Winter is here again!

One deep breath...

2012-02-02T22:15:00.001+04:00

That's all you need during marital conflicts... Or so I thought... Am not so sure of tonight though......

Old tech days...

2011-12-26T19:13:00.000+04:00

Thanks to the iPad now, I am in love with the mouse all over again. Another sign of my departure from being young gen...

Though I love the whole touch thing and the immense flexibility it gives, I somehow have never felt like I had the real sense of control that I used to have with a mouse. Especially when trying out new software or getting some measly photo editing done. And reading. Yes, it is an absolute delight to read on the iPad. But again, with the mouse I get the ability to hover below the text I am reading - kinda like how you used to point your pen at the text you were reading while studying. To me, this is particularly important when reading editor opinion/ analytical articles where there's a lot more running than just the worlds in the article.

Feels ridiculous when you consider the mouse a better pointing device than the finger - a God intended pointing device. Perhaps the kids of today who grow up with touch gadgets will have more use for that natural pointing device from God. And over time, the intuitive feel from touch along with more innovative progress in touch computing will place the eventual tombstone on the mouse.

Suits me... I will be long gone by then.....

The signs of the times

2011-12-01T09:52:00.001+04:00

If you go by what “venerable”star Santhosh Pandit says, chances are I would have made him richer by a fewthousands, considering my number of YouTube clicks referencing him in somesort. And as much as I have had the tendency to pinch him to bring him back tothe real world, I certainly have enjoyed seeing him live his imaginary life asan imaginary superstar in an imaginary film industry that according to him, haslost the ability to draw the crowds to theaters.

Since his meteoric rise thanksto Youtube, numerous debates on whether the movie industry is a business or anentertainment platform or an art platform have all been held across newspapers,magazines and chat shows. (The very word ‘industry’ should be a clue). Apartfrom providing the usual user entertainment (a big aspect of which is provokingPandit with questions that would undoubtedly bring forth humorous responses),none of these have shows really had an answer to that... Come to think of it, evenin the days before Pandit (can’t imaginethat I just said that), there was never really an answer, but at that pointin time, it was not an issue of bother. A bad film and an art film were boundto crash and no one was ever surprised. Until Krishnanum Radhayum.

The movie has reached astoundinglevels of publicity that unless you tape your mouth, you will end up contributingto the movie’s publicity in some form. Though I do disagree with all of the crudeand abusive responses via comments and direct phone calls, I certainly haveutter disdain for the movie and it’s creator.

If he ever reads this, hewould inevitably pose that dreaded question – Have you watched the movie? I canimagine myself having a huge gulp and then replying with an even huger NO!!!(Though in the deep dark recesses of my heart, there is a desire to watch this,in the same manner that I secretly wish to know how drinking would help thecreative soul...). If he considers responses from people who have not watchedthe movie as being uninformed criticism, then I would suggest that he create a freshtrailer that would bring in some of the finer aspects of the movie... Aspectsthat he expects will garner applause from the public, rather than promote amovie with a trailer that in his opinion does not do justice to the movie itself.

Given that he quotespsychology as a key factor in being able to draw crowds to the theaters, weshould perhaps look at some of the psychological traits (not necessarilyweaknesses) of ours that he has (at some level) managed to exploit:

The generation that grew up watching Tom and Jerrynever asked questions on how Tom got crushed by a car and was in the nextinstant, able to lift himself up, reshape himself to his normal form and thencontinue chasing Jerry all over the screen. The point was in the laughs... Youknow what I am coming to…

· The tabloids and the celeb stars are forever tryingto outsmart each other around the globe, just for the sake of the celeb newshungry public. So you have sleazy tabloid guys who get a rush doing their job, tmz.comand celebs who post nude pics to their Twitter accounts. Now place a personinto that format, one whomanaged to publicize a song for free and ensured that he was never forgotten.Interviews / new songs / presence on FB and Twitter / numerous blogs / you nameit... Not to speak of the public interest around even the slightest murmur fromthe guy... You have a winning formula there all for the taking... And his atrocities attain new levels...

· Like a real psychologist would say, the mindsometimes requires a medium of venting to liberate itself from a thumbs-downemotion / mental state. However, it is the expected response that triggers the feelingof liberation and subsequently lays to rest that troubled mental state and notjust the venting. Ask the loved one and she will tell you that she absolutelyhates it when I end up laughing while she is on a tirade. Try as youmight to humiliate Pandit, there is no way the guy beats a hasty retreat. Withhis same set of statements (I did everything except the cameraman’s work / withjust 5 lakhs, I have a blockbuster / the established stars are jealous andscared that this new guy is going to seal their future / and a couple more), hedeprives you from that feeling of contentedness in seeing him verbally bashed...

· And most important of all, the guy proveswithout a trace of shame that the real life you live is not in the least bitcomparable with the movies you see and enjoy. Whatever one might say, at theend of the day, a movie is an escape into a different world... Where musicreplaces poignant moments, frames tune your senses and expressionsreplace words... Tearing up that beautiful world and replacing it with hurtfulrealistic impressions of woeful music, lifeless lyrics, fight sequences and unpolisheddialogues from the Neolithic era hurt your conscience. Like how he says in oneof his interviews, if a common guy is faced with the need to write a song or act or sing orfight with someone in real life, this is what it would look like.

Phew.....

Having written all ofthe above, I am not sure whether a movie like this deserves to be lookedat with such gravity. It could well have been a one off fluke effort that gotthe college kids rushing in for some cheap entertainment and a lifetime’s worthof so called “Chali” dialogues... Too early to say whether the success can berepeated or not. Perhaps an influx of lovely movies would stem his growth...You never know. He might even wake up one day from his fantasy world and thenquit the industry... Worser still, he might realise that he created KR andmight choose to quit living altogether.

Whatever it be, KR definitelyis not a movie that you can dismiss and get on with life. It is everywhere (especiallyif you are in Kerala) and if the supposed Limca record holder decides to goahead and launch it in Hindi and Tamil, I do not, for the love of God, know how the national media will catapult him into becoming talked about all over India.

One good thing to take comfortin – Except for the camera, Santhosh is in charge of everything in the movie. Andnot a team of dufuses...Peace for the troubled art souls...

Talk about psychology.......

As the gates open one last time...

2011-07-03T23:59:00.007+04:00

43. Etched in dark chocolate. On an RR styled cake. In this room filled with lights and colors and party caps…

43. Not just some number. I was 17 when I first felt these walls. They were less shinier then. Music was absent. A good day at work meant a successful mimic of the V12 at 4000 rpm… Or so we joked…

To many in this world, these walls spell luxury, royalty and magic. Connoisseurs (we never
entertained ‘customers’) ranging from royals to Hollywood to dot com billionaires to inheritance blessed ones to jackpot winners – All have graced these pathways with trepidation… Their eyes filled with awe knowing the very womb where their Rolls Royce would be born… And there was one aspect that elevated the senses in all of them…

One could never buy a Rolls Royce… One had to be deemed worthy and of class enough to experience the magic… The Spirit of Ecstasy came first; money - much later…

For the last decade, I have relished being the oldest employee of this factory. As would be expected, I have been honored on many occasions – anniversary and otherwise. I am a Godfather to some of the kids here. The top management knows me by name and by virtue of age, I’m respected throughout the factory.

But this was Rolls Royce. From the day I first touched one to this day, I have loved them. Cliché it may sound, when I tell about that time I sat in the garage lot speaking with a Silver Seraph and felt the Flying Lady come to life in her blue aura… Or how I used to name in my mind, the generations of Rolls as if they were my descendents… The angst in my heart when one of them dears met with a crash…

I should mention though that I have never driven a Rolls Royce. I have never been denied the opportunity, however my fear that the magic spell omnipresent in me would vanish kept me away from the wheel of a Rolls. I might have loved to own one, but I was never sure. Rolls was never a car for me; it was always something more mystical… Something which I never wanted to attain and content with feeling it’s presence…

And today I have to say goodbye… If the law permitted, I would have stayed till the heavens let me in… But having to say goodbye is a rule of this world right? You have to leave your loved ones, a human life’s fruits of toil, the sea, the mountains… Philosophical I know, but these thoughts fill me as I stare into that dark brown icing that says 43.

As I receive handshakes and warm hugs, my mind still wanders off to the garage… Visions pass by and time seemed to have slowed down. I could see the Director coming towards me.

“Would you like to take a round of the garage before the party ends?”

I nodded. The joy in my heart knew no bounds.

We rode down in the Rolls buggy. The familiar feeling of being home wafted into my senses as we rode into the garage. I wished I could be buried there after my time. The sense of attachment was too strong to let go off.

The garage had been cleaned and was bathed in slight blue, in tune with the rays of the sun. A spotlight at the centre illuminated the area where we were headed to. The cars were all in facing position, as if bearing witness to my farewell.

I was greeted to a generous applause as I got down the Rolls buggy.

The Director spoke – “This has been his abode for the last 43 years. His association with the garage has been so ingrained in all of us, that it is next to impossible to imagine this place without him. As much as we value the presence of every Rolls here, we treasure this man who has spent the whole of his working life making sure that the mysticism behind a Rolls Royce was never a result of manufacture.

As I approach the limit beyond which words would prove no justice to this wonderful man, it makes sense to show our gratitude and affection in the form of a parting gift. What place is more befitting than the garage right?”

I smiled with tears in my eyes and a distant feeling of how 43 years had passed by so quickly…

The Director continued…

“Our problem though was what to gift you. 43 years is no small period and for sure this garage would miss you the moment you step outside. As would all of us. The least we could do then was to make sure that you left us with an honor that we could best achieve.”

He paused for a moment, as I took a deep breath.

“So the staff and management and the stakeholders of Rolls Royce decided to create this for you…”

The spotlight swooped to a dark corner where stood a magnificent Rolls Royce Phantom. Bathed in blue and silver with the Flying Lady in full glow. No this could not be real…

The Director walked me to the Limited Edition Phantom, of which only 43 units would be created... As I felt my fingers over the Spirit of Ecstasy, I felt glad for the first time in my life that I was speech disabled. For I was not sure whether words would be able to describe the elated feeling I was going through. Tears obstructed my vision and I fumbled in my pockets for a kerchief. I was oblivious to the cheering and the celebrations all around me…

It was just me and my new kid that moment…

Hours later, I made my way home from that garage, through the balloon filled lane to the gates of the factory of Rolls Royce Cars Plc. To a crowd waiting to bid me goodbye.

And no I was not driving the Rolls. For today, I was that connoisseur in his first Rolls Royce wafting through, living a dream and remembering with a smile what Jeremy Clarkson famously said – “It would be a shame to pass through life without entering a Rolls-Royce Phantom at least once”.

And I know without a doubt that this life has been well lived...

Four seasons....

2010-01-20T21:08:00.005+04:00

He peeped out of his specs as she walked past... She was wearing a coffee brown scarf today... He could feel her scent as she made her way across the office hall... Tried to hold on to that scent, much like the past many days when he had been unsuccessful, trying to bottle her fragrance in his heart...
"But man, she does have a wonderful collection of scarves..."

Over the days, she had got used to feeling his eyes over her... She used to find excuses to walk past him... She knew his eyes treated her differently... Selecting which scarf to wear in the hot sweaty summer was becoming a rather fun and exciting activity and she took care to look tasteful... And once she had exited the office hall, she used to hold on a second, to breathe in that wonderful feeling for which she had no name...
"What's in his eyes that makes me feel special?"

Meet they did one sunny afternoon... They exchanged names... designations... and smiles... Their eyes betrayed them, but there was no way their formal attire was going to acknowledge that...
(Perhaps later... At least there's been a start...)

"By the way, I like your scarf selection... It's a very different style to carry about while wearing formals"
"Thanks a lot... Guess my style statement is in a class of it's own :) "

Onwards into the fading summer, they smile whenever she walks past, talk here and there at random, and her scarf selection continues to awe him... Not long after, he expresses what he feels inside for her... Though blissfully aware of that, she was, so to say, a bit taken aback...
"It's time I told him...."

She thought for a moment... And then removed her scarf to reveal a shaven head... Fell into his arms sobbing..... Cancer... Treatment was on... The future was uncertain... The doctors knew less, she even lesser...
"Why did it have to be me?"

He held her tight... Let her cry... All the while not knowing what to feel inside... Even feeling her lips amidst the tears did not help...
"Autumn's always gloomy and melancholy filled... "

He never saw her during the winter... He tried calling... searching... contacting friends... All to no avail... He fought with himself to hold on to her fragrance... In the snow, he wrote prayers to God to cure her... He wrote words of love for her... He asked the winter breeze to take his message to her, wherever she be... Pasted "Come back soon" messages in her cubicle... Looked to the skies everyday for some miracle answer...
"Where are you? Why did you have to disappear?"

Weeks later as he returned from a meeting, he noticed her sitting at his desk... She was fiddling with the numerous "Come back soon" messages he had pasted at her cubicle... He stopped for a moment... He had to compose himself... It was futile... His heart was so overwhelmed that it seemed senseless to allow it to pass... He made his way towards her slowly... She was wearing a beautiful black lace scarf that swept over her forehead...
"So has she not been cured yet? Oh God give me an answer please"

As she lifted her head, he managed a smile that looked somewhat acceptable at the workplace and concealed his thoughts... He ran his fingers over her palm amidst his messages... They looked into each other...

"I feared the worst... Why did you not call?"
"Let's take a walk... Come on... "

What happened then on is not for anyone to know... A little birdie passing by did tell me though, that they were seen in the park where the girl had removed her scarf to reveal flowing and wavy dark brown hair and that they kissed each other in the company of the birds singing in the spring... They were happy and that was all that mattered...

The seasons are what a symphony ought to be: four perfect movements in harmony with each other. ~Arthur Rubenstein

Do you remember?

2009-11-21T21:33:00.009+04:00

A D A* (In a serious tone): Did you download those movies I asked you to?

Me (Cautious): Yup I did long back !

A D A: That's a lie for sure... Did you really do that?

Me: Yes my dear... I did !

A D A: Okay.. So what were the names of those movies?

Me: Well... Hmmm....

A D A(In a I-am-the-Grim-Reaper kinda tone): Go on sweetheart....

Me: Movie 1 - "A n U forgot the name of the movie" and Movie 2 - "A n U forgot the name of this movie too" :)

A D A: Ha Ha I knew it you liar... I knew that you would not have downloaded them...

Me: Okay ya... So what were the names of the movies?

(Pause... No voice from the other side)

Me: Okay, so tell me the name of one of those movies..

A D A: Name of the first movie - "A D A forgot the name too" !

Me: So that makes us quits right...

A D A: I guess so... :|

Heh heh I love you dear... :)

* A n U's Dear A

What story do you have to say....

2009-11-19T05:58:00.003+04:00

Of late, cloud spotting has become a favorite activity of mine... And I don't stop there... I make up stories to connect them with their shapes and the environment...

And like an excited school boy, I am looking up at the sky almost always nowadays...

So from here on, I am beginning this small sub section, where my clouds would find fame and get their stories (as convincing as they may seem) known to the world...

The facts... Image of the then yet-to-be-opened and now opened sea bridge connecting the two sections of Mumbai... Guess they call it the Rajiv Gandhi bridge now...

The fiction... Mother Nature weeps for the sea life and the sea in itself that got affected irreversibly cause of the bridge... She being the wonderful Mother, does not seek revenge... But not her army... They never forgive...

And that's what you see here... A flying menacing strike from the heavens... The sun is blocked... The centre portion of the bridge is lit in heavy blinding light... The sea waits with bated breath, as still as dead... The air is motionless...

And here it comes....

The Corporate night out...

2009-11-18T06:29:00.007+04:00

Scene 1 - Office desk - Mail pops in - Dinner tomorrow at 7 30 pm... Face turns bright... Food always manages to bring a smile...

Scene 2 - Home - A million "what-to-wear" thoughts disco in my head... "You should always be well dressed for a party" - "Nah! Just another one of those meet all, shake hands with all and nibble all parties... Why dress up?" - "How bout that red shirt which you've never worn?" - "Perhaps you should skip the dinner altogether" - The music in my head doesn't look like it'll end anytime soon...

Scene 3 - Next day morning - A sudden flip of my neuro senses and a bulb lights up on my head... I will attend... Wear something new and good.. And look corporate...

Phew... That was a tough one... Sometimes I feel girls should not be blamed ;)

Combo of scenes - Day moves on in office... Another mail arrives during the day and mentions the dinner time being advanced to 7... Suits me right... Food should never wait... It's cruel... To us that is...

(Frankly, I still have no idea why I was looking forward to this dinner a lot... There was nothing exciting about it, the place was not the Taj, booze and I don't like each other, smokes go up in smoke when they see me and it was not like I was expecting dance and action... Hmmm... )

At around 19 12 (as noted on the huge clock), my colleague friend (who will be called CF from now on) and I were there... Our senior joined us a bit later and almost immediately my mind started scouting around looking for some clue as to where this hall might be... Minutes passed and all three of us finally decided (come to think of it, there was also some realization involved) that next to hunger, courtesy is just another word, which deserves the back bench... And on we moved to Floor 20...

Buffet Hall Grand Scene - Floor 20 of the Residency Towers - Our friends and colleagues from other departments (That sounded really corporate didn't it! I love myself :) ) were already present and I could see some starters and drinks laid across the table... The guests for whom this dinner was arranged mingled in well... Or so it seemed... We had ended up late...

As was expected, we moved on and on towards the far end of the table, where even the light from the candles on the table, feared to pass through... We set in and I occupied the last seat on that table... The picture was complete... At one end of the table, we had the top guns and the other end had the cigarette lighter guns...

As was the plan, I opened Gravity and began my tweeting... In response to my tweet saying that the dinner was colorless, I had friends popping in, asking me to play a Vijay track or have some fireworks and all that... None to work though... Because my sense of satisfaction and completeness was directly and indirectly related to the food that would be served... So I could not be bothered...

Somewhere in between, I sensed myself as a God like being, able to float around the room without being noticed... CF and the manager were discussing client work... Partners discussed modes on changing India, while at the same time bringing in benefits to our organization in general and the Chennai office in specific... The workforce (you know who I mean) were having their night out and had their hands on each other's shoulders... Pairs of eyes shifted between the different persons on all sides of the table... Taking stolen glances... attempts by the workforce to make their face familiar to the guests, so that the next time they land in "EINDIYA", they call em Dude !... And on and on...

But all of them looked so eerily similar... No one appeared comfortable... It was evident in each one's eyes that that they were so fully conscious of being there... As much as they tried to look all composed and in familiar territory, their body actions betrayed them... They were unsettled, shifting every now and then and were all eyes and ears to everything happening around... So alert that had I blown a flying kiss, each one would have told me the direction to which it was headed...

There was also this particular stereotype of a guy who always looks up the ladder and where the next step lay... He seemed particularly in a mood to laugh out loud with hands clapping, for some silent jokes made by the person(s) next to him.. You could make out that they were not really genuine reactions, from the way he used to suddenly calm down, have a sip of his lime soda and continue looking for ladder steps...

Dinner was served... The food was normal and nothing to shout about... King prawns ordered with a lot of hope in mind, disappointed us by looking like the puny and starving subjects of the king... Rotis were good... Curries tasty but not exceptional... The food affair went on silently, with some sounds coming from the other sides of the table, of people speaking with their mouths stuffed, clinking of glasses (beer and non beer), and the like...

Dinner done and someone suddenly realized that we were sitting on the rooftop and that we could have a decent view of the city skyline if we stepped outside... In one swift move, the table was empty and much to the discomfort of the guests seated outside, a certain organisation's workforce was crowding the rooftop restaurant looking down at the lights and the city...

Everyone likes the view from the top...

Back to their seats five minutes later and orders for dessert were placed... I had realized that brownie with ice cream was my heart's request... Another twenty minutes and on the table, in front of me, dripping with chocolate sauce and scoops of ice cream, was my sizzling hot brownie... But greed is not always good and I burnt my tongue and left cheek while learning that important lesson... It was delicious and for some reason, God made sure that I was not reminded even in the slightest manner of the calorie count and the blah and the blah... You don feel bliss very often...

All done, mouth wiped and the fresheners popped in, everyone moved towards the exit... Each one holding on to their corporate selves for the last few minutes... Everyone handed out their valet tickets and waited as their drive arrived...

Which is where I clicked this...

(not a great pic - Apologies)

Some desperate guy from desperate land had fixed glossy red horns to his Grand Vitara's bonnet, possibly in the hope of standing out from the crowd... But in a way it was a fitting summary to what the evening had been... Each one preferred to be someone and something different, but were not aware how... And ended up realizing after a while that all said and done, you are still what you are... You could go up, you could fix horns, you could paint yourself red, you could do anything... But if people don't take in the new you, you end up losing more of yourself...

Final scene - My car arrives, I hand out CF's bag and drive into the night... With Sarah McLachlan...

Ordinary Miracle...

2009-09-06T14:17:00.007+04:00

It's not that usual when everything is beautiful
It's just another ordinary miracle today

The sky knows when its time to snow
You don't need to teach a seed to grow
It's just another ordinary miracle today

Life is like a gift they say
Wrapped up for you everyday
Open up and find a way
To give some of your own

Isn't it remarkable?
Like every time a raindrop falls
It's just another ordinary miracle today

Birds in winter have their fling
And always make it home by spring
It's just another ordinary miracle today

When you wake up everyday
Please don't throw your dreams away
Hold them close to your heart
Cause we are all a part
Of the ordinary miracle

Ordinary miracle
Do you want to see a miracle?

It seems so exceptional
That things just work out after all
It's just another ordinary miracle today

The sun comes up and shines so bright
It disappears again at night
It's just another ordinary miracle today

It's just another ordinary miracle today...

One absolutely adorable day brightener... Watch it here...

The tortoise wins again...

2009-08-13T15:47:00.008+04:00

So the story goes that one fine day, after all managers were blessed with High Speed Mobile Internet access, there was this certain manager and an associate sharing a cabin at a client location... They were both going to get connected to their office server... The Manager had his high speed baby and the associate, his Jurassic era Mobile Internet card...

1... 2... 3... and off they go... (Okay.. Am I getting too dramatic?!)

The Manager's connection flew off at it's expected high speeds while the Associate connection tottered along, as was expected.

Moments pass... And it happens... The manager connection refuses to connect... The Manager is frantic... There are things to do... Important mails to send... But how can he? He looks around desperately... The tension evident in his eyes... And in his voice as he spoke... "Mind if I borrow your data card for sometime?"

Sure enough, the data card was handed over and the rest as they say is history...

Or rather... History repeating itself... ;)

I was not aware...

2009-08-13T15:23:00.008+04:00

... that my machine is under extreme stress these days... Until it showed me this...

I feel sorry... But then have I a choice ?!!

The Kid Connection...

2009-07-21T11:39:00.003+04:00

“You will be a wonderful father to your kids”

The person who said it? My Mom… And as far as compliments go, it couldn't get better…

My nieces were with me at that time and perhaps Mom was glad enough to notice that she and my sister (the kids’ mom) had to spend little or no time looking after them while shopping or cooking or talking or eating or keeping them busy.

They love being with and around A n U Mama so much that the elder one recently told Mom that she liked Mom because she was my mother… And from a kid who is all of 8 years… My Mom said that the warmth in her words moved her to tears…

The story is not so different at my end too… I love kids so so much, that I always remember telling Mom that I wanted to have kids… When I said that at the age of 11, everyone laughed… At the age of 17, not everyone laughed and when I say now, they are all smiles… Perhaps because they think that it’s time for me to tie the knot… God... these people and their ideas…

Anyway, the absolute fun you can have around kids is incomparable… They trust you, you do not have to be someone around them, Love is straight and not implied, happiness and cooperation are only an ice cream or chocolate away (in a non bribing sense though ;) ) and on and on… And when you have two of them kiddos, things get more exciting… Apart from the fun and laughter you have around them, you can also sit back and enjoy the bonding between the two siblings, where they are caring about each other, yet sometimes pick fights for reasons that are so important to them… And it sets you thinking about your fights with your siblings in those days, how we have grown up to become the people we are today, how they might shape up in the days to come and a million other things…

And then there is the unmatched feeling when you have those little lips on your cheek kissing you Good Night or expressing thanks for getting them that chocolate on the high shelf… Those moments… You know that heaven does exist on Earth…

The dear girls left to see their grands and the whole family team couple of days later…

And before the warmth of their presence left me, I was there in Kerala with my Chechi’s kiddo… This chubby dearie is all of ten months old and is seeing me for the second time in her life… No recognition was expected and there were no surprises…

But in 15 mins, she was there in my arms and playing with my glasses and making sounds that her mom and grandma interpreted differently… I was sure that she was saying in her baby language that she loved me ;) Heh heh…

Another 15 minutes and she was fast asleep… Mom had the perfect reason… A n U is so wide that the kid has so much space and warmth… So no surprises for them and the baby girl continued to sleep blissfully…

And like I say always… Kids are the only reason we all have hope in tomorrow… Their innocence, their trust, their love, their belief, their recognition, their frankness… It’s all so simple for them… Sadly for them to recognise that innocence, they will need to interact with kids when they are our age… And then will sit back and think or write something like this lamenting on innocence lost and a world in ruin…

The house is alive….

2009-07-20T21:21:00.002+04:00

… with the sounds of the clanking of dishes, vroom vroom of the vacuum cleaner, the ruffle of clothes as they are being folded, the aroma of lip smacking food, the tunes of the million reality show participants on TV, windows banging in the rather heavy breeze in the last few days, the whispers in between talking to relatives, the happiness of not having the “Oh son has to study” headache, the voices of disappointment with a house so…. er… not so well maintained… With the love of a kid and his parents….

Once again, the house has life… And clearly, it loves that life… I have been within the same four walls most evenings the last one year, and yet have never sensed the kind of brightness that I see now while sitting late in the night… (Okay the people who know me will attribute that to the house not having been clean the least bit, but then… Who knows better?!! )

Day after, the action gets more exciting with my brother joining me… And together, we will make sure that all those making their way to the South of Chennai after 12 in the night will not need to have their radio switched on for entertainment…. ;)

Yoo Hoo !!!

The limits...

2009-07-13T19:32:00.002+04:00

My car's not starting... Again! In the last 2 months... After that whopping bill I paid I am gonna take those Ford guys to court...

Anyone willing to take up a case??

And the breeze is this way again......

2009-06-26T09:51:00.004+04:00

Ah! I have missed being here... June has been a month of travels, of hotel stays, of parties and client lunches and a lot of networking... All at the professional level though, if you care to know...

Sadly, the morning today has become colorless after I read about Micheal Jackson's death... I would not say i was a die hard fan... Neither would I say that I have loved all songs that I have heard of him... But then... the music.. the steps.. The electricity in his tracks... Those have sort of been unmatched till date... Or at least I have not heard of anyone who has so much energy in his songs... Which makes even the God of Shyness move his legs at least from his seat...

Unsurprising then that he was and is still the King of Pop... Hope he died with peace in his mind... Pray his soul rest in peace...

**********************************

The other big news is the happiness of my parents coming... God I do not know anyone of my age who has been so excited about their parents coming... Boy! I am on a different level altogether... And before you assume that I am waiting for the goodies that they would be bringing... I would clarify :) Yes I am excited about the chocs but that's just one part of the story... Their presence in the house is going to be lovely... Being able to return to being a son and just be that irresponsible lazy son is such a wonderful feeling...

But then yes there are hard decisions to take this time around and I am not so sure... But then as long as they are around I would feel warm inside... Which is a nice feeling by itself right ?!

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I am in love with Mumbai !! Just a week there and limited roaming around but boy! Am I dazzled by the cosmopolitanism, the simple yet complex culture of the streets, the dynamic cab wallah who said he has been driving for the past 12 years, yet does not remember any road name but only the landmark, the swift and strategic movements while boarding the train, the suburban rush at 1 in the morning, the birds, the atmosphere, the chowpatti, the street food, the richness, the girls ;), the co-existence of the slum dweller and the bungalow owner and lot lot more... A separate post on the Mumbai experience is in order... Coming soon.....

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I have a new craze... CLOUDS!! I have always been fascinated by the formations of the clouds and the stories that I could weave into each of those fluffy pillows... But now, I take pictures, look at them after a day or two... And I have noticed that I get a different pictiue and image atogether of the same formation... And that has me hooked... I am enjoying now.. and I wait in anticipation as I load the pictures from the mobile and open them, looking forward to the kind of image that opens up in my mind...

Come to think of it... Isn't this some kind of a mind game ?!!! Hmmm...

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Major decisions coming this season... Life changers... No details now... Perhaps after the storm has settled... For those of you who are smart and experienced enough to guess what it would be... Please include me in your prayers... Would be grateful for life...

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And my brother is finally an Engineer!! Okay the name does not evoke the elevated status feeling as it did in the 70's and 80's... But all said and done... It still is the result of the almost 2 decades of study that he has been through... And is truly a moment of celebration...

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I absolutely loved the Honda Jazz... One of the best European styled cars out there... Would not say that there are no competitors to that post... The i20 is one... All these sexy hatchbacks on the roads and how am I expected to feel good in the sedan that I am driving? So will I be getting one? Wish to.... Dad !! Can you hear me ?!!

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I had a clue about it when I was in Kolkata and confirmed the same while in Mumbai... That almost all these guys like to travel Kingfisher, cause the girls (Also called Airhostess in some circles) are quite cool... If you know what I mean... heh heh... Like a friend of mine commented... "Nein sukh prapthi"

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I plan to fly to Germany next year with a friend to attend the BMW "M" Driving school... Ah! From what I have heard they have about 20 M3s, 8 M5s and about 6 M6s... Oooh!!! The very excitement of seeing them all there together will give me an attack!

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I am going to take up professional French lessons from August... I love the language and I yearn to see the wonderfully French love movies... And read the acclaimed stories... The romance of the people and the culture that has made Paris the city of Love....

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And finally... I am almost deciding on a business prospect once I have enough money for a 50 percent share of what will be my brain child venture... No details now... Because as sure as I am about it's success, I know that it will be at least 5 years away... So let's keep it under wraps for the time being....

So then there we are... You and I are in the present tense now... Couple of posts are in line... One on the Mumbai diaries and another one...

See you all soon... Profitez de votre vie! (Supposed to mean Enjoy your lives... Errors to be forgiven...) Love you all...

See you all in a while...

2009-06-05T16:40:00.003+04:00

Ya so something I have been thinking of over the past few days and have decided now... I am taking a temporary break from writing... Partial writer's block caused by many reasons... and serious inability to observe my surroundings, from where I draw inspiration for what I write...

Hoping I can be back at the earliest... Enjoy your lives... :) God Bless...

2009-06-04T10:13:00.003+04:00

"You bloody don't think I am a puppet... You bloody don't... "

Something I heard in the morning... Kinda curious about one thing though...

Does "bloody" look like an adjective for me or is it just a reference to the situation?

Guess it's a case of comma preferences... Hmmm... Heh heh.. I love it anyway :)

Random Thoughts....

2009-06-03T10:58:00.005+04:00

The corporate setup is such that when you are head deep in work, you wish to sit in office, enjoying that little lovely corner's privacy... And when you do get the chance to sit there, you worry about how to book the time and to what activity, effectively screwing up the pleasurable mental image of peace that drew you in the first place... And end up wishing that we were involved...

****

When a seventy year old astro scientist sends a craft to the moon which carries his pet creation developed over a couple of decades, isn''t it just his faith that he will leave to see it reach the destination planet in about a decade's time?!

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Don't you the think the Gods are playing the Divine "Who is the best XBoxer" Challenge, with us as the game characters?

****

And if they are really onto some game like that, I think my character would be in one of those Olympic games... And with my not so flattering body, I would be the star of stars :)

****

The day I complete my novel, I will start reading Harry Potter. (Well... I seriously do intend to complete my work, so Harry Potter does stand a chance of being read, even though I am not quite a big fan from what I have seen of it in the movies)

Important yes... but fruitful?

2009-05-13T09:53:00.009+04:00

The last few months have been filled with news and views of the Great Indian Elections... The most surprising of events, thrilling plots, intense drama, new friends, "to join or not to join" confusion and so on and so on... As always the promises are plenty... Some believable.. Some fantasy... Some funny.. Some even funnier... But yes.. Across all parties one thing is common and credit has to be given for that... Flinging mudballs at each other and being candid about the cheap post poll friends and enemies strategy...

Today is Election day in Tamil Nadu, and I am home, happily facebooking, twittering and blinking in all directions... Not voting? NO! Reason? No vote for me in TN. I belong to a different state...

Well... That's my diplomatic answer just in case someone asks.. But the real reason...? I am not convinced about any of these promises and sincerely believe, that yet again, they will take us for a ride and still come back in 2014 asking for support... Shamelessly and pointing fingers to the next camp... The day someone campaigns with a set of completed promises from the last campaign with an 80 percent success rate, I will exercise my franchise for him / her. The same way that my bosses do not accept promises for work that's yet to be done, I refuse to accept manifesto promises and commitments.

And yes there is no way some camp is getting me to vote by waving currency notes... Like how this chap who sent me this SMS attempted to...

Shows what matters most to them... And where the donations and funds disappear in part...

Every politician is at the foremost, a social worker. Atleast that's how it is supposed to be. Just because he does not have power, does not mean he is lost of opportunities to carry out his share of promises... Unless it is his / her will to punish the voters for not making them win...

What I have time and again failed to understand is how they could be such selfish creeps in broad daylight with the whole world watching? But then on second thought... Why blame them? If we put them there, we are to blame... If we are not objective about success percentages, in the same way we are about our kid's grades, there is little hope. Twice in a decade there is an uproar about the need to vote and how it is a responsible citizen's duty to exercise that right. Like how the youth fraternity has adopted the mark on the finger as the latest style statement. But then how do I choose between multiple sets of people who are waiting for my mandate to legally screw me and the rest of society for the next set of 5 years? There is no accountability to any citizen for the money paid as tax.. All you get are bumpy roads, cracked bridges, increased corruption, poverty stricken faces, questionable quality of health and education, social irresponsibility and what not... Not to mention financing their lavish lifestyles... And intense campaigning...

That said no part of the world is immune from that carnal greediness for tax payers money as was revealed by The Telegraph earlier this month... And also seconded by this article...

They say that anyone who abets a crime is a criminal himself... Though politicians cannot be singularly referred to as criminals, there are quite a few characters out there (some of whom have already earned jail time credentials to back the claim of a criminal) who are not eligible to safeguard and improve our interests and welfare. Which sums it all...

Some day I hope the system will convince me to vote for a better and promising future... I sincerely do hope so... Till then I choose to stay at home seemingly oblivious of the events that will go down in the books of the country's progress reports and still be happy that I did not choose for this to happen...

Facts of life.. A series...

2009-05-11T22:24:00.003+04:00

You stoop... you bend... you give in... you admit... you crawl... you beg... you self induce pain... you bend... you stoop even more...

And one bright morning you discover that your spine's divorced you cause it can't bear the shame of perceived non existence....

How to Flip the entire world and get away with it...

2009-05-01T15:25:00.005+04:00

VOTE !! And get the latest style statement done on that lovely long finger... ;)

Like the first famly of Bollywood...

Or maybe they just wanted to convey that they exercised their right to allow the netas to f*** their lives for the next five years...

And that's what movies are about right? That message within.....

Ah good to be back ... :)

2009-04-30T09:41:00.000+04:00

Not that I have been very far away...

If you are looking for reasons I could give you three types of reasons...

The Diplomatic One - I have been busy with work and it's taken all the free time and the random thoughts that used to roam about in the wilderness of my mind...

The Author's Privilege - I have been going through a mild form of Writer's block and was stumbled for ideas and words all along the last couple of weeks...

The Truth - I just did not know what to write on... You know how it is when you've been having an influx of ideas and you do not know which topic to write on.. rather which choice to make... :)

And then end up writing something that was never there on the list anytime !!

Something like this ... ;)

2009-04-07T13:38:00.004+04:00

You know what they say about the tough times... That those are the times that brings out the person in us.. makes us a better person and all that...

What they don't say is that those tough times drain us out of all the energy and excitement in life that we no longer expect an easy road...

And that is the truth of it all....

What last minute ?!

2009-04-06T20:59:00.004+04:00

My mom always used to tell me that I always keep things for the last moment... Be it my studies, my work, responsibilities she had assigned me, whatever be... The last minute was the scene of all the action...

I used to agree... I believed it was true...

Until today afternoon when that great truth dawned on me in all it's strength, like the sun on the Sahara...

See... The thing is... If one keeps something for the last minute, then it should mean that all the time till then, the person should have been irresponsibly wasting his time or doing something else that could have waited or been enjoying a good sleep. But I was never doing something like that... As long and as far as I can remember, I have always been living last minutes... I have sort of always been involved in something. And most importantly, that choice of last minute was never mine !

So time to move into the light... The thinking is set to change... No more am I doing things the last minute... It is just that, that is the minute that is supposed to be done... Not before... Not after...

Ah ! Now that feels good :)

2009-04-03T15:36:00.004+04:00

People say make your job and your workplace interesting and all such things all the time. But then seldom have I seen something that's genuinely innovative and is a fresh approach. And today was one such rare day.

While coming out of the client's office, at the security point at the gate, the guard stretched out a pot to me and asked me to pick one. I didn't understand and was looking at the driver with a "What's-he-saying" sort of look... The driver asked me to pick a ball from the pot. I was thinking maybe it was some kinda belief of having a safe journey and all the like... Come to think of it, it looked more like a vase... Anyways... Pick I did, and there was a green ball between my fingers... The driver smiled and said I can put it back and we were on our way...

Obviously, I asked him what was it all about and he told me that it was our choice of whether our vehicle had to be checked. The pot (or was it a vase...?! ) had 12 balls - 4 green and 8 red. All vehicles that belonged to non managerial staff were checked 100 percent. The other vehicles were given this rather democratic choice... If we chose the red one, the vehicle and it's occupants would be checked completely. The green one... Just down the throttle...!!

Pretty cool right ! I thought so too... One of those days when a small random incident can leave you smiling through out the day! Okay... well I got my pay too so more reason for the smiles.... :)

PS: It just so happens that in all my years of audits and clients I have not come across such an arrangement at the gate. Doesn't mean though that this is an uncommon one. Might also be a very routine thing happening in the West or something like that. If so, forgive the ignorant me and do share the different styles of verification you have experienced... Good and bad ;)

Intolerance and our options

2009-04-02T08:16:00.003+04:00

Perhaps the one facet of the behaviour of the present day human race that reflects so very much in all aspects of life is the lack of tolerance. Be it among members of politics, sportsmen, famous people, not-so-famous people, road users, teachers, employees, entertainers… the list just goes on… And the sad fact is that very less people realize that lack of tolerance is a deeper psychological problem that needs inward reflection as the remedy at minor levels and expert psycho therapy help in genuinely serious cases.

It is easy to be intolerant these days because at all levels the society accepts it, and is generally laid off with justifications like stress, ‘heat of the moment’, ‘What-else-was-I-supposed-to-do’ and things like that. Of course without doubt, intolerance is a known issue and activities like yoga, meditation etc. are often propagated as the means of finding peace within. There are no statistics that convey the results of such activities on mending intolerance, the reason being no one’s ever done them. And the reason for no one ever doing those stems from the fact that intolerance is still considered a soft menace – The kind of menace that does not threaten existence, but is just a thorn in the path of peaceful existence. A rather sharp painful one though.

A close friend was telling me yesterday of an incident in her PG, where an inmate slapped another for some trivial reason. Two reasons made me feel sick of the whole incident. One – The girl who got slapped was not able to stop her tears. Two – The one who slapped never had regrets for it, and was in fact heard justifying it. How in the world? From what I know, she seems to have had pretty decent education and is still a professional student. There are a million questions that could be asked here that range from her growing up years to the quality of education to value based education to personal behaviour defects etc. But all that does not match to the severe crassness with which she justified her hate filled act.

Like I mentioned earlier, it is a psychological problem out and out. I would not say that I am a totalitarian when it comes to non violence. Where a knock is deserved, it has to be served. But the good sense of judgement should always prevail. Having the mentality of raising your hand or weapon as a solution does not befit humans. That is not the reason why we have been gifted with the sixth sense. People who behave otherwise belong to… Well... You know where…

Seemingly, there is another lesson in that for the more beguile of us. That we should all be strong enough to face up to this less-known-but-rather-significant detail of life. Intolerance is wide these days and you can seldom escape it’s net. The best you can do is exercise considerable levels of tolerance and fight out the opposites. Keeping the temper and anger under control is always helpful. Try to breathe in more so that the increased levels of oxygen weed out the evil air inside. And whenever in fury, forcefully conjure up an image of a green vast horizon-less landscape and white fluffy clouds across a serene blue sky… Or images of something else that will bring calmness within like parents, loved ones, landscapes, God and the like.

We should realise that acts of intolerance are spurred by the moment. Let that moment pass somehow, and lo! and behold! You will be free. The sourness might remain, but then the world was not made in a day right! Gradually, the hold over those moments will come in effortlessly, and hopefully then, the world would be a better place worthy of being handed over to our children, for whom we always wish the best…

( Well… So I’ve got some time there then… Hmmm… ;) )

Perhaps... Maybe...

2009-03-30T21:52:00.003+04:00

Often we have experiences where someone keeps staring at us in a creepy way. The stare is such that we know that he does not mean any harm, but still chilling enough that we take our eyes off from him/her. A few minutes later, that face would have disappeared in the crowd. Try as we might, we would not be able to trace the person…

It’s intriguing and happens when we are least expecting it. Which led me to think at one point that perhaps it was God driven and there was some purpose behind it... However, there was a distinct incident that changed my perception of the whole thing. While at the Palakkad railway station last year after a vacation, I was busy contemplating whether or not to write a piece on why atheism could be the best solution for a world that was busy fighting over different Gods, while the Gods themselves did nothing to trash the evil that was happening in their names… In the heat of the rage in my head over the numerous killings and injustice, I was convinced that it was best not to teach the future generation, about faith and the Gods. Castes, divisions, religions, everything was in the name of God and different versions of what was essentially the same power. In justifying atheism, I took support in science. If science could make our lives better, then perhaps it might also hold promise in creating good human beings.

I was looking around randomly with all these thoughts running around in my mind. I was at the end of the platform waiting for my S11 coach. The place was almost deserted with a couple of chattering souls about 50 feet away. The breeze was strong and the night was cold. Some minutes later, I noticed this person standing towards the further end of the platform, looking at the rails. There was an empty carriage stationed on the track that was away from the platform. From his looks he seemed to be rather fragile and I guessed he might be looking for an overnight shelter from the cold. There was nothing unnatural about it.

The next time I turned around to see him (I have to admit that I was a bit aware mentally of the person being there) and I noticed him looking at me. He was looking through me. The eyes were strong and the sense inside me, of losing my courage quotient was very evident. I took my eyes off him and turned myself a bit, being sure not to make it obvious.

About a minute later after planning my turn intensely, to make it look as if it was nothing more than a casual turn, I did look to his side… To find that he was not there anymore… The place was not really dark and if not a clear view, ateast a silhouette would have been visible if he was in the vicinity. I was sure he had not crossed the tracks since if he had, I would have heard. From my seat I did all the searching I could to locate the person. Needless to say, I was never able to.

In the train I made a million interpretations and wondered if there was a message. I was never sure and I am not to this date. There have been a number of incidents that have happened and which I have noticed since, including ones in the house that I began to take note of after Mom left. Sometimes it was spooky and my weird sense of imagination wasn’t the least helpful.

But then I found my best defence. And the best reason for all the incidents. That perhaps God is there in the crowd always… And that when we do our deeds – good or bad, he might be around as a silent spectator, getting a first person view. And helping us come out of troubles in ways that we term as miracles… And punishing some others in ways they deserve.

It has given me a lot of hope and courage from then on and to this day I love to believe that I am never alone. Even if we look at it rationally, it still makes sense, cause even if it is all an imagination, at the end of the day it has me feeling safer and secure. In the way I feel when my parents are around. And today when I see such a face, I smile at them… Some have smiled back.. Some just turn the other way… But then that’s the way of God I guess… He would be finding new ways to hang around… :)

Perhaps it’s a new line of thought… Ironically… Only God knows !

Can you hear me !!

A son has his day made...

2009-03-30T13:55:00.002+04:00

The phone rings while I am at office.. From the ringtone (Mailbox – The lake house theme), I know that it’s family. Daddy Dear blinks on the phone…

“Hi Daddy boy ! How’re you? “

“Hi Mone! How’re you? What’s news? At office?”

In an earlier post by the way, I had mentioned that my Dad does call sometimes in the middle of the day and I used to feel in his voice that he missed me… But this time, I was not able to make out anything… Or so I felt…

“So son tell me this… A client of ours requires a statement from a third party indicating that we are financially sound. What are my options, the priority being ease of obtaining, lesser hassles and even lesser need for documentation…?”

For the first time in my life, my dad was speaking to me on a professional level… In a kinda tone that sounded professional, which in turn gave me the don’t-know-how-to-describe feeling of being a consultant to my dad’s office :) That office where I used to run around and smuggle out Coke by the gallons… I was absolutely thrilled and I have to say, that replying to him has been the best reply experience that I have had in my life. I was struggling to hide my smile and joy from my colleagues and I had to try hard to keep my emotions under control. Given the space, I would have jumped sky high in ecstasy…

What began as another normal week has been turned around in 3 mins by a dad who once forgot which grade I was in and who in a matter of fact way, asked my bro to tell the ticket inspector to face the law if he did not accept the e-ticket !! Heh heh that dear man couldn’t get better and one bump on his tummy is all I desire for this moment….

Humanity's lost humaneness...

2009-03-29T17:56:00.008+04:00

Two persons moved my weekend... One took me by absolute surprise and the other, was a sad account of human mindsets gone nuclear...

As much as I would like the world to know the first incident, sadly I would not be expanding on that... For many reasons... privacy being one of them... If my prayers have strength, I sure believe that person will feel the happiness that is very well deserved...

The other incident was in connection with the murderous riots of Gujarat in 2002... A quite sad account of how neighbors and people they interacted with everyday began to fear each other overnight... How the beliefs in human kindness and understanding was burnt with the scores of shops and people...

The effects of the Godhra burning were almost immediate... People burnt Muslim Shops, Muslim people and anything and everything that had the slightest connection to Islam... Her brother was witness to a person being burnt on the street. The cries, the shrills, screams, the requests to be spared... The wind would have carried a mixture of all voices to the skies...

People stayed back at homes for days without even daring to look outside.. The fear was all round and any out-of-the-ordinary sound was unnerving. The colony where she stayed was being guarded in the night by a 10-15 member team, armed with all the sticks, bats, and the like that they could source from every house... The ladies of the house also had their fair share of arms ready just in case... Rumors of armed gangs coming down for revenge were not helpful either. The sense of vigilance was at it's peak and every passing moment was a reason to thank God...

To add to the fear, there was a Muslim colony right after the colony where she stayed. Commuting to the school, tuition center etc. all involved moving through that colony. Some residents of the colony had to leave their home in fear, leaving behind the fruits of their sweat and labour of a lifetime... It was a choice that they had to make between life and possible death...

In about 2-3 weeks the riots subsided, the atmosphere decompressed and normal life limped back. The effects of the carnage was there everywhere for the world to see. A seemingly promising India was seen burnt and bruised. My friend remembered seeing the oft visited footwear shop that belonged to a Muslim, totally burnt out. Seemingly some Muslim shops had the 'Om' sign painted in their shops so that they were not harmed. The anti-Muslim sentiment continued to grow. The once smiling cheerful faces of recognition turned to suspicious and doubtful looks of derision. People were consciously aware when entering places that were run by Muslims. The point of no return had long been crossed...

Life always moves on and though the scars remain, the people have adjusted to the new sentiment. Muslims carry a lower head when moving around and the Hindu domination is complete. The sense of discrimination is wide within, but then as long as people choose not to remember the past, the show will go on. But that potentially fatal nuclear weapon of communal disharmony exists as ever. And there are no signs of disarmament in the near future...

The fear continues to lurk within...

The Other World...

2009-03-28T16:21:00.008+04:00

I have been having my specs since my Grade 2 days… Ya I was about 5-6 years old, not really a kid… But then I really did not have an impression those days of how this was important to me… The only tangible aspect was I was able to see the board clearly once again… Or so I thought, cause Mom said my notes were no longer in hieroglyphics…

Down the line the spectacles was my identity.. “That fat bespectacled guy…” could have been the definite way people used, to point me out in a crowd… Specs at that age, in those days, was not a common sight so I had the luxury of exclusivity… The specs were a normal part of my life… The eye tests were particularly interesting to me primarily because it was fun to read ABC and 123 with those weird goggles kinda spectacles. I liked the way the doc used to keep improving on my sight by selecting the red and the black lens. I guess a part of my immense respect for doctors in my childhood came from the fact that he was making his selection from a suitcase full of lenses and whichever one he picked it was sure to help me better read the last line on that board. And that final question.. “So is this better or is this better?” It used to be personal for me… Somehow that little imaginary mind of mine was faced with making that difficult decision, which meant hurting one lens and allowing the other to come home with me… Little did I know that neither came home with me… Somehow I select one, come out of that chair, get back my dear specs and give my parents a quick smile… It was a kinda nice feeling those days…

I still remember telling myself that I should read out all those letters properly, since the last thing I wanted was that doc thinking that I was not really able to read the alphabets properly. It was some kind of a kiddy prestige issue :) Not being able to read the last lines was to me, an inexcusable failure. Not something I attributed to the eyes. But the doc… Ya he was my man…! With his expert choice of lenses... He helped me safeguard my about-to-shatter pride…

Somewhere sometime down the road, I found out that I could have a perfectly different world to myself. I just needed to pop out my glasses and lo! I was there… It was like I could have two different ways of looking at things… One with all the details intact… the other... The broader view… It was like an escape from the dreary details of reality… People almost looked alike from the distance, the lights of different intensity seemed the same except for the colors, dresses were canvases of bright shades with no intense design or embroidery details, the letters in the books (yawn…) were just black spots on otherwise white sheets, comics were brightly illustrated and said a story to me, that was different from the one depicted… And so many many more that way…

With the progress in my years and with a lot more philosophy thoughts, I began to realize more… The second world made me more tolerant… I was able to overlook the small details that we tend to inflate and make a huge problem out of… It was like the stain on a pristine white shirt… With the glasses on, I could notice the aberration… Without them, I was able to overlook that small flaw and appreciate the snowy white shirt… Also, in the same way, with people, without the glasses on, I could make out the actual face character of the people… The shape of the face, the curves and the like… Since the details were missing, what I could see as an impression was what I saw as their face character… Or something like that… And I liked to think that the face character was a depiction of what the person was really inside...

Today, that other world is an inseparable part of me… Though it has always been open to me, it goes to say that I switch over to that world pretty frequently these days… It’s my point of escape… And wish as I might, I can never take anyone there…

As far as I know, with the technos and solutions available today, it is not really a possibility for me to lead a life without some kind of lens… Which surely means I will carry this luxury of mine to the grave… :) And that’s absolutely relieving because discovery is no more a chance… It is simply an option that I can exercise anytime…!

Ps: If you were wearing specs when reading the article, then the chances are you too have that world… If so, do head over to the thoughts section and share your experiences…

Bad Games...

2009-03-17T19:15:00.006+04:00

Their morals, their code... it's a bad joke... Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be.. You'll see.. I'll show you.. when the chips are down... these civilized people... they'll eat each other...
- The Joker in The Dark Knight

Can't really think of something that could be closer to the truth. The recession has in many ways brought out the real nature of people and the double faces that they all carry within. Point in case is the bonus payout to the executives at AIG and the organisations to whom they have made payments funded out of tax payer money. It's outrageous. The honchos who take home millions every year in salaries alone and who presumably have considerable influence in making the financial world turn round, have failed hopelessly and still have no shame in begging for taxpayers money. Failing to keep up to the hopes and dreams of all these investors, who have seen their savings get wiped off in mass percentages is one thing. Rewarding themselves out of the tax payers hard earned money after all they have done is another. It's a double slam...

Thankfully the leader of the free world is a man I have lots of hope on, for many reasons the best of which is his level headedness. So it is not a surprise that he is trying his best to prevent the bonus payout. What has happened to the consciousness level of these people? Atleast in a random moment, wouldn't they have the slightest feel of guilt and responsibility for declaring these payouts? That there are homeless people on the streets and many even go without proper meals? I guess not... If with all their education, and experience they have not been able to foresee any of these recession related incidents coming in, then what do we expect of their human skills? It would be non existent.

Last heard, the guys at AIG were trying to salvage the bonus plan in spite of the strong opposition from all quarters. Guess the lure of money is really hard to resist. Obama's administration should not only block the payout, but should also make sure that the money is utilised to building back wealth that eventually moves on to the people. About 80% of AIG is government owned now, and hence I do not think enforcing government backed expectations on performances and goals should be a huge problem. It is in a way going back to wicked old socialism. But then those guys brought it upon themselves. Money has to bring it's worth. If it doesn't it has to be ensured by a third party. The logic needs to be only as simple.

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The Josef Fritzl trial has begun. It is truly a horror incident of sorts. Spending a quarter of a century in a 200 sq. cellar and giving birth to 7 kids, being raped 3000+ times, the psychological horrors of being with a monster father, young kids, dying son.... It is unimaginable every way. The less said the better... Cruelty and coldness is written on his face. Sure hope by Friday he is given life imprisonment and if possible, hanged for the bestiality that he inflicted on his daughters and kids.

*******************************************************************

Jade Goody... How sad... Perhaps we feel more for her because we have day to day updates of her medical condition and all the little details that are happening in her last moments including her wedding and her being propped up to watch what would be the last sunset of her life. Medical teams say she is in pain and that death can be expected anytime. At one point in her life she was hated for being that racist participant. But with all the publicity and fame, she sure ensured that her young kids are assured of a decent education and proper upbringing till they turn eighteen. What was left of her was scooped up by some magazine and interviews and exclusive snaps of hospital bed images have all paid her big bucks. She has been a wonderful mother and it's sad that she would have to go back without really being able to say even a proper good bye to them. She's too young for all this.

God Bless her... And hope it does not happen to anyone else...

My prayers for you Jade...

Those sounds.....

2009-03-15T11:28:00.005+04:00

…that I love to hear in my life… Some are memories now.. Some I long to hear… Some I hear when I am least expecting it… Some I hear every day and realize it’s depth in me, only when I have not heard it for a couple of days… Some I dream of hearing… and there are some for which I do not know the reason….

When my Mom calls me A n U

The sound of a train engine starting up

The branches of the trees whistling in the breeze

The sound of whispers in dim light

The sound from inside the aircraft when taking off

The sound of the air-conditioner when it is switched on, which all of a sudden takes us to the illusion of feeling cool

The Sound of Music

When Mama calls me 'll one...

The music when a supercar shifts from second gear to the third

The sounds of the waves touching the beach, with a foaming sound, that somehow always makes me feel the waves are sharing the stories of the far away lands to the shores

The call of the cuckoo early in the morning and the subsequent competition-sense sounds that it makes when we imitate them...

All the sounds that happen when bro is in the house

The sound of rain hitting the roof

The "mmmm" that I hear instead of the "Hello" when someone picks the phone

The love in her voice when she used to call me A n U

The sound of a baby's broken laughter that makes even the stone hearted melt in it's warmth...

The joy in one's voice when on Cloud Nine

The sound of the voices inside us that urge us to make a move

When Dad calls me suddenly in the middle of the day and I understand from his voice that he misses me

The sound of kisses

The sounds that can be heard 50 m away from waterfalls that join with the wind and the gurgling of the water below, to give a feeling of being in paradise

The sound of a known person in a crowd

The sound of the carbon dioxide bursting out when opening a bottle of Coke

The sound of the temple bells

The sounds that I would hear if I ever meet her again

Enya

The sound of the breath(s) when it's raining hard outside with a gusto wind and a single blanket covers the couple, ensconcing them into a shell of a kind

The sounds of victory

The "plop" sound when we throw stones into the pond

The sounds of missing each other

The sounds of crackling fires

The sound of hope....

2009-03-12T10:09:00.003+04:00

I hear the Popeye theme on my phone at 08:30 and I know it’s bro calling… His normal missed call but too early… I call back thinking maybe he missed his bro and just wanted to hear his voice… have a small chat and all…

I ring back… That slow Hindi track plays…

“Chetta… Just go to espnstar.com…” I get the point… Some league would be on… And Man United would be playing… He wanted the timings for the match… I go over to the desktop, go the site and then click on Champs League and come to know the match is over… Which he already knew by the way.. He just wanted to know who won and who scored the goals…

He’s happy… and is well expecting a great day ahead… “So Chetta… How’re you? Hope all is fine… I just returned from the gym… Have you started your gym classes? “ All in one breath…!! I reply that gym is still a fantasy and that without company I am not really keen…

“Alright then… Have college.. Will speak later okay !” and the byes are exchanged…

So much for my thoughts of him missing my voice… Heh heh…. That dear… He will never change… Not that I want to anyway….

The Star in a Reasonably Priced Car...

2009-03-10T14:13:00.011+04:00

Location - The Top Gear Studio

Series 20; Episode 02; 20-02-2015

A couple of car reviews and the news are over and Stig has just completed a power lap in a supercar finishing in good time... The audience is clapping and Jeremy continues...

Thank You Thank You all… So yes moving on, my star tonight is a man who once wrote he would like to be born next…. as a CAR….!! What he didn’t say though was which one… My guess is... going by how he looks… Typical Jeremy pause…A Mini Clubman…! (Audience in splits…)

Ladies and Gentlemen, Aneeth Menon…!!

I enter smiling, waving slightly to the crowd and the sense of being overwhelmed by my presence there, showing on my face…

AM: Thanks Jeremy, you have no idea how wonderful I feel this moment…

JC: Well… We were searching for new stars to put on our show, but then over the last couple of series we have been noticing that stars who do their jiggles on the screen have all been here and Britain is famously out of celebrities now! So the producers told us, why not get a different kind of star….

AM: And how did that translate into me?

JC: Well… We thought the best stars in Britain are those who lie to companies posing as consultants…. and still earn 250 grand a year… legally !!

AM: Heh heh I didn’t see that coming… Well… As a matter of fact, BBC has put up a vacancy for a consultant to Top Gear… Seemingly you guys spend a lot of money on unwanted races and cross continent challenges… So what I am supposed to do is cut back costs and I get as remuneration 60% of all savings that I make in a series!!

JC: How about Hammond, May and I eat grass for the entire series and save on food, to salvage some of the races? But then that would mean the Top Gear track would look it was set in Iraq!!

AM: Hah heh heh… I wouldn’t want that.. I’m quite an ardent fan of the show… and the track…. Yes…!!

JC: I have always wanted to know this and you being the first “star” consultant on the show, I’m giving you the privilege… How does a normal day of yours go by?

AM: Well... Depends on whether I have an active client… If so, I will be providing “professional” advice to companies that have been doing business for 100+ years, based on the knowledge and experience that I gain from the 2 weeks of discussions that I have with them :) …

JC: Ha heh hah heh… Typical JC style…

AM: And on the other days I am at office watching Top Gear DVDs !!

JC: Heh heh quite an insight there into the land of the high earners…!! So yes coming to cars… Honestly, I have no idea of the cars you have owned, but since you love cars, I am keen….

AM: Well.. Then Jeremy, I guess you are going to be disappointed… Very… The first car I owned was back in India… A Ford… was called the Ikon… had a 1.3 litre petrol engine churning out a monstrous ...er… 53 bhp… :( Heh heh… Which was huge actually for the roads in Chennai – the city I was in… Heh heh….

JC: Ya I know that for a fact… Every time I drive on those roads in India, my heart is in my mouth… And the thing is… Every other minute you have a close-to-the-Pearly Gates situation and the people are absolutely cool about it!! How in the world?!!

AM: Precisely Jeremy… I remember every time I had the chance to move to fifth gear in the city, I used to throw a party!! And as far as I remember, I have given only four parties :) heh heh

JC: I am not surprised there… So your next car was…

AM: Well I had moved to Dubai by then and I had a BMW Z4… BMW has always been a favourite brand of mine and I still love them for their perfectly made cars that have a share of it all… be it technology, luxury, handling, speed.. everything…The perfect driver's car...

JC: As a matter of fact, way back, when Hammond was testing the M3 that had debuted in 2008, I had mentioned that BMWs were driven by consultants with their yellow sunglasses and silly headphones… and you’ve just reaffirmed that with the whole of Britain watching!!

AM: Well yes I too remember that particular episode… Anyways… I moved over here and bought a Range Rover couple of years before.. I still own the Z4... ‘Tis with a friend of mine back there… As of now, I have the Range Rover and a BMW 555i…

(For all you car knowledged readers out there, that’s not ignorance… BMW will be out with a 5.5 litre engine well before this interview happens… :) )

JC: Very well…. So… coming to your lap… How was it?

AM: You guys already call it a Reasonably Priced car right? So everything about it is just reasonable… The speed, the handling, everything… But I have to say, The Stig was just classic…

JC: So you loved training with the Stig…?

AM: Absolutely… Those turns... hard braking… Into the turns… Away from them…It was quite fun… Though I have to say he goes beserk sometimes.. Like when he got fed up teaching me how to tackle the Hammerhead and as punishment gave me a full 10 circle drift on the track… In the scariest of manners possible!!

JC: Which is why he's called the Stig... and ya we have here a couple of clips of you out there on the track… To the audience…Who would like to see that?

Audience goes yea…..

JC: Here goes….

Video plays of me losing control and veering off into the grass… Twice… :)

AM: Well that might look like I lost control but in fact it was a planned ‘drift-and-off road-capability’ test that I did on the car…

JC: Heh ha heh… The consultant liar!!

AM: Looks impressive on screen right ?!

JC: Well so here goes the actual lap..

My lap plays on the screen…JC’s comments follow…

JC: Well less under steer there on the start…. Hard on the accelerator… Oh that’s a bit of hard braking.. gonna lose time there… Chicago.. no drama… coming over to hammerhead… well well… quite in the line.. Stig has taught you his lessons well… 2 corners left… quite impressive there… and coming over to Gambon… well in control… and right across the line…

Claps from the audience…

Me sitting gingerly for the results. legs together… nails close to the mouth. not in them…

JC: So what’s your guess…?

AM: Well it looked slow on screen but I was actually quite fast out there :) So… I don’t know really…

JC: Looks at me in a sort of deep-in-thought (rather sarcastic) manner…

AM: Oh come on Jeremy…!

JC: Well... So you did it in 1 minute..

The nails are in my mouth now…

JC: fifty….

Silence all around…

JC: three . eight !

AM: (All smiles and looking around…) So I figure I should be…

JC: Here… and sticks my time stamp on the board…

AM: Not bad… I was thinking worse…

JC: You are now… the EIGHTH most fastest driver round our track !!!

AM: Thank You !!

JC: It’s been an absolute pleasure having you here Aneeth… Thank You!!

AM: Thank You Jeremy… I won’t forget this day…:)

JC: Ladies and Gentlemen… Aneeth Menon…

The camera moves to the wide angle shot and the show goes on…

It doesn't stop with just this day...

2009-03-08T10:27:00.006+04:00

In a way, humanity owes everything it has to women. It all began with them. And even today, for there to be a beginning, there has to be a woman. (Okay... yes the man has his small little role too in the beginning of it all :) ) But then from there on, it's a one (wo)man care for the kid till she/he sees the world. That part of the kid's life is owed totally to the mother.

Over the centuries, women have always enjoyed a very contrasting status, atleast here in India. Revered as Goddesses on one side in the temples and right at the next street, would be beaten up for wanting to pursue further education. Even today, girls are not supposed to attend functions of importance if they are in their PMS days. As if it was their doing. For hell, if it was not that process, the fools who brought this up in the first place would have never been there.

It has to be said though that generations of striving and fighting to establish equality of man and women have paid off in some manner. At least for what it's worth, we have now things like equal opportunity employment, rights in the democratic setup like voting, holding public offices, marital rights, right to education etc. The level of acceptance of the female voice has undoubtedly increased and there's more respect for their thoughts and actions. Germany is led by Angela Merkel, India's most powerful party has Sonia Gandhi for party president, Pepsi has Indira Nooyi for CEO, Shiela Bair of FDIC etc. Hillary Clinton almost made it to the President of the most powerful country in the world.

But then that's just a handful of people compared to the almost 49.8% of the female side of the world population. A good three quarters of the women population in the world still today live in the strong hold of their husbands or their fathers. Freedom of expression is a luxury for 90% of the women in the developing and under developed worlds. The Taliban has vowed to kill or deface all those women who go to places of education. Avenues where they can have their voices heard are scarce.

And then there's the eternal discrimination. Given the worst of circumstances, women are likely to be hit first. The recession is a classic example. And above all this, there is a deeply ingrained feeling in the society that women are set a step below the male folk. The history of it is debatable, but it is for a fact, very much existent in the society.

Features and articles like this one and ya the one that you are reading that lament the sad state of women in a developed 21st century are many to fiind. But even as I type this, I am well aware that nothing is set to change. Perhaps my baby girl(s) will be born into this. It is not a choice I am making. That is the only one I have. And doesn't look like there will be an improvement round the curve.

Started out this post with a lot of ideas but somehow the pessimism of it all has me drained. In essence, we actually have only 2 options - One to actively involve ourselves in the cause getting comfort in the fact that every changed person is a step ahead, but knowing deep inside how futile the whole idea is set to be. Otherwise, turn around from the reality, live in our glass houses and have an entry in the calendar for an act of charity at some point for some cause. It's easy to see why. A disease spreading virus needs to start with only one person. But the anti dote.... Has to be administered individually. That's how the good-evil chemistry works.

So yes, we have this day - March 8 that we celebrate as Women's day and bring to focus issues that plague the women of today in different cultures, in the different statures of society. We will have it the next year and the next and forever more. And to go along with it, we will have the same problems too then.

Perhaps a miracle is set to happen. And if it does, I will be smiling wide in my grave...

Wishing all you great women out there all luck..... :)

And to the five most important women of my life - Grandmummy, Mummy, Chechi, Mama and Her.... All my love....!!

This very moment.....

2009-03-07T00:05:00.005+04:00

.... as you are reading this, someone somewhere would

- Have become first parents

- Be studying hard for the year end exams

- Be picking up a fuss over what to wear for tonight's party

- Be drooling over the supercar that just passed by

- Be getting ready for their first swimming class

- Be swearing at their boss in their mind

- Be preparing for their first date

- Be finalising on the new strategies to revenge that new bully at school

- Be waiting at the airport gate to board the first flight of their life

- Be considering how to strengthen the "money draining" capacity of the tax laws

- Be thrashing someone to a pulp

- Be deciding on the excuse to give his wife for being late from office

- Be looking forward to the excuse the husband plans to give and it's ingenuity

- Be waiting to receive someone coming from prison

- Be reliving the moments of yesterday's love filled night

- Be brain storming in his brain itself on how to safeguard wronged funds

- Be planning their wedding and the celebrations

- Be scolding his kid over poor grades

- Be grieving in the death of a loved one

- Be driving down a long winding road listening to their favorite soundtrack

- Be on Cloud 9 over their spectacular success

- Be head over heels in love

- Be bringing the news live from a Death Any Moment Now (DAMN) location

- Have created a new account in Orkut

- Be doing something that would have them behind bars sometime early April

- Be contemplating professing his love to a girl, who on her side is yearning to hear that from the boy's side

- Be shopping rather heavy

- Be preparing for a major surgery

- Be wondering on how God plans to feed them today

- Be singing a happy tune in a studio that is set to cheer the masses in the coming days

- Be working overtime to complete that last assignment before leaving on vacation

- Be planning a life changing activity

- Be writing the SOP for entrance to a prestigious institution

- Have blogged and hit the "Publish Post" button .... :)

Thought for the day....

2009-03-03T10:00:00.003+04:00

If, on my death day, God came down and granted me a grace day, what would I do on that day?

Hmmmm....

The Fluid Country Love...

2009-02-25T15:27:00.005+04:00

Yet another post that has been in the works for so long, that I have decided the initial draft stay as such and this be a new one, albeit with the theme remaining the same. A theme I have felt so strongly about at various points of my life in different perspectives. Something that I have always felt to be meaningless and inordinate with the laws of nature. Something that has always seemed misplaced in the hearts of people.

Wars have been fought. Wars are still being fought. Conquests and colonization that plagued the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries had only one driving factor. It formed the backbone of most epics written (I have read the Indian and Greek mythologies and the epic stories). Though those epics involved close involvement of the Gods as characters in the unfolding of events, the resounding theme of war dominated the setting. All of these wars had one thing in common. Extension of boundaries and widening the reach of power and control.

And there lies the point. There in essence is no thing as heart felt patriotism. Patriotism is an English dictionary word, which does not exist in the real world. What exists is a distinct sense of belonging to the places where we grew up, the places we have been to, the places which have memories attached to them and the like. Pretty much like how our home is the place where we always belong. Or our school (or the office for some !). The places where we ran about when we were young, places where we celebrated our success, where we had those secret meetings with our loved ones, and on and on. Various aspects make up this element of belonging. Belonging progresses to become attachment. Which is about it. Patriotism plays somewhere there in between.

In fact, a hard look at the so called patriots will show the very hollowness of their claim. They do not know half their country, do not bother for the BPL families, care the least about education and health care and …. Oh I could go on for years at a stretch….
And that’s just the people in hold of power and whose patriotic sentiments can be followed daily from the media. The un noticed and more prominent forms of patriotism happen in the day to day lives of the common man. Cheering up the Indian sportsmen, celebrating a British movie because it has an Indian theme, felicitating scientists and eminent researchers who have done the core of their work outside India, and so much more. And oh yes, how could I miss the more violent forms of patriotic outbursts when people punish the country’s sports representatives for poor performance, burn effigies, taking on the guise of the moral police and the like.

However, if we notice, all of the above modern day expressions of patriotism have nothing to do with the development of the country or the betterment of their countrymen. Travel on any Indian road for an hour and you will notice one of the following, if not all of them – Indisciplined rash driving that makes any hardcore atheist call out to dear God, spitting mouthloads of ‘whatever that ugh thing is’ onto the roads, urinating at any place that has the slightest hint of isolation, designs over monuments, fantasy size posters of politicians which symbolically show that they are far away from the common man’s reach.. Everything…

Into that perspective fits the portrayal of the “diversified” India in Slumdog Millionaire and Delhi 6. Then again, no one claims patriotism exists in today’s world so perhaps what I have written so far is my misjudged sense of something that I mistook as patriotism. But what reasons can then be attributed to the Kashmir cause? Or the Gaza Strip? At the politician’s level and the executive level, yes there is the ego that drives decisions. But the common man who connects himself to that place… How different would he feel if that place was designated India, or so much Pakistan? Any resolution that would bring peace and normalcy to their lives would be acceptable for them. Or should be acceptable to them. If they opt to have war for the sake of unfounded patriotism over peace, then there is not much that they should expect from life.

However, all of the above never discounts the actions of the people who gave up their lives in war and in protest for the country they loved. I have the utmost regard for them and have complete realization that if not for them I would perhaps not have been writing this.

However, what I cannot comprehend is how one’s patriotic feelings get to settle within borders. If the border markers had drawn the borders a little to the left or to the right, would the sentiments be correspondingly elongated or shortened? Which is why I said before that it is the belonging one feels to the place. The belonging may stem from any reason, but it is that aspect which people refer to as patriotism. And that is the right definition of patriotism.

We live in a very self centered world today and people do not have time or the will to bother about their next door neighbors, let alone their country. Plus there are a lot of other priorities like earning well, looking after the family, ensuring a good future for the kids and so much more. My parents left the country to earn (though they have never shown that earlier mentioned unfounded sense of love for India) and ditto with countless other families I know, including that dear close friend of mine who loves his country so much, but has to look outside India for opportunities that would substantiate his savings in his old age. That’s the reality of the situation. In their old age, they can come back, put their savings to use and then perhaps reflect on their love for the country.

Which reaffirms what I have always told him… That Patriotism is a matter of convenience. If you have the time for it, well and good… Else… Better luck next time!

Those beautiful surprises... :)

2009-02-13T05:02:00.001+04:00

Feb 11 has been the best day so far in 2009. Ya Jan 16th was superb too but somehow that feel-good factor that we yearn for so much, was in abundance on the 11th. For starters, the purpose that I had gone to Bangalore for, got completed in far less time than expected and planned. Which meant I had a whole day to roam the city and most of all, meet a never-met-before Orkut friend.

Some thoughts about Bangalore. As my relatives there would vouch, Bangalore used to be a quiet city with lots of trees, ideally minimal population and lots of peace and chill. Enter 2000 and Bangalore moved to metro status. The chirping of the birds was replaced by angry horns, the rustling of the leaves made way for sounds of construction and the once safe roads and pathways became highways in hell. To control the burgeoning traffic, one ways were introduced, public transport boosted and now Vision Bangalore 2020 has more plans under it's hood.

However, to a large extent, the Bangaloreans have not adjusted to the sea change as regards the roads and driving. An essential feature of every metro in India is the inherent mutual understanding that exists between all users of the road. Having been in my city for about 7 years now and driving for more than 4, I well know how that rapport works. That soft skill element is missing in Bangalore. Drivers are outright rash in their driving. Our taxi guy himself gave me the jitters a couple of times with really close shaves. Road etiquette is at the barest minimum. There is scant respect for pedestrians and so is the case with the pedestrians. I saw a person myself, who was speaking on his mobile in the middle of the road and totally oblivious to the traffic that developed beside him waiting for him to clear the road. The man was totally in his world till an irate biker honked really hard right into his ears. A few angry words exchanged, they went their separate ways.

Another thing I noticed is that the people there are generally well dressed and well groomed. A significant number of them wore shoes (I mean the rick walas, taxi drivers, ordinary shop keepers etc.) Compared to my city where a slipper itself is kinda a luxury on the feet of some auto guys, Bangalore is a refreshing sight. I am guessing the dressing is an offshoot of the weather that has always been on the lower side of the meter. Whatever be, I loved that. Totally!

So coming back to my day, I started with the Garuda Mall. Being a working day, didn't expect much of a rush. However, there were ample people inside so as to brush someone's shoulders once every 10 mins. Roamed around aimlessly, indulged in extravagant window shopping and somewhere in between bought a Sony headset. And noticed this.

Ah yes! shouldn't have forgotten, went to a scary house which totally freaked me at the end, when a dead body rose from the coffin and charged towards me. And after a long long time, I heard myself scream or shriek or whatever that weird noise I made was.

In about a couple of hours I was done with Garuda and moved over to Central mall on the other side of the street. That was not exactly a mall, just a huge hyper market.

What surprised me at these places was the fact that all the brands with their at-times unjustifiable prices existed successfully at multiple points in the same locality. Louis Philippe was an example. There were garments at Garuda, The Central, an exclusive showroom on the way to Brigade Road and then one on Brigade Road. All of them seemed to be doing good business. Just shows the spending power of the people after the IT revolution. Nothing much happened at the Central too. Planned a certain level of spending once my finances improved and watched people go about selecting items and the people who worked there. Also did price comparisons for shoes that I had noticed at Garuda.

By 3, I caught an auto to the Forum. A note on the auto guys. About a year before when I had gone roaming with my relatives, I distinctly remember telling them that the auto guys were so well behaved in that they used the meters and made minimal fuss about the rates. I should have said touch wood then. Cause, they have very much taken to being like their TN counterparts. Beginning at double rates and NIL use of the meter to outright arrogance. Needless to say, there were the fair share of fights - thankfully though between my friend (who had accompanied me from Chennai) and the auto guy.

Forum was where the earlier mentioned Orkut friend and I had decided to meet.

The first scraps exchanged on Orkut had been purely academic in that they dealt majorly with our career lines. The meeting thing was decided suddenly the evening before I was to leave. Before she arrived, I hit the Landmark store there and got The Memoirs of a Geisha. I settled down on the platform beside the fountain and started the book, listening to Switchfoot. Updated my Twitter in between.

Ten - fifteen mins into the book and she arrived. The hi's were exchanged and both of us took a moment to settle down with each other. Then on, it was non stop talk. Topics ranged from political bankruptcy and political low lives to the Valentine day protests to movies to books to music to hobbies to passions to families to zodiacs to weather to work to career experiences to friends to being foodies to many others... Somewhere in between I remember her mentioning that the conversation was moving just like two friends meeting after a long time and the not-seen-or-known-much-about-before factor was kinda absent. Which was cool for both of us since the company was comfortable.

We reserved a table for dinner and continued to roam around. In between, impromptu, she said we will go to Landmark for her to get something. Inside Landmark she said it was a gift for someone and that choosing gifts for boys was a little too complicated. Though it didn't strike me then, later that night in the train, it hit me that perhaps she was selecting a gift for me. I don't know for sure. Anyways, we searched till it was time for our dinner and we rushed to secure our seats :) Food Time !!

There were a few fun incidents at the restaurant:

1) The waiter handed us two booklets and I chose the one that had the drinks menu. The fun thing was that I didn't realise it until she asked me if I would like a drink. The menu flushed, I moved to the foodie menu.

2) In a strange case of mix up, instead of the creamy chicken soup we ordered, tomato soup was brought. Replaced quickly though and the soup was utterly delicious.

3) Being the grand foodies that we both were, we dished the spoons, forks and knives, and settled home style with the delicious prawns and the rice and chicken. Which went a long way towards making us feel good and the satisfaction of a filling meal.

End of dinner and we moved out and on towards the exit to say goodbye to what had been a perfect evening. To show me the difference between the prepaid auto guys and the normal stand guys, she first took me to the stand, where they asked for a Rs. 130 fare to my hotel. The prepaid guys - Rs. 84. With the goodbyes said we moved our ways.

What surprised me most was how in places far away from our daily lives, there are people who pretty much live the same way as we do and have the same thoughts and similar feelings about various things. Sometimes we may get to meet them and in such moments, in a way, we see our daily lives being narrated to us, in a pseudo first person perspective. It is you, but still very much someone else. That was the beautiful surprise I had that evening. Which will remain the fondest memory of Feb 11.

************************************

Feb 11 was cool for other reasons too. Bro got his offer letter from his techie to-be employer and two brothers got called for interviews at the same place. I absolutely love them and so it means a lot to me. And finally I saw a Bentley Azure charge from 0 to perhaps 60kmh from a signal. Didn't quite get to hear the engine tone, but the sight was bright enough :)

That thing about love....

2009-01-28T22:23:00.000+04:00

I was not planning to have an article until February, primarily because I wanted to assess January and set up expectations for the rest of 2009, and also because I was in a plethora of moods over the last four weeks... Happy and sad moments, smiles and tears, and the like.

Saw Slumdog Millionaire yesterday and yes it was a good watch. Almost everything that was said or written about the movie revolved around the boy's rags to riches story and needless to say, I was expecting such a movie that centered around his slum background and his rise through books and experience to that hot seat. Took me quite much by surprise that the story was absolutely about love and his affection for Latika, including his decision to participate in the show hoping that somewhere Latika might be watching him. It's that thing about love that always refuses to die...

That thing called hope....

And Danny Boyle shows the universality of love in that even for a slumdog in the worst of circumstances, love brings the same set of emotions and passion that any well off person would have. That indefinable sense of happiness and brightness inside the heart... And the feeling of belonging that is so evident in their eyes when they meet in their adoloscence and later on as young adults... It's unmistakable, that feeling of love.

So perhaps Slumdog Millionaire should be seen as a love story that traverses the filthy slums, exploited childhoods, rings of prostitution, extremes of poverty and hunger, failed connections and finally onto the hot seat that promises to give the lad a huge chance towards connecting with the one he loves. It's grandiose in some respects, but the very presence of emptiness in people's hearts and in their pockets gives the movie slumdog appeal.

So yes, Slumdog Millionaire reinforces the truth that love is an eternal all abounding unifying force. And for that one single aspect, I give the movie a "MUST WATCH" rating.

***********************************************************************

In between, I happened to chance upon the "Dare to think beyond the IIMs" guy from Bengal and his article that wrote off the movie as a sucking one. I understand the jabs he would have felt while watching the slum side of Mumbai on the big screen. But to act like an ignorant person just on the grounds of patriotism is pure nonsense. In almost every print ad that his Institute releases, statistics are shown on how the IIPM has been successful in gaining more international placements than the IIM pass outs. If this self confessed "Passionate about India" guy was really in the mood for seeing his country move upwards, then perhaps his actions should have spoken better. In fact, his double standards mirror those portrayed in Slumdog. I personally have no idea whether Mr. Chaudhary has ever been to a slum atleast as a tourist. The dark side of India is not a myth. The exploitation, one upmanship, the underworld... They are too well known to any normal Mumbaikar.

To face the grim truth is one thing. To accept it is another. His grouse is in that the movie shows India in a bad light. He calls the movie a slime covered fairy tale, but little does he realise that the slime is just behind him and that he has to just turn, to see the harsh realities of his beloved country. To date, he has not done much to uplift the slums of Mumbai, let alone written any article highlighting their sorry state of living. Being patriotic can be understood, but that should not mean turning away from aspects that do exist in the underbelly of our metros.

But then patriotism today, like any other feeling, is seasonal, that pops up during cricket matches or when the country is weeping after a terror attack. Otherwise, the glass windows provide a desirable shield between fact and fiction. And that is comfortable enough I guess...

And perhaps Mr. Chaudhary should read this to know the real life situation of the children who played Jamal's and Latika's childhood. The reel vs real life thing.

I believe the development of a country depends on the development of the people's mindsets. When people develop, economies and culture too develop. And in there lies the foundation for every other progress. And if people who are supposed to set role models act in cowardly fashions as these, there's not much that we can expect from the others.

If the movie brings atention to the slums of Mumbai in any favourable manner with it's win at the Oscars, then India should be graeful to Danny. International attention (Attention of the rich in particular) to any poverty stricken situation is good attention.

Something that, again, is never short of hope.

Even if it comes from people who think that Ramsay is the Prime Minister of the UK.

I wouldn't have nothing if I didn't have YOU !

2008-12-28T21:48:00.000+04:00

If there's one person on Earth of whom I feel really possessive, it's this dear little boy who has been with me all along and has seen with me the beautiful and the not-so-beautiful portions of my life... To him I owe all my smiles...

You're the one I miss the most as I enter 2009... I love you...

The Season of Joy

2008-12-23T21:06:00.001+04:00

It's Christmas time again. A lot of smiles, joy, presents, fun, hopes, prayers, food, wine and what not...

For everyone who comes here... Whether I know you or not.. Have a wonderful and Merry Christmas... Hope your happiness and joy lasts till the next Christmas... It's Jesus' birthday and let us all be grateful to The God Our Father who allowed his Son to come down and endure hardships and pain so that us beings were spared... In our celebrations, we should not forget His sacrifices for our well being...

God Bless You all.. With the New Year round the horizon, we begin the circle again. A special New Year post is on, so more in there...

For you Mama - Merry Christmas Mama ! I miss you a lot... Pray you have a wonderful smiling and joy filled Christmas... I love you...

If you liked the snow flakes here... Here is where you can have them...

Nisha and her witchcraft

2008-11-28T16:13:00.000+04:00

Chennai's date with Cyclone Nisha is over and this is what she left as memories...

This was yesterday morning on my way to work

The road to my office

The Adyar river flows at never seen levels - taken from the Saidapet bridge

A residential colony street in Adyar

Mom's and Bro's school - The tree used to shade the entire junction

M.G. Road

The block behind my apartment

My dear warhorses... They never let me down... I love you both : )

There was the share of fun too... Like Jamshad who took towards aggressively reading the Times of India balancing himself on two bikes and listening to Malayalam tracks that he had almost forgotten...

And how like everything else.. Life just moves on... Regardless of anything...

Saying Goodbye to Parties and Crowds - It's time for Change

2008-11-28T10:30:00.000+04:00

That's my New Year resolution for 2009. Avoid crowds and as much as possible, parties to be had at home. At least as long as I am going to be here in this country. Ya I know it's cowardice. But I guess I would not want some S.O.B psychologically challenged brain washed terrorist taking me in his bloodshed, while I attempt to show bravery.

But then going by the way things have always happened to me, what I avoid has always come in search of me. Good and bad. That's part of the Divine Conspiracy against me I guess. So maybe this is not that good an idea at all. However, of late I have noticed that whenever I am at a crowded place - Railway stations, airports, restaurants, malls etc - I just cannot stop looking at people with suspicious eyes whether they are going send me to the other world. I have this distinct sense of fear that restricts my thought and movement.

It's too late though. The terrorists have succeeded in cultivating this sense of fear. No more can I loiter about thoughtlessly without the slightest care in the world. That time has passed and as far as I can see, it will never come back. The reach of these psychos are way too broad and their planning good enough to have a hit count of 5-6 per terrorist; sometimes even worse.

Yesterday the poor and the slum dwellers, today the rich and the influential - all fingers point to the middle class next. They are the backbone anyway of all operations and the heart of any city. So it could be anywhere now - The list of places are so wide that the only sane way to breathe through all sense of disaster is to stay put at home.

How long though? In fact, the safest time to be outside is now after the Mumbai attack since the security is at the highest levels and back to back attacks have not happened so far. A couple of months later when life moves back to normal, the low lives will strike again. And the horror will continue.

Blame games?? Well where to start? If the guys responsible for the Mumbai attack moved in by sea towards the India Gate, which in itself is a prime landmark, then how safe are the less known and less guarded areas? On the other side are the heartless journos (surprisingly most of them ladies covering the attack) who ask hostages coming out about their experience inside and asking them to relive the same. Why has the Fourth Front lost the basic sensitivity and understanding that the hostages should be given instead of enveloping them for exclusives? It is moral harassment at a deeper level without doubt. Then yes we have the never ending diseases in the form of Opposition politicians who try to gain mileage out of a national disaster and tragedy. Where's Raj Thackeray? Why hasn't his brain dead MNS outfit not done anything to counter the terrorists and release the hostages? Where has the heat gone? Where has the Marathi Manoos spirit gone? Ditto with the Shiv Sena. When all the action has been done with, the leaders will come out in the open with condolences and crocodile tears, albeit not missing to make a statement about the uselessness of the government.

Another sad outcome that is going to come out of this attack is the loss of media space and coverage on the Hindu terrorists who have been charged with the Malegaon blasts. The Hindu sympathy for them is set to return and justice is going to be a long lost truth. Unless people understand that terrorism is against peace and human beings as a whole, this will keep happening.

So a grim New Year awaits us. All said and done however, hope will still live on and life will go on. Only that we have to make terror and fear part of our lives and crisis management a part of the school syllabus. Because it's time for change and we have reached the point of no return.

Life without wires? No more...

2008-11-11T23:10:00.000+04:00

... Not in this life. Wires for the Desktop, Internet, Laptop, Phone, iPod, Camera, and a Handycam soon.

But I like it!

For all Nokia users...

2008-11-11T17:24:00.000+04:00

Am guessing m kinda late in knowing about this service... It's Ovi by Nokia, where you can share and sync all your contacts, calendar entries, your notes, and events.. I love the interface and the sync works well and fast too... It's been real helpful ever since I discovered the service and helps when I don have to fiddle with the phone every time I need to fill in a note or take down a contact number...

Next I need to check out on the phone whether there is a timed sync. If that option's available, Wow!

It supports all S60 phones in the N Series and E Series ranges. I believe S40 phones are supported too. Not sure ;)

When was the last time....

2008-11-07T19:47:00.000+04:00

I woke up happy and looked forward to the day?

I enjoyed a romantic movie without feeling any sense of personal agony?

I drove without having the slightest fear of an accident or other such incidents?

I walked down the beach holding her hand?

I played cricket?

I spent an entire day without checking my email?

I saw a Ferrari?

I had a fight with my brother?

Success and I met each other?

I read a book from start to finish on the same day?

I sent more than a hundred messages from my phone in less than 3 hours?

I had an open chat with my sister?

I saw a truly beautiful house?

I prepared the Arabian Chicken with Mushrooms?

I thought life was simple?

I spent a proper day talking and laughing with Mama?

I last read Archie?

I laughed my heart out?

I walked with Dad, Mom and Bro without the slightest feeling of responsibility in the world?

I resolved without success to trim myself and look fit?

I won a chess match?

I spent the night awake with friends?

I felt the dew drops on the leaves?

I spoke with Mom without feeling that minute distance inside?

I enjoyed music without being engrossed in something or being interrupted by someone?

I wrote a story for kids?

I swam and flirted with the waves?

I thought I loved this life?

The "Change" is here... and hopefully it will stay...

2008-11-05T09:57:00.000+04:00

In less than a week's time, we've had two firsts happen..

On Sunday, it was Lewis Hamilton with his championship, becoming the first black F1 champion, as well as the sport's youngest ever.

And today we have the first Black President of the United States of America - Barack Obama.

Without doubt, both fully deserve the honours. On a broader evolutionary perspective, perhaps what we are seeing here would be a result of an improved mindset of the free world, which has come to accept the capabilities of the individual and not make ill informed decisions based on skin color and beliefs. It's not all easy and fair though, since we had seen the last week before the Brazil GP, how Hamilton was being targeted by racist groups and being singled out by fellow F1 drivers. Nevertheless, his championship has said it all.

And now, we need President Obama to make the change that he has promised. The last presidency has left America in bad taste in the minds and hearts of many, which included Americans too and it is upto him to restore that vision and promise of the American Dream that has made the United States what it is today. Not impossible, though a real uphill task. Tackling the financial crisis head on would be his priority, followed by a revision of the two wars being fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. The rest as regards domestic policies and taxes - Well I do not know much about the present and what he has promised, so no comments. Suffice to say, the middle class satisfaction should be his numero uno concern.

Good Luck to both of them... Hopefully the time of "Change" is here and we will be witness to it's effects in the days to come...

(Pictures copyright The Guardian)

Burp!

2008-10-30T21:43:00.000+04:00

Ah! After a super long time, I had the ultimate pleasure of sitting down on my drawing room floor and having a really delicious chicken curry watching a comedy movie. Dosa to go along with it, topped up by a strong sizzling hot cup(a rather big one I should say) of tea. And the best thing? I made them myself! In about 90 minutes time. (Bows down to acknowledge the cheers and praise ;-) )

Sometimes it's great living alone!

Maybe I should do it... Or should I?

2008-10-27T20:16:00.000+04:00

A blog on automobiles... Should I or should I not?

People close to me know that given a choice between oxygen and automobiles, I would choose the latter. I don't know the history of it,as in when the craze began, how it ever fueled, given the fact that none of my immediate family members drove, including my father and how none of them felt the slightest trace of adrenaline rush when an AMG accelerated... My mom and bro couldn't even distinguish a coupe from a sedan (a 3 series)...

I guess God compensated all that passion of almost 25 people in me. A rare German vehicle is all it takes for me to be cheerful the rest of the day. Plus have to say, I am a little superstitious about this whole car thing. On an important day, I get a significant boost to my confidence and happiness if I see a couple of lovely powerful vehicles. Bonus points if I can hear them change from the 2nd to 3rd gear, when they produce the most wonderful melody ever. And so far, nothing has ever happened that has made me think otherwise. I am rational, so if I see that the day still goes bad, I would have stopped this long back. At least I would have lost my belief. But it's never happened. Like on the day I was to purchase my car, the first vehicle I saw was a Lexus LX470, which although not super rare, is still a rare one considering the density of the vehicles here in the city. Ten minutes down the road, I see a 3 series and a 7 series in quick succession. By the time I reached the dealer, a couple of Mercedes and a Cayenne. What more did I need?! And by the grace of God, no untoward things have happened till date with that dear of mine.

It's the same way when I got into that Big4 Firm. My first day - right in my next street there was an ML, then a 7er, an S Class topped up by an SL two blocks away from my office building. And till date, things are going fine. So you see it's there! Ha!

Whatever be, the fact remains that though I do a lot of independent research and stuff, I have moved it around very less. One I did not have a platform and two, I was confused as to whether I wanted to. Which I still am... But I think I should. After all it's only a blog. Nil investment, it's my place so no responsibilities, my rules, my favorite topics and if not any other readers, I can happily with all joy go back to them in 2015, feeling good about it. Plus the city has become a vehicle manufacture hub in India, as well as South Asia. So all the more reason, if I can make it work out with a few interviews, factory visits, and the stuff. With time, maybe I could move it on in a big manner. Which would be nothing less than exciting!

So I have decided. I am starting this blog. In December. More details to follow in the near future, as I decide upon the name, the style, nature of content and the like. Let's see. Humble beginning for now. Maybe there's a future. Because, unlike other things I do, the passion I have for cars is limitless. So I can be pretty damn sure that my joy for all things cars will never drain out. And even if it threatens to do so, the great guys @ BMW, Porsche, Mercedes, Jaguar, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Audi and Honda will make sure that it is replenished with good measure.

So very soon, you can come over to that one stretch of drive terrain, where 0-62mph takes no seconds at all... :-)

The Curse of Caste

2008-10-19T13:23:00.000+04:00

I'm not really in my senses at the moment. Unbalanced sort of, in my thinking which is why I decided to write. Hell bent in my mind about somehow ridding this flat world of the caste curse..

For all the time I have lived I have heard this stupid thing raise it's stinky head again and again. Unsurprisingly, the only time it crops up is when someone is getting married. Otherwise, no one gives a heck about it, simply because it really is not worth anything. And perhaps it's the only thing I have seen that works in an inversely proportional manner to the level of education.

There was this interesting thing that I wrote about in my school notebook way back in my pre high school days (Hindi note - if I remember right) about how mates in my class were Indians and not Mallus or Northies.. and that when we went to the moon, how we were only human beings or earthlings and not Americans or Russians. Why we have divisions I still do not understand. Why boundaries, currencies, castes, creed, sub castes... Where did they begin?

From what I have read and known, division has it's roots in the type of work people did and the faith they belonged to.. The two earliest factors.. With time, more jobless people emerged who found their time useful for nothing else other than ways and means of dividing people, who had emerged from a single point - Adam and Eve (for the spiritual) or from matter as an evolutionary process (for the scientifics). Increase in population and the discovery of new lands hastened the process and from thereon, it moved beyond a controllable state, coming to dormancy in the later half of the nineteenth century. We today are unfortunately the sufferers of ideologies and beliefs that have been just passed on to us as part of a so called tradition or heritage and whose origins and basis, we have absolutely no idea of. Like Edwin Arnold says "There is no caste in blood".

Can any level headed person, or for that matter a person having any kinda head, stand up and give me one solid meaningful good that happens out of caste? Something for which caste proves useful? Try as I might, I have never found anything. All it breeds is malice, contempt, ignorance, selfishness and a false sense of social status and security. For instance in my family line, the generations of my grandparents and that of my parents have been married to people of their own caste. All proper arranged socially accepted marriages in the true spirit of the tradition. All of them have lived happily - however, none of them have the magic that makes a marriage truly exceptional. Something that proves the "marriages are made in heaven" thing feel right. Life is good and all are happy and content, but the sparkle is missing. The fact though is they do not realize that and for that matter do not even know how such a sparkle would feel like. They were born and bred on stereotypes and models which they were expected to replicate. Easy one there right?

Mad Momma's recent article on parents and their caste driven marital ambitions for their children highlighted the narrow mindedness of the middle class Indian families. The sad fact is that they base their kids love on this very single aspect. The twenty plus years that the children have loved them with all their hearts is simply forgotten, much to the extent that parents throw them out and/or declare in a proud note that they do not wish to see their child's face anymore. Not that they are not sad. But to them, the society and the caste spirit matters more than the love and understanding that they should have had for their child. Utter selfishness. It's like each frog pulling the other's leg to keep him back in the same round narrow well. Needless to say, a love that's resting on such a fragile foundation will surely wobble and collapse to powder for reasons that need not necessarily be connected to love and marriage.

The fun fact is that no one I know has till date told me why such alliances are preferred. The common response is the shared beliefs and traditions and the general way of life. Which is the biggest give away. Anyone with open eyes will see that the world lives identically today. Me, my Muslim friends, my Christian friends, the atheist guy, Hindu friends from different sub castes - all live the same way. Not a trace of difference. So what is it actually?

It is the society. The society's role in making social animals out of us plays the pivotal role in parents decisions. Social Acceptance, Status and Security - the ASS that society makes of everyone. It's a farce. A truly civilized society accepts and respects varied faiths and the opinion of individuals; where people apply their sense and logic when making and recommending decisions.

One thing I am sure is that God never asked any of our forefathers to divide people on any lines. All humans were his kids and he wanted them happy. No Father would ever want his kids to resent the other or have a one-up man situation to exist. Lower castes, higher castes, sub caste of sub caste... God I guess, would have had second thoughts about having given man the ability to judge and reason. Why the need when they use none of it?

The tiny baby who comes from the womb is but a bundle of innocence straight from the hands of God. In 20 years, his / her mind has conflicting ideas, and it is from there that they take their stance. Either follow the herd or find your own way. Albeit shouldering all the risks and responsibilities. Blessed are those who have broad minded family members, since every matter can be discussed and judged in the most constructive of manners. Mutual respect forms the binding factor in such families.

We the generation of today handle much more responsibilities at the workplace and in general, compared to what most of our parents had. Me for instance - As auditors, clients entrust us with their processes and finances for better management and advice. Decisions that potentially affect hundreds of families and a long time frame. If we are capable so, why not with our own lives? Why does love have to take second place? There is a round about option though like my Mom said - If you want to love someone, then love someone from our caste. Ha.. How easy! Love is equated to getting food from an eatery. Is that all?

For all those who have forgotten, I wish to remind that Love was, is and will be the force that will move us all forward. Love for everyone. On Judgment day, I believe we will all be judged for the amount of love we spread and the number of people whom we made happy. Leave aside all that, the satisfaction and contentment that we get from seeing the smile on their face - Reason enough ain't it?

For all the young readers here - For Heaven's sake embrace everyone around you and love them all... You will feel the difference. It is up to us to make the lives of our kids and the generations to come, peaceful and love filled.

Just in case you were interested - My cousin announced that he was getting married to a girl of a different caste and the family has not taken it well. A mood of tragedy looms over. I don't see the point though. His happiness should have the last word right?!

Edited to add: Things are fine. Parents and grands have given the thumbs up sign more because there was no other sign they would have accepted. Marriage might happen in early 2009. Now that's some hope for love and lovers in our family... God be witness...

The Patriot...

2008-10-18T20:11:00.000+04:00

He stopped his bike on the road blocking about a quarter of drivable space... Got off and walked a few steps before spitting his red paan right onto the footpath... Made a noise that would have shaken Goliath from his grave and spit once again... This time not quite so red... A few more steps and he was right in front of the plasma screen that was showing the ongoing India Australia Test... A loud cheer a few seconds later...

Ah an Indian... He spoils every bit of India and then goes forward cheers for his home team... Guess it's easier to cheer in India than go find a bin... Sigh! This country will stay the same way in 3000 AD, for all I know...

(Perhaps he was an ardent sportslover and not so much an Indian patriot. Not justification for his insensitivity though)

A new soul to love....

2008-09-16T19:41:00.000+04:00

Uncle Aneeth again! (or Aneeth Uncle ?!)

My dear-dearie-dearest sister gave birth yesterday – A lovely petite girl. She’s not yet named – We guys usually get 28 days to decide upon the name. Unless of course you are born in some place like Al-Ain and the law gives just a number of hours to decide on the name and you suddenly get all confused and end up with ones like.. hmmm... Aneeth!!

There is a reason why the great grandpas and grandmas of yore decided that 4 weeks can be used to decide the name. The deliberations are numerous... There’s the views of grandparents from both sides, plus a number of other considerations like whether any new girl in the family or vicinity has the same name, numerology (for those who care), permutations and combinations with the parents names, and all the like. On the 28th day, the name is whispered into her ear in an elaborate ceremony. Interestingly, the kid always cries – never is happy on hearing her name – God knows why...

Vandana and Rajesh – Let’s try the combos – hmmmm... (deep thinking mode...)

Oh No!! I don’t get any girl names!! All I got was Ravan!

For some strange reason, for the entirety of last week, one way or the other, I was reading something concerning pregnancies or young mothers or involved in such conversations. On Onam day, my boss was telling me about the joy that awaits us at the end of every job well done and smartly done. The example he quoted was that of a mother. The pain and suffering that she undergoes the entire 10 months and the joy at the end of it all with the little one cuddling close to her breasts and feeling her warmth…

Then there were the blogs I was reading – Mad Momma, Mama and Desigirl. All young mothers and balancing work with their wonderful kids. I also chanced upon an article in The Times that spoke on how an increasing number of British Mothers were postponing their kids for career reasons and were having kids in their 40’s.

Like I always say, every person has his/her right to live life the way they want. So in the end it’s all their choice. But from the kid’s perspective, it is not very healthy. Look at it – By the time the kid is 20, the mom is 60, which is (in normal life expectancy), 10 years away from death. That too, in an optimistic scenario. The array of diseases and illnesses these days guarantee that the journey to those 70 years will not be easy.

Frankly speaking, how would the parents in their late forties or early fifties take their 10 year old outside or on a vacation, considering that the kids do tend to be naughty and at the end of it all, we will have a nasty shout, a scream and a day cursed in silence. The levels of energy will be scant, the patience even less.

On the other extreme are teenage pregnancies. The awareness still has to come. If an advanced country like the UK, which has the necessary infrastructure, still needs to consolidate its efforts in reducing teenage pregnancies, then India is a country best forgotten or not discussed. Hell, there are people here who still carry on the “tradition” of child marriages… So to whom shall we talk of progress with rationality?

MM posted an article the last week about her dear childhood friend who died in her pregnancy, only because she could not afford proper treatment for her complications. Her post is sad enough so I am not adding to it. Just that, it’s depressing to realize that 10 (or even 25) years down the line, we will still have such instances.

Finally, last Saturday I began reading The Great Indian Novel. (Modern day Mahabharata) The first chapter speaks of the twice born life and the many deliveries and pregnancies – either divine or normal or inseminated by another with the consent of both the husband and wife. It set me thinking where Indians got the strong sense of creed and caste, chastity and all the like. The ancient texts do not set any precedent. The author clarifies later, that they were the results of Muslim thoughts and the entry of other ideologies that changed the Indian mindset in the later centuries. Whatever...

Anyway, right now I am all glee. I remember those days when my sister used to walk around the house scratching her head and immersed in all the thoughts and poems that formed her life. The days when she used to tell me how her kids would really love me for the kind of person I am… How she warned me against keeping her kids and my kids out of touch and wanting them to grow like real brothers and sisters… How she wanted to show everyone that she could be a wonderful mother...

Well... The time has come... Pray the little one grows up to be a lovely person who has the thoughts of her mom and the smile of her dad. (I prefer she having the soft temper of her dad compared to her mom ;-) ) ... and I hope bro and sis rediscover life’s innocence through her...

Have a great life my sweetheart!! God Bless You...

********************************************************

In other news, my brother is back in Kerala after the Onam vacations. I miss the boy like hell. Yesterday evening while getting down the train I half expected him to be there on the bike listening to his hindi collection and fiddling with the helmet on the bike, with his eyes wandering over to the huge Tidel Park complex, of which he hopes to be a part someday soon. Enter home and I see the big carom board there and I remember that boy. His failed attempts in teaching me how to calculate the angle when aiming for a coin. I miss him a lot. Maybe I should have got him admitted to some college here… Anyways, he is happy with his company there and his life is going well… So no regrets…

I love you dear! You are one swell bro!! A long road awaits you...

....literally!

Post me - The iPhone way...!

2008-09-01T19:37:00.001+04:00

Well this is my iPhone note. Nothing very special except that it's created on the iPhone. Heh the last two lines took me two full minutes. Heh!

But yes I'm liking it. Novelty is the reason I guess. (I just found out that my index finger loves the phone.. He's moving quicker now!)

No ideas in my mind. Lazy Sunday morning. New assignment from tomorrow. New learning, new people, new set of procedures and a new set of documents. Not alone this time around so hoping to have a joy time. Hmmm remains to be seen.

By the way, a sneak peek into my next post. It's on my job - The Auditor! Most people consider them a nuisance who come armed with a list of issues and queries. I intend to look at both perspectives and also on why in the West, they are not such a despised lot. No surprises but I guess you might find some aspects to be interesting and bring over the Oh-I-never-knew-that-Is-that-so?! feeling...

So that's it... This iPhone post ends here. And so does my patience. So till next time ciao!

This way for exit...

2008-08-25T20:39:00.000+04:00

In the afternoon today on my commute to my client's place from my office, I saw this dull white Ambassador taxi trying desperately to overtake a BMW 7 series. The Amby guy was making his attempts from the left lane of the 2 lane road, which was, like on most Indian roads, occupied by hawkers, pedestrians, parked bikes and the like. I winced as the guy came quite close to scratching the rear bumper of the Beemer.

A couple of minutes later, another close shave, which I believe would have been an incident, had I not accelerated before, to being right behind the BMW to have a closer look at the 'Bangle Butt'. With that failed second attempt, the taxi guy came to his senses. He relaxed, slowed and trailed behind me. I couldn't enjoy the 7er much though cause he took a turn soon.

I had almost forgotten the incident and was deep in Mat Kearney, when I saw the Amby overtake me and flash ahead. Sure enough I lost sight of him 2 seconds later and it set me thinking what would have happened had the guy actually hit the Beemer. In an instant, I got 3 scenarios.

1 - The BMW driver would come out and finish him, provided he was passionate about the car and not just furious about the mess up of an expensive machine.

2 - I would kill him, and I have two reasons - The taxi guy having hit the BMW - which is unforgivable, hello! - and for being a road menace. I am a stickler for road discipline and it pisses me off when I see nasty road manners. (Needless to say, I see that everyday, so I am more tolerant now :( )

3 - The guy would kill himself, since never in his life would he be able to pay up for a bumper from BMW. His insurance would cover a minute fraction of the cost. God knows if he had an insurance at all. I am doubtful whether the Beemer's insurance would accept the claim, since insurance companies are stingy on claims for scratches, minor dents and the like. And this being a 90 lakh car, the chances are even slimmer.

The Amby guy is killed whatever be. Not sure why my mind said so. Who am I to question?!

Coming back to reality, why was the guy actually in such a hurry? I still do not know. Not that the Beemer was moving at 20 kph, and the road ahead of him was all empty and enticing. Had he overtaken too, nothing much would have happened. We all overtake even in crowded traffic situations. But never so desperate.

I tried justifying the taxi guy. (I do that always and Pebbles used to be mad at me for justifying every villainous character in the world) Perhaps he had a sick relative in hospital. Or maybe he was late for a pickup. Or he wanted to complete the journey quick so that he could be home early for his kid's birthday. I will never know. But that is no excuse for irresponsible driving and the danger caused.

I once read about an aged man who collapsed in his driving seat after a biker overtook him in a tizzy. Apparently, the biker braked instantly after overtaking, on seeing the vehicle in front, and then took off. The old man in turn applied his brakes suddenly and had a heart attack. Medics said the sudden stress that the man had because of the biker triggered the attack. He survived the attack though.

The funniest thing about all this insane rush is that no one seems to be going for a purpose. On a trip from the airport with a client lady (American) and my boss, I remember the lady asking him why all these Indians seemed to be in so much rush to reach their destination. She was referring to a particular biker who had jumped the signal. Boss didn't say much, gave a "what-to-do" kind of shrug and left it. Down the road, she noticed the guy having tea at one of those roadside stalls. She pointed him out and we all laughed, for reasons of our own. There was no reason or purpose. Just a habit. A minority do it for fun and the thrills. For the others, that's how they drive. They don't find anything wrong in it. It's a habit, which refuses to die and which people refuse to kill. Add to this mess, a mobile phone and we have the perfect recipe for disaster.

No suggestions here because, for that I would have to begin finger pointing at the authorities, the infrastructure, the police, the reckless lot of drivers, the RTO guys who issue licenses to amputees and the whole bunch of so called patriots, who spoil the country more than any Italian party head or "Westernized culture".

For those with sense, I plead that they drive responsibly. One moment is all that it takes to alter an otherwise normal life. Keep the roads safe, drive responsibly.

The ' i ' is here ..

2008-08-24T09:37:00.000+04:00

Finally the iPhone is here and was launched on Friday the 22nd of Aug. The much hyped touch screen marvel from Apple will now be seen in many pockets..

Lucky me had the chance to feel the phone first hand, thanks to Varun, who fulfilled his long time desire for the gadget, and was the first customer for the phone at the Vodafone Store in Nungambakkam.

The 16 GB iPhone is actually a bit longer than what we expect from the pictures. The touch screen is amazing and yes, is splendid in how it responds to our fingers. Sleek, thin and curvy, it is a beautiful gadget. The typical Mac interface and font, and the web possibilities that the 3.5 inch screen offers are typical to the iPhone.

I have my share of complaints too though.. First the absence of the file transfer protocol in it's Bluetooth, which is a big big miss. Next, the inability to record video on it's 2 MP camera. When phones talk of convergence, these are the minimum expectations. Perhaps Apple is saving on features that it can provide later as significant updates to the upcoming generations...

Later in the evening, we had dinner at Casa Picola on Khader Nawaz Khan Road and I had a better look at the phone. The absence of flash showed in the pics we took. The touch was wonderful though. The very manner of navigation, shifting, everything was a new experience. Perhaps the novelty might wear off after a while, but for now, it is a fascination.

My take - For all things connected to touch interface, music and the web, the iPhone is among the toppers. For the others, it can't be called exceptional, just that it does them.

The Need for Speed

2008-08-23T16:05:00.000+04:00

All of us are fascinated by speed.. Ok... I rephrase that as most of us... (I was reminded of my Dad... He likes tame speeds.. That kind of speed where you are on a relaxed cruise and covering about 20 metres a second.. ) .. We love the way we move faster, do things faster, reach places quicker... Except when we are with our girlfriends, other loved ones and moments of glory that is.

For those on legs.. Usain Bolt is the new standard.. For those on wheels... It's the Bugatti Veyron...

The Veyron from Bugatti is a one of a kind machine. The road legal production version Veyron coupe can hit a max speed of 253 mph (408 kph). Which means I can reach my hometown in Kerala from here (about 700 km) in about 2 hours, assuming I get autobahn style roads and do a constant of 350+ kph. (I would need an extra 30 min (10 min x 3 refuels) in between though!) The top speed of 407 kph was achieved by James May in an episode of Top Gear...

The charm of the Veyron apart from it's speed is that it does not compromise on things like air conditioning, music player, and other electronic gizmos that assure a more relaxed driving experience... During his max speed test James May comments that the Veyron felt calm and there were no vibrations or other disturbing sounds that made him feel uneasy... Even though he was covering 3 football pitches a second...

However, the Veyron is not a practical car... Much of it's 1001 bhp is underutilized even at speeds of 250 kph, which is the max speed limit in most countries. It's potential can be unleashed only on race tracks and private circuits... Even on non speed limit roads (Those that they have in Europe), it would be dangerous to let out all the power in the midst of other vehicles that have a quarter of the ferocity of this beast... Like Jeremy Clarkson says in his review in The Times,
"Stopping distances become irrelevant because you won’t see the obstacle in the first place. By the time you know it was there, you’ll have gone through the windscreen, through the Pearly Gates and be half way across God’s breakfast table."

Now all of that is ok and the Veyron is a marketing success too unlike the much-capable-yet-not-very-popular Mercedes SLR. A good many number of people have shelled out USD 1.25 million for this technological marvel.

However, What disturbed me today was this article in Top Speed that said there are rumours of a faster Bugatti... Which absolutely makes no sense...

Pushing the limits in a road car beyond a point makes no sense, because of the impracticality and the inherent danger that 1200 bhp could bring about... Foot the pedal for 2 secs and you will be doing 62 mph (100 kph)... Such power for normal drivers is a hazard and should be a definite no no...

Also, the section of drivers who would want to experience such high speeds and those who can afford it would be really marginal. If VW was to ask me for advice, I would suggest they produce about 50 such vehicles, have them stationed at different race tracks and circuits around the world, where people can pay a fee and feel the supercar. In that way, the true enthusiasts are not disappointed and the roads are relatively safer. VW would also benefit in that more people would be exposed to the brand and the technologies that make VW / Bugatti a pioneer in high speed aerodynamics. Looks like a win-win situation right ?!

Whatever be, it goes without doubt that the Veyron is a one of a kind machine, and if I have my own 3 wishes, rest assured a Veyron is in there... Clarkson concludes his article thus,
"It is a triumph for lunacy over common sense, a triumph for man over nature and a triumph for Volkswagen over absolutely every other car maker in the world."

500 kph anyone ?!

COMING SOON....

2008-07-29T16:47:00.000+04:00

In a few days my life will have another beautiful addition. Have to say I am excited. Well... Not EXCITED but… just excited. At the same time the newcomer will replace someone who’s been with me all of the last 5+ years. day in and day out… By my side…There will be a dedicated post coming soon for that companion, who will rest happy in the coming days.

* * * * * * * * * *

In other news, my work has become full flow. Good work environment, friendly faces all around and a general feel of youth and freshness in the workplace. Which is good for a change. Happy and all smiles for now… Plus new friends… New lives.. All those excite me… Glee!

* * * * * * * * * * * *

I have been here four and twenty years (writing style courtesy books by She and He). Tomorrow… Me! 4+20! It’s been on my mind since the last weekend. Not the time to look back and reflect on my doings and my mistakes and all the shit… But I do have the feeling that my time is flowing out… But yes… No sadness… Happy as always… Though I greatly miss the one person who would have made my birthday much much brighter…..

I still remember those days in school when I used to wear the “Colour Dress(!)” on my bro’s birthday and then walk around school distributing chocs, to all the adult hes and shes and others, with a friend in tow… (Ah! That’s another huge process – The selection of the friend. More on that later). All because my birthday used to come during the summer vacations when the school would be on holiday and we kids would be in deep experimentation with the vagaries of holiday homework… Looking back I feel it had more to do with the prospect of being at school in casual wear (though I swear it never did look casual) than the idea of celebrating the birthday per se. Chocs recipients used to have the familiar query of whether bro and I were born on the same date. To which I smiled and gave my standard revised reply “No! We just celebrate it together”. The reply makes the person go wow and respond: “How nice! So Happy Birthday to your brother”. So much for brother love...

And Oh Yes! Another highlight was going to the Girls Section of the school (how could I forget ;-) ). However, for reasons that border between embarrassment and humiliation and for the sake of up keeping my online self respect, I choose to not elaborate further.

The friend selection was the most difficult part of the day. It was a highly diplomatic matter of choosing your allies and making strategic decisions. For the nimble brained the above line maybe read as - If we needed to cement a budding friendship or expand our friendship reach, this was the best day of the year. Alternatively, if we wanted to tell someone to fuck off, again, no better day than this. Add to it, the perks that come along like free membership to other gangs, increased chances of being their friend in tow on their big day and exchanging seating positions in the class.

Think of the whole thing now and I feel as ashamed as the Aneeth in those going-naked-to-school dreams that used to torment me in my childhood. Today it’s like we all say.. “Oh those days of lesser understanding and reflection…” Maybe yes. Maybe no.. Whatever be… At some point in our school days we would all have had instances that would today put us in a not-so-proud-of-that moment… and right now as I type I feel that humiliation creeping up on me…

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

And finally… My brother will be an “Infoscion” in about a year and quarter. The small boy who has energy reserves large enough to service entire economies and in whose body, fats and carbohydrates fail to acquire citizenship will move on…

My time has come....

2008-07-17T15:43:00.000+04:00

So here I am... This is a tiny tiny post since I didn't wanna leave the page blank without anything...

Say Hello ! to my official unmasked blog... I no longer have the luxury of the curtain... All that I choose to say, rant, curse, sweat about, glee about, everything.. I will say... Ok? OK! (eM style !)

This blog and it's writing has in a large portion been influenced by three aspects - One the fellow bloggers who have been part of my net life since about 3 years... Given that I spent about three fourths of my life on the Net... That's quite good company... Two the realization over the past year that there is something original in the way each of us live our lives... and third the more-than-normal urge of mine to do something different in life.. This blog and the new people I expect to know over the coming years will be useful, I believe, in identifying that different thing that I might be able to do at some stage of my life... Whatever and whenever that be....

So here goes...