I dream to live and live to dream

2011-01-16T12:02:00.010+05:30

Hey! Been sometime eh? Well, this time around, its not so much about updates. :)
Life. In all its glory, life is simply so overwhelming. Don’t you think so? Of the wondrous people it brings to us, of the miraculous events that shape our lives. Mine is no different. Am sorry, that was random rambling :)

Blogger's dilema. I’ve been trying to coax many of my blogger friends to write- all of us suffer from what I choose to call a collective writers’ block! :P Hehe. And I decided, the best would be for me to write something myself so I wont feel so out place when I ask them :) And I’ll share with you some random trivia- This is the third time I’m attempting to write a blog post in the last week! You can now imagine how much I wanted to come back! :)

Of late, I have had the luxury to ponder upon a lot of random things. I spent some time pondering about how listening helps heal invisible wounds. There are some wounds in the world that medicine can heal. But there many more that medicine cannot that probably time can.

They say time is a good healer. That is true but time is known to take her sweet course. I have discovered in my short life of 24 odd years that there is a magical healing quality in listening. Yes, you read it right. Listening.

When you are down and beaten or when you hurt in conscience or heart, no medicine makes any difference. But a patient ear can work miracles in such times. Pills can give you energy and heal cuts and burns. But when you are guilty or sad or hurting and want to talk to a living soul about how you feel, what can modern medicine do?

A friend in need is a friend indeed! But needs are not always monetary or tangible things. Friends need not even be solution providers. A friend is he who listens and offers a shoulder to lean on for support. If you have a listener friend, you are indeed blessed! :) And I’ve been really lucky in that department. Thank you- to all concerned :)

Remembering and gratitude. Its one of those days again… I’m in my usual corner, next to the window. It’s a sunny afternoon, in the otherwise cold November. I am listening to some songs… those of the birds and the bees…

As is now a tradition, I walk down the proverbial memory lane. The events that shaped my life, the years that have held a special place in my heart, the movies that made a difference to me, the books that contributed in making me, the places I have been to, the birthdays I have celebrated- all of them, I walk past without stopping by to look at. I finally reach that unnamed territory that invades everybody’s mind and space at times when they least expect it. This abyss of space tells me my saddest times, happiest times, the most exciting times, the most cherished moments… It holds every emotion I have displayed in my young (long!) life of 24 odd years.

I learn, standing here all alone in this deserted place, that I have always been with plenty of people when I am happy. It brings a smile to me now. I also see that during my saddest of times, I was never alone. Hold on a minute… who is that who’s lending me her shoulder to cry on? I’m astonished as she turns around and smiles at me. I recognise her. She’s the first friend I made in the fourth grade. Oh my dear God, please let me remember her name…! I stare at her without smiling back as I see myself weak and hurt, clinging on to this caring soul… and I still cant remember her name or anything about her!

I felt ashamed and stricken to stand there and stare back at a friend who’s been there for me when I was in need but I dint remember the help or the events preceding it. I should have simply died then. The worst thing in the world, according to me, is to not remember a friend’s help in need. I made to run away when something caught my mind again. I was running across the road and an elderly woman pulled me to a side suddenly. I was going to be hit by a truck. That woman actually saved my life… Did I even thank her? I don’t remember. I come back to now.

Of bottling and re-living. I’ve allowed myself some wishful thinking. I wish there were bottles that can hold liquid memory, much like Albus Dumbledore’s Pensieve.

I could choose to go back to any of them as and when the fancy strikes me. I can even choose to share some of them with others and be sure my memory is not failing me or making impulsive and biased changes to the original scene. For now I know, everytime I narrate the same incident to different people, it sounds slightly different from the last time… even to me! I want a pensieve. Period. Ah, wishful thinking!
This time around, it has really been random musings, eh? Well, thank you for reading anyway :) A couple of my blogger friends have been real inspirers! Thank you ! :)

Until next time then.. take care and try building a pensieve for me :) Cheers!

An overdue updation... and be my guest- be entertained! :)

2010-10-12T23:54:00.000+05:30

Ah! Finally here I am. Yeah yeah, save your breath. I know long overdue.. :P And of course, much and I mean- MUCH- has happened since my last post…! And compared to the content of my last post, I’m a very happy person today!  For one thing I got transferred to Trivandrum by 10th May and I resumed work- more office bound though. And after 2 more MONTHS of a stupid brace and physiotherapy and a lot of care not to prance around and be my monkey self :P, I was declared free and ready for the outside world on the 13th of June, 2010 . Thank you Dr Cherian Thomas! 
And then well, I reported back to work and things fell in place… or well, not so much in place… :P I’ll just say that it was nice, to look at the world without a brace, without people around me wondering why I alone was wearing a bullet proof vest!  And all the explaining I had to give me colleagues and customers! :D I was called the miracle! For reasons I’d rather not elaborate again. :P
Hmmm I seem to provide amusing anecdotes for my friends. I shall share a couple of them with you. But ah, you’re my friend too… :P So I should be telling you too… Ah, now you know I’m back to my mad self…! :P
My laptop was stuffed with viruses and worms and other insects… and I finally got it revamped. Now everything is alright, right? Well, I thought so. But wonderous things were in store. G stopped working. You read right. The key between F and H stopped working. Altogether. You don’t believe me? The following is part of a conversation with a friend:
me: pata hai... i just ot my system formatted
but the funniest thin was discovered!
the letter between f and h on the keyboard doesnt work! :P
fren: u mean g
me: but the system is otherwise superfast now :)
yeah :) brainy u are!! :) was tryin to type
i'm so stupid.. i was actually fiddlin with that key! :P
was such a pain to access my _mail account. .cos teh key wont work!
fren: :D
GGGGGG
u can copy paste now
me: chupbe... :)
thanks... such a help.. when i'm already in! :)
fren: :D :D
me: i searched for search enine.. pata nahi.. some how oole opened..
wahan se copy kiya..
fren: :D
i cant stop laughing
me: now i've finally added mail to my favorites.. so i'm ok now :D
fren: lauGhinG
me: oh imp only u are! chor
btw.. i'm oin trichy toniht with ma..
me: oh Good

Conversation with another friend:

me: btw i dun rememebr if itold u.. the letter between f and h doesnt work on my lappie..
me: so i've copied that letter from somewhere else and i do ctrl v when i need it :P
Fren: :) hehe! i like tat! letter btwn f & h :)
me: :D
Fren: u mean G right :)
me: :D how else do i say? :)
exactly!!! so smart u are! :)
Fren: i was looking at my keyboard to check which is the letter! :P
me: keeps irritatin me usin that letter all the time!
:D
Fren: hehe!
me: “u cant use this letter no,” she says and she'll use caps also! :D
chor ppl i tell u!
me: hmmm i think the excitement abt the bi et toether is reat! :P
fren: :)
hehe!
its funny to not see ur G's btw!! :D
"bi et toether" it seems!!
:D
me: yeah, rite! :P
fren: cauvery, it is biG Get together, ok? :D

Conversation with yet another friend:

Me: wat doin?
fren: assignment
me: :D
wokayi woke up late this mornin.. yet aain!
the damned letter between f and h not workin.. :P
fren: gggggggg
:P :D
fren: thank god its not s
or a or t that’s not working
you cant thank God :D
GGGGG

Okay, you have about a half minute to stop laughing. Thank you! These are only snippets of the things I’ve been subject to! :P You can imagine the rest if let us say… I chat with about 8-10 friends a day :P

And then, well… amidst the many things that happened in quick succession, I was contemplating a change in my job. And then there was the bharatmatrimony progress on the other hand. And now, I’m glad things are working out well… Most of you would know, am sure. Those still unaware, check FB .

Oh and this one- it happened today. I’d given a tailor here- in tvm, a simple job, about 3 weeks ago. Stitch me a salwar. And my conversation went thus: *idiot refers to the tailor. Imp is a friend who heard my rambling first! :P

Me: bill no so and so.. is that ready?
idoit:illa madam. no ready
i: bill says delivery date is 13th
Imp: illa madam :D
me: idiot: 10 days pending madam
old work there
no ready
Imp: thats means u get after 10 adys madam
:) :D
me: i: wat do u mean not ready?! U said 13th. When can u give it?
idiot: 22nd madam
i: no way. have u even started work on it?
idiot: enda madam?
i: have u cut it atleast or is it lying untouched?
idiot: cut cheidilla
i: no issues. dont cut. keep it the way it is. i'm cancelling my order
idiot: enda madam?
Imp: :D
:D
me: i: cancel order. will collect it tomorrow. no money. no stiching.
idiot: ok madam. pls wait

idiot: madam i call u back in half hour. ur no is so and so?
me: yes.

in 8 mins he calls back
idiot: madam tomorrow we make ready
Imp: haha
:D
me: i: how come wat u said wud take 10 days will be ready overnight?
idiot: madam tomorrow night 8 pm
i:: ok, wat time are u open till?
idiot: 8.15-8.30 pm!
Imp: :D
me: i: !! ok will get it tomorrow.

Imp: cooollll
lovely
hilarious
me: i know..
and u know wat's coming on my blog next! :D u got the exclusive premier! :P
Imp: :D

So there! I’ve entertained you all for a bit…  and I’ve also updated on the latest with my life  Now I’ve quit my job, living the moment and waiting to tie the knot  And then the job hunt will bein and life will flin surprises at me once aain. (aah.. the G is still fuzzy…! That was beGin, flinG and aGain! )

So long and thanks for stopping by…  Have a wonderful life! Cheers to life itself!  and the miraculous things that amuse us everyday! 

It Happened To Me

2010-04-24T22:56:00.003+05:30

Does the title of the post remind you of a regular feature in the Tinkle Digest we used to read as kids? "It Happened To Me" were little real life stories that happened to people- funny anecdotes and laughable memories of childhood... :) Er... sorry, all this is beside the point.

I am here to share with you a story...

I had gone(or come?!) to Chennai-pattinam on the 27^th of February for a friend's wedding reception. The next morning was bright and sunny, the air crisp and chilly. I wore a new kurta- faded blue-grey with a bright blue neckline... you should have gathered by now that I was... happy! :) I was visiting my 'leetle' sis at IIT. Once there, I was munching away to glory at their tifanys :) On the way to her room, we saw this group of hostelites, clad in night suits, sopping wet in hues ranging from magenta to purple to green and yellow. I dont know how, but my kurta was spared... probably for another colour! :) It was 'holi' and there was bhaang and music and masti :) This is a perfect day... Nothing could go wrong :)

At about 12.30, Kichu(my leetle sis) and I left for Kasturbai Nagar station so I could join some of my friends at City centre for lunch and later head to the beach before we all parted ways and went back to work, after a happy and lazy weekend. We got the ticket and were waiting in an almost deserted platform. (Does this scene remind anybody of The Woman on Platform No 8? :)) As the local train crawled(or should i say whizzed?!) into the station, I got onto the train- safe. No falling, no dangling, no clinging on the edge. :) For a brief moment then, I searched for Kichu's face on the platform, a strange feeling of being alone in a new city creeping up my mind. I notice Kichu finds my wallet on a bench there and looks at me for a fleeting second.

What happens to rationality just when you need it, I dont know. Dont ask me :) Realising I have no money with me, I hurry to the edge of the train, thinking fast... I can just get off and take the next train. So I take a step, just one. Just as my foot touches the solid floor of the platform, I feel it melting and slipping away into nothingness. I realise the train had begun to move a nano second ago. As the realisation dawned on me, I saw nothing. Not the people on the platform, not the train's inside, not the train's outside. Nothing.

That one step shattered my proverbial perfect day. My perfect weekend away from work. In about 4 seconds from then, I feel like I'm being thrown about in random directions and it comes to a halt finally- oh, not the train, you know- the feeling of being thrown about :) I remember not losing consciousness except for the first four seconds of oblivion. So here I was, crouched in a narrow space that I feel is some sort of passage way, crammed, hurting and very uncomfortable. I dont move at all. I'm still as a rock. Without moving an inch, without craning my neck, I look to my left... I see the dusty compartment edges of a train and the grimy wheels rattling on the tracks, creating a whirring noise in my ears. On my right, I dont see what I expect to see- legs of people of the platform. Instead I see only the small wall that connects the platform and the ground where the tracks run. My first reaction- Thank you, God. I'm alive.

As I sit there crouched, I decide not to panic. Its pretty amazing now, when I think of that moment. What kept me calm, what kept me alive, what made me sit like a rock, what helped me make my decision not to panic. I sense immense pain. A sort that I've never experienced. Its piercing and hurtful and my breath comes in gasps. Yet- no movement. I wait for a few seconds for the train to go by. It feels like eternity. Once the train has gone, I decide its time to assess the damage and I realise simultaneously that Kichu, who came to see me off, might not have seen me stepping off the platform and might leave the station.

I bend down to find both my legs carefully folded under me- thankfully, not at odd angles. So I was sure my legs were ok. Maybe a fracture or two, but largely ok. My head felt like 10 kilos of iron. I was horrified to find a stream of blood steadily flowing from my head, down by face, partially blinding my right eye vision and staining my brand new kurta! My chest hurt, I could not breathe. I thought I yelled Kichu's name. What I dint realise was that it probably only was a whisper. Random hands came to me from the platform above me. I knew there was hope.

I realise I'm being lifted. A dark man with a beard, looked like those workmen you see on a platform- came sprinting to where i lay. I saw him cry out loud for help. 4 more hands. Some great effort. I rise into the air. They struggle and stagger a bit... the bright sunlight blinds me for a second, then i see many worried faces floating just above me... among the strange unknown faces, I see my angel peek in and I knew then, I was not dying... not just yet. Kichu's face in that one second, communicated a million things in one go. That face is forever etched in my heart.

As I passed in and out of consciousness, I could sense a pair of tiny hands hold me, jerk me awake and constantly reassure me of her presence and that things were going to be ok. In a situation like that(I wouldnt wish it upon my worst enemy) with blood pouring down your face and not being able to breathe, and images of ur family and friends looming large in your head, not to mention the freaking thought that this might be the last you are seeing the world, those tiny hands were the hands of an angel in no disguise- their owner was my kid sister.

At a time when you have someone you love in a near afatal accident, in a city where your parents arent there, and u are just a college kid, to call for an ambulance and not risk waiting for it and rush your loved one to the hospital in a state of panic- that calls for remarkable courage. At the cost of sounding cliched, I think I'd not be here today if not for Kichu. :'-) I remember telling her not to tell our parents. I was saying something like- I am stupid, I'm so sorry, I'm stupid. And stupid I was. :P

Once at the hospital, I was immediately examined with all sorts of scans and tests to ensure the head injury isnt serious and hasnt resulted in internal bleeding. I was blessed- with another life! :) I was shaken, not broken... er, except they found a fracture in my spine. :P I was on a lot of sedative, i think. While shifting me from one lab to another, i see a multitude of faces, all a little worried, a little encouraging, smiling and patting my head... college friends, office colleagues, Kichu's friends, it was wonderful to know so many people cared. I could not do anything... except cry.

Around 6.30 that evening, I open my eyes- they take a little while to get adjusted to the light in the room- mostly white. As I recollect the events of the day, a sense of fear creeps into my heart. I close my eyes for a second. And there I am, being thrown about and the nothingness feeling, then the crouching in the passage way. I open my eyes. Am slightly panting and sweating. I turn to my right and who should be there? Appa(Dad). Strangely, he did not look mad at me. Not even cross. He smiled. And in his usual assured self style, came to my bed. I thought he had cried. And then, I cried.

In two days time, Amma had flown down to Chennai too. And I was to be there for 6 weeks. In bed. No sitting up, no getting up, no walking, no raising head, no using pillow. I was bed-ridden.

The next post will tell you how beautiful life has been since then. Those six weeks flew by and yet have made a significant change in my life and those around me.

This post, however, is meant to tell myself more than you, that life is beautiful, and irreplaceable. That I'm thankful for a sister who is a savior, who puts others before her interests, who is responsible in adverse conditions, who is rock hard and determined not to give up, who is the strongest pillar of my life. Without her, I dont think I'd be able to live. On nights when I have another fall from the train in my dream, I can sense those angel hands holding mine and telling me things will be ok.

2010-04-20T10:16:00.001+05:30
Dear readers,

Hello! :) This is just to let you know your patience will be rewarded by this weekend :) shall post soon. Thanks for all your support always.

Cheers!

Out of London :)

2009-05-28T03:40:00.005+05:30
Remember I’d told you about this Big Bus thingy? Well, they also provide out-of-London whole day trips… and we chose a combination of “Oxford- Stratford upon Avon- Warwick castle”.

Its clichéd by now, I know, but let me begin it with “it was a fantastic trip”! :) Venkat, my parents, kichu and I went. The bus was due at some 7.25 am and guess what time we boarded it? Nope! You guessed wrong! We were on the bus at 7.25 am! :) Remember, this is not India? :)

Well, it was amazing to see the other side of England… the smaller towns, huge farm lands, sheep and cow in herds, poultry, simple folks with vegetable baskets in hand in complete contrast to the concrete, straight roads, trendy, fast, expensive, brand conscious London city.

Our first stop was at Oxford university. Unlike what I had thought, Oxford is a series of some 24 colleges. I’d thought its just one institute. And we did visit the main university and saw the halls where the greats like Boyle, John Locke, Oscar Wilde etc were students of this prestigious college. We also saw the grand staircase and hall that in fact inspired Warner Brothers to make JKR's movies (J K Rowling, of Harry Potter fame, for those who don’t know :P)

We also were shown different departments of the college and to everybody’s surprise there was no department of Science! There were departments for grammar, for astronomy(which was not considered science), mathematics, geometry, philosophy, etc, but not science! The reason being: Till the 14^th century, science was not an established stream of study. It was kind of tolerated by some people, but never really encouraged! It was looked upon with scepticism and doubt. :) and this college was built in 12 century or so! Centuries before the American Continent was even discovered, England boasted of the finest university in the world! :)

So, well, after this, we went to have lunch… with the bus troop itself. We had hot delicious yummy pasta and bread with butter, a double scoop of ice cream and hot coffee is freezing cold. Oh, I forgot to mention… it was a few degrees colder up north than in London. :) We paid 10 Pounds per person… that’s close to 800 rupees… for one person for one day for one meal! So you can imagine why I haven’t shopped till now and why you aren’t getting anything from here! :P hehe

After a good lunch, we were taken to Stratford upon Avon, Shakespeare’s birth place. Rather, the birth home! It was a small little house compared to the mansions of London, but yet one of the bigger houses of that street.
During the travel, our guide in the bus recited, and I must say, quite wonderfully, a few Shakespearean sonnets and verses, that if we closed our eyes and listened to him, we felt as if we were actually watching a play! And trust me, we were amazed when we saw 4-5 performers in Shakespeare’s garden who offered a sonnet to kichu, who performed a part of some play for us…! :) They were dressed in some ancient Columbus kind of clothes with swords and hats and the old English accent…! It was brilliant! It’s the kind of thing that I love! :)

As a souvenir of the place, I picked up a little stone… from the ground! :) Because everything else was sold over a counter with a label of 7-10-20-50 Pounds… choose what you like! :P And I wasn’t going to spend any more money than I had to! :)

After this, we went to Warwick castle. There was some festivities going on and it resembled a fair hosted by some king :) lot of merry making and good food :) a river flowed by with a very majestic swan :) I took plenty of videos and photos of the swan :) Remembered ‘The Ugly Duckling’ :D By this time we were all a little visibly worn out and tired :)
The 5 of us at Warwick Castle... (Mom, kichu, dad, venkat and I)

We came back home around 9 after having had dinner at Mumtaz :) then narrated the day’s events to Harish :) played cards for a while, and finally hit the sack! :)

I’m not promising I will be writing much any time soon. I’m kinda hitting a writer’s block soon… I see it happening :) But thanks for reading till now and for all the encouragement.

Until next time, take good care, have fun and stay happy :) Cheers!

Days 6&7- Lords, Museum, Harrods :)

2009-05-27T04:00:00.006+05:30

:) Hi... so sorry for the delay again! Have been very very tired and worn out... Today toh we dint do much at all! :P

Hmm let me begin with yesterday... :) We went to the very famous "Lords Cricket Ground". Needless to say, it was fantastic! :) We went on a guided tour... saw the "Writing room" where the dignatories would sit and enjoy the matches, the adjecent bar cum dining room. (They are not allowed to carry alcohol into the writing room! :P) the home changing room, the visiting team's changing room, the "Long room" where the both teams sat at long tables at either end of the room and the umpires and refrees and other pl sat at a table in the middle of the room and there was little communication between the teams in the lunch room... :)

Some players, we were told, have special preferences in the place where they changed in the changing room... and there are wooden boards in the changing rooms mentioning all the batsmen who scored centuries at Lords, all bowlers who got 5 or more wickets at Lords, etc.. I think it was some Australian bowler who always chose to change under the "5 wickets or more" board hoping he'd get some inspiration from the board... :P there are some 4 floors in the huge imposing building... and the inlay is all very ancient English type- both the furnishings and paintings. We were not allowed any photography inside, so I dont have any interesting pics of the interiors... however we were allowed to take pics outside and I will put up the pics when i get back to India :)

We then went to the place where the queen and other royalties would sit and watch the game. We were told Queen Elizabeth isn't a great fan of the game and neither is her son, Prince Charles. We were taken to the "Media room" where all the authenticated broadcasters would be there... this room was on the 2nd floor... and it stood out among the rest. You'll see in the pictures. Well, this room had slanting glasses as it directly faced the pitch and the batsmen would have had a tough time trying to hit the ball while the afternoon sun blazed and reflected from the glasses of the Media Room. The media people also requested that some provision be made so that the noise of the crowd is there in the back ground because otherwise the Media Room was built in such a way that the noise form the ground or stadiums did not reach there. Upon the request, the constructor of the ground made a special window which allowed noise from the cheering crowd inside. This and the added excitement of the reporters in the Media Room sometimes got very high and the mood would become extremely tensed. Thats why they chose a light blue colour to paint inside the media room. It is supposed to be the most calming and soothing colours. (All this is almost verbatim of what the guide told us) :)

After that, we were taken to the ground itself and I stepped on to the turf by mistake... and the guide asked me to be careful and said that if the groundsmen had seen that, they'd fine me and and may even prosecute me! :P Well, am happy I wasnt caught! :) We took some pictures with then, with the ground in the background... Our tour ended shortly afterwards and we decided it was time for food! :) We were thinking of going to Woodlands again but I found this place called "Mumtaz" on the way. Expensive it luked form outside was pretty decent food and great quantity :) Much better than Woodlands... :) Shifting loyalty :) :D

After food, we went to the Natural History Museum... (mainly cos it was a free entry thing :P) and we were kinda bored after the initial excitement of seeing dinosaur bones and stuffed animals... :) This was the same place where "Night at the Museum" movie was shot. If you've seen the movie, u'd relate to this place very well. The entrance is just like in the movie. Begins with this huge dinosaur at the entrance... :) it's beautiful. After wandering around for sometime, we got bored and tired and exhausted.. :) We decided to come back home and cook dinner :) We made my favorite tamarind rice and brinjal-onion ka curry, which i usually hate but it was great yest... :) Guess i was just hungry :P Hehe...

Later played a game of cards with kichu and Harish, fooled around for sometime, and hit the sack. :)

Today got up late (becoming a habit now! :P) Had a leisurely shower, late breakfast, lazy morning, basically! :P We decided we;ll go shopping today... but not actually shopping, just window shopping. Venkat had told us of this place called Harrods, my fren aditi also had told us abt Harrods, (pronounced as Hair-eds :D I used to call it Hair-odds)... it the costliest ever place I have been to. A cermaic horse about half foot tall with some work on it - 11,000 pounds! thats almost 10 lakh rupees! and some plastic like shiny shirts - 3800 pounds... u do the calculations...! its freaking costly here! So, eventually got bored of seeing all the shiny stuff and jazzy things and went for lunch... after lunch, dad said he was tired and had a back ache.. .we decided to come home, rest for an hour or two and go out again. Anyway, sunset is only around 9.30 pm.. so its like evening only till 8.45... :) surprisingly all of us slept off and got up at 7.30 only! We must have been really tired and didnt realise it. Our bodies ached and muscles throbbed... :( Mine sure did! We pulled ourselves out and called venkat... he had an official dinner tonight... and his friends had other plans... so we went to Mumtaz again and had good dinner, got back home, played cards with Harish and Kichu again... and for the record, i've always come 2nd.. never 1st, never last.. :P hehe...

Thats all for the moment, folks! So long and thanks for reading! :) Take care and keep visiting! :) Until the next post, have fun! :)

Days 4 and 5 :) London Eye, Madame Tussauds :)

2009-05-24T21:43:00.000+05:30

First things first- my apologies for not updating earlier... was very very tired... and lazy... :P

So, well.. yesterday we went to London eye... the giant wheel that I mentioned was amazing! :) we went there around 11.30 I think... and we started feeling hungry... :D Venkat said he'd join us for lunch.. so what we did was stand in the queue, got tickets for the London Eye, and we were told that we were getting a discount then if we bought Madame Tussauds wax museum ticks too... so obviously we bought.. it had one month validity... :) we bought some yummy delicious veg cookies... one was dark chocolate(imagine how heavenly it had to be if I loved it! :P) and one was coconut cookie I think.. and then there was one of cashew and walnuts... :) well, this was our idea of "snacks" :D so, after our light snack of 5 cookies among 4 of us, we finally got into the London eye.. its almost 30-35 mins ka one full circle... :)

Yeah, the giant wheel was inaugurated in 2000, as the millennium landmark in london, upon Prince Charles' suggestion! It is being run and operated by British Airways and there has not been one casuality in 8 years.. since it was launched!! :) me totally amazed! oh another thing I noticed in the underground railway system- notice on almost all trains "please stay away from boarding line. Number of casualities last year: 32"!! Just 32.. but see how much they care!! And back home, we have millions of accidents everyday! Oh another thing I just remembered: pedestraints are ALWAYS given priority... normal crossing roads we have to be on our guard.. but if you have a zebra crossing anywhere around, you can close your eyes and keep walking... the vehicles HAVE to stop for u to pass... even if they are travelling at 90 mph!! :) this includes huge buses and trams...! It is true... I tried yesterday !! :D

I just remembered sumthing else...! Aditi...! woah! I know i'm going really haphazard... wait... i'll try to put it in order from now on.. :P

Well, we were on the London eye... in our “capsule” or whatever they call it, we were almost 15 ppl.. :) it was spacious and all.. so no issues.. :) and kichu and I started clicking away to glory- like there was no tomorrow! :P and the poses we took! :P hehe... everybody was smiling at us politely... if it were u, am sure you'd have laughed at our clown-like acts! :P hehe... by the time I thought we'd done enough fooling around, I saw that we were at the top most point from where one can see London... it's "panoramic view" :D i told kichu "we self obsessed people dint realise how far we've come... see, lets live the moment and not lose it all in taking pics!" :) we stood in awe for a few mins as the whole scene sank in.. we could see the Big Ben in all its brilliance, the Thames river (pronounced "Te-m-s" :P), the Buckingham palace, the Parliament, the train lines, the straight roads... it was magnificent... :) we began our descent and we started clicking away to glory again! :) it's really a sight to behold... :)

oh fish!! just rememebred... Prabhakaran's dead... and there has been a HUGE massive sri lankan ppl's protest just outside the parliament in Westminster... scary to see such crowd... police vans were all over the place, the mob was angry and agitated... but there was no actual outbreak of violence... slogans about saving srilankan tamils were in the air... some tube stations were affected and buses were also diverted due to the agitation... no casualities so far... thankfully!

Hmm Aditi now.. :) Aditi is a fren from pune.. and like i said, she introduced me to Nicholas sparks.. :) and well, she works for a research company here... HR role... and she did her masters from LSE(London School of Economics...!!) way out of my league! :P hmmm so what? I can at least say I have big shot frens! :) yeah, so i called her and she came down to St Johns wood and we met up and had coffee at Starbucks... her treat! :) and we had a nice time cathcing up on old times and hostel gossip and who's gotten married and is settled where kinda news.. :) kichu was there too... then I brought her home.. introduced her to Venkat and my parents … we basically had a nice time :)

Later at night, harish taught kichu and me a new card game.. called 5-3-2 :D we loved it and played till 12 or something... by them everybody else had gone to sleep! :) it's a 3 player game.. :) will teach you when I meet u :) :P

Then comes... today! :) got up late, very late...

Around 11.30 we all finally got ready, and went out.. .for lunch! :) our very own woodlands again! :) I only had nimbu pani as my 4 slices of bread for breakfast was still heavy... :P so after a good lunch, we headed towards Madame Tussauds... I am getting very good with the tube stations... I know what line goes to what stations... :) so I am automatically the group leader.. when Venkat is not there... :P

So, we reached Madam Tussauds successfully... and it was great, to say the least... tom cruise, brangelina, biran lara, sachin tendulkar, gandhi, nelson mandela, obama, julia roberts, daniel radcliffe... :P amazing time we had... kichu and I posed as if we were giving President Bush a penny... he had his hand outstretched.. as if begging... :P and obama had the president's table in front of him but was only standing next to his chair... so all of us sat on the chair as if he's our secretary and took pics.. :) I took pics as if I'm strangling aishwarya rai.. :P I also tamed albert einstien's hair... :P posed with the queen... I shot saddam hussien with a gun, jim carrey danced with me, i kissed spider man, leonardo hugged me... :) amazing!!! :) (Check orkut album, u’ll know it all! :P :D)

So after that we took a train to Charring street and had a cheese burger, then went out to Trafalgar square, took another million pics! :) roamed around for sometime, took a train to some place called baker street, took another train to St Johns Wood... bought some groceries form a near by store, walked home.. washed and changed... and sat down on a chair with my lappie... am still in the same position! :)

I hope u liked this post... :) dont be jealous... :) will share all my pics with the celebs generously... :P :D :) hehehe

Chal until next post, take care and have fun. Thanks for dropping by :)

Day 3- Exploring on foot :)

2009-05-22T06:07:00.003+05:30

Hey :) Thanks for all your responses and comments. Its really overwhelming... :)

Yeah, so... the 3rd day was a fantastic adventure... the 4 of us left home around 10 am... went to the closest bus stop and waited for some 20 mins for our bus "82" to come so we can go to our destination "Victoria" (Buckingham palace). After 20 mins, of shivering in the cold, our bus finally came.. Kichu, Amma and I got into it.. and the bus moved.. we turn around and find Appa standing outside waving and telling us they dint let him inside!! They have a fixed number of people only they will take on board a bus and they stick to it like glue! There is no conductor and the driver checks passes or tickets... :) I asked "her", the driver, if we could get off and she said no.. only in the next stop! We were a little panicky... anyway we got off at the next stop...

Now multiple ideas... shud we cross the road and take another bus back to the old stop, do we just wait here? Do we proceed to Victoria and finally meet Appa there only? We decided that the next 82 will take some time to come and we'll walk back to the previous stop... and we do. And half way down the road, we see an 82 go by and Appa waving to us from inside! :P we cursed the bus and the other curse-able things and started turning around and running to our stop from where the 3 of us got down... :) I was leading... :) Kichu semi-ran behind me and Amma walked.. :) The bus moved again before we reached and thankfully, Appa had spotted us and had gotten down at the bus stop.. :) so we were all re-united!! :D:D hehe

We waited for the next 82 wistfully... we took another bus finally... after almost 45 mins of waiting in the cold... so by now, its almost 2 hours since we left home... and we are still at one stop away from home! :P we decided to eat lunch at our very own "woodlands".. :) and after lunch, we finally decided we'd take a "tube" (metro) to Victoria (that’s the stop closest to the Palace) {wondering if such details are boring...! :P} yeah anyway, all of us continuously had the “lost” sort of expressions and I was the one to ask passers by "hello, good morning, where can I find a tube around here?", they'd smile, and politely direct us and end it with, "have a great day. I hope u like london" ! :) my point here: We seemed lost, in spite of Venkat's clear directions, it was drizzling and cold! Yet, the directions the people gave us were so warm and friendly... it felt so nice... :)

Hmm so we discovered the Palace.. rather re-discovered the palace.. :D and wat a brilliant sight!!! :) Amazing, breath taking.. i'd love to upload pics.. but I dont have the time and patience to sort and upload them now.. will do that when I get back.. :) hmm so we took plenty of pics... PLENTY! :) Different poses, different angles... then we strolled the palace gardens... imagine this: you are standing in a place... and around you, you can only see green... different shades, but only green.. all around you, for miles... for as far as you can see... on all sides!! :) neatly maintained lawns, little white flowers growing in patches, huge trees evenly spaced out, big doves and crows "hopping" and walking in the lawn.. unlike what we might expect- flying! :P and oh I forgot to mention- quiet!!!! Its so peacefully quiet.. you cannot hear a sound! Except the strong winds blowing thru the trees... it was so heavenly... and then it drizzled... :) brilliantly... the skies were grey, the sun peeked form somewhere, the drizzle was there, the lawns were green and I was in heaven :)

We decided we'd head back home as the palace it self is not open for public this time of the year.. only in august or something they open it for public.. at least parts of the palace.. :) hmm so we start walking towards what we think is Victoria junction... and we walk and walk and walk... turn around corners, talk to passers by, we are a little tired and worn out, we continue walking... Amma's really tired.. me leading the troop.. :) we reach a junction.. we think its Victoria, we discover its Piccadily! :) hehe.. Appa was all panicky... and I just kept on asking people how to get to St. John's wood (thats where we stay)... Appa called Venkat, got the directions again and, we got on the right bus.. now the only thing was to get down at the right stop... and it was a task!! at one of the stops, to our great relief, we found Harish, Venkat's roommate, board our bus.. :) now we could breathe a sigh of relief.. we'd know where ot get off! :) hehe

We got home, changed, sat for a while, changed again and went with venkat(kichu and i) to a near by store to buy some grocery and other stuff... we cooked at home.. :) ready made chappatis but sabzi mom and i made.. :) and everybody loved it.. 9 of us ate.. :) more credit to mom.. :) me dint do much :)

Then peacefully retired to bed... got up late this morning... was contemplating whether or not i have the time to blog now.. so here! the 3rd adventure... exploring london on foot comes to an end... :)

Until the next post, take care, have fun and keep smiling. Thanks once again for all your responses and comments. Hope you continue to enjoy London as much as I am.

Cheers! :)

Day 2- Getting Acquainted :)

2009-05-21T00:12:00.003+05:30

Am guessing that you have voluntarily agreed to subscribe for my service :)

Well, the 2nd day was all packed... and leisurely at the same time.. :) venkat was on leave, so he came with us... they have this thing here.. called THE BIG BUS. What this bus does is... it sort of takes tourists around the city.. all the major tourist spots... and there are like hundreds of those buses traveling all around the city... so you can get on a bus, get off at, lets say tower bridge, see it, spend some time, come back and wait for a min or 2 for the next BIG BUS to come by... its all linked... and its great!! :)

Yeah, so we took this bus... and oh i forgot to tell you... the bus is this double decker thingy.. and the first floor is open air.. no roof.. :) and we sat there... and the temperature was around 10-12 degrees.. freezing cold.. :) and i dint want to zip my jacket.. cant tell you how i LOVED it!!! :) ek toh, i think i was luking kinda... cute.. :P and cool.. :P well, wait for the pics.. :) and the whole climate was awesome! and then there was this commentator- LIVE! he talked to the crowd, told us abt the places, a little bit of history, and was a very funny man... he made witty conversation and actually conversed with us... i felt it odd that he spoke to me thru the mic.. that too in a public transport...! imagine a conductor using a mic and asking you how u are and do u like the place... i felt it odd... and then liked it! he was cool.. no, dont worry, he's kinda old.. like dad.. :)

Well, we chose not to get down anywhere.. we just sat in the bus and traveled all around the city just making mental notes that we will come here and here and there sort of thing... other people got on and got off... :) at the end of the trip, we got off at tower bridge... (the tower bridge is often confused with the london bridge..) this is the one we always see.. the one with 2 towers and blue railings... london bridge on the other hand, is plain and sort of flat.. :) ok, so we got off there, went to London tower, saw all the ancient kings' armors and bedrooms... and their crowns and the history behind them.. :) it all was so mersmerising! :D and we saw the famous Kohinoor diamond... it shone so brilliantly!!! i've never seen anything as beautiful...! i swear! seriously... and we were talking to each other- wah, wat a state! we pay, stand in queues and walk with the crowd to see a rich diamond these britishers stole from us only...! but i will give the devil it's due- amazing the way they have maintained their museums and palaces and grounds... and streets... and trees...and just abt anything! :)

Hmm so after the London Tower, we traveled half the way across the city to an expensive "Woodlands" Indian restaurant.. :) and it was nice... the travel also! :) we took wat they call "tubes"- something like Metro... underground.. :) and i thought i'll draw a comparison between the tube and the indian trains.. like amritha express, for example, then decided its really not comparable.. u dont compare an Oberoi and Punjabi dhaba...! :) well, i'll leave the discussion for another time.. :) Well, we had good indian food.. :) and then we went to a cruise(well, they call it a cruise! :P) on Thames river...:) brilliant... mind blowing wind... and numbing chill.. and open boat thingy... no roof over the first floor... and the same commentary thingy again... :D we must all visit london once in our lifetimes... :P just like i told u about Dubai AIRPORT... :) :D

Some interesting things i noticed about London-ers :D

1. Unlike in india, colour of hair is absolutely NO indicator of age! (I've seen almost all shades except green and yellow, i think... think of a dazzling blue, or blood red, or glowing orange...! i've seen it all! :P)
2. During our travel of some 10-12 hours in the city, we spotted 2 bikes. JUST TWO. and both were racing bikes...! :) we saw a few racing cars now and then too ... :) so generally, there are hardly any two wheelers! :)
3. They have a million varieties of BREAD!

Well, took plenty of pics, then got off, took a bus and came back home around 7.30 pm, and the sun set was around 9.15 pm... :D sorry, i cant stop talking abt the time thingy.. i'm still not used to seeing sun rise at 3 am and sun set at 9 pm!! the days are like really really long... :D after we got home, we ordered dinner and hung around with venkat, his roommates and other frens... very nice fun loving chaps... :D:D

i slept off around 11.30 in the night... :) and got up around 7 today morning... :) and venkat said he'd be a little tied up today so he helped us with planning our travel for the day.. motto: Buckingham Palace! :) "I'm goin to london to visit the Queen! " :).. er... her palace only, actually... :P

Chalo, so long then... Until the next post, take care and have fun! :)

PS: I appreciate comments! :)

Touch Down- Day 1

2009-05-20T03:31:00.003+05:30

This is a mail I sent my friends the day I reached London for a 2 week holiday... Then I decided I will blog my travel log! :P So here it is... Day 1. Touch down. What will follow in the coming weeks is the continuing adventures that will come my way during my stay in London. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have as much fun reading my experience as I did in experiencing them :)

______________________________________________________________________

Reached here at 8.30pm local time (1.30am IST) was awake for almost 20 hours straight! :) was fun, and very tiring.. Dubai airport was simply magnificent... if nuthing else, one shud go there just to see the airport! :) We waited there for almost 3 hours... during which my best friend and i had a rocking time... (am not referring to you... :P) i was talking abt my camera :D:D hehe as if i'd gone just to the airport for a vacation, i was clicking away to glory...! briliant place! will write in detail abt it later when i come back to india.

Reached home, ate and slept around 11.30-12 i think... around 5 IST... :D I was not so excited abt the time zone difference thingy... but wow!! when we were in Dubai, we changed our watch timings first... :) actually, mom dad and kichu did.. i dint.. :) me somehow still keepin Indian time only.. :P Dunt want to change! :P hmmm and when we heard the announcement tat we were landing in London Heathrow airport at 7.48pm, trust me, i thought they made a mistake.. they must have said 7.48 am!!! it was that bright outside!! like 2.30 pm in ASB campus... :)
:)

8.40 am now :) and 1.10 pm in india... like u guessed, me still not over my amazement at the different time zones... yesterday was literally, factually and truly, the LONGEST day of my life.. :) i think this is the maximm a person can love one's life... ofcorse u must know that wat my life seem the most lovable is so much thinking, apart from living the moment.. :) during the travel, i had a lot to ponder upon, many memories, many conversations... many people... events, happenings, places... and then the flooding of new experiences.. international airport, foriegn faces, new languages... kids in bright clothes, funky hair-do's, brilliant colours, the hustle of a busy world, the worry of ensuring all bags are there... a check, a quick re check, one more check, last check...checks and more checks!! :)

Will be heading out in an hour or so.. my cousin, venkat( remember for reference in future mail:) ), with whom we are staying, and dad have gone out to get some bread and other "English" breakfast.. :P hehehe

I hope i have not bored you... i'm planning to keep updating u almost everyday... maybe every alternate day... :P you are required to tell me if u want to unsubscribe from this service! :D:D:D

Almost there… not quite yet!

2009-04-01T22:37:00.000+05:30

This is that feeling of being almost there… You know… when you think that you are just a second away from where you want to be and then something terribly horrible happens… and then you aren’t quite where you ought to have been.

You have been planning and strategizing and making your moves carefully all for just being there. You gave up things on the way, made sacrifices... big and small, had sleepless nights, you did everything that you didn’t have to… all for this one future moment which you want to hold in memory forever… the moment when you will be the happiest…

Take a simple example… you plan a special birthday gift for a close friend. You go around for a whole month, getting the perfect gift, pre-booking the perfect dinner joint, getting all close friends together, planning the whole day, maybe a trip to one of the close by resorts… or a long drive… and when you reach the restaurant, you realize they haven’t made your reservation and you’ll have to wait a long time… that is just one factor… the other factors could go for a toss as well.

Another home example: You’ve been dying to watch a movie for the last one year... a friend tells you in passing that the movie is on the TV this weekend. You are very excited, work more hours on Friday, cancel your lunch appointment with friends, have a brunch on Saturday morning so you wouldn’t have to get up in between the movie for lunch, make you kids take an afternoon nap or pretend that you are letting them stay over at a friend’s place so you can see the movie in peace, make sure your generator is working ok, why take a chance with the power supply? Finally, everything is perfect... you can now see that movie in peace on Saturday afternoon. As you turn the TV on and sit with the remote control in your hands, the advertisements are on and you can barely wait… and then as the titles of the movie begin to scroll, the cable connection’s gone. Simply gone. If you are in Kerala, you’d understand what I’m saying. Frantically, you call the operator and he tells you... please hold on madam… and you know exactly what that means… you hold till you are sure the movie must have reached interval and you finally give up. Then when you switch it off, you realize the kids are sleeping, your friends aren’t there for lunch, there’s no office work left to do… so just kind of sit around…!

Life has it’s funny ways… there are so many instances… some as unimportant (or important, as the case may be) as this and some of very grave consequences… and all this effort suddenly gets flushed down the drain… and you feel so pained and there is nothing you can do about it. No, it definitely wasn’t because you didn’t take precaution… you did. And it wasn’t because of others... what vendetta would the cable operator, for example, have against you?

So I guess that is why they say… what has to happen, will happen. You can go only so far to ensure all might be well. If it is meant to be, it will. What is our take home then? Do your bit. That is all! J Leave no room for regret. There is probably something better waiting for you just around the corner!

A Miracle called Chechi

2009-03-26T00:34:00.000+05:30

Chechi. It means elder sister in Malayalam. Some words have relevance only so far as its meaning would take. But with chechi, it’s different. I didn’t have an older sister. And I have often wondered if I am being an ideal sister for my younger sister. Because I don’t know how I should be! I do my best, but I don’t know if I do it right. And I have always been jealous of friends who have an older brother. Typical Indian movies show the heroine have a rough and tough older brother who’ll pull her out of every scrap, fight with the villain and protect his sister at all times. I must say I was in no such danger. Ever! J But it was a sort of fantasy for me to have an older brother. I never thought about having an older sister… till I got one!

Yes, I have been bestowed upon with an older sister at the age of 21! J Miracle? Oh Yes! When I joined Amrita School of Business on the 17^th of June, 2007, I was new to the place, like everybody else. In the initial days, there were huge groups… Often the groups were of people from the same State or who spoke a common language. I did not fit into any of them because I belong to nowhere. Why I belong to nowhere is a totally different story and will have to wait for another day. For now, I shall continue this narration.

As time progressed, I found that the huge groups were getting fragmented into smaller groups… there were cold wars and spite and ill will. I wasn’t a part of this aftermath either. J I was adopted by an intelligent, simple and loving girl. She hung out with me, played with me (yes, little kids do!J ), taught me subjects, watched movies with me, shopped with me, and most importantly, she was always there for me.

She is the one who has mellowed me down. (She probably got some of my short temper! Hehe :P ) She taught me not to think too much. (She does that herself though! :P ) She will ask me to sleep early when I have a class the next morning. (But she herself will sleep at 4 am!J ) She ensures I do my assignments. (Although she volunteers to help me out almost alwaysJ) Her room is always open for me, I know! (Mine is open for her too, but it’s pretty unhygienic… if you know what I mean :P)

I know I have told her in jest many times, but I mean it with all sincerity, she has the world’s best shoulders to cry on. I can only pray to God… not to reduce my troubles, but to make her shoulders strong enough for my crying sessions J :P! She’s strong willed, has a mind of her own, is awesome to hang out with, is smart and witty, emotional at times and very caring. I know whatever troubles I’ve had in the day will be gone when I come to her and speak about them at the end of the day. She is allergic to gossip, does not talk ill about anybody till I do. J Even that she mostly only listens. She is always hopeful and optimistic. She’s obsessed with cleaning her room. I offered her options to extend her services to my room, which she bluntly refused… every time! J :D

There are some things that I’m most comfortable doing only when she is around. Like talking in Malayalam! J Try as I might, I always struggle and fumble to talk with anybody else in Malayalam :P. I take all sorts of mad pictures only with her around. Nobody understands my madness like her. She totally understands… that I’m mad! J That is because she is too! Hehe J. I like packing for home only when she’s sitting in my room. She’s a nicer reminder of things than little notes on my cupboard! J I like going for long walks in the evening with her by my side. Not only do I enjoy her company but it also reminds me sometimes of my own younger sister and the times we had exploring new streets and lanes back home. J I like sipping hot coffee in the evenings when she is around. I think the coffee somehow tastes better when her jokes are in the air! J

Now when I look back, I am a little scared. Of many things. I know she has always been there for me, but have I been there for her? I know she always advices me right, but have I advised her right always? She helped me see right from wrong. Have I learnt it well? She mellowed my temper down. Have I, unknowingly and unintentionally made her an angry person? It really scares me. For all that she’s been for me and done for me, I feel I have not reciprocated enough. I probably took her for granted sometimes. But I don’t know how to make it up. No, nothing is wrong now. All is fine. But I wish I had been a better younger sister! It was a new role for me! So I guess I should be given some allowances for the new job profile… :P And I don’t care for an older brother now. An older sister is so much fun to have… I am truly lucky to have her in my life. There are some people we wish we had known earlier in life. She is one such person… I feel I wasted 20 odd years not knowing her! But tell you what, knowing her is what matters! And I do now! I have my own chechi now. My Ani chechi. I love her so much and would do everything in my capacity to keep her happy. I will always wish the best for her and will try to be at least half of what she has been for me! If I fail in that regard, I can only ask for forgiveness…

The Anti-Indian at the Oscars!

2009-02-24T01:41:00.000+05:30

On International television, at the premier Oscar Awards Ceremony:

Interviewer: “I will give you thirty seconds… What message do you have for the Indians? What do you have to say to the audience back home?”

Anil Kapoor: “We love you all, we love Mumbai, we loveMaharashtra!”

My response: What the heck?!

Amidst the pride that Rahman and Pookutty have brought upon India, there we have Our Hero, from Amchi Mumbai- proclaiming his undying love for Mumbai residents and those in Maharashtra!!

America brought to the tables a brand new term… ROW- Rest Of the World. Anil Kapoor has clearly indicated his contribution to this new phenomena- ROI - Rest of India! As a representative of 1.3 Billion strong population, Our Hero goes on to say He loves Maharashtra! What does India mean to him?

Next question for a Million Dollars: Amongst all the categories of people who divide the Nation, who is the most dangerous?
Politicians
Ram Sena/Shiv Sena
Forefathers, when they divided the States, in 1947
Terrorists

Answer: None of the above! The most dangerous are the insensitive idiots vested with the power of changing minds of others, like Our Hero, Anil Kapoor, and the other is the Common Man err.. Not to antagonise any group.. Common Man/Woman.

Are we one hundred percent sure of the answer? Oh yes!

Here is why: I was standing there, watching television, all goose-bumpy having heard Rahman bagged two Oscars and Pookutty bagged one, when Our Hero, Anil Kapoor came up with that brilliant message for “Indians”!! Er… I wonder if that message was incomplete… It talked about Indians in Mumbai first, then mentioned Indians inMaharashtra. What happened to ROI?!

That was Our Hero. Now I will address the Common Man/Woman.

When the awards were announced, I was overwhelmed and immensely proud… Two Indians finally bagged the much coveted and perennially evasive Oscar Statuettes. It took a couple of minutes to register… Indians at the Oscar… not as audience, not just as Nominees, as the Winners! Wow, that is making History. India witnessed History being made. And just when I was beaming with joy and pride seeing Rahman and Pookutty being aired on every channel, my Mera Bharat Mahan dream comes crashing with a comment one of my colleagues makes.

“Pookutty is a Mallu. He’s from Kerala! In fact, he is from Kollam!” Er… what?! So, he’s a Keralite, now what? Has Rahman ever been looked at as a Tamilian? He is the face of brilliant music. He is the Guru of Bollywood, Tollywood, you name it. He took India to the the World. He took India to the Oscars. To many, he simply stands forIndia! Pookutty has done us equally proud. He brought glory to India. A glory of the kind that has never been seen. India’s first Oscar this season. First Oscar for background mixing. Pookutty has made as much history as Rahman has, atleast in terms of Oscar, for honestly, I don’t know him that well. But what shattered my dream is not that he is little known (Not many knew him till Slumdog Millionaire happened). What broke my dream was the regionalism that came with that comment. Ok, he’s from some place. So what?! It has come to a low ebb now. What I imagined were two Indians winning 3 Oscars has turned out to be A Malayali winning one Oscar and a Half Tamil-Half Malayali winning two Oscars! How sad can it get?!

And here we are thinking that it is our politicians and the Government and miscreants and Shiv Sena and God knows who else who are creating the unseen divide in the Nation. It is disheartening to see that it is the highly respected, reputed and popular figures like Our Hero Anil Kapoor, and the well read, experienced, soon-to-be-Global Managers who create the dividing lines.

I really think it is time we stop cribbing. It is time we changed. Not as far as how India should grow and change; let us begin at home- let us begin with us.
Jai Hind!

2008-11-06T20:59:00.002+05:30
The follwing is something that moved me immensely. It's here because I thought you'd like it too. Happy reading!
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Yes,it'sTime
to go back to school.....

Yes,i want to rush
So that i am the first
To sit on my favourite bench
Nice and plush....

Eons since i sang aloud
Now,i want to go back
Sing the national anthem
Clear and loud...

Miss the aroma of the virgin,new paper
Of my new notebooks
Want to smell the paper
Yes,i want to go back to school...

Never bothered to write lately
Now want to write neatly
On the first page
Of my new notebook...
Yes,i want to go back to school...

Want to fling the water bottle
And cup my hand under the tap
Want to quench my thirst
With that tepid metallic water
Yes,i want to go back to school...

Lunch boxes and hygienic food
Take a walk
Want to gorge the iced tomatoes
And diced guavas
And cucumbers loaded with
Salt and chili and pepper
Want to cry
While gorging on the spices
And want to gasp for water
All over again...
Oh,i am dying to go back to school....

Let the cycle wheel be the stumps
The stone covered in the rags be the ball
The neem stick,the bat
Cricket has never been the same again
Yes,i want to go back to school....

Want to dream of pouring rain
While the drizzle starts in the night
For all the excitement
Of a rainy,unexpected holiday
For the dream come true
Yes,i want to go back to school...

Darkness creeping in
The ball lost
The time spent in looking for the ball
More than the time spent in playing cricket...
Oh,i miss it so much
Yes,i want to go back to school...

The plush foam and the reclining chairs
Hurt the back
The rough edges and poking nails
Of my favourite bench
Soothed my back
Air conditioned office
Makes me stiff
It makes me perpetually sniff
Want to sit in the warm classroom
No fans,but lots of friends
Open windows and cool breeze
Yes,i want to go back to school...

They taught me a lot
I seem to have lost it all
They told me childhood is the gift of God
I have come to fathom its meaning,now
Want to clear my doubt
As i always used to
Want to ask my wise teacher
Yet again"May i come in,sir?"
To clear my doubts and seek the peace
Oh Yes,i am going back to school.....

(Original gujarati poetic concept)

*Poet: Dr. Hemant Mankad, my friend's dad and a writer I have come to admire.

Blogging- A therapy

2008-10-05T23:07:00.000+05:30
On a Sunday morning, I wake up to the sound of pouring rain and the familiar hammering of a headache. I realise my outing stands cancelled, its pouring cats and dogs. I resign myself to a boring day all by myself stuck at home. I forgot to mention there was no power supply. Oh sheesh! For the first time in life, I am looking forward to a Monday Morning!!

I brew myself a hot cup of coffee, carrying my laptop to the balcony, find a dry corner and settle myself on a cane chair. I log into my blog and am pleasantly surprised and overwhelmed at the responses and comments I’ve been getting for my last post. I take my time reading all of them, smiling to myself, mentally making a note to mail all those who commented.

Absent minded-ly (if there is a word like that!), I click on ‘new post’ and there I start writing… about the idiosyncrasies of life and incidents that make life worth living. About friends and laughter, joy and pain and rainy days like today.

I don’t know how long I’ve been sitting there… My legs have gone numb, my wrists have begun to ache and I think I’ve probably been drinking ice cold coffee. I post my entry and when I get up; my step seems to have gotten a spring in it. Life doesn’t seem all that gloomy and cloudy like the skies above me. Writing seems to have chased my headache away and with it my down trodden spirit.

As I head toward my kitchen, the power supply returns, the rain mellows down and the phone rings (It’s my best friend calling). Déjà vu? I smile to myself. I guess its true after all- Blogging is a wholesome therapy- and sometimes a miracle too!

Toast: Here’s to the health, wealth and success of batch 2008 at ASB

2008-04-29T15:41:00.002+05:30
It’s finally that time of the year when we bid farewell… This past year has been very eventful. You gave us a very warm (?! J) welcome and I remember trying to match faces with the names I found on Orkut… successful in some attempts, fumbling with others…

Telling us how to bend around rules, warning us against strict faculty, encouraging us to brave everyday chores, lending us your experienced hands and grey cells in managing the two most important events- UTSAV and Pragati 08, those little important things about hostel wardens and their rules, the good ( :P ) hang outs in the City, the pending placement treats, the jokes, the leg-pulling, the selection of members for the different committees, the stress interviews for the forum selection...

True, life at Amrita has not always been rosy. There were times when there was panic, worry, grief and sorrow. It was all bearable because we could come to you at anytime. You were there for us when we screwed up in our many tasks. We have enjoyed being here and a major part is because of that extra mile you went to make us feel at home.

I would like to mention a few names here…

KK, the first in your batch I met on Orkut. We chatted often. He was then interning at Hyderabad. Then there were Anu, Anju, IMX (I remember, Ivan Michael Xavier), Anson, Sujith… they were my first seniors frens at ASB.

The memories are still afresh. Deepak, Anson, Sajith, Sujith Anand and Sujith were just outside library… they called me to have a talk… ( no ragging, remember? J) They asked me questions after questions… it was a tougher panel than my interview panel to join ASB! Amardeep walked by and said- “Arre bechari ko chod do yaar.. poor thing…” I felt so grateful then J But the session was fun in a way and I felt happy! :P

My professional advertisers Jake and Bitu… the pains they took to get my shampoo campaign going… wow, thanks guys… the number of takes and retakes… the publicity… Jake’s coffee days out always ended up in half a glass of coffee for me!

Darshan and Prashant… the duo love pulling my legs… they counsel, joke, play pranks, tease and help… I have learnt a few tricks from them too. Thank you, teachers! J Btw, I was in their BAC project as well… J

Anu, Anju, Jyothi, Raji chechi… thanks for the movies… and for always being there in rough times. I remember my early visits to Anu’s room… I met Reshmi also there. I remember the first bet I won was with Anu… she still owes me a treat for it. J

The counsellors- Navneet, Bikash, Prejith… I personally want to thank you guys for standing by me through rough patches during UTSAV and later. Those were times I desperately needed a sense of direction. Thanks for being there. It’s a small word… but is meant is all sincerity… Thanks.

I know I talk 19 to the dozen… but I didn’t think I’d find competition… Jeevitha broke my belief…! I have the right “vaayaadi” match now! J thanks. I remember the infinite times she has asked me to visit a doctor. I assure her now that I shall visit him sometime… er.. soon..! J

Prejith is almost the mobile mind-reader! He’s always found out when I’m down. He’ll just walk up and say, “what happened? It’s ok,, come, let’s have something in the canteen”. He calls me a cry baby… which we still argue upon!!

Rajamadhuri, Amardeep, Rachna, Jeevitha, Raji chechi… my lunch mates… J They are usually there at the mess when I’m there for lunch or dinner. They filled in my MR pretest questionnaire… thanks a bunch for being there… personally and officially... J

Harish, Kalyan and Dinesh (my mentor.. he came to know that a few days ago.. J)… the trio at different times asked me the same question- “You know Telugu? How come? ” (déjà vu?!) Thanks for talking to me in Telugu now and then… you have helped me er… improve my proficiency in the language…! J

Nishi and Sharath, the CV experts helped me better mine… and here I thought I hadn’t done much with life… and they made my CV look like I’m the most creditable person around.. J thanks.

Shruthi and I are similar in some ways… the way we look at life, for example… I believe she’s some kind of a good omen. If I see her early in the day, my day goes good… J And I got her to believe that about me as well…! (manipulative, eh?! hehe) J Thanks for giving me extra time to submit my testimonial…

Sonya, the soft spoken, always smiling, friendly and cute senior… J yeah, she is one of the cutest ever. She’s rare. She always tries saving some coffee for me in the canteen.. from the evil clutches of the Villains who just wait for me to place my order… Thanks! J

Binny, Bishwesh, Nilesh, Hardhik… they have been my hindi gurus… er.. hindi, proper and mumbaiya, the mamu language, punjaban hindi… you name it! The daily dosages of one funny msg… J Gandiva’s star voice, the diamond merchant’s promise… the good morning mamu’s… thanks guys for all the things you do! Hum aapke aabhaari rahenge… bole toh, apun ko tumse thank you bolne mangta hai J

Poornima and Rajeshwari- the two most inspirational writers to me at ASB… the media avoiding, camera hating duo…! J The celebs avoid the paparazzi… (I am the paparazzi with the hated camera.. for those of you who didn’t figure it out! J ) Awesome writing… do continue to write on the ASB blog… J

I think I’ve written too much already… I’ll try to conclude now… I have had an amazing year with you guys. I have learnt how to enjoy life and work… You are one of the finest batches… I don’t have any other to compare with! :P No, on a serious note, Your batch has always stood by us… taught us many things, reprimanded us when there was need, leant us movies, videos, assignments and shoulders when the pressure got to us…

I want to thank everybody in your batch for the wonderful time you gave us. I will remember the times we spent for a long time to come. I wish each and every one of you a very happy, prosperous and successful future. May everything you wish for come true J One special mention- Rajeshwari- Wish you a very happy and blissful married life. J

Stay in touch everybody and join our Alumni on the 10th of May, 2008. J Good luck for everything you do… Until later, take care and don’t miss us too much…! J

(PS: Sincere apologies to those whose names I’ve missed… and to those who I might have hurt unintentionally in the last year… )

Children IS going to school

2008-03-28T16:52:00.002+05:30
Let me begin this piece of writing with the original piece that inspired me into writing it!

A student who scored 100 in CBSE Class 12 English exam in an email to Outlook:
“It all depends on how one pen down the ideas… The flow in the language helped me fetched marks.”

An English teacher to Class 12 students:
“Keep the language simple and yet so crispy… Do not get deviate from topic.”

I am more than just astonished. Such spectacular usage of words has reached me a zillion times before. But not really from a student who is considered THE BEST at the English language by the Central Board of Secondary Education in India!! And an English teacher!

Well, I have been lucky to have been taught by excellent English faculty throughout my School and College. And let me not leave out the most important contributor to my English speaking and writing er… (skills?!) My mother. Mrs. Mythili Kesavasamy. She won the President’s Gold Medal in her M.A and has been a brilliant faculty all her life. She got me the reading habit, she made me listen to the news, and it was she who made me read my lessons! :)

I don’t speak great English myself. But I would like to understand others who speak the language! The least I can expect is teachers to speak decently well. But am shocked that the faculty standards could be so low! It feels like I’m waking up from a pleasant dream to nightmarish reality! I have mostly interacted with people who spoke decently well English but to think that more than half our nation has to struggle with the language is almost unfathomable! I have always believed that it is the teachers who make students fall in love or well… hate subjects.

Now, here is something to test you… where are u likely to find a board that reads:
--- “Butter Scoch Shek” and what would you think it meant?
Answer: India, Butter Scotch Shake.
--- “Child Bear” and what would you think it meant?
Answer: India, (hold your breath…) Chilled Beer!

I recently read in a magazine which reported that a 2nd year degree student committed suicide for not being able to cope with English (He left behind a suicide note to that effect). He had had all his education in Hindi medium. And the fact that he studied English as the 3rd language till 10th standard did him no real good for his career prospects. It truly is alarming to see how a language might affect the lives of youngsters and old alike. When I think of this case, a thought hits me in the face- what a waste of life! He would have been a great engineer, a designer an architect… We lost him because he didn’t know English!

Well, one thing is certain. There is a way of life. English today doesn’t remain just a means of communication any more. It has become an essential part of survival and the medium that ensures earning bread.

Proficiency in the English language is considered the passport to better lives, at least, in India. But Indians are taught rubbish in schools and colleges. I can’t blame the students! Every street has a small outlet which “sells” dosages of easy English speaking courses for the thousands of wannabe Angrezi-ispeaking Indians. And what do the outlets sell? Simple:
“Childern is going to school”
“I am also English speak”
“My hobbies means, I used to go to cinema”
“They is coming soon”

I am appalled and sad and I don’t know what else. I remember the days I used to teach my “mohalla” street kids in Bellary district, Karnataka how to read words and construct sentences. And how well they were thrilled! Now, I’m not saying I am a great teacher… not at all. I was barely in 4th standard then! But the kids- they were so full of life and curiosity to learn new things, new languages. Incapable teachers ruin it all. If only we had the right teachers, I think the Indian youth will be a much awaited upon lot. And right teachers are not just born. Well, some of them maybe. But others are made… they become.

China has realized how important a role English is going to play in the coming years. It has started pooling in English speaking taltents across southern Asia to get its youth the best available. The world is changing and with it, we must too. There really isn’t any choice.

The only way I see now, is to find really good English teachers from schools and colleges… (Am sure there are quite a few of them. Atleast everybody who taught me are simply great! ) and get them to train at least 5 others. And then each of those 5 can take up 5 others. I know 5 is a small number. But it’s high time we made a difference. And like that starfish story we all know, every move of ours makes a difference. And the time to start could not be better than NOW.

PS: The Starfish Story (For the benefit of those who haven’t heard the story and those of us who’ve heard it and don’t mind reading it over and over again!)

A little boy was walking on the beach early one morning when the speaker of the story finds him. He wonders what the boy is doing. He sees the boy picking up the starfish that got washed ashore by the waves and throwing them, one by one, back into the sea. His curiosity aroused, he walks to the boy and asks, “My dear fellow, may I know what you are doing?” The boy replies “Am saving lives of the starfish, Sir” “But don’t you know there are thousands and thousands of starfish washed up along the beach and it would take you years to throw them all back into the ocean? How do you think you’ll save them?” To which the boy simply picked up another starfish and said politely, “I don’t know about others yet Sir, but I saved that one.” The speaker is suddenly ashamed and stunned. He soon joins the little boy in his mission and starts picking up starfish and throwing them back into the sea.

I carry your heart

2008-03-03T00:48:00.003+05:30

This is yet another poem that has a lot of depth and meaning. It's very close to my heart. However, I make no claims on it. It's credit goes to Ee cummings.

"I carry your heart with me(i carry it inmy heart)
I am never without it(anywhere I go, you go,my dear;
And whatever is done by me is only your doing, my darling)
I fear no fate(for you are my fate, my sweet)
I want no world(for beautiful you are my world, my true)
And it's you who are whatever a moon has always meant
And whatever a sun will always sing is you
Here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(Here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
And the sky of the sky of a tree called life;
Which grows higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
And this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart..
I carry your heart(i carry it in my heart) "
It also featured in a movie called "In Her Shoes". It's read beautifully by Cameron Diaz..

Pragati fever

2008-02-12T18:57:00.000+05:30
Pragati fever had gripped us for 2 long months and there were moments when I thought I wouldn’t survive it. The Annual B-fest of my college- Amrita School of Business was one of the few things that I had always looked forward to because it was totally run by the first year students and it’s with great pride I say that my batch has done a splendid job, to say the least.

The initial days were lazy and relaxed when all forums were not sure what they wanted to do and the committees had no work. It took immense efforts from the Core Committee to get things in line. From the Forums side, the persuasive VP Forums, Ravi, was the one sitting by us and pestering us to get him the games ready and give him updates now and then. Had he not done that, I can tell you for sure, Pragati 2008 would have had much less standard. Then there was our dear President, Ragavendra, who came up with many a little pep talk when things were slow. His talks always resulted in a spur of actions and things would take shape quickly. Our VP, Public Relations, Lakshmi made a fantastic job of getting us sponsorships from the corporate world. The total came to a whooping Rupees 1,10,000, excluding the registration charges of the visiting colleges. VP Finance, the one we would normally associate with diplomatic talks and miserly ways and tension ridden face, was just the opposite. Shalini’s trademarks during the 2 months, like always, were her never vanishing smile, patience and easy talk. VP Colleges, Sangeetha, fondly called Sangy, was hard pushed and had reduced to half her size by the time it was Pragati eve. She got the best colleges around to ASB so the players and the standard of games matched. Her decisions have indeed paid off well. VP committees, Sethu worked really hard with his boys. The committees were the ones that deserve most praise. Had it not been for the Decoration committee, Amrita School of Business would not have looked this grand and royal. Had it not been for the Food Committee, that extended lunch hours and dinner hours so it could take care of the needs of participants playing games at different times, many of us would have missed our meals. Had it not been for the Accomodation Committee, there would have been total chaos when the guests arrived. The committee was perfect in allocating people and rooms for each visiting college. Had it not been for the Hospitality Committee, the event simply would have gone without making a mark. The Technical Support Committee helped immensely with anything that came their way. They were the ones responsible for the smooth run of every game without any glitches. VP Forums, Ravi Kumar, had this to say about Avinash, a member of the Technical Committee, “He’s been my backbone of support”. Shona, of the Finance Forum said Avinash was a hard worker and was very helpful and always provided support on time.

The games per se were a hit and the much awaited Chain Reaction conducted by Alumni Sandeep and Anand, from the Relations Forum platform, was an instant hit among the players and the audience alike. Special thanks to both of them for travelling all the way to Coimbatore and hosting the legendary game at Pragati 2008.

Visiting schools gifted their respective Hospitality members with chocolates and other gifts. Anitha even received a testimonial from Bangalore Management Academy. Deepthi was thanked by Dhruva College with a huge cuddly teddy bear for her hospitality. These are only a couple of the 118 students who added class and royalty to Pragati 2008.

The beauty of the whole event lies in a simple fact. Each of us had the perfect role designed for us and none of us could have suited any of these roles better.

To conduct an event on such a scale, one would think there would have been many hurdles and squabbles between the students in getting limelight or praise for their bit of work. But at Amrita School of Business, things are certainly different. Nobody stakes claim for praise. If the event is successful and has received much acclaim for its magnificence and perfection in its details, every student in the batch of 118 will hold the other 117 responsible for it. So do I. The whole event fell in place like a perfect jigsaw puzzle and at the centre of it was the Core Committee.

Kudos ASB-ians!

PS: Sincere apologies to anybody whose name I’ve left out. I mean to thank and congratulate each and everybody in the batch, for the success of Pragati 2008.

The First Move

2007-12-22T21:28:00.000+05:30
It was 7 months and 5 days ago. They had been done with their last conversation. Shilpa sat by her kitchen table and gazed into the night sky. The breeze sent chills down her spine and the truth that now stared in her face.

It seemed like only yesterday that Anjali and she were shopping at the new Pluto Mall in the city. They'd shopped for a whooping 18,000 bucks in all, celebrating their first paychecks. Exhausted, they dragged themselves to the food court and helped themselves to a sumptuous lunch. Just out of impulse, the giggling duo dumped thier bags in the car, pulled up inox and went to "Dhoom". How they came out with the oohs and aahs about John Abraham! That was almost 2 years ago. A tear dropped onto Shilpa's hand now.

She got up from the table and went to drain the coffee- it had grown too cold, with the window open. As she turned on the tap, the smilie on the wall reminded of her of a sunndy sunday afternoon, not more than a year and a half ago.

Anjali had knocked on Shilpa's door on a sunday afternoon and when there was no response, she'd begun to bang and the neighbour came and yelled at her to be quiet. After a minute Shilpa had come hair all ruffled and kajal spread under her eyes, "Oh, its you! I thought it was Lata aunty.." Anjali could not believe Shilpa was sleeping in the afternoon.. "Moron, what the hell are u doing in your bedroom?! Dont tell me you have some guy in there!" "Oh shut up yaar! I'll get you a lime or something" By the time shipa had got the lime ready, Anjali was in her bedroom, spread newspapers on the floor, arranged for water and colours from Shilpa's drawers and turned the AC on.. all set! Shilpa was horror stricken and asked as quietly as she could, "Just what in the world do you think you are doin?" "Come on, monkey.. that's your bit.. just over there.. We are making smilies for Anu, Parth and other children in your layout.." (She was referring to the street children in that locality) 1 hour from then, the floor of the room was filled with little perfect smilies smiling at them in bright yellow. The next day, after giving all of them a smilie each to pin on their clothes, the girls decided to keep one each for themselves.. The one smiling at Shilpa from above the kitchen sink was the one from that sunday afternoon.

The memory hit Shilpa like a cold knife through her chest. She wiped away that drop of tear that was about to drop form the tip of her nose. She shut the window and switched off the lights in the kitchen. She walked to her room and sat on the edge of her bed, facing the open window. As a light breeze blew, she could hear a tinkling as the wind chime Anjali had given her for her last birthday danced to the breeze.

When they had shopped one evening for a friend's birthday present, Shilpa had found the chime in a store and said she liked it a lot and will buy it the next they visit the store. Many visits later also, the chime lay forgotten. Then on her birthday, Anjali gave Shilpa a gift wrapped in yellow-gold paper. And as Shilpa unwrapped it, she found to her amazement and wonder the same wind chime that she'd liked in the store but forgot about it for months. How she was moved! She gave Anjali a tight hug and unspoken words were understood in that minute.Just as she came out of the reverie, the chime clinked again.

Exactly 7 months and 5 days ago, that ugly scene came up in the canteen. A little misunderstanding grew into a feud. Shilpa and Anjali, known across campus as the bestest of friends got up from their seats, and glared at each other. In not mroe than 10 minutes from then, the whole canteen stood and watched as the friends grew miles apart- right before their eyes. They stopped short of laying hands on each other's collars. And since then, they had not spoken a word to each other. Each waited for the other to make the first move. And the move was never made...

And there, on her table, by candlelight, now sat a lone bit of paper, fluttering under the weight of a cell phone. The bit of paper that tore away a part of Shilpa's life, the bit that took away what Shilpa held closest to her heart. The cell phone beeped to life with a new message and the backgorund shone bright- two laughing girls sitting on a seashore.. Anjali and Shilpa. The message was from Riya. Shilpa opened the message and read what she already knew from the telegram: "Hi, I thought you should know.. Anjali is no more" Shilpa slid to the floor, weak and trembling. She clutched the cell close to her heart and tonight she didnt hold back, she didnt fight anymore. She hugged her knees and cried. And this time, she knew that the most comforting shoulders in the world are gone. Gone without saying goodbye.

A gust of wind blows out the candle just as it blows the telegram outside the window...

I'll tell you 'wassup'..!!

2007-12-07T23:04:00.001+05:30
Hey.. Wassup?!
That, by far, is the most irritating question in the world as a general rule and more so when one specifically wants to be left alone!! OK, I can understand if long lost frens catch up sometime, that seems the most obvious question... Or, if one bumps into an acquaintence around the corner.
What exactly do people mean by "wassup?" when it's probably been 1 hour and 22 minutes since one last met them? NO, seriously.. wat do they mean?! What can possibly be up? Assuming 'nothing is up', one might venture safely to say "hey, nuthing much, buddy.. just lazing around, you know.." and BAM! The next most inevitable and jarringly stupid question is flung at you "So.. what else is up with you?" EH? One is pushed to think that the other did not quite follow one's response.. so one proceeds to explain "Nothing yaar.. all fine..(out of courtesy one may also, dangerously though, add-) wassup with u these days?" And yes, by now one should have expected such a response as this- "Fine here.. so wat are u doin?" [:P]
With due respect to all those who are interested in my welfare by asking me that question over and over again just to make sure all's well with me and hoping to hear that I'm engaged in some meaningful activity, when I say "nothing ya.. all's fine", please just let me be..! I dont know if there are other souls who relate to what I am trying to say. However, thanks for dropping by![:)]
The second most interesting conversation that I have come across- You meet some familiar face on your way around 11 in the morning. Both smile and say hi. after that one might look to continue one's walk. But the other thinks there is a time lag and simply for want of conversation asks the former "Did you have breakfast?" one smiles and replies, "Yes, thank you" One would think there ends courtesy and is about to leave when the conversation continues, "so, what did you have for breakfast?" (One would think- excuse me! am i really having this conversation?!) "Ummm bread toast". "Oh nice.. with cheese?" Does this really matter to either of the conversationalists??! One is rather forced to wish that one had said one had skipped breakfast altogether![:P]
Third most interesting conversation- "Hi.. wassup? (that winner question is kinda pervasive and is almost a sure shot in any 'interesting' conversation) did you finish the portions for tomorrow?" "No ya.. plenty left" "Oh, how much have you finished?" (One would think the other is interested in one's welfare and hence answers this question politely) "3 chapters, got 4 more to go". The other is now now adding this piece of information to his/her statistics.. "Oh ok.. dont worry ya.. Alpha has done only one chapter so far. By the way, beta's done with 5, Omega almost all of it.. gama and ohm with 6 chapters, delta and I just finished the portions for tomorrow.. (one is screaming withing oneself by now- "One the hell, then, did you call me, you.... you moron!") It's all easy ya.. dont worry.. you'll be able to finish it allright" (yeah, rite!)
Well, that, I think is a shade better than when somebody u know has been studyin all day and walks to your door at 12 in the night, (and that is when u have just started finding out what lessons are there for tomorrow's test!) makes a funny i-am-goin-to-fail face, that is such a see through, you know that the other is so sure of topping the class in the paper! The latter continues to stand in the same posture leaning against your door frame, after having finished revising the goddam portions, whining and grumbling about not being able to remember a thing. The latter's eyes looks at the page you are working on in your book.. which reminds him/her of something and drwas him/her insdies.. the page gets the altter excited and the whole graph is explained animatedly in the next 7 mintes and then in a poor-kitty-like tone... "OMG... am not sure if that's teh correct answer.. is it?!" One suddenly realsies how one's time is being eaten away. How nice it would be if this uncalled visitor can just go away!! And finally when the visitor just walks away, you've succssfully lost the little interest to study that you had tried to gather! That's when you realise that some people can really be a pain in the wrong place!!
For now though.. I'm signing out.. and it you want to be engaged in a meaningful activity, tell me wassup?![:)]

Inspection...!!

2007-10-31T20:36:00.000+05:30
This is a true incident that happened to me when I was in 12th... this dates back to 2003... and I remember it even today!

It was morning assembly. Our Principal announced that there would be the CBSE Inspection the next day. I didn’t give much thought to it. The rest of the day was normal. Later at home, I finished my homework, studied for the oral test in Business Studies, pressed my uniform, polished my shoes and whiled away the rest of the evening.
Next morning at school, our Principal again reminded us of the Inspection. That was it! I clearly remembered that I had forgotten something; but couldn’t remember what it was. A shiver ran down my spine at the mention of ‘Inspection’. Was I in perfect uniform? Were all my notebooks complete? Yes, everything looked fine.
During the second Business Studies period, I saw our Principal, Vice Principal and the Inspector pass by our classroom. I noticed that the Inspector had a particularly serious face. Our Vice Principal called me to the Class door and told me that the Inspector would like to meet me in half-an-hour. I looked at my watch. I wasn’t listening to my teacher. I was straining to hear the dying footsteps of the Inspector. I came back to the present suddenly, when my teacher called me for the second time, “Cauvery! Tell me any five contents of the ‘Articles of Association’!” I stared at her for a few seconds thinking all the time “The five ‘What of What’?” Somebody murmured the question again. I thought hard and told her two of the eight contents she had taught us. She was satisfied with my answer, though she was still frowning at me.
“Half-an-hour”, I told myself, “Half-an-hour”. I was doomed; I knew it before it could happen- I was doomed, accursed, bedeviled… that’s the boundary line of my vocabulary. The fan was switched on, but I was sweating-profusely! I looked at my watch again. It was already ten minutes since I talked to our Vice Principal. “Slow down!”, I whispered to my watch. I felt like Alice, falling down the rabbit hole and the acceleration of gravity acting on me was not 9.8 ms-2 but was somewhere near 35ms-2. Before I could come out of the trance, a girl from ninth standard came to my class and called me. I half jumped into the air. I walked out of the class. I looked nervously down at my watch again.
I was ten minutes early for the scheduled meeting. I walked jerkily, wobbled half the way to the Computer lab, where the Inspector, our Principal and Vice Principal were supposed to be. A class was waiting outside the lab. I saw our Vice Principal through the glass door of the lab. She had a very cute, chubby and encouraging smile on her face. Then I saw the serious face of the Inspector again. I guess I staggered back a few steps. I couldn’t bear to look into my Principal’s face. Our Vice Principal motioned me to wait outside for a minute. “Why?” I screamed within myself, “Why?” “Why delay my doomed hour by a few minutes?” I still couldn’t make out why I was called. I was sure I was in perfect uniform. As far as I know, all my notebooks were up-to-date. There was a sudden commotion behind me. I spun around- a ninth standard was having a library class. A few of them who knew me, smiled and waved. I waved back. I saw two teachers sitting on the other side, looking at me in askance. I couldn’t face them. I stared at the Computer lab door. I saw shadows move. I clasped my sweaty hands together in a last minute prayer.
The door opened, I held my breath. I adjusted my glasses. Our Vice Principal came first, the Inspector second, followed by our Principal. I hoped I didn’t look too much of a stupid git. The Inspector had almost gone past me when our Vice Principal spoke, “Sir, Cauvery is here” I was almost about to say, “I’m sorry sir, all my books are up-to-date. I’ll do better in the next exam. I’ll never misbehave again.” I was so surprised to hear him speak before I could. I was more surprised at what he said, “Hello dear madam! What are you doing here?” I couldn’t believe my ears. I was almost sure there was a mistake until the Inspector gave me a vigourous handshake. “How is everyone at home?”, he asked me. “Home?” I reflected. Oh! Yes, this was a friend of my mother’s. I’ve seen him just once before. I realized all this too fast and out of my mouth came a tiny, “Fine, thank you, sir!” All this time, my heart was thumping against my rib cage. “Tell your mom that we met”, he continued. “Yes, sir” “All the best to you!” “Thank you, sir” And he was off. I’m sure the entire school could’ve heard me sighing. “Phew!”, I exclaimed and returned to the class.

Thank goodness for little mercies

2007-10-14T19:06:00.000+05:30
I know or I think I know now, that when I get up tomorrow morning, I will see the sun rise, I know I will sip hot coffee, I know I will wear warm clothes, I know my frens will greet me. I know I will walk to college, I know I will sit by a window in class, I know I will take notes(or pretend to!), I know I will smell samosas from the canteen, I know I will hear the birds sing in chorus, I know I will hog lunch, I know I will read a book, I know I will talk to my parents, I know I will paint, I know a few other things.. but I dont think of them often. Today, I do.
When my leg aches, I thank goodness for having bestowed me with legs that ache, than not give me legs at all. Thank her(I believe goodness is a feminine form:) ) for giving me eyes that burn from lack of sleep than not give me the pleasure of sight at all... thank her for giving me a tongue that gets burnt because of hot coffee than not being able to taste at all... thank her for giving me hands that grow tired than not be able to write and paint at all... thank her for giving me ears that go pop in a flight than not be able to hear the birds... thank her for giving me parents who scold me for my mischiefs than not bless me with them at all... thank her for the fun loving buoyant sister than not having given me an older brother... thank her for the frens I have than the many foes I've made... thank her for every fulfilling day than those that seem empty... thank her for today and not expect a miracle tomorrow. Thank goodness for the way life has treated me and shaped itself... including the downfalls and rainy days... for unless I've been through rainy days, I wouldnt appreciate sunny days as much as I do them now. If I didnt fall, I wouldnt know what it takes to get up... So, thats why... thank goodness, I fell! Because I believe: "Opportunity often comes disguised in the form of misfortune, or temporary defeat... or a Fall..!!" :)

The night i didn't want to sleep

2007-09-22T20:06:00.000+05:30
I’m sitting by the window. Its dark outside… cold and pouring. Reminds me of a similar day, years ago… in a different place, a different window. It was a humid evening. I was on the second floor. Through the window I saw a bunch of street kids playing in the mud, dust rising around them like a tiny whirlwind… I was stuck at home, cursing myself and everything around me. I had just been through an accident and got both my legs bound in thick rolls of plaster. That’s why I was… where I was. The kids seemed as happy as happy can get, not a worry in the world. No hunger, no thirst, no work, no commitment… nothing to bind them… confine them within the walls of a room… nothing to confine the bubbling spirits within them. It steadily grew darker and I could see their shadows by the street lamp. They seemed to be playing some sort of “running and catching”. The phrase stuck to my head and strongly reminded me of the uncomfortable position my legs were in at the moment. I grew grumpy. I recognised my maid, Geetha’s daughter, Sharada among them.
Sharada was a tiny (for her age… she was 8 and looked like 5), chirpy bubbly little soul, who had to drop out of school because her father spent all their money on getting drunk… and when he wasn’t getting drunk, he seemed deranged. That poor girl has borne the brunt of her father’s fury and his belt- both- many a times. Today, however, like every other day I’ve seen her, she is happy and cheerful. Such unconditional happiness with no bounds, caressed my heart and tiny invisible dwarves tugged at the corners of my lips, drawing them into a smile. It kind of ached to stretch my lips. It felt strange. When was the last time I did something like that? I don’t remember… I have been too busy being grumpy I almost forgot how to smile.
In the week that followed, I had my plasters removed. I could now walk around in my flat. Life was slowly getting better. I would be soon on my legs again…
Geetha came on Saturday morning, nothing unusual about that. What was unusual however was the fact that she was very quiet and forlorn. She didn’t need any prodding. She came to me by the window and said, “Baba, can I talk to you for a bit?” Without waiting for a response from me, she began, “Baba, there is nothing about my family you don’t know… My little Sharada was ill last week…” At this point I interrupted, “Is that why she wasn’t playing on the street for the last few days?” She was surprised. “Baba, I didn’t know u knew my little Sharada… yes, that’s why she hasn’t been around for the last few days. When she fell ill…” TRING TRING!! That was my cell phone. It was Priya, the girl I was supposed to pick up for a coffee. I switched off the cell on impulse. “Baba, I think you are busy. I wont take your time now…”, Geetha offered. I told her I was taking it off that Saturday and wasn’t doing anything till the afternoon. She continued with a determined look, “I took my little Sharada to the doctor in the big hospital. He said she wont survive… more than a year” the last word was barely more than a whisper.
That night I visited Sharada… she lived in a little tent they call their home. Sharada couldn’t wait for me to ask her to show me her dolls. She took me to a corner and showed me a stack of neatly kept little dolls of different sizes. She burst into a giggle and listed out all her dolls in order or priority, “This is Gudiya Rani, Chinny, Meenu, Babli and Rinny”. “Baba, that’s her most prized possessions and she, mine”, her mother says. I can feel her voice cracking. I had never seen a child so full of life… Her smile was contagious. I smiled at her little brown face and it didn’t feel so cumbersome to smile after all. Geetha went to get me a glass of buttermilk. Sharada sat by my side and whispered, “Bhaiya, you know something? I’m going to meet God soon… and I’m going to ask for a wish”. I was stunned and couldn’t find speech till she continued, “I’m going to ask God to give mamma a baby son so dada will stop beating her. I know it’s because of me they fight.” I stroked her cheek and in a choked voice, said, “No no, child… what ever gave you such an idea? Your mother is so proud of you. I’d love to have a daughter like you.” Geetha got me the buttermilk. I could tell she had been crying. I asked her where her husband was. She said he had gone to his brother’s place to dig up some old fights. Sharada was looking at me intently all this while. Suddenly she asked, “Bhaiya, will you play with me and gudiya rani?” Geetha scolded her saying, “No, Sharada, you mustn’t pester Bhaiya like that. He has lots of work to do.” After a pause of 2 seconds during which Sharada’s eyes pierced mine with indescribable pleading, I could say nothing but “Ofcourse!” You should have been there with me to have seen her little brilliant eyes sparkle in joy and she pranced around like little puppy getting her dolls out of the stack. You should have simply been here to look at her mother’s joy in seeing her daughter so happy. Then was when I understood that there actually are tears of joy. Because as I touched my cheek, I was surprised to find them wet… I was sure I wasn’t feeling sad, and yet there I sat crying into the night. I forgot my office then, my house and its comfortable bed that gave me no sound sleep, Priya and other office deadlines. We played till 3 that day… That night, I felt truly free, truly happy.
Little Sharada touched my life in a way nobody had. She taught me a lesson(sans words) that night that I will carry to my grave. Life is not all about money and achievement. It's more about loving and giving... and more importantly, living the moment...

Remembering you

2007-09-15T10:07:00.001+05:30
When I look back and think of you,

I remember-
The innocence of two children sharing an ice-cream,
The cuteness of two buddies dancing in the rain,
The togetherness of two blossoming personalities,
The maturity of two grown ups sharing their sorrows.

I remember-
Watching the setting sun late one evening with you,
Seeing you cry when I was hurt,
Cycling down the lanes madly ringing the bells,
Wishing by the ‘wishing well’, that we’d never part ways.

I remember-
The train crawling into the station and halt,
All your bags packed, your house vacated,
Our hearts as heavy as your bags,
Wishing time would freeze.

I remember-
The long calls that kept me going,
The letters that kept on pouring-
Gave me a reason to smile,
A reason to survive…

I remember-
That cold winter morning…
I got a mail saying you’d died-
That was when I almost died myself!
That winter of 1998 was really bitter.

I remember-
Your daughter stayed with me for a while,
She seemed to have lost her world,
All she kept saying was ‘Mamma’… and
Al I could do was give her a warm hug.

Today, as I sit by the window,
Watching the setting sun,
I miss you... like I’ve always missed you.
The best thing to do in the world is to
Simply REMEMBER YOU!

All about Winning

2007-06-06T15:29:00.000+05:30
Here is a poem that has truly inspired me... and taught me a lesson that I will remember for life

The Race

Whenever I start to hang my head in front of failure’s face,
my downward fall is broken by the memory of a race.
A children’s race, young boys, young men; how I remember well,
excitement sure, but also fear, it wasn’t hard to tell.

They all lined up so full of hope, each thought to win that race
or tie for first, or if not that, at least take second place.
Their parents watched from off the side, each cheering for their son,
and each boy hoped to show his folks that he would be the one.

The whistle blew and off they flew, like chariots of fire,
to win, to be the hero there, was each young boy’s desire.
One boy in particular, whose dad was in the crowd,
was running in the lead and thought “My dad will be so proud.”

But as he speeded down the field and crossed a shallow dip,
the little boy who thought he’d win, lost his step and slipped.
Trying hard to catch himself, his arms flew everyplace,
and midst the laughter of the crowd he fell flat on his face.

As he fell, his hope fell too; he couldn’t win it now.
Humiliated, he just wished to disappear somehow.
But as he fell his dad stood up and showed his anxious face,
which to the boy so clearly said, “Get up and win that race!”

He quickly rose, no damage done, behind a bit that’s all,
and ran with all his mind and might to make up for his fall.
So anxious to restore himself, to catch up and to win,
his mind went faster than his legs. He slipped and fell again.

He wished that he had quit before with only one disgrace.
“I’m hopeless as a runner now, I shouldn’t try to race.”
But through the laughing crowd he searched and found his father’s face
with a steady look that said again, “Get up and win that race!”

So he jumped up to try again, ten yards behind the last.
“If I’m to gain those yards,” he thought, “I’ve got to run real fast!”
Exceeding everything he had, he regained eight, then ten...
but trying hard to catch the lead, he slipped and fell again.

Defeat! He lay there silently. A tear dropped from his eye.
“There’s no sense running anymore! Three strikes I’m out! Why try?
I’ve lost, so what’s the use?” he thought. “I’ll live with my disgrace.”
But then he thought about his dad, who soon he’d have to face.

“Get up,” an echo sounded low, “you haven’t lost at all,
for all you have to do to win is rise each time you fall.
Get up!” the echo urged him on, “Get up and take your place!
You were not meant for failure here! Get up and win that race!”

So, up he rose to run once more, refusing to forfeit,
and he resolved that win or lose, at least he wouldn’t quit.
So far behind the others now, the most he’d ever been,
still he gave it all he had and ran like he could win.

Three times he’d fallen stumbling, three times he rose again.
Too far behind to hope to win, he still ran to the end.
They cheered another boy who crossed the line and won first place,
head high and proud and happy -- no falling, no disgrace.

But, when the fallen youngster crossed the line, in last place,
the crowd gave him a greater cheer for finishing the race.
And even though he came in last with head bowed low, unproud,
you would have thought he’d won the race, to listen to the crowd.

And to his dad he sadly said, “I didn’t do so well.”
“To me, you won,” his father said. “You rose each time you fell.”

And now when things seem dark and bleak and difficult to face,
the memory of that little boy helps me in my own race.
For all of life is like that race, with ups and downs and all.
And all you have to do to win is rise each time you fall.

And when depression and despair shout loudly in my face,
another voice within me says, “Get up and win that race!”

*************************************************************

So, I learnt.. Winning is not never falling,
But rising each time one falls...

And no, i didn't write the poem... it's credited to DH Groberg.

A grand welcome

2007-06-05T10:19:00.000+05:30
As the car sped along the curved road towards Ettimadai, I leaned against the window, holding on to the dream I had in my eyes... I felt like a kid waiting for Santa Claus to drop by... Only, this time, it felt like the kid was visiting Santa Claus :)

After the last bend, the sign board rose to annouce the proximity of Amrita School of Business, (my home for the next two years)... I was thrilled somehow and goosebums ran down my neck... I was with my father and turned to look at him. He smiled happily at me and there was a glint in his eyes... As if he'd been waiting for this moment for a long time... I was pleased. That is an understatement, if there was ever one!

We got off at the guest house. We had a hurried breakfast befor my father's official presentation began. That I will keep for another time.

After the talk, as I walked with the crowd, a great realisation dawn on me.. This is where I'm meant to be! I have finally found the right place, the right atmosphere.. and the right people! The campus is huge, and friendly faces welcome me with warm smiles at every corner.. In two years time, I'll be placed and on my own.. I can hardly wait. I'm looking forward to the incidents life has in store for me..

In the afternoon, before lunch, we went for my counselling... Unfortunately, I got to know I'd missed out on Swamiji's talk on lifestyle at Amrita... The Dean and other faculty members spoke to my father and me about life at Amrita and some regultions that need to be followed without exceptions... What i might have rebelled againtst as a teeenager, i found very reasonable now. My father, needless to say, is very happy with the the place, the serenity it offers and the discipline it is known for :)

I got to see my first ever independent room... at the age of 20! :) and an attached Balcony.. it was wonderful.. there is greenary everywhere... i was welcomed and shown around.. it felt as if i belonged here.. Now, all that I have to do is work... 2 years of hard work and dedication.. and that should pay off... c'mon, I know I can do it!!

What do i dont have?! My room, a safe and happy hostel, serene atmosphere, friendly seniors, smiling wardens, world class faculty, the constant and unfailing support of family and friends and Amma's presence :) There is nothing to stop me from doing my best.. and being one! :)

As we drove back last evening, I could hear a low humming within me, I felt as if little invisible dwarves tugged at my lips because i could just not stop smiling, I could not stop being happy! The breeze blew into my face and Ettimadai welcomed me :)

Wish me luck and pray for me. Thanks for visiting this page.
Do come again.Until then, tc..

F.R.I.E.N.D.S

2007-06-05T10:16:00.000+05:30
One is bound to feel lonesome without friends. To deny that would amount to lying. I have a bunch of amazing friends... At the outset, let me ask for forgiveness if I miss out on anybody's name.. but I'll try not to forget.. :)
From KV times, my closest friends are Vineesh, Kannan and Ammu, who have been there for me through thick and thin and who care for me uncoditionally.. more recently, I found a dear friend in Kamal.. :)
From BVB, I think the only friend to influence me strongly and to have leant supprot in times of need has been Madhu.. we've been through rough patches as well, but I'm glad we moved on to be great friends till date... A recent addition should be Nandagopal.. :)
At college, well, lots of people have touched my life... Some of the closest and most loved ones are Bhash- the one who is a kid at all times and gives his 100% to everything, Shobhit- the smart one of the lot and the great planner, Soumya- the philosopher and friend, Veeraj- the quiet one with intelligence in speech, when he talks, Sandeep- the talker and counsellor..
I think 2 other persons demand a special mention here... my little sister, Kichu, who has always believed in me and the things I do, has stood by me in my worst times, has shared my joy and anxiety and worry and fun... I am forever indebted to her for her support and kind ways and her counselling and a million other little things...
The other is my cousin, Charanya, who's three quarters of a doctor as of now and has been my personal counsellor in dire times and though it may sound cliche, the friend philosopher and guide thourgh most of my life.. :)
There are countless ohter people who have touched my life and I thank them for being a part of it... and I wish I can be to them what they are for me... :)
Thank you everybody! It's been a pleasure knowing you.. :)Take care and come again!

Lessons

2007-06-02T23:52:00.000+05:30
I have learnt a lot of lessons in my life.. usually the hard way. And that's what made me. I learnt to not give up. I learnt to be honest. I learnt what it is to lose loved ones. None of the lessons are unique to me.. all you guys must have gone through them as well.

I've left Pune, the city of my dreams, behind me.. trying hard to move on. My friends in Pune are the best things to happen to me after my KV friends.. all the in between is worth forgetting! For now, i'd like to mention a few people i got to meet in Pune, who have touched my life and left a lasting impression.. Mugdha who taught me to work and was my first close friend in Pune, Riya who loved unconditionally, Ruby who's always chilled out and fun loving, Lipsa who thought of others before herself and added colour to my life in many little ways, Niveditha who stood by me in trying times and is genuine at heart.. This post is my tribute to them, thanking them all for being a part of my life..

A new Beginning

2007-06-01T15:00:00.000+05:30
Am feeling on top of the world... :) Am joining Amrita School of Business(ASB) in 2 weeks, have done my last semester exams well... My little sister made it big and has cracked IIT...
All's well that end's well...
Am home now... singing away to glory... enjoying life... but that's how I have been all my life... :P
2 years and am all set to enter the world.. by myself... wish me luck!
Will be posting soon. Do visit again. Until then, tc...