HAPLESS FEDERER?????????????????

Saucy Sardonix has been at it again!
Post 2003, his first Wimbledon crown, Roger Federer had myriad adjectives prefixed to his name. They ranged from phenomenon, invincible, master, indomitable and so on in that genre… But come Roland Garros 2008, Federer and the rest of the world watched and heard in disbelief how the word hapless prefixed his illustrious name! Rafael Nadal was a prodigious teenager when the maestros of the tennis world predicted him to be the man who would challenge Federer's domination of the pro men's tennis. His liking for the slow red clay was well known. Fittingly he picked up his 1st French open in 2004 and from then on proceeded to dominate the world of clay. His penchant for long rallies, powerful topspin forehand and lightning fast court coverage helped him cement his position as the No.1 player on clay. The French open final of 2007 was a set short of a classic. Nadal won in 4 sets and Federer made a match out of it. The 2007 Wimbledon final was widely regarded as a classic with Federer emerging the victor in 5 thrilling sets. What Nadal accomplished with that epic 5 setter was to send a strong but silent message that he was fast improving on surfaces other than clay.

2008 has been arguably one of the most miserable years for Federer. By his own lofty standards he has been a miserable failure. By the general standards of men's tennis he has been just another ordinary player. An illness hampered his defense of the Australian open and that defeat to Djokovic boosted the adrenaline of many others. He won the Estoril open thanks to a walkover and without a single win, on the tennis court in a final; in 2008 he stepped onto the red clay of Roland Garros. Rafa by contrast just came off an unbeaten clay court season and was the booker's favourite to be the lord and master of Paris for the 4th time running. On june 8th 2008 the Philippe Chatrier court hosted the now familiar duo of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer for the 3rd time in a row. Over the next 108 minutes the aghast Parisian crowd witnessed the most comprehensive demolition of the swiss master in a grand slam final. Rafa winning a no contest in straight sets 6-1 6-3 6-0.

The magnitude of his loss made the ever sporting Federer apologize to the crowd for wining just 4 games after he showered compliments on Rafa's game. The statistics that were unearthed were mind numbing. It's the first time since 1999 that federer had dropped a set 6-0. He faced break points on all but 1 of his 11 service games. It was the shortest French open finals in 28 years. Yes. Roger Federer is inching closer to that elusive summit on which nests the mantle of 'all time great. But can he find a way to shake off the Majorcan master Rafa whose tizzy topspin helped him equal Borg's record of 28 consecutive wins on the red French rectangle?

Surely the easiest option for 'hapless clay court Federer' is to find the high from the "grass" on the London suburbs across the Chanel. Should Rafa win on the hallowed grass of Wimbledon this year then men's tennis is in for serious overhaul. The white attire and green lawns have generally been possessive with Roger Federer and he is yet to lose a match in 35 appearances here. But will there be a repeat of the classic 225 min epic of last year's men's final? Will the supreme swiss master retain his vice like grip over the London lawn? Are the makers going to scribe a new name on the cup this year for the first time since 2003? Will Roger Federer retrieve the temporarily detached prefix of 'supreme' to his name or will the world watch a crownless swiss king for the 3rd time this year? July 6th 2008 will answer these questions.

The year of the Lotus has just begun in Karnataka.
The southern bastion has been broken into....

Hate and anger gives you the unrestricted license to assume, presume and imagine all sorts of non-existent contortions to reality.

And guess what, all the contortions and unreal things also begin to take a 'real' facade! :(

It takes maturity of mind and a subsumation of one's ego to take the first step forward.

But then, why the hell should you take the first step ?

This is why the conflict deepens and never reaches a mutually amicable solution.

"very morose and depressed"
Don't think too much!
"My thoughts are killing me!"
That, my dear, is always a power struggle - between you and your thoughts.
Who is the master and who is the slave ? Sometimes, the master himself is enslaved and overpowered in strange, unconceived thoughts.
"Let go of the overpowering nature of the thought, put it in 'hibernate' mode and believe in the dumbness of your actions, at times. Period."

In all humility, that's the sanest thing you could ever do.

*****

You often go back to a time (or many!) when you were dumb, stupid and ignored the writing on the wall (but, who wrote it? Which wall is this?!) Refused to trust your sixth sense and chose to believe in the ephemeral comfort of the big words spoken. Words which were shallow and devoid of any promise or hope but you chose to believe them, foolishly or wisely. Perhaps a fleeting thought to the slippery path, but no, how could that happen ? Finally, it was your choice - to be dumb and stupid and not trust your instincts. And you paid the price for it.
Instinct is a powerful factor in determining the road you take in your life.
Play the game by instinct!

*****

When you cannot empathise or understand, why sympathise ?
I am what I am and what I choose to be.
I don't want your sympathy!

My Century ;)

A 100 + posts!
And still batting at 103 not out.
Preparing for the long haul- some sadly played dot balls, some quickies (think straight, people!), few smashing fours and a thundering six...few and far between.. perhaps it has it all.

On a serious note, I finally discovered how much I love writing - just for the sheer joy and pleasure of it.

Ridiculous, absurd and more...

In an excerpt of an interview of Sir Salman Rushdie reported in the Hindustan Times :
On marriage...
"Girls like it, especially if they've never been married before -- it's the dress. Girls, want a wedding, they don't want a marriage. If only you could have weddings without marriages."

So, according to Mr. Rushdie, women rushed to the altar only because they wanted to wear a "wedding dress".

What on earth does he mean to say ? If he wants to take potshots at one particular woman, let him do that. Why make such a sweeping generalisation on womankind?

This stinks of an outright sexist, biased and chauvinistic attitude and at so many levels...

Its as ridiculous as saying men just want to drink beer, watch TV and have sex.

Absolutely disgusting and repulsive.....

'Frisky' seal!

The Sunday Times of India had an interesting news item covered today and its headline ran : 'Frisky' seal tries to rape a penguin".

Some interesting parts thereof are reproduced herein :

"The incident, which was caught on tape, is the first reported case of a mammal trying to have sex with a member of another class of vertebrate, such as a bird, fish, reptile or amphibian. "

And the seal's modus operandi, though not a m0del of success to follow (other amorous seals to particularly note!):

"First, the 15-and-a-half stone seal subdued the 2-and-a-half stone penguin by lying on it, which made the penguin flap its flippers while it tried in vain to stand and escape. The seal alternated between resting on the penguin and thrusting its pelvis, trying to insert itself, but the bird played hard to get and the seal gave up. "At first glimpse, we thought the seal was killing the penguin. Marion Island is the only place where Antarctic fur seals are known to hunt king penguins on land, so the idea that the seal was trying to eat the object of its attention made sense. But then we realised that the seal's intentions were rather more amorous," The Sun quoted. Nico de Bruyn, of the Mammal Research Institute at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, as saying. According to the team who recorded the event, the seal was young, frustrated and sexually inexperienced and thus was unable to find another seal for sex."

"Young, frustrated and sexually inexperienced" - I almost feel sorry for the poor seal!
When it comes to animal instincts, well, what can one say! :)

ramblings on may day

Today, May 1st - Labour day/May Day/International Worker’s Day , is not a holiday for our office ( a law firm).
So whats the big deal?
Personally speaking, it does not make a difference to me.

From another angle, my boss says we (lawyers) are not labourers but professionals! Hence even the concept and the holiday is not applicable to us.

How are labourers different from professionals? At the end of the day, individuals work – whether for a living or for a pastime or whatever other reason- and they invariably end up doing what gives them the immediate opportunity to work and make a decent amount of money to take care of themselves and their family and extended needs.
The ‘being good at one’s job” is again due to lot of factors like attitude, adequate training, supervision, continuous learning and improvement. So, to me, there is no big difference between say, a house maid, road sweeper, a construction worker, tailor, lawyer, banker, doctor et al. (I am overlooking the skill vs. unskilled part but that would mean entering another domain altogether). Why then can’t we view labourers also as professionals ?

Its like the difference between socialism and capitalism. I dont recollect who said it but I have heard it from my dad :
In capitalism, man exploits man. And in Socialism, its the other way round!
The quote has a Shaw-esque sound to it and could be G.B.Shaw, for all you know. But a google search mentioned JK Galbraith and also that it is a Polish proverb!

A Tequila Sunrise ... but who saw the sun rise ?

PS : ITS ALL IN THE MIND! :)

Dead Souls

1) One fine morning, a lady goes to her supervisor at a workplace and says, “I need 3 days leave. My grandfather passed away.” The Supervisor lifts her head, “Oh no! You are not going to fool me with these stories and get some days’ leave! I would like to speak to your mother. Right now.”
The lady pulls out her cell phone and dials the number and is about to mouth a hello into the phone when the supervisor snatches the cell phone from her hand uttering, “I know all the tricks you and your mother may play. All for some leave! Let me talk to her directly.”
The supervisor gets on the call and barks something like “So I heard your father passed away?” Which is presumably confirmed by the mother.
The call ends. And the supervisor tells the lady as to why she requires 3 days leave? what is she going to do in three days anyway ? The grandfather has anyway died!


2) A colleague of mine lost his father all of a sudden few weeks back and had to fly urgently out of town. He reportedly requested for 20 days leave and was granted the leave. 10 days or so pass by when his manager/supervisor walks up to me one evening and starts off about how this colleague has not yet turned up at work, has gone on leave for a long time, so much work pending, blah blah blah....... I keep quiet and stare at him not knowing what to respond. When he goes on and on, it gets me all charged up and I retort "Well, he has not gone for a vacation. His dad died all of a sudden!” Our conversation ended then and there but it left a disgusting taste in me...


Both these unrelated incidents totally cheesed me off by this insensitive attitude of the Supervisor and the manager - at the workplace, which is in most cases like our second home given the amount of time we spend there. It definitely does not need extra intelligence to figure the sorrow, anguish, anger and frustration caused by the loss of a near and dear one. The least one can do is to be a good support for the person going through such a phase and ensure to be sensitive, kind and patient with him.
Does that call for much effort ?
The answer is quite simple: Yes. And we will go that extra yard if we care for the person from a humanitarian level.


*****


While I was in graduation college, a friend of mine lost her father to a heart attack in the morning. It jolted all of us who knew her and her family due to the suddenness with which it happened. We must have been around 18-19 years that time. I used to go to her place every day to be there with her, though honestly I was at a loss for words whenever I met her that time. Words are such poor comforters in times of death. I mean, what can you say to make the other person feel better, happy and cheerful ? Absolutely nothing.

So we would spend afternoons together at her place in a very quiet way, trying to read the newspapers, staring at the walls, listening to the visitors and guests go on about her 'plight', taking her dog for walks etc.

On one such afternoon, she was in a particularly emotional mood when by way of consolation and for want of not knowing anything else to say, I said something like "I understand". She immediately replied, "No, you don't. You just do not realise what it is to lose a parent. So dont say that".



Does one always understand the depth of emotions only when he/she has been through a similar experience ?
What about the quality of empathy ? Which comes if we open up our minds and listen ? Does n’t all this constitute the emotional quotient of a person ?



*****


Dictionary.com describes 'empathy' as follows :

–noun 1. the intellectual identification with or vicarious experiencing of the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of another.

2. the imaginative ascribing to an object, as a natural object or work of art, feelings or attitudes present in oneself: By means of empathy, a great painting becomes a mirror of the self.



*****

“We may have found a cure for most evils; but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all—the apathy of human beings.” - Helen Keller

*****

After 2 years on the hunt (of course, in my laidback lethargic style, which again is quite a sophisticated way of describing laziness), I have finally taken the plunge.... :)
So what's with the staller, excusez-moi!!! This was a swift move!!
Checkmate, Saucy Sardonix?!!

calendar

My calendar's finally out! Yippee!

All thanks to a 'general frustration' of not liking any of the new year calendars, I thought why not make my own calendar with my favourite pictures ? I was doubtful as to how I would go about it given my lack of graphic designing skills. Shared this during a phone conversation with A who immediately volunteered to help me and encouraged me to plunge head-on into the assignment.
Started this in January like a miserable late-latif and by february it was put on the back burner due to a big project I was working on. March - I told myself I should not let this fade away.. and decided to re-arrange and print from April 2008 to March 2009 (the financial year).
All the photographs were taken by me in the course of the year gone by with a couple or so taken in 2006. The prints of some snaps like the papaya leaves, paintings, the leaves behind the glass (already posted in this blog) came out beautifully but a favourite sunset and the yawning lioness, got fairly botched in the print versions! :(

Snow Mountain Ranch, Colorado

This is a series of paintings hung around the stairs in a hotel in Pondicherry. "Faithful as a slot machine"!!! Touche!


Below the papaya tree at home. One of my favourite sunday spots!

A says this sunset at Sravanabelagola has a water-colour effect!

I keep clicking this kind of pictures all the time - looking up at the trees in the background of the blue sky. And yes, there is a lot of 'sky' in most of my pictures.

The beautiful Jog Falls!

Refer my earlier comment. My favourite tree also would n't be spared of the ordeal!

The yawning lioness, totally unruffled by its onlookers at the Lion/Tiger Safari in Bannerghatta - I love this snap!

The mushroom in the midst of withered leaves ....

I printed 4 sets thinking atleast 2 will end up at my home and to my surprise, I don't have even a single one to keep with me, for memory sake. And got 5 more orders! Plus financial advice from K who says I should treat this as Business Development expenses! Uff, too much!

A is my 50 % partner in this venture, if I could call her that. I can't thank her enough for her patience and perseverance (to see my photo collection and help in shortlisting 12) and for explaining at length how to go about executing the creative part of it. Last but not the least, for giving her artistic inputs and doing a very elegant layout design!

Next up : A has an array of ideas and creativity to unleash. Watch this space!! ;)

'If' and the process of writing

Shashi Tharoor wrote a scathing article on Rudyard Kipling's poem ‘If’ in last week’s Sunday Magazine edition of ‘The Hindu’. As he himself confesses, this is not the first time he has had “a few unkind things” to say on Rudyard Kipling.

Tharoor candidly acknowledges the poem as a favourite in his younger days. “…..he certainly had a way with words, and the words in this poem were not only inspirational, they were rhythmically recitable — and they rhymed pretty well too.”

Tharoor further goes on to introduce the historical context when the poem was written by Kipling. And concludes “So what many see as an inspirational poem full of stirring aphorisms for young people to live by is in fact little more than an apologia for an imperialist misdeed.” “It is time to retire this poem from our curriculums. It is time to relegate Kipling to the darkest recesses of our history, where he and his ilk belong.”

But it makes me wonder whether such a step is warranted in the first place…..

Yes, despite having won the Nobel Prize for Literature way back in early 1900s, Kipling is now widely regarded as an imperialist and racist. The ‘white man’s burden’ will haunt him forever, I suppose! No doubts about that. But how about appreciating literature for literature’s sake?

The poem by itself does not talk about the historical context to an average reader and is quite an inspiring read by itself. It is merely a beautifully written poem consisting of words intricately woven together, taking a moral high ground. I suppose it is for this very reason it still finds a place in English textbooks and students recite it in poetry competitions. Lines of the poem are quoted to this day especially the (evergreen!) famous lines put up at the entrance of the Centre Court at Wimbledon :
“If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;”

Each writer writes on various topics of his/her interests – on a general as well as at a specific level. There is almost always a background which spurs the creative instincts of a writer and in my view, this holds true for most works of art- perhaps it can be extended to the process of creativity? Would n’t there be a tipping point when one starts doing something ? Or an incident which provides the initial spark (and/or general context) to write about a particular feeling in relation to that incident? Is n’t that how the process of writing flows ? And is n't this process of putting words on a piece of paper – be it a poem, novel, short story, play or any other form – quite internal to the writer who is, of course guided by his/her ideologies, beliefs, socio-economic and cultural backgrounds, among others, which then serves as a background for that piece of writing ?

PS : The poem “If” happens to be one of my favourite poems (I had posted it on this blog as well) and I feel a surge of inspiration flowing through my veins everytime I read it. I cannot however deny that I did not know the historical context (vaguely) or about Kipling’s imperialist leanings. Not given to any of the views attributed to Kipling, I merely choose to separate the historical context from stopping my enjoyment of what I feel is a good piece of literature.

PPS : In a modern day context, I honestly wonder if if I would react in a similar way to a beautiful piece of writing by say –for example - Osama Bin Laden or Prabhakaran, Bal Thackeray or even George Bush. And therein ends the similarity!

Musings - a movie, a book and little bit more...

Watched a neat movie couple of weeks back- “Khuda kay Liye”.
Amidst all the publicity of it being the first Pakistani movie to be released in India in 4 decades, I liked the overriding theme and the many issues the director has tried to address in a pretty rational manner. Full marks to him for the end product.

And why Islamic fundamentalism ? Does n’t ‘extremism’ in any religion or ideology bring about a similar result ?

While on the movie, I was trying to remember the movie I watched on the big screen before that- ‘Casino Royale’ perhaps?! I can’t even recollect!

From watching a movie a week (and this is excluding the 1-2 movies I used to watch on Star movies, HBO, Zee and Sony TV on a daily basis) while in law college to watching a movie once in you-don’t-remember-when is quite a journey, if you may call it that, I suppose.

While the movie watching habit has definitely been on a gradual decline over the last 3 years or so, what I have ensured to not just keep afloat, but alive and kicking is my reading habit. In the last 2 months, I read “The Kite Runner” (breezy and enjoyable) and “A Thousand Splendid Sons (soulless!) by Khaled Husseini, “The Afghan” by Frederick Forsyth (interesting initially, but then the ‘neo-con Bush’ agenda took over), “Mistress” by Anita Nair (fascinating especially the interplay between Kathakali, art and Indian mythology set in the background of an adulterous relationship in Kerala), besides some writings of Tagore and poetry (off and on).

While these are all fiction/bestseller category (except Tagore and the poetry bit) and relatively easy on the mind to read after a hard day’s work, what had me gripped was the unexpected one! Till I saw that book, I never knew about it. Nor have I read about the author or his other books.

The title “The Swallows of Kabul” first caught my attention at the bookshop while I was searching for an old book of William Dalrymple. The photograph on the cover was haunting- A woman in a light blue burqa amidst the dry landscape of the mountains and some building in ruins (reminded me of that afghan girl’s photograph which appeared on National Geographic magazine ages ago).

“In the middle of nowhere, a whirlwind spins like a sorceress flinging out her skirts in a macabre dance; yet not even this hysteria serves to blow the dust off the calcified palm trees thrust against the sky like beseeching arms.” Thus began the first few lines.

And I bought the book to finish reading it the very next day. A hard-hitting book, written in a very poignant manner, on the despair and hopelessness faced by 2 couples under the Taliban and how the prevailing socio-economic situation plays havoc with their individual lives, which of course, has spun out of control from their hands. Very depressing, horror-ridden and thought-provoking.

What is the end purpose of all this – you wonder? And, more importantly, at what cost does one pursue that purpose? At any cost? So it seems.

It only made me realize (all the more) how we are so much better off living in a democracy – with all its hassles, corruption et al.

I am digressing here, but me thinks democracy, for all its flaws and imperfections, is definitely the best solution mankind has been able to come up when it comes to forms of government – at the end of the day, it does have some semblance of equity, fairness and continuity of process. The evolving role of the modern state vis-à-vis enriching quality of human life and facilitating the development of groups of people is a subject which has been on my mind and reading this book only crystallized those thoughts further. Perhaps will write about it soon.

PS: Reading another interesting book "Age of Kali" by William Dalrymple and excited about my first Kafka book, next on the list! Has the metamorphosis begun ?!

sitting on my deadlines and watching them die.....

Ode to a city!

On a 2 day trip to the city of Hyderabad some time back, I literally fell in love with the sights and sounds of the city, its old world charm - in the Charminar and its bylanes, Lad Bazaar, the ruins of the Golconda, the falooda, biryani (vegetarian!), the absolute chaos on the roads with pedestrians, hawkers, cyclists, autorickshaws, two-wheelers, cars and buses jostling for space in that narrow galli (every rule on the road is a rule meant to be broken - Bangalore, please take note), the Karachi Bakery biscuits, the Lasa Lamsa tea, the beautiful architecture of the erstwhile Nawabi State (now mostly government offices), the mosques and last but not the least, the kalamkari fabrics and the pearls!

Some reminicenses......

Never mind that I suffered a bad attack of flu which was attributed to the falooda. It may or may not have triggered it, but at the end of 2 days, I enjoyed what the city offered!

I am a Frost Girl!!!

My first poem of Robert Frost ended with the lines made popular by Nehru:

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep."

From thereon, I have read some of his poems and each one has left an impression in some way or the other.

I recently re-read two poems after a while : "Fire and Ice" and "Reluctance" and got immersed in it, totally!

Fire and Ice

Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.

From what I've tasted of desire

I hold with those who favor fire.

But if it had to perish twice,

I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great

And would suffice.

Reluctance
Out through the fields and the woods

And over the walls I have wended;

I have climbed the hills of view

And looked at the world, and descended;

I have come by the highway home,

And lo, it is ended.
The leaves are all dead on the ground,

Save those that the oak is keeping

To ravel them one by one

And let them go scraping and creeping

Out over the crusted snow,

When others are sleeping.
And the dead leaves lie huddled and still,

No longer blown hither and thither;

The last long aster is gone;

The flowers of the witch-hazel wither;

The heart is still aching to seek,

But the feet question 'Whither?'
Ah, when to the heart of man

Was it ever less than a treason

To go with the drift of things,

To yield with a grace to reason,

And bow and accept the end

Of a love or a season?

Lets your mind ponder over so many things and reflect on the lessons learnt and not learnt in hindsight! :)

Rule No. 1 : Thou shall get what thou shall not go in search of!
Rule No.2 : Rule No.1 wins over most resistance movements!

And the Technophobe gets, what else, but "god's own jewel", as described by a friend!

To cut the delusion of grandeur, well, the majority of mankind refers to it as a blackberry.

Someone once asked this Technophobe, "Why is it called a blackberry and not a blueberry?" leaving the Technophobe to her own ruminations.

huh! So much for championing the Resistance-to-Gadgets (RTG) movement. Perhaps, it was always a losing battle the Technophobe was fighting in the battlefield of her mind.

Life with "god's own jewel" goes on!

Forest and River

I had read "Forest and River" (english translation) long time back, during my graduation days - I dont even recollect the exact occasion. But I somehow lost track of it and could not lay my hands on this beautiful poem by Jalal-ad-Din Rumi, despite hours and hours spent googling it many late nights. So my joy knew no bounds, when by sheer chance, peering through the pages of an English textbook of a cousin, I came across this poem right in the midst of AK Ramanujam, Edgar Allan Poe and Nissim Ezekiel!

"I wish I were like you,"
Said the forest
to the roaring river,
"Always travelling,
always sightseeing;

Rushing towards the pure domain
of the sea,
The kingdom of water;
Water,
The passionate, vigorous spirit
of life,
The liquid turquoise of light
With eternal flow…

“But what am I?
Only a captive,
Chained to the earth.
In silence I grow old
In silence I wither and die,
And before long
nothing will remain of me
But a handful of ashes.”

“O forest, half-asleep, half-awake”,
Cried the river,
“I wish I were you,
Enjoying a seclusion
of living emerald,
And illuminated by moonlit nights;
Being a mirror
reflecting the beauties of Spring;

A shaded rendezvous for lovers.

“Your destiny, a new life
every year;
My life, running away from myself
all the time;
Running, running, running
in bewilderment;
And what is my gain
Of all this meaningless journey?
Ah…never having a moment of calm
and rest!”

No one can ever know
what the other feels;
Who does care to ask
about a passer-by
If he really existed
or was only a shadow?
Now a passer-by
Aimlessly walking in the shade
comes to ask himself,

“Who am I? a river? a forest?
Or both?
River and forest?
River and forest!”

- Translated by Zhaleh Esfahani

GOD, god, God, GAWD

I am muddled up infinitely with capitals & proper nouns :(
Maybe should take a crash course in proper nouns. That is all is needed to take care of whatever little sanity is still left within me.

And the mention to god (forgetting the caps for a moment) is only literal.

one hundred percent ramblings

This has to be one of my worst days ever…..feeling like I am at the bottom of a ravine and its pitch dark…..
The feeling of emptiness - Its so abstract, so devoid of description yet something so relate-able deep within….
A thousand thoughts come hammering at me and yet sanity, logic and perspective are engaged in a duel to retain the upper hand.
Does mere hard work bring one success ? Of course with the old fashioned accompaniments of sincerity, and integrity ?
And then it would be sincerity to what ? Whose integrity ? And for what purpose ?
Besides these, would other things count ? The art of careful dodging, skillful manipulation, slimy wheeldealing, weaving elaborate webs of cunning schemes, twisting words et al….
In such an event, I don’t want that kind of success.
I would rather be unsuccessful in the eyes of the world. And continue being successful on my terms and honest with myself.
I cherish my integrity, beyond anything else
And frankly, I care a damn, at the end of it. I have closed the door and moved on, enriched by the experience.
And this elevating thought is exactly what will kick me out of the ravine I find myself in!

SOOOPER TUESDAY

Hope(s) is really the thing with feathers that walks out in Brisbane ! ;)

Our very own Super Tuesday - beating Obama's Super Tuesday hands down!!!!

Watta match! Should have sat at home and watched it. :(

Alas, that is merely a hope, perching in a little corner of my soul, fluttering its wings once in a while.....

Whats the best thing about a leap year ?
Once in 4 years, you work an extra day for the same pay!
huh!
Very enlightening. Thank you!

Life is so funny.
Just when I am at peace moving with the calm and placid waters, there comes a ripple.... unsettling the 'stillness' I have seemingly settled into;
I feel neither happiness nor any overwhelming joy.
Maybe, it's just being pulled by the currents ?
Once upon a time, this would have elicited a better, excited response. Now, its not meaningless but then its not my only source of joy or excitement.
Another stark reminder of how change is truly the one constant in life.

The Opposite of Love ?

In the midst of discussing about love and life with a friend, I wonder what is the opposite of love ? Not hate, though that’s what would be the preferred antonym listed in many dictionaries.

In reality, I suppose it would have to be indifference.

You can spot it if someone is indifferent to your presence, speech, action et al…. being unresponsive to the person, laced with apathy and a lackadaisical approach.

Are you indifferent ? Yes and no perhaps. In some ways. In many ways. Sometimes. At times. Always. Depends on how one perceives it.

And then you look back and feel… for what you were indifferent about? And why you were like that ?

Dig a little deeper and there you stumble on it - - you did not want to get hurt. This was your insulation. Your protection mechanism. You draw a line around yourself and that line shall not be crossed. You stick to it with all the adamancy innate in you.

Does that make you cold and heartless, insensitive to your family and friends?

They care about you and love you.

But what about you ? Do you love them?

Do you even care about the effect your words and actions have on them? Or it is just something you take for granted ?

Its just the way you are and they better accept you for what you are. Its too much of an effort to change yourself.

Its better, is n’t it, to not think deeply about such things… How does it matter ?

Does it even matter ?

To you, to them, to anybody ?

Its too depressing to think.

*******
PS : 'Generally' has lost its relevance ‘cos that’s the feeling generally!

hoopoe!

"He is close to us, but we are far from him. If you would be perfect, seek the whole, choose the whole, be the whole"

This sums up the Hoopoe's message to the entire avian fraternity which sought her guidance on the spiritual path.

- Birds of Rishi Valley and Renewal of their Habitats, S. Rangaswami and S. Sridhar.

go for it, babe!

15 minutes

Speed 6.00

Incline of 3

And that brought the magic number of 100!!! :))

and now, yeh dil maange more! :(

to think about ....

Should there be an aim/ purpose in everything I do ?

Should the 'why' of doing an act assume importance ?

What about sheer aimlessness of doing of an act .... ?

Word of the day!

Dictionary.com 'Word of the Day' for Thursday, January 24, 2008

nolens volens \NO-lenz-VO-lenz\:

Whether unwilling or willing.

Beneath the surface, little-noticed but fundamental changes are taking place that must compel both sides, nolens volens, sooner or later to reconfigure their tortured but inseparable relationship.-- Bernard Wasserstein, Israelis and Palestinians

Events have put NATO in a position where it is the policeman of Europe and beyond, nolens volens.-- "NATO then Nato now", Daily Telegraph, April 23, 1999


After all, I'm not sure that I'm so angry with them, for it means that now you've got to remain here indefinitely -- nolens volens.-- Mina McDonald, "True Stories Of The Great War: Some Experiences In Hungary", History of the World, January 1, 1992

Nolens volens is from the Latin, from nolle, "to be unwilling" + velle, "to wish, to be willing."

"Khoon (kaun?) in a democracy"

Ladees and juntelmen, bhaiyon aur behenon, aap ke liye haazir hai, ek skit of a different kind....."Khoon (kaun?) in a democracy"
[Er, how different, you be the judge!]

Claps and then….

A voice wails: "And there she lies, her blood soaked body…her life cut short by this dastardly act."
"Murder, murder, murder!"
[no, no, yeh Mallika nahi hai bhai, aise kamar ke close-ups nahi milnewala.]

Another voice joins in: "She gave her life for the country and its people! Her people!"
"Hail Martyr!"
[oops, sorry Hitler, but this line really sounded good here.]

A voice questions: "Is it a jinx or a curse? Father, sons and now the daughter? Aey Khuda, ab aur kaun bacha hai ?"

Somewhere not sure from where, a distant echo : "Abhi aur hai na! Sad 'Woh' (!), ladka and chokri abhi hai."

A voice whispers: "Khandaan ka naam tho abhi roshan karna hai!"

An agitated voice, counter-whispers: "Arey, arey, naam! Naam tho khandaan ka nahi hai, magar khoon hai na ? Jaldi naam badal dalo! Aakhir khoon khoon hi hai!"
[Bhaisaheb, khoon khoon ke sevaai, aur kya ho bhi saktha hai?]

Sad 'Woh': "Unki aakhri tamanna … unhone likhke rakhkha hai! Ab jo hoga, jaise mohtarma chahthi thi….. Mein unki ichcha ka paalan karoonga. Her wish is my command."
[AaaH!! How romanteeeq.]

A voice sternly announces: Sad 'Woh' ko tashreef karne ke liye bolo. Chori se bolo kuch naach gana na karen. Ladke ko bulao!

Mohtarma ke anthim vasiyat naama sunai ja rahi hai!

"Yeh party, meri party … iske liye maine kya nahi kiya hai…. Kitne baar jail gayee hoon, hazaaron case ladi hai maine,….. aur apna khoon bahaya hai. Aur mera khoon hi isse aage le jaayega. Aur kaun hai ?"

[Right, who else can take 10 % cuts, build mansions, open multiple bank accounts across Europe, jet-set between Dubai, New York and London. Oh, London, a bit more… New York too long, you see, gets a bit boring.]

Voices : "Ab usko yeh zimmedari leni padegi. Ladke ko. Magar padai katam karne ke baad. Abhi chota aur nadaan hai. …"

[Chota bachcha samaj ke humno na samjhana re!]

Beta ka durbar mein pravesh!

Voices : "Kitna smart dikhta hai na ? Kuch "higher studies" kar raha hai, bolte hai.
Maaloom nahi kya. "Abroad" mein!
Achchi baat hai! Aakhir uski maa ka beta hai.
Khoon ka rishta hai."

[Oh Mother! Lead us from darkness to light. Take us out of this drudgery. We shall all get our deliverance from this mire through and only through your bloodline. Yessssss!]

Beta : I shall follow my mother's wishes. This was her wish. I have no choice but to accept it. This is the only way democracy survives and democracy is the need of the hour, right now, right here. We believe in democracy. Lets all vote for my mother and the life given a(way) to democracy.

[Beta ho to aisa!!]

Sad 'Woh', in a discerning tone: "Ladka naadan hai. Aur tab tak…..main hoon na!"

[Of course, Sad saheb, hum aapke hain kaun jo 'nahi' kahne waale? Jo Zinda wohi Sikandar! Khoon bhari aag, aap mein ab bhi hai. 10 % se 50 % honewala hai!]

Curtain slowly falls. Claps galore. Some silent voices though.

[Legacy, dynasty, democracy, aah!
What legacy do I have to live to… except my own ? Shut up. You just don't have the bloodline, okay ? So forget it.]

[Ok Agreed. I shall start my own business. A political party. And shall bequeath it to my son. Nah, I'll name my daughter as my successor. Being the president for life of a political party is definitely better than being (un)married. Hee hee hee.]

(c) SG : All profits from this skit shall go to the sustainance and promotion of the bloodline of democracy.


DISCLAIMER : This is merely a satirical look at what is happening in young democracies having a feudal outlook (read : India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka... ) There is no intention to cause disrespect caused to any person (living or dead), event or situation.

on a HIGH!

The HIGH without The High continues......

I am on a high!

What could this be due to ? Life's as normal as it was... there 's something so endearing in routine :) Yet....

The dewdrops on the rose early in the morning ?
The early morning chill and the sun lazily coming out by late morning?
The sea, sea and more sea ?
the raging torrents dashing against the rocks,
the waters rushing to the shore and wetting my naked feet…

My mind draws blank.

I have no specific reason or logic or person to attribute it to. Except YT. Its just a high. And its just my state of mind.

Like the notes on a guitar stringing a lilting melody.
I am making it a high note one. :)

of brothers and employers

Pearl of wisdom from a friend on chat :

"There is not much difference in brothers and employers - they are both out there to prove how dumb you are!"

I better appeal to the Government of India to provide me with adequate security ('Z' Category) as I fear a possible threat to my life!


But then, me thinks, they do not need to try hard as such, right ?! No one is shouting from the rooftops about one's intelligence. ;)

PS : A : what are you going to do ?

Win, win win.... that's alright, but at what cost ?
And to what extent ?
Is that really the be-all and end-all in a sport ?
And to achieve that, anything and everything can be done and got away with ?

The total lack of respect to the spirit of the game, rules, fairplay, morals is appalling, to say the very least! And then, of course these guys have the temerity to lecture to the rest of the world about 'fair play' and 'spirit of the game', give press conferences on walking out before waiting for the umpire's decision, make a big hue and cry about "questioning their integrity"!

Fine, let Australia win. We should just give our wickets deliberately. First 10 balls of the Indian innings - the Indian batsmen get out. No defence, no protecting their wicket. Just getting out being the motto. And let the Aussies keep and sleep with their records.

Just leave us in peace.

Not linking it to the umpiring decision or the ban on our teammember, I strongly feel the Indian team should just leave for India and then have a "Boycott Australia" programme for the next 2 years. Never mind the monetary losses, penalties to be imposed,ad revenues et al.

If we pride ourselves in being professional cricketers, then why put up with such unprofessionalism ? Why tolerate it?

Just hit them where it would hurt.

Tryst/s with technology

Let me start my dull, insipid love affair with technology and gizmos with an honest confession – I am quite a technophobe! It takes me a while to get functional with a gadget/gizmo and it stops with that.

I know some people who truly freak out with their gizmos and love them as they come, upgrading their gizmos with every product launch. Unfortunately/fortunately (I don’t know) I am still on the other side of the fence.

When I was applying for a job some years back, I had enlisted a friend’s help to spruce up my resume. When I reached his place, he was working on his laptop and opened my resume on the laptop. Asking me to take a look at what he had done, he left the room. My first reaction - I was instantly petrified, my mind went blank…..! I had never used a laptop without a mouse and slowly started scrolling the up and down keys on the keyboard very uncomfortably, wondering what to do.

I have come a long long way since then but the reaction is quite the same - at first sight. It continued with my digital camera and cell phone. My digital camera was picked up by a friend during one of his trips abroad – he kept asking me what kind of a specification I want and all I told him was something I can easily shoot pictures with. Goes without saying that I had to spend some time reading the User manual before I started using the already ‘user-friendly’ camera. Of course, necessity is also the driver to my getting to know ways of using it with its various features and modes.

A friend of mine in the US is such a great technophobe that she does not even upload her pictures from her digital camera to a computer but just keeps buying memory cards as and when they get over! She has quite a state of the art (so it seemed to me!) GPS installed in her new car (the GPS came with the car) but it was still new and unused when I caught up with her some months back. She confessed she still had n’t figured how to use it and on the day we set out for a weekend outing, we ended up getting lost - driving miles away from where we were supposed to go and at that crucial juncture, she finally figured how to use the GPS.

In both our cases, Necessity is truly the mother of learning how to use a gadget and then including it in our lifestyle. A ‘lifestyle choice’, as dear K calls it.

The thing about technology (like with most other things) is the more you use it, the more you get addicted to it; It is difficult to shake it off. Like my transition from a desktop to a laptop…

And then my laptop crashed – I am fudging it a bit here, twisting the facts…. My laptop fell down as I was talking with a colleague! Sheer carelessness and negligence on my part. For a month, I switched back to a desktop ruminating over my trysts with technology.

And I realized I missed the laptop so much that the result of it is what you are reading now.

ok, my Ipod gift is still lying as I received it over a month back- unopened and unattended to.

***********

There’s also a different take on this – its all about getting used to something, is n’t it? We get used to stuff. That’s all. Hence it’s the comfort factor.

When it’s no longer there, you feel some sort of vacuum – for how long and how much- that depends on us.

But after a while, you get used to it.
Life goes on as if that ‘constant’ factor which suddenly disappeared from your life was a mere aberration, a blur… And you get cosy with newer attractions and interests.

I feel this is true with most aspects of life.

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


A 28 year old software engineer walks into a dental clinic with his arsenal of plug-in electronic devices, wondering why online health care never made it big.

After an assessment of his problem the dentist informs him to come after a week to finish the treatment. The irate techie asks the dentist why doctors can’t work 24/7 like the techies, if need be from home and always available online.

Pat comes the reply from the dentist, “Sure, just leave your mouth with me for a couple of days and take it back once I am done” leaving the techie flabbergasted.

And then it sinks into his ‘frog-in-an-online-well’ brain. Embarrassed and red faced he leaves with his appointment finally realizing that some things are best done OFFLINE!!!

**********

Devaluation ... of another kind ?

Few sectors have benefited from globalization as much as the IT sector. You go to any country in the world, one definitely stands a fair chance of getting into a similar kind of job profile, if it is in the IT sector. Of course, for some, even that is getting out of one’s comfort zone – getting adapted to a whole new work culture, process and manner of going about things.

But what if one works in a sector which is quite country-specific ?

Lets take for example – law. A lawyer in India with a reasonably significant work experience in India in his area of specialisation. What would he do in a similar sector for a living, say, if he wishes to move out of India - to New York ? or Uzbekistan ? Or Peru? Or South Africa? Its definitely not as easy as the IT sector, though perhaps do-able.

A lot has been spoken about globalization ushering in free movement of labour and capital from one part of the globe to another. But besides the IT industry, has it really made a significant difference to many other sectors ?

So should that devalue the other professions ? Because they don’t get posted to 'glamorous' locations, stay in developed nations and travel to often read about places ?

In my opinion, both IT and this travel humbug are overrated and hyped… quite out of their proportion!

And all this from a self-confessed travel humbug working for (not 'in') the IT sector !
ughh!

"I don't want to run away but I can't take it, I don't understand"

As we begin the new year,

"Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers, but to be fearless in facing them.
Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain, but for the heart to conquer it."

- Tagore

How to be a poet!

The December 3rd (2007) issue of "Outlook", Fine Living Section had this to say on "How to be a poet"

"Find the perfect lover. Now lose him/her. Get sickly pale and wan. Go where the weather induces atmospheric mourning. Bitter cold is good. But Autumn when everything is growing, brown, brittle and dying, is even better. Throw together a few sentences, combining nostaligic reminscence with adjectives and cultural references for suffering and torture: tangles sheets, fevered brow, trembling legs, heavy heart, churning stomach, waterboarding. Now hie thee to a publisher and call thyself Keats."

huh! so much for good poetry!

TRANSIENCE

Nay, do not grieve tho' life be full of sadness,

Dawn will not veil her spleandor for your grief,

Nor spring deny their bright, appointed beauty

To lotus blossom and ashoka leaf.

Nay, do not pine, tho' life be dark with trouble,

Time will not pause or tarry on his way;

To-day that seems so long, so strange, so bitter,

Will soon be some forgotten yesterday.

Nay, do not weep; new hopes, new dreams, new faces,

The unspent joy of all the unborn years,

Will prove your heart a traitor to its sorrow,

And make your eyes unfaithful to their tears.

- Sarojini Naidu

IN(X)S

You want to play the game dirty.. your choice.
I refuse to step into the dirt and the filth.
It is purely reflective of you.

I give a damn. But I'll fix it.
The dirt will be laminated and presented to you in due course. One week. Maybe less than that.

And then, of course, we play it all over. With our rules. With my head still held high and maybe a little bit of nose up in the air! And remember, no playing dirty, dears!

Who would be the photographer then ?

HELP HELP HELP!!!!

Who : Crazy Commie


What : On a mission - by hook or crook, in urgent requirement of Rs.11 Lakhs ASAP!


Why : To attain his object of desire! :)


[What to do, she comes at a high price!]


So here's our mission plan (mostly listed by Crazy commie himself) but couple contributed by the humble "facilitator" of the Mission plan:

• Start a Trust Fund with the name "Help Crazy Commie fulfill his tamanna". Donations will be solicited, welcomed, begged and pleaded. 100 % no tax exemption. Strategy : Stand outside every new mall opening in Bangalore holding aloft a banner with the trust fund's name.


• Request this certain person we know to sell his CRV to faciliate Commie attaining his object of desire. But the catch is, who would bell the cat ? ;)


• 'Get into the insides' of the Object of desire and conquer from within. (This has been scoffed at by Commie himself!)


• Buy a locker and run a marathon on a Sunday around Lalbagh, Cubbon Park, Ulsoor Lake and Sankey Tank. (somehow, the locker needs to be on the marathon too!)

The mind is okay, but the heart wants to go for it... this or that ? the R1 or the MT-01?


http://yamaha-motor-india.com/CBU/index-default.html


Take your pick and in case you decide to contribute to Crazy Commie (for no riding rights whatsoever), feel free to get in touch with the writer for negotiating a better deal with Crazy Commie!

The road is long and winding, but I have miles to zoom before I get off.

All this emanating from a 2 AM chat between 2 workaholics. Life just could n't get better!

handsome hunks....

How long does it take to look at someone and conclude he is a handsome hunk ?

2 seconds ? 2 minutes? 2 hours? 2 years ?

I dont need to keep looking at a Surya or George Clooney or John Abraham to conclude they are handsome hunks. Just a glance is enough!
(Apply this 'test' by substituting Brad Pitt for one of the names listed above).

And then mull over this : "I never resist temptation, because I have found that things that are bad for me do not tempt me" - George Bernard Shaw

Hospital blues

One week in a hospital proved to be quite a humbling experience for me.

The emergency ward reminded me of a colony of ants – the doctors, nurses, support staff – all diligently working to save lives of people who land there- limping in pain, supported by their loved ones, unconscious in a stretcher having journeyed to the hospital in an ambulance, or brought in a wheelchair…

Its so diverse and similar at the same time – all have some medical condition which has to be urgently treated so that their lives are saved and they are able to lead a reasonably good quality of life with all their faculties in working condition.

In the course of 1 ½ hours on a lazy Sunday evening, the emergency ward saw so much activity – the nurses, doctors and support staff on duty – each one going about from one patient to the other in clinical fashion. Amidst the tubes, injections, bottles, syringes, tablets in the emergency ward, dark green curtains, made of thick cotton are pulled up to separate rows of beds lined up next to each other.

A nurse is taking blood to start the investigation for a middle aged lady, appearing weak, when suddenly an old man barely breathing, is rushed inside in a stretcher. I learn from the conversation which follows that he has just had a heart attack. The first few minutes is crucial here to enable the person to live. Hence, this case assumes more importance than the other and all attention of the team is focused on ensuring that proper and timely medical care is given to ensure the human life is not lost.

Just when one thinks, the rush has sort of settled down, in comes a stretcher with a young man covered in blood. He is an accident victim, accompanied by his friend.

The stoic expression in the faces of the health care professionals explains it all. Its not indifference but a calm evaluation of a case – very much like any other professional and they put in their best efforts to salvage atleast a decent deal, if not the best.

And in some depressing moments, I held on to that faith- faith in the medical system and the medical professionals. (Thanks to L for pointing that road to me!)

******

One warm Tuesday morning, I stand by the window of the 9th floor room at the hospital and look gloomily at the bustling traffic flowing below on Airport Road- buses, cars and two wheelers jostling for space with the pedestrians, cyclists and omnipresent autorickshaws that dot the city’s roads. A lone policeman stands in the middle of the traffic junction trying to take charge of the busy intersection. All of a sudden, I am shaken out of my dull reverie by a sudden “whish” like sound and lo! a kite flies to the window sill, neatly perches itself therein and stares at me.

The kite looks so majestic and beautiful, its big, brown eyes sharply looking here and there, the moment seems so magical!

I see kites every morning, on my way to work as they are forever hovering around a storm-water drain across my house, but to see one in such close proximity, its quite a thing! I sense my excitement levels slowly rising, when as suddenly as it came, it flutters its wings and soars into the sky, soon out of sight.

******

One moment, she lies weakly on the bed, eyes closed, hands clasped together, no sign of life except her breathing and heart beat. And then, after what seems an eternity, her eyes laboriously open and look at me deliriously. A faint smile of recognition appears in her eyes and she tries to utter something, but no words come out. Unclasping her hands, she stretches her right hand toward my right hand and reaches out to hold me.

Life is all about these small moments, I think. When we would do anything in our capacity to get the smile and life back on the face of someone we love and care about.

******

For a hospital, Manipal Hospital has a very apt and interesting tagline. “Inspired by Life”! In moments when I pushed myself to remain positive and strong, the tagline played its part in keeping my inspirational quotient alive and kicking. One just needs to look at life all around us to feel and remain inspired.

As Activist/filmmaker KP Sasi states in a newspaper article I read some time back : “ I derive my creativity from life. Mainstream views of creativity are set in certain norms. If you write, act, make films, sing, you are creative. But I think life is creative. You need creativity to jump onto a running bus, to hang on in a local train in Mumbai, to cook sambar well. All protest is creative.”


Written on 2nd December 2007

Like the cotton wick of an oil lamp,
drawing out the oil from every nook,
every corner of the lamp;
wherever the traces remain- untapped and hidden,
To keep the fire glowing.


The oil is getting over and the light,
once glowing, is still burning bright.


Its just a matter of time, who can say, for sure ?


It flickers in the wind, almost about to die off,
And then, almost inexplicably,
it comes back to life; glowing a dull fiery yellow,
refusing to fade out into the darkness;

Not as bright as before,
But a lamp's a lamp so long as it has the fire
and the oil to keep it burning.

The Blues

For the Blues in all of us!

Some have it..a little bit more!

Soon, change shall usher in!

But then, the more things change, the more they remain the same!


PS : I know what you are thinking... blue is still blue - not sky blue! I concur 100% dear.

Saucy Sardonix! Uff! Too much!

Get the blog going buddy.... competition always helps!


PS : The ironies of life never cease!!!

Democratic attitudes

How different is Nandigram different than Godhra? We- the educated urban middle class and supposedly socially well placed– were shocked and voiced dissent against Narendra Modi for allowing the “state sponsored” genocide but why is there almost a muted, indifferent reaction to the state sponsored genocide that is happening in Nandigram? A people’s protest against acquisition of their land is quelled and suppressed forcibly, a ruling party’s cadre which runs the State Government cordons off the area, goes on a defensive warpath justifying the action taken, the police is asked not to interfere and people are killed. Who cares?


What is the farmer, the land tiller, the landless labourer’s contribution to the national economy ? Why can’t he give (sacrifice) his lands for the national benefit – the benefit of the ‘public’ at large. We definitely need our bigger cars, our high rise apartments, our huge malls, the plush multiplexes, designer brands, boutique restaurants - after all, we work so hard in air-conditioned offices and contribute to the gross national product of the country being its educated class.

It is disturbing to note that this non-inclusive pattern of development is being pursued relentlessly, in most cases in an autocratic fashion, alienating the vast poor underbelly of the country; we justify this snatching away of their lands and forcing a lifestyle change on them without putting in place adequate opportunities and choices for the displaced. We demand and expect that such a class alone repeatedly pay the price for the development of the nation, the fruits of which are reaped mostly by the affluent.

Is n’t there something intrinsically unjust and unfair in such an expectation? Whatever happened to balanced sustainable development and the democratic process? Does it end with singing paeans to democracy ?

The Diwali News

Diwali is over and hopefully the glitz will end – for the various news channels. Dishing out inane Diwali fare with news hours virtually being converted into movie promotions, trailers, interviews with movie stars and wannabes on how they spend Diwali!

Sample this: Journalists ask the celebrities how they like to spend Diwali. The replies are on these lines: ‘A’ says she likes to light lamps and spend Diwali at home with her family eating sweets and bursting firecrackers. ‘B’, while lighting a flowerpot and wishing viewers of the particular news channel says she is against firecrackers! Incredible! ‘C’ goes on about how she always wears new clothes and performs a puja at her home on Diwali. How enlightening! (As we always thought people eat plum cakes during Diwali.)

An overdose of the ‘Six-pack’ Shahrukh Khan and Farah Khan going ga-ga over “Om Shanti Om” (But, where’s the peace, good lord?), the other ‘Six-pack’ in a white towel in the “White nights” inspiration in an outlandish green/blue studio set with Venetian canals inhabited by a pretty lady running around pillars and the guy mooning over her! Of course, if all this did not significantly increase our awareness of current affairs, there’s still more to come. What did our other heroes a.k.a cricketers do on their day off ? Go and watch the latest Diwali release.

(BTW, the news channels have not yet run a show on the six-pack status of our cricketers.)

That's just what we missed a little bit!

Saawariya?

Its all over the TV channels and hoardings across the city. The big launch of two star kids and a big budget Diwali release of the Hindi movie "Saawariya" (meaning beloved in Hindi) all over India and of course the rest of the world (thanks to our NRIs).

But I am greatly concerned. Concerned about how this movie would be received in the State of Tamil Nadu which speaks a language called Tamil. I wonder how the junta would react to the movie in Tamil Nadu and hope it does not end up like what it means in Tamil.

Such political incorrectness! Perhaps SLB should have asked some Tamil speaking person for an alternative title to release the movie in Tamil Nadu.

Some years back, while I was staying at a paying guest accommodation in Chennai, one of my roommates was from this place ("Ooru" she used to say) called Gobichettipalayam in Erode District. She did not know Hindi at that time and was not aware of Hindi movies/songs etc. So those being the Lagaan days, one morning I was humming the song "O re chorey" from Lagaan, moving to a high-pitched frenzy to "Saawariya…" as the lady singer goes in the song. Suddenly, this roommate sits up alarmed and asks worriedly "What's wrong with you ? Why are you singing this early in the morning?"

I stare at her for rudely interrupting my rhythm. And then it dawns on me- that very second.

"Saawariya" in Tamil roughly translated means "wish to die"!!!!

Good luck to Saawariya in Tamil Nadu!

Interesting signature line of a senior colleague :

"Speak less to the people whom you like most...Because if they can't understand your silence... they can never understand your words."

When would speech be considered 'virtuous'?
At the right time.

And pray what is the right time?
Only time will tell!

Ughhhh!

Blue Sky!

DISCLAIMER : The below write-up is an exceptionally talented piece of the “nonsense” genre. Any reference to a living person is purely and definitely intentional and coincidental. However, the writer refuses to take responsibility for any aftereffects thereof. One shall continue to read and get bored entirely at his/her risk.


This is all about The Blue Sky! Not just some blue sky but The Blue Sky. (Its important).

Aaaah! I so love it! The blue sky – in all its various hues and shades. Reminds me of a mobile service provider’s commercial which goes “green grass, blue sky…”

The blue sky with all the green paraphernalia too. Of warm, happy, sunny days filled with moments of fun, good cheer, mirth, delight, contentment, exhilaration, bliss....

But alas! The blue sky has become grey, cloudy, darker …And its starless, stark and barren now.... Reeking of Sorrow, despair, disappointment, frustration, misery, gloom, desolation, loneliness, forlornness, wretchedness.......

Goodbye Blue sky! Neele neele ambar par chand ab kahan aayega?

PS : To whomsoever it may concern : idhu poruma illa innum venuma ? Unnodu wish ennakku command!

AJ!

One of my early posts was about her and her first meeting with her fiancee. She finally got married on the 21st October after almost a year of eagerly waiting and anticipitating this moment!

When she comes by to invite me to her wedding, she spoke about her dreams and how she was hoping her marriage to be a liberating experience. "I know it will give me lot of freedom, with responsibilities", she says, a tad philosophically.

This from one, who comes from a very conservative family, never went to college, is currently pursuing her graduation by correspondence, comes to work and goes back home by 7 PM, does not go out with friends (not even office lunches).

My fondness for her just keeps growing, kya karen! :)

Here's to you, dear AJ! Keep that beautiful smile on and may you find happiness in all that you do!

“Far away in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead.”

- Louisa May Alcott

Some days are just so beautiful - stay etched in memory for a long time- all thanks to 'pearls' of moments which go to make the day. :)

Fair play

Sitting at a negotiating table with my client and the other party, this thought keeps recurring in my mind - Why can't one be fair and balanced while negotiating a right or a deal or drafting a legal document ? Whats the big deal in being fair and ethical ? Why cut corners ?

Should winning be at the cost of another ?

(Of course, now we swim in the dangerous waters of who is right, fair, ethical..... and the endless debates around it)

"The law, for all its failings, has a noble goal – to make the little bit of life that people can actually control more just. We can’t end disease or natural disasters, but we can devise rules for our dealings with one another that fairly weigh the rights and needs of everyone, and which, therefore, reflect our best vision of ourselves." says Scott Turow.

I do not intend to or set out to make a moral argument for any one profession as such, but perhaps that is something worth sparing a thought to.



*******

I make a conscious effort not to write about my profession and genuinely try to focus on things outside the immediate spectrum of what I do to earn my bread and butter (not to forget the jam, cheese and icecream!) but at times, I feel a compulsive need to write about related topics. Is the dividing line getting thinner between life and work ?!

Perceptions

"Did I create you in my image

or did you create me in yours ?"



Postcards from God, Imtiaz Dharker

Farewell, dear Inzy!

In a way, the Cricket World Cup made and marred his career.

Inzamam-ul-Haq came into the limelight as a young and dashing batsman who played a key role in ensuring Pakistan lift its maiden World Cup in 1992 and it is indeed ironic to note that his end as a cricketer was hastened by Pakistan's shock exit at the 2007 World Cup in West Indies.

Right from 1992 till his retirement, I have enjoyed watching him play and plunder the opposition. The enjoyment was marginally less when he played against India nevertheless what I really like about this amazing cricketer was the simple, unassuming way he carried himself off the field. No wonder he was often famously referred to as the 'gentle giant'.

What a batsman/cricketer he was on the cricket field - dominating, aggressive and attacking and just the opposite off it! In his interviews to the media, he comes across as a humble and simple guy who would rather be left alone after his game of cricket was over.

Of course I remember with great amusement the incredible number of times he lost his wicket (and lost his partners too) for sloppy running between the wickets or his laziness to take a single! But the very next time he came to the crease, it would all be forgotten when he would whack the ball all the way to the boundary or hit a smashing six.

I felt sad when I watched on Television his emotional announcement of his decision to retire from ODIs post Pakistan's disastrous world cup and it again saddened me the way he bid adieu to Test Cricket after the Home Test Series against South Africa. So much so my dad consoled me that this is a definite consequence of every world cup/major tournament. New heroes emerge and the older ones depart- some go out in a blaze of glory while others leave with ignominy. That's an occupational hazard of being a sportsperson, I suppose.

Farewell dear Inzy! You were an awesome cricketer! I will miss you! (and the run-outs also!)

******

"It's important in life to conclude things properly. Only then can you let go. Otherwise you are left with words you should have said but never did, and your heart is heavy with remorse."

- Life of Pi, Yann Martel

Coffee Tales

Coffee…..the very word makes me cringe!

Don’t ask me why or how, but the fact remains that I have never liked coffee, especially the filter coffee they make at my place – in true tam-bram style.

My grandmother recalls the days when she as a young bride, had to wake up early to brew the ‘decoction’ for the entire household (consisting of parents-in-law, husband and 4 brothers-in-law). It was the job of the mother-in-law and with the arrival of the eldest daughter-in-law in the house, the job was entrusted to her.

Coming back to the coffee preparation part, my grandmother would boil the water, put the freshly ground coffee powder in the coffee filter, sprinkle some cold water over the powder, pour hot water over the powder to let it flow down in a thick concentrated form. The thick coffee decoction would go down the filter in about 20 ~ 30 minutes. Then it would be mixed with varying proportions of boiling hot milk and sugar (depending on how strong the person wanted his/her coffee to be).

Off it would be poured into the coffee glasses of each male member of the family who would be out in the verandah reading the newspaper and discussing the day to day affairs of the town and shooing away the flies with their cotton towels waiting for their early morning dose of coffee!

(I am also informed that as the aroma of the coffee would spread to the household in the early hours of the morning, the male members would be salivating at the mere thought of the piping hot coffee being prepared and eagerly wait for their morning cuppa!!)

Also, the coffee had to be served to all the males and other elders of the family at just the right temperature (read : just after removing from the stove). I find it incredible that one can gulp down the piping hot coffee when my few attempts at drinking a hot glass of milk or tea burns my tongue.

My grandmom recounts as to how she would first fill all the glasses with decoction, add sugar as per the individual’s requirements, remove the boiling milk from the stove, add milk to the glasses, mix it well in the “davara” (small cup) so the froth sits on top of the glass. Nothing would distract her while she was going about doing this in that precise order as that was the only way she could satisfy 5-7 people’s yen for early morning hot coffee!

I quiz her about her cup and then she makes her startling revelation – she does not like coffee at all. Hence she has her cup of hot milk after serving coffee to the household. She further adds that she has neither liked the taste nor smell (okay - aroma for the coffee fans!) of coffee. And so it has been for the last 60 + years.

Similarly my mother also never used to drink coffee and I suspect it passed over to me and has something to do with my drinking lot of milk and tea to this day. In fact the only kind of coffee I have once in a while is flavoured cold coffee, usually coconut, where the flavour of the coconut absorbs the coffee taste. So much so that while I enjoy the drink, my coffee buddies are appalled at my enjoyment and delight of something that is so ‘not-coffee’!

So it was with a fair amount of surprise that I noted the latest conquest of coffee.

Yes, imagine one morning when I notice my grandmother with a hot cup of coffee by her side, I am about to ask her if she would want me to call my father or brother to take their cup, when she just gulps down the coffee!

I am perplexed at this sight and immediately quiz her : how come she is drinking coffee ?

She gives me a wide smile and replies casually that she has taken to drinking coffee of late as she started liking it and now craves for her two cups of coffee per day. It’s what gets her going, she adds! How come she never had it all this while, while she was in the joint family or thereafter with my grandfather, I ask, not wanting to give up easily. Totally unperturbed, she mentions she drank a small portion some days back which my brother (a die-hard coffee addict) had kept aside and from then, it got her hooked! She realised that she really enjoyed it!

I am totally confounded by this rather candid admission. All I can do is marvel at the adding numbers to the coffee world!

No wonder more coffee shops open up in every part of the city. Café Coffee day is on an expansion spree globally after painting Bengalooru and other cities red - Sorry, this is not your brand of red, Mr. Karat and Mr.Yechury! Nevertheless it is a ‘C’ revolution of a different kind, taking hold of the masses in a way the other ‘C’ could not!

While writing this post, I just googled the word “Coffee” – it throws up a whopping 215,000,000 results as against 166,000,000 results for “Tea”!

On a recent visit to the US, I met an acquaintance at the ubiquitous Starbucks café in one of the malls there. We walk up to the counter and he orders a hot espresso in a jiffy. Meanwhile, I am looking at the menu and searching for something besides coffee. It apparently surprises him that I take this long to order a coffee at Starbucks. Finally, as I order for my “chai”, he gives me a weird look and informs me that I must be mad to come to a Starbucks café and not drink coffee!

Well, some things in life are best left unexplained! :)

One fine day....on Whitefield - ITPL Road

This incident, happened sometime during the course of the last fortnight, stood out in my mind :

On a busy road in Whitefield leading to ITPL, a Honda Civic bangs into a Hondo City ahead of it.

The lady driver of the Honda City gets out of the car, charges aggressively towards the male driver of the Civic. By this time, the guy is also out of his car and trying to mumble some apology to the crowd gathered around. The lady, apparently in no mood to listen, goes up to him and catches his shirt collar!

There is an eerie silence amongst the crowd of onlookers, each wondering how nasty it is going to get now and going over the next few seconds in one’s mind.

Before we know it, the lady dishes out her cell phone, takes it close to the guy’s face and clicks his picture using her camera phone. All this while, still clutching his shirt collar with her other hand.

Done with her picture, she lets go of his collar, walks up to the rear of his car, takes another picture of the number plate of the Civic and walks back to the guy. Again catches hold of his shirt collar and drags him to the police constable who has just arrived on the scene.

Smart attitude and good presence of mind?!

Perhaps even dispensation of justice should go the high tech way!!

The "feel good" factor

It is not tangible or measurable yet makes an ocean of a difference, permeating across innumerable aspects of our day to day life - personal, professional and social relationships.

We leave our workplaces. Let go of family and friends. Elections are lost and won. Even the stock market gets affected. Thats the power of the "feel good" factor.

This is a key element to reducing friction and promoting healthy interactions between two individuals forming a micro unit and the same being extended to large organisations, societal groups.

It could range from a smile, a small gesture, a thoughtful act, a kind word or just being there - whatever makes the other person feel good - we do it because we care...in the process, reach out to the concerned person, group to infuse this feeling. Mere thought alone may not suffice but perhaps needs to be accompanied by action of some kind, an external manifestation that we care, perhaps.

And its an open field. Anyone can take the initiative anytime, sans reasons or excuses.
If we only care.

Its after all, just "feel good"!

My day just began on a "feel good" note. Climbing the stairs to my workplace, I noticed the leaning lady mopping the stairs. When I excused myself to pass through, she turns towards me, moves back and gives me a beautiful, radiant smile!

Kindness

Some days back, I set out of office one evening, leaving a bit early for home than I normally do. Walking towards the auto stand. Within a matter of seconds, I am caught in a heavy downpour with no umbrella or raincoat whatsoever. Not a single auto is ready to take me to my destination. I keep waving by at empty autos, but alas! The bus route has been diverted due to the construction of the Metro. No cab is ready to come within the next 1 hour. Try calling up some friends/family/colleagues. All are stuck in the rain at different places, far from where I am stuck.

By now, the heavy downpour has reduced to a "steady" drizzle and my waiting continues unabated.

I stand by the corner of the road, under a tree, feeling cold and forlorn; watching people passing by, feeling the rain drops from the tree, observing the speeding cars and bikes, insensitively splashing the rain slush/drainage water all over the pedestrians and the lesser mortals who walk on the roads.

It must have been a while when all of a sudden, I am pulled out of my reverie by a grey Honda Activa which stops right beside me. And the lady rider looks towards me and says " Hey! I am going to Indiranagar. Would you like me to drop you somewhere that side?"

I am baffled and suddenly feel hesitant and wonder why....what... how...

She senses my hesitation and quickly chirps in "I saw you standing there wet and alone in the dark, perhaps looking for an auto. Thought would find out where you need to go and drop you somewhere if it is the same direction as mine."

This random act of kindness from a stranger really touched my heart. Truly, such incredibly small ways to reach out to our fellow human beings and make a difference. We just need to make the effort- to be kind and sensitive.

A soap opera with a different twist

I confess I don’t fancy soap operas. But this one is different.
And well, like most soap operas, this also has the K element! (Thankfully, it does not start with it!)

The events unfolding in our neighbouring state has kept me engrossed over the past few weeks - a 100 % edge of the seat thriller.

My take on this : As Lord Acton famously remarked, Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Power like lust, is all pervasive and blinds the person to all raison d'être; makes you indulge in a self-serving game of constant deceit, one-upmanship and manipulation.

Its an abyss.

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

My Interview pick of the week : Karan Thapar (KT) interviewing Nawaz Sharif (NS) in London, it goes like this:

KT : So, on the 10th morning, which is Monday, Nawaz Sharif will be standing on Pakistani soil.

NS : Hopefully.

KT: When you say hopefully does that mean…

NS : Hopefully means Insha Allah.

KT : Is it in God’s hands or yours?

NS : First God and then of course in our hands.

Aaaah!

Insha Allah, Nawaz Sharif did step on Pakistan soil only to be deported back to Jeddah.

Don’t know who had the last laugh though – God, Musharraf or Sharif!

Does livelihood and meaningfulness co-exist ?

In the pursuit of one's livelihood, if we lose track of the meaningfulness, does it matter ?

This state of 'disillusion' is precisely that - And I am told that there is no problem as such, it is merely the disappearance of an illusion.

Ruminating...

You are what you are.
And I am what I am.

Then why this game?
Why ?

What is it that you wish to prove ? And to whom ?
Where is the end to this ?

And does any of this matter in the bigger, grander scheme of life ?

when stark is beautiful.

on a cloudy and windy day in Bannerghatta - forest area.

The Broken Sandal

- Denise Levertov


Dreamed the thong of my sandal broke.
Nothing to hold it to my foot.
How shall I walk?
Barefoot?

The sharp stones, the dirt. I would hobble.

And–
Where was I going?
Where was I going I can't
go to now, unless hurting?
Where am I standing, if I'm
to stand still now?