KANNAAMOOCHI ENADA...

Beautiful movie!! Director Priya has established her mark for creating beautiful movies, movies that aren’t really strong or grand or convincing or serious, movies that are just simple and beautiful. Kanda Naal Mudhal was beautiful, but had a big place for emotions too. This movie is a totally jolly one and is damn beautiful too. (Oops!! Beautiful enra vaarthayai ithanai murai ubayogithadhaal neengal indha review-vil irundhu neeka padugireergal!! J ).

The star cast is what adds beauty and liveliness to the movie. Though the movie’s all about love, it reaches to two couples – the young ones who are in love (nothing really special though) and the older ones who had a love marriage (best couple of the movie J ). Sathyaraj is absolutely stunning, as always. Have always liked him and his acting and has done a wonderful job in this movie too. Radhika has established herself, esp. of late, with mega-serials that there’s nothing exceptional about her performance in this movie. Prithviraj is charming and awesome as always (latest Hero for whom mine and many girls’ heart go out to!! J ). But, there has to be a minus in any movie and that’s Sandhya’s acting. I haven’t really seen her movies, but from this movie, it’s pretty obvious that her acting was highly artificial and turned out to be really sick at times. When actors talk bout acting as, “It’s not acting, but reacting”, Sandhya has done over-acting more than mere reacting. Her screechy voice, unwanted enthusiasm, highly kiddish portrayal, etc. have created a negative niche for her. Although her character’s supposed to be innocent, kiddish and adamant, the Director could have done better in portraying it. Esp. towards the end of the movie when she asks Prithvi, “Harissssshhhhhhhhhh, ennngaaaaaaaaaaa poreeeeeeeeeeeee” ( not really sure if the alphabet stress depicts the tone), the theatre responds with a “Hayyae…”. The beautiful actress hasn’t been utilized properly.

The movies ‘Kanda Naal Mudhal’ and ‘Kannamoochi Enada’ are kinda classical, the way in which they are made and the title. There's a girl rendering “Kanda naal mudhalaai..” erroneously in this movie. The scene’s kinda nice though. Reminds one of the earlier movie ‘Kanda Naal Mudhal’. This is the girl whom Prithvi’s uncle wants him to marry (Prithvi! I sing erroneously well too ;-)… Oops, patchi says “J, u are married now" :-)).

Sripriya!! The best fit into the movie and does her role naturally and amazingly well. Have always liked her as she is mostly not the goody-goody heroine. In this movie too, she is a bold and now-single forest officer with full of nakkal and the perfect competitor for her brother, Sathyaraj, in adamancy and dominance. Sathyaraj is the Police Commissioner who talks about all the Murpokku concepts and equal rights for men and women. But at home, he treats his wife like a slave (depicted in a neat manner, not that serious and aggressive) and he is the change-over man from a lover to a husband. Sripriya happens to be his twin-sister (both jus don’t get along well) who doesn’t accept to being called elder and the only one to handle him jus perfectly as she is no less stubborn or adamant. Her nakkal, her way of talking and the conversations between her and Sathyaraj are the best. One can never say who performed the best – Sathyaraj or Sri Priya.

Director Priya shows a stint of her guru, Mani Ratnam, with the implicit humour in dialogues and the way of talking. Prithvi telling Sandhya “Nee mattum en love-ku ok sonne na naan un pera pasangalukku nalla thathaava iruppen”, Sathyaraj bluffing to his dad and the old dad calling him back when he’s about to leave and saying just “Nambittenda” reminded me of Mani Ratnam’s movies. J

The movie's light. Concepts like inter-caste marriage, brother-sister break-up, dominating husband, etc. though present, proceed in a very light, sometimes, jovial manner. Exactly the movie to which one would retire on a tired evening with a cup of coffee. It’s a movie where one doesn’t go with any expectations and where one doesn’t look out for logic or anything. It’s a beautifully made entertainer with the best star cast one could think of.

LIFE...

Came across it in the Internet today..

At dawn I asked the lotus,

'What is the meaning of life?'

Slowly she opened her hand

with nothing in it.

- Debra Woolard Bender, Paper Lanterns

:-) :-)

Dieting!! Is it that hard?

Oh Man!! Is it so damn hard to stay on a strict diet for even a week or a day?? Kudos to those who manage to go on strict dieting, despite yummy food on the table, all the temptations, the let-me-take-a-break syndrome and those momentary justifications!!!!

Just a heartfelt thought :-)

Rule Vs Justified Thought

When one ponders about the rules not being followed or about the chaos growing day by day, maybe this is the reason. What one actually thinks!!

RULE 1

Pay your Income Tax. A part of your salary goes for the development of the state/country you live in

THOUGHT 1

A part of my salary, in the name of Income Tax, goes to the development of the pockets of individuals in the Government offices and those with political influences. I would keep it rather for my own development.

What’s wrong? My thought is justified.

RULE 2

Give way for ambulances, help save lives. Give way for vehicles with the siren on.

THOUGHT 2

All vehicles with siren are being used for personal reasons these days. Depicted perfectly in the movie Chennai 600024, the ambulance came rushing with the siren to the playground carrying cricket accessories for the match. Don’t think that was an exaggeration. The other day, we saw the now sophisticated police car (Tamil Nadu police have been gifted Air conditioned Hyundai accent cars with mounted digicams, revolving lights, loudspeakers, fire extinguishers, hooters and handcuffs) . With the siren on, we saw the policeman and his wife. :-) A couple of days back, a policeman (in mufty again) was chatting with some guy in his Hyundai Accent (sure the chat is not official) and the car wasn’t even parked in a corner of the road. Despite repeated honking asking him to give way, he was least bothered.

(One of the several interesting articles - http://swapna.sulekha.com/blog/post/2006/11/why-do-chennai-police-need-new-cars-.htm - I agree with only a part of the article tho, esp. about the misuse of the cars making one wonder at times, "Are they necessary at all?")

I was traveling in a private bus the other day. The bus driver didn’t give way to the ambulance that was following us for long. In spite of asking him to give way, he didn’t. And finally, after some of us yelled at him, he gave way saying “Ulla oru uyir oosalaa adudhu? Avan avan personal use kaaga siren pottuttu varuvaan, namma vazhi vidanuma?” (“Don’t think there is a life to be saved there, people use the siren for their own purposes, why should I give way?”). We just shouted back at him saying that he is not supposed to bother about all that, but just give way. This incident was the motivation for me to write this article.

Rule Vs Thought -- What’s wrong with the thought that is well justified? This is the prevailing scenario today. Had the makers of the rule been followers, why would there be so much chaos today? Anyways, let us give way for ambulances always. :-)

Living in Chennai these days... Part III

We went on a drive to Trichy a couple of weeks back. NH-45 is the highway under renovation and construction and looks like it’s going to be awesome driving down the highway once it’s complete. But a lot of bitter experiences on the way with regards to traffic control and drivers and sign boards. Anyways am too bugged right now to continue on the sickening traffic scenario (I’v already exceeded 6 pages with the previous articles), so am not planning to jot down anything right now, maybe sometime later.

Initially, I wanted to publish just one post on how things are at Chennai, but most unfortunately, I had to extend about just the traffic aspect to two posts. Am bored myself now JJ. So here comes the last part, hoping to keep this really short.

Two bothering scenarios are traffic and negligence. One’s work never gets done, esp. in the Government offices. Therinja vishayamdhaane!!!! But things are worsening day by day, reasons being

1. Corruption everywhere from the head to the tail, so nobody to question
2. Mutual inspiration
3. Common man’s weakness – a situation where things wont get done if he’s not going to give money and if he is not patient enough to wait, be it years too.

Latest bitter experience – We had to get the EC for our house. One person from the Govt. office (who I noticed, sits outside the office everday, collecting bribes from people and help getting their work done) had helped us too in getting the documents (Actually, we could have got the documents ourselves, just a matter of a stamp paper with attestation). He took money for getting that done and his charges included the Notary’s fee for the attestation (fee * 3), the stamp paper charges, his transportation charges (supposed to be an auto charge, but he uses his cycle only to commute) and his fees (oh I see!!!). Finally, we got all the documents and went into the office the next day for the Registrar’s approval. We went to the Registrar and he directed us to a lady who offered to get things done. We thought she was his PA and things have to go through her, so we didn’t mind. She asked us to come in the afternoon and collect the EC. When we went in the afternoon, she made us wait for an hour and then handed us the EC and called me inside and asked me unnoticeably for Rs. 500/- I was shocked, I told her that the fee is just 120 and why should I give her 500/- . She simply said that if not for her help we wouldn’t have got the EC that day and the amount includes the amount to be vettufied to everybody including the Registrar. She also mentioned that she usually demanded more and said “Neengala paarthu kudunga”. I told her that I’v already paid the person outside and am not willing to pay anymore, that too, for just getting the signature of the Registrar and also making us wait for an hour. Finally, I said I can give her 200/- (bargaining???) and nothing more. She became so emotional and she refused to take any money and started behaving weirdly accusing herself for having done so much for us (so much???). Hmm…things start from the Registrar in the Registar office, so no point accusing this lady alone. I know that the next time I go to the office, I wont be able to get anything done JJ.

So many people have so many bitter experiences with these Government offices that so many of their major plans went for a toss. I can quote so many awful incidences, but just not in a mood to, moreover everybody knows how the situation is.

In this fast moving world, the concern for one another goes down too. How many of us know about purse and chain snatching during the middle of the day in the middle of the road. How many of us are actually bold/concerned to help the victim catch the thief, we only sympathise. Snatching chains, or snatching lives – the response from the public is the same. Well, did anybody ask for your sympathies? Had everybody joined together and attacked the murderer/thief, it would set an examples and these culprits would think twice before repeating it again. But then, our weakness is their strength, and the more weaker we grow, the more stronger do these anti-social elements become. Looks like a Moral Science class in school, but then, isn’t that so true??

Intensive use of CFC and anti-environmental materials (without which life today is so difficult), deforestation to enable construction of more flats, moving from wells to bore wells to the deepest levels of underground water, immense use of chemicals for trees and plants to yield more vegetables and fruits, etc. etc. all to attend to the needs of the terrorisingly growing population (that is not economically balanced either). We are inviting our own disaster.

Just a matter of negligence and the rush for survival. Ignoring and accepting whatever it be, has become our way of life today.

With corruption at every corner, as Rajni says in the movie, Sivaji, “The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer”. Consequence – Civil War obviously!!!!!!! I heard that it has been said in Vishnu Puranam that in the Kali Yugam, man will be the reason for his own disaster. How true!!!

There are so many who want to do so much for this country and its people, but they realize that it is impossible. No wonder more and more people tend to settle abroad today. Including me, there have been so many who were highly patriotic about India, but on seeing how our own people have changed the most beautiful country to how it is today, patriotism goes meaningless and worthless..

Individual Discipline and enforcement of laws alone can save the country!!

Footboard travel thavirka...

Came across this effective measure ;-) in a mail forward today
Enzoy!!! :-)

Living in Chennai these days... Part II Thumbrules when on the Chennai roads!!

1. No guarantee to life. Your life is at your own stake. Be alert and conscious every moment.But still, if you believe in God, just pray to Him before starting anywhere.

2. You might be a perfect and sincere driver who follows rules and regulations, yet, your life is prone to risk. You are still prone to an accident because of reckless drivers all around you.

3. Never accelerate coz you can never expect the unexpected; any vehicle can take a sharp turn and anybody could step into the road leisurely

4. Be safe; always wear a helmet.

5. Be cautious; follow rules and regulations, atleast for the belief that if you don’t cause harm, nobody will harm you :-)

6. Learn first aid, be equipped, store emergency numbers with the ICE prefix in your phone.

7. No use just learning first aid, stop and be there to help others when they’ve met with an accident or when in need of help. What goes, comes around!!!

8. Give way to an ambulance, who knows, your dear one could be there right inside fighting for life. Or with our usual philosophy, imagine your condition in future, if you happen to be in an

ambulance, fighting for life and find yourself flying between stars with no vehicles giving way.

9. If you are a pedestrian, stop and look and cross when it’s the time to cross. If you are going to merrily jollily cross the road, neither will you be lucky always as you had been, nor will all the drivers be able to apply a sharp brake.

10 End, don’t get cursed by others, all your punyams and good deeds will be reduced proportionately ;-) ;-)

Note : If you are still not tired, there is a Part III coming up :-) which hopefully will conclude the series. And, if you think that I'v brought about only the negative aspects of the city, am yet to write about few leftover good aspects.

Living in Chennai these days... Part I

Has Chennai become a sick/disgusting place to live in these days?? I am shocked about me writing such a post as I used to be an ardent Chennai-ite till recently. I was completely in love with the city, for the beach, the places to visit, the theme parks, the frequency of trains and buses, the temples, the people and most importantly shopping in Ranganathan Street and Pondy Bazaar, of late Mylapore tank. But, my love for all these reasons don’t exist anymore. All places are heavily crowded with no space to even drive on the roads or park vehicles and what more, the city is flavoured with hot climate always, that one doesn’t even feel like stepping out. And, people, there is the heavy rush for money, for career, for survival that nobody stops to even look at somebody who could have just met with an accident, and, who knows, this person could have done the accident too. Let me elaborate on what exactly is the situation here.

Traffic is the first and foremost concern. With easy loans for four wheelers and A/C cars becoming a basic necessity to travel in the hot and congested city, with big company buses carrying its employees, the volume of vehicles have increased so considerably leading to more congestion. And talk about the drivers, be it the drivers of buses, lorries, autos, cars, bikes and even cycles, aah, the driving skills couldn’t be worse. Major credits to the sincere officials at the RTO. Anybody who goes there to obtain a license can witness the procedure of issuing the license. Anybody who brings a vehicle gets the license, no matter how poorly he/she drives, no matter if they don’t drive too. Rare are the cases where one is sent back saying that he has to learn driving and come back for getting the license. There are people who are issued license even without driving the vehicle, there are people who are issued license in spite of extremely awful driving and there are people who are issued license just because they are from a particular driving school and in cases of driving school representations, nobody is generally rejected license. Along with the bunch of candidates, comes one of the driving coaches. The coach instructs the candidate every single movement including degrees of turn he has to take. Even then if the candidate doesn’t drive properly, the coach helps him with the steering, and the brake and clutch and gear (summarise it to driving??). The RTO officer tells the candidate to drive properly next time and issues the license. There was this girl who just couldn’t drive her Kinetic Honda properly for even 10 m. The moment she started, she had to stop, she would start again and wouldn’t be able to balance and stop. She was given chance for about 10 times, but in vain. And, she was issued the license. And there was this guy who showed off his driving skills, rash driving and bumping at every turn. He was issued license immediately. Recommendation and laziness are the obvious signs you see there. And if such people drive, how is it going to be?

Even those who know to drive properly don’t follow rules anymore. One would be driving on the left track and would suddenly cut right even without giving an indication. One would drive searching for a location and when one suddenly finds it, he applies a brake or takes a turn, even without noticing the vehicles behind. You find the signal changing to red and you still cross the road. The moment before Green falls, one starts. So, how is it going to be?? Can you actually imagine the situation? That is why there is a 5 second gap between one signal changing to red and the other changing to green, but everybody knows about the 5 second gap. So, there we go!!!

Even the MTC bus drivers drive so recklessly. They definitely know that they are takin the responsibility for all the people in the bus, yet… The driver goes beyond the bus stop and stops the bus with a sudden brake, takes sharp and unwarned turns causing so much danger to the smaller vehicles nearby. If they happen to start the bus late, they drive so horribly fast to try to make it to the destination in time, sometimes not even stopping at some stops. Sometimes even before starting the bus, the driver knows that there is some issue with it, and it requires service. But they still take the bus with the blind hope that nothing happens in between. Buses are so crowded with so many, esp. freakin crazy college and school guys hanging all over the bus and singing and shouting and commenting, highly prone to be hit by a vehicle beside or be thrown off the bus sometimes. But they are damn confident that vehicles beside would give way and not hit them and that they are safe hanging with one hand from the window. There are so many who are so dependant on these Government buses and who suffer so much because of these reckless drivers. In Trichy, there are private buses that run so efficiently. The buses are in very good condition with comfortable seats, there are two conductors, so that they can manage well and don’t stop the buses for ten minutes just for tickets issue. The frequency of the buses is so good and they are completely reliable. People comment that since the road transport is privatised, there is a healthy competition among the transport owners and hence the good condition. This is the opinion of many about the buses in Trichy, but we have all been only visitors there. Maybe there are harsh realities about that transport too.

Lorries and autos- I don’t really have to mention about them. Reckless driving to the core. Esp, the water lorries, is it true that they happen to save the lives of people by providing water, so they have all rights to take away the lives of people on the roads when driving? Everybody knows that they have to keep away from water lorries because so many accidents occur with the extremely horrible driving of those drivers. And autos, if you are a sincere driver and actually want to know what stupid and horrible driving is, come and see our autos on the road. The autos will be running in the middle of the road, the moment they see somebody waiting for an auto or waving their hand, there they go, with the sharp turn, least bothered about the vehicles behind. Selfish bout them getting a sawari. They travel through all small gaps and lanes, with such a speed. Experts in perfectly wrong driving, the moment you see an auto beside or behind you, just give way or move away, for you never know, they can actually take any turn anyhow. They actually test other vehicle drivers’ presence of mind and alertness.

Talk about share autos and share vans. They are all over Chennai. Although they happen to be a Bliss at peak hours, they happen to be the most irritating/frustrating mode of transport here. There was a rule passed earlier that share vans/autos are not supposed to be over crowded, actually nobody standing, but there you see those drivers, cutting maamool to the traffic constables and carrying heavy crowd. These vehicles don’t start unless they are over crowded, be prepared for extreme delays, the drivers are smart, they keep moving slowly and very slowly, giving you a feel that they are gonna start, but wait, not so soon!! Finally the van starts and you feel relieved, but there, it stops at the next stop, getting in more people. One wonders at the optimization capacity of the vehicle. Actually a lot more than optimization. If the van can contain only 16 people sitting, ok alright, lets say about 8 more people can stand crushing each other, you would actually find the van carrying 35 people easily, this might be an exaggerated account, but the situation is true. And entertainment, songs blaring in a few ten thousand decibels. Have you only studied about vacuum in your science classes, but haven't felt the same, get into one of the share vans. Their driving is the best. Man, I bet, you would never find such professionally horrible drivers.

Two wheeler drivers find their vehicle so useful, they manage to drive their whole family.
There would be a father having a kind in front, a kid behind him and his wife and his wife carrying a baby on her lap. Two wheelers are a Blessing to many, economical for the whole family.

Cycle walas – cycles are the best mode of transport in such a congested city, but these cycle riders take it as an advantage and tread into every mm gap between vehicles, and again, taking sharp turns and poondhufying without any indication. Cycles might be very small, but calls for other drivers’ alertness.

And ambulances are such a sorry sight in the city, few are the drivers who know that a life is in stake and they have to give way. All one has to feel is that what if one’s family member or friend happens to be in that ambulance?

With the increasing number of vehicles, there is no space for parking and you find vehicles occupying more of the road for parking alone. The road becomes narrower and calls for traffic congestion.

Why talk just about vehicles and drivers?? Talk about pedestrians. How many actually cross the road at the pedestrian signal? And there are more who walk literally like buffalos, I guess even buffalos would move with continuous honking, but not these people. People walk in the middle of the roads, cross like crazy, ignore honking, all because of the over confidence that the vehicle would slow down. Maybe sometimes, you just have to go really close to them and give them an alert, a shock, that they have been almost hit.

You find people littering, puking, throwing garbage, etc. etc. from the buses, that might actually fall right on your face. And that moment, you lost control over your vehicle. If you shout at them, they shout back. You find a guy driving a two wheeler littering on the road just in front of your vehicle as you are driving, or even take pains to slide down his window and litter from the A/C car, you ask him i this where and how he would spit, he shouts back at you asking “Where and how else will I spit, you $&#*@$?”. Or ask “Yov!! Pinnala vandi varadhu theriyale” , he retorts, “aye!! Velaye paathuttu po $&#*@$”. You are driving and you suddenly see the vehicle just in front of you crossing to the left sharply from the right, you apply a brake suddenly and say “Yov!! Ennaya otre?” , he says “OYeeeeeee, enna enna!!! Nee ozhunga ottittu poda $&#*@$”. One shouts at the wrong doer just for one’s own psychological satisfaction, what he gets back is a lot more awful and you know you have achieved nothing by shouting at him or telling him what he’s done.

Somebody’s met with an accident, there are very few/nobody to stop and help him. There is a thief who runs off with somebody’s belonging, sometimes even harming him/her. How many actually come to rescue other than sympathizing with the victim. People have their own self-justified excuses everytime for every act.

What actually happened to the rule about helmets that was passed twice, that both the driver and the pillion rider have to wear them? Yeah, drivers without helmets are being caught once in a blue moon, but how many actually wear helmets?

Govt. buses themselves are in such a pathetic condition, some with thick emission of gases, so much in need of service, yet carrying a heavy crowd and going all the way. Who can ask them? Honk and noise and pollution and hardly-clearing traffic is the situation here. One hardly finds traffic constables on the roads during hot times of the day, and even if they are there, there is no regulation in traffic, sometimes, we feel that we shouldn’t just blame them as people today are reckless and uncontrollable, but actually, if rules were enforced very strictly at every division and every section, why would one drive recklessly?

Wanna test your patience and driving skills? Try driving here!!!

This article itself, has become too long and I have more to write. Anyways, let me continue in the next part to come JJ.

This article being dedicated to the horrible traffic and drivers in the city, am sure many feel the same about how frustrating it is to drive on Chennai roads. You are most welcome to share your opinions or your own personal experiences on the same.

P. S. :

1. Pictures from Google -- actually, the situation is a lot more severe, wish we carried a digicam or a mobile cam always to capture shocking things

2. Having lived in Chennai the last 24 years, I am able to see the striking difference, to feel the city moving from being just beautiful to growing worse. Not sure, the same might be applicable to many other cities too.

Aversion to rats??

Aversion to rats? Hate them? Find them disgusting? Tensed whenever you find one? Watch RATATOUILLE.... the movie's absolutely amazing. It is so damn cute. Totally touching and so totally lovable. You get spellbound at times, so touched at times, roar and laugh at times, get inspired at times, you jus fall completely in love with the rat and the chef who inspires the rat, and actually, yeah, with almost all the characters. Who knows, end of the movie, you might just love rats, like, whenever you see a rat, you might be reminded of this cutest one and who knows again, you might get inspired to become a great chef too :-) :-)

If Stuart Little was amazing, this one is a stunner!! Don't miss the movie...

The BOSS and the One and Only!!!!!!!!

Excitement about having watched Thalaivar's movie is preventing me to even start off with what I thought about the movie. Awesome and absolutely wonderful is Sivaji, the BOSS. Thalai's charm is so striking in this movie too and a lot of fun and liveliness were added by the highly cheerful crowd that thalai has gained. This time too, on watching the movie, one thinks, Thalai pola varuma?? The walk, the talk, the style, the charm, the smile, the personality, the way of rendering punch dialogues followed by that smile, aaahaaa aahaaahaaa!!!!!!!!! One is definitely spell bound by watching him and the cheerful fan crowd. One just enjoys any of his movies so much, I’d say. Again, thalai pola varuma?? Shankar's movies are anyday awesome and this movie proves the fact too. It carries a noble theme and nobody could have fitted the role better than thalaivar. Indha vayasulayum thalaivar's dance is just too good. Hats off to ARR for the songs that make you go spellbound. Shriya looks just too beautiful, the costume designers and the make up men have done an absolutely wonderful job. Picturisation of the songs is toooooooooo good, hats off!!!! “Oru Koodai sunlight” especially, is a masterpiece. (being a big fan of thalai, Shankar and ARR, I get easily carried away and I don’t have anything to say that’s negative :-) )

A movie with a fine blend of a noble theme and humour. All the scenes on the "pazhagalaam vaanga", Rajni asking his mom "emma enna karuppa pethe" and his mom replying "vellaya irundha azhukkayiduviye pa", the scenes where he tries to become fair, the scenes of Rajini and Shriya dancing for the old and hit Tamil numbers and a lot of other scenes (sure everybody'd have watched the trailer on the TV) make the crowd burst into laughter. Even at a time when the movie was going serious, the guest appearance of Mayil samy, Chinni Jayanth and Dhamu imitating thalaivar is damn hilarious. Rajini's punch dialogues are just too good, especially the one “BOSS, mottai BOSS”. Am going again this week :-)

Padam chance-ae illa!!!!! Thalaivaaa, nee pallaandu kaalam vazhga!!!!!!!!!!!!!

From a crazy, blind and ardent fan of Thalaivar who is still not out of the Sivaji mania.

Living these days....

(Supposed to be a part of my previous post on Negligence, but didnt want that post to be real long, or we would neglect reading ;-) )

Living has become so expensive and so luxurious these days (but the expenses are easily met coz of the luxury). We cant just live without plastic, simple, who has the time to wash and maintain cloth bags when plastic covers can simply be used and disposed. Who can sit and wash plates and glasses after a group dinner when we can simply use plastic plates and throw them away. Luxurious living is so easy these days, actually just a click away (pun intended!!! ) Gone are the days of healthy and active living. Now, "live every moment" is what we say, so we work like hell, party like hell and that's made easier with instant foods, actually instant living. There's just everything that is brought to our hands. The other day, I went to the supermarket to see a lady's bag containing - instant noodles (just two minutes), milk powder (available for days together, there is no more pain of buying milk everyday and boiling it and curdling it for there was instant curd too in the bag), an aerated drink bottle (difficult to prepare fruit juices at home and what's readily available and what's just refreshing is this), bread and that freshly cut vegetables in a plastic bag (oops, it is such a pain buying vegetables from the market and cutting them and cooking and all that), readymade chappathis (hey, they are fresh and healthy) and two minute instant channa mix. Oops!! life's so easier these days, I dont have to move a muscle of mine. Sitting in front of the computer, sitting in front of the TV, chatting with people and roaming out is all that I do and I can still lead a comfortable life. Health complications?? no way!! I buy only health food , it may be instant, but it is so healthy. Common, why strain myself when I have everything right here, right now.. Alright, but health complications in future due to the way of living??? Hey, the medical technology is so advanced these days and I have earned all the money to spend, after all it is my health and am definitely conscious.. This seems to be the prevailing attitude. Phew!!!!!!!!

NEGLIGENCE

Let me start with the most interesting and unforgettable incident. The results of our Higher Secondary Board Examinations were released. I had scored just 158 out of 200 in English. I was so shocked and so were my teachers, friends and family as English and Tamil were my most favourite subjects and I’v given a consistent good performance. My English teacher asked me to apply for retotalling and I did so for we were damn sure that I deserve more for I had written the paper so well. I got the telegram later saying that my marks had increased. We went to the DPI to collect the marksheet and we were again shocked to find an increase of just ten marks. Earlier I had scored 94 in English I and 64 in English II and to my knowledge my English II paper was perfect. As I was about to sign the elaborated mark sheet maintained by the DPI, I had the greatest shock. My English II mark was 64 only, but my English I paper had 104 marks. That was 104 out of 100 (the marksheet given to the students contains only the consolidated marks, so that is 168 out of 200). When I asked the officer, all that he said was "You are going to do Engineering right? You have applied for retotalling in Physics also and there's no increase. So just be happy with whatever you have got in your English, sign and leave the place.” These people have the responsibility of bringing justice to the entire student community for our future lies definitely on our board examination marks too. And the catch, my teacher said that she had spoken to one of the officials (as soon as the results were announced) about my marks, that I had applied for retotalling and that they should look into my paper for they would then know that the valuation was wrong. So, our guess is that this person would have simply said, "Hey, give ten marks for this candidate" without even looking into the paper and there was my 104 for 100. Could such people behave so stupidly and so irresponsibly? My teacher's intention had actually turned into a blind recommendation. Her intention was to bring to their notice that neither the valuation nor the cross checking is done properly and she felt so bad at such an outcome, the extent of irresponsibility. But sometimes, it is our mistake also. I was shocked and angry and damn disappointed about the stupidity and I knew that it would be of no use complaining. But I still feel bad that I had not raised the issue to the concerned. So that's negligence on my part for I had neglected reporting and correcting what I call a crime. And, how many of us know students who had omitted questions (covered in Syllabus) and still obtained a centum.

Take the railways. We had booked first class tickets once to Tirupathi for there were no tickets available in the general class. We were actually not interested for we knew that it is not worth paying so much for a three-hour journey. Anyways, we had to go then. We were shocked to see that even the reserved compartments were heavily crowded. In a place where just eight people can sit, there were easily fifteen. We were imagining the fate of the people who had taken pains to reserve, what use? We couldn't have been more shocked to see six people in the the first class coupe which we had booked. And just for your information, the coupe can have just four people (we were four) and before we could go there were six and two were fast asleep on the berths. When asked, we came to know that they were railway employees, some returning home after work and some travelling to Arakkonam and Tirupathi with their families. When we demanded them to vacate, all that they said was they would be getting down in Arakkonam and that this happens usually. They simply paid no attention to our complaints. And the worst part of the journey was, the TT never came, probably he should have known that such things generally happen. We waited for the TT till Arakkonam, he never came and finally we managed to prevent the next bunch of people getting into the coupe. Well, if we could travel so comfortably without tickets, why take all the pain of booking and spending so much.

Temples and the loudspeakers -- belief that loudspeakers mean celebrative seasons, but the loudspeaker blares on most of the days in a year. Makes one wonder if they celebrate seasons or create seasons to celebrate. Temples are supposed to be a silent place of worship, a place of peace, but even temples these days are more commercial. But hey, don't you know the fact -- the bhakti has increased, there is more of devotion and they are devising ways for God Himself to hear the devotion (oops, should that be feel and not hear...well, we are talking about loudspeakers, so "hear" is the word)

Take political meetings. The loudspeakers (for shouting out the filthy words one knows) and the road blocks. Simple concept, shouldnt these politicians have the common sense that they should not cause inconvenience to the public, the people because of who they survive? It is pathetic to see our money being lavishly spent on the cut outs, the hoardings, the stages and the electricity (if it is a big meeting, then the lights are on during the day time too, extra brightness???) Result : power cuts even in the hottest seasons. Extremely pathetic!!

ottest season -- ozone warning. Too many flats being constructed in places that were green. Cant help the construction of flats due to the massively increasing population, but what about the deforestation. How nice it is whenever we enter areas filled with trees and how nice would it be if every such area is like that? hmmm...pulamba dhaan mudiyum. Deforestation, plastic covers everywhere, inorganic wastes, industrial dumps, huh!! where are we heading?

Negligence is the word that occured to me when writing and it seemed apt too. Neglecting one's responsibilities, be it the wrong doer or the victim. The victim neglects his responsibility to correct or complain effectively, but the victim's situation is understandable. In a world of threat and money power, one would prefer adjusting and accepting rather than complaining and correcting. There have been times when we have complained, but do we see any action being taken?? Influence matters, you see and the concerned officials have other useful work to do, they cant waste their time and life and ambition taking actions on the complaints from the public. So, what use complaining is what has set in. But there are still some officials whose focus remains on executing their duties and promises towards the society and they still remain reliable. So, let us not be negligent.

Thank You Card from a kid!!!!

Had written this for my friend. It was his wedding and he wanted a simple Thank You card to be given to the people who attended the wedding. And guess what, he wanted the card from his four-year old niece. So here'z what I composed....

It’s my maama’s wedding and how nice he is
Beside my maami, who is going to be his.
I am their niece, jus four years old,
A simple Thank you card is what I now hold.

Thanks to all our dear and near,
It's so nice to have you here,
To see you Bless this lovely pair
And wish them a life of joy and care.

Cho chweet!!!!

Adding on to the post below on kids!!!!! I jus love this!!!

kIdSsssssssssssss.......

We were on a treat to “Unnale Unnale” sometime back. Some were bugged and some watched the movie for a time pass. At a stage when people started getting really bored, this happened. There was a point when the heroine wanted to meet the hero and apologise. When she came to meet the hero, a kid behind us remarked, “Ippo I am sorry nu solla pora illa??” (The heroine is now gonna say, “Am sorry” right?). The entire crowd burst into laughter. Cho chweet kid!!!!

Kids are just terribly sweet. Once my kutti cousin had come home and my sis prepared Peas pulao for him. Later, my sis started reading and clarified with dad regarding the Power of Attorney . They both were talking so much about the Power of Attorney that when she came back for lunch and served Peas pulao to my cousin, he just exclaimed, “The power of pattaani!!”. (pattani in Tamil means Peas).

This cousin (whom I was talking about in the previous instance) was always our victim, esp. coz he was the youngest among us and the only boy :P. He was attending Abacus classes and one day, as we were going out in auto, we started asking him about the classes. A small boy, he’d generally put a big scene and as usual he said that he can add and subtract any two digit numbers within seconds. So we started with what is 47-29, 83-42, 64-18 and so on. He would use his fingers, do some calculation and give the right answers within seconds (we weren’t checking much for we took more time :P ). Finally, we asked him what is 98-97, he accidentally calculated that too using his fingers and then exclaimed 1 just to see us bursting into a loud and heavy laughter. He found the driver laughing too and started fighting and showing his face and all that. Whenever we meet him, we ask him what’s 98-97 only to see him grow red.

This happened as soon as this boy started riding a bicycle. He saw his elder sister and her friends walking along the road. He wanted to show off and he shouted “Hoodibabaaaa!!!!!” letting both his hands high up in the air. There was a big pit and you should have realised by now what would have happened J. The girls started giggling, filmy types eh??

We had a neighbour who had two kids and both of them were damn sweet and attached, they used to spend all their time at our place. I remember takin the younger one (he should have been four years old then) in my two-wheeler. I was so worried about him sitting behind and kept telling him to hold on to me tightly. He knew that I was worried and whenever I raised the speed, he would leave both his hands, hold them freely up in the air and shout “Sagiye!!” in the typical Madhavan style in the song “Pachai Nirame” and I will have to stop my vehicle then, only to see him laughing. This kept happening throughout the drive.

A one year old baby. A few relatives had a get together one day and were having dinner seated in a big circle. She was crawling behind us and found my mom who was tying a similar-coloured saree as her mom. So she tried standing up, holding my mom (whose face she didn’t see), hugging her and caressing her. Slowly she peeped and looked into my mom's face (just like that). Man, you should’ve seen her expession then, it was the movie types, where at the first glance she didn’t realise, but the next second, she glanced at her again, her eyes grew big and she immediately moved away. We broke into a big laughter and she laughed with us too not knowing why :-) . And sometime back, my aunt and uncle had come over with this baby to our place. That day she saw our maid coming and washing the utensils in the balcony. The next day the maid came and smiled at the baby and she was shocked to see this baby show her hand to the utensils in the balcony directing the maid to go and wash them. Our maid was awestruck J. She said she will never forget it. J

There was a mason we knew and he had a real cute kid. The boy was around 5 years, he was cute and had a sharp, shrilled way of talking. His Tamil was terrific, the typical Madrasi language. He would shout “Yekkaaaaaaoo” to me and I would shout back “Call me Akka” and he would shout again, “Yekkaao inga vaayen”. He would turn to my mom and say “Aundy” and my mom would say “Dey, naan aandi innum aala da, aunty-nu koopdu” and he would come back the next day saying Aundy again. One day he shouted “Aundy , tea pathikkudhu aundy”, we later realised what he meant was that the tea was very hot. And lots more, the chap was the sweetest.. now he’d have become a big boy, we really miss him.

Am sure everybody would have splendid unforgettable experiences with kids, maybe you can share them here :-). In the meanwhile , let me check if I remember more...

Hayyo!!!!!

This happened last week, there was a Circular from our Flat Association (I have just moved in here after my wedding) that there will be a General Body Meeting addressing major and all issues of all the Flats on May 1st, Tuesday at 9:00 am. I was shocked to see a major meeting being held on a week day during office hours. I didnt sign the sheet and told the flat helper that I will consult with my husband and ask the Flat Secretary to reschedule the meeting to a convenient timing. He was a little reluctant about me not signing the sheet but went away. I spoke with my dad-in-law later that afternoon and as I was saying this, he suggested me writing down in that sheet itself that it will not be a convenient timing, rather than going and talking with the Secretary. And my husband came home and said that had it been him, he would have written it down that way. The next morning, the helper came again, I told him that I was going to write the details in the sheet, he kept asking me as to why I dont just sign, but then, why would I do that? Shouldn't I voice my opinion against a totally useless scheduling? I wrote in detail asking the Association to reschedule the meeting to a more convenient timing like late evenings during weekdays, or on Sundays and that we will not be able to attend this meeting and that we feel that there is no point in conducting such a meeting. I was glad that I had done a good job only to find my husband asking me later in the afternoon as to when the meeting was scheduled. He asked me after he got a call in which I heard him saying a SORRY and all that. I told him that it was on the 1st of May at 9:00 am , he asked me what is 1st of May and I realised that it was a holiday being May Day.. oops!!!! so that was a call from the Association asking us why we had issues when the meeting was being conducted on a holiday and why write behind and that they are getting into the official records.. well, but nobody realised that it was May day, probably becoz I stressed more on the fact that it was a Tuesday at an office hour ... And what more, I had written everything and signed "For Vivek" :P:P:P . Idhukkudhaan over-a unarchivasa pada koodadho :-(

P.S. : But how many of you actually observed the May 1st there? ;-)

Call it presence of mind?? :-)

This happened in my final year of Engineering. Time to start off with our projects and we had our 0th review (zeroth review?? sounds terribly crazy?? but that was how it was called). Each team had to come and give a presentation on the project that had been taken up. Premalatha and me had planned to automate the Attendance Management System (idhellaam oru project-a nu nariya per kettanga) and we were the fourth team to present. We were taken by shock when we saw the second team giving a presentation on "Leave Management System " (adhu mattum oru project-a?? ;-) ) . And when our turn came, as soon as I started giving my presentation, our HOD stopped me asking a valid question with a strict tone, "Looks like your team and Rajesh' team are doing the same project, tell me what's different about your project and then proceed with your presentation, if not, stop and take up some other project". Before I could realise, I found myself blurting "Sir, they concentrate on absence while we concentrate more on presence" just to see an outburst of laughter from everybody with a "Very Good, Very Good" from my HOD. But then, I saw the other team going red and I tried to soothe things saying "Well, we just touch leave system while they are analyzing it in detail" and had to stop to see my HOD still laughing.... :-)

Clay Modelling from Astha

My friend Astha, is pretty passionate about clay modelling and she had given this article earlier. Here she goes...

Got a Hobby: Clay Modeling!



1. What ingredients are required?

Clay modeling is an art that deals with shaping up soil. The basic ingredient is wet mud, usually covered with wet sacks to keep it moist. Nowadays an ingredient called ‘patti’ (used by glass workers to join pieces of glass) is available in the market. This is less expensive and can be used instead of mud.

Secondly, you require tools. There are many tools available for modeling clay. If you are a beginner on a tight budget, it is possible to make your own tools from hair pins to old credit cards; anything can be used as a tool here.

Last but not the least, you require good imagination. I’ve seen many people confuse this art with painting and give up on it. I’d like to clarify that these are two different art forms. I feel clay modeling is specific and simpler than painting.



2. How does one get started?

One just needs a clay blob to get started. Your hands are your best sculpting instruments.



3. Method for making clay models...

There are three steps to modeling clay:


Creating form
Adding detail
Finishing

When you start, you just have a clay blob. First, you need to create a rough shape. You can do this with your hands. This method is called creating a form.

Once you’ve come up with a rough shape, you need to add details to this form. You might require cutting some portion of clay or adding some more parts to it. Cutting can be done by using slim wires.

The third step is to smooth the imperfections. If you’re using clay, you can wet your hands in water and then use fingers to smoothen the edges.


4. Tips for beginners...

Always remember the CAF rule: Create Form, Add Details, and Finish
Beginners can work well with just plain mud and use their hands to craft it. This is the basic art of clay modeling
Begin by creating simple items like bells, jewellery, crockery, etc. Once you gain confidence, take on sculpting human figures


5. How can one enhance their models?

One can enhance their models by using paint or accessories. Using tools also helps. Clay modeling, according to me, requires an individualistic approach. Finally, it’s you ideas that are taking form.

Now that's a pretty good article...Any questions, contact : asthadhar@gmail.com

Is cooking an art??

Have always wondered if cooking is really an art.. For whenever I cook, either it is awesome or awful, never consistent. I have prepared rasam about hundred times already, and I still go wrong sometimes. Reminded of the Shahi Tukda that I prepared when I was in my eleventh standard. Noted the recipe from TV and prepared it that evening. It was awful, I had to throw it away just like that. Vaaila vekkakooda mudiyale. Was telling my cousin about how bad it was and she heard my Shahi Tukda as Saaptu Thuppuda!!! ;-). Right hearing and right name!!!! :P:P

Well, we have always loved our mom's cooking and I have always wanted to be a super cook too, but laziness never made me go into the kitchen and try out new recipes. I do cook, but take hours (not anymore , you see :-) ).. I remember preparing a supposed-to-be-Naan with a supposed-to-be paneer peas masala for three hours. My uncle and dad had come for dinner and 7:00 pm and I remember serving them at 10:00. Though it was good, I realised that cooking means tasty dish at the quickest time, add nutrition to it. And more to it, I usually cook in huge quantities, and just because we shouldnt waste it, we have excess food which prevents one from relishing it. And dad always says, that whenever you cook, cook the correct quantity or less, makes the consumer (consumer?? ;-) ) ask for more and leaves a lasting taste too. Have found that to be true. So one more recipe to good cooking skills.

And we need to love what we do for it to turn out well. And that holds good for cooking too. My husband has a passion for cooking, prepares multicuisinary dishes, mostly innovative stuffs and everytime they turn out to be jus yummy. Have seen how he cooks, he adds this, he adds that, he adds whatever he feels like adding and finishes. Thats why he cannot explain any recipe, because he has no standard way of cooking (like what I have). I've started admiring his way of cooking thats pretty neat and interesting and SIMPLE. When I see him cook , I just feel that cooking is nothing, just a matter of interest and love for food. He added vegetables, tomatos and onions to our Dosai maavu and called it Kuzhi Paniyaaram ( I've always thought that preparing Kuzhi paniyaaram was very difficult), stuffed all the remaining vegetables in chappathi maavu and made stuffed paratha and a lot of such things. Well, maybe they are really simple, but I never knew that things can actually be prepared with so much ease.

Actually speaking, seems that love for the person you cook for adds taste to food and thats why moms cook so well. Vivek heard about this from his mom and came home once when we got engaged and asked me to cook. I told him not to link this and that, was terribly worried :-) but actually, the dinner was pretty good that day. He said he really loved it (is that true or a consolation for himself?? I dont know ;-) ) but found my sis growing red saying that I'v never prepared such a food for her :P:P. But last Sunday I prepared a complete meal in less than one hour and Vivek said that it was terribly awesome and the best food I've prepared, well, we actually fought then :P:P Anyways, love for the food and for the person being served (provided he is a lover of food) is an essential ingredient to good cooking.

Cooking is definitely an art :-)

Me writing about cooking?? Difficult to believe, but looks like I've got a passion for it. My friend, Kaushik, was saying the other day "Aunty (Jayanthi ezhuthufied as Jayaanthi Jayaaanthi and Jaya Aunty) no more talking about work (have I ever done that?) only molagu kozhambu and seeraga rasam from now on"... well, I think that's right, Kaushik :-)

Do check out my cousin's site --
http://aarthirajesh.sslpowered.com/kitchen/

P.S : Cutting the vegetables is also an art, adds more interest to cooking, actually. And to add flavour, a passion towards maintaining the kitchen, using appropriate dishes and arranging them makes cooking an interesting art.

Are helmets really necessary?

Came across an accident last week at Kotturpuram. The guy should be around 25 only and had passed away the moment the accident had happened. Not sure if a bus hit him lightly when he was on his bike. But he had lost his life. No injuries anywhere in his body, no blood stains anywhere on his shirt or pant, just that his head was smashed with his brain lying partly outside. Does that ring a bell? Well, all of us know the vitality of helmets, yet, either we are lazy because am one too who doesn't wear a helmet just coz it has to be dusted or cleaned which I take ages to do or we feel that the helmet is suffocating and irritating. But isnt suffocation better than losing our life? Have heard people saying that its all fate and that if we are to die, however careful we are , we will die and if we are to live, even if we lie on a track, the train would just stop. Well, I strongly feel that they are mere justifications and aren't we supposed to treasure this life that comes just once? Helmets are necessary, both for the driver and for the pillion rider.

Do check out this site that I came across : http://www.bhsi.org/crashmor.htm

Jus wondering....

Well, created the blogspot today, finally... Have been thinking for a pretty long time about becoming a blogger, but laziness again :-) in fact, I had a few write-ups also. Have been wondering as to why I write essays, ore long long-a. Wont the reader be terribly bored? But then, at times, I feel that I write certain stuffs for myself, like the Wayanad trip, just to relive those wonderful moments, so why miss details. Otherwise, I'v always appreciated crispy writings and I would love to become a writer who is precise and sharp and I think am far away from that. I use a thousand sentences to convey one statement ;-). Have seen blood from people's ears :P... (reminded of a kid we visited yesterday, my husband was casually remarking to the kid's mom "Aunty, kaadhula irundhu rathama varudhu" and the kid said "enga kaatu" :-) ). Well, want to become a good writer first and then an effective one.. Let's see..

Sodhappals over the phone

Am so bad at remembering voices over the phone and have had my own share of what-to-say experiences.. Remember a few of them...

INCIDENT 1

I think the first flop was when I was trying to call up one of my school friends. Should have happened in my eleventh standard. At the receiving end was a lady’s voice and I immediately recognized it to be my friend’s mom. Now, am pretty much acquainted with his mom and she’s such a friendly and nice lady. I’v always felt a lot comfortable talking to her and here was how the conversation went.

Aunty : Hello!
Me : Helloooooo Aunty!!! Eppadi irukkael??? (How are you??)
Aunty : (After a small pause) Oh nanna irukken ma (am fine!!)
Me : Ellarum eppadi irukka? (How are everybody?)
Aunty : Everybody are fine ma.
Me : (Aunty talking in English, that too stylishly?? She talks in Tamil only na)
Enna Aunty, Peter ellaam vidarel??
Aunty : Peter-a??
Me : (I could have shut up, but then!! ) Peter na English pesarudhu aunty!!
English-la ellaam pesarel!!!
Aunty : Oohhhh!!!
Me : (Atleast now, I could have stopped talking and asked for my friend).
Samachaacha Aunty??
Aunty : Oh over ma!!!

I’v been wondering all through the conversation as to what happened to her voice, she sounded so different. I don’t remember what more I spoke, but finally, after about ten minutes (I generally talk to his mom for so much time)

Me : Aunty, Murali, Lalitha yaaravadhu irukkaangala??
Aunty : Murali, Lalithava?? Appadi yaarum illiye ma!!
Me : (Ooopsss!! Who am I talking to) Oh sorry aunty, naan nanachen en friend-oda
amma kitta pesittirukken-nu. Avangalum ungala maadhiri dhaan pesuvaanga
(appadiya??)
Aunty : oh!!! Naanum en ponnoda friend dhaan pesaraalo-nu nanachen ma!!
Me : Sorry Aunty!! Bye!!! (aaayyyyoooooo!!!!!)
Aunty : Bye ma!!!



Oops, what a kolarupadi, anyways, thank goodness!! As long as we don’t know each other!!

Now, Praveen is my best friend and I called him right away to tell him about what had happened. Now, when dialing his number, something struck me. Hey, this number seems familiar!!! Oops man!! I had called this number only earlier!! Oh !!!!! then I should have been talking to Praveen’s mom. Gosh!! I’v not spoken much to her and she was my school teacher too. By the time, I could realize all this, Praveen picked up the phone. I could have just kept quiet. But, alas!! I blurted out everything to him and he conveyed that to his mom when I was on the line only. Ayyyoooo!!! How embarrassing!! Had I kept quiet, his mom wouldn’t have known that it was me….me and my mouth!!! Huh!!!

Well, now, his mom and me talk so well and have a hearty laugh whenever we are reminded of this incident.

INCIDENT 2

I guess I was in the third year of my Engineering then. Puppy and me went over to Frank's place one Saturday afternoon. We had a lovely chat with him and his mom and all the three of us went to Candar’s place after that. And then, as it was growing late, I borrowed Candar’s vehicle, dropped Puppy home, came back to Frank’s place to leave the vehicle. Santhosh and me found that Frank and his mom had gone out and I was introduced to Frank’s brother. After mokkai pottufying with him , I decided to go home. Now, Frank had left a message for me. He wanted to call him up and let him know that I have reached home. So, as sincere as I am, the moment I went home, I called him up.

Me : Hello, Frank irukkana?
Male : Illiye, neenga yaaru??
Me : (Immediately recognised that it was his brother) Hey, naandhaan Jayanthi
pesaren!! Frank friend!!! Naan veetukku vandhuttenu avan vandha sollidariya?
Male : Veetukka? Enga irundhu?
Me : Hey, naan ippo un veetukku vandhen illa, puppy-ya drop pannittu
adhukkappuram anga vandiya vechutu, bus pidichu enga veettuku bathirama
vandhutten!! (hayyo!!)
Male : Oh appadiya?? Ok!! Kandippa sollidaren!!
Me : Thanks!!!! (oru smile-oda…appadiye phone-a vachirukkalaam illa!! I
went on) nee enna practice-ku poliya??
Male : Enna practice??
Me : Oye, Frank thambi dhaane pesare??
Male : Illa ma, naan Frankoda appa pesaren!!!!



Hayyo!!! What a kolarupadi!! Idhula “thambi dhaane PESARE” vera?? Hayoo!!!! And then I had to mutter a hundred sorrys, but uncle was so sweet. He was really cool and very very friendly. He was asking me what I spoke about reaching home and all that, and, normally only, I confuse; that moment, out of tension I confused him like anything and put down the phone, only to hear a call from Frank after sometime that he didn’t understand anything JJ. I am never easily understood ;-) But uncle was really cool and friendly...

INCIDENT 3

Once there was a call on our landline. I picked up

Me : Hello!!!
Other end : hello!
Me : yaar venum??
Other end : Rajagopal irukkara??
Me : Illa avar class-la busy-a irukkar!! Apram phone panreengala?
Other end : Aamam, adhu periya class-u!! aracha maavaye arachuttu busy
veraya?
Me : (blood boiling) Hello!! Mariyadhaya pesunga!! Yaar neenga??
Other end : pinna enna ma!! Avar kitta phone-a kudu!! Avar class-la onnum
solli thandhu kizhikkaporadhilla!!
Me : (fully furious) ungala pathi enna nanaichittirukkenga!!
Mariyadhaya kedukka vendaamenu parkaren, mariyadhaya pesu illaati phone-a
vai!!!
Other end : enna ammanikku romba kovam varudhu pola!! Naan dhaan
Selvakumar pesaren ma!!

Oops!! I recognised the voice to be familiar but anger kinda blindfolded me… so that was dad’s close pal and I was relieved…



romba pesitteno!!! JJ ennikku dhaan pesale-nu nariya per sollardhu en kaadhula vizhudhu!!! :-)

INCIDENT 4

There was a call on our landline once… My uncle used to call up almost everyday at almost the same time, afternoons.

Me : Hello!!
Other end : Hellooooooooo!!!!! (with all the intonations!!! So I immediately
recognised it to be my uncle)
Me : haaan…..heeellllooooo!!!! sollungo!!!
Other end : Sir irukkaara??? (again with an intonation)
Me : Sir illiye!!!neenga en kooda pesalaame!!!
Other end : Neenga yaarumaa??? (thirumbi oru izhuvai)
Me : Naan dhaan ungaloda marumaal pesaren, MAAMA!!!
Other end :
Me : Helllooooo (with the same intonation)!!! Irukkeengala illa illiya?
Other end : Sir irukkara? (this time no izhuvai, but the voice was similar, I had
a doubt, but am so much used to his games that this time I resolved…
Me : illa!!! (with the same sharp intonation that he used)
Other end : yaar pesareenga???
Me : ungalukku oru vaati sonna puriyardhe illa maama!!! Cha!!! JJ

And the line got disconnected. Now, I was used to this also from my uncle. So, I just left it at that. Told mom that uncle had called up, played the fool and put the phone down. Only to hear that uncle was not in town that day JJ



Think thats enough for the time being.... hope I dont remember any more kolarupadis.

1 year old's Birthday Invite

Wrote this for my cousin who turned a year old recently.. The child extending her invitation for her birthday.. Was sitting in the bus when my uncle asked me to write, just thought about her, whatever she does and lo, got this poem in twenty minutes. Journey does help :-) and Maama has been kind enough to put this in the card ;-)

Appa n Amma call me Prathu kutti,
I'v jus started doing a lot of looti,
Keeping my parents always on duty,
Dont you think am a cute li'l beauty?

Tapping my kutti feet, I stand up n try to walk,
Hey, very soon, you will hear my mazhalai talk...
When papa leaves to office, I rush to catch his feet,
And pamper sweet mama with my jus-come two teeth.

Am going to complete a lovely one year,
For which I want to invite my near and dear;
Evlo velai irundhaalum, please dont miss,
Come , wish , Bless and give me a lovely kiss.

With huggies (;-)) and kissies,

Prathyaksha.

A lovely trip to a lovely place - Wayanad!!!

It was mid 2005. At work, we believed and indulged in the “All chat and no work makes the team a lively one” funda. We hit upon a tour plan. There were loose talks about going on a tour for a pretty long time, but then things substantiated by the end of July when we realized that we were going to have three days off at a stretch (no office or no work at office are all the same, but for the attendance ;-) ). After a small round of discussions, we finally decided that the place is gonna be Wayanad in Kerala. Heard from a few people that it’s an awesome place and worth visiting. We started getting things ready immediately. The lucky people were finalized, train tickets were booked, accommodation was confirmed and the outings in Wayanad were planned too.

And as bad luck would have it, I was put into a hectic project at the wrong time and had a delivery happening then. Oh how much I wished I were idle to get into the wonderworld of going on a tour with a super lively team. Actually, it’s been a pretty long time since I went on a tour with friends and this was something I was looking forward to so much and the main enthusiastic factor being the group formed then. Anyways, managed to finish off work by 5:30 pm on 12th August, 2006 and we started for Central from office. Oh the superb feeling!!!!!!!!

We were twelve and there was so much joy and life as people started joining at the station. Finally, we started and had a chatty chatty night getting introduced to people we didn’t know earlier who had joined the trip. Slept well in the train that night. Oh!! That’s what I really love, night journeys in the train beside the window. Takes me to a state of high happiness and joy.

Got up early to see the sunrise and beautiful Kerala. The whole world might have fantastic and popular places, but Kerala is the most splendid place I’v ever seen. The lush green scenario is what attracts anybody there. And we spent a beautiful 3 hours watching the blissful sceneries.

Reached Calicut and boarded a mini van to Wayanad. Oh that journey!! One of the best journeys one can ever have. The light green surroundings, clean roads, cool climate and drizzles now and then made the journey awesome. The inner joy at the splendid scenes would find its way out through a smile on the lips. Oh man!! Could a one-hour journey be this wonderful too??

Reached Wayanad and we were pretty concerned about the most economical accommodation that we had to avail. We had planned so late that we lost the best accommodations. But then, surprise of surprises!!! The hotel we had booked was pretty neat and compact and just lovely. Oops!! Can never get a better accommodation at such a low cost.

We had a quick bath and rushed to Woodlands for a superb lunch. Hogged like anything as we skipped our breakfast and started for the go-around that we were looking forward to the most. We were going to Soochipara Waterfalls. Well, the van dropped us at the entrance saying that we had to go down-trekking. The place was unkempt. It had rained and the land was so marshy and slippery. They were steeps and we held each other’s hands for a safe walk (rather run, as it was so steep). I realised that my flat shoes were dangerous and removed them just to realize again that bare foot was still more slippery. Oops, I wore the shoes again and the marsh on my foot prevented me from having a grip on them…Oh what a kolarupadi!!

We were going down (sliding??) the hill and we seriously doubted if there was any falls. Huh!! There was no sound of the falls too. Was reminded of our Talacauvery trip. We went up the hill, it was an hour’s journey I guess and we didn’t have any clue of the falls. I had pictured a Niagara there with a hushing sound and heavy pour which is how possibly, such a big river could have originated. But till the end, the place was dead silent, and finally, to oru shock of shocks, we were shown a small pond with a tiny orifice at its end which is supposed to be the originating point of Cauvery. Oh how disappointing!!! Jus wished that Soochipara also doesn’t turn out to be one.

There were a bunch of school students who preceded us and the ground turned more slippery due to the disturbance. We just wished that none of us went rolling down. There were places where we had no other option than a small jump and that jump might most probably lead to a fall. There were places where we had to hold a tree trunk or a protruding branch to cross. Oh Oh!! Am somebody, who keeps tripping and falling quite often, this seemed like a big bo to me. (lookin out for what Bo means?? I use such words when I don’t find the right one ;-) )

I guess it’s been pretty long since we started and were seriously hoping for a glimpse of the falls. I was somewhere at the last, after all the shoe and slippery things. There was a sudden joyous yell from our team-mates who were far ahead of us. Yo, there was something waiting. And in a few minutes, I saw that too!! Oh what a scene!! In fact, the best scene in my life so far. We stood there agape with wonder at the panorama that opened up before us. There was a strong gush of white water fallin down, throwing drops and drizzles all over the place. The water was gushing away through the rocks and we had to stand on the rocks about ten feet away from the falls. Climbing down the huge rocks and crossing the water to reach the closest rock was risky. But after that, the few minutes spent there could be the best few minutes in one’s life. It was dusk, so the day had turned cooler, the cool droplets falling all over making one gradually wet, the sound of the hushing falls and the smile of the water flowing through and me standing between…A Blessing, it is!! God’s creation cannot be better. Makes you feel that God is truly great and His miracles and wonders are truly the best Blessings.

All of us literally fell for the blissful scene. The tiredness and longing just vanished as what we saw is what one might not even have dreamt to see. And slowly I realized, that I did manage to make my way down without slipping or falling which I never expected to J. It was then that I saw one of my friends standing at the edge of the rock and had her feet in the water. Oh man! How can I miss that, shouldn’t I feel the gushing, chill, fresh water too? I shouted to her saying that am coming too, moved fast in my excitement, and slipped fully into the water. Only my head and shoulders were on the rock thanks to Vijaya (yeah..thats the friend who tempted me ). She caught hold of my hands and prevented me from being washed away. At that moment, my hand which had my handbag was fully into water and the strong flow was almost sweeping it off. There was about fifteen thousand rupees in it (I was the accountant there J ) and I couldn’t afford to leave the bag too. Finally, two more people came to my help and I managed to hold the bag and slowly sit up. Oh!! That second! Had it not been for her, I wonder!!! Managed to say a HI to Yama and said “Will get back later” ;-).

After a bunch of “Are you ok?” “Jayanthi, do u remember me?”, “Jayanthi, what is this, five or four?” , people concluded that I was ok. We decided to move. After capturing a bunch of fotos there, we were asked to move out as it started to darken. I was among the first to move out (am a girl and girls and elders always moved out first L ). Guys stayed back capturing photos and dancing and bathing. And later I realized that two other guys fell down too at the same place. Lucky place eh ;-)

And when we started going back, we realized that it was still more tough. Places that we jumped had to be climbed now with no solid or rough surfaces. We held each others hands to climb up and that was when I cursed myself for having worn tight jeans. Huh!! I wasn’t just able to climb up steep rocks, couldn’t jump up either, no small rocks as a step too. Two people just pulled me up (thank goodness, if it were now, for my weight, I guess I’d have had to stay back there) and finally the most kashtamana rock was done with. JJJ

And we had to shout out to the guys who were enjoying there to come back (stomach burning!!! ). And we started moving up slowly. Our legs started aching immediately and found the up-hill task quite strenuous. After all, the eagerness and slippery downs took us quite quickly and the return was filled with tiredness and missings feelings for the falls. My white kurtha was filled with mud stains and my shoes were in an awful condition.

We returned to our room that day and my first job was to wash the kurtas and jeans and shoes and have a warm water pleasant bath. That the kurtas and jeans never dried is not be considered here J. We then went out to an enclosed restaurant to have dinner and the bill for the hungry 12 of us was just 185/- JJ.

We woke up early the next day, pretty eager to visit the other places too and got ready on time only to find the other guys still sleeping. Managed somehow to wake them up and it was ten when we were ready. Our planned time to start was 7. J. We had a quick breakfast and started to Kuruva Islands. The journey was again awesome. This time we were traveling between dense hills, travelling in a valley effect. We finally reached the place to find a river gushing across. Came to know from two young boys who were making boats there that the island was closed due to the floods LL. Oh, that’s really sad. The island is supposed to be the second best place there and we didn’t get even a glimpse. But we didn’t regret our travel as the surroundings were just too good. Uninhabited plain land, view of the hills, gushing waters, trees here and there, classical huts were so captive.

We had an amazing time enjoying the lovely scenery and started off for the Sanctuary. Now we were traveling in what gave a glimpse of a forest. Dense trees overshadowing the roads and the cool pleasant climate were mind blowing. We got down here and there to enjoy the lovely sceneries.

And the sanctuary was closed too due to the roaming of wild animals. But we didn’t regret it as many of us were not too keen about the sanctuary. But actually, what attracted us was a ride through the forest which unfortunately couldn’t happen. Managed to see a lonely tea shop and we had a really superb tea. It was afternoon then and with no hotels anywhere in the way, we hogged on the bags of snack we had brought (good idea, it did save) and moved on to Edakkal Caves.



Now, we had an amazing time at the caves. We had to climb the rocks which was pretty exciting. Managed to reach the top and we were dead tired then. We then heard from somebody that on trekking further up the caves, we would catch a glimpse of the Kerala, TamilNadu and Andhra borders. Now going there was pretty risky, and we weren’t permitted too. But two of my enthusiastic friends started, one another followed them, I followed him and another followed me. So the five of us were there, only to realize half- way that we had to squeeze in ourselves through a very small gap between two rocks. Yup, we managed to do that too. Although I thought I was bold, there was always this fear of falling.

We finally managed to reach a location where we found that we had to hold a rope and climb up another peak to have a glimpse of the border. Only 2% of the people who visited the caves were going further up. Actually, one had to climb a little up in that soft slippery mountainous surface, then hold a rope that extended for about 6 metres and then climb up again. I had picturised me going up, which wasn’t really difficult, but coming down….am sure I’d slip and fall.. No!! I wasn’t going there. In spite of warning, two of the most enthusiastic friends went there and came back with a victorious feeling, one still feeling bad that she wasn’t permitted to go till the end.

We were at the top, it was great looking at the vast expanse of the land below. Shouting names and teasing each other, we came down and washed our faces in a fresh tiny spring of water. Huh!! That was a super cool, fresh water was so refreshing. It was like an air-conditioned room with a tiny spring at a corner with the sala sala sound. How pleasant!! No other situation can help one relax better. At last we were out of the caves with hard feelings again. Had a fresh lime juice (truly fresh) and started off for a dam.

The dam was a usual one, but then the wide expanse of the fresh waters gave it such an appeal. And, the best part of it was that it began to drizzle and rain when we went there leaving an enthralling evening. We sat on the dam, played with stone trottings on the water, chit chatted for sometime, sat in silence enjoying the beauty of the evening for sometime and when it was pitch dark, we started.

Now, the unexpected thing happened. We thought of taking another way while returning which we presumed would be a shorter route. Only after we took the route did we realize that there was no road, no lights or lamps and pitch dark too. The ten minutes is the most awful thing to happen. We doubted at times, if we would reach the main roads at all. With deeps on both the sides and the width of the flat surface being just the width of our van, one small deviation could lead to a fall. Oh, we tried keeping cool and not creating any tension so that the driver can drive. There was absolutely no trace of light or anybody around and we had no clue as to where the road, sorry, the path, ended at all. We couldn’t get down and walk either as we didn’t have a torch and it was pretty unsafe. I remember murmuring prayers and hoping that I would still have my dream come true, to live a two-hundred years JJ.

And lo!! After ten minutes of the eventful drive, we finally managed to reach the main road. And guess what, the van lights went off at just that moment. Managed to drive to a restaurant supported by lights from other vehicles. We were awe-struck. What if the lights had gone a few minutes before. God is truly great!!!! And the driver too, he was just too good, never let any tension or fear grip him and drove at his best.


Had a heavy dinner at a supposed to be classy restaurant with a film running by ;-). Returned back to the hotel and caught a good sleep that night.

Woke up the next morning and we were planning to leave by 7 again as we had to go to the Pookot lake and then start to Palghat where we had to board the train. Again, these guys got up late and we were late by a couple of hours. The pookot lake was at its best too. With dense bushes and trees at its sides and fresh cool water, boating was as memorable and as enlivening as it could be. The fresh water lake, dark green trees, the cloudy sky and the mild drizzles….oh!! how splendid!!! Had a gala time boating and we returned back to see a bunch of naughty monkeys springing here and there.. With a very heavy heart, we started to Palghat.

The way back should have been just wonderful, but a heavy heart didn’t let me enjoy the drive. Had a typical Kerala lunch, and we were traveling again. We got down at a supposed-to-be-haunted tree, caught pictures there hoping for shadows behind us once the print comes JJ. We just didn’t feel like leaving to Palghat and were pleading with our Project Manager to extend the trip by a day. We wanted to go back to Wayanad and go to Chembra Peak (supposed to be the best place out there which requires a day as one has to trek for about 18 km). But then, pleading was in vain. Our PM had a heavy heart too, but then cant afford to bunk, that too, a mass one LL. Came to Palghat, bought chips and boarded the train.

We had our dinner and started planning for another trip. It always happens na, at the end of a wonderful trip, one tends to start planning for another one so that one gets the feeling that these moments will come again. Although, the next trip with the same gang never happened, the chat and discussion made us feel really good. Then, we were playing cards till about 1 or 2 late night and then slept only to wake up at 4:30 am with a very heavy heart.

Back at office, the day was really long and sad and it took me about a couple of weeks to overcome the missing feelings. Used to think that yesterday this time, we were there, last week, this time, we were there and the photos as they started coming helped us relive the fantastic moments there.

Oh what a trip!!! The lovely climate that prevailed, the lively team formed, the marvelous places visited…. can I ever forget it!!! Am going there again, for sure!!! JJ

P.S : Pictures from the net...waitin to scan and upload the pics we shot there...