Medea and Its Double

I had an idea of what a Theater Drama is. Had seen soom S.Ve.Shekar, Crazy Mohan, Y.G Mahendran Dramas. Also many of the dramas of Podhigai in the 90s are technically 'stage drama kind'.

So when you ask me what is Theater. The answer is it's a stage drama, where they open and cloe the screen every 5 minutes and whenever the screen is down you will either hear a film song or a totally out of sync Harmonium sound. Also the stage background shows different locations, like Bus Stop, Temple, House etc.

An example a lady walking and we've a Temple background. An oldman was also walking in the opposite direction.

The Old man asks, "Ennamma Koil Poitu varaya?

Wow What a brilliant Dialogue!

She says Yes and then this old man continues, "Pavam Neeum Ennathan Saiva! Appa Uthavakara, Thambiyo Kudikaran, rendu Thankachiya Kara Sekanam. Hmm.. antha Perumalthan unna Kappathanam"

And then the old man walks away, you may ask why he uttered these words.. that's the introduction man! Can the director afford to take 5 scenes to give you full background or can he have an artificial dialogue to give you the crux?

So this is what I presume a drama should be. But everything changed when I saw Medea and Its Double

No Screen uping and downing, it was a drama with music and a little bit of acrobatics.

I saw it from the Balcony, so was not able to see the Surtitles. Its good that I dint see the Surtitles. It helped me to see the play with no distractions.

The Play started with some ppl coming out and lighting some candles in the pond and sitting on each side. Then all the lights were dimmed and the stage was lighted only by the candles and there was pin drop silence (as though we were watching a Meditation)

I was like, "C'mon! I've paid Rs 200, start the play!"

The Play started slowly, like a prayer song, which then slowly transformed to a kind of fun song and then the actors played games, they were acting as kids. All these things should've lasted about 15 minutes and I think that's the best moments of the play.

The story is similar to our Kannagi Story.

The thing about this particular play is it shows Medea and her double, 2 personalities one a loving mother and other a lady who wants revenge.

This is a play with minimum stage prop. It has beautiful songs and powerful live music!

Theater play is a kind of abstract platform for story telling.Medea and Its Double is an example of how best to use the stage platform!

Courtallam

Happened to visit Courtallam previous week. Long long ago had spent 3 days in Courtallam, but this time went for just a half day visit.

If you are planning to spent a day in Courtallam, include Shenbagadevi Falls, which is little far away from the main falls, you've to hike inside a reserved forest, not a strenuous one. This reserved forest is open to public just for the sake of ppl visiting Shenbagadevi Temple. So we've free access to this falls thanks to Shenbagadevi! It's the best falls, its like a big cylinder of water coming and hitting you. Also you can chill out in the pond created by this falls. Shenbagadevi is a really beautiful fall!!

They say that Thenaruvi (Honey Fall) can be reached if you could hike a little more. But you are not allowed. It seems that around 80s a bridge towards Honey Falls was broken and it was never repaired.

If you speak with some locals, they will say that they had visited Honey Falls in their childhood. I think Honey Falls will be much better than the Shenbagadevi and it seems nature has decided to preserve it from Humans!

How to reach Courtallam?

In Thirunelveli there are 2 bus Stands, if you want to go long distance you've to go to new bus stand, the old bus stand is near the Thirunelveli Junction. For going to Courtallam you've first catch a bus to Tenkasi. The Tenkasi bus starts at new bus stand, but also passes through the old bus stand. From Tenkasi you can catch the bus going to Senkottai and get down at Courtallam.

Pichavaram

Happened to visit Pichavaram a couple of weeks ago, during my trip to Kumbakonam.

Catch a bus to Chidambaram from Kumbakonam, if you want you can bundle this trip with Vaitheeswaran and Chidambaram temples.

You will have bus once an hour to Pichavaram from Chidambaram Bus Stand. Pichavaram is the last stop.

Karparakshambigai

Visited Karparakshambigai temple couple of weeks ago during my trip to Kumbakonam.

If you are traveling from Kumbakonam and would like to travel in the cheapest mode possible then take a bus to Pabanasam. From Pananasam take an auto to the bridge. Just say Karparakshambigai or Thirukarugavur, they will charge 40 Rs. Actually a main bridge used by vehicles is damaged and is being repaired, so you've another bridge used by pedestrians. Cross the bridge and you have to get another auto Rs 20 to reach the temple

Also one more thing, if you want to go to Kumbakonam by bus and dint find any bis then try for any bus that goes through Mayiladuthurai. Kumbakonam is just an hour drive from here.

Eeram

Happened to watch this film. Many new faces and an interesting start but at the time of intermission you know what is in store and finally when the story reveals the motive for the crime, you feel disappointed. The thing about the thriller is anybody can try it but can they glue the viewers till the end? Can the director show the viewer why something happens, which convinces the viewer or can he settle to shows scenes where everything fits in by weird coincidence. The beauty for any story is its natural flow. It seems the director started with a concept and tried to skew the story to fit in the concept. So many things looks out of place.

Why is it that the heroine is almost always a Brahmin girl and when you just look at the face of the heroine's father you know that a Cliché is just waiting to happen. The story is about ppl trying to do a character assassination of heroine and how the heroine gets justice finally. But why should the lady next door die? Did she commit such a stupendous crime?

Anyway its still a better effort, the film was different from other films and films like this should be encouraged.

A Doctor's War Memoir

In 1962 when India was waging war with China I was one of the doctors who were sent to the warfront. During the last leg of our journey to the battlefield in the truck, we group of doctors bid goodbye as one by one got down from the truck to their camps. We knew that we were seeing some ppl for the last time!
During the initial days of war, we had at least 2 doctors in a camp and our hospital was a make shift tent. Nepali Sherpa will bring us the injured soldiers in a stretcher and we give the soldiers first aids and other medical services as best as we could. Initial days were very tensed, We’ve to keep this man alive! We’ve to treat him as best we could so that he is battle fit soon! But you know whatever may be the situation, how stressful it is. You get used to it as time progresses. It becomes your routine. I initially came here b’coz I believed that I could make a difference, but as months go by I was just ‘in motion’ The amount of empathy that you’ve in your heart will be washed by the bloods you see and you remain dry in heart. You will be unmoved.
As you know in the Indo-Sino war India never had an upper hand, so the army slowly retreated and so did we the doctors. My fellow doctor died during a bomb explosion. During the next few weeks I was in many situations where I’ve to do a lot of mathematics. Should I save 3 mortally wounded soldiers or 7 soldiers with less severe wounds? Many a times I had to take the mortally wounded patients off the bed and place them in the sand and treat the other patients. Anyways the probability of a severely wounded patient surviving in that condition was minimal.
The days of tent had long gone away. Now my clinic was a shade of a tree. I would patiently wait for the Sherpas to come with the patients in stretchers and I would nurse the soldiers as best I could with the available resources. These Sherpas were paid some money by the military, they had to go to the warfront and collect the injured soldiers. We had just 4 Sherpas and they work in a pair. We knew that the Sherpas were dodging us. Sometimes they come once in the morning and only come back again late in the evening. But we had to ignore it, they are not part of the military and we’d many big problems to worry about. Sometimes I myself go to the warfront and with some help from the army men bring back the injured to the shades.
One day the 2 Sherpas came with an injured soldier’s body and placed the stretcher near me and started walking away from the warfront! As they walked they looked at me and giggled. This was too much! I don’t care if they cheat me in the back, but now they are just running away from the battlefield in front of my eyes. I shouted, “Come Back!” They dint! I got agitated. Its not patriotism, when you are in a battlefield where your country is beaten black and blue, and you just retreat and retreat and retreat you will not be patriotic. Its not about somebody stopping you from doing your job effectively. When you are seeing blood and blood and blood for such a long time and the number of soldiers surviving after treatment getting less, you will not be anxious about doing your job. But I felt let down. It’s been long time I showed any emotions. I got dehydrated in my heart, but now this small act of cheating triggered a lot of anguish in me. I took out my pistol, yes the army gave me one. I shouted, “Stop else I shoot you”. The Sherpas continued walking; they might’ve thought that a doctor can never kill anyone. I aimed at one of the Sherpa and pulled the trigger! What are you thinking? I did something wrong? May be I’d overreacted; you see I was not in a normal mental condition. Fortunately or unfortunately, that Sherpa got wounded in his left hand. I shouted, “Now come back I will save you!” The Sherpas looked at me with bewilderment. It was very strange that the wounded Sherpa was not screaming, may be he was dumb folded by the shock. They now started running away from me. I dono whether that guy survived.
As our battalion retreated and I went to many camps I realized that many doctors died! I was the one of the few doctors who were still surviving! I worked round the clock as the Indian army tumbled. One day when I was going to warfront for collecting the injured ones ..Yes I continued to go to the warfront every day I was literally summoning death but it was very elusive. I at least want to get hurt so I had a legal reason to get out of this mess. Ok lemme comeback to what I was narrating…. I treated a Chinese soldier! Just a first aid. He was crying with pain I gave a pain killer and did some bandages and said, “Now go to your place”. He dint understand my language but understood that he was not a prisoner and he could go back. Why I did that? I dono you see I see a patient as a patient that’s all. So you are thinking whether this is the same guy who allegedly killed a Sherpa for just cheating him. You see humans are irrational a prey for emotions.
Soon after that little act of sympathy the war ended and we returned home. Looking back to the many incidents that happened in those months in frontline. I was proud of what I did. If I can rewind back my life then if possible I would not have gone to the warfront. But if I did go then I would’ve done the same exact things. I would’ve stopped treating mortally wounded soldiers so I can treat more soldiers, I would’ve killed that Sherpa I would’ve treated that Chinese Soldier.

The Driving Test

One Desi guy in US went for a Driving Test. When he was taking the road test, he reached a road junction and the signal was showing red, so he stopped the car. A few minutes later the signal turned green but this Desi was lost in thoughts and dint notice it. The Lady inspector who was sitting beside him asked, “When are you planning to go?”
He nonchalantly replied, “When my Visa expires”