About Not vaccinating Aadil

We haven't vaccinated Aadil.

I don't know how you would react to it. Many of our friends didn't know how to react either, and some have reacted vehemently. We are putting the child at risk is their argument, by opting for vaccination one is supposed to be playing it safe.

As one of our friends said,
"Vaccinating a baby is something I by default consider to be a logical step. This impression mainly due to my prior readings and oral interaction with various people."

In our everyday life we do buy many illogicalities as "logical" without realizing it, because we usually get to see only one side of it. I don't know whether vaccinations are really useful or not, but after getting to read some material that suggested that vaccinations could have an adverse effect on one's health, and after listening to a few parents who chose not to vaccinate their children (they seemed as healthy as other children if not healthier), we decided to save our child of the risk of vaccination.

I also grew up learning how the advent of vaccinations was a turning point in the history of modern medical science, and it was this compilation of "Vaccination Myths" by Alan Phillips that got me to shake it off for the first time. [Many people have come up with counter-arguments to the points that the authour makes here, but I think it is still worth going through once as a starter].

In the last 5-6 years there has been many campaigns against the pulse polio programme in our country, and I am planning to do a documentation of the material that the activists have used against this programme. Watch this space.

Moonnamathoral and Bhargavacharitham Moonnam Khandam: Good work

In general the Malayalam movie posters are going from bad to worse-- is it that the producers find it a waste spending money on good-looking posters or even having attractive fonts for the title? Most of the posters don't call for a second look, and the designers are at best finding some new words like "monsoon hit" "elephant hit" and "muttan megahit", but some recent designs by rahmandesign are exceptions. Especially "Moonnamathoral" and "Bhargavacharitham Moonnam Khandam" posters.

[Somewhat off-topic: While talking about Malayalam film industry's unwillingness to experiement, I missed mentioning V K Prakash who dared to make different films like "Mullavalliyum Thenmavum", "Police" and now "Moonnamathoral". "Mullavalliyum Thenmavum" and "Police" weren't big hits, but they stayed in the mainstream commercial league, as does "Moonnamathoral". I didn't get to see the earlier films, I think I should catch this one. Link: film site]

Chokher Bali: Uncontrollable feelings of a widow

Now, how would that title look on a poster? With some sleaze pictures of Aishwarya? If that is not enough, add this: "First glamour film of Aishwarya".

Rituparna Ghosh has given his consent or not, the Malayalam posters of the Tamil dubbed version of "Chokher Bali" reads "Perazhaki: Uncontrollable feelings of a widow". Some posters even claim that this film was banned in Northern India, while some others ask, "why was this beauty denied to the North Indian audience"? I am not aware of such a ban, I saw Chokher Bali about two years back in Bombay, and I know people who saw it in Rajasthan around the same time. Is it that anything goes when it comes to advertising?

The Tamil name of the film was "Aishwarya Rai oru Perazhagi", and that adopted similar marketing techniques in T.N., though the "banned in North India" thing wasn't there. Another difference is that in Kerala the film is running in A class centres (in Thrissur it is playing at the State Film Development Corporation-owned Sree) whereas it was mostly at B or C centres in Chennai.

[ Aishwarya Rai oru Perazhagi: 1 2 3 ]

KANK: Best film, Bad film

My friend says about Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehnaa (KANK): It is the best Karan Johar film, but still a bad film. That says a lot:)

Cola and Pesticides: Skirting real issues?

Centre for Science and Environment has (again) found out that the levels of pesticides in bottled softdrinks are high. Kerala and Karnataka Governments have already banned the drinks. Many environmental and social activists seem to be welcoming the ban.

I smell a rat. Now what has happened is that the main issue is that the Colas have pestisides in them! And both the times, these "findings" appeared when the people's struggle against the exploitation of ground water was beginning to gain attention. There is enough reason to believe that all this is happening as a big game to skirt the real issues and divert people's attention.

[see
INDIA: Coca-Cola swallows villagers' fresh water

Communities Protest Coca-Cola in Tamil Nadu
The people in Sivganga in Tamil Nadu are agitating against a soft drink maker's plans to exploit large amounts of water from the region, which is already facing water scarcity.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3096893.stm
Waste product from a Coca-Cola plant in India which the company provides as fertiliser for local farmers contains toxic chemicals, a BBC study has found.]

Last year, the Edinburgh Students Association at University of Edinburgh brought a motion of boycott of coke. The reason given was the exploitation of ground water in Kerala and ill treatment of workers in Columbia. This motion was not passed, but I feel it was more genuine than the CSE's findings and the bans that followed.

Not the least, these findings also hide the real cause for concern regarding these pesticide levels-- the extent to which the continued use of pesticides have been contaminated. [see this Hindu article: They told me they were safe..]

Thiruttu Payale

Thiruttu Payale was the first movie I watched in Chennai. It had all the ingredients of a Masala potboiler and yet it was fresh and different. With enough twists and turns to keep your interest intact. I'd even call it a sensitive film though I think the gore was on the higher side.

It made me wonder why Malayalam film industry prefers remaining so stale. In terms of themes as well as presentation (and even actors). Even in Hindi mainstream there are experiments happening, even if most of it is inspired by some Hollywood films. We've seen it in some of the FACTORY products, and more recently in films like Munnabhai MBBS, Bluffmaster, Taxi No 9211, Omkara and Anthony Kaun Hai.

We (Malayalees) talk high about our intellectual supremacy and often make fun of Tamil moviegoers that they can't accept Rajni dying in a film. So what-- the Tamils have not got stuck on a Rajni or a Kamal. New heroes keep making their presence felt, and many of them actually go beyond being a one film wonder. And you know what, at least some of these films even have women characters who have a character. (RGV deserves special mention in this category. I think one of the weakest points in an otherwise interesting Bluffmaster was Priyanka's character). Thiruttu Payale in particular has two striking female leads.

Whereas Malayalam cinema appears to be stuck on same old stories, same old narratives.. Only expections I can think of (among recent mainstream films) are Udayananu Thaaram and Rajamanikyam, and to a much lesser extent Thanmathra. Even those films fell back on the same ancient heroes. Is there any reason for hope? I'm eagerly awaiting Rosshan's Notebook.