E R RAMACHANDRAN writes: Anything and everything in Karnataka these days, is reduced to a Big Fight – a prolonged ‘Tu Tu, Main Main’. With whom? Mostly among ourselves!
Also, the State is hell-bent on scuttling projects, which could do wonders for its growth! It’s all self-inflicted. Let’s see a few.
1. ‘Kannada should get official Classical status.’
Hopefully, there are no two opinions on this. To achieve this, it needs the efforts of writers, politicians, those in power, those outside of it, the public—you and me—to do everything possible to get it. Most importantly, the major effort should come from writers, poets, playwrights, irrespective of the region they come from, their food habits, whether they have won any awards or not.
Yet, the most important cog in the wheel seems to become a spoke sometimes. Apparently, there seems to be no unanimity and commitment to put aside the differences and work for the cause. The result? There are sporadic efforts here and there, but largely inconsequential.
Possible Solution: Can’t the leading writers and poets take a lead, come together, mobilize people power and bring in a sense of purpose and unity. Some of the finest writers are here in our land. Can’t they put aside their differences and work for this cause? Didn’t Gokak, Sarojini Mahishi and countless others do this earlier for Karnataka Ekikarana?
2. Doubling of Railway line between Bangalore –Mysore.
Everybody agrees it should have been done years ago. But, let’s look at what’s happening? The CM said, many months ago, a letter would go to the Railway Ministry releasing the State Govt.’s contribution for survey between Ramnagar and Chennapatna. Or was it between Chennapatna and Maddur? Does it matter between which two towns, as one understands no money was released at all?!
One of the MPs periodically gives a ‘Running Commentary’ of sorts about movement of files, release of money etc and then we heard the Deputy Railway Minister spilling the beans –It’s not included in the budget in the current year! Meanwhile, there’s a regular ‘tom tom’ of what the double line will do for Mysore!
Solution: Is the State serious about this project at all? If so, Can’t we get the Railway Minister Lalu Prasadji to IIM Bangalore to give a lecture, call him to inaugurate Dasara or some State Function, sit with the Rail Bhavan guys and get the project initiated with time-bound actions.
Bangalore is full of technocrats and marketing whiz kids. They have been able to attract practically ‘who-is-who’ of Fortune 500! Our Government busy with their ‘Yadavi Kalaha’ haven’t been able to sell the idea to Laluji who himself is some kind of a marketing genius! Has anybody, in the Government or outside, taken the trouble to get him to visit Bangalore in the last 2 years? Sometimes, one gets a doubt whether the State is deliberately dragging the feet, lest it affect the KSRTC- Volvo connection? What’s the equation? One trainload = 30 buses.
‘Mysore Airport’ Project too joins this category.
3. Film Producers, actors and technicians.
Here again a tug-of war is going on with various forces pulling it in all directions with no amicable solution in sight. The bigwigs of film fraternity are not able to sort out the issue as threats and counter threats are played out daily like a ‘Soap Opera’.
4. Which language the children will study?
No doubt, a controversial topic, but are right efforts being made to resolve the issue? Here again, there is a division among writers. We seem to excel in creating differences rather than narrowing differences to reach workable, practical solution and move on with life.
There seems to be an all pervading death wish to get bogged down on trivialities, scoring cheap points over others who have a different point of view and generally refusing to move on.
If this were not so, by now we should have a thriving cheaper-fare, Electric Railway line contributing to the growth of both Bangalore- Mysore. Imagine the saving in Diesel and reduction in pollution and so on. ( A Win –Win situation ). We would have got the classical status for Kannada too and so on…
Alas! We don’t even see the need to get our act together in the first place and make things happen for the welfare of our state, for our city….
And finally, the language used by the so-called Victor and the equally so-called Vanquished? Even Mohammed Ali and Sonny Liston, after a brutal fight in the boxing Ring, with their eyes almost gouged out, teeth hanging out, would still congratulate the winner and both wouldn’t mind meeting over a drink….
Couldn’t we learn a lesson here?
Any suggestions??
Quo Vadis?
churumuri 
The lesson that should be learnt here is not to indulge discussions of such issues which the middleclass whizz kids and politicians that I know do not give a damn as they do not affect. These issues have been regurgitated so many times that they fail to trigger any interest except to a blogger or two.
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The only civil relationship that Ali had was with Frazier, and they never went out for a drink. Liston, he positively hated. Ali had huge issues with Liston.
With regard to your list; I would have only one suggestion to the Karnataka government. Don’t exist! The people will be better off if you just get out of the way.
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Let me tell about film people’s problems. The background of the problem.
This year saw only one major hit- My Autograph. All other films of big stars have failed. Here and there small films with small actors have done well and recovered the money.
Kannada industry has more number of directors who are highly commercial minded. They dont trust new techinicians and actors. They believe paying lakhs to some old actor and his fans will watch the film for 3-4 weeks with house full boards. This will recover the money. It will run in B-C centres and recover some more money. Producers are happy. The result? The director and the whol team try to convince the big “star” and his fans in all ways possible. But writing irrelevant dialogues, some remixed story line, all types of camera angles!!
They have started making Formula based films. Two duets, One item song if not mass song, one song shot at some phaareeen location. Some hindi singers. Katti-longu in posters. Title in red colour. These things have reduced Kannada industry to creative less field. Hardly come good films like Amrutha Dhaare and Nenapirali which have high intrinsic value.
This year, most big star films failed… So the producers again went to the doors of the big stars and asked them to sign their movie for lesser amount. Producers argued that as their films were flops, naturally the star’s rates should also be slashed.
But all the major actors were not happy with this.
Top secret:
One producer approached an actor requesting him to sign for a movie for a lesser amount so that he could recover the losses of the earlier movie with the same star. But that star said that he will not come down even by a paisa less than One crore!! Who is the producer and actor. Any guess?
When actors did not co-operate, some 10-15 producers decided that they will stop their production. What they felt was that, they are the major players in the industry. Once they stop producing, there are hardly 3-4 producers who can afford for these big stars. Then the stars started giving statements that they will start their own home productions. One star went ahead saying that he will bring his corporate friends into film making (which i feel was a good move).
Now to counter this, these bunch of producers announced that they would rather dub hindi, english, tamil films into kannada than paying the actors.
At this point of time, Ashok, the president of film technicians association took strong objection to this move and announced that no technician will now participate in the shooting of those 10 odd producer’s movie.
After this incident, Ashok has been made a scrape goat in this issue. Now the actors and producers have united together and are putting the full blame on Ashok!! This was not at all an issue. What i feel is that let those big actors go away from kannada. Let new talents come in. Let those producers also stop producing big films with high budget. Let us have small producers wo can produce at least one quality film a year. We will be satisfied with 2-3 quality films a year. Thats enough for us.
There are directors who are standing in queue to make a story for a star. There are producers who watch DVD’s of other language films and say that the particular story will suit that big star. But there are very less technicians in Kannada who sit in a distant place and spend months together for making a story, screenplay which satisfy their hear. Which give a real meaning to their creativity. There is very less paper work in kannada.
Om Prakash Rao who is known as “mass” director was boasting in an interview that he most of the times doesnt prepare screenplay at all for his movie. He said: “i wil have a rough idea of the story.. and on the sets only, we friends develop it”.
This is enough to explain why we can see songs suddenly between the film. its because, they go to foreign locations as soon as tey get visa and shoot a song in a hurry. During editing, they insert the song somewhere in between.
The same in the case of comedy also. After all the shooting is completed, 3-4 comedians are called in for a week of shooting where in some joke sequences are shot. And the whole sequence is distributed across the film in bits and pieces.
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week after week after week govt announces all sorts of projects in bangalore.
road over bridge anthe road under bridge, road over road, underpass, over pass, flyover what not….
then there are roads that are being upgraded @ multi-crores/km.
but govt has no money for blore-mysore track doubling.
but then we should count our blessings. the apathy of the govt to hubli and dharwad is only seen to be believed. over there, underground drainage is yet to materialize, forget waste water treatment….
now bidar is another planet altogether.
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daasappa, thanks ri.
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I completely agree with Mr ERR we always think that all problems should be solved by the politicians few weeks back there was an article in Prajavani which also had the same views our so called samskruthika and bhasha prathinidhis should also jioin their hands to improve the status of our state It is just not enough sitting back and commenting they should also try to motivate things afterall” karnataka Nammelaradu ”
everybody is equally responsibie in improving it. We the commom people should wake up first then diffnetly there will be a solution
We should question Govt in all possible ways wealso should question the works of film faternity we should reject the scrape and accept whole heartdly the good ones. Our state has become likee “Ella JAna Thusa Kona”
proverb we have everything but unable to execute the things
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There is no point in blaming the Govt, the Govt is all corrupted and will keep delivering the statements like this. We, the people of Karnataka, have been fooling ourself decades togeher believing these word. We dont have nerves to protest,followup, question, force the government to work on the basic infrastructure required.
With the Right of Information Act in place, why dont anyone utilize this to see what exactly happening / happened wit this double lane Project, hw much wa spent/being spent and how much was ACTUALLY Spent and media covering that. Why dont all the people who travel their life b/n Mysore and Bangalore start Protesting as a group in a well-coordinated manner without any differences b/n any ( No Hunger Strike, No Protest on road but LEGAL Protest ) – this includes ME as well!
Issue is, we are good at blaming govt and coverup our anger and keep going….We Dont have Nerves to fight!
:-(
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The politicians of the day are not interested in getting things done once for all but likes to be in the limelight by giving statements of their ‘doing’ at Delhi as though they are working day and night to get things done for Mysore.Cant’ they see what they have said on the same subject just six months or a year back.
As for doubling the railway track it is very easy.Invite Lalu yadav confer him with an honarary doctrate from Mysore University,present him with one or two wagon loads of fodder,surely job will be done.
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daasappa,
namm chitragala bagge olle vishleshane maadiddira. chanagitthu odhakke. heege bareethiri.
:)
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