<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Social Activist and Writer Teesta Setalvad remembers her long association with legendary artist Vivan Sundaram.<hr><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Subscribe to our channels on&nbsp;<a style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255, 53, 36);display:inline-block;margin:0px;padding:0px;transition:all 0.4s ease 0s;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.youtube.com/c/THEAIDEM">YouTube</a>&nbsp;&amp;&nbsp;<a style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255, 53, 36);display:inline-block;margin:0px;padding:0px;transition:all 0.4s ease 0s;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://chat.whatsapp.com/ELqD1D1bImgAP6MrG8jskq">WhatsApp</a>

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Social Activist and Writer Teesta Setalvad remembers her long association with legendary artist Vivan Sundaram.

Teesta Remembers Vivan

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Long, flowing hair, styled in “Step Cut”, a neatly trimmed beard, a unique sartorial statement marked by colourful broad-block check shirts, a countenance with a seemingly perpetual smile and a striking physique that stood out in any crowd. 

Adieu, Kanam

<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/images_71_bb7419cc16.jpeg" alt="images-71.jpeg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_images_71_bb7419cc16.jpeg 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_images_71_bb7419cc16.jpeg 500w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined">The eminent Hindustani (North Indian Classical) vocalist, Ustad Rashid Khan, passed away yesterday at the very young age of 55. He was suffering from prostate cancer and died of complications. His death is yet another reminder of the specter of cancer that hangs over all of us.<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Indeed, cancer is, as Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee put it, the emperor of all maladies. We don’t know enough to know how to prevent it, and any of us can be cruelly struck down by it at any time. Maybe such illnesses are needed to keep us humble. For, death is the only certainty in life, and none can tell when they will have to go.<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;color:rgb(85, 85, 85);display:block;font-family:Manjari;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;height:auto;letter-spacing:normal;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;vertical-align:middle;white-space:normal;widows:2;width:720px;word-spacing:0px;" id="attachment_25933" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-25933"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/Screenshot_20240110_145954_Twitter_e1704880520781_a2854f266b.jpg" alt="Screenshot_20240110_145954_Twitter-e1704880520781.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_Screenshot_20240110_145954_Twitter_e1704880520781_a2854f266b.jpg 106w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_Screenshot_20240110_145954_Twitter_e1704880520781_a2854f266b.jpg 338w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_Screenshot_20240110_145954_Twitter_e1704880520781_a2854f266b.jpg 507w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/large_Screenshot_20240110_145954_Twitter_e1704880520781_a2854f266b.jpg 675w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-25933">Ustad Rashid Khan receiving Padma Bhushan</figcaption></figure><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">As the immortal line in the Hindi movie “Anand” goes, “Babu Moshai, zindagi aur maut upar waale ke haath hai, Jahanpanah! Usey na toh aap badal sakte hai na main! Hum sab to rangmanch ki kathputliyan hai Jinki dor upar waale ki ungliyon mein bandhi hai Kab, kaun, kaise uthega, ye koi nahin bata sakta hai.”!<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">(Babu Moshai, Life and death are in the hands of God, the one above us. You cannot change it, nor can I. We are all puppets in the show, which are controlled by the fingers of the one above.)<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Nothing illustrates the truth of this statement than the suddenness with which cancer takes away people. But there is another line in the same movie that is also immortal: “Zindagi badi honi chahiye, lambi nahin.” Meaning, “Life should be large, not long.” And by this standard, Rashid Khan certainly lived large, though he may not have lived long.<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/800px_Ustad_rashid_kan_bharat_bhavan_bhopal_6d038cc6b0.jpeg" alt="800px-Ustad_rashid_kan_bharat_bhavan_bhopal.jpeg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_800px_Ustad_rashid_kan_bharat_bhavan_bhopal_6d038cc6b0.jpeg 156w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_800px_Ustad_rashid_kan_bharat_bhavan_bhopal_6d038cc6b0.jpeg 500w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_800px_Ustad_rashid_kan_bharat_bhavan_bhopal_6d038cc6b0.jpeg 750w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">My first exposure to the Ustad was in 1993, when I heard a recording of his, of rag Yaman, on the India Archive Music label. He was just 24 at the time, and not yet an Ustad, and the recording was released a couple of years earlier, in 1991. I was simply blown away by his tayyari. Even though I have not heard that recording in years, I can never forget it, especially the drut cheez, which is etched in my mind – “Aao aao aao balma.” The tayyari on display was amazing.<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Ustad Rashid Khan was the flag bearer of the Rampur-Sahaswan gharana (school) of Hindustani vocal music, having learned from his uncle, Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan, and from his grand-uncle, the Khalifa (head) of the gharana, Ustad Nissar Hussain Khan. With this kind of musical pedigree, and his inborn incredible talent, Rashid Khan quickly rose to become one of the foremost contemporary singers of Hindustani classical music.<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;color:rgb(85, 85, 85);display:block;font-family:Manjari;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;height:auto;letter-spacing:normal;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;vertical-align:middle;white-space:normal;widows:2;width:740px;word-spacing:0px;" id="attachment_25932" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-25932"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/images_72_183910c9e1.jpeg" alt="images-72.jpeg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_images_72_183910c9e1.jpeg 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_images_72_183910c9e1.jpeg 500w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-25932">Ustad Rashid Khan performing (on right)</figcaption></figure><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">The great doyen of Hindustani vocal music, arguably the greatest vocalist of our times, the late Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, after listening to one of Rashid Khan’s inspired performances, said that the future of Hindustani music was safe in Rashid Khan’s hands. The comparisons to Bhimsen Joshi must certainly have inspired Rashid Khan. One just had to hear his absolutely brilliant rendition of the famous drut khayal in rag Multani, “nainan mein aan ban, kaunsi pari re,” and compare with with the definitive rendition by the great Bhimsen. It is an incandescent performance and tells you why Rashid Khan will be remembered as an all-time great.<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;color:rgb(85, 85, 85);display:block;font-family:Manjari;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;height:auto;letter-spacing:normal;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;vertical-align:middle;white-space:normal;widows:2;width:771px;word-spacing:0px;" id="attachment_25938" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-25938"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/Bhimsen_Joshi_768x512_9472a0e893.jpg" alt="Bhimsen-Joshi-768x512.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_Bhimsen_Joshi_768x512_9472a0e893.jpg 234w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_Bhimsen_Joshi_768x512_9472a0e893.jpg 500w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_Bhimsen_Joshi_768x512_9472a0e893.jpg 750w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-25938">Pandit Bhimsen Joshi</figcaption></figure><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Rashid Khan excelled not only in the serious performance of Hindustani vocal, in the form known as khayal, but also in the light classical form known as Thumri. As with any performance of Rashid Khan, once you hear something by him, you never forget it. Such was the case with a thumri I heard decades ago, but still remember, in rag Kirwani, “Tore bina nahin chain, Brij ke nandlala.” The emotion he brings to the line “paiyyaan padhoon, binati karoon, daar gale maala” has to be heard to be believed.<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Sadly, the Ustad is gone, but he leaves behind his son, Armaan Rashid Khan, who is himself a fine young musician. I recently had the opportunity to listen to him as I was preparing for a performance of rag puriya dhanashree, and listened to a fine rendition of “payaliya jhankar,” after listening to the same cheez, sung by his father. The tradition will live on.

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The eminent Hindustani (North Indian Classical) vocalist, Ustad Rashid Khan, passed away yesterday at the very young age of 55. He was suffering from prostate

Ustad Rashid Khan: Living Life Large

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Writer Nadira Cotticollan, who is an avid music listener and a part-time indoors crooner, delves into her memories and brings up a personal cultural journey from Kerala to North India, which transported her, at some point, to the wonderful world of Ghazals, and yes, Pankaj Udhas, the immensely popular singer who passed away on February 26, 2024.

The voice of the “Dilruba” – Pankaj Udhas

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Remembering Ameen Sayani, the legendary broadcaster

“Dil ki baat, Dil se, Dilon tak”

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Have You Planted a Tree along the Road and Nurtured it for 10 Years? Here's a Treebute.

<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/IMG_20240611_WA_0044_770x470_8e6d57ced9.jpg" alt="IMG-20240611-WA0044-770x470.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_IMG_20240611_WA_0044_770x470_8e6d57ced9.jpg 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_IMG_20240611_WA_0044_770x470_8e6d57ced9.jpg 500w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_IMG_20240611_WA_0044_770x470_8e6d57ced9.jpg 750w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><div class="post-body clearfix single-blog-header single-blog-inner blog-single-block blog-details-content" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(85, 85, 85);font-family:Manjari;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin:0px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"><div class="entry-content clearfix" style="box-sizing:border-box;counter-reset:footnotes 0;margin:0px;padding:0px;">Ullal Lakshminarayana Bhat or Justice UL Bhat as he was known through the last four decades is one of the legends of the Indian judiciary, celebrated for deep knowledge of laws, the empathy and understanding with which he employed this knowledge for the larger good of humanity and his firm commitment to the values of justice and social justice. Justice Bhat passed away on Thursday at the age of 91. Here, The AIDEM pays tribute to this great legal luminary by reproducing the preface written by Justice VR Krishna Iyer, another towering legend of the Indian judiciary, for Justice UL Bhat’s autobiography, titled “Story&nbsp;of a Chief Justice”. The book was published in 2013 by Universal Law Publishing Pvt Ltd.<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img style="aspect-ratio:undefined/undefined;" src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/Whats_App_Image_2024_06_11_at_13_10_21_e79d3e4596.jpeg" alt="WhatsApp-Image-2024-06-11-at-13.10.21.jpeg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_Whats_App_Image_2024_06_11_at_13_10_21_e79d3e4596.jpeg 100w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_Whats_App_Image_2024_06_11_at_13_10_21_e79d3e4596.jpeg 319w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"></figure><hr>Bhat is bold, brilliant and original. He is known for his integrity. His views on public issues and institutions are not conditioned by pressures from above or cravings from below. He is independent of expediencies, opportunisms and authoritarianism.&nbsp;This I thought was a superlative qualification for a judge to function without fear or favour. But where lesser judges without vision are in authority over judges, this rare virtue proves to be a drawback. Bhat, a good, senior and great judge acted unafraid of authoritarian whims and wayward destinies. Bhat became a martyr. He lost his appointment to the Supreme Court because he was irreverent and not obsequious to seniors.&nbsp;And when the constitutionally irrelevant institution called collegium composed of members, often without requisite qualities, is vested with vast and unchecked powers, sans glasnost, then the judiciary suffers from ‘obediently yours’ judges who are unconcerned with the aspirations of the poor and the weak but are reverential to the concerns of the wealthy and the mighty. Under a system selected and conditioned by bizarre collegiums, a judiciary with inflexible integrity is not a natural by-product.&nbsp;But if we want fearless conscionable brethren on the Bench equal to the rich and the poor, eliminate the collegiums which by their performance until now have made a strong case for their liquidation. Justice U.L. Bhat’s exclusion from the highest Bench is one of the finest submissions in support of abolition of the collegiums. The untenability of the institution is brought out in one of the chapters by justice Bhat. In spite of unsatisfactory performances by the successive collegiums which act secretly and whose recommendations often are a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, neither the Executive nor the Parliament had the conscience and courage to amend the Constitution and wind-up the system of the collegium which was a creature of a judgement with a narrow majority of one. All other reasons failing, Bhat’s exclusion was sufficient to condemn the collegiums – a good cause served effectively by this autobiography. Parliament and the opposition will wake up to save the country from the secrecy, absent transparency and absent perestroika of the collegium.<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;display:block;height:auto;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;padding:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:391px;" id="attachment_28413" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-28413"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/U_L_N_Bhatt_5f9e787d08.jpg" alt="U-L-N-Bhatt.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_U_L_N_Bhatt_5f9e787d08.jpg 103w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_U_L_N_Bhatt_5f9e787d08.jpg 329w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-28413">Justice Ullal Lakshminarayana Bhat</figcaption></figure>I have said enough to criticise what I consider unconstitutional in the collegium. Nay more. It is feudal and functionally arbitrary; otherwise it is incomprehensible that anyone should imagine that a person with judicial power however small or supreme should be subservient. No judge is subordinate to another in his judicial functions. It is farcical, flawsome and blundersome for any judge within the scope of his powers to be obsequious. District judges and those of the High Court are not subordinate to anyone, even the Chief Justice of India, in the area of their jurisdiction.&nbsp;Unfortunately the courts in our hierarchy have imparted the notion of high and low. This is like paraya and prince, a judicial caste system essentially feudal and inconsistent with the basic structure of our Constitution and its culture. Justice Bhat has pointed out with courage and conviction this fundamental blunder in the philosophy of the higher caste of judges. All Judiciary is equal, not higher or lower. Not sycophancy but principled valour is the backbone of anyone occupying judicial office.&nbsp;The collegium is a high caste creation. They do not investigate or show transparency. They have no functional machinery, except hearsay, to select judges even in the Supreme Court. Justice Bhat has produced a classic work on the Judiciary under guise of his autobiography.&nbsp;I am happy to write this foreword since judges of his calibre are of the rarest of the rare. This book by him is a precious treasure and is a grand edition to the libraries of India. He was shaped by his social milieu as a young person. He was of Andhra, of Karnataka and ended up as a Kerala judge. His jurisprudence was not in the ambition to climb to the highest echelons but social justice to every person of India. On top of this Everest wonder, he was a socialist by conviction.&nbsp;<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;display:block;height:auto;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;padding:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:370px;" id="attachment_28411" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-28411"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/Whats_App_Image_2024_06_11_at_13_05_54_093d8b4e8f.jpeg" alt="WhatsApp-Image-2024-06-11-at-13.05.54.jpeg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_Whats_App_Image_2024_06_11_at_13_05_54_093d8b4e8f.jpeg 123w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_Whats_App_Image_2024_06_11_at_13_05_54_093d8b4e8f.jpeg 394w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-28411">Justice VR Krishna Iyer</figcaption></figure>We, the people of India, was his Constitution before elevation as a judge and on retirement. Integrity was his great asset. This book is luminous and a wonder. Because he has not minced matters, never praised to please, but stated only facts, only facts. Of U.L. Bhat, a creative judge in three High Courts, I might assert that he gave the people of nine backward States access to economical justice worthy of a socialist, secular, democratic republic. This autobiography illuminates the soul. I pay a tribute to him now that he is back at the Bar, the Bar also has to be independent. A free Bar is a sine qua non of free Bench. We want the Bar and the Bench to have an independent social philosophy tuned to the values of the Constitution and engineer into existence a Socialist Secular Democratic Republic.</div></div>

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When Justice VR Krishna Iyer Wrote About Justice UL Bhat

<figure class="image image-style-block-align-left image_resized" style="width:62.74%;"><img style="aspect-ratio:undefined/undefined;" src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/images_2024_07_18_T121121_858_f791bd9501.jpeg" alt="images-2024-07-18T121121.858.jpeg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_images_2024_07_18_T121121_858_f791bd9501.jpeg 245w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"></figure><div class="post-body clearfix single-blog-header single-blog-inner blog-single-block blog-details-content" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(85, 85, 85);font-family:Manjari;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin:0px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"><div class="entry-content clearfix" style="box-sizing:border-box;counter-reset:footnotes 0;margin:0px;padding:0px;">Dr. MS Valiathan, the iconic cardiologist and one of the pioneers of health technology innovations in India passed away on July 17, 2024. The legendary medical technology innovator is one of the celebrated sons of Kerala, who literally advanced the concepts of Kerala Renaissance in the realm of modern medicine. He also sought to bridge diverse streams of traditional medicine with modern medicine.<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/IMG_20240718_WA_0012_768x346_a4eacd21b3.jpg" alt="IMG-20240718-WA0012-768x346.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_IMG_20240718_WA_0012_768x346_a4eacd21b3.jpg 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_IMG_20240718_WA_0012_768x346_a4eacd21b3.jpg 500w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_IMG_20240718_WA_0012_768x346_a4eacd21b3.jpg 750w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined">The AIDEM pays its tribute to Dr Valiathan here, through this obituary written by Balagopal Chandrashekar, himself a renowned serial entrepreneur, who was also a civil servant and former Chairman of the Federal Bank. The AIDEM is also reproducing a special audiovisual episode of its series “<a style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255, 53, 36);display:inline-block;margin:0px;padding:0px;transition:all 0.4s ease 0s;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://theaidem.com/tag/people-and-places/">People and Places</a>” dedicated to the exploration of Dr Valiathan’s contributions in the field of medicine in general and the State of Kerala in particular. This episode is practically a historical record, which highlights the social, political and entrepreneurial milieu of the 1970s and the 1980s and the immense boost it gave to India’s overall industrial and economic growth.&nbsp;<h2 style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:25px;line-height:1.2;margin:0px 0px 15px;padding:0px;text-align:left;">Remembering Dr. MS Valiathan</h2>Balagopal ChandrashekharThis morning I got the news that Dr. MS Valiathan had passed away the previous day at Manipal. Dr Sanjay Behari, Director of Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) called me to convey the news, and to also invite me to the memorial meeting being held at SCTIMST on July 18 at 1 PM. Since I am at Kochi, and it will be difficult to get there on time, I plan to join online in paying respects to the great soul.I first met Dr. MS Valiathan in March 1983 in his spacious office at the SCTIMST Hospital wing. I was then 30 years old, and in the IAS. I had visited the Institute to look around, since a friend had told me about the interesting work happening there. I met Dr. Valiathan, who was the Director, SCTIMST and I listened to him speak animatedly about the vision behind the setting up of the Institute.<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;display:block;height:auto;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;padding:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:944px;" id="attachment_28985" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-28985"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/Photo_MOU_between_SCTIMST_and_ANAHA_Public_Charitable_Trust_page_00012_199e762267.jpg" alt="Photo-MOU-between-SCTIMST-and-ANAHA-Public-Charitable-Trust_page-00012.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_Photo_MOU_between_SCTIMST_and_ANAHA_Public_Charitable_Trust_page_00012_199e762267.jpg 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_Photo_MOU_between_SCTIMST_and_ANAHA_Public_Charitable_Trust_page_00012_199e762267.jpg 500w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_Photo_MOU_between_SCTIMST_and_ANAHA_Public_Charitable_Trust_page_00012_199e762267.jpg 750w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-28985">Dr. MS Valiathan (second from left) and Balagopal Chandrasekhar (third from left) at an MoU signing at SCTIMST</figcaption></figure>Even then, I felt an inexplicable bond beginning to form with this handsome dapper man behind the desk, in a wood panelled office that was adorned only with two other photographs. He explained, noticing my eyes on the photos, that they were Dr. Charles Hufnagel and Dr. Wilhelm Gott, who were his teachers.Answering the then Kerala Chief Minister C Achutha Menon’s call to return to the State and set up an advanced institute for medical sciences and technology, he went on to set up the SCTIMST, ushering in modern cardiac and neuro surgery in the country in a public hospital. He then went on to set up the Bio Medical Technology Wing in a large campus across the city, that went on to become the only institute of its kind in India and Asia, and one of the few in the world.<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;display:block;height:auto;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;padding:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:440px;" id="attachment_28989" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-28989"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/Picture_of_Dr_Charles_Hufnagel_and_Prof_M_S_Valiathan_jpg_edcbb245a6.webp" alt="Picture_of_Dr_Charles_Hufnagel_and_Prof._M._S._Valiathan.jpg.webp" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_Picture_of_Dr_Charles_Hufnagel_and_Prof_M_S_Valiathan_jpg_edcbb245a6.webp 208w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-28989">Dr. MS Valiathan and Dr.Charles Hufnagel</figcaption></figure>As fate would have it, I was so stirred by his vision, that I went to the BMT Wing and met AV Ramani, who headed the research campus. These two meetings combined to become my epiphany! Till then I was a young guy who was doing well in his IAS career, and had not given much thought to the rest of his life. I resolved by the end of the day to quit my job, and set up a venture to commercialise the blood bag knowhow that had been developed at SCTIMST and was ready for technology transfer.Against great odds and confounding the pundits, my small startup succeeded, and went on to become the largest maker of high quality blood bag systems in the world! Although my father did not live to see this happen (my mother fortunately did), I was most gratified when Dr. Valiathan spoke about me and PENPOL (the firm I had set up) in the warmest terms, going so far as to say that it was this venture that established the SCTIMST as an institute for translational technology development in the medical domain.<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;display:block;height:auto;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;padding:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:768px;" id="attachment_28987" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-28987"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/Terumo1_768x567_1_6cbce9b9b0.jpg" alt="Terumo1-768x567-1.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_Terumo1_768x567_1_6cbce9b9b0.jpg 212w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_Terumo1_768x567_1_6cbce9b9b0.jpg 500w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_Terumo1_768x567_1_6cbce9b9b0.jpg 750w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-28987">A blood bag manufactured by Terumo Penpol</figcaption></figure>Dr. Valiathan will be remembered for many accomplishments during his long and illustrious career. I will always remember him for inspiring a young man to take a huge risk and venture out on strange seas, propelled by a vision he set before me. RIP, Dr. MS Valiathan, surgeon extraordinary, great scientist and institution builder and inspiring leader.&nbsp;Watch the seminal special episode of “People and Places” with Balagopal Chandrashekhar on Dr. MS Valiathan below.<div class="raw-html-embed"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/J6yy4yyt5fY" title="MS Valiathan: A Visionary Whose Contributions are Waiting for Better Follow-up | People and Places" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>&nbsp;More details about Dr. MS Valiathan can be found <a style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255, 53, 36);display:inline-block;margin:0px;padding:0px;transition:all 0.4s ease 0s;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._S._Valiathan">here</a>.</div></div>

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Remembering Dr. MS Valiathan

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The inimitable story of AG Noorani

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Noorani: A frontline warrior of words

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<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/IMG_20240930_WA_0007_770x470_d5062615d1.jpg" alt="IMG-20240930-WA0007-770x470.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_IMG_20240930_WA_0007_770x470_d5062615d1.jpg 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_IMG_20240930_WA_0007_770x470_d5062615d1.jpg 500w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_IMG_20240930_WA_0007_770x470_d5062615d1.jpg 750w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><div class="post-body clearfix single-blog-header single-blog-inner blog-single-block blog-details-content" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(85, 85, 85);font-family:Manjari;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin:0px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"><div class="entry-content clearfix" style="box-sizing:border-box;counter-reset:footnotes 0;margin:0px;padding:0px;">Communication is an art that many struggle with, but few realize it can be learned. Whether you’re talking to a friend, colleague, family member, or stranger, mastering this skill is within reach. Ever struggled to start a conversation or keep it going? Finding common topics of interest can be tricky, and navigating differing social or political views can feel like a minefield. But with the right approach, you can turn any interaction into a meaningful exchange.&nbsp;How do you find the right approach? More importantly, can you learn the required skills?“<a style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255, 53, 36);display:inline-block;margin:0px;padding:0px;transition:0.4s;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.charlesduhigg.com/supercommunicators">Supercommunicators</a>,” written by Charles Duhigg, is a book that teaches you to learn the skills to convert a conversation into a connection. It distills the art of conversation, any conversation, including the ones with your friends and family, into actionable steps that you can readily practice and improve.<a style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255, 53, 36);display:inline-block;margin:0px;padding:0px;transition:0.4s;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.charlesduhigg.com/">Charles Duhigg</a> is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist and author of bestselling books. I read his first book, “The Power of Habit,” which is a constant presence in many bookstores, and liked it. I read it in 2013, and it convinced me about the importance of habits. Last year, I read his <a style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255, 53, 36);display:inline-block;margin:0px;padding:0px;transition:0.4s;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/12/11/the-inside-story-of-microsofts-partnership-with-openai">article</a> on the ChatGPT saga and liked it for its reporting breadth and depth.<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;display:block;height:auto;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;padding:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:629px;" id="attachment_30055" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-30055"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/811bz_Oshn5_L_AC_UF_10001000_QL_80_F_Mwebp_7ad3ac888f.webp" alt="811bzOshn5L._AC_UF10001000_QL80_FMwebp_.webp" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_811bz_Oshn5_L_AC_UF_10001000_QL_80_F_Mwebp_7ad3ac888f.webp 98w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_811bz_Oshn5_L_AC_UF_10001000_QL_80_F_Mwebp_7ad3ac888f.webp 314w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_811bz_Oshn5_L_AC_UF_10001000_QL_80_F_Mwebp_7ad3ac888f.webp 472w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-30055">Cover of the book ‘Supercommunicators’</figcaption></figure>This book starts by breaking down every conversation into three types: Analytical, Emotional, and Social. Every conversation is essentially one of these three types. In analytical talk, the conversation is a transaction where facts and details matter. In emotional talk, the conversation is all about the feelings. In social talk, the conversation is about an identity. Now, listing the types helps in nothing. You still need to know what to do with this information.Suppose you argued with your father in the morning over a trivial issue. You reach the office and share the incident with your friend. Are you looking for a solution? Do you want to be listened to intently, get advice on who was wrong, or would just a hug do ? Suppose you differed with a colleague about a work issue. Another colleague, a friend, was listening. What do you want to hear from your friend? Advice or silence or just a hug? Suppose you hear about the sudden death of a friend’s loved one. What do you say to your friend? Advice or listen or a hug? As situations differ, so does the conversation, hence the importance of its type.After breaking the communication into its types, Charles goes on to break it into a step-by-step process of turning every conversation into meaningful, often joyful interactions, and in some cases, less stressful ones, even with a person with contrasting views. He uses psychological studies and instances of experts’ communication to establish the rules of effective communication.Stories form the backbone of narration and writing style, making it easy for everyone to understand, relate, and remember the content. Charles has used his recommendation to write the book as the writing oscillates between personal anecdotes, stories, and facts, often combining all three. As you turn the pages, you gradually get convinced about the process.<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;display:block;height:auto;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;padding:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:767px;" id="attachment_30056" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-30056"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/high_rez_duhigg_headshot_20160720afmduhigg0082_thumb_1536x1536_1_53a5660a0f.jpg" alt="high-rez-duhigg-headshot-20160720afmduhigg0082-thumb-1536x1536-1.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_high_rez_duhigg_headshot_20160720afmduhigg0082_thumb_1536x1536_1_53a5660a0f.jpg 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_high_rez_duhigg_headshot_20160720afmduhigg0082_thumb_1536x1536_1_53a5660a0f.jpg 500w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_high_rez_duhigg_headshot_20160720afmduhigg0082_thumb_1536x1536_1_53a5660a0f.jpg 750w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-30056">Charles Duhigg</figcaption></figure>If you have read books on personal growth, they tend to follow a pattern. Every chapter makes a proposition supported by academic research or theories, followed by a story that establishes the usefulness of the proposition. Stories of failures are not part of this scheme. This book is no exception to this formula. However, this conformance should not take away the usefulness of this book.A few days after finishing the book, I took a train journey to New Delhi. The train starts at 6 in the morning from Varanasi, requiring me to get up at 4 AM. I always travel with a book, sometimes 2. If it is a mid-noon journey, I prefer reading books to talking to a co-passenger. But, early in the morning, I like a slow warmup to come to my full senses before picking a book. Opening a conversation with a co-passenger who is perhaps also in the same state has always been a nervous affair. But I had read this book, so at least I knew a theory I could test.<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/images_2024_09_30_T164448_607_ee3a11384b.jpeg" alt="images-2024-09-30T164448.607.jpeg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_images_2024_09_30_T164448_607_ee3a11384b.jpeg 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_images_2024_09_30_T164448_607_ee3a11384b.jpeg 500w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_images_2024_09_30_T164448_607_ee3a11384b.jpeg 750w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined">Charles suggests starting a conversation with a question that doesn’t have a 1-word answer. He calls them Deep questions. For example, instead of asking questions like, “Where are you going?” or “Are you from Varanasi?” you may ask, “What do you like about early morning train journeys?”. I started with a similar question. However, a few minutes into the conversation, the person said, “I do not like the Congress party (India’s principal opposition party).”Now, I like the Congress party. Had I not read the book, I would have gone on to list several reasons to prefer the Congress party. I would have given one argument after another, countering his response with facts and figures. I would have transformed myself into an evangelist, on a mission to reform this man and make him fall in love with the Congress party. After a few minutes of conversation, he would have silently waited for me to drain all my energy and stop. We would have withdrawn into our shells for the rest of the journey, talking only to ask for a way to leave the seat. Thankfully, I had read this book, and none of this happened.I instead said, “They give many reasons to people to dislike them.” It opened him up to offer his reasons for this blanket statement, which allowed me to steer the conversation to his upbringing, parents, childhood, values, work, motivations, etc. When I shared about my organization’s work with school children from economically underprivileged families, he shared his wife’s efforts of sheltering orphaned street dogs. We agreed on several issues, including the complete failure of the current central government, despite opposing political preferences. Neither did I contradict his personal experiences, nor did he contradict mine. Moreover, we agreed that our experiences shape our views, which are bound to change if we remain open.<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/images_2024_09_30_T164615_165_ec71a30e5a.jpeg" alt="images-2024-09-30T164615.165.jpeg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_images_2024_09_30_T164615_165_ec71a30e5a.jpeg 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_images_2024_09_30_T164615_165_ec71a30e5a.jpeg 500w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined">“Supercommunicators” book taught me to treat every conversation as a learning opportunity. It taught me not to approach a conversation as a right vs wrong battle but to connect by sharing stories and anecdotes more than the facts. Ultimately, you can convince a person more by listening than by speaking. In a world getting more polarised, we all need to learn to talk to each other and listen better. Thankfully, we have this book.</div></div>

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Navigating Difficult Dialogues: How 'Supercommunicators' Can Help in a Polarised World"

<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/images_34_770x393_796d24e9a6.jpeg" alt="images-34-770x393.jpeg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_images_34_770x393_796d24e9a6.jpeg 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_images_34_770x393_796d24e9a6.jpeg 500w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_images_34_770x393_796d24e9a6.jpeg 750w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><div class="post-body clearfix single-blog-header single-blog-inner blog-single-block blog-details-content" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(85, 85, 85);font-family:Manjari;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin:0px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"><div class="entry-content clearfix" style="box-sizing:border-box;counter-reset:footnotes 0;margin:0px;padding:0px;">Prolific documentary filmmaker R.P Amudhan’s body of work is unique and striking, especially in the manner in which his creations address issues and concerns of the marginalised sections of society. He is known as a media activist too. Hailing from Madurai, in Tamil Nadu, he founded the Marupakkam Media Activist Group (MMAG) in in his home district. The MMAG produces documentaries, screens films, and conducts workshops. He has over 20 documentaries to his credit. His films primarily focus on caste and labour issues. In this Interview with poet and writer Rashida Nasriya, filmmaker Amudhan RP discusses his craft, concerns and challenges.&nbsp;Rashidha Nasriya: What do you consider as the most significant challenge you have faced during the making of your documentaries?Amudhan RP: The biggest challenges I have faced in documenting the kind of social issues I have chosen to film are threefold. First, identifying a crucial topic which requires in-depth understanding and sufficient data to substantiate the narrative. Once I have a clear understanding of the topic, I would conduct thorough research and convince people, that is the characters in my film and their kith and kin. This has been my approach from my very first film, Leelavathi, a documentary on a Communist Party of India (Marxist) – CPIM- cadre killed in Madurai in 1997. I was relatively young at that time and the task of persuading her family and the district CPIM committee took a lot of effort. I finally did get their consent. It was a difficult task to get their trust.The second challenge – although a joyful one – is researching and gathering credible information, while the third is securing funding. As a solo filmmaker, I have learned to be self-sufficient. But still finding funds is a challenge. Any filmmaker would go through these challenges in varying degrees.<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/images_35_721e230496.jpeg" alt="images-35.jpeg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_images_35_721e230496.jpeg 208w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_images_35_721e230496.jpeg 500w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined">Nasriya: Did your activist background influence your decision to become a filmmaker?Amudhan: During my MA studies, I attended a workshop in Madurai organised by Center for Development of Instructional Technology (CENDIT), an organisation based in New Delhi. Here, I was exposed to several powerful documentary films. This experience opened my eyes to the significance of political documentaries. I was introduced to the concept of using film as a tool for social change, and I immediately knew I wanted to become a documentary filmmaker and an activist. This workshop sparked my passion for creating and screening films that inspire critical thinking and trigger meaningful conversations. It was a turning point that led me to merge my interests in social activism and filmmaking, ultimately shaping my identity as an activist-filmmaker. Activism and filmmaking are deeply intertwined for me – they’re two sides of the same coin. My filmmaking is an extension of my activism, and vice versa; the two are inseparable.Nasriya: Your film “My Caste” examines the intersection of caste, hegemony, and consensus in Indian society. What has driven your focus on caste in your activism and filmmaking?Amudhan: I wanted to take on the Caste issue from the perpetuator point of view rather than from the victim’s or survivor’s point of view. I wanted to get into the minds of the people who either follow or negotiate or negate caste in their lives. I wanted to know what happens in people’s minds when they deal with caste matters. That’s why I made the film ‘My Caste’ ‘recording the views of various people on caste related questions.<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;display:block;height:auto;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;padding:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:951px;" id="attachment_30033" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-30033"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/IMG_20240927_WA_0021_d0a7a9b78c.jpg" alt="IMG-20240927-WA0021.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_IMG_20240927_WA_0021_d0a7a9b78c.jpg 154w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_IMG_20240927_WA_0021_d0a7a9b78c.jpg 495w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_IMG_20240927_WA_0021_d0a7a9b78c.jpg 743w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-30033">Amudhan speaking at an event</figcaption></figure>Nasriya: Can you give some details on how you investigated labour exploitation in Tirupur’s garment industry for your documentary “Dollar City”?Amudhan: Many of my films focus on labour issues, with a considerable number exploring labour practices. For my trilogy on hegemony and consensus, I chose Tirupur as a case study. This city exemplifies how consensus is manufactured to prioritise the industry’s interests.In Tiruppur, a tacit understanding exists among industries, trade unions, workers, NGOs, and political parties to protect the industry at all costs. The prevailing narrative is: ‘Without the industry, we cannot survive.’ This consensus leads to widespread compromise and adjustment, perpetuating the exploitation.<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;display:block;height:auto;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;padding:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:739px;" id="attachment_30028" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-30028"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/images_36_2e37ef3154.jpeg" alt="images-36.jpeg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_images_36_2e37ef3154.jpeg 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_images_36_2e37ef3154.jpeg 500w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-30028">During production of Amudhan’s documentary</figcaption></figure>I want to capture this complex dynamic in my film, highlighting how Tiruppur’s industry-centric consensus affects labor rights and social justice.&nbsp;Nasriya: How did you approach exploring the complex and sensitive topic of manual scavenging in your film “Pee (Shit)”?Amudhan: I wanted to make a Tamil version of Lesser Humans – a documentary on Manual Scavenging in Gujarat by Stalin K. Although I wanted to make a similar comprehensive film about Tamilnadu, my encounter with Mariamma, a sanitary worker in Madurai convinced me to make a short documentary which practically covers every aspect of the work.I realised a shorter format could powerfully convey the urgency of this issue, making a compelling argument against manual scavenging. This inspired me to create the film titled ‘Pee’ (Shit) [Watch Below], highlighting the harsh realities of manual scavenging.<div class="raw-html-embed"><iframe width="640" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/a0eWOHAvVn4" title="Shit - a documentary by Amudhan R.P." frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>&nbsp;Nasriya: What inspired you to create a documentary about Mercury pollution in Kodaikanal?Amudhan: The film ‘Mercury in the Mist’ was initiated by workers from the Kodaikanal thermometer factory, who had been fighting against the company’s harmful practices. They sought my help to create a documentary supporting their cause, highlighting the devastating health effects of mercury exposure and their ongoing court battles. It was partially funded by the workers and their well wishers like Nityanand Jayaraman and others.&nbsp;Nasriya: Do you think the documentary can contribute to the border understanding of the challenges facing Indian democracy?Amudhan: Documentary watching is, in my opinion, one of the most engaging and intellectually stimulating activities. It offers a unique blend of education, art, and social awareness, empowering individuals to become responsible citizens. By watching documentaries, we gain perspectives on the world around us, exercising our right to informed decision-making and participatory governance. Through my screenings, I aim to create opportunities for social and political education, fostering a culture of critical thinking and civic engagement. Documentaries provide a valuable platform for raising awareness on critical issues, making meaningful conversations and inspiring social change.&nbsp;Nasriya: How crucial is creative freedom in documentary filmmaking for fostering critical thinking and public debate?Amudhan: In documentary filmmaking, merely reporting or recording is not enough. It is an opportunity to critically examine any subject, sparking meaningful discussions. We must be courageous enough to ask difficult questions, amplify marginalized voices and confront uncomfortable truthsUnlike commercial cinema, documentary filmmakers must take risks, challenging the status quo and pushing boundaries. By doing so, we humanize overlooked stories, Inspire critical thinking and foster empathy and understanding.&nbsp;Nasriya: How did your initiative “Marupakkam” come about…?Amudhan: Marupakkam is a network of people collaborating to promote documentary filmmaking and social change. We invite participation from individuals across India in various capacities, including funding, research, topic development, filmmaking, screening, and documentary workshops.&nbsp;<figure class="wp-caption alignright" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;display:inline;float:right;height:auto;margin:5px 0px 20px 20px;max-width:100%;padding:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:1080px;" id="attachment_30029" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-30029"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/Screenshot_20240927_1713542_bec309fa73.png" alt="Screenshot_20240927-1713542.png" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_Screenshot_20240927_1713542_bec309fa73.png 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_Screenshot_20240927_1713542_bec309fa73.png 500w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_Screenshot_20240927_1713542_bec309fa73.png 750w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/large_Screenshot_20240927_1713542_bec309fa73.png 1000w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-30029">Homepage of Marupakkam [Visit <a style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255, 53, 36);display:inline-block;margin:0px;padding:0px;transition:0.4s;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://marupakkammadurai.blogspot.com/?m=1">Here</a>]</figcaption></figure>Our activities involve screening documentaries, researching social issues, making films on relevant topics, teaching documentary filmmaking, and showcasing films made by others. Through these efforts, we aim to foster a community that inspires social change through documentary filmmaking.&nbsp;&nbsp;Nasriya: As a prolific documentary creator what advice would you give to emerging filmmakers?Amudhan: To young and upcoming filmmakers, I say: read widely, travel extensively, and cultivate an open-minded perspective. Listen to diverse voices, even in everyday settings like markets, where numerous perspectives converge. If you don’t have an open mind, you will only hear the voices that confirm your existing views. But with an open mind, you will identify and appreciate the varied voices, even within the same marketplace.</div></div>

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Amudhan’s Craft, Concerns and Challenges

<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">The victory of Marxist leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Presidential election in Sri Lanka has been described as a political Tsunami by international politicians and observers. Sri Lanka based Independent policy analyst and writer Amita Arudpragasam analyses the context of the results in detail and points out that it was the economic mismanagement and corruption of earlier, dynasty oriented, regimes as well as Anura’s clean image that propelled significant sections of voters towards the Leftist JVP leader.<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">She also points out that while the victory does indeed signify the emergence of new hopes in the country, it would be too early to predict dramatic policy and ideological shifts, including in the island nation’s orientation towards India and China. Watch the interview here.<hr><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">ഈ വിഷയത്തിൽ പരിസ്ഥിതി പ്രവർത്തകനും എഴുത്തുകാരനുമായ കെ സഹദേവൻ എഴുതിയ കുറിപ്പ് ചുവടെ നൽകുന്നു:<h2 style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:25px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.2;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">അദാനിയും ശ്രീലങ്കയിലെയും ബംഗ്ലാദേശിലേയും ഭരണ വ്യവസ്ഥയിലെ വമ്പൻ മാറ്റങ്ങളും</h2><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">ശ്രീലങ്കയിലെയും ബംഗ്ലാദേശിലെയും എന്തിന് ഓസ്‌ട്രേലിയയിലെപ്പോലും രാഷ്ട്രീയ ഭരണമാറ്റത്തിന് പിന്നിലെ പൊതുഘടകത്തെ കണ്ടെത്താൻ ശ്രമിച്ചാൽ ഗൗതം അദാനിയിൽ ചെന്ന് മുട്ടും. ഉഭയകക്ഷി ബന്ധങ്ങളെ വ്യവസായി താൽപ്പര്യങ്ങൾക്കായി ഉപയോഗപ്പെടുത്താൻ ഭരണകൂടങ്ങൾ തുനിഞ്ഞിറങ്ങിയാൽ അതിന്റെ അനിവാര്യഫലമെന്നത് ആ രാജ്യത്തിന്റെ സാമ്പത്തിക സുസ്ഥിരത തകർക്കപ്പെടുക എന്നതായിരിക്കും.<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">ബംഗ്ലാദേശിന് വൈദ്യുതി വിൽക്കുന്നതുമായി ബന്ധപ്പെട്ട കരാർ അദാനിക്ക് ലഭ്യമാക്കുന്നതിന് ബീഗം ഹസീനയ്ക്ക് മേൽ സമ്മർദ്ദമുയർത്താൻ നരേന്ദ്ര മോദിക്ക് യാതൊരു മടിയുമുണ്ടായിരുന്നില്ല. 2015ലെ മോദിയുടെ ബംഗ്ലാദേശ് സന്ദർശനത്തിന്റെ മുഖ്യ അജണ്ടതന്നെ അദാനിക്ക് വൈദ്യുതി വിതരണക്കരാർ നേടിയെടുക്കുക എന്നതായിരുന്നു.<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">ഇന്ന് ബംഗ്ലാദേശ് ഭരണകൂടത്തിന്റെ മുന്നിലുള്ള പ്രധാന അജണ്ട അദാനിയുമായുള്ള കരാറിൽ നിന്ന് എങ്ങിനെ രക്ഷപ്പെടാം എന്നതാണ്. ശ്രീലങ്കയിൽ 400 മില്യൺ ഡോളറിന്റെ ഗ്രീൻ എനർജി പ്രോജക്ടുകളാണ് അദാനി നേടിയെടുത്തത്. 225 മെഗാവാട്ടിന്റെ കാറ്റാടിപ്പാട നിർമ്മാണ പദ്ധതി നേടിയെടുക്കുന്നതിനും നയതന്ത്ര ബന്ധങ്ങൾ ഉപയോഗപ്പെടുത്തപ്പെട്ടു.<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">ഇതിനുപുറമെ 700 ദശലക്ഷം ഡോളറിന്റെ കണ്ടൈയ്‌നർ തുറമുഖ പദ്ധതിയും നേടിയെടുക്കാൻ അദാനിക്ക് സാധിച്ചു. ഈ രണ്ട് പദ്ധതികളും ശ്രീലങ്കയുടെ ദീർഘകാല താൽപ്പര്യങ്ങൾക്ക് വിരുദ്ധമാണെന്ന ആരോപണം പാർലമെന്റിലും പുറത്തും ശക്തമായി ഉന്നയിക്കപ്പെട്ടുകൊണ്ടിരിക്കുകയാണ്.<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">ഓസ്‌ട്രേലിയയിൽ അദാനി നേടിയെടുത്ത കാർമൈക്കൾ കൽക്കരി ഖനന കരാറും ഇതേരീതിയിൽ അതിശക്തമായ രാഷ്ട്രീയ എതിർപ്പ് ക്ഷണിച്ചുവരുത്തിയ ഒന്നാണ്. ഒരു ദശകക്കാലത്തെ കൺസർവേറ്റീവ് ഭരണത്തിന് അറുതിവരുത്തിക്കൊണ്ട് ലെഫ്റ്റ് ചായ്വുള്ള ആന്റണി അൽബനീസ് ഗവൺമെന്റ് അധികാരക്കസേരയിലെത്തിയതിന് പിന്നിലും ഗൗതം അദാനിക്കെതിരായ പ്രതിഷേധത്തിന്റെ വേരുകൾ കണ്ടെത്താൻ കഴിയും…

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