Category Archives: Books (incl.Biographies – w.e.f.01 jan 2018 )

Learn photography online in nine Indian languages

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Lovedale, Nilgiris (Ooty) , TAMIL NADU :

IqbalMohamed01MPOs07jan2018

Language is no barrier to learning the nuances of photography at the Light and Life Academy

It is 6 am, and I watch Iqbal Mohamed quietly set up his camera in front of the big glass windows in his living room and wait for the sun to rise. We are at the Light and Life Academy (LLA) in Lovedale in the Nilgiris, and I learn that he does this every morning. “No two sunrise is the same,” he offers by way of explanation. Mohamed doesn’t say very much. He prefers to let his photographs do the talking, laughs his more vocal wife Anuradha.

The photographer founded LLA in 2001 as a full-facility photography institute. The inspiration was his alma mater, the Brooks Institute California. He worked in Hollywood with some of the biggest names in photography, and in India, winning considerable acclaim, before setting up his school. LLA, which maintains high standards of professionalism and excellence, has added immensely to the pool of talented photographers in the country. And the alumni have now helped him realise another dream — to set up an online course called ‘Get Creative with Photography’.

Seamless lessons

IqbalMohamed02MPOs07jan2018

They want to reach out to more people who take pictures as a serious hobby, says Anuradha. “But we did not want it to become just another random photography course. Mohamed’s book, Portrait & Function Photography, in eight Indian languages, was enthusiastically received, and that made us think of an online programme that was serious, structured and professional,” she adds. LLA online was born after three long years of hard work. The programme is available in English and nine Indian languages (Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Oriya and Bengali). “Prahlad Kakar advised us on how to create the video tutorials, all shot in campus, and make them not just informative, but also entertaining,” she says.

I click on the online programme to see how it looks, and the screen fills up with a haunting photograph of trees. Even to my unprofessional eye it is a stunning image. It is one of Mohamed’s photographs.

Nattily dressed LLA alumni present the lessons. Each one is an acclaimed photographer, says Anuradha, with considerable pride. “Without them, this course would not have been possible.” These include Shaheen Thaha (celebrity, fashion and architecture), Mihir Hardikar (food and beverages), Ajit SN (automobile and underwater), Punya Arora (editorial and underwater fashion), Satish Kumar (automobile) and Ankit Gupta (architecture and travel).

Getting into the details

IqbalMohamed03MPOs07jan2018

The online tutorial begins with clear, concise and simply-worded instructions. Then comes the fun part. I ask Anuradha if can see/hear the lesson in Bengali. I follow it up with a class in Tamil, Hindi and Kannada! The dubbing is perfect and as someone who has only taken pictures on her mobile phone, even I can understand everything. ‘Getting Ready & Exposure’ is the first lesson, followed by ‘Shutter’, and two sessions each on ‘Lenses and Apertures’, four sessions on ‘Light’, a lesson on ‘Colour’, and finally one on ‘Composition’.

Each of the modules explains the concepts and is supported by images. At the end of each class, an assignment is given that the students have to complete and upload in a week. Their homework is critiqued by mentors and peers, and only then can they proceed to the next class. If required, they are allowed to re-shoot. “This way they share ideas and learn from each others’ mistakes,” explains Anuradha, who emphasises that a strict protocol and system is followed and those signing up for the course have to be committed. There is no skipping lessons.

Offline vs online

IqbalMohamed04MPOs07jan2018

Online students have access to more than 500 stunning photographs by over 90 LLA alumni to give them an idea of what they can do with their cameras. Mohamed oversees their work and comments when necessary. The first set of students have already completed two assignments and the results have been promising, says Anuradha. Once they get feedback, they will launch other programmes, she adds.

Prahalad Muralidharan, CEO of LLA Online, explains that it was challenging to replicate the successful methods of their full-time courses on to the online platform. “After brainstorming and countless revisions, we finally found a way to do it. With peer-group interaction, an online forum and professional feedback, LLA Online is as close as it gets to LLA in terms of learning on an online platform!” he says.

The course includes 10 sessions over 10 weeks. The fee is ₹10,000. The full time courses at LLA can go up to ₹6,65,000. Details: llaonline.in or call: 97511-51999

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Life & Style / by Pankiaja Srinivasan / January 05th, 2018

Interaction with author of ‘Talat Mahmood – The Velvet Voice’

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It will be held at 4.30 p.m. on Saturday

The Manipal University Press will hold the ‘Author Meets Readers’ event ‘From the Horse’s Mouth’ with Manek Premchand — author of the book ‘Talat Mahmood – The Velvet Voice’ — at the AC Seminar Hall on the MIT campus here at 4.30 p.m. on Saturday.

According to a press release issued by Manipal University here on Thursday, Mr. Premchand will share his thoughts and feelings in a conversation with Manipal Centre for Philosophy and Humanities faculty member Gayathri Prabhu.

A film will be screened and that will be followed by a music programme with Premchand and a few others singing Talat Mahmood’s songs.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Manipal – September 25th, 2015

How I survived Haj stampede in 2006

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Mysuru, KARNATAKA / NEW DELHI :

A.K. Pasha
A.K. Pasha

People usually hurry to reach Mina creating tremendous risk for themselves and others. It’s during this ritual that chaos is triggered.

I went for Haj pilgrimage with my wife in December-January 2006. During the journey, we noticed that the Gulf region was unstable owing to the trial of the deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in Baghdad and emotions were running high among the Arabs. The political fever in the region also spread among Haj pilgrims. Emotions and arguments add to the atmospherics of Haj. One can imagine the energy and excitement of a pilgrimage in which millions of people from diverse linguistic, ethnic and racial backgrounds are united by religion.

Our delegation was special as we were being accompanied by former Chief Justice of India A.M. Ahmadi and other dignitaries from different parts of India. But from the beginning of the journey, I saw that arrangements on the ground were not quite right. The Saudi officials gave out instructions only in Arabic, though most of the pilgrims were unfamiliar with the language.

Countries that send the largest number of pilgrims are from South and Southeast Asia like Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and India. People from this region speak many languages. Special attention is needed for the elderly, many of whom undertake foreign travel for the first time and, therefore, are quite disoriented and find it difficult to adjust to sudden orders yelled out in Arabic by policemen.

Also, the Saudi rules aim at segregation of men and women which creates a lot of problems for first-time travellers from our region. Often families which are separated by the Saudi police have to endure hardship, which is multiplied because neither the pilgrims nor the police can understand each other.

The process of Haj starts from Mina where one has to begin early after a prayer, followed by the circumambulation of the holy mosque Kaaba. The pilgrimage ends at Mina following the ritual of ‘Stoning the Shaitan.’ This last ritual at Mina needs to be completed before sunset and people usually hurry to reach Mina creating tremendous risk for themselves and others. It’s during this ritual that chaos is triggered.

On January 12, as we were returning to Mina for the last ritual of Haj, we saw the big stampede from a distance as waves of people collided. Dust and fear enveloped us. Our group stopped midway out of fear and went back to Mecca.

Next morning, we started early at 3 a.m. for the dash to Mina. On the way, we saw huge piles of shoes, clothes, and water bottles left behind by the stampede victims being loaded onto the trucks by the police. Officials informed us that around 350 people had died in the stampede and hundreds more were injured. The possessions of the pilgrims left behind made me suspicious of the official account.

The road to Mina which is where the stampedes often happen is very risky as it’s the only one for the journey to Mina and for returning to Mecca. I am told that the Saudi government has created an alternative route for the pilgrims returning to Mecca but that route is longer and many pilgrims continue to return by the old, shorter and narrow route which puts them at risk.

Year after year, stampedes have taken place on the same route near Mina, yet the Saudi authorities have failed to do anything to reduce the risk.

The occasion of Haj brings more than three million pilgrims to Mecca. A number of factors can trigger a crisis and a stampede on the ground where the crowd is united by religion and divided by political sentiments of the Arab countries. Sabotage is often suspected when such tragedies take place.

The Saudi government should also be open to learning from other countries where a large number of pilgrims congregate, for example in India’s Kumbh Melas and in the Vatican where authorities take care of the linguistic differences while managing people. There is no harm in learning from others.

Prof. Pasha teaches West Asian politics in JNU.

(As told to Kallol Bhattacherjee)

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National / by Prof. A.K. Pasha / September 26th, 2015

Karim Khan’s biography released

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Community Involvement / Social Issues, Karnataka (under research project), , , ,

(From left) D. Boralingaiah, Vice-Chancellor, Kannada University, Hampi; A.J. Sadashiva, former judge, Karnataka High Court; and K.R. Sandhya Reddy, writer, releasing a book on Karim Khan in Bangalore on Monday. / Photo: K. Murali Kumar
(From left) D. Boralingaiah, Vice-Chancellor, Kannada University, Hampi; A.J. Sadashiva, former judge, Karnataka High Court; and K.R. Sandhya Reddy, writer, releasing a book on Karim Khan in Bangalore on Monday. / Photo: K. Murali Kumar

‘Kannadada Santa Karim Khan Jeevana Charitre’ is written by the late D. Lingaiah

A biography on the late Kannada folk poet and scholar Karim Khan will provide an account of the entire 20th century, H.C. Boralingaiah, Vice-Chancellor, Kannada University, Hampi, has said.

He was speaking at the release of Karim Khan’s biography Kannadada SantaKarim Khan Jeevana Charitre at Kannada Sahitya Parishat on Monday.

Mr. Boralingaiah said the story of Karim Khan, a Gandhian, was also the story of the creative success of the Gandhian path before Independence.

“In an era of unbridled growth and development post-Independence, we have forgotten Gandhi and this book can be an excuse to introspect on the path we have taken,” he said.

Mr. Boralingaiah also recounted his interaction with Karim Khan when the two worked together at the Janapada Academy in the late 80s. “Despite the criticism he came under over his appointment to head the Academy at a ripe old age of 83, Karim Khan worked tirelessly for three years and did foundational work in the field of folk arts, along H. L. Nage Gowda, another scholar in the field,” Mr. Boralingaiah said.

A.J. Sadashiva, retired judge, Karnataka High Court, who inaugurated the function, said that in his limited interaction with him, Karim Khan came across as a polymath and a great humanitarian.

“He was a man who believed there was not much of a difference between man and God and if one strove hard, man could reach that holy state. His life was a journey in the direction,” he said.

The biography is written by the late D. Lingaiah. It is published by Godhooli publications.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Karnataka / by Staff Reporter / Bangalore – March 11th, 2014