English & Tamil Monthly Magazine Volume 07 • Issue 08 March 2024 Price Rs 65/A TO Z INDIA Indian Culture ● Indian Art ● Indian Lifestyle ● Indian Religion Kothamangalam Subbu A Man of Multiple Talents Scriptwriter, Composer, Lyricist Born on 10th November 1910
A TO Z INDIA ● MARCH 2024 ● PAGE 2 Submit your artwork, articles & essays to the e.mail id: editor.indira@gmail.com
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BORN ON 10TH NOVEMBER 1910: THE VERSATILE SUBBU
IfyouhailfromTamilNaduandwereparticularlyyoungduringthe1950sand 60s it's impossible for you to forget the name Kothamangalam Subbu of the Tamil film industry. If you don't, let's find out who this Padma Shri recipient was? Kothamangalam Subbu was a man of multiple talents which included being a scriptwriter a composer, lyricist, folklore at sport and a fine connoisseurofartsandliterature.
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CELLULAR JAIL IN ANDAMAN: THE STORIES OF HORROR
A visit to the Cellular Jail, Kalapaani, comes as a morbid shock in Paradise. It was here, that hundreds of freedom fighters were jailed, tortured, maimed and boxed inside an unthinkablelife. A TO Z INDIA: Editorial Address
FROM THE EDITOR
A TO Z INDIA magazine covers the Indian through his art, culture, lifestyle, religion, etc. This magazine gives an insight into the life of Indians from an angle uncovered by others. Turn to find out what it is about and to immerse yourself into an entirely different culture.
Publication Team:
EDITOR: Indira Srivatsa
ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Dwarak, Srivatsa
EDITORIAL
CONSULTANTS: Santha, Bhavani, Srinivasan
REPORTING: Raghavan
PHOTOGRAPHY: Adithyan
GRAPHICS ENGINEER: Chandra
Editorial Office: E002, Premier Grihalakshmi Apartments, Elango Nagar South, Virugambakkam, Chennai - 600092, Tamil Nadu, India.
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Disclaimer: A TO Z INDIA Magazine has made a constant care to make sure that content is accurate on the date of publication. The views expressed in the articles reflect the author(s) opinions.
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A TO Z INDIA ● MARCH 2024 ● PAGE 3
188TH BIRTH ANNIVERSARY OF 188TH BIRTH ANNIVERSARY OF RAMAKRISHNAPARAMAHANSA RAMAKRISHNAPARAMAHANSA
From the Editor's Desk: 188th Birth Anniversary of Ramakrishna Paramahansa
Ramakrishna (1836-1886 C.E.) was a famous Saint in the 19th century India. He was born on 18 February 1836 into a very poor but devoutly religious Brahmin family in the village of Kamarpukur, Hooghly district of West Bengal, India. He became a priest of the Dakshineswar Kali Temple, dedicated to the Goddess Kali. He is famously known as Ramakrishna Paramahansa among his devotees. His full name was Gadadhar Chattopadhyay. He was married to Sarada Devi who later became his spiritual counterpart. Swami Vivekananda was one of his famous disciples. In honor of his Guru, Swami Vivekananda founded Ramakrishna Math which works for the welfare of others and spread the spiritual movement known as Ramakrishna Movement worldwide. Belur Math is the headquarters of Ramakrishna Math and Mission. According to Hindu lunar calendar it was Dwitiya, Phalguna, Shukla Paksha, Vikram Samvat 1892 when Shri Ramakrishna was born. Each year the birth anniversary of Ramakrishna is celebrated as per Hindu lunar calendar across all Ramakrishna Maths.
Sri Ramakrishna Jayanti 2024 date is March 12 as per Hindu Tithi. Dwitiya Tithi Begins - 10:44 AM on Mar 11, 2024; Dwitiya Tithi Ends - 07:13 AM on Mar 12, 2024.
A TO Z INDIA ● MARCH 2024 ● PAGE 4
Malampuza District:
Kadampuza Devi Temple
Indira Srivatsa
Kadampuza Devi temple located in Malampuza district.
Nearest Airport Kozhikode Airport.
Nearest Railway Station Thirur and Kuttippuram.
Best Time to Visit Karthikai day of the month Vrishchikam that is between November and December.
Kadampuzha Devi Temple is a renowned temple and pilgrimage center in Malappuram District, Kerala. Mighty Goddess Durga is worshipped by number of devotees, in this temple. The Devi temple is administered by Malabar Devaswom Board, under the Government of Kerala. All the acts and works of the temple are supervised by the Variar family and non hereditary appointed trustees. Two rituals are mainly performed in Kadampuzha on daily basis, namely ‘Poomoodal’ and ‘Muttarukkal’.
Poomodal is the ritual of embellishing the idol with fresh Chetthy flowers, while the second ritual is about breaking coconuts into two equal parts before the goddess by the priest. It is believe that by performing the ritual of Muttarukkal, the Goddess removes all the hurdles from the life of her devotees. If the offered coconut is not broken into two equal halves, then other fresh coconuts are broken until one is not broken into considered manner - making sure the obstacle is gone away due to the kindness of Durga Devi.
A TO Z INDIA ● MARCH 2024 ● PAGE 5
Malampuza District:
Kadampuza Devi Temple
Indira Srivatsa
History and Establishment:
As per the popular legend associated with Goddess Durga of Kadampuzha Temple, once Arjuna, the Pandava Prince, was offering prayers to Lord Shiva in the forest, where the present temple is situated. He was praying wholeheartedly in order to attain Pasupathasthra (a holy arrow named ‘Pasupatham’) from the Lord. Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathy, who were roaming in the forest for hunting, were impressed to see Arjuna’s devotion.
Mukasura, a devil took the form of a wild boar and started thrashing the plants and shrubs around the Arjuna, while he was in deep meditation. Both Arjuna and Lord Shiva shot the wild boar and then argued over whose arrow killed the animal. Finally, they decided to fight against each other using bow and declared that the winner will get the honor of hunting the wild boar. Both indulged in a battle that grew violent, in which Arjuna was defeated. Downhearted by the defeat, Arjuna started praying. He started flowering a big stone, by assuming it the incarnation of Goddess Parasakthi. He was surprised to see the flowers were falling on the feet of Lord Shiva and Devi Parvathy. Both were very happy to see Arjuna’s dedication towards them and blessed him with the arrow.
A TO Z INDIA ● MARCH 2024 ● PAGE 6
Malampuza District:
Kadampuza Devi Temple
Indira Srivatsa
Key Features:
Every year, thousands of devotees come to Kadampuzha Temple to seek the blessings of Goddess Durga. The Muttarukkal ritual is performed only in the morning between 5 am and 7 am, while the Poomoodal ritual is done between 9 am and 11 am. After completing these two main rituals, the temple is closed. Thereafter, it is opened to the devotees at 6 pm and soon closes at 7 pm. Food offering or Annadaanam is done at the temple everyday. Entering into the temple makes the devotees forget all their worries and gives them the much-needed positive energy to live the life contently.
Karthikai Day of the Vrishchikam Month is grandly celebrated here. Like any other temple in Kerala, Kadampuzha Devi Temple also has some special and influential days to visit. These include Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
How to Reach:
Kadampuzha Temple is easily reachable from Calicut Airport, which is the nearest. There are also nearby railway stations like Thirur and Kuttippuram. Both stations are 18 km away from the temple. Buses can also be good options to reach the temple. There are few buses that run direct to the temple. These buses can be taken from Guruvayur, Calicut, Manjeri, Palghat, and Nilambur. If one wishes to board bus from other places, then it is required to get down in Vettichira on NH 17, from where autorikshaws can be hired to reach the Kadampuzha Devi Temple, which is just 2 km away.
A TO Z INDIA ● MARCH 2024 ● PAGE 7
Born on 10th November 1910:
The Versatile Subbu
If you hail from Tamil Nadu and were particularly young during the 1950s and 60s it's impossible for you to forget the name Kothamangalam Subbu of the Tamil film industry. If you don't, let's find out who this Padma Shri recipient was?
Kothamangalam Subbu was a man of multiple talents which included being a scriptwriter a composer, lyricist, folklore at sport and a fine connoisseur of arts and literature. He was born on 10th November 1910 near Pattukkottai, Tamil Nadu. His education remains limited to standards 7 and 8, proof that education has little to do with creativity. He worked as an accountant. However, he found an invisible force pulling him towards the film industry. His friend, Kothamangalam Cheenu who was an actor recommended him to studios. By the 1930s, the blossoming Tamil Industry found he was a natural at everything and he started receiving roles. Subbu's production house was later renamed 'Gemini Studio'. More or less Subbu had a great role in putting Gemini Studio on the map of World theatre.
Even with no higher education, he decided to learn English on his own. He started reading books and mastered it by the time he became a well-known figure. He wasn't one of those people who you would call'Jack of all trades and master of none.' Subbu mastered each and every aspect of his versatile roles. As a folklore artist, under the pen name of Kalaimani, he presented many Villuppattu, Harikatha and Therukkoothu programmes on a variety of subjects such as Gandhi Mahan Kathai which narrated the entire life of Mahatma Gandhi in folklore form and Dasavatharam. As a lyricist, he has written many songs for Germini studios' movies. His songs were somewhat controversial however popular since he loved writing about satires. His songs from 'Amma Pasikkuthe’ to ‘Mylapore Vikkalaththu ' shows his amazing range. Even his poem has received tributes from veterans like Ki.Va.Ja., TK Chidamabaranatha Mudaliar and Editor Va. Ra of Manikkodi. As a director, Subbu directed the epic film of Avvaiyar, whose lead actor was K.B Sundarambal, a great artist of that time. He also cast his wife, Sundari Bai, in a minor role who acted the role of an incorrigible lady who refuses to serve Avvaiyar food.
In Miss Malini, a very very famous movie, Subbu acted as the main actor. You might remember a movie called Mr Sampath based on R.K. Narayan's novel. Actually, it was the Tamil version that was aired first which won the hearts of the audience and later a Hindi remake was made. Subbu with his wife played the lead roles in the movie 'Dasi Aparanji'. Subbu definitely made it into the film industry as a successful artist in various forms but his most well-known work always remain 'Thillana Mohanambal'. Subbu was the author of this novel, which was a weekly serial, the Anantha Vikatan. He later turned it into a script for the movie which was has a cult following in India. He received a Padma Shri for this particular work of his. The movie is critically acclaimed for its subtle portrayal of the socio-cultural environment and the Thanjavur culture of dance and music prevailing at that time. The movie was a commercial success too running in theatres for 175 days. It won two National Awards- a silver medal in Best feature Film in Tamil and Best Cinematography. It became an inspiration for upcoming movies which were based on musical themes like this one. He was a man with an encyclopedic knowledge of music, dance and film. Not only based on bookish knowledge, he always knew how to pull out fresh ideas which would dazzle the audience.
A TO Z INDIA ● MARCH 2024 ● PAGE 8
Born on 10th November 1910:
The Versatile Subbu
His works were loaded with information, just examples, an element of humour, good songs many of which he wrote, amusing wordplays and most importantly his commitment to the world of art and literature could be felt even when he didn't appear on the screen.
Unfortunately, his name seems to be disappearing in the industry after his death in 1974 as his audience lacks youngsters. However, a classic simply isn't forgotten. Ananda Vikatan magazine continues to print the work of Subbu to carry forward his legacy in Tamil literature.
A TO Z INDIA ● MARCH 2024 ● PAGE 9
A TO Z INDIA ● MARCH 2024 ● PAGE 10
பாரதத்தின் கண் ம த் வத்தின் அைடயாளமாகத் திக ம் ெசன் ைன, சங் கர ேநத்ராலயா கண் ம த் வமைனயின் நி வனர் பத்ம ஷண் டாக் டர் எஸ் எஸ் பத்ரிநாத் (24.02.1940–21.11.2023)அவர்களின் நிைனவாகஅவர பிறந் தநாைளஒட் , அவர கண் ம த் வ ேசைவப் பாரம்பரியம் வ ங் கால தைல ைறயின க் ம் ெதாட ம் என் பைத உ தி ெசய் வதற் காக, சங் கர ேநத்ராலயாவின் தைலவர் டாக் டர் எஸ் ேரந் திரன் 'டாக் டர் எஸ் எஸ் பத்ரிநாத் அறக் கட்டைளநிதி'ையெதாடங் கிய ள் ளார். இதன் லம் ஒ சிறப் ப ச் ெசாற் ெபாழிவ ஏற் பா ெசய் அதன் லம் கண்
ம த் வத் ைறயினர் அைனவ ம் ப கழ்ெபற் ற அறிஞர்கைளச் சந் தித் க் கற் க் ெகாள் ள அ மதிக் கவ ம், கண் ம த் வம் மற் ம் அ ெதாடர்பான ப ப் ப கைளத் ெதாட ம் த திய ள் ள மாணவர்க க் கல் வி மானியங் கள் , கண் ம த் வம் சார்ந் த க த்தரங் களில் கலந் ெகாள் ள உதவ ம் வைகயில் பயண மானியங் கள் மற் ம் அைவ சார்ந் த ஆதரைவ வழங் கவ ம் இந் த அறக் கட்டைள நிதி பயன் ப த்தப் ப ம். டாக் டர் எஸ் எஸ் பத்ரிநாத் அறக் கட்டைளயின் தலாவ ெசாற் ெபாழிவிைன காந் திய களின் ேபர ம் - ஸ் ரீ ராஜேகாபாலாச்சாரியார்
அவர்களின் ேபர ம், ேமற் வங் க ன் னாள் ஆ ந மான ஸ் ரீ ேகாபாலகி ஷ் ண காந் திஅவர்கள் 'காந் தியின் கண் ணா கள் 'எ ம் தைலப் பில் 17.02.2024அன் சங் கர ேநத்ராலயாவில் நைடெபற் றஅறக் கட்டைளநிகழ்ச்சியில் வழங் கினார்.இந் தப் ப லைம மிக் க, பன் ெமாழிப் ப லைமயாளர் கண் ம த் வ ேசைவத் ைறக் ப் ெபா த்தமான ஒ தைலப் பில் ேப வைதக் ேகட்ப ெமய் சிலிர்க் கைவத்த .