Madras Nalla Madras
If you have not done this in Chennai...

Chennai, no I will rather stick to good old Madras, it is a melting pot of different cultures with people from many diverse traditions living in this city. The I.T. boom has brought in more and more tech-people from all the stes of India and many people from foreign countries also.

The following is a list of things that one should experience in good old Madras.

1-Wake up to the melodious voice of M.S. Subhalakshmi singing Venkatesa Suprabatham.
2-Have a tumbler of hot filter coffee, follow it up with a plate of steaming hot idlies with sambhar and fresh cocnut chutney.
3-Visit the Kapaleeshwarar Temple at Mylapore and the St. Thomas Church.
4-Go to the Marina Beach, walk bare foot on the soft sand, and have molagha bajji(chilly bajji) and sundal with green mango.
5-Visit Valluvar Kottam near Nungambakkam and the Theosophical Society in Besant Nagar.
6-Go to T.Nagar, a place where you can buy anything, and make a visit to Saravana Stores to look at the crowd that comes to buy all things under one roof.
7-Travel by the Mass Rapid Transit System(M.R.T.S.) flying train.
8-Go to Spencer's Plaza and blow up your hard earned money on things you can buy at half the price in Pondy Bazaar.
9-Visit the Vandaloor Zoo, and the Children's Park at Guindy. Have a look at Gandhi Mandapam and drink a glass of lemon juice from the guy who stands just outside Gandhi Mandapam(It is the best lemon juice that you can get in Chennai).
10-Travel by an auto and haggle with the auto-driver before paying your fare.
11-Go to Burma Bazaar near the Beach Station buy dvds of the latest movies.
12-Go to Devi theatre and watch a movie. I guess its Sathyam theatre for the younger generation.
13-Look at the chaos and order with which the people perform their daily tasks at the Central Railway Station.
14-Have food at a Kaiyendhi Bhavan(Mobile eatery)
15-Buy second hand books from Moore Market and Triplicane.
16-Make a trip to Mahabalipuram, V.G.P. and MGM Dizee World.(The last option blows a big hole in your pocket)
17-Attend a music concert during the Marghazi Music Festival in December-January.
18-Watch the frenzy and adoration of cinema crazy fans during the first day first show of a Rajinikanth, Kamalhassan, Ajit or Vijay movie.
19-Watch a cricket match at Chepauk praying fervrently that it does not rain and stop the match.
20-Travel by the M.T.C. bus service.

If you have not done these things then you have not experienced the true spirit of Madras.

Anger-When I lost my cool?

I am calm by nature and even if I get angry with someone or something I do not show it out and I bottle up my emotions. But everything has an exception, and a small incident occurred on March 24, 2007 when I really got angry and lost my cool.

We had cricket practice, following the dismal performance of our corporate cricket team, in the league and our captain decided that we would train well and sweat it out in the nets to regain our form. I reached the venue, and our captain divided the team into three groups. One group that included me was sent for fielding practice. The other two groups were involved in batting and bowling.

I thought that maybe after 40 -45 minutes I would get an opportunity to bat, but I found out that all I and four other members of the team would only have fielding practice. All our hands were getting numb after almost 80 minutes of catching the ball, and no sign of an opportunity to bat, I lost my cool and threw the ball with all my strength at the person who was conducting the fielding practice.

The other guy also lost his cool and we had a war of words, and we would have almost come to blows, if the others had not stopped him. The incident was reported and the captain gave a lecture, stating that-"Cricket is not only about batting and bowling, fielding is equally important....."

I was really sorry and apologized to the other guy who was still a bit angry, but by the time we left the ground we shook hands and he said-"No issues."

I guess anger is nothing but temporary madnees that causes a lot of problems.

I hope I get to bat at the next practice session.

A look at life-If I was an auto driver

Everyday I commute to office by a share auto. A distance of about 3 kilometres. People living in Chennai and Kolkatta should be familiar with the concept of share autos. I have not lived in any of the other great cities of India, so I do not know if share autos exist there. The auto drivers have fixed rates. If you get down anywhere in a stretch of five kilometres, you have to pay four rupees, after 9P.M. at night the fare is five rupees. This fare system works on the Udhayam theatre to Guindy route. On the Porur to Adayar route the fare is between 10 and fifteen rupees. Each day as I travel by these share autos, I think on the life that these auto drivers lead. I have come to one conclusion, I have a big mistake by studying.

I should have finished tenth standard and started driving an auto. Just think after taking a look at these calculations. For an average student who does not study engineering, law or medicine, but some arts, science or commerce course, the fees from nursery to college graduation would range between 7 and 12 lakhs depending on the city and the institution that the student studied in, if its engineering, well then add another 3 or 4 lakhs to that number.

Suppose I own a share auto, assuming that I have taken a loan from a bank to buy the auto, then this is how my balance sheet will appear:

Monthly payment to bank-Rs 4000(for 3 years).
Monthly petrol expenses-Rs 4000 to Rs 5000.
Monthly maintenance expenses-Rs 1000.
Monthly mamool(bribe) to the traffic police-Rs 1000 to Rs 2000.
Assuming that I ply my auto on the Guindy to Udhayam route from morning 8 A.M. to 10 P.M. at night seven days a week, I should be able to make thirty to forty trips a day. On each trip(one way) on an average at least 15 people travel by the auto. So 15 multiplied by 4 equals to 60 rupees for one trip, a two way trip gets me Rs 120, So forty trips a day gets me Rs 4800 a day.
I will keep the figure to Rs 4000 for easy calculation.
So at the end of a month I earn Rs 4000 multiplied by 30, that equals to Rs 120000.

If I keep all my auto related expenses to Rs 15000 a month, even then I am earning about a lakh of rupees every month. Much more than many IT engineers and seasoned BPO executives.
Assuming that I am driving a hired vehicle, if I pay Rs 1000 to 1500 as daily rent, then I make about Rs 50000 to Rs 60000 a month.

I really feel I should have stopped studying and persuaded my parents to buy me an auto. Then I could have worn khaki shirts and moved about in Rajini style singing "Auto kaaran, auto kaaran, naan, naalu terinja rouute kaaran.."

That is life I guess, perhaps I am destined to be stuck to a desk job for life, missing out on the adventures of life.

Why Raj, Why...?

It was three o' clock in the morning, when I was rudely awakened from my sleep, by the ringtone of my mobile phone. At first I thought it was a dream, and I continued to lie down, but when the ringtone persisted I realized that it was not a dream and the phone was actually ringing. I looked at the number, and was surprised, it was a foreign number. I answered the call, it was Mr. Mishra, a close family friend who was settled in Germany. His son Raj was my classmate at school, and he was currently working in some research facility in Melbourne.

Mishra uncle conveyed a shocking news-his son Raj had commited suicide. I was lost for words and I consoled the poor man who had lost his son. I was surprised because I had spoken to Raj ten days earlier, and he seemed fine although his voice sounded a bit shaky. When Mr. Mishra finished his call, I was no longer in a mood to sleep. I went to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator and poured myself a glass of milk, and went to the veranda.

I thought about Raj, there were too many memories, that had been refreshed by the depressing phone call. Both of us grew up in the same neighbourhood, studied in the same school, and were classmates from nursery to high-school. Then Raj enrolled for a course in Chemical Engineering, while I pursued a course in English Literature. Raj studied in Sydney and he topped the university, he received a gold medal. Things looked bright and rosy, and Raj got an opportunity to work in the research facility of a leading chemical company.

All through these years, we were in constant touch with each other and he even visited India to attend a mutual friend's wedding. He was an excellent student and a brilliant athelete, my mother always used to compare my report card with his, she used to say-"You spend all your time with Raj, why don't you get some of his intelligence, and score some more marks in Mathematics."

As these thoughts crossed through my mind, I wondered what prompted Raj to commit suicide. He was always the ever courageous boy leading the football team from the front, and never wished anyone any harm. He was happy with his job and had no complaints against anybody. Mishra uncle said that the caretaker of his son's flat in Melbourne had discovered Raj's body, he had hanged himself.

Why Raj, why did you do this, I don't know, you had such a loving family, a caring girlfriend, they were supposed to get married this October, why did you choose to end your life this way. I looked at the sea from my verandah, and saw the first light of dawn as the sun was about to rise in the east. The sun was rising as another son had set forever.

All that is left are memories, memories of playing games, watching movies, fights, now all those memories have become meaningless as the very person with whom I shared those memoreies has ceased to exist.

Had Raj accepted defeat? If yes defeat from what. All that we found was a suicide note that said-"I am tired of living in this world, I have no regrets, forgive me Dad, Ma and Anu(his girlfriend), perhaps we shall be happy in another world in another time."

A tragic end to a man who would have achieved something great.

Why I Blog?/ Why I Write?

I was happily blogging and asking my friends to read them and give their feedback. Everything was going smooth and I was getting a lot of good suggestions on improving my writing style and choice of topics, when right out of the blue, one of my colleagues posed a question-"Mahesh tell me why do you write?" I was silent, why did she ask this question all of a sudden, I thought for a while and said"I will answer this question through a post on my blog." So that is how I landed up writing this post.

Her question made me reflect on a lot of things, my childhood, my friends, my uncle, my school, my English teachers; all small factors that have shaped me into what I am today. I remember my English teachers in M.P. Birla School. Kolkatta. The first teacher who made a lasting impresion on me was Ms Rekha Gopinath. She was a Malayali and was an excellent teacher, all students in my class liked her and we used to eagerly wait for the third period of the day-English. She was a tall, dark lady and had a clear voice. I still remember the poems that we had in our Radiant Reader text books. She used to give us small assignments, essays to be writtten describing our weekends. It was fun and I believe the reason why I began to develop an interest in English, was those assignments that Rekha madam used to give us.

When I reached Class VIII, we had a English teacher who was a man. For the first time we were going to have men who were strict and carried a wooden scale or cane with them. We had Maths sirs, but the concept of a man teaching English was alien to us. He was Mr. Joseph Vincent, again a Malayali, and he really inspired me to study English with an almost religious fervour. He used to come in full shirts and Raymonds trousers and a silk tie, as they have in boarding schools in England. He was strict and we used to be afraid of him. But he was an excellent teacher and I still remember him teaching "Merchant of Venice," which was incidentally the first full length Shakespeare play that I studied. Then I shifted to small non-descript town in Tamil Nadu, called Tiruvallur.

The change from a bustling metropolis to a small town was drastic. But I was fortunate to study in a school, which has some excellent English teachers. I studied in Sri Venkateswara Matriculation School, and the two teachers are Mr.N.Nagarathinam and Mr.V.S. Shiva. Both of them were excellent teachers, Shiva sir was a simple man and I have only seen him wear a white cotton shirt and a light colored trouser. He was a true follower of Gandhiji and led a simple and unpretentious life. Each and every student of Venkateswara School respects and admires Shiva sir and he is a living encyclopaedia, who can speak on any topic under the sun.
When I completed my schooling it came as a big surprise to my teachers when I did not write the Engineering/Medical Entrance and just applied for a course in English Literature. I got admission in R.K.M. Vivekananda College, at Mylapore in Chennai. It is a college that has an illustrious past and many of its former students are heading many companies across the world. In college I was influenced by two professors in first year. One was Mr. K.Venkatramana Rao and the other was B.Suresh. Both of them were excellent educators, and told us to cultivate the art of writing. In high-school, I had started participating in Creative Writing competitions, and college-life gave me the perfect opportunity to visit lots of colleges and take part in many competitions. I particularly cherish memories of Coffee House (Loyola College Literature Fest) and competitions in Madras Christian and Women's Christian College. All this while I was writing short stories and poems and in the span of the three years that I was in college, I wrote about fifty poems and some twenty short stories. I had decided that I would be a novelist and would write novels in the vein of the works of Robert Ludlum and Frederick Forsyth. I dreamt of headlines, which proclaimed the super-duper sales of my novels, movie adaptations awards and lots of money.

I was all set to pursue my M.A. from Madras University, when I attended a Campus Interview in college. It was for selecting students who would be placed as Instructional Designers. The designation was new and unheard of, and I decided to take the written test alongwith 750 other students. At the end of the day, it turned out that only two out of those 750 students were selected and I was one of them. I had a job and a decent salary. Well all plans of a regular postgraduate course disappeared and I started working as an Instructional Designer. It took some time to adjust to the corporate world.It was like starting a long journey in a desolate jungle. Slowly I started writing courses and I began to enjoy my work. Thus writing short stories and poems transformed into writing full fledged courses on different topics for an audience whom I would never meet. It was an indeed fascinating experience, and I am still working as an Instructional Designer, but in a different organization.

Now to answer the question-"Why I write?". Well I really don't know, maybe it has to do something with my childhood. I was a very shy and silent boy. I had very few friends, but I loved animals a lot. I used to enjoy the company of dogs, cats and cows more than boys and girls. I loved playing with puppies, and I remember the scoldings that my mother used to give me. She used to say-"Even if you spend half the time that you play with your dogs in your studies you will top your class." I never did that and consequently never topped my class. I used to love Enid Blyton as a kid and used to fantasise about a world of talking animals, toys and dragons and princes. I used to write very small poems, of four to ten lines about my teachers, classmates and my favourite Enid Blyton characters. I wrote the following poem, when I was in the third standard.

GOOD OLD FATTY
I wish I was like you.
I wish I was like you Fatty.
Good old Fatty, eating icecreams,
And solving mysteries.
Playing with Buster and his four friends.
Wish I had a doggie like Buster and a friend like Bets.

This was based on the principal character of The Five Find-Outers series written by EnidBlyton. There were many such small poems and some mystery stories modelled on the adventures of Famous Five. My first recognition came when I won an Inter-School Story writing competition for students of class five, six and seven. There was no specific topic, we were given a word limit of two thousand words. I wrote a science fiction story titled"The Submersible," based on Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, by Jules Verne. When the prizes were announced, I was shocked, I had never thought that I would win. I got a certificate and a book-"The Hound of Baskervilles" as the prize. After that I participated in a number of competitions right till I finished college and won a number of prizes. I believe that the first prize that I won acted as a catalyst, and I thought why not write, I can get more prizes. Initially it was the prize factor that prompted me to write. Then there were magazines like Gokulam, Tinkle and Chandamama that offered cash and free subscriptions as prizes. In college, I read the works of George Orwell and realized the might of the pen. I thought I would complete my post graduation and become a journalist. I still might become one, you never know.

I write because I love writing, I blog because it gives me an opportunity to express my views on the things happening around me. My articles are read by my friends and other people whom I have never met, they share their comments and we have healthy discussions. We may not solve the problems in the world, but the discussions do clear the misconceptions that any of us might have had. Sometimes it becomes a tool, which enables me to vent out all my frustrations and anger. On completing the article I feel refreshed and regain my tranquility. To conclude, I write because my heart directs me to write, and my mind prompts me to write what my heart directs me to write.
By the way this is my hundredth post.
Happy Reading and thanks for all the suggestions and encouragement.

Mission Not Impossible for Men in Blue

Dravid's men have left for the West Indies for the World Cup. They carry the hopes of more than a billion people. The team has achieved two series victories just before the big show, but the victories came on home turf, can Dravid inspire his team like Kapil did in 83.

My best wishes to the Indian Team. Guys bring back the trophy for us.

All readers support the team, it might not be the best, but cheer for them, they need our support.
Come on India kuch karke dikhao.

Twenty Five years on Planet Earth

February 23, I woke up a bit stiff and bitten by mosquitoes in twenty different places, don't know if it was a single mosquito or a troop of mosquitoes. Got up had my bath and bought chocolates to distribute in office.

It was fun and I got a greeting card and a chart paper full of birthday wishes. In the evening went to a really expensive boutique cum restaurant called Anoki and met some of my former colleagues. They bought me a chocolate cake and a pair of dolls as a birthday gift. I think this is the first birthday when I did not get a book as a gift. Usually someone gifts me a book or I buy a book for myself. May be this will be a year of new experiences and new joys.

The restaurant was a high-class high cost one, but the bloody fellows did not even give a class of water free of cost, you need to buy a bottle of Himalayan mineral water to quench your thirst. My friends ordered some variety of coffee and some Mexican-Spanish dishes. I ordered a non-alcoholic pinea-colada, I loved it and I think I am going to be a regular of Anoki just for that one item.

The bill was presented I paid for it close to Rs 750(birthday treat) and left for my room. It was good to have a reunion with my colleagues. It is nice to know that you have friends who care for you and are there to lend you a helping hand in times of need. I thank God to have given me such good friends and I wish that all of us remain good friends all through this life. Such good friends are priceless and the time that we share together inspite of our respective hectic schedules is invaluable.

I received a lot of phone calls from friends and relatives wishing me on my birthday, but I was expecting one call and was getting worried that the person had forgoten me or was angry with me, but late in the afternoon, the call finally came and I was relieved that the person remembered the date. Thanks God thanks for that too.

So I have completed twenty five years on Planet Earth, have evolved from a toddler to a man, passed out of school, college and have secured a decent job. I have had my fair share of frustrations, depressions, fights, friendships, enemities, crushes, disappointments, joys, failures, successes. I guess that is what life is all about, and life is all about living life kingsize.

Let me see what happens this year and what I blog post 23/2/2008.

Cheers.

A New Beginning

So I have finally moved out of the shelter of my mother and family and started living on my own. Well to be more precise with my friends and my cousin. Travelling to office has become simpler, no more herculean journeys of four hours a day(to and fro)to commute to office.

I will be sharing a flat with my friends and cousin. It is a double bedroom and double bathroom/toilet flat. Four of us would be staying, of which two have night shift(Call-Centre). It will be a new experience to be without mother, father and T.V.. Yes, that is the problem no more T.V., no movies on dvd, no live telecast of matches. I do believe the World Cup fever will ensure that we will buy a T.V. so no worries on that aspect. Will be returning home every or alternate weekend.

Let me see how this new phase of life treats me and how I face the challenges it throws.

More posts will follow, perhaps a new blog altogether something like Four Men in a Room.

Cheers and Keep Reading.

Does God Exist?

Before I start my article let me make one thing clear, I believe in God, worship him/her go to temple regularly, perform puja regularly and have a deep and unshaking belief in God and the power of sincere prayers. I am not an atheist, so having made my stand clear I will move on to the article......

THE ARTICLE

Recent happenings, the past forty days or so have proved the sorry state of affairs of child security in India. On one-side we have the Nithari horror, where two men indulged in their sexual carnage on unsuspecting children, killed them, cut their bodies into tiny pieces and even put them in acid.

Now the Kochi incident, where a pleasure trip, that turned into a tragedy. A hundred students and some teachers visited a dam at Thattekada near Kothamangalam. One boat sprung a leak and it sank quickly. As per the last news received 15 children and three teachers have died and some children are battling for their lives in the hospital.

I will never forget the news clip of a father hugging the bodies of his two children, twins who had died in the accident. The government will pay compensation, there will be some hue and cry about security, and then for two three years an anniversary with the lighting of candles and lamps will take place and then everyone will forget everything.

How many of us remember the Kumbakonam school tragedy, where more than a hundred children died in a stamppede when a fir broke out in a private school. God where are you? Are you watching all these events from heaven or from wherever else you stay. Please answer my questions. What sin did those unsuspecting children do, to suffer such a horrible death. I shall not take Fate and Sins committed in previous lives/biths for an answer. If these children could die for their sins committed in a previous birth, then what about Osama-bin-Laden, George Bush and hundreds of other terrorists and politicians who are the direct and indirect cause of the deaths of thousands of innocent people. When will they be punished?

The question shall remain unanswered and life will go on as usual. If you find some injustice happening to somebody, please take a stand, you need not bash up the perpetrator in filmi style, but atleast you can inform the police or someone else who may lend a helping hand.

God please let justice prevail and let innocent children live without fear and grow up to be adults.

I know that the article has deviated a lot from the beginning, but I have poured out my heart and if even one person changes his attitude after reading this article, I shall feel that I have done something worthy.

Be the change you want to see in the world.

Fall of the Titans-Collapse of the Australian Juggernaut-

Michael Hussey, is utterly depressed and so is his team, he has led Australia to its first white-wash in a long period, personally I don't remember having witnessed an Australian whitewash by any team.

Australia scored 300 plus runs twice and they have been well and truly beaten by a confident Kiwi team. Today's match was an absolute delight to watch, hmm well I was at office so I could just check the scores on the net. Australia posted a mammoth total of 346 runs mainly due to the herculean effort of Matthew Hayden, who remained unbeaten on 181, the highest score by an Australian in ODIs.

Hussey would have been confident of a face-saving victory when New Zealand were 4 wickets down for 41 runs. Never in his wildest dreams would Hussey have thought that he would be captaining the losing side at that juncture. Well as they say-"Man propses and God disposes." The disposal came in the form of three brilliant knocks by Fulton, Brendan Mc Cullum and Craig Mc' Millan. They scored 51, 117 and 86 respectively.

In the 50 th over New Zealand required 7 runs to win. Nathan Bracken bowled the last over and Brendan struck a superb six and four to seal the match in favour of the Kiwis.

All of you doomsday critics wait before you write off Australia in the World Cup. The services of Lee, Ponting, Adam Gilchrist and Andy Symmonds were missing in this Trans-Tasman Series. In the World Cup three of these players and perhaps Symmonds will play for Australia, so the results could be different. This double series loss for Australia is good for World Cricket and now every team believes it has a chance to win.

Let us see another 23 days to go for the grand spectacle of sport. Wait and watch.

Three Cheers for Dada

It has to be the mother of all comebacks. Three months ago no one would have even dreamt that the Prince of Kolkatta, will return to international cricket. As they say-"there is no substitute for hard work." Sourav sweated it out in the gym, lost weight, played some good knocks in the Ranji Trophy, showed flashes of brilliance in South Africa and proved his class against the Caribs and the Lankans. When Sourav was declared Man of the Series in the India-Sri Lanka one day series, millions would have heaved a sigh of relief in Kolkatta.

I pray that his form improves and he wins matches for India in the WC, maybe the Cup of Joy itself. Let us hope for the best.

Go Dada, Go, make Chappell and your detractors eat humble pie.

Water Wars

In the wake of the judgement given by the Cauvery Water Tribunal after sixteen long years, some really nasty things are happening. Tamil Nadu has been given a larger share of the Cauvery water, which Karnataka feels should have come to them.

Here is a popular SMS message sent across - 'Sakkare Keli, Paaya Kodtivi, Neer Keli Panaka Kodtivi, KAVERI kelidre, Kav Yerovargu Baarusteevi. Jai Karnataka, Jai Kannada, Pratiyobbarigu Kalisi.
That means - if you ask for sugar we will give you sweet Payasam, if you ask water to drink we will give lemon juice, if you ask for Kaveri water we will beat you till the heat. Jai Karnataka, Jai Kannada, send this message to everyone.

It is shameful that political parties are gaining poularity by increasing tension among communities. All buses to Tamil Nadu starting from Bangalore have been cancelled. A blanket ban has been issued to stop the screening of Tamil movies in Karnataka. It is tragic. Aren't we all Indians, in all our cultural diversity are not we united as one family. Sons and daughters of Mother India.

I just pray that all differences are resolved and there is no rioting and conflict. Oh! God please show some sense to these selfish politicians.

A Case of Plain Stupidity, by me..

I had to deposit some money in my uncle's bank account. He stays in Coimbatore, and holds an account in a branch of IOB there. I went to a branch here in Chennai and filled up all the details and gave it to the lady in one of the counters. She finished all the procedures and handed me the receipt. I just asked her when the money would be credited into my uncle's account. She replied"It is done, into Mr. Ramesh's account." I just stared at her like an idiot, and said"Madam, there must be a mistake. My uncle's name is Sundar. He holds an account in R.S. Puram branch." If looks could kill, well the lady gave me a glare, and I almost kicked myself. I had not entered the branch name, and she had entered the amount in the same a/c number of that branch.

I apologised to the lady and she made some entries in her computer and said,"Neenga pogalam, coimbatore accountla money deposited."

Next time I think I will send a cheque.

Cheers.

Veeru ab tera kya hoga re....

Can Sehwag redeem himself?

As I write this, I wonder what thoughts would be going on in the mind of the Nawab of Najafgarh. The only triple centurion in a test match for India, is definitely in one of the most turbulent phases of his career. The tour of South Africa was a total disaster, and he was dropped from the team for the just concluded West Indian series of India. He has scored a century for Delhi in the Ranji Trophy, but it is certainly not enough.

Robin Uthappa, demonstrated the art of pure accelerated big-hitting in his knock of 70 at Chennai, and he is certainly in the flight that India is going to take for the World Cup to be held in the Caribbean. If Sehwag does not score runs in the first two one-days against the Lankans, I believe that it would be a liability to include him in the World Cup squad. Remember that both Uthappa and Dinesh Karthick are in good form. I feel that Dinesh should also make it to the World Cup. India can play Dhoni, purely as a batsman and make Dinesh the keeper or the other way around.

Let us see if Sehwag redeems himself tomorrow.

Cheers.

The End of an Era, Sidney Sheldon dies-

I got my first Sidney Sheldon book at the age of 13, I think it was "The Other Side of Midnight." I was captivated by the sheer brilliance of the author, suspense and drama, that made me turn each page with eager expectation. As the years progressed I graduated to serious literature and philosophy, but Sidney Sheldon along with Robert Ludlum and Jeffrey Archer are my favourite authors.

Sidney died yesterday at the age of 89, because of complications related to pneumonia. He donned a variety of roles in his long and eventful life. Jewish by birth, he won his first prize of $ 10, for a poem that he wrote as a ten year kid. During the Depression of 1929, he held various jobs. He worked as a script-reader and eventually emerged as a script-writer himself, writing plays that were staged on Broadway. He served in the War as a pilot and used his experiences in "The Other Side of Midnight." He wrote and produced serials for television, with "I Dream of Jeannie," being one of the most loved comedies on American television. He wrote his first novel at 50, and then there was no stopping him, as his books broke one record after the other. His works have been translated into more than 30 languages and will be cherished as an author who was loved by many people across the globe transcending all boundaries of differences.

My favourite Sheldon books are-"If Tomorrow Comes," "The Doomsday Conspiracy" and "Master of the game."

Adieu Mr. Sidney Sheldon, you will be missed...

For Once, it did not rain...

The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association and cricket-lovers in Chennai, breathed a sigh of relief when it did not rain in Chennai during the third ODI between India and West Indies. The match ended in favour of the Caribbeans, but it was a good contest. India frittered away an excellent start given by Uthappa who scored 70 and Dravid and Sachin who scored 57 and 60 respectively. At one stage India were 232/3, but the devil popped up its ugly head and India were all out for 268.

West Indies lost Chris Gayle in the first over and it looked like India might sneak a series win but Lara with his knock of 83 and Marlon Samuels's 98 ensured that the series was kept alive.

The match at Baroda will be India's litmus test and a victory would boost the overall morale of the team and the fans, let us see what happens..

A Challenge for Saravana Stores?

People living in North India are familiar with Big-Bazaar and the various services offered by the retail chain. January 26-28, saw a major traffic problem near the Vadapalani bus-stand. The reason-The three-day special price sale offered by Big-Bazaar. A whole range of products offered under one roof.

I visited the place on Jan 27, and I got the shock of my life, the place was jam-packed with people trying to get a good deal for their money. I guess this is how the retail chains like Wal-Mart generate mass hysteria among American shoppers with their unbelievable offers. Big-Bazaar has been open for quite some time in Chennai, but they embarked on an aggressive ad-campaign from mid January 2007 and have managed to give Saravana Stores a run for their money.

Three trousers for Rs 597, Four formal shirts for Rs 999, DVD players for Rs 1800, 21 inch television sets for Rs 7000, microwave ovens for Rs 2200, mobile phones starting from Rs 999 the list goes on. The crowds just went crazy and I believe that the three days would have generated business close to Rs 1.5 crores, if not more than that.

The billing section needs to be revamped, with each section having its own counter, the present system of having all the billing counters at the exit is not a good idea. I had to wait for an hour and a half to complete my payment and leave the shopping centre. Big-Bazaar, has strted on a strong note and opening more outlets in other parts of the city and suburbs like Avadi, Tambaram, Thiruvotriyur, would be a good idea.

The Chennaite's fascination for Mambalam and Ranganathan street and Spencer's Plaza is bound to change with companies like Reliance and Bharti-Wal-Mart, entering the Retail segment. This year will see more malls coming up, let us wait and watch, I guess the middle-class would be the happiest as they have more options and will get more value for their money.

It is Happy Shopping for the middle-class, husbands beware take care of your wallets.

The Return of the Prodigal

I guess that India will win a match, if the match is not telecast live on T.V., India defeated the West Indies by 14 runs in the first match of the Pepsi Series. The pitch at Nagpur was a beautiful batting track, and had absolutely nothing for the bowlers in it. Lara won the toss and asked the Indians to bat first.

The mess that Team India created for itself in South Africa was still vivid in our memories, and it was a gamble of sorts when Gautham Gambhir and Sourav Ganguly opened the innings. The Carribean attack was bludgeoned by the two south paws and shared an opening partnership of 144 runs, India's best in almost nine months. Dada scored 98 runs of just 109 balls and missed out on a century because of an excellent piece of fielding by Dwayne Smith. Sachin was out for 31. Dravid and Dhoni scored 54 and 62 respectively. The last 12 overs yielding 119 runs. India set West Indies an imposing total of 339 for victory.

The West Indies chase started in true calypso style with some powerful shots from Gayle and Chanderpaul. Some shoddy fielding resulted in the Indian fielders dropping three-four catches.
Harbhajan got the breakthrough by removing Gayle and Morton. Chanderpaul was batting as if he was on a mission and spared no Indian bowler, he remained notout on 149, but it was not enough as they could only score 324 at the end of 50 overs for the loss of 8 wickets. Gayle scored 52 and Samuels scored 40 runs. If somebody in the tail would have supported Chanderpaul, the result would have been different.

Well let us celebrate when we can, Dada has acquited himself, though he should have completed his century and boosted the total. I am really happy for him and hope he plays an important role in the forthcoming matches and the World Cup.

The bowling and fielding needs to improve and the bowlers need to get their act together, or the series will definitely go the Calypso way. Let us hope that the Nimbus-Prasar Bharathi battle is sorted out and we can watch the remaining matches.

Happy Pongal

It was a simple celebration, to thank the Sun-God and seek his blessings for the coming year. Mother prepared Ven Pongal and Chakarrai Pongal and after the rituals we had a late breakfast of pongal.

T.V. rules all celebrations and public holidays and Pongal was no different. The various channels were and are fighting tooth and nail by airing some of the biggest blockbusters of last year. Some of the movies on show include-Autograph, Anniyan, Pattiyal, Vanakkam Thalaiva. I was glued to Autograph and after failing to see the movie in a theatre or on dvd, I finally saw the whole movie. The advertisements mar the tempo of the movie an ad-break of around 10 minutes after 25 minutes of a movie is a crime which all viewers have to face. I guess Sun TV will launch Movie on Demand and only then we will escape from the torture of the advertisers.

So folks hope all of you had a gala time celebrating Pongal, bye for now.

A Step in the Right Direction

Finally the BCCI has taken a right step by dropping Sehwag for the first two matches of the upcoming series against the West Indies. I have added the list of players at the end of this topic. Let us hope that the Indian team regains its winning form.
15-man team for West Indies ODIs: Rahul Dravid (c), Sachin Tendulkar (vice-captain), Sourav Ganguly, Robin Uthappa, Gautam Gambhir, M S Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik, Zaheer Khan, S Sreesanth, Ajit Agarkar, Joginder Sharma, Ramesh Powar, Harbhajan Singh, R P Singh, Suresh Raina.
World Cup probables: Rahul Dravid (captain), Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Mohd Kaif, Gautam Gambhir, Sourav Ganguly, Robin Uthappa, Joginder Sharma, Ajit Agarakar, M S Dhoni, R P Singh, Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina, Zaheer Khan, S Sreesanth, Romesh Pawar, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan,
Munaf Patel, Anil Kumble, Dinesh Mongia, VRV Singh, Parthiv Patel, VVS Laxman, Rohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma, Cheteswar Pujara, S Badrinath, Rajesh Pawar.

That Sinking feeling again-Indian cricket team flatters to deceive, yet again

At the end of India's first innings, in the final test, I felt that India had a good chance to win the test and the series and create a new record. Unfortunately India lost the match and could only score a measly 169 in its second innings.

I still do not understand why the batting order was changed once again when Jaffer and Karthik put on a solid display of batting in the first innings. Sehwag at the top of the order has consistently failed in this series and he is having a negative effect on the batting of the other players. One more thing why was Munaf picked for the final test, John Gloster will have to answer some bitter questions to the BCCI for giving a clean chit to Munaf, who was limping like a granny through most of the match.

Sreesanth, Zaheer and Ganguly have cemented their place in the team with good performances and I feel Dada should be a part of India's World Cup plans. Drop Sehwag bring in Uthappa and make Karthik play as a batsman along with Dhoni as the keeper or vice-versa, but both of them should be a part of the squad as it adds depth to the disappointing batting line-up.

The umpiring was horrible with Munaf getting out on the SEVENTH ball of an over, plus some very awkward and bad decisions with respect to Kartik, Dravid and Sachin.

Let bygones be bygones and may the Indian team win the upcoming series.

memories
Well it took very little time to complete all the formalities of leaving my old company and the HR guy Susei was very helpful. I have joined my new company, and got my own workstation. The setup looks pretty professional and the office decor is pleasing. I was pleasantly surprised to meet my college mate Ashwin here, even he joined here just a week ago, so we will be having training together. More details will follow.

memories

The Noida Tragedy

2006 has brought to light a tragedy in Noida that has taken the nation by storm. Skeletons were discovered buried inside the backyard of a house and the drainage beside the house. As investigations continue it is believed that businessman Moninder Singh Pandher and his servant Surender are responsible for the deaths of about 36 children, both boys and girls who were first brutally raped and then killed.

The people of Nithari village have gone on a rampage and the police were shown beating the angry parents. This shows the apathy of the police towards the public. Can the police dream of beating the wife of the CEO of Adobe India, whose son was rescued after a kidnap-drama. Different yardsticks for measuring people from different strata of society.

As more shocking news is being leaked out to the media, there are suspicions of an organ-racket as the skeletons that have been recovered show missing torsos. The mystery is deepening and bitter truths are going to come out.

These criminals have to be hanged or better still they should be presented to the parents of the poor dead children who should stone these people to death.

If the law is allowed to take its course these people might get released saying that they are lunatics and get admitted to some asylum to escape from the death sentence.

These manic paedophiles should be hanged.

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A New Year-A New Beginning..

A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYBODY

So one more year has flown by and another year has started. The year had its fair share of highs and lows of me and I am looking forward to 2007 as I am leaving my first job and joining a new company.

The 18 months that I have worked in this company, has brought in a lot of happiness and knowledge. The joy that I felt when my first month's salary got credited into my account, the nervous tension that I experienced when I had my own bank account and used an ATM for the first time will all be cherished forever.

Life is a constant sea of change and I believe I have taken the right step in joining another company. I pray to God to give me strength to carry on and learn new things and fulfill my dreams.

Thanks God for all you have given and for all that you will give.

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To Hang or not to Hang Saddam

Saddam is likely to be hanged this weekend. Well we all know he is guilty of killing many people. Some reports suggest he even killed his sons-in-law. He has been held responsible for the death of more than 140 people. The judgement of the Iraqi court decrees that he has to be hanged before January 27.

I am no fan of Saddam, but with the current situation in Iraq, Saddam's hanging will only add to the confusion, and there will be a clash between the Shias and Sunnis and the U.S. forces and supportere of Saddam's Baath' Party.

What about George Bush who is responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent Iraqis and Afghans. No answers for that as he is the most powerful man on earth and everyone has to follow his whims and fancies.

God help Iraq and God help poor America.

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Second Test Update

The Indians had to sweat it out before they could bowl the Proteas out. Prince scored 121 before he was caught by Laxman of Sreesanth's bowling. The surprise package was Morkel who was notout on 31 and Ntini scored 16 runs and was out lbw to Kumble. The final score was 328.

India started disastrously losing Sehwag for a duck. I personally think Pathan should have stayed back and Sehwag should have returned home, he is becoming a liability for the team and not scoring at all. Next to depart was Dravid who was given out lbw of Nel, but I think the ball struck him a bit high on the legs, but he is out.

As I am writing this, Sachin and Jaffer are playing on 14 and 26 respectively. Let us see what happens..

A

memories
The Singur Controversy-What went wrong?

"Mamata Bannerjee put on oxygen support," screams the news headline in a news website. Mamata has been on a hunger strike for the past 21 days in protest of the proposed Tata small car factory that is supposed to come up in Singur. The problem is that the government has sanctioned prime agricultural land for the factory. Already a sizeable number of farmers have accepted the generous compensation given by the Tatas for their land, almost 6 to seven times of the actual property value.

Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, the West Bengal CM says that he cannot ask the Tatas to back out as it was he who took the initiative for inviting the Tatas to set up a factory. The argument is why was prime agricultural land offered to the Tatas when barren or unfertile land could have served the purpose, and why do they require such a vast area for their small-car factory?

Let us wait and watch and see what happens...

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Pathan Sent Packing

Irfan Pathan, has been given an air-ticket back home and literally sent packing to regain his lost form by playing in the Ranji Trophy matches. The fact is he is the only Indian player to have scored a century in the ongoing series in South Africa. In Vengsarkar's words-"He is in the team as a bowler who can bat a bit, not as a batsman who can bowl a bit."

So Pathan has about 4 months in which he has to master his reverse swing and wicket taking ability, to play for India in the World Cup in the Caribbean.

When I am writing this Sreesanth is being belted across the park in Durban and Zaheer has taken two wickets in the second test. Let us see what happens. Best of luck Pathan.

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Merry Christmas

It is that time of the year again, prayers and celebrations, carols and choir performances, plum cakes and rice puddings, Santa Claus and gifts... A Merry Christmas to everybody, and may the new year bring happiness and prosperity to everyone.

Breaking the Protean jinx

A Victory finally..
India finally broke the Protean jinx. We managed to win the first test match by 123 runs. Sreesanth who took five wickets in the first and three wickets in the second innings, destroyed the South African batting line-up, and will hopefully maintain his form in this series.Ganguly and Laxman played some crucial knocks and Zaheer's thirty odd runs in the second innings was a good performance.What worries eveyone is that the top order has failed again and I do believe that Jaffer should be replaced by Dinesh Karthick.For the moment let us enjoy our victory. Enjoy guys.

Paes and Bhupathi, end of a golden era

India won another gold at the Doha Asian Games yesterday, when Paes and Bhupathi defeated a Thai pair in a thrilling match. The result read 5-7, 7-6 (9-7), 6-3. Immediately after the victory, Paes announced his break-up with Bhupathi and said he would never partner Bhupathi again. The duo who have won many laurels for India in the past and have had ego-clashes for quite sometime and the end was inevitable, but the sudden announcement after the gold medal came as a shock to everyone.

The duo inspired a new generation of players like Sania, Rohan Bopanna, Ritwik, Rushmi Chakravarthy and others to take up tennis as a career.

I guess all good things have to come to an end and that is what has happened to Paes and Bhupathi. It is bad news for Indian tennis. We have to move on and identify new players to carry the mantle of Paes and Bhupathi.

memories
Finally a victory

The match between India and the Rest of South Africa team, ended in India's favour. Ganguly hit a brilliant 83 in the first innings but went for a duck in the second. The top order comprising of Sachin, Sehwag and Jaffer failed to boost our confidence with another disappointing performance in both innings of the match.

It was Pathan who made India's day, he scored a brilliant 111 not out in the first innings and 40 n.o. in the second. Some superb bowling by Zaheer and Sreesanth ensured a victory for the Indians.

The test series is extremely crucial for India as the one-day series was a total debacle. Sehwag will be the key. He is a different player when it comes to the longer format of the game. Remember Pakistan, if Laxman and Dravid can support Sehwag and Sachin and Ganguly play decently, there is some hope for the team.

You cannot expect the bowlers to defend a total less than 300 or 350 runs. Sreesanth, Zaheer and Pathan have to do well, Kumble knows his job and the veteran has his task cut out before him. Harbhajan is bound to get hit all across the park, but his doosra and variation in speed might do the trick.

I hope Dinesh Karthick is retained in the side. His batting is good and he is an able fielder. All eyes will be on Dada and he has a good opportunity to redeem himself. He has to be very careful about the bouncer aimed at his ribs.

December 15 is when the first test starts, let us wait and watch.

memories
Well and truly beaten
India were well and truly beaten by the Proteas in the recently concluded one-day series. The only consolation was our victory in the 20:20 match. The test series starts on December 15. With just another eight days remaining and a practice match against teh rest of South Africa team, Team-India has to get back to its winning ways. Laxman and Ganguly are good on paper and their batting in the upcoming matches will decide their future for once and forever.

The positives that emerged for India was the form of Zaheer with the ball and Dinesh Karthick's impressive batting. Dhoni was the only player to score more than 100 runs for India in the one-day series.

Bowling wise, the team failed in the last match and squandered impressive starts in the other games.

Let us wait for the test matches to begin.

memories
A chance to salvage their pride-

India have chance to salvage a bit of their pride when they meet the Proteas today. I hope that India plays the 20 overs fully and not get skittled out in 10 or 12 overs. Dhoni and Sehwag have the ability to hit the ball very hard and I feel Dhoni should be promoted up the order say at number 3.

The key lies in restricting the Proteas and avoiding silly goof-ups while fielding the ball. Let bygones be bygones India have to pull up their socks, do some serious soul-searching and win this match.

This is a desperate request from a die-hard fan. Please win this match...

Can Dada rescue India?

The fourth one-dayer had the same ending as the ones before it with India losing to South Africa without putting up a fight. The squad for the test-team which plays three tests in South Africa was announced today.

I think sweet shops in Kolkatta will do extra business today as rosgollas and sandesh would be distributed to celebrate the return of Dada to the Indian team almost a year after he played a test in Karachi.

The team is as follows:-

Squad: Rahul Dravid (capt), Wasim Jaffer, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), VVS Laxman (vice-capt), Dinesh Kaarthick, Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble, Munaf Patel, Irfan Pathan, VRV Singh, Zaheer Khan and S Sreesanth.

Laxman has been named as vice-captain, I personally feel that Kumble deserves that place, and I am certain that Kumble will end up as the most deserving star who never captained India. Sehwag is certain to be dropped if he does not fire in the first test.

All that remains is one 20:20 fixture and the fifth ODI. Team India has to win these games to salvage some respect and let us see if Dada inspires again......

Uneasy is the head on which lies the burden of captaincy-or-How the Indian cookie crumbled in Durban.

The first ODI match between India and South Africa was cancelled because of heavy rain, so when the second match started on time on November 22, expectations were high. The Indian team had disappointed its supporters with its performance in the Champions Trophy, and Dravid and Sachin had promised to make amends in South Africa.

The match started well for India, and Zaheer Khan, who was back in the side bowled his heart out and took the crucial wickets of Graeme Smith and Bosman. Unfortunately for India, it was Kallis's day and he went on to hit an unbeaten 119. He was ably supported by A.B. de. Villiers who hit a strokeful 41. Harbhajan was tormented by Kallis and he went for 59 runs from his 10 overs and failed to pick up a wicket. I wish the management plays Kumble in the next match, or we are going to be hit for another 300 or 400 runs.(Anyway we could not chase 248 so imagine our plight chasing mammoth totals)

Agarkar and Munaf Patel also bowled pretty well to restrict the Proteas to 248.

When Sachin and Wasim Jaffer walked out to open the Indian batting, I had a feeling that this would not click(I just reached home in time before the Indian innings started at 10 P.M.)Now I wish I had watched some other channel. Jaffer's ODI debut ended in a big disappointment with his stumps being dislodged by Pollock. How do you expect a new guy to open the innings, that too on a bouncy track? Then Kaif walked in and he went into defensive mode. At the other end Sachin produced some boundaries. Then Kaif departed, caught by Gibbs at point. Then Dravid came and he just scored 18. Then... the cookie crumbled and the famed Indian batting order was skittled out for just 91. I have added the Indian scorecard, courtesy of Cricbuzz to highlight our miserable form-

Batting: India Innings
Batsmen
India (91/10 in 29.1 ovs)
Runs
Balls
4's
6's
SR
Wasim Jaffer
b S Pollock
0
3
0
0
0.00
Sachin Tendulkar
b A Nel
35
51
5
0
68.63
Mohammad Kaif
c H Gibbs b S Pollock
8
19
1
0
42.11
Rahul Dravid (c)
b C Langeveldt
18
25
3
0
72.00
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk)
c M Boucher b A Nel
14
27
3
0
51.85
Suresh Raina
c J Kallis b A Nel
4
12
0
0
33.33
Dinesh Mongia
c J Kemp b J Kallis
1
9
0
0
11.11
Harbhajan Singh
lbw b J Kallis
1
4
0
0
25.00
Ajit Agarkar
b J Kallis
6
16
1
0
37.50
Zaheer Khan
c M Boucher b A Nel
1
8
0
0
12.50
Munaf Patel
not out
0
3
0
0
0.00
Extras:
b - 0, w - 1, nb - 2, lb - 0
3

Total:(91 for 10 in 29.1 overs)
91
Run Rate: 3.1

Now tell me what should we do as loyal supporters, the meagre total ruffled feathers in the Parliament with MPs asking Chappell to be sacked. I still believe Dada should be brought back. He has the best batting average for an Indian in South Africa and Laxman deserves justice.

The latest news is that Vengsarkar has flown to South Africa for important talks with the team and coach. Let us hope India at least puts up a fight on Sunday for the third match.

Hope we win or atleast lose by a smaller margin

A Monsoon Wedding-Part-2

First of all an apology to all the dedicated readers of my blog, especially Revathi, Jeanne and Mick, I was totally occupied with work and found no time to blog. Finally I have found some free time now, so BACK TO BLOGGING.

The feast was sumptuous, and after some time of chatting about the "porutham" of the bride and the groom, we decided it was time to explore Tirunelveli. We had about three hours time from 4 P.M. to 7 P. M., and decided to make good use of it.
The first stop on our tour itineary was the famous Kanthimathi Nellaiyappar Temple. We took a bus to the temple which was about 25 minutes from the Junction busstand. The visit to this temple will remain as one of my most cherished memories. I was spellbound by the architecture and the grandeur of the sculptures and the layout of the temple.
This twin temple dedicated to Siva (Nellaiyappar) and Parvathi (Kanthimathi) is situated in the heart of the city. Built by the Pandyas in the 13C but entirely remodeled and extended in 17C - 18C , the main deity is a 'Suyambu Lingam' or a Shiva Lingam which erupted from underneath the earth. The temple is worth seeing for its beautiful sculptures, musical pillars, valuable jewels, a golden lily tank and a thousand pillared mandapa. It is one of the five sacred places in Saiva religion.
The highlight of the temple is the set of musical pillars, which produce musical notes on tapping them. Then there was a huge pond with fishes and the temple elephant who blessed all of us.
Next stop was the Iruttu Kadai Halwa shop.
Tirunelveli is synonymous with its halwa dripping with ghee that melts in your mouth instantly. So we bought halwa from the famous "Iruttu Kadai", maybe it does not have tubelights, I don't know why its called that. "Iruttu Kadai" when translated means "Dark Shop".
Then we just visited some of the shops and brought a silk saree for the bride and a silk mundu and Jibba(kurta) for the groom. It was beginning to get dark and we returned to the marriage hall.
D-DAY for Mapillai
It is 7:40 and our mapillai and his bride are about to enter a new stage in their lives or shall I say life as they are supposed to be-"One in spirit and Soul from now..." The vaathiyars(priests) chanted the mantras and the thali(mangalsutra) was tied on to the bride to the echoing of the "Nadaswaram Gettimelams".
The bride cried as she was leaving her family and joining a new family. I was immediately transported to 1994 when my sister was married and she cried a lot hugging our mother and uncle.
Then everyone proceeded to the dining hall, where a grand feast was arranged. Then it was time to say goodbyes and promises were made to visit each other(all far-flung relatives living places as varied as Palakkad and Pathankot). I returnedwith my sister and brother-in-law by the Nellai Express. That is another story, which will form the basis of my next post.
Keep reading.Cheers.

A Monsoon Wedding
The past week has been totally hectic and I had no sleep for four days from Friday evening to Monday evening. I left for Tirunelveli to attend my cousin's marriage. I could not get train tickets, so I booked a ticket on a bus K.P.N. Travels. Koyambedu to Tirunelveli via Villupuram, Trichy and Madurai. It was raining throughout and to top it they put one sick comedy movie called Gusthi on the bus. It starred Karthik and Prabhu and had two women romping in skinny outfits provocating everyone and then saying-"Unakku Akka Thangachi Illaya"(Don't you have brothers and sisters?)The bus was comfortable and the seats were spacious, but somehow I just could not sleep. It was an awesome experience to view the change in the sky and the landscape from sunset to sunrise. Something that I will never forget. Another thing that I wanted to know is, aren't there any luxury buses in India which have toilets. I might sound a bit vulgar, but facts are facts. I took a leak at all the scheduled stops - Villupuram, Trichy, Madurai and an unscheduled place without a name somewhere on the highway.I finally reached Tirunelveli at around 7:30 A.M. It was drizzling continuously like the irritating rain at Lords which is not severe, but enough to stop a cricket match. I had breakfast at Nellai Saravana Bhavan, good food and decent service. I took an auto to the marriage hall-Rajmahal Thirumana Mandapam. One common factor in Tamil nadu is that everywhere the auto-drivers will fleece you. It was just about a kilometre and I had to pay 25 rupees.The ceremony(Nischidamboolam) was yet to start and only a few of our distant relatives had reached the hall. The bridegroom Dinesh was loking ill at ease, perhaps he was reliving his bachelor days as his bachelorhood was about to end. The customary rounds of "Namaskaram Mama and Mami" were completed andI entered my room. The hall was really huge and had lots of facilities. I had a room to myself, which I would have to share with other relatives when they would arrive. I had a refreshing bath, and contemplated on my course of action.By 9 A.M., the far-flung relatives started arriving by various modes of transport. The ceremonies had also begun. I was dog-tired but I looked at the ceremony for an hour. Then I went to my room and slept for a couple of hours. When I got up it was almost 1 P.M. I went to the dining hall, already the "Mudhal Pandhi" (First batch of diners) was in progress. I sat in the next batch of diners and dug into the sumptuous spread of the "Kalyana Sappadhu" (Wedding Feast)By now my cousins had arrived and then all of us decided to visit the various places in the town, as the marriage was to take place only on the next morning.To be continued......

memories

Calypso Challenge for India

India have an acid test today as they play West Indies in their Champions Trophy match today. The match is very important as the winning team will enter the semi finals. India have been humiliated by West Indies in the past couple of months, in the Carribean and Kuala Lumpur.

Another worrying factor for the Men in Blue is that West Indies have defeated the World Champions Australia, twice in the recent weeks.

India almost made a mess of an easy target in their first match against England, and I firmly believe that if the Pommies had scored another 30-40 runs we would have been in trouble. One redeeming factor was that Pathan is back in form with the new ball, and he generated a fair bit of pace and swing in his opening spell.

As I have mentioned before in my previous entries, Pathan needs to be India's strike bowler, who can get some valuable runs down the order, not a swashbuckling number three batsman.

Sehwag's poor form with the bat continues to worry me. If he does not score well in this series, he might end up like Ganguly Dada.

Lets hope we win the match today.

Best of Luck to both the teams.

memories
To Hang or Not to Hang..., That is the Question.

Mohammed Afzal the prime accused in the Parliament terrorist attack case was sentenced to death and scheduled to be hung on October 20.

Immediately there were protests across the nation specially in Kashmir, demanding the cancellation of the death sentence. Afzal's wife presented a mercy petition to the President, and the hanging has been postponed.

This is not good for Indian justice and democracy. Afzal has been proved guilty beyond doubt and pardoning him will set a wrong example to others.

He deserves to die and his hanging should serve an example to all terrorists.

memories

All The P.M.'s Men-

The "Food for Oil Money Laundering Case," ruffled many a political feather in the Indian political ranks, and the Minister of External Affairs K.Natwar Singh was forced to resign. He has launched a tirade against Sonia Gandhi and the Congress, and declares that he has been made a scapegoat.

The P.M. Mr. Manmohan Singh announced some changes in the Cabinet Ministry. Pranab Mukherjee is the new Minister of External Affairs, a post that he held a decade back.

The biggest surprise was the appointment of the A.K. Antony, former Chief Minister of Kerala as the Defence Minister. Let us see if Antony takes a strong stand against Pakistan's proxy-war and terrorism.

memories
Srividya R.I.P.

Srividya passed away in the early hours of October 19, in a private hospital in Trivandrum. She had been waging a battle against cancer for nearly four years.
Daughter of eminent classical singer M.L. Vasanthakumari, Srividya entered the film world at a very young age doing a prominent role in the Sivaji Ganesan-starrer Thiruvarul Selvar.
She has acted in more than 300 films in all the South-Indian languages and Hindi. She made it big on Asianet the Malayalam T.V. channel, with splendid performances in serials like Muhurtham, she died when she was acting in the serial AmmaThamburathi, which is currently on air.

I liked her roles in movies like Kamal's "Aboorva Sahotarargal," and "AboorvaRaagangal" Mohanlal's "Pavithram" and Jai Shanker's "Noothukku Noor"

Her personal life was a mess and her husband continuously harassed her for money and property. The long drawn battle for divorce sapped her interest in life. She was a true fighter and lived life to the fullest battling against all odds.

Rest in Peace...

memories

Bad Days for Pakistani Cricket

Well it seems that the Pakistani cricket team is going through the influence of Shani, Lord Saturn. It sarted with the Oval Test fiasco. Inzamam was caught in the midst of a ball-tampering scandal. Umpire Hair could not produce evidence to prove his accusation, but Inzy was banned for four matches for bringing disrepute to the game.

Then Younis Khan was announced as the Pakistani skipper for the ICC Championship Trophy, and everything looked fine. Just before the team was about to pack its bags and come to India, Younis called a press-conference and announced that-"I do not want to be a part-time captain and be a replacement for others."

PCB was in total confusion and Mohammed Yousuf(Youhana) was named captain. Two days later top officials in the Pakistani Cricket Board resigned and Younis Khan was once again reinstated as captain.

The final nail in the coffin was hammered today when PCB announced that speedsters Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammed Asif had failed a drug-test and they were recalled and would not be playing in the ICC Championship.

After all this I still won't be surprised if Pakistan enter the semi-finals, because they have always performed well under pressure.

Let us wait and watch.

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International Terrorism

Terrorism is not Jihad or restricted to Islam alone. Across the world countries are fighting against terrorists. Sri lanka has been fighting a long battle with the LTTE who want a separate country for Tamilians. India is facing problems form groups like the Bodos, Ultras and Naxalites in addition to Islamic groups like SIMI, Lashkar-e-toiba and Hazrat-ul-Mujahideen.

On the other hand George Bush’s War on Terrorism, is no different from any other terrorist organization as thousands of innocent people have died in Afghanistan and Iraq. Pakistan’s ISI has been sponsoring terrorist attacks in India for ages. All these issues have made the world into a volcano of tension, which might erupt at any moment.

It is impossible to destroy every single terrorist in the world. You and me as responsible citizens should do our bit. If you see any suspicious person or object immediately notify the police. While travelling by public-transport ensure that there is no unclaimed baggage or package, and do not pick up anything from the street or on the beach.

To conclude I believe that its high time that Mr.Bush stops his aspirations to control Iraq and high time that India takes a definite stand on Pakistan’s proxy war and retaliate effectively as Musharraf is not making any efforts to bring peace.

A world without war is only possible in Utopia, we should learn to live and survive in this harsh world.

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The Poet's Tale

Train travel is a fascinating experience. I commute to office everyday by local train and meet many interesting characters. On Saturday while returning home I met a middle-aged man. He was sitting next to me and was trying to look at the cover of the book I was reading.

He wanted to speak to me but was hesitant, he finally found courage to speak and introduced himself. I am quoting his words here-"Hello sir, I am Kumar. I am a poet." He glanced at the novel I was reading and said-"Sir, I have written three books all of them are poetry collections, I am struggling to find an agent to sell my books. I have approached shops like Landmark and Bookpoint but they are politely trying to avoid me, can you help me sir. I have put in my life's savings and printed these books. All of them are examples of Tamil Pudhu Kavithai-New age Tamil Poetry." I said to him-"I do not know how to read Tamil but I will try to help you."

He then spoke of his family. His wife worked as a clerk in the collectorate and he had a son who studied in third standard. He spoke of his troubles, how his relatives thought his literary pursuits to be a waste of time and labelled him as an "irresponsible house-holder."

He said that his wife was extremely supportive and encouraged him to write. I guess he is a lucky man to have got such an understanding and caring wife. He gave me his address and asked me to visit his house. He even made me an offer and asked me to translate his poems into English.

Who knows? Maybe I will visit him this Sunday.

memories

Chepauk's cup of woes

Two aliens were visiting Earth to research the local customs.They split up so that they could learn more in the time allowed. When they met to share their knowledge, the first alien told of a religious ceremony it had seen. "I went to a large green field shaped like a meteorite crater. Around the edges, several thousand worshippers gathered. Then two priests walk to the centre of the field to a rectangular area and hammer six spears into the ground, three at each end. Then eleven more priests walk out, clad in white robes. Then two high priests wielding clubs walk to the centre and one of the other priests starts throwing a red orb at the ones with the clubs." "Gee," replied the other alien, "what happens next?"

"Then it begins to rain."

This is the best way to describe international cricket matches held at Chennai's M.A.Chidambaram Stadium at Chepauk. A number of matches starting from an India -NZ one-dayer to a test match that India should have comfortably won against the Australians have been washed out. Even the final of the Challenger Trophy was washed and nature denied Sehwag a well deserved century.

At this rate I think the authorities should put up a retractable roof over the stadium to stop rain from stopping a match. Australia has one stadium with this feature. Let us hope the next ODI in Chepauk is not washed out.

CRICKET FOR FAME OR FOR PATRIOTISM


India is a nation of fanatics. We have religious fanatics, political fanatics, cinema fanatics and finally the most important and most common of all cricket fanatics. In my opinion the game of cricket is the greatest contribution that the British made to India. In a country of such diverse traditions and culture cricket is the one unifying spirit that transcends all boundaries and differences. A Tamilian and a Kannadiga may be at loggerheads over the Cauvery river water issue, but they are inseparable in their admiration for Dravid and Tendulkar.

Cricket has evolved a long way from the playing fields of Oxford and Cambridge to the multi-million dollar industry it is today. The ICC or International Cricket Council, is the governing body that supervises the growth and development of the sport globally. Cricket has undergone a sea of transformation from the traditional five-day test match to the one-day match and the current phenomenon 20:20 cricket.

Today a cricketer has a lot to look forward to, 20-25 years back there were no endorsements and advertising money and roles in slickly shot TV commercials. Look at the scene today we have cricketers endorsing everything from soft-drinks to motorbikes and video-games. They run restaurants and own shares in multi-national corporations. It is detrimental to the growth of the game. Money is needed, but like any other thing, money in excess is a vice.

Fame is naturally linked with sport and when it has such widespread coverage like cricket it is instantaneous. Take the current example of India’s swashbuckling wicket keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni his exploits with the bat have made him the new poster-boy of Indian cricket. He was an ordinary ticket collector working in the railways and now he is the country’s youth-icon. We need to weigh his merits carefully and observe him two to three years down the line to see how fame has affected him.


Shane Warne is an example of how fame can go into your head and transform you from hero to villain. From being the new spin-phenomenon of Australian cricket to being the highest wicket-taker in test cricket, his personal life has become a total mess. Numerous sex-scandals alcohol abuse and indiscipline has led to a divorce from his wife of more than 5 years. Former Indian captain Azharuddin is another example, caught in the match-fixing controversy, he is yet to be cleared of the accusations and charges levelled on him.


Perhaps former South African captain Hansie Cronje’s tale is the most tragic of all. Hailed as an inventive captain, the world was shocked when he was proved to be the centre of the match-fixing scandal. He died in an air-crash disgraced forever.

Sachin is undoubtedly one of India’s greatest sportsmen and he says he plays for his beloved India. His patriotism was proved when he failed to pay excise duty for a Ferrari gifted by Michael Schummacher to him. This from a person who earns nearly 10 million dollars annually through his endorsements and restaurants.


Patriotism need not necessarily mean being an army soldier and killing enemies with your gun. It is present in each and everything that you do. Cricket is a fiercely patriotic game, and nothing is tenser than an India-Pakistan cricket match. Both fame and patriotism play important roles in the performance of a sportsperson.
An optimum balance should be struck between the two for superior sportsmanship.



We need to wake up and stop worshipping our cricketers as gods, they are just human beings representing our country. It is this blind hero-worship that propels the players greed for fame and money. The government should take steps to develop more talent and give equal opportunities to youngsters to represent their country.

memories
Small Town Cricket Talk

When the Joker Pulled up an ace

Sunday October 1, was a normal day like any other, and I had no inkling of the role I would be playing in the evening. 4 P.M. saw the gang at the play ground. Thirteen of them including me were present. Two teams of 6 players each were formed and I was designated the role of the Joker. In local cricketing language a joker is a player who bats for both the teams and dons the gloves of the wicket keeper for both sides.

The first two matches ended with each team winning one match and thus the third match became a final of sorts. Simbu's team won the toss and decided to bat first. The entire team was bowled out (including me) for 16 runs in 5.4 overs.

Rahul decided to open the batting with our "sweep-master" Parthiban. Simbu opened the balling and Rahul was clean bowled of the first ball of Simbu's over. In the same over Parthiban lost his wicket. At the end of 5 overs Rahul's team required 5 runs to win and Prakash was batting with Kannan. At this point I opted opted to field in the forward position and Kumar decided to keep wickets. The first ball of the last over bowled by Magi was whipped to long-off for a double. The second ball was struck firmly by Prakash towards me. I lunged at the ball and threw the ball at the bowler's end. We just have one wicket at the bowler's end, and I aimed at it from about 12 metres away. The fielders erupted in joy when Prakash failed to make his ground and was run out by my direct throw at the stump.

Then it was my turn as the joker to bat for Rahul's team. 4 balls left and three runs to win. It was getting dark and becoming very difficult to view the ball properly. I struck the ball with all my strength and managed to take 2 runs. Now the scores were tied and the match was poised for a nail-biting finish.

1 run to win of three balls. The next two balls whipped past me with great speed as I failed to make contact with the ball. Now I was extremely nervous and the fielders had circled around me like vultures surrounding a corpse. At this moment Prakash decided to be my by-runner and the instructions given by Rahul to Kanna were very clear-"If the bat makes contact with the ball run like hell."

Magi looked like Shoib Akhtar and took a long run-up and hurled the ball at me like a grenade. I just closed my eyes and swung at the ball like a wood-cutter with his axe. The ball met the meat (centre) of the bat and met the boundary rope.

There were shouts of joy and disappointment among the boys and Rahul and Prakash started singing.

Well folks that's my tale of when the joker became the hero.

memories
Happy Navarathri to everybody out there.

memories
A Record of Sorts

Mohanlal, one of India's finest actors is on his way to achieve an unique record. More than 20 years back he was paired with Poornima Jayaram in his debut "Manjil Virinja Pookal"(Flowers that Blossomed in the Mist."

Now Poornima and director K.Bhagyaraj's daughter Saranya, who made her debut with Prithviraj in Parijatham, is all set to play Mohanlal's heroine in the new movie "Photographer."

Thus Lalettan has become the first actor in the world to act as a hero with both mother and daughter.

Cheers.

memories
DVD Review 1
I saw this movie called "The Hero". It stars Jet Li and a host of other actors whose names I do not know. The movie was in Chinese with English sub-titles.

It is based on a true story taken from Chinese history. A king plans to unite the seven warring tribes in China and goes on a violent conquest of the opposing tribes. The tribes are fiercely independent and have no interest in being ruled over by a tyrant.

Many assassination attempts are made but all end up in vain. Here comes our hero Jet Li, he organises an elaborate plan in which he captures and kills some people who made a previous attempt on the king's life, to gain a private audience with the king.

He specializes in a martial art form called-"Death within ten feet" The scenes showing his excellence with his sword and the war scenes are excellent. In the end Li realises that the king's plans are honourable and good in the larger interest of the people. He allows himself to be killed by the king's soldiers.

The movie ends with a message saying that the king united all the seven tribes and established a new dynasty.

The music and camera-work is top-notch and is definitely worth watching.

Mahesh's-Rate-o-Meter-3 out of 5.

Cheers.

memories
The DVD Club
I finally got a DVD player. I wanted to buy one right from my college days, and the desire got postponed due to lack of funds. I finally saved enough money to buy one. I got ideas galore from my friends and colleagues about the various models in the market and their various features. Most of them suggested a Sony DVD player, but the best things in life don't come cheap and so the Sony factor was overruled by the price factor. The next options were Philips and Samsung. I decided to experiment and visited various shops to compare prices and features.

I did some research and found out that the main component of the players would cost about Rs 650/-(I think its the disc reader), courtesy of my friends in Ritchie Street. So I decided to buy an assembled DVD player. It is MP-4 compatabile(Video form of an MP-3).

I paid Rs 2000/- for it. It is silver in colour and has the Samsung logo on it(Marketing Genius). What I like about my player are the LED lights that flash a myriad of colours when the player is in use.

I hope to start another series tiltled DVD reviews, that will carry a review of the movies that I watch on my player.

Cheers.

memories
Guru Greg and his dadagiri

India's dismal performance at the DLF Cup in Malaysia has set the panic bells ringing in the Indian camp. "Too much of anything is good for nothing." I think our coach Guru Greg should understand this. There is no harm in experimenting, but don't toy around with your top order and reduce it to a bunch of school kids playing street-cricket with a rubber ball.

The great batsmen-Dravid, Shewag and Yuvraj Singh have failed miserably in the series. Harbhajan and Sachin were the only saving grace for us in this series. Greg's determination to make Irfan into another Kapil, is taking its toll on Pathan as a bowler. He is no longer able to swing the ball and take wickets in his opening spell.

I do not understand the point of playing Sreesanth in just one match. The kid has genuine talent and speed. He has already been omitted from the Champion's Trophy. So he should have been played in more matches. Agarkar has made a comeback of sorts for perhaps the twentieth time. I sincerely believe that the team has to stick with him regularly. He has to head the bowling department for the World Cup.

I do not know what happened to Zaheer and Balaji and why are we kicking Anil Kumble out of the ODI squad. The Aussies and the West Indians were troubled by Harbhajan's spin. I am sure Kumble could have won us the series if he would have played.

I am waiting for the pompous Kiran More to leave the selection panel. The new selector Dilip Vengsarkar is sure to give Ganguly and perhaps Laxman a chance in the ODI squad. Being a batsman he knows the importance of a solid batting squad.

The Challenger Trophy beginning on October 1, should be interesting as many players will be fighting for a return to the national squad. Let us keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best. We really need to put up a good show in the Champions Trophy, or else I think all hopes for even a place in the last four in the World Cup will vanish.

memories
"Mohana" is no more...
Padmini India's greatest classical dancer and a great actress passed away in the early hours of Monday September 25. She was the last surviving member of the Travancore sisters. Lalitha, Ragini and Padmini were accomplished dancers and actresses. Padmini broke linguistic barriers and acted in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi and dubbed in her own voice for all these languages.

She acted with M.G.R., Shivaji Ganeshan, Gemini Ganeshan, Prem Nazir, Raj Kapoor and many other leading men of her time. Some of my favourite movies in which she starred were-Vanji Kottai Valibhan-with Gemini and Vyjayanthi Mala, Thilana Mohanambal and Vietnam Veedu with Shivaji Ganeshan, Nokkatha Doorathu Kannum Nattu-Fazil's movie starring Nadiya and Mohanlal(remade as Poove Poo Choodava in Tamil)

She married Doctor Ramachandran and settled in the U.S. where she started a dance-school. She was an intelligent and humble woman who was a constant bundle of energy. A great artist and a beautiful person. Indian cinema will miss her.

memories
The Boss is Back-Sachin's century no. 40
Sachin made a strong comeback to the Indian team after a long lay off due to injury. He punished the Weat Indian bowlers mercilessly with some superb shots. He scored 141 runs and carried the bat through the innings(he remained notout).

This was just the second time in his career when he opened the innings and remained notout till the end. He was provided good support by Irfan Pathan who scored a swashbuckling 64. India posted 309/5 in 50 overs.


Unfortunately rain and Gayle played spoilsport. West Indies were 141/2 at the end of 20 overs when rain stopped the proceedings. The Duckworth/Lewis rule was enforced and the West Indins were declared the winners by 29 runs.

Hope Sachin plays even better against the Aussies and that it does not rain and cause problems.

memories
Terrorism on the rise
This year has not gone well for the average Maharashtrian. Seven blasts at important railway stations on the Mumbai local train service, made the people remember the '93 blasts. The police are yet to find a proper perpetrator of these blasts and are just providing hazy assumptions based on even hazier Identikit photos of possible terrorists.

A few days back terror returned in the form of the Malegaon blasts. Today afternoon another explosive device was recovered from a bsy shopping-complex in Malegaon.

A couple of days back the Chennai police recovered a cache of rockets being sent to Andhra Pradesh supposedly to be used by the Naxals. Further investigation revealed that these were manufactured in the Ambattur Industrial Estate in suburban Chennai. A high ranking AP police official has issued a statement saying that he was aware of this rocket manufacturing unit for the past three years. I wonder if he was swatting flies and mosquitoes all this while.

The point is that stringent surprise raids and checks should be undertaken in all industrial units big or small across India. We have close to 40 million engineering units both small and big that manufacture things ranging from nuts and bolts to helicopters.

Many unscrupulous factory-owners are using their manufacturing and explosive licence to herald terror. It is high time that the government opens its eyes to the evil that is spreading like wildfire.

Another disturbing factor is that more and more educated youth from affluent families are turning to a life of crime and terror. Specially susceptible are the youth staying in small and mid-size towns.

This is not an isolated case. A well-planned and financially supportive mastermind is building a network for something really big and destructive. Recent statements by the Lashkar-e-Toiba add fuel to fire.

You and me as responsible citizens should do our bit. If you see any suspicious person or object immediately notify the police. While travelling by public-transport ensure that there is no unclaimed baggage or package, and do not pick up anything from the street or on the beach.

There is only one way to fight terrorism to be alert and careful.

Jai Hind.

memories
Reflections on 9/11
Five years have passed since the fateful day on which the American pride was hurt really bad. Till then terrorism on such a large scale was only dreamt of in movies. Recent research by eminent scholars throws open a whole new aspect on the incident. They say that the whole thing was rigged by the American government. There are many websites that support and document this conspiracy theory.

We might never know what really happened, but the failure of the Americans to capture Osama with all their modern gadgets adds fuel to this theory. Remember Osama was helped by the American government to fight the Russians in the eighties.

All said and done a silent prayer for all those who lost their lives on 9/11

memories
Babu Moshai...Adieu-A Tribute to Hrishida
Hrishikesh Mukherjee, was one of the few directors in India whose movies were sans violence and vulgarity. A longtime assistant of the great Bimal Roy. his movies touched a chord with the hearts and minds of the Indian middle-class family. He portrayed the father-daughter relationship poignantly in Anupama. The platonic friendship in Anand and Namak Haram and cemented Amitabh's career.

Movies like Golmaal, Chupke Chupke, Khoobsurat, Bawarchi were clean comedies that provided wholesome comedies. Today's bawdy comedies stand nowhere in comparison with Hrishida's works.

He will be missed by all cinema lovers.

Good Bye Babu Moshai, regale your audiences in heaven.

Cinema, You and I
Vetayaadu Vilayaadu-Hunt and Play-Movie Review
"Another episode in a police officer's life"
Post Kakha Kakha, Gautam returns witha bang and presents VV. The movie was embroiled in one controversy after another since its inception. A suicide attempt, debts, ego-conflicts, bouncing of cheques; all this can be a plot for another movie.

The movie has been shot slickly and Ravi Verman's camera work is top-notch. I do not want to reveal too many details about the movie, but that is the movie reviewer's problem to balance the details while reviewing a movie. Kamal is Raghavan a cop, who investigates the murder of his colleague's daughter.(The girl is very beautiful, never seen her before, and has potential to be the next cute little thing). Raghavan investigates and the perpetrators of the crime cannot be discovered. Arokyaraj (played by Prakashraj) and his wife are haunted by the memories of their dead daughter and decide to settle in America. Six months later the couple are found brutally killed.
Raghavan is intrigued and he leaves foe New York to hunt the killers. On the flight to NY, scenes of Raghavan's past flash- his first wife(Kamalinee Mukherjee; another beauty bitten by the cinema bug), their romance and her death caused by the underworld.
In NY, Raghavan is helped by Anderson, investigations reveal four corpses in a forest like area, Raghavan beats the American police and details emerge. In between investigations Raghavan saves Aradhana(Jo) from commiting suicide and they find solace in each other.
Anderson pulls one for Uncle Sam and discovers a link, a finger tied to a lemon and chillies, similar to the one found in Prakashraj's daughter's murder.
Who are the killers? Are the American killings and the killing in Tamil Nadu linked? Do Kamal and Aradhana get married? Are the killers caught?
Watch the movie for the answers.
The movie has excellent music by Harris Jayraj and "Paartha Mudhal Naalae" is the best of the lot. "Karka Karka" Kamal's entry song is tastefully done. The big minus is the amount of bloodshed and the graphic violence shown on screen.
All said and done, the movie is definitely worth watching.
Mahesh's Rate-o-Meter- 3.5/5.

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Shehnai Ke Shahenshah-The Emperor of the Shehnai-Ustad Bismillah Khan
Shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan died of cardiac arrest in the wee hours of Monday morning. Khan was born on March 21, 1916 into a family of court musicians and later trained under his uncle, the late Ali Bux 'Vilayatu', a shehnai player at Varanasi's Vishwanath temple.

He enthralled audiences across the world with his refreshing blend of music, infact he resurrected the shehnai from the obscurity of being an accompanying instrument to an independent instrument.

He was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award. He was a man of simple tastes and led a Puritan lifestyle. He has now left our world and is perhaps enthralling the gods in heaven with his sweet melodies.

memories
Remembering Ammama-My Grandmother
It is almost 16 years since my grandma passed away, I don't know why, but yesterday I was going through our family photo albums when I saw a photograph of my grandparents posing for their thirty-fifth wedding anniversary. Both of them were simple people, my grandpa was a cook and my grand ma ran a small store in our native village in Kerala. They had four children two boys and two girls . My mother was their third child. All the children were raised with great care and love even though they were financially poor.

My two uncles came to the erstwhile Calcutta to make a living , they prospered and in five years time saved money to bring the family from Kerala to Calcutta.

My father was on a contract job in the Middle-East and both me and my sister were brought up by our mother in our uncle's house. My sister was very close to grandpa, while I was the centre of affection of my grandma. Grandma used to narrate fairy-tales and prepare delicious savouries and sweets during festivals.

When grandpa died, she was totally heart-broken and was never able to recover from the personal tragedy. She died three years later.

When I am alone I recollect the days I spent in her laps listening to her fairy-tales and falling asleep. Some things in life are priceless and I wish my grandma were alive to see me, her grandson working and earning his living.

I know that she is a star in the skies watching my progress and showering her blessings on me.

memories
A Different Charm
Chennai or Madras, I prefer the latter so I will stick to it, is a city of contradictions, like most Indian cities. On one side you have elite five-star hotels where the rich and famous wine and dine, and on the other you have the road side "thattukadas," dishing their fare to the poor man. We have super structures made of steel and glass harbouring international software companies and we also have small two room sheds in industrial estates making spare parts for machines. The point I am trying to make there is something or the other for everyone according to their tastes and budget.

Madras is a treasure-trove for book lovers like me. The footpath on Pycrofts Road off Marina Beach and the Lily Pond Complex at Moore Market near the Central Railway Station are good places to hunt for rare and used books. Then we have our own legend, Luz Thata an old man who has been selling books for more than fifty years at Luz, near Mylapore, opposite the Kamadhenu Theatre.

There is a strange charm that second-hand book shops exude, the dark rooms with shelves full of books on various topics in different languages, and the smell of old paper and bound leather. One gets transported in time when we leaf through some old novel belonging to a Raju or a Rita dated January12, 1964 or April 2, 1974. We wonder what the original owner might be doing now or the occassion when he or she would have received the book.

Unfortunately the second-book shops are dying out because of the competetive discounts offered by big shops. Another alarming fact as narrated by Chandran a book-seller is-" People have no time to read good fiction, everyone is busy preparing for competetive exams and studying engineering, computers or medicine. Few people come to us asking for old novels. All people ask for is Harry Potter, Sidney Sheldon and Da Vinci Code."

This has led to the rise in book piracy. Now even these sellers have to stock copies of pirated books which are sold at a third of the price of the original to survive. I personally feel that book piracy is less harmful than video piracy. Atleast people will be reading something and gain some information and may actually be tempted to read the works of masters like Dickens or Verne.

So if you guys are in Chennai, you now know where to get a good bargain on your books.