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Hi,Its so clichéd to say 'I'll be there for you'... it's so overused right from 'Friends' title song to the latest insurance ad!
Otherwise, I could start by telling some inspiring stories of how people overcame all odds with sheer persistence; yeah, I can talk of Lance Armstrong. Nevertheless, you've always been smarter (sometimes, I'm honest!) and you'd know all these.
No, these stories are for one who has lost all hope in life, who is like a frail creeper looking for something to hold on...
You're not that kind. You've never leaned on anyone (You'd rather flunk in the exam than copy from me!). I wish I had your tenacity many a times.
Man, you are a fantastic person, who could find quick solutions to the weirdest of Shankuntala Devi's puzzles and to those of girlfriends, who could appreciate 'chai' with Bach's classical. A guy who can talk of Indian economy as well as Mallika Sherawat's and who is sensitive to realize a tear drop even before it's born and later make a joke of it to make us see the lighter side of the whole thing.
Have you stopped thinking how good you're? Are you giving me that hollow, wry laugh? Don't. Self-pity doesn't suit you.
Why me of all people - Is it what you're asking?
Yes, I wouldn't be able to answer that. I wouldn't ask you to ponder on those millions suffering in this world - their pain is no salve to yours.
Still, your question is unnecessary. Yes, things could've been better, but why make it worse by worrying about something, which has happened, out of no fault of yours? Haven't you talked of 'the circle of influence' - mind only things that are in our control?!
In a way, your situation has made you more aware of this beautiful world - You seem to be taking more time now reading dew drops on grass blades than the morning paper (Or were you searching for your glasses?!).
You know how it feels to be hurt and bruised badly, when you're galloping. You now know what pain is all about.
He wins who knows his opponent better. Aren't you then, the best available to let another person not suffer the same?
We've reached a rough patch in our journey. Let's think of getting out of here. And if we can also put a sign to warn others of this wrong turn, then it's a job well-done!
Now, get up, show me that fantastic smile of yours, so that I can fool others that someone switched on the lighthouse during the day hours...
Hey, can’t help but saying it - I’ll be there for you…,
P.S. You've not contracted some virus from some alien that you'll turn into one, the next day. What you've is very much curable with today's science. I would've told you this earlier, but I know that you'd know all this and might say ‘Hey, don't preach'.
Mmm... I wonder if this letter was really necessary... think you'll be wondering if I've gone nuts…
What's the advantage of using clean, environment-friendly fuel?
Yes, of course, you protect your environment by cutting down on harmful gas emissions.
However, that's too obvious to write something about. But, what if you get paid for using clean fuels such as solar energy?! That's what this is all about!
A Kyoto protocol mandate requires the member nations to reduce their emissions of 6 major greenhouse gases. The alternative to reducing their own emissions is to investigate and promote reductions by other developing nations.
Here is where the benefit is. The energy conserved by using, for instance, solar power and the resultant low (or no) CO2 emission is now quantified and are certified to be traded as Carbon Credits or Certified Emission Reductions (CERs).
So if you are an institution that uses clean fuel, you can gain CERs and can trade it with an institution which is on a lookout for ways of complying with the protocol.
A Gujarat based firm, Gadhia Solar Energy Systems Pvt. Ltd., which has installed solar steam cooking systems, is about to enter into a emission reduction purchase agreement with the German Government for the sale of CERs worth 5.5K tonnes till 2012 for 12 euros a tonne.
Another German travel Agency, Atomsfair has introduced the concept of issuing carbon-neutral tickets to its travelers. The idea is that the CO2 emitted during the travel is compensated by supporting such environmental-friendly projects such as that of Gadhia.
It's good to know many religious institutions such as Thirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), Sringeri Mutt etc actively use solar power for large volume cooking. A host of educational institutions is also engaged in this, for instance, Sathyabhama in Chennai.
But the question is, how good is it that a developed nation continues to emit all harmful gases, but promotes reduction in other countries?!
On a second thought, is it like looting a temple and then paying off a small portion of it as a donation for the temple renovation fund?!
OK, you can read more about this in 'The Hindu', dated 26 Dec 2005.
But it's nice to know that there are some allowances for doing a good work.
Not very sure if this will be my last post for this new year, if so, I guess it's nice to end this year's posts with something as good as CER initiatives.
Wish you all a great, pollution-free, healthy years ahead!!
Its back! Its gone for a while, but it takes some form or the other and surfaces back - either as a movie theme, or from the pages of some innocent looking book, or from some nice melody or more personally - as a question posed to me from someone.
I know thinking about it, is a time wasted on an introspection that goes nowhere. A nice way of self-indulgence. But I admit, its quite interesting too. Its not the concept that makes me uncomfortable, but the definition of it. Its this thing called: Love.
From what I see, read and listen, love is the most fantastic thing in this universe. A person who is in love is so close to God; he creates a heaven for himself in this otherwise miserable world.
The very thought of the beloved is supposed to turn a world inside your body - butterflies start to flutter, heart beats to a music, dreams turn colorful, the mind runs wild. And if its a Bharatiraja movie, angels clad in pure lightning white take shape all around, jiving in slow motion, cooing 'la la la...'.
More visibly, the person gets in to a trance, totally inaccessible to the outside world, gaze gets fixed on to some distant object, taking on mixed expression of kindness and bewilderment. Lips curve into a silly smile and there's a heavy longing sigh that could blow off a Thandoori fire.
Even the most intelligent is supposed to turn dumbest when in love; even the mighty melts to a pool of jelly.
On the contrary, people in love are in bliss in the most miserable of circumstances. They conquer all odds, bear all badly, raise above mountains and oceans and become immortal even if they meet death in this mortal world.
Is this feeling of love so powerful?! What's so special about it? Why aren't people who die for their family, such as for their parents never so adulated?
I've 'supposedly' fell in love (as others put it!) - but the truth is, I just like these people very much, enjoy their company and would very much like to be with them. They share my interests or have some interesting trait in them that attracts me, but nothing more than that. Some girls are just so pretty that its just purely hormonal to feel attracted towards them.
Probably I miss some of them, but I never have been able to feel that I would die or let's say, live only for that ‘one person’.
My friends tell me that I'm too rational which is a bad thing if you're to catch the love bug. Linda Goodman is often quoted: 'Aquarians are not easy preys to love', mhm?! They come up with all these poetic phrases: 'Its not your brain, its your heart'; 'Don't just think, feel..'
I understand what it is to love with your heart, but how can you do so, without loving the person with your mind first? And that way I just don't believe in love at first sight. I mean how can you love a person, by just looking at them once?! Probably you can fall in love with their looks, but not them as a ‘person’.
But I have seen people who don't talk such gibberish like me, who don't have fancy thoughts and ideas, fall in love just like that and are happily married together. I know a friend who has been in to 3 different love bouts (she regarded me as one!) within a span of 6 years. Now she's happily married to her last addict! Good for her!
Its not the feeling of love that appeals to me, but the outcome of it: happiness, which is otherwise so elusive, falls into the laps of people in love. I sometimes envy them for this reason!
I have also heard of other kind of stories: A girl, it seems, was so much in love with one of my friends that she wrote letters dripping of not only love, but also her blood. All the time, she knew that this guy was in love with someone else. The guy’s actual lover, got to know of this, decided to sacrifice; this guy obediently obliged (all in the name of love!) and went on to court this first girl! How very poignant!! It’s a long story after this…
What kind of love is that, which makes a person go so low to crave for a person’s affection?! And what kind of love is that which makes a person go for the above kind of love?!
I’m now confused. And I’m nowhere!
But love just feeds and inspires great men - poets, authors, lyricists, musicians and every living being in this world (Even some species of mice are supposed to have life-long relationships with one stable partner!)!! Leave Tajmahal, I can't imagine what'll happen to our Kollywood if there's no such thing called love. I definitely enjoy lucidly written verses, tuned to the most mellifluous music, crying out the joy of love! For these reasons and more: 'Long live Love!'
Happened to stop by a fellow blogger's post on those incomprehensible choruses in Harris Jeyaraj's songs, and was reminded of one funny incident that happened recently.
I have a friend here who was addicted to this 'Khajuraho..' song from 'Oru Naazhl..oru Kanavu'. He was so tuned to it and humming it incessantly, that it grew to the point of him starting and ending any conversation with that song.
I: Nethu engada aazha kanom?!
Him: mmm..Khajuraho kanavil or....mmm... konjam bank-la velai irundhuchu... sirpam kannil midhakkuthe....
It was getting a bit too much. The song was pretty hummable, but who would want to hear it from this guy?!
One day when our guy was as usual seemed to be lost in the depths of the song, we got so exasperated that we wanted him to open his eyes to this world. I quipped
'Look at this guy, he keeps humming this song so much... but I'm damn sure that he wouldn't even know what Khajuraho means..'
It was just a fluke attempt to divert him off the song and make him listen to us.
He very naively quipped: 'What's Khajuraho?!......'
My goodness! This guy didn't really know what 'Khajuraho' is. I couldn't help gasping - 'People exist without even knowing Khajuraho'. Atleast I thought people would know of this place, if not its for architecturally marvelous temple, but atleast for its famed nude statues in KS poses!!
Before I could forgive this guy, he went on: ' I thought its just like 'Oh Mohazeeya...'.
He was thinking that 'Khajuraho' is a meaningless term, as is the starting piece of 'Uyirin Uyire...' from Kaaka Kaaka.
Now, that's it! He's dug his grave!! We went on a merciless rampage with all the tirade that can brought forth:
'Ada chee! Didn't I tell you that this guy wouldn't even know what's Khajuraho. He has proved it! Mavane, let us see you humming that song again and you’re done!
OK buddy, Khajuraho is a place in MP, famous for its temple, that has beautiful sculptures. Its one of those famed places that attract western tourists for its connection to KS.'
Now, we proceeded with shoveling earth over the guy:
'You don't even know this. Leave that, but the worst thing is that you don't even know who's 'Mohazeeya'. Didn't you ever study history in your school?!! How did you manage to pass out of school?!'
Now this guy was too humbled and perplexed: 'Serious-a?! You mean 'Mohazeeya' is a person?!'
We were now close to cut off his breath:
'Yeah, have you not read about the Chinese pilgrim who visited India during Chadra Gupta Maurya –II (??)?! He's the one!'
The guy was now attempting a feeble call for life:
'But what's the connection?! Hello, summa solatheenga..'
No way man, where's the tombstone:
'Come on! We thought you'd atleast get that!! Forget it!! Think of the situation in the film: Surya is drowning and he's calling out to his lady love. He calls on to Mohazeeya to go as a messenger to her. We read somewhere that the entire humming is Chinese and has this meaning.'
The guy was dumbstruck. What we said sounded so authentic (even to us!). He gave the final touch by putting a wreath on his own tomb and giving off a eulogy:
'Thanks for the GK! I didn't know this at all! But you should accept that I was honest enough to admit that I didn't know about this.'
Oh yeah, we accept dude! Till this day, this guy has never come to realize the pun we played on him!
OK, I'm not trying to act smart; nor is it our regular chore to go looking for 'bakras'. I'm sure one can pull off some stuff on me by asking for the tech. specifications of the Yossarian Diesel Engine.
But when one falls right into our hands, we really can't help?! Can we?!
So now, who's 'Mohazeeya'?!!
...Kathal perguthadi!!There are pleasures derived out of simple things in life - walking on the beach sand with water lapping on your feat, talking to a close friend on nothing great, listening to a favorite melody in the silence of the night, taking in the scent of 'paarijatham' (pavazhamalli) on an early morning.... (Now, before someone thinks that I'm plagiarizing Vikatan's reviews, I'll stop!)
Watching KNM was one such affair, yeah, and as advertised, sipping a hot cup of filter coffee soon after you have woken up - mind you, no cappuccino, no coffee latte; no hypes, no unnecessary sophistication, just a 100% home-made filter coffee!!
The movie is light - of course, its prone to be light with such a thin storyline - I can hear critics say; but come on, how good is a different story that doesn't give you this pleasure?! Anyway, there aren't many stories that are unheard, so let's forget 'different story'…OK?
Right from the titles till the end credits, the movie just smoothly rolls on. No major twists & turns, and yet at no one point, that one is made to stifle a yawn. The screenplay is quite entertaining!
And its Laila & Prasanna, who quite adeptly take the movie thru'! Not that their characters demand extraordinary performances, but again if they had pushed their roles any further, it would have been too dramatic.
Laila looks a little puffed up, but retains her vivacity - that chirpy, bubbly girl always pulls strings on your heart! And Prasanna has been silently doing some good movies. I guess we also need 'normal', 'very human' heroes who don't deliver a 'punch' dialogue on the drop of the hat. (And hey, who’s that girl who acts as Laila’s sister?! Interesting!)
The movie has some light, good-humored scenes, like those where Laila tries to behave like that coy, 'good' girl in Kartik's presence and Prasanna getting exasperated over it! Otherwise, the scenes towards the climax are too dramatic with Laila tuning out verses of dialogues - 'Nee en ethiri.. nee en nandban; nee en vezhicham..'.. Oh guys, give us a break!
Even though there are only 6 songs, it feels as if the movie has too many songs. Songs keep popping up at regular intervals. Though the concept of some songs are good, the overall picturization isn't that great, given that its P C Sriram behind the camera!! And 'Pani Thuzhi..' song has too many uncomfortable close-ups of the leads - prob. its a new technique that was attempted!!
Overall, Priya has done a good job. And why not, the entire Mani Ratnam's team is backing the movie! Still, one can really botch up a dish, even with the best of ingredients, so kudos to the director!
I'd say this movie is a must-watch, just for the sheer reason that it can put you in a good mood! No heavy hearts, no streaming eyes, no hang-ups, but just a nice smile on your lips!
Picture Imperfect...
Was watching 'Pachai Nirame...' in TV, the other day and was asusual spell-bound by the song and the imagery. Wow!! Could there be any other song that has been so well picturized?! The overall colour of the scene changing in line with the lyrics!! The camera running on a slow motion! The graceful swing of the dancers!! Simply superb!
If Vaiyramuthu has penned the lyrics of the song, then A R Rehman has written a poem with his tune, P C Sriram with this camera and Mani with his direction!! Its a perfect confluence of lyrics penned by four great people in their own medium!!
Now consider this 'Mayil Irage...' from Aa..Aah... what a waste!! When I first heard the song, I just could feel the touch of a peacock feathers in the voice of Madhushree and Naresh Iyer. And it was nonchalantly murdered on screen!
It turned out to be a fantastic mockery of Rahman's efforts - with the lead pair doing some gimmickry, dancing in the most ridiculous way, with that silly smile of a drunkard, in a stark blue costume. Very insensitive to the mood and melody of the song! (With S J Surya emoting, the damage was already half done!)
Plenty of such beautiful songs have lost their beauty on the screens - anyone could relate with 'Vaseegara...' - a song mercilessly sabotaged - pole dance for the passion-filled lyrics of Thamarai and emotion-charged voice of Bombay Jayashree. I guess the director took the songs in the bits of film rolls, which was left behind! (But Gautam seemed to have matured in 'Kaaka Kaaka' - not that the picturaization was extremely good, but it was pretty decent, esp. 'Ennai Konjam Maatri..')
I usually tend to picture the song in my own way, when I listen to the song. And most of the times, its a fiasco on the screen. Only Maniratnam has consistently made justice to songs. And I guess that's why Rahman too goes to extremes to come up with out-of-the-world songs!!
Shankar too comes up with impressive themes for his song. However, the problem is, his way of filming doesn't carry that beauty which comes out of sheer simplicity (Mani's style!). His direction is like a roller-coaster ride, which simply puts you in awe - time freeze techniques, 7 wonders, Mumbai models, extravagant costumes, enthralling foreign locales, and fantastic graphics (sometimes too thrust!) and what not!
But a roller-coaster ride is no match to the serenity of a mountain lake. And Mani's touch gives you that feel. It carries the emotion of the song too well. Picture this: 'Evano Oruvan' from 'Alaipayuthey' - the sorrow of parting and the longing of a turbulent soul, is too well symbolized by raging ocean, striking rain, the murky clouds and the stormy wind. One doesn't need anything more to explain the feeling!
But Mani too had let down a bit in 'Auyadha Ezhuthu'. I had great expectations for 'Nenjam Ellam', which on screen, was just reduced to a background score to Esha who was trying hard to act.
When I hear some nice songs these days, I'm scared to see the picturaization - I don't want my dream world to crash to the ground!
P.S. The lyrics too are sometimes itchy - When a song starts to talk so beautifully of the feeling of love as 'Mayil Irage..' why does it have to stoop afterwards to a mor amorous 'Enakkum Unakkum Viruppam antha moondram paal allava'?!
A Journey to Remember...
My recent trip from Bangalore to Chennai was an underline to the quote 'The journey is more important than the destination'.
My train ticket was not confirmed so I had to cancel it on the last minute. I thought I'd hook on to some bus; but not a single bus to Chennai was free. I was wondering what to do - partially thinking not to travel. Then the 'adventure' spirit in me took hold - I decided to travel up to Hosur and then from there catch a Chennai bus. A rickety TN State Transport bus to 'Thiruthani' was the earliest to start. But the conductor wasn't interested in a short-distance traveler - I had to get a ticket to Vellore instead - I had made my first and only mistake which went on to gather mass as it tumbled down on me.
I guess they do this only in TN State Transport buses - piling up people just like that, no matter how choking it gets inside the bus. I have never seen a KSRTC bus being over packed like this. Is it that the conductor-driver can form a cartel, manipulate the no. of passengers traveled and pocket in the money for themselves?! I guess it can't be as they have to issue a valid ticket to everyone. So do they get any additional incentive that is proportional to the no. of people they transport?!
All the seats in the bus were, as such full; I had to stand. And it wasn't easy to stand either. There seemed to be other souls who had made the same decision as mine and I had to bargain for a space to put my feet down. I guess if one were to wrestle thru' this crowd from one end of the bus to the other, then he/she would have definitely lost about atleast 2 Kgs in all that squeezing and the sweltering 'bio-heat' generated!!
The bus started its snail pace around 10:30 PM. I realized the mistake too late - it was too horrible and painstaking; Its definitely not pleasant to take a whiff of hair oils & roasted ground nuts (and other assorted aromas), when all the time you have to dodge an armpit that's dangerously close and someone breathing right on your neck.
Some rectification had to be done: Even after purchasing tickets to Vellore, I decided that I can't 'stand' this, and decided to get down at Hosur. I just prayed to the great Almighty that I should reach Hosur faster and there should be a fleet of comfortable Chennai buses, all waiting for me. It was motivating enough to make me keep that grim face of young warrior who has put his own comfort behind for a greater goal!!
The bus was inching, it started to rain and there was a huge jam near the TN check post. Ultimately & untimely, around 12:30 AM, the bus reached a deserted ground which I got to know as some place in Hosur. No fleets of buses, no respite, no point getting down.
Ah! Why should God play this wicked joke on me?! What kind of entertainment is he seeking in this 'ungodly' hour?!!
I was getting irritated and frustrated by the minute - I was almost growling to the people standing nearby for not allowing enough leg space; The young warrior was slowly turning to a nasty misanthrope.
I was thinking why I had to endure such a stupid journey. Yeah, I was totally surprised by my attitude - I had always thought of myself as a down-to-earth guy, a very tolerant and patient person, but at that point in time, I was disparaging people around me - that its just very unfair that an educated, high-earning, software professional, had to travel in all such discomfort!!. And above all, I was damning my mother, who in the first place had given me this 'idea' of catching Chennai bus from Hosur - poor lady! How in the world, is she supposed to know how Hosur bus stand looks?!
My techniques for more effective standing, proved to be frail distractions to my overall discomfort. Shifting weights between legs, leaning as much as possible on the iron bars - oh man! I have only 2 legs anyway and I have to stand only them!! All the goodness of the massage that I pampered my body with in Wayand (Kerala), just a week before, were all gone in drain!!!
A middle-aged portly person near me somehow managed to squeeze himself to sit between the seats, and right on my feet and kept shifting his weight around; I had the chance of my life time to vent out whatever anger that was boiling inside me. The poor person got up and decided to stand; he said 'Nazhaikku kalaile 7:15-ku duty; intha bus poratha paatha nalaikku than poi serum pola..'.. I'm not sure how true that statement was, but I felt so bad that I had talked to him that way - after all, he must be as old as my father!
The mighty Lord of tiredness got hold of me - I guess it was more owing to my anger than because of my standing. I now, could no longer pretend that I can with'stand' this journey nor I had the energy to be angry with the world!!
We reached one of the 'rest joints' on the highway. People got down to loosen themselves; I was thankful to sit for sometime. So were the other people who had been standing all the while. The people, who had seats, were kinder enough not to get into the bus till it started. Meanwhile, another passenger who too was standing made some space by shifting luggage, so that I could sit. A true messiah!!
When the bus started, I was quick enough to squat, lest the fat middle-aged person sits down and occupies most of the space. But, oh wow!! It was not any comfortable - I had to literally crouch myselves into 2, with my knees almost touching my chin, as if I'm doing some yogasana. Not being used to such gymnastics and rubber effects in the recent past, my ass started to pain!
Lesson: Go to gym and cut down some flab off my stomach.
Business Idea: Tummy Tucker Program with Amazing Results!!! Do the 'Fold between Seats' exercise and get the flattest ass, oops, abs in the world!!
Nothing takes you off the pains of the world, than sleep. 'Unconsciously' I began to loose my consciousness and drift off into some dream. I guess, it was about traveling in an empty bus, and I hopping madly from one seat to another!!
And suddenly, the bus' stereo system came alive, loud - songs that'll make every person who can cry, cry!!- with fantastic lyrics like 'Koodi ninna kizhiye, odi pona vezhiye'; with Malaysia Vasudevan 'crooning' with all pathos that he can bring in his voice, punctuated with occasional sobs!! Ah!! how wonderful and how situational!! Not one song was recognizable. Should have been some unique, 'boutique' collection of the most unheard pathos songs!
This was followed by some old time MGR songs!! This was def. more palatable than the others! Now I know, why the driving the bus in 50s!!
At last the bus reached Vellore around 4:00 AM. A sigh of relief came when I glimpsed a Chennai bus, all empty (my dream vandi!!), waiting to start!! 'Hai ra hai ra hai rabba, Hai ra hai ra hai rabba , bus-il uzha ella seat-um enakke enakka!!!'
I'm not sure what happened afterwards; I woke up just in time to see Chennai trying to wriggle itself free from the hovering 'Fanoos'.
At the end of the journey, I was actually not that very tired; nor did I have that gruffly feeling and that unwanted anger! Very sagely, I realized that it was all my foolishness that had made me take up this ordeal and if anyone is responsible, its just me!! Besides, it was not that foolish at all, its def. one experience which I have not had so far in my life. Yeah, it was not very comfortable and I would def. think twice to take up another journey like this. Yet, I was so thankful for the tiredness which was bestowed upon me, without which I would have just sulked and sulked, yell the first thing at my mother when I see her and spoil her day!! I also got to know the kindness with which people reacted to me, when they themselves were not in any kinder situation!!
And I got to know that letting go off things, and cooling yourselves off is one possible course of action in life, and sometime the best; as it goes in the 'Bombay Dreams' song - 'Sometimes standing still could be the best move, you can ever make...'
..UCKING OF ..LO.VERS..
This is the sign that welcomed us when we went for a boat ride in Pookot Lake near Vythiri (Wayanad District, Kerala - more on this trip on my subsequent posts.)
Some ingenious fellow has creatively scraped off parts of the sign..., which is actually meant to be
'PLUCKING OF FLOWERS, PLANTS Etc FROM LAKE PREMISES IS PUNISHABLE'
Needless to say, we had a roar of a laughter on seeing it… indeed, very inventive!!
Has the same creativity been shown in the mallu version of the sign too?! Should check with a mallu guy…
