Talk june 20 2013

talk Volume 1 | Issue 45 | June 20, 2013 | Rs 10

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MONSOON Shopping picks for your rainyday activities 16 KADDIPUDI Optimism returns to Bangalore's gangster cinema 18 SUVs A brand new fleet hits the crowded streets 23

Sensational images of the mentally ill are appearing in the media.

They only tell half the story about patients and people who give them care. A TALK special report 8-13 Plus: Nimhans’ new campus

THE MIND CRISIS

political diary

talk|20 jun 2013|talkmag.in

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SAW IT COMING? Ananth Kumar is part of Advani’s camp; his rival Yeddyurappa, of Modi’s

The fall of mentor LK Advani has cast Ananth Kumar, once a highly influential BJP leader from the state, into the deep end of the pool !"#$%&'%(&'$)*+,+$(&$-"#$./0 1%22%3(&'$-"#$#2#4+-(%&$%1$567+*+8"(#1$,(&(9-#*$:+*#&)*+$;%)($+9 -"#$8"+(*,+&$%1$(-9$#2#8-(%& 8+,<+('&$8%,,(--##$1%*$-"# =>?@$<%229A$+&)$-"#$*#9('&B+&)B *#-6*&$8"+*+)#$%1$CD$E)4+&(A$"+9 8*#+-#)$*(<<2#9$(&$D+*&+-+F+$

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BASU MEGALKERI

‘It’s a Janata government!’

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Anaemic Advani, anxious Ananth

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Rebellion brewing in Congress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team talk EDITORIAL

EXECUTIVE TEAM

SR Ramakrishna Editor Prashanth GN Senior Editor Sajai Jose Chief Copy Editor Savie Karnel Principal Correspondent Basu Megalkeri Principal Correspondent Prachi Sibal Senior Features Writer Sandra Fernandes and Maria Laveena Reporters and Copy Editors Anand Kumar K Chief of Design Shridhar G Kulkarni Graphic Designer Ramesh Hunsur Senior Photographer Vivek Arun Graphics Artist

Sumith Kombra Founder, CEO and Publisher Kishore Kumar N Head - Circulation Vinayadathan KV Area Manager - Trade Yadhu Kalyani Sr Executive - Corporate Sales Lokesh KN Sr Executive Subscriptions Prabhavathi Executive - Circulation Sowmya Kombra Asst Process Manager

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recruitment scam

talk|20 jun 2013|talkmag.in

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MARRIAGE BUREAU? The state government has ordered a high-level probe into irregularities at the KPSC

Many KAS aspirants pay a bribe or take home a bride For years, Karnataka Public Service Commission members have offered a peculiar deal to candidates who can't afford to bribe their way through: marry a girl they have picked.

A candidate who accepted the package reveals how—and why—the system works

BASU MEGALKERI basavaraju@talkmag.in

T

he Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) is under the scanner for demanding bribes from aspirants of high-level government jobs. But what is not so well known is a form of deal-making peculiar to the commission, which insiders refer to as ‘taali bhagya.’

The name taali bhagya is borrowed from the Kannada film of the same name, which loosely translates to ‘marital fortune,’ or more literally, to ‘fortune from the mangalsutra’.

It works like this: For candidates who have no money, commission members offer a deal— marry one of their daughters or the daughters of relatives or friends. The father of the girl pays the bribe. He gets a son-in-law with a cushy government job, while for the candidate, it’s a double deal.

Talk spoke to one of the 362 selected probationary officers, who revealed all about this informal ‘marriage scheme’ for Karnataka Administrative Service (KAS) aspirants.

Here is what the 29-year old candidate, who prefers to remains anonymous, told us: I have finally made it to the list of selected candidates this year. My family is proud of me, but I am not very proud of what I did.

This is the second time I have cleared the written tests for KAS. I first cleared the exams in 2004.

When I came for the interview, the touts who act at the behest of selection commission members, asked me to pay a hefty bribe.

Since I could not afford it, they offered me the option of taali bhagya, where I could marry a girl related to a commission member, and the father of the girl would pay the bribe.

HD Deve Gowda

Dr HN Krishna

I was shocked and refused. I was too idealistic then. I believed that I could get through on merit.

I wrote about the corruption in KPSC selections in the newspapers.

In the meantime, I prepared to take the exams again. I studied day and night. I realised I was losing interest in studying. With growing age, I was unable to retain what I had studied. In fact, this time my marks are lower than what I had scored earlier.

I have a friend, who made use of the taali bhagya scheme to marry the daughter of an influential person and rise in life. His financial condition is much better than mine, his social status is higher and he wields influence. So I decided to be practical and compromise. I killed my principles and self-esteem. I agreed to opt for taali bhagya. Now, I have been selected, and I will be a gazetted

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editor talk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

talk|20 jun 2013|talkmag.in

Adichunchanagiri Balagangadharanatha Swamiji.

This is how the scheme works.

Meritorious but poor candidates wait for the interview call. Along with the interview letters, the touts appear with marriage proposals. The brides are usually daughters of commission members or their relatives.

The girls also hail from the families of !"#$%&'()$%#"()*$+"#$,-"#.# The KPSC was not like this before. It was a politicians and senior officials. If the boy model organisation that provided job for agrees, the deal goes forward.

The girl’s father pays the bribe, which meritorious candidates. But all that changed when HD Deve Gowda, during his can range from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 80 lakh. term as chief minister, appointed his loyal- While the boy gets a prestigious job, the girl ist Dr HN Krishna as a member of the gets a well-settled husband, and her parents are relieved that her life is secure.

KPSC. Since Gowda’s time, the scheme has Krishna was from Hassan and a fellow undergone some changes.

Vokkaliga. He acted as an Now, the touts first match agent between Gowda’s The proposals caste, sub-caste and horofamily and the KPSC. scopes. The parents then Through him, Gowda are sent along meet the boy and his family, managed to get many with interview find out more about his Vokkaliga candidates letters background, and talk of their inducted into service. He daughter’s educational qualiensured they got prestigious posts: they are now assistant commis- fications. The boy and the girl meet. If the sioners and tahsildars. These are also lucra- two agree, the girl’s father goes forward to ensure that the boy gets the job. tive posts.

You may wonder why Gowda came up It was Gowda who came up with the taali bhagya scheme, and in this he had the with this brilliant idea. Well, he does not do blessings of a Vokkaliga seer, the late anything that he does not benefit from. In officer soon.

I cannot fight the system alone. If I had stuck to my ideals, I would have never made it to the KAS, and I have already some of the best years of my life. If I had not given in, I would have never made it. Can I be called wrong?

1998, he got plum posts for 139 Vokkaliga candidates through the KPSC. The general merit candidates were totally ignored. He got his relatives married to those who couldn’t pay up.

These officers remain grateful to him.

They dig out documents against his political rivals. Help him during the elections.

Contribute towards the party fund. They have now become senior officials.

Gowda’s son HD Kumaraswamy, now the leader of the opposition in the assembly, has been talking about this scandal, even though his father practically invented the scheme, and his party continues to benefit from it. KJP President BS Yeddyurappa and chief minister Siddaramaiah too cannot deny their role in it, having appointed their people as commission members.

Former KPSC Chairman Gonal Bheemappa made use of the taali bhagya scheme when, as a young aspirant, he had married the daughter of the then KPSC chairman.

Things like taali bhagya are not unique to the KPSC. We see it in other fields too.

Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi married a wealthy producer’s daughter. The two are no match at all. His son Ramcharan Teja married Upasana, daughter of the owner of Apollo Hospitals, who is older to him.

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4

fun lines

talk|20 jun 2013|talkmag.in

5

men’s rights

talk|20 jun 2013|talkmag.in

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MARCHING ON (Right) SIFF activists at a protest rally in Bangalore

Our cover story last week, titled Masculinist extremism, has prompted many men’s rights activists to respond with denials and insinuations

A deluge of letters from very angry men !"#$%&'%(()&()&*(+&,#%-(., /#01,&-,,.#,&$%#&/(23#4 It was nice talking to you sometime back but not nice reading your article, which is clear proof of how our serious issues are made fun of. This is the reason that, as a group, we do a lot of blogging to avoid being misquoted.

For the record, we did not give any statements quoted in this article.

Ritwik Bisaria

50"6&,(/#&,'(3#& 7(&3*$'&'$02*$6$7, This article presents SIFF in a very bad taste. SIFF does not align with khap panchayats. Only a few of our guys met them. Similarly, we are not for any dress code; we are only giving a contextual argument about the how men’s freedom is restricted, while everyone talks about women’s freedom.

This article has to be taken down. Or else, we will be constrained to sue Talk for misreporting and conspiring to damage our reputation.

If there is a problem in understanding our movement we solicit discussion but this kind of delirious attempt to antagonise the movement

and its ideology will not be accepted.

There are hundreds of selfless volunteers who put in their blood and sweat to run this movement in order to provide relief to distressed and victimised men.

Such a shabby representation of such a noble cause is not only a slap on those selfless volunteers but also on those unfortunate victims who succumb to suicide.

Virag Dhulia

8(.%&$%7-2"#&,*(+,& ,(2-#761,&'%#9.4-2# I am extremely upset and disgusted reading this article. I assumed you had come to us for an honest interview and fair journalism but this article disappoints.

Media is the mirror of society and this article simply says one more time how uninformed, insensitive and biased it is towards men.

I am convinced that even though you had an opportunity, you have completely failed in doing honest reporting. May God bless you with courage and intelligence to do real journalism in future.

CS Agarwal

:#&+$07&$&;#77#%& ).7.%#&)(%&(.%&3-4,

plaint under IPC 498A or Domestic Violence Act. We want this law made bailable immediately to stop the ‘legal terrorism of India’ as described by Supreme Court of India.

2. Stop women’s-organisations and NGOs from pressuring men to disown parents and live as per his wives’ wishes.

3. Stop large scale techie-NRI bashing by NGOs and the media without considering their great contribution to making India a global power.

4. Highlight draconian laws (IPC 498A and Domestic Violence Act), meant to help oppressed women, but in fact abused by dishonest, vindictive daughter-in-laws to victimize innocent mothers and sisters (who are women as well).

5. Stop daughters-in-law mentally and physically harassing even weak, old, sick in-laws by not providing them with proper food and healthcare, and taking advantage of legal provision (through IPC 498A and DV act) and administrative machinery to harass them further.

We fight against those feminist NGOs who support vindictive inlaws. These NGOs help in outrightjailing of even old and sick innocent people (including women).

We do not protect the crime done by women, so should we be termed anti-women?

Swarup Sarkar

You have totally failed to understand the movement. Have you ever written any article mentioning that women organisations are anti-men?

All over the world, the workplace harassment law is gender-neutral. All over the world, in the no fault divorce, the word used is spouse. All over the world, criminal law (like Section 498A) is gender-neutral. If SIFF demands the same, how does it become anti-women?

Save Indian Family Foundation is a strong team of dedicated families comprising victims of misuse of the dowry law, NRIs, senior citizens, mothers, sisters, brothers, brothersin-law, sisters-in-law and even threeyear-old children, who campaign and create awareness about gross injustice and abuse in the Indian Legal system.

We want a better society for our future generation!

1. Stop suffering of old and sick peo- <.,7&;#2$.,#&+#&4(017 ple. The Indian legal system arrests '%(7#27&2(00-=-0>&+(/#0??? and sends them to jail (without any I do not know you at all but I will go investigation) just because their on to write the following. I sat right daughter-in-law slaps a simple com- next to you in the Confidare office

talk|20 jun 2013|talkmag.in

from 3 pm to 7 pm on that Sunday afternoon.

I challenged you with many questions, while my friends were giving you data. Your colleague was nodding his head all the time.

What were you thinking while writing the article?

Where was your attention when five to eight people were you giving data about lakhs of women who have been arrested, threatened in police stations, extorted money from? Many of those women have committed suicide because of such incidents.

Just because we are not protecting conniving women who sleep around with multiple men behind their husbands’ back, and then file for divorce and at the same demand money and property, are we anti-women?

Good luck, if you have a son, brother, male friend, male neighbour or male cousin of marriageable age!

With this kind of myopia in the face of overwhelming data, you have gone ahead and written a biased article. Good luck to you and your career in yellow journalism!

Raju Muthuswamy

!"#$%#$%&%"#'%()*%&+',-% &.%&+',-.)).%/"&' Your hit job passed off as journalism in Talk.

Masculinist extremism has exposed a lot about the magazine and your efficacy as a journalist. This statement might seem cynical but read on why it seems like that to me.

I understand that you spent only a few hours with SIFF, but were able to judge the activists enough to term the whole group as misogynist. I also understand that you had contacted many women associated with the group for inputs. It must have taken a lot of effort to do this activity, yet this is where your limitations seem to come out. Sad to see you neither understood masculism nor SIFF nor the various activists you could speak to from all over India.

If you did understand them, as it is expected from the calibre of a journalist who works for a magazine like Talk, then the complete negative portrayal can be only concluded as a hit job.

I am a men’s rights activist myself. I am what I call an ex-feminist. You might not

understand what this means. You had the opportunity to understand it, but you have laid the chance waste. If it is the pressures of selling the magazine that made you do this, it is another sad instance of how the media is forced to work these days.

Nevertheless, I hope some kind of sense prevails and you get a chance to correct yourself. Hope such nonsensical portrayal stops.

Hope you won’t understand about SIFF ‘the’ hard way.

But I am sure you or your editor won’t know what ‘that’ hard way is until radical systemised feminism messes your life!

Also, your article changes nothing for SIFF. Again, it only means a lost opportunity for you. Believe me, your readers would know better. If you don’t, join us in our meetings and check for yourself.

And yeah, it’s a laughable statement that we are ‘really hurt’ people. We are only helping men to be liberated from misandry and it is enjoyable when people resort to hit jobs about us, which only shows we are doing it right.

In spite of the hit job, regards.

Amit Deshpande

!",%$,''0,1,.'%+#23-,% )+%4$%56%0&7"%#$%8-).2 You have written: ‘When her brother was driving to meet his wife for reconciliation, he met with an accident and died. The case continued and my sister-in-law took Rs 35 lakh from us,’ she says, bitterly.”

My brother was upset because of the FIR against the whole family and the police was at my place in Noida . He was driving to meet our parents in Lucknow and his car collided with a truck . We never gave any money to my sisterin-law. She was demanding Rs 30 lakh to settle the divorce from my brother.

I used to work as a news reader with AIR Lucknow and I am now a full-time activist and writer. I doubt that Neena Dhulia aunty said she does not sympathise with the Delhi rape victim. We are women, too, and we know what rape is. Our question, is why same uproar is not for harassed men and their families? I want to say I have nothing to do with this article.

Jyoti Tiwari

ALLIES A protest by the SIFF-backed ‘Forgotten Women’s Association’

7

Don’t shoot the messenger Savie Karnel, whose cover story Masculinist extremism has kicked up a furore among the city’s men’s rights activists, responds to their charges !"#$%&"'&&(")*++*,-(."/#&"0&(12 3-.#/2"0*%&0&(/"-("4$(.$+*3&")*3 $'*5/"&-.#/"6&$327"!"#$%&"2&&("/#& 0*%&0&(/".3*,"3-.#/")3*0"/#& /-0&"-/",$2"852/"$"#&+9+-(&")*3 #$3$22&:"#52'$(:27";#& 0*%&0&(/".3&,"*%&3"/-0&"$(: .$-(&:"9*95+$3-/67";#&",-:&293&$: 0&:-$"<*%&3$.&"$::&:"/*"/#&-3 9*95+$3-/67 =*0&"0&0'&32"*)"=$%&"!(:-$( >$0-+6">*5(:$/-*("$3&"$++&.-(."!

29&(/"852/"$("$)/&3(**(",-/#"/#&0 $(:":-:"$"#-/"8*'7"?("/#&"<*(/3$36@"! #$%&"<*%&3&:"/#&0"&A/&(2-%&+6@ 0$-(+6"'&<$52&"!"'&+-&%&:"-("/#&-3 <$52&@",#-<#",$2"/*"2/*9"/#& 0-252&"*)"BCDE@"/#&":*,36"+$, $(:"/#&"F*0&2/-<"G-*+&(<&"E</"*) HIIJ7"!/"-2"$"852/"<$52&7"K+:&3+6 $(:"-((*<&(/"9&*9+&"$3&"'&-(.

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mental illness

talk|20 jun 2013|talkmag.in

What is it like to lose your mind?

Living with someone who is mentally afflicted, and demands constant care and attention, can be a frustrating experience even for their loved ones.

What should family members and the rest of us know—and do—that would make it better for everyone involved? Savie Karnel speaks to city psychiatrists and counsellors to find out

T

he images of the 94-year old man being chained were disturbing. But I don’t know if we can criminalise the son,” says Anuj Kumar (name changed), who is well aware of the difficulties involved in caring for a mentally ill person.

According to the 29-year old, his father, who suffers from dementia,

would urinate on the floor, dirty the house and beg from people. “Though chaining the old man on the terrace is not justified, I kind of understand what the son might have been going through. I too have felt frustrated and angry at my father who does similar things,” he says.

Kumar’s 65-year old father has been a dementia patient for over five

years. “His condition has only been deteriorating. He is just like a child who wets his bed, and may urinate or soil his pants while sitting at the dining table. He doesn’t speak much, watches TV and sometimes claps without reason,” he says.

Kumar hasn’t chained his father, but he has limited his movements instead. He doesn’t let him go any-

8

where on his own. He lives in a gated community, and has hired a help who takes his father out on walks in the evening. The cupboards in the kitchen and the fridge are always locked. “My father is highly diabetic, but eats sugar and sweets given a chance,” he says.

Kumar knows his father doesn’t like to live like this, but believes that he is doing it for his father’s good.

Kumar fears that if he is left to go about freely, he may get lost. “He wants to go back to the village, but there we cannot check on him. We brought him here, when we learnt that he had begged for pan from a local shop. It was embarrassing.

There is better treatment in the city, and we brought him here,” he says.

His father’s condition has not only led to a tense environment at home, but also affected Kumar’s career. He has come to accept the fact that he cannot move cities or plan on going abroad. Despite his efforts, relatives also constantly blame him if something goes slightly wrong with his father’s health, or if they do not agree with the way he treats his father.

Lack of awareness about mental illness can lead family members to illtreat a patient. Says Dr G Gururaj, professor and head of the Centre for Public Health at Nimhans, “Behaviour of the mentally ill can be bizarre and varies according to the condition. Patients could be aggressive and violent, or depressive, introverted and non-communicative. It’s important for the family to undergo counselling to understand the condition of the patient.”

A case of psychiatric illness takes a toll on the entire family.

Psychologist Dr Ali Khwaja, wellknown behavioural therapist, says, “Psychiatric patients are not like, say, orthopaedic patients, who cannot walk and but can otherwise carry on with life. They need someone attending to them full time. A patient’s behaviour not only disrupts peace, but also brings in social stigma.”

The lack of awareness about psychiatric illnesses leads to delay in treatment, resulting in the deterioration of the patient’s condition. Dr Vijay Kumar, psychiatrist at Kanva Diagnostic centre, says, “People believe that the erratic behavior might be due to black magic or other superstitious reasons. Many a time, when they bring the patients to us, it is already late.”

Anuj Kumar recalls that his family too had initially gone to ‘babas,’ with their father. “My mother didn’t want to believe that my father’s men-

talk|20 jun 2013|talkmag.in

bus conductors joke that people who get off at NIMHANS stop are huchcharu (mad),” says Dr Khwaja.

Alongside, there are myths that psychiatric diseases cannot be cured. Dr Khwaja thinks that even educated people know little about advances made in psychiatric treatment. In some cases, the long duration of treatment also makes family members lose faith in it.

There’s also the popular belief that bad karma from past lives causes psychiatric ailments. Dr Khwaja narrates the case of a school teacher who had mild schizophrenia. “She underwent treatment and recovered completely, but didn’t want to go back to the school. Her colleagues had labelled her as a woman who had committed bad deeds,” he says. “Social stigma is true for diseases like schizophrenia and bipolar disorders, seen from adoLOST AND FOUND Hemavathi was confined for lescence onwards, and Alzheimer and five years, and is under treatment at Nimhans dementia, usually seen in the elderly,” he tal condition had deteriorated. She pre- says. For the patient who recovers from ferred to think that it was some black the illness, the greater challenge lies in convincing people that he or she is permagic at work,” he says.

Sometimes family members also fectly fine, says Dr Khwaja.

The social stigma attached to mental think that the patient behaves erratically on purpose. In such cases, they tend to illnesses is so high that people hesitate to think that punishing the patient would seek help. “Even in cases of depression, correct his or her behaviour. That’s when many people do not want to accept that they scold them, wield a stick and in they have a problem. They tend to handle extreme cases, even chain the patient. But, it in their own way, rather than seek help,” as Dr Vijay Kumar puts it, “They don’t says Dr Gururaj.

The stigma makes things difficult for realise that the person can’t help his actions.” Some patience and understand- the families too. Some even go to the extent of abandoning their mentally ill ing could help a lot, he adds.

“Having gone through it myself, I do relatives. T Raja who runs Home of Hope, not expect anyone else to understand, a shelter for people rescued from streets, because they simply cannot,” says 33-year- says that 90 per cent of the 450 people at old Sanjay Shetty (name changed). He suf- the home are psychiatric patients. “There fered from hypochondriasis, or excessive have been instances where we have treatworrying about having a serious disorder. ed people, traced their families and sent In Shetty’s case, he believed that he had a them back. These ailments sometimes problem with his spinal cord, which he recur. The families then leave them at the shelter again. They say that thought the doctors were the patient’s actions embarunable to diagnose. “I ‘Families rass them,” says Raja. would writhe in pain, but Raja opines that hanthe doctors would say there don’t realise dling patients needs a lot of was no problem. I underthe patient patience and tolerance. He went CT and MRI scans, can’t help it’ acknowledges the problems but nothing showed up,” he faced by the families, because says. His friends and colleagues thought that he was lying, but he of which they leave them at the shelter.

“There can be instances, where the actually felt extreme pain.

“One doctor directed me to a psychi- patients may walk out of the house withatrist. After several sessions of counselling out clothes. People around can make lewd and talking to my family, I accepted the jokes, misbehave, blame the family or fact that I was imagining my pain. So insult family members,” he says.

At the Home, something like patients much so that I could actually feel it,” he says. Sanjay recovered after being under dirtying the place is accepted by the staff medication for two years. His family too as a daily affair. “Despite our best understood the problem and stood by attempts, we falter at times. Two years him. But the stigma stuck. Now when he ago, one of the inmates committed suiactually has a physical ailment, many cide. We need to keep a check on them 24 hours,” he says. think that he is making it up.

However, Raja mentions cases where Even today people don’t perceive a psychiatric problem as an illness, like the patients have been treated and recovphysical illness. They instead label people ered. “I have even got them married, and with mental illness as ‘mad.’ “Even now they have got children,” he says proudly.

Less drama, please healing practices will make us cautious about any such neat divisions.

Drug companies might announce new ‘wonder drugs,’ but the fact is that since the late 18th century, doctors and patients have been experimenting with proto-drugs like lithium salts, alkaloids and bromides.

Even prior to this, Ayurveda (about 4th century BC) and Unani medicine (1025 AD) have used plant-based medicine to treat mental illness. he dramatic incidents sur- Sarpagandha, later identified as rounding the recent rescue of Rauwolfia serperntina and used to Ananthaiah Shetty and treat mania, is one such example.

Likewise, we should be careful in Hemavathi Renukappa have drawn much media attention. condemning faith healing outright.

Sensationalising cases of rescued Since allopathic treatment of mental mentally ill persons might be good for illness is often long-term and expenratings, but it is exactly what should sive, many families in India go to faith healers, just as they not be done if one is access hospitals. serious about raising Mental health scholawareness about ar Dr Brigitte problems surroundSebastia’s interviews ing mental illness. of people accessing Most mainfaith healing reveals stream media coverthat one of the reaage of such incidents sons they prefer it is tends to revolve because they find it around dualities: less stigmatising. restriction vs freeThe belief that mendom, victim vs tal illness is caused oppressor (with the not because of their media as rescuer actions but because being the implicit CYNICAL Most media coverage of of a supernatural third party). The vil- mental illness does harm while agency that you have lains in this set-piece: pretending to help family in the recent cases; faith-heal- no control of—black magic, for ing in the reporting of the 2001 fire instance—quite understandably, proaccident in Erwadi, Tamil Nadu, vides them comfort.

There are also interesting efforts where 28 people in a mental home attached to a dargah died. The underway to build links between patients were bound by chains and modern medicine and faith healing.

One such is the Dava-Dua project in could not escape.

Surely, no one can condone acts Gujarat, launched in 2008 as a collabof confinement or chaining. Families oration between Altruist, an NGO, are not always the safe havens they the state government and the Hazrat are imagined to be. But, we should Saiyed Ali Mira Datar Dargah. The not forget that there are as many cases project, run by Milesh Hamlai who of families caring for the mentally ill heads Altruist, trains priests to identify illnesses that could benefit from too.

The positive side to reporting on psychiatric treatment. The priests such incidents is that it points to the then direct such cases to psychiatric urgent need to address the difficult services provided by Altruist. The conditions in which most of the men- attempt, he insists, is not for psychiatally ill live. However, excessive focus try to take over faith healing, but an on the horror of “forcible confine- integration of the two.

Given such efforts, the ment” and the “chaining and locking up” of the patients takes away from media—and its consumers—would do well to go easy on the dramatic dualithis.

Other such dualities that have ties surrounding mental illness. plagued discussions around mental (The writer is a postdoctoral fellow illness: dark ages vs golden present; dubious nostrums vs scientific medi- at Nimhans researching on the history cine. But scrutinising the history of of psychiatry in India)

Media coverage of rescued mentally ill people tend to cast families or faith healers as villains and the media itself as the hero. Such self-serving exercises overlook the complexities of mental illness, and sidesteps the real issues, says Radhika P

T

9

mental illness

talk|20 jun 2013|talkmag.in

The cases that shocked Bangalore The two mentally ill persons found in an abandoned state in their own homes have since recovered. But, doctors say that the public should also take note of the challenges faced by their families

A

nanthaiah Shetty, a 94-year-old man was found tied up and confined to a tiny enclosure on the terrace of his three storey residence in JP Nagar by his own family members. Shetty, who was rescued after neighbours alerted the police, has since been admitted at Nimhans, where he has been diagnosed with Chronic Delirium.

It is a clinical syndrome that causes severe confusion, sensory impairment, dis-

orientation and acute neurological diseases in the body, doctors told Talk. During the initial tests, the doctors also found that Shetty has Adrial Febrillation, a cardiacrelated ailment, and contracture of lower limbs. He is now undergoing various tests to ascertain whether he has dementia or not.

Shetty, who is believed to have been chained for the last one-and-a-half years and was not even given meals on time, is a widower and has four sons and two daughters. The very sons who had abandoned him now seem to have transformed and are frequent visitors to the hospital. A senior psychiatrist noted, “It is certainly a challenge to take care of people with dementia.

They will urinate in the kitchen, eat in the bathroom etc. Sometimes, you really can’t blame the children for being discourteous but sympathise with them.”

Medical superintendent Dr VL Sateesh, said, “We have a team of neurological doctors overseeing the patient. After continuous medication, he now takes food properly and we expect him to get better in

!"#$%&'&()%(!

10

after he completes his treatment.

!"#$%$&'()*"+,%"*-

RELIEVED Ananthaiah Shetty at Nimhans

a couple of weeks time.” He added that they are presently focusing only on his physical needs, and once his condition improves, they will start focusing on psycho social intervention, wherein guidance will be given to the family on how to take care of him. He also confirmed that the department of Women and Child Welfare has shown interest in rehabilitating Shetty

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A similar case that made headlines recently was that of Hemavathi Renukappa, a 35year-old suffering from depression who was confined to her house for five years by her father. She was found in an almost unresponsive state, and in unhygienic conditions when she was rescued by the Malleswaram police. Hemavathi, who is now undergoing treatment at Niimhans, has recovered and has started to talk about family issues and relationships, doctors told Talk. The Chartered Accountancy student has been diagnosed with depression and Vitamin D deficiency.

As she was immobile for many years, she also has been analysed with contracture of joints, and will undergo physiotherapy under the supervision of an orthopedic surgeon. “Right now, we are treating her for depression and also giving her vitamin supplements to help her recover from anemia,” Dr Sateesh says.

While most of the media had condemned her father for confining her, doctors at Nimhans have a different take.

“Medical reports show that the father had taken Hemavathi to Kempegowda and Jayanagar General Hospital before coming here,” Dr Sateesh explains.

MARIA LAVEENA

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Shelters for the mentally ill

book excerpt

talk|20 jun 2013|talkmag.in

11

‘The prayers of mentals’ Em and the Big Hoom, the acclaimed novel by journalist Jerry Pinto, presents a stark fictional portrayal of mental illness. In this excerpt, the narrator reflects on the terrifying ups and downs of his mother, and his own troubled response to it

I

f there was one thing I feared as I was growing up… No, that’s stupid. I feared hundreds of things: the dark, the death of my father, the possibility that I might rejoice at the death of my mother, sums involving vernier calipers, groups of school boys with nothing much to do, death by drowning.

But of all these, I feared most of the possibility that I might go mad too. If that happened, my only assest would be taken from me. Growing up, I knew I did not have many advantages. I had no social skills. I had no friends. I had no home-no home that was a refuge. I seemed to have no control over my body; my clumsiness was legendary. All I had was my mind and that was peril from my genes.

Em’s manic state was often ugly but it is how I remember her: as a rough, rude, roistering woman. In this state, she came to us as an equal.

But it was the other Em who was my night terror. As if it were a wild animal with flecks of foam at its mouth, I feared her depression.

I found it hard to reconcile the way that word felt to the state my mother was in when she was dragged down into the subterranean depths of her mind. Depression seemed to suggest a state that could be dealt with by ordinary means, by a comedy on the

television or an extravagance at a nice shop. It suggested a dip in level ground where you might stumble, but from which you might scramble, a little embarrassed that it should have caught you unawares—a little redfaced from the exertion—but otherwise unharmed.

Em’s depressions were not like that.

Imagine you were walking in a pleasant meadow with someone you love, your mother. It’s warm, and there’s just enough of a breeze to cool you. You can smell earth and cut grass, and something of a herb garden. Lunch is a happy memory in your stomach and dinner awaits youa three-course meal you have devised —all your comfort foods. The light is golden with a touch of blue, as if the sky were leaking.

Suddenly, your mother steps into a patch of quicksand. The world continues to be idyllic and inviting for you but your mother is being sucked into the centre of the earth.

She makes it worse by smiling bravely, by telling you to go on, to leave her there, the man with the

broken leg on the Arctic expedition who says, ‘Come back for me; it’s my best chance,’ because the lie allows everyone to believe that they are not abandoning him to die.

Some part of you walks on and some part of you is frozen there, watching the spectacle. You want to stay but you must go. The imperium of the world’s timetable will allow you to break step and fall out for a while, but it will abandon you, too, if you linger too long by your mother, now a curled-up foetal ball, moaning in pain, breathing only because her body forces her to.

The only way to deal with such pain is to blot it out. My mother is now in a state where her mind tortures her. It will not even let her sag into apathy.

Sometimes I see her body twitching a little in pain.

Sometimes I see her forcing herself into a rigid stillness. Nothing will help her answer whatever savage questions her mind is asking.

This is darkness and all that we have as remedy are pills. They don’t work. Not when she is this way. My mother lives through the long black night of the mind. She longs for death. She asks us if we can give it to her.

‘Kill me’, she says on days when the pain is so bad that she is panting with it, small barely audible sobs. ‘Let

me die.’

I don’t know what to do or how to respond. I want to kill her. I even know how I will do it. First some very string drugs, of which there is a readily available supply. Then, when she is sleeping, her breath stertorous, a pillow. I run it as a thought experiment, just as I might run the ‘What will I do when my father dies’ experiment. I don’t think I will be able to hold her down if she flails, so I’m hoping that the drugs will make her quiescent.

But I also know that I will not do this. (I wonder if she knows this too and that is the reason why she asks.) I will not do this because I know that she is coming up now. This is the worst of it and it can only be a couple of days more before she begins to surface. These will be days when The Big Hoom will sit by her bed and she will hold his forearm as he reads the paper. From time to time, she will say, ‘Mambo?’

And he will put down the paper and look at her.

‘Nothing,’ she will say.

And he will begin to read again.

For two or three days, we will all live with the knowledge that one of us is gulping for air, swallowing sobs, experiencing pain that will not let up.

We will rearrange our lives so that someone is always with her. One morning when I am alone with her, I give her five small orange Depsonils, when her prescription says one.

Does it help? I think not.

Excerpted from Jerry Pinto’s Em and the Big Hoom, with permission from the publisher, Aleph

mental illness

talk|20 jun 2013|talkmag.in

Prescription for pilloried Nimhans: New campus

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The 40-acre North Bangalore facility may calm overwrought nerves of overworked doctors and ease the wait of weary patients at the overloaded hospital

prashanth.gn@talkmag.in

I

Total patients Nimhans has seen in 2012: 4.5 lakh, up from 3 lakh-3.5 lakh in 2009

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PRASHANTH GN

t’s a weekday morning and the throng outside the OPD for Psychiatry and Neurology is growing. And it’s just 7 am.

There are no less than 200 people, most of who have been waiting from 6.30 am, knowing full well that the doctor will see them only at 2 pm.

The scene at the Emergency and Trauma Centre of the hospital is no different. The beds are always full and at least 10 per cent of patients are referred to private hospitals. Those who cannot afford private medical care must afford the wait.

Take, for instance, Shahabuddin from Raichur. Having heard of the long queues, this Grama Panchayat member says he reached Nimhans at 7 am after dumping his bags in a lodge in Majestic and gobbling an early breakfast.

“I had to wait till 8 am to get a slip at the registration counter. It was around 9 am when my slip reached the announcement counter. Ten minutes later I got my screening check-up —in which they asked me whether I had a neurological or psychiatric problem. After listening to me, they guided me to the psychiatry examination centre. Then they told me that they would announce my number. It is now 1.30 pm and my number hasn’t been called out yet!”

The wait bothers him a lot but he says he has no alternative. “If I go

12

TESTING PATIENCE Patients must wait at least four hours for a consultation at Nimhans

back now, I will incur extra expenses!” he says ruefully.

What does he think is the problem at Nimhans? “It may not have to do with the doctors. They are doing their job. The issue seems to be the huge number of people—I see at least 200 people waiting their turns. Which institution will be able to cope with such rush? Maybe they should have more doctors and more OPDs. I don’t know whether that is possible.

Overcrowding seems to be the biggest problem here.”

Dr Satishchandra agrees. “There is severe overcrowding at the casualty and emergency. The centres receive

Number of psychiatrists at Nimhans: 33

nearly 150 patients every day, which makes it 30,000 patients a year. How many more patients can we accommodate within the limited space?”

The good news is that there will be a solution to the woes of patients like Shahbuddin and the worries of doctors like Satishchandra.

The North Bangalore Nimhans campus will soon take shape. A trauma care unit and rehabilitation wing will be the first centres to come up on the new campus.

“Last week, the State government handed over 40 acres of land in North Bangalore to the neurosciences institute to build what will

Number of psychiatrists in the country: 3500-4,000

be called the Nimhans North Bangalore campus to have more treatment centres. The campus will be located at Kyalasanahalli, near Hennur Circle, on the BangaloreMangalore gas pipeline road,” said Dr Satishchandra.

Confident that the new facility will ease pressure on the hospital, Dr Satishchandra says: “There will be relief for patients who commute from North Bangalore and places like Nelamangala, Tumkur, Mulbagal, Magadi, Kankapura, Ramanagaram and Hoskote, Devanahalli, Doddaballapur, Chikballapur and Bagepalli.”

He is also sure that the new campus will also help in upholding the true tradition of the hospital, which is quality treatment at affordable costs. “Most people cannot afford treatment at private hospitals.

We have to keep in view income levels of people while understanding why a hospital like Nimhans sees such a rush.”

If you think a waiting time of four hours to get an appointment with a doctor after registration in the Out Patient department (OPD) is painful, listen to what NIMHANS director Dr P Satishchandra says. “Earlier, patients had to wait for ten hours!”

Number of neurologists at Nimhans: 14

Number of neurologists In India: 1100

talk|20 jun 2013|talkmag.in

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Akhila Rao (name changed), an academic who cared for her father, speaks about the psychological and physiological consequences of Parkinson’s disease, and offers first-hand insights into how to deal with hallucinations and obsessive talk

13

Caring for the Parkinson’s-afflicted

M

y father was afflicted with Parkinson’s disease for nearly 15 years, though to this day I’m not certain it was Parkinson’s. Many ailments show similar symptoms and sometimes a Parkinson’s patient behaves just like a normal individual.

In any case, our family took care of my father for over 20 years after which he died in 2012. His ailment was a combination of psychological and physiological consequences for over 15 years. Physiologically, my father was unable to walk on his own, lift his leg, or keep his hands still when holding a cup.

He would go to the bathroom normally, but would never be able to walk back to his room. Lifting him was difficult: four people would do it and all four would walk him to the room as he wasn’t able to balance his gait. Even lifting his arm was heavy.

Initially he would have blackouts and collapse. That was the reason my mother was always close to him physically.

His motor functions became inhibited and the loss of control over his muscles and nerves resulted in slurred speech. This was his state for a long time, but physiologically he gradually improved and exhibited steadiness, thanks to the medication. Apart from this, we had to handle the psychological aspect of the ailment.

My father would experience hallucinations at least twice a month. Sitting in the hall, he would suddenly point to the floor and say, “Pick up the piece of paper. It’s a very important document. Must be my pension papers. I want to sign them.” But there would be no piece of paper. Sometimes he would say, “Somebody is at the door. I think he has come to see me.” There would be no one there.

He was obsessed with office memories. He would say, “Look, my office person has come to pick me up. Tell the driver.

Drive the car out. When you go to work, take me along.” This he would say repeated-

AWARENESS IS KEY Boxer Mohammed Ali and Hollywood actor Michael J Fox at an event to spread awareness about Parkinson’s syndrome. Both have been diagnosed with the disease.

ly, but there would be no one. Initially it took us by surprise. We wondered why he was saying things repeatedly. My mother would argue with him and they would sometimes fight.

I would tell my mother to be patient and devise techniques to get him out of the conversation over things he obsessed about.

We began to speak like friends to him and change the topic. We taught ourselves that he would obsess about something and this anticipation reduced our shock. This was a long process.

When it happens a few times, you understand that it is likely to happen again, so the shock comes down. He would also be withdrawn. We never understood this - was it because of the ailment or was he bored seeing the same people every day? He would turn aloof, but perk up visibly when someone from outside came visiting.

We didn’t know whether he was bored with us. By nature he was passive, not given to anger. He would be co-operative. Being too withdrawn though wasn’t a facet of his personality. He was otherwise mentally alert and would remember things going back 60 to 70 years.

He would not do anything in particular at home. My mother would constantly watch over his daily activity even though we had appointed a person to care for him. She feared his blackouts and was aware he may seek intimate company even when withdrawn. For her it was a 24-hour watch-to ensure he gets up on time, gets dressed, eats, and sleeps well. She would never leave

him alone. While this tired her, it also offered her great relief that she was close to him all through those days of ailment. We didn’t and don’t know everything about Parkinson’s, despite 15 years of being with a patient. We would never understand why the hallucinations occurred or why he was aloof.

Often, his behavior seemed normal.

The difficult part in such ailments is to be able to understand what is normal and what is not. Since he was a manageable patient, it became all the more difficult for us to understand whether at all he had any psychological ailment.

The challenge for any family or caregiver is to be patient, even if you don’t know what the symptoms are, what the behavior is, ask someone for help and slowly learn with the patient. Once you watch for a few days, you know what action, gesture or conversation and medication offers relief to the patient. Be in constant touch with doctors and build a core team to look after the patient. Share responsibilities to reduce burden of caregiving. But most important, be kind, patient and courteous.

If you lose patience, you will lose your patient, who is your own father, mother or sister. You will be tempted to shun them.

Please don’t do that. Help is available. And change your perspective of life, it will certainly help you deal with the crisis. You will find fulfillment in having helped during a crisis even if you felt tired.

(As told to Prashanth GN)

celeb suicide

talk|20 jun 2013|talkmag.in

14

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TOXIC AFFAIR Jiah Khan’s boyfriend Suraj Pancholi (above) has been detained for abetting her suicide

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Actresses battle Jiah’s demons Bangaloreans in show biz talk about their experiences in handling failure and rejection

CHETANA BELAGERE

B

ollywood actress Jiah Khan’s alleged suicide yet again highlights the frustration and despair that come as a part of the glamourous life.

Several Bangaloreans in show biz have committed suicide, and the list includes big Kannada film stars like Kalpana and Manjula, and aspiring stars like Nivedita Jain.

Some, like actors Saikumar and Rishika Singh, have lived through the trauma and pulled themselves out of it.

Typically, like in other industries, Kannada cinema’s ageing, overpaid male stars need poorly-paid starlets to dance and pine for them on screen to reinforce their images of virility.

Industry insiders are quick to blame suicides on the ‘domineering mother’. Says a well-known director, “The mothers want to make the most when the going is good. Invariably, young stars seek love from men their mothers disapprove of. Either they listen to their mothers and are careerfocused, or they choose their lovers over all else, or they just die.”

From Kalpana, who committed suicide in 1978 after starring in string of critically acclaimed family dramas, to Rishika Singh, a 20-something heroine who allegedly attempted suicide after a break-up earlier this year, the script has not changed much.

Says Dr Jagadish A, consultant psychiatrist at Abhaya Hospital, Hombegowda Nagar: “Most actresses’ mothers turn out to be failed actresses. They get vicarious pleasure in seeing their daughters succeed.

Sometimes they are jealous when a man gets their daughter’s attention, leading to tension.”

Though the exploitative mother is an easy target, short career spans make actresses insecure. Over the past decade, producers have been flooding Kannada cinema with heroines from the north. When a heroine

tries to hike her price after a hit, pro- autographs but once that is gone, we ducers and heroes simply junk her experience insecurity, desperation and go in for a new face for as low as and hopelessness.” She was a graduate when she entered movies, and Rs 50,000.

There’s always a bevy of says she was mature enough to hanwannabes queuing up at the produc- dle such pressures. Rakshita was a er’s door. Very few actresses-Ramya sensation in the Kannada and Telugu and Ragini are exceptions-can dictate film industries, and married co-star their price. Top stars like Puneeth Prem. More recently, she had joined Rajkumar and Sudeep choose a new the BSR Congress, and quit just heroine for each film, thus creating before the elections.

Ragini was 19 when she made more pressure and negative competiher debut in the movies, and is now tion among their previous heroines.

Also, stardom comes early now, 22. “Family and friends need to be sometimes when the actresses are extremely supportive, otherwise at just 18. “Instead of banking on their that young age one tends to become a talent, they lean on shortcuts and loner like Jiah Khan,” she says.

Problems with boyfriends and promises, which when not fulfilled, lead them to self destruction,” says Dr affairs with older men become just too much for young actresses to hanJagadish.

Equally, successful people tend dle. “They fall in and out of love easito be hyper-competitive, which ly and when betrayal comes their way, they are in no position means they are conto handle the stress,” stantly comparing ‘Men in the says Rakshita. themselves to people film industry Some have come who are even more out stronger, though. successful. too needs Rishika Singh, heroine Some senior counselling,’ of five films, went actors, on condition says Jayamala through a rough patch, of anonymity, suggest and attempted suicide. actresses needed counselling. But Jayamala, who has She was sent for drug rehab and is starred with Rajkumar and also won a now determined to make the best of national award for her lead role in her life.

“When I gained stardom and my Girish Kasaravalli’s arthouse film Thaayi Saheba, has a counter argu- personal life went for a toss, I became ment: “The idea of counselling could very vulnerable. Life was totally also be extended to men in the indus- messed up and it was I alone who was responsible for it. This happens when try.”

Rakshita Prem, who turned you see money and stardom at an age from heroine to produer, says: “We when most people would be busy figfeel kicked when we are asked to sign uring out what to do with their lives.

talk|20 jun 2013|talkmag.in

Now, with the support of my family and a few friends, I have managed to come back. I attended many counselling sessions and that has made me stronger,” she says.

Rishika appeared on the Kannada reality show Big Boss, and has gained wide visibility.

“I have decided to forget the past but not the lessons it has taught me,” she says. Her advice to young girls aspiring to be in show biz is that they should learn to balance their work with personal life, and families too need to be understanding. “One has to learn to remain grounded despite all the money and the popularity,” says Rishika.

Director Sai Prakash, who makes sentimental and devotional films, attempted suicide by popping sleeping pills. He had sent text messages to many film personalities saying he had lost interest in life and was under severe pressure because of his debts.

Almost all heroines point fingers at the media. “They think

they should even watch the dog in our house,” says an actress, on condition of anonymity.

Ramya says: “The media should know what to write and what not. In Jiah Khan’s case, I was reading in a daily that she had claimed to have got an offer from Hollywood. In another interview, she was mocked about it. These taunts make the weakminded vulnerable.”

But such complaints are not heard when the publicity works in their favour.

Harshika Poonacha (23), who has acted in Kannada, Tulu, Konkanii and Telugu films, says, “Jiah Khan acted opposite Amitabh Bachchan sir at 16, and that is an age when we were dreaming of seeing him at least once. This meant she had to maintain a good success graph.”

For many actresses, flops are followed by rejection in the industry. “And their plight gets worse when things don’t work out in their personal lives,” says Harshika, who graduated from hosting TV shows to films.

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talk|20 jun 2013|talkmag.in

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s I walked around the shopping hubs in town on a mission to source the coolest in monsoon stuff (read umbrellas, stylish raincoats and funky footwear), I was both surprised and disappointed with what I found.

Shopping for monsoon, I realised, is not as easy as it seemed; in fact, it proved to be a chore. While the most popular stores, known for stocking monsoon wear, were disappointing (either they were out of stock or they had poor quality products), there were surprise entrants that helped lift the mood.

It turned out that places like Commercial Street and Brigade road, the ones I had expected would be stocked for the monsoon, had actually little to offer. In comparison, retail chain outlets seemed more prepared for the season. But it is the sidewalks, I discovered, that had the most options and best deals on offer, considering that here you could bargain too.

I also noticed that while women and kids had plenty to choose from, men (as is usually the case) were left with very little or no choice. Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s raincoats and footwear are available in every shade, the menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s section was restricted to greys and browns (as if to underline the gloom!).

Now that the monsoon is officially here, here are a few tips on best to beat the blues, and in style too.

17

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As the rain gods get ready to smile, Sandra M Fernandes takes you around town for monsoon wear that will bring colour back into those gloomy days ahead

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box office

talk|20 jun 2013|talkmag.in

18

BACKSTREET DRAMA Shivaraj Kumar plays a gangster in love with a film-extra (Radhika Pandit) in Kaddipudi

Shivaraj Kumar’s new film sees the city, so far portrayed as dark and inhospitable to migrants from rural Karnataka, as partly fair and humane

Kaddipudi shows new optimism among ‘sons of the soil’

N

MK Raghavendra

is the author of Seduced by the Familiar: Narration and Meaning in Indian Popular Cinema (Oxford, 2008), 50 Indian Film Classics (HarperCollins, 2009) and Bipolar Identity: Region, Nation and the Kannada Language Film (Oxford, 2011).

othing reveals and illustrates the differences between social classes and categories more than their respective fantasies, and popular cinema is perhaps the best index available for what the fantasies of a social class are.

While Hindi cinema is watched by a class which aspires to wealth, success and holidays in Europe, the Kannada film is consumed by a class which fantasises about a brutal dogeat-dog existence in the squalid parts of Bangalore. The Kannada gangster films which became popular about 10 years ago are all focused on migrants coming to Bangalore from the small towns of Old Mysore, being driven into gangland killings and eventually coming to grief.

The fact that the protagonists of films like Duniya (2007) and Jogi (2005), despite being heroic, aspire to so little, is an indication of the marginalisation of the class to which their audience belongs. Bangalore is essentially the villain in each of these films because of its inhospitable attitude to

‘sons of the soil’. Soori, who directed 1986, a happier film about a poor boy Duniya, has now made a film in the who is finally embraced by his rich same gangster genre, Kaddipudi, (biological) father. This suggests that which is not as impressive as Duniya, Kaddipudi will also be more optibut suggests that the class which con- mistic than the Kannada gangster stitutes the audience does not see its films of the new millennium in which condition as so hopeless any longer. the protagonist rarely survives till the Kaddipudi is not about a demor- last frame. Comparing the name alised migrant, and we may gather ‘Anand’ with ‘Shivlingu’ of Duniya from this that Bangalore is not and ‘Madesha’ of Jogi also confirms viewed with so much hostility. In the this because ‘Anand’ does not spell film Anand, aka Kaddipudi (Shivaraj such disadvantage in cosmopolitan Kumar) is a goodBangalore. hearted young man Anand has a who becomes a group of friends who The film blames feared rowdy because all work for a politiviolence in the of his prowess with cian named Renuka, city on the the ‘long’ (a euphewhose son Gaali is issue of land mism for the elonAnand’s friend. gated chopper). His Renuka’s rival is a story is initially narrated in a crooked and ruthless MLA named voiceover by ACP Sathyamurthy Shankarappa (Sharath Lohitashwa) (Ananth Nag), who sees the good and much of the gangland fighting is qualities in the protagonist and helps on behalf of the rival politicians. him to reform.

While the good ACP Sathyamurthy is neutral and only does his duty, he is replaced by ACP Vijaya Prasad !"#$%$"&%'#(&)%$&**%+) The name Anand may be a throwback (Avinash), who is MLA Shankarappa’s to an earlier Shivaraj Kumar hit of henchman, and harasses Anand. The

romance in the film is between Anand and Uma (Radhika Pandit) who earns a living as a film extra and lives with her ailing mother in very poor surroundings.

,-.&%/.&#*0)$012%$"#'%#.$% 10'&(# It must be admitted that in its visceral portrayal of its squalid milieu, Kaddipudi is more ‘realistic’ than even the Kannada art film, and despite being an entertainer, it eschews glamour. The protagonist and his companions eke out meagre livelihoods, eating off the road or in cheap restaurants. The film has plenty of titillation but much of this is sleazy rather than glamorous. Amidst the ‘realism’, there is an effort to make Bangalore a fearsome space with rape and murder just around the corner.

But while the film deals ostensibly with the criminalised classes— and others not from ‘respectable society’—it casts actresses evidently from middle-class backgrounds as their victims. When these women are set upon by goons, it is deliberately mak-

talk|20 jun 2013|talkmag.in

ing the middle-class spectator uneasy. The use of common working class emblems is also alarming. The autorickshaw is frequently used to abduct women and the everyday instruments used by cobblers are employed in murder. One is not certain why the film is resorting to this, because the story ends tamely, the apprehension it creates leading nowhere.

A feature about the milieu depicted in the film is that it does not accommodate the ordinary citizen. There are, for instance, no legitimate businessmen or professionals who play parts in the narrative, but this is left to the other side—the mainstream Hindi film dealing only with the affluent classes. But two aspects about Kaddipudi which are important pertain to its depictions of politics and the police.

In Duniya, mainstream politics was shown as being outside the reach of the rowdy but here Anand’s wife Uma becomes a successful politician. The other aspect is that where policemen were uniformly brutal and terrifying in Duniya, there are good policemen as well as bad policemen in Kaddipudi. Where policemen knocked off criminals routinely in encounters in Duniya, Kaddipudi makes jokes about ‘encounter specialists’. It is apparent that the status of Kannada cinema’s constituen-

!"#$%&'&()%(!

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‘sons-of-the-soil’—whose voting strength then meant little—several subsequent elections have proved that the electorate cannot be taken for granted. Anand’s wife winning an election in Kaddipudi is indicative of the audience’s faith in the elections, and the touch of irony in her abrupt ascent cannot undo the sense that the electoral process gives the poor some hope.

1#2+,'("3)2+(+,&(%&4(&5)%)67

ALMOST HOME Kaddipudi hints that migrants from within the state are more at ease in Bangalore

cy has changed between the two films and from the new economy because it did not it regards itself as more secure. share in its success. Also, the real estate boom left local people feeling cheated because the land they had just sold quadru!"#$%&''()*(+,&(-.(/#0',%"(&#" The Kannada gangster film began its life pled in value in a matter of months and exduring the SM Krishna era when Bangalore landowners often found themselves taking was perceived as being run on behalf of the up petty jobs in businesses on their former new economy businesses, and there was lands.

If the SM Krishna period, when the the sense—in many of the films—of the State (with the police as its emblem) being CM imagined himself as a CEO and courtat the beck and call of enterprise. The con- ed the business class rather than the elecstituency of Kannada cinema felt alienated torate, represented a gloomy period for

The economy is also on the downswing now and the public knows more about the conditions of new economy employees.

One might therefore propose that even if the lot of the ‘sons-of-the-soil’ has not improved visibly, the perceived condition of those that they compared themselves to has worsened, and this may also have contributed to Kaddipudi’s optimism.

To conclude, there is a motif in the film that may have some significance. I remarked earlier about the rapes and murders which feature in the film, and a double murder takes place in an abandoned and incomplete structure with a painted sign indicating litigation of some sort. Perhaps there is a comment here blaming the violence in Bangalore on the transfer of land which has created enormous enmity and discontent among the people in the city.

The everyday astonishment

OMG SAVIE KARNEL

savie.karnel@talkmag.in

O

MG. If you do not know what it means, then you probably live in a cave. But, before you dismiss OMG as a silly abbreviation, you need to know two things. First, it is about a hundred years old. Second, it has made it into the Oxford English Dictionary.

Which makes it almost as respectable and acceptable as the word God itself.

For those still wondering what we’re talking about, OMG stands for Oh My God (or variations of it like Oh My Goodness, though these are less popular). Yes, OMG is made of the first three letters of the traditional exclamatory phrase. The story of its origin goes back to the First World War. As most people would assume, it was not a lazy teenager who invented it. OMG was made up by a senior Admiral of the British Royal Navy.

He first wrote it in a letter to the then British Prime Minister Winston The Talk Churchill. We cancolumn on not say that he

word origins

wrote OMG to avoid writing all three words, for he spelt out the full form in brackets.

It so happened in 1917, that British Admiral John Arbuthnot Fisher was upset with some newspaper headlines.

Popularly known as Lord Jacky Fisher, he was preparing ships in the high seas, not for fishing, but for war. Fisher is credited with materially preparing the British fleet for the war. He introduced the world’s first all-big-gun ship, the ‘dreadnought.’

Being at the helm of affairs of the Navy, whose chief enemy was Germany, followed by Russia, he was upset with the glorification W of the German Navy. Some newspapers reported about German naval activity, implying that they were leading strategically. Fisher was upset that the media was highlighting the Germans, when his navy was larger and stronger.

In an angry letter to Churchill, he mentions headlines like this one: The German Fleet to Assist Land Operations in the Baltic. He goes on to say that the British Navy was five times stronger than its enemies and could “gobble up” the fleet in few minutes. He also boasts that he could land “an army in the enemies’ rear” and capture the Russian capital by sea.

He then goes on to use subtle humour to hint that he hoped to be knighted. He says, “I hear that a new order of Knighthood is on the tapis—O.M.G. (Oh! My God!)—Shower it on the Admiralty!!” Going by this sentence, it also seems like the use to multiple exclamatory marks also dates back to a very long time.

Some etymologiests believe that Fisher’s letter may have been the first proof of OMG being in use in the last century. Perhaps it could have been someone in the navy who created this acronym while sending a telegraphic message using Morse code. At the time, the navy used many acronyms, so as to make communication faster and easier.

OMG could be one of them.

The term did not become popular with the general population. OMG later popped up in a 1982 advertisement in the Los Angeles Times. The ad read, “You’ll find the season’s best tangelos and tangerines now at our famous produce stalls. We spotted some marked O-M-G Tangelos, about the biggest we’ve seen.”

With the advent of internet chat rooms in the nineties, OMG became popular with the teenagers, as a term for astonishment. Today it is no longer just teen slang, but very much a part of the OMG! The traditional expression for surprise has made a comeback thanks to the Internet generation common parlance.

K E Y

O R D S

talk|20 jun 2013|talkmag.in

20

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Is the govt snooping on us?

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How green is your home?

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talk|20 jun 2013|talkmag.in

21

Forward Volunteers wanted

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Bring on the pasta!

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City startup wins national contest

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back stage

talk|20 jun 2013|talkmag.in

22

!"#$%&!'(!)

‘I’m drawn to unnamed places and characters’ Says Swar Thounaojam, whose new play Bogey Systems leaves theatrical conventions behind !"#$%&'%$"( )(*$+#,%&-(# .("&*!"#$% &%'($)'/ !"#$%"&'( )%*$+,"(-* '$+"&#*"+&(./"(0"&#*"1(&#*.2 3#*"+*4(-%"'$+"&#*")-4.*$+*% +/+&*1+"(0"4(-&.(5")-"6.7$+8$4*+2

The bogeyman cometh Bogey Systems, playwright-director Swar Thounaojam’s new play, is not an easy watch.

And that is a good thing

PRACHI SIBAL

prachi.sibal@talkmag.in

W

SEA INSIDE Bogey Systems, which played on June 11 and 12 at Ranga Shankara, features one of the most innovative set designs in recent times

hat I heard about Bogey Systems told me little more than that it sounded intriguing.

The only concrete thing I could gather was that it interwove Manipuri bogeyman stories with Kannada and Tamil rhymes.

Naturally then, I was unprepared for what lay ahead.

Bogey Systems is anything but conventional—in fact, had it not been performed on a stage, it would be hard to call it a play. It begins with wordplay in English, Kannada and Meitei (Manipuri), and moves on to tell the story of a married couple who move to a strip of land, surrounded by the sea on one side and hills on the other. The locals disapprove of people who walk by the sea, but the woman, who is seven months pregnant, pays no heed. Her

neighbours spit on her for having gone too close to the sea, but she’s so obsessed with it that she even uses a camera to record the waves.

The child, born on the eighth month, dies one night when the mother lies asleep clutching it. The woman says she wants to “send the child to the sea,” but everyone else is opposed to her. The neighbours insist the child be buried on land, and a nail driven into the grave.

Woven into this narrative is a bogeyman story, where a particularly wicked king is on the prowl looking for four-year-olds playing on the street to cut their ears off and stuff the bleeding little ones in gunny bags, to be carried away to build a bridge. There are no characters attached to the actors, and two women—Anu HR and Swar—take turns telling the story in the third person. This touching but often gruesome tale is told in English, but with a splattering of Meitei, Kannada and Tamil.

Each of the pieces, as well as the dialogue, is heavy with metaphor.

For instance, the bogeyman story could easily be a metaphor for child sexual abuse. The monotonic narrative gets lyrical when the occasional bit of Kannada or Meitei verse pops up.

The 70-minute performance,

without any break, is engrossing but hardly the kind to watch for entertainment alone. Also, this isn’t a play that you will walk out smiling from.

The live music by Pradeep Gopal in the background sets the mood for the dialogue and is calming when the stories get gory.

The stage design is nothing less than path breaking and it will be a while before you take in all its components. There are tubelights illuminating every part—and then there are sand filled sheets, balloons, bonfires, teacups and much more. The sea, the mountains, the streets and the homes are all here and the transitions are seamlessly coordinated.

That said, the first 15 minutes of the play can leave you a little disoriented, as the lack of a connecting story thread and the (often implied) third person narrative leaves some questions unanswered. At the end of it, you walk out of the theatre in a tizzy and may end up spending the following day piecing together the many hidden links in the story. For theatre lovers, experimental theatre such as this comes as a breath of fresh air while raising important questions about conventions of the medium as well as the society it inhabits. What it does not do is provide a readymade buzz to someone who happened to stray in.

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

auto buzz

talk|20 jun 2013|talkmag.in

23

!"#$%&'"()"#*

Battleground

SUV SIDDARTH LAKSHMANAN

F

uel prices may be climbing periodically, but it seems it has had little effect on the demand for sports utility vehicles (SUVs). The entry level SUV segment has a large market base and has seen demand growing exponentially in recent times. The segment has overtaken most others in market sales in the last couple of years, and SUV models are available from most of manufacturers, like the Toyota Innova, Tata Aria, Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, Mahindra XUV 500, Renault Duster, Ford Ecosport, Chevrolet Enjoy and so on.

One of the factors driving demand is their reduced prices, thanks to manufacturers

One of the more talked about features is the Emergency Assist, available on sync-equipped variants. It uses the driver’s paired phone to send an emergency voice message to operators by dialling 108 when an air bag is deployed or when the fuel pump is shut off and also sends the car’s GPS coordinates. Now, that’s a smart feature indeed!

On putting the new 1.0 litre Ecoboost engine to test, the power was found to be sufficient at 90 bhp but a sluggish feel arises after 1800 rpm mark which is to be expected in a small engine.

The prices are to be announced in mid-June, and given the current situation, they better be competitive!

The off-roader market is heating up with the arrival of new entrants. Talk reviews three of the more exciting models to join the race introducing smaller capacity engines. Despite their smaller size, these are capable of delivering almost the same level of performance as the large and powerful engines that most SUVs came equipped with before, and at a significantly lower production cost. SUVs are also prized for spacious interiors and sturdy build, and are particularly popular with urban families who frequently travel out of the city.

Here’s a quick review of the most talked about recent launches Chevrolet Enjoy and Renault Duster, plus the most awaited Ford Ecosport, which also compares them with their older rivals like the XUV 500 and the Innova.

#&+,-.*%$-(*&# Renault introduced the Duster in India 11 months ago after its roaring success in Europe, where it was sold under the brand name of Dacia. The Duster marries the comfort of a sedan and the rugged strength of an offroader. Priced lower than the XUV 500, Duster has already eaten into Mahindra’s market share. Not surprising, since the French automobile manufacturer has won 29 awards for the Duster so far. The performance, handling, responsiveness and suspension of the vehicle are the best in its class, which makes the Duster a pleasure to

Finally, one of the most awaited launches of 2013 is here after an unduly long (18 months) wait.

Industry sources confirm that the wait was due to efforts to assemble the EcoSport here in India.

The design has been well thought through, with a length of less than four metres and a ground clearance of 200 mm that is just enough to wade through water levels of up to 400 mm depth.

EcoSport comes with a 5-speed manual and 6-speed automatic transmission. Ford currently offers two engine variants on the EcoSport, the 1.5 litre engine which is used in the Fiesta and the new 1.0 litre Ecoboost engine developed by Ford for which it has been critically acclaimed.

'/&0#".&*%&+1"2% The Enjoy, just launched in India, is the fruit of General Motors’ Chinese collaboration. GM has got its strategy right by pricing the Enjoy attractively. It is more of a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) than a SUV (a people-carrier rather than a family car) but we have pit it against the front runners due to its attractive price tag. It comes with two fuel options, a 1.4 litre Smartech petrol and a 1.3 litre Smartech turbocharged diesel engine manufactured at the company’s new Powertrain unit in Talegaon, Pune. Enjoy comes with a safe cage design with 10 collision MODEL

drive. The adjustable driver’s seat, tilt steering, rear AC with independent controls all add to the list of stand-out features.

Renault offers two fuel options with three engine variants (RxE, RxL, RxZ) of the model. There is no automatic option yet in the line-up, though Renault has announced one by the end of the year or early next year.

VARIANTS

Chevrolet Enjoy

1.4 LS-8 (Petrol) 1.4 LTZ-7 ( Petrol) 1.3 TCDI LS-8 (Diesel) 1.3 TCDI LTZ-7 (Diesel)

Renault Duster

Petrol RxE Petrol RxL Diesel 85 RxE Diesel 110PS RxL Diesel 110PS RxZ

Ford Ecosport

Ambiente Trend

protection beams made of high strength steel and in built crumple zones and side impact beams in the doors. The inside of the car feels plush with dual tone interiors and a well laid out instrument cluster. It is capable of seating seven people comfortably and is very spacious.

The driveability is quite decent but with seven people on board, the pull of the vehicle reduces drastically. With this product, GM is eyeing the taxi segment and big families. But whether the Enjoy can outsell the Innova, which currently dominates the segment, it has to be seen.

PRICE (Ex-showroom)

MILEAGE

5,59,269 7,12,444 6,81,402 8,14,222

13.7 kmpl 13.7 kmpl 18.2 kmpl 18.2 kmpl

8,04,000 9,00,000 8,79,000 10,85,000 11,77,000

13.24 kmpl 13.24 kmpl 20.45 kmpl 20.45 kmpl 20.45 kmpl

Prices yet to be announced

Petrol Ecoboost 12 kmpl Diesel Ecoboost 18.9 kmpl

!!"#$%& GOING STRONG Author Shiv Kumar is 92, and recently released a re-telling of the Mahabharata

!"#$%&'

Saying hello to Yama Sahitya Academy award winner Shiv K Kumar’s Nude Before God, a classic satire on life and the after-life, has just been reissued by Random House India. This excerpt depicts an amusing encounter between the protagonist and Yama, the God of death

R

eleased from my body, I began to drift underwater, light as a feather. Away from me, my body seemed rudderless, distinct and separate.

A strange realisation dawned upon me. I felt that my body no longer bore any relation to me—that I was totally apart from it. Unencumbered by my physical being, I was only consciousness.

And then a jet-black patch of thick, oily water came rolling towards me. First it was a dot; then it swelled into a whirlpool from which emerged a grotesque face. It resembled the statue of the God of death I’d seen above the main gate of Girdharilal Crematorium.

‘I hope you recognise me,’ the face grinned.

‘Lord Yama,’ I stuttered.

I was surprised that while only a few minutes ago I couldn’t speak, my voice now came loud and clear. I also realised that whereas death had killed all my other senses, I could still hear and see.

‘Yes,’ rumbled the raucous voice. ‘I’m sure you also know what awaits you.’

‘I don’t… I’m just afraid.’

‘Alright,’ said the voice, ‘you’ll now experience the agony of your return to your relatives, friends and others. For thirteen days you’ll hover in the atmosphere. You’ll be able to see humans and animals, even hear their innermost thoughts, but without being able to talk to anyone. Out there, it will only be listening. But you’ll not be able to

hear the thoughts of other souls, you know, I had to study their although you may talk with body for art’s sake. How else them. This is because each soul could I have done my nudes? has a privilege of privacy. Then Those studies were really my you’ll perceive that except for homage to the Supreme Creator. your own parents, your dog and I wanted everyone to understand couple of friends, no living how no human artist could ever human will really miss you. So match His sense of colour and prepare for the shock of self- rhythm. Painting those nudes knowledge, more agonising than was, for me, like praying to God. your death. In fact, there are sev- A painter, like a writer, has to dip into sin now and then to perceive eral deaths awaiting you…’

This was a strange world virtue in its true perspective. Sort of by in-directions finding directhat I had passed into.

‘I can imagine,’ I said. ‘In tions out.’

‘Shakespeare, eh?’ fact, you sound much he laughed. ‘How subtle kinder than most of my is the human mind! It own…’ can twist and shape ‘I’m not prone to everything to its own flattery,’ he cut in. ‘If I let end.’ you humans butter me In spite of his up like this, I wouldn’t taunt, I was impressed be able to do my job,’ that even Yama knew In spite of his his Shakespeare intibrusque answer, I felt he Random House India mately. This encourhad not taken me too Rs 299 aged me to hold him in unkindly. I thought I might even ask him about the life conversation. ‘I’m sorry,’ I said, ‘I beyond death. My curiosity had didn’t know how to put it to you.

Words were never my real forte, been aroused.

‘I know,’ I said, ‘I should be you know. I only painted.’ I ready to endure all that paused for a moment. ‘All I wantanguish—the trauma of self- ed to say was… isn’t love for a knowledge, as you’ve rightly put woman… I mean isn’t sexual it. But is there any redemption intercourse blessed even by the for someone like me? I imagine scriptures?’

‘What scripture?’ that in my special case there may Although his voice was be ample justification for at least grumpy, he certainly sounded some of my lapses.’

‘What justification?’ he interested. I felt happy that he snapped. ‘You seem to be a victim was moving into a sort of theological debate with me. of self-delusion.’

Instead of softening him up, From Chapter 4, Page 30-32.

I had piqued him.

Excerpted with permission ‘I mean I’m quite aware that from the publisher I’ve had affairs with women. But,

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24

()'$%*+$,

Beyond the binary Ahead of the launch of his monograph Towards Gender Inclusivity, a study of contemporary concerns around gender, author Sunil Mohan speaks about challenging the male-female binary, gender violence and more

PRACHI SIBAL

prachi.sibal@talkmag.in

observations of my own added.

The process began with case studies and newspaper reports, most of which I found incomplete and open ended. This was followed by a series of ongoing discussions with people from the community, activists and lawyers. The interviews took about a year and the complete book took about three.

Having written it, what has your own learning been?

I started with the fact that gender was not fixed. I’ve always had trouble explaining that.

We, as a society, haven’t thought about gender and violence in a broader way. People don’t want to think out of the binary, I had realised. Both Sumathi Murthy (who assisted me on the monograph) and me quit our jobs to put this together. Somewhere along the way, we realised that we don’t need to be associated with a larger organisation or procure foreign funding for grassroots work. That was our big learning.

What made you undertake a book on gender inclusivity?

In the present scenario, the idea of gender is very narrow.

Everything is treated with the male and female binary in mind, and all else is put into a ‘third’ category. What I’m trying to say through the book is that gender is not an identity you can define. A person What kind of expressing gender reactions do you is not something expect? you can put into a I am critical of myself box. Because of the and my community, binary and the just as I am critical of existent patriarchal the feminist commusystem, there are certain things that get ignored. nity. I haven’t spared the NGOs either. I’m expecting strong reactions from many What was the process of sections, but that is something writing the book like?

The book is all about lived that has to happen to ignite a experiences. We began with strong gender debate. This is the subject of gender violence, the only way. but there was more to explore Towards Gender Inclusivity is under the question of gender published by Alternative Law reservation. It is largely the Forum and LesBiT. community’s voice coming out For copies, call 22865757 through my book, with some

Sunil Mohan and co-writer Sumathi Murthy

talk|20 jun 2013|talkmag.in

25

Train for Body Intelligence The body is capable of awareness that is subtle and quick.

Tapping into it opens up knowledge we don’t access otherwise, says Sensei Avinash Subramanyam

S

portspeople usually burn out with age. This is because they train only the physical body. Martial artists, on the other hand, only get better with time because they train their bodies differently.

The body in budo is comprised of the physical body (head, torso, limbs), internal body (organs but also the emotions that we harbour—anger, greed, lust), mind, spirit and soul.

Though the last three are distinct from the body, they are housed in it and express themselves through it. To know the body, we need to understand it in all these facets, and bring about connectedness between them.

We do experience this connect in everyday life. When we listen to music we like, our bodies feel happy and light. We enjoy a talk given by a person who uses not only his voice but also his body to express himself.

We appreciate the cook who stylishly twirls the roomali roti high in the air.

You cannot win a fight by merely using your physical body. Intent of mind and spirit are equally necessary.

The sync between body, mind, spirit and soul builds amazing body intelligence. In my experience, it is not just the mind that has intelligence; the body has it too. I came to understand this through martial arts training. I learnt to punch and kick by letting the hand and leg perform freely rather than force them to do so. In the process, I learned to punch and kick better. This happened because the body’s learning was not restricted by the mind’s reasoning and inhibitions.

Realise that there is no time to think, calculate and defend against a weapon thrown at great speed. Only body intelligence combined with inner perception will work in such a situation. You might have heard about the famous sharp shooter Annie Oakley who performed in

Buffalo Bill’s Wild West shows in the 1880s. She could split a playing card edge on and put multiple holes through it before it touched the ground. Such a feat is possible only by aligning the body-mind-spirit with its surroundings.

Body intelligence is not necessarily imbibed by body training. True, dance, sport or exercise will help you gain positive body language, and this goes a long way in personal or professional relationships. You can be a big achiever in the sport itself. A cricketing maestro can train to face a ball at 150 miles an hour. But such training is often object or target defined; which means the virtuoso batsman may never be, for instance, a good marksman. Body intelligence is heightened awareness of the body, mind, spirit and soul that makes you excel across different fields. It enables you to defend a ball well, hit the bulls eye in archery and race a car competently, even at your first attempt.

Once, a friend and I travelled to Goa, where we went water skiing; something neither of us had tried before. My friend used his mind to learn and he did very well the first day. I, on the other hand, used my body intelligence, which basically means allowing your body to learn things on its own. I let myself fall many times over the first day, but it was important for the body to get a feel of skiing. The next day we went skiing again and I could stand, jump over the waves and run into the beach. When I told the boatman that I was an amateur, he laughed and said, “Don’t lie! You’re a professional.”

I had similar experience when I tried ice skating for the first time in Japan.

This was possible not because I am great. I truly believe that internal martial arts training hones body intelligence by drawing on the vast knowledge that is part of nature or

!"#$%& '()%$*+

SECOND NATURE Legendary sharpshooter Annie Oakley could have performed her incredible feats only by using body intelligence

the universe. The body learns far more and far better than what the ‘I’ or ‘mind’ can since the latter is constrained by our inhibitions, fears and assessment of our ability.

In martial art, we are taught to see not with eyes and brain but through heightened body-mind-spirit awareness. An attack needn’t be merely frontal; it could come from any side. A martial artist must be prepared for an enemy strike even when asleep. The only way for you to defend yourself then is to use your body intelligence. My sensei had the uncanny awareness of a person’s presence. When I would go to meet him, I would not ring the door bell out of respect. However, within five to ten minutes of my being there he would open the door. Mind you, there were no windows or dogs barking to alert him to my presence.

Body language—the way you walk or write—can reveal who you are. It will show your state of mind, what you feel, your strengths and weaknesses. That's why in earlier times martial artists would never let other exponents see the way they wrote, because that could reveal how

they wielded the sword.

How to train for body intelligence? Thank your heart for keeping you alive. Thank your lungs for supporting a strenuous work out. Thank your senses that help you see, hear, smell and taste. Thank the body every time it prevents you from slipping and falling or when you swerve your car and avert an accident. When we avoid an accident or perform well in a game we think “I have done well.” To develop body intelligence, understand that the body is distinct from ‘you’. Channel your energies towards the body, as to the mind, soul and spirit, but not to the ‘I.’ Ask your stomach whether it likes what you feed it, ask what it wants. Learn the art of talking and listening to your body. Though this training might seem simple, keep in mind that you need to practice this at all times—in the heat of a quarrel at home or amidst work stress. Practice this long enough and you will realise the wonders of body awareness and intelligence.

Transcribed by Radhika P You can write to Sensei at: seefarwellnessorg@yahoo.com

L I S T I NGS

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father’s day special

music All The Fat Children

Indiranagar, June 16, 8.30 pm 25278361 Â Relive the yesteryears: Refreshing your old memories this weekend will be Babloo Mukherjee who will present tunes from the 70’s and 80’s featuring Hemant Kumar, Geeta Dutt and Talat Mahmood, the three unforgettable voices of the golden era.

ADA Rangamandira, #109, JC Road, June 15, 6.30 pm

 Jazz, punk and what not: If you are into dub, jazz, rap or punk, here’s a little something for every one of you. The Sca Vengers, a Delhi-based band will be in town to play out some orginals. Providing a different sound by fusing genres with ska rhythms, this is a band to watch out for.

Opus, Chakravarty Layout, Palace Cross Road, Sankey Road, June 15, 8.30 pm 9008303330 Â For every stroke: Offering the audiences an extensive mix of rock n’ roll, retro, jazz and country music this week will be city-based

Four Stroke. The band has made a mark in the music scene and will perform some numbers inspired by legends like Hendrix, Stone Temple Pilots, The Black Crowes, Foo Fighters and more.

Opus In the Creek, Mahadevapura, Brookefields Road, Whitefield, June 15, 8.30 pm 40943031 Â Classical melodies: If you love classical music, there’s a real treat lined up for you this weekend. Watch Shubha Mudgal doing what she does best, perform classical music this Saturday. Come out and celebrate ‘Saawan’

with her.

Chowdaiah Memorial Hall, 16th Cross, 2nd Main Road, Malleswaram, June 15, 6. 30 pm 23445810 Â Fusion of sorts: Playing a different tune this week will be Ravi Iyer, with his guitar project VRavi. The project is known to fuse different classical compositions and has musicians from across the world collaborating with each other. Watch Ravi Iyer, Prakash Sontakke, Crosby Fernandes and Rahul Pophali work their magic. bFlat, 100 Feet Road, Above ING Bank, HAL 2nd Stage,

 Get your dose of rock: Lend an ear to Pralayh, who will perform some rock ‘n’ roll tunes for you at this gig.

Jaskaran on vocals, Nikhil and Shahid on guitars, Abhay on bass and Arnab on drums will bring you and evening of alternate sounds.

Bak Bak Bar, Kira Layout, opposite Prestige Acropolis, Hosur Main Road, Koramangala, June 14, 8.30 pm 9886580011 Â Rocking weekend: Bangalore’s very own All The Fat Children will be performing live this weekend. Watch Eben Johnson, Vikram Kiran and Sachin Savio Dane perform some alternative rock numbers or ‘fat rock’ as they like to call it. bFlat, 100 Feet Road, Above ING Bank, HAL 2nd Stage, Indiranagar, June 14, 8.30 pm 25278361

retail therapy

food

 Feeling blue?

Fusion Beats brings indigo mania for you. Inspired by blue pottery, a traditional craft in Jaipur, indigo mania is about various intricate designs, strong prints and fabrics. Discover the magic of the prints this season.

Available at all 109°F outlets

 Attention tea addicts: Tea lovers get ready for a tealicious evening. With a five-course meal paired with different teas, Infinitea is the place to be for all those parched for a sip. Choose from a large variety of tea, entrees and main course.

Infinitea, 17/ 2, Sultan Shah Complex, Ali Asgar Cross, Cunningham Road, June 14 41148810

 Clutch crazy: Add style to your outfit as you carry one of Mother Earth’s clutches. Pick from a wide range of plain colors or printed patterned ones.

Prices start at Rs 299.

Mother Earth store, Domlur  Stylishly simple: If you look for comfort and want to don a simple look, look no further. Choose from a wide range of saris, women’s wear, dupattas and stoles. While you are at it, pick out some interesting home furnishing and stationary to. Prices start at Rs 1,800.

Basava Ambara, 93,

Kanakapura Road, Next to New Generation School, Opposite Krishna Rao Park, Basavangudi, till June 16

Available at Lifestyle, Shoppers Stop, Helios, Ethos, Just in Vogue and other leading watch retailers

 White magic: Add a dash of white to your look as you wear one of Fossil’s latest watches. The collection is inspired by vintage fashion, has leather straps and dials in white in different sizes. Priced at Rs 4, 995 onwards.

 Comfortable in colours: Women will be spoilt for choice as they choose from Vans’ latest collection, Rata Lo. The collection has flats with new prints and textures in many colours. Prices start at Rs 2, 999.

Available at Vans stores at Phoenix Market City, Mahadevpura and Forum Mall in Kormangala

 Five-star street fare: Keeping the monsoon spirit in mind, treat your taste buds to a special spread this week at the Delhi street food festival.

So head out there and indulge yourself in the delightful items like chole bhature, parathas and gulab jamuns.

Monsoon Restaurant, The Park Hotel, MG Road 25594666 Â Free spirited: For all cocktail lovers, there’s good news. Shiro is hosting a cocktail festival over the weekend. So, get ready to choose from a wide range of fruity flavours and spicy mixes to stir up your monsoon.

Shiro, UB City, Vittal Mallya Road, June 16 41738864

 Surprise your dad: This Father’s Day surprise your dad by gifting him shirts and t-shirts from Nautica. The shirts are available in full sleeves and half sleeves and in many colours whereas for tshirts you can choose from collar or striped ones.

Available at Nautica outlets  Perfect gift: Gift your daddy a bottle of exquisite wine from South Africa or Germany this Father’s Day. Make him feel special as you present him

 Mango mania: Head out to Savannah Sinclairs this weekend to treat yourself to different dishes made with the king of fruits. Try out some mango phirni, mango shrikhand, mango sandesh, chilly mango salad, chilled mango and penne, mango stuffed chicken, spicy chicken with mango and more.

Savannah Sinclairs, 43/3 Main Road, Whitefield, till June 15

wines like Two Oceans, Pinotage, Two Oceans, Sauvignon Blanc and more.

Available at all leading liquor marts  Fun times with daddy: Treat your dad this weekend to a brunch as you celebrate your bond with each other.

You can try out the multi- cuisine dishes, desserts, beers and wines. Priced at Rs 1, 493 per head.

GAD, Gateway Hotel, 366, Residency Road, June 16 66604545

L I S T I NGS

talk|20 jun 2013|talkmag.in

kiddie corner

theatre

Nobody Sleeps Alone Watch four standup comedy acts from Nishant Tanwar, Zakir Khan, Mahdeep Singh and Abish Mathew who through their witty use of words will leave you gasping for breath.

Jagriti Theatre, Varthur Road, Ramagondanahalli, Whitefield, June 16, 3.30 pm and 6.30 pm 41248298

 Death: The play is about a murderer who is out in the open.

The police are clueless about him and are unable to nab him. Hence the people take the responsibility of nabbing him and form groups across the city.

Amidst all this, the protagonist Klienman is captured in the rush to catch the killer.

He embarks on a journey and ends up meeting

strange people, like a philosophical prostitute, a gay cop and a mad doctor. It is directed by Akash Deep Sharma.

Alliance Francaise de Bangalore, Thimmaiah Road, Opposite UNI Building, Vasanthnagar, June 14, 7.30 pm and June 15, 4 pm and 7.30 pm 41231345 Â The Polished Bottoms: The boys are back and this

nightlife

time they mean serious business. Watch Sanjay Manaktala, Praveen Kumar and Sundeep Rao send the laughter metre into a tizzy this weekend.

Jagriti Theatre, Varthur Road, Ramagondanahalli, Whitefield, June 15, 8 pm 41248298 Â Comedy in Diversity: They are here to tickle your funny bones this weekend.

 SIC - a WIP: The play is about three people who stay in neighbouring apartments; Theo, the amusement park music composer, Babette, a completely broke writer and Frank, a queer, aspiring auctioneer. All of them talk, argue and make fun of their dreams and future plans.

Directed by Sharanya Ramprakash, it is written by Mellissa J Gibson and has Surabhi Herur, Tavish Bhattacharyya and Swetanshu Bora in the cast.

Alliance Francaise de Bangalore, Thimmaiah Road, Opposite UNI Building, Vasanthnagar, June 16, 4 pm and 7.30 pm 41231345

Lost Post Initiative is about three gangsters Godfrey Singh Joseph, Sarayu and Wazir Abdullah. It shows the side of Mumbai that is the breeding ground for all sorts of gangsters; big and small, girls and boys. Written and directed by Deepika Arwind, the play has Prashanth Nair, Pritham Kumar and Shiva Pathak in the cast.

Ranga Shankara, 36/2, 8th Cross, II Phase, JP Nagar, June 14, 7.30 pm

Sundeep Rao

 Dance to Bollywood tunes: Let your hair down and have a blast this weekend as DJ Raghu takes control of the entertainment for the night.

Watch him spin out some Hindi tunes from behind the console.

I-Bar, The Park Hotel, 14/7, MG Road, June 14, 8.30 pm 9886114880 Â Punjabi tunes for the night: Punjabi tunes never fail to get your feet tapping. This weekend join the madness with DJ Maddy, official DJ of Juggy D. Watch him as he spins some great Punjabi and EDM music.

I-Bar, The Park Hotel, 14/7, MG Road, June 15, 8.30 pm 9886114880

 Story fun: Kids can enjoy an afternoon of books, music and activities. There will be an interaction with Revathi Suresh, author of Jobless Clueless Reckless and Suzanne Sangi (above), 17-year-old author of Facebook Phantom.

Registration is compulsory.

Easylib, 972/H, 1st A Main Road, ST Bed Layout, 4th Block, Koramangala, June 15, 4 pm onwards  Workshop with daddy: Kids can have fun this week with their daddies as they try their hand at cooking and will learn how to make charcoal flavored barbeque dishes both veg and non-veg. Also, get creative with the trash in an up-cycle themed indoor gardening session and more. Fee is Rs 1,500 plus Rs 250 per child.

A Hundred Hands, 4, Ashley Road, Behind Hotel Ajanta, Off MG Road, Behind Trinity Metro Station/ ING Vysya Bank, June 16, 11 am to 4.30 pm

 Nobody Sleeps Alone: The play presented by the

film Man of Steel

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

27

 Fukrey Hindi The film is the story of four friends who are chasing their individual dreams.

Their life has been a crazy ride filled with funny moments like breaking school walls, being dressed as dancers in Ramlila performances and being friendly with the college watchman who leaked the exam papers. But something happens and their simple life turns upside down. Directed

by Mrigdeep Singh Lamba, it has Pulkit Samrat, Manjot Singh, Ali Fazal and Richa

Chadda in the lead.

Innovative Multiplex, Marathahalli- 11 am, 7.30 pm, 10 Q Cinemas, Whitefield12.20 pm 10 Abhinay Theatre, Gandhinagar- 10.30 am, 1.30 pm, 4.30, 7.30 Everest Theatre, Frazer Town- 11.30 am, 2.30 pm, 6.30, 9.30 INOX, Swagath Garuda Mall, Jayanagar- 10 am, 3.30 pm, 9 Â Ankur Arora Murder Case Hindi The film is about a medical intern student, Rohan.

Rohan currently interning

under Dr Asthana, the chief of surgery at the Shekhawat General Hospital, is in awe of him and aspires to be like him. But the death of an eight-year-old boy Ankur due to Dr Asthana’s medical negligence shakes him up.

Rohan now gets together with Ankur’s mother to fight against Dr Asthana. Will he succeed in his fight?

Directed by Suhail Tatari, it has Kay Kay Menon, Paoli Dam, Vishakha Singh, Harsh Chhaya and Tisca Chopra in the lead.

Q Cinemas, Whitefield- 1 pm

Innovative Multiplex, Marathahalli- 1.45 pm  Man of Steel English Once again, Warner brothers comes up with a Superman extravaganza. A young boy learns that he is not from earth and possesses some extraordinary powers. He sets out to learn why he was sent to earth. The hero in him however must fight against all the evil incidents that he witnesses. Directed

by Zack Snyder, it has Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Russell Crowe and Diane Lane in the lead.

3D- Cinepolis, Bannerghatta Road- 10 am, 10.50, 12.50 pm, 3.40, 4.20, 6.30, 7.10, 9.20, 10 Manasa Digital 2k Cinemas- 10.30 am, 1.15 pm, 4, 6.45, 9.30 Vision Cinemas- 10.30 am, 1.15 pm, 7, 9.45 Urvashi Digital 4K cinemas- 11.30 am, 3 pm, 6.30, 9.45 Rex Theatre, Brigade Road- 11.05 am, 1.45 pm, 7.15, 9.55 Cauvery Theatre, Sankey Road- 11.30

am, 2.30 pm, 6, 9.30 Innovative Multiplex, Marathahalli- 7.15 pm, 9.45 Q Cinemas, Whitefield- 10 am, 12.50 pm, 4, 6.45, 10 Lakshmi Theatre- 10 am, 1 pm, 5, 8 2D- Sri Srinivasa Theatre, Padmanabanagara- 11.30 am, 2.30 pm, 6.30, 9.30 Bhumika Theatre, Gandhinagar- 10.30 am, 1.30 pm, 4.30, 7.30 Â Radhana Gandha Kannada The film stars comedian turned actor Komal Kumar and Poorna in the lead. It is a romantic comedy but will also have Komal Kumar fighting and kicking the goons. The film is directed

by Murugan.

Triveni- 10.30 am, 1.30 pm, 4.30, 7.30 Mahanadi- 10.30 am, 1.30 pm, 4.30, 7.30 Kapali- 10.30 am, 1.30 pm, 4.30, 7.30 Nandini Theatre, Rajajinagar- 11 am, 2 pm, 5, 8 Kamakya Cinemas, Banashankari- 11.15 am, 2.15 pm Fukrey

memoir

The lawyer who killed his wife The famous Devadas lives in a huge estate, and gets into an ugly spat with his veena-playing spouse

I !"!#$%&'()

was about to go to bed at the hostel when there was a knock on my door. It was my maternal uncle Shivananje Gowda. I was surprised because it was unusual to see him there so late. He looked upset, and he sat on the cot.

Sensing his mood, I didn’t ask him too many questions, but just asked him to relax on the bed. Rolling out a mat on the floor, I stretched myself out on it.

Resting on the bed, my uncle said: “I had been to the hostel room where Hanume Gowda’s son Shankar stays. The boy studies engineering.

Hanume Gowda has been there for he was in Bangalore, he would meet four days, and he had asked me for Devadas. I would accompany him some money. He is a decent man and every time.

When we reached the office, I wanted to help him out. When I went to the hostel with the money, I junior lawyers and clients were witnessed his son’s rude attitude. already waiting for Devadas. The People in the village say he is intelli- moment we sat in the waiting room, gent, but what I saw in the hostel was we heard a commotion. A plump annoying. While he slept on a foam woman showed up at the door. She bed on the cot, he had made his was seething with anger.

“Where is that cheat? Hasn’t he father sleep on the floor. When I gave Hanume Gowda the money and come yet? He won’t mend his ways if spoke to him, Shankar didn’t bother we are soft on him. I have to teach to get up. He feigned deep sleep. I him a lesson,” she shouted.

A gang of young boys had wonder how village boys lose their accompanied her. They grabbed the culture once they enter city life.” files, typewriters and In the morning, other objects in the we went to Sujatha ‘Where is that office.

Hotel in Gandhinagar cheat?’ the Before going out, to have breakfast. she glanced at my Close to the hotel was plump woman uncle and said, “Mr Naidu Building that shouted Gowda, warn your housed the office of friend when he PS Devadas, the renowned criminal lawyer. (Later, I arrives. He must not go to court, but joined him as a junior lawyer). My come to my house straight from uncle was his client, and enjoyed a here.”

Her car sped away as the onlookclose friendship with him. Whenever

crime folio

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28

!"#$%&'(")*+),%-('")& .")/"$+(%01',+23)+,*4 *(565)"$'$"78%('#(5)/1 8+-'6+95)/:'1%)1",5+)"$ ")&'#5;"((%'1,+(5%1'<(+6 =>'8%"(1'+<'451'2("*,5*%'

!"#"$%&'$%("$)$*$

ers looked on in a daze.

My uncle was smiling, hinting it was normal.

When he arrived, Devadas sensed the awkwardness. The junior lawyers were dull and the clients dumbfounded. He could guess what had happened.

In a weak attempt to cheer them up, he turned to my uncle and said, “Oh, Gowda. What a surprise! How come you are here so early in the morning?”

But he was visibly tense. Not knowing what to say, my uncle mumbled, “Madam had come. I think she was very angry. She took away the typewriters and…”

“Crazy. I don’t know why she came here. It’s all right, we shall set it right. Please take a seat. The weather is so hot. Let me ask my boys to

memoir entrance of the hospital. He was the and shouted at her, “Stop your cacophony.

Mysore maharaja’s personal doctor and had I have to write something.”

The wife shot back, “I know what you earned a lot of respect and wealth. He owned an estate of 1,200 acres near have to write.” Throwing a bunch of letters Magadi. It was called Arkavati Estate. It had at him, she continued, “This kind of crap.”

Those were love letters Devadas had a bungalow built by the Britsh that the written to Sadiqa. There he had compared maharaja had gifted to Subba Rao. Devadas was the only son of Subba her charm with the dullness of his wife.

“Who asked you to put hands into my Rao. Born rich, Devadas had chosen the coat pocket?” Devdas thunlegal profession not for dered. “Yes, I have an affair money but as a passion.

Infuriated, with Sadiqa. Now that you Devadas’ wife was Devadas threw know of it, I will carry on in religious. She was goodlooking, well educated, a metal vase at the open. What will you do?”

“You have nine children, and used to play the his wife and should be ashamed. Do veena. But, they were you want your children to not compatible, and quarrelled over small issues. They had five learn from you? Just to please her, you talk sons and four daughters. The children ill of me. Who told you to do that?” she said. were fed up of their fights.

Infuriated, Devadas threw a metal A young woman called Sadiqa had handed her divorce case to Devadas. Her flower vase at her. It hit her head, and she husband had settled in an Arab country, collapsed. The children didn’t know about and was pressuring her to go with him. the quarrel because the bungalow was too When she refused, he had sought a divorce. huge and their rooms were far away.

When Devadas approached his wife, By the time the case came to a conclusion, Devadas and Sadiqa were in a relationship. she was dead.

Although scared, he quickly swung One night, when Devadas was at his Here is the story: Dr Subba Rao was the dean of the study table in the bedroom, his wife started into action. Making sure his children were medical faculty of Minto Eye Hospital. playing the veena. Devadas, who was tip- asleep, he wrapped the body in a bed sheet Even now, you can see his portrait at the pling whisky while reading, got irritated and put it into the car. switch on the fan,” he said.

Switching on the fan, a junior lawyer said, “Sir, madam took away even the files of the case that we had to argue in court today…”

Devadas flared up. “Aren’t you ashamed? Couldn’t you control a single woman? What were you doing when she was going on the rampage? Now, I have to make up with her, neglecting all my court work… Nonsense!”

Continuing his attempt to bring the situation to normal, he faked a smile and asked my uncle, “How are you, Gowda? You have brought along your nephew. Have you finished your law course, Mr Hanumantharaya?”

“He is in the final year. Soon he will join your office,” my uncle replied.

As I stood up to show respect, Devadas gestured to me to sit down.

While walking out, the uncle asked me, “Are you puzzled?”

I could not reply, so I just threw him a curious look.

He said, “Let me tell you the story….”

talk|20 jun 2013|talkmag.in

29

It was past 3 am when the car reached Mysore. Devadas woke up a friend and asked him to arrange for a cremation. The friend obliged. Keeping his wife’s body on the pyre, Devadas set in on fire. Tears were rolling down his cheeks. The friend thought Devadas truly loved his wife.

After the incident, Devadas left the farm house and started living in Seshadripuram.

He used to stay at Sadiqa’s house at least three days a week. Gradually, he started quarrelling with her also. He would say he had killed his wife because of her. By then, Sadiqa had started going around saying she was the wife of Devadas. And he did not deny it either.

Following a quarrel, he would not visit Sadiqa for weeks. And she would get angry and come to his office to create a scene. Sadiqa was the daughter of a police inspector who happened to be the brother of Justice Kini. The woman who had barged into Devadas’s office that day was Sadiqa.

When my uncle was done with the narration, it was noon. We had lunch at my hostel. I saw him off at the bus stand and returned to the hostel.

Translated by BV Shivashankar

T I M E P A SS

talk|20 jun 2013|talkmag.in

30 Prof Good Sense

I have been in a relationship for three years now. I am 25 and she is 22 years old. She lives in Pune and ours is a long distance relationship. I met her at a wedding and fell for her. We are students and our families are not aware of our affair. Last week, she suddenly declared that she had no plans of getting married for the next 4-5 years and that if I’m really in love with her I need to wait.

I'm shocked and wonder if this is a way of not committing to the relationship. What can I do?

Prakash, Bangalore Consider this your first challenge in a long-term relationship. Looking at things from your point of view alone is similar to looking at just one side of the coin. What makes you think that she might be looking for an excuse to back out of the relationship? Talk to her about her and understand her worries. If you are serious about your love, assure her by addressing her concerns.

Prof M Sreedhara Murthy teaches psychology at NMKRV First Grade College. He is also a well-known photographer.

Mail queries to prof@talkmag.in

made off with gold worth over Rs 57 lakhs from the residence of a a former scientific officer of the Forensic Science Laboratory (13) 15 Renowned mental health institute in the city (7) 18 A 19 year old engineering student recently drowned in a tank in _____ (11) 19 A portion of this hospital faces demolition in order to facilitate the realignment of a stretch of Metro Phase 2 (8)

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DOWN 2 Scam which has costed the State Government Rs 600 crores (3) 3 Lake near KR Puram (10) 4 According to a CAG report, drinking water in villages in North Karnataka has

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Across: 8 M Lakshminarayana, 11 Narcotics, 13 B Suresha, 16 MSRIT, 17 Cauvery, 18 Apollo, 19 Everest.

ACROSS 1 Action movie directed by Duniya Soori (9) 5 Comptroller and Auditor General of India has pulled up the State Government for misusing this fund (2,5) 8 BJP MLC facing disciplinary action for attempting to woo

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Yeddyurappa (11) 11 The Government has ordered a probe into the recruitment for posts for this government run agency (4) 12 Governor Bhardwaj feels the government should make education and healthcare free for them (7) 14 Area in the news when burglars

Down: 1 Mayo Hall, 2 Wettest, 3 Chikungunya, 4 Jakkur, 5 Gutka, 6 BBMP, 7 Goa, 9 Milk, 10 Udupi, 12 Comic Con, 14 Hosur, 15 HUDCO, 16 Malpe.

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high amounts of this dangerous chemical (7) French DJ who will be performing in the city on June 16th (7,7) The Bangalore police intend to show school kids movies pertaining to ____ ____ (7,6) A bomb hoax call led to a school in this area to be evacuated last week (7) Karnataka lake home to a bird sanctuary (6) If the State Government has its way clubs in the city will no longer have a ___ ___ (5,4) Concept lounge on St Mark's Road (6) Gang notorious for cheating women of their gold ornaments (5)

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talk|20 jun 2013|talkmag.in

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We have our Dwarka, the Greeks their Atlantis, and now it seems the Japs too are getting in on the ‘submerged glorious ancient city’ business. First discovered in 1986, the Yonaguni monument is a massive underwater rock formation off the coast of Japan’s Ryukyu Islands, and is believed to have existed for more than 10,000 years. Recent studies conducted by marine geologists have discovered carvings, a

Bothered about the pizza you ordered reaching too late in the party? Waking up in cold sweat after seeing nightmares about soggy pizzas with rubbery toppings and rock-like crusts? Worry not, the Age of The Delayed Pizza is about to come to an end, if American pizza chain Domino’s has its way. They have gone all out to meet this defining challenge of our times head on: by pressing into service a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle, popularly called drones) for delivering pizza. Dubbed the ‘DomiCopter,’ the prototype model they have developed can deliver two large pizzas in about ten minutes within a six km radius of the store.

pyramid, castles, roads, monuments and a stadium scattered amidst the structure.

All of it has added credibility to the theory that the monument is what remains of the Lost Continent of Mu, a place until now considered to be purely mythical. However, whether the formation is completely manmade or merely altered by human hands is still debated. As any die-hard fan of submerged glorious ancient cities could tell you, that debate is merely of academic interest.

:&'1,#,$9'&*;7'1'2$<&49$("#$<4-=3$6"4$8&47%"($/47$>*1,463 in the US. Shively hopes to legally import the stuff from Mexico, and said he envisions his Seattle-based enterprise becoming the leader in both recreational and medical cannabis—much like Starbucks in coffee. The use, sale and possession of marijuana is illegal in most of the US, but two states Ok, we’re kidding, but not entirely. in the country have recently Jamen Shively, a former legalised recreational marijuana Microsoft corporate strategy use, while 18 others allow it for manager, has announced plans to medical use. Former Mexican create the first marijuana brand President Vicente Fox, a longtime

acquaintance of Shively and an ardent advocate of decriminalising marijuana use, was present at the press conference to “express support.”

Shively’s firm is named Diego Pellicer (that’s him in the pic), after his great grandfather and who was the largest hemp grower in the world in the 19th century. He was killed in 1898 by, ironically, the Americans, in the SpanishAmerican war over control of the Philippine islands. While we are all for legalising mankind’s favourite relaxant since ancient times, ‘industrial weed’ seems hardly the way to go about it.

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Just imagine, the same machine that’s capable of sending even the dreaded Taliban scurrying into their mountain hideouts, will now be greeted by smiling housewives and packs of children whooping with joy.

If that isn’t technology with a human face, we don’t know what is. So overwhelmed and excited were we by the invention that we couldn’t help blurting it all out to our resident know-it-all, AS Sahasrabuddhi, and got what we felt was an unjustly cynical response. “I thought pizzas were always delivered by drones,” he mumbled into his filter coffee. For some people, every silver lining comes with a cloud.