The Kannadiga!

‘The Kannadiga’: A lost cause?

The Kannadiga; a word that triumphs the cause of the Kannada people, the Kannada Language, and the Kannada identity, in its new avatar has been reduced to a mere vote bank gimmick.
The term as most would want to believe, represents ‘The Kannadiga’, or a native of the state of Karnataka, and acts a connotation of the presence of Kannada culture, language and ethnicity in anyone willing to be identified with the term.
A closer look at the term however, reveals a far more intriguing meaning and relevance that have changed over time, along with the state’s changing history…

Karnataka, the homeland to The Kannadiga, is a historically backed cultural concept, as the state is home to many other communities, ethnically diverse from the mainstream Kannadiga, that share little or no relationship at all.
The majority Kannadiga or the Vokkaliga and Lingayat communities occupy the southern, central, and north central, areas of the state. They are the people of the Kannada heartland.
Kodagu or Coorg is home to the Kodavas, and differs completely from the heartland Kannadiga, while Uttar Kannad and Dakshin Kannada districts earlier known as North Canara and South Canara are home to The Tulus and The Konkanis, who are in majority within their respective areas.
Districts such as Belgaum, Gulbarga, Raichur, and Kolar which share borders with neighbouring states also tend to have more lingual tendencies towards the states they border with. Half the population of the state thus does not speak Kannada as their native language… So who is the Kannadiga?

What is ‘The Kannadiga’ culture? What differs a Kannadiga from a Tamizhian, a Malayalee, or an Andhrite?
The other South Indian states can easily differentiate themselves from each other as they have evolved into cultural structures independently based on their respective majority languages. Why hasn’t this happened in Karnataka?
To understand this, one will firstly have to understand ‘The Kannadiga’, its formation, and treat it as an individual subject without a comparison to any other culture.

‘The Kannadiga’, came into being as a nationalistic concept, the nation here being the unified homeland for the Kannadigas, during the freedom struggle. The need for the homeland drove unificationists to create ‘The Kannadiga’; an individual, who irrespective of the language spoken, shared the homeland earlier known as Kannada Naadu.
The movement centred in on the only ‘Kannada’ Kingdom at that time, The Mysore State, situated in the south of Modern Karnataka. The rest of Modern Karnataka was under the three different presidencies of Madras, Bombay and Nizami Hyderabad.
With such an unbiased classification of ‘The Kannadiga’, the movement received widespread support, and a few years after independence, the full fledged state of Karnataka came into being.
Stretching from the Gulbarg-Bidar area in the north, to the Canara coast, now the Konkan Coast, in the south, the new state promised to be a home to ‘The Kannadiga’.
Somewhere down the years however, ‘The Kannadiga’ began to be connected very literally with Kannada, the majority language, spoken in the state, and thus native Kannada speakers became the ‘true’ ethnic population within the state.
This led to a fractured identity of sorts.
Unlike many other Indian states, Karnataka could not afford to be defined by its majority language, and ‘The Kannadiga’ should have never been defined by the language spoken. But that is exactly what happened in the end!

The propaganda went to the limits of recreating history, Tulu kingdoms became Kannada kingdoms, and a spree of differentiating what was ‘Kannadiga’ from what was not, ultimately led to the complete alienation of all the other ethnic communities from this new particularised ‘Kannadiga’.

‘The Kannadiga’ was now a cultural construct, and the baggage it brought along with its identification, led to a total fracturing of the pre-established concept of ‘The Kannadiga’.
This however benefited a few. Our politicians found a new vote bank, films a new money making idea, and literature a new patriotic theme.
‘The Kannadiga’ was welcomed in its new avatar and made part of our understanding almost effortlessly. Nobody ever dreamt that it was actually a time bomb ticking away, just waiting to explode.

That blow came recently with Belgaum asking for its Marathi identity to be recognised. The demand did not flare up thankfully into anything violent, but there are always possibilities that it will in the future.
The state is existing on a borrowed time of peace, and it’s about time our culturalists, and politicians woke up and mend what went wrong so long ago, failing which, secessionism; something the state should never see, will remain a very predictable doom in the future of this glorious state.

Ondu Lovvu Kathe!

I walked into class late again. This was the third time this week… (Damn! Those BMTC buses and Traffic jams all along my route). I took my place way ahead of the rest of the class.

Yupp… I was one of them nerdy front benchers… but it didn’t actually matter cause the prize I was about to get… was way bigger than these small petite nothings.

He walked in, striding like a war hero… My Greek god impersonation.

My heart skipped a beat as he stood right in front of me, and looked down smiling.
Could I have asked for more…? (Yess! Lots lots more!)

He seated himself on the bench (He never used the chair), and got down…
To taking our attendance. I loved the way he crossed his legs, curtly, yet with all the authority a man would want to show in such a gesture.

The window beside him was open, and amidst his thunderous pulsating voice and sweet bird chirpings emanating from the trees beyond, the light from outside reflected in his eyes…

“Suttum Vizhi Chudar-dhaan Kannamma, Sooriya Chandiraroe?”
(These piercing rays from your eyes my darling, are they of the sun or the moon?)
Bhaarathiyaar (Classic Tamizh Poet)

(Kill me! Bhaarathiyaar… Kill me!)

They twinkled!

I was melting, and didn’t want anyone to notice the warm tears rolling down my cheeks. I turned my head away, for I couldn’t take anymore of his fatal ethereal beauty.
This beauty was something I believed I saw alone. His every movement stirred passions so strong in me, that I wished I could have screamed aloud almost in orgasm.

He was my personal Jesus Christ.


It all began a year ago…

I was still an unbeliever in love, and ridiculed most of my friends who were in love, to limits that sometimes tore the poor couple apart (I was not to be blamed, nor was I guilty, for a couple in love who can break away over some mild incessant teasing, is no couple at all!).

My life was all happy and peaceful…
And then one fine day, when I wasn’t even prepared… He came into my life.
He barged into it rather!

For heavens sake how was I to know, Men can be so unbearably adorable at times…
I walk into the staff room, like a Rabbit walking into a trap, unaware that I’m dinner… And… There he was…

A man, in every essence of it, yet feminine in some vague un-penetrable sense…

Perfect!

He was EVIL… standing there…smiling at me (He didn’t even know me… God!)… Dressed to kill.

I pictured myself stabbing my own chest over and over again. The twinkle in his eyes, the jagged look (And I thought only men in Hollywood could carry off, Sheesh!)… And the Kurta (Did I mention I have an unfathomable love for Kurtas?)…

I was floored… literally!

I was moist (and I meant in the eyes… You little pervert!), as I walked out of the staff room. I held on to the wall, or I was sure I would have been on the floor any minute then. I felt sick in my stomach, butterflies… more like I was going to puke.

Things only got worse…,

He soon began invading my only left stronghold and refuge; my class.

And began teaching us!

Teaching? (Yes! You heard me damn right...! Teaching!).

My classes became nightmares, I couldn’t face the abomination. I would turn my face away almost like I was protecting myself from some evil gaze… waiting to burn me up from inside…
It was terrible!

It went on for weeks; I wouldn’t look him in the eyes. I would talk to him only looking down at his feet, if I had to (I gave up on the idea lest he misunderstood, I was checking out something else… Ahem!), but later shifted to his ‘hairy’ (Very kink... Only on him!) chest to be on the safer side.

The occasional glances I threw at him, when he was at a ‘formidable’ distance, made me go weak in the knees.

It was wrong for God to do this to me during such unforgiving times.

Ah! Me… the sacrificing martyr… so ripe an age… just perfect for love…

But I had to keep my distance for both our sakes (Sacrificing… yadda yadda…)!
Heaven forbid anyone found out about this crush of mine… insanely driven by passion.
The more I avoided him, the more I was confronted…
And then… that day… that unfortunately exceedingly beautiful day…
He flirted with me so outrageously that I gave up on trying to ignore him…

My fondness grew… and grows still…

It’s been a year now… he still teaches us, and today he’s in one of those deliciously fruity orange Kurtas. I cant seem to keep my eyes off him… and even if I close them, his voice would anyway distract me… as thoroughly as humanly possible.

I’ve always wondered how he seems to carry his droopy bedroom voice all through the day (It sounds even more luscious when he’s got a cold… I turn drool-pot then!).

I stare at the blankness on the wall dreaming of things that cannot be discussed here (Ahem!).
And even if I did try, I’d be treading on treacherous paths, un-treaded by any writer before.

I can feel something burn on my neck and so I wake up with a jolt, to the amusement of much of the class.

He is staring at me, looking at me with those brilliant eyes, almost inquiring, on how I managed to put myself to sleep during his class…

I look back as sullen faced as a character from Ramanand Sagar’s ‘Ramayana’… begging him for mercy, to be forgiven but once, for it shall not be repeated…

And in his typically magical sense of irrational responses he looks at me…

A smile slowly curving at his lips…

And he winks at me…

I shudder…

Not that I was taken aback… but at the sheer un-timeliness of the flirtatious behaviour…

My heart did skip a beat, and my mind tried to make sense of the whole happening…
But it was best left at just that…

I had received my quota of his attention, and the wink would drive me on till his next class… “That will do for now, that will do…” I remind myself…

Lets see what he has in store for me next time…

And I’m keeping my fingers crossed… that it somehow involves lips in the plural…
(Yess… Naughty, Naughty Me!)

Sringaram – Dance of Love.

Its been ages since I've seen a good Tamil Movie...
Sringaram made my wait worth it! :)

Sringaram – Dance of Love.

Sringaram, a riot of emotions, dance, music, and costumes so earthy in portrayal, its cinema rediscovered in a trance. I was one of the few lucky people who witnessed this cinematic masterpiece at The Indo-German film Festival, yesterday, and I'm still recovering.

The film is a compelling narrative that exemplifies the essence of womanhood, and feminism. Set in the awakening of the Freedom Struggle, in rural Tamilnadu, the film portrays the life of Madhura (Aditi Rao Hydari), a Devadasi as she struggles with the conflicting passions for her art and the heritage and tradition she now represents as the temple's principal dancer. The narrative includes space for the lives of many other women, Kamavalli (Hamsa Moily), Ponnammal (Manju Bhargavi), The Mirasu's Wife (Aishwarya) and Ambujam (Lakshmi Ravi), who perfectly represent women in the different roles they played in Tamil Society at that time. The films oscillates from being a strong feminine narrative expressed through dance to a period film so well-researched, that Mahadevapuram, comes to life in those well-spent 117 minutes.

Filled with brilliant dance pieces that have an unignorable Devadasinatyam / Sadira style of choreography by Saroj Khan and music by Padma Bhushan Lalgudi G Jayaraman, featuring several classical renditions by Bombay Jayashree, the film rises beyond the spectacular, and leaves you pining for more.

It's no surprise that this movie is the firsts for several people including Padma Bhushan Lalgudi G Jayaraman, Saroj Khan in Tamil, and Sharada Ramanathan, as a director. Aditi Rao Hydari and Hamsa Moily also make their first appearances in this film.

So, if you're in the mood for a two hour journey filled with dance, music, and art, as has never been portrayed before, watch the film when it hopefully releases in Jan-Feb 2007, and indulge in this gentle exploration of love, dance and music in all its possible hues.

My review of Monster House:

MONSTER HOUSE, There Goes the Neighbourhood.

Directed by: Gil Kenan
Cast: Mitchel Musso (DJ), Sam Lerner (Chowder), Spencer Locke (Jenny), Steve Buscemi (Nebbercracker), Maggie Gyllenhaal (Zee), and Jason Lee (Bones).

Fluke Spook

“Little Girl: Hello Fence!”

If animated movies were getting just too animated for you, thank god for Monster House. This 91-minute take on an urban Halloween legend, is loads of fun to watch. The story is simple. DJ (Mitchel Musso) is a kid who lives across the street from a spooky house, owned by a spookier neighbour, Mr. Nebbercracker (Steve Buscemi, ‘Tony Blundetto-Sopranos’). Mr. Nebbercracker has a secret he doesn’t want to share. No one’s allowed onto his property. DJ and his friend Chowder (Sam Lerner) get them selves into serious trouble with Mr. Spooky Neighbour. They end up investigating the haunted house, with Jenny (Spencer Locke), the crush at the moment, and the non-stop spooks keep getting better. A haunted house, three inquisitive kids, several unbelieving adults, and two outrageously stupid neighbourhood cops, what more could you ask for in a Halloween movie. The movie outdoes most of the other ‘real’ horror films we’ve seen recently. It actually keeps you interested. Watch out for the simply adorable Chowder, trying to be all ‘man’ with Jenny, and really bizarre characters like Bones (Jason Lee), and Reginald Skulinski (Jon Heder). The movie scores on the animated characters looking almost alive; all thanks to 3D motion capture technique. What really makes the movie click however, is the innocence that animated movies lost long ago. If you’re in for a total weekend entertainer, about a house that ‘mocks you with its houseness’, Monster House is your perfect family treat.

PS. Keep really small kids at home, it is scary!

Published on 4th Nov, Page 10, MiDDAY Bangalore.