Brew Magazine Anniversary Issue

10th ANNIVERSARY

SAMEER’S EDITORIAL

It’s just very hard to believe that we have been brewing for over ten years now.

Looking back, the journey has been really exciting and rewarding for all of us at Brew.

We have put in a lot of work in trying to build a brand - to stick to our core philosophy and create something meaningful and purposeful.

We have always tried our best to be relevant but at the same time differentiate so that our readers find us good enough to spend their time on.

We have had many memorable exciting events and collaborations like the Jeffrey Archer Book launch, The launch of Superheavy album, conversation series with legends like Vijay Amritraj and Kapil Dev , and ofcourse our annual award events.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been part of creating this brand - all the writers, editors, designers and contributors who have helped us grow. A big “Thank you” to all our advertisers without whom it would have been impossible to carry on for ten years.

We have just completed a decade with miles to go and we will continue to brew.

Until next time. Keep brewing.

Sameer Bharat Ram Publisher

Wishes

10 years young is Brew. Congratulations to Sameer & Brew Team for consistent performance in showcasing what is relevant for a progressive society. Light reading with a sparkle of art culture and music especially of our exceptionally talented youth has been captured and well articulated.

March into the next 10 is eagerly awaited. Brew on pal

Ashok Verghese Director

of Hindustan group of institutions.

Brew has been brewing over the years in Chennai and after 10 years, it’s got the perfect taste for the city now. I wish Brew the best and wishing it more success.

Anil Jain Entrepreneur

As Brew turns ten, I’d like to congratulate the team behind this wonderful lifestyle magazine. It does bring out a truly local flavour and has always been an interesting read since it covers an array of subjects. I look forward to the 10th anniversary edition and to many more years of Brew.

Vita Dani Co Owner- Chennaiyin Football Club

54 74

58 78

62 82

Isaignani Ilayaraja

The iconic ‘Vaiagai Puyal’

Tribute To Bhimsen Joshi

Kobe Bryant

BMK : The Last Of The Great Carnatic Titans

Kapil Dev - The True Spirit Of Cricket

Aruna Sairam and Dominic Vellard

Vijay Amritraj

Sridevi Kapoor - An Epitome Of Royalty

Steve Jobs: Demigod Of Digital Era

MARLON BRANDO OF TAMIL CINEMA

Viluppuram Chinnaiahpillai Ganesan Manraya or more popularly known as Sivaji Ganesan was one of the biggest starts the Tamil movie industry had witnessed. He started his career during the latter half of the 20th century and created a revolution. He is known as the Marlon Brando of Indian cinema.

He went through his career in Tamil cinema for over 5 decades acting on over 300 films in kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi. Sivaji Ganesan had his film debut with the film ‘Parasakthi’ in 1952. The script was written by our Ex chief minister of Tamil Nadu, Mr. M.Karunanidhi. From there on Sivaji Ganesan’s career rocketed forward and there was no turning back.

He went on to be the first Indian actor to win the best actor award in the Afro Asian film festival in Cairo in 1960. He has won the president Award 12 times since Parasakthi. He has also won the Honorary Doctorate from Annamalai University and the Kalaimamani from the Government of Tamil Nadu in 1997.

Sivaji Ganesan’s popularity spread like wild fire. During his time and much after there was a extremely small minority of people who hadn’t heard of him. There was a time when the president of Egypt had come to India and Sivaji was the only

person who was allowed to host him. He was the first artist to visit the United States in the cultural exchange programme of the US Government, in 1962, where he established that Sivaji was born in a Tamil middle class with good reputation as Indian cultural family from Villipuram.

During his visit there, he was honoured by being made the ‘honorary mayor’ of Niagara Falls to act on stage for a Touring Drama City for one day at the age of seven. He was presented with a company to manage and he took it up without the golden key to the city. On March 1976, with his fathers consent, at the age of 12, he went over to Mauritius and later he moved to Trichy to join the drama on an invitation from Prime Minister Troupe in Sangiliyandapuram. He got to play the part of Ramagoolam and took part in their drama troupe. He was also a trained Bharathanatiyam and Kathak dancer in this early years.

During his visit to the USA, he visited Columbus, participating in the dinner hosted to honour Ganesan. The mayor of the city, Greg Lashutka, honoured him by announcing him as a Honorary Citizen’ of Columbus City. On the same occasion the mayor of Mount Vernon read out and gave him a special welcome citation.

The ‘Columbus Tamil Sangam was formulated on that day, and Ganesan was made the honorary president of that association. Sivaji went on to diversify from the acting forum and got into the political scene. Until 1955 he was a hard core supporter of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhgam. But his views soon switched when he started to become a strong supporter of the Indian National Congress. He was made a member of the Rajya Sabha in 1983, but Indira Gandhi’s Death in 1984 brought that too an end.

He then left the congress and started his own party called the Thamizhaga Munnetra Munnani. But unlike his acting career his political career did not take off and it soon came to an end.

Sivaji Ganesan suffered from respiratory problems and was admitted in hospital on July 21 2011. He had been suffering from a prolonged heat ailment for about 10 years. He died that same evening. His funeral was attended by thousands of viewers, politicians and personalities from the South Indian film fraternity. A documentary, Parasakthi Muthal Padayappa Varai was made to commemorate Sivaji Ganesan’s legacy.

THE PHILOSOPHY THE MAN,

He is a pioneer in the world of Indian Cinema. a film maker known for his unique story telling techniques and his penchant for perfection, He has made close to 100 films of which many have become landmarks in Cinema. He launched many talents including Kamal Hassan and Rajinikanth. He has won innumerable awards for his achievements including the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award. His contribution to Cinema is endless and Brew is honoured to feature the legend K Balachander sir in this special issue.

My inspiration and my childhood

I got inspired reading autobiographies of a lot of people. That’s where the fascination for cinema and theatre began. I started off by writing little skits with friends in my village to be performed on our ‘thinnai’s. Simple, short, you can imagine what a 10 year old would write. We didn’t have TV back then and growing up in a village our closest theatre was 5km away and our parents wouldn’t allow us to go that far by bus and come back late. The amount of money my family had didn’t allow for it as well, would watch, if I’m lucky. one movie every 6 months either by taking a bus toThiruvarur or Mayavaram. Cinema was quite an excitement for us, We’d be talking about it for months together inschool: reciting dialogues and imitating actors. We would speak about the movies as it they were our own. We used to have fancy dress competitions in school. During our annual days. I had given deep thought on my costume; three of which we would celebrate in style. which I used as an opportunity to write skits and plays. Most of which was inspired by cinema. Those four years of college life was a great revelation for-me: learnt the world and politics during my college time. In my university they used to have meetings where leaders would speak which we would go watch and listen to. I’ve listened to a lot of amazing men, and leaders speak during my college days. We used to have mock parliaments in college, which I would always attend. College was my springboard for my writing. We had a farewell day and a question. We Were asked was what we wanted to be in life and when it was my turn to answer said I wanted to be a director. everybody laughed at me. I nearly cried then. It was purely god’s grace that made it. Touchdown Madras! After I passed out of college was looking through there was a photograph came across of a ‘hunchback 01 Norte Dame’ and decided wanted to be a hunchback’ character. To stand out from the usual costumes worn all such competitions. My decision to be different was enjoyed by most people around

My Father’s opinion about cinema

My father was extremely strict. he frowned upon drama and cinema, the only art form he enjoyed was Carnatic music; he would drag me away from shows il I ever went to watch them. During Shivaratri we were supposed to stay awake at night, while trying to figure out how to keep ourselves up we decided We would put up skits at a friend’s house. We didn’t have electricity back then in our village so we used to use the petromax light, which was itself a luxury back then. Someone saw me and complained to my father for I got inspired reading autobiographies of a lot of people, that’s where the fascination for cinema and stardom began. newspapers to find a job. My dad then found me a job in a district school. I was 18. I blindly agreed. I went and stood in front of the headmaster, he was amused, he told me my credentials were good but that I would have students who were older than me. I got worried. I taught 4th, 5th and 6th grade science. I was worried that the kids might make a fool of me. then began taking class. The headmaster

stood in one corner and watched me and told me that I was very good. I still hadn’t lost interest in theatre. So for the school day, I asked the headmaster if could do a play with the students; to which he gladly agreed. He watched it. It was a first for and everybody there appreciated it greatly. I used to participate in mock parliaments every time got the chance. They made an effort to do a mock parliament for the students in the school, which the headmaster loved. At the end of that year, I got a Government job with the Accountant General’s Office and had to leave. The headmaster sat me down koothu’ which is what theatre or drama was called as and I got into a lot of trouble that night. I used to love playing badminton. But to leave my house I’d have to walk past my father. To make sure don’t get caught by him would throw the badminton racket through the window. I walk across him, then go around & take the racket and play My father always wished that should study and get a good job. a good name. Back then nobody had thoughts of being an entrepreneur; it was all about studying well and getting a government job with a good pension. To fulfill my father’s wishes I studied well through school. When it came down to college. though, I chose to study at the Annamalai University and had to stay at the hostel which cost six rupees a month. My father was the village administrative officer and he earned a monthly salary of eighteen rupees and with that he had to raise six children. I have four sisters and a brother in college. We would have a hostel day, convocation day and founders day. On that day he told me it was an amazing opportunity for me but that the school would miss me greatly. The students, they were so dear to me. They gave me a great send off. A farewell, just for me and wished me all the luck in my life. It was an amazing experience to find that many children. All so dear to me and fond of me.

Writing, acting, stage or directing?

I wrote all my plays in Tamil with Major Chandrakanth being an exception. I wrote that one in English because it was for a special event where a Bengal teacher had just joined us and for the welcoming event we had to do that in English. I played the Major’s role in it also which later Major Sundarrajan took on. When we staged the play, it actually gained me a lot of recognition and people actually liked my way of telling things. So I was thinking about making that a full length drama also, like for one hour thirty minutes. I extended it and made a 2 hour drama. I had decided then that if had to be a director then I should stop acting. Doing stage itself meant directing, actually. From there itself you learn everything. it’s almost the same. And also when the question of doing a cinema came, then it was obvious that I had to take up direction. And for Neer Kumizhi, the producer told me that he has seen my plays and he really liked them and that he wants me to direct the movie. I rejected initially and told him didn’t want to direct movies and that I was into a different medium, The people around me that time insisted me to take up the offer and not reject such a wonderful opportunity. So after two days or so, I called him and agreed to do the movie. I did a stage versionof Neer Kumizhi around the same time also..

My family’s reaction

There was obviously pressure from my family since they didn’t want me to quit a government job and start directing movies. But my father wasn’t around to reject it completely. I also got married, came to Chennai and was on leave for 4 years continuously. According to the fundamental rules. a government servant could only be absent for 5 years maximum. producing medical certificates But I was earning money and publicity through movies. So somebody saw the posters or something. They noticed and complained. So I had to go meet the Accountant General at our head office, a gentleman named Hussain Aga. I told him that. I got to know about the complaint upon myself that I’m submitting my resignation letter and that I don’t wish to cause any embarrassment for the Government. He immediately told me that he would simply ignore my resignation letter even if I submitted one. And that they should all actually be proud that somebody from their office is into cinema and is famous. But I went ahead with my resignation as I was going to put him under pressure anyway by making him lie for my absence. I had completed two films by then and everything fell in place.

My philosophy and my people

I tend to work with a specific set of people. For me, my people are very co-operative. They know how work and how disciplined I am. So it’s easier to work with people like that. I introduced a lot of work discipline, and used to be really happy with them, and vice-versa. I was working with a moderate set of people who were known to me. Slowly I diverted to others, wanted to launch Rajini for this role, while I was writing Apoorva Ragangal. I wanted to introduce as many new people as possible. Sri Vidya was introduced by me in one of my previous films “Nootruku Nooru”. Kamal got introduced to me through Gemini Ganeshan and I gave him a small role in Arangetram . Basically my theory is that, you can’t just use an actor and leave it at that. You have to keep using them from time to time and groom them to make the person a good artist. So except for the big artists from that time like Gemini Ganeshan. I personally groomed every actor and actress according to my movie; l prepared and polished them. They should remember me. They should understand my philosophy and they should represent my brand of film making. That’s why by God’s grace this practice went on to be called as “The Balachander School”. My school will have discipline and perfection. More than perfection, discipline is important. And also I don’t leave any stone unturned, I won’t just leave an actor because people have lost hope in that person. I will teach and make him do. Everyone asked me why I was struggling with one guy who doesn’t know to act. So took it as a challenge to make him a star. If I don’t stick to one disciplined guy, I will always have to continue searching. The search will never end, but an ambitious actor will have a talent and that hidden talent should not go un-directed. It should be discovered and put to good use. That is how I made 26 movies with Kamal Hassan in 8 years,

My brand of Cinema

I felt that it’s not so difficult to be one among 100 people. But its challenge to be the first among the hundred. I should be the first person I should be the first man. This has always been my motto. That is why I had my own preferences, my own choices put M L Vasanthakumari’s daughter Sri Vidya as a heroine and in a leading magazine. They said that was trying to make her a heroine but the truth is I made her a heroine and then she reached great heights anyway. It was all the grooming that happened then. Her eyes were very deep. That was her strong point. I decided to provoke it. What amazing roles she has played in ‘Sollathan Nenaikayelae’. Apoorva Raagangal and so many movies. So I did not just try to make her a heroine. I did make her one; a really good one.

The future

Right now I’m unable to figure out where the industry is going. I’m probably the only person who is not able to understand where the film industry is going. The techniques and the technical tools used have improved to a great extent, but the film industry has lost its creative element. I’ve said before that I should never get appreciated for the technology used. The technology used those days was nowhere close to the technology now. I do not know why, but the word ‘technology’ seems like a bad word for me. I agree. Rajnikanth was not enough and so we showed 2 or 3 Rajnikanths and there was magic. But 100 Rajnikanths? Using graphics 100 will become 1000 and maybe graphics makes It happen for today. I always have believed that I should go before technology and technology should never precede me. I also don’t understand the business of Cinema now. The level of marketing spends is enormous these days. With the marketing budget of one film I can make three films. And yes have grown old and things are the not the same when you grow old. But yes look at Nageshwar Rao. He is 90 years old. But how brisk he is. He was a very good man, no tension, no hatred, no jealousy. He also gave me the ANR international award. Even last time he told me that he never had a chance to do a film with me. So don’t really know what I’m going to do next, but am sure God has some plans for me. So lets see!

Prashanth Saravanan

What do you think Andrew brings to role of Spider-Man that’s new and different for his generation?

He is so perfect in the role, he’s really the way I envisioned Peter Parker being.and the idea of Jamie Foxx playing Electro- oh, man I think that’s out of this world

Who is Peter Parker to you? Who is the quintessential character?

He represents the best of everyone. He cares about Gwen Stacy, he cares about his aunt and wants to make a good living so they’ll have enough money. He’s bright, and wishes he could spend more time on his studies but there are so many other things pulling at him. I think anybody would wish lived next door to them, or that his daughter would date.

Let’s talk about the casting of Jamie Foxx’s character, as Electro. What are your thoughts about him in the role?

Offbeat casting is always good. Jamie Foxx happens to be a great personality, great actor, and I think what he’s going to bring to this role will be sensational. I think he’ll make Electro one of the great villains of the superhero genre.

What we can expect from Electro, and who that villain is?

The power of electricity. He could destroy a city, he could destroy a building. Some of the visual effects are going to be unforgettable.

You have been reinventing Spider-Man for each new generation. What is it about the character that always resonates?

There are a number of things. One, he’s just a likeable guy. Besides that, he has a very unique superpower. And visually, he’s always a treat, just to see what he does. He has a great personality, there’s a lot of humor in the movie. And he’s always torn between problems in his personal life and problems as Spider-Man. And that, I think, makes his stories interesting. How is he going to meld those two? And most people in the audience I while not as extreme as Peter Parker in Spider-Man the average person always has little problems. You magnify that problem by a thousand degrees, and you have Peter Parker’s life.

Both your villains and your heroes are often flawed. Why is that compelling? What is it that led you to create your characters like that?

Trying to be realistic. Except for myself, I don’t know anybody who is totally good and perfect. Most people, you spend your life trying to figure them out. You could be married to somebody for years, and you still spend your life trying to figure your mate out. I think it’s fun analyzing people, learning a little more about what makes them tick. And

with Spider-Man, in every movie, I think we learn a little bit more about what makes him tick, and what makes the other characters tick. As long as the writing is realistic and it may sound funny, because he’s a super fictitious but the idea is to suspend disbelief. You have to accept the fact that this is a man with a superpower who can web But apart from that, everything at him has to be as real as possible online to feel you know that And you feel you know Peter Parker and the other characters Aunt Mayowen Stacy, and certainly elect the more the story draws you in, because it’s not just a two dimensional character on the screen, but somebody you can relate to. You can imagine you’re witnessing real-life a situation; it just happens to involve a couple of people who have superpowers.

You have a million Twitter followers- that is remarkable!What does that con with your fans mean to you?

There are so many people in this country, I should have more than a million. I’m a little annoyed about that... Without fans, if you’re in the entertainment business, you have nothing. Fans are wonderful. And they make it very difficult for you, because fans can turn on you in a second if you do the wrong thing, or you let them down. When you know how important they are, you spend all your time

trying not to do the wrong thing, and not to let them down. So, because of the fans, the product that you create is probably better than it might have been, because you’re so afraid of disappointing them. I love the fans. I go to almost every comic book convention, and I thank them. And they think I’m imparting information to them, but I’m learning a hell of a lot. In our business, whether it’s movies, television, comic books or what, the fans tell you what they think. So when I talk to fans, which I do all the time, I am really wanting to hear what they have to say. I’m a big talker, but I try to hold to myself back when they say, ‘Mr. Lee, what do you think of so and-such?” I say, ‘Well this is my opinion, but what do you think?’ And that’s the important thing to me After all these years, I pretty much know what the fans look for, how they feel, what they think, and that’s very important, because in the entertainment business, the more you know of what the fans want and expect, the better a job you do. All of us are fans. I, too, am a fan. I’m sure you’re a fan of something. I want actors to be a certain way. want stories to be a certain way. So I’m always thinking of that with anything I do. You must not disappoint the fans, ever.

What’s the biggest thing that you’ve learned about Spider-Man specifically, from your fans? Is there anything that has really surprised you? I think his popularity surprised me. I don’t know if you heard the story of how I came about to do Spider-Man?

We had done the Fantastic Four, and maybe also the Hulk. And my publish- er said, ‘Hey, why don’t you give me a new superhero? We’re on a roll. So I dreamed up Spider-Man, and I came to my publisher, and I said have a new character for you. His name is SpiderMan, I want him to be a teenager, and he has a lot of personal problems. My publisher said, ‘Stan, that is the worst idea I’ve ever heard.” He said. ‘First of all, people hate spiders, so you can’t call a hero Spider-Man. He roes don’t have personal problems. don’t you know what a superhero is? And you want

him to be teenager? A teenager can only be a sidekick. So I didn’t have much chance. But a little bit later, we were killing a magazine called Amazing Fantasy, because it wasn’t selling that well. Now when you do the last issue of a magazine, nobody cares what you put in it. To get it out of my system, I put Spider-Man in the book, and featured him on the cover. A month and a half later, when the sales figures came in, my publisher came running over to me. Stan! Do you remember that character Spider-Man that we both liked so much? Why don’t you do a series? And that’s how it started. I learned to another thing. I don’t always trust the experts. They can be wrong. My publisher was the expert, and sometimes you have to go with what your feeling.

You are constantly reinventing your characters, and especially Spider-Man. But you’re also reinventing yourself. How do you see yourself in the canon of entertainment?

I wish were a little younger, I would have tried out for the of role of Peter Parker, I would have been, sensational. I could have at least played his uncle. I could have played Captain Stacy I’m going to talk to those casting directors. But I see myself as very lucky. I had written a few stories, and somehow or other people seemed to like them, and they made movies of them. They’re doing a wonderful job, and I get a lot of credit for it, which I don’t deserve, so it’s a pretty good situation.

Neela Aasman So Gaya A Humble Tribute

Yash Chopra

2012 has been a mixed year for me, I must admit. Among all the things that I expected to do this year, writing this post was certainly not something I had in mind. With less than a month to go for the release of Jab Tak Hai Jaan the only thing on mind was the film and the review that I would go on to write. So much so that even when the thespian Yash Chopra got admitted to the hospital last week due to Dengue still expected a happy ending to this story as seen in a lot of his films, alas that was not to be so in case of this story. And that’s why I am writing this personal tribute to someone whom I have the deepest respect for and who’s easily one of the best filmmakers that this Country has seen.

The 1st ever Yash Chopra film which I remember having seen in the theatre is Silsila and by then I was already a big Amitabh Bachchan fan, though I was just a toddler. This I remember was in Chennai (either Anna or the now extinct Alankar theatre, not sure which one though). After that I vividly remember watching Mashaal on a video coach bus from Coimbatore to Bangalore where probably was the only one who stayed awake during the entire duration. By then I was already curious about the director of these films as I had already realized that some of the best films of Amitabh Bachchan like Deewar, Kabhi Kabhi, Trishul, Kaala Patthar were directed by Yash Chopra. So thanks to Doordarshan and re-runs in theatres of Amitabh films I managed to cover all these films slowly, but steadily.

Deewar shook me completely and it’s a film I will always be in awe of. A few years ago I remember reading an interview of Yash Chopra where he was questioned about not making any more action films like Deewar and to which he replied- Do you know that Deewar actually has only 1 fight scene, but that was so well shot that people still call it an action film? That’s the power of his filmmaking. The film had fantastic dialogues written by Salim-Ja vedlike the iconic “Mere paas maa hai”, ” khush to bahut hoge aaj tum.jo aaj tak tumhare mandir ki siidiyan nahin chhada” etc. The film was bold in many ways- remember the unmarried couple-Amitabh and Parveen Babi sharing a post coital

Films like Deewar and Tri shul also are unforgettable because they were also remade in Tamil by none other than Rajnikanth. I remember watching Kaala Patthar on video at my aunt’s place in Chennai and marvelling at the filmmaker’s ability to pull off a subject like this. Observe the film closely and you will realize that there is no central protagonist as such. Though Amitabh does have an edge over Shashi Kapoor and Shatrughan Sinha, all we are bothered about is the way the plot progresses, another example of the way in which he ensures that powerful writing gets

converted equally powerfully on screen as well.

Daag is one of my dad’s favourite films and I remember humming the songs from the film like Mere dil mein aaj kya hai even during the time when I didn’t know anything about the film. Finally when I saw the film on TV, I realized what a trendsetting film it was and quite a risk indeed considering that it was his first film as producer as well as deciding to leave the comfort of his brother (B.R.Chora’s) banner and deciding to go on his own. The topic of bigamy and legal tangles surrounding the same was certainly bold for that period. It was much later that I realized that Yash Chopra had a habit of taking risks, again and again. Take for example Ittefaq. a film shot mainly in just a single set and without any songs. His ability to handle a multitude of actors/stars became evident very early on when

Though Joshila did not do well I still remember having liked it as a kid when I saw it on TV and keep listening to Kishoreda’s Kiska Rasta Dekhe’ even now. When I saw Kabhi Kabhie (after hearing enough and more about it) I was already into my teens and hence could appreciate all the poetry and the love saga that spans across

generations. I am still not sure if the film actually got what it deserved because out of the 4 Filmfare awards that it won, 3 were in the music segment (Best Music, Best Lyrics, Best Male Play back Singer). In terms of the casting there couldn’t have been anything better done as it was near perfect indeed.

I don’t have any vivid memories of Vijay and Faasle because neither did the films do well and nor did I find it anywhere close to Yash Chopra’s previous works. I still remember when Chandni released there were mixed opinions regarding the film. People were wondering if the veteran could bounce back after 2 failures and that too with a female centric film. But he proved all his detractors wrong with a film that certainly ranks among Sridevi’s career best and a music score from Shiv-Hari that alone can never ever get tired of. While the title song and Mere haathon mein’ were a rage the songs which appealed to me the most (and which I am still fond of) were ‘Lagi aaj saawan ki and Tere mere hontaon pe. With Lamhe he took a risk once again with a subject which probably was a bit ahead of its times.

DARR

I still remember going for Param para along with my mother on the weekend it released only because it was a Yash Chopra film, in fact his last for any outside producer (this time Firoz A Nadiadwala). They say times change, values don’t and that’s what Yash Chopra proved again by following up Lamhe with Darr. Everyone knows by now that Lamhe was critically appreciated but commercially a failure. A film which gave more importance to the antagonist, who’s a psychotic and obsessed with the heroine, Darr I am sure must have created a lot of tension among distributors and exhibitors considering that the film depended on a relatively young SRK to pull it off though the more established Sunny Deol was the actual hero of the film. It just helped that SRK’sBaazigar had released a few weeks’ earlier and made divi dends where he again did not play the conventional hero.

With Darr SRK firmly made his entry into the YRF household and soon it became clear that what Amitabh Bachchan was in the 70’s for Yash Chopra, SRK was to be something similar from now on. By the time I saw Darr I knew SRK was here to stay and also that Yash Chopra was not tiring at all, far from it in fact. While DDLJ saw Aditya Chopra turn

director for the 1st time we must keep in mind that the film had a soul as envisioned by Yash Chopra and that was one of the best things which worked for the film. Not many people these days seem to like Dil Toh Pagal Hai but I am shameless in admitting that am big fan of the film. Yes the film probably had Aditya Chopra’s involvement in a big way since it looked very contemporary but then who could be more right with romance than Yash Chopra himself. During those days, I was probably the biggest Madhuri Dixit fan around and just to see the SRK Madhuri Jodi and the songs have the seen the film umpteen times

VEER-ZAARA

After Dil Toh Pagal Hai, the director in Yash Chopra took a back seat as Aditya Chopra took over operational control of YRF and they went ahead working with multiple directors and strengthening their home video, music and distribution business as well. But how long can you keep someone away from his 1st love? And thus Yashji returned back in style with Veer Zaara, the Diwali block buster of 2004. Again Veer Zaara might not be every one’s favourite, but for me the film worked and worked very well at that. I cried along

with Shah Rukh when he was in jail and smiled that the way the film ended and only one person could make this happen, who else but Yash Chopra? So after an 8 year gap when it became clear that Yash Chopra would have another release as director and that too a Diwali release, my happiness knew no limits. But sad are the ways things work out sometimes and thus sadly this year’s Diwali will pass by without the presence of one of Indian Cinema’s biggest names and an extremely talented, filmmaker, the King of Romance Le Yash Chopra. So what if he’s not physically around, his vast body of work still remains to in spire many of us.

Aur yeh karwan chalta rahega, jab tak hai jaan, jab tak hai jaan... I have had the good fortune of meeting Yash ji not once but twice, with the last occasion being just a few weeks before his demise. It’s when people like him leave that you realize how much the influence they’ve had on you all this while is. RIP Yash Chopra, you were truly one a kind.

Kalaignar ARTIST THE IMMORTAL

Sadakshi Kalyanraman

Muthuvel Karunanidhi, the man that went on to change the history of politics in India and the Titan that occupied the political stage of Tamil Nadu for five decades has left a huge void in the state today. His charismatic smile, those trendy black goggles and his reverberating magnetic voice saying, “En uyirinum melaana anbu udanpirappukale” are the everlasting memories that are etched in our minds and hearts. The crowds rapturing in excitement for their Sentamizh Leader at the very start of his speeches, his casual jibes and witty comments will all be missed

Jerzy Kosinski once said, “The Principles of true art is not to portray, but to evoke”. Such was the vigour and tenacity of Thiru. M. Karunanidhi’s pen. He is an artist that can never die, he continues to thrive and inspire through his art.

Thiru Muthuvel Karunanidhi, the colossus of Dravidian politics and Tamil Literature, is a perfect example of this quote. He still lives in the heart of the people of Tamil Nadu through his unparalleled love for Tamil as a language. He was the product and the creator of the Dravidian spirit in Tamil Nadu. Language has always been a driving force in the political sphere of Tamil Nadu and it is one of the major reasons how Kalaignar won the hearts of millions of Tamilians. He was a resolute screenwriter, an ardent poet and an unswerving orator. He has written dialogues for over 40 movies through which he bravely spoke about sensitive topics including widow remarriage, removal of untouchability and poverty.

Just like his other political contemporaries like Ms J. Jayalalitha and Dr. MGR. Karunanidhi also began rising as a star in cinema first then later landed in the political arena. Screenwriting was just the beginning of his lifelong political and literary journey. At the age of twenty, he worked as a scriptwriter for Coimbatore based Jupiter Pictures. Rajakumari was his first film that gained him much fame and helped him hone his skills as a scriptwriter. His most notable work was Parashakti, a turning point both in Tamil Cinema industry as well as in Kalaignar’s life. It supported the ideologies of the Dravidian Movement even though it sparked controversies and faced censorship troubles initially. It is also important to note that the two prominent stars of Tamil cinema, Mr.Sivaji Ganesan and Dr. M.G. Ramachandran, both debuted under the dialogues of M.Karunanidhi.

Parashakti is celebrated for its witty and satirical dialogues that mock the double standards of the society. This movie set the trend for dialogues gaining pre-eminence over songs. The underlying theme of a campaign for a total Dravidian nation set against the backdrop of caste oppression stirred the masses of Tamil Nadu. He instilled notions of justice, equality, rational thought and Tamil Pride through his pen.

He devised his work in films in such a way that it only cost him his leisure time and that it did not affect his full-time political work. He used movies as his mouthpiece to spread rationalist ideas among people. He deliberately avoided obscenity and only wanted to appeal to the intellect of the audience just like any other artist. Apart from politics and literature, Kalaignar was also interested in painting and sculpting.

VALLUVAR KOTTAM

Situated in the beautiful city of Chennai, Valluvar Kottam is a temple chariot like monument built to honour the renowned classical Tamil poet and saint, Thiruvalluvar

Valluvar Kottam is known for its great architecture, built with innovative layouts and well-thought execution.

The title “Kalaignar” was given by the veteran actor MR Radha to Karunanidhi to revere his great aesthetic sense and his rare personality. He used his love for literature to voice various protests in the State. In 2012, during one such protest he announced that he would pen down his literary works only in black ink henceforth. He jokingly even said to the interviewers “Karuppu dhan enakku pudicha colour-u. He also wrote a timely poem exalting the colour black and its uniqueness.

Kalaignar’s love and respect for Tamil language and for the many great leaders and writers that inspired him throughout his life, is evident through the monuments he has built during his regime. Valluvar Kottam is one such popular monument in Chennai, specially dedicated to the great tamil poet, philosopher and saint, Thiruvalluvar. It was constructed in the 1970s by Kalaignar Karunanidhi to remember the great work of Thirukkural. All the verses of the Thirukkural are inscribed in the halls of the front-corridor. This is similar to the chariot of Thiruvarur and a life-size statue of the poet has been installed in the 39 metre high chariot.

ANNA CENTENARY LIBRARY

The Anna Centenary library is the largest library in south Asia Comprising a large eight-storey building, it provides a wide range of books and digital services. This library is home to one million books and twenty thousand e-journals thereby becoming the largest collection of books in the city.

Books were his best friends. He was not only the author of various books like Ponnar Shankar, Romapuri Pandian’ and ‘Thirukkural Urai but he was also a bibliophile who was well-versed in Sangam Literature. He built the Anna Centenary Library, a nine floor library that has a capacity to house around 1.2 million books. The entrance to the building showcases a 5 feet bronze statue of C.N. Annadurai and currently has a collection of 550,000 books. It also has a special section for Braille, children’s books and manuscripts etc.

He made an important contribution to keep the Tamil language and literature alive and abundant in the years 2006 to 2011. He organised the World Classical Tamil Conference in 2010, which was a gathering of scholars, leaders, poets and people of the arts with an interest in the Tamil people and language. He even wrote the Semmozhi Anthem which was composed by AR Rahman and was performed by many artists of the stage from different genres.

In November of 2010, Kalaignar built the ‘Semmozhi Poonga”, the first botanical garden in the city. Encompassing an area of 20 acres, it was built at a cost of 80 million. More than 500 species of plants are being grown in the area, in addition to the 80 trees that was already in existence during the development of the park, some of them being more than 100 years old. Thiru. M. Karunanidhi also opened the aesthetically designed Kathipara Junction in 2008. This flyover connects all the major bottlenecks of the city and has subsequently reduced the traffic jams.

Thiru M. Karunanidhi contemporized Tamil Literature; made it understandable even to the younger generations. He was a personality with so many unique facets - a writer, a poet, an orator, a leader, a chief minister, a playwright, a family man and a lovable father-figure to multiple people in Tamil Nadu. He was a force that defeated death. He will be remembered for centuries together for his hardwork and dedication. This great man loved Tamil and loved Madras. His name is synonymous with Tamil and especially with Madras. He has lived here for so many decades. He has witnessed the growth and the development of the city

JEFFREY Archer BREWING WITH LORD

Sixteen cities in 27 days. Never more than two consecutive nights in the same hotel, with flights often at bam or midnight... a hell of an opening for a promotional tour of Only Time Will Tell.• It all began when I touched down in Mumbai, and ended four weekslater when I flew out of Adelaide to return to England. I was thrilled when the book went to No.1 in India, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Australia, and I’m now preparing for the launch here in the UK on May 12th.

There were many highlights of the tour, including being mobbed at a book signing in Bangalore (which you can see on a Youtube clip), addressing a thousand people in Auckland Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in aid of the Christchurch Earthquake appeal, and a magniticent Italian meal in Adelaide. Among the low points was continually being reminded by the Indians about the England vs. Ireland cricket match, having to get up at 4.30am one morning to travel to Queenstown on New Zealand’s South Island, and the dreadful flight home when we not only had fourteen hoursof head winds, but hit a two-hour storm over the Black Sea.

During the four weeks, I met many interesting people, including V VS Laxman and Sir Richard Stagg, British High Commissioner in India, and Quentin Bryce, Governor General of Australia, not to mention a 14-year old Indian girl from Chennai who’d read all my books, and was already grumbling at having to wait for the next one. Now I’m back in London, I have a week to get through the pile of mail on my desk, before leaving on Friday to begin the fourth draft of the second part of the Clifton Chronicles, The Sins of the Father

RAGHU RAI

THE PHOTOJOURNALIST AND Rathy

A HISTORIAN!

While classical music masters are looking for the divine through their music, the great photo journalist Raghu Rai looks through his lens to capture the soul or his subjects. Kagnu Kal, another great name in the history of Indian photograpny based his career on the coverage of the native Indian land. Rai became a photographer quite by chance when no chased a donkev for three hours and clicked a picture in the end. me trained as a cril engineer in the early 1960s, but did the job for a year in Delhi and hated it.

His elder brother was already earning a living taking pictures and suggested to Rai that he accompany a friend on a shoot to take ohotograohs of children in a local village. When he got there, Rais interest was sparked not by the children but by a donkey foal in a nearby field. India’s, most celebrated photographer. Raghu Rai became a photographer in the year 1965 when he joined The Statesman, a daily New Delhi publication. He became a freelance photographer in 1976 and did some extraordinary work with his camera, Later in the 1990’s he joined India Today as the director of photography and till the year 1997 he served on the jury for World Press Photo.

The renowned Raghu Kai Is Immensely famous and acclaimed because of his extraordinary work featuring the Bhopal Gas tragedy. Raghu Rai arrived in Bhopal hours after the gas leak to find chaos, as the dead were being buried and the hospitals overflowing with thousands or palents Rai realized he was witnessing a disaster of unprecedented proportions and the start of a long nightmare for the gas exposed survivors. One of his pictures from the same went on o win the Press Photo of the year 1984. Also highly acclaimed is his work with Mother Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity. Ragnu kal had reatured regularly in some of the world’s leading publications

including Time Life, Paris Match, National Geographic, New York Times, Sunday Times. He also won a Padmashree in the year 1 and comnaled the world s prestigious Bibliotheque National in Paris to put up a permanent exhibition of 25 of his best works. Chamoionec in the west by Henri Cartier-Bresson, Rai joined Magnum Photos in 1977 and went on to judge the World Press Photo Awards from 1990 to 1997 His impressive bav of work Is now being featured in a retrospective at the icon Gallery in central London and in a landmark exhibition at the White Chapel, charting 150 years of photography from India, Pakistan and Banaladesh Tater at had teamed un witn another master of the writing craft- author Khushwant Singh, to bring out a coffee table book. titled. The Sikns. The 12 inch by 12 inch, 144-page coffee table hardback is a treasure trove of rare glimpses into the Sikh community’s beliefs, rituals, traditions and culture. It showcases through pictures why the Sikhs are an assertive and extrovert people with a zest for lite. In his book, “India’s Great Masters: A Photographic Journey into the Heart of Classical Music” many famous and illustrious names including Bismillah Khan. M.S,Subbulakshmi Ravi Shankar and Bhimsen Josh are portrayed quite soulfully.

The portraitsof Raghu Rai denic+ famous classical music exponents deep in meditation and in a state of ecstatic release The way Raghu Rai takes his pictures speaks volumes about his personality and his non intrusive style. Not all of his work deals with brutal subject matter. Manv of his photographs oi daily life in India are full of humor and affection. Often, his images intrique rather than merely entertain, causing the viewer to question what they are seeing.

According to him, two things are important for a good photograph: It should have the freshness or vision and must have the power to stay alive.

RAJINIKANTH

VERSION 2.0

Manoj Beno

Let me explain the phenomenon. Bruce Wayne could be in the guise of a mortal transforming into a superhero at night. Jackie Chan with his daredevil stunts could jump from one building to another defying gravity. Tom Cruise could scale Dubai’s tallest skyscraper at dizzy heights. But there is one man whose movies have mostly projected him as that struggling individual with a rags to riches story, tormented by betrayal in friendship, avenging his father’s death, fighting injustice, emoting, weeping and bleeding typically like the average middle class common man would. It is this accessibility which every other man on the road has to this hero, the connection that people easily make with him, the comfort that people find in him, his box office status, his onscreen image predominantly remains that of you or me, that makes Rajinikanth an idol and an icon.

The basic inspiration that one draws from Rajini evolves from the humble life of a conductor with which he started his career. People are inclined towards such individuals when it comes to stardom. “When Rajini can achieve, even if he is one in a million, maybe I should keep trying too.”And again, after reaching the peak of his career, his humility plays teacher to all those aspirants and achievers to stay on earth however big you might make it or already are. Rajini certainly is not a promoter of smoking or drinking, but people do not just love him for his smoking style. He voluntarily stands stark naked and exposed to the masses when it comes to his personal habits. People crave for this transparency in these days of camouflage. He laid it on the table that a couple of bad habits and a good heart are two different things altogether.

Rajini was the ‘demo track‘ for anyone aspiring to enter the film industry to understand that a villain role can be your ticket to fame, thrashing the ‘ I want to be a

hero’ cliched mantra. 16 Vayadhinilae was a trendsetter and a milestone in this avenue. As Rajini slowly metamorphosed into a hero, movies of the 80’s like Thambikku Yendha Ooru, Nallavanukku Nallavan and Padikkaadhavan showcased the need for values like hard work, determination, a clear conscience etc. In Padikkaadhavan, when Rajini cried with a bottle of liquor in one hand and his unstable torso leaning on the heroine, singing “Naetru Ivan Yaeni, Indru Ivan Gnaani” (I’ve just been used as a ladder) the entire theatre cried with him. In Nallavanukku Nallavan, he shows how one should get his priorities right at least at some point of life before it is too late, and beautifully goes through the gains and pains of parenting too. Anbulla Rajinikanth was an insight into the normal and essential values like kindness towards the needy and underprivileged irrespective of one being a star. It would have definitely opened many an eye to the concept of adoption in a powerful way, media being the best possible source to showcase this, and that too through a superstar. In

Dharmadurai, when Rajini is taken for a ride by his own siblings in a vicious plot of deceit, even as he takes sweet revenge he finally succumbs to family with love and forgiveness.

There is no better movie that emphasises on the strength and power of friendship than Thalapathy. Good or bad, friends stand by each other. “There is only one thing I can give you, my life, take it”. The movie even crucified family members in the process considering them secondary to the purity of friendship. To many, this has been a hardhitting reality. Several times, your own kith and kin fail to support you while your best friend rushes to the rescue, be it a financial crisis or illness. It portrays the Thirukkural “Udukkai Izhandhavan Kaipola Aangaangae Idukkan Kalaivadhaam Natpu.” The film says in such a sensitive and well-crafted way through its sequence of events that money isn’t everything in life. And people believe this better simply because Rajini says it for that is how he lives off screen as well.

Shri Raghavendra highlighted the spiritual quotient of Rajini. When a commercial superstar makes a movie of such a genre, it hits the audience that this man is Godfearing as well and is not merely worldly like many other fish in the pond.

After watching Annamalai, there would have been many an entrepreneur who charged their batteries and set out to make it big with a frugal bank loan and a bicycle. Whenever Rajini is involuntarily subjected to pain in the form of betrayal, it drives him to succeed in life and prove his point. In most of his films, Success itself has been his revenge. Pain itself is a form of energy release. Bruce Lee is an example of it. Rajini films use that pain to finally convert to positive energy. In Annamalai, when Rajini says “All those whom I’ve trusted most in life have been kicking me on my chest”. or “I have earned money and lost peace”, we all realize and fear the same.

In Muthu, when Rajini the simpleton is thrown out of the house, you sometimes wonder if it’s worth anything at all to

believe and trust in this thankless world. But goodness always prevails in the end. Truth shall triumph. And this is the health drink that Rajini films feed us. Sivaji shows Rajini battling against corruption, and one cannot help drawing a parallel to the current political scenario in real life. It is a mere reflection on and off screen.

Endhiran was an absolute science fiction action movie. Even that movie conveyed the warning that man’s creation can either become a boon or a bane to mankind and certain experiments are best left unattempted. It showed that man’s sixth sense has to be reserved for mankind and not to be lost out to machines. Kabali and Kaala brought out the extra performer in Rajini and were a treat to all those who craved for the sensitive and emotional capabilities of him on screen. Not that these movies did not have what Rajini fans wanted, but they also had a large dose of the much needed performance scenes from a versatile actor.

Most Rajini movies have a social message and they are predominantly best conveyed

through songs and this is proven by the simple fact that these songs are still around long after the movie is gone. ‘Meen Sethaa Karuvaadu, Nee Sethaa Verum Koodu, [ to ashes we go]. ‘Mannin Meedhu Manidhanukku Aasai, Manidhan Meedhu Mannukku Aasai, [ you greed for land and wealth but in the end the land consumes you], are lines that come and provoke you every time you hear them on the radio or watch them on television. Even the song ‘Kicku Yaerudhae’ from Padayappa including many other Rajini songs hint that life on earth is very short and it has to be lived right.

Today, Rajini fans are eagerly awaiting the release of 2.0, a sequel film. To think that the movie has been made on a whopping budget of 550 crores is simply mind-blowing. The fact that the movie Endhiran released 8 years back and is still far ahead of it’s times in visual effects in Indian cinema goes to show that the person who has to better Rajini has to be Rajini himself.

Look at this man, still going strong despite being in his late 60’s, which he promptly attributes to the mercy of God and the prayers of his fans. He went critically ill, fought and bounced back from the clutches of death, much to the relief and delight of his family, well-wishers and fans. At a much younger age, most of us have back aches and joint pains and want to sit at home under the cool breeze of the air conditioner. But this legend came back to acting, dancing, fighting and slogging under the hot sun so that his fans will get to see their god again on screen. His appearance in public without make-up is a whiplash to all those who are spending lakhs on hair transplants and cosmetics. The more simple he is, the more smart he looks in our eyes.

And he does not want to stop with just acting. He declared his entry into politics, putting to rest all questions and rumours about his guts, intentions and hesitations to take the plunge. Politics have never been and never will be his bread and butter. But this man who has identified himself as a true son of Tamil soil inspite of different states hurting him by playing the identity card, wishes to give something back to the land, the soil and the people that fed him all these years. He remains unperturbed by all the speculations and accusations with the sole faith that his fan base is a much bigger mass in full support of him and the time shall come for that to get proved. In this tug of war between many unworthy participants, we see no reason why a righteous man as such should not take the plunge.

To conclude, let me tell you of something that inspired me long back in one of Rajini’s speeches at a function. This is not from any movie but this was at a public gathering. Rajini onstage went on to divide life into different stages age wise. And then he said, “You are ignorant until ten, innocent until twenty, inquisitive until thirty, hardworking until forty, relaxed at 50 and ignored at 60. But according to me, 20 to 30 are the ten most important years of your life. If you don’t focus then, you’ve lost your life”. I am a doctor, entrepreneur, movie maker, and I have thought of this many a time during my growing years. Here is a man who not only proved that right, but even at 67, he remains the unquestioned king and the emperor of Indian cinema, proving to people from all walks of life that age is merely a number and that it’s attitude that needs muscle. The world loves you Rajinikanth.

Five Underrated Performances

ROBIN WILLIAMS

Robin Williams was always an actor of many talents, though his forte was comedy, he could slip into dramatic roles with utmost ease. Through his long career he’s acted in numerous movies which have won over audiences and critics alike, right from Dead Poets Society to Mrs. Doubtfire to Aladdin to Good Will Hunting. What I’d like to list down are five films of his which I believe were quite underrated and deserve a watch.

1. World’s Greatest Dad (2009)

What’s it about: Robin Williams plays Lance Clayton, a high school teacher and single parent who gets little pleasure or recognition from life. Constantly seeking the approval of his peers, students and more importantly his indifferent teenage son, Kyle, Lance is truly going through a midlife crisis until Kyle accidentally kills himself during autoerotic asphyxiation. To provide a semblance of dignity to his son’s death, Lance cooks up a suicide note which somehow finds its way into the school newspaper, thus propelling the unpopular Kyle into posthumous stardom and heaping upon Lance a ton of sympathy and admiration as a grieving parent. For the first time in his life, Lance is popular and so he decides to take things further and cook up an entire journal of Kyle’s.

Why watch it: He’s done dark wicked comedy in the past but the way he manages to find that right balance here is astounding. Williams effortlessly transitions from being utterly heartbreaking to disgustingly repulsive and then thoroughly sympathetic in a matter of a few scenes, showcasing his vast acting talents and once again reminding us of the immense talent he showed early on in his career.

2. One Hour Photo (2002)

What’s it about: Sy Parrish (Robin Williams) leads a painfully lonely life as a technician at a one hour photo developing studio. However to make up for the void in his personal life, he constructs an imaginary existence with the Yorkin family that are his regular customers at the store. However things take a turn for the worse when he discovers that the father might be having an affair and he sets out to teach the man a lesson and set things straight for the wife and kid. Why watch it: Robin Williams really manages to get under the skin of a character that radiates creepiness and sympathy in equal measure. He’s able to convey a range of emotions from rage to genuine affection with the utmost subtlety. Particularly heartbreaking is the final interrogation scene where the reasons for his damaged persona emerge and the pieces fall together.

3. Awakenings (1990)

What’s it about: Set in the late 60s, Dr. Malcolm Sayer (Robin Williams) is a doctor working with catatonic patients in a Bronx hospital who tries a new drug on a patient, Leonard (Robert DeNiro). The drug causes Leonard to come out of a thirty year long catatonic state, providing much validation to Malcolm’s treatment. Leonard tries catching up on all that’s he’s missed in his life and Leonard applies the same treatment to other patients. However the drug starts failing and despite Malcolm’s best efforts Leonard has limited time before he falls back to his former vegetative state.

Why watch it: This is the feel good movie that Patch Adams should have been and the chemistry between DeNiro and Williams is pitch perfect which overshadows some the movie’s sappy moments. Williams is able to convey that empathy he feels for his patients and experience the unfiltered joy of success and satisfaction as his drug works. The movie’s able to beautifully convey how we take our lives for granted and the weight of loss and disappointment felt by those who have it snatched from them.

4. The Fisher King (1991)

What’s it about: A self-centred talk show host, Jack (Jeff Bridges) due to his insensitive on-air comments causes a man to go on a shooting spree, resulting in the death of seven people. Jack slips into depression and on one fateful evening while contemplating suicide is saved by a homeless man, Parry (Williams). Parry is crazy and regards himself as a knight on the quest of the Holy Grail he believes is somewhere in New York. Jack soon learns that Parry’s wife was one of the victims of the shooting spree that he blames himself for triggering. Now offered a chance at redemption, Jack sets about setting Parry’s life right.

Why watch it: Parry is a delightfully whimsical character in true Williams style. All the characteristics that would be becomes a staple of Williams comedy in the years to come are on display here but he never forgets beneath that exuberant exterior lies a sad, lonely man. His attempts at courtship with the painfully awkward Lydia contain a blissful sweetness that would simply light up your day. Yes, Williams was nominated for an academy award but rarely does this movie and Williams get the recognition that it truly deserves.

5. Moscow on the Hudson (1984)

What’s it about: Vladimir (Robin Williams) while touring with the Russian circus in New York, is taken in by the city and decides to defect. How he goes about building a new life in a city he knows nothing of and remembers the harsh times he faced in the Soviet Union form the crux of the tale.

Why watch it: Made during the waning years of the Cold War, the movie can be seen as capitalist propaganda but the themes of freedom and struggle do resonate and particularly with Williams incredibly understated and moving performance. His final goodbye to his circus troupe, or his break-up with the woman he’s head over heels in love with, or the news that his grandfather has passed away in Moscow are all incredibly moving moments. But the one that really takes the cake is a slightly cheesy but earnest recital of the three unalienable rights from the American declaration of independence.

ANY FILM THAT SPEAKS UP AFTER ONE WEEK

THE VOICE of the NATION!

Declares P. C. Sreeram, the ace cinematographer who needs no introduction. Visuals of films like Nayagan, MounaRagam, Geetanjali, ThirudaThiruda, Alaipayuthey and many more resonate in our minds even to this day, kudos to this mastermind. Recently, praises have been crooned for the almost poetic visuals in his films Shamitabh and I. Be awed at how his fine mind is in par with the creative power he wields, as he discloses his vision of Cinema

Vilani Senthamil

ON SHAMITABH AND I

Having been associated with brilliant filmmakers, the legend has always taken scripts up bv several notches with his cinematography. Working with Director Shankar for the first time for he reveals, “We were meant to work challenge because that might easily turn out to be heinous, and wouldn’t compliment the tone the story was taking. I made sure there was direct eye-contact of Vikram with the camera when he transitions to the hunchback so to set the right mood”.ln Shamitabh, it was evident that he had adapted techniques that he had not used before. He explains, “Shamitabh is a very different film, with many realistic scenes together in two projects before this but it didn’t coming up once and again. To give it that touch happen at that time. When he came to me with of reality, I used handheld camera to shoot this script, I agreed to take it up. The movie or the movie would not have progressed the had a lot of commercial shots and I believe he way It did”. He shares a good equation with approached me with that on his mind”. Quizzing Director Balki, having worked together In both him on how his experience was shooting for CheeniKum and Paa. He comments, “We think the film, he continues “For l, I had to give the alike. His scripts are relationship-centric and I sci-fi effect to the film during the dark phases can relate well with that” of the story where the lead character becomes a hunchback. I had to use low-key lighting His shots are so novel that one cannot help and at the same time show the beauty of the wondering where his inspiration comes from the loss he goes through. Balancing both was a “My style evolves as the script progresses. I want to show what has never been seen before and that’s how go about shooting”, he claims

BACK IN THE DAY

As a child, P.C. never had a flair for academics and was always found toying with the camera. His parents understood that and backed his talent, sportingly, Now he Is lionized as the “Guru of Cinematography” for that very same talent. Well known for his films with Director Mani Ratnam, both of them stepped into the spotlight together when their first work. Mouna Raagam became a millennium hit. Post that, they worked on many more triumphant films like Nayagan, Agni Natchathiram, ThirudaThiruda and Geetanjali, to name a few. Great minds think alike is how the saying goes, and true to that this prodigy has worked with many virtuosos. Apart from Mani Ratnam and R. Balki, he has done commendable work with Kamal Hassan and Moulee. He has worked for close to 35 films in many languages. ‘ I will do only one film at a time. I don’t believe in signing up for ten films at the same time. I always aspire to do good work. When meticulous work is done for a film, it will be plainly evident on the screen”, he concludes,

FILMS & SUCCESS

“Any film that speaks up after one week is the voice of the nation’” he declared at once. when asked how he would define a good film. “Films have to have a slow growth. That’s what cinema is. Business is being integrated too much with cinema, and cinema is losing its value”, he adds. The veteran cinematographer is planning a campaign called ‘Say no to promo’ in the near future. He strongly believes in Cinema as a sole entity, as he voices out loud “Promotions should not matter at all, the film should have a voice. It should speak on Its own’ That is what real cinema is all about”.

Having directed three movies Of his own- Meera, Kuruthipunal and Vaanamvasapadum, he has received a lot Of acclaim for his directorial stints too. Kuruthipunal was even submitted by India as its official entry to the Oscars In 1996! “I have great admiration for films that become hits after a while. Jigarthanda and Soodhu Kavvum, were two such films. You cannot call a film a failure by judging it on the first day. These days, assistant directors are talking about the profits a movie has made, and that should never happen. They should have the movie running through their minds, not the money it makes’

The money a movie makes does not matter at all, it is of the slightest significance. It’s all about giving good content to the audience and nothing else”, he states. So will I be directing any more films In the future? “Not as of now, maybe later”, he answers. He believes that understanding the audience is critical for a movie to become a success. “Cinema should be taken according to the audience. A film that is very successful in Telugu, might not do so well in Tamil. It should be shotkeeping in mind the target audience. Who would have thought that a film like PK will become a top grosser? A few years back people would have been closed to the concept of the film. It came as quite a surprise when I saw that the crowd was laughing along with the film, As the audience evolves, filmmaking should evolve too”, he muses.

As people amongst a variety and periods, we’ve all been one to say, Oh, what does your generation even know of mine, We Had the first computers The first 3D movies blah blah...’ The conversation soon falls in a playful argument on who had the best, For Some it’s Charlie Chaplin and for some others Mr Bean. But the one thing which the people 70 S to ones in 20’s too agree is the stomach churning laughter while watching simple ideas turn brilliant like a cat chasing a mouse a.k.a - Tom and Jerry.

Maheen Afshan. F

While Tom and Jerry made our lives Joyous, I remember vividly asking my mom to make me spinach because I wanted to be strong like Popeye. Like me, Popeye influenced loads of kids to eat spinach so one could stand up to bullies. His love for cartoons and graphics Bloomed when he created covers For a jazz magazine – The Record Changer after leaving the US Army. The Record Changer had definitely been a game changer for Gene Deitch when he designed a Geeky cat titled ‘The Cat’ in 1948 which was followed by a series of Similar cats. It was compiled into it. Yet, although I’ve been nostalgic, while watching today’s efforts of cartoons, I decided to write this to honour the man who made all our childhoods memorable and fun, the man behind the screens Of the best of toons – the late Mr.Gene Deitch.

PUMP’ Book named ‘The Cat on a Hot Thin Groove’ in 2003. A while later after the Record Changer came the period where Gene Cleitch chose to be a director and producer alongside being an animator. While it is true that Cleitch’s Munro won an Academy Award for best Animated Short I believe Mr. Deitch started aiming High since his early years as he Began his career in

aviation by drawing blue prints for aircrafts, Sadly, during World War II he was honourably discharged due to Pneumonia. But who knew that this would turn the tables for Mr. Gene Deitch!

Film in 1961, Deitch had been Nominated for the Academy Awards Once before for Sidney the Elephant Cartoons in 1958. He lost but it gave exposure to Gene Deitch as Another one of his cartoons – Tom Terrific was considered to have Been the inspiration behind the Toons like ‘Peabody and Sherman Meanwhile, another tale twisted in Gene’s Life. He was fired from Terrytoons where he designed the Tom Terrific cartoons. Following his firing, he launched his own Animation Studios. He travelled to Prague With the idea that he would reside there for 10 days but fell in love with a local woman Zdenka Neumannova and ended up moving to Prague for the rest Of his life. After the success of Munro, Popeye was On-air circling for a while by Fleischer Brothera; but was soon adapted by a band of different productions whose director Happened to be Gene Deitch.

Popeye Became Popeye the Sailor’ in 1960 and soon the tune was sung all around the world by kids of different ages munching happily on spinach, But if you ask me, the golden days were born when Tom and Jerry made their entry into the world of television. Though The cat and mouse won everyone’s hearts Thereafter, during the period Of 1957 when the idea was being played with, Gene Wasn’t fond of the cartoon since it seemed violent during those days. Gene Deitch wasn’t alone on not favouring the cartoon since the critics too weren’t pleased and gave mixed reactions to the Tom and Jerry yet. The production Of Tom and Jerry did not stop and was continued by Chuck Jones who was known For Looney Tunes. While this may have been one side of the coin. The other side ravished of success.

People loved the cat and mouse and to till date defend the cartoon saying it was one of the best Of times, The animator went on to create more cartoons spending the rest of his life In Prague, The mastermind Of 50’s generation passed Away at the age of 95 on April 16th, 2020, Gene Deitch wasn’t simply an animator or simply a director. He was the master. He left behind such a rich legacy that it is impossible to put a count on it. Be it comic strips or cartoons of today, it holds no doubt that Deitch’s Work during the golden days. definitely paved path for the animators to come. The animation phenomenon may have passed away but Tom will keep chasing Jerry for the rest of our lives

ILAYARAJA

Isaignani

Born and brought up in an Village Kambam in Southern Tamil Nadu. Ilayaraja became the first Asian to score a symphony for the London Philharmonic Orchestra. besides scoring over 1000 feature films in a period of more than 40 years. Raja. as he is popularly known and affectionately called. Coming from a family of musicians. His mother. a huge repository of Tamil folk songs,seems to be a very strong influence in his music.

He learned to play the harmonium. The typical musical instrument used in street performances In 1969, Raja migrated to the city of Madras, the Southern Movie capital, when he was 29 years old, looking for a break into music making for the public. He studied under Dhanraj Master, playing the guitar and piano in the western style. He later earned a diploma in music from Trinity College in London.

Ilayaraja’s break into music for films came with Annakili 1976. The film dealt with a village story, to which llayaraja composed great melodies. The songs offered simplicity and musicality typical of Tamil folk in an authentic way. And they offered new sounds--rich orchestration typical of Western music. The songs became an instant hit, the most popular being “Machchana Partheengala” sung by a female voice. S. Janaki. This was followed by a series of films that portrayed contemporary Tamil villages in an authentic way against stylistic shallow portrayals before. For all of these films Raja created memorable songs.

Raja went for a trip abroad to Europe, partly to visit places where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Johann Sebastian Bach, and Ludwig van Beethoven lived. They were his manasika Gurus or nonphysical teachers, he wrote once. His listeners were awestruck by the quality and quantity of his musical output. llayaraja also recorded non- film albums. such as -How to Name It” and “Nothing But Wind,” which were well-received in India and abroad.

To many people who know him, Raja represents more than his music. He is a mark of great achievement that is possible by hard work, yet he is seen in most of his interviews as talking very philosophically. Raja soon proved his abilities in other styles as well. Classical Carnatic melodies were used in Kannan Oru Kai Kuzhandhai 119781 IRag Mohanam), Mayile Mayile (Ragam Hamsadhwani). and Chinna Kannan Azhaikiran (Reethi Gowlai). Raja’s grasp of Western classical structure became evident with his masterful use of the piano, guitar, and string ensembles. Some of the numbers that show his orchestral genius are “Ponmalai Pozhudu” and “Poongadhave” from Nizhalgal (19801. Kanmaniye Kadhal from Aarilirindhu Aruvathu Varai 11979). – Ramanin Mohanam” from Netri Kann 11981).

These songs could literally be heard coming from every doorstep in Tamil Nadu state every day for at least a year after being released. Raja composed film music prolifically for the next fifteen years. At a rate of as many as three new songs a day.

BMK TITANS The Last of the Great Carnatic

Veejaysai

BMK, the initials were enough to invoke enough nostalgia, anecdotes and stories. For someone who didn’t stick to the rigidity of the genre that gave him name and fame, he was hailed as a musical genius across the world. Mangalampalli Balamurali Krishna, the last of the greatest Carnatic musicians who upheld the Andhra tradition of vocalism passed away in Chennai. He was 86 years old.

The Child Prodigy

Born in the village of Shankaraguptam In the East Godavari district of coastal Andhra Pradesh, to the couple Pattabhiramayya and Sooryakantamma On 6th July 1930, Muralikrishna was the first son born to the couple. The father was fluent in playing the flute, violin and veena. The mother, daughter of a renowned composer Prayaga Rangadasu, was also fluent in Veena. Music was at home though the family above his father’s considered it a ‘low’ Habit, being conservative brahmins. The child was joined into a municipal school in Buckinghampet. The father was keen the son must get a regular education like all other kids. However, with a rich musical atmosphere at home, little Murali’s attention wasn’t on his studies and he soon dropped out after grade five on the advice of his teachers. While there was a lot of absorption at home, a Guru has a special value and place in a student’s Life. After finding out teachers around nearby villages, the father approached Parupalli Ramakrishnayya Pantulu (1883-1951) to accept the eight year old Muralikrishna as his student.

Pantulu Belonged to the ‘ShishyaParampara’ Or the ‘student-lineage’ of the saint Poet Tyagaraja( 1767- 1847) one of

the famous trinity of Carnatic composers through Susarla Dakshinamurthi Sastri (1860- 1917). It was under Pantulu’s Training that Muralikrishna’s music blossomed. Pantulu was in charge of conducting a music festival in the memory of Susarla in Vijaywada. It was in this festival he decided to debut his Protégé Muralikrishna on the 18th of July 1940. Listening to the young Muralikrishna the great Harikatha Exponent Musunuri, Suryanarayana Bhagawatar gave him the title of ‘Bala’. Bala Muralikrishna was to remain the Name for the rest of his life. BMK Debuted on the All India Radio on the 2nd July 1941. This made him an icon overnight. Invitations to concerts started pouring in. Around this time, he also lost his mother. This loss was to haunt him for the rest of his life. Though he was brought up by his foster mother Subbamma, he would Lament about the loss of a mother Whenever he composed songs Dedicated to any goddess

The following year in January 1 942, BMK accompanied his Guru to the annual death anniversary commemorative concerts in honour of the poet saint Tyagaraja in Thiruvaiyaru in the Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu. There the legendary singer Bangalore Nagarathnammal who constructed the Samadhi of

Tyagarajawas floored by BMK’s singing. Nagarathnammal is said to have carried him in her arms and predicted this kid would one day be a genius in the world of music. The Young And Restless Genius No other teenager must have had a Busier childhood like BMK had. The Coastal districts of today’s Andhra were once a part of the erstwhile Madras Presidency, A hot bed for classical Music and theatre patronage, every village had numerous Sabhas. Temples, Organizations that generously patronized music. BMK was a star performer many music concert organizers gladly presented. From earlier concert calendars and show bills we get to know how he gave over two hundred concerts a year even as he was only thirteen years old. His fame as a child Prodigy spread far and wide. In 1944 BMK accompanied legendary Carnatic Vocalists like Ariyakudi Ramanujalyengar and Chitoor Sub- Ramaniaya Pillai on the Viola. He also accompanied several later stalwarts Like Semmangudi Srinivasalyer, Maharajapuram Vishwanathalyer and Voleti Venkateshwarlu in later years. His growth in the world of Carnatic Music was at a jet speed and highly Monitored by all the legends of that Era. While he kept his passion for Carnatic music alive, he didn’t stop himself from the lure of popular Culture.

In 1967, the famous mythological Telugu film BhaktaPrahlada starring Anjali Devi, SV RangaRao and a huge Cast of Telugu actors saw BMK’s debut on the silver screen. He played the role Of sage Narada. Through the film, whenever the character appeared, BMK sang his own songs. His stint with the silver screen was to only grow into great heights. As an actor, music director and playback Singer, he contributed to over thirty Films in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Sanskrit. He even Acted the role of an aged musician In a Malayalam movie ‘Sandhyakku Enthinu Sindooram’. In 1976 he bagged The National Award for the best Playback singer in the Kannada film ‘Hamsageete’ (1975). In 1 987 he won another National award for best music Direction for the film ‘Madhawacharya’. Best playback singer for the Malayalam Film ‘Swati Thirunal’ in 1987. The path breaking Rebel In the 1960s, 70s and 80s, BMK Invested himself into renewing the Works of poet saints like Tallapaka Annamacharya, Bhadrachala Ramadasu, his maternal grandfather Prayaga Rangadasu. Sadasiva Brahmendra, Narayanatheertha, Kshetrayya and the Kerala king Composer Maharaja Swati Thirunal. He set to tune hundreds of their writings into songs.

Today he is solely responsible for bringing back to life hundreds of forgotten songs and increasing the repertoire of the Carnatic genre multifold. The world of Carnatic has no less politics than any others. BMK decided to play around and break status quo. He set to tune Ragas with only four notes and named them. He not only named them but also composed songs in them and sang them at prestigious festivals and venues. This set the cat among the pigeons. The carnatic community ostracized him very soon. His contemporaries like printed Pamphlets and distributed them among Audiences in Madras Sabhas calling him a madcap. They banned him from singing at many festivals and venues.

Did any of this disturb him? In fact he only got encouraged to do more of this. He created new Ragas like Lavangi, Mahati, Manorama, Mohanangi and so forth. As a kid he had already mastered the entire complicated 72-Melakartha System of Ragas. He went ahead to Compose in all of them! A feat no other vocalist achieved in the 20th Century and a record no one broke as yet! It took a while for the world of Carnatic music to understand what a genius he was and the depth of his Musical scholarship. Impeccable diction of the lyric, be it in any language, strict adherence to pitch in a melodic scale and effortless jugglery in the most complicated of rhythm became the quintessential Balamurali signature in “Carnatic vocalism”.

The Composer

‘Vaggeyakara’ is the word used which lightly translates to composer in English. A Vaggeyakara is expected to be proficient in Raga music (melodic scales), Tala or rhythm, languages like Telugu, which is the lingua franca of the Carnatic genre. BMK could easily play over half a dozen Instruments including the violin, viola, Khanjira (Indian Tambourine), Mridangam,Veena and more. He composed numerous songs in different genres. He was one of the first vocalists to sing the entire 12th century Sanskrit text Gita Govindam written by poet Jayadeva. If Modern day Bharatanatyam is standing stable, one of the big credits must go to BMK. His compositions including several Thillanas which continue to be performed at every other dance recital. In addition to this was his own collaborations with his contemporaries in Hindustani music. One of the earliest to storm the world of Carnatic music was his Jugalbandi with Pt Bhimsen Joshi that was broadcasted on Doordarshan.

Years later they were to do a repeat of this concert with Much bonhomie on stage. In later years BMK was to be the first carnatic vocalist to perform Jugalbandis with several other veterans like KishoriAmonkar and Jasraj and Hindustani flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia. Even younger Artistes like Ronu Majumdar,Ajoy Chakraborty and others Found a generous collaborator in him in later years.

BMK never stopped himself from anything if it was related To music. He gladly experimented with a whole host of Genres. From Rabindra Sangeet to Kabir to Meera Bhajan to even collaborating with jazz bands, BMK did it all! Endless Honours and Titles For someone who started so young, BMK achieved all the coveted awards one could think of in the world of Carnatic music. In his lifetime, BMK gave over fifty thousand concerts worldwide. He was only twenty three when he Was honoured with the President of India’s Gold medal in 1953. Among the bigger and better known honours were the Central Sangeet NatakAkademi Award in 1975, the Sangita Kalanidhi equivalent to the Nobel Prize in Carnatic Music from the Madras Music Academy in 1978, the Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and the Padma Shri awards. He Was honoured with the Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts Et des Lettres from the French Government in 2005. Over Two-dozen honorary doctorates from various universities, Scores of titles from every other music organization and More. All of this sat rather lightly on his shoulders.

Back in his own homeland, Carnatic music was dying a slow death. With lack of patronage from the State and other Individuals, the Telugus were a dying breed in the world of Carnatic music. The then Chief Minister N T Rama Rao who dissolved the State Sahitya Akademi and fought with Several performing artistes added fuel to fire. Many Writers like Arudra, artistes like Bapu decided to settle down In Chennai. Disillusioned by the State’s attitude towards Performing arts and literature, BMK decided to settle down In Chennai, the Mecca of Carnatic. The state that changed various governments in later years did less to correct their wrongs. Andhra and Telugu’s loss was others gain. BMK Found great patronage from several quarters outside. The famous musicologist BM Sundaram became his student. Their scion of the royal family of Travancore Prince Rama Varma became one of his later students. In addition to that, Several film actors like Vyjayantimala Bali, Kamal Hasan and Dancer Kamala Lakshmanan learnt music under his tutelage At various points.

Known for his warmth, hospitality, regaling friends with Historic and musical anecdotes and a cheeky smile that Would often mean more than one thing, BMK was everyone’s favourite in the world of Indian classical music. He sang till a month ago before his demise with an extremely robust voice that effortlessly scaled three and a half octaves for an octogenarian. This year commemorates The 250th birthday year of the poet saint Tyagaraja that BMK Strongly believed in. He belonged to the fifth generation Of his Shishyaparampara as noted earlier. His physical exit might have soared his soul to the feet of his Guru. With the Demise of Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna, the world of Carnatic music has lost one of the last great titans.

Bhimsen Joshi TRIBUTE TO

Bharat Ratna award to Pandit Bhimsen Joshi in December 2009, there were more celebrations across Karnataka than anywhere else in India. For the real son of the soil had made his land proud and added yet another jewel to his already glittering crown. The last of the doyens of the dharwad school of music, Bhimsen out-lived all his contemporaries and spread the true dharwad style far and wide to global audiences. Like every Carnatic musician who flaunts a lineage, he claims to be a direct descendant of the poet saint Tyagaraja, true or not, Bhimsen has a cult following of students, disciples and Hindustani vocalists who claim to be the inheritors of his legacy. There are very few musicians who can have such a reputation as magnificent as

Veejai Sai

Bhimsen’s EARLY YEARS Bhimsen was born into a noble family on 4th February 1922 in Gadag district in north Karnataka.He has very few to compete with his as equals in his field, either fame-wise or box office wise. Panditji’s father Gururaj Joshi was a conservative educationist and an expert academic whose KannadaEnglish dictionary is probably one of the best available even today and his mother Godavaribai Katti was a well known bhajan singer amongst the local bhajan mandali, at a time when women were not encouraged to sing in public. Bhimsenji’s grandfather, Bhimasen acharya was a noted musician of his time. Though music was very much in the family, and like any other father, his wanted his to be a doctor, lawyer or pursue academics. Bhimsenji’s love towards music posed

Padma Vibhushan Pandit Birju Maharaj – Kathak Exponent have known Panditji from 1955. He is like my older brother. That is the relationship we share. I have often breezed into his house without prior warnings with the liberty of a

younger brother. I have performed at his festival in Pune innumerable times. He is literally the king of swaras and ragas. His winning the Bharat Ratna is a benediction to the entire music fraternity. Let me tell you a nice secret we shared amongst us, in the days when he use to chew paan and tarnbaaku, he was one of the best makers of it, and we have often enjoyed endless talk over many a paan. I am so proud for my brother. I pray god gifts him a fabulous life ahead. This award to him was long due’.

Quite a lot of problems to his parents. For example, he would quietly slip away into any of the passing Bhajan Mandalis only to be restored to his worried and anxious parents by some good samaritan or a family member. He loved reciting kannada hymns from Kumaravyasa’s ‘Mahabharata’ as much as he loved taking his first music lessons from Agasara Chennappa and the great Panchakshari Gavai. This interest and passion for music took a completely different turn and turned into a raging passion when he heard Abdul Karim

Khan’s thumri ‘Piya bin nahi awat chai, ‘This was the turning point in my quest and I decided to run away from home’, he said years later reflecting on his childhood. On the surface, it seemed like a minor everyday occurrence that could happen in any home. But it troubled the sensitive boy enough to make him want to escape from that rigmarole. It only took a small instance in a family meal for him to get irked and run away when his mother had served all the others extra proportions of ghee except to him ttriggering a life-altering course of events. A disgruntled 11 year old Bhimsen left home in search of a Guru and all that he had with him was a few rupees and the clothes he was wearing. His quest took him on many unsuccessful visits to Bijapur, Pune and Mumbai. The same routine followed. For instance, in Pune, he wasn’t able to pay his tuition fees to Bhaskarbua Bhakle. Penniless but determined, he boarded the third class bogey of a Gwalior bound train. Throughout his journey’s he would regale his co-passengers and even the railway staff with the songs he had learnt from the many commercial

disks he heard to keep them distracted from asking him for his ticket. Slipping from compartment to compartment on the sly, sometimes getting off at an odd station for a day or two and not being caught by the railway department, he took about three long months to reach Gwaltor.

Gwalior, Lucknow and Rampur gharanas had earned fame as being the best for training in Indian classical music. Bhimsenji’s search for a proper teacher had him knocking on the doors of some of the stalwarts of that era like the Sarod maestro Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan (Ustad Amjad all khan’s Wfather) Rajabhayya Pochhwale, Krishnarao Shankar Pandit who were all maestros of the Gwalior gayaki style.

Unable to find satisfaction he decided to continue his struggle. He joined a school to become a tanpuraartiste. He subsequently dropped out from there he wandered to Kharagpur. Calcutta, Delhi and then finally to Jalandhar. In Calcutta his guru offered him a stint on the silver screen which he refused saying his interest was not to be in fdms but to become a classical musician. Those were the years when there was no playback singing and only singing stars since the talkie era had just dawned. Pertinently, nearly half a century later he was going to collect the national award for the best male playback singing in ‘Ankhee’ (1984, starring Amol Palekar and Deepti Naval) where music director Jaidev made him sing ‘Thumaka thumaka paga dhumaka kunja madhu’l with not a penny in his pocket and a head filled with undying passion, young Bhimsen was not ready to give up till he found what he wanted- a proper guru Jalandhar by then had achieved its name on the music map for the large scale Hindustani music festivals it hosted In spite of hanging out at all these big festivals luck continued to play truant and the restless Bhimsen who wanted to learn Khayal singing still a guru. He compromised by learning some Dhrupad style singing from a local blind musician for four years It was during this time that Vinakayrao Patwardhan, an exponent of the Gwalior Gayaki style , a renowned scholar of that time advised the

Young Bhimsen that it was always best to go back to his hometown and be with his family first and also told him of Pandit Rambhau Kundgolkar aka Sawai Gandharva, who was acclaimed for his teaching abilities. Kundgol, a small town, not far from Gadag was the home of Sawa’ Gandharva, the prime disciple of Ustad Abdul Karim Khan saab. Bhimsen took this advice seriously and headed homewards after over four years of tedious searching.

OANDHARVA SCHOOL OF MUSIC. His family

was in absolute joy to see him, as much as his father was not happy about the youngster’s committed passion for classical music. Bhimsen’s persistence kept him under the tutelage of the great Sawa, Gandharva for the next four years from 1936 to 1940 He was encouraged by being toured to concerts as an accompanying artist, all over India. Thts exposure helped him gam immense confidence and improve his knowledge on this subject. He also learnt to study his audiences, their complex psychologies and much more before he could shape his own style of singing On return from Kundgol. he continued doing his riyaz for a year till he was possessed by the wanderlust once again.

He left for another round of travel and this time it was the glitzy lights of Bombay and then to Rampur and Lucknow. He pursued the lighter Classical forms of Thumri and Khayal here. Soon he came to be known as a well-known voice over the radio and small time private concerts. It was the 60th birthday of his guru Sawai Gandharva in January 1946 and a concert was organized. This was Bhimsen’s first big public concert that was well-attended and gave him fame over-night. Maharashtra then a province known as Bombay Presidency included Dharwad, Belgaum and Bijapur.

Rajan Parikkar had to look after the recordings of artists in this Kannadaspeaking region. As part of his work was tours to places like Bijapur. Belgaum, Bailhongal, Dharviad, Hubli and Gadag in search of fresh talent and for newer recording material. During one such tour

he came across young Bhimsen. A Kannada drama company came to Bombay to present Kannada plays. A show was arranged at the Podar College hall at Matunga, for the benefit of the Kannadigas residing in North Bombay. Parikkar who did not know Kannada was prompted to go with the curiosity to hear a young Bhimsen on stage. Bhimsen was the hero in the play ‘Bhagyashri’. Seeing him act, he immediately negotiated him for an HMV recording.

He sang two Hindi and two Kannada bhajans for his first Recording in 1944. Soon afterwards arikkar got him again to record a beautiful poem ‘Uttara Druvadum’ composed by the well known KannadaMaharashtrian poet the late D. R. Bendre. and another poem written by the Kannada poet laureate Puttappa in bhavageetha style. With the great success of these recordings, which sold in very well amongst the Kannadigas, Bhimsen began to cut more and more records.

By this time he had made a decent name as a classical singer, soon Parikkar got him to do a few classical pieces, which also were a great success. Thus, gradually Bhimsen became well-known and popular as a singer in the music circles and soon his name was prefixed with Pandit for his mastery and scholarship over the medium

THE SOARING MID CAREER AND A FALL IN THE GRAPH

The next few years after India’s independence, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi emerged as one of the top most Hindustani vocalists of that era. His LP records and radio concerts increased in popularity. He sang the Abhangs in Marathi with the same ease with which he sang Purandaradasa Kritis in Kannada. The number of stage performances increased and he was in big demand unlike any of his contemporaries. The only other singers in his league who unfortunately didn’t live long enough to see the future decades were Pandit Kumar Gandharva and Pandit Jitendra Abhisheki.

Having mastered and trained under the tutelage of so many gharanas, Bhimsen would perform any concert in almost all the styles with equal flexibility and keep his audiences in awe of him. If he started a raag with an aalap in the patiala gharana style, his boltaan would be in the rampur gharana style while his gamak would be in the Gwalior gayaki style. Not being a strict follower of the hardcore rules set down by the guru-shishya parampara, just like his guru, Panditji unconsciously set the parameters of the Kirana gharana style. That has stayed ever since. During the peak of his career, he took to alcohol as a positive from of engagement with his music. He would often come drunk to concerts attracting

flak from critics and purists even though his fans didn’t seem to mind. His drinking would vary from being moderate to excessive often keeping the organizers and audiences worried. Soon his concerts started lacking the monumental voice, amazing depth and range that was his signature style. This state of concerts of uneven quality lasted for a while till, fortuitously good sense prevailed andPadma Bhushan Gulzaar - well known poet , Lyricist , director, playwright, He made the award-winning documentary on Pandit Bhimsen Joshi’s life.

‘Ramon ka Rai. halo woh! I am over-joyed that Panditji has finally won the Bharat Ratna. He has kept our country’s dignity intact by winning this award after such a long gap of 7 years. Words fail me when I want to express what the feeling of having been associated with him for these many years’ means to me.

I feel lucky to have hugged him, to have held his hand and shared innumerable experiences. I wish there was some way I could get it all back. I have attended countless concerts of his, both public and private. He would visit one Dr.Morwani’s house every 10th of October and give some of the most fascinating private concerts. He has the best sense of humor I’ve seen in an artist. He loved long drives. I remember this instance in those days where flights were rare and trains were untimely, he drove all the way from Bangalore midnight to reach the concert venue an hour earlier and went up on the stage directly to perform. That was some commitment and only someone with his passion for music could have had it. He was very passionate about cars. Even till date there is an old Mercedes sitting in his compound.

I used to tease him a lot. Once he was eating achaar so I asked him was it not bad for a singer’s throat to which he immediately replied that his throat turned wooden long ago, because of his singing and he could eat everything. Another time I asked him teasingly if the ancient raags like Deepak did cause fire and Raag Megh did cause rains. He said in ancient times people were so truthful and committed to music that when they sang these ragas, they literally felt the fire and rain in them. Today it’s all the opposite. They sing megh after the rains have gone. This way feel so lucky and honoured and proud that panditji, one of my heroes has won the Bharat Ratna.’

He decided to kick the habit completely in 1979 in the interest of his health and profession. Like his sonorous voice, his career graph soared once more and the good old Bhimsen was back in action. The success of his commercially recorded music earned him a sustained popularity. He is the only Hindustani vocalist to have won the coveted

platinum disk from His Master’s Voice making a unique place for himself in the history of 20th century Indian classical music. This popularity led him to achieve many firsts. He was the first-ever Hindustani Vocalist to have publicized his concert programs via posters. Billboards and more in cities like New York and elsewhere in Europe and eastern countries. He was also the first Hindustani vocalist to go abroad accompanied by his complete entourage, family. Accompanying artists etc. Doordarshan, the major Public service broadcasting medium in India held yet another accomplishment for him. The popular video on national integration ‘Miley Sur Mera Tumhara’. Made him a darling of every household in India. A new tryst with popular media started in his already high and growing Career

His bhajan album ‘Raam Shyaam Gun gaan’ which he recorded with Lata Mangeshkar in 1985 tops the popularity continues to serve as a morning prayer across half of India while his rendering of Purandara dasa kritis in Kannada had made him an icon to reckon with. He was one of the few Hindustani vocalists to collaborate with Carnatic maestros like Mangalampalli Balamurali Krishna and noted painter M.F.Hussain at different occasions to give concerts on the theme of national integration, way before other artistic collaborations happened between other artists. These Cross-cultural collaborations gained popularity and soon set a trend of classical musicians, vocalists and instrumentalists cutting many a disc later

AWARDS AND ACCOLADES

Much before the Bharat Ratna proved to be his crowning glory, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi had, in a career spanning six decades picked up almost every award and citation you could think of. Being one of the few rare artists to have achieved all the three Padma Shri (1972) Padma Bhushan (1985) and Padma Vibhushan( 1999), Bhimsen,i’s national and international awards sit lightly on his shoulders. In addition to the prestigious sangeet Natak Akademi award (1976), the Maharashtra Bhushan (2002) and Karnataka RatnaI 2005 award’s he has many more to his credit. He is the only other Kannadiga to have won India’s highest civilian honor other then M Vishveshwaraya, he is a heartthrob of lakhs of his fans across the world. Till date hundreds of temples across the state open with his records of Purandara Dasa Krt. And Bhajans. People worship his picture In their shrines and children in schools across listen to the tale of his passion for his art. His cervical spondilitis never bothered him when he roared on the stage with a neckband around, as much as his brain tumour from which he had an operation done. He was known to walk out of hospital beds when

he wanted to sing at a concert, much to everyone’s awe. He is religious and believes in the saint Raghavendra Swami of Mantralaya, Satya Sai Baba and has probably sung at the beckoning of every holy saint in the country. In his six decade or longer career, he has been a man of many hats. An avid car racer, a vintage car collector, football enthusiast, art connoisseur, yoga fanatic, a swimmer, a stage and theatre performer and many more of his facets that people associated with him know him for. Being twice married, Panditp has had his share of going through managing two families His son srinivas Joshi is the only one amongst his children to keep up the musical heritage of this great legend. However Panditii has an impressive list of students to take his legacy forward and keep the lamps of the Kirana gharana brightly lit in the world of Hindustani classical music. His winning the Bharat Ratna is not surprising and was something his fans, lovers and contemporaries felt was long due. He passed away due to internal bleeding and medical complications on 24 January 2011 The fact that Bhimsen Joshi died on the same day that the saint-poet- composer Thyagaraja’s Aradhana was held, may be a coincidence. But what a coincidence, anyone who listened to his rich resonant baritone, effortlessly raised to a crescendo, had little doubt about him being divinely gifted. We all will truly miss this legend.

Aruna Sairam & DOMINIC VELLARD

- A collaboration between Heaven and Earth.

Aruna Sairam and Dominic Vellard, two personalities who do not need any introduction at all. Aruna Sairam is a dynamic singer and vocalist, a recipient of the Padma Shri award from the Government of India, elected Vice Chariman of the Sangeet Natak Akademi (India’s premier national institution for music and dance) from the government of India. She is regarded as the Music Ambassador of India, for successfully taking Indian music to the global area. Dominique Vellard on the other hand, is a profound French tenor and specialist in medieval music. In 1979, he founded the Ensemble Gilles Binchois, a leading ensemble in the performance of Ars Nova music. He is also a very much established composer.

Akshay Ramesh

Aruna Sairam and Dominique Vellard have been collaborating for the past 23 years. They are veterans in their own fields and have come together again in a new collaboration called “Heaven and Earth”. The two met back then in Paris, during the summer, when one of Dominique’s friends Markhom ,who was Aruna’s student back then told Dominique that “He should listen to Aruna”. He went to a concert in paris and then came into contact. The two then met immediately thereafter. Then they worked for one at home to choose repertoriesm. After this, they have never stopped working together for the past 23 years. Dominique felt that it was a really strong experience for him to sing with Aruna as their traditions are different. He felt that his work to give life to this repertories. They were able to share a lot about the aspects in terms of music, text, spirituality, sonority etc. It was finally not so difficult for them both to find a possibility to converse about music.

As Aruna and Dominique met, kept speaking and singing together, the idea of collaboration came into thought. The first aspect was to find in Dominique’s tradition, the stronger point, and very deep point of the human being. That was the first step. There were more several projects, singers, instrumentalists. The last project was different, because they go into a bit of poetry of diverse languages. It was also to have the theme of love and to share lots of different songs from different cultures.

This particular project consists of two major threads. Instead of going into the deepest manifestation of music, Aruna quotes that “We are also going out into the external manifestation of feelings, thoughts and cultures. One of them is talking about love, here called “Sringara”. It has always been a favorite theme. This project has Sringara and the spiritual aspect of Sringara. There are musical pieces and a spoken narrative, the latter threading the former together. The spoken narrative are from Tamil Texts like “Thirukkural, Sangam Poetry etc.” They are also from the bible texts of Dominique and the song of the songs and from poets like Juan De Ma Soeur. There are many things happening at the same time, example being literature, and musical, spiritual and romantic love.

This year is a very special year for the “Bonjour India” French-Indian Collaboration. Pier Immanuel had told Aruna that he was very interested to do a re-commemoration of their musical conversational concert. He has stated that out of all the so many concerts that they did over the last twenty years, this is what has stayed in his memory for a long time. So when Aruna was asked to pitch in on it, she casually told about the Tamil texts and also the similarities between her and Dominique’s culture, which contains similar home truths, proverbs and maxims. Aruna later jokingly remarks that she never expected them to be seriously working upon it together, as one thing had led to another in this case.

Whenever they work together, they always try to find the similarity of the elements of culture, tradition, music sequences, the ragas, with the theme sometimes to have a lot of different aspects. It was only a few days after the started doing that, that felt a connection. One picked up from the other and with practice, they started picking up more from each other, from the lyrics or the aspect and then they continue with the project. The one thing they make sure is that they make sure they do not ever go against their tradition. They go into our tradition deep enough and find the connection between the other traditions and work with that in mind.

The meeting and discussing on this project has been lucky for them, because Dominque and their team had come twice last year, each time ten days each. They had two residences over which they developed this kind of thing. Aruna remarks saying “An Organic strength takes time”. The first piece that Aruna and Dominique worked together was back in 1996, called “Sources”. The idea then was to go deep into the beginning of these cultures and how they express themselves musically and lyrically. They were both astonished and quite surprised to see how similar they were. The human being has some universal commonality that was very strong. It was the similarity in the spirit that reached out to the people

The idea of “Heaven and Earth”, came from Anmari. Then after we chose the text, we were trying to show the link between human love and spiritual love, that is why Heaven and Earth. Aruna explains further by saying

“We are all the same. Like there is one earthy way of looking at Sringara and there is an ethereal way of looking at Sringara, as a love between Jeev-atma and Para-atma. He reads the same thing from the bible, it being an erotic poem, of the Jeev-atma yearning for the paramatma”.

When asked as to how they are going to make it reach out to a larger audience, Dominique says that it is not their work to make it reach out to the public. He feels that it is his duty to make it work, compose and make one and it is the duty of the political people and actors to make this known about people. Aruna agreed with Dominique saying that

“It is such an alloy of the words melody, feeling and the vibration. There is something that you get in a live experience that you never get in a represented experience, be it audio or video. Having said that, we will continue to sing the way we do and we cannot change anything. And if, only if we were to find a very sensitive filmmaker to capture this or the essence of this in a piece or two, that videographer should be an equally sensitive artist, to be able to capture this. If we find one, I think you would agree with us and we would be happy to record this on that medium. We would just do what we do and it would be well recorded. If it gets done, it would be a very good thing.”

They feel that they need to find the right person to support it, fund it and make it. They weren’t able to find a right way to sell it to the people in the past work. Even three minutes of a very good recording of what Aruna and Dominque do would make a difference. They finally agreed that they would be very happy to do it with the famous director “Gautham Menon” if he agrees to do it.

Two artists, have combined together and have made together something good, that would make people more interested about their culture and their own tradition through music. As they say, music is the way to a person’s soul. Or at least one of the ways to the soul.

Sridevi KAPOOR

AN EPITOME OF ROYALTY & GRACE

Aarathi Arun

QUEEN. That is what comes to our minds when we hear her name or get to be around her. She owned her aura that was nothing short of love. Sridevi didn’t need a hashtag to be known. She was her own brand. She lived the life that many women dreamed of. She had the perfect looks. She had a beautiful and loving family. She had all the fame in the world that even the International OSCAR Committee honoured her with a tribute at the 90th Academy Awards recently. She wore the best of couture, flew to the most exotic locales, ate culinary wonders; all of this and more that we the public got to see of her life as portrayed by the media. But there was another side to this beautiful story of her life.

A side that only a chosen few, a circle that she always kept within her loop knew of. Though she made her life up north, her heart and soul were always pulled back to her hometown down south, Chennai. The connection she shared was quite strong and permanent given that her family and roots traced back here. Her fame when she ruled the South Indian film industry as the leading lady superstar, her best memories of her life were all created here. Sridevi was a devoted daughter to her parents. A caring sibling, a loving wife and a doting mother just like many of us out here. And when asked to write a tribute on her, I wanted every reader to wear a smile as they get to know small things about her that made delightful memories rather than meaningless controversies.

Every woman is definitely a queen in her own capacity in her own life. But to be accepted as one by the entire world is quite an achievement. For having been born to parents from a normal family and started acting from a tender age of four, she was an early bloomer who decided to make an era out of her life. Though she started her career under the guidance and consent of her parents, she slowly started developing her own niche in the field. Movies were being made for her. For an industry that was majorly male dominated, she etched out her own space high on top. She was respected for not just being an actress but for being a woman! She owned her popularity with such panache. Her talents were unmatched and one to appreciate, undoubtedly. She kept nurturing that gifted talent by continuously

rediscovering herself with every single movie that she featured in. The grace with which she accepted the Padma Shri Award and many such proved her decorum. Language was not an issue for this multitalented woman. She did not feel caged ‘n a new front. And neither did she accept movies from the other south Indian industries just for the sake of getting her movie count, up. She dedicated herself to the art and the numerous State Awards she won from all these industries proved her worth. She took on every challenge that came her way and built a step out of it to make it to the very top. The name that she holds today is from the empire that she built singlehandedly.

Having known her I am at a loss for words as the grief has not faded away. She was a

totally devoted, hands on mother for her daughters. She quit her active career to raise her children the right way. She knew that a normal upbringing was the only way to teach and inculcate family values, having given the glitz and glamour that surrounded them. She wanted to give or best put, gift her children the luxuries of being a child that she was denied. Devotion was her way of finding peace. A pious person, she would often visit the Tirumala, her favourite abode to thank the one above for all her blessings. This showed that she appreciated the fact that she was reaping the benefits of hard work and did not take them for granted. She knew to thank for what she had and continued getting.

I have been told that she yearned for a normal life far away from this flashlight, without being focused upon. But that was not her choice to make. That was the price she paid for her fame. That was the life this world gave her and now that was what that took her away from all of us. Numerous baseless allegations may be debated upon. But to watch her being butchered on national media as she waited in silence for her final return home was heart wrenching.

Humanity seems to have long vanished from the people of the world today. The pain her family would have gone through is unimaginable. All this came as a shock for them to accept the fact at the loss of their loved one and to having to deal with these shaming bullies is a sad story. She was a very protective mother, like an eagle over her young ones. She took so much care and ensured that not a single bad shadow be cast on her daughters. Yet, she was strict where she had to be. And now her soul would definitely continue to fear for them and guide them even from up above. The void that she has left can never be filled. She was truly one in a million. May her legacy live on. May her soul rest in peace.

Vaiagai Puyal THE ICONIC

Everyone knows who is the all time favourite comedian for everyione in Tamil Nadu especially the ‘mememakers’ is: without a doubt I bet his iconic dialogues and signature mannerisms flashed before your eyes as you read that line. This could be defined as a charm beyond comprehension. Closer home, the south of Tamil Nadu has swept and united the states, and the globe with just him being alive on screen. And he is none other than -Vaigai Puyal Vadivelu.

He is an emotion for everyone in the south of India. He is an important part of every Tamil speaking household across the world because he makes them laugh. And more importantly, gives them a wide vocabulary to address tough situations mildly, make a sacrosanct curse and just take life as it comes. If you don’t believe me, just think of how many words, sentences and metaphors you use in office or elsewhere that isn’t a line from one of his scenes or memes.

However, this man’s journey into our homes and laughs wasn’t easy. It’s almost mildly shocking to note that this monster of a celebrity had his beginnings in humbling roles that supported veterans in the likes of Goundamani and Senthil in films like ‘ChinnaGounder’ or ‘llavarasan’. Take ‘Singaravelan’ for example, this man and his Mohawk was the butt of all jokes in the film and a strategic sidekick to make everyone else seem more intelligent or get beaten. And like all other occasions tides did change for him with ‘Thevar Magan’, where he played an important role of character and merit to the story. But yet people couldn’t see him becoming big or contributing to the economics of the films.

Thankfully, growth for the better happened with ‘Kaadhalan’. Oh come one don’t tell me your belly didn’t ache at the scrawny figure that flew around the film with ease. Or the little code words that he used with Prabhu Deva. It wasn’t until ‘Friends’ and ‘Winner’ at the turn of the millennium that this man’s magic saw its turn. The characters that came after stand distinctly apart from the comic tropes played by so many actors over the years. His arc as a comic actor, a star and a great business tool grew exponentially over the years. It reached a cult status wherein the introductory scenes of Vadivelu would receive thunderous applause and laughter in theatres and in homes likewise.

In fact, Vadivelu was not just a relief, he was the lifeline in an era of films that were losing the blood in them. You can count the number of movies wherein you know the name of the character but not the name of the movie or its plot. In fact people deliver lines from comic sequences verbatim, but don’t bother giving a second look to the film or its plot. Amidst all this, the great comic faded into an abyss due to his own misgivings which is quite common in the life of a star. The price they pay for it is that they get replaced. But it wasn’t so in the case of this man. When this man weaned away in a new era of Tamil cinema, there was no replacement for him as a comic or an actor. Most importantly, nobody could replace him in the hearts of the people.

Many actors have risen up as comics only to earn the ire of audiences with repeated, crass and dull sequences in the name of comedy. Some comics have even become leads of movies but never with much fanfare or critical reception. With the void looming bigger, Vadivelu would have been an issue of the past. Fortunately, that is when memes happened. The source for who started using Vadivelu for memes is still unknown, but boy was it a good idea! In fact nobody can say how the meme culture seeped in here. But in what seems to be an overnight miracle, every single meme inevitably ended up featuring this mans face. There was not a single public that would go by not meme-ified by the creative brains of the web. Chennai floods, mocking a minister, responding to an actors comments-everything had Vadivelu in it. Vadivelu was featured in memes and videos that would describe the average life of the everyday man only to make it 1000 times funnier. Even Iron man wasn’t spared. This was the range, so much so, that filmmakers of popular films release their own Vadivelu versions of first looks and posters before anyone else. To quote a popular director “anyway a Vadivelu version will come out, so why not do it oneself and have fun in the process.” As time went by, everyone, like they did before, thought the prowess of the Vadivelu charm with memes will fade away until the summer of 2019.

On a day of national importance, a small spark was set that lit a fire across the world. What was a sarcastic, stupid comment made in sheer complacency became the most trending hashtag of the day and week: #prayfronesamani. There were memes. videos, campaigns and even petitions to pray for him. It wouldn’t suffice to say that the whole world had a laugh, a good one. This obviously would not have been possible without the way Vadivelu had rendered that role. There was such efficacy and ease in the way he delivered, where all one has to do is picture him chasing his kidnappers or telling his “apprentices” there is no need to remove any nails for a good laugh. He came as a mild rain and grew into a storm, a storm that we are happy is still brewing

THE TRUE SPIRIT OF

KAPIL DEV CRICKET

Akila sridhar

A pioneer of his way, Kapil Dev Ramlal Nikhanj, born in January 1959 is an Indian cricketer and the greatest pace bowler in the history of Indian cricket. Kapil Dev is a name synonymous with Indian cricket. It was under Kapil that India took that huge step towards becoming a cricketing powerhouse by winning the 1983 World Cup, beating the odds against the mighty West Indies in the finals.

Dev made his debut in first-class cricket playing for his state, Haryana. He joined the Indian national team for a 1978-79 Test series against Pakistan. He ended his Test career with a record 434 wickets in 131 Test matches (a record that was broken in 2000 by Jamaica’s Courtney Walsh), including 23 five-wicket matches In one-day internationals, he took 253 wickets over 225 games.

For a generation which was fortunate to watch live coverage of cricket matches, Kapil was a match-winner, an all-rounder who strove to be in the thick of action, an icon who complemented the batting exploits of Sunil Gavaskar. His contribution to cricket is immense and unforgettable. It was a journey he took the entire country on and shared his victory with one and all. Hailing from a small town, he never forgot his roots and always held it with special regards. He doesn’t like to be contained within the label of “Dilliwala”. He repeatedly talks about how he has always been a proud Indian, as we all should be and loves every city, state and town.

His high spirits are contagious. One cannot hold back but notice his patriotism and the pride with which he holds the sport. He charmingly corrects us that cricket in India, is not merely contained within the boundaries of a sport but is more of an emotion, a household spirit, a habit, pride of the country and love of the people. We might have not been the ones to invent the sport but we do play an important role in keeping its eternal flame upright. His smile never runs off from his face while he recollects fond memories from the field and with his family in action.

Kapil is assisted at work by wife Romi, who says he’s as down to earth today as he was almost 40 years ago, when she met him. “He is a lovable father [to Amiya), a wonderful husband, and a reliable friend. He loves his cricket, his family, and his golf. If he has a crowded schedule for the day, his golf with friends will happen at 5 in the morning,” she says.

Excerpts from an exclusive interview:

What were your qualities when you were a young boy?

I, a shy boy, had no goals but only wanted to keep playing. I chose sports over studies, chose cricket over football since the latter would end rather quickly than the former. In my defence, I was a child. But I saw the stars align in my favour for I was led towards bowling. Events just fell in place and in less than one-year I was picked to play in the senior team in Delhi. The journey towards becoming one of the country’s fastest bowler, started there.

There was always struggle but I always believed that when there is talent, there will be an opportunity knocking your door and it is up to you to optimise and utilise such instances.

If you stand under a mountain and look up, you will get a bad pain in the neck. If you look at the ground and take one step, and then another step, then you come to a little bump. You think of how to climb over it; then you find a gap and you jump over it and you go on like that, one step at a time, and suddenly, you find yourself standing on top of the mountain.

One of such memories I recollect from those days is, how I ran away from my first ever interview- in English. Being an introvert and learning the ropes, at that age, I would do anything but sit through an interview. As a child, once I excused myself and never got back to the arena. Little did I know that fate would take me through thousands of talks, interviews and meets over the years

Can you tell us about any particular moment you had a lesson learnt?

I remember this one time, when I was a young-captain and we were playing Barbodos. Balwinder Singh Sandhu and I had bowled. After the fast bowlers had their turn, I brought in Ravi Shashtri. By then 20-30 overs were done when Venkat walked up to me and in a stern voice asked about his turn to bowl. I was in awe yet mildly leaning towards intimated, and I would never forget that moment, for I was a junior, although captain, but he was a senior player in all ranks while certain epiphany hit me. At that moment, I knew I was being tested and I must be careful to not be seen as arrogant or ignorant. I shouldn’t let the position get to my head whilst I needed to make my stance clear and carry on the task required to lead the team with a sense of responsibility. I learnt humility and I learnt boundaries, in its real sense, no pun-intended. I knew that a wrong word at that moment would lead me to trouble and certain deliveries had to be made with caution.

What has been your take away from the victorious world-cup journey? What was on your mind then?

I have told this in several interviews, that there is no joy I can compare with the joy I felt winning that cup. It was so intense and so pure- the pride and sense of bringing home victory, to our country, our sport, our people and a boost of accomplishment for us. We wanted to return and re-do, re-live the entire journey throughout our careers. It was a fight for the cup, for our lives and for what we love. We will always cherish every sweat broken on those grounds and every sacrifice that made us worthy. The joy of winning the World Cup cannot be compared with any amount of money. I feel that, if you want to do something, achieve something, you can’t be thinking all the time of what you don’t have, but learn to cope with what is being dealt with. A true winner is one, who makes his own road to success with whatever is at his disposal and not one who waits around for more comfortable routes. Whatever needs to be done has to be done in order to reap the benefits from it. There can be no scope for regrets or for better efforts. We were ready for any result as long as everyone put in their best, their 100% and kept

up the spirit of the game. I don’t look into negative things, Go past mistakes and look forward. That day, as players representing the nation, we had one chance to prove ourselves and bring back glory.

What are the life lessons you would want to share?

There is a small difference between need and greed- they take you to different places. I have always tried to learn that in life. I once heard that if really wanted to learn then I must keep my eyes and ears open even while sleeping. That spoke a lot on determination and dedication. I have carried that life lesson with me since then. It spoke volumes on clarity in thought and to give whatever is needed to, for achieving the end goal- success. According to me, there is no end point to success and no full stop when it comes down to itthere is only a comma, for there is always something to be achieved at the next stop. Success will always happen but it is up to you from where you’d rather learn. As long as you want to learn and are ready to absorb. It is about our attitude and approach- that differentiates the places you will reach and the scales you’ll scope. “Spirituality lies in what you do and how you do it and not what result you get.”

Can you tell us about any particular moment you had a lesson learnt?

I remember this one time, when I was a young-captain and we were playing Barbodos. Balwinder Singh Sandhu and I had bowled. After the fast bowlers had their turn, I brought in Ravi Shashtri. By then 20-30 overs were done when Venkat walked up to me and in a stern voice asked about his turn to bowl. I was in awe yet mildly leaning towards intimated, and I would never forget that moment, for I was a junior, although captain, but he was a senior player in all ranks while certain epiphany hit me. At that moment, I knew I was being tested and I must be careful to not be seen as arrogant or ignorant. I shouldn’t let the position get to my head whilst I needed to make my stance clear and carry on the task required to lead the team with a sense of responsibility. I learnt humility and I learnt boundaries, in its real sense, no pun-intended. I knew that a wrong word at that moment would lead me to trouble and certain deliveries had to be made with caution.

Shoaib Ahmed

January 26th was a dark day for the basketball community, as well as the entire world. People woke up to one of the saddest Moments in sports history. The internet was flooded with tears. Condolences, and nostalgic moments showered from people All over the 41-yearotd Kobe Bryant, along with his 13-yearold daughter, Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant, tragically passed Away when a private helicopter which carried several other souls crashed in Calabasas, California. The crash resulted in the Loss of everyone on board and the internet plunged into overwhelming sorrow. As people still find it difficult to grasp that Kobe Is no longer among them, Brew takes a look at the life of one all-time greats, and a man of the purest character.

It is undebatable that Kobe Bryant was one Of the most dazzling players of the game. His movements, his control 01 the hall, his Shots – one could look at them a hundred Times. And still go back to watch him in Action agaim Coaches and managers saw Him as someone who “didn’t make any Unnecessary movements”. This natural Flair with the ball had probably been Passed down to Kobe by his father, Joseph Bryant, Kobe spent most of his early childhood In Italy. This is understandable since his Father, Joe Jellybean Bryant, alter ending His NBA career in 1984, moved to Italy To play in the Italian League. And did not return to Philadelphia until 1991. During this time, Byant joined the Lower Merion High School Basketball team. He knew his time to shine was now, Kobe didn’t miss an opportunity to sweep the crowd with his sharp passes and head- Turning shots, If you hadn’t witnessed Kobe’s dunk; well then you haven’t seen Basketball. Yet Kobe had no plans to stop there. He went ahead and started working Out with the Philadelphia 76ers. Surely enough.

All those back-breaking, Kneeshattering practices paid off. In The

Picked Kobe only to trade him off to the Los Angeles Lakers later the same day Thus handing over Kobe’s pen to himself to write his story. He went on from a substitute at the benches to becoming one 01 the greatest players ever to don the gold “l don’t think there’s any question in my mind that he has been the greatest Laker player.” – Jerry West If could pinpoint the exact career-defining moment for Kobe Bryant, it would most certainly be on the fated day of February 8th, 1998. The Western Conference AllStars played The Eastern Conference All- Stars in the 48th NBA All-Star game. A lot Of surprising events entertained the match Kobe 1191 became the youngest player In NBA history to debut at an all-star Game. Not only that; This was also the first time he featured opposite Michael Jordon. Game recognizes game. And it wasn’t any different that day. Kobe wasn’t star-struck by the legendary players around him. Instead he was set on proving himself. A brilliant team-high score 01 18 points had the crowd biting their nails with bated Breath. But Michael Jordan showed Kobe just how huge the difference in skill and experience between them

was. Although he was down with the fIu, MJ scored. And he scored again. And another one. D}’ the end of the match, MJ had 23 points to his name, with B assists to further boost the Eastern Conference’s scoresheet. You would think this may have destroyed Kobe Bryant who at 19, was tougher than Most professional players at 30, But the match only added Iuel to the fire burning Within him, Kobe realized that his dreams had a price, and boy! Was he more than willing to pay them. Many realizations were established that Night, but the one which stood out was – Kobe Bryant was a force to be reckoned With. Though he lost, he had gone down fighting, This was seen as a trailer.

If you will, to a much bigger and nailbiting Show, one which would be spoken for Generations Kobe made his spot on the starting line- Up. He teamed up with legend Shaquille O’Neal as a shooting guard. And proved his steel by forming one of the best team-ups the sport had ever seen. The duo went on to lead the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships.

1996 NBA draft. Charlotte Hornets

2002 through 2004. Kobe was voted firstTeam All-NBA. It was also during this time that he signed multiple deals and Endorsements with brands like Adidas, sprite and so on. Money also recognizes game. Alter Shaquille O’Neal’s parting from the Club in 2004, Bryant had some big shoes to fill, and he did so brilliantly. The Lakers did struggle for a bit. But Kobe made sure their worries were in vain. In January of 2006, Bryant scored 81 points against the Toronto Rappers. This was the highest Single-game mark in NBA history. Second only to Will Chamberlain. Who pocketed 100 points way back in 1962.

Kobe led the scoring table for the year, as well as the next. In 2008. He was named MVP (Most Valuable Player) after leading His team to the NBA finals. Although the Boston Celtics stole the spotlight. Bryant’s play inspired the Lakers to Keep pushing and eventually in 2009, the Lakers beat Orlando Magic to win the NBA Championship trophy and furthermore winning a second one the consequtive Year, getting their much-cherished revenge on the Doston Celtics. Bryant was on Cloud Nine. He was Midas. Everything he touched turned to gold. And just when you’d think he had it all, In 2008, he got called on to represent his Country at the Olympic Basketball team. He was essentially now on the level of the phenomenons of the game, playing alongside Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. December of 2014 followed suit.

It was payback time. Los Angeles Lakers vs Minnesota Timberwolves, Kobe Bryant on the ball, The Lakers had won a foul, resulting in two free-throws. The first one goes in effortlessly, No doubt on who’s shot it was, Kobe sets his shot for the second one. A defining moment in history, If it goes in, Kobe Bryant becomes the third-highest point taker on the NBA scoring list surpassing the one and only Michael Jordan. The wounds from 1998 Were still fresh. And BOOM! He slots it home as smoothly as the first one, Kobe Bryant becomes the thirdhighest point Taker in the NBA’s career scoring list!

Nonetheless, if you’re wondering who was Bryant off-court then the answer is Simple, Bryant was an incredible man. In 2009. he was one of the lew trusted friends who were part of the memorial service of Music legend Michael Jackson. Among His various other endeavors. Kobe also partnered up with a nonprofit organization Called the AlterSchool All-Stars, which sewed with the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation for years to come. The family also held an annual summer camp, named the Kobe Basketball Academy.

Alas! The star’s career was not all bright. In 2003, Bryant was accused of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old. Kobe asserted That he was “guilty of adultery, but Innocent of rape”. The case got dismissed in 2004. Following an undisclosed off-court settlement. In April 2013, Kobe Bryant suffered a torn achilles tendon. Although he recovered in time for the season, his dreams were cut short after six games due to a knee fracture. Just after surpassing Michael Jordan in 2014, his season was again cut short due to a torn rotator cuff in January 2015. His body struggled to keep up with his determination to play. Alongside a much younger team with a struggling body. During the 2015-16 Season, Kobe decided to throw down the towel.

On November. 2015, the icon declared that he would be retiring from the game at the end of the season. “This season is all I have left To give....My heart can take the Pounding. My mind can handle The grind, but my body knows ills Time to say goodbye. “ - Kobe Bryant

Perhaps NBA Commissioner Adam Silver reacted to this announcement The best:

“With 17 NBA All-Star selections, An NBA Championships with the Lakers, two Olympic gold medals and A relentless work ethic, Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest Players in the history of our game. Bryant did have one last treat up his sleeve. In the final game of his Career in April 2016. Kobe Bryant stunned the sold-out crowd, scoring 60 points – his sixth 60 point game. After the game, an emotional Kobe stood in front of a teary-eyed crowd and thanked them for their constant love and support throughout his 20 years of play. Can’t believe how fast 20 years went by. This is absolutely crazy and to be standing at centre court with you guys, My teammates behind me, appreciating the journey that neen on — we’ve been through our ups, been through our downs, I think the most Important part is we all stayed together

At 22, Kobe married a 19-year-old Vanessa Caine. On April 2001. The Couple welcomed a beautiful baby Girl, in 2003. Natalia Diamante Bryant soon had a younger sister

to play with, when Kobe and Vanessa Brought Gianna Maria Onore Bryant into the family, in 2006, Bianka Bryant and Capri Bryant Followed suit a while later, being born into the family in 2016 and 2019 respectively. The two elder daughters took to their beloved father, and passionately played the game. Gianna and Kobe passed away on January 26th, 2020. When the private helicopter they had been flying in crashed near Calabasas, California. With 33,464 points to his name in a career span of 20 years. Kobe Bryant will forever be one of the greatest players to ever set foot on court, A loving husband, a doting father, a truly amazing person and friend on and off the court, one can only console themselves with the fact that Kobe and Gianna, along with the other members on board the helicopter, are all in a better place right now, The Black Mamba is at peace.

Vijay Amritraj THE SYNONYM OF SUCCESS

He was awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian honour in 1983. Amritraj is also an excellent actor having notable appearances such as the MI6 agent Vijay in the 1983 James Bond film Octopussy. He also appeared briefly in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) as a starship officer. He was a regular character in the NBC TV series: ‘The Last Precinct’ as well as a guest star on various television shows such as Hart to Hart.

He has since gone on to become a sports commentator, has been a judge at the Miss Universe pageant and has developed a successful multimedia business. Amritraj is the host of a talk show named ‘Dimensions with Vijay Amritraj’ telecast on CNN-IBN.

Vijay Amritraj was appointed as the United Nations Ambassador for Peace. He has then been raising awareness on the issues of drugs, HIV/ AIDS and in raising funds to fight the spread of AIDS worldwide.

Tell us briefly about your journey as a tennis player. I understand it was your mom who encouraged you and also who is mostly responsible for your success. But did you like playing tennis as a kid? Did you enjoy it?

Yes I enjoyed it because it made me healthier. It was the reason I started playing tennis in the first place. Once I started playing and got involved in it, I enjoyed it more and more.

How was the experience of having your brother as your partner for most games?

Interestingly, we really never did not get along. My brother and I always got along and enjoyed each other’s company through our entire career. Most of my years I only played with him.

How was the transition from being a player to becoming a commentator?

Well, it was new. Obviously when I started doing television shows as a commentator, it was a new challenge and I enjoy new challenges. As years went by, I got better at what I did. And you learn on the job as well. I’ve done it for a very long time and I have always enjoyed bringing out the best in other people.

“My brother and I always got along and enjoyed each other’s company through our entire career.”

Being named the 8th Messenger of Peace by the UN, how did you get involved with the UN?

I think that people have been watching my works with many charitable organizations around the world for many years. Obviously I played a sport on a very high level and I had already led India to two Davis Cup finals. When Secretary General’s office called to meet up and he said this would be wonderful for the UN if I would accept and I did. It is a great honour to be with all the others including Mohammed Ali and Michael Douglas to be a Messenger of Peace and serve the UN and all of it’s causes worldwide.

Sheeba Grace

Tell us in today’s world what do you think could bring about world peace?

There is no one simple example. Such things take time. It has to be a work in progress. The most important thing is, as an individual irrespective of what job you are in or wherever you are be it any part of the world, irrespective of what religion you are or what ethnicity or background you might have, I think every day it might be a good idea to see if there’s a way if you could put a smile on the face of a person you don’t know.

What’s the story behind the Vijay Amritraj foundation? How can people be a part of it?

You can find everything on our website, vijayamritrajfoundation. org you can take a look at what we do. It is a very small foundation but we try desperately to make a difference in the lives of families and children, especially women and children. 95 percentage of it is geared towards that. It is based in the US and we started it about 12 years ago after my term finished with the UN.

“It is a great honour to be with all the others including Mohammed Ali and Michael Douglas to be a messenger of Peace and serve the UN and all of its causes worldwide”

We would love to hear the idea of a success from a successful man like you! Tell us about your idea of success…

The two most important things are: You have to be comfortable with yourself and the fact that irrespective of where you go, who you meet or what you do that you are comfortable doing it and you have great belief in yourself. And for me the greatest success amidst all the things that I have done in my life is that my children call me every day.

What’s the most interesting thing you’ve read or seen this week?

The thing that caught my attention recently was the front page photograph of the leaders of the two Koreas meeting each other. It was something that nobody could have missed.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Everyday should be a day of learning. I think I have tried very hard to do that. To this day, I feel like every day is a day of learning and I think it is no different from what I feel today where you respect and help the wishes and dreams of young people. And also you make sure that you always, always, always have a fondness and respect of the people who have come before us.

What is that one question that you wished people asked you but never did? One magazine asked me that many, many years ago and that was, how would you like to be remembered?

And the answer to that is that there is a famous saying by an African American Supreme Court Justice of the US Supreme Court. The quote is exactly how I feel and that was “He did what he could with what he had.”

In 1976, from a mere college dropout he went on to make Apple computers, which was the first of its kind to generate colour graphics only followed by the Macintosh computers which coined the word “personal computing” He was 25 and his net worth had crossed $200 million

STEVE JOBS

DEMIGOD OF DIGITAL ERA

They called him genius’. After a bitter downfall, he rose like a phoenix and with him came next computers and Pixar which went on to be the world’s best animation studio releasing the first ever film made with CGI, Toy story in 1995. After a decade of being away, it took him only 6 months to bring Apple back to greatness with the sensational iMac computers which blew away the computing industry. They called him a visionary. In the 90’s, he showed the world evolution with the portable Powerbook, Newton, a handheld pen based computer and the hot seller of the season-the multicoloured all in one desktop-iMac. It was only fuelled by the onset of the millennium where products like the iPod, the first ever smartphone-iPhone and iPad-a touch screen tablet that gave computers a micro-sized form was out to sell. There was no stopping him. This man became legend. The world called him Steve Jobs.

Steven Paul Jobs was born on February 24 1955 in San Francisco, California to University of Wisconsin students, Abdulfattah Jandali and Joanne Carole Schieble (later Simpson, via marriage). On facing opposition to their marriage, this unwed couple did not want their son to submit to the illegitimate tag and had already predetermined his adoptive parents, a lawyer and his wife who only later decided that they preferred a baby girl. Meanwhile, a young lower middle class working couple, Paul and Clara Jobs who had been wait listed in the adoption centre came forth for this baby boy and the procedures began only to be stalled when Simpson came to know that both parents hadn’t graduated from college, which led to initial hiccups. This was however sorted by Clara’s promise to make Steve a graduate. The adoption was legalized. Steve grew up in Silicon Valley-the world centre of computer technology which explained his

fascination for computers and gadgets of sorts and it was here that he met Steve Wozniack- popularly called Woz and a bond was established only to be made stronger with their love for electronics. Throughout his formal schooling, Jobs was an exceptionally good student and was even offered to skip grades but this was turned down by his parents who wanted him to follow the route set for every kid his age.

After graduating from high school,Steve Jobs questioned his parents affordability by choosing Reed College but they only obliged because what had once started as a promise had now come off as a dream. It took him only 6 months to realize that college wasn’t going to help him figure what he wanted to do in life and draining his parent’s savings for the same no longer seemed worth the deal. So he decided to dropout and let his curiosity

and intuitions take over, transpiring every trace of fear. Dropping out only let him drop in to classes which served his interest and omit the rest. He had a fair share of compromises to make and being financially unstable didn’t help the situation anymore. Jobs had it in order, he would return coke bottles for 5 cents and that usually took care of his food, not being able to afford the luxury of a dorm room he would sleep on the floor in friends rooms and his weekly visits to the Hare Krishna temple graced him with a full meal that his pocket could never afford. Then came his hippie period where he adopted the ungroomed look, strange diets and looked much into eastern mysticism. The impulsive Jobs travelled to India in search of enlightenment during this phase in his life. After experiences and episodes to remember, Reed College was a closed chapter.

iStart

On his return to the valley, he collaborated with his childhood friend Woz, who by then had already come up with a computer that consisted of a circuit board which had generated much interest among the Home brew computer dub circle. Steve suggested that they capitalize on this growing interest and on that note, Apple was conceived. Their workstation was Jobs garage and a year was spent trying to market their product in the local computer stores. This led to another discovery, Apple II which was a very promising never-seen-before product and in no time they had an enthusiastic investor, Mike Markkulla who was only too sure that his $250000 was going to launch Apple into the corporate world. With quality came demand which only resulted in growth. Apple II had a jaw dropping success rate but was soon threatened when the corporate giants, IBM made an entry into the computer market in 1981. Losing out to competition was not

even a considerable possibility as the team headed by Steve Jobs went on to start a new project ,Lisa, the first computer to use graphical user interface. It was around this time that Jobs got John Sculley from Pepsico inc. to be Apple’s CEO and mentored him. Soon after the Lisa project started, internal conflicts came into highlight and Jobs was thrown out of the project which infuriated him. Rebellion translated into the Macintosh computer which threatened the sales of Lisa and at the same time created a huge divide within the company. In 1984, Macintosh computers were introduced with a grand fanfare and its advertisement went on to receive great laurels. This computer which was made to be of simple mechanics did not reign for too long which made the count rise to 2 failed projects putting a red alert across Apple. The rift was evident and people jumped to the safer side leaving only one man to sink, Steve Jobs was that man. iExiled

After the very public dismissal of Steve Jobs from Apple by the board of directors, John Sulley included, he was spiralling in a realm of disbelief having lost that one thing he set his focus on! It sounded almost impossible to be fired from a company that had been your brainchild. But it had happened and there was no Plan B. Even time couldn’t heal this blow but it gave a whole new perspective to Jobs when it dawned on him that even a rejection this bad hadn’t been able to get past the surface to destroy his love for computers. So the mastermind started over, equipped with the lightness of being a beginner, less sure but that only meant a million other possibilities.

What Next?

Steve Jobs was passionate about building computers and in 1985 he decided to start a company called NeXT which aimed to create advanced computers to serve in higher education and scientific research institutions. He was transparent as he explained his motive to Apple and asked for a team from the very successful Mac project to assist him in this endeavour. Not only did they deny him but also threatened to sue him It wasn’t disappointment this time, it was disgust that he felt for his former company and that made him steer clear of every last stock he owned. NeXT was happening and on October 1988, NeXT Cube was out. Overpricing affected sales and in spite of repeated efforts, NeXT failed to make the impact Steve hoped for .Steve then made a smart investment of $10 million in acquiring an animation company Pixar where he explored yet another dimension in computer application and worked to introduce a 3D language called renderman. But marketability is a strong factor in determining the success of anything that tends to the customer and the sales weren’t any more than a few hundred which failed to even come close to his previous achievements. As luck would have it, Pixar looked up just in time. He signed a deal with Walt Disney to create the finest animation movie, Toy Story(1995) made completely with Computer Engineered Graphics and once again Jobs had charted his product to the top slot. Toy Story’s success was phenomenal and Pixar was in the public eye its rightful place, at the top basking in the success only a week after release .Before he knew it, Steve

who owned 80% of the company had his net worth rise to over $1.5 billion-5 times the money he had ever made in Apple in the 80’s! ICED Apple was stagnant and running at the risk of losing market share with the release of the Windows 95. It was then that the CEO,GiI Amelio decided to replace Apple’s old Mac software with yet another of Jobs creation, NeXTSTEP. With a $400 million deal, NeXT was now Apple’s software. Jobs was back to captain his life’s biggest investment, Apple Computers. He filtered the potential projects and later announced collaboration with Microsoft which raised a few eyebrows given the history these arch-rivals share. A new slogan“Think Different” was constructed and marketing schemes revolved around the same, giving people an idea that Mac was that one tool that was set for dreamers who dared to think different. With products like PowerBook, Power Mac G3, the company was stabilized but then Steve unravelled iMac which came in as a visual treat followed by iBook, the first ever consumer notebook. Apple believed that the world would live a digital lifestyle in no time and so they created iApps, a set of applications that included iMovie (1999), iTunes (2001), iDVD (2001), iPhoto (2002), iCal and iSync (2002), GarageBand (2004) and finally iWeb (2006), disabling Windows to come with any equivalent solution. Demand soared as people thronged stores to make this their own. In 3 years; Apple skyrocketed to claim its rightful place, at the top.

iMade

The Apple and Microsoft battle is something hard to ignore with the former slapping lawsuits against Microsoft for breach of copyright. lt started when Microsoft used the graphical user interface which Apple considered their own after the Lisa and Macintosh. Apple had previously consented to license certain parts of the GUI to be used in Microsoft’s Windows 1.0.But Windows 2.0 came soon after that with a revised version that included features similar to the Macintosh. The court case was dramatic and much was said against each other publicly only to be resolved much later in 1997 when Apple agreed to have Internet Explorer as their default browser and Microsoft continued to run Windows and other software for Mac. The battleground stood still.

iLoved

Jobs, who was always known to be fiercely protective about his personal life was suddenly in the news tabloids and this time for his biological invention-Lisa Brennan Jobs. Steve denied parenting this love child with high school sweetheart, Chrisann Brennan, claiming that he was sterile but the court ordered for a medical test which proved Steve wrong. The media aggravated the story only to be silenced when Steve came in terms with his situation and also named a computer after this 5 year old. He later found true love in Stanford graduate, Laurene Powell . This couple took their wedding vows on March 18, 1991 in a ceremony presided by a Zen Buddhist monk and had one son, Reed and two daughters, Erin and Eve. Steve’s family was now complete. Steve still had a lot happening on the family front as he began to bond with his biological sister, Mona Simpson i1who was born after their parents had a 10 month long marriage.

Their mother remarried and gave Mona her stepfathers sir name. The siblings met much later and kept their relationship secret for a year. Steve shared a cordial bond with his birth mother but it was his father that he was unaware ... about. Incidentally, Abdulfattah Jandali was running a restaurant at that time and had once told “I know Steve Jobs, comes to my restaurant often, great tipper” without realising that this man was no other than his own son. On knowledge of the same, he publicly announced his desire to meet his son and cautiously added that it was not for any wealth reasons. Jandali even sent Steve his medical history hoping that it would be useful for his cancer treatment but Steve wasn’t up for any father-son bonding and once again this relationship that knew no more than blood was lost in time.

iCreate

The millennium catapulted Apple to another level of excellence with Jobs unveiling his best creation yet-The iPod which awed the world with its distinct features like the click wheel that made it possible to scroll through thousands of songs music in a fraction of a minute. This music player which product to the masses, the first smartphone that ever was, the iPhone, “light-years ahead of its competition”, as Steve Jobs said.3 years was all it took for the launch of yet another of his innovations, The iPad which transformed the lifetime old computer into a tablet form. It was beyond intelligence. Apple reached the zenith. Everybody enjoyed the profound technology and Steve Jobs enjoyed this came in the size of a cigarette box got a market share of close to 75%. Music became an accessory. 2006 became one of the most critical years for the company with products like the iPod hi-fi and the Apple TV, a set up box with an intricately designed network that set a unique standard. 2007 was when Apple introduced its ultimate most.

iEvolve

Jobs evolved into a newer space, the television industry which was always a highly competitive and a commoditized market and entrance to this required something very different from the rest. Who understood ‘different’ more than Apple did? Nobody. It has been believed that Jobs last project was a net enabled TV set. The company has always twinned their products with applications that cannibalized industries, like for instance, iPod came with iTunes an online library where people could buy music legally. The iPad came with the apps store that in turn

affected the telecommunications industry. It was only obvious that for this television set to come into market Apple required the same ecosystem and its trained relationship with the content providing networks only made it harder. But Apple went two steps ahead and produced their own iCloud infrastructure which if rumours are to be believed, served the purpose eyond the capability of any existing network!

iFought

Steve Jobs was diagnosed with a rare form of pancreatic cancer that the doctors told was curable with surgery. But Steve did not oblige, choosing dietary treatment over medical help and a potentially life changing surgery as he looked upon it as a violation of his body. His perspective was not comprehensibly for his family who continued to think that surgery was the best option. This ongoing debate ended when he finally gave in to the surgery but cancer wasn’t one to wait and had spread dangerously by then. He underwent a liver transplant in 2009.After much denial it was out for everyone to see as he frequently absent himself on a medical note. He went for an experimental surgery in Switzerland that would use a radioactive isotope to attack the faulty hormoneproducing cells of the body. In the medical world,9 months of ignorance came with much consequences. He repeatedly kicked death with his-magical thinking” and finally gave in on October 5th 2011.

iCon

If technology was man’s brainchild then Steve Jobs was the one who nurtured it most. His brilliance radiated from every one of his creations. He had an uncanny ability to predict what the world demanded and if there wasn’t any demand, he knew how to create it. In a career that spanned 35 years he conquered every bit of digital space with his future centric products Jobs filtered the complexities of technology to give Apple’s refined products that not just made life easier but rather enjoyable. He gave technology a dreamlike existence. His work immortalized him as an icon and with every iPod, iPad and all of his sensational creations, the world celebrated Steve Jobs!

Quotes

‘Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, They somehow already know what you truly want to become.”-Steve Jobs -Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations— Being the richest

man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me ... Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful... that’s what matters to me.” - Wikiquote, as quoted in The Wall Street Journal [Summer 1993). -Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.” “I was worth over $1,000,000 when I was 23, and over $10,000,000 when I was 24, and over $100,000,000 when I was 25, and it wasn’t that important because I never did it for the money.” ‘My job is not to be easy on people. My job is to take these great people we have and to push them and make them even better.” - All About Steve Jobs -You can’t just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they’ll want something new.” - Inc. Magazine – That’s not what we think design is. It’s not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works” -New York Times The Guts of a New Machine, 2003 -Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” -We don’t get a chance to do that many things, and every one should be really excellent. Because this is our life. Life is brief, and then you die, you know? And we’ve all chosen to do this with our lives. So it better be damn good. It better be worth it.- - Fortune -Almost everythingall external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment of failure- these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”

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Steve Jobs’

Stanford Commencement Address -Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.” - Think Different, narrated by Steve Jobs -I’ll always stay connected with Apple. I hope that throughout my life I’ll sort of have the thread of my life and the thread of Apple weave in and out of each other, like a tapestry. There may be a few years when I’m not there, but I’ll always come back”