Madrasapattinam

Last Saturday, watched Madrasapattinam with my wife. The film worked very well for me. The movie managed to evoke the atmosphere for 1940s Madras - clean River Cooum (now notorious for its stench), trams running, etc. Amy Jackson has essayed the role of English girl wonderfully. Arya as dhobi plays his role creditably. Songs are tuned nicely by G.V. Prakash. Even minor characters like the painter, scaremonger are well etched. Cochin Haneefa dazzles in his role as translator. It is sad to note that this was his last film. Kudos to director M. Vijay.

God the Artist

I stumbled on this poem (quite old one) in a Tamizh blog - here is the link http://kadugu-agasthian.blogspot.com/

Let me reproduce it here.


God the Artist

God, when you thought of a pine tree,
How did you think of a star?
How did you dream of the Milky Way
To guide us from afar.
How did you think of a clean brown pool
Where flecks of shadows are?


God, when you thought of a cobweb,
How did you think of dew?
How did you know a spider's house
Had shingles bright and new?
How did you know the human folk
Would love them like they do?


God, when you patterned a bird song,
Flung on a silver string,
How did you know the ecstasy
That crystal call would bring?
How did you think of a bubbling throat
And a darling speckled wing?


God, when you chiseled a raindrop,
How did you think of a stem,
Bearing a lovely satin leaf
To hold the tiny gem?
How did you know a million drops
Would deck the morning's hem?


Why did you mate the moonlit night
With the honeysuckle vines?
How did you know Madeira bloom
Distilled ecstatic wines?
How did you weave the velvet disk
Where tangled perfumes are?
God, when you thought of a pine tree,
How did you think of a star?

Vuvuzelas falls silent !

At last the soccer fever has subsided. Spain has won the FIFA World cup. The final match was a dreary affair. It will be remembered most for the referee doling out cards like one supplies candy :-)

World Cup Soccer 2010 in South Africa will be more remembered for deafening vuvuzelas and the notorious Jabulani ball. As someone remarked ""Long after individual matches and goals are forgotten, this will be remembered as the Vuvuzela World Cup" . ""Thanks to the World Cup, the vuvuzela has the entered the shared language of the world and joined the ranks of words that need no translation".

Last but not the least, who can forget Paul the psychic octopus ? All the predictions of it came true eerily.

Battle of Red Versus Orange

At last FIFA World Cup Football final is just a day away. Hot favorites Spain has a golden chance of winning the world cup for the first time ever. Will the Dutch put spokes in its wheels ? Can Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben & co sink the Spanish Armada ? Will Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, David Villa see Spain through ? Let us wait and watch the battle of La Rojas ( The Red ones) as Spanish team is called versus the Oranjes.

My Blog Recommendations

Check out this blog http://www.poetryinstone.in/lang/en/

It is full of great pictures of sculptures with descriptions. One can spend hours together perusing the contents.

Yet Another Soccer Feast

Today in World Cup Soccer, Spain takes on Germany. I expect it to be an absorbing tussle. Can Spain stop Mannschaft in its tracks ? German team impresses me a lot. So youthful and full of vigor. Let us wait with bated breath.

Soccer Feast

Today in FIFA World Cup Soccer (July 3rd), Argentina will be battling Germany in one of the quarter finals. Will Maradona's boys conquer the Teutons ? Will Thomas Muller and Ozil stop the marauding Argentinians ? Hopefully an exciting tussle is on the cards. Now that Brazil is eliminated, Argentina stands a good chance of laying its hands on the cup if they stop the Germans in their tracks.