Whats up?

I have a purpose today and thats why I entered this blog. This is truly a wonderful opportunity that I got and I want it share it. I am part of the 15 member team formed by the well-known Kiruba Shankar. We are doing an amazing project. We are interviewing TED fellows and publishing them in our blogs, and in general the web. Each one has taken about 5 fellows each and are researching about them, framing our own questions and at the end we put it up here.

I am done with 2 interviews and I cant tell you how much I am excited about them. All the 5 fellows are exceptional. The first 2 I have taken are working in the Pyramid's bottom. Visions followed by appropriate actions result in nothing but wonders. I will present my interviews one by one and I hope you will be inspired as I am. I hope that I have transpired their thought process.

Any feedback and suggestions are welcome.

Parvathy

Fresh and Refreshed

Ok I have joined Shankar in this blog as a co-author today. 2 reasons why I decided to join him - 1. His blog lost life just before he got his wife, that is me :-) I think he did not want to impress me any more. 2. I wanted a podium. We thought atleast one of us would probably update and keep this alive.

Well I reasoned it out for myself! From now on, it is the treads of 2 minds united in letter and spirit.

Newyork nagaram urangum..

Oh! Solitude! The romanticism of loneliness is so very addictive!! Watching rain pitter-patter over the atrium roof of my office's indoor garden, on a cold evening, with ARR crooning in the background was fantastic!

'Newyork nagaram..' has been ringing in my ears for the past few days. Great work from Rahman after not-so-many-great-works in the recent past!

I'm sure this song is going to trigger pathos in all those guys (esp. bachelors) out of India, on onsite assignments : )
It kindled memories of my days in KL, when sometimes I used to think of home, with rain and lightning ravaging over the cityscape on dark, bleak evenings.

Today, I was so inspired to translate the song in English - so here's my take on the first few lines; the photo was taken by my friend Raj in US - it just fits the mood very well.

In the cold, sleep-swept city nights,
On forlorn, clammy, quieted streets,
Wintry wind from the sea, descends;
My desolation unwinds, it darkens.

Trapped I'm, a despondent candle light
Within my glass chambers, I flicker.
My solitude, my unspoken plight
Alone, deprived – I suffer.

Change!

Change! Change yourself!

Got to get this list of of random positive traits which we can cultivate in ourselves. I really don't have an appetite for such 'How to become..' kind of stuff - partly because they make you feel that you're not really good enough and the steps they suggest are not really feasible (anyway, I haven't tried any..). But I found this list to be amazingly simple and actually, quite nice.

So here's the deal: I've decided to practice 3 of these habits in the next 1 week or so and see how it makes a difference to me (yeah, I'm interested first in myself!). But I'll choose those which I currently have or do.

I'd very much like the readers of this post also to do so and come back with how different or how not very different they felt afterwards. Pls. do (note: each dotted one is a separate trait):

• Have a firm handshake. • Look people in the eye. • Sing in the shower. • Own a great stereo system.

• If in a fight, hit first and hit hard. • Keep secrets. • Never give up on anybody. Miracles happen everyday. • Always accept an outstretched hand. • Be brave. Even if you're not, pretend to be. No one can tell the difference.

• Whistle. • Avoid sarcastic remarks. • Choose your life's mate carefully. From this one decision will come 90 percent of all your happiness or misery. • Make it a habit to do nice things for people who will never find out. • Lend only those books you never care to see again.

• Never deprive someone of hope; it might be all that they have. • When playing games with children, let them win. • Give peoples a second chance, but not a third. • Be romantic. • Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know. • Loosen up. Relax. Except for rare life-and-death matters, nothing is as important as it first seems.

• Don’t allow the phone to interrupt important moments. It's there for your convenience, not the caller's. • Be a good loser. • Be a good winner. • Think twice before burdening a friend with a secret. • When someone hugs you, let them be the first to let go.

• Be modest. A lot was accomplished before you were born. • Keep it simple. • Beware of the person who has nothing to lose. • Don’t burn bridges. You'll be surprised how many times you have to cross the same river. • Live your life so that your epitaph could read, No Regrets

• Be bold and courageous. When you look back on life, you'll regret the things you didn't do more than the one's you did. • Never waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them. • Remember no one makes it alone. Have a grateful heart and be quick to acknowledge those who helped you. • Take charge of your attitude. Don't let someone else choose it for you • Visit friends and relatives when they are in hospital; you need only stay a few minutes.

• Once in a while, take the scenic route. • Send a lot of Valentine cards. Sign them, 'Someone who thinks you're terrific.' • Answer the phone with enthusiasm and energy in your voice. • Keep a note pad and pencil on your bed-side table. Million-dollar ideas sometimes strike at 3 a.m. • Show respect for everyone who works for a living, regardless of how trivial their job. • Send your loved ones flowers. Think of a reason later.

• Make someone's day by paying the toll for the person in the car behind you. • Become someone's hero. • Marry only for love. • Count your blessings. • Compliment the meal when you're a guest in someone's home. • Wave at the children on a school bus. • Remember that 80 per cent of the success in any job is based on your ability to deal with people. • Don’t expect life to be fair

Krishna

Kebab mein Haddi

'Pooja vezhai-la karadi' in Tamil, literally means the bear that broke into a Shiva pooja, causing havoc to the peace and tranquility.

'Kebab mein haddi' in Hindi, is much more a common phrase - the bone that almost broke your teeth when you were happily chewing a juicy piece of meat.

Y'day's travel to office put me in one of those embarrassing situations, where I unwillingly became the haddi. I was in the bus stop at the correct time, but the bus seemed to have been too very punctual to leave earlier. So a bunch of us who had missed it, tried to catch it in NGEF junction (we sometimes do it, when we miss the bus). So, took an auto there, and waited for an eternity in vain, inhaling all those obnoxious exhaust fumes. Finally, we decided to take autos to office. We were 5. So 3 took one, and I and another friend of mine took another.

The road we take to office (old Madras Road) is notorious for its traffic jams and we were as usual stuck in one. There was a car just ahead of us and we could spot our company's sticker in the rear window. We decided that it should be some guy from office and on a close look, we found to our luck (?!) that it's one of my team mates. There was a girl with him in the front - we thought it should be some other friend of his. So we decided to cut the auto there and take a lift - free of dust & grime, and of course free of cost… he..he..he.

So my friend got to pay the auto guy, while I ran to the car quickly amidst all the traffic, lest it should not start moving. When I reached the car, I saw quite a fantastic picture. The girl (who happened to be his wife) was feeding him breakfast, while the guy was happily eating. At such a lovely, picture-perfect moment, I tapped on their front window. I was horrified at my own action, given the scene inside, but my brain had already planned the action of banging his doors and wasn't quick enough to decipher the scene and take a different action.

The poor guy had to open the door and let me in. I can't forget the bewildered expression on his wife's face. She managed to conceal the tiffin box somewhere. And my colleague should have received the shock of his life, when my friend rushed inside, after paying the auto guy. I was too too embarrassed to speak or even apologize to him. I was just looking for some place to hide my face - all I could do was to keep intensely staring outside. All the while the FM station, all ready for Valentine’s day, was churning out romantic numbers one after the another – ‘Jaanam Dekhlo.. mit gayi dhooriyan….’ How ironic! Pass hokke bhi dhoor (Near, but yet far!). I can’t imagine what would have gone inside the couple’s minds.

My colleague dropped his wife in her office. Did I hear her bang the door or no?! Later on, I apologized to the guy profusely. He was cool, but still I felt so bad for having disturbed their breakfast routine.

I'm sure the guy didn't have breakfast - and when we came to office, we said 'Hey, you carry on! We'll just have our breakfast and come.' Hah! I'm sure he'd have wished to knock us down!

P.S. But I made up for the blotch today. I bought a box of sweets as a symbol of truce. Moreover, I was worried that the same thing might happen someday to me. So thought I’d do my prayachitta!

And wish you all a very happy Valentine’s!

CAN Conquer CANcer

The blog contest promoted by Connexions, came to an end - actually a good time back - 2 weeks?!

And frankly, to my dismay, my entry didn't figure even in the special mention category.

I had decidedly been different in my approach towards the whole thing. Instead of lending a supporting hand to a cancer patient, I wanted him to stand on his own and beat it to death.

So, I had put in my entry in the form of a letter to a friend. It was rather cool, urging the guy to get up and face the world.

But when the results were out, I found that my post was too cool, in fact, it was rather cold. The humane touch was lost in the midst of the style and suaveness.

Nevertheless, I was really moved by the other entries, which own accolades. They really were touching, real and sensitive and without any touch of cosmetics.

The moral of the story is: Truth doesn't need glamour.

You can get to see the entries, which won the contest here.

Short-sighted

Like a spider moving within its web flank(s),
Trapped in its web, in a merry-go-round fashion,
Like the little fish in a small glass tank,
Moving within its walls - its own ocean.

Like the shrunken world of a candle light,
A ball of light suspended in the silent dark;
Incessant, like the second hand's flight
Round and round, in the old wall clock.

Like the ball of sun, huge, yet caught,
The big white light, tricked into a drop of dew;
Like the path of my anguished breath, in & out
My world is now small - just thoughts of you.

One-second Dream

This is my latest addition to my painting blog.

I managed to get a few regular visitors (oh yeah?! how many?!) to my RnB (i.e. 'rants & blabbering' , more sophisticatedly called mind treads) blog, but not that many to my painting blog, which is quite surprising - to me, my paintings are of better quality than my 'r&b'.

Is it that people fail to notice the additional links on the side?! Or they get too tired by the time they finish taking a 1-min ride of my rnb blog?! Or do they consider the blog to be a 'RnB' with the only advantage of it being a visual one?!

Anyway, some generous spirits like Smyta had shown signs of visiting the blog and had brought it to my notice that the comments section is not enabled.

So, I've enabled comments in all my posts now - so whatever it is that you feel, r (rubbish) or b (brilliant), you're welcome to share with me..

Click on the painting to visit the blog..

The guy who played to my youth...

When 'Roja' was released, the people of TN opened up with a jolt to a different kind of music - mellifluous, like a song carried to the ears by a fresh morning breeze when you're walking thru' a green paddy field..


Then came a different kind of a shake-up - 'Chikku Bukku Chikku Bukku..' moved even the most rustic into the pshycadyllic blinding lights of high voltage techno beats!

Right then on, A R Rehman has been causing people to sway - sometimes blissfully lost to the outside world with the most ethereal melodies and at other times, 'just in' and in pace with the world, with his hep and fast numbers, as if the whole word is just a discotheque.

A R Rehman is truly a phenomenon who changed the definitions of music. He walked-in right at the time when Indian market (let’s say, software!) was coming of age, the future looked bright and the Indian youth were waking up to a whole new world of possibilities and were looking for brands and identities that'll suit them in the new world.

There was a time when I used to wait for that one song of A R Rehman that'll be featured in 'Oliyum Ozhiyum' in DD. His fast numbers were the talk of the school.

In my college days, his songs were a perfect foil to express the feelings of that age - the heady hangover of more freedom, the first brush with romance et al. The deep connotations of Vairamuthu's lyrics, tuned to the most soulful music made many evenings gone in a hazy daze towards the setting sun. Songs such as 'Uyire..'(Bombay), 'Vennilave..' (Minsara kanavu), 'Narumugaye..' (Iruvar) hinted at unfelt feelings of romance and new love. They were too well accentuated with fantastic picturizations by the likes of Mani Ratnam and Rajiv Menon.

During my PG days, ARR's music, became still closer - the process of growing up into a more matured adult, becoming confident than ever before, becoming more comfortable with the realities of the world, seeking out for more mature relationships, being more affluent and being on my own - all happened to the tunes of his music. The new outlook towards life was perfectly symbolized 'Mangalayum Thandunane..' to the beats of rock drums.

Yes, Illayraja is always close to heart, but it’s also true that Illayaraja saw his dusky days after ARR's arrival. He brought in with him new sounds, new tunes and new singers - To Hariharan to Udit Narayan to Shankar Mahadevan to Sadhana Sargam and many more...

Nowadays, I find ARR's music to be clichéd, having the same kind of beats, tunes and instrumentation. Probably, it’s again a process of growing up or just say, getting older. Nevertheless, I cling on to his music that livened up my more youthful days and eagerly catch on to his latest ones. That way, he has played to a very important phase in my life.

And today's is his b'day and I'm sure hundreds and thousands of people like me would thank him for his music and would like to wish him a happy b'day and a very long life!

Hope he continues to play the fiddle for many more youngster's dreams for a very long time!! Happy B’day Dude!

Get Up!

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…

Good Work Pays...

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!!

Going Crazy with Love...

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!'

Oh Mohazeeya....wohi ala

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'?!!

Kanda Naazhal Muthalai....

...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…

Chennai-yil Oru Mazhai Kaalam

I had waited for almost 5 years for this to happen - not in a bad sense, but..

The rain Gods seem to have taken notice of their long absence in the dry lands of Chennai and then decided to have a party there.

The rains and languishes in B'lore is passé, come to Chennai to see what it is all about.

Luckily the 2 days before Diwali and Diwali day as such were sparred. The Diwali upbeat mood was more than visible. You come to T.Nagar and you would get the impression that Chennai is the most flourishing spaces of all.

The ever thick traffic was even thicker, the shops were overflowing and the shoppers were searching for some scientific marvel that will bless them with more than 2 hands to carry their bags - Oh no! You can't blame the ladies when they have to choose from 50,000 odd colours for their saree!!

Anyway, I never crib about T.Nagar crowd - it would be an understatement if I say I love it. It gives such a festive atmosphere and lifts my spirits up!!

The rains started to arrive slowly after Diwali and after that lukewarm start strengthened to show their might from Friday onwards - just like the way I start lazily in the morning and then run with all my strength to catch my shuttle!

They were photographed as a flurry of white mass over the east coast. It appeared more to be like a tap which was opened by someone who forgot to close it, not realizing that the trough below was overflowing dangerously.

It looked like time stopped at 6:00 AM in the morning and the wall clock was just going around out of habit - low light, a dark sky and furious pricks of water drops (Man! never realized that they are so big!) kept the mood so somber!

And thanks to very loud series of thunder claps on Friday night, we woke up around 4:00 in the morning and were wondering what was happening!

If anyone had any leverage out of these rains, then it should be the TV channels - when one was talking of the relief measures taken by the Government to put people at ease, the other was talking of how prime residential areas of Chennai have now become pools, with people paddling out of their abodes in Keralian style, thanks to the poor check-measures taken by the Government. Now, is this what we call balanced information?!

I had to catch my train back to B'lore on Sunday night. But Sunday was the worst day of all, with the rains putting halt to all kinds of outdoor activities - all roadways were flooded, the subways were now leveled with water (can't imagine that water could swell up so much in the subways!!), the rail lines were under water.

The poor naive me, started for Central around 8:30 for my 11:15 train. To my horror, I realized that the metropolitan buses have called it a day and stopped plying. No one knew if the electric trains were still on - anyway none of the auto guys wanted to go in the direction of the stations. The rates were now flat, easy to remember figures -

To Mambalam station - 50
To Central - min. 250. Crazy! My B'lore ticket itself was just 175!

And call taxis - give 500 and you will be in Central!! I will travel to B'lore thrice in that money!!

Somehow one of the bold auto guys ventured to take me to Mambalam!! It was like a scene from the latest monster movie - 'The Cave'

The streets were all deserted, dark (power was cut as a safety precaution) and there was knee deep water with ghostly reflections and shimmers - yeah there are some abyss of potholes and the general aberrations in the roads, whose depth you can't begin to fathom!!

Still I coaxed the auto guy to go further. And half way thru', water was in the auto and the auto comfortably got stuck in a furrow.

With the rain pouring, the auto guy tried to pull it off the ravine, but I definitely had to get down, roll up my sleeves (and jeans!), brace up and show my brawn to move it out of water. We managed to shove the vehicle to 'safe waters' (!), by which time I was fully drenched and the time was 10:30.

Realizing that reaching Central is more difficult than reaching Bangalore, I had to quietly resign back to the dryness my house.

I called up my friend to inform of this drama, hoping to get some solace and he started giving recommendations on how I could have reached Central!! Na, some people never change!

But I still loved my little adventure, if I can call it so... Ha! I just miss being in Chennai now!!

A bad start to a good day...

(what a positive attitude..)

1. I had to go to another campus for the training. I had to catch the shuttle from our main campus to this other campus. We waited for about 30 hour before the shuttle was arranged.

2. By the time I reached the campus, it was 10:00 (the training starts at 9:30), so I hurriedly had my breakfast..took a cup of coffee and reached the entrance, swiped my card, and opened the door (otherwise it will not open) with a push. The door hit the wall on the other side and came directly towards me, tumbling the coffee cup in my hand - I had (I still do) coffee all over my shirt and face.

3. I hurriedly went to the the rest room and washed my face, but couldn't do much with the shirt, because it was full of coffee and I would have to soak my shirt if I ought to wash it..

4. Cursing, I came back to the training hall, only to find it empty. I was wondering what happened and tried calling up the trainer and the participants. After repeated attempts the guy picked up and informed me that the training is postponed as he has some urgent work. Thanks,

5. By now, the time was 10:15.. I hurriedly rushed back to my shuttle stop only to find that it has already left. So I just waited till the next shuttle came. I reached office by 11:00

6. My colleagues had good fun poking my ribs, but were offering solaces that the stains didn't look that bad. And on had Brut perfume, so I just sprayed (poured?!) it all over to make the coffee smell to go away.

7. Now I reek of a mix of cappuncino and musk. Prob. Brut people should take note of this new perfume - as I see many people staring at my cubicle (is it my bramai?!)