Uniting India
Archive for May, 2012
Prakasham Panthulu – The Lion of Andhra
May 30th
Tanguturi Prakasham Pantulu was an Indian freedom fighter and the first Chief Minister of the state of Andhra. He was widely revered as ”Andhra Kesari”( The Lion of Andhra) .
Prakasham Panthulu was born on 23 August 1872 to Subbamma and Venkata Narasimham in a Niyogi Brahmin family in Guntur district . When he was 11, his father passed away and his mother had to run a boarding house (restaurant) at Ongole to make ends meet and ensure that her kids had good education. When E. Hanumantha Rao Naidu, his mentor and teacher at school, shifted to Rajahmundry, he took Prakasham along with him as that place had better opportunities for education. Though interested in becoming a lawyer since childhood, Prakasham failed to clear his matriculation examination as he fell into bad company and regularly entered into brawls apart from devoting a lot of time to acting in plays. He however managed to go to Madras and become a second-grade pleader. He became a successful lawyer in Rajahmundry and made a lot of money in a short time. He also became well regarded in a short period of time and was elected as the Chairman of Rajahmundry when he was 30. More >
The Story of Mandana Misra Vs. Shri Adi Shankara
May 28th
Six primary orthodox schools of philosophy exist in India. They are – nyaya, vaisheshika, mimamsa, vedanta, sankhya and yoga. At different periods in time, India has produced exceptional scholars who were unconditional masters in these respective schools of thought. It has often been the custom among learned men to debate the merits and demerits of these various systems of philosophy. When one scholar won, typically the other would renounce his philosophy to serve the winner as a disciple. Of course, the disciple’s disciples also became new disciples. One such famous debate took place between the two very renowned scholars – Adi Shankara and Mandana Misra .
During the time of Shankaracharya, the school of Purvamimamsa, which believed in the strict and theoretical observance of rituals, reigned supreme. Shankara realized that unless he was able to win over this powerful rival, his goal of spiritually re-unifying India would remain difficult to fulfill. The foremost proponent of this sect was the great scholar Kumarila Bhatta, who lived in Prayaga itself. When Shankara reached Kumarila’s place he saw a strange and horrific sight. Placed in a courtyard was a huge pyre lighted with slow burning rice-husk. At the center of the flames could More >
K.V.Reddy: Director from Golden Age
May 28th
If anyone who is fond of Telugu cinema is asked a question to name their favorite film in Telugu, 8 out of 10 would take the name of Maya Bazaar. Such is the aura of the film that it remains as one of the best known brands of Telugu film world. All those who have acted in this epic are remembered by their screen names and most of the technicians who have worked are remembered for their contribution to cinema as a whole. One man who coordinated all their efforts and brought out the Classic and also directed many more gems in his career is KV Reddy.
He was the man who strove for discipline and values and remained as one throughout his life. Kadiri Venkata Reddy hailed from Anantapur district. He spent his child hood at Tadipatri in the guardianship of his uncle. He finished his graduation Bsc (Hons) from Madras, present Chennai. By that time he developed keen interest in literature and wrote a series of poems which were published under the title of “Pattabhi Panchangam and Fidelu Ragaalu Dozen”.
Those were the days Cinema was finding its feet and also just learnt how to speak. KV Reddy too was More >
Kannagi- A Legendary Tamil Woman
May 25th
Most of the people who speak Tamil have heard of Silappadhikaram. If that does not ring a bell, then surely seeing Kannagi’s statue on the Marina Beach they would. The story of Kannagi presents our Dharma in its glory as it is interpreted across centuries of different lands of Bharata Varsha. Its outward manifestations might change – The PanTHa(s) (path, sect) might be different, the language employed may be varied – but the inner core symbolizing eternal dharma remains constant. Silappadhikaram– the poetic rendition of Kannagi’s story – was written by Ilango Adigal approximately in 1st century CE. It was a principal contribution to Tamil literature in the Sangam period. This epic is one among the five classical Tamil literary works.
Kannagi and Kovalan were happily married couple and lived in a town called Poombuhar in Tamil Nadu. Kannagi was a devout wife. One day Kovalan met a court dancer called Madhavi and was taken into her. Infatuated by her beauty, he squandered away all his wealth on her and completely neglected his wife, Kannagi. It was not until after Kovalan lost all his wealth, that he realized the magnitude of his sins. He beseeched Kannagi to forgive him and accept him back. She More >
The Trinity of Carnatic Music
May 25th
Music is an integral part of Indian’s life. Classical music indeed brings peace and harmony to the soul. Musical renditions have the power to lift man from depression into ecstasy, especially when sung with a devotional note. In an earlier post on Hindustani music, we had seen the contribution of the legendary Pandit Bhatkhande in helping to sustain the survival of Hindustani classical music. Hindustani music is to northern India what Karnataka Sangeetam (Carnatic Music) is to South India. Like the former, Carnatic music is also highly systematized. In fact classical Carnatic music is one of the world’s oldest and richest musical traditions. ” Carna” means ear. Carnatic Music means music pleasing to listen to.
In the modern era three musicians had seminal influence on the evolution and popularization of Carnatic music – Saint Tyagaraja, Muthuswamy Dikshitar and Shyama Shastri. They were the Trinity of Carnatic music. They were each prolific composers with unique styles and were contemporaries who lived during the period between 1760 and 1850 in the Kaveri delta of Tamil Nadu. Even today songs written by them constitute an integral part of Carnatic music concerts. This post narrates short anecdotes from each of this trinity’s life.
Saint Tyagaraja:
Saint More >
Gayaka Chakravarthy Ghantasala
May 23rd
It is possible that someone else was accorded more recognition, better paid, more in demand (hardly any),won more awards or titles. But for generations of Telugu people born between 1940 and 1985, Venkateswara Rao, popularly known as Ghantasala was numero uno and no one else stood a chance for this special place in their hearts. Before Ghantasala found himself in the spotlight of public attention, through the media of films and gramophone records, he was an accomplished singer with impeccable training in Carnatic and Hindustani music. He composed music in in several Telugu and Tamil movies and sang in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalm movies. According to V.A.K. Ranagarao ”the most majestic voice”, Ghantasala helped Telugu film music develop its own distinct character which remains unparalleled.
Ghantasala was born on 4 December 1922 in Choutupalle near Gudivada into an ordinary family. His father Surayya was an itinerant singer of Narayana Teertha’s tarangas; he also played the mridanga. He was the first teacher of Venkateswara Rao since childhood. Ghantasala would dance, as a child of six to his father’s singing of taranga-s and this earned him the title of Bala Bharata. Surayya, who was always more into music and musing than looking after the family fortunes, More >
Old Is Gold
May 21st
“The tragedy of old age is not that one is old, but that one is young. “- Oscar Wilde.
A man’s life is normally divided into five stages namely-infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age. There are 81 million older people in india. According to an estimate nearly 40% of senior citizens living with their family are reportedly facing abuse of one kind or another, but only one in six cases actually come to light. Isn’t it a shame for us? Our country boasts of its great heritage, culture and morals but what is actually happening. It’s time to introspect, the fast dwindling culture and moral values, or else they will be confined to some spiritual books.
When a man or a woman turns 60, he/she is supposed to have a list of things to worry about, be it their degrading health, their loss of vision, their inability to be active and lively and the loss of external beauty. However, there is one part of old age that people would love to experience and that is the care, affection and love their children and grandchildren flood them with. Even for a glass of water they demand, they have a number of More >
Andhra Pradesh- Maharashtra Connection
May 18th
Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra are not only Border States but have strong connection in customs and relationship even mainly due to the fact that Marathwada region of Maharashtra was part of the erstwhile Nizam Sate. Marawada people feel more at home at Hyderabad rather than visiting Mumbai, their capital city. Many Maharashtrians have settled in Telangana region of A.P, mainly in Hyderabad since many decades. Many Telugu people especially from Telangana region are settled especially in Mumbai and Solapur. Some of the customs in Telangana region are similar to Maharashtrians. There are many inter linguist marriages between Marathi and Telugu people. Famous Telugu poet Kaloji Narayan Rao is Maharashtrian. His family members are settled at Warangal.
There were two schools, Keshav Memorial High School and Vivekavardhini High School started by Maharashtrians in Hyderabad. Both these schools have grown up into big institutions. Chatrapati Shivaji and Babasaheb Ambedkar are household names in A.P. At one time Balgangadhar Tilak and Gopal Krishna Gokhale also were very popular names in A.P. There may be a million Telugu Shivajis named after Chatrapati. There are still hundreds of Telugu Tilaks and Gokhales in the age group of 60 years and above. Parents named their children Balgangadhar More >
1912 photos of Calcutta found in a Peter Lord shoebox in Edinburgh
May 15th
Amazing collection of photographs depicting life in India a century ago are found in an old shoebox. A tennis party pose among tea trolleys: full-length dresses and sun hats for the ladies; shirt-sleeve order, neat moustaches and optional pipe for the men are some of the photographs among them.
One image shows buildings in the city of Calcutta lit up over the Lal Dighi body of water, commemorating a British royal visit, while another depicts ships arriving at the Chandpal Ghat, the main landing site for visitors to the city along the Hooghly River.
All 178 of the plate-glass negatives were found inside a size-nine Peter Lord shoebox by the Royal Commission for the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) in Edinburgh. All 178 images are about 100 years old.
A Tennis party poses (one, far right, with a pipe) among tea trolleys in this photo taken in India around a century ago.
Two men stick dance in front of a crowd in Maidan, Calcutta. The dance represents a mock fight between legendary warrior Durga and the mighty demon king Mahishasura.
Buildings on the south-east side of Lal Dighi, Calcutta, lit at night for the 1912 British royal visit by King George V and More >
Health Benefits: Honey and Cinnamon
May 15th
WHOEVER DISCOVERED:
Honey is the only food on the planet that will not spoil or rot. What it will do is what some call ‘turning to sugar’. In reality, honey is always honey. However, when left in a cool dark place for a long time it will “crystallize”. When this happens, loosen the lid, boil some water and place the honey container in the hot water, but turn off the heat and let it liquefy naturally. It is then as good as it ever was. Never boil honey or put it in a microwave. This will kill the enzymes in the honey.
FACTS OF HONEY AND CINNAMON COMBINATION: It is found that a mixture of honey and Cinnamon cures most diseases. Honey is produced in most of the countries of the world. Scientists of today also accept honey as a ‘Ram Ban’ (very effective) medicine for all kinds of diseases. Honey can be used without side effects for any kind of diseases. Today’s science says that even though honey is sweet, when it is taken in the right dosage as medicine, it does not harm even diabetic patients. Weekly World News, a magazine in Canada , in its issue dated 17 January, 1995 More >
