Blah Blah Blah

Shan's Video Blog

2006-06-04T12:17:00.000-04:00

M.I.A. - Sunshowers

2006-05-21T19:57:00.000-04:00

MTV wouldn't play it because of the "like PLO I don't surrendo" line, and the atmosphere as a whole.

Yes Vijaykanth has won!

2006-05-20T22:20:00.000-04:00

Thottal Poo Malarum

2006-05-20T17:20:00.000-04:00

Lets Make It Better - A R Rahman

2006-05-20T17:09:00.000-04:00

I don't hear a word in Tamil in a song about Tsunami which affected Tamil Nadu and Tamil Eelam the most.What is your Mother tongue Rahman???

More A R Rahman

2006-05-20T17:01:00.000-04:00

Listen to your Heart!

2006-05-20T16:34:00.000-04:00

Sachin

2006-02-05T22:28:00.000-05:00

I saw Sachin today and i personaly think its better then Mumbai Express and Chandramuki.Okay Okay . . its almost a year since Tamil New Year and the results were quite different.Chandramuki blew away both Mumbai Express and Sachin.But Sachin was not the usual Vijay movie.It is quite an entertainer too.Great songs , Vadivelu 's hilarious comedy, Bipisa Basu's glamour and of course the hero Vijay himself.Anyway i'll let you guys enjoy this song and i forgot to mention Harini, as cute as ever . . .

A R Rahman Live in Chennai!!!

2006-01-20T18:10:00.000-05:00

EEEENjoy!!!!

Bush

2006-01-19T23:35:00.000-05:00

This is super hilarious!!!

Kamal Haasan

2005-12-27T20:48:00.000-05:00

I am a 100% declared Kamal Haasan fan!Beyond dispute he is one of the world's finest actors.Recently though Rajini's Sivaji has been stealing the show.And yes i am interested in that as he is obviously the Superstar of Tamil Cinema and best of all he has been maintaining his physique.Kamal on the other hand has put on weight like a pig.He looks so horrible with his potbelly and so on.He needs to maintain his physique and appearence.Look at Rajini and learn.

Sivaji

2005-12-26T19:17:00.000-05:00

Is it Rajinikanth ?

Damn he looks much younger and super cool! Kamal has gotta watch his butt and get something going before he gets thown out of the market.

Hey thats Cool . .

2005-10-13T17:54:00.000-04:00

Whats Cool Out There . . .check these out but beware they come with a heavy price tag.

-------->First style your pets then yourself.WOWBOW’s ‘Mija’ (Mee-Haa) Yup! Thats Dog Style! If you wanna pay a visit - http://www.wowbow.co.uk/

Nixon’s Rotolog , if you like woodworks in your watch.It features a custom right-read direct time and real walnut wood inlay.<---------

---------> Nokia 8800 - Yes, we love the design but what about the specs . . .well its packed with Video recording, Blue tooth, Tri-band,Speakerphone, Polyphonic/MP3 tones and FM radio.*not avl in the US*

--------> Oakley's Gascan.The Big & Bold style is back.Oakley customized their corporate logo just for this eyewear. Lightweight O Matter® frame material offers premium comfort

Dream or Reality II

2005-10-03T23:04:00.000-04:00

In reality the 2005 Honda Civic LX Sedan is what i own (but mine is black).Its a great car and super gas saver especially this time around . ..

Ferrari 360 Modena - First introduced in 1999, this exotic had such a high demand that the waiting list was over a year.

Designed by Bentley’s bespoke coachbuilding division, the Mulliner Driving Specification was created in direct response to customer demand for a more overtly sporting character to the Continental GT.

The exterior of the V8 Vantage is beautiful and perfectly proportioned from every angle with a low purposeful stance. Each carefully detailed feature provides graphic evidence of the painstaking craftsmanship and quality, which is synonymous with the Aston Martin marque

16.4 Veyron is set to go on sale next year for one million euros apiece (about $1,088,000 at press time). Production will be limited to 300 units total.

Dream or Reality

2005-10-03T22:19:00.000-04:00

The BMW M6 shares its supreme power unit with the BMW M5. Ever since being introduced in the M5, this engine has been acknowledged as the absolute benchmark, just as the M5 is the very epitome of the Sports Saloon.

When was the last time you got excited by a Citroen? . . . Citroen's C6 looks set to change that.Viva La France!

Lexus introduced its third new concept design within a year when it unveiled the LF-C luxury sports coupe concept car at the New York International Auto Show.

The Nissan Sport Concept offers the look and feel of a grand touring car, yet is conceived as an affordable, attainable vehicle for buyers entering the new car marketplace for the first time.

Nissan will continue building the Skyline GT-R in the 21st Century, providing the ultimate driving pleasure to even more people worldwide. In its next generation Nissan is looking to introducing the Skyline GT-R in other markets worldwide.

Like the 350 GTS and the Miura Roadster before it, the Lamborghini 'Concept S' is a unique car, an extreme and spectacular expression of the Lamborghini brand.

M.I.A.

2005-09-18T00:19:00.000-04:00

Maya Arulpragasam, AKA M.I.A.

It's the best kind of pop album imaginable. It can be enjoyed on a purely physical level, and it also carries the potential to adjust your worldview. - All Music Guide

A Tamil Srilankan girl raised in the UK whose dad served in the Tamil Militant group.I first saw her in MTV news but i did'nt bother to listen or find out more about her album.Last month's Blender carried an article about her and thats where i learned more about M.I.A.But i was still not as curious to listen to her songs and had no idea what i was missing.Its great music with heavy rythmic beats.Well, i love beats but this album is not pure hip-hop or pop but a beautiful unclassifiable addictive album.My personal fav track in the album is 10 dollar cause it has a small bit of tamil lyrics in it.The best thing to do is clear your mind of hype and expectations, and listen to this record -- this fun, addictive, thoroughly entertaining record -- again and again.

Here is a link to watch her Video - Bucky Done Gun and Galang 05

India dismisses Lancet's mad cow

2005-09-10T14:42:00.000-04:00

NEW DELHI: The government is furious about a hypothesis that the epidemic of mad cow disease which struck Europe had its roots in exports, decades ago, of animal feed and bones from South Asia which included human remains scavenged from the Ganga.

Published in the reputed medical journal Lancet, this hypothesis has been picked up by the world’s media.

."Misleading, highly mischievous, a figment of imagination, absurd," says India’s animal husbandry secretary P M A Hakeem, seeing in it a design to damage India’s trade.

Officials at the Indian Council for Medical Research are as scathing. A senior epidemiologist said: "In India, we haven’t had a single case when cattle or sheep have died of mad cow disease. In the absence of any evidence, how can one support this study? This is just a weird guess which will not hold water. The report can only be given a chance if the researchers can give evidence of feed exported from India being infected."

Hypothesis

2005-09-02T23:01:00.000-04:00

India could be source of Mad Cow: Scientist

Hindus believe remains should be disposed of in a river, preferably the Ganges.

Human remains washed ashore after being floated downriver (Ganges) in Indian funerals, claim British scientists.

"We do not claim that our theory is proved, but it unquestionably warrants further investigation," the scientists wrote.

"Scientists must proceed cautiously when hypothesizing about a disease that has such wide geographic, cultural and religious implications." - Dr Susaria Shankar

Hindus do not put half-burnt bodies into the river," they wrote, adding that if bodies found in the Ganges did have CJD, there should have been a major epidemic of the disease in north India.

Indian neuroscientists Susarla Shankar and P. Satishchandra of the National institute of mental health and neurosciences in Bangalore, India, said they agreed the theory needs to be followed up, but urged caution

MONEY !

2005-08-19T21:05:00.000-04:00

Money.
Money...
Lie for it
Spy for it
Kill for it
Die for it
So you call it trust
But I say it's just
In the devil's game
Of greed and lust
They don't care
They'd do me for the money . . . Words from the song "Money" from the album HIStory
People absolutely do anything for money !

Rajini and Kamal

2005-07-28T09:22:00.000-04:00

After twenty five years Superstar Rajinikanth and Super Actor Padmashree Dr Kamal Haasan are acting together in a new film.K. Balachandar will be directing the film named Poi and to show great respect to K. Balachander, both Kamal Hasan and Rajinikanth accepted his request to act in this film. After a gap of 25 years both are acting together and this film will definitely be a super-duper huge hit.Can't wait for it. . .

FITNESS !

2005-07-13T23:18:00.000-04:00

I WANNA BE FIT . . IN FACT I AM FIT! Well, I am not over or under weight so i am good right but i want to bring it further.I need to tone up.My goal is to reach rock hard abs.BUT after doing some research on it and alot of reading i am confused.Mainly because in one of the articles it states that abs is a genetic thing.So based on the fact my dad or grandpa had never had abs or anything close to it.Its looks like its almost impossible for me to attain it.But there are other articles which promises abs in 8 weeks.In conclusion i came to a point which is to train hard and eat right.Add more soy products to my diet and work out like a machine.Skip all kinds of fatty food.Drink more water and sleep well.If i succeed i'll post a pic of me showing off my abs if not . . 2 bad anyway just wish me luck.

Bla bla

2005-06-26T00:46:00.000-04:00

I love to bla bla more . .but sadly i don't get any comments or only a few of them .So . .Well here are some things i wanted blog on but did not . .

Stress -
Anniyan -
Michael Jackson Innocent -
Stick Shift -
Sarah -
Jacksonville,fl -

But life goes on . . .

EXPO

2005-05-22T22:36:00.000-04:00

Adult film stars Carmen Luvana (L) and Taylor Wane pose for fans at the Erotic Expo in New York City on May 20, 2005. The expo not only features more then fifty exhibitors displaying the latest in X toys, adult movies and other erotic-themed items, but famous adult film stars are also on-hand to meet their fans.I had no clue such expos exist . . .mmm might wanna plan for a expo soon -source yahoo now 2blahoo.

INDIA ! Late but latest

2005-05-08T09:31:00.000-04:00

India . . India . .India

1st things 1st - Don't Board Luftansa !
Flight is so uncomfortable , food sucks,delays and worse the pilots don't freaking know how to land a f**king flight.It was worse then a 'Drop Dead Roller Coaster ' ride.The only good thing about the flight was that I got my service in my own mother tongue, Tamil.They also showed a tamil movie and had a tamil radio station.Ok enought about the flight . . .

Lets talk about INDIA !!!

It has been almost 12 to 13 years since i've been there and my most immediate reactions were " Where are the changes ? ".Starting from the airport to the roads and the city.*although at the end of my vacation i did realize some changes*
Let's start with roads.It can only be driven and handled by well adapted and engineered indian vehicle.Not to say that there are no foreign cars in the country but just comparision of makes that suits the environment.The roads are shared by automobiles,trucks,suvs,2 wheelers,pedestrians and of course the animals.Among the animals , dogs are the smartest because they know how to cross the roads and the dummest are the goats.You really can't predict what a goat is about to do (It might just all of a sudden dive in for a sucide attack)The animals consists dogs(alot***),cats(very few),huge rats (at night and when its quiet),cows,bufflos,pigs,donkeys and even monkeys.Well of course all these animals are not roaming around together as pack.When driving thru villages you have to look out for bullock carts, tractors and trucks/lorries driving on the opposite side of the road.Another huge problem is the local farmers using the middle of the road to dry and season thier spices.But the green scenic beauty of the villages,rivers,padi feilds is just priceless.The country is filled with art. Lots of historic beauty, ancient temples,forts,palaces,monuments.I got to visit a few of the main places,shrines and temples including Thirupathi out of Chennai.I loved the temples.And forgot about Internet cafes.The country has Internet cafes almost in every corner.So technology is there.Its just like how they show in the movies.

Talking about movies, i also got to watch both Rajini's and Kamal's movies.Rajini Chandramuki sucked but is a huge hit in Chennai and MumbaiXpress is doing well too.But Sachin which came together with these movies doing competively well too.Must be Vijay power.Vijay is the most popular young hero in Chennai cause everywhere you turn you can spot Vijay's banner/picture/painting/cut out or something.And yes the food . .No Mcdonalds,Burgerking,Kfc or any of those kind.Although i did find Pizzahut,Subway and some other fast food restaurants in a mall.About 70% of the restaurants are vegetarian.The food is awesome.I can't forget the little avin milk packs i had, Well folks . .thats abt all and most importantly i enjoyed my trip and i wanna go back for round 2.

ME or WE

2005-03-26T15:39:00.000-05:00

"I live my life for me , my happiness and i do things which are correct/right for me."
Is the sentence above is in a singular or plural form?
An example -
You walked down the street and see a little kitten crying for help.You pick it up and comfort it with your warm hands.

Now most of us will think that its such a good deed and we have done the kitten a beautiful/kind/generous favor but it turns out that you have actually done yourself a bigger favor more then to the kitten.The reason is simple - you could'nt bear the fact that the kitten was lying on the street helpless.If you did not have helped the kitten you would felt bad about yourself and to save yourself from that you decided to help.So in reality you are being a selfish.You were looking after your own desires to help yourself by helping the kitten.

Okay . . Now what did i ask about the sentence above, was it whether a singular or plural?

Here is why . .
This is for all those of you who think about yourself and sink into your self obsession.
Its requires a male and female (they/we) to create a young (you/me) and when it dies the body decays and soul rises.You being you, itself is not entirely you in a singular term.It consists of your brain,heart,lungs,legs,hands and so on.Its always the heart vs the brain and thats two for all of us too.So my simple point and answer is its plural. . .and sorry i'm kinda sleepy now so i'm gonna go to bed but if anyone of you have an interesting comment to blog . .i'm listening

Patience

2005-03-20T20:09:00.000-05:00

Capacity to endure hardship, difficulty, or inconvenience without complaint is PATIENCE ! Patience emphasizes calmness, self-control, and the willingness or ability to tolerate delay.Its gift that god has given to me because i can very patient." He that can have patience can have what he will." said by Sir Benjamin Franklin.I believe in it and have the patience for it.Let it be Love or Destiny.

BLAHOO !!!!

2005-03-13T12:24:00.000-05:00

WELCOME TO THE NEW ERA !

BLAHOO ! Just having some fun with customization, it looks kinda cool right!So what's up guys.Bloggidy up . .i'm listening. . .

http://www.lazygeek.net/

2005-02-28T22:43:00.000-05:00

Lazy geek

Hey this is the 1st blog site i went to and i found it very interesting.This dude blogs on pretty interesting topics.His blogs include my idols Kamal,ARR, and ppl like 'em.So its pretty cool.Why dont you guys check it yourself . .

Whose Line Is It Anyway?

2005-02-27T01:06:00.000-05:00

Whose Line Is It Anyway? -I love this show.I watch it on abc and its just freaking funny !Its like a stand up comedy but with interesting subjects and scenes.According to abc it is the first of its kind and a completely unique concept to network television. Host Drew Carey sets the scene, with contributions from the audience, and four talented actors wreak hilarious havoc as they instantly invent unrehearsed skits, games or songs, relying only on their quick wit and improvisational skills. It's true improvisation, so anything can happen – and often does.If you get a chance you've gotta watch and i'm sure you'll love it too and my fav part of the show by the way is scenes from the hat.

Ego

2005-02-07T01:29:00.000-05:00

Is Humble the opposite of Ego?If so Ego becomes completely negetive thing to have or to be.

Photo Blog ?

2005-01-30T22:51:00.000-05:00

Do i need a photo blog ? I have an uncompleted website, an art-site membership rarely used,a blog site ( too lazy to keep blogging and worse no comments ) and on top of all that a photo blog . . mmm maybe not ! ANYONE OUT THERE THINKING OTHERWISE PLZ SPEAK UP !!!

Clear

2005-01-18T20:19:00.000-05:00

OK OK OK ! Things are clear now.Just like how the clouds fade our sunlight , my thoughts were clouded.Focus is the key i need.Quite simple but try doing it .

Full View

Incomplete

2005-01-16T23:43:00.000-05:00

What should i do ?
The things i like to do seems to be boring now.I enjoy composing art, be it a painting or a sketch.But it has been like a year since i touched a pencil or a brush.I dont understand why.I have an X-Box which i hardly play, Fruity Studio, a software i use to compose music has been sitting in my pc unused for months.My Yahama drum pad which is collecting dust.So am i bored of all these or am i wanting something more. . .
This is an incomplete drawing , just like how my mind is now . .

Full View

Tsunami

2004-12-26T18:09:00.000-05:00

Worst-ever disaster in forty years.Six countries were affected.More then 11000 people dead !I had to flip thru channels to get some information on the current situation.All the american networks including CNN were buzzing about some local happenings and Iraq.Finaly i managed to get some coverage thru FOX and thats where i learned that the tsunami waves were triggered by an 8.9 magnitude underwater earthquake off the Indonesian island of Sumatra, rearing up into walls of water as high as 30 feet as they hit shallow coastlines in south and south-east Asia.The saddest part was that these nations did not have enough technology to WARN THEM IN TIME.A tsunami, a Japanese word that translates as "harbor wave," is usually caused by a sudden rise or fall of part of the earth's crust under or near the ocean.It was so monsterous that it reached across the ocean to smash boats and flood areas along the east African coast.This is nothing but a small preview of KaliYugam.God be with us all.

BLOG

2004-12-19T01:12:00.000-05:00

Ok bla bla bla . .Now i have a problem which is if i blog on something i need feedback and comments about it and without having any i cant possibly continue writing.So all of you lazy heads reading this show me that you are alive !!

The Incredibles

2004-11-07T20:19:00.000-05:00

PIXAR's "The Incredibles" smashed box office charts over the weekend, sweeping $70.7 million.I just watched the movie and i loved each and every scene.It is a fun packed movie with Action/Adventure, Comedy, Kids/Family, Science Fiction/Fantasy and best of all AMAZING Animation.The characters are brilliantly composed that each one stands out on top of one and another.I worship Pixar for thier mastery of popular animation.Brad Bird, the director's previous film was "The Iron Giant" (1999), about a misunderstood robot.I never saw that film but now i wanna see it too because of his awesome direction.I fully recommend this movie to everyone out there reading this.

Guess What . .

2004-11-01T20:38:00.000-05:00

I bought my new pc !!! Weeeeeeeeeee ! After months without Internet and pc stuff , i'm back .Woooooooo !

deviantART: mrshan

2004-08-09T18:19:00.000-04:00

deviantART: mrshan

A beautiful way to express and publish your artistic creations.I just love deviantart.com . Been a member there for long while and still not bored of it.

Shrek

2004-07-19T00:13:00.000-04:00

I just saw Shrek , I mean Shrek the 1st one.It was great.I wonder why and how did i miss it for so long.Well, i'm glad that i was able see it now atleast.It was a great film , it has the flavor and a wonderful hilarious comedy for both chlidren and adults alike.Well for those of you who haven't seen shrek yet my only advice is better go see it. Now its my turn to see Shrek 2 which has broken box office records knocking down Spider man 1.

NYC

2004-07-09T00:52:00.000-04:00

NYC

Veg Web

2004-07-09T00:35:00.000-04:00

We humans are naturaly meant to be vegetarians and I can list a whole bunch of facts and reasons to anyone who disagrees.A while back I found this great website with tons of recipes and all of them are listed and categorized by ethnicity and country so those of you who enjoy veggie delights . . . http://vegweb.com/

Fav Quote

2004-07-08T20:05:00.000-04:00

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

I just love this quote and i believe in it too, it was said by Eleanor Roosevelt.

2004-07-06T09:20:00.000-04:00

Tamil needed to be honoured

It's fabulous news that Tamil will finally get its due. But meanwhile, the most-quoted person these days in the universe of discourse must be George L. Hart, professor of Tamil since 1975 at the University of California in Berkeley and holder of the Chair in Tamil Studies. He took his degree in Sanskrit at Harvard and also knows classical Greek, Latin, Russian, German, French and Malayalam, besides having a good acquaintance with Telugu and Hindi directly and all the other literatures of South Asia in translation.

In his famous ‘Statement on the Status of Tamil as a Classical Language’ way back on April 11, 2000, Hart concludes with asperity: “It seems strange to me that I should have to write an essay such as this claiming that Tamil is a classical literature — it is akin to claiming that India is a great country or Hinduism is one of world’s great religions. The status of Tamil as one of the great classical languages of the world is patently obvious to anyone who knows the subject. To deny that Tamil is a classical language is to deny a vital and central part of the greatness and richness of Indian culture.”

Most of us in India can’t seem to see the wood for the trees, because we have overdosed on coalition politics and regional tussles. But the issue of Tamil’s classical status goes well beyond the DMK or Karunanidhi’s crusading. Tamil’s antiquity is a fact, it is an incontestable truth. In Sanskrit you’d say it is ‘sat’, whose powerful and absolute meaning is ‘that which is’. Tamil’s status simply is. Recognising and proclaiming it does not in any way diminish the beauty and lustre of any of our mother tongues, nor does it demean any other regional culture.

Do you see champions of young but proud languages like French, German or Italian going berserk because Greek is recognised and honoured as the classical language of Europe? On the contrary, they celebrate their links with this older tradition and each country teaches it as a civilisational treasure. Considering that India is rather like a ‘United States of Europe’ (and the European Union is seriously studying our Constitution for pointers on how to manage itself), surely it is a matter of great civilisational pride for all Indians that no other country in the world can boast of two classical languages, Sanskrit and Tamil, sprung from its own soil?

RENUKA NARAYANAN

Source: http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=32451

http://tamil.berkeley.edu/Tamil%20Chair/TamilClassicalLanguage/TamilClassicalLgeLtr.html

Prof. George L. Hart's original essay -

April 11, 2000
Statement on the Status of Tamil as a Classical Language
Professor Maraimalai has asked me to write regarding the position of Tamil as a classical language, and I am delighted to respond to his request.

I have been a Professor of Tamil at the University of California, Berkeley, since 1975 and am currently holder of the Tamil Chair at that institution. My degree, which I received in 1970, is in Sanskrit, from Harvard, and my first employment was as a Sanskrit professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1969. Besides Tamil and Sanskrit, I know the classical languages of Latin and Greek and have read extensively in their literatures in the original. I am also well-acquainted with comparative linguistics and the literatures of modern Europe (I know Russian, German, and French and have read extensively in those languages) as well as the literatures of modern India, which, with the exception of Tamil and some Malayalam, I have read in translation. I have spent much time discussing Telugu literature and its tradition with V. Narayanarao, one of the greatest living Telugu scholars, and so I know that tradition especially well. As a long-standing member of a South Asian Studies department, I have also been exposed to the richness of both Hindi literature, and I have read in detail about Mahadevi Varma, Tulsi, and Kabir.

I have spent many years -- most of my life (since 1963) -- studying Sanskrit. I have read in the original all of Kalidasa, Magha, and parts of Bharavi and Sri Harsa. I have also read in the original the fifth book of the Rig Veda as well as many other sections, many of the Upanisads, most of the Mahabharata, the Kathasaritsagara, Adi Sankara’s works, and many other works in Sanskrit.

I say this not because I wish to show my erudition, but rather to establish my fitness for judging whether a literature is classical. Let me state unequivocally that, by any criteria one may choose, Tamil is one of the great classical literatures and traditions of the world.

The reasons for this are many; let me consider them one by one.

First, Tamil is of considerable antiquity. It predates the literatures of other modern Indian languages by more than a thousand years. Its oldest work, the Tolkappiyam,, contains parts that, judging from the earliest Tamil inscriptions, date back to about 200 BCE. The greatest works of ancient Tamil, the Sangam anthologies and the Pattuppattu, date to the first two centuries of the current era. They are the first great secular body of poetry written in India, predating Kalidasa's works by two hundred years.

Second, Tamil constitutes the only literary tradition indigenous to India that is not derived from Sanskrit. Indeed, its literature arose before the influence of Sanskrit in the South became strong and so is qualitatively different from anything we have in Sanskrit or other Indian languages. It has its own poetic theory, its own grammatical tradition, its own esthetics, and, above all, a large body of literature that is quite unique. It shows a sort of Indian sensibility that is quite different from anything in Sanskrit or other Indian languages, and it contains its own extremely rich and vast intellectual tradition.

Third, the quality of classical Tamil literature is such that it is fit to stand beside the great literatures of Sanskrit, Greek, Latin, Chinese, Persian and Arabic. The subtlety and profundity of its works, their varied scope (Tamil is the only premodern Indian literature to treat the subaltern extensively), and their universality qualify Tamil to stand as one of the great classical traditions and literatures of the world. Everyone knows the Tirukkural, one of the world's greatest works on ethics; but this is merely one of a myriad of major and extremely varied works that comprise the Tamil classical tradition. There is not a facet of human existence that is not explored and illuminated by this great literature.

Finally, Tamil is one of the primary independent sources of modern Indian culture and tradition. I have written extensively on the influence of a Southern tradition on the Sanskrit poetic tradition. But equally important, the great sacred works of Tamil Hinduism, beginning with the Sangam Anthologies, have undergirded the development of modern Hinduism. Their ideas were taken into the Bhagavata Purana and other texts (in Telugu and Kannada as well as Sanskrit), whence they spread all over India. Tamil has its own works that are considered to be as sacred as the Vedas and that are recited alongside Vedic mantras in the great Vaisnava temples of South India (such as Tirupati). And just as Sanskrit is the source of the modern Indo-Aryan languages, classical Tamil is the source language of modern Tamil and Malayalam. As Sanskrit is the most conservative and least changed of the Indo-Aryan languages, Tamil is the most conservative of the Dravidian languages, the touchstone that linguists must consult to understand the nature and development of Dravidian.

In trying to discern why Tamil has not been recognized as a classical language, I can see only a political reason: there is a fear that if Tamil is selected as a classical language, other Indian languages may claim similar status. This is an unnecessary worry. I am well aware of the richness of the modern Indian languages -- I know that they are among the most fecund and productive languages on earth, each having begotten a modern (and often medieval) literature that can stand with any of the major literatures of the world. Yet none of them is a classical language. Like English and the other modern languages of Europe (with the exception of Greek), they rose on preexisting traditions rather late and developed in the second millennium. The fact that Greek is universally recognized as a classical language in Europe does not lead the French or the English to claim classical status for their languages.

To qualify as a classical tradition, a language must fit several criteria: it should be ancient, it should be an independent tradition that arose mostly on its own not as an offshoot of another tradition, and it must have a large and extremely rich body of ancient literature. Unlike the other modern languages of India, Tamil meets each of these requirements. It is extremely old (as old as Latin and older than Arabic); it arose as an entirely independent tradition, with almost no influence from Sanskrit or other languages; and its ancient literature is indescribably vast and rich.

It seems strange to me that I should have to write an essay such as this claiming that Tamil is a classical literature -- it is akin to claiming that India is a great country or Hinduism is one of the world's great religions. The status of Tamil as one of the great classical languages of the world is something that is patently obvious to anyone who knows the subject. To deny that Tamil is a classical language is to deny a vital and central part of the greatness and richness of Indian culture.

(Signed:)
George L. Hart
Professor of Tamil
Chair in Tamil Studies

ESPN Poll

2004-07-06T08:46:00.000-04:00

Biggest Pop Icon of the last 25 years!

Michael Wins ESPN Poll
King of Pop voted biggest pop icon of last 25 years

Michael Jackson defeated U2 in the final round of ESPN's poll to find the biggest Pop Icon of the last 25 years.

The King of Pop had defeated Madonna and Guns 'n' Roses in previous rounds.

He's the King of Pop. No, we're not talking about present-day Michael Jackson and his rumors. We're talking about the one who was A-list of all A-list celebrities. Back when "Thriller" ruled all in 1983 -- winning eight Grammy awards. Not only did Jackson's music fly off the shelves, but the advent of MTV helped propel both to the top of the "must-have" list. You may try and joke about him now, but back in the day -- you know you tried to moon walk.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/espn25/story?page=bracket/index

Pavitr Prabhakar is Spiderman

2004-07-05T12:45:00.000-04:00

SPIDER-MAN INDIA – SPIDER-MAN EXTENDS FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD TO STREETS OF BOMBAY!

Bangalore, India (June, 2004)— Marvel Enterprises, Inc. & Gotham Entertainment Group –Indian publishing licensee of Marvel Comics and the leading publisher of international comic magazines in South Asia – announces the launch of Spider-Man India.

Spider-Man India interweaves the local customs, culture and mystery of modern India, with an eye to making Spider-Man’s mythology more relevant to this particular audience. Readers of this series will not see the familiar Peter Parker of Queens under the classic Spider-Man mask, but rather a new hero – a young, Indian boy named Pavitr Prabhakar. As Spider-Man, Pavitr leaps around rickshaws and scooters in Indian streets, while swinging from monuments such as the Gateway of India and the Taj Mahal.

Mumbai’s (Bombay’s) first web-swinging Super Hero will be joined by a reinterpretation of the classic Spider-Man villain, the Green Goblin -- reinvented as a Rakshasa, an Indian mythological demon.

“We feel this is one of the most exciting and unique projects in comic history,” said Gotham Entertainment Group CEO Sharad Devarajan. “Unlike traditional translations of American comics, Spider-Man India will become the first-ever ‘transcreation,’ where we reinvent the origin of a Western property like Spider-Man so that he is an Indian boy in Mumbai and dealing with local problems and challenges.”

http://www.gothamcomics.com/spiderman_india/

Blah Blah Blah

2004-07-04T11:51:00.000-04:00

Blah blah blah . . Blog ur way thru.

ciao,
Shan