Kalady

Kalady: The Triumph of Faith Over Time (Full Film) 

1hour 20 mins

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaYfoghV-n8&feature=uploademail

ABOUT

An authentic film on the birth and childhood of Sri Adi Shankaracharya and the fascinating story of the rediscovery of his birthplace, Kalady, by the 33rd Jagadguru of Sringeri.

BACKGROUND

Sanatana Dharma or Hinduism is vibrant today largely due to the efforts of Jagadguru Sri Adi Shankaracharya, the great philosopher saint, who lived over 1200 years ago. In his brief life of 32 years, he restored the pristine glory of the Advaita Vedanta philosophy of the Upanishads and re-established the path through which everyone can experience and become one with divinity.

Seldom in history has one individual had so much influence on a nation, its civilization and its religion.

While his achievements are eternal and unforgettable, his birthplace was forgotten by society for many centuries. In this film, we describe how his birthplace Kalady was rediscovered by the 33rd Jagadguru of the Sringeri Sharada Peetham. We will take you on a visual journey of Kalady from the time of Sri Shankara's parents, his birth and the miraculous events of his childhood. 

The film also chronicles the contemporary history of Kalady, including the various landmarks and temples associated with his life. There are fascinating interviews with ordinary people, former rulers and spiritual leaders who are all influenced by this great philosopher. Through beautiful and heart-stopping images of nature, people and temples, this film provides an unforgettable experience of what Sri Shankara's life may have been like, and how he touched the lives of the Kalady's residents over the centuries.

Speaking in lucid Sanskrit, Jagadguru Sri Bharati Tirtha Mahaswamiji enlightens us about the life of Sri Shankaracharya and the 33rd Jagadguru of Sringeri who rediscovered Kalady. The 33rd Jagadguru instituted the now internationally observed Shankara Jayanti celebrations and was the inspiration behind the first ever publication of the complete works of Sri Shankaracharya.

This documentary film is dedicated to the 33rd Jagadguru of Sringeri. It is solely due to his untiring efforts that the glory of Kalady and its special place in the legacy of Sri Shankaracharya has been preserved for the world.

[Released on May 23, 2010 during the centenary celebrations to mark the consecration of the temples for Sri Shankaracharya and Goddess Sharada at Kalady]

All Rights Reserved by Sri Sharada Peetham, Sringeri, Karnataka, India.

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Saturdays!

Bilinguals !

Why Bilinguals Are Smarter

By YUDHIJIT BHATTACHARJEE

SPEAKING two languages rather than just one has obvious practical benefits in an increasingly globalized world. But in recent years, scientists have begun to show that the advantages of bilingualism are even more fundamental than being able to converse with a wider range of people. Being bilingual, it turns out, makes you smarter. It can have a profound effect on your brain, improving cognitive skills not related to language and even shielding against dementia in old age.

This view of bilingualism is remarkably different from the understanding of bilingualism through much of the 20th century. Researchers, educators and policy makers long considered a second language to be an interference, cognitively speaking, that hindered a child’s academic and intellectual development.

They were not wrong about the interference: there is ample evidence that in a bilingual’s brain both language systems are active even when he is using only one language, thus creating situations in which one system obstructs the other. But this interference, researchers are finding out, isn’t so much a handicap as a blessing in disguise. It forces the brain to resolve internal conflict, giving the mind a workout that strengthens its cognitive muscles.

Bilinguals, for instance, seem to be more adept than monolinguals at solving certain kinds of mental puzzles. In a 2004 study by the psychologists Ellen Bialystok and Michelle Martin-Rhee, bilingual and monolingual preschoolers were asked to sort blue circles and red squares presented on a computer screen into two digital bins — one marked with a blue square and the other marked with a red circle.

In the first task, the children had to sort the shapes by color, placing blue circles in the bin marked with the blue square and red squares in the bin marked with the red circle. Both groups did this with comparable ease. Next, the children were asked to sort by shape, which was more challenging because it required placing the images in a bin marked with a conflicting color. The bilinguals were quicker at performing this task.

The collective evidence from a number of such studies suggests that the bilingual experience improves the brain’s so-called executive function — a command system that directs the attention processes that we use for planning, solving problems and performing various other mentally demanding tasks. These processes include ignoring distractions to stay focused, switching attention willfully from one thing to another and holding information in mind — like remembering a sequence of directions while driving.

Why does the tussle between two simultaneously active language systems improve these aspects of cognition? Until recently, researchers thought the bilingual advantage stemmed primarily from an ability for inhibition that was honed by the exercise of suppressing one language system: this suppression, it was thought, would help train the bilingual mind to ignore distractions in other contexts. But that explanation increasingly appears to be inadequate, since studies have shown that bilinguals perform better than monolinguals even at tasks that do not require inhibition, like threading a line through an ascending series of numbers scattered randomly on a page.

The key difference between bilinguals and monolinguals may be more basic: a heightened ability to monitor the environment. “Bilinguals have to switch languages quite often — you may talk to your father in one language and to your mother in another language,” says Albert Costa, a researcher at the University of Pompeu Fabra in Spain. “It requires keeping track of changes around you in the same way that we monitor our surroundings when driving.” In a study comparing German-Italian bilinguals with Italian monolinguals on monitoring tasks, Mr. Costa and his colleagues found that the bilingual subjects not only performed better, but they also did so with less activity in parts of the brain involved in monitoring, indicating that they were more efficient at it.

The bilingual experience appears to influence the brain from infancy to old age (and there is reason to believe that it may also apply to those who learn a second language later in life).

In a 2009 study led by Agnes Kovacs of the International School for Advanced Studies in Trieste, Italy, 7-month-old babies exposed to two languages from birth were compared with peers raised with one language. In an initial set of trials, the infants were presented with an audio cue and then shown a puppet on one side of a screen. Both infant groups learned to look at that side of the screen in anticipation of the puppet. But in a later set of trials, when the puppet began appearing on the opposite side of the screen, the babies exposed to a bilingual environment quickly learned to switch their anticipatory gaze in the new direction while the other babies did not.

Bilingualism’s effects also extend into the twilight years. In a recent study of 44 elderly Spanish-English bilinguals, scientists led by the neuropsychologist Tamar Gollan of the University of California, San Diego, found that individuals with a higher degree of bilingualism — measured through a comparative evaluation of proficiency in each language — were more resistant than others to the onset of dementia and other symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease: the higher the degree of bilingualism, the later the age of onset.

Nobody ever doubted the power of language. But who would have imagined that the words we hear and the sentences we speak might be leaving such a deep imprint?

Kattabomman !

With the digitised version of “Karnan” becoming a hit, many are on the race to give yesteryear films a new lease of life. For one, Raj TV, which has the rights of many Tamil hits, is looking at digitising many Sivaji Ganesan and MGR films. Rajendran of Raj TV says: “I watched a few scenes of James Cameron's 3D version of ‘Titanic' recently. It was a fantastic experience! That made me think ‘why not make 3D versions of a few yesteryear films?' In fact, we are working on making ‘Veerapaandiya Kattabomman' digital. I'm sure it will be an enjoyable experience for the audience.” Looks like the Tamil audience can look forward to visual treats on the big screen soon!

A new role

Actors turning to production is not new — everyone from MGR to Siddharth has done it. The latest to join this list is actor Vijay. Sources say the production house could be named after one of his hits “Gilli”. His first production will be the remake of his father's hit “Sattam Oru Iruttarai”, with Vikram Prabhu (actor Prabhu's son) and heroine Karthika (Radha's daughter) in the lead.

The long road to a title

Suddenly, actors and directors seem to want the word ‘Nedunchaalai' in their films. Director Vetri Maran wants it for his film because the story happens on a highway. Siddarth plays the lead in the film. Krishna of “Sillunu Oru Kadhal”-fame too wanted it, for, his story too revolves around a national highway and is set in 1985. Ari and Shivatha play the lead. Actor Srinivasan too wanted the title and now his film (which he also produces) is titled “Desiya Nedunchaalai”. And, Krishna's film is titled “Nedunchaalai”. According to Krishna, the film will be shot on highways in Salem, Dharmapuri, Mysore, Bengaluru, New Delhi and Chennai. The cast includes Prashanth Narayan, Thambi Ramaiya, VTV Ganesh, Manigandan and Ponnaiya. The music is scored by Sathya C., and the film is produced by Fine Focus.

'கர்ணன்' again!

தூள் கிளப்பும் 'கர்ணன்'

Posted Date : 20:03 (21/03/2012)Last updated : 20:03 (21/03/2012) - பானுமதி அருணாசலம் கடந்த ஞாயிற்றுக்கிழமை 'கர்ணன்' படம் பார்க்கும் வாய்ப்பு கிடைத்தது. திருவிளையாடல், வீரபாண்டிய கட்டபொம்மன் போன்ற படங்களை டி.வி.-யில் பார்த்திருக்கிறேன். ஆனால் ஏனோ இதுவரை 'கர்ணன்' படம் பார்க்கும் வாய்ப்பு மட்டும் கிட்டவில்லை. டிஜிட்டல் தொழில்நுட்பத்தில் வெளியிடப்பட்ட படத்தைப் பார்க்க மிகவும் ஆசையாக இருந்தது. காலையில் கிளம்பி தியேட்டருக்கு சென்றபோது அங்கு ஓடிய புதுப்படங்களுக்கு ஈடாக டிக்கெட் கவுன்டரில் கூட்டம். தள்ளாடும் வயதினர் மட்டுமல்லாமல் இளைஞர்கள் அதிகளவில் வந்திருந்தது ஆச்சரியமாக இருந்தது. டிக்கெட் வாங்கிவிட்டு தியேட்டரில் உட்கார்ந்த போது கொஞ்ச கொஞ்சமாக இருக்கைகள் நிரம்ப துவங்கின. முன் இருக்கைகளில் உட்கார்ந்திருந்த பெரியவர்கள் தாம் அந்த காலத்தில் 'கர்ணன்' படத்தை பார்த்தது பற்றி பெருமையாக பேசிக் கொண்டிருந்தார்கள்.படம் ஆரம்பித்தபோது திரையரங்கம் நிறைந்திருந்தது. சிவாஜி முதலில் வந்த காட்சிக்கு அத்தனை விசில், கைத்தட்டல்கள். படம் ஓட ஆரம்பித்து இருபது நிமிடங்கள் ஆகியும் சில இளைஞர்கள் இருட்டில் இருக்கைகளைத் தேடி வந்து உட்கார்ந்து கொண்டிருந்தனர். நட்பு, காதல், வீரம், பாசம், நகைச்சுவை என அனைத்து அம்சங்களும் நிறைந்திருந்தது படத்தில். சிவாஜியும், சாவித்திரியும் வரும் காட்சிகள் அவ்வளவு சுவாரசியம். நகைச்சுவை கலந்த வசனங்கள் என்னை மிகவும் கவர்ந்தன. இன்றைய திரைப்படங்களில் சொல்லப்படும் 'டைமிங்' நக்கல் அனைத்தும் 'கர்ணன்' படத்தில் இடம்பெற்றிருந்தது. சிவாஜியின் நுணுக்கமான முகபாவங்களுக்கு, வசன உச்சரிப்புக்கு, கைத் தட்டாமல் இருக்க முடியவில்லை. அசோகனிடம் நட்பைப் பற்றி பேசும்போதும், தேவிகாவிடம் காதலில் மயங்கும் போதும், கண்ணனாக வரும் என்.டி.ராமாராவிடம் வில்லங்கமாக பேசும்போதும் சக்தி கிருஷ்ணசாமியின் வசனங்களை சிவாஜி பேசும்போது ஆர்பரிக்கிறது கூட்டம். தியேட்டர் முழுவதும் ஆரவாரம். 'நிலவும் மலரும் மலரட்டுமே' என கண்ணதாசனின் கற்பனையை, விஸ்வநாதன் ராமமூர்த்தியின் இசையில் - அதுவும் டிஜிட்டல் சவுண்டில் - கேட்கும் போது காதுக்கு மட்டுமல்ல மனதிற்கும் அவ்வளவு இனிமையாக இருந்தது. 'உள்ளத்தில் நல்ல உள்ளம் உறங்காதென்பது' என்னும் பாடல், படம் பார்த்தவர்களின் உள்ளத்தை உருகச்செய்திருக்கும் என்பதை சொல்லத் தேவையில்லை. தனது மாமனார் தன்னை அவமானப்படுத்தும் காட்சியில் வசனம் இல்லாமல் வெறும் நடிப்பால் பதிலடி கொடுக்கும் காட்சியில் சிவாஜி சிவாஜி தான். அந்த காலத்தில் பிரம்மாண்டமாக தயாரிக்கப்பட்ட படம், இன்றைய தொழில்நுட்பத்தில் பார்க்கும்போது இன்னும் மிக பிரம்மாண்டமாக திரையில் தெரிகிறது. என்னதான் பீசா, பர்கர்ன்னு சாப்பிட்டு வேஷம் போட்டு திரிந்தாலும், இட்லிக்கு சாம்பார், சட்னியுடன் சாப்பிடும் திருப்திக்கு ஈடு இணையே இல்லை. அதைப் போலத்தான் இந்த படமும். 'நம்ம' படம் என்ற உணர்வை ஏற்படுத்துகிறது. மொத்தத்தில் அற்புதமான படத்தை பார்த்த திருப்தி. படம் முடிந்து வெளியில் வரும்போது 'இது மாதிரி வரலாற்று சிறப்பு மிக்க படங்கள் மறு வெளியீடு செஞ்சா நல்லா இருக்குமே...’ என ஒரு இளைஞர்கள் கூட்டம் பேசிக் கொண்டு போனதை கேட்க முடிந்தது. இன்றைக்கு இருக்கும் தொழில்நுட்ப உதவியுடன் நல்ல படமாக எடுத்து வெளியிட்டால் ரசனை ஆரோக்கியமானதாக இருக்கும்.. முடியாவிட்டால், அட்லீஸ்ட் ஏற்கனவே வந்த நல்ல படத்தை தொழில்நுட்ப உதவியுடன் மறுவெளியீடாவது செய்யலாமே.. கர்ணனைப் போல!

Modi-ji on TIME cover!

 

Karnan rules

CINEMA “Karnan,” the classic featuring Sivaji Ganesan and a slew of other stars, releases in some theatres in the city today in its restored format

As N. T. Rama Rao in the role of Lord Krishna walks on the battlefield that has turned bloody with bodies of soldiers lying all around, I wonder how director B. R. Panthulu could have filmed the mammoth scene more than 40 years ago when graphics and gimmickry were unheard of! “Exactly,” says Mrs. YGP, dean and director, PSBB group of schools, who was among the audience that watched “Karnan” recently. “Panthulu's son, Ravishankar, told me that it took four days for the shot that appears for just about two minutes in the film,” she adds.

In the Mahabharata, the character of Karnan has several interesting facets. You can gauge the extensive reference that has gone into the production. “I remember dad poring over huge volumes for months on end for the project,” Ravishankar had told me when I met him recently. “It is an authentic depiction of the Mahabharata,” says Mrs. YGP.

Sakthi Krishnaswamy's dialogue is another enhancing factor! “Today we wax eloquent about Tamil culture, language and values. But the ‘Karnan' team highlighted these commendably decades ago,” she says.

Ganga's artwork is an exercise in aesthetic splendour — be it the palaces or the outdoor locations, his contribution is considerable. Particularly, the scene at dawn near the river where Karnan meets his mother Kunthi Devi is excellent for its muted lighting and the Sanchi Stupa-like structure that forms a silhouette in the background. V. Ramamurthy's cinematography and Ganga's art meld beautifully here!

Every scene of “Karnan” has been crafted with care. And for his part, now, S. Chandrakumar has done his best in the DTS department.

“It's like watching a new film. To me it is in the league of ‘Ben-Hur.' Remarkable job,” Mrs. YGP extols.

PERFECT BODY LANGUAGE

If the technical crew is brilliant, so is the cast that has Sivaji Ganesan at the helm. “Every muscle in his body performs. His eyes convey much more than words can. This is what I term as perfect body language,” she says. By today's standards songs could have been fewer and a couple of scenes could have been underplayed, you could say, but the riveting performance of Ganesan throughout makes such comments too frivolous to mention. What a performer! When will come another such? Notable actors such as Muthuraman, M. V. Rajamma, Sandhya (mother of the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu), Savithri Ganesan, Devika, Asokan, Jayanthi, Kalpana and Javert Seetharaman play significant roles.

The illustrious composing duo of Viswanathan and Ramamurthy has worked magic with music. “The ‘Ullathil Nalla Ullam' song gives the essence of the Bhagavad Gita in three verses,” Mrs. YGP says. They are by Kannadasan, that lyricist nonpareil!

A classic that was almost gone has been restored to the maximum extent, thanks to the perseverance of Shanthi Chokkalingam. Yet minor hiccoughs seem inevitable.

Besides other theatres, Karnan releases this Friday at Sathyam, Serene and Escape.

Swaroop Reddy, director, Sathyam Cinemas, feels “Karnan” isn't a mere business proposition. “The Tamil culture of the past has to be projected. Also such efforts would help the producers and distributors involved. Money is secondary. We are releasing it, not on a rental, but on a sharing basis. It means we could win or lose, but we feel it's worthwhile,” says Muni Kanniah, VP, Movie Scheduling and Distributor Relations.

“And for my part, I plan to bring my students from Classes IX to XII to the theatres so they can understand the values the epic imparts and watch the versatility of that great actor on the big screen. ‘Karnan' is a film for people of all age groups. Hope they throng the cinemas to watch it,” Mrs. YGP smiles.

The words propel me to my past, when Ms. Jesudas, who taught us Tamil in school, walked into the classroom with the announcement: “The school plans to take you all to watch ‘Karnan' this week.” We were thrilled.

To me, Karnan is synonymous with Ganesan, and my memories remain evergreen…

Living the role

“Panthulu means magnificence,” laughs octogenarian V. S. Raghavan. Just a couple of scenes, but, for the veteran it was enough to make an impact. Humiliated at Duriyodhanan’s court, Vidhuran vows not to fight for the king in the war, breaks his bow that has the power to annihilate the opponent, and walks out in a fit of rage. “I got so involved in the character that even after the shot was over I kept walking. Only when N.T. Rama Rao stopped me and asked, ‘What is this,’ did I realise it,” laughs Raghavan. “And later when Sivaji Ganesan complimented me for my performance, it was like winning an award for Karnan,” he recalls.

Kick-startled!

Shanmugasundaram who played Salliya Chakravarthy, a charioteer as skilled as Lord Krishna, was just 19 at the time. “A terrific experience! I think my fit physique gave Panthulu the idea that I could pull it off,” he smiles. His superciliousness in the battle sequence proves Shanmugasundaram’s potential. “It was shot in Jaipur. After work for the day was over, the horses, about 400 of them, were being led away in rows of four. I was still in the garb of a royal soldier and wanting to cross over to the other side I began moving between the rows. But the horse before me sensed my presence and gave me a solid kick on my jaw with his hind leg that I couldn’t close my mouth for a while. Every time I think of ‘Karnan,’ the horse and its kick come to my mind,” he laughs.

Moved to tears

The actor may be the father of two teenaged sons now, but he is still known as Master Sridhar. He was the orphaned child who seeks justice in Karnan’s court. “I’ve been extremely blessed to act with such a storehouse of talent. As I delivered my dialogue, Sivaji Ganesan was so moved that tears rolled down his cheeks. He called out ‘Cut’ and the scene had to be re-shot. Drawing me towards him after the shoot, he gave me Rs.1000 as a reward and gave me a hug. It was a memorable moment for me,” says Master Sridhar.