Graphophobia + Dyslexia

Manoranjan Ka Baap!

2010-05-04T11:25:00.000-07:00

Well, IPL is over. Evenings are now dry, Server traffic on Cricinfo has come down from dizzying heights of traffic to normalcy, no more DLF maximums, no more Maxx Mobile timeouts, no more cheergirls etc etc. And yeah, we won ;) ( had to happen in the first season, but for a double arm confusion bowler from Pakistan and a rrrrrriiiiiiggggghhhhhhtttttttt aaaaarrrrmmmmm deadly slow bowler from Chennai [yeah, that slow he is] ). After having spent 50 odd nights doing nothing else than watch this, I thought of restarting my so called 'blog' with a few thoughts on things that happened this season.

If u go ask any keen ipl follower on what irritated him the most, I guess the answer would be commercialisation of everything from sixes to catches and one Danny Morrison who was hellbent on mentioning Karbonn, DLF, citi or Maxx Mobile in every other sentence of his. But, there were few other things that sucked this time and irritated me even more. To start off, ADS. If only I catch hold of the guy who coined the word 'Youngistan'.... Irritation Max. And the ad put up in phases with A,B,C quizzes inbetween... magane mega gaandu. When Pepsi was torturing us with ads as long as Junoon, there were other few unknown mobile ads which were short and no, not sweet. Akshay Kumar's grunts as though he is suffering from both dry cough and diarrhoea simultaneously and Virender Sehwag's girlish laughs to portray dual sims! are probably the worst ads that have come out these days amidst other wonderful thinkers. Guess the censor board should stop checking for obscenity in ads and rather start checking if the ad is really an 'advertisement' or just an irritation.

Coming to players. Actually not many torture cases and aarva kolarus like Sohail Tanvir ( suck it.. he he) , Roleof Van der Merwe ( thudipu mannan) and Shahid Afridi ( dot.dot.out ) got to play this IPL. But still a few pieces went overboard and somehow successfully irritated most of the indian audience. Being a CSK fan, I give the MAX IRRITATION PLAYER award to Subramaniam Badrinath and he wins it hands down without any near competition. All he did was slow down the run rate, swing his bat not to clear even the inner circle and put awesome efforts from the other end in vain. Come on. First CSk vs MI match. He and raina played 14 overs fully and our thala made 55 off 50 odd balls and that too taking his strike rate to 100 only in the last over. Oru Manasatchi irundha avan t20 aada koodathu. But, I pity him. He is Curd rice. He is White cross. He has no shakthi. So wat next ?

Q :What can he do ? Ans : Not play t20 .

Q: Thats not possible Ans : Then please move to KKR. Simple.

One other piss off player : Vinay Kumar. Enuf said. Just hoping he doesn't get decorated as another Jogi in this world cup!!

And how can we forget the 'IPL Mess'. Well we all expected Lalit Modi to launder money. So nothing interesting to talk there. But, Tharoor!. Well a big slap in the face for all those who thought India needed educated politicians. They seem to find out even more cryptic and sophisticated ways of cheating. SIGH! Along with the mess came Match fixing. Well , I am too ardent a cricket fan to accept ipl is fixed and is just a well planned WWF. Seeing Muralitharan run out to embrace Dhoni before everyone else in Dharamshala and Michael Hussey 's reaction after Vijay took Sachin's catch in the final.. well the passion is still truly there. Such emotions cannot be enacted. Or So I think!! For all those who think MI fixed the finals to lose it, Oh! well tried!

Ok, the ipl had its fall moments and some worsht ads between the overs. But, seriously nowadays some ads are so well made that you cant stop to appreciate it. Especially the mobile network operators. Vodafone with its ZooZoos - as good as always. Airtel's Cheeky ads with Sharman Joshi. Idea's some brilliant ads with Ungli Cricket (OK!). But the best were from Docomo with themes ranging from 'No fixed plans' to 'Listen what you want to', they just awed us with one ad after another. My personal favourite is the one where a guy is partying when the house owner knocks the door and this guy rushes his friends to pack things and clean up only to find the house owner asking him to let his neice join the party. ( The Niece - Woh My Gawd.. hot!). I have searched the net but couldn't put my hands on that video. If any one you find it, pls pls pass on a mail to madhanra@gmail.com .

As we were entertained by the ads off the ground, we had the pleasure of even better entertainment in the grounds itself. Yes I am talking about Deepika Padukone, Katrina Kaif, Shilpa shetty et al. If having Deepika on your team doesnt motivate you to support the team, nothing will. Poor CSK had to manage with Sivamani who chose to say Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa when asked to cheer for csk and Kris Srik, who needless to say, isnt as good a brand ambassador as Deepika is ;P . Oh! they even tried to pull off a trick by inviting Namitha for the final. he he he :D. The only solace was that Trisha managed to turn up for few chennai matches and cool off people in the sweltering Chennai heat.

Being a CSK fan, this post wouldnt be complete if I dont mention CSK's brave moments of sheer brilliance which has left us with longlasting memories! With the most acclaimed Mongoose carried by our Namakkal Anjaneyar getting tamed match after match, it was left to the Indian contingent to see us through. And how they did it in style. I can sum up the whole of csk's batting bravados to 3 shots.

1. The Attitude Shot : Vijay's six over mid-wicket.

Vijay is undoubtedly the most stylish player of ipl3. Be it batting or fielding. The elegant six that he lobs over the mid-wicket region. Shud ask RR's bowlers. What a treat. And his fielding. The catch of Ryan Harris in the semifinal. Ah! Beat that!! :D :D

2. The Mutti shot : Raina's six to anywhere once he kneels down.

Suresh Raina!! The only useful contribution by Greg Chappell to Indian cricket.

Batting: when he kneels down, you know you are in for a treat.

Fielding : Not a single ball passed Raina in the semifinal. Best in the business.

Bowling: The 'stop' ball. Ha ha ha. Has taken the art of waiting a minute at the crease before delivering the ball from roadside cricket to the international level.

Thank you Greg!

3. The Kuzhi shot : Dhoni's Copyright, Trademark etc etc

Even though he hasn't unleashed this weapon which sends yorkers out of the ground, he still proved he was the man for big moments. 'Dont.bowl.length.to.Dhoni' read the Cricinfo commentary screen once the final over funeral of Irfan pathan was completed in Dharamshala. So true, that he murders anything in that zone with elan. He is the best finisher in today's game and probably the best player around in the shorter versions by far. With witty ;) dialogues in post match sessions, he sums up to be the best entertainer on and off the field.

He is the best sponsor for the IPL's caption -"Manoranjan ka baap".

Well, I'll stop here. There are lots of other things to talk about too right from the MRF blimp to KKR's third time comedies to a 750000$ wastage called Kemar Roach. Not now, sleeep calling....

To end, A Moment to savour and cherish for years to come!!

Ah rats, blogspot doesnt allow embedded links I guess. Here's the video anyways : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3ODtQUXiJs&feature=player_embedded

August 21 2009 - A true story - Part 2

2009-08-09T01:37:00.000-07:00

Then it was Aug 21, 2009

All people in life make brave decisions one day. Some turn out to be successes. Some turn out to disasters. This fear of disaster is the wall that’s before everyone’s eyes which prevents them from seeing the success on the other side. If you can garner enough strength to jump over this wall, you are bound to have success. Or do you? You could as well fall down on the other side and break your legs. That depends on whether lady luck catches you on the other side or not. If she’s waiting for you, well and good. If lady luck ain’t there, well…

I could see the impatience amongst the gathering in the barn. Everyone had lost their patience. It is understandable when you are forced to be part of a a monologue of how an engineer should be profitable to the nation and a rather long-lasting oath session asking each one of them to recite lines like ‘ I will understand my rights as a citizen of India and will strive to fulfill all my duties and be a model citizen and blah blah blah…’. I was lucky, I was on this side of the stage, I wasn’t being monitored on, so I could sit tight and saw others getting troubled. Seems lady luck had visited me on this side of the wall itself. But, I wasn’t idle. Even I was reciting, but not rights and duties , but truths and thoughts. As Mr. Chief Guest sat down, the convocation address was over and there was a sigh of relief all around. A short-lasting relief. The assistant dean walked down to the microphone and announced that we’ll have the toppers on stage now. It was showtime.

I stood up and joined the line after 3 girls. I didn’t knew any of them. Actually, I hadn’t even seen two of them ever before. I was rank four. I would have exchanged it for five. I liked five. But anyway it was the way it was. I was supposed to get no medal, only a certificate. Only the top 3 had medal honours. But who cared? I had more pressing matters. I looked over to her. She was chatting with the girl next to her. ‘Manapenn thozhigal’ was what I could think of immediately. Prakash Raj’s dialogue from Gilli. Then the gong cleared the air. The whole barn went quiet. We were given strict instructions to go up, collect the certis , bow and walk away by Mr.Kumanan. Awfully ironical name , given that the historical kumanan was the ‘kodai vallal’ and this guy was ‘Kodai Allal’!. Screw his instructions. I had a plan in mind and it will get played to perfection.

Girl#1 moved up. I was jittery and cautious. It was like waiting for results after entering the roll number and pressing enter. The only difference was that , I was going to take the exam itself only now. Girl#2 moved up. I straightened my shirt and hat. I was nervous and jittery and a little bit afraid. Even quitting the plan flashed across my mind for a second. Girl#3 moved up. The first 2 girls were already down and out. I was on the edge of the dias now. I made a silent prayer to myself. All I said was…. “I’m going to jump the wall whatsoever.. lady luck u f***ing be there”. Vivek, boomed the voice over the microphone.. Lets goooo. I walked over to the chief guest and took the certi. I heard him say ‘Congrats’. But that was a mile away. I was in action mode now.. I moved near to the assistant dean and to her greatest surprise I stopped her and whispered ‘I have a few words to say’. I could feel the whole of the barn going mum in stunned silence. The dean was in total shock, as I gently pushed her and took the mike. All of them were in utmost shock and no one tried to stop me to avoid embarrassment. I had the mike. I had my chance… A chance to turn Remo…

“ Friends, today we look forward. We look forward to getting out of here from this hell of an auditorium. We look forward to meeting up with our friends. We look forward to our future and the people who are going to be part of it. But ,today, I would like to look back . I would like to look back on our four years at this university. I would like to look back, because one should leave this place with no regrets. No regrets about what we wanted to do, but did not….. No regrets about what we wanted to say, but could not…. No regrets about what we wanted to hear, but did not… So lets all confess whatever we wished to say and could not.. like you’re a big-headed moron, you’re a stuck up bitch and what not.. Lets spit it all out , because deep down we know we want to shout it aloud to the world… If not today, it’ll be never… this is our last chance…. So lets all take one more vow. Today, when we graduate, we’ll speak our mind out to anyone and about anyone and be done with that. No memories, No regrets. Lets take a vow to speak our heart out and shed our true feelings and for one day be open-minded…. And so… I say here today, what’s been locked inside my heart for the past 4 years… I say here today, what I wished to tell the world but didn’t bring up courage to tell even a single soul….. I say here today, the one thing I wish I had said, the one thing I know, I will always regret if I never say…. I say here today about my true love…. Yes.. about my true love… I LOVE YOU SNEHA… I AM IN LOVE WITH YOU SNEHA MURALI…..” I had climbed the wall and had took the leap. I let the truth sink in. I had my eyes only on her. Infact everyone had their eyes on her then. I didn’t know or couldn’t find how she was feeling.. what she was thinking… a face somewhere inbetween tears and a blush and anger. I couldn’t figure it out then. I just wished she knew what I meant. I just wished she knew how I felt. I just wished everyone knew the way I felt about her. “ Yes. I have been in love with you right since the day we meet at the water-cooler in the lecture complex. I loved you right since the moment that you felt sorry for me when you never had to. I can measure that minute in sixty parts even today as every one of those seconds mean a lot to me. I have loved you ,sitting behind you in all the elective courses that I took just to be with you. I have loved you, watching you dance with passion and elegance in this very stage that I am proposing from. I have loved you, but from behind the veils. I loved you all the way along but I never told you, because we never spoke to each other. Or I never had the courage to come up and speak to you. But today, I say this with no regrets, that I have been in love with you for the past four years, Yes, I LOVE YOU and that is all. Thank you’ . Well , I did it. ‘mIm’ to the fear of disaster.. Remo was born.

I could see that all the eyes in the auditorium were fixed at me. Half of the corresponding mouths were wide open. The new Sony coolpix was just hanging around my mother’s arms recording the barn floor. My parents were part of the stunned silence as they had been just been through a free staggering tamil cinema scene. It was expected. I was expecting more, from someone else. And then, our eyes met. It was like ‘ennavale’ song from Kadhalan. We were being transported to an ethereal world. Just the two of us. Or that’s how I imagined. Then, it occurred. She mouthed ‘WoW’ and her lips joined together and widened into an unforgettable smile. Not a ‘wat to do?’ smile nor a ‘cya’ smile . This was a smile of recognition, a smile of real surprise. A special way of saying YES.Lady luck was right on time and had a taken a perfect catch.

I turned and bowed to my assistant dean in mock thanks and walked out. I didn’t talk women, walk women, lock women, clock women etc etc, but still had turned Remo. Once I was out of the barn, I removed my hat and threw it in the air... I had graduated!!

August 21 2009 - A true story - Part 1

2009-07-15T22:39:00.000-07:00

There are three kinds of men in the world.

1. The Anniyan type

They absolutely have no fancy with the opposite gender and they are born to do other things. Their ambitions and goals lie in an entirely different area. A classic example of a LXG member.

2. The Remo Type

These guys are born to do things that concerns and involves women and more women. They literally talk women, walk women, lock women, clock women etc etc. No examples needed here.

3. The Ambi type

Rendungattan. A guy who wants to be a Remo but manages to be just like an Anniyan. They create inhibitions and barriers for themselves so as to not move between these extremes. In my opinion, majority of men are Ambis. People who are stuck in the middle who want to go towards one end but are walking towards the other.

I was an Anniyan. But that was until I saw her. Then I switched modes to Ambi. I pretended to be an Anniyan even as I wanted to be the coveted third type. I stood in the middle until it happened. Or until I made it happen…. All those ambis who are wishing to be remos, listen up.

August 21, 2009

“It was all dark then. Then the red drapes in front of me opened , one to the right and one to the left as light filled my eyes. With the sudden burst of light at my eyes, I closed them. The light was not just photons to me. It was a day of recognition , a day of appreciation to the hard work and sacrifices I had made over the past 4 years. The light was the first sign of good things to come. As my eyes got accustomed to the light, I saw a sea of black and yellow in front of me with all the bays filled with beaming faces. I spotted my parents where I had seated them. My mother had the newly bought Sony Coolpix in her hand and my father was waving to me. My friends were in the back bay, chatting amongst themselves , happily ignoring me. But not for long. Then I searched for her. There she was, in all black as well, fondling with her hand-bag. I went dumstruck everytime I saw her as though I had had the most beautiful sight of my life. Well, how long can u be dumb? ?

We weren’t thick friends. Infact I had spoken to her only three times till then. The first time it was just two lines. We met at the lecture hall water-cooler( Actually I timed myself so that it looked like I was passing by that cooler as she came over) and as she took the glass to fill water, “ This cooler’s not working” I mumbled. She turned and looked at me and said “Oh! Thanks” with a ‘wat to do?’ smile and kept the green glass back and moved on to the staircase. I managed an inaudible ‘ No problem’ by then. That was the first step towards the Anniyan to Ambi transformation and I still hold the memory of that ‘wat to do? Smile’ as a souvenir. And the green glass too.

The next time it was slightly better. Three lines. It was just the next day. Same lecture hall. Same water cooler. And I did time myself again for the meeting. The only change was that the cooler was working now.

Me : (Handing over the glass ( a different purple one, of course)) The cooler’s working today.. :D

(Pathetic Entry)

She: (#!@$%) ya! I know..

Me: I’m Vivek from Comput..

She: I know. (Started drinking..)

Me: (Whoa! She Knows. She Knows. She knows….) (In a mild voice) Epdi theryum?

She: Oh! Its 10.35, I got to go.. Sir would have come.. (with a ‘cya later’ smile)

I was overwhelmed by the fact that she knew me by name. And 3 lines, yeah 3 lines. What an exponential improvement. That was just a super moment and I had turned ‘Ambian’ by the end of it. Well I took more souvenirs: the ‘cya smile’ and the purple glass too.

The final time, it was not four lines. No, no, not even five. There were none! The next day, the same lecture hall, the same cooler, the same 10.10 break. But I didn’t time myself now and that made it more special. For a change, I was in a hurry and rushed over to the cooler to have a quick drink. But as though some auto time-matching was there, she was there too. I filled the yellow glass with water and was about to drink it, when the glass slipped out of my hands and toppled downwards with all the water ending up on me. My shirt got entirely wet and I stood in the middle of the chaos as all those around me broke into fits of laughter and making out the maximum fun out of me. I couldn’t do anything but sheepishly move out. And as I moved out, I saw her. She wasn’t laughing or clapping, but she held a face that killed the Anniyan in me. She was feeling sorry for me as though it was her mistake and held a sad face partly filled with anger towards others. Or atleast that’s what I deciphered from her face. I was done in and taken over that instant. My one-slot heart got fully occupied.

There was no souvenirs this time: no ‘ ‘ smile to take home with nor a yellow glass. There were no words exchanged this time. But dunno why, it was THE moment. Ambi had born.

After that there was no speaking, as I had assumed all the inhibitions so associated with Ambis. But then, there were fleeting moments and ‘hi hello’ smiles exchanged which kept me going. But that was all. I purposefully avoided the cooler during breaks. And did an awful lot of strange things understandable only to Ambis. But everyone have their breakpoints. And when, the iceberg breaks, interesting things are bound to happen.

Then came August 21, 2009...

To be continued.... (If slippers don't tear for this post !)

Day oNet@pp

2009-07-01T09:42:00.001-07:00

Reception at NetApp, Bangalore

If i started a list of things that I would hate to do,I would put hmmmmm..

1. Wearing Formals ( Full-sleeves, ties, shoes :( )

2. Speaking to a public audience

3.Sitting amongst a group of Jades and Golts

4.Reading numerous documents of which I don't understand even a bit

5.Sitting in a chair for 9 hours straight in front of Powerpoint Presentations

6.Having Beautiful girls all around but not able to speak to them..

But these are all ok if they come in one-piece. When U are made to do all of them in a Single Day, it is too much to ask from me.. Infact , too much to ask from anybody..

Well, that was a short summary of my Opening Ceremony at NetApp. Actually, it was not the way it sounds..

I wore a new full-sleeves shirt and formal shoes and what not.. To my surprise and sadness, most of the other new joinees came in T-shirt, Jeans and Sandals. Unlike Colleges, there is strictly NO dress code here. It seems U can come in any fashion as long as you find bugs at a regular rate!!. I saw an employee in a round-neck T shirt and in his Shorts. Wow! NetApp is Chill Dood company. And as far as my Public speaking is concerned, NetApp is no way responsible for my mishaps. Atleast I made all the senior guys laugh... here it goes..

Me: ( An Informal Introduction)" Hi, I am Madhan, I finished my....,no, I am from Chennai, I did my Bachelor Of technology in Nit Trichy from Tripal E, sorry, Electrical and Electronics.... Sheepish Grin... (Whole Hall Laughing)"

Well, that would have happened for me with any audience, so I have no right to blame the company. Atleast they didn't Kalai me.. Good People.. :-) . For Sitting in a multi-lingual society, well it's universal.. All companies have them. And as for the documents, God Save the HR people. It is maybe the most boring job on earth. Talkin Engleesh in a polite manner, Speaking about common sense to the greatest lengths possible with ppts to help them and coaxing ppl to write their name and address in arounf 10000 places. Phew!

But, only if u fill all these docs, u get ur allowances it seems and once u hear that, u sign all over the documents without a second glance. U r prepared to sit and listen to those ppts for any amounts of time. HR guys become god incarnate and real good fellows. A good example for the pazhamozhi "Panam Pathum Seyyum" !!.. So even that goes..

And the last point listed above is only to include some added interest to the reader so that u read till here. And as most of u might know that I'm the most loyal member of the LXG ( League of Xtraordinary Gentlemen), I have absolootly no interest in POINT # 6. I iterate again. It was written only to ENTHUSE the readers interest.

Well, I might have started my post on a slightly different note, but to be honest, the company is just wow. With new laptops, bags, t shirts, goodies, free unlimited soft drinks and food, unlimited internet all on the first day, I can't say anything else. It was a great experience as others who have already joined other companies will agree. The ppl there were great as was the campus too.

It was a long day, but not a wrong day. HOpe all those entering corporate life with me enjoy all the way in their companies too... :)

Yet Another Chapter

2009-06-28T05:21:00.000-07:00

My Blog pals,

If I were to write an autobiography one-day, i'm pretty sure I would end it's second chapter with this day. School, College and now Aapis. Any aam aadmi's pages would read the same. I did all my schooling in the same place nearby my home and literaly didn't face any difficulties with so many people around me to spoonfeed me and do all the necessities. I was made to make my first significant change in my lifestyle 4 years ago when I was left in a 10*10 room with 4 strangers for company. I was really terrified then, with no known faces ............

OK, intha feelings enakke koncham twenty three much ah iruku.. So, i'll stop here. This is my last blog as a student, if i can still call myself one. My next blog will be from a corporate's pen.So, kinda senti post.. lol....

The train travel from Bangalore to Chennai is 5.5 to 6 hours. So, am not going to miss Chennai and all... Will be here now and then.. So the Bakya days are not yet over... And I thought I'll make a last move to keep in touch always..a small idea... I'll talk more about that in a later post.. Pls watch this site..

And with Loooooooouvvvveee waves all around the friends circle that I have, I am tempted to write a Love estory with all the characters in place ;-). I'll try to post one if the content satisfies the reality! !

I dunno when i'll get proper net connxn in the near future.. hope to get asap and post up.

Will see you after a short Corporate break... :)

Don go anywhere....

What an Idea Sir ji !!

2009-06-25T02:04:00.000-07:00

“ The Indian education system which is marks-centered and examination based is a source of trauma for both parents and children... knowledge like everything else should be user-friendly and the acquisition of knowledge should not be a stressful exercise. Children should not be judged by percentages with an emphasis on learning by rote, and the whole system of examinations should be looked afresh. I am thinking of relooking at the necessity of having a board examination for class 10. I hope to move forward very soon and set up an alternate system of evaluation by means of percentiles rather than percentages”

- Kapil Sibal, Union HRD minister

As part of its 100-day agenda, the union HRD ministry has unveiled it’s stunning plan to do away with the 10th standard board exams. Being a student who has had a fair share of the above told ‘trauma’, the decision made me sit-up and think – “Why at all do we need Class 10 Board Exams??”. It suddenly feels as though it is a question worth pondering upon and as a chain reaction many more questions arise. What was the use of the class 10 board exams? Where has it helped me in my career? How does it become a worthy tool of evaluation? I tried to answer my own questions only ending up in vain. On a serious thought, given the amount of preparations, the amount of effort, the amount of time and money spent, the exam is just a landmark one is expected to cross for no fruitful results. The maximum a student gets out of it is good grades which aren’t useful to him/her in his/her future. There are a very few instances such as CAT, where the tenth marks are looked at, which is too miniscule a reason for a child to push himself with mammoth efforts. Everywhere, it’s just our class XII grades that matter.

In earlier days, SSLC(Secondary- School Leaving Certificate) was the school-leaving exam and hence very important to score well in that to secure a good pre- university seat . Then one could do his/her PUC( Pre- University Certificate) there, which was chosen as a scale to provide under-graduation seats. With the system in place over those days, there was this necessity for 2 exams. Both of them were equally important then for an individual’s career. This was just continued over the years to come as the PUC and SSLC both got clubbed into school-level as class 12 and class 10 exams and the selection for graduation seats made entirely dependent on the former.

The class 10 exams have become virtually useless as the decision as to taking up science/commerce stream is made even before the results are announced. In a way this has been working as a bane as parents coax students into doing well in this useless exam as they feel that this is their child’s first public stage to portray his/her potentials. Looking into the specifics, the subjects studied are languages, social sciences, mathematics and sciences. With 3 subjects on 5 not going to play any part in future academics, the effort spent into the much hyped exam rather goes waste. The only perceivable uses that I see are that it acts a trailer before the real exam and acts as an intermediate point where students change from central to state boards and vice-versa. But the change can take place even without a public exam and as for the trailer, a school already gives a student enough practice before the final exams and there is no need for an official one. So, it would be wise to do away with this menace and spring relief to students and parents alike.

The previous union HRD minister Mr. Arjun Singh had other kinds of educational reforms in his mind which are in rolling now, irrespective of the likes and dislikes of masses. This HRD ministry, in contrast, has brought out an excellent idea and those of us who have always blamed the educational system should welcome this wise action. Kudos to Mr. Sibal. And one hopes for such excellent initiatives from other ministries’ 100-day agendas as well !!

My argument is set. Counter arguments are welcome!!

The North Of India - Part 2

2009-06-22T07:04:00.000-07:00

Himachal Pradesh is by far the most beautiful place that I have seen in my life. No other state comes even close. Every sight of the rivers and the snow capped mountains is a new visual treat. Its amazing. I visited Kullu, Manali, Dharmashala, Dalhousie – 4 hill stations in HP and one bettered the other in superb fashion. And Himachal is THE place for Adventure. As many of u might know, I am scared of heights, of water and of many other things. A mini 'thenali'. But himachal had a Jayaram for me who brought out the adrenaline even from me and got me going (No Jyotika or Devayani though). I ended up doing things which I would have refused even for crores of rupees. This post is more about the places that I enjoyed on the trip than trivia. So, More of North India to you...

River Rafting On Beas

As we have read in Geography, 5 rivers contribute to Indus in Punjab. Out of the 5, Beas flows through HP before joining with the others in Punjab. It flows with amazing force and current through the Himalayan terrains. Wherever you go, it follows you dedicatedly like the Hutch Dog. I got a chance to go rafting on the dangerously flowing river. I took it and WOW! 14kms of rafting through rapids and turns. Zimbly Zuperb experience. It was like a LOTR experience, a river in-between two cold high snow filled mountains. I don’t know where else in India, u can go rafting on a super fast river.so, Rafting through BEAS – A MUST VISIT IN HP

Scared of Water : Who said?

Snow Climbing on Rohtang Pass

This was the next day. Rohtang pass is a place high in the Himalayan terrain where you can see only snow at any point in sight. All 360 degrees of snow, so, you are given a mountaineer outfit to beat the zero degrees freezing weather. It takes you 4 hours from Manali to reach there by car on a heavily dangerous route. The whole experience is dangerous as I was told that certain points in the snow are so deep that u’ll land up 2000 ft below dead and frozen. So every step, pathu vaikanum!! Climbing till the ice point on Rohtang pass was so thrilling that I might add it on my resume.Imagine, I was at 13800 ft, nearly half the height of Everest. In dota terms the place is just Imba shit- beyond godlike... Again Rohtang Pass – A MUST VISIT

Hot Air Ballooning

On my way from Manali to Dharamshala, I got a chance to be a part of an unique experience. To go as high as 1200 ft on a Hot-Air Balloon ! You can see the whole city of Manali, the second highest airport in the world, and the rivers Beas, Sutlej, Parvathy, and the rout to Leh, where the highest army post in the world is situated. Over experience. If u like the smell of petrol, its even more better as u will have to smell it all the way up. This was my first time on a hot-air balloon and i loved it.

Ya. Thats me flying at 1200 ft.

Everything for half a second

I had strictly told my parents that ‘No temples’ on this trip. They had agreed but the main attraction of the trip that I went was Maa Vaishno Devi temple at Khatra, J and K !!. It was a strange and bewildering experience by any means. You had to register to even visit the temple 16 kms above on a hill. There are umpteen number of transports uphill and downhill – by walk(free), on a pony(570Rs one way) , by a helicopter(1225rs one-way),and finally on a doli(3600RS one-way). The whole place is swarmed with atleast 20 lakh people everyday and there is total anarchy all around. We chose to go uphill by helicopter and downhill by walk. Helicopter travel is just 5 mins and that was the only highlight of the day. Have to stand in a queue, which didn’t seem to move at all, for hours together and go through cages and cages to end up at the shrine. Here comes the catch. I suffer hours of being in the queue with only jades for company, I get strenuously tired and then I get darshan or did I? It was just half of a second or even less. I don’t think I saw Vaishno Devi. Or Did I? It was all over in a flash, that I cudn’t even see the god properly. Worse than Tirupathi!. Then there was a knee bending walk from the top to the the base downhill. I was dead tired and finished the rest of the tour, limping. So, my friends, if u r going or being taken along to Vaishno Devi temple, prepare urselves for the battle ahead.

Beating the retreat

I moved out of J and K to Amritsar. The Golden temple is in direct contrast to Vaishno Devi. It is fully organised, kept sparkling clean and in complete peace. My kind of temple. It was a thrilling experience to see the Akalis guarding the temple with long swords and to wear bandanas and to be a part of Sikhism. The place was made more enjoyable by Punjabi girls, who have taken top spot in my ratings. Simply Awesome. Then came the highlight, the Wagah Border retreat ceremony. The element of patriotism is in the air there. With thousands of Indians and hundreds of Pakistanis swarming the place, it’s a grand visual delight and it brings out the emotions in you. Over feeling. And I also got the chance to see the Samjautha express when i was moving from Delhi to Chandigarh. But, I was asked not to take photos. More patriotism the next day, when I was in Jallianwalabagh memorial. The whole place is preserved as it was in 1919 and the bullet marks on walls, the well are all just still there. A super end to the tour. A patriotic end to an excellent fortnight. Ironically, as I was in places where the British had thwarted the Indians, History repeated itself as India went down to KP and co in the world cup, smashing millions of hopes! Wagah Border – A must visit.

The signboard at the border. A rare board!

I have been to 4 metros now and I would put Delhi slightly next to Chennai on my favourites list. The city is smashing and has a great history and I felt a close affinity towards it. Bombay would come third. I was sick of its maddening trains and the crowd. Generally, the jade quotient is a bit high there. Kolkata would come as a distant fourth. Worsht city. Galeej city. Only the Victoria Memorial provides some smoothening, if u know wat i mean. ;-) .

So, the standings :

1. Chennai

2.Delhi

3.Mumbai

4.Kolkata

5.Trichy

Now that the main 4 is over, it’s time to visit the next one and place it in my rankings- Bengalooru. And am just 7 days from it. Here I come, the City of Gardens,.... U better be good !!

The North Of India - Part 1

2009-06-20T06:59:00.000-07:00

Till May 2009, my northernmost visited point on the Indian land was only Kolkata. But, come June 2009, I have been upto J and K and wow... North India is truly special. I was amused by the Northern states of India in more than one way and at several instances. Each state is very distinct from one another. The climate, the roads, the hindi, the girls, everything. Even the way they make Roti differs from state to state. I tasted them all, Kerchief rotis to Papad like rotis and enjoyed them all !!

I had several moments of joy, adventure and getting banged by the crowds. I will just share with u some lighter moments of the tour and facts that I came across as sumall snippets which I think will keep u amused. ( I have to write something, now that I have started a blog.. So, here it goes.......)

Bada Glass For One Rupee

I landed in Delhi on a shockingly hot day . In reference, Chennai would be a hill-station. Such is the temperature there. To counter this unacceptable temperature, people here maybe eat water-melons or some other fruit juices. In Delhi, funnily, everyone drink ‘Bada Glass full of Tanda Pani just for 1 Re’. Water bottle sales should be really down in delhi. Because you can see large ice-cream box vehicle like structures with a tap on its top and an umbrella over it all over Delhi. This is an cold water vending machine, where u can get one glass full of ice cold water for just 1 Re. This has demand from auto walas to office goers alike. Each and every single vehicle is crowded, always. I did try 3 glasses and it is indeed a great redemption from the unbearable heat.

The Identity Dilemma

In Delhi, security is air-tight. This, we realised only after we landed there. As we tried to check-in to our hotel, we had to wait for 3 hours before we were even got past the reception. At the reception of our hotel, we were asked for our ID proofs and my father handed out his bank identity card. But, he insisted for identity proofs for every person and me and my mother were left staring at each-others faces. I had my college ID but that reported a different address and my mother had nothing remotely close to an ID. The hotel guy absolutely refused to let us in even after requesting and explaining him every detail. So, we just sat there in the reception sofa for 3 hours, before someone from my mother’s office faxed info of my mother’s bank account and pan card details. It was a deadly start to the tour. I am including this piece of news, just as a warning to you, that in case u r going anywhere else, carry proper ID from now on. Thanks to Mumbai attacks and other incidents, you won’t be recognised or accepted as a valid Indian citizen on face value!

Save Heritage – Incredible India!

One thing that I loved about North India was that they love their monuments and other tourist sites and take care of them in a better manner than what’s happening in South India. All the heritage sites have guides and staff dedicated to the site who give the tourists more than a pleasant experience. Thanks to Incredible India! Campaign, all the spots in North India are well-maintained. Agra fort, Fatehpur Sikri and Sikandra forts and the Taj Mahal- all of these gave me the first view of this well organised idea. It was a really wonderful experience to be a part of the Mughal period and their buildings. Thanks to the Save Heritage Campaign. Agra Mughal Forts – A MUST VISIT.

A new reason to Vote!

While in Delhi, I saw an excellent campaign silently in progress. ‘Vote and Celebrate’ it said. I saw several posters across Delhi from so many retailers who had announced a discount of 10-20% on their products for the customers who had voted. All u needed to show was the voting ink mark! Truly novel idea. Hats off to the guy who started off this brilliant Idea.

Steps to Heaven!!

Exit Delhi. Enter Haryana. I visited Kurukshetra of Mahabharat fame in Haryana which was a novel experience. Coz, I learnt of ‘Manaa’. I visited the place where the battle was held and to the spot where the Gita was told by Lord Krishna to Arjuna. But the highlight is the place called Manaa near Kurukshetra. Historically, it is said that Dharma and his dog reached heaven only from that place. Even you can reach heaven from there. It’s true. Its a myth that if u r a person who hasn’t committed even a small sin and have never lied in your life, you’ll be able to see the Stairs of Heaven from a spot at Manaa. SO, if u want to reach heaven, why r u still waiting, get the next train ticket to Haryana!

This tree marks the spot of Gita Upadesh. In jyotisar, Kurukshetra.

Whats in a Manhole?

Here’s a picture of a Manhole I took in Chandigarh. Last year a French guy stole 14 of these man-holes and tried to sell it for millions of dollars before he was arrested by the Chandigarh Airport Authorities. Perplexed?

Even I was shocked when I heard it for the first time. But these man-holes are special. If u look keenly, all these man-holes have the map of Chandigarh on them!!. As a part of the Chandigarh Tourism Programme, the tourist board put up such man-holes at prominent tourist spots as an added attraction. Chandigarh is so well-planned and has straight streets and avenues that it’s map looks as though a set of rectangles. Worth seeing if u get a chance to go to Chandigarh.

( Mesmerising North India To Be Continued..... Check this page for Part 2)

Rest... for the time being

2009-06-04T07:49:00.001-07:00

hEllo guys...

I'm going on a trip to North India from 5th to 18th...... am starting tomo morning on da Rajdani express.. But my cell balance is pretty high...so include me in all t20 discussions as the men in blue(or is it grey now?) cruise through into the finals...i'll watch in the hotel's TV.... This finals we'll surely watch together!! And as promised on facebook(ahem), i'll try to bring gifts to all... So till 19th, this page is going to be idle.. but the mind behind this page is not going to be.. it'll keep working to make more interesting stories...

And All the Best to those who are joining the corporate life while i'm away..... Owl, Mani and others...

So, cee u on 19th...

Ra, Madhan, Kovil, Aragorn, Jonsmith, |< ! 1 1 3 |2, Abel etc etc..

PS:

All this is said, with the assumption that I won't get caught or killed by terrorists.. :)

Thanking you, Yours Sincerely.....

2009-06-04T04:45:00.001-07:00

The Editor,

The Deccan Chronicle

11^th April, 2009

Respected Sir,

My name is Trilok Chandana and I am writing to ask you for an assistance that may well seem very strange to you. I want you to publish this letter in the esteemed columns in your newspaper. Last week, when I was going through my grandfather’s belongings, I found this letter inside his copy of Bhagavad Gita. I have enclosed a photocopy of this letter as this is extremely serious. It shames me and my family but the truth has been hidden for the past 10 years and it must be brought out to the open.

To whom it may concern,

3^rd March, 2009

I, Raghav Chandana wish to make this death bed confession, for I fear that I will not arise from this bed. I carry with myself a secret, a secret that will bring great shame to me and my family. I am of sound mind, even though one might say that only a madman would write such a letter after escaping so many years of punishment. I do not want to take this secret along with me to my grave. I have held this secret for 10 years now and I would like to confess to god now. I swear by Almighty god, that this letter is all truth.

On the 14^th of February 1999, I got myself heavily drunk and was driving home in my Maruti. I was pretty high and had lost control of myself. As I was driving down Brigadier’s road, I saw a young woman walking on the pavement. It was a quiet night and the road seemed deserted. She looked very pretty to me and without any moral sense or control, I stopped my car and approached her with a wrong intent. She shunned me away, but I physically held her and forced her into my car. I crossed all the limits that night as I was stoned to the maximum extent. Within the next few moments, I could see that her body had gone limp and she was dead. I realised the gross mistake I had done, but instead of doing the right things I planned otherwise. Out of fear of getting caught, I parked my car into a side lane and sketched a plan. I stood in the shade of the trees and pushed her in front of the oncoming ford. The ford did brake immediately but it was too late as her body was thrown a few yards in the front.

A bald tall guy rushed out and immediately took her in and fled to a hospital. I followed him to the hospital and when she was declared dead, again followed him to the police station where he must have lodged a complaint. I was very rich and being an income-tax officer, had high social status. So the next day morning, I went to the police station and bribed him to fake the post-mortem and other issues. He also misused the law and the rest is history. The trial was made public and Mr.Kanchan kumar,an innocent man has been in jail for the past 10 years.

I was a coward and I am deeply sorry for Mr.Kumar and his family and also for Miss. Nandita for all the injustice that went against her. I want everyone to know that Mr. Kumar is innocent and I am the murderer.

Raghav Chandana

You can see from the letter that a grave mistake has been made and I would like to rectify all of this. Would you please publish this letter so that the truth is finally made public and justice is restored.

Yours Sincerely,

Trilok Chandana

The Deccan Chronicle

15^th April 2009

Dear Trilok Chandana,

I found the photocopy of the letter you sent quite interesting—but of course I could not possibly publish such a confession in its present form. How do I know any of this story is true? How do I know you didn't write this letter yourself?

There must be supporting evidence before I could even consider publication. Even then there will be other considerations. I’ll send a reporter to enquire into this issue.

Yours sincerely,

Dinesh Padukone, Editor

Deccan Chronicle.

12^th June 2009

Editor,

Deccan Chronicle

Dear Mr Dinesh Padukone,

You'll see that I have been very busy over the past months. I have searched through hundreds of old records and newspapers for evidence to support the letter you now see before you.

1. I have enclosed the original deathbed confession. I found it along with my friend Mr.Arpit Waghmare . He can vouch that it is indigenous and not faked.

2. You can see the newspaper clipping giving the full account of the murder of Miss Nandita and the trial of Mr. Kumar. You'll notice it mentions Mr. Kumar's wife and children. So there are descendants.

3. I have also enclosed a newspaper clipping that shows the crowd cheering and whistling at the verdict day of the case. This should have been of great shame to him and his family.

And none of your reporters turned up for enquiry. I would welcome proof that this is a forgery, as this brings shame to my family. If otherwise, I would request you to publish my letters.

Yours Sincerely,

Trilok.

14^th August 2009

Editor,

Deccan Chronicle

Mr Dinesh ,

Some two months have passed without any word from you. What has happened to your investigating reporter? Will you be going ahead with publication? This is a serious matter that involves the lives of a number of people. I ask you to give it your immediate attention.

Yours,

Trilok.

The Deccan Chronicle

20^th August 2009

Dear Trilok Chandana,

Profound apologies for the delay in writing to you. I have been extremely busy of late and simply could not deal with your article till now. It looks like we are approaching enough evidence to enable publication of your relative's confession.

I sent a reporter to the district of Ratanvila where Mr.Kanchan kumar’s son Mr. Uday Kumar lives. I had an account of the story from his side and he is also truly convinced that his father is innocent. I also privately phoned your friend, Mr. Arpit Waghmare and he has also confirmed your claim. Since everything has worked out, you can expect a publication soon enough on our columns.

Dinesh, editor,

Deccan Chronicle

THE DECCAN CHRONICLE 20^th October 2009

TEN YEAR OLD TRUTH COMES OUT

A case of rape, murder and forgery.

Gaganpur: Ten years ago, Mr. Kanchan Kumar was sentenced to prison with a double life sentence for................

..................... And yesterday, the Supreme court acquitted Mr. Kanchan Kumar, clearing all charges on him and ordered Mr. Trilok Chandana to pay an amount of Rs 5 lakhs to the Kumars for all the pain and shame that they have suffered in the past 10 years. The judge also praised Mr. Trilok for coming forward with the evidence and called him as a ‘role-model citizen’.............

Mr. Arpit Waghmare,

Collaba district.

21^st October 2009

Dear Arpit,

Indeed you had chosen the right person. The plan went smoothly from scratch to victory all because of you. Without your ideas and help, my father would not have been with me. Your choice of Trilok for this plan was most correct. He , as you said , is the most truthful and honest guy and mainly, the most gullible guy. Poor Mr. Raghav Chandana, though. May his soul rest in peace. Only god knows what he was doing on that night. Maybe he was reading his Bhagavad Gita!

Please find a cheque worth 2.5 lakhs drafted in your name enclosed along with this letter.

Thanking you,

Yours,

Uday Kumar

Ratanvila.

Spice In Science

2009-06-03T08:06:00.001-07:00

I was going through one of my books, SPICE IN SCIENCE, an unusual book replete with interesting incidents, funny situations, memorable events, and little known facts from the lives of great scientists, mathematicians. I found a few incidents really impressive and just thought I might share it with you. Some light-hearted fun after a really serious post.

Too young!

Max Planck was made a full Professor at the University of Berlin at an unusually early age. One day, having forgotten where he had been assigned for a lecture, he stopped at the University office to find out.

“Please tell me,” he asked the elderly man-in charge, ”in which room does Professor Planck lecture today?”

The old man patted him on the shoulder.” Don’t go there, young fellow” he advised. “You are much too young to understand the lectures of our Professor Planck!”

Bell’s Bell

The telephone did not ring so easily for Alexander Graham Bill.

March 10, 1876. Bell was experimenting with his able assistant, Watson. They were working on new developments they proposed in the telephone. The men were in 2 different rooms. As usual, rooms were not tidy with wires running helter-skelter and batteries and bells all around.

While Bell was trying to fix something, a battery tripped and acid spilled all over Bell’s clothes. Bell shouted “ Watson! Come here ! I want you!”. Watson came running. Bell wondered why he came over. Watson told him that he heard every heard of his from the other room. That was the beginning of transmitted human speech.

Bell died on August 2, 1922. On the day of his burial, all telephone services in the US stopped for one minute in his honour.

The Young Genius

Robert Oppenheimer was a genius from childhood. He was in love with geology at an early age and had a great collection of rock specimens and a library of geology books. Robert wrote letters to many professors in geology all over America to clarify doubts or gain more knowledge. Cleverly, he had them typewritten, so that they would not treat him like a child because of his hand-writing!. He was elected a member of the New York Mineralogical club at the age of 11! Apparently he was the only member below the age of 60 at that time.

After a year, he was invited to give a lecture at the club. Naturally, he was afraid. He asked his father to tell the truth to the club, or tell them that he was ill.His father, however encouraged him and took him to the club on the appointed day. The professors and other members were all shocked twice, first to find the boy speaker and then to listen to the boy speaking with authority on minerals!!

Juice Lash Bumb!! (Based on a true story)

2009-06-02T05:16:00.000-07:00

SCENE ONE – THE DECLARATION

A secret hideout somewhere outside a secret city...

Millions had gathered at a place which resembled the historic Colloseum, All the walls were painted with a red ball of fire blazing through the spotless sky.. The stage was decorated all over with red, orange and yellow and the whole place looked as though it was on fire...Even the sky had turned red for the occasion..A tall lean hooded man stood alone on the stage with only a black guy, who looked like a monster for company.....

“ We have had enough. We have had enough. We have been victims of this atrocity for the past 100 years now. But, still there seems no improvement in our condition. We have suffered for a century now, and our bell of hope hasn’t rung yet...”

There were whispers of “hear, hear “ amongst the crowds.

“ We have been bullied, assaulted, and terrorised by them and they have literally stamped their authority on us for so many years now. We have had the Berlin Massacre, the Chicago shoot out, so many black Mondays and red Sundays. We have shed blood and fled from places that used to be our impenetratable fortresses .. It is a shame that we are a second race on earth now.. they rule us.. and we have been treated like slaves and even more badly on several occasions.. This is all that is left of us. If we don’t act now, we’ll be erased off the face of earth. “

“hear, hear”

“Is it our destiny to be ruled by them and be terrorised by them?

Is it our destiny to be under those who were dependent on us just a few centuries ago?

Is it our destiny to meekly surrender under them and let them exploit us?

Is it our destiny to wail ‘hail pinky’ all the time?

Is it our destiny to be servants to those b***hes?”

“No ...............No................” roared the crowds as the voice rose higher and higher and the drums started rolling.....

“IS IT OUR DESTINY TO BE RULED BY WOMEN????”

“No........NO.... NO......NO....“ the crowd started chanting diligently ....The drum beats could be heard miles and miles away.......

“JUICE LASH and BUMB!!!!!!” boomed the magnetic voice........

“JUICE LASH AND BUMB!!!!!!!!!!!!! JUICE LASH and BUMB!!! JUICE.....” echoed the crowds

The WAR had begun......

SCENE TWO – THE ENQUIRY

THE LIPSTICK TOWER, Military Headquarters, The Pink Army, Midnight

The small trap door adjacent to the electrified fence opened and a small bald creature hurried through the courtyard into the north tower of the building. The woman in a black security outfit allowed him to enter and closed the entrance with the retina scanner. The short bald guy took the stairs and entered a well lit room which was fully furnished in pink. Chairs, wall covers, Photo graphs of past generals, the fireplace.. everything was in pink, the colour of women, the colour of power..

Three fair women, all in pink uniforms ofcourse, were seated in well cushioned chairs, one brunette, one blonde and one black. The black looked irresistible. The short guy ran his eyes all over before the brunette stepped in. “Is there any improvement ?”..” Hail Pinky..I bring news of great importance... I bring the news of danger”. The blonde let out a smirk.” Danger? Thats for us to decide..you just give the news”. “Hail Pinky... I am sorry, my lady.. I bring news about a meeting in.....”

After hearing the sloppy story the black who had been quiet all the time stepped in. Any man would have fallen for her. She had that eyes to bring anyone down. The guy couldn’t stop himself from risking an occasional glance at her. “ Juice Lash and Bumb?... Wat does that mean?”.... He was overwhelmed by the fact that she had directly spoken to him. “Hail Pinky.. I am sorry, my lady.. I bring no news about Juice lash and bumb... I bring no news about its meaning... I bring no news abo”

The blonde made a swift movement with her legs and landed a kick right into his chest. Within seconds he was dead. “ Waste of a spy... I bring no news” she mocked him.. “ Its not time for us to play... they have never understood that it’s the end for them.. the present and the future is ours.. the days of men are over..”.

The brunette nodded her face laterally to show her disapproval. “ They are our slaves.. They live under us... but they are cheeky rats... so miserly and cunning... they will try to overpower us again and yet again... they haven’t learnt though....ah... i still cherish the memory of the berlin massacre... i still see them all running naked under the red hot sun after we beat them to pulp and destroyed them.. they keep comin...they will keep comin... and we’ll keep winning” she finished with a devilish smile on her lips.

“We’ll have to end this...we can’t keep them revoltingad..this should be the final war...the time has come to erase the men race from the face of earth...call the HAND BAG TOWER...summon all the department heads for an emergency meeting.. its time to play “Juice Lash and Bumb.... ””

“Hail Pinky” they said in unison and dispersed.

SCENE THREE – THE MYSTERY

In a hut somewhere near Stalingrad, 0 degrees centigrade temperature

4 men were sitting around a bonfire. Mal lee , a very old and a fragile guy, physically weak but strongest by wisdom. Kayvi ,who wore a red faded shirt which had the letters FES and a long gap and then 08 on its back. Tea Es phee, a bald guy who couldn’t take his eyes off Kayvi, looked as though he was in an excited state, but others knew that he was acting. And Ji Nut, who hadn’t yet understood the situation they were in and was in quite a bit of lag.

Kayvi : Sir Mal, what should be our first move in Operation JLB?

Mal: We must first understand what we are looking at. We can’t defeat the women and the pink army by ourselves. We are helpless against the women and if we fight the war alone, we’ll be wiped out within minutes. And only so few of us remain. We can’t afford to make a mistake. So we need an external power, a power which is so powerful and which will help us win the war.

Kayvi: is this power a bomb, a nuclear bomb or a tactical plan....?

(Tea Es Phee couldn’t stop wondering about this enigmatic guy in front of him)

Mal: No one knows what power this is.. It is supposed to be equal to the power of god... No one has ever seen it... It got stuck with the women at the end of Karadi’s Testament... It is sealed and heavily protected in the NAIL POLISH BASTION..

(Utter silence prevailed at the mention of the NPB.. It was a high security prison, where the women held men at gunpoint and treated them like baby insects. It was the most cruel place on earth..)

Mal: We’ll have to retrieve it within a fortnight.. so as to summon it and use it to our advantage before the war... If we fail now, it is the end...............for all of us..

(All four of them sat in stunned silence as the cold wind blew with a screeching noise)

Kayvi: Where do we find this power?

Mal: Ji nut, give me the sheet.

Ji nut: Which sheet, you didn’t give me any..

Mal: I gave you the poem yesterday right.. give me that..

Ji nut: Oh..yes.. I remember now.. I lost the sheet but I remember the poem

(All 3 of them were pleasantly surprised.. they didn’t expect Ji nut to remember anything)

Ji nut : “ When your numbers fall and you all go dumb

Search for it which wil win you with aplomb

Nan Paneer Butter masala in its thumb

Juice Lash Bumb! Juice Lash Bumb!”

-Idarak, 19441

Mal: Bravo! Bravo!....That is the only clue for us.. thats all is there about the power..... I have been trying to crack it for almost 20 years now, but to no gain...until i met Unsolved Pant yesterday... The moment i met him, he had the answer. It was so simple and glaringly open at us..

‘When your numbers fall and you all go dumb’..that is what is happening now and we are only a few millions left... ‘Search for it which wil win you with aplomb’... we must seek the power to win the war.... ‘Nan Paneer Butter masala in it’s thumb’..this is the clinching line.. Nan Paneer Butter refers to NPB which is where the power is.. and it is signed Idarak, 19441.. This is a work of genius... It is Karadi written in backwards.. So we turn the number too.. 14491...that’s the cell number in NPB....So that is where we are looking for.... Karadi is truly great, he has given us a remedy for all the grave mistakes he did...’

‘ Now the plan is set.. The rest of them will attack NPB from the front and will act as a decoy.. we four will move in through the back doors to the cell 14491 and summon the power’

(Kayvi and Ji nut stared at Mal Lee with excitement and astonishment.. Tea Es Phee was still looking at Kayvi)

Kayvi: Wonderful, wonderful...we know where to look...but, sir, what are we looking for... what does the last line mean?

Mal Lee: Sorry, even pant couldn’t solve that mystery...we will know only when we summon it... we’ll know whats Juice Lash and Bumb only then!..only then..

(The 3 of them stared into the empty night and dreamt of what it might be...............)

SCENE FOUR – THE REVIVAL

THE NPB, High security prison, the Pink Army

The high walls of the cruel prison froze in the Indian winter. The huge iron gates were all sporting skulls of men who had braved the prison guards and tried to escape. The place wore an eerie look. The pink army patrollers patrolled the high walls and flashlights kept close watch on the inside happenings. A huge poster of a woman with a handcuff on one hand and a bag full of small brown shafts all of them which unquestionably resembled the **** *****. The picture summed up the situation inside and to an extent outside the prison. The plight of men was indeed miserable.

And at a distance of 500 yards from the cold walls of NPB stood millions of men ready to give their last shot at what was seemingly becoming a losing battle. Once again the tall lean man was leading the rally. ‘We will give our heart soul and strength to this.. This is our last chance.. We’ll attack with the belief that Sir Mal Lee and his team will bring in the reinforcement in time..If we have the power, then we win..Keep that in your hearts, my men..For Juice Lash and Bumb’....’ For Juice Lash and Bumb’ roared the men back.. It was like Aragorn and his men at the gates of Mordor, hoping against hope that Frodo would win them the war before they start fighting.. Coz they knew that if the fight did begin, they were done for.... ‘For men’ boomed a voice and the parade rushed forward.....

Sir Mal kept waiting. He had to hear the signal to make his next move. And then he did. He heard the conch sound miles away. The fight had begun at the entrance. He and his team had to make quick progress. They knew the way in. The men had spies too. They rushed in through the secret tunnel which ended up in the HGW(heavily guarded wing) of the NPB. Kayvi looked in through the alley to see 2 women patrolling one corridor. Totally there were only 6 of them. Thanks to the decoy. They chose the right extreme corridor to check first. They waited for the time until she turned the other way. As she did, Kayvi jumped on her and Ji nut ran inside to ambush the other guard who was in the other end. Sir Mal wishfully scanned the corridor. The rooms ran from 14481 to 14490. 14491 was the first room in the next corridor. They took the same wait and attack approach in the next corridor before all 4 of them stood in front of the steel gate that promised them their future. Tea Es Phee took the keys from the dizzy guard and thrust it through the keyhole. It hadn’t been opened in over a hundred years. Kayvi had doubts whether the power inside would have survived all the years.

The room was pitch black and all 4 of them stood in full darkness. “We should have brought some lighting. We can’t see anything here..”said Ji nut. Sir Mal pacified him. “Do not be afraid of the darkness, man. United we win, divided we lose”. But he had barely uttered the last few words. By then, they were all blinded by a white flash of light which proved to be so powerful that they had to run away from the room. They came rolling out without knowing what had hit them. They looked stunned as the light slowly made it’s way out of the room, now the intensity greatly down. Then it spoke. ‘ Who called me? Where is Peedika? Did she send you? ‘. Sir Mal was confused to the greatest extent. Was this the power? Nobody called it anyway. The power spoke again as though it had read Mal’s mind. “You only called me. When u said ‘Man United’. That is the password. The women here have been trying to summon me for the past 100 years. But they didn’t know the code. It is you who has told it correctly. I was captured and sealed here when I had temporarily lost my powers and have been here since. Has my dear Peedika sent you? Are you a messenger from my beloved? ”.

“Sir, I did summon you, but I am not a messenger. I’m here to ask you to help us win over the women.” “ Win over the women, thats easy?...why did you summon me for that”. Sir Mal realised the gap in communication and recited the entire history.” Sir, hundred years back, as you might have known Lord Karadi proclaimed the Karadi testament in which he furnished the details of his latest finding, The Macisgod capsules. This capsule gave the women to reproduce by themselves and the off springs to be far stronger and superior to the men. He did this believing that it would lead to women empowerment, but then the women mis used it and started a war against the men . We fought valiantly, but with the next generation, all women were far more stronger and the men were shunned to be slaves. That has persisted to this date, where we are fighting for our bare survival. We want you to help us win this war and restore normalcy in this world... We came in search of a power to save us...”

“And I am that power and I’ll save the men. Let the women fall under my knees and beg for pardon”.

Kayvi who was unconvinced till then asked ”How do we know that you are the power?”

MU HA HA HA HA HA HA..... The laugh echoed throughout the buiding. Then, out of the light came a lean but strong man with an aura around him that removed all doubts. The 4 looked in awe as he waved his hands and there was fire dangling in the air. The 4 were in a state of fear and awe and didn’t move an inch.

The man made some wavy motions in the fire and wrote

JUICE LASH BUMB

And then in another motion, he made the letters move as they made

MICHAEL SUBBU J

“Ah, the son of god. Michael Subbu J,” whispered Sir Mal. All the 4 of them bent down on their knees in total submission to the power that had hit them.

“Lets have some action” said Michael.

SCENE FIVE – THE FINISH

Michael lifted all 4 of them in one hand and they all flew. He flew to the main entrance where the war was still on. The men were losing badly. Most of them were killed or injured. But everything was about to change now. They landed in a thud in the centre of the battlefield as the whole place fell silent. Then Michael stood and had a good look at all the women. “This war is over. I’m here and ask the women to surrender”. The women who had never seen a strong man in their lives laughed merrily and a voice said” Don’t you men have any sense? Your only option is to accept defeat and be our slaves. That way you might live”. But then they had underestimated the opponent they were facing now.

“Mu ha ha ha ha” roared Michael. Then in one flashing moment, he took his right hand and combed hid hair. The women had not seen so much style ever in their lives. They were dumb struck and spellbound by what was happening before their eyes. They had all fallen. All of them were now Michael’s. One move and thats it. It had been a master strike. The war was over. In one move. All of them had gone down. Surrendered to men . They had been stripped off their powers. In a second, the effect of Macisgod was nullified.

But, then Pinky was watching all this. The most strongest of all. She was not the one to fall by this simple trick. All her comrades had fallen . But if she beat this guy, she could regain them back. And she decided to it. She tore her pink uniform and jumped from the high tower of NPB onto the field. And all the men were lifted off the air and thrown five miles away. Such was her power.

But, But Michael stood his ground. He still had that smile on his face. She ran straight into him and punched him right at the chin. Michael staggered, but didn’t fall. “Nee sei.. Nee sei di”. Thats all he said. Then a booming voice came from the sky. “IPPIDI SOLLI SOLLIYE”. Michael realised that people were still following him. At last, he made the final move.

He opened his shirt and tore his pants and walked out. The sight was any girl’s dream. If there was anything called a thirty pack or more, it was it. Every muscle jutting out like the rock of Gibraltar. The sight itself was enough for Pinky to fall. She fell onto his knees and pleaded for forgiveness.

“Adigama aasa padre aambalayum, adigama kova padre pombalayum nalla vazhndada sarithirame illa” boomed Michael’s voice as all the women stood together in submission. It was all over.

The Men Had Won!!!

Baasa iruka bayam yen!!

Burger Vs Full Meals

2009-06-01T04:57:00.000-07:00

“ I remember hating the ODI format when I first saw it and I’ve tried to ignore this T20 business without much success. My generation of cricket addicts grew up in an imagination of white, cream and green, a world that we drew from black and white still photographs. Frank Worrell making a graceful late-cut, Vijay Manjrekar defending brilliantly, Sobers hooking, Pataudi captured at the end of his off-drive, Vinoo Mankad just after delivering the ball. There was no TV, and the spread in the Illustrated Weekly of India featuring colour photographs of Bill Lawry’s visiting Australians came as a shock; dark green caps, red-stripped Grey Nichols bats, yellow stumps and a red, red ball. A proper match was a minimum of three days and the best was a full five day affair..........” -Ruchir Joshi for “The Week”.

This debate about the Gentleman’s game being on the verge of losing it’s pure form to a fastly growing 3 hour devil is heard quite often nowadays. People who generally prefer test-cricket to limited overs cricket are termed as ‘Purists’. Purists see the long game as the "pure" form of the game; they think of it as the classical form. It is classical because it is a codified, cultivated form of the game, distinct from both local forms of bat-and-ball games as well as modern abridged variants such as ODIs and Twenty20. They cherish the game in that manner and are not ready to move from the whites to the colours. “We had 1983 at Lords, but that was still everybody in their whites; but then we had 1985 in Australia, where joys and disappointments began to be attached to colour. We were in Light blue, with the opposition in yellow, green and red; with the feared maroon making no dents, the light blue won through everything, taking down the yellow heavies and then , the best of all, the green buggers. “

They did really enjoy the days where batsmen used to play classic cricket all day long without any slogging and furnish picture-perfect shots and trademark defences. But with the world’s pace rising on an exponential curve, is the time-tested version of cricket still popular and possible? “How can you watch anything for more than 90 minutes?”, we hear a football fanatic say. Our smart answer could be “ Listen, try this mate, it only takes a little longer than a football match that’s gone to the extra time and into long penalties”.

T20 has come and has come with a bang. With the IPL, the brainchild of the BCCI , following it, cricket has found it’s new dimension and the way ahead looks bright. In the first semifinals, the game found a new meaning for power hitting as Delhi's bowlers were shown around the park by a rampaging Gilchrist. It was like watching an inter-species massacre. There's a tabloid excitement to the IPL which is infectious. To watch Shoaib and Sourav Ganguly embrace and high-five is to warm to a contest that sidelines nationalism to make room for club loyalty. To see Sachin and Sanath, two of the all-time greats, walking out to the field and setting the grounds on fire...well test-cricket wouldn’t have achieved it at any point in the future . It’s the same when one sees Shane Warne tackling Haydos or Gilly, and as the Jumbo tackles Dhoni. T20 has revolutionised cricketing entertainment to an extent, where there is no turning back. If, and thats a big IF, t20 does destroy test cricket, there’s not going to be much of an uproar as the younger rascal has all the qualities to outdo his grand-old-uncle. “ I wouldn’t mind on losing out Test Cricket to t20”... Chris Gayle’s words lucidly spits the current trend.

You may never get cricket to compete with football, but with t20, you’ve got a sport that’s far less location-specific and once it gets a thumbs up, the 50-over format can also push in it’s way, and who knows even 5-day affairs garnished with music and cheerleaders and all other kinds of side-circus during lunch and tea can poke it’s head in. I reconcile to t20 cricket by seeing the history of the burgers and fast food in general. The burger was invented as a quick meal for workers on their lunch breaks in the early 20th century. It grew thick and thin with French fries and other stuff to become the staple of many around the world today. But the burgers and the fast food have not managed to make good, proper lengthy full meals disappear. (I prefer a thali to a burger any day). So, if t20 is the cricketing equivalent of a burger, test-cricket could just stay put as the sumptuous full-meals.

The point is that, it’s not just t20 but cricket itself which has been unpredictable. Consider cricket as a continuous curve and sample it over a sampling period of 30 years and you would see that the samples are highly distinct. Ranjitsinghji played a game, the Don and Sobers a slightly different one, Tendulkar and Lara yet a different game, and Yusuf Pathan and Suresh Raina an entirely different one. From unhelmetted cricket, we have travelled till baseball helmets (Dinesh Kartik for DD) and only god knows where it’s going next. The mysterious essence of the game has held people closer to it, irrespective of the form it has been sporting.

T20 has rejuvenated cricket at a time when the 50 over format was losing its sheen. The second season of IPL held in South Africa is an evidence to that. We can sense a business bulb glowing somewhere saying “Ok..why don’t we try the next one in Europe, maybe the USA, what about China??......”. Well, t20 has arrived and has made the promise to get the Gentleman’s game global. Fast food outlets are fast coming up and it’s for us to enjoy the burger without thinking of what will happen to the full meals!!

(With excerpts from The Week, June 7 issue)

PS:

Congrats to Bharadwaj Ramanujam alias Brady who proved yet again that he is of a different class irrespective of the timepass he does..Super dude!!

5B (RMS 2)

2009-05-31T09:34:00.000-07:00

Ninaithu Ninaithu Parthen, Nerungi Arugil..
Hello!
Lady Voice : Vanakkam! Idhu airtel vazhangum Hello tune vadikayalar sevai...
Dei Aandhai, sollu da....aamam da....offer letter vanduduchu....
( Tamizhil vivaram ariya en onre azhuthavum..)
Software company da!!.... just 6lpa da!!.....(thillu mullu thillu mullu)
(For English, press 2, hindi mein jaankari key liye...)
Idukkelama treat kudupanga!!!...small matter da....innum neraya plan panniyiruken...
(To speak to our customer care executive, press 9)
aamam da...mudal masa sambaluthala ezhai kuzhandagaluku help pannalamnu iruken, adan da poor kids u see.....
illa da..kasu varum pogum... irukumboda mathavangaluku help pannalana life eh waste da!!!!!

SOME 10 to 15 MINUTES EARLIER
He was in the first seat adjacent to the front door.. the seat for the old and handicapped people..but he didn’t care... he had to get to mylapore in fifteen minutes... he made a silent prayer..then he looked around.... the bus was partially filled , but no one worth seeing was there..no means of timepass too...Ah, by god’s grace a man with a blue shirt and an even darker blue pants took the driver’s seat. A wave of relief went through him. “Ticket, Ticket “, a voice came blaring into his ears. “Oru mylapore tank kudunga”. “6.50 chillaraya kodu..illana irangu”. After buying his ticket with the appropriate ‘chillarai’, he diverted his attention to the window in a weak attempt to see some girls . The bus sped through Mount Road. He saw the beggars as the bus stopped for a signal. He could clearly see Chennai as an unclean, polluted city with poverty and indecency all over in the roads. A sense of dislike crept into him. He looked at a group of girls who stood in the Saidapet bus stop. He looked smart, quite handsome, but had always tasted mud with girls. His friends teased him all the way, but his continuous valiant efforts had ended in ruins every single time. A perfect Mohammed Ghajini.

The bus took the turn near Raj Bhavan, the governer’s palace. He remembered his days as Chairman. All those promises, the election and then one year full of power. He had enjoyed that. He saw a rickshaw pass by. Cha, still people pulling people for money. He couldn’t digest the fact that he was living in such a community. Dislike grew inside him like a creeper. The bus waltzed through Anna University and IIT. He started moving back. What days he had had then.. All the hostel life..All the fun...All the girls..He hadn’t changed much. Actually he hadn’t changed at all.. Two years of work and now back in Chennai..Nothing had changed... the Ghajini inside him was still well fed and alive.

The bus came to a screeching halt. He turned to see Malar Hospital. As he turned, he caught his breath, which he rarely did even when he had delivered those scorching yorkers. He was wonderstruck and speechless. It was as though a million implosions were taking place inside him. He had lost his soul, heart and everything. Yet again. His gaze never left her and when their eyes met as she climbed up the stairs, she was taken aback by his gaze, blushed and looked away. And as she blushed, his heart was flushed with droplets of love and.....(enakkena erkaneve pirandaval ivalo........). She walked up and stood next to him. Near the first seat adjacent to the front door. Ya, the same seat. He couldn’t believe that there could be such a girl was there all this time unknown to him. She was so graceful, skin as white as an a4 sheet paper, and in that pink chudidhar, well, he had no words to describe. He had never believed in Love at first Sight. But all that was shattered now, as the goddess of love conquered him inch by inch and had left him paralysed.

“Koncham inda bag a vechika mudiyuma?”. He was lost in her words as his hands moved out of his control to take the bag from her.”Mandaveliku oru ticket kudunga”. He had always been a fan of Shreya Ghosal’s voice till then, but now it would have sounded like a crow with whooping cough to him. He had heard the sweetest voice ever. Mandaveli was fast approaching. He regretted not having a bike now. He would have kept it in front of the bus and stopped it like that old tamil film . ( Mounaraagam Kartik and Revati BGM).

He could smell sandal and jasmine. He wondered where it was coming from and saw the river Cooum flowing with its wide span decorating the city of Chennai. What a sight it was! He had never appreciated the beauty of the magnificient river before. And the way it smelt. Awesome!.. It adorned Chennai, embracing it like a diamond necklace. What a city Chennai was!..Even rome was made beautiful by Michaelangelo and others.. but Chennai was a natural beauty.. Truly Singara Chennai...It had the best looking girl the universe had ever seen. The creeper inside him was pulled out by it’s roots and cut into shreds.

Ninaithu Ninaithu Parthen, Nerungi Arugil.. His phone rung aloud..
Hello!
Lady Voice : Vanakkam! Idhu airtel vazhangum Hello tune vadikayalar sevai...
Dei Aandhai, sollu da....aamam da....offer letter vanduduchu.... (thillu mullu thillu mullu)
( Tamizhil vivaram ariya en onrai azhuthavum..)
Software company da!!.... just 6lpa da!!.....(thillu mullu thillu mullu)
She looked at him and smiled. He was left speechless already, but he was made dumb completely now.
(For English, press 2, hindi mein jaankari key liye...)
Idukkelama treat kudupanga!!!...small matter da....innum neraya plan panniyiruken...
(To speak to our customer care executive, press 9)
aamam da...mudal masa sambaluthala ezhai kuzhandagaluku help pannalamnu iruken, adan da poor kids u see.....
illa da..kasu varum pogum... irukumboda mathavangaluku help pannalana life eh waste da!!!!! (thillu mullu thillu mullu)

He turned and looked at her for any response to that. She was gone. With an aching heart, he looked out of the window to see Mandaveli Bus Terminus. Even the terminus looked like a fully blossomed garden. All the buses looked like fresh lotuses... and lot more....He cursed himself for his own impressing tactics with the Airtel Lady, but then his eyes fell on the piece of leather that he still had in his hand. He had left her bag with him. (enakkena erkaneve pirandaval ivalo........repeat)

As the bus picked pace, he moved at the speed of light, maybe faster, and jumped out of the bus. His eyes wandered in all directions in search of her. And finally he did find her walking towards Devanathan street. “Bag ah kuduthutu oru coffee ku koopidanum. Coffee day pakathula than iruku.. De over da...kalakara...thank u god!!”, he thought to himself. He took pace and ran tracing her steps. “madam, unga bag”. She didn’t seem to have heard that as she kept continuing. “Madam, wait pannunga. Unga Bag Maranduteenga”. No response still. He couldn’t understand her reaction and gave a last try. “ unga hand bag. Hey Pink Chudidhar”. He might have just crossed the limit but to no gain. She just didn’t mind the voice it seemed. He caught up with her and tapped her shoulder. “ Madam, unga bag ah busliye maranduteenga”. She turned back and was astonished to see him again. Her expression changed to a one with surprise and thankfulness as her eyes fell on her bag. She took the bag from him, opened it and took out a white instrument and plugged it to her ears. When she blushed this time, his heart was flushed yet again, but not with droplets of love. It felt like an earthquake was coming down upon him and the epicentre at his heart. “ Thanks a lot. Idula than en aid , en purse ellame irundudu.. Miss pannirundenna would have been a big problem....Thank u very much...... I dunno how to say thanks.... Inga oru coffee day iruku...come i’ll buy you a coffee.. pls....don’t say no”...

“Illa sister, no no... Edukku Coffee ellam.....Paravaillai...its cool, sister.....U cary on, sister... Enaku konjam vela iruku, sister, bye”. (Thenpaandi seemayile, therodum veediyile..) He had never thought he would say that. As he turned back, there was no sandal, no jasmine, he could see the beggars and the rickshaws back on the street.

The creeper gave roots again. Burp!! Ghajini had another sumptuous meal............

(SORRY for the non-tamil population....Also this proves that I know more about Chennai than just Nandanam Signal)

The Revelation

2009-05-30T08:58:00.000-07:00

As part of the inner exploration process that I am under(have lots to explore :-P), I wondered today morning “when did I become fat?”. I asked my mom and she said “You have always been fat”. I knew that wasn’t true. So I couldn’t take that as an answer. Then I asked my dad and he said he didn’t remember. A fair answer. After all I myself didn’t remember. I had to find out. I thought of messaging my school friends, but then I would be lowering my self-esteem to the basement level. Romba Kevalama Irukum. So I thought and thought and thought until I remembered this.

I rushed to my cupboard and opened the locker inside and took out the pack of cards well preserved with a rubber band over them . It was the identity cards that I had in every year of my school. I had kept them safe to look back at my past later in life. I kept them in order from UKG(Upper Kindergarten) to the present college ID on my table on my study table and alas a cold wave of realisation hit me. I had been super smart as a small kid(koncham over than , adjust pannikinga) and then grown into a rather shabby creature. I could see it. It was around 7th – 8th that I had collected all the fat. Maybe it was the time I got interested in chat items. Maybe it was the new interest in ice-cream. Ah I Dunno what I had done then?? Cha , bledy 7th standard.

The progress rate has been exponential and I have grown into a scary fellow over the years. Those who have seen my photo in my driving license will vouch for that. What to do? No point wailing about it now? Well am moving to Bangalore in a month. Hope thats the change that I have been waiting for. Let god help me reverse the trend that I have been setting over the past years.

OH god Pls help me!!

The Second half of May 2009

2009-05-30T08:16:00.000-07:00

For the past 14 days at home, I have been absolutely vetti and bored to the core that I have started reacting in strange ways. IPL had me going till last Sunday. Was rooting for CSK till Mani and MSD spoiled the show. But the final was a happy occasion as the Goltis gave a splendid performance to lift the cup.

But then, that was it. Since then, my daily routine has been to sleep till 10 in the morning, to wake up and pointlessly lie on my bed for an hour, then to devour the newspaper until nothing’s left other than the obituary column. Then I move on to bathing and then lunch and then try to do something constructive on facebook! with my super fast dial-up internet connection. I end up pressing F5 half the time I try to browse and the other half spent on signing in and re-signing in in several ‘Not Responding’ pages. This makes me so tired that I switch from my computer to my TV to watch K TV, irrespective of whats being shown. I even ended up watching “Onbathu Rupaai Nottu” and “Monisha En Monalisa”.( For those who don’t know, they are films which just lost out to TZP and Lagaan on Oscar Nominations :-P).

During the nights I have been trying to read Jeffrey Archer's latest novel ”Paths Of Glory”. But sadly, even the usually enigmatic Archer has let me down this time with downright boring stuff. Then I eat dinner while watching “Thirumathi Selvam”( A TV show on SUN TV which has been garnering TRP at an exponential rate. Over Plot. Must Watch for Everyone.) . Then I fight with my internet yet again, which is a more fierce opponent now, thanks to late night traffic. By midnight I try to stream and watch some You Tube videos (ahem!) but it is true that till date I haven’t buffered a video more than 55 seconds.(Netone sucks, I regret cursing our i-lab speed back in college). By this time, I am totally tired and exhausted and without much choice, I go to bed. And the next day follows without even a single change. :-(

This 10 days at home has been so boring that I miss Pearl and even D-mess(my mom cooks well, but still) and so many other elements of college. I wish I was still there not knowing what ‘bored’ meant.

PS:
1. I have applied for broadband and am eagerly awaiting it!! Hurray!!
2. Even this blog is a by-product of the vettiness that I am experiencing.
3. Also I am going to North India trip from June 5th..SO only 6 days to kill!! YES!!

The Race (RMS 1)

2009-05-29T10:20:00.000-07:00

I never expected to reach till here. Had driven miserably and lost in all the previous trial rounds. Had almost given up, but that's when Chikku did the necessary..gave me the encouragement and guidelines to crack the race. With him, had won the final trial by thousandth of a second. It was a dream come true. And now it was the final race.

We had a new car for the finals. A white BMW. It reminded me of Shadowfax. SO graceful. So elegant. So rich. It was the spotlight of the race. I could see all the eyes prying on it. Lucky me! The other cars looked like second hand ones near my girl. MY GIRL. The track was equally new to me. I dint know the curves and bends of it, I dint know the flow of it. I had to be cautious. Earlier Chik and I had a dilemma between wet and dry tyres, but had settled on dry tyres.

Something said to me that it was going to be my day. 'RA Instinct' Like Raghavan Instinct.

The time had come. I gripped the steering hard. It was amazing. so comfortable, so cozy, could stay put there for hours. The lights started to glow. The countdown had started. Five ... I had to do it!.....four...there was no gettin away now!.....three.......chill, u can do it!....two..........u can!.........aaand...gooooo. Race oN!.....I stepped up the gears and started real fast... could see the blue renault and the red ferrari ahead of me.... I moved laterally to avoid the smoke bellowing out of them. I dint know the circuit well..I had to drive safely...Couldn't take risks...

I zoomed past everyone in the stands...I could hear them shouting my name!! MY NAME!! WHOA!. And then i took that turn....WoW! what a circuit...to my left was lush green... a beautiful mountain with coniferous trees all over it.....what a sight...it reminded me of my college trips. And to my right..lovely sea..blue all the way till i cud see...ah.... did i see a dolphin there?....a visual treat.. I had never seen such a picturesque track... Wat more could one ask from Mother Nature?

Thud... I felt a sharp pain on my upper back...I lost control of my steering ... I tried to brake but it was too late....... I swivelled in my car as I broke thru the barricades and bang!!!!...straight into the sea... I was literally flying over the vast blue sea now....

"Enda ethana naala indha pazha pona game eh ada pora..ezhundu veetuku edavadu vela panra somberi....dhandasoru.".........My mother's voice came blaring out....I rubbed my back and walked out of my room..

GAME OVER flashed on my laptop screen....