Preetham Adiga

Universities are supposed to be places where truth can be spoken without fear. They claim to nurture critical thinking, intellectual freedom, and ethical responsibility. When an institution is granted the prestigious label of an Institute of Eminence , the expectation is even higher: that it represents the best values of academia. My experience as a PhD scholar within such an institution forced me to confront a painful contradiction between those ideals and the reality I encountered. This blog is not written out of bitterness alone. It is written because silence protects systems that harm the very people who keep them running. Witnessing the Treatment of the Most Vulnerable One of the earliest incidents that disturbed me deeply involved retired housekeeping staff. These were individuals who had spent years serving the institution quietly and faithfully. What I witnessed during certain interactions involving them left me uncomfortable and troubled. The tone and manner in which they were...

Colours of Passion and the Politics of Art Art has been a subject of debate and discussions throughout history. Several artists had to face opposition from others for the elements portrayed in their artworks. ‘Freedom of Expression’ is a term that has been often contested. But how much liberty does an artist have to express in the name of art? Is art independent of menial politics, or is it obliged to abide to politics for its survival? These questions remain valid in all societies and at all times. Although acclaimed critically for its depiction of art elements, Ketan Mehta’s Rang Rasiya (Colours of Passion) is not his best artwork, especially when we expect it from the same director, who has given us Mirch Masala and Mangal Pandey: The Rising . Perhaps it is due to the jam-packing of numerous topics such as the biopic, the unusual love story of an artist and the societal issues prevailing in the colonial 19 th century put into a tight frame that overloads the screentim...

The Melody of a Cuckoo: A review of Satyajit Ray’s Charulata Charulata or The Lonely Wife is Satyajit Ray’s sixteenth film. In one of the interviews, he had mentioned that Charulata is his most favourite personal film. Even several critics opine that Charulata is the finest of Ray’s works.Despite being released half a century ago, Charulata continues to amaze film lovers and critics with its aesthetically appealing visuals and lyrical rendering of the story. Charulata is based on Rabindranath Tagore’s novella Nastanirh (The Broken Nest). The plot of the story revolves around Charulata (played by Madhabi Mukherjee)– the lonely wife of Bhupati, who runs a political newspaper in Bengal. Although the timeline in the novella is 1900s, Satyajit Ray has adopted it to be in 1880s where the Bengal Renaissance was at its peak. Bhupati is a workaholic, who is highly influenced by Brahmo philosophy and is passionate about bringing a change in society. In his view, modern writers...

An Ode to the Fools who Dream It has been quite some time since the release of 2016 Hollywood musical La La Land , yet its music never gets old! Hollywood musicals are generally popular among young masses because of their dreamy narratives, although they are commonly interpreted to be out of touch from reality. However, in case of La La Land , the fantasy is consolidated with strong doses of reality through lyrical rendering. No wonder the movie received multiple nominations due to the superimposed themes of reality and fantasy melding the storyline. The most profound lines in the film can be found in the song “The Fools Who Dream” rendered by Emma Stone who plays the role of Mia. Towards the end of the film, Mia – who has failed in her acting aspirations as well as personal relationship – sings the song as a part of auditioning for one last acting role. At this point in the story, Mia will be tired of giving failed auditions repeatedly and is in the verge of letting go of he...

Isolation of Worlds: A Review of Girish Kasaravalli’s Rain Drama – Dweepa Anyone who has watched the film Dweepa instantaneously notices these three things: the lavishing greenery, exuberant water and evocative music. As this film had won national awards, it was often televised on Doordarshan. So for many of Indian millennials, Dweepa invokes a strong feeling of nostalgia since Doordarshan and spending time with nature were a part of their childhoods. Released in 2002, Dweepa is a Kannada film directed by the one of the most celebrated director of our time – Girish Kasaravalli. Based on a novel by Norbert D’souza, it’s plot revolves around a family living in a village named Sita Parvata situated on the banks of Bhagavati River in Malnad region. The family consists of Duggappa – a lower class oracle, his son Ganapa and daughter-in-law Nagi. The family earns its bread solely by performing Nema (a folk ritual where the oracle addresses the problems of devotees) in their inher...

The interlacing theme of Hope v/s Melancholy: It’s Another Day of Sun! It’s the grand opening scene of Damien Chazelle’s celebrated 2016 Musical – La La Land . The scene begins with the panning shot of a traffic jam on a freeway. The diegetic sound of a radio suggests, it’s a warm and sunny day in Los Angeles. The camera pans, showing different cars caught up in the traffic jam –with drivers listening to music of different genre. This also implies at the multicultural diversity in LA - the City of Dreams, where people from various ethnic backgrounds and cultures come in search of their dreams. Ultimately, an Indian woman in yellow dress (played by Reshma Gajjar) starts to sing a song.   She steps out of her car and begins to display her dramatic moves. Other drivers join her one by one – singing and dancing. Ultimately about 30 performers merry, dance, jump, hop up and down across the freeway, as well as on their cars - singing “it’s another day of sun”.  Although...