IPL 2009 has ended, with Deccan Chargers being the deserving winner. IPL has something magical and exciting about it and I thoroughly enjoyed last month watching some of the thrilling encounters.
The final is symbolic of life, for every down there is an up. Last year's no-7 and 8 became this years 2 and 1 - divine justice. The players on whom huge money was invested failed miserably - Flintoff, Pietersen - like whom we put lot of trust and faith on betray us in crucial moments of life. Unexpected stars stole the limelight - Manish Pandey, Harmeet Singh - in life help comes from unexpected quarters. It is grit and determination that helps us to travel farther rather than talent and riches - Kumble vs Pietersen for Royal Challengers. Team efforts (Deccan and Royal Challengers) are more important than flamboyant individuals (Sachin, Dhoni, Sehwag). You might not have great talent, but playing within your limits and sticking to discipline and basics can fetch you greater rewards (Harmeet Singh). Great players need not make great captains (Sachin and Sehwag). You need to earn the respect and trust of your team mates for higher efforts (Shane Warne, Kumble and Gilchrist) so that they give everything for you.
Above all you might have all the talent (Delhi Daredevils) but in life the winners are not always those who are talented, but have luck (or God) in their side (Andrew Symonds dropped by Dravid in slips in the final - the greatest slip catcher in Test History dropping a sitter)
Finally all great theory and planning is of no use until you execute it (Buchanan and Kolkota knight riders)
Monday, May 25, 2009
Why should I blog
I did not indulge in blogging for more than a year,
Recently a cousin of mine told me to view some of his blogs and of Dr.Rudran, the renowned psychiatrist at Chennai
After reading those blogs, I felt why not I blog again. Then I thought - why should I blog- is it not part of an exhibitionist streak in me, or is trying to be creative. I think it was more of the former and less of the latter. Everybody has a desire to get attention, to be noticed, to be heard, to be read, to be watched. I wish I was like the great Chattambi Swamigal , a man who used to write the finest of poetry and then tear it into pieces and put in the garbage, a man who had absolutely no attachment to what he did.
My only prayer to God now is - God, let me not get obsessed and attached with anything. After all attachment is the mother of all discontentment.
Recently a cousin of mine told me to view some of his blogs and of Dr.Rudran, the renowned psychiatrist at Chennai
After reading those blogs, I felt why not I blog again. Then I thought - why should I blog- is it not part of an exhibitionist streak in me, or is trying to be creative. I think it was more of the former and less of the latter. Everybody has a desire to get attention, to be noticed, to be heard, to be read, to be watched. I wish I was like the great Chattambi Swamigal , a man who used to write the finest of poetry and then tear it into pieces and put in the garbage, a man who had absolutely no attachment to what he did.
My only prayer to God now is - God, let me not get obsessed and attached with anything. After all attachment is the mother of all discontentment.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Kamal's obsession to be different
Kamal Hassan, even his worst critics will appreciate his superhuman efforts and commitment towards cinema. But it is sad when a film fails for which he has given his life and blood to appeal to the audience and does not stir the box office. Of late I feel Kamal is obsessed with doing something for the sake of being different and he fails to see the bigger picture. He has always an out of box thinker but now it is becoming a compulsive thinking disorder. He can do realistic roles and mesmerize the audience like he has done in so many films like Moonram Pirai, Nayagan, Thevarmagan, Mahanadi etc and at the same time create laugh riots with stupendous comedies like Michael Madan, Sathi Leelavati, Tenali,Avvai Shanmugi , Pammal.K.Sambandam and so on. The astounding success of these films were because the audiences were able to connect to these roles and identified the characters as one among them. However when films like Alavandan, Mumbai express etc fail, are they because the creator of these roles was interested only in himself and in that obsession forgot about what the audience wanted ? Is Kamal becoming a prisoner of his magnificient obsession with himself, a narcissist who loves to create roles for himself for displaying his mine of acting talents with scant regard for audience taste ? Or does he want to script new dimensions in Tamil Cinema and in the process failing to gauge the pulse of the audience.
I think it is time Kamal suspends his obsession with himself for some time and start to open his eyes and view things realistically. He is one person who can make meaningful films with class, with a difference that can create milestones in Tamil Cinema. He has written some of the all time great scripts in Tamil Cinema for films like Thevar Magan, Mahanadi and Hey Ram. The greatest films are those which have their roots in the culture of the country they are made and yet have a universal appeal, like most of the Iranian, East European films. Our country has also made such beautiful films like those of Ray, Kamal's Thevarmagan, Mahanadi and those of Mahendran, K.Balachandar and some great Bengali and Malayalam films.
It is time Kamal focusses his attention back to his forte - good films with meaning and entertainment with characters the common man can identify - not characters which are made for the sake of exhibiting his acting skills.
It is a tale for everybody, dont get too much obsessed with yourself and your abilities if you are a genius , you wont be saleable unless the common men who form a big majority find you appealing to their needs. Put others first, then yourself, then you will be successful, it is a universal concept !
I think it is time Kamal suspends his obsession with himself for some time and start to open his eyes and view things realistically. He is one person who can make meaningful films with class, with a difference that can create milestones in Tamil Cinema. He has written some of the all time great scripts in Tamil Cinema for films like Thevar Magan, Mahanadi and Hey Ram. The greatest films are those which have their roots in the culture of the country they are made and yet have a universal appeal, like most of the Iranian, East European films. Our country has also made such beautiful films like those of Ray, Kamal's Thevarmagan, Mahanadi and those of Mahendran, K.Balachandar and some great Bengali and Malayalam films.
It is time Kamal focusses his attention back to his forte - good films with meaning and entertainment with characters the common man can identify - not characters which are made for the sake of exhibiting his acting skills.
It is a tale for everybody, dont get too much obsessed with yourself and your abilities if you are a genius , you wont be saleable unless the common men who form a big majority find you appealing to their needs. Put others first, then yourself, then you will be successful, it is a universal concept !
Friday, January 20, 2006
Mundane jobs, Important Realities
We live in a world of ruthless marketing. In all spheres of life attention is grabbed by those who project themselves irrespective of the quality of the work they do. Those who work behind the scenes , sweat their lives out may hardly get noticed for all their efforts. In the case of movies – Satyajit Ray once told the most important person in the film making process is the editor , he can ruin a wonderfully shot movie or make a decent movie out of a badly conceived one. But how many of us remember the names of the editors. How many of us know the sound engineers who perfect the sounds of the heros and heroines we see in the silver screen ?
It is true that all cannot do jobs which hog the limelight. Some may do brilliant jobs for which they may never get noticed. Some have to do routine, mundane jobs which are never going to get recognized and may be even taken for granted – like the person who cleans the streets, removes the blocks in the sewers, your barber, the construction worker, the list is endless. These jobs are important for the society to exist, but they may never seem to be attractive like a work of art or technological product. After all if everybody insists that they will do only highly creative and hi tech jobs, there can only be chaos and heaps of garbage around.
What drives people who do good jobs and never get noticed ? For some, it could be the inner satisfaction that one derives from doing a good job and the passion or love for it. For some , it could be the money that one gets paid at the end of the day for doing the job. Or it could be a combination of both. If you are one of those who do a good job and never get noticed, there are two paths to follow.
One path which is followed by a majority – you can lament to others that how good a job you are doing and nobody is recognizing you, wail in self pity , criticize the system and end up getting frustrated. The second path is you can tell yourself “Look, everybody in this world cannot get a job which gets accolades, some have to do routine jobs which may not get the limelight but certainly, they are going to make a difference to this world . There have been many geniuses who did much fantastic jobs, spent their entire lives in pursuit of excellence and never have got noticed. It is all part of existence”. You can accept the reality and be at peace with yourself. When presented with an opportunity, you can tell about the work you do and the efforts you have put , to your boss or an influential friend who may do the needful to recognize your work. Marketing yourself is an intricate act, it should not be excessive so that it becomes as repulsive as exhibitionism. It should be done with care, moderate levels and at right times and right places. The right tools should be used. If you are very good at communicating you can use conferences, meetings and one to one discussions. If you are a silent type, not confident about your verbal skills, use e-mails or make good power point slides and send it to the right persons. You can even hire the services of somebody who is good at such kind of things.
The bottom line is accept the limitations of the nature of the job you do and be at peace with it. Try to make the best within the limitations rather than lament about it. Next time when you happen to see somebody doing a mundane job done in a good manner, have one or two nice words for him. After all you don’t lose anything , what he gets is a happy and joyful frame of mind and the understanding that he too is “getting noticed”, the most important thing we all want in life, which motivates everybody to work hard.
It is true that all cannot do jobs which hog the limelight. Some may do brilliant jobs for which they may never get noticed. Some have to do routine, mundane jobs which are never going to get recognized and may be even taken for granted – like the person who cleans the streets, removes the blocks in the sewers, your barber, the construction worker, the list is endless. These jobs are important for the society to exist, but they may never seem to be attractive like a work of art or technological product. After all if everybody insists that they will do only highly creative and hi tech jobs, there can only be chaos and heaps of garbage around.
What drives people who do good jobs and never get noticed ? For some, it could be the inner satisfaction that one derives from doing a good job and the passion or love for it. For some , it could be the money that one gets paid at the end of the day for doing the job. Or it could be a combination of both. If you are one of those who do a good job and never get noticed, there are two paths to follow.
One path which is followed by a majority – you can lament to others that how good a job you are doing and nobody is recognizing you, wail in self pity , criticize the system and end up getting frustrated. The second path is you can tell yourself “Look, everybody in this world cannot get a job which gets accolades, some have to do routine jobs which may not get the limelight but certainly, they are going to make a difference to this world . There have been many geniuses who did much fantastic jobs, spent their entire lives in pursuit of excellence and never have got noticed. It is all part of existence”. You can accept the reality and be at peace with yourself. When presented with an opportunity, you can tell about the work you do and the efforts you have put , to your boss or an influential friend who may do the needful to recognize your work. Marketing yourself is an intricate act, it should not be excessive so that it becomes as repulsive as exhibitionism. It should be done with care, moderate levels and at right times and right places. The right tools should be used. If you are very good at communicating you can use conferences, meetings and one to one discussions. If you are a silent type, not confident about your verbal skills, use e-mails or make good power point slides and send it to the right persons. You can even hire the services of somebody who is good at such kind of things.
The bottom line is accept the limitations of the nature of the job you do and be at peace with it. Try to make the best within the limitations rather than lament about it. Next time when you happen to see somebody doing a mundane job done in a good manner, have one or two nice words for him. After all you don’t lose anything , what he gets is a happy and joyful frame of mind and the understanding that he too is “getting noticed”, the most important thing we all want in life, which motivates everybody to work hard.
Great individuals, Great teams
Sometimes offices are nice places of amusement, much better than any zoo or museum - where you can see rare specimens and antiques. The dynamics can be real fun provided you are not involved. One upmanship, never letting go of an oppurtunity to snub a colleague who is perceived as a potential competitor, never sharing expertise or knowledge with colleagues, all these can be fun to watch, but not to become part of.
Probably this is true in almost all spheres of activity in India where individuals rather than teams rule the roost. Often peaks that can be scaled easily by team work become unsurmountable when individual egos dominate.
One thing that has amazed me is how great partnerships have endured in the movie field. There have been fantastic teams like Salim- Javed, Shankar-Jaikishan,Lakshmikant-Pyarelal,Nadeem-Shravan to Viswanathan-Ramamoorthy,Viswanathan-Kannadasan, Vayalar-Devarajan down south. Many partnerships broke but not before carving their name in the annals of history.
I am an avid lover of Tamil film music and like any one who loves music an ardent fan of the legendary maestro Ilaiyaraja. I have been enthralled by the movies which featured the association of Ilaiyaraja with stalwarts like Bharathiraja, Maniratnam, K.Balachandar and Balu Mahendra. One should not forget the great lyricist Vairamuthu who paired with Ilaiyaraja to give mesmerizing songs.
Unfortunately today none of these teams exist except Balu Mahendra who continues to team with the Maestro.
Every time I watch Nayakan or Mounaragam , I feel that the soul of the movies is the maestro's music , apart from Maniratnam's brilliant direction. Just by hearing the background score alone , some of the movies can be identified, such has been the power of his music. It is quite unfortunate that music companies don't release soundtracks of Indian movies . Music lovers should attempt to compile the background scores of the maestro.
The same is true when I watch Alaygal Oyvathillai , Moondram Pirai,Kadalora Kavithaigal , Sindhu bhairavi or Punnagai mannan. The credit for the success of these movies should also go the directors who extracted the best from the Maestro. One should remember that Maniratnam has consistently been able to get amazing scores from the maestro in all his movies right till Dalapathi his last (hopefully not the 'last') movie with the maestro.
When the partnerships broke , whose loss it was, Ilaiyaraja's, Bharathiraja's , KB's or Maniratnam's ? The greatest loss was undoubedly that of the Tamil movie lover's . Never again the magic will be there to mesmerize audiences and music fans.
I feel that these great geniuses had a responsibility to the movie lovers who want their partnerships to go on. Any great team should bury their individual differences towards a common cause , here the tastes of the audience. They can take a leaf or two from the legendary duo of M.S.V- Kannadasan or Vayalar-Devarajan team of Malayalam music. The MSV-Kannadasan team went on for more than two decades till the death of the great poet. They would have had their differences, both were famous , highly talented individuals , but they had the maturity to respect each other, recognised each other's brilliance and let the show go on. Similarly of the Vayalar-Devarajan duo. Vayalar, a highly temperamental but genius of a lyricist. Devarajan master- a no-nonsense , great music director known for his uncompromising , stubborn attitude. The team went on to create hit after hits till the death of the great poet in 1975. They had great respect for each other's talents and never allowed the team to break. They are role models for any teams to emulate and it is worth remembering that before a common cause ( here being the entertainment of the common man who pays money to view their work ) everything else - ego's, individual differences etc etc are trivial. Good teams should be like a good husband and wife who settle all the individual differences before the day ends and face the next day with a positive attitude.
A team should part only by mutual consent when both decide they have nothing more to offer together, and when it is essential that they team up with somebody else to enhance their creativity. They should not part just because of ego.
They tell that for a Koothadi ( a performing artist) has no life or choices of his own. His life is dedicated to the audience, they decide and he merely follows.
Probably this is true in almost all spheres of activity in India where individuals rather than teams rule the roost. Often peaks that can be scaled easily by team work become unsurmountable when individual egos dominate.
One thing that has amazed me is how great partnerships have endured in the movie field. There have been fantastic teams like Salim- Javed, Shankar-Jaikishan,Lakshmikant-Pyarelal,Nadeem-Shravan to Viswanathan-Ramamoorthy,Viswanathan-Kannadasan, Vayalar-Devarajan down south. Many partnerships broke but not before carving their name in the annals of history.
I am an avid lover of Tamil film music and like any one who loves music an ardent fan of the legendary maestro Ilaiyaraja. I have been enthralled by the movies which featured the association of Ilaiyaraja with stalwarts like Bharathiraja, Maniratnam, K.Balachandar and Balu Mahendra. One should not forget the great lyricist Vairamuthu who paired with Ilaiyaraja to give mesmerizing songs.
Unfortunately today none of these teams exist except Balu Mahendra who continues to team with the Maestro.
Every time I watch Nayakan or Mounaragam , I feel that the soul of the movies is the maestro's music , apart from Maniratnam's brilliant direction. Just by hearing the background score alone , some of the movies can be identified, such has been the power of his music. It is quite unfortunate that music companies don't release soundtracks of Indian movies . Music lovers should attempt to compile the background scores of the maestro.
The same is true when I watch Alaygal Oyvathillai , Moondram Pirai,Kadalora Kavithaigal , Sindhu bhairavi or Punnagai mannan. The credit for the success of these movies should also go the directors who extracted the best from the Maestro. One should remember that Maniratnam has consistently been able to get amazing scores from the maestro in all his movies right till Dalapathi his last (hopefully not the 'last') movie with the maestro.
When the partnerships broke , whose loss it was, Ilaiyaraja's, Bharathiraja's , KB's or Maniratnam's ? The greatest loss was undoubedly that of the Tamil movie lover's . Never again the magic will be there to mesmerize audiences and music fans.
I feel that these great geniuses had a responsibility to the movie lovers who want their partnerships to go on. Any great team should bury their individual differences towards a common cause , here the tastes of the audience. They can take a leaf or two from the legendary duo of M.S.V- Kannadasan or Vayalar-Devarajan team of Malayalam music. The MSV-Kannadasan team went on for more than two decades till the death of the great poet. They would have had their differences, both were famous , highly talented individuals , but they had the maturity to respect each other, recognised each other's brilliance and let the show go on. Similarly of the Vayalar-Devarajan duo. Vayalar, a highly temperamental but genius of a lyricist. Devarajan master- a no-nonsense , great music director known for his uncompromising , stubborn attitude. The team went on to create hit after hits till the death of the great poet in 1975. They had great respect for each other's talents and never allowed the team to break. They are role models for any teams to emulate and it is worth remembering that before a common cause ( here being the entertainment of the common man who pays money to view their work ) everything else - ego's, individual differences etc etc are trivial. Good teams should be like a good husband and wife who settle all the individual differences before the day ends and face the next day with a positive attitude.
A team should part only by mutual consent when both decide they have nothing more to offer together, and when it is essential that they team up with somebody else to enhance their creativity. They should not part just because of ego.
They tell that for a Koothadi ( a performing artist) has no life or choices of his own. His life is dedicated to the audience, they decide and he merely follows.
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