Society - Talismanian

Nov72017 by talismanianNo Comments

Chennai’s Love-Hate Relationship With Rains – Some Facts

-Fidha Sherin Of late, the riddle of the water problem seems to baffle Chennaites. A typical summer in Chennai revs up the mercury levels, followed by an acute water scarcity problem across different parts of the city. Come the monsoon season, and water again proves problematic – this time by causing inundation of roads. As a Twitter user cleverly pointed out - ‘Till November, water scarcity. After November, water scares city’. Earlier this year, there was widespread media coverage on the water scarcity faced by Chennai. Allegedly, improper maintenance of water bodies had caused a drought-like situation in several parts of the city. Albeit not entirely a new issue, this year’s drought was considered the worst in the last 140 years. Now enter the north-east monsoon. Reportedly, the

Nov32017 by talismanianNo Comments

You too and #metoo, now where to?

Society

-Fidha Sherin Happen to be on social media? Notice how things go viral over minutes? Liked, shared, viewed, commented, retweeted? I hope you answered in the positive, because I did too. Yeah, me too ! Then it is fair to assume that we are all well-acquainted with the #Metoo campaign that took the internet by storm. To trace the trail of the storm, it all began when a slew of female actors accused Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault. The storm gained ground when actor Alyssa Milano tweeted “If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted,” Milano added, “write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet.” Not many foresaw the results which were beyond astonishing. According to reports, The hashtag was tweeted nearly a million times in 48 hours, according to Twi

Oct222017 by talismanianNo Comments

The recent Mersal Controversy painted by Political and Religious hues

Society

Off late, controversies have become confined to particular party in India. Though the agenda behind the splurging controversies are unknown to the public, the Prime Minister and his fellow men are curiously involving themselves in many notorious statements. The Taj Mahal controversy has just been subsided. Even the Kerala Tourism Board tweeted supporting the Master Piece that went viral. It is interesting to note that the Taj Mahal statement was thrown within a few days of BRD Medical College Case where 69 children died in 4 days. Does it show that controversies are voluntarily built to hide some flaws? What is Mersal Controversy? Several BJP members have taken offense to a scene in which Vijay's slams GST in his movie Mersal that released on 18th October. In the scene, Vijay’s ch

Oct162017 by talismanianNo Comments

When Diwali is redefined by Communal Rhetoric

Society

-Shreeja Prashanth The Supreme court has refused to vacate the ban imposed on the selling of fire crackers in the capital. Those who have already bought, can use it but it's sale is been prohibited till the end of this month . The Supreme Court commented that it felt “pained and sad” that a communal twist has been given to its order. The bench said that the ban is all about the concern of health of the masses and nothing else. It is devastating to see how some politicians and social media influencers fix such “healthy regulations” into the frames of religious perceptions. Going Green Going green is a phrase that is trending these years. When the children of 80's and 90's could remember going with their parents to buy crackers in huge sacks, the children of this generation are pro

Oct92017 by talismanianNo Comments

Sohan Roy’s Vision on Indian Cinema by 2020- Here is all about it!

Society

Sohan Roy is a well-known name in several fields,'Aries Group of Companies' a conglomerate he founded in 1998 has forayed into several industries from shipping, architecture, media production, television industry, event management, e-solutions and much more. However, he is best known as the director of 3D science fiction film 'Dam 999'. A businessman who wears many hats, Roy agreed to sit down with us amidst his busy schedule. Here are excerpts from the power-packed conversation. You started your career as a naval architect and then moved to build your own business. Tell us about your journey. Yes, I started my career as a naval architect. My parents were teachers. So I did not have any business background. Even as a student, I would run a...

Jun292017 by talismanianNo Comments

Understanding the elements of VUCA World

Society

An acronym frequently used, but most of us not familiar with is VUCA. An understanding of VUCA world will help leaders and organizations understand the world in which their business operates. The term VUCA, an acronym of Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous was originally used by the U.S. Army War College to describe extreme conditions during warfare. VUCA has more recently been adopted by an increasing number of entrepreneurs and organizations as a framework to approach different types of challenging situations bought about due to external factors such as economics , politics, society, advancing technology and the environment. To provide insight on the significance of VUCA for today’s leaders, and to high spot the importance of having the ability, skills and mindset to lead in VUCA

Apr272017 by talismanian1 Comment

Buddhism in Kerala

Society

Dr Ajay Sekher. The recent archeological excavations in Pattanam in Kerala and Kizhadi near Madurai in Tamil Nadu have revealed the extensive cultural presence of Buddhist missionaries in Kerala and Tamilakam. The abundance of the black and red ware or Indian roulette ware introduced in South India by these monks and nuns with the Brahmi script graffiti “Amana” on them testify the prolonged presence of Buddhism. It was the missionaries of Asoka who introduced the Dhamma or ethics along with the Brahmi script in South India way back in BC 3rd century. Accroding to historians Brahmanic Hindu religion was established only in AD 8th century in South India and Kerala in particular. Srimulavasam now known as Trikunnapuzha, Potiyil Malai now known as Agatiyarkudam and Sabarimalai were great Budd

Apr242017 by talismanianNo Comments

Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2017: The Queen has favourites

Society

Di Ball DISCLAIMER: As the unofficial, unsupported , self appointed Queen of Kochi and the biggest fan of the Kochi Muziris Biennale, the following reportage will be totally biased. After two incredibly successful iterations, the current Kochi Muziris 2016 Biennale is titled Forming in the Pupil of an Eye and curated by Sudarshan Shetty. Shetty explains that taking his cue from an old story of a sage and a young traveller, he has used the notion of the " eye as the only reflective organ of the body", and that his curatorial approach draws on the notion that the world "is not an image of one reality, but a reflection of multiple realities and of multiple possibilities in time. (....) As its own process, Forming in the Pupil of an Eye comes from that junction o f the physiological with...

Apr232017 by talismanianNo Comments

How art has began to change the lives of transgender people in India

Society

Kalki Subramaniam In this article, Kalki Subramaniam writes how through encouraging creativity among transgender people, a change is being brought for the psycho social wellbeing of their future. The majority of Indian transgender population (census of India 2011 survey says 4.88 lakhs, but it could be 5 times higher) is not educated, mostly ostracized by the family, thrown out of our homes and have lost the opportunity to study at school or college. This rejection makes us disqualified for well paid jobs and pushes us into the street for begging and sex work to make money to meet all their needs. While food and shelter become a priority, education fades away as a distant dream for us, and art is something not in our priority and needy list at all, we see it only in films or occasio...

Apr232017 by talismanian8 Comments

A Martyr for Women Liberation: Nangeli the Brave Avarna Woman who Ended the Breast-tax in Kerala

Society

Dr.Ajay Sekher It required the sacrifice of a brave Avarna woman called Nangeli of Chertalai in the current Alapuzha district of Kerala to end the infamous breast-tax in Kerala instituted by the erstwhile Travancore kingdom. There were more than 100 types of caste taxes imposed on the Avarna people, especially Nadars and Ezhavas in Travancore. This casteist custom was a form of humiliation of the former Buddhist Bahujans in Kerala who never accepted and succumbed to Brahmanical Hindu religion and its priestly-militia patriarchy. Caste and untouchability were punishments given to the broken Buddhist people who resisted the Brahmanic Varnasramadharma and caste as Ambedkar in his Who were the Sudras? or Who were the Untouchables? explains or Dr K Sugatan in his Buddhamatavum Jativy

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