Enna Dash-ku Song Panrom?

You know what this post is about. This is the next wave of "news" after the Chennai floods, for whatever it is worth. We're concerned because our culture as well as feminism is questioned. There's an underlying smirk fed by ridiculing another celebrity controversy for some of us. But that's a secret personal goody.

Yeah, the "beep" song. The upfront swear words in the song's lyrics did shock me the first time I heard it (They put that in a film song?), but I don't particularly care about them. There's the censor board, and then there's our judicial system, to make a decision on that. I don't care whether it is intentionally released or just leaked without the knowledge of the "artists" involved. I don't care about the personal lives of Simbu and Anirudh as well.

My concern is also not whether it is a sexist song. There are feminists (and more pseudo-feminists too) to look into that. I went through a blog post very much concerned about the song's attitude towards feminism (in Tamil; Caution: Intense profanity ahead) just yesterday in which the author Kotravai felt free to abuse the women in Simbu and Anirudh's family. A perfect revenge, isn't it? But hey, the song did it first. Besides, sexism is almost everywhere else, too, that it's hard for me to get suddenly angry when a film song comes up with abusive lyrics.

My concern is perhaps a lowly, selfish and a personal one. As no more than a fan of Kollywood music, I am here to whine about the "songs" in Tamil films that are getting tackier and tackier every day. My rant is about the composers, song writers and, yes, directors who keep betraying my longing to listen to soulful songs in favor of the so-called "mass appeal" and whatever is along those lines.

I'm one of those who grew up listening to good film music, so much that those songs became a part of who we are. I nostalgically look back at the time when not a day went by without listening to, talking about, and thinking about all the songs and their interludes while going about my everyday stuff. The time when I used to impatiently wait for the release of the next big album in line. Music was actually musical.

The songs I keep hearing now, well, they are as musical as their beats and "tempo" - I guess that's the closest way of putting it. The "tunes" are so much simplified that literally anyone - actor, director, sidekick, light boy, chaiwala at the set - could sing that for the release-version. Professional singers are not a necessity today. "Indha padathula avaru oru paatu paadirukaru" is a marketable goody now. Screw the soul.

As for the lyrics, to keep this ranting relatable to contemporary audience, I'll quote some of the new-ish songs. I'll also keep it short, so it stays somewhat bearable.

You could listen to lines such as, "வலிமிகு இடங்கள் வலிமிகா இடங்கள் தமிழுக்குத் தெரிகின்றதே..! வலி மிகு வலி மிகா இடங்கள் தங்களுக்குத் தெரிகின்றதா..?" and smile to yourself at the word play.

You could also listen to the likes of, "நாம மாண்டே போனாலும் தூக்கித் தீ வைக்க ஒறவு வேணும் மச்சான்" and admire the meaning and beauty in the folk song.

I don't have a problem, even, if some people somewhere churn out "dash" songs for whatever reason, so long as I have a good number of songs I could go back to. The problem for me as a Kollywood music listener is that almost all the songs now are run-off-the-mill "dash" songs (not pointing out the word here, actually). Good songs are almost needles in a haystack, so shit is practically omnipresent.

I blame the likes of Simbu and Anirudh when they make such songs, because they established themselves where legends once served us, the common audience, with Masterpieces. From there, these "creators" are serving us with what they think we will like - taking their customers for granted, if you will.

I do pay about 120 rupees for every movie I watch, but I know better enough to understand that my ticket money is a distant hook in the food chain. The "artists" don't have to care where their revenue originates from, as long as they get that next project.

I don't care if Anirudh has even composed enough songs to play in a Toronto concert, or if Simbu's Tamil vocabulary is any good to write about a page-long essay about anything that is not about love. But if you're getting paid for being a film composer or a song writer, you do your fucking job - and do some justice to it.

Anirudh did compose some good numbers along the way, and Simbu has done some great films too (Sorry, I couldn't come up with a single great lyric of his.). But a few pieces of gold are not an excuse for a boatload of trash. I like "Why this kolaveri" in the light spirit such songs are enjoyed with. But a "beep" song or a "Royapuram Peteru" just don't cut it. And these two people are not the only ones churning out trash here. That makes it even worse.

A work of art can be flawed, wrong, or even incompetent. But it can never be insincere. That's betrayal - whether you consider what you do as an art or a business.

As for me, I'm a metaphorical equivalent to a food-a-holic who is suddenly deprived of anything that tastes good. Memories of all the food that I have eaten are the only things I'm allowed to cherish. Not listening to new songs is a constant regret, except that there is no "song" left in the new ones.

It's a shame that I have to write such a negative post after so long, given my too-infrequent blogging habit. But frustration is such a strong emotion that it demands venting. :D

Are We Becoming Social Media Spammer-Fools?

We are very much prone to spams. And we love the sense of blind-sharing, largely on Facebook (or so I think). We see some stuff, like it, just share it and never look back. It may have some effects somewhere, or may just fade away with the flow.

It has been nagging me every time I see a probably con story shared which would invariably be 'claimed' to be a news or a purposefully hidden fact. I mean, how often do we try to know if it is actually real? Is it that we don't have time (which is a freaking lame excuse) or that we just don't care?

Many of these stories come with an attached emotional blackmail:

Share this if you love your nation...
Share this if you are a human with heart...
Share this if... whatsoever

And most of us fall for it. I will tell you why we should know that what we are sharing is really true.

1. Would you tell something (in person) to a crowd which you don't know whether is true or not?

2. Would you hear from someone (in person) some shit without asking him "how do you know that?" or "who told you this?"

3. Would you ever want to get caught and look like a fool (in the real world) by doing either of these?

Oh then, just because you are not facing anyone in person, how fair is it for yourself to share these stories?

I have been doing this mistake as well. I mean, though I have not shared such stories so far as I could remember, I never checked for the authenticity of any such story too.

But with a recent story, I decided to do it anyway though, at the first glance, it made me wonder if it could be true.

Here it is:

I must admit, as I said, that I thought it's true at my first glance. The first thing that made me suspicious is the official seal of the Swiss Bank I found on the image. Well, why would the seal of a most renowned bank in the world be so simple, copy-able and so photoshop-y?

And then I went through the details, one by one, and realized what a fool I had made out of myself. Or worse, I have been doing that almost everyday.

I will come from the header. I have this Swiss Bank's letterhead saved in my lappie with a far better resolution, which was found within a matter of seconds. Here:

The letter is to the Indian Government and is dated to the end of this October.

The letter has mercilessly killed English language all along. I doubt if Swiss Bank doesn't care about the usage of a universal language in its formal communications. That's forgivable, at least in comparison with the following LOL factors.

• The Swiss Bank is requesting the Indian Government to check for the IT returns, business profile and business background (!!?!?!?!) of a late person. If it doesn't get clear details, his account will be 'impede' - so says the story.
• Swiss Bank makes customized communications to the countries? That could be possible, who knows, but does it go as far as mentioning the figures in crores (instead of millions, may be) and the currency in rupees?
• I was somehow curious about the account numbers listed therein. So I went on to learn how Swiss Bank account numbers might look like. There gotta be a format, at least. There is, and it's called an IBAN account number. After going through the legit alphanumeric codes there, the account numbers listed here were a comedy.
• The Swiss Bank is contacting a country asking for the IT returns of the bank's own clients? Sorry, am I missing something?
• Accepted :-( The communication is to the Indian Government asking for the financial details about its citizens. But why the hell would India need an exclusive column with the 'Present Statistics of Swiss Bank Deposits' from six countries (Like top gainers this week - LOL)? That too with a reference - "Source: Swiss Banking Association Report 2011". :-o
• Last and the best: The 'Manager' at Swiss Bank who has allegedly signed this communication has been working as an active journalist at Reuters living between Padova and Geneva. Probably there are a few other Martin de Sa'Pinto-s who don't even have a web presence.

There was not much need to write this post. There is even not much importance to it, may be. But then, let's not look like fools by overlooking those con stories and sharing them. Who knows, some day it may have a far greater effect than we ever thought it would.

It's not just about politics. Not even closer. And it doesn't definitely happen only in Facebook.

How many times have you forwarded an SMS about some blood needed for someone? And how often did you even think if it could be true, though you can't probably check it out. (You'll probably think of me as a prick for this).

Or what about an SMS or e-mail about the medical implications of some silly thing we do everyday? Like sleeping with our mobile phones nearby, or some food habits, or whatsoever.

I'm not saying these things should not be shared. Yes, there are people in need. There are things to be learned and taught.

But, the news and facts as important as these should be shared with authenticity.

Understand that there are also people who will take advantage of any situation, emotion, need or whatsoever for the benefit of themselves or something they believe in.

If you find a story, how confident are you about its authenticity? How easy is it to find the same?

At least,

If you are the owner of the story, put a source or a reference and then share it, for heaven's sake. Now, how hard could that be?

If you are just sharing another story, make a pause, think what if you're being flocked and go ahead checking it's legitimacy or just drop it.

We won't die if we don't share something everyday.