Smokey and the Bandit

I had fun on Sunday watching the film Smokey and the Bandit, a comedy action entertainment featuring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field and Jackie Gleason. The 1977 film, based on a series of high-speed pursuit has commendable comedy scenes comprising action and hilarious lines, settles on a simple track of transporting a truckload of beer across state lines of US.

Two truck-divers (Bandit and Snowman) accepts the challenge of picking up a truckload of beer from Texas to southern Georgia, which is illegal at that time to transport specific kind of beer across state lines, for the refreshment of two big-shots.  Soon enough both were at the highways; Bandit on his black Pontiac Trans Am (a speedy car) kept roping the police towards him (as a decoy) to keep away their attention from the illegal truckload driving by Snowman. Meanwhile Bandit picks up a runaway bride ‘Carrie’ on his car where he becomes the target of Texas Sheriff ‘Justice’, a senior law officer whose younger son was yet to be Carrie’s groom.

With specific time and distance in miles, the film runs at high speed chasing, skating, jumping and floating of cars was highly influenced by CB radios, through which they seek acquaintance from fellow truckers that help them to escape from police pursuits. The most interesting part of the film was music, which captivate the mood exactly while on pursuit and increases the speed thrill. The best of all was legendary Jackie Gleason’s character as law officer targeting the Bandit, whose serious intentions all make laugh as it become funny.

Apart Burt Reynolds and Sally Field - as lead make charm and become sweet companion on the pursuit - the ‘Pontiac Trans Am’ has been hero wades through different terrains. The film seems to be inspiration for many films unrolled on the series of pursuit and I could relate many Indian movies with similar stunt sequences which perhaps could be a replica of Smokey and the Bandit. The film director (Hal Needham) himself been a stuntman has left impression. It is the only movie I have experienced with constant chasing entertainment… may be there could be some need to check.

வட்ட நிலா / Round Moon

Picture by Jeevan

நீலவானில் வட்ட நிலா

இரவு வேளை கண் விழிக்கும்.

இமை எல்லாம் கருவிழியாய்

கவர்ந்திழுக்கும், வெள்ளை நிலா.

எட்டாத தொலைவில்

ஒரு வெள்ளை பனியாரம்.

மறைந்தும் மறையாமல்

என்றும் உருகாத வனில்லா (பனிப்பாகு).

ரசிக்காத கண்கள் இல்லை

வர்ணிக்காத கவிஞன் இல்லை

வட்ட வடிவில் பெண் நிலா

வசியம் செய்யும் வெண்ணிலா. 

Round moon on blue sky
wakes up during the night.
Everything as eyelids as iris
attractive white moon.

At far beyond
a while dish.
Hidden but never hideaway
ever melted vanilla (ice cream).

There’s no eyes fail to admire
 there’s no poet fail to describe
A female moon in round shape
the mesmerism.

Ayyanar statue on the outskirt of Chennai!

One Sunday afternoon we were at the outskirts of Chennai and not so far from the city border but almost inside a village surrounded by green fields and buffaloes emerging around. 5 km from Medavakkam on the road to Mambakkam that connects the Vandalur-Kelambakkam road, one could get a glimpse of a taller statue of Ayyanar (the guardian deity of villages), only if you looking for it really, because the trees or houses could hinder the view easily as it lies inside a small village.

 added warm tone to get a terrific look :)

A narrow concrete road leads to this statue, after few rights or lefts inside the village, an open space appear and there a two story height Ayyanar statue sits on an elevated platform. Looked like a newly erected one or recently painted stands solemn with a long size sword hold to his right hand, this is the biggest Ayyanar statue I have seen ever. The Ayyanar statues are spread all around Tamil Nadu and I have seen them many in numbers while travel through the south-western districts of Tamil Nadu.

village buffaloes

The time everyone was suppose to take a nap; the men of the village were playing cards sitting on the empty roads under the tree shadows, as a group here and there leave little space for our car to pass on. A mother feeding her kid from a small bowl in hand directed us to the temple.  Adjacent to the Ayyanar statue, sat his cousin Karupannasami - a black small statue similar to the larger one with wood fence around. On the other side was an Amman Temple built with enough space around, and I guess the statue was erected on behalf of the temple and there’s also a tank behind the statue.

green coconut palms near the temple

Apart these, one could also find vast landscape of green fields around this village and Siththalapaakam Lake is right opposite to this place with a patch of forest area… I find it quite pleasure and leisure taking this route (Medavakkam-Mambakkam Rd) few times. 

Auto rickshaws and fares

There are number of travel options in Chennai and of course overall India, Auto rickshaw is one of public transport easily available in cities and small towns - share autos has no boundary - but it has been a troublesome commutation forever and many a time a auto ride ends with quarrel related to fare. I have witnessed number of incidents on this line and sometime there will also be clashes between auto drivers and commuters settling on fare. It’s been very long time I traveled in an auto, but still I hear about the disputes continue to fall here and there on the line.

image courtesy: google

In Chennai, autos rarely drop their meters to calculate the fare fixed by authorities rather the amount is predestined by auto drives depending on the destination. But that doesn't mean a content commuting; the fare may rise above the spoken amount when we reached the destination. The auto divers will not hesitate on requesting excess fee above the amount showed on meters but we can’t blame them quite, as we all know the price of petrol has been on hike boundlessly and moreover almost auto drives come from poverty what can be their priority other than money.

I too know money is not all about and not all auto drivers are similar to mentioned above.  There are very few drops for less fee or fare free understating the hardship of others, just like the one who helped my mom for just approaching his auto without knowing customers inside. He came back after dropping them at their place to assist mom walking back home bearing home needs, for which he requested nothing but left it to her choice of anything.  For any emergence the auto comes first when others hesitate to help thinking not to get into any trouble.

Many autos bear words of ‘free for delivery’ (I don’t know they truly follows the lines), their sentiment towards women are high. The movies contribute to autos are much higher and many top actors had been auto drivers in films has showcased how much one could help with autos. The government’s revised auto fare announced on Sunday (after six years) have brought hope with both auto rickshaw divers and commuters; the autos that about to fit with GPS meters, electronic digital printers and panic buttons (on pressing, the police will immediately come to rescue the commuters in case of emergency), the auto ride sounds safe and comfortable.

New fare details:

Rs.25 for first 1.8 km and Rs. 12 for every additional km

50 % high on late night (11 p.m. to 5 a.m.) rides

Rs. 3.50 for every five minutes of waiting and Rs.42 for an hour. 

Heritages from heart of Chennai

The Chennai has number of historical building built during British administration still standing as landmarks of Chennai - the then Madras. The Chennai celebrated its 374 birthday on August 22, which commemorates the founding of the modern city by establishing Fort St George on a small piece of land acquired from the last King of Chandragiri in 1639 by the British East India Company. Here are few important landmarks from the heart of Chennai:

The Chennai Central Railway Station, the main railway terminus in the city is a renowned landmark of Chennai and home to the Southern Railways - the most important rail hub in South India beside other major stations (Chennai Egmore and Tambaram). Trains from here connects almost major cities of India including the capital New Delhi, is also the main hub for the Chennai suburban railway system.

The railway station designed by Henry Irwin was built in 1873 at Parkown Chennai and it is a Gothic Revival style of building. The original station was designed by George Hardinge and consisted of just four platforms. The station was later modified with the addition of the central clock tower and other changes by Robert Fellowes Chisholm. The redesign was eventually completed in 1900 was further strengthened after the construction of the headquarters of the Madras and Southern Mahratta railways which is now known as the Southern railways of India adjacent to it in 1922.

The Ribbon Building is an all-white structure, stands tall proudly on the west of the Chennai Central Station is the house of office of Chennai Corporation. The building is a fine example of Indo-Saracenic style of architecture, a combination of Gothic, Lonic and Corinthian is one of the landmarks left by British. Built in the early 1900s has been aptly named after Lord Ribbon, who can be considered as the father of local self government.

The building took a massive renovation in 2012; to preserve the original grandeur of: the walls were constructed with stock bricks, plastered with lime mortar and roof supported with teak wood joists. One of the main attractions of the building is the Westminster Quarter chiming clock which was installed by Oakes and Co.  in 1913. The clock has a mechanical key system, which were cast by Gillet and Johnston  has four bells.

Victoria Public Hall or the Town Hall is another historical building in Chennai, named after Queen Victoria. The hall, an example of the Indo-Saracenic architecture was designed by Robert Fellowes Chisholm in the Romanesque style is built by Namperumal Chetty between 1888 and 1890. The hall located on the current EVR Periyar Salai, between the Central station and Ribbon building was opened to public by Lord Connemara in 1887.

The hall was built to accommodate 600 persons, while a wooden gallery in the eastern end has seating arrangement for more than 200 persons. The structure consists of arcaded verandas, a square tower that is three storeys high and a carved pyramidal roof. There is also an intricately carved terracotta cornice, which resembles Islamic calligraphy atop the tower.

An unknown heritage building on Mt. Road, Chennai

PS. Sorry for the quality of photos, because they were shot from the moving car amid the interruption of Metro Rail Project across the view. (Source of info: Wikipedia)