The breaking news!

Priety Zinta has just landed in the international airport, said the "breaking news" in one of the well known news channel. I am serious! She did land in the airport. It is not an important news, it is a "Breaking news". It is supposed to break you; if you have not broken the TV by then.

"Annnddddd........ Priety is heading straight to home!" yells the TV anchor, with the camera zoning in on a car leaving the airport. So breaking it is, I decided by then to take a break! To have my sanity in tact, else I would have surely broken the TV and I'm already broke!

Alright, I understand! It is boring and confusing and totally useless reading me. That is exactly how I feel watching these news channels. Absolutely useless! I mean, what if Priety lands in the airport? I don't even care if she lands directly at her home and lands head first.

This is the quality of intellect thrown at us by the media, the so called fourth pillar of democracy! Not that the other three are strong enough but that is for another day.

I know most of the media is paid and run by the corporates; I understand they are meant to give NEWS the way their bosses want and not what happened in reality. Yes, TRP ratings are important for the survival of the channels. Yet, Preity landing in the airport can't be breaking news in this country.

There are more important stuffs happening. A new government has taken over. A new political party is trying things differently. There are 40 Indians abducted in another country. The world's largest sporting event is happening. IIT results have just come out and there are thousand other better things happening all over the place.

For sanity's sake let not the Preity's home comings become the "Breaking news"; Else, there will soon be a generation, which will only know the SRK's and the Zinta's.

And I doubt that time is not very far!

It is a complex world!

Well, I have an exam tomorrow and I don't really know what I'm doing here. Anyways that is how I'm wired. To do stupid things! at the stupidest of places

So because there was this exam I was reading when that call came; A very close friend 'M' called and said another friend 'J' cleared the civil services exams and has got a top ten rank in the country. Now, that is an insanely insane good news for me. For a friend to become an IAS, that too with a single digit rank is so good a news, I ve not heard such good news in a looooong time.

And then immediately I called one of my best friends, my ex-roomie 'N', whom I was very sure of getting a rank and the answer was in the negative. I called my dad next and he informed me that mom has to be taken to the hospital tomorrow, for obvious reasons.

Now,It is a complex world! It wants me to concentrate on my exam, celebrate the humongous success of a friend or share the grief of a sad failure of a close friend and be with my sick mom, all at the same time!

Is it not complex enough?

Growing older! one year at a time.

So it is been 28 years; and never in my memory had the birthday a start like this. The close friend I stayed with for the night, forgot my birthday and played old (pre illayaraja) songs through the night, the 12:00' clock calls and the messages from the girl friends of yesteryear's reduced to one solitary call from my old aunt, an exam which I didn't want to write in the morning, an one hour bike travel in the heart of chennai traffic at 42'c, and a lonely lunch of sambhar rice! And of course, the mind occupied by the painful process of mom having to go through chemo. Of course her's was the first call in the morning, and muchly like her, broke down.

The entire last year had not been anything special either; A big failure and of course the sickness of mom and all the family changes which happened with that.

But then, birthdays are supposed to be happy days, is n't it? So will I be!

The family was there as usual! Every single one called me today, just to remind that they will be there forever, as they had been through the tough last year. And the close friends who called me; Today was no different as most of them call me daily! And the many many friends who whatsApped. Thank you.

So looking forward to a long year ahead! May be the 'M' thing might happen this year. I remember telling my dad 4 years ago, that year will be the last bachelor birthday. God! It is been 4 years of absolute bliss. Good on me that the word to dad just remained a word. Who knows, may be I will come back to this place again the same:)

So I'm looking forward to the wedding of two other friends and the travel! The challenge of the considered toughest exam on earth again; and many tours planned this year. Many many hours of ARR, the solemn quiet times I enjoy, lots and lots of reading I so love, and the seriously serious business of writing blogs! All of them, within that tiny year of 365 more days? Phew!

 Bring it on, I'm ready and waiting!

There is something wrong Mr. Prime minister!

I know it is too early sir. I understand it will take time just for the feeling of being the prime minister with such a majority to sink in. And I'm truly not naive to believe that you have a magic wand to shoo away the problems we have. Yet, I say this with a fair amount of conviction. There is something wrong after your victory sir.Horribly wrong!

The good thing about alarms is that they always ring on time; though we may not like it. And the alarm bells have started ringing sir. And if you don't put your foot down and act, life in this country will not be what you and me dream of!

As you would have known by now,Pune faced communal violence. Some buses were torched and of course one young techie from a minority community was killed because he wore a "skull cap". You know that, right? I'm sure you know who did that as well. And in that very same Pune, some people were threatened because they did not spell out your name with a "Jai" to it!

In the IT hub of Bangalore some people were threatened because they posted FB posts which criticized you sir. And in the capital city of Delhi, some lower class people who were protesting were bundled out by the police.

I hope you know all these happened sir! Most of us who watch television don't, as news channels don't cover them anymore. Of course, I think they are biased sir! Biased towards you. 'Paid', will be a better word.

And I'm afraid very soon there will not be allowed any criticism in this country. That day sir,with the rate at which things are happening, is not very far.

I want you to come out of your silence and speak out. But, I would prefer acting strong sir. Against those who torched those buses, the gang who killed the youngster, against the policemen who evicted the protesters and of course against the paid media!

I know you want development and is working hard on that front. But you just can't wish away criticism sir, and those who don't follow your ideologies.

Believe me sir, you try to muzzle criticism and those who criticize and not follow your ideologies, It will turn on you very soon. And history is replete with examples of that.

Sir, if you don't get up when the alarm rings, you always end up going late to the class! Always!

What you want them to do, you do!

So when you have lovely cousins, you end up having nice luncheons. That is why I love my cousins. Only for Food!

It was one such day. I was in the library when my cousin 'L' called. "Sam, where are you" was the question, and immediately I knew she was around in Chennai. And half an hour later we were together looking for a place to eat. She had brought another cousin of her 'R' with her two children. So the five of us, three adults and 2 kids in their pre teens decided we will go to Liu Waldorf.

As soon as we took the left to enter the parking lot, we found out a Merc has blocked our way. So I got down and asked the hotel guy to help us with our parking. He came out, saw the merc and said, "please park the car outside sir". Now, bang outside the hotel's parking lot the police have put a big "NO PARKING" sign; and here he is, asking us to park there, right beneath the sign. I asked him again whether there won't be any problem. He said he will take care if the police comes.

Now, my wisdom said the peak of chennai's summer afternoon will keep the policemen inside their offices and they won't come visiting us. So I signalled the cousin who is driving, to park there; right under the sign. But she was reluctant. After some discussions, we decided that we will not park the car there, and parked the vehicle in the neighboring road where there was some decent parking available.

"Mam, you could have parked the vehicle here itself! We would have taken care", said the man in the hotel. "We teach our children to obey traffic rules and signs, and how will they obey if we don't?" bang, came the reply from the mom 'R'.

That sentence struck me hard. What a lesson to learn! A lesson for life. The children follow you, every moment of your life. And what you want them to do, you do!

Now you know the other reason why I love my cousins? They teach me life's lessons too!

An open letter to Mr. Prime minister

Congratulations Sir! What you have done is truly amazing. To get a mandate such as this, is some thing which not many people has done. I know the amount of hard work and discipline put in to this and hats off to that sir. Hope and pray this mandate gets the work it deserves.

Sir, but to be frank I am a bit skeptical. I am as passionate about this country and its people as you are; And so I hope you will take us (all these skeptics) along, in this path of the so called development.

Sir, let us be honest first. This ministry of yours is not made up of saints. There may be good people. But for the first time in Indian history, 34% of the MPs who won yesterday have criminal records and that is sad. So the first job you have in your hand is to keep track on them. Remember, the previous prime minister was considered clean, yet his ministry was also considered the most corrupt in the post independence India. There are rats in every ship sir and hope you are aware of them. If you don't kill them quickly they will eat up your mandate soon.

Sir, When you said "India has won" after yesterday's victory lot of people said they had goose bumps! I am sorry sir. I din't. It smelled gracelessness. India has not won yet sir. Your party won. All those who voted against you also wanted India to win. And for that to happen, you have to work with an integrity and passion which is unmatched. Your own state which you had ruled for a decade now has yet to give even food to all its people. And if that is the plight of the so called most developed state, imagine the other states. And this sir, is only one of the works to be done for India to win!And there are many many more.

Sir, There are minorities in this country who don't trust you. And you know this better than I do. And they have reasons for it. If you want this country to win, minorities also have to be taken along. Sir, as you would have known now, your ministry is the one with the least number of minorities in independent history. And let this not hamper you in taking them along.

Sir, I hope you know there are your followers who abuse anybody who oppose you at the drop of a pen. I also hope sir, that you know it reflects on you badly. When taking the country forward teach them grace. Grace is the best way to reach people sir. Believe me, It is!

Sir, I know you used a lot of money from the capitalists. Sadly I agree, without them it is not possible to win elections in this country. But sir, If you go out of the way to give whatever you got, Life in this country for the common man will be,well-nigh impossible.

Sir, economic development in this country is sadly measured by stock markets and GDP. But this is not how it should be measured. Education, health and sanitation are important factors which are to be taken in to consideration. Without measuring them, any growth is a sham sir. There are good economists who can show you the way, if only you take them in consideration.

I know you have just won a huge election and it is time to celebrate. Celebrate sir! It is after all a huge victory. But then your honey moon period will be too small and if you don't start delivering on the promises, people won't forgive. If you want to know about that sir, ask your predecessors. They know it all too well!

All the best sir in your endeavour to make India win. God be with you.

Why I cannot not write on her!

There are people I admire and there are people I love! Yes, both are different. And when she called me today just to tell me a 'hi' I realized that she belongs to both the categories. I love her for what she is, a friend I can go to and a sister who has stood with me and I admire her for the personality she is and the life she lives.

Sudarshinika, is somebody who has been pretty close to me for years now. Ever since her young son Oby became my fan(Yes! my fan) as a toddler, we have been close. And she has been one of my best friends since then.

I love her for she has been my go to person for anything and everything. For the failures and disappointments, for the times of shock and disgust and to the days of immense joy hers has been the first go to number for years now. And she has been wonderful! 'Wonderful' is too small a word I think.

And did n't I tell you I respect her? Not for all the love she has poured out, but for the life she lives and the personality she is! The honesty and the integrity she brings to her workplace, the love she has shown on her inlaws, the ways she brings up her little children and to top it all the humility she is bestowed with, have all been lessons for life.

Akka, not many people know what you are to me! Life has thrown a lot of wonderful people at me, yet you are special. Thanks for everything you have given. Hope you remain the same incredible human being you are, and remain the special person you are to me in the years to come.