இன்டர்நெட்டால் பல நன்மைகள் உண்டு. அதே போல் கணக்கில் அடங்கா பிரச்சனைகளும் உண்டு. அப்படிப்பட்ட ஒரு பிரச்சனை இன்டெர்நெட்டை துழாவி குழந்தைகளுக்கு பெயர் வைக்கும் பழக்கம். சற்றொப்ப இருபது ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன் கூட பெற்றோர்கள் தங்களுக்கு பிடித்த தெய்வத்தின் பெயரையோ அல்லது தங்கள் முன்னோர்களின் பெயர்களையோ பிள்ளைகளுக்கு சூட்டி மகிழ்ந்தார்கள். ஆனால், இப்போது நிலையே வேறு.
சமீபத்தில் எனது உறவினர் ஒருவர் தன் மகனுக்கு பெயர் வைத்தார். அவரும் இந்த பதிவை படிக்கிற வாய்ப்புண்டு என்பதால் அந்த பெயரை நான் கூற விரும்பவில்லை. ஆனால் பெயர் புரியவே கொஞ்ச நேரம் ஆயிற்று. அதற்கு என்ன அர்த்தம் என்று நான் கேட்ட போது இது நான்முகனுக்கு(பிரம்மா) மற்றொரு பெயர் என்றார். அந்த பெயரை நான்முகனுக்கு யார் வைத்தார்களோ எனக்கு தெரியாது.
அதே போல், இன்னொரு குழந்தைக்கு பெயர் Tvisha. இந்த பெயரை நான்கு முறை சொன்னால் உதடுகள் குவிந்த வண்ணமே ஆகிவிடுகின்றன. மேலும், பெயரை சொல்லும்போது எச்சல் தெறிக்கும் வாய்ப்பு அதிகம். இதை சரியாக உச்சரிப்பது எப்படி என்று நமக்கு ஒரு பாடமே நடத்துகிறார்கள்.
போதாகுறைக்கு எல்லா பெயருக்கும் இண்டர்நெட்டில் விளக்கம் வேறு தருகிறார்கள். உதாரணமாக, எனக்கு தெரிந்த ஒரு நண்பரின் மகன் பெயர் "Ojas". பின் விளைவு தெரியாமல் இந்த பெயருக்கு அர்த்தம் கேட்டேன். உடனே நண்பர் விஷ்ணு ஸஹஸ்ரநாம புத்தகத்தில் இது உள்ளது. விஷ்ணுவின் பெயர்களில் ஒன்று. ஸ்லோகத்தில் "ஒஜஸ்தெயுதிர" என்று வரும். நாங்கள் "Ojas" மட்டும் எடுத்துக்கொண்டோம் என்றார்.இது எப்படி உங்களுக்கு தெரியும், உங்கள் வீட்டில் இவ்வளவு தெய்வ பக்தி எல்லாம் கிடையாதே என்று வினவிய போது "அதெல்லாம் இல்ல, கூகிள் சர்ச் பண்ணோம், இதை பார்த்தோம், பேரு ரொம்ப வித்தியாசமா இருந்தது, அதான் வெச்சுடோம்" என்றார்
இவ்வளவு பேசுகிறாயே, நீ என்ன ஒழுங்கு என்று இதை படிக்கும் சிலர் கேட்பது என் காதில் விழுகிறது. அவர்களுக்கு, நான் சொல்வது ஒன்று தான். என் குழந்தைகளின் பெயர்களை உச்சரிப்பதால் உதடு குவிந்து கொள்வது, நாக்கு பிரண்டு கொள்வது, நுரை தள்ளுவது போன்றவை ஏற்படாது என்று என்னால் உத்திரவாதம் கொடுக்க முடியும்.
பின்குறிப்பு: இந்த பதிவை படிப்பவர்கள் சற்றே நகைச்சுவை உணர்வுடன் இதை எடுத்துக்கொள்ளுமாறு கேட்டுக்கொள்கிறேன்.
Thursday, 19 March 2009
Wednesday, 18 March 2009
Quality Shot
(Beijing)- Eighteen factory managers were executed for poor product quality at Chien Bien Refrigerator Factory on the outskirts of the Chinese capital. The managers - 12 men and 6 women - were taken to a rice paddy outside the factory and unceremoniously shot to death as 500 plant workers looked on.
Minister of Economics Reform spokesman, Xi Ten Haun, said the action was required for committing unpardonable crimes against the people of China. He blamed the managers for ignoring quality and forcing shoddy work, saying the factory's output of refrigerators had a reputation for failure. For years, factory workers complained that many component parts did not meet specification and the end product did not function as required. Complaining workers quoted the plant manager as saying "Ship it."
Refrigerators are among the most sought-after consumer items in China. Customers, who waited up to five years for their appliances, were outraged. "It is understandable our citizens would express shock and outrage when managers are careless in their attitudes toward the welfare of others," Haun says. "Our soldiers are justified in wishing to bring proper justice to these errant managers." The executed included the plant manager, the quality control manager, the engineering managers and their top staff.
Source: Excerpt from the Wall Street Journal, Oct 17th, 1989
It looks like a true story. Number of people aspiring for QA/Test Manager posts would be almost zero in India if we had a system like this. Good measure for population control.
Minister of Economics Reform spokesman, Xi Ten Haun, said the action was required for committing unpardonable crimes against the people of China. He blamed the managers for ignoring quality and forcing shoddy work, saying the factory's output of refrigerators had a reputation for failure. For years, factory workers complained that many component parts did not meet specification and the end product did not function as required. Complaining workers quoted the plant manager as saying "Ship it."
Refrigerators are among the most sought-after consumer items in China. Customers, who waited up to five years for their appliances, were outraged. "It is understandable our citizens would express shock and outrage when managers are careless in their attitudes toward the welfare of others," Haun says. "Our soldiers are justified in wishing to bring proper justice to these errant managers." The executed included the plant manager, the quality control manager, the engineering managers and their top staff.
Source: Excerpt from the Wall Street Journal, Oct 17th, 1989
It looks like a true story. Number of people aspiring for QA/Test Manager posts would be almost zero in India if we had a system like this. Good measure for population control.
Oscar
Do you think Slumdog Millionaire falls in the category of cliche and formula films?
Yes. It is the kind of film Manmohan Desai used to make. Where did we get those ideas from? The West. They would make such films in the 1950s and 1960s. We have just taken that idea, modified it and given it back.
Which Indian film do you think should have made it to the Oscars?
I don't see why we bother our heads with that stupid statuette of a naked man. What is so special about it? Why is the whole nation getting into a lather about it? It's as bogus as our Pan Masala and talcum powder awards. I can understand A R Rahman's and Resul Pookutty's joy. I don't see what we have to get so excited about.
Naseeruddin Shah to Rediff - March 17th 2009
Yes. It is the kind of film Manmohan Desai used to make. Where did we get those ideas from? The West. They would make such films in the 1950s and 1960s. We have just taken that idea, modified it and given it back.
Which Indian film do you think should have made it to the Oscars?
I don't see why we bother our heads with that stupid statuette of a naked man. What is so special about it? Why is the whole nation getting into a lather about it? It's as bogus as our Pan Masala and talcum powder awards. I can understand A R Rahman's and Resul Pookutty's joy. I don't see what we have to get so excited about.
Naseeruddin Shah to Rediff - March 17th 2009
Monday, 16 March 2009
Don’t let mediocrity be the standard:Kamal
He bristles with an energy that’s indescribable. The atmosphere’s all charged-up as he walks in briskly –– people gushing, reporters fumbling,
awestruck fans just gazing ... is this what it means to be star-struck?
Or is it because he is known to be temperamental? Whatever it be, as he gets talking, two things about him become obvious –– a non-compromising attitude that pushes him to live life with passion, and honesty that’s so brutal, that he does not spare even himself.
Meet the legendary Kamal Haasan, who began his tryst with films when he was just six, with Kalathur Kanamma for which he won the National Film Award for Best Child Artist and went on to bag three national awards for Moondram Pirai (1982), Nayagan (1987) and Indian (1996). The actor who was here in the city on Women’s Day with his companion Gautami Tadimalla, a breast cancer survivor and his daughters Akshara and Subbulakshmi, says, “I have always been surrounded by women, even the pets at home are mostly female!” Here’s a glimpse of Kamal in his 11th avatar –– a side of him we’ve never seen before.
Excerpts from an interview
You’ve come to city with a mission and it’s because of Gautami. How has her fight with breast cancer impacted you?
I’ve been waiting for this question to be asked. It’s hurt me here (he says pointing to his heart). It was painful. But all through I haven’t cried –– at the most my eyes get misty –– but that’s it. After my mom, she’s the one who has taught me resilience, all over again. Something I hadn’t felt the need for in the last many years.
We’ve heard that you had filmed her entire hospital treatment?
Yes, it was her choice and it is up to her if she wishes to let others see it. I think it’s the best film she’s ever been a part of. It’s perhaps one film that she has done for the benefit of man and not a businessman! Before Gautami, I had no idea what cancer was all about, even the cancer-patient roles that I had acted and scripted, I now realise, are nowhere close to reality. So, please don’t look up to films for information, it’s just business!
You are an atheist and did you at any time feel the need to reach out to a higher power?
Yes, I did. I called the doctor. It was a two-way communication, unlike the monologue people have with God. We have a saying that goes like this –– If you talk to God people call it bakthi, but if you say God is talking to you, they call it pitchi (madness).
In your film Dasavatharam you have dealt a lot with religion and also atheism. Are you trying to knock sense into peoples’ head on how religion can be twisted for negative purposes?
Be it a Shaivite, who’s made a martyr by an unscrupulous king, or the many other instances in the movie, they do have a message. Every religion has a podium, atheists do not have one. My films are my podium.
You’ve gone through many relationships. What's your take on the institution of marriage?
It’s a grand idea, but I don’t believe in it. Family matters and there are many ways you can keep in touch with your family.
What’s your viewpoint on A R Rahman’s Oscar-winning song?
I think it is a formidable achievement. He’s done what I had always been asking people to do. Don’t accept mediocrity. Strive for excellence. Don’t make mediocrity the standard. Not just of Rahman, I am proud of Resul Pookutty’s achievement and of course the whole team of Slumdog Millionaire.
Have you ever rued that you hadn’t made it to the Oscars?
Oscar-winning films have to meet American standards of film making. I follow Indian standards. I have the ISI mark, what need do I have for an ASI?
What are your future projects? Is there any hope of Marmayogi and Marudhanayagam being revived?
I have signed up for a Telugu film Eenadu with Rama Naidu. It is a remake (Is it A Wednesday we wonder?), for which we had bought the rights. I cannot reveal other details as of now. Coming to Marmayogi, there’s a fund crunch. The moment it’s sorted out we could go with it and I am still hoping that the incomplete Marudhanayagam will be resurrected some day.
Many film stars these days are joining politics. What about you?
I am an actor and acting is what I know best. I’d like to work in my area of competency rather than jump into jobs for which I do not qualify.
Source: Times of India - March 10th
awestruck fans just gazing ... is this what it means to be star-struck?
Or is it because he is known to be temperamental? Whatever it be, as he gets talking, two things about him become obvious –– a non-compromising attitude that pushes him to live life with passion, and honesty that’s so brutal, that he does not spare even himself.
Meet the legendary Kamal Haasan, who began his tryst with films when he was just six, with Kalathur Kanamma for which he won the National Film Award for Best Child Artist and went on to bag three national awards for Moondram Pirai (1982), Nayagan (1987) and Indian (1996). The actor who was here in the city on Women’s Day with his companion Gautami Tadimalla, a breast cancer survivor and his daughters Akshara and Subbulakshmi, says, “I have always been surrounded by women, even the pets at home are mostly female!” Here’s a glimpse of Kamal in his 11th avatar –– a side of him we’ve never seen before.
Excerpts from an interview
You’ve come to city with a mission and it’s because of Gautami. How has her fight with breast cancer impacted you?
I’ve been waiting for this question to be asked. It’s hurt me here (he says pointing to his heart). It was painful. But all through I haven’t cried –– at the most my eyes get misty –– but that’s it. After my mom, she’s the one who has taught me resilience, all over again. Something I hadn’t felt the need for in the last many years.
We’ve heard that you had filmed her entire hospital treatment?
Yes, it was her choice and it is up to her if she wishes to let others see it. I think it’s the best film she’s ever been a part of. It’s perhaps one film that she has done for the benefit of man and not a businessman! Before Gautami, I had no idea what cancer was all about, even the cancer-patient roles that I had acted and scripted, I now realise, are nowhere close to reality. So, please don’t look up to films for information, it’s just business!
You are an atheist and did you at any time feel the need to reach out to a higher power?
Yes, I did. I called the doctor. It was a two-way communication, unlike the monologue people have with God. We have a saying that goes like this –– If you talk to God people call it bakthi, but if you say God is talking to you, they call it pitchi (madness).
In your film Dasavatharam you have dealt a lot with religion and also atheism. Are you trying to knock sense into peoples’ head on how religion can be twisted for negative purposes?
Be it a Shaivite, who’s made a martyr by an unscrupulous king, or the many other instances in the movie, they do have a message. Every religion has a podium, atheists do not have one. My films are my podium.
You’ve gone through many relationships. What's your take on the institution of marriage?
It’s a grand idea, but I don’t believe in it. Family matters and there are many ways you can keep in touch with your family.
What’s your viewpoint on A R Rahman’s Oscar-winning song?
I think it is a formidable achievement. He’s done what I had always been asking people to do. Don’t accept mediocrity. Strive for excellence. Don’t make mediocrity the standard. Not just of Rahman, I am proud of Resul Pookutty’s achievement and of course the whole team of Slumdog Millionaire.
Have you ever rued that you hadn’t made it to the Oscars?
Oscar-winning films have to meet American standards of film making. I follow Indian standards. I have the ISI mark, what need do I have for an ASI?
What are your future projects? Is there any hope of Marmayogi and Marudhanayagam being revived?
I have signed up for a Telugu film Eenadu with Rama Naidu. It is a remake (Is it A Wednesday we wonder?), for which we had bought the rights. I cannot reveal other details as of now. Coming to Marmayogi, there’s a fund crunch. The moment it’s sorted out we could go with it and I am still hoping that the incomplete Marudhanayagam will be resurrected some day.
Many film stars these days are joining politics. What about you?
I am an actor and acting is what I know best. I’d like to work in my area of competency rather than jump into jobs for which I do not qualify.
Source: Times of India - March 10th
இரவு
ஏ.ஆர்.ரஹ்மான் பெரும்பாலும் இரவில் தான் பணி புரிவாராம். ஏனென்று, ஒரு இரவு விழித்திருந்து பார்த்தால் தான் தெரிகிறது. இசை, படிப்பு போன்ற விஷயங்களில் ஈடுபட சுற்றுப்புறம் அமைதியாக இருக்க வேண்டும். இந்தியாவின் பெரும்பாலான நகரங்களில் இரவில் மட்டும் தான் அமைதி. பகல் முழுதும் ஓயாத ஒரு இரைச்சல் இருந்து கொண்டே இருக்கிறது. நம் மக்களுக்கு அமைதி என்றாலே ஒரு பயம் வந்து விடுகிறது.பயத்தை போக்க எப்போதும் யாரோடாவது எதாவது பேசிக்கொண்டு இருக்க வேண்டும்.
இப்போது அதிகாலை மணி 3:00. என் படுக்கையறை ஜன்னல் வழியே சாலையை பார்க்கிறேன். மூன்று சக்கர வண்டி ஒன்றை தள்ளிக்கொண்டு ஒரு கிழவன் எங்கோ செல்கிறான். அங்கங்கே ஓடி கொண்டு இருக்கும் பைரவர்கள். இதை தவிர சாலையில் எந்த நடமாட்டமும் இல்லை. இதே சாலை இன்னும் ஐந்து மணி நேரத்தில் எப்படி இருக்கும் என்று நினைத்து பார்க்கிறேன். ஐபாடில் இளையராஜாவும் ஜானகியும் "சொர்க்கமே என்றாலும் அது நம்மூரை போல வருமா?" என்று ஹம்சநாதத்தில் கேட்டுக்கொண்டு இருக்கிறார்கள்.
இப்போது அதிகாலை மணி 3:00. என் படுக்கையறை ஜன்னல் வழியே சாலையை பார்க்கிறேன். மூன்று சக்கர வண்டி ஒன்றை தள்ளிக்கொண்டு ஒரு கிழவன் எங்கோ செல்கிறான். அங்கங்கே ஓடி கொண்டு இருக்கும் பைரவர்கள். இதை தவிர சாலையில் எந்த நடமாட்டமும் இல்லை. இதே சாலை இன்னும் ஐந்து மணி நேரத்தில் எப்படி இருக்கும் என்று நினைத்து பார்க்கிறேன். ஐபாடில் இளையராஜாவும் ஜானகியும் "சொர்க்கமே என்றாலும் அது நம்மூரை போல வருமா?" என்று ஹம்சநாதத்தில் கேட்டுக்கொண்டு இருக்கிறார்கள்.
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