Anuradha Sridharan

2006 is coming to an end. It's that time of the year to reflect upon how this year has been and how I fared in my goals/resolutions. 1) I made a very important change in my job. Although it's not a drastic career move, I can feel the effects that this change has brought in. The move from one company to another has been very good so far. 2) Attended Yoga classes (again!) in Jan and Feb this year. Didn't complete the course as I skipped the final week's classes. I repeated the same mistake in 2005 as well. Hope I complete the course in 2007. 3) Completed two Dream a Dream's Computer Programmes 101 and 102. My first step in teaching has been amazing. I want to continue this activity in 2007. 4) Blog updates - written 69 posts so far. This blog has become an indispensable writing pad for me. 5) Wrote many Tamil poems in my blog. Never knew before that writing poetry will be so engrossing. 6) Completed my OCP Performance Tuning exam. I plan to complete my final O...

எனக்குள் பிறந்தது காதல் இதயக்கதவின் சாவி துவாரத்தில் எட்டி பார்த்தேன் உன்னை ! கதவை தூள்தூளாக்கி என் மனதில் நுழைந்த கள்வனே ! நீ யாரோ என்று சிந்தித்து கொண்ட வேளையில் , ஒரு புன்சிரிப்பு என்னை அறியாமல் என் கண்கள் உன்னை நோக்கின இது நான் தானா? கேள்விக்கணைகள் என்னை துரத்தின மருபுறம் திரும்பினேன் உன்னை மறக்க நீ என்னுள் நிரம்பி விட்டதை மறந்து இதயப்பாறையில் பூத்து விட்டது சிறு காதல் பூ என் கண்களில் தெரிகின்றது முதல் மாற்றம். A rough translation in English First Change Love is born in me. I peek through the keyhole of the door of my heart, I see you. Breaking the door into pieces, you enter my heart as a thief. Wondering who you are, A slight smile without realizing it, My eyes look at you. Is it me? I'm chased by questions I turn towards the other side to forget you. Trying to forget that you have filled in me In the rocky heart blossomed a little flower of love In my eyes I see the first change.

This post has been in the draft mode since 13th Oct 2006. I managed to complete it today. My hubby and I finally made a one-day trip to Mysore. I had been to Mysore thrice before with other family members but this is the first time hubby got to visit Mysore. We wanted to see what's so special during Dussehra. We booked a cab and started our journey at 7 AM on a chilly Sunday morning. There was absolutely no traffic on the road and it was a smooth ride on the highway. I have never seen such a well laid road in India ever before. The flowers and plants that are on the separator of the road is a wonderful sight. We stopped around 9 AM at a small restaurant (forgot the name, it's opposite to a big petrol bunk) for breakfast. Hubby tried a different kind of idli called Mallige idli. I guess it's made out of Aappaam batter. I didn't like the taste of it and I settled for normal idlis. We then had steaming hot coffee. In another 20 minutes, we were in Srirangapatna. Our first ...

My contribution to Sunday Scribblings #38 - Anticipation "Papa, I want that icecream", said little Mannu, staring longingly towards his dad Babu. "How can I reject my only kid's request?", Babu thought while his hands were reaching for his pockets of a torn shirt that he was wearing. All he could find was a one rupee. Meanwhile, Mannu's mom Savitri called them for dinner. "Mannu dear, I will buy you a icecream tomorrow. Now let's go and eat food", said Babu. How can he explain to his 4 year old son that he had no money and that he was waiting for his greedy contractor to pay his salary? "Ok papa. Promise me that you will buy icecream for me tomorrow", said Mannu. "Promise Mannu. Come inside now", Babu called him and gave him a hug. Their house is a shack with just enough space for three of them. Their only possession was a trunk with their clothes. Towards a corner was the kitchen space, with a few old vessels. All that Savi...

This statement is to all those selfish, complaining, irresponsible people in the country, cribbing about the country's state of affairs, corruption, poverty, bad infrastructure, poor performance in sports etc etc. All these morons know is to complain and do nothing else. I know their typical characteristics :- They eat a chewing gum and throw the wrapper on the road. They throw the garbage bags wherever they want. They complain about how things are better in other countries. They keep talking only about those countries and their leaders. They have no respect for traffic rules. They don't care about other unprivileged people living in the same city as they live. Their ultimate aim in life is to settle abroad and crib about India from wherever they are. They bash at all the sports personalities, especially Indian cricketers on their poor performance. Oh yeah, they think given a chance, they can perform better than those non-performing cricketers, hitting sixers every ball and tak...

My contribution to Sunday scribblings #37 - Punishment & Reward This topic has brought a little smile on my "monday-morning-blues" face. Now I have a good reason to relive my school memories yet again. I was in my 9th grade when this incident took place. We had our morning break and waiting for the third session of the day to begin. Our Maths teacher was no where to be seen in the vicinity of our building. All of us were shouting and having fun. An important point to remember here is that ours was a complete girls batch. Finally, our Maths sir entered our classroom after 15 minutes. He was staring at all of us as though we had committed a big crime. "How dare you girls make such a loud noise in my class? Can't you see that the other classes have already begun?", he shouted at us. We were wondering what punishment he was planning to give us then as he is very fond of this brutal act. "Stand up on the bench", he gave a loud order. What on earth does ...

This is my contribution to Sunday Scribblings #36 - "In the last hour..." It was a typical summer. The scorching heat and the frequent power cuts were the norm. The sun was shining bright and the rays had already entered Ravi's room. Ravi was in deep slumber after a night of continuous studies. This had been the case ever since the study holidays began. Today was the first exam and the one he dreaded the most - System modeling and simulation. Though he had prepared well, he always had the feeling that he was going to forget everything in the examination hall. The prickly rays woke him up. He stretched himself and looked at the clock. "Oh my God! It's 9 AM. I have to reach my college by 10 AM. What am I gonna do? Why the hell did my alarm clock didn't ring?". He tapped his clock wildly as though he was going to travel back in time. But nothing of that sort could happen. Slowly the reality dawned on him. He has just an hour to reach the exam hall and his ...

ஆயிரம் ஆயிரம் உயிரினங்கள் கடலுக்குள் மனிதனுடன் பேச ஆவலாய்! தன் கூட்டத்தை விட்டு வெளியே வர இயலாமை, புது சூழ் நிலையை தட்ப வெட்பத்தை தாங்க சக்தி இல்லாமை. எனவே விடுகின்றன கிளிஞ்சல் விடு தூது. பல நிறம் பல வகை பல வடிவம் ஆயினும் ஒவ்வொன்றுக்கும் உள்ளது தனித்துவம். கடல் அலை கொண்டு வ ந்து சேர்த்தது என் காலடியில். சிலவற்றை எடுத்தேன் என் கைகளில் பலவற்றை பார்த்தேன் கால் சுவடுகளில் அழகின் உதாரணம் இவை எளிமையின் இலக்கணம் இவை பரந்து விரிந்த பாற்கடலின் துளிகள் இவை A rough translation in English Seashell message Thousands of creatures beneath the ocean waiting to talk to mankind! Unable to come out of their herd, Unable to withstand the pressures of new environment. Hence sending a message through seashells. Different colours Different types Different shapes But unique in it's own way. Waves brought them closer to me I took some in my hands, I saw many in the footprints. An example of beauty An icon of simplicity, They represent the vastness of the majestic ocean.

It was a sultry summer evening. My classes got over and I was returning home, holding the soft hands of my 70 year old grandma. My school was about 500 metres from my house and my grandma used to pick me up from school everyday. There was no concept of autos or cycle rickshaws in my little village. I was in the 3rd grade and loved the trip back home. My grandma and I used to walk slowly and we stop as soon as we reach my favourite hangout spot "Thaatha kadai" (shop of an old man). I loved the visits to his shop every evening. I never knew his name till this date. All I knew was that he was a very old man with a long white beard, wearing a dirty dhoti. We always call him "Thaatha" (grandfather). His shop was nothing but a small box of space (around 4 * 4 feet), packed with lots of goodies - colourful candies, little animal shaped dolls made out of plastic, cute notebooks and old colouring books. Thaatha used to sit in the centre of his shop, waiting for the school be...

I had this really scary dream a couple of days back. It was a series of events. Though I don't remember all of them, this one is crystal clear in my mind. My team is researching about the mysteries happening in an ancient temple in a village. The newspapers are filled with articles about these mysteries everyday. People's lives are in jeopardy. My team is visiting the village after collecting all the details. We reach the village around 5 PM. A local villager takes us to the temple. Things are going smooth. People are visiting the temple and doing their offerings. The local villager explains about the significance of this temple in ancient history. He says there are ruins of an older temple a few kilometres from this temple. I tell my team that we should visit the ruins to find any clue and they agree. The villager sends a woman priest to guide us as he needs to go somewhere else. "Hurry, let's go" said the woman priest. She is a different lady, wearing a thick bl...

I have been waiting for this movie ever since it's launch. I'm talking about my favourite director's and my favourite music director's combo Guru. I got to listen to the songs this afternoon and needless to say, am mesmerized by most, not all of them. "Barso re megha" sung by Shreya Ghoshal is a perfect rain song that reminds me of Mouna Raagam's "Oh oh megam vandhadho". I feel like dancing in rain while listening to the good beats and Shreya's cool voice. "Ey Hairathe" sung by Hariharan and Alka Yagnik is a beautiful melody. It begins with the theme music "Dum Dara Dum Dara" sung by the greatest musician himself which sets the tone perfectly. The way Rahman and Alka alternate between "Dum Dara" and "jashn jashn" is superb. Alka is very good at slow paced songs like Saawariya from Swades. The tabla has been used very effectively. At any day, I would prefer our very own tabla rather than the drums. ...

I'm referring to my morning commute time. When I started taking my office cab in the mornings, I would just look out through the window, observe the bustling traffic, sometimes get irritated by the sudden brakes that my cab driver casually exercise every 100 metres or so, get angry at the overspeeding vehicles and continuous honking of two wheelers. As a result, by the time I reach office, my mood will be in a hyper state and my whole day gets spoilt. I made a slight change and my days now begin with a good mood in the past few weeks. I started reading novels, especially light fiction. I read a few pages everyday and a lot more over the weekend. This helps me to return my library books on time. I managed to complete Paulo Coelho's "Zahir". Currently I'm reading Ruskin Bond's "Lamp is lit". For Paulo Coelho fans, a piece of suggestion. Zahir is not as impressive as his other books. It's very slow and ending is just straight, no twists or turns. I...

One of my favorite directors of Tamil cinema, K.Balachandar had come to my cousin's wedding. Ofcourse, to whom he is related to is totally irrelevant. I went upto him and said that I'm a fan of his movies and I liked "pudhu pudhu arththangaL" a lot. He just nodded and smiled. I admire the simplicity of this man who introduced stalwarts like Rajni and Kamal. My favorite black and white movie is "edhir neechal". A perfect movie with a superb cast. The character of Maadippadi Maadhu is a classic. The hilarious screen play, especially the scenes when the entire household thinks that Maadhu is a rich fellow and shower him with goodies, Nagesh's expressions and the body language of every character in the movie etc etc. Only a genius like Balachandar can make such a nice movie. "Unnal Mudiyum Thambi" is another gem of a movie. The concept fits in so perfectly with my beliefs. I would have seen this movie atleast 25 times but I never get bored of it. ...

I can finally put a tick mark in my goals list for this year. Yes, I volunteered for Dream a Dream's Computer programme. Being a person who likes to teach (it's in my genes, I suppose), I wanted to volunteer for this programme the first time I heard about it. But due to time constraints and unavailability on certain Saturdays, it could never happen. When I came across Shashank's email a month back, I also realized that this is indeed the last programme for the current academic year. I replied quickly, confirming my participation. The orientation session happened in the serene surroundings at Ananya. I spent a whole day with a bunch of enthusiastic volunteers and our trainer Dr.Rao who explained the minute details of how we should go about teaching kids. He made the session interesting with a lot of anecdotes and activities. It was an eye-opener for me. I was really looking forward to the forthcoming sessions. The next week was a planning session. I volunteered for the ...

Today is the birth centenary of a man who can spin interesting stories with simple words. He is none other than my favourite writer R.K.Narayan. My reading habit was reinstated because of his novel 'Swami and Friends'. Though I have read many of his novels, this one holds a special place. He is definitely one of my inspirational writers. I wish Malgudi is not a fictional town. There are quite a number of villages in India that has a flavor of Malgudi. You can read a couple of my reviews here - Vendor of Sweets , My Days Note to myself : I should go home and read a few pages written by this wonderful author tonight.

Yes, I'm talking about Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu. A well-made action packed thriller. The director deserves a big round of applause for making such a good movie and managing to release the film after the financial hassles. The music was amazing and I started to like the songs even before the movie got released especially Vennilave and Paartha mudhal naaLe. The heroine, the one who comes in the first half is beautiful and her eyes are very expressive. Ofcourse, Jyotika looks stunning in sarees in the song Uyirile. Talking about the hero Kamal, he fits perfectly in the role of a cop although he looks pretty old. The pace of the movie was superb, with Jyotika's part as occasional speed breakers. Some of the scenes were violent, especially the hanging finger amidst lemon and green chillies (dhrishti symbol !!) and the dead bodies. In a perfect movie, what is the need of a dance song with skimpily dressed dancers? That's one of the two negative points I noticed, the other being was...

கருமேக கூட்டம் சூழ்ந்திருக்க செடி கொடி எல்லாம் நின்றிருக்க வந்ததே தென்றல் காற்றும் வந்ததே ! தந்ததே புதுமண் வாசனையும் தந்ததே ! சில்லென்ற மழைத்துளி ஒன்று கையில் வ ந்ததே ! பளிர் என்ற மின்னல் ஒளியும் கண்ணில் தெரிந்ததே ! கதிரவனின் செங்கதிர்கள் மெல்ல மறைந்ததே ! வெண்ணிலவும் மேகத்திரையில் முகத்தை ஒளித்ததே ! இது ஒரு பகலின் முடிவா? இல்லை, இருள்படர் இரவின் தொடக்கமா? இல்லை, வானிலையில் புது மாற்றமா? இந்த நொடிப்பொழுதை கையில் அடக்கவா? இல்லை, வார்த்தைகளில் வடிவம் கொடுக்கவா? இல்லை, என் ராகத்தில் இசையை மீட்டவா?

Sometimes I get this irresistible urge to eat bhel puri, to listen to a Rahman song or to watch a movie. A couple of weekends back, I had the urge to watch a movie. My hubby and I went to PVR in the morning to check out the availability of tickets for Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu or KANK. Unfortunately most of the tickets were booked and a few tickets were available for the front row. I hate sitting in the front row and watching a movie with a sprained neck. So I suggested that we go to Rex. We reached there and realized that KANK was running in Symphony. We then walked to Symphony and all we could get was the evening show. We booked the tickets and didn't know what to do till evening - whether to wait for the movie or go home and come back. Hubby had to go to office as he had some deliverables. I didn't want to go home and so I decided to roam around in MG Road. My legs automatically pulled me to Crosswords. I love roaming around in bookstores. The smell of books, the soothing back...

I see myself as a healthy, active and a young granny 40 years from now. I want to keep myself as fit as possible with no major health ailments. To achieve this goal, I need to maintain my physical well being on a day-to-day basis. The sedentary life style that I lead as a software engineer staring at the computer for hours together does not juxtapose well with my goal. So what do I do? I've been trying different forms of physical exercise for the past 2 years, though in a very inconsistent manner. I started off with Yoga, went for Yoga classes for about 2 weeks and then stopped because of my inability to wake up at 5.30 AM everyday. After about 6 months, my hubby suggested that we join the same Yoga classes together. We did and actually enjoyed the sessions, attending 2 out of 5 classes per week after forcing ourselves to wake up with 3 alarms set between 5.15 and 5.30. Our Yoga master was able to figure out that we were irregular and indirectly suggested in front of the class that...

இனிய மாலை பொழுது அழகிய அலங்கார திருவடிவம் மங்கலம் பொங்கும் மணிவிளக்கு தெய்வீக மணங்கமிழும் குங்குமம் நெஞ்சை குளிரச்செய்யும் தீர்த்தம் சிரித்து மலர்ந்திருக்கும் மல்லிகை அமைதியை உணரும் மனம் திருக்கோயிலை சுற்றும் கால்கள் அடி பணியச்செய்யும் பக்தி புதுத்தெம்போடு திரும்பி வ ந்தேன் நான்...

Scribbled this one on our Independence day evening.... இன்றைய தினம் சிறப்பு வாய்ந்த நன்னாள் நினைவுகள் பலபல கொடியேற்றும் தலைவர்கள் மிட்டை கொடுக்கும் ஆசிரியைகள் தேச பக்தி பாடல்கள் அரை நாள் விடுமுறை காந்தி தாத்தா வாங்கிய சுதந்திரத்தை இன்ற்று நினைவு கூர்கிறார்கள் நமிதாவும் சினேகாவும் முழு சுதந்திரம் அடை ந்து விட்டோம் நாம் 24 மணி நேரமும் தொல்லைக்காட்சி முன் தவமிருக்க வேண்டும் சுதந்திரம் யாவருக்கும் பசி பஞ்சத்திலிருந்து வேலை திண்டாட்டத்திலிருந்து கல்வி சுமையிலிருந்து வெடித்தெழும் ஜனத்தொகையிலிருந்து வெறுக்கும் தீண்டாமையிலிருந்து பிழி ந்தெடுக்கும் லஞ்சத்திலிருந்து வெளி நாட்டு மோகத்திலிருந்து நம் தேசத்தை காப்பாற்ற விழித்தெழு தோழா ! பொழுதுபோக்கை தள்ளிப்போடு உன் கடமையை தேடு முழுமூச்சுடன் பாடுபடு மூட நம்பிக்கைகளை சாடு நம் நாட்டின் புகழ் பாடு பிறகு சுதந்திரத்தை கொண்டாடு !

Change - How important is this factor in one's life? Without change, do human beings ever grow? I wanted to experience this feeling of change for the past six months - change in environment, change in the route I travel everyday, change in the kind of work I do, change in meeting new people, change in everything. I felt that my life was becoming very monotonous. I wanted to explore the options available to me. I really want to figure out where my talents and interests are. I'm out of my first dream company now and I will be moving to a new place tomorrow. When I finally made this decision, I felt so relieved. Yes, I started to believe that I can come out of my comfort zone and try other things in my life. I feel so enthusiastic about life all of a sudden. It really amazes me how the feeling of change can create wonders in the way we think about life. This whole process helped me identify many things and most importantly, when I sent out a good bye mail to people I knew, I was o...

Read the first part here yahooooo.....I got 96% in my exams and have scored very good marks in all subjects including the language papers. My joy knew no bounds and I was jumping happily. My grandma couldn't understand my sudden strange behaviour, though she understood that my score was good. I quickly took a calculator and started calculating my total score for medical admission. The calculator replied "284/300". So I still stand a chance as per my dad's inputs, though I had to keep my fingers crossed. The next week was full of wishes from teachers, friends, neighbours and relatives. I also came to know that not only did I stand first in my school but also third in my district, which inturn guaranteed a merit scholarship from the Government for whatever course I plan to take. The day indeed arrived when I had to realize my dreams getting shattered. The cut-off for general category was 291/300 which was way ahead of my score. My name was not even in the waiting list....

My stint with Sunday Scribblings begins here.... This thought actually started burgeoning in me when I was in class 9. I knew I was just 2 years away from the crucial decision which I had to take-"What do I want to do in life?". Science and Maths have always fascinated me since my childhood. I wasn't too keen on Arts or Commerce. So I had to be in the Science field.Science is such a vast subject. What do I like in Science? was my next question and pat came the reply - Biology, especially the human physiology. I loved reading about the different systems inside the human body. I still remember the digestive system and the circulatory system and their respective diagrams. With my good score in Class 10 board exams, I decided to opt for Maths-Physics-Chemistry-Biology group. This group had a mix of both my favorite subjects. Ofcourse, Chemistry was another favourite subject of mine. I was firmly decided on Medicine when I joined my Class 11. The hard work I put in my ...

It's been a long time since I sat down (or on a chair) for a couple of hours and focussed on one single task at hand. Any task for that matter ! I'm getting or allowing myself to get interrupted in all possible directions and at all possible places. These interruptions need not be external ones alone. Even when I'm alone and I think about some concrete plan of action or I'm just relaxing, varied thoughts become the source of interruptions. For instance, while I'm watching TV lying on my cosy comfort bed, I get interrupted by the N number of channels and options I have. I can't watch a programme peacefully for even 15 minutes. I do watch Friends every night on Zee Cafe and I flip to other channels during ad break. Have I become a restless person? Now, while I write this piece, my mailbox pops a mail icon and I quickly switch over to my mail client to read my new mail. I guess I'm becoming a Pavlov's dog . I notice this abnormality in most of the people ...

After writing about my garden in my grandpa's house, I feel I should write about my little pot garden in my terrace. Thanks to my hubby's interest, we have been into gardening as a hobby for a while now. Since we are not the professionals, we really don't know how to take good care of our plants. My sincere hubby pours water everyday and spreads manure soil once in a while. But that doesn't seem to be enough. Luckily, we got to know a gardener who visited last weekend, changed the soil ("repotting" in his terms) and put some new seeds. Though his charges were high, we were quite satisfied to see our garden after his efforts. Now after a span of four days, while I was watering the plants and I see those cute, tiny plants which seem to peep out of the soil to see the outside world, my joy knew no bounds. I started to count these saplings and I prayed that they should grow properly. Sometimes, these little things that happen to us add a lot of joy and make our d...

I want to write something interesting, something worthwhile, something to cherish. Words, reflections of my feelings, of my thoughts, of my life. I ponder, I wonder, I crib, I laugh. This is my space, free to express free to write free to chat.

Ravenclaw....Not Gryffindor, at the same time not Slytherin as well. It was an interesting way to figure out my house. I'm intelligent (yeah, yeah...no more a Tuby!), capable (God didn't know which particular talent to bestow upon me, so he gave me everything) and witty. Looking at the scores, I'm pretty much a mixed bag of qualities. Now, can someone please give me a ticket to Hogwarts Express. It's high time I start my first year before Harry, Ron and Hermione pass out of the school. Which Hogwarts house will you be sorted into? Your in-depth results are: Ravenclaw - 12 Gryffindor - 11 Hufflepuff - 10 Slytherin - 8

It might come as a surprise or a shock to a few people if I say that I haven't watched Friends serial until last Saturday. I got a chance to watch a few of them in DVDs and I enjoyed so much that I laughed continuously for 3 hours. The expressions were just amazing. Being a passionate toastmaster, I could easily relate to the importance of body language and how it can impact the audience. I especially liked the character of Chandler. His dialogue delivery and timings were superb. My friend Biju was comparing me to Phoebe, a stupid tuby she is. Oh, the part where she tried to impress her boy friend's parents was so stupid but enjoyable. The best part was the way they fight for Ross and Rachel's daughter, Emma. Adding to my wish list - to watch all the episodes. "Friends" - very interesting to watch with friends. :-)

The title intrigued me, and noting that the author is Ruskin Bond made me pick this title from a local library. I haven't read his novels before but have read his short stories and I thorougly enjoyed them. This novel is about the protogonist who moves from a small town to the capital in pursuit of his dreams of becoming a writer. How he becomes friends with the young boy,Suraj and the barber is another interesting plot. The narration of Ruskin Bond seems to captivate me a lot , in terms of the way he explains the town, the streets, the distant fields, rains etc. He makes you picturize the entire town in minute detail. A very key resemblance to that of R.K. Narayan's. Though it wasn't very gripping, it was a good read for a couple of hours. I plan to read other titles of Ruskin Bond. Any suggestions?

A small house in the far end of the plot, with a nice, little garden in it's front, showcasing flowering plants like jasmine, december, kanakambaram (what's the English word?), huge fruit bearing trees like banana, mango and guava (white and pink varieties) etc. The whole street could smell the fragrance of curry leaves and eucalyptus. No one bought curry leaves from the shops. They plucked it from our little garden. Can you believe that a drumstick plucked from that garden costs 25 paise? (I checked out in Foodworld yesterday - 2 drumsticks cost 5 rupees, Inflation ! I suppose). Our evening tiffin was always served on fresh, green badam leaves. 15 years later, there is no trace of jasmine or december plants. The shoulders of banana trees are drooping. I can see only the trunk of the drumstick tree but no trace of the vegetable. The curry leaves are dried out. The guava and eucalyptus trees are gone. The house is not the same. The garden is no longer there. That's my gran...

One strange act I keep observing among the bus conductors these days is adding a few coins everyday to their pockets (Yes, I mean it). My home is very close to my office and I use the public transportation to travel this short distance. Many a times, the bus conductor asks for 3 or 4 rupees and never gives a ticket. When I ask him/her (there is no gender bias here !) to give me a ticket, they claim that the ticket price is 6 rupees. Initially I didn't understand this (I'm a tuby, isn't it?). Then when I thought about it for a while, I understood what was happening. If you are going to get down within a couple of bus stops, there is no need of a ticket and the conductor pockets the few coins. That's what he claims. Given the crowd of local bus transportation in Bangalore and the absence of ticket checkers (I haven't seen one in the past four years here ! I had seen many ticket checkers in metro trains in Chennai) , I wonder what would be the total amount these con...

There are many movies where you expect good songs but they turn out to be disappointed (Did I mention about God Father before?). There are few movies where you don't expect anything (you are not even aware such movies actually got released) but the songs turn out to be mind blowing. Few such songs from the new Tamil releases below. Let me know if you agree (or disagree) :-) Unnai Kandene in Paarijaatham is such a beautiful song. There is a breeze of freshness in the female singer's voice. Such a romantic song it is ! The beats are amazing. I heard that the music director Tarun is a new face. Very good debut, Tarun. I have no words to appreciate the lyrics. Ragasiyamanadhu Kaadhal in Kodambakkam is another master piece of melody. Thanks to Sun Music, I get to hear this song almost everyday. I don't have any idea about when this movie got released and who are those actors. I couldn't recognize the male singer but I know for sure that the female singer is Harini, one of ...

A huge verandah it was, open to the sky ! Green grass was spread on the floor like a bed. Little Tinu had come home early from school. The headmaster had agreed to let the kinder garden kids leave soon, fearing it might rain heavily. Tinu was pretty excited to see the dark clouds, threatening to pour down. He sat on the grass bed, observing them. He could recognize the different faces the clouds depicted. He could make out a lion's head, a goat's horns and a crow's beak. He didn't mind the fact that his house doors were locked and no one was there at home. He was enjoying the weather, the looming clouds and the cool breeze. He felt the first drop of the rain on his cheek. His joy knew no bounds. He was about to experience the first rain in his four years of life. His mom had never allowed him to play in the rains, fearing he might catch cold. He started counting the droplets - oneeeee, twoooo, threee, four, five....He couldn't catch up with the speed of the rain dro...

Gulab Jamuns, Rasgullas, Soan Papdis, Gajar Ka Halwa - Is your mouth watering reading these delicious desserts? I got this craving for Indian desserts. Craving might be a lighter word, perhaps. I love them and I simply adore these delicacies. Whoever invented these, God bless their souls. From my childhood, I always preferred Indian sweets to any other kind of desserts. Even now, when I had to choose between the two cuisines served during lunch at office, I always choose the one which has a better dessert; And if there is gulab jamun in one of the menus, I don't even take a look at the other menu. I still remember those rasgulla tins my dad used to buy during Diwali. I never eat jamuns or rasgullas in one go , rather I relish them bite by bite, slowly as the piece melts down in my tongue. Hmm....heaven ! Donuts, pies, pastries and puddings can never even come close to what the Indian sweets offer to our taste buds. Even the simplest sweet of all, Payasam (Kheer) - doesn't it ta...

Wrote this poem while returning home from work last night and heavy rains lashing the city விரைந்து வருகிறாய் பூமித்தாய்க்கு முத்தமிட திரண்டு ஓடுகிறாய் வெள்ளாற்றில் கலக்க நீ தொடும் வேளையில் மண்ணிற்கு புது வாசனை எனக்குள் பொங்கும் மங்காத ரசனை மேகக்கூட்டங்கள் உன்னை வரவேற்கும் கதிர் வீசும் சூரியனும் வெட்கத்தில் மறையும் மின்னல் சிரிப்பில் நீ பிரகாசிப்பாய் இடி முழக்கத்தில் நீ எதிரொலிப்பாய் உன்னால் குளிரும் உயிர்கள் உள்ளம் உன்னால் விளையும் பயிர்கள் செல்வம் உன்னை கரம்பிடிக்க என் கண்கள் காத்திருக்க வந்தாய் நீ மழையே தந்தாய் புது இசையே A rough English translation Welcome ! You reach quickly to kiss mother nature You flow swiftly to reach the river The moment you touch The soil exudes a new smell Blossoming in me a never-ending admiration Clouds gather to welcome you The bright sun sets blushed A lightning smile for you to glow A thunder blast for you to echo You cool the soul of lives You create the wealth of crops My eyes wait to capture you Here you come, Oh rain Here you give, new music

No, this post is not about the elections that had come and gone. As kids, many would have fond memories of chocolates or icecreams. My memories are mostly based on bikis or biscuits. I love them in different shapes and tastes. The taste has evolved as I grew up. I still remember the Farex box where my grandma used to store bommai bikis (biscuits shaped like dolls, fish, duck etc). Every evening, I would open that box and only take shapes that has a head. I derived a lot of pleasure in eating heads :-) My dad would ensure that there are always enough bommai biscuits stocked. Then came the entry of Brittania Milk Bikis. 2 milk bikis + a glass of Boost - a perfect combination to begin a day. Although I never liked Marie Biscuits, I tried it once in a while. My brother and I had a unique style of eating Marie. We first ate the outer circle bite by bite and then went to the inner circle. I would be doing injustice to the world of biscuits if I forget to mention the yummy cream biscuits. Spl...

"Wake up, Tina. It's already 7. You got to get ready for college", Tina's mom was shouting from the kitchen. A bright Monday morning. But Tina woke up with a dull face. Ever since she joined college, her enthusiasm was completely lost. She was expecting more from college life, not just in terms of fun and frolic but also in terms of knowledge and career growth. But like any other college, her's too was caught up with the same conventional mechanical mode of teaching, attendance, exams etc. Rushing towards the bus stop with her assignment notes, Tina managed to catch the bus. Her best friend, Deepa greeted her with a broad smile. "Looks like you had completed your assignment. I have 4 hours from now to finish copying. I'm gonna start right away. " demanded Deepa, grabbing the microprocessors assignment from Tina's hands. "Assignments mean copying from a book to a piece of paper word by word, I suppose" , commented Tina with a sarcastic s...

What a week it was ! My blog suffered due to angels and daemons. Now don't have any vague imaginations. I'm talking about Dan Brown's Angels and Daemons. I borrowed it from the library and thoroughly enjoyed reading it. What a thriller ! I was reading a few pages every weekday evening and completed it over the weekend. I had read the Davinci Code by the same author a year ago and was very impressed. When I had enrolled myself as a member of a library nearby, the first book I enquired about was Angels and Daemons. After 4 weeks, I got a chance to borrow it. I'm not going to write any spoilers here. The gist of the story is about the conflicts between science and religion, narrated at a lightning pace with lots of twists and turns. Beware if you are reading alone sitting on your bed in the night. You might get scared like me. During those scary times, I used to put down the book and take a short walk to the kitchen and come back, just to make sure that I'm in Bangal...

The thoughts are my own and not meant to oppose or hurt anyone else's views. So I don't expect a counter argument as a comment :-) If you wish to oppose, please write an article in your blog. Here goes my take on Arranged v/s Love marriages. Arranged marriage query :- SELECT * FROM list_of_eligible_bachelors WHERE age > :bride_age -- the bride's age should always be less than the bridegroom AND bank_balance > :an_exorbitant_amount AND own_a_house_flag = 'Y' AND own_a_car_flag = 'Y' AND exists (SELECT 1 FROM best_horoscopes WHERE bachelor_id = list_of_eligible_bachelors.bachelor_id) AND salary > :bride_salary -- Very important clause, cannot do away with this condition AND religion = :religion_of_bride AND caste = :caste_of_bride AND sub_caste = :subcaste_of_bride AND ........................ -- Conditions to be added in the subsequent releases Love marriage query :- SELECT * FROM list_of_eligible_men WHERE good_qualities = '...

இரவு வரும் வரை நிலவு காத்திருப்பதில்லை கால்தடம் வரும் வரை கடல் அலை காத்திருப்பதில்லை வண்டு வரும் வரை பூக்கள் காத்திருப்பதில்லை காதல் வரும் வரை கனவு காத்திருப்பதில்லை ஆதவன் வரும் வரை பறவை காத்திருப்பதில்லை ஆசை வரும் வரை கடிகாரம் காத்திருப்பதில்லை வார்த்தை வரும் வரை பேனா காத்திருப்பதில்லை வடிவம் வரும் வரை சிற்பம் காத்திருப்பதில்லை A rough translation in English Afternoon ramblings - Part 2 The moon doesn't wait for the night The waves doesn't wait for the footprints The flowers doesn't wait for the bee The dream doesn't wait for love The bird doesn't wait for the sun The wish doesn't wait for the clock The pen doesn't wait for words The sculpture doesn't wait for a shape

கறை இல்லாத நிலவு உண்டா குறை இல்லாத மனிதன் உண்டா சிறகு இல்லாத பறவை உண்டா சிரிப்பு இல்லாத குழந்தை உண்டா முள் இல்லாத பாதை உண்டா 'செல்' இல்லாத உயிர் உண்டா கனவு இல்லாத வாழ்க்கை உண்டா விடியல் இல்லாத இரவு உண்டா அனுபவம் இல்லாத கவிதை உண்டா அபிநயம் இல்லாத பரதம் உண்டா புதுமை இல்லாத புரட்சி உண்டா பசுமை இல்லாத நாட்கள் உண்டா A rough translation in English Afternoon ramblings - Part 1 Is there a moon without a shade? Is there a man without a problem? Is there a bird without a wing? Is there a baby without a smile? Is there a path without a thorn? Is there a life without a cell? Is there a life without a dream? Is there a night without a dawn? Is there a poem without an experience? Is there a dance without an expression? Is there a revolution without a new idea? Is there a day without a pleasant feel?

RK Narayan's autobiography "My Days" sounds very similar to his novels; touch, feel, words - everything similar. He is no way less naughtier than Swami. His college life is no way less happening than Chandran's. His love for his wife is no way less special than Krishna's. The roads of Madras with trams and jutka carts, temples of Mylapore, less crowded beach where he takes a stroll engrossed in thoughts, unperturbed by noise - I wish Madras could be the same as explained by Narayan. I came to know that there was a time when four rupees was equivalent to a dollar ! Narayan's words portray his passion for writing and struggles he faced to get his first novel published. The most fascinating thing that stands out in this book is the manner in which he takes the readers through his journey, his pains, his struggles, his family, his publication "Indian Thought" and his dreams using such wonderful anecdotes. Every novel of his is related to his life directl...

I learnt that I should never believe in the ratings given by the leading newspapers. A marketing gimmick, it is. I learnt that I should never really ask for opinion from others before I decide to watch a movie. Opinions differ from person to person. I learnt that I should never watch such gloomy movies on a weekday evening. My rest of the week gets spoilt. Nothing much to write about this very hyped movie. A slow paced, predictable series of events. Many actors' potential has been wasted. For instance, Naseeruddin Shah. Such a talented actor he is but has no significant role to play in the film. Dimple Kapadia, the less said, the better. Boman Irani, a good comedian who proved his talent in Munna Bhai is fighting with a dog here and that's supposed to be the humour part of this movie. Hahaha....we laughed not for the comedian but for the director who thinks that Indian audience can laugh for anything. But we should definitely appreciate the director for taking a dark, gloomy w...

You : Madam, are you aware of Child Sexual Abuse and how this can affect your child? Parent1 : It may not happen to my kid. He is brought up in such a good environment. CSA happens only with kids from poor socio-economic background. Parent2 : To my kid? He is a boy. CSA will not affect him in any way. Parent3 : My kid is just 3 months old. Are you kidding? These are the possible replies you might get when you talk about to CSA to common people. So many myths spread about CSA everywhere. Thanks to Dream a Dream, we had the privilege of attending one of the informative workshops on CSA yesterday. The facilitator first introduced us to what falls under child sexual abuse and what are the common myths prevailing in the society. It can happen to any child, irrespective of gender, age or socio-economic background. There could be long term as well as short term effects on the children's well-being depending on the intensity to which they have been abused. The effects can range ...

Another gem of a book by Paulo Coelho. I have read his "Alchemist" and "Veronica decides to die" and was very impressed with the way he puts down his thoughts. This one "By the river...." is a story about Pilar, a young girl who meets his childhood friend and embark on her life changing journey together. There are not many characters in this story which makes the flow simple to understand. Typical of Coelho's works, this book also has interesting messages interspersed at appropriate places along with the storyline. With due credits to the author, I'm pointing out a few thoughts that made a big impression on me. "Everyday God gives us the sun - and also one moment in which we have the ability to change everything that makes us unhappy. Everyday we try to pretend that we haven't perceived that moment, that it doesn't exist - that today is the same as yesterday and will be the same as tomorrow. But if people really pay attention to their ...

Decided to make Poli (Obbattu in Kannada) on the occasion of Ugadi. I placed the recipe book on top of the microwave and started the process. The first line in the recipe said "Soak the bengal gram dhal for some time". I've been cooking for the past three years but I can never remember that Bengal gram dhal is kadalaparuppu. A few minutes went off in looking at the index and confirming that it was indeed kadalaparuppu. Next question came immediately to my mind - What is "some time"? How many hours do I need to soak the dhal? I decided "Let it soak for one hour". Next came the big challenge. The second line was "Take maida or white wheat flour and make it into a smooth dough". Good, I have an option to choose since I didn't have maida at home. I took the wheat flour but it wasn't pure white. Forget it, so what if the colour doesn't match the exact requirements? I made a smooth dough but it became a bit soggy. So I had to allow the...