Talk - September 6, 2012 by Suhas Shankarappa

talk Volume 1 | Issue 4 | September 6, 2012 | Rs 10

the intelligent bangalorean’s must-read weekly

conductor who * Buswrote 550 novels Hit ‘mass’ writers, *sceptical publishers as dudes: * Gods Someone help! of * In praise the lurid Pages 12-19

LEARNING Bangalore gets a Google-supported ‘love laboratory’ 7

BACK FROM LONDON No 1 high-jumper Sahana on losing at the Olympics 10

TEA TIME Three concoctions to bring warmth into your life 26

AYYOTOONS Life and crimes of Janardhana Reddy 32

talk|6 sep 2012|talkmag.in

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Insightful story on the ‘organic’ lifestyle I would like to thank Savie Karnel for providing insights into the socalled organic world. The article was an honest effort to give the views of the main stakeholders. As a graduate in agriculture with some knowledge about organic retailing, I was able to gauge how much attention you had given to detail. I expect more such pieces from you. Dilip Kumar by email Love the format Absolutely superb! Really fresh, and I love the format and the articles. A great departure from the crap put out by our daily newspapers. Pradeep G N Jayanagar Best wishes I was surprised to receive a complimentary copy of Talk. The look, the paper and the printing are good. The coverage, which ranges from light reading to politics to

personalities to food to fad to theatre, is impressive. The articles on centenarian Prof Venkatasubbaiah and Satyameva Jayate need special appreciation. Wish you all the best. Shankarnarayan Bhat JP Nagar Fantastic Saw the mag. Fantastic. Wishing you the best. Let me know how to subscribe. Srinivas R, Basaveshwaranagar (Please call 080 49332100, and we’ll help). Mature and classy I enjoyed reading the first issue of Talk. The contents are mature and classy. The cartoon strip on Mallya was hilarious and timely. I hope you grow from strength to strength. Talk scores high when it comes to print and paper quality. The glossy paper and

clear images are a treat. It would be great if you could enable online subscriptions and present your content in an iPad-readable format. You must reach out to Bangaloreans all over the world. Maj Jojo Jacob Vannarpet Interests all readers Talk is a very good attempt, and contains articles that interest all readers. The quality of the paper is good, too. I like the pagination and the pictures you have used in the launch edition. Talk should be the ‘voice of the voiceless’, and I’m sure it will definitely win the hearts of readers. Lakshmi Narayana Reddy, by email Kids’ column, please Talk has surely become the talk of the city! It has piqued the interest of readers of all ages. It would be more interesting if it had a column for kids as well. Praveen by email What do you think of this edition? Write to letters@talkmag.in

EDITORIAL S R Ramakrishna Editor Prashanth G N Senior Editor Sajai Jose Chief Copy Editor Savie Karnel Principal Correspondent Basu Megalkeri Principal Correspondent Bhanu Prakash E S Senior Reporter Prachi Sibal Senior Features Writer Sandra Fernandes and Maria Laveena Reporters and Copy Editors Anand Kumar K Chief of Design Sridhar G Kulkarni Graphic Designer Ramesh Hunsur Senior Photographer Vivek Arun Graphics Artist

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party watch

talk|6 sep 2012|talkmag.in

Bold new strategy for JD(S) H D Deve Gowda’s party is now forming a wing for disabled people, and talking about Kumaraswamy as the next chief minister

BASU MEGALKERI basavaraju@talkmag.in he Janata Dal (Secular) is busy putting together a wing for physically disabled people, proving to its rivals that it is not short on ideas. No other party has tapped into disabled people as a voting bloc, although they have wings for minorities, women, and the scheduled castes. The JD(S) has called a meeting this month to finalise the officebearers of its new wing. Once such a wing is formed, and the JD(S) can convince this new constituency that it will fight for its rights, it will naturally win their

OK SOUND HORN H D Deve Gowda flanked by son Kumaraswamy (to his right) and senior party leader M C Nanaiah (holding pipe)

votes, and perhaps those of their families as well. According to the 2001 census, Karnataka has 9.4 lakh disabled people, of whom 6.6 lakh live in the villages. According to an article in the Disabilities Studies Quarterly, persons with disability constitute 10 per cent of the population in India, and 3 per cent of funds in all poverty alleviation programmes are reserved for people with disability. Talk spoke to veteran JD(S) leader M C Nanaiah on the preparations, strategies and programmes of his party. How prepared are you for the 2013 elections? Our party has always been an alternative to the BJP and the Congress. People are fed up of the corrupt administration of the BJP. The Congress lacks good leaders. I’m sure

our party will definitely gain from the fight between the two. And the people are definitely looking for an alternative. They say you will just be a marginal player. Your party has just 28 out of 224 seats now. The JD(S) gave good governance in the past and the public are aware of it. We lost power after our stint in 1994-99 because of internal fights and differences of opinion. But we have understood our mistakes and won’t repeat them again. How is the response to your rallies? We have already arranged large rallies and you will see more in the coming days. Wherever we go, we have received a warm welcome from people of all castes and creeds. We know the pulse of the people. What if the BJP government disintegrates and elections are advanced? Whether elections come today or in April next year, our party is ready. We will face the battle under the leadership of Deve Gowda and

Kumaraswamy. In fact, Kumaraswamy enjoys the support of young people in the state, and that will combine with Deve Gowda’s rich political experience. Who is your choice of chief minister? We hear there’s some rivalry between Kumaraswamy and his elder brother Revanna. If we manage to win 120 to 130 seats, as we think we will, Kumaraswamy will be our chief minister. If there’s a fight within the family, it’s Deve Gowda’s problem. And we’re sure he will solve it.

Who’s a disabled person?

According to the Persons with Disability Act of 1995, disability means people affected by: Blindness Low vision Leprosy Hearing

impairment

Movement

impairment Mental illness

and retardation

chit chat

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Agnivesh now banks on volunteers, not heroes ocial activist and former Team Anna member Swami Agnivesh was in Bangalore earlier this week to deliver the keynote address at the Social Justice Night organised by St Joseph’s College. Agnivesh comes from the reformist Arya Samaj tradition, and holds degrees in law and economics. He taught business management for some time, and is best known for his work to free bonded labourers. On several occasions, he has mediated between the Maoists and the government. In a chat with Talk, the 73-year-old sanyasi spoke about his life, his equation with the Maoists, and his new movement which he says is a better model for change than Anna Hazare’s. Here’s a quick round-up of his ideas:

On his childhood As a kid I was very observant and used to question my grandfather about things over and over again. I used to ask him questions such as ‘How can Gods with three heads go to sleep at night? Which language do Gods with monkey and elephant faces converse in?’ I have always wondered how while God has created the entire universe, we restrict our worship to puja rooms. My grandfather

would make sure that we recited the Hanuman Chalisa every night. I was interested, and used to recite it without fail, but my siblings were lazy and ask that I recite it on their behalf, too.

On being called ‘anti-Hindu’ To begin with, I don’t think there is anything called ‘Hinduism’. It is amorphous and it is basically a way of freedom. If people call me anti-Hindu because I am connected to the Maoists, let me tell you that even they are Hindus. Besides, don’t you see how I am dressed?

On Maoists They have taken up a cause and are identifying themselves with tribal people. You and I might know when we will head back home each day, but not the Maoists. They kill and get killed. They are uncertain about their lives and I appreciate their commitment. But, I stand for peaceful transformation and not for guns and bloodshed. If they continue with their carnage, they will never win.

On Bharat Mahan Maha Abhyan Let’s keep aside the Quran, Bhagavad-Gita and Bible for some time and accept the

Indian Constitution as our dharmashastra (sacred code). Through this we can fight for our causes better. As a members of the human family, we should help the voiceless millions. I believe today’s youth can do things far better than people of my time. Be sincere to your creator and get in to social work. Each of you can adopt a village or a ward, talk to people in each household, understand their problems and be the alternative yourself. Stop identifying yourself with cult figures like Anna Hazare, Sonia Gandhi or Baba Ramdev. Through Bharath Mahan Maha Abhyan let’s remove the norm of a cult figure and fight to create a world of equity and justice.

MARIA LAVEENA

governor vs government

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Glimmer of hope for red tape victim

talkct impa

Two weeks ago, Talk carried the sad story of Rajendran, languishing in jail for years after he became eligible for release. A sympathetic lawyer has filed a public-interest petition in the High Court, and if all goes well, the wheels of justice may finally turn in his favour BHANU PRAKASH E S bhanu.prakash@talkmag.in hen Talk carried the story of Rajendran Kannan, whose fate is caught in the battle between the state government and governor H R Bhardwaj, the extraordinary nature of his case evoked sympathetic responses from many quarters. A murder convict who has completed his life sentence four years ago and is eligible for release, Rajendran is still languishing in Bangalore Central Prison at Parappana Agrahara. Now it seems some concrete action may be forthcoming, and the authorities may take up his case, as well as those of other prisoners like him. Alerted about Rajendran’s story by the Talk (Issue 2) report, K Amarnath, a lawyer who fights for public causes, has taken up his case. On August 28, Amarnath filed a writ petition in the Karnataka Hight

THREE PLAYERS Jail minister A Narayanaswamy blames governor H R Bhardwaj (centre) for the delay. Law and justice minister Suresh Kumar (far right) has promised Talk he will call for relevant files and help Rajendran

Court, seeking Rajendran’s release. The court is expected to issue a show-cause notice to the state government, which it will have a month’s time to respond to. Speaking to Talk, Amarnath said, “After going through your story, I found that Rajendran definitely deserved his freedom. I have decided to fight for him, and I promise not to take any fee from his family for my services. I have acquired a copy of the High Court judgment in his case, and have also contacted the minister of prisons and some officials. I have also collected the necessary documents, including a copy of Rajendran’s good conduct certificate from the jail superintendent.” Amarnath said if the jail authorities failed to respond to the show-cause notice, he would pray for summons to be issued to the minister. When Talk contacted A Narayanaswamy, minister for prisons, he said, “I’ve seen your story and also got a copy of the High Court judgment in Rajendran’s case.” He said he was aware

Rajendran’s name had been appearing on the list of prisoners eligible for release on special occasions for the past few years. Narayanaswamy is now exploring ways to break the deadlock with Governor H R Bhardwaj. “I really don’t know why he has rejected Rajendran’s name this year, too. The state government has no power to convince him in this matter, and personally I have no option but to keep quiet.” He described the governor as “too stingy” in releasing prisoners, and narrated the plight of another prisoner in the same jail, who died inside jail even after the jail authorities had recommended his release. Due for release in two months, the prisoner had fallen critically ill. After doctors warned that he had very little time, the jail authorities submitted a health certificate to the governor, and guaranteed that he was no threat to society and was eligible for release. But the governor rejected the request, and within a few days, the

prisoner died in his cell, as predicted by doctors. “About last year’s list, the governor said even if a prisoner has a record of good conduct in jail, he can only be released if the victim’s family gives a consent certificate. This is completely ridiculous. Each time the state government sends a list, the governor comes out with his own list of constitutional powers,” Narayanaswamy said. On Rajendran’s case, he said he would take legal advice and help him. Since Talk’s meeting with him, Narayanswamy has announced that he is submitting a petition to President Pranab Mukherjee, seeking the release of prisoners who have completed their terms. S Suresh Kumar, minister for law, justice and human rights, said he was not familiar with the details of Rajendran’s case, but would consult his colleagues about it. “I agree there has been some misunderstanding between our government and the governor, but I wouldn’t like to put all the blame on him. The governor might have acted in haste,” he said. Surprisingly, despite government ministers and officials having time and again blamed the governor as being entirely responsible for denying freedom to eligible prisoners like Rajendran, no clarification has been forthcoming from Bhardwaj or his office. Talk repeatedly tried to contact him and his under-secretaries to get their view on the case, and was even assured a response, but has received none. Meanwhile, Rajendran’s family hopes things get moving and he returns soon. His wife Sumathi said, “I don’t know how to read, and my children are unable to read English properly. But I’m happy if you have written about my husband, and justice will be done. We want nothing except to have him back home.”

popular science

talk|6 sep 2012|talkmag.in

A LOVE LAB FOR OUR CITY

A world-class science gallery, networked with New York, London, Moscow and Singapore, is coming to Bangalore. Supported by Google and run by a Dublin group, it will explain memory, happiness, and even the chemistry of romance PRASHANTH G N

prashanth.gn@talkmag.in

ANGALORE will soon be part of an international network of science galleries linking New York, London, Moscow and Singapore. The galleries are being established by Global Science Gallery Network, Dublin, Ireland. Talk discovered that the network is talking to major science institutions in Bangalore, and scouting around for a site. Given the scale of the gallery, it will take eight years to fully materialise, but we managed to get fascinating details about how it is going to be structured. Memory, for example, is something the gallery will explain. If you think you have a good memory, you could put it to the test here. You could also participate in experiments that investigate how good your short-term memory is, and how humans evolved memory. Remembering names and faces requires your memory to make associations between different pieces of information. How about being part of an experiment that tests your associative memory, which involves an area in the temporal lobe of

FUN LESSONS Bangalore’s science gallery, now scouting around for a site, will test your memory, give you the feel of life in a bubble, and tell you why you like to dance

your brain called the hippocampus? Then take the fascinating world of bubbles. What does a bubble sound like? Can you wrap yourself in a bubble? What is the physics of foam? Experiments let you learn about shapes and colours, and fantastic bubble structures with soap films. If you are a music buff, you'll find answers to some very curious questions in this gallery. What makes us dance? Why do we sing the blues? Could there be a formula for the perfect hit? Music is a central part of the human experience, but what is the natural force that drives us to sing, strum, drum and dance? What is the scientific basis of whistling, humming and toe-tapping? From an acoustic bed to sonic tables and experiments on your emotional response to pop music, the new science gallery will allow you to feel how music moves your body through

an interactive bazaar of unique sonic experiences, installations, experiments and performances from musicians, engineers and neuroscientists from around the world. The gallery project is prestigious as it puts Bangalore in the league of big science cities. Building on the success of Science Gallery at Trinity College, Dublin, which will welcome its millionth visitor this year, the Global Science Gallery Network was officially launched at the Euroscience Open Forum in July this year. The launch of the Global Science Gallery Network followed the announcement of a one-million euro gift from US-headquartered Google. Michael John Gorman, Founding Director of Science Gallery, Ireland, told Talk: “This is a momentous step towards our goal of becoming the world's leading network for involving and transforming curious minds through science… We’re hoping to ignite

the creativity of over four million people annually through the collision of art and science.” Science Gallery is an award-winning initiative pioneered by Trinity College Dublin that delivers a dynamic new model for engaging 15-25 year olds with science. It encourages young people to learn through their interests and move effortlessly between diverse fields. Discussions are on with prestigious UK university King’s College London, to become the second member of the planned network. The college is among the top 30 universities in the world and the fourth oldest in England. Dr Patrick Prendergast, Provost and founding member of Trinity College, Dublin, said: “We are excited to see these links extend beyond Dublin.” John Herlihy, Head of Google Ireland and Vice-President of International SMB Sales at Google, is excited, too. He told Talk, “Science Gallery has already enjoyed fantastic success in inspiring and engaging people across the globe through touring exciting exhibitions such as Elements, Biorhythm and Surface Tension.” Continued on page 8Î

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politics and economics and ways in which it may be harnessed, cleaned and distributed,” says Why Bangalore? Global Science Gallery Network Gorman. has already initiated talks with Bangalore’s leading science insti- The chemistry of love tutions such as the Indian Then there’s the Love Lab exhiInstitute of Science (IISc) and bition. “What lies behind those National Centre for Biological butterflies you feel when you fall Sciences (NCBS). Director in love? What makes one perMichael Gorman told Talk that son’s dream date a nightmare for Bangalore was a another? Does natural choice for romance really Ireland because of exist or do our Google has its strength in the already offered genes precondisciences. tion us to seek the project a “Bangalore is out particular million euros a city with huge partners? Love dynamism. It has has been the (Rs 7 crore) fantastic science inspiration for institutions and songwriters, its strength in information tech- poets and artists from the beginnology is well known. I consider ning of time but now scientists Bangalore a positively disruptive are suggesting that it’s all a matcity in many ways. The quality of ter of chemistry. Is Cupid a science and scientists is so high, scientist? Love Lab draws on we naturally would like the city research from a number of difto be one among the eight cities ferent disciplines, including in the world with a unique inter- neuroscience, psychology, active science gallery.” genetics, physiology and bioThe galleries, including the chemistry and has been curated one in Bangalore, are expected to be completed over the next 8 years. ÎContinued

from page 7

by some of Ireland’s leading scientists including Boyle Medal winner Professor Luke O’Neill, geneticist Dr Aoife McLysaght and Professor Fiona Newell,” points out Gorman.

Other Exhibitions Science Gallery Dublin’s flagship exhibition Human+ invites you to consider a future of augmented abilities, authored evolution, new strategies for survival and non-human encounters through a range of installations and laboratories exploring the future of our species. This international exhibition has drawn together a range of installations ranging from a euthanasia roller coaster to the prosthetic head of Australian performance artist Stelarc. Human+ also includes a children’s book illustrating the question on where babies come from in the IVF era to a vision of eternal life through digital means. It also features artist Eduardo Kac’s “plantimal” called the Edunia - a hybrid plant which includes the artists own DNA. Human+ paints

More in the gallery The Bangalore gallery will be path-breaking. “Visually it will make a difference and impact when someone enters the gallery. They must be made to feel that here is a space where we need to do something with our hands and ourselves,” said Gorman. The Science Gallery in Dublin had organised an exhibition, Elements, that captured the beauty of interactive chemistry, with fascinating objects ranging from a flask immersed in gases to shining copper and gold, with explanations of the chemicals that inhere the objects most valued by humans. The exhibition was launched to mark the International Year of Chemistry. Water will be a crucial subject addressed by the gallery. “An exhibition on water is just not about depicting water shortage. It will bring together work by artists, designers, engineers and scientists to explore the future of water, playing on its physical properties, its role in

ART MEETS SCIENCE The gallery brings you the theory of dance

a somewhat ambiguous picture of the future of our species. What enhancements will we choose to become better humans? What happens when we live side by side with our robotic companions? Happy? Take a Second Look was an exhibition on happiness. Happy? presented people with a series of real research experiments exploring the causes, correlates and consequences of happiness through a living psychological laboratory. The experiment was looking at the complexity of factors that affect happiness - from experiments that explore the influence of language, emotional attachment and moral acts of kindness on one’s well-being to happiness themed events. Happy? aimed to uncover the true mood of the Irish nation. Can happiness be learned? Happy? was part of Science Gallery’s ‘lab in the gallery’ series developed in partnership with Trinity College Dublin School of Psychology to mark 50 years of teaching, research and training.

From an equal of gods to the expert next door

Guru SAVIE KARNEL savie.karnel@talkmag.in

once visited a house in a remote village. The entrance had a picture of a woman with bobbed hair. She wore a sari with a sleeveless blouse. There was a garland around the picture and vermillion was smeared on it. When I wondered aloud who she server and destroyer of was, the matriarch of the house the universe. This devotion for the guru said, “She is our guru.” The word only confused me. ‘Guru’ is now prevailed across castes and creeds used to denote so many kinds of in ancient India. The mystic poet people. The woman could be a Kabir writes, “Guru Govind dono saint, a political leader or even an hhade, Kaake lagoon paaye. expert in a certain subject. The Balihari guru aapne, Govind diyo matriarch added, “She is my sons’ bataaye.” (If my guru and God teacher. She taught them in were to stand before me, who school. My sons owe everything should I bow to first? Well, I to her. So we worship her picture choose my teacher because it is he who introduced God to me’). every Guru Poornima.” A guru is not necessarily Here in a village, ‘guru’ still meant a teacher or mentor. restricted to a teacher in childUnaffected by modern English hood, but one you can meet at usage, for the family, the word any point in your life. In that sense, the word had retained its agerefers to anyone old meaning. ‘Guru’ who guides and in Sanskrit means inspires. In the heavy or weighty. It Mahabharatha, could also translate W though into ‘someone who is knowledgeable’, perhaps the Dronacharya was Arjuna’s guru in reason it was used to describe a childhood, it is Krishna who teacher. ‘Guru’ is also used for the becomes his guru on the battleplanet Jupiter, said to be the heav- field. He not only drives Arjuna’s iest of the planets. In mythology, chariot in Kurukshetra, but also Brihaspati or Jupiter is considered boosts his morale and inspires the supreme teacher, or the Guru him. Among Kannadigas in Bangalore, ‘guru’ is even used to of the Gods. The Advayataraka Upanishad address a friend. Starting in the middle of the splits the word into two to explain its meaning. It says that 20th century, ‘guru’ is being used the syllable ‘gu’ stands for dark- in English for both mentor and ness and ‘ru’ for the one who expert. In 1966, the word was dispels it. So, the one who has the similarly used in Canadian power to remove darkness is a English. Some attribute this usage to communications theorist ‘guru.’ The Skanda Purana, the Marshall McLuhan. It gained largest of the puranic texts, says popularity in the 1990s when it “Guru Brahmaa Gurur Vishnu, was used for computer experts. Gurur Devo Maheswara, Gurur We now hear about gurus in every walk of life (management Sakshat Param Brahma, guru, fashion guru and Tasmai Shri Guruve even love guru). The Namaha.” These lines The Talk word is used so hold the guru in a column on loosely that it is conposition equal to that word origins sidered part of slang. of the creator, pre-

K E Y

O R D S

stadium view

talk|6 sep 2012|talkmag.in

A loser’s brave story National record holder Sahana Kumari explains the hardships she faced in London, and the humiliation she lives through after returning from the Olympics without a medal BHANU PRAKASH E S bhanu.prakash@talkmag.in

articipating in the recently concluded Olympics 2012 in London was a dreamcome-true for nationalrecord holding athlete Sahana Kumari. A resident of Jnana Bharati, she had hired a foreign coach with the intention of bringing home a medal, but things didn’t go the way she had planned. Sahana hails from Mangalore, and now lives with her husband and daughter in Bangalore. She failed to clear even in the qualifying round, following one of the worst performances in her highjump career. Sahana, who holds the national record in women’s high jump at 1.92 metres, could barely manage 1.80 metres in London. One of nine state athletes who took part in the event, she was the only one to represent India in high jump. But for all that, the state sports authorities added insult to injury by not turning up to receive her on her return. Sahana tells Talk even friends and neighbours are treating her differently because she failed to win a medal. Excerpts from an interview:

First of all, let us congratulate you on being among the rare BAR NONE Sahana Kumari is the national record holder, and was the only one to represent India in high jump at London

mom-athlete Olympians. For that, I can thank my family. My husband and parents have supported me, emotionally and financially, to help me realise my dream. You told the media that you didn’t clear the qualifying round because of the severe cold in London… I did complain of the severe cold. It led to my worst performance. But there were other reasons as well. For instance, I didn’t get enough time for a last round of practice. If I had managed at least two hours of practice before the qualifying rounds, I could’ve warmed up and performed better. To warm up on Indian grounds is easy, but in that hostile weather it was difficult. Why didn’t the Olympics Association fund you? Indian Olympics Association (IOA) funds only the individual athlete and not the coach. Even that was so tight that an Olympian having an extra cup of coffee or sandwich had to pay from her own pocket. Athletes from other countries were not only funded well, but their coaches were funded, too. That’s why I decided to fund my own trip, mostly with help

from my husband and my parents. Is it tougher for women athletes who have children? I don’t think so. If an athlete says she can’t achieve anything because she has a daughter or a son, then it’s completely untrue. Whatever I’ve achieved today is because of my family’s support.

and incredibly difficult to deal with. They don’t even know that it I didn’t participate in the Olympics with the government’s money.

Before you left for the Olympics, the sports minister had announced that Olympians from the state would get Rs 10 lakh each… Such statements are gimmicks, pure publicity stunts. If they are so concerned, they should have picked up You said there was no one to greet you our training bills over these years. I’m at the airport on your return… not complaining Yes, it was the most only about money, humiliating but the lack of moment for me. The same people Olympians having moral support. All they do is, when we who wished me an extra cup of are departing for a good luck when I coffee had to pay big event, come got selected were from their own with garlands and not concerned with make speeches as me after I failed to pockets though they have win a medal. They been taking care of weren’t interested. There was no one present at the air- us all these years. I’m sick of their false promises. port except my family. How about friends and neighbours? There’s been a drastic change in the way my neighbours and friends are treating me now. In our country, participation in a big sports event is not good enough. It feels horrible to face people who think that I’ve brought a bad name to the country by not winning a single medal. The questions asked by my neighbours and friends, even when I am in public, are hurtful

Do you blame cricket mania for the poor support for athletes? No. Look at England and Australia, who do well in cricket but also treat their athletes with respect. Here we watch cricket throughout the year, but are not excited about the Olympics, organised once in four years, or about the athletes who participate. Frankly, people’s attitude towards sport need to change.

talk|6 sep 2012|talkmag.in

Slutty spies and robot werewolves Soulless ‘metro reads’ and college romances, written like business plans, are no match for the lurid attractions of truly inspired pulp grew up in California, reading a lot of American science fiction, fantasy, and horror as a kid. Later on I got into hardboiled crime writers like Dashiell Hammett and Jim Thompson. I read “literary fiction” somewhat rarely, and when I did, the authors I liked best were the trippier, more experimental ones, like Beckett or Borges. For some reason, I find I’m generally bored by the kind of thing that wins Booker prizes—I have low patience for realist novels that chronicle the relationship dynamics in a family, or follow a character’s inner turmoil during periods of political unrest. For a long time, whenever I picked up a book by an Indian author, that was the kind of book it was, and I came away disappointed. I wanted robot werewolves, weird sex, fantastic cloud cities. It seemed like Indians just didn’t write like that. So when I moved to Chennai in 2002 I got all excited by the slim Tamil pulp paperbacks that used to hang on a clothesline at the tea kadai where I’d go for my morning coffee and cigarette. I was just learning to read the Tamil script, and I’d stand there slowly trying to sound out what was written: “Rajesh Kumar – Best Novel, Super Thrill.” “Pattukkottai Prabakar – Detective Special.” Many of the covers were decorated with gruesome photomontages of monsters and demons taken

CHEAP THRILLS (Top) Jackets of pulp thrillers in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi. (Right) Blaft’s anthology of Tamil pulp translated into English, features cover art by a pulp specialist

Rakesh Khanna Founder-editor of independent publishing house Blaft

from heavy metal album covers and video game screen grabs. The books were really awesome-looking, and I wished I could read them. But though the titles had a high proportion of English words in them, the same wasn’t true of the stories—and my Tamil wasn’t anywhere close to good enough. A few years later, I met Pritham K Chakravarthy, who had grown up reading Tamil pulp before getting into theatre activism and academia. She was very gung-ho about the idea of translating this stuff and bringing it out in English. She shared my sense that these Tamil pulp writers (who outsell—still!—practically any Indian English author in terms of number of copies) were being unfairly ignored by custodians of regional-language literature like the Sahitya Akademi. We also thought they might well have a market among people who read in English, both Indians and foreigners. Pritham did a ton of research and reading and gave me synopses of dozens of short novels. Together we decided on a set

of ten authors, travelled around Chennai and to Madurai and Coimbatore to sign them all up, and in 2008 we published the first Blaft Anthology of Tamil Pulp Fiction. The book got a lot of attention, helped in no small part by the sexy babe on the cover holding the gun (drawn by Shyam, a prolific Tamil pulp magazine illustrator, with additional design by Pritham’s daughter, Malavika P C). In an early piece on that book that appeared in the Deccan Herald, reviewer Vijay Nambisan asked if we could do a similar project for other regional Indian languages. Actually, Blaft had already been scouting around, and had gotten rights to the Jasusi Duniya series by Urdu crime fiction legend Ibne Safi. Though he’s considered a pulp writer, Ibne Safi gets some respect, even in Urdu literary circles. The same isn’t true for most Indian language pulp writers, and unfortunately, it hasn’t been easy to find people who could do for other languages what Pritham did for Tamil. While there are many people who can translate from Telugu or Malayalam or Marathi, few are well-versed enough in regional pulp to be able to recommend good authors and stories, and even fewer who are willing to do the research (which, requires wading through a lot of not-so-great writing to find the gems). Another complication—and this is an issue especially with Hindi—is that some Indian language publishers aren’t as careful about avoiding plagiarism and maintaining clear rights contracts as they should be. We did meet a Hindi translator who was very excited to do research; but what he discovered is, while there’s lots of cool Hindi pulp fiction out there, it’s

impossible to figure out who owns the rights. Some of it is just transplanted from English novels by Clive Cussler or Donald E. Westlake, translated line-for-line into Hindi, with the names and locations changed from American to Indian ones. Then there are the ghost writers. There are apparently lots of different people who write mysteries under the names Reema Bharati and Keshav Pandit; some of them are good writers, some quite bad, and some plagiarists. Some write novels where Reema Bharati and Keshav Pandit are characters as well as authors. Others write under different pen names, still using Reema Bharati as a character. Several different publishing houses might bring out books ostensibly in the same series. It’s too shady to get into as an English publisher—and that’s really too bad, because ReemaBharati-the-character is totally awesome. She’s this slutty superspy who, on at least one occasion, drives a sports car outfitted with machine guns and an invisibility switch. Things have changed drastically in Indian English fiction publishing in the last few years. It’s not all about Booker-style “lit fic” anymore. There’s a profusion of “metro reads”, college novels, filmy urban romance and historical Indian chick lit. These books don’t seem very interesting to me, and I haven’t read many of them. Most seem rather soulless, like they’re written as business propositions, to target some readership niche that a marketing team has identified. I still find what’s going on in regional language popular fiction much more fascinating. I was in Aizawl recently where I discovered that there’s a big supernatural romance/vampire fantasy fiction scene in Mizo. I’m trying to learn more about that. We’re also bringing out a translation of a Islamic feminist pulp romance from Nigeria this year, which I’m very excited about.

talk|6 sep 2012|talkmag.in

RAMESH HUNSUR

Let them read crap The most startling thing about ‘mass’ Indian English fiction is not that it’s mediocre, but that the very people who write and promote it also find it so

SAVIE KARNEL savie.karnel@talkmag.in hile regional Indian literature boasts a wild and richly sordid tradition filled with gun-toting detectives, voluptuous spies and lovelorn ghosts, Indian English writing has very little to offer in comparison. Instead, what it does offer for the most part is a bland affair called ‘popular fiction’. Says Mita Kapur, founder of literary agency Siyahi, “We still have to learn how to churn out pulp. There are no Indian pulp fiction writers in English.” Pop fiction books, or ‘mass market’ books, are a mixed bag of college romances, cubicle battles and the odd mythology-inspired thriller. A good majority deal with urban relationships or life at the IITs and management schools, their plots clearly implying that they are aimed at the new English reader living in a metro with a corporate job (or aspiring to one), and looking for stories he can relate to. The strategy has worked and sales have broken all records. Now, every publisher wants a share in the

What pop? BROWSING (Top) A reader checks out secondhand books at Blossoms on Church Street

Talk asked writer Jeet Thayil, whose book Narcopolis has been long listed for the Man Booker Prize this year, what he thought of popular fiction in India. His reply: “I don't think of it at all.”

profits and is promoting these books, usually priced between Rs 100 to 150. Writers like Ravinder Singh, who start with publishers like Srishti, who seem to publish almost everything that goes to them, have now been picked up by Penguin for their imprint Metro Reads. There is no doubt these books are selling, but a consensus among people in the publishing business is that most titles are mediocre. But what’s surprising, as Talk learned, is that even enthusiastic promoters of this genre share that view. Ahmed Faiyaz, founder of Bangalore-based Grey Oak Westland Publishers, which has released several such titles, is candid in his assessment of the genre his imprint specialises in. “It appears there’s a rat race in the publishing industry which is bringing to fore heaps of mediocre paperbacks. There is an unprecedented focus by even the biggest names to churn out these ‘affordable bestsellers’. When there is a disproportionate focus on sales, the quality of the book definitely suffers,” he says. Faiyaz, who has also authored a couple of titles along these lines (Love, Life & All That Jazz… and Another Chance) firmly believes the majority of what gets published is sub-standard in terms of plot, quality of writing and editing. Faiyaz suggests that these books continue to sell for the same reason bad movies become hits. “If Housefull or Singham are blockbusters, it’s because they are affordable entertainment options to a mainstream audience who prefer logic-defying entertainment. Many people in India need a break from their difficult and monotonous lives, and these books give them a breather. They’re accessible, affordable and written in a language they’re used to speaking in. The writing is not necessarily good, but it works with the target audience,” he says.

Samit Basu, who has written well-received sci-fi and fantasy books like Turbulence and The Simoqin Prophecies, too resorts to a movie analogy to explain the success of badly written books. “I find the most commercially successful Bollywood movies of the last few years unwatchable, despite being a great lover of lowbrow material, action and comedy in general. It’s an issue of poor quality, not the nature or subject of the story being told,” he says. He is optimistic that over the years the writing will improve. Tuhin A Sinha’s books That Thing Called Love, and The Edge of Desire have been bestsellers. Yet, the writer today laments that the boom has led to a decline in quality. “A lot of people have turned authors just for the kick of being called authors. Similarly new publishers who don’t know a thing about editing have come up. Most of these books make for good display on

What is disconcerting is the conservative, rightwing nature of novels that are blatantly repackaging Hindu myths. Just like higher consumption of potato chips does not mean as a society we are eating better, the record sales of these novels does not mean we as a society are reading better. S Anand, publisher of the independent imprint Navayana

Facebook walls rather than on book shelves,” he says. Siyahi’s Mita, who has been a literary agent for both literary writers and popular fiction writers, feels new writers and publishers lack patience. “Instead of improving their writing and evolving as writers, they want to write quickly and get published quickly. The publishers too are looking at immediate sales,” she says. She vouches for many good editors, but also says bad editors get away with shoddy work. Many mediocre authors she rejects manage to get published later, and send her copies of their books. “It was their way of making a point and saying that I am a first class bitch!” she told Talk. However, she admits to enjoying reading popular fiction. “I don’t want to act like a pseudo-intellectual and say that I only read literary fiction. As a reader, I enjoy mass market books as well. Some of the writing is good and the plots are racy and gripping,” she says. Tuhin feels the new English-language reader is not discerning. Mita though, takes a big picture view and blames the readers’ consumerist impulses. “We live in a world that believes in use and throw. People want a quick two-hour read,” she says. She is afraid the attitude of the publishers may mar the image of the Indian publishing industry globally. “We should not compromise on standards. Instead of being myopic, Indian English publishing should step back and take a long, hard look at itself.”

talk|6 sep 2012|talkmag.in

THE ONE-MAN WRITING FACTORY

RAMESH HUNSUR

N Narasimhaiah, a conductor forced to sit in court halls to pay traffic penalties, absorbed every detail of what he heard and saw. He went on to sustain Kannada detective fiction singlehandedly, for decades BASU MEGALKERI basavaraju@talkmag.in

s writing giants go, this diminutive man is as big as they get. N Narasimhaiah (1925-2011), the man who almost single-handedly sustained the genre of detective fiction in Kannada from the 1950s till the late 1980s, created some of the most popular pulp fiction in Kannada. But Narasimhaiah’s own life was more poignant than thrilling. Born on September 18, 1925, to a family of Dalit folk singers in Bangalore, Narasimhaiah had to drop out of school when his father died, and he was still in the fourth standard. The family was forced to move to his mother’s village in Chikmagalur, where they got a place to stay, but had to struggle for their daily sustenance. Narasimhaiah took over the responsibility of running the family at the age of 13, and started doing odd jobs. For some time, he worked as a tailor, construction worker and salesman at a hardware shop. When the family found that their earnings were not enough even

KING OF PULP (Top) Jackets of books by detective fiction pioneer N Narasimhaiah (below). Ambareesh in the movie version of pulp classic ‘Antha’ (Top right)

for their basic needs, they moved back to Bangalore, where Narasimhaiah found work as a bus cleaner, and was promoted to the post of conductor. It was normal for his bus to accommodate more people than the prescribed limit, a practice that led to his transport company being fined frequently. It was Narasimhaiah’s duty to go to court and pay the fine, which soon became a routine for him. Narasimhaiah was so fascinated by the goings on around him— cases involving theft, murder and conspiracy—that he would look forward to his court visits. He didn’t know it then, but those idle days would prove a rich source that he would later mine for his popular investigative thrillers. However, Narasimhaiah who had received a ‘best conductor’ certificate from the British-run administration in 1944, did not last long in that line either. He soon found himself a job as an assistant at a publishing house owned by T Narayana Iyengar, where his main duty was to keep the bookshelves dusted. An unlikely beginning, but it was in these humble circumstances that Kannada’s greatest pulp writer would first start to read books. Iyengar’s titles were not doing as well as he hoped they would. One day, the frustrated publisher burst out in Narasimhaiah’s presence, “What’s this rubbish they write? These books won’t sell even at three paise each!” Without thinking, Narasimhaiah responded, “If you had asked, then I would have written something for you.” Iyengar was taken aback, but replied, “Nothing wrong with it. Go ahead and write one.” But even Iyengar, a veteran of the pulp fiction business, was not prepared for what was to come. Within no time, Narasimhaiah produced Pattedaara Purushottama (Detective Purushottama), a book that became an instant hit, its first print run having sold out in just 15 days. Encouraged by Iyengar, Narasimhaiah produced some fifteen more novels over the next six months, without ever getting paid for it. His success was unprecedented, and what started off as a favour to his employer, soon turned into a full-fledged career. His simple but carefully constructed stories won him many ardent fans, the then chief minister Devaraj Urs, poet Nissar Ahmed, and actress Tara being among them.

Narasimhaiah soon gained fame, and publishers started approaching him. Nevertheless, they took full advantage of his lack of celebrity status. The highest royalty he received in this period was Rs 15, a pittance given that his books were selling at Rs 3 each. Some of his best known works are Vichitra Vilasini (Strange Woman), Mayanganeya Marma (The Seductress’s Secret), Raginiya Rangata (Ragini’s Game of Colours) and Madhusudhanana Nooru Saahasagalu (The Hundred Adventures of Madhusudana). His most successful novel, Bhyankara Bairagi,(The Fearsome Ascetic) ran into a record eight editions at one stretch, and remains in print to this day. Some of the characters he created, such as Galiraya, Pattedara (detective) Purushottama, Madhusudhana and Arinjaya acquired iconic status. While his less talented contemporaries found it more lucrative to translate works of Western writers such as Agatha Christie and Earl Stanley Gardner, Narasimhaiah instead turned his attention to creating credible homegrown thrillers. He looked to thriller writers H K Ananta Rao and T K Rama Rao as his literary inspirations, but what ultimately drove him was sheer desperation. ‘Poverty prodded me to write detective fiction,’ he once said. Narasimhaiah’s productivity was super-human. His son Ravindra recalls a day when four publishers came home to request his father to write thrillers for them. Incredibly, Narasimhaiah said yes to all of them. For one of them, he wrote a 20-page thriller on the spot

The daily crime show on TV is the prime suspect, but it isn’t without its accomplices

Who killed the Kannada

pulp novel?

so he could publish it right away. Within the next four days, Narasimhaiah had completed writing the thrillers for all four, just as he had promised. Ravindra also recalls an instance when a publisher pleaded with his father to give him a thriller urgently. Narasimhaiah asked for 24 hours, and turned out a 200-pager on time, just as he had promised! But for all that, he was never careless with his craft. Ravindra recalls an incident which reveals Narasimhaiah’s meticulousness and attention to detail. “My father was writing Keralida Kesari (The Taunted Lion), a novel in which both hero and villain were wrestlers. My father knew a bit about wrestling but not its nuances. To understand them better, he got two wrestlers to come home and put up a fight in front of him. Only after learning the minute details did he proceed to describe it in his novel.” Narasimhaiah was fascinated by incidents of robbery, murder, sorcery and crime, and did not hesitate to pick others’ brains to get the information he wanted. Ravindra names a police inspector, K L Singh, and a lawyer, Nagaiah, as two of close friends who were also rich sources of raw material for him. Another source was the well-travelled freedom

fighter H S Doreswamy, whose stories of the Chambal Valley’s dacoits and their daring exploits would thrill Narasimhaiah no end. Narasimhaiah also read with focus, and was knowledgeable about the Indian Penal Code and modern forensic science. Narasimhaiah wrote about 550 books, the bulk of them detective thrillers, and some less successful social and biographical novels. Copies of some 480 of his books have been collected by Ravindra, who is proud of his father’s legacy. Ravindra also says that many of Narasimhaiah’s publishers secured rights for his books at a pittance, while film producers used sequences from his books and never paid him the promised money. The author remained poor to the very end, earning a meagre government pension of Rs 1,000. Mainstream literary figures hardly acknowledged his existence. He used to remark television had made him stop writing. Towards the end of his career though, he received several awards including a felicitation at Kannada Sahitya Sammelan at Davangere in 1992, and the Karnataka Sahitya Academy award in 2008. But the true measure of his success, perhaps, is the fact that 25 of his titles remain in print to this day, decades after he wrote them.

Excerpts

Before killing her, he had used chloroform and made everyone in the house unconscious. He had probably murdered her after making her unconscious, too. There was so much finery and jewellery around, and he hadn’t touched a thing. Detective Madhusudana deduced the killer just wanted to commit a murder, and then watch the fun.

From Entu Kolegala Banta (Killer of Eight), 1960 It was nine at night, and the police investigators were busy at work. Inspector Chandranath was at the station. When will detective Purushottama arrive, he wondered. He was restless, with no other thought in his head. As he brooded, he noticed Purushottama walk up to his house in the dark, all alone, and open the lock.

From Keralida Kesari (The Taunted Lion)

It’s hard to imagine now, but detective fiction was a flourishing genre in Kannada letters, and was devoured by enthusiastic readers across social strata. Stalwarts of the genre, like the late N Narasimhaiah, were an inspiration to scores of others in whom he instilled the urge to write. Among the new generation of pulp authors who emerged in the ’60s and early ’70s, Maa Ramamurthy, in whose honour a layout near K R Puram is named, wrote 25 detective novels. H K Ananthram, who lived in Hyderabad, wrote 34. His Antha (The End), about an honest policeman who rebels against a corrupt political system, was published in the weekly magazine Sudha and became an instant hit. Ambareesh played the lead in the movie adaptation, which ran to packed houses and inaugurated the political thriller genre in Kannada cinema. Sudarshan Desai, who died recently, took detective plots in a different direction. His Yellow Scorpion is a psychological thriller. T K Rama Rao and Vijay Sasanur wrote thrillers as serials for the Kannada weeklies. Ma Bhi She, Jinde Nanjundaswamy, Kakolu Ramaiah, M Shivajirao, Saska Murthy were the most popular among detective fiction writers,

HIT TELUGU WRITER

Madhu Babu, who works as a school headmaster, wrote more than 100 books between 1970 and 1990. His books are priced between Rs 8 and Rs 10. Two publishing houses, one in Chennai and the other in Vijayawada, vie to publish him.

and were followed by H K Ananthrao, T K Ramarao, Koundinya and Sudarshan Desai. Then came another generation of writers like G Prakash, B V Ananthram, C S Rao and Vijay Kumar. After Narasimhaiah’s generation stopped writing, the genre went into decline. There isn’t a single publication house today bringing out detective novels cheap. (Earlier you could get one for less than Rs 15). Pulp author G Prakash says there is no demand for detective fiction. “Books were the biggest source of knowledge and entertainment for us, whereas today, people have all kinds of options,” he says. ‘The genre is not selling. Books like those by (tabloid journalist and writer of ‘real-life’ thrillers) Ravi Belagere are now in demand,” says Sreenidhi, a publisher. “Books by Narasimhaiah are still available, but others’ books are not even in print. But for him, Kannada pulp is dead,” says K R Sundar Raj, who has been running wholesale book store Geetha Agencies in Balepet for 60 years. Vidyaranya, who publishes a monthly magazine dedicated to pulp fiction called Spy, points out how public libraries, which used to purchase detective thrillers in bulk, stopped the practice nearly a decade ago, delivering a financial blow to the genre. Younger readers, educated in English, have migrated to that language. The Kannada TV channels run daily crime shows that draw on the murders reported the previous day. The Kannada reader has now shifted to television for those spine-chilling moments, and in the process, has lost the taste for the whodunit.

BASU MEGALKERI

talk|6 sep 2012|talkmag.in

THE ONE-MAN WRITING FACTORY

RAMESH HUNSUR

KING OF PULP (Top) Jackets of books by detective fiction pioneer N Narasimhaiah (below). Ambareesh in the movie version of pulp classic ‘Antha’ (Top right)

The daily crime show on TV is the prime suspect, but it isn’t without its accomplices

Who killed the Kannada

pulp novel?

Excerpts

From Keralida Kesari (The Taunted Lion)

HIT TELUGU WRITER

BASU MEGALKERI

talk|6 sep 2012|talkmag.in

nce upon a time, long, long ago, I used to say that there were no bad books; there were only books that one might not like personally. But the other day, having tortured myself till page 84 of a 'bestseller', I decided some books are just bad. One just cannot be politically correct about them all the time. Growing up with a granny meant I was given large doses of mythology at bedtime. That, and the 1990s phenomenon that was Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayana, left me with no choice but to know the stories that make up that family drama. But time blunts the edges of even the most beloved memories, and when it began to so happen that names and details from the epic began to slip from me, there sounded the gong of mythological novels in English. But I soon realised I had rejoiced too soon.

Many recent best-sellers are based on mythological themes. The bulk of the prose churned out in this publishing manthan is just plain toxic, finds Dharithri

Get a grip on your prose, dude

OLD GOLD Writers are mining ancient Indian myths for their city-slicker themes

Here’s how it goes

From The Immortals of Meluha * What does Shiva say when he is exasperated (which is at every second page)? “This bloody blue throat of mine...", "What the..." * We are talking of a story set in 1900 BC. Yet, when Shiva and his tribe arrive at the gates of Srinagar, who does he meet? An Orientation Executive at the Foreigner's Office, his 'single point of contact for all issues whilst you are here'. * Every time the blue throat of Shiva is revealed, the prose explodes in a series of exclamation marks. Someone asks, "Where the hell have you been?" Bali and the Ocean of Milk

“TLC? What’s that?” Indrah asked.

God as dude Given the frighteningly bad quality of writing, an even worse quality of editing, I am not so sure anyone ought to be reading these books. Amish Tripathi’s The Immortals of Meluha was flying off the shelves at the same time that everyone was condemning the bad writing in it. The cover was eye-catching, Shiva as this cool dude of a God and all that. I picked it up and finished it at one go. For a pulp fiction book, it had almost done its job, being racy enough. But good heavens, the prose! Here you have Shiva, in an avatar before he became God; cool, flirty, insecure. He is just another tribal scattered throughout this book, actchieftain from the Himalayas and ing as cues for you to think, ‘How except for his broad shoulders and an cute of Shiva!’ or go ‘Aah!’ at his wit. air of leadership, there is nothing special about him until he escapes con- Assembly-line books flict with another tribe and arrives in For all you know, the ‘boring banker’, Meluha. Wracked with guilt about an as the bio describes him, just hasn’t old incident, the chillum and conver- been able to shake off his office prose. Why else sations with his best would a character friend Bhadra keep tell Shiva that him going even after I first balked something had he is unwillingly when Urvashi been done “as per thrust into a God’s began to call your instructions?” role by a fawning Indra ‘fuddyI was once a people who see him member of a as a saviour. duddy Indy’ library. That was In the book, how I came to borNandi is a Man Friday of sorts, not Shiva’s vehicle that row Ashok Banker’s book The Prince my grandmother taught me the bull of Ayodhya. The writing is miles better was. Ganesha is a grotesque, disfig- than in Amish Tripathi’s Shiva trilogy, ured warrior from the unruly regions but that still didn’t get me past the first chapter. Too verbose for me. of the south of Deccan. It was old man Scott Fitzgerald who said an exclamation point is like Author as marketer laughing at your own joke. Clearly, At my favourite bookshop the other Amish Tripathi is okay with that— day, I saw a book I first mistook to be countless exclamation points are Amish Tripathi’s new release. It

“Tender Loving Care, for heaven’s sake,’ she (Urvashi) giggled. ‘Indy, you are becoming such a boring old fuddy-duddy.” *** Viru, aka, Lord Vishnu to Indrah, refers to a hair dye product: ‘Molten Midnight by So’Real, I believe it is called’.

turned out to be yet another trilogy, called Kaal, by Sangeeta Bahadur. Her website is swanky and makes all kinds of ‘exotic’ sounds on every page. In her blog, she writes about how she and her publishers decided on the name Kaal because they wanted something ‘exotic’ and ‘zingy’. I couldn’t read the full blog post, and I already knew that I wouldn’t be picking up the book.

An ocean of slush I have saved the worst for the last. I picked up Nilanjan P Choudhury’s Bali and the Ocean of Milk during a short holiday. Indra, who loses his virility, and Bali, who is on his deathbed. churn the ocean for amrutha, for mutual use and benefit. I first balked when Urvashi began to call Indra ‘fuddy-duddy Indy’. This, on the fourth page. Things got steadily worse, with references aplenty to daily soaps on television like Balika Vadhu (a play on ‘Bali ka

vadh’, the killing of Bali!), to shameless plugs for luxury resorts like Ananda in the Himalayas to invocation of kasams of friendship a la Veeru in the film Sholay. A character is even called Viru (and that is the God Vishnu for you)! After page 84, I simply couldn’t go on. Nilanjan Choudhury’s prose is laden with messy metaphors (“squash that pest like an overripe grape”). Passages describing sex and death and most else are too crude even for pulp fiction. Conversations have too much slang, and the narrative is flat.

Who are the culprits? Do I blame the editors of the books for the shoddy writing? Maybe I ought to blame the publishers, all reputed ones at that, for their slipping standards. Or maybe I can blame the economics of this trade? Amish Tripathi left off his second book at a very crucial point. I rue the day I started his trilogy. I will be reading his third book when it comes out: I want to know what happened. And guess what, this is why he and others like him win.

death metal

talk|6 sep 2012|talkmag.in

In memoriam

PALACE GROUNDS Artistes discuss the impact of the ban on music at the popular venue, and say alternatives, such as Hoskote and Tumkur, are too far from the city

PRACHI SIBAL prachi.sibal@talkmag.in or Bangalore’s music lovers, the bad news is confirmed, and they can only brood about it. Palace Grounds has officially shut its gates to most commercial activity, including exhibitions and music concerts, following a directive issued by the commissioner of police on August 3. A day earlier, Housing Minister V Somanna had announced it in the Legislative Council, after opposition leaders accused the state government of violating Supreme Court guidelines on the property, and illegally renting it out for commercial use. The directive also resulted in the demolition of permanent structures erected in the venue, and banned any construction of temporary structures for events. However, Palace Grounds continues to play host to weddings and other such events. Mayor D Venkatesha Murthy told Talk that the ban is “beyond our jurisdiction”, and denied having got

BYE BYE BANGALORE? Metallica (top), Bryan Adams and Akon are just three of the big names to have performed at Palace Grounds, arguably India’s top music venue

any official intimation about com- indoor venues can’t replace the mercial activities being banned at the charm of an outdoor one, while Indian Ocean guitarist Susmit Sen venue. If prompts are anything to go who performed solo in the city agrees by, one of the first suggestions for that “outdoor shows have more enerauto complete when you google gy”. “Indoor venues also have their ‘Palace Grounds’ is the band own restrictions,” adds Vasu. Apart from being a blow to the Metallica. The venue played host to the cult band in October last year and city’s status as the country’s rock has been the venue for many interna- music capital, the decision has also tional acts, like Bryan Adams, Akon, severely impacted the events indusBackstreet Boys, Michael Learns to try. Event organisers are scampering Rock, INXS, AR Rahman and many all over town to find venues with similar specificamore. The link tions. International between the city’s acts are going outmusic history, espeEvent organisers side the city and cially rock music, are scampering event managers are and these sprawling to find venues grappling with a grounds, has been with matching decline in the seamless and nearly crowds. “It has synonymous. specifications affected the event And that has industry in a big now changed. On August 25, nearly 10,000 fans way. No other venue can match the returned disappointed from Palace specifications or approachability of Grounds after the star of the evening, Palace grounds. Also, we end up paysinger SP Balasubramaniam, was ing more rent for other venues,” says allowed to sing only two songs as Vilas G V, managing director of Common Colours, the company that part of a corporate event. Many organisers are moving organised the large-scale music event bigger shows to indoor venues with- Octoberfest. “I am unable to plan in the city or outdoors, in the many events for want of options. The outskirts. Finnish band Poets of the alternative venues suggested by the Fall was spotted performing to a government in Tumkur and Hoskote thronging crowd at Hard Rock Café a are impractical for us”, he adds. Some in the industry believe fortnight ago. Singer Lucky Ali performed at the same venue last week. otherwise and say the ban has hardly Vasu Dixit, vocalist of city-based affected them. Music entrepreneur band Swarathma, is positive that Arpan Peter says, “Nothing really has

changed for us. People went to Palace Grounds because they were used to it. Every organiser has found alternative venues. My last show, the Lamb of God concert, was at Clark’s Exotica in Devanahalli. Though the crowd was smaller, the venue gave me other advantages, like ample parking space”. Artistes Talk spoke to expressed the hope that Palace Grounds would open its gates to music events again. “It has been a discouraging move for artistes. For musicians like Sonu Nigam and Jagjit Singh, it was perhaps the only venue in town. Also, at a time when the independent music scene in India is booming, a move like this will do it no good. Eventually, even international artistes will be discouraged from performing in the city,” says Vasu Dixit. The solution according to him is to have schools and colleges opening their grounds to concerts. Susmit Sen is open to the idea of newer venues. “I remember playing at IIM Bangalore and thought it was a good venue too,” he says. Playback singer Vijay Prakash was unaware of the directive until Talk told him. He was shocked into silence for a few moments. “Palace Grounds is a great venue. But, when I look at it from the perspective of somebody stuck in traffic, I suggest we should look for other venues.” Sometimes you have to leave things behind, he adds philosophically.

L I S T I NGS nightlife

talk|6 sep 2012|talkmag.in

camp

food Â Five reasons to smile: Taste an exotic five-course menu and jumpstart your weekend. Enjoy delicacies such as ricotta kebabs, seafood hotpot, biryani arancini , apple jalebi and more. Vegetarian menu starts at Rs 1,350 plus tax and non-vegetarian menu starts at Rs 1,650 plus tax. The Pink Poppadom, Ista Hotel, Swami Vivekananda Road, Ulsoor, till August 31 25558888

Â Party all day and night: Dance to DJ Elisha and DJ Karthik's tunes this weekend as they bring some hip hop, Bollywood, house and club remixes from their console. Groove to the rhythm as happy hours get better. Fusion Lounge, Teena complex, 2nd floor, Brigade road, September 1, 12 pm onwards 25091160 Â Get into a trance: Experience the spiritual trance dance as United by music featuring Goa Gil performs live in city. Experience an eight hour spiritual performance that you wouldn't want to miss

at any cost. Entry at Rs 1000 per head. Eclipse, Level 2, Kodihalli, Airport road, August 31, 4 pm onwards 9632632541 Â Foot tapping music: Catch Albin Myers perform live, churning out some of his signature electronic dance music this weekend. Born in Sweden, he plays remixes that will set your feet tapping. His latest project is MyBack, along with DJ Swede John Dahlback. Pebble, Princess #3, Bellary Road, Sadashivnagar, September 2, 8 pm onwards 23614109

Â Food for all: 'Breakfast with pets' is a unique opportunity for all pet owners to dine with their pets this Sunday. The doggie platter consists of steamed chicken dim sums, mince meat balls, Ragi balls and biscuits. The doggie platter costs Rs 100 whereas the continental breakfast for owners is at Rs 250. Under the mango tree, #3, Laurel Lane, Richmond Town, September 2 9686601021 Â Perfect way to celebrate onam: This festive season enjoy the traditional delicacies on a banana leaf. Chefs from Kerala, will display their cooking skills, and bring you a typical traditional meal in light of the festival that just went by. Ente Keralam, #12, New no.1 road, Ulsoor, till September 2 32421002

art & dance Â Tickle your funny bone: Cartoons by the renowned artist R K Laxman, Shankar Pillai and Mario will be on display this weekend at the Mega Cartoon Exhibition. Head to this exhibition as the cartoons will leave you in splits. Indian Cartoon Gallery, 1 Midford House, M G Road, till September 1, 9980091428 Â Film festival: The 7th edition of 'Voices from the Waters' is back in Bangalore. The film festival like every year, aims to reach out to maximum number of people to spread awareness about the methods they can implement to save water. Alliance Francais de Bangalore, Max Mueller Bhavan and Christ University, till September 2

easier and more fun. Clear all your baking doubts at the Demistifying Bread workshop this weekend. Organized by Sinamon, this workshop will cover areas such as basic steps to make bread, the science behind bread and chocolate babka and pita bread. Fee for the workshop is Rs 3000. Chaipatty, Koramangala, on September 2, 10 am onwards 8277603490

Â Kebabs for all: Enjoy mouth watering kebabs at the Kebab festival this weekend. Non vegetarians can choose from a wide range such as tandoori lobster, pudina neze kebab, stuff tandoori murgh, nashili tandoori murgh tikka and more whereas vegetarians can relish on navarathna seekh kebab, lazeez paneer tikka, tiranga paneer tikka and more. Paprica, 95/3, 1st floor, Kote M R Plaza, Marathahalli, till September 2 30208899

Â Yoghurt for all: For all fitness freaks, there is reason to smile. Yogurtbay has introduced its latest offerings. Delicious frozen yoghurt available in different flavours such as strawberry, chocolate, peach and mango and their signature such as chunky monkey and jack sparrow is up for grabs. Yogurtbay, Level no.2, UB City, Vittal Mallya Road, till August 31 9980087932

Â Learn the tricks of baking: Baking just got

music Â Odissi dance performance: Watch Ranjana Gauhar perform live as she portrays the complete woman, one who is sensitive and embodies love and courage, in her performance. She pays homage to Rabindranath Tagore through her presentation of his dance drama Chitrangada. Gauhar is a leading Oddissi dancer and has performed all over the world. Chowdaiah Memorial Hall, 16th Cross, Malleshwaram, August 31, 6 pm 23445810 Â Bharathnatyam performance: Watch Padmashri recipient Malavika Sarukkai, a Bharathnatyam dancer, performing Sakthi Sakthimaan. This dance production invokes

energies that are both auspicious and fearsome and has choreography inspired by Varanasi. She will be accompanied by the Zowe Madrigal chorus group from Nagaland. Chowdaiah Memorial Hall, 16th Cross, Malleshwaram, September 2, 6.30 pm 23445810 Â Art for all: Sophie Christopher's art works will be on display at the Two slow cats and a Rooster exhibition this weekend. Head out this weekend for some quirky art. Kynkyny Art Gallery, #104, Embassy Square, Infantry Road, till September 5 40926202

Zowe Madrigal chorus group

Mad Orange Fireworks

Â Sax by Kadri G: Bangalore International Arts Festival (BIAF) brings to you a recital by saxophone artist Kadri Gopalnath this weekend. So head out to watch the Padmashri recipient perform live at the BIAF. Chowdaiah Memorial Hall, 16th Cross, Malleswaram, August 31, 6 pm 23445810 Â Young talent at its best: Catch young musicians from Nathaniel School of music displaying their skills this weekend. Watch the 16th graduating batch as they perform on rhythm guitar, bass guitar, drums and vocals. bFlat, 100 Ft Road, HAL 2nd Stage, Indiranagar, September 2, 8 pm 25278361 Â Duo at work: TL Mazumdar and Jivraj Sathya Singh perform live this weekend in city. Mazumdar a musician of Indian origin has been nominated for the German National Award Bremer Jazzpreis this year and Percussionist Jivraj Sathya Singh on the other hand will enthrall the crowd with the beats. Counter culture, 2D2, Dyavasandra Industrial Area, Whitefield Road, August 31, 8 pm 41400793 Â Fusion of different worlds: Book your weekend and head to watch Jataveda Banerjee

Doodle mania Get set with your paints and stationary and spend the Sunday doodling with the drawing bootcamp Pencil Jam. Be inspired by sculptures from the ancient Vijayanagra empire and create your own doodle masterpiece. Pencil Jam is a weekly jam up for artists and those who love to draw. These likeminded people can be seen drawing at various nooks and corners every Sunday. Bull Temple, Basavangudi, September 2, 9 am to 12.30 pm

perform along with Karthik Mani on drums, Nikhmal Gartaula on rhythm and lead guitar and Leslie Charles on bass guitar. Enjoy a fusion of Blues, Ghazals and world music. bFlat, 100 ft road, HAL 2nd Stage, Indiranagar, August 31, 8.30 pm 25278361 Â Add a dash of orange: Mad Orange Fireworks, a Bangalore based band is all set to enthrall the crowds this weekend. Their music is an amalgamation of genres like jazz, pop, funk and rock. With Michael Dias on vocals and guitar, Kaushik Kumar on Bass and vocals, Shravan Bendapudi on drums and

vocals and Ramanan Chandramouli on guitars, watch them play some original compositions. bFlat, 100 ft Road, HAL 2nd Stage, Indiranagar, September 1, 8.30 pm 25278361 Â Carnatic ragas by Aruna Sairam : The renowned vocalist will be performing live this weekend. A Padmashri recipient, Aruna Sairam has performed at venues across the world, and for various events such as the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. Chowdaiah Memorial Hall, 16th Cross, Malleswaram, September 1, 6 pm 23445810

L I S T I NGS

talk|6 sep 2012|talkmag.in

retail therapy

dance

Â Another Landmark in town: The surprises keep pouring in and in this case it happens to be books. Landmark has opened its second book store in the city. The store has a wide variety to offer in the categories of books, toys, stationery, music, movies and more. Avail special inaugural discounts on books and gaming products till August 31. Landmark Store, Orion Mall, Malleswaram, www.landmarkonthenet.com Â Foot fashion: Choose from a range of peep toes, flats, sandals, and casual canvas footwear. Available in different colours, you can match these with your outfit, for a formal or casual evening. Prices start at Rs 1,795. Available at Crocs, Mantri Mall and Phoenix market city

Â Wah Astad!: Sangeet Natak Akademi Awardee Astad Deboo will be in town with his form of dance and dance theatre. After many years of succesful performances across the country in his unique self-devised style, Deboo has now taken to Tagore’s poetry. In this latest performance as part of the Bangalore International Arts Festival (BIAF)

titled ‘Interpreting Tagore’ Deboo will use masks and puppets to present three pieces of Tagore interpreted through dance. The show will also include a solo performance by Astad Deboo. Chowdaiah Memorial Hall, 16th Cross, GD Park Extension, 2nd main rd, Malleshwaram, September 3, 7 pm 23445810

offering a new range of spectacle frames. The collection, named 'Trendz', features frames in different colours and material, with prices starting at Rs 995. Available at Titan Eye + stores, till August 31 expect from the new range. Availble at all Ritu Kumar stores Â Sale at Crossword: Crossword is back with its sale. Get attractive discounts on books, stationery and more. Members get 15 percent flat on all non discounted books. Available at all Crosswords stores, till September 2

Â Ritu Kumar’s collection: This monsoon season, designer Ritu Kumar is presenting a collection of kurtis, shirts, kaftans and more that have prints of paint. Phulkari embroidery on your tunics and short dresses and lego, a print on your dresses and tops are what you can

Â Happy feet: Waiting to buy those beautiful pair of heels or that comfortable pair of flats, avail a flat 50 percent discount on all your purchase at Bata stores. Choose from a wide variety of footwear and keep your feet happy. Avaiable at all Bata stores, till August 31 Â For your eyes only: Titan Eye+ is

Eka, #19, 2nd floor, Pyramid house, Gangadhar Chetty Road, Ulsoor, till August 31 25544371

talk picks

film Â Joker Hindi Pitted as an ‘out of the world’ comedy, this movie is the story of an NRI who returns to the country to realise his village has no place on the map of the country. The villagers think of ways to get their name back to the map and soon turn the village into a crazy place with aliens, pranksters and all things odd. The film is directed by Shirish Kunder and stars Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha in the lead. Fun Cinemas, Cunningham Road- 10.20 am, 12.30 pm,2.50,7.30,9.45, CineMAX Outer Ring Road- 10.30, 11.30, 1 pm, 3.15, 5.30 7.45, 9, 10, INOX JP Nagar- 10 am, 10.55,

Â Folk tale sculptures: Each sculpture tells its own tale. Simi Nirula's works, now on display, are a depiction of the folk life. Sculpted with ceramics, her creations include folk women sitting in their traditional attire and women grooming themselves.

12.45 pm, 3, 5.15, 7.30, 9.45, INOX Magrath Road 10 am, 11.10, 12.30 pm, 2.45, 5, 7.15, 9.30, Gopalan Cinemas Bannerghatta Road 10 am, 1 pm, 3.45, 6, 8, 10, INOX Jayanagar 10.40 am, 12.10 pm, 3.30, 5.40, 7.50, 10, INOX Malleshwaram- 10 am, 1.15 pm, 3.05 5.10, 7.20, 10, Fame Lido Ulsoor- 10.35 am, 1.30, 3.05, 6.50, 9.50, Gopalan Cinemas RR Nagar Mysore Road- 10 am, 12.15 pm, 6, 8, 10, Innovative Multiplex Marathahalli 11 am, 1 pm, 3.15, 7.45, 10, Q Cinemas ITPL Whitefield- 10.20 am, 1 pm, 5.30, 7.40, 9.55, Vision Cinemas- 10 am, 12.15 pm, 5,

DVD releases. Courtesy: Flipkart

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (English) Directed byJohn Madden Starring Judi Dench, Bill Nighy Price: Rs 499

Supermen of Malegaon (Hindi) Directed by Faiza Ahmad Khan Starring Shakeel Bharati, Farogh Jafri Price: Rs 269

7.15, 9.45, Eshwari Cinema, Banshankari11.15 am, 2.30, 6.15, 9.15, Gopalan Mall Sirsi Circle Mysore Road- 10 am, 2 pm, 6.15, 10, Urvashi Digital 4K Cinema- 11 am, 2.30 pm, 6, 9.30, Lakshmi Theatre Tavarekere- 1.15 pm, 5 pm, 8, Rex Theatre- 11 am, 4 pm, 7.50 Â Shark Night 3D English A bunch of college friends head to a Lake house on vacation. Everything seems fine until one of them rips his arm due to an attack by a shark. They soon discover the lake is infested by 15 species and they have nowhere to run. The plot thickens when they realise a group wants to feed them to the sharks to make internet videos. INOX Malleswaram- 1.55 pm, 3, Q Cinemas ITPL Whitefield 10.30 am, 5 pm, 9.30, Fun

Cinemas Cunningham Road - 10 am, 4.45 pm, 10, Fame Lido Ulsoor- 12.55 pm, 10, Gopalan Cinemas Bannerghatta Road 2.05 pm, Gopalan Mall Mysore Road - 8.15 pm, Innovative Multiplex Marathahalli - 1.45 pm, 8.15 Â Naavika Kannada Two youngsters Shravanth and Manishchandra both with one film each to their credit are in the lead roles in ‘Naavika’. Shravanth plays the cop while the quasi negative shade is part of Manishchandra role in the film. Anupama- 10.30am, 1.30, 4.30, 7.30pm

To get your event listed, write to us at listings@talkmag.in

The Lorax (English) Directed by Chris Renaud, Kyle Balda Starring Zac Effron, Danny De Vito Price: Rs 539

Bombay Our City (Hindi) Directed by Anand Patwardhan Price: Rs 449

Immortals (English) Directed by Tarsem Singh Starring Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke Price: Rs 449

talk|6 sep 2012|talkmag.in

Love, Sex aur…

Travellers’ Thursdays Held on the third Thursday of every month at the cultural venue Jaaga, this event brings together travellers and travel enthusiasts. Initiated and supported by Bangalore-based outdoor and travel outfit Getoffyourass, Travellers Thursdays has evolved into a volunteer-driven community event that brings together travellers from around the world for a range of fun activities. These include watching inspiring journeys captured on celluloid and video, and sharing experiences and tips with the community. The groups' attitude to travelling is summarised in this amusing quote, displayed prominently on their website: “The whole purpose of climbing something like Everest is to effect some sort of spiritual and physical gain. But if you compromise the process you're an a****** when you start out and one when you get back.” - Yvon Chouinard, from the film 180 South For details, visit: travellersmeet.in

…Dosa! No better place than this blog to launch your quest for that perfectly crispy delight hree dosa addicts have taken over the city and how! Watch and learn from their dosa escapades as they are out to attack the harmless-looking city snack. They are chronicling every discovery on their website, scandalously called Love, Sex aur Dosa. The site is run a bunch of amateur food writers and professional foodies (better than the other way round!) who visit every dosa haunt they come by and write a somewhat simplistic

IAF Knights enter their golden year The 109 Helicopter Unit of the Indian Air Force, popularly called The Knights, completed 50 years on August 26. The Knights have organised a series of events to celebrate the milestone. With operations all over the subcontinent, from Siachen in the north to Lakshadweep Islands in the south, and from Jamnagar in the west to the jungles of Mizoram in the east, The Knights have lots of adventures to talk about. They have taken

part in overseas operations in Sri Lanka, Maldives and Male. The unit received the prestigious President's Standard in 1991. As part of The Knights' golden jubilee celebrations, a special postal cover was released by Air Marshal PP Reddy, Senior Air Staff Officer, Headquarters Training Command, at the Yelahanka Air Force Station. Also on the cards: A motorcycle expedition, trekking expedition and volley ball and cricket tournaments.

Little Bangalore: short and sweet Little Bangalore, a fiveminute film on Bangalore, made by a bunch of young Bangaloreans, has become something of a YouTube sensation, drawing nearly three lakh views. Composed mostly of long and panoramic shots from a height, it gives a bird's eye view of the city and its people. It is this resultant ‘shrinking’ of the city to miniature proportions that the title refers to. Starting off with a dramatic visual of clouds moving over fields, the film goes on to show many familiar locations in the city, from the bustling Majestic bus stand to the evergreen

Support for North-Easterners Peace and Solidarity Forum, a coalition of around 50 rights groups and individuals, was formed on 20th August to extend support to people from the North East, Nepal and Tibet, many of whom recently left the city in the wake of rumours.

The forum is all set to organise neighbourhood meetings and public events in Neelasandra and Hennur, two of the most vulnerable areas in Bangalore. To refresh your memory, about 30,000 people from the North-Eastern region left Bangalore over

Cubbon Park, but all of them rendered a little strange by the unusual camera angle. This 'aerial' survey of the city's prominent landmarks also has some amusing moments, especially when it depicts a football match and people out pedal-

three days, as rumours spread on social networking sites that they would be attacked immediately after Ramzan. The forum plans to follow up on cases of attacks, and reach out to NorthEasterners through visits to schools, colleges, religious institutions and work places. A helpline is also active to

boating on Ulsoor lake. Released under the banner of 1st December Films, Little Bangalore is directed by ad filmmaker Atul Kattukkaran, with a soundtrack by Rahull Raut. The filmmakers have called the short their “little tribute to little Bangalore”.

provide information and assistance. It will remain functional round the clock for the next two months. Call them if you need help, or if you would like to volunteer. Helplines: 9845967545/9482396178 For more details, visit: northeastsolidarity.blogspot.in

review of the place and its fare, complete with ratings. It also functions as an open forum for other dosa lovers to taste and write about their golden favourites. The writers post links of serious newspaper reviews of dosa joints, besides pictures that can make your tummy grumble. In its nascent stage though, the site is sufficiently navigable and looks promising enough to be the one-stop-shop for Bangalore’s dosa-crazy folks. More at: lovesexaurdosa.tumblr.com

warm comfort

talk|6 sep 2012|talkmag.in

TEA

Three uncomplicated brews—no less tasty for being so—that can be prepared in less than 10 minutes

is for tasty SHUBANGI SUNDER happy person always drinks tea. It improves mood and spirit, and not to forget, hydrates the body immensely, keeping you cosy in the

Tea facts

A cup of black tea has only half the amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee. A large amount of caffeine is released from tea after the first 30 seconds of brewing. Dumping this content out and pouring new hot water is a neat trick for the caffeineconscious.

monsoon. As the season changes from hot to cold, and back to hot, these three brews could shield you from the change. What’s even better? It takes less than 10 minutes to have that deliciously steaming cup warming your palms!

PAPAYA-LEMON

HONEY-PEPPER

A crazy idea sometimes may result in an interesting brew, and fruit bases are the easiest to work with. And believe me, nothing beats stress like smashing papaya.

Something you could keep sipping on all day, this tea is light and zingy. Try not to overdo the pepper, a sneezing-fit that lasts the rest of your day is no one's idea of fun.

What you need: Lemon tea leaves Papaya pieces (smashed)

What you need: Honey Pepper Tea leaves

How to go about it: 1. Brew the lemon tea 2. Add the papaya mash to it so the flavour soaks in 3. Once the mixture is ready, pour it into a teacup 4. Add sugar to taste The taste makes you feel… You’re sitting on a beach soaking up that sun!

How to go about it: 1. Brew the tea leaves 2. Add a little pepper to it so the flavour soaks through 3. Pour some honey into a teacup 4. Pour the tea mixture in and stir The taste makes you feel… You’d like to get some work done!

MINT-GREEN-VANILLA Many people dislike green tea, enough to refuse to acknowledge its many medicinal values. If you are one such, this concoction would be the one to change that. What you need: Vanilla essence Green tea Mint leaves How to go about it: 1. Brew the green tea leaves. 2. Toss a few mint leaves in and let the flavour and scent seep through 3. Pour a few drops of vanilla essence into a teacup 4. Add the green tea and mint concoction to it and stir 5. Add sugar to taste The taste makes you feel… You’re sitting on top of a hill, with a meadow stretching all the way down!

memoirs

The bullet hits an unexpected target An early lesson in village justice comes from an exciting hunting expedition

n our village, it was a custom among farmers to go hunting to the forest after every harvest. On an expedition in a dense forest, you might come across leopards, wild boars and other animals, but we lived in the plains where we only chanced upon rabbits, and on rare occasions, on a wild boar or deer. People from every community—the Vokkaligas, Lingayats, Brahmins, Dalits and those belonging to the hunting caste, took part in

VIVEK ARUN

these expeditions. During such outings, the prevailing custom of untouchability was only partially practised. I would be exhilarated the moment a hunting trip was announced. The reason was that I could walk freely with my Dalit friend Guddayya, which I otherwise couldn’t. He was of my age, and I loved to go with him, with my arm slung over his shoulder. I used to think how wonderful it would be to go hunting all round the year, instead of during just three short seasons in a year. The cowherd boys, who didn’t go to school, would be the heroes of these expeditions. In school I was considered intelligent, but on an expedition, I would meekly follow these boys. Their keen sense of the forest riled my sense of superiority. I used to admire Hanuma, a Dalit boy whose understanding of nature surpassed everyone else’s. He knew many tricks. He could identify any bird just by its

cry. He could even make out the number of birds in the vicinity. He could look at footprints and tell what animal they belonged to. Not only could he identify an animal by looking at its dung, but he could also pick a lump and figure out the day and time when the animal had been there! When confronted by Hanuma’s superior knowledge, Guddayya would introspect and say, “I think he was born with this intelligence.” Since people from neighbouring villages would simultaneously go on such expeditions, the forest would be filled with scores of hunters. On hearing the laughter, whistling and drum beats that

crime folio

talk|6 sep 2012|talkmag.in

Fabled ranconteur and Bangalore’s top-notch criminal lawyer brings you moving and bizarre stories from 40 years of his practice

C H HANUMANTHARAYA

accompanied the arrival of a group, others would mark off their territories or change direction. Yet, on occasion, an animal chased by one group would escape and fall into the net of another. As soon as an animal was caught, the group would place it at the foot of a hill. If no game was caught even after a long hunt, the party would go looking for snakes. The hunters believed killing a snake would make their vision sharper, and it would become easier for them to spot other animals. After offering prayers to god Anjaneya, the hunting expedition would start from the temple. The drummer,

memoirs who had to keep his rhythm, would sweat profusely. Boys like me would stand around him. His every pore would dance as he beat his drum, and that would raise our pulse rate. I’m sure it affected the girls as well. All the women would gather at the temple. Some men would bring along dogs they had raised to look after their sheep, and the hunters would arrive with their hounds. Others, who didn’t have dogs of their own, would bring along street dogs lazing about in front of their houses. The hunting dogs would growl at the street dogs. As the drum beats became louder, the street dogs would escape, prompting someone or the other to remark, “How can dogs forced here ever go on a hunt?” The hunting party would march on, dancing, and waving spears, axes, knives and country-made pistols. The procession would pass through the main street. By the time it left the village, many men would drop out of the expedition. It was common to see women drag their husbands away from the procession. “Don’t I know you? You are strutting about like a great hunter. Come home, I’ll show you,” was what one woman told her husband. Another would say, “Instead of doing your work, you follow people who

talk|6 sep 2012|talkmag.in

waste their time. You must be a wastrel country-made pistols were trigger-happy. just like them.” I once asked Goorappa, who held one As for boys my age, they would hide such pistol, “Why do elders warn them from their parents and sneak on with the not to shoot? Why bring these pistols procession when it passed their homes. I at all?” had no such fear, though. I would always He told me a story: “This happened take permission from an uncle. After before you were even born. We had come walking 7 km from our village, we would to this very forest for an expedition. Like reach the Vaddarapalya forest. us, a group had come from a neighbourOnce, Hanuma ing village. Tirumala gripped my hand, and Gowda was an ace shot. pointed to the earth. When our group was Tirumala Gowda “Look, these are rabbit scattered, I ended up with said, ‘The droppings. Still warm. Tirumala Gowda. There animal is Not even a minute has were just four of us, and passed since it went this the hunting dogs were about to give way. It’s hiding around busy elsewhere. We birth’. He could here,” he said. found footprints of a wild make that A little ahead, he boar. Tirumala Gowda out from the told the elders about the said to me, ‘The animal is droppings. They disabout to give birth to a depth of the persed, looking for the young one’. He could figfootprints. rabbit. Within a few minure that out from the utes, we saw one of the footprints and he could hunters emerge holding gauge the animal’s a rabbit by its hind legs. I was stunned by weight. “Exactly at that moment, a pregHanuma’s skill at spotting animals. nant boar sprang out of a bush and broke Once they captured game, the into a run. Like I said, there were no dogs hunters’ enthusiasm would wane. I often with us, and Tirumala Gowda fired a shot heard elders tell the others not to shoot in the direction of the animal. It went without reason. But the men holding down squealing. Simultaneously, there

was a loud cry from a hunting group somewhere ahead of us. Tirumala Gowda’s bullet had pierced through the animal and lodged itself in the body of someone from a neighbouring village. By the time we rushed to his side, he had died. “It became a big issue: the hunter had become the hunted. The panchayats of the two villages met, and took a decision not to go to court. After that Tirumala Gowda never touched a gun. Since then, hunters in the area are careful to use their guns. The pistols we carry now can’t even kill rabbits”. It dawned on me why some village women stopped their husbands from joining hunting expeditions. Even after I joined college, I would visit my village during the hunting season, and get my thrills. I now understand how these trips taught us obedience to teachers, concentration, and patience. With age and maturity, I also came to realise — not without some amazement —how the village elders of those times, with their feudal attitude, blocked murder and suicide cases from reaching the courts. Translated by Basavaraj Urs

T I M E P A SS

talk|6 sep 2012|talkmag.in

30 Prof Good Sense I am going through a terrible stage in my life. My girl friend of 6 years is calling it quits. I always thought we had an intense relationship and wanted to marry her. We have had our share of fights but I never thought it would reach this point. I don’t want my affair to end. Please help. Govind, BTM Layout

Off The Mark

It is a tricky tight spot that you are in. Well, when you leave something unattended for a while, it tends to wilt away. Your relationship has become like that, I presume. But, have you ever asked her why she wants to call it a day? Is it possible that you could get over it? Or did she find out something about you that she doesn’t want out in the open? If you really love her and are capable of confronting the truth, ask her directly. Don’t lose your sense of balance or blame her for calling it quits.

By Mark Parisi

I am a 20-year-old BE student living as a tenant in a building owned by a 38-yearold woman and her husband. I am attracted towards her, but I'’m not sure if she likes me. My exams are only a few weeks away and I have not been able to concentrate. Mahesh, Mysore

1st Cross

Talk’s weekly crossword for Bangaloreans who know their way about town of housing (1,7) 17 Where 4 Across will be performing (6,7) 18 Historical figure known as the "Tiger Of Mysore" (4,6) 19 Theatre on Varthur Road (7) 20 The central government has denied 20 state ____ colleges permission to enrol students for the 2012-13 academic year (8) 21 50 kms from Bangalore, this area is a favourite for rock climbers (8) 22 Tourist destination home to the Ranganatha Swamy Temple (1,1,5)

2 5

DOWN National park between Mysore and Ooty (8)

16 17

Last week’s solution

3 4 7

Across State Cabinet Minister in charge of Law, Justice and Human Rights (6,5) American metal band who will be performing in the city on the 9th of September (4) Communal violence recently dis-

rupted life in this Karnataka city (7) 9 Gold mines 100 kms out of the city (5) 12 Agency responsible for the implementation of the Namma Metro (5) 15 State Cabinet Minister in charge

Across: 1 Nool puttu, 3 Bengaluru, 5 Milk, 8 Ghulam Nabi, 11 Samarkand, 13 Annigeri, 15 Karwar, 19 Exodus, 20 Chola, 21 T M Dilshan. Down: 2 Pvr, 4 Lalbagh, 5 Moipei, 6 Jack Palmer, 7 Mysore pak, 8 Ghats, 9 Tibetan, 10 MGNREGA, 12 Deccan, 14 Naik, 16 Anshi, 17 Wards, 18 Toit.

6 8 10 11 13 14

Cinema in the Banashankari area (7) Sharmila ____ : Bangalore based Golfer doing well on the Ladies European Tour (8) The JD(S) has promised quotas for them if voted to power (6) Crisis which recently led to the ouster of the BBMP Commissioner (7) Royal Challengers Bangalore keeper (1,1,2,8) Bangalore's Nature Cure Institute currently treating Anna Hazare (6) The ____ Room : One of Bangalore's upmarket continental restaurants (6) Vegetarian Italian joint at Jayanagar (6) Restaurant at the Leela Place (7) Club on Church Street with live salsa and saxophone performances (6)

You are unnecessarily worrying about something unimportant. I suggest you keep a check on your thoughts and stop fantasising about what your landlady feels for you. Don't complicate your life and the lives of people around you by letting your imagination go berserk about a lady who is old enough to be your mother. As for your studies, keep in mind that lost time can never be regained. Prof M Sreedhara Murthy teaches psychology at NMKRV First Grade College. He is also a well-known photographer. Write to him: prof@talkmag.in

Let’s prioritise! In my math tuition class, there was a geeky guy who I thought could be of help with notes etc, and had exchanged numbers with. The other boys got to know about it, and spread a rumour that I fancied him. One day, this guy calls me up and starts talking about some notes. Then, without warning, he said, “Hey, I heard that you like me.” Before I could say anything, he said, “You know, now is not the right time. We need to concentrate on studies. It will be too distracting”. I was speechless! Anusha, by email Share the humour in your life, multiply the fun! Keep those anecdotes coming to: features@talkmag.in

talk|6 sep 2012|talkmag.in

Over with the top

Stylus with Wenders

If Lady Gaga and her OTT outfits weren’t making enough news, she has now decided to drop them. Yes, it’s the outfit we’re talking about. Gaga recently posted a nude picture of herself on Twitter where all she had to guard her privates was her hands. She has also been recording tracks for her to-be-released album ARTPOP naked we hear. She thinks her voice sounds better naked. Now, anyone who has ever sung in the shower will know that’s oh-so-true, don’t they?

Follow the tablet buzz? Okay, Samsung has just unveiled its second generation tablet, Galaxy Note II. The Korean electronics giant is describing the Note II as a ‘phablet’. Is that their way of calling it a fabulous tablet? Not really. It’s short for phone plus tablet. Samsung has roped in Wim Wenders, whose eccentric films are a hit with world cinema buffs, to promote the new device. Samsung’s slick video

posted on YouTube prominently features the S Pen, its lightweight stylus. The idea is to promote the pen as an added attraction that enhances your sketching creativity.

A chill pill for men? Researchers at the College of Medicine in Houston, who conducted experiments on lab mice may have chanced upon a contraceptive for human males. A compound that was initially considered as capable of blocking cancer has been found to stop sperm generation in mice, they were quoted as saying. Once they stopped giving the drug, the rodents recovered fertility and were able to produce perfectly VIPFLASH/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Curiously though, on the eve of the launch, the specifications were leaked in South Korean newspaper. Hmm. Smell something fishy, anyone?

Excel millionaire! healthy offspring. The drug is known by its lab name JQ1, after a chemist, Jun Qi, who devised it, initially with the idea of disrupting a cancer-causing gene. Presently, male contraception is limited to the condom or vasectomy, so an easyto-use reversible option ought to be welcome news to the world’s overcrowded nations. No one’s asking, but we happen to have a mildly evil suggestion for them: a regular dose of JQ1 in the water supply.

Who would have thought, but apparently there’s money to be made teaching Microsoft Excel, the spreadsheet software we all love to hate. And tons of it too, going by the experience of Purna Duggirala, founder of Chandoo.org, a website that helps you “Become awesome in Excel”. This IIM Indore MBA-holder started the website as a hobby, but found so many takers that he quit his job to work for himself. Duggirala, who has given himself the designation of Chief Excel Officer, earned more than 1,00,000 US dollars in 2010, mostly selling project management templates and e-guides for multiple versions of Excel. This year, he expects to make twice that amount from the website, which he runs with his wife from his hometown Vizag. And considering what he must do to earn that money, we can only say that it’s richly deserved.