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Happy Diwali

2009-10-16T06:48:00.000-07:00

About Resul Pookutty

2009-10-08T00:44:00.000-07:00

Resul Pookutty

Resul Pookutty ((born 1971) is an Academy Award and BAFTA Award winning Indian film sound designer, sound editor and mixer. He won the Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing for the film Slumdog Millionaire. He has worked for Hollywood, Bollywood and Malayalam film industries.

Early life and background

Resul Pookutty was born in a Muslim family in Vilakkupara, Anchal About 58 km from Kollam, Kerala. He was the youngest of eight children born to an impoverished family. His father was a private bus ticket checker. Pookutty had to walk 6 km to the nearest school and study in the light of a kerosene lamp as his village had no electricity.

He is a 1995 graduate from Film and Television Institute of India, Pune.

Awards

* 2009 : Honorary Doctorate or D.Litt by Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady
* 2009: Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing along with Ian Tapp and Richard Pryke for
his work in Slumdog Millionaire.
* 2009: BAFTA Award for Best Sound along with Glenn Freemantle, Richard Pryke, Tom
Sayers and Ian Tapp for his work in Slumdog Millionaire.[
* 2005: Zee Cine Award for Best Audiography for his work in Musafir.

Geography

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Kerala’s 38,863 km² landmass (1.18% of India) is wedged between the Arabian Sea to the west and the Western Ghats—identified as one of the world's twenty-five biodiversity hotspots to the east. Lying between north latitudes 8°18' and 12°48' and east longitudes 74°52' and 72°22', Kerala is well within the humid equatorial tropics. Kerala’s coast runs for some 580 km (360 miles), while the state itself varies between 35 and 120 km (22–75 miles) in width. Geographically, Kerala can be divided into three climatically distinct regions: the eastern highlands (rugged and cool mountainous terrain), the central midlands (rolling hills), and the western lowlands (coastal plains). Located at the extreme southern tip of the Indian subcontinent, Kerala lies near the centre of the Indian tectonic plate; as such, most of the state is subject to comparatively little seismic and volcanic activity. Pre-Cambrian and Pleistocene geological formations compose the bulk of Kerala’s terrain.

Eastern Kerala lies immediately west of the Western Ghats's rain shadow; it consists of high mountains, gorges and deep-cut valleys. 41 of Kerala’s west-flowing rivers, and 3 of its east-flowing ones originate in this region. Here, the Western Ghats form a wall of mountains interrupted only near Palakkad, where the Palakkad Gap breaks through to provide access to the rest of India. The Western Ghats rises on average to 1,500 m (4920 ft) above sea level, while the highest peaks may reach to 2,500 m (8200 ft). Just west of the mountains lie the midland plains composing central Kerala; rolling hills and valleys dominate. Generally ranging between elevations of 250–1,000 m (820–3300 ft), the eastern portions of the Nilgiri and Palni Hills include such formations as Agastyamalai and Anamalai.

Kerala’s western coastal belt is relatively flat, and is criss-crossed by a network of interconnected brackish canals, lakes, estuaries, and rivers known as the Kerala Backwaters. Lake Vembanad—Kerala’s largest body of water—dominates the Backwaters; it lies between Alappuzha and Kochi and is more than 200 km² in area. Around 8% of India's waterways (measured by length) are found in Kerala. The most important of Kerala’s forty four rivers include the Periyar (244 km), the Bharathapuzha (209 km), the Pamba (176 km), the Chaliyar (169 km), the Kadalundipuzha (130 km) and the Achankovil (128 km). The average length of the rivers of Kerala is 64 km. Most of the remainder are small and entirely fed by monsoon rains. These conditions result in the nearly year-round water logging of such western regions as Kuttanad, 500 km² of which lies below sea level. As Kerala's rivers are small and lack deltas, they are more prone to environmental factors. Kerala's rivers face many problems, including summer droughts, the building of large dams, sand mining, and pollution.

GROWTH OF KINGDOMS

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The Chera kings' dependence on trade meant that merchants from West Asia and Southern Europe established coastal posts and settlements in Kerala. The Jewish, Christian, and Muslim immigrants established Nasrani Mappila and Muslim Mappila communities. The Jews first arrived in Kerala in 573 BC. The works of scholars and Eastern Christian writings state that Thomas the Apostle visited Muziris in Kerala in 52 AD to proselytize amongst Kerala's Jewish settlements. However, the first verifiable migration of Jewish-Nasrani families to Kerala is of the arrival of Knai Thoma in 345 AD . Muslim merchants (Malik ibn Dinar) settled in Kerala by the 8th century AD and introduced Islam. After Vasco Da Gama's arrival in 1498, the Portuguese gained control of the lucrative pepper trade by subduing Keralite communities and commerce.

Conflicts between Kozhikode (Calicut) and Kochi (Cochin) provided an opportunity for the Dutch to oust the Portuguese. In turn, the Dutch were ousted by Marthanda Varma who routed them at the Battle of Colachel in 1741. Hyder Ali, heading the Mysore, conquered northern Kerala, capturing Kozhikode in 1766. In the late 18th century, Tipu Sultan, Ali’s son and successor, launched campaigns against the expanding British East India Company; these resulted in two of the four Anglo-Mysore Wars. He ultimately ceded Malabar District and South Kanara to the Company in the 1790s. The Company then forged tributary alliances with Kochi (1791) and Travancore (1795). Malabar and South Kanara became part of the Madras Presidency.

Pazhassi Raja, the "Lion of Kerala", who waged a guerilla war against the British in the late 18th century.

Kerala saw comparatively little defiance of the British Raj. Nevertheless, several rebellions occurred, including the 1946 Punnapra-Vayalar revolt, and leaders like Velayudan Thampi Dalava, Kunjali Marakkar, and Pazhassi Raja earned their place in history and folklore. Many actions, spurred by such leaders as Vaikunda Swami, Sree Narayana Guru and Chattampi Swamikal, instead protested such conditions as untouchability; notable was the 1924 Vaikom Satyagraham. In 1936, Chitra Thirunal Bala Rama Varma of Travancore issued the Temple Entry Proclamation that opened Hindu temples to all castes; Cochin and Malabar soon did likewise. The 1921 Moplah Rebellion involved Mappila Muslims rioting against Hindus and the British Raj.

After India gained its independence in 1947, Travancore and Cochin were merged to form Travancore-Cochin on July 1, 1949. On January 1, 1950 (Republic Day), Travancore-Cochin was recognised as a state. The Madras Presidency was organised to form Madras State several years prior, in 1947. Finally, the Government of India's November 1, 1956 States Reorganisation Act inaugurated the state of Kerala, incorporating Malabar district, Travancore-Cochin (excluding four southern taluks, which were merged with Tamil Nadu), and the taluk of Kasargod, South Kanara. A new legislative assembly was also created, for which elections were first held in 1957. These resulted in a communist-led government through ballot - the world's first of its kind - headed by E.M.S. Namboodiripad. Subsequent social reforms favoured tenants and labourers. As a result, living standards, education, and life expectancy improved dramatically.

HISTORY OF KERALA

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During Neolithic times, humans largely avoided Kerala's rainforests and wetlands. There is evidence of the emergence of prehistoric pottery and granite burial monuments in the form of megalithic tombs in the 10th century BC; they resemble their counterparts in Western Europe and other parts of Asia. These are thought to be produced by speakers of a proto-Tamil language. Kerala and Tamil Nadu once shared a common language, ethnicity and culture; this common area was known as Tamilakam.

According to legend, Kerala was an Asura-ruled kingdom under Maveli, who Sanskrit texts referred to as Mahabali. Exiled by Vamana, Maveli ruled a people famed for their piety and morality. Onam, a major Keralite festival, is dedicated to Maveli's memory. Another legend has Parasurama, an avatar of Mahavishnu, throwing his battle axe into the sea; from those waters, Kerala arose. One legend of Kerala even makes Parsaurama a Pandya ruler.In another legend, the Pandyas themselves are the manifestations of Parasurama. P.N. Chopra writes, "Parasurama is deemed by the Keralites as the father of their national identity."The Kollam Era is also known as "Parasurama-Sacam". Travancore Rajas claim descent from Chera King Bhanu Bikram, who according to legend was placed on the thrown by Parasurama. Scholar K. Narayanan Sivaraja Pillai mentions, "Even as the West Coast owes its very rudiments of civilized life to Parasurama...". the Keralolpatti, Parasurama is said to have selected goddess Durga (Kali) to be the guardian of the sea-shore of Kerala.According to legend, Chera King Kuttuvan Chera (also called Kota Varman) once enraged, threw an into the sea, thereby causing it to retreat and the land to dry. According to another legend, a Pandyan called "Vadimbalamba ninrapandyan" threw his spear into the sea, hereby causing the same effect. There is another story of Ukkira Pandiyan obtaining a spear from the Sivan of Madura, and throwing it into the sea, causing the shore to retreat.Tradition says that Parasurama minted gold coins called Rasi and that in Travancore, he sowed them and buried the surplus in Cairns.The ancient Cheras, whose mother tongue and court language was Tamil, ruled Kerala from their capital at Vanchi and was the first major kingdom. They continually warred against the neighbouring Chola and Pandya kingdoms. A Keralite identity, distinct from the Tamils and associated with the second Chera empire, became linguistically separate under the Kulasekhara dynasty (c. 800–1102). By the beginning of the 14th century, Ravi Varma Kulasekhara of Venad established a short-lived supremacy over southern India. After his death, Kerala became a conglomeration of warring chieftaincies, among which the most important were Calicut in the north and Venad in the south.

2008-10-13T22:04:00.001-07:00

In the prevailing theory, Kerala is an imperfect Malayalam portmanteau that fuses kera ("coconut palm tree") and alam ("land" or "location"). Another theory is that the name originated from the phrase chera alam ("Land of Cheras"). Natives of Kerala, known as Keralites or Malayalis, thus refer to their land as Keralam.

A 3rd-century-BC Asokan rock inscription mentioning a "Keralaputra" is the earliest surviving attestation to Kerala. In written records, Kerala was mentioned in the Sanskrit epic Aitareya Aranyaka. Later, figures such as Katyayana, Patanjali, Pliny the Elder, and the unknown author of the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea displayed familiarity with Kerala. In the last centuries BC this region became famous among the Greeks and Romans for its spices, particularly black pepper.

About Santosh Sivan

2008-10-13T21:57:00.002-07:00

Santosh Sivan

"My father is my director, mentor.. inspiration"

Santosh Sivan (born in Trivandrum, Kerala) is an Indian cinematographer and film director. Sivan is the older brother of film director Sanjiv Sivan and younger brother of director Sangeeth Sivan. Their father, Sivan, is a renowned director and cinematographer of Malayalam documentary films, and runs the Trivandrum-based Sivan Studio.

Sivan grew up in the city of Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, India, where he attended Loyola School and Mar Ivanios College. He graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India in 1984. In December 1995 he became a founding member of the Indian Society of Cinematographers.

Selected filmography

* Tahaan (2008)
* Before the Rains (2007)
* Prarambha (2007)
* Ananthabhadram (2005)
* Navarasa (2005)
* Asoka (2001)
* The Terrorist (1999)
* Malli (1998)
* Halo (1996)

Awards

National Film Awards

* 1991 - Perumthachan (Malayalam) Best Cinematography
* 1996 - Kalapani (Malayalam) Best Cinematography
* 1996 - Halo National Film Award for Best Children's Film[1]
* 1998 - Iruvar (Tamil) Best Cinematography
* 1999 - Dil Se (Hindi) Best Cinematography

Kerala State Film Awards

* 1992 - Aham (Best Cinematography Colour)
* 1995 - Kalapani (Best Cinematography)
* 2005 - Anandabhadram (Best Cinematography)

Filmfare Awards

* 2001 - Halo Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie

ABOUT K. J. YESUDAS

2008-10-13T21:57:00.001-07:00

K. J. YESUDAS

Kattassery Joseph Yesudas, (born January 10, 1940) is an Indian classical musician and a leading playback singer.

K.J. Yesudas was born in Fort Kochi, Kerala, to Augustine Joseph and Elizabeth. His father, who was a well-known Malayalam classical musician and stage actor, was his first guru. Later he joined the Music Academy in Thrippunithura and underwent training. For a brief period, he was with Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar, a maestro of Classical Music. He was scoffed at for being a Christian learning Carnatic music . He has learned Hindustani Music, also. His voice lends itself well to both Indian classical, devotional, and popular songs. He has recorded songs for most Indian languages except Assamese and Kashmiri.In his heyday, he was known as the Jim Reeves of South India. Fans term his voice as nothing short of "divine".

Yesudas began his career in playback singing in Kollywood in the early 60's and by mid 70's he entered Bollywood. He has bagged seven National Film Awards for the best singer in the Indian film industry. In 2006 he sung 16 film songs in four South Indian languages on the same day at AVM Studio, Chennai.

Yesudas has performed in many major cities around the world. In his music concerts in theMiddle East he sings Arabic songs in the Carnatic style. He frequently dons the role of a cultural ambassador of India through his numerable performances abroad by promoting Indian Music. He is the only singer who has been accorded the title Asthana Gayakan (Official singer) of Kerala State. He has been awarded the Padma Sri (1973) and Padma Bhushan (2002).

In 1965, he was invited by the Soviet Union government to perform at music concerts in various cities in the USSR and also sang a Russian song over Radio Kazakhstan. In 1970 he was nominated to head the Sangeetha Nataka Academy of Kerala and he ended up being the youngest person ever to occupy that post. In 1971, Yesudas with his musical troupe travelled all over Kerala to raise funds for the Indian Prime Minister's National Defense Fund during the Indo-Pakistani War. He also became Senate member in the International Parliament for Safety and Peace . He has taken the words of Sree Narayana Guru, "One Religion, One Caste for all humans" to heart. On November 14, 1999, Yesudas was presented with an honorary award by UNESCO for "Outstanding Achievements in Music and Peace" at the "Music for Peace" event in Paris, a concert held to mark the dawn of the new millennium and whose attendees included artistes such as Lionel Richie, Ray Charles, Montserrat Caballé, and Zubin Mehta.

The song "Vellai pura" (pathos version) which he sang frm the film "puthu kavithai" was an alltime hit and one can feel the impact of a Love failure when hearing this song.

Scholarship

* Completed the Ganabooshanam course at R.L.V. Music Academy, Thripunithura, Cochin
* Graduated from the Sree Swathithirunal Music Academy, Trivandrum
* Trained under well-known musicians like K.R. Kumaraswamy (former principal of the Music College, Kochi), Kunjuvelan Aasan (a disciple of Nagaswera Vidwan Rajaratnam Pillai), Augustine Joseph, Ramakutti Bagavathar, Sivaraman Nayar, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar.

Yesudas and his wife Prabha have three sons Vinod, Vijay, and Vishal.

He currently lives in Houston, Texas, U.S.A

Titles, Honours and Major Awards

* Padma Bhushan by President of India in 2002.
* Padma Sri by President of India in 1973.
* Doctorate by Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu in 1989.
* D.Litt by Kerala University, Kerala in 2003.
* Asthana Gayakan (Official Singer) by Government of Kerala
* Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1992.
* Asthana Vidwan (Official Teacher) by Udupi, Sringeri, and Raghavendra mutts.
* Sangeetha Sagaram (Music Ocean) in 1989.
* Sangeetha Chakravarthy (Music Emperor) in 1988 by Pallavi Narasimachary.
* Sangeetha Raja (Music King) by Chembai in 1974.
* Sangeetha Ratna (Music Jewel) by Lt. Governor of Pondicherry M.M. Lakhera.
* Swathi Ratnam (Swathi Jewel).
* Sapthagiri Sangeetha Vidwanmani in 2002.
* Bhakti Sangita Geetha Sironmani in 2002.
* Gaana Gandharva.
* Geetanjali Award by The ex-president of India Neelam Sanjiva Reddy.
* Sur Singar Samsad Award in 1976.
* Kalaimamani Award by Government of Tamil Nadu.
* Star of India Award by Lt. Governor of Pondicherry M.M. Lakhera.
* National Citizens Award in 1994.
* Mar Gregorius awrd Governor RL Bhatia in 2006.
* The Annual Latha Mangeshkar Award by Government of Madhya Pradesh in 1992.
* Dr. Pinnamaneni and Seethadevi Foundation Award in 2000.
* Senate member in the International Parliament for Safety and Peace, an organization incorporated in the United States.
* An Honorary award for "Outstanding Achievements in Music and Peace" by UNESCO in 1999.
* National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer seven times by the Government of India.
* State Film Awards Twenty three times for the best Playback singer by the Government of Kerala.
* State Film awards Eight times for the best Playback singer by the Government of Tamil Nadu.
* State Film awards Five Times for the best Playback singer by the Government of Karnataka.
* State Film awards Six times for the best Playback singer by the Government of Andra Pradesh.
* State Film awards One time for the best Playback singer by the Government of West Bengal.
National Awards

Dr. Yesudas has won the national award seven times which is a record no singer has equalled, let alone surpassed.

* 1972, Film Name: Achanum Bappayum, Language: Malayalam, First line of the song: Manushyan mathangale
* 1973, Film Name: Gaayathri, Language: Malayalam, First line of the song: Padmatheerthame unaru
* 1976, Film Name: Chitchor, Language: Hindi, First line of the song: Gori thera gaon bada
* 1982, Film Name: Megha Sandesam, Language: Telugu, First line of the song: Aakasa desana
* 1987, Film Name: Unnikale Oru Kadha Parayam, Language: Malayalam, First line of the song: Unnikale oru kadha parayam
* 1991, Film Name: Bharatham, Language: Malayalam, First line of song: Rama kadha gaana layam
* 1993, Film Name: Sopanam, Language: Malayalam, First line of the song: Sopanam

In 1980 Yesudas established the Tharangni Studio at Trivandrum. In 1992 the office and studio were moved to Chennai and the company was incorporated in the US in 1998. Tharangni Studio and Tharangni Records became a recording center in Kerala which, for the first time, brought out audio cassettes of Malayalam film songs in stereo. The record company also had a voice mixing studio in Chennai, Studio27. The studio continues to produce and present events of Yesudas both for film and Indian classical music concerts throughout the world.

About Unnikrishnan

2008-10-13T21:56:00.001-07:00

Unnikrishnan

Unnikrishnan is an Indian musician. He was born on 9 July 1966 to K.Radhakrishnan and Dr.Harini Radhakrishnan in Kerala. He is married to Priya, a Bharathanatyam and Mohiniyattam dancer. He has a son named Vasudev Krishna.

Initiated into Carnatic Music at age of 12 by Seshadri, Unnikrishnan was inspired by Sangita Kalanidhi Dr. S. Ramanathan. He now receives guidance from Savitri Satyamurthy and Calcutta Krishnamurthy.

He has also acquired "Veenai Dhanammal Bani" from Sangita Kalanidhi T. Brinda and T.Viswanathan.

Unnikrishnan attended a special workshop for six months on "Veena Dhanammal Bhani" under Sangeetha Kalanidhi T.Brinda and Sangeetha Kalanidhi Dr.T.Vishwanathan.

He holds a B.Com degree from the Madras University. Unnikrishnan studied his General Law and Post Graduate Diploma in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations. He was employed as an executive in Parrys Confectionery Ltd. from 1991 to 1994 and resigned to become a professional singer. He is well known as a playback singer in South Indian cinema and is currently a judge of the Asianet show, Idea Star Singer. He participates in Carnatic concerts during the December Season in Chennai.

About Hariharan

2008-10-13T21:53:00.002-07:00

Hariharan

Hariharan born 3 April 1955 in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala) is an Indian playback singer in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu movies, an established ghazal singer, and one of the pioneers of Indian fusion music.
Hariharan grew up in Mumbai, and has bachelor degrees in science and law. The son of renowned Carnatic vocalists, Shrimati Alamelu and the late H.A.S. Mani (full name:anantha Subramani Iyer), Hariharan inherited his parents' musical talents. Alamelu was Hariharan's first guru (mentor). From here he picked up Carnatic music skills. He was also exposed to Hindustani music from a young age. In his teens, inspired by the songs of Mehdi Hassan and Jagjit Singh, Hariharan developed a passion for ghazals and started training in Hindustani music from Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan. He used to put in nine hours of singing practice everyday. The committed Hariharan also put heart and soul into learning Urdu when he decided to become a ghazal singer. He has perfected his Urdu diction to such standards that even his audiences in Lucknow, the heartland of the language, have been wowed over.

In 1977, Hariharan bagged the top prize in the All-India Sur Singaar competition and was promptly signed on by the late music director Jaidev to sing for the Hindi film Gaman. His debut song "Ajeeb Saane He Mujh Par Qarar" in that movie became such a hit that it won Hariharan an Uttar Pradesh state award, as well as a Best Singer National Award nomination, and Hariharan's playback singing career took off.

At the start of his career, Hariharan did the concert circuit and also performed on TV. He sang for a number of TV serials (e.g., Junoon). In addition, he cut several successful ghazal albums, writing most of the scores himself. One of Hariharan's first ghazal albums was "Abshaar-e-Ghazal" with Asha Bhonsle, which went gold in sales. Another outstanding ghazal album was "Gulfam", which not only hit double platinum in sales but also fetched Hariharan the Diva Award for the Best Album of the Year in 1994.

Hariharan entered the world of Tamil films in 1992 introduced by debutant music director A.R Rahman with the patriotic song "Thamizha Thamizha" in Maniratnam's film Roja. He was judged best male playback singer in the 1995 Tamil Nadu State Government Film Awards for his soulful rendition of the song "Uyire Uyire" also by music director A.R Rahman in Maniratnam's Bombay (Hariharan sang the song with K.S. Chitra). "Uyire Uyire" is better known as "Tu Hi Re" in its Hindi version. Hariharan has been one of the most trusted singer of A R Rahman and has sung many songs for him in long list of movies that includes Roja, Sapnay, Jeans, Hindustani, Dil hi dil me, Taal, Bombay, Rangeela, Nayak and many more . In 1998, Hariharan won the national award for the best playback singer for the soulful rendition of the song "mere dushman mere bhai" from the Hindi movie Border, composed by Anu Malik.

The year 1996 was a career milestone; he released the fusion album Colonial Cousins with Bombay-based composer/singer Leslie Lewis. This was the first Indian act to be featured on MTV Unplugged. It won a string of awards including the MTV Indian Viewers' Choice award.

Hariharan has also acted in a Tamil film with Khushboo, titled Power of Women & also played cameo roles in the Tamil film Boys & the Malayalam film Millennium Stars.

In 2004, he was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri and Yesudas Award for his outstanding performance in music

About Santhosh George Kulangara

2008-10-13T21:53:00.001-07:00

Santhosh George Kulangara

Santhosh George Kulangara, (born December 25, 1971) is going to be the first space tourist from India. He has been confirmed along with 37 others by space tour operator Virgin Galactic’s first program for 2009, thereby becoming the First space tourist from India.

Santhosh George Kulangara was born in Marangattupilly village, Kottayam District in Kerala, India. . He is a post graduate and trained cinematographer He is married to Soncy and father of two children – Sarika and George. His parents are retired high school teachers. His father V.J. George Kulangara, is the founder of Labour India Publications Ltd..

He is also a businessman in the area of education, tourism and Information Technology. He is the owner and Managing Director of Labour India groups of companies, co-founder of Labour India Gurukulam Public School, International Gurukulam School in Wagamon and Bluefield International Academy, West Virginia in the US. He is the Chairman and Managing Director of Supplement Communications (P) Ltd, an evening newspaper and Labour India Software Laboratories etc. At present he is interested in the preservation of Kerala's heritage and promoting it to the foreigners. For this purpose, he has built a Heritage Resort at Vaikom named 'Kerala Palace'.

He has become the first resident Indian to buy a US$ 200,000 for a sub-orbital ride with British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic spaceliner. space flight is being designed to last two and a half hours in space, during which the spaceship will detach from the mother ship at 50,000 ft (15,000 m), the cruising altitude of Concorde. For this purpose, he successfully completed medical test and four days of training including Zero gravity at Kennedy Space Centre in Florida and three-day pre-flight preparation, bonding and training onsite at the spaceport at Mojave desert in California. A specially designed aircraft was used for the training program.

In January 2008, Virgin Galactic unveiled a model of SpaceShipTwo, for carrying tourists into space and said that construction of the actual flight should be completed in 2008 and expected to take-off in 2009.

About Arundhati Roy

2008-10-13T21:51:00.000-07:00

Arundhati Roy

Suzanna Arundhati Roy[1] (born November 24, 1961) is an Indian novelist, writer and activist. She won the Booker Prize in 1997 for her first novel, The God of Small Things and in 2002, the Lannan Cultural Freedom Prize.

Roy was born in Shillong, Meghalaya[2] to a Keralite Syrian Christian mother, the women's rights activist Mary Roy, and a Bengali father, a tea planter by profession. She spent her childhood in Ayemenem or Aymanam in Kerala, and went to school at Corpus Christi, Kottayam, followed by the Lawrence School, Lovedale in the Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu. She then studied architecture at the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, where she met her first husband, architect Gerard DaCunha.

Roy first attracted attention when she criticised Shekhar Kapur's film Bandit Queen, based on the life of Phoolan Devi, charging Kapur with exploiting Devi and misrepresenting both her life and its meaning.[3]

Roy began writing her first novel, The God of Small Things, in 1992, completing it in 1996. The book is semi-autobiographical and a major part captures her childhood experiences in Ayemenem or Aymanam[citation needed]. The book received the 1997 Booker Prize for Fiction and was listed as one of the New York Times Notable Books of the Year for 1997.[4] The book reached fourth position on the New York Times Bestsellers list for Independent Fiction.[5] She received half a million pounds as an advance, and rights to the book were sold in 21 countries.

The God of Small Things received good reviews[6], including one from John Updike in The New Yorker.[7] However, Carmen Callil, chair of the Booker judges panel in 1996, called The God of Small Things "an execrable book" and said it should never have reached the shortlist.[8]
Roy wrote the screenplays for In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones (1989) and Electric Moon (1992) in which she also appeared as a performer, and a television serial The Banyan Tree. She also wrote the documentary DAM/AGE: A Film with Arundhati Roy (2002).
In early 2007, Roy announced she would begin work on a second novel.[9]

About M. Night Shyamalan

2008-10-13T21:50:00.003-07:00

M. Night Shyamalan

Manoj Nelliyattu Shyamalan (born August 6, 1970), known professionally as M. Night Shyamalan, is an Indian American writer-director of major studio films, known for making movies with contemporary supernatural plots that usually climax with a twist ending. He is also known for filming his movies (and staging his plots) in and around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Shyamalan released his first film, Praying with Anger, in 1992 while he was a New York University student. His second movie, the major feature film Wide Awake, made in 1995 but not released until 3 years later, failed to find financial success. Shyamalan gained international recognition when he wrote and directed 1999's The Sixth Sense, which was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. He followed The Sixth Sense by writing and directing Unbreakable, released in 2000, which received mixed reviews. His 2002 film Signs gained both critical and financial success, but The Village (2004) was a critical disappointment whose box office fell hard after a strong opening weekend, and Lady in the Water (2006) performed even worse. His next and latest film, The Happening (2008), did financially better than his previous effort but was also panned by critics and grossed in its entire domestic run only slightly more than what Signs made its opening weekend.

Shyamalan was born in Mahe, Pondicherry, India.[1] His father, Nelliyattu C. Shyamalan, a physician, is a Malayali, and his mother, Jayalakshmi, is Tamil and an obstetrician and gynecologist by profession.[2] In the 1960s, after medical school (at the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research in Pondicherry) and the birth of their first child, Veena, Shyamalan's parents moved to the United States. Shyamalan's mother returned to India to spend the last five months of her pregnancy with him at her parents' home in Chennai (Madras).

Shyamalan spent his first six weeks in Pondicherry and then was raised in Penn Valley, Pennsylvania, an affluent suburb of Philadelphia. He attended the private Catholic grammar school Waldron Mercy Academy, which his parents chose for its academic discipline,[3] followed by The Episcopal Academy, a private Episcopalian high school also in Lower Merion. Shyamalan went on to New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, in Manhattan, graduating in 1992. It was here that he made up his middle name.

Shyamalan had an early desire to be a filmmaker when he was given a Super-8 camera at a young age. Though his father wanted Shyamalan to follow in the family practice of medicine, his mother encouraged Shyamalan to follow his passion.[4] By the time he was 17, Shyamalan, who had been a fan of Steven Spielberg, had made 45 home movies. Beginning with The Sixth Sense, he has included a scene from one of these childhood films on each DVD release of his films, which he feels represents his first attempt at the same kind of film (with the exception of Lady in the Water).

Shyamalan made his first film, the semiautobiographical drama Praying with Anger, while still an NYU student, using money borrowed from family and friends.[5] It was screened at the Toronto Film Festival on September 12, 1992,[6] and played commercially at one theater for one week.[6] When the film debuted at the Toronto Film Festival, Shyamalan was introduced by David Overbey who predicted that the world would see more of Shyamalan in the years to come. Praying with Anger has also been shown on Canadian television. Filmed in Chennai, it is his only film to be shot outside of Pennsylvania.

Shyamalan wrote and directed his second movie, Wide Awake, in 1995, though it was not released until 1998.[7] His parents were the film's associate producers. The drama dealt with a ten-year-old Catholic schoolboy (Joseph Cross) who, after the death of his grandfather (Robert Loggia), searches for God. The film's supporting cast included Dana Delany and Denis Leary as the boy's parents, as well as Rosie O'Donnell, Julia Stiles, and Camryn Manheim. Wide Awake was filmed in a school Shyamalan attended as a child[8] and earned 1999 Young Artist Award nominations for Best Drama, and, for Cross, Best Performance.[9] Only in limited release, the film grossed $305,704 in theaters.[10]

That same year Shyamalan wrote the screenplay for Stuart Little.

In 1993, Shyamalan married Indian psychologist Bhavna Vaswani, a fellow student whom he had met at NYU[11] and with whom he has had two daughters. As of early-2008, the family resides in Willistown, Pennsylvania, near Shyamalan's usual shooting site of Philadelphia.

About Shashi Tharoor

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Shashi Tharoor

Shashi Tharoor ( born 9 March 1956 in London) was an Indian diplomat at the United Nations. In 2006, he was the official candidate of India for the office of United Nations Secretary-General, and came second out of seven official candidates in the race. Tharoor served as the UN Under-Secretary General for Communications and Public Information between June 2002 and February 2007, during the term of Secretary-General Kofi Annan. He is an author, journalist, and fellow of the USC Center on Public Diplomacy.

Tharoor is an Indian national, from the state of Kerala.

In India, Tharoor studied at Montfort School in Yercaud, Bombay Scottish School and Campion School in Mumbai, attended High School at St. Xavier’s Collegiate School in Kolkata and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi. While at St. Stephen’s Tharoor was actively involved in the Debating Society, which is where he cultivated his Received Pronunciation accent, Quiz Club, and Students’ Union, of which he was the elected President. He then completed a Ph.D at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, Massachusetts, where he also earned two Master’s degrees.

Since 1978, Tharoor has been working for the United Nations, serving with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, whose Singapore office he headed during the “boat people” crisis. He began as a senior official at the United Nations headquarters in New York in 1989, where, until late 1996, he was responsible for peacekeeping operations in the former Yugoslavia.

From January 1997 to July 1998, he was executive assistant to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. He was appointed director of communications and special projects in the office of the Secretary-General, and in January 2001, he was appointed by the Secretary-General as interim head of the Department of Public Information. On 1 June 2002, he was confirmed as the Under Secretary General for Communications and Public Information. In this capacity, he is responsible for the communication strategy, enhancing the image and effectiveness of the UN. In 2003, the Secretary-General appointed him United Nations Coordinator for Multilingualism.

About kerala

2008-10-13T21:40:00.000-07:00

Kerala

Kerala ( Kēraḷaṁ) is a state in the Indian Union located at the southern part of the Indian peninsula. It is bordered on the north by Karnataka, south and east by Tamil Nadu, and west by the Arabian sea. Thiruvananthapuram, the capital, and Kochi are the major towns. The principal spoken language is Malayalam though other languages are also spoken. Kerala is one of the most densely populated states in India and ranks 12th among states in terms of population.

Kerala is mentioned in the ancient epic Mahabharata (800 BC) at several instances as a tribe, as a region and as a kingdom. The first written mention of Kerala is seen in a 3rd-century-BC rock inscription by emperor Asoka, where it is mentioned as Keralaputra. This region formed part of ancient Tamilakam and was ruled by the Cheras. They had extensive trade relations with the Greeks, Romans and Arabs. In the 1st century AD Jewish immigrants arrived, and it is believed that St. Thomas the Apostle visited Kerala in the same century. The Chera Kingdom and later the feudal Nair and Namboothiri Brahmin city-states became major powers in the region. Early contact with Europeans later gave way to struggles between colonial and native interests. The States Reorganisation Act of 1 November 1956 elevated Kerala to statehood.
Social and educational reforms enacted in the late 19th century by Cochin and Travancore were expanded upon by post-independence governments, making Kerala one of the most literate, healthiest, and gender-equitable regions in India.Kerala has one of the most advanced educational systems in India. Though the state's basic human development indices are roughly equivalent to those in the developed world, the state is substantially more environmentally sustainable than Europe and North America.A survey conducted in 2005 by Transparency International ranked Kerala as the least corrupt state in the country.Nevertheless, Kerala's suicide, alcoholism, and unemployment rates rank among India's highest.