Thursday, December 29, 2011

Euphoria

Hit like tiny bullets they do, the pricky feeling is a welcome one though. Through the misty haze, fogged view and rumbling noise, the euphoric feeling gets you on new highs! Speeding at 60, it feels like being plunged into the bathtub as they show in Inception :D

Reaching home, mom's face expression is always fun to watch(anytime) :P See yourself in the mirror with every single piece of garment on your body soaked and dripping, changing clothes and that hot cup of coffee :)

You just wanna shout out, "Hell Yeah!"

The joy of getting wet in rain :) Relish it :)

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

The Sea Of Silence

Thus I stood, firm on the shore,

Thinking what could I possibly want more?

The water is lively, the sea and its waves,

The sound echoing through caverns and caves;

The waves plunge, drag me down,

In their arms, I'm a puppet clown;

Drowning and frowning, I can't even yell,

The sea of silence can put you through hell!

Now I stand on the shore again,

Lively, they look, these waves of pain,

Splashing at my feet, now will I complain?

It asked, "Did you only suffer?"

I said, "I learnt!" :-)

\* unleash your thoughts */

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Vada Poche

There was only 5 minutes left. He had to think fast. A safe and secure location. It was a rarity that he'd have the chance to get his hands on it, he wanted to relish it all by himself. "Am I being selfish?", he thought to himself, but then convinced himself that he wasn't.

The banyan tree was the first place that came into his mind. "There's no way these people would find me there!", he thought. The bell rang, it was time, he made a move. Secretively, he went to fetch it. Then, something urged him to share it. Maybe it was the goad of the feeling of selfishness.

The carrots and beans that would look like rubies and emeralds studded onto a golden crown, the reddish-brown tinge on the rice that would give out an aroma announcing its arrival without anyone having to tell it out loud, the cloves whose symmetrical heads and linear stem would seem like the diorama of a sceptre.  It was Brinji. Being a Tambrahm, it wasn't made even rarely. Only when the elders, who'd scoff at the very scent of onion or garlic had gone on a pilgrimage, he could plead his mom for it. She'd agreed to make it that day.

Giving up on eating it all by himself, he opened his lunch box. It was his chance at reviving his long-dead taste buds.

"Thud!", he remembered.. Just as he was leaving, mom had said, "சாதம் கொழஞ்சு போச்சு டா, தயிர் சாதமா கட்டிடேன்."

Shit, vada poche! :-\

Friday, December 9, 2011

The Glance

They say that time changes everything..

It hasn't been too long.. We didn't have much in common; the endless arguments, the "Hmph!" and the turn of the heads after a petty quarrel are still there, there in my head.. Sweet :)

How much time we were together I can't even measure. As friends. Whenever you spoke at length and shared your feelings, all I could do was, give an assuring smile and say, "Everything'll be fine :) dont worry.."

Then, the time together grew shorter, but I still cherished what was left of it.. After a couple of years, it was as though I didn't even know you, the one standing in front of me. You'd grown silent, retracted, and spoke only when spoken to. It was completely unlike you, but I believed you'd do just fine. I guess you are, even now.

I saw you on the road today, you glanced. I recognized you, but you didn't. You probably, don't even know how I look like. It did goad a little, and I think its my mistake..

Though I know a lot of people by that name, do know, that whenever I hear that name, the first person that comes into my mind, is you..

I do miss you, and I am still your friend, atleast on Facebook.

Time does change everything.

I wonder how you'd have felt if you had recognized me :)

Thursday, December 8, 2011

The Judge, The Judged and Chaos

They say that the absence of a practicable set of rules is called anarchy. The state of not following such a strict regime is chaos. Looking deeper into the sentence, it accounts for all the situations where there is chaos. This leads us to the first.

The Judge :-

So, who's the judge? The guy who knows everything? No, definitely not. The judge is simply someone who is a follower of the existent set of rules and who dutifully gives an opinion based on the rules that he meticulously follows,  when asked to. Does his power extend more than that? The answer to that is "No". What if the set of rules didn't exist?

Now, we'll stop at that and move on to the second.

The Judged :-

The judged is someone who, supposedly violated an existent set of rules and is obligated to follow the verdict(read opinion) pronounced by the judge mentioned afore. Based on the concept of society, he is forced to obliged, or rather, shoved that opinion down his rear. What if the rules didn't exist?

Now, if the rules don't exist, then, it is equivalent to everyone having his/her own set of rules and such an existence is called 'survival' and the 'judged's actions now come to be called 'survival instinct'.

There is order only till there is obligation, which indirectly refers to the existence of a system, which we are bound to follow. When there isn't, one sentence does eventually gain to supreme position, and that is "Shut your trap and go to hell!", don't you agree?

\* unleash your thoughts */

Monday, November 28, 2011

That Split Second

The world grew silent. Deafeningly silent. The silence was creating a void, or perhaps more appropriately, widening the nascent void...

In the midst of the abhorring realization, the question "Why?" seemed irrelevant. It just didn't matter anymore.

Having brought back into reality by a sharp pang, a wrench of the gut, the truth struck harder than ever. Exploding anger and excruciating pain vanished into thin air, for the mind knew he'd snap, if it were let loose.

As the sky would grow dark and eventually rain, eyes grew wet and a single tear fell. However, not silently.



It asked, "Losing something again for an unworthy cause?"

He said, "You'll be the last one."

And, synchronously, they uttered, "I'm sorry for you." The tear fell. The next didn't come.

He'd been betrayed by a friend.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Early Morning

The calm of the sea disrupted,

Like an underground volcano blown off;

A sudden sound erupted,

My alarm had gone off;
Roll over, fall down, "Ouch!"

Forgot that I was on the couch;



Groping about, I search for my glasses,

"If not for attendance, would I go to classes?"
Like a Jedi I hold the bat,

The bloody mosquitoes are there to swat;

Above was intended a pun,

In an hour I'll be on the run.
Oh, the dreaded exam days;

Alters routines in weird ways;

But, in the end, its always "come-what-may"!
As for now, "Snooze button, you're the best invention ever!" HAHAHA :-D



\* unleash your thoughts */

Monday, November 14, 2011

Chaos on the road

What wrong did I do? All that I wanted to do was drive till MIT so that I could board a train!!

So, ppl, since you've all been patient enough to read my other posts, hear this outburst of mine too :-P

Hey you Dominos, Pizza hut and all the other idiots out there!! Do you know how idiotic your policy is? How much inconvenience it causes others? They are the cause of so many accidents.  Life is NFS uh? Are you playing tollbooth trials? The driver is a classical example of modern world. He'll probably get a memo or a pink-slip(at worst) for not driving fast. I agree that your fatass boss agreed to deliver all the pizzas in half an hour so that the lazy bums who can't even cook or go to a nearby store(ignore the emergency cases) can fill their tummies quick with all the junk. You know how bad your actions are?

Next are the share-autos. I agree that you've to pick up and drop many people but then, you'll stop whenever and wherever you want ah? The road is your property uh? Bleddy you, I won't forgive generations of your kind for asking 20 rupees from Guindy to CEG when it rains. You ppl must be renamed "Highway- Robbers"!

Hey L-board aunty!! This is the 4th vehicle your putting that board on. You know to drive no? Then why that board? Can't drive without it ah? I think you are a Flintstones fan. Your leg is a multi-purpose instrument ah? When starting, it gives extra- pickup. When stopping, its an emergency brake. Also, not to forget them being "flight-stabilizers" in traffic!!

Hey you, idiyattu, I agree that you're an Abishek Bachchan fan, so, you'll do whatever he tells ah? He told "Walk and talk" inside your home, you dumbo, not while crossing the road!!

The road is full of idiots, and the ones here are only the less-serious ones. The others are the stupid guys who want to flaunt their Apaches n Pulsars and the jaywalkers.

Do understand that walking irresponsibly is also a sin.

Drive safe and walk responsibly.

A little inspiration from RJ Balaji's status update for the message and LocalParty for the language license :-)

\*unleash your thoughts*/

Friday, November 11, 2011

Special day

Today is the 11th of November. Its 11.11.11. Some people say that its special. But then, whatever may come in the year column of the date, 11.11 is always special and its because its someone's b'day.

That someone is Ramasubramaniyam (aka) Ramu (aka) Koushik (aka) Palla (aka) "Jai Sairam" and lots more :P

I couldn't have ever have asked for a better person in life. Its been roughly around 10 years that we've known each other and I'm utmost proud to say that he's my best friend. A cool, composed,  fun-loving, enthusiastic, humble and great character.

Whenever I'm depressed or sad, and I feel like sharing, I wouldn't find a better place to pour it all in. We think, decide and act the same almost always !!

To Ramu, here goes -  "Happy birthday, my dearest, best, special friend :-)".. You're a part of me and I wish, on this day, that you n I are together like this forever and that our lives put together makes friendship, that much special :) will always be there for you :)

HAPPY B'DAY :) ROCK ON :) 

Monday, November 7, 2011

What do you care?

In the recent months, quite a few things happened. Some important, some not so important. One very noticed thing was the demise of the co-founder of Apple Inc., Steve Jobs.

Following it , there was a lot of RIPs, praise, facebook photo dedications and stuff. Adding to that, there was also a lot of scorn over the publicity and the "not-so-greatness" of Steve Jobs.

http://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column_comment-steve-jobs-wasnt-great-he-wasnt-even-close_1596888

When I read this article, I can't stop laughing. Steve Jobs wan't great? Nonsense. And, the reasons cited are scornable ! He wasn't great just because he didn't donate lavish amounts to charity? Ridiculous.

So, what makes  you great is donating to charity uh? HAHAHA!! :-/

Look at a man, dropped out from an arts college and becoming one of the leaders in mobile and computer technology innovation ! What is not great?

What do you care about his personal life? Isaac Newton said : "If I have been able to see further, it was only because I stood on the shoulders of giants.”

Now, why would you look at the skeletons in the giant's cupboard? Do you want his productive mind or his long-past love affair? His creativity or his psychedelic experiences?

If someone said that Steve Jobs wasn't great because he didn't donate to charity or because he had a love affair or drug practices - my friend, you are blinded(or most probably jealous! :-D)

Standing up against someone requires courage. Standing up against all odds in life requires a lot of it. To send the odds crashing down, is a marvel. Steve Jobs was one who did.

Personal life of others is nothing of our concern. There is nothing wrong in living  for yourself. Whatever you do extra is out of your own courtesy. So, you may say "Steve Jobs wan't that courteous!", but definitely not "Steve Jobs wasn't great!".

Maybe you people would scorn even Newton and Galileo if you were to know their full personal lives.

Anyway, all of this is my opinion. If you will still go ahead and say "Steve Jobs wasn't great, he wasn't even close!", you may do as you please :)

*unleash your thoughts*/

Friday, November 4, 2011

The Event, the Hope and It Not Happening

Its the first week of November and third internal assessments are on their way. The covet of internals and the desperate attempts to boost it above that small yet huge benchmark '40'.

Suddenly, in the face of internals, 40 seems such a huge number and the woes of a student to cross it, is in itself a terrible journey :-D

All that put aside, one thing hasn't happened yet. Its the first week of November. Only two more weeks for the semester and it hasn't happened yet.

The circular only added to the worries. The last working day is the 12th of November(only 8 days more) and it hasn't happened.

Why the change? For, it has happened so regularly in the past!!

And, that what hasn't happened is that, A holiday hasn't been declared due to rains.

The fact about Indian roads are known to all. What do you think we students are?

Oh, the journey on a two-wheeler wouldn't get more miserable !!

For those, who'd say "Driving in rain is so much fun!", try that in my colony. You'll never drive in rain again.

Trust me, Motocross and Rally driving tracks are much much better.

We're already in a pitiable state carrying our bags(and all other accessories like the drafter, chart box etc), that someone could mistake us for returning from an army camp if we were to dress in a uniform :-/

What's wrong with giving that one day leave?

Bear Grylls probably, would have it easier. Maybe, I should ask him to do an episode - "Travel to CEG on a rainy day!"

Expedition it really is.

The people(office-goers etc) already look at you like an alien if you're carrying a bag inside a train or bus, and would do all sorts of things to irritate you and finally, unshoulder your bag, and giving it to a sitting person. Now, added to that, the raincoat. He'll look at you like you're *something* :-P

How come only schools get holidays? ;-> You ppl are unfair. Just because we came to college doesn't mean we're not students, you know? In fact, we're even poorer souls.

The rain, too, why doesn't it rain continuously? Either it rains all night and clears up early morning or it rains after i reach college. Damn it.

Whatever said and done, third internals are on their way and the quest to boost internals are too. No use hoping for a holiday, I better study "Performance and optimization of disk block access" :-D

\*unleash your thoughts*/

Friday, October 21, 2011

Ssshhhh......

Silence.

Silence fills.

Silence kills.

Silence is credence.

Silence is denial.

Silence of the tongue that says nothing.

Silence of the eyes that say everything.

Silence is the unspoken conversation between hearts.

Silence is the goading uncomfort.

Silence when you're alone.

Silence when you're not alone.

Silence in serenity.

Silence in shock.

Silence in anger.

Silence in dilemma.

Silence when you know what's going on.

Silence when you don't wanna know what's going on.

Silence when your friend disturbs you.

Silence when your friend gives you time.

Silence is many things, it is what we make of it. Maybe, God created friends and silence together. Both are golden, both are cherished. It becomes the best combination when your friend knows exactly what your silence means without you saying a word.

Cherish friends.

Cherish silence.

\* unleash your thoughts */

Monday, October 17, 2011

Attempts & Fear

And there I was, sitting in my home, watching bleach when a high-pitched drumming sound and a familiar smell distracted me. It was rain. I smiled. I don't know why, but whenever I see the rain, I smile. Maybe, its because rain is a sign that change is coming. That warm sunny days and gloomy rainy days come from the same vast blue sky.

Along with rain, came his two buddies. Lightning and Thunder.

In typical fashion. The perfect split-second gap between the two.

And, so I began thinking of something else. Something, apparently unrelated, but still related in my empty head.

If you ask someone, which one they fear, their answer is 90% thunder. "Oh, the horrible and deafening sound!", they'd tell you. But then, science tells you that lighning is the one which you should fear. For those who've forgotten the basic "funda" behind it, lightning is the electricity which is discharged when clouds meet. Thunder is merely the dissipation of the extra energy of lightning. And so, if something were to kill you, it'd be lightning.

Now, why the blah blah?

That what I thought was of fear. We fear not, what is to be feared but on the other things. This attached picture probably describes it the best. And, the final sentence, is the one which I love most.



Why are we so hesitant to try again? What is so wrong in it? So what if we didn't win first time? If you didn't try again, its utterly meaningless. Are you afraid someone will laugh at you again? Nothing is more stupid than that. Success is sweet when its obtained first-time; when our efforts pay off immediately. But the, its even sweeter when its gotten after failure. That is when you smirk at failure and say, "I always believed you weren't permanent!". Even in trivial video games, don't we hit the "Retry" button just to see the hero win it? Cynicists may argue that, video games are designed for the hero to win always. I agree, but then, that's a sore loser's quote.

YOU ARE THE DESIGNER OF YOUR LIFE. Do not blame others.

What you are, and what you do, are results of your own attempts and tries. When you're on the edge of giving up, go for it just one more time. It doesn't hurt that much to try once more !

Don't ever give up. If you believe in luck, continue. Its a wonderful thing. But then, do not slack on your effort because luck has the peculiar habit of not being there when you "depend" on it. Its either you or rejection. What you choose, will decide what is permanent. Success stories are not fairy tales. You may become "that person" in a story very soon in the future.

AGAIN, DON'T EVER GIVE UP !

\*unleash your thoughts */

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Inspiration

"All is well that ends well"

Yeah, correct.

"All is well that ends well."

As long as the end is right, all is well. As simple as it may seem, it has become my fundamental philosophy.

But what if it doesn't end well? Does it mean 'all' is not well?

Apparently it doesn't.

If you don't believe me, think about it. You'll find it interesting to have thought about it even if you didn't reach a satisfactory conclusion :-P

Returning to the original discussion, this particular quote has many implications on success and failure. When the end is well, all seems to be well. In success, the journey seems sweet thought it may be covered with sweat. But then, what if the result is failure?

There is disappointment but then that is not all. There is maturity and there's understanding. I find it more valuable than victory by itself. To put it even more simply,

The winner understands only success.

The loser understands both success and failure. And what all is learnt is implemented to achieve the success which eluded previously. After all, continual failure is a blatant sin. Its really the mindset of the loser, that decides the outcome in a possible next encounter.

During tough times, it is a welcome quote.

"All is well that ends well ."

I can't find a more suitable person to cite as an example to this than Steve Jobs.

Imagine yourself in this position. You dropped out from college, still attend calligraphy classes(out of all classes), sleep on the floor in friends' rooms, collect coke bottles for 5 cents. 7 mile walk = one good meal a week.

Very depressing.

But then, we know whose Apple changed the world :)

One particular quote from the Stanford address stays very close to me.

"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life."

If you haven't listened to it already, please do atleast now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1R-jKKp3NA

Hope is all it takes. I heard this lecture during a period when I was need of motivational inspiration in some form and this speech was perfect. If you're in my shoes now, you'll love it too. Nevertheless, whatever situation you may be in, you'll love it. Because that's the man who was brought back into his own company and made CEO cuz they knew they wouldn't survive a bit without him. No one would object even if he called himself "iGod Tech". Have hope. The dots will connect.



RIP : 'iGod' Steve Jobs. :'(

\* unleash your thoughts */

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Love n Hate

He was sitting in his armchair, his sunken eyes pondering what word would fill that column of the crossword.. Sudoku, Kakuro were new additions in the newspapers but his all-time favourite was the good old crossword. After all, in the past 25 years, he had never once left any unsolved. Ramakrishnan was 85, and had retired from office 27 years ago. Still, he never felt boredom. His head scarcely had any hair left, but his brain seldom didn't know something. He lived with his younger son who had a boy. Suresh was into his teens and was a good, obedient boy. As with all grandpas, Ramakrishnan loved his grandson very much. The feeling was mutual from the young man and he loved to converse with his "grandpapedia" as he lovingly addressed the octogenarian.

One fine evening, grandpa had something in mind. He went to his desk, and pulled out a sheet of paper, and started writing.

"Dear grandson,

There is love and there is hate. At the age of two, hate is towards the hand the pulls the thumb out of our mouth. At the age of five, hate is toward the voice of mom, who says "Don't play in the mud!!". At the age of ten, hate is towards the teacher, who scolds "Why haven't you done your homework?" At fifteen, its dad's voice, who shouts "Switch off the bloody video game!". At 20, its the college professor, who is unreasonable. At 25, its the cranky boss. At 35, its towards the son's bad friends. At 45, its at the son's stress-vents at home. There is hate at all points of life, but what is important is love and not hate. In the end, it doesn't matter how much we've hated people; what matters is how much you've loved people! Care for your family and for your friends. And, choose those friends very carefully! Care for those who care for you! These days, if you hold out a helping hand to the wrong person, he'll spit on it! Such is world. Be careful. Have pride in who you are. Live with honour. Fill your life with love and care.

Love you a lot dear little grandson!"

Back from school, Suresh found the letter on the desk. As he completed reading it, he went to his grandpa's room. The hand hung from the support. The head was looking up. Ramakrishnan's face looked so peaceful. After all, he'd lived a life without any regrets till date.

Tears welled in Suresh's eyes as he went near his grandpa, hugged him and whispered "I promise!". Ramakrishnan's head slowly turned n said "What? Its coffee time already?"

As Suresh stared at his grandpa n his practical joke, grandpa chuckled n said "Gotcha! Thought I was gone for good, didn't you? :P"

\* unleash your thoughts */

Friday, September 2, 2011

Handwriting

I stepped in, as usual and looked into my watch. The time was 6:05 a.m. Perfect! :) Time to begin today's job. I observed as the many curious eyes peered at me,as usual. Motioning them to sit down after the "Good morning!" chorus, I turned around, to erase the board. Began at the top left corner, as usual. Everything went as usual that day, except for one thing. My thoughts drifted unconsciously as I found myself staring at a handwriting, which I hadn't seen in quite a while. I was looking at the abbreviation 'PMI' which stood for 'Process of Mathematical Induction'. Memories of homeworks, Probability, Integral Calculus everything seemed to rush into my head then. He'd call me "Ramasamy".. That was the name of the guy in the attendance roll just before me(and he was always absent), and a simple error on a fine day, rechristened me. :-P His way of teaching was enjoyable and checking your watch wasn't something that you'd be doing there. I still remember the problem in which P(A) n P(B) represented the probability of the wife and husband getting a particular job and, the probability of the wife not getting the job was P'(A)[read 'P bar of A'] and the husband's being P'(B), he said "Vela kedakkalana? Vera enna? Bar'ukku poga vendiyadhu thaan(sogathula)!" implying the usage of the complement. I was in 11th and he took maths for me. He was "Prabhu sir". I found that I'd erased the board and was brought back to reality. Funny, how much your thoughts can drift while erasing a board :-) I had two more of the best teachers - Arul sir n Thyagu sir. But Prabhu sir is special, cuz he was the first teacher that I looked upto n thought "Pha! Sir na ivuru thaan!" I may meet many great professors in the future but you'll always be special cuz you were the first.

Dedicated to Prabhu sir - my 11th std Arul Institute Maths professor.

\*unleash your thoughts*/

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Good morning, wake up!

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/

Dated : 13/08/2011

Page : 11

If you ask anyone who your roll model is, their answer is most likely to depend on their age, the most diversified ones being those of kids. Kids are fascinated very easily and their role-models range from a man-in-tights to his very own 'Papa' :-D Elders, on the other hand, are usually staunch followers of a particular person who inspired them over the course of their hair-line recession.

The category of age that falls in between, the earlier part of it, namely the youth are those with the unstable mind. They, still being children , do tend to be strongly influenced by whatever be 'the phenomenon' that rules the media at that particular point of time. This is particularly sad, and the link mentioned stamped 'OK' the stereotype.

With the debate around all the matters of corruption being influential on the youth(as it should rightly be), it is heartening to see that the youth see 'Corruption' as the biggest threat to society. Yet, a relative 3 out of 10 would pay up quietly to get the job done(the real culprits are among the remaining 7).

My friend once said, "We were fans when we used to talk incessantly about yesterday's movie/sporting event, we became fanatics when the punch dialogue/scoreline became our status update and the guy our DP!". Bull's eye.!

Behold the statistic! It says that the majority of the youth think that "India's greating achievement in the past 5 years was the winning of Cricket World Cup!".I would like to remind them that the Chandrayan wasn't launched more than 5 years back. LOL at the fact that it wasn't even there in the options! Well, that's just one example. I do agree that in a country, so filled with corruption that the newspapers could dedicate a page to it daily, 'other achievements' do happen other than winning the world cup. There's nothing that I wish to say in particular and the link may get archived very soon. Maybe I should say "Jaago re!" :-P And, also learn the difference between 'rolemodel' and 'youth icon'. I think they were very confused when they replied with 'Sachin Tendulkar'  when asked "Who do you think is close to being your rolemodel?"

P.S.: I sat up during the night to see the match that day and I missed the launch.

\* unleash your thoughts */

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Duty

Lab, lab, lab! Practicals is fun, yeah, surely better than theory. Endeavour, experience and exploit. The key to research. Fascination by results is the key to innovation, and it is that factor that drives practical work. But uff! Lab isn't interesting anymore. Not when your capabilities are tested by the notebook you wield. A college student is a warrior whose weapons are his math textbook(read club) and his observation notebook. Miss the latter and you're the primary subject of the teacher's anger. A perfect observation is an engineer's dream.

Once he begins his herculean effort to comprehend the science of engineering, his list of national duties get incremented by one. Oh yeah, I would recommend the Drafting Committee. How does this sound?

Section 24 of the Article 423 requires that "all engineering students maintain, update and validate the existence of their corresponding observation notebooks every week. Failure to do so, may result in inexplicable circumstances ranging from a petty warning to a full-fledged vent of the staff's anger on her housemaid who didn't come to sweep the house on that particular day".

As theory is tested by thoery, practical work may only be tested fair by a practical continuous assessment. But, oh goodness, 75% of my continuous assessment comes from my observation which "I solemnly swear to be a testimonial of my copying abilities and undetectable plagiarism".

All set and done, I have my Database Management Systems lab tomorrow and I must dutifully complete my observation. For I am an engineer.

\*unleash your thoughts*/

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Traffic signal

What could you be thinking while waiting in a traffic signal? Wouldn't you be thinking at least something to avoid the unpleasant cacophony of the horns? Well anyway, I do. Thus happened something that materialized into this blog post.

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It was my trip to Bombay to my cousin's marriage. My grandparents had a lot of siblings and all of them were so close that I ended with more than half a dozen each of chitthis, chitthappas, periammas, mamas and athais and not to forget about the three-score cousins.. Cousins off all sorts, younger, elder, infants, grown-ups, schoolers, collegers, office-goers etc. The function went well and the joy of meeting relatives was, as usual, awesome. But there was something else that was on my mind, something that I saw on my way back.
 

Poverty.

Different types of poverty. And so I thought,

Is it poverty of education? Those kids could very well be sitting in a classroom happily reciting poems.

Is it poverty of awareness? Orphanages and Adoption centres are as common as an exposed scam on a news channel(Incredible India!).

Is it poverty of hygiene? So much for the infinitely many handwash, health supplement ads..

Is it poverty of a helping-tendency? Not just there. They were at every single traffic signal. Doesn't the government bother?

Is it poverty of basic necessities? Ragged clothes are only the tip of the iceberg.

Is it poverty of safety? Worry about pedestrian crossing when you don't bother about three kids sitting, literally, in the middle of the road.

Poverty is not only about money. I only hope that the kids I saw don't have poverty in ambition and hard-work although the string of hope is as thin as a strand of silk.

India has a long way to go before becoming a super-power.

P.S.: This is not a post to show sarcasm or be cynical, its a mere thought-train on a momentary visual.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Remembrance

Year 1998 - I was 5 years old and I lived in a town called Polur. I had been denied admission into UKG at a school in Nasik, (don't laugh, it happened  :-P ) on grounds that I was younger than the age limit for admissions. My family decided that I should stay with my grandparents and continue my education( kindergarden, haha!!). It was then that I began to adore my grandpa. He was a great and vibrant personality. There was this swift efficiency about him, that I liked the most. A partner at tv(he'd watch cartoons with me at 60, mind you! :-D), chess and carrom. He'd daily drop me at school and pick me up back from it. I had great love, respect and admiration for my grandpa as most of the townsfolk had. My grandpa was a well-known man in his time, at one point of time being the District Educational Officer(DEO) and practically knew most of the townsfolk.

Year 2000 - Two years passed, and my parents moved to Tambaram and I came back to living with them. After that, my grandparents would visit me frequently, my grandpa more often than both my grandparents because my grandpa did a lot of travelling.

In the following years, I'd always enjoy the days when grandpa visited me. We'd talk for a lot of time. He was a strict disciplinarian though he never bet or scolded me. That stare was enough to make me understand what he meant.

He had this peculiar habit of not telling of his visits for most of the times, intending to surprise me. I seldom was; because the white Ambassador car would stand with pride, pride commensurate of its owner, my grandpa.

Year 2011 March-  As I was returning from college, I saw a white Ambassador that stood silently at the entrance of my apartment, the same exact place. My heart leaped with joy. "Grandpa is here!! :-)". But alas!

Year 2008 August-  Grandpa slipped and fell down and hurt his head. He came down with a stroke with a hand and leg paralysed. It was unbelievable and shocking to see a man of such pride and confidence lay bed-ridden. He endured 8 long months, through my 11th std. He breathed his last during the last week of April 2009.

That one second of joy made me realize just how much I miss him. I miss you thatha.. Love you loads! :'(

Dedicated to my grandfather - H. Mahadeva Iyer. Proud to be your grandson.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

You may order what you please!

Another of Agatha Christie's books, another blog post. :P This time around, the book was "The ABC Murders". And, here is an excerpt from the book.

' "If you could order a crime as one orders a dinner, what would you choose?"

I(Captain Hastings) fell in with his(Hercule Poirot) humour.

'Let me see now. Let's review the menu. Robbery? Forgery? No, I think not. Rather too vegetarian. It must be murder - red-blooded murder - with trimmings, of course.'

'Naturally, The hors d'oeuvres.'

'Who shall the victim be - man or woman? Man, I think. Some big-wig. American millionaire. Prime Minister. Newspaper proprietor. Scene of the crime - well, what's wrong with the good old library? Nothing like it for the atmosphere. As for the weapon - well, it might be a curiously twisted dagger - or some blunt instrument - a carved stone idol -'

Poirot sighed.

'Or, of course,'I sighed, 'there's poison - but that's so technical. Or a revolver shot echoing in the night. There must be a beautiful girl or two-'

'With auburn hair,' murmured my friend.

'Your same old joke.One of the beautiful girls, of course, must unjustly be suspected - and there's some misunderstanding between her and the young man. And then of course, there must be other suspects - an older woman - dark, dangerous type - and some friend or rival of the dead man's - and a quiet secretary - dark horse - and a hearty man with a bluff manner -  and a couple of discharged servants or gamekeepers or somethings -  and a damn fool of a detective rather like Japp - and well - that's about all.'

Poirot looked at me sadly.

'You have made there a very pretty resume of nearly all the detective stories that have ever been written.'

.

.

.

.

.

'................... You have quite the melodramatic soul, Hastings. You would like, not one murder, but a series of murders.'

Now, what's with the excerpt? The fact is that it brought about me a very similar description, of something that I know, we all know. Let me illustrate.

'Let me see now. Let's review the menu. A celebrity talk show? A reality show? No, I think not. Rather too short. It must be melodrama - tear brimming melodrama - with trimmings, of course.'

'Who shall the main character be? Man or woman? Woman, I think. A happy family, nothing out of the ordinary, preferably, lower middle class. There must be this sick grandma or unemployed father at home. A neighbour that is there always to comfort and to criticize. Ah, a drunkard or a shady businessman - And, there's this friend of the main character's - from college or from work, preferably from work. A kind that would take jealousy for an attribute quite well to be mentioned in a CV. And, then there's this thing what everyone calls the "SUDDEN TWIST OF FATE", a member of the family takes ill, or the lead is about to be married off. Problems, more problems. Comes in autos, buses, trains and taxis.!"

I say "Et voila, you have a perfect soap-opera! A blend of the infinitely draggy, problem-centred, depressive, addictive  already existing ones!" Collect all the tears from tv and you would find a Chennai with no water trouble for the next decade!! :P

Yet, there are people who are so void of a pass-time that they will see even the most damned of these soap-operas. God save the lot!

As for the book, I enjoyed it -  as I did the other of her works. So, if you were to order a television programme as one orders dinner, what would you order?

\* unleash your thoughts */

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Beginning

It was just yesterday that I finished this very wonderful book called "Towards Zero" by Agatha Christie. A very wonderful book indeed, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. The final twist to things - the random prospect making all the difference that's needed was so wonderfully characteristic of the 'Queen Of Crime'. But then, more than all that, one other thing stays and triggers a thought in my mind. It is a quote from the book.

"I like a good detective story; But you know, they begin in the wrong place! They begin with the murder. But the murder is the end. The story begins long before that - years before sometimes - with all the causes and events that bring certain people to a certain place at a certain time on a certain day. All converging towards a given spot.  Zero Hour."

A very nice quote.

Now, if I were the author, where would I have begun? Is it the scene of murder that decides the prelude of events or do the train of events converge in murder? Now, for a real-time situation, it is at all times, the latter; But what about the fictional case? Where would it have begun? Now, I don't want the answer, because in most cases, the light of fact, just takes away the bliss of ignorant wonder,( ain't I right?) But, if someone were to read this post, and on their mind, were to come a thought of leaving a comment, I would like to know the answer.

Now, did I start writing this post, in view of others' comments? Or did I, just to express my own thoughts?

Befuddled, to find the answer.

\* unleash your thoughts */

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

A waver of thought :D

It was a summer morning( :P, today morning) and I was driving on the GST road. Twas too good a weather to concentrate just on the empty black road and so the process of thought waver began. I noticed a tree which looked like a "Flame Of The Forest" just as I crossed the National Siddha Institute. Its red flare seemed to contradict the blue composure of the sky behind. Then, I noticed a couple of people crossing the road while the signal was still green for vehicles and I thought "kaalangarthaala  enna thaan apdi avasaramo!!"("What could possibly be the hurry so early in the morning!!"). A few many buses, cars and two-wheelers shared the black space below our wheels. Thus I was noticing a few things and giving my own opinions about them on my mind.

Then, I heard a low thud. And the sound of aluminium being hammered. A quick glance at the side was all it took to realise the situation. A young man, probably in his thirties, and headed for office, had probably had some thought wavers just like me and to his misfortune, had rammed into the barricade that narrows down the lane below the MIT bridge. No serious damage, thank goodness :)

After that, did the realisation came. "Its your lucky day that you weren't the guy who rammed the barricade"........

The next immediate thought was "However fine the weather is, look at the road and only the road!" :P

DRIVE SAFE.

\* unleash your thoughts */

 

Monday, May 30, 2011

Hello world!

Well, Hello world!!! I was thinking, is blogging such a real waste of time?? Yeah? If yeah, why would so many people "supposedly waste" time on such a fantasy?? I came to a conclusion. Blogging was not exactly useless, it would allow me to expand my room of thinking and find people thinking the same as me. Late realisation huh? Better late than never...... So, what am I gonna blog about??

\* unleash your thoughts */