Friday, June 26, 2009

How Thoughtless of me.....

It is indeed baffling as to the kind of thoughts that gets into your mind when it is jobless. You suddenly get a vision of a great plot for a story, or maybe an itching to write a short poem; sometimes even to the extent of dreaming about writing a novel. All these thoughts occupy your mind even though your inner heart clarifies that you are bound to suck at all of them…still I am posting one of my frivolous attempts at poetry ( if I am allowed to call it that!!!). It is about the deep love felt by a boy…and it has a “twist in the tale”.

PS: no spitting allowed!!! So here goes……

In those languid days of boyhood summer...

Your serene face made me an aimless bummer.

Math showed me numerous curves...all futile,

For none could match that bonny curve...your smile.

The days i couldn't see you were Hell on earth...

I implored to god to stop his games of mirth.

One fine evening as the breeze brushed by...

I saw you, hand in hand, with another guy.

I wanted to embrace death then and there...

For without you, life wasn't worth even a hair.

Then came the moment that made me go "Oh bother!!!"

The person holding your hands was, after all, your Brother!!!

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

My day starts with C...

Morning six am...I turn my drowsy head buried in the pillow to a more comfortable position; and that divine aroma wafts through my nostrils. If there is a beverage for which you wouldnt mind waking up at six, it has to be this. Filter half-filled with that intoxicatingly fresh powder, boiling water seeps through those redolent crevices soaking up the most singular flavour on offer. When the irresistable odor finally stirs up my senses, I have no choice but to suspend my romantic date with Jothika (She will be back in my dreams tonight) in order to experience what I refer to as "The vitamin Drug!!!" Hurried brushing of my teeth and clumsy washing of my face notwithstanding the overpowering desire in me to invade the kitchen to get my hands on the caffeine coated, liquefied bean delight ( I dont have a problem with caffeine. I have a problem without it!!!). Finally my lips part in order to kiss the frothy heaven. Nothing really can be said after the first sip but a deservedly quiet utter of, "mmmmm, COFFEEEEE!!!"

Monday, June 22, 2009

Students and Buses.

3 days ago when I was on board an MTC bus from Besant Nagar to Perambur I couldn’t help feeling for the crowd of school children whose conditions were deplorable as they hung on to whatever holding space they could get. The thought would have been only a passing one and I would have forgotten about it if it hadn’t been for that 13 year old Samuel’s incident. The government school student was run over by an MTC bus into which he was trying to get in; he slipped, fell and eventually lost his life. When my eyes caught sight of this news clipping in Saturday’s paper my thoughts were immediately transported to the pathetic conditions of school children which I myself have seen on numerous occasions.

There are 2 sides to this problem. Most of the MTC bus employees (drivers and conductors) are not considerate towards the school going children. Many of them ridicule the little ones and even throw them out of the bus (I have witnessed this on more than one occasion). But the problem doesn’t end there. There are certain section of school goers who don’t heed the safe traveling norms set by the government and get on the bus just for the “foot board” experience. Both of the above mentioned problems are equally important.

Free bus passes to school goers was a good initiative by the Government, but it does not provide any concrete solution to the problem this accident prone section of metro travelers face. It can be easily gauged that mostly the students who cannot afford any other means of transport end up using the bus on a regular basis. Majority of them are government school students. Even a superficial analysis of the city can give us 3 or 4 important routes covering most of the government schools in the city. Thiruvanmiyur-perambur and Tambaram-Broadway to name a few. So the best possible solution would be to kick start a “school students” special bus service (something on the lines of “Ladies” special). Operating such a service during the mornings and evenings when most schools start and end respectively, would give a welcome relief to the students as well as the parents. When ladies special buses can be operated so can these, and I am quite confident when I say that ladies special buses have now become somewhat redundant and less in use. So why not change the service to students special??

These were just my thoughts after reading about that incident and I am very sure that no such student special service will happen in the near future...

Monday, June 15, 2009

Aayiratthil oruvan- Selvaraghavan's Magnum opus- Music out

The much hyped selvaraghavan film Aayiratthil oruvan’s music is out amidst huge expectations on his new partnership with G.V Prakash.

· Indha paadhai (G.V Prakash): Feel good number with interesting guitar interludes... G.V has lent his voice after a long time (remember the “chikku bukku” times???) and carried off the song quite well... very simple melody with minimum innovations.

· Celebration of Life: The Album’s theme music. G.V has used a new musical instrument (it might be “Yaazh”, an ancient sri lankan instrument) throughout the number and it gives a pleasant hearing when coupled with the rustic drum beats in the background... the piece grows on you once you hear it 2 or 3 times.

· Oh Eesa (Karthik, Andrea): A fusion of western classical and South Indian temple music. Karthik has given a peppy rendition with andrea taking over the western section and coming out with a show stealing performance, using her high octaves effectively. The song seems to be heavily inspired by the south Indian song chant “venkataramana govinda” which is very famous in tirupathi but it is a reasonable listen nevertheless.

· Un mela aasa (Dhanush, Mrs Dhanush, Andrea): Reminds you of the “pul paesum” number in “pudhupettai”. The song is right up dhanush’s alley as one does not need to be a trained singer in order to sing his portion; his diction and voice strength are added bonuses. Aishwarya and Andrea provide adequate support without much overdo.

· Maalai Neram ( Andrea): The Big let down of the album…except for Andrea’s exquisite vocals there is nothing above average in this song.

· Pennmaane (Bombay Jayashree, P.B. Srinivas): Jayashree’s haunting voice gives flair to this number. Again a unique instrument used at the start by G.V (something like a horn). To everyones’ surprise and a few peoples’ ecstasy, P.B.Srinivas- the famous yesteryear singer- makes a reappearance in the last part of this song…it’s a pleasure to hear his voice after a long time.

· Thaai Thindra manne (Cholan ecstasy, Classical version) (Nityashree, Vijay yesudas): clearly the pick of the album. Innovations in instruments, fusion, vocals and what not!! If nityashree takes us to the telugu classical world with her mesmerizing rendition, vijay yesudas is not far behind as he croons the tamil version with such emotion and class. Truly one of the best compositions of G.V.

· King Arrives (madras augustin choir): the start is very interesting. trumpets, drums and another ancient instrument blend to give a rouse, but once the guitar piece starts things go awry and the piece becomes very monotonous and predictable

The album has to be appreciated for its innovation and return to pure period classical form of music with appropriate vocal selection and exhilarating research into ancient musical instruments. But all said and done…something is missing in the album…maybe yuvan could have done the 4 modern numbers in the album and G.V could have carried out only the period portion, because that yuvan-selva combo’s flair seems to be a factor sorely missing from the tracks.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Team India beaten Fair and Square!!!

It was heartening to see the Indian performance at lord’s against the west indies yesterday… which other team could have stretched a match till the 19th over when the captain himself is playing for the opponents?? Team India made me proud that way. Here is where one should appreciate the tactical brilliance of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. No other captain in the history of cricket has given his team a sterner test to assess its efficient functioning… “you guys will play for team India while I will be playing for west indies today…lets see how your competitive juices flow as you attempt to thwart my purpose.” It was a clear message given by one of the best captains in the world today.

He started purposefully with the bat, his intent was clear cut…don’t get out soon and don’t score runs…a clear two way ambush on team India. He would have handed the match to the windies in the first innings itself had it not been for one of the finest displays of batting one has ever witnessed from the silken yuvraj. Ok… India managed to be on par with dhoni… if not beat him during their batting stint.

Bowling proved to be a more tricky affair…India started off well…in fact dhoni’s men (west indies) were on the back foot till the half point i.e. tenth over. But dhoni kept slipping in overs from ishant sharma and ojha after comprehending that they were both off colour for the day…he kept irfan away from the bowling crease when he saw the fire in the all rounder’s belly during the opening 2 over spell. India still managed to hold their end but were totally unprepared for the dhoni master stroke… a great fielding stop by ojha at fine leg resulted in both windies batsmen (bravo and simmons) stranded on the same end of he pitch and a run out looked inevitable…that’s when Dhoni performed the last judas act…he broke off the stumps without collecting ojha’s throw, hence saving his team from losing a crucial wicket…team India could only lookon in despair and marvel at their captain’s genius…they had indeed been neaten fair and square by one man and his tactical brilliance…kudos to M S Dhoni!!!

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Was there a Reason???

The arduous phase of getting to know each other in order to develop a bond was conspicuous by its absence in our case. Right from the age of 3 we knew one another like the back of our respective hands. There is a saying in English which roughly gives the meaning “ A period of understanding silence with a true friend is far better than a contrived conversation with someone who thinks he is a friend.” This was exactly the kind of rapport we shared. When we were silent we needed no conversational starts; and when we talked our planes of thought joined in a seamless stitch enabling the conversation to be never ending. Though he stayed in vijaywada and I was put up in Chennai, we bridged that physical separation in the form of miles with our minds. There was never a necessity for a phone call or an E-mail. All we longed for were those ten precious days of leave we got every 4 months. Those were blissful days… delectable till the fateful last day when the painful punishment of returning to school became a compulsion.
He was never an extrovert and never felt the need for sharing his thoughts or emotions with even someone as close as his parents. Very few people will know that he had a really delightful sense of humor which almost always remained hidden when he was present in a group. I was one of the few persons to have witnessed his slapstick side. I recall a memorable incident with regard to this. Once we were all packed and waiting in a station for our train to arrive. His bag’s zip was open and on seeing it I said “close the zip”. His hand immediately went to his fly and he retorted “its closed only”. Though his parents and sister who were with him mistook it to be a misunderstanding on his part, I knew that it was intentional when I saw a mischievous glint in his eyes. I laugh even today when I remember that incident.
There was not a single holiday we didn’t spend together right until our tenth standard. When we moved on to eleventh, fate, it seems, had other plans. That calamitous day in September 2003 is still fresh in my mind. A phone call without any harbinger at 3 am announced the cause to be dengue fever. I experienced death for the first time… it was the last person through whom I thought I’ll experience it. There have been myriad occasions when I have sat down to look for a reason for all these happenings, but whichever way I think nothing logical comes to mind. How can a person’s life come to an end before it even started??
There are some people who cannot be replaced and some voids that can never be filled… he left both of that in my life… RIP

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Kick Start to The Indian Title Defense

Jam-Packed crowds; Electric buzz around the stadium; waves of "saffron-green" and "green-white". You would think that this was a setting for a World cup final between India and Pakistan. Sorry folks, you are mistaken. This was the setting for a practice match( or as my lady friend who hosts the game show "stumped" called it " A sizzling hot Warm up Match"!!!) between the arch rivals at the Oval yesterday.
India steam-rollered pakistan in the seriously contested match, but before you indian fans run your imaginations wild, let me remind you about 2 things i noticed in yesterday's match.

NUMBER ONE: The least scathing word i caould use to describe the indian bowling and fielding yesterday would be "Lazy". If it wasnt for an inspired spell from Ishant, aptly supported by a tight spell by harbhajan, pakistan would have run away witht he match in the first half itself. As it is they ended up scoring 158 runs in 20 overs and were in a position to score 200 easily. Indian bowling looks weak, RP singh and Irfan Pathan are serious liabilities.
NUMBER TWO: Pakistan look like the most confused team on the planet at the moment. Younus Khan comes out for toss... one would think he is the captain, but no, you see him stand like an innocent child at mid on for most of the indian innings. Shahid afridi is all action at covers as he flays his arm about, moving the fielders here and there. just as you think afridi is in charge, Kamran akmal starts shouting out instructions from behind the wicket in that irritaing "trapped-mouse" like voice of his. is John Buchananan secretly working for pakistan?? whats up with this multiple captaincy??

All said and done, if India are to defend their title, they have a sereious threat... their own bowling. On a happier note, Rohit sharma's Blitskrieg yesterday showed that he is in the form of his life... and gambhir seems to be regaining his touch as well. so the batting is shaping up... only if the bowling does india can look anywhere close to a semi final spot... fingers crossed!!!