THRUM WITH THE BRIDGE

Amala Muralidharan

The Master Mind

Music was a career that Govind P Menon had always dreamt of.  At the age of nineteen, when Govind left

his home for marking his name in the music world, he had no idea that he was going to build the strong ‘Thaikkudam Bridge’, we know of today - now a rage among the music lovers. Govind’s better half is his ‘green violin’ which he carries with himself wherever he goes, as a true companion. He hasn’t learnt music professionally but his experience of working with renowned musicians from the film industry, made music his cup of tea. He owes his success as a person and a musician to music composers, Oussepachan and Gopi Sundar.  Starting his career as a keyboard programmer, he later proved his talents in Super Talent too, a reality show in Kerala.  He has programmed, composed, and assisted many music directors in Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada and Telugu. He has worked for more than 100 films till date; few movies to name are Bum Bum Bole, Aakrosh, Love ka Punchnama and Akaash Vani. “I wasn't much into studies, my father was my pillar of support and the sheer hardwork put in helped me reach my destiny” he says. Music runs in his blood as he is from a musical family.  His father, Peethambaran Menon, who was the ‘Voice of Thrissur’ in the 70’s, is also a part of the band. He is one of the vocalist and the violinist, music producer and general manager of the band. “Incredible things happen when your passion turns out to be your career, I couldn’t have asked for more”, laughs the artist. Hailing from Thrissur, this 25 year old has now become one of the most sought after music producer in the Malayalam Film Industry.

The Bridge

Flickering stage lights flashed on the gleaming young vibrant faces. Hands swarm in the air as silhouettes waving to the tune of unprecedented music. The whole place echoed with chorus voice of the audience as the charmers’ strike to ‘bridge the gap’, as the band says. ‘Music brings people together... it can change the world because it can change the people’, and Thaikkudam Bridge truely does that by bridging people all over the world. This interesting band with a very interesting name has taken the music industry by a storm ever since they featured for Music Mojo in Kappa TV last year. These rockstars have been gigging in colleges, in and around Kochi and even abroad with their breath taking performances.

The Menon brothers – Govind and Siddharth, made a home video of ‘Tum Ho’, an AR Rahman mix, which was noticed by Kappa TV, an entertainment channel. It was then that these hotshots jam-packed in a room and came out with 12 songs for the programme. They started off their journey from the Thaikkudam Bridge, in Kochi with 13 members and today it has grown up to be a big tree reaping 18 brilliant artists. Inspite of their diverse cultural backgrounds, it is the comradeship that keeps them bonded.  It was through ‘Nostalgia’, that these people sprung up to fame. “Nostalgia is nothing but an old wine in a new bottle, it’s only through these covers that we could touch the hearts of people” says Govind. Like a calm and quite brook, the ‘Nostalgia’  cover version of this band which improvises the evergreen numbers, has given the young crowd a nostalgic touch of the late 80’s and 90’s Malayalam music, it gave goosebumps to many and  has got a terrific response from people worldwide. Nostalgia is viral all over Youtube, and has created waves with more than 15 lakh viewership. The band gained popularity through the social networking sites such as Facebook and Youtube.

Their musical gamut includes Hindustani classical, romantic songs, to rock music, attempted by artists perfect in each genre.  Haq Allah, Illayraja Medley, Rahman Medley, Chekele, Thekkum Kooradiyathil, Aerials are few other covers done by them. Fishrock and Shiva are two of their original compositions. If Nostalgia was a quite one, then Fishrock sung and composed by Govind gushes like a vehement and lively creek. It has turned out to become a peppy number even among the small kids. The lyrics of Fishrock have been penned by Govind’s sister, Dhanya.  Disciples of Padmashri Ustad Rashid Khan, Krishna Bongane and Nila Madhav Mohapatra’s rendering of ‘Shiva’ are quite enticing, composed by Govind and penned by Gajanan Mitka.

Thaikkudam Bridge recently launched their website at Cafe Papaya, Kochi.  They are now getting ready to perform once again for Music Mojo and even   MTV ‘Coke Studio’, with their new original compositions. They have conquered all hearts through their covers and originals, are ready to surprise the music lovers with their venture into the film industry. Govind debuted in Malayalam film industry as a composer through North 24 Katham, in which Siddharth bagged the Best Debut Singer (Male) CERA BIG Malayalam Music Award. All the members of the band are now connected with the industry with many offers pouring in from Bollywood, Tollywood, Mollywood and Kollywood (Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu and Tamil film industries).

These stalwarts have been lucky enough to have tasted success in their transformation stage, looking forward to creating more music which would be an aural treat for their music lovers. “Our greatest reward is the appreciation we get from people, it is all that matters at the end of the day”, says Govind.

Atithi Devo Bhava - A mantra that catapult Nair to success

Entrepreneur par excellence, philanthropist, environmentalist, soldier, marketing strategist, hotelier and indomitable freedom fighter, Captain Chittarath Poovakkatt Krishnan Nair is no longer among us. He left for the heavenly abode in the early hours on May 17 at his sprawling residence in Mumbai. A few months back he was honoured with an honorary doctorate at a simple function organized at his hotel Leela Kempinski, Mumbai.

Born and brought up in Kannur, Kerela, Captain Chittarath Poovakkatt Krishnan Nair (February 9, 1922 – May 17, 2014) was the founder chairman of The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts. From a young freedom fighter, then an officer serving in the Indian Army, to a pioneer in the handloom industry, and later as a major textile exporter, Nair had reached to the pinnacle of fame and success through sheer grit, innate confidence and discerning style.

Nair received his early education at a small elementary school in his native village. A natural rebel, he joined the independence struggle at the tender age of 13 and later became an officer in the Indian Army. In 1951, he resigned his commission and helped establish the All India Handloom Board. He was involved in developing and marketing loss making Madras, a hand-spun yarn from India in the United States, which met with electrifying triumph in promoting exports to America. By 2001, he was the recipient of the prestigious Golden Globe Award for the highest exports in clothing in India from The Ministry of Textiles, Government of India.

His frequent business jaunts to Europe and America had exposed him to hotels with high service standards, inspiring him to make his first forays into the luxury hospitality sector. At the age of 65, he started to build The Leela group of hotels, bringing his Indian dream to life, which today has become one of the most feted aboriginal hospitality groups in the comfort segment.

Leela hotel was launched in Mumbai in 1987. Today, The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts has 8 luxury properties in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Gurgaon, Udaipur, Goa, Chennai and Kovalam with new hotels opening in Noida, Agra, Jaipur and Lake Ashtamudi in Kerala. Nair’s mission was to delight and exceed his guests’ expectations through gracious Indian hospitality, known in the ancient Indian scriptures as Atithi Devo Bhava or ‘Guest is God.’

Globally recognised as an environmentalist, hotelier and visionary, Nair had been the recipient of many prestigious accolades. For his unstinting efforts in environmental conservation, he received the Global 500 Laureate Roll of Honour by the United Nations Environment Program in 1999 from Emperor Akihito of Japan.

Lauding him as a doyen hotelier, the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences honoured him with the Lifetime Achievement Five Star Diamond Award in 2009; the Green Hotelier Award by the Geneva based International Hotel and Restaurant Association (IH&RA) and the Maharana Mewar Foundation’s Uday Singh Award for “Outstanding Practical Achievements in the Protection and Improvement of the Environment” in 2002.

In 2008, Business Week, US listed him among the 50 global octogenarians who still ‘rock the world’. Recent awards in 2010 include the Hall of Fame Award at the Hotel Investment Forum India held in Mumbai and the ‘Hotelier of the Century’ Award given by the International Hotel and Restaurant Association.

Nair had also received the highest Indian civilian honour - the Padma Bhushan, from the President of India.

Modi needs to walk the talk

Narendra Modi led-BJP has emerged victorious in the 2014 national elections but the war is yet not won. He will need to personally extend his arm further to get the support of regional parties like TMC, AIADMK,BJD and even YSR Congress to take total control of the nation.

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Not having the requisite majority to get bills and ordinance passed in the Rajya Sabha, BJP will urgently need to establish a politically friendly post-poll equation, to seize complete political power in the country.   

There is belief created in the minds of Indians that in a corruption ridden country where the chief source of corruption is the erstwhile ruling coalition and their leaders, Narendra Modi stands out for his impeccable integrity. It has been written about Modi focusing his entire energy on developing Gujarat and improving infrastructures. Besides this the law and order phenomenally improved in Modi’s Gujarat. It is perceived in the media that even the daughters roam freely at midnight in Vadodara, Ahmedabad or any other Gujarati cities.

Further, his media managers have always been stressing on his achieving exceptional development and economic growth, and at the same time reinforced social inclusiveness. Through these he has worked hard even to regain the confidence of the minorities, as the persistent and insidious hate campaign against him has continued unabated in the electronic media, among the drawing room intellectuals and civil society activists, who have become the media darlings.

BJP’s campaign claimed that Narendra Modi possessed 5 Ts: — talent, tradition, tourism, trade and technology. Like its bitter political adversary, AAP, its principal plank too was combating corruption and moots multi pronged strategy to eradicate it.

Though BJP’s manifesto shrewdly focused on the economy, with measures aimed at creating jobs, promoting growth. federalism, or the sharing of powers and resources between the Centre and the states were another focus area, it is too early to confidently believe that Modi will deliver these promises with ease and in a record time.

Mod’s much touted plans on e-governance to minimise corruption at the lower levels of the bureaucracy, which deals the most with the public; a law to check malpractices in the private sector; and steps to bring back money stashed abroad illegally, is easily achievable in a highly complex system ridden badly with corruption and controlled and manipulated by middlemen. There also was mention to resort to issuing floating warrants, which will bind countries under the United Nations Convention against Corruption, to divulge information. These are the enticing subjects that endeared him to electorates, which of course appears to be more of myth and rabble mongering for influencing the gullible electorate.

The saffron party under Modi promised to remove unemployment – a tactical move to target India’s 65% voters who are under the age of 35. This ensured the votes of a large chunk of young starry-eyed electorates whose aspirations were boosted by a promise Modi will need to fulfill or face the boot even before his term ends as the prime minister.

The most important clause in Modi’s manifesto was his resolve to allow the private players into the defence production sector thus endearing industrialists and entrepreneurs which he will need to carefully push through. Modi should not forget that his political mentor Atal Behari Vajpayee’s  government was not re-elected to power in 2004 as his (Vajpayee) government’s privatization and dis-investment policy pursued by a lobby of colleagues with non-socialist leanings, led to a steep rise in retrenchment of labour force.  

Modi has ridden on the crest of public expectations, garnering historic mandates. He has to fulfill the promises before the expiry of his term. If he fails to steer clear his ship through various contentious issues the end result would be ignominy the way his predecessor has lost into. From day one Modi should take note of the stark reminder that Dr. Manmohan Singh’s political career succumbed to the twin evils of policy paralysis and corruption.

Modi should avoid political rhetoric, theatrics and criticizing his political opponents and now start working on a war footing to push India ahead on the economic front as Indians expectations have started running high from May 16,2014. We Indians mean business from the day Modi-led BJP won the polls hands down and writings are clear on the wall that Modi needs to either perform or perish.