Humour...or...is it just a joke !

Long ago, I read this joke somewhere. I thought I could reproduce it here expressing courtesy to the person who might not even remember he told this. Three men well versed in mimicry were also too boastful and were also competing in an evening show, full of home makers. The compere asked them, as the show began, to narrate what they were capable of. The first one jumped on the mike, said, " I bark like dogs.!" The compere said, what if, every one of us bark when our husbands come home late. The imitator said, That is OK. But when I bark, postmen climb on lamp posts. As the second imitator came on the dais, he was seen beating on his breast. He said I bellow like a bull. What for? The compere asked. Replied he: Some cows are adamant you know. As they hear my sound, they are on their knees. The third came to the dais, politely said that he does not know much in mimicry. But when he crowa like a cock,he always found the Sun rises in the East.

Oppillai...There is no parallel !

Oh Lord ! By your very name You are Unparallelled. In Your Mercy, in Your Love of Mankind, None can equal You. Kindly Bestow All Your Best on the little kid Uppili alias Mrithunjayan on His Happy Birth Day 6th october 2006 Friends who would like to have a virtual tour of All Vaishnava Temples, please visit: www.geocities.com/divyadesam108 for a virtual tour of All Divya Desam Temples

Happy Birth Day Uppili and Balaji !!

5th October 2006 6th October 2006 are very special Days for me. For on these days, my younger brother's kids celebrate their birthdays. This year, I forgot to send them Gifts. I thought what should I be doing instead? I thought of offering prayers to God to bestow on these two little children ALL HIS BEST. Naturally a question stemmed in my mind to which God I shall send the prayers? I could think of Uppili appan and Balaji since these kids are named after them only. A

Saraswathi Pooja --Today

Oh Godess Saraswathi ! I salute you this day ! Let me be endowed with such knowledge that gains wealth through virtuous means... Let me be endowed with such knowledge that gains fame through virtuous means.. Let me be endowed with such knowledge that I shall love and be loved by all beings. Let there be peace everywhere. Let there be Light Everywhere. And that Light be perceived by All everywhere.  

1st October 2006 Today is Saraswathi Pooja Day in Tamil nadu, South India. This Day is devoted to the worship of Godess Saraswathi, the bestower of All Knowledge This is the penultimate day of the 10 day festival throughout India. The conventions and rituals differ slightly from region to region but the core of the Festival remains the same. The first Three Days, Durga Maa is worshipped. The next Third Days, Lakshmi Maa is worshipped. The final Three days Saraswathi Maa is Worshipped. Durga Maa is the symbol of all Bravery, Steadfastness, Conviction and Courage. Lakshmi Maa is the symbol of all Wealth. Saraswathi Maa is the symbol of all Knowledge. In fact, by worshipping Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswathi, the trio symbolising Courage, Wealth and Knowledge, Hindus rededicate themselves to the path revealed to them by the Scriptures, that is simply, Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. In Tamil Nadu, and in the states of Karnataka and Andra pradesh a conventional Kolu is established. Idols made of mud, china clay, marble are displayed in all splendour. Every day, ladies and girls visit all neighbouring houses, to invite them to their houses. They dress in all colourful ways, conventional ways and the entire atmosphere is one of gay and gaiety. To develop a Kolu of your choice, please click : www.panchangam.com/kolu.htm Every evening, a popular dish Sundal is prepared and distributed to visitors. On Friday, putti which is Sweet Flour with coconut and ghee is distributed. And on Saturday, the gingelee powder is mixed with jaggery and given as Ell-urundai. To taste a few of the recipes associated with this festival, please do visit: www.indiatastes.com People all over decorate their homes and all the temples wear a festive look. During this period, all the Channels air Devotional and Traditional Classic music on air, by popular musicians. You are lucky if you can get the telecast of this music festival by www.jayatv.org You are cordially invited to visit Tamil Nadu during these days, to have your own Sweet Experiences of this colourful Festival. At Mysore, the Karnataka State, the Dussera Celebrations are really colourful. The procession of well decorated elephants with the King on one of the Well Decorated Elephant is a delight to watch. One may be curious to know the mythologies associated with this colourful festival. Also the traditions of various regions of India, a cultural heritage. I would invite them to visit one of the best sites depicting Navrathri and Durga Maa Festival, please click on to: http://www.durga-puja.org/saraswati-puja.html

Animals in Films - Is it cruel to train them do stunt performances ? Is SPCA to intervene?

Know how you can sponsor a pet click here. http://www.spca.org http://www.animalactivism.org In a recent opinion-poll conducted by GOKULAM, a popular children's magazine, a teenager attempts to defend using animals for stunt performance and the like in films, for, he feels, that once the performance is over, the animals are taken good care. Animal Rightists, however, have a different view. A software professional, Mr.Arvind, convinces the teenager the otherway.

At the outset your clarification is good, but if you dig deep inside youwill find that the animals are indeed tortured to perform the act.

Whether it is a snake whose teeth is plucked or the dog which gets beaten repeatedly until it stands on its two legs and walks as well.

The same is true with circus too.

They live in fear all the time and are poorly fed.

The plight of these animals is actually pathetic.

Also, whatthe people get paid for is really pennies.

For example, a snake charmerwill be paid may be a thousand rupees for using his snake in the movies.You think he spends the money on it?

No way.

The snake continues to betortured, pricked and the poor soul cannot do anything about it.

All it gets is some rats, eggs and squirrel to live with while the charmer drinks and eats with the money he made.

I was associated with SPCA during my college days and we were proposing banning usage of animals in movies, circus, dog shows, etc. Obviously we did not have the money power to push this through.

We wanted to putforth the idea that there should at least be one person to supervise theway the animals are treated while they are being made to act in movies.This did not take off as cost was a big factor.

Take a simple example.

How do you get a dog to perform a hand shake?

Let me share what I did to my dog when I was in school.

It was called Leena(a female pom dashund cross).

I take a scale (or stick) and say "Leena shake hand". Since dogs don't understand English (they don't understand any language that we speak for that matter), it just sits there. So I give the right front leg a tapwith the scale and believe me that pains. Since the dog is so affectionate to us it does not resist but just sulks and takes it. Next step, I repeat "Leena shake hand" and I lift its leg and keep it inmy hand. Now the dog feels that this is better than getting beaten.I repeat these steps till "Leena shake hand" settles in its mind. The dog by now understands that whenever I utter the phrase, it is better to lift the leg or else there will be a tap on the leg.

Imagine for asimple act like shake hand if a dog has to go thru such difficulties,how much of a torture it has to undergo in order to perform the act ofstanding on two legs, clinging onto one another and walk as well as theydo in circus.

This is the same as "Aadra Rama aadra Rama" performed by a Nari Kuravan with his hapless monkey. I hope you understand that the monkey is noPrabhu Deva to dance on its own and certainly don't understand "AadraRama".So, in the pretext of entertainment, these animals are tortured and madeto perform what they are not supposed to be doing. In a circus youalways find that the ring master has either a stick or a leash when allthese are performed.

Now, tell me, do the animals enjoy doing what they are doing?

Think again...

God, give me the power to liberate the animals from these inhuman humans...

HOW YOU WILL KNOW THE RAGHA AS A SONG IS RENDERED....?

an architectural beauty... You admire it..but would u ever have tried to understand the inner intricacies? So is music. How to Find the Ragha ....especially in film music On the topic Yaman Kalayan,a reader had queried as to whether the song "is rang badlti duniya mein" belongs to the YK family. No,madam, it doesn't. Sure, it has a few traces of YK, yet deviates to some other scale (something like Bageshri, I am not sure). Initially, it could be tough to identify a raga from a filmy song,since majority of them does not loyally stick to the traditional surtrack. A different note here, use of a note in the aorkan instead of inavarokan, all these tend to change the colour of the raga.Best way would be to identify on the basis of the surs.But, for those who cannot read music, we would prefer to depend betteron our own ears, which, in music, function better than eyes. Even forthe sur pandits, it would do better to follow the ears than the eyes,they seldom cheat.Every raga has its own lakshna. Once the lakshna is absorbed by themind, the identification of a raga becomes quite simple.For illustration, let us take the Yamuna Kalyani, itself. Of the songspertaining to this, single out a particular line or hum (listed below)and try to sing or play it. 1. wo jab yaad aaye- "chirag ye muhobat ki jalaye, bujaye" 2. roshan tumhi se - "meri umru bhi lelo" 3. abhi na jao - "kayee makam aayenga, to hamse aajmayenge" 4. ghar se - "raste mein hai uska ghar" 5. vennila vaanil - the humming before "aasai konda idhayamathu" 6. yamunai aatrile - "paavam raadha" The list of filmy songs on YK is endless, of course. Here are a fewmore from Hindi:- 1. Aapki nigahon mein 2. yaad rehega - Umar Qaid (the sole thing worthwhile in the movie) 3. Saranga teri yaad mein - An unforgettable number by Mukesh 4. Jab Deep chale aana - lovable Combination of RJ's music and KJ'svoice 5. chandan sa badan - another hit of Mukesh 6. Khuda hai mehrbaan - a less popular number from Mugal E Azam 7. Zulme Ulfat ki hame log saza dete hai 8. Naam bool jayega 9. Kanni magal mella vandhal - P.Bhanumathy 10. Maratha sogamthano - Gantasala & Suseela TO KNOW MORE, PLEASE LOG ON TO: http://movieraghas.blogspot.com

N e e l a m b a r i.....The eternal Lullaby.

Neelambari... That means the Blue sky... On those elegance, vastness, Poets of lore have sung lullabies .... Neelambari transcends all barriers of land and sea Will someone sing a filmy song based on N i l a m b a r i to make my little cousin sleep a while ? 

Athisaya Raham..Ananda Raham..Chakravaham

You fix your eyes on the centre of the circles, preferably one by one. Feel for yourself the experience. The colours melt down. So is Chakravaham. When you play it or sing the raha, your passions melt down.

Music rests in your heart or head ?

Music...Classical or Film ? If classical, western or Eastern ? If Eastern , carnatic or Hindusthani To get at the right film song based on a particular raga, To know the swars as related to a particular raga, To understand how and why ragas differ from one another, For all your queries and doubts related to carnatic or Hindusthani music, just log on to: http://groups.google.com/group/cineraga Post your views there, of course, as related only to music. This particular cineraga googlegroups, of which, Bhouman is a member, analyses the Filmy songs of well over 5 decades. Get immersed into the World of Carnatic and Hindusthani Filmy Music.