jayskorner

2011-10-08T17:39:00.001+05:30

" If you are ever going to love me,
Love me now, while I can know
The sweet and tender feelings,
Which from the affection flow.
Love me now,
While I am living,
Do not wait until I am gone
And then have it chiseled in marble,
Sweet words on the cold stone."

---one of my favorites read somewhere, some time, but always remembered...

My prize winner for the month of August...

2011-09-10T13:32:00.000+05:30

The joy of motherhood...

Motherhood is one of the most cherished, happy and beautiful moments in a woman’s life. Needless to say, a mother feels proud and joyful when she gives birth to her little one and the whole family is happy about this great event.

Sometimes, due to some reason or the other, a woman is unable to bear a child. The reason may be due to the hormonal imbalance in a couple. But science and technology has advanced well today and doctors are able to help couples through various measures like IVF (in vitro fertilization or test tube baby), etc. and the couples become happy when they too are blessed with an offspring of their own.

Recently, (on July 28th) a lady delivered a boy in Palani in the IVF method. She is very happy and proud and is thankful to her Doctor too. Fair enough.

But I wonder if it is worth all the pain, mental agony and money they might have spent on this. I feel so because the lady is 60 years old and her husband is 66 years and they have spent all their lives (40 years to be precise) in search of medical help, astrologers, country medicine experts etc. to have their own offspring.

The lady says that she used to feel bad when she was questioned how many children she had and that after some time she avoided going in public. One should not feel bad for not being able to give birth.

It is beyond our control and seeking necessary medical help is indeed a good one. At the same time, one should also be practical. Giving birth at the age of 60 may be a medical achievement or wonder. But just think of the little one. How long will he be getting the good attention of his parents? Already they are in their sixties. When the boy is ten, his mother and father will be seventy and seventy-six respectively.

These days, people find it difficult to take care of their parents when they grow old and at times even leave them in old age homes. So, considering the age of the parents and the little boy, won’t it be practically difficult for both to take care of each other?

Childless couples who are unsuccessful in their search for medical or clinical remedy for their problem should after some time think of adoption instead of prolonging their search till they reach the age of 50s and 60s.

Adoption will give joy to them while they bring up the baby from birth even when they are also young enough and healthy and they will be able to enjoy every stage of the child’s growth. It will also bring meaning to their lives as they are giving affection and joy and happiness to an otherwise orphaned kid.

In our Indian society, still there are some people who look down upon couples who do not have children and try to hurt them emotionally by their adverse comments. This attitude must change and people need to be more sensitive while talking about this to such couples.

Childless couples also should be bold enough and take things in a lighter manner without getting afraid of being commented upon for no fault of theirs. They need to think practically and take decisions together to solve this problem soon either by medical help or adoption soon so that they enjoy their married lives as parents too…

Source: My prize winning thread in DIGITAL BHOOMI (http://www.digitalbhoomi.in/forums/showthread.php?t=28008&referrerid=1481)

__________________

My latest cartoon...

2011-09-10T13:26:00.002+05:30

Here is the link to my latest cartoon:

http://goanimate.com/user/0psCK1KQx95w

My Favorite Forum Digital bhoomi...

2011-08-10T10:57:00.001+05:30

My review of Deivathirumagal in Digital Bhoomi...

2011-08-09T13:00:00.000+05:30

My prize winning review of the movie "Deivathirumagal" which was published in the Forum Digital Bhoomi last month :

Deivathirumagal, a father’s lullaby…

Deivathirumagal, a Tamil movie based on Hollywood’s “I am Sam”, seems to be the talk of the town as well as of Digital Bhoomi too…

Vikram as Krishna, makes his appearance as a mentally challenged person working in a chocolate factory in Ooty. He has the mental capacity of a five year old. His wife who is a social activist, renounces her father and sister and their wealth to marry Krishna and dies while giving birth to a girl. Krishna brings up the little girl with the help of his friends in the neighborhood and is very emotionally bonded with his daughter. Krishna admits his daughter Nila in a school which incidentally is run by the kid’s maternal grandfather and his second daughter Shwetha. Shwetha becomes close to Nila and finds out that she is her deceased sister’s daughter. The grandfather manages to take away his granddaughter to Chennai and Krishna fights his way legally to get back his daughter with the help of Anushka, a novice lawyer and her assistant, Santhanam. Does Krishna win the legal battle? Does the grandfather return the kid to him? That is the climax of the story…

Throughout the film, Vikram has maintained his body language as a five year old showing his cheerful smile when happy and an anxious and sad look on his face when Nila is taken away from him. Sometimes he seems to go overboard like in the scene at the court when he falls down and misses to see his daughter. The best scene is in the court when Vikram and Nila (played by Sarah) emotionally gesture to each other and exchange messages. The little girl’s performance as the doting daughter is excellent and at par with that of Vikram’s. Both of them steal the scenes in which they come.

Anushka is charming and beautiful and has acted well as a lawyer with dignity and compassion for Krishna. She also manages to bring out laughter from the audience in the first few scenes with Santhanam’s help. Santhanam is quite good in this film and thanks to the director, Vijay who has created neat and clean comedy.

Another actor who is at his best is Nazar as Bashyam, the veteran lawyer who fights against Anushka. He is at his best as a performer. His characterization as a confident and successful lawyer, followed by a bunch of juniors always is too good. Nazar’s drooped lower lip while arguing in the court is a very natural mannerism which can be seen in real life. Apart from portraying the strict side of a lawyer, he also emotes well as a loving father concerned about his little son who is ill with fever. He is touched by Krishna’s act of bringing the medicine for his son when all the time he had been planning to act against him.

Y G Mahendran as Anushka’s father does not add any credit to the movie. His character seems to be redundant. There is no scope of acting for him.

G V Prakash has scored the music and there are a few lilting melodies like "Aarariraro, idhu thanthaiyin thaalaattu".The song kadhai solla poren is a visual treat especially to children who will enjoy the song as well as the scene. “pa pa pa” is a happy and delightful song when Krishna joyfully tells the whole world about his child’s birth…

The movie on the whole is a good family entertainer and will be loved by those who are sensitive and sentimental.

Deivathirumagal is the “lullaby of a father..."

http://www.digitalbhoomi.in/forums/showthread.php?t=27911&referrerid=1481

My most favorite theaters...

2011-05-03T09:55:00.000+05:30

Going to a cinema in the 60s and 70s was a great outing and good fun…My memories are evergreen about my favorite theaters

Watching movies was a great pastime in the 60s and 70s when the television had not yet invaded our drawing rooms and bedrooms. It was good fun and an enjoyable outing to go and stand in the queue, well ahead of the show timings, and buy our tickets to watch a movie.

The rates at which we saw excellent movies ranged from Rs1.50 to Rs2 or Rs2.50 (maximum rates being Rs3 or Rs3.50). Incredible, isn’t it? Today we cannot even buy a bunch of spinach with that money!!

The theatres were also quite comfortable, air-conditioned and seats were cushioned too. (I say this because one may imagine that with the kind of money we paid, we would have sat in a dingy hall with lesser comforts).

My most favorite cinema theatre was a multiplex called Safire, located at the heart of our city, Madras (presently known as Chennai in Tamilnadu), in Mount Road, (now called Anna Salai). It was just next to the present Gemini flyover. The complex was owned by the Veecumsee group.

There were three theatres namely, Safire, Emerald and Blue Diamond. English movies were shown in Safire, while Emerald screened Hindi movies.

Blue Diamond had a unique feature of holding continuous shows from 9AM to midnight. You only needed to buy ticket once and you could keep watching the movie again and again the whole day. Even if you entered in the middle or end of the show, you could continue to sit and watch the movie screened again from the beginning. Once when I was working, I had to attend office in the afternoon shift which began at 1pm. So, in the morning I went with my close friend to Blue Diamond to watch “Abba the movie” from 9AM, then had my lunch and later went to work at 1pm.

My childhood memories of having watched movies like “The Sound of Music”, “Mary Poppins”, “My Fair Lady”, “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”, Charlie Chaplin’s “The Kid”, and many Laurel and Hardy’s movies at Safire are still fresh and remain evergreen.

Safire was the first of its kind among multiplex. Other complex theatres like Devi, Devi Paradise, Sathyam etc were all built only later.

It was indeed a sad sight to watch the Safire being demolished in stages a few years ago by bigwigs who had bought it.

Today, watching movies in theaters has become a costly affair for the common man. Tickets range from Rs 50 to Rs300 or more. There is no standard rate in theatres. They charge depending on the hype given to a movie or the popularity of the stars featured in it. Going to movies with the whole family has decreased because of this. The number of theatres has also decreased due to demolitions of the old ones. Advent of DVD players, home theatres etc is also another reason for the decrease in the number of moviegoers, when compared to that of the 60s and 70s.

Even the entertainment value and features like strong storyline, veteran actors, and evergreen songs of yesteryear are all incomparable to those of today.

Technically, cinema might have risen to greater heights but socially and emotionally, it was much better in those days… I go nostalgic when I think about movies of yesteryear…

Religion and faith...

2011-03-04T17:07:00.000+05:30

Though born a Hindu, I was brought up in an atmosphere where Christianity was predominant.Right from my LKG till my graduation, I had been studying in (schools and college) Christian institutions. Hence I was used to saying Our Father, who art in Heaven (which later became Our Father in Heaven) and to singing hymns and carols in praise of the Lord. At home it was our Hindu Gods and Goddesses.

Till my 5th Std, I used to love my Xmas Holidays. As soon as our Half Yearly Exams were over in December, our school used to celebrate Xmas(in advance) on the last working day by giving us kids a Tea party with cakes and biscuits. One of the boys will dress up like Santa Claus and give us gifts and chocolates. It was an enjoyable time and I still cherish those lovely days in my memory.

Hindus, Christians, Muslims, Jews, brahmins, non brahmins, Mudaliars, Chettiars....what are all these?Man has created all these to suit his needs, whims and fancies.

We should realize that we are human beings, intelligent and efficient to have evolved in a beautiful manner gradually, to attain the position where we are today.

The barbaric race of the stone ages has become history. But when we look at the power hungry fanatical terrorists who kill innocent lives without any conscience, I am afraid that "history" may repeat itself....and we will have to go back to the ancient age.

Animations...interesting hobby

2011-02-15T16:06:00.000+05:30

I enjoyed making animations today. You can see my creations at

http://goanimate.com/dashboard.

Watching Movies in My Favorite Theatres. | Cinemaroll

2011-02-11T12:25:00.002+05:30

Watching Movies in My Favorite Theatres. | Cinemaroll

Going to a cinema in the 60s and 70s was a great outing and good fun…My memories are evergreen about my favorite theaters and I share my thoughts here...

Eat to Live a Healthy Life.. | Healthmad

2011-02-11T12:21:00.001+05:30

Eat to Live a Healthy Life.. | Healthmad

What are the steps to eat your way to lead a healthy life? My thoughts are shared in this article...

2011-01-31T14:41:00.000+05:30

Welcome 2011...

2011-01-01T14:33:00.000+05:30

May the New Year 2011 bring in Happiness, Peace and Prosperity to every one in this world...

Mohammed Rafi, the legend in singing...

2010-12-10T10:58:00.000+05:30

Pukarta, Chala Hoon mein is a lovely song by Mohammed Rafi in Mere Sanam. Rafi Saheb ruled the Hindi film musicdom in the 50s and 60s and his voice is inimitable. He was able to bring the liveliness to a Shammi Kapoor's song like Yahoo, or the melancholy to a Dev Anand's song like Tere Mere Sapne, ab ek rang hai...
He was a versatile singer. Though two decades have flown by after his death in July 1980, the vocal vacuum he has left behind is yet to be filled up...
Just listen to this beautiful song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOJUueENq-w

This is Pukarta, from Mere Sanam sung by Srikumar. I just love this song very much...
http://www.goear.com/listen/7e34d67/pukarta-srikumar

Circarama, a new experience...

2010-12-04T14:24:00.000+05:30

I still remember having watched a movie as a small girl, on a screen which was circular. It was an English movie shown at the Teynampet Grounds in Madras (now Madras is known as Chennai).

The unique feature of this show was the audience stood in the centre and the screen formed a circle around us. So we had to keep turning our whole body in a circular motion to watch a car moving forward on the road.

This show aws called Circarama. Circarama, later known as Circle-Vision 360° is a film technique refined by The Walt Disney Company, that uses nine cameras for nine huge screens arranged in a circle.

By using an odd number of screens, and a small space between them, a projector may be placed in each gap, projecting across the space to a screen. The screens and projectors are arranged above head level, and lean rails may be provided for viewers to hold or to lean against while standing and viewing the film. (Courtesy: Wikipedia).

The link between indusries...

2010-11-28T07:57:00.000+05:30

Look at our industries. The biggest one is armaments, next comes pharmaceuticals and then alcohol. The first puts you on to death, the second pretends to pull you back and the third gets you there for sure!!!

----Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev.

Mom, you are 83....

2010-11-16T10:28:00.001+05:30

Dear dear Amma, Today it is the 83rd birthday of yours...

I still remember the time when we all used to give greeting cards to those who celebrated birthday in our family.

Every birthday of mine, I used to find a Cadbury's Chocolate bar and a greeting card underneath my pillow placed by you and Appa...

Though our ways of celebrating were quite simple and less ostentatious, I still cherish those days with affection and longing to return to those good old times...

I can remember your sweet face filled with affection and with no wrinkles, your hair with very less strands of grey hair, your eyes made up with eyetex, a big red kumkum on your forehead, with a strand of white ash or Vibhuthi above it, your short hair plaited and a chain of beads adorning your neck.

Amma, I can never imagine how you would look at the age of 83!! You lived and died young at 57 and hence remain so forever in my mind...Love you dearly, Amma...

Super Supper of affection and taste...

2010-11-14T13:40:00.000+05:30

I would like to share the beautiful moments I had as a child when I was about 8 years or so.

Very often during dinner time, my mother used to mix rice and "sambar" or "vatha kuzhambu" (both are South Indian gravies) in a basin and Rice and curd in another basin. Then we (me along with my elder brother and sister) used to sit round her on the floor. She would make small balls of the rice and place in our hands in turn. Next she would give the curd rice in our hands and for every round she would pour some vatha kuzhambu as a topping for the curd rice.

This way we used to enjoy the meals very much as it would be extra tasty as it was filled with our mother's affection and love...

Today, a modern mother hardly spends quality time with her kids (and mostly it is a single kid). She has to struggle a lot to make her kid eat. So in a fast paced world, she offers fast foods as the child wishes and rushes to her workplace. Hence there is high obesity among children of today at a very young age. The kids are also deprived of the affection and love we used to get during dinner time.

Let us make it a point to spend quality time with our family at least during dinner time, without watching TV, get to know about each others' experience of the day, enjoy our meals in a happy atmosphere sharing and showing our love for one another.

Enthiran

2010-11-12T15:46:00.000+05:30

While pondering over the much hyped movie Enthiran, by the lucky pair Shankar and Rajinikanth, one feels compelled to compare the ways movies were released a few decades ago with those of today...

No doubt Cinema is an entertainment to all...rich and poor, young and old, male and female... alike. But is it necessary to give so much hype for a movie? There were days when movies used to celebrate Silver jubilee, Golden Jubilee and Platinum Jubilee...The movies celebrated the run of a movie for 25 weeks, 50 weeks and 100 days and so on.

Today, the posters boast of a movie even when it is in the theaters for only 25 days (and that too we do not know the number of viewers...whether the house was at least half filled or not).

House full shows and people returning without getting their tickets, booking for a show well in advance,are all features of the past.

The most pathetic thing about mad fans is they celebrate their idol's film release by doing abhishekam of milk (pouring/bathing the cut out with milk) on the actor's cut out...It would be very welcome and much appreciated if they donate/distribute this milk or even food or rice to the needy on the day of the release of a film of their matinee idol.

Fans must realize that they stand where they are, gaping with their mouths open at these actors who manage to keep romancing with young girls even in their 6os while the actors whom they idolize go far above them, unreachable in status and quite secured for themselves as well as their off springs.

When will these mad fan following of supreme stars mend their ways and instead be more concerned of their own families?

The white culprits...

2010-11-12T15:34:00.000+05:30

Excessive intake of Salt and Sugar lead to diseases like hypertension(BP) and Diabetes and Obesity. It is always good to gradually lessen the quantity of these two items in our food as we grow older.

Rock salt(known as induppu in Tamil) can be used and it never has the ill effects of shooting up the BP like the common salt.

Regarding sugar substitutes, there are many controversies that they are not good for health.

Mother of mine...

2010-07-22T10:25:00.000+05:30

26 years, 9 months, 21 days, 9 hours, 30 minutes ago…
This day, 25 years ago, was an eventful one for me.

On Monday, the 22nd of July, 1985, seconds, moments, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years of joy and sorrow, love and quarrel, fun and frolic, I had shared with my dear mother came to an end at 9.30AM.

26 years, 9 months, 21 days, 9 hours, 30 minutes…This is the period I had enjoyed the warmth and caring in the loving arms of my beloved Amma.

She was there alive, laughing and teasing me in my father’s company just minutes before we could even imagine she is having her “last laugh”. It all happened so very suddenly, unexpectedly that for many years we could not believe she was no more in this world…Alive this moment, still the next…

In all these 25 years, never a day has passed without my thinking of her, for a second, at least…

Needless to say that I did feel her absence on joyful occasions or proud moments, and in times of grief or anxiety, in my life till now…

I am reminded of an old English song:
“Memories don’t leave like people do…
They always stay with you, whether they’ve been good or bad….”

Thank you Amma, for being the kindest soul on Earth in your lifetime, for showering your abundant love on everyone around you, for keeping our family bonded together always…Those who knew you will agree that you were Patience Personified…No one can fill the vacuum you had created in my life…I am always proud to have been born to you.
I love you a lot always, Dear amma, and will always miss you…till my last breath…

The tiny steps of a toddler...

2010-07-12T16:19:00.000+05:30

Musings of a mother

My dear son, Twenty-one years ago, on a rainy day in October, you brought happiness and joy to me and your father when you came out into this world…We felt very blessed and happy and so were our parents. There was joy at home.

We enjoyed every moment of your growth. It was great joy to watch you learning to crawl, walk, talk, sing and dance. Of course, there were moments of anger, tension and sorrow also. But the joy of watching you grow everyday in many spheres, over ruled the not so good moments always.

It was an experience for you as well as us when you first went to school. Then came the days when you joined college as a teenager. We were very fond of you as you are our only son but still there were many a time when either your father or I or sometimes both of us used to scold you for your pranks or advise you to study well or behave well and so on. I do hope that you would understand that we acted thus because of our unlimited love for you.

Finally, you completed your graduation and were offered a job by a reputed company in a city far away from ours.Today, 12th July, 2010, is the day you join the company as a trainee.

We are very happy for you but we miss your presence at home very much. We will miss your company while listening to good music. We will miss you during dinner time when we have meals together. But we are eagerly looking forward to greater moments of happiness and pride with you…

We wish you a very bright future, dear son, as you set your foot in a career for the first time…

We are reminded of the time when you learnt to walk on your own with your feet for the first time as an eight month old baby…

Similarly, you have stepped into a world away from home for the first time to be on your own.

May challenges embolden you and may you learn newer things in life and career and strive well to achieve greater successes.

Dear son, may your long life be filled with happiness, peace and success always. May the little steps you take today lead you to successful and happier tomorrows…

__________________

My Voice...

2010-05-08T16:46:00.000+05:30

8th May, 2010

This is my voice...

First attempt to participate in the Super Singer Contest in my favorite Forum Digital Bhoomi...

http://www.digitalbhoomi.in/forums/showthread.php?t=19430&referrerid=1481

The contest is on from March 2010...Anyone who becomes a member can take part.

Become a member by registering through the above given link...

Old is always gold...

2010-05-01T16:57:00.001+05:30

1st May 2010

Old melodies are eternal... The music is sweet and lilting and inspires us to hum the song forever.

One such song is sung by yes kay for the Super Singer Contest held by Digital Bhoomi...
and has won the prize for the month of April 2010 Contest.

The link to the song:
http://www.digitalbhoomi.in/forums/showthread.php?t=20393&referrerid=1481

Born Free...to love and not hate...

2010-04-13T13:05:00.000+05:30

13th April, 2010...

I had the opportunity of seeing "Born Free" (1966) on the television. It was an Oscar winning movie and though I have heard about the movie, it was a pleasure watching it today.

It is really amazing to see the friendliness the lioness has towards her guardians, Joy Adamson and George Adamson. She grows up playing with them and later the Adamsons realize that they have to either send her to a zoo or set her free. As Joy does not want her to be caged in a zoo for the rest of her life, they decide to set her free in the jungle.

Initially, Elsa, the lioness is unable to chase or kill her prey but later learns it and finally she is set free.

She manages to find a partner and finally when the couple go to meet Elsa again, she comes running towards them with her 3 little cubs and spends the noon with them. Then her master, the king of the jungle, roars and calls her and she returns to him with her cubs giving a last loving look at the Adamsons.

It is indeed a very astonishing fact to see how animals show their love, affection and gratitude to the human beings while we resort to not only hunting them as a sport but also kill our own fellow brothers in the name of religion, caste, creed and greed and what not...

Hope we start learning to love one another from these animals and birds who are much more cultured and well behaved than us...

__________________

A Good Attempt...

2010-04-12T16:39:00.002+05:30

It was a very good attempt by skabhi 88 in the Super Singer Contest in Digital Bhoomi in March 2010...

He has sung the song "Mannil Indha Kaadha Inri" from the movie "Keladi Kanmani" fairly well using Karaoke.

Listen to it at http://www.digitalbhoomi.in/forums/showthread.php?t=19490&referrerid=1481

All the best skabhi 88 for your future attempts...