Grubbing down the History of India

Introduction: 

November 14 - 'Chachaji's birthday is celebrated as the Children's Day in India. We were all taught in school, the good facets of Nehru as in he was the first PM of India after independence, he was the man behind IITs and... and .....and what?? Anything else?

Am sorry nothing that reminds me of his great deeds exist anymore. Can you tell me what all did our so dear-darling Chachaji contribute to India?? hmm.... yeah he left behind his legacy- the unworthy descendants to confer upon themselves an entitlement to lead India forever. So how is it like for India, French, Dutch, Portuguese, Mughals, British and then Nehru dynasty??

At last in 2014 NaMo defeated Nehru's paramapara (legacy) and broke the chain of 'robbery'.

Just a question, How would have India been in 2014 had someone else other than Nehru been the first Prime Minister?

I wonder why many other patriots like Bhagat singh, Subhash Chandra Bose or Sardar Patel ended up narrowed down in Hindi textbooks of NCERT. I remember in my second standard I learnt a poem about Bhagat singh after which that man never crossed my academic pages. Thanks to the teacher who praised him as if he was a Bollywood hero at least that stays in our hearts- the way he respected Indian flag, guess she had very little knowledge about the brave deeds of that great man because she kept praising his handsomeness. Patel was never even in the picture, I knew the name Sardar Vallabhai Patel once I entered a new school in my 5th grade because they had house names such as Nehru, Gandhi, Patel and Tilak. So that is how Tilak and Patel entered my brain picture for the first time. Then in my 9th standard civics I learnt a little more about Bal Gangadhar Tilak but Sardar Patel was reduced to some few lines just mentioning about him as a freedom fighter.

Disclaimer:

*I am politically unbiased.

*All the statistics provided in this write-up are approximate values.

Jawaharlal Nehru was never a good leader. People might remember him as the first Indian Prime Minister but I remember him only for 1947 and 1962, shameful Indo-China war and still ongoing problem of Kashmir. Sardar Vallabhai Patel would have been an efficient and remarkable PM instead. Nehruvian Socialism (which benefited those living in cities alone), his promotion of a scientific temperament, his handling of Kashmir, his defense policy and his inability to see through the Chinese deception- He was a failure on all those fronts.

When partition happened, India was going to be divided into 430 odd different provinces. British were very cunning; they always wanted to destroy India’s potential since they feared that one day this country with immense resource, wealth and human population would outgrow every other nation.The British had clearly mentioned that when they transfer back the power, the power of Kings will be reinstated on August 1947. When this news leaked King of Travancore, Nizam of Hyderabad etc declared two months before 15^th august that they are all free separate nation now.  Hyderabad province then comprised of present Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka. Similarly there were so many Princely states. Among those princely states 120 went to Pakistan. When Patel heard this news he politely requested all Kings to sign the instrument of accession to India and said that there won’t be any Monarchy here after but ‘DEMOCRACY’. But nobody took him seriously especially Nizam of Hyderabad that is when Patel decided to use army where again our dear darling Nehru disagreed. I wonder why he was such a fraidy-cat. This inadequacy of Nehru later resulted in India losing its offer for a permanent seat in Security Council in 1955. Anyways since Patel was powerful he used the force to make India what it is now. Patel asked Nehru what is the use of army if we cannot implement it with civil authorities. 400-500 lives were lost but future was saved. Now that’s what I call leadership! (*Taking right decision at right time*) If for that 400 lives he had not used force then Andhra, Karnataka and Maharashtra would have been separate nations. (Those who support Nehru at this instance saying he wanted to avoid deaths then you should know that Nehru and Jinnah were responsible for 15 million people during the partition. On an average that is somewhere between Hitler and Stalin.) 

This is why Modi declared 31st October as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas. Today you cannot take an inch from someone and it is that man who integrated the whole nation. Don’t you think he deserve credit?

So I am with Modi for spending 2500 cr for the world’s tallest statue. I know this is pinching many but my question to those is; what about the 90% projects/schemes named after Nehru-Gandhis??  Modi is a pucca Gujarati he will get back 2500 cr in a few years via tourism. Even Kashmir would have been ours but Nehru said

“Patel, leave Kashmir to me it is my ancestral place and I will take care of it.” In spite of clear warnings from Patel not to refer the Kashmir issue to the UN. He took the issue to United Nations and see for yourself the state of Kashmir even on his 125^th Birth Anniversary(2014). 

Jinnah had attacked Kashmir surreptitiously it was Patel who sent Army and RSS who fought and got back the land. It was destined that a fine version of Patel with excellent management skill will serve India in the form of Modi.

To know more about Sardar Patel click here

To see the real crookedness of Nehru and the epitome of selfishness from a leader We can refer to the situation when the real problem started for the British as the revolt broke out in the navy. We all know British loved divide and rule policy so there was a section among Muslims which demanded for the creation of Pakistan in 1940 for the first time. Chaudhry Rahmat Ali was the first person to use the term ‘Pakistan’. Muhammad Ali Jinnah was popular among the Muslims and he too had the lust for power. Here is where Gandhi made the biggest mistake of his life. As Jinnah was putting pressure on Gandhi and the Hindu-Muslim animosity was growing. Gandhi agreed for the creation of Pakistan, Nehru who opposed this partition in the beginning then backed Gandhi’s decision just to become the Prime Minister.

Can u imagine a nation was born only based on religion?

Nehru was a Casanova. He was glad and enthusiastic about belonging to the elite class and showing up as a fool for all English parties to flirt with women and was known for swapping too. He was least bothered about the nation which is clearly seen in the November of 1950 when Sardar Patel had written to him a month before his death. It is a masterly and astute analysis of the impending danger from China in Tibet. Had Nehru heeded it, The 1962 debacle would not have taken place.

Nehru was also very selfish. We see that back when Nathuram Godse wasn’t arrested from Pune when there had been a bomb blast in Delhi just 20-30 metres away from Gandhi, 20 days before his assassination? After news of the explosion a doctor in Pune had told the Pune, Mumbai and Delhi administration that Godse had quite frankly told him that he wanted to kill Gandhi. You should always remember guys it was Gandhi who chose Nehru over Patel despite 12 out of 15 State congress committees recommended Patel. But after becoming PM and six months of Independence, Nehru no longer needed Gandhi. In fact Nehru benefited from Mahatma Gandhi’s death since Gandhi was demanding dissolution of the Congress.

To know more, Click Here

Nehru’s progeny has destroyed India. Indira Gandhi who is known as an Iron Lady was actually a soft hearten insecure person, though I like her external appearance and powerful image she has created becoming the first woman PM. She has done many mistakes also, in fact two great things she has done are, releasing ‘Bangladesh’ from Pakistan and The Indian Patent Act. She had ideas to develop India. She was far more efficient than her father; she was patriotic and wanted to save India from being looked down at by other developed nations. But her son Rajiv Gandhi was totally new to politics that is when we realized that Nehru family is trying to keep up their dynasty. Even when she knew there were many eminent people out there to succeed her then why did she depend on her son? Because he was charming and the poor community of India would caste votes thinking he was some magician who would change their poverty all at once, Same as Rajiv now Rahul also started using his looks and not brain to canvas votes rather I would say his mother thought it would fetch votes. Sonia Gandhi refused to enter politics after her husband’s death but she did enter later when she realized it would give her an ultimatum for smuggling antiques. Starting from the Bofors scam in which her friendship with the Italian middleman involved Ottavio Quattrocchi to the Robert Vadra scams till date. She had always been looting away India’s wealth.

Rahul Gandhi’s ex-girlfriend Veronique is the daughter of the head of drug mafia in Colombo-The headquarters of drugs cultivation which cater to the world’s supply all alone (This is the main reason for Political unrest in SriLanka as the Italian mafia makes sure that nobody has an upper hand since it can affect the trade of narcotics). 80cr of the Indian population falls into the 20-35yrs category and they are the ones who are falling into the traps of drug addiction. Since this business in just five cities of India namely Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta, Goa and Chennai happens to have more demand than the whole of (quantity demanded in) America put together they encourage congress government to have power. I don’t know if Pappu himself is aware of this business happening under his feet while having the relationship with Veronique.

One of the famous write-ups on the internet- A letter to Rahul Gandhi from an IITian. A must read, Click Here

Lal Bahadur Shastri

I must say that I like Nehru’s writing and communication skills (wink) I like the book; His letters to Indira Priyadarshini while he was sentenced in jail. I do have a lot to speak about Gandhi too which I will do in another post but you know what guys in my opinion I wish if Sardar Patel had become our first PM and Subhash Chandra Bose the Father of the Nation.

 Do you people even remember Lal Bahadur Shastri? The Second Prime Minister of the republic of India. How can we forget the slogan "Hail the soldier, Hail the farmer" during the Indo-Pak war in 1965. He was also born on October 2^nd. Does someone ever mention anything about this great man on that day? Instead we celebrate Gandhi Jayanti. If only we knew what all he had done for India including his martyr which still remains a mystery. No doubt that Gandhi has done a lot of things for India he was a good leader but he was a poor administrator. He galvanized the whole country like anything and created a whole lot of pressure after 1942 quit India movement. You must read Nathuram Godse's final address to the court, Click Here. After hearing his testimony, one of The Judge G. D. Khosla, later wrote, “I have, however, no doubt that had the audience of that day been constituted into a jury and entrusted with the task of deciding Godse’s appeal, they would have brought a verdict of ‘not Guilty’ by an overwhelming majority”. 

Purely Gandhi and Nehru were not those men to get the whole credit and come in the front phase of Independence. There were people who did lot more; I literally mean hell-a-lot more than this two. They deserve to be respected and remembered!! Jai Hind!

Happy Birthday Anita Nair!

This is a short synopsis of how I found a gem by luck at a bookstore. I know this compendium wouldn't suffice my love and admiration for her but this is the least I could do to express my joy.

About the Author: Anita Nair is an Indian-English Author. Over the last decade and a half, Anita Nair has written consistently and in various genres including non fiction, poetry, short fiction and children's fiction. Her first book was a collection of short stories ‘Satyr of the subway’ that won her a fellowship from the Virginia Center for the creative arts; hence she left her job as the creative director in an advertising firm. Her readership is spread across the globe and isn't condensed to India alone. Her second book was the first book by an Indian author to be published by Picador USA. Her latest novel was ‘Idris:Keeper of the light’ (2014) which is shortlisted for The Hindu Prize 2014.

I walked through landmark in Spencer plaza, through the Indian writers section and suddenly a name caught my attention ‘Anita Nair’. It was the first time I came across this author (I wasn't a voracious reader back then, neither do I claim to be so now). First of all it is exactly my mother’s name including the initial (To my surprise later on I discovered that she shares the same birth-date of my mother). I took the book out of the wrack and saw that it’s title as well as the cover page was interestingly attractive. I read the synopsis and it seemed unique. That book was the first one I read among all her works- ‘Lessons in Forgetting’. Little did I know that this woman is going to influence me like nobody ever had.

I am not a person who gets engulfed by the glitters of stardom and be a die-hard fan. I consider them as human as I am but I do truly admire their talent and appreciate their works. I had read many authors, Indian and foreign but never found anybody so impressive like Anita Nair. People ask me what is so special about her, hmm… probably I should just ask them to read her books and they will find out themselves. Sometimes I feel it is because her writings have more of a south-Indian essence because of which I am able to relate far more than Jeffery Archer or other foreign authors whose stories are just like Hollywood movies which is impossible for me to relate to, yet admired for its efforts. 

It has been four years since I had known this wonderful author. She has got a distinct writing style. She keeps her readers tagged on to her piece of art by using native words which grabs our attention and accelerates our inquisitiveness. Her hold on English language is exemplary. Not that those other authors are bad but she has got a talent of blending reality with her ideas which makes us feel connected to any one of those characters in her book. Or at least we can relate people whom we know to those characters. So basically we don’t feel its fiction. That is what I expect while reading books. I personally prefer real life story above fantasy, like I spoke about my choice of movies in one of my previous post. I love to spend time(rather invest time) on books, only when I have the confidence of deriving any sort of information that keeps me enriched. I must say all her works have always kept me rejuvenated. I remember I searched whole of the internet to see the movie ‘Lessons in Forgetting’ which was released in 2012 and finally got to watch it on 'Doordarshan' channel in 2014. I am so crazily attracted to this author that I like everything about her, her dressing style, hairstyle, way of talking, attitude, views about life and literature etc may be this is what is called 'fandom'. I was not used to being so much of a fan of anyone until I came across this wonder woman (wink). My roommate still cannot believe that I have seen all her interviews and read all her write-ups, blogs, novels, non-fictions, translated works, articles about her in magazines and every single news about her on print or electronic media. I was very excited and happy when I read her recent short-bio on 'The Week' news magazine which spoke about her student life. It was pleasantly surprising that there were even more similarities in our lives.

It is quite hard to pick out my favorites among her works yet on a gunpoint I would pick ‘Mistress’(2005), though the ‘Better Man’(2000) and ‘Ladies Coupe’(2001) have been translated into 21 languages which tells us that these books have wider readership than her other books.

Mistress is one of her epic works. I just fell in love with the book. The way she uses Kathakali as a mode to tell her story, the way she categorized the novel into different chapters which happen to be each of the ‘Navarasams’. I am a fan of Kathakali and this book has enlightened me about the past, origin and the meaning of Kathakali characters. It took five years for her to write this novel. She went to the Kathakali Aashan-maru and had been there with them to absorb the reality and history to reproduce it in her novel. I was moved by her dedication and involvement in her story. I have encouraged many of my acquaintance and friends to go through her works and they all have thanked me for introducing a gem like her. Hoping that the people would understand more about certain traditional art forms like Kathakali, Pulluvenpaatu etc which are almost at the verge of extinction due to lack of audience support, through her books. 

D-A-T-I-N-G

Quite a common word used nowadays, a word that was considered ‘Haram’ in many places of India and is still considered to be so in orthodox families. I wonder why every culture in India was westernized in my generation but this one alone was Indianized.  

Definition: The protocols and practices of dating, and the terms used to describe it, vary considerably from country to country and over time. The most common idea is two people trying out a relationship and exploring whether they are compatible by going out together in public as a couple who may or may not yet be having sexual relations. This period of courtship is sometimes seen as a precursor to engagement or marriage.

Above mentioned is the Wikipedia definition whereas In India,  there are some extra fittings to this definition which is again subjective to opinions. So the most common ideas does not fit well here. India is a country which enjoys variance from its language to tradition to food to culture in every state hence Dating also has few regular and modern traditions to follow in different parts of India.

 It is a sin when a guy dates an elderly woman. Our society isn't ready for woman to do what men have done for millennium.  Why is it, that people in India are so conservative? Who laid the list of do's and dont's ? 

Democratic nation guys! We got voice to opinion-ate terms (wink)

Abhishek Bachchan and Sachin Tendulkar found it easy to strike the cord in our society but what about commoners. I know many who secretly find  it cool to go out with younger men but why do they find it really difficult to declare their relationship in public?

The Society we live in likes to believe that a woman cannot survive alone and need a man to support/care. I think its the opposite in reality. But apparently  people think women are supposed to be under men in every way, I myself have heard men saying "I know how to keep her under my control". Men choose women younger to them to feed their ego. Men always find it appealing to themselves when they become a window to the vistas for a woman who lived in a Repenzul hut without knowing any wonders of the outside world. But I do appreciate when there are exceptions. One of my Indian friend who is in a relationship with an English woman who is elder to him says, “It has been an extremely rewarding experience where we make the most of our differences, be it her greater experience or my youthful exuberance. We are also of different races, countries and religions, but the difference that raises brows is the age gap.”

So I think it is time for us to be practical. Let us welcome our friends with love and support  without being indifferent towards the new theme.

Age is just a number after all. Experience in life counts and not how many years went by after you took birth on this planet. Chemistry between two people is determined by factors like their attitude towards life and much more things better than numbers (age). Age difference is just another way of racism in my opinion. Love is more philosophical where we say, "Soul mates are destined to be together even before they were born." 

So merely the admiration being a bottom-line, relationships are all about how you want to be treated by your partner for the rest of your life. Its all about mixing together of tastes and preferences over everything in life and how well you get along. C'mon guys relationships are not Michelin to see who dominates.

Women and Men both are created by the same God with same number of features and organs except the genitals. According to which I think woman is above men being given the privilege to bear a child, in other words she can have one body and two souls at the same time during pregnancy. (wink) So that proves men have no upper hand. We got to change the way we look at things that are always meant to be manly or womanish. Please don’t think that am encouraging people to live against the law of nature. Certain physical things are beyond our reach but mental blockages can be altered. We can and we should come out of the cocoon of traditional blackmailing. 

Some Golden Thoughts from THIRUKKURAL

Tirukkural  by Tiruvalluvar ( a Tamil  poet/writer) was written more than 5000 yrs ago. It's one of the ancient science on Human behaviour , which has not changed in-spite of modern education  & technology.

1. If your child lies to you often, it is because you over-react too harshly to their inappropriate behaviour.

2. If your child is not taught to confide in you about their mistakes, you've lost them.

3. If your child had poor self-esteem, it is because you advice them more than you encourage them.

4. If your child does not stand up for themselves, it is because from a young age you have disciplined them regularly in public.

5. If your child takes things that do not belong to them, it is because when you buy them things, you don't let them chose what they want.

6. If your child is cowardly, it is because you help them too quickly.

7. If your child does not respect other people's feelings, it is because instead of speaking to your child, you order and command them.

8. If your child is too quick to anger, it is because you give too much attention to misbehaviour and you give little attention to good behaviour.

9. If your child is excessively jealous, it is because you only congratulate them when they successfully complete something and not when they improve at something even if they don't successfully complete it.

10. If your child intentionally disturbs you, it is because you are not physically affectionate enough.

11. If your child is openly defied, it is because you openly threaten to do something but don't follow through.

12. If your child is secretive, it is because they don't trust that you won't blow things out of proportion.

13. If your child talks back to you, it is because they watch you do it to others and think its normal behaviour.

14. If your child doesn't listen to you but listens to others, it is because you are too quick to make decisions.

15. If your child rebels it is because they know you care more about what others think than what is right

Movie Mania- My choice in Indian Cinema

Few of my friends have been asking me to load on some info about films. I was wondering what do I know about films?

Speaking about films I am quite choosy when it comes to spending a couple of hours in front of a screen. I think time is something that should be considered as an investment. Hence invest wisely or it affects your profit (wink). I am unbiased when I say I like malayalam movies, It is because I believe Malayalam movies have got strong theme and the directors try hard to bring out the soul of their characters. Proud to say that Malayalam movies have come out of the crying shame of exclusive  'A' rates into the stunning performances of veterans and other extraordinary talents. Malayalam stories imbibe the reality around us. Films are used as a means of communication & information for its audience than being a mode of an entertainment. (majority cases) Malayalam cinema holds the golden star of being the first in India to introduce 3D film 'My dear Kuttichathan' in 1984.

When I say that I like movies being an infotainment it doesnt mean that I dont like comedy movies. For the record, some of my comedy favourites are 'Munna Bhai MBBS', 'Santhosh Subrahmaniam', 'Oru Indian Pranayakhada', etc. I do enjoy fun & derision. I am very much a human being who enjoys humour but spending 120/- and investing 2 hrs should not end up with a laughing excersise alone. I dont like movies becoming a wide gape of the reality that our intelligence is being insulted. I deeply appreciate the talent of every comedians and other feature actors in every film industry in India. I respect every work of art despite of its category,origin and flaws. 

So Keeping aside Malayalam I have an affinity towards patriotic movies for ex. 'Lagaan', 'Kaalapani' etc. I prefer Bengali movies above other Indian languages because I love poetry and I like bitter truths than sweet lies. Bengal being the land of Tagore-father of Indian literature and Satyajit Ray who was a living legend. Every Indian film critique would include in his trail The Apu Trilogy- An impossibly astounding set of works which won many national and international awards during the late 1950's. 

 I choose movies according to the directors and sometimes casts not because of their charm and hardwork alone but because I trust those men and women to have unique tastes as I mentioned above 'Boring Types' and their films are called 'Award movies'. After all good things rarely get appreciated, they seldom get the tag like 'BlockBuster' or 'MegaHit'.  So some of the directors of my choice are:

 Malayalam:

1.Adoor Gopalakrishnan-India's most acclaimed contemporary film maker. I cannot choose one or two but all his works as my favourites. 

2. Anjali Menon- A new generation movie maker with a pinch of retro in all her works. I like her direction more than her stories. Her movie 'Manjadikuru' has made an identure of every single bygone village frolics.

3.Shyamaprasad- I must say this actor has set a standard for himself which he has been successful in inculcating it into his audience. 'Artist' and 'Orekadal' are my favourites among his brain childs.

4.Sreenivasan- An accomplished actor known for his screenplay and direction. 'Mazhayethum Munbe' is my favourite among his directions. 'Thira'- A movie by his son Vineeth Srinivasan is one heck of a movie which won my respect and admirations especially because of the way it was taken with less atrocity yet braught out the truth with equal harshness. The story was based on a real activist Sunitha Krishnan.

5.P.Padmarajan- One of the pioneers of mature malayalam cinema, 'Thoovanathumbikal' is a stand out in all his works.

6.Blessy- Not even a single one of his works has disappointed me. His debut movie 'Kazhcha'  and other movies like 'Thanmathra', 'Pranayam', 'Calcutta News' etc has enriched malayalam film industry.
7.Jayan K Cherian- I came across this wonderful man's work when I happen to see 'Papilio Buddha' The story deals with discrimination against landless Dalits and the politics of suppression of their struggle against the upper castes and other powerful elements locally.

The above mentioned movies are just a handpick out of my choices. Just for the info I would like to say there were even more astounding directors namely Shaji.N.Karun, Bharathan,T.V.Chandran, I.V.Sasi, Sathyan Anthikad,Sibi Malayil,Kamal,Fazil,Ranjith etc who has also contributed to a cult that is yet to be superceded.

The actors whom you can rely upon for their choice of projects are Shobana Chandrakumar, Reema Kallingal, Mamta Mohandas, Revathy and Sreenivasan.

Bengali:

I am not aware of everybody or every movie in Bengali film Industry but I am a great fan of Aparna Sen as a director. Her movies are unique. Most of her movies end without a climax, she leaves the audience mesmerised in her story to find their own conclusions that please their consciousness, I like all her Indian english movies especially 'The Japanese wife', 'The last letter' and the 'Mr.&Mrs. Iyer'. It would be injustice if I dont speak about her other amazing works but as I have to restrict my choices to a few, am trapped.(grin) But yes, my next choice would be Anirudha Roy Chowdhury- director of Antaheen and Anuranan & Rituparno Ghosh- director of Chokher bali and Raincoat.

The artists whom I would choose to believe blindly in their choices are Rahul Bose, Soumitra Chatterjee, Raima Sen, Konkana Sen and Rajat Kapoor.

Tamil:

Tamil films are known for their stunts and punch dialogues. I have very few choices in Tamil though there are so many veteran comedians and action heros who have done so many great movies.Tamil industry namely 'Kollywood' stands second after 'Bollywood' in the ranking of film industries in India. A land where they build temples to worship artists.

The directors I would opt out are:

1.Kamal Hassan- A veteran who started his journey through the Indian cinema as a child actor at the age of four. If someone ask me whose brain I would like to preserve as a precious remembrance I would say Kamal Hassan (wink) because he has proven himself in every aspects of film making actor, script writer, lyricist, playback singer, choreographer, director and a producer. He is an amazing human being who has advocated for justice to the poor. He has done inumerable contributions to the society through social services. Am sorry I do have hundred tongue when I start speaking about the 'Ulaganayagan' which means King of all actors. I can never forget his dialogue delivery and acting in the blockbuster movie 'Nayagan'. His movies broke regional and language barriers.

2.Gautam Menon- I think this director has the sauce that Bengali movies share as I mentioned above 'bitter truths than sweet lies'. His movies are raw reality totally unpolished yet must watch movies. He has set a trend in Tamil movies among the new generation. The movies 'Varanam Ayiram' and 'Nee Thane En Ponvasantham' are my favourites among his works.

3.Mani Ratnam- One of the directors I respect deeply. I cannot simply pick any one or two from his works but his movies 'Bombay', 'Roja', 'Dil Se' 'Kannathil Muthamittal' etc has contributed so much to the social awareness of the attrocities around us. His romantic hit 'Alaipayuthe' remains my favourite forever. He is a gem of Kollywood who does wonders through his cinematography skills. 'Iruvar', 'Yuva' and 'Guru' are some other exceptional works of Ratnam. A must watch among all his work is 'Thalapathy'.

Few artists whom you can blindfoldedly rely upon for their selection would be Suhasini, Prakash Raj, Kamal Hassan and Mammotty(In Tamil).

Bollywood

This is were am going to stumble. What will I choose among the profusion of films? I would be happy if somebody could allow me choose 100 best movies but unfortunately I am not given that choice. Hence I will recommend few movies which belong to my favourite list and guess most of you might havent watched yet they are:

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Peepli Live
Rann

Fire

Black
1947 The Earth

City of Joy

Ship of Theseus

Salaam Bombay
Morning Raga
Midnight's Children

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Directors are difficult to point out, but the names that rush to my mind first are of Deepa Mehta,  Mira Nair, Anand Gandhi and Aamir Khan.

Actors whom I prefer upon the choice of projects based on story would be Shabana Azmi, Nanditha Das, Rahul Bose and Konkana Sen.

So guys I guess my choices might have helped you at-least a bit to shorten your list of 'Movie to be watched' Have a fun weekend!!

'Antaheen'/ 'The Endless Wait' One movie which stole by heart. An amazing story which casts all my favourite artists.

A must watch movie about a teacher and his special student, inspired by Helen Keller`s life story.

58th Birth Anniversary of Kerala

Kerala better known as 'Gods own country' is located at the extreme tip of Indian subcontinent and has a vivid history of its own. It was born on Nov 1^st of 1956 as a result of State Reorganisation Act by the Government of India. It was a major reform of the boundaries of India's states and territories organizing them along linguistic lines. Till then it was three distinctive areas namely 'Malabar', 'Travancore' and 'Cochin'.

History of the state begins from The Chera dynasty which was the first powerful kingdom based in Kerala. During the Chera period, Kerala remained an international spice trading center. Later, in the 15th century, the lucrative spice trade attracted Portuguese traders to Kerala, and eventually paved the way for the European colonization of India.

The culture of the state traces its roots from 3rd century. It is a synthesis of Aryan and Dravidian cultures, developed over centuries under influences from other parts of India and abroad.

Three contradictory facts behind the name of ‘Kerala’ is that it was derived from ‘Kera’ (coconuts) so ‘Keralam’ means land of coconuts and then some people say Kerala got the name after its first ruler 'Keralian Thamboran' who ruled one of the independent provinces among Malabar, Cochin and Travancore, earlier in this millennium and there is this group of people who say ‘Kerala’ according to history was derived from the word ‘Cheral’ that refers to the Chera dynasty. (“Cheral” is a proto-Tamil-Malayalam word for ‘lake’)

Furthermore when we dig the past, Hindu mythology explains us that Kerala was formerly known as ‘Parashurama kshetram’ (Land of Parashurama) as he formed the land area from the sea to gift the Brahmin head-priests who performed the Yagya Kashyapa. The story happens between the Treta and Dwapara Yugas according to the first book of Mahabharata.

Parushurama- the unique sixth avatar of Lord Vishnu was angry on the kshatriyas as they didn’t keep their word after the Ashvamedha sacrifice and went around the world beheading every single male kshatriyas with his mighty axe ('mazhu') that he had got as a present from Lord Shiva (to liberate the Mother Earth from felons, ill-behaved people, extremists, demons and those blind with pride) for his extreme devotion & perpetual meditation who later on turned out to be his Guru in martial arts. He then flung his 'mazhu' from 'Goakaranam' (Gokarna) into the sea and the sea receded to form the land 'Keralam'.

CURRENT SCENARIO:

Kerala is a state in India which stands out when it comes to the variety of topography at a stretch of 38,863 km² and the language ‘Malayalam’ spoken in 12+ different slang among the fourteen districts. Kerala is the most searched Indian destination and ranks third in the foreign tourism list of most visited places in India because of its aesthetic beauty stretching from Arabian sea costs to the continuous mountain range of the western Ghats The state is a fine blend of the classic and the contemporary, offering a wonderful kaleidoscope of fascinating history, rich culture, unique architecture, interesting customs and more. Its intricately woven tapestry is made up of picturesque hill stations, meandering lagoons, jungle waterfalls, rejuvenating ayurvedic tourism, spicy sea food, exotic wildlife, vibrant art forms, dynamic boat races, sacred pilgrimage places and so on.

Venice of the East- Alleppey, Kerala

Queen of Arabian Sea- Cochin, Kerala

Kerala has the highest rates in India in terms of Literacy (98.9%), HDI (0.790), Life expectancy (77years), sex ratio (1084 women per 1000 men) and has the lowest rate in population growth (3.44%). Another two highlights of Kerala is that it is ranked as the least corrupt state in the country and it is a state in India with highest exposure to media with its newspapers published in nine different languages.

Highlights of Kerala:

·         Agriculture production mainly coconut, tea, coffee, cashew and spices with pepper and natural rubber contributing to a significant portion of the total national output.

*'Karimeen'- the state fish of Kerala.

·         Snake boat race, the “Chundan vallam”, the “Vallapaatu” and the “Vallasadhya”

·         The 'sadhya' (Banquet) which normally has 24-25 dishes (can go up to 64) served on a banana leaf.

·         Festivals like Onam and Vishu.

·         ‘Malayali manga’ (Typical Malayali girl)

A malayali style of dressing which means:

1. To wear either of the three 'mundum-neriyathum' (Kerala Saree), a 'dhavani'(lengthy skirt, short blouse and a long shawl) or a 'pattupavada' (Long skirt with a lengthy blouse which has thick kasavu border)

2. Tie your hair into 'pulipinnal' which is better known as Kerala hair style.(leaving half hair open).

3. A 'Chandana kuri' (a mark of sandal wood paste on your forehead).

4. Hands filled with 'kuppiwala' (glass bangles).

5. Eyes outlined with a thick layer of 'Kanmashi' (Kajal).

6. A Big red 'pottu' (Bindi) on forehead is the trade mark of a Keralite rather Indians actually.

7. Last but not the least 'mullapoovu' (Jasmine bead tied togather on a thread) on the hair.

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•     Temple festivals of Kerala are another unique experience, among which Guruvayur Ekadeshi at Guruvayur SreeKrishna Temple and ‘Trissur Pooram’ at the ‘Vadukunnathan Kshetram’ stands out as a highlight where people celebrate pooram without any hindrance of religion. It is celebrated in the Malayalam month of ‘medam’ when the moon rises with the Pooram star by 10 temples forming two groups say eastern and western lead by ‘Paramelkavu Temple’ and ‘Thiruvambady Temple’. The golden elephant caparison (Nettipattam), elephant accoutrements (Chamayam), ornamental fan made of peacock feathers (Aalavattom), royal fan (Venchamarom), sacred bells and decorative umbrellas are the main features of Trissur Pooram . Fire works of Trissur Pooram is very famous and I guess I need not mention more about it. 

Guruvayoor Ekadeshi 'Chuttuvilakku' 

Trissur Pooram

Crowd at Trissur Pooram, In this picture you can see the display of caparisons by both the lands.(groups)

Fun Facts about Kerala:

·         The ‘Gulf malayalis’ since recent census proved that every house in Kerala would have at least one member of the family in the ‘gulf’.

·         They say when Neil Armstrong landed on the moon he found a malayali selling tea, Again a funny fact that Keralites are spread all across the nook and corner of this world that wherever you go you would find at least one.

Kerala is also well known for its diverse forms of Performing arts. A list of art forms segregated according to the communities in Kerala are the following:

Hindu Arts

·         Kathakali

·         Chakyar Koothu

·         Nangiar Koothu

·         Mohiniyattam

·         Theyyam

·         Padayani

·         Theeyaattam (Thiyyattu)

·         Koodiyattam

·         Kerala Natanam

·         Panchavadyam

·         Thullal

·         Tholpavakoothu

·         Ottamthullal

·         Garudan Thookkam

·         Kolam Thullal

·         Poorakkali

·         Mudiyett

·         Kummattikali

·         Kuthiyottam

·         Thiriyuzhichil

·         Kalaripayattu

·         Mangalamkali

·         Marathukali

·         Malayikuthu

·         Mukkanchathan

·         Charadupinnikkali

·         Kothammuriyattam

·         Sopanam

·         Thacholikali

·         Sarpam Thullal 

·         Pulluvan Paattu

·         Poothan and Thira

·         Yakshagana in Kasaragod

·         Kanyar kali in northern Palakkad district

·         Purattu Nadakam in Palakkad district

·         Pavakoothu

·         kaalakali

Muslim Arts

·         Oppana

·         Mappila Paattu

·         Kolkali

·         Duff Muttu

·         Arabana muttu

Christian Arts

·         Margam Kali

·         Chavittu Nadakam
·         Parichamuttukali

Chakyar Koothu

Kathakali- Most famous art form of Kerala

Thiruvathirakali- One of the two famous dance forms in Kerala

Mohiniyattam- The main dance form of Kerala

Traditional Sadhya served on a banana leaf.

Theyyam- A Hindu Art form, performed at temples.

Snake Boat(Chundan vallam) during a race

Temple Architechture in Kerala.

Traditional Architecture- 'Naalukettu'

Traditional Kerala Architecture-'Arayum Nilayum'

Traditional Architecture of tile roof & 'Chaarupadi'

Traditional 'Thulasi Thara' which is placed in front of the house at the entrance.