"Vaaranam Aayiram oru Azhagu Kaviyam..."

Hi everyone,

It’s been a long time since I wrote my last blog. I didn’t feel like writing any till yesterday, but after seeing the movie “Vaaranam Aayiram“ , I am tempted to write one. I have been waiting for this movie since Diwali, was very eager to watch it and decided that I would see it only in theatre. But to my luck, the movie was postponed and I had to wait. Then I came back to Pune, and the movie didn’t release here for more than 2 weeks since its Chennai release. It was a very frustrating wait, hearing reviews from people and checking out the Pune times every morning if the movie is released or not. Finally, it did happen on Sunday(30th November) and I decided I had to go for it whatever the circumstance maybe. I had to reach to a theatre that’s like 2 hrs away and had no company, but still I wanted to go for it. And in the evening when I was about to leave for the movie, I called up the theatre and that guy says-“Sorry sir, its Housefull!!”.I was completely dejected and knew it would be difficult for me to go for the whole of next week due to office. Fortuitously, my uncle was able to procure 3 tickets and Lo! My long frustrating wait finally came to an end.

This movie with the impressive tagline “Whatever happens, life must go on...” was picturised beautifully and Gautham’s direction was at its best. The tagline proves very appropriate in the wake of the terror attacks in our country even though the story has got nothing to do with it. It is one of the best movies in Tamil, if not Indian Cinema history. It is one of those movies which you would fall in love with the first time you watch it, Surya and Gautham leave an indelible imprint in your memory. Surya’s hard work on and off the screen deserves credit for he has showed the various stages of life (17, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 60...) nonchalantly to an extent that you forget he is acting and it is just a movie. He has handled all these phases with such poise that you believe he is a 17 year old in reel even though he is 30 in real life and he looks stunningly smart as an Army Major General with a six pack. The makeup artists also deserve credit for I feel that Surya would exactly look like Krishnan (the father) when he gets old. The way the father handles the various situations in his son’s life is very thoughtful and commendable too. The dialogues are also powerful, I especially like the one when Krishnan says “He doesn’t know what the future holds for his son and if it’s not good, he will change and write a new one!!”. I have always felt Sameera Reddy looks “Sexy”, this is the first time I felt she looked beautiful, and thanks to Gautham again for that. She really sweeps you off your feet with her brief appearance. Harris also deserves credit for some heartwarming numbers especially “Nenjukul Peidhidum...And Mundinam...”.So, friends please do watch it if you haven’t. I would give it 5 stars and Surya definitely deserves a national award for his splendid performance.

The one last thing I said to myself immediately after watching the movie was-“Manoj, u better start taking your Guitar classes seriously”, hope it proves useful one day…JJ.

Diwali with a difference!!!

Diwali is just round the corner. The wait is finally over and it’s time for fun again. I love to celebrate Diwali in home and am lucky for the fact that I got my leave sanctioned and would be there back in home to celebrate Diwali with my family. The madness for crackers that I used to have when I was a kid has diminished over the years and this time I wanted to do something different for Diwali and I did succeed.

We personally visited 2 orphanages in the weekend namely “Navkshitij” and “Sasoon Hospital” to take their requirements. It was a great experience with these people asking them about the gifts that they would like to have for Diwali. I had a very interesting experience there this time. People there were leaving for Diwali to their respective homes and there was one boy who was left out for some reason and he was crying at one end. When I went to console him, he just hugged me tightly and started to cry, I could literally feel the pain he has been experiencing. He didn’t let go of me for the next 2 minutes. This was one touching moment I would never forget in my life. This boy gave me the impetus to work for a noble cause.

Fortuitously, we did something truly spectacular in our office. I had a great plan and was able to execute it more successfully than I thought, thanks to my friends who helped me realize my idea. We were all members of the “ARPAN” group, an official one concerned with social service activities.

We gave life to the concept of “Wish-tree”. Basically, it comprises of a big branch which would be depicted as a tree. We hung several wish-chits, neatly wrapped in envelopes on to the branches of this “Wish-tree”. We had stayed late the day before its inauguration to finish all the decorations. Literally speaking, we sailed back in time to enjoy an experience similar to those of college days. Later in the evening, our GM inaugurated the function. The basic idea was that an employee had to pick up a wish-chit from the envelope and buy the gift and submit it to us. So, when he/she takes the chit, we associate their name to that envelope and we attach a few buds and leaves symbolizing a budding effort or a ray of hope. Then when they bring back the gift, we tie fruits and flowers to symbolize that their efforts have been fruitful and the wish of that person has blossomed. So, the barren tree would be a converted to a beautiful and colorful tree laden with fruits and flowers in just about a week’s time. Then the gifts would be given to the respective people from those orphanages. We had decorated the whole bay beautifully with Rangoli and other collages to give it a grand look. 

We got such a rousing response for the function that we ran short of wish-chits and hence planning to bring more organizations under our realm of influence.

So, in this way we made our Diwali completely different. We hope we would be able to bring back some of their lost smiles through our efforts. We are planning to distribute these gifts to them after they are back from home after diwali and hopefully celebrate the day with them.

My sincere request to all of you is that please try to devote sometime for any kind of a noble activity. There are several people who need our help. We are lucky to have things sufficent than our requirements. Why don’t we lend them a helping hand to the hapless and the ostracized crowd of our society?? We need to cultivate some kind of interest within us for such activities and once you realize that you have a made difference to someone’s life through your efforts, the happiness that accrues would give you a kind of mental satisfaction that you would have never experienced in your life before and would also propel you to do such activities on a regular basis. And one more thing is that people are always hesitant, so never lose heart and keep trying and our world would definitely be a much better place to live in.

Satiated with satisfaction

It’s been a very long time since i posted my last blog which can be attributed to two reasons. One was that I didn’t find time to write useless everyday blogs as I used to when I started blogging and the other being I didn’t feel like writing such blogs. So here I am after so many days, really in the mood to write a blog and with something that would hopefully make you all think and analyze your lifestyle again.
Have you ever wondered that if we are really satisfied with our lives?? We do things that give us momentary pleasures; do they really give us that satisfaction which we crave for?? We buy a lot of useless stuff in the name of shopping much more than what we actually need; how long does that glitter last?? A few days maybe, then it loses its sheen. So how do we attain this "self-satisfaction" that would "really" satisfy us?? This is one question that I had been pondering over for a long time. Fortuitously, I did experience it.
My company "Fiserv" is in touch with an organization called "NAVKSHITIJ", which looks after mentally challenged people. Our company had organized a trekking trip in collaboration with this organization. So, I decided to go along with a bunch of my friends and we were supposed to help these people with their trekking. We went to their home first, where we met these people. It was great to meet them in their own backyard. These people were so excited in talking to us; in showing us their photos; we mingled with them well and became good friends. One among these people, a person called "Arpan" interested me a lot. People warned me that he was violent and to be careful with him, but the first impression I incurred about him was that he was a "paranoid", so I took note of their warning and we all set forth for our trekking trip.

We arrived at Sudhagarh, which is around 120 kms away from Pune. I had initially thought the trekking would be a simple one, as we had to help these people as well. But I was wrong; I found it difficult myself at the end. So, when we arrived at this place, something in me prompted to help "Arpan". So, I took his side and we set forth for our trekking. I realized that he was completely paranoid and felt very insecure about any person who is even a few meters away from him. He felt that every other person surrounding him will harm him including me. So, I had to make him comfortable and the only tool in my hand was motivation. Until that day, I never knew I could motivate a person to such an extent. I was so enthusiastic that I kept on motivating him the whole way.
It was very hot there and I was foolish enough to carry nothing with me-no water, no food. And I was managing Arpan and another person, 3 of us were almost dehydrated and Arpan used to fall asleep wherever we used to rest. But somehow I helped him climb to a certain extent after which all 3 were exhausted. We waited there for water, the sun’s heat was scorching; leaving us no other option than to lie down. So, after the water supplies came, I got refreshed and was ready to go but Arpan was still down and tired. So, I decided to climb down even though I desperately wanted to reach the top, I had to make up my mind. And after a lot of trouble, we found ways, got stuck in many places, landed on thorn bushes (they reminded me of my farewell where I had a similar experience); somehow we endured ourselves to reach the bottom.
I was dead tired but found that self-satisfaction I was looking for all throughout my life. I narrated this story not to talk about my adventures but to give you a feel of what I had experienced. These people are also like us, so it is not enough if we just help them financially; it is emotional help that they need the most. If you can find some time from your busy schedule; try spending it with such people it would benefit both of you. Financially any person can help, but you need a great deal of patience and perseverance to help these people emotionally. Please don’t do it as an obligation; take interest and do it as patiently as possible and I ensure that it will give you a great deal of "self-satisfaction", something that you would never forget in your life.

Super Sunday

My Sunday started late pretty much like any other sunday. Then did my usual morning routine. Then i was out with my parents for shopping in T.Nagar. Thyagaraya Nagar popularly known as T.Nagar is one of the busiest hotspots in Chennai. It is the most crowded place in Chennai, year around and a shopping haven for the Chennaiites. It is so crowded that if u lose track for a moment you would be swept along the crowd from one end of the street to the other. So, we did some shopping and then we went to one of the best eat outs in Chennai- "Murugan Idli Shop". You get the world's best idlis over here, they are the softest you could ever find, so soft that they would just slide down your throat, don't even bother chewing them. These idlis are popularly know here as Khushboo idlis, named after the actress Khushboo, but m not sure as to how it originated. But if u really want to know more about them... check this video out..
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/taste-khushboo-the-hot-tamil-idli/1541936250
Idlis are generally served on a plantain leaf (vazha elai in tamil) along with delicious chutneys in the traditional Tamil style. Generally they serve idlis with 3 or 4 chutneys namely the coconut, pudina, tomato and the onion chutneys along with steaming hot South indian Sambhar. This Sambhar is tailor made for tiffin purposes. For meals, we use other varieties. So, to all the people who think there is just one variety of Sambhar, you are gravely mistaken, for there are at least 20-25 varieties upto my knowledge (just considering the vegetarian side alone). And the next speciality of this shop is their palm sized, onion and tomato Uthappams which would make anyone's mouth water as soon as they see them and they are also served with Sambhar and the other chutneys. And then there are the other usual items- the masala dosas and the various roasts- ghee, paper roast etc.,. So, guys please don't miss this place in Chennai, believe me you would love this place the first time only.
Then i returned home early to watch the French open Final. I was gravely diasppointed to see my hero lose, for i am a big fan of Roger federer. But i have to admit Nadal's too gud on clay, he is undoubtedly the God on clay. He made the world Champion look like a tyro by beating him in straight sets and that too just conceeding 4 games to Federer in the whole match. Then slept early, and got up at 12, to watch the Germany vs Poland match. Germany is my favourite team and i hope they win the Euro'08. So, finally i was thrilled to see Germany win, it was a big consolation after seeing federer lose in straight sets.
So, thats how my Super Sunday ended, and today am again back to my good old jobless routine...

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar

What do i need to say about this person? He is a genius and his records speaks for himself.. More than 10,000 runs in both the forms of game, he is a person who lets his bat to do the talk. I have been a big fan of Sachin since i started watching cricket. As a matter of fact, i hated cricket completely in the beginning and it was only after Sachin i started watching the game. I am such a die hard fan that i used to switch off my TV when he gets out and not allow anyone else to watch as well. But that was when i was some 5 or 6 years old.

The thing that bothers me the most is the recent talk about sachin, the debates as to whether he should be in the team or not and is he good enough to play one day or t20 cricket. How can people even possibly speak of this genius in such an uncouth manner?? Seriously , these 24x7 News channels create all kind of debates to stay ahead in the race. But they shouldn't forget the man who has brought Indian cricket to this level and without him India wouldn't have been the same Cricket frenzy nation as it is today. A commentator once said it was "Ten" dulkar versus the opponent team in the late 1990's. Without Sachin, neither would cricket have got its importance nor would the other youngsters have the desire to play cricket as of today in India. He has been the country's sporting icon for more than two decades and now people doubt the capability of such a cricketer, this is mere insanity. I remember an article of Nirmal Shekhar of Hindu, named the Taj Mahal of India. It was one of my favorite articles where he draws a comparison between Sachin and the Taj Mahal. The Taj has been a monument of love and beauty for several decades. Foreigners still get amazed by its beauty and marvel at its magnificence. But we, the people of India don't realize its beauty and dont even care to maintain it. Sachin's also like the Taj, people here don't appreciate him as much as he deserves, at least he doesnt deserve all these baseless criticisms if not for the praise. Every other cricketing nation covets for a cricketer like Sachin to be in their team. Infact, people all over the world come for the match just to see him play and even forget about their country in the process. I remember the Sydney test where Sachin scored a 241*, which helped India save the match, when the Sydney crowd were interviewed they didn't even mind their lost opportunity but were very happy that they were able to witness such a masterful innings. He is the only person to be cheered even if he is not playing that match, even if another cricketer hits a boundary, you can her the shouts "SACHIN, SACHIN.." being chanted by the crowd. So, high is the caliber of this person that he would put some of the cricketing greats to shame.

India has found some new exciting young players and they are pretty talented. But there is no one to match the caliber of this person. And i hope everyone would agree with this fact. Don't defame the reputation of a genius based on a few failures. And please put an end to all the debates about him being in the team and his retirement. I would like to finish off by quoting some fan's quote which i had seen in a match...

" Cricket is my religion and Sachin is my god".

Head Start

Hi ppl,

Its this head start that has always been a problem for me in any activity, blogging is no exception. My school friend suggested me to write a blog when i was in my 3rd year of engineering and for some reason or the other, it kept getting postponed, the main reason being my laziness. I was a hostelite, so u need'nt ask, i am one of the laziest guys you can ever find. But my college (NITK) and hostel were the best things that had ever happened to me, the past 4 yrs of college life have been the most memorable period in my life.

Now, speaking about blogging, i have always wondered as to what to write and where to start. Most of the blogs that i have seen, involved complicated and too satirical stuff and honestly, am not a big fan of people writing such complicated shit. A bit of satire is good, but generally i came across a lot of blogs cluttered with complicated words and full of satire. I believe in expressing things in a simpler and effective manner. So i did want to have my own blog, express and share thoughts with people. I finally sat down to write my first blog. And today the 6th of June, had to be that fateful day. As a matter of fact its my father's b'day today, but that has nothing to do with me writing my first blog.
So, i have finally got the head start, and hope it helps in shaping me into a regular blogger. Then where to start, ok i ll start with my routine first. These holidays have been the most boring and longest of all the summer vacations. Am just waiting to join my company, have got bored of lazing on the sofa and changing the TV channels at such a frequency that drives my parents crazy, especially my grandma who loves to watch her serials unperturbed, without the slightest bit of disturbance. Its either online chatting or TV for most part of the day, evenings are better, i either hang out with friends or with my parents. So, being jobless in home is the worst thing that can ever happen to you, you end up eating a lot, which has its own side effects and then u need to find remedies for them as well. Seriously, thats the main problem with being in home, the home made food is so sumptuous that it is almost impossible to restrain. Today was pretty much the same, except for the fact that i got to meet a lot of relatives who had come to wish my father and more importantly got to eat a lotta sweets, which was the last thing i ever wanted. C'mon they were from Ganga Sweets, one of the best eat-outs in Annanagar and probably in Chennai as well. So, have to jog a round or two more tomorrow..:). Then i started my blog. Nothing more today, and right now am feeling sleepy, so this ends my first blog and hope it shapes into a wonderful hobby.