Variety is the spice of life

There used to be a time when I was literally jealous of my friends for having such a vibrant relationship with their cousins and extended families. One of my friends had a family setup literally like Vikraman movies. When her dad expired, the entire family comprising of her dad’s siblings and mom side siblings gathered to support her sisters and mom. Every function, be it simple or routine, mandatorily involved their family and they were not just supported but given utmost respect and care to the extent that she could settle abroad with her own family without having much guilt of leaving behind her mother. Another friend of mine used to have his cousins as his partner in crime when he goes for drinking/smoking or tasting nonveg items without the knowledge of their families. They played together, grew up together and stood for each other in times of need without even asking for or being conscious about it.  For them staying together and being there for each other is not a separate a...

Last week was a terrible one, with junior having a mishap in his class, leading to serious scare. What was initially thought as a mere hurt, became a major sense of worry as he cried nonstop post waking up as well. While the nervousness had already set in and was turning in to panic wondering which doctor will be available at so late in the evening, we had a sudden visitor at home. It was our long before neighbour’s daughter who had come to invite us for her dad’s 70th anniversary. Looking at the situation at home, she immediately dialed up the pediatrician she visits and got us appointment. With that location being an unknown place for us, along with her husband and 2 kids, they accompanied us to the clinic, guided our auto to the right place, stayed with us the whole session. When it was recommended for a CT scan, her husband went home and brought his car for commuting us as it had started raining and since it was so late in the night, we might not get cab or auto. They stayed with u...

Recently came across an article that carried an alarming info about the ongoing summer season. It spook/spoke of a scenario called Wet bulb and mentioned that, at present rate, Chennai will become inhabitable for humans by next decade. Made me wonder what is this bulb thing that is going to give bulb to entire Chennai. Apparently, it was a serious matter, needing immediate and prolonged discussion with effective action.  The wet-bulb temperature is the lowest temperature that can be reached under current ambient conditions by the evaporation of water only. Even heat-adapted people cannot carry out normal outdoor activities past a wet-bulb temperature of 32 °C (90 °F), equivalent to a heat index of 55 °C (130 °F). It is estimated that beyond 35°C, a human body can no longer cool itself through perspiration. India is typically more humid than equivalently hot places, like the Sahara. This means sweating is less efficient, or not efficient at all. This year Delhi’s highest Wet bulb te...

Recently, saw a movie called “Missing” on Netflix. It came as a recommendation from the app basis my preferences and watching behaviour and was also on my eyeline across several reviews. First few minutes, it felt like better version of “Blairwitch project” with a video being played. While I was about to lose interest and switch, the movie began to pick pace. It went on a decent pace and quite soon you get caught up in the kidnapping mystery that dawns on you suddenly. What follows next makes you wonder at the concept of privacy and how much our life is being monitored, knowingly and unknowingly. The girl on camera chases behind her mother’s whereabouts with the help of Google and several other tools that helps you to track the timeline of visits and journeys made by the person. All you need is a phone with a decent data plan!! The ease with which the girl hacks into her mother’s boyfriend’s profiles across several apps where he happens to have either the same email ID/PWD or same secu...

Last week CSK lifted its 5th IPL title, equaling the record set by MI. The way the final happened over 3 days, starting so late in the night, stretching onto early hours of the next day, was an event in itself. That the team managed to chase one of the largest targets ever set for an IPL finale, stretching it till the final delivery as per usual CSK template, there by shooting the BP levels of their followers is a script that is written, hopefully in heaven and not in any boardroom!! One thing that was noticeable across this edition was the unanimous support for MSD across the country. Irrespective of the home team, majority of the audiences came out to support MSD, and there by CSK, by wearing yellow jersey. Every match that CSK played, the stadiums looked jaundiced in yellow and by the time MS came to strike, the cellphones were ON in full glory as a flood of lights, competing with the flood lights installed. The audiences were moved emotionally and with lot of cues from DJ’s across ...