Miles to go..

This is going to be a no-frills post. I am not able to find any fancy words. I am deeply touched, moved…

We tune in to watch reality shows once in a while for relaxation during dinner time. We do have a few favorites in this genre. Many a times they come up with more tragedy in terms of elimination, or a depressed candidate due to a failed performance or a brutally mutilated song we love.

Here comes a new reality show. A real path breaker. Not the kind of path breaker introduced by “Rakhi ka swayamvar”.  This is the reality show of the 17 street singers around us. Yes, those people, as thin as skeleton, blind, crippled, who sing around us in Railway stations and bus stands. Those people, whom we ignore and sometimes laugh at for their mediocre rendition. The specialty of the show does not end there. There will be no elimination rounds for the show. Instead, the sponsor of the program will build houses for all the 17 participants!!

“hmm.. Novel Marketing Tactics!!” That was my first thought when I heard about the program  in Indiavision channel. Yet, I was curious to search for the timing, for a glimpse of the program due to the novelty of concept.

Today, I stumbled upon the videos in Internet.  I would like to share those videos with all my friends across the world. See this one :

If your eyes become wet after watching this video, its not the program’s fault. Its because you are still human…

For the benefit of the non-malayalees reading this post, let me introduce a few contestants along with the links to their performances.

Saraswati

She used to share stages with  eminent musicians like Dr. KJ Yesudas in her early life. A Ganabhooshanam (degree in music) graduate, she says that she finds no difference between singing on street, or on a stage. For her, music is all that matters.

Listen to Saraswathi’s Alaippayuthe…

Suku, Kunjaava, Hamsa

This is a rare story of friendship.

Suku has a 16 year old daughter, who is handicapped. While, changing rented houses often, Suku  is helpless with his daughter. Kunjaava, is Suku’s friend. Though Kunjaava himself is very poor and blind, he has come to sing in this show, for a house for Suku !! Kunjaava’s wife and two children also accompany them. Suku is a support for many blind singers in the street, like Kunjaava. He plays Tabla while they sing.

Watch Kunjaava’s song here.

Watch Hamsa’s song here.

Pushpa & Rajesh
Pushpa’s mother tongue is Kannada. She was born and brought up in Kerala, and speaks excellent Malayalam. Pushpa and Rajesh met each other while singing in train, fell in love with each other and got married. On asking how she came to know about the show, she answered – “One day, I was singing in a train, and the director of this show, Sudheer Sir saw me and talked to me. A few days later, Sudheer Sir came to our  rented house and saw the home and circumstances. He told me about this show, but I didn’t believe at first. I never expected I will get a stage like this, to sing”

Listen to Pushpa’s “Ovvoru Pookkalume”…
Listen to Rajesh’s song here…

Subhash

Subhash came for the show for a shelter to protect them from the sun during summer and rain during monsoon.

Watch Subhash’s song here.

In the Judge’s comments, music director Jassie Gift pointed out, “This is not a song. This is a voice the society should hear and be an eye-opener to them”

See the other performaces :

1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7m-TDjiU6aQ – Ravi

2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDIohd59R30 – Chaman Lal and Family

Another speciality I have noticed in the show is, the judges (rather celebrity guests) or the anchor are not downgrading the term “street singing”. Instead, they are considering it as a job, a platform for delivering the artistic skills of the singer. It was kind of amusing.

In Kerala alone, if we take 5 mainstream entertainment channels, there are atleast 20 reality shows going on. Senior singer, Junior singer, dancer, dance troupe, genius, show for moms, cookery contests, adventure contests, competition for colleges and what not.. If all the 5 channels host one reality show like this, and participate 17 contestants,  5 *  17 = 85 people are going to get houses in an year!! And, all the saregama’s going on for many seasons, imagine a “street light” show running in every channel for 4 seasons. 85 * 4 = 340 houses in 4 years…!! Now, multiply this number with the number of Indian States and the number of all the regional and national channels who host reality shows. What a beautiful dream!! :-)

All reality shows are imitations from the west, or from another channel in the same region. Hope the imitations happen for good.  Let the above number multiply and multiply, for a prosperous country of our own.

“Little drops of water, Little grains of sand

Make the mighty ocean, And the beauteous land

Little deeds of kindness, Little words of love,

Make our earth an Eden, Like the heaven above”
- Mrs. J. A. Carney

PS: Another report about the show – Click here to read.

4 days, we spent in front of the computer, switching between live telecasts of ibnlive and ndtv on Mumbai. The news was shocking. The amount of details contained in each report was even more shocking. Each moment we were asking between us, “Will this kind of live reporting fail the mission?”….

We felt it would, so also a lot of others.. and somebody has decided to make a change, by moving a public interest litigation over the issue. If you also feel that the media coverage of the Mumbai attack was a way bit outrageous, sign the petition here – http://smallchange.in/

The news is  here – http://www.rediff.com/movies/2008/dec/02mumattacks-vishal-versus-the-news-channels.htm

When I say “change”, it reminds me of Obama’s campaign for “change”.  Let me borrow his words, “yes, we can!!”

Right now, I feel it – “Yes, we can”…

Just 12 hours after I wrote about revealing truths here, wow, I am hearing more and more interesting news. 1 hour ago, the ndtv reporter outside Nariman house reported:

“I saw the NSG officials planting something looking like wired ladders. I asked them what it is and they said its a wired system to communicate among themselves and also to intercept the communications inside the house”.

Wow, news..!! Isn’t it??

I still pray that everything ends well, and that we will not pay the price for the excess news we are bound to hear.

PS: I know my blog is circulated in a very closed circle of friends, so I went ahead and voiced my opinion in ibnlive.com and ndtv.com. I see that there are still others who has the same fear and voice it there. Hope it helps.

For the past 7 hours, we are in front of the computer, switching between ibnlive.com and ndtv.com, occasionally browsing Times of India and New York Times, listening to the live reports from Mumbai. What happened was indeed something scary and a very disturbing fact that a bunch of intelligent terrorists have landed upon us. A bunch, who knew the power of divide-and-rule policy, a bunch who scattered the whole city with multiple attacks, a bunch who knew whom to take hostage, by attacking the elite places.

I can go on and brag about the technology advancement we have which empowers me with the news from across the globe, live. But, right now I am angry and scared. The same technology can bargain the lives in an entire city, if used foolishly.  Listening to each update given by the reporters, I am more scared. If I, an insignificant citizen sitting in US get this live piece of update now, doesn’t it also go to all those villains out there who planned and executed this terrible attack?

I don’t think what all things I have heard so far. So many reports, and the mind doesn’t register all of it. Still, it went like this.

“The NSG is about to arrive in 1 hour”

“The NSG has arrived and they have started operations”

“I am hearing gun shots, ofcourse something is happening.”

“Looks like the operation at Oberoi is nearing an end”..

I even saw the positioning of the NSG commandos through live cams. I heard about the replenishment of force. I heard about the army and navy joining hands..

NSG has specifically instructed the media not to discuss the strategy. All the reporters use it as their starting statement and then move onto blurt out whatever they wanted to, zooming their camera to all directions of their choice. Only one person dealt with it in the true sensible way. Its Rajdeep Sardesai of CNN-IBN, who was reporting from outside Hotel Taj . Whoever it is, he is the true citizen of India. May be, his age made him take wise decisions.

I am scared of each minute. I am scared of a moment, where some stupid reporter blurts out that one of the missions (out of many for the day) is accomplished. I am scared, that will be the end of all other hostages. Its high time media redefine their social commitment, instead of sensationalizing their surroundings at the cost of others’ lives.

At this point, my thought is: Do we really need extensive live coverages EVERYWHERE? When is the media going to distinguish between a cricket match and a war against terrorism?

My friends, do you have an answer?

They are also doing so many good things. I see flash news requesting for blood in Mumbai hospitals, I see helpline numbers from Taj and Oberoi hotels, and a lot more.. All these helps should not be clouded by the “extreme reporting” due to media competition.

I hate advertisements. Still, I wouldn’t mind watching advertisements, rather than knowing that the information I hear may be deadly to hundreds of lives and will be favorable to a handful of villains. I am sure every sensible Indian would think the same. Dear channels, please put some advertisements for us till you get solid result from Mumbai.

“Na bruyal, sathyam apriyam” – Don’t say truth, if it hurts others.

Keeping my fingers crossed, for the success of great India and its harmony, defeating all the villains out there.