Dear sachin, time to relive you

I knew this day is coming. But this has hit me hard. It has suddenly made me realize im growing old too. Well, we grew up watching him bat, did nt we? And so it is time to relive him; relive those moments, moments which had been so much part of our lives.

Do you remember the days when we started to watch cricket? almost 20 long years ago. India won and lost with Sachin those days. The 1996 world cup showed the reality of the previous generation. The stumping of Mark Waugh when he was lighting up the mumbai sky, and the hundred in Delhi against Sri Lanka going in vain are fresh in our minds.And who can forget that fateful day when a sachin misjudged run led us to the catastrophe in the world cup semi final. We cried too!

Then, holding the cricket bat in one hand, we practiced those straight drives, of course in our dreams. How can we forget that innings in Chennai against Pakistan when he clutched his back and almost led India to an improbable victory. We felt bad for him too! May be he deserved to be born in Australia.

And then Sharjah happened. Tendulkar was dismantling Warne, Fleming, Kasprovicz as if he is playing some kids in a mumbai street corner.The desert storm, the birthday hundred and a ballistic Tony Grieg shouting Whaddaplayya. It imprints itself in our hearts.

We practiced our nod to the bowler, and that small leg shake when we faced our school bowlers.We pumped our fist when Henry Olango was thrashed to all corners of the ground.

2003 world cup! how can we forget what happened then. Those ten days were scintillating. The majestic six of the Andrew Caddick, those sparkling cover drive of Wasim Akram of the first ball of the chase and that huge six of Shoaib Akthar. Well, you tube has showed them a lakh times, has n't it?

Life suddenly became busy with college and new friends. Sachin was still at his craft. Those booming straight drives of brett lee helped us live in the present. Then Dhoni and T20 happened. Indian cricket was never the same again. Still, Sachin was all we waited for. His wicket was the one which gave us heartbreaks.

New jobs happened and life was never the same again; Except ofcourse Sachin. That 175 against Australia in Hyderabad was out of the world, and we knew right away that this man was sent from god just to do this. Who can forget the first double hundred in one dayers against an attack led by a steaming Steyn.

And finally the world cup happened. A hundred in Bangalore, a hundred in Nagpur, that heart wrenching fifty where we suffered palpitations in Mohali and then the eruption in Mumbai. Virat Kohli reflecting what we thought. You remember having tears on your cheeks.

Are you the kid from the 80s or the 90s? or Are you the straddler having one feet in both decades? You are the lucky ones. Cherish the memories and relive them. Life will never be the same again.

I'm back!

May be I became a bear, and went in to hibernation! May be I was too busy going around. Hey, ya! I went to shimla and manali for a trip, came back home and went to the much loved north east. As usual enjoyed every bit of going around Meghalaya and Assam. Did I tell you how cherrapunje looked? It was divine! Then came back home only to embark on another sojourn to Dehradun and mussoorie enroute Delhi. The day I landed in Sivakasi my friends were ready for the local sight seeing trip. I mean Tamil Nadu sight seeing. Well, tamil nadu is no Meghalaya but a 1000 km road trip for 4 days with good friends is always fun. Now isn't all my travel enough reason for not writting?

Now I am back to my books. Almost! Today I sat with the book for some time. Life moves on you see! The Christmas season is back and so is the singing. Last week we sang hallelujah chorus in our choir and how majestic a song was that!

By now you would have found out I have nothing to write here and also no better job than to write. Just came back to my blogosphere to see how it is and how it feels to write. It is one great feeling to know that there are people who read even me. May be they are just friends and families who want to read my mind, or may be they, very much like me, have no better job to do. But you know what, I'm being read! And that is enough reason for me to come back here. Even otherwise, I love writting; writting even non sense.

So, ya! I'm well and truly back!

What if Oprah Winfrey think so?

Oprah Winfrey sucks; I mean, how can she say that most Indians eat with hands still. She is rude, she is snobbish, arrogant, pretentious......and the rest of the words are censored (As i ve not found out their meanings yet). Alright, i will give the background of what happened, for those of you, who don't have as much time to waste as i do;

Oprah winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer, and philanthropist (Wiki's definition of her). During her visit to India she commented, rather obnoxiously(why should this word come here?) that Indians still use hands to eat. This has become the latest fodder for the starving media, that even Anna Hazare and his antics have taken a back seat.

Two days ago, i read an article from a friend about how Americans still ask insane questions like, "Do you travel in a bullock cart?", "Do you study under moon light?", "Do you still live with the same husband?"; You get the drift right? Questions, thinking that we live in the times of snake charmers. My friend looked hurt, and there are many who has commented on that article, who are deeply hurt too!

My question is, what if? what if Oprah winfrey thinks we eat with hands? Let her even think we eat using our legs. What if, Americans think we don't understand English? what if American's think we are still in the palaeolithic age? Is it going to change the way we live? Or  will it at least change the way they think? even if, so what?

I mean, why should we be hurt if some American, sitting some where, thinks some non sense, about our country? If you think some things need to be changed in our country, jolly good change them; Else just shut up! Whining about what others think, worse still, using filthy language to describe them, does not reflect us in good light! 


And by the way who is Oprah Winfrey after all?

 

The Anna Rhetoric!

The tricolour will be out again; The name 'Gandhi' will be heard again (When i was in school that happened once a year on october 2nd); Passionate Indians will have their bloods boil; I'm Anna, I'm India voice (Or is it a noice?) will be heard again; Saintly Indian's biggest enemy 'The politicians' will be targeted and that horrible word 'corruption' will become Arnab Goswami's favourite word again.
 
No, No, No, please! don't eat anything. An old man in his 70s is fasting, why can't you fast? fast for the country? If not you, then who? If not now, when? This is the second revolution, and we will surely save the country from the money sucking politicians. Lokpal! Lokpal will do wonders. Lokpal, will make the country clean. Lokpal, will make sure that the next generation will search the oxford dictionary to get corruption's meaning. Ah, the rhetoric!

Sorry for not making any sense. The movement has not made any sense to me, then, how can you expect me to make any sense?

This entire thing looks so very vague to me. I mean, how can one lakh Indians who have copied in exams, broken queue's to get first, given bribe's to escape traffic police, paid money to buy college seats, Cheat in every other way in our daily works for every single penny, want their leaders to be saints? 

Good for a movement to have brought the disease of corruption on to the centre stage. But for the disease to be eradicated, lokpal is not the solution. The solution is you and me. For you and me to stop giving bribe's, to stop cheating in taxes, to stop showing wrong bills to get claims, to stop lying to bosses;

Till that happens, singing Vande maataram and swinging Indian flags wildly can give goose bumps; but cannot stop politicians (Our leaders) from becoming corrupt

The world of children!

"Then I forgot the colour because I don't know what colour the green colour is! It has to be green, then it is not green; it is possibly red, yet it is not red; it is possibly yelllaau, it is yellaau" said my sister's son explaining the star wars. His eyes were filled with wonder! " what is there to laugh about" he admonished his mother. For him, being taped explaining star wars is a seriously serious issue. Welcome to the serious world of kids.

Then there was this 5 year old kid of one other cousin who was seriously confused on how to find his girl, just like the way his dad has found his mom, in a world so full of girls? Ha, there was this girl all of five years who asked her mom, why she is not wearing her Thaali? And yes of course, the next question followed, "what if some uncle marry you"? Jeez! Kids and their world of questions!

Did I tell you about my cousins children who comes once a year from Dubai? And did I say they jump up and down for five full minutes just at the sight of me. They just jump without their own knowledge. I mean, they are just happy, plain and simple! They run around the house and I run behind them, and it will be another half an hour before the excitement settles down. Wow! The exciting world of kids!

I was once telling a story to my favourite kid. "Little johnny got up, aaaannnndddd walked to the dooooorrrrrrr and opennnnnnedddddd the dooooorrrrrr"; His mouth wide open and his eyes filled with wonder, little O, listened with rapt attention. The wonder filled world of children!

Why was I in such a hurry to grow up? If only I had known then, the world of kids!

Sisterhood - There is something in it!

I really wonder how my mother can give so much love to me. Love just pours out. I think mothers are made for that; just to love. Dads? I don’t know! I have one dad who has not followed rules. So, I can’t generalize. We will not get in to the controversial area of brotherhood. I am blessed with one of the best, and I am grateful. Obviously, friends are friends. There are Aunties and uncles and they add on colour to life. But, I am here to write about sisters. I want to write, don’t know why.

I obviously don’t have a sister of my own! I mean, not of the same mom; But then, I have some fabulous cousins whom I can proudly say ‘my sisters’. I was wondering how would have life been without the sister. I don’t think anything will change. The earth would have still gone around and life would have been the same; Almost the same. The word ‘almost’ does have a lot of meaning and that is how much my life has been affected by my sisters.

I talk lot! People say I am an otta vaai (Can’t keep secrets!). So, obviously I need somebody to listen to all the non sense I talk; and you know what, there cannot be a better listener than a sister. At least they act as if they listen and that I think is the greatest advantage in having a sister. Friends will put an arm around you and say “ Machan, vidra ava apadithaan! (She is like that!)”; Mom will say how can she do that to my darling son who does not know the right from the left; Best of Dads don’t reply; Brothers advice; Sisters somehow knows the best to react. They really do. If you have not tried before, try telling your sister that the girl opposite door cheated you.

I don’t talk to all my sisters often. In fact we rarely talk these days. Life is too fast for such beautiful relationships I think. But, when we talk, I know how much I love them.

I don’t find a better way to say thank you, than to sit and write about them on a boring Sunday evening. Life without them can never be the same; Never!

Celebrate! India still the greatest democracy!

Alright! The standard and poor have downgraded the ratings; Our economy will not grow at the same pace expected. The country is neck deep in corruption, Poverty was, is and has always been a joke in this country, More than half of the rivers stink, Policing is in the 15th century avatar, Roads are few and far between, Railways was done by the Britishers, Air transport is in a mess, Government offices are a strict no no, and sadly we could count good strong leaders of our country in a single hand.

Things can't be more skeptical. There is a sense of negativity which is unprecedented, and the skeptics are not without reason.  Yet, and of course, yet with a CAPITAL 'Y',  I have reasons to celebrate.

A Russian atheist once visited India and went back a man believing in God. When asked he said, "i really don't understand how a country where none seem to be working keeps going". And that is exactly why i still have reasons to celebrate. We have limped, crawled, have taken deep breaths but never for once stopped; We have been lazy, languid and written off, but have continued in our paths.

In our path to being the greatest democracy of all times! We as people, fret, we yell, we crib, we abuse, and yet the country has taken it all. Never for once it has said no, never for once it has thrown us out! US cannot wipe of guantanamo bay nor their economic problems, USSR split long back, China has never allowed free expression, EU is a mess and the world knows it;

Again I say, there are problems! But, please let not negativity mow us down. We are still the greatest democracy, and nobody can change that.

Tryst with Delhi and life's lessons!!!

If only i could condense in to caption the kind of fabulous fun i had today!

So, i decided to go around Delhi! Wait, did i say, I decided? Some frenz decided and there was I. They also decided i had to treat them for my birthday! Now you got why they wanted me there? Like i said, it was a fabulous day and i will tell you why.

The day started in typical Indian fashion. Boys ready before time, and girls SAID they are ready after half an hour. I understand! the make up part takes longer; I'm learning life's lessons, you see! So we were late by an hour. Indian Standard Time! First stop was Qutub Minar. I really don't find any meaning in building such a tall building, except that he had so much money and no Arnab Goswami to ask questions! Then, this is to admire, not to have any meaning. Lesson number 2! The photo session started! Sam, take a solo picture; Sam, please one more snap; Sam, this place is good to take snaps. Whoever said that boys are good in photography and girls in giving a pose? Even if you don't believe in it, fine. Take the camera and click one more picture. Lesson number 3!

Next stop was the famous lotus temple. It should have been in Pink colour came a sound? Pink? Lesson Number 4! Girls like pink, and if they say pink, never argue! Imagine the entire campus in pink colour? I ve learnt my lessons well, So i say, "Wow";

We decided, No, no, It was decided, that we will next visit the famous mughal tombs. Safdarjung tomb was the first destination and then Humayun's tomb! Mughal kings had this fascination for huge tombs. Alright, they had the money and people. But why tombs? So after walking inside huge campuses and climbing steep stairways, there will be a tomb. Click some snaps! Walk along, climb more steps and there are more tombs! The great taj, the symbol of love, is after all a tomb! Probably, the boys behaved well there; No lessons were taught. Advantage of building tombs? Made even the girls quite:)

Then i realized the reason for the quietness.The hunger pangs have come out! After the usual hungama of going to a hotel with wrongs dishes (Shhhh! actually it was way over my budget) and searching for a decent hotel we had an awesome lunch. It was after all my treat:)

Life's biggest lesson's hits you hard! I learnt it the hard way. Never take a girl and more so girls, for shopping when they are fresh and have had a filling lunch. After 3 hours and visiting 7 shops and having bought more things than what i would have bought in a year, this comment came, " Good, we have not got much, we will come again"; You know what the boys are supposed to do during the entire 3 hours? Stand guard, hold on to whatever was bought, and say which of the two is beautiful, even if you have no idea of whether thing shown is an anklet or a chain, and more importantly remind them that the shops are meant to stay there.

I really thought now that shopping is over, everybody will be tired and so our trip will end there, till Rashtrapati bhavan and parliament came in between. Everybody sprang back to life and photo sessions continued; After Rashtrapati bhavan came Saravana bhavan; 150 people standing outside Saravana bhavan waiting to eat was one of the biggest shock i had the entire day? Is Delhi so short of quality Tamil restaurants?Macdonalds made more sense than standing outside Saravana Bhavan.

It was a nice dinner, especially when you meet some one from your own district in Delhi and more so when the frenz finally decided to sing the birthday song and give a gift.

Sorry, this is a looooong post! It is one heck of a day! Love you all guys! My tryst with Delhi was great and so were the lesson's.

Another year in life! Appy Buday to me!

Well, another year in life!yup, another step in to the late twenties:( Time flies, is n't? Not long ago I was in school, happily living life, with no questions asked for whatever non sense did. Now they ask questions, you see! They say I am responsible for whatever I say, leave alone whatever I do; Suddenly, wherever you go, this question follows, "yeppa kalyanam?"(when is your wedding). Ahhhh! How I hate growing up.

Then, I cant complain. I should not! Life, has been so good. Growing up too! I have met beautiful people, gone around more than half of India, been blessed with wonderful parents, amazing siblings, an extended family that has been brilliant, a huge chunk of ever dependable friends, and some lovely knees that has bent for every problem I faced; I ve had money in my pocket for everything I want, everything I had asked for has been provided, and a body that is fit enough to enjoy every one of life's blessings.

What did I do the entire last year? Looking back is a difficult job and I don't want to do it. It sure was a brilliant year, through the usual failures. My sister usually says, "Sam, God will take care of you", and it is true that HE has been magnificent through it all.

I really don't know where I will be next year! I don't want to:)  I like living like this. May be in Mars or may even be in an old cottage saying 'yes mam' to a wife. who cares? Riding on God's promises, it sure is exciting.

Another year! And i'm grateful!

The Great Indian Train Journey!!!

Most of you reading this know that i traveled last weekend from Chennai to Delhi in a train. I had taken a ten day break from my routine and just freaked out. But then, all good things come to an end and so did my break. I had booked the train tickets 3 months before. For those of you who are not familiar with such advanced planning, try travelling in an unreserved compartment once in India and you will always book tickets early, even one year in advance!

Five other friends also traveled with me; They are all joining a new job in Delhi! So is the custom, every traveler had somebody dropping them off at the station. So, there were around hundred people to drop the six of us. There were tears, smiles, gifts all over! The railway station was a mess, and we added on to it.

The train started slowly and we settled down. The girls in their right fashion got the best seats and asked us(two boys) to arrange the baggages! I really wonder what was there inside such huge suitcases, they carried. I, as usual carried two jeans and some T-shirts! Then, you are not supposed to ask such questions. If they say, push this suitcase inside, so be it; You better do it!

The journey was the typical Indian stuff! None of us cared one bit for the others living around. We laughed, we played, some even fought! Ha, college days! After a 28 hour long journey with small stops in between, where you are supposed to get down and buy whatever is available and whatever is edible and more importantly whatever was asked, we reached Delhi.

The real fun starts here! Except one girl none of us knew proper hindi. I knew some basic stuff to manage. We hired a porter, and three of them came. They discussed the rates and finalised on bara soa (1200!) rupees. My basic hindi brain said, bara sao is 120 and so i agreed on the rates. The three porters carried two huge suitcase each, while the rest of us carried one backpack. Half way through i realized my folly and started fighting. Of course, they would n't have understood half of my Hindi. Who cares! After ten minutes of fighting with them they came down to Rs 600/- I still shudder at the thought, that they took 600/- just to bring the suitcase outside. But, society has always been so cruel to them; and they cheat in return.

Start your fight again, my mind said! This time with the taxi wallas! After some decent negotiations, which of course they refused, we took our last part of the journey in a car that only had four wheels and a chase! I even thought this vehicle could collapse any time. Thankfully, we reached our place with out any such problem.

The great Indian train journey! What fun! What an experience!

A True Story!

I heard this story from a very good friend. A true one!

This boy was smart and handsome, Just ten years old. From one of the poorest and deepest pockets of the Indian subcontinent. That day he was playing with his friends as usual. Plucking mangoes. Nay, stealing them; Stolen mangoes had always been sweet. In a fit of excitement, he tried plucking the biggest one on the most difficult part of the tree. He slipped and he fell down; On the way down his hand hit a electrical wire and though thankfully nothing happened, his hand had a big cut. The poor parents took him to the nearest government hospital. The government hospital, as usual did not have any doctors and the nurses there took some money and just applied dressing. They dressed the hand every time the parents took him and took money for every visit. I need not explain.Corruption, of course! Sadly, for the boy, the bribe money paid did not work out well. The hand became septic and it started to spread to other parts. The parents could not spend any more money and so took him to the pujari's (The traditional Indian doctors). They applied some oil and from then on the hand became worse. The parents tried every trick in the book, but the boy was not getting better. The entire hand has become septic and they knew he is going to die soon. They were in fact waiting for him to die. They can't spend any more. They didn't have anything more to sell!

They soon found out one small NGO(hospital) is working in that forest there. The doctor in that hospital decided to amputate the hand with whatever little instruments he had. After the amputation is done, miraculously the guy survived; And is happily living life.

This small story made me thinking(As usual!). Where are the government doctors? Why is there very little instruments to help the doctor? Why can't some one just catch those nurses and punish them? Why can't somebody do something about all these?

Questions, questions, questions! Living in the poshest area of Delhi, It is very easy to ask questions! But,

We all want Bagath Singh's to be born, not in our house! Don't we? 

Easter memories!!!

Well, to be honest i am not guy who will sit in one corner and drool over memories. Yay, they are good. I mean, the memories, are good. It helps you to look back; Still i cannot lie on my back and look at the empty sky and say, "Wow! those days!!!". I ve seen my friend do that, and tried counting the stars only to find out that it is easier to sleep in that position, than to say "I once lived like a king";

Yet, after all those unsuccessful attempts i decided i will do that again; Reading books the entire day make you do crazier things!

So, I started with the Easter service; My very strict dad wakes us up by 2:00 am to go to church by 4:00 am. I am yet to understand the logic behind that, still, he says it is for the woman who take a long time to get ready.I guess, it was easier for him to fight us than his wife! Then my clean mother insist us taking bath. Taking bath? At 2:30? This is insane, my brain will shout; Yet, we did that as obedient kids. Okie! we at least went inside the bathroom. Just about to enter the bathroom, we can hear dad say for the 100th time, "The car will leave in 5 mins"; I always hoped car leaves us behind, it never happened that way. After the hustle and bustle we usually were the first to enter church, whichever church we went to. Dad will switch on the key board, and we will start looking for the best place to sleep, usually behind the keyboard. One thing dad has allowed us to do is to sleep there; Actually before even realizing, he will be fast asleep.

The church on Easter day will be full! Christians have this habit of coming to church on special days. Probably God tells them some thing special on those days. Who knows, God could have even wanted them to show off their new dress and Jewels to their neighbors. A packed church, fully decorated in Jasmine, with newly dressed people and a fully functional PC system is the last thing one should give a pastor at 4:00 am; Especially with Christ having Just risen, he will go on and on and on! So somebody in the congregation has to have a look at the clock, somebody has to walk out, to finally make him realize that our bodies are actually tuned to sleep during this time! And after an hour of sermons and another hour and half of other things it is the final song! The pastor announces " We will finish with the closing hymn", "Christ Arose, halleluiah"! If Christ had not got up till that song, I am pretty sure he will, when HE hears us sing that song; HE would have even said, "Please", that is not the tune; Who cares? After singing in 7 different tunes in a single song, Just to see those bright faces; Christ is risen, and the service is over;

Now that the service is over, it is time to wish everybody a happy easter; " Happppppyyyyy Easter" !!! repeated to 750 families who had just woken up, of course takes a hell lot of time! Then, of course there will always be the "holy holy" people to whom you should say "The message was just wonderful"; I was really touched! Indeed, i was; My dad touched me to wake me up as soon as the message got over;

So after the big hungama, back home on a easter day is the best! Mom always make sure she is at her cooking best on special days and add to that a game of cricket and a loooong sleep without dad's intervention (remember? we woke up at 2:30) calls from lot of friends and families, Easter day was truly special!

Some times memories do help it seems! Especially when tomorrow (another Easter day), have to be spent with books!

Happy happy birthday!!!

Life has this habit of throwing some wonderful people at you every now and then! Some come and go;But few just cannot go away; Some learn from you; But very few teach; You hate some, but few you love; It happens! It just keeps happening every time. It happens when life is at its lowest ebb, or when the tide is high; You just cannot run away from that! People, people, people! They are what makes life interesting, after all.

Believe me, it is tough writing here about one such person; Especially if that person belong to that category of the few, who just cannot go away, the few who teach you and the few whom you love and even more difficult, if you had already promised them that you will write about them here, with an extension which says "Else will jump from the building";

Yes! I really did promise her,my periyappa ponnu (Big dad's daughter - English cannot do justice everywhere), that i will either write about her on her birthday or will jump from the building. I Know! Promises are meant to be broken; But not with her, she might even push me down from the building. She is one person who can pull your leg so much that suddenly you realize that you are already on four legs when you want to answer. A heartless female you would say! I agree not! One of the most sensible and most lovable characters that life has thrown at me.

I can flatter around here. It is very easy; I don't want to, neither will she want me to;

I hope our relationship just stays the way it is; Some relationships do end in "Just" memories; I would prefer fighting on four legs to "Just memories";

Love you akka; just for being what you are.......Happy happy birthday! God bless!

It is a false world!!!

Well, to be honest, Im not 100 percent honest here! You can't expect that in a blog. Even the world out there is a farce. Let me tell you why.

Yesterday, I took two friends(husband and wife) to Taj, rather they took me; So, we decided to have a guide to explain the majestic Taj. You give money after seeing performance sir! said our guide; what money you give i take. My friend knowing some Hindi and with the married man's strength (The women's stare!) negotiated and got it down to Rs. 200/-. So, our guide, who said, he is a spanish literature student, started his explanation of Taj! Akbar's son Shah Jahan had three wives. Wait a minute, i screamed. In full enthu, since i had just read history, i said Akbar's son is Jehangir. Yes sir, Akbar's son Jehangir's grandfather Babar's son's son sir Shah Jahan, said our spanish scholar. how do you like that? Tk Tk! I repeated the bare minimal hindi i knew and so we continued. Sir, this is the place where Shah jahan used to take picture's of Taj, showing us a tomb. My eye balls almost popped out! Pictures? boss, you mean those replicas of Taj which comes out on click of a button? Yes sir, no digital camera at that time sir. Old camera, 17th century no, our scholar replied! Abi bi museum mein hein sir (Even now it is in the museum, sir)! Wow, i said; This fellow is a genius, my mind said. For the next hour and half of stories on Taj mahal, the symbol of love, love for the third wife, (That man had so much love to give for two more wives and umpteen concubines). After heavy bleeding on both ears, and paying him off we decided we will make our move to the next place.

Brindavan, the place of Lord Krishna's home, they said. We were showed a temple, where the guide here said, "Even Dhirubai Ambani cannot show you the way to heaven sir, i will show you". So we were asked to sit in a place and one other man explained. "If you give 15,000 rs, your wish will come in one year sir, else you can give little lesser money also, we don't bother"! We don't bother? hello, i thought it is we who should bother! "So what are your plans sir? how much are you going to donate; tell your name and i will give reciept". My friend, the wife, pushed, her husband to tell his name (So wifeish), who, as usual said his name (Pondatti pechu thataathavan) and also said he don't have any money. That very moment that guy, closed those statues with a cloth and said keep going! I was almost cursing my friends inside then, when finally the time came to give money to this guide, he said, sir, i won't accept 20 rs. Mein guide nahin hein sir; I just showed you something even Ambani could not; 50 rs! Guide nahin hein? My friend looked irritated. So, if i give you 50 rs, you are the chief minister of the state? i could read his mind voice.

After a loooong jouney and non stop non sense in a farce world, i have to accept that i still had a great day! My friends Devi and Udhaya ( Always in that order! ) made my day;  It sure is a false world! what the hell? There still are beautiful people who make the world a nice place for ordinary mortals like me.

It is gonna be alright;

"It is going to be alright Sam"; She pinged. Stop! Don't pounce on me. She is my cousin. So no other news from my side yet!

It was one of those days when you want to jump from the well and realize the wells are small. I am sure most of us have gone through days like that, when nothing really works, when you are really depressed, when life looks extremely complicated, when the future looks bleak, and the present even bleaker, when you get up from bed thinking why the clock can't be a bit slow and cursing earth for rotating so fast. It was one of those days!

I got up thinking, God another 15 hours to go to bed again? Then this message came. "It is going to be alright sam"; Ya, it is going to alright people! This too shall pass; There will be failures, disappointments, depressions, dejections; They do come, but, guess what? It will be attached with the Grace and the strength to go through them; There might be people wonderful people(Like my cousin) who will pull you through, or life will find its own ways to pull you through.

There is a brighter sunrise, as always, the next day; This too shall pass! 

Life without women!

                                 So, Imagine a day without women! No, No, they can't come even in your dreams; No dreams about the beautiful girl next door, or about Aishwarya Rai, not even about the happy times spent together with mom and sister (I doubt, even otherwise they have a place in dreams). Instead dream about the day you went out with a friend (I mean, the boy friend); Screeecccch! Even dreams don't take off properly.....Lying on the bed restlessly,  suddenly realized that a big black figure waking you up! Oops! that was dad with the coffee mug. Not the usual, "Get up, Chellam" sound; rather, a rough, "Get up or...." sound. Cursing God for creating Men with such a bad voice, got ready for office, of course without breakfast! Boss, did you forget? No women! that means no breakfast! Take the bike and hit the road full of cranky men; Keeping your head straight (What the hell! no women anyway), rush to the office cubilce. All four around you were men, and so is your manager, his manager, and his manager.....God!!!! Not even a 'hi' and you know what? nobody even talks. Where is the subject to talk about? So the computers curse you for handling them so badly and showing off your anger on them. Finally an SMS! Huh, an excited look turned dissapointment as the sms was from 'Rohit'; What! he does not have any job? scolding him, made you realize that the entire concept of SMS is a waste. After a ridiculously stupid day, driving through the surprisingly empty Ranganathan street with not even bill boards to look at; the first person you meet back home is your grandfather, asking you how the day went.

Ha, life without women, what a waste? I salute all of you, women; And shamelessly agree that life without you is unthinkable; You make our life livable; We are, because of what you are. Period.

Happy womens day!
                                               

Elections? who cares!

Elections in the country's biggest state was the news the entire day. So, there was Behenji, the so called saviour of the dalits (Didnt want to use the name here, but they didn't give me an alternative), with the big elephant museum as her biggest achievement(Mind you, elephant is an endangered animal) is the ruling party leader. The  leader of one major community is there in the opposition fighting Behenji; Then there are the two big parties, the national parties they are called, the Congress riding piggy bank on the latest avatar of Gandhi, and the BJP with 6 Prime ministerial candidates (No! im not kidding, they have 6 PM candidates).

The shameless Indian media, that is what it does best, being shameless, has portrayed this elections as the make or break for this country; Make or break? Now, what does that mean? Does it mean, our counrty will collapse if some 'X' or 'Y' gets to the power, or does it atleast mean, India will be the super power ruling the world, if some 'X' or 'Y' come back to power.

Sorry, i could hear you say, come to the matter my boy! what do you want to say?

I just want to say, I don't care; neither do 90% of the people of this country. We don't care if they build statues for elephants or for cows; We don't care if all 6 PM's rule together or the self proclaimed mascot of the youth rule us.

We don't care because, nothing is going to change; Not a single damn thing. The lives of the people who beg, the quality of education, the daylight robbery, the roads, the rails, the houses of the poor, and no other thing which my eyes had flinched at is going to change. This is democracy mate! It is not supposed to change anything; is it?

Who cares?

What my children will miss!!!

Well, I am not thinking about children now itself! So, please! Leave me for a few more years of freedom. Just had a thought of what the next generation children will miss in this world. Of course, there are hell lot of things they will miss, right from the gully cricket to the innocence of the childhood (Believe me, i was innocent as well). But, something else the modern generation children will miss, and that for sure will hurt them is the entire concept of cousins.

Believe me, or ask anybody who have had fabulous cousins about this wonderful relationship and they will have wonderful stories to tell. As brothers and sisters, they were the real reason we were looking for the holiday season to go to grandpa's homes. Oh, what times those. They were the first people we learnt to play pranks on, they were the first to hold your hands and take you out(Specially if you have elder sisters), they were the first to listen to your stories, first to defend you in front of friends, first to give their shoulders to cry on and my list goes on......As i grew up, they became my close friends. Some body whom i can call and say, God! dad is crazy these days!

The modern generation have very few cousins in the first place, and most of them sadly end up in the two extremes of the world. For sure, they will miss those loving presence, which had tolerated all my non sense and to top it all still tolerates them.

Of course, they are my own blood; my own brothers and sisters........none could replace them.

My Generation

One of my favourite writer's had given the clue for this! So credit, if any goes to her.
"Those were the days" are still the old grandma rhetorics; So i don't want to use them here.  So here we go:)

                   Rewind to 1990, when dad bought our first TV. It was a videocon television with buttons on the sides to change channels with a big buttocks. You all remember that don't you? Below that (Inevitably in every house the radio will be either at the top or the bottom) was our old tape recorder. Once a while the cassette will get stuck and you rewind it;1 rs notes bought us so many 5 paise choclates (Yes, the independence day choclates); Super Mario - you remember that? Premier padmini cars which were specially made for indian roads; who can forget the film roll cameras? and the dial telephones? The favourite game played were rolling the tyres, wrestling trump cards and cacha choudary was the uncle next door. Glorious days those for sure!

                   The generation X, they say is also the confused generation. When we grew up, rules were meant to be followed; love marriages are a strict no no; girl friends are aliens from mars; "Internet will ruin you" was a frequent parental remark; our clothes were stiched; studies are for the marks; marks are for the colleges and the colleges are for your jobs. Life was that simple.

                  Suddenly half way through, they said rules are meant to be broken! The next door akka had a love marriage, IT jobs were there for everybody, Jeans helped evade washing and online friends became the norm.

                  We are still confused! the confused generation we may be; but one generation which has seen the best of both the worlds. The conservative typical Indian family and the modern liberal family.

                  Yes! we may have our hearts here, but our values are rooted there. That tells the story.

                                                          Photos to refresh our minds

                                          I never thought this will go to the museum so soon!

                                      Remember Mario growing big and getting small again?

                                                                    Uncle chacha!

                                                         Once clicked, no returning back!

                                               Hulk hogan and Bret hart hit man!!!

                                                     We had names for our tyres too!!!!!

                                                          Anybody who don't know him?

Tring! Tring

                                                               

                                               Remeber rolling the film with a pen lid???

                                        The black white dots and the antennae to be adjusted

           
                                            The fastest in the country then!!!

Born Criticizers?

I don't know whether 'Criticize' can be used as a noun! Well, if no, forgive me!  I am not worthy of criticisms. Worthy of criticisms? You may argue that criticisms are dished out at people who have not reached a certain level, who have not attained their expectations or the expectations of those who criticize them and so anybody can be criticized( you need not be unworthy of criticisms). Fine, i agree; I am confusing. I will come straight to the matter.

I read an article criticising Sachin since he is prolonging his career to get that elusive 100. Two days ago my friends were furiously condemning Dhoni for the innings he played; Hell no! I thought he won us the match? I heard a guy say A.R. Rahman does not play music that well! That well? How do you quantify "That"? Almost none, not even one, of my teachers have escaped criticisms.

I read this line of Fredrick Nietchze and loved it immediately.

"The higher we soar the smaller we appear for those who cannot fly"!

Does it explain all those criticisms? Well, when Pete Sampras lost his final wimbledon a guy called Greg Rusedski said "Sampras is gone, Sampras is done and dusted; he should retire"; Well, Sampras won another major after that is another story, but the fact is all these "Greg who's" who criticize everybody for anything should first accept the fact that they criticize because they are at a slightly lower level than the person who is being criticized.

Did it make sense? if not, please forgive me! I am not worthy of criticisms!

Anybody there?

Politician bashing has become the favourite hobby for the Indian media and the so called civil society of this country. Don't ask me, where do i belong? Being a blogger, i belong to the media and am an equally culpable member of the civil society. So this blog is more to me, than to people out there!

Today morning one of our esteemed minister from Madhya Pradesh has asked a small school kid to tie his shoe laces. Shoe Lace! What a shame? The media pounced on him; Two major parties started scrambling for the two votes which would spill out of this shameful act and the internet was filled with so much hatred for the politician from the civil activists.

Dear media, civil society and the shameful political parties, have you ever been to a city called Delhi? There are some fifty metro stations in that city and outside every station there are a small children sitting with a  brush and a shoe polish to polish the shoes! The shoes of not the politicians who show it to them but every individual who passes that. Hundreds of youngsters survive in that city touching our feet. Where did you all go then?

Of course, if that minister had done this intentionally to show his superiority, kill him if that is what the law says. But please before throwing mud at others make sure they don't fall on us.

Anybody there?

Dear doctor's

Hang on! What are you saying? My mom did not go to work? On a working day? That cannot be possible; I ve known her 25 years and not once had my, workaholic, doctor mother stayed back. Not once! until this day; They called it a strike! Strike? Strike for what? Strike to show her solidarity to the death of a doctor in a nearby town of tuticorin. 

Dr. T. Sethulakshmi, the chief doctor of an ESI hospital in Tuticorin was hacked to death by the relatives of a pregnant patient (Nithya), who had died in the private clinic of this doctor. Very very sad! I mean, how can you kill a doctor, who i am 100% sure did not want to cause harm to her own patient. That man is mad; probably insane. My sympathies to the doctor's family. Having been born and brought up in a hospital campus, i know how much the doctor's work and it is extremely unfair to kill somebody for no fault of hers. Infact the doctor was trying to help the patient (I don't consider medical negligence here as i think even medical negligence are not intentional).

The entire doctor community (read IMA) had come out openly to fight against this injustice and took a day off from work to show their solidarity. Now, it is good to see that the so called competitive medical community took some time out of their busy schedule to show solidarity. 

But! Why a strike? Are you saying that if you strike and don't go to work one day, the next insane man is not going to kill? Come on! I know it is extremely frightening to know that the doctors are not safe. This could have happened to anybody; even to my mom and dad. But, that is the truth and life has to go on. Striking, not going to work, is not and will not prevent such incidence from happening again.

I heard doctors say that they also have the right to strike. Fair enough! I agree. The Indian constitution has given the right to strike to every citizen. But, strike for strike's sake will not help. One other thing which is equally sad is the medical community does not have a very good name with the ordinary people. Strikes like these might in fact increase the animosity people have on the community. Let us face it! the medical community is not the most ethical and coming out openly saying the media is the sole reason for the bad name is simplifying the issue.

Show solidarity. Visit the family. Wear black badges. Give in writing to the people in charge of your safety  about your plight. Increase your personal security. If need be, take walks and teach the public what you think. But, please don't say we won't work. Even with all the animosity the common man needs you; he needs you badly and for that he respects you. 

Again i say, this will not and cannot solve your problem. God forbid, this increase the anger he has on you. Please believe me, no sane man will ever do this to one of you.