plenty to choose.

Karthik, who was in search of some spare parts for his old bike since the morming with his friends, was enough lucky to get the right stuff. "It is very difficult to get the spares of bikes that are not available in fresh market and Pudupet market is the only choice for me,'' says Karthik showing the stuffs he procurred after a long search.

The Motor Vehicle Spare Parts Traders Association is instrumental in stremlining the markert. The second hand spares available here are procured from vehicles met with accidents or from dealers who sell these spares by weight and there is no flow of parts from stolen vehicles, says one dealer.

They are at least 50 to 60 percent cheaper compared to other shops in the city, adds another dealer. "Earlier, the market had a stigma, but now we make sure that no parts from stolen vehicles are sold here,'' says D Kandhasami, president of the traders association.

But however, the market seems to be lost his past glory. "Now the business is very dull as many prefer new vehicles instead of repairing their old ones,'' says A Nizam, who is working in a second hand spare parts shop in Venkatachala Naicken street. "But those who are crazy with their old, vintage or classic bikes, definitely will approach us,'' he adds.

What makes the Pudupet market unique is the availability of any parts of any vehicle. Original spare parts of Benz, Morris Minor, Playmouth, Dodge are available in plenty. Accessories for old cars like Standard 10 or Standard Herald, production of which ceased ago, are still available here.

The clientele of spare parts in Pudupet market is not restricted to the city. Customers are even from out side the country. "We had some customers from Malyasia, Singapore and Sri Lanka also,'' says MD Rizwan, who sells four wheeler spare parts at Harris Road.

With exclusive shops for spare parts and mechanics for Royal Enfield bikes and other vintage models, and shops for alteration works of vehicles, the Pudupet is a place that one automobile fanatic don't want to miss.

Express yourselves through graffiti

“Before you love a girl, look into her eyes and you will see the graves of many boys there.” Wondering who is the philosopher? This is one of the many graffiti messages seen in suburban trains in the city.

`Express yourself' seems to be the buzzword of today’s youth, and how they express themselves is what matters. White spaces inside trains, buses, public toilets and even trunks of trees are billboards to express their feelings.

Graffiti, the act (or art?) of posting messages in public places still a common affair in the city. The most common type is scribbling of names and love names. Public telephone booth operators are the worst affected of this practice. “Though not done intentionally, by the time a person finishes a phone call, be may have scratched on the wall using a pen or a key,” says a PCO operator in the city.

Bathroom graffiti, also known as Latrinalia, is a different act altogether tending more towards the obscene than the artistic, including sexual propositions, vulgar insults, toilet humour and even pornography. “It is a rather psychological problem and psychologists pen it down as the expression of sexual dissatisfaction or suppressed feelings,” says Junaid Ahmed, a research scholar from Madras University.

“We are aware of this practice which is now rampant in suburban trains, especially on the Tambaram – beach route,” says S Gopinath, a senior publicity inspector with the Railway department. “Since it is not easy to trace them, no legal actions cannot be taken. The only measure is to periodically erase or paint them,” says Gopinath.

Situational graffiti is distorting a public message to create humour. For example, changing “To Let, Contact...” to Toilet, Contact...”. A shortage of water and the heavy dust that forms a layer over stationary objects provide vehicle graffiti lovers with the canvas they require. Vehicles sporting “Also available in white” or “Wash me” are a common sight.

Among adolescents, challenge graffiti marks the successful completion of a difficult or distant task. The name of an individual or a gang atop the clock tower or a mountain is an exercise in self-assertion.

The most common and long existing type of graffiti, is the caving names or messages on trees. Poster graffiti, political graffiti, online graffiti, drunk shaming... the list goes on and as long as public space exists, so will graffiti,

A date with Parry's

From iron to plastics, vegetable to fruits, Parry’s Corner is a place for everything. Here, one can find everything from paper and textiles to cosmetics and decorations at affordable prices.

Parry’s Corner is one of the city’s business centres. Often referred to as Parry’s, the place is situated near Chennai Port, at the intersection of North Beach Road and Nethaji Subash Chandra Bose Road.

Named after Thomas Parry, who set up the EID Parry Company in 1787 (The corporate headquarters of EID Parry stands on the corner), the place is also a hub for intra city bus services. Parry’s Corner is an area that is vaguely defined and contains a number of streets. Though there are streets well-known for certain things, the peculiarity of Parry’s Corner is that one can have almost all things from a single street.

Anderson Street is well-known for wedding cards, with many shops exclusively for them. “Wedding card sales is a 365-day affair here,’’ says Govindan, a sales person. “Cards range from 50 paise to even Rs 150,’’ says A Mohamed Ali, manager, Olympic Cards. Books, pens, plastic files... as you go down Anderson Street, the things available keep varying till the end.

If you are walking along NSC Bose Road towards the Flower Bazaar police station, there is a narrow but crowded-street called Badrian Street. The fragrance of jasmine, rose and other flowers fills the air and will not miss your attention. The street is one of the retail flower trade centres in the city. Even though the wholesale market has shifted to Koyambedu, the name Flower Bazaar remains. As the sizeable Malayali population of the city is set to celebrate Onam, Badrian Street was witnessing brisk business on Saturday and Sunday. “This is the only place in the city where flowers are available in retail at affordable prices,’’ says Shylesh and Manikandan, a frequent visitor of the street.

The business in the shops here keep changing with season. Shops that now sell stationery will have a different look during Diwali, Christmas and New Year, selling crackers, Christmas props, diaries and calendars in the respective seasons. Other items will take a backseat,” said a store manager. Shops selling decoration items, flags, plastic flowers and ribbons, Bunder Street is a colourful lane. The street, again, carries seasonal wares and is very active in the beginning of the year. With pens, pencils, erasers, sharpeners, rulers, notebooks, files and all other paper items, the street is a living sign of how important paper and allied accessories are, even in the digital age.

Parry’s Corner is about 80 acres of commercial business space and the traders are a mix of Tamil, Telegu and Hindi-speaking people. Burma Bazaar, which got its name because Indian refugees and traders from Burma dominated the area once, is an area where one can find all sorts of imported goods, ranging from electronic gadgets to readymades and perfumes.

-Published in The New Indian Express on Monday August 27, 2007