Latest news with #Shanthakumar
The Hindu
06-08-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Farmers hit out at Central and Karnataka governments over urea crisis
The Karnataka president of the Federation of Farmers' Associations Kurubur Shanthakumar on Wednesday inaugurated the Farmers' Awareness Convention here by waving the green flag. Speaking on the occasion, he strongly criticised both the Central and State governments for failing to supply sufficient urea fertiliser to farmers. 'It is the duty of the governments to provide seeds and fertilisers to farmers on time, as they are the ones who supply food to the nation. But, instead of fulfilling this duty, representatives of both governments are blaming each other to divert attention,' he alleged. Mr. Shanthakumar said that a massive farmers' rally will be held in Delhi on August 25 to press for a charter of demands. These include, 'Enactment of a law guaranteeing Minimum Support Price (MSP) for agricultural produce; exclusion of agriculture, dairy, and poultry sectors from the India-USA trade agreement; complete waiver of all farm loans; withdrawal of all police cases filed during the Delhi farmers' protest, and halting the acquisition of fertile agricultural land for industrial use. Presiding over the convention, State Sugarcane Growers' Association Treasurer M.B. Chetan said that the association has fought for farmers' rights since its inception. It is through such struggles that leaders like Shanthakumar have earned respect for their principled stands. Mr. Shanthkumar had met with an accident in New Delhi when went there to participate in the farmers' agitation. He was hospitalised for a long time after undergoing a surgery. This marked his first meeting after recovering from the incident. On the occasion, one Hundi Siddappa recalled visiting Mr. Shanthakumar in the hospital. 'We were deeply worried seeing him in that condition. It is heartening to see him recover and participate in this event. We hope he continues to work for the betterment of farmers.' Journalist Jayanth also spoke at the event. District general secretary Baradanapura Nagaraj, district president Kirasuru Shankar, State organising secretary Attahalli Devaraj, retired principal Mahadevayya, social activist Vasantkumar Mysoremath, former Kannada Sahitya Parishat president Chandrashekhar, and others were present. More than 300 farmers and leaders of various organisations took part in the convention.
News18
29-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Good Day Movie Review: A Fun-Filled Night Of An Alcoholic's Escapades Drowned By Sermons
Last Updated: A textile supervisor turns wild after a horrible insult at the workplace that results in humour, punishments, shame, and revelations. Good Day starts with a line from Tamil writer G. Nagarajan's existential novel Naalai Matrum Oru Naalae, which is about a labourer and the things that pan out in his life on a single day. The novel gives an eagle-eye perspective of the non-person as he goes about his day getting some work done and indulging in vices. Good Day is also about one such person from the fringes of society. Shanthakumar (Prithiviraj Ramalingam), a supervisor at a textile factory, begins his birthday with distress as his monthly salary is yet to hit his account. He asks his housemate to lend him a thousand rupees, but when the friend asks him to run an errand, Shanthakumar refuses. His ego is hurt. Hours later at his office, he gets slapped by his manager in front of a co-worker. We aren't told why, but we understand that Shanthakumar is facing the fire for backing the co-worker, who was facing sexual harassment at the hands of the manager. The manager, being the son-in-law of the factory's owner, leaves Shanthakumar to swallow his ego and endure the humiliation. And his salary is still yet to reach his account. When he finally gets hold of his money, Shanthakumar flips. He sends most of the money to his mother and wife—sending some to the former lands him in trouble with the latter. He pays off all his commitments, and with the rest, he buys alcohol. Until then, Shanthakumar acts according to the whims of society. He heeds all its demands at the cost of his pride. Intoxicated, Shanthakumar tries to reclaim himself and rebel against the world, the economy, and the norms. Charity begins at home, and so does rebellion. Hence, the first victim of his wrath is the house owner who keeps fleecing money under the pretext of maintenance. He then calls his school crush, who is now married with kids. That doesn't stop him from flirting with her. When the response seems positive, he takes a cake and knocks on her door. Shanthakumar becomes this relentless force who commits several such petty crimes in a matter of a few hours and becomes a public nuisance. When he is about to kill himself by jumping off a bridge, he gets caught by the police, and the plot thickens. Amidst all the ruckus, there is a parallel story of a missing kid that's hinted at. Shanthakumar has many epiphanies throughout his journey as he meets random strangers played by able actors like Vela Ramamoorthy, Bagavathi Perumal, Bose Venkat, Kaali Venkat, and many others. As a final act, the protagonist wants to save the missing child as penance, and for all the brilliant humour we are treated to, we are punished with some didactic lessons about the problems of alcohol. While the structure, the wry humour, and the witty sarcasm work well for the film, it gets redundant after a point to see Shanthakumar slurring, drinking, and blabbering. The screenplay needed more refinement and plot points. As the protagonist moves from one place to another, the mechanics of the writing begin to show, which betray the contrivances. Also, the final act, though set up from the beginning, just feels like an easy way to tie it all up. If the aim is to create a story like Naalai Matrum Oru Naalae, we needed a protagonist whose problem is much more than alcohol. Good Day begins as an existential journey of an oppressed nobody. However, it quickly spirals down to become a film about an alcoholic. The stakes get demoted. So does the payoff. First Published:
The Hindu
03-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Over 60 jackfruit varieties on display
Over 60 jackfruit varieties, including 'Toobagere Red', 'Prakash Chandra', 'Rudrakshi', 'Shankar', 'Siddu', 'Lalbagh Madhur', and 'Ambali' are on display at the two-day Jackfruit Festival that began here on Saturday. Special attractions include red jackfruit varieties and Rudrakshi, or round jackfruits. Saplings of high-quality varieties are also available for sale. Value-added jackfruit products such as chips, ice cream, halwa, dosa, biryani, and kababs are being showcased in over 55 stalls alongside organic seeds, fruits like mango and jamun, and artisan crafts. Training sessions on jackfruit cultivation, pest and disease management, and marketing were also conducted. A jackfruit-eating competition is scheduled for Sunday at 2 p.m. For more information, visitors shall contact Shanthakumar at 94487 74871.
