Earthly Musings

OPENING FILM AT IFFI 2019 Nonostante la nebbia (Despite the Fog) Golden Jubilee version of IFFI 2019 kicks off in Goa with the Italian Film Nonostante la nebbia (Despite the Fog), a film by Goran Paskalejevic that veers around the life of a refugee, Ali Musa Sarhan who loses his parents when their boat capsizes near the Italian Coast.   Ali is accepted by a couple who has lost their child.   The psychological travails and the solace in accommodating the arab in place of their son.   Donatella Finokjaro (Valeria) and Giorgio Tirabasi (Paolo) face the challenges and confrontations within and outside their family in such an acceptance. In a real world when hundreds of refugees scourge the streets in hope of a better life in other and seemingly better parts of the world, children and often minors are left destitute waiting to be accepted or left to decay without parental care on the streets which accentuates the issue of refugees especially minors and depicts the xenopho

Free rides  in Delhi [Pink slips handed out to employees during recession or hard times has often been abhorred by employees workers unions but from 29 th of October, 2019, women in Delhi would be handed out pink slips in city transport buses to avail a free bus travel in the city of New Delhi.This novel project embarked upon by the Delhi Government has an added buffer. 13000 marshals are being deployed across the city to oversee that the plan goes without hitch. Marshals will not only hand over the pink slips to lady passengers they would also ensure their safety during the journey.] Delhi has been growing over the years but it has not been able to absorb the huge rise in passenger traffic owing to multifarious reasons. While first two decades of post independence era brought about white collared workers into the government sector into the capital post seventies threw open infrastructural sectors, small scale industries and tertiary operations drawing millions into th

                      God’s own country, in deluge While the month of August 2018 brought out images of flooding caused by opening up of dams due to heavy rains in Kerala, while preparing to mark the first anniversary of floods this year, God's own country is yet again, deluged in rains that is far exceeding    the normal patterns of rainfall in the state.    This year, however, it is unprecedented landslides in hilly regions and washing away of huge tracks of soil that is taking its toll on people of this beautiful state in South India. I translate and reproduce here, a portion of a write up, I came across in  Vadakancherry online , which reflects the reality on ground zero and exemplifies public reaction to natural calamities in the state reinforcing my faith in this land and its people.                       “Henceforth no one should call it God’s own country! What kind of land is this? What kind of people live in this land? Shopkeepers up the s

Dark Chocolate When you are restless, distraught or depressed don't go in for that piece of dark chocolate….read this: We are shaped and fashioned by what we love:             The first look, the first touch of something created by nature is enough to shape our present and our future.  It has been scientifically proven that a new born baby has the capacity to differentiate between individuals.  As we grow up our needs and desires centre around things that we love: materially or emotionally tangible or intangible.  We work towards reaching our goals no matter how trivial they seem to be but we generally end up doing what we love to remain happy lest we struggle with our frustrations and miseries and attribute them to our misfortune and fate. Target setting and your life notes To be happy in life, to reach our targets we need to set out with objectives that should reflect positively in Life notes (A folder containing your personal targets).  To be happy and to

India celebrates its 70 th Republic Day on 26 th January, 2019. The year commemorates the 150 th birth anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi which shall be set going with a tribute on this day.   H.E. Matemela Cyril Ramaphosa, the fifth and current President of South Africa is expected to be Chief Guest at the Celebrations this year.   The delegates for the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas which shall be held in Varanasi between 21 st and 23 rd January, 2019 shall also witness the grand parade at Rajpath.   As per tradition Prime Minister shall pay tribute to honour the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the country since independence.   National War Memorial near India Gate shall also be inaugurated by the PM. Contingents of the Indian Armed Forces including the para-military forces, Delhi Police and Service bands shall form the backdrop for a marvellous show of military strength as part of the parade.   An all women contingent from the Assam Rifles, which is one of

                                                         Olu (She) by Shaji N Karun                                                  A review by Jaya Prakash Kallikkal Olu (She) is a film that veers between fantasy and reality. Brilliant Cinematography stringing together varied shades of love, layered at different levels of human mind   creatively translated into a visual treat is the hallmark of this beautiful film.    109mts of pure fantasy unfolds through an intriguing story telling style splashing out onto the screen under the masterly directorial venture of acclaimed Malayalam Film Director Shaji N. Karun . Titled ‘Olu’, a local slang for She/her, used in northern parts of Kerala is a fantasy drama that rivets around the central theme of love as seen from a male and female perspective.   Shot mostly in the backdrop of turquoise blue backwaters, the story is set in a mystery island in the Arabian sea where a nun turned bodhisattva is believed to have set foot a

Indian Panorama Film Festival 2019 (Indian Panorama Section Films of 2018) Directorate of Film Festivals, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India is holding public screenings of Indian Panorama section of 2018 films at Siri Fort Auditorium between 4 th and 13 th January, 2019 at Siri Fort Auditorum, New Delhi. Inaugural ceremony shall be held on Friday 4 th January, 2019 at 5.30 pm at Siri Fort Auditorium which shall have screening of Aditya Suhas Jambhale directed Non-feature film Kharvasi (Marathi 38 mts.) and Shaji N Karun directed Feature Film Olu (Malayalam 109 mts.). Tentative Schedule 4 January, 2019 (Friday): Day: 01 Opening Film at Indian Panorama: Shaji N Karun's Olu (ഓള് ) 5 January 2019 (Saturday): Day 02 11:00 am Padmaavat (Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Hindi: Duration:165 mts.), 2.30 pm: Pamphlet/ Poomaram (Abid Shine)(Malayalam: 106 mts.) ,  5.30 pm:Aai Shappath/Walking with the wind 6 January 2019 (

[A writeup by Jaya Prakash Kallikkal on a new concept that can be used by urban planners for building people friendly cities by adoption of technologies aimed at pedestrian traffic, cyclists and alternative mode of passenger and goods movement across cities ] Rapidly shrinking cities owing to rising population and increasing vehicular traffic is a cause of huge concern for individuals and communities in terms of deteriorating health and pollution.   We are today witnessing a massive push for construction of roads and metros especially in the cities. While roads are re-laid over existing tracks, traditional highways are being expanded wider into four and six-lane driveways with varying speed limits.   A big causality of urbanization is safe walk ways for pedestrians and cycle tracks for cyclists.    Most cities in India, including Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai were proud inheritors of wide green turfs and open lawns.   However pressure of urbanization an