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[Intro Music]
Sudhammappa: So Jayyanna, it's been 2 weeks into this month and still there is no
mention of rent. Alright, pay up your rent!
Jayanna: No Mr. Sudhamappa, this month I haven't had steady driving assignments
and so did not earn much. If you please give me couple of days, I will pay up all
my rent payments.
Ohh... do you think this is a free boarding house? Don't you know this is
'Sudhamappa's Outhouse', which means I own these rental homes. I have rented
them out to make money, not for charity!
Oh yeah? This place is jam packed like a box of sardines and is even called
'Sudhama's Outhouse', but the rent you are charging is like that of 'Obama's
Whitehouse'
Alright smart guy! If you have so much trouble living here and paying the rent,
then get out of here. If you get out I have people waiting in 'quyyu' (queue) to rent
this place
Ohh yeah...you have people waiting in 'quyyu'! These so called rental houses
have no attributes of even a basic decent house. Which fool do you think will rent
here?
What do you mean?!? (To others) OK folks, you tell me. Are you really that
worse off living here? You have good roofs on your heads, nice floors under
your feet, decent doors and non-stop water supply. (To Jayanna) what more do
you want guy?
Oh yeah, I want more. How about some pepper curry and 3 bottles of beer
everyday? Look here, I don't want to argue. I just don't have cash now, give me
couple of days and I will settle my dues
Alright, this is the last time I am giving you some time. And all of you here are my
witness. Oh Mrs. Honnamma, come here. Where is
your son Shankru? Did he give you some money to pay me?
[Honnamma] Oh wait Lalitha, slow down! What were you blabbering about a TV
show?
Grandma, my friends just told me, the folks from the Kannada da Kantha'
(Kannada Idol) TV show are auditioning singers. My teacher nominated me to
participate. If I am selected do you think I could sing on TV?
Oh no. Don't you know your father doesn't like women and girls going out
and participating in such public events? And now being his daughter if you ask
him this, he will just explode. Just forget about such ideas.
OK listen dear, don't look so glum. Look, your summer holidays are coming up,
why don't you go over to your Uncle's house in Mysore and enjoy the holidays?
If you tell Dad, he will listen grandma!
Just stop pestering! Look your dad is coming home. Go inside and check if the
rice is done.
Mom, did Nandeesh and Lalitha come back home from school? I did not find
Nandeesh at school
Yes, Lalitha came home. But I have no idea where Nandeesh is.
What's the update about our Komala's wedding? Did the groom's side accept the
wedding proposal?
Yes mom, they did. I called sister from work and let her know. So that's it mom,
you can now assume your oldest grand daughter is as good as married! The
wedding is in 3 weeks Let's send the kids to Mysore and when it
is time for the wedding, they can come over to Bangalore to attend the wedding
What a sweet news! Of course, let's all attend. And by the way, Lalitha also
wanted to sing in some TV show in Bangalore, so it will be convenient
Mom! Doesn't she know, girls from our family don't participate in such things?
If she goes on TV and sings in public, our family honor is as good as auctioned off.
Girls should just focus on getting some education and then dedicating themselves
to their homes and families
But Shankru, are you saying girls from respectable families are only fit to cook
and feed? Don't you think they too have aspirations?
And what about your son that you are so proud of? Look at him, the past five
years, he hasn't even passed his 5th grade
It's been a while since the school dismissed, look at your prince. He hasn't
made his mind up to come home yet
You mean Nandeesh is really not here? I couldn't see him at school either? Where
could he be? Maybe he is still playing with his friends
Oh come on in Shankru. Did you get Lalitha and Nandeesh safely on their bus?
Also did you remind them to call us after they reach their Uncle's home safely?
Yes mother I did remind them. Then I also checked the bus tickets for our trip to
Bangalore for Komala's wedding. Looks like there are absolutely no buses
available for those dates? I am now wondering how we will get to Bangalore.
That's really bad, what do we do now Shankru? Komala's is the first grand child
of this family and it is important that I attend her wedding.
I am thinking of something. Look over there, our neighbor Jayanna is coming.
He frequently drives his truck over to Bangalore, shall we ask him if he can give
us a ride? Oh hello Mr. Jayanna, I didn't see you
here the last few days. Were you travelling again?
Yes ma'am. I was away and just got back today. And tomorrow I am off to
Bangalore with a truck load of onions to deliver
Hmm.. Jayanna, would you mind doing us a favor?
Don't be so formal pal, let me know what you need. If it is possible, I will definitely
do what I can
You know my older sister lives in Bangalore. Her daughter's wedding is
fixed and is in the next few days. My sister insists that my mom be there 3
days before the weeding. But here we were not able to get any buses to get to
Bangalore. So we were wondering..... if there is any way... you could perhaps...
make room in your truck....
Oh OK, is that it? Of course I can make room for you in my truck, don't worry
about it. But just so you know, in this trip I will be
stopping at Gulbarga, Bijapur, Chikmagalur and few other places. Hope
you all don't mind...
Absolutely no problems! Please don't worry about us and do what you need to
do. We will just go along and will also see few new places
Alright then, we will start tomorrow evening. Just be ready and I will pick you
up. That way we can reach Gulbarga tomorrow night and I have a delivery there
Alright Jayanna, we will be ready. Thank you so much!
So... Gulbarga delivery is done. Tomorrow we need to be in Bijapur. For now how
about we head to the dhaaba over there and grab some food? Also there is a
Solhapur Laavani dance performance happening there, we could watch that too
Laavani, as in the dance the Marathi womenfolks perform, right?
Yes
I don't understand why these womenfolk are so obsessed about singing and
dancing?
But Shankru, singing and dancing are all part of our culture, what's the big deal if
that is men or women performing?
You don't understand Jayanna. See, women are like pure milk. If you don't
carefully protect the milk in your home, it will end becoming food for stray dogs and
cats
Tsk...Tsk.... Shankru be thankful whatever crazy talk you just did is
between the two of us. If some women in public hear this, they will not spare you.
Anyways, I will go order food and the Laavani is also starting. Go get your mom
and come over there
So what do you think of our Gulbarga Lavani dance? Shankru, I saw you were
shocked when you realized those mask wearing dancers were actually women
Yeah, I was indeed taken by surprise. Those women did give a great
performance
Oh wow, at last I heard you complement women at least on one thing!
By the way, Shankru where is your mom?
Oh she was already tired and quiet sleepy. So she just stayed back at the
truck and fell asleep
OK. And Shankru, tomorrow we need to be at Bijapur.
By the way Shankru, tomorrow is also the Full Moon day. Let's stop by at Gol
Gumbaz, the full moon has a fantastic view from the Gol Gumbaz
Look at that grand view moonlight on top of the Gol Gumbaz. That's why they say
the light is the right wife for the moon, so he is complete. That's why Shankru,
everywhere in nature you see that to give meaning and completeness to a male you
need a companion female
Mom, the same people also say indoors are the right place. And why do you keep
bringing up the topic of what's right for women, all the time?
Shankru, our Lalitha has been asking to be let on the TV show. But you kept
brushing that aside with your arguments about family respect and honor
Mom, you don't know much about the real world. If we don't keep a tight control over
our girls, it will be hard to protect their and the family's honor and respect. Isn't
that what's been always told in our culture?
Wait a minute, are you saying our women and girls always need to be under
submission? Didn't you watch how free and liberated the Lavani dancers were?
Anyways, we need to move on now. By morning we need to be in Hubli. I have a
delivery there
Shankru, isn't Hubli bus stand the place where your nephew Viji works? He comes
from such a respectable family, can we stop by and just meet him for a minute
before we go on?
Alright mom, let's go meet him while we are in Hubli
Honnamma: Hey, what in the world is this? You are behaving like a crazy
monkey on a tree in public? You come from such a respectable family and here
you are acting like a rice cracker in boiling oil, all because you saw a girl pass by
Mom, why are you yelling at him? He is young and energetic. If these girls will
only wear "proper decent" clothes and stay indoors at home, why would he think
of bothering them?
You be quiet! You folks have found a perfect reason for such shameful
behavior from boys like this guy here. Why should the girls stay indoors? First
go fix the twisted young men like this
Your mom is right Shankru. We cannot justify such behavior just because girls
are out and about on the streets. If we do that how will we ever fix behaviors like
this from our younger generation?
Yeah, that's true Viji. You are also an engineering educated guy. Isn't it wrong
that an educated guy like you is behaving in such shameful manner in public?
Ok, let's move on. We need to go reach Haveri for my next delivery.
And by the way, there is a very beautiful peacock sanctuary near Haveri in
Bankapura forests. We could possibly see them as well
Alright Shankru, what do you think of our Bankapura peacocks and their beauty?
That's right, also the Lambaani tribal women's dance and their grace were also
a treat to watch. The irony is, even though they are the so called tribals,
these women seem to have lot more freedom than our "urban' womenfolks.
Isn't that right Jayanna?
Hmm.. OK. Now after this I have only one mode delivery. We need to drop a load at
a Chikmagalur estate and then stop briefly at Kalasapura
Why Kalasapura? What's happening there?
My cousin is the Chairman of that village panchayat. He invited me to come
participate in their annual Maari festival this year.
By the way Shankru, anyway you are also here? Why don't you join as well? They
believe that if you carry the Maari idol on your head, you get her blessings
Maari festival was great. Thanks for letting us join as well Jayanna
You are welcome ma'am, it's a not a huge deal. You were destined to earn Maari's
blessings
You are right, anyways hope some of that blessings will help in a smooth wedding
ceremony for our Komala Similarly I hope Lalitha's dreams of
singing on TV also come true
That's right Shankru, why are you opposed so much to her singing on TV?
You do not understand Jayanna. In our culture girls do not get out of the house
and go sing or dance in public
But Shankru, when you carried the Goddess Maari on your head yesterday at
the fair, I thought your thinking would change.
How did you decide that women are incapable of doing things outside of the
home?
Mom, do you really think women can protect themselves if there is a danger to
them? If we keep them protected inside the house, we can prevent any future
dangers they might run into
Hold on hold on, Shankru, are you saying that a parrot's life is only inside a gilded
cage and not in the open sky?
You are right Jayanna! But don't assume women are just pretty parrots, if situation
demands they can also be the protective hawks, that save us. Why do you say
women need protecting? We are close by the Chitradurga fort. Haven't you heard of
Chitradurga's Onake Obavva?
You reminded of Chitradurga at the right time. Look we are passing right by it now.
What a magnificient fort, that was once ruled by King Madakari Nayaka. Obavva
saved the fort and became its guardian deity
That's right Jayanna. Did you hear that Shankru? ... Oh look Shankru has fallen
asleep. Maybe he is dreaming of the Chitradurga glory and Obavva's valor in
his dream....
What's up Shankru? Did you have a good nap?
Oh yeah, when you all were talking about the fort, the king and Obavva, I might
have dozed off
So finally, do you still feel having Lalitha sing on TV is not the right thing?
Mom, I am totally confused now. My whole opinion on what's right and what's
not for girls is now pretty mixed up. Also in this journey, with whatever things we
saw or experienced, my beliefs are even more challenged
Shankru, like many things in our lives, there is no real definition of what is right
and what is wrong. As our elders said, what's right and wrong
get redefined with every passing generation.
In the present world, there is no real difference between a boy or a girl.
Anyways, you think about all these and finally do what you feel is the right thing
to do. I only hope you see the light and take a good decision in the end
And speaking of light, look it's already close to dawn. And I am feeling quite tired
after driving for 3 days. What do you all say about taking a break at Hassan and
getting some rest?
That's true Jayanna. Even my back is quite broken after this non-stop truck
ride. Let's get some rest and continue later after day break
Mom...mom... Jayanna....Jayanna...mom where are you?
What happened Shankru? Why are you looking animated so early in the morning?
Mom, last night you and Jayanna kept talking about "light" and "seeing the
light". I slept reflecting about my beliefs and had a strange dream about light. I
think it has cleared my mind and I think I can see things clearly now. I will allow
Lalitha to sing on TV
Is that right! I'm very happy Shankru. Even that poor little girl will be so happy
when she learns this
That's right Jayanna, we need you to do one last favor for us?
What's that Shankru?
If you don't mind, could we make a slight detour towards Mysore and pick Lalitha
up? I remember she mentioning her TV show is the day after tomorrow...
Correct, Jayanna, that's a great idea. Somehow with luck Shankru's mind has
changed for the better. If you too agree, you would be helping a little girl realize
her dream!
Oh that's fine with me. We could easily take a detour towards Mysore, pick her
up and then go on to Bangalore. If you all are ready, we could leave right away
Hey Lalitha....
Oh grandma......
Look, your dad.... [tape rewind]
Is that right? Oh thanks dad, thanks grandma!
Ok, let's go to Bangalore right now!
Show Host: Welcome to all our viewers to yet another episode of Vivarna TV's
'Kannada da Kantha' (Voice of Kannada) program
In today's episode, we have 2 contestants who will showcase their talents, entertain
us and try to get your votes. But before we meet our contestants, let's
talk about one thing. As you all know, today is our program's grand finale. We
had thousands of people come and audition for a spot on the show. Not just
Kannadigas but many non-Kannadigas who live here as well. Of those thousands
of auditions we would like to share couple of very memorable audition tapes with
you. Let's roll the audition tapes now
Hey you, send in that Mr. Kutty
Hot tea! Here you go. He he he... my name is Vasool Tea Kutty. I am Oscar winner
Rasool Pookutty's cousin. Talent flows in my blood. I like the Kannada movie
'Bhakta Kumbara' and its songs a lot. I will now sing a song from that movie
Hey hey Tea Kutty, please stop! You can't say 'ka' and you keep saying
'ga', killing Kannada in the process. Anyway, why don't you sing a song that
starts with the syllable 'ga'?
Oh my Guruvayoorappa! Do you want a song that starts with 'ga'? I will sing a
song sung by our Dr. Rajkumar
Ok next who is this..... yes.. Mr. Bhyomkesh...
(Assistant): [sneeze]
Hey... send in Bhakshi, Bhyomkesh Bhakshi
Hey Bengali Babu, stop boring me with your painful singing of 'Boramma'. You
can't even talk Kannada, how did you come here to sing in Kannada?
Ha... how was my Kannada singing? Inside my home I'm Bangla , in the office
I'm angla (English) and on the street I'm 'hogla-barla' (Kannada for: go dude-come
dude)
Dear viewers, hope you all enjoyed the audition tapes. As you saw, we had
thousands of such entrants and out of that YOU voted and chose the top two
contestants that will come now to present their items.
Our first contestant will be showcasing both their singing as well as dancing
skills. He is Mr. Junior Jambukeshwara Biradar
a.k.a. JuJuBi from Jamakhandi. With him we also have the brothers
Chippu and Manka who are better know as Chip-Munks
Viewers, if you liked JuJuBi's routine please send an SMS to #1111 and say
'JuJuBi' in it Now let's meet our next contestant who
will be singing for us. We now present from Bidar district's Lokkur village Ms.
Lalitha Limbavali
Viewers, if you liked the melodious singing by Lalitha Limbavali, please vote
by texting to #1111 and mention 'Lilli' in it
With that we come to the end of this segment of our show and we will see you
all next week. For news that flashes every minute and
news that make no sense, please continue to watch 'Vivarna TV'
What a sweet voice you have my dear! Now Shankru what do you think of your
GIRL child?
What can I say mom. I stand completely corrected. I never even realized our
Lalitha is so gifted. My mind was all about how girls should
stay home, not sing or dance and other such wrong notions and intents
Don't think your intentions were wrong Shankru. As a father you wanted your
daughter to be safe and there is nothing wrong with that.
What's wrong is the thought that "girls are helpless, their place is inside their
homes" and more importantly the thought that "girls being out and about is what
gets them to be harassed by these wayward men". "So they need to be
locked inside the house and that's our culture" These are the wrong notions.
Isn't our culture the one that declared 'Gods revel in the land where women are
respected'?
You are absolutely right, ma'am. Ultimately, thanks your grand daughter
your son's mind and thinking was changed. In the same way if there is even
a small change in this world's thinking then all our efforts so far are worth it!
Anyway, come let's go. Now we have to navigate in this terrible Bangalore traffic
and get to your daughter's house on time. Let's go.
[Title Song]