prelude  Cinema has today glamourised and idolized violence and raised it to a cult. The acts of violence and sadism depicted in films draw large crowds to the cinema halls and theatres and the audiences seem to enjoy every bit of the so-called ‘action sequences’. The word ‘action’ has become a catchword of present day cinema and often signifies nothing more than visually perfect frames of violence. The origin of showing violence in cinema could be credited to America, where a new set of heroes arose in the 1960s. James Cagney, Edward G Robinson, and Humphrey Bogart, among others, were the pioneers in this regard. In fact, the real heroes were the gangsters they portrayed. They were men beyond the reach of the law until the film neared its end, and they were shown addicted to violence as a way of life. In a way, one could say, violence has been a way of life in America. The Western movies from Hollywood idolized the brusque, rugged and ruthless (anti) heroes indulging in bloody fights and cold massacre of Red Indians. Clint Eastwood and Charles Bronson became superstars and the ultimate symbols of such ‘he-men’. The cult of violence brought ‘martial arts’, too, to cinema in the 1970s, thanks to the legendary figure of Bruce Lee, which soon began to mesmerize audiences the world over. Gradually, movies on martial arts became a façade and a label for passing off violence in its terrible aspects. Indian films were also not slow to catch the infection of showing violence on the screen. But, they were initially, a poor patch of the foreign counterparts, due to technical incompetence. Now, we have scenes of violence as effective as in foreign films. Sholay was the magnam opus for Indian films in this direction and had audiences seeing the movie again and again. E-mail your questions with answers at: only4_pol@yahoo.co.uk or post at: THE COLOSSEUM, Mosaic, Friday Supplement, The Assam Tribune, Guwahati-781003.

side screen  1) Picture Clue: Who is this ‘Time’s Man of the Year’? (Maharnav Gogoi, AEC, Guwahati)

harmonisers  From Maharnav Gogoi, AEC, Guwahati – 2) Which popular musical instrument was invented in Florence by Bortolemeo Cristofori in around 1720, with the particular aim of permitting note-to-note dynamic variation, which was lacking in the Harpsichord ? 3) Spanish born French painter Pablo Picasso’s first masterpiece was controversial for its violent treatment of the female body and the mask like faces derived from his study of African art. Can you name this masterpiece? 4) Which marble sculpture by Michelangelo is the depiction of the Virgin Mary supporting the body of the dead Christ? 5) It is a food of Neapolitan origin, which consists of a flattened disk of bread dough, typically topped with olive oil, tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese, baked quickly and served hot. It is eaten throughout Italy and is now popular worldwide. What am I talking about?

unities  From Dipankar Koushik, Guwahati – 6) Paul Simon’s The Sound of Silence was dedicated to President Kennedy. To which president was Walt Whitman’s immortal poem Oh Captain! My Captain, dedicated? 7) Which movie was advertised as Don’t Give Away the Ending, it’s the only one we have? 8) Which Oscar winning film was based on a play by Peter Shaffer on Mozart’s life, seen through the eyes of a rival composer?

do-re-me  From Pranjal Kishore Sharmah, Moscow – 9) Traditionally, what is regarded as a punishable offence when one is queuing to see Lenin’s embalmed corpse in his mausoleum in Moscow’s Red Square? 10) In Paraguay, dwelling is legal, but participants must fulfill a condition. What is this condition? 11) Before starting their game, this rugby team performs a traditional dance ‘Haka’. Identify the team. 12) What type of snake is usually shown in a Pharaoh’s crown? 13) Which electronics giant has the tagline ‘like.no.other’? 14) What is the pointed metal structure at the front of a train, used to push things off from the track called?

crescendo  15) What is the motto written in French on the coat of arms of Shakespeare? (Saroj K Deka, Maligaon, Guwahati)

Answers  1) Zubin Mehta 2) Piano or pianoforte 3) Les Demoiselles d’ Avignon (1907) 4) Pieta (It is also the only sculpture in which Michelangelo had signed) 5) Pizza 6) Abraham Lincoln 7) Psycho 8) Amadeus 9) Puting one’s hands in pockets 10) They have to be registered as blood donors! 11) New Zealand 12) Cobra 13) Sony 14) Cow Catcher 15) ‘Non Sanz Droit’, which means ‘Not Without Right’.