Kodai rain finds Palani

The killing in a principality,led the world to the first of the world wars...The atomic bomb ended the next,but telescoped the reach of an instrument for terror.
The potent H1N1 made sure that even a sneeze had an impact on three quarters of the world...A demolition of two towers in a city hyphenated a "pre and post" that day world..And a volcano with an unpronounceable name, from a country with no known clout,made sure that Billions were lost even without a Maddock Ponzi..

Over the ages,we have seen the catastrophic effects of happenings in one part, impacting far beyond geographical boundaries...

But we have also been blessed by natures bounty...happenings and peoples contribution, far from us..

The rich thinking of spartan yogis of the east have inspired the western civilizations to think beyond the material..The flight of imagination of Greek philosophers when brought to reality by two brothers has flown Drs in the southern hemisphere and put a Hubble in space..
An Albanian found Sainthood in caring for the inconsolably suffering in Asia..While a rich harvest of affordable technology from Asia made the web,truly world wide and available for all..

But for today,I am referring to a much smaller footprint of cause and effect..

A smaller foot print but with joy no less..

Last night it rained in Kodaikanal..and some of that rain found Palani..They know it in these parts as,Kodai rain..

Rain which falls in the cooler climes of elevated Kodai..cools the hot dry plains of Palani..

Small joys...but shared in this beautiful world of ours..

So..Which palani is your rain finding ?

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Distant rain & melody,in Roman.

As we readied ourselves for the night sequence in the bungalow..Our director Jawahar set up a crane shot to capture the exterior lit up for th wedding song, against the blue of the gathering Dusk...
The humidity and heat of the day had given way to a gentle breeze..cool by palani standards.
Since the facade of the house was to be shot,the vanity vans were moved out..so we found sanctuary on the terrace..

And it was here that Nithiyaa Ravindhar sang the songs..

Working over the years in different languages, interacting with cultures variant from any which I may call mine and participating in togetherness with people I meet so often for the 'first' time..I am completely and totally at home,being the outsider.

The love and generosity of my co actors,technicians,the support staff and the extra ordinary creative minds I have met over the last 9yrs of working in various languages,has humbled me.

They have enveloped me as one of their own...who doesn't speak their language.

They have given me amazing roles,many have got for me home cooked food,and books and toys for my child...I also got the opportunity to see nooks of the south,which only a film unit can think of travelling to..and they introduced me to poetry too..from the classic two lined verses from Thirukuraal, to lyrics of Kannadaasa's songs immortalized in classic films, to th poignant word sketches of the popular people's poet Vairamuthhu..

And songs of the Maestro... Illayiraja..from films I had not heard of,or knew about only from their hindi remakes..

Today was such an evening..even as the sky darkened and lightning bolts streaked in the distance..Sitting on the terrace of the shooting bungalow in Palani..Nithiyaa sang compositions of Raja..a lot of them..and then she sang the tamil original of my favourite from the hindi remake Sadma..Surmai ankhion mein..

We will be shooting till late tnite..Its a wedding song..

Dancers flail arms and pump torsos in unision.. there is bonhomie,Cheer and laughter in the air inspite of us all working since 7am.

Probably because, its begun raining in Pollachi 60 kms away..and we at Palani are partaking its blessings..

Or probably because I am thrilled..As I have a song on my lip... Kanna dasa's last composition..Kannai kaley maaney..the original of the song I love from Sadma...

The pallavi (beginning verse) has been sent in Roman to me via text msg by Nithyaa..
She has promised to send the whole song.

I shall learn it...Read Roman and sing Tamil.. for my friends.

Even for those who are not here with me in beautiful palani,120 kms from Coimbatore..

Thank you life..
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Distant rain and melody... in Roman.

As we readied ourselves for the night sequence in the bunglow..Our director Jawahar set up a crane shot to capture the exterior lit up for th wedding song, against the blue of the gathering Dusk...
The humidity and heat of the day had given way to a gentle breeze..cool by palani standards.
Since the facade of the house was to be shot,the vanity vans were moved out..so we found sanctuary on the terrace..

And it was here that Nitya Ramchander sang the songs..

Working over the years in different languages, interacting with cultures variant from any which I may call mine and participating in togetherness with people I meet so often for the 'first' time..I am completely and totally at home,being the outsider.

The love and generosity of my co actors,technicians,the support staff and the extra ordinary creative minds I have met over the last 9yrs of working in various languages,has humbled me.

They have enveloped me as one of their own...who doesn't speak their language.

They have given me amazing roles,many have got for me home cooked food,and books and toys for my child...I also got the opportunity to see nooks of the south,which only a film unit can think of travelling to..and they introduced me to poetry too..from the classic two lined verses from Thirukuraal, to lyrics of Kannadaasa's songs immortalized in classic films, to th poignant word sketches of the popular people's poet Vairamuthhu..

And songs of the Maestro... Illayiraja..from films I had not heard of,or knew about only from their hindi remakes..

Today was such an evening..even as the sky darkened and lightning bolts streaked in the distance..Sitting on the terrace of the shooting bungalow in Palani..Nitya sang compositions of Raja..a lot of them..and then she sang the tamil original of my favourite from the hindi remake Sadma..Surmai ankhion mein..

We will be shooting till late tnite..Its a wedding song..

Dancers flail arms and pump torsos in unision.. there is bonhomie,Cheer and laughter in the air inspite of us all working since 7am.

Probably because, its begun raining in Pollachi 60 kms away..and we at Palani are partaking its blessings..

Or probably because I am thrilled..As I have a song on my lip... Kanna dasa's last composition..Kannai kaley maaney..the original of the song I love from Sadma...

The pallavi (beginning verse) has been sent in Roman to me via text msg by Nitya..
She has promised to send the whole song.

I shall learn it and sing it for my friends..

Even those who are not here with me in beautiful palani,120 kms from Coimbatore..

Thank you life..
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Wind Mills etc on the Road to Coimbatore..

Like ever so often,the promised wrap for the day was delayed by an hour..Where I had planned to do the 120km from Palani to Coimbatore in a leisurely 3hrs with a stopover at some 'Hi class Pure Veg' eatery like Gayathri or Gandirams for a vadai and filtered caffeine..Now it is scramble to do the journey in 2hrs,while trailing a yellow lorry,chocker filled with emaciated cows,standing in files of 8 and rows of 5..definitely abbatoir headed..
Yet as we overtake the death row vehicle of these two horned animals..against the crimson sky appears a forest of Huge...Giant...seemingly three horned cyclops ..Windmills !
They turn..Majestically ,Noiselessly..towering over the tallest of the coconut palms that dot the fields..They are generating power,green power,harnessing the bounty of breeze on the plains near the foothills of the Nilgiris..
A few less trees shall be cut,a smaller carbon footprint shall be left and the ozone will have one less perforation to heal thanks to this green project in the hinterlands of Tamilnadu..

AAL IJ WELL...but for the cows, standing 8 to a file and 5 to a row in the yellow lorry we overtook enroute to catch the 9pm from Coimbatore for a 4 day climax to be shot in Chennai ..Its 715pm,we have 60km to go..We are doing good.

Aren't we ? ? ?
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But can't upload pix frm the Cell !

The temple town of Palani is sleepy.. as sleepy as any town can get..Seems even more so,since it is not the pilgimage season..The forlorn arterial which connects the Vel's court Hotel rear gate to th highway, has a quaint tea kiosk with discoloured blue tables and thatched walls and roof..You get Kaapi and Chaa from 6am,but Mottay(egg) dosai will only be ready at 9am. . As for now,I await my shot..have to cmplt my scene by 530pm..then the drive to Coimbtr,for the 9pm Jet to Chennai..
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Palani..Heat and good work

As Rajesh Lingam enters the vanity van to explain the scene for the day..I send the first post via email ! Does it work ? Cheers from Palani 100 km from Coimbatore !
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