Tuesday, August 16, 2016
GST - A Bird's Eye View
GST - A
Bird's Eye View
P.S. For those of who not able to properly view this. Put the link above in full screen. Works Perfect! Cheers!
P.S. For those of who not able to properly view this. Put the link above in full screen. Works Perfect! Cheers!
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Free Fall
Free-Fall
Prologue: It was an exhausting day started at 2:35 in the night and
it had almost been a twenty four hour tear! Jay had barely enough in him to
make it through the day or so he thought, as he hit the sack to call it a
day! Favourite music in ears, favourite
book in hand, that was his way to turn off - Pg 59 of the translated version of
"Parthibhan Kanavu", and eyes lazily rolled over to Page 60 …
"He was standing on the precipice of a cliff, wind in his hair, tear
in his eyes, flowing to the command to the breeze. His whole life had been a
lie! It was going all so perfect! He had met the women of his dreams; against
his wildest expectation; it was she who had come forward with her love - and
all he could manage was a dazed nod! But they had blown hot and cold! It is but
a mystery, why two people who were tailor-made for the other could find it so
hard to remain together! They had not been together for two years now! May be it
was the fear that if they were ever broke up again, the toll it would take on
them would be something which they would find it impossible to recover from,
despite the healer - Time. Or is Time the antagonist, eating away life, love
and everything else!
He saw perched on a cliff at the other end, small mother with her infant.
He could notice, that the mother was blind, unable to realise as the child
moved towards the edge. The child was about to fall.. "Hey lady, your
child, your child is about to fall off the cliff, stop it. Hey lady,...". The
waters beneath roared thunderous melodies, putting out all other sound. He
cried aloud, gestured wildly, to alert the lady, crying his eyes out unable to
bear the thought of what was to follow, but it was too late
"Hey......."!
Epilogue: He woke covered all in sweat!! The alarm clock kept
beeping out loud, he turned it off. He shivered still as he opened his mobile
to take his mind off the present. There was this one message from HER -
"Hey HRU, was just thinking about you, about us J&K. Miss you so much.
Can we meet sometime - Love Kay (sent at 2:30 AM)". As he typed back, he
knew that she was the perfect foil to his life. He would complete her and she
him. It was with her that he was the happiest. Plain reason would tell him that
she belonged with him. Tear in his eyes, breeze in his hair he wrote,
"Miss you more than you can imagine, why were we apart all this time, can
i come over and meet you now?". The crying stopped and anger was quick to
fill that void. But she was the one who moved away. And where was she all this
while. Hadn't he heard that she was with another guy. How much that had hurt
him? How much had she hurt him? His finger was just an inch from pressing that
"Send" button. All he had to do was to press it and they would be
back together.
X-----------------X
Thursday, October 9, 2014
The Veiled star
The Veiled Star
Look out yonder window, is that a star we see in distant sky Veiled by passing cloud?
The star that bought us where we are , through eons far whence thoughts shroud
Stardust that dwells in you doth dwell in me, begets hope that we are one
And tis hope and hope we shall that though we tarry asunder through empty vales and distant lands where streets crowd
-Dedicated to the person who gave me my latest inspiration to write after a long time indeed
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Here spake a champion
Prologue:
http://www.matgetsaudacious.blogspot.in/2010/01/here-walked-champion.html
He stood there on the cliff. This electric night, with its bright full moon acted spotlight to a picturesque range of wizened mountains, and more so a spotlight to a Champion. Amidst loud cheering from the people of KHAND there spake their Champion
"I belive...(He starts In his inimitable deep piercing voice) ... (Loud cheering continues . . .) I belive in a world filled with peace, hope and fulfillment. A world out of the clutches of war, poverty and misery. Where one comes home to warmth of one s beloved and fall asleep lost in passion. You need not find sleep in such a state, it comes naturally, borne
out of the satisfaction of a hard day's work, borne out raw passion, out of the hope of tomorrow. That is all i seek. Not a life filled with all the treasures in this world, but a life filled with just three things . . . peace, work and love. Is that too much to ask, i ask you"
(Loud chorus: "No,No,No,no,no.....)
"too long had we let our lives be controlled by them! Too long had we sat back, failing to address that which matters most to us, yet that which feared to face. But not anymore. This is the day we overcame our deepest fears! Our deepest regrets. This is the day we fought. And this is the day we won!"
(Loud cheering "Wooh Wooh Wooh . . . .)
"Yet won is the battle and not the war! The harder battle lies ahead. It awaits us, with open arms and bated breath. But as you have seen today, the hardest battle is battle within. The day you conquer you, is the day we conquer them. And it is how this war is won.
Today is the quintessential day. There is no past, which is dead, just like there is no future, which is yet to be borne. What is relevant is today.
What is relevant is now.So, People of KHAND, let us begin this ride, today, to hard ground, a harder battle, to a sweet victory and a sweeter life ahead!
Prepare for battle ... (raising his right hand) To waaar.....
(Echos of "A Wooh, A Wooh, A wooh")
Ironical he thought, that war was the path to peace. Yet this was the only path which was left.
As he walked about the cliff, surveying the frenzied camp, which danced wildly to the wild beat of deep rythmic drums, he was inclined to point in recognition to a man, drenched in sweat, swinging wildly a placard ...
"Fate is not without its cruel sense of irony"
P.s. The last line is a tribute to you (s) two (s) (the Wachowski brothers), or is most of the post?
http://www.matgetsaudacious.blogspot.in/2010/01/here-walked-champion.html
He stood there on the cliff. This electric night, with its bright full moon acted spotlight to a picturesque range of wizened mountains, and more so a spotlight to a Champion. Amidst loud cheering from the people of KHAND there spake their Champion
"I belive...(He starts In his inimitable deep piercing voice) ... (Loud cheering continues . . .) I belive in a world filled with peace, hope and fulfillment. A world out of the clutches of war, poverty and misery. Where one comes home to warmth of one s beloved and fall asleep lost in passion. You need not find sleep in such a state, it comes naturally, borne
out of the satisfaction of a hard day's work, borne out raw passion, out of the hope of tomorrow. That is all i seek. Not a life filled with all the treasures in this world, but a life filled with just three things . . . peace, work and love. Is that too much to ask, i ask you"
(Loud chorus: "No,No,No,no,no.....)
"too long had we let our lives be controlled by them! Too long had we sat back, failing to address that which matters most to us, yet that which feared to face. But not anymore. This is the day we overcame our deepest fears! Our deepest regrets. This is the day we fought. And this is the day we won!"
(Loud cheering "Wooh Wooh Wooh . . . .)
"Yet won is the battle and not the war! The harder battle lies ahead. It awaits us, with open arms and bated breath. But as you have seen today, the hardest battle is battle within. The day you conquer you, is the day we conquer them. And it is how this war is won.
Today is the quintessential day. There is no past, which is dead, just like there is no future, which is yet to be borne. What is relevant is today.
What is relevant is now.So, People of KHAND, let us begin this ride, today, to hard ground, a harder battle, to a sweet victory and a sweeter life ahead!
Prepare for battle ... (raising his right hand) To waaar.....
(Echos of "A Wooh, A Wooh, A wooh")
Ironical he thought, that war was the path to peace. Yet this was the only path which was left.
As he walked about the cliff, surveying the frenzied camp, which danced wildly to the wild beat of deep rythmic drums, he was inclined to point in recognition to a man, drenched in sweat, swinging wildly a placard ...
"Fate is not without its cruel sense of irony"
P.s. The last line is a tribute to you (s) two (s) (the Wachowski brothers), or is most of the post?
Saturday, February 25, 2012
The Delinquent Artist
Prologue: You suddenly look up at the evening sky, and find it throwing the most amazing visuals at you! Leaves you spell-bound and makes your heart sink in the beauty. You wonder where does nature get its ideas for all these beautiful paintings from?
One fine day, it was about the time when the sun was far near the western horizon. Two lovers deep in love were sitting on the balcony which was laced with a variety of shrubs and creepers and also a variety of herbs which proved intoxicating to the eye and the nose. They had lost track of time, looking into each other’s eyes, seeing their respective dreams realized in the other’ s. Unable to bear the excitement and the pleasantness of the dream, their senses provided them with the next course of action. The girl’s lip had a natural hue of pink which the boy could not take his eyes off. She could see him come very close, and soon could also feel him breathe. She moved her face closer to his. It started off with the boy gently kissing the lower lip of the girl with both of his. The girl horripulated, due to the sudden rush of blood to her face. Soon, they locked their lips with passion unbound by any limit. It was a kiss which lasted a life time in their reckoning. The girl’s lip started to present a tinge of purple, which then started to present orange together with the purple and then orange only. She also realized that her body was heating up and the heat suddenly reached her destinations. Soon the minute was over but they did not want the minute to end. Why would anyone want it to? But couples do break up a kiss. And in most cases including this, it was due to the fact that the girl’s comfort was disturbed by a sudden but sneaky feeling that someone was watching them. The girl withdrew first, and the guy was left face down with tears in the same place. Once they got all their senses back the girl laid her head down on the boy’s shoulder, who was resting on the side railing of the balcony and they together watched the sun set, and an electric night take over, in the same position.
Another artist was also sitting on a roof top of the town. He usually went there after 4 30 p.m. to look at nature and draw inspiration from her for his works. This day he would find the inspiration required to start his new work, the same inspiration that had eluded him for several months. It was around 5 55, and he soon realized that it would be time for moon light. He was seated with his face on his arms which rested on his knee cap from which bent down his legs. His position reflected his emotional state as well, a man lacking inspiration and a motivation to get to his works. He noticed albeit slowly the usually red brick of the floor, present a hue pink. He looked up to see that entire landscape had turned pink. He was very pleased to look at the landscape with this new beauty. He turned his head up to see the sky, a game changing moment it would prove in his career. He was begging to feel the climate change too, and the climate which was pleasant till then had begun to turn humid and hot. The sky together with its scattered mosaic clouds, had now turned a vibrant neon purple. When he looked up at the setting sun, he could see the same purple circling within its circumference. Soon he could see the entire landscape was vibrating purple. He had successfully reentered his world. He was also more aware of the growing heat. The sun was half sunk in the horizon, and now started to reveal a tinge of orange, and he enjoyed it slowing conquering and eventually dominating the purple landscape. This moment filled him up with inspiration which seemed to him would last a lifetime. He had not till then winked.
The artist closed his eyes for a moment and the landscape was now completely dark with the cool full moon prominent in the sky and with little fires lighting up the small homes of the town. The landscape he felt mirrored the starry sky. His orgy was complete. The artist took up his tools and began to write.
The Delinquent Artist
One fine day, it was about the time when the sun was far near the western horizon. Two lovers deep in love were sitting on the balcony which was laced with a variety of shrubs and creepers and also a variety of herbs which proved intoxicating to the eye and the nose. They had lost track of time, looking into each other’s eyes, seeing their respective dreams realized in the other’ s. Unable to bear the excitement and the pleasantness of the dream, their senses provided them with the next course of action. The girl’s lip had a natural hue of pink which the boy could not take his eyes off. She could see him come very close, and soon could also feel him breathe. She moved her face closer to his. It started off with the boy gently kissing the lower lip of the girl with both of his. The girl horripulated, due to the sudden rush of blood to her face. Soon, they locked their lips with passion unbound by any limit. It was a kiss which lasted a life time in their reckoning. The girl’s lip started to present a tinge of purple, which then started to present orange together with the purple and then orange only. She also realized that her body was heating up and the heat suddenly reached her destinations. Soon the minute was over but they did not want the minute to end. Why would anyone want it to? But couples do break up a kiss. And in most cases including this, it was due to the fact that the girl’s comfort was disturbed by a sudden but sneaky feeling that someone was watching them. The girl withdrew first, and the guy was left face down with tears in the same place. Once they got all their senses back the girl laid her head down on the boy’s shoulder, who was resting on the side railing of the balcony and they together watched the sun set, and an electric night take over, in the same position.
Another artist was also sitting on a roof top of the town. He usually went there after 4 30 p.m. to look at nature and draw inspiration from her for his works. This day he would find the inspiration required to start his new work, the same inspiration that had eluded him for several months. It was around 5 55, and he soon realized that it would be time for moon light. He was seated with his face on his arms which rested on his knee cap from which bent down his legs. His position reflected his emotional state as well, a man lacking inspiration and a motivation to get to his works. He noticed albeit slowly the usually red brick of the floor, present a hue pink. He looked up to see that entire landscape had turned pink. He was very pleased to look at the landscape with this new beauty. He turned his head up to see the sky, a game changing moment it would prove in his career. He was begging to feel the climate change too, and the climate which was pleasant till then had begun to turn humid and hot. The sky together with its scattered mosaic clouds, had now turned a vibrant neon purple. When he looked up at the setting sun, he could see the same purple circling within its circumference. Soon he could see the entire landscape was vibrating purple. He had successfully reentered his world. He was also more aware of the growing heat. The sun was half sunk in the horizon, and now started to reveal a tinge of orange, and he enjoyed it slowing conquering and eventually dominating the purple landscape. This moment filled him up with inspiration which seemed to him would last a lifetime. He had not till then winked.
The artist closed his eyes for a moment and the landscape was now completely dark with the cool full moon prominent in the sky and with little fires lighting up the small homes of the town. The landscape he felt mirrored the starry sky. His orgy was complete. The artist took up his tools and began to write.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Summer of 95 - Part 1
It was the Summer of 95 - I had written my 4th standard final exams and the school was about to be closed for the summer - for a full 60 days! I especially was looking forward to this particular day - My school calendar would show this day marked in all sorts of sketches, highlighting my enthusiasm for it! I am quite sure most of my other schoolmate's notes would also have had something to this effect! The last exam was over and all of us were re assembled in our respective classes from the exam hall for the instruction slip which we had to handover to our parents. The wait was over and the hour was done. We all started saying goodbye to those we had to pass to get to the exit. "Hey! Bye bye Prabhu, see you!" came a sound from an all too familiar voice. "Huuh! Yea, . . ." and several seconds later, sheepishly "B . .bye". I always couldnt pick up the courage to talk full length to her. Did'nt know why at that time, though i noticed several years later that people gave a name to that particular emotion / state of mind. It is a four letter word.
So first day of holidays - The Gang ( comprising Me, Karthik, Karthii(He was of the same name and same age as Karthik so had to differentiate him somehow), Kaushik, Ashwin alias Achu, Sudarshan, Sai, Paapu) was assembled, though not quite the full strength (Badri alias Battery, hari alias "sori" , Avinash alias "Baby"nash (for his looks) were missing - they were of the CBSE stream, and the schools had n closed yet! And Vignesh alias Vicky was doubtful for the entire season, having had to attend a lot of PT meetings that year for his dubious "achievements" at school, so was his brother Narasimhan alias "Nachuu"). We did our best with what we could do that day! - not much - 1. Cricket from 6 30 (how surprising i found it tough to get up for classes at the same time a few years hence!) to 7 45, then after getting ready and sending our parents off to their respective offices, cricket again from 9:00 to 11:00 - all at my place and Badri's place next door (He was not there in the gang that day but who cared - As long as he managed to get us permission from his dad we were ready to go!). We usually stopped outdoor games from 11 00 to 2 00. After all it was Chennai and it was summer! At 2 00 we again assembled at my place with a couple of bats, "tennis" balls and the other paraphernalia (some of us were in the gang just for these stuff). Off to Thiambiah Reddy Ground - the red sand - littered - "will hurt if you fall" Ground , where we usually assembled in the after noon to play cricket. We did not have the numbers for two teams that day so joined with other groups and played.
Sai was the Captain of the Team (Being Senior in age and Girth!) and lead us from the front! (He was the Wicket keeper of the Team too). He lost the toss (and how when was the last time he had won a toss, we were wondering) and we were put into bat!
Me and Achu - opened the innings!
Achu: What is the bet today! 10 Rupees?
Me: Deal
Achu: Can i see the 10 Rupees? (I showed it)! Here is mine but won t be getting your hands on it today!
Me (Pissed off): We ll see!
Achu started off in blistering fashion! Four of the second ball and a six of the fifth! And he wanted to take a single of the last ball to retain strike! But i would n let him though, not because i did n want to him to have the strike, but because mid off (or some position close to that) was very close.
Achu: Beat that! (Extending hand for the friendly knuckle punch!)
Me: Wait and See! (Friendly knuckle punch)
I did manage only 8 runs that over - a boundary of the third and the fifth ball! (It is not easy to hit a lot of runs when the guy running in is twice your height!)
Achu: Better luck next time! (Me: pissed)
The next over was quite eventfull. Achu cover driving the bowler for four first ball and a cut (elevated though) the next. Fielding changes - Deep point becomes short point and Achu is held OUT a couple of balls later.
Achu to me: Where did he come from?
I shrug!
I continued till the eighth over in similar fashion till i held out to long on for
46. The team was at 85. It was a dismissal more out of exhaustion that out of any skill of the bowler. I was however, richer by Rs.10/-.
We finished our innings at 101 - a great total at that ground we agreed.
Sai at the Team Huddle: "super firstu innings! Now only we ensure that bowling is decent! I can peel it ! Only one or two of them can hold bat properly! So come on Team Sai (Everyone gives him a glare), ok ok come on team! (puts out his hand for everyone else to participate) 1,2,3 Huu, huu, huu!
KARTHIK and Karthii were our star bowlers, both had express speeds and could move the ball (yup possible with the tennis ball too if you know the tactics!) - a deadly combination at any level!
Karthik actually went on to play for the TN under 16 team,which is the highest any of us got in Professional Cricket! So there he was with his wrist band, reebok tee, tracks and shoes near the sticks at the bowler's end, looking for the slope of the pitch (Or that is what he said to those who enquired about the delay! What slope?? the pitch had a hundreds of it in each sand trough!)
Karthik to Kaarthii: "Come to Mid on da!"
Karthik to Prabhu: "Short Midwicket!"
Karthik to Sudarshan: "Go to Long off da!"
Sudarshan: What?
Karthik: "Go and stand near that Pull up Post!"
Sudarshan: What?
Karthik (Miffed): "Walk back ten steps!!!" Sudashan obliges!
Karthik takes his takes his run up position shaking his head!"Guys Ready?"
Everyone: Ready!
Karthik managed to pick up a few early wickets and we got off to a great start!
PAAPU was dyslexic and it was pre dominantly due to this was made to drop out of school at a very early age! No one would simply keep him in school! He had a hard time reading anything in text but was very mostly sharp in all activities that did not involve reading. One could understand while being with him that he could comprehend though in a different way! He did tend to get violent now and then! Who would nt if they were looked down to and treated as though they were from a different lower species! and none of his aggression towards others came unprovoked, though you can find him to be generally more animated than the rest. But never would he hurt anyone! It would be sad for me to see him drop out of school in a couple of years hence. Everytime i looked at him hence, you could tell that he was isolated and only got more sick by being alone! His eyes bulged reflecting the misery he was going through! He became tangibly more non-coordinated every passing day! But no one would dare say a word to his parents who "took care" of him! Paapu's story is the story of great suffering and a story of shame of our neighbourhood!
A TERRIFIC RUN OUT ! Standing at short cover, he bounced equal to the ball on seeing it come towards him. The batsmen mistaking his abilities ran for it. Paapu caught the ball like a cat would a mice with its paws, took his time winding up and threw it to the bowler's end and Karthik knocked down the stumps promptly!
The opponent team folded for a total of 83 in the 11th over. Karthik managed to pick up four wickets! Two were bagged by Sudarshan! One bagged by Karthii in the 10th over and ofcourse no one could forget the run out by Paapu!
(And Yes the 8th wicket could play alone!)
It was 6 30 and we were returning home after a hard day's work!
Me: "Phew that was a good game! Great bowling da karthik! If you had n taken the 4 wickets, surely we d have lost!"
Karthik: "And you too da! Great batting, how many sixes was it? Only you and Achu can hit such a lot of boundaries in this ground man! We had a good total to defend - 101 in 12 overs with 8 wickets is a lot to ask in this ground! You had done most of the work in the first innings itself! And what was your final score?"
Me: "46"
Achu (quickly pointing out): "That is the fourth largest score for our group in any ground."
Me: "Yeah, your 105* being the only century! and two other fifties 89 and 65 of mine are the higher scores" (I was good at batting, but i have to admit that i was pretty large for my age! Got out most times due to lack of stamina!)
Kaushik: "Phew, ok ok don't push it alright!"
Me: "Ha ha, don t worry da, the highest score for a lefti belongs to you! How much
was that?"
Sudarshan: "18 Not out"
Kaushik: "18 NOT OUT!"
(Everyone except Kaushik laugh heartily. Paapu laughs his animated laugh!)
After i reached home, it was some TV time with Kaushik. The Portfolio would have included Cartoon Network, some WWF (Wrestling) with stunts being reenacted with my Father (me and kaushik were Diesel and HBK respectively most of the times and used to Tag Team my dad (who took on different roles) in wrestling matches in my bed!. As you can guess it was a bit one sided!)
Kaushik: Get him! Get him, choke slam choke slam
Me:(How is that ever possible?) Aaaarggh! I ... can choke slam . . . his leg!
Father catches me by the stomach and swings me around a couple of times in the bed.
Kaushik comes in and gives me a hand, and we manage to bring the giant to his back!
Me (on my dad s chest and trying to subdue his arms): Quick! Take his legs! Take his legs!
But the predators quickly become the prey! Father puts us in his favourite and effective "Kittle", a lock for which there is no known key!
After 5 minutes of struggling exhausted.
Kaushik: Uncle please let me go! Mother will scold if i dont return!
Father: Admit you lost!
Kaushik remains silent!
Father: Admit it!
Me: Let him go dad! Fight me one on one, if you v got the guts!
Father: But i already fought you two on one and won!
Me: Let him go dad, please!
Father releases him from his legs which held the boy s trunk like a scorpion. I was still caught in a bear hug position in his arms!
Kaushik on release: Aaaaarghh (Tugs at father s arms in an attempt to free me and after trying for a long time is forced to tears!)
Kaushik: Let him go uncle, please. He is my one and only true friend! Please let him go!
And after some 5 minutes of us crying, father lets go on a call from mom!
We both leave the bed with hands over each other's shoulders the other hand wiping our uncontrollable tears!
It took nearly half an hour of consoling and sweet talking by mom to bring me under control! What would i have done without mom.
It would soon be time for bed.
How beautiful were those days. Memories of infancy are a deep treasure that every person deeply cherishes and protects! Yet to each person his memories are worth more compared to all the treasure in the world put together. The very recollection of those days would be like a breath of fresh air that has the ability to bring a sulking man instantly back to life, an instant medicine to the depressed. Not all the money in the world would be able to do that. The 9 year old lives the simple life with only a few things to think about -
Achu - The opponent
Karthik - The "Big shot" Cricketer
Kaushik - The best friend in the world!
Paapu - The harmless! The one to sympathise with and understand!, and the others!
The parents and teachers - Who had to be obeyed at any cost; lest the consequences
A Life conveniently shielded from the horrors of Lies, Deceit, Treachery, Failures and Disappointments in their full and uninhibited forms! Ah those were the days - The Days of peace and simplicity. And each day was a fresh leaf roll waiting to unfurl to join the Tree of Life. Days which everyone yearns to relive!
9 00 pm and we (Me and my sister) were ushered into bed by our Mother! Though i sleep easily and tightly, that day i was lost in thoughts! What is tomorrow going to be. What fun are we going to have? What trouble are we going to get into? ...
It would have been impossible to predict what was instore for me that fateful summer. . .
This is a story from my childhood! You will find that as i write more, the story of one man is the story of all! So in that sense, it is also to an extent the story of your childhood. So are you ready to take this journey?
to be Contd...
So first day of holidays - The Gang ( comprising Me, Karthik, Karthii(He was of the same name and same age as Karthik so had to differentiate him somehow), Kaushik, Ashwin alias Achu, Sudarshan, Sai, Paapu) was assembled, though not quite the full strength (Badri alias Battery, hari alias "sori" , Avinash alias "Baby"nash (for his looks) were missing - they were of the CBSE stream, and the schools had n closed yet! And Vignesh alias Vicky was doubtful for the entire season, having had to attend a lot of PT meetings that year for his dubious "achievements" at school, so was his brother Narasimhan alias "Nachuu"). We did our best with what we could do that day! - not much - 1. Cricket from 6 30 (how surprising i found it tough to get up for classes at the same time a few years hence!) to 7 45, then after getting ready and sending our parents off to their respective offices, cricket again from 9:00 to 11:00 - all at my place and Badri's place next door (He was not there in the gang that day but who cared - As long as he managed to get us permission from his dad we were ready to go!). We usually stopped outdoor games from 11 00 to 2 00. After all it was Chennai and it was summer! At 2 00 we again assembled at my place with a couple of bats, "tennis" balls and the other paraphernalia (some of us were in the gang just for these stuff). Off to Thiambiah Reddy Ground - the red sand - littered - "will hurt if you fall" Ground , where we usually assembled in the after noon to play cricket. We did not have the numbers for two teams that day so joined with other groups and played.
Sai was the Captain of the Team (Being Senior in age and Girth!) and lead us from the front! (He was the Wicket keeper of the Team too). He lost the toss (and how when was the last time he had won a toss, we were wondering) and we were put into bat!
Me and Achu - opened the innings!
Achu: What is the bet today! 10 Rupees?
Me: Deal
Achu: Can i see the 10 Rupees? (I showed it)! Here is mine but won t be getting your hands on it today!
Me (Pissed off): We ll see!
Achu started off in blistering fashion! Four of the second ball and a six of the fifth! And he wanted to take a single of the last ball to retain strike! But i would n let him though, not because i did n want to him to have the strike, but because mid off (or some position close to that) was very close.
Achu: Beat that! (Extending hand for the friendly knuckle punch!)
Me: Wait and See! (Friendly knuckle punch)
I did manage only 8 runs that over - a boundary of the third and the fifth ball! (It is not easy to hit a lot of runs when the guy running in is twice your height!)
Achu: Better luck next time! (Me: pissed)
The next over was quite eventfull. Achu cover driving the bowler for four first ball and a cut (elevated though) the next. Fielding changes - Deep point becomes short point and Achu is held OUT a couple of balls later.
Achu to me: Where did he come from?
I shrug!
I continued till the eighth over in similar fashion till i held out to long on for
46. The team was at 85. It was a dismissal more out of exhaustion that out of any skill of the bowler. I was however, richer by Rs.10/-.
We finished our innings at 101 - a great total at that ground we agreed.
Sai at the Team Huddle: "super firstu innings! Now only we ensure that bowling is decent! I can peel it ! Only one or two of them can hold bat properly! So come on Team Sai (Everyone gives him a glare), ok ok come on team! (puts out his hand for everyone else to participate) 1,2,3 Huu, huu, huu!
KARTHIK and Karthii were our star bowlers, both had express speeds and could move the ball (yup possible with the tennis ball too if you know the tactics!) - a deadly combination at any level!
Karthik actually went on to play for the TN under 16 team,which is the highest any of us got in Professional Cricket! So there he was with his wrist band, reebok tee, tracks and shoes near the sticks at the bowler's end, looking for the slope of the pitch (Or that is what he said to those who enquired about the delay! What slope?? the pitch had a hundreds of it in each sand trough!)
Karthik to Kaarthii: "Come to Mid on da!"
Karthik to Prabhu: "Short Midwicket!"
Karthik to Sudarshan: "Go to Long off da!"
Sudarshan: What?
Karthik: "Go and stand near that Pull up Post!"
Sudarshan: What?
Karthik (Miffed): "Walk back ten steps!!!" Sudashan obliges!
Karthik takes his takes his run up position shaking his head!"Guys Ready?"
Everyone: Ready!
Karthik managed to pick up a few early wickets and we got off to a great start!
PAAPU was dyslexic and it was pre dominantly due to this was made to drop out of school at a very early age! No one would simply keep him in school! He had a hard time reading anything in text but was very mostly sharp in all activities that did not involve reading. One could understand while being with him that he could comprehend though in a different way! He did tend to get violent now and then! Who would nt if they were looked down to and treated as though they were from a different lower species! and none of his aggression towards others came unprovoked, though you can find him to be generally more animated than the rest. But never would he hurt anyone! It would be sad for me to see him drop out of school in a couple of years hence. Everytime i looked at him hence, you could tell that he was isolated and only got more sick by being alone! His eyes bulged reflecting the misery he was going through! He became tangibly more non-coordinated every passing day! But no one would dare say a word to his parents who "took care" of him! Paapu's story is the story of great suffering and a story of shame of our neighbourhood!
A TERRIFIC RUN OUT ! Standing at short cover, he bounced equal to the ball on seeing it come towards him. The batsmen mistaking his abilities ran for it. Paapu caught the ball like a cat would a mice with its paws, took his time winding up and threw it to the bowler's end and Karthik knocked down the stumps promptly!
The opponent team folded for a total of 83 in the 11th over. Karthik managed to pick up four wickets! Two were bagged by Sudarshan! One bagged by Karthii in the 10th over and ofcourse no one could forget the run out by Paapu!
(And Yes the 8th wicket could play alone!)
It was 6 30 and we were returning home after a hard day's work!
Me: "Phew that was a good game! Great bowling da karthik! If you had n taken the 4 wickets, surely we d have lost!"
Karthik: "And you too da! Great batting, how many sixes was it? Only you and Achu can hit such a lot of boundaries in this ground man! We had a good total to defend - 101 in 12 overs with 8 wickets is a lot to ask in this ground! You had done most of the work in the first innings itself! And what was your final score?"
Me: "46"
Achu (quickly pointing out): "That is the fourth largest score for our group in any ground."
Me: "Yeah, your 105* being the only century! and two other fifties 89 and 65 of mine are the higher scores" (I was good at batting, but i have to admit that i was pretty large for my age! Got out most times due to lack of stamina!)
Kaushik: "Phew, ok ok don't push it alright!"
Me: "Ha ha, don t worry da, the highest score for a lefti belongs to you! How much
was that?"
Sudarshan: "18 Not out"
Kaushik: "18 NOT OUT!"
(Everyone except Kaushik laugh heartily. Paapu laughs his animated laugh!)
After i reached home, it was some TV time with Kaushik. The Portfolio would have included Cartoon Network, some WWF (Wrestling) with stunts being reenacted with my Father (me and kaushik were Diesel and HBK respectively most of the times and used to Tag Team my dad (who took on different roles) in wrestling matches in my bed!. As you can guess it was a bit one sided!)
Kaushik: Get him! Get him, choke slam choke slam
Me:(How is that ever possible?) Aaaarggh! I ... can choke slam . . . his leg!
Father catches me by the stomach and swings me around a couple of times in the bed.
Kaushik comes in and gives me a hand, and we manage to bring the giant to his back!
Me (on my dad s chest and trying to subdue his arms): Quick! Take his legs! Take his legs!
But the predators quickly become the prey! Father puts us in his favourite and effective "Kittle", a lock for which there is no known key!
After 5 minutes of struggling exhausted.
Kaushik: Uncle please let me go! Mother will scold if i dont return!
Father: Admit you lost!
Kaushik remains silent!
Father: Admit it!
Me: Let him go dad! Fight me one on one, if you v got the guts!
Father: But i already fought you two on one and won!
Me: Let him go dad, please!
Father releases him from his legs which held the boy s trunk like a scorpion. I was still caught in a bear hug position in his arms!
Kaushik on release: Aaaaarghh (Tugs at father s arms in an attempt to free me and after trying for a long time is forced to tears!)
Kaushik: Let him go uncle, please. He is my one and only true friend! Please let him go!
And after some 5 minutes of us crying, father lets go on a call from mom!
We both leave the bed with hands over each other's shoulders the other hand wiping our uncontrollable tears!
It took nearly half an hour of consoling and sweet talking by mom to bring me under control! What would i have done without mom.
It would soon be time for bed.
How beautiful were those days. Memories of infancy are a deep treasure that every person deeply cherishes and protects! Yet to each person his memories are worth more compared to all the treasure in the world put together. The very recollection of those days would be like a breath of fresh air that has the ability to bring a sulking man instantly back to life, an instant medicine to the depressed. Not all the money in the world would be able to do that. The 9 year old lives the simple life with only a few things to think about -
Achu - The opponent
Karthik - The "Big shot" Cricketer
Kaushik - The best friend in the world!
Paapu - The harmless! The one to sympathise with and understand!, and the others!
The parents and teachers - Who had to be obeyed at any cost; lest the consequences
A Life conveniently shielded from the horrors of Lies, Deceit, Treachery, Failures and Disappointments in their full and uninhibited forms! Ah those were the days - The Days of peace and simplicity. And each day was a fresh leaf roll waiting to unfurl to join the Tree of Life. Days which everyone yearns to relive!
9 00 pm and we (Me and my sister) were ushered into bed by our Mother! Though i sleep easily and tightly, that day i was lost in thoughts! What is tomorrow going to be. What fun are we going to have? What trouble are we going to get into? ...
It would have been impossible to predict what was instore for me that fateful summer. . .
This is a story from my childhood! You will find that as i write more, the story of one man is the story of all! So in that sense, it is also to an extent the story of your childhood. So are you ready to take this journey?
to be Contd...
Monday, January 30, 2012
My Five - The Hindu style
So here is My pick of my 5 favourite movies in the style of the Hindu - "My Five" Column.
1. The God Father 1 & 2 - Francis Ford Coppola - Generally when i evaluate a movie, these are the criteria i use to evaluate them - 1. They should potray, events close to reality (this may be done through fictitious characters). 2. They should have a great miriad of human emotions and must stay true them. 3. The Film must have great technical competence (cinematography, Lighting, Casting, Set Design, Music and so on.). In the process of spelling out the criteria, i have effectively described the God Father 1 and 2 for you. A Gripping and realistic account of the Underworld of the early and mid twentieth century america. Francis Ford Coppola gripping screen play and Marlon Brando's and Di Nero's performances and the intense screenplay and scenes which stay in your memory long, are worth a special mention.
2. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy - Peter Jackson - This movie is every fantasy guzzler's ultimate movie. Backed by a strong fantasy of Middle Earth by J R R Tolkien, which "scream out to take its place with the greatest of mythologies in any language", deft screen play by Peter Jackson and company, this movie will have you engrossed by its mere story content - an account of the histories of the middle earth, wound around the Central theme of the "War of the Ring".The characters of the story are its greatest asset - they are characters which you can relate to, inspire you and will stay with you for long. The Film making tools adopted to bring to life the world of Middle Earth, has never been matched and in all probability will never be. The stunning visuals of the City of Guard (Gondor) (watch out for this one) and The Golden Hall of Meduseld (Rohan) and the Shire are worth a special mention, so is the make up and the Music by Howard Shore. Performances by Viggo Mortensen, Ian Mackellen, and the stunning potrayal of Gollum by Andy Serkis (The Oscars would look in retrospect with shame, for not having a category to award this guy) are also worth a special mention.
3. The Matrix - The Wachowski Brothers - This film is every philosophy geek's ultimate delight. The film is an allegory depicting principally, the principle of Hindu Advaita. The World of the Matrix represents the world our senses perceive, and Zion the Real world. How Neo perceives the Real World and how he saves it from the Machines which have taken it over forms the Crux of the Movie. The Dialogues of this movie are not only witty, but puts you deep in thought and makes us question a lot of things that we take for granted. They actually make you wonder as to whether this movie is in fact the province of fiction. Both the worlds of the matrix have been clearly distinguished using smart techniques and the film per se is not quite difficult to understand. It is what you infer from the movie that counts. So are you going to take the red pill and go back to who you were or are you going to take the blue one and see how deep the Rabbit hole (As in Alice in Wonderland) goes? The Action sequences and the Dialogues are worth a special mention.
4. The Bourne Identity - Paul Greengass - One of the most aesthetically appealing movies i have seen. The story is based on Ludlums book The Bourne Identity, which tracks the journey of a renegade CIA Operative, who mysteriously looses his memory, and who tries to discover his true identity afterwards. This movie scores very high on the criterias of 1. Integrity to reality. 2. Integrity to emotions and 3. Technical competence. The stunning visuals and the soundtrack of the movie stay with you long after the movie is over and compels us to watch it over and over again. The story is very simple, the Screen play crisp, and illustrates the concept of relativity - was that 1 hour and 40 minutes? Matt Damon s performance as the Renegade CIA Operative, with partial memory loss is compelling viewing.
5. Sherlock Holmes - Guy Ritchie - The First thing that strikes you about this movie, is the detail included in every scene, each shot is teases the senses, containing huge amounts of information, to perceive. The Movie is based loosely on the story of the Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle, though it can be called as a distinct Sherlock Holmes mystery in itself. The instant story involves Sherlock Holmes attempts to thwart Lord Blackwood's attempt to take over England, through his seemingly supernatural powers. How Holmes manages to achieve this in the end and in the salvages the face of Reason, Science and Justice form the crux of the story. How manages to pick up and put together minute details in the scenes, which most of the viewers fail to do will fail to do is the Director's personal testimony to the Brilliance of the Character. The Stunning Sets, the haunting music by Hans Zimmers and Guy Ritchie's exemplary attention to detail and storytelling make for one mesmerising Experience.
Those that almost made it -
1. Inglorious Basterds - Quintin Tarantino
2. Pulp Fiction - Quintin Tarantino
3. The Sixth Sense - Manoj NIGHT Shyamalan
4. Other Guy Ritchie movies - Rock n Rolla, Snatch and Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels
5. Bad Boys - Michael Bay
6. Casablanca - Michael Curtiz
7. To Kill a Mockingbird - Robert Mulligan
So what are your inputs on the above? And what are your favourite movies?
1. The God Father 1 & 2 - Francis Ford Coppola - Generally when i evaluate a movie, these are the criteria i use to evaluate them - 1. They should potray, events close to reality (this may be done through fictitious characters). 2. They should have a great miriad of human emotions and must stay true them. 3. The Film must have great technical competence (cinematography, Lighting, Casting, Set Design, Music and so on.). In the process of spelling out the criteria, i have effectively described the God Father 1 and 2 for you. A Gripping and realistic account of the Underworld of the early and mid twentieth century america. Francis Ford Coppola gripping screen play and Marlon Brando's and Di Nero's performances and the intense screenplay and scenes which stay in your memory long, are worth a special mention.
2. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy - Peter Jackson - This movie is every fantasy guzzler's ultimate movie. Backed by a strong fantasy of Middle Earth by J R R Tolkien, which "scream out to take its place with the greatest of mythologies in any language", deft screen play by Peter Jackson and company, this movie will have you engrossed by its mere story content - an account of the histories of the middle earth, wound around the Central theme of the "War of the Ring".The characters of the story are its greatest asset - they are characters which you can relate to, inspire you and will stay with you for long. The Film making tools adopted to bring to life the world of Middle Earth, has never been matched and in all probability will never be. The stunning visuals of the City of Guard (Gondor) (watch out for this one) and The Golden Hall of Meduseld (Rohan) and the Shire are worth a special mention, so is the make up and the Music by Howard Shore. Performances by Viggo Mortensen, Ian Mackellen, and the stunning potrayal of Gollum by Andy Serkis (The Oscars would look in retrospect with shame, for not having a category to award this guy) are also worth a special mention.
3. The Matrix - The Wachowski Brothers - This film is every philosophy geek's ultimate delight. The film is an allegory depicting principally, the principle of Hindu Advaita. The World of the Matrix represents the world our senses perceive, and Zion the Real world. How Neo perceives the Real World and how he saves it from the Machines which have taken it over forms the Crux of the Movie. The Dialogues of this movie are not only witty, but puts you deep in thought and makes us question a lot of things that we take for granted. They actually make you wonder as to whether this movie is in fact the province of fiction. Both the worlds of the matrix have been clearly distinguished using smart techniques and the film per se is not quite difficult to understand. It is what you infer from the movie that counts. So are you going to take the red pill and go back to who you were or are you going to take the blue one and see how deep the Rabbit hole (As in Alice in Wonderland) goes? The Action sequences and the Dialogues are worth a special mention.
4. The Bourne Identity - Paul Greengass - One of the most aesthetically appealing movies i have seen. The story is based on Ludlums book The Bourne Identity, which tracks the journey of a renegade CIA Operative, who mysteriously looses his memory, and who tries to discover his true identity afterwards. This movie scores very high on the criterias of 1. Integrity to reality. 2. Integrity to emotions and 3. Technical competence. The stunning visuals and the soundtrack of the movie stay with you long after the movie is over and compels us to watch it over and over again. The story is very simple, the Screen play crisp, and illustrates the concept of relativity - was that 1 hour and 40 minutes? Matt Damon s performance as the Renegade CIA Operative, with partial memory loss is compelling viewing.
5. Sherlock Holmes - Guy Ritchie - The First thing that strikes you about this movie, is the detail included in every scene, each shot is teases the senses, containing huge amounts of information, to perceive. The Movie is based loosely on the story of the Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle, though it can be called as a distinct Sherlock Holmes mystery in itself. The instant story involves Sherlock Holmes attempts to thwart Lord Blackwood's attempt to take over England, through his seemingly supernatural powers. How Holmes manages to achieve this in the end and in the salvages the face of Reason, Science and Justice form the crux of the story. How manages to pick up and put together minute details in the scenes, which most of the viewers fail to do will fail to do is the Director's personal testimony to the Brilliance of the Character. The Stunning Sets, the haunting music by Hans Zimmers and Guy Ritchie's exemplary attention to detail and storytelling make for one mesmerising Experience.
Those that almost made it -
1. Inglorious Basterds - Quintin Tarantino
2. Pulp Fiction - Quintin Tarantino
3. The Sixth Sense - Manoj NIGHT Shyamalan
4. Other Guy Ritchie movies - Rock n Rolla, Snatch and Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels
5. Bad Boys - Michael Bay
6. Casablanca - Michael Curtiz
7. To Kill a Mockingbird - Robert Mulligan
So what are your inputs on the above? And what are your favourite movies?
Friday, July 29, 2011
NASA - NASA's Chandra Observatory Images Gas Flowing Toward Black Hole
NASA - NASA's Chandra Observatory Images Gas Flowing Toward Black Hole: "Different models describing the flow of material onto the black hole make different predictions for how quickly the density of the gas is seen to rise as it approaches the black hole. A more precise determination of the rise in density from future observations should help astronomers rule out some of these models."
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Review: Ponnar Shankar
As i start to write the first thing that comes to mind - "Why did i go to this movie, spending what is almost half my daily wage?" The Answer comes pronto: "The story is about two characters who are revered as demi-gods in Kongu Nadu Area - (supposedly present day Coimbatore - Trichy Belt). A lot of learning to be had from there - 1.History 2. Character of two people who turn out to be Today's Gods 3. Story and Screen play writing 4. The ability in contemporary Tamil cinema to picturise a war based novel."
Direction: Thiagarajan: Good job. Firstly the director has to be given credit for concieving the film. (If at all such conception is on own volition and not through coercion). Though Thiagarajan is no Peter Jackson, he manages to set a precedent for making war based movies even before aspirants like Kamal (Kamal should realise by now that technology is here, CGI my friend is the answer to your problem my friend, if the problem is lack of funds, for your dream movie). For this alone he deserves huge credit. But even a good director can be let down by the gross mediocrity of the story and characterisation.
Story, Screen Play and Dialogue: Current Tamil Nadu CM Mr. M Karunanidhi: Guess what, the story turned out to be a rip off (as distinct from the word Inspiration) of a lot of themes from the Mahabharath. I find it hard to believe that the same outline of events in the Mahabharath happened in the case of Ponnar Shankar. A man acquainted with even the basic themes of the Mahabharath can see right through the veil of purported "intelligent story telling" spun by Mr MK. Not only does Mr MK do that, Mr MK also manages to play his farce of criticising anything remotely to do with Hindu Culture. And he is quite willing to this in the midst of writing a story that is naught but a rip off of the Mahabharath which is the corner stone of the Hindu Tradition. Does he think that the people as so stupid not to note the contradiction? And having ripped off a major chunk of the Mahabharath story, he still manages to reduce it to mediocrity - Good job. The biggest let down of this film is the Story.
Cast(sic): Prasanth excels. The sheer intensity of his expressions convey the plethora of emotions right from valor, anger, romance, pain and delight, and brings the two protagonist chararcters to life. He carries the movie on his shoulders through his meagre presence. Imagine his first credible dialogue comes in the second half!! still you could not miss his presence in the first. He stands out as the biggest strength of the movie. Kushboo and Jayaram again play their parts assigned to them very well, so do sneha, nasser, vijaykumar, ponvannan, riaz khan, raj kiran. But such a lot of talent could have been used a lot better and would have made a greater impact if again (yes again) their characters were either better defined / or are not mere rip offs from The Mahabarath. Again the story teller to be blamed.
Support: The CGI work handled again by Prasanth, shows that Tamil Cinema has arrived. I cannot wait to see the day when the two greatest epics of this country are brought on screen. Prasanth once again hats off man, great job. You will be remembered as a trend setter of sorts. But next time avoid ripping off sequences from the LOTR, Troy, 300 etc or other related movies of the genre being made.
Ilayaraja needless to say stands up again to the occasion, through his great songs. His RR does justice only to the extent that the story does justice.
The Art Director - (Muthuraj?) of the movie deserves the greatest reward in filmdom for the sets put up. The Cinematography (Shaji Kumar) was excellent
In the end did i really learn, what i set out to learn. 1. A flawed hi"story" was told. 2. Characters were learnt, but that was incidental. 3. I learnt how not to write a story. 4. Ah yes, But one good thing - Tamil Cinema has arrived.
Ponnar Shankar deserves a watch for the sheer work put in by Prasanth and his dad and the cast and support staff, and if history based cinema is to be encouraged.
Direction: Thiagarajan: Good job. Firstly the director has to be given credit for concieving the film. (If at all such conception is on own volition and not through coercion). Though Thiagarajan is no Peter Jackson, he manages to set a precedent for making war based movies even before aspirants like Kamal (Kamal should realise by now that technology is here, CGI my friend is the answer to your problem my friend, if the problem is lack of funds, for your dream movie). For this alone he deserves huge credit. But even a good director can be let down by the gross mediocrity of the story and characterisation.
Story, Screen Play and Dialogue: Current Tamil Nadu CM Mr. M Karunanidhi: Guess what, the story turned out to be a rip off (as distinct from the word Inspiration) of a lot of themes from the Mahabharath. I find it hard to believe that the same outline of events in the Mahabharath happened in the case of Ponnar Shankar. A man acquainted with even the basic themes of the Mahabharath can see right through the veil of purported "intelligent story telling" spun by Mr MK. Not only does Mr MK do that, Mr MK also manages to play his farce of criticising anything remotely to do with Hindu Culture. And he is quite willing to this in the midst of writing a story that is naught but a rip off of the Mahabharath which is the corner stone of the Hindu Tradition. Does he think that the people as so stupid not to note the contradiction? And having ripped off a major chunk of the Mahabharath story, he still manages to reduce it to mediocrity - Good job. The biggest let down of this film is the Story.
Cast(sic): Prasanth excels. The sheer intensity of his expressions convey the plethora of emotions right from valor, anger, romance, pain and delight, and brings the two protagonist chararcters to life. He carries the movie on his shoulders through his meagre presence. Imagine his first credible dialogue comes in the second half!! still you could not miss his presence in the first. He stands out as the biggest strength of the movie. Kushboo and Jayaram again play their parts assigned to them very well, so do sneha, nasser, vijaykumar, ponvannan, riaz khan, raj kiran. But such a lot of talent could have been used a lot better and would have made a greater impact if again (yes again) their characters were either better defined / or are not mere rip offs from The Mahabarath. Again the story teller to be blamed.
Support: The CGI work handled again by Prasanth, shows that Tamil Cinema has arrived. I cannot wait to see the day when the two greatest epics of this country are brought on screen. Prasanth once again hats off man, great job. You will be remembered as a trend setter of sorts. But next time avoid ripping off sequences from the LOTR, Troy, 300 etc or other related movies of the genre being made.
Ilayaraja needless to say stands up again to the occasion, through his great songs. His RR does justice only to the extent that the story does justice.
The Art Director - (Muthuraj?) of the movie deserves the greatest reward in filmdom for the sets put up. The Cinematography (Shaji Kumar) was excellent
In the end did i really learn, what i set out to learn. 1. A flawed hi"story" was told. 2. Characters were learnt, but that was incidental. 3. I learnt how not to write a story. 4. Ah yes, But one good thing - Tamil Cinema has arrived.
Ponnar Shankar deserves a watch for the sheer work put in by Prasanth and his dad and the cast and support staff, and if history based cinema is to be encouraged.
Friday, February 18, 2011
A Simple Question and Answer
Q: Is Man the full controller of the path of his life, or is the path pre destined?
A:
1. In my opinion, the answer to this question is only subjective. Is man s destiny predecided. No, not if we mean each of his actions are laid out in a plan. I do not believe that.
2. Then, Is man in full control of his path? No not completely. First of all we are the human species. Our mental and physical faculties have limits. We are evolving mentally and as physically, but still we are born into an uncontrolled stage of evolution and there in lies our limit. We are in control, but that control is very limited.
We are all proceding towards an inevitable demise. But is that our ultimate destination? No, i do not believe so. There is the question of how long we influence the human race by our current actions. And there is also the issue of evolving, pushing the frontiers. There in lies our destiny.
A:
1. In my opinion, the answer to this question is only subjective. Is man s destiny predecided. No, not if we mean each of his actions are laid out in a plan. I do not believe that.
2. Then, Is man in full control of his path? No not completely. First of all we are the human species. Our mental and physical faculties have limits. We are evolving mentally and as physically, but still we are born into an uncontrolled stage of evolution and there in lies our limit. We are in control, but that control is very limited.
We are all proceding towards an inevitable demise. But is that our ultimate destination? No, i do not believe so. There is the question of how long we influence the human race by our current actions. And there is also the issue of evolving, pushing the frontiers. There in lies our destiny.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Mentor
First of all not impressed, with the response to my last post. Is that all you v got my friends? Second of all a new topic
I believe that a mentor is a very important person in any man's life. He is the once who incepts ideas into you, makes you want to achieve. How many of you agree? and those of you who have a mentor please do share their information, if you could.
I for one have a lot of mentors, mentoring my various qualities. Example:
Dad
Paramacharya Shankaracharya
Newton, Albert Einstien, Stephen Hawkings
Alfred Marshall, J M Keynes, Amartya Sen
Cho Ramaswamy and Gurumurthy
Sekar Sir and B Saravana Prasath
MP Vijaykumar
G Saimukundhan (The bold tag intended)
Subramanya Swamy
That s about it. Those who know me will understand why they are my mentors because these people influence my every action and word. For the others, kindly research.
And once again @ All do share your comments on my statement and also your mentor / mentor list.
I believe that a mentor is a very important person in any man's life. He is the once who incepts ideas into you, makes you want to achieve. How many of you agree? and those of you who have a mentor please do share their information, if you could.
I for one have a lot of mentors, mentoring my various qualities. Example:
Dad
Paramacharya Shankaracharya
Newton, Albert Einstien, Stephen Hawkings
Alfred Marshall, J M Keynes, Amartya Sen
Cho Ramaswamy and Gurumurthy
Sekar Sir and B Saravana Prasath
MP Vijaykumar
G Saimukundhan (The bold tag intended)
Subramanya Swamy
That s about it. Those who know me will understand why they are my mentors because these people influence my every action and word. For the others, kindly research.
And once again @ All do share your comments on my statement and also your mentor / mentor list.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Krsn
It was a cool sun rise . The fog had not yet lifted, the dew was still intact. Yamuna's flow proved an intoxicating trance to the villagers of nandhigram. By the banks, on her lap lay Krns, like the black monsoon cloud envoloping the sun during the monsoon. As his lips locked hers, she saw the world in his eyes, and the sun hid behind the clouds blushing.
Dharathi ithi dhara: dharanidhara: namaha the.
Dharathi ithi dhara: dharanidhara: namaha the.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Tears
He had finished his morning study. His mother pampered him up and dressed him up neatly, ready for school. He remembered that he had homework in English and Maths that day, and he had managed to do it properly. He had remembered to pack his bags neatly to school. He was disciplined. With a great level of satisfaction and brimming with self confidence he started to school. School started at 8 45 - he was at school bright and early by 8 30. End of early morning prayer and everyone rushed to form part of the queue for the descent into the corridor. "Wow, a field trip, which exciting new place am i going to now?" he wondered.
In a podium, there were to be lined up, the wards of class 1 for the annual photo shoot. Prabhu being the tallest of the lot, was to occupy the last step of the podium towering at a height of 10 feet. Similar to all other infants, his natural reaction was to be afraid. He was scared, But he did not cry. "Why should I cry? Come on now, You can do this...". It was a harrowing experience, but he did manage to climb up the to the top of the podium. The tears came upto his eyelids, his eyes glistened, as the shot was taken. But he did not cry.
....
He took the long road that day to home. He was broken in spirit. He had just been fired from his job. What will he tell his wife? He did not have much to fall back upon. Not anything that'll last him more than a month. "How did it come to this?" he thought. He had been doing very poor at work and home lately. His demons had gotten the better of him. It is not easy now is it if the demons are of your mind. Once it gets control there is not letting go.
He crossed the street where one of his erstwhile lovers were there. "She s a w****". Their break up did n go well with him. He was left an emotional wreck for months. But she had managed to move on fairly quickly. Every time he saw her smiling, a sword went through his heart. "How could she do this to me?" he had thought. But that pain eased out, once they both parted ways after college was over. As time passed they had started seeing other people. Few years hence, both of them were married - to different people, "it does n matter anymore" he said to himself. His shoulders were down, so was his face, he did n look at the road as he walked, he did n care.
As he walked further on, came the juice shop. "Damn, this place still has that shake", he could n quite remember his favorite shake's name. He remembered his friends and him used to have such a great time there. Every Saturday night everyone would be there on the dot at 8 00 no matter what. Absenteeism was frowned upon. The next week would be on the absentee. No one defaulted, not for the penalty, but for the fear of missing the great time they would have the next five hours. There were not a lot of great places to party in chennai, but they knew all the places which knew how to throw a Saturday night party - the juice shop would be their assembly, straight to sachin's for some great north indian khana, after that it was black rock music - which housed the best dj in all of chennai, then it would be bessy, where they would sit for hours discussing the week that was, mocking each other, swearing at each other, and whole lot of other frivolities. Some of them boys even managed to have a glimpse in to some of the other girls' eyes (and vice versa), a brief moment, but a moment nonetheless. Then off to the juice shop where they would have each have their heart's fill of laughter and exotic concoctions, raise their glasses and call it a great week. "What was the name of that shake again?, dammit.". As all good things come to an end, so did their great weeks. Now each lived in a different corner of the earth. They hardly spoke to each other, each caught up in the grand and unique web that the world had spun for each of them. His heart did feel a little light on this reminiscence, but pain filled its place quickly enough."Why did those guys leave me. They were with me when i was happy, not even a single one is there to share my grief. That s the world for you."
The road was too long that day. He saw it extended on and on, there was no ending in sight. It was pitch black, there was naught but void there. There was no ending in sight. He was afraid to take that road. He had taken that road before and he knew where it lead him. He was afraid. His stood there eyes widened in horror, sweating, heart beating at a deadly pace. He panicked, struggling for breath. He felt he was about to collapse then and there and lie there forever. Peace at last. The peace he had always desired for - eternal sleep and eternal peace.
But the day was such that he would not even be granted his death wish. The moment had passed, and he was left naught but an empty shell, capable of shedding tears only.
It started to rain. Distant Thunders caught his ears. He Walked furhter exhausted, not knowing now where he was going, shoulders could n droop any lower. As he laboured on, he managed to catch a glimpse of a blue gate. There was some activity going on there in that place, some hauling, some renovation. It was his school. He could also recognise the watchman, who had managed to stay on there, even after all these years. He noticed that the entire school had got a makeover - a new basket ball court and tennis nets, new layers of paint, a bright shiny emblem of bronze alloy visible from till about 500 meters or so he guessed. As he was witnessing all this, he wondered why all this activity was going on deep into the night. He then remembered that it was school day the next day. School day was a grand occassion, a time of joy especially since that normal classes would be disrupted for an entire fortnight before the event. It was a time of great fun, the whole school would be working as a unit to make it a grand day. And more importantly, it was the where the annual photo shoot for the year book would happen. He laughed on thinking how he was afraid on climbing the podium to the last stair at about 10 feet. The students were supposed to be arranged in height order, and he was the tallest of the lot. It had taken nearly three to four photo shoots in order for him to shed his fear of the top step. His heart grew even heavier on this retrospection. Back to reality. . . he remembered that the podium used to be at the extreme right of the play ground at the south west corner. Would it still be there? Even before he could complete his question, he noticed that five to six men were hauling a large podium to the lorry which was meant for all the scrap. It was the same podium. He also noticed that a brand new steel podium had taken its place, bright and shiny with silver paint.
The moment had given him a final blow. He collapsed on his knee cap, holding his face in his hands - "How did it come to this?".
Even as he screamed "I want my life back", Tears rolled out uncontrolled, through his fingers, Thirty six long years, hence.
In a podium, there were to be lined up, the wards of class 1 for the annual photo shoot. Prabhu being the tallest of the lot, was to occupy the last step of the podium towering at a height of 10 feet. Similar to all other infants, his natural reaction was to be afraid. He was scared, But he did not cry. "Why should I cry? Come on now, You can do this...". It was a harrowing experience, but he did manage to climb up the to the top of the podium. The tears came upto his eyelids, his eyes glistened, as the shot was taken. But he did not cry.
....
He took the long road that day to home. He was broken in spirit. He had just been fired from his job. What will he tell his wife? He did not have much to fall back upon. Not anything that'll last him more than a month. "How did it come to this?" he thought. He had been doing very poor at work and home lately. His demons had gotten the better of him. It is not easy now is it if the demons are of your mind. Once it gets control there is not letting go.
He crossed the street where one of his erstwhile lovers were there. "She s a w****". Their break up did n go well with him. He was left an emotional wreck for months. But she had managed to move on fairly quickly. Every time he saw her smiling, a sword went through his heart. "How could she do this to me?" he had thought. But that pain eased out, once they both parted ways after college was over. As time passed they had started seeing other people. Few years hence, both of them were married - to different people, "it does n matter anymore" he said to himself. His shoulders were down, so was his face, he did n look at the road as he walked, he did n care.
As he walked further on, came the juice shop. "Damn, this place still has that shake", he could n quite remember his favorite shake's name. He remembered his friends and him used to have such a great time there. Every Saturday night everyone would be there on the dot at 8 00 no matter what. Absenteeism was frowned upon. The next week would be on the absentee. No one defaulted, not for the penalty, but for the fear of missing the great time they would have the next five hours. There were not a lot of great places to party in chennai, but they knew all the places which knew how to throw a Saturday night party - the juice shop would be their assembly, straight to sachin's for some great north indian khana, after that it was black rock music - which housed the best dj in all of chennai, then it would be bessy, where they would sit for hours discussing the week that was, mocking each other, swearing at each other, and whole lot of other frivolities. Some of them boys even managed to have a glimpse in to some of the other girls' eyes (and vice versa), a brief moment, but a moment nonetheless. Then off to the juice shop where they would have each have their heart's fill of laughter and exotic concoctions, raise their glasses and call it a great week. "What was the name of that shake again?, dammit.". As all good things come to an end, so did their great weeks. Now each lived in a different corner of the earth. They hardly spoke to each other, each caught up in the grand and unique web that the world had spun for each of them. His heart did feel a little light on this reminiscence, but pain filled its place quickly enough."Why did those guys leave me. They were with me when i was happy, not even a single one is there to share my grief. That s the world for you."
The road was too long that day. He saw it extended on and on, there was no ending in sight. It was pitch black, there was naught but void there. There was no ending in sight. He was afraid to take that road. He had taken that road before and he knew where it lead him. He was afraid. His stood there eyes widened in horror, sweating, heart beating at a deadly pace. He panicked, struggling for breath. He felt he was about to collapse then and there and lie there forever. Peace at last. The peace he had always desired for - eternal sleep and eternal peace.
But the day was such that he would not even be granted his death wish. The moment had passed, and he was left naught but an empty shell, capable of shedding tears only.
It started to rain. Distant Thunders caught his ears. He Walked furhter exhausted, not knowing now where he was going, shoulders could n droop any lower. As he laboured on, he managed to catch a glimpse of a blue gate. There was some activity going on there in that place, some hauling, some renovation. It was his school. He could also recognise the watchman, who had managed to stay on there, even after all these years. He noticed that the entire school had got a makeover - a new basket ball court and tennis nets, new layers of paint, a bright shiny emblem of bronze alloy visible from till about 500 meters or so he guessed. As he was witnessing all this, he wondered why all this activity was going on deep into the night. He then remembered that it was school day the next day. School day was a grand occassion, a time of joy especially since that normal classes would be disrupted for an entire fortnight before the event. It was a time of great fun, the whole school would be working as a unit to make it a grand day. And more importantly, it was the where the annual photo shoot for the year book would happen. He laughed on thinking how he was afraid on climbing the podium to the last stair at about 10 feet. The students were supposed to be arranged in height order, and he was the tallest of the lot. It had taken nearly three to four photo shoots in order for him to shed his fear of the top step. His heart grew even heavier on this retrospection. Back to reality. . . he remembered that the podium used to be at the extreme right of the play ground at the south west corner. Would it still be there? Even before he could complete his question, he noticed that five to six men were hauling a large podium to the lorry which was meant for all the scrap. It was the same podium. He also noticed that a brand new steel podium had taken its place, bright and shiny with silver paint.
The moment had given him a final blow. He collapsed on his knee cap, holding his face in his hands - "How did it come to this?".
Even as he screamed "I want my life back", Tears rolled out uncontrolled, through his fingers, Thirty six long years, hence.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Forsaking and Friendship (Here is dealt Forsaking)
Destination reached and on time..
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Kneeling that ll be a problem.. btw i m still on a sabbatical.
You see i have a problem with that, My knees they just CAn't bend, so kneeling will be hard for me. (acknowledged: 300 the movie Leonidas vs Xerxes).
For those who get the message - good.
For those who cant - try harder.
For those who don't care - don't even bother just scroll past.
FU (Not so) C(ool).A(o).
For those who get the message - good.
For those who cant - try harder.
For those who don't care - don't even bother just scroll past.
FU (Not so) C(ool).A(o).
Monday, January 25, 2010
Give me a break.
I would not consider myself an active blogger, not by a long shot. Yet this forum for interaction has been special, and unique in its own way. Learning has been great, still greater the learning from introspection. But as it stands, i v reached new low s in life - one where i never thought i would be. Beaten in my own game, been cheated in my own house of worship.
But here s the catch - I believe i can bounce back.
Therefore my readership, i sanction myself a temporary resignation from this status as a blogger - more of a sabbatical.
An important mission to accomplish, where i cannot fail. Not again. This mission now needs all my focus, my energy. For those who have waited, my sorry. I cannot say when i will be back. I hope it will be the sooner.
With Regret and lots of pain at heart.
Yours Truly
But here s the catch - I believe i can bounce back.
Therefore my readership, i sanction myself a temporary resignation from this status as a blogger - more of a sabbatical.
An important mission to accomplish, where i cannot fail. Not again. This mission now needs all my focus, my energy. For those who have waited, my sorry. I cannot say when i will be back. I hope it will be the sooner.
With Regret and lots of pain at heart.
Yours Truly
Monday, January 4, 2010
Here Walked a Champion
"....
...
..
....
...
..
There stood their Champion.
He gave hope to all, he kept none for himself."
The last line is a dedication to you - J.R.R., or is most of the post?
...
..
He Fell. A Flash of thought. .."People Screaming, the body moving in dance, in trance, couples wound like mating snakes, two bodies one movement. They were rejoicing, their victory. And what a victory it was. What a relief. A 100 years the Reaper had been a frequent visitor... Too frequent.. too many loved ones lost, too many relationships broken. One moment of haste. One Moment of lust. Generations of suffering. But all this was the past, today they stood victorious, today life was good".
....
...
..
"So my lady, after all this effort, bittersweet is the result.KHAND is famished. Cursed never to be the same again. A fertile land once, now reduced to a wasteland". He realised then there were no winners in a WAR. None but the dead. "None the less, No body to challenge KHAND again, never again, as long as this flag flies high. Not as long as I..". He stuttered. An uneasy feeling filled him. He was afraid , lost for words. He could not talk - Not before him. "How could this be possible, i am his superior!". His reason intervened - "Only in rank!".
Tense chatters clouded the space. As the chatter grew,so did their spirits.Hope was born, all was well, all will be. Chatters receded, as cheer filled its void. They all fell silent. The sound of his footsteps, seemed to thunder. The storm after the Calm. Up a cliff, which looked a colossal podium, there climbed a man, solid as rock, carved like a statue, hands clenched, face tilted horizontal in contemplation. As their Star rose on the west, the dwarf faded in the east.
There stood their Champion.
He gave hope to all, he kept none for himself."
The last line is a dedication to you - J.R.R., or is most of the post?
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Screw Awards
So there it was. Another day in college. Another Day where i d learnt little from whatever was taught formally in class, why coz i could teach those bozzos my profs. a lot more than they could teach me! (any subject you name it. You could call me a egotistical (fill in swear words of your choice), but that was the truth. Of course Exceptions were there) and a lot from observing whatever was going around with my class mates and in the campus in general.
Note: RKM was always a special place, irrespective of what was taught there it was during my time there that i d learnt the most about a lot of things. Such a collection of such good people(attribute it either to the name of the college or divine grace or whatever)&(no sarcasm)
But this day was a bit different (obviously i aint going to write about an ordinary day!). It was different due to the fact that an oratorical competition was going on. It was a rapid fire contest or something wherein you d be given a topic on the spot and you would have to talk about it for 60 seconds. Normally i do not enter into competitions .My Reason: Because i always felt that i did n have any competition (swear words again).Truth: I am damn lazy to do most things. See even a post would take about a fortnight for me!
But the General topic was what inspired me that day to enter into the competition. - The Life and teachings of Swami Vivekananda. I did n have a clue as to what he had taught or what his life had been,so this was my chance to talk on something that i barely knew and find out how i fare against those who did actually know (i think) Note:I v always felt sad for not knowing much about him or reading many of his books. Whatever few i v read have indeed left a deep impression in my thoughts) . I wanted to prove how Awards did not mean anything to me or to anyone in general. What are awards anyway, some bozzos or a group of bozzos decide based on their "judgement" who deserves the award based on whatever criteria they feel is right - Sorry people who do no know me, i do not have time for your judgements on me. I know what i am. I know how good i am and it is enough that i know. Anyone else who senses i m good, let him, i m not asking anything from him. Well, i entered the competition.
About 50 of us in the prelims, after several rounds guess who was there in the final three - of course yours truly. P.S. I knew not a single thing to say on the seven odd topics given to me till then. In the finals i was given this topic - The Swami's talk in the Religion Conference in Chicago. Yay!!! i did know something on his life and teachings after all and what luck it happened to the topic for my final round. I was in first. I did speak clearly, confidently and most importantly, i actually knew that what i spoke were facts. The guy who came in second was a supposed to be a rock star when it came to oration. His collection included three state awards in various competition conducted by the University. He did give his speech. What a wuss i thought.. "Seriously this guy three state awards!! Then i must be going in for one of these national seminars, I d surely win gold!! So all three of us were done. (I really don't remember who the third guy was - irrelevant anyway).
Time for the announcement of the winner. Guess who!! I ll give you a clue - not me. Had i dozed off or something after that guy's speech or is this reality. Even the third guy had done better. Anyways i started reasoning out why he was announced winner ahead of me? I finally narrowed it down courtesy a moment of clarity - "Oh, this guy is the Language Teach's pet. If he doesn't get the award his ego would be f@@@ed up. You got to keep your champ rollin now shouldn't you? Who the f@@@ cares about a novice, who thought he d randomly show up for one competition. Let us take note of this guy, if he regularly participates, then we ll think about it - Seemed perfectly logical.". Well, ego still intact, i calmly got my second prize all 29 showing, ah another pose for the cameras, i would atleast get to know whether my weight training had paid off! One good out of all this evil!
The competition being over, i was pondering as usual on what I would cover for my Exams (not college exams, Were they exams by the way, 12th was tougher)that were fast approaching. As i got up from my seat on the conclusion of all the sucking up to the chief guest and all other judge bozzos, i was stopped by about 20 other participants. "We think you should have got 1st place. You were way better.". I thanked them for the gesture. More importantly I was not the only one who thought he d sucked. (Most of them there did, including most of the judges as i later found out,)
Note:
1.This post had one purpose in mind (no not involving in Self Praise, or being a hoot) but more importantly, why awards if given should be given keeping in mind its true objective - recognition of something good that has already been done and to encourage the fellar to keep the good work up. Whatever considerations it may be based on - it surely cannot have potential over performance, or a consideration that there be an already selected winner - the second guy in the above incident.
2. I recollect reading a post on similar lines when Barack Obama had won the nobel peace prize - Yes here it is - (Click). Now i m not comparing myself or the other guy with Obama, i m just quoting another incident which i think is relevant here.
3. Most dont give a damn about facts. As the movie Chicago goes "It is enough if you Razzle Dazzle them (put up a grand convincing show that is)"
4. I take this opportunity to appeal to everyone why you should not judge others. If at all you decide to do so, do so without any prejudice.
5. Talking about prejudice, it is also important for everyone to remember that prejudice is a silent killer of reason. So shed all prejudices and you ll find the world a much better place seeing it clearer with reason.
6. I haven't entered into another oratorical competition since, nor do i plan to.
7. I too was a punk in college, just in a little different manner.
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