Aswin Asok Kumar

My new news story on ClaySys Music Band, an in-house music band of ClaySys Technologies got published in The New Indian Express Kochi Express Page 1. This is my fifth byline at TNIE. Click here to see the article.  

  My new feature story on Dubbed Movies, titled 'Behind The Voice' was published in The New Indian Express Supplement Page 1. Glad to have got my 4th byline. Click here to see the article.

My new feature story on Fort Kochi's Calvathy Road, titled 'Road to History Lies in Shambles' was published in The New Indian Express Supplement, Kochi Express Page 1. I co-wrote it with my colleague Mary Thomas. Published on 13 July 2024. Click here to see the article.

My new feature story on Monsoon Tourism, 'The Quiet Euphoria Of Rain' on The New Indian Express Supplement Page 1 (Both Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram Editions). Being a person who only travels a little, the story posed several challenges for me. I did a great amount of groundwork before even starting, which helped me to prepare these 1200+ words. Happy to have gained my second byline. Published on 5 July, 2024 Click here to see the article.

My feature story 'Men Matters', discussing Men's Mental Health Month and its importance was published on the first page of The New Indian Express Supplement Sheet, City Express. (27.06.2024, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram Editions). Indeed an exciting journey this article had with me. From writing it as an essay titled 'Patriarchy: The Man's Problem' for a class assignment to attempting to develop it as a blog article, leaving it halfway disheartened, and then reviving it in a new dimension, on a much bigger platform, this journey took around 8 months. I am extremely happy that, more than a byline I gained, I was able to reach my perspective and the topic to a much larger set of readers. That is, I think, what the essence of Journalism is: attempting to take the unheard voices and unseen narratives to a wide audience! Click here to see the article.

Beyond the nostalgia and references to their fathers’ movies, what more does this Pranav Mohanlal- Dhyan Sreenivasan starrer offer? Is the cinema compelling enough to intertwine a tribute to Cinema and a tale of two friends? Personal Opinion. Spoilers Ahead! Vineeth Sreenivasan’s feel-good drama movies have always been known, and widely accepted by the audience for their heartwarming moments and musical storytelling. Even his thriller drama film ‘Thira’ had these aspects working well, accounting for its celebration even now, despite its box office failure. And the expectations were the same for his recent movie ‘Varshangalkku Sesham’. But unfortunately, the film falls flat on many points, making it a dissatisfying watch. Vineeth’s protagonists, in his previous works, always had a solid core and arc. Consider Arun from ‘Hridayam’. His journey from an innocent college first year to a mature man in his 30s is narrated convincingly. This made Arun a relatable character to almost every man ...

മലയാള സിനിമ രക്ഷപ്പെടാൻ റിവ്യൂ നിർത്തുക എന്നതാണോ ശരിയായ  തീരുമാനം?           മലയാളസിനിമ അതിന്റെ സമീപകാല ചരിത്രത്തിലെ ഏറ്റവും മോശം സാമ്പത്തിക സ്‌ഥിതിയിലൂടെയാണ് കടന്നുപോവുന്നതെന്നാണ് നിർമാതാക്കൾ അഭിപ്രായപ്പെടുന്നത്. ഹിറ്റ് ചാർട്ടുകൾ നോക്കിയാലും പ്രേക്ഷകർക്ക് മനസ്സിലാകുന്ന കാര്യമാണിത്. ഇതിനെപ്പറ്റി സിനിമാ പ്രവർത്തകർ അവകാശപ്പെടുന്നത്, റിലീസ് ദിവസം തന്നെ സിനിമയെപ്പറ്റി മോശമായി ഓൺലൈൻ റിവ്യൂകൾ വരുന്നതുകൊണ്ടാണ് സിനിമകൾ പരാജയപ്പെടുന്നത് എന്നാണ്. എന്നാൽ ഇതിൽ എത്രത്തോളം വസ്തുതയുണ്ട്? പ്രേക്ഷകനെ തിയേറ്ററിലേക്ക് അടുപ്പിക്കാൻ സിനിമകൾക്ക് കഴിയാതിരിക്കുന്നതിന് റിവ്യൂവേഴ്സ്നെ പഴിക്കുന്നതിൽ കാര്യമുണ്ടോ? മലയാള സിനിമ രക്ഷപ്പെടാൻ റിവ്യൂ നിർത്തുക എന്നതാണോ ശരിയായ  തീരുമാനം?           കോവിഡിന് ശേഷം ആളുകളിലുണ്ടായ സ്വഭാവമാറ്റമാണ് സിനിമ വ്യവസായത്തിലെ ഗതിമാറ്റത്തിന് കാരണമായി വ്യക്തിപരമായി തോന്നിയിട്ടുള്ളത്. കോവിഡിന് മുമ്പുണ്ടായിരുന്നതിനേക്കാൾ ആളുകൾക്ക് മുമ്പിൽ ബുദ്ധിമുട്ടുകൾ ഏറെയാണിപ്പോൾ, സാധ്യതകളും. ഒരു കുടുംബത്തിന് തീയേറ്ററിൽ പോയി സിനിമ കാണുക ...

"Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world."                                                                                                                                        -Nelson Mandela These words by Nelson Mandela reflect the importance of education. It gives us light in the dark. It is addressed today with utmost significance. It is after realising its value that the Indian Government passed the Right to Education Act in 2009. It has opened a world of opportunities to all of us. It also helps us to secure a decent job.  It had been a very hotly...

On this day, let us realise the plight of our country's children..! American speaker Henry Ward Beecher once said, "Children are the hands by which we take hold of heaven". Children are the group people consider as the epitome of purity, innocence and love. It is very essential that all children grow up in a very healthy environment, as it may affect what they become in their life. A lot of social evils – such as foeticides, child labour, abduction, kidnaps, rapes- are pulling our society back, from achieving the state of a child-safe country. November 14 th is celebrated in our nation as Children’s Day. It is the birth anniversary of India’s first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, who was very fond of children. The day focuses on the prominence of giving adoration, attention and affection to children, and to increase awareness of rights, care and education for them. It had been 73 years since we became an independent country and more than half a century since ...

India is one of the lands that has considered women as the epitome of purity and love. In Hinduism, it is mentioned that the universe derives its essence from feminine energy. It is shocking to know that the people of this country, whose ancient scriptures tell us to worship women, are behind some of the very brutal attacks they face these days. The attacks vary from offensive speeches, verbal abuses, slut-shaming to murders and rapes across the country.  The basis of a majority of attacks women faces these days arise from a flimsy outdated concept of patriarchy , a system where men control women in every aspect of their life: from their dressing, what they should speak, when to speak, what to do, and even what to think. This system denies women their fundamental rights. An individual who develops such an attitude can become a threat, an anti-social or even a rapist. It is shocking to see that a non-neglectable fraction of women also support this (though not always directly). In a...