Oru thekkan thallu case - Life of a local thug and his enemies

 

Oru Thekkan Thallu Case (A southern  beat  case)

 Generally every village has a superhero. A thug, someone who others fear. Most of the time these people would be of bad character. But the lighthouse watcher of Anchuteng ,Amminipillai was a different man. He did justice to his wife and was also considerate of other women. That was why he objected the meeting of neighborhood  girl Vasanthi and Podian  at night and spread that love affair among the public. That's how Podian's ego was shattered. With the help of his friends Kunjipaki, Prabhakuttan, Kunjukunju  and Lopez, he ambushed Amminipillai and fatally injured him. Amminipillai came  back stronger after treatment and beat  them one by one in front of the public. He planned  to beat the fugitive Podian before his marriage with Vasanti. A variety of problems, many really trivial but big things in village life, arise one after the other in Amminipillai's life. But his wife Rugmini made  up for everything and ended  the story auspicious.

The  movie was directed by debutant N. Sreejith, written by Rajesh Pinnadan based on G.R.Indu Gopan's story  Amminipilla Vettu case. What made the film enjoyable was that it was set in a village in the early 1990s, brought  many actors who were not familiar to the audience, and told the story in an interesting way. The film was produced by Mukesh R Mehta and CV Sarathy and was not a big challenge for cinematographer Madhu Neelakandan, who had done cinematography for Annayum Rasoolum, Churuli and Kammattipadam.  The film was edited by Manoj Kannoth. The background music  was composed by Justin Varghese, who composed the music for Tanneer Mathan Dinamal, Joji and Ajagajantharam. Anwar Ali composed the lyrics. Biju Menon, Padmapriya, Nimisha Sajayan and Roshan Mathew in the lead roles, Arun Shankaran, Reju Shivdas, Akhil Kavalayur and Aswat Lal had given remarkable performances in the film. The film is available on Netflix.

Semmozhi Poonga -the first botanical garden at Chennai

 

Semmozhi poonga (Classical language pa

rk )in Chennai

Woodlands Drive –in- Restaurant has been a place of fond food memories for thousands of people who have lived in or visited Madras. They have memories of a  meal in the car or business discussions, chat on  movies or  the children’s park  near the drive-in. This place is a nostalgic memory for many . In that place, now  thousands of people walk, rest and enjoy, that is Semmozhi poonga. The park is located near the American Consulate at the Cathedral Road- Annasalai Junction in Theyampet. This beautiful garden is 500 meters away from AG-DMS (Accountant General Office and Directorate of Medical Services) metro station.

 The park is spread over twenty acres in attractive designs. It was designed and built by Chennai-based architecture group Rajendra Associates. Decorated with thousands of plants, including plants from foreign countries like China and Thailand, and trees over a hundred years old, the garden awaits visitors with small ponds, seating areas and playgrounds for children. This place provides a great respite from the heat and hustle and bustle of the city.

A monthly pass of 150 rupees is provided here for morning walkers. They are allotted time from 6 am to 8 am. The ticket price is Rs 15 for visitors above 10 years of age. Visiting hours are from 10 am to 7.30 pm. Semmozhi  Poonga is the first botanical park built in Chennai. It was named after the classical Tamil conference held in 2010. The park  was inaugurated by the then Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi. At that time, the price of the land was estimated to be Rs.1,000 crores. The land was owned by the Agri-Horti Society. In 1962, they leased eighteen acres of land to Woodlands owner  K. Krishnarao. He started Chennai's first drive-in restaurant there. In 1989, the government decided to reclaim this land. The ensuing legal battle lasted 20 years. In 2008, the Supreme Court gave permission to start the botanical garden. No doubt, Semmozhi  poonga is a favorite oxygen hub for city dwellers🥳🙏🏿

Mahsa,You are an immortal symbol !!

 

Mahsa, You are an immortal symbol !!

Those who haven't read  the article “Mahsa, you are an immortal symbol “ written by Hamid Chennamangalur  in the Mathrubhumi Weekend edition of October 2, 2022 must read it.He writes,” I don't know if some of our public intellectuals and politicians who claim to be the apostle of progressive thoughts and human rights have heard of Mahsa Amini. “ The article begins with Mahsa being a Kurdish Muslim woman who was arrested by Iran's official morality police for not wearing the hijab properly and died in custody. He is worried about the growing Islamicity.

He points out in the article that it is spreading even in a very free country like India. As the multi-faceted religion of Islam has given way to Islamicity, external wearing such as hijab, purdah and niqab, which are not related to the basic creeds of that religion, are being changed into inviolable parts of religious belief. There were many public intellectuals and politicians around us to raise their voices for the hijab rights of Muslim female students in Karnataka. Even our Chief Minister appeared on the podium strongly criticizing the hijab ban. On the day the Chief Minister made that speech, there was a huge protest in Iran against the killing of Mahsa. Like some of our cultural lords, the Chief Minister did not hear Mahsa's cry. A Kurdish woman was martyred for her right not to wear hijab. Our political masters and cultural masters who thought they did not see it should read this sentence on the front page of the foreign newspaper ‘Asia’, 'Dear Mahsa, your name will become a symbol'.

Bike ride went viral - Court has given an apt punishment to get bail

 

He must have felt that prison was better than this!!

Gotla Alex Binoy, a BTech dropout, is a biker with forty thousand followers on Instagram. The 22-year-old Chennaite  performed a motorcycle stunt with his friends in Annasalai without permission from the authorities. The matter went viral on social media. Police registered a case. The boy approached the Madras High Court seeking anticipatory bail to avoid arrest. Justice AD ​​Jagadish Chandira granted bail subject to certain conditions.

 These are the conditions

1. An awareness video should be made at own cost and uploaded on Instagram to show the pitfalls of riding a two-wheeler without wearing a helmet and driving a car without wearing a seat belt.

2. Road safety awareness leaflets should be distributed at the traffic signal at Teynampet-Mount Road junction on three consecutive Mondays from 9.30 am to 10.30 am and 5.30 pm to 6.30 pm. The boy has to bear the cost of this.

3. An affidavit must be given to the court that he will not cause fear or injury to pedestrians and other two-wheelers by driving recklessly.

4. For three consecutive weeks, visit the trauma care center of the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital and help the ward boys who attend to the patients who are injured in road accidents. This should be done on all days except Monday when traffic awareness is conducted.

5. One page report on daily experience at trauma care ward should be submitted to the duty doctor . The dean of the hospital should forward  it to the court.

 No doubt he caught the tiger’s tail, though the ride is viral!!

Idol smuggling - The government has to protect the priceless treasure

 

Idol smuggling - The government has to protect the priceless treasure

In July 2022, in an idol theft case that came before the Madras High Court, there was a situation where two officers of the Idol Wing -Criminal Investigation Department accused each other on abuse of power. Finally the court intervened and tasked the CBI to find out who was telling the truth. As the saying goes, “the  thief is in the ship itself”. We can experience such situation in every area where wealth is involved. It is certain that there will be a group of people protecting the guilty. This is happening everywhere, from Customs and Police to Revenue and Excise.

The case is as follows. The government did not allow Khader Batcha, an ex-DYSP, to retire from the service for allegedly having illicit links with idol smugglers. Khader approached the court. Khader alleged that retired Inspector General of Police AG Pon Manikavel helped international idol smuggler Subhash Chandra Kapoor and his local agent Deendayal. While examining the related files , Justice G. Jayachandran  identified that Khader had  joined the IW-CID in 2007 and was transferred to the Chennai Police in 2011. Khader was the one who found 38 idols and nabbed 8 notorious smugglers while working in IW-CID. He had 329 awards in his credit. A perusal of Manikavel's file showed  that a division bench of the Madras High Court and a judge of the Madurai bench have praised his services.

Khader alleged that Manikavel  falsely implicated him in the case of theft of 13 idols from Tirunelveli Palavur Shiva Temple in 2005. In 2008, Khader had filed a charge sheet against 8 people including Deenadayalan in the Palavur case. But the court also learned that a new FIR was registered against  Khader in 2017 by Manikavel  after the court appointed him as a special officer to investigate all idol theft cases in Tamil Nadu. Khader alleged that the case against him was a drama by Manikavel along with Deendayalan to get media attention. He also said that this was an act of revenge. It was alleged that Manikavel was able to save Deendayalan by making him an approver.

 In Manikavel's final report, Subhash Kapoor was listed as the main accused in the Palavur case. In the additional report of 2017, it was said that Kapoor would be brought to justice. In fact, Kapoor was arrested in Germany in 2011. This was in the 2008 Udayarpalayam idol theft case. He has been in jail since 2012. Contrary to what he said in 2017 in the Court, Manikavel sent a  letter to the government in 2019 recommended that Kapoor be prosecuted only in the 2008 Udayarpalayam case. After considering both the approaches, the court could only rely on the CBI to find out who went wrong and how to squeeze out the truth.

This is not an isolated incident. Hundreds of idol thefts and idol smuggling happening  in India. In July 2022, the 1200-year-old Nataraja idol was captured from a godown  in Chennai. This Chola period idol was planned to be taken by a woman who went to Germany 5 years ago. She failed to do so since she didn’t obtain the non-antiquity certificate from the Archaeological Survey of India. 14 idols were also seized from a gallery in Thanjavur in July.

A large network operating in India and abroad is behind this smuggling. The system has roots in every state. Temple employees may also be a part of this. Hazaribagh, Chhatra and Koderma districts in Jhaarkhand,idol  theft of ancient temples are a common phenomena.  Itkori  Bhadrakali temple in Chhatra which  is spread over hundred acres is one among them. Most of the idols here have been lost. In 1970, the main Bhadrakali itself was stolen. It was found in the house of Naulakha, a notorious idol smuggler in Kolkata.

All the tourist places in Uttar Pradesh are such commercial centers of invaluable idols. Ashta dhatu(8 metals)  idols are mostly sold there. A large amount of idol smuggling is also done through the 1750 km long porous Nepal border. A huge market for precious idols of India is set up in Nepal. A single idol of Buddha itself value more than 5 crores there.

 Idol thieves are punished under Sections 411 and 414 of the Indian Penal Code. It is punishable by three years and a fine only. The first thing that needs to change is this sentencing. Heavy punishment should be imposed for idol theft. India is just like the musk deer which doesn’t know the value of musk that it produces. The country has antiques worth lakhs of crores. It is also doubtful whether there are other countries that have achieved this kind of cultural richness. The government should be able to protect this wealth that still exists after the loot of many invaders including the British and smuggling by Indians and foreigners. The government should take measures to make accurate documentation of idols in small and big temples and viharas . It is better to position dummies in unsafe places and keeps the original idols in museums under high security. If not, the next generation will have to go to America, Germany and Switzerland to see the  invaluable idols.

Oru Thatvika Avalokanam (A theoretical Analysis)- A powerful political sattire

 

 Oru Thathvika Avalokanam  (A Theoretical Review )  - A Powerful political satire

 The Malayalam movie “ Oru Thathvika Avalokanam” released in  theaters on January 7, 2022, is  available on Amazon Prime. The picture did not catch my attention till recently. My friends didn’t discuss on this movie and hence had no idea on its theme.  I started watching it without much hope. But Akhil Marar, the debut director of the movie, kept the rhythm of the movie till the end. He deserves a lot of praise for that intelligence.

 The name of the film is derived from the famous “Sankaradi dialogue” from the all-time great political film “Sandesham”. There have been many political films in Malayalam like Panchavadipalam, Arabikatha, Vellimoonga etc. Thathvika Avalokanam  is a film that mocks on  the political leaders we see, especially a group of  freeloaders  who live only because of politics . When we see the characteristic local leaders in the movie resembling that of the important political parties of Kerala like CPM, Congress and BJP, we can connect them with our area leaders and their follies. Their foolish speeches, backbiting, bribery, grudges, anti-development activities, hartals and protests are all part of the film.

Akhil has composed a good satirical film, though not a film with a serious message. The main characters of the film are a road contractor Shankar whose life was made miserable by a leftist leader just because he didn’t agree for a bribe and a bright young man Nandu who was unable to appear for the PSC exam due to the KSRTC lightning strike. The film ends by taking them revenge on the political parties by using the same democratic system from where their lives were lost.

A psychopath who kidnaps a KSRTC vehicle from a depot, a crazy  ex-Naxal who turns into a dreamer under the influence of ganja ,a few smugglers acting like fools , all appear in the film as figures who travel parallel to the political leaders. This thought-provoking and laugh-out-loud film may anger members and leaders of political parties. But the director who himself prepared the screenplay, has managed to create many moments to remember and laugh again and again for people like me who watch political parties and activists from afar.

Cinematographer Vishnu Narayanan, editor Lijo Paul, Shaan Rahman who composed the background music, Ravi Shankar who composed the songs, Kaithapram and Murugan Kattakkada who wrote the songs have helped a lot in making the film a success. All the actors were excellent. Joju George, Niranjan, Shammi Thilakan, Aju Varghese, Jayakrishnan, Aziz Nedumangad, Major Ravi, Prashant Alexander, Balaji Sharma, Premkumar, Mamukoya, Abhirami, Saji Venjaramood and others have played their role well. The film is produced by Geevarghese Yohannan.