Thoughts Unlimited

Ayudham Seivom (Tamil) - Review

Gandhian ideas have helped forge a box office hit in Bollywood, in the form of Lage Raho Munna Bhai. Now, Udhayan and Pyramid Saimira has tried to replicate this success, in the context of Kollywood.  It is to be seen, whether this success formula works out well in the southern part of our country.

Story line is pretty simple.  A Gandhian-turned-rogue, Satya played by Sundar. C, follows the path of ahimsa to punish a corrupt politician.  But the core of the story comes up only towards the last 45 minutes of the movie.  All time before that were spent (read as wasted) in some regular colorful pieces and trying hard to bring the audience to this point.

Vivek has fared well, when compared to a few of his earlier movies.  Music is below average and better avoid the songs.  Anjali has been included in the picture to add some glamor to the eyes; nothing more.  Napolean, Nasser and Vijayakumar have done well in their respective roles.

Sundar. C has worked a bit on his acting; but a lot to improve.  Noisy introduction does not suit him.  I would like him avoid these, in his next venture and concentrate more on his acting skills.

Barring a few hiccups, the movie has done pretty well, in my opinion.  Go watch it.  It’s a feel good one.  Satyameva Jeyathe!!

Thirukkural - Adhigaram of the week - 104 Uzhavu(Agriculture)

Translation in English

1031
Howe’er they roam, the world must follow still the plougher’s team;
Though toilsome, culture of the ground as noblest toil esteem.
Agriculture, though laborious, is the most excellent (form of labour); for people, though they go about
(in search of various employments), have at last to resort to the farmer.

1032
The ploughers are the linch-pin of the world; they bear
Them up who other works perform, too weak its toils to share.
Agriculturists are (as it were) the linch-pin of the world for they support all other workers who
cannot till the soil.

1033
Who ploughing eat their food, they truly live:
The rest to others bend subservient, eating what they give.
They alone live who live by agriculture; all others lead a cringing, dependent life.

1034
O’er many a land they ‘ll see their monarch reign,
Whose fields are shaded by the waving grain.
Patriotic farmers desire to bring all other states under the control of their own king.

1035
They nothing ask from others, but to askers give,
Who raise with their own hands the food on which they live.
Those whose nature is to live by manual labour will never beg but give something to those who beg.

1036
For those who ‘ve left what all men love no place is found,
When they with folded hands remain who till the ground.
If the farmer’s hands are slackened, even the ascetic state will fail.

1037
Reduce your soil to that dry state, When ounce is quarter-ounce’s weight;
Without one handful of manure, Abundant crops you thus secure.
If the land is dried so as to reduce one ounce of earth to a quarter, it will grow plentifully even without
a handful of manure.

1038
To cast manure is better than to plough;
Weed well; to guard is more than watering now
Manuring is better than ploughing; after weeding, watching is better than watering (it).

1039
When master from the field aloof hath stood;
Then land will sulk, like wife in angry mood.
If the owner does not (personally) attend to his cultivation, his land will behave like an angry wife
and yield him no pleasure.

1040
The earth, that kindly dame, will laugh to see,
Men seated idle pleading poverty.
The maiden, Earth, will laugh at the sight of those who plead poverty and lead an idle life.

Tamil Kural Courtesy: http://www.cs.utk.edu/~siddhart/thirukkural/

English Translation Courtesy:  ThirukkuraL English Translation & Commentary Translated by Rev.G.U.Pope