Haunting Voices: Heard and Unheard Gudipati Venkata Chalam -Syamala Kallury “Hi Grandma, who is the lady that will come out of your sea of magic today?” “It is not a lady today, it is a male story teller. Actually, we need not categorise writers as men and women separately. We don’t say a woman lawyer, […]
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Cineflections-15 Kharij – Bengali, 1982 -Manjula Jonnalagadda According to the 2011 census there are 10.1 million child laborers working in India. There are laws against child labor, but they are rarely enforced. Kharij is a film directed by Mrinal Sen based on a novel by Ramapada Chowdhury. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival […]
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To tell a tale-5 -Chandra Latha Chapter-I (Part-4) The Native American Indian story tellers like Benjamin Whorf (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Lee_Whorf) Franz Boas(https://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Franz_Boas), think that the native narrators do not experience themselves, or life as narrative grammar, or pattern or Euro-American space and time. Discussing the vibrant role of story, beyond fabula, and in resistance to Euro-American […]
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My Life Memoirs-5 My Life, Full of Beautiful Memories -Venigalla Komala 6. My First Job I handled secondary grade training classes and two high-school sections apart from supervising training classes of B.Ed. students and guiding them in English Methodology. In the hostel Ms. Vasantha and Ms. Josephine (both B.Ed. students) were my close friends. I […]
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Cineflections-14 Ghatashraddha – Kannada 1977 -Manjula Jonnalagadda Widows in India didn’t remarry until a few decades ago. Young widows mostly spent time at their parents’ home mostly doing household chores. Ghatashraddha is a film made by Girish Kasaravalli based on a novella by U.R. Ananthamurthy. The script and dialogue were penned by K.V. Subbanna who […]
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Haunting Voices: Heard and Unheard Malati Chandur -Syamala Kallury “Hello grandma. How are you doing? Have you been talking to the sea of late?” “Yes, of course. You know when I was young, I had to go a town 200 km away from my home to join as a lecturer. Till then we were living […]
Continue ReadingTo tell a tale-4 -Chandra Latha Chapter-I (Part-3) Narratology and Novel In narrative theory, the actant is a term from the actantial model of semiotic analysis of narratives. Greimas’s actantial model reveals the structural roles typically performed in storytelling, such as “hero, villain (opponent of hero), object (of quest), helper (of hero) and sender (who […]
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My Life Memoirs-4 My Life, Full of Beautiful Memories -Venigalla Komala 5. MY STUDIES IN ANDHRA UNIVERSITY VISAKHAPATNAM (1955-58 ) My father wanted me to study law. I always dreamed of being an English teacher, so I wanted to join B.A. (Hons) English Literature and language. My brother applied to both on my behalf. He […]
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Amazing Grace! -Satyavani Kakarla We are surrounded by inspirational people, of all genders and ages. Some really make a difference, move you to transcend in a special way just hearing about them in several places, in person and in thoughts. Few weeks back, social media was rolling, filling space with one such human being – […]
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Need of the hour -4 What Next! A Question @ Every Adversity… -J.P.Bharathi Right from the day an individual appears on this earth, the struggle for existence begins. In fact, the struggle for existence begins much much before we realise and understand the worldly situations. We live most of our life as a child in […]
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Haunting Voices: Heard and Unheard Sourees -Syamala Kallury “Hi, Grandma, are you ready with your story tonight?” asked Gautam as he entered the room. “Yes, I am. In fact, before you came, I thought of one unusual story. You might like it, I think.” “Umm… unusual, is it?” “Surely it is unusual for the times […]
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Cineflections-13 Mirch Masala – Hindi, 1987 -Manjula Jonnalagadda Sexual violence is common throughout the history of humans. It is often used to subjugate women. Mirch Masala is a film made by Ketan Mehta. It was nominated for the best picture at the Moscow Film Festival in 1987. It won the National Award for the best […]
Continue ReadingTo tell a tale-3 -Chandra Latha Chapter-I (Part-2) Narratology and Novel This pioneering structuralism theory, distinctively developed, is based on the study of narrative in literature or Narratology. However, Lévi-Strauss’s theory was pre-figured to the theoretical lineage to Aristotle, but modern narratology is agreed to have begun with the Russian formalist Valdamore Propp. Since Aristotle plots […]
Continue ReadingNeed of the hour -3 Individual a Resource, A Research Centre -J.P.Bharathi Why dwell elsewhere when everything lies within us? We come across varied people in our everyday life. There is lot to know, understand and learn from every one. But we don’t. Why? Because, – we are hooked for a purpose. We are out […]
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My Life Memoirs-3 My Life, Full of Beautiful Memories -Venigalla Komala 3.The people of my village Justice Avula Sambasiva Rao and his mother Ms. Bapamma were the richest people in Mulpuru. But they were very humble and respectful to people, and that is why the whole family earned the esteem of the villagers. He was […]
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The Pandemic! -Satyavani Kakarla Another quarter has passed… Covid scare is lurking from several months, beginning the start of 2020 till now and forecasted into future. What a year it has been. Trust all are taking good care, your loved ones, emotions, and the community at large and surroundings. Things changed for all of us, […]
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Diary of a New Age Girl Chapter 9 Fake News -Varudhini Bubonic plague confirmed in Mongolia and China. You might have seen headlines like this in the news recently, but what does it really mean? Do we have to deal with another coronavirus-type pandemic? It’s easy to view what’s on the screen in front of […]
Continue ReadingTo tell a tale-2 -Chandra Latha Chapter-I Narratology and Novel The human being is considered a thinking animal and he is a social being by nature. One can surmise that the human being’s psychological inclination for communication is shaped the emergence of a society. The narration is seeded in the dire necessity of meaningful communication […]
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Cineflections-12 Vanaja – Telugu, 2007 -Manjula Jonnalagadda Vanaja means the one born in a forest, untamed and pure! It is also another name of Parvathi, the goddess of strength. Vanaja was a film directed by Rajnesh Domalpalli. It played at a lot of film festivals including the Toronto and Berlin Film Festivals. It won 26 […]
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Haunting Voices: Heard and Unheard A Silent Revolution -Syamala Kallury “Hello grandma, are you sleeping?” “No not yet. Come! What, do you really want to hear the stories I heard from the sea of stories?” “Of course, I do. Why else do you think I am here?” “Okay, let me think! Whose story do you […]
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A message from the past-The Phoenix -Satyavani Kakarla A message from the past, couple years ago. My walk that day led me to this message from the sky…The Phoenix! I enjoy walking wherever it is, blessed to be surrounded by serene sceneries most of the time, one day I had stepped out on a contemplative […]
Continue ReadingMy Life Memoirs-2 My Life, Full of Beautiful Memories -Venigalla Komala 1.My Village – Mulpuru Mulpuru is considered a big village with planned houses and roads. A few houses of rich people are spacious; almost all houses have tiled roofs though here and there we find thatched roofs too. We have two small lakes on […]
Continue ReadingNeed of the hour -2 Innovate to Enterprise -J.P.Bharathi How can we improve our talent or skill! We need constant and genuine thinking in the prime years of our life and dedicate ourselves to learn with enthusiasm. We should be able to understand that there is only one thing that can preserve or perish an […]
Continue ReadingTo tell a tale-1 -Chandra Latha On the Other Note (Intro: To Tell a Tale) “Why do you need a Ph.D.? Instead, focus on your fiction. Your fiction is expected for both research and study.” “Any student can be trained to write a dissertation, but not to write fiction. Mind it!” “For sure, your fiction […]
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Haunting Voices: Heard and Unheard Telugu Short Stories -Syamala Kallury She is a familiar sight. People who come to the beach everyday see her there. Always in the same place – on the last bench, in a corner, staring at the sea. And people wonder why there was never anyone with her. She sits silently […]
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My Life Memoirs-1 My Life, Full of Beautiful Memories -Venigalla Komala Introduction My life treated me wonderfully well. My parents raised me with love and care. They gave me all comforts of life and a good education. My three sisters and my brother showered me with lots of affection as I was their baby sister. […]
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Cineflections-11 Ashani Sanket (Distant Thunder) – Bengali 1973 -Manjula Jonnalagadda 2.5 to 3 million (5% of the population) died in the great famine of Bengal due to starvation in one of the worst man-made disaster of 20th century. Ashani Sanket was a film directed by Satyajit Ray based on the novel written by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay. […]
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Nature Photography Day! -Satyavani Kakarla It was June 15th, a day called on us to celebrate and remind many things and it should, which we would otherwise take it for granted. One of the eventful reminders among others was coined Nature Photography Day; to reminisce and bring to awareness. Speaking of Nature around (will come […]
Continue ReadingNeed of the hour -1 EFFICIENCY IN THE ERA OF TECHNOLOGY -J.P.Bharathi In this beautiful world, man has travelled a long way in almost all walks of life. If we look at the journey of a man, it’s really amazing. For his smooth and comfortable livelihood, human being made everything in nature an instrument for […]
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Diary of a New Age Girl Chapter 8 The End, But Not Really -Varudhini This is the episode where we will get caught up with the present day. Exciting! As everyone knows, 2020 has been a wild year. Especially in America, the handling of the coronavirus and the political climate have been contentious. For me, […]
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The Pandemic, 2020 -Satyavani Kakarla Well, we all know, for once, we all are sailing on the same boat. The boat holding us many together, fighting a virus called corona and Covid disease. Who would have dreamt this would happen? The world changed on us. Stalling every movement, topsy-turvying activities on earth of human race, […]
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Cineflections-10 Cineflections: Gaman -The Journey (Hindi, 1979) -Manjula Jonnalagadda It is estimated that there are 139 million migrant workers are in India. They mostly migrate to cities like Delhi & Mumbai from northern Indian states. This film is slightly different from my other films. This film has not played at any film festivals. I thought […]
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Travels and Experiences 3 -Satyavani Kakarla Manifestations… As I was thinking through the topic for my next post for the column, bumped into a talk with one of my friends, who wanted more from my travels from the pilgrimage aspect, especially of the holy places I had visited, Rishikesh & Haridwar. So, I put some […]
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Cineflections-9 Vanaprastham – Last Dance (Malayalam, 1999) -Manjula Jonnalagadda Kathakali is a traditional form of dance. Katha means story through kali comes from kala or keli which loosely translates to performance. It uses heavy makeup, masks and facial expressions to tell stories usually from Indian mythology. It is physically very intense art form. Vaanaprastham literally […]
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Diary of a New Age Girl Chapter 7 Junior Crisis -Varudhini Sophomore year was the year of adjustment, settling in, and becoming comfortable. But junior year was about to throw obstacle after obstacle in my path, relentless in its goal of taking me down. Spoiler alert: I have survived thus far. Over the summer, I […]
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Cineflections-8 Arth Satya – Half Truth (Hindi, 1983) -Manjula Jonnalagadda “चक्रव्यूह में घुसने से पहले कौन था मै और कैसा था ये मुझे याद ही ना रहेगा चक्रव्यूह में घुसने के बाद मेरे और चक्रव्यूह के बीच सिर्फ़ एक जानलेवा निकटता थी इसका मुझे पता ही ना चलेगा चक्रव्यूह से निकलने के बाद मै मुक्त […]
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Travels and Experiences 2 -Satyavani Kakarla The 2 week completely packed trip, 1st week of immersion in Divine darshans and settings, savoring Indian soil, mountains, Himalayas, Ganga river, forests, trees, temples, deities, pilgrims, walk on Lord Krishna’s Vraj Bhoomi soil @ Vrindavan and Mathura and then a bit of capital city Delhi tour. The 2nd […]
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Cineflections-7 Maa Bhoomi (Our Land), Telugu 1979 -Manjula Jonnalagadda “For each new class which puts itself in the place of one ruling before it, is compelled, merely in order to carry through its aim, to represent its interest as the common interest of all the members of society, that is, expressed in ideal form: it […]
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Travels and Experiences -Satyavani Kakarla Who knew, we would have our lunch at the house of Sri. RamandSagar’s house (he is not the current owner, but once he was) famous for Ramayana TV series! We were on a tour recently, a short pilgrimage one can say to make our travels distinct, visiting India. Places we […]
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Diary of a New Age Girl Chapter 6 A Change of Scenery -Varudhini I was about to undergo a lot of change following freshman year. At the very start of the summer, I sent my goodbyes to everyone in the life I would be leaving behind. Well, everyone that mattered, that is. My friends, my […]
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Power of Tribe! –Satyavani Kakarla Satsangam! Power of Tribe! Sanaatana Dharma! Power of Our Ancient Wisdom, Scriptures and Practices! The Energy and Synergy of like-minded people Groups! Thinking of our great Gurus like Sri. Adi Shankaraacharya, a recent episode of experience led me to reminisce a special serendipity moment from a past event… I happened to […]
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Cineflections: Ajantrik (The Pathetic Fallacy) Bengali, 1958 -Manjula Jonnalagadda We all have things that are beyond their prime. They may be torn, spoilt, or broken. But we cannot get rid of them. This month’s film is Ajantrik, which means The Unmechanical. This film was directed by Ritwik Ghatak based on a short story by Subodh […]
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Diary of a New Age Girl Chapter 5 – The Popularity Game to High School –Varudhini The internet – especially advertising on the internet – instills a dangerous image a child’s head. The image of perfection, which is really just air-brushing and editing and altering, tends to make one insecure. The reason why none of […]
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New Year 2020! -Satyavani Kakarla Resolutions! Reflections! Visions! 2020, here we come! Its already the time of the year, the reckoning time, be it the end of a passing year or the beginning of a new. Days, weeks, months, years, decades pass away as we keep watching. We cannot catch them, but sure we make […]
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Cineflections: Nizhalkuthu (Shadow Kill), Malayalam. 2002 -Manjula Jonnalagadda Capital punishment in India is rare. It is mostly awarded in high profile cases. In India capital punishment is death by hanging. As a custom the person who is pulling the lever, recites an oath saying, “I have nothing against you, it is not personal, I am […]
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Synchronicity Moments… -Satyavani Kakarla Now Moments! Nature on Canvas, Canvas and Artist in a Photograph in Nature, All in Nature! Prakriti! It was one of those quiet, serene, ‘Now’ moments I intercepted with… well-deserved and well received, I think. During a short vacation away from home in spring, as hubby and I stepped outdoors embracing […]
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Cineflections: Sthree (Woman), Telugu -Manjula Jonnalagadda “That night was filled by immeasurable softness and enormous femininity. In that hug I fondly remembered the tragic stories; the stories of feminine nature that soothed and nurtured men.” – Narrator in Padava Prayanam (Boat Journey) by Palagummi Padmaraju. “చెప్పలేనంత మృదుత్వం, విశాలమయిన స్త్రీతత్వం ఆ రాత్రిలో నిండుగా ఆవరించుకుని వుంది. ఆ […]
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Diary of a New Age Girl Chapter 4 – Tom Boy –Varudhini When I moved in the middle of fourth grade, my whole world took an unexpected turn. Around this time in my life, I became oddly obsessed with the whole “tomboy” thing. I wore baggy clothes, pretended to skateboard, and refused to put my […]
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Synchronicity Moments… -Satyavani Kakarla Synchronicity Moments; What are they? How do they show up in our life and timeline? What do they mean to you? Everyone of us experiences those moments, some call them ‘synchronicity’, some call them ‘by chance’ and ‘coincidence’. Some folks are intuitively more aware of such moments, make meaning from them, […]
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Cineflections: Uski Roti (His Bread/A Day’s Bread) -Manjula Jonnalagadda For love would be love of the wrong thing; there is yet faith, But the faith and the love and the hope are all in the waiting. – T.S. Eliot This film is Mani Kaul’s first feature. It is based on a short story by Mohan […]
Continue ReadingDiary of a New Age Girl Chapter 3 – Books > Friends –Varudhini Making friends as a child was wildly different from how it is now. Back then, your friends were usually just the people that you ended up around the most. As long as they had toys and wanted to play with you, it […]
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Cineflections: Nimajjanam (Immersion) -Manjula Jonnalagadda Language: Telugu Year: 1979 Hindus believe Ganga washes away their sins. If a person’s ashes are immersed in the river Ganga, that person will be relieved form the cycle of birth and death. If a person dies in Varanasi, they attain salvation. There are several people who go there just […]
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Garden Meditation Day! –Satyavani Kakarla Thanks to the New age movement that although most of us have become too familiar with the word meditation, the most commonly and ignorantly used term, it still remains an enigma, a paradox… Going to the etymology of the word ‘meditation’, it derives from the Latin root meditatum, meaning to […]
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Diary of a New Age Girl Chapter 2 – Silly Bandz and Silly Children –Varudhini When you’re a child, you feel the strong desire to be like “other kids”, who seem to have everything you don’t. You want all the new toys, video games, and books, and you think that you are the only one […]
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Fabric of Life -Satyavani Kakarla It’s the story of two kind hearts, my dearest and my beloved, Amma (my mother) and husband… “Stories are how we think. They are how we make meaning of life. Call them schemas, scripts, cognitive maps, mental models, metaphors, or narratives. Stories are how we explain how things work, […]
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Cineflections –Manjula Jonnalagadda “Art is a manifestation of emotion, and emotion speaks a language that all may understand” – Somerset Maugham in Moon & Six Pence Good cinema is a work of art that takes you on an emotional journey no matter what language it is in. It can amuse you, and/or make you […]
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Diary of a New Age Girl Chapter 1 – The Beginning –Varudhini I don’t remember much of my early childhood. Much of what happened in the first few years of my life was told to me by my mother when she would reminisce about the past. But I can recall bits and pieces, short memories […]
Continue ReadingDiary of a New Age Girl -Varudhini There are many things that make us distinct from one another. Our skin color, eye color, body type – every tiny variation in our genes. But there are some things that are not measurable or quantifiable, like a person’s ideas or their status in society. I think that […]
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