Whiff of realism Kunguma Poovum Konjum Puraavum Capital Film Works’ products have begun to create much expectation among the movie-going public thanks to its path-breaking offering, ‘Chennai – 600028.’ So it is but natural that ‘Kunguma Poovum Konjum Puraavum’ (U/A) has kindled a lot of interest. The title has a poetic feel to it and reminds you of Chandrababu’s popular refrain of yore. By taking up a serious theme this time, with a new director and an unknown cast, producer Charan seems to say that the trick lies in selecting a strong story with a well-chalked out screenplay. Directing so many debutmaking faces couldn’t have been easy for writer-director Rajamohan, a first timer himself. He turns the challenge into an advantage because the fresh casting enhances the realism of ‘KPKP’ — it is as though you are in Muttam and the nearby areas watching a true-to-life tale unfold… Kuselan (Ramakrishnan) is in Class XII and the entry of new student Thulasi (Tananya) creates quite a stir in the minds of the adolescents. Thulasi soon finds her soul mate in Kuselan and just as you feel everything is hunky-dory the first knell of sorrow is struck. As the screen teems with new faces it takes quite a while for the viewer to decipher that Ramakrishnan is the protagonist. He even looks a little shorter than the heroine! The uniqueness of not having a larger than life hero is ‘KPKP’s strength all right but director Rajamohan could have thought of a ploy to avoid the initial confusion. Seasoned performances The role fits Tananya like a glove — for a first-timer her performance is amazing! She isn’t the ordinary threeduet heroine that today’s cinema abounds in. Her character has enough substance and she does ample justice to it. Large, expressive eyes and a tall, lissom figure are Tananya’s other assets. But at times when she laughs out loud her voice is more a wail. (Has she dubbed for the role herself?) And who is the woman who plays her granny (Nagamma)? Like a seasoned actor she breathes life into the role! The cantankerous, crude, loud-mouthed mother of the hero (Chandra) is another memorable character. Compared to these noteworthy performances, Tarun Shatriya’s (who plays the villain Dharuman) essay falls short. He could have added more zing to the portrayal, but just manages to pass muster. After Whiff of realism a point Ramakrishnan’s constant self-pity as he drowns himself in drinks like a rustic Devadas, is too melodramatic. Come to think of it, the story is as old as the hills. It is in treatment and direction that Rajamohan scores. And he has admirable technical support from cinematographer Siddharth, composer Yuvan Shankar Raja and editors Praveen K.L. and Srikanth. Even fight sequences have been realistically choreographed (Selva). The unobtrusive lens that follows the story, the right tones that accentuate the effect of the stark, serious scenes and the beauty of the rocks and sea are captivating. Yuvan’s background score is another major plus of ‘KPKP.’ The lyric, the revved up voice of SPB and the foot-tapping beats of ‘Naan Dharumanda …’ are a treat. ‘KPKP’s scene of action and its milieu transport you to the days of Bharatiraaja’s ‘Kadalora Kavidhaigal.’ The veteran’s influence is quite evident in ‘KPKP.’ In today’s scenario depiction of ardent love may seem rather outdated. Living, boozing and dying for the sake of love have been showcased on screen several times. Yet for those with a penchant for serious romantic lore, the natural portrayal of all the characters, the treatment and the finale of Rajamohan’s venture should prove watchworthy. MALATHI RANGARAJAN Hinduonnet.com
May 18, 2009
NEPAL’S MAOIST PRIME MINISTER PRACHANDA RESIGNS
NEPAL’S MAOIST PRIME MINISTER PRACHANDA RESIGNS Nepal’s Maoist prime minister has resigned, following a confrontation with the president over a controversial decision to fire the army chief. The resignation plunges the country into political uncertainty and is a setback to a peace deal that brought the Maoists into the political mainstream. Prime Minister Prachanda announced his resignation in a nationwide address hours after President Ram Baran Yadav overturned an order by his Maoist-led government sacking the army chief. The Maoists had accused the army chief of defying government orders not to hire new recruits, and reinstating eight generals the Defense Ministry had dismissed. The president, who belongs to an opposition party, said the Maoist decision was “illegal and unconstitutional.” Mr. Prachanda called the president’s move an attack on Nepal’s infant democracy and the peace process. He said the president had no right to act as a parallel power. He said he is stepping down for the protection of democracy. Prime Minister Prachanda, who is also known as Pushpa Kamal Dahal, resigned after two parties in the coalition withdrew support to protest the firing of the army chief, leaving the Maoists with a thin majority. Nepali Times Editor Kunda Dixit says the Maoist decision had met with strong opposition from virtually all political parties. “The Maoists are politically isolated,” said Dixit. “All the other parties have now said that they were wrong. Their argument is that the Maoists bypassed the president, who is actually the ceremonial commander of the army, and they are using the threat of mob violence in order to get away with it.” The standoff between the Maoists and the army chief stems from his refusal to integrate former rebel fighters into the army as stipulated by the peace deal. The army chief says the fighters cannot join the military because they are politically indoctrinated. Demonstrations were held in the capital, Kathmandu, by supporters of both the Maoists and the opposition. There are fears street protests by supporters of the former rebels will intensify following the Prime Minister’s resignation. Prachanda led a decade-long insurgency before he renounced violence and embraced multi-party democracy under a 2006 peace deal. The former rebels went on to win the most seats in elections held last year, bringing Prachanda to the helm of the government. But in the past year, the Maoists have been criticized for muzzling the press and using violence to intimidate opponents. The latest crisis could imperil the 2006 peace deal. As part of the deal, Nepal’s monarchy was abolished, and a new constitution is being framed for the country. [voa news]
SELLING DEMOCRACY (AND TEA) IN INDIA
SELLING DEMOCRACY (AND TEA) IN INDIA By Naresh Fernandes, Mumbai, India ON Thursday morning, my neighbors and I joined an orderly line in front of the election desk at the end of our street. We did what the public-service ads had been urging us to do for weeks: “Give them the finger.” The polling officer didn’t even raise her head. After dipping a plastic straw into a bottle of purple ink, she drew a blotchy line down the middle finger of my left hand. Then I stepped up to the voting machine to press a button in India’s 15th general election. The scene was repeating itself across Mumbai. At another polling station, I saw Bollywood B-listers happily show off their ink-smeared digits to TV cameras. A practice that had originally been instituted to ward off electoral scams like ballot-box stuffing (we call it “booth capturing”) was transformed into a proud reaffirmation of faith in Indian democracy. In the weeks leading up to this election, the ink smearing became a source of inspiration for a barrage of pun-studded campaigns aimed at getting normally apathetic middle-class Indians to fulfill their civic responsibility. The election — with more than 714 million voters — was also a fantastic advertising opportunity. An automobile parts company ran an ad of a finger imprinted with an ink mark in the shape of a car battery. “Vote for a trouble-free fiveyear term,” was its message. A purveyor of tea, India’s pick-me-up, declared: “If you continue sleeping, so will our politicians. Wake up and vote!” On Thursday, many Indians ignored that advice. Turnout was sluggish across the city, but the figures were especially disappointing in affluent South Mumbai, which had been a particular focus of the get-outthe- vote effort. Only 43.3 percent of eligible voters in the area exercised their franchise, but that wasn’t much of a surprise. Rich Indians have long known that they command more powerful means to influence politicians than votes. This contradicts India’s perception of itself as a deeply rooted democracy. Democracy is the superior virtue we claim as we smugly survey the chaos that military dictators have visited upon Pakistan. Democracy is our defense against China’s superior record of alleviating poverty and raising standards of health and literacy. And yet our inability to protect religious minorities is obvious to the thousands of Muslim victims of the Gujarat riots of 2002. Our most famous painter, M. F. Husain, who lives in exile under threats from extremists for daring to paint Hindu deities in the nude, knows that we have yet to secure the right to free expression. And the brutality against ethnic separatist movements in the northeast and Kashmir demonstrates our unwillingness to make pragmatic compromises. Our experiment with democracy has been far more successful than some others, but despite regular elections, it has failed many Indians. After all, in South Mumbai the government responds to its residents — whether they stand in the sun for that purple streak or not. Naresh Fernandes is the editor of Time Out India. [NYTimes.com]
Volunteer Services thanks its own
Volunteer Services thanks its own During National Volunteer Week, the Rouge Valley Centenary Volunteers Services held their Annual Volunteer Recognition Evening on Monday April 20, 2009. Volunteer award winners included Vidhya Vivekananda, Youth Service Awards, 700+ Services Hours; Buvani Sivagnanasunderam and Thaksha Kaneshapillai, Youth Champions; and June Fitzgerald, 40 Year Service Award. Heartfelt thanks to Joanne Moffitt, Tapestry Gift Shop and Country Style Donuts for generously donating prizes. Photos by Akilah Dressekie and Roselyn Sagar-Lal
TRILLIUM 24 HOUR FAMINE EVENT
TRILLIUM 24 HOUR FAMINE EVENT Grade 7 & 8 students and staff at Trillium School in Markham had fun staying overnight when they took part in the school’s 24-Hour Famine Event on Thursday April 23rd and Friday April 24th, 2009. The students were involved in a series of learning activities, games and events, all the while going without food for a full 24-hour period. By getting a sense of what it feels like to be hungry, the students were able to develop a greater appreciation for the reality many children face everyday in developing countries. The other students in Senior Kindergarten to grade 6 supported the Famine Event by making personal sacrifices at home under the supervision of their parents. In the weeks leading up to the event, a school-wide education awareness campaign helped students to understand the issues affecting children in developing countries - issues such as hunger, poverty, children’s rights, child labour, poor water quality, and lack of education. Most importantly, the school community is currently raising money to support the good work being done by Plan Canada. If you’d like to support this cause, please go to the school’s homepage at www.trilliumschool. ca and click on the 24- hour Famine Donation link.
The Right Concoction
The Right Concoction existence is just one energy manifesting itself in a million different ways? It’s a scientific fact, isn’t it? Maybe it’s not in your perception, but that is the reality. So this is what science said. And the religions of the world have been screaming for a long time that God is everywhere. Whether you say God is everywhere or you say everything is same energy, are we talking about a different reality or the same reality? God is everywhere, everything is same energy. It’s the same reality expressed in two different ways. A scientist has not experienced this reality. He has somehow mathematically deduced this reality. He has no experience that everything is one energy, he does not experience this and that as one. Mathematically he knows that this and that are one. A religious person also has not experienced it but he believes it that it’s all God. Now a yogi means somebody who is not willing to settle for deductions or belief systems, he wants to know it. If you have such a longing that you want to know it, you are unwilling to settle for other people’s deductions or belief systems then you have to pursue Yoga. Anything that leads to the union is called yoga, whichever way. Now you can only work with what you have - your body, your mind, your emotion. Your energies may not be in your experience, but you can easily infer and see, if one has to function, there is some kind of energy making it happen. So these are the four realities for you - body, mind, emotion and energy. If you employ your body and try to reach your ultimate nature, we call this Karma Yoga, yoga of action. If you employ your intelligence and try to reach your ultimate nature, we call this Gnana Yoga, yoga of intelligence. If you employ your emotion and try to reach your ultimate nature, we call this Bhakti Yoga, yoga of devotion or emotion. If you transform your inner energies and try to reach your ultimate nature, we call this Kriya Yoga, yoga of transforming energies. These are the only four ways you can do it because these are the only four things that you really have. So if you want to get somewhere all these four aspects, body, mind, emotion and energy has to function together; only then you get somewhere. With one aspect you don’t get anywhere. Every one of you is a combination of these four things, but a different kind of combination; a unique combination. So accordingly the right kind of yoga has to be mixed in the right proportion, otherwise it doesn’t work. It is because of this, in the yogic traditions so much stress has been laid about having a live Guru because he will mix the right kind of concoction. Unless it is mixed properly, even if it’s the best thing, it doesn’t work. What is working wonderfully for one person is not working for the other person because it is wrong prescription. Medicine is good but wrong prescription.
Hidden Treasure
WORDS OF PEACE Hidden Treasure The problem with common approaches to bringing about peace on earth, says Maharaji, is the assumption that it needs to be legislated or mandated. Maharaji has spent decades traveling constantly around the world with a message of hope. He speaks of an individual experience of peace available to anyone who desires it. “It’s said that necessity is the mother of invention,” Maharaji says. “What you are looking for, you already have. It does not have to be created. It does not have to be manufactured. You already have peace inside of you; you just have to discover it.” Discovering that peace, he says, is like unearthing a treasure. “Imagine there is a person who he is really, really poor,” he says. “He’s so poor that he has to beg every day. He has made himself a little hut out of some cloth and some poles, and every day, he gets up and he begs. “Suppose I know that under this little hut of his there is a gold mine. Should I tell him or not? “There are people who will say, ‘No, you would really be doing him a disservice. The next thing you know, he’s going to be miserable. He’s happy now.’ So should I tell him or not?” A person who has no peace in his life is just like that poor person, Maharaji says. “All the begging we do every day to make peace! Not from strangers; that’s not who we go begging in front of. It’s our own family. It’s our own friends. It’s the people we know. We’re begging and begging for peace, barely make ends meet, while under our hut is a gold mine. “You do not have to beg. You are richer than you realize, richer than you have ever hoped for. That’s my message.” After public addresses around the world, Maharaji often encourages people to ask questions about discovering peace within. Q: So many people say they’re looking for peace. If it’s as accessible as you say, why don’t more people find it? A: They don’t know where to look for it. It requires a whole change of plan when what you are looking for is something you already have. Think of all those explorers who went to different continents. There was a difference between those who went to discover and those who went to create something. People search for peace, for real joy, like they don’t have it. That’s why they don’t find it, because the reality is they do already have it. It needs to be discovered, not created. Q: Then how do you go about discovering peace? Where would I start? A: Express to yourself your sincere desire for peace. Express your own want, your own need for peace in your life. If you don’t feel this thirst for peace, then find it, because it’s the thirst that will lead you to water. The thirst will take over and lead you to the well-a well within full of sweet, clear water that can quench your thirst. Q: Shouldn’t we as human beings focus on alleviating suffering in the world rather than just worrying about our inner state? A: Inside has much to do with the expression of what takes place on the outside. When there is no peace within, there are wars on the outside. I have nothing to sell. If I can make you think that because you are alive you have the opportunity to be in peace, to be in joy; that peace can become not a fantasy, but a reality in your life; that you don’t have to beg, because there is a gold mine inside-then I have done my job. You need to have peace in your life-with my help, without my help, I don’t care. Whatever it takes, get it! If you can’t find it, I can help. That’s what it’s all about. To learn more about Maharaji, visit: www.tprf.org www.maharaji.net www.contactinfo.net Call 1 877 707 3221 Eng 416 431 5000 Tamil Yoga means ultimate inclusiveness. The word yoga literally means union. When you have become one with everything, this is yoga. Yoga does not mean twisting your body, tying your limbs into knots or holding your breath or doing some other circus. The word Yoga means, in your experience, everything has become one. How can everything become one? You are you; I am me, isn’t it? No question of these two becoming one. Do you know today modern science is telling you the whole
RBC Royal Bank’s “Give from the Heart to Save a Heart” Campaign launch
RBC Royal Bank’s “Give from the Heart to Save a Heart” Campaign launch ECGs for Rouge Valley’s Cardiac Care Program to boost cardiac screenings The campaign launch was held on April 16th at 2867 Ellesmere Road participated by senior RBC and RVHS officials along with media. From April 16 until June 14, 2009, 14 RBC Royal Bank branches across Scarborough, Ajax and Pickering will be fundraising for three Electrocardiogram (ECG) machines for Rouge Valley Health System’s Cardiac Care Program. The “Give from the Heart to Save a Heart” campaign includes a raffle with numerous prizes, inbranch donations and a Commercial Financial Services banking appeal. The campaign will close with a celebration barbecue, including a fundraising Hula-Hoop-a-thon, on Sunday June 14, 2009. An Electrocardiogram (ECG) is the most commonly performed cardiac test; it is a valuable screening tool for a variety of cardiac abnormalities, and often times rules out heart attacks or diagnoses lethal arrhythmia. ECGs are performed on many patients in the hospital in the Cardiac Diagnostics Service, on the in-patient units and in the Emergency Departments. ECGs are also performed on every patient over 50 years of age who is admitted for elective surgery. Rouge Valley Health System’s Cardiac Care Program is a Centre of Excellence and is considered one of the best of any community hospital in Ontario. Making more ECGs available will enable improved patient flow and reduced wait times for east Toronto and west Durham. RBC has made a commitment to support patients at Rouge Valley Centenary (RVC) and Rouge Valley Ajax and Pickering (RVAP) hospital campuses. “As a dedicated supporter of local health and wellness causes, we are pleased to partner with the Rouge Valley Health System - a world-class health care centre right in our backyard. We know a healthy community is a strong community,” says Lisa Gallacher, Regional Vice President, RBC. “This campaign is about keeping Rough Valley at the forefront of acute care service by ensuring that leading-edge diagnostic tools are available to all members of our community.” Some of the notable attendees were: Jennifer Tory, RBC’s Regional President, Lisa Gallacher, RBC’s Regional Vice President for Scarborough/Pickering/ Ajax; Dr. Joe Ricci, Program Chief, RVHS Cardiac Care Program; and Dr. Paul Galiwango, RVHS’ newest cardiac physician, www.rougevalley.ca/rvhsf About Rouge Valley Health System Foundation The Rouge Valley Health System Foundation’s mission is to partner with the community to invest in superior healthcare at Rouge Valley Health System. The Foundation raises funds to support the purchase of leading-edge medical equipment and support major capital expansion projects. About RBC RBC supports programs and services that improve community resources and enhance quality of life. RBC donated over $12.5 million to health related organizations in 2008. For more information, please visit www.rbc.com. Contacts: Kerry McLeish, Communications Officer, RVHSF (905) 683-2320 x1227 or (416) 281-7265, kmcleish@rougevalley.ca Judy Dobbs, Director of Communications, RBC (416) 974-3178, Judy.dobbs@rbc.com
Leon’s Furniture Store Celebrates 100 Years in Business
Leon’s Furniture Store Celebrates 100 Years in Business Leon’s Furniture Ltd., one of Canada’s leading Furniture stores is celebrating it’s 100 years of business with the Canadian public. “The made in Canada” success story is being celebrated through out the country to mark this important milestone in it’s history. The story of Leons Furniture started with the Founder Mr. Ablan Leon, a hardworking immigrant from Lebanon who ventured into the furniture field when he sold a mattress which he had bought as a wedding gift for his son, to a passerby outside his dry goods store, for more than the price he paid for it. After 100 years, Leons chain today includes 64 large super stores across the country where approximately 20 million Canadians visit Leon’s store each year.Mr.Terry Leon, the grandson of Founder Ablan Leon,is the President and CEO. His first job at Leon’s was folding flyers, when he was seven years old and his payment was a bottle of coke and got to keep the deposit. Around 3,750 associates now work for the Company. Apart from the Business activities, Leon’s is also engaged in charitable work. The Company is donating furniture to 64 Hospitals to commemorate it’s Centenary celebrations. Leon’s is also partnering with Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada, donating to the Association’s national office and furnishing more than 100 locations across the country Seen here are some pictures of the Centenary celebrations at the Store in Scarborough.
Sermon from the cross- The Seven Words’
Sermon from the cross- The Seven Words’ During these times when the Tamils are attracting awareness to the plight of their kith and kin caught up in a death-trap in the Vanni area of Sri Lanka, Thaya Ponniah , editor of the Siraku newspaper, speaking at the Good Friday service of the Tamil Christian Church of Canada asserted that Jesus himself sought awareness when he cried, ” My God, my God Why hast thou forsaken me?”, when his life was about to depart. He invited the attention of the Almighty God that his services for the emancipation of the world should continue. The Good Friday service was held by the TCCC with talks and songs pertaining to the seven words that Jesus uttered from the cross. The spiritual implications of the seven words were given by Revds: Isaac Selvaratnam, Bobby Mather, Milton; Mrs. Daisy Hensman and Messrs: Thaya Ponniah, William and Joel Joseph. ‘Salvation for the repentant at any stage’; God’s awareness of man’s weakness’; ‘importance of human relationships’, ‘The need for God’s blessings to continue the work for the world’s redemption’; ‘God’s thirst for the souls’, ‘the satisfaction of Christ after fulfilling his mission’ and the submission of his soul to God at the end’-were the major components of the sermon from the cross expressed in seven words. The Church choir provided the message of the sufferings of the Lord Jesus at the cross with sweetly and piously rendered songs and lilting music. Junesh Chinniah, chairman of the executive committee of the church thanked all those who helped to make the Good Friday service a memorable experience for the enrichment of the soul. By: JJA