Awards hardly make a difference to Adoor Gopalakr-ishnan who is more interested in cinema per se followedby his own process of filmmaking than in awards. He wonthe Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2005 and many awardsover his 43-year-old career in films. This time, it is anoth-er Lifetime Achievement Award bestowed on him by NET-PAC, the largest and most powerful organization of film-makers and critics in Asia and beyond. Netpac is a world-wide organization with membership of 29 countriesfounded in 1990 by Aruna Vasudev at the request ofUNESCO to promote greater understanding and appre-ciation of Asian Films and filmmakers.

What do awards mean to him? "Awardsare important particularly in the earlydays of one's career, because it tellsyou in some way that what you aredoing is worthwhile. If there isappreciation and substantialrecognition, it helps a filmmaker.Awards are a kind of under-standing from others about yourwork. Yes, awards are veryimportant. I was a little sur-prised to begin with becausethis award usually goes to a vet-eran. I do not consider myself tobe a veteran. But it is a great hon-our and I look upon it as very sat-isfying and gratifying," he says,smiling.

Adoor's reluctance to identifyhimself with an ideology, his explo-rations of the individual, often on a one-to-one basis that spans several layers of thehuman experience, his insistence on the auton-omy of the form in cinema, distinguish him from most ofhis peers, and often make him a subject of controversy,principally because he belongs to Kerala, forever a volatilepolitical state with polarized agendas preached and prac-ticed by a segmented audience.

He has never compromised with market pressures oraudience demands for mainstream entertainment. Yet, hehas held on to his own language, style, approach, storyand plot and is a name to reckon with on the map of Inter-national Cinema. He has made relatively few films duringhis long span as filmmaker. His first film Swayamvaram(1972) came ten years after he graduated from the FTII,Pune. It was the second Malayalam film after Chemeen tohave won the National Award. Followed Kodiyettam(1979), Elipathayam (1981), Mukhamukham (1984),Anantaram (1987), Mathilukal (1989), Vidheyan (1993),Kathapurushan (1995, Nizhalkuthu (2002), Naalu Pen-nugal (2007) and Oru Pennum Randaanum (2008).

Adoor was born in the small Kerala town of Adoor in1941. A graduate in political science, 'Adoor' joined theFilm Institute in Pune in the early sixties; his first featurefilm, Swayamvaram, was made 10 years later and went onto become the second Malayalam-language film (after thepath-breaking Chemeen, a decade earlier) to win theNational Award.

"Filmmaking is not just about story telling. That's aminor excuse, a simple but significant excuse to keep anaudience engaged in a cinema theatre," he says.

"More than that, I am making them experience andalso look for many things within and without themselves,and around themselves. I am talking about my kind of cin-

ema. This, I think is the function of the art, any art forthat matter -- to make you aware, to make you think anddisturb you positively and creatively, to make you excit-ed about it, to make you responsive to things."

Adoor does not identify himself or his films with anyagenda, political, cinematic, or otherwise. When thiswriter first met Adoor at the Hyderabad Filmotsav in 1986and asked him what he does between films, since he makesso few of them, his pat answer was, "I think about mak-ing films," just like that.

During the making of Vidheyan, starring Mamooty ina negative role, he said, "I make my films for

everyone. Not everyone may understandthem in the same way, but that is some-

thing I crave for. I am no fireside racon-teur. As a filmmaker, it is my duty to

respect the audience's intelligence.They can understand a film the waythey wish to. I try to be as cost-effective as I can. Vidheyan wasplanned at a cost of Rs.27 lakhs.I completed it within Rs.25 lakhs.I do not believe in going over-budget to stress a point."

Adoor's technique is brilliant,the most striking of which is hispower of understatement and his

ability to resist all temptations ofsurrendering to intellectual preten-

sions. In fact, his cinema does notdemand any inner readings because

each film stands by itself superbly evenat face value. Understatement in craftsmanship is also

one of the hallmarks of his films. Low-key natu-ral lighting blends the characters into their rural milieuwhile the cinematography maintains the richness of theKerala landscape without subjecting it ever to touristy,picture-perfect, postcard-like visual images.

"I interact with the medium of cinema by choosing ahuman being placed in a certain situation. It may be a vil-lage simpleton, a disillusioned political worker or a writeras the case may interest my creative instincts and me. Itis their existential situation that my film explores. Noneof this can be summed up through a slogan," he elabo-rates.

In a much understated way, his films deal with human'absences' and sometimes, small 'presences' that markthat vital difference between Adoor and other filmmak-ers.

Mathilukal for instance, has no female presencethough the female character is very much present acrossthe wall, with her sensuous voice breaking the barrier ofthe wall that separates her from her 'lover' on the otherside. In Vidheyan, the Patel's wife, played by Tanvi Azmi,appears briefly but leaves a strong impact. In Kathapu-rushan, through his absence, the affluence and the dicta-tion of Kunjunni's father are strongly underscored.

His films have been exhibited at every film festival inthe world; his third, Elipathayam, won the Most OriginalFilm award from the prestigious British Film Institute in1982. He won the coveted International Film Critics Prizefor five successive films; in 1983, he was accorded the Pad-ma Shri and many more over time. The NETPAC Awardfinds itself honoured by the awardee the board has cho-sen instead of it being the other way round. (TW F)

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2015 (PAGE-4)

BOLLYWOOD-BUZZ

SOCIETY

Adoor Gopalakrishnan: Such a Long JourneyHERITAGE

Rajeshwar Singh Raju

As per Sanatan Dharma, the oldest religion on planetearth, it is believed that there are 33 Koti (type) of Gods andGoddesses. Devotees in large number throng the templesdedicated to these Gods and Goddesses to offer prayers witha firm belief that they come to their rescue whenever theyneed them.

One of such sacred places is a Hanuman temple locatedat Village Ghai, Charyalla, Tehsil Nowshehra, DistrictRajouri. This place is located about 8 KMs from NowshehraCity at Nowshehra to Kalar Road and is almost at LOC withPakistan Border Jhangad.

It is believed that long ago, almost in 1967-68, a Sadhubelonging to a Royal family of Solan, Shimla area of adjoin-ing state Himachal Pradesh had travelled through this areaalongwith his female disciple named Sadhna. They carrieda small idol of Hanuman with them. He made a small tem-ple here with the help of inhabitants of surrounding areasand the idol of Lord Hanuman was installed. But after 5-6years, he along with his disciple moved to an unknown place.After his exit from the place, the temple turned a desertedone.

In 1981, Audhaya Nath hailing from Charyalla villageabout 2 Kms from the temple, who had his own Jagran Man-dli decided to renovate the temple. The villagers also cameto extend whatever help they could render and the templegot renovated. Sh. Sant Ram, who used to live near the tem-ple, was entrusted with the pious duty of performing regu-lar prayers. It is said that he used to take wine and meat.But one day he saw a dream wherein he saw that Lord Hanu-man instructs him that if he wished to serve him then he willhave to abstain from Meat and alcohol. In the dream LordHanuman served him large quantity of meat and alcohol soas to quench his thirst for same. At this he got scared anddecided never to touch meat and alcohol. From that dayonwards, he served Lord Hanuman in that small temple withall dedication and devotion. It is said that he had intuitionabout his death. On that fateful day, after praying at Hanu-man temple, he placed his turban there and never came backand left for heavenly abode. After the demise of Sita Ram,the temple was abandoned again as there was no care tak-er.

In 1996-97, Kuldeep Kumar who resides in nearby vil-lage Charyalla had startling experience that moved him fromwithin. He recalls that when once he had objected a manfrom Bakarwal community from urinating towards the oldtemple. But Bakarwal retorted by saying, Does it look like atemple from any angle? Religious place are not kept thisway."

It moved him from within and he along with a few youthsfrom the village decided to purify/renovate the temple attheir own. The room made for the stay of Sadhu was dis-mantled as it was in shabby condition, and the stones usedin the construction of that room were used for constructinga small room for Langar purpose. After the renovation oftemple, they decided to organize a Bhandara here with thehelp, of locals. Its tremendous success inspired them tomake it a regular feature. He has firm belief that with theblessings of Lord Hanuman, he got employed in J&K Bankin 1998.

It's praiseworthy, that a big and beautiful temple hasbeen made at old temple site now. It got completed within6 years i.e. from 2000 to 2006 and has been built by Odiyaartists, who are expert in this particular art. The temple isvery attractive and a number of small idols of Gods havebeen installed in different corners of mounting walls of thetemple which make it a worth seeing structure in the backdrop of nature at peak.

The temple complex has total cover area of 5-6 kanals,which has a Langar Room, 2 halls, kitchen, Sadhu/Saint StayHall, 2 Shops and Bathrooms etc. Now-a-days , in order totake care of the temple in a smooth and organized wayHanuman Mandir Committee has been formed .

It is pertinent to add here that People living in adjoiningareas believe that one who serves Pawan Putra Hanuman Ji

with all dedication and devotion here, gets his/her wish ful-filled at all costs. The devotees have strong conviction thatthe youths who offer regular prayers in this temple getemployed within one year. Amazingly, this temple is gettingpopular as 'NOUKRI WALA MANDIR' now-a-days.

Previously every year on 17th of February a grand Bhan-dara was organized on Sathapna Divas, but from the day anew idol of Lord Hanuman Ji was installed in the temple, itis organized on 8th of February annually. In fact, two Bhan-daras are held every year i.e. on 8th February and in Octo-ber month on the occasion of Hanuman Jayantis, when abig wrestling competition_ DANGAL is also organized. Onboth the occasions mass participation reflects the faith ofdevotees in this temple which has been increasing every day.

As the temple is situated in a dense forest area, it is beingvisited by many species of birds and animals like Pigeons,Pea-Cocks, different species of sparrows, crows etc. It is alsobelieved that not only leopards but Tiger also pays regularvisits to this sacred place which gets authenticated by hisfootprints on the ground made for wrestling. Moreover onevery Monday, it is believed and witnessed by so many devo-tees that a Crow Couple visits temple in the morning whenPrashad is offered to Lord Hanuman Ji and another birdcalled Khapri in local language enters the temple to ring thebell when others are offering prayers. It's all amazing andproves a vital point that this pious religious place has spir-itual concern.

The fact remains that such religious places, where onegets solace do confirm existence of Almighty in one form orthe other. Even the scientists have failed to ignore super nat-ural force. The existence of God is proved by the faith adopt-ed by billions.

Religious places teach a valuable lesson of humanity andCharyalla, Nowshehra 's Hanuman Temple is also a valu-able addition to this series for which locals of the regionshould be admired to preserve the traditions and boostSanatan Dharam, ancient most religion on this Planet Earth.

Noukriwala Mandir

Heena Kaushal

Internet is not just a world in which information could befound about any and all subjects the human mind could pos-sibly imagine. The internet is a way for family members andfriends living far from home to keep close contact with theirloved ones. The positive effects of internet is quite obvious,the disadvantages that it intrigues the impressionable ado-lescent mind and leads them to content which they are imma-ture to comprehend.

As a journalist, I have made internet part of my life. Switch-ing it on now and then. Upon arrival back home in the evening,the first thing I do as I enter my house is to turn onmy mobile networks checking emails; several chatservices. Which I think is border line addiction in mycase.

An addiction is defined as, “compulsive need forand use of a habit-forming substance characterizedby tolerance and by well defined psychological symp-tom upon withdrawal.”

During an online survey, 25,521 internet userswere screened about their usage of internet, and 30%of them get on to net to escape negative feeling in theirlives. Clinical research shows that the mean age ofmen addicted to the internet is 29 and for the womenits 43. As for as vocational background 42% comefrom no background at all, 39% come from non-techwhite collar, 11% from blue collar and 8% from whitecollar. The most addictive online applications haveproven to be 35% chat, 28% MUD, 15% new groups,13% e-mails, 7% world wide web(WWW) and 2% justfor information.

English speaking countries, studies have foundthat accelerated intimacy, ease and availability ofaccess, anonymity, dis inhibition, loss of boundariesmakes anyone want to be a part of this World WideWeb (WWW).

Researchers have found that, there are four inter-net addictions namely-

Cyber relation addiction-is one where someone is addict-ed to chat rooms and is over involved in online relations.Netis the dangerous most addiction where gamblers invest thou-sands of dollars on the net which in the end not only disruptstheir job related duties, but also become bothersome to lovedones around them. Information overload addicts are addict-ed to unlimited information that can be found on internet.Engaging with cyber sex with individual’s online leads todeveloping relationship with them. People who have thisaddiction are most likely addicted because of anonymity theinternet offers, the connivance and also the escape.

Center for online addiction states the following,” Gendersignificantly influences the way men and women view cyber-sex. Women prefer cyber sex because it hides their physicalappearance, removes the social stigma that women shouldnot enjoy sex. Men prefer this because it removes perform-ance anxiety that may be underlying problems with prema-ture ejaculation or impotence and it hides their physicalappearance for men who feel secure about their hair loss.The male organ of copulation, or weight gain”.

Being addicted is the life challenging thing, don’t youthink so? In the 21st century, to say that anyone who meetsothers online will develop relationships with them, later

taking it to another level and adding sexual contact to theirrelationships is not applicable.

I have big list of friends in my contact, some of whom Iknow personally and some who are knows through differ-ent lists. They have become part of my life, but as an inter-net addict myself, if I were not to speak to them, I’d feel Iam missing something.

In one of my researches, I went through Dr. Suller, whocreated a book on cyber psychology which says, “The mul-tiple aspects of one’s identity may be dissociated, enhancedor integrated online.”How easy it is for people to get addict-ed to creating selves on the internet which something you

aren’t. This is problematic, because these happen when youare dejected completely by the real you around your circle,that completely affects your self esteem.

Dr. Suller mentions that some people find really gen-uine “true” relationships in cyberspace. These couples havefound something genuine and real. So it is imperative forprospective couples to meet and see whether they possessthose qualities.

In fact a friend of mine met some one month ago, theone she met on internet. People argue that how’s it possi-ble; how the internet meeting differs from corner bar. Ithink it is much safer because you are not only exposed, asyou would be at bar or club. The internet is an added meansof meeting people and getting to know them without inhi-bitions that might exist meeting someone face to face.

Trying hard to make an impression often restrains usgetting to know the real person, someone who we really are.Meeting people on internet before those initial first impres-sions are made to enlighten, is in my opinion a step forward.

Not going too far, our older generations keep on surfingthe matrimonial sites for our future spouses, then how comeit becomes a taboo if we use it ourselves..

Think over!

HEALTHLINES

Dr Kshitiz Murdia

MMaallee iinnffeerrttiilliittyy iiss ssoollee ccoonnttrriibbuuttiinngg rreeaassoonn ffoorrtthhee ccoouuppllee''ss ffaaiilluurree ttoo ccoonncceeiivvee.. 11 iinn eevveerryy 33

mmeenn iiss ssuuffffeerriinngg ffrroomm iinnffeerrttiilliittyy pprroobblleemm..Infertility is not "just a female problem" as there is a

male infertility component in approximately 50% of cou-ples.

Due to unavailability of appropriate diagnosis andanalysis methods the actual reason behind infertility leftunnoticed. But now the advancement of medical sciencehas made it possible to know the exact reason and cure ofinfertility. It has been observed that Male infertility is solecontributing reason for the couple's failure to conceiveand approximately 1 in every 3 men is having infertilityproblem more or less. There has been rapid increase seenin number of childless couples, deprived of parenthoodjust because the male partner is incapable of makingwoman pregnant due to infertility. Infertility as the fail-ure of a couple to become pregnant after one year of regu-lar unprotected sexual intercourse.

Generally this kind of problem occurs due to less countand degeneration of sperm which is ideally required forpregnancy. In such cases the sperm can't reach inside thefallopian tube, hence female partner gets unable to con-ceive in spite of countless attempts. The major reasonbehind this problem is Male Infertility.

There are various factors which leads Male toInfertility, the prime reason is smoking and excess drink-ing. In most instances the young boys start takingsteroids and medicines in order to have good physiquedue to which they have to suffer from infertility problemin later age. Much Physical exercise and starvation for thesake of dieting is also a cause which affects male fertility.

The rapidly increasing Tension & Depression amongyoungsters and moreover Pollution, Anemia due to seden-tary lifestyle are much contributing to the causes of maleInfertility. The most complicated condition related withinfertility is when the sperm doesn't generate in semen.That condition is called Azoospermia. Approximately 1%percent male population is affected by this problem inIndia.

The Couple suffering from Infertility problem has to gothrough physical as well as mental stress. As most ofteneither the sperm count is less or motility of the sperm isvery low. Hence sperms are incapable of fertilizing thefemale partner's egg. But now the science and technologyhas made the impossible come possible. There are prom-ising solutions available for couples having such medicalcondition.

Now there are various treatments available helpful inovercoming the infertility. Oligospermia is the conditionwhen sperm count is very less and Azoospermia is definedas entire absence of sperm in semen sample. WithAzoospermia, a man produces no sperm in his ejaculate,giving him a zero sperm count. Azoospermia can result

from a problem with sperm pro-duction or sperm delivery. It isdiagnosed by semen analysis.Semen sample is required forperforming the analysis, whichis done to measure the count,size and activity of sperms.

There are number of menwhose sperm count is zero. Thecommon conditions that causeAzoospermia are hormonal mis-balance, Injury, Testicular fail-ure or infection. In some condi-tion sperms are occurring intestes but unable to come out insemen due to obstruction in thevast.

Varicocele is also one of thereasons behind non develop-ment of sperm which can becured through surgery. Fewyears ago those men withoutsperm or less sperm, didn't haveany option. He could not fathera child of his own naturally.

He had to either use donor'ssperm or would adopt a child. Now, through incredibleStem Cell Technology advancement of medical science ithas become possible to produce sperm in laboratory.Sperms are produced in laboratory by using the stem cellsof the patient, then fertilized with egg and transplanted inthe ovary through In Vitro fertilization. This is how thefemale partner may get pregnant.

Men with Azoospermia have a number of approachesavailable with them. Basically individual factors need tobe considered for the choice of treatment. Treatment withStem Cell Therapy promises much hope for the future.

(The author is Fertility expert, Indira infertility 'Test Tube BabyCentre, New Delhi)

Steroids can cause Male Infertility Cyber-space relationship

NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) is bestowing the Lifetime AchievementAward to filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan at the International Film Festival of Colombo thismonth for his contribution to cinema. The award comes at a time when Adoor has put in 43years exclusively to filmmaking as a director and rightly considered as one without par on theIndian subcontinent. Shoma A. Chatterji explores his films and filmmaking.