After scoring 200 for the first time in the history of one day cricket, Sachin Tendulkar was humility personified like he always been despite his enormous achievements. No great celebration for a record that is not likely to be beaten easily. During his speech at the award ceremony, he dedicated the double ton to the people of India who had supported him during the ups and downs of his 20 year career.
Throughout his career, Sachin has been an ambassador for the game. His personal life also has been exemplary. It is when you compare him with other greats in sports like Tiger Woods, Maradona or Shane Warne that you realize Sachin’s greatness. He is a worthy model for the children to emulate, particularly his passion, dedication, hard work and commitment.
Are there other personalties in India in this list of humble great achievers? I could think of two more. One is our former President and great scientist A P J Abdul Kalam. To many he was the most unassuming, friendly and approachable President India ever had. His great achievements as a space scientist sit lightly on him. His speech and action are humble to the core. Another worthy son of India.
The third personality I could think of is singer K S Chitra. She could be more famous in South India. But her achievements cross all boundaries. She has won six national awards till now, more than any other female singer in the country. That too, for Malayalam, Tamil and Hindi songs. Yet look at her. Always smiling and always humble and never blowing her own trumpet. I haven’t read anybody saying anything harsh about this gem of a singer who is sure to rise to greater heights with such an attitude.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Pallavur Appu Marar
Watching the Chenda melam at the temple festival in Maradu, my thoughts went to percussion maestro late Pallavur Appu Marar. He was considered a genius, equally proficient in Edakka, Chenda and Thimila.
I had seen his performance only thrice in my life, though I’ve read and heard about him lot more. First time I saw him was in Thiruvananthapuram in the eighties when I was in college. Marar was performing on Edakka at a jugalbandhi with other percussion artistes at the Central stadium during one Onam celebration. Somebody from the audience became restless at the slow build-up of tempo and let out a catcall. This upset Marar who immediately stopped the performance saying that he didn’t want to perform before such an unappreciative audience.
Second time I saw him was in the nineties during the Ilanjithara melam at Thrissur Pooram. Marar was leading the melam standing in the middle. He cut an imposing figure with a long chain and gold locket shining on his ample bare chest. I took many photos with my camera and completely enjoyed the melam forgetting the unbearable heat.
Our last meeting was I think during the late nineties, when he came to perform on Edakka at the Maradu temple festival. This time I got to talk to him. Along with my colleague Pradeep, I went to interview him for the Indian Express. He was tightening the cord around Edakka. After all those countless melams, he was hard of hearing and we had to repeat our questions again and again but he answered all of them with a smile. Later I got to listen to his skill on Edakka
I had seen his performance only thrice in my life, though I’ve read and heard about him lot more. First time I saw him was in Thiruvananthapuram in the eighties when I was in college. Marar was performing on Edakka at a jugalbandhi with other percussion artistes at the Central stadium during one Onam celebration. Somebody from the audience became restless at the slow build-up of tempo and let out a catcall. This upset Marar who immediately stopped the performance saying that he didn’t want to perform before such an unappreciative audience.
Second time I saw him was in the nineties during the Ilanjithara melam at Thrissur Pooram. Marar was leading the melam standing in the middle. He cut an imposing figure with a long chain and gold locket shining on his ample bare chest. I took many photos with my camera and completely enjoyed the melam forgetting the unbearable heat.
Our last meeting was I think during the late nineties, when he came to perform on Edakka at the Maradu temple festival. This time I got to talk to him. Along with my colleague Pradeep, I went to interview him for the Indian Express. He was tightening the cord around Edakka. After all those countless melams, he was hard of hearing and we had to repeat our questions again and again but he answered all of them with a smile. Later I got to listen to his skill on Edakka
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Invictus
Managed to get a DVD of `Invictus’ directed by Clint Eastwood. It is definitely a good movie but may not be the best of Clint. What sets it apart is the brilliant acting of Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela. I haven’t seen many other Oscar nominated films this year. But Freeman’s performance is worthy of winning a best actor Oscar. It reminded me of Frank Langella’s excellent portrayal of Richard Nixon in the film Frost/Nixon in 2008
It is a refreshing change for Matt Damon who has been appearing in a spate of action movies in the recent times like `The Bourne Ultimatum’. His acting ability is evident in the subdued manner in which he enacts the character of Springboks captain Francois Pienaar. A good candidate for best supporting actor Oscar .
The political turmoil in South Africa after the release of Mandela is relegated to the background and the focus is on the world rugby competition. Mandela manages to make the blacks forget the past misdeeds of the whites against them and support the South African rugby team in the world cup competition. To extract an entertainment value from such a theme is not easy but Clint Eastwood handles it well. But perhaps where he falters is the long drawn out rugby match scenes which are a drag on the tempo of the film especially as rugby is not a popular sport here.
Clint brings in lot situations for drama like initial rancour between the white and black security guards which later gives way to camaraderie,the surprise invitation of the South African rugby team captain for tea to the office of Mandela etc. Plenty of quotable quotes like ` Soccer is a game of gentlemen played by hooligans. Rugby is a game of hooligans played by gentlemen’, `I was thinking how a man could spend thirty years in prison, and come out and forgive the men who did it to him’... and "We didn't have 62,000 fans behind us, we had 43 million South Africans."
The title of the film was a mystery to me till I watched the film. It is the name of a poem written by English poet William Ernest Henley. Mandela used to read it for inspiration while he was incarcerated. He gives the poem to Pienaar before the start of the rugby world cup. Wikipedia says Mandela actually gave Pienaar an extract of Theodore Roosevelt’s ` the man in the arena’ speech..
Here is the poem Invictus which means `unconquered' in latin
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
It is a refreshing change for Matt Damon who has been appearing in a spate of action movies in the recent times like `The Bourne Ultimatum’. His acting ability is evident in the subdued manner in which he enacts the character of Springboks captain Francois Pienaar. A good candidate for best supporting actor Oscar .
The political turmoil in South Africa after the release of Mandela is relegated to the background and the focus is on the world rugby competition. Mandela manages to make the blacks forget the past misdeeds of the whites against them and support the South African rugby team in the world cup competition. To extract an entertainment value from such a theme is not easy but Clint Eastwood handles it well. But perhaps where he falters is the long drawn out rugby match scenes which are a drag on the tempo of the film especially as rugby is not a popular sport here.
Clint brings in lot situations for drama like initial rancour between the white and black security guards which later gives way to camaraderie,the surprise invitation of the South African rugby team captain for tea to the office of Mandela etc. Plenty of quotable quotes like ` Soccer is a game of gentlemen played by hooligans. Rugby is a game of hooligans played by gentlemen’, `I was thinking how a man could spend thirty years in prison, and come out and forgive the men who did it to him’... and "We didn't have 62,000 fans behind us, we had 43 million South Africans."
The title of the film was a mystery to me till I watched the film. It is the name of a poem written by English poet William Ernest Henley. Mandela used to read it for inspiration while he was incarcerated. He gives the poem to Pienaar before the start of the rugby world cup. Wikipedia says Mandela actually gave Pienaar an extract of Theodore Roosevelt’s ` the man in the arena’ speech..
Here is the poem Invictus which means `unconquered' in latin
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Dearth of Killer Instinct
Dale Steyn’s scorching pace and swing, which grounded a high flying India in the first test with South Africa, has set me thinking. Why India doesn’t have a true fast bowler, who can be called for short bursts by the captain to create a breakthrough when the rivals are going great guns. It is a question that is often asked in the cricket circles. Other than the spin bowlers, the most successful bowler for India has been Kapil Dev, who at best was a fast-medium bowler. Before the advent of Kapil Dev, the job of `fast bowlers’ of India was to roughen the ball for the spinners
By true pace I mean those bowling consistently above 140 km per hour. Take the crop of bowlers who emerged after Kapil like Srinath, Venkatesh Prasad, Zaheer Khan, Ashis Nehra, Ishant Sharma, Sreesanth, R P Singh, Munaf Patel etc. All of them can hit 140 km and above, but not consistently.
Is it because of the slow nature of pitches in India ? I don’t think so as Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangaladesh, which have similar kind of pitches have produced good pace bowlers. Pakistan had Imran Khan, Waqar Yunus, Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akthar. Sri Lanka has Lasith Malinga and Dilhara Fernando. Bangaladesh has Shahadat Hossain and Mortaza
Look at the other cricketing nations of the world. All of them have produced a genuine fast bowler over the years. West Indies had a string of fast bowlers in the past. Legends like Wes Hall, Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Malcom Marshall, Joel Garner, Curtley Ambrose and Courtney Walsh. Even now their cupboard is not empty. Fidel Edwards and Jerome Taylor may not be as successful as their predecessors, but they are really quick
Australia fast bowling tradition of Lindwall, Miller, Thomson and Lillee is now carried on by Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson. Before Steyn, there was Allan Donald for the Proteas. New Zealand has Shane Bond and England has Steve Harmison. True, England hasn’t produced many genuine fast bowlers in the recent times. But they had Larwood, Freddie Truman, Brian Statham, John Snow etc. in the past.
In terms of physique our bowlers are tall and compare favourably with those in other teams. So it is not the reason. Perhaps it is the lack of killer instinct. Does vegetarianism affect the killer instinct? May be or may be not as it has not been proved scientifically. Moreover,majority of the present Indian bowlers may be meat eaters. It could be that from our early years we are constantly advised to be good to people and to curb our aggressive instincts. Some bowlers like Sreesanth do show aggression outside, but it is not reflected in his bowling.
Well this is my thinking. I could be wrong. I invite comments
,
By true pace I mean those bowling consistently above 140 km per hour. Take the crop of bowlers who emerged after Kapil like Srinath, Venkatesh Prasad, Zaheer Khan, Ashis Nehra, Ishant Sharma, Sreesanth, R P Singh, Munaf Patel etc. All of them can hit 140 km and above, but not consistently.
Is it because of the slow nature of pitches in India ? I don’t think so as Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangaladesh, which have similar kind of pitches have produced good pace bowlers. Pakistan had Imran Khan, Waqar Yunus, Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akthar. Sri Lanka has Lasith Malinga and Dilhara Fernando. Bangaladesh has Shahadat Hossain and Mortaza
Look at the other cricketing nations of the world. All of them have produced a genuine fast bowler over the years. West Indies had a string of fast bowlers in the past. Legends like Wes Hall, Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Malcom Marshall, Joel Garner, Curtley Ambrose and Courtney Walsh. Even now their cupboard is not empty. Fidel Edwards and Jerome Taylor may not be as successful as their predecessors, but they are really quick
Australia fast bowling tradition of Lindwall, Miller, Thomson and Lillee is now carried on by Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson. Before Steyn, there was Allan Donald for the Proteas. New Zealand has Shane Bond and England has Steve Harmison. True, England hasn’t produced many genuine fast bowlers in the recent times. But they had Larwood, Freddie Truman, Brian Statham, John Snow etc. in the past.
In terms of physique our bowlers are tall and compare favourably with those in other teams. So it is not the reason. Perhaps it is the lack of killer instinct. Does vegetarianism affect the killer instinct? May be or may be not as it has not been proved scientifically. Moreover,majority of the present Indian bowlers may be meat eaters. It could be that from our early years we are constantly advised to be good to people and to curb our aggressive instincts. Some bowlers like Sreesanth do show aggression outside, but it is not reflected in his bowling.
Well this is my thinking. I could be wrong. I invite comments
,
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Magic of M K Arjunan
It is heartening to note that this time noted Malayalam music composer M.K.Arjunan is getting the Swaralaya- Kairali Yesudas award. It is high time that this underrated composer’s efforts were recognized. I have often felt that Arjunan hasn’t got the credit he richly deserves despite composing some of the best songs of Malayalam in over 100 films. He is being conferred an award in the name of a singer who gave voice to his numerous unforgettable melodies and semi-classical numbers
From his debut in 1968 with `Karutha Paurnami', he has made some excellent scores. His best years were till 1980 when he was consistently brilliant in setting tune to Sreekumaran Thampi's or Vayalar's lyrics. He produced a few memorable songs after 1980 though he was active throughout eighties. Early in his career he was associated with Devarajan school of music, but later broke away to develop an independent style. Many of his songs had good use of guitar. His association with R.K.Sekhar and his Oscar winning son A R Rahman has been repeated often. Sekhar was his music assistant .
I think he should rank along with Dakshinamoorthy, Devarajan and Ravindran in the category of semi-classical songs in Malayalam films. In fact I should admit that I like some of his semi-classical songs more than the songs of the other three greats.
I’m listing some of his songs with semi-classical touch together with name of the film, year, singer and lyricist. Some are very popular and some may be rarely heard. He has done many other raga-based songs as well.
`Bhamini Bhamini’, Adyathe Katha, 1972, K J Yesudas , Vayalar
`Dukhame’, Pushpanjali, 1972, KJY, Sreekumaran Thampi
`Priyathame’, Pushpanjali, 1972, KJY, S.Thampi
`Akashagangayil’, Ragging, 1973,
`Ramba Praveshamo’, Poothenaruvi, 1974, KJY,
`Anuragame’, Hello Darling, 1975, KJY, Vayalar
`Dwarake’ Hello Darling, 1975, P Susheela, Vayalar
`Thiruvonapulariyil’ Thiruvonam, 1975, Vani Jairam,
`Kalivilakkin’ Tourist Bungalow, 1975, KJY, ONV
`Swarangal’ Kanyadanam, 1976, P Jayachandran,
`Adathin Achumbitha’, Light House, 1976, KJY,
`Sooryakanthi Poo’ Light House, 1976, KJY,
`Aayiram Ajantha’ Shanghupushpam, 1977, KJY,
`Sapthaswarangaladum’ Shanghupushpam, 1977, Vani Jairam,
`Arinju Sakhi’ Aalmarattam, 1978, Vani Jairam, Venu ( a rare gem)
`Arayal Mandapam’, Jayikkanai Janichavan, 1978, KJY,
`Ezhu Swarangal’, Jayikkanai Janichavan, 1978, KJY,
`Ravivarma Chithrathin’, Raju Rahim, 1978, KJY, R K Damodaran
`Leelathilakamaninju’, Irumbazhikal, 1979, KJY, R K Damodaran
`Anuvadamillathe’, Puzha, 1980, KJY, P Bhaskaran
`Vachalamakum’, Ambada Njane, 1984, KJY, Poovachal Khader
Those who have an ear for classical music can surely enjoy these songs. I hope the readers would add more to the list.
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