The Transit of Saturn

The Silence of the Spectator

2011-04-19T01:22:00.009+05:30

Q. What does one do when a beautiful young girl waves at you?

Option 1: Wave back!
Option 2: Look around to make sure its you, wave back!
Option 3: Grin like an Idiot but still wave back!
Option 4: None of the above. (That's a thumbs down)

Life is full of surprises, it's more a game of incredibly funny rules. A game of hide and seek! That's the best way to look at it. At its simplest form there are just the two kinds, the runners, who keep running away from almost anything and on the other end we have the seekers, who try to find more without running too far away! So the fundamental point I am trying to make is that one needs to run in any role. The moment one stops running, life begins!

What does it take to stay positive and keep dreaming? Do we have to go back to being a baby again? Probably yes.... The infant knows no fear, carries no baggage and sleeps peacefully! A deadly combination.

If one is, still running, in the game; it seems very important to stay ahead. The ones who fall back are left behind. That is worth fearing. To overcome this, one needs constant up gradation. The willingness to change! Interestingly none of us are happy to change. Someone once said "The only person who welcomes a change is a wet baby!" The mammoth baggage we keep adding to the already huge one we tend to carry weighs us down. This fear coupled with the crippling baggage makes one forget the simple mantra, the precursor to having great dreams - We forget to sleep!

I had this dream this evening, while riding a motorcycle and simultaneously balancing two of the Ten feet wide banners, there was too much of traffic in the entire stretch and I was forced to stop at the signal at the end of this narrow road. The claustrophobic effect made me think of the 600 odd friends on my Facebook. What if I get to 1000 friends first and then manage to make them contribute Rs 1000 each, and match each contribution my self. If I maintain this in a savings account then I will be sitting on at least 20,00,000. That my dear friends will be good enough for any cause!

All this thrilled me to no end....That was when it happened for the first time in eight years..... A beautiful young girl waved at me from a passing automobile...... I am sure that I registered the "I am the President of the Stupid Club" expression on my face. If there is such a club I would have done them mighty proud! For some strange reason my attention was diverted to the white car she was travelling in... I did not take in the details.... I don't even know if she was even vaguely familiar to me. I don't know why I froze.... May be it was John Lennon signing "Watching the wheels" inside my head..... I am usually not good with names, but never forget a face! I am still breaking my head to remember the face! All this has left me sleepless at 2 in the morning....

Now, this made me realise that I am still in the run, life has not begun yet! John Lennon has to wait a little bit more for me to join his circus...

If she knows me well...then all I can say now is....I am sorry....., I will never forgive myself for choosing option 4!

P.S. The Lyrics of "Watching the Wheels" By John Lennon.

People say I'm crazy doing what I'm doing
Well they give me all kinds of warnings to save me from ruin
When I say that I'm o.k. well they look at me kind of strange
Surely you're not happy now you no longer play the game

People say I'm lazy dreaming my life away
Well they give me all kinds of advice designed to enlighten me
When I tell them that I'm doing fine watching shadows on the wall
Don't you miss the big time boy you're no longer on the ball

Ah, people asking questions lost in confusion
Well I tell them there's no problem, only solutions
Well they shake their heads and they look at me as if I've lost my mind
I tell them there's no hurry I'm just sitting here doing time

I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round
I really love to watch them roll No longer riding on the merry-go-round
I had to let it go. I had to let it go. I had to let it go...

Fate; Ate fat tea!

2010-12-08T02:56:00.003+05:30

For all those of you who believe in fate, and for all those of you that believe in a written destiny, A very good Evening!

The whole idea is nauseous. I fail to give into fate because I do not believe that I am not in control of my life. I am directly responsible for most of what happens to me. Fate and destiny is not an excuse for all sour grapes that I cannot reach. If there is a written destiny for even simple things like me going out a door, climbing down a flight of stairs, starting a motorcycle and reaching home, then imagine the time and energy that would have gone into writing this down somewhere. The unbelievable size that volume will run into and multiply that with all the human lives on earth, then the insects, plants, animals, microbes.....I do not believe that such a huge all containing volume ever exists.

What I believe in, has a fairly simple outline. I make this list of what I need and over that what I want. The balancing list of my strengths and areas of opportunities, the broad outline of the plan, a fixed timeline, the unrelenting effort, focus and commitment while giving the best shot. If all does not end as well as what one imagined, fate and destiny is not the escape I want to take. I will rather get back to the drawing board and start with a fresh list.

At times, we just have this big plan for the next great step and we do not think beyond it. What if we get there faster then what we expect. What next then? It is more important to at least think a few steps ahead. To know what to want next after getting to the immediate next.

This is how Vishwanathan Anand plays chess, he is sure to think at least eight moves ahead. When one does that any strange coincidence will not be required in the form of fate and destiny.

The bell will never ring and we all will keep going on..

Arranged Murders

2010-11-30T02:38:00.002+05:30

I am brave, sometimes shamelessly brave. I am not even afraid of my conscience and very few things scare me. With that preamble, one should imagine that the world I inhabit would actually be heaven.

They say, “Marriages are made in Heaven”. They also say that “Marriage is an Institution” while “Love is blind!” Now, this makes me wonder if “Marriage is an institution for the blind.”

I do not think marriages are made in Heaven. I have always believed that all marriages are arranged marriages. The question really is who is arranging it? In the land of arranged marriages, especially if it’s the parent’s generation that is trying to arrange the marriage, the young man at the marriageable age is rather in an interesting situation. It is a rather funny choice knowing well that neither of the options is ideal and that there is no other option. One either gets married or stays a bachelor. This is when the juggling of the Pros and Cons start happening. It will be great to have new home, start your family, bliss, something to come back to, something to complete the otherwise meaningless life, a purpose. But, on the other hand there is no more of the late night hangouts, indulgent binges, careful financial planning, saving, compromises, sacrifices, loss of space, reckless split second decisions. As that young man in the picture, I am not afraid of all these. Somehow the sense of Déjà vu sweeps me completely. What I am afraid of is the numerous atrocities that happen to women in the name of Marriage.

It is well known that a marriage changes the life completely. It changes the women’s life much more than it does to the man. Somehow or the other she is made to sacrifice much more, in terms of education, career, hobbies, interests, friends, family, preferences and passion. Starting from there to ill-treatment at the hands of in-laws, abuse, and husband addicted to alcohol, wife beating, physical and psychological torture, dowry deaths, gas stove explosions, forced abortions, female infanticide and even sati. These horrors scare me and I am even more afraid when the girl’s own family fails to stand up for her. Are their responsibilities over the moment she is married off and sent to the groom’s house? I am even more afraid when brothers, mothers, fathers, sisters, uncles and aunts stand a dumb witness to all these horrors. Keeping quiet about a crime is worse than perpetrating the crime. These, ultimate at times stupid acts of sacrifice by the women around me gives me the chills.

Marriages don’t scare me, I am not afraid of arranged marriages. I am afraid, very afraid of ARRANGED MURDERS!

When you communicate with god....

2010-08-09T00:19:00.005+05:30

As told to Aneesh and other mind openers on 27th July by our beloved Doc.....Actually not exactly as told as this is more an attempt to capture the essence of my own interpretation....

"When one starts communicating with God, one has to be very careful. Not just about what is being said but on how it may imply something else. Just like it happened to this young boy who got his wish for ten days of penance. After 30 such days of hardship he had truly earned his three wishes.
He wished for

1. A large bag full of money,

2. To be surrounded by a lot of women and

3. To travel in a large automobile.

His wish was granted... He became the conductor of a ladies special bus!

Sometimes, communication can go haywire when we try talking to god. Have we ever imagined what happens when god tries to communicate to us? I guess we neither imagine such rarities and nor prepare for such unlikely event.

More often than not this is what happens...as it does with most mobile operators.

1. Youth - The customer you are trying to reach is not reachable.

Between ages 5 and 25, we end up spending a lot of our time with the so called friends in all kinds of places like the beach, the park, the playground, the cinema hall and where not. Invariably we end up in area's that do not have any kind of network coverage for god to reach you.

2. Middle Age - The customer you have called is busy on another call.

Between ages 25 and 55, we are running so much and attending to all kinds of calls from work and family, walking a tight rope to make odds and ends meet that god is invariably waiting on the second line. Invariably god keeps waiting patiently for as long.

3. Old- The number you have called is switched off.

After 55, we also desperately want to have a word with the creator. By now, of course we have exhausted all the charge on the battery that when god tries reaching, you have switched of already.

Here is how it looks now; "Man" the most intelligent of the Lord's creation in never there when god tries to reach. Under some rare coincidence, when you are within the coverage area, with full charge and no other call, there is that call from God that is all there to be answered. So, always be prepared to communicate with your creator. Communication is not just about concept or clarity, it is more about connecting first."

Traffic lights and Cricket on Rainy Days

2010-07-21T00:23:00.006+05:30

I love rain but as a marketing professional, that the world thinks I am, one has to believe in the following three rules for rainy days!

Rule 1: Light coloured trousers.
By some strange combination of luck and unfortunate coincidence there is just that one light colour trouser in the dresser that has to be worn to work. The combination more often than not comes in shades of beige, cream, off-white, dull brown and pale khaki. All of them look great while wet and splashed with grime around the ankle and few feet upwards.

Rule 2: Field Day
However hard one tries, there is that inevitable commute to all possible locations the entire day. The work itself if indoor gets done at record speed and there by adds to the out door time. When it rained the other day, my boss found out my secret mantra to save all the field work for the rainy days.

Rule 3: Traffic light count meter
This rule works if and only if one commutes on a motorcycle. One always happens to catch the short amber and the subsequently long red. Amidst all these drama, the lucky bloke catches the fleeting glimpse of what is there of the green. One remembers the sum of all red lights waited at and the grand total of the seconds (that always happens to run into minutes) under the unabashed fury of the rain god.

When all seems lost if simple precautions like rain coats are forgotten there still is a glimmer of hope on these rainy days.

With a slight drizzle, on a pitch that holds well, the batsman takes guard on the leg stump. He wipes away the last droplets of rain from his forehead and prepares to face the rushing fast bowler. For all that it was worth, the bowler dishes out a full length ball on the fifth stump line. With a large smile painted from one ear to the other, the batsman obliges. With a flourish, quickly on to the front foot, he launches himself in to a glorious cover drive. Wastes the first of the next four seconds to complete the all important follow through and an nod of satisfaction, proceeds to waste the next thinking if only Rahul Dravid got to see this one, and the third wondering why his team mate is screaming half way down the pitch and the last one realising that there is a single that can still be pinched. In the ensuing casual trot to the other crease, a clean fielding effort combined with a razor sharp throw and the swift removal of the bails, amidst a last moment dive to ground the bat, the field umpire is now put in a spot of bother. These days technology comes running to the rescue as soon as the third umpire is signalled for. There is just the two bulbs, green and red. After being there at red for a long time it finally turns green, much to the delight of the batsmen. The customary cheer from the audience is missing only to be replaced by a dozen honking horns. Excuse me now...Honking horns in the middle of a cricket pitch? That is when I opened my eyes to the green traffic light and the fourth rule.

Rule 4 : Dozing of at the wrong time.....

What have I missed the most now?

2008-09-17T05:32:00.005+05:30

Been about four months now, caught between a full time job and a jobless girl friend. Ok, a quick recap on what I have not missed in order to miss my blog.

CSK lost the finals (Won 50 bucks on it though!), disastrous ODI form for India, The fab four failing in Ceylon, Consolation ODI victory, Champions trophy down the drain, Symo gone fishing, Beach Volley Ball in Chennai, Best display at the Olympics(did blog about the Gold), Steady year for Karun, Back to back thrillers in the F1; Jeev, Leander and Saina making us proud, Centre-Left in the lurch, Bomb blasts across the length and breadth of my nation, Floods in Bihar, Power crisis in TN, Nano Technology by Mamata B, 1 Rupee PDS rice, Diesel crisis, friends getting married, few deaths, my first attrition wave, Promissory notes, five great books, all of Kevin Smith's movies, Jazz Louis Armstrong style, Withdrawal symptoms, the PF struggle and finally the Dell Rescission offer have all joined forces to kept me occupied and away from the blog.

I just finished watching a great movie half hour ago. I am impressed. I have lately been watching a lot of Tarantino and Kevin Smith's movies. So to be impressed by a Bollywood movie brings me immense joy. I would need to watch 'A Wednesday" again. I would watch it again, this time alone and without a girlfriend (who has a dumb boy friend!)

I promise to stay awake all night and watch her kind of movies, I promise to cook and do the dishes for the rest of my life, I promise to wear clean sneakers, I promise to buy the next dozen shirts in only shades of blue, I promise not to call her jobless, I promise to appreciate her sojourn, I promise not to forget Birthdays, I promise not to promise anymore.....

Je t'aime mon amour! et tu?

Gold for India!

2008-08-11T10:26:00.002+05:30

Leander got the bronze, Rathore got us the silver and now Abhinav Bindra won the most elusive of sporting honour for India. He got us the gold medal in men's 10 metre air rifle event of the shooting competition at Beijing Olympics 2008 this morning.

The is very special as it is India's first individual gold, and the first Gold since Hockey Gold medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympic.

More updates to follow.......Words elude me when my heart is filled with joy!

Empty Wessels make the most noise.

2008-05-27T06:42:00.007+05:30

Don’t we all hate them? The loudmouths, the ones that let the tongue wag, the ones that brag a little too much. I have been there too. Every time that I have done it, I have always come back and regretted it. Sometimes it is too difficult not to get carried away.

This post is a review of all those who made the noise. To see if they were worth their salt and to find out how many actually walked the talk!

All the noise that was made during the players’ auction could be limited to the Kolkata, Mohali and Bangalore sides. In the build up to the competition, King Khan continued to make a lot of noise and was matched decibel to decibel by the Deccan Chargers. SRK looks composed in defeat and has taken the beating well. I am still wondering what happened to the Special supplement that was being circulated free along with the Deccan Chronicle. I am still impressed with some great performances from that side. Dr. Mallaya has started talking about parties aboard his yacht and Mrs. Ecclestone’s birthday rather than the poor show at F1. I guess he has learnt his lessons about what not to talk.

Then of course we had Harbajan Singh who for once realized actions speak louder than words. His ouster from the tournament brought in a better captain and change in fortunes for the Mumbai Indians.

Dada made some noise about Warney, and the Australian inside Shane retorted. A great bowling performance throughout the tournament and a fine knock in the last game redeems Dada and the Kolkata Knight Riders. Sourav now truly deserves to repeat the antics of the Lord's balcony at the Eden Gardens and I promise not to say a word.

Shane “Pied Piper” Warne is a royalty in Rajasthan. He is the man with the Midas touch. Every team that plays against him turns to dust. His boys are all worth their weight in gold. Keeping with the tradition, let me, let him do whatever talking he has got to do. No comments on one Mr. John Marshall Buchanan from Queensland. I just have a kind request for him to shut up at the earliest.

Rahul Dravid is probably the story (that never was) of the IPL. When there was too much pressure on him from the fans, media and the beer baron; he did what he can do best. He let his bat do the talking. His persistent faith in his team helped them in the good outings against Hyderabad and Chennai. Rahul had once said that he had trained hard to adapt to One-Day cricket. I have tremendous respect for this no nonsense cricketer. He gave more than his best at an alien format. All his efforts can be summed up by the words of Edgar J. Hoover. “We the willing, led by the unknowing, have been doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have been doing so much, for so long, with so little that now we are qualified to do anything with nothing.”

After watching half a dozen games from the dugout and playing nearly as many, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar saying that he has not figured out this format does not add up. Thank god that he did not repeat, “It’s good for the team to win”, “The team’s victory means more to me than my Century’, “I played well, but it would have been nice had we won”. We have heard that so many times in the past and luckily he has not got too many runs to render his rhetoric.

I am waiting to see how the Mumbai crowd will boo Yuvaraj Singh when his team plays in the semis or even possibly in the finals. One in his right mind does not mess with the Mumbaikars. They have even booed the God himself. I am happy that the purple boy did not mess with the Kolkata crowd. Support from the stands is very important for any team to win. Ask the Jaipur boys, they know about it best. Mr. Ness Wadia should be a little careful about insulting police officers. The positive from Mohali is that a Ms. Preity Zinta has just kept to jumping, gyrating and dancing to the Bollywood tunes. She has not opened her mouth much and has kept herself out of trouble. Alison Krauss probably was talking about her when she sang the following lines “you say it best, when you say nothing at all.”

That leaves just one team- The team from my city. Sunil Gavaskar had a field day with a double dose of Srikanths. A deadly Dad-Son Combination like that in any team is a dangerous case of chronic verbal diarrhea. Mahi has not been saying the wrong things and has owned up some errors. I shall spare him but the one I cannot spare is the coach, Mr. Kepler Christoffel Wessels.

It’s great to use the feet movement and reflex skills from boxing to coach batsmen and wicketkeepers. If I am ever in boxing shorts the last ugliest face I would want to see would be that of Wessels. It is highly irresponsible to make negative statements ahead of a crucial match. I was a very poor cricketer myself, but if the best in me was brought out, it was because of the faith the captains and coaches had in me. I do not remember anyone ever telling me that they had to make adjustments because I was there or no one ever told me how it would have been better to have someone else on the team. I am sure they would have felt these things but one does not tell this to a member of a team game. Comments like “I was the last one hired”, “I was given this team”, “It would be a bonus if we make it to the last four”, “I am not too keen to come back next year”; are suicidal.

Kepler Wessels was a man, who was taken apart by Toni Grieg; this was someone who had a negative temperament about one day cricket, this was a cricketer who became disillusioned about Australian cricket and hung up his boots (or should I say gloves). When the team expects a knock out punch he just ends up knocking the air and confidence out of his young side. If you are not interested then please bugger off. We can use Srikanth as a coach and use the motivation from Shivamani to win matches. We just no longer need that ugly face hanging around the dressing room.

As an afterthought, please read Henry V by Shakespeare where he quotes Plato. “As empty vessels make the loudest sound, so they that have the least wit are the greatest blabbers”.

IPL's Fantastic Four.

2008-05-18T15:48:00.006+05:30

IPL started with 8 teams locking horns. After the league games played in a round-robin half the teams would go back home. Then we have the traditional knock out at a Semi-Final from where 2 teams progress to the finals for a showdown or a face-off. I was always interested in the first four that will survive the 6 weeks of grueling tournament.

After the auctions, I had written off two teams. The Rajasthan Royals and the Bangalore Royal Challengers. That was now almost over a month ago. The points table and the team performances constantly changed the four favorite to make it the Knock outs. After nearly 10 games each one team has booked a place in the Semis and the other has no chances of making it.
The paradigm shift and how frequently the universal constant of change happened while deciding the 4 has been very intriguing for me.

So when the tournament started my four were Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata and Hyderabad. I did not give a chance to Bangalore and Jaipur. Thought Mohali and Mumbai could put up a fight.

After a few matches Rajasthan had emerged the dark horse; Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad were clearly in disarray. Delhi and Kolkata looked formidable. Chennai and Mohali looked comfortable. So it was Hyderabad that took the "Much hyped but pathetic" title first. Few more games and Rajasthan was clearly growing from strength to strength. Chennai was at the top. Delhi and Mohali were getting stronger. Kolkata were suddenly struggling and joined Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore. That’s when the cream of the Foreign players left, and with them the fortunes of Chennai.

At the half way mark Bangalore and Hyderabad were looking hopeless, Jaipur were sitting on top. Chennai was looking shaky; Mohali and Delhi were still at the top four. Mumbai came back strongly and Kolkata had new blood. It looked like the 4th semi-final berth would be a closely contested one between the 3 largest metros of India.

Some more matches and now, definitely Bangalore and Hyderabad are out. No miracles can work in their favor. Mohali is a more balanced and consistent side and they are good to go. Rajasthan looks comfortable on the top. In my opinion they are the first team that has qualified.
S. Rajesh actually thinks otherwise.

http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/ipl/content/story/351448.html

So the question that remains now is among the Metros which 2 are going to join Jaipur and Mohali at the top and which 2 will more likely sit out with the Bangalore and Hyderabad boys.

Chennai has had a great batting and now their bowling is looking great. The inconsistent performance weighs heavily against them. Their bench strength is also weak and Mahi has limited options. If there is not too much of a pressure on Dhoni they look a great team and can win with a team effort.

Kolkata is one team that has looked spirited; their fortunes are getting reversed too often. They have a few high profile signups and Dada needs to get his act going. The options for both bowling and batting are plenty. King Khan is no Mallya and will be okay with either the Mumbai crowd booing him or his team loosing.

Delhi is too dependent on its openers Shewag, Gambir and the No 3 Dhawan. The middle order is very shaky while the bowling department has started having a few niggles. McGrath is too good for any team. Delhi has two important home (against Kolkata and Mumbai) games and an easy away game against Bangalore.

Mumbai has comeback very well under the captaincy of Pollock and are very lucky under Tendulkar. Jayasurya single handedly influenced two matches. Andre Nel is a great replacement for Bravo. Mumbai suddenly looks very balanced after they have found the winning habit. Of course any team that can afford to play Pollock at 7 should be great. Three back to back matches in the last week can test the bench just before the knockouts.

So coming back to the question, let’s understand how questions work before we attempt to answer it. There are two places where you can ask a question. Your heart and the head! Now, after having said that, let’s go ahead and ask the question. Which Two Metros will progress?

My head says Delhi and Mumbai.
But my heart says Kolkata and Chennai.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed and touching some wood too!

Thanks Dad………For everything!

2008-05-15T01:45:00.005+05:30

My dad was my own superman just like all other dads. Dad was the one who knew everything about the big people from the grown up world. He was in my eyes the chosen one; the one who could do anything. I don’t remember the exact day but like all good things that come to an end, I realized my dad was not superman. There were people who knew more, people who made more, people who had much more power and people capable of doing deeds beyond my dad’s comprehension. He had transformed into a simple, bread winning, tax payer working at a hospital run by the state government’s health department.

If I speak decent English, its because of all the efforts he had taken. From teaching me stuff beyond the scope of a two year old, to introducing a protege like Dr. Pasupathy into my life, to sending me to good schools, to forcing me to attend the Toast Masters, to spending a fortune for a fine education, to encouraging me to speak my mind out and discuss issues fearlessly, to buying expensive books.

If one is wondering on why there is so much fuss about learning a language like English, the answer to it is very simple. What I am today is because I can speak this language a little better. End of the day I am what one calls an English Teacher.

I thank him for everything that he has ever done. I enjoyed all the designer clothes from the Pilaka Taylor, the endless math games on the way to school, the word associations and memory techniques, all the field trips, endless supply of money (No clue on how he manages it!), DB Spectrum Plus (my first comp in 87), the attitude, the reading habit, crosswords on newspapers, weekend chess games and more recently sudoku. Yes I truly enjoyed them all.

Sometimes I wish I can thank him for all things that he had not done too. He always gave me what I needed, I have never had a situation to ask him for what I wanted. He has definitely done more than what an average dad does. How supportive he was when I had a crisis, the cool authority he displayed when I crawled back home drunk, the long chat we had about the girlfriend, the space and liberty he has extended. That way he will still be my superman! I am not sure if I can provide half of this to my kids.

Sometimes everything looks very funny and more like a sitcom. His take on all my friends being worthless and bad company, his view that I am wasting my life, probably his unhappiness that I did not end up as a medical professional or probably that disappointment of me not getting that cent um in high school maths are all justified. Probably his priorities were not mine. Probably my priorities are not his too. So its OK if he sells my first car. The happy days in that Omni is something that no can ever take away from me. Also, there is something else that no one can take from me. Its the person that I am. The real me.

Now, more than while studying Genetics, I believe in genes and traits. I realise I am everything that I did not want in my father. It is not that we have a misunderstanding, the fact of the matter is the we understand each other well, only too well.

The lengthy boring story.

2008-04-18T23:40:00.016+05:30

This is the story of me Cheating on my wife*; the new found love being an old sweetheart*!

Call it a fatal attraction, being unfaithful, term it as sleeping with the enemy or simply scream murder. Now I have been there and done it. Guilty as I am charged, there is no choice but to bow my head down in shame.

In my case the enchantress (Blame it on the women always) was a childhood sweetheart. Mind you I had run away from her not so long ago. That's a sweet sorrow. To make is simple let me begin at the beginning.

It happened on a Sunday afternoon full of music, I saw her beautiful face, the grace that came naturally, her dancing down for any track with a practised ease, the young maiden had bowled me over. I had never seen anything like her before, then and there she stole my heart. I never had the time to take guard and she managed to steal my heart and run away. I was head over heels.

For close to a decade and half after that Sunday I knew of no other kind of romantic love, unabated adoration, faithful following, maddening craze and the blind devotion. When it was time to tie the knot I faltered, in the moment of a life long commitment I ran away from the alter. Ran away from my own wedding. The why is more baffling to me than the how!

Why? I saw other men loving her too, she became rich, she had the most powerful weapon on her. The spoilt child in her even defied the parent. She was suddenly greedy in my eyes, the apple of my eye was now poisoned, it was jaundiced. All I could see in her was the yellow of her new found wealth. Alas "New money" changing one is something that I never ever will understand.

How? I had found this other girl, orphaned and trying to fight for an identity. It was neither pity nor sympathy that attracted me towards her. She was everything that the other one was when I fell in love the first time. This was now perfect, I did get married this time. When some of you were about to write me off with "And they lived happily ever after!", came this shocking news that my first love (when will men ever get over their first love) was about to get married. My heart skipped a beat, I nearly fainted on hearing this painful news that stabbed my heart. I could feel the million pieces that my heart was torn into. I promised my friends that I will keep away. I tried hard, shut myself away from an Internet connection (my communication with the rest of the world). I did down a few shots of Vodka.

Stirred by the warmth of the spirit I decided to go ahead and see her for one last time. One last time before she becomes far removed from me. I managed to sneak a peek at her, then started following her. Then I became aware of her presence, I called out to her and surprisingly she reached out to me. If you had seen her act so cool, then you would never have guessed how horrible I had been to her. There she was in flesh and blood, closer to me than ever before. As I started getting drunk in her power, grace and beauty, my suppressed emotions for her found an outlet. This was an entertainment unlimited. One thing led to the other and my thirst for her was quenched.

I left her to get back to my wife. She was not there any longer. I had forgotten that she had left me and gone away. She had promised to be back sometime in the near future. I do not know if she will keep the promise. My cellophane taped heart now says may be she will come back to this unfaithful monster in me. A few minutes in solitude made me turn to the rest of the vodka. As I downed almost half a litre I realised how lonely I suddenly was. Guilty, heart broken, used, stamped upon and discarded. The greedy enchantress always flattered to deceive, something I never can imagine with my truelove. She promises simple meals, cooks it well, delivers on time and keeps all her promises.

More than the act of adultery I guess my promise to a dear friend, that I will stay away from the enchantress, was broken today. This has nothing to do with how I value that friendship. Its all my fault, I am weak in mind and cannot resist the temptation. Similar to the original sin. The nocturnal snake riding from the Garden of Eden had tempted me. I was royally challenged and my garden city is now a smelly dump yard littered with empty liquor cans that was served.

To my friend all that can be said is; I am sorry Avnish(the best sports fan ever) for following the inaugural match of the IPL. Kapil will you forgive me and bring my truelove back?

*All characters and images on this post are a work of fiction under the influence of Smirnoff Vodka, any resemblance to any character living or dear is truly coincidental. The author does not encourage or promote the use of Smirnoff Vodka. He strongly believes that there is nothing official about it.

A Super Tuesday!

2008-04-16T02:07:00.007+05:30

Tuesdays became very interesting and important when I turned eight. The Toast Masters at the YMCA Kodambakkam used to meet on Tuesdays. That tradition lives till date even though the Club survives in an another name, form and location. Any event which involved a lot of other people and a hot discussion would be a Tuesday in my dictionary. The best thing to do is to watch a cricket match with a group of friends. The Steamed peanuts, pop corn and potato chips (French fries later when we all started making money) is of course the other reason to enjoy the day.

It happened again today. The great quality of cricket played brought back the fond memories of us following the 92 World Cup where Kapil Dev, Martin Crowe and Mark Greatbatch were gods. "Us" was then largely my brother's gang of friends and as a ten year old I was on cloud nine always. That was my first time. Since then I have been hooked on to following cricket in the company of friends.

It happened again at a NCC camp. About 500 of us almost cried to see Saeed Anwar playing one of the best ODI innings ever, scoring 194 against India on 21st May 1997 in the Pepsi Independence Cup league match at Chennai.
Then it was taking my cousins to the beach to watch the World cup on the Big Screen. That was a different experience even though it was for New Zealand that we cheered for on that day.

The 2003 World cup was even better, this time it was at a friend's place where Blue Pepsi, Old Monk and Kalyani flowed like water. I still have no clue on where his parents were for the entire month. This is around the time I got a little superstitious about cricket. Not moving from my chair, performing crazy movements in the air to get a wicket or a boundary, refusing to blink my eyelids. I think I have done all that a true fan can possible do. This season was also when I met a girl and we hit it off immediately. The other important thing that happened on that day was that India played Pakistan and won comprehensively. Since then every time I call her during an India-Pakistan encounter, we have always won. All the times that we have lost is probably only because we did not speak that day. (Ah! The die hard superstitious Indian Cricket fan inside me is difficult to control at times.)

Next time I enjoyed following a match was at MAC. Ten of us were cheering Harbajan, on the fifth morning of the test between India and Australia, from the pavilion while the winning runs were scored.

Between then and now there were a few other occasions at Dell where the huge TV used to be hired to encourage all of us to come to work and cheer the Indian Team. Then at an other organisation we had to pay for online live video feeds to enjoy the World cup in the Caribbean.

Following the ICL 50's at Mayajal with friends from college was also interesting since the tickets were not expensive and we could also catch up on a movie. I have also enjoyed the Chennai Open at the Nungambakkam tennis stadium in the last few years but nothing was like today.

It has been a great fortnight for cricket. South Africa demolishing India, Hyderabad Hero's winning twice against the formidable Lahore Badshah's, The doctored wicket at Green Park, Indian Tail Wagging, Dada playing a mature innings, Chanderpaul hitting a four and a six of the last two balls to win a ODI, The mystery spinner Ajanta Mendis making his international debut and ICL India coming up with 4 great victories.

The ICL 20's International Final was too gripping, a power cut at a vital stage and my cousin throwing water on the TV and literally burning it down; all added more masala to watching the match. Somewhere today I realised I had became that 10 year old boy watching the match with excitement among my cousins and friends. Life has come a full circle and I have relived that day. Thanks for keeping the promise and making my day again Kapil!

I also finished reading Tuesdays with Morrie. So that's one more promise that has been kept. What a "Super Tuesday!"

And he turned 100 today..........

2008-03-10T23:54:00.003+05:30

The word “Turn” when used as a verb can mean 29 different things. When used as a noun it can mean a further 17 things. Mostly we use this word as a transitive verb that means to move to face in a different direction or toward a particular location, or move something so that it does this.

It is still etched very clearly in my memory when Dr. Pasupathy was behind the mike trying to keep the audience comfortable while the guest of honor, Yuhi Sethu was running late to the Toast Master’s Annual Debate. He said “Our Chief Guest Yuhi just took a U turn and he should be here any moment”. This comment was so natural and spontaneous in the given circumstance that the crowd broke out into a laughter fit and kept their calm till the guest arrived and arrive he did in his pajamas.

Since then the strange turn of events in my life turned my stomach and made me wonder if I could, ever be turned to a butterfly to, fly free from all troubles and turn a new leaf. When it was my turn to turn the tide around, I froze and panicked. I could not even turn a corner not to mention my inability to turn a profit. I turned pessimist. It was time I turned to few trusted people who have always given me direction.

This was when I remembered my grandfather. A very efficient businessman, who kept his records clean, paid his taxes, earned the goodwill of his employees, respect in the society and depended only on his ability. Despite the success of his ventures he was still the simple man who insisted on doing his own chores. He was a man with a strong will and clear vision. When all went against his wishes he still persisted and trusted. Patience and hard work paid off. If there was one word that could be used to relate to him then it was Ethics. He was always right.

Someone once told me that to be an entrepreneur one needs to have balls of steel. At last I guess I have figured out my mantra to success is to keep it short and simple.

Sometimes my thoughts turn to the past. Today my grandfather would have turned 100 (had he missed a cardiac arrest 17 years ago); there were some celebrations with the family coming together and having a good time and a fantastic feast. In these parts of the world celebrating the birth anniversary of someone who has been dead for a while is not very uncommon, especially a public figure. Since granddad was a very simple man it was very funny to see our huge families unite and find an excuse to celebrate. Probably all the pomp and the shameless public display of wealth would have made him “Turn in his Grave” (Btw, we did not leave that option open for him since 1991).

You have inspired me to be an entrepreneur and taught us all to live life in a simple and successful way Gramps, may your soul rest in peace. It will soon be my turn……….

All you friends out there, this one goes out for you....

2008-02-11T00:51:00.003+05:30

உடுக்கை இழந்தவன் கைபோல ஆங்கே
இடுக்கண் களைவதாம் நட்பு.

( Iudukai izhandavan kaipola aange idukkan kalaivadhaam natpu ) Kural - 788

Translation in English: (True) friendship hastens to the rescue of the afflicted (as readily) as the hand of one whose garment is loosened (before an assembly).

Meaning: As swiftly as the hand moves to seize a slipping garment, Friendship acts to assuage a friend's distress.

Tendulkar and the Ghost who Walks!

2008-02-10T17:36:00.003+05:30

It was a fantastic day of cricket, a rare event where chasing a low total seemed to be equally gripping and competetitive at the highest level. Two well matched teams locked horns in battle and the team that kept its nerve emerged the winners.

A small incident that disturbed me a lot happened on the last ball of the eleventh over of the Indian Innings at Melbourne. Stuart Clark bangs one in a touch short and Sachin Tendulkar charges down the track and swings across the line, there is a bit of a noise and Adam Gilchrist takes it clean. The moment of joy in the Aussie camp is short lived due to the stony face of Rudi Koertzten. Sachin then on 24, bats further and adds 20 vital runs to the eventually successful chase.

As a die hard fan (Almost any young Indian Male is.) I have always wanted Sachin to convert those starts to fifties and the fifties to hundreds and the hundreds to massive scores. In the days of umpires ruining (This has happened on more than several occasions) a fantastic innings and bringing the master's knock to an abrupt end; I have cried and cursed more than my parents can imagine. I have fought with my friends at school when someone said Sachin should walk if he edges one to behind the stump. My selfish glee did not let me see the reputation he was building for himself. We have all witnessed that several times in the past. The master walks voluntarily even if the umpires have thought otherwise.

Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar will always be remembered for their integrity and the spirit of Sportsmanship that they displayed. More recently Adam Gilchrist, despite wearing the baggy green, joined this bandwagon of very few rare cricketers.

I am not questioning Sachin's integrity (no one can actually question that or his commitment to Indian Cricket). I am not opening an argument that the boot hit another one to produce the sound at the exact moment the ball passed the bat. I am not verifying the accuracy of the snickometer or the quality of the video transmission and its audio synch. I am just wondering if probably Sachin knew that he had edged it, then in the age of India slowly moving away from the mode of depending entirely on Sachin, why did he not walk. Even in those days where oppositions thought that getting Sachin's wicket literally sealed the game, Tendlya used to walk. He used to walk even when there were no other recognized batsmen left.

This also brings to my memory the incident involving Murali Karthick, where he edged one and did not walk in the home series last year. The Aussie Captains comment that it would have been nice if he had walked drew a lot of criticism in the Indian Press. Ricky Ponting's track record, past deeds and integrity drew heavy criticism.

This brings us to the point where we can ask, "Are we justified in asking the Australians to set a better example by walking?” Is it that because they are a professionally run unit and are successful that the whole world points fingers and treats Sachin in an entirely different manner.
I don’t want to be a Nakeeran for just the selfish reason of safeguarding my life from the assault of other Die hard Sachin Fans. Probably in a nation where cricket is the religion and Sachin being God, he gets off the hook for a rare change in attitude.

All cricketers are equal before the eyes of the Indian Press, but a few are more equal than others!

Saarang 2008 @ IIT Madras

2008-01-27T00:21:00.000+05:30

Been There; Done (I)IT!
It was the unmistakable feeling of déjà vu, the nostalgia kept rushing back at me. It has been nearly eight years and there I was at IIT Madras (The one place that is never going to be Chennai ever!), taking in the excitement, fun and serious competition. Anyone who has been to college in these parts of the world and not been at Saarang is very rare; not enjoying it is even rarer. Welcome to the largest and the most prestigious cultural fest in India.

The Guys
It all happened casually a few weeks ago when I went to drop my friend Sameer off at IIT. Somehow stayed back for the meeting and met a few young guns. As always I liked the enthu these chaps had. Ducky, Rubber band, 8 P.M. and B.C......Not forgetting my own team; Ajay, Alan, Geebs.... Really awesome young brains.

Glory Days
In any cultural fest it was the speaking events that always caught my eye. Of course the fact that I was born with two left feet and nourished by a little donkey’s milk, I could never go close to anyplace that had to do with singing and dancing. In my days of glory it was always the Extempore, JAM, Debate, Turn Court/Coat and Shipwreck (in that order) that helped me fill up the trophies stand at home. That came close to my own ego wall.

J.A.M
I have always liked JAM despite all the Toast Masters having an aversion towards this exercise. I am a great fan of the traditional JAM aired on BBC radio, the smart objections by Freud, The drool of Kenneth Williams, the clear Logic of Nicholas Parsons, The wit of Derrick Nimmo fascinates me to no length.

http://www.saarang.org/08/Events/Speaking/JAM

Enjoying JAM being a participant is great but enjoying it as a Moderator is even more fun and is almost like skating on thin ice. This time I did get to skate on thin ice, thanks to the organising committee at Saarang 2008. (Of course my all time favorite topics will include "A Committee is a group of people who individually can do nothing, but as a group decide that nothing can be done."). I tried to make it a little interesting for the audience by including a few whacky one-liners. The usual pun, sarcasm, purified humour, uncensored wit were all there. Of course the time has evolved and the Jammers these days will have to enjoy the occasional dig the smarties take at you. This year they almost called me a joker and said my topics were shitty ("Diarrhoea hereditary; It runs down your Jeans."). The crowd enjoyed it, particularly "The rule of the thumb" and "15 seconds of Fame" were well received. Of course I did manage to get a running gag on the technical skills of the IITians at fixing the buzzers damaged by the trigger happy contestants and the one about Hearing Aids for anyone who objected on the grounds of Incoherence. A few of my jokes bombed and no one actually found the intended meaning of one topic. Since the speaking community is a very close knit unit, I usually am not surprised to find a few friends participating. Actually this time they were the younger sisters of my friends......But meeting Shruthi and Malavika was indeed a pleasant surprise since I have not seen them in a real long time. So I guess I tried my best to remain very fair while doing the rounds (and of course I did try my best to sneak them in to the finals when we were adding the scores later!)

The Last Word
Being among the youngsters, the nostalgia of Saarang, the pleasure of being the Mod just reminded me of a not so distant past. I guess it is the human tendency to not admit that one is getting old. We still try crazy things (Like the Malaysian Print Shirt I was wearing that day) to fit in among the younger generation. We all move on but still try getting back at a different level to do what your heart commands you to.

I guess then it is time to say Watch out Saarang 2009! Aneesh will strike back!

Zugzwang - The time line!

2008-01-20T01:32:00.000+05:30

In a game of Chess there might be a situation where one is at a disadvantage because of the pressure to make a move, where the player would like to pass and make no move. By being forced to make a move leads to one's position becoming significantly weaker than the hypothetical one in which it is the opponent's turn to move. In combinatorial game theory, it specifically means that it directly changes the outcome of the game from a win to a loss. In Chess however it can be a Win to a Draw or a Draw to a Loss. It can even mean significant loss in positional strength or loss of material. A player when in his turn to move, who has no move that does not worsen the position is said to be in zugzwang. Thus every move would make their position worse, and they would be better off if they could pass and not move. So, it all boils down to "being a player to move cannot do anything without making an important concession".

zug·zwang (tsktsväng) n. A situation in a chess game in which a player is forced to make an undesirable or disadvantageous move. [German Zugzwang : Zug, pull, move + Zwang, compulsion.]

The Past.

A true master of the 64 Squares set 64 conditions to defend his title against Anatoly Karpov left us all a few days ago aged 64.

All of them knew he was a genius, the smartest strategist and a brilliant innovator. The world will understand him better if it forgets all the follies and looks to find the true spirit of an ardent Grandmaster who wanted to challenge the system to simply improve the game. His contributions are many from adding the variations to the Najorf Sicilian, Ruy Lopez, Nimzo-Indian and the King's Gambit; to inventing Chess960 and the digital delay clocks.

I have always been successful with the Fischer Variation and the great bishop ending popularly known as the Fischer Endgame. Sometimes champions are labeled lunatics for standing up for things that the vast majority have taken for granted.

A great past that always remained turbulent, a past called Bobby Fischer.

The Present-
Virtually most of the possible bowling records are under the belt of this wonderful cricketer. A rare human being who still makes us, believe that Cricket is a Gentlemen's game. Commitment, perseverance, toil, brilliance are at times used as synonyms with him.

In May 2002 heavily strapped up, with bands going around his jaw, over his head and across the back of it, a semi-mummified man ran in and presto, scalped the wicket of Lara. A few said his appearance and bowling was simply a case of insecurity - he was booking a place in the squad that will tour England later. A few others said it was a calculated stunt to gain the sympathy of the public and the media. Andrew Leipus made it clear that local dentists had patched up the jaw and there was little chance of worsening the injury by playing, it was good enough to take the conspiracy theorists and nay-sayers out of the picture. But that never happens. People will believe what they want. There are others who feel this was a defining moment in his career. A testament to the man's approach to the game. His job is to bowl and take wickets, he thought it was well within him to push himself and give his best.

He is someone who has made the sport proud today by conquering Perth. He will be know for a lot of other glorious things but the following quote will always remain etched in my memory.

"Unfortunately, these days, when someone apologises, it is seen as either a sign of weakness or an admission of guilt. I am neither unnerved nor are we guilty. In the larger interests of the game, if an apology could help build bridges and smooth things over, then it is better made than left unsaid because of egos."

The simplicity and sincerity of the present, a present to all of us, a present called Jumbo-

The Future,
On 19th Jan, The World's fastest Indian celebrated yet another Birthday. A young champion who is so clear headed and composed. Takes pressure lightly, works hard and shows commitment to all the youngsters when he is around at the MMSC Race track in Chennai guiding them and giving direction to race their Formula LGB class cars.

Some outstanding qualities are often hereditary, and being the Prodigal Son of the Legendary Vicky has surely helped in a great way. Being simple and keeping it short n sweet has been naturally inherited by this future champion.

I still wake up in the middle of the night, smiling and feeling happy about the dreams where I cheer him from the pits when he wins his first Formula 1 race.

The future belongs to an Indian Force, a future called Karun Chandhok,

I wish him all the best and hope all of you follow his long career ahead @

http://www.karunchandhok.com/

An experience called "The Checkers Hotel"

2008-01-17T00:17:00.000+05:30

All my friends know me as a big foodie, this could largely be attributed to my ardent or refined interest in food. I am neither an epicure nor a gourmet simply because it reminds one of a stodgy, snobbish person, only willing to consider a restaurant that has a truffle pate on the menu. Since I have enjoyed almost any kind of food at every opportunity I am proud to be known as a foodie ( don't read it as Glutton). There were periods in time where good food was hard to get and expensive. In recent times the people have the resources to buy virtually anything and have the means to cook it. A few months ago a few friends of mine decided to host a barbeque and we set up a great evening in a matter of few hours. So to be a foodie is not only to like food, but to be interested in it. One need not know the difference between a beefsteak tomato and an heirloom tomato, but might be interested to find out what it is. So anyone can be a foodie if one has the hunger (for knowledge)!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foodie

All my life I have been a great fan of mom's cooking, she is the best when it comes to speed, managing resources and bringing out healthy n' finger-licking food. My dad often jokes at my mom's awesome cooking being the reason why he usually avoids having food outside. In the recent past I have started enjoying the food at The Checkers Hotel, near Little Mount, Chennai.
After a long day of business meetings, my colleague recommended this new hotel that has come up on the Mount road. I instantly took a liking for the food there. Those boring meetings were not boring anymore. I kind of started looking forward for the meetings with this particular client for the sheer pleasure of excusing myself to a great treat. I particularly like the Roti John, straight from the South East Asian Street food menu.

The Chinese restaurant has authentic food on the first floor but the steal is the lunch buffet on the ground floor. It has a decent spread and the price does not pinch the pocket. I hear that there are special deals for a large group (More business lunch here please!). After a few months of indulging on these lunches another friend introduced me to Rohan the GM who has made the difference here. The strong chef background he has had has helped in adding the aroma and flavour to the food here!

I still like the Onion Pakkodas, Tuna Sandwitches, Paneer Pakkodas, Hot lime tea and the refreshing Cappuccinos better at Checkers than anywhere else.

So all the foodies out there what are you waiting for?

Checkout their site at

http://www.thecheckershotel.com/

And it is still a better idea to check out the Kheer they serve for lunch!

The Search for a hot search is Over!

2008-01-13T14:19:00.000+05:30

I have lived in only two cities for at least three years. One being my hometown Chennai, I had no problems whatsoever in finding things, food, people and services. However, when I moved to Bangalore, I guess, it was my instincts that took over. I have done crazy things in the most unorganized manner. Living there was a nightmare since I embraced technology almost at the end of my stay there.

Youth these days, do not have that issue. They do not think too much about relocating to smaller cities, to second tier cities, to cities in another state, to cities from another geographical location. Sometimes they relocate to even towns. These young people have a lot of access to technology but the question is do they have access to the correct kind of Information. Sometimes I have a hard time finding the Information that I know for sure is there on the web and what really bothers me is that I have trained people on refining the search on Google.

A few sleepless nights and the inability to search and find information that is already there to be found added some fuel to the fire. After a million discussions from people all around the globe, we finally decided to get a hot search that will have every business listed on it online. The dream took shape as

www.mirchisearch.com

The idea is to put all small business owners online and to keep the dreams unlimited.

Do check the site out and give us a feedback @

Aneesh@mirchisearch.com or Vignesh@mirchisearch.com

Wishing, "A happy new year!"

2008-01-01T09:22:00.001+05:30

It has been a few hours since we have stepped into another new year in the Gregorian/Julian Calendar. At least half a dozen people who have bumped into me since this morning have wished me "A very happy new year!", Of course many thanks from me for these wishes.

Instead of moving on, I scratch my head and ponder. Had these people not crossed my path by some strange stroke of ill luck, would they have really wished me to have a happy new year? Maybe, may be not. I am not sure of this, but one thing that I am sure is that I cannot imagine a person wishing a not so happy year for an individual they know (If they do then it is not worth knowing them). The new year eve and the subsequent celebration is commonplace for any culture the measures yearly calendars.

At this point in time I remembered my phone, at least a few dozen text messages and a few more "ScrapAllYourFriends" wishes on Orkut. The advancement in technology lets one forward anything and everything to anyone and everyone on the phone's contact list (I guess a few of us are still left to champion the cause of screening the To list). The other technology bestows on one the luxury of comfortably forgetting a friend's birthday provided they log in every day. Oh my god! These wishes that I have been receiving are not personalised anymore. I think I should thank the ones that sent me the new year cards via the snail mail and so many others who have tried calling me since zero hour (Have we become so jobless? I guess they were all better off at work forwarding those endless emails.)

So what is the "funda" behind all the festivities? Why does an average youth attach so much importance to the countdown (this usually reminds me that my time on Earth is running out)? Why does one spend monstrously enormous quantities of money for a few hours (I am to understand that in India the youngsters on an average spend anything around INR 10,000)? Why are we interested in increasing the sales of IMFL and why the juggernaut of a drinking spree? Why scream your throats out? Aren't we selling Strepsils anymore? The police of course issue the mandatory statement that the security is going to be beefed up and this year will be stricter than ever before, Of course we know how many law and order violations cases happen.

Starting from the first of January the new year can commence even up until the twenty fifth of December. Of course lots of them are meaningless and have no significance. Too many Roman emperors have meddled too much with the calendar. The 1st of Jan was observed as the new year only since 1752 in most of the British Empire. However several of these dates have a lot more meaning than the first of January. The Chinese new year or the spring festival popularly know as Chúxì is entirely based on the lunar calendar that is astronomically defined so the drift of the season can change the range that usually is between 21st Jan and 21st Feb. This is very similar to the Vietnamese Têt Nguyên Đán and the Tibetan Losar.

While I am still searching for all those who wished me a happy 2007 just to tell them it was not really so happy; I get this masterpiece from nowhere. Times like these and the timing especially makes me believe in the Grandmasters hand behind all these. The only wish this year that made sense was from a dear friend....."To all my friends who send me best wishes 4 2007 - it did fuck all . . .So for 2008 could you please send either money, booze, porn or petrol vouchers!" He sure had a rough year, so rough that he calls me on my birthday on the stroke of midnight to tell me that he has crashed his car. I think it is a better idea to wish people a happy new year on their birthday (sounds much better than dude I crashed my car can you come here?), after all it is another year that they are entering.

By the way if some one meets him please do wish him a Happy New Year 2008 from the Heart of my bottom. Lets see if this makes a difference!

To hell with Krishna Sweets.

2007-09-15T18:59:00.000+05:30

I have always been amazed with NSK. He was a genius. Even in the days of black and white cinema he had been thinking of the unthinkable. His comedy was intellectually much better than any others in the time. Chandrababu was great and almost as good as NSK but only nearly.

NSK had once predicted a machine that will deliver hot Idlies on pressing a button, welcome to the instant world. Fast cars, fast foods, fast everything. The pace has increased and lots of things are available off the shelf.

What disturbed me is that KrishnaJayanthi and Ganesh Chaturthi festive packets are being sold. Not that it has made us lazy but actually life a little more convenient. I am somehow not convinced. Once a year is when we get to eat Kozhukattai, Suyom, Adhirasam and all the other delicacies. First time in 24 years I am missing these............So to hell with Krishna, Grand, Adyar Ananda Bhavan and all other sweet stores that have launched a campaign to rob me of my once a year treat.

Bowl Out the Anti Climax

2007-09-15T01:06:00.000+05:30

India known for its history of snatching a defeat out of the jaws of a victory, made a mess of a fine chance. Innitial hiccups and a modest total. Fine bowling display that went wayward in the final three overs to let Pakistan crawl back in to the game. The result was a tie....High drama in the last over ending with a wicket of the last ball.

For the love of PLASTIC money is the root of all evil

2007-09-02T21:05:00.000+05:30

It is a common saying that “money is the root of all evil.” The saying originated in the New Testament. “For the love of money is the root of all evil.” Timothy, 6:10.
It’s obviously one of those sayings that has as great deal of staying power, having been around for two thousand years and still going strong. But how fair is it to blame all evil, or even any evil, on a medium of exchange?
I think it would be a much more accurate statement to say that the root of most evil is man’s desire for status; either greed to increase one’s status, or jealousy over losing in the status game to others. Money is the most obvious measure of one’s status, so it’s easy to confuse the two, but they are certainly not the same thing at all. Money is just one way of keeping score. Blaming money for evil is like blaming the scoreboard for the baseball game.
It’s easy to point to many evils committed for the sake of status in which money wasn’t involved at all. For example, figure skater Tonya Harding conspired to have Nancy Kerrigan assaulted so she wouldn’t be able to compete in the Olympics. Now it’s true that there is some money involved in winning an Olympic medal, but Olympic athletes are mostly motivated simply by the desire to be the champ, and that status that brings them in their own world of athletics.
Then there’s the story of O.J. Simpson, who killed his ex-wife and the man he thought was her boyfriend. O.J. was motivated by jealousy over the fact that some other man was more successful with his ex-wife than he was. Jealousy over women is a very common cause of evil. It has nothing to do with money, but everything to do with status and being jealous of another man’s greater success with a particular woman.
One should never expect the Bible to be consistent, and sure enough, it isn’t when it comes to evil. One of the very first acts of evil committed in the Bible has nothing to do with money. In the Book of Genesis, Cain kills his brother Abel because he is jealous that Abel’s offering to God was better received than his own. He is jealous that Abel has achieved higher status than him.
Idealists wonder why we can’t live in a world where everyone is equal, and therefore where there is no greed or jealousy resulting from status differences. Unfortunately, they overlook the fact that our desire to have higher status than others is part of our human nature, and nothing can change it. The goal of communism was that an economic system would be created where no one would be rich or poor, where everyone would have equal wealth. The problem is that such a system is impossible. Man’s desire to rise ahead of others is too strong, and money is not the only thing that man competes over. And because all men are not equal in ability and other characteristics, no matter what the playing field is, some will rise ahead and others will fall behind, and those who are behind will feel intense jealousy, even if the competition is about something other than money.
One might even say that communism itself is a great evil, and the root of communism is jealousy on the part of its adherents that others have more money than they do.
Desire for money, or greed for money if you prefer to use stronger language (reminiscent of a scene from the movie Wall Street), is a good thing when people play by the rules, and when their desire for money and status results in better ways of doing business and in inventions that help people and that make the world a better place. Desire for money and status is only bad when people do bad things in order to obtain what they desire. And even then, it’s not “greed” that’s really bad, but the person who’s doing the bad things who’s bad.
The goal of a just government should not be to punish people for being successful in obtaining money, but to create rules to ensure that competition for money results in good for society.

Angry: To Be or not to be, that is the question;

2007-08-23T21:21:00.000+05:30

To be or not to be, that is the question;
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing, end them. To die, to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to — 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;
To sleep, perchance to dream. Ay, there's the rub,
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause. There's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life,
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
Th'oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,
The pangs of despised love, the law's delay,
The insolence of office, and the spurns
That patient merit of th'unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscovered country from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pitch and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry,
And lose the name of action.

I like it the way the Bard puts it across about suffering and pain.

Anger is an emotion. It is a psychophysiological response to pain, perceived suffering or distress, or threat thereof, which has been uncalled for or unjustly brought upon oneself or others, at least from a subjective viewpoint. A threat may be real, discussed, or imagined.

Anger is often a response to the perception of threat due to a physical conflict, injustice, negligence, humiliation, or betrayal. Anger may be expressed actively or passively. In the case of "active" emotion, the angry person "lashes out" verbally or physically at a target. When anger is a "passive" emotion, it is often characterized by silent sulking, passive-aggressive behavior, hostility, and tension. Anger can also be caused as irritation escalates during exposure to an annoyance.

Humans often experience anger empathetically. For example, after reading about others being treated injustly, one may experience anger, even though she/he is not the victim.
Anger is usually magnified and lasts longer when a cognitive decision is made about the intent of the individual inflicting the pain. In other words, if one decides the pain infliction was intentional or deliberate, the emotion is usually more intense.

Anger causes the suffering of the worst kind. Anger is good but it is the form we choose to express it that causes much damage and pain. It is not wrong to be angry, it is foolish neverthless to express it.

Outlaws and In-Laws!

2007-08-20T02:30:00.000+05:30

I went for an engagement this evening, it sure was fun but there are lots of observations I made......Indian weddings are unique and have a lot customs and traditions involved. There is this huge crowd (All kinds of relatives, friends, colleagues and a lot of well wishers), huge quantities of great food, loud music, grand flower arrangements and of course the प्रोहिथ.

Usually these weddings last for up to anything between a few days and a week। There were times when this used be for an entire week.The world has become a faster place these days and more often than not the grooms fly down from America for a few days or maybe a week to get married and fly back again (That is exactly how it happened with my pal Shaarwari; her superman came flying to India and carried his princess away). I still remember my uncles wedding when I was about three years old. Not sure if he was enjoying the whole thing but I was having fun. The folks made me wear a panjam and a neat looking kurta complete with a turban. It definitely was a week long affair. I had a ball of a time in all of my cousins' weddings. One of the actually got married about three times (Big B might read this blog one day...The Sikh wedding, Telegu wedding and the one at the register office). Interfaith weddings have become much more common these days. Lots of friends started getting married while I was in college and then later at work there were even more.......Of late all my friends from school and college are getting married in a great hurry. A few months ago it was my main hobby to attend these weddings and wish the couple a long married life.I was always wondering why there is so much of noise and lots of people going crazy about an Indian wedding. Lots of dowry is almost always involved. Is this a good thing to carry on in this generation or is it still causing a lot of trouble with the bride's folks? Thinking about this for a long time I guess that even though this practice causes a great pinch in the In Laws pockets, it is something that should not be demanded or forced. This is a marriage and not an exchange of goods at the market. This practice has its advantages too. Probably it is one of the reasons why an Indian wedding lasts longer and is much more stable. One tries to make a compromise and live in peace rather than spend a lot more and call all the folks and get married all over again. (Western world are you reading this?)

Since the daughters never had a share in their dad's legacy; I think this custom of giving a huge dowry compensated it somewhere. Now the daughters demand a share of the property too. So it is not fair for the young men to demand a dowry. If we had left a system as it was originally things will not looks so messed up. Either take a dowry at the time of your wedding or share the paternal wealth with your siblings. I am also surprised that if a potential groom refuses a dowry in Andhra then there are some rumors circulating that the boy has some kind of a defect. The only one I can see is a good heart and more rational thinking.......So my general observation is that do not force someone to take or give a dowry, do not demand anything. Get a lot of folks invited to the wedding and there is a high probability that the marriage will be with a happy ending similar to the ones in a fairy tale.And they happily lived ever after.........Since in India a wedding is not just between the two, one gets married into a family. It is just a notion that in-laws are outlaws, they will become better once they become more familiar. Sacrifice and adjustment is the key to a successful marriage.

I wish my pal Balaji the very best in his life and hope that I am around to witness his point of no return when he ties the "Thali" (मंगल सूत्र).

I wish to remain single for a few more years but I guess my parents are on the hunt again already....lets see if the hunter gets hunted.

Harry Potter's Charm and Magic

2007-08-11T19:58:00.001+05:30

The Harry Potter book arrived by mail (I wish it was an owl that brought it in; Errol or Hedwig!). I was never a great fan of the J.K Rowling's books. I did like the first two movies though. Thanks to the repeat telecast on Pogo I actually started liking all the three movies that were screened throughout the summer. The Deathly Hallows was the first book that I laid my hands on in this series. It is not a great book, nevertheless it has since captured my imagination and I would rather say "Accio Water" than walk and grab a glass of water. I wish the summoning charm will work for a lazy bones like me. In a world where more than half my lifetime is being spent searching for my personal belongings and documents, these little charms will certainly do a whole world of good.

The final plot seemed to be closely following a 1960's or 70's "Kollywood Magical"; The villains life is stored in seven vats that can be found after you cross seven oceans and then seven mountains and seven deserts. Blah, blah, blah.....I would somehow still say I like this book, new interesting spells, horcruxes, parlsetounge, the undiluted pure magical fiction, Quidditch, how wizards can live their life with trouble, how a witch can be as adorable and sweet like Hermione! and the most important lesson that magic can't solve a lot of problem. Too good. If this book can catch my attention span for nearly two days when I am 24, imagine what it would have done if I was in my early teens. I would have loved to devour the pages with the same fervour of doing it to a Archer, Grisham, Agatha Christie or Forsyth. Children are meant to waste time. So let them waste time on things that are meant to waste time. Reading a book does not harm anyone in any particular manner. It is a healthy habit, helps one relax, immeasurable learning, good grasp of the language, better vocabulary, improved thought process. The advantages are many; On the other hand one can spoil the eyesight if there is no precaution and selecting the correct content is very important.
This young wizard who turns 17 in this book just is too good a read for lots of youngsters and young adults. Not too sure how my granddad would have liked this book though. Now I understand why my nieces and join the queues outside Landmark and Higginbothams at 3 AM to buy their first copies on the day of the launch.

BTW, my dad suggested the name "हरी पोठें - मगीसिँ" in an online contest to win his free copy. A good read for ages between 12 and 30; perhaps beyond. The books have been slightly expensive but I will definitely add all the 7 in this series to my collection of books and the two that were kind of a supplement. Quidditch through the ages and Magnificent beasts and where to find

them. Maybe you can borrow them one day......

The 7 & Half and the 2& Half...........

2007-08-05T18:29:00.000+05:30

The Rev Robert Harold Schuller once said "Tough times never last, but tough people do!". The last 90 Months have been testing times. Especially the last 20 of them were a little too difficult to get through with. The learning will of course help me go a long way. From a freak accident that left me with a broken leg to the first training I did for my company this weekend will all be there in my memories and will help me face the good times ahead. This is one good time to forget the Lethonomia and Dysania; Time to kick some ass now........

Sani Peyarchi or Saturn Transit is an event in which the planet Saturn alsocalled as Sani Bhagawan moves or transits from one house to another. Saturn stays in a house for a period of 2.5 or 7.5 years.

Karaikal (Pondicherry) is known all over the world for its unique and the only temple devoted to the Lord Saneeswara (Lord Saturn) at Thirunallar. This temple for Saneeswarar is one among the Nava Graha Stalams. The presiding deity here is Saneeswara Baghawan with goddess Praneswari. Special Sani Peyarchi Festival is held here for each Saturn transit. The Sani Peyarchi festival is the "Kumb Mela of Pondicherry" attracting lakhs of devotees. Special Poojas are particularly held at the Saneeswara shrine there. If it is not possible to visit any of the shrine, then poojas can also be performed at any Siva temple which has a shrine for Saturn or Lord Saneeswara. Prayers to the Sun God will also prove beneficial, as Lord Sani is the offspring of Sun.

The Lord Sani is black hued, having eagle as his mount, wields sula, wearing blue garments, blue flowers and ornaments. In the south, the crow is represented as his vehicle.

The Birth of Saturn is an interesting story, Samja, the wife of the Sun could not bear the intense heat of her husband. She created a duplicate of her form called Chaya, left her in the house and went away to her parents. The Sun not aware of this plot lived with Chaya, thinking her to be his wife, she begot a son to Sun and he is Saturn.

Sanee (Saturn), the Lord that brings us all good things transits from Kataka Rasi (Cancer) to Simha Rasi (Leo) on Sunday 05th August, 2007 at 11.58 AM and is going to remain there for the next two and half years. The last transit occurred on 27th June, 2005, a Monday, exactly at 1.24 a.m. Saturn moved from Mithuna Rasi (Gemini) to Kadaka Rasi (Cancer).