Women's Reservation Bill:My view

I guess many of my readers(if any) are thinking why I discuss too much politics in my blog. This is because a wide range of thoughts pierce my head if the topic is a political one. Moreover,I  like blogging the hottest topic in town and I feel fulfilled in doing so.Let me get the matter straight...

Tuesday,March 9 will be marked in India's history as the most momentous occasion as that day witnessed the passing of The 108th Constitution Amendment Bill or the Women's reservation Bill in the Upper House,also called the Rajya Sabha.It reserves 33% of the seats in the Parliament and state assemblies for women.The historic bill made it after struggling for 14 years.It was first planned to be passed in the Lower House or Lok Sabha when the United Front government was at the centre,headed by HD Deve Gowda in 1996.But failed to do so due to stiff opposition from other parties.So the idea was dropped then and there.

Later under the leadership of AB Vajpayee, the National Democratic Alliance formed the government in 1998,the bill was again wiped off its dust and passed in Lok Sabha.The bill met with the same fate as it did during the United Front regime.The bill was temporarily disposed off.

The NDA led government was knocked down by the United Progressive Alliance,a coalition government with Congress as its backbone.The Congress realized it was the right time to bring back the bill as it had successfully managed to get through its initial tenure(initial 5 years of government).The Congress did one-hell-of an intelligent move. It did not pass the bill in the Lok Sabha.Instead it did it in Rajya Sabha.The reason is the Lok Sabha has a total of 552 seats and for a bill to become a law,it should possess the backing of 2/3rd of the total strength of a House.In this case,it is 368 seats which is huge.Hence it passed the bill in Rajya Sabha,which has a total strength of 233.So it is enough if nearly 150 MPs voted in favor of the bill.

And to everyone's surprise the bill was successfully passed inspite of stiff opposition from some parties like BSP,SP,RJD,LJP and the Trinamool Congress.In fact,even the main opposition party,the BJP voted in favor of the bill.That must have come as a big sigh of relief to Sonia Gandhi,being a woman herself and the Chairperson of the most powerful political party,the Congress.

According to me, the bill should have been passed much earlier.This is because the top-most and powerful positions are held by women in our country.
Sonia Gandhi,Chairperson of the Congress,the backbone of the ruling alliance.
Pratibha Patil,Honorable President of India.
Meira Kumar,Honorable speaker in the Lok Sabha.
Sushma Swaraj,leader of the opposition in Parliament... to mention a few.

I'm dying to watch if this bill is going to be of any help to the people of India,especially some of the unrecognized and downtrodden women.Will this bill bring about empowerment of women or uplift the status of women in our male-dominated society?This question will not fetch an answer in the near future because the bill has to be passed in the Lower House and it requires the consent of the President.It definitely is going to take some valuable time,which we don't have much.

I personally believe that the passage of the bill will bring about change in India because 33% women in Parliament and state assemblies would mean there will be more women MPs and MLAs who would work for the country and for which 'Mother' India should be proud of.I'm not trying to offend the male counterparts here as they are equally competent. So my point here is that giving equal opportunity to women would prove fruitful for both the country and its people.

Disclaimer:The thoughts and views which I have mentioned above are completely mine and is not intended to hurt anyone.

'And the award goes to':Kathryn or Cameron

How do you feel when your 'ex' gives you problem on stage?!Sounds different?That is what award-winning director Kathryn Bigelow is doing to James Cameron,her ex-husband.She not only posed as a stiff competitor in the recently held British Academy of Film and Television Arts(BAFTAs) awards but also won the Best Director award for her war-thriller movie,The Hurt Locker.Her movie also piled up awards in other categories such as Best Film,Original Screenplay,Sound,Editing and Cinematography.At the other end,James Cameron took home awards in the Production Design and Special Visual Effects categories for his $237 million(official estimate) sci-fi mega block-buster,Avatar.Other estimates put the cost between $280 million and $310 million for production, and at $150 million for promotion.

The hurt locker,entirely shot in Jordan portrays the lifestyle and mindset of the members of the US ARMY Explosive Ordnance Disposal(EOD) team.This is a war thriller movie showing the tactics used by the Army team in detecting and diffusing bombs.The title is slang for being injured in an explosion, as in 'they sent him to the hurt locker'.
Avatar,set in the year 2154, when humans are mining a precious mineral called unobtanium on Pandora.The expansion of the mining colony threatens the continued existence of a local tribe of Na'vi.The film's title refers to the genetically engineered Na'vi bodies used by several human characters to interact with the natives of Pandora.

Now everyone's eyes are on the the most prestigious awards,The Oscars.
Kathryn has won 5 BAFTAs and James Cameron 2.

The Hurt Locker has been nominated in the following 9 categories:
Writing (Original Screenplay),
Sound Mixing,
Sound Editing,
Best Picture,
Music (Original Score),
Film Editing,
Directing,
Cinematography,
Actor in a Leading Role.

Avatar has been nominated in the following 9 categories:
Art Direction,
Cinematography,
Directing,
Film Editing,
Music (Original Score),
Best Picture,
Sound Editing,
Sound Mixing,
Visual Effects.

So, as you can see both the movies have been nominated in 9 categories each.These movies have locked horns in 6 categories.I'm dying to see which movie will sweep the Oscars this year.Let us wait and watch....

Vinnaithandi Varuvaya!!

Cast:Simbu,Trisha

Director:Gautham Vasudev Menon

Music Director:A R Rahman

Cinematographer:Manoj Paramahamsa

Art director:Rajeevan

Producer: Udhayanidhi Stalin

Before starting off with my review,I've to say that this movie is THE best performance by the lead actors Simbu and Trisha till date. It is also one of Gautham's and Rahman's best.

I can say that there hasn't been such a light,romantic and feel-good entertainer for the past decade in Tamil cinema.

Jessica(Trisha),a Malayali Christian and Simbu(Karthik),a Hindu live inside the same compound.When Simbu sees Trisha for the first time,he falls for her.But Trisha isn't quite comfortable citing her father's(Babu Antony) non-acceptance as the reason.They try to continue as friends and things change over gradually...

Karthik's friend,Ganesh has donned the comic cap and his one-line dialogues makes you burst into laughter. K S Ravikumar who does a cameo role cruises with ease.

Gautham has come up trumps with his maiden romance flick.He has done a perfect casting and all credits go to him.Kudos to Nalini Sriram,the costume designer as the outfits had been light-colored with a classy urban touch.Art Director Rajeevan is an as'set' for Gautham as he has done a fabulous job. Be it the heritage boat-house or the interiors of Ganesh's house,he has done it with perfection. Music composer A R Rahman has given his best and all songs are chart-busters and they'll surely be this year's top picks. His BGM gives a lively feel and goes down well with the romance.Gautham has given extra freedom for Rahman and ARR has utilized it well. The choreography of 'Hosanna' resembles Gautham's earlier flicks and that gets you a bit boring.

Overall,VTV is an awesomely well-made romance movie.It is light and can make up your weekend if you watch it with your loved ones.

TWO THUMBS UP for VTV!!!!

Rating:4/5 :)

The Sena-Shah Rukh face-off:How it began?

The Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackarey and King Khan have already had heated exchange of arguments many times over the difference in their so-called 'ideologies'.So a small spark would be enough to light a wild fire between them and that came in the form of IPL-3 auction.

This year's IPL auction began in a great mood with the franchise owners cautiously picking up talented players from different countries.Many Pakistani players were also included in the auction.But none of them were picked up by any of the teams citing their 'unavailability' for the entire season as the reason.Hence strong reactions echoed from PCB officials,Pakistan government and the fans fraternity.

While this was going on on one side,Shah Rukh Khan who is the owner of The Kolkata Knight Riders gave an interview that he was unhappy about the non-inclusion of Pakistani players in the IPL teams.He also said that he was interested in picking up Abdul Razzaq but could not.

The Shiv Sena which was waiting for such comments burst out at Shah Rukh Khan asking him to apologize for such comments. Shah Rukh,who was in NY at that time,refused to do so clarifying that his comments were clean and there was nothing wrong in that.Every Indian felt the same way because it was a Fundamental Right of Speech. The sena even went to the extent of calling him a "traitor" and his Indianness was questioned.Shah Rukh Khan further clarified that 'Arts and Sports' were the best mode of maintaining a healthy relationship with any country and asked the Shiv Sena not to politicize the issue.

The Sena finally got a target:My Name Is Khan(MNIK), Shah Rukh Khan's movie that was planned to be released on feb 12.The Sena sent letters to all multiplex owners threatening them not to screen the movie and if they do so their theaters will be vandalized by the Shiv Sainiks,the emotionally 'strong' and 'sensitive' workers of the Shiv Sena.The sena claims that they cannot be held responsible for the activities of their workers and the reason being that they're not directed and they do it because of the "emotional outburst".

The Maharashtra government then promised to all multiplex owners and the public that full security will be provided during the film's release.In spite of the tight security arrangements, the Sena activists were arrested for inappropriate behavior.Advance bookings were cancelled in many multiplexes.

But on the day of it's release,MNIK had tremendous response from the people.The citizens of Mumbai thronged the theaters to watch their hero set the screen on fire.The movie was set to release in 64 theaters in the metro city but only 13 screened the movie on the opening day.Even Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan and his colleagues managed to see the movie on it's first day thus conveying a sense of "NO FEAR" to the people throughout the state.

The King Khan and their fans all over India were happy.

This brave act of the people of Maharashtra sends a strong message to the "divisive" forces of Mumbai that they are not afraid of this kind of violence and they 'do not' stand by those parties that spread hatred among the people.

Well done,Mumbaikars!!!!

United we stand,divided we fall!

An article in The Hindu starts with these lines:

"It is classroom in January 2012 and the student says there are 29 states in India.The teacher corrects him that the number has increased to 100.If the prevailing situation persists,this could happen."

As the Telangana Rashtriya Samithi(TRS) chief K Chandrashekara Rao was on a fast unto death and the situation in Andhra worsening, the government at the centre had no other option but to 'abide' by his demand for a separate state of Telangana.The Home Minister P Chidambaram immediately announced the initiation of the process of carving out a separate state from Andhra.

As the news spread,violence echoed in West Bengal where the Gorkha community started demanding a separate state of Gorkhaland from West Bengal.They have threatened that they will take to the streets in New Delhi. The 2010 Common Wealth Games are round the corner and this kind of protests will not only be a scar on India's image but will certainly be a security issue. On the other hand,UP Chief Minister Mayawati is demanding the formation of two states,Purvanchal and Bundelkhand.

Why is this type of separation taking place in a diverse country like India where people from various community,speaking different languages survive together?.The main reason behind this separation is 'Selective development' ,'inefficient allocation of funds'and 'ineffective administration'. Mumbai,the financial capital of India is located in Maharashtra.But a remote town called Vidhbhara in the same state is facing neglect.Why is this kind of imbalance?

One way of keeping the states undivided is to offer 'Special Economic Packages' to the under-developed and neglected regions of each state. Then special committees must be formed,reporting directly to the Prime Minister or the Finance Minister,to ensure that those allocated funds are used as intended. These committees must not be answerable to the State Governments.

So separation of states is not the only answer for development because states like Jharkhand,Utharakhand and Chatthisgarh have not developed after their separation. The politicians are doing this for political gain and we must not become victim to this.

Fighting for statehood has to stop and our ideas be put forth 'together' for a bright future!!!

JAIHIND!!!

A Spoof of Tamil Cinema:Tamizh Padam

Cast:Shiva,Disha Pandey,MS Bhaskar,'Vennira Aadai' Moorthy,Mano Bala,'Paravai' Muniamma.

Direction: CS Amudhan.

Cinematography:Nirav Shah.

Music: Kannan.

Production: Cloud Nine Movies.

As the trailer indicated,'Tamizh Padam' is a spoof on some of the earlier tamil movies.It is the desi version of the 'Scary Movie' series.This kind of an out-and-out spoof movie is new to tamil cinema though some of the spoof TV shows like 'Lollu Sabha' have already won the hearts of the viewers.

The story is a thin line and the debutant director Amudhan has tried to balance the spoofs of all famous movies. The story begins in a village called 'Cinemapatty' where the hero is born. The nattamai had ordered that all boy children be killed because they grow up,migrate to Chennai with a dream of becoming a hero and bring bad name to the village.When Muniamma is about to kill the baby using a 'branded' kallippaal, the child comes up with a punch dialogue and pleads for life.

So 'Paravai' Muniamma brings the child to chennai and finally the child grows up as a hero.The hero's introduction is itself a spoof on 'Chandramukhi'.He starts fighting with the 'goondas' in a typical tamil cinema style. Shiva's(shiva) friends are none other than Siddharth(Mano Bala),Nakul(MS Bhaskar) and Bharath(Murthy) and they are the 'Boys'.

As the story moves on,the hero falls for a girl(Disha Pandey), also in tamil cinema style.But the girl's father has some other plans. If Shiva wants Disha,he has to become a crorepathi. Shiva earns a lot in a time span less than the time taken to prepare 'coffee' for the girl's father with 'Oru Sooravali' in Shankar Mahadevan's powerful voice in the background.

In the second half,Shiva goes to his village to find his parents.How he finds them and fights the 'evil' power in the society forms the remaining part of the story. And the climax has a predictable twist. The movie loses its pace post-interval but picks up near the start of the climax.

Movies like Chandramukhi,Kadhalan,Anniyan,Mozhi are spoofed and the industry big-wigs like Mani Ratnam,Rajnikanth are'nt spared either with some of their movies taking important place in "Tamizh Padam".

Debutant CS Amudhan has taken a bold step and has done a commendable job because it is not easy to enter the cinema field with a spoof movie.Shiva carries the movie on his shoulders and has come up with flying colors with his unique dialogue-delivery style. Mano Bala, Murthy and MS Bhaskar could have been used in a better way but they've done their job well. New-face Disha has passed the litmus test with her facial expression being good. Music Director kannan has given us some foot-tapping music with chart-busters like 'pacha tamizhan' and 'o maha zeeya'.This lad has a bright future in the industry.Nirav Shah has also done a decent job.

Tamizh Padam has no logic in it(Of course you cannot expect logic in a spoof movie!!) but if want to laugh your heart out,go for it!!!

Verdict: 3/5

ARCANE 09

Arcane 09 is a national-level technical symposium conducted by Computer Science Engineer's association of B S Abdur Rahman University,Chennai.

My friends and I had been to this college symposium in 2007. We were about an hour late. We reached at 1030 hrs against the scheduled time of 0930 hrs and were not allowed to register for the events.So we returned with sheer disappointment. I accept my mistake for not being punctual because this was my first symposium.

About 10 days back,we were informed about this college symposium.I was not in a mood of attending it as the above mentioned incident flashed in front of my eyes. My friends were all pumped up about the symposium as their only aim was to taste the 'Mutton Biriyani' which will be served for lunch.After a lot of convincing by my friends,I agreed with half-mind.

We came to know that we had to register online for the events. A good job done by that college students was making the registration online to avoid commotion at the registration desk.The registration was very easy too.The symposium was scheduled at 1000 hrs on 25.09.09 and we reached there by 0930 hrs to avoid any disappointment or frustration. We showed our ID card for verification. The registration was over,phew!!

They gave us a file,a pen and a notepad.We were also given a sheet containing 20 questions and the title read 'SURPRISE EVENTS-PRELIMS'. We settled down at the A/C auditorium, one of the best I've ever seen. The inauguration ceremony started with an urdu recital and then the Chief Guest,the Secretary and HOD of CSE department gave a speech. We were busy answering the questions given to us and didn't even listen to the speech. We dropped the sheet in a box outside the auditorium as instructed.

We were given 'refreshments' after the inauguration ceremony and were asked to move to a building for taking up the written 'quiz'. Maximum participants in a team was 2. So we paired up.The sheet given to us contained 30 questions and we knew the answers for only 10 and the allotted time was 30 mins . The quiz was very general,but tough. I liked it.

We rushed to the other room at the corner to take part in the 'puzzle championship'. It was as tough as the quiz. In fact,tougher. Our next target was 'debugging'. But by the time we reached the spot the time was up for debugging. We were late :(.

All our stomachs gave an "I'm empty" signal. So we then headed to the canteen and had our stomach full of Biriyani. Later, we took a slow walk to the auditorium with a hefty stomach. The finals of quiz and mock interview were scheduled to be held at 1400 hrs on stage.The quiz and mock interview were very interesting and informative. I even tried to answer some of the questions in the 'audience round' of the quiz. As time passed by,I was getting restless. Thank God!! The valedictory function commenced and the dignitaries on the stage gave a commendable speech once again. The Chief Guest from TCS gave an inspiring speech with his idea centered on OPEN SOURCE. We enjoyed his speech a lot.

We came out of the college with a fully satisfied mind and 'stomach' :).No complaints...

Visiting other college symposiums is always FUN!!!