Variety is the spice of life

Celebrity watch :)

2012-01-31T09:18:00.001-08:00

I always wondered why people go all fussy when they sight a celebrity. Even the very thought of getting autographs sounded so crazy and idiotic. Mostly because i never had a chance to meet anyone famous. And the voodoo got broken last saturday. Now i too can blab my head off, having had a lucky chance to meet the famous blog celebrities 'Thala' and 'Zeno'.

The plan was to meet for lunch and then to watch 'Nanban' movie at Sathyam. It went exactly as planned right from the word go..for both Zeno and Thala. Ofcourse..namma case thaan oor arinja vishayam aachay. I arrived dot at 1.40 for a 12.30 scheduled meeting. I guess being on time or atleast anywhere near the accepted timeline is something i will never be able to adhere to. Not a virtue i am very proud of but more of a self confessed crime. True to the nature by which they are known in Blogsville, both were very nice and polite and humble. It was then i realised, why people do all those antics when amidst celebrities. Your mind gets so nervous and tense that, words simply doesnt come out coherently. Even though thats the way i sound on normal circumstances, this time i was extra incoherent :) Poor Mr.Zeno bore the brunt of it. How much ever he tried to explain his job profile to me, which i really tried to understand, i couldnt quite get through beyond the first few words of what he said. In the end he gave up and it was decided that he is employed and has a job and we left it at that. Thala, who was patiently watching the conversation, ended up realising how lucky he was that the question was not posed to him. I guess, i would have ended up with not just the plate of noodles but also the plate on my head if i had pestered any further :)

Then came the movie. No. Before that came the question. I asked Thala, with all innocence, which was the last movie he saw in theater. To which he replied, he couldnt quite remember it for it was like a zillion years before he last saw one. (Zillion isikoltu 31 to be precise). For the passerbys it might have resembled a gangplank left unattended, but it took a while for my dropped jaw to close. 2 movies in 31 years!!! That was something unimaginable to my pea brain and i kept repeating it. If Zeno was taken aback, he did a good job of not showing it. Before i could dwell more on it, the movie began. Unfortunately for Thala, it took almost half an hour for the heroine to make an appearance and the wait turned into shock the moment the dance/song began. Poor Thala. He couldnt quite figure out why tamil movie had phoren dancers for doing bhangra dance steps in belly dancers costume. Valid question. Invalid situation :) Oh..One word on the movie. It made me realise the futility of remaking a movie, line by line. Nanban turned out to be a translation of 3 Idiots, rather than a remake adapted to local sensibilities. The meet ended with Thala taking leave, or taking off rather, having survived the mental onslaught in the name of movie.

The best part about any blog meet is that, you never feel its the first time you are meeting that person at all. Its always almost as if, the way you visualise the person through their words and the way they appear in person matches exact. It was the same emotion that ran through my mind while talking with Zeno post the movie. It was as if i was meeting a long lost friend. It was interesting to note that we shared quite a few common taste when it came to movie/series watching and promised to share the loot when we meet next. Though the movie might not have played a major role, it did turn out to be an incredible movie watch and one worth remembering.

En Friendsa pola yaaru machaan :)

2012-01-22T00:55:00.000-08:00

Was watching one of the gazillion 'Nanban' movie special programs on Vijay TV. This one tried to be a bit different in concept where in each of the celebrity had invited one of their own real world friend who had helped / been a part of / the course change of their life stream. Needless to say mind wandered to such similar characters in my life :)

The reason why i remember this person might be a very seflish..no..most selfish reason ever. But still, unlike truth which can be ambiguous, facts are facts. He was my college mate, who, after the first year results were announced and when we rejoined the college in second year, introduced me to his final year friends as his classmate with good scores on the majors. Well, he was that sort of a person who was hell bent on winning the star of the batch award and was always behind results and recognition. He was the best Table tennis/Cricket/Football/Shuttle player of our batch and was also the best dressed and more than good looking subject topper. One look at him you can cast him for any Complan/Horlicks ad as the kid you would want your child to be. At the risk of having sounded sarcastic, i was really trying to picture his ambition on the above lines and i am really thankful for his intro. It gave me an iota of an identity amongst my peers and gave me my first real dose of confidence.

The next person was the actual game changer of my life. It was his advice that literally changed my personality and dragged me out a bit of my self induced shell of timidity. It was my second job and my first time outside-of- my-native-place-which-i-had-never-before-done experience. We were colleagues even from my previous company but had never spoken more than a dozen words. It so happened on that weekend trip back to home, we had booked the same bus and he asked me to come and sit with him. After the initial 'hi' 'how are you' i took his walkman and started listening to songs. In a matter of minutes i was sound asleep and since the seats were cramped and i had rested my head comfortably on his shoulders he couldnt sleep for most of the journey. At later times, whenever he used to narrate about this incident, with his wife and other friends, he would blast me with the choicest of words, for him, being elder to me, was making an attempt to know about me by trying to engage me on a conversation, while the stupid and timid me, took his own walkman and was listening to songs. As mentioned before, he gave me one of the most effective advice that altered the course of my personality. We were part of the same team and he was already very popular in our office. Not just with the batch he joined, but also with people from outside of our team. Somehow he had this knack to sound genuinely interested in people and sound sincere and aloof at the same time. He once challenged me to make atleast 10 friends in a months time with the lone condition that they shouldnt just be people from our team at office. I took his words seriously and hmmm...let me put it this way. I am comfortable with the person i became after the advice than the one i was before. Ever since then he became like an elder brother to me and has always been a part of my life.

There was this person, who taught me my current technical profile. He was the ultimate teacher cum friend one can ever hope for. How many ever number of time you goof up and go to him with the same questions time and again, he wouldnt even raise an eyebrow in frown and would smilingly teach you. These are not mere words to shower praise on him, but a factual representation of who he really was. I was lucky enough to be tutored by him and even become part of his own team. Sometime down the line, in a weird twist of situations, he joined my team as a specialist consultant and i had to assign work to him. Awkward was hardly the word to describe my situation. There he was, my guru, who had to take tasks from me. The first words that he said to me made me realise his true greatness. He patted me and said i was doing a good job and he was happy for me. The same words, might have sounded mere formal from any other mouth. But the smile on his eyes and beaming face soothed me into comfort and made me realise that some people are born great, some achieve greatness but very few, like the sun, radiate greatness that others too shall feel in their warmth. It taught me that times will never be the same, but if your inherent trait is humility, time becomes just a mere unit of measurement. He is currently employed at a very good position in one of the world's leading consulting firms. He often makes me feel, no job is worthy unless its done by him. Wish i can work with him again.

The last para of this suyapuraanam comprises of a bunch of personalities. They are a constellation of stars called bloggers :) When i feel bored with nothing to read, i try to read my own older posts. Not the posts as such, but the comments section mainly. Blog spot is a place where people can make a crow like me feel like a peacock. Its all those teases and fun pokes and spoofs that made my life not just interesting but gave a whole new dimension to it. The most public of places where i can write about my most personal of feelings and yet feel secured about it.

Many a times life might suffocating and yet devoid of space at the same time. Many a silence can be traced back to the situation when your mind might actually have been crowded with thoughts. Many a times, even the most poetic of words fail to explain the intent which a mere look does. But never in anyone's life there would come a situation, when they wouldn't have time for a friend. For..Friendsa replace panna yaaru machaan :))

Adios amigos.

True lies

2012-01-14T08:18:00.000-08:00

I am always at a loss to understand what makes people think i am from the hindi speaking part of India. In office very rarely do people associate me with TN. They mix me up for a Kannadiga or at times Marathi even though i know zilch about both languages, but never a tamil. Not that i am prejudiced against those places or people from there. Pongaluku vellai adikara mathiri vellai paint adichikita kooda at best i qualify as 'Maa neram' and i speak with so much accent that my tanglish is better than my english. Epdi paathalum, the relation logic stumps me!!

Last week it so happened that, i met this admin person. Now admins, like in most offices, are like doctors who are visited only in times of need. And like most patients who visit the clinics, no one has any patience with them or for their work. And being year end, everyone were queuing up to get their documents xeroxed or scanned and it was a really long queue. Like the prime example for Murphy's law, when i was the third in line to reach the copier machine, he closed for lunch. It wasnt a surprise, for i knew something like this would happen and was prepared for it. I was about to turn back, when he saw me standing in the crowd and waved me in while others were moving away.

He took my documents and asked "Tho...bolo...kaisa hai thu..kaam kaisa chal raha hai"

I was like 'Not again!!'. It was that moment, when the forever dim bulb on top of my head burned bright. 'Why not' it said. I replied back in my totally broken, Zee TV inspired, hindi that aaalzz well.

"Tumhaara Bhai kaisa hai"

He started asking about my brother and inquired if he had recovered from the accident. I was still having a dozen more docs to be copied and wanted to continue the story. So to put a positive spin to it i said he had recovered well and is hale and healthy.

"Woh kab waapis office join kar raha hai?"

Now that was a tricky question. I wasnt sure what to answer. If i said my brother had started coming to office, what if he asks me about his cabin or phone number.

"No. He had quit the job. He has joined elsewhere"

"Ohh...Just now i saw him taking copies of some documents. When is his last day here?"

I was stumped again.

But the bulb over my head, unlike TNEB, didnt gave up on me.

I said today was his last working day with the prayer that he shouldnt come back any time soon and slipped away from that place thanking the admin person for his help and a silent thanks to whoever he mistook me for. For once, the mix up helped me.

Moral of the story - Channel mathara saakulayaachum other language programs paathu konjamaachum antha baashailaam kathukanum. Epo use aagumnu you can't even guess.

Jillunu oru kaathal kathai :) - 6

2012-01-10T10:01:00.000-08:00

Story so far
"Have you ever fell in Love? Yaar kittayachum express pannirukkia?" asked Priya
Ram stood silent for a second.
"Ennada Ivlo Opena irukaalaynu paakaria? illa..nalla vela ivala naama kalyanam pannikalanu santhoshapadria?" asked Priya with a smile.
"If i say "for both" will you feel bad?" replied Ram with a smirk.
"Adi pinniduven. I know i am bit of a hmm..different and forthright. Athukaga atha mathavana kurai solla vida maaten. Seri..matteruku vaa..kaetta kelvikku badil sollu"
"All depends on why you want to know?"
"So that it will ease my conscious. You asked me why our marriage proposal got dropped right? My parents were adament on finalising it. Porakuraiku unga veetlenthum okay vera sollirunthaangala..and unkitta apdi enna note panni tholaichaanga therila..they were very impressed with you too. But..Naan thaan..Naan thaan venaam sonnen"
Ram stood in silence.
"Ennada..venaamnu sonnava ippo ivlo friendlya vanthu avalay pesaraalaynu paakaria. I thought you deserved to know the reason and dont know why...for some reason..felt i would feel better if i told you this."
"Oh..so..naan yaaraiyachum love pannennu solliruntha..you would feel your decision was justified? enna loosuthanama iruku ithu"
"Sorry Ram. I know i sound..and i AM.. selfish. But vera vazhi therila enakku. I was in love with someone. Atleast i thought so at that time..stupid story..want to kick myself..uhhhh "
"oh..." There was an awkward silence.
"Just oh..!! enna aaluppa nee. Either blow off in anger or show some curiosity. Ipdi rendumillaama enna oru reaction ithu. Romba decent person mathiri scene podra"
"Adipaavi..scene podrena!! Honestly i've no idea what to tell. Its not everyday a girl comes and discloses her personal life..more so her love life..even more rare when that girl happens to be the one who ditched you"
"hahahaa..somehow expected you to react like this. So en profiling of you is bit more accurate then"
"Hey..un kathaikku vaa..enna sight adikaratha vidu"
"haiioodaaa..nenappu thaan"
"Ahem...hope i am not disturbing you two" said Anil..butting into the conversation at exactly the wrong moment. Priya stood for a moment, smiled at Anil and excused herself.
"Nandhi....Karadi.... and Nee. Enna relationnu kandupudichukka"
"Sorry machaan..naanum evlovo try panni paathen. Angenthu saria ottu kekka maatenguthu. Ithuku mela closea vantha epdiyum terinjidum sollitu thaan nerlaye vanten. Party mudinji plate clean panni kooda vachitanga. Neenga rendum perum kadalai poatu mudicha paada therilaye. Apdi enna thaanda pesitruntheenga?"
Ram smilingly threw a punch at Anil's tummy and walked away.
"Adapaavi..sirikaraanay!!! Appo confirmedu..dai..machaan..wait panraa. Enna nadakkuthu inga"

@gym:
Ram does his cardio with his usual systematic routine. Anil, bored with showing off his latest pair of NIKE to any gal who passed by, was posing in front of mirror.
"Machaan..6 packsla..lighta oray oru pack mattum form aagirukula"
"Dei athuku peru thaanda thoppai..ladieslaam arasa maratha suthitu adi vayitha thottu paathukara mathiri..anju nimisham tread milla ninnutu absa thottu paathukariye..itheelaam unakay overa therila"
"Dei..Arnold schwarzenegger aagareno ilayo..atleast oru Anil Sivajinagara aachum aagi kaatren. Ithu intha family pack mela promise" nu thoppai mela kai vachu sathiyam seithaan Anil.
"Unna mathiri naalu peru iruntha oorla irukara gymelaam oothi mooda vendi thaan"
"Kanna..en kathai irukatum. Un matteruku vaa. Whats going on"
"Enna whats going on?"
"Dei..Whats going on between you and Priya"
"Enna you and Priya"
"Machi..dumbellala adichay konnuruven..intha mokkai romba pazhasu"
"ok..ok..no tension. I've told you before right..antha ponnu enaku erkanavay theriyumnu..ponnu paaka poirunthen..aana allaince cancellednulaam sonnenla..atha pathi thaan pesitrunthom"
"ooooh...adipaavi..first venaam sollitu ipo okvaama"
"Ila machi..she was in love with someone then it seems.."
"huh..appo yeraatha busukkaadaa athana nerama ticket vaangitruntha? aana machi..you two look a perfect coupleda..the way you were enjoying each others company was talk of the party. Literalla naanga iruntha nenappay illaama apdi pesitruntheenga rendu perum. Honesta sollu..unakku avala pudikala?"
"Doesnt matterda"
"Ipdiye IDHAYAM Murali mathiriye thiringada elaarum. Ungalukellaam aapu thaan" endru pesikitay parking lot vanthargal iruvarum.
"Yaaruku Aappu? Enna matter?" It was Priya who was standing near her car.
"Huh..athuava..Hindila Aap na 'ungal'uku nu arthamnu sollitrunthen..bye Priya..bye Ram" ena escape aanaan Anil.
"Hey..neeyum gym variya.."
"En ponnungallaam gym varakoodaatha?"
"shabbaa...weekend enna plan?"
"Vetti thaan..nee?"
"Konjam office work iruku..atha veetlenthu panalaamnu iruken"
"Officelaye vetti thaan..atha veetlayum carry pannrathuku ivlo bitta"
"Hahahaa...catch you later..bye Priya"
She stood smiling watching him leave.

~Thodarum :)

Aye or Nye

2012-01-07T21:36:00.001-08:00

I am always at a lost to understand how people can so steadfastly categorise view points as either fully right or fully wrong. Especially in our patti mandram culture, even though they themselves realise the futility of their own arguments, the speakers bull headedly approach the topic as if winning their point is the sole aim of the discussion. There is a thin line of difference between discussing and arguing. The moment people want to win their point it no longer remains a discussion and in arguments you hardly have a healthy meaningful debate. Words get sharpened and pointed towards hurting others into submission rather than gaining consensus. Is there anything in this whole wide world that can ever be categorised as either wholly good or bad at all points of time? Even the most purest of emotions, mothers love, becomes hindrance for some, post the arrival of wife. And one persons nectar almost always is poison for some.

I had an interesting discussion few backs. Don't get mislead by the word 'interesting' :) Though i went grilling on with a fervor, matched only by shark after blood, the person at the other end of that conversation answered my queries patiently. There were some criticism, or should i say constructive feedback to sound politically correct, that i am bit too honest in showing my emotions for my own good. Romba over scenelaam ila. When i am angry or happy or sad or confused it just shows on my face. How much ever i try, when i am in a foul mood, i can never quite manage to hide that feeling. Ulla kovamo kaduppo vachikitu mugathula siripa vachitu pesarathu romba romba kushtam. I was suggested to do exactly the same, that you can never survive if you dont don a mask over your real self. Oru sila situationsku i can understand that. But to be honest, being truthful is a lot more easier on your memory than the fake stuff, for you dont have to remember what you spoke every single day for the rest of your life. Theva illatha prachanai. To prove my point right, my adviser got into a tangle with his wife over a chillarai matter. Like any normal hubby, he had lied to her to enjoy some guys time out with friends and when she found it out we all saw Shakespeare's quote in live action - hell hath no fury like a wife lied to. Their fight has got subsided now, but the trust foundation has taken a nice beating. There is no moral at the end of this story. It neither justifies that truth be told at all times nor against the so called fake mask. Again, it only proves that nothing can be always right or always wrong.

Even after all these years, i still cant be sure about anything. May be it was the way i was brought up. For my dad was the ultimate authority to me always. If he says anything on any topic, that was always the final word for me on it. Growing up on an environment of belief and acceptance and when i got thrown into the real world for the first time, i was confused whom to depend on. I couldnt trust anyone to create a copy of my dad's role in my life as my mentor cum trainer. Nor was i fully confident of understanding things on my own. Like every single one of you out there, my experiences shaped my beliefs. The one thing that i understood about the 'Yes' or 'No' queries that life throws at you is that, though the questions might repeat multiple times the answer is never always the same.

Up and running

2012-01-03T07:39:00.001-08:00

2012 has started in a spectacular way. Hardly 5 days old and has already set the course of my life on the path to changedom country. It all started with the Yelagiri team outing. I was initially dead against making that trip, as always for any trip, for i felt, just like the literal meaning of the word, holiday trips, trip me out of my comfort zone aka laziness. It was my friend who spoke me into getting on board and at the end of the 2 day outing i did had more fun moments to cherish than the uncomfortable ones.

One word about my friend - Leader. That one word sums him up just about perfect. There are those who become leader by nature and those who nurture it. Some are mass favorites while some stick to classy people. This man has this fine knack to balance between the both. He is the darling of his team and also of his seniors. His friends adore him. Every kid in every family who interact with him, see their role model in him. He has an energy of a 5 year old and brain of a statesmen. Never says the wrong word, almost always and always says the right word to the right person at the right time. He puts as much hours at office and compensates with equal fervor at home too. He is ferociously protective of his life work balance and is almost manic with his home party schedules.

This person has impressed the hell out of me in the last few weeks, despite having been associated with him for almost an year now. The more i got to know him personally, the more i realised, how many incidents of our lives we had in common and how diametrically opposite our reaction were towards them. We have almost similar tastes in movies and music and have similar hobbies and the more i get to know about his early days the more amazing were the coinciding situations on both our lives. But the one staring aspect was our approach. While mine was laid back with my lazy and let-it-take-its-own-course attitude this man had taken everything head on and had ensured he won each and every single one of them. Guess loosing was never part of his vocabulary. Be it sports or any official work, he would do his damnest to make it work in his favour. These alone do not make him the star he is, for his sterling quality being, how he makes everyone around him comfortable. He has this uncanny knack of gauging peoples thought and is always mentally alert. How much ever bad news it is, when he says it people are often convinced that it was not his fault and he did his best to prevent it for them. It may or might not be the real case, but somehow he always comes out smelling roses even from the dirtiest of situations. Some call him lucky, some call brand him big time political player. My gut feeling is, he is bit of both. A gambler who not just knows his cards well but is good at guessing his opponents too. His risks almost always pays off and those which bomb are never known to others. His personal life is almost an open book and everyone in the team knows his life in minutest of detail and yet no one can judge what he would do next. He always carries this iceberg like persona, the bulk of which is hidden from view.

The reason for such a big puraanam about him is that, its not always you get to see the sceneries on road not traveled in your life. I happen to have that lucky view in getting to understand his life. Today happens to be his birthday. Here is tonnes of wishes for lot more success and happiness in his life. May his zest for life never be quenched.

Bye bye 2011

2011-12-29T03:48:00.000-08:00

This happens to be the latest year ending post in past few years :) Usually my winding up-for-the-year post would be much much earlier than the penultimate day to the year end. A reflection on my dwindling interest in writing things down may be.

I never carry any particular timeline to achieve my targets/resolutions and definitely wouldnt want to confine myself within a jan to dec window. But still when i get to finish them i feel happy whenever it happens. Like the time when i wanted to have kulfi in pouring rain. It was always my fantasy to know how it would feel like to have kulfi in rain. Really wanted to test that you-will-catch-fever theory. But like all sane parents mine never allowed this 'experiment' of mine. I tried having a kulfi in chilling Bangalore rainy season few years back and it was worth every rupee spent. You should've seen the look on the shopkeepers face :) that was worth more than the amount i paid. Sometimes it really riles people up, when they see people do things which they would love to do, but dont want to, for it may not go well with their image. I was at the receiving end of this situation when my team went for an outing last month.

There was this game called Zombie ball (or was it zorbie??) wherein there was a 10 feet plus tall huge balloon kind of ball that had 2 openings through which 'participants' (aka bakras) would be thrown into it. And the ball would be rolled up and down some slopes with the inhabitants getting tossed around inside the ball. They did had some safety harness but the people outside never gave time for those who got thrown in to tie themselves up. I couldnt quite understand this idea of fun, of watching two people struggling to find their footing, falling and hurting all over themselves getting thrown around, without any letup from those outside. It comes no where even in the same pin code of being termed funny for me. I told my damager who wanted me to give it a try that its a sadistic game and i dont want to be party to it. He was so shocked that he forbade others to force me into trying it. Later i apologised for the word used and explained why i felt that way. The more i tried to explain my feelings, the more wrong i sounded myself. Whats so sadistic about a 'game' where in the participants had no issues in being 'tortured' and others had no remorse. In the end they all felt exhilarated and happy. It struck me that it almost sounded like marriage!!! I dont know if i am sane or not but i am happy to be single :D

I always thought i would never be able to sit through any sitcoms or serials. Then F.R.I.E.N.D.S happened :) and here i am still smitten with it, almost 9 years after i started watching it. I again thought this would be my only craze. But 2011 proved me wrong multiple times. My sitcom count has quadrupled this year to House M.D (7 seasons done), How i Met Your Mother ( 3 and counting), Dexter (4 and counting) with Two and half men and Entourage to follow. I feel like a native of New York now and can pick their inside jokes too :) I was introduced to these series by two good friends of mine with whom i competing to match their season watching spree. Hope to catch up with them soon :) Enna oru magathaana resolution for 2012 apdingareengala..hehehe...i always aim high u c!!

The second half of the year had lot more revelations for me. Everyone, i am sure, have their dream lifestyle. Some maybe lucky to lead such a life, while the vast majority would be contented about their life, though it may not be the one they dreamt of. Well, i happened to witness someone leading my perfect life :) Their house was exactly the one i had dream designed mine to be, their family, their relatives even the furniture in their place matched my dream picture. I felt so happy to see my dream walking talking in real time and made me realise that there is more to life than watching others live it. Is there anything different that i could do to realise my dream? I dont know. But i sure want to explore and give it a try.

2012 has been the most hyped about year for a while now with its doomsday December. Would love to see if it lives up to its billing. The unknown always provides us with two choices - to be scary or cheerful. We ALWAYS have the choice to decide how it has to be and its what we choose, that really make it happen. It can never be always scary or always cheerful, for either way it would make life boring. So here is to the new unknown - may it keep all of us interesting. Advance wishes for a wonderful time ahead folks. May god bless us all. Catch you next year :)

The Dirty Picture

2011-12-26T04:55:00.000-08:00

When this movie was in the making i was thinking so cheap about Ekta Kapoor for stooping low to such extent that she has to resort to these sort of gimmicks and hated Vidya Balan for taking up the lead role. I liked her so much in Munnabhai and Parineeta that i couldnt believe that she could carry on this role leave alone take it. And when the movie got released and was declared a hit felt it was another win for the soft porn industry running within our movie land. But when i read the reviews, the feedback was unanimous. Right from hard core movie critic to casual movie watcher, every one had spoken so highly about the movie that the curiosity was kindled. I happened to watch the movie yesterday and needless to say was mightily impressed. First i thought should i even tell anyone that i saw this movie. This movie ultimately was NOT 'that' kind of movie which no one wants to talk about in public, but whose kind rules the net.

Its hard to believe this movie was not a novel-to-screen kind of script. The story is right out of any Sidney Sheldon books. It has all the ingredients in right proportions. A lead lady character, as in all his novels, who hails from a not so great background, with dreams of reaching the sky and beyond and with determination to take anything head on to achieve the dream, which they eventually do, with pomp and splendour, but at the cost of a pound of their soul and some self respect and like in all his novels they have an almighty fall. While the ones with positive ending allows the characters the luxury of a phoenix like resurgence, this one ends as a tragedy where the lead takes her life committing suicide. Though the story is claimed to be based on the life of 'Silk' Smitha, donned by Vidya Balan and Naseerudin shah's Suryakanth is supposedly a take on Rajini, the story line could suit any struggling and aspiring artist who are hell bent on achieving success even at the cost of losing their morals. This movie unwraps those gray and shady world of the cine industry and not just that, it turns the spot light on that world, minuting it to the detail. Its that kind of story that can be called a true open secret. Everyone, be linked with movie line or not, is aware of the casting couch and the kind of behind the screen activities that happen and those which are kept under wraps, literally and figuratively and the story is a real example of a true open secret. Yet, not many movies have taken up this theme and not many have done it with this finesse and are watchable to say the least.

There is always a risk of the movie crossing into the art film territory if it lingered beyond the normal commercial boundaries and a tad more on this side would've pushed it into a totally different category of its own, away from the general public and would've got it buried into the realms of a different industry altogether. It takes courage to portray your own people in bad light, talk about the shady deals happening around you and if you also happen to be a leading lady the pressure is all the more serious. Vidya Balan deserves a big round of applause for taking up this role. Not that the other actresses couldnt have done more justice to the role, but she always had this image of a homely character artist and to shed that image and take up the other extreme of her on screen persona deserves tremendous courage and probably a bigger pay cheque. Right from the opening credit scene where she gives that 'voice over', its Vidya's show all the way. Naseeruddin shah is almost invisible in the movie, though he occupies the second longest screen space. Call it on his performance which is thorough or Vidya's dominating screen presence, whichever way, he does what he does best - get into the skin of the character. But at times he almost looks bored, wondering what the heck he is doing in a movie like this which is totally heroine dominated. Tushar kapoor owes one more to his sister for giving him a role in this movie. His is more of a cameo for which he was adequate to say the best. Emraan-serial kisser-Hashmi, gets a chance to wet his lips again and he does it with gusto.

But the movie totally belongs to the screenplay writer and the dialogue writer. Wow. The movie has so many good punch one liners that you can make a book out of it. They are liberally strewn all over the movie and saves the movie from drowning into a sorrow mode. If we have such original screenplay writers abound Bollywood would soon give its illustrious original, whose name it has plagiarized, a run for its Oscar money.

Gils Verdict - This is that kind of movie, which makes one realise the heaviness of the mask they wear and the starkness of reality. Remove the word 'Dirty' from the title and rename it as 'The picture - for hypocrites', it still makes more sense. Not a movie for family watching though for we are all hypocrites aren't we :)

Where would you be??

2011-12-19T09:31:00.000-08:00

Past few days i had been wondering what would i be doing in exactly an year's time to this day, which every ancient and modern civilization has predicted as the end of the world. As like many incidents of my past 6 years, which have been kind of chronicled on this blog spot server, thought of posting something to look back on, hopefully, from the 365th day :) Just as i am typing this post Star Movies is airing 2012 movie. These guys surely are masters of timing i should say. That movie is one of the spookiest movies i've ever seen. Though typical Hollywood disaster masala movie, the graphics and content scared the hell out of me and for several nights i had dreams of drowning in flood waters.

There were only two topics that ruled the day yesterday. Believers or not, Saturn is one planet no one takes risk against with and the transit of the lord was widely discussed yesterday. For the dooms day enthusiasts, it was a field day to say the least. Each one had a 'vision' of their own as to what would they want to do on 21 dec 2012. Best one was from the guy who wanted to get married on that day, as according to him, whether the prophecy comes true or not, either way his world would be well and truly gone. There were many wisecracks on taking hefty bank loans and live the skin off their lives for the next 12 months and face the dooms day with the contented thought of having lived their life king size. How much ever it was joked about, the inherent fear, the very idea of waters gushing in, roads cracking up, sun coughing up fire balls, volcanoes roaring into life, ice storms freezing around, was palpable. Nature for all we know, always had been THE most destructive force on earth. How many ever number of nukes any superpower country might have, its nothing compared to the havoc which a mere gust of wind can create. But, on the brighter side, Nature has always been the most PROTECTIVE force too.

Rather than fearing over the destruction, wouldn't it be prudent to take life one day at a time and enjoy every moment of it? Why does it always require a calamity or a devastation to make people realise the value of every single minute of their life? Till the time, they loose their loved ones, no one bothers to give the relationship the respect it deserves. Till the time, they are inflicted with weight related problems, no one bothers to hit the gym. Till the time, they face a necessity, no one bothers to sharpen their axes.

I always have standard New Year Resolutions, to watch all the new movies getting released that year and to read newer books, apart from making newer friends. This year in addition to this list, would want to include one more point. To get in touch with all those i've lost contact. In the course of past few years, life has grown layer over layer and i've lost track of many a good people who had enriched my existence by permitting me space in their worlds. I've always wanted to visit them, but kept postponing the trips.

So come 2012, i intended to renew the lost contacts and even if the world ends in an years time or not, i would love a happy ending anytime. Merry Christmas folks :)

Odyssey

2011-12-16T11:43:00.000-08:00

I boarded the cab preparing myself for another hour long dull and drab journey pitching into my comfort zone of my playlist. Usually my 'touring' party of cabmates leave me as the last guy to get down from the cab. My place being like 20 plus kms away from office, i usually get down the last, having visited half of chennai, courtesy my travel desk for whom i am like thengai in kerala cuisine. They would fit me on any route and would argue that, its the shortest route to my place. This one was no different, atleast to begin with.

The first surprise was that i was the one to get down first. Those who commute by office cab will vouch for me, for they can realise the joy of getting down first and the pain of a long distance commute. There were 2 other people, who were my cabmates for the day and one of them happened to be a short term acquaintance i had picked in this new office. Since there is always a standing policy that ladies should never be the last to get down i checked with her if she is fine with the route as hers was the last drop. The guy who was silent till that time, actually carrying a quizzical look, asked her politely, "Excuse me, arent you Stephen's sister?"
Now it was the turn of the lady to takeover the frown. The "yeah" which followed was more of a "who-the-heck-are-you-and-how-the-heck-you-know-me?"
"You people were living in Gopalapuram right?"
Now the lady became somewhat interested with a curious bewilderment.
"I've come to your house many times. Your elder sister still works for ABC inc??"
Without realising she began to respond to the conversation "No. She moved out to another company few years back"
"Oh..thats great. Hows your elder bro..still at the same place?"
"Yeah" She was still unable to ask the question camped at the tip of her tongue - "who the hell are you?"
"Dont you remember me? I used to come and pick Stephen to college everyday"
"Is it? I knew almost all his friends..sorry couldnt recollect you"
"Hahaha..not a problem. Hows Stephen"
"You know him right.. usual dreamy self". (Something on her tone made me felt that either she cares less about this Stephen person or their age difference is not much or she finds him more comfortable than her other sibling(s) possibly, for her tone was more friendly while talking about her brother. I was proved right soon)
"Been a while since i spoke to him..last i had a chat with him was on Facebook..when i was in US. After i came to India didnt had a chance to meet him"
"Oh...cool"
There was a studied silence from both of them which was broke by him.
"Does he still play cricket?"
"Hey....now i remember..you used to come to our house in track suits right?"
He grinned and said "Yeah.."
"Couldnt recognise you in formals and ofcourse you've put on weight"
"hahaha..blame it on lack of match practice. We used to slog in 45 degree sun plaiyng 50 over matches..getting up at 4 in the morning to reach college by 5...antha fitnesslaam poachu"
"Yeah..Stephen used to be crazy about cricket"
"Had we known that things like IPL and all will come in future..we would've continued with cricket. I thought Stephen always followed it more vigorously"
"Yeah..he did. It was our elder brother who forced him to take up MBA and sent him abroad. You know what, the day after he left there was a letter from TN govt inviting him to take part in the Ranji team for TN. I feel sorry for not supporting him that time and siding with our elder brother."
"Oh that would've been heartbreaking isnt it. Sheer bad luck."(By this time this Stephen character has assumed the role of a tragic movie hero on my head and wanted to know more about that person)
"You know both of us had joined college on sports quota. And though the entry was easier..how many humiliations we had to suffer and how many days we had to stand outside the principal and P.T office for want of letter accrediting points for us to appear for exams, despite helping the college to win many a cups. We never took any of those issues to heart for there was only thing on our mind, playing cricket"
I was so engrossed on their conversation that, i almost felt a part of the story by now.

That guy then rattled on names of almost all his classmates and was inquiring whether she knew any of them. Since most of them happened to be their team mates from cricket and having visited Stephen's house, she seemed to be aware of majority of them. This made me more curious about the Stephen character. He sounded just perfect for a loser hero, who had been deprived off his passion and has been sent to rot in the routine monotonous world, having been robbed off the one thing on his life where he could've made a difference.

"Hey..i thought you were into Bio something..how come into IT now?"
She smiled at him "wow..you seem to remember everything. Yeah. I wanted to do masters in Zoology..but ended up here."
"Not a bad place to end up i should say"
"Definitely.. No regrets. Same with Stephen...my bro pushed me to take up Bio tech..i was steadfast in taking up my masters from UK..but that damn bomb blast screwed up everything. Even without my consent..they filled up forms for me and got me admitted into a course. I gritted my teeth and survived through the first year. But decided enough is enough and told my bro that i want to live my life my way and took up a diploma course and here i am"
"Brave decision i should say. Stephen cant get a job here? "
"I tried..but they rejected him saying he is over qualified"
"hahaha..hey..should we take the bridge or go under it? are you familiar with this route?" he asked me.
I was so immersed into their story that i didnt realise that he was posing the question to me "err..No. we shouldnt take the bridge.." and explained the route to the driver.
"Sorry..i couldnt help but overhear your conversation..just curious..how long you studied your under graduation?" i asked him.
"Three years..why?!!" he asked with wonderment
"Illa..you seem to remember the entire attendance register of your college..thats why"
"hahahaa..no man. sports is such a bonding factor..anyone who had been part of a team in college would be known or would know almost all the other people. It provides us the chance to interact so much and so many incidents and experiences add up to the list which makes them all the more memorable"
There was a momentary silence.
"Hey..does Stephen has your number" asked she.
"Dont think so..i have changed it after coming back from US"
"Can you tell me your number. Stephen would blast me if i tell about meeting you and not getting your number. Hey forgot to ask you..what are you now? Doesnt look like you are into cricket" she added with a grin pointing to his bulky figure.
"Yeah...i had to choose between cricket and career and i chose the latter. Family pressurenulaam solla maaten. It felt a safer choice at that time. Cricket can be played anytime but career..cant be played around with. But i always was jealous of Stephen. He was still playing when i decided to take a break. I was hoping to see him donning national colours some day. But guess life had different plans for all of us"

By that time..my drop point came. For the first time i felt bad for getting down first. There were so many questions raging on mind about Stephen, that guy and that lady, both whose lives were a study of stark contrast. While both budged to peer/parental pressure and bowed to decisions taken for them, one succumbed to it while other resisted and came up trumps after initial hiccups. In a span of an hour's journey, felt as if i had traveled through the lives of 3 people, all along through their successes and failures and i couldnt help but to compare my own life with them.

Guess there is more than one person created from the same mould of God's debris.

Controversy be Damned

2011-12-11T08:31:00.001-08:00

Periyar and God have never been on the same side of any coin. You name a dam after Periyar and thrust it on the border of God's own country and still wonder why the controversy?!!! You got to be kidding. The current situation on TN Kerala border reminds me of 'Quantum of Solace' James Bond movie. The story line would lead the viewers or at least the movie characters into believing that the villain group is after the oil sources while they would actually be after the procurement of water bodies. Never had i guessed that water wars would hit so closer to home. The situation is such that both the parties have valid fears. The scores of villagers who are afraid of the aftermath of a dam break are equally at peril while compared to those who want the dam to be raised to water their crops. Media being the naughty Naradar as always, play their part to perfection by fanning the fire on both the sides. Again the allegory traces itself back to 007 movie where the villain is a media baron hell bent on creating havoc just to have catchy headlines for his newspaper/media. It might bit of an overkill to label the entire media as villain but as far as most of the issues are concerned there is not a half decent article which is unbiased and throws light on the truth. I've never seen a debate which is constructive and informative to assuage the fears of the public. I've never seen any leader taking the right step in dousing the tension. And i am not even sure what for everyone is waiting!!! The move has potential disaster in making, with TN already at war with Karnataka over Kaveri and depending on AP for the meager supply provided by them. At the cost of playing I-am-the-Boss, the politicos are messing up with already wafer thin fabric of national unity and the day is not far when their self created monster will go after the Frankenstein's. ( Just noticed..Frankenstein never named the monster!!! It has always been referred to as the creators creation rather than by its name. Please correct if wrong)

The situation reminds me of an crude story, albeit an apt one to describe the current scenario i guess. Once the organs of the body had a fight amongst themselves as to whose service is the best. Each one argued the best with their functional description as the reason why their's should be the best. Eye, ear, mouth, tongue, throat, hand, leg every single organ participated in it or rather competed. To prove their might each one decided to go on strike one at a time to gauge the impact of their non compliance. When eyes refused to see, the body lost its balance. When ears refused to hear..well you get the drift right. One body part was a silent spectator to all these drama..namely the buttocks. It decided to teach the other parts a lesson for not even considering it in the race. It simply..well..decided to keep its mouth shut, in simpler terms. The call of nature was loud and clear and within matter of minutes every organ realised the might of the now silent organ and begged for forgiveness and unanimously elected the buttocks as the undisputed leader.

Moral of the story ( If at all there is one ) - any ass can become a winner when the time or the situation suits, but that doesnt necessarily mean anything. One need to take things into perspective before arriving at any decision and hopefully sanity will prevail..for Mera Bharat is always mahaan..

Jillunu-oru-kaathal-kathai- 5

2011-12-08T09:43:00.000-08:00

Story so far
P.S: after a gap of nearly 18 months...JOKK is back :) at least this time hope to finish it soon :)

"Dei Ram..ennada ithu..kondu pona luncha apdiye thirupi kondu vanthirukka. Unakkelaam vadichi kotren paaru enna sollanum"

TUNG!!! slams the lunch box in sink followed lot of mumblings and grumblings from mom.

"Ipdi kandatha thinnutu udamba keduthukka vendiathu..kondu pora luncha apdiye thiruppi kondu vara vendiathu. Naaliku udambu sari illainu paduthuntu en uyira vaanga vendiathu. Ithey pozhappa poachu. Ungappa varattum..inniki irukku unakku"

"Yenmaa..naan enna dailya...." Ram wakes up from his sleep, looks around confused for a moment and realises that it was a dream and falls back onto his pillow. One glance at the watch warns him that he is already running late for office. Cursing Earth for spinning so fast during night he drags himself away from bed. Opens the door to get newspaper and yawnningly shouts..."Ammaaaa....coffee" only to realise that mom has gone on pilgrimage for next 2 days. He rakes his mind to remember the list of tasks she had grinded on to him, made him memorise a zillion times before she left.

"Was the first one regarding milk or newspaper?...hmm..she said something about milk. what was that?" he wondered around and after a while gave up on remembering the task and started for office. The moment he stepped out from their apartment, his feet stamped on something soft and SPLASH. It was milk all over the verandah. YIKES. Mom had told him to take the milk packet from the bag and since it was not on the bag he had skipped checking for it. The maid had kept it near their door step and now it was all over the verandah.

"Ennapa Ram..usuala veedu clean panna water thaan use panuvaanga..unga veetla aavin paalaa vachaa? hahaha" laughing at his own joke the neighbour walked away.

Feeling irritated at being so careless, Ram stomped away from the house. He stopped on the way to request the maintenance person to get it all cleaned up. He could hear his mom's mind voice chiding him "Irresponsible as always..when will you grow up Ram? I leave you alone for one day and within the first hour you create so much mess. What am i going to do with you in life". He forced his mind to hit the pause button on the voice and diverted his attention to listening to songs on his ipod.

@Office:

"Machaan Ram one help da"
It was Anil. Ram's Colleague.
"Yeah man..tell me"
"You know that i am going to US on my first international assignment right. Athuku friendskellaam catchya oru mail adikalaamnu iruken. Idea kuden"
"Kaalangaathala ivan tholla thaangala" nu manasukulla porumiavaaray "Catchya enna..renday wordla convey aagara mathiri solren.. BUTTER FLY nu mail anuppu"
"Butter flya?? purialaiye" ena thalaiya sorinjaan Anil
"Aaama..nee oru vennai..nee fly panna porangaratha itha vida simpla sollavay mudiyaathu"
"Unkitta poitu idea kekka vanthen paaru..enna sollanum" ena pulambinaan Anil.
"Guys..dont forget. We have team dinner today sponsored by our client. Arrangements have been made to commute to and fro to the restaurant from office. All of you schedule your work accordingly" ena announce seithuvittu.."aprum Anil..onsite pora..oru mukkiayamaana vishayam solanum unkitta. Namma oorla beach orama kannagi selai kaila selambu vachitu nikkuthu..antha oorla kaila theevatti vachikitrukum..ponnunga kitta paathu nadanthukko" ena bittu potu vittu ess aanaar damager.
"Aaama..ennamo ivan kaiya vittu kaasu podra mathiri ivlo alatikaraan" said Anil.
"Naan varala..neengalam poitu vaanga"
"Dei Ram. Enda ipdi paduthara. Veetla thaan yaarum ilaye poi enna panna pora. Come join us today. Oru thadava vanthu thaan paaren. You always skip any team outings. Who knows you might enjoy it" said Anil.
"Enda..avlo kadupadichene..unaku kovamay varalaya?"
"uhummm...NANBENDAAA" ena solliavaaray he hugged Ram. Unable to control smile, Ram palmed his face.

@Party:

"Naangallam Amitabh bachchan mathiri. Naan enga nikkareno line angenthu thaan start aagum" ena peter vittavaray vanthaan Anil
"Dei vennai..oc la soru podrangantu ooruku munnadi vanthu ninnutu unaku dialog oru keda...odi po"
Irritated with the loud music blaring from the speakers, Ram settled with his plate in a corner well away from the noise, taking in the scenic view outside of the restaurant from the terrace.
The weather was pleasant and he closed his eyes for a moment enjoying the cool breeze.
"Ahem...weathera romba enjoy pannitu irukara mathiri teriuthu"
The voice brought him back to his senses and he blushingly realised that he had been smiling with his eyes closed. Wondering how stupid he would've looked, his embarrasment turned to anger and his face turned blood red in color. It was Priya. "Anniki paarthum paakatha mathiri pona..ipo thaana vanthu pesaralay"nu manasukull kuzhambiyavaaru paarthaan Ram.
"Hey...relax. Sorry naan ungala disturb pannitennu nenakren"
"cha..illa Priya. I am sort of allergic to noise. Athuvum ivlo sound..uhumm..cudnt stand there. Athaan came here"
"Me too Ram. I like dance beats. Aana these guys are over kill. Its so noisy that i couldnt hear myself out there. Saw you standing here. Athaan disturb panlaamnu vanthen" she said smiling.
"Disturblaam ileenga. I was just enjoying the weather. The only plus point in Banglore"
"Hey..cmon. You are talking to a localite. Banglorela ennamo vera ethuvumay nalla illatha mathiri pesareenga. There are so many good things" she said with a wink.
"Thanna pathi sollikaraalo"nu manasukkul sirithavaaray "Okay. I accept my ignorance. You tell me. Apdi ennlaam good here" he asked with a competitive twinkle in his eyes.
"Hmmm...first of all as you said weather. Aprum..hmmm...hmmm...ipdi thideernu keatta solla mudiathu"
"hahaha..ok..take your time"
"Dont laugh ok. Its far better to your cauldron chennai. Tar melting heat. Epdi thaan anga makkal survive panraangalo"
"True. Thats the only bad thing there" he said with a smirk.
She threw a fake punch at him and he feigned a pained look and both ended up laughing at each others antics.
"How come i never saw you in any party before?"
"Because i never used to attend these things" endraan Ram.
"Athaan ennu kekaraen"
"I find them boring..noisy..irritating to see such criminal waste of money"
"ho ho hold on. Unna mathiri naalu per..uhumm..nee oruthan porum. Ipovay yearly once thaan they have such outings through office due to budget cuts. Nee pesaratha keata athaiyum cut paniduvaanga"
"hahahaaa"
"I've never seen you this relaxed before. Officela kooda eppovum you will have a tensed no nonsense look on your face"
"aaha..appo ivalum ithana naala nammala note pannirukaala"nu manasukkul sirithavaaray.."hahha..True. At present i feel so relaxed that if i convert to Sikhism i will name myself Relax Singh"
"cheee.. bad PJ. But wow. I didnt knew you could crack such marana mokkai kadis too. You ARE interesting"
"Hey..enna ...site adikaria" he winked at her.
"Aaama intha nenapu vera iruka. Oru ponnu praise panni oru vaartha sollida koodathay..you guys will float in air"
"hahahaa"
"Un kitta onnu sollanum. I saw you sitting in reception on the very first day you joined here. It was a bit of shock for me and didnt knew how to respond. Athaan pesaama poitten. I didnt knew how you would respond on the alliance getting cancelled. Sorry"
"che..ithula sorry solla enna iruku..apdinulaam lighta solla maaten. Actually it was bit hurting. Not on the cancellation but that you didnt stop even after seeing me. Now that you raised the topic, i am more than curious to know why the alliance was cancelled. Your parents knew mine were eager to finalise. Apramum negative resultna..was it you? Ivlo directa ..ivlo personalaana question kekaraennu thappa nenachukaatha. If you feel uncomfortable you need not answer. I can understand"
"hmmmm...will you take offense if i ask a very personal question?"
"depends on about who?"
"hahaha..if its about others its gossip. I dont do that. Unna pathi thaan kekanum"
"Epppaadi..evlo bittu. Ipdilaam cutea keatta ennatha solrathu. Kelu"
"If you are feeling uncomfortable i wont expect you to reply. I will understand"
"hahahaa...enakkay repeatta...shabba...enna kekanumo keattu thola. Kandippa etho mokka poda porannu mattum terithu"
"Have you ever fell in Love? Yaarukaachum propose pannirukkia?"
"WoW!!!"
"Enna Wow...ennada first time pesarapovay ipdilaam kekaraalaynu paakria..cmon..tell me..there is no spice in this party..atleast conversationlayaaachum irukatumay..have u ever fell in love?"

(Thodarum)

Kolaveri remixed :)

2011-11-28T09:18:00.000-08:00

Echusme..ippovay sollidren..padichoma kaari thuppinomanu deejenta irukanum. Auto anuparathu lorry anuparathu all no no..No voilence. Gilsu paavam :)

Why this delivery delivery delivery di
Why this delivery delivery delivery di

White coloru clientu clientu
Clientu currency greenu
'IT'na jolly lifeu lifeu
All smokeu screenu

Why this delivery delivery delivery di
Why this delivery delivery delivery di

Client always tellu tellu
Requirements in peiceu
Retypingu codeu codeu
Lifela goneu peaceu

Why this delivery delivery delivery di
Why this delivery delivery delivery di

Onsite trippu
Lifela grippu
Dreams of gooddu future

Round the clocku
Slaveu lifeu
Fully filled with torture

Hearu hearu
Oh my dearu
To your mind voiceu

Restu restu
All the restu
Absolute noiseu

Thissu songu for all thoseu
who no take risku
Try to break the mouldu mouldu
Be for once boldu

Why this delivery delivery delivery di
Why this delivery delivery delivery di

Tipping point

2011-11-26T10:20:00.001-08:00

As i was channel hopping, stumbled on a typical "seen-one-seen-all other' SRK movie. Shockingly it was running on Lok Sabha Channel!!! May be DD got bugged with airing '80 somethings' shouting matches and kiddish brawls and decided to take a break themselves. Watching movie without any ad breaks was a weird experience. I've been tuned to press the buttons on remote every 15 minutes and how much ever one complaints, the ad breaks do serve one purpose at least - to break the monotony of the movies, considering that even the shortest of our commercial potboilers run for close to 120 plus minutes. The movie was 'Kabhi Haa Kabhi Naa' and probably it was taken at a time when SRK was a lesser known face and an up and coming actor. He looks way too young in the movie and his support cast were regulars on DD-National's tele series like Circus, Nukkad, Fauji and lot more. Watching the movie felt like revisiting one's childhood photos.

The story line so simple and characters so lovable, reminiscent of erstwhile hindi movies, with the 'original' chocolate boy hero and Miss goody two shoes heroine, syrupy sentimental sis who carries an invisible placard that her 'bhaiyya is the best in the world' in every frame she comes and gives him the new born puppy looks whenever they share the screen with violins squeaking their twines out, middle class parents whose looks and life actually defined the term middle class to the masses plus friends who wear atrociously loud colored costumes (considering my penchant for dresses ala thalai you can imagine the scene i am trying to describe here :D ) which were once considered 'coooool' and throw in a funnily eccentric character with heart of gold and a villain who is more of naam ke vaaste type, you got the entire container load of scripts of the hindi movies of the 90's and believe me, each one of them were box office blockbusters whose songs and scenes have been branded in memories.

Needless to say, me a sucker for such movies :) and whenever i get a chance i revisit them to brush up my memory of course :) and also to get a dose of reel life innocence of which kind is a rare commodity in moviedom these days. I always believed that movies are the resemblers of the society and not the converse and one look at today's kind of movies is ample proof for the statement. In the name of being 'yathaartham' the kind of stories that are being picturised and force fed on audience, well not always but at times, appalling. Being raised on scruples and hypocritical values and risking the chances of sounding much more older :) i tend to cringe when school going kids mouth profanities without even realising their meaning and horror of horrors the acceptance of such things in daily vocabulary!! Every issue or belief or news or information is torn to shreds and is scrutinized under the microscope of logic and if it doesnt pass muster such thoughts are unceremoniously and publicly dumped. Feels offlate that the virtual world, having grown outside of the computers, have reached outside of the 4 walls and have taken the streets and lanes as well and people are fast loosing their sense of sacredness. For that matter, is there anything sacred or innocent anymore? Science has taught us to question everything. But falls short in the solution providing department. There are still lot many things in life like emotions of love, innocence, bliss, peace, calm, romance, passion, happiness, joy, harmony, togetherness and the negative of each of them, which can never be explained by any theorem or machine.

I believe certain things are meant not to be tampered with and even if it doesnt make sense i am still happy the way things are. Let there be some mystery left. Let there be some quest to search for later. For i guess life is much too shorter to be spent only to decipher its meaning. Feels good to be lazy once in a while and to go with the flow enjoying the course.

Murpagal seiyinn :)

2011-11-18T09:45:00.001-08:00

Felt it made interesting read..so sharing here :)

This took place in Charlotte, North Carolina.

A lawyer purchased a box of very rare and expensive cigars then insured them against, among other things... "FIRE"..!!

Within a month… having smoked his entire stockpile of these great cigars... the lawyer filed a claim against the insurance company.

In his claim, the lawyer stated the cigars were... "lost in a series of small fires'.

The insurance company refused to pay, citing the obvious reason, that the man had consumed the cigars in the normal fashion.

The lawyer sued... and... WON...!!!

Delivering the ruling... the judge agreed with the insurance company that the claim was frivolous... but he stated nevertheless, that the lawyer held a policy from the company, in which it had warranted that the cigars were insurable and also guaranteed that it would insure them against fire, without defining what is considered to be acceptable explanation of the term 'fire'...(as in the act of actually smoking the cigar) and was obligated to pay the claim.

Rather than endure lengthy and costly appeal process, the insurance company accepted the ruling... and paid $15,000 to the lawyer for his loss of the cigars that were... "lost in a series of small fires'.

NOW FOR THE BEST PART...

After the lawyer cashed the check... the insurance company had him arrested on 24 counts of ARSON...!!!

With evidence of his own insurance claim... and testimony from the case being used against him… the lawyer was convicted of intentionally burning his insured property and was sentenced to 24 months in jail and a $24,000 fine...!!!

This true story won First Place in the "Criminal Lawyers Award" contest in the following year.

NRI - New Relation Induction

2011-11-13T08:33:00.000-08:00

Olagathulaye easyaana topic and also the most difficult one apdinu ethachum iruntha..it would self introduction i guess. Everyone can talk their heads off about themselves, but knowing where to draw the line is something known only to a select few. This technique comes in handy the most in case when a new relation is entering ones life. How much is too much or how little would be considered insufficient info? If prioritizing the points is suggested a solution, which one to share and which one to leave behind to be understood on their own? What to showcase and what not to? How truthful should one be or rather which points to hide? The art of creating a good impression, revealing as much or as little information and yet be safe enough to create a positive impression is something i crave to inculcate for a long long long time and falling woefully short. I've never ever made a decent first impression and have heard my good friends tell at a later point of time in our interactions that they never believed we would stick around with them for so long. Often one end up projecting a totally contradictory picture of their real self and have to catch up all along later to correct the impression.

Had a recent conversation with a friend of mine who is getting engaged in few days time. Now read the above paragraph from her perspective and i hope it might throw some picture on how our conversation would've gone :) Getting a new person in ones life is something of a life changer. If its going to be ones life partner, nothing would ever be the same again. In continuation with my previous post on Future shock, which basically talks about change and adapting to change, marriage is the biggest wanton life altering event in anyone persons life i guess. If one looks at milestones in each persons life, marriage would definitely be the major one which changed the course of their existence. Its the most complex of relation and brings with it as much pleasure and pain and still people world over take the plunge into that maddening ocean. Its proved by the mere fact that, though every one craves for 'Paradise regained', 'Paradise lost' has sold more copies than its sequel :) Its a whole big lottery, inviting a person into your life without bothering about the consequences, wholly resting everything on hope that it would work out in the end and surprisingly it works for the vast majority!!

I dont see an end to this topic so winding up with a wonderful quote suttufied from somewhere - 'Sorrow can take care of itself. But to get the full value of happiness, you should have someone to share it with' (and to add to it, if that person also happens to be your companion for life, well, that is a life well spent i guess).

Wishing my friend all the very best on her quest towards a new beginning. God bless you.

(Just now saw the count on publishing this post!!! Guess what..this also happens to be post number 500.. :D :D :D )

Future Shock

2011-11-12T00:09:00.001-08:00

What an intriguing title :) I mean..not for this post. But in general. The one who coined the phrase must have been a genius. And so began my introduction to the book by that name - Future Shock by Alvin Toffler. I have never been a big fan of self-improvement books. Pannandu varusham iskoola padichi onnum kizhikkala. Oray oru book apdiye lifea thala keezha porati potrumnulaam advertise panni ethachum book vantha i simply avoid them. Rather than reading the success stories of people to follow ditto, i guess one should prefer to read the failures life history to avoid repetition or even better, take up what was unfinished and try to complete it too!! Coming back to the title. This book, to describe in one word is just WOW. And an amazing thing is that, i checked with most of my book reading friends. Surprisingly, none of them had read this one!!! Felt like Columbus introducing his America to them when i sent them the soft copy (Be it Magellan or Amerigo Vespucci or whoever it was the original founder..aana famousaana name Columbus thaana :D )

My reading patter goes like this. First read - skimming the pages, stopping only at paras which sound interesting and directly going to the end to see how it finished. If impressed, second read would go bit slow to cover the missing sections. Third read would be the slow savouring one..goign through the minutest of word plays and marking the quotes. This book, Future shock, is around 280 pages long and even after 2 months since i began reading it, i am still at page 80. Not that its that boring a one or i was super busy. But i simply dont want this one to end. Gaali aaidum sollitu konjam konjama saapdra chocolate bar mathiri..i just read a few paras, get stunned with the content and close it off. Overa hype panra mathiri teriuthu. But still..this how i feel when i read the book. Not necessarily it might have an exact impact on others for they might've experienced the situations mentioned in it and might even be self aware of them. From all those adventure/thriller novels i read usually, this was a major major deviation and first ever attempt at something of this genre. So that could basically be the reason behind my awe. Anyways..

After all those bittu in previous para atleast onnu rendu vaarthaiyaachum book enna solluthunu solanumla :)
This book is from the 1970's or an even early period. But the content is so relevant even after half a century from its publication. It talks about the single most important concept, ever - CHANGE. How change invades everywhere and the domino effect it has on every single thing around. The examples he had used and the situations he talks about, some are outdated and some doesnt even make sense in current day's world. Which i guess adds more credibility to the what the book tries to convey - ACCEPTANCE. There are many interesting anecdotes/view points on the book (in the first 80 odd pages i have read so far) and it was simply amazing to note the way the author conjures them up into such a logical sequence. I've always romanticized the 70's as the best decade in human history. There were lot many 'firsts' which came in from that decade which are common things in today's world. This book adds more fuel to that thought.

I would love to hear from you folks as to what do you feel about this book. Let me warn you again. The content is a bit dry subject and unless you are in the mood to grasp it, might feel a let down. But definitely worth a try is what i feel so far.

Tittle

2011-11-03T10:48:00.000-07:00

"Close the door and have a seat"
He came and sat on the rolling chair which, having lost one of its wheels, was see-sawing.
Just like his life.
Some months ago in a different location, similar situation, he was on the other side of the chair.
Possibly giving even better advice.
"You've again put me in an awkward position"
"Going by the seating arrangement, i guess that should have been my dialog" he said.
"Wisecracks are not going to help you. You should realize what you are doing. I've told you even before. Losing temper in front of everyone is not going to help you anyway at all"
"Well this way at least i would get some help in finding it back"
"Finding what?"
"My lost temper"
"Enough. See..had it been anybody else i wouldn't be having this discussion at all. I strongly recommend you to introspect and try to find a way to control your temper. Take a notepad"
"Why? you want me to write imposition?"
"Dont push your luck. Now write down the absolutely honest reasons why you loose temper. Try to evaluate yourself from a third party perspective. Imagine you as a witness to your outbursts and as someone who is fully aware of the reason and write your comment"
"Hmm....interesting. Weird. But interesting. Different from that yoga-meditation thing. Will give this one a shot and let you know"
"Nothing doing. Start writing. I've booked this discussion room for the next hour. I will be back in half an hour's time. Finish it before that. Your time starts now"

With only the whirrring sound of Air cooler for company he sat alone on the discussion room. It was more of an over sized wardrobe with false ceiling. At first his mind wandered to every place he could think of, other than the notepad and finally looking at the time, he decided to write something to escape from an even more boring lecture.

He begin to write - Why does he get angry? Is it because he was always right? He felt definitely no, as he would be the last but one person and the last person to accept that. He made a list of people against whom he had raised his voice in recent past. Few of them were his subordinates and some his peer. None in the cadre above him Was he trying to bully people into submission? The more he thought about the surer he became that the answer was a definite 'NO'. He began to trace back his emotions to understand the underlying cause for his outbursts More often than not, his interpretation of the issue which angered him, would have actually been his reaction had he been on the other side. The more he dug in deep, the found that, the root cause for every single reason behind his anger was , surprisingly, fear!!! At the core, he realised, every short tempered person were basically meek and frightened and to cover their fear, they hide behind the guise of anger. Fear of losing face, reputation or image created havoc on the mind and it goes to the extent of projecting a macho virtual personality to protect itself.

He sat in silence and realised the amount of truth in the answer he became aware of. He found the questions becoming difficult with each passing moment and cursed himself for getting sucked into the situation.

He struck everything he wrote and started thinking about the solution.

He wrote - What made him happy? Pat came the answer- Appreciation. Recognition. He realised there is no better cure or more addictive drug in the world than the sound of applause. Every time his name got called up for a good performance, his heart would beat faster and he would tell himself that the bar has gone up a notch higher to keep him in reality check. The next question flew in automatically and so did the answer. What made him sad? Discouragement. Being the worst self critic, he hardly needed any more fuel to burn his pride.

He stared at the paper and sat in silence. His thoughts were disturbed by the sound of door opening.

"So, seems like you had a busy time writing, huh? May i see it?"
"No" and he teared the paper into shreds.
"Cool. So.. you actually did contemplate on what i said and seems it has worked out a bit too?"
He smiled and walked away.
Before closing the door he turned back and said "Thank you".

Revolution 2020

2011-11-02T10:37:00.000-07:00

Looking at the title itself you can realise how cheesy the content is going to be. But as they say never judge a book by its cover (or by its title for that matter) than muyarchiyil satrum manam thalaraatha gils ploughed into the story.
The intro was again a let down. It was a xerox of what he wrote on "3 Mistakes of my life". Same scenario. Same result. Flashbackla katha solla kudigaara narratora vitta vera optionay teriathaa mishter Baghat?!!! Intha aal schooldaysla romba kushtapatrupaan nenakren. Something about his education is plaguing him. Oru katha udaama elathulayum education systema damage pannitrukaan. Not that the system is so great or pious to be ridiculed. But oru changekavavathu vera theme yosikalam. Bloody boring it has become.
A triangular love story. One ozhukkaseela character, topping in studies (which he makes it sound like the worst thing or the uncoolest event at the best, to ever happen in that characters life), one sumaara padikara heroine and one suthama padikatha hero. This guy is the narrator cum central character of the story. He comes in every single page of the book. He cribs about his life, cribs about his average score on the entrance exams, cribs about his dad, cribs about his unnreciprocated love for the sumaara padikara heroine, cribs when she reciprocates, cribs when he realises the ozhukka seela nature of that dummy piece character, cribs when the heroine cheats on her boyfriend and sleeps with him and finala ditches the heroine so that Mr.ozhukkaseelan has aatharavu in his life. Oops..spoiler alert. Dont read from the 3rd line of this paragraph. Athaan motha kathaiye.
As always, in this story too, the girl has affairs outside of her relationship and gets ditched in the end. Wonder the reason behind this deliberate picturisation on all his novels. There is hardly any hollywood movie where the hero and heroine dont kiss. Even then, it never look vulgar. Aana namma oorula bittu pada poster mathiri kiss adikara sceneye prathaanama vachu padam oatuvaanga. Atha mathiri thalaivarum try pannararo? It sticks out like sore thumb in this otherwise decayed story line.
The concept he has taken deserves a lot more respect and lot better treatment. This one is written with B grade masala bollywood movie making in mind.

Gils verdict - YUCK.

Review time :)

2011-10-30T09:33:00.000-07:00

Three movies for this weekend :) One Telugu, one English and one Tamil :) Plus finished reading Chetan Bagat's latest "Revolution 2020" and started with "Arthamulla Indhu madham" by Kannadasan.

100% Love (Telugu Movie) - When my friend gave me the DVD i thought it would be another of those rusting discs unwatched in my collection. But was feeling so bored that wanted to give it a try, remembering his promise that it had subtitles. And man...it WAS impressive to say the least. The story from the Geetha films is nothing earth shattering and typical candy floss (more eye-candy i should say :D )romance from the stables of Allu Aravind. Its the love story between a boy who has been topping studies from kintergarten to college and his uncles daughter, who not only competes with him on his studies but at every step there onwards, only to get his attention to win his heart. The guy doesnt relent till last reel as he wants to be one above everyone to win her attention. Endingla - subam. The movie belongs to Tamanna. Be it paavaadai thaavani or jean or saree or...any costume or lack of it ;) she is just...mesmerising (for lack of better words). Has started acting a bit too apart from flashing that syrupy smile :) Hero..huh..one sodabutty kannadi is wat comes to mind. Doesnt even know his name. Evan paathaan avanelaam :) Comedy scenes in the movie were too gud. Especially the ones with the kids, left with the nerdy brainy weirdo, to improve on their ranks. The way their names get replaced with their ranks, beginning their lunch with prayer on algebraic formulae, ellaamay cute. Movie oozes with cuteness in songs also. Typical romance masala movie for weekend watch.

Bad teacher - Cameroon Diaz paathu emaanthu paaka ponaa...avvvvvvvvvvvvvvv. Marana mokkai movie. Dont even go near its poster.

Now for the main course :)

Velaayudham- Intha deepavali releasela onnu kooda paaka maatomonu nenachitrunthapo thaan..namma movie sponsor, cum companion this time, messaged me :D Ennoda movie watching plan on deepavali releases went like first preference to Velayudham next Ra one and last for 7th arivu. So the plan has began with the right sequence for now.
One word to describe the movie - Vijay. He is well and truly back. Vijay is that type of actor, who very well knows his limitations on what he is good at and what he is not. At times he over does the "i-am-adutha-mgr-cum-rajini" bit and ends up biting the dust more times than one in recent past. To me THIS movie should have been his 50th. It has all the ingredients for a festival release and in perfect proportions.
The movie opens with Af-Pak border sequence, wondering if it belongs vijay or vijaykanth. Cut to the intro scene for Vijay. I was actually scared to watch the movie any further considering the strong "resemblance" of the scene to one, from another dud from Vijay "Kuruvi". With the hero racing against train, flying across the field to enter it..poachudaa nu nenakrapo, the comedy scenes begin. And man..they are sure to find a place on the classics list. Its such a lengthy portion and tickles every single second of it. Forget the fact that, some scenes were lifted from "Singgh is Kingg". It is a sure laugh riot. Santhaanam-Vijay chemistry works out big time and he helps to carry the comic tempo into the second half. Fights are inserted at regular interval to stop the movie from becoming a laughathon. Hansika Motwani as the mora ponnu does the role of other vijay movie heroines to the T - looks cute, chases vijay like Hutch dog, wears skimpy clothes and has dream duets. Genelia dons the journalist with a will to change the naadu for the better role and stares and stares and stares throughout the movie. Paavam antha ponnu. Terinja oray acting is to flash her pearlies. Sirikavay koodaathunu 144 poattu nadikka sonna. Looks cute on the songs though as she gets to smile. Saranaya mohan - paavam. Aayusukkum ini sister role thaan. She does the cute and thyaaga sister role as per the formula and doesnt disappoint. Now comes the Villain. Tamil cinema villainsoda genes eduthu 7aam arivu mathiri ethaachum padam kathai yosikalam.. Even nuclear bombs wont kill them for 2 hours and 55 minutes of the movie only to die hearing the hero mouth his words of wisdom and not due to some stray bullet. Intha padam is no vithi velakku. Vijay bashes him to his bloddy bones. He comes back. He again bashes him. Villain comes back. Finala Villain bashes vijay and prouthathu pothumnu vijay chops the villains head. Itha oru one hour munnaidye pannirukalamay. Athennanu terila.. "Manohara" kaalathulenthay cinemala cement panjam pola. Be it Sivaji or any hero for that matter..chain poattu katti vacha..oray izhuppula sevuthoda pichitu vanthiruthu. "Imsai arasan 26 pulikesi"la vara blacksmith use panni chain panraangalo? Vijay TVla solra mathiri adutha padathuku Rana Tor muruku kambi use panna suggest pananum. Lastly - Vijay. Konjam weight potrukara mathiri teriuthu. "Kaavalan" kudutha confidence nalla terithu in performance. I can go out on a limb and say, this could well be his next big break post "Ghilli". Dance stepslaam CDyaa poatta gym classesku use aagum. Comic timingla current cropla Danush and Vijay adichika aalay ila. They rock if the script helps them. Danush aana comparitively better actor thonuthu.
Konjam Anniyan saayal climax plus motha movieyumay "Azad"nu pazhaiaya Nagarjuna padathoda remixnaalum.."Remake" Raja lives upto his name. Oray kurai..the length. More than 3 hours. First half semma racy and lengthy..second half less racy and more lengthy.
Gils verdict - Enjoy the show with a bucket of popcorn. Logic paakaatha masaalaa movie.

Intha listay jaasthi aaitathaala..Books review thania paathuakalaam :) varta

Happy Deepavali wishes

2011-10-22T09:27:00.000-07:00

Konja naal ezhutharathuku ethuvum thoanalaina writers blocknu solraangalay...West Bengal legislative assembly peru Writers Buildingaamay. Athaan Kolkata innum urupadama iruko?

Vanakkam makkalay.Ellarum Navaratri celebrate panni mudichitu Deepavali celebrate panna readyaaiteengala? :) I love this time of the year. Especially the week preceeding Deepavali. The moment you step out, its almost as if there is an unmistakable sense of eagerness on air..as if people are hurrying towards happiness everywhere. Every single shop flogs their workers, draining them to their last available ounce of strength to manage the crowds. Oops. No more negative sentences here, however true it maybe. Dont want to spoil the festive spirit. Point is, for a while now i've been getting mixed feelings about festivals. ( Udanay vayasaanalay ipdi thaannu mokka poata pichi puduven. Mokkai putting is Gils territory and trespassers will be subjected to more severe mokkais)
Irrespective of religions almost all festivals fall on the year end - year beginning period. Its as if our munnors had decided that mid of the year epdiyum sikki seerazhiya porom..so year end and year beginning gujaalsa irunthidalaamnu. Few years back, tv channels ensured that the crowds stayed indoors watching all the mega hyped movies. But with the advent of online streaming and multiplexes on every corner, pudu pada mogam also has taken a serious beating. Patti mandrams too have lost their sheen with talk shows on every alternate weekend. Star Interviews have also outlasted their welcome. Either the so called chinna thirai reinvents itself or TRP's would soon be RIP. Those who were cribbing that television has effectively killed the concept of families going out to enjoy outdoors will be happier.

Advance Deepavali wishes makkalay. Narakaasuran death celebrationo illa Ramaroda Ayodhya returnkagavo illa Amma ullaatchi therthalla amoga vetri petratharkagavo..illa velaayudham paartha verila yaar mela vediya veesalaamngara kovathunaalyo..illa vera entha reasonukaga irunthaalum seri...paathu pattaasu vedinga. Enjoy your vacation with your families and friends. You know you all deserve it. Catch you all in another mokkai soon :)

Hmm...aprumm? :)

2011-10-16T10:07:00.000-07:00

"Hmm..aprum? vera enna matter?"Usuala this question is the favourite icebreaker topic for any idle chit chat or conversation to begin. If used once, it would very well serve its purpose as the initiator but i've come across scores of people who almost use it as a delimiter. Every single pause would be filled with it. Even if you reply in the negative saying "onnumila..usual life" then also it wouldnt subside. CBI CIA visaaranaila kooda avlo thadava thuruvi thuruvi kelvi kekka maataanga. Adhuvum if the person happens to be someone who contacts you after a long gap..sethaanga. Makkalay...ennadaa ivan ipdi solraan..oruthan manushana mathichi phone panni pesa vantha ivan ivlo scene podraanaynu nenachukaatheenga. Intha feedbacklaam enaku vantha feedback. Naan entha alavuku mokka podrengaratha..kodumai thaangaama surrender aana oru victim sonna vaira varigal thaan mela sonnapattavai :DMe one self confessed conversation moron. I do have a problem in spacing my speaking vs hearing parts. Either vaaya mooditu kaetukitay irupen..or pesarathula kaathula ratham vara alavuku mokkai :) And kodumai is..i am absolutely aware of it while conversing !! Thats a real pain if you can understand what i am saying here. Speech silver .silence golden. Elaam ok..Aana..art of carrying out a good conversation is platinum cum diamond mix. Romba romba kushtam. As much as possible i try to move the chat to my comfort zone - the written format rather than verbal. Saatharanamaa orutharoda oruthar sagajama pesikarathu avlo kashtama? over scena irukaynu yosikareengala...hmm. its something which i am afflicted with right from my school days. I have always had fear of sounding stupid and was never a confident speaker as such. Blogla mattum apidi ennamo athi methavi mathiriyaakumnu solreengala..athelaam kandukapdaathu :D The kind of career line i am in currently it requires me to have a good command over my words verbal or written. And unable to carry out a good conversation is a big handicap. Schooldaysla suthama vaaya thirakaatha paiyanlenthu..i went overboard into a thona thonappu case :) I bombard people with questions to such an extent that it has become my identity. Ivan kitta maatina kelvi keattay konnuruvaannu paathalay odiruvanga :D In a way it has acted as adeterrent against my lack of skill.Okay. Ethuku ivlo bittunu paakareengala..matter oru line silpaansikabilpaansi matter thaanga. Me have joined one speech club in aapice :) Athula every week we have to give prepared speech. Athula competitionlaam vera undaam. Schooldaysla sernthu senjirukara velailaam ipo me the doings and enjoyings too. First day self introduction topicla pesinathukaga oru Gel pen prize kuduthaanga :) I was so happy. Veetla vanthu amma kitta kaatitu inniki speechku prize kuduthaangamma sonnapo felt as if i went back to my schooldays. I've missed many things in my school life without even realizing their absence. Onnu onna ipo compensating for them :)

Mayakkam enna...

2011-10-08T21:00:00.001-07:00

A movie, much panned around for it crazy song lyrics written by the bro duo of Dhanush and Selva, also boasts of a gem of a song below. Sung by Harish Ragavendra, a person who brings so much sincerity and dedication to all his efforts to sound correct with his pronunciation and tone, it literally melts your heart. At the risk of sounding blasphemous, i would still go on a limb and say that GV could be the answer to the successor of Ilayaraja kind of music. In almost all his tunes, its the voice that sounds over the music and he allows the talent of the singers to score over his tunes. Enjoy the lyrics of this wonderful song :)

என்னென்ன செய்தோம் இங்கு
இதுவரை வாழ்விலே
எங்கெங்கு போனோம் வந்தோம்
விதிஎன்னும் பேரிலே
காணாத துயரம் கண்ணிலே
ஓயாத சலனம் நெஞ்சிலே
இறைவா...
சில நேரம் எண்ணியதுண்டு
உன்னை தேடி வந்ததுமுண்டு
சன்னதியில் சலனம் வெல்லுமா
இறைவா...
அன்பான புன்னகை செய்வாய்
அழகான பார்வையில் கொல்வாய்
நீ என்பது நான் அல்லவா
விடை சொல்கிறாய்
கல்லாக இருப்பவன் நீயா
கண்ணீரை துடைப்பவன் பொய்யா
உள் நெஞ்சிலே உனை வணங்கினால்
கரை சேர்க்கிறாய்

வாழ்க்கையின் பொருள் தான் என்ன
வாழ்ந்து தான் பார்த்தால் என்ன
கதை சொல்கிறாய்
பயம் கொல்கிறாய்
காலை சூரியனின் ஆதிக்கமா
பாடும் பறவைகள் போதிக்குமா
உனது அரசாங்கம் பெரும் காடு
உலகம் அதிலே ஒரு சிறு கூடு
உன்னை அணைத்து கொண்டு
உள்ளம் மருகி நின்றால்
சுடும் தீயும் சுகமாய் தீண்டிடும்
இறைவா...
சில நேரம் எண்ணியதுண்டு
உன்னை தேடி வந்ததுமுண்டு
சன்னதியில் சலனம் வெல்லுமா
இறைவா...
உள்ளிருக்கும் உன்னைத்தேடி
ஓயாமல் அலைவோர் கோடி
கருவரையா
நீ
கடல் அலையா
மலைகள் ஏறி வரும் ஒரு கூட்டம்
நதியில் மூழ்கி எழும் பெரும் கூட்டம்
என்னில் கடவுள் யார் தேடுகிறோம்
பொய்யாய் அவரின் பின் ஓடுகிறோம்
கண்ணைப்பார்க்க வைத்த
கல்லை பேச வைத்த
பெருந்தாயின்
கருணை மறக்கிறோம்
இறைவா...
அன்பான புன்னகை செய்வாய்
அழகான பார்வையில் கொல்வாய்
நீ என்பது
நான் அல்லவா
விடை சொல்கிறாய்
கல்லாக இருப்பவன் நீயா
கண்ணீரை துடைப்பவன் பொய்யா
உள் நெஞ்சிலே உனை வணங்கினால்
கரை சேர்க்கிறாய்
இறைவா...

Summa irunthavana silupi vitta True void avargalay..aduthu vara pora azhugina muttai thakkaaligaluku neeray reponsible :D Oru kolaverioda current cut aana kaduppula ezhuthinathu. Literal translationa pannama konjam masala mix panni try pannathu :)

The things we do..
The places we go..
Blaming it all on fate
Living a life full of hate
Drowning in the sea of sadness
Loosing calm mind to madness
In search of a safety pod
To reach the lotus feet of God
Amidst reality so gory
Seeking the divine glory
To cross the sea of pain
The destiny we strive to attain

Searching for the meaning of life
Living on the edge of a knife
Lost in the concrete Jungle
Where good and bad mingle
Longing for elusive freedom
To reach thy divine kingdom
Where fire breathes coolness
and air relishes its stillness
Where smoke settles and solidifies
and falls, that gravity defies

Throwing the key in the dark
Hoping it would reach its lock
Forgetting the helping hands
Joining the maddening bands
Wanting to get a glimpse of the bend
Living to die to reach you in the end

Apple - Jobs less

2011-10-06T05:02:00.000-07:00

I am not a gadget freak. All those that i use fall on the essential category, borderline basic models. Till date i dont have a single Apple product in my kitty. But Steve Jobs has been one man in the techno world whom i've followed with keen interest all along. His rise to fame is a stuff made for legends. A man who was truly a visionary of our times. A person who dared to dream and make them into reality too. A maverick who cared less for failures and was never afraid to lose sight of the shores in search for newer horizons. To me, as much as the product, the best part about all those Apple products were their names too. Couldn't think of a more personal way to name a product, with each of them prefixed with "i". To many he was the tittle over the i on all their products. Here was one guy who forced people to share his dreams by out thinking the demand. He created his own market and forced his competitors to run his race. The amazing part of his life is that, as much as his success, his failures too were modern day folklore. We've never lived in the era when giants like Edison,Marconi,Graham Bell walked around. Could this guy along with the other great salesman called Gates be our generations answer to them?

America has lost millions of jobs to recession. But the loss of this one is and will be felt worldwide.

Here is an excerpt from his now famous speech at Stanford University. COMMENCEMENT SPEECH AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY, 2005"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything -- all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure -- these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.""Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma -- which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice."

Engeyum Eppothum - Review

2011-10-02T05:43:00.000-07:00

Sometimes...amidst all the magnificent fireworks which light up the night sky, a simple candle steals the heart. It not just serves the purpose of giving useful light, but also looks beautiful too.

Engeyum Eppothum is one such movie. Right from first frame the movie oozes with freshness and a serene calmness only to be shattered by a saddening climax. Anjali and Jai form such a lovely pairing that whenever they come onscreen it makes you smile unconsciously. After Kani (Angadi Theru) Anjali scores again as Manimegalai in this movie. A dominating yet subdued lady lead, a first for our kind of cinema i guess. Jai plays the innocent villager role to the T and all his scenes are a laugh riot. Loved the exchanges between him and Anjali. Especially the scene where she asks him to meet one police constable. After the meeting she asks him does he knows who that police constable was. He innocently replies "if he is a constable for me, will he be D.I.G for you". Believe me, the instantness of the reply was so tickling i literally laughed out loud. The way Anjali bullies him into getting things done are really funny and original. Their characterisations have been etched deep and neat. The same cannot be said about the other lead pair though. Ananya is out to steal many a heart with her performance for sure. She does full justice to the role of a pony tailed barbie doll from a non-metro, who goes wide eyed with fear with the very thought of the fast based city life and literally takes her cousins words about meeting strangers as law. Her goofups and her misunderstanding about Sarva create real life fun situations which would have happened in anybody's life. On the other hand, its hard to believe anyone would be so naive to go to this length to help a girl, how much ever good looking or genuine she may be, on the very first meeting itself. The director has one the extra mile to prove that city dwellers are as good as villagers when it comes to helping people. But it is the only character which sticks out in the entire setup as artificial. The other major character, infact the momentum shifter, show stopper, chief villain of the movie, is the BUS itself. It plays the role of love vehicle to perfection turning villain in the end and the entire Ananya-Sarva romance sequence is built on their bus journeys.

To me, the success of this story lies in its abilities to light up every single minute details of our daily life, which we otherwise tend to ignore. Be it the sleepy co-passenger who irritates us asking for his destined stop at every single bus halt only to miss the stopping sleeping or the father who is desperate to meet his loved ones, being apart from his family for years, trying to assure his kid that he is really on the way to meet them or the newly wed husband, who is smitten with the love bug that he cant stay away from his wife :) best of the lot being, the site adiching paiyan and the responsive ponnu and how they trade their phone numbers and details. Every single character is sethukified by the director and shows how much observant he has been. He also does a neat job on distinguishing between the village and city culture. All of these are brought to a shattering halt with the accident which throws every single character off balance.

There are many theories on what the title means. Some of my friends even felt that the movie ends abruptly as if they over ran the budget and decided to stop. But i feel that only makes the movie more perfect. Life happens everywhere. Its all around us. Engeyum Eppothum is all about it. It tells us to see the world around us and soak in its glory. It asks us to pause to smell the roses. It shows us that life is not confined to the confined spaces of home or office alone.

It also gives a heads up that accidents are incidents waiting to happen. After watching the movie, i felt like reading about the recent plane crash news in which lot of people from Trichy lost their life. The rate at which accidents happen in our city, i almost always ignore such news and even curse the broadcaster for never missing a chance to beam such gory incidents when so many other important ones lie sleeping on the back burner. But, had our own, touch wood, been in any of those accidents, would we be so callous? Its not that we need a 140 mins movie to teach us this basic human concept. But it sure pushes the paper in its own sweet way.

Gils Verdict: Its a movie for all ages and a must watch. Go for it.

Corporate Culture in Ramayana :)

2011-09-29T10:27:00.000-07:00

Lord Ram..sitting on the seashore with a worried look.
After convincing the Sea Lord to support him on his mission to build a bridge over sea, he is now left with the arduous task of actually building the bridge. He is seen comforted by Sugreeva, Hanuman, Jaambavan and Sugreeva offers his monkey sena to perform the monumental project. Hanuman is appointed the project manager. Nala and Neela take the role of chief architects. Millions of monkeys take to quarrying for stones and form an assembly line to build the bridge. They toil day in and out, cheerfully performing their tasks. There lived a squirrel family close by to the sea. Watching the monkeys helping the Lord in his quest, the squirrel family decides to throw their hat in the ring too. Without further much ado, they jump into the fray and begin to carry small pebbles. Lord Ram, moved by this noble act, takes the squirrel on his hand and lovingly smoothens its fur.

Legend has it that, the marks we see on the backs of the squirrels are the fingerprints of Lord Ram when he stroked them.

Ithula enga corporate culture vanthuchunu paakareengala. Matteruku varuvom.

Monkeysoda natural tasks/lifestyle enna? Kadalla kalla poatu bridge katratha?? Kandippa illa. Irunthaalum..avanga big boss..Sugreevan sonaarnu ellaam, went out of their way to do the task. Annual appraisalkaana goal setting document padi, bridge katrathu would have never been a part of their daily routine. Apdi paatha elaamay exceeded their expectations in that project. Like any project, project manager (Hanuman) gets the maximum appreciation here also and well deservedly too. Like any IT projects, intha bridge projectlayum, architects pathi yaarum kandukitta mathiri therila. (Wonder how many knows that Nala and Neela are the engineers of the vaanara army). Finala, no one knows any one of the zillion monkeys which did the actual work of throwing stones into sea and constructed the bridge. Akin to "Normal" developers who punch in lakhs of lines of code without even getting to see the light of the day and get rated as "Meeting expectations" at the end of the year.

Sila per are like the squirrel. They may or may not be directly involved in the project. Aana vara vendia nerathula..seiyya vendia velaiya..seria senji..aththanai limelightaiyum allikittu poiduvanga. And their contribution, however minimal, will be spoken about for generations.

Ithunaala thaan solrathu - "Don't be a monkey. Be a squirrel" nu.

Social Network

2011-09-09T22:23:00.000-07:00

He logs into FaceBook and posts "Bored with life". It receives 20 LIKES. Few of his 300 and odd friends asks permission to repost it. Majority agree with "Same pinch" replies. There are few wisecrack comments. More LIKES follows. One of his long lost friend posts "You still alive. Call me" without giving his number and also POKES him.

Few days later the status message reads "Life sucks". This one receives more LIKES than previous one and is responded with philosophical quotes copy pasted from other posts. His long lost friend POKES again.

Soon the status message reads "Planning to commit suicide". Of all the three posts this one receives maximum LIKES. "Can i be by Su's side when you commit to her" wisecracks a friend. That mokkai receives more likes than the original status message and the topic digresses away. One guy posts YOU TUBE video of a person streaming LIVE his suicide and recommends the same. It gets the maximum likes. The long lost friend POKES again.

He really commits suicide after a few days. All his friends post about it on their status messages wherever they can. A Gtalk status reads "HE MAN u r THE MAN" another one went like "You rocked buddy. Will aaaalways be in my memories. Will never again forget to wish you on your birthdays". Some of his friends FACEBOOK statuses read like "what a tragic loss", some wondered "Was he alive all these days?", "When did i add this guy in my friends list??!!" and scores of "RIP" and a steady stream of "HEARTY CONDOLENCES" crowd up His FACEBOOK page. His long lost friend posts on his page "dei naaye..you alive? weekend meet pannalama?" and POKES him AGAIN.

Few days later, FACEBOOK prompts about His birthday. Majority of the responses read "Advance birthday wishes", while some go to the extent of wishing a "Long and happy life". Others want Him to "have a blast". His long lost friend, angry with Him for lack of response blocks Him from his friends list.

Few more months down the line.

She posts in FACEBOOK "Bored with life". Can you guess what the reaction would be? ;))

A moral dilemma

2011-09-08T10:41:00.000-07:00

I've always had my reservations about death penalties. Not exactly convinced on their usage. Always felt that taking another life is god's realm and humans, especially those in garb of black gown sitting under a smiley oldies photo, have no business in it. But this particular issue, a severely sensitive one at that, is irking me so much that, thought of posting about it.

I am talking about the appeal raised against the capital punishment sentenced for the (erstwhile) LTTE trio. There are so many reasons, valid and humane at that, with which it can be argued as to why their death sentence should be annulled. But our shameless dirty pigs of politicians have decided to bleed the sentiment, dry out of this one too, which has already cost a poor lady's life. I dont understand how can speaking a common language and belonging to a war ravaged country, contaminated with ethnic cleansing and lead by the worst psychopath of a leader, who would make Khmer rogue guerrillas sound like kindergarten kids, make them qualify for a waiver of a crime they've committed, which has been proven beyond any doubt with authentic evidence.

Those poor guys have already spent not one, not two, but TWENTY years of their lives in prison. If there is anything worse than death, its awaiting it day after day, not knowing when the hangman's noose is going to kiss your neck. These people have undergone that torture for 2 decades of their life. The prime of their youth wasted in the shadow of death. Some might say, the delay was caused by the umpteen mercy pleas raised on their behalf. But again, its easier to be an armchair commentator than to actually live their lives. Saying all this, i do not support their motives or means and definitely not the result. They ARE terrorists, who killed not just a charismatically corrupt leader but 18 other people along with him and resulted in landslide victory leading to formation of a corrupt government. Their single act of terrorism. earned the wrath of his widow, which has now resulted in the eventual doom of their entire organisation. Had it been any other country, these three would've been long dead and might have even reborn.

By passing a resolution, recommending waiver of the death sentence, there by bowing to political pressure AND continuing the game of one up man ship with DMK, the ruling party has set such a horrible precedence, which sends shivers in me to even think of the events to follow. If belonging to the same ethnic group, speaking the same language are good enough reasons to pardon criminals, that too with state Government's endorsement...i couldnt get myself to even finish describing the absurdity of the scenario. Even before i could post this one, there is some organisation asking presidential pardon for Afzal Guru, on similar grounds.

"THILLU MULLU"la Thenga Sreenivasan solra mathiri ..."Murugaaa...intha naatta nee thaaanpaa kaapaathanum"!!!!

Situational song :D

2011-09-07T11:15:00.000-07:00

Last weekend i happened to see "Mangaathaa" movie and had posted a review on the same under the review and WMW tag. The generous sponsor of the free pass was rt, a fellow blogger, who is truly the Jill of all trades. Any place worth hanging out in chennai, any decent restaurant or shortcut routes to any place in chennai, she is my google cum wikipedia :) (Ipdilaam bittu poatta..aduthavaatiyum ticket sponsor pannuvaangannu oru nappasai thaan :D )The generous sponsor, though couldnt make it to the movie as she had other engagements. I was left with not one..but two movie tickets for the hot cake movie of the weekend. Yet i couldnt find any takers for the other ticket!!! All the people i knew were either in want of both the tickets or werent in a position to make the show timings. I am never punctual to any place but almost always make an exception for movies for obvious reasons :) Here too, for 10.15 show, i was there by 9.45 and to kill time, was listening to songs in radio. As if reading my mind, 104.8 fm decided to air this very song. Always been a fan of Westlife and this one in particular, played the role of situational song to the T :D

Loneliness is always looking for a friend
It found me once and it has been around since then
Loneliness is never waiting by the door
It sweeps right through and it will never be ignored
Why, why was I chosen?
Why am I left without?

Loneliness knows everything I keep inside
My endless thoughts in the silence of the night
Loneliness is the one who made me see
Ain't nobody else who can make a change but me
Why, why was I chosen?
Why am I left without?

Less is more and that would be the vacant space
The cried out tears and a never ending maze
I have found what only loneliness provides
A strength within knowing I will find

Flights of fancy

2011-09-05T10:30:00.000-07:00

The noise was deafening and the crowd inside was suffocating. Yet, each one managed to squeeze whatever little space they can to catch a glimpse. The moment they saw "it", the kids who were sitting close by to the window had a happy glow on their face. Some of the elders had a longing look. While some had the look of pride, with recollections of their past experiences on "it" shining on their eyes. Some had a look of irritation wondering what the heck is so special about something so trivial. Either they would have given up all hope of ever coming anymore closer to "it" than they actually can or they must have got fed up that their otherwise peaceful journey being disturbed by the over enthusiastic audience. I witness these scenes almost 5 days a week on the way to office, whenever the bus crosses Meenambakkam airport.

When cellphones first came into our college campus (well..actually it was pager which came in first) looking at the cost of usage, i thought if i earn enough to own a pager life would be settled. So was the case for cell phones till a few years back. Though being latest gadgets to enter the daily life and despite such an unaffordable rate at which they were introduced, industry realised their potential and what has resulted in an never ending price reduction war, which has actually benefited both the buyer and the seller. Same applies for cars too. I would call the automobile industry as racist, elitist and whatever more "tist"s i could think for yet to make a fuel efficient at the same time stylish looking safe car. Different story for different post. Point wanted to convey is, all these things, though considered as luxury once, has now been made available. If not exactly to all the people, atleast to a vast majority. Now, i dont want to get into that muddle of, how useful they are and who benefits from them. So let me skip into the point i wanted to post about, which is air travel.

Of all the basic amenities, i would love to include air travel in that list, flights are still beyond the reach of common men. When Air Deccan was introduced as low cost airline, felt so happy and despite its misgivings as to unhygienic conditions and inconsistent schedules, it was quite a revolution and many benefited because of it. But rather than the revolution spreading, its been nipped very fast in the bud itself and whatever remains, hardly resembles the original idea anymore. I wish to see the day, when i have the options to choose a super fast bullet train or a low cost airline, where in both compete with each other on their pricing, for a trip to any major city in TN or anywhere in India. I want to have options in my travel which are both affordable and enjoyable and dont just remain with in the grasp of a select few. I want air travel to be so common that, next time when the bus crosses Meenambakkam, people should look at flight with the same curiosity as which they see a car or a new model bike and not with yearning. Agreed that, even car and bike are not something affordable by everyone..but..i am sure u get the drift. And yeah..this post is not in response to any cancelled onsite trips of mine or long pending visa interviews :D

Mangaathaa daa... :)

2011-09-03T02:31:00.000-07:00

MMoneyyy..MMoneyyy..MMoneyyy..Muaaaahhhh

Guess this would be THE catch phrase in days to come. Right from the first frame Ajith owns every single screen second. Such is his screen presence that, its almost as if he is the only person in the three hour long movie. He is truly the King of Spades midst the deck of remaining cast. No mean achievement considering that the movie boasts of not one, not two, but THREE cute heroines in Andrea, Anjali and Trisha, how much ever miniscule their roles be. The movie well and truly deserves to be a landmark movie in Ajith's career. Its his show all the way through. Its very evident that he had a gala time doing the movie and pity that people dont wait till the screen credits which is actually funny and nice.

He cusses with vengeance...dances as if no one is watching...gives Salaman a run for his unbuttoned brawn in fight sequence..unabashedly cheats on his girl friend(s)..drinks gallons and smokes tonnes of cigarrrttes..not giving a damn to the usual squeaky clean hero image. If said in one word - MACHO. His persona oozes with manliness. Couldnt think of any other tamil hero who could command such a personality. Not even Vikram with his body(builder) language. Infact, his character in the movie is not just grey but an out and out negative character. Just because of the fact that its Ajith, who, with his charm and charisma, makes you root for the villain rather than the hero. Come to think of it. The movie has no hero :) Every one is a part of the heist and has their own role to play. Just that few succeed while rest die doesnt make them any noble.

The movie has all the ingredients of a typical festival release or a summer blockbuster. Though three of the 5 songs are a let down..the other two more than make up for the album. "Vilayaadu Mangaatha" is already ruling the playlists. For long i've wondered when tamil movies will have songs good enough to be played in parties. Not that there werent any. But Bollywood had stolen a long march on party mix compared to tamil. Yuvan Shankar Raja, i feel has more than bridged the gap in past few years. Be his "Where is the party" number or few other Simbu hits or the pre-release single from this movie, his music rocks. But he should be vain to take the audience for granted for sneaking in "Mission Impossible" theme in re-recording. Bad choice. Mathabadi sollikara mathiri padathula onnum ila. Story is desi version of Oceans Eleven series with bit of other english movies thrown in. Arjun repeats the quintessential cop for the millionth time. Except for the twist in the end, the charm of which is that its not actually a twist, the movie has nothing credible to speak of from the screenplay department. Choreographer Jayabaratham Furnitures or Pantaloons la vela paathirupaar nenakren. Song picturisations resemble ads for these showrooms more than anything. Lakshmi "Item" Rai does what she does best. Premgi amaran is fast running out of ideas. Loved the scene where Ajith mocks him with exactly the same dialogue. Trisha..avvv. Looks like a pongaluku paint adicha veedu. Avlo makeup. Vinnai thaandi varuvaayala paatha Trishava ithu :( Anjali naalay azhuvaacchi thaannu decide panitaanga pola. Andrea wasted like anything. Aana who cares. Movie belongs to Ajith and its paisa vassool for Thala fans. Its an out and out guys movie and full meals for thala fans :)

Gils verdict: Mangaathaa - Full house.

ETA 1) Guess what this post happens to be the 50th review post @supershankis :) just now noticed the label count :D :D

ETA 2) What i saw in the movie..came out as bits and pieces in the post. But how i saw the movie is a story of its own. Antha polambal in a separate post :) Ticket courtesy rt :)

2011 Anna Domini

2011-08-28T09:24:00.000-07:00

So..the mighty have fallen..FINALLY. And another old man with (almost) bokkai vai ends up all smiles akin to the smiling oldie on all our currency notes. What next is the question on everybody's lips. This is the problem with all major demonstrations involving mobs. They unite for a single common cause and the mob hysteria moves them towards achieving it. But once they reach the pedestal, thats when the common misgivings and selfishness and confusion creeps up. The villain all through the show was corruption. Yeah! Right. Corruption is the root cause of all evil and should be overthrown..demolished..destroyed at the root level. All said and agreed more than hundred percent. All these beg a simple question. WHAT IS CORRUPTION? People are so used to fight against individuals as villains, like protests against dictatorships or even election rallies in Tamil Nadu for that matter, that they picturise corruption also as a human and this time they have painted the Parliament with that colour. So before coming to the definition lets see who are corrupt.

So all the 500 and odd people elected - are they corrupt? Answer comes a resounding NO. Is it the PM? cha cha..Manmohan Singh and Vajpayee will always be right men wrong party or even wrong situations for that matter. But they can never be wrong. But yeah..they can be criminally negligent. Athu vera topic. But corruption..Nah. Is it Advani or the communists then? uhumm...he could be blamed for instigating the worst blood bath in post independent India but again..corruption..chancela. Communists might be castigated for burying their head in sand against industrialisation or for being hypocrites of the first order. Irunthaalum..corruption?? cant point any. Lalu? yes. Kalmadi? YES. Avangala thaan ukkathi vachaa chay. So vera yaaru thaanpa corrupt? Appo yaaru thaanpa corrupt? Ivanga rendu per mattum thaana? Oru vela Anna Hazareku permission kudukaathathunala Sheila diskshit and Delhi govt corrupt sollalama? Illa for not hearing the pleas for a commission to finalise the bill to pass it in Parliamentkaaga PMO va sollalama? Illaati, considering that the bill would be a "sontha selavula sooniyam" none of the opposition joined the party against the government, even at the cost of losing credibility in front of the nationgarathaala motha oppositionayum solalaama?

Corruptionna enna? Is it just bribe? Getting caught while accepting bribes and giving bribes are the only incidents which media is interested in showcasing or which attract criminal charges. These incidents are those which carry more masala for media to make hay and nice scoring points for political parties to throw muck at each other. So if everyone who takes or gives bribe is brought to justice India will become corrupt free state?? What do you call a minister who hardly has any time to visit his constituency but has ample time to attend all crap opening ceremonies or to accept OC doctrate pattams ? What do you call a government official who comes to office at ten leaves for lunch at 12 returns back to take nap at 3 and leaves for home at 5. DISCLAIMER: Namma naatla 50 Lakh Govt employees irukaangalaam. Dont want to quote stats like Gabtun Vijaykanth. This particular barb is pointed at those who are as mentioned and criticised and not to paint a generic picture. So dont come up with cudgels to bash me. Coming back to the topic.

So..the ramlila maidan crowd has finally achieved the impossible. Enabling the deaf ears of the government with hearing sense. WHAT NEXT? Abolishing corruption is a vision statement. A very very vague Project charter, in my line of works terminology. Next step would be, i believe, to define the scope. Going by the likes of it and with the titbits of info i got from reading biased newspapers and watching all those craps floating around on news channels, i guess they are planning an alternate government. Alteast thats what it sounds to me. C'mon. You never vote to save your life and elect all idiots and bestow them with power to decide your fate and now want a separate panel of members to guard how your supposedly servants work??!! Rubbish. 5 Million Government staff under Lok Ayukta panel!!!! How many staff would be required to supevise 5 Million people?!! Who would provide the infrastructure? And above all, how does one form such panels?? After all the elected reps dint came from Mars and from right amidst us. So whats the guarantee that the new panel would be any different from the old one? Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

I love this people protest against corruption. There has been jasmine revolution rocking the Arab world ricocheting till China. There has been bloody massacres in Syria and Libya and countless other African nations with population not even the size of Tamil Nadu. Yet, the biggest democracy in the world, shows again how battles are won. It proves once again the power of Satyagraha and for those who never had a chance to witness the every smiling oldie on our currencies, in flesh and blood, Anna was god sent. He gave them,us, a chance to redeem ourselves, re-live the pre independent struggle and gain satisfaction for doing something for the society with the belief that they are doing the right thing. Anna has achieved the first of the ten impossible things - unite people from Delhi to Dharmapuri. The next 9 tasks are no less demanding. He has opened the Pandoras box and the story has suffered a reversal here. HOPE was the last thing to come out of it. In this case its the first one to spring out. And all the miseries of the world are just waiting in their wings to spread out. Anna would do well to remember that, even Gandhi couldn't control a Chauri Chaura and for that matter, as much as the fact that he held his fort pretty much well against the British, he was assassinated by a local and not by them.

This movement like any other in past or present, is and should NOT be an ONE MAN SHOW. Anna Hazare and handful of people..avangala nambi thaan motha movementumna..its a waste of time. It needs more and more foot soldiers to take up responsibility than to expect a messiah ala Anna in every street. Corruptionku againstana fight sollitu..rather than targetting individuals, the movement should focus on principles it aims to achieve. Like any project, the first step of winning the project against competition is not alone sufficient. Its just the tiniest of victories. The real victory comes during Post Go Live. I hope and pray with all my sincerity that this doesnt end up all in waste. For when this one fails, the first thing to take a beating would be peoples HOPE against goodness in public life. So next time, when you light a candle supporting the movement or raise a slogan against the government, think for a second that WE ARE RESPONSIBLE for BOTH of THEM. We are the Frankenstein and we created the monster and the monster reside in each of us. And whatever crusade we undertake would again be, against us, involving us and may result in curing or cursing us again. Its an imminent paradox and is something worthy to resolve.

Godspeed people.

நினைப்பதெல்லாம்..நடந்துவிட்டால்..

2011-08-21T02:46:00.000-07:00

"மேகக்குழந்தையை சுமக்கும் தாய் வானின் நிறமுடனும்..அம்மேகம் பொழியும் மழையின் கருணை ததும்பும் கண்களுடனும்..சங்கு சக்ர கதாபாணியாய்..சதுர்புஜத்துடன்..வசுதேவரின் முன் மழலையாய் காட்சி தந்தார் விஷ்ணு பகவான். எத்துணை புண்ணியம் செய்திருப்பார் வசுதேவர்..உலகை ரட்சிக்கும் பரந்தாமனை..அந்த பரம்பொருளை..பாற்கடல் நாயகனை..ஸ்ரீதேவி மணாளனை..அந்த அவதார புருஷனை..பிள்ளையாய் பெற. எவனது பாதார விந்தம் பற்றி பரலோக ப்ராப்தி அடைய பாரில் உள்ளோர் அனைவரும் பூஜித்து வேண்டிக்கிடைக்கையில்..அந்த காக்கும் கடவுளையே கையிலேந்தி..உச்சி முகர்ந்து..ஆரத்தழுவி ஆனந்தம் அடையும் பாக்கியம் பெற்ற அம்மகானின் பெயரை உச்சரிக்கவே நாமெல்லாம் புண்ணியம் செய்திருக்க வேண்டும்...." என்று ஸ்ரீகிருஷ்ணரின் கதா காலட்சேபத்தில் பக்தி பரவசத்துடன் சொற்பொழிவு ஆற்றிக்கொண்டிருந்தார் கோவிந்தாச்சாரியார்.

"கோவிந்தரோட கதா காலட்சேபம் காதால கேட்டாலே புண்ணியம் தான். மனுஷர் என்னமா உருகி உருகி கதை சொல்றார். இவர் சொல்ற அழகை அந்த கண்ணனே ரசிப்பான்" என சிலாகித்து கூறினார் ஒருவர்.

"எல்லாராலையும் இப்படி பக்தி ரசம் சொட்ட சொட்ட காலட்சேபம் பண்ணிட முடியாது. அதுக்கும் புண்ணியம் பண்ணிருக்கனும்" என்றார் இன்னொருவர்.

"எதுக்கும் குடுப்பினை வேணும் ஓய்..என்னோட ஆத்துக்காரி இந்த ப்ரொக்ராம் பாக்கணும்னு ஒத்த காலில் நின்னுட்டு இருந்தா.. கடைசி நேரத்துல முடியாம போய்டுத்து. என் நேரம் இன்னிக்குனு பார்த்து ஆபீஸ் வேலை சீக்கிரம் முடிஞ்சிடுத்து. மிஸ் பண்ணாம இங்க ஓடி வந்துட்டேன்..ஹாஹஹா" என சுய பெருமை அடித்துக்கொண்டிருந்தார் இன்னொருவர்.

கொஞ்சம் கொஞ்சமாக கூட்டம் கலைந்தது.

"பட்டர்வாள்..பிண்ணிட்டேள் போங்கோ. காலட்சேபத்துக்கு கோவிந்தர் தான்னு திரும்பவும் ப்ரூவ் பண்ணிட்டேள். அதுவும் அந்த வசுதேவர் பத்தி சொல்றச்சே எனக்கு ஒரு நிமிஷம் புல்லரிச்சு போச்சு" என கல்லா கலை கட்டிய சந்தோஷத்தில் சல்ம்பினார் சபா செகரட்டெரி.

"கண்ணனைப்பத்தி பேச கசக்குமா என்ன. வசுதேவர் ஒரு புண்ணிய பிறவி. இல்லாட்டி அந்த மாயக்கண்ணணே மகனா பிறந்திருப்பானா. அதான் என்ன மறந்து ஒரு நிமிஷம் நானே உணர்ச்சி வசப்பட்டுட்டேன்"

"கோவிந்தரே..நீங்க பாட்டுக்க..இங்க கதை பேசிட்டு இருக்கேள்..அங்க உங்க ஆத்துக்காரிக்கு இடுப்பு வலி வந்து ஆஸ்பத்திரி கூட்டிட்டு போயிட்டா. சீக்கிரமா போவும்" என விரட்டினார் ஒருவர்.

"கண்ணா..நீயே எனக்கு பிள்ளையா பிறக்கனும்"னு வேண்டியவாறே..வேகமாக சென்றார் கோவிந்தர்.

வைகுண்டம்:

"பரந்தாமா..கோவிந்தர் தங்களின் மீது அளவு கடந்த பக்தி வைத்துள்ளார். அவருக்கு தாங்கள் ஏதேனும் அனுக்க்ரஹம் செய்தல் வேண்டும்" என விண்ணப்பம் வைத்தாள் லக்ஷிமி தேவி.

"ஹஹஹஹா...பெற்ற மனம் பித்து...பிள்ளை மனம் கல் என்பது பூலோகம் தாண்டிவிட்டது" என நகைத்தார் அரங்கநாதன்.

"புரியவில்லையே"

"குழந்தைகள் அடம் பிடிப்பதால்..கேட்பவற்றை எல்லாம் அவர்களுக்கு தர முடியாதல்லவா. அவரவர் தகுதிக்கேற்பவை தக்க தருணத்தில் கண்டிப்பாக கிடைக்கும்." எனப்பொருள் பட சிரித்தார் பெருமாள்.

அச்சமயம்..பூலோகத்தில்:

மனதில் ஆயிரம் ப்ரார்தனை வணக்கங்களோடு வார்டினுள் சென்றார் கோவிந்தர்.

தொட்டிலில் கிடந்த குழந்தையை கண்டு ஒரு நிமிடம் ஸ்தம்பித்து நின்றார். "அய்யோ..கண்ணா..என்னை மோசம் பண்ணிட்டியே" என புலம்பியவாரே தலையில் கை வைத்தபடி தரையில் 'பொத்'தென விழுந்தார்.

வைகுண்டம்:

"ப்ரபுவே..தான் விரும்பியபடி உங்கள் அம்சத்தோடு பிறந்த பிள்ளையை பார்த்து..பூரிப்படையாமல்..விக்கித்து போய் விட்டாரே..ஏன்?" என வினவினாள் வரலட்சுமி.

சொல்லின் செல்வராயினும்..அர்த்தப்புன்னகையுடன் அமைதி காத்தார் அருளாலனான அரங்கநாதன்.

பூலோகத்தில்:

"இத்தனை நாள் நாவார உன்னை பாடி..உன் புகழைப்போற்றி காலட்சேபம் செய்ததற்கா இந்த சோதனை" என கண்ணீர் வடித்துக்கொண்டிருந்தார் கோவிந்தர்.

தொட்டிலருகே சென்று மீண்டுமொருமுறை அப்பிள்ளையை பார்த்தார். எந்த கண்ணனின் கருநிறத்தை புகழ்ந்து பாடி வந்தாரோ அதே போன்று கார்மேக வண்ணனாய் அக்குழந்தை அவரைக்கண்டு சிரித்தது.

"இவ்ளோ குரூரமா இருக்கே..இத பாத்தா என் ஆத்துக்காரி தாங்கவே மாட்டா. தங்க விக்ரகம் மாதிரி பொறக்கும்னு பாத்தா..கரிக்கல் மாதிரி பொறந்திருக்கே" என அங்கலாய்த்தார்.

"இதெல்லாம் ஒரு பிரச்சனையே இல்லை. பக்கத்து வார்டுல ஒரு அக்யுஸ்டோட சம்சாரம் ப்ரசவிச்சுருக்கு. அவன் கெட்டக்கேட்டுக்கு அவனுக்கு பாருங்க..அய்ஸ்வர்யா ராய் மாதிரி அழகா ஒரு பொண்ணு பொறந்திருக்கு. பேசாம காதும் காதும் வச்சா மாதிரி யாருக்கும் தெரியாம புள்ளைகள மாத்திரலாம்" என ஐடியா கொடுத்தாள் ஆஸ்பத்திரி ஆயா.

மனதை கல்லாக்கியவாரே, தன் மகனை துணியில் சுற்றி கட்டி அணைத்தவாறே புறப்பட்டார் கோவிந்தர். வெளியே மழை ஆழிக்கால பிரளயத்தின் ஆரவாரத்தோடு கொட்டிக்கொண்டிருந்தது.

A daddy's lullaby

2011-08-16T10:43:00.000-07:00

Like most people, I grew up with a definition for father, in which he was always the strongest, fittest person who had answer for everything and who can win any situation from whichever position he is in. That definition took the first beating when i accompanied him to a clinic once. In fact it was the very first time, i went with him to the doctor to ask for a consult on his health. Usually it would be the other way round. I had gone outside to get token from the compounder and when i came back, i saw him sitting down on the hall, so weak that he was unable to sit on the wooden table at the clinic. I was shocked to see him like that and seeing me panicking he told me that he felt comfortable sitting that way and since there were older people around who needed the seat he chose to sat down. Neither answer was convincing and on that day i realised that, he was becoming old and needed to be taken care of. That day made me realise why he agreed to take me with him to see the doctor for the first time. My all powerful dad was willing to show his vulnerable side and in his own silent way he communicated to me that the time has come for me to be responsible for myself. I've no remembrance of how i was, as a kid. But this song from "Deiva ThirumagaL" reminds me so much of him and what he means to me and my sister. Dedicated to all those loving and caring daddies out there.

ஆரிரோ ஆராரிரோ
இது தந்தையின் தாலாட்டு
பூமியே புதிதானதே
இவள் மழலையின் மொழி கேட்டு

தாயாக தந்தை மாறும்
புது காவியம்
இவன் வரைந்த கிறுக்களில் இவளோ
புது ஓவியம்

இரு உயிர் ஒன்று சேர்ந்து இங்கு
ஓருயிர் ஆகுதே
கருவரை இல்லை என்ற போதும்
சுமந்திட தோணுதே
விழியோரம் ஈரம் வந்து குடை கேட்குதே

முன்னம் ஒரு சொந்தம் வந்து
மழை ஆனதே
மழை நின்று போனால் என்ன
மரம் தூறுதே
வயதால் வளர்ந்தும் இவன் பிள்ளையே
பிள்ளை போலிருந்தாலும் இவள் அன்னையே
இது போல் ஆனந்தம் வேறில்லையே

இருமனம் ஒன்று சேர்ந்து இங்கே
மௌனத்தில் பேசுதே
ஒரு நொடி போதும் போதும் என்று
ஓர் குரல் கேட்குதே
விழியோரம் ஈரம் வந்து குடை கேட்குதே

கண்ணாடிக்கு பிம்பம் அதை
இவள் காட்டினாள்
கேட்காத ஓர் பாடல் ஒன்றை
இசை மீட்டினாள்
அடடா தெய்வமிங்கே வரமானதே
அழகாய் வீட்டில் விளையாடுதே
அன்பின் விதை இங்கே மரமானதே

கடவுளை பார்த்ததில்லை இவளது
கண்கள் காட்டுதே
பாசத்தின் முன்பு இன்று உலகின் அறிவுகள் தோற்குதே
விழியோரம் ஈரம் வந்து குடை கேட்குதே

ஆரிரோ ஆராரிரோ
இது தந்தையின் தாலாட்டு
பூமியே புதிதானதே
இவள் மழலையின் மொழி கேட்டு

Power of Mango People

2011-08-15T10:39:00.000-07:00

This is what Aam Janta or Mango people as in "Love Aaj Kal" can do. Swaram is a known name in blogsville and one look at the comments column for ANY of her posts will make any blogger go green with envy. Just an "Hi" "How are you" post would get minmum 100 responses :) Avlo famous she is. More than anything, its her enthusiasm and compassionate nature to take up social causes has won her more friends and accolades. She and her hubby Su are 2 beacons midst the dim veil surrounding the might of common people. They are not super human but ordinary folks like you and me. But the deeds which they do are so magnanimous and purposeful that, on one side it makes you aware of the potential hidden in each one of us and serves as an awakening to take up better causes and on the same side, makes u feel ashamed for not having any purpose to follow. Both of them are employed and they suffered a personal mishap in recent past resulting in financial loss. Still, their zest for life and eagerness to help people and contribute to the society is simply amazing. Proud of you two buddies. Feels happy to be associated with folks like you.

Linked here is one post, out of the golden many, portraying their passionate deeds. Truly, they can be ranked as model citizens and someone to look forward to for even better ones in future. God bless you guys.

Movie time :)

2011-08-14T09:40:00.000-07:00

Weekend Movie Watchla intha vaaram Masala movie time :)

Certain dishes cannot be had on a regular basis. Usuala saapdra Saadham rasam bore adichi tiffen items pakkam ponaalum sari illa chapaathi Naan nu roti items pakkam ponaalum sari, they never feel grand. Either on a feast or on any treats..the king of dishes is always the Biryaani. Being a veggie i cant comment on the NV part of it. But i am sure every single Non veggie out there would vouch for my statement. What is food without a dash of spice every now and then. Ada namma blog titlum itheye thaan solluthu. Just noted the link :) Now to the movies.

Kaanchana - Muni part 2:

Typical example for the dish mentioned above. It has the correctly proportioned mix of comedy, horror, fight, item songs and itsy bitsy sentiments with space for a light message to be thrown in too. The story for Muni part 1 itself was a rather meek repeat of yesteryear movies. The highlight being the Bayanthaangolli Hero. Lawarence has rightly sensed the scoring point of that character and has exploited it bit more in the second part. Instead of one aavi as in first installment, there are 3 aavis in the sequel. Orey interesting/curious twist is that one of those aavis is a transgender. Sarathkumar make up poadama nadichi kalakirukaar ;) Guess of all his full length character based movies till date, this one which hardly takes 10 minutes of screen time, stands out. Good choice for the role. Devadarshini (Marma desam madam) and Sreeman semmaya pannirukaanga. With her goli gundu eyes, Devadarshini looks more scary than the CG created pei. Lakshmi rai - Item. Ashtay. Lawrence dons director, story/screen play/dialog writer, dance master and hero hats and comes out with flying colors in all the departments. His acting once the pei poonthufies in his body is top class. Dancela kekkavay venaam. But the real Heroine/lead performer of the movie is Kovai Sarala.

Ethana naalachu antha keechu kovai kural kaettu. "Maatuku meals vaikalaam vaa"nu marumagalai koopdrapuvum seri "Romba Dippiculta irukay..konjam discount please" nu parigaarathula thallubadi kekarapovum seri..ammani kalakirukaangov. Movie has a racy first half and second half doesnt drag either. Just like all other movies of his, intha padathulayum he show cases the talent hidden in the physically challenged people. Firstlaam paakarapo show podraannu thonum. Aana me beginning to like his sincerity in his efforts towards the handicapped and kudos to him for showing guts to create a lead character based on a transgender. In an industry driven by superstitions, this would serve as a path breaking attempt. Obviously it was an exploitative effort. But he does it with flair by not insulting them in anyway. That itself should be a major positive thing from a masala movie director. As for the horror portions..well..lesser said the better.

Gils verdict: If not for anything else you can watch the movie once for its comic portions. Definitely not a horror movie. Typical weekend masala entertainer.

Buddah hoga tera baap: There is a scene in "7G rainbow colony" movie, in which the hero throws papers and raises his hand over his head to worship Rajini as he appears in the title song of his movie "Baba". That one scene is enough to convey what hero worship means, especially to non tamil speaking masses. The craze, the mass hysteria which Rajini can create on screen (even off screen for that matter) is unparalleled. Though not exactly in the same league as per adulation standards, Amithabh will always be known as the original character behind yesteryear Rajini hits. Most of his movies when remade in tamil went to Rajini who modelled himself on Amitabh. I sincerely wish, this one movie too, for every single Rajini fans sake, is remade in tamil with Rajini in lead. For, if Amithabh can rock so much, in this character, with Rajini it would be a blockbuster to say the least. I am bit jealous of Bollywood, for they have heroes like Amitabh who can BE old, LOOK old and still get such wonderful characters. Inga kashtam.

The sole plus point of the movie is that, it has NO PRETENCE. The director knows, he is making a masala movie and has gone ahead in full throttle. I would say, it was a more than decent gambit to have a 60 year old play the action hero. Amitabh does what he does best. Smashes thugs and shoots dozens with a single bullet. He is the heart and soul of the movie and he is fully aware of it. The way he mocks SRK with sly comments, the way he carries himself in such atrocious costumes, chancela. Singam singam thaan. There are some amazing one liners in the movie. Especially the way he self censors the swear words with BEEP and when one thug asks him if he wants coffee or tea the casual way in which he replies that neither mixes well with soda. And every time when people calls him Buddah (oldie) the way he reorts back, asathal performance. Imagine Rajini in such scenes. WHISTLE PATTAYA KELAPPUM. Story - Vijayoda Pokirya remix pannirukaaru. No wonder the director is same for both movies. Athula Paiyan police appava sutruvaanga. Paiyan rowdiesa poattu thalliruvaan. Ithulayum Paiyan police. Aana paiyana sututaangannu appa rowdiesa poattu thallidraaru. Avlovay ishtorree.

Gils Verdict: Paisa vassool movie. Watch it with a bag of popcorn. Certain movies are best watched leaving your mind outside. This one is right on top of that list.

Little drops of life

2011-08-07T08:17:00.000-07:00

Than muyarchiyil satrum manam thalaraatha gils, spent another whole weekend on movie watching binge. But sadly none of the movies made the cut to qualify for a review. In simpler terms, they were rubbish. Had a chance to read one of the best non-fiction book i have ever read, though. Courtesy a fellow blogger recommendation, i happened to check out "God's debris" by Scott Adams. Not sure how many of my friends would like it, but me felt bit happy after reading it. His thought process and mine were alike on quite a few topics and the book raises some very interesting questions. Its quite a small book, under 150 pages and makes a quick read with even pace throughout. If you are game for an intriguing session of questioning things go for it. It may not answer your queries but will surely make you wonder :)

The reason behind this post was an interesting call i had. It was from a long lost friend :) It had been a while since we were in touch, contrary to the heydays when we used to be quite the opposite. It felt so nice and endearing to recollect those memories. Funny things these memories. Till we think about them, we are not even sure if they exist. And when we do find them, it feels so fresh and surprising where were they hiding all the while. We were wondering how much life had changed in a span of couple of years. Its quite strange that addition of newer people in life actually reduces the number of people you used to interact with :D Maybe married people get to have more depth in their relationship than normal friends with light weight relationships?!! No idea on that.

A few of my friends have a policy of skipping marriages and events related to marriage - like kids birthdays etc. Not that they are against the concept of marriage but just that they are still SINGLE :D :D :D Though they wouldnt admit it, the fact is, it makes them feel more lonely to look at their fellow mates surrounded by their kids and kin. On the other side, my married friends never attend any parties which the singletons throw, solely because of the fear that, they wouldnt be in a position to go home after the party :D :D Marriage brings with it hypocritic discipline that it refuses people, the freedom to let their hairs down and enjoy like before :D So each one try to outdo the other with their advice on how to lead each others life with the benefits and pitfalls of each others lifestyle.

To all my married,engaged,in love,going steady,yet to bite the bullet bramachari/ni friends :) Happy friendship day. Whichever category you belong to, love you folks. Without you people, life is simply boring :) whether in touch or out of it, hardly matters, for we have our memories to fall back on. Have a great day :)

Licence to Kill

2011-08-02T19:53:00.001-07:00

A worried woman went to her Doctor and said :
'Doctor, I have a serious problem and desperately need your help! My baby is not even 1 yr old and I'm pregnant again. I don't want kids so close together.'
The doctor said: 'Ok, and what do you want me to do?'
She said: 'I want you to perform an abortion, and I'm counting on your help with this.'
The doctor thought for a little,and after some silence he said to the lady:
'I think I have a better solution for your problem. It's less dangerous for you too.'
She smiled, thinking that the doctor was going to accept her request.
Then he continued: 'You see, in order for you not to have to take care of
2 babies at the same time, let's kill the one in your arms. This way, you could
rest some before the other one is born. If we're going to kill one of them, it
doesn't matter which one it is.
There would be no risk for your body if you chose the one in your arms.
The lady was horrified and said: 'No doctor! How terrible! It's a crime to kill a child!
'I agree', the doctor replied. 'But you seemed to be ok with it, so I thought
maybe that was the best solution. The doctor smiled, realizing that he had
made his point. He convinced the mom that there is no difference in killing a
child that's already been born and one that's still in the womb.

The crime is the same!

P.S: Got this one as a forward. If there is any topic which has remained a conscientious debating point from time immemorial, this would be right on top of that list. There is no clear RIGHT or WRONG to this situation and it can always be argued for and against. This story takes sides and argues for the obvious view point. My views on this topic is a bit different and is not quite the same as that of the doctor.

Answer to the question

2011-08-01T09:58:00.000-07:00

Not THE answer actually. Felt a paradoxical question can best be replied with a philosophical one and my original response to the query comes in the end. Now to the question. Almighty God. I felt, the key word in that sentence was this word - Almighty.

There are many a staunch believer who swears by HIS existence while an equal, if not more in number, thinks otherwise. In that aspect, god is akin to a concept, which some can accept and some cannot. So end of the day, how you define god is up to your own sweet self. I see god with an elephant head and pot belly while some see him nailed to wood. Some might not even agree to both these versions and say he is form less. To few its their parents, to some their friends and to many the good Samaritan who helped them in time of their need. Since there is no fixed definition of who or what God is, the question of what he can or cannot do is something which is inconclusive. Whenever something good or bad happens, theists always credit or curse god for that. The atheists on the other hand take responsibility for their own actions which they would believe resulted in whatever the outcome was.

Being a theist myself, its my humble opinion that, assuming, such a situation was posed to god, he would simply smile it off. The moment GOD thinks of his own powers, he looses his divinity and becomes mortal. My school teacher used to say - EGO stands for Edging God Out. Every soul is potentially divine as long ego is under control. It applies to GOD too i guess. More than his mightiness, its LOVE which glorifies god. When people worship in front of him, its not the demons HE slayed which comes to their mind, but HIS LOVE and confidence in his LOVE that, irrespective of all their sins and mistakes he would forgive them. To me, the real might of a person be it a mere mortal or divine, lies in the fact that, he can forgive someone for whatever wrong they had done to him. That, to me would be the single most powerful thing which qualifies a person as human, leave alone God. Whether, he can lift the stone or not, hardly matters.

Now to my actual answer :) "Kallai mattum kandaal kadavul theriaathu..kadavulai mattum kandaal kal teriathu"

Kelviyin nayagan is back

2011-07-31T01:45:00.000-07:00

Once in a while certain questions..intriguing no doubt..causes a stir in mind so much that, it refuses to drown in the sea of forget. Here is one such question. It took me a while to think of a mokkai answer for this. But i am curious to know your responses for the same. Read this question on a tamil weekly magazine and here are both the tamil and english versions of it. A nice paradoxical one.

"Ellaam valla iraivanaal..thannal thookka mudiaatha kallai padaikka mudiyuma?"

"Can the almighty god create a stone which he cannot lift?"

If the answer is yes or no for that matter, it would raise a question on the ALMIGHTY aspect of God. Let me not put any further deviations on your mind :) Happy hunting for the answer :)

WMW - Theiva Thirumagal

2011-07-25T10:06:00.000-07:00

Saw Deiva Thirumagal this sunday with G3. Though the theater was pretty far from my place and not our usual meeting spots, glad that we made it to the show. It was an awesome awesome movie and i felt really happy for making it. Happy...err..sad i should say. Its been a longggg while since i saw such senti movies. Usually i avoid cry-a-thons and senti movies were a strict NO. But i can gladly make an exception for this movie few more times.

Tamil cinema has had its fair share of mother sentiment based movies. But however few they were, the ones dealing with father sentiment have scored really well at the BO. Right from Sivaji (Thangapathakkam) to Raj Kiran and Prakash Raj in too many movies, Daddy sentiment stands a sure shot hit. Vikram joins that elite club with this one.

I was forewarned that it was a serious movie. But few minutes into it, the director fools you into believing that its a comedy one. Needless to say, its an out and out director's special. There are so many places where he deftly scores over his characters - like the scene where Vikram learns how to manage a new born by looking at people around him. He watches a lady prepare a "THOOLI" for rocking her kid to sleep and the next shot you see his baby sleeping in a THOOLI prepared from a full slack shirt. SIMPLY ADORABLE. Vikram sleep walks into the role and is so perfect in his body language and mannerisms that after a while you take him for a really mentally retarded person and forget the star in play. Santhanam and MS Baskar are a hoot right from their entry and scores well on the comic scenes. Amala Paul, has nothing to do but look cute and bate her eyelids. Anushka has a decent role and is almost like the Hero of the movie. But could've been more active. Most of the times she looks like a keyed up doll. I want to kill the person in charge of make up. Such a decent movie and such irritating mistakes. Every single damn shot, every one has a bindi and viboothi streak picture perfect on their forehead. Even erstwhile Doordarshan dramas had better setup. With so many close up shots, it makes irritating and phony to view. Another sothapal is that vizhigalil song. Its another reason why i called Anushka the HERO of the movie. Just like mass heroes having intro kuthu song, this one is dedicated to showcasing her beauty. It needlessly adds to the already three hour long movie. Y GEE Mahendran has no clue as to what he is doing in the movie and so does the viewers. Possibly a parallel track to showcase the pathetic dad-dauughter relation between him and Anushka which fails to take off. Wonder if Karthi Kumar will EVER get out of that No-One-Gives-a-damn-mappillai role. Right from Alaipaayuthay, his predominant role has been a mokkai foreign return mapillai whom no one respects. Ditto here too. Vikram's wife...yaarunnu kadaisi varikum solala. Atleast antha fotola irunthathu yaarunaachum kaatirukalam. But that only increases the curiosity and doesnt disrupt the flow. Vikram has voiced over for few of the songs and it has helped a lot in the picturisation. He gels so well into the song sequences that it doesnt look out of place at all. Now to the real lead of the movie.

The kid. ATTAGAASAM :) She is so cute and adorable and bubbly and smart and beautiful that feels like going inside the screen and pinch her cheeks. The way she talks to Vikram in sign language, the pain in her eyes when her classmate calls her dad mad, the innocence with which she asks Amala Paul are you a student or teacher and calls the correspondent a big dinosaur without knowing its Amala or be it the song where Vikram tells her story. CHANCELA. I loved the dialogs too. Some of the very witty q & a session between the dad and kid reminds me of Chotu and his mom AJCL :) Especially the one where she asks why trees are tall for which Vikram replies the parent trees are tall. She again asks why elephants are fat for which he cheekily replies because they eat a lot :D :D TOO GOOD. There is another scene, where Vikram whistles their "kudumba" tune :) and the kid just mimes her presence back from the window. The entire theater applauded. The kid has been made to act over her age and she has done a fantastic job of it. Though it sounds too artificial a situation and a response, on screen it looks nice. Its all over the top and who cares. Its all about Love and affection between dad and his kid. The court scenes are an absolute sham and just prolongs the movie. But the climax saves it all. When Nasser goes on and on in the background as to why the kid cant stay with her mentally retarded dad, Vikram and the kid, silently talk with each other and THAT one scene can make anyone cry. It was so nice, so poetic that, you can feel the warmth love and affection radiate from the screen and i am sure everyone would be reminded of their own dad or their own kid. The icing on the scene is the judges reaction and Nassers subdued withdrawal and GV Prakash's BGM for that scene. During that scene i felt my glasses go moist and then only realised my tears :) The ending couldnt be more logical. Vikam might possibly line up for another award but to me the heart and soul of the movie is that kid. Change in title from Deiva ThirumagaN to ThirumagaL..fully justified.

Gils verdict: Why use just one special character (*) alone for a movie dealing with characters so special. I wanted to give 5 * for it..instead !@#$%^&*().

Kill Gil - 1

2011-07-24T01:54:00.000-07:00

Damager in serious discussion with saga damager.

The topic of that NEEYA NAANA discussion was - which is a better buy Petrol car or Diesel.

Damager was quoting the merits of Petrol arguing that, though per litre cost is high..if he uses his car judiciously he can still save money against diesel version, which needs constant usage and lot of maintenance.

The saga damager was arguing that why buy a car if you cant use it as freely as you can. His point was the very purpose to buy a car was to commute and he wouldnt want the cost of fuel to decide how frequently he can use it.

Gobinath Neeya Naana la theerpu solra mathiri..they both turned to me. One guy decides how much i get at end of this year and other decides whether i've an year's stay to look forward too.

"Gils..you tell. What will you have? Petrol or Diesel"

"Water" and Gils escapeeeee..

Nalla kekkuraangayya kelvi..

A second, a minute and some more time...

2011-07-23T07:57:00.001-07:00

A: "Hey can you come here for a minute"
B: "Give me a second"

Irrespective of their geographical location..any place can be requested to be reached in a minute or in a second..depending on the urgency. Do people actually mean or realise the time they request like this?? Not a single instance can be quoted where the work would actually get over in a minute leave alone a sec. But still..people world over use these phrases. Wonder what do they actually want to convey, when someone asks us to spare a minute or sec. Obvious thing is they want our immediate attention and to grab attention they quote these improbably short time period to fool the other person? I tried to avoid this "one sec one min" conversation for a week by consciously quoting a more approximate time. In one such instance i told the person that i would need half hour of his time for a discussion. He flatly refused :) I called him again after a while and requested 2 minutes of his time. The meeting went for an hour without a complaint!!! My team mate was late for a shift one day and when i called him up he said he was on the way to office and would reach in two minutes. Even maggi takes more time to prepare. To reach our main building from entrance itself will take 15 minutes and that guy when he called was like 7 to 8 kms from office. Either he had a portkey like Harry Potter or it was more like "you know how much time it would take to travel that much distance in peak hour traffic..so why ask me for time" attitude. Same thing happens with our estimates too i guess :D God save the clients :D :D

In search of the real meaning...

2011-07-09T10:21:00.001-07:00

"Students, today your physics teacher has taken leave and i would be taking over the class for that hour" declared the language teacher, midst a collective sigh of relief. Soon the chatter began like bush fire and looking at all the happy faces, the teacher felt it would be unfair to bore them with more lessons for the hour and decided to engage them into something interesting.

"Okay...LISTEN everybody. Two years from this date, you would all be sitting for your public exams. And two years from then, the exam of your life. Means..in 4 years time, your life as a school kid is effectively over. Have you ever wondered what you want to be in your life?"

There was a studied silence with the frontbenchers bowing their head down, middle benchers seriously checking into their bags for secret holes to hide and last benchers in their own sweet world, oblivious to the surroundings.

"Woww...is this THE 8 'c'..or have i stepped into some other class? FINALLY i've found the way to keep you guys quiet for few seconds"

There were sporadic giggles and smiles.

"Okay..we go alphabetically...Ajay..you start..what do you want to be hmm..say..5 years from now"

A nervous looking Ajay got up, cursing his parents for naming him with the first letter of the alphabet, mumbles that he wants to be an engineer and sits down in no time. Soon the procession followed. "Doctor..Engineer..IITian..Business..Lawyer..Pilot..Singer" and so went on the list. Majority of the crowd had voted for Engineer followed by Doctor. Soon it was Ram's turn to answer. Despite so many people having answered before him, he was still shaking on his boots. He stood up with 32 pairs of eyes plus the teacher looking at him.

"Yes Ram..go ahead. Whats your ambition"

"Iwannabagudperson" said Ram in a quivering voice and sat down on a flash.

"Pardon..can you repeat?" asked the teacher. Ignoring the sniggers he mustered up all his courage to stand up and repeated "I want to be a good person" which resulted in stifled laughs from the students. The teacher gave him a condescending look and asked
"Being good is a nature..tell me what you want to be". By that time Ram was at the edge of having a nervous breakdown and was luckily saved by the bell. At the break, all his classmates teased him for his answer and it became the discussion topic for the next twenty years, whenever his name came up.

It was no surprise that, Ram also joined the "Engineer" club eventually and settled with a if-not-lucrative-decent-enough job, wondering the whole way through whether he made the right choice.

Story ends here.

Feel its incomplete? Well matter is..so does life. Ask a kid what he/she wants to be. They have a variety of options. When you dont know how you are going to achieve it, anything seems possible. But the moment you have the capability to actually understand the options available to you and your affordability level, things really do change. Priorities change.

I knew of few people, who have shifted from hard core engineering domain into sales and finally into IT. Its not that IT was their passion and they were on the hunt for their dream career and ended up here. Probably construction gave them more satisfaction than coding. Still money makes a more compulsive argument against any dream or passion. A decade into their careers and still people are not sure if this is what they want to do ten years from now. They still try to give it their best shot and enjoy as much as they can but its definitely not natural but more often than not forced. If there is a google to search for people, where in you give the unique description of each person to fetch only that person, i guess it would be no results found for them. For they are yet to identify that UNIQUE thing which would make them happier and feel at ease and peace. At present if you replace their name with anybody else, their life would still fit in for the other person.

I guess the successful people often are those who made a living out of what they liked to do. They get branded as LUCKY...RISK TAKERS..but the glowing point which shines above all other characteristics is they are HAPPY AND they are SUCCESSFUL. From here begins my quest towards achieving all of the above :)

Success and aftermath

2011-07-09T07:29:00.000-07:00

"Hey..congrats..heard that you got promoted"
"Wow..that was an awesome appreciation mail..way to go buddy"
"Good show man..mightily impressed"

All three situations usually receives the same response - either a blush (in case of really young people) or a self deprecating mumble (in case of middle aged). Whatever the case may be..people often find it difficult to react to situations of genuine appreciation. The more morbid the scenario, better i've seen people adapt and react. But praise is one sure as hell slippery slope which tricks many a master. In general our mind are well tuned to react to adverse situations and majority of the books and mentors teach us how to face adversity. But there are not many around who teaches us, how to accept success gracefully. Infact, problems bring with them sympathy as company but success always is accompanied with scrutiny. The bigger the success, bigger the scrutiny. Many a times people sothapify the post success scenario. If overdone, its pompous, if underplayed, you dont know how to market yourself. While nothing satisfies like succeeding..nothing spoils like success too. Last few weeks, had a chance to witness, three different reactions to three similar situations and was wondering how much the incident had changed the personality of all the three people involved. If only people could handle those two impostors, triumph and disaster, better.....

Kungfu Panda - 2

2011-07-02T10:20:00.000-07:00

WOOOOHOOOO :)
Well this was the mood right from act one - scene one - frame one. Another wonderfully crafted story with excellent comic timing and awesome dubbing makes it a true master piece of the more to come franchise. Its so endearing to watch Po (Panda) every time it pops on the screen. Well..such a rolly polly figure is hard to miss..but with a belly ,full of fun, which shakes like jelly..this bear sure knows how to tickle your funny bone. You can be an action movie freak..yet you wouldnt be able to hold yourself to say "Cute" looking at baby panda. Animation scores an EXCELLENT. Any story, if it can make you relate to some incident which had an evergreen impact in your life..or has any character which you can implicitly or explicitly relate to..will be a sure shot winner. The Panda franchise has this wonderful knack of churning out such stories. They reaped in success with a wonderfully creative first installment and the second dose doesnt falter either. If the first part was all about the "Secret ingredient" the second part is about "Knowing oneself". I am stunned to think that such complex and possibly dry story lines can be so simply and refreshingly told. Ithellaam cartoon padamnu people shouldnt bracket for children. Its a story mainly for adults. It has action sequences ala the Pirates franchise..emotions..and tonnes and tonnes of fun. The fight sequences reminded me of good old MGR movies :) almost felt like whistling for each punch thrown by the Panda.

Its a simple story. Panda, not being the brightest of super heroes, realises suddenly that the duck couldnt have been its original parent. At the same time a villain Peacock begins its quest for China and world domination. Needless to say, the same peacock had killed Panda's parents and made it an orphan. In the final battle between Panda and Peacock Panda wins. Avlovay. The way it has been told..the way each character has been shaped..the seriousness of the content and the comic ease with which its been presented..makes the movie a must watch. Conspiratory mind wants to wonder the logic behind "Peacock" as the villain. If Panda represents Chinese national animal..you know what peacock represents. Just an inkling on that line of thought makes the movie more interesting with each situation taking even more credence than they actually might have appeared otherwise :)

Above all..this movie watch marks the return of G3 to India from her onsite assignment and also to the movie watching gumbal :) Had a nice movie watching time with rt (the other partner in crime) and G3. Rat, since having already seen the movie twice before, skipped the meet this time. Hope to catch up again with the same gumbal on "Delhi Belly". Till then..sayanora folks :)

180 - movie review

2011-06-27T04:56:00.000-07:00

Producer(Prod) of topnotch movie company to his assistant: "Hey..i want to make a movie. Get me a guy who can handle the camera decently"

Assistant(Ass): "Yes sir". Soon the director is identified.

Prod: "Hey Director.how many days your previous movie ran"

Director(Dire):"huh..i am an adman"

Prod (rolls his eyes):"OKAY..how many days your ad ran then"

Dire(looks confused):"Well..almost all days..as long as they sponsor some program in tv"

Prod:"Wow..YOU ARE THE MAN. I want you to make a movie"

Dire(Couldnt believe his ears):"Wow..i..err..wow..thank you. So what kind of.."
Prod interrupts the Dire midway: "I am not done yet. See the budget for the movie is 10 crores ok. Now THAT is going to be the USP of the movie. I want two heroines. Get one who looks bit like Trisha and Neha Dupia mix..my favs..and get one mallu looking heroine..wife is mallu u see. I want some part of the movie to be based abroad and some locally set..that way we can reduce cost you see. Get a new music director and include songs which would keep people guessing which language its been sung"

Before Prod could go any further phone rings.

"hey...in middle of movie discussion..yeah..what? Siddharth..that gayyy..rrrt looking i meant...2 heroines..but..okay okay...sid it wud be" Prod looks at Dire and Ass and bellows.."So you guys heard me right. I want Sidharth as hero for the movie. hmm..where were in the discussion?" and looks pointedly at Ass. Dire looking Ass looks at Dire to rescue both their asses.

"We were deciding on the language for the songs"

"Brilliant. Okay. Costumes should all be the latest brands. Every single scene..every single character should be well dressed..be it a street urchin or the lead character. And art work should be topnotch needless to say. People should be confused whether the characters are living in an apartment or mall. Wardrobes should've more clothes and retail outlets and every bit of furniture should be state of the art. With me so far?"

Dire (wondering whether he will be with the industry after making such a movie):" ellam ok sir. Story????"
"Oh..athuva..Add some romance..emotions..some twists and turns here and there. Guess that much is enough"

And so was the movie "180" made (i hope atleast this much logic was involved in the making)!!

Doctor Hero gets cancer and off he shoots to India to play with kids delivering morning newspapers in Tnagar. Americala cancer vantha Indiala newspaper podra pasangaloda velaadnumngara unamaiya sonnathukaga special kudos to the director. Hero hallucinates dark,bald headed black guy..directorial touch..american YEMADHARMARAJA minus the erumai ofcourse. Why no erumai? Enna..antha oorulalaam roadla maadu not allowed. Logic in story you see. First half heroine suffers head on collision with moffusil bus. She comes out without a scratch in the end. Second half heroine is introduced in an head on collision accident. And yeah you guessed right. No scratch on her too. Doctor hero is diagnosed with cancer..with no tell tale black marks under eyes or blood vomits. Baas...naangallaam evlo kaalama cinemala cancer disease pathi paathavanga. Engaltayevaa. Hero runs to India to escape blackie yeman. But why abroad? Enna..American Yeman has no passport. So hallucination doesnt follow him to India. Indialenthu hero goes back to US for first half heroines treatment..and presto Yeman appears. Logic you see. Hats off to screenplay. Thirumbavum hero wants to escape some faarin kantree..and decides on Brazil. Croocial part. Intha mathiri triplaam epdi decide panraaru hero? He will show two fingers (sathiyamaanga)..athula onna thodanum. Atha vachu he will decide. Itha vida logicaana route irka mudiyuma sollunga paapom? Now to the movie title. Why 180? First half ezhutharthuku oru ninety cutting. second halfku oru 90. Motham 180. Ada..Hero saagarathu aaru maasamnu doctor time kurichathukaga 180 daysnu title irukara logicku ithu thevalanu thonichi athaan.
Padam poora oru extended ad paakara mathirye pheeling. Vuvuzela song picturisation gummu. Only plus point about the movie were the two heroines..hehehe. Yeah yeah..gals will like the movie for Sid. And i had fun time watching it with 2 of my blogmates.

Review: 180 - 120 rupees waste. Wait to watch it in Vijay TV.

P.S: Thala..romba naaaaaaal kazhichi oru movie review. Mannichikunga. Cudnt resist it :)

FOUNTAINHEAD ~ A book to remember

2011-06-25T10:22:00.000-07:00

There are many situations and reasons which make me crave for time travel into past. Future never interests me more as compared to past. Guess it would feel like watching highlights or replays of our own life and of our ancestors. Never i thought, reading a book would make me want to hop into my time machine. But i'vent read Ayn Rand before. Thanks to Durga, i got introduced to FOUNTAINHEAD. Looking at the size of the book, i kept it aside for months and one fine day, being bored to the core, wanted to know, what could be there in that story to be that big in size. And before i could realise i was on to page 100!! Not that the story was racing fast. But the concept, the characterisation and the word play was so refreshing..so bewitching that, right from word go i began to root for David Roark and was eagerly awaiting the next scene where Peter Keating would bite the dust. The best part about the book is that, it is 75 YEARS OLD!!! I triple checked the dates to confirm that its a story told somewhere in the 1940's!!! I was awestruck at the mastery of Ayn Rand. Her philosophy of objectivism and the era when she came up with this concept. This book would have so much ahead of her time that, wonder how many people could actually relate to the characters. But i was equally stumped to know that, this book has been on bestseller list ever since it was released!! I am not going to write a review on this magnificent book for the simple reason that its way beyond my reach. Would request you to give it a patient try like lazing down with a warm massage. I am sure it would pleasure your senses in no less a way. But you need to be really really patient to soak in the concept for its really really vast. And i dont just mean the size.

Some of my fav quotes from Ayn Rand. Love each of them.

My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute.

You seek escape from pain.
We seek the achievement of happiness.
You exist for the sake of avoiding punishment.
We exist for the sake of earning rewards.
Threats will not make us function; fear is not our incentive.

It is not death that we wish to avoid, but life that we wish to live.

You, who have lost the concept of the difference, you who claim that fear and joy are incentives of equal power—and secretly add that fear is the more “practical”—you do not wish to live, and only fear of death still holds you to the existence you have damned.

Existence is Identity, Consciousness is Identification

I swear by my life, and my love of it, that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine.

So you think that money is the root of all evil? Have you ever asked what is the root of money? Money is a tool of exchange, which can't exist unless there are goods produced and men able to produce them. Money is the material shape of the principle that men who wish to deal with one another must deal by trade and give value for value. Money is not the tool of the moochers, who claim your product by tears or of the looters, who take it from you by force. Money is made possible only by the men who produce. Is this what you consider evil?

For centuries, the battle of morality was fought between those who claimed that your life belongs to God and those who claimed that it belongs to your neighbors - between those who preached that the good is self-sacrifice for the sake of ghosts in heaven and those who preached that the good is self-sacrifice for the sake of incompetents on earth. And no one came to say that your life belongs to you and that the good is to live it.

Belated Bday wishes thala :)

2011-06-21T09:10:00.000-07:00

This blog, though carries the title "Variety is the spice" doesnt fully do justice to the saying. And there is this blog, which is fast becoming the bible for dummies like me, for whom the very B in business sounds boring. The success of this blogger lies in the effortless ease with which he mixes the crux of the topic with subtle earthy humour, in a language which even laymen can pickup. And you dare not straitjacket it as a business theme blog alone. This man gives every decent sports commentator a run for their hard earned money. Right from gilly to golf there is not a sport he doesnt follow. What shines over his genius is his humility. Politeness never looked so good and so true.

Happy bday thala. Hoping to see more and more and more and more posts from you.

Here is a little tribute, if at all it qualifies as one, to the ultimate blogger adored by one and all.

I have never ever turned the business columns in newspapers. NEVER, EVER. To me, business meant B.O.R.I.N.G. Then one day, I read this post:
http://indigoite.blogspot.com/2009/09/csr-in-developing-world-alleviating.html
And was tempted to comment. So, I gave in to the itchy fingers. Indulging that temptation was good. For, I got to read this blog regularly. Never once did it occur to me that it is a business blog. The writer held my attention to the fullest and helped a dumber like I to get a glimpse of the business world. This is one man who can dilute business with humanity and humour, yet holding on the core value of business, and delivering it a whole spectrum of readers. I was so taken by the posts in this blog that I read all the missed posts on one holiday season, starting from his first post and listened to every one of them with keen attention. Not even in my rarest of my dreams would I have believed even if someone told me that I would spend a whole day reading business.

His kindness shines through every comment he posts on every one of our blogs. Even disagreements are done with all due respect. The encouragement that I get through his comments is exemplary of kindness. Whatever crap I write is regarded as a ‘poem’ and the emotionally driven senti posts are regarded as ‘warm writing’. Could it get any politer? To add to all these, when I went hibernating, he mailed me and prodded me to get back.

So, when I went to meet him on 7th Feb 2010, I went there in all due respect that one would have for her teacher. But, this gentleman in blue shirt and black pants with a business case completely broke that image and was at his warmest best as well. Much glad that I got to know business through you, Ramesh! Much glad that in this big and what I regard as an unfair business world, I got to know you and got a whole new perspective of businessmen. I wish and pray much power to your writing, best of health and a long writing career… Happy Birthday!! On this birthday, I promise not to pass any tags to you (Remember the first tag I passed on and how you did that? LOL!!)
~ Dr.Athivasi

Humble, unassuming, principal with unparalleled leadership skills, soft demeanor and much more, all power packed into a package of a tall, lean, unpretentious man – to somebody I admire ardently, many more happy returns of the day! Wish you a wonderful ay and year ahead Ramesh! ~ Durga Narasimhan

Re-read worthy posts of yours on events, varied
Analysis sharp and incisive, 'The Economist' shall agree
Maestro of subjects, far and wide
Express appreciation you do, hallmark of a true guide
Smiles you make us break into, with your Sunday post
Humble you are, worthy of accolades and toast

Wishing you Ramesh, as you tick-tock over one year and enter another. ~a rhyme from Rammmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Simple. Down to earth. Unassuming. Humble and a person who has a quiet charm about him. That is Ramesh for you in a nutshell. A chance meeting in the virtual world, a couple of years back, has blossomed into friendship which I have come to cherish. Many more happy returns of the day, and may you be blessed with all things nice life has to offer. ~ Chotu's mom :)

Dear Thiru, Wish you a very happy birthday and many more to come. Thanks for a lovely blog, which has now become a hangout of sorts. Don't wanna turn this into a 'lifetime achievement award' speech because I know firstly you are not that old, and secondly I am looking forward for more to come. ~ From a true Admirer aka Deepa Kadam :)

Biz Boss
Happy Birthday to you.
Wish all your wishes would come true.
As well as looking forward to a book from your end before your next birthday :)~ zeno

Chumma-Oru-Try-2

2011-06-11T21:41:00.000-07:00

Previous part padikka ingay clickavum

Chumma oru try-1

மன்மதன் ரதி புடை சூழ
மண்ணுலகம் வந்தாள் மேனகை

"காமக்கடவுளே
அமரேந்திரனையே
அச்சம் காண செய்த
அறத்துறவியின்
முழுப்பிறவி பற்றிய
கதையை கூறுவீராக"

கௌசிகனாய் பிறந்து
வசிட்டனை சினந்து
போர் முனைந்து
அதில் தோல்வி அடைந்து
முடி துறந்து
துறவரம் புணர்ந்து
வேள்வியே வாழ்வாயிருந்தான்
சிறந்து

இவன்-
காயத்திரி மந்திரம்
போதித்த பெருமகன்
சீடனோ
சக்ரவர்த்தி திருமகன்
"பலா அதிபலா" கற்றான்
குரு மரியாதை பேணி
அவனே கோதண்டபாணி

சீதை கை பற்ற
உடைத்தான் சிவ தனுசு
சேதி அறிந்து
சிதறியது
பலர் மனசு

சீடனின் திருமணம்
செவ்வனே நடத்தினான்
தவமே துணையாய்
காலம் கடத்தினான்

ஸ்வர்கம் மீண்டான் திரிசங்கு
அவனுக்கு உதவியதில்
இவனுக்கு பெரும் பங்கு
மீண்டும் தன் தபோ பலம் இழந்தான்
அதை புதுப்பிக்க
மும்முரமாய் விழைந்தான்

அவன் வாழ்வில்
அழகாய் வந்தது ஒரு வினை
பெண்மை அதன் தினை
இல்லை அவள் அழகிற்கு இணை
புன்னகையும் பொன் நகையும்
தவழும் மேனி
அவளின் மணம் முகர்ந்து
வாடும் மலர் நாணி
என கூறி முடித்தான் கௌசிகனின் கதை
மேனகை மனதில் விழுந்தது காதலின் விதை

E Pluribus Unum

2011-06-05T09:45:00.000-07:00

A: "Hey you know there is a guy in our apartment who looks ditto like you...slouched back..long face..and a forever-lost-in-thought frown".
B: "Interesting coincidence..You know another coincidence..there is a rabid dog in our street which recently gave birth to a litter and each one of them looks ditto like you..both appearance wise and otherwise..curious??"

The justification to such a not-so-polite response is that, it might be an over the top reaction for an harmless question. But when every tenth person you meet repeats the same it kind of gets on the nerves. That conversation made me wonder. If asked to describe in not more than ten words, how would i describe a person. For that matter even my own self. And not just that. Will that uniquely identify me? We say every person is unique in his/her own way and obviously by the looks too. But when it actually comes to putting it down in words, how do we list down the distinguishing factors? Is it the physical appearance or the behaviour in situations or their personality? Even if its a mix of all the above mentioned options, still it doesnt pick any individual alone as they are all subjective. The word "personality" originates from the Latin word persona, which means mask(Courtsey ~WikiLeaks). So whatever we identify as a personality of a person is something which is bogus and false and cannot be substantiated over every situation possible.

When a person asks "who are you" obviously they dont expect this deep an explanation but when you yourself are the one who is asking the question, guess it begs a little more detail. I went back to the original question. Who am i? First thought which came to mind was Jackie Chan ( For the benefit of Thala Ramesh..WHO AM I is a movie by Jackie Chan :) ) I got bored after a while and was reading some book when i stumbled upon the title of this post 'E Pluribus Unum'. Its the quote written in all Dollar notes, meaning "Out of many, One". That struck me as a possible answer to my question. There are trillions of currency notes abound. And almost every single one of them are ditto match of each other (including the counterfeits :) ) Still, each of them carry their value. A one dollar note might worth just that, like a zillion other notes. But still, that particular note carries the value of one dollar and nothing can take it away from it. And based on exchange rate the value rises or falls. Just like people, whose reactions in crunch situations raises or lowers their value.

I didnt felt like a million bucks, rather a dollar. But i got my answer to some extent :)

Vox Populi Vox Dei

2011-06-04T08:55:00.000-07:00

The title translates to - 'Voice of People is Voice of God'. Supposedly the working motto of any democratic institution. Just like how the pigs did in "Animal Farm", an extra word got conveniently added to the quote and it soon became 'Voice of Select People is Voice of God'. This is what is happening in Indian democracy also. While the fact that millions of people are dying in hunger is a mere statistic and tonnes of food grains are rotting in government godowns is 4th page left corner one paragraph news, "hunger strike" by super special people hogs the media limelight these days. The irony of the fact could not be more hurting. When Gandhiji went on strike in post independent India, Nehruji wryly commented on the cost of keeping one man hungry as millions thronged the pandal where Gandhiji was fasting. The crowd which came in were united in their zeal and were staunch believers of the principles of the Mahathma. Those faceless millions didnt pose for any photographs nor were the intention to garner any publicity. By generalising the selfless act of the erstwhile generation, i am not demeaning the honest few, who actually believe that they can weed out corruption, by joining hands with these attention seekers. But it irritates the hell out of me to see people waving hands and smiling at cameras while sitting on the dais, totally oblivious to the seriousness of the reason why the event is happening in first place and shamelessly garnering free publicity. It brings me back to the title of the topic and its current relevance in the changed environment. We as a mob, always always needed a messiah to deliver us from our sufferings. We as a mob are irresponsible idiots to surrender the power to rule us without bothering to validate the profile of the nominee. We as a mob are downright foolish to deify those who have been elected to SERVE us and treat them as demi gods. Do we really deserve to have our opinions voiced is a question which begs an answer.

F.R.I.E.N.D.S - IV

2011-05-23T20:08:00.001-07:00

To read the previous episodes click here or should i say Previously on F.R.I.E.N.D.S :)

F.R.I.E.N.D.S - I
F.R.I.E.N.D.S - II
F.R.I.E.N.D.S - III
Venue: Central Perk Coffee Shop.

"...and then the doctor slapped my little bottom and handed me to her. Thats how.. I met my.. Mother. Story over children. Now scoot" says Chandler. He notices Phoebe talking animatedly with a tall guy outside the door.
"Whozz that weirdo?" asks Chandler as Phoebe enters the coffeehouse.
"That weirdo is your best friend's new boy friend" says Pheobe with a dreamy look on her face.
"I knew it. Always had my doubt about Ross"
"What happened to Ross" asks Ross as he enters.
"Well..Phoebe just let out on your secret..that you are gay"
"WHAAAAT????" exclaims Ross and Phoebe in unison.
"Well...you just said that weirdo is my best friend's boy friend"
"You idiot..i meant he was my boy friend"
"I dont understand you and you dont understand me. What else we have in common" wonders Chandler.
"You called me your best friend" asks Ross to Chandler with a beaming face.
"Also suspects you as gay" adds Phoebe and noticing the stare on Chandler's face decides to change the subject.
"His name is Hugh"
"Huge mistake"comments Chandler
"Why? do you think dating him is a mistake?"
"No i meant his name which is a spelling mistake for the word huge. Ofcourse i meant the relationship"
"Mock all you want..You think you are a TOWERing personality arent you? just to remind you that Hugh owns a plane and is a big fan of Bin laden. If i were you i wouldnt venture out in Septemeber" says Phoebe
"Hey..that was a sensitive topic to make fun of" objects Monica.
"OKAY MOM.."says Phoebe and says a silent prayer for the killed souls.
"Wow..all these days when she was talking about Hugh i thought of it as a verb and never as a noun" says Joey.
"Oh..that explains why you were hugging me so many times" smiles Phoebe.
"Damn Homonyms" curses Chandler
Joey begins to laugh. "Oh god..for the last time Joey..Homonym is English Grammar" says Chandler trying to correct him.
"Maybe..but thats not the definition on my book" says Joey (still laughing)
"And while we are at the teaching Joey part..Wyoming is not a place in mainland China. Its in America only and i can prove it from the map" says Ross.
"Aaahh...you almsot had me. I can even buy that Homo bit..not this one"says Joey.
"What does one need to do to be taken seriously here?" exclaims Ross.
"Thats a very poor IQ Joey" complains Ross.
"Ross..its P Q..thought you were a scientist to make mistakes on alphabets.." says Joey with a smirk.
"Cmon..its an improvement..he atleast learnt his ABCD right" says Chandler.
"Hey i am a doctor" protests Ross.
"Oh yeah..doctor 'of' dinosaurs..or is it 'on'?? digging for non existing animals doesnt make you a doc Ross" warns Monica.
"Yeah..if someone takes 'medicine' from you it would be more of 'sin' and less of the 'medication' part" quips Chandler.
"Dont worry about him Ross. Guess as a kid he took a mental bet and lost his mind" consoles Phobe.
Rachel rushes into the apartment "Mayday Mayday...wheres the phone..wheres the phone"
"We are in mid september.. this lady calls it May and you people call ME dumb..wow. Whatever happened to maleism" says Joey.
Rachel stares at him in astonishment, shakes her head and dials the phone and finds that phone is out of order.
"Mon..why is the phone out of order"
"The phone guy called her and said she had an outstanding balance. Apparently she took it as a compliment and failed to pay the bill" says Ross.
"I was going to give you a nasty look. But i see that you already have one" retorts Monica. Ross looks hurt.

A journey called Life..

2011-05-22T22:10:00.000-07:00

The peak hour bus was as usual crowded. I was angry with dad for hustling me like a gunny bag inside the crowd. "Why they dont listen to me and take an auto" cribbed my angry mind. The bus began to move. More hustle bustle. Someone stepped on my tiny little toe and the pain was excruciating. After a short while, which felt longer, the crowd began to subside and finally I got a seat to sit. Dad asked me to take the seat, blocking the seat from others. My boyish pride wanted me to stand through the crowd and with vain pride I declined the seat and stood with my head held high. Smack came a solid pat which brought me back to earth and I was pushed into the seat. Had it been a window seat, I might not have put that scene. The aisle one was as discomforting as standing and more so as people dumped their bags on me. I was angry with dad for allowing me to be treated like a dumpster.

While my dad was cheerily chatting with fellow passengers I felt uneasy. I was praying for our stopping to come as soon as possible to stretch my legs a bit. A few more stops later the crowd thinned even more and my dad also got a seat. He politely asked the gentleman sitting next to me to swap places with him. I felt angry with him for treating me like a kid. I hoped my seat mate wont let me down and would turn down my dad's plea. But that sucker gave up on me and readily moved out. With the thought of window seat being available i consoled my hurt ego and move towards the window, with the hope that atleast the rest of the journey would be interesting. I was about to catch a low lying branch when my dad pulled me away from the window and he moved inside. My dad angrily told me not to keep my arm outside the window of a moving vehicle if i care to have it stuck on my shoulder for some more time to come. I felt even more irritated. Why should people be so "grown-up"py all the time? Why cant they allow a kid to have his pleasures in life? Well, of course i am a 13 year old grownup but still i love to enjoy the kiddish pleasures once in a while. I felt entitled to those little joys.

Suddenly the crowd in the bus began to increase again. Maybe God decided to test my pain taking capacity today, i thought. There was this really fat big lady who was having trouble standing. Maybe they should commute such people in trucks, i giggled to myself, thinking how stuck she would be on ill fitting bus seats. To my horror my dad gave up his seat for the lady who conveniently crushed me to the corner. I cried my eyes dry for taking that trip and didnt realise when i fell asleep. A sudden break by the driver brought me back to life. I was bleary eyed and still half asleep. I saw to my relief that the big fat lady had moved away and i had the whole seat for myself. I felt happy for the first time in the entire journey. The warm breeze seemed to pep up my mood and it played with my hairstyle and made it funny. I closed my eyes and it felt like heaven. I felt sorry for the so called adults for missing such great moments in life. Wait a minute. I also missed something. SomeONE rather. Where is dad?!!! To my horror of horrors then only i realised that the entire bus was empty. I never felt more scared in life. I realised i didnt even had the complete address of the relatives place where we were going. Stranded alone in a moving bus. How can my dad be so irresponsible? how can he leave a kid and go without even realising that i am missing? I started crying, wailing aloud when the entire bus shook as if it had hit an airpocket. "hey..what happened? bad dream..huh? you were moaning in your sleep. Wake up..our stopping has come. Since you were very tired looking i didnt want to disturb your sleep". I never felt more happier in my life to have been woken up from my sleep and in a huge surge of relief i rushed up and hugged my dad, promising never to leave his side, ever. "huh..its ok big guy" he patted me and said "..must've been a real bad dream i guess" smiled dad. I smiled back.

Our stopping came but felt my journey had just begun.

Gilsbert - Repel without Kaas

2011-05-15T09:33:00.000-07:00

At times i forget that its very hard to expect people to accept me as even an insane person and especially in scenes of interview. Before proceeding any further, me no rebel. I am not out here to change the world, leave alone myself. And i am not even in the same pincode of being active. Irunthaalum..there are some quirkiness of the regular systems which makes me nervous to the extent that..when forced to act normal to adhere to those rules i actually end up on the wrong side of the rule more often :(

We had a walkin interview session at our aapice recently. If there is a place to study people, venue of any interview, especially walk-ins would be THE best place. The kind of stress and pressure which people undergo to get a job..uhumm..livelihood..its tremendous. And if you want to pick out your choice of fake people..the options would be aplenty :) Not just the resumes..most of the people themselves act so fake that, it pains to see the kind of things people do to get jobs. I want to share somethings i do while attending interviews. Follow panna solli illai..panna koodathunnu sollavum illai. Its what i do when in such situations. I feel comfortable doing/being like this. This is definitely NOT a sermon post. The very first interview which i attended for my first job is one such example.

There were around 8 people who got selected for the interview from our center. After finishing the tests, we were told that there had been change in schedule and the second round was postponed. While leaving the premises we surrendered our temporary ID badges. The security officer asked whether we will be coming back. I said yes while all others mumbled No. I felt guilty of having given the wrong answer in the group. I gave the security aapicer my infamous asattu grin and nervously walked back. I was the only person to get callback for the second round.

The second round was even more torturous. Luckily for me, my neighbours kid(NK) had also got selected for the same kambeni for a higher post, him being an year senior to me. My mom wudnt've fussed more on my dress had i been a girl getting married. I was forced into a well pressed formal wear with matching shoes :(( and NK was given strict instructions to make sure i behave NORMALLY. I guess that was the ONLY interview i went on time, infact an hour early i guess. I almost slept by the time the rounds began and NK was called first. He came back with a flustered look and told me that the interviewer was very chaalu and he easily found that his was a fake resume. I couldnt understand then that why would he fake his resume. I felt that was one thing less for me to fear as i had nothing to show in mine, being a fresher :) Soon came my turn. The interviewer gave one look at me and started laughing. In my little nap (read slumber) before the call, i had badly wrinkled my shirt. One hand was full cuffs and other one was rolled into half. My shoelaces were off. I almost turned back when the interviewer asked me to give him my resume. By the time the questioning began i had lost all hopes of clearing the round. While i was about to leave knowing for sure i would never again ever see this office in my life, that person told me that "Its okay to come like this once in a while on Fridays..but our HR are very strict on dress code". I couldnt understand what he meant and thought it was the corporate way of reprimanding and came out confused. They asked me to wait for a while and the offer letter was issued the same day. My fetish for dress code was born the very moment i had my hands on the letter. My many myths about interviews were shattered that day and it helped me in my career down the line especially while attending interviews. Here is a 5 point something I use for any interviews:

a) Expect delays. There were cases when i went at 9 in the morning only to wait till 5 in the evening before getting the call.

b) Very rarely the interview panel bothers whether the attendees have had their lunch. So better eat well or at least carry something to eat. Empty stomachs are breeding grounds for anger.

c) The most important document in any interview is your resume. Make sure you carry the same version (or almost similar) as the one given to the panel which shortlisted you. I often make the mistake of updating my resume AFTER getting the call :(

d) The person on the other end of the table is NOT GOD. He or she isn't born on earth to provide your bread and in 11 out of ten cases (especially in prelim rounds) you would know the subject 100 times better than the panelists who would've been mostly stop gap reps. Doesnt need to be impolite. But stop worshipping the interviewer. Surely helps while replying to the questions.

e) No interview is FINAL unless its one from death bed.

Avlo thaanga kathai surukkam. Adutha postla meetalam..Varta :)

Alli Raajyam..The Beginnning

2011-05-13T10:03:00.000-07:00

Few years back..some women, were fighting for 33% reservation for them in parliament. Cut to Circa 2011. 4 women CMs - Sheila Dixit, Maayav(y)ati,J and Mamta - all 4 put together rule 30% of entire Indian population itself!!! Add to this one rubber stamp president, who could give "Spectrum" Raja a crash course on corruption and a proxy PM (of Italian origin or is she Indian already? different question for a different post)..it gives a tip of the iceberg view on Indian political scene of the future. Litmus test for Mamta would be on reform front and how she scores in opening up Bengal. The wounded reds wouldnt give up so easily. Bengal is set for interesting times. So is TN. However corrupt and bad he was, MK lost power because of POWER. How fast J cuts on the deficit, matters. That..if she cares a damn about the LokSabha elections coming up next. But off the lot my pick would be Sheila dixit. Though she lords over the smallest of populace compared to the other 3, Delhi being the power center (male bastion in other words) she has not just hung around but has managed to hold on to her own too. Mayavati..a lady who would give any male politician a run for his corruption money. One who has redefined the word "Megalomania". Hope by next LS election Sonia too would be in fray. Atleast more so in open rather than being just obvious in taking decisions. My personal fav would be to see a lady defence minister (esp how she wud handle Pak and Chn) a lady finance minister (on fiscal defecit) and a lady RBI guv. The amazons are well and truly on the rise. God speed ladies.

House

2011-05-08T04:19:00.000-07:00

Ever since i saw F.R.I.E.N.D.S i had promised myself never to get addicted with any other series. But was hearing so much about this one that thought will give it a shot. One of my blog mates gave me the torrent link for all the 6 seasons and urged me to watch them, tempting that its Robin cook novels on screen. Me have a fetish for medical thrillers but usually any drama based on hospitals are always a huge letdown. It would surely have some eyecatchy hero and a lollypop heroine with candy floss romance thrown in. And for sure either one of the couple or their siblings or loved ones will have some untypable disease which would create a rift and almost as a religious practice the lead pair would have pathetic relation with their parents. In short YUCK.

Imagine this situation. A kid falls unconscious while playing in the ground and gets admitted in hospital. No one has any clue as to what is wrong with him. Soon another kid gets admitted with similar symptoms from same school/class. With zero similarity and almost no contact or knowledge of each other, only two of these kids from a bus load of them, are afflicted with similar symptoms. The docs unravel the reason why by eliminating the options and zeroing in on the reason. Remove the last line and replace it with cops, you can make your own terror plot and a homicide story for CSI(Crime Scene Investigation). I just described an episode from HOUSE M.D series. The best part about the series is - no pretension. Half the dialogs of the series are names of medicines and treatment for them and they are rattled of with such a conviction that, feels as if the guys who talk are really qualified docs. And esp the pace at which they treat the seizure victims!! wow!! The director has absolute faith on his script and never for once try to be preachy. Its all matter of fact. And guess what..that works.

The Hugh guy who comes as Doctor House does a neat job. Sarcastic to the point of being caustic and over confident to the point of exceeding arrogance and vulnerable at the same time. Makes a delightful mix of a character popping in pain killers to hide the pain from his limp. A motley bunch of a black, an Australian(?) and a good looking cute gal, all with their own shady pasts form the rest of the team. The cute lady who comes as hospital admin does a neat balancing job of managing the arrogant yet brilliant doc at the same time falling within the limit. Never for once i realised before that diseases could be so interesting and scary. The series make America sound the sickest place on earth and Americans the most vulnerable of the homosapiens with zero immunity for anything. No wonder they carry a gun everywhere and jump over shadows.

After watching a whole season of it i already feel like 2/3rdss of a doctor :) well..to me being a doctor is 3 things..know the disease..know the medication and match the two. After watching 15 episodes i can now quote around 75 weird diseases averaging 5 per episode along with their medicine. Just need to know the matching part a bit more in detail and presto Doctor Gils is ready :) And if at all they make a series on me it might be called the HAUNTED HOUSE and might also come with stricter norms for viewing populations. Well..who cares :)

An awesome song

2011-05-04T10:12:00.000-07:00

Its because of things like this people still cling to their belief in Divinity. The way in which their voices blend together, the clarity of the supporting instruments (i always love the clarinet ever after i listened to kadri Gopalnath in DUET movie..this one vindicates my love for it) to top it all the lyrics of the song..one word to describe it all - AMAZING. I was in a really bad place mentally and was literally down in the dumps when i stumbled on this video. First curiosity was more on the singers than on the song. One of the singer resembled a close friend of mine. When i heard it for the first time..especially the kind of mood i was in..this song came as a blessing in disguise. The lyrics especially was simply awesome and the rendition just blew me away. Lost count of the number of times i heard it in past half hour. The lyrics are so uplifting and soothing feels like flying after the bout of misery :) Now desperately looking for a mp3 download version of this song along with the lyrics. Kedaicha pls sollunga. Enjoy the song. I am sure you wouldnt be disappointed.

Lyrics courtsey - G3 and Sundar...thanks folks :)

நீ நினைந்தால் ஆகாதது உண்டோ ...நீ நினைந்தால் ஆகாதது உண்டோ ...நீரஜதல நயனி ... மகாலக்ஷ்மி...நீ நினைந்தால் ஆகாதது உண்டோ ...மானிட வாழ்க்கையிலே இன்ப துன்பம் ...மானிட வாழ்க்கையிலே இன்ப துன்பம் ...மானிட வாழ்க்கையிலே இன்ப துன்பம் ...மாறி மாறி வருவது... உன் செயலன்றோ ...மானிட வாழ்க்கையிலே இன்ப துன்பம் ...மாறி மாறி வருவது உன் செயலன்றோ ...நீ நினைந்தால் ஆகாதது உண்டோ ...நீரஜதல நயனி ... மகாலக்ஷ்மி...நீ நினைந்தால் ஆகாதது உண்டோ ...எல்லா பெருமைகளும் இருந்தாலும் அதுஉன் அடி வணங்காமல் நிலை பெறுமோ..எல்லா பெருமைகளும் இருந்தாலும் அதுஉன் அடி வணங்காமல் நிலை பெறுமோ..உன் அருள் பார்வை இல்லாதவர்க்கு ..உன் அருள் பார்வை இல்லாதவர்க்கு ,உலகிலே வாழ வழி ஏது அம்மா !உன் அருள் பார்வை இல்லாதவர்க்கு ,உலகிலே வாழ வழி ஏது அம்மா !நீ நினைந்தால் ஆகாதது உண்டோ ...நீரஜதல நயனி ... மகாலக்ஷ்மி...நீ நினைந்தால் ஆகாதது உண்டோ .

Who am i

2011-04-29T21:56:00.000-07:00

It was just another End-of-the-project party. It did begin as one and would've ended on the same vein too. "If any event happens incident free then something is seriously wrong" apdingara Eddie Murphy law voda prime example being Gils..such things are bound to happen.

Being a total teayer (teetotaler in other words) my favourite haunt in any party would be either near the 'dessert'ed corner or the ice cream zone. This one was no exception. I was debating whether to have the gulab jamuns with icecream or without when i heard a voice sweeter than the Jamuns and chiller than the icecream.

"Excuseme..can i have a scoop of vanilla please"

"err...what?"

"oh..hmmm..enaku oru scoop ice cream please"

Manasukkul "adipaavi..english teriathunu nenachirupaalo"

"oh sure..which flavour you want..strawberry..mango..black currant"

"huh..inga vanilla flavour mattum thaana iruku?"

"oh...heehee..yeah..hmmm...athaan solla vanthen...antha flavourlaam ketratheenga..inga illainu..."

From the way she rolled her eyes it was evident that she obviously was not a fan for mokkais.

"Are you from this project..never have seen you before" she asked.

Gils mind voiceil - "Athaana..nammalalaam oru thadava paatha marakka mudiyuma. Marakkara mathiria mokka poduvom...oohhh..oru vela inga hotella vela paakravannu nenachirupaaalo..ithuku thaan mani kanakka oray edathula ninnutrukka koodathunu solrathu"

"helloo...enna dream worldla poiteengala..entha projectnu keaten"

"Intha account thaanga...neenga entha project..ungalayum ithuku minna naan paathathay illaye"

"I was at onsite for past 3 years. Got home sick. So intha project closurea saaka vachitu odi vanten. Was missing my parents and friends so much. ooopps...sorry..naan paatuka pesitruken. Didnt even ask ur name"

Was about to say "paravalla...continue" before better(grrrr) sense prevailed and said.."I the gils..recently joined this project"

"Oh..cool..tell me about yourself"

And that was the question which made the world stand still.

Tell about yourselfna ennanu solrathu? I am X years old. 18th std varaikum padichiruken. Athula 12th varaikum pass panniruken. Ipdi resumela vara mathiri oppikaratha? Illa..naan ivlo kilo weight..ivlo cm heightnu Policeku aal edukara mathiri solaratha. Illaati..naan intha technologyla pisthu..ithula gosthunu katha udratha. Poi sonnalum poruntha sollanumnu solvaangalay. Seri..Unamaya sollalaamnu..Blogla mokka podrathu..Facebook arattai..twitter tweets..itha pathilaam solli naamalay maatikaratha. Illati philosophicala ramana maharishi mathiri.. Naan yaarunu teriama thaana vidai thedi ithana naala alaiyarennu try panni paakalama? Erkanavay icecream vikkaravannu yosichitruka..aprum confirmay paniduvaa. Naan yaarna ennanu solrathu? North Indian dishu Panneer butter masalavoda nallarukum solratha..ipdi toughaana kostin ketta ennanu solrathu. Naalu choice kekalam. Apdiye 50-50 option vaangikalam. Audience poll and phone a friend lifeline keta nammala totala damage paniduvaanga. Atha mattum kekkapdaathu"

Ipdilaam decide panni oru mudivukku vanthu was about to reply to her. Paatha aala kaanum. Next day my team mate came and gave me the usual "ithelaam-engenthu-pudichitu-varanga"look.

"dei..nethu antha onsite ponnu kitta ena sonna?"

"Aiayaio..naan onnumay sollalaiye"

"Athukkay antha ponnu ivlo terror aaidcha. Intha pakkamay vara maatennu thirumba onsite poiduchaamay..apdi ennada mokka poatta"

Pesinalum prachanai aagauthu...pesalainalum prachanai aaguthu....Avvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv.....

Crazy Buggers

2011-04-22T10:47:00.000-07:00

A half baked attempt..mimicking crazy mohan's most cherished characters. Hope to convert it into a complete episode. Ipothaiku first installment mattum :)

"Thala vali Porukka mudilada..." endru polambiavaaray vanthaan Cheenu.

"Intha Ajithuku vera velaiye illa..car oatren bike oatrennu engayachum uzhunthu vaari adi patukka vendiyathu...intha thadava enna vali??" endru ketaan Maadhu.

"ennada solra???"

"Nee thala Ajitha pathi thaana sonna?"

"Adai veena ponavanay naan en thala vali porukka mudila sonnenda"

"ohh..athenna keezha kottina chillaraya? ethuku porukitruka?"

"Aio raama..intha kazhishada pasangalodalaam enna en sera udra?"

Enters Ramanujam.

"Enna yaaru kooptukitu iruntha inga?"

"Ennamo Ram ngara pera pattaa vaangi vachirukara mathiri pesareenga. Naan Lord Rama koopten"

"Enga veetla intha mathiri perla vara sikkal thaangama thaan inga odi vanten"

"En ennachu?"

"Unga akka peraala thaan prachanaiye"

"AnuPriya ngara perla enna prachanai"

"Ponnu paaka vantha annilenthay prachanai thaan. Nalla nyabga paduthi paaru..ponnu paaka vantha anniku enga maama agasmaatha unga appa kitta "Anupriya illaya" nu ketrukaar. Unga appa atha thappa purinjikittu...evanda enna ponnai anuparia ilayanu ennaye meratrathunnu uttaaru paaru oru arai..anniki out aana speaker thaan..enga maama peru sethu maadhavan. Annilenthu Kaathu maadhavannu peray maaridithu.

"Seri..Full name naala thaana prachana varathu Anu nu kooptu po vendi thaanay"

"Nee vera...Munnadilaam vethala paaku konjam jaasthi poduven. Unga akka thitraalay solitu konjam kammi panikiten. Officela ketapo..en pondaati anumathikka matenutta..athaan kammi pannikitenn sonnatha...en pondaaati anu mathikka maatennutta nu kelapi vitutaanunga. Athu epdio iva kaathula vizha..oray ragalai aaidichi"

"Ungalukaachum paravala. Srinivaasangara pera Cheenu surikinathoda nikkama..ipolam chellama "Chee" "chee" nu koopda aarambichitaanga. Enakay Chee nu aaidithu en pera kekarapolaam"

"Intha prachanaikellaam oray vazhi. Namma pera aduthavanga maatharathuku badila naamay maathikarathu thaan."

"Super idea..ennanu maathikarathu"

"Surukkavay mudiyaathabadi moonu peru select panni vachikalam"

"Ethuku moonu peru..onnu poratha?"

"Unna chee nu solrathula thappay illa. Mundam. Naama moonu peru irukomla. Aaluku oru per. Mothama moonu peru"

"Ippidi senja enna?"

"Romba vidhyasama irukay.."Ippidi" nu oru per. Yarachum enna visarikanumna.."ennapa ipdi..epdi iruka nu thaan kekanum". Ithey pera vachikaren"

"Maadhu..naanay, kombu seevi vitta, kaala maada vittu unna mutta solven. Naan innum ideavay sollala. Namma moonu perum "A","B","C" nu per vachikita enna?" Antha pera thaan surukkavay mudiathu"

"Sooper"

(Mokkais thodarum :D)

Haiooo haiooooo

2011-04-19T06:48:00.000-07:00

Lifela bulb vaangalaam..aana bulb vaangarathay lifea iruntha...ithelaam sagajam thaaana. Chronologically from the latest:

Bulb 1

Few days back my sis had came home for dinner and since mom was busy cooking she asked me to serve food. Ok..ok...samaikka thaanga theriyathu..sapdrathukum serve panrathukum oralavuku terium. Atleast thats what my sis also wud've thought while agreeing to allow me to serve i guess. She is very fond of paruppu podi and always complains that we dont make it enough spicy for her taste..for, urs truly, being a sweet guy :), has bit of an aversion to anything over the acceptable spiciness limit. This time mom had promised that the powder wud be to her taste. She told me its in an yellow dabba on the table. (Note this line twice. You have to revisit it in few seconds) I followed it to the letter T. Sis was happy that it was as spicy and infact bit more for her own taste and praised mom that it tasted better than the one she had bought at Ambika Appalam. When mom asked her to take it home with her, she produly claimed that she would go home and prepare it on her own. When me and mom sat for dinner, she saw the dabba on the table and asked where had i kept the paruppu podi dabba after serving sis. I told her its right in front of her. She was shocked. It was Kara podi she had prepared for mixing in Sambar and stuff :D I was laughing so much that i didnt even realise when my sis poured the remaining powder on my plate. In my defense..both the dabbas where in yellow colour. Solratha ozhunga sonna naan en sothappa poren.

Bulb 2

This one a few years back. My mom used to keep Horlicks bottle away from me as true to the ad i would eat them direct and not just that, would always leave the bottle open. Seekrama katti thatti poiduthu sollitu she would always pour the content in some other bottle and hide it from me. One day i was itching to have something sweet and silently went to the kitchen to suttufy something. I was surprised to see the horlicks bottle out in open. Secretly relishing the thought of feasting i flicked the bottle, went and locked inside the study room. In my eagerness (read greedy) to gulp it fast i took a big karandi full of it and stuffed as much as possible. Well. Oru chinna mistake aaidichi. The damned yellow powder was at it again. It was paruppu podi dabba and not horlicks :( She had prepared it afresh and the nedi was sooper strong. It took me one hour to clean the room and make it spot free from the mishap. And till date mom doesnt know the mystery of the missing podi.

Bulb 3

Ithu innum cinna vayasula. Mom used to prepare karuveppillai thogayal at home. The thicker the paste more delicious it would be. Once my cousin had came home and he was always very fond of my mom's cooking. Again..mom was bc that day on something and i was the one who served the food. Slighta spelling mistake aidichi. Instead of serving him the thogayal i served maruthaani( mehandi) which was also lying on the dinner table in a similar looking bowl. Best part was he dint realise it till two three mouthfull and luckily mom saw the bowl from which i served this time and he escaped. Ithula enna kutham solli ennanga use. Same color. Same texture. Same paathram vera. Oru appavi siruvana kurai solrathay intha ulagathoda pozhappa poachu.

Nalla serve panrathu thaan good hospitalitynu solranga. Aana athu hospitalla kondu poi udra mathiri maarita appo enna panrathu?? Haioooo...haioo....

Meet the parents - 2

2011-04-09T01:53:00.000-07:00

Gils: "Amma..ennama ithana neramaa coffee sooda iruku. Aaravay maatenguthu"
Mom: "Athu "SUN" rise coffeeda..lesula aarathu"
Gils: avvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv....

Meet the parents - 1

2011-04-08T11:46:00.000-07:00

"Hey Gils..can u take care of this task for me. Got a personal work..So i am taking off for the day"
"what happened boss..why are u looking so tensed?"
"Got a call from my son's school. His principal wants to meet me"
"Huh...so why are YOU tensed. Should be your kid who should be doing ur role"
"You dunno man..in their school..they are very strict. And my kid..i am sure he wud've flunked every exam. I doubt whether he wud've written anything in the exam"
"It comes with the genes sire. Like Father Like Son ilaya"
"vilayadatha gils..i am really worried"

After lot of Pep talk and mokkai puttings..the anxious dad went to school. I asked another colleague which school that kid was studying. The reply was "ABC Primary School". First i thought i heard it wrong and then asked which class was the kid to confirm it. He replied LKG. I was like !!!@#@#@$#$%#%$. All this fuss for an LKG kid. Was about to call the guy when my phone rang. All i could hear was "Wooohoooo" followed by wild cacophony of noises. Even when India won the World cup i hadnt heard such a whoop of joy. All i could hear amidst those noise was "Mera beta pass ho gaya"

Parents these days!!!!!

Vetri ettu thikkum ena kottu murasay

2011-04-03T08:59:00.000-07:00

Exhilarating..Joy..Pride..Passion..Victory..ATLAST..Tears..Grit..Sadness..TENSION..Talent..Luck..Decisive..Gamble..Hiccough..Scare..Fairytale..Ultimate..GOD..Craziness..Wild..Celebration..and last but not the least..POONAM PANDEY :))

Anga anga maaney thene ponmaanay potukiteenganna..Indian Worldcup victorya celebrate panra post ready :) In the age of instant recipes and instant noodles..instant postum irukanumla :)

When Dhoni won the test series against Australia in what was Ganguly's last match as a test player, he asked Dada's to set the field for a short while. Ajay Jadeja who was in the commentary team proclaimed Dhoni as the Obama of Indian cricket, for his cleverness and maybe shades of wiliness with which he earned some brownie points. Even Ganguly was taken aback as he had claimed in previous series that Dhoni was against his inclusion in one dayers. Now the same man..whose leadership skills has been nothing short of a MBA syllabus.. has won India its second world cup trophy in a span of 4 years. Destiny. The day he held aloft the T20 WC..that day itself it has been preordained that this guy is set to go places. The fire in his eyes when he came to play at the fall of Kohli..that would've surely sent shivers down the best of bowlers. The superstitious me..never saw the dozens of singles and twos and came out to see only the boundaries and sixers :) My pet peeve is that if i see the match live..India will loose or wickets will fall and if my mom watches any match..irrespective of whatever the score is India will win :D Needless to say, i made her watch almost the whole match yesterday :D And she enjoyed it too :)

This match made me realise one more thing..the role of social networking sites. You wouldnt believe the amount of tweets and status messages in Facebook during and even after the match was over for close to two hours there were so many interesting and witty tweets that it showed the way in which future matches are going to be celebrated. People in places where there we no live feed totally thrived on the social sites. It was an heartening sight to see one mans dream come true and even though the contribution from his blade was minimal his impact on the team and the youngsters who helped in realising his dream..well..what else can be said about it. You struggling hard to win your dream is ..noteworthy at the best. But. When others strive as hard and pray for your dream to be realised..that is something which has to be cherished and celebrated. I wish my dad was there to witness this victory :( He was so passionate about the sport that more than the cricket commentary we would be watching his comments and reactions for even the minutest of glitches on the field.

And then there are the conspiracy theorists..who believe that an Indian victory was imperative, especially as the matches were being played in India and more important for the corporates who have pumped in their billions into the IPL. Imagine the fate of IPL post Indian defeat in the final. Even worse. It would've been a calamity had India lost out to Pakistan in the semis. Well..it makes interesting angle and who knows..could even be true. But who cares. India has won. And thats it :)

P.S: My fav Tweet - "Behind every successful man there is a woman. Behind Indian teams victory.. Poonam Pandey" :D

Haiyaaa....award..award...

2011-03-29T10:29:00.000-07:00

hehehe...romba parakkavatti thanama iruko :D Danx ambulimaama madam for the awardu. Naan podra mokkaikum award kuduthamaiku mikka nanri hai. Athuvum semma Esteemed,Balenoed,SX4ed company of saga award winners.

RULES about the award:

1. Thank the person who awarded you and link back to them in your post
2. Tell 7 random facts about yourself
3. Pass the award

Random facts:

1) Just like "hmmm".."aahhh"..."ok"...used as fillers while talking..I use the word "Like" a lot :D Even while describing about things i dont like, i use the word like so many times in my speech that people actually get confused whether i like it or dislike :D (assuming they do listen to what i say in first place :D )

2) I can never do one thing alone at a time. It makes me nervous :D It has to be more than one task at a time. I think i can concentrate more with multiple things than with one thing alone. Sounds illogical? yeah..you got it right :D

3) I dunno abcd of cooking. But i can tell you a good rasam from a great rasam jus by looking at it :) Especially if correct amount of salt has been added to it, even without tasting. Naaku naapathu muzham u c :D

4) I hate formal wear and love casuals. It almost always happen that my favourite dress would be the most ridiculed one and the one which is my least favoured piece, the contrary.

5) Though i love to read..i tend to believe more in the person who teaches rather than the content of the book. I dont much trust the visuals i imagine while reading.

6) I ask questions. Tonnneeesss of them. As a kid i never asked questions. Maybe overcompensating for the lost time :)

7) I love history. Anything ancient and antique attracts me and the story behind them even more so. I love historical novels..fables..religious symbolism related books..everything which gives hints about origins. Tracing the origin of words is a favourite pastime.

Ambutttu thaan saami...Now the award goes too....

1) RT - Inga oru blog katti meikkavay nora thalluthu. She effortlessly manages 4 5 of them!!!

2) Rat - Ipdilaam bribe kuduthalachum ivanga namma blog pakkamlaam varangalanu paaka thaan :D

3) Avada Kedavra - My Harry Potter buddy :D Expelliarmus AK :)

4) Asha - Her posts have a sweetness about them

5) Swaram - Kattabommi of blogworld :D

Chamatha avanga avanga posta potruveengalaam :)

Memories of Mouna ragam

2011-03-26T09:26:00.000-07:00

Happened to see Mouna Ragam Movie in Adithya channel today :) There are movies and there is Mouna Ragam. Each time i see the movie it leaves a sweet taste in mind. I can see the whole movie even without the video portion. Just the rerecording and songs are enough for me. Not that i've anything to fault against Rahman-Rathnam combo..but Raja-Rathnam had cast such a wonderful spell on movie goers that their movies rock even after 25 years!!

This movie and Agni Natchathiram are two of THE BEST tamil movies, of modern era atleast. MounaRagam was released during my school days. Would've been in 1st or 2nd standard i guess. I never understood why my elder cousins and friends sisters were gushing about the movie. In fact except for the spiral staircase and the colorful diwans i didnt like anything in the movie when i saw it the first time. The house were Revathi and Mohan shifts too in Delhi, it immediately became my dream palace. The back ground music reminded of Sarangi vadan in DD.

Guess my preference for bubbly chirpy heroines began from this movie :) Loved Revathi's character. More so because my cousin sister was crazy about her and used to imitate all her dresses. Especially that Banjaari(??)or whatever dress. She was too fond of Nathia and Revathi and always used to pester my paati to get her dresses like them. And as a kid she was someone i looked upto. She was a rebel and was in total contrast to my otherwise conservative and dull relatives.

Coming back to the movie, i had forgotten about the movie for a long time and infact had purposedly skipped many a chance to watch it, all credit to my first impression of it. One fine day, unable to bear the adulating crowd and all those praises which i get to hear about it each time some one see the movie, i decided to watch it, just to avoid being left behind. And..like Simbu says in Vinnai Thaandi Varuvaaya..it HIT me. I was finally able to understand the sensitivities and the content. I fell in love with the music and thus began the love affair with the movie. I always made it a point never to miss the movie whenever it was played. To say that i like Mouna Ragam and marking it as favourite in the list of movies watched has become a fashion statment i should say :)

Like scores of other people, my favourite portions of the movie are the scenes showcasing Karthik. Though he hardly comes for ten fifteen minutes in the movie, he makes an indelible impression. The coffee shop scene would have inspired many a love story both in reel and real life. Not a day passes without me listening to the "Mandram Vantha Thendral" song from the movie. Its the fav song of every FM worth its salt i guess and they seem to have an unwritten pledge to play it atleast thrice per day per channel :)

In the age of IN YOUR FACE attitudes, to see subtlety scoring on its own, makes mind feel light and happy.

P.S: Just noticed that this also happens to be the 450th post in Supershanki :) and is into its 6th year :) So if you had found my maturity level to be that of a six year old :D you are not much wrong :D So long folks. Catch you later.

Thalai's tag

2011-03-21T10:30:00.001-07:00

Konja naal minna thaan was thinking ennada ipolaam blog makkal tag podratha vitutangalonu Ramesh thalai tag pannitaru :) So here goes

Rules:

1.The tag has three parts..Movies,Music, Books/ Authors.

2.Write a movie, book and author with each alphabet of your first name. The book, movie or song should be one that you really liked. If you say why it matters to you, it would be great! We will all discover new songs, movies and books this way.

3.Tag as many people as there are letters in your name. (if your name has 4 letters, you have to tag 4 people and so on)

4.Mention that the tag originated here and link back to this post :-)

5.Copy paste these rules :)

Nallavela..en peru GILS a poachu :D Ambulimaama madam maatneengala :D irunga ungala tag panren :D

Movies:

G - Guns of Navarone. Alistair Mcalaine novelum seri..movieyum seri. AWESOME. It was my long time dream to have a dvd of the movie which i managed a year back :) Book hardcopy softcopy rendum iruku :) Intha movie appavoda favourite too :)

I - Indiana Jones series. The kind of sets which they had for these movies..attagaasam.

L - Love Actually :) Ithula vara antha baasha theriatha pairoda story romba pudikum. She learning English and him learning Portugese to propose..chaancela. Semma cute.

S - Spiderman series :) I love Spiderman as a character. Its alter ego in real life is supposed to be the most vulnerable of all the comic superheroes. Always wanted to swing around and be in my own web world at the same time :)

Songs:

G - Gumnaam hai koiyeee :D Agatha christieyoda "And then there were none" base panna GUMNAAM movieyoda title track. I saw the movie first and then read the book. Liked the movie better than the book. And Mehmood's character..haiioo..chaancela. Mein Kaala hai tho kyaa hai dilwaaala haii.... :D :D LOL :D :D

I - Ishq Bina kya jeena yaara ..first time keta udanaye fell in love with it. ARR weaved magic in TAAL and to top it all Aishu was at her beautiful best. Enaku terinju antha yearoda most downloaded wallpaperna athu Taal Aishu stillsa thaan irukum.

L - Loveria hua..Loveria hua..."Raju Ban gaya gentleman" padam paakrapovay lighta thonithu that Sharukh thalai is all set to rock Bollywoodnu. Athey polavay aadicihi :) Juhi is always right on top of my alltime fav heroine list :)

S - Saamne yeh kaun aaya dil mein hui hulchul..remix song. Entha movie therila. Guess its some Ranbir kapoor movie. But lovely song.

shabba..ithukkey kanna katuthay.

Authors/Books:

G - GodFather by Mario Puzo. Book reading world is divided in two. Those who have read Godfather and those who are yet to read. Intha bookla oru oru variyum quotesa use pannalam. Avlo takkaraana book. Movie athuku mela sooper.

I - Issac Assimov. Me a big fan of the "Foundation" series by this author. Semma imagination and semma realistic creative mind.

L - Love story by Eric segal :) Love means never have to say you are sorry :))))

S - Sidney Sheldon. K Balachander mathiri ella kathailayum Heroine oriented or strong central character ladya vachu thriller come romantic novels ezhuthina author. Etho cinema padam paakara mathiriye storya nagarathittu povaru. Have read all his books and along with Jefffrey Archer he is right on top of my favorite author list :)

Appadaaa...naalu naalu podrathukullaye nora thalliidichi. Micha perlaam enna panreenga paapom :) Naan yaarlam korthu udrenna...

RT, Ambulimaama, Chennai girl ('C' lenthu 'L' varaikum :D :D woohooo :D) and Uncanny (ungala korthu uda nalla chaance) :D

Yudham Sei

2011-03-19T10:12:00.000-07:00

Romba lateaana review :) Still wanted to share with you folks. I dont remember the last movie i posted a review on. Avlo naalachu nalla padam paathu. Inbetween gapla dozen kanakka movies paathaalum..nothing worthwhile to share or post about. But this one..took me by the scruff of my neck and the ending was such a punch that i felt like vomiting. No doubt its a sick sick sicko movie and at the best qualify as offbeat. But the treatment to the story and the awesome awesome screenplay is what carries the movie. If realistic films are not ur cuppa tea better skip this one.

Story is not brand new nor or the situations. But the way the characters are shaped is what makes the movie tick. Cheran, the supposedly hero of the movie, comes as a CBCID officer. To be honest i've never seen a dochu aapicer like that character before. Even the thugs dont get hit when he shoots and marunthukuku kooda no style. Ada Oru Tee shirto coolerso kooda ilapa!!! Still..he looks every bit a police officer. Ditto for his sidekicks. Perusa onnum role ila and infact that guy who comes as his deputy..avan moonji kooda saria therila padathula. Aanalum it makes sense from a role perspective. But to me, the real hero of the movie is the mortuary doctor with a fundoo name Judas. I think another highlight of the movie is that what would've been physically visible yet invisible normal characters in any other movie, those roles have been given ample screen space and important roles and the people who took up the challenge have more than lived up to the expectations. I dont like YG Mahendran. Period. That guys is way too haughty for me to digest and way too stupid when it comes to movie acting atleast. But if there is one role he can take pride in..this is the one. The lady who dons the role of his wife in the movie..WOW!! There is scene in the climax..which is the only cinematic part of the otherwise realistic movie..i almost had a tear drop forming in my eyes. It was so moving and the scene was so sensitively handled that it felt wonderful and all the actions of those vigilantes justified. There is this other scene..the one where their daughter commits suicide. Without showing the hanging body, just with the looks of the parents, especially the mom, mysskin reflects the horror of that moment. AWESOME acting. The punishment meted out to the wrong doers..the crimes committed are all new to tamil cinema atleast i guess. But i get irritated with Mysskin's love for peoples legs. Wonder why the camera is always focused on the legs and nowhere near the face!!! Maybe reaction saria varalaintu irukumo?

I've never been a big fan of Mysskin. Felt his Chithiram Pesuthadi was So-So and Anjaathay kooda avlo impressive illa. Nandalaala inum paakala. But this one. WOW. It took me a long while to get out of the feel of the movie. Semma dark in theme. Not even grey. Its pitch black in theme and the director leaves no pity for the wrong doers. Etho hollywood horror movie paatha mathiri irunthichi. Punishment scenes tad inspirted by SAW movie series i guess. Crime gets punishedngaratha semmaaa stronga azhutham thiruthama solra movie. I would love to say go watch it.. aana theaterla vaanthi edutheenganna me no responsible :) DVDla paakrapovay lighta nauseating.

Vedham puthithu

2011-03-17T10:05:00.000-07:00

There are twin kiddos in the apartment opposite to mine. Recently one of our relatives had been to Benares and had brought with them ganga water in small sombu. The kiddos had watched the copper sombu with all curiosity and the moment those relatives left they pounced on it. Since the mouth of the sombu was sealed they werent able to open it. They tried shaking it to check if it really had any water in it. After a while they got disinterested and went to their house.

A few days later one of them came to me with an icecream cup full of water. I asked them what was that water. One of those kids told me it was water from the river Nile. Two things struck me - one was the conviction with which they made that claim and second was the wonderment about their knowledge on the river. I laughingly asked them who told them that the cup had water from River Nile. They told me it was their cousin brother who had traveled abroad had brought it for them. I teasingly asked them that how can they be so sure that the water was from Nile, when it could've been the aquaguard in his house. Pat came the response. They told me that if i can believe the water in a sealed sombu to be ganga water why can't Nile water be in an ice cream cup.

Titlea padinga. Entha scene mean panni intha title vachennu ungalukkay teriyum.

முரண்

2011-03-15T09:39:00.000-07:00

சூரியனை
வெறுக்கும்
இலைகள்
- தமிழகத்தில் தேர்தல்

:)

He He He :D :D

2011-03-13T10:08:00.000-07:00

Disci: Makkalay..itha padichitu tension aagi anavasiama Auto lorrykellam selavu pannatheenga. Continuousa serious topicsla post poatu bore adichithu..athaan ungala ellaam kalaaikalaam nu oru try. No tension. Mannitharuluga.

Venue: Dr. Athivasi's clinic

Gils gives a visit to Dr. Athivasi. Finding the clinic empty he waits in the visitor's lounge. After sometime he hears voices and goes inside the doctors room again to find Athivasi talking with someone on her phone.

"Athivasi madam..neenga epo vantheenga?"
"Hey gils..naan ingaye thaana irunthen..nee epo vantha"
"Naan vanthu ten minutes aguthu. Konja neram munna naan vanthu paathapo ungala kaanumay?"
"Ilaye..naan inga seatlaye thaana irunthen. Engayum pogalaye"
"Oh seatla iruntheengala..athaan therila"
"Oyee..enna nakkala..enna intha pakkam"
"Ila..lighta thala vali..athum matumillama romba naalaachay athaan apdiye ungala paathutu polaamnum vanthen"
"Usuala unnala thana mathavangaluku thala vali varum. Seri..inthaa..prescriptionla ezhuthirukara maathiraiyai saapdu sariaa poidum"
"Aiooo..ennathu ithu"
"Etha ketkara?"
"Prescribed tabletsa SAAvukku munn..SAAVukku pinn nu ezhuthirukeenga? Usuala unga medication start pannaparum thaan sangu kelvi patruken. Apdiye irunthaalum Saavukarpum tablet epdi sapdrathu? Injectiona poduvangalo?"
"Makku mundam. Saavuku munn Saavukku pinn nuna..Saapaatuku munna and Saapaatuku pinna nu artham"
"Aaha..unga writing stylum ungala mathirye short forma irukay"
"Dai..mariathaiya feesa kuduthitu odiru. Un kuda pesi enaku thala vali vanthrichi"
"Inthaanga unga presription. Itha marakkama saavuku munnum pinnum potukitu saria poita sollugna..naanum try panni paakren. Ipothaiku apeetu..appalika repeetu"

On the way back Gils meets Rammm.
"Baass..epdirukeenga..intha vaati enga tour poneenga"
"Nee vera gils. Kitchen vittu velila vara timey kedaikka maatenguthu. Pudusa Vilaambazha rasam nu oru recipe ready pannirukken. Senora kitta ketukkitu FDA (Food Development Authority)ku atha anuppi approval vaangalaamaanu yosichitruken"
"Baass..athuku neenga PMFAI kitta thaan kekanum FDA illa"
"PMFAI na enna? PraMadhama FAntastica Irukkara dish a?"
"Illa..Pesticide Manufacturers and Formulators Association of India. Poochikolli marunthukellam avangalta thaan permission vaanganum"
"Maganay..antha pudu recipeyoda lab eli nee thaan. Mudhal course unaku anuparen iru"
"Oray oru kostin ungalta romba naala kekanumnu aasai. Unga perla en ithana M? 'Ram' nu start panna eppo mudiarathunnay theria maatenguthu"
Backgroundla NAYAGAN music olikka..mandaila lighta kaiya vachavaaray Raamm tells.."Teriliyeepaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa"
"Haioo..ithayum mudika maatar polarukkay..escapeee"

Gils bumps into Ramesh.

"Gils..enna ipdi thala therikka odi vara"
"Thala therikka odi varaleenga. Thalaya paaka thaan odi vanthen. Epdirukeenga Thala. Enga intha pakkam ungala aalaye kaanum"
"Enga areala Seval sandai nadanthuchuba. Atha cover panna solli enga area news channels ketukitaanga. Athula biji aaiten"
"Neenga oru theevira sports fan theriyum. Athukaga seval sandaikelaam kooda special sports correspondent rangeku pona epdi"
"Nee vera. Seval sandaikum Sensexkumay sambandham iruku". Athukaprum Ramesh sonna ella matterum Gils mandaila parse aagavay illa.
"Enna Gils..etho moppam pudikara mathiri teriyuthu"
"Illa etho karpoora vaasam veesutha paathen..uhumm..evlo try panniyum purila"
Gils hears a giggling sound and turns back to find Chotu and P standing behind him. "Idu koola pudila..Gils waste" says both of them in chorus. Vazhakkam pola normalana thiruttu muzhiyudan Gils looks at AJCL and Chennai Girl to understand what both the lil guys were singing only to find both of them rolling with laughter.

"Unna paathu Ooray onnu koodi sirikarathu enna pudusa..vidra vidra" nu kural kekka Gils thirumbi paatha anga RT was standing.
"Oor onnu koodrathu irukatum..neenga epdi inga? Senthaapola 5 minutes oray oorla neenga irukarathu ulaga athisayam aachay"
"oops..thanks for reminding. YYC lenthu call vanthuchi. Inniki evening meet irukaam. I've to go there"
"YYC na ?"
"Yodelling Youths Club..you dunno? romba famous aachay. Tamilla kooda Varutha padatha Vaalibar sangam nu solvaanga"
"Haioo...antha meet kooda vida mateengala...thala suthara mathiri irukay"
"Hey Dr. Athivasi clinic pakkathula thaan iruku. Anga venumna unna admit pannata"
"Marubadiyum mudhallenthaaaa" Gils faints.

The aftermath

2011-03-11T09:29:00.000-08:00

On a day like today
the whole world could change
the sun's gonna shine
shine thru the rain
on a day like today
ya never wanna see the sun go down

Well..Nature doesnt exactly go by Bryan Adams lyrics i guess and i wish i never ever see the sun rise again as it did today :(
Super moon or Sumaar moon whatever the crap they call it..it better get away back to its original orbit. The pics of ships and planes and cars and buildings all strewn like garbage and the sight of muddy sea water rushing to swallow more dry land like greedy miser after money..it sends a shudder up my spine to even visualise the scene on my mind. Heart goes for those who bore the brunt of nature's fury. Make no mistake. Japs are a proud race. Once while discussing about weekend plans, being the month of August and Independence day falling that friday it was long weekend for our team. I was chatting with my Japanese counterpart about my weekend plans and casually asked him when is the independence day of Japan. Pat came the response, " We were never enslaved by anyone". I was bit stunned by the reply and could feel the pride in his voice when he said those words. World knows what Japan can do when struck with disasters, be it man made or natural - they come back even better, stronger and harder. Continuing series of disasters like this only make me more nervous about the doomsday predictions with each one resembling a scene out of 2012 movie. I take refuge in this dialog from the same movie - "The moment we stop fighting for each other, that's the moment we lose our humanity". Let Nature takes its own route and like all bad things even good things shall end..but as long as we have each other for company we can at least try to make the journey worthwhile to pursue..for ours is the only species which is capable of appreciating. You never get to see Lions adoring each others manes nor elephants their tusks, do you? :)

Exams - Tense Present for a Perfect Future?

2011-03-06T08:04:00.000-08:00

After a long time there was a decent topic on the "Neeya Naana" Chat show in Vijay TV - Exams and the associated stress. The kids spoke in an exceptionally matured tone and compared to their parents they sounded pretty confident and clear on their thoughts. More than their parents they had a better idea of what they need to do get good marks and more specifically as to what their parents were doing wrong in goading them towards getting more marks. How much ever the parents tried to justify their cause and the reason as to why they are pushing their kids towards marks, it still sounded hollow. It was quite paradoxical. Everyone know the reason behind the pressure and but everyone accepted it as a justifiable pressure, even though it sounded silly. To sound politically correct, they argued for a brief while that every child is unique and not every one can become topper. Still, the yearning for pride, the thought of seeking glory in their kids victory shone brightly on every parents eyes.

So, the nagging question - Who is responsible for this mindset and what causes it. I am not an expert in education. Nor did i get any good marks for that matter :) But i can understand the struggles of an underdog student and the pressure and shame faced by parents of such kids. The discrimination faced by such students in school, where they are herded into the designated section along with other such not so brights. The dreaded "P" word called partiality had ruined many a dream of my class mates i would say. Worse was the case of kids who by nature were demanding on themselves and often compared their performance with others and criticised themselves more so than others. For they were forever short on self confidence and there were very few people around to motivate them. Even their class topper friends would slowly leave their company, brainwashed by their parents. Every government school book carries the slogan that no one should discriminate against caste creed or sect. But the education system and mentality of people running the show does exactly that and more so forces the kids also to adhere to it.

I used to shiver at the thought of exams as a school going kid. Even now the word test or exam sends a slight shock wave from head to toe. But its not as scary as before. I've somehow lost the fear of that dreaded monster. When i think as to how i overcame it, only one thing comes to my mind. Nowadays i dont give a damn as to whether i pass or fail. The results dont bother me anymore. I had stopped comparing my scores with my peers. I dont feel happy when i "outshine" them nor do i feel depressed when i come a cropper. I have learnt to accept my potential and own my responsibility for my performance. In fact as an even better option, i take up only those things which entice me, thrill me to test my skills pitching against the best in business, those which make me happy to go through the rigours of competing, without the fear of failure. I apply the same philosophy even to my table tennis game and more often than not when i dont think about the scoreline, i often end up on the winning side :) Maybe, had i the same mentality and approach towards my studies i would've also topped my class, joined IIT and maybe would've been doing MS in some US university like my fellow class mates. But i would've missed out on all those learnings and pain which shaped my thoughts to spare a smile for those kids also who are not as bright as others. They may not be the best guy or gal in the class. But who knows, somewhere down the years, they might rant their heads off on their blogs to any poor soul bothering to read their posts on what a bad ass they were :)

Rock Rock Rockyyyyyyy

2011-02-26T20:13:00.000-08:00

Adrian asks Rocky "Why you want to be a fighter". Rocky replies, in his typical twang " because i cant sing or dance".

"Adrian, i never asked you not to be a woman. Dont ask me to stop being a man. I am a fighter and i have to fight"

"I am dumb and you are shy..We sure do make a real sharp couple of coconuts"

"Because i dont think you can win" cries Adrian.

"No, maybe I can't win, maybe the only thing I can do is just take everything he's got. But to beat me, he's gonna have to kill me, and to kill me, he's gonna have to have the heart to stand in front of me, and to do that, he's gotta be willing to die himself and I don't know if he's ready to do that. I don't know, I don't know." and he goes away.

Let me be honest. I am not a big fan of Stallone. All his movies are predictable. He gets bashed to a pulp but somehow manages to scrap through beating the villain in the end. But Rocky and Rambo series are glorious exceptions. I've lost count how many times i've seen Rambo - First blood and part two of it. As a kid i used to tie a kerchief on my forehead, imagining non existent biceps and hold LEO toys gun ala Rambo style :) That toy gun had an never diminishing count of bullets and all of them hit the mark wherever i shoot, well all in my imagination of course :) i was crazy over toy guns all credit to Rambo.

Like all school kids boxing with dad was a favourite pastime of mine too. My dad used to talk about the first movie in the 6 part series. I couldnt understand anything that time except that the name was catchy. ROCKY. Thanks to Movies Now channel, who have been telecasting the series round the clock, i managed to catch up on all the parts. I had my own apprehensions while watching the first part as it was very dull and dragging at times. But cometh the climax cometh the punch. The timid innocent loan shark under dog boxer, goes neck to neck in fight with the champion and though he loses in the end, he wins everyones heart. It compelled me to watch the other parts too and needless to say i got hooked on to the series :) The Rocky character is so endearing and simple that, its almost like a toy in itself. There is a scene in the first part of the movie where Rocky tries to advice a gal in his neighbourhood. She slams the door on him shouting "Creepo". He looks stunned for a minute and then trudges away thinking he is no better. LOVED IT. The same character makes a comeback in the final part too. But throughout the six part series, the Rocky character maintains its deeply religious and unassuming innocence. No wonder Americans add up Rocky along with their comic heroes. That character deserves its iconic status.

Watching the series i realised how many movies have been inspired by this character. Especially the way he trains - running up the steps. I guess thats one of the most inspirational scenes ever in movies. The background music is also awesome. If at all i ever get a chance to go to Philadelphia, i would love to do a ROCKY like run on those steps :)

Winding up with the best quote from the movies final part.

Rocky to his son:

"You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done. Now, if you know what you're worth, then go out and get what you're worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hit, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you are because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain't you. You're better than that!"

Turn Turn Turn

2011-02-19T09:33:00.001-08:00

There is this song in Forrest Gump, which i am sure every single Tom Hanks fan knows by heart. The lyrics goes like.."To everything Turn Turn Turn..there is a season Turn Turn Turn..and a time for every purpose under heaven". I remember having a post on the song. The theme of the song is that, there is always a time for everything. A right time, to be more precise and guess there is a tamil saying too which agrees with this one - "Paruvathay payir sei". I recently experienced something which reminded me of this song.

If you get something for which you were waiting for almost 2 decades..supposed to be a happy occasion right? That too if that thing was something which was/is very dear to you and you were desperate to get your hands on it.

Well,Here is the reason for this post.

The latest release from Lion comics, the collectors edition of the XIII series - "RATHA PADALAM" in tamil. When it was launched around 18 years back, well..that was a time i was so crazy over comics, especially tamil comics. There is a lending library, which is like 20 mins walk from my house. I used to borrow books from that library in my cousin sister's membership and 10 rupees was like a months budget given to me for borrowing books. I would hardly get one or two books for ten rupees at that time. So i used to finish off most of the books in the library itself in the guise of searching and would bring home the heaviest ones. I would walk-read all the way and by the time i reach home half the book would've been over. Since i knew i wouldnt get money for borrowing a new one, i used to re read the same comics multiple times. My mom was wondering how to solve the issue of budget vs my book craze and with my villain English teacher they conspired to shift my focus towards English novels. It was a win win situation for mom. The novels were bigger in size than comics and she felt it would improve my language. I grudgingly took up reading the Archers and Sheldons and soon the novels replaced the comics. But the one series which i sorely missed reading was the XIII. It was close to a dozen episodes when it was released for the first time and i barely managed to get a few of them to read. Such was the craze for that particular series, the copies sold like hot cakes. It was a 2 decade long itch on the back of my mind that i was unable to complete the series.

Few weeks back, in one popular tamil weekly (Kumudham for those who have heard of it) i happened to read in the question answer section (Arasu badilgal) that the person got this collector edition of XIII comics and he was good enough to give the contact details of the publishing house phone number and address. I was feeling like a character right out of Manmohan desai movie. Here is my family song and here are my lyrics. Just had to sing and unite. With trembling hands (konjam over buildup la :) intha situationku novelslalaam ipdi thaan varum sentence..oru flowla vanthirichi manichukunga :)) i called up those guys in sivakasi. Luckily for me stocks were available this time. With the help of my ex-colleague, who happened to be a native of sivakasi, whom i pestered, badgered, nagged into submission, i finally landed up with my own copy.

There is a line in Kamba Ramayanam - "Pirinthavar Koodinaal pesavum thondrumo". When Ram meets Sita after vanquishing Ravan..for first few minutes they simply look at each other not knowing what to talk is the meaning of those lines. Ippo ethuku kamba ramayana bittungareengala..summa scene thaan :) Now that i have my wait fulfilled, the book is lying unopened ever since it came. I was so thrilled to have finally got it but the kid who was longing for that comics when it came,is lost somewhere in the past two decades. I have it with me now, but every attempt of me to rekindle that enthusiasm with which i relished those comics, is proving bit futile.
Winding up with the lyrics from the song again...

A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep

Because...To everything..There is a season. Turn, turn, turn

P.S: Intha posta padicihi mudikarachay a film by Bharathiraja nu podanumo nu thonichi :D LOL :D

Gils tho bacchaa hai ji

2011-02-12T20:40:00.000-08:00

To err is human,They say.

To repeatedly err? Probably they would call it Gils i guess. Here is to the reason why.

"Gils i've volunteered your name for this new training program."

"Ehcuseme saar..isnt NOMINATE the right word?"

"Nominate panna evanda poreenga..athaan i volunteered you. You attend the session on behalf of the team and impart the wisdom back to the team once your session is over" and so beamed the damager.

"But saar..me no interest in conducting Sunday mass for the team"

"Sunday mass?? this is a training on corporate crap. You the mistake"

"The only training i am going to get by attending this session is going to be on Prayer..Praying for dear life as to when its going to get over. And if you want me to share it with the team wouldnt it be akin to conducting sermon on sunday mass?"

Damager gives that look which ladies does nowadays looking at onion prices. "Gils..you have two choices..either you go or you go"

"Santhosh subramaniam Prakash raj mathri choice kudutha epdi" nu manasukkulla pulambiavaaaray gils goes to the training.

Here is a tip: Gils way of staying awake in training is to ask questions. More the snore..more questions from senor. (Its no mere happenstance that senor and snore are anagrams of each other). The trainer is impressed to the point that she asks Gils to stop asking questions for being the only "active" participant i should give opportunity to others also to participate. Needless to say i lost a few friends from that session, who like me, were "volunteered".

After surviving the ordeal, damager meets Gils near the transformer like place, which every office nowadays has (probably to generate their own electricity??)

"So Gils..how was the training"

Gils points two fingers on his head, imitates brain bursting out and mockingly keeps the gun back on its holster. As expected, unexpectedly, the trainer crossed the place the moment the scene began. Looking at Gils reaction, she turns beet root in color.

"Hi trainer..i was explaining how mind blowing the session was..it was really good..it...." even before gils could complete she stomps off.

Damager palms his forehead wondering why the hell he sent Gils to training.

"Saar..in my defence i erred on the left side of caution"

Damager gives Gils the same look which Alice gives to Jabberwocky in the movie climax.

Gils points to the "CAUTION: 10,000 Volts" board on top of his head and runs for dear life.

Thank you for the music

2011-02-10T09:07:00.000-08:00

A typical Sunday mass -an usual motley bunch of people who had came in to sing paeans to their Lord. Soon they lost themselves in the choir which reverberated across the entire chapel. Everyone were getting soaked in the divinity of the voices. But one mind alone was thinking a wee bit different. No doubt that person also was attracted towards the choir recital. But his thoughts were bordering on the inquisitive spirit leave alone spiritual. His young mind was curious to understand the magic of the voice which captivated everyone in the chapel. He was eager to know why the same voice is felt less pronounced while in an open area than in an closed space. He was frantic to find out where the sound went missing. He wanted to know if the same effect can be felt had they not been standing inside the crowded chapel. He wanted to experience the same feeling however far and apart he was. He wanted the same experience to be enjoyed by millions of people at the same time irrespective of wherever they were. He wanted to break down the barriers and establish the supremacy of sound over air. He wanted to prove that the content matters more than the medium.

Needless to say, he was shunted down by his relatives and friends. Witch hunted by the church. Laughed at by his peers who suggested him to check his mental capacity. Soon he achieved the impossible with the words "Are you ready?" The first ever words transmitted across the sea over a wireless medium. The man was Marconi.

Thanks to his invention - the radio - everyday the travails of my travel seem less tiring. Infact, when they play good ol Raja songs, at times i feel i can travel a little bit more too, till the song is over :) One man's invention has created a whole new industry and zillions of dependent ones. Like Alice i cant think of 6 (or was it ten?) impossible things to do. But had i been in his era, i would've easily added wireless transmission across continents right on top of the list. Even in this age of ipods and ipads..couldnt imagine life without radio. Special thanks to the guy who added the radio component to cell phones. They are assured place in heaven and till the time the last active ear is around they would be blessed.

P.S:First para chumma bittu. Marconi mandaila avan sister adichathunaalathaan transister kandupudichaanu sandaikulaam varapdaathu. Newtonuku Apple mathiri avanuku enna inspire aachu therila. So bittai mannikka :)

Times of turmoil

2011-02-06T08:08:00.000-08:00

We live in torrid times. The entire Arab world is in turmoil. Regimes are getting toppled like cardboard decks and protesting crowds are touching record count with each country out running the other. The conspiracy theorists are having a field day by projecting the western world as reason for this downfall. I fail to understand which is the better option. Dictator or unjust monarch, under whom the country has a stable, yet with curbs on freedom Vs so called democratic system where its free fall down the drain. I've nothing against the democratic system. Yet somehow it never seemed to me as a possible form of governance. Any country, which claims itself to be democratic, to me, is probably burying itself under layers of hypocrisy. The three legs of democracy: Of the people - definitely yes, by the people - always a microscopic group which projects its kith and kin, for the people - never exists.

Though people might blame dynastic politics for the second leg's downfall, even at a mindset level, not everyone are ambitious and are leadership material. Democracy offers the option to rule or being ruled. But not everyone goes for the first option. Even at a classroom level, to become a class rep, its either the best student (one who can cope up with his studies along with this extra activity) or in case of election very rarely i've seen more than one person contesting for the post. Not sure of the situation now, but, the point is, majority of people always prefer to be driven and rather than coming to the forefront to lead. They always look out for a messiah to deliver them from their problems. Always looking for the easy way out. And when such a guy or lady do come, they are treated as demi gods and are forgotten as humans. An unfair amount of expectation is thrust on them, which an otherwise ordinary person wouldnt have been possibly be able to adhere to on a long run. They blindly believe whatever the leader does and says, till the time another "messiah" rises in the horizon and batter their sealed eye lids against the misdeeds of the incumbent one.

India has always been the land of paradoxes and people all around the globe always look at it in amazement as to when its going to implode. A nation with a billion plus people, million plus sects, gazillion castes, multiple languages with not a single day passing by without the word violence being used and yet managing to stand on its legs. Is it something to be proud about? I am not sure. The fact that we are still standing as a nation is nothing less than the 8th wonder of the world. But the gruesome fact that the twine might break anytime sooner is always a scary reminder. The cancer of corruption has gone to such an extent that B grade movies are indistinguishable from real life incidents. A state government issues a government notice that none of its states people lost their life in stampede so they need not worry. A central government, that cries out aloud whenever any Indian student gets hit in a foreign country, with the comfortable thought that, it had cried its best, while remaining silent spectator when a rouge island nation's irresponsible idiots,coolly venture into its own maritime waters and butcher its own fishermen. Are these signs of a vibrant democracy or a strong republic which recently celebrated its 62nd birthday? Will you still blame those guys who are losing faith in nationhood and protest in need for a new messiah?
I've no answer to my question.

Yet another love story...

2011-02-06T07:40:00.000-08:00

Got this as a fwd. Apart from specific points..i agree with the dad's view on majority of the points.

*****
Oct. 25th, 2007 07:02 am Dad speaks, Simi listens and Life just goes on!
"Karthik, dinner's ready." My mom called out while I was listening to My Sacrifice by Creed on Radio City. She came near and in a low voice said, "I told your dad about it." I felt like a 10,000 volt stupor hit me! "What?" I was flabbergasted, "Ma, I wanted to tell him myself. I had it all planned out. You've just...god! You women kind can never keep secrets, can you? Ok, what did he say?" I asked anxiously. "He said nothing. Probably he wouldn't even talk to you about it until you start." I knew it was going to be a bad night. Heated arguments, sentimental issues, guilt pricking and unwanted tensions; we had had none of these in our house. But I saw it all coming down in one night.

At the dinner table
It took me sometime to come out of my bedroom, for the dinner table seemed like a battle ground to me! My hunger died with the very thought of talking to my dad. But I knew I couldn't escape it and I had to face this some day or the other. My dad sat next to me. I gulped the air that was stuck in my throat and with head bent down I had my eyes fixed on my plate. Even after five minutes, daddy spoke nothing! So I gathered up all my courage to break the ice, "Appa, I wanted to tell it myself. I was actually..." "What's her name?" he cut me without looking at my face. "Simi" I answered, "Simi Jacob Thomas." There was a smile on his face. "Bring her home tomorrow evening", he said. It made me smile too, for I felt glad to hear something like that while I expected a huge argument to spurt out. None of us spoke anything else that night. It turned out to be a total anti-climax of what I had imagined! I got back to my room after dinner, but couldn't sleep for most part of the night since I was dreaming with open eyes about the day that was to come the next morning!

The day did come
The day did come; probably one of the most important days of my life. I told Simi that my dad wanted to meet her and also that he wasn't fussed up or anything like that and instead smiled about it. Simi didn't know what to tell, she too was very happy I thought. A year and a half of our secret relationship, a secret known to the world but hidden to our parents, was about to pay off. So, on that day, we just didn't care about whether we had completed our work or not. We left office at 4.30 in the evening, just to make sure that we don't get stuck in that dreaded Hosur road traffic. Simi left her car parked in the office itself and we both went in my car. That wasn't the first time I had driven with Simi in my Honda City, but somehow, all along the way home, my dreaming about the car being decorated with flowers and a big "Just Married" sign on a heart shaped board, made that ride very special to me!

We reached home by quarter past five. Summer time; my dad was sitting on the swing in the lawn, reading a newspaper. He got up as he saw us coming. "Namaste Uncle", Simi said folding her hands. My dad smiled back. "Hello, nice to meet you", he greeted her, "come, let's go inside", he took us in. My mom was watching tv in the hall and as we entered she got up from the sofa and switched off the tv. "Get something", my dad said to my mom and within minutes a lot of things were ready on the tea table. "Please have it" my dad said and we both started munching. "Aunty, I really like this. Kaduburight? Karthik gives me every time you send it in his lunch box. In fact, I've eaten almost every dish that you cook. You really cook very nicely aunty." Simi said looking at my mom. My mom just smiled back as a thank youto Simi's compliments.

Setting the stage!
"Sorry child, I forgot your name." My dad said. Simi was busy eating, but she'd heard it. "Uh? Uncle? Simi. My name is Simi", she replied. "Aaah! Simi Jacob Thomas, right?" My dad asked. "Yes", Simi replied and looked at my face with her eyebrows slightly raised. I did nothing else but show my teeth. There was a wide smile on my dad's face too. "What?" I asked him. "Karthik Subramanya Shastry weds Simi Jacob Thomas, somehow sounds very funny to me", he said. The smile on my face slowly reduced in width and finally when I saw the expression on Simi's face change as she took a bite of the kadubu, my smile completely died out. My dad was quick to react. He looked at Simi and said, "Oh please don't feel offended. I don't mean to hurt you. But child, I'm going to ask you a few questions and also tell you some things over which you'll need to think calmly." Uh oh! Something's coming! I told myself. Simi seemed to have heard what I'd just said in silence. She kept the half bitten kadubu back on the plate.

The talk!
"Simi. Since how long do you know Karthik?" My dad started shooting.
"About a year and a half" Simi replied.
"Do you think that's enough to know him?"
"I guess so. Yes. That's quite enough." Simi nodded her head up and down.
"Hmm...Tell me one thing, do your parents know about this?"
"No uncle. I was about to tell them; after we took your permission."
"And how did you assume that I will say 'yes'?" My dad was still smiling. But the expression on our faces had taken a U-turn from extreme bliss to total awe by now! Although both of us knew that we would have to face our parents' opposition, the way my dad had reacted since the night before had sprung up some positive thoughts in both of us. So this was a bit of a shock indeed.
"Simi, Simi. My dear child. I know most of what I tell you will make you feel like not listening to me. I just want you both to have the best and I know very well that it will not be so if you happen to marry." Our faces now looked like the sad emoticon that we use in our Office Communicator. But my dad continued :-(

"Where do your parents stay?"
"Kozhikode, Kerala."
"What does your father do?"
"He retired as a Branch Manager in SBI last month. Now he serves as an evangelist at a church nearby".
"How many siblings do you have?"
"We are four. I have a brother and two sisters."
"You must be the youngest", my dad was bang on!
"Yes", Simi replied, a little surprised. I knew, like me, she too wanted to know how on earth he got that!
"I pity your poor dad. He seems to be a pious man. If I, being the father of the boy, feel so sad about this whole thing, I can imagine how much pain that man will go through." My dad let out a long sigh. Somehow the things he spoke started to get on my nerves and I thought I had to do some talking.
"What's wrong with this dad? I don't understand why you people should be worried. Simi and I like each other, we understand each other very well, we both have good jobs in hand, what else do we need?"
"I was waiting for you to open your mouth", my dad said in a sarcastic tone. "See. You are talking only about you both; that you like each other, that you have good jobs. Then, tell me honestly, when you have decided about everything, why do you need my permission, or even her parents' permission? You can as well marry and later just inform us, right? If you feel that you will anyways go ahead no matter what, then I see no point in discussing this anymore." My dad stood up.
"No uncle", Simi interrupted, "I want to listen to you." I looked at Simi with an evident frown on my face. "Please, let us talk about it. I too want to know what you feel about this." She requested my dad. But I wasn't keen on listening. I just sat with my face turned away, staring at the door.

My dad sat down. "Simi, marriage is not a child's play dear. At least in our society, it's not centered just around two people. If you had, for at least once, thought practically about your relationship, you wouldn't have carried it so far. You both are in love and that will make you think you can get along anything that comes your way. Child, married life in itself has thousand and one problems. You have to make sure that you don't invite more problems just by taking a hasty decision.

"The first thing is, I'm more than a hundred percent sure that your family will not whole heartedly accept my son as their son-in-law and after this marriage, believe me, your relationship with your parents and siblings will never be the same. Even if they come to accept it at a later point of time, they will just be pretending. Some relationships if broken, take a long time to patch up and if they had been very close, it takes a lifetime. Coming out of home and living a life of your own sounds very good like in movies and stories, but the truth is, you cannot stay away from your parents forever; at least not until they are alive."

Simi was listening without blinking her eyes. "After that, come your individual dogmas. You know, his mother celebrates at home, almost every festival that's listed on the almanac. She will feel uncomfortable to let you around and get you involved. Even if she and you get along after sometime, I will guarantee, it will be limited to our house alone. You will never be invited to any function that will happen in our relatives' homes. At first, you might feel ok about it. But when Karthik will feel the pinch in his heart to know the fact that his wife is not welcomed in his relatives' places and because of that he too cannot attend those so very fun filled family gatherings that he was always a part of, he too will start to repent.

"Then there are your food habits. You are a meat eater and my son is a pure vegetarian, well at least I think so. But I don't know if he has started that too."

Simi was already feeling guilty I guess. "No, he doesn't eat. But I have stopped", she said.

"See. You have lost a part of yourself. You know, for your love to carry on with the same fervor forever, you should accept the person you love as he or she is, without being directly or indirectly forced to change for the sake of love. In my opinion, that's true love and everything else is just a compromise. You have given up eating meat, good; but every time you come across that, you'll always be tempted. It's perfectly ok and it's because you have been brought up in such a culture where it is almost compulsory to eat meat, whereas my son has grown up amongst people who dislike even the sight and smell of it.

"And then, you both are connected by English, a language that's not the mother tongue of either of you. I am not telling it's a bad language, but you know, it is always the mother tongue that gives you the personal touch, the closer-to-heart feeling while you talk to your, be it husband or any other person. Don't tell me that love knows no language; it is all theory and is only good for the books. The day you see a couple in love talking in your language and having those sweet little verbal fights or name-calling, in words that you can best express only in a language that is closer to your heart, you will know what you are missing.

Simi was static. "Next thing is about your kids. My mother used to tell me a proverb in Kannada - Appa amma eradu daari aadare, makkaLu naaku daari anthe, meaning If the father and mother go in two directions, their children will go in four. I don't know if I've put it correctly in English but I hope you've understood it. Forget your kids, you yourself will not be able to tell them whether they have to go to the church or the temple, to be a vegetarian or a non-vegetarian, to speak Malayalam or Kannada and many such things. Finally they end up growing in a big confusion about their language, their God, their culture and everything about themselves. They might even someday curse you for landing them in such a situation. You might say that they will choose the best of both cultures. But that can happen only after they have matured enough to take decisions on their own. But again, I bet they will not be able to do that too since they wouldn't have gained a complete understanding of either of those.

"Deep down inside, you feel that you are doing something wrong and that's what has kept you from telling your parents or else you would have told it on day one that you like this guy and might as well marry him. But you feel your parents might be hurt if you do that because you know very well that they can never see him as the right guy for you and from my point of view too, he's not. Trust me, even your parents wouldn't deny if you can prove it to them that he is the right person, but in this case, you'll not be able to do that! I just guessed that you must be the youngest because if you had somebody younger to you, a sense of guilt which makes you feel that you might just be setting a bad example to the younger ones, would have stopped you from thinking about Karthik as your life partner. But again good and bad depends entirely on your perspective and for youngsters like you, it is mostly influenced by your friends outside rather than the people at home.

Looks like he's not gonna stop until she walks out, I thought, still looking away. I did not interrupt only because Simi had stopped me from it. You asked for it Simi. Now you have it. I wasn't anymore interested in disturbing her.

"I too feel that I've slipped somewhere. If only I had talked about all such things to my son a long time back, he would have been more careful in choosing his life partner. But I never realized that he had grown up so much and today I feel I'm paying for my mistake. You know, you should make your children do what you feel is right until they turn 16. Then on, till 30, you should just tell them what they should do and let them do what they feel is right and after 30 there's no use of telling too. So now, I'll only have to give my suggestion and heeding to it or discarding it, is left to you both.

"I know that a lot of people of your age fear arranged marriages these days and that fear is because you feel you don't know that person properly. But then, why do you think we have the concept of engagement. Get engaged before at least six months of marriage and you can get to know each other fairly during that period. If you don't think it will work out, you have lost nothing, right? Now if it doesn't work out once, it's never that you will not find someone better. You'll always do and sometimes you will realize it after you get married to someone who you then thought was the best! In case you love somebody with whom everybody around you and especially your parents will be comfortable with, engagement is just a formality.

"Anyways, I can already see from his face that he is not very happy to listen to me. So let's finish it off. But a sincere request from my side - before you listen to what your heart says, just give a chance to your brain to think about it." My dad finally finished his lecture!

Nobody spoke for a moment. Finally Simi broke her silence, "Uncle, now I realize why it is important to discuss with elders. No doubt, I had never thought about many things that you told now. Please give me some time. I will definitely think about it. Thank you very much for letting me know your point of view", she said and stood up. Oh Mistress of assertiveness skills, you forgot to paraphrase - I wanted to tell loudly but somehow controlled myself.

"Sure dear. I know it's not easy. Take your time. And thanks. I'm happy that at least you said you will think about it. God bless you", my dad blessed her as Simi touched his feet before leaving.

"Karthik", he looked at me and said, "go drop her till home and come back."
Sigh! Don't worry. I'll not run away with her.

And then, it was evident..
Simi did not speak to me for some days in the office. I had sort of understood what she wanted to convey. My dad had brainwashed her. If only I had never let her talk to my dad I thought. But Simi was anytime more mature than me. She had taken time not only to think about it but also to speak with her parents; and the story on the other side was no different. Luckily, I did not get an invitation from her father to talk to him! Finally Simi told me, what is usually told by girls, that we would be better off as friends rather than being a husband and wife. But it was really difficult for me to look at her as "just a friend". Fortunately I got an onsite assignment at that time which kept me away from her for almost 10 months. I somehow managed to get over the gloom during that period. It was only after that I realized my dad too was right in a way. True. At least sometimes in life, you got to listen to your elders.

Today, Simi and I are married; to different people of course, and the best part is that we both have found very good friends as our life partners. Instead of whining over what could not happen, we have just moved on with so many other beautiful things that actually happened and of course, we are more than satisfied with whatever we have in our lives. It's like they say, if it had been any better, it would be a sin ;-)

That's it!

Can vs Want

2011-02-03T09:49:00.000-08:00

Once there was a king who received a gift of two magnificent falcons from Arabia. They were peregrine falcons, the most beautiful birds he had ever seen. He gave the precious birds to his head falconer to be trained.

Months passed and one day the head falconer informed the king that though one of the falcons was flying majestically, soaring high in the sky, the other bird had not moved from its branch since the day it had arrived.

The king summoned healers and sorcerers from all the land to tend to the falcon, but no one could make the bird fly. He presented the task to the member of his court, but the next day, the king saw through the palace window that the bird had still not moved from its perch. Having tried everything else, the king thought to himself, "May be I need someone more familiar with the countryside to understand the nature of this problem." So he cried out to his court, "Go and get a farmer."

In the morning, the king was thrilled to see the falcon soaring high above the palace gardens. He said to his court, "Bring me the doer of this miracle."

The court quickly located the farmer, who came and stood before the king. The king asked him, "How did you make the falcon fly?"

With head bowed, the farmer said to the king, " It was very easy, your highness. I simply cut the branch where the bird was sitting."

****

Suttfied this from a fwd. My take on this is a bit different. Everyone has potential.
Some want to fulfill their potential and proceed to do it. Some know they can realise their potential if they give a small try..but are complacent/lazy enough not to give that try. For those people, the branch has to break on its own, as they would be fiercely protective of it.

Everyone WANT to be loved..but how many CAN actually??
Everyone CAN fall in love..but how many WANT to??
Everyone WANT to be good..but how many CAN?
Everyone CAN be generous and share their good fortune..but how many WANT to?

I dunno which bird i am..maybe a bit of both i guess :) But i get bored with branches very fast and atleast move across them :) So...moral of the story:
Make your own moral. Stories are just meant to entertain :)

A paradox called life

2011-01-26T09:26:00.000-08:00

"Arrrrrrrrrrrjunnn...enga kelambita"
"Amma..naan velayaada poren"
"Classku kelambara neram aachu..po elaathiyum readya eduthuko.."
"Ammmaa...pleasssseeema..en friendskelamm inniki thaan leave..inniki oru naaliku class venaamay"
"Evlo fees katti... kashtapattu alanju tirinju serthu vitrukoam..adampudikaama kelambu"
With a dejected look Arjun took his bat,pads and gloves and started for his cricket coaching class.

Chumma oru try - 1

2011-01-15T10:39:00.000-08:00

Vishvamitraroda storya adaimozhi vachu vasana nadaila solla oru chinna attempt..evlo thooram kathaiya ipdiye solla mudiyum therila..izhukara varaikum try panni paakren :)

இந்திரன் அவை:

"மரவுரி தரித்தும்
துறவு நெறி பிடித்தும்
என் மணி முடி
பின் துரத்தும் விசித்திரன்
உலகோர்க்கோ அவன் விஸ்வா மித்திரன்
எனக்கோ பரம உபத்திரன்"

என்று பொருமினான் இந்திரன்

கலகம் செய்வதில் கலைஞன்
உலகம் சுற்றும் அறிஞன்
நாளும் திருமாலின் புகழ் பாடும் பா ரதன்
மூவுலகத்தோரும் அறியும் நாரதன்

உபாயம் ஒன்றை உரைத்தான்
அதிலிருந்த அபாயம் தன்னை மறைத்தான்

"அமரர் கோணே
அசுயையை உன் புகழை
ஆக்கிடும் வீணே

விஸ்வா மித்திரன்
வன் முனி என்றினும் அவன்
அகிலம் வணங்கும் முனி வன்
உதவி வேண்டி வருவோர்க்கு இனியன்
வஷிஷ்டர் வாழ்த்திய ப்ரம்ம ரிஷி
போற்றுதல் ஆக்கிடும் அவனை குஷி

கர்வம் தவிர்ப்பாய்
அச்சம் மீள்வாய்"

என்றான் நாரத முனி
செவ்வனே துவங்கியது அவன் பணி

"மூவுலகாளும் வேந்தன் நான்
முற்றும் துறந்தவன் முன்
மண்டி இட்டால் சேர்ந்திடும் எனக்கு இகழ்
மங்கி போய்விடும் எனது புகழ்
கலைக்கிறேன் அவனது தவத்தை
படுவான் அவன் இனி அவஸ்தை..
கூப்பிடுங்கள் மேனகையை
மதி மயக்கும் அழகு காரிகையை"

மேனகை-

ஆயிரம் கண் கொண்டவனின்
அனைத்து கண்களையும் கவர்ந்தவள்
இவளின்
ஸ்வாசம் வாயு
கூந்தல் வருணன்
இடை இந்திரன்
நுதல் சந்திரன்
புருவம் விஜயன்
நிறம் அக்னி
என
அனைத்து தேவர்களையும்
அணைத்து செய்த அழகு சிலை

கோடை காலத்து
குளிர் காற்று
பத்தரை
இவளது மாற்று

பார்க்கும் பார்வையாலேயே
புரவலரையும்
புலவராக்கும்
வித்தை அறிந்தவள்
துதி பாடும் துறவிகளையும்
கவி பாட வைக்கும்
கள்ளம் கற்றவள்

அசைபவை நிற்கவும்
நிற்பவை இசையவும்
வைக்கும்
அசைவுகளை கோண்டவள்

கொண்ட கருமமே
கண்ணாயினளாய்
கல்லாய் சமைந்தவனை
காமுற வைக்கும்
கள்ளதனமான
காரியம் முடிக்க
கட்டளை ஏற்றாள்
தன் கண்ணியம் தோற்றாள்

இந்திரன்
இட்ட பணி முடிக்க
தேவுலகம் துறந்தாள்
பூலோகம் விரைந்தாள்

இனி..தவ முனி..

Question Hour with Gilmananda

2011-01-14T23:00:00.000-08:00

"Blog TV makkaluku vanaaaaakaam"

"Ennappaa ithuku munnadi Sun Newsla vela paathutrunthia?"

"aamanga..epdi kandupudicheenga"

"Vanakkam solrathulenthay teriuthu"

"ada..flow interrupt pannatheenga swamigalay...thirumbavum firstlenthu start panren..Blog Tvla mudhal muraiyaaga interview thara vanthirukum..poli saamiyaar gilmananda avargalay...vanakkaaaam. Ungalta kekkarathukaga room poatu yosichi sila pala kostins ready panniruken..kekalaama"

"Kelvigalai nee ketkiraaya ila naan kekatuma"

"Yov vendru..naan kostin ready pannitu vantha nee nogaama nonbu kumbuduvia... "Thiruvilayaadal" padam vanthu 50 varusham aaga poguthu..ithey dialoga inum ethana varusham solveenga...Kelvilaam naan than kepen..nee badil mattum sollu"

"Kelum...kettu tholayum.."

"Pennadimai theerumattum ezhuthuvennu medaiku medai solreengalay..neenga feminista?"

"Naan matumileenga..yaara irunthalum pen adi mai theerara varaikum thaan ezhutha mudiyum..Ink theernthaprum ezhutharathu vallurvar anaalum pena ezhthaathu"

"Aaaha..neenga feministnu nenachen...nalla samaalikaratha paatha ungaluku samaalistnu thaan pattam kudukanum"

"Aanum pennum samamnu nenakarathala sama listnu onnu iruntha athula kadisia oru edam kedaicha porum"

"Aanum pennum enganga samam...Pen name kooda HERO PARKER nu aambala pera thaana vaikaranga. HEROINE nu engayachum pena kelvi patrukeengala"

"Aaha..ennaye yosika vachitayepaa...hmmmm...oru vela..."Ink" ngara Karuva sumanthu..ezhuthungara vaazhkaiya vazhi nadathara athana mukkiyamaana velaiyum seiyara portiona PEN nu solra makkal...Antha PEN kaanju poida koodathunu paathukaara moodila thaana Aan per vara mathiri vacihrukaanga..so..correcta thaan vachirukaanga nenakren"

"Gilmaananda swamigalay...neer oru samaalipu thilagamnu adikadi prove panreenga..Bogam,Mogam,Sugam..itha pathi enna solreenga"

"Patruthal related samaachaaramngarathaala thaan perulaye.."GUM" nu.. otra item vachirukaanga..Bogam..Mogam..irunthu Sugam anubavikarathula thappilla..aana ithoda Sogam varapo.."So..Come" nu athaiayum anubavichi yethukanum..apdi oru pakkauvam vanthutta..varatti adukki erikkara varaikum vaazhkkai varietya irukum"

"Ithu etho auto pinnadilenthu sutta item mathiri irukkay"

"Automatica vara matterellam auto pinnadi vara mattera teriutha...enna kodumai ithu"

"Ippolaam festival timela yaarum ritualsa ozhunga follow panni celebrate panna maateengaraangalay...atha pathi unga karuthu"

"Bakeryla cake vaangi cut panra naalellam birthdayva nenachi santhosha pada aarambichitta vaazhkkai interesting aaidum. Aana oru oru thadavaiyum cake saapdrachay gift expect panna athay life derror aaidum"

"Yov..ennaya solra...puriara mathiri pesa maateenu sathiyam pannitiya"

"Sathyamum ila..escape cinemasum ila..Ten years back...Sun Tv nu oray channel thaan aattam pottukitu irunthaanga..inniki remotela irukara number combinationa vida neria channel vanthiruchi..Oru oru channelayum pudu padamngara perla under production padamlaam kooda potu makkala veeta vitu velila vara vidama senjidraanga. Enna ketta..festivals annikellam..day time poora power cut pannina thaan veetla makkal ozhunga celebrate pannuvaanga. Panra ritualslaam.. en panrom ethuku panromnu terinjukitta innum ozhunga pannuvaanga nenakren"

"Intha Pongal thiru naalula..Blog Tv neyargaluku neenga enna solla virumbareenga"

"Intha naaloda matumm niruthikaama ini vara ella naalum santhosha pongal unga ellaar manasilayum pongattum..haaan..aapdiye oru statuatory warning..Sun Tvla Sura padam podraan..marakkaama channel maathirunga"

If Everyone Cared

2011-01-11T09:13:00.000-08:00

Gummu song...loved the first para of the lyrics and got hooked right into it. Below are the lovely lovely lyrics and the online audio. Music is not bad too..thanks to Avada Kedavra for introducing this song.

From underneath the trees, we watch the sky
Confusing stars for satellites
I never dreamed that you'd be mine
But here we are, we're here tonight

Singing Amen, I, I'm alive
Singing Amen, I, I'm alive

[Chorus:]
If everyone cared and nobody cried
If everyone loved and nobody lied
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride
Then we'd see the day when nobody died

And I'm singing

Amen I, Amen I, I'm alive
Amen I, Amen I, Amen I, I'm alive

And in the air the fireflies
Our only light in paradise
We'll show the world they were wrong
And teach them all to sing along

Singing Amen, I, I'm alive
Singing Amen, I, I'm alive
(I'm alive)

[Chorus x2]

And as we lie beneath the stars
We realize how small we are
If they could love like you and me
Imagine what the world could be

If everyone cared and nobody cried
If everyone loved and nobody lied
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride
Then we'd see the day when nobody died
When nobody died...

[Chorus]

We'd see the day, we'd see the day
When nobody died
We'd see the day, we'd see the day
When nobody died
We'd see the day when nobody died

NickelBlack

Inception - Sell me your dreams...

2011-01-09T06:24:00.000-08:00

Atlast i managed to see the movie :) It was almost as if i was not destined to see it last year. I badly wanted to see it in theaters and tried so many times to get a ticket. But somehow or other the opportunity slipped away. And when i bought the DVD, my friend(grrrrr) took it away and it was with him for 3 4 weeks before i could finally lay my hands on it. By this time, i had got a fair idea of what the movie was all about and was sort of mentally prepared :) I sound as if i had prepared for a battle..still :) the hype that surrounded the movie and the reviews i read had raised my expectations for it..glad to say it didnt disappoint one bit.

Kudos to the director who is also the writer for conceiving such a complex idea and yet presenting it as simple as it deserves to be. I wont say its a movie which you can enjoy munching over a popcorn. You might rather forget the popcorn while watching it if you get hooked into it. There are so many incidents happening per frame that, even if you miss a scene or a dialog here and there, it might throw you off course. That i feel, might be a dampener in an otherwise excellent story. Way too many things have been packed towards the end. And the last few scenes leaves a lot many things for the viewer to make their own assumptions. That it could have multiple endings in itself is a triumph for the writer/director.

Now for the story :) What does a tired body do to relax? if the answer is sleep..well the movie just makes sleeping scarier. Especially if you are a hotshot guy with so much riding on your decisions. The hero(or should i say the lead character? there are so many gray shades to this character that its almost villainous, but for DiCaprio's performance) enters into peoples dreams and steals the innermost secrets of the victims. He even goes one step better and implants his thoughts on others. He takes up such an assignment and whether he succeeds in that or not forms the story. In the process, he has his own demons in mind to fight against. A word on the visual effects- STUNNING. The camera works as the eye of the director and captures his mind in visuals.

Everyone who sleeps has dreams. And at times the dreams are so realistic that its hard to believe whether we are awake or asleep. The director takes this crux and has woven an absolute delight of a tale around it. Just like how we pinch to bring ourselves to reality there is a totem concept in the movie. There is nothing much to describe the movie. You've to see it to believe it. Its not a movie you can enjoy with a wavering mind. For its a movie about the wavering mind. Mysterious are the power of human mind and that is brought out in all its glory in the movie. I always felt memories are cannibalistic in nature. They feed over themselves and get erased if we not care for them. The movie creates a scare for the security of the secrets one has locked in the dark confines of their mind.

Gils verdict: Deception never sounded so sexy and sleep so scary. Awesome movie. If it doesnt win this year's screenplay oscar..i would feel more disappointed than the director himself.

News sans sense

2011-01-04T08:54:00.000-08:00

I have been noticing this similarity for a while now. Every year, Jan 1st newspaper page one, would be majorly covered with all the disasters and death news of the previous day. Atleast news kedaikalaina, ivangaly vandi eduthutu poitu accident panitaachum atha front pagela potruvanga nenakren.

"Vizhuppuram arugil payanigal peruthu marathil mothiyathu"

Athaan perlaye vizhupuramnu irukulla..driver paathu otirukanum. Paakama oatti vizhunthaprum news aadichinu varutha patta epdi.

"Tanker lorryum Vanum mothi kondathil pathu per bali"

There exists no newspaper which doesnt boast of this particular news. Right from "Daily thanthi" to "Daily Bugle" this is a "HAS-TO-BE-THERE" news. If you are not printing this news, it means your paper is not worth it. Your reporters are cheating on you. Even if such a travesty doesnt happen, its your "pathirgai dharmam" to print this news.

YUCK.

OOrla thousand and 5 nalla news irukarachay saavu news mela namma journalistsku en ivlo aasai nu GOK. Ofcours..accident matter is serious and has to be conveyed. Aana atheye maathi maathi front page newsa poatu athoda importanceay podichi.

And more festive the occasion is, more morbid the news would be. Yen intha kola veri. Oru vela nalla naalu mela kannu patrumnu irukumo?? Inimay newspaperlalaam..Internation..national..sports..sectionsoda...accidents nu oru sectionum poda solanum. Oorala olagathula nadakara athana accidents pathina newsum (neria peroda marriage utpada) antha sectionla thaan cover panannumnu law pass pananum. Front page should definitely be devoid of any morbid news, other than show stoppers. Kaalangaathala paper paatha etho funeral poitu vantha effect varuthu. Newsa maathungappa. Mudiala.

Devil wears Allen Solly

2011-01-02T07:46:00.000-08:00

"My personal life is hanging by a thread, that's all. Nigel"
"Oh, join the club. That's what happens when you start doing well at work, darling. Let me know when your whole life goes up in smoke. That means it's time for a promotion"

The above lines from the movie "Devil wears Prada" sums up the life of any corporate worker with a tinge of ambition to move up the ladder. This is taken to a totally new extreme in Indian MNC's. Officially, on paper, they preach work life balance and all those politically correct words. But if at all anyone really puts such things in practice they are frowned upon. Working beyond office hours is something which is taken for granted and anyone who leaves on time is seen as one with no workload. However fast you are in getting your job done and however smart you are in the way you work, "Smart worker" exists as truly as "Tooth Fairy" in corporates. Its always the "Hard worker"..the slogger..who hogs the lime light.

This comes more into prominence during appraisal times, when the management conveniently hides behind the blanket that, they have to give preference to the person who has put in long hours and have to reward him as he has been "selfless"ly slogging compared to the smart worker who got his work done on time. I came across a scene when a fellow colleague was asked not to leave office early because he was creating a bad influence amongst the team. When he countered saying that, he is moving out only after completing his work, the reply came was, those who want to leave early, wouldnt bother to note that, but would only point out the exit time, and since it had reached revolting proportions , the damager had no other option but to intervene. The colleague argued that why can't the other guys follow his positive example and get their jobs done on time. The response was unrealistic deadlines for that person who was forced to stretch beyond the office hours. It was hardly a surprise that he quit very soon after that.

There is a scene in the movie "Anniyan" when Vikram would complain to the TTR in train that the quality of food served was pathetic and he want to know the authority to take it up with. The guy would coolly reply that, railways being such a big network, it would take months to locate the correct contact and even if located he would point fingers and the place where the buck stops, the guy would simply apologise and would promise to get it corrected soon. He would ask Vikram do you want to spend months in extracting that simple apology. The same holds good in these scenarios too.

Ask any corporate guy whether he is willingly stretching himself to meet his deadline, unless he is a bachelor, staying with his roomies and want to enjoy free A/c and net connection, the reply would be a resounding No in majority of the cases. No one wants to slog unnecessarily. Still its almost considered a taboo subject to be broached. If someone has the guts to raise this as an issue, immediately they are seen upon as people who are unwilling to take up more responsibilities and almost as a pariah. No one actually is willing to take the responsibility for those unrealistic deadlines and the finger pointing goes all the way up to the client. I am sure no client would want a bad quality product in less time and spend more money on getting the post delivery support rather than accepting a quality product with a tad bit more time. Everyone accepts this conventional commonsense but buries them in the name of competitiveness.

If at all i can change something i would want to begin 2011 by changing this attitude. I am sure its akin to drying up an ocean with a teaspoon. But i can see more people willing to take the spoon and try. We have aped lot of things from the Westerners in managing our business. Lets try to get one more thing corrected before the call for IT unions reach a deafening proportion.

This is an industry i've grown to admire for the sense of maturity it brings with it in dealing with situations and its effect on the individuals of the industry in their personal life too. I would go on a limb and say IT has done more to female empowerment than all the other industries put together. It has made the aggressive male tone himself down and behave bit more measuredly with the ladies in his life and has injected a sense of self belief and righteousness in the ladies in dealing with their own life. But because of totally unacceptable reasons its slowly creating a whole lot of individuals rather than a society of people. Its an industry still at a very nascent stage, where in i am yet to see lot many people who started with a career in IT and retiring from it. Of course the retiree batches have slowly begun, but the amount of change the industry has gone through, there hardly qualify a full fledged representative who can answer for all sections of the industry. If at all there exist such a person would love to have a chat with him on what he feels about this issue.

P.S: The first post i read for this year was "Thalai"s post. So i would blame this mokkai to be influenced by him :)

Re-wind to future..

2010-12-26T07:08:00.000-08:00

As the first decade of the new millennium ticks towards closure, took a minute to turn back at the time traveled. Luckily 50% of those moments are captured right here in blogs ville itself.

I weigh the same weight i was in 2001 :) Feels worthwhile to mention it here since there was a 15 Kg drop in weight few years back.

I am back in the city where i started my career. Being NRC (non residential Chennaiite) for most part of my career this again felt noteworthy.

The people i befriended 10 years back, i still hang around with them. Feels nice to have a familiar bunch around and thankful for those poor souls for still bearing with me :) semma stamina i should say :)

I am back to 15hrs a day work schedule. Feels nice to have the deadlines whooshing over head and the pressure hours are well and truly back :)

I still go to the same saloon for haircut. Though the rates have tripled in ten years, happy that i still have enough hair to retain my grisly look :)

I am still unpunctual and lack the basic sense of time and prejudiced against formal dress wear as i was ten years back. Nothing to be proud of, still proves one proverb on dog's tail :)

This year has been a more fulfilling one and at times wish it had more days than 365. I read all the books i wanted to read. Saw all the movies i wished to see. Went to those places i wanted to visit and moved to jobs which i wanted to do. I was never content and the year was kind enough to satisfy my wants, however silly they were :)
I usually put my year end post 4 5 weeks in advance :) This time was still contemplating on jotting down the year ending post wishing to prolong it a bit more.

If i had to pick some best moments of this year, i would pick that Sunday, when my friends kids, sitting on my lap, had their ears pierced. I was a proud uncle that day and as long as they have ears they would curse me for the pain :)

Next best moment came in today morning when my neighbour's kid came to me to get my details added in her scrapbook :) In a span of 2 weeks, i've improved from uncle to anna to "vaadaa podaa" friend for those twins who are in their 5th standard :)

As per my permanent new year resolution, made few interesting friends this year too and some of them turned out to be bit more special than i wud've imagined :) When i was talking to a senior manager in my office, he asked me what i want to be in 5 or ten years time. I usually dont plan that far ahead and even if i do set some targets, i never fix any timeline with it, considering my penchant for punctuality :) This year has given me confidence to set slightly bigger targets. It has reaffirmed my faith in the fact that, happiness or sadness are never individual prone. If there is a sad event in family, no one can celebrate their success and the converser is true too. Our lives are interconnected and it always will be.
So, here are THE best wishes for a more happy, more eventful, more prosperous and more friendly new year. Special cheers to G3, Erudhu ,Rice, Ram, Subbanna, cassatta and all those bloggies who would be celebrating their Thala new year in 2011. May all our dreams come true :)

Praise the lord :)

2010-12-19T09:03:00.000-08:00

"I know you are tense. But you are never gonna be this tense ever again. So enjoy the moment."

These lines could've been right on top of the best one liners in hollywood movies. Sure as tomorrow's sunrise, the listener knew that he had heard the best advice he can ever get on a battlefield. The words did their magic and today the listener answers to the call of Virendar Sehwag. And the little big man who uttered those pearls, has just completed his 50th test ton. Of all the praises and paeans showered on him..this one by one of his several million fans, i feel, is the best.

"Commit all your crimes when Sachin is batting.They will go unnoticed because even the Lord is watching"

When he arched back and raised his bat to the heavens for the 50th time in 20 years of test cricket..it was almost as if in a silent plea to God..."when are you going to send in the showers". And God duly obliged..a tad late by which time Dhoni and Bhajji are already gone :(

Memo to GOD: If it rains tomorrow in SA and if the match gets drawn..i promise i wont eat ice cream for the next hmmm...till this year end. Please dont make this effort go in vain. Tragedies may suit the Greek. I am Indian and i want a happy ending.

Solladi sivagaami

2010-12-05T07:54:00.000-08:00

"Ivar jaadagha padi...ipo time OOHOOO nu iruku. Adutha konja kaalathuku sooper time. Athukaprum thaan time konjam nalla ila. Athuku sila pala parigaaram panni palagaaram panna saria poidum"

Idhu namakkay teriaatha...itha oruthan solli kekarathukaga oruthan kita poganuma!!

Been hearing this standard dialog for the past umpteen years that i can recite them by heart and even put on a better modulation and who knows might sound convincing too for a bakra or two :)

The fact that mine is a horrorscope is well established. Everytime when i see or hear news of a new planet discovery i would feel like "Duh. They should've checked for it in my horrorscope". I believe people got a good chance of discovering newer planets just by putting my doc under microscope rather than craning their neck upwards to the sky. It got all the constellations and galaxies lurking in it and somehow all is not hunky dory amidst them. At times its lord Rahu or Kethu but all credit to lord Saturn. He is so fond of the boxes in my sheet that he keeps changing the box every once in a while. I was always the invisible student in the class who hardly made any noise. So classroomlayum sari..kattathulayum sari...Guru kandukkarathay illa. Marsla i am not sure if they've found conditions for live forms to survive but in my doc all are hale and healthy. Maybe if the NASA guys can decrypt it they mite even unearth clues about aliens from it.

And my horrorscope has so many doshams that agila ulaga josiyars have decided to honor one dosham with my name. Gils dosham. Idhu irukara makkal overa mokka poduvangalaam. Characterisation kooda ready panitaanga. Ithuku parigarama..gilsku chocolate maalai poatu..every friday pizaa vaangi kudutha saria poidumnu solla solliruken.

A typical conversation between the aye sayers and nay sayers would go like this i guess.

"How come the same horoscope for a person gets differnt opinions and predictions from different josiyars? isnt it proof enough to say its all a farce?"

"Dude..same teacher..same syllabus..same teaching. Aana examla not every one passes or gives same answer. You go to docs to get treatment. Why only a few docs are called kai raasi while others arent? Each one has his/her own flavour. ovvoru manushanukum oru feeling machi"

(on a totally different note..i believe there are no choice questions in MBBS course. Ilaati yosichi parunga.. thalai vali pathina kostin tuffa iruku solitu choicela vittu pass aana doctor kita treatmentku pona...Sorry baas..antha kostin naan padikala..athuku badila fever treatment thaan padichen..venumna antha tablets tharattanu keta...ennathuku aagarathu?!!! sila pala doctors intha kostina kekama aana treatment athey mathiri tharangarathu vera matter)

Nothing against the kattams or those believe in that. Still.. as long as i dont understand the logic behind it, it all looks and sounds so ...hmm...is there a decent word for scam?

Akkadaanu naanga udai poatta..

2010-12-02T05:00:00.000-08:00

Than muyarchiyil satrum manam maaratha Vikramaathithan mathiri Gils enters office sharp at 10.30 for 9.30 shift. Damager looks at Gils and sighs (the exhaust air includes wildest of swear words which cant even be represented by all the wild characters in keyboard and finally ends with "ivan ethana thadava sonalum timeku varamaataan so tholayuthu").

"Gils..inniki enna day?"

"Today aapicer"

"Ketrukavay koodathu..adaii daii daii...inniki enna daaayyyy"

Damagera kaalangaathala azha uda venaam solitu "Monday aapicer"

"Monday anniki potukitu vara dressa ithu? Saaku mootaiya pirichi vitta mathiri oru pant. Chessboardla rangoli veladina mathiri oru sattai. Unnalaam roadla naai thoratharathaalaa thaan nee intha timekaachum office vara nenakren"

"Aapicer..intha dressku enna kurachal aapicer"

"Ellaamay jasthi..arent u aware of dress code?"

"Kodu poata dress neria iruku aapicer..atha solreengala"

"Adi vaanga pora maganay"

"No kovams aapicer. Less tensun more work. More work less tensun"

"HR kannula sikkara anniki irukudi unaku"

"Aapicer nangalaam Yoooooth aapicer. Iskooloda intha uniform podra kodumailaam over nu nenacha..inum ipdi dress codunu penal code poata epdi aapicer"

"Client vantha enna nenapaan"

"Dress nallarukay Indian traditional costumenu neanpaan"

"Velayadatha gils. Be serious. Naalilenthu ozhunga formalsla varalainaaa..."

"Veetuku anupiduveengala aaapicer..haiaaa"

"Waitees...Loss of pay poatu veetuku anupiduven"

"Aiayago..enna kodumai...seri..try panren"

Nextday @ opice:

Damager gives that same villain look seein gils entering opice at 10.45.

"Saaree aapicer. Neenga sonna mathiri costume theda konjam time aidichi"

"Ithu thaan unga oorla formalsa?"

"Enna aapicer.."neer thaan jackson duraia" rangeku kekareenga. Ithu formals ilama ennathu?"

"Nike la epo formals poda arambichaanga"

"Neenga sattai pantku thana soneenga..shoeku solalaye nethu..."

"Karumam..poi tholai.."

Nextday:

"GIiiiiiiillllllllsssssss"

"Y tension aapicer"

"Enna kolam ithu"

"Opicer..neenga sollamaye naan oru vela panitu vanthiruken. Tie poatukitu vanthiruken parunga. Paaratuveenga paatha..thitreengalay"

"Tie ya thupatta mathiri poatu why maanatha vangara"

"Katta therilaye opicer..athaan differenta try panen"

"Kitta vaa..naan oradiya iruki thallidren..epovum vara mathiriye vanthu thola..maanam poguthu unnala"

"Thank you opicer"

Gils goes away humming "Vetri meethu vetri vanthu ennai serummmm"

I hate this concept of dress code. Somehow being punctual and coming in formals are two things which can never be programmed into me. And more the insistance on dress code more creative my dressing sense becomes :D Finala things are back to normal now :D

Wall street 2

2010-11-30T07:46:00.000-08:00

It was a typical english movie watch for me. "Dhool" padathula vivek solra mathiri vaaaya polanthutu paathuturnthen, without understanding half the dialogs. This movie would be best reviewed by Thalai ramesh i believe :)

I've seen "Wall Street - 1" with equal enthusiasm as preparing for my physics exams. All i could remember was "Greed is good" and Michael Douglas. This movie has its share of punch lines too..best being "Greed is not just good..its legal now". Years after, i am proud to say, i retain the same sense of (mis)understanding for share market and capitalism. This may be one of those movies i've ever seen without understanding more than half the dialogs. I would like to believe that the Americans at least would be able to relate to the lingo used in it much better than me.

The movie has interesting set of characters. None of them are totally good or totally bad. You simply can't love or hate anyone in the movie. It has got an interesting storyline where in the nice guy from scene one becomes bad in scene ten and the victor in one scene becomes vanquished in another. The story has the recent wall street meltdown as the backdrop and the story writer has tried to cleverly put in some human elements in it. But they stand out like sore thumb and never look more out of place when compared to the backdrop. But bereft of these the story would've been as dry as chennai water pumps in summer. The ending couldnt have been more cinematic.

There is a voice over scene which wonders on what is insanity and compares it with share market and people who invest on trust. I feel its legalised banking at its best and is a breeding ground for greed. People dont believe in god but put their faith on peice of paper which they believe will increase in its worth and will make them rich. They throw good money after bad and for them its all a game. Pity its these guys who decide the fate of the zillion others who are content in watching these guys play around with their money. At times i feel compelled to join the game. But sanity has prevailed till now. But bereft of options for an alternate source of income, who knows..in twenty years time..there might be a movie called "Dalal street" with a character called Gilsu :) Padam odutho ilayo..adi vangarathuku minna i the apeet :)

Two songs to cheer you up..

2010-11-28T01:10:00.000-08:00

Two songs are set to rule the radio waves in coming times. Two totally contrasting genres but the result is same - an awestruck feeling which transports you to your happy place right from the first chord.

I usually avoid new songs and would bother to give them a try only after reading the review. But fell for this one hook line and sinker right from line one. Infact after the first stanza was having a worrying feeling about how the song is going to continue and whether will it match the expectation set at the first para, when i was hearing it for the first time. I feel this song has a strong impression of "Kurai ondum illai kanna" song. Here are the lyrics for u. Song ketutu solunga how u felt nu :) Have made the para's which were most impressive in BOLD. Its from the movie "Mandhira punnagai" by Karu palaniappan. Even the movie review sounds offbeat. Should give it a try.

enna kurayo enna nirayo
edherkum naan undenbaan kannan
enna thavaro enna sariyo
edherkum naan undenbaan kannan

enna vinayo enna vidayo
adherkum naan undenbaan kannan
adherkum naan undenbaan kannan
enna kurayo enna nirayo
edherkum naan undenbaan kannan

nandrum varalam theedhum varalam
nanban poley kannan varuvaan
valiyum varalaam vaattam varalaam
varudum viralaai kannan varuvaan

ner kodu vattam aagalam
nizhal kooda vittu pogalaam
thaaladha thunbam nergayil
thaayaga kannan maaruvaan

avan varuvaan kannil mazhai thudaippan
irul vazhhigalile pudhu oli vidhaippan
andha kannanai
azhagu mannanai
dhinam paadi vaa
varudhey

undu enalaam illai enalaam
iradum kettu kannan sirippan
inaindhu varalaam pirindhum tharalaam
uravai poley kannan iruppaan

pani moottam malayai moodalaam
vazhi kettu paravai paadalaam
pudhiraana kelvi yaadhilum
vidayaga kannan maaruvaan

olinthiruppan
engum nirainthiruppan
avan isai mazhaiyaai
ennai udan inaippaan

andha kannanai
kanivu mannanai
dhinam paadi vaa
malarey

Second one was another lucky listen like the previous one. "Whos the hero" from Manmadan Ambu. Andrea (aairathil oruvan, pachai kili muthu charam heroine) has the best strike rate for hit songs in recent times. Whatever she sings are becoming chart busters and this is one song where she has really let loose her wild self. I can bet, you can't sit in one place and listen to this song. Semma energy and so contagious :) highly mood uplifting song. Chk this one also and let me know how you feel.

P.s: thalaiye ketutaaru..so here is the link Mandhira Punnagai

Literala translate pannala..irunthalum theme convey agara(??) maathiri oru attempt..
For those who can't follow tamil.

I am in loss
I am in gain
I am in Joy and
I am in Pain

I am in problem
I am in solution
I am in dormant and
all things in motion

I am the sadness
in times of pain
I am the gladness
which mind attain

I am the confusion
in times of chaos
I am the clarity
amidst all pathos

I am the straightness
in all the curves
I am in the lifeblood
through your nerves

I am the shadow
in the dark
I am the grass blades
all in the park

I am the beginning
in the end
I am the straightness
in the bend

I am in the single
grain of sand
I am the rocks in
the mountain land

I am the rain drop
in the ocean
I am the plenty in
all the ration

I am in life
I am in death
I am the experience
all life bequeath.

Think i am odd
You people call me God.

P.S.S: pakkathu veetu paapa...abcd ongappan thaadi nu paaditrunthichi...athoda inspiration thaan intha rhymes :D

Thonthiran - part 2

2010-11-11T09:29:00.000-08:00

Pasigaran and CHITHAPPA robot goes to the robotic meet. Pasi asks robot to introduce itself.

"Hi I'm CHITHAPPA. Breakfastuku 10 idly. Lunchku full Andhra meals"

All the other scientists in the meet complain to Pasi even before he could begin the demo.

"Mr.Pasigaran..mariyathaiya itha ingenthu thookitu poidunga..ilaati akku vera aani veraya naangalay itha udaichiduvom"

"Enga..ennachu?"

"Unga kooda irukkara antha janthu..enga lunch box elaam gaali pannidichi. Ozhungu mariaathaia engellaarukum lunch vaangi thaanga"

"Dei CHITHAPPA..enda ipidi maanatha vaaangara"

"Avanga thaan doctor sonaanga. Avangalala saaptu seiyara oru vishyam ennala mudiathu nu. Athaan naan irukara ellar lunchaiyum saaptutu try panni paathen. Evlo try panalum varala doctor"

"aiaiaao...ennatha try panna"

"Yeppam vida thaan..neenga enna nenacheenga. Am i missing any other skill"

"Mada robo..Yeppam vidarathelam skillada"

Jury members from the conference reject CHITHAPPA because he doesnt know how to Burp.

Kadupula veetuku vara Pasigaran decides to teach the robot all aspects of gastric problems.

Blackboardla Poondu, mochakoattai lenthu Jelucil syrup varaikum ellathaiyum power point slidesa poatu solli tharar Pasigaran. Apdiyum CHITHAPPA ku purinja mathiri therila. In comes Sadha.

"Enna Pasi panreenga?"

"Intha mada Robo va paru Sadha..enna sonanlum ithu mandaila era maatenguthu"

"Unga slideslam paatha mandaila erara matter pathi mathiri terilaiye" apdinu Sadha solitrukum boathu oru differentaana sound varuthu.

Pasi gets anxious and searches everywhere for the source of the noise. Suddenly Sadha exclaims. "Pasi intha sound CHITHAPPA kitenthu thaan varuthu"

"Wooohoo...CHITHAPPA eppam vitutaru. Itha vachu conferencela naan jeiyichiruven" nu Pasi jumps with joy.

Sadha takes CHITHAPPA to her home. Anga micham meethi vaikamaa samaichi vachiruntha ella itemsaiyum the robot finishes off in one sitting. Sadha's amma gets wild and shouts that "Un oruthiku samaichi podrathay mudila..ithula ithu veraya..kootitu po mudhulla"

Chithappa and Sadha goes to a park.

"Sadha..unkita onnu sollata..neeyum theeni pandaraam..so am i. Intha ulagathulaye thandathuku irukara renday peru thaan. Onnu nee..inonnu naan. Why shouldnt we get married i say?"

"Chithappa..amma saapadu unaku othukala nenakren. Jelucil saptia?" saying this she abruptly rejects Chithappa's proposal.

Chithappa feels heart broken and decides to teach everyone a lesson. He stealthily goes into Pasigaran's lab and clones himself.

Suddenly the Saravana Bhavan's, A2B's, Annapoorna's finds themselves under attack. Pasi seeing the kalebaram on tv rushes to the lab.

"Chithappa...enna ithu...engenthu ithana Chithappa vanthaanga??!!"

"Ivangalaama...ithu thaan naan first clone panna robot. So nomenclature padi onnu vitta Chithappa..athu rendu vitta chithappa...ipdi neria pera create panniruken"

"En chithappa en...un oruthan imsaiye thaangala...en idpi senja. Diwali athuvuma...oru hotel vidama ella shopsaium ivanga gaali panitrukaanga. Udanay stop pannu ivangala"

"Mudiaathu. Enakku Sadhava katti vai..naan stop panren"

"Ithuku un memory corrupt aakara computer virusa katti vaikka sollirukalam nee. Ennamo po..ekkedu ketu ozhinga. Mudhalla intha galattavelaam stop pannu"

"Dei...Ram...ennada olaritruka...enamo..chithappa periappa nu polambitruka...ethachum kanavu kandia??" Hearing his mom's voice Ram wakes up.

"Amma...en robot engamma"

"Robo va....unna solli kuthammilada...anju seconduku oru thadava ad poatu kolraanga paaru...Sun tv karana sollanum...poda po...mudhalla kulichitu va. Diwali athuvuma...ethana neram thoongitrupa"

:D SUBAM :D

Thonthiran - part 1

2010-11-06T09:23:00.000-07:00

Dr.Pasigaran is seen working on his robot. He barks out commands one by one.
"Idly..Dosai..Poori..Jaangiri"
For each command the robot goes correctly to the dish, picks them
"Sooper..kalakita" nu solli kittu irukum boathay the robot begins to eat the dishes "heyyy..heyy...unna identify panna mattum thaana sonen"
"Doctor..pasikuthu"
"Mada robo..unaku mandaiku keezha thonthi thaana?"
"Neenga thaana design paneenga doctor"

"Gara...dei...garaaaa...inumm ennada antha ithu pona lavatorila pannikitu iruka. Seekaram velila vaada..vayitha kalakuthu"

"Yo mom...how many times i've told u..enna "gara" "gara" nu koopdaathanu"

"Pasigarana surukki...Pasi pasi nu koopta veetla samaikaama kathi kitu irukomnu pakkathu veetu karangalaam nenachukarangalay..athaan gara gara nu calling...Enda unnoda robo va test panna edamay kedaikalaia? irukarathay oru toilet. Antha oosi pona robo ku saapaadu podra edamada athu... kandatha thinnutu paathi neram angaye settle aagidreenga rendu perum"

"Mother..enna pathi enna venumnaalum sollu..en kandupudippa pathi pesatha"

"Aaaama peria kandupudipu.. nethu olichu vachatha epdio thedi kandupudichitu ennamo ulaga maga discovery mathiri alatikara..antha karumatha enda toiletla vachiruka?"

"Naan panra experimentoda side effectsku antha edam thaan saria varum. Athaan. Amma...ithana naala soru vacha robo ku inum peru vaikala..nalla pera onnu sollen"

"Antha karumatha paathalay..oorla irukara unga chithappa thaan nyabgam varaaru..pesama atheye pera vachiru"

"Sooper..innilenthu..robo un peru "CHITHAPPA"..epdiruku?"

"Doctor..saria soru poda mateengareenga paatha peru vaikrathilayum sothapiteenga. Neenga enaku per vaikalanu naan azhuthena unga kita. Seri..tholaiyuthu..adjust pannikaren"

"dei gara...nee lavatoryla irunthapo unna thedi Sadha vanthaa. Romba neram wait panna. Nee velila vara mathiri terila..so kadupaaitu samachu vachirunthathaalam thinnutu poita. Athennada peru Satha sotha nu"

"Athuvamma..antha ponnu poranthathilenthu sadha ethayachum thinnukitay irukumaam. Athaan Sadhaa nu peru vachirukaanga avanga veetla"

Pasi calls Sadha.

"Sorry Sadha..u know very well tht to me my experiment comes first. Athaan una meet panna mudila"

"Vitrulam Pasi. Ithoda Vitrulam. I dnt think i can marry you."

"En sadha en?"

"Yoishci paru. After marriage en peru "Sadha Pasi" nu maaridum. Ipovay naan adikadi saapdrennu elarum complaining. Sadha pasi nu peru maaridichinna kekkavay venaam"

"Apo naan kuduthathelaam thirupi kudu"

"Etha solra..u mean those 592 kisses?"

"cha..athelam neye vachuka. Enga veetla naan ilathapo round katti thinurikiye..athukaana bill settle pannu"

Sadha kadupaagi thirumba..there she see CHITHAPPA robot sitting and munching Banana.
It goes near Sadha and introduces itself.

"Hi..i'm CHITHAPPA. Breakfastuku 10 idly. Lunchku full Andhra meals"

"Pasi..ithu yaru..un Sistera?"

"che..nalla paru..athu male. Ithu thaan naan pudusa senjirukara robot. Ithu peru CHITHAPPA..u know unna mathiriye eppo paaru thinukitay irukum"

"woww..waatta name..so cute. Itha naan en veetuku kootikitu pogatta? enga veetla nethu samaichathu neria meenthu poachu"

"oh sure. Aana itha velila vitratha..inum government approval vangala"

"Itha vachikitu enna panrathu pasi?"

"Indiala egapatta statesla ekkachakka festivals iruku. Ella customslayum mainana matter ennana varietyana dishes. Oru oru dishayum epdi sapadrathungarathula neria doubts iruku elarukum. Intha robotla entha dish epdi sapdanumnu naan "feed" panni vachiruken"

"Wooww...watta kandupudipu. So sweet"

"And kaaram too" winks Pasigaran.

(to be continued...)

Ninaivo oru paravai...

2010-11-05T10:07:00.000-07:00

"dei Ramu...en kannadiya enga vechen paathia?"
"oru naal paatha mathiri ithey pozhapa poachu...engayachum ethayachum vachida vendiathu..aprum theda vendiathu. Ethaiyum edutha edathula vacha thaana"
"Enda..vacha edam ethunu terinja un kita enda keka poren.Maranthu poachu nu thaana kekaren"
"Ellathiyum maranthiru..inum konja naalula paaru veetu addressa maranthutu vazhi theriama suthi kitu iruka pora. Enga ponalum pursela address vachitu po" ena nakkaladithan Ram.
"Nethu nejamavay vara vazhila theru per maranthutenda..Aprum mel veetu maamiya paathu avangaloda pesikitay veetuku vanthuten. Ipolaam marathi adigamaaidichi"
"Epovumay ethayachum poatu manasa kozhapikitay irukalla nee..athaan. Overa stress pannikaatha. Relaxeda manasa vachuko elaam automatica nyabgathula irukum. Seri naan officeku kelamabren. Kathava marakama thaapa potuko and saaptutu marakkaama mathirai potuko"

"Machi..Malar hospital doctor vanthu etho presentation kudukaraaram...polaam va" endru azhaithaan Siva. Iruvarum workshopiruku sendranar.

"Intha ulagathilaye kodumaiyana disease ethu nu sollunga papom"
Aids lenthu Cold varaikum anaithu noi galaiyum pattiyal ittanar workshop participants.
"Neenga sonnathelaam etho oru vithathula kodumaiayana noi thaan. Silathuku permanent cure iruku. Silatha control panna vazhi iruku. Neriathuku curey ila. Aana ithu elathilayum kodumaiyaana disease ethu na...Alzheimer's disease.

"Irandu manam vendum..iraivanidam ketten. Ninaithu vaazha ondru..maranthu vaazha ondru" nu cinema paatu onnu iruku. Intha disease vanthirukara patientsku antha mathiri oru setup iruntha romba vasathi. Intha diseasa en specifica kodumaiyaana diseasenu solrenna...Kashtam vara nerathula nenachu paathu santhosha pada ivangaluku nyabgangal irukaathu. Konjam konjama ellathaiyum maranthu poitu aduthavangala depend panni thaan avanga daily life irukum. Athuvum care taker seria amaiyalaina atha vida naraga vedhanai irukavay mudiathu. En kashtapadromngarathu teriamayae kashta paduvanga.

Usuala vayasangavalaku intha disease varathukkana chances romba jasthi. Intha mathiri daily vishayangala senjika kooda aduthavangala depend panni irukaravanga kitta naama romba porumaiya irukanum."

Antha doctor pesinatha athuku mela ketka mudiathavanai Ram veliye vanthaan. Andru kaalai avanga amma kita avan pesinathu ninaivukku vara.."oru vela ammakum intha mathiri problema irukumo" nu bayanthavaray veetuku sendraaan.

"Nooru aayusuda unaku. Unaku pudicha munthiri paruppu cake paniruken. Chinna vayasulenthu epo paru pudingi edupiye..ithu panalaina diwali celebrate panna maateenu adam pudippa munnalaam. Ippo thaan adhelam yosichikitay adupulenthu erakki vachen. Saapdria? ..Yenda..en azhara?? ennada achu?" endru pathariyavaaray visaarithaal amma.

Santhoshathirkaana kaaranam solla mudiyaamal kangalil kaneerodu sirithaan Ram.

Happy diwali folks :) Adutha postla meetaren.

Endhiran - review

2010-10-24T23:36:00.000-07:00

Kanden Enthiranai :) After almost a month since its been released, atlast managed to see the movie. The most awaited movie of the year become the most waited movie for me :) still no regrets. Had i seen it riding the hype wave, maybe i might have felt euphoric (another way of getting over the "iam-conned-lemme-grin-and-bear-it" feeling). Anyways, for the uninitiated (still biding their time to watch it) its not your typical Rajini movie. At the same time, to say that, had any one else, other than the big man, had donned the role, it wouldnt have been as effective, would be the understatement of the decade. I dont remember if Rajini had done a triple role before. Quite a few double acts for sure. But in this one, he really does manages to pull it off with elan. Each role, interstingly, well distinguished from other. Probably, that shows the amount of time Shankar must've had in shaping up the characters. He claims, he had this in cans for almost a decade now. And the effort shows in some places, like the robot while running horizontally stamps on the mouth of a guy who tries to spit from train and the scene where it slashes the corrupt traffic police's hand, which has the typical Shankar stamp on it.

Though i would still proclaim it as a Sujatha movie. The masters stamp is splashed all over it. I am more than reminded of the "Juno" character, created by Sujatha, by Chitti 1.0. Especially the last scene where it/he says "Naan oru joke sollatta" :) Sila dialogslaam Nachunu iruku. Like "Lovenu vanthuta Robotkum nut kazhandirum" and "Enna nakkala?..Illa Nickel. Boltlaam Nickella senjathu". I was literally laughing out loud for the second one. That exam scene where the robo helps aishu to bittu adichify, her reaction on getting caught and the robot's faithfullness in the following scene...to me thats the best scene in the movie :) Loved it. Period or should i say "dot". On the climax portion, touted as India's answer to Hollywood..well..the lesser said the better. Avlo onnum
impressivea ila. Infact, the graphics scores in many other scenes in the movie rather than the climax. Chitti 2.0 character allows Rajini to re visit his bad ass days and man!! he rocks. The body language and facial expression change menacingly. So different from chitti 1.0. Music looks good and sounds less so. Aish, though she comes throughout the movie, hardly registers her presence except for the 2 kissing scenes. Though in that mosquito bite scene, its again Rajini who steals the thunder.

This movie is a typical scifi masala movie. Infact, if scifi movies have to run
successfully, atleast the indian made ones, this movie would be a reference point on
managing the right mix. Shankar, though some touts him as the "James cameron" of India, manages to match him in budget and showmanship. A little bit of Speilberg-ness on the content side will help too :)

Sound of Love

2010-10-17T09:10:00.000-07:00

A master asked his disciples: ‘Why do we shout in anger? Why do people shout at each other when they are upset?’

the disciples thought for a while, and one of them said ‘Because we lose our calm, we shout for that.’ ‘But, why to shout when the other person is just next to you? ‘Isn’t it possible to speak to him or her with a soft voice? Why do you shout at a person when you’re angry?’ The disciples gave him some other answers but none satisfied the master.

Finally he explained: ‘When two people are angry at each other, their hearts distance a lot. To cover that distance they must shout to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout to hear each other through that great distance.’

Then the master asked: ‘What happens when two people fall in love? They don’t shout at each other but talk softly, why? Because their hearts are very close. The distance between them is very small…’ And he finally said: ‘When they love each other even more, what happens? ‘They do not speak, only whisper and they get even closer to each other in their love. ‘Finally they even need not whisper, they only look at each other and that’s all. That is how close two people are when they love each other.’

P.S: Found this as a note in FB. Loved it.

Open up

2010-10-13T09:02:00.000-07:00

Ever since i saw the ad for the first time..have been a big fan of this Nescafe song. Its a real peppy one and got nice tune to it too. Here goes the lyrics :)

You can be rich, with no money to spend.
You can do everything, when you understand.
You can be mother, when your are man.
Open up, you know that you can.

Open you eyes,
open your mind,
open your thoughts.
Don't stay behind.

Open up, open up

The key is inside you, to open your mind.
You know what is out there, your heartcan't be blind.
Open your eyes and open your mind.
Open your thoughts, don't stay behind.

Open you eyes,
open your mind,
open your thoughts.
Don't stay behind.

Open up, open up

You raise all the borders, and start in your head.
Open your mind, to thoughts ?
Open your eyes and open your mind.
Open your thoughts and don't stay behind.

Open you eyes,
open your mind,
open your thoughts.
Don't stay behind.

Open up, open up.