Heights of vettiness!

Some time back, I had been on a trip to Chennai. A trip for a whole 35 days. I was absolutely excited. Punch Drunk to be honest! After a relatively uneventful flight journey, the moment my sight landed on my Dad and my Bro when they were waiting for me outside the airport, was one of the best ever moments of my life. I felt as if I was on whole new lease of life! Next was when my mom hugged me and I entered the new house that my family had moved into. And now starts the most frustrating part for any guy returning from the land of dreams to his native! Immediately the next morning, I was forced to make a series of calls to relatives, answer calls from relatives, and family friends. Call it courtesy, call it respect or whatever. The cliche here is everyone asks the same question!

"Padichi mudichitu angaye settle aaga poriyaa??"

"Padichitu inge vandhu velai pannu!"

"Ange edhaavadhu ponae paathu marry panityaa?"

Initially it kinda felt good being the center of attraction and all that! After a point, it became irritating. And towards the end it became unbearable, to the point that, as a reply to a similar question popped by my grand mother, I said, "Paati kavale padaadhingo. Ange oru ponnu paathu vechirkaen. Neengo thaan vandhu enga kalyaanatha nadathi vaekanam!" My mom who was over hearing this entire conversation, though did not find it all that amusing, that I was playing with a 93 year old lady! :P This is the crux of the problem. In spite of all this, I found the holiday to be exhilarating. So many people being concerned about my well being. So many people questioning my decisions. Each day just hog the most amazing food, watch tv, sleep umpteen number of hours and leave the decision making to my parents. But here, though I am not pestered by silly questions, at times I regret that there is no one to question the whats and the whys of my activities. And the worst part of it is, even if I need to talk my parents, I need to pay a bill of 60 dollars a month just for some 5 minutes conversation each day! Call it the musings of a grad student!

Political or Hogenakkal?

The TamilNadu government is constructing a drinking water project at Hogenakkal, with an aid from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, near the border with its neighbouring state, Karnataka. The Hogenakkal Water Supply and Fluorosis Mitigation Project is expected to benefit about 3 million people. Tensions arose when the politicians from Karnataka, claimed that a 400-acre island at the point where the river Cauvery enters Tamil Nadu to form the picturesque Hogenakkal waterfall is part of their state. It is a pity that even after 60 years after independence, people dispute over state borders. It is also hilarious to note that the state units of the same political party on either states, claim the land to be part of the respective states and blame one another. This clearly shows that the politicians are trying to create and politicize an issue which never existed, in the first place. Then the film industry on either side organized protests and counter protests...Now all of a sudden Chief Minister K, says that the solution should be found in a peaceful manner and wants to hold talks with the new Chief Minister of Karnataka after the elections in May. Pardon me for the satire, what if there is a hung assembly in Karnataka? Who will the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister go and talk to? Caught in the middle of this insanity is the common man. The parties play politics based on issues like water. I say it is trivial. That is because, getting his/her share of water is a right for every human being. We cannot keep on fighting for issues like these. The government always finds prompt solutions for the filmy problems where one state refuses to screen the movies of the other state's language. Yet they have not tried to solve this cauvery issue for the past umpteen number of years. Is it a deliberate ploy on the part of the politicians that when an election is looming, they play vote bank politics and when they form the government, the same ppl forget about the various promises made to the common man? No wonder, even as the literacy rate increases the voter turn out is reducing each and every election. Who said that this was because of the elections being held in Summer or any other reason? I am beginning to believe that the common man is tired of reading much into these fake promises made by the so called protectors of the people. When the politicians are not able to solve the problems of Kashmir, I do kind of agree that these are international issues, involving international bureaucrats and might take time. But when there is so much wrangling going on, between people(politicians) of our own country forget solving Kashmir, the politicians should be ashamed of themselves, should be ashamed that they are a black mark to humanity in itself.

The fated four letter word

There is this four letter word that is synonymous with tough times. It goes hand in hand during those tough days. It is not love. It is not hate. It is HOPE.

Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope sets you free.

As a Cricket maniac or addict or whatever, I have been hoping that India wins a world cup. But that’s what makes me see the game all the more. As a human being, I hope that I have a better tomorrow than today. That’s what makes me look forward to the morrow eagerly. But when does a person fail? When he is scared! When he is afraid of the consequences his actions result in. Hope is the very essence of life. I saw Shawshank Redemption. Never in my life have I been affected by a movie as much as now. It is tough. It is difficult to maintain your hope and patience during tough times. But that I believe would be the driving force and make the individual look forward to the next day. Even I get scared some time. And then I delve into things that are not even under my control. I get frustrated. Basically I let my fear of failure dictate terms to me, when I should not let that happen. This movie has shaken the very foundations of my thought process. And I do not realize how I came to miss it all these days. A person who is afraid most of the times, who is scared, is nothing but a prisoner. A prisoner who is being held captive by fear! It engulfs the poor person and literally destroys him. It drives him insane just like a prison is bound to do. But even within a prison, you can choose to stay positive and be hopeful that some day the individual will be set free. This would help in keeping him sane enough. But the choice is with us. To remain captive or to be an independent individual! For no bird can be held captive in a cage for long. If the bird chooses to fly away, it can!

Off Respect and of National Symbols

At long last I am back posting something on my blog. Has been a long three four months without blogging. Last month I was in India and yeah, half the time I was wondering and surprised at the sea change that Chennai has undergone. Other than that when I was watching the television too, one particular thing that came to notice was the attitude of the current generation - the GEN Y as they want to be called :). Coming to the point, I was watching WE THE PEOPLE on NDTV and the subject for discussion on that particular episode was regarding our country's National symbols and the respect we show for these symbols. There was this young female speaking her mind stating that when she had been to a movie at a theater recently, she did not stand up when the National Anthem was being played at the end of the movie. Well I thought WTF! Out of curiosity I continued watching her ramblings and this is what she said to the exact word. "The respect that we show, if it is true to our heart and if it is honest enough, they why should we demonstrate it by standing up for the anthem?" I was like, hold on dear lady, and just thinking, whatever is happening to developed India. My argument is, in case an elder comes into a room, and if an individual is studying, as a mark of respect we do stand up. Another particular case is consider a funeral ceremony. In a funeral ceremony once the coffin is buried, as a symbol of respect to the deceased, we stay silent and mourn. How would it look like if we say that "I DO RESPECT THE DECEASED, BUT I AM NOT GOING TO STAY SILENT. INSTEAD I WILL BE LAUGHING AND MAKING MERRY IN FRONT OF THE COFFIN AFTER BURIAL." As stupid as it sounds, this is how the female speaking on that particular show sounded to me. I am sorry however lazy an individual is, if there is this national symbol, I believe that the individual should respect the symbol whenever he/she encounters it. So much for the development back home!

Aaaaaaaaaccccccccceeeeeeeeeeeennnnnnnnt?

This morning as I was chatting with a real close friend of mine, I was asked a question! What happened to your blogs? It was then that I wondered that, it really has been a while since I last posted on my blog. And I accidentally stumbled upon one of the shows of KOFFEE WITH KARAN, where in the host was interviewing Madhuri Dixit. It has been a long time since I last saw her on screen or any kind of media, so I decided to watch the entire episode. Her first answer really caught me by surprise. Not because of the content, but the accent. May be the time in U.S.A has really changes the accent and people start speaking English with a distinct AMAIRICAAAAAAAAAAN AAAAAAACCCENNNNNTTTTTTTTT. Now why is this weird? The problem is when we Indians speak our English in U.S.A, especially in the malls or a restaurant, most of the times the people do not understand what we speak. Blame it or praise it on our accent! I have seen people with really good English finding it tough to get their thoughts conveyed during those tough first few days. So some of us, as a solution to it even try to mimic the American accent and start speaking with what can definitely be deemed as a fake accent. How do we justify this? Is it just a question of using that fake accent to communicate properly or a kinda fashion sense that if an individual stays in U.S.A for sometime his accent needs to change? Now to the next question! Why do we have to speak in that fake accent even when we return back to India? J That seems to be weirder! I do agree with the fact that we may have to speak in a fake, false accent when we are in U.S of A, but when we do return to our homeland, there does not seem to be a valid reason for the same! I seriously detest the later!

DO I NEED TO GIVE A TITLE TO THIS! ;)

The following is purely fictitious and is not meant to hurt or ridicule someone! But it is intended to reach quite a few…hope you lot understand what I mean and whom I mean! LOLzzzz!

SCENE-I

Rohan: “Hey, how you doing?”

Sanjana: “Hi yaar, been a long time…am good…how r u?”

Rohan: “btw are you going for the movie this weekend?”

Sanjana: “As a matter of fact, main tho tumhe abhi dekhne aa rahi thi…just to ask if you are interested in coming along for the movie!”

Rohan: “Well, the thing that I have to consider is how I am gonna travel a 100 miles to watch a movie?”

Sanjana: “Oh yeah, that is a valid point! Lemme see what I can do!”

Rohan: “Thanks a lot gal…”

SCENE-II

Sanjana: “Hey Ram, Rohan says he is also interested in joining us for the movie, but he does not have a ride to the cinema hall…do we have space in our car to accommodate him to?”

Ram: “Hey sweeto, anything for you babe…I guess Shriraam has space in his car. Lemme call him and ask!”

Sanjana: “Ram, that’s so nice of you, but are you not driving your car? I thought you were!”

Ram: “Yes of course I am driving. Guess only the two of us would be going in my car.”

Sanjana: “Then why can’t he join us and come in our car?”

Ram sighs and now he has no other choice!

So after an hour’s drive the three along with their friends reach the Cinema Hall. Ram was looking grumpy already and the real show was yet to begin!

SCENE-III (When the movie starts)

Shreeram: “Hey Ram, I thought you were gonna sit with Sanjana!

Ram: “Arey yaar, kyon puch rahaa hai…She either seems to be too busy on phone or she is talking with Rohan…Feels so weird

Shreeram: “Abey yaar…voh their girlfriend hai…”

Ram: “Please shreeram…”

An hour and a half later!

Sanjana seems to be busy on the phone. So Ram gives her some private space and goes off to buy something! What he does not realize is that Sanjana is speaking to our hero Rohan over the phone!

SCENE-IV (INTERMISSION)

Sanjana: “Rohan, can you just get me some popcorn? I am kind of hungry!”

Rohan: “Sure Sanju…”

Rohan buys the popcorn and on his way back to his seat, bumps into Ram…

Rohan: “Ram, enjoyed the movie eh?”

Ram (grumbles): “yeah I did…big time”

And then murmurs silently, thanks to you I don’t even get to sit with Sanjana! ;)

Ram takes some popcorn from the bag that Rohan was holding, only for Rohan to frown and then scowl…

Rohan: “That was for Sanju…she had asked it…says she did not even have lunch! Nyways, thanks a tonne for getting me this movie ticket..am having a gala time!” Having said this Rohan just walked away.

Ram could not believe his luck. Meanwhile Shreeram was looking at Ram and was laughing out loud. Poor guy RAM!

DOLLAR BUG!

I must say, that I was bitten with this DOLLAR BUG! Do not ask me why, but initially last year it did not seem to make a huge difference. But everything changed over the summer. This DOLLAR bug just overtook me. There was this insane urge in me to make huge amounts of money. What was I trying to prove? I was not doing anything novel. Hoards of individuals around me are doing the same. I could feel the arrogance in me growing each and every day. I do not have a reason for this to. Life was satisfactory enough. Or was it? Slowly seeds of doubt started sprouting in my thought process. Where was this mad, insane, stupid drive from? And then one day a friend of mine did ask me a question that sent my thought process into an overdrive! “Yaen daa, nambaloda appa, amma, elaarum car, mobile, A.C oda daan vaazhndaangalaa?” Here’s the translation. My friend pointed to me that our ancestors-parents, grandparents-did not have a mobile phone or an air conditioned car for their convenience. After all, a dollar bill is still a simple paper for which we end up cutting a tree. Yes I admit that these cars, mobiles etc do make our life all the more comfortable (and who does not want to be more comfortable?). That being the case, does it mean that our ancestors did not lead a comfortable life? A guy who was more than comfortable driving his dad’s scooter (note the point, even the scooter was not his!) now craves for a life with a laptop, a mobile, an air conditioned apartment and so on. I was deeply ashamed at my attitude. Nothing changes in life. We come into this world with nothing. But we leave this world rich not with dollar bills, but with values, leaving a trail of our acts. And these acts would determine if we deserve to be remembered or if we do not. Money, and materialistic comforts are commodities of life which do smoothen the process of living, but it does not mean that an individual cannot live without them.