என் தாய் நாட்டிற்கு சமர்பிக்கிறேன்

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

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...

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

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

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

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?

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...

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.

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?

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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.

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!!!

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

(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

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......

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.