Category: Environment

Malayalam film songs of 2012 – My picks

It is that time of the year again, to rewind and count the best songs that I have heard this year in Malayalam movies. If 2011 was the year of singer Shreya Ghoshal, 2012 is the year of lyricist Rafeeq Ahamed. Most of my favorites from this year were written by him.

A new generation of music directors and singers continue to rule the scene and top the charts, though the veterans still contribute to the hits. More actors have taken up singing in the movies this year – like Biju Menon, Lal, Remya Nambeeshan and Mamta Mohandas – and among them Remya and Mamta have proved themselves to be good singers. Actor Mohan Lal too had a popular hit with the song “aattu maNal paayayil” on which he collaborated with music director Retheesh Vega. Indie musician/music blogger Harish Sivaramakrishnan has made his entry into Malayalam film music with the song “maRayumO” from the movie ‘Jawan of Vellimala’. Though different genres have been tried and tested, ‘melody’ remains as the popular genre in Malayalam film music.

So here goes my list of favorites from 2012. You would note that this is in no particular order.

Song: Mazha Kondu Maathram
Movie: Spirit
Music: Shahabaz Aman
Lyrics: Rafeeq Ahamed
Singer: Vijay Yesudas

I don’t think there has been better lyrics written for any other Malayalam movie in this year than the movie ‘Spirit’ written by Rafeeq Ahamed. Each and every song in this movie is sheer poetry written without verbal/grammatical jugglery. Kudos to music director Shahbaz Aman who has composed aptly supportive music score without killing the soul of the lyrics. Also checkout the other songs in this movie such as “maraNametthunna nEratthu” or “EE chillayil ninnu”.

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Song: Kanninullil Nee Kanmani
Movie: Trivandrum Lodge
Music: M Jayachandran
Lyrics: Rajeev Nair
Singer: Najeem Arshad

This song became an instant favorite when I heard it for the first time. The music, vocals and visuals are all beautiful in this song. The kids who acted in the video were also sweet. I thought it was Shankar Mahadevan when I heard the first verse but later realized that it was Najeem Arshad’s voice. Don’t know if that sounding-like-Shankar part was intentional or not.

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Song: Mozhikalum Maunangalum
Movie: Padmasree Bharat Dr. Saroj Kumar
Music: Deepak Dev
Lyrics: Kaithapram
Singer: Haricharan

This year, music director Deepak Dev has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. He has been accused of stealing Canadian musician Loreena McKennitt’s music and using it in his movie album “Urumi”. Loreena had filed a case against Deepak which I think is still on-going. However, this particular song is one of the best songs of the year. Deepak couldn’t have got a better team than Haricharan on vocals, Embar Kannan on violin and Sanjeev Thomas on guitars for this song.

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Song: Vaathilil Aa Vaathilil
Movie: Ustad Hotel
Music: Gopi Sunder
Lyrics: Rafeeq Ahamed
Singers: Haricharan

It is singer Haricharan again who has teamed up with music director Gopi Sunder this time. Gopi is known to have made peppy songs with heavy use of guitars, electronic keys and stuff but this song is like a cool breeze floating in the air with a soft aroma of Haricharan’s vocals that makes you close your eyes, inhale deeply and enjoy the bliss. Okay, I understand that I’ve gone overboard but you know what I meant when you hear this song 🙂 (the video below has dialogues from the movie that might be a distraction to enjoy the song). The movie is also a good watch, by the way.

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Song: Shalabha Mazha Peyyumee
Movie: Nidra
Music: Jassie Gift
Lyrics: Rafeeq Ahamed
Singer: Shreya Ghoshal

Jassie Gift is most remembered for his hit song ‘Lajjavathiye’ but the man has composed many beautiful melodies right from the beginning of his career. You would remember his song “thooveLLa thoovum ushassin” from the movie ‘Saphalam’. This song from the debut directorial venture of Siddharth Bharathan is also a beautiful melody, sung by Shreya Ghoshal. Check it out.

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Song: Muthuchippi Poloru
Movie: Thattathin Marayathu
Music: Shaan Rahman
Lyrics: Anu Elizabeth Jose
Singers: Sachin Warrier, Remya Nambeeshan

This whole album is so far the best work of music director Shaan Rahman. This song particularly lingers in my mind with beautiful visuals and Sachin Warrier’s beautiful vocals. I don’t like Remya Nambeeshan’s vocals in this one though. The songs in the album are written by a 21 year old techie and it is her first work in the movie industry.

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Song: Aandelonde
Movie: Ivan Megharoopan
Music: Sharreth
Lyrics: Kaavaalam Narayana Panicker
Singer:Remya Nambeeshan

This folk-ish song has marked actress Remya Nambeeshan’s debut as a playback singer and it became immensely popular. Remya’s voice and treatment gave this song the right feel. With the veteran lyricist Kaavaalam’s lyrics and Sharreth’s music, the song is an absolute delight to listen to.

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Song: Nilaa malare
Movie: Diamond Necklace
Music: Vidyasagar
Lyrics: Rafeeq Ahamed
Singer: Nivas

Beautiful composition, vocals and orchestration. Vidyasagar gives one of his melodious best with a new voice.

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Song: Azhalinte Aazhangalil
Movie: Ayaalum Njaanum Thammil
Music: Ouseppachan
Lyrics: Vayalar Sarath Chandra Varma
Singer: Nikhil Mathew

Another top composition by national award winner Ouseppachan.

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Apart from the above mentioned Malayalam songs, there are a few other language songs which were playing in the loop in my playlist. The following songs were played perhaps more times than any of the songs listed above.

Song: Shedding Skin
Album: Coke Studio @ MTV Season 2
Composer: Karsh Kale
Singers: Karsh Kale, Shruti Pathak, Shilpa Rao, Apeksha Dandekar and Monali Thakur

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Song: Sadaa
Movie: Shala
Music: Agnee (band)

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Song: Sara Sara Saara Kaatthu
Movie: Vaagai Sooda Vaa
Music: M Ghibran
Lyrics: Vairamuthu
Singer: Chinmayee

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Related Posts:

Malayalam film songs of 2011 – My picks
Malayalam film songs of 2009 – My picks
Malayalam film songs of 2008 – My picks

To control or not to control, that is the question!

Every single Malayali is now concerned about Mullaperiyar dam all in a sudden, though the dam has been in (alleged) danger for many years. The proposition from the Keralam side is to lower the water level, decommission the existing dam and build a new one. Why? Because Keralam fears that the dam cannot take a major earthquake and it could cost the lives of people in four districts of Kerala. But the process of building a new dam will take a few years and it remains unclear what guarantee the government will provide that an earthquake during this time will not happen or will not effect the people living in the surrounding towns. Which leads to the question, is the dam really in danger? If so, are the measures being proposed now enough to take care of the threat? Or are there any other motives behind the Keralam proposition? Keralam has also made a ‘generous’ offer to build a new dam at it’s own cost and still provide water to Tamil Nadu (which will transfer the control of the ownership, operation and maintenance of the new dam and it’s surrounding areas from Tamil Nadu to Keralam).

On the other hand, Tamil Nadu claims that the dam is in good shape and it can live longer. World over people are talking about decommissioning dams older than 40-50 years but Tamil Nadu politicians believe that it is not yet time for this 116 year old dam, built with limestone and surki, to rest in pieces. Commonsense would tell us that if not now, a new dam will have to be built sooner or later because this already 116 yrs old dam cannot survive the 999 years of the lease period. Tamil Nadu says that the safety of dam is an important matter to them also, because a burst of dam would affect the irrigation, agriculture and the lives of Tamilians. They also fear that if the new dam and it’s ownership is transferred to Keralam, they may not provide water to them.

But what does the common man learn from the whole issue? Ultimately, the issue of Mullaperiyar is not really about water or the dam’s safety but the ownership of the land. Currently, the ownership of the dam and it’s surroundings belong to the public works department of Tamil Nadu government though the area is in Kerala. Keralam had a good chance to claim it’s ownership of the dam and it’s surroundings when the lease agreement was renewed in 1970. We also had a chance to demand timely revisions of tax/lease rates per acre that Tamil Nadu has to pay. But the short-sightedness, or short-term interests of the government and officials in Keralam back then resulted in the current situation. It is only ourselves (or our politicians) to blame than the neighbor.

So what resolutions can be made now? A political resolution is most unlikely to turn out to be in favor of Keralam because Tamil Nadu has better political negotiation power in the center. Even though Keralam has a couple of Congress ministers in the center, it will be stupid to expect the UPA government to intervene against the interests of both Karunanidhi and Jayalalitha as regional political parties play a big role in the coalition politics in India. If safety is the concern, Keralam should wait for the report of five-member committee appointed by Supreme Court and act accordingly. Meanwhile, we should take measures to handle an emergency situation in the area. If the water supply is the concern to Tamil Nadu, they should ensure the supply through a legal pact with Keralam while making sure of the safety of people and timely decommissioning of the dam. Or if ownership is the real issue behind all this, both states should make it clear and file their claims in the court.

Right now, it doesn’t seem both sides are being honest in their stance.

(Photo courtesy: The Hindu)

What about them?

Here is a real opportunity for India to prove in front of the world that we are indeed a developing nation. And it does not need a penny to be wasted on exhibitions. All it needs is a will and an action. Governments here and abroad are watching India’s stand on endosulfan at the sixth meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC) of Stockholm Convention that began in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday. – says The Hindu.

Oh, and you should read this too, from the same news article – “While most of the governments represented at the Stockholm Convention are taking stands in favour of global ban on endosulfan, India was opposing it.”

Aha!

To those who don’t know what this is all about, go here to read about the Endosulfan tragedy in northern Kerala.

For 26 long years, the government-owned Plantation Corporation of Kerala aerially sprayed endosulfan in an area of nearly 4,700 acres in Kasaragod. Endosulfan is a deadly pesticide banned in many parts of the world. The United States Environmental Protection Agency classifies Endosulphan as a highly hazardous pesticide. But in Kerala it was sprayed for years in government-owned plantations. Today, villagers who lived close to the plantation are paying the price, despite an indefinite ban on the substance. Many of them got paralyzed or are seriously ill. Swarga and other areas like Padre, Muliyar and Bellur in Kasaragod district of Kerala have become living examples of how the poison in pesticides could be lethal to our health when used excessively and carelessly. The area is dotted with tragedy struck families battling physical deformities, cancers and disorders of the central nervous system. [India Together – The Living Dead]

And also see these pictures:



[Photos courtesy: Endosulphanvictims.org]

Earth Hour 2010

As the Earth Hour entered the second year, I have the very same things to say that I said during the last year’s event.

But we have Earth Hour everyday!

The world is observing Earth Hour today, an initiative by WWF, as the individuals and companies would switch off lights for one hour – from 8:30 PM. But I will not be observing Earth Hour as we already have half an hour power cut officially everyday and the un-official power cuts are even longer. People from other states in India says that some of them have 2 hours long power cuts and some others have it for more than 4 hours.

All of this when people in the West (and Middle East too) enjoy the uninterrupted power and use it as much as they like (except for “Earth Hour” of course).  The creamy layer in India also eats up gallons of gas for uninterrupted power supply in their luxury apartments or villas, so they also can go “Green” in the Earth Hour. So it zeroes into the majority of common man in India who is being burnt in their non-AC rooms after his day’s hard work. And it’s not breezy outside, to go for a pleasant walk. And the common man would rather stay inside than “going out” during this time of recession. So no Earth Hour for me today.

Talking about awareness, one can do better than observing Earth Hour. Starting with shutting down the computer when not in use or switching off the AC and lights in the office bay when leaving for the day. So let those who utilize the power to the maximum around the world (except the Earth Hours) observe Earth Hours. At least that will make some change. I don’t think I need to smell like a rotten fish in the sweat for one hour in this hot summer. Those who rarely have power cuts and don’t give a damn about whether the earth heats or cools can try it though.

The Story of Bottled Water

From the house of “Story of Stuff”, now comes a new video which again makes you think. That makes me think, why are we not demanding to the Government for clean and safe drinking water for us all? Though we had a good news recently when an expert panel setup by the Kerala Govt suggested taking label steps to realize Rs. 216 crores for multi-sectoral damage in Plachimada, we have to wait to see it in action. Plus, we need to make sure that our politicians and bureaucrats do not eat up that money and would rather spend it on ensuring clean water available to all.

Cloud over Bhopal

A Cloud Still Hangs Over Bhopal by Suketu Mehta in New York Times is the best article that I read so far about Bhopal tragedy.

All over India, when misfortune strikes — when a child is ill, for example — people burn chilies to drive away the evil eye. The gas smelled like chilies burning, and people said to one another, it must be a powerfully evil eye that’s being driven away, the stench is so strong.

Fleeing the gas, the Bhopalis clutched their children. Some babies fell, gasping, and their parents had to choose which ones to carry on their shoulders. One image still comes up over and over in their dreams: in the stampede, a thousand people are stepping on their child’s body.

Read it in full here.

Bhopal: Never Forget

Amir Khan02

25 years on, and the poisoning in Bhopal continues…

Let us not forget…

  • A company that still refuses to take legal responsibility of the disaster, and to provide enough health damages (Rs. 25000 for life-long suffering?) and clean up the disaster site
  • Our politicians (planning to secure $1bn of investment from Dow) who want us to believe that the place is now safe, when the private institutional studies reports that the place is still highly contaminated by dangerous toxins
  • A company CEO who has fled India and was declared “untraceable” by Indian authorities although his address in a New York suburb is publicly listed
  • Generations of people, including many kids like the one in the picture above (I have excluded some very disturbing pics of the kids, go to bhopal.org to see them),  continue to suffer because of the disaster

Guardian article
Amnesty USA’s article
Riding the Elephant

(Image courtesy: Bhopal.org)

But, we have Earth Hour everyday!

The world is observing Earth Hour today, an initiative by WWF, as the individuals and companies would switch off lights for one hour – from 8:30 PM. But I will not be observing Earth Hour as we already have half an hour power cut officially everyday and the un-official power cuts are even longer. People from other states in India says that some of them have 2 hours long power cuts and some others have it for more than 4 hours.

All of this when people in the West (and Middle East too) enjoy the uninterrupted power and use it as much as they like (except for “Earth Hour” of course).  The creamy layer in India also eats up gallons of gas for uninterrupted power supply in their luxury apartments or villas, so they also can go “Green” in the Earth Hour. So it zeroes into the majority of common man in India who is being burnt in their non-AC rooms after his day’s hard work. And it’s not breezy outside, to go for a pleasant walk. And the common man would rather stay inside than “going out” during this time of recession. So no Earth Hour for me today.

Talking about awareness, one can do better than observing Earth Hour. Starting with shutting down the computer when not in use or switching off the AC and lights in the office bay when leaving for the day. So let those who utilize the power to the maximum around the world (except the Earth Hours) observe Earth Hours. At least that will make some change. I don’t think I need to smell like a rotten fish in the sweat for one hour in this hot summer. Those who rarely have power cuts and don’t give a damn about whether the earth heats or cools can try it though.

The Green Corporates

A group of people from Chennai have started a forum and a community blog to discuss/preach/rave/write about Energy, Ecology and Environment related things. The team also includes Mr. T Jayaraman, who is a renowned expert on Energy saving Concepts and Controls. In one of their posts, Don points out to the hypocrisy of Citibank who says this on their website: Save Trees ! Say No to Paper ! Get your statement on e-mail.