Ethirpaarpu

Paarpen endra ethirpaarpu. yesterday's mail brought me a bunch of Mohanlal movies that I had ordered sometime back. Haven't even checked out what all I got. But they are all good selections, here is the list I ordered:

kilukkam
akkare-akkare-akkare
varavelppu
Balagopalan M A
Thoovanathumbikal
spadikam
manichithrathazhu (have seen this, but had to add to my collection)
Mazha
Peyyunnu Maddalam Kottunnu

Thanks to all the guys who reco'd some of these over at BB's blog.

Kalari

Talking of Malludom, Rediff had an article about Jackie Chan getting interested in Kalaripayattu - the mother of all martial arts. India has outsourced so many things, which have evolved and taken a shape of its own. It would be nice to trace the roots. I do remember from a visit to Splendid China in Orlando, that a monk brought the art of Kungfu from India over to the Shaoling temple in China around 500AD. Here is more info.
Remember Mammooty in Vadakkan Veera Katha?

Reading from the links listed here, Bodhidharma was the monk who brought about this. He was born in Kerala, probably in the Pallava Kingdom. This is interesting because, I have been reading Kalki's works which are about this period too. Buddhism was flourishing in this region at around this time. It is hard to believe now that the monk was from Kerala; Buddhism has become a minority religion in India, if at all. Now, wouldn't it have been interesting if the monk had travelled west rather than east? Sorely needed I say.