Society

“Everything is changing with visual entertainment moving to laptop to cellphone,” says Mayank Shekhar, renowned film critic and columnist. “What used to be a collective experience has become an individual feel, that we earlier associated with books. More in-depth viewing is also happening, like the six-part Suitable Boy series which got a lot of viewership.” The move to web series on OTT platforms has been forced on movie makers as traditional movies and movie watching in theatres being virtually extinct for now. Web series are creating a more involved experience with deeper characterisation and more exploration and experimentation. “Theatres will…

மாநகரின் ஒரு பரபரப்பான சாலையில் நீங்கள் பயணித்துக் கொண்டோ அல்லது பேருந்திற்காக காத்திருக்கும் போதோ மின்னல் வேகத்தில் அச்சுறுத்தும் அலறல் சத்தத்துடன் உங்களை பயமுறுத்திக் கடந்து செல்லும் வித்தியாசமான தோற்றம் கொண்ட  இரு சக்கர வாகனங்களைப் பார்த்ததும் உங்களுக்குள் என்ன உணர்வு உண்டாகிறது?   எதற்கு இத்தனை அவசரம் என்கிற எரிச்சலும் அதே சமயம் ஏதேனும் அசம்பாவிதம் நடந்து விடக்கூடாதே என்கிற பதைபதைப்பும் ஒரு சேர தோன்றி ஒரு உளைச்சலை ஏற்படுத்துகிறது என்றால் அதுதான் அந்த நிகழ்வை காணும்  எல்லோருக்குமானதாக இருக்கிறது. இந்த அசுரவேக ஓட்டத்தின் பின்னால் இருப்பவர்கள் யார் ? எந்த நோக்கத்திற்காக இவ்வாறு ஓட்டுகிறார்கள் ? இதனால் இவர்களுக்கோ எதிர்ப்படுபவருக்கோ எதுவும் ஆபத்து ஏற்படுகிறதா ? இது ஏதாவது ஒருங்கிணைப்பிற்கு கீழ் நடக்கும் பந்தயமா? போன்ற கேள்விகளுக்கு பதில் தேடக் கிளம்பினால் அங்கு பல பூதாகரமான உண்மைகள் புலனாகி நம்மை பயம் அப்பிக் கொள்கிறது. பதைபதைக்க வைக்கும் பைக் மற்றும்…

Many of us may have heard this short story about a little boy on the beach. Once upon a time there was an old man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. Early one morning, he saw a small boy on the sea-shore.  A big storm the previous night had littered the vast beach with thousands of starfish. The little boy bent down every so often to pick up an object and throw it into the sea. “May I ask what is it that you are doing” he asked the boy.“Throwing starfish into the ocean” the…

What is lost in the last nine months is the magic that happens in a live performance.  Within the 15th minute of a play, everybody’s heart is beating at the same pace. How can that ever happen with us beaming ourselves out on telephone screens and computer screens and television screens? Not possible.  Theatre is really the only medium that gives it to you, blood, sweat and tears, there in front of you. Cinema blows up everything a hundred times, television compresses it. Theatre is the only space where you see what is real.  This is the challenge to humanity:…

It was pouring, as happens in December sometimes in Chennai. But the four musicians getting drenched did not pack up. They played on, completing the two hour video, called “Friends in concert”, which was unlike any classical concert Chennai has ever seen. “Friends in Concert” opened the traditional Margazhi (December) Madras Music season in these extraordinary times in the most extraordinary manner. And musician T M Krishna, as he is wont to do, was breaking all rules of the kutcheri format for Carnatic classical music followed in the hallowed sabhas of Chennai. It was the first time this season that…

The world has witnessed a substantial increase in internet consumption for both work and leisure ever since nations across the globe started implementing social restrictions to minimise the spread of SARS-CoV-2. Global statistics indicate that time spent on digital activity has increased by 57% for watching streaming web-series/shows, 47% for social media, 46% on messenger services, 39% on listening to streaming music services, 36% more time on mobile applications, 35% increased time for video games, 15% for creating and uploading videos and 14% more time on listening to podcasts. These findings corroborate with statistics about the use of devices. The…

A few days before Christmas, we set up our tree, complete with ornaments and star, and decorated our house as we have done in the past. With the characteristic smells of Christmas season food, the festival was definitely in the air, but it was different. But, this Christmas was unlike any I remember in my life of 19 years. The Christmas tree at the Fernandes home in Mumbai. Pic: Krystel Fernandes Leading up to Christmas, there used to be days of partying, which continued until the new year. Church gatherings, group carol singing, guests in and out of our home…

"There is the fear of COVID-19 but you hear the music and you forget the pandemic," says music aficionado Shreeya Jayaraman on her live concert experience this Margazhi. Having attended one of the few live events in the city, a T M Krishna concert in Kilpauk, Shreeya adds that nothing can beat an in-person concert as the fans get to enjoy the full kutcheri experience. When it rained unexpectedly mid-concert, the audience had to be moved indoors. While social distancing norms were still followed indoors, Shreeya chose to remain on the periphery and listen to the rest of the show.…

Once Diwali is over, is it 'Lights out!' for the lamps that gleefully decorate our homes and outdoors during the festival? "Certainly not!" All it takes is a little bit of effort to kindle another flame of life into these lamps. Possibly, a small change in mindset too. Diyas in the process of belng lit in an apartment lobby in Mumbai (Photo: Amy) Diwali, or Deepavali (row of lights), is synchronous with lights. It is one of the few festivals celebrated around Amavasya (new moon), when we don't have the light of the moon at night. This is possibly the…

Citizen Matters and Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, in collaboration with the Bangalore International Centre (BIC), held a panel discussion on ‘Preventing Riots, Ensuring Harmony’ on December 7, 2020.  This was the seventh in a series of discussions, held as part of the Bengaluru Solutions Series, and dedicated to urban issues. It made significant observations on the role of the police and state response while expressing concern over the misuse of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.  The panel comprised of Vidbhuti Narain Rai, former IPS officer and author of ‘Curfew in the City’; former public prosecutor and independent advocate Venkatesh…