Chitra Varga

Opinion leaders have oft repeated that the goal of population stabilization is to “reduce or minimize misery. ” The great science writer, Isaac Asimov even decreed: “ Democracy cannot survive over-population. ” There is enough empirical evidence and academic research to support those views. “ ಬೋರೇಗೌಡ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿಗೆ ಬಂದ ” (‘ Boregowda Bengaloorige Banda ’, which means: ‘ Boregowda Came to Bengaloor ’) is a 1970 Kannada film that has the link between poverty and population for a theme. With its chartbusting tracks, the movie was a musical megahit. A poor villager, Boregowda, also Boranna (Rajesh), moves to Bangalore in search of a better life. In tow are his wife, Gowravva (Leelavathi) and five children. Destitute and distressed, the naïve folks have a difficult time adjusting to the fast-paced, dog-eat-dog life in their city of dreams. Boranna gets acquainted in time with Rajanna (Srinath), a Robin-Hood-like do-gooder, who has Lakshmi (B Vijayalakshmi), a street vendor, as his love...

Abd-ar-Razzak , a Timurid scholar and chronicler and a scholar who visited the Vijaynagar Empire in circa 1443 CE as an ambassador of Shah Rukh, the Timurid dynasty ruler of Persia wrote about the capital city during the reign of Deva Raya II as: “ the pupil of the eye has never seen a place like it, and the ear of intelligence has never been informed that there existed anything to equal it in the world. It is built in such a manner that seven citadels and the same number of walls enclose each other.” Other scholars and explorers– the long list includes, the Turkish polymath, Katib-tchelebi ; the Italian travellers, Niccolo de Conti and Cesare Federici ; and, the Portuguese traders, Domingo Paes and Fernao Nunes – have rhapsodised about the magnificence of the empire and the enormity of weath therein. " ಶ್ರೀ ಕೃಷ್ಣ ದೇವರಾಯ "  (' Sri Krishnadevaraya ') is a1970, award-winning and critically hailed Kannada film. Oh, the blockbuster biopic went gangbusters at th...

Religion, the opium of the masses, has played a pivotal role throughout the history of mankind. Rites and rituals, th e heart and soul of religion, has always polarized human opinion. While some say ritual is a spiritual psychodrama, others think it nurtures our sacred relationships. ಸಂಸ್ಕಾರ ( ' Samskara' , which means “Ritual”), a 1970 Kannada movie, is often considered to be a trailblazer in the history of parallel cinema. Film buffs and critics waxed lyrical on this offbeat flick that hogged the limelight and won awards like blue blazes, including the “Swarna Kamal” for Best Feature Film. Based on a novel of Jnanapith awardee, Dr. UR Ananthamurthy, the film revolves around events that unravel within the Brahmin community of a remote village. The protagonist, Praneshacharya (Girish Karnad), is devout, orthodox and celibate; he is held in high esteem. The antagonist, Narayanappa (P. Lankesh), also a Brahmin by birth, harbors iconoclastic views and indulges in immoral deeds,...