In Kerala’s Malappuram, Mosque donates land for temple pathway
A few Dalit families living in Muthuvallur Panchayath of Malappuram have had just one dream for the past many decades — a pathway from the main road to the small temple located on the hilltop near their colony. For all these years, the families have had to trudge up a small hill to reach their homes and the Kozhikodan Muchithadam Bhagavathi Temple located further ahead, as the only route connecting their homes to the temple, was a tiny walkway. The land around the temple and colony was owned by the Parathakad Juma Masjid.
To find a way out, the temple committee decided to seek help from the mosque. They approached the mosque's Mahalla Committee (mosque management committee). The committee wholeheartedly agreed to give a portion of their land to construct a broad walkway from the main road, to the colony and to the temple, free of cost.
"When they approached us, we really wanted to help them. The people in the colony required a road connection. But since the land was owned by the mosque, there are some rules that some land cannot be given to others. So we had to check that. Later, we clarified and the land could be handed over. That is how we decided to donate a part of the land," Shihab, Mahallu committee secretary told TNM.
"People belonging to all religions live here. We respect all of them," Shihab said, adding that everyone in the locality lives very peacefully and everyone helps each other.
The path to the temple is 115 meters long and more than a meter wide. Initially, the mosque decided to hand over the land to the temple committee. But the Muthuvallur Panchayath President, Ahammed Saghir, who is also a ward member of the area, promised the temple committee that he can pass funds to construct stairs to the temple through the land donated by the mosque. So the Mahalla committee handed over the land to panchayat and later, steps were constructed to the temple and the nearby colony. Now, a stairway to the temple.
"Temple is more than 45 years old. It was trouble to climb the hill from the main road to reach the colony and the temple. The Mahalla committee was very cooperative when we approached them. Two other families, who owned the land nearby, gave about 4 feet of land as well, in order to connect the mosque's land to the main road. The mosque's donation was huge, the path is more than 100 meters long. We are very grateful to all," the priest of the temple, Babu Chelloth Unniyathan, said.
He also added that for people who live in the colony too, it has come as a blessing, as they would not have been able to buy the land for a road.
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AI reshaping music, filmmaking in Kannada cinema
Bengaluru: Artificial Intelligence is slowly changing the way music and creativity are produced in the Kannada film industry, raising concerns among musicians, singers and technicians, The New Indian Express reported on Sunday.
Music composer, actor and director V Manohar reportedly said, AI is being used to write lyrics, especially in low-budget movies. Once lyrics are generated, AI can suggest thousands of tunes. It even asks whether the voice should be male or female. With one click, a complete song is ready.
“If this continues, singers and musicians will have less or no work in the coming days. But it may not succeed either. A few years ago, dubbing was allowed and people could watch movies in any language they preferred. But not many took to it as they wanted to watch a movie in the original,” TNIE quoted him as saying.
According to the report, Filmmaker Avinash U Shetty, a National Award winner, said resistance to new technology is not new. Those who resisted shifting from analogue to digital films years ago have now embraced it. The industry is now using only 10% of the AI potential. If it is scaled up, it can do unimaginable things. What we consider bad now, may not be after five years.
Highlighting the cost advantage, Sangamesh, an independent creator reportedly said, he made a three-minute video using AI for just Rs 4,500. Earlier, the same work would have cost nearly Rs 15 lakh. I finished the entire project in three days. The only expense was the AI software subscription, he said.
These days, it has become difficult to differentiate between the real and AI. AI is creating artistes. Scenes like war, big fights and dance can be shot with a lesser number of artistes. Then with the aid of visual effects and AI, you can achieve what you have in mind, he said.
Actor-director D P Raghuram felt that while AI has made an impact on music, it lacks emotional depth. Cinema earlier involved hard work and strong emotional connections. AI can help improve our work, but creativity should remain human, he reportedly said.
As per the report, earlier, Kannada cinema employed hundreds of junior artistes, who not only earned wages but also shared meals on sets and formed lasting bonds with stars like Dr Rajkumar, Vishnuvardhan and Ambareesh. Today, filmmakers fear that increasing dependence on AI could reduce such human connections, turning creativity into just another automated process.
