Humboldt foundation

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Sunday laid the foundation stone of ‘Global Jamalians Block’ at Jamal Mohamed College (JMC) through video conference at a function that also marked commemoration of Founders Day and inauguration of college history compilation.

The Chief Minister lauded the college’s focus on extra-curricular activities alongside academics, and said skill development in different spheres would pave way for bright future of the students.

“Multi-dimensional progress of the younger generation through skill acquisition early on is the intent of ‘Naan Mudhalvan,’ my dream scheme, as also the ‘Kaloori Kanavu’ scheme launched on Saturday,” the Chief Minister said.

The party’s government seeks to be known for its emphasis on higher education and research, he said.

Mr. Stalin had a special word of praise for the college alumni’s support for the downtrodden students pursuing higher education, through its 19 chapters across the globe and elsewhere within the country.

The college alumni extended financial support to needy students to the tune of ₹70 lakh per year through scholarships, Principal S. Ismail Mohideen said.

The collective view expressed against New Education Policy 2020 by Minister for Municipal Administration K.N. Nehru, Minister for Higher Education K. Ponmudi and Minister for School Education Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi was endorsed by K.M. Khader Mohideen, national president of Indian Union Muslim League, on the occasion.

M.J. Jamal Mohamed Bilal, president of the College Management Committee, presided over. A..K. Khaja Nazeemudeen, secretary and correspondent, and M.J. Jamal Mohamed, treasurer, also spoke.

Minister for Tourism P.A. Mohamed Riyas laid the foundation stone to ‘Aakasha Mithayi’, a memorial for writer Vaikom Muhammad Basheer at Beypore here on Sunday. The memorial is being constructed with the help of Kozhikode Corporation and Tourism department, at a cost of ₹7.37 crore in the first phase, in around an acre of land partially belonging to the local body. The memorial will consist of ‘Aksharathottam’, a community hall, cultural centre, research centre, Basheer Museum, library, playground, walkway, and food stall.

Unveiling the plaque, the minister pointed out that no memorial can accommodate the magnitude of Basheer, but that ‘Aakasha Mithayi’ is still ‘immini balya’ (quite a big) memorial.

“Basheer has a permanent spot in the hearts of Keralites through his stories, depicted in simple but unique language. The memorial has been designed in a way that would bring to life the literary world of Basheer,” the Minister added. Kozhikode Mayor Beena Philip presided over the event and Director of Tourism P.B. Nooh was the guest of honour.

The event was organised as part of the Basheer Fest, a programme to commemorate the writer on his 28th death anniversary. Actor Mamukoya inaugurated the Basheer Film Festival as part of the fest, while directors Roshan Andrews and Aashiq Abu, besides actor Rima Kallingal, took part in a seminar on the relevance of ‘Basheer films’. A painting competition for children, and staging of a play ‘Pokkan’ were part of the festivities on Sunday.

The festival was inaugurated by former minister M.A. Baby on Saturday. It will conclude on Tuesday.

Photo: Getty Images

It seems that for every victory in the fight for gender equity in Hollywood (Patty Jenkins’s just-inked, history-making deal to direct the follow-up to Wonder Woman) there is a head-scratching downer (the void of female protagonists in CBS’s slate of new fall series). Ryan Murphy can call his campaign for gender parity for directors as a strong example of the former: Less than one year after launching his Half Foundation, the prolific series creator and executive producer ( Feud, American Horror Story, American Crime Story, Scream Queens ) has seen his company’s slate of female directors jump by 60 percent. Murphy, whose limited-series contender, Feud , earned 18 Emmy nominations, including for its leads Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon, spoke to Vulture about why the business has failed women for so long, how his foundation can serve as a template for any company, and his personal crusade to ensure that networks are hiring a wide range of talent for the upcoming pilot season.

You’ve always made it a priority to showcase diverse talent in front of the camera, from special-needs performers to older actors. When did it hit you that you had to take on the cause of director diversity? The People v. O.J. Simpson, I’d said from the beginning that because the “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia” episode was Sarah Paulson’s showcase, a woman should direct it. We had someone booked, but two weeks before filming, she bowed out because of an emergency surgery. We hemmed and hawed over who else was available and I said, “Forget it, I’ll do it.” Sarah is comfortable with me, and I understood the feelings in the script even though I’m not a woman. So I finished it, and it was good, but I felt really shitty: How is it that I didn’t have five or six great women directors on speed dial? I realized I was part of the problem. I looked at my company and we were exactly at the industry average: Only 15 percent of the director slots went to women. I felt really ashamed because I remember in 1999 when I directed my first episode of TV, I walked onto the set and I was the only gay person there.

This was on Popular . Popular. I had to beg and fight to direct that episode — even though it was my own show! I remember feeling oppressed, like a stranger in a strange land. I knew that feeling, so why am I not doing better? I looked at all the workshop and mentoring programs out there, and they were worthwhile, but the problem in the business was very simple: Somebody had to quantify power and responsibility. I had been saying, “I’ll do better, I’ll try harder,” but I hadn’t because I didn’t have the structure. So that’s how I came up with the Half Foundation: We would enforce that 50 percent of all the directorial slots be filled by women. Our country is now more than 50 percent women, and 57 percent of all entertainment is consumed is women. They are the majority on this front.

You’re actually making this process sound relatively simple. What was your first step? Laughs. ] So we’ve also created a mentorship program that’s like a directing boot camp during which people can also spend time in editing and in post — things you also need to know before you direct. We also pay women two weeks’ worth of their salaries to trail us; we don’t expect them to work for free. We saw that a lot of the women who were applying were working mothers, so we made a room available for those who were breastfeeding. Just because you have a baby on your hip or one on the way, or two at home, doesn’t mean you can’t go after your dreams.

One thing I don’t think a lot of us want to acknowledge is that women have also been complicit in this problem. The idea of, “No one helped me coming up; why would I train someone who may take my job someday?” Feud ! The business is obviously controlled by men, so within that system, there’s room for only one woman to succeed, which is the idea of the “It” girl in our culture. There’s no “It” boy! And the “It” girl concept applies to every area of Hollywood; basically, “You are the chosen one.” So what happens is, all of the women who want to be successful and economically viable are operating in a culture where they have to fight for that one position, and then comes the Betty versus Joan backstabbing. But if you walk into a business where 50 percent of the positions are held by women, I think that instinct goes away. It becomes a more nurturing, loving, safe space. I hear it from women all the time. “Only one of us gets chosen, so it’s human nature to fight for that job.” But men have never had to do that — ever.

What direct impact have you seen gender equity have on your shows? For example, I’ve heard from many actors — male and female — that they prefer a female-heavy set because there is less ego and more empathy. Feud , four of the eight episodes were directed by women. I think they both felt so liberated and safe in their emotional choices because the person guiding them had been through some of these issues — especially ageism. That was cool to watch. It seems like it’s become increasingly stupefying for executives to — for lack of a better word — figure how to “prioritize” their diversity initiatives. A few years ago, when Empire became a giant hit for Fox, suddenly there was a mad dash to hire black writers. Now the business is scrambling to address the women problem, alongside broader inclusion of LGBTQ talent as well.

So you’re almost functioning as an agent now. Laughs. ] I do feel like their agent and their manager because I want to be their advocate, and I know what it’s like not to have an advocate and how much harder you have to work because of it.

Did you have anything to do with Jennifer Salke and Bob Greenblatt’s recently announced initiative to train and hire female directors at NBC? I actually felt like the announcement was rather tone-deaf by the implication that there is “a drought of female directors” in Hollywood, which you’ve just explained is not the case. Jennifer is a friend of mine and I don’t think that she meant that word “drought” specifically. I do think that you’re right that that idea has been an excuse — corporately — for a long time. But yes, there are 300 women available right now who’ve gone to film school and done the work. They’ve done everything a man has done, so why are the men with those same qualifications getting hired first?

There are so many filmmakers who, say, have success with their indies at Sundance, and then wait years and years into their 30s and 40s — which is such a crucial time in anyone’s career — to get hired again, and then suddenly they are 50 and feel as if they’ve missed their window. American Horror Story can be your independent film. Here’s your calling card.” You don’t have to go around with your hat out for three years trying to raise money! Everything is set up for you. If you look at American Horror Story or Crime Story, these are visceral, action-packed, sometimes bloody episodes of television. They’re not “feminine.” They’re not about sexy women sitting around looking beautiful, drinking lattes. These episodes are calling cards to show companies like Marvel, “Look, women can do these kind of movies.”

How much are agents to blame for allowing gender inequity to fester for as long as it has? I’m sure many agents have thought, “I’m not going to be able to monetize this client, so why put all my time and energy into a someone who’s never going to get hired?” What I’ve found is that the women who have volunteered for our foundation don’t even have agents. They can’t break through that system. You’re only going to get an agent if you have a couple episodes under your belt. So basically what we do is almost a “farm-to-table” approach; they call our hotline or send us an email, our people meet with them and we hire them. Once you get your foot in the door, we’ll try and help you get a great agent.

You became a parent nearly five years ago. How has becoming a father impacted your perspective on all of this?

You’re creating, to borrow a phrase from your NBC comedy, “a new normal.”

This interview has been edited and condensed.

Mission director for Biocon Foundation Anupama Shetty called upon medical professionals to come forward to take quality healthcare to the people in rural areas.

Speaking at the inaugural session of the three-day national seminar on ‘Recent innovation and multidisciplinary research’ organised by Sharnbasva University on the main campus here on Friday, Dr. Shetty said medical facilities in rural areas were deplorable with lack of quality infrastructure and dearth of qualified medical functionaries.

She said that healthcare service in rural parts was riddled with hurdles, including poor awareness and societal stigma.

Dr. Shetty emphasised the need for enhancing the quality of rural healthcare. She said that there was a dire need for ensuring quality and timely healthcare reached the deprived rural parts.

The youth had a big role to play in bridging the gap between the urban-rural healthcare facilities by creating awareness about advanced healthcare facilities in the rural areas. Dr. Shetty said that most of the rural patients approached doctors when the illness was in an advanced stage and unfortunately most of the rural population was unaware of the healthcare schemes launched by the government.

Basavaraj Deshmukh, secretary of the Sharnbasavbeshwara Vidya Vardhak Sangha, inaugurated the seminar. Vice-Chancellor of the Sharnbasva University Niranjan Nisty, Pro Vice-Chancellor V.D. Mytri, and Registrar Anilkumar Bidve were present.