Just be yourself guys...

வெகு நாட்களாக இந்த தளத்தில் தமிழ் எழுத்துகளை பார்க்க வேண்டும் என போலவே இருந்தது. அது தான் இந்த தமிழ் பதிப்பு. இது நான் தமிழில் எழுதும் (தட்டும்) இரண்டாவது பதிப்பு. முதலாவது பெரும் சர்ச்சைக்குள்ளாகியது. இப்பொழுது எந்த எண்ணமும் இல்லாமல் தட்ட தொடங்கி விட்டேன்.

திடீரென்ற இந்த தமிழ் பற்று எனக்குள் மீண்டும் வருவதற்கு காரணம் பல விஷயங்கள், சில மனிதர்கள். எப்போதும் எனக்குள் இருக்கும் அந்த தமிழ் பற்றுக்கு காரணம் மூவர். முதல் நபர் இறந்தும் இறக்காமல் இருக்கும் மகாகவி சுப்ரமணிய பாரதி, இரண்டாவது, என்றும் இளமையாக இருக்கும் கவிஞர் வாலி. மூன்றாவது, எப்பொழுதும் புதிதாக முயற்சி எடுக்கும் கலைஞானி கமல்ஹாசன். கமலின் புதிய கவிதை ஒன்றே இந்த பதிப்பிற்கு தூண்டுதல் என்றால், அதில் ஆச்சிரியம் இல்லை.

ராவணனின் பத்து தலைகளும் பத்து விதமாக யோசிப்பது போல என் ஒரு தலை ஒரே நேரத்தில் யோசிக்கிறது. சில நேரங்களில் ராகங்கள் கூட பாடுகின்றன. ஒரு தலை ராகம்...! ராகம் உண்டாகும் பொழுதினிலும் கர்நாடகத்தில் தொடங்கி,ஹிந்துஸ்தானி மற்றும் மேல்நாட்டு மெட்டுகளுக்கு செல்கிறது. மண்டைக்குள் ஒரு ஜுகல் பந்தியே நடக்கிறது!

Nelly Furtado (Furtado என்று தமிழில் தட்டினால் கிட்ட தட்ட பரோட்டா என்று காட்டுகிறது Google Transliteration), Katy Perry போன்ற பெண்மணிகள் பட்டை கிளப்புகின்றனர். ஒரு பெண்ணின் ஆழ் மனதில் இருக்கும் உணர்சிகளை இப்பெண்மணிகள் பாடுகின்றனர். நமது கமல்ஹாசனும் அதையே பாடுகிறார்.

கலவி செய்கையில் காதில் பேசி

கனிவாய் மெலிதாய் கழுதை கவ்வும்

வெள்ளை பளிச்சிடும் பற்கள் வேண்டும்

குழந்தை வாயை முகர்வது போல

கடும் நாற்றமில்லாத வாயும் வேண்டும்

காம கழிவுகள் கழுவும் வேளையில்

கூட நின்றவன் உதவிட வேண்டும்

சமையலின் போதும் உதவிட வேண்டும்

சாய்ந்து நெகிழ்ந்திட திண்தோள் வேண்டும்

மோதி கோபம் தீர்க்க வசதியாய்

பாறை பதத்தில் நெஞ்சும் வேண்டும்

அதற்கு பின்னால் துடிக்கும் இதயமும்

அது இரத்தம் பாய்ச்சி நெகுழ்திய சிந்தையும்

மூளை மடிப்புகள் அதிகம் உள்ள

மேதாவிலாச மண்டையும் வேண்டும்

வங்கியில் இருப்பு வீட்டில் கருப்பென

வழங்கி புழங்கிட பணமும் வேண்டும்

நேர்மை வேண்டும் பக்தியும் வேண்டும்

எனக்கென சுதந்திரம் கேட்கும் வேளையில்

பகுத்தறிகின்ற புத்தியும் வேண்டும்

இந்த தமிழ் எனக்கு பிடித்திருக்கிறது...!ஒரு பெண் எழுதியது போலவே இருக்கின்றது இந்த கவிதை! எப்படி ஒரு பெண்ணாக இருந்து யோசித்திருப்பார் என்று யோசித்ததுண்டு. அந்த நேரத்தில் தான் ஒரு பழைய ஞாபகம் நினைவிற்கு வந்தது....

(ஆங்கிலத்தில் தொடறலாம் என நினைகின்றேன். எனக்கே இது கொஞ்சம் அதிகமாக தெரிகிறது... உங்கள பாத்தா எனக்கு பாவமா இருக்கு...)

While reading Kamal's lyrics I got reminded about Paulo Coelho's book Eleven Minutes. Its a novel on how Maria becomes a sex worker. Almost the entire book narrates the rumblings in Maria's mind. "I’m the one who should feel ashamed for being unable to arouse them, but, no, they always blame themselves" writes the author on behalf of Maria. Do read the book.

Here both the writers have written on the same plane. Feminism. When a female writes the same way either the book is banned or the writer is issued a fatwa! On the other hand, men have been better in expressing the feminism thinking inside them. And it doesnt mean they think like a lady.

There is this "Man" thing attached to men all the time. For ex: when women cry it is considered they are innocent and a man cries its considered he is weak, immature. Crying is a natural feeling of expressing depression without words. What is it to do with a male / female thing...! (The best is how girls perceive it...when you /me cry its that we are those weak poor individuals and they get moved when Shahrukh / Salman cries on screen...they are considered Macho)

This crying thing is just an example. A man is put an artificial pressure for the whole life surrounded the "act like a male" tag. Tony Porter explores this with reference to his own life. He shows how this mentality drummed into so many men and boys can lead to disrespect, mistreat, abuse women and each other. And his solution to this is break free the "man box". Check out what he has explored. Video Courtesy: TED

Just be yourself guys... When you feel to hit, hit it hard.

random thoughts

Krinav, Maya, Pranav, Aishwarya, Shivani are all my new friends. They are the ones who are going to represent the next generation. The GenX…!

It’s raining everyday in Chennai. The whole city is wet. This is the time supposed to be hot. Super Hot…! While I enjoy the rains I also think this is a result of climate change…! Delhi is also in the same condition.

Two very much important things in life: Food and sleep. We should never miss timelines for these both.

Sometimes, research kills. Few say drinking water is good for health and on the other side there is a report which says drinking too much of water has made a girl’s eye blind. So how much is this too much??

Indian cinema industry should try shooting action scenes and song sequences in 3D. they will definitely will attract audiences…!

Somehow I don’t like the IT industry although it gives me the money for the bread and butter every month! It drives everything around. It has taken away our lifestyle in the name of “opening up new avenues”

While I am geared up with my raincoat, the sun shines. When I am not, it pours heavy straight on my head. The _uck thing _ucks…!

Internet has on the other side created too much of problems. One of my friend, who is pregnant 2 months old was actually roughly said by her doctor,” Come to me if you will listen what I say or if you are the one who consults the Internet, then I am not the right person”. This doctor is a well experienced lady. Problem is with internet where there are too many opinions from every tom, dick and harry.

Dreams should become reality and reality should not fade like Dreams

What next?

Imagination

used to follow and Jikku’s blog long back. Imagination has no bounds and I think this is a wonderful way of doing it.

She had a series of posts in the title “I ask, you write”. She asks a question and the answers are written by the readers in their own imagination. A sample from that which I like the most…

Question 1: What happened when young Padmavathi was drawing water from the well to wash her clothes, early one Margazhi morning?

And the imaginations spread its wings as follows…This is the one which I enjoyed the most.

One morning when Padmavathi was drawing water from the well, she found Pettai Rowdy # 1 Govindarajulu inside the bucket! She dropped it at once and Govindarajulu went down and down and hit the bottom of the well with a “Nung” sound. His upper and lower teeth fused together and since then he has been fed intravenously. Pettai Rowdy # 2, Ragothaman Iyengar, who suggested this to Govindarajulu, now rules the roost.

After marrying Padmavathi, he is inviting all of you to a water drawing ceremony at the new well they dug in their house.

Imagination aka Fiction aka Dreams all fall in the same genre. It can be said that I am inspired to write fiction from this also. Even after 4 years I was able to remember and find the site and the post in the first attempt. Such was the post!

FWD:

Few fwd: jokes for the fast forward life...Enjoy...

1. Two men went into a diner and sat down at the counter. They ordered two sodas, took sandwiches out of their packs and started to eat them. The owner saw what was going on and approached the men. "You can't eat your own sandwiches in here," he complained. The two men stopped, looked at each other, and then swapped their sandwiches.
2. The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The nun made a note, "Take only one, God is watching." Moving through the line, to the other end of the table, was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies. One of the boys wrote a note, "Take all you want, God is watching the apples."
3. Psychiatric Hotline If you are obsessive-compulsive, please press 1 repeatedly. If you are co-dependent, please ask someone to press 2. If you have multiple personalities, please press 3, 4, 5, and 6. If you are paranoid-delusional, we know who you are and what you want. Just stay on the line so we can trace the call. If you are schizophrenic, listen carefully and a little voice will tell you which number to press. If you are manic-depressive, it doesn't matter which number you press. No one will answer.
4. The manager of a large office noticed a new man one day and told him to come into his office. "What is your name? "" Was the first thing the manager asked the new guy. ""John,"" the new guy replied. The manager scowled, ""Look, I don't know what kind of a mamby-pamby place you worked at before, but I don't call anyone by their first name! It breeds familiarity and that leads to a breakdown in authority. I refer to my employees by their last name only -- Smith, Jones, Baker -- that's all. I am to be referred to only as Mr. Robertson. Now that we got that straight, what is your last name? ""The new guy sighed and said, ""Darling. My name is John Darling. "" ""Okay, John, the next thing I want to tell you is... ""
5. A newsboy was standing on the corner with a stack of papers, yelling, "Read all about it. Fifty people swindled! Fifty people swindled! " Curious, a man walked over, bought a paper, and checked the front page. Finding nothing, the man said, "There's nothing in here about fifty people being swindled. " The newsboy ignored him and went on, calling out, "Read all about it. Fifty-one people swindled! "

HunDreams

Inception is an intelligent movie which never lost the pace throughout.  The story line is easily predictable given the point that thousands of reviews are written about even before it is released.  Usually, I look more on the technical aspects of any movie.  Inception made me concentrate more on the script.

And this movie has incepted an idea in me.  We never remember the dreams we had while in our sleep.  What if we remember!?  Sometimes while a dream is on, I know that I am in a dream.  Intriguing..!

My new blog “Dreams Unlimited” attempts to capture few of those.  The ones we dream while sleeping and also while awake.  It is difficult to remember dreams everyday!  The fact we attempt to remember it, fades it or we never dream too.  And also we cannot re member all the parts of the dream!  Hence, with the hollywood, bollywood, kollywood, tollywood, mollywood and sandalwood masala mixed together here is my new blog “Dreams Unlimited” addressed as http://hundreams.blogspot.com 

HunDreams can be taken as Hundred Dreams or even Hunting Dreams.  Whatever, almost everything will be fictitious written for a good read.  No copyrights and every one of you are welcome to incept their idea in me so that I can write them about.  Actually, our dreams are not ours alone.  We are not ourselves too.  So generosity helps… hee hee…

http://hundreams.blogspot.com


Enjoy your time.

It’s a clueless life

No one said life is easy. But why has it to be tough?

Right from birth to death, an individual has various kinds of needs which never end. Looking back from this day, we can never believe ourselves on how many days have passed by! What have we achieved, how much satisfaction in mind, how many people are around us when we really need them!!??

Change is the only permanent thing in this world. Everything else keeps on changing. If we love something today and it’s going to change tomorrow, then why do we put our heart and soul into it knowing about the change? Relationships are most crucial in our lives which makes the difference and alas…, these relationships are the worst affected. I don’t have all those so called “best” friends with me. A kid recently asked me “Who is your best friend?” I couldn’t answer. Probably I don’t know how to categorize. Or be it love or a relationship with mom, dad or brothers or relatives! Everything changes. The equation in relationships keeps changing and it takes a toll on people’s lives.

There are so many one liners to inspire and motivate. But reality is far different that they don’t last more than a day. Most of them are silly! I myself keep saying “Everything happens for the best” and now I had given up it on myself. All those one liners evolve from a feel of loss or while our lives are on a high. Otherwise this truly has nothing to do with our daily lives more than that minute we read it.

In a way, we live an imaginary life by perceiving and fooling ourselves that everything will pass on. When we get over one loss, the next comes in a different form and the chain is intact till the last day of our lives. It’s full of compromises on our own personality. We really aren’t ourselves. We don’t have an originality of our own. We see, hear, perceive from those and incept ourselves into a world of prejudices and live in the name of “living to the fullest”.

I don’t understand it. Or probably I don’t know to live or I knew or I have become dumb or probably this has become my nature. Every time you put your best to move on, there is something to make sure you are brought down and stamped! And one fine day, you are dead. What have we done in the past years, what are we going to do, what is that we have accomplished till now and for what??

Study, earn, get married, raise kids, retire, die..! During all these phases of life, what is permanent and lasts from day one to last? Parents? Siblings? Kids? Friends? our Love, Interests, Passion? Materials? Nothing of this stays with us. Then what is life, what and where is the reason to live? Or to make my dumb head understand, what is this “living” mean?? I am sure that in future, I shall regret a lot about today and not to be unusual, that day I shall put myself under this clueless cloud of “this is how life is and we got to embrace it” and carry on. And today I just close all my senses and make a living with what I get.

Let some light fall on my dumbness to life and let me write an inspiring post which shall last for a day or two.

കേരളം - கேரளம் - Keralam

When Madras got changed to Chennai, I neither supported nor was opposed to it, but I continued to use the name Madras wherever I could. Even now in some conversations I use the name Madras. It gives a sense of nostalgia of the city. Same with Bombay and Calcutta!

Now, it’s the turn of a state to get it renamed. Kerala to “Keralam”! I am in full support of this name change. Kerala is also good but “Keralam” is too good. I am not a Malayalee but Malayalam is a language which I like most after my mother tongue Tamil. Kerala, the state, its people, and the language connect with nature and there is something the way they speak which represents the rich culture and the evergreen nature of the state. The name “Keralam” sounds closer to it than Kerala.

Read somewhere that a Kerala Travel Association official had spoken against this name change as this will not attract tourists. And another reason he states against the name change is that tourists are finding it difficult to pronounce the new names. He had cited Trivandrum changed to “Thiruvananthapuram”. To me Thiruvananthapuram sounds beautiful.

My question to him would be how easy for him is to pronounce “Braunschweig”, “Kaiserslautern” and other European city names!? It’s not the tourists who build a place and preserve the culture right!?

Altogether, both my thumbs up for Kerala getting its new beautiful name “Keralam”. Wish I could have known to write this post in Malayalam.

I-T

Wonderful! This is the 5th consecutive year I file my tax returns and 4th consecutive year I do it online. It was when I learnt about filing online I came to know about the tax policies and other few stuff related to it. Till that I was a complete zero in it.

Now people ask me how to do it and I too keep telling and teaching people on how to file online. This year I have supported 3 people to do it online :)

The best thing in that is we know our stuff. Most of us are salaried people and that makes it simple to file the returns. The major portion of it is filling up the ITR-1 and the Form 16 is exactly the replica of it. Moreover, if returns are filed online, the refunds get processed quickly. I have got mine! I am not just writing it, have really got it. What else do I need to support this utility by GOI! It’s a wonderful site on the e-governance intitiatives.

Sorry...wrong number...

Sometimes a stupidity turns to be funny and vice versa too.

Being in Mumbai and wanting to get my return ticket booked, I called up a colleague sitting in Bangalore to get the travel desk contact number. Dialing the number, a girl picked up. I started telling my requirements. There was a pause on the other side and I heard “wrong number”. And she hung the call.

I checked the number I had dialed. It was right! Telling my colleague about this he felt strange. He is a frequent traveler and dials the number to the travel desk every time! I thought probably the team would have shifted to a new building and tried a possible new number. No response! I again dialed the first number and it was the same hello. This time I responded “Travel Desk…?”

She: No, sorry. This is not travel desk!
Me: Sorry

And I hung the call. My colleague tried the same number and he got through and asked me to try again. I felt hesitating. I had to return another call to Bangalore office and thought I will make this call and then dial the travel desk again. Dialed and the response was “The number doesn’t exist…” I thought something wrong with making calls to my Bangalore office.

I had to call the travel desk. Had no option to book my tickets! Tried again! Same girl, same hello… This time I started asking for a specific name in the travel desk.

She: No, there is no one by that name here…
Me: That’s travel desk right..!
She: No, this is not.
Me: Which place is this..! This is our office travel desk number
She: No, this is residence and I am Sneha
Me: Sneha, sorry but this is the number of my travel desk and all my colleagues use this only.
She: Oh! I am sorry but this is my residence number for a long time
Me: Okay..! Sorry for the disturbance…Hopefully I won’t call to hear you again…
She: It’s okay. Don’t feel sorry. And even if you are dialing again here, you will hear my granny’s voice and not mine as I am leaving out now
Me: Oh..! then I guess I wont be dialing again for sure
She: [Laughs]
Me: [laughs here too] anyways, I am sorry and… you have a nice voice.
She: thank you…

“Bye”, “Bye”. Call ended. For the next few minutes I did not remember anything like I have to get my return tickets or anything of that sort.

My colleague friend called up and asked me whether I got through or not. It was like waking me up from sleep. “No” was my answer. He then tried to call the travel desk and got the correct line. He then had set up a conference call. I conveyed my requirements and requested the helpdesk people to call me by themselves. Ticket got booked.

Few hours passed by and suddenly something flashed in my mind which was very funny. {My colleague gave me the Bangalore help desk number. I am in Mumbai and it means if I am dialing Bangalore, I had to prefix the STD code} I had dialed the number without the STD code and my calls have landed to Sneha’s residence in Mumbai all the three times and when I asked which place was that, she did not tell me the locality! It was just funny that I dialed a number without a STD code and it landed in a different city.

I thought I should share it with Sneha and called her again with full intention. With a 2 second response came out a voice.

“Helloooooo…”

It was her granny. I hung the call myself saying “Sorry…wrong number...!”

Scenu…

I am a local fellow.

A local fellow that I take road side snacks daily and choose the public transport rather than auto rickshaws or taxis or my own car. Local in the sense I always prefer to mingle with the common man around me which makes me common too.

I am sitting in the Bangalore International Airport as I write this. This local thing in me has made me write this. Usually when you travel by public transport, say the bus, you board and then the conductor gives you the ticket. Way back to home yesterday I travelled by office bus. So, no tickets! My boss called me that time and said please travel tomorrow. Well, it’s an air travel. I chose the public carrier. Air India! As it was a last minute call, I completely missed to pick my ticket and landed here in the Airport early morning. Going to the airline counter and asking for a print out, the officials indicated that I don’t have the correct PNR number. LOL! I did not feel any jerk or bad for it. Because it was booked by my office! Loss is for them if I don’t travel. After effects from boss will be a different story altogether!

Had to do something to get the tickets! There was a passenger behind me in the queue. (2 too make a queue) It was a girl. Looked available! With no hesitation, just like the white collar guys I took out my laptop to access my mail. After logging in only I realized that I don’t have any net access or data card to check my mail. I had never been given a data card in office. I can use the internet only if I plug that blue or yellow wire in the laptop. Then how and why did I take it out!!! Girl effect…! Girls somehow have some magic in them. In Tamil they call it as “Bandha” or locally it is referred as “Scenu”

Time was running. She quoted her PNR correctly. I acted doing something in the laptop. Battery low! Then wi-fi option came to mind and checking out, it was blocked as a security measure by my office. Too much things by my office! May be because we manage this Airport’s operations! But I know the administrator thing in my laptop. I had done some fraud sometime back to have it and now it helps. A 15 min free internet access was on the way by the time the official in the counter popped up asking for a photo identity of mine. Nothing to wonder he wanted to check my identity! Early in the morning standing before the counter without the ticket quoting a wrong PNR!! I thought this is going to be yet another drama. But not!

Good day to start with, the official searched the records for my reservation and gave me the print out. The girl too got hers. Getting in, she was following me to the check in counter and I have followed her to the café and sitting here just next to her table seeing her, typing this. Darjeeling black tea…4 sugar cubes…laptop open with a formal look in my face... She should be thinking I am some high profile busy guy. Scenu… Or even she would know the real truth too. Whatever, time to board now. She is up to the gate…

Tsamina mina eh eh, Waka Waka eh eh

To create your own cartoon like this please visit the Disney UK site. It allows you to create your own screen with Disney characters. Mine is as above with my favourite characters.

Corporate Social Responsibility

6 years back, I as a management graduate with my team was in a seminar organized by the IT department of Government of Tamilnadu. The seminar had the CEOs of the biggest BPO companies in Tamilnadu. BPO was at its peak at that time employing fresh graduates with hefty salaries. They were talking on the skill set that a fresher candidate should possess if wanting to be employed in BPO industry. I wondered and started to think why for a back office job a fresh graduate is required! There is no work for the brain there and no skill set is required except language for which the companies were anyways training the candidates. Employing fresh graduates for BPO is actually a way of restricting their thinking. I called BPO as Brain Paralyzing Outfits. My team members did not accept my thought. They defended it gives a fresh graduate an exposure and also made them confident and independent. It was actually the money paid which make the young graduates go for BPO jobs. Then, I started to make a plan which will enable the candidates to work as well pursue their higher education. It was basically a shift system which will benefit the society on the larger scale and also meet organizational goals.

Yet, a thought was there in my mind on why for a BPO job a fresh graduate is required. Why cant physically challenged people struggling for a life, be employed for those jobs or why not single senior citizens be given an opportunity rather than making the young graduates restrict themselves. I strongly felt there is no learning or thinking nature in BPO and it’s a danger in the future when these organizations grow big employing all the fresh graduates out of college. I used to keep discussing things like this with one or the other. After a while, all these passionate thinking passed away just like several others.

Today, I got this invitation.

It makes me feel good that the Government is acting on it. It’s a PPP model. Samarthanam Shrishti will be an unique BPO/Call Centre Training Unit for the Disabled at Peenya. This initiative is first of its kind in India along with a similar setup at Hubli started recently. This project would train 300 physically challenged youth across the state of Karnataka. This is a first step and hope the corporate too will support this and it’s where the real corporate social responsibility lies.

Yeh jo desh hai mera...

"Becoming an entrepreneur was an evolutionary process. I had a good life in America. I did not face any problems there, but I always had the feeling that I must do something for our villages. I do not feel I have made any sacrifice. Today, there is hardly anything I do other than work. It gives me the satisfaction no job can ever give."

For full story please read on http://bit.ly/dyEX0a

Akkare Akkare Akkare

Wow! Good that it happened for me to watch this movie. It’s a Malayalam flick. Almost every Malayalee would know this movie. I am not from Kerala but still I enjoy watching Malayalam movies for the simplicity and substance in it.

Sreenivasan is considered as the best script writer in India. I have seen two of his movies: “Katha Parayumpol” (Kuselan in Tamil and Billu in Hindi) and “Udayananu tharam” (Vellithirai in Tamil). The remakes did not do well in the box offices. They lacked the life of the movie including the location and ambience. That way, Malayalam movies are unique. The Malayalam originals showcased the stunning performances of Sreenivasan and Mohanlal. Both the actors have a great rapport on screen on whatever theme it is.

Way back to 1990, these two actors have done this movie Akkare Akkare Akkare. A complete laugh riot from the first scene to last, I think this should be the funniest movie made. There were traces of something which was very easy to relate. And it was the director Priyadarshan. No eye rubbing sentiments and no slapstick comedy in this picture. Pure hilarity in every scene with every character along with a neat script has made the movie too good. It’s a story of 2 CID officers from India sent to America to find a priceless golden crown which had got stolen. The plot is both the CID officers are clueless and lost when they land in America and that’s where the fun starts. “Saathanam Undallo….!”

I read this movie is preceded by “Nadodikkattu” and “Pattanapravesham” but this is the funniest one among the three. For non-Malayalees I am not aware, but all people who can understand Tamil would surely get along with the language and dialogues in the movie. For few scenes I was laughing out loud! Now, this movie is a classic in my list no matter how it has been to the world. Altogether the time spent was wonderful. Watch it without thinking twice. You will enjoy.

Its all in the Game

There are three things in the world which take over almost every human in the universe. 1. The alcohol “kick”; 2. The nicotine “kick” and 3. The football kick..! A survey during last world cup revealed that football is on top of sex and mother for males. When the ball is taken near the goal post and gets passed in between the players for a goal, my excitement level shoots up irrespective of which team is playing. And if it is the team plays, I forget the surroundings.

This world cup, I have been making huge noises never minding the neighbor, texting people on the fly during the match in midnight and bunking office hours. I have been supporting Maradona’s team and I felt very bad for they lost to Germany. I have never ever felt like this for India losing to Pakistan in a cricket match. Germans were outstanding in the tournament. Greece and Ghana had played a wonderful game as well.

Argentina may not have a good defense on field but off the field the players have a tremendous defense and it’s from their coach himself and more than that the people of Argentina. The fact that thousands of people gathered to give a supporting welcome backing their team from South Africa is definitely something precious. While Maradona’s position as coach is questioned after the team’s exit, their people were seen holding signs such as “Diego 2014” say it all.

There may be thousands of controversies around. But, no matter what, Maradona is my favorite player. If there was a crowd to watch the match, there was a crowd to watch the legendary player too in the field. Wish I could be designated as the photographer to shoot him during the match. It was pure entertainment to watch his love for football and I did share his emotions while the team lost.

After the famous Hand of God goal in 1986 Maradona said, "I was waiting for my teammates to embrace me, and no one came... I told them, “Come hug me, or the referee isn't going to allow it." Hand of God got its name from this line of the player - "a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God". The frustrated England team manager stated it as “Hand of a Rascal” during the press report.

Short in height, he moves like a snake in the field. The videos on the internet will tell you about the legend better than my words. Actually, people who are short are fast in the field. It was that short guy Bala Murugan who had coached me. Very few of my friends reading this will believe that I play football.

And Maradona is a reason that I am back to follow football after a long gap. It was a football match I played which shattered a dream of mine 8 years back. Since then I had stopped playing and following the game. But when I came to know Maradona becoming the coach of the team I couldn’t stop myself getting into the game again. Argentina may have lost the word cup but they haven’t lost the game. They have certainly played a beautiful game far better than other teams and I am looking out for a Argentine jersey.

This is not just a game. Its a religion and you dont have to be a religious leader to reach heaven. Following it itself takes you there.

Do you know Osama Bin Laden is a hard football fan?? Goooogle to believe it or not and find which team he supported... :)

The Majestic

This temple tower holds the cultural history of Tamil Nadu. Its a rich visual treat for everyone visiting this historic temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. I am glad I shot this pic and sure shot this one will be a treasure pic for me. You could download it and zoom in to have a look on the architecture and carvings.

Will Mr. Coelho answer me??

I get Mr. Paulo Coelho's messages everyday in my mobile...! Yeah its the author of the famous book The Alchemist. I am not kidding here.

Today, his message was "Work cures everything..."

My question to him is "What if there is no work to do?"

I am not against his words, but really want to find out how does it work.

Will Mr. Coelho answer me??

What to name this beauty??

These are 22 day old cubs at the Vandalur Zoo in Chennai.

The Ecosystem (read if you care)

Connecting with the earth makes us come alive with the vitality; loss of such connectivity makes us anemic physically, mentally and morally.

We, in the name of modern lives are actually disconnecting the loop in the natural ecosystem in the name of scientific innovations. The biggest sufferer in this is our mother nature and very less people are aware that it’s going to hit back - if not us, our children. A very tiny thing we do towards protecting our soil makes a huge impact.

I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Srinivasan, popularly known as Vellore Srinivasan. This man is working on waste management for over 2 decades. Most of us living in Chennai would know the vehicle with red and green colour coming to our homes to collect the waste twice a day. Very few of us know what happens to that waste once it’s taken from us.

Mostly the wastes collected from households are not segregated (bio-degradable and non bio-degradable mixed) and are filled in landfill sites. In Chennai it is Pallikaranai and there is a place like that in every city. Since they all are mixed up they don’t decay in the earth and pose a threat to the environment. Rather if they are treated well in our home right away, the waste becomes a resource. It’s not a huge task to treat waste as it seems to be. I am sharing what I know and learned over the days. This can be modified anyways for improvisation or anything wrong in the process is welcome to be notified.

The maximum of waste from our households is kitchen waste – vegetarian and non vegetarian. Treating this reduces 70% of the task. When I say “treating” it’s not a huge process. It’s very simple.

Step 1: It has to be put in an earthen pot separately instead of the regular dustbin where waste like plastic covers and other non – biodegradable waste are collected.
Step 2: Keep putting the kitchen waste into the pot. Spray some mix of cow dung with water on top of every filling. And cover it with a piece of jute material once the pot is full.
Step 3: Relax. In 45 days time, the whole thing becomes 1/3rd in size. The filled stuff gets converted to compost which is rich nutrition for the plants. That’s it. The kitchen waste is treated. This process is called composting.

The compost is a rich organic food the plants. This is only for vegetarian waste. Non – vegetarian waste has to get treated separately. However, egg shells can be treated separately. It can be dried up and smashed to powders which are rich calcium for the rose plants. Who doesn’t love a healthy and beautiful rose!!

If cow dung is not very much available, earth worms can be added or dry leaves or newspaper can be shredded and added with the waste for the compost. Further, as like how air is essential for us to breathe, similarly the waste also needs air for it to get composted. So, make few holes around the pot from the bottom (say 2 cms from the bottom and middle). The jute cloth will allow air to get in from the top. A little moisture is also very much essential as like water means to us. If buying a pot and drilling them seems to be a huge task, there are ready made compost pots available for sale at a nominal price. Visit www.dailydump.org for details.

It’s an ecosystem. What comes from the plants goes back to the plants. It’s simple. All we need to have are few plants around our home. They give us fresh air, flowers and a fresh feel to us all the time. If you don’t have plants in your homes, try to have few. Even if you don’t have the flair for plants there are people to buy the compost from you. Yeah, what you think as waste is actually a resource.

Few may think that the waste stinks, but its really not. It stinks only if the compost is too wet. And stirring the compost can overcome this issue.

One of the major non bio-degradable things which we waste is plastic bags. Way to treat them is to re-use them. Carrying existing bags to market places or using paper bags or cloth bags really helps the environment a lot. Carrying these re-usable covers in our office back pack, cars, bikes never increases the weight. I remember folks used to collect and segregate the milk covers, newspaper to sell it off. It’s re-cycled. It fetches money. It’s just a small contribution from every individual which helps the environment.

This is a very basic set up which we can be adopted in our homes in our daily lives, but this is not everything. There are different kinds of waste like human hair, nails and so on. These are well differentiated in the site http://www.zerowastemanagement.org/ and to know what can be composted in home please visit http://dailydump.org/what_can. Treating them is easy when it is segregated at source. Once the waste is segregated, it is no longer a waste, it’s a resource.

Mr. Srinivasan preaches as his religion at a community level employing physically challenged people and the below slides show you how it is done. UNICEF recognizes and supports him but still there are community level challenges faced everywhere this is tried to get implemented. Volunteers to help out are always welcome and actually are required in bunch.

For more information on Waste Management and composting please browse through http://www.zerowastemanagement.org/ and http://dailydump.org/home_composting and of course Gooooogle. Let’s do our bit now to help ourselves in future.

You Shouldn't Quit

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road your trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint on the clouds of doubt,
And you can never tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar.

So, stick to the fight and give your hardest hit
It's when things go wrong that you shouldn't quit.

Stupid

It’s a Saturday and I am up early in the morning. Early means early! It is 6 AM now. 6 AM is not early on a weekday. It is normal. But considering a weekend, a Saturday; a fact that I don’t live with my parents and also taking in the fact that I have slept just 4 hours back, makes this 6 AM early.

I woke up not to blog at this time. I was forced to wake up within from my sleep. Something flashed in my mind and suddenly I woke up seeing the main door of my home being open slightly. Got up to close it and couldn’t find the key anywhere. And that was the time I realized something is wrong! Searching for the key I found my mobile missing. Holy cows! I just got it recently and this is the first time I went on to buy an expensive one and I loved it. It did everything for me. Best was its touch screen, songs and camera! Somebody has flicked it from inside my home. Still searching for the key, I found it to be near the window outside the house. First thing I did was getting in and lock the door as I had a rush for morning duty. Refreshing myself, another flash in my mind rushed me to room where I had kept my wallet. That’s a brand new wallet too and I liked it very much. The last couple of currency notes for the month summing to around 500-600 rupees was there. Weekends are the times money is more required for me.

Alas! I could see the wallet in its place. Nothing to wonder! I always keep it in a shelf which is one room in. I sleep in the hall. So, whoever comes in to flick, has to pass me to locate this shelf where my wallet has been kept. I wanted to have a feel of the wallet now. Suddenly I felt attached to it. It appeared and I felt it thin like a person affected with dengue or malaria – and I am a stupid! The wallet is there but the entire money inside is looted.

Opening the door to get in, I had forgotten to remove the key from outside lock and had missed to lock the previous night. It was just closed but not locked. I have a bad memory and absence of mind, both together! For any thief, it would be tempting to open a house which has the key right in front of his eyes, making way for him to open, take stock and flick things. And I have been sleeping deep. Thankfully all other items are safe. This is my home and when I say it’s a home, it’s a home. Not a house or a room. I have been so stupid to lose things I love. The laptop is there intact and my heart still pumps!

It’s a weekend, Saturday morning and the earlier night I thought I will sleep till whatever time I can. I love my home, mobile and of course the hard earned money also. I had left them all vulnerable!

I have been a stupid.

Mother’s day

Here comes another day of the year, a very bonding day - Mother’s day! With no doubt, everyday is mother’s day as they are loved by their daughters and sons. Still, one day dedicated for mothers is definitely necessary in this fast paced world. This current world we live has lots of invisible problems and issues in it. It’s actually a corrupted one. When it comes to personal lives, almost 8 out of every 10 people’s lives are screwed up. Not that the other 2 have no problems, but it’s that they realize and confront it together.

In this type of world we are living in, this one dedicated day meant to remember the selflessness and unconditional love of an individual is not at all enough. Both these qualities are on top of everything as they are the toughest of toughest. A mother does it every day and every minute to her children however old they have grown up. I know my mom and my friends’ too have come through the very hard way to raise us. There is a lady in Mumbai who is somewhere around 45 years old and runs house to house everyday to do domestic work – cooking, cleaning vessels, cleaning the house and washing clothes. I used to think this lady is greedier on money as she works for 5-6 houses per day and her monthly salary would be around 20k per month with no tax applicable. One day she never turned up for work followed by 15-20 days. Those days me and my friends were doing all these work on rounds. We realized what amount of energy is required to work like that and the money she earns is worth it. Suddenly, one day she came in and I had just asked what had happened. She broke to tears and started narrating her story. She has 4 daughters and a son. 2 of them had got married and the third one for whom she had been looking for a groom eloped with a boy from their neighborhood. I felt shocked to hear it and felt very bad for her. She was crying for over an hour. Her eyes showed the sorrow and the anger she had on her girl as she had eloped with the money and jewels including which was saved for the other daughter's marriage and the son's studies out of her hard work all through the years. 5-6 months later the girl came back but without any money or jewel in hand.

Mothers are like this – this lady started doing extra work everyday to earn more money for the 3 of them. She is not greedy here. She is selfless.

This mother’s day I dedicate it to all the mothers with more focus on the new mothers and to be mothers. You girls are the real stars of future. Nothing in this world without you! A very special wish to all my amazing set of female friends out there who have recently delivered baby, few who are expecting and to those who are getting married too. You are the parent of the next generation and there is a responsibility on you people. Not to forget, your partners are always there besides you in every step of yours to support and share everything equally. Altogether, you girls rock! Lots of love to you all...Happy mothers day!

Resuscitate…

The day fades out, its dark around, the atmosphere is quiet, eyes are closed and yet there is no sleep. Suddenly the eyes wide open and stare at the darkness. After some time, it gets tired and the body drifts to sleep. But the mind doesn’t sleep. It is always awake. The dreams bring what is wished and longed for, but they burst like bubbles. Intermittent sleeps, low days, darkness around and so on bring weakness both mentally and physically. Low energy and dull days are occupying in months. Stress and its relatives mount upon life. Alcohol makes hate self though it is a powerful weapon and it couldn't be possessed all the time. The "nil" reason and meaning, to do things has life’s chest under its strong feet and even if it is overcome to do something, a “why” pops up. The world around is invisible. The “self” crumbles, fighting every minute within. There are many more years to go. Resuscitate...

Rain Rain Come Again...

Even when you are not healthy enough and dull with fever / cold dont miss the rains. Risk It..! I will think about reimbursing your medical fees* ;) *Conditions Apply

Today shall be my day for it rains with thunders.

மழை கவிதை கொண்டு வருது யாரும் கதவடைக்க வேண்டாம்
ஒரு கருப்பு கோடி காட்டி யாரும் குடை பிடிக்க வேண்டாம்
இது தேவதையின் பரிசு யாரும் திரும்பி கொள்ள வேண்டாம்
நெடுஞ்சாலையிலே நனையதொருவர் சம்மதமும் வேண்டாம்
அந்த மேகம் சுரந்த பாலில் ஏன் நனைய மறுக்கிறாய்..
நீ வாழ வந்த வாழ்வில் ஒரு பகுதி இழக்கிறாய்..
நீ கண்கள் மூடி கரையும் பொது மண்ணில் சொர்க்கம் எய்துவாய்..


TP(thathakka puthakka) translation:
You shall not close thy doors for the rain drops
You shall not show the black to clouds opening your umbrella
You shall not turn away your angel's gift from the clouds - and
You shall not need anyone's approval for enjoying the rain on the roads
Why is that you deny getting drenched in the clouds milk - by that
You shall not lose a portion of living your life..
The heaven bestows on earth when your eyes gets closed to enjoy milky clouds..

P.S: No tomato smashes for the translation please....

Name it whatever you want...

“If you want to wait for everything until you're sure it's right, you'll probably never get much of anything.”

Everyone in this world has at least a little worried thinking about what’s there next in life. It has to be and its part of human nature particularly when you have a responsibility on something or someone. We keep thinking at least for others if not for ourselves out of those responsibilities we shoulder on.

On the other hand, if there are no responsibilities, nothing dependent on you, what then? Still I see people around hiding in their cocoon and afraid to come out. We tend to expect things all right in the platter before consuming it or else we blame and cry on it. We possess this fear upon failures / uncertainty of success, the lack of taking risks in life.

The above quote tells it all. I don’t know how many have tasted what it means. We need to take risks in life, be it small or BIG. They pave at least a rough way for us where there is no trail. When death is certain some day, the whole life is at risk. Yet we live it and have we pondered why!?

· How many times have people around you screamed that you are taking a huge risk?
· When is the last time you took a risk where you could never imagine what is next?
· Have you ever risked something with an utmost confidence to face the failure?

We got to do those; else we never grow out of our cocoon. If you are not satisfied with your job when the market is dull, take the risk of quitting and searching a new one. When you are hungry and have only few hundred rupees as the last balance in your account, risk it. It doesn’t matter whether it is small or big. But do include it in your daily routine. Recently few friends took a huge risk by eating the food I cooked…Huge risk right!!! LOL! I attempt it daily and yeah there is some learning in progress. How could we do it when there is no attempt made? On the same line of thinking, we should never live for we are going to die someday. A ship is safe in the harbour, but that’s not ships are made for.

My friends gave me feedback though it was #@#!#@! In other words, they actually supported me. If you have someone to support you on anything you do, well, what more do you need! If there is no one, do not feel bad and if there are people to bring you down…ah…! – that’s the best part I like. I think that they really don’t understand what I am trying to do and I will go strong doing it my way. Opposition should not always be seen as opposition. Sometimes they are the driving force behind.

My mind could not think what’s next but is ready to take a plunge on the unknown in front of me and it’s vague. I know I would fail and I am ready to accept the failure for at least, I shall have failures with me.

It’s just like this - ரிஸ்க் எடுக்கறதெல்லாம் எங்களுக்கு ரஸ்க் சாப்பிடற மாதிரி..! (For us, taking risks are like eating rusks) Yeah...Its me.

Social Networking

For a second, I froze in excitement! AR Rahman had posted me a message!!! I didn’t know how to react. And the very next second, it was “phew…” It was someone else with his picture. Very funny ah! I don’t know why for God sake people don’t have their own picture or their name legible in their profile. All kind of junk characters, funky quotes take on over.

Nowadays I am completely into social media alone as I have nothing else to do. LOL! Pritish Nandy tweets “Love comes from unexpected quarters…. Animals, trees, flowers, internet…” Even trees have nice names like Neem Tree, Coconut tree, Chickoo and so on like animals (dog, cat…) and flowers (rose, lilly…) and why is that we want to put a mask to our own names! Think about it. Meanwhile, I shall imagine what if Rahman really posts me a message.

(Note: I know you are intelligent but pls dont question me what is this tripleR)

Whose responsibility is it?

Two persons Mr Shivaraman and Mr. Gopalakrishnan from Chennai hold a patent for an innovation that enables a hard disk to store 30TB of data and this is with the help of Nano technology. They are offered a job by Seagate for 1.4 crore. Is there no Indian company to utilize their innovation??

I remember my old days where our team tried to bring out such innovations especially in Nano technology and Bio metrics. The event was conceived to showcase these kinds of innovations to the corporate world in the budding stage itself which would help our country and the individuals as well in their early stages with proper support. We couldn’t execute what we dreamt for the only reason that we were students at that time.

The point here is there are so many Shivaraman’s and Gopalakrishnan’s out there spread all over. Who is going to recognize them, nurture them with the necessary support and make our country grow healthy??

Movies and our lives

Very often few movies make an impact on the lives of people. Few such are Godfather, Sholay, Rang de Basanti, Titanic and so on. A recent tamil movie of such kind is Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya. Well, I wanted to blog about the songs of the movie brilliantly composed by our own Rahman. But, what I write now is entirely different from what I wished to.

While watching the movie, I felt that I was seeing myself in the screen. Starting from the hero of the movie wanting to become an assistant director and lot other things was very much related. (I wanted to make movies after my MBA and was in front of Madras Talkies office for a month, but managed to get into TV serials only. Gave the lead to another friend and I quit). I couldn’t make out whether I liked the movie or not! Two days passed and a friend of mine asked me whether I liked the movie or not. I told him what I felt. He said “That’s the feel of the movie” and everyone feels the same. My thought process started by itself! How come a director make every audience think about himself / herself in the movie? One hero, one heroine, one plot and how come everyone feels the same?? My friend added, “What shown in the screen is reality and that’s what is happening around the world…”

It was a love story. Boy falls in love with the girl and is behind her. The girl denies him. The boy then asks for friendship but has love in his mind. The girl after a long time accepts his love. They are in a relationship for some time and suddenly the girl drops a bomb saying “it’s all over”.

This is what happens in reality all over. Strange to think that this is the same what boys do and it’s the same girls do also. The catch is neither of us is going to change. Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus and we both live on Earth! We learn, adjust / compromise ourselves in future building a think tank that he / she is not the like the same person what we experienced in the past. Also it is not that there can be no change within at all. I know and have seen people who are really into each other and have stay put, but they are very few. Otherwise mostly its the girls calling the shots, few are mutual and rarely the guys call it quits. And now, I understand why this movie makes an impact on almost everyone.

Back to the movie, I couldn’t stop murmuring the songs. I saw the audio release of the album where all the singers performed live on stage. It was so mesmerizing. Lovely and soulful music from Rahman! This album from Rahman is like Sachin knocking a splendid knock of 200 after all these successful years of glory. My favorite pick from the album is the song “Anbil Avan”. The lyrics, composition, interludes, singers and every part of the song excels. This song brings a joyful mood with the lyrics meaning the basic wedding vows. The music takes us literally to a choir in church and flows to a temple wedding. Altogether the song is all about endless love and eternal bonding. Do hear the song especially the interludes. It’s a peppy number.

Lots of songs, either lack good lyrics or if there are good lyrics they lack good music. It’s rare that they both come together. This “Anbil Avan” song, “Hairathey” and “Tere Bina” from Guru are Rahman’s classic compositions. The beauty here in VV is, the lyricist is a female named “Thamarai”. Her earlier songs are super hits as well bringing out the emotions from a women’s perspective. One brilliant line from her in this movie is “Yen Idhayam Udaithai Norungave…En maru Idhayam koduppen nee Udaikave…” which means “You broke my heart scattering into pieces…Yet, I shall give it again for you to break…” Altogether, it was a good watch. Guess Swades was the last movie which made me sit glued into the screens along with the music before this movie.

Couples Retreat

“The city is heading towards earning the notoriety of being the country’s divorce capital” read a national newspaper about Bangalore. Bangalore is the city full of disposable crowd mostly from the IT background.

The state government is under pressure to create 3 more family courts in addition to the 4 family courts functioning now. There are around 10000 cases pending in the existing 4 courts. On an average day, there are 25-30 fresh applications. The last 3 months has seen around 1400 applicants mostly in their late 20’s and early 30’s. And the catch here is most of the applications are filed by women. Experts and counselors almost of the cases are on petty grounds which can be solved easily but stated as incompatibility by the applicants. This is not only in Bangalore alone. Other cities are also on par with respect to divorce.

Something striking in the head…!? May be… Well, everybody has issues and problems in life. The rising number of similar cases in every city brings out the fact of the qualities like patience, commitment, love, understanding, care and so on diminishing in this fast paced world. Hardly people get time to sit, think, re-assess and reclaim their love for each other in life. Married couples divorce, unmarried couple breaks up. Both are same expect the legal entities involved.

I was watching the movie Couples Retreat (music by ARR). 4 couples: One thinks that they make things work together but actually taking each other for granted: one close to get their divorce after several attempts to conceive; one living a dissatisfied and lost love life and another fresh couple wherein the guy had got his new girlfriend after a break up.

They all end up in a vacation spot requested and suggested by their friend couple who are close to get divorce. What they dislike to hear is the fact that relationship can be worked out types as they all have their own notions and conclusions in their relationships.

The movie is scripted in a funny and absolutely practical way. The vacation island offers them a stage to reclaim their lost life that at the end of the vacation they all unite together with their loved ones. It’s a good watch.

There is no magic performed in the process of uniting the couples in the movie. Nothing can be performed in real life too! “There is not one problem in life. There are millions of problems and everyone has problems” goes a dialogue in the movie. Very true! Lives are with adjustments and compromises. But it matters for why and mostly for whom we compromise. Life is just once.

May be all the divorce applicants should be given an exclusive access in a private hall to this kinda movie and make it a law that they should have spent subsequent time on vacations or any such things which offers exclusive time for themselves before they apply for divorce. Courts have to do it practically. How long will they keep talking!? Any couple would have come for divorce after failed talks only. Talking more and more complicates and the courts got to deal with a practical approach.

Otherwise, get to watch this movie which has a very good feel; music by ARR including a song in Tamil and that goes as my favorite as well.

Skandagiri

There are lots of blogs and descriptions about this place with guidance and direction which is well known for trekking and it’s specially known for moon light trekking on full moon day. This is my encounter with nature in that place.

We (me and my 2 cousins) had a different, risky and adventurous trek on the last full moon day. The regular route to the hill top was closed as the path was under fire. It was forest fire. We were able to look the fire while on the way itself. Getting closer we tried to take an alternate route which doesn’t exist. We started off and at a point we noticed that the fire was spreading fast along the route we intended to go. Within a minute we spoke about that, a tree which was about half a km in altitude from us caught up with fire. Strong wind was blowing and the fire engulfed the tree in a minute. Fire particles were flying up in the sky.

We got s*** scared! With nothing to think and in a jiffy, we started sliding down the hill which was more of bushes and rocks and few thorns as well. Could never forget the way the tree caught fire and it was the first time I saw a forest fire and its might up so close live. Suddenly there was orange light coming out of the flames around us. Coming down, we did want to go to the top and managed to hire a guide who took us to the top in an alternate route. Climbing up the hill in the moonlight was to get a glimpse of the sunrise from top next day and it was a wonderful spectacle to see the Sun rising early morning in red, pink, orange and finally the bright white showing its might.

Zombie

To read the post, please install a bar code reader in your mobile from I-Nigma or QuickMark or Nokia (QM is better than I-Nigma and Nokia) and just point your mobile camera towards the code and it shall give you whats hidden. These kind of codes store and take you to a website or a video clip or carry contact information and whatever is coded by the provider. Soon, the local newspapers shall start using the technology as its almost nil cost. Whats more, you can write encoded love letters to your boyfriends and girlfriends.

The Kite Runner

Kite Runner is a famous debut novel by Khaled Hosseini. I haven’t read the book, but watched the movie in 2007. It’s a wonderful work which will literally take your imagination to the happy lives of Afghan. It’s a story about two childhood friends who spend their lives kite fighting.

Kite fighting…yes…you don’t need introduction to this. If you are a localite who has spent times in proper Chennai, you will know what it is. Nowadays, there are organized kite festivals. When I wanted to fly a kite I usually do it from the terrace of my home. So do other guys as well. There will be a flock of kites flying and we make “deals”. The thread used is actually deadly. When I say “deadly” it is exactly what it means.

Google about the kite thread Manja to know how it is deadly.

Last week I was watching a movie. The hero is a very romantic guy who finds his love and is behind a girl whom he loves more than anything in the world. The girl after a very long time feels his love and they start to live their life. The hero takes her out and they have a very good time together where the girl says “I wont feel bad to die at this moment too as I am happy with you now than any other day in my life”. They then spot a bicycle and start riding it. Suddenly, the heroin gets her throat slit by a “Manja”. There is a huge blood loss and in the next frame, she dies. There was a sudden emptiness in the movie. Such a sweet, charming and adoring character is made end. This was a movie.

Yet that incident in the movie remained in my mind…An ex-colleague of mine, a popular radio jockey and a playback singer was on her way and fell victim to the “Manja”. I was shocked to hear the news from my friends! She was admitted in the ICU for 2 days and has had around 20 stitches. Now that she is improving and all our wishes are there for her speedy recovery.

The movie started with few lines meaning “You will all be fine till it happens to you”. I remembered it suddenly after hearing about the friend. It was only once I have used “Manja” as it gave a cut to my hand and used to smell “s***”. I think of those times when I used to chase kites running in the streets. Running across streets looking up the sky, navigating for a descending kite has more to it than you think. You got to indulge in it or atleast fly kites but do not use “Manja” and beware whenever you pass through those areas. Take care.

Amendment

This government definitely has the potential to take the country in a better way than any other governments I have seen.

I fully support Mr. Sibal’s new proposal of abolishing pre school education before 4 years. I feel this is a basic thing which is more meaningful. Parents are finding it mad to get a KG admission for the children. By peer pressure they stuff the so called intelligence by making the kids memorizing all sorts of data. That’s bad for the child. Here is what Mr. Sibal was talking.

“Pre-school should be based on non-formal education and in order to attend pre-school, children should be four years before March 31. Formal schooling can begin when the child is six years old.”

“The reason for interaction with Principals is because many feel that the present system of admissions is traumatic for children. It becomes impossible for children of three years to seek admission to school. There are incidents of children stammering due to stress. When a child witnesses the competitive environment in school he/she is traumatized.”

We should never leave the children to face all such difficulties at that tender age. I am sure parents will also agree to this.

We surely need amendments to the present education system in the country and it starts from the Pre School. Education is the only way that can this nation a better place to live.

The Alchemist

After a long haul, the world’s most acclaimed book from a compelling author, The Alchemist made a way to my bookshelf.

Needless to say, many review written about the book worldwide and millions of fans for the author. It was a good read where time got passed. But I felt the reading as a passing cloud. All through the read, my mind was searching for something which could stay on firm and alas there was the end. This is a symbolic book telling about Omens and the universe conspiring when you set to chase your dream. Not really acceptable, it’s a symbolic book. Guess the expectations around the book made me look for something great or flip around. Huh!!

Now been over a week I read it, nothing other than that single line remains in my mind and that line appears like a statement like air. You cannot catch air. The only satisfaction I have is that I got this book from a roadside vendor and the money I paid would really help him. A similar way, I got God of small things from a boy who was selling books in traffic signal and the book was all agony that I dropped it.

Still, I have got two more books, one from an acclaimed writer and another from a amateur, 22 year old. No expectations this time.

200 - இரு நூறு - दो सौ - two hundred

Oh good....! Coorg post was my 200th post! :)

5th year of blogging. Its good to look back which has both joys and sorrows. Life teaches a lesson and lets us gain from every pain. Lots of changes in the blog, my writing.

I see Susi, Asha, Venki, Raja, Deepa, Krish and more who havent commented wishing me on my 100th post and from there there are lots of changes in my blog including the template and my thoughts as well. Thanks to one and all for reading and commenting all these time.

One change which I had made from there and which I would recommend you all to follow is on the blog title - "live life day by day". No explanations required, however it is try and put in your best to follow it. We miss it at times (I did too...), but still remember it and reclaim it for the life is yours.

Thanks for staying on and keep reading.

Coorg - December 2009

Basic human psychology and philosophy says when we have bad times and stressful thoughts engulf us we got to think on the good times to overcome them. They not only relieve us out of stress but they also give us confidence about future. And also our human mind always tends to think of the tough situations alone. We have to look back the good times. One such is the Coorg trip which happened in December 2009. Almost everyone in the picture has their own issues, problems and stress to relate with. Though it was perfectly planned, everything was miserable as we went there but still it was enjoyable and will stay in our memory.

Bottoms Up:- Narayanan, Lordsun, Selva Kumar, Vijay Sekar, Prakash, Ramesh, Vijay Ramani, Kalyan, Senthil J, Siva Kumar, Senthil M and me.

I am glad and good that I along with Narayanan organized this trip but it was never easy to manage this bunch especially with the distinct characters of each. I call it 12 monkeys with myself one of them as well.

Drive Safe and Responsibly

Two wheeler is the best option to travel in Chennai. Reason is the vehicle is compact and you can just give some cuts here and there and make your way. The other day I was travelling on these routes: Perungalathur-Taramani-Thiruvanmayur-Aminjikarai-Thiruvanmayur-Taramani-Perungalathur. It’s a distance of around 100 kms altogether. I would have not travelled this much if I was using a car or public transport and mostly time was a major factor.

I travel to office by a two wheeler which is 60 kms approx daily. It takes me 45 mins-1 hr to reach office as I travel in the bypass road partially. If I take a public transport it is 1.5 hr – 2 hrs. Although time is saved, the other side of this is travelling long in bike that too in a city is stressful. It is both physical and mental stress. The traffic chaos, people howling and shouting at each other are to be faced daily. All these early in the morning when we got to have a peaceful mind burst a good day. More worst are the accidents on road.

Today there was an accident on road. A couple was knocked down by a call taxi on the bypass road. I have to cross two rail level crossings on the way to office of which one of them is most stressful and dangerous. It is Chromepet Vaishnava college crossing. Almost daily there are accidents on the rail tracks. I encountered two accidents in the past just in minutes they occurred where one lost life and another, the limbs. It’s horrific when I think of it now. I couldn’t help much for the second one other than calling the ambulance and the hospital people were lethargic in answering the call. They were sounding as it was very usual. Part and parcel of their job! I tell myself to have a peaceful day everyday.

There is definitely no driving sense in this city and for that matter in any other city in India. Being in Chennai for the past few months, I’m a victim of this stress and two minor accidents of which my skin is yet to get back normal from the last one. Whenever I see it I remind myself to drive responsibly and safely and its for you as well.

Dream On...

Thanks to kindness, life becomes beautiful
Thanks to love, life carries on
Thanks to compassion, life is endowed with value
Thanks to a grateful heart, life is filled with joy and delight

Thanks to Dream On, China’s Disabled People’s Performing Art Troupe. They call themselves disabled but they left us the thought in us that they are specially-abled than us by their stunning performing arts which was purely mesmerizing the whole crowd for 2 hours.

I got a 500 rs ticket for the show. While the show was on, I thought I should have bought a 1000 rs ticket. Their performances were spectacular and splendid and it was worth paying that money. But while coming out of the show, everyone felt the love they had showered on every individual in the hall. A girl who was on her wheel chair and a guy who was blind, both Chinese, were performing and singing Rahmans "Jai Ho", “Chinna Chinna Aasai” and moreover "Vande Mataram" by heart in Tamil. We couldn’t escape from feeling their love and it was priceless. Money cannot be substituted for it. I came out spell bounded, got few cards of them and their autograph. I am glad I did them for this is an event for lifetime and they are the real heroes in life spreading love and compassion all over the world.

The troupe founded in 1987 has artistes comprising of people who cannot see, hear, walk and touch. Chinese are definitely gifted in performing arts however they are (I'm gonna and have to compliment my chinese friend for this). They go around the world winning accolades starting from the first citizen of the country to the last citizen. They were doing their show for the first time in India that too in Chennai and there was very less crowd.

A R Rahman made it to the show and was there for the full 2 hour show. There are so many troupes like this around the world who don’t visit India because there is lack of infrastructure, sponsorship, good crowd and so on. Somewhere we still lack something which is very basic. I don’t know if it’s called humanity. But I think that’s it. I feel glad that I was there at that event. Let love spread its wings more. Dream On…

While in school there is so much of homework which involves writing as it helps in memorizing something faster. I have followed the same here now. I want to re-emphasize myself to live life day by day and that’s why the header in my blog is changed. Yeah, off late I had missed it, but unintentionally.

January

This month is always good with social events around atleast for Chennai. For those who are there in the city at this time, you have very good options around. My favorite event in the city, the Book Fair has already started. I make it a point to go to the fair every year. If I remember well, it was from my school days I started to be a regular visitor and been 2 years I haven’t attended the fair. Few years back when I visited there, I bought a portrait of Bharathi and laminated it. The portrait was just Rs 5 and the lamination costed me Rs 125.

The next good event is the Chennai Sangamam. It has started just few years ago but a promising event showcasing the cultural strengths of the state. I had been to the first edition of this event while working with the Radio station. It showcases skills and talents of school students as well and I was awestruck by their performances.

Please don’t miss the events. They are the essence of Chennai. Guess I have a bad luck this year as well, but next year I’m going to make it happen somehow. For those who love tennis, the Chennai open is on the way. For those who would like to hit the beach, Marina has a new look now. Wow! Wherever you want to hit, there is something interesting. Chennai is at its best during this season. Don’t miss it!

New Year Day

New Year wishes to one and all. Blogging about the first day of the year is a good thing to do. And doing it on the first hour, first day on work of the New Year; it’s too good. LOL! A survey recently from ASSOCHAM announces browsing social media sites during work increases productivity. I’m doing that only! Actually ASSOCHAM is late in announcing this. I knew this idea long back and that’s why I blog only from workplace.

Well, this 2010 January 1 was a different one for me. I did not even realize it was a New Year day and created ruckus with a dear soul of mine. I went in search of some peace. The place was serene, full of nature and actually a spiritual place. It was Auroville near Pondicherry, South India. Auroville is a place where spirituality is practiced and they say that place is for people who renounce on all kind of religions and believes in the fact and truth of Oneness. Well, then I was kind of in a right place. The entire place is cut off from the external world; there is no traffic chaos on the road - for that matter, there are no proper roads first. It was only dusty pathways which had got formed by itself due to vehicular movement. I went there a day prior to the New Year day. From the moment I started, I was on a different mindset altogether. And after reaching there, it was like I was cut off from the outside world. It’s a dense forest where there are few guest houses here and there and very few people and they were foreigners. I couldn’t go out once it’s dark.

Although it’s said as a spiritual place, there are all kinds of exploitations around. The main feature of Auroville was the Matrimandir which is built for meditation which leads the way to spirituality. I was there around for three days and there were 2 things which pulled me. The first one was a painting exhibition in a place called Savitri Bhavan there. Each and every painting had an explanation which was purely spiritual. The paintings in my eyes looked abstract. But then there were instructions in the beginning itself not to look them abstract and see them along with the explanations.

The second one was a discourse on spirituality. This was the one which made sense and my thinking started. I was able to deeply understand what was being said. Actually I should say I kept getting deep in it by listening to it. Suddenly something stroke in my mind and I came out of the building and was sitting on a staircase. The very next minute I thought why was I inside for that discourse. Is it the right thing for me or is it what I want and my thoughts were;

Life is to live and living is to feel and face whatever comes on the way everyday. It’s all about living with love, hate, joy, sorrow, happiness, sadness, affection, dejection and so on. There are both ups and downs of life. Most of us don’t want to get hurt, get closed ourselves or go seek spiritual! But still we get hurt. When we get hurt most of us lose our confidence in our self or on which hurt us. It’s not the fact! What we lose are the qualities to forget and forgive, changing ourselves for better, embrace people around, and in little we forget to live for better. When everyone learns not to repeat their mistakes, forget, forgive and embrace each other working out with their lows and highs I think life will be beautiful.

I remembered Bharathi suddenly and decided to exit from that spiritual place and went on search of the home where Bharathi lived in Pondy. Unfortunately, that place was undergoing some renovation and I couldn’t check in. Altogether, although I did not choose spirituality, the place was full of nature and yes peaceful. I will recommend that place, but you got to check in with like minded people alone. The rates are pretty nominal to be spent once in a year.