Life - As I see it

Musings of A Rahmaniac

2012-01-04T07:41:00.000-08:00

From the Archives . .

I don’t know where to start. And I am sure there would be no ending. People follow music religiously. It is tough to tag it as a ‘hobby’ anymore. It almost defines the kind of person you are. Only a few end up taking up music as a profession & make a living out of it. Others have to be content with just listen to music. Their tastes differ. It differs as much as the lines in the palm do. You will find people sitting down on the floor to listen to a “kutchery”, tapping their thigh with the beats. Or, you will find them banging their heads in a rock concert. I remember from school a friend of mine who used to listen only to Christian devotional songs. And there also are people who would listen to anything that come their way. But there is a set of people who take one man’s music seriously. And when it comes to listening to that man’s composition, they would leave aside everything else. These people would dedicate their lives for one cause – being a Rahmaniac. There is only one religion that they follow – Rahman’s music. They call him “Boss”. And no points for guessing who their God is. I know, it is crazy calling a human being God. But then to each his/her own God. I belong to this cult too.

The amount of pride these people take in being a Rahmaniac is bewildering. They would have first hand information of his compositions. What movies he has signed, where his next concert is, what song is coming next. They researching deep into each one of his compositions – it’s almost dutiful. Following Rahman in his concerts, buying original CDs on the first day of music release, posting their thoughts in various groups, meeting up fellow Rahmaniacs and discussing only and only his music comes to them instinctively. It is mighty hard for them to accept that any Rahman composition can be “ordinary”. Ask them what the one thing is that you want to do in life”. The answer would be simple –Meet the man! Some would have a secret ambition of singing for him. I would not go mad about getting his autograph or getting a photo clicked with him (Even though it would give me 10000 likes on my facebook profile pic!). If ever that moment is to come, I would just like to say ‘Thank You’ to him. For all the music he has given us and the ones he is going to.

One of the things you would notice about rahmaniacs is all of them would have their status message reflecting his song names/movie names etc. It is not to show off their craziness. They do not know any other way in which they can express the happiness, bliss, eternal satisfaction they feel while listening to his album. And the pleasure you get when you play the CD for the first time, is unmatched. The CD would be played in loop. And on each round of listening, the music grows on you. Slow nectar, they call it. There are other songs/compositions too which would be like cocaine – would shoot up to the brain straight. These people need no drugs to follow the music. His music in itself would take the effect.

So what is bringing out this huge outpour of emotions into words? The Oscars? His being the ambassador for Indian music? I guess not. Something better has happened over the years. For me it started with a song called Chaiyya Chaiyya. It made me realize that music could be the only way to salvation. I could go on to make a list of songs, but then it will include most of his compositions – from Roja to Rockstar. But once I heard Arziyan. Life had a new meaning to it. People say you have to die to go to heaven. I tell them I have been their atleast a thousand times – each time I hear Arziyan. And by the time the harmonica of “Tango” from Passage faded, the Guitar strums struck me. Aaromale was a word I had never used till then. It might be the word I have used the most, now. As always, I am happily waiting for the next one now. Like I said, I do not have a concluding paragraph for this write up. I thank God, the real one, for having had me live in this era – The era in which A.R.Rahman lived.

And to Boss all I would quote a line from his own song - “Un isai mattum illayendral naan endro endro irandiruppen”

Signed

Vinod R Iyer

A Rahmaniac

Pavilion

2011-10-22T05:36:00.005-07:00

So what are you working on now?

I am working on this story.

I see you are writing only stories these days.

Well ya. Fans like it that way

Who?

Not important. It is better than writing random observations about unimportant things. Don’t you think so?

So what is it about?

I haven’t decided. I have this character in mind. A guy who is single.

Rare character, I must say

Don’t interrupt. So this guy is the hero of the story.

And heroine?

No heroine. In fact on second thoughts, let there be a heroine. This nice girl who he sees in the cafeteria every day. They keep staring at each other.

He wouldn’t go talk to her?

No. The moment you talk or get introduced, you cannot stare at a girl right into her eyes, till the moment you fall in love.

Ok. So they fall in love?

Who said it is about love?

Thank God!Just tell me the story

I don’t have a story as such. There is this hero, heroine, a couple of sentimental characters, lots of comedians, and villains?

Sounds like a tamil movie plot already

Just read the script and tell me how it is. I will take your valuable comments later on.

***
Enter villain one - This guy’s house owner calls him up and says, “You have to shift next month. I am going to make this a serviced apartment.”

“What kind of service? “,he wants to say, but ends up saying, “Ok. Sure”

“I will give you a few agents’ number. They will help you get a house by that time”, says the owner.

“Sure. That would be great”, he says. That wouldn’t be great, he knows.

He starts looking out for a house. Meanwhile the sentimental characters, his mom and dad, do what they do best. Worry. The dad is so sentimental that he could be cast straight into one of those ongoing tamil soaps. Mom is a bit better. She is one of those do it all moms. She wants to find a house, shift things, set things up for her son and leave to attend to her grandson. Time is an issue for her.

The mom starts the sentimental attack on her son. If you had gotten married by now, without declining every other girl coming your way, you could have taken a nice 2 bhk now. Now you have to wait and see where her office is going to be when she comes and then take a house. This is why I say you should have married earlier. And the conversation becomes about marriage. Goes on for 2.5 hours, before the hero runs into his room for cover. His dad sits there waiting for him. He repeats the whole thing. Another 2.5 hours.

He starts searching in the web. Things are easier to find with the help of the websites, apparently. Calls a couple of people looking for a 2 BHK. BHK – a famous abbreviation used in the cities. Bedroom, hall, kitchen to be elaborate. Baksh-do Hum Ko is also BHK coincidentally. Hero looks up the classifieds in the paper, net , everywhere possible. Calls up a few people.

Enter comedian one. He says”Sir, I am an agent”. All the James bond movies run through hero’s mind. James bond is highly over rated, he thinks. The agent continues, “I show one good house sir. Vastu compliant”. Vastu must be one whiny bitch. Keeps complaining.

“24 hour water supply, sir. Owner is very good. He gives houses to bachelors also” concluded the agent

Lucky me, the hero thinks. Landlords build houses and then they forget the land part. Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu, Lord Mahadev, Lord Land

So the agent shows a matchbox and calls it a house. “How much is the rent?” the hero asks. “10k” the agent says. “I will pay 10 Rs for this”, he wants to say, but ends up saying, “I will take it”. The hero goes into a train of thoughts - Ground floor, mom can walk in easily, owner doesn’t stay in the apartment – so no monitoring business – close to where I stay now, meaning , I don’t miss out on the food in the mallu restaurant. And also on the saloon. Finding a good barber is like finding inner peace.

Hero takes mom and dad who make sentimental requests to the owner, villain 2, to reduce the rent. The owner falls for nothing. He must not be into tamil serials, the hero thinks. Gives a token advance. Feels relieved. < Intermission>

Next day the new owner calls back, asks the hero to take the token amount back. He wants to give the house to his relative. The hero wants to sue him. He sues twice aka goes and takes a leak.

House hunt part two begins. He calls up another agent and waits in the area for an hour. Agent doesn’t turn up. Frustrated hero decides to expand hi horizon per mom’s advice. Goes around the city looking for houses. Fails to find any. To-Let board haunts his dreams. All he has is a toilet.

And then it happens. He sees an ad in the office bulletin board. Leaves office immediately to see the house. It is like a dream come true. No brokerage. Cheap house for that area. He reaches the houses. He sees a couple leaving the house happily. It is taken. He wants to kill them and occupy the house. Goes homes and sleeps instead. He is woken up by flurry of words in the advisory tone. Has to be dad.
He gives up all hopes. Decides to dump all his luggage somewhere and live on the road. May be buy a tent or something. Agent Mallik calls and says I have found a 1BHK. Hero says, let’s keep this a secret mission. We will go in the night, when others are not there to see the house. And finish the deal. Agent mallik thinks the hero has gone mentally ill.

The hero is not able to sleep the whole night. All he could think about is his 1 BHK. Morning he goes to the temple to pray. And then goes to see the house. Finally, the prayers are answered - the deal is done. He has found one. Mom is not entirely happy with the house. But gives a go ahead. Happy ending.

***

Forget it mate, you suck at story telling

Home Run

2011-06-08T20:42:00.000-07:00

There are few moments in everyone’s lives where you feel liberated; One step away from flying happily through the sky. It was one such moment for him. He felt like a porter who had loaded the luggage on to the train. He was at the final end of his journey back home - the local ST bus which was the only connecting mode to his village, his home.

He put his head out like a dog popping out of a rich-man’s car to feel the air. Drops of water splashed across his face. He thought the rain God was celebrating his freedom too. He looked inside and in the front seat he saw a kid spitting out water, cleaning his mouth. It suddenly felt like he lost his wings mid-way through the flying experience and he was falling down at greater than 9.8ms2. Like one of those dreams when you are about to wake up. And therehe was, sitting in the bus like a loser. He remembered sitting on the park bench, thinking about the conversation he had with her. He almost threw his phone into the pond. But then he realized that he would be killing his personal secretary and kept it inside his trouser. The voice from the other side was striking his ears like a spear, “I have decided to marry him. I could not think of a reason to say no”. He wanted to cry. But tears never came to him unless he was in the middle of a group of people. She was always his. Although neither of them spoke about it, both knew that they had to be together all life. The whole village knew it. May be it wasn’t that evident for her, he thought.

He saw no point in continuing to live in Gurgaon, in the madness of the city and that too in a job which he did not give a rat’s ass about. He went to his desk and opened the email and wrote to his manager.

“I quit. No ‘what a good time I had here’ stuff. No ‘I haven’t hated anything more in life than this job’ stuff. Not even ‘I haven’t seen a bigger manipulator or rather a bigger manager than you’ stuff. I am done here. Please forward this to the HR. I don’t know that cute looking dumb blonde’s ID. I have no intentions of coming back. Please do not try and reach me. I am going to help my father in doing his farming. You can mail my experience letter and all those crap to my permanent address, if you would like to. Have a wonderful software life ahead! Without love, Dhananjay” He pressed alt +S and then Windows + L on the same stroke and rushed out of office.

More waterfalls from the kid’s mouth made him stop the rewind and brought him back to reality. And reality was that he had to go explain to his dad why he had quit. And what he plans to do with his life. One of the skills he had was to lie at will. But this time around, he lost that skill too. He couldn’t think of anything. If he said the truth about ashi, his bapu would slap him. And then slap him again. If he said he did not like the job he was doing, bapu might just throw his luggage out and ask him never to step in again. He kept thinking for a while. Then he found himself in the middle of a gang war -may be a political one. He escaped from a thousand protestors clashing against each other holding signs which read “Dhananjay, Go back!” and “Dhananjayki jay” and “Dhantenaan”. He was woken up by the furious whistle coming out of the conductor’s mouth. There he stood at the bus stop of Jinpur. He never could understand the meaning of his village’s name. May be the British gifted the Maharaja with a bottle of pure Gin, he thought. He saw a tractor rushing through the perpendicular road. He shouted “Hanumant chacha. Main bhi aaraha hun”. He ended up explaining how a computer works on the way back home to hanumant chacha, who was curious to know how on earth one could spend 15-16 hours of one’s life looking into a dabba and earn so much money out of it.

He reached home. And after the usual love, “Gabbu tu aagaya” affection, rona-dhona of amma he sat down for lunch. He almost forgot all his miseries when he had the aam kaa char and rotis drenched in butter. He had to wait till evening to be court-martialed by his bapu. The scene was not as bad as he thought it would be. His bapu started the flurry of questions. The first question stunned him. Bapu spoke in his rusty voice, “Kab wapas jaana hai”. He had prepared the answers for other questions like how are you, how is the accommodation there, how is work etc. But this one stunned him. “Pata nahi” was the only thing he could blurt out of his mouth. His bapu kept quiet after that. Not a single word after that for the whole evening.

Two days later when his bapu saw that Gabbu was happily whiling away time playing kho-kho with the neighborhood kids, he had to bring him to the stand again. D had taken the easier route. He told everything to his amma, who later did the passing the secret game to his bapu. So by the time the second round of talks occurred bapu was well aware of his genius son’s intentions. He started by saying, “Kal se aaja mere sath. Kheti badi karenge.Socha tha mera beta sheher jaake bada binness ka maalik banega. Ye nahi pata tha ki maine ek ghade ko janam diya tha”. D smiled sheepishly. “Hans lo. Kal jab khet pe utaraaoge saara hasi nikal jayega muh se”

His bapu was right. Being in the field was no fun. It was worse than playing a whole day of test cricket when the opposition is batting at 600 runs for the loss of 2 wickets. He played around with the tractor for a while before his uncle came and gave him a tight punch and asked him to get on with it. He looked at the bullock and it nodded in approval of his pain. The next day he said he will go to the market to buy pesticides. On his way to the market, he thought he saw ashi. But then he realized that she would be there somewhere in Hyderabad working on some code. He cursed himself for not looking out for another job out there, saying he could not eat rice all his life. On his way back he stopped at the riverside. He thought about going back and begging his manager to ignore the mail. But then he knew it was a far cry.

“Mujhe pata tha yahi aaoge. Aur kidhar jaoge”, it was ashi’s voice.

“Tum yahan kya kar rahi ho. Jao na apne US visa chapwane”, he was furious.

“Jaungina.Pehle ye bol kitne din keliye hai?Phir main ek aur khush khabri sunaungi”

“Maa bhi banne wali hai?” his tone was mono.

“Pata nahi.Bolna.Kab tak hai?” she sounded curious “Will you stay back for my engagement?”

He remembered the first time they spoke in english and then rolled over the floor and laughed. But the thing which she said in English this time around was no fun.

“I don’t know. Main kahin nahi jaara ha hun. I have put my papers” he said, coldly

“What? Kya bol raha hai? Why the hell did you do that. I just found myself a job in Gurgaon. That was the news I wanted to tell you” she screamed at the top of her voice.

“Kyun?Wo Gugaon se hai kya. How does it make a difference to my life?”

“Tumhara bapu theek hi kehte hain.Gadheko hi janam diya hai unhone. Are you really that dumb Gabbu? Maine keh diya or tum ne maan liya? That I am gonna leave you and go marry some fool in US?”

“Nahi karrahi ho?” He smiled from ear to ear.

“Nahi! Ullu ke pathe. I just wanted you to realize how important you are for me”

He kept smiling and smiling. Eventually she smiled too. It was like in the movie where everything looks happy in the end. But then suddenly the smile disappeared from his face. “Oh shit. The mail. Gyani ne pad liyahoga. Shit! Shit! Shit!”

He reached the office the next Monday. He had tried reaching Gyani, but he would not answer his phone. And the one time he picked up his call, he said, “Dhananjay, I am on vacation. Will talk to you on Monday”. He was thinking of ways of hacking into his Boss’s laptop and deleting the mail. But then he knew that he was too bad a software engineer for that. He reached office at 9 and he found Gyani already at his desk. He went over to his desk and started the speech he had prepared. “Yogesh, I am really sorry. I don’t know where to begin”.

“It’s ok yaar. I can understand. Shikhar told me everything. So did you elope with her to get married? Did your folks chase you and all?”, said Gyani.

D kept thinking. Is he playing around with me? Is he gonna have security come up and throw me out of the building? That could be embarrassing. What the hell is he talking about? Who got married? Shikhar got married?

“Did you see my mail?” He asked gyani eventually.

“Yes. And I was so disappointed. I did not expect this from you. You could have done much better” Gyani said.

“Done it better? Done what better?” D was almost fainting.

“Wohi. The map interface analaysis. I expected some out of the box thinking from you on the design” Gyani said.

D just turned around and ran to his desk. The sprint could have won him a gold medal. In his school days at least. He ran knocking down a few people who came on his way. He reached his desk, unlocked the machine and checked his mail.

The first thing he spotted was the Mail Delivery failure notification. It read ‘Your mail box is oversize and this mail is saved to your outbox’. He couldn’t believe his luck. He just immersed himself into the chair. Things have a peculiar way of falling into place, he thought.

A message popped up asking, ‘would you like resend the message?’. He said, “ya right” and was about to click No. “Gabbu tu aagaya”, yelled shikhar from behind. And without even realizing, he clicked ‘Yes’. “Oh shit!” he exclaimed and ran for his life ..

Kick-Off

2011-01-28T13:41:00.000-08:00

“Bloody blade! Run back faster man” yelled pinto as he scrambled to stop the ball from crossing the side lines.

“I am four beers down. Be glad that I am standing here” screamed back subbu.

He knew that it was not the beer that stopped him from running. He stretched his back again. He was glad that they were not playing in a proper football field. He couldn’t have run till the half line mark. He would think twice before he said yes to a walk on the beach, let alone playing football there.

“Oye, barricade. Come on man. We cannot lose it today. We still have got it in us. We are the corporate champs dude!!”, prateik’s words made it’s way through his twisted tongue.

“Barricade” – Subbu repeated the word and smiled. For over 2 years he went around calling himself that, trying to spread the cool nickname. He wanted to emphasize how good a defender he was. But the first time he said it, he was under the influence of old monk. And Rajan heard it as blade. He has been blade subbu ever since. Subbu stood under the Goa sun trying to keep himself balanced. He was not sure if it was his head spinning or it was the sign for flash-back that he was seeing. But he was transported to D-704 where 6 of them lived in a 3 bedroom house. 3 bedroom Junkyard, may be.

They were the champions, alright. If the clock did strike 5.30, they would be out on the ground practicing. Most games they played were for the corporate tournaments. They had only one feeling towards all the opposition teams that came in for the tourneys – Contempt. They used to laugh amongst themselves, passing comments on the uncles who turned up to play football. They beat the other teams most of the times. Pinto the striker, Rajan the other forward, blade subbu the defender, Prateik and manu the midfielders, shahul the goalie, all of them lived, played, ate, drank together. It was a wonder, Manu playing football. For the workaholic he was. He had to skip/reschedule most of the meetings. There were occasions when he used to wire himself with hands free while playing. He would be attending a con call while dribbling the ball. Once he had forgotten to mute the call and referee blew the whistle right in front of him. The next day the clients told him that they ran out of the building thinking that there was an alien invasion happening. He was christened as Jhadu mannu after that. Jadoo being too cool a nickname was vetoed.

Rajan even declined Amrita’s invite for a movie fearing for his life. He had to choose between a match and a taste of Amrita’s lip gloss. He chose the match. Prateik later told Rajan that it did taste good. The fight that followed was rated the best ever. Most fights were indeed nasty. If they lost a match, no one would talk to each other apart from running the blame game. That was until the night when the bottles came out. After that the swear words competition would follow. All the opponents’ moms and dads would get their due.

Subbu was brought back to reality when the ball came out of nowhere and hit him on his nose. “Fuck you lil bastards”, he screamed out in pain. He then turned towards Pinto and gave him a piece of his mind for calling the match. And that too against a bunch of 10-12 year old kids. They were almost sneaking in between his legs and scoring goals. “That’s it. I am done. 33 year olds are not supposed to be playing football. They are supposed to have beer watching the sunset” He murmured as he made progress to the bench.

“You can’t leave the field. Respect the game, man”, Manu tried to bring him back.

Subbu pushed the next kid who came close to him down onto the sand and said, “Oh damn. That has to be a red card. I am out!!”. Pinto convinced the kids not to beat Subbu up.

He sat on the bench watching the rest of the four run 3 steps and pant for 2 minutes. Except for Pinto, who kept himself in some good shape. Rest of them could use a sports bra and a belly tucker. It was a hollow feeling that crept in. The game was never going to be the same again. Life itself was not. The get together had happened after 4 years of planning. If he came to India, Prateik couldn’t make it from London. Or Manu would be on his 3 week onsite trips. Or Pinto’s wife would be carrying. The reasons were not important. The end result was. It has been 4 long years since they sat together and had a good laugh. Shahul was anyways out. He was the first one to break out of the ‘group’. The moment he married Aisha, he divorced 5 of his friends. Rajan heard from someone that Shahul has moved to the emirates. No one could confirm. Pinto almost pulled out, but then agreed to make it a second honeymoon trip of sorts. The others were not comfortable with the idea of wives and children making the trip too. But no one complained. It became a couple’s retreat.

He did not want to see the sunset that day. The sunset would mean that the day would come to an end. And on the day that followed, everyone would be back to their bases. He would be taking his flight to Chicago. Prateik to London. Pinto to Trivandrum, Rajan and Manu to Mumbai. He almost thought that those guys were lucky to be in the same city. But he knew that even they had met each other last a couple of years ago. He looked out for a ship to blurt out the “Dekh raha hun wo jahaz” dialogue. But couldn’t find one. If Dil Phir Chahta Hai were to be made, he thought, Akash would have flown back to Australia with Shalini, Sid would have moved to Europe to get more inspiration and Sameer would be living in Mumbai with Pooja and children.

It would be back to the comments on facebook, the odd phone calls, the con calls if everyone was available. The virtual friendship was never a good substitute. He was sure that it was the beer working over time in his blood streams. He was trying hard to prevent his eyelids getting moist with the salty discharge. A hand came from behind and hugged him. Shamika said, “It’s ok barricade” and gave him a kiss. Subbu turned around to attend to her, and to his new life.

Oh My God !

2010-07-05T22:49:00.000-07:00

I don’t usually write about too many serious things in life. I feel I am not knowledgeable enough to do that. But there are certain things you cannot be funny about. Like poverty, patriotism, ethics or the reason behind this write up– faith.

I am not going to go into one of those ‘does God really exist’ or ‘what is the meaning of life’ questioners. Neither am I searching for God here in this blog space. Born in a south Indian Iyer family, I have always been taught to pray; taught to say prayers; taught to visit temples every now and then; taught to give offerings to God. Everyone does these, I guess. My mom does pooja everyday and I have grown up watching her doing that. I too visited the temples regularly. There was a point when I used to visit the Ganapati temple daily. Daily at 8.20 pm for the deeparadhanai(aarthi). But lately, somewhere down the lane, I have lost it. I just can’t get myself to pray these days.

I had gone to Dharamsala lately and I did feel close to praying when I stood there before the statue of Buddha. But still, I could not really pray. I kept looking at the statue and the amazing calmness that was exuberating from the smile. And as I sat outside the temple, I saw this old man, who could hardly walk, going around the temple rotating the prayer wheels. He had a stick in his hand and was moving at a pace at which snails would be contemptuous of. But still he went around rotating each wheel. The Buddhists believe in rotating this wheel which has prayers written on them. And rotating all the wheels, they say, is equivalent to chanting those prayers. Pretty short cut method of praying, was what I thought sitting there. But as I saw the old man disappear the question kept cropping up on mind on the amount of faith that he had in the whole ritual. Most of us have rituals of our own to build on our faiths on our respective Gods. Mine has been, saying a slokam on Ganapati as I come out of the shower. The other day I did that subconsciously and then thought to myself, “when lips pray and the heart wonders”. I have been forcing myself to pray for a while now. I decided to visit some(any) temple on all full moon days. Not because someone asked me to, but just because I felt like. But that did not last long either.

I look around in temples, I see people making huge amount of money as offerings, I really can’t tune myself into that frequency. I cannot comprehend the fact that good things will occur to me if I get a darshan of one God, even if it takes 4 hours of standing in a queue to do so. I was amongst these mixed thought process and the effort to restore the old rapport I had with ganapati, when someone tells me that there is a temple in Hyderabad which is called the Visa temple. People who want to go abroad, go there and pray and they get their visas stamped. And there are people who visit certain temples to find their brides/bridegrooms. My aunt calls me and tells me she went to this temple 30 kms away to pray that I get a good life partner. Would these pseudo things appeal to God ? Would he be keeping count of all these things? If I say out some prayer 28 times daily, without even knowing the meaning of it, and more importantly, without even meaning it, would I be blessed with all good things in life? And the customs and the rituals whichare built on this faith – would I be able to justify them?

I have found myself thanking Him more these days than praying. May be that is a sign in itself that things have been smooth. For, when trouble strikes, the first thing that you tend to do is to remember the almighty - to ask for help; and to ask him for intervention. I have been asking questions to my friends lately. Questions like, ‘What do you pray’, ‘What language do you pray in’,’Is it like a conversation’. I was interested especially in the last one, just to ascertain that I am normal. Because that is what I do. I go to meet Mr.Ganesh and I have a good conversation with him. He would tear me apart left, right and centre. And I try to find answers. Or else it happens the other way around. I keep asking him for something or the other. Good marks, Good health, reciprocation of love, the list would last a mile. But it’s been a while since I did that too. It might sound funny, but ever since I heard the lines, “Tum se kya mangun main, tum khud hi samaj lo maula” , and in that divine tone, I cannot ask him for anything. May be that is why I haven’t been getting a few things I wanted too. But nevertheless, I find it selfish and guilty to ask for something to God. And I know I am not the only one who subscribes to this thought.

The closest I have got to praying is when I hear some divine note of music. I am not talking about the Carnatic keerthanas or the Bhajans alone. It could be the scratching sound that might be coming from a DJs kit. One of the things that man discovered in the earliest of ages must have been the fact that music stirs up minds. And must have used it as a tool to spread the faith and the various beliefs weaved out of it. And one hell of a tool it is too. When I look back at it, I feel the panchavadyam that used to be played during the deeparadhanai at 8.20 pm was what I was looking forward to daily. I could close my eyes and just let my thoughts flow when I heard them. And the conversations with God became so much clearer. Most of the vedic chants, prayers, choirs etc would be composed with atmost care so that it makes you hooked to them and paints an illusion that you are praying to the God. Have you ever woken up early in the morning for a big day ahead? And while getting ready, breaking the silence of the dawn light, have you heard the Adhan being called out from a distant mosque? I have. And that for me was one of the purest moments of prayers. Again, it was not the content behind it or the ideology behind it that struck me. It was the sweet flow of voice through the air which was giving me hope for the day ahead, giving positivity to my thoughts. And that is what praying does too, I guess - A positive note to overcome your troubles and a hope of happiness. I hope I hear some piece of music sometime soon, which would get me back into the conversational mode with Him. And someday, I will say the prayers too; understand them and mean them.

Song for the Occasion:
Saakshaatkaara nee sadbhakti
Sangita njaana vihinulaku
Mokshamu galadaa bhuvilo jeevan
Muktulu gaani vaaralaku

Raavanan – A Couple of Views

2010-06-18T10:26:00.000-07:00

The following is straight out of a chat conversation between me and my friend, on Raavanan.

Take1: So, the verdict ?

Take2: There's no one word verdict :)

Take1: Meaning ?

Take2: The only thing on my mind now is naan varuven, meendum varuven I think that one scene did it for me...

Take1: I saw it in the morning ... the harmonium is still ringing in my head !!!!

Take2: But yeah, I thought brilliant performances, awesome cinematography; India didn't look more beautiful

Take1: Ya ..true

Take2: I would have been abolsutley flabbergasted if the story was a tad less predictable

Take1: First half was a bit dull for my liking

Take2: Exactly. But i have to say... the music got lost in the movie nothing stood out except naan varuven...

Take1: hmm ... agreed .. no masterpiece bgm too ..still the last 20 mins I was like .. damn .. do i have to sit .. i was almost jumping

Take2: The last 20 mins were brilliant

Take2: I think the ramayan adaptation totally overshadows the naxalite undercurrent

Take1: Ya .. the current is almost not there

Take2: It’s there at one point, and then it gets lost with the sister revenge

Take1: And i would ve liked the priya mani bit not to be the reason for revenge

Take2: Yeah that brought the movie down a notch. Its becomes like oh, this always happens in tamil movies .. or hindi movies ;)

Take1: But ya .. he was so vehiment on adaptaion thingie - with karthik jumping arnd and all

Take2: yes, i jumping around was too much

Take1: Ya .. almost shankar-ish :)

Take2: But Karthik was really good

Take1: Ya he was

Take2: Vikram's last few scenes... good God! Where he says usuru vandhurchu and where ash says babababa his expressions were brillaint

Take1: hmm .. wonder how AB would match up

Take2: I was going to type the same thing. I'll find out tomorrow :)

Take1: me too :)

Take2: I have a feeling AB might be as good... because he's wuite looney in real life and he might get the last few scenes right on target because he's with ash

Take1: Ya .. possible

Take1: And prithviraj ... was super

Take2: Prithviraj was alright... not much there ;) but yeah, i'm curious to see vikram in that role. I vaguely liked it that priya mani's name was vennila :)

Take1: I liked her tan look ;)

Take1: And why is ranjitha there .. grr

Take2: I know.. horrible dance steps and no dialogue

Take1: Her scenes got the highest mass appeal .. or response ... i was disgusted.. at the public first and then at mani

Take2: ha ha ha ... but the controversy happened after she was cast, and shot.. we had a few people giggling here when she first came on screen

Take1: Ya .. same ... and then screams in the subsequent scenes .. the "intelligent" tamil audience

Take2: lol

Take1: mixed reviews already .. from worst mani movie to the best

Take2: yeah I was reading some online

Take1: i would take middle path :)

Take2: Frankly, I have never come out of a mani rathnam movie in the theatre going WOW

Take1: exactly my thought !!!

Take2: somehow i end up liking it more over time

Take1: It sinks in ..

Take2: yep... All... aayudha ezhuthu, guru

Take1: Even alaipayude .. i was like .. did i see a good film or a great film

Take2: :) .. Kannathil muthamitaal maybe that stirred me up a bit but none of the others

Take1: AE stirred me up ... since the subject is close to my heart or was ..

Take2: But If it weren't for that last song in Raavan, I wouldn't remain staring at the screen for long after, awed.

Take1: That was the moment of the movie !

Take2: totally...

Take1: the harmonica started first .. i was like wow .....

Take2: when he just looked at her face, and fell over... and the song was his parachute...

Take1: rahman sounded like God !

Take2: Agreed

Take1: I have heard usure pogude since i saw it .. not behne de !

Take2: Still didn't work for me...

Take1: hmm ..

Take1: Beera beera song ..in the bg now i can hear dan dan dan dandanaka clearly :)

Take2: aah! I loved the kaatu sirukki chanting

Take1: oh yeah .. waiting to hear the ranjha version of it .. gotta be better

Take2: hmm :)

Take2: Aapparently that spot where ash falls and usure pogushe starts was the same spot as punnagai mannan

Take1: oh .. interesting

Take1: that priya mani's fiancée ..some guys were talking outside the theatre ..that he is the guy who played amudha's cousin !

Take2: really?! wow

Take2: the scene before kalvare was totally Roja. Madhubala finding where Aravind Swamy was

Take1: hmm :) and I thought one scene was so dil se .. oh ya .. the priya mani - police station scene

Take1: There's no one word verdict, I guess :)

Song for the Occassion: Naan Varuvene ... meeendum varuvene !

In Pursuit of Craziness

2010-05-17T09:17:00.000-07:00

Do you ever get this urge to stand up from your cubicle, may be on top of the desk, and start singing on top of your voice, start dancing and run out of the office? I get these kind of feelings quite often. The majority of the blame has to be taken up by Rahman & Co. The idea first came to my mind when I was sitting in my cubicle at the Kochi office and I heard this song called Dhan te naan. Now, you really cannot blame me for feeling so? Can you?

If you can, then you belong to the mango people type (courtesy: Imtiaz). You know? The {do engineering – get a job – get married – buy a house – have a kid – get him/her into school – finish the loans – retire – rue about life – wait for the eventuality} types. Well sadly, I am also being a part of this group. At least I am quarter way through.

Life has become so Badmash Company' ly monotonous that I feel just like Hrithik did at the end of the 'main aisa kyun hun' song. I know, I know .. it is the introspection time in life. And what do I figure out? I figure out that my life is contained to a set of 6 websites

1. The FB & O
2. The Chat windows – The same people, the same conversations(mostly)
3. The matrimony websites
4. The naukri websites
5. The Property websites
6. The carwala websites

But it's not only me. I see people around me and everyone (In bold, Italics & Capital letters) are doing the same. It is like one of those computer games with different levels. The moment you conquer one of these levels, you ought to start giving tips to the others on how to finish the task. For eg: The moment you are engaged/married you start giving advise to the singletons asking them how one should start compromising; how a delay might harm your chances of finding 'someone' ever; how you should get tied soon etc, very subtly saying that I have finished the level, and you are kind of lagging behind.

I ask for an explanation to someone why I should buy a property now, why I should get married at a pre-defined age, I get the trademark answer – 'That is life'. It is life I agree. But are you living it? I am kind of bored of asking myself this question. I have had enough of reading "Oh it is Monday again" status messages; and with 'what am I doing in this job' statements; and the whole lot of jokes revolving around peanuts (salaries, duh); and last but never the least, the 'I am bored' statements.

So what can we do about this situation of mass depression amongst the late twenties people?

Pata nahi.. Pata chalte aapko hi pehle bataunga

But we can take a start, can't we? I am not going to say quit your job and do what you are passionate about. I am not a hypocrite. Neither a hippopotamus (Just checking if I knew the spelling there).
Go ahead and do things that you want. Even if you don't get to do the job you like, it will pay you enough to do things that you like. Take a road trip (courtesy: Elizabeth Town). Just abscond for a couple of weeks, live under a different name in some island. Learn at least one musical instrument. Explore at least 2 states in the country per year. And keep one of them an unplanned trip. Start cycling. Go swim. And do adventure sports once in every 3 months. Play the games you like. Make a maximum number of movies watching record every month. And try and beat it every next month. Add to this list!

Ps: I think I am having schizophrenia. Can anyone confirm?

Song for the Occasion: OO aee eee yaa O ae ee yooo

Filmy, Very Filmy

2010-03-31T04:41:00.000-07:00

“Dekh Raha hun wo Jahaz…..”. I am sure you know the rest of the dialogue. I was struck for the Nth time after watching that scene. No dialogue has made more sense to me at a point when cross roads are taking my friends to different directions. So, at times like this, when my mind is vacant, I turn to music, movies and TV shows. They are the only ones that can rescue me from the nothingness. I have watched like 10 movies over last 3 days. And I have heard Aaromale a million times. Like my friend says the movies and music gives us an unfair hope. But a hope nevertheless.

You see Geet and secretly wish she was yours. You see Akash and wish that he was there by your side to make you laugh. You see Aditya Shroff and wish you turned around your life just like he did. You wish you could throw everything you had and go on a journey like Aditya Kashyap. You wish every girl you meet through “proposals” is like Aditi sayini. You wish Jessy comes back to your life. The list is too long.

People say reading books makes you go places with imagination. But for people like me who have don’t take to it, we are left with the other better option – live the life through the celluloid. It’s not for nothing that people go on a marathon watching of their favorite tv episodes. Latest one for me is 24. I am completing the 8th season this week. And I find myself walking with holding my mobile like I were holding a rifle. Or reply/talk to everyone with phrases like, “Copy That”, “Negative”, “All teams stand down” and so on.

There are only two kinds of people in this world - Filmy and non-filmy. The filmy ones relate each and every incident in their life with some movie or the other. These people would find it hard remembering the mathematical formulae. But they would remember each and every dialogue from their favorite movies. In fact people like me survive on it.

If the movies and dialogues do not come to our aid, there is always music to fall back on. There is a song for every occasion; and for each person. From boredom to agony to happiness to heart break to divinity, music takes care of it all. And there are other songs which do not have any occasion or person attached to it. These are purely your songs. The mind blanks out as you listen to them. The moment I hear the striking of ‘that guitar’ or when she starts off “Sakshatkarane”, I feel paralyzed. And I remain so, through out the song. God bless those musicians who bring life to our souls.

Song for the occasion: Actually I would like to dedicate a few songs to all my friends. Each one has a reason to be here and my friends (if they are reading this) would know which song is for them :) In no specific order …

Smooth Criminal
Koi Kahe Kehta Rahe
Bhula Do/Zehreeley
Satisfaction
Aaoge Jab Tum O saajna/ Nee Mazhai naan ilai
Mora Saiyyan mose bole na
Endan vaanin kadhal nilave
Sunte Hain ke mil jaati hain
Ye Ishq hai
Chup Chup ke Chup Chup ke chori se chori
Tauba tumhare ye ishare
Raindrops falling on my head
Abhi nahi aana sajna
Let me be myself (3 Doors Down)
Azhage Sughama
Bharani Paatu :)
Rari Rariram
Ye Zindagi Bhi ( Luck by chance)
Kannukku mai azhagu
Kadhal Rojave
Tu Pyar hai kisi aur ka
Palavattam pookalam
Aankhon se Jab bhi ho teri aankhen juda
Kaise mujhe tum mil gayi
Kombdi
Nakka Mukka
In the end
Shauk Hai
Tanha Dil Tanha Safar
Jab bhi milte ho muskurate ho
Mann Mohana
Aaromale

10 Reasons why I hated the Ind vs SA series.

2010-03-01T02:21:00.000-08:00

No. I have not taken a rebirth and started hating cricket. Feb 24 would still remain as one of the happiest days of my life. But it was hard to watch the series on television. Every 3 minutes(approx) these ads kept bugging me. Someone said the standard of Indian advertising has gone up. God save the Indian ad industry, if this is true. The ads that were running, in the descending order of level of stupidity, were:

1. J K Super Cements: A girl walking out of the waves in a bikini. And they say J k Super Cements: Is mein kuch khaas hai. The sad part is that people started talking about it on all forums about the absurdness of the ad and it received the publicity that it required. If ever I were to buy cement, I will make sure that it is no J K. I reported this to ASCI as well.

2. HDFC life insurance: The two friends in the cab ad. If a friend of mine asks me , “yaar, agar tu wapas hi nahi aaya toh?”, I would either slap him or give all the mc, bc galis of the world. I would not for sure “sir jhukake sit” !!

3. Micromax: The guy gets hit while crossing the road. That when he is updating his FB status that he got saved just now. Seriously, you think I would buy this phone after this?

4. IPL: Yes. The IPL is back home. But they don’t have to torture us with all these stupid ticket kharida kya ad and the ones which says “stadium ka maza stadium main hi hai”. The latter concept is good. But please; the ads like the one in which the blonde copies the dance step or the one which has the dumb girl screaming “come on yaar, give me a six” drives you away from the stadium. If anything.

5. Lemon Mobile: Why can’t they find better names for their brands? Lemon mobile? Like, if I am thirsty, I can put this mobile in water, add sugar and drink? Is that the idea? And the ad where the pilot catches the mobile our of the aeroplane was irritating, least to say.

6. Java Mobile: Please read comments above.

7. ibibo: “Usne mere melons churaye” ad and the guy driving his car in the loo ad. If you want to show vulgarity, show it properly. Don’t use this school kiddish dialogues. At least not on advertisements.

8. Vokswagen: The car ads never come out good for some reason. People find it hard to come up with creative ways of marketing car advertisements. The ad where the guy pulls out some crap from Himalayas and comes to the bar to show it off. Please! Just show the car gliding on a highway. That is good enough for us!!

9. Econ Religare: I know you think you don’t know this one. But remember the ad where Irrfan khan gives you the gyan on saving for the future? Well now you do. All I heard for 18 days was aamdani thenga. I know Irffan has this aam aadmi image. But for God sake you do not have to use it in all the brands!!

10. Titan: Even the master could not get it right this time. Aamir’s ad where he wears Titan and the whole papparazi is behind him. Eventhough, it was one of the lesser irritating ads, when you see Aamir doing it, it irks you as much.

Where are the good old days of “Hai Sanjana, Want another Pepsi?” or “H for Hitler, A for Arrogant, R for Rascal and I for Idiot” gone? Hope ads like these are back at least for the IPL. Otherwise we are in for a painful 30 days ahead!!

Song for the Occasion: Ye zameen ye aasman (for bringing back the glorious ads)

Ps: Apologies for the frustrated/Irritant post. But, I had to vent it out somewhere :)

Meet the Parents

2010-02-15T01:50:00.000-08:00

After recurring complaints, I mean to keep this short

(This is not the how I met my in laws post)

It had been almost 6 years since I have literally lived with my parents before I moved in to Bangalore last month. I always missed being with everyone in the family. And as I returned home, I was caught napping about a few things.

The first few days of homecoming were fun. No one seemed to have enough of me. Mom would come to me every 10 minutes and ask if I wanted something to eat, dad wouldn’t mind me playing the music loud. But in a couple of days, things started becoming different. Or should I say things started becoming normal. Suddenly, I found that the 1 mile radius space around me had been cut short to a square centimeter. Let’s face it. I was not anymore in the ‘somebody is gonna get hurt real bad’ stage. And neither can I be the rebellious teen who would do things just because I was told not to do it.

So my dad, who was the advisory commission before, has taken up the role of a walking clock. I always hear him saying, “Vinod, Time is 7.30(am) … Daramdam damdada damadada dum”, “Vinod, Time is 11.30(am) … Daramdam damdada damadada dum”, “Vinod, Time is 11.30(pm) … Daramdam damdada damadada dum”. My mom is pretty cool these days. She only gets worked up when there is a guest in the house. Then she would automatically start with things like, ‘Can anyone be anymore lazy?’, ‘Have you seen anyone more irresponsible?’, ‘Erumakada vala oru prayojanamum kadayadu ( There is no use with this buffalo)’ and so on. My manni (bhabhi) is my defence lawyer, but she switches sides when it comes to the way I handle money. My dad comes and asks me what you spent the 5000 bucks on. I am completely blanked out at this stage. I never even realized that I had spent that much which is how it would be when I live by myself.

One of the tasks I did as part of being a family man was the trip to the zoo with my bro, bhabhi and my nephew. They were quite keen on showing all the animals to the little fellow and were sure that he would jump up and down with excitement. We had a tough time keeping him awake! And the animals seemed to give us expressions saying, “Ya right. Aren’t you bored of seeing me in the discovery channel?” It always amuses me how seeing animals can be so exciting. That too encaged in the dirtiest of the environments. Even though this time there was an artificial forest kind of set up that was created, the animals looked far from being at home. If I were given the authority, I would transport each one of them to the jungles. People can go there and see them at their own risk. The only time I got excited during the whole trip was when people were shouting “Beer.. Beer”, when they saw a Bear. Which reminds me; I get the smell of beer in my dreams these days.

But all the things I mentioned doesn’t matter when I am in the pamper zone. Life is so much easier out here. My nephew comes to my bed daily morning, rolls over me a few times and as I open my eyes he says “Goodmorning Chittappa”. Trust me it is a Raymonds’ moment. And the best part is whenever I feel like I am feeling now, I can just yell out (like I am doing now), “Amma …Cofeeee”.

Song for the occasion:

Yahan alag andaaz hai;Jaise chidta koi saaz hai
Har kaam ko taala karte;Ye sapne paala karte hain

The Switch

2009-12-02T03:56:00.000-08:00

I have been working with a “Top Indian IT company” till lately. I should agree that even though the pay was not exciting, I did get a feel of the aaram ki zindagi of a sarkari office. Everything was going smooth until the intelligent being inside me got a bit greedy. Since Pepsi has shelled the tagline of Ye dil mange more, I thought let me just adopt it for a while. And so, my resume was out there floating around in the market - Flying across states through a million wires.

6 months ago if you had asked me whether I want to make a career move, I would have slapped you. I have had sleepless days on the benches of my company thinking I will be axed soon because of the lack of projects. The funny thing is I was worried about losing a job which I never wanted to be, in the first place! But since I, the leaf, departed from my engineering “branch”, it has always been hard floating around. But I did for over 5 years. And now, when the recession is fading away without blowing me into some black hole, the evil laughter started ringing inside my head. And my resume found its place again in Naukri.com, the mother of all portals.

The moment you decide to make a switch, the first thing you do is to look for study materials. The good old exam days make a re-entry. You start reading the FAQs asked in interviews. It is a tricky thing, the interview. One guy tried his mighty best to make me answer at least a couple of questions correctly. But I did not relent. The whole 60 minutes of telephonic conversation was centered on me convincing him that you do not need technical knowledge to survive in this industry. I argued that I had survived 5 years without it and I am ready to become a manager now. Like all managers, I too can push the developers to give me the desired results. But somehow, the guy did not seem to buy it. May be he was aspiring to be a manager as well! And there was this instance when the guy called me and hung up after 5 questions. I was being interviewed for a position of Business Analyst and he needed to know if I had vast knowledge in investment banking. I almost blurted out that, If I had knowledge on that then would I be bankrupt at the 25th of every month?! And finally the one with IBM! I was a bit more prepared this time, but the guy kept increasing the level of the questions. At the end of 75 minutes, I felt like a murder victim being questioned for my crimes. I could even imagine a light hanging on top of me, while giving the interview. And at the end they offered me a 5-10 % hike from my current salary. I gave them a thumbs up.. err… or was that some other finger?

So the saga went on for a while. The consultants would call and take my details and never reappear again. The moment you see an employee taking too many calls, you should come to a conclusion that he is not going to stay for long. My phone would ring non stop on some days and would go silent for weeks together later on. I almost felt lonely without those “Hi, am I speaking to Vinod Ramamoorthy” calls. And one fine day, there was one of those calls. A guy called in from a firm which I had never heard before. I thought it has to be my ignorance of the world outside the sarkari company and agreed to give an interview on a Friday morning. 3 firangs started grilling me on how I would manage a team, what kind of work I have done before and a whole lot of technical questions. I prayed to Seinfeld and gave the interview. A few days later they offered me the job at a fairly higher pay than I expected. And the honeymoon period started. 1 month of “who are you, again?” attitude thrown at my managers; Flexible office timings ( About 4 hrs per day); Describing to people the name of the company I am joining; and lastly -painful modes of packing and moving.

Now, the problem with being an Indian is that, trying new things in the career front does not come naturally to us. If I were in the west, I could have got away saying, “ I am in between jobs; I did not find the loo at my work place good; I am bored of the city; and thousand such statements and people somehow would respect me for that. But I cannot do that here, for, the Iyer community out there is keeping all their eyes on me to make sure that I am working in a Top IT firm and a possible opportunity to “Go Abroad”. And since my parents are “looking for a girl for me”, I had to be sensible in making the career moves.(Don’t worry. More on that ofcourse will be written some day!).

So after a thousand enquiries about the firm, I was left with two options. Sit and crib in a laid back city, with not many friends/family around and with “pehli tharikh” not giving you ample solace. Or to go to a “happening” city where at least your family would be there for you and crib there about the boring life of an IT engineer. So I sent the “Good-Bye” mail to everyone.

I forwarded the email to all my friends too as if I were telling them that I am going to the Himalayas leaving everything behind me. I kicked myself for doing that. The writer in me got carried away, I guess. But anyways, here I am roaming around the streets of Bangalore asking people the route to different hallis. The latest news is that they are renaming the city as Jam City, not after Dravid, but after the immobile vehicles parked in the middle of the road at every signal. As I stress my brain to incorporate the map of the streets and telling it not to think too far ahead about the future, I am quietly accepting the fact that I am just another software engineer for some more time to come.

Song for the Occasion: Dhan ta naaan – Of course it has nothing to do with the post, but it has been my dialer tone for all the while I was in kerala.

Ab Bus !

2009-11-01T00:27:00.000-07:00

I like travelling a lot. And I even remember putting a request to Mr.Ganapati , saying, I would like to travel a lot; Go around the world, see different places. And as the request went through the atmosphere and the galaxies, the latter part got evaporated. The end result – I find myself in a bus, train or a flight every weekend. And as usual, here I am analyzing the nuances of each mode of the travel.

The Bus:

The VOLVO group unveiled a statue of the person in Sweden, who suggested the expansion of their buses in Indian market! When you are thinking of taking those Volvo buses, think again. They are the easiest method to slip your spine disk. And still if you are taking it, add at least 4 hours to the running time that the duration the travels people tell you. Every highway in India is under construction, always. Make sure you say an extra prayer before you board the bus. This is for asserting the fact that the mota uncle sitting beside you has used a deodorant. The tricky thing about the AC is that, if you open the air vent, it will be too cold and if you close it you will sweat. The choice is yours. The movies that will be on display during the travel would be the ones you hate, the ones that nobody can stand or the ones that you would have seen enough number of times. Make sure you carry a good head phone with noise cancellation to avoid a disastrous 3 hours. And travelling by bus would mean that you have to exercise your bladders. It is almost a stress test. If you have TB(Tiny Bladder), I would recommend strongly against travelling by bus.

The Train:

I love travelling by train. Or at least, I used to. The problem with the ‘developing India’ is that it is not only you who is getting richer. Everyone has the money to travel by AC class these days. And how much ever you might try; the tickets would not be available on the date on which you want to travel. You might hope that you can book through “tatkal’, but you literally have 2 minutes to crack it. But if you do manage to get hold of tickets, then what awaits you is a bunch of co-passengers who would be ready to pounce on you. From kids who would be amused by the 3 tier berths to the uncles who would want to know everything from your family background to your companies firing policy, people would be all over you. If you are feeling sleepy, then others would not and you would have to wait. If you are not feeling sleepy, then others surely would and you would have to lie there staring into the roof of the train. Do practice pranayama , since it will help you when you step into the loo.

The Flight:

Flying - The quickest and easiest way to travel from one place to another. It is quite true. But travelling to the airports would be the harder part. You would spend almost 25% of the flight ticket, if you are planning to take a cab to the airport. All the “ultra modern airports” would be constructed at the far end of the city (read as the neighboring village). You have to leave at least 2 hours before the check in time. And you will take 2 hours from the time of landing to reach your destination. So eventually you are looking at spending 8 hours for the travel. Not quite as fast a mode of travel, is it? Also with the given amount of “close shaves” the carriers are having these days, you would be having a 2 hours of tension filled travel. Try sitting near those huge fans which are present in the small carriers these days. Watching them is as good as watching “The Ring”. But yes, the two hours of the ‘check-in time’ would give you the best chance to hit on a girl. The idea is to pretend that you cannot find any other seat and sit next to her. More often than not, the girl would be wishing you would too, if you are interesting enoughJ. And of course there are the air hostesses who would give you good eye candy.

In all the above three modes of travel, there are few things that are common.

1. Murphy’s Thumb rule: Whatever be the method of travel, no interesting girl/guy, respective to the person who is travelling, shall sit next to you during the entire length of the travel. (Don’t be dumb and take a Docomo connection). Not everyone is as lucky as Aditya Kashyap !

2. The Back seat rule: Irrespective of the method of travel , there would be a baby/kid in the seat behind you, who would be screaming out loud through the entire travel

3. The mobile rule: The person next to you would be speaking at the top of his voice during the travel. I wonder how people are still stuck to the trunk- call era!

I realized that the reason behind so much travelling could be the fact that I do not like to stay in the place I am right now. So instead taking this huge amount of travelling, I think I would move out of this place. And keep hoping that the latter part of my message reaches Mr.Ganapati soon.

Happy Journey !

PS: This post originated courtesy to my friend/guru Pradeep(who wanted due credits:P)

Song for the Occasion: Musafir hun yaron, Na ghar hai na tikana

Weight and watch

2009-09-22T10:01:00.000-07:00

“Damn, I forgot my shoes today”, “Oh, I did not eat properly in the afternoon”,“It's raining so badly, How can I go?”, “Let me start afresh from the first of next month”, “My track pants are in for a wash”....

I am sure you know what I am talking about. Excuses galore don't they, when you just do not want to go to the gym/exercise. It is the toughest fight you would have had with your mind. Endless debates as to why you should indeed put so much effort for losing/gaining 3-4 extra Kgs of fat. Eventhough your brain knows that only good can come out of keeping fit and being healthy. And when you hear the words, “ You have put down a lot”, it sounds like music to your ears.

I have donated so much to different gymnasiums across the country and even outside. In fact the Gym owners bank on people like me to run their business. People like me give the machines a run only once in a while. But it is heartening to know that I am amongst the majority. The minority being the ones who are hell bend on artistically shaping their body up. Or the ones who are frantically trying to put down weight, for their marriage would be around the corner.

I would blame the movie industry completely for this. For making people believe that your body should look like a crafted piece, with all the muscles bulging out, well toned. But you know what? These guys are paid to do so!! Nobody would pay me if I were to have a six pack abs next year. (I am paid to sit in office and write blog posts, which I do honestly) Once this fact is established, it is mighty hard to make those daily trips to the gym. The treadmill becomes the villain in your life. And a villain who always wins. You might be able to push him down once in a blue moon with the help of Linkin Park songs. But usually you fall short by 5-10 minutes and treadmill gives this evil grin. The most interesting part in the gym is that people are at their peak of comparison mode. The usual ones (from a guy's perspective at least) being: - Am I as fat as that guy? Dude, You were born in a gym? I hope I don't end up like that uncle out there! The guy is worried about the shape of the curl in his biceps- dude get a life!

Human body in itself is one of the most amazing works of craft. The fat you lose in 3-4 months can be regained in 3-4 days. Especially for people like me who can put on weight at the smell of ghee or butter. The grass theory works here too. You look at lean people who are trying to put on weight at the gym and wonder, is it that hard?! I was looking at a lean guy the other day and was wondering, “The trainer put you on what – a chocolate diet?!”. But then, to pull you back to the world of reality, they have intelligently kept mirrors all around the gym. Your focus comes back to the layer that is hanging out of your tummy. If it was only running the miles, then you might just have done it. But they ask you to eat healthy – meaning not eat at all. Again we are fighting the roots of our mankind and animal instincts here. Have you ever seen an elephant taking a push up or trying to hang by the tree to lose a few pounds? Or a buffalo thinking, damn I am looking fat on my cheeks, let me skip the free hay stack that my master gave me today. And eventually you choose to “take a break” from gymming/dieting, citing better excuses.

But everything said and done, realization strikes you hard when you are in the trial room of some store. You try hard to convince yourself that you still can fit into the same waist sized trouser you did a couple of years back. But Alas! You buy some of the clothes thinking that you will pull down weight in a month's time and then you can wear it. But those clothes rarely see sunlight. And when a long lost friend comes across and tells you “Man, you have put on some weight”, hell breaks loose. The number on the weighing machine starts weighing on your mind. You are left with no choice but to slap the devil's advocate, asking it to shut up. You find the gym next to place and donate some money to it. It is an infinite loop.

Song for the occasion: Dauda Dauda bhaaga bhaaga sa

Keep Moving

2009-07-11T02:06:00.000-07:00

“ People who go places are the ones who keep moving” - Heard this quote a long back while I was in school. I guess subconsciously I took a liking to this phrase. For, since then, I have been moving from one place to another like a nomad. Well, almost like one.

I was at the Bangalore airport when a guy asked me, “So, where are you from?”. I was stumped by the question. I could have blindly said trivandrum, where I was born and brought up. But I had left the place a decade back. I was living in Pune and was moving to Cochin on a transfer. And I was going via Bangalore. I really couldn't figure out an answer.

Moving from one place to another is mighty hard. You leave back everything of that place except the memories. The first few days it could be really hard on you. I almost felt, I have been given a punishment transfer. Once you live in a place for a long period, you start to associate yourself to that place like I did to Pune. And when I got out of the place, I felt misplaced. I felt like I am a misfit in the mallu land, where I had spent all my childhood. Strange but true. And may be if I were to leave this place to go to another, say, after 5 years, I might miss this place too.

You start with the people. The friends you have been hanging around with day in and day out. Suddenly when you are having dinner alone in a small restaurant, it hits you like a bullet. You wouldn't any more be cracking jokes with them or be on the lookout for a chance to pull each others' legs. The problem with growing up is that, making friends becomes really hard. You keep comparing new people with the people who have been with you for a long while. And if you are leaving your family behind to stay in the new place, then God help you.

The strange thing is that the things you craved for about another place, doesn't make too much difference when you get there. Like for instance, getting a good Dosa in Pune was like going on a treasure hunt. But here in cochin, I have access to Dosa more than I have access to my mail box! But still you tend to feel that when you get something after a bit of craving, it tastes much better!Now I have started missing poha! Even though I am in the heartland of amazing temples, I miss the DP road ganpati(whom I used to call Maula). The green is never good to us. It moves to the other side, as we move to this.

As I keep pondering over where I would “settle down” in life, I keep getting more confused. Every place has its pros and cons. So should I chose Bangalore's climate over Chennai's heat. Or should I chose Pune's feel home over Bangalore's congestion. Or should I stick to cochin's nearness to home over Pune's distance. Or should I choose Chennai's warmth over Cochin's laid back attitude. Tough call.

So let me end this post with a few random observations of the new place(Cochin).

>>People for some reason blink their eyes while smiling at you.
>>The florists display reeth(funeral flower) in front of their shops.
>>The bus drivers honk like a pianist playing his final act in a concert.
>>There are more bakeries than atms.
>>Shops close at 8.30 P.M and remain fully closed on Sundays.
>>Guys never insert their shirts into trousers/jeans.Girls wear jeans with kurta.
>>The word "Villa" must have originated from here, for the houses over here are sooo huge.
>>Liqour is available only in government run shops and the queue for buying it is never ending.

There are certain other observations that I rather not put on display in a public forum :)

Song for the Occassion: Idhar chala main , udhar chala, jaane kahan main kidhar chala!

Happy B’day to you

2009-04-04T08:16:00.002-07:00

My aunt used to tell me that 12 o’ clock in the night is when the ghosts and the spirits come out. Even the thousands of Indian horror movies have certified that. Times have changed. They don’t come out anymore. Instead there is another breed of people that roam around during this hour. The birthday buddies. Come the birthday of a group member, there they are roaming around with a box in their hand.

I never celebrated my birthday by cutting cake in my childhood. The B’day celebration would include distribution of chocolates in the class, wearing “color dress” to school and the umpteen numbers of namaskarams that I would be doing to get the ashirvadams. I used to wish that there was a b’day party where I would cut cake, people would sing for me. Now I wish quite the opposite. What is the deal with the 12 o’ clock cake cutting? Like Seinfeld would say, “The only thing that happened between your last b’day and this is that you have made it alive. Is that what you are celebrating?”.

People are going crazy with the B’day celebrations. So I thought of listing down the 7 commandments of b’day celebrations.

1. The cake: Costs anything from 250 – 500 Rs depending upon the number of friends. Not because everyone should get a piece, but because everyone would contribute that much. This cake is not to be eaten. Wastage of food doesn’t bother anyone. The cake has to be smashed into the face. And if possible put on the B’day babies ear, nose, hair and where not. And the candle on top of the cake – Trust me it is a painful sight to see them growing so fast so soon.

Hint: Why not try chappati mavu(guuta hua aata) next time?

2. The B’day song: There would be one person in the group who would be singing it out loud. The closest bud of the B’day boy/girl. Everyone else would be like hurrying it through, to try and get the piece of cake. You gotta realize that just by singing happy b’day to you, his/her day is not going to be happy. He/she just got a year older.

Hint: Why not sing his/her favorite song.

3. The B’day Bumps: Now that sounds sensible. The guy/girl would have made resolutions and would have surely broken them. This sounds like an apt punishment. Anyways, people take this too seriously. The friends start gymming 10 days before the b’day to get as much power as possible in the kicks. I have seen the worst of beating up in the name of bumps. Happy b’day it is.

Hint: The idea is to throw the person up and not catch him on the last count. Not to kick his butt out.

4. The gifts: I have seen the worst of fights arising because of the gifts. The contri part is tricky. You have to buy different things for different people in the same budget. This is no joke. Even the best of financial planners would give up on this.

Hint: Why not just pool in the whole amount for the year and plan a trip?

5. The cleaning up: Do you realize how disheartening it is to start every year of your life by cleaning up the cake left over? And that too with a pain in the butt. You will smell of chocolate even when people are sending in the belated b’day wishes.

Hint: Try rotten tomatoes next time.

6. The photos: This is a must. Get the pictures of your un-identifiable face and put them on orkut/facebook. The scarier the picture, the more the number of comments you get.

Hint: Don’t put up your ugly pic on display!!!

7. The wishes: People whom you have forgotten would come and wish you. Not because they remember your b’day. But because they saw your b’day listed on their orkut calendar. If you change the date on orkut, they still will wish you on the changed date. Should appreciate their love for you.

Hint: Give them a call. They deserve that much!

Celebrate the birthdays with a difference. Try doing things the b’day boy/girl would like to do. This would make it a happy birthday.

Song for the occasion: I don’t want no cake on my b’day – Flo-Rida

Cloud 27

2009-03-13T18:30:00.000-07:00

Prenote:

There was something missing. I wished for something and had got it. Then I wished I had never wished for it. Life had just become a periodic table with all the117 elements running from start to end – over and over again. Mondays came too soon while Fridays took their time. No Jai Ho, no Kural, no riding dirty, no devuda Nivu could bring peace. The cloud was being built for too long. And I was missing something.

The ride:

It was yet another Friday night. The only agenda for the weekend was watching the cricket match. The office seats were vacant. The night was still young at many a part of the city. I shut my monitor and walked out. I wished I could do a Aditya Kashyap and take the next train to nowhere. But then he was rich. At least monetarily. I went to the garage walking out straight from the lift and took my bike. Poor thing has been taking all my frustrations for long now. I wore my helmet and got out of the parking lot.

The smell took me by surprise. No perfume could have matched it. I almost felt like getting down and taking a fist full of wet soil and putting it in my pocket. I took the deepest of the breaths and felt like the air was working like a cleanser. The cloud in my head looked like it was clearing. The droplets were getting heavier. I stopped to take my helmet off. The raindrops swept across my face. Sowmya Rao started singing into my ears. I had to stop to change the song. I couldn’t have survived the whole song. I moved on and so did my iPod. I tried to remember the last time I had done something like this. I couldn’t. I knew though, that it has been a while. The couple of winters and the “vides” experience had deprived me of this pleasure for a while now. Life looked like it had a meaning to it again. I kept smiling for no reason. Earlier in the day someone had asked me what my happiest moment in life was. I kept thinking for a while and I said, “I don’t know”. But the ride convinced me – I really don’t.

I reached home. I guess my iPod got a little wet. It got into the mood too. It started to sing, “Thenmerku paruva katru”. I couldn’t have asked for more. I just turned around and continued the ride.

PostScript:

I wish I were a poet.

Song for the occasion: Thenmerku Paruva Katru

And Ode to Laziness

2009-01-27T11:58:00.000-08:00

“So how come I don’t see you as often these days? Not online and all much ?”

“Have been busy with work. You wont believe I work almost 12 hours these days.”

“Wow. Nice to hear that. Especially from you.”

I got this response at least from 8-10 friends of mine. That is how much I am associated with laziness. It’s been around 10 years now since I have started being lazy. Yes, I do know the exact date too if you need.

So what is it about laziness that one takes to it with so much dedication? It is simple – The lazier you are, the more work you get done. Just that you get it done by others. The motto of your life becomes much simpler. You get most of the things done in your dreams itself. Daydream is the best weapon of a lazy person. He can almost spend his whole life dreaming about things that he can do and get the happiness from it. You start appreciating the smaller beauties of life. You can almost spend an eternity with the television. You can spend almost half of your life, sleeping and not being any kind of disturbance to the world what so ever. You would appreciate each and every new technology that is coming in. Especially the ones like remote control, motor vehicle, the internet, the short-cut keys of a keyboard and the likes. You tend to preserve your energy for doing all the things associated with “fun” in life.

Every hero has to have a villain to fight. Laziness has more than one. It is like one of those fighter games where the villains keep coming one after the other - Work, gym, taunts, galiyan (thittu). Unlike other art forms, laziness is not that difficult to master. You start fighting all the villains with ease. You would have helpers coming from all the corners. Like procrastination. The best thing about procrastination is that you tend to minimize the time you spend on each thing you do. You would not do it until the last moment. That would mean that you have so much time with yourself to do other important things in life. You wouldn’t be like the foolish hard worker who would finish off the things well in advance. By this they stand a risk of getting more!

There would come testing times, like it always does, in life. You might be bombarded with work. You might have to fight your body by going on war with the treadmills and the bench presses. But then you should never give up. Just think about the next vacation you would be spending at home, watching test cricket, and sipping your coffee.

I would never suggest that everyone should consider taking up laziness. Because we do badly need people who love to work. We understand that these guys are endangered and hence we would make sure that we preserve them. People like me would always be there to help- suggest the shortest route to completion of a task that is possible. The laziest person always comes up with the shortest and most effective solutions. I am sure the world has enough space for both the categories of people. Just that it is high time that the hard working sect start appreciating the contributions we give to the world.

Song for the occassion: Yahan Alag andaaz hai, Jaise chidta koi saaz hai(TZP)

Back on track

2009-01-08T12:25:00.000-08:00

http://myworldofmnm.wordpress.com/

Have brushed out the dust accumulated in this one. Will keep updating it with movies, music and more.

Enjoy!

IT is Boring!

2008-12-22T11:45:00.001-08:00

“Damn bored yaar. Nothing to do”. This is the most common thing that I have been hearing from my friends all around. And they have been hearing the same from their friends too. So where does this lead to. Or more importantly where does this come from. Hint: It comes from the most empowering industry prevalent in the society: The software industry.

I know I am being prejudiced while blaming the software industry J…. But it is the truth. It’s a vicious little web. You die to get in here and once you are in, you keep wondering what the hell you are doing here. You have to go through it all once you are here. From being a fresher, bearing the tortures of the induction programme/training programme to being a frustrated manager trying to dance to the tunes of time management and managing the clients will. It’s more or less pre-defined routines here.

The transition from a beginner to a manager takes a toll out of you. And mostly everyone follows a set path. As a fresher you would think that you would work for a couple of years, crack the cat and move on to a business school, get placed from there as a sales manager/marketing manager. Very few would be able to follow this path. Others slowly realize that it is not as easy as you thought it would be. They would resign to the fact that they would just be another software engineer. Once the cat attempt fails, they would look at the next most attractive option. Many see it as the only option/ambition they ever had in their lifetime – Visiting Amkarika. They would fight tooth and nails for getting an “onsite assignment”. It is just a matter of time. Most of them head to “onsite” in around 2 years time. Others around 3 year’s time. They head there thinking that this is the best time for them in life to “have fun”. But most of them resist since it would cost them a lot of dollars. Remember - We are talking about fifty times each penny here. They have to save for the land/homes they have bought back home. Which they more often than never live in! The conservative and traditional girls take this opportunity to fulfill their dreams. Dreams of doing whatever they want .. Err .. Like wearing miniskirts and Cleve showing tops: P. No desh ki mitti or sanskar would stop them. And the guys ofcourse love the way the blondes would dance on their laps.

Lots of people find their own life partners meanwhile. Keeping their priorities. Other’s leave them along with their cars at onsite, come back and marry their long lost boyfriends/girlfriends. Many others would have their profile up in the matrimonial sites. Search for their ideal partners and get married and still get bored. The first two months of marriage would transport them to paradise. But then life sucks you back to reality. From talking over the phone for over hours, you hardly get any time to discuss the day’s events even. The odd sexual encounters would have to be the flavor of the week.

In between all this, there is a phase that strikes every software engineer. At least till you are at a middle level – The Bench. I am sure they are going to revive/add the meaning of that word in the dictionary soon. This is a phase where nothingness and boredom would touch the crest. Heisenberg becomes your lord and you sit and pray that you get some kind of magic calls telling you exactly what you want out of life – transfer to the location where your spouse is, a trip abroad, a lead position etc etc.

All this while you make desperate attempts to fill your life with more fun. In the form of music classes, dance lessons, sports clubs(sports of diff forms), trips(esp if you are onsite – in pursuit of the patel points), orkut communities and more.

And then comes out the manager in you. Once you get into this role, you would think that your life is set. You can order around people and get things done. But the truth is that your life just got screwed up more. You won’t even find time to tell bed-time stories to your kids. You will instead be attending a client call at 11.30 A.M EST!

This fever has crossed boundaries too. It is not only the software engineers who are frustrated/bored with their lives. I can hear it from all corners of lives. The point is that satisfied souls have become a rare species in this era. We cannot look beyond the sadness and the gloom that surrounds us. Recession, terrorism, crashing economies has ripped us apart, I guess.

So is this piece of writing going to inspire you to attain salvation and eternal piece? May be not. But I would suggest, just keep your eyes open. Look for the better things in life. Enjoy the finer things in life. May be a song, may be a good nap, may be a setting sun, and may be a kid’s smile. And next time you say “It’s so boring yaar”, kick yourself real hard.

Song for the Occasion:

Rishtey, Bharose, Chahat, Yakin – uIn sab ka daman ab chaak hai

samjhe they hathon pe hain zameen, mutthi jo khole bas khaak hai

Dil mein ye shor hai kyun

imaan kamzor hain kyun

Nazuk ye dor hai kyun …

Ps: This is an exaggerated work of art. Many a people are happy and content with life. But the truth is the many is not much.

Say Cheese

2008-11-20T13:45:00.000-08:00

I am sure the term was invented by Americans. Only they could have thought about food while smiling for a camera. So the whole world is busy clicking pictures, posing for photos and showing it to the world. I am no different too. I have more pictures in my laptops than songs. And trust me I have a huge collection of songs. I guess the digital era has somehow ruined the fun of posing for a photo. We never had a camera in our house while I was in school. So posing for a photo was like winning a lottery. Probably most of this generation did not. And I guess everyone feels it is time to compensate!

One of the main hobbies of people these days is to click pictures and upload them on orkut and wait for others to comment on them. People are so obsessed with the whole idea, that every given opportunity they would want a snap of theirs to be clicked. One of the main intentions of people going on various trips is to click photos. They go on a vicious circle of click-not good-erase/click – good – upload to orkut. And everyone needs a solo pic of theirs in whatever different locations/poses possible. I will exclude the photographers who do it for passion from this list.

America is a land of opportunities. I am not sure it is a land of job opportunities any more but I am sure it still is a land of photographic opportunities. From the flowers of spring, to the beaches of summer, to the colors of fall, to the beauty of whiteness – it could be a photographer’s paradise. And when you are on tour to the famous landmarks, which are called ‘Patel points’ here(Not sure why it is not a reddy point or a iyer point), you have to click photos to show to the world that you were at the statue or you were standing in front of one of the most attractive waterfalls. You should be there to see people line up in front of a Universal Kingdom signboard or a bull for a snap. And the day they return from the trip, the pic would be there on their orkut.

Photos never show the real stories. It is always a ‘cheese’ pose everyone is in. You just cannot make out if two people posing in a pic just had a fight of their lifetime or a girl who is missing her soul mate who is somewhere else clicking a snap. But yes, for someone staying away from the family and friends, it could be useful. I will tell you where else it is useful. The matrimonial sites. I was viewing the “requests” that my friend had received. Apart from being scared to death(for obv reasons), we had a gala time. The amazing posing that people do just makes me speechless.

I know it feels good, nostalgic to look back at the pictures. But in the process, you tend to forget capturing them in the memories. When you see a beautiful sunset, instead of staring into the red horizon we are looking at it through the apertures of the camera. And instead of picturing it in our minds, we are running behind the cameras. Pictures say a thousand words, they say. But what about the ten thousand ones that they don’t? And since you are so addicted to the whole idea of smiling for a camera, it would be a good idea to think of life as a camera.

Song for the occasion: Tu muskura jahan bhi hai tu muskura

Set Theory

2008-10-10T10:06:00.000-07:00

Remember the good old oval shaped figures in the math book? With arrows flowing here and there. Unions, Intersections, complements. I was thinking how well that applies to a group of friends. We all have been in our own groups of friends. More than one for sure: From the group you form amongst your classmates in high school to the college gangs and to the group of colleagues. It is amazing to try and figure out how a group is formed, evolved and eventually dissolves. Well, not all groups.

I can, out of the top of my head; figure out at least 7 different groups I have been in my life. Have sustained a few and have seen the other ones fade away. So how does this thing work? It mostly starts with a simple four letter word. No, it is not LOVE. I always believe that friendships originate, if not sustain, because of a four letter word called ‘need’. You have to spend time with people who you are comfortable with. People who you want to be around, joke around, laugh, pull each other’s legs – in short ‘Hang out’ with. This is when a group gets formed.

Basic rules – there will be atleast 2-3 best friends within a group. And then there would come each one’s friends who would tag into the group. Thus, applying the rule of union of the set theory, a bigger group is formed. The more the merrier is what they say. It is true until you reach a point where you say no more please. So if the group starts having more than 7-8 members, then the chances are that they break as quickly as they form. And God save you, if you are a part of 2 or 3 gangs at the same time. You may very well end up watching the crappiest of the movies 3 times.

The complication is multiplied when the group contains guys and girls. The problem is that nobody has till date understood women. And when they are amongst you in a group, then you are in for a ride. Along with need would come the additional features like love, romance and more. No doubt that this group would be the most sort after group, majorly because of the vibrant nature of the group. You might be in for some sarcastic comments from other people you be around saying, “Ye toh apne saath nahi aayega. Uske gang ke saath hi jayegea”.

There comes a point when you starts forming small groups within the bigger ones. These we call subsets. People (within the group) with similar interests come together in this. Anything from being movie maniacs to being nerdy can strike a note between 2 or 3 people within a group. They “complement” each other. Then comes the difficulty with the hang outs. “Who should we call, who should nt we call. Did you call him? Oh no. I told him I had some other work to do. Why do I have to ask everyone”. But each gang would have a cohesive force. Most often, it would be a single person, who would hold the whole gang together. He/She has to bear a lot of shit from all corners to keep the group going.

Most of the times it would take people in the group going away to split the group. And that is the toughest part. Because, nothing in life is stable and at the end of the day, each one has his own life to worry about. Marriage and relocations are the worst villains for any group. It is interesting to see how a guy/girl in a group gets cut off the moment he/she gets married. Then they would have to worry about the others’ gang too and at the end of the day both end up ditching their gangs. Not wishfully though. But then the set has to collapse and a new set formed. Which by the way is Rule no. 1 in this set theory.

But nevertheless, you have the memories. The good thing about nostalgia is that it always reminds you of the happy moments. The laughs and the jokes that had happened when you were once a part of the group. No wonder FRIENDS and SEINFELD have been so popular. They show us on screen what we always wanted to do. Hang out with the gang.

Song for the Occasion: I will be there for you/Yaron.

27

2008-09-28T20:01:00.000-07:00

It’s been a while since I used MS Word. And for the nth time I thought of deleting the page. But then things keep happening in life and this page finds a reason to be there. At least for myself.

Unlike every year this time around, I was not really having too much anticipation for the day of the year. I wasn’t bothered about who remembered the day and who did not. Although things did occur as they should. Buying new clothes, hoping for some magical intervention of the stars and the planets to turn the luck around on that day, getting bashed up, attending record breaking number of calls in the midnight etc etc. But there was calmness about the day which has never been there all my life. May be because I had few of my best friends around me to make me feel the way I did – Happy. In fact I worked on the opposite theory and called up a couple of friends of mine and said, “Are you forgetting something?” And then it was quite a fun to watch them feeling guilty about missing it completely.

Murphy tried hard to dampen the spirits. Losing way to the resort we were supposed to reach, my friends not finding a cake for me, my “high on spirits” friend breaking my new mobile phone. But nothing would bother me. Not even the fact that I just managed to scrape through another year without adding many pluses to the account book. And the smallest of dullness that the day always brings along (which has always amused me why) was blown over when I received the Bose headphones as a gift J

And now coming to why the day was so special…

Flashback:

Just like any other day I was whiling away time by browsing through the different movie sites. I was looking for movie trailers. And suddenly I bumped upon this new movie, of which I had never heard before, called Rock on. Seldom do you jump out of the seat watching a promo. It was one of those times. The background score from Lakshya, which I always had believed was Gold, played as a song. I decided I would watch this movie the first day come what may. And I went on to watch the trailer once a day, every day, in anticipation until the music album came out. Shankar, Ehsaan & Loy never failed to amuse me. This time they just blew everyone away with the best album of the year, the least to say. It has never happened that I ignored an album by Boss and was listening to something else instead. Rock on was worth it. It kept playing in a loop in my iPod. And the moment I heard the songs, I became a Farhan Akhtar admirer. My neck has almost reached a breaking point with the amount of head banging I have been doing for the past month and a half.

August 29^th came and I was searching madly for a theatre in the state I live in which would screen the movie. But as Murphy would have it, the movie did not release out here. I kept receiving calls from India saying how good the movie is and how I should watch it only in a theatre. Disappointment grew. I guess I could have handled a hear-break better! So I was reconciled to the fact that I would have to watch the movie on my 14 inch laptop screen. I thought I would at least watch the movie sitting amongst friends who were equally desperate for it. We even thought of going to Chicago which is a six hour drive. But then again, it was not ought to be.

The “Present” Day:

Like I mentioned, I was in trance the whole of the day. And at the end of the day, I decided to give myself a present. I put the Bose headphones on and played the movie . I would not want to review this movie. But this movie will be right up there in my favorites list. Many thought it is strange to give so much importance to a movie in one’s life. But when a movie depicts what you exactly want out of life, then it makes a bit of sense. Not that I left a band after college, but the whole concept of living a life for music, turns me on. The pain in Aditya’s’s life hits you like a rock. And the helplessness in the other three musician’s life makes you relate to it instantly. And when I heard the words, “Compromise kaun nahi karta”, it felt like someone slapped me really hard. The movie might be predictable and might have shades of DCH, but at the end of the day, music takes over and gives it the freshness it needs. When Joe walks out to the stage to sing “zindbad the sailor”, I was screaming on mute! A simple message that comes across from the movie – Reclaim your life!

So if I ever were to wonder how I spent my 27^th birthday, I just have to go back and watch the movie.

Song for the occasion: Rock On; Sindbad the sailor;pichle saath dino mein; Socha hai; Tum ho toh;Ye tumhari meri batein;Zahereeley;Phir Dekhiye

I wanna be …

2008-09-04T19:55:00.000-07:00

I have lost the count of the number of times I have started a sentence, while in a conversation, saying “I wanna be a …..”. I guess most of the dreamers would face this same problem. We keep dreaming about the most impossible things in this world. So here is the top 5 list of things I always say I want to do, in the ascending order. I wanna be …

A Travel Guide – All your travel expenses is taken care of. And you get to visit the most exotic places on the earth, free of cost! You could be literally on vacation throughout your life.

A restaurant Owner – It is not because I love eating so much. But just the thought of not having to work for anyone else makes me wish I would start a restaurant of my own. Why restaurant? I am sure it would work. It is one of the safest bets.

A Cricket commentator – You surely know where the inspiration is from. They even started a show by the name Dream Job after him. The theory behind this is simple. Once you realize that you are not by any chance going to become a cricketer, the next best option is to be a cricket commentator. You are right there in the stadium, wherever the team travels. And you get paid for watching cricket and ranting about it. I am sure every Indian could do that!

A movie critic - What better job can you get in life? Get paid for watching movies and stating your opinion about them. You get to meet the people behind the movies up-close and personal. And you get to bash a movie that you don’t like in front of the whole world. I am sure Rajeev Masand could do with some competition, couldn’t he?

A singer – A playback singer to be precise. And of course the ultimate dream is to sing for Boss. Wouldn’t it be amazing to stand in a studio and sing out loud a tune that has just been created! The divinity that it would bring about would be truly awesome. And imagine performing the same on a stage. Where you can touch thousands of people with your song!

There are a thousand more to add to the list. But then, I wanna be a non-boring blogger too. The problem is that you don’t seem to find ways of getting there. Once a wanna be, always a wannabe. Unlike frost, you never tend to take the road less travelled. And hence you never reach the destination you always wish to.

Song for the occasion: Aankhon Main sapney liye kal se hum chal toh diye …

Let’s work it out

2008-08-11T14:20:00.000-07:00

I have been sent in as a business analyst for a bank out here in the US. I am not sure how much analysis of business I have been doing, but, may be because of the title, I have been doing too much analysis of things around me. This time it is the working ishtyle of the phirangs that caught my attention. Don’t you worry. I am not going to bore you with the details of the work, since I am allergic myself to anything that has to do with software.

They show good professionalism, they have a good work-life balance, they are highly dedicated to the company they are working for, etc, etc. (Ye Sab jhooti ahwahen hain jo ki sab sach hain!). Most of the people out here are early risers. They would get to office as early as 7 A.M.. I mean, why on earth would you want to get to office so early? There is no daily early bird prices kept at the entrance! They would have an early lunch. I always wonder what they would be eating for lunch. For out of the 8 hours they are at office, they would be eating something or the other for at least 6 hours. A bottle of coke is like furniture at their desks. I wish someone showed all of them what coke does to the pesticides. There would be boxes of chocolates kept at different corners of the office. And people keep munching them away to glory. There is this famous junction at the office where people would leave the left over food for others to have a bite. People do take those too! And if you are a manager, the coke will be replaced by a jar of coffee which they carry around with them wherever they go.

I work for a sarkari software company (I am sure you can get the name right on the first guess!). And I thought that the aunty log who come there do too much of chit chatting and gossiping. Well, I now owe them an apology. Because what they do is NOTHING when compared to what I see here. People keep talking, talking and talking more. They discuss about their ex husbands, their step son, their children. Most here have an average of 4 children. From different relationships too. The point is they keep talking about each one of them. What they did at school, what women their children are dating, what crimes they end up doing…. And then comes the dog talk. My dog is this, he did this, he is that. For the love of God people, there are much important things in life.

While working, they would have a minimum of one screen of internet explorer open. Most of the times it would be CNN or the local news website. And they get amused by the smallest of the news out there. I now know where Aaj taks of the world get their inspiration from. The gentlemen out here would also keep a track of the sports section. And debate about the baseball, football, basketball games. We Indians atleast stick to one religion – Cricket J. They would take a look at the traffic on the net before leaving and also they would keep a close watch on the weather.

The desks would be, the least to say, decorated. With all the goodies like toys, best-wife/husband/son/daughter trophies. And a zillion photographs of their family members. Or dogs. Like Seinfeld would say, what is the deal with having so many pictures at the desk. Do you need some kind of reminder that you need to go home in the evening?! There are people here who have a mini fridge of their’s, underneath their desks. Beats me.

By the time you leave office, you would be a tired man saying all those thank yous and excuse mes. And the other common terms you would hear a thousand times before you call it a day are: “mmmhmmm”, “Oh my god”, “You know what I am saying”, “Is that right”, “How about this”. Boy there are so many. May be I will list down the whole list later. You should watch out for that pauses in between words. I could take a nap in that time. And you have to keep smiling/head popping at everyone passing by. No wonder they say that work can be quite tiring. And before I end, I have to mention this. There is this guy who sits behind me. He uses two keyboards to type. One for the left hand and one for the right, both connected to the same machine. God bless software industry!

Song for the occasion: A working class hero is something to be.

Shall we eat out today - Part 2

2008-07-29T19:20:00.000-07:00

It’s been a while since I wrote this. And now the “shall we eat out today” phrase has boomeranged to me in a totally different fashion. Now that I am in a country which looks upon vegetarians as aliens..err .. Should I say psychopath aliens, the challenge has risen to a new level. I know there have been millions who have undergone this, given the fact that every other software engineer working here would either be a tam brahm, gujju or a marathi.(We are not considering goltis here since they have been proclaimed as extended American citizens).

So left with little options, I ventured into the unknown territory of cooking. I always sucked at Chemistry lab experiments. Putting the right amount of acids to neutralize the alkaline never was interesting for me. And I never could get a good result. And I always believed that cooking was an extension of a chemistry lab. But we do not give up so easily, do we? Especially when it is the question of survival. So I have started getting my fingers cut and burnt; started making rasams forgetting to put rasam powder in it, and have even started cleaning the vessels up. And the other day when my firang team mate asked me what I had for lunch, I ran out of words to describe what a sambhar is! And she of course found it hard to believe that I eat rice/wheat day after day without any meat what so ever.

It is alright when you have to cook for fun; for a change from the outside food, like I used to back in Pune. But dragging yourself to the kitchen every other day to make something can be a torture. This is the point when I realize what my Mom, or any womanhood for that matter, goes through day after day. I would surely have yelled out at amma if she had made sambhar or dal every other day. I have screamed my lungs out if she were not to provide me with a proper breakfast on Saturday morning and fill in with cornflakes or bread. Now I eat those daily for breakfast. And even for lunch or dinner at times. Except for coffee, I don’t think I can make anything at all which can be termed as “good”.

The Indian restaurants here give a good break. And so do the Thai and the Mexican ones which do have options in the vegetarian menu. But you would really relate to the term “khaas-poos” while you are in one of those trips. And having an isolated veggie in the group can be a pain in the butt for others for they would not be able to taste the animals/birds from that part of the world! Most of the vegetarians give in at this point of time in life. I was surprised when my colleague told me how she has started cooking chicken for her husband wearing gloves, even though she sticks to being a veggie. Heights of chauvinism I thought.

On hearing my woes, the only suggestion the people close to me give is “Get married”. But I wonder what the girl to whom I will be getting married is being told now! Get married and be ready to spend 1/12th of your life in kitchen? May be that is why we would be hearing the phrase, “Shall we eat out today”, more often.

Song for the Occasion: “Mummy bhookh lagi hai!” ...“Do minute!” ... “School se aate dhoom machaate. Ek hi baat pe khushi manaate, Maggi Maggi Maggi!”Mom: Pal bhar mein tayyar….Khaane mein mazedaar!

Pack your bags……. Go!

2008-07-09T16:01:00.000-07:00

This is not a travelogue. I am not sure if I am competent enough to write one of those, although one of my dream jobs is to become a travel host in the discovery channel!

One of the things people do religiously while they are abroad is to travel. Travel to different parts of the country they are in. Eventually they end up seeing more places/cities in the country they are touring than they would have of their own country. Well, I have been no different. First it was the trip to see the liberty aunty at NY and then to the “who’s your daddy” Vegas. I am not describing either of them out here. But I am going to dwell into the whole process of planning and executing a trip.

It all starts as a secret mission. Carefully evaluating the people you want to go with - The forming of the group for the trip. Should we ask X. Why do we need to ask Y. Z would also come if Y comes. And thus a huge mission would be flagged off. Most of the times the group would comprise of close friends. If they are not available, then the co-workers would get an opportunity. And most of the times there will people who miss a trip and would have to tag along with another group. Factors such as commitment to team mates, room mates, and friend’s friend play an important role in finalizing the trip team. This would be followed by a huge row of tu tu main main for doing the bookings. Booking flight tickets, hotels, rental cars and much more.

Most often there will be a huge conference calls to decide the time, date and places of visit. And this is when it breaks loose. The more the number of people, the more would be the opinions and hence the confusions. And if people are coming in from different parts of the country, the confusion multiplies. The problem also is that we Indians are good at maths. Calculating the time, distance and more importantly the money, in N number of ways can be quite tasking for even a PC! And of course the famous “theory of Dollar to Rupee conversion” makes it worse. It always amuses me how often the thought of spending over rides the fun that we should be having in the trip.

And So eventually with an awful amount of luck, the trip plan is readied. The combination part of it after reaching the destination could be taxing. Within the group there might be a couple who would want to be together alone in a group!! Then there would be the possible couples who should be left together too. This causes a huge confusion while forming subsets within the main group.

Chaos galore when the trip finally kicks off. From dealing with people’s sleep-ish-ness to adjusting to the fast/slow pace of walking to talking care of vegetarians, I would suggest this as a good management lesson. And once the process is started there will be lot of complaints from everyone suggesting that we should have booked a better hotel, we could have started earlier and so on. And God forbid if there occurs a real fight amongst the travelers. The scene would get ugly. But apart from that there would be a photography tournament running throughout the trip. The person who does not carry a camera mostly wins the race. He/She would be clicked the most. You would come across other such similar groups all through the trip. Also you would be seeing desis and families awed by the Amkarikan grandeur. One of the most ridiculous thing I saw was an old desi couple along with their son in Vegas. Why on earth would you want to take your ever so conservative parents to the city of sin!? Anyways, I am sure he would have written a blog about that too!

The events do not get over when the trip actually ends. After that begins the trading of the photos. And putting up the pics on Orkut. Again the early bird catches the worm here too. When everything is done, there will be the infamous XL sheet session, to settle the expenses. Most of the times this would be started by the guy who spends the most!

But all the pain and hardships you take to put the trip together pays off more often than not. Keeping the sight seeing part apart, the trip would provide some amazing moments. Like they say - Flight tickets to Vegas - $300, Trip to Universal studios - $65, Renting a car - $100, Moments you get to spend with your friends – Priceless.

Song for the occasion: Abhi abhi mere dil mein, ye khayal aaya hai.

Of tag lines and Status messages

2008-06-12T14:39:00.000-07:00

“College di gate ke is taraf hum life ko nachate hain, toh Dujji taraf life humko nachati hai ..Tim Lak lak te Tim lak lak”

Awesome dialogue that from RDB. And I decided to put it in my status message on my Gtalk. And a couple of days later I see it in my friend’s MSN messenger. I felt cheated and robbed. So much for being creative :)

The whole thing made me wonder. What is the deal with the status messages? They are meant to indicate whether you are available (for chat), busy, away or in a meeting or whatever. But open gtalk or any other messenger there will be a tail hanging on to everyone’s name. And there is orkut. People sacrifice putting their names and try to fit in a tag line there. Orkut eventually had to put a space below their names to put a tag line. But nobody seems to bother.

I dwelled deep into this. I took it as an assignment in fact to see and understand the deep thought process behind the purpose of putting these taglines. And eventually I am now being able to generalize them.

The Quotes: These are the most famous ones to be used in a tag line. Something somebody said accidentally and forgot about it for the rest of his/her life and it becomes a quotable quote. The effect of the quote would last on the reader, I bet, for not more than 2 seconds! Anyways, since it is the in thing, people spend hours together searching for a quote, a cheesy line or a catchy phrase. The logic behind this has to be that the catchier or the more encrypted the quote is, the more would be the people pinging/scrapping you to ask what that is. The people in this category would surely be bookworms.

The life: Life is tough. Life is hard. Life is beautiful. Life is wonderful. Life is complex. You can find the best of philosophers amongst these people. This is their way of expressing to others that they need attention. They sure would be thinking “My life is sad, please come and share the sorrow with me. Or my life is so happy that you should talk to me and ask about (not share) my happiness”. Most of these people would be single :)

The location: This is the closest that you can get to what you can call a status message. The lines would read something like “Out of town for a week”, “off to Chennai”. “Going to Las Vegas!!!!!!”(If you are in the US). As if the whole world is waiting with a pen and a diary to track their busy schedule in life.

The Attitude & the stupidity: This is the best place to show your attitude or stupidity. Especially the mean-girl ones. This is common more on the orkut tag line. These lines would read like “Attitude is what makes me, ME!”, “Do you think I care”, “Attitude makes the diff, and I have it”! and so on. If you have an attitude, show it, but not on paper. And there are the famous “Out of orkut” messages. And these guys login daily to check if somebody was bothered about them not being in the orkut.

The Admiration: When you appreciate something/someone so much, how do you express yourself? And how will you do it, if you want to tell it out to the whole world. The answer is right here – Tag Lines! Put it there ant he whole world would know that you are a die hard Sachin fan, you loved the way India played, you are a hardcore Rahmaniac, you loved a movie or a performance in a movie, and you cannot get over this song that you have been listening to. For these people the tag line becomes the place where you become a critic. They feel like they have become a column writer. And if the small space is not enough, these people would take to blogging, craving for some attention. Did you guess which category I belong to?! :P

So that is my list. Please do contribute to my research if you have any valuable suggestions or a crappy tag line you have come across.

Update
********
AC brought up a valid point. Pasting his thoughts frm the comments:

The Tagless: We people have no tags.. And then people keep guessing what we are doing, where we are etc etc.. They don't know what philosophy we follow, so they can't decide how to behave with us..! They don't even know the things in our lives, so they don't know how to start the conversations! ;-) We don't promote movies, music, etc etc.. (Well, not through the tag lines..) So, they don't even know what to talk upon.. ;-)Such a tagless life.. We live..

Song for the occasion: Milo Wahan from Ada – well this song has nothing to do with the post. But this has been playing in my head in a loop. May be I should put it in my tag line!

Amkarica Nahi Chikoo … America.

2008-05-22T14:56:00.000-07:00

“Finally”. That was the one word I kept hearing from everyone during my Good bye sessions as I headed to Amkarika. The prestige issue that it is to make atleast one trip abroad as soon as possible in your work career. So the wind is still blowing and I am still being the leaf. This time autumn has come early.

The most common phrase you would hear on reaching here is “Welcome to America”: That coming from the Desis who have been here for some time. As if they were a true brown Rajastani welcoming the guests by singing “Patharoni Maro Des”. The place I have been put up is called Miamisburg. I jumped up and down thinking I would spend all my weekends in the beautiful beaches in Miami until I came to know that Miamisburg is a highly refined gaun, way away from Miami. People do not walk here. No bus, no rickshaws, no taxis. You have to own a car. And the silence kills you. From the horns and blasts that your ear is tuned to suddenly you enter this high silence zones, the brain gets a shock treatment. I am even thinking of writing a novel or something.

(Oh Please Vinod, please don’t torture us by putting up those too in this space. We are being courteous enough to read this).

And by the time I leave here I guess I would have said “hey”, “How r u doing”, “Thank you” each at least a million times. I am inventing a method each day of saying hi since I am supposed to say that to EVERYONE I come across, irrespective of time, place and more importantly acquaintance. Weird.

I listed down top 5 things that I surely would and would not do out here (Just for my reference).

I would …

1. Try and enjoy every moment. I found out lately that the best company I could have anywhere anytime is me myself. So the loneliness shouldn’t be much of a problem.
2. Work out like mad. Since there is a danger of inflating myself and eventually exploding.
3. Try and change my “non-liking” attitude towards this country.
4. Be in touch with each and everyone I was before coming here.
5. Save some money. Come on .. It is a big deal for me !

I wouldn’t …

Love my country any more or any less just because I am here. No missing the des ki mitti and all.
Fake accents to any desis. I am planning to use a chewing gum while talking to the clients.
Put up solo pics on Orkut posing in front of white house, niagra falls or any other famous stuff out here.
Lose track of hindi/tamil movies/songs.
Watch Swades.

Song for the occasion: Aa chal Doob ke dekhen/ Swargathilo njangal swapnathilo

The ride ..

2008-04-17T06:35:00.000-07:00

The ride was lonely and the road, crowded
I kept thinking about the roads traveled.
Thousand thoughts at a time in my brain was loaded
I wanted to break free, but my brain rebelled.

Should I run, should I stand
Would I fly, would I move
Should I stay still and let time give me a hand.
Would I still mull over the points to prove.

A life full of problems, a heart full of woes
The world seems to be drowned in them.
All one wants is a life with bed full of rose
A life like a song full of rhythm.

The road got busier and all were fleeing
For they had to reach their end-point
All are blind and still they are seeing
An old man begging, screaming, trying to make his own point.

I rode past him, but my mind could not
The pain in his hunger resonated in my brain
I looked at myself in the mirror and thought
Should I ask for more or should I think again.

Desperation filled in the man’s face
But nobody’s eyes seem to burn
I took a break from the life’s race
And I took a U-Turn.

Song For the occassion: Jeena isika naam hai ...

Tagged - A-Z!

2008-04-03T01:45:00.000-07:00

Tagged by Div. I like these tags .. Feels like someone is interviewing you :). Thanks Div :)

A-Available:

At 1.30 P.M on 3^rd April 2008 – Yes! Who knows what is in store next(Ya right vinod!)

B-Best friend(s):

Lots I thought, until I realized lately that the term Best might not apply to that many.

C-Cake or Pie:

Cake – Of any form. If it is a chocolate brownie with chocolate sauce – Will do anything for it!

D-Drink of choice:

Coffee. My brain works on caffeine.

E-Essential thing used every day:

Bed, food, internet and tv.

F-Favorite color:
I think RED and Black.

G-Gummy bears or worms:

Gummy Bears anyday. Otherwise kids would have been given teddy worms ?:P

H-Hometown:

Trivandrum. It is strange how much you start loving your hometown more once you leave it!

I-Indulgence:

Cricket. I can sit and watch test matches between counties ! Movies would follow I guess.

J-January or February?

February. Not because of V-day. But because of the fact that it is short n sweet :)

K- Kids and names?

For now My Bro’s kid’s name – Drupad! [:)] … For my kids ? Well have some name. I guess “we” will decide that. I sure will blog about it then.

L-Life is incomplete without

Music: Cant live without it. Friends, family, Those family get togethers

M-Marriage date:

Please refer to Q1.

N-Number of siblings

One Big B. Even with the bashings he gives me, he is the best[:)]

O-Oranges or apples:

Apples. It takes lot of time to peel of those oranges.

P-Phobias:

Height I think. Snakes & Lizards – I hate them.

Q-Quote:

Teach me half the gladness

That thy brain must know;

Such harmonious madness

From my lips would flow,

The world should listen then,

as I am listening now.

 P.B.Shelly

R-Reason to smile:

A kid’s/babies’ face.

S-Season:

Rainy season – Can get wet day in and day out without the slightest of complaints. Love winter too.

T-Tag two people:

Arthi Audi – Here is your chance for self-realization :P

Jo – Your blogspace is rusting.

U-Unknown fact about me:

I am stupidly romantic:). Don’t ask for details :P

V-Vegetable(s) you do not like:

Cant think of any. I even like pavakkai(karela) when roasted.

W-Worst habit:

That is an easy question. Even people who know me vaguely can tell you this. My Laziness !!

X-rays you have had:

Arms. And the numerous X-Rays of my teeth.

Y-Your favourite food:

Dosai, puri, curd rice, vatha kozhambu …damn I am hungry now.

Z-Zodiac

Cusp of Virgo and Libra. Err ..Do they call it Vibra ? :P

Song for the Occasion: Unnai ondru kelpen, unmai solla vendum / Pooch ke toh dekho Pooch pooch ke toh dekho.

A Midsummer Day’s Dream...

2008-03-20T22:53:00.000-07:00

Well not really middle of the summer, but summer is here alright. That anyways doesn’t have anything to do with this post. Have you seen Mungeri Lal Ke Hasin Sapne in DD? If not, it is about a guy who gets lost into dreams while he is into some work. And he ends screwing the work up. I kind of empathize with this guy. Probably not as worse, but I have this habit of day dreaming too. I guess we all do to some extent. But there are people like me who do it a lot. Or over-do it if I might say.

Day dreaming is something which comes naturally to everyone. Especially when you are attending a boring lecture or a crap meeting. But I always found it as a great way of living up things that you might never get to do. Suddenly you get transpired into MCG where you are sharing a 200 run partnership with Sachin. The next, you are performing live in a concert along with Rahman. You can become a TV show host, a movie critic, an ad guru and just about anything. And if you are in one of those stupidly romantic moods, then the show will go on for a longer time.

Many a times I end up starting a conversation saying, “I want to ..”. I think that is the problem with too much of day dreaming. I can make a long (XL) list of want TO DOs an Wannabies. If you are lazy then it could add fuel to fire. And suddenly when more than a few people pointed out that it I am over-doing or doing only that, then it put me into the thought mode. Does it really affect the success or the lack of it you attain in life? It sure would if one of these dreams is your goal in life. But what if it is not? Would it still harm you? Should I sit and introspect it ? Or should I do it akaash’s way saying “Who the hell cares where we land up”?

My logic is simple. I am never gonna get to do any of those things in life (secretly hoping for a miracle though). So why not feel happy for that brief period of time. But the trick is to keep that time period to be brief. And what is the trick? … “Pata nahi; Lekin pata chalte hi aap ko hi pehle bataunga”. The comments section is awaiting your thoughts …

Song for the occasion: Chand Tare Tod Laun …

Me, Music & Movies

2008-02-16T22:27:00.000-08:00

Read My views on movies, music and more here

Hi … ASL please?

2008-02-14T18:29:00.000-08:00

“I need a PC appa. I would have to do a lot of work for my project. It will be tough for me to go to friend’s place and sit every time”. It started at that and obviously I would require internet for searching for the study material. So there I was, all set to enter into a whole new world. The virtual world which was a doorway for meeting total strangers, e-mails with funny (stupid) forwards, pirated music and of course unlimited porn. The small monitor in front of me started looking much better than my 21” television.

I would click my way away to glory on anything that popped up on to the screen. PC for me was nothing more than an entertainment box. Those IPs, formatting and configurations made no sense to me whatsoever (It still doesn’t!). All I could do was to open a browser/messenger and go on with my daily dose of fun. Suddenly I bumped into this thing called chatting. I was never a chatter box. I used to find it rally hard to initiate a conversation even, unless it was with the people I was close to. Suddenly when I started chatting with total strangers, who might not even exist, I took to it like mad. The whole of the final yr of my Engg, I would logon dot at 9 P.M to my messenger, when the free hours of browsing would start. Then it was party time. I suddenly started speaking with people of different verities. There were people who wanted to make friends, people who wanted someone virtual to share their woes in life, people who could not tell the real world that they are Gays, people who wanted to make out through their PCs , the web cam people and most popular of all people who were looking for a life partner. And before even knowing, I was chatting with people from different parts of the world. MSN messenger would lead me into chatting with foreigners. For me Foreign was only US at one point of time. That perception changed in a flash.

Me and my friend, Ram, would ping each other and keep saying “Apram?” (And what else) till late night as if we are friends catching up after long. Well, 2 Hrs was must have been called Long during those days, I guess. Even after failing at umpteen attempts of trying to find someone sensible on the other side of the chat window, I would keep logging on to Yahoo Chat room for hours together. I created fancy profiles to attract people’s (ladies’) attention. To list a few I was “raindrops in ocean”, “ infinity2zero”and “other side of mirror”. Can’t imagine people bought it! I did manage to find a few people to talk to. Girls too. And the Chandler Bing that I am, I kept finding faults with each and every one of them. I still do that in the real world too! I have met the most Bizarre people over the net. And some nice ones too.

One of the best things you can do on chat is to fool someone with the fake IDs. Not strangers. I never could understand the fun in doing that. But it was the easiest way to play pranks on your friends. So I became Shalini and my partner in crime, Ram, became malini to fool this over acting guy in our college. Extensive planning went into it - Showing him my friend’s picture (with her permission) and asking her to speak to him once to convince him that he has struck gold. The thing went on for 2-3 months before we summoned him to a coffee shop to give him a shock of his life. Well, I have been a victim too. But we would not talk about that here, would we?

Except for the momentarily fun, chatting had not done much good for me. But yes, it did help me to turn into an extrovert. I do not find it difficult to start a conversation with total strangers. I had decided that the day I would find “the one” through net or at least a sensible friend through the net, I would give up “chatting”. And the latter did happen when I found my good friend, Padma, through online. It is a totally different story that we had chatted only once before we started talking in the real world. And she has been there till date as one of my best friends. And that was the last time I asked some what their ASL was!

Song for the occassion: Ek Ajnabi ......

Phase Off

2008-01-19T11:43:00.000-08:00

I woke up the other night having a nightmare. It was not one of those high speed chases or a ghost drama. The scene was something like this: I was playing cricket in the backyard of my friend’s house, where I have spent most of my school days. I had one ball left and had to score two runs to win. Tension was running high. And when the ball was bowled, I missed the ball. I lost. I woke up with a jerk. I could feel a big hole inside me. It was not because I couldn’t make those runs. It was not because I lost. Sadly, failures don’t affect me these days! It just struck me that I would never be in that situation again. I might get to play cricket. But I would never be playing there anytime. I would never be back to that phase of my life. The night never seemed to end.

I kept thinking about the dream for a few days after that too. It was not nostalgia. I just couldn’t help relating a lot many incidents that happened to the whole concept. We live our life in phases. And it is a fact that you seldom get to get back to a phase you crossed. As I witness a lot of my friends getting married, I see that they have happily moved on to another phase of their lives. And even with others, the friendship occurs in phases. More out of need one would assume. There would be a phase where you spend almost 10-15 hours of a day with a friend of yours and a few years down the lane, you would be thinking 10-15 days before you decide to take the first move and talk to him/her. The drift widens without even your realizing it. I do have a couple of friends of mine whom I can call up in the middle of the night even to ask about something. All of us do. But I was just analyzing how many others had just kept themselves away from me and I too kept away from them.

I couldn’t help but conclude that that phase of my life where I was great friends with him/her was over. I found a lot of people saying that they are going through a bad phase after a broken relationship. But I have seen the same people moving into the next phase and behave as though the other phase never happened. May be that is the secret behind a smooth life. The faster you come out of the previous phase, the easier the present becomes for you.

I tried applying this to lot many instances - At workplace, at home with my parents, with friends, with new acquaintances. It made lot of things easier. I just visualized life as a one way road with so many crossroads. A few people might travel with you all your life. The rest may take deviations in any one of the crossroads. They might come back and join you somewhere ahead. But once you decide on the road, you will be pretty much traveling towards a new arena. Instead of thinking how good or bad the previous roads were, if you can enjoy the sceneries in the current one, you will surely go places. I sense that there is another crossroad coming up ahead soon somewhere. They always scare me; confuse me. But yes. I would be interested to see which road is coming up next. I would like to move out of this phase.

Song for the occassion: Hum Jo chalne lage, chalne lage hain ye raste ..

A tale of 3 cities - Part Three

2007-12-24T07:40:00.000-08:00

I just love the climate during this time of the year in Pune. If you are particular about good climatic conditions for a good living then Pune is the place to be. You will have a good 4 change of seasons, each one with a charm of its own. Especially for a South Indian like me who has not seen much of a winter, Pune would be the apt place to get started. It is not nail bitingly cold like in the northern part of the country, but it is not just the early morning chill either that you would find down south. The summer is not that scorching either. And if you are a rain lover, then you must visit this place 3-4 weeks after the monsoon arrives. Since it is surrounded by hills and army occupied barren lands, in and around Pune is painted green.

No, the Maharashtra tourism board is not sponsoring this write-up. I truly love this place for the natural beauty and blissful climatic conditions. I have been in Pune for over 3 years now and must admit that this place has grown on me. Initially I found it quite difficult to adapt myself to the people, road-rules and especially the food. The sugary sambhar and vada inside a bun never appealed to me. But then I discovered that there are other interesting food options that I can explore. The people of Maharashtra are quite aggressive by nature. You won’t find the auto walas to be too friendly. Of course you would be at advantage if you can speak Marathi. For the Marathi bonding is quite strong amongst people out here and perhaps, rightly so. The traits of Chhatrapati Shivaji are prevalent here and he is no less than a God for people out here. The array of forts that he used to occupy is a must visit too. Most of them are a good trekking destination these days. And Pune is a trekkers’ heaven. Even a lazy bone like me could not resist going on a couple of them. Apart from the famous Lonavala and Khandala there are umpteen number of weekend getaways around this place.

Pune faces the same problem that the major cities in the other part of the country do – Infrastructure. It is aggravated by the fact that the Pune Municipal Corporation is, least to say, useless. The roads are so bad that the buffaloes and cows are finding it hard to walk in the middle of the road these days! A 3 KM stretch near my house, enroot to the airport, is being constructed for over 2 years now. That would give an indication of how serious they are about constructing the roads. I understand that the majority of funds that is allotted to the state go to Mumbai. But I am sure that the funds which do come in for the city is not utilized at all. And honestly, the opposition is bothered only about people celebrating Valentine’s Day in the state.

The pollution level in the city is exorbitantly high. I hate them for two reasons: One, they harm my lungs, eyes and the little hair that is left on my head. And two, it makes the girls in the city cover their faces! You would not find a single girl walking or riding on the streets unmasked. A real shame for beauty lovers :). From green eyed beauties to micro skirt clad babes, you can find them all here. The migration of huge number of people into the state adds to its variety. The educational hub that it has been and now an emerging IT hub, the place is buzzing with youth. But the culture of the city is not yet dissolved. The blend is perfect, at least for now.

All you can see around Pune these days is the high rise. With flats/malls being constructed in every kilometer of the city, the city sure is going to get more crowded. I sincerely hope that the PMC does some kind of justice to the potential that the place has to become a high end city, lest, it should become another Bangalore. The next 3-4 years would be crucial for the city’s growth prospects. The best time to visit the city is during Ganpati( Ganesh Chaturti). The festive season rocks. The only thing stopping me from settling down in Pune is the fact that I can’t watch Tamil & Mallu movies here!!! But then, those are the compromises you have to make in life. And if destiny were to have it, I would be speaking Marathi fluently.

Song for the Occassion: Pune Dhol

Dance with her ...

2007-12-02T12:07:00.000-08:00

This post is dedicated to my darling … Nisha Ji !!

The sitar begins to play in the background as he unlocks her hair. They fall down gracefully over her pink gown. She looks gorgeous as ever.

Have seen this scene for over thousand times while watching HAHK. Was missing the magic on the screen until yesterday when I saw Aaja Nach Le. There she was again dancing into the hearts of millions of her fans.

I was quite skeptical of how she would be able to carry a whole movie on her shoulders, given that only heroes tend to do that in Indian movies. But the movie was not disappointing. Thanks to some well sort out screenplay writing by Jaideep Sahni. He has proved that Chak de was not a fluke. In fact I was comparing this with Chak De as I was watching the movie. The baseline is pretty similar. A person making a comeback proving everyone wrong and winning at the end in a thing he/she is passionate about.

But again, only Madhuri could have carried the movie through on her own. Even though everyone else played their part to perfection, they were hardly noticed. Except for probably Akhaye Khanna, who plays a cameo. Although the story is quite predictable it is the screenplay that holds the movie together. The scenes between Akshaye and Madhuri, the auditions and the ones featuring konkana and Kunal Kapoor all have a spice in them. And needless to say Ranvir and Vinay are the essential parts of any “different” movies that come these days. And they do their job to perfection.

Rediff quoted “Madhuri shines in a nice, boring movie”. The boring part comes at the end I guess, when they tried a ballet of sorts as a grand finale. But honestly, it is the best they could have done for a climax. Not sure how well people would receive it though. For one the music, atleast for the ballet, could have been better. You need good music to stir your emotions in a ballet. And this ballet surely lacked that. Watch out for Madhuri in a yellow and red dress dancing in the ballet. OH MY GOD!!!!

On a whole my money was definitely worth. Just to see madhuri on the screen, I can pay a fortune. I sincerely hope the hindi movie industry does make movies which can give substantial role for the queen. If they can make 10 movies keeping Big B in mind, they sure can make atleast 2 keeping madhuri in mind. And I hope all the nonsense about banning the movie does not hamper a good comeback. And I hope she keeps dancing all her life with the same charm.

A tale of 3 cities - Part Two

2007-10-09T11:45:00.000-07:00

Madras was almost like my summer camp when I was in school. My mom hails from the great city and every summer holidays I would be sitting in the madras mail to visit my relatives. But it was later when I went to Chennai that I started falling in love with the place.

“Eeeeee … Chennai .. !!! Wahan kaise koi reh sakta hai(how can anyone live there)” is the usual reaction I get from people living in the northern/western part of the country. I guess they have their own pre-conceived notions to support their views. I guess language and food habits would have to be the primary factor for their opinions. The language part again opens up a huge debate always. And I too have my complaints against the city for that. How a state chooses not to associate itself with the language which is followed in most part of the country amuses me. Well that is the diversity all keep talking about I guess. But again things are changing slowly. It’s not only the pawn brokers, who were called “shets” ,who are the hindi speaking public in the city. Thanks to IT again I guess. I even heard Mr. Karunanidhi reciting a few lines in hindi the other day. Beat that!

The city today is a confused one, if I may put it so. One side of it is still highly glued to the traditions and the customs it is associated with. While the other wants to break free into the next generation. I remember how a news coverage on how guys n girls get tango in pubs and disco made a huge roar out there in the media. Duh, What do they expect would happen there? Margazhi Festival Bhajans !! ? If you are a big fan of night life, then Chennai probably isn’t the city you are looking for. Although there are enough pubs n discs out there, it wouldn’t even come close to being a party animal’s paradise.

But what you will find in Chennai is warmth of the people. I am not sure how many would agree with me on this. But I find the people in Chennai to be really warm. Sure there would be exceptions, but the helping mentality of the Chennaiaites needs to be applauded. They would go out of their way to help you, especially if you are a stranger to the city. The love for the cinema is the other thing you would notice here. No wonder so many CMs of the city have been associated with movies. And there are more to come. I think only A.P could give competition to Chennai in their hero worship. The city produces lot of talent in whichever field you look at. Movies, music, politics, Business management, sports .. You name it and there would have to be a tamilian who would figure in the top 5 list of it.

The place would not fetch high ratings when it comes to climatic conditions either. Almost half of the year would be summer there. That is the only reason which would hold me back from settling down there! For the place has everything else I would want. Movies (Of all languages), theatre, live concerts, pubs, temples and most important of all Beaches!! Do not miss out on the east coast road which stretches between Chennai and Pondicherry. So many amazing beach resorts cover the place. Paradise for beach lovers like me. The marina beach and the besant nagar beach in the city are not the small ones like you find in many other cities.

The sound infrastructure in the city is a great plus. Whichever government comes into power, it always takes care that the roads and other infrastructure do not get a hit. Still much needs to be done to accommodate the huge population of the city. The pull between the conservativeness and the flamboyance of the youth makes it a highly interesting place to live in.

Song for the occasion: I could live here from Bombay dreams / Swargame endralum adhu nammoora pola varuma!!

India Victorious ... Blissful words !!!

2007-09-28T10:13:00.000-07:00

From a bowl out to lifting the cup – India victorious would be an apt title for this T20 world cup. The scene was just perfect for the final. I decided to watch it in office canteen with all my friends. It turned out that half of the office was thinking likewise! The stage was set. And I am lucky to have lived through the match since my heart was pounding at 1000 beats per min. The client who visited our office was amazed at the howling and screaming that was happening. What would he know about an Ind – Pak final. In fact nobody would right. I can’t remember watching one.

Only India could have brought a game like that to such a close finish. But luckily they didn’t choke as they usually do. And at the end they gave me one of the most memorable days of my life. Might sound weird how a match can be so important to one’s life. But yes, for me it was a memorable day. And I am sure it would be the same for a million cricket fanatics like me. It’s alright for sharukh miya to campaign for hockey in chak de. But it had to be cricket which brought the whole nation to the edge of their seats and leap up in joy. I understand other games have to be given importance too. But cricket is no more a game in our country, right?

And I also sincerely hope Indian fans behave better next time when our team looses. The concept of either raising them to the skies or stamping them to the dust is not what is called for.

Hail the game. Hail the Indian team.

(Damn yaar vinod. Every other post of yours would have to be on either music or cricket. Isn’t it ?!!)

A tale of 3 cities - Part One

2007-09-14T09:44:00.000-07:00

To start with: This blog is not sponsored by any of the state tourism development boards.

India amazes me with its diverse lifestyles in different states. Not that I have traveled to each and every part of the country. I just wanted to share my point of view about the cities I have lived in. Again it is solely my POV.

Thiruvananthapuram – Huh – eighteen letter word that if you notice. I bet 90 pc of the non south Indians would pronounce it wrongly. God’s own capital it is. And trust me if that white secretariat building wasn’t built over there Cochin would have been the obvious choice for the state capital. A laid back city, with almost 90 pc of the people being Government employees. Wish I could say it is fast changing. Even with the whole country catching up on the software boom, Trivandrum is still sitting back and basking in humid sun. But no complaints. That might just be its charm at the end of the day.

So conservative is the place that you will have to hunt for girls in jeans. You would find most of the girls in Salwar Kameez(which they prefer to call churidar), with oil almost dripping out of their long laden hair. They carry umbrella even if it is not raining. I guess they use it as a protection to guard them against the eve teasers. If you were a girl walking around in tight jeans, be prepared for the eye-popping stares that would come from all around. The guys will be seen mostly in a trouser and a shirt. With the shirt not tucked in and their sleeves folded to the three – fourths. Older men and women adhere the strict dress code of saree and mundu(dhoti) respectively. And mundu(dhoti) for the love of God is not a lungi. High time the non south Indians realize this truth!!!

If you are planning to go into the city just try and go through a local paper or ask the rickshaw walas, for there is bound to be a strike or procession or march past which happens almost daily. I am yet to see a more rebellious bunch of people who take the full advantage of democracy. Whether it is good or bad: I will leave that debate to another day. Even though the politics affects the education in the city, I must admit that the education is of highest standards here. There are as many mallus heading to US these days as there are heading to Dubai.

Wow. Suddenly it looks like a place you can give a skip right? Wrong. If you are a nature lover this is one place you cannot skip. The place has 3 different sea shores (Heaven!!). The all famous Kovalam beach which is usually filled with foreigners, would not be my favorite. I prefer the Varkala beach or the beach at Veli. Nice and calm ones. Talking about a place in kerala and not talking about monsoon would be a crime. Just love it when it rains there. The whole place looks green and the soil smells awesome. The best time though to visit trivandrum is during onam. The whole place glitters in a festive mood. And if you are the religious types, please don’t miss out on Padhmanabha swami temple. Just to see this temple you can travel miles and get to Trivandrum. I was blessed to have lived two streets away from it all my life. I always believe that Trivandrum could be the perfect place to settle down after your retirement. I am sure even when I retire from my job and go the place would not have changed much. And it better not change!

(song playing in my mind right now – Wo kaagaz ki kashti wo bearish ka pani !! :( )

Nothing

2007-09-07T09:53:00.000-07:00

Yup ... This is a blog about nothing. No no. I haven’t run out of topics to write about. Nor am I opening up a notepad and typing everything that is in my Sub-Conscious mind. This is really about something that has been closely associated with my life for a while now – “Nothing”!!

Yes ladies and gentlemen. “Nothing” has emerged to be the winner, out of the whole set of words that I keep using in my day-to-day life. Lot of other words like “Pathetic”, “Boring”, “Ya right”(officially proclaimed as a word by myself), “crap”,”fuck”(oh come on!) etc etc came really close. But none of them could win over the word which is deeply rooted into my brains through persistence – “Nothing”. Lemme use them in context (like the good old English grammar days!)

Hi Vinod, Wats up? – Nothing
What r u doing these days – Nothing
You don’t have any work these days – No Nothing
What the hell do u keep thinking all the bloody while – Well, Nothing
So what did you do over the weekend – NOTHING
What plans for the weekend – Nothing special.
Sorry to hear that your onsite got cancelled. So what do you feel – Actually… Nothing!!
So what plans ahead – Nothing.
Not writing CAT this time – Nothing doing
What are you doing online all the time – Nothing (actual answer should have been reading some crap someone wrote)
So why don’t you do something worthwhile in life – There is Nothing to do.
What have you done for the past 3 years after taking up the job – Nothing important I can remember.
Any new girl in life? – Nothing .. Oops did I just say nothing ?!
Why do you keep changing your profile name on orkut – Nothing else to do, that’s why
So what are you gonna write about next – Nothing

As they say after winning the highest honors, the champion tends to loose interest in competing. (Read the previous sentence as I got bored with the word nothing) So that’s it. “Nothing” goes out of my mental dictionary for a while now. But ya, it would keep making guest appearances to facilitate some of the English usages. But I sure wouldn’t be answering a question with “nothing” being used in it.

Well .I have nothing more to say. Err .. Bad habbits die hard. Give me some time people !!!

Heard this amazing song by Linkin Park lately. And they have written it just for people like me. If you really want to let out some pressure from within just sing along with this song!The whole album rocks!!

Wake in a sweat again
Another day's been laid to waste
In my disgraceStuck in my head again
Feels like I'll never leave this place
There's no escape

I'm my own worst enemy

I've given up...
I'm sick of feeling
Is there nothing you can say?
Take this all awayI'm suffocating!
Tell me what the fuck is wrong with me!

I don't know what to take
Thought I was focused but I'm scared
I'm not prepared
I hyperventilate
Looking for help somehow somewhere
And no one cares

I'm my own worst enemy

I've given up...
I'm sick of feeling
Is there nothing you can say?
Take this all awayI'm suffocating!
Tell me what the fuck is wrong with me!

GOD!

Put me out of my misery
Put me out of my misery
Put me out of my..
Put me out of my fuckking misery!

I've given up
I'm sick of feeling
Is there nothing you can say?
Take this all away
I'm suffocating!
Tell me what the fuck isWrong with me!

It's not only about Aug 15

2007-08-14T05:39:00.000-07:00

It is strange how Patriotism is at its peak in our county when Independence Day or Republic day comes around. Not sure if it is due to the high point created by the media or is it a true sense of freedom and emotions attached to it that brings about this. I would think it is the former. What ever said and done, Patriotism sells in the e-world. Be it the “60 years of independence” celebrated by CNN IBN or NDTV’s “India Shining”. Times Now in fact started the campaign after January!

It is either the occurrence of these two days or a cricket match or a movie on patriotism; Chak de being the latest offering. I have no complaints. It is an amazing movie. And shot with so much passion. Banking on one brand name called Sharukh Khan, the movie was a great effort to showcase the state of affairs of sports and games in India. I indeed developed a huge amount of respect for all the sportspersons across the country, who leave everything and follow their passion for their respective sport. What I really loved in the movie was the scripting of the dialogues. While a player from Meghalaya says “ Apni desh mein mehman banke rahna tujhe pasand aayega?”, the player from Andhra says, “ Madrasi or Telugu mein itna hi fark hai jitna Punjabi aur bihari mein hai”. All in all a good watch.

The movie made me feel good about my country. All in the hall were whistling and clapping at SRK’s love for the country filled dialogues. I am sure all felt good about the country. But the problem is that ten minutes after we get out of the movie hall we tend to forget all that. It just becomes yet another patriotic movie which hails the spirit of India. Same is the case with Aug 15th or Jan 26th. I am sure not many still know the importance of Jan 26th. I know we all celebrate being Indians when we win a cricket match or some odd medal at an international sports event. But is that really enough?

I am not saying everyone should go and join army! But if we can perform the small little duties of a citizen, we might just go a long way. Whatever said and done, India is truly shining. The economy is booming even though the dark side of poverty still looms around. But if at this point we could contribute one bit to the nation’s development then there is no stopping us for the next 60 years as well. I wish we all could fell the same way we feel for the country as on the Independence Day more often and not just on those days.

Jai Hind.

Good To Have you back Mr.Bhogle

2007-07-21T03:33:00.000-07:00

“And what a shot that is ..” … Trademark shot it might be from sachin. But also is a trademark comment from the master – Harsha Bhogle!

Star Cricket is here. A much needed channel, dedicated to cricket, for cricket fanatics like me. And heading the commentary team is the legend himself.

I was amongst those who were particularly disappointed to see the presentations during the world cup. With people like Mandira Bedi talking about cricket, I chose to join the matches directly rather than watching the pre match analysis. But there sure was something missing. The wholeness of watching a cricket match is to watch the whole package. And with Harsha doing it, you can be rest assured that you will get nothing less than the best,

What makes him so special? After all it is no big deal to talk about cricket, right? …Hell wrong. Sony came up with their team and initially Mandira was asking the “experts” what a googly was. I understand they wanted to bring in the female population too. But honestly it is demeaning to the worst cricket follower to watch such crap. And Harsha has mastered the art. And has made a class of his own, in cricket commentary. An inspirational story of a chemical engineer, following his passion in life, Harsha’s life can be a classic example of how to get a job that you love. And you realize what art the man possesses when you hear people like Arun Lal and Ranjith Fernando doing cricket commentary.

I don’t know what is it with the graduates from IIM, they have to leave what they are trained for and have to follow what they are passionate about. Harsha is one among them and I would curse him only for wasting anther candidate’s chance to get into the IIM : ). He came into the notice of cricket lovers when he first commentated in the Benson & Hedges world cup, back in 1992. And after that there has been no looking back. They can have a show called “Harsha ki khoj”. But I am not sure they are going to find one. Just a few examples of his versatility: -

“Oh what a shame. It was reminiscent of a soldier who survived the war when all the bullets were flying by his nose and then got run over by a bicycle in his native town."

"Naser Hussain is trying desperately hard to find innovative ways of getting himself out"

"Had that stand not been there they would have had to bring a bus to go and fetch the ball"

"If you take out the character out of Nel he is quiet a good bowler!!!!"

“Last time Rudi kuerzten smiled there was peace in west Asia”

I can quote a thousand more gems that he has said. But you know what. I would rather listen to him live and direct from Lords as the match unfolds. A cup of coffee, Ind Vs Eng at Lords and Harsha Bhogle commenting … Priceless!!!!

Comments by Harsha Courtesy: Orkut Harsha fan club community! (I ve a poor memory people!)

If music be the food of love, Play on ....

2007-06-28T23:54:00.000-07:00

Well it is easy for Shakespeare to say that !!!

I was standing at the signal waiting for it to turn green. A Honda city came and stood beside me. The music in the car was so loud that I could hear the slightest of the instruments being used in the song. And there I was sitting on my bike, the raindrops smashing against my face and with my headphones on, listening to "In dino dil mera", from metro. Just a wish passed by my mind how nice it would be to sit comfortably in that car and listen to the song. Not that I spare any chance to get wet in the rain, but this time I just wished that I could hear the songs once not using my headphones.

Then I turned to my left. There was this guy peeping out the window of a PMT bus. I could feel that he was wishing for something similar to what I did. May be he was wishing that he could afford to buy an mp3 player and a bike! And there was this other kid sitting on the roadside in heavy rain trying to sell his balloons. Somehow I felt that he was also wishing something looking at me.

Music has always been a vital part of my life. I have to listen to music no matter what I am doing. Even while studying I used have songs playing in the background. I was almost thrown out of the exam hall for humming a tune while I was writing a semester exam.

This small little episode made me think. What if someone like the kid wanted to hear songs? Where would he listen? Of course he would have all the latest songs played in the radio. But what if he wanted to hear different kinds of music. Where would he get to hear that? He obviously has to keep himself happy with Himesh bhayya’s nasal numbers.

Then I remembered another incident that had happened. I was in my salon for a hair cut. Arman, the guy giving me a head massage was singing(almost whispering) an old kishore kumar number. My mobile phone started to ring the tune of RDB background score and I cut the call immediately. Then Arman asked me curiously,

“Ye tune kahan se mila” .
I said “ Ye RDB ka hai. Picture ke background score mein aata hai” .
He said “ Haan malum hai … 5-6 baar dekhi hai picture. Lekin ya ringtone kahan se mila?” .
I said trying to be modest “ Mein ne composer se banaya hai” .
He wasn’t quite amazed as I thought he would be and said “ Sahi hai. Mujhe bhi sikhna hai usmein compose kaise karte hain. Mere paas ek chota sa piano hai. Mein usi mein practice karta tha. Ab kharab ho gaya na is liye practice nahi kar paa raha hun”.
I almost offered him my 5 n half octaves keyboard which has been lying untouched for the past year or so. My friend once thought it was an ironing stand! I didn’t know whether to feel bad for Arman or to be ashamed of myself.

The horns of the huge truck standing behind me brought my attention back to the signal. It was green. And I moved on. My mp3 player sang ..

“Berang si hai badi zindagi kuch rang toh barun.
Mein apni tanhayi ke waste ab kuch toh karun.
Jab mile thodi fursat khud se kar le mohobbat” !!!

Hai ye onsite !!!

2007-06-11T23:29:00.000-07:00

“Oh. So you have been working for two years now? U didn’t get to go onsite yet???!!”

If you are a software engineer and you have been around for a while, this would be the question you would be dreading the most. And being “just another software engineer”, I am no different.

For once and for all let me try and answer them …

“Well …. They sent me to the airport with a ticket, visa and stuff. The couch in the airport was so cozy that I slept there and missed the flight. After that they wouldn’t let me fly.”

And when people hear that I rejected an onsite offer on the first year of my career I have to literally hold their jaws from falling down. It is not that I do not want to visit amkarika or lundon. Yes, it would be a great pleasure to see the world at company’s cost. Anything to do at company’s cost gives me great pleasure. But do I really want to live a life out there in the stranger land? I would say no. This is surely not a self defense tactics I am using here. But the dollars, the cars, the fun, the strip clubs do not lure me as much. I could live here!

Rather than going to a single place and earn a lot of money, I would rather go to different parts of the world on short trips. Well “just another software engineers” cannot dream of such things. Actually … They can only dream of such things.

So what is with the “just another” tag? What do these people do?

We are mechanized to jump from one project to another hoping to set your foot down initially. We can sit staring at the computer screen the whole day and still can go back home and play orkut-orkut. You are driven by a magic wand called your manager who decides where you career/life is going to head. Then we start seeing people going to amkarika and suddenly a gush of ego/jealousy/ greed comes into us and we start craving for that one trip outside the country. Then when you get there we start missing home. Then we come back to get married to a traditional Indian girl/US based guy. Then we go back to amkarika and start looking for a green card. Then we stay there for five years and come back to become a manager. Meanwhile the next set of engineers is ready to follow your footsteps. We have forgotten what it is to meet different people in the life. We do not know how to have fun over the weekends. Whenever we take vacation we go back to “home” and eat mamma’s food and come back. The utmost creative thing we can do is to write crappy blogs.

So would I be a Mohan Bhargav and let go of the offer that comes my way?

If I do become anything else than just another software engineer, I surely would love to become a Mohan Bhargav.

PS: People please vote for TAJ. If you have voted, vote again! You can vote through ..

1) Online Voting be visiting New7wonders site
2) Through sms send TAJ to 4567

The Far far away land !!

2007-06-03T12:18:00.000-07:00

The Shrek effect has bowled me over. I have never been a fan of comics apart from the few mallu comic books that I used to read. The maximum I would go would be a Tinkle. My fairy tale world would consist only of the mayavis and the shikar shambus. Suddenly as I was watching Shrek-3, I realized I have missed out on a lot.

The movie was not about some super powers shrek has. It is about this fairy land . Far far away land. The land consisting of Cinderella, Snow white, sleeping beauty, Rapunzel, Big Bad Wolf, the Gingerbread Man, and Pinocchio. Was an over doze for me. Imaging what it would be for the kids who follow all the comics. Also there are the villains - Captain Hook, the Wicked Queen, a Cyclops,rumpelstilskin, Headless horse man, black knights, evil dwarves and the best of all the evil magical trees. Loved the way the trees land themselves while flying to attack the land.

There was no big storyline in Shrek 3 unlike the previous two versions. But I still would like to believe that this is the best of the 3 parts that have come out. It is not only about Shrek, Fiona, Puss and Donkey. But it is more of a celebration of the land. Not to mention the amazing animations. With such impeccable precisions the characters are picturised. And the best part of the movie was showing how every villain has a softer part in him/her. The headless monster says, “ I always wanted play flute!”. May be the terrorists of the world can learn a thing or two from the movie. They also would not want to be villains for ever! And of course you can expect nothing but a happy ending to a fairy tale.

Suddenly after watching movies like Ice age, shrek I fell like I am making up for what I missed in my childhood. That one and half hours transforms you into a kid. There would be no difference between you and the 7 yr old kid sitting next you in the movie screen. Just leave the blues and blacks happening around you in the world and takes you to the Far far away land!

Yes President!!

2007-05-19T01:50:00.000-07:00

Rather than writing about my “exciting” and “Ever happening” life, I thought I would write something useful. Useful for the society, useful for the public and useful for the whole nation. It is the new and improved presidential election. Now that Kalam uncle is done with his tenure as the President of India, we are in search of a new face. Honestly, I never understood why a post is required for signing on papers and taking salutes in the parades. At least Mr.Kalam used to show his presence during his stay. So who could be the “worthy” successor?

I am not getting political here. Since India is filled with people like me who just talk and do nothing. So here are my top five nominations. By the way I am mending a few rules here to give chance to the most worthy candidates.

Rajdeep Sardesai: The kingmaker can turn anyone’s image in a day. From following abi-ash to their first night suit to questioning Sachin’s commitment, he has done it all. The most popular face on TV, who sensationalizes even the crappiest news!! Imagine, he would have exclusive rights to the Presidential videos. He can give an insight of a president’s luxurious life. He can conduct sms polls to find if he should pass a bill or not.

Rakhi Sawant: There hasn’t been a woman president for India and who else would fit into the role better than her? She has the most intelligent brains in the country. She is loved by each and every person in the country and also has the best dressing sense required for the best citizen of the country.

Greg Chappel: The man has “ideas”. He is experimental and believes in the “youth”. He has brought glory to India after his successful coaching tenure. He should be a handful for the corrupt politicians who want their way out. He will use media very well to get the good politicians(one or two) out of the team and experiment with the new ones.

Capt Gopinath: Lets face it captain – Vijay Mallya is after your airlines. How much ever you try to hide it, your airlines is in trouble. The Captain can bring in more “cheap” things into the lives of the Indians. Although there will be a “slight” delay in passing the bills, I am sure he would do a wonderful job for 5 yrs, by which time he can start a train service!!

Himesh Reshammiya: Two advantages. He will not act in any films anymore. we wouldn't have to listen to his oooooooooooo anymore. And also, Asha Bhonsle wouldn't dare to fight with him anymore .

Well those are my top contenders. Can think of many more, but why waste paper. Do write in if you any better candidates in your mind :)

ps: Removing Parvez from the running due to huge public cry :) Lotta sentiments being hurt I guess !!

The World Cup That Wasn't

2007-04-29T06:58:00.000-07:00

So that’s it. We should just have handed over the cup to them and saved an awful lot of money. The Caribbeans would disagree with me I guess. But honestly I hope WC never goes there again. I mean, did you see the quality of the grounds? It was like the roads of pune. Dust flying all around the place. Not only from the pitch, but also from the outfields!! And not a single Day n Night game!! Sad it was.

Not that I saw each and every match. In fact, I did not see even a single match fully. I remember I used to wake up at 5 in the morning during the ’92 WC. This would be one WC, which would fade away from everyone’s memory very soon (If it already hasn’t). Except for Gilchrist’s knock there was nothing worth watching, no great bowling performances, not a single catch to remember. And more importantly, apun log nahi they L. Ok. I am not going to join in the bashing party. I was saddened by India’s exit. But not to the extent that, I abuse a great player like Sachin who has given his life for playing the game. I am a fan and will remain loyal to him.

Once India was out, I wished that either SA or Kiwis would win the cup. But it was not to be. I guess only India or Pak in their prime form would have been able to challenge the Aussies. Well let us not talk about their form here. But in a way I’m happy that SL did not win it. Their arrogance would have gone up. As far as the Aussies go, well, their arrogance cannot go up anymore.

May be it was India’s exit that brought down the enthusiasm level of people watching the game all over the country, but I still believe that it was a world cup to forget. Exit of two probable cup winners in the first round, a murder and an unbeatable team would be the story of this world cup.

Boss is here

2007-04-15T01:16:00.000-07:00

The Tamil movie industry is buzzing!! After a long long time it has got a reason to do so. It is one name which would drive thousands in the southern part of the country excited that is in the news. Mr. Sivaji Rao alias Rajinikant. And when the movie is named after his original name, the excitement just gets better. It’s just getting started. All the big names are coming together. Shankar, AVM, Rajini & A.R.Rahman !!

Before I get into the Rahman praising mode just wanted to bring forth a thing I noticed.
While one part of the country is going ga ga over the name Rajinikant, I just noticed that the people in other parts are not so. It’s strange how a hero, a superstar, a kingmaker in one part of the country is perceived as a comic character in the other part. Just the mention of his name brings smiles to their faces. For, they are not aware of the experience that one goes through while watching a Rajini movie. Still remember going with an injured leg to the theatre to watch the first day first show of ‘BABA’. Although the movie was a pain, just the experience of watching a super hero being hailed was itself was amazing.

When I say he is a kingmaker I really mean it. I mean, this guy has the power of SRK & Big B put together. He has scripts written specifically for him, dialogues specially written for him, action scenes specially designed for him… Cant think of anyone in the world probably who would have such a privilege!! He even has music in his movies designed for him .... which reminds me ..

Have been listening to the songs in the movie. Boss is here again( Rahman ofcourse). But again as I said the album is designed for Rajini!! A typical Rajini album starting with an intro song, Ballellakka, by SPB. Followed up with a punch song, athiradee, sung this time by Rahman. And accompanied by Sayonara. Wonder where Rahman finds these amazing singers from. Sahana/Sahara & Vaaji vaaji are pretty ordinary songs when it comes from Rahman. Why on earth does Udit narayan have to sing a Tamil romantic song when there are dozens of talented ones here. Even I could have done better justice to the song!(Err…). With Baba rap taking off so well it was well expected that there would be a Blaze number in the album and it really is a Blaze number. But for me the song of the album is Style. Just for the fact that it breaks the Rajini album trend. I mean who would have thought of Hip hop song for Rajini. Loved it. Hail Rahman!!(That’s the zillionth time I am saying it!) Cant wait to watch the songs in the theatre. With Shankar and Rajini together working the magic, it sure will be a roller coaster. Watch out for the Background scores.

Whatever whoever says about Rajini, he sure is a star. I am not a die hard fan or anything but I do admire the man for the following he has created for himself. So I have started to practice whistling.

Hero hero heradi hero. Staro Staro nee superstaro….

It's new !!!

2007-04-09T02:58:00.000-07:00

It’s been a year now since I have started blogging . Thought would give a new look to the whole thing. First of all wanted to change the boring url “vinodisblogging”!!
And since I have moved into a new house and a new office I thought I would move my blog too !!!

Thanks to all who have been viewing and have been commenting in my blogspace.

Have preserved all your comments in the new space too ...

Keep blogtrotting!!:)

Err that goes in as the smallest blog I have written :)

No quarter given ...none taken

2007-04-07T02:29:00.000-07:00

Yes, it has been a while since I scribbled something down. For a change this time, I was busy with work!! But the actual reason is that I had nothing to write about. I am an impulsive writer and just cannot open the word pad and stare at it thinking what to type.

Ok…Enough of the introduction. Those are always boring! Coming to the point…

Have you heard the phrase quarter life crisis? I hadn’t till lately, when a friend of mine told me about this. They say this is the time for you to remain in a state of confusion whatever you do in your life. I usually don’t relate to these psychological ideologies. But had to give this a thought since I am experiencing it. Not only me. But people who I know who are in their mid twenties seem to have been bitten by it.

So what is the big fuss about the mid twenties? In more than a way it decides where your life is heading. And if you are not happy with what you are doing with your career the issue worsens. And that is just the beginning of the list of problems that I am encountering. And so are the others. Was just trying to list down the problems, which are common and apparent. Some of these are from the numerous blogs I visit too. And the top 25 are ….

Where is my career heading
What am I doing in this office
Why is my salary so low
Why is it that I always get such pathetic rating
Should I jump now or wait a lil longer
Should I switch industry and follow my passion
When will I go onsite
Should I go back to India now? But who will give me such money and luxury
How the hell do I get into a B school without preparing
Should I do a PG …part-time?
What should I invest in
Where should I settle down
For the singles community….When will I find him/her
Why am I the only one who is single!
Should I get married now
Should I go hunting in Orkut
Am I becoming too fat
If you have found someone already .. Why cant she/he just say YES!!
Why is it that I who compromise often
Will this work out? Will both the parents agree?
Should I just chuck him/her and make my parents happy
Should I give him/her up for my career
Is he/she really the one!!
Shouldn’t I do something for the country (At least I mull over this)
Will India win the world cup!!

Was watching the weekly show “Young Turks” on CNBC India the other day. And it just struck me that there are people who overcome this phase very easily. And probably that is why they are featured in the show for being successful.

There are people who are content with what they have. Very few I would say. There are people who take control of their lives and get what they want. And there are others like me who are just like a leaf floating in a wind. Even a Gayle wouldn’t disturb us for we would wait for it to pass and start floating again allowing the wind to take us wherever it wants to rather than making the wind to carry us where we want.

You don’t have to be a Libran to be confused at 25!! Most of them find an answer to these questions as their life progresses. But seldom have I seen people who take this as a phase of their life and enjoy it. I guess that includes me too. But I am trying..

Let me signoff with the two of my current favorite one liners..

It takes little to reclaim your life!!

Life is calling …Where are you!!

Ps: Couldn’t resist mentioning the song that has been playing umpteen number of times in my music player - Tose naina laage from Anwar. If you haven’t heard it, then please do. From a lesser-known composer called Mithoon the track is mesmerizing. Kshitij the male voice in the track is talent to watch for and as for the female voice of Shilpa Rao ..All I can say to her is ….Will you marry me ?!! :)

Comments others had were:

Ponnarasi Kothandaraman said...: Hi,
1st time here :) Nice blog and ur post on dec 12 was too good :)

Keep writing!
Divs said...: I guess its back with a bang! :) Nice post. I think there are other people who phase that 'quarter life crisis' even without comin under the 'mid twenties' category, but not necessarily with the same set of questions ;-) Maybe we're all always confused abt something or the other in life...! So, enjoy the confusion! If you're confused, it means you're thinking, and its not bad to think a tad :)

Liked the one liners!
aditi said...: hmmm..good to know that you are back..nice blog..and you can count me in for the quarter life crisis !!
s_h_r_u_t_i said...

woah, you've taken a break! :)
i agree with divs on the confusion thing though.
confusion happens at every stage.. no one is really settled at any point till.. say forty i wud say. lol... and whats worse is when you find any of your contemporaries all set and you're still scratching at the scalp, clueless. that sure is scary :)

Vinod R Iyer said...: Ponnarasi: Thnks a lot ...

Divs: Evolo easy ya sollitte :) ...

Aditi: We all do , dont we ?!

Shruti:Scary it is :(

shakti said...: yeah..thank god.:)
Vibhanshu said...

I guess these questions plaque all of us these days. Some of me and my friends call it quarter life crisis. the problem that arises out of knowing too much and doing so little :)

_audi_ said...: good one...impressed :D
Vinod R Iyer said...: Shakti: Did nt get u !!

Vibanshu: Welcome to the club !

Audi: Thank u thank u thank u :)

Main Shaayar Toh Nahi.....

2007-04-07T02:27:00.000-07:00

Aadhi Raat ki ye khamoshiyan,
Lati hain yadein un suhane lamhon ki
Badi zalim hoti hai ye tanhayiyan,
Aankhen bandh karte hi dikhati hai jhalak un nigahon ki.

Keyed this down in my mobile @ 1 A.M . The melancholic strains of ae ajnabi playing in my mp3 player brought back some distant memories.

Sher-o-shayari – An art, which I had quite a liking to. I still do. But may be not with the same passion. There are times in your life when the stupidest of the shers would sound amazing. Yup. You got it right .The time when you "fall" in love. I still am not sure if it was love. But it was something like it. And there I was writing poetry (if you could call it that).

I love collecting these shayaris. And since "someone" liked sher-o-shayari, it was more of a reason to do so. I liked the idea of expressing thoughts in a rhyme. But the problem was my hindi :) . I was not as bad as a south Indian would usually be at hindi. But the gender problem was very much there. Trying to overcome that, I ventured into an unknown territory. The problem arose when I just couldn’t write sensible things. Most of the sher I tried to write would end up being those bimar ashique wala stuff (Arrey samjho na…Impress jo karma tha madam ko). And since it was literally only words that all I had to take her heart away, tried writing some shers myself. When I look back at some of them today, I have a good laugh. Here are some samples –

Koi ek ho jo hum keh sakthe hain humare
Kaash hume bhi mil jaye kahin se koi ishaare
Sab dosthon ne apni humsafar doond li hai
Bus hum hi rah gaye hain aaj tak kunware.

Sota raha aapke khwab dekhthe hue raath bhar.
Ab din aaya toh kya hua, koi tikana nahi is khwab par.

Dil karta hai aaj bheeg jane ko,
Pani ke boondon mein kho jane ko.
Bhar gaya hai man suraj ki tapish se,
Koi jaake kahen baarish ko aajane ko.

Shukar hai bhagwan ka, Usne duniya gol banaya hai
Jitni duur wo gayi utni paas bhi toh aayi hai...

Sharaab ke nashe mein kya rakha hai
Kabhi mohobat karke toh dekho
Sharaab ka nasha tho yun nikal jata hai
Pyar ke nashe se ubharkar toh dekho

Tum bhi wahi ho,Main bhi yahi hun
Phir ye faasle kyun bad gaye
Ab tak ke safar mein toh saath chale
Ek mod aa jane par tum kyun mud gaye

Tere bina jiya hai, tere bina aur bhi ji lenge
Is tute hue dil ko Kisi aur ke dil se si lenge

Yes, I totally agree with you. I suck at it :) . And I should leave sher-o-shayar to the professionals.But after a long time when a sher occurred to me it just took me back in time. Nostomania spares no one I guess. And I visited back those pages where I scribbled these things. It was a funny feeling. I did not know whether to be emotional about it or laugh at myself.

Comments others had were:

padma said...: "And I visited back those pages where I scribbled these things. It was a funny feeling. I did not know whether to be emotional about it or laugh at myself.".....

i go through the same feeling when i read my diary entries...the crushes,the guys in coll,things i did to impress few ppl,fights with friends,heartbreaks,bunking classes...all that...
a good blog!
Anonymous said...: of course u`re gud!! u`ve a doubt kya?
Ramaa Iyer said...: U r gud but hey you too Vinod? :)
aditi said...: hey,
I too am no judge of sher-o-shayari..but can say one thing for sure...you are good at it ..and there's no problem with the hindi either.Moreover, as long as they convey the message...what more do u want?...what say ;-)
divs said...: people who've commented here really seem to appreciate your stuff...seems like good. But hell, i cant deny i laughed! Like hell :) nice entertainment! But its really nice to know that a girl can still make a guy do that ;-) Nice post
Vinod R Iyer said...: Padma: We all do I guess. Thnks

Ano: Err... now that you are saying ..I have a doubt :)

Ramaa: What to do!!!

Aditi: What say ? Whatever u say !! :)

Divs: Well what can I say .. Hope u had a great time :)

All in a Day's Work

2007-04-07T02:26:00.000-07:00

(A tribute to George Costanza)

7.30 A.M: Snooze..... Thanks to the guy who invented it. After watching the pathetic Dhoom2 last night how am I supposed to wake up so early...... Was I really gaping at Hrithik yesterday in the movie? Or was it a dream. Damn man. The guy looks coo!!!Err.. I shouldn’t be saying that. I am straight!!...... God!! Run Vinod run. Bus driver is not your uncle.

9 A.M: “Gosh, Yet another day at office. How do people do this for years together? I should think about retirement now!!........ Look at the dress the guy is wearing!! For heaven’s sake somebody tell him he is not here to act in a bhojpuri movie..... The long walk now to my seat. Fake smiles through out....... I wonder what this guys thinks about me! Cool guy ? Over acting asshole? Whatever! Who the hell cares!”

9.30 A.M: Have to check my compensation letter.Damn.... Peanuts man!! Why the hell am I still here?.....People’s mood has changed abruptly. The guy who smiled at me in the morning is not smiling anymore. Why is it all about the money, honey? Well actually I can live with this. It is when you start looking into other’s wallet that one gets greedy.

12 Noon: “Kyun Vinod? Kuch kaam nahi hai ?”. Fake smile. What difference does it make to you? I earn as much as you without doing any major work. And when I get work sometime in future, I will try to find a way out of it. Let me call my gang out for a tea.

1.15 P.M: Thank god I have got a good gang of friends here. Else lunchtime would have been boring.

2 P.M: zzzzzzz.

2.30 P.M: Hope my manager didn’t pass by. They should give us sleep breaks after lunch breaks. It’s not my fault. It has been inculcated in me from my UKG. The teacher taught us to sleep after lunch.

3 P.M: Damn. Some work. Why does all the work come only in the evening.

4 P.M : This cannot get over today. So why bother sitting over it now. Let me start it tomorrow afresh. Tea time !!! Err ..Coffee Time!! I should reduce drinking so many coffees a day. Damn I am putting on so much weight. Aise hi gaya toh I will be one uncle. Fat,Bald and lazy. Who cares? I am the way I am!! Would the girls care?? Ahh ..Forget it.

6 P.M: Hurray. Time to go home. But what would I do going home. TV? Browse? Worldspace? I should start working out from today. No. May be tomorrow!

7 P.M: Ahh …My one hour of relief.

9 P.M: What would the bai have made today. God please let it not be daal chawal….!!!Pleaseee…..
Dal Chawal it is!! Thank you god!!

10 P.M: Should I call someone for time pass? No my bill is shooting up!! Should I take up the books to prepare? The exam season is not over yet! How can I study when I m so tired after office work. Will start from tomorrow. And am I talking to myself too much these days? Is it bad to do so? ..........Whatever!!

10.30 P.M: Wow. It is cold. I love to hate this winter season. May be I should go out for a ride. But what if I catch a cold?

10.45 P.M: Did I lock the house properly? Wow. It is so calm and cold. Wish there was a girl sitting at the back seat....I should buy a car. Long drives are better than short rides!!

11.15 P.M: Time for some news. Damn these news channels. How can they be so unprofessional? Hyping up every single news they could get.

12 P.M: That was a long day. I should do something different tomorrow.

Time to sleep. Well not yet …

Comments other had were:

Ramaa Iyer said...: Hey typically my kind of day.>Wat wudn't i do to get outta this grind :)
scipio said...

It should have rather been a tribute to Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's "One Day in the life of Ivan Denisovich"

scipio said...

err... :)

San said...

Hrithik - oh good lord if you're waking up to thoughts about him i'm hoping it's all a nightmare

Vinod R Iyer said...: Ramaa: Tell me if u do find a way out. I will surely tell u if I do :)

Scipio: Have heard about it.Have nt got to look yet. Will try to :).But George is my personal favourite!! :)

San: Chill. I m still on the greener side :)

Stop!

2007-04-07T02:24:00.000-07:00

Green Light, Yellow Light and Red Light. STOP!! Not rocket science, is it? Well for 90% of the people it is!! It amuses me how the rules and regulations does not matter them at all. They just would not stop their vehicle unless there is maamu standing at the other side of the signal with his left palm itching.

I live in Pune, a pretty urban and developed city. But the road sense I see in people around me is absolutely atrocious. Try stopping for a signal in which no policeman is standing, and your eardrums will go for a ride from the non-stop horns coming out of the vehicles behind you. Watch out for any lorries standing behind you. Since their horns might cause permanent damage to your ears. I guess they require announcing their arrival with some ultrasonic sounds. My friends tell me that I should take a trip to the cities in U.P & M.P then I would not complain about this kind of traffic.

You can argue the fact that even a city like Pune does not have good enough infrastructure. The roads are bad, many of the junctions are without signals, the policewala who is supposed stand near the signal stands at the near by pan shop, there are no proper lanes, there is no stop line, seldom do you find sign boards, you have to give due respect to the cats and cattle walking in the middle of the road………..The list is big.

All said and done isn’t there a moral responsibility in you to ride properly and let others do the same. I know all of us have non-stop meeting schedules to cover as we rush at 80 Kmph and jump all the red lights coming on the way. But can’t they understand that if they follow all the rules they would probably create lesser traffic jams and reach faster in turn.

The problem remains that we Indians are great “adjusters”. Whatever happens thoda adjust karne se kya jaata hai!! Why should anybody bother to follow rules? What if they do not have a driving license? We are all born with a bribing license. Jump signal, over speed, walk when you are not supposed to, don’t carry a license, go in the opposite direction in a one way, we have a simple solution to all of these – A fifty Rupee Note.

This is where the tag line of our country comes into play. “Is country ka kuch nahi hoga yaar”: A lame boneless thing to say in the most powerful democracy of the world. If you cant do anything about the country then why don’t you call back the British to do the needful. I know I cannot change the whole countries thought process. But there is a glimmer of hope in this country with the young and the restless thinking about the country much more than the earlier generations did. Changing the mindset of a whole nation is close to impossible. But if you can try to change ten people around you, it would make a huge impact.

So what is the solution to the road rage? I swear I do not have a clue. But at least I thought I should do my bit by stopping at red light. I try to stand right in the middle of the road so that I can block at least 3-4 people behind me from skipping the signal. If at all I am caught for not carrying any documents, I try to get a proper receipt for the fine imposed and also would ask the cop which section I am booked under. This is one area in which I respect the West. The ticket system is so organized that you would think a thousand times before skipping a signal. Since achieving that is a bit too far away, we can at least start by showing some self discipline while we are on the road. Trying to know what the rules are that govern you. As a small little step towards it you can try to go through the link below that I found which has the different sections under which you can be booked while driving/riding a vehicle in India.

http://www.indiandrivingschools.com/traffic-offences-and-penalties.html

Rather than bribing, try to know the section under which you are booked and get a receipt for the same. And try to resist from jumping the signal and if you are really interested block others from doing so too. Drive Safely!!

Comments others had were:

s_h_r_u_t_i said...

bad infrastructure is one thing.. bad manners, quite another :)
well said.. if we stop to think once everytime we take to the roads, our cities would be so much the better for it. it aint like these are hidden truths. no one just bothers.

Divs said...: Its great that you do the things u do... the receipt and stuff. Some lines about changing the system in the middle reminded me of rang de basanti! We definitely cant change the country... i guess the next time i stand at a signal, i'll think of this post :)
Ramaa Iyer said...: Can't help it Vinod..Believe me the scene is something similar in Chenaai.Can't stop bribery in the grass root level which is where the problem actually lie
Vinod R Iyer said...: Shruti: All I am saying is Let us not be in the list of "no one who bothers"

Divs: Quite a compliment that. And yes, RDB has been an inspiration to many.

Ramaa: Ofcourse we cannot stop bribery overnight. But we can take it upon us that we will not bribe ...
barbi said...

found u from ramaa iyer's blog. are u his brother?

the number of accidents is increasing and the number of lifes lost besides injuries is painful.

it requires a basic sense called discpline. wat is gonna happen if i wait that 3 seconds in which orange turns green.
most stupid people hurry. hang them!

Aparna.G said...

Hehe! Very true maan! Very true! But, tell me, do you follow the rules @ all times, no matter where you are going??? Be true to yourself.. I think you should set an example for others.. & watch 'Traffic Signal' - you get a whole new perspective to what happens @ the signal!!

I say, lets start a revolution! Be it Chennai or Delhi or Mumbai Or Blore - all the metros, and now, as you say it, even non-metros are highly indiscplined people! There must be something we can do about it!

Vinod R Iyer said...: Barbi: All iyers are not brothers and sisters mate :) .. She is just a blog friend of mine..

And yes cant agree with u more

Aparna: Revolution ...Count me in ...
King Julian said...: Hi Vinod,

Great post - I've been living in Pune for the last four years and every single word rings true. Thanks for the link - I've bookmarked it and sent to the other people in my group at work.

You might find this hilarious, but there are cases where people pay more than the actual fine out of ignorance, thinking that they are saving money by not asking for a receipt. Hope we can slowly change the system by convincing everyone to pay the actual amount and get a receipt.
Prince Kazarelth said...

Ha! Come to Calcutta and say that!!
Meh, well. Being a driver in Calcutta is tough...

Good blog you got here...

Uma said...

Like they say in RDB.. "Welcome to India" Vinod !

No one is proud of the bribe culture we have here. But I dont think, anyone does anything about it either.

I am sorry..I am not pointing fingers..I am generalizing ..and that includes me as well !

By the way..thank you for your comment on my blog !

Vinod R Iyer said...: King:Great to know that the link was useful

Prince:Lets just say .. Driving in India is an art !!

Uma: Lets raise our voice rather than pointing fingers. Thanks for dropping by

GPL - Ab aur kya kya dekhna padega!!

2007-04-07T02:21:00.000-07:00

Did you get to watch this new show on MTV called GPL ? This is one of the most absurd shows I have ever seen in my life. As the Indian media gets a rush of the reality shows, this show comes in as yet another trial to increase their TRPs. The concept is that two people will try and woo this guy or girl who eventually they would get to date! It is usually two guys trying to fight for a girl or two girls trying to fight for a guy. At the end the guy/girl gets to choose which person he/she wants to go out with. They call it MTV Gehre Pyar pe Laath. I would call it Reality shows ke naam pe dhabba. I am not talking in a cultural or ethical view point. But the whole idea itself is so yucky that I would consider it as a disgrace to MTV.

In the episode I saw, there were these two girls who would literally fight amongst each other like dogs do in mating season!! One girl was showing her dancing and singing skills while the other had a beach game with this guy. And I can’t see why on earth one would want to participate in such a show. I always go around saying that my life is heading nowhere. But seeing these guys, I get a big breath of relief.

MTV is supposed to represent the gen next. And if this is our gen next then god save our country.

Comments others had were:

Hiren said...: You can say that again.
Teal said...: i dont get MTV. al thanks to bloody CAS!
but i wudnt watch such a show either.. geee-sus!
s_h_r_u_t_i said...

reality shows just seem to portray reality in very unfavourable terms dont they! God save gen-next

Vinod R Iyer said...: Hiren:Yes, and it is the fact !

Teal:Thanks for dropping by my blogspace.You wouldn't watch it a second time for sure !

Shruti: Thanks for dropping by my blogspace...Not all.But most of them are turning out to be just planned things being incacted!!
Ramaa Iyer said...: Hey Vinod..Nice blog you have got here & btw we seem to share the same taste in music :)
San said...

But such programmes do work and even though they don't cater for everyones needs they do count for that small fraction who actually watches such programmes.

Vinod R Iyer said...: Ramaa: Thanks. Do we? Thts cool

San: Hmm ..may b it does. But surely is an insane idea!!
Aparna.G said...

O! so, thats what the show was abt! I saw it in mute on MTV while surfing thru blogs!

I swear, if this is on MTV, what happens to Gen next? Even if this is not what they r thinking, they wil now!! So much for progressive thoughts!

Vinod R Iyer said...: Aparna: Cant agree more. I wish my TV was on mute too :)

I killed the Cat

2007-04-07T02:19:00.000-07:00

Yes, I have finally killed it. (Read it properly… I didn’t say I have cracked it!!).

The exam season has started and started with a bang this time. It is the mother of all exams CAT that is first in line. This is the third time I am attempting the CAT. It is almost like a part of my life now. Come November and there I am trying to find a way into the bus, which is a short cut to success. And this time it has to be my best attempt. Given that I could win over my stupid, dumb, lazy conscience and take those books in my hand to prepare. The first time around, it was more of a trip to Chennai that prompted me to write it. Then I got into the big, dead world of software industry. So gave a shot at CAT again last year thinking that miracles do happen (I later realized that 90% of the people over here thought the same). Come on, if miracles do not happen, then the faith of people in miracles would go away!! This time it was a more stream lined effort. I am not saying I have been burning mid night tube light for the past 6 months. But ya by my standards, I did put in a lot of effort.

It was amazing to see the responses of the people when I told them I am giving the CAT again. My friends were celebrating the fact that I had hit a hat- trick. One of my friends called me up in the morning of the day of the cat and said “Many many happy returns of the day man!!!”. I laughed my head out. Yet another response was “Why don’t you give the money to charity rather than donating it to the Institutes every year”. And one of my best friends,Sankar, was telling me ”Nammalle kondu ithonnum pattula dei”(These things are not in our reach man). May be that was the truth. And at times you have to accept some things for what they are. But I thought I shouldn’t regret later that I did not try.

In fact I had a detailed discussion with Pillayar (Ganpati) on the day before the CAT. It went something like this:

Me: Please let me crack it this time!!
Him: No
Me: What? Why? Don’t I deserve this time atleast?
Him: No
Me: Come on. I have even studied this time.
Him: How much?
Me: Ok .. Not like people who spend a year through out with full hearted effort. But still…
Him: Exactly. What do I tell them then ?
Me: What about my talent. Don’t you think I deserve it just for that?
Him: Ya right. Thank me that you have reached this far in life.
Me: Hmm …Please please please … 108 thengas? (108 nariyals)
Him: Nope.
Me: I can’t fail this time. All my friends will laugh at me.
Him: Whatever. You reap as you sow.
Me: Ok fine. I will give my best tomorrow in the hall. If you think I deserve then get me through. Ok ?
Him: Ok ..Let me see. But chill. See I postponed the release of GURU’s music just for you. Now be happy listening to that.

May be I will make it this time. May be I won’t. But whatever the result is I will take it with all my heart. And as I retire from the CAT Test takers community, here is wishing the entire CAT lovers the best of luck. May the CAT god bless you all!!

Comments others had were:

Anonymous said...: hmmmm......all the best to u too!
s_h_r_u_t_i said...

dint u ever think of askin Ganapathi "how many times do u have people CAT-ing it a THIRD time! doesnt the perseverance get me in? " :D
Bestaluk!

scipio said...

ROFLLLLLLLL!!!

You really took the sting outta the defeat man...
Kudos!!!

Anonymous said...: "But I thought I shouldn’t regret later that I did not try" ...this is the thought that will help you move on from those CAT days..and take on the software industry with a new perspective! Good luck!
Vinod R Iyer said...: Anonymous1: Thank u !!

Shruti: Preseverance is a virtue alrigt!! Danks to u too :)

Scipio:Life is like that mate :)

Anonymous2: Well ....The game is not over yet!! :)
Deepa said...: Meow, may you come out successful! BTW, whats language did Sankar speak to you in? I didn't quite get it.
Divs said...: I laughed out loud too! For many many happy returns of the day! hehe that was cute. And... Good luck this time! Am sure pillayar kai vidamataar!
Vinod R Iyer said...: Deepa: That was mallu .. To be specific ..Trivandum mal :)

Divs: Avarku irrukkarade 4 kai ..paavam evalo pera kai vidama pidichupaaru :D...lets c !!
Ramaa Iyer said...: Hey don't worry..Seri Verbal sema toughnu i heard this time?How did you find it to be?
Vinod R Iyer said...: Ramaa: It was tough. And when your strong point becomes tough it is all the more painful!! :)
Anonymous said...: da, modhs gave me this link...

hehe, hope ur blogs are not deleted by a cracker! just back 'em up... mine were deleted da...

ur ex-roomie+dost

don't post a reply back to me, i probably won't come back... my blogs got hacked and were deleted, so i lost interest in 'em... ciao!
Vinod R Iyer said...: Thanks a lot man ..will do that :)

GURU - Out of the world !!!

2007-04-07T02:15:00.000-07:00

It has been a week now since I bought GURU. And my music box is working over time. Boss is back!! And whenever Rahman’s music releases it gives me a kind of anxiety. From Dil Se, I have always waited for the music release of all his albums. The latest one was no different. And when it is a Mani-ARR combo then the anxiety doubles. It is good music guaranteed.

I will not be reviewing the album simply because of couple of reasons. One, I don’t have the musical knowledge to do so and two I think all(except may be very very few) of Rahman’s songs are good. I just wanted to express my thoughts as I listen to the 7 songs.

“Damdara Damdara Mast Mast” sang Rahman in an interview at the launch of the music. “Tere Bina” is an instant hit. It is unlike a Rahman song in the sense that you would like it instantly rather than at the 4th or 5th hearing. Watch out for Rahman’s vocal abilities when he sings “Aaja Chakri ke mare”!!! And it was good to hear Chinmayee singing in Hindi.

The first song that appealed to me in the album was “Ae Hayratein Aashiqui”. After a long time Hariharan has sung for Rahman. And was it worth a wait or what. The way in which Hariharan twists and turns his voice is magical. Call me if you want to hear the song. J

I have this strange habit where a line from the song gets into my head and I keep singing it till I hear it again. Sadly for my friends, I picked up this line from the song “Ek lo ek muft”. It is a sharaabi song. And I was singing like a sharaabi all the while. I wonder if Bappi Lahri sang it after a couple drinks too. So much natural it is. I bet it would funny to watch too.

“Baazi laga” and “Barso Re” are typical Rahman stuff. You would feel it is just another song. But when you hear it 10-15 times it would keep ringing in your head. Shreya Goshal and Udit Narayanan has done their job with ease.

“Mayya” has been sung by Mayyam Toller, an Arabic singer. The rhythm of the song is just breathtaking. It surely would make you dance. The song is complex least to say. Only Rahman could have come up with this number going away from the 1-2-3 1-2-3 style of songs.

And now coming to the song of the album –“Jaage hain”. The first time I heard this song I was thinking that here is one intense song. And I was not wrong. Masterpieces do not come very often. And here was one. Golden lines by Gulzar Sahab and Rahman has sung it like no one could.

“Jaage hain der tak humein
Kuch Der sone do
Thodi si raat aur hai
Subuha toh hone do

Aadhe adhure Khwaab jo
Pure na ho sake
Ek Baar phir se neend mein
Wo khwaab hone do.”

The fourth time I heard the song I cried. I do not know why. There was no reason for me to cry. But I just couldn’t block them. When I heard the song it just took me into another level and I just sat there weeping. Thank you Rahman !!

I rate a Rahman's album in 3 ways. 1)Good 2)Excellent and 3) Out of the world. Guru ofcourse is Out of the world.

The CD cover gives credit to each and evey musician involved in it and even to the dilect coach. I can’t wait to see the movie now and I am sure Mani Ratnam would do justice to the songs. I just pray that Rahman keeps composing for a long time and I just keep listening to him.

Comments others had were:

Anonymous said...: khush raho!
Sushma said...: I totally get the crying for apparently no reason. A song CAN move a person to cry just because of the mood it sets. Not that Jaage Hain is a sad number, it's just very very moving! Neat review! Like I said, the songs gives me goosebumps when I listen to it even now. More so, I just have to THINK of the song and I get goosebumps! Yep! This one's definitely an Out-of-the-worlder!
Rahmanic said...: Hi dude nice review man..surely Guru is out the world.
Hats of to our Boss..
visit my blog http://rahmanic.blogspot.com and leave ur comments for my take on guru.
Vinod R Iyer said...: Anonymous : !!

Sushma: Great to know that there is someone else too who thinks in a similar way

Rahmaniac: Thnks. WIll surely do.
Shruti said...: confused.. i thought i dropped in a comment here yestday but dont see it now!
Vinod R Iyer said...: shruti : Strange ! Can u re-do it if you dont mind :)
s_h_r_u_t_i said...

here goes - "and yet, barso re appealed to me first. lol.. and jage hain does truly strike a chord"

San said...

totally loved this album, read more here

Ramaa Iyer said...: Same here with Jaage hain..Soul searching voice & lyrics to match it.I like Ilayaraja's voice coz i used to think that noone can sing like him but hey when ARR started,i knew i was wrong.And once again our man's done the magic.Kewl that we share similar tastes
Aparna.G said...

As much as I like Rahman, I think his style of music comes out as classy after a series of crappy or monotonous stuff.. Roja was one of the most brilliant movies - in every sense! Right now, any music without Himesh on it will be a hit! :D

Vinod R Iyer said...: Shruti: Thanks for the re-post:)

San:Will do

Ramaa: His singing has always been under-rated. Ye jo Des hai tera in Swades is an example

Aparna: Spare the poor guy :) .BTW it is his(Himesh's)album that sells !!
Ramaa Iyer said...: Absoultely..Same goes with Vellai Pookal from KNM

Life is a lesson ..You learn it when u r through !

2007-04-07T02:14:00.000-07:00

The line out of the Limp Bizkit song is so true. I have been out of action for sometime when it comes to blogging. And I got to learn a few things during this time.

1)Never go for swimming in a public pool in rainy season : It was one of the things in my “want to do list” for a long time. But the time I chose was perhaps wrong. My good friend Sarin and me decided to learn swimming. We thought we would learn it in 15 days and then swim across the Atlantic. Well not only did we not learn it; we ended up with having jaundice. It is tough when you are down with any kind of illness. When you whole body goes for a toss and you just not are in control. But it is worse when you have to do it alone! I still remember getting dehydrated in the middle of the night. It’s amazing how wonderfully a human body works. You don’t faint while sleeping. So it will wake you up and make you faint! The walk from my bed to kitchen to make a cup of tea for myself was like participating in a marathon!

2)Never travel alone when you are ill: Thanks to the airhostess who came up to me and covered me with a blanket. I was down and out. For once I was thankful that I was flying Air India! I had almost missed the flight. After a 6 hour journey from Pune to Mum(which normally would take 3 hrs) , I was running at full speed to catch the flight. I couldn’t believe that I was running .In the bus I couldn’t feel my legs. I bet the thermometer would have soared past 100, had I used one.

3)There is no place on earth like Home: And no one loves you more than your parents. And I mean NO one. I felt relieved once I reached home. I could see the concern in my Amma’s and Appa’s faces. And it felt so good to just lie there in my bed. Half the illness was cured there.

4)Doing nothing is the toughest thing on earth: That coming from one of the most laziest persons living. For around a month I was lying on my bed staring at the ceiling. TV was junk. No access to mails, blogs or any kind of entertainment. I thought I could do nothing and yet enjoy life. But I guess I was wrong. The period made me lazier. But it was great to catch up with lots of things you missed out in your daily routine.

5)Map your future, But do it with a pencil: I missed one of my best friend’s wedding and with it a lot other things while I was down with illness. I had planned one month in advance a trip home and also attending her marriage. But then had to change plans! Life never comes through as you plan it. Why do you think the airline companies give low price tickets with no refund? Half of the booking would be cancelled or rescheduled! That’s when you realize how important it is to have a plan B.

6)Birthday is also one of the 365 days: Just passed a Quarter of Century living in this planet last month. And as usual the b'day chills were running on me. Who all would call? Who all would remember it? Would I get a gift ? How many people would I have to treat?I realised that it was not only me who went through this. Each and every person does and that too each and every year.It was a quite b'day with just some good wishes and blessings from my friends.Quite relieving to escape the bums.But the fact remained that it was just another day.And it should always be that way I believe.Ok..you are born on that day.So what? You want the world to celebrate it?Atleast a million people would be celebrating birthdays everyday.But the fun around it never seem to end.

7)Gandhi was not that bad: What ? Gandhi- Bad ?? Yes. I was one of those people who thought that gandhian idea ruined out country. I presumed him to be a guy who went begging to the British for independence. I thought the bhagat singh way was much better. Drive them out of the country. I still do. I would have loved to have Bhagat singh as the first prime minister of India. Anyways, seeing Lage Raho Munnabhai changed my opinion to a large extend. Gandhi was not that bad. He was doing something, which a normal man would have never done. Not only did he follow ahimsa and non-violence. He inspired a whole generation to do so. I admire him for his marketing skills!! Imagine driving the whole nation into believing that they can do it his way to get independence. And now coming back in a movie and inspiring the next generation. Hats off to Raju Hirani for a wonderful movie. A wonderful thought. I know the effect of the movie wouldn’t last long. But if he can influence at least ten people who watched the movie, he can pat himself on his back. And by the way, the movie was awesome. The perfect blend of humor and drama. And with my darling Vidya in it …I am buying a DVD least to say!Gandhigiri –A good thought which is tough to practice. We need another Gandhi to preach it all over again.

8)India is not going to win the champions trophy: Sad but true. I hope I go terribly wrong on this. But I feel I wouldn’t. With the ‘crazy chap’ doing his experiments to derail the Indian cricket, I don’t see them performing up to their caliber. May be some individual performances would save a day or two for the team but eventually the absurd strategies would back fire. Again I wish I were pathetic at predictions.

The first part of this writing would seem like I want to be a sentimental hero like Dada. But the fact is I am a forget head. Few months down the lane I would forget all about these things which I don’t want to do. I want to come back and see this space, which would tell me that life is not that easy. And I have to learn from these lessons which life tries to teach me.

Comments others had were:

aditi said...: I completely agree with you on points 1-6 !! very well written ! :-)

Vinod R Iyer said...: Thanks Aditi ..

Oh my God, Get out of here!!

2007-04-07T02:13:00.000-07:00

The two lines synonymous to two of the greatest shows I love: FRIENDS & SEINFELD. I remember seeing the pilot of friends on star world. It was kinda nice. Then once it was into full flow, it got the nation watching it, like it did to the People in states. I mean Chandler, Ross, Joey, Monica, Pheobee, & Racheal became a part of our lives. I remember watching the show every night and then watching the repeat the next day. It is amazing how the episodes remain fresh even after watching them an umpteen number of times. Chandler Bing would be my personal favorite out of the whole lot. Funny is what funny does! He is my idol when it comes to impromptu speaking. One episode I would watch a million times is the one in which the girls compete against the boys in Ross’s Quiz. I can go on and describe a thousand such episodes but so many others would have done that already. So saving this space!

I thought I wouldn’t be able to live without watching Friends. I thought there was no show, which could match this one. Then came Seinfeld. Even though this show had been telecasted in the US television before I had not heard about it. Like the Americans thought friends is just a replica of Seinfeld, I thought the other way around. But then I had to change my p.o.v soon. This show turned out to be the mother of all shows in the world. It is a show about nothing. Seriously it is. Four people hanging out together in apartments, movies or restaurants. Jerry Seinfeld, Elaine Benis, George Costanza & Cosmic Cramer. I mean, there are no sentiments, drama, friends parting, break ups, make-ups. It is sheer situational comedy. These guys can turn any situation into a comic one. Be it movie watching, Baptism, Anniversary, Break up, shopping: You name it. They can just turn it into a laughter ride. Meet George Costanza. My guru. This guy is one hell of a character. This guy is a born looser. And prides himself of being one. Life to him is nothing but a series of disaster. If any girl likes him he suspects the girl of being abnormal. That’s him. Seinfeld, a comedian himself rocks. Elaine is the most irritating person ever to hit a TV screen. But you would love to have a friend like her. And Cramer. … Hua!! No words to describe his character. The show ended after running for a good four years in US. And what was the last episode? No it was not friends parting off to different locations. All four of them end up in Jail!!
Kudos to Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld for a fantastic show.

All right, why am I blogging about them? There would be a million blogs written around the globe praising the shows. But yet these two shows made a difference to my life. It changed the way I look things. These people inspire half the humour that I crack. These guys taught me how to be funny. Not that I am an amazing comedian now. But whatever little comedy occurs in my life is a tribute to these characters. There have been several occasions when I face some situation, then remember an episode from one of the two shows and laugh by myself. My only concern is that people would think I am mad laughing away by myself. But do I care!

Life is full of problems and unsolved situations. But if you could view that from a comic angle the depth of the situation lessens. After a day’s work (or no work) spending an hour watching these two shows makes my head feel lighter. And if I were to rate the two I would say 49-51 in favor of Seinfeld. It would be great if they were to come back and do a season more. Waiting for it like a million others.

Comments others had were:

Kirthi said...: Ahh those r my fav shows too. I like Elaine, because I've been through some of those exasperating situations she experiences and Kramer is so looney. I guess I like Chandler too. He is not too dumb, not too over intelligent and has a gr8 sense of humor.
Vinod R Iyer said...: Kirthi: Thanks for dropping by my blogspace! So which one would you pick over the other ?

Khosla & Dor - The eveolving phase of hindi movies

2007-04-07T02:11:00.000-07:00

Hindi movie industry has matured. It was in its teens till lately. Suddenly it has come of age. There is a stream of movies, which no one would have dared to make a few years back. Be it Omkara, Dor,Khosla ka ghosla, or Pyar ke side effects. These movies are bringing in a thing called variety into the hindi films.

Khosla Ka Ghosla: Feel Good!

Saw this movie on the 4th week of its screening. Heard from a couple of friends that it is a must watch. So there I was, watching a movie with no real stars in it. The first scene gives you a clear indication of how the movie is going to be. Simple, but realistic. All the actors from Anupam Kher to Boman Irani just sink into the characters with ease. You suddenly realize the amazing pool of talent present in the country. Parvin Dabas,Ranvir Shorey & Vinay Pathak(Channel V VJs), navin nischo(From Dekh Bhai Dekh). Even the girl who plays Ranvir’s younger sister. All have done a fantastic job. Amazing script and a brilliant screenplay. Watch out for the walking style of Boman Irani. This guy is just too good. Dibakar Banerjee, the first time director is someone to watch out for. It was great to watch a full length situational comedy movie. You feel really light in your head after you walk out of the movie. And you will be singing the song “Ye duniya ut pattanga” as you come out.

Dor: A beautiful Movie

A beautiful movie: That’s what it is. I have seen the Malayalam version of this movie in bits and parts. But since Nagesh Kukunoor was making it, I was sure that it would be somewhat different. And he didn’t dissapoint me. The Malayalam version was a really depressing one. But Dor in the end turned out to be a high class drama and an inspirational one at that. First up, a round of applause for Ayesha Takia, Gul Panag and Shreyas. The story runs between Gul and Ayesha with shreyas playing a cameo. Shot extensively from the greens of Himachal to the rustiness of Rajasthan, the movie is a visual treat. The only complaint you might have is that it is slow paced except for the scenes that feature shreyas. But again you can expect that from a hard-core drama. Screenplay remains Kukunoor’s strength and the wit he can produce is classy. I was watching a movie alone for the first time and was I glad that it was Dor. The song “Yeh hosla kaise jhuke” is a classic. Great music by Salim sulaiman and an amazing words --

“Raah pe kaante bhikre agar,
Uspe toh phir bhi chalna hi hai
Laakh chupale suraj magar
Raath ko ek din dalna hi hai

Rut ye tal jayegi
Himmat rang layegi
Suhuha phir aayegi”

Comments others had were:

Hiren said...: Nagesh kukunoor has really evolved as a filmmaeker from his hyderbad blues. Though I have read many reviews of both, after reading this, I feel they are a mustwatch.
Vinod R Iyer said...: Hiren : Yes he has evolved big time! Thanks for dropping by my blogspace

Iyerish Musings

2007-04-07T02:08:00.000-07:00

"Pyar soch samajhkar nahi kiya jaata ; Bus ho jaata hai
Agar aisa hai toh mein woh pyar ko hone hi nahi deta"

Akash couldn’t keep his words and fell in love with Shalini. So what about you Mr.Iyer?

Around 65 % of the Indian middle class youngsters stick to arranged marriage (BTW 44.3% of statistics is useless!). And around 80 % of them I guess would have given up on their love just because of pressure from their parents. No, this is not a preview of any Hindi movie. Nor is it an age-old debate of Arranged Marriage Vs Love marriage. These are just musings of a middle-middle class Iyer guy. (Relax Amma. I am not trying to tell you something through this :))

The fact is that most of the TamBrahms are conservative when it comes to marrying their child off to a guy/girl of different caste (forget religion). Even more so are the Marwadis or the Kobras or Shastris(Not even considering the muslims). In fact we can generalize this to a wider range of communities in India. So caught in between the devil (love) and the deep sea (society) are the young minds.

We all know that when Cupid strikes it is really tough to resist. It might be the lamest of the reasons; like I cant live without looking at her eyes; he is so caring and sensitive; both of us like Hum Aapke hain Kaun etc etc. But it does drive people crazy. So much that they would go to any extremes for him/her. Thanks to the movies that give a million permutations and combinations of the ways in which love unfolds, wins, fights or loses, we are never short of examples of a lover’s tale. So when you do realize that you are in love with someone, would you be able to resist?

I know every individual has the right to shape his life up. And a life partner is the most important part of it. But in out society where parents are still not open minded and secular enough, should we take a risk? I call it a risk because many a times you might be able to convince them that your decision is not erratic. And if they do not approve of it then starts the battle. Elope, register your marriage, come with a baby in one year’s time and ask your parents to forget everything. So is it really worth this fight. Should you hurt your mom and dad’s sentiments? After all they lived their life for you!

So now starts the struggle: To find someone of your same clan and fall in love. How much ever stupid that sounds! I mean, you can’t go to girl and say, “I love You. Would you like to spend the rest of your life with me? Err …By the way you are an Iyer right!!”
Like love in itself is not complicated enough! As you try day in and day out to sustain it, and at last decide that she/he is the one, there comes the problem of meeting the parents! Probably people have been there and done that would be able to explain the intricacies of the whole thing.

Is it really possible to step aside and defend the Cupid when it strikes? When you meet some one who is so meant for you. Some one with whom you will be happy to spend the rest of your life with. Or should you just go into a shell and be narrow-minded?
I guess this confusion would occur only to a set of people. Some wouldn’t even understand what I am talking about. People from the west would laugh out loud at this. Sometimes I wonder if their approach to life is much more simpler. Like a daughter would go to her mom and say “Mumma, I am getting married” and the mother would jump and embrace the girl and say “Oh honey, I am so happy for you!” But since I am in the part of the world where people are not that broad minded (but perhaps sensible), I would think a million times before venturing taking the devil’s side! And in the end I guess I would decide to kick away the cupid. What about you ?

Comments others had were:

Divs said...: Just came across your blog...And well, i couldn't agree more with all that you said in this post! But ofcourse, there's always the hope that your parents will ultimately understand...and put your happiness first if cupid ever tempts u and makes things happen. After all, they're appa and amma! :D We all live in hope!

“I love You. Would you like to spend the rest of your life with me? Err …By the way you are an Iyer right!!” ---LOL!

And abt cupid...we'll think abt it when it strikes!

Vinod R Iyer said...: Divs : Thnks for the motivation :D.

Ya ..let us indeed hope :)
Divs said...: I dont usually leave comments on blogs of people i dont know personally, but this post was just too tempting! And went thro your other posts also... Nice blog!
Anonymous said...: Well there are a lot of reasons to prefer arranged marriage over love marriage.
1. You end up compromising a lot more if your partner is not your same religion/caste. Again it depends on how important religion is in your daily life. But even simple things like eating and cooking food become issues. If you belong to the same caste perhaps the way your food is cooked/eaten is almost the same.

2. You are willing to tolerate a lot more of a person you consider your friend. But when you begin to live with him/her all those things you shrugged off as an idiosyncracy might seem outright idiotic to you. Things like cleanliness or even TV channels.

3. In India you still marry into a family. So you are not just putting up with one idiosyncratic person, but actually two or three!

4. Life changes after marriage. Maybe some stats can show you that romance goes onto the backburner post-marriage.

5. Yes its very nice to believe in the ideal of love which rises beyond the petty things I have stated above. But this is a real world with real people with real egos. And I am not saying that the arranged marriages are free from any clashes. But just to give you some food for thought, even some Brits think arranged marriage is by far the best way to go about it.
Vinod R Iyer said...: Divs: Thnks. You are welcome to comment on my blog.Criticisms will also be accepted :). I too do a lot of blogtrotting and leave coments on other's blogs.So no issues at all.

Anonymous: Thanks for the food for thoughts. I assume it is experience speaking ?! As I said I m not debating arranged marriage Vs Love marriage. But i have to agree with you about the love lacking after marriage in a love marriage thing. At the end of the day compromise is what rules the roast I guess.
Anonymous said...: love or arranged...u have to adjust and compromise everywhere...iyer non iyer...differences and different world views will crop up ...
koi gurantee nahi hota hai...
padma said...: comments...no coments..!
Vinod R Iyer said...: Anonymous: Compromise is THE word I guess !!

Padma: Come on, You can do much better than that :)
s_h_r_u_t_i said...

nice one!
but i guess u pretty much said it all :)
and for the Sociey of Aware Iyers ( ;) ), i guess it only means that we shudnt let cupid IN in the first place to shut it out later.. :D

Anonymous said...: your blog says a lot...but let me tell you ...there are so many like you who decide to kick off CUPID simply because of such differences..life is like that man!
Vinod R Iyer said...: Shruti: People in love say it is not so easy to shut it out :)

Anonymous: I know...I am one among the lot!!!
Sushma said...: Don't believe in love. It's all just chemistry. Once the chemicals stop coursing through your body, what are you left with? A listless marriage and no parental support. I don't know, I'm guessing that my parents(even tho Iyers) aren't too bothered with the caste, religion (etc,etc,etc) of the guy, as much as what kind of a person he is. I kind of feel the same way. I know, I know(!) when I say I don't believe in love, people invariably say that that's because I've never experienced it. Somehow I doubt that will ever happen. If you've seen what Surya has to say to Esha Deol on the bike in Aayutha Ezhuthu, you'll get what I mean.
Vinod R Iyer said...: X Chromosomes , Y chromosomes , XX chromosomes, XY chromosomes !! :)
Athupadi :D

You know what ? If u had said this a few years back I might just have agreed with you. May b u ll get to know too :)

Thanks for dropping by my blogspace

Your Attention Please

2007-04-07T02:06:00.000-07:00

Hindi Film music has always been flying high. There is no second opinion on the fact that composing music is an art. And only a blessed few would have it in them. Many a tune comes to my head. But when I analyze it, it would have a similarity to some other note. Else I would just lose the tune in 5 minutes. So I admire even a Sajid-Wajid for their capability to pull out the whole song. From Naushad sahab to Rahman and many more to come, this is one industry which has been progressing through out.

Amongst the thousands of musicians that come and go there are many who do not get rewarded for their good work. Just wanted to list out a few names who deserve more than the appreciation they get. And I am not going into the past since I don’t want the past Vs present debate to kick off.

1.Vishal Bharadwaj: From Maachis to Omkaara this is one guy who has delivered consistently. I agree he has the great company of Gulzaar Sahab in lyrics in almost all his compositions. But still to produce such soulful music time and again can be done only by a genius. Betaabi, Jahan Tum Le Chalo, hu tu tu, Satya, Love ke liye, sunset point, omkara all have a master touch of his.
2.Ranjith Barot: Remember the Nescafe ad tune? It is this guy’s work of art. There was a period when Annu Mallik produced some great compositions. Like Ashoka, Yadein, Border. Ranjith Barot was assisting him in all the movies. They did not put forth his name as a guest composer but some of the songs were so not of Annu Mallik’s Caliber (Again no offence meant!). Holiday (if u know the movie) has a few amazing numbers by him.
3.Vishal & Shekar: The duo has an amazing chemistry. They just rock! Jhankaar beats was a masterpiece. Suno na is one of my all time favorites. These guys can range their compositions from typical hindi movie stuff to rap numbers. Bluffmaster was too good. And can u forget Allah ke Bandeh? Gold it was.
4.Harris Jayaraj: Hindi audiences rack up your brains. RHTDM strikes a chord ? This guy is a big name in south. Although he produces amazing numbers he has to live with the shadow of A.R.Rahman. Just like Sehwag lives in the shadow of Sachin!! Zara Zara(Vaseegara) is a timeless piece. The word was around that ARR did that composition for him. But he followed it up with great numbers in tamil movies to prove his worth. May be he could be a bit more consistent in his work.
5.M.M Kreem: Awarapan Banjarapan …. Such a melancholic note it is that I at times fear to listen to it lest I breakdown. Yet another guy who is provided with very less chance in the industry. Even changing his name from Maragadamani to M.M Kreem did not help! Hope to hear more from this guy.
6.Sandeep Chowta: Not sure why RGV left this guy. He produced some amazing scores in the RGV company. Also you should hear his score in a telugu movie called "Super".It was mind blowing.I do not understand a word of telugu,but saw the movie just for the songs!!

I could go on and list a lot more names. But these are the deserving candidates that I chose. I would give them an award each for the sheer talent they have in them. While we are celebrating the Himeshs and Pritams of the world just spare a thought for these guys. And please do let me know if you could think of anyone else!

Ps: Missed Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy purposefully since they seem to be getting what they deserve after years of perseverance.

Comments Others had were:

Pavs said...: hmmm nice but why aren u writting more??
Pavs said...: I mean to say.. why no new posts!!
Vinod R Iyer said...: Pavs:Haven't had access to blogs for a while at home ..Now that I m back to work there will be more blogs :)
Anusha Parthasarathy said...: I have heard of the myth behind Vaseegara composition too...

Harris is consistent these days...He won the filmfare a week back for his superb scores in Anniyan and Ghajini...
Vinod R Iyer said...: Anusha: Oh ya he is !

Loved his sutrum vizhi chudare & Uyire en uyire scores !

2007-04-07T02:04:00.000-07:00

"Music, like life is simple. If you try to understand it, it gets complicated"

A thought I just came up with while returning from my music class!!
(Need the copywrite & so blogging it:))

Wat say ?

Comments Others had were:

Sayesha said...: GOLD! :D

And amazing thought. Very very true :)
scipio said...: Too cool!!

I once tried to say something on the same lines...

It goes like this...

"I sometimes wish that life wasn't this complicated. Then I realize that it is these complexities that make some men greater than others"

:)
ada-paavi!!!! said...: i agree :) awesome

Anonymous said...: hmmm..interesting!...
Vinod R Iyer said...: Sayesha: Thnks ... From the Horse's mouth :-0 :)

Scipio: Thnks mate. .. Have been wondering what ur name could be :)

Ada-Paavi: :)

Anonymous: Why not leave ur name next time around!
chitra said...: True, the seven sur can bring about the most complicated ragas........

BTW, what r u learning , instrumental or Vocal.
scipio said...: You mean "scipio"?
Try here
One of these days I shall be writing a post on this.
Vinod R Iyer said...: Chitra:Me learning Carnatic Classical(Vocal). Dont ask me for how many years.Just started a month ago!!

scipio:Cool ..Do that.For that matter I would like to know ur real name too!
Anusha Parthasarathy said...: Hi Vinod

U r learning carnatic vocal? Cool...I am a trained carnatic vocalist. Learnt it for 6 years...
Vinod R Iyer said...: Me just started 2 months back ..carnatic vocals :)

Red Card for Green Card

2007-04-07T02:02:00.000-07:00

‘Mittal Strikes Steel’ read the newspaper after the day he struck a deal with Arcelor. It was great to see an Indian calling the shots and heading the world’s largest steel company. Later on the Mittal-Arcelor group announced large investments in India (Orissa). Lakshmi Mittal featured in the list of world’s richest men.

The whole thing made me think about writing something on this one topic, which is very close to my heart – Brain Drain. Going to a foreign country to make a living. Let me get things straight – I am not talking about the public who go out for business purpose for a short term (including the on-siters). I am talking about people who go and settle abroad for good. People who would die to become the citizen of that country. People who proclaim to miss their country and its traditions. I had always advocated the fact that you should not leave your motherland and serve another nation, just because things are better out there. No, I am not writing Swades’ review here. But yes, the idea is something that I would treasure.

I know there is a huge amount of revenue that comes in from NRIs. Yet, wouldn’t the country been richer by n times if they were to serve here in the country. Keeping in mind all the disadvantages (population, illiteracy, joblessness…) the country is facing, wouldn’t it be better to stay back and fight them. The personal gains somehow easily over-ride the major cause that should concern them. Let me put it this way. How would you like it if Sachin chooses to play for Australia just because he would earn more there?

In all the debates I had a chance to talk on this topic, I have always stood against the idea of settling abroad. But when I saw Mittal, who has been settled in the US for a while now come back and invest such a huge amount of money, it made me re-think on the whole topic. Is there a chance that this guy could have grown so fast if he were to set his base in India rather than the US? I believe not. I mean, even though the Ambani’s are setting an empire of their own in the country, it would take them a hell of a lot of time before they start acquiring international firms. But still, wouldn’t you rather be an Ambani than a Mittal?

Ask a Japanese guy to ditch his country and come he would tell you to take a walk. That is one nation where people have worked their ass out to take their nation to the level, which they are in. Agreed, we Indians are lazy by nature and we all want the easier way out. All we do is to sit back and blame the system and rue about our misfortunes of being in this country. Trust me. I have seen people who would do anything to get a job in the US. Or to marry someone who has a job in the US. If the best brains in the country are to leave, how do we expect to grow fast?

I don’t expect things to change anytime soon in the near future. If Ashutosh Gowariker couldn’t change things Vinod Iyer certainly cannot! I know for sure that I wouldn’t consider settling abroad.

Tu na poochh raaste mein kaahe
Aaye hain is tarha do raahein
Tu hi toh hai raah jo sujhaaye
Tu hi toh hai ab jo ye bataaye
Chaahe toh kis disha mein jaaye wahi des

Comments others had were:

Prabu Karthik said...: >>How would you like it if Sachin chooses to play for Australia just because he would earn more there?

Made me think again on this issue.

But actually such things have already started happening right?

Petersen playing for England?
scipio said...: Totally agree with you... but the fact remains that enterprising individuals are not encouraged by the government and the society here. In fact their progress is impeded.
That said, I would also like to state that people should not be cribbing... instead we should go ahead and try to overcome these hurdles.
Vinod R Iyer said...: Prabhu: Yes it has ...But I think SA is at loss there too ..right ?

Scipio:"To that heaven of freedom, o father,let my country awake" !!
Kirthi said...: I beg to differ here. All this jingoism about staying in the country and working for it does not really cut. Sounds very nice and ideal but how many really make the "difference".
I can give you some reasons why brain drain is good:
1. The competition evens out in our nation. Greater employment opportunities for the "less fortunate" or moderately intelligent.
2. The rate at which our population is growing perhaps even the Indian Ocean will get filled. So by moving out the population is spread better: that indirectly eases the pressure on infrastructure, energy and resource demands.
3. Good demographic distribution of an ethnic race in the world ensures that its presence is felt. Remember out of sight is out of mind. A lot of our presence in the international arena is because of expats.
4. Money transfers: direct foreign revenue.
5. Expats generate awareness about our culture: ISKON, Yoga, Mehendi, Bollywood, Ayurveda all these have become brands on the international arena because of expats. Foreigners visit India looking for them: Foreign revenue indirectly.

If Sachin chooses to play for Australia and does well good for him. Look at Naseer Hussain, Monty Panesar. I don't feel bad.
Vinod R Iyer said...: Kirthi: Thanks for dropping by to my blogspace.

You have several valid points there. Dont wanna debate on a point by point basis.

But I feel the developed countries(economically developed!) have reached where they are not because of their citizens going out and working for others. They go out and acquire other's work!! Thats why I admire TATAs more than Mittals !! If the Yoga and our culture had to spread it would do so on its on merit.Not because of marketing it!

Over and Out !!!

2007-04-07T02:00:00.000-07:00

Over and Out !!!

The other day, I was in my usual routine of having a tea in my office at around 11 am. This is one of the means of spending half an hour’s time!! And discussing worldly important things like movie reviews, cricket controversies, life, etc, etc. One of the senior managers of my company was sitting there. The conversation was something like this:

M: So Vinod, Wat’s up?
Me: Nothing!! Everything is AS USUAL.
M: Come on yaar, you are a billable resource now (A jargon popular in the software industry where company charges the client for hiring me!!!). You are earning in Dollars now.
Me: (fake laughter) I am not earning, the company is earning J
M: Ya. But even the Tea that you are drinking is given by the company!!
Me: Ya. That is why they are giving it free these days, I supposeJ. (And I take off with my tea)

Just after the incident, my friend and me started a conversation. She said “Couldn’t u just have nodded and smiled at what he said. You shouldn’t have reacted to him. He is a senior manager. What would he think about u??”

That was the topic for the day and we debated it with our hearts out. But it made me think a lot as to what people really think about me! Probably that day he would thought ‘what an over-smart’ guy he is!’

I always thought I am a smart, confident, enthusiastic guy. Just add a word “over” to all those attributes; it would still suit me. Infact, coming to think about it, it might suit me better!! I always have found it difficult to find a balance and find a point where I should stop being smart. The line is pretty thin! And once someone thinks you are “over” then it is pretty hard to get back to normal! Then whatever one does will be considered as an act of over doing. And if you exceed the limit then comes the term “show-off” added to your vast range of reputations. I know at least 50% of the people I met might just think that I am a show-off. Probably the other 50% know me!! (Confidence or over-confidence?!)

In that case me writing these things in itself is a show-off!! Why should I write everything and put it in some website instead of writing it in a personal diary? (I hate the idea of writing personal diary anyways!!Why do you have to write one if u don’t want anybody to read it ?!)

But still, I just cannot find the line where it goes “over”! And neither do I have tons of experiences to sit back, think about and learn from. So before it hurts me real badly I should get on to look for the LOC. Probably I should stop chasing my dreams and search for the line instead!! Hey, Have you seen the line by any chance? : )

Comments Others had were:

Joe said...: Don't spent time searhing for LOC, you would never see it.

You know what? You are tooo far from the line..

Joe/

Up Above the verse so high...

2007-04-07T01:57:00.000-07:00

Standing at this point you can see the whole Fort and it’s in the form of a big curve. And that is why the name “Korighad”, said KD: our guide cum leader cum cook cum etc etc. This was my first ever, proper trekking experience. The whole thing started off as a project trip. But as it would be, most dropped out and 8 of us were left.Eight of us on 4 bikes; away we went

Trekking was never my cup of tea. Or, let’s say walking is not. For a lazy bum like me climbing up a two-storied building is a Herculean task. Forget a whole large mountain!I would rather go to a beach trip, on a moonlit night! (Alas!). But still I always liked the idea of camping and living in a tent and stuff. It’s human tendency, I guess, to get back to primitive age.

So away from the mayhems of the urban world we went …

We reached the bottom of the mountain and I asked KD.. “Where is it?”. KD pointed to the top of the mountain and said….”There”. I felt a rock falling on my head! Then we started the long walk. When we reached the top, we could guess why shivaji would build a fort there!! Who is gonna attack him after climbing a mountain..Phew!! All of us, exhausted, were trying to find a place to put our tents. KD said, “This is actually a small trek”. He could say that since he was born to live in the mountains. Manoj had removed his shirt and as Madhu said—He was looking like a “Mallu porn star”(Hope his wife doesn’t read this blog).

It was almost dusk as we reached there. We were exploring the whole area when we came to a point where we could see a huge part of the Amby Valley . We all wished we had brought some eno!! The first words of wisdom came from Sarin. He started yelling at the top of his voice, “You rich F****rs, I hate you!!!”. Roshan followed it up with some desi galis.

The tents were looking cute. KD made soup for all. Knorr soup had never tasted this good!! Then all got settled down to the main purpose of the trip- “Cheers!”. I had not had a hard drink before (Ya ya …I am one of those guys who is not a born drinker). But I wanted to try it out just once to know what the hell the world is so crazy about (If u didn’t notice I am trying to portray my good boy image!). After months of thinking I decided to give it a go that day!! Sandeep was the only non-drinker! I could really relate to what he was feeling. He would have the right to eat all the ‘chaknas’. They made my first drink as hard as possible! I had mixed feelings about it. I enjoyed the chaknas more I would say :D. After the 3rd drink I could feel giddy in my head. Was strange, I should say. My feet were not listening to me when I told them”Walk”. But I was not “out” as they call it. After that day I am stillnot decidedwhether to drink again!

KD, the cook again came into action and made some awesome pulav! Thankfully Manoj’s cell had a radio and we were playing it all through. Long live radio! “Yeh hai meri Kahani” received mass acclaim. Everyone could relate to the song and we felt the lyrics was written just for us! All were discussing our miserable lives with Abhinav talking non-stop as usual!

It was a full moon night and I was staring at the moon. Madhu exclaimed” The moon looks beautiful” .I blabbered for the first time ever. I said, “The moon looks like _____” (I am not gonna blabber nowJ). I wanted to tell him “Dai, Yaar Kittayum Ollaradhe (Don’t tell anyone)”, but it was too late. I guess they reported it on NDTV next day. We all slept peacefully in confined spaces that were allotted to us. KD said he went mid way down during the night to fetch water from a stream!!!

In the morning there were a few tourists here and there but no major crowd. There was a guy and a girl who had come to “visit the fort”. The girl was giving him a stare as to say ”You said there would be no one!”.

Now coming to the point of writing this blog (What? You are just starting up?!) ….

The morning we decided to take a closer look at the amusing City that was lying beneath. Apart from the huge huge bungalows, there was a golf club,Disco, swimming pools, an artificial lake, and believe it or not; an airstrip! The Scottish style row houses were mind blowing!

Some guys were playing Tennis and later we could see them leave in a “luxury car”. There was a boat, which was carrying people to the artificial island made in between an artificial lake. Sarin repeated his words of wisdom until he was tired.

All of us could wonder only one thing – When are we gonna be on the other side!!Would a day ever come when a software engineer like me could dream of buying a house in an island for a weekend outing!! We all decided to buy a bungalow each and come back to the same place and spot the bungalow from the top! May be in a couple of janams from now! I promise to write a blog about it then.

Comments Others had were :

Sandeep said...: Vinod,
yeh hai meri kahani lekin teri jabani... same feeling as yours but put nicely by u.....hats off to u (for writing this stuff) KD (for bringing into notice the beautiful world) n rest all (for enjoying it from their hearts)
Manasi said...: Hey nice post! :)
I have been to the Amby Valley City once and I must say inspite of all the glamour of it, I wanted to hit those people. They have harmed the ecology of the valley, all only for the luxury of those who probably care the least. It is awesome , no doubt, but the destruction is huge. And those flats that they generously presented the entire Indian cricket team are so small, i wonder why anyone wld pay those exhorbinant amounts.
Anyways. For me it is a project that should never have been there.
Enjoyed your posts!
Keep writing!
Vinod R Iyer said...: Sandeep: Thanks mate ... Hope the next trip is on pretty soon !! :)

Manasi: Thanks ! Even Parthiv Patel(If u rem him) has a bungalow there !! And yes they are just starteed up ....Expanding like anything there in the whole surroundings.
sakhi said...: hey nice writing...i like amby valley too...but couldnt see till now...:)

Nice description...
The Smiling Girl said...: Hey.. thanks for dropping by..
Btw, Amby valley's pics look just awesome, buddy!:)
Anonymous said...: well nice pictures and nicely written blog....the blog revises whatever u had describes to me just after the trip..so what does the moon look like buddy?
Vinod R Iyer said...: Meena: Thanks a lot :)

SG : My friend KD's work of art !:)

anonymus: I told u ... I m not blabbering this time !!:P :)

Shall we eat out today?...

2007-04-07T01:53:00.000-07:00

Golden words which mom or dad would say once in a blue moon. There used to be a time when my bro and me would have to request for days before we get to eat out. It would be nothing great. We would go there and eat the same old dosas and puris of the world. But the sheer pleasure of going into a restaurant, sitting in an AC room and eating was something we always looked forward to. And in a laid back city like Trivandrum you wouldn’t have much options to choose from. There was “Hotel Arulakam” and “Hotel Alankar”. Once in a month, was appa’s budget, I think. The craze to eat biriyani and to drink rose milk took us to the same restaurants time after time. And of course amma had to make a comment every time we went in there “ I could have made all this at home. I don’t know why we should come here and spend like this”.

The practice of going out to eat kind of faded away once Vijay moved out of the city. Now it was time for me to save pocket money and eat out with friends. The income was less and the demands were too high. Going for movies without telling appa, eating out, buying cassettes…Boy!! I do manage finance well! :) I would have to force my friends to go into a hotel where I can get some veg food. Poor guys used to compromise a lot of times for me. Other times I would compromise and eat aloo mutter (which would be the only veg dish) in a hard-core non-veg hotel.

And there were the famous “thattu kaddas”(Roadside stalls) where you would get amazing dosai and rasa vadai. How much ever you eat the bill wouldn’t cross 20 Rupees. Heaven!! Another option would be the local “Brahmin hotels” like Venkateswara Bhavan and Balaji Hotel, which would give you full value for money. Typical south Indian dishes like sevai (our sub for noodles!), karavadai and all can be found only here.

It has been a while now since I have moved out from home to Pune to “work”. The clock has come a round circle. Eating out is no more a pleasure. Even the AC rooms don’t make a difference. I have to hunt down places to eat different things. The food culture is totally different here. The word roti scares me. For a full-fledged rice eater like me having to eat rotis subah-sham is really difficult. The sambhar they make in the hotels are sweet. Why would anyone want to eat sambhar sweetly!!! I thought that’s what the gheers of the world were made for. I know the restaurants are not run for people like us. So I shouldn’t be complaining. Almost all the bearers in these restaurants are my great pals. I can even go in and say “the usuals” and they would bring me food.

Have been Trying the Dabbawalas these days and they are no good either. Again, the sight of rotis inside that Tiffin carrier makes me feel like jump out of my window, hang on to the plane passing by and go home. I have lot of places to choose from now - Chinese, Punjabi, Gujarati, Maharashtrian, and the so-called south Indian restaurants. But there is no homemade thair sadam (curd rice). No amma’s cookings. I used to scream at amma if there would be no appalam (paapad) with rice. Now I go 10-15 kms just eat a south Indian meal in a south Indian mess over here. And they don’t give appalams!

Of course I do “try” to cook at times. But for a lazy bone like me it cannot be a daily activity. And most of the times the cooking would be restricted to maggi or a rice and curd- Nothing compared to the ones you get at home. And for a food buff like me dieting does not appeal too much. I guess there are at least a million people who feel the same way I do. Probably it’s a phase of life everyone has to go through. So let me try and get past this (Eligible) Bachelor’s life of mine :). Let me leave. It’s time for lunch. The restaurant guys would be worried why I am late!

Comments Others had were:

Anonymous said...: Yes, What he has blogged is perfectly right, I am one of the victim for this, i could feel that i am back home and infact we(includes vinod too) have had food from all the mentioned hotels together and Hotel Alankaar (its not there i guess) see i cant even say the present status of this famous hotel :( was one of my fav at TVPM. I too remember asking mom why are you giving thir saadham + stuffs to me, you always make sambhar, why dont you try to make something new etc etc always making a fight with her :( now that everything has changed like hell:( Sweet sambhar is the only go (my foot i will have it) my situation of somemore pethetic, Even the Tea what i used to get is junk, (Irani chai) but there are a couple of famous tea shops in Hyd.
The situation is that my Taste buds are dead the day i stepped out from the train in hyd...... I wish really wish to take time off from my busy busy schedule(my close chaps knows what i meant) ans go home and have something which is purely home made or atleast some good hotels in there at home town ....now that lunch has come to office, and it looks like they have arranged for a new caterer.. lets see what he has bought Oh no again sweet sambhar ( I am still at the hell ) ---- i forgot my blog accnt :) too many things to memorize .... ---

Hari

Sayesha said...: Gosh I can totally identify with this!
I remember the "We're going to a Chinese restaurant, yipppeeee!" and Mom wondering how she could figure out the recipe to the chicken chop suey... eating out was something to look forward to...

And now... yikes!

Sigh...
Deepa said...: I can assure you that you are definitely not alone in the want-mom's-food-when-its-not-available gang.:-)
Vinod R Iyer said...: Hari: I can empathise with u :) ..

Sayesha: Sigh it is !!

Deepa: I know! There are a million!As they say U dont know wat u ve got till its gone ..
Ram ! said...: exactly true!! u took us into a flashback man ! and it is so astonishing to know that every "amma" thinks the same ..
"i would ve made this better @ home" hats off to you for your "rightings" !!
go heights vinod !

Vinod R Iyer said...: Thnks Ram :)

Krishh - The Super Zero

2007-04-07T01:51:00.000-07:00

Rakesh Roshan is one of the most hyped up directors in the Hindi film industry. All his movies have nothing but too much of melodrama. His last 3-4 movies worked only because of one reason – Hrithik! Saw the latest baap-beta combo last week …Krrish!!

The movie is supposed to be a super hero movie. But as it turns out it is nothing but a typical Rakesh Roshan saga with some brilliant actions scenes fitted into it. I must agree that the actions scenes were really good. It would match even the Hollywood movies. But the action scenes are really, a misfit there. Poor Hrithik had to do all the rope-climbings. This super hero is set out not to save the world. He is going around jumping through the buildings just for his girl. And later to retrieve his dad (Jaadu wala hrithik) who apparently is not dead. He is under the captivity if the great villain, Nasuruddin Shah who has kept him alive for turning ON a super-computer which only he can do. The movie goes on with a pathetic screenplay with no effective dialogues.

I am surprised how people can take the audience for granted like this. How many times in a movie would we have seen the son going to save his father. And the villain just cannot find a way to stop this guy. All his gundas run around with Lattis is their hand. For god’s sake can’t the villain buy them a revolver each? At the end only one revolver is there and Hrithik snatches it and kills Nassuruddin . Blah!!

I would give –5 rating to Rakesh Roshan for wasting talents like Nassuruddin Shah, Hrithik and Priyanka Chopra. The most irritating character in the movie is the lady who comes in as Priyanka’s friend. I could have really got into the screen and given her a slap!

I appreciate his idea of taking Indian cinema a step ahead and all that. But he is far away from doing it. It’s in fact a step backward. And if you think that it is a Children’s movie then you are far from it. The only good reaction from the kids was when Hrithik was drinking Bournvita. One of the kids shouted in the hall saying “Mujhe bhi bournvita peena hai” J. In fact in whole of the movie parallely runs a ad campaign. For various brands ranging from Bournvita, Tide, Vicks, Hero Honda . I would sit at home and watch the adds. I don’t have to spend Rs.180 for that(Yes …180 Rs !!!:( )

The action scenes, as I said, deserve appreciation. It is as good as a Spiderman or a superman flying around. I sincerely hope that this movie has seen the birth of a super hero. But I would like some other talented guy to take the legacy forward with some sensible screenplay. And hope that the action hero does what he is best at – save the world. Hrithik – Good job. Rakesh – Please spare us!

Comments Others had were:

Vijay said...: ya, even I wish it was a hit! i like all the super-heroes kind of movie...esp., this one was from India..

anyway, hope ppl make some good one sometimem...
scipio said...: Darn! I wanted to review this movie but you beat me to it. I have a policy of not writing about something if I have read about it in someone else's blog (coz I think it influences my thots :P)

Neways...
Mighty good review!

You hit the nail when you said that this is not a super hero movie coz it lacks the "saving the world" bit which is an essential in any run of the mill superhero movie.

Oh... and you forgot one of the biggest product placements in the movie. Lay's Chips!!! :)

Vinod R Iyer said...: Vijay: Hope so too !

Scipio: Thnks! Missed Lays:)

A Dream(in the) Job ??

2007-04-07T01:48:00.000-07:00

‘Thanks a lot Boss, it was a pleasure working with u’, I told my manager as I packed my stuff to leave the office for one last time. Your first job is always close to your heart. A job which I did not even dream of being in. A job in which I never thought I fitted in. A job in which I learnt basically nothing! Staring at the computer for hours together trying to figure out what it wants me to do. Honestly, I get scared when people talk about stuffs like the codes, application, different languages to learn, different platforms blah blah blah.. The jargons related to this IT industry are unlimited. I would like to meet the people who came up with such terms. I am sure they would be someone like me, who did not know what he/she was doing in life.

And there were those work-less days. Some people call me lucky for always having no work to do. But I think otherwise. I never had a problem with working! But there has to be a work to do. I am no workaholic alright, but can easily bend my back to do finish off things given to me. Probably if I had work I would have loved the job a bit more. I am sure this industry could do with half the resources they have. But then people like me wouldn’t have got into it. A typical IT industry related thing – either u have loads of work or u have none! If someone does figure out a solution please do tell the world!

May be if you have the aspiration, you can excel in this field. Aspiration-Now where do I find that? The major aspirations I see in others are to get a foreign country and make money. It doesn’t appeal to me much to go so far and live in a place where you don’t belong. May be I can make some money? But I would like to be one of those who would be in the country and still earn a good living (Good = luxurious!!!). You need a conviction in your beliefs for that. Conviction- what is that!

The road ahead was challenging. After all I was gonna join one of the most premier institutes in the country. I was all set to join college….again! This PG was a thing I had wanted to do two years back. Nevertheless, I have a chance now. I had always thought that I would excel in management, since I just have to talk talk and talk, which I believe I am good at. The pressure will be high. Much more than sitting at my desk and counting the hours left in the day. A couple of years down the lane I would be in demand!!

At last there was a change in life! … As if I found the restart button for the life. Suddenly I heard someone call me …. “Vinod .. Vinod .. Wake up!!! Man U slept off at ur desk? We have training now in ten minutes..chal jaldi” My colleague woke me up.

Damn … These daydreams ….They will ruin me one day .. Or may be they wont!

Comments Others Had were:

Sudipta Chatterjee said...: Hey Vinod... thanks for dropping by at my place. The way you put it, yes, the number of people actually working their arses off at any point in time in the IT industry may not be so little, but some junta do get a lot of bench time :)

So where are you headed for your PG?

Ram Aiyar said...: Hey man... i didnt get to see these new rightings you damn dint tell when we spoke over the phone yesterday.. good to read these, i just could see you in the same way as had in chennai/tvm/pune ...

IT -- whew Yes!! You are right its like staring at a PC and it will ask what next? My job is something you know crap! It needs lot of patience to make everthing up, so dude be happy that you dont need to work ... atleast for now. I wish i could be like you not for so long but atleast a couple of weeks time... i dont when thats gonna happen till now i have read the day dreaming let me have a close look at your cricket stuff, you keep updating and dont back off with your dreams! We just can dream wanna really make that happen ? Yes/NO Y/N at last Nah ....

About me -- Close chap Vinod,childhood friend, same school, same bench, same college, same tuition etc etc etc from Gods own country :)))

Vinod R Iyer said...: Thnks a lot ram!! Trying to survive here :)

That Crazy Chap!!

2007-04-07T01:44:00.000-07:00

I was watching the IND vs. WI match yesterday on TV and for once I was happy that this Indian team is losing. I used to hate it when anybody spoke negatively about the team and its performance. I would even watch a match in which India is trashed by the other team. And then would sit back and hope that the team will do well in the next match. From that point to this where I wished that India should loose badly in WI, only one man is to be blamed- Mr.Chappel.

After the British it is now the turn of Aussies to come and rule us!! This guy with his dumb 5-bowler theory has not only started the downfall of Indian cricket (opposite to what others think is a rise of Indian cricket) but he also has brought in useless players like Venugopal Rao and Sreesanth. Seriously, Do u think this guy has the potential to become a McGrath ? Or atleast a srinath ? I don’t think so. Within a years time these guys would be history. You cannot compensate for talent with anything else. We won 3 series just because of yuvraj,dhoni and dravid(the batsman)

And we have a humble captain, who would nod to anything that chappel says. I rate Dravid the player as high as Sachin even. But his captaincy s*** big time. Yuvraj would be a much better option if you ask me (I know nobody is gonna ask me J). And Mr.More please pack your bags and go. I wonder who selects these selectors. They should be fired first. You would give Kaif a thousand opportunity in which he would score in a couple of matches like a tortoise but still you wont consider giving Ganguly a chance. Why? Because Chappel said so!! I am one amongst the millions who hope against hope that Dada comes back. Just for the sheer reason that he would be much worthier a player than venugopal rao!! And I still hope Ind loose badly in WI .Damn you chappel for making me feel like this!

Comments Others Had were:

Joe said...: Man..

This is not the first time that substandard players are getting into the team. No point blaming Chappel for that.

Also, Chappel is not the only reason why Ganguly is not getting a chance. There are more people involved.. the team mgmnt, the selectors, the bcci. And if all of them think its better not to have him, then its worth doing some introspection.

Joe/
Vinod R Iyer said...: Joe: You do have a point.Probably the Powar and co too wanted to get him out of the way. Alas !

Thanks for dropping by in my page ..

My Firstest Blog

2007-04-07T01:34:00.000-07:00

As soon as I decided to become a “Writer”, the obvious question came to my mind, what should I write about? I mean, it’s my first blog and it will be closely monitored (Assuming that at least one person apart from me does read this blog!!) So what should it be about? Maybe I should write about my life. No…I wouldn’t really want my first blog to be blank! So moving on I thought about the things I like. There are a million things least to say. I am famous for being the joker of all trades. But then I thought I should start my writings with the thing I love most. …Music.

It is strange that a guy who does not have any musical background can be addicted so much to music. Till I reached some basic maturity level, which would be like some 12th grade, the only thing that interested me and which I thought could be the only pass time a man could have, was cricket!! All I used to do was play cricket and get about my life’s routine. The only knowledge that I had about music to start with was the amazing slokas my Amma would sing. Her “shree chakra raja simhasaneshwari” still resonates in my ears. The other source of music was from the mallu songs that used to play in Vividhabharathi. Some of those songs still give me creep. It brings back the memories of me heading to my nursery school weeping through out my way!! Then came a “National” Tape Recorder to the very stringent electronic resources found at my home. I still remember me and Vijay (my Bro) trying hard to find out how to play back, after pressing the pause button. It took us a day long to find out that we have to press it again to release it! Then came the luxury of listening to songs whenever we wanted. But still our resource of music remained very minimal. Most of the songs playing would be the slokas that Amma would play early in the morning in the likes of good old Vishnu Sahasranamam and Lalita Sahasranamam. Vishnu Sahasranamam in M.S.Subbulakshmi’s voice, I believe, is still the best thing that has ever happened to music!! Hear it once in the morning and your day will be good at least, if not great.

It was long before we started to get some Hindi and Tamil songs recorded in a plane cassette. Buying cassettes was like buying a 29” flat TV. So Vijay used to get the songs recorded from somewhere and we used to listen to them till the tape used to get stuck in between the head and gave up. Again I did not even know Bappi Lahri then, Leave alone the likes of Madonna and MJ.

One day Vijay came home recording a new Tamil album called “Roja”. It was supposed to be this huge hit. That was my first acquaintance to Boss! (Ok …I got the idea of calling him the Boss from Jhankar Beats!!) . I heard Chinna chinna aasai (Choti si aasha) and it sounded kinda cute. My favorite then though was Rukmani Rukmani. Never had I heard such rhythm. I wont say that Roja swept me off my feet and I became a music fanatic. It kinda told me that, yes there is something called music in life. After that it was like, if it is Rahman’s album we have to get it recorded and listen. And that was fair enough given that the albums he came up after that kept on being fantastic. The hits kept on coming: Bombay, Gentleman, and Kadhalan…..The list kept growing. His first Hindi album Rangeela announced that he was here to stay. By then I had graduated to buying cassettes saving the small pocket moneys I used to get. My Appa till date believes I waste lot of money on music.

I was in my tenth grade when I heard Dil Se first. This time it did make me a fanatic. That’s the first time when I started idolizing Rahman. Have you ever noticed the Background score in Dil Se? I saw the movie 8 times in the theater just to listen to the BGMs. Things changed around then. There was a song for every occasion. Happy, sad, romantic, frustrated whatever was the mood I started to associate it with a song. I still do! The love for music became a passion when Vijay gifted me with a keyboard. Even though it was an one and a half octave one I cherished it like it was a 15” long bar of gold. I played a tune from Daud first. I went to the moon and came back when I played a tune out of the blue. Now I have a proper five and a half-octave keyboard with me. Guess what? This one too was gifted to me by Vijay. Thanks Vijay! Since then I have developed my love for all kinds of music. From carnatic classical to hard-core rock I adore every kind of music these days. As I said there is a song for every occasion and I like to sing my heart out (My room-mates would agree to that sorrowfully).

So Rahman kept on scoring music and I kept listening to them. One thing that amazes me of the man is his consistency. Imagine, not one album has gone by in which at least a couple of songs are good. If you ask me, I would say all are good!! Every song of his found a place in my life. Of course he has come up with some songs below his standards. But then again he compensates by giving another masterpiece the next time. From Roja to Rang de Basanti and many many more to come I will be glued to his music. I am not here to argue whether he is better than the greats like Illayaraja, R.D.Burman or whomsoever. For me, his music drives me crazy and I am proud to be a Rahmaniac.
To Rahman I would quote:

“ Teach me half the gladness
That thy brain must know
Such harmonious madness
From my lips would flow
And then the world would listen
As I listen to you now. “

Well, I started off talking about music, and ended up talking about Rahman. For me it’s one and the same! I know, I have not done anything to music yet. But I hope to, sometime. And my ultimate dream still remains the same: Working with Rahman!! They say it takes courage to disclose your dream to someone. But I think it’s good to have a dream, which is close to impossible. You still would have something to look forward to in life! Music is my food of life and I will play on!

Vinod R Iyer.

Comments Others had were ....

Hey man.. Ultimate is one Word i have to say abt u!! U r Too Good...

Keep it up Winie.. ;)

By Niks

hi there..a good one indeed...seems u r a BIG music and Rahman fan...me too the same...nice to read ur blog...

By Sid

Good Job, you've proved yourself being an exceptional writer. Your words go beyond emotions to convey thoughts. Very down to earth and expressive.. Keep on the great job. The best part here is to know you being a radical Rahmaniac...?-)

Mu$iC is Supreme
Naada Thanu Manushyam

By DeaK.In.FroSt,

Neat 'firstest' post. Looking forward to reading a whole lot more.

By Sushma

hey vinod,
tht was a nice way to start ur blogging career....
paying ur rsepects to the lord of music...reading that, i cud find identify myself with that because ARR's music had that same effect on me which it had on u...me too want to work with ARR as a guitar player...its another matter that am just a beginner..
so r u a mallu guy...whr r u from...wat u doin....
hope 2 read more from u

By Praveen

It was simply superb.. Nice way to start...Your words convey the thoughts in you.. go on.looking forward for ur next one...

By Sirish Musician,

Lovely 1st Blog! Nice to read about a person's musical growth and how their family has had such a profound effect on how it all has transpired. All the best and keep up the blogging.

Blessings
Geetha
www.omkari.net

By Geetha

Hey Thanks guys ! Never thought I would get a response .. Thank u !

By Vinod R Iyer