Audacious

Food Security Bill

2011-12-22T15:22:00.002+08:00

After few stints with my travel diary, I am back with one of my favorite topics, Politics. The government has introduced the food security bill in Parliament today along with the burden of Rs 1,00,000 crores of burden on the Finance Minister. Surrounded by corruption scandals and lack of political reforms, the government needed something to talk about in the upcoming state elections in UP, Gujarat and Punjab, 3 of the most important elections in the current political scenario. The food security bill is the brainchild of the National Advisory Council headed by Sonia Gandhi. After NREGA, this is the second biggest social security policy advised by the council. If the bill is passed, then it will feed rice/wheat/millet to almost 65% of the Indian population at a subsidized rate of Rs 1/2/3 based on different levels of poverty. Personally I appreciate the government for bringing in such a bill which hopes to wipe out the malnutrition and starvation across the country. However, the government once again proved that how ineffective and inefficient in planning such a important bill. There are issues of corruption, infrastructure, supply issues and on top of it is the global economic scenario.

Before implementing the bill, it is important to identify the people who are considered as living below poverty line and above poverty line. We as such do not have a consensus on how to define the poverty line. Should it be based on the money a family earns per day or should it be based on the nutrition level they consume. Once identified, I am not sure how effective the distribution will be. With the history of high level corruption every where, it is important that the government should ensure that the amount of money allocated towards the programme is reaches fully to the public. Rahul Gandhi himself have acknowledged that most of the money allotted for the welfare schemes does not reach the public. The government do not have any mechanism to check corruption and with a weak Lokpal Bill it is planning to introduce, I am not very confident that the government will be able to achieve the target of feeding all the Indians.

The public distribution system itself is a failure in most of the states with lots of grains intended for the public is smuggled and sold else where. Apart from this, statistics says that almost 40% of the agricultural products produced in India is being wasted because of poor infrastructure.Most of us have seen how wheat grains were stored in open and allowed to rot in Punjab due to lack of storage space. There are not enough proper warehouses to store the procured grains. Moreover, the quality of the food products is identified based on the number of days it takes to reach the retailers from farmers. The more the days travelled, the less the quality and I am sure with the kind of roads and infrastructure we have it will take more time to reach the retailer.Ultimately government will be left with low quality food grains to be distributed to the poor.

India is land of billion people and to feed them requires enormous supply. Currently, Southern states, Punjab and Haryana have been producing surplus and feeding almost the entire nation. Taking in to account of the unpredictable nature of monsoons in India, we do not know when will we be hit by water problems and with lots of disputes on water down South, we do not know how are we going to get the supply for the entire nation. India seldom enter the international markets to procure food grains and if the necessity comes for India to procure from the International Market, it is going to definitely inflate the already high food inflation. I am sure government would have thought about it before introducing this bill, but I am sure this is not the right time to introduce the bill in the Parliament. The economy has slowed down in India and in 2012, if the euro zone crisis worsens, it will have a major impact in Indian economy as well. I feel government should wait till we come back to 9% growth levels before introducing this bill in the Parliament. We have already seen farmers protesting against the government on the MSP. In fact farmers in Andhra Pradesh are planning to have a crop holiday as mark of protest against the government. When the government is not able address the issue of those who are feeding the nation, what is the point in the introducing the bill.

Indian government has taken a short cut way to come back to power. Being dormant for 3 years with elections are around the corner all of a sudden the government seems to bring in all the populist measures without having any major discussion in the parliament. Personally I have lost the confidence on these politicians but there are still people whom I can bank on to see my country a developed one.

Singapore

2011-12-20T15:56:00.001+08:00

Continuing my travel blog, next in the list is Singapore. The Lion City is one of the best cities to live and by any standard it is one of the best cities to visit on a holiday. There are plenty of places to visit in Singapore and contrary to the size of the city it takes at least a week to see all the places here. The most important part of this is all these places can be accessed through public transport itself and there is really no need to take a taxi to reach these places unless you have time constraints

Singapore Zoo/Night Safari: This is a cool place for all the animal lovers. There are plenty of different types of animals which you would not see in your native country (at least for me). Polar bears, Orangutans, Proboscis Monkeys, Baboons, Sea Cow, and Sea Lions are some which will attract the visitors for sure. More than the animals, it is the habitat which is designed to be more like a natural habitat is commendable. Night Safari is in the same campus of that of Zoo and it opens at 6.30PM. The visitors can experience the various habitats of different animals sitting on a tram. Apart from seeing the animals, the different type of shows which highlights the sufferings of animals at the hands of humans is well highlighted and appreciated.

Jurong Bird Park: Magnificent is the word I would use for this place. One gets to see the most colorful species of birds here. Also one can witness the most beautiful creatures of the world here. The Pelicans, Flamingos, Penguins, Peacock, Eagle, Vultures, Parrots, Toucans and Hornbills can been seen at their best here. But the most important of all is the Lory Loft, where one can feed the Lories for a meager amount of S$2. There is nothing more beautiful than the colorful Lories sitting on your body for a cup of honey.

Sentosa Island: A separate island connected to the island of Singapore. This is an entertainment place and it requires at least 3/4^th of the day to see this place. There are lots of important places to be seen here and the most important ones are the Merlion, Underwater World, Dolphin Lagoon, Siloso Beach and Songs of the Sea. Apart from this there are lots of adventurous sports, 4D movie, Fort Siloso, and other beaches of Sentosa.

Universal Studios: Between Singapore main land and Sentosa is the world famous Universal Studios. It is a theme park based on the movies of Universal Pictures. This place is expensive but will be really a good experience for tourists.

Botanical Garden: The National Orchid Garden located at the heart of Singapore is certainly not be missed by the tourists. There are many varieties of Orchids one can see here and it is a very good place for Photographers. The colorful Orchids is perfect example of the creativity of God.

Raffles Place/Marina Bay: The downtown Singapore, this place shows why Singapore is regarded as the financial powerhouse of the world. Sky scrapers by the Singapore river which houses almost all the financial giants, beautiful bridges, Merlion, Marina Bay Sands, Marine Barrage, Esplanade Hall, Singapore Parliament, Supreme Court and finally restaurants by the river. The most happening place in the weekends and certainly one of the most beautiful places in Singapore.

Apart from the places I have mentioned above there are numerous places to be seen which I list below

Orchard Road (best seen during the Christmas when it will be decorated with lights)

Little India

China Town (one of the best places for shopping)

Asian Civilization Museum and the Singapore National Museum

Chinese Garden

How to get going:

Travelling with in Singapore is very easy as the entire island is very well connected with public transportation. There is the SMRT/SBS Buses and the Trains which go to almost all the places in Singapore.

Singapore is best visited in the month of April-May where there will be no or little rain. The climate here is tropical and one does not know when it rains. So it is advisable to carry an umbrella whenever one goes out.

Mysore

2011-09-30T16:28:00.001+08:00

Continuing on my travel blog, next in the list is Mysore.The heritage city is where I started my professional career and I enjoyed everybit of it. Mysore is known for its palaces and the famous Chamudeshwari Temple.

Mysore is located in the southern state of Karnataka and oneof the biggest cities of the state. Mysore has got a domestic airport and thenearest international airport in the Bangalore International airport. Mysore iseasily reached from Bangalore and the journey takes around 2 to 3 hours.

Mysore is well connected by Bus and Train to most importantplaces of the country.

The most important aspect of the city is it is one of thecleanest cities in India only next to Mohali. The climate is Mysore is hot inthe summer and it gets cold during the winter.

Below are some of the most important places to be seen inMysore

Mysore Palace, beautifully lit at the night

The Mysore Palace: The well-known Mysore Palace is the officialresidence of the erstwhile royal family, the Wodeyars. The palace is built in theheart of the city and it is huge and grand. Any one visiting the palace for thefirst time will certainly be in awe given the majestic construction and size. Aperson needs atleast 3 hours to see the whole of this palace. Inside the palaceis the rich artifacts, prizes and gifts given to the Rajas and most beautifulof them all is the durbar hall, something similar to court. The paintings onthe wall certainly add attraction to the already beautiful palace. The palaceis best seen during the Dussera when the famous 10 day Dussera festival takesplace here. The palace will be lit beautifully and it will be a treat to watchthe elephants decorated with various ornaments.

Mysore Zoo: One of the attractions of the city is the MysoreZoo. It is beautiful and the major attraction is the Gorilla. Mysore Zoo is theonly zoo in India which has Gorilla. The zoo is closed on Tuesdays and it isnot far away from the palace.

Chamudeshwari Temple: The famous Chamundeshwari Temple ontop of the Chamundi Hills should certainly be on the list of must see places inMysore. Certainly one of the most beautiful temples I have seen. On top of thehill gives a beautiful panoramic view of the city. On the way to temple is thebig Nandi the bull which is believed to be growing in size.

Brindavan Gardens

Brindavan Gardens: One of the earliest and most beautifulgardens of India, the Brindavan Gardens. It is located near the Krishna RajaSagar dam in the outskirts of Mysore. The best time to visit the garden is inthe evening when it is pleasant and one can witness the dancing fountain latein the night. When I visited the place, it was bit dirty with plastic coversand I hope the authorities have taken corrective actions and have cleansed thegarden. Its high time plastic is banned within the garden premises or at leastenough dust bins be provided so that the public do not pollute the beautifulgarden.

Devaraja URS Road: The road which leads to the palace is theplace to be in the evening. Buzzing with people everywhere, this is the placefor shopping in Mysore. The famous Mysore Silk is sold in almost every shopthat is there in this road. Some of them are government subsidies while someare private shops. Apart from this,there are lots of places to eat (both veg and non veg) in and around thisplace.

Tipu Sultan Summer Palace

Srirangapatnam: The land of Tipu Sultan, Srirangapatnam ishardly 30 mins drive from Mysore and certainly the place to be. There are loadsof places to see here like the Tipu Sultan Palace, the Ranganathar temple,sangamam, the place where Tipu Sultan’s body was found by the British, theunderground prison, Gumbaz (the tomb of Tipu Sultan, Hyder Ali and his mom) andNimishambal Temple. Atleast 3/4^thof the day is required to see the whole of this place and I would suggest reachingthis place in the morning. On visiting the place one would get to know the valorof the ‘Tiger’ Tipu Sultan and his father Hyder Ali.

Travelling with in Mysore is easy as it is not as big asBangalore and lots of autos are available and should be enough to cover all theplaces. However, I would suggest not to hire auto to Brindavan Gardens andSrirangapatnam as they will charge exorbitant prices to these places.

Mysore is best visited in the month of October during Dusserawhen one can see the palace at its best. The climate during January and Februaryis superb and is an ideal time for those who do not mind missing the Dusserafestival.

Chennai

2011-09-27T14:27:00.000+08:00

I have been waiting for too long to start blogging on mytravel. However I never wanted to create a new blog when already I have one. Myblog is like a mixed bag which includes articles on some of the topics which Ilove mainly sports, politics, movies, music and of course some of my personallife. I have already written about my travel experience, but this will be thestart of series of all the places I have visited. My travelogue is entirelybased on my experience, what I loved and some travel tips.

I was wondering about how to start this and I found thatthere is nothing better than Chennai to start with. So let’s start with Chennai,my home town (city).

Chennai previously called as Madras is the capital of southern state of India, TamilNadu. It is one of the biggest cities and oldest cities in India. The Chennaiday, the day the city was founded is on August 22^nd.The city wasthe capital of the then state of Madras during the British regime and subsequentlyit was changed to Tamil Nadu meaning the land of Tamils. Tamil is widely spokenlanguage here, but people do understand English very well.

Chennai has got a mixture of heritage and modern outlook andsome of the buildings stand testimony to it. Below are some of the places thatone must visit when they are on a trip to Chennai

Sun Rise at the Marina Beach

Marina Beach: Whenever someone says Chennai and the firstthing that comes to everybody’s mind is the famous Marina Beach. This the world’ssecond longest beach with a distance of 13KMs. The beach is beautiful andefforts have been made to make this a litter free zone. People from all walksof life enjoy their evening stroll in the beach and the place will be crowdedin the evenings especially during the weekends. One should not miss the Bajjiwhich will be sold in the every nook and corner of the place. This place isaround 3 to 4KMS from the famous Anna Salai and is easily accessible from allcorners of the city.

Temples/Church/Mosques: Chennai is one city in India whichboasts some of the biggest and ancient temples of India. Temples likeParthasarathy Temple at Triplicane, Ashtalakshmi Temple at Besant Nagar,Kabaleeshwarar Temple at Mylapore, Kaalikambal Temple at Georgetown are notonly big but also ancient and adds lots of historic significance to the city. TheBasillica of the National Shrine of St.Thomas is one of the 3 churches in theworld to have built over the tomb of Apostle of Jesus Christ this one beingSt.Thomas. The big Mosque at Triplicane is one of the oldest mosques in thecity.

Fort St.George: This houses the TamilNadu Legistlativeassembly and secretariat. This was the first fortress of the English inIndia. The fort campus also has a ChurchSt.Mary’s, Wellesly Museum and a flagpost which is the tallest in India.

Guindy National Park: Probably the only national park in thecountry within the city limits. It houses various reptiles like the crocodilesand snakes. Chennai is also famous for the Arignar Anna Zoological Park whichis one of the biggest in India.

Museum: The government museum at Egmore is certainly shouldbe on the agenda of any one visiting Chennai. It is one of the largest in Asiaand 2^nd oldest museum in India.

Shore Temple, Mahabalipuram

Mahabalipuram: A 2hrs drive on the east coast road from Chennaiis the famous Mahabalipuram. This is one of the UNESCO World heritage site andhas got some of best sculptures of Pallava Kingdom. The Shore Temple, Krishna’sbutter ball, 1000 pillar hall are some of the famous sculptures one should notmiss on their trip to Mahabalipuram. The drive on the east coast road runs parallelto the Bay of Bengal is bliss especially the morning drive.

Chennai also gives one a unique shopping experience whichhouses some big shopping malls like Express Avenue, Spencers Plaza, ChennaiCity Center and also the more famous and crowded Ranganthan Street at T.Nagarand Pondy Bazar.

Chennai being a cosmopolitan city hosts a varietyof cuisines. South Indian, North Indian, Chinese, Western, Italian are widelyavailable in Chennai.

How to get going:

Chennai has got one of the best public transports in India.All the places said above are very well connected through the local Bus andTrain services. Koyambedu Bus Terminus is the central bus terminus which housesall the moffusil busses and buses to most part of the city.

Autos: Chennai Autos are widely available at any part of thecity and at any time. However, they are the most notorious and demand hugeamount of money even for a distance of 1 to 2 KMs.

Call Taxis are also widely available across the city and issaid to be safe given the amount of traffic in Chennai.

Chennai is best visited in the month of December to Februaryas there will not be any rains and the weather will be relatively less hot.Also in December one can witness the Margazhi Music festival and dancefestival.

Its time to introspect

2011-08-24T17:16:00.002+08:00

Indians were given a whitewash at the hands of English and am sure heads will start to roll. It is at these times, people tend to take decisions in haste and take all the wrong decisions. There are some repair work need to be done to this Indian team, but do not forget that the repair should be done in the planning as well. The FTP should be planned in such a way that the team gets at least 45 days of break before a major tour starts and have at least 2 or 3 warm up games before the test match starts. Well it is easy to scribble here than to plan but the board must look in to this seriously. With regards to selection of team, its high time the committee looks in to the fitness level of the players. They should have the guts to drop even the best performing player if he is not fit enough to play. The Zaheer Khan incident ll certainly bring down the morale of the team. Similarly Sehwag was not even half fit for the match and I found no reason on why he was flown to England for the last 2 tests. The selectors also need to groom in new talents by giving them opportunities at the highest level. Only in WI tour, I felt the selectors did a very good job but that was due to unavailability of seniors. They should groom the likes of Piyush Chawla, Cheteshwar Puraja, Rohit Sharma and other budding talents. The selectors should have the confidence in these people and give them an extended run in the tests. It is not enough if the players are selected only for the one dayers. After all one day international is anybody’s game where the fortune changes in a matter of minutes. Test cricket is the highest form of game and people should believe in that. Players who have excelled in test cricket have also excelled in other forms of cricket, but its not the other way around. The likes of Dravid, Tendulkar, Kumble they are all the legends of the game who have excelled in all the 3 forms of the game. Raina played some cruicial innings at the world cup, Yuvraj was the player of the tournament but when in England, it was Dravid all the way. He opened the innings, had come 1^st down, kept wickets and still was the leading run scorer for India. Infact he scored more than 50% of the runs scored by India in the whole series. Raina looked completely out of sorts when he was bowled a bouncer. Think of Raina in the early 80’s when WI was packed with fast bowlers. He would have never played cricket in life. One more problem this series has shown is the lack of all rounder. India really felt the absence of a genuine all rounder in the first test. That is where top teams like South Africa, England and Australia really outshine India. India really need to groom Irfan Pathan for the future as he is the only person I know capable of filling the all rounder spot.

It is time to introspect the problems Indian cricket is facing which was not long ago were the world champions and No 1 test team. This series should be an eye opener for the officials and most of the players are nearing their end of career this is the right time to groom younger generations which is certainly going to be good for the future of Indian cricket. Certainly there is no dearth of talent in India, we need to properly guide them and shape them to face the future.

The 4 pillars - need urgent attention

2011-08-17T16:48:00.002+08:00

India is a developing country, one of the fastest growing economies, one of the biggest economies in the world, world’s largest democracy. Being an Indian, I feel proud whenever I see these things in the media. However I feel lots more need to be done for India to be called truly a developing nation.

Education Reforms: This the foremost reform that the government should address.

Just implementing RTE is not good enough, providing quality education at the primary level is the most important thing.
There should be a school every 1KM (depending on the population) which provides at least till 6^th standard.
There should not be more than 30 students in class. This helps the teachers in assessing the students individually.
Do not burden the children with exams. A project is a better way in assessing the students at this level.
Provide proper infrastructure for children to play. Children need to go out and play for the betterment of the physical fitness and mental relaxation.
Provide good exposure for children on subjects other than academics. This ll help children of economically weaker sections.
Increase the wages of teachers. This is the most important of all the things. There is no other way we can attract bright and young professionals for teaching other than by increasing the pay. They are the most important people in the world and they should be treated on par with other professionals. I am sure there are thousands of quality teachers who couldn’t take up the profession because of the pay. This results in people with lesser qualification to take up the teaching profession.
Remember, India is the land which made two of its teachers as the President. So I hope the government ll certainly look in to this issue.

Police Reforms: The next in the line which requires urgent attention is the police reform.

Again, the first and the foremost thing are to increase their pay and provide better environment. An average salary of 15 to 20K per month is certainly not enough in the age of rising inflation. No wonder why police asks for bribes. On top of it, a traffic constable standing under the hot sun in Chennai is certainly a daunting task. I am sure better work environment and pay ll reduce the bribe they take from common man.
Make sure people do not fear police. A common perception nowadays that a police can register a false case against anybody if they don’t toe their line. Only if this perception goes, people ll be ready to come out and fight against the day to day problems they are facing. I am sure there is some solution for this to happen and it’s the duty of the government to find a suitable solution.
Monthly or quarterly appraisal is certainly the need of the hour, esp Tamil Nadu police who have this habit of having a big tummy soon after joining the profession. These days most of the criminals are physically fitter than the police.
Police are the protector of the law and if we cannot keep them happy, it ll become a serious problem in the future.

Electoral Reforms: The next in the line of reforms which needs government’s attention

Put a cap on the usage of money during elections. If this does not happen, then all the black money ll be easily converted to white money.
Basic qualification for the candidates standing in the election. I am sure no explanation is needed on why we need this reform.
Conduct in Parliament should be one of the main criteria for people looking for re election. A good conduct is absolute necessary and should be one of the main qualifications while filing the nomination papers. When, conduct certificate is more important in schools and colleges is it not necessary for the same in Indian Parliament and assembly when the members stoop to very low level so often. It is like degrading the dignity of the house.

Agricultural Reforms: With the introduction of food security bill, the demand is just going to shoot up and if the issue on supply is not addressed properly it ll be a major disaster for India. It is high time, the government bring in 2^nd green revolution before crisis sets in. Since I am not an expert in agriculture I certainly cannot suggest anything to the government. So I leave it to them to take whatever steps they need to increase the supply.

Cheers please...

2011-08-12T14:21:00.001+08:00

Not long ago, I cheered for the UPA when it was elected for the second consecutive term to form the government. I cheered not because I am a Congress supporter (neither do I support them) but because of the clear mandate of the people which brings in the stability at the center. The left withdrew their support from the UPA and I was expecting more on reforms from the UPA 2. I should certainly say with a sad face that UPA 2 has failed miserably. The 2 year old government is like a food without salt and spices. It is bland. They are surrounded by every kind of scams that is possible be it the spectrum scam, CWG scam, Adarsh housing scam, land grabbing scam.. the list simply goes on. Tihar jail has become synonymous to 5 star prison which houses some of the most high profile people. On the economic front too, the country grew at a slower pace when compared to few years ago. A much of it is attributed to recession but the government has done little enough to curb the inflation which is at a staggering high of 9%. The biggest of all is that the PM, Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi chose to remain silent on every issue and it required the Supreme Court to monitor the investigations on the multiple multi crore scams. Come August 15^th, Dr.Singh will hoist the tri color for the 8^th time and we ll be hearing yet another optimistic speech from him. However it is always less done than said in India. We say a lot but do little. There seems to be a wave of pessimism across India about its future. This too shall pass away is what keeping things going for the Indians.

Wait..am I going too much pessimistic about India. Well these are the times India needs it people to be optimistic. Whatever happens there is no place on earth which is full of life like India. Though surrounded by troubled neighbors, India is relatively peaceful. There is no other place in the world, which is so unorganized, yet very much organized. India is the land of A.R.Rahmans, Saina Nehwals, Sachin Tendulkars who always find a way to come out of adversity. There is nothing to be worried about India just like its cricket team which is going through a tough time in England. At the end of the day, it ll come out of all the obstacles it faces.

Its Independence day, time to cheer up as all is not gloom in India.

Jai Hind

Cricket Classics

2011-07-20T11:30:00.000+08:00

The pinnacle of cricket is reaching yet another milestone, 2000th test match and it coincides with the 100th test between India and England and there is no better ground than Mecca of cricket to host this historic test match, the Lord’s. To add more spice to this, a century at Lord’s for the Little Master means it ll be his 100th international century and 1st at Lord’s. There is no doubt this is going to be one of the most important test match in Cricket’s history. Adding to it is the world’s no 1 ranking is at stake for the Indians. If they lose by a margin of 2 tests (2-0 or 3-1), it means England will be the new world no 1 in test cricket. It would be a great disservice if me being a big fan of test cricket, do not re-visit some of the classic encounters over the past years.

1. India vs Australia (Kolkata, 2001): This is certainly one of the best test matches ever played. India was down 0-1 with Australia winning the 1st test at Mumbai. Things didn’t look good at the start of this test match with Australia piling up more than 400 runs in the 1st innings, thanks to a brilliant century from the captain Steven Waugh with ably supported by Jason Gillespie. In reply, India was bowled out for less than 200 in the 1st innings. Australia enforced follow on and India started of better than the 1st innings. However India was staring at defeat until the Wall joined Laxman. The duo played more than a day without losing the wicket with Laxman scoring 281 and Dravid (180) and taking India past 600 and set Australia a target of 384. Australia started of very well and draw seems to be inevitable. However in the final session of the 5th day things turned around with Harbhajan and Sachin Tendulkar sharing 9 wickets among them and taking India home to what would be called as the greatest victory in their history.

2. Australia vs West Indies (Bridgetown, 1998): If at all any budding player wants to know how to play under pressure, I think he should watch this match. This match is known for the heroics of one of the greatest test batsmen, Brian Charles Lara. Australia score 490 in the 1st innings thanks to a brilliant century for Steven Waugh and Ricky Ponting. In reply, WI conceded a lead of 161 runs. However in the second innings Australia were bowled out for 140 with Walsh taking 5 wickets. Needing 308 to win, WI was struggling at 105/5 before Lara and Adams put on a century partnership. However when the score was 238, WI lost Adams and soon they were 248/8. In came Curtly Ambrose and he along with Lara put on a 50 run partnership and took the team total to 302. In between there were nervous moments with catch dropped at the slips. With 1 wicket remaining, Courtney Walsh not known for his batting hung in there until Lara finished of the proceedings taking WI home. Lara score 153* and scored more than 60 runs with the tail.

3. India vs England (Chennai, 2008): Including this test match in one of classics may not be an apt in terms of finishes but for the spirit of English cricket who toured India despite the terror attacks in Mumbai barely weeks before the start of the match. Needing 387 to win, India got off to a flying start by Virender Sehwag who scored a quick fire 87 setting up a great platform for victory in the 5th morning. The final day belonged to none other than Sachin Tendulkar who along with Yuvraj Singh saw India through. Sachin scored a brilliant 102* on a difficult Chennai pitch.

4. India vs Australia (Chennai, 1986): This is the second test match that ended in tie after WI vs Aus. The match is also known for the heroics of Dean Jones who scored a brilliant 200 in the heat of Chennai fighting dehydration. Needing 348 to win, India started off well with Sunil Gavaskar scoring a brilliant 90 on a difficult turning track. He forged a century partnership with Mohinder Amarnath. Soon India was 253/5 with Ravi Shastri and Chandrakant Pandit at the crease. Shastri forged a 40 run partnership with Pandit and another 40 run partnership with Chetan Sharman to take India close to the total. When the scores were level at 347 and with 1 wicket in hand, the match was poised for a great finish. Maninder Singh was at the striker’s end and was out lbw to Greg Mathews giving him 10 wickets in the match.

5. England vs Australia (Leeds, 1981): The Ashes is touted to be the ultimate contest in test cricket and this match lived up to its name mainly because of one man, Ian Botham. Austraila scored 401 in the 1st innings with Botham taking 6 wickets. However England was bowled out for 174 in their first innings with Botham being the top scorer for them. Asked to follow on, England was tottering at 135/7, when Dilley joined Botham. This was the partnership that changed the course of the game. The duo put on a century partnership with Botham scoring a brilliant century in less than run a ball. Once Dilley was out Botham forged another century partnership with Bob Willis and took England to 356 setting a modest target of 130 for the Australians. However the day belonged to Willis who took 8 Australian wickets for just 43 runs bowling out the Australians for a meager 111.

The above test matches were just a sample of hundreds of classic matches which proves that test matches are the ultimate form of cricket. These matches listed here are not in any order. There are matches which may be better than the above 5, but the idea of this is just to highlight the importance of test match cricket which sees dwindling audiences and revenue. It is these matches which tests the true ability of a player and one who comes out with flying colours at the end of their career are truly the legends of cricket.

Why Lokpal will be ineffective?

2011-07-16T08:35:00.001+08:00

2011 is certainly will go in the annals as one of the most important in the Indian history. So much happened that it evoked extreme emotions among Indians. This year saw the unearthing of India’s biggest scam famously called as 2G scam or spectrum scam. The magnitude of the scam is so high that it really shook up the people of India. On constant pressure from the opposition and from the media, Andimuthu Raja was finally arrested and is currently lodged in Tihar Jail. If this was not enough, the other scam which came in to the light brought one of the biggest shame for India, the commonwealth games scam. Again, when the government was reluctant to take any action, constant pressure from the opposition and the media led to the arrest of the games committee chairman, Suresh Kalmadi. He is also currently lodged in Tihar Jail.

Not for long public can be tolerant and this was evident with the sudden hunger strike from the social activist Anna Hazare against corruption and to bring the Lokpal Bill. The huge followers supporting the movement shook the government to draft the bill which is still in indecisive stage.

What is Lokpal Bill?

This intention of this bill is to create an independent body which handles the corruption cases against whomever a compliant has been registered. The verdict should be delivered in 1 year and the convict ll be given immediate punishment. The bill also wants to bring Prime Minister and all the sitting MP’s in the ambit of the bill so that we have a clean and efficient ministers at the center.

I really appreciate the efforts of Mr. Hazare and fellow citizens who are fighting for the lokpal bill. Corruption in India is so high that it affects the economy and also the spirit of the nation. If this trend continues, foreign investors will fear investing in one of the fastest growing economies resulting in the slowdown of the economic growth. There is urgent need of strong Act like the lokpal which should act as a deterrent against corruption. However I am skeptical about effectiveness of the bill.

Why Lokpal will not work?

1. The Bills and Acts will only be helpful in punishing the convict and cannot prevent the crime.

2. People who are considered to safeguard the law of the nation, themselves are not sincere enough in their work.

3. With rising inflation, people find it difficult to manage their livelihood, corruption tend to happen. On top of it, when there is no performance based appraisal and a job security for life time, people ll never take their work seriously.

4. Red Tapism is so high in the country that a person ll be willing to bribe the official to move the papers quickly to another department rather than wait for the officer to act on it. Life is moving fast and the public simply doesn’t have time to wait.

5. Lack of transparency in the government.

6. The public doesn’t trust the politicians and the judiciary. Rowdism and fear for life stops bright and young people from entering politics. This makes it easier for the least qualified person to join the politics.

7. The greed for money is certainly the biggest cause for the rampant corruption among Indians. People are not satisfied with what they have and the want for more takes them in the wrong path.

8. Financial imbalance among the people. 80-20 rule perfectly suits the Indian Economy where 80% of the wealth is in the hands of 20% of the people.

9. People simply don’t have time to fight corruption unless led by a leader and they simply will not complaint against them fearing dire consequences.

10. Lack of accountability among people and officials.

This just reminds me one of the funny dialogues in a tamil movie, “building strong, aana basement weak”. If the government can do its homework and get the basics right, I am sure corruption will fade away automatically. Till then we can only fight corruption and certainly cannot get rid of it.

Tamil cinema is in safe hands

2010-12-16T17:16:00.000+08:00

Movies are certainly a great entertainment and movie stars are more popular than any other artists, may be only next to cricketers in India. When it comes to South India esp Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, movie stars attain a demi-god status. M.G.Ramachandran and N.T.Rama Rao are perfect examples. Their cinemas touch the very essence of problems facing by poor from the rich. They portrayed themselves as the savior of poor from the rich which certainly helped them in launching themselves into successful political career. In fact, NTR’s Telugu Desam Party is the only regional party to be second largest party in Parliament. Such was his popularity in his home state. MGR enjoyed an equally cult status in his home state of Tamil Nadu. Politics apart, when it comes to cinema, MGR was a star of masses. Most of his revolve around him being savior of poor. He was certainly a bankable star and the producer of sure of making profit from a MGR movie. During his time, his competitor was ‘Sivaji’ Ganesan. He was considered as one of the best method actors of all time in India. The great Marlon Brando himself has said about the talent of Sivaji Ganesan. He has acted in several genres including historical, mythological, romance, action and comedy. It is said that there no role that Sivaji cannot perform. “Veerapandiya Kattaboman”, “Thiruvilayadal” , “Thillana Mohanabal”, “Vietnam Veedu” are some of his finest movies of his time. The 60’s and 70’s of tamil cinema was ruled by these two legendry actors. Apart from these two, there was ‘Gemini’ Ganesan who was an equally brilliant actor. Most of his films are romantic and hence his title ‘Kathal Manan’. However, when it comes to competition it was between MGR and Sivaji. By the end of 70’s saw decline of MGR and Sivaji. This period also saw the rise of one of the greatest actors of all time, Kamal Hassan and India’s greatest superstar, Rajini Kanth.

The 80’s and 90’s saw the emergence of these two actors. Their movies followed the path of MGR and SIvaji. Kamal, being a method actor is seen as the successor of Sivaji. Rajini’s movies are always centered upon how he overcomes difficulties and win over the villain. The decade was ruled by these two actors with one went on to win 3 national awards for best acting and many international awards. He has given some of the greatest tamil movies like Thevar Magan, Nayanga, Michael Madana Kamarajan, Moondram Pirai. The other emerged as the king of box office in this period with almost all his movies crossing 100 days and creating records in box office. Annamalai, Baatsha, Muthu to name a few. During this period tamil industry saw some good actors like Karthik, Mohan, Sathyaraj. But it was these two who ruled the roost. There was always comparison between these two as who is the best. By the end of 90’s these two actors have slowed down in the number of movies they make but continuing to give hits. This decade also saw the rise of two young stars, Joseph Vijay and Ajith Kumar.

Even though both of them made their debut in 90’s it was in the end of 90’s and 2000’s saw the rise of these two actors. Both Vijay and Ajith started in a promising note with films like Kathaluku Mariyathai, Aasai, Kushi, Vaalee. Their popularity soared, however they never reached the heights of their predecessors. This period saw a change in the trend of tamil cinema with many actors evolving during this period, most notably Surya Sivakumar and Vikram. These two are supposed to be the best actors of tamil cinema at present with sterling performances in movies like Sethu, Pithamagan, Kaakha Kaakha, Varanam Aayiram etc. This period also saw the rise of actors like ‘Jeyam’ Ravi, Silambarasan, Vishal, Bharath, Madhavan and others who all have given some good movies to the audiences.

The most important thing to note is, the current generation of tamil cinema is not dependent on Ajith and Vijay unlike 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. The industry has got variety of actors who can fit in to any role. The directors rely more on story than actors and a string of low budget movies with new faces have released and have done well at the box office. Movies like Subramaniapuram, Chennai-28 doesn’t boasts big stars but relied on the story and screenplay. The audience have evolved and looking in to the story than star cast which is definitely a good sign for tamil cinema.The presence of directors like Aameer, Bala, Gautham and others means tamil cinema is certainly in safe hands.

Cricket World Cup 2011 - A Preview

2010-12-10T16:21:00.001+08:00

With only 2 months to go for the cricket’s biggest sporting spectacle, we look into the strengths, weakness and chances of winning the world cup of each team. I know its too early to look into it but I feel nothing much ll be changed in another 1 month.

India:

Certainly one of the favorites to win the cup. They are currently on top of their form with everyone making healthy contributions to the team. The team management will certainly be happy with the way things are proceeding. A series whitewash by a second string Indian team against New Zealand (when I write, its 4-0 with one to go) will certainly boosts their confidence. A tough tour of South Africa will certainly help in appraise the strength and weakness of each player and would help them sort out before the world cup starts. One major cause of worry is the No.7 batsman. Even though Yousuf Pathan have almost cemented his place for the No.7, it ll be interesting to see what is in the mind of Dhoni. The strength of this team is their batting with everyone is in top form. The major weakness in this Indian team is runs they leak in the death overs and the power plays. If at all they can contain the powerplays, there is no reason why India cannot win this cup. Moreover playing in home conditions will certainly improve their chances of winning the cup. This team is certainly an improved unit than the one played in 1996 which was a one man army and that man is still playing and is in form of his life. The chances of winning the world cup is 30%

Sri Lanka:

Second of the three host countries in the tournament. The last time the cup was played in the sub continent they were the champions. Under the astute leadership of Arjuna Ranatunga, they romped home turning the phase of Srilankan cricket. 15 years later they are led by a similar astute captain, Kumar Sangakara. Bouyed by their success in Australia, their first series win down under, this team is certainly be one of the favourites to win the cup. Their main strength is their batting led by the classy Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakara. These two will be key if at all they have any chance of repeating 1996. Their bowling is equally strong with Nuwan Kulasekara leading the attack. He is one of the most consistent bowlers around. Since they ll be playing all their matches in their home, it is an added advantage for the lions. The chances of they winning the cup is 25%.

South Africa:

If at all they have to win the world cup, they have to hold their nerves. Famously called as “Chokers”, they ll certainly be keen in removing the tag. There is no reason why they cannot win the cup given the bowling attack they posses. Steyn and Morkel are supposed to be the best of the current bowling attack in the world. Hashim Amla and AB Devillers are in form of their life and you have ever reliable Jacques Kallis and all these players are led by a brilliant and astute Graeme Smith who plays a major role with the start he gives. Even though they have the best new ball bowlers, there is no one to back up. They have Tsotobe, Parnell in the line up but not as lethal as Steyn and Morkel. Another big drawback is the absence of spinners in the team. Johan Botha is only spinner they have but he will be ineffective when he plays in sub continent. The chances of winning the world cup is 15%.

Australia:

The performance at ashes, defeat in the hands on Sri Lankans and defending champions all add to the pressure. They are certainly not formidable as they were 4 years ago, but one cannot write away the Aussies for their ability to fight till the end. Their bowling looks strong with Bollinger, Harris, McKay, and Johnson. Their batting is equally strong with the likes of Watson, Ponting, Clarke and crisis man Hussey. The thing about the Aussies is the ability to rise to the occasion and nothing becomes demanding than a world cup. They would certainly want to play at home in 2015 as defending champions but recent form suggests they have difficult task ahead. The chances of winning the world cup is 10%.

England:

Certainly on cloud nine after their performance in the first two test of the Ashes. They are at present playing brilliant cricket. They won their first ICC trophy when they lifted the ICC Twenty20 world cup in West Indies. Buoyed by their success they ld like to repeat their feat in the 50 over format too. If at all they need to go through the quarter finals, the big man Kevin Pietersen should be continue his good form all through the tournament. Their bowling looks good with James Anderson and Graeme Swaan leading the attack. The crisis man Paul Collingwood should find purple patch before the world cup starts as he is one of the key member of the English team. Off all the players, Andrew Strauss should fire from all cylinders and lead from the front if at all they have any chance of making it to the semi finals. If they transform their test form into one dayers, no doubt they are a key contender to lift the trophy. The chances of winning the world cup is 8%.

New Zealand:

Certainly not the kind of preparation they would have liked to have. A 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Bangladesh and another whitewash against the Indians. They have lost their last 9 ODI’s they have played. If at all they are to win the world cup, a miracle should happen and only 2 players can cause the miracle in their team, Daniel Vettori and Ros Taylor. Much will be depended on these two players if at all they have any chance of making it to the semi finals. Brendon McCullum will be a key player but his inconsistency should be a worrying factor for the Kiwis. Their bowling is good with the likes of Tuffey and Mills but I think it will be difficult for them to carry the burden on their shoulders. The chances of winning the cup is 5%.

Pakistan:

The most unpredictable team in cricketing history. If they play to their true potential, they are certainly world beaters but the infighting, spot fixing scandal, absence of Amir and Asif are going to be a serious blow in their preparation to the world cup. In the absence of the Amir and Asif, Umar Gul and Shoiab Akthar should lead the attack. But apart from these two, I don’t see any bowler giving good support to. Batting on paper looks strong with the likes of Younis Khan, Yousuf, Afridi, Umar Akmal but it all depends on the mood of the dressing room given the controversies surrounding the team. It is sad that the country which produced one of the greatest fast bowlers and all rounder is struggling with so many problems. Their chances of winning the cup is 3%.

West Indies:

Any cricket follower and lover will certainly feel sad with the demise of once the greatest team to play cricket. The country which produced the greats like Richards, Marshal, Hall, Garner, Ambrose, Walsh, Lara is now struggling to even find a decent player. Apart from Gayle and Chanderpaul, I don’t see any one performing consistently. Not many would have thought Sammy to be the captain when he was not even a permanent player in the side. If at all they are make in to the semi finals or even quarter finals, Gayle, Chanderpaul and Roach should play to their full potential else it ll be another disappointing world cup the West Indies. The chances of winning the world cup is 2%

Bangladesh:

They are a good one day unit and on their day they can create an upset which was evident from 2007 world cup. They are currently on a roll after defeating NZL 4-0 at home. Shakib al Hasan, Abdur Razzak, Tamim Iqbal are some of the key players whom the team look for if at all they need to reach the quarterfinal stage. The chaces of winning the world cup is 2%.

Happenings in cricket and my World Cup Squad

2010-12-10T11:35:00.001+08:00

This is a great time for all the cricket lovers as all the top teams are in action and with jus 70 odd days to go for the biggest cricket event The World Cup, fans like me certainly are having a great time. The Ashes started off with blinder from Peter Siddle followed by a brilliant partnership between Cook and Trott. It was a perfect start to the games oldest and bitter rivalry. Then it was Kevin Pietersen’s turn to frustrate the Aussies which followed by a brilliant stuff from Graeme Swaan to win the Adelaide test by an innings. If this was not enough, back home Indians were made to toil by the Kiwis in the first test but Indians proved why they are world no 1 by winning the third test by an innings. I should congratulate the Kiwis for their brilliant fight after a drubbing they got at the hands of Bangladesh. The hero of the series was the Turbanator, though it was his batting that won him the laurels. I would have loved to see him winning the match for his bowling, but a century will always help the team irrespective of who scores. However, the game of cricket witnessed one of the worst series that can happen, the series between Sri Lanka and West Indies. Most of the time, the players enjoyed indoor as rain interrupted all through the series. One positive the cricket lovers can take from the series is the triple century by Chris Gayle at Galle. With this triple ton he joined the elite club of Don Bradman, Brian Lara and Virender Sehwag to score 2 triple centuries. Kemar Roach bowled brilliantly in the given opportunity but the biggest disappointment is the failure of captain Darren Sammy. I think a captain should lead from the front to inspire his team. Another dull series which the game witnessed is the series between Pakistan and South Africa at Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Both the test series were drawn but its good for Pakistan, which is fighting the spot fixing scandal and internal terrorism to get some game to be played. In a week’s time, India is set play South Africa in South Africa, which many considers to be the mother of all battles. Its between the top 2 test nations in the world and India’s poor record in South Africa meant the pressure is high on the Indians. Moreover, people back home in India are expecting 50^th test century from the little master after a disappointing series against New Zealand. Its action packed season for cricket and I am enjoying it.

With so much stuff happening around the cricketing world, let me take some break and analyze who in the Indian team will be making it to the world cup. It is one of the toughest assignments given the performance of various players. So this is my Indian 15 member squad for the world cup. Of the 15, 10 players are of automatic choice,

Sachin Tendulkar
Virender Sehwag
Gautam Gambhir
MS Dhoni
Suresh Raina
Yuvraj Singh
Virat Kohli
Zaheer Khan
Harbhajan Singh
Ashish Nehra

So the question for who are the remaining 5 people who is going to make it to squad arises. Based on my analysis and intuition the following 5 should complete the 15.

Shanthakumar Sreeshanth – Has been bowling well off late in the tests and his success against South Africa in South Africa will help him get in to the squad. However it is his economy rate that should be a cause of concern for him. He should bring it down as it ll be the deciding factor between him, Ishant and Munaf. His ability to pick wickets has made me to include in the squad.
Ravichandran Ashwin – He is the second spinner in my squad. He makes it to the 15 just because of his sheer performance in the on going one day series against New Zealand.
Praveen Kumar – He will complete the fast bowling unit of the Indian squad for the world cup. His main strengths are his ability to swing the ball both ways early in the match which can certainly trouble the batsmen.
Yousuf Pathan – He is the answer for India’s No 7 player at least for now after his brutal knock against NZL and his off spinner will be handy in Indian conditions.
Parthiv Patel – Two reasons why he should make it to squad are that he is the back up keeper for Dhoni and his current batting form is good which earns him a place ahead of Dinesh Karthik and Wridhman Saha.

Human being par excellence

2010-10-16T00:00:00.001+08:00

He has been on the field for more than 20 years, has played more matches than anyone else, have scored more runs than anyone in the game, there is no award that is not there in his kitty but still he says "I have lot to learn in cricket". This kind of simplicity, humbleness and down to earth has kept him achieve such heights. Yes, I am talking about none other than the little master Sachin Tendulkar. He started playing for the country at the age of 16 and immediately showed his commitment towards the game and for the country when he played with a bleeding nose when hit by a Waqar delivery. Few days later he showed why he is regarded as the replacement for Sunil Gavaskar when he hit Abdul Qadir for consecutive fours. If this was not enough, the century at Old Trafford which saved the game for India or the century at Perth, showed why he is a class apart. For more than 20 years, there was no instance at which his commitment towards the game or the country dwindled. A person who has achieved so much, who is considered as God in his place has shed tears for people died in 26/11 attack, congratulated all the CWG winners, and is involved in many charity work and that too silently is simply mind blowing. Till today he has been performing consistently for the country amid controversies and injuries with same enthusiasm and passion. Critics may not consider him as the greatest ever player to have played the game, but no one who has played the game is so down to earth, disciplined and also among the runs. Hats off to this great cricketer and a great human being for completing 14000 runs in test cricket and helping India win the series against Australia. May God give happiness to him and his family and long life.

The problem with Indians

2010-09-27T20:15:00.002+08:00

My professor tells that “China doesn’t fear India but Indians are afraid of China”. This is true to a certain extent given the kind of attention people give to the issues related to China. China has certainly is way ahead of us in almost all the fields be it research, agriculture, information technology or manufacturing. They have invested a lot in defense, infrastructure and research where as India’s investment is very less when compared to China. All of us certainly agree that India and China are similar. Both have rich and varied cultural history, huge landmass, and big population. India got its independence in 1947 and the Chinese civil war started in 1949. If Gandhi and Nehru shaped today’s
India, Mao Zedong is responsible for today’s China. Strategically both India and China had close ties with the Soviet Union and there was this famous ‘Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai’ slogan all over the world portraying the closeness of India and China. Post 1947, the race to the top in Asia was certainly between India and China because of the sheer amount of their population and land mass.
Economics is all about production and consumption and with majority of world’s population is in these two countries, whoever wins the race certainly ll be the next super power in the world. With everything in common between these two countries, 63yrs later China is well ahead of India in the race and the way it is going it certainly touted to replace the United States as the next super
power in the world.

India believes in Gandhian principles which are ahimsa and freedom for all. This is certainly one of the greatest thought as I do not want to live with my hands tied in my own country. I need my freedom to express whatever I wish, I need freedom to do whatever I want within the framework of law and I certainly need freedom to follow the culture which is the most comfortable for me. India is the only place as far as I know where I have the full freedom to express myself. I can even raise my flag against India if I feel I am discriminated in my own land. I can agitate against any thing if I feel it hurts my sentiments and beliefs and I have the power of choosing my representative and what he must do for my improvement. As a citizen of India I have all the powers a normal human being can have and I am sure not all the countries give this freedom. I wonder if I have all the powers then why India is still lagging behind many countries, still 37% of the population is below poverty line and still lots of mal nourished children in my streets. The reason behind this is know I have all the powers but I do not know that these powers come with a discipline and responsibility. I should know the rules to follow while I am driving a vehicle, I should know where to throw the garbage, I should know what I should do when someone is asking for bribe and also I should know to choose the right person as my representative. I should not vote based on the popularity but based on the profile of the candidate and his manifesto. I should first respect the law and last but not the least I should love my country and support it in whatever situation it is in.

On the other hand, China imposed these qualities on its people and hence the growth is phenomenon. I am not sure whether India should impose it or not on me, as long as I love my country and ready to die for it I am sure India ll surpass China soon.

“Be the change if you want to see the change” – Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

So I take pledge today that I ll not let my country down and available to serve her whenever it needs me.

*Note: I refers to the wonderful citizens of India and not me

Cricket and its problems

2010-09-04T19:47:00.001+08:00

For the past few days we have seen news loaded about corruption in the world,especially the spot fixing charges against the Pakistan cricket team. It really pains me a lot to see the game I love the most, the game which I grew up watching, the game which have produced some of the greatest sportsmen, is surrounded by controversies. This is not the first time this has happend in cricket, but what worries more is that the administrators have failed to learn from the past experience. Any form of corruption in any field should be dealt with iron hand but I guess the administrators have really not done enough to stop this. The moment Hansie Cronje admitted about the match fixing, it should have taken a tough stand against the offenders and should have really amended the law with tougher punishments. Well, I am not aware of the cricketing laws to comment about it but I certainly feel that administrators could have done more to save the game. Cricket's pinnacle, the test cricket is already in danger of losing viewerships and the match fixing scandal is no more than a jolt. When ICL was launched in India, BCCI went all out against it and even banned players from representing their state and national teams. Fearing the loss of revenue to its competitor, it went all out against it and have certainly made it a non existing entity. When they can do so much to maintain their revenue, why ICC is not doing enough to stop fixing. Moreover, their strategy in reviving test cricket is disappointing. The players are burdened with matches, FTP is poorly planned and marketing is equally poor. The pitches around the world have become as slow as Tortoise. Look at WACA and Barbados. These two grounds were supposed to be fastest pitch in the world, but it has certainly have become slow over the time. This certainly had an effect on the quality of bowlers who are currently playing. Apart from 1 or 2 bowlers no one can be compared to even a decent bowlers of 80's and 90's. Cricket is certainly surrounded by lots of problems and ICC have little time in restoring the pride of the Gentlemen's game, but I am confident that game will rise again like a phoenix.

என் தாய் நாட்டிற்கு சமர்பிக்கிறேன்

2010-08-15T21:00:00.000+08:00

எனக்கு பசித்த போது நீ உணவைத் தந்தாய்
உன் நிலத்தில் நான் மரத்தைக் கூட நடவில்லை

என் உயிரைக் காக்க நீ மருத்துவரை தந்தாய் மும்பையில்
உன் ரத்தம் சிந்திய போது நான் உன்னிடம் இல்லை

பேசுவதற்கு பொன் மொழியான தமிழை தந்தாய்
நான் அதன் கொள்ளுப் பேரனான ஆங்கிலம் கற்றேன்

நீ அடிமை பட்ட போது நான் பிறக்கவில்லை
நான் பிறந்த பின்பு உன்னை காக்கவில்லை

எனக்கு உத்தியோகத்தைக் கொடுத்தாய் நானோ
அதை விட்டு அன்னியநாட்டுக்குப் பறந்தேன்

நீ எனக்கு என்ன செய்தாய் என்று கேட்டுத் திரிந்தேன்
கென்னெடியின் வரிகளை படிக்க வைத்து மன்னிப்பு கேட்க்கவைத்தாய்

என் பெயரை உன்னிடமிருந்து பெற்றுக் கொண்டேன் ஆனால்
உன் புகழை பரப்ப என்னால் முடியவில்லை

வேண்டியவற்றை அனைத்தையும் குடுத்தாய் உனக்கு
கொடுக்க என்னிடம் ஒன்றும் இல்லை

கொடுக்க ஒன்றும் இல்லாத போதும் வந்தே மாதரம்
என்று சொல்லி தலை வணங்குகிறேன்.

ஜெய் ஹிந்த்!!!!

The man with golden touch

2010-06-15T16:53:00.007+08:00

Just 3 days to go for the much awaited movie of the year, Raavanan and Raavan.

The star cast boasts of some of the biggest names of Indian cinema which includes Abishek Bachan, Aishwarya Rai Bachan and Vikram which shows why this is the most awaited movie of the year, but the reason behind so much expectation atleast for me is the director, Maniratnam. He is been one director who explores in to different subjects with every movie. Starting from Mounaraagam till Guru, all his movies were different in theme, story and the screen play. Its not just the stories and screenplays but his ability to bring out the best from each of his technicians makes him stand apart. One cannot distinguish who the better actor was in Mounaragam. If you feel Karthik’s cameo was the highlight of the movie, then Mohan’s performance was subtle. Who would have dared to cast two of the biggest names of southern industry, Rajinikanth and Mamooty. If that is not enough, take the case of Anjali which deals with the life of a mentally disabled child. What will happen if this guy joins hands with the greatest actor of our generation, Kamal Haasan. The result would be Naayagan, one of the greatest movies of all time. After working with likes of Ilayaraja,Rajinikanth and Mamooty, who would be ready to work with newcomers? This man believed in his story and screenplay and the result was Roja with Arvind Swamy and Madhubala, both new comers to the film industry and also marked the entry of A.R.Rahman in to the world of cinema. The kind of subjects he has handled, I bet no one would have handled in their entire career which sets him apart from other directors. This is why Raavan and Raavanan are eagerly anticipated. It’s been a month since the music was released and still topping the charts. There is no parallel for this man. He is a genius and very few can make it to elite list of directors and he is the one. So viewers be ready for Raavanan (Raavan) and am sure your money will not go to the drain. It would certainly be a movie worth watching.

I realised...

2010-04-18T01:57:00.002+08:00

I believe experience is the greatest teacher to a person. Nothing teaches him/her the valuable lessons of life in this world. Before starting this blog I ll tell you about myself. I was a lazy person whose only passion was cricket. Eventhough I was passionate about cricket I never took it seriously as my career. I would watch and follow it and even when am fast asleep I would tell Sachin's record by heart. I never had any passion for studies especially science and technology, with no aim in life. If you come to know the fact that I am an engineer passed with first class, you would be surprised to know that I had no passion for science and technology. Well, I am not trying to boast about myself, but I did it for the sake of my parents. I felt its my duty to do it after commiting myself to the task. I realised that these marks doesn't reflect one's true ability. I have seen people who scored less marks than me but had better understanding of the subject than me. The irony is I got an offer from one of the top software firm in the world. People would have thought that am a geek, but the fact is I was not asked even a single question from the so called computers and science. The interview was all about cricket, puzzles and current affairs. I am not sure whether I would have got placed in that company if it was a pure technical interview. When the time came for me to join the company I was in a dilemma whether I would succeed or not. But I had no choice but to join. I wont say I fared well in the company but I was neither a flop show there. I realised that I am not comfortable in the company. I quit the company and did my masters to try my hand in Logistics and Supply Chain Management. I had no clue about it before making a decision on pursuing my masters in that field. I dont know why I chose the field. I wanted to switch my career from being an IT professional to more a management kind of job. Hence I was desperately looking out for opportunities in such field and I came across Logistics. I got an admit and I joined the university and after completing the studies I got placed in a fortune 500 company as analyst.

So this is me... a person with no aim, no passion, no curiosity to learn new things (apart from cricket), doesn't talk much to anyone, who love to be alone. Infact I crib a lot about life.In short I was a boring person.

Well, after coming here I can say that I have changed a bit. I realised that cricket is not the only thing in life for me. I do have passion for other things and I would not say I am a person without ambition. I do talk more when compared to how I was before. I would not say I am not a boring person now, but not as bad as how I was before. I do prefer to be alone but I realised at times I need people around me. I realised that it is these people who make my life meaningful. One thing I am still not able to overcome is my attitude towards studies. I still dont believe in marks. It is just one of the tool to measure a person's ability and not the tool. I feel there are better ways of measuring people's ability than through marks. Its just my opinion though. I would say I am more matured as a person now than may be 2 or 3 years before (there is nothing to feel great about it. One has to mature as days pass). Apart from these things, I realised few other things as well. Finally I also realised how important it is to pursue the career one love which I couldn't. I would say its my fault because of my attitude. With a new found passion and ambition, I would just like to see me work towards it and reach the goal. When I think of how I was before, I used to feel bad and at times funny. Well, experience does teach people valuable lessons which are more important than what teachers at school and college teach. Afterall there is no better medicine than time.

A trip to be remembered

2010-03-31T16:43:00.004+08:00

I had been to Malaysia in the mid February and I must admit that it was one of the most exciting tour I have ever had. It was a 4 day trip from Singapore and we covered Kuala Lumpur, Genting Highlands and Taman Negara.

Day 1:

We started from Singapore on 12th night and reached KL early at 3.30 in the morning. Fortunately the room we had had booked was at a walk able distance from the bus stand. We started at around 8 in the morning and left for Batu Caves. It is abode of Lord Muruga on a lime stone hill. It is one of exotic temple I have ever seen. It was very natural and the tall Muruga statue at the entrance made it grand. After coming out of the temple, we had our breakfast and left by cab for Genting Highlands. It is a hill station with theme parks and casinos. The journey from KL took around 2 hours due to heavy traffic. Once we reached basement, we took a cable car to the highland and it is said to be the fastest cable car in the world. The view from the car was lush green and the whole area was covered by rainforests. The rides in the outdoor theme parks were fun and coupled with cloudy and chill climate made our trip more pleasant. If the theme park was fun, the casino was entertaining. First of its kind for us and were really amused to see so many people putting their money on betting. So we thought why not put some money on betting and we indeed won around 70RM. We left Genting at around 5 PM and reached KL by 8 in the night.

Day 2:

We left KL at 8.30 in the morning and boarded a bus to Taman Negara. The journey was a pleasant one with palm trees on one side and mountains on other side of the road. We reached a place called Jerantut at 12.30 PM for our lunch. The we left the place at 1.30 to a nearby jetty where we were supposed to take a boat on our way to Taman Negara. It is 2 hrs boat ride and one should never miss this if they are planning to go to Taman Negara. We reached the place at around 6 in the evening and checked in to the resort. The place was breathtaking with lush forests on either side of the resort. We took a jeep at 10.30 PM in to jungle for night safari. We did see few animals like wild cat. But the real adventure was when the jeep driver switched off the jeep and his torch light in the middle of the jungle. It was pitch dark and we couldn’t see anyone around. It was scary and eerie. It was a planned one from one of my friend and the jeep driver. We returned to the resort at 12 midnight and had a wonderful sleep.

Day 3:

We left for the canopy walk at 9 in the morning. It was inside the jungle and had to do some mountain trekking as well. After the canopy walk we left for a cave exploration. Little we know that cave is full of bats and had to crawl all through inside the cave until we reached there. We managed to crawl through the cave and came out after 30 mins struggle. It was one of the most adventurous part of the trip until what happened in the evening. We set off for a bath in waterfalls which is around 30 mins from our resort in to the jungle. The pathway was mind blowing as usual and we reached a place from where we had walk in to the jungle to reach the falls. We were asked not to spend much time in the falls as it is already 6 in the evening. After having wonderful time near the falls, we came to the place from where we were supposed to take the boat to the resort. The guide allowed us to take bath there. Our excitement grew bigger once we went into the river for a bath. After changing our dress we decided to return to the resort. By the time we started from that place, it was getting darker. Half way mid it was pitch dark and we are still in the middle of the jungle. We were able to hear sounds made by the birds and some animals. I was wishing that we could spot a tiger but unfortunately we were able to spot only a monkey and few birds. We reached the resort at 8 in the night and the guide informed us that this is the first time they are coming so late from the jungle. I personally loved it. After having our dinner, we went for a night walk in to the jungle and we were lucky to spot a wild boar, scorpion and a deer.

Day 4:

We left the place at 9 in the morning and reached KL at 1 in the afternoon. We had our lunch and went to the famous Petronas Towers. It was an architectural genius. From Petronas we went atop of the KL tower and had a breathtaking view of Kuala Lumpur. After spending few hours there we took a bus to Singapore and reached here at 12 midnight.

From the exotic jungle to buzzing city, we experienced everything in the span of 4 days but still didn’t stop us to making a trip to Malaysia again. Hei Malaysia di sini kita datang lagi.

Get the basics right

2010-03-17T15:50:00.005+08:00

Well… I do have a problem of choosing a topic whenever I feel like updating my blog. Even now I have no clue what I am going to update but just want to start something so that I can pass my time in office. Ok, let me write something about the most important development that happened in India in the past week.

33% quota for women in parliament and state legislatures:

I am not against giving quota to anyone as long as it is effectively utilized, but the problem in our country is it is often misused. Politicians use this to garner votes, people just try to satisfy the minimum requirement to get a job or a seat in college having a thought that they can somehow get through the quota system. I personally feel that quota should be allotted to those who are sincere and hardworking and of course who are unable to sponsor themselves. It is these people who need quotas and not the wealthy people coming from the so called backward caste. Now let’s come to the 33% quota for women. I heard some experts speaking in the news channel that this is not a quota for women but a representation. I agree that women need some representatives for them in the parliament and state legislatives. But the bigger problem for women is not the lack of representatives but lack of exposure. It is this lack of exposure that holds them back from not being able to join mainstream politics and of course fear of fighting with male dominant counterparts. Before passing any bill on quota I feel, the government should ask 2 questions to themselves.

1. How are we going to ensure the safety for women in India?
2. How are we going to fight against the problems that women face in the society?

There is a common perception in our country that women are always dependent on male. I have heard people talking philosophy about this. They say women need dad’s security when in school, brother when in college, husband after marriage and son after she becomes old. I agree in the current situation when women are not safe in our country they need the security of their dad, brother, husband and son. But what have we done to ensure safety for women? The answer is NOTHING. I am sure if we get the basics right and set the things in order there will be women representatives in our parliament and state legislatures.

Vinnaithandi Varuvaya

2010-03-06T08:48:00.005+08:00

Jessie, nothing took me by storm after watching a movie. She was classy, awesome and gorgeously beautiful. What was so special about Jessie when I have seen most of her movies and never was so impressed by her apart from few other films. She was simple and traditional. Well, it is not just simple and traditional, it is a comnbination of brilliant cinematography, costume design and her voice that made her beautiful. Kudos to Gautam Vasudev Menon. However, it was Karthik who stole the show in the movie. I was never a fan of Simbu. I never liked his dialouge delivery, acting and style. I felt as if he is imitating someone. But after watching Vinnaithandi Varuvaya, everything changed. He was at his natural best especially his dialouge delivery and acting. I never thought this guy can do such roles. I bet, he can go places if choses proper script and sensible acting.

Enough of Jessie and Karthik. Its getting too predicatble. Lets come to cinematography. I am sure no one has shown India so beautiful that Manoj in recent times. If not for him, I doubt whether the movie would have made an impact on me or not. Hats off to him.

Music, I do not want to say anything about it. Who on this earth cannot appreciate the Mozart of Madras. He is genius, one of the best, a legend....hey!!! am losing out adjectives here :)

Thamarai saves her best when it comes to Gautam Menon. Some of the lines that she has written are simple superb. I cant tell one single line in particular here. I loved everything.

Finally, congrats to Gautam Vasudev Menon. I dont know from where on this earth he is getting such ideas. A simple love story at its best. When some one like K.Balachander has appreciated him, then its evident what this person in capable of doing it.

Will you forgive me?

2010-01-23T11:32:00.002+08:00

கடலினில் மீனாக இருந்தவள் நான்
உனக்கென கரை தாண்டி வந்தவன் தான்
துடித்திருந்தேன் தரையினிலே
திரும்பிவிட்டேன் கடலிடமே

ஒரு நாள் சிரித்தேன்
மறு நாள் வெறுத்தேன்
உன்னை நான் கொல்லாமல் கொன்று புதைத்தேனே
மன்னிப்பாயா? மன்னிப்பாயா? மன்னிப்பாயா?

ஒரு நாள் சிரித்தேன்
மறு நாள் வெறுத்தேன்
உன்னை நான் கொல்லாமல் கொன்று புதைத்தேனே
மன்னிப்பாயா? மன்னிப்பாயா? மன்னிப்பாயா?

கண்ணே தடுமாறி நடந்தேன்
நூலில் ஆடும் மழையாகி போனேன்
உன்னால் தான் கலைஞன் ஆனேனே
தொலை தூரத்தில் வெளிச்சம் நீ
உன்னை நோக்கியே எனை ஈர்கிராயே

மேலும் மேலும் உருகி உருகி
உன்னை எண்ணி ஏங்கும்
இதயத்தை என்ன செய்வேன்
உன்னை எண்ணி ஏங்கும்
இதயத்தை என்ன செய்வேன்

ஓடும் நீரில் ஒரே அலை தான் நான்
உள்ளே உள்ள ஈரம் நீ தான்
வரம் கிடைத்தும் நான் தவற விட்டேன்
மன்னிப்பாயா அன்பே

காற்றிலே ஆடும் காகிதம் நான்
நீதான் என்னை கடிதம் ஆக்கினாய்
அன்பில் தொடங்கி அன்பில் முடிக்கிறேன்
என் கலங்கரை விளக்கமே

ஒரு நாள் சிரித்தேன்
மறு நாள் வெறுத்தேன்
உன்னை நான் கொள்ளாமல் கொன்று புதைதேனே
மன்னிப்பாயா? மன்னிப்பாயா?
மன்னிப்பாயா? மன்னிப்பாயா? மன்னிப்பாயா?

அன்பிற்கும் உண்டோ அடைக்குந்தாழ்
அன்பிற்கும் உண்டோ அடைக்குந்தாழ் ஆர்வலர்
புண் கண் நீர் பூசல் தரும்

அன்பிலார் எல்லாம் தமக்குரியர் அன்புடையார்
என்றும் உரியர் பிறர்க்கு

புலம்பல் எனசென்றேன் புல்லினேன் நெஞ்சம்
கலத்தல் உறுவது கண்டு

ஏன் என் வாழ்வில் வந்தாய் கண்ணா நீ
போவாயோ கானல் நீர் போலே தோன்றி
அனைவரும் உறங்கிடும் இரவெனும் நேரம்
எனக்கது தலையணை நனைத்திடும் நேரம்
ஒரு நாள் சிரித்தேன்
மறு நாள் வெறுத்தேன்
உன்னை நான் கொள்ளாமல் கொன்று புதைதேனே
மன்னிப்பாயா? மன்னிப்பாயா?
மன்னிப்பாயா? மன்னிப்பாயா? மன்னிப்பாயா?

கண்ணே தடுமாறி நடந்தேன்
நூலில் ஆடும் மழையாகி போனேன்
உன்னால் தான் கலைஞை ஆனேனே
தொலை தூரத்தில் வெளிச்சம் நீ
உன்னை நோக்கியே எனை ஈர்கிராயே

மேலும் மேலும் உருகி உருகி
உன்னை எண்ணி ஏங்கும்
இதயத்தை என்ன செய்வேன்

மேலும் மேலும் உருகி உருகி
உன்னை எண்ணி ஏங்கும்
இதயத்தை என்ன செய்வேன்
ஓஹோஹோ உன்னை எண்ணி எங்கும்
இதயத்தை என்ன செய்வேன்

Lets look back at the decade...

2009-12-31T19:30:00.012+08:00

This decade is going to come to an end in another few hours and marks the end of a unforgettable decade. It had everything from natural disasters, terrorist’s attacks, major changes in political history of the world, emergence of Asian countries as the economic super power and many more. It has changed the lives of many. For many, this decade has been a forgettable one and for many, the most unforgettable one.

Political history was re written in most parts of the world. Barack Obama became the first black president of USA. Power changed hands in Japan from Liberal Democratic Party to Democratic Party of Japan after rule of around 5 decades. In India, Manmohan Singh became the first Prime Minister after Jawaharlal Nehru to successfully assume the office after completing the first term. Prathiba Patil became the first woman President of India and the emergence of Rahul Gandhi changed the perception of politics among today’s youth. This decade also saw the end of Vajpayee-Advani era and death of many tall political leaders.

History was also re written in sports. Michael Schumacher added 5 more F1 title to his 2 title won during the previous decade to take his tally to 7. This makes him the leading F1 driver of all time. In Tennis, Pete Sampras ended his career with a record 14 grand slam titles only to be over taken by Roger Federer, who has won 15 titles and still playing. Federer became the first Men’s player after Agassi to win a career grand slam when he beat Robin Soderling in the French Open finals in 2009. If Tennis had its share of drama so as Cricket. Austraila won 2 successive world cups to stamp their authority as the invincible. However the most coveted Ashes changed hands twice when England won in 2005 and back in 2009. Flintoff did what Ian Botham did in 1983. India won the inaugural T20 world cup. However, their reign as the top T20 team was short lived. However, 2009 saw them become the world number 1 test team. South Africa created history by winning test series in Australia only to lose the return series at home. Beijing staged one of the most stunning Olympics in 2008 and showed the world that they are not only an economic superpower but also a power horse in sports. They finished the table with maximum number of Gold Medals. The Olympics also marked the greatness of Michael Phelps who won a record 8 gold medals at the Beijing Olympics and 14 overall making him the greatest Olympian of all time.

Arts too have its share of memories in the last decade. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King won a record 11 Oscars equalling Titanic and Ben Hur. However, unlike the other two, this movie converted all its nominations in to awards. This decade also signalled the entry of A.R.Rahman at the world stage when he won the BAFTA, Golden Globe and twin Oscars for his music in Slumdog Millionaire. He is also nominated for Grammy Awards for the same. The death of Michael Jackson, “The King of Pop” was a great jolt to all the music lovers. Kamal Hassan completed 50 years in Cinema in 2009 so as the Big B who completed 40 years. Sivaji-The Boss, became the first tamil movie to be in UK top 10 and 15 year old idea of James Cameroon, “Avatar” finally hits the screen.

Last but not the least, the things that changed the shape of the world, a range of terrorist’s attacks and natural calamities around the world. It all started with earthquake in Gujarat which killed thousands of people which was followed by the famous September attacks on the world trade center. Then comes the invasion of Iraq by the USA, the earthquakes in Pakistan and China,the elimination of LTTE, the Tsumani in the Indian Ocean, Madrid, London, Bali and Mumbai train bombings and the Mumbai attacks.

I hope the coming decade brings happiness and peacefulness to each and everyone in this world. Wish you all a HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR.

2009-12-03T15:26:00.019+08:00

Nov 8th is undoubtedly one of the best days of my life. It was my brother’s wedding and the atmosphere was awesome. The day before the wedding, Chennai was under water and thank god, on the wedding day it was shining bright. It has been a long time since I attended wedding and nothing can come close to such event especially being my brother’s wedding. I was able to meet all of my family members. Almost all had come for the wedding. If the wedding was grand, then the reception was even grander. Everyone enjoyed it to the core. More than anything else, this is the first marriage in our family which was like icing on the cake.

After the marriage, we started for a holy trip. We started on 10th November and were back by 13th morning.

Day 1: We boarded the Vaigai express at 12.40 PM from Chennai egmore and reached Trichy in the evening. There we took a van and went to Gunaseelam (some 25 Kms from Trichy). We stayed there that night and worshipped Lord Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal.

Day 2: We got up early and went to the temple again and worshipped the Lord. I had the plan of taking bath at Cauvery, but unfortunately the river was flowing till the brim and I was scared. Then we went to Thanthondri Malai in Karur. By the time we reached the temple, it was closed and hence we had to wait till 3 PM for the temple to open. After worshipping the God, we came back to Gunaseelam, packed our bags and left for Srirangam. We went to the temple and worshipped Lord Ranganathar. This temple has got the tallest temple tower in Asia. One can see the entire Srirangam from the topmost floor of the tower. After coming out of the temple, we went to Trichy again to board Rameshwaram Express.

Day 3: We were supposed to get down at Ramanathapuram. The scheduled arrival was 3.30 AM, but we were fast asleep. We missed the station and got down at Mandapam (next to Ramanathapuram). The next train from Mandapam to Ramnathapuram was at 6.00 AM and hence we had to wait for 2 hours in the platform. We boarded the train to Ramanathapuram and from there took a van to Thirupullani (15 Kms from Ramanathapuram). This is one best place I have visited. The place is surrounded by farms and there were plenty of peacocks running around. I would love to go to this place again. After we reached Thirupullani, we refreshed ourselves at Ahobila Math and went to the temple of Lord Adi Jaganatha Perumal. This is one of the best temples I have ever visited. It was calm, big and had a wonderful architecture. The specialty of this temple is Lord Ram will be in reclining form. Here is the only temple in the world where Lord Ram will be in reclining form. It is believed that it is in this place Lord Hanuman informed Lord Ram about Sita after seeing her in Lanka. Then, we refreshed ourselves and went to Sethukarai (Sethusamudram). The place is awesome given its mythological and political significance, but it can be maintained in a better way. After spending few minutes there we went to Chakravazhnallur, a small village near Ramanathapuram. There is a temple for Lord Adi Kesava Perumal. After worshipping the Lord, we drove to Rameshwaram. The view from the Indra Gandhi Bridge was breathtaking. We reached Rameshwaram railway station at 4.30 PM. The train was at 6.00 PM and so I, my bro and sis-in-law went to the Ramanathaswamy Temple. This temple is the abode of Lord Shiva. It is believed that Lord Rama worshipped Lord Shiva after his war against Ravana. This temple has got the longest temple corridor in the world. I have no words to describe this temple. Just awesome!!!

Day 4: Back to Chennai and end of wonderful week.

Who is Lata?

2009-10-22T19:19:00.007+08:00

This happened few months back in my office.

A conversation between me and IT guy for installing MS Access.

Me: I want to install MS Acess in my system

IT Guy: Dont you have MS Office

Me: Yeah I have but I dont have Access

IT Guy: I am busy now.

Me: But I want it now. I have work

IT Guy: I am busy, Lata will install

Me: Ok ask her to install as soon as possible

IT Guy: No, only I can install.

If only this guy can install then why did he say Lata ll install. I am confused only to find out that its later and not lata (typical singaporean accent) :)

தீபாவளி நல்வாழ்த்துக்கள்

2009-10-17T06:48:00.002+08:00

இனியே தீபாவளி நல்வாழ்த்துக்கள். இத்திருநாளில் அனைவரின் அறியாமை ஒழியட்டும். அனியாவருக்கும் சந்தோசம் பெருகட்டும்

The great man..the great soul.... the MAHATMA

2009-10-02T15:59:00.002+08:00

On this day, 140 years ago a great soul in the name of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born. He was a man of principles, who fought the guns and daggers with non violence and succeeded in doing so. His principle of tolerance for all and non violence are still being followed everywhere. He led India to independence through his ahimsa and satyagraha. He stood by what he said. Unlike today’s politicians, he praised his opponents as well. One of the greatest traits of this man is he by no means a hypocrite, because of which he even had a bitter relationship with his sons. He spoke truth and fought for the people of India. He was born as Mohandas and left us as Mahatma. I am sure none of us can become Mahatma but atleast hope we all follow his principles.

Some examples of how he influenced the world:

“America has its roots in India through Mahatma Gandhi”- this was said by none other than the American President Mr.Barrack Obama.

For a question from a 9th grade girl Lilly on “If given a chance, with which person (dead or alive) would you like to have dinner”, he said it’s Mahatma Gandhi.

These are some of the examples of how much this man is revered all over the world. Some of the greatest followers of this man are Mandela and Martin Luther King. Mandela fought discrimination against blacks in South Africa so as Martin Luther King in America which led to the 1959 civil war.

What a way to bring my 100th post. This was sheer coincindence to write about this great soul and it being my 100th post. It gives a nice feeling..

Are we lucky enough?

2009-09-30T16:33:00.000+08:00

Few days back one of my friend told me that he should have lived in 80’s rather than 90’s as there were not much technological improvements and there was Ilayaraja’s music. I was really astonished to hear from a person who is an embedded system professional. This is certainly true with me as well. I am not much of a technical guy and a great fan of Ilayaraja.

Technology has made life simple and easy. Today a person sitting in India can see another person sitting in USA from his/her desk. Such is the advancement of technologies. It has done wonders to human life especially in its development. Without these we would not have known that there is water in moon and so many other things which were unimaginable few years back. In fact without these technologies I would not be sitting here writing this blog. It made dumb people speak, deaf people hear. Computers, without any doubt is one of the greatest inventions in human history. With the advent of computers everything seems to be possible by humans. I read an article few days ago that in another 20 years, humans will become immortal with nanobots replacing human cells. It can also cause reverse ageing. Such is the effect of computers in today’s world.

However, Newton’s third law proves correct here too. For every action there is an equivalent and opposite reaction. The advancement of technologies made every one live in fear. Mumbai attacks, September 11 attacks, Madrid bombings, London Bombings to name a few. It is these Americans who first designed nuclear bombs and in fact one of the first to use it. But now they fear that it will land in to the hands of terrorists. Mikail Kalshnikov would have been an elated person when he invented AK-47, but very little he knew that it would kill millions of people. I feel, technology is directly proportional to human greed and jealousy. As the technology improved, the human greed also increased. It is this greed that led to the invasion of Iraq by George Bush.

I always laugh at these world leaders when they talk about green house gases, especially leaders of the developed countries. The world was greener few years back, but what about today. The pollution was very less few years back, but what about today. The world was peaceful few years back, but today it’s the opposite. Had they thought about the consequences of green house gases earlier, world would have been a greener. Had they thought about the consequences of nuclear weapons before developing, world would have been relatively safer.

I agree that each item has its own advantages and disadvantages. Technological advancement is great but I feel the consequences have been worst. The disadvantage has certainly overweighed the advantages here. The current situation is like holding the tiger’s tail. We cannot leave it and it will certainly backfire on us. I hope the future will be safe and through this I appeal to all the world leaders to look into serious issue of global warming and terrorism than thinking about how to infiltrate other country’s borders and make it unstable.

Pokisham

2009-08-17T12:58:00.004+08:00

Yesterday I got to watch the movie Pokisham by Cheran. When I was in the theater I was really not impressed by the movie, but when I came out of it I realized that I failed to understand its beauty. It deals with the emotions of love, its pain and its happiness. The story starts with Cheran’s son reading the letters written by his father to Padmapriya during his younger days, how they got to know each other, how their love blossomed and how it ended. The story goes like this. Lenin (Cheran) works as marine engineer in Calcutta comes to his native place to look after his father, Damodaran (played by Vijaykumar) who is admitted to hospital. Nathira’s (Padmapriya) mother is also admitted to the same hospital when they meet each other. Lenin helps Nathira by paying money to the hospital when her mother was to be operated. As, the time passed both become good friends. Lenin in the meantime leaves for Calcutta. Damodaran writes a letter to Lenin asking him to write a letter to Nathira as she was not there when he left the hospital. Lenin writes a letter to Nathira and this continued and both started loving each other. As the days passed, frequency of letter increased. Lenin goes to Nagoor (Nathira’s house) to meet her. Damodaran comes to know about this and both goes to Nagoor to seek the Nathira for Lenin. Being a muslim, both feared that her father will reject their love. But for everyone’s surprise, he accepts them and asked for time for marriage. What happenes later, whether they got married or not forms the rest of the story.

The songs are good and pleasing to ears. I am really impressed with the art direction and the cinematography. The director brings out the old memories of many people through letter writing which is almost extinct today with the advancement of technologies. The movie is boring for all those who watch it as a cinema but when one realizes the beauty of hand written letters, the movie is beautiful. I wouldn’t say it as a great movie but a good movie. When compared to Cheran’s previous works, Pokisham is not a really a pokisham for all but all those lost letters of millions, this is indeed a Pokisham.

I always feel that a handwritten greeting card has got more value and than a costly gift which does not evoke any emotions. I realized myself when I got a greeting card from my sister. The feeling was completely different than how I felt when I received a gift. I don’t say that gifts doesn’t evoke any emotions but less when compared to a handwritten.Technology can make the world small, but it sheds the real feeling and emotions.

My rating is 3/5.

The Graduate

2009-08-01T00:55:00.011+08:00

I was officially conferred the degree of Master of Science in Logistics and Supply Chain Management on 30th July, 2009. The graduation ceremony was held at Nanyang Auditorium @ 10:00 AM. It was a great feeling getting the degree from the president of the Nanyang Technological University.

Thanks for all who supported me without whom I wouldnt have come till here :)

Cooking..Its nice to learn.

2009-07-24T17:02:00.001+08:00

Cooking is an art and according to me every person must learn how to cook. It indeed helps a lot when people move from one place to another in search of better opportunities. It helps me a lot especially for two reasons. First, being a vegetarian its pretty hard to find a vegetarian food here and second, even if I find a good restaurant its pretty costly for me and of course, its not advisable to eat outside daily. Before joining my first job, all that I knew about cooking was to make rice and hot water. It all started when I was posted outside my home town and absence of quality mess near my place forced me and my friend to start cooking. It was my friend who taught me to cook and I still remember the first time I cooked, I made Lady’s finger. It didn’t taste as bad as one would have expected. Initially, I was very slow in learning new dishes and I used to make a routine food with a vegetable and sambhar. As the days passed, I learnt a good number of recipes like palak paneer, veg pulao, kesari, more kuzhmbu, aviyal and few more. However, one thing I would like to try my hands with is a typical Rajasthani recipe.

It is always a fun when you cook along with people who are interested in it and I had such people in Mysore. We used to try our hands on various recipes especially during the weekends. However, for few months, I got fed up with cooking and eventually lost interest. Off late, I started experimenting again and started enjoying it as I used to before. I hope to try out new recipes in the future. If any of you know any do let me know so that I can try myself.

Dialouges which I enjoyed the most!!!

2009-07-17T13:41:00.002+08:00

I would like to share some of the movie dialogues which caught my attention and which made me think. Apologies if the words do not match with that of the original. These are just few of many I loved.

First and the foremost is of course the one which I had already written as a separate post.

Anbe Sivam:

Madhavan: “ Enna mathiri design ithu. Kedaikatha blood group kedaika vechi, antha payana pozhaka vechi, ippo… (he cries). Ippo than kadavul irukara illaya nu santhegam varuthu. Illa, enaku kadavaul nambikkai iruku. Ungala mathiri illa…”

Kamal: “ Enaku kadavul nambikkai illa nu yaar sonna..”

Madhavan: ”Oh.. Yaar antha kadavul..” (Kamal points his finger towards Madhavan).

Kamal: Munna pinna theriyatha oruthanuku kanneer vidariaye athan kadavul

Madhavan: Enna thideernu..

Kamal: Ean na naanum Kadavul.

Next is also from the genius’ movie

Nayagan:

Kamal: ”Naalu paer ku nallathu nadakum na ethuvumae thappu illa...”

Baasha:

Rajinikanth: ”Aandavan nallavangala sothipan aana kai vida maataen, aana kettavangaluku neraya kudupan aana kai vituduvan..”

Thalapathi:

Rajinikanth: ” Ean..?”

Some artiste: ”Deva..”

...

Mamooty: ”Suriya..En kooda vanthu iru. Inga irunthu ean kashta padanum..”

Rajinikanth: ”Illa Deva. Ivanga ellarayum vittu vara mudiyathu. Chinna vaysulenthu enna thooki valathaga.”

Mamooty asks him again and again Rajinikanth refuses.

Mamooty now raising his voice: “Unaku ivanga ellarum irukanga da aana enaku Suriya mattum than irukan.”

Alaipayuthey:

Madhavan: “Naa unna virumbala, un mela aasai padala, nee azhaga iruka nu nenaikala aana ithellam nadanthidumo nu bayama iruku. Yosichu sollu...”

Nala Damayanthi:
It’s a conversation between two airport officials

Person 1:”You are from his country and you don’t understand his language and she is from different country but she understands him.”

Person 2: “That’s India for you. Mera Bharat Mahan..”

Parthiban Kanavu:

Srikanth: “Sorry! Theriyama paturchu..”

Sneha: “ Enna sonnenga?”

Srikanth:”Theriyama paturchu nu sonnaen..”

Sneha: “Athuku munnadi”

Srikanth:”Oh athuva, Sorry nu sonnaen”

Sneha: ”Purushan pondatti kulla sorry sollika aarambicha apram life muzhuka sorry solrathulayae poidum.”

.............

Srikanth: ” Pondatti a irukarthuku oru azhagu venum, athu en Saytya kitta nerayave iruku. Eppo ava appa kittiyae ”enakum en purushanum kum aayiram vishyam irukum athula yaarum thalayida vendam” nu sonnalo atha vida pondatti a irukarthuku vera ennanga venum. Enakga evlovo vitu kuduthurka, naa avalukaga ethayum vitu kuduthathilla. Avalukaga naa en kathala vitu kudukaren. Athunala ennanga, ava vara varaikum avalukaga naa wait pandraen..”

Autograph-3

2009-06-30T14:41:00.004+08:00

(Continuing from Autograph-2….)

May 5th 2008: I came to Chennai for 3 months and this was my longest stay in Chennai since I left on June 24th 2006. It was a special feeling and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The three months passed very quickly and in the mean time during my stay I got my 1st semester result. I scored more than what I expected and I was indeed happy.

August 8th 2008: Back to Singapore to continue my studies. The 3 month stay rejuvenated me and I started enjoying my stay in Singapore.

Aug 9th to Oct 13th: No special events happened in my life during this period, but I enjoyed my stay as we frequently went out during the weekends. However, Sep 15th is and will always be a special day in my life.

Oct 14th: I was given an offer to join an US MNC as logistics analyst for a 6 month contract. Initially I was bit hesitant in taking up the job as I had to sign the contract the very next day. However, since economy world over started to shrink, I thought of taking the gamble and signed the contract. The pay was great so as the job profile. I was really happy as I got a job in my field of study rather than going back to Software.

Nov 25th: Completed my masters with my second semester getting over on this day.

Nov 26th: I joined the company immediately after completing my masters. The date 26th I guess is what destined to me to join organizations. Even in my previous company, my joining date was 26th. Given the fact that economy has hit rock bottom during this period and I finding a job in desired field was indeed a great feeling.

From this date, life was calm with no big events, no festivals and no outings except during the Chinese new year when we made a trip to zoo, night safari and bird park.

Around April 2009, my search for job intensified with no success, but I was hopeful of getting one.

May 14th: The Company has extended my contract to another 6 months till November 2009 with all the benefits of a full time employee.

May 22nd: Off to Chennai for a special event in my life.

June 3rd: The special event has arrived. It was my brother’s engagement. He being the eldest in our family, this is the first marriage and it was a great family meeting as well as I met my cousins after a gap of around 6 years. In mean time, I enjoyed my stay in Chennai especially with my cousin’s kids and friends.

June 7th: Back to Singapore and resumed work.

June 25th: Finally, I got the book which I wanted for a long time, rather I attempted to get it after a long time.Thanks to my friend who got it from library. "India after Gandhi" by Ramachandra Guha. It is simply amazing to know the history of this great country after 1947.

(to be continued after marriage……)

World of Sports-2009

2009-06-26T12:00:00.007+08:00

This year has been a dramatic year for sports. So many disappointments and surprises have taken place in just 6 months starting from Australian Open.

Tennis:
• It all started with World No 1 Nadal defeating the King Federer in the Australian Open finals. Even though this is not a big surprise, it is indeed a surprise given the fact how Federer has played in hard court in the past.
• Next, the greatest upset in the world of sports. Champion Nadal was knocked out of French Open in the 4th round by Robin Soderling, who was eventually beaten by the King Federer in the finals.

Formula 1:
• Next comes the biggest of all. Formula 1 has seen the rise of minnows to the top with reigning champion Lewis Hamilton, former champion Kimi Raikonen and Fernando Alonso and other top contenders failing to make an impact in this year’s championship. However it was Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel of Brawn GP and Red Bull, which was an under performer before are ruling the roost. Button is impressive with 6 wins in 8 races and Vettel winning the other 2. It has been a complete domination by Brawn GP which is competing for the first time under the leadership of technical genius Ross Brawn. Brawn GP was formed after Honda pulled out of F1 last season. It was a complete turn around in Formula 1 this year.

Cricket:
• In Cricket, the defending champions were beaten comprehensively in all the 3 super eight games of Twenty20 world cup. Tipped to be the favorites along with South Africa, India displayed on of its worst performance in the last 1 year and was kicked out of the tournament. Once the semi finals were decided, people believed South Africa to win the cup, however they continued their tag of chokers losing to Pakistan. The finals between Pakistan and Sri Lanka was thought be a tight one as both the teams played well throughout the tournament with Sri Lanka reached finals without losing a game. However, they were beaten comprehensively by Pakistan. It was a great moment for them given the fact that they had no international tournaments over the past 1 year and also the current situation there. The man who turned the game in their favour in both semi finals and finals was none other than the dangerous Shahid Afridi.

Basket Ball:
• LA Lakers beat Orlando Magic to win the NBA 2009 title and this is the first time, LAL has won the title after Shaq moved out. This may not be a surprise, but it was indeed a great achievement for Kobe Bryant as he proved his worthiness that he can win the title without Shaq. Phil Jackson, went past Red Auerbach for winning the most number of NBA titles as manager. This win took his tally to 10 (6 with Chicago Bulls and 4 with LAL).

Badminton:
• The greatest glory, India could ever get in badminton. Saina Nehwal winning the Indonesia Super Series beating the Chinese Lin Wang who is higher ranked than her. She became the first Indian women to win the tournament.

Soccer:
• Finally the biggest upset of the tournament. United States beat Spain 2-0 in the confederation cup in South Africa. Spain, which had a dream run of 35 games unbeaten since november 2006, when they lost to Romania in a friendly. Had they won the game againt the USA, they would have made the world record of being unbeaten for most consecutive games. Now they have equalled Brazil’s record of 35.

With so many upsets happened in the last 6 months, will the trend continue with Ashes and Wimbledon coming up? Lets wait and watch……

Good times ahead for India......

2009-05-21T12:39:00.001+08:00

The mandate is out and Dr.Manmohan Singh is all set to become the prime minister for the second consecutive term. He is the first person after Jawaharlal Nehru to successfully have become prime minister after completing the 1^st term. Apart from this, the good thing about this election is around 40% of the MP’s are below the age of 50 and it has also given a clear mandate that people of India wants a stable government. Rahul Gandhi grew by leaps and bounds as a politician and his strategy helped congress win majority of seats in Uttar Pradesh. His youth formula and understanding the ground reality of the people of India helped congress win election. India’s future lies in the hands of young people and I hope he ll lead the charge. Can we see yet another ayutha ezhuthu (Yuva) in the making?

The war has finally ended and the dreaded terrorist Velupillai Prabhakaran has been been killed in the island nation. This will give the much needed peace for the people of sri lanka. It has been a long fought war which came to end few days back. Hope both Sinhalese and Tamilians live in harmony unlike before which caused the formation of LTTE. I guess its high time that people of sri lanka can take a leaf out of Indians where there are so many differences in culture, religioin, language, caste but still living united.

Pakistan has finally realized that its main enemy is Taliban and not India. They have crackdown the Taliban terrorists in the Swat valley and hope just like what happened in Sri lanka, Pakistan too should capture these dreaded terrorists.

Lots of good things happening in and around India. These are certainly good signs for everybody and hope Kashmir issue is also solved.

My hearty congratulations to Dr. Manmohan Singh and Co and a special thanks to Rahul Gandhi for giving youth more opportunity. Also I would like to wish the UPA all the very best for a good governance. Our hope rests in these people and am sure with Left out of the alliance the government will take bold decisions to develop India.

May 16th - The D-Day

2009-05-13T11:50:00.002+08:00

Today is the final phase of voting for the month long election which decides who will be the next prime minister of India. Personally I was really disappointed with the way the campaign was held all through the country. No political party talked about providing basic amenities for the people in the campaign even though their manifesto mentioned about it. The campaign was largely concentrated on attacking the opposition parties. No wonder why people threw shoes at these leaders. The main agenda in these campaigns was why people should not vote for the opposition party and not why they should vote for them. I was really amused at Congress leadership. They seemed to have different opinion among themselves. First it was Rahul Gandhi who praised Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu but they are sharing dais with their opposition parties. When they realized that Nitish Kumar will be part of NDA, they started to doubt his secularism. It is heights of hypocrisy. I did not understand Rahul Gandhi saying Jayalalitha a like minded leader. Congress being part of DMK, he said Jayalalitha a like minded leader, does this mean ADMK and DMK are like minded parties? It is like a=b and b=c => a =c. this is certainly not true otherwise there will be no opposition parties in TN. Moreover, these two parties’ rivalry hits the sky during the election and never subsides. Same can be said about Bihar where RJD and LJP are part of UPA but the congress is trying to woo JD(U) which is the main opposition of RJD and LJP. How the chemistry will work out between the Congress and JD(U) when they have RJD and LJP in their alliance. Similarly, TDP is their main opposition party in Andhra Pradesh but they are trying to woo them as well. I seriously doubt these people’s ideology. They can stoop to any level to form the government. What is happening in Rampur is disgusting. Jayaprada is alleging that Azam Khan is distributing nude pictures of her and Amar Singh is saying that Jayaprada will commit suicide if she loses (I don’t know whether Jayaprada knows about it or not). OMG, such a great country is ruled by such people. Above all, Mulayam Singh’s reply to a polling officer when he did not allow the black cats to accompany him.. “mujhe kanoon math sikao. Mein theen bar mukya mantri ban chukka hoon….” disgusting.

No one talked about security, food and water. All that these people talked are UPA has failed miserably in the past 5 years, NDA is not secular, Left’s ideologies are pretty old etc etc. No good speeches made. Where are the Vajpayees, Nehrus who are known for their oratorical skills. The congress prime ministerial candidate does not want to contest lok sabha. Amazing, it is the people who should elect their prime minister and not the party. I feel its time to amend the constitution and make it compulsory that the Prime Minister should contest Lok Sabha. He is one of the finest economists, a great academician, a great person and I feel he should have led from the front by contesting the lok sabha which he failed to do so. Next comes the NDA prime ministerial candidate who praised Jinnah for secularism, who led the yatra which demolished the babri masjid and who doesn’t know what is happening in the government when he was the home minister. I accept he is a great leader, better than Manmohan Singh when it comes to leadership skills and taking decisions but his past record and his extremism doesn’t support him to be the prime minister. Then the third front who doesn’t know who will be their prime ministerial candidate, no ideologies, no great leader in their front who have qualities of becoming the prime minister. The situation today is such that people are not ready to accept any of these leaders as prime ministers but the irony is no one is better than these people for the top job. Lets wait for the 16^th of May and we ll know what is India’s fate.

Hey... Nee Romba Azhaga Iruka.. :)

2009-05-05T10:19:00.008+08:00

Yei nee romba azhaga irukke
Yei nee romba azhaga irukke
Romba romba azhga irukke
Kangal noorum marandhum rasikka
Nee romba romba azhaga irukke

Poovin azhago oru naal thaan
Iravin azhago oru maatham
Undhan azhagukku mudivillaye
Athai solla vaarthayaal mudiyalaye

Yei nee romba azhaga irukke
Romba romba azhaga irukke
Mookum muzhiyumaathaan irukke
Nee romba romba azhaga irukke

Kavithai sumakkum noolagham naan
Kannaal ennai purattaathey
Yei nee romba azhaga irukke
Romba romba azhaga irukke
KaNgal nooru marandhum rasikka
Nee romba romba azhaga irukke

This is the title song from the movie “Yei Nee Romba Azhaga Iruka..”. Wow!!!! Wonderful music composed by Sabesh-Murali and beautifully penned by Kabilan. Sneha looks awesome in this song in a blue saree and of course in the whole movie as well. Good movie with a neat screenplay. I really love this.

“Poovin azhago oru naal thaan
Iravin azhago oru maatham…”

nice way to describe her beauty. By iravin azhago oru matham he refers the time taken by moon to become new moon from full moon ( its my understanding. Correct me if am wrong)

”Kavithai sumakkum noolagham naan
Kannaal ennai purattaathey....”

beautiful lines describing her beautiful eyes..

Its Shoe's day out

2009-04-29T10:30:00.001+08:00

This election has thrown many surprises and will be remembered for a long time for many reasons. It is a 3 way fight and all the three alliances are having a close fight. Many analysts say the result will give a hung parliament. However, one unique thing about this election is the shoe throwing incidents. We see a number of people throwing shoes at the leaders including the Prime Minister and the Leader of Opposition. Has it become a fashion to throw shoes at the leaders to show their protests? It all started with a Iraqi journalist throwing shoe at George Bush when he was given a farewell. This continued in India and the first victim was our Home Minister Mr. P.Chidambaram when he was asked about the acquittal of Jagdish Tytler in the 1984 Sikh riots. This was followed by Naveen Jindal. However the most daring incident of all is a man throwing shoe at the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, when he was address a rally. These shoe throwers continued their fight when they threw a slipper at the NDA Prime Ministerial candidate Mr. L.K.Advani. The latest to join the group is the Karnataka Chief Minister Mr. B.S.Yedyurappa. I don’t know whether it is a political plot or not as all these leaders have pardoned the shoe throwers. I never knew that these people are so kind hearted :)

Chak de India...

2009-04-08T15:20:00.004+08:00

The wait is finally over. India has won a test series in New Zealand after 41 years. It last won a test series under the captaincy of Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi. It has been a splendid performance from team India and Dhoni’s golden run as captain continues. India has not lost a test in the last 9 matches and Dhoni maintains his 0% loss since taking over the captaincy from Anil Kumble. Everyone lived up to their tasks and performed really well. This well could be the last series in NZL for the big three and they didn’t lose the opportunity to stamp their authority. Sachin and Laxman scored centuries and Dravid didn’t fail even once. Apart from this, he broke the world record for most number of catches in test match cricket. Gautam Gambhir has been a revelation since the Sri Lanka tour, scoring 2 centuries in consecutive matches. Sehwag has been a disappointment in test series, not able to convert his quick starts into a big one, but that’s how he plays. Yuvraj has to prove his credentials if he has to be a permanent member of test team and he had an average series. Dhoni, as usual had a terrific 3^rd test, scoring 50’s in both the innings and taking 6 catches in the 1^st innings. Bowlers too had a good outing in all the 3 tests, especially Harbhajan who had his best overseas tour in his career picking 16 wickets including a match winning 6 wickets in the 2^nd innings of the 1^st^rd test with a 5 wicket haul in the 1^st innings and as always had given early break through all throughout the series. Ishant Sharma did support Zaheer well by taking wickets in crucial times. Munaf too didn’t disappoint as a third seamer. Overall it was a tremendous performance from team India and is very well on course in claiming the top spot. test. Zaheer Khan was brilliant in the 3

It would have been sweet had India won the third test. In fact I would say that they were really unlucky as Vettori was given not out, what seemed to be a plumb LBW and Ishanth dropping O’Brien in the square leg. Had they won the match it would have been their 100^th test win, which would have made the series triumph even sweeter.

As Dhoni wished, it is a great gift for the big 3.

Congrats team India and hope they continue this form for at least 2 more years.

Yet another very good tool from google

2009-04-07T13:40:00.000+08:00

http://www.google.co.in/intl/en/landing/loksabha2009/

Check out this link to know everything about election 2009 including, how the government has performed in the last 5 years in each state.

This is really a very good tool to choose the candidates before voting.

Gandhigri

2009-04-02T14:23:00.000+08:00

The one I am going to say here is the most revered principle of all time. It has changed many nations’ history. It had its birth in our very own land which was adopted by many. In fact it took me at least 3 to 4 years to fully realize the power of it. Yes, I am talking about none other than the Gandhigri.

Gandhigri is nothing but the principles of Mahatma Gandhi. I may not the best person to talk about it, but I feel it is my duty to spread the awareness about it. To be frank, few years back I never believed in Gandhigri, but few articles, books and of course movies changed my perception. Now I somehow believe that, it is the most powerful weapon to fight against injustice.

The most important aspect of Gandhigri is Ahimsa i.e. non-violence and peace. People may argue that it is not possible to follow non-violence in the current scenario when the world is facing threats from enemies and terrorists. Yes, I do accept it but it is not impossible to make them realize about it, may be not the terrorists but at least the enemies.

Ok let me explain with an example.

Let us take the case of LTTE – Sri Lanka dispute. After fighting for 24 years for a separate state what have they achieved? The only thing that was achieved was the loss of millions of innocent people and also our very own Prime Minister. Now the situation is that they have been wiped off Sri Lanka. The leader is missing and they lost almost all their territories. I am sure, had they approached in a peaceful manner, they would have got the support of the world, but now they are an abandoned group. I am sure everyone would have supported their cause had they fought it in a peaceful way. At least they would have got some breakthrough in their talks.

I am not asking you to show your other chin when you get slapped, but at least try not to hit back. If you hit back, the ultimate result is enmity between the two, but if you don’t there are possibilities of friendship between the two and who knows it could be the turning point of your life. One should give the other person a chance to realize their mistake. The Indian law says that every person who has been charged should be given a chance to defend him or her and the greatest example is the appointment of a lawyer to Ajmal Kasab. I am not trying to defend his actions, but he should be given a chance to realize his mistakes so that he doesn’t repeat it again. It may sound difficult to digest given the fact that so many people died, but by hanging him it will only increase the anger of terrorists rather than subside.

I would love to quote Barrack Obama here who in his reply to John McCain regarding Al-Qeda in Iraq:

“…..I have news for Mr.McCain as well. There was no such thing called Al-Qeda in Iraq before Mr.Bush invaded…”

By invading Iraq for no reason, they just increased Al-Qeda’s aversion towards US and as a result 100’s of innocent people being killed every now and then.

One voice changed India which inspired the voice that changed South Africa and both these voices preached non-violence.

I am sure, when one voice can change a nation, one billion voices can certainly change the world. Hope to see a peaceful world at least before my death.

Last but not the least, I would like to quote Superstar as well.

“Anger is the cause of everything, one should know how to control it otherwise life will be miserable”

My Election Manifesto

2009-03-26T18:51:00.001+08:00

Ahh… it has started again. Both, the Congress and BJP are planning to give rice at a subsidized price. They are following the foot steps of DMK, which promised to offer rice at Rs2/Kg during the 2006 assembly election. The election fever is gripping up and everyone is trying to prepare a populist manifesto. I too thought why not try my hands in writing a manifesto. It goes as below

1. Will ensure that people get the basic amenities (food, water, shelter and clothing).

How will it be achieved?

• A team will be formed for each state and each team will have a member from the ruling party and a local NGO.

• The team will be headed by the NGO to make sure that everything is in control and quality is maintained.

• A subsidized restaurant just like a ration shop will be set up which will offer food at low price.

• All the waste cloth materials will be collected directly from the factory and dress will be stitched for the poor and will be sold at low price in ration shops.

• Single room will be built for all those who do not have shelter and make sure that there are no slums in India.

• Rain water harvesting will be made compulsory throughout India and linking of river project will be kicked off as soon as the government is formed.

• The government will make sure that flood waters are directed towards a reservoir.

All the expenses will be update in the website and citizens can check out for the details using RTI. To ensure that sufficient money is there to carry out the scheme, a 10% food cess will be applied on star hotels, 5% on food chains which has more than 10 outlets and 3% on remaining restaurants. A similar cess will be applied on clothing as well. A 10% if the total bill is above Rs 5000, 5% for above 3000 and 3% for above 1500.

2. Proper sanitation and drainage facilities. My government will see to that flood waters don’t clog the road anymore.

3. Cement roads in important parts of metropolitan cities and tar roads everywhere else where there are sufficient amount of traffic.

4. A social security number for all and common ID cards will be given. The card is bar-code enabled which has the full details of the person. This will be achieved in 1 year.

5. A central database having the full details of all the citizens and the common ID card will be connected to this. Hence, scanning the bar code will give the entire details of the particular person. It is must to produce the ID card whenever a person is availing any quota in any of the institutions.

6. Compulsory education till graduation for girls and boys. If not followed, strict action will be taken against the parents. 10% quota will be there in each and every college and school. This scheme is free for those living below poverty line and subsidized fee for lower class. (Class is based on financial position and not a caste based).

7. More funding for research in IIT’s, NIT’s, IISc’s and IIIT’s. The funding for research will be shared by the government and the industries. Government will bear 75% of the funds whereas the industries will bear the remaining 25%.

8. With nuclear deal being signed, the government will see to that all the reactors work to its maximum capacity. This will ensure uninterrupted power supply for all.

9. Money will be given to those who are selected for the sports academy for selected games and sports.

10. Usage of technology to ensure that everything is transparent to the citizens of the country. The government will work with the industries to implement it. The system will be such that people need not have to pay bribe.

11. Formation of National Investigating Agency, to fight terrorism.

12. Employment exchange will be computerized and a unique id will be given to all those who have registered. This will enable them to check status online. The system will be such that right job is given to the right person. One can also register themselves with the exchange online.

13. Basic law will be taught to the students in college.

In order to implement these, I expect full cooperation from the citizens of this great country. Without you people nothing is possible.

Jai Hind!!!

$%&*#

2009-03-25T15:09:00.000+08:00

I was always told by my friend that people in South India especially Tamil Nadu are more narrow minded compared to the people living in North India. He has this perception because, South Indian’s are more conservative than the North Indians. However, I never understood the exact meaning of narrow minded and broad minded people. I always felt that both the terms are relative in nature. For some people I might be a broad minded person but for others I might be a narrow minded person. Let’s discuss this based on four kinds of people (just an example). Let me name them A, B, C and D

Person A:

He/She is a kind of person who feels nothing is wrong in losing virginity before marriage as long as they are loyal to their partners. They are more practical and more concerned about their present life rather than their past. At times girls of this type do drink and smoke as happened in Mangalore.

Person B:

He/She is a bit conservative than the above person. They might not drink, smoke or lose virginity before marriage but they are very social and move freely with the opposite sex. They wear western dress which at times will be bit steamy. However, they will see to that they do not cross their limits.

Person C:

He/She, the most conservative of the four kinds I mentioned. Girls of this type wear traditional dress and at times western dress. They too will move freely with opposite sex but restrict themselves on certain things like going out to movies, beaches etc. They value their culture and tradition a lot.

Person D:

He/She is one who live the American way of life. According to them, nothing is wrong in relationships as long as they are happy. When I say relationships it includes pre marital, extra marital, living together and marriage. This is the difference between type A and D.

Now as per the definition I know, for A, B and C, D is a broad minded person. Similarly for D, A and B, C is narrow minded. But what about A and B. According to B, A is broad minded but for D, A is narrow minded. Similarly, for C, B is broad minded but narrow minded for A and D.

My question is, as far as I know I have seen people of type A, B and C living in Chennai.

So is Chennai a narrow minded or a broad minded city?

Is it ethical to generalize things on such issues?

Jade Goody and IPL

2009-03-23T11:09:00.001+08:00

Jade Goody, a participant of the famous reality show Big Brother, UK passed away yesterday. She was well known in India for her racist remarks against Shilpa Shetty in 2007 during the Big Brother, which the Indian won eventually. She was suffering from cervical cancer and showed courage and determination while fighting it. She is survived by her husband and 2 sons. May her soul rest in peace.

The confusion about IPL is finally over. The event will be held outside India due to security reasons. South Africa or England will be the likely venues where the mega event will take place. Even the game of cricket started, the game of politics over IPL has started. The BJP is already planning to make it a political issue, accusing Congress for shifting IPL outside India. I guess, they don’t want to leave any stones unturned when it comes to accusing the government J

The need of the hour

2009-03-18T12:25:00.000+08:00

NASA launched their space shuttle discovery few days back. I don’t know why, I never had any penchant towards space and space shuttles. I have always wondered why people are looking into space when there are lots to know on Earth. Yeah, these satellites made our life simple and without which who knows I wouldn’t have written this. Space programs are indeed one of the greatest advancements in science. These programs help us avoid natural disasters and other threats from outer space. They have saved our life and will be working towards the betterment of mankind. However, I seriously don’t understand the concept of Moon and Mars mission. What these people are going to do if they find life on Mars.

Mars

Are they going to get water from Mars to the Earth? Or are they going to transfer people from Earth to Mars? If these two happens, according to me the most stupid things ever to happen in the world. Even if some one gives me a valid reason for these, then I am sure very soon, there will be NGO fighting against environmental issues in Mars. Rather spending billions of dollars in it, they can donate it to countries like Somalia, which is struggling with mal nutrition and other day to day problems. Even now, US is spending lots of money to help poor countries, but I feel they can spend more on people and current issues rather than spending on Mars and other planets.

Moon:

The next in the line is moon mission. People cheered for the recent success of Chandrayan in India. The mission’s aim was to find the minerals on Moon’s surface so that they can be brought back to Earth and use it for power generation. Sounds funny rite!!! Back at home, people are suffering from poverty, lack of education, no proper food and these people spent crores of money on moon and I was told that this was the cheapest of all. I wondered if this was the cheapest, then how much it would have cost for the previous programs.

I feel its high time, these space organizations think about those people who don’t even know what Space means.

Who (I wish) should go to 7 RCR?

2009-03-16T15:01:00.000+08:00

Let me write one more article on the election. This is time its about the probable candidates for the top job – the Prime Minister of India. With the Third Front being launched officially, the contenders for the top job has increased dramatically. Every major player is throwing their hat for the top job. Let us make a quick analysis on the people who are fighting it out for the 7 RCR.

The first and foremost is the current PM, Dr. Manmohan Singh. Undoubtedly he is the most qualified person for the top job. He has the backing of UPA chairperson Mrs Sonia Gandhi and many other leaders within the INC. He is considered the architect of Indian Economy and has served a full term as the Prime Minister of India. He is regarded as Mr.Clean and by far the most intellectual person in Indian Politics for over a decade. However, there are many reasons for why he cannot be the Prime Minister again. His poor health condition, record of not winning a Lok Sabha seat, not being aggressive, being termed by many as a puppet may just act against him from contending for the top job. However, if UPA comes to power I would like to see a person who is corruption free and intellect rather than corrupted and aggressive person.

The next in the line is the NDA candidate Mr. Lal Krishna Advani. One good thing about NDA is that they have declared the prime ministerial candidate rather than waiting for the elections to get over. I termed it as a good thing because I believe that people should know who is going to be their Prime Minister before voting so that they will vote accordingly. This is because a leader is more important than his/her followers. Coming to the analysis, he is considered as a strong, dynamic leader who can really marshal his troops well. He is more like Sardar Patel, the iron man of India. At 80, he is more energetic and active than many of the younger leaders. He is richly experienced in Indian polictics. He is considered as the face of hindutva which could play a major role in the election. On the other side, he is not a consensual politician as his predecessor Mr.A.B.Vajpayee. His hindutva ideology might backfire on him because many people might not agree with it. However, he is the only top leader in the BJP who can be considered for the post. As far as who ll be the PM if NDA comes to power is not an issue as it is in UPA.

The real fight is between the above two candidates. It will be interesting to see who becomes the PM. However, there are other possible contenders for the top job.

One person I would love to see as the Prime Minister of India is Mr. Rahul Gandhi. He is just in late 30’s and am sure like his father he will be a great leader for the country. This country needs a young leader (atleast me). I am bored of seeing people in their 70’s becoming the PM. If Congress declares that he is their Prime Ministerial candidate for the coming election, I openly say here is that my vote is for Congress and I can at least campaign for him among my family members. He may not be experienced like other politicians but the way he spoke during the vote of no confidence motion just shows his character. Along with him, Omar Abdhullah can certainly drive nation towards the progress. I am really impressed with these two young leaders and hope someone like these two, rule my native state as well.

There are other leaders who aspire to become the Prime Minister and are actively working towards it like Sharad Pawar, Mayawati, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Laloo Prasad Yadav etc and the list goes on. I certainly do not even want to analyse about these people. Apart from Sharad Pawar, all other have corruption cases against them ( as far as I know. But I may be wrong) and Sharad Pawar is considered an opportunist. He was part of INC, but came out of it form the NCP as he was against Sonia Gandhi being made the president of INC on the grounds of her nationality. However I found no reason why he went back to support the UPA led Congress. I don’t know why he is hungry for power. BCCI president, current ICC Vice president and ll be the ICC president in the future, union minister and now the way things are moving, no wonder he might openly declare that he wants to be the PM.

Oh God!!! Pls save India. What sin did we make?

At times I wonder whether the PM’s post have become like a child’s play which can be occupied by anyone irrespective of education, caliber, intelligence, and of course honesty and ethics. As I said in my previous post, an Aam Aadmi can only pray to God for his survival.

The greatest rivalries in Men's Tennis

2009-03-13T10:49:00.000+08:00

The rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal is continuing to be one of the best ever in the era of Lawn Tennis. It carries the legacy of Bjorn Borg – John McEnroe and Pete Sampras – Andre Agassi. Undoubtedly all the 6 players are one of the greatest of their generation. However, only one from these 6 has won all the 4 major grand slam titles. It is none other than Andre Agassi. He is one of the few players to have achieved this feat. However, his achievement has been overshadowed by Pete Sampras’ domination in the 90’s. Winning 7 Wimbledon titles, the queen of grand slams is no easy task and a total of 14 grand slam titles, highest by any one in the era of professional tennis just shows how great he is. However, not even reaching the finals of the French Open is a blot in his great career. I am not here to compare the player’s greatness. I consider it is my privilege to write about these tennis giants.

Since, I have not watched Borg and McEnroe, I will start with Sampras and Agassi. Ever since I started watching tennis (guess its 1990), I started loving it. Watching Agassi and Sampras playing was like a treat for my eyes and am sure every tennis follower would accept this. I still remember Agassi playing against Goran Ivanisevic in 1992 Wimbledon finals. Agassi winning the finals in 5 sets and thereby winning his first grand slam title. For any tennis player it will be like a dream come true winning his first grand slam at The Championships. His forehand return serve was so elegant and no wonder it was considered one of his trademark shots. His first title saw him reaching greater heights in his career reaching world number 1 in ATP rankings. Later he went on to win 4 Australian Open, 2 US Open and 1 French Open, becoming only the 5^th player to win all the 4 grand slam titles. Apart from this, he is the only player to have won a career golden grand slam which includes an Olympic gold medal winning at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics beating Sergi Brugera of Spain in the finals. During the mid 90’s his form dipped and his ranking plunged. However, he came back strongly to win Australian Open and the French Open and regaining the No 1 spot. His last match at the grand slam was the US Open finals which he eventually lost to Roger Federer.

Pete Sampras, one of the greatest player to have played tennis. He has won a record 14 grand slams which includes 7 Wimbledon, 5 US open and 2 Australian Open titles. However, not winning the French Open title is a blot in his illustrious career. He was by far the most dominating player during his days. His win- loss record against his rival Andre Agassi is evident to show his class. It all started in 1988 when he started his career in professional men’s tennis and went on to win his first grand slam in 1990 US Open when he defeated Andre Agassi. Then 1993 saw him winning his first of the 7 Wimbledon titles. He faced fellow American Jim Courier in the finals. In the same year he won his second US Open title. In 1994, he won his first Australian Open and winning his second Wimbledon title in a row. His domination in the sport continued till 2002 when he beat Agassi in the finals of the US Open in four sets. It was his last ATP finals. His main strengths were his big serve and forehand. In 2007, he was inducted into the International Tennis hall of fame.

Roger Federer, by far the complete player of modern tennis. He has already won 13 grand slam titles equaling Bjon Borg’s record of 5 consecutive Wimbledon. With age in his side, he will surely surpass Sampras’ record of 14 grand slam titles. Unlike Sampras, he has reached the finals of the French Open thrice. He also holds record of 5 consecutive US Open title. Apart from this he has won 3 Australian Open titles and Olympic doubles gold medal. He was ranked number 1 for a record 237 weeks going past Jimmy Connors’s record of 167 weeks. He was the most dominating player winning almost all the games he played until the arrival of Rafael Nadal. Apart from this he has the highest career earnings and have won a record 57 ATP titles keeping him in the 8^th position of all time lists. He is the only player to have appeared in 10 consecutive grand slam finals and to have won 5 consecutive grand slam titles on 2 different events – Wimbledon and US Open. However, Nadal has been a thorn in his flesh beating him in 3 French Open finals and 1 Wimbledon finals and 1 Australian Open finals. He lost his world number 1 ranking to Nadal in 2008 at the Masters cup in August. I am just waiting for more from these two players.

Rafael Nadal, the gutsy Spaniard and the current World Number 1 holds the record of the only player after Bjon Borg to have won French Open and Wimbledon in same year and equaled his record of 4 consecutive French Open title. He has won 6 grand slam titles and an Olympic gold medal. He holds the record of longest winning streak at the clay court winning 81 matches. He has faced Federer in the finals of grand slam 7 times which itself a record in the Open era. He has been the dominant among his rival Federer having a win-loss record of 13-6. He may not be as elegant as Federer but his never say attitude is what has fetched him the glory. He has a strong forehand and when he plays the ball flies like a rocket. His Wimbledon victory over Federer is considered to be one of the greatest finals to have ever played in The Championship history. I just cannot wait to see these 2 playing the finals again.

Election 2009 - An Analysis

2009-03-10T18:43:00.000+08:00

With just over a month to go for the 15^th Lok Sabha general elections, all the major political parties are busy finding new allies or revamping old alliances. With Congress drawing the first blood in winning the alliances of regional parties and other national parties, for the BJP it’s been a downfall everywhere. If Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackrey refused to meet the BJP prime ministerial candidate L.K.Advani in Maharashtra, then they lost a key ally in the form of BJD or the Biju Janata Dal in Orissa. However, they were successful in bringing Rashtriya Lok Dal (Ajit Singh) in to NDA from Uttar Pradesh. For Congress apart from losing Mulayam Singh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party, till now it has been a win-win situation everywhere. However, losing SP’s support may prove to be a big loss for the Congress in Uttar Pradesh. The other major party, the Left has gained from what is said to be BJP’s loss. They have invited the BJD in to the third front and if they manage to contest elections together then it will be advantage Third Front in Orissa.

This is the summary of what is happening in India over the past few months. Let us see the prospects of the three alliances in those states which can swing the results in either way.

Let’s start with recap of what happened in 2004.

United Progressive Alliance (UPA) – 275

INC – 145
SP – 39
RJD - 21
DMK – 16
NCP – 9
Kerala Congress – 2
PMK – 6
TRS – 5
JMM – 5
MDMK – 4
LJSP – 3
PDP – 1

National Democratic Alliance (NDA) – 185

BJP – 138
Shiv Sena – 12
BJD – 11
Akali Dal – 8
JD(U) – 7
Trinamool – 2

Left - 60

Others – 78

Independents – 3

Out of these 275 seats + 60 from the Left, the UPA enjoyed clear majority in 2004. However, lots happened in the last 5 years with many parties switching allegiance. If the results replicate in 2009 then

UPA: 335 – SP- Left -MDMK-TRS + Trinamool - BSP = 217 Seats

NDA: 185 – Trinamool – BJD = 172 Seats

Third Front: Left + TDP + BJD+ADMK = 76 Seats

Now let’s take a look state wise

Andhra Pradesh

With 42 seats, AP is also going in for the assembly elections. The ruling Congress under the leadership of Y.S.Rajashekara Reddy is fighting the elections against the grand alliance of TDP and TRS along with CPI and CPI (M) forming the third front and megastar Chiranjeevis’ Praja Rajyam Party. With the advent of PRP, the vote share of both Congress and TDP will be split and the presence of TRS in the third front means chances of increasing the seat numbers for TDP compared to the previous election looks good. They might just have upper hand at the Telengana region. However, the welfare policies of the current Congress government will give them the edge over other parties. The biggest loser in AP is the BJP after losing their key partner TDP to the Third Front. At present it is advantage Congress in AP for the coming Lok Sabha election.

However for the assembly election nothing can be said as the presence of Chiranjeevi might just change the scenario. With PRP already decided to field maximum women and physically challenged candidates for the election, he might not win the election but will definitely cause damage to both Congress and TDP.

Karnataka

With 28 seats, Karnataka is the next big state that could swing the momentum either way. The BJP is enjoying its success here and it has been just a year since coming into power in the State, the anti incumbency effect will not be a major factor in the election. The success of BJP even in the by polls means BJP is clearly ahead of other parties and could win majority of seats in the state. Its advantage BJP in Karnataka.

Kerala

With 20 seats, Kerala is one of the Left bastions in India. However, the anti incumbency effect along with the fight within the state party may act against the Left. This will certainly add to the advantage for the Congress and the Congress is expected to do well here. Even though they might have a clean sweep, it is expected to win at least 50% to 60% of the seat i.e. around 10 to 12 seats which could definitely swing the momentum towards the Congress. BJP might just repeat their 2004 performance. Its advantage Congress in Kerala.

Maharashtra

If there is a state which will decide the next Prime Minister of India then this could be the one. With 48 seats, everything is happening in this state. The NCP under Sharad Pawar has asked for atleast 50% of the seats which the Congress is not willing to give. Shiv Sena – BJP alliance is in danger after Bal Thackrey refused to meet L.K.Advani and has hinted that NCP is a better ally than BJP. This could cause a serious damage to both Congress and BJP as both NCP and Shiv Sena are an important ally. If Shiv Sena and NCP come together then there will be a 3 way contest in Maharashtra between Congress, BJP and Shiv Sena- NCP alliance. Nothing can be said about who is going to win and its advantage to neither Congress nor the BJP. However, anything can happen in Indian politics. So one has to wait till May 16^th to know the exact result.

Orissa

Even though it might not change the political scenario at the center, the recent developments indicates that this state might throw in few surprises. The break up of BJP-BJD and BJD planning to join the Third Front means its advantage Third Front. The clean score card of Naveen Patnaik and Kandhamal violence means BJP is in a big problem and might not repeat its 2004 results. This could really be an important factor in deciding who will be the next Prime Minister of India.

Tamil Nadu

The state which has thrown surprise in every election. With 39 seats, in 2004 it was clean sweep for the UPA. But things have changed. The anti incumbency of the ruling DMK government and the rift between the DMK and the PMK, the presence of Vijaykanth, the formation of alliance between the ADMK and the Communists, the Srilankan Tamil issue, this state has seen everything. This time around it is impossible for the UPA to repeat its 2004 performance, which means they have to improve their performance in other states to come back to power. The BJP again has no allies in TN and Left – ADMK alliance means, it’s a fight between the Left – ADMK and the UPA. However, its advantage ADMK and its allies and it will be hoping to win at least 25 seats i.e. around 50% of the total seats.

Uttar Pradesh

The biggest of all the states, UP is the most important of all the states when it comes to Lok Sabha election. It is a battle between four major parties, the BSP, the SP, the Congress and the BJP. Ever since the fallout between the Congress and the SP last week, this state has been keenly watched by the political analysts, all over India. Just like Maharashtra, it is difficult to predict the clear winner. However, with Kalyan Singh changing his allegiance towards the SP means, problems continuing for the BJP as he was the face of BJP among the lower caste people in UP. At present this is the most interesting state of all in India. If at all the BSP or the SP joins the Third Front, then we are almost certain for a hung Parliament. But again, anything can happen in Indian Politics.

West Bengal

The Left bastion for almost 5 decades might just throw a surprise this year. The happenings at Nandhigram and Trinamool Congress joining hands with the Congress, the anti incumbency of the present West Bengal government everything will play an important role in this year’s Lok Sabha election. Again, the BJP is left with no major political alliance, it’s a close fight between the Congress and the Left and anything more than 10 to 15 seats means, a gain for the Congress from the previous election. However, it was Congress – Left alliance that won 32 seats on the whole during the last election and to repeat the performance is not that easy for the Congress-TMC alliance. As such, in terms of number of seats, its advantage Left in West Bengal.

My prediction:

Congress+ - 220 to 230 seats
BJP + - 160 to 180 seats
Third Front – 80 to 100 seats
Others 30 to 80 seats

If my prediction proves correct then we will see a hung Parliament. It is a close fight between the 3 alliances i.e the UPA, NDA and the Third Front, with the UPA leading the pack. However, in Indian Politics there is no enemy or friends. So it is possible for the parties to change allegiance again and form a post poll alliance with either the UPA or the NDA. So lets wait and watch. Whoever comes to the power, hope they don’t buckle under the pressure of the alliances and work towards the welfare of the people and as always it is the aam aadmi who suffers irrespective of who is in the power.

Slumdog Millionaire

2009-02-08T16:35:00.000+08:00

Yesterday I got to watch the most talked movie of the year 'Slumdog Millionaire'. The movie is all about a person called Jamal Malik. It talks about his childhood and how his life goes and how he wins "Who wants to be a Millionaire". The casts includes Dev Patel, Anil Kapoor, Irfan Khan, Saurabh Shukla and others. The most confusing part of the movie is how Jamal and his brother Salim, who are from a slum speaking Hindi, starts conversing in English with utmost fluency given the fact was that they are uneducated. Apart from this, I found not much of a flaw in the movie and Rahman's music was as usual awesome. The screenplay was adapted from a Warner Bros movie and it was good. The chemistry between Jamal and Lathika was nice and have taken well. Initially I was skeptical about the movie after listening to reviews from many, but after watching the movie I found it be good but not as great to be nominated for 10 Oscars. I somehow feel that there are many films taken in India which are better than Slumdog Millionaire which deserves more credit that what it had got. Apart from the director, everything else about this movie is Indian and proud to see an Indian nominated for 2 Oscars. I wish him all the very best and hope he brings more glories to India.

Found a new interest

2009-02-06T18:56:00.001+08:00

Offlate I have developed a new interest in the form of photography. Below is one such photo which I like a lot given the fact that I have taken it with my Sony w810i :) I am sure my photos would have been better if I had a better camera.

Are these awards a mere formality?

2009-02-01T11:17:00.000+08:00

The Padma Awardees have been announced for the year 2009. The list really surprise d me with the likes of Akshay Kumar, Helen, Vivek and Aishwarya Rai Bachan. What surprised me the most is that the panel left out Vijender Kumar and Sushil Kumar who brought glories to our nation by winning Olympic Medals. Apart from this, BCCI recommended VVS Laxman and Dhoni for the award, but unfortunately they left out Laxman and instead gave the award to Harbhajan Singh whose name was not recommended. Helen being a vetern actress was given at the same time when Aishwarya Rai was given. Does this mean, these Padma Awards are a mere formality to felicitate people? Moreover, the biggest blunder of all is that the award for given to a shawl exporter mistaking him for a craftsman. This really bemuses me whether the panel is seriously looking into the credentials of recommended people or not? There is no wonder why these awards were refused by many great people. I hope most deserving people receives it from 2010.

My life @ Singapore

2009-01-25T22:57:00.000+08:00

On reading my friend's blog, i thought why should i not write one about my experience in Singapore. I came here on December 24th 2007 and it has been 1 green and pollution free year for me. It was like a dream come trur for me as I have been trying for my Masters since I graduated in 2006. But due to many reasons I was not able to do it. I woould mention few memorable dates for me in Singapore rather than like a essay :)

Dec 24th: I landed at Changi airport. It was a smooth journey in Indian Airlines. The aerial view of the Marina rather Chennai was awesome.

Dec 26th: Course registration at the University. The university was big and green. I felt as if i had come back to Mysore Infosys. It was lush green and clean.

Jan 1st 2008: New Year celebrations at Marina Bay. Fireworks were awesome. It was the first time i had seen fireworks of that kind.

Jan 6th: Went to Underwater world and Dolphin lagoon in Sentosa Island. It was really good and being from India where it rare to see such species, i thoroughly enjoyed it.

Jan 7th: The classes started

Feb 6th and 7th: A trip to Singpore Zoo, Night Safari and Jurong Bird Park. Being a nature lover, it is very difficult for me to express how I enjoyed these 3 places. I was astonished to see beautiful animals and birds which i had never seen before in my life.

Then life was smooth and exams started on April 14th.

May 5th: I left for India for 3 months vacation. The feeling was great as I was flying back to Chennai. After a long time I stayed in Chennai for such a long period.

August 8th: Back to Singapore. This time the comfort level was better as more friends had come to Singapore for studies.

It was around mid September, when i visited a near by island called Pulau Ubin. It was really a nice experience as it maintains the traditional Singapore. It was like a welcome change from the busy Singapore to a calm and peaceful Singapore.

October 15th: I got an offer from a US MNC to join them as Logistics Analyst for 6 months. I guess I was very lucky given the current market condition.

November 25th: I completed my Masters and joined the company the very next day.

Jan 24th 2009: Again a trip to Singapore Zoo and Night Safari with my friends.

Jan 26th: A trip to Bird Park.

I guess I have written all those days which I thoroughly enjoyed. It has been a wonderful 1 year for me. However, I always missed my family, friends and ofcourse Indian food. Hope to get back soon.

Happy New Year, 2009

2008-12-31T12:31:00.001+08:00

Wish you all a happy and prosperous New Year, 2009.
Hope this year brings prosperity and happiness to all.

Few things i wish to do/see before i die

2008-12-12T18:26:00.000+08:00

There are few things i wish to do before i die. I hope my wish comes true.

India - free of pollution, corruption, terrorism and of course more disciplined.
India winning the cricket world cup and dominating other sports.
Sachin Tendulkar's final match of his life for India.
Wimbledon finals.
Formula 1 grand prix.
African Safari.
Tour the whole of India.
Build a school for poor.
Football worldcup finals
Kamal Hassan winning Oscar for lifetime achievement
Victoria and Niagara falls
The Pyramids
Tour Switzerland and New Zealand.

There are many more, but i guess the post will be too long. So i stop here :)

Few unanswered questions

2008-12-06T10:39:00.000+08:00

India, for the past few months have been under terrorist attack. Our security has gone from bad to worse. People are unable to live peacefully not knowing what will happen and when will happen. However, the recent Mumbai attack have brought people together and now they have started raising their voice against the politicians, whom they elected few years ago. Heads started rolling and government under pressure have taken action by sacking inefficient Union Home Minister, Maharashtra Chief Minister and Maharashtra Home Minister. Citizens marched towards various land marks in various cities to show their solidarity and their anger towards politicians. I even saw bollywood actors joining the people in their protest. Few questions keep coming in people's mind.

What is the solution for this?
Who can save us from the terrorists?

Everyone in the news channel have started talking about the holes in Indian political system. But is it possible after 60 years to change the system. Certainly not. So what could be done? Politicians are corrupted to the core, so as policemen and other officials. Unlike cinema, it is not possible for a common man to fight against these politicians. What started like a revolution, Lok Paritran is no where now. Infact very few knew about its existence. That is the situation in India. Everytime something happens, political game starts and finally India will say that it has proof of Pakistan's hand in attack and as usual Pakistan will reject it. This has been the situation for the past few months.

So when it is not possible to change the system and also not possible to fight against these politicians, what can be done to protect ourselves from these terrorists?

I hope there are few people in politics who care for others and the country who can bail us out from this situation.

India's 9/11

2008-11-30T09:45:00.000+08:00

I can only say "My hearty condolences to all those families who lost their near and dear ones". Lets pray for a secured India. At this point, only God can save us from terrorists unless the government takes strong measures.

Hats off to the brave Policemen, Indian Army, Marine Commandos and the National Security Guard Commandos.

தீபாவளி நல் வாழ்த்துக்கள்

2008-10-24T21:32:00.000+08:00

அனைவருக்கும் இனிய தீபாவளி நல் வாழ்த்துக்கள். அனைவரது இல்லத்திலும் அகல் விளக்கின் ஒளியை போல் என்றென்றும் மகிழ்ச்சி பிரகாசிக்கட்டும்.

Enaku piditha varigal

2008-10-16T11:35:00.000+08:00

I just want to share some of the lines that i liked in tamil films and film songs. whenever i listen to it, i feel the greatness of tamil language. Ok, no more lectures, i ll start :)

"Ennodu vaa veedu varaikum, en veetai paar ennai pidikum..." - Varanam Ayiram

"Pesa enni sila naal arugil varuvaen, pinbu paarvai pothum enna naan ninaipen naguzhvene maatri.." - Subramaniapuram

"Iru vari kavithai oru porul tharumae, iruvarum ithu pola irunthal sugam.." - Parthiban Kanavu

"Mouname unnidam antha mounam thane azhagu, paarvaigal pothumae athil vaarthai pesi pazhagau..." - Mozhi

"Aadu maadu mela ulla paasam, veetu ration cardil saerka solli kaetkum...pangali pakathu veetukum saerthu samaithida anbu inga vazhum" - Sivaji

"naat kuripil nooru thadavai un peyarai ezuthum en paenna..ezhuthiyathaiyum erumbu moika peyarum aanethae thaena..." Sillendru Oru Kathal

"Vaanam Pesum Pechu Thuliyaai Veliyaagum....Vaanavillin Pechu Niramaai Veliyaagum...Unnmai Oomai Aanal Kaneer Mozhi Aagam.....Pennmai Oomai Aanal Naanam Mozhi Aagum.....Osai Thoongum Jaamathil Ucchi Meengal Mozhiyaagum.....Aasai Thoongum Idhayathil Asaivu Kooda Mozhiyaagum..." Mozhi

"Intha oru jenmam pothathu..ezhu jenmam eduthum theerathu..antha theivam unnai kaaka thinam thozhuvaen thavaramal...enna naan kaetpaen theriyathu..innamum en manam puriyatha...ada rama ivan paadu antha penmai ariyatha..." - Lesa Lesa

"Naanthaane Naanthaane Vandaen Unakaaga....Sirikinraen Rasikinraen Unakae Unakaaga....Ennachu Enakae Theriyallaiyae.....En Moochin Kaaychal Kuraiyallaiyae.....Ada Enna....Ithu Enna Ithu Ennidam Paesividu.....Ennai Pidichirukaa Pidikallayaa Oru Murai Solli Vidu.....Murai Oru Murai Solli Vidu...." - Minnale

"Vidai Kodu engal naadae..kadal vasal thelikum veedae..pana mara kaadae..paravaigal koodae..."- Kannathil Muthamittal

"kayil vantha muthucharam sinthamal en ullangayin vepathilae otti kollumae...ezhil konda pachai kili vanthalum en vedanthangal vendam endru sollumae..." - Pachaikili Muthucharam

"Kan paarthu kathaika mudiyamal naanum thavikindra oru pennum neethan....kan kotta mudiyamal mudiyamal paarkum salikatha oru pennum neethan...." - Vetayadu Vilayadu

"Vanam enaku oru bothi maram..naalum enaku athu seithi tharum..."- Nizhalgal

"Ooruku aaru azhagu...oorvalathil thaer azhagu...tamizhuku zha azhagu..thalaiviku naan azhagu..." - Puthiya Mugam

"Mazhai kavidhai kondu varuthu yaarum kathavadaika vendam..oru karupu kodi kaati yaarum kudai pidika vendam...." - En Swasa Kaatrae

"Vannam konda vennilivae..vaanam vittu vaariyo..vinnilae paathai illai..unnai thoda eani
illai....."- Sigaram

(to be continued.....)

Ganguly - The man who changed Indian cricket

2008-10-08T22:00:00.001+08:00

Finally the day has come. Dada announced his retirement from cricket and the Australian series will be his last. It has been a wonderful career for the man who changed the Indian cricket. He was the best captain India has ever produced. Under his captaincy, India won test matches abroad especially on bouncing tracks like Australia, West Indies and England. Lets look at some of his achievements.

He is the most successful test captain of India by winning 21 tests and losing 13.
During his captaincy, India reached the finals of the cricket world cup and also were the joint winners of champions trophy held at Sri Lanka.
After being dropped from the national side, he made a strong comeback and was the leading run scorer last year for India in tests at an average of 50.
His 183 against Sri Lanka at Taunton during the 1999 world cup is still one of the greatest knocks at the world cup.
His bowling skills too is not short of glory. His performance at Toronto during the Sahara Cup against Pakistan where he averaged 10 is evident enough.
He is only the third cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya to take 100 wickets and score more than 10,000 runs in one day international.
He scored back to back test century in debut against England at Lords and Trent Bridge.
Have scored more than 6500 runs in test cricket with 15 centuries.
He along with Sachin Tendulkar, formed a formidable opening pair in one day international averaging more than 50.
His 141 against Australia at Brisbane on a green top pitch showed that he too can play on bouncy and swinging tracks, when many people criticised him for his weakness.
Rahul Dravid called him "the God on the off side"
He is one of the most elegant left hander in the modern day cricket.

I guess, losing a man of Ganguly's calibre is a great loss for every team but everything has its end. I am sure he will be given a fitting farewall by the BCCI and the people of India especially West Bengal. Lets hope he finishes his career on a winning note and good performance against the Aussies.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri

2008-10-01T00:21:00.000+08:00

I wish all the muslims Happy Eid.
Let this Eid bring prosperity and happiness to everyone.

Wrooooooooooooooom......

2008-09-29T23:27:00.000+08:00

Yesterday i saw Singapore Formula 1 night race. It was just amazing especially the sound and the speed. Ferrari in scarlet red was a beauty and the safety car in the night was just spectacular. Helicopters were roaming over the track and the whole place looked like a festival. Eventhough i didnt get tickets, i was able to see from the road as it was a street race. I hope i will make it to the stands next year.

Pulau Ubin

2008-09-28T13:15:00.000+08:00

It is an Island and its around 30 minutes away from Singapore. It maintains the traditional Singapore culture. The main places to visit here is Chek Jawa Wetlands. It is simply amazing with mangrove trees, on the shore of Indian Ocean and near to Changi airport. One can see a flight take off and landing every 5 minutes. All these are simply superb. Apart from this, one can go for a cycling on the slopes and it is very adventurous.

How to go:

From Tampinies take bus number 29 to Changi Village and take a ferry from there to Ubin.
Ferry costs around SGD 2.50 per person per trip. Food will not available in the island.

Nearest Airport: Changi, Singapore.

Lets celebrate..... :)

2008-09-24T18:15:00.000+08:00

Dont get angry on seeing yet another post on cricket. I am just mad about it.

This day last year, emerged a new set of cricketers who made India proud. Yes, i am talking about the Indian T20 team. Lets celebrate the completion of first year as world T20 champions.

The future of Indian Cricket...

2008-09-10T22:38:00.000+08:00

Guys!!! Back to cricket after a long time. I just want to analyse the current situation of Indian cricket team especially its future in test cricket.
The current Indian team is certainly very energetic and youthful. For the first time in Indian crcicket history, the bench strength looks solid, be it in batting, bowling or wicket keeping. However two things that makes me skeptial about this team are

Can this team win a test series comfortably?
Can this team play test match without the fantastic four?

Let me come to question number 1. Over tha past few years India has been winning test matches abroad consistently. With wins in England, West Indies, Pakistan, South Africa and Australia we have proved the world that we are no more a minnow when it comes to playing at their den.

However if analysed properly:

In the series win against England, luck played a major role. The last man was not given out LBW and later rain god helped us. I am not taking th credit away from Dhoni, who played a brilliant knock. If this had not happened the series would have been 1-1. Also England were playing without Flintoff, but that cannot be a reason for their loss.

The series against South Africa was a disaster especially in One dayers, losing all the 5 matches. However, it was a memorable series for us as we won our first test match in SA, thanks to Sreeshant who bowled brilliantly throughout the series.

The series against Australia was a memorable one for all the wrong reasons. We played brilliantly except for Melbourne test.

The series against West Indies was again a memorable one as we had registers first series win outside India in more than 20 years.

However in all these series one among the big four played a major role. Sachin played brilliantly in Australia, Dravid in West Indies, Laxman in England and Ganguly in South Africa.

Now lets come to tests match series at home. Touring India for a test match series is one of the difficult task for any team in the world. India has been the toughest opponent for any team at home. However if followed properly, one man has been instrumental in India's series win at home consistently. It is none other than Anil Kumble.

So the big question is, Is Indian think-tank doing enough to replace these five players?

Currenlt crop of players like Gambhir, Raina, Dhoni, Ishant, Piyush, Rohit, Yuvraj have been doing exceedingly well at the international level, but when it comes to consistency no one apart from Dhoni is consistent enough to play for India. Yuvraj was once called as the future of Indian cricket team. But off late he was disappointing. Can any of these players replace Sachin, Saurav, Dravid, Laxman and Kumble? Even though it is very difficult or virtually impossible to produce another Sachin, Kumble or Dravid, there should be some one who should take the team from where these five have left.

It is time for the Indian selectors to groom these youngster by giving them more opportunities at the test level so that Indian team can achieve what Australia has achieved over the past few years. I wish the team all the very best and am sure future for Indian team is bright if groomed properly.

Saroja....

2008-09-07T15:19:00.000+08:00

After the stupendous success of "Chennai 600028", the youthful team led by Venkat Prabhu and S.P.B. Charan is back with "Saroja". Unlike their previous film, Saroja is a suspense/thriller which has S.P.B.Charan, Premji Amaran, Shiva and Vaibhav in the lead with very good support from Prakash Raj and Jeyaram. Sampath of Chennai 600028 fame is donning the villain role. Music by Yuvan Shankar Raja, produced by Amma Creations, the film is written and directed by Venkat Prabhu.

The movie starts off very lightly with a song and moves very briskly with good comedy from Premji Amaran. Slowly it takes the audience to the edge of the seat when S.P.B.Charan, Premji Amaran, Shiva and Vaibhav goes to Hyderabad to watch a cricket match but loses their way to an abandoned place. They finally land up into villain's place and how they escapes from the villain, what happens there forms the rest of the story.

The screenplay is perfect making audience to sit throughout the movie unmoving. It is very fast and doesnt gets slow anywhere. Background score by Yuvan is a big plus for the movie and songs are well picturised. It certainly adds flavour to the movie. All the four have performed well and kudos to Premji Amaran for his brilliant humour. The best part of the movie is even though its suspense/thriller, its humorous as well throughtout the movie. Everything is good about the movie and its very well narrated.

On the whole, the movie is yet another masterpiece from Venkat Prabhu and Co.

Rating: 4/5

Dham Dhoom...

2008-09-02T13:12:00.000+08:00

On Saturday i got to watch Jeeva's most anticipated movie "Dham Dhoom". Unfortunately it was Jeeva's last film. The industry has lost a promising director and a great cinematographer. All of his films were so clean and different in narration be it 12B, which according to me is one of the well narrated movie in Tamil cinema or Ullam Kaetkumae which amid troubles ran very well at the box office. Let me come to his last movie Dham Dhoom. Unlike his other films this is a suspense/thriller about how the hero proves himself innocent for the charges against him for a murder.

Story of the movie is no different from other movies of this genre like Snegithiyae. However the movie scores over other movies released in recent past in Cinematography. The blueish colour throughout the film is a plus. Apar from that, the picturisation of "Anbe Anbe...", "Yaro Manathilae..." and "Azhiyilae.." is simply mind blowing. I guess after "Pachai Nirame..." from Alaipayuthey these are the best picturised songs.

Background music sounds familiar all through the film. It sounds like a remix of Vetayadu Vilayadu and Dasavatharam. However it strengthens the movie.

The place where the movie loses is its Screenplay. It was very ordinary and some scenes of Kangana Raunat reduces the pace of the movie. Also editing was not that great. However given the fact that Jeeva died midway, we should appreciate the efforts of people who finished the work.

On the whole the movie is average but had Jeeva been alive i am sure that movie would have been totally different.

Rating : 3/5

Jhula Bahon Ka....

2008-05-09T13:22:00.000+08:00

I love this song just for Jothika.

She was cute and beautiful.

Jhula Bahon Ka Aaj Bhi Do Na Mujhe
Jhula Bahon Ka Aaj Bhi Do Na Mujhe
Bhaiyaa Goud Mein Uthao Na Aaj Mujhe
Kad Se Hoon Badi Mann Se Chhoti Main
Aaj Bhi Maan Lo Na Zid Meri
Jhula Bahon Ka Aaj Bhi Do Na Mujhe
Bhaiyaa Goud Mein Uthao Na Aaj Mujhe
Kad Se Hoon Badi Mann Se Chhoti Main
Aaj Bhi Maan Lo Na Zid Meri
Jhula Jhula
Jhula Jhula Jhula

Tu Khushi To Qarar To Bahar Hai
Dam Se Tere Hi To Ghar Pe Nikhar Hai
Tu Khushi To Qarar To Bahar Hai
Dam Se Tere Hi To Ghar Pe Nikhar Hai...

Main Shor Sharaba Dhoom Karoongi
Thumak Thumak Nachoongi
Chanchal Koyal Ke Jaise Main To
Chahek Chahek Jaoongi
Saare Rang Dhanak Ke
Main Chura Loongi
Hoo, Saare Rang Dhanak Ke
Main Chura Loongi
Hoo, Taare Palak Ke Tod Laoongi
Chup Chup Ke Meri Hansi Na Udana
Jhula Bahon Ka Aaj Bhi
Jhula Jhula, Jhula Jhula
Jhula Bahon Ka Aaj Bhi Do Na Mujhe
Bhaiyaa Goud Mein Uthao Na Aaj Mujhe
Kad Se Hoon Badi Mann Se Chhoti Main
Aaj Bhi Maan Lo Na Zid Meri
Jhula Bahon Ka Aaj Bhi Do Na Mujhe

Tu Khushi To Qarar To Bahar Hai
Dam Se Tere Hi To Ghar Pe Nikhar Hai...

Ek Nahin, Do Nahin, Teen Hain Bhai
Teeno Jaise Mere Seepahi
Meri Shararat Meri Tabaahi
Bachaa Le Khuda
Lekin Inka Gussa Aisa
Gad Gad Gadje Badal Jaisa
Phir Barsaaye Pyaar Bhi Vaisa
O Mere Khuda
Mooti Hoon Main In Aankhon Ka
Phool Hoon Inke Baag Ka
Jhula Bahon Ka Aaj Bhi Do Na Mujhe
Bhaiyaa Goud Mein Uthao Na Aaj Mujhe
Kad Se Hoon Badi Mann Se Chhoti Main
Aaj Bhi Maan Lo Na Zid Meri
Jhula Bahon Ka Aaj Bhi Do Na Mujhe
Bhaiyaa Goud Mein Uthao Na Aaj Mujhe

Tu Khushi To Qarar To Bahar Hai
Dam Se Tere Hi To Ghar Pe Nikhar Hai
Tu Khushi To Qarar To Bahar Hai
Dam Se Tere Hi To Ghar Pe Nikhar Hai...

Autograph Part-2

2008-05-04T15:11:00.000+08:00

(Continued from part 1)............

Then comes the important phase of my life. It was fag end of my college life when i got great friends. It was around January and March 2006 when i started speaking to them. But as days passed i felt as if we were talking for years. I enjoyed each and every moment i passed with them..........

June 25th 2006, i left for Mysore to join Infosys Technologies Ltd. I met a guy called Mrinal. You cannot believe, i have never seen such a talkative person in my life. Values friendship and will do anything for friends. One more thing which i need to mention about him is he is a great movie buff. Watches all kinds of movies ( i dont know how).

June 26th 2006, I joined the company. It was like a drean come true to work in such a big organization. The ambience was great and to i met people from all parts of India with varied background and culture. It was a great learning experience for me. As days passed in Infy, life became tough for me as i was struggling to pass exams conducted by them during training. However i somehow managed to pass and joined Insurance domain in Mysore.

September 15th 2006, the day which i cannot forget in my life. It was her birthday and i met her for the first time. However our first meeting eventhough lasted for harldy 3 mins was a disaster for me. She asked " Is it necessary for me to have dinner". I was stunned and my best friend Balaji shouted at her. Eventhough it was just a slip of her tounge we managed to make it a big issue :)

It was during January-February, i became close to this girl. I still cherish those time which i spent with her. Eventhough she is elder to me by a month i consider her as my own younger sister. She is so sweet and beautiful. The way she talks is enough to say that she is still a child. I just cannot miss this girl in my life. I dont have enough adjectives to describe her. She is simply a great gift for me from god.

During the early days of my life at Infy, i got a very good friend called Girish. Eventhough we both were from same batch, we became close after i joined him as his room mate. Life was smooth as we both enjoyed each others company. I thank him through this because it is he who taught me cooking.

March 17th 2007, i was offically declared professional. Yes, it was my convocation and i recieved my degree from my college chairman wearing a yellow and silky gown during the hot chennai summer.

July 14th 2007, eventhough was not a special day, indeed one of the most unforgettable day of life. Myself, Balaji, Mrinal and my sister went out and spent valuable time with eachother. It was the last time that we all 4 four went out together.

July 22nd 2007, Mrinal left for Singapore to pursue his Masters.

July 25th 2007, Girish left for US to do his Masters. On the same day my best friend since 1st year of college too left for Singapore to pursue her Masters.

August 2nd 2007, Balaji left for US to pursue his masters. I felt sad that i was not able to give him as well as Mrinal, my college friend and Girish send off as i was in Mysore. But i felt really great and proud to see my friends pursuing higher studies.

The days passed with no worries, no special events. It was routine. I was travelling between Mysore, Bangalore and Chennai like a Maniratnam movie. The time i spent in Bangalore at my sister's residence with two small kids was great. Whenever i was in Chennai life was great as i used to meet my sister. I just enjoyed her company.

November 2007, one of the happiest days of my life. I too got admit to pursue masters. It happened after nearly 2 years of struggle.

December 14th 2007, It was my last working day at Infy. Life was great there as i got few good friends.

December 24th 2007, I left for Singapore to continue masters. It was a mixed feeling for me.

January 7th 2008, I joined the university and began a new life as a student after 18 months of work.

Life was routine with studies, assignments, movies and few outing with friends.

April 16th 2008, i worte my first exam as a student after nearly 18 months. It was a satisfactory peformance from me.

The days passed and exam got over.

May 3rd 2008, i spent time with my best friend after nearly 2 months. We had a long chat for almost more than 5 hours and i felt really happy to have spent time with her after more than 2 months.

May 5th 2008, back to India for 3 months.

(to be continued..........)

SPB at his best...

2007-05-13T13:48:00.000+08:00

The song Balleilaka is really mind blowing just for SPB if not for A.R.Rahman.

Sooriyano...Chandhirano...Yaarivano..Sattunnu Sollu...Sera Paandiya Sooranum Ivano...Sollu Sollu...Satunnu Sollu..( Sooriyano... )
Paaradi Paaradi Yaaradi IvanoPaaigira Siruthayin Kaaladi IvanoKooradi Kooradi Yaaradi IvanoKettathai Pattena Suttidum Sivano.....

Aey...Balleilakka Balleilakka SalethukkaMaduraikka..Madrasukka...Thiruchikka..Thiruthanikkaa..Aey...Balleilakka Balleilakka...Ottu Motha Makkalukka...Anna Vandhaa Tamil Nadu America...

Kaaviri Aarum Kai Kuthal Arisiyum Maranthu Poguma...?oho...Thaavani Pengalum Thoothu Vidum Kangalum Tholainthu Pogumaa...?Namma Kalathu Medu...Kamma Karai Karisa Kaadu..Semman Alli Thelikkum Roadu....
Aey...Sadugudu Sadugudu Sadugudu SaduguduSadugudu Sadugudu Sadugudu SaduguduSadugudu Sadugudu Aadiya Marathadi...

Padu Padu Paduvena Porthiya Pulveli...Thoda Thoda Thoda Thoda Udaikira Pani Thuli...Suda Suda Suda Suda Kidaikkira Idli...Thada Thada Thada Thadavena Athirkira Rayiladi...Kada Kada Kadavena Kadakkira Kaaviri... Viru Viru Viruvena Madikkira Vetrilai...Muru Muru Murnuvena Murukkiya Meesaikal...Manathil Irukkuthu Mei Mei MeiMei Mei Mei...Mei...( Sooriyano... )

Eley...Gramathu Kudisayila Konja Kaalam Thangi Paaruley...Koorayin Ottai Virisal Vali Natchathiram Enni Paaruley...Koovum Cell Phonin Nacharippai Anaiththu ,Konjam Sil Vandin Uccharippai Ketpom... Verum Kaalil Seruppindri Nadanthu ,Mannodu Pesikkondu Povom...Malalaigal Aavom !

Aala Marathukku Jadaikal Pinni Thaan Pookkal Vaikkalaamey...
Oororam...Ayyanaaridam Kathi Vaangithaan Pencil Seevalaamey...( Aey...Balleilakka )

Eley..ley..Anjara Pettiyila Aathavoda Rusiyirukkum...Ammiyil Arachu Aakkivacha Naattu Koli Patta Kelappum...
Eley..Aadu Maadu Mela Ulla Paasam..Veettu Ration Card-il Serkka Solli Ketkum..Verum Thanni Ketta Moru Tharum Nesam...Vellanthi Manithargal Vaasam..Mannu Engum Veesum...

Paampada Kilaviyin Pachilai Marunthukku Peyum Odi pogum !
Pangaali..Pakkathu Veettukkum Serthu SamaikkiraAnbu Ingu Vaalum....( Aey...Balleilakka )

Simple questions

2007-04-23T19:40:00.000+08:00

Ques 1: Have you ever wondered how does this Ausralian team performs so well even during the absence of their senior players?

Ans: They have a strong bench strength. Even in the absence of likes of Hayden and Ponting they keep on scoring runs.

Now Question 2

Have you ever wondered how Infosys performs well every year even if the market is down?

Ans: They have excellent bench strength thats why they are number 1.

Moral: Be on bench and you will be number 1 :)

Celebrating 100 days!!!

2007-04-17T20:21:00.000+08:00

Wondering who is celebrating 100 days and for what??

It is me who is celebrating 100 days of bench period at Infosys Technologies Ltd and i am sure i will celebrate 150 days!!! :)

புத்தாண்டு வாழ்த்துக்கள்!!!

2007-04-13T20:05:00.000+08:00

இனிய தமிழ் புத்தாண்டு வாழ்த்துக்கள்

Does South India gets its due?

2007-04-12T19:49:00.000+08:00

Bollywood Superstar Sharukh Khan was waxed recently at Madamme Tussads, London. One of the biggest star in India. But there are even more bigger stars who have achieved a lot when compared to what Shahrukh has achieved but were not recognised as Sharukh is recognised around the world. I accept Shahrukh is crowd puller and one can easily invest on him, but is he as big as Kamal Hassan and Rajini Kanth.

Kamal Hassan is the greatest actor India has ever produced. He has won the maximum awards in the world which include international awards as well. He has won 3 national awards and 2 international awards and numerous other awards. If i am not wrong i think he has won a total of 172 awards, which is maximum by any person in this world.Kamal is not a crowd puller as Sharukh and investors think twice before investing on Kamal, fine but he has achieved a lot when compared to anyother person in film industry. His films speaks for himself and his is the maximum number of films sent to the Oscars from India. He is the only person in Indian film industry who has given blockbuster in 5 differernt languages.

RajiniKanth, highest paid actor in India and second only to Jackie Chan in Asia. I think is enough to tell his stature. He has got the maximum number of fan clubs in India. His latest film Sivaji is the most expensive movie ever taken in India. Overseas rights have been sold at whopping price and it is the first time a tamil movie has been sold at that price. Return on investment is always very high when it comes to Rajinikanth's movie. No other actor in India can give or has given huge hits like him at this age.

However has the world recognised these two legends at the that level when compared to Sharukh Khan, Amithabh Bachan and Aishwarya Rai? I totally accept that they are big stars of Bollywood and i am not against them but are they as big as these two? Does South India gets his due? Not only at the international level, even at the national level the attention what Abhishek Bachan and Salman Khan or matter of fact any bollywood star gets is more than what these two stars get. This has been very disappointing!!!

Leading a simple life!!!

2007-04-10T19:41:00.000+08:00

It is not every day that you see the builder of a billion-dollar
company sitting down on the ground. Here is chief mentor of
Infosys Technologies N R Narayana Murthy with wife Sudha
Murty waiting for President Abdul Kalam to arrive for a function
organised at the Infosys campus in Mysore on Sunday, 8th April '07.

Eppadi iruntha naa ippadi aayitaen

2007-04-05T19:38:00.000+08:00

Eppadi iruntha naa ippadi aayiaten!!!!!

Oru kaalathil koondukul adai patta singamaga velai velai endru irunthaen,

aanal ippozhutho kaatil thiriyum singam pol velai illamal 5 mani varaikum pozhuthai eppadi pokikuvathu endru theriyamal 5 maniku mel valaithalathil minanjalai padithu vittu veeturku sendru thoonguvathe enathu velai aagi vitathu*

*Sorry for those who doesnt know tamil

It is France all the way!!!

2007-04-04T20:11:00.000+08:00

Few years back they manufactured the world's biggest Aeroplane A380. Now they are back with a bang manufacturing world's fastest conventional train. Called as V150, the trains goes at a speed of 575 KMPH. The train has three double decker cars and it betterd their previous record of 515 KMPH set in 1990. However they failed to better the speed of Japan's magnetic train which ran at 580 KMPH in 2003.

50 for me

2007-04-02T19:55:00.002+08:00

Hello everyone!!!!

After a longtime i have reached 50 posts. Thanks for all the support you gave me...

Many more happy returns of the day!!!

2007-04-01T15:11:00.000+08:00

Today my friend, N.K.Balaji is celebrating his birthday. Lets join in wishing him Many more Happy returns of the day!!!!

Plight of Indian Railways

2007-04-01T15:07:00.000+08:00

Yesterday i came from Mysore to Chennai in Chennai express. When we(myself and my friend) boarded the train we got an announcement that the train will not go beyond Arakonam because of bandh and will go to Chennai only after 6 PM. So i called my dad and asked him to bring the car to Arakonam. Unfortunately our car had gone out for service. Hence my dad booked a cab for us, but the guy called at 9 and told that he would not be able to come because of bandh. Somehow my dad arranged a car, got up at 4 AM and came to Arakonam. On coming to the station, my dad asked the railway authorities about the status and they said that the train will not go beyond Arakonam. However when he entered the platform they announced that the train will go till Chennai central. I never thought this would ever happen and i pity all those who came to pick their near and dear ones.

A Lesson from Socrates

2007-03-24T17:10:00.000+08:00

Be sure to read all the way to the end..... it's worth it !

Next time someone starts to spread gossip, think of this: In ancient Greece (469 - 399 BC), Socrates was widely lauded for his wisdom. One day the great philosopher came upon an acquaintance who ran up to him excitedly and said, "Socrates, do you know what I just heard about one of your students?" Wait a moment," Socrates replied. "Before you tell me I'd like you to pass a little test.It's called the Triple Filter Test." "Triple filter?" "That's right," Socrates continued. "Before you talk to me about my student let's take a m! oment to filter what you're going to say. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?" "No," the man said, "actually I just heard about it and..." "All right," said Socrates. "So you don't really know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my student something good?" "No, on the contrary..." "So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him, even though you're not certain it's true?" The man shrugged, a little embarrassed. Socrates continued. "You may still pass the test though,because there is a third filter - the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my student going to be useful to me?" "No, not really..." "Well," concluded Socrates, "if what you want to tell me is neither True nor Good nor even Useful,! why tell it to me at all?" The man was defeated and ashamed. This is the reason Socrates was a great philosopher and held in such high esteem.

Bob Woolmer (1948-2007)

2007-03-20T21:01:00.000+08:00

Bob Woolmer, born in Kanpur India made his test debut for England v/s Australia in 1975. He was a right handed batsman and Right arm medium bowler. He had represented England in 19 tests and 6 One Day Internationals. During his brief stint with England he has scored 3 100's and 2 50's in tests with a top score of 149 against Australia. However he was not a sucessfull test player averaging just above 33. He then retired from international cricket and later in 1994 he took over as the coach of South Africa under the captaincy of Hansie Cronje. He was fondly called as "Laptop Coach" for his innovative methods of coaching using lap top. During his tenure South Africa was ranked no 1 team and won almost 75% of the matches. He took South Africa to Semi Finals in the 1999 world cup. In test SouthAfrica won 5 out of 10 test series. Later after failing to make it to the finals in 1999, he resigned and took a break from coaching career. Later in 2004 he took over as the coach of Pakistan and made Pakistan a strong contender for the world cup. But due to lack of support from the Pakistan Cricket Board, he didnt get the team he wanted for the world cup. On March 18th 2007, after Pakistan's shock defeat against world cup debutants Ireland, he was found unconscious in his hotel room. He was then taken to the hospital where he was declared dead. It was a tame end to a great coaching career. May his soul rest in peace.

Amazing Predictions

2007-03-15T19:48:00.000+08:00

I dont know why people in India go crazy when it comes to cricket World Cup. Many seems to collect the statistics and make their own predictions. Just take a look at some of the predictions people made.

Year 1981.
1.Prince Charles got married
2. Liverpool crowned Champions of Europe
3. Australia lost the Ashes
4. Pope Died
2 years later India won the world Cup!!!

Year 2005
1. Prince Charles got married
2. Liverpool crowned Champions of Europe
3. Australia lost the Ashes
4. Pope Died
2 years later will India win the world Cup ?????

Now take a look at this one.

1979 – Prime number – WI won
4 years later – India upset reigning champs

1987 – Prime number – Aus won
4 years later – No WC to upset them

1993 – Prime number – No WC

1997 – Prime number – No WC

1999 – Prime number – Aus won
4 years later – India upset fans

2003 – Prime number – Aus won
4 years later – India (can/could/hope/might/should/will) upset reigning champs

Amazing:

1982 Football World Cup won by Italy against Germany
1983 Cricket World Cup won by India against West Indies

2006 Football World Cup won by Italy in Germany
2007 Cricket World Cup: INDIA?? ?in West Indies

5 days to go!!!

2007-03-12T20:41:00.000+08:00

After 4 years of so called hard work and night studies during the examinations, last May i was declared engineer unofficially. However just 5 days to go for me to be officially declared an Engineer. It was 4 unforgettable years in my life where i met people of different culture and got some great friends who have changed my life a lot. No one can forget their college life and i am nothing special. i learnt a lot about life and i should thank all those who stood by me and my professors and lecturers without whom i wouldn't have become an engineer. The support i got from my parents which is not something new has helped me get a good career. I got a job in Infosys Technologies Ltd, and fortunately or unfortunately i was posted in Mysore. There are many people who have made difference to my life and i think i cannot mention about them here. I may not be poetic in writing about my college life like others but i can tell one thing "If you miss your college life, then i am sorry to say this you miss the best part of your life". People used to ask me how come i studied in a college like St.Joseph's which is known for its rules, but one thing for sure you can enjoy like anything in those kind of colleges. Infact i realised this only after joining Infosys. The life after coming here has become like a machine and i bet it is hard to get friends like those you get in college. I dont know how to finish this hence i repeat what i said earlier "If you miss your college life, then i am sorry to say this you miss the best part of your life".

An insult to our National Flag

2007-03-09T20:23:00.000+08:00

Hello everyone,

I got this mail and i just wanted everyone to see this.

These pictures shows the gross disrespect and insult to the Indian National flag by this so called "spiritual leader" and self proclaimed "GOD" Mataji Nirmala Devi. This disrespect to our countrys flag shows that she has definately no respect or love for the country that gave her so much and her husband who was an IAS officer and chief of the SCI (he is seated next to her in the pics). Such a shame. I do urge and plead with all Indians who deeply love their country to forward the photos to as many people as possible so that it does catch the eye of someone higher up in the Indian Govt who can really take some action against this.

World Cup 2007- A Preview

2007-03-06T19:37:00.000+08:00

Last year I wrote about soccer world cup and its time for me to write about cricket world cup 2007. This is the first time the tournament is being played in West Indies. There are 16 teams participating and they are divided in 4 groups. The inaugural ceremony is on March 11th and the first match starts on March 12th.

Australia:

The defending champion Australia is set to win their 3rd straight title and a record 4th world cup and as expected they are the tournament favourites. However recent slump in form and injury woes will make their task difficult. The Australians are backed by a strong batting line up with captain Ricky Ponting leading from the front. Wicket Keeper Adam Gilchrist will be a key player and he along with Mathew Hayden can take the game away from the opposition in a matter of 10 overs. Then they have the in form Mike Hussey who has been in a splendid form in recent times. The bowling department is not too bad with Glen McGrath playing his last world cup along with Shaun Tait, Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clarke can go through the opposition’s batting line up. One area where the Aussies score over the opponents is their fielding. They are perhaps the best fielding side in the tournament.

South Africa:

The current world number 1 will be riding high in their confidence after their performance against India and Pakistan. They will look to win their first world cup after 4 unsuccessful attempts. They have a good batting line up with Opener and captain Graeme Smith along with A.B.DeVillers will look to continue their good form. Then they have the class Jacques Kallis and the dangerous Herchelle Gibbs. Following them will be the dashing wicket keeper batsman Mark Boucher and wily Shaun Pollock. Their bowling department is packed with fast bowlers and given the fact that West Indies wicket have slowed down they will find difficult to tighten the grips in the middle overs in the absence of a spinner. Makhaya Ntini and Shaun Pollock will try to run through the top order and they have Jacques Kallis, Charl Langeveldt and Andrew Hall in the middle overs. They are probably the best fielding side after Australia and I am sure they will be one of the team to be watched for.

India:

The current slump in the form and injuries are the major areas of concern for the team. However the two series win against the West Indies and Sri Lanka would have been a morale booster for the men in blue. They are looking for their second world cup after a gap of 24 years. They have got a good balanced side and if the players play up to their potential there is no doubt that they can be the champions. Their batting line up looks strong with the come back of Saurav Ganguly and the form of Robin Uthappa. Dravid, Tendulkar and Yuvraj will look to play down the middle overs and they have got the dashing wicket keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The bowling department looks fine with Zaheer Khan in great form and in the company of Ajit Agarkar, India’s successful bowler during the tour of West Indies and Munaf Patel. One area where India holds the edge is their spin department. Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble, two of the world’s best spinners in the side will be looking to contain in the middle overs. However the side’s poor fielding is a major concern. Except for Yuvraj, the fielding looks pretty weak and its high time that the team management works on it.

Pakistan:

The most unpredictable side in cricket. On one day they can be world beater and on the other day they can be chokers. They will be looking for their 2nd world cup after 1992 edition. The side looks good and with the presence of Inzamam in the middle and taking the fact of Mohamed Yousuf’s current form, the side has got a well balanced batting line up in the middle overs. However it is their openers who would like to take the bowling attack during the power plays and if they come good, Pakistan ahs got a very good chance of winning the cup. Then they have the dashing Abdul Razzaq to take attack during the slog overs. However with the absence of Shoib Akthar and Mohd Asif, their bowling department looks bleak. One more area of concern is their fielding. On the whole if the players play to their potential they win the cup.

Sri Lanka:

1996 champions will look to erase their bad run they had against India last year and this year. However after Jayawardene took charge as captain they have performed well in the one dayers. They have a good line up with Jayasuriya will be looking to continue his form he showed in New Zealand late last year. In the middle they have former captain Marvan Atapatu and captain Jayawardene. The form of Sangakara will be really helpful for them as he can take the game away from the opposition single handedly. The bowling department looks good with Vaas and Muralitharan will be looking to run through the oppsition.

West Indies:

The only team that beat Australia in the champions trophy along with its current form against India makes them as one of the favourites. Brian Lara playing his last world cup will look to end on a high note. The dashing opener Chris Gayle and wily Chanderpaul holds the key for the West Indies and Lara and Sarwan will look to play down the middle overs. Their bowling department looks good and the form of Dwayne Bravo is very important as he will be a useful bowler during the middle overs. On the whole if they play the way they played during the champions trophy they can be successful in winning their 3rd world cup.

New Zealand:

After their poor show in Australia they bounced back well to beat Australia 3-0 in the Chappel-Hadlee series in New Zealand. Their success both with the bat and ball would have improved their confidence. The man to look out for is Shane Bond and wicket keeper Brendon McCullum. These two players can take the game away from the opposition in a matter of minutes. Then they have Daniel Vettori to slow down the run rate during the middle overs. If they continue their good form they have a very good chance of winning their first world cup.

England:

Following a disaster in the Ashes, they had a poor show in the league matches of the CB Series. However they bounced back well to win the last league match to qualify for the finals and thereby winning the cup. The man to look out for is Andrew Flintoff and Paul Collingwood. They are the key players and are in prime form of their career. The bowling looks good with the likes of Plunkett, Anderson, Panesar, Sajid Mahmood. The fielding looks ok and I don’t think they have chance of winning the cup. Who knows, cricket is a funny game where no one knows what will happen.

Is Sachin the greatest batsman???

2007-03-05T21:43:00.000+08:00

Hello everyone!!!!!!!
I am updating my blog after a very long time however anything is better late than never.

I would like to start my second innings the way I started my first. Yes, its about cricket. This is the topic which is discussed in each and every street of India and still no is able to come to a conclusion to this. I think I am playing with your patience so its time for me to come to the topic.

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar a.k.a the little master is arguably one of the greatest batsmen to have ever played the game. Let us take a look at his statistics projects him as the greatest batsman India has ever produced.

One Day Internationals:
40 centuries, highest by any one.
60 odd half centuries
More than 14500 runs in 376 matches
Average of over 45
Maximum number of man of the match and man of the series awards than any one else
More than 100 wickets

Test
35 centuries, highest by any one.
40 odd half centuries
More than 10500 runs in 125 odd matches
Average of over 55

These figures are truly amazing and it is obvious that he is the best Indian batsman. However has done enough to be declared as greatest batsman to have ever played the game? This is the question that is running in every cricket lover’s mind. The reason for this????

Now let’s take a look at his contemporaries.

Rahul Sharad Dravid, a.k.a ‘The Wall’:

He is another great player India has produced. Even though the statistics may not be on par with Sachin Tendulkar, experts rate him above Sachin Tendulkar because:

He has won test matches single handedly for India and he was instrumental in India’s recent success in tests abroad. Let’s take a look at it.

Headingly 2000, Ganguly won the toss and elected to bat on a seeming pitch. The ball was moving like anything and the openers found it difficult to handle it and as expected India lost its first wicket as Virender Sehwag departed when the score was 8 on the board. In came The Wall and he along with Sanjay Bangar put on a slow and patient 150 runs stand for the second wicket pulling India out of danger with Dravid went on to make a double century helping India to post a incredible 628 in the first innings and went on to win the test match. Even though Sachin scored a century in that game it was that 2nd wicket partnership that helped India win this test match.

Adelaide 2003, In reply to Australia’s 535, India were struggling at around 80/3, in came Laxman and the duo went on to make a century stand with Laxman scoring 135 and Dravid went on to make a double century and they helped India in posting a big total in the first innings. Australia set India a target of 220 in the second innings and Dravid scored a patient 53 not out to take India to its first test win in Australia in more than 20 years.

Rawalpindi 2004, India’s first tour of Pakistan in 15 years. Dravid once again made double century and helped India win the test match and series 2-1, Its first test and series win in Pakistan.

Kolkota 2000, the famous India – Australia test where Laxman made a brilliant 281 to take India to marvelous victory. He along with Rahul Dravid who made 180 were responsible for that famous victory against Australia which turned the tide against them and India went on to win the series.

Brian Charles Lara:

Experts believe that he is the greatest left hander to have played the game and compared him wit the great Sir Garfield Sobers. However he was always rated next to Sachin, but is he really next to Sachin?

Scored more than 11,000 runs in test cricket with 9 double centuries second only to Sir Donald Bradman.
Have scored 33 test centuries behind Sachin Tendulkar.
Holds the record for highest individual score in test cricket.
First cricketer to score 400 runs in an innings.
Holds the record for maximum runs in a first class match (501).
Averages more than 53 in test cricket (Lesser than Sachin).
Holds the record for maximum number of runs in an over.

Even though the statistics are on par with Sachin, one feature that makes him the greatest is his innings against Australia in 1998 Frank Worrel Trophy.

West Indies required more than 100 runs to win with two wickets in hand and the batsmen at the crease were Lara and Curtly Ambrose. The duos were facing the bowling attack of Glen McGrath, Shane Warne and Jason Gillespie. The duo put a partnership of around 50 runs with Lara making almost all the runs. When the runs required were 50 odd Ambrose got out and in came Courtney Walsh whose is known for his batting abilities. Lara single handedly took West Indies home from no where situation.

It is these kinds of innings that eludes Sachin from being the best in the world. However every person in this world requires some sort of luck on his side and I think Sachin doesn’t have one. Let’s see why.

It was against Pakistan in 1998 at Chepauk, Chennai. Pakistan had set India a target of 251 odd and India was reeling at 98/5 with Sachin at the crease. In came wicket keeper Nayan Mongia. The duo put on a century stand to take India towards victory when the disaster struck. Sachin was battling a severe back pain to an extent that he was not able to bat. Sachin wanted to finish off the game and started attacking and eventually got out for 135 and India lost the match by 12 runs. He was declared man of the match but unfortunately he didn’t come for the presentation because of the back pain.

Year 1999, Melbourne Cricket Ground. India‘s tour of Australia with Sachin leading the team. India off to a poor start with openers getting out early and in came Sachin Tendulkar. He scored a brilliant century which eventually went in vain. He score 116 and the next highest score was 23. This shows how India performed and how Sachin played. I still remember the headline that came in The Hindu. “Sachin stands tall among the ruins.”

India v/s South Africa, year 2000 at Cape Town. India as usual off to a poor start with both the openers getting out cheaply. India was reeling at 130/5 and Sachin and debutant Virender Sehwag put on a century stand with both the players scoring centuries and eventually India lost the match.

India v/s South Africa, year 1996/97 at Cape Town. India were reeling at 55/5 and went on to make 330 odd. Thanks to a brilliant 167 from Sachin Tendulkar and quick fire century from Mohammed Azharuddin. However our bowlers let us down and India lost the match.

India v/s Australia 1992 at Perth. India were struggling at 120/5. In came the little Tendulkar and scored a brilliant 120 at the fastest pitch in the world facing quickies Craig McDermot, Merv Hughes & co. India made a partly 240 odd and eventually lost the match as he had no support from others.

With such a big article or what ever you may call this can any one help me in clearing my doubt. Is Sachin the best batsman in the world?

One day @ Bangalore DC

2006-08-27T00:32:00.000+08:00

This is not something like One Night @ Call Center, but this is my story. It goes like this...

On 24th August i ve been asked to report at Bangalore DC. On reporting there i was asked to wait for an hour. Then i got a call from HR saying that i ve been transferred to Mysore DC and have to report on Monday. Hope they wont ask me to report somewhere else when i join Mysore.