FAQs on Ninasam Culture Course at Heggodu

It was by chance I got introduced to the yearly Ninasam Culture Workshop/Course through one of my friends. In the end, the one who introduced me to this did not attend the program for the full week but I did attend and it was a wonderful experience in Heggodu, amidst the greens! Well, I thought in this post I would provide FAQs on the same, which would benefit the ones with literary interests.

What is Ninasam Culture Workshop/Course?

• It is a week long workshop on culture appreciation - day sessions full of literary discussions and the evenings filled with theatre performances - drama, classical music.
• Held yearly, normally during the first week of October. Ninasam has been holding this workshop for more than 2 decades now.
• Majority of the discussions are in Kannada with few in English.
• Every year workshop will be based on some theme. This year the theme was 'Indian Languages'

Where is Ninasam located?

• It is located in Heggodu, 10km from Sagara in Shivamogga district of Karnataka.
• For more information on Ninasam, please visit their official site : ninasam.org

What do you feel are the key take aways from the workshop?

• One gets to know people with similar interests and enjoy their company.
• One also can engage in open discussions with who's who of the literary world during and after the sessions.
• This year's workshop had some big names - Kannada writers - U R Ananthamurthy, Giraddi Govindaraju, H S Venkateshamurthy, Vaidehi, K V Akshara, Kum Veerabhadrappa, M S Sriram, Theatre person - Prakash Belawadi, Bollywood script writer - Atul Tiwari (played the role of Mantriji in '3 Idiots'), Professor of Philosophy - Dr. Sundar Sarukkai
• In the mornings, before the literary discussions of the day began, there were 2 sessions participants could choose to participate - basics of acting and photography basics. I chose photography basics. I must say that was an enlightening session for me. It changed my perspective of looking at photographs. I also came to know how to see it as a work of art. Karnataka's well known photographers A N Mukund and Rajaram took the sessions.
• If you are interested in creative writing and confused about what and how to write, Ninasam Cultural Workshop could well provide you the inspiration. It may not teach you how to do creative writing but certainly prepares you to recognize good works and well, in some time you could start on your own!

What to do if you get bored during the workshop?

• You could get bored during the workshop. At least I did because it is week long and after 2-3 days you could feel bogged down. Also, not every discussion held my attention. But then you are in Malnad region of Karnataka and you have plenty of travel options to explore.
• Me and my friend Manjunath took a day off from workshop and went on a ferry ride to Sigandur!
• There are other options you can try too - Ikkeri and Keladi (historical places - 6 km and 8 km from Sagara respectively), famous Jog Falls(2nd highest plunge water falls in India, 30 km from Sagara). To top it all, October is a suitable time to visit Malnad - no incessant rains!
• You can also visit Charaka - the Khadi manufacturing unit in Heggodu.

Fees for the program and accommodation

• Cost of the program was Rs.1500/- (for food, stay and shows in the evenings) for the Oct 2-8, 2011 workshop. One can pay and register for the program a month in advance.
• Registered participants are provided with common accommodation in dormitories at Ninasam, Heggodu for the whole week.
• Otherwise, you can stay at a hotel of your choice in Sagara on a seperate expense and reach Ninasam in the mornings to attend the sessions. After the performances in the evenings, Ninasam bus drops the participants to Sagara.
• Or if you just want to attend the sessions for a day or two, you can do so without any fees.

Number of participants, their demography and feedbacks

• There were around 200 participants in the workshop.
• Participants include artists, students, people from academia, industrialists, engineers - on the whole people from diverse backgrounds sharing a common passion.
• For the first timers like me, it was an exciting experience.
• There were veterans who have been coming here for the last 5-10 years. For some, this time is a relaxing break from the busy and monotonous city life. There were students of arts who had enthusiastically come for the workshop and there were few who wanted a break from the boring college lectures!
• Some were of the opinion that the same speakers came every year and wanted to see new speakers at the literary discussions.
• I felt that this year's theme 'Indian Languages' could have been presented in a better way - people quoting, analyzing works from the past is fine. But it would have made more sense if there was a conscious effort to bring out the current literary scenarios and throw some light on recent works in various Indian languages.

Pour in your comments for get more details!

In 2016, Ninasam Culture Course will be held from Oct 8th to 12th (5 Days). You can get the details of joining the course here.

Bit Philosophical, Bit Comical - Thats Paramathma for you!

Read this article in Kannada here.

Most of who watched Paramathma pointed out at the lack of linear story in the narrative. But when I saw the movie, I thought it is this mindset Yogaraj Bhat wants to break and for some part he succeeds too if you observe the turn out in the first week.

Bhat-Harikrishna Combo : Right from the audio release of Paramathma, songs of the film have created a rage among the audience. Bhat as lyricist and Harikrishna as music director have delivered another power packed audio after the hugely popular Jackie songs. Bhat's witty lines in perfect tunes provide enjoyable experience - so much that we forget there are melodies from Jayant Kaykini too!

Picture Courtesy : nowrunning.com

Philosophical : Bhattru gets philosophical at times in the film and tries to present the shades of human relationships. Scenes like Puneeth visiting Buddhist monks, Avinash hitting Puneeth disguised in Bear's(Karadi) costume go to show that. Add to that the noise making dabba(box)! Even in the Kannada rap lyrics(with Kanglish lines) director infuses philosophical lines - Anumaana irada anuraaga illa(There is no love without doubt). Or take the example of mocking song about failed students. Systemme sariyalla chombeshwara, Prime minister aagbidla onde sala(System is not right, How about me becoming a Prime minister at once!) summarizes it all. Though Yogaraj Bhat presents his own philosophy, the questions presented in the movie are universal like following one's dreams and the dilemma in making choices. In a single line, Yogaraj equates one's heart to the almighty(Paramathma)!

Happy First Half : First half of the film presents the happy outlook of life. Witty dialogues turn the whole theater into a sea of laughter. Even the media created love story adds to the fun. Kone Male(Last Rain) presenting the stereotyped film makers of Gandhinagar is hilarious.

Serious Second Half : Second half of the movie gets a bit serious. You also start feeling whether the movie is going into disarray. But the protagonist constructing his dream house which is linked to the first half gets it back on track.

Extreme Reactions : Extreme reactions are expected of a film like this. After watching the film on the first day my friend Sandeep messaged saying Paramathma is too complicated for Sandalwood. On the other hand, reaction of a frustrated movie-goer was 'Ee film nodokke black ll bere barbeku' ((Why) I should buy tickets in black to watch a movie like this!)

Though I would not state that the film is without flaws. Even with its shortcomings Paramathma presents a new look of the Kannada cinema. But I would ask Bhat to do one thing - "Sir, change the theme of love in your films :)"

You can now watch the movie Paramathma online on hometalkies.com - Thanks to the efforts Pawan Kumar, the director of Lifeu Ishtene.

Here's an interesting post on Paramathma.
5 lessons Bollywood can learn from ‘Paramathma’

Lifeu Ishtene is refreshing!

Read this article in Kannada here.

'Refreshing' - if Lifeu Ishtene has to be described in a single word. Directorial debut by Pawan Kumar entertains, makes you laugh and introspect too!

Contemporary : Movie portrays the current generation in a precise way. Audience can easily relate to the movie since many scenes are based on their life or of their peers! Director Pawan Kumar also knows where to put breaks too! I can not remember any other Kannada movie, which has shown the present youth, their confusions the way Pawan did. Well, hero's parents too are not stereotyped. They have changed. Now, you say that it is a new age movie. There is also attention to details - just to give an example - the reception party scene looks so authentic(thank god, there is no Kalyana Mantapa scenes added!).

Wit and Fun : Witty dialogues form the essential part of the movie and then there is Satish Ninasam, playing brilliantly the role of Vishal's(Diganth) friend to guide our misguided hero and make you laugh. Raju Talikote too adds his flavour to the humor. Sindhu Loknath and Samyukta Hornad(daughter of Sudha Belawadi, who played the role of Ganesh's mom in Mungaaru Male) sizzle on screen. Diganth as a confused youth plays his role well. "Film in film" - clippings of films shown in this movie stitch well - which avoids unnecessary talk!

Rewind and Forward : Many of us would have got bored with the flashback shown in movies. Here though the same trick is employed, flashback is not sequential. Instead it switches back and forth. With Diganth becoming narrator for some time gives a break from that monotonous way of rewinding life. Childhood memories of the protagonist makes you go back to innocent school days. This is also one of the highlights of the movie.

Audio Visual Treat : Good cinematography with excellent screenplay make the movie a worth watch. Songs shot in Ladakh are a visual treat and what to say about Dubai's beautiful locations. Simply awesome. Not to forget our namma Bengaluru which itself is shown beautiful on screen. Choreography for some melodious songs go on familiar lines. Also, I am wondering what happened to the contest for lyrics for the tune provided in the audio CD of the movie!

Facebook : Just like how Facebook has become integral part in our lives, it forms the core part of the movie too. In the final scenes it is more evident. It goes to show how our lives have changed in this information age.

Paradigm Shift : Indian cinema has come of age with Bollywood making some brilliant efforts at finding meaning in life through its movies and with this movie, Kannada cinema is following suit. On a different note, though the maker has not tried to convey any message, some may feel so in the climax. But this should be looked as circumstantial inference than a generic one! I would also like to see this as life's dualism or dvandva - which path to choose - and this continues throughout one's life!

Review by Sandeep aka Shande - www.naanushande.com

Jokulatike - A Commendabale Effort

After watching the Tulu play, Gopala Ee Paar Bala at Townhall, Bangalore on 7th August 2011, I bought the DVD of Jokulatike, a Tulu tele film, primarily because of the star cast - Naveen D Padil, Bhojaraj Vamanjoor and Aravind Bolar, prominent names in Tulu theater. Well, Jokulatike did not disappoint me.

Picture Courtesy : Daijiworld.com

Directed by Sai Krishna M and produced by Ahalya productions, Jokulatike is a well made tele film. Sai Krishna M, who had acted in ace film maker Girish Kasaravalli's Kannada movie, Gulabi Talkies, does a neat job here. One should also applaud for the production value of the film.

Story revolves around the real estate agents in Mangalore. Ashok(Bhojaraj Vamanjoor), Ashraf, Allwyn(Aravind Bolar) are childhood buddies. They are into real estate business to make some quick bucks. How they outwit one another to get that elusive deal forms rest of the story. Naveen D Padil plays the role of a don with a heart of gold. Dialogues and sequences leading to loads of laughter make it a commendable effort.

So, do pick your DVD of Jokulatike soon.

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara : Film Review

Simplistic but a very engaging film - this is my one line review of ZNMD. No extraordinary dialogues, no extraordinary sequences either. One can easily connect to the characters and the situations they are in. That is the precise reason why it has set the cash registers ringing at the box office.

Crux: Three friends (Hritik Roshan, Abhay Deol and Farhan Akthar) are on a bachelor road trip in Spain. In the three week long trip, how they discover themselves forms the crux of the story. Not to forget the fun part along which keeps your funny bone tickling.

Picture Courtesy : nowrunning.com

Screenplay : Seems like bollywood has moved on with its stereotypes. There is more talk through gestures. Less dialogues give more time for the viewers for the introspection of a scene. Even in introducing - deep sea diving, sky diving and bull run, which is somewhat alien to the Indian audience, Zoya has consciously not put the rules or the jargon which might have made the film boring.

Conquering Fears : On a philosophical note too film scores high. Conquering one's fears, looking for meaning in life - if it sounds too heavy to digest now, well, you will not feel the same after you have seen the movie.

Exotic locations in Spain add to the richness of the movie. On the whole, it is a well made movie. A definite watch for all.

Tulu Dramas in Bangalore This Week

Tulu drama fans in Bangalore have something to cheer about as there will be 2 Tulu comedy dramas staged at Town hall, Bangalore coming Sunday, 7th August 2011. Gopala Ee Paar Bala and Kala Kambula are the 2 plays directed by popular Tulu dramatist Devdas Kapikad. Tuluvere Chaavadi, Bangalore has organized the shows.
Name of the drama : Gopala Ee Paar Bala
Date and Time : Sunday, 7th August 2011, 1:30 PM
Artists : Ramaa BC Road, Bhojaraja Vaamanjur, Mahesh K Shaktinagara, Thimmappa Kulal, Satish Bandale, Shobharaj, Richard Pinto, Panduranga, Suresh Kulal BC Road, Sujata, Monica
Name of the drama : Kala Kambula
Date and Time : Sunday, 7th August 2011, 5:00 PM
Artists : Ramaa BC Road, Bhojaraja Vaamanjur, Thimmappa Kulal, Satish Bandale, Shobharaj, Richard Pinto, Panduranga, Deepak Rai Panaje, Suresh Kulal BC Road, Sujata, Monica

Playwright and Director : Devdas Kapikad
Music : Guruprasad Bayar, Varma Vitla
Make-up: Suresh Master, Naani Bantwal
Troupe Name : Chaa... Parka Kalavidaru

Venue for both the plays : Sir Puttanna Chetty Town Hall, JC Road, Bangalore

Tickets are priced at Rs.1000(entry for 2), 250, 150 and 100

For tickets you can contact the following numbers:
9741561897, 9845126989, 9449112306, 9449344484

Let us meet on Sunday for a laugh riot :)