NEVER SAY DIE….

Modern Times, a Charles Chaplin, 1936 movie was a laughter bug which bit the audience with a message. Indeed it would be an understatement to call it just a message as the movie revolves around a clear cut idea of spreading lot of social, economical and human emotions and problems.

Highlighting the plight of people during the Great Depression (a severe world wide economic depression after the World War II) and their frantic situation to get employed in a subtle yet so humorous way was the most outstanding feature brought out by the director-actor Charles Chaplin.

In a story which begins from The Tramp (one of the most famously recognized characters of Charles Chaplin) working in a factory where he has a nervous breakdown and is taken to a hospital. It is after his recovery that the main story begins. One after the other, incidents happen and put the Tramp in a position where he is either guilty of the crime or he wants to be guilty of a crime. To begin with, he was arrested as a misinterpreted communist leader. It is there that he realizes that life inside the prison is better than the world he has to move out into after serving his term. Proving to be a good, responsible and behaved citizen and prisoner, he is given a comfortable zone inside the prison itself from where he does not wish to move out from. However, after serving his term when he is released on good grounds and given a letter which would get him employment easily, he still leads a life of misery as things do not change for good.

Change occurs when the Tramp meets a young woman and takes care of her. Together they look for a house and employment both. When the Tramp is arrested again the girl finds a job in a café where she sings and dances for her audience. The girl is a runaway from an orphan house where she and hers sisters where taken after her father dies in a clash between the government and the unemployed people. After Charles Chaplin’s release, he also sings for the same café. But short-lived is their happiness as the officers from the orphan house find the girl. She is however not ready to go back and the Tramp and girl restore to running ending on a note where they do not wish to give up finding an employment and making a home for themselves-a never say die attitude.

Charles Chaplin has brought out all the necessary emotions and problems in a very in- the-face way where he has sharply yet subtly shown how the law and the government act in their own way imposing themselves on people. Where at one point, the government and law did little to employ the unemployed, poor, hungry ad starving people, on the other hand it imposed itself on the people clearing them away from streets, arresting without reasons and also getting hold of them by force under the name of security. The sharp contrast of the high class and the low class is also brought out well in the scene where the lady who sees the girl stealing a bread of loaf informs the police officer about the same. Resorting to means which are unlawful, by people who are tired of hunger is depicted well too. He is created his story in such a way that the audience could connect to the movie immediately as they are the ones on whom the entire story is based. More over, the characterization and the story of each character individually also give s more room to understanding in an audiences’ mind even if the character had appeared for hardly a few minutes.

All through out the movie one concept has clearly been kept in the mind-showing the problems through humor. The same scene carries both the extremes of the movie. For example, in the scene where the Tramp is fired at by the crooks is a sheer contrast as in one case it is funny with the Tramp not being able to balance himself on the skates and at the same time it is sad when the crooks tell him that they have taken to stealing only to feed themselves and meant no harm.

The music adds to the story and gives meaning to every scene. Though, the movie also has a few dialogues by a few characters, it was a silent movie. The direction of the movie is done in a way that the important scenes are shown with close up shots and the others with long shots, though the movie does not carry many face shots. The background and setting of the movie is made as realistic as possible and with no extra credits or efforts. The backgrounds are made by taking real places into consideration instead of making a set or scene or a back drop.

Considered to be one of Charles Chaplin’s best movies, it came as a good break of knowledge and humor to the people of that period. It is a remarkable story where Charles Chaplin has showed his talents, all as an actor, director, producer and screenwriter. He is at known to be at his best, because he was able to make the immediate connect ion with his spectators as he knew best about what they felt. He gave away messages and hints to make people understand that life is a struggle and it should go on. Giving up was no solution and the only thing that keeps life going is-never say die!

CULTURE, EXPERIENCE, IDENTITY: CONTEMPORARY PEOPLE

The Webster’s Dictionary defines the word contemporary to anything that occurs or exists at the same period of time. More often than not, the word contemporary is associated to music, culture and arts. Little is it understood with terms like society or modernisation except when used by historians or scholars. Anything which ranges from advancement in technology, working towards globalisation or women empowerment can be termed as a model in the realm of the contemporary world.

Personalities influence us in more than one ways and indeed they are a key role in deciding how the contemporary age differs or is similar to the present age. Every generation sees someone with a contemporary vision which differs from the rest. amPlus met Shwetha Ganesh Rao, a lady driving instructor from Sri Ganesh driving school and Guru Murthy, an ex lecturer in Manipal Institute of Communication (MIC) to get their views on the present and contemporary age.

Shwetha has been driving for the past nine years. She is working in Sri Ganesh since four years and has had varied experiences. She chose this as her first profession after her graduation. When enquired about why she chose this profession, zeal was her prompt reply. She has a passion for driving and loves to teach the same. She feels that being a woman makes her job easier as women are more patient and keep their cool when it comes to teaching. Her idea of being different by choosing such a profession was to prove to men that women are equally talented, smart and bold. She places herself in the present generation and says that it is easier to teach young people as they pick lessons quickly in comparison to the older people who take quite some time. Irrespective of the age, she thoroughly enjoys her work.

Lecturer Guru Murthy worked in MIC for five years. In his five years of experience he has seen himself in two varied generations and places himself in both of them. He is presently doing his PhD in two fields one of which is on the modern period and secondly a field work on pre-historic sites. He says that he admires the present generation because they have all the opportunities which his generation lacked. The present generation has greater knowledge and skills in what they do. They have a thirst for information and are mostly aware about the happening of the world. But he feels very dejected when he looks at the mannerisms and behavior patterns of the present generation. He sends out a message saying the world today is ‘horribly’ competitive and people have to understand the need to be best at what they do. They can’t simply get lured into random distractions. It is here where he is proud to be from a generation which is value and tradition bound and knows where to draw the line.

Every preceding generation learns something from the following generation. Stagnant thoughts and actions cannot be the reason for the development of any generation. Hence, believing in the old generation and improvising the ideas of the new generation should be the order of the society.

HOSTEL OR HOSTILE??

With teary eyes and heavy hearts most of us leave our homes. This isn’t true all the time though. Sometimes there are happy faces, faces which do not mind the outside world and consider it freedom as compared to their own homes. This is the scenario of not a bride leaving her own home and going to her groom’s place, this is about students leaving home to move into hostels.

Many students do not really have a lot of expectations when they move into hostels. A simple room (maybe a little big), well-lit place, a little open space in front of the hostel, mess with good edible food-maybe this is all they ask for. However, more often than not even in the best of the universities these basic needs are not looked into.

Many world class universities claim to have the best hostel facilities in vain. Students complain time and again about the various problems they have been facing in their hostels be it the ‘bugs’ or the bad ventilation, leaking roofs, bad bathrooms or unhygienic corridors. It all comes down to the same thing-students keep complaining and there is nobody to listen to them.

On a belief which is contrary to students, there is a disciplinary committee and a hostel committee which if not anything else atleast ‘claims’ to look into the problems of the students. This committee however exists in places where reaching it becomes another pain. Talking about the Manipal University, it has two different sections for hostel administration. One at KMC for the KMC and its branch students and the other for MIT and its students. However MIT also includes hostel sections for a lot of other colleges like MIC, MUTD, MIM, MIJM etc. This is where problem begins.

Though the administrative work has been divided in a very sensible and organised manner, students do not find it much to their benefit. These are students who do not study in MIT and come from other colleges. They do not stay anywhere close to MIT and hence every time they need to move to the hostel administration regarding any problems they have to travel a lot.

Students walk up and down the roads leading from Kamath Circle to MIT. This becomes a more common sight at the time of new sessions or during a new year. Students do the rounds of MIT to clear off pending dues, late fees and other tutorial expenses. This happens when there is some important work or any kind of permission which is to be taken from the Chief Warden. Be it the internet connections, hostel complaints, hostel fees, general notices and information regarding hostels. This story is about those who have to trail their way up to get the work done.

Here we are talking about THE problems students who are usually non-MITians face. The hostel department that is in MIT runs for all non KMC colleges. It looks into all the hostel dues, fee particulars, hostel complaints etc. Unfortunately it is placed only in one central building. It is true that everything at one place would help solve problems better but given the weather conditions and the restrictions on the entry of autos or other vehicles to certain limits, students find it difficult to crack their problems.

Also due to the confinement of all the sections in one central office the traffic of students increases which leads to overcrowding and also many students have to bunk their classes to complete the procedures well before time. They have to run down to the MIT campus in rain or sun every time. Students who don’t live in MIT face this situation very often. On the other hand it gets a little easier for the MIT students. Studying in the same area more often than not, they finish their work by a greater ease than the rest.

‘We have to travel up and down to MIT for everything each time. It gets more annoying when the authorities turn us down and ask us to come back again on another day’ Ekta Gupta, 2^nd year student of BBM was quoted as saying.

Most students who face this problem come up only with one solution. They wish to have independent departments of hostel sections in their own colleges. According to them this would solve their problems to a great extent. It would not only save time but would also come as a relief from the every time-running-to-MIT. They claim that because the university is interlinked to all its colleges it would not be very difficult for them to keep records. Also, the university maintains computed records of all the particulars hence it would not be difficult to keep track of the fee particulars of both hostel and tuition, of all students.

With a small idea which looks practical enough the students continue to keep their hope alive.

Another problem that the students have been facing very often is the hostel fees and over dues. It is set procedures that at the beginning of the semester students have to clear off any pending hostel or mess dues. However, the most painful thing that students feel in this procedure is that they are never given a break up of their expenditure or simply the details of the amount they pay. They are just given an amount which is to be paid. The situation worsens and sometimes gets heated up when the bills come close to five grand or more. In such situations surprised students do expect a breakup of the amount they have to pay.

“I already pay huge fees to live in the hostel and now I have to pay so much more. Worse still, they don’t even tell me what I am actually paying!” Rimjhim Jha, a 2^nd year BAJC student was quoted as saying. She’s not the only one. Many students crib about the bad facilities given to them inspite of the huge hostel fees which they pay each year.

Whenever these students have tried finding out what they are actually paying, accountants at the counter ask them to meet the Chief Warden. Dejected students hardly get to know anything as the Chief Warden himself or his office does not contain a breakup of the accounts. Even if they do, hardly do they inform the students about it. Also the situation is so bad that no matter even if the parents call to get answers the office turns them down with invalid reasons.

The mood swings of the hostel administration section have their own way. Irrespective of how the students behave with them, they always appear to be mad at something or someone. Little does this help the chaotic situation as this increases tension. More so the authorities end up being more hostile towards the students each year. Given that every new batch of students sees some amount of higher-growing aggressive students, the authorities can’t help but lose their temper easily.

Impossible to bring into friendly accord is what the dictionary defines hostility as. If this is true then only God knows what it would take to solve the problems of the students, the management and to get both these parties on good terms with one another! Until then enjoy hostel life….

THREE DAYS OF LAW, ORDER AND ‘BOOZE-LESS’ LIFE!

It is not a very often sight when everything closes in and around an almost B-Level University. Life at a full stop is a very rare scene in Manipal and Manipal University (MU). People who have studied in MU and passed out of it would not very much believe the words of the present students if they told them that MU closed down for full three days!

Yes, miracles happen and in their own rare way! Manipal closed down on the 30^th September till the 2^nd October. Following the orders from the government, all liquor shops, pubs, clubs and restaurants were to be closed on these three days. Life came to a halting stop not only to people who consume alcohol but also to people who wanted to eat out.

This happened post Ayodhya Verdict where people were asked to stay indoors as section 144 was enforced. “When we can no longer blame things on liquor, or war's reaction, we may begin to suspect that human nature itself is a little faulty.” This was said by an unknown author and stands to be true. The human nature has seen a lot of changes post the verdict. The verdict ‘vacation’ was followed by Gandhi Jayanthi-the official ‘dry day.’ All these put together got a minimal amount of restriction on the liquor stores and the pubs and discs of Manipal.

When asked about the verdict and its consequences many liquor and pub store owners refused to open up or comment. Some of them however gave vague comments about it. “I don’t think people really care about the verdict. I did run a loss though and it would take me atleast two weeks to recover it, maybe more” Sharad, Manager of Sky Lounge told The Manipal Journal (TMJ). He also adds that people came thronging back on Sunday. Some wanted to dance away while some wanted their own favourite liquor back.

The losses incurred list is long. Even the Co-owner at DeeTee, Amit Kumar Shetty said “I have to pay government taxes and even pay salaries to my employees. These holidays don’t count as casual leave either.”

Students have their own perspective in this matter. “I don’t think liquor shops should be closed in the name of religion or God” an MIT student, who wished to be anonymous, was quoted as saying.

There is an annual tax that is to be paid by all pub o disc owners. Holidays are included in it but not wholly described due to which the three day holiday fell as a loss to many owners. The complete tax of all three days had to be given from the pockets of the owners. One of the pub owners who wished to remain anonymous told TMJ that they have to pay approximately Rs. 1400 a day and Rs.5 lakh annually which is to be paid for the number of days that they run. Also if the pub owners provide its customers with bus facility a part of the tax is exempted on that too. The verdict came in as a very dear affair, so much so that some of them had to cancel their orders too. Most others just postponed it. However there was atleast two days loss which they had to bear.

“I think if I would have filed an application, even I would get a piece of land. The decision was more like any Pachayati decision not that I would say it was good or bad” Krishna Prasad Hegde was quoted as saying.

Not only were the liquor shops, restaurants and pubs affected even the general life was. People preferred staying indoors. Better still many students left to their natives or hometowns to spend time with family and friends. It came in as a refreshing break to them.

The Blue Waters Manager, Jaganath, however said that his business did not run into any loss. He dint notice much change in the attitude of people either. Instead he told TMJ that people were in fact happy about things running in action again.

“I thought things would fall apart further. Given that the Common wealth Games were to begin from the 3^rd October, I predicted chaos. But things went smooth. And for students, we thought we would study, while we just willed time away” quips Akashay Pariti, a third year Bio-tech student from MIT.

India is a free country and people need to accept the decision of the verdict. People who don’t accept this they have moved to the Supreme Court, others continue to quip, while Manipal is back in action!

DEFENDERS SEEK HELP

Highlighting the plight of ex-servicemen, especially wives of deceased personnel, several hundreds former soldiers and officers protest silently.

This chapter is about the plight of those people who battle it out on the borders, keeping awake, protecting the country from any kind of foreign invasion. They are the men and women who work for the Indian Armed forces. The job that these people do is higher in comparison to any other jobs. They work in inhuman conditions, live through snow and rain, survive on minimum food, barely see their families, do not enjoy the pleasures of a luxurious life and yet they work for the country and towards the betterment of the same.

They do so much but what do they get? The plight of the ex-servicemen is in a terrible condition. Newspapers flashes with the poor state of these people when they retire are quite common. Every few days there is an article talking about ex-servicemen either selling their medals, returning the same, staging dharnas etc. With a meager pension which does not suffice and cannot support their living, they move to such methods so that someone could hear them. And they are hearing, no doubt. But in a way that leaves them frustrated or anguished so badly that their self esteem and pride that they had been carrying for so long, comes shattering down.

Politicians here them out but in their own fashion. As the media goes about hyping the plight of the ex-servicemen, politicians lend them a deaf ear, pull out a few reforms on a temporary basis and then go back to their sweet slumber. This is ‘amazing’, as little do the politicians realise what these servicemen have gone through.

Deeply hit by the careless attitude, they continue to stage protests in their own silent ways, hoping that one day things would change for the good in their favour, until then they continue to adopt to desperate measures like retuning their medals which ‘were’ the symbol of pride to them.

MY ALEX CLASS: IT TOOK A WILD SHAPE-FANTASY

An ordinary day and an ordinary class…yes it was boring, like I was any surprised. I always said I needed a moment which could inspire me to write anything, and then it was….

Alex Chandy, my sports journalism lecturer, was talking about sports…or wait, was it about cricket. It seemed to me and many more that he was somehow obsessed with cricket only. He talked about people from cricket, cricket endorsements, cricket ads, cricket jersey, cricket, cricket, and cricket.

Then I thought, maybe I was wrong in thinking that there were other sports in the world too!

Luckily, to break my chain of thoughts came the Commonwealth Games. It saved the day for us…no that’s what we all thought, until that became his next obsession…and while he preached on my friend Flora said, “Sir, you mean ‘commonless’ games?” obviously not loud!

He told us that we should follow the news about this ‘commonless’ games which somehow a few of us were doing. All that inefficiency of the government and the horrible lack of management show how wonderfully it has been planned. Delhi is in a mess and the people are at their wits end bearing the nuisance each day! It is all about the big words, big money and no use! Nonetheless, hope continues that one day it would be good. Hope, it aways remains, work shall follow anyway!

Then the topic moved on to money. This time it was about how the media earns huge chunks of money from sports. Or maybe even the other way round. It’s always about money isn’t it?

Cricket followed again. My chain of thoughts started running again. This time I wondered if he had any idea about any other sports. Then I thought it has been just two classes let’s wait a little longer. What’s the harm?

I caricatured him, kept writing about what he was speaking, being barely interested in what the class was all about because somehow I could not consider it as sports journalism but cricket journalism.

I am not really fond of cricket sorry sports journalism so there was a minimum interest I had towards the class. This interest came to end with his closing speech on how sports journalism was important with examples mainly from the world of cricket.

Everyone around me thought what was so interesting about the class that I was taking down notes of what my Sir spoke. I just held up the caricature and said, “This is what it was all about!”

REFORM TO HISTORY ITSELF

There’s a famous quote by people who don’t like to study and it goes: I was born intelligent but education ruined me! Little do I wish they had seen ‘Freedom Writers’ they would never say this again.

Chaos in the world never ends. Neither did it then nor will it now. There is so much unrest in the world that no one finds time to rest. At a time, especially then where the world (here, America) was dealing with a crisis involving many things like identity, space, land and most of all lives, someone had to take a step forward.

Mending someone’s life at their own cost is indeed a deed which requires much courage and valour. It needs selflessness and a kind and open heart. Ms. Erin Gruwell did exactly that. She reformed the lives of a lot of students by giving up her own life and joys.

The methods employed by her were appropriate and precise. Though they were at some point child-like but they favoured the then situation very well. To teach a 14 or a 15 year old kid, something beyond manners, in fact a way to live life itself was a tough challenge which she accomplished pretty well.

Binding anyone with love is not very difficult. When it comes to men it becomes easier because everyone has a weak corner somewhere. In this movie the kids have seen a lot more than they are supposed to and have done things way beyond imagination. Gang war conflicts have affected them young. Due to panic and fear, which surrounds them, these kids restore to methods which take their lives away.

In a situation like this, hearing them out was important. Understanding what they were going through was essential to take a step towards their welfare. At the same time, making them aware of the fact that the problem they shared was common to a lot many was equally important.

Providing information, making them aware of the situation and the commonalities they shared, teaching them through personal or inspirational life experiences was a wonderful way to change minds.

There was enough hatred in the minds and hearts of these youngsters and stooping down to their levels, being a kid herself was what the situation had called for. She did exactly that. Talking about the trips she had taken her students to was also a wonderful idea. It helped them in moving to places where they could see and learn things which told a story like their own but in a different manner.

A new place, good environment, a beautiful ambience, helped the students see a brighter side of life. All these put together helped them reform their life and also many others which were to come. It helped them speak the truth and stand up for the right.

A story which went down well in the pages of history, reformed lives and thus created a revolution. It was a one woman show but it was indeed a collective effort.