I want to Fly

Part of a fun-competition organised by the Chennai Bloggers Club about flying and the first flight! I chose to write a poem :)

As a child:

I would look up at the sky,
And smile in wonder,
At those magnificent machines,
That flew through the clouds,
With such power and grace!

It was a real joy,
To say 'tata'and wave my hands,
At the aeroplanes that flew,
Carrying unknown people,
To destinations that I might never visit.

As a teen:

Watching Top Gun and Broken Arrow!
There was a passion,
For flying machines and Aviator glasses.
A craze for posters and magnetic aeroplane stickers.

Now I am a man - or am I still a child :) -

It's all about revenues,
Value-distance and cost-per-clicks,
Tracking advertising revenue and monitoring clients.
Life goes on and I am still stuck
In a city that binds me!

The rare vacation that makes me travel!
Is still by Indian Railways!
Air-travel is still something of a dream!
Funny isn't it - in a world of low-cost airlines :)

If an air-trip materialises:

It should be to a city,
That I never visited before,
A trip without hassles,
Possibly on time departure and arrival :)
And perhaps someone interesting on the seat next to me :)

Life goes on....as this dream too remains unfulfilled like so many others!

The Hare and the Tortoise

Someone sent me an email with this picture - too funny :) read, think and then laugh :)

Quick Movie Reviews

The Spirit - Malayalam
Starring - Mohanlal, Kaniha, Shankar, Kalpana and others

The movie is a social commentary on how alcoholism is becoming a big issue in Kerala. Every day the number of alcohol-related deaths are rising. This movie is about the writer cum media-person Raghunandan played by Mohanlal who is a chronic alcoholic and is divorced but maintains a friendly relationship with his ex-wife her new husband and the mute son from his marriage.

His friend and poet dies in his arms spitting blood and tissue because of alcohol dependency forces Raghu to change the way he looks at life.

A documentary is shot titled a 'Day in the life of an alcoholic' as part of his TV show - the documentary bit shows the frustrations and problems of an alcoholic.

Definitely worth a watch Ranjit's script and direction is top-class.

Three and a half stars!

Pan Singh Tomar - Irffan Khan, Mahie Gill, Raghuvir Yadav, Nawazuddin Sidiqqui and others. Directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia.


Based on a true story of an army officer cum athlete who ends up becoming a dacoit and is shot dead in a brutal police encounter. The movie is stunning for the sheer intensity that Irffan brings in his portrayal as the long-distance runner and then the dacoit who wreaks vengeance.

Have not seen Gangs of Wasseypur yet so cannot comment on Manoj Bajpayee's acting but Irffan deserves an award for the sheer effort he has put in to portray the champion runner.

Deserves four stars :)

Once again at the cross-roads?

After almost two years at the current work-place - the first signs of dis-satisfaction are here :(!

It might be time to say farewell here - and start something new!

The mind is in a state of turmoil - EMIs on the home-loan need to be paid.

Life has to go on....

Once again I stand before the fork in the woods and have to choose which turn to take - this time I might just turn around and walk away to a whole new destination!

More to follow!

Yes and No

Some of the wisest bit of advice by mentor, friend, philosopher and guide - Gandhi Sakthivel


Jo tumhari hai vo kabi NA nahi boleygi...aur jo nahi hai kabi HAAN nahi bolegii,,,

Zaroor vo HAAN bolney wali aayegi zindagi mey...usko dil jaan sab kuch dho...its worth the wait...

When translated it reads:

She who is destined to be yours - will never say 'NO'!

And she who was never meant to be yours will never say - YES'!

And for sure the girl who will say 'YES" will come into your LIFE!

And when she does come - give her everything that you have!


Truly great :)

The Tale of the Poet

Behind every poem,
Lies a poet,
Behind every poet,
There is a love story.

Some poets find joy,
And write in happiness,
Sharing their joys -
Of courtship and togetherness to the world.

There are many nameless faces,
That have thousands of tales,
Of rejection and failure,
Of broken promises and lost love.

Of going to the brink of despair,
Seeking solace in the bottle,
Or in music or in the arts.
Or just re-discovering oneself in a brand new city.

There is a story behind every poet and poem.
Every lover has a weird story to tell.
Sometimes silence means acceptance.
Many a time silence means rejection.

No wound in my heart,
But still it pains,
I left your city,
Trying to forget you.

I feel that you broke,
A piece of my heart -
And kept it with yourself.
If only you would say - Yes!

A House-Warming Ceremony

Me during the ritual - yes I do look funny - I know that :)- The belt is to prevent the veshti from falling down and embarrassing me in front of my niece, nephew and other relatives :)


In old Tamil movies specially the ones made by Vishu the dialogue - "Summa va sonanga kalyana tha panni par, veetai ketti par" - I thought it was a running joke - but after all the efforts that I put into building / buying a home - I realized what a monumental effort it was.

The past two years were spent on attending countless property-shows chasing adverts / builders listed on Hindu - Property Plus and visiting places as distant as Urapakkam and Thiruvotriyur.

Finally by God's grace I found a small simple flat that fit my budget in Kakallur a village in Tiruvallur District. The place is about 40 kms away from Chennai Central enroute to Arakkonam.

Payments to the builder, loan processing by the bank, everything went super quick in a flash with the well-wishes of elders and friends and a very special friend whom I kept pestering to wish me good luck every single phase of the way :) I know you are reading this and I thank you as always from the bottom of my heart :)!

The arrangements for the priest, catering everything went well. The only complaint was that a lot of food went waste :( Well you can't win them all and lots of people backed out at the last moment, obviously the long commute prevented even the most good friends coming to the place!

It was fun and a learning experience and the smile on my mother's face was the biggest joy that all these pains, troubles and efforts vanished in a second :)!

By end of July I should be moving into the new house.

A house to call my own

After so many years,
After so many false starts,
So many broken promises,
And endless pursuits,
For the right size and price!

Finally a house,
That I have gifted to my mother,
Fulfilling a promise,
That I made to her.
Seeing her smile in contentment,

Was the biggest joy of all :)

I have a Dream!

I have a dream,
Of a life,
That I can share with you.

Of being with you,
Through thick and thin,
Through every day of the rest of my life.

I keep trying,
To walk up to you,
And tell you - what you mean to me!

You said 'No' once,
When I gathered all my courage,
And shared my feelings!

It took a long time,
For me to win back,
Your smile!

I am scared,
If I ask once again,
I will lose you forever.

The smile on your lips,
The twinkle in your eyes,
And the joy that you bring.

I am scared that -
I would lose all -
Of this - forever.

So life goes on,
And my dreams,
Continue to remain just a dream!

If only...you would say yes!

I look into your eyes,
And I wonder,
What secrets do they hold?

I watch you smile,
And I wonder,
How do you always manage to smile?

I listen to your laughter,
Which rings out clear,
And wonder how you always seem full of joy?

There is so much to learn,
From the simplest of actions that you do!
If only you would realize ---

What you mean to me?
Do I get a chance to express - my thoughts?
If I do so - would you refuse to speak to me?

I am scared,
That I would lose the joy and cheer of your smile,
The little conversations that we have.

If only you would give me a chance,
To prove that you are special,
Would you let me hold your hand?

If only you would,
I would show you a world,
That's different and simple.

Away from the daily complications,
Of a busy-rushed life.
A simple life - full of joy.

I promise to fulfill,
Every childish whim and fancy of yours,
If only you would say - yes - and be mine!

RCB Implode - DC - Charge - CSK - Sneak in

Well the unimaginable happened! CSK have been gifted a place by RCB who lost a match they ought to have won.

Now CSK need to win not just for the sake of their own fans but also for the fans of the Chargers!

Come on yellow brigade do your stuff :)

CSK - How the mighty have fallen!

CSK's entry into the play-offs now depends on the outcome of the remaining matches - with Gayle's carnage yesterday I guess CSK are out!

A mathematical possibility still exists that the men in yellow sneak through but RCB should lose their next match for that and none of the other contenders should exceed 17 points!

Asking too much!

Francois du Plessis should have played yesterday :( Dhoni's boys missed a trick if they would have won all these permutations could have had hardly any effect - now it's all down to net run rate :(

Let us see what happens now!

Movie Reviews

Aravaan - Tamil:

I have been a fan of Vasanthabalan since 'Veyil', not many know that he made a movie called 'Album' before it. Aravaan is based on a section from the award-winning Tamil historical novel 'Kaaval Kootam'. The movie set in 17th-18th century Tamizh Nadu focusses on a clan of thieves and their actions.

How a stranger joins their group, and what his secret is - forms the crux of the story. Good cinematography, below-par graphics, good songs and great performances by Aadhi and Pasupathi.

Definitely worth watching once :)

Second Show - Malayalam:

Mamooty's son Dulquar Salman makes a power-packed debut as a thug/drug-trafficker with the story starting in flashback-mode - worthy of a Tarantinoesque twist - the movie has great camera-work some wonderful lines a great support cast and Sudesh Beri as the menacing villain Vishnu Buddhan. Special mention for Rohini who plays Salman's mother :)

One line that remains etched in my memory - 'Annum, Innum, Ennum - pennunu pannam aana kamughan!'roughly translated as - 'Be it then, now or ever after for a woman - money is a woman's preferred lover!' - The intensity with which he delivers this dialogue when in jail realizing that the girl who promised to be with him through thick and thin has now married someone else has to be seen to be believed!

A great start by D. Salman :)

IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT - A short story

IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT

The private bus-stand was moved from the main bus-stand at C.M.B.T. or Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus to ease traffic. This move brings untold misery on all folks who have to take a bus to visit places like Coimbatore, Bengaluru, Trichy, Madurai etc.

It's absolute chaos as harried announcers look at a clip-board coordinate on the mobile phone and announce bus departures and arrivals on a public address system. The P.A. system functions on a strange audio frequency that mysteriously converts sound waves - 9:45 PM to 10:45 PM and vice-versa.

I was travelling to Coimbatore to attend a school-mate's wedding and looking forward to meet my batchmates after a gap of almost ten years. With great difficulty I managed to navigate through the crowd of passengers - mostly the 'IT-group' on their weekend getaways!

I found my bus - Bhagyalakshmi Travels - semi-sleeper non-A/C coach. The bus was painted in a combination of black, silver and shocking pink - a standout piece in comparison to the other demure and dull white and black buses in the terminus. I boarded the bus - J-18 window seat and looked at the other early-bird passengers. Seated in the adjacent row were a mama and mami enjoying a dinner of chappathis and brinjal curry - the row before me - a couple of nuns were arguing in Malayalam about a passage from the Gospel.

Suddenly - 'Kaadhalin Deepam Etrinale Yenn Nenjil...' started playing on the bus's sound-system and that is when she entered the bus dressed in a pista-green salwar kameez embroidered with rose-petalled flowers and silver sequins. She was carrying an Adidas adventure back-pack and held her mobile phone in her right hand.

My heart skipped a beat - what an angel - truly lucky would be the man who would get to marry this beautiful girl! She walked slowly looking at the seat numbers displayed atop the window-frames. She stopped next to the J-row - looked at her ticket said 'J-17' and smiled at me. Then the song changed to 'Inji idippu azhagi, kalla chirippu azhagi..' the smile turned into a full-throated laugh as I too joined shared her laughter and helped her put her back-pack in the luggage-rack.

A quick round of introductions followed - she was Priya a fourth year engineering student, she was going home to Coimbatore before she began work on her final-year project. The bus made it's way slowly outside the terminus and we spoke about each other family, friends studies, etc. - time flew by in a flash and I was lost in her hazel eyes and angelic smile.

The bus picked up speed as we left the city limits and the bus came to a scheduled stop just beyond Sri Perumbudur. The bus attendant announced a 15-minute break before the journey would resume.

Priya looked at me and said - 'Can you get me a couple of bananas and a Lays packet?'
I said yes and in spite of my protests she tucked a 100 hundred rupee note in my shirt pocket. The bus stood in a clearing and about 100 metres away on the opposite side of the road there was a petty shop a small hotel and further away a row of shacks that served as pay-and-use toilets.

I went up to the shacks took a leak and paid the attendant two rupees and stepped out making my way to the petty shop to buy the bananas and the Lays packet. Then there was a deafening blast followed by flames and burning metal everywhere. The impact of the blast hit me hard as I flew across the air and landed back near the row of shacks. I got up bleeding from my face and noticed that the bus was no longer there it was replaced by a strange metallic skeleton. With tears in my eyes I attempted to run to the bus but I was pulled back by the attendant from the pay-and-use toilet. He said - Saar vedigundu saar - evannum thapikka mudiyadhu - correct ka date a paatu kuri vechanga! - Then it struck me the last two weeks had carried news of the capture and death of LTTE leader Prabhakaran and there had been umpteen protests and gatherings throughout Tamil Nadu.

I fell down in despair crying thanking my lucky stars having escaped with a few cuts and bruises and then I realized that Priya had been on the bus and then realization dawned - when I had helped Priya keep her back-pack up on the luggage rack I had heard a discernible tick-tock sound and I had joked - 'Bomb' and she had said with a smile - 'No, no it's a fancy alarm clock for my younger brother.'

I felt at my shirt-pocket and took out the 100-rupee note that she had thrust so forcefully into my pocket - on it was scribbled - 'Sorry - May be in another life - Love P :(' - I fell down to the ground in tears - disillusioned, angry, hurt and as a range of emotions flowed through me the tears stopped.

The sirens of the ambulance vans and the police-jeeps broke the uncanny silence of the night. I got up and walked towards the approaching police-jeeps.

The Avengers - Movie Review

I have always been a comic book - super hero fan and have enjoyed Christopher Nolan's Batman renaissance and the Spiderman movies to a certain level. Iron Man with RObert Downwy Junior's sarcasm and with was an instant connect. The two Hulk movies did not actually set the cash registers ringing but were OK. Thor, Captain America well did not actually enjoy - felt Thor deserved better treatment because of the background material available.

Now to come to The Avengers - America's - super-force of super-heroes and 1 super-heroine - Black Widow played by the lovely Scarlett Johannson. Samuel L. Jackson plays Nick Fury head of SHAFT and he calls in the elite group to rcover the Tesurrect an alien energy source now in the hands of the Norse God of mischief - Loki who plans to use it to open a portal in time and bring in an alien army conquer earth and become its ruler. That in a nutshell is the beginning - the movie narrates how the super-heroes fight against Loki and his army and save New York where the aliens launch their attack.

The chemistry between the actors is crackling - special mention for the exchange of words between the Hulk portrayed by Michael Ruffalo and Iron Man. Hawkeye - played by Jeremy Rattner and the Black Widow have some romantic angle which never came out on screen. Gymneth Paltrow has hardly six minutes of screen time but looks lovely and slightly anorexic in her short denim shorts and white shirt!

I loved the scene in which Loki in anger says - 'Enough you mere mortals - I am a God and you mere men....(or something similar to that) and the Hulk picks him up like a rag-doll and bangs him on the floor about 10 times.

The Hulk got the most claps and desrvedly so - Mark Ruffalo brought out the inner struggle in a much more believable fashion when compared to Edward Norton.

The last thirty minutes where the fight for New York is staged is a visual-effects spectacle and when viewed in 3-D really wonderful.

People don't miss the movie. It is worth every exhorbitant rupee that the cineplexes charge you - not to be seen on 'thiruttu DVD' - folks watch it on the big-screen in 3-D.

All credit to the director Joss Whedon :) and his script-writers!

Poem - 17 - Closely Watched Trains

A train here,
A train there,
A busy life this is!

Getting up in the morning!
Rushing to the station-
Waiting for an announcement-

Notifying me - how delayed my train is?
Everyday is an adventure in itself.
Shifting platforms to opt for an alternative train.

Life on the fast-track
As these trains go fleeting by!
Closely watched trains!

Poem - 16 - Through the rain drops

As the rain drops,
Shimmer down the window,
I stare at you from down below!

You look lost in thought-
Who do you think of?
With that mysterious smile!

What runs in your mind?
Only God can answer that :)
As you continue to smile,

I try to draw your attention,
But you continue to look
At the cloudy skies through the window!

Like the rain, which brings joy-
To the parched earth and the rose-plants
Your smile brings joy to everyone:)

As I have said once before,
Keep smiling as always-
And continue to spread sunshine and cheer!

Poem - 15 - Lines for Whom ?

I know you are there in my heart,
I hope that I have a place in your heart too...
Sometimes when it rains in the evenings....
I wish I was with you.
Holding your hands and looking into your eyes.....

Listening to the waves crashing on to the rocks,
Admiring the silvery moonlight,
Glistening on the white sands.
I wish I was with you.
So many dreams so many desires.

I fear all of them will come crashing down.
Dearest both of us know-
What runs in our hearts?
I don't need to say it,
Neither do you.

All I know is that,"I love you."
And that you love me.
Maybe circumstances shall cause us to drift us apart.
Lead separate lives.
But promise me!
I will be someone special in your heart-
As you were, are, and will remain in mine.

Poem -14 - Forever

He stood in front of her house.
Waiting for her,
Hoping she would come out,
At least look at him from the window.

He waited, but in vain.
She had left him,
And gone to a distant city,
Far away from him;
Perhaps never ever to return.

He was sad,
He wondered-“You could have at least told me that you are leaving.”
She had left the city.
But she would remain-
In his heart.
Forever……

Poem - 13 - Heart Beat

If only you,
Could listen-
To my heart!

You would-
Know that-
It beats only for you!

Poem - 12 - 2012 - The End?

An earthquake here,
An earthquake there,
A cyclone here,
A tsunami there.
No news of a volcano erupting yet!
Is the Doomsday Prophecy here to stay?

Poem - 11 - The Poet's Anguish

Words, words, where did you go?

Time, time - where is the time-

To write a few lines?

Come back to me,

Let the words flow again -

From my pen.

Less than a week to go -

And I am running short

By 19 poems :(

Poem - 10 - A Perfect Ten

Experiments in poetry :)


Rainbow in the sky,
Joy-
In my heart.


Sunshine in the sky,
Twinkle-
In your eyes.

Rain on earth,
Scent-
Of a woman.

Stars in the moonlight
Smile-
Like the angel you are!

Poem - 9 - Sunset in the Forest

It is twilight time,

The forest is abuzz,

With the sounds of birds and beasts,

Who are returning to their nests and dens,

After another day of survival in the forest.


The sun is setting,

The orange ball of fire,

Going down into the horizon,

There is a buzz,

As the insects of the forest start their nocturnal sojourn.


In the distance there is a perceptible hoot,

As an owl starts its evening,

Looking for mice or lizards.


The first stars, are there and the moon appears,

Like a beacon in the sky.

The sun has set and another day-

Comes to a close in the forest.

Poem - 8 - Sweet Rain Come Again

The first drops of rain,
Like gentle jewels of silver.
Falling on to earth.

The sweet smell of the wet earth.
That fills us with joy.
And brings a smile on the face of the farmer.

Quenching the thirst of the parched earth.
Enabling naughty little boys to make paper boats.
To jump in puddles and dirty their clothes.

Sweet rain come again.

Poem - 7 - Aap Ki Muskaan - An Ode to a Smile

A smile - a simple smile,
Conveys much more-
Than a book full of words.

Words may hurt
Sometimes words may heal,
But your sweet little-

'Angelic smile'
Well it always,
Brings joy to the heart.

Keep smiling - always,
As you did today,
Today and everyday.

May God always bless you with joy,
So that you keep smiling always,
And continue spreading cheer and sunshine.

The Next Poem - The Writer's Struggle

As the mist unveils,
The magic of the hills
The first rays of the golden sun
Bathe the valley in a bright hue.

The gentle fragrance
Of the ripe tea-leaves
Blends with the mist
To produce a divine twist!

The bluebird chirps
Calling its mate
The first bus from the town below
Gingerly snakes its way up the valley.

Idle thoughts penned by me
The frustrated author
Sitting in his room
Lost for words....

Earthquake - Scare

I sit next to the water-cooler and felt strange when the water in the bubble-top began shaking - and then my chair started moving and I realized it was a tremor; all members on our floor ran out and the after-shocks continued.

The whole thing lasted for about 3.5 mins and now we are back at our work-stations.

Apparently there has been a major earthquake in Indonesia - 8.9 on the Richter scale.

Tremors felt in Chennai, Kolkatta and Bengaluru.

All back to work now :)

Chennai Super Kings hit rock-bottom and Chennai rocked by an earthquake :) - Lousy PJ but could not resist typing it :)

Poem - 5 - Thoughts on a Break-Up

She left me,
All alone,
After all that we had been through.

Not even a farewell,
Not even a sorry or
A thanks - all the best!

Life can be cruel!
All that I can wish you-
Be happy wherever you are!

Somewhere down the line,
Many years later,
We might run into each other.

I hope you would have the heart;
To look back at this episode;
Smile and share a drink with me!

Meenu Kutty

This post is written for the Indiblogger - Incredible Stories Contest

The following is partially true and I have taken creative liberties to add a bit of spice but all characters and incidents are real did take place to someone whom I know.


It was a phone-call one Thursday evening from an unknown number; a voice from so many years back; it took me a while to find my voice and reply. The voice on the other end said - 'Hello, is this Seshu, this is Meenu, Appa passed away today the cremation ceremonies will take place by Sunday. Will you be able to come? I am sorry to barge-in after so many years, but we are struggling a bit and I don't think I have enough money for all the ceremonies' and she just broke into tears and cried. I comforted her - 'Meenu kutty. Don’t worry I will reach there tomorrow; don't worry about the expenses - I will take care - I owe at least this much to Raghu Mama.

I rushed about like a man possessed - I called my friend Somu who worked as a TTE in Southern Railways and called in a favour - 'Matchan one ticket to Palakkad -kaise bhi dila de.' He said - 'Tu station aa ja main sambhal loonga - Alleppey Express mein ek berth milega!'

I packed some clothes along with a veshti and angavastram separately in a cover checked my wallet and added my debit cards and also took some five thousand rupees in loose cash locked my flat and headed out to Central Station.

As promised Somu had a ticket ready for me - 'He winked and said - Saale, vapas aakar bar le ke jaa aur poori kahani bata'. I smiled and boarded the train. Thankfully it was an AC coach so there were no worries - the food was oK nothing great. The train had reached Arakkonam and the other occupants were ready to sleep. Lights were switched-off and the blue night-light went on.

I just lay on my berth and thought:

My father was a marine engineer and was posted in Dubai. I had lost my mother when I was three. I grew up in the loving care of my grandparents. Father used to come home on a one-month vacation every year, then he would be gone and I would once again have just my grandparents for company.

Thatha was a retired postmaster and Patti was a music teacher. I used to study at the St. Mary’s School, which lay across the river. I had to travel on a boat, which would ferry me to the school.

Meena was Raghu uncle’s daughter. Raghu uncle was the village administrative officer. Meena’s mother was Sheela teacher, my Geography teacher. They were our neighbours.
My first memories of Meena are that of a beautiful girl in a blue and gold ‘pavadai-davani’ [half-saree], with jasmine flowers in her hair and a smile on her face, singing “Alai Payudhe Kanna…” in grandmother’s music class.

I was a shy boy and had no friends except Meena. Meena was my classmate in school; the two of us would play together, go fishing in the pond near our house, and steal mangoes from the orchard. Life went on at its own sweet unhurried pace. Thatha would make fun of me saying “Dei Seshu, Meena kitta mattikitaya, [Hey Seshu got caught by Meena]; she is going to marry you and torment you like your Patti torments me.”

It was Meena’s tenth birthday; and her parents had organized a grand party. Meena was wearing a pink frock with a red belt. She looked like an angel. She cut the cake, and I gave the birthday present to her. It was a novel by Enid Blyton, which Thatha had carefully gift wrapped. During the party Meena came to me and said-“Seshu, thank you for the lovely book. I too have something for you.” She took out a small toy figurine of my comic superhero Batman and gave it to me. “Seshu, Appa has got a promotion and a transfer, we are leaving for Chennai tomorrow.” I was shocked. Meena was leaving me, no more hide-and-seek, no more singing, and no more fishing. I held her hands in mine and said-“Goodbye Meenu Kutty, best of luck.” I ran to my house without turning back, as I did not want her to see me crying.

The next morning they came to say goodbye. They took the blessings of Thatha and Patti; I had made a small card for Meena. I had drawn a rose and written-“Best of luck Meenu Kutty.”

That was the last time I saw her, though I kept getting letters from Meenu once in a while.

Somewhere during the course of these thoughts I fell asleep. I woke up all of a sudden with a start and hit my head on the roof of the coach forgetting that I was sleeping on the upper berth. I rubbed my head and looked at my watch - at least an hour more to Palakkad.

I got down and went next to the exit and stared out as the beauty of Kerala in the early morning light, greenery, coconuts, the milkmen and newspaper vendors - it was almost as if I was back with Thatha and Patti and Meenu. Raghu Uncle had been caught in a controversy with a local MLA and had lost his job and had spent a majority of his savings in fighting a defamation case against the MLA - as usual the corrupt MLA won and Raghu Uncle had never been the same. Meenu remained a spinster forever and Sheela teacher had passed away one night in her sleep.

Our ancestral home was managed by a caretaker who deposited the money earned from the coconut groves and the jackfruit plantations on a regular basis. Nair Uncle the caretaker was waiting for me with the old white Ambassador at Palakkad station.

He said 'Seshu - mone koraya kaalam aayi - Raghu saar marichu - aa kochu veliya kashta thil aana' 'Seshu it’s been quite a while - Raghu sir died that poor girl is in lots of trouble.'

I reached home, took a refreshing bath in the pond and had a quick breakfast of puttu and kadala curry and a glass of filter coffee made by our cook Narayani Chechi.

I then left to Meenu's house - Raghu uncle's body had been kept in an ice-box and Meenu sat next to the body sad but with a stoic calm on her face. When I called out Meenu Kutty there was a smile on her face - ah what an angelic smile - I was reminded of my childhood playmate and all the fun that we used to have.

She got up slowly as I walked up to her. There was an awkward uncomfortable silence and she stared at me. I said - 'Meenu, don't worry - I am here now!' She just rushed up to me and hugged me with tears pouring out - Seshu that MLA bled us blind - the house is also under mortgage my job at the school just about takes care of the medical and food expenses.' I felt uncomfortable not knowing what to do, I said 'Meenu calm down - we will sort out everything.'

The next two days were hectic - getting the vaddhiyars organised, arranging for the ceremonies, paying back old bills and other tasks.

Meenu was in tears but she bravely lit the funeral pyre on Sunday morning at the Bharatha Puzha.

We returned to my ancestral house! It started raining and the downpour continued all through the night. Meenu slept in Narayani chechi's room.

The next day I planned to leave - I was scheduled to report to work on Wednesday. Monday morning was a bit cool as the over-night rains had brought down the temperature, as I returned from my bath in the pond I noticed Meenu sitting in the courtyard reading the newspaper. Just for old-times sake I plucked a couple of hibiscus flowers from the creeper crept up to her from behind and threw them on her head!

She jumped up with a start and then started laughing and then Nair Uncle saw us and he too started laughing - it was a moment frozen in time just like our childhood.

That one moment changed my life - I took a decision and spoke to Nair Uncle in confidence and he approved of my decision. At lunch I asked Meenu - 'Meenu Kutty, I love you a lot, will you marry me?'

Meenu was shocked and stared at me and got up! She walked out of the house and I was totally upset. Nair Uncle comforted me Seshu come on be calm!

I felt sad and the left the table. My train was in the evening and I was dropped at the station by Nair Uncle. We bid goodbye!

As I walked up to the platform I noticed that the train was delayed. I went into the waiting room and there she sat all ready with her suitcase and bag - my Meenu Kutty and she smiled at me - that angelic smile again!

Poem-4 - A face from the past

A face from the past
That haunts me
Haunts me in my dreams

Wakes me up in a cold sweat.
The nightmare keeps recurring.
The face returns to haunt me.

It is the curse of the soldier
To kill the enemy to save his nation.
But what if the enemy was a young boy.

No more than 14
He brandished his assault rifle at me,
With a hardened look on his face.

He fired first and I ducked down
To dodge the stream of bullets
In self-defence I shot him.

Through the head between the eyes!
The look on his face I will never forget
As he shouted 'Ya Ali' and fell to the ground.

This is one killing,
That I will never come to terms with.
I am sure he will return to haunt me again tomorrow.

The curse of the soldier,
To relive every killing.
And pray for the departed souls.....

Poem-3 - Death-race

Everyday you run,
Run like crazy,
Chasing the buses

On the arterial roads,
Or the smaller lanes.
You run about like men on a mission.

What mission is this?
Do you want to impress,
The college-going girls?

Or is it the high-adrenaline rush
And the thrill that you get
Is it just for fun?

Think of your dear mother,
Who waits for you at home.
Your father who has a hundred dreams for you.

All those people,
Who love and care for you.
What would happen if you were to slip, fall and die.

A life less ordinary?
No life is ordinary and you are extraordinary.
Don't waste your energy - on such trivial pursuits.

Wake up a bit early.
Start early from home
And reach your destination on time.

Life is not a game.
It is a gift from God.
Use it wisely.

Do not travel on the foot-board!!!!!!

Brownie

She sits and stares at me,
With a twinkle in her eyes,
Wagging her tail.

She wants me to pat her head,
And stroke her tummy
And play catch with her.

She brings so much joy into my life,
Wishing me bye with a short bark,
When I leave for work in the morning.

She waits patiently at the gate,
Every evening waiting for me,
Her ears trying to pick my cycle-bell's ring.

Chasing squirrels through the mornings,
Surprising and scaring the neighbour's cat Tinku.
She is naughty and playful.

At times I have noticed her,
Sitting all calm and silent,
Staring into space - deep in thought.

What is it that she wonders about?
Memories of a past life as a man or a woman?
Or doggie-dreams of the land of milk and Pedigree treats?

Thank you - Brownie for bringing,
So much joy and happiness,
In my life!

NAPOWRIMO PROJECT - POEM-1

NaPoWriMo, or National Poetry Writing Month, is an annual project in which participating poets attempt to write a poem a day for the month of April. Presenting my first poem.



PROMISES TO KEEP

Every day brings new possibilities,
Challenges and surprises,
Dreams and aspirations.

Every day is a special feeling,
God has given me the chance to wake up today,
And fulfill my promises.

A promise to be a good son,
A loving brother and a loyal friend.
So many roles to play!

I thank God to have blessed me
And giving me a chance
To fulfill my promises!

IPL V Begins

IPL - V - the first match starts in about two hours from now - huge expectations this time around can Dhoni get the trophy a third time.

With Sachin opting to become a player and letting Bhajji lead Mumbai Indians we can expect some fire-works.

Knightriders have flattered to deceive every season but this time there is a strange feeling that they might pull a surprise and let us not under-estimate the new look Pune team headed by Dada.

For sentiments sake would like Dravid to lead the Royals to the trophy :)

May the best team win :)

King and Commissioner

Sunday morning 9:30 special show at Ampa Skywalk Mall in Chennai - practically housefull - movie starts like a Jerry Bruckerheimer movie with special agents, signals, encryption, hacking, intercepting signals, terrorism training camps and other stuff.

The movie brings Suresh Gopi and Mammooty on screen together their mission to save the life of the Indian Prime Minister played by Mohan Agashe.

You have the usual Pak-bashing, the corrupt police-officers, the king-maker Godman played by Saikumar with great aplomb. The NSA head who aspires to be the PM - a whole bunch of characters.

There is no element of suspense as we know who the good guys and the bad guys are. As a trail of corpses lines up - the IAS and the IPS officer unravel the mystery :)

The movie had great promise and deliver say till the last 15 mins. A predictable fight in an abandoned warehouse. Never realize why the Pak major decides to enter into an arm-to-arm combat with our heroes when he could have just taken out his gun and shot them.

No songs so the pace of the movie never falters.

This could definitely have been much better if the suspense element had been retained.

The movie and the villains deserved a better climax :)

There is something sacrosanct about flashbacks - tools used in cinema to reveal the past - first love, the dacoits massacring the family and decapitating the patriarch, the hit-and-run- accident on a lonely highway, the heroine's shady past, the auto-driver hero who was a don.... the list can go on endlessly. The premise being the flashback is the essential key element which takes the story forward - culminating in the hero getting the girl and (or) avenging the death of his family.

In "Kahaani" - Vidya Balan's next quest for a whole bunch of awards - the flashback takes the viewers for a ride but overall a truly engaging cinematic experience.

SPOILERS AHEAD - IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE MOVIE YET - DON"T READ ANY FURTHER - GO AND WATCH IN THE THEATRE :)

For a movie that starts with the close-up of a scared white mouse which is forced to inhale a white liquid and eventually gasps for breath and dies - Kahaani sure does grip your attention and forces you to remain glued to your seats.

Cut to the Kolkatta Metro - Kalighat station - jam-packed train school-kids, a lady with an infant and her mother and other travellers and a frantic man in a black leather jacket hunting for a bag. What does the bag contain? The lady attempts to leave the train as the infant is hungry and is crying for milk - the lady's mother tries to stop her stating that the bottle of milk is in her bag and opens it.

Freeze-frame - next shot all occupants of the coach are dead!

Two years later - Kolkatta International Airport and enter the heavily pregnant Vidya Venkatesan Bagchi from London in search of her missing husband Arnab Bagchi who had come to work in the National Data Centre and never returned. She reaches Kalighat police station narrates her story and fixes the station computer as well. The immensely likeable Inspector Satyaki also called Rana - "Kolkattaey shobhar dui nam ekta asli naam aur ekta dak naam" Everyone has an actual name and a pet name by which they are called in Kolkatta - drives her to Mona Lisa Guest House. This is where Arnab stayed and used to speak to her during his stint at the NDC. The guesthouse owner Mr. Das says that Arnab never stayed here.

Next - Vidya visits NDC and speaks to the HR Manager and shows her their wedding photograph the HR manager says that no one named Arnab worked there. Later in the day she sees the photo and keys in a name in the employee database - Milan Damji. She is restricted access to the information. She is informed that the IT manager Tyagi is on leave and she would get all details the next day once he is back to work. The HR manager calls Vidya and asks her to meet at Mocambo Restaurant for lunch - on an aside if you ever visit Kolkatta do dine at Mocambo :)

She says that the photo is similar to that of a former employee Milan Damji who quit one fine day two years ago and on the day he left there was a huge hunt for him as many people came looking for him. Our suspense heightens as Vidya persuades Rana to take her to Arnab's kaka's house in Thakurpukur and also his old school - both places draw blanks and no one knows anyone named Arnab Bagchi.

While all this is happening we are introduced to a dull dry middle-aged slightly pot-bellied LIC agent Bob Biswas who is reprimanded by his boss for not meeting his sales targets. He gets an MMS which has an image of the HR manager from NDC. Bob visits her and kills her - Bob the dull fat man is a contract killer - what a twist!

Slowly a web of lies and deceit emerge - who is Arnab Bagchi and who is Milan Damji? Are they the same person? What about the Metro attack? Why did Bob kill the HR manager who sent him to kill her? Is Vidya who she claims to be?

Loads of questions that I will not answer here to do justice to the script and the story :) Go watch the movie - it's worth a watch. If you don't have a boy-friend or girl-friend to accompany you to the movie :( remember "Jodhi tomar shath keyu na aashe to tumi aekla chalo re aekla chalo re :) - If no one comes with you go alone :)


Great cast - everyone does a good role, the climax is the ultimate twist, the kid who plays Vishnu who brings hot running water deserves a special mention for his infectious smile. Mr. Khan second-in-command IB also impresses and reminds me of Irrfan Khan.

Full paisa-vasool and great to see the sights and sounds of the city where I was born and I miss so much :(!

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

When the Millennium Trilogy got translated into English - the mammoth size of the first book with an intriguing cover was too tempting for me to resist buying it. I bought it at the Chennai Book Fair at a 10% discount. I finished the book over three days - essentially seven hours of reading on my train-ride to and from work.

It was undeniably good the next purchase was buying the remaining two books.

The books have been successfully made into movies in Swedish. When David Fincher was named director for the English version - I was really happy after Se7en and Zodiac David Fincher has been a firm favourite. Please note I have not seen his earlier movies that cemented his name as a man who could muddle your mind with his movies like - Eraserheads. Daniel Craig after a pathetic show in Quantum of Solace and The Golden Compass redeems himself to an extent as Michael Blomkvist the journalist.

The movie belongs to but one character like the books - the girl - Lisbeth Salander - a hacker / researcher par excellence - a thin and frail girl with body art, rings, and openly bi-sexual a ward of the state because she attempted to kill her father when she was 11. Naomi Rapace truly deserved an Oscar for this role.

The movie is about bilionaire Henrik who wants Michael to investigate the case of a missing girl Hannah. How Michael and Lisbeth solve this case and uncover a serial-killer who sexually violated women forms the crux of the story.

The movie is technically banned from a theatrical release in India as far as I know because of nudity and disturbing behaviour on screen. It's a shame but well torrents abound and you know where to go to get the DVDs be it Palika Bazaar, Chor Bazaar, Burma Bazaar, Singapore Plaza, Chandini Chowk etc...

Watch the movie......

The Love of My Life

The love of my life - Brownie - her name was suggested by a special friend and the name stuck! All my free time goes in pampering Brownie and playing with her!

More pictures soon :)

FOREVER FOURTEEN - A POEM BY LITTLE BOHRA

We keep trumpeting our own talents but we never realize that there are equally if not more talented persons who are too shy to display their hidden talents to others. This is a special poem by a special friend and a great human being! Keep writing Little :)

People say i have grown up!
But no - I say I have not grown up!
I still hold my Dad's hand, while crossing the road,
Because it gives me a sense of security.

I still like to put my head on my mother's lap,
And listen to her lilting lullaby,
That puts me to sleep.
For me that's the world's best bed and music ever.

I still like to argue with my sister,
Over the choice of my clothing accessories.
It's gentle sisterly bickering, and that's how-
We care and love each other.

I still cry after fighting with my brother!
And then wait for him to come and comfort me.
Because I know in spite of all our differences,
He is the world's best brother!

I still chase butterflies in the garden,
And am scared of cockroaches and creepy lizards.
I love dressing up my Barbie dolls,
And playing with my cookery=set toys.

I love getting drenched in the rain,
And eating lollipops and ice-creams and blowing up flavoured bubblegum.
I love sketch-pens and colouring books!

I love playing with my doggie Miku-
And hug her when I feel lonely and sad!
I still judge people on the basis of the birthday gifts that they give me!
I crave for the same dress and hair-pin that my friend has!

I still like to do all these things,
That I did when I was a kid.
So I conclude - that although others may call me a grown-up -
I want to remain fourteen - FOREVER!

Team India Collapse

The year has not ended on a positive note for Team India. After having Oz on the mat for 4 down for less than 30 runs allowing the remaining players to set a 290 runs-target shows the lack of killer instinct and immature captaincy. The bowlers bowled their hearts out and it was the batsmen who let us down.

Time for some serious introspection. Dhoni cannot perform outside the sub-continent and he is a liability to the team in a test match. Let Dhoni just focus on the shorter format of the game where his sledge-hammer style batting can win games. Test-matches are a test of character and skill as well, Dhoni is all heart and his records outside the sub-continent in the longest format of the game speak volumes about his ability.

Let Dinesh Karthik be flown in he is a better keeper and is solid in technique. The two tests that took place this boxing-day share a weird connection - guess - Both Kallis and Laxman had a rarest of rare test when they failed in both innings and eventually their respective teams lost the match.

Sri Lanka have finally won a test in South Africa - and Herath had a whale of a time baffling the Proteas.

The KFC Big Bash is on in full-swing and it pains to see the likes of Chris Gayle reduced to a mercenary playing in such leagues when he should be leading West Indies - a sad state of affairs.

Hope that in 2012 better sense prevails as we see him back in the international arena!

Team India come on!!!!

2011 - HITLIST

This was not exactly a great year for cinema as one turkey after the other was unleashed on the unsuspecting cinema-goer. Monstrosities like ‘Bodyguard, Ra-One, 7 Am Arivu, Kaavalan, Ready’ all backed by huge stars made money but left a lot to be desired. With the increased penetration of TV channels like NDTV Lumiere, UTV World Movies, etc. one can no longer say that the middle class Indian is not aware of the scenario prevailing in cinema being made abroad. Shameless rip-offs with cosmetic changes, mindless item-numbers and inane comedy tracks dished out as adaptations will no longer be accepted by the intelligent film-goer.


KOLLYWOOD

Yudham Sei
Cheran playing the cop uncovering a trail of chopped body-parts, while also searching for his missing sister. Myshkin’s taut screenplay, excellent background score and good all-round performances by all actors ensured that this was a must-watch.

Mankatha
Rip-off of numerous heist movies, pathetic songs but a zestful performance by Ajith in his fiftieth knock on the silver-screen, Premji Amaren playing the hacker and Arjun as a suave cop. More than the movie - the out-take montage in Jackie Chan style that showed the cast and crew having fun was excellent.

Aranya Kandam
Quentin Tarantino and Guy Ritchie land in Kollywood – that sums up Aranya kandam, a mind-blowing script, great performance by Jackie Shroff as the ageing don, Ravikrishna as Sappai, the Chennai underworld in its raw energy!

Veppam
Directed by a debutante set again in Chennai’s underworld amidst drugs and human trafficking a decent effort with good performances by all.

Mayakkam Enna
Selvaraghavan reserves the best for his kid brother Dhanush as is evident by the script and the direction. Following the travails of a wannabe wildlife photographer, the movie truly belongs to Richa and her dubbing artiste.

Mounaguru
I am yet to catch this movie; but every single friend who has seen this movie has just praise for the director and the cast, especially Uma Riyaz Khan playing a pregnant cop.

MOLLYWOOD

Unconventional scripts, debutante directors, new faces and melodious music held sway over the masses. The ageing superstars delivered turkeys but also a couple of stand-out performances.

Pranayam
Mohanlal as a paraplegic, Anupam Kher as a heart patient and Jayapradha as the lady who is now married to the former but was first married to the latter. A movie that tugs at one’s heart and is sure to bring a tear to anyone who has loved and lost. Melodious music, lovely performances and excellent direction by Blessy.

Salt’n Pepper
A love story that starts with an order for dosa and garlic chutney! Sounds implausible? Watch this delightful movie with nice performances by Lal, Shweta Menon, Meenakshi and Abu Asif. ‘Premikkumbol neeyum njanum’ became the rage of Kerala.

Chappa Kurishu
Inspired by the Korean movie ‘Handphone,’ this became a surprise hit not just due to a steamy lip-lock by Ramya Nembisan but because of a brilliant role by Vineeth Sreenivasan as the loser department store cleaner who gets an iphone belonging to a rich spoilt engineer. Great performances and some realistic punches and kicks in the movie.

Indian Rupee
Thilakan as the wise old real estate agent shows why he is the best living actor in Malayalam cinema. Prithviraj in a realistic role and mimic Tiny Tom gets a lovely role in Ranjit’s masterpiece on the current state of the youth in Kerala. Ee puzhayum was a well-tuned melody!

Beautiful
Anoop Menon’s script and lyrics – powerful performances by Jayasurya as a wheelchair bound millionaire and Annop as a struggling singer. Comparisons to Guzaarish were inevitable but Beautiful was indeed beautiful. Mazhaineer thuliggal was one of the stand-out melodies of the year.

Melvilassom
Based on a Malayalam play, which was inspired by a Hindi play – Melvilassom is a courtroom drama shot in real time albeit a military court-martial. There are no gimmicks as Suresh Gopi the defendant unravels why the accused Parthiban shot at two of his superior officers. With the accused pleading guilty and the viewer knowing that the accused will be hanged for sure the interest is held as we learn why the army-man shot the superior officers. In an era of dumb Hindi / Tamil / Telugu-inspired clones this movie was indeed a refreshing experience and I was immediately reminded of 12 Angry Men an all-time classic.

Best Actor
Mammooty in a power-packed role of a teacher aspiring to be an actor, with a film within a film set-up a nice tale told with conviction.

BOLLYWOOD

I said this last year and say this again Ranbir Kapoor is the one who has the acting chops to take on the Khan trinity. Akshay Kumar has steadily gone downhill from Chandini Chowk to China without being able to deliver a solo hit. Saif cannot play the dalit - an absolute disaster of casting in Aarakshan, Abhishek Bachchan needs a hit and should get it with the official remake of The Italian Job – Players releasing next year.

Rockstar
Ranbir as Janardhan – Jordan is on-track to receive the Filmfare Award for Best Actor in a leading role – need I say more. A.R. Rahman’s mind-blowing tracks and Sada Haq and Faya Kun on track for best songs of the year. Narghis Fakhri cannot emote but looks like a million bucks. The ending was lame but Imtiaz Ali take a bow!

Chillar Party
Salman’s maiden production was a movie for kids with lots of - kids a nice tale clean no vulgarity with a cute little dog.

Delhi Belly
Swear words in multiple languages, D.K. Bose, drugs, stool samples, underworld, Imran Khan and Vijay Raaz. Quirky, fun and a song that became an anthem till Sada Haq came in to the picture.

Stanley ka Dabba
Amole Gupte and his son Partho in a nice little movie about kids which ended up a bit preachy at the end. A lovely performance by Partho!

HOLLYWOOD

This is a very tough list to chart as many movies on this list are yet to officially release in India. It is the Internet and Torrents that help lovers of world cinema and Hollywood to satisfy the cineaste in me.

The Devil’s Double
I love Iraq, I love God, I love my Dad but above all I like cunt and I get what I love!

How’s that for a line to define a person, based on the alleged life of Latif Fahia the fidai-body double of Saddam Hussein’s younger son Uday this is one performance of a life-time by Dominic Cooper an actor whom I have never ever heard of before. Boy was I awe-struck by the double-role - one as the psychotic Uday and the other as the troubled fidai Latif. Raw energy and an intensity in his eyes, he reminded me of Al Pacino in Scarface – perhaps because of the coke-snorting scene. Must-watch – alert - Nudity and Profanity in generous doses.

Margin Call
A starcast that includes Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Demi Moore, Stanley Tucci and Jeremy Irons this movie is set in an investment firm that’s 107 years old and starts on a day when many senior employees are handed the pink slip. Stanley Tucci hands a file to a member of his team and asks him to complete the risk-analysis that he had initiated. Peter Sullivan is the whiz-kid who enters the right variables and discovers that the ‘party is over’ and the company’s assets are much less than their liabilities. As a hurried board meeting is initiated late into the night – the big boss Tuld played by Jeremy Irons flies in and in a series of tense meetings the firm decides to liquidate all its stock to tide over the crisis. This is a real-time presentation of the crisis that initiated the economic recession in the USA three years ago. No special-effects, no explosions and high-speed car chases or star-crossed lovers making out on the couch. This is a serious movie about how the cookie crumbled and how billions of dollars belonging to gullible citizens were lost. Excellent acting, taut screenplay and powerful dialogue.

Tree of Life
Terrence Malik in a movie that many awaited - but very few had the patience to sit through fully. Brad Pitt and Sean Penn and all about life - a movie made for the awards-circuit - will never be a hit in India. The scene depicting the origin of life was well executed.

Super-8
JJ Abrams’ homage to Steven Spielberg – set in the 70s the movie is about a bunch of kids who plan to shoot a movie and end up filming a horrible train derailment. As news spreads the army comes in and cordons the area the movie-clip shows a strange creature. What creature is this? Why did the science teacher drive his car onto the tracks and cause the derailment? Watch the movie for answers.

The Adventures of Tintin
After years of waiting to see my boy-hood hero and Snowy on big-screen the experience of the movie in 3D with more blokes in the thirties than 10-year olds, I was slightly disappointed. But I realized that the current generation of kids with their Harry Potters and vampires and werewolves are just not into Tintin anymore. Coming back to the movie shot in motion-capture animation, the frames are surreal there are fantastic chase sequences, there is Captain Haddock and the bumbling Thompson twins but sadly no Professor Calculus. Spielberg and Peter Jackson have invested a considerable amount of money, time and energy into this but I really wonder if the box-office receipts will merit a sequel to this effort. All I can say is that with the greenbacks that you have spent on this effort could we not have a live-action motion picture – please! Perhaps Tintin in America or Tintin in Tibet!

At the dentist's

Hectic day with a minor dental surgery for mom travelling to another doctor for general check-up for mom, multiple pharmacists, cooking cleaning all done!

Mom sleeps under the strength of sedatives, with a strange smile of contentment on her face.

That one moment of calm and peace made my day!

Life goes on as a prospect of another day sets in...

This too shall pass!

For Your Eyes Only

How long have I known you?
A month or a year?
Does it even matter!

Yesterday, when I looked,
Looked into your eyes.
Your eyes only!

I discovered – A golden glow,
A glow in your hazel eyes.
As I spoke to you,
Only my lips moved.
But I was lost in the glow
The glow of your eyes.

Do I have the will,
The will to confess,
To confess and profess,
My feelings for you.
For you only!

I fear that my foolishness,
Might cause me to lose you,
Lose you - forever!
I fear that, I will never,
Ever be able to see you,
See you smile again,
And share your laughter.

Your joyous smile,
That lights up,
Lights up my heart.

Will I ever be able,
Able to stare deep,
Deep into your hazel eyes.
Take a deep breath,
Smile at you, and
Hold your hands, and say –
My lady, you mean the world to me!

Will that day ever come?
I don’t know,
Don’t know at all!

Every morning is an experience,
A refreshing experience,
As I walk past you.
Hoping that you would smile,
Smile at me, so that –
I can smile at you too.

Even as I write this,
I cherish that golden glow,
In your hazel eyes.

And I wish – my eyes,
Could tell your eyes,
What my heart wants.

This my dear is – For your eyes only!

Two movies

7am arivu - First 15 minutes is all that's worth watching. Look forward to a proper movie describing Bodhidharman's adventures on his travels from Kanchipuram to China.

Shruti Hassan cannot act. Her Tamil is heavily accented and sounds like Sowcarpet-Tamil spoken by the lovely ladies studying at M.O.P. Vaishnav :)

Hypnotising people instantly and teaching them Kung fu in an instant too much of nonsense.

DNA splicing and reintroducing all the strengths into the circus-artiste Suriya putting him in a huge glass jar a-la The Matrix. Well... don't know. Great potential of a story idea that got wasted. None of the songs linger in the mind as well.

The one part that Shruti showed traces of her paternal genes was when her friend Imran is killed by Dong Lee's hypnosis and Shruti starts howling uncontrollably :)

The fight in the climax does not befit all the build-up that went into it.

A movie which I had hoped would be awesome turns out boresome!

As said earlier a saga of Bodhidharman's adventures would be great!

Murugadoss ji Salman is not going to act if you try remaking this movie in Hindi. Please choose a realistic sensible script for your next attempt. Really liked 'Ramanna'.

Rockstar - Ranbir Kapoor is slowly proving his mettle. The saga of a wannabe singer/guitarist who becomes a world-famous 'rockstar' has its share of flaws. But the movie is worth watching on the big screen for the mind-blowing soundtrack by A.R. Rahman and amazing vocals by Mohit Chauhan. Faya Kun and Sada Haq in-line for best songs of the year.

Narghis Fakhri looks curiously like Linda Arsenio who acted in a few Tamil and Hindi movies. The movie is let down by the ending!

Kumud Mishra and Piyush Mishra are awesome as well in the supporting cast.

On movie-watching in theatres

A chap behind me was going on translating the Hindi dialogues in Tamil to his girl-friend. Another row - a group of four were going on passing comments on Nargi's Fakhri's vital stats. The movie has its fair share of lip-locks and each time the lead pair came on screen there would be hoots.

Some families had brought in three-year and four year old kids. The kids were happily singing nursery rhymes :)

Total collapse :)

Rain

I guess even the skies are sad as they are pouring out buckets of rain!!!!!

A strange image

So many memories,
Triggered by a single image.
An image that we had imagined,
Together - hadn't we.

In the not too distant past.
A past of lazy afternoons.
Conversations, walks and some movies.
Of laughter, shared joys and happy memories.

Where did I go wrong?
That you drifted away,
Away from me.
Lost forever!

When i saw the image,
There was a tinge of jealousy,
Lots of pain and anger.
Last time when we spoke,

You said that - 'We can still be friends'.
And you stressed that I was your best friend.
Then why did you think that I was an alien and an outcast;
Who did not deserve to be at your wedding!

Was it your guilt?
Anger,ego, or did you just-
Expunge me from your memories?
I will never know the answers to these questions!

But as I always wished,
And loved you.
May God bless you
As you begin a new innings in your life!

Farewell my dear!!

Notes on a Pilgrimage

A culmination of my mother's long pending wish of having me weighed at Guruvayur.

The 'thulabharam' were I sat on a giant weighing-scale and was weighed with flowers.

Guruvayur now looks like a Malayali version of Tirupati with the admin staff saying 'Poru Poru' (Go-go) instead of the 'Jaragandi'that you hear at Tirupati.

Chotanikkara has always fascinated me. The Bhagavathi is extremely powerful and the evening pujas are a great experience.

The temple is renowned for curing people with psychological problems. As the evening prayer ceremony is conducted, one can see 'the possessed" moving about as the Goddess cures the ill. The rising crescendo of the tantri's prayers eventually cause the 'patient/possessed' to calm down.

Mannur Kavu - Kaiman Kunnath Bhagavathy temple is located in Mannur a sleepy little village about 15 kms from Palakkad. One more devi temple and amongst the few temples in Kerala where men can wear trousers and enter the temple premises.

Trivandrum visit started with a couple of false notes; I lost my phone in an auto, but thankfully realized that my trouser pocket was empty and got the phone before the auto left. Then we were informed that the train we planned to take was cancelled.

We went to Kochi bus terminus and took a direct bus to Trivandrum. Six solid hours of travel through narrow by-lanes, wide highways, scenic back-waters, paddy fields in shades of green and lots of palatial houses built mostly by Gulf-returnees. With just one scheduled stop for 10 mins at Kollam, the journey was completed in 6.5 hours.

Reached a distant uncles's house which was located in a quaint little agraharam (a community of Brahmin priests). A quick coffee and a bath later we proceeded to pay our respects to Sri Anantha Padmanabhaswamy, now famous for the multiple vaults of treasures of the Raja of Travancore.

Excellent architecture, lovely murals on the walls, a dark sanctum sanctorum only lit buy oil-lamps and a darshan of the lord through three doors. Head, torso and feet each through a successive door. Truly exhilarating.

A group of Gujaratis and Bengalis struggled to wear the mundu/dhoti properly and kept stumbling as the mundu kept dropping off their waists :)

The souvenir counter had the Gujjus haggling with the staff over the price of photos of the Lord and key-chains and small statues. One of the staff knew Hindi.He said "Bargaining ke liye yeh Big Bazaar nahin, mandir hai" (This is not Big Bazaar to bargain for prices this is a temple). That silenced the Gujjus.

Also visited the famed Pazhvangadi Ganapathy temple, had a chance to witness the evening puja and was allowed to ring one among the many bells tied to the ceiling when the arati was performed.

The next day visited the Srikandeshwarar temple (Lord Shiva). Really marvellous, got pal-payasam as part of an offering that I made. Truly sumptuous.

This was the pilgrimage part. The next post will talk about the other interesting things that happened :)

Indian Fiction

Read three books recently.

Chanakya's Chant by Ashwin Sanghvi has two plots running in tandem. One Chanakya's revenge and how he instals Chandragupta maurya as the ruler of India. The second is set in the modern political scenario where one wise man installs a young woman as the prime minister of India. All the pulp needed to make a political Bollywood mishmash. Will like to see Prakash Jha or Sudhir Mishra adapting this for the big screen.

The Shiva Trilogy by Amish. Two books by a bored investment banker that struck gold. The Immortals of Meluha and The Secret of the Nagas. It pits the ancient Suryavanshis and Chandravanshis against each other and brings the great warrior Shiva from the tribal snow clad plateau of Tibet. This Shiva transforms into Rudravatar the chosen one - Mahadev and chronicles his adventures and how he discovers his destiny.

Great stuff look forward to reading the final piece in the trilogy.

Folks the Landmark Sale starts on October-1 loads of discounts additional 10% off on purchases of Rs 1000 plus made using an Axis bank debit card/credit card.

Defeat Again

160 plus and it was still not enough. Rahane seems a good prospect hope he remains in the ODI squad instead of Ravindra jadeja.

Eoin Morgan and Jade Dernbach shined with bat and ball respectively to take England to safety.

In Sri Lanka the Aussies crumbled to 270 plus yesterday. Sri Lanka outdid them today and crumbled for much lesser.

Aussie dominance will be back in form by the time we reach there for the Boxing-Day Tests.

A Fresh Start for Team India

The Test Series is done and dusted with India losing its number-one ranking. No bones about it but India was outplayed in all departments by England. The Enforcer - Stuart Broad and Ian Bell with his great knocks ensured that whenever India had a slight edge, the edge would blunt and rust.

India won all three of its practice matches courtesy some good knocks by the young ones in the team.

The single T:20 tomorrow may swing either way. With the list of injured players in the Indian team going up like the price of gold in the international market it needs to be seen how the team manages to perform in the ODIs.

Varun Aaron India's fastest bowler comes in with a lot of hype, not sure how much pace he will generate. Praveen Kumar and Vinay Kumar together with R.Ashwin hold the key.

Let us see how the matches progress.

Wake-up call for DHoni & Co

A familiar sight of the team crumbling and Sachin waging a lone battle. Indian bowlers being hammered all around the park the last two test matched in England have been like a rude flashback from the 1990s.

Unless some drastic measures are taken and a few 'made it large' players are dropped, there is no hope for victory.

Assuming Viru is back for the next test, expecting him to fire right away will be foolish.

Let us see what happens!

Quick Movie Reviews

Three Kings – Malayalam
A multi-starrer comedy with Jayasurya, Kunchako Boban, Jayasurya, Ann Augustine (the new heart-throb of Kerala), Samvrutha Sunil and ‘Kaadhal’Sandhya who needs a new costumer desperately. She looks hideous in some sequences, don’t know what happened to the young and innocent school-girl who fell in love with Bharath in ‘Kaadhal.’

The movie is about three cousins of a royal family who are on hard times. One is an aspiring cricketer, the other a reality-show participant and the third one an actor. The ‘Paara’ song that keeps playing in the background when each brother tries to foil the others plans to become rich is funny and foot-tapping. The movie ends in a treasure search/reality show. Watch the movie to find out if the ‘paaras’ get the girls. This is one movie were each heroine tries to be dumber than the other-Samvrutha is a mega-serial maniac, Sandhya is besotted by Indrajith and Ann keeps asking stupid questions?

Verdict - Time-pass no brainer for the masses!

Arjunan Sakshi – Arjunan – The Witness – Malayalam
Passenger was a surprise super-hit with a great script. The director’s sophomore offering does not disappoint as a case of mistaken identity and assumed identity are brought out well by Prithviraj who plays an architect who lands in Kochi to take a new job. He is mistaken to be Arjunan the lone witness to the former collector of Kochi (Mukesh’s) murder. Ann Augustine plays a reporter with ‘Mathrubhumi’ who receives the anonymous letter from Arjunan. The story progresses well with the mystery behind the murder linked to the scrapped Kochi Metro Rail project. A bit-overboard with the hero unmasking the villains, but it is more believable when one hero overpowers four villains instead of one hero bashing up 20 villains with flying kicks and CGI.

Verdict – Good script, mystery element runs for a while! Prithvi on his way to challenge the superstars.

Janapriyan – Man of the Masses/Man loved by All – Malayalam
With its heart in the right place a feel-good movie starring Jayasurya, Remya Nambeesan and Manoj K Jayan. Manoj plays a director who keeps trying to get Jagathy to finance his movies with half-bakes scripts and is on perennial leave from his government job. Jayasurya comes in as his replacement and wins hearts of everyone including Remya’s who is the rich man’s daughter fooling Jayasurya as a housemaid Complications arise when Manoj accepts failure and wants to return to his job. Jayasurya starts writing a new script and persuades Jagathy to produce a movie. Rifts arise between Manoj and Jayasurya through Jagathy’s offer to make Jayasurya the director. All things are sorted out at the end and everyone goes home happy.

Verdict – Feel-good movie, simple comedy scenes. Jayasurya still in hunt of that one career-defining blockbuster!

The Velveteen Rabbit – English
The simple joy of discovering a great movie that one has never heard of before from the usual bunch of ‘hit-movies’ is something that cannot be explained easily. Velveteen Rabbit is based on a popular children’s story. It is about the fable of a love that a child has for toys, which brings the toys to life. Directed by Michael Landon and a mix of animation and real cinema. The story narrates how a young boy is left at his grandmother’s (played by Jane Seymour – The Bond girl in Live and Let Die). Grandmom looks elegant and some ladies do age with grace! The child longs for love as his mother is dead and his father too busy to bother. The boy discovers his father’s old toys in the attic and chances upon a velveteen rabbit. The boy creates his own fantasy world with the rabbit, a swan and an old horse. His grandmother also softens and bestows her affection on him.

The boy falls ill with scarlet fever and the doctor orders all old clothes and toys to be burnt. The boy tries to save his beloved rabbit but of no avail as his father bundles all the old clothes and the rabbit in a bonfire. As the flames build slowly, surprise of surprises the old fable comes true as the velveteen rabbit comes to life and runs into the wild.

Verdict – Love makes all things true and everyone deserves our love – A truly lovely movie made with great skill and passion a must-watch for both kids and adults.

X-Men First Class - English
Based on the Cuban missile crisis the X-Men series goes back to the story of how the popular mutants joined together and how the good and the bad mutants were polarised against each other! Magneto and the Professor and how their rivalry began!

Verdict - CGI – CGI and more CGI!!!!!

Fire of Conscience – Mandarin
A cop who is lost his wife and mourning her death, another cop who has something shady on, a prostitute who is dead, a robbery, a terrorist outfit who plan bombings, 100 kgs of cocaine confiscated by the police, an innocent man whose pregnant wife is kidnapped; all these threads merge into a fitting climax. Chases, shootouts, interrogation scenes, bomb-blasts and fights – all there!

Verdict – Enough potential for someone in Bollywood to rip it with an item song by Munni, Sheila or Jalebi Bai:)

Terror Strikes Again

Yet another series of bomb blasts,some more innocent lives lost, yet another round of blame games between police, security agencies, state and central governments. Television channels going mad with the same sickening visuals of death, destruction, blood and media-persons shouting themselves hoarse about Islam, RSS, terrorists, Pakistan... Is there no end to this? When we all know very clearly who the damn villain in the piece is? Pakistan!

Cannot the Indian government take a firm stand and hang the sole terrorist Kasab who was captured during the horrifying attacks in Mumbai orchestrated by Pakistan. Is the government so ashamed and impotent that it continues to treat terrorists with food, shelter and clothing in a high-security prison on tax-payers money.

When are we going to take a stand about anything at all?

As innocent lives are lost, a section of the country only worries about aging superstars, pregnant movie divas and why Dhoni did not chase down the last innings target with 15 overs to spare.

We cannot nuke-out our neighbouring country, but can't we attempt an operation similar to the U.S. Operation Geronimo to destroy terror-camps in Pakistan?

Too far-fetched, we don't even bother to hang Pakistani terrorists in India, who is going to hunt out radicals in the Hindukush mountains!

God save this country and my prayers to the people who were injured and lost their lives in yesterday's bomb explosions in Mumbai!

MBA

Well folks after two years of hard work, classes on weekends, studying on the train journey back and forth to office, lots of internet research, and spending some money on management books instead of fiction and comics I am a certified MBA-degree holder now.

MBA in Project Management with a first-class(score of above 60%).

Now let me see if prospective brides and their family members are interested in my horoscope :)

Image source - The internet!

Till Yesterday

Till yesterday, I hoped,
Hoped that I still,
Still had a chance,
A chance to secure-
A place in your heart.

But today I know,
I know for sure -
That I am no where near -
Near your heart.

A fool have I been,
All this while.
To have chased you
With childish passion.

Harbouring desire in my heart.
Well now I know you shall never be mine.
All I can wish you is -
Good Luck and Good Bye.

As I recollect those days
Days in the past,
Where I would wait for you
To speak to me

The many conversations,
That we had about
A 100 different things
Music, Books, Life.

Now all reduced to memories
Of a yesterday
That's lost forever!
Farewell!!!

Shopping, Blood, Cinema and Marriage

It has been a while since I wrote something on the blog. Lot of events have taken place, a short visit by sister and my nephew, shopping for them till late into the night a mid-night drive to reach home at 2 AM, taking my mother to Express Avenue and Citi Centre - my mother's absolute surprise at seeing obscenely-priced shirts and sarees, lots of stuff.

In between, I had time to fall seriously ill with the doctor not able to diagnose my condition properly. I spat blood for a couple of days and ended up with complete bed-rest for four days effectively ruining a weekend and taking sick-leave for two days. By God's grace I am better now and back to work albeit still weak.

A huge good news is my classmate from college Ashwin getting engaged in Bengaluru! As I propheised on his blog earlier this year my friend is hitched and will be getting married early next year. Congrats Ashwin :)

Being ill and lying down in bed gave me time to see some movies.

Bodyguard - Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston in a romantic movie with some good songs thrown in - timepass stuff.

Unknown - Liam Neeson ages like fine wine and after the phenomenal success of "Taken" last year returns as a professor facing memory-loss in Berlin. Great stuff with an interesting twist. Good car-chase sequences shot in Berlin's busy streets.

Urumi - Prithviraj's maiden production venture is an absolute mess of history, but is good fun with special appearance songs by Tabu who continues to entice another generation of movie-goers. Prithvi and Prabhudeva play friends who plan to kill Vasco da Gama. Amole Gupte as Thampuran and Jagadhi as the effeminate minister excel in their roles. Genelia as warrior princess Ayesha does a good job too.

404 - A medical college hostel - a room which witnessed a suicide, ragging by seniors, spirits and ghosts, a professor who researches on the paranormal, a student who is haunted by the spirit. Good movie, no gimmicks, script-driven and great performances. Worth a watch!

Last Tango in Paris - Sick and nauseating, porn disguised as art-house cinema - Marlon Brando whom movie-lovers can only view as the Godfather reduced to a middle-aged sex-maniac of sorts. Hated the movie for its nudity and titillation!

KO - Jeeva gets a hit. K.V. Anand packages stunning visuals, well-shot songs, fight sequences to give a blockbuster, but personally I felt the movie was just average. Ajmal gets a good role as the idealistic young politician who is the real villain.

Limitless - What would you do if you got a magic-pill that would let you use the full capacity of your brain? Bradley Cooper and Robert de Niro in a decent comedy. Nothing exceptional! Wish Bradley Cooper gets to play a homicidal villain of sorts in his upcoming movies. He has the dramatic potential and is not experimenting enough with his roles all stuck in a comic-rut.

Rango - A fascinating revisionist Western in animated form with Johnny Depp voicing Rango a chameleon who saves a desert town from the unscrupulous Mayor who diverts the town's water supply. Great fun!

Animals United - Animation not on par with Pixar and co. but a good story-line about man's uncontrollable greed for developing forests into tourist resorts and how animals unite and reclaim their land and water.

The Lincoln Lawyer - Nothing great Matthew Mc Connaughey plays the wise-cracking lawyer who defends a murder-accused. Is the accused guilty? Watch the movie for answers. Run-of-the mill movie nothing great.

Job-opening for content editor/writer

Hello folks there is a job-opening for a reputed UK based-company operating a number of websites in the educational/higher-studies domain. The requirement and job-description are as follows:

• This role provides an exciting opportunity for someone who has experience in content writing, journalism and third media.
• Candidate will work across a portfolio of over 20 websites, liaising with educational institutions and advertising agencies in UK, USA, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore and New Zealand to create content and provide an excellent standard of customer care.
• Working in our friendly and outgoing team, candidate will be responsible for writing content to a high-standard and loading interactive web media on our websites which would in turn lead to generating the highest possible number of enquiries to institutions who are our customers.
• If the candidate has studied abroad then that would be a distinct advantage.
• Excellent communication and organisation skills are a must along with a good eye for detail, an excellent grasp of the English language and a confident telephone manner.
• Experience of managing a small team and knowledge of html and Photoshop would be useful.

If you are interested do fill in the comments box with your email id and contact number and I will get in touch with you at the earliest. Please note that the company is looking for people with at least two years of relevant writing experience and applicants should have completed their graduation. This is a full-time job and the job-location is CHennai. Please note no shifts, regular working hours from 9:30 AM to 6:OO PM.

Colleagues at work - Ethnic Day

Ampa Skywalk Mall

This was a long-pending visit!

Managed to make it to Ampa last Sunday.

Spent a couple of hours in the mall and was impressed. Spencers Plaza has been my hunting ground for books, chats and "hanging out" for a long time. City Centre and Express Avenue brought in a refreshing change with the added benefit of a movie-experience!

In all the noise on development, "big-is-huge syndrome", mega-brands, parking-space and all that, the developers and promoters forgot the common man. Remember Irrfan Khan in "Mumbai Meri Jaan", what is it that one gets without paying for in a mall?

I know "eye-candy", window-shopping and the occassional glimpse of a B-grade heroine or a forgotten cricket-star etc can be optional answers. How about the basic need "A glass of clean and cold purified drinking water" - the elixir of Life.

Ampa and the folks behind it, a salute to you!

Ampa offers purified drinking water and clean well-maintained rest-rooms with signs for a wet-floor. The big brands are there - Landmark, Westside and the usual electronics and designer boutiques. Great dining area with a number of brands selling their food. PVR with its movie-screens seems to be exciting!

Star Bazaar, Tata's answer to retail stores seems to be a huge success with seemingly endless rows of stuff from fruits, vegetables, food and provisions, clothes, cosmetics and perfumes. They definitely seem to be better organized than Big Bazaar.

All-in-all a great Sunday at the mall! Looking forward to seeing more outlets which can cater to the lower middle-class income group.

600 and counting

600 posts and a number of friends who continue to read and post comments, have lost out on a few who have distanced themselves away from me, but I am sure they still read the blog but their massive ego prevents them from emailing me or posting a comment on my blog.

I thank each and everyone who still continue to spend some time and read my blog, SMS me asking when is the next post, or suggest ideas about potential topics to write.

Thanks to everyone:

Ashwin - college-mate and dear friend.
Antony - Social networking king :)
Priya - former colleague and friend who writes on a wide variety of topics.
Kavitha - former colleague and friend whose blog is a delight for food and photography lovers.
Rajesh - former colleague and very good friend.
Neha - former colleague and a very good friend - do post comments :)
Nithin - Who's blog sparked this pursuit.
Shiva & Sudha happily wedded in matrimonial bliss now.
Revathi & Sukumari at SFY whose early reviews and encouragement were of great help.

Life goes on and I hope I get the time and energy to maintain and monitor this blog.

Thanks again to everyone !!!

A splendid tie

Any team that does not manage to defend a total of 338 runs in an ODI match, has some serious soul-searching to do. Dhoni's captaincy was absolutely pathetic. Two wickets when Dhoni simply forgot to appeal. UDRS decision that was over-turned. A lot of pedestrian fielding, too many negatives for India.

Sachin's century and Yuvraj's batting form where the only positives. Piyush Chawla bowling the 49th over was a wrong decision. Why did not Pathan get more overs to bowl? Munaf is a new-ball bowler and his quota should have been completed in the first 30 overs.

I hope Ashwin gets to play the next match and opens the bowling with Munaf at the other end. Team India - buck up or you will be bowled out by the real opposition not the minnows.

All credit to Strauss and Beresnan and Shahzad's six!

The Oscars for 2010

An interesting choice of movies this year. "The Social Network," "The King's Speech," and "True Grit" lead the race. Can "The Fighter" and "The Winter's Bone" make a surprise win. "Black Swan" is a bit gloomy but Natalie Portman end up all smiles with a Best Actress trophy. Or will "The Kids are all Right" throw a big surprise?

David Fincher is my bet for Best Director. Though Christopher Nolan deserved a nomination for Inception.

Christian Bale is not likely to win an Oscar for his crack-devouring Boxing Trainer role in "The Fighter". Geoffrey Rush as the language and speech therapist deserves the Best Supporting Actor award. Colin Firth is also likely to win the Best Actor award for "The King's Speech".

India's connection A.R. Rahman is highly unlikely to win an award for his song for 127 hours. Let us wait and watch.

India start on a winning note

Sehwag's heroics and Kohli's cool-headed performance ensured that India's loss at WC 2007 to Bangladesh was avenged.

175 runs from Sehwag and 100 by Kohli and a 4-wicket haul by Munaf Patel and India have a great beginning.

Let us hope for the best.

In the Shadow of Gotham - Book Review

In my earlier post, I had written that I picked up two books from Odyssey. I finished reading one of them.

"In the Shadow of Gotham" by Stefanie Pintoff

The book won the Edgar Award for the "Best First Novel" by an American. It is set in 1905 in New York.

The protagonist, detective inspector Ziele is assigned the task of solving the murder of Sarah Wingate a doctoral student of Mathematics, who is working on the Riemann Hypothesis.

Who murdered her?

Ziele is assisted by Alistair Sinclair a researcher who analyses what drives people to commit crimes. He says that one of his case-studies Michael Fromley might have committed the crime.

The story progresses as more mysterious happenings take place and Fromley's dead body is discovered.

Read the novel to discover who the real villain is?

A good mix of history and crime. Interesting and definitely a good read.

Pongal, shopping, books and malls

Well Murphy's Law really worked for me this Pongal!

First the water purifier stopped working, then the Tata Indicom Walky's battery died, the gas cylinder delivery rules have changed and the delivery van stops 100 metres away from our house. Imagine carrying one empty cylinder down the stairs and then carrying a full one up the stairs. The biceps really cracked:)

The Tata Indicom helpline was an absolute mess as I did not get any reply at all. Guess all the folks at the call-centre or support centre were relishing hot sakkarai pongal.

The water-purifier repair guy came in at 10 AM thankfully and after examining the purifier said that the internal purifying chambers had to be replaced. Rs 3000 washed away right in the morning!

Because of a couple of deaths in the family none of the usual celebrations were there! I had already visited this year's book fair; even worse than last year! Same complaints - I want more translated Tamil fiction or at least audio books in Tamil. Not everyone can read Tamil. The massive English-reading public should not be deprived of the literary genius of Kalki, Sujatha, Jayakanthan,and many more giants of Tamil literature.

I spotted an English translation of the scripts of Parashakhti and Manohara by our dear CM M.Karunanidhi. But Rs. 350 was a bit to steep for a badly printed book without any photos from the films. So I skipped it.

When are the publishers going to wake up!

Arrangement of the stalls was haphazard. In the past 10 years that I have visited the book-fair I have never ever won the daily lucky draw. This year was no exception!!! God knows if it is a sham:)

I then decided to visit the Express Avenue Mall at Royapettah.It has been close to two years since the mall has been opened but I had not visited it so far.

The mall is massive, parking area needs to be made smarter. Approach roads and pavements are filthy with dogs and humans making a mess of the area! Pan juice, gutkha stains, human and animal shit! All kinds of filth! Once again proof of the massive difference between the haves and have-nots? No, probably it's more to do with civic sense and lack of public lavatories in the country!

There are a number of international brands and ample space to window-shop! There are a number of toilets and specially designed toilets for the physically handicapped. Unfortunately a number of them are locked. You know its festive shopping time and nearly 30,000 to 45,000 people are expected to enter the mall, why are the damn lavatories closed?

Girls, girls and more girls, dressed in bright fluorescent colours,figure-hugging jeans and high-heels, in groups giggling away to glory! Guys in tight jeans and tee-shirts showing of their muscles, harried husbands tagging behind wives carrying shopping bags from Marks and Spencers and Westside, young kids with their parents pestering their parents to buy icecream and chocolates. An entire cross-section of society. Tatooed foreigners buying Tantra tee-shirts and organic food, a couple of blokes in full formals probably part of some international delegation digging into pizzas at Pizza Hut.

Odyssey store with its 15% discount on all books; had Rs. 500 earmarked for books and I spent an hour trying to get two books by authors whom I had never read so far. Found two books, reviews to come soon!

Big Bazaar with its discount on fashion was fun. Picked up a couple of tees for Rs 249. By now I was famished and I visited Pit-stop in the basement area. Rs 109 for a small Garden-Margherita pizza (6 inches) an orange soda-slush drink for Rs 65 (absolute mess, will never waste my money on such indiscretions again) Pizza was undercooked and not warm enough! Service was poor, 25 minutes to serve an undercooked, luke-warm pizza with two pieces of onion, two pieces of capsicum and one olive sliced into bits-daylight robbery!

Overall a hectic day, expensive day but fun and satisfying! I still wonder why that girl in the pink tee and black jeans kept staring at me in Odyssey and hung around the same book-shelves as me!

Hmmm!!!! :)

New Year 2011

Folks hope all of you had a great new year!

You might have spent your new year at a temple, with friends and family, at a pub or discotheque. Lucky folks:)

I was banging my head in frustration looking at my project management question paper in the exam hall.

1 more paper to go in this semester. Hope I clear the papers :)

So folks may God bless you and provide a safe, fun-filled and prosperous New Year 2011 to all of you.

Cheers :)

Can India win the second test at Durban?

Laxman's pain-stakingly crafted 96, is it enough?

A target of 303 and the Proteas are 70 for 1 when I type this.

Can India win this match???

Down Under Trott's marvellous knock and an Aussie batting collapse ensure that the Poms will retain the Ashes tomorrow.