Anuradha Sridharan

The curtains for 2008 are slowly closing down, with a glimpse of 2009 in the near horizon. The year has been eventful in many ways. Here's a summary of how 2008 fared for me, just for records that I can look back after a few years. (Flashback - 2007 , 2006 , 2005 ) - The most important event has been relocating to our own cozy little nest which was worth a four year waiting period. It's a new and interesting experience for both my hubby and myself to setup a new home, buy required stuff and get everything in order. - The excitement of a new home became very visible with us celebrating Navrathiri, Diwali and Christmas in our own unique ways - our first Kolu (arrangement of dolls) and our first Christmas tree decorations. Keeping traditions alive and celebrating every festival in a simple, yet memorable way is one of the rules of our home. - From work perspective, I got a promotion this year and also made a role change. - Getting DML award in PGSEM is a special moment. - ...

Ever since Aamir announced that he would be remaking the Tamil blockbuster "Ghajini", I had been waiting to watch it. I absolutely loved the Tamil version where Surya did a remarkable job and ofcourse Asin portrayed a beautiful role. A couple of songs by Harris are still playing in my iPod as my favorites. Talking about the Hindi version of "Ghajini", I'm completely in love with the romantic melody "Guzarish". Sonu Nigam's hummings throughout this song is just too good. Only Rahman can offer such magic to ears. Although I'm not a fan of "Behka" (I still prefer "Oru Maalai" from Tamil), "Kaise Mujhe" makes up for it - a haunting sad song and an excellent instrumental rendition. There is not much of a change in the screenplay except for the climax. Aamir fits the role perfectly as the one with short term memory loss, chasing the villains and bashing them. But I'm highly disappointed with the younger looking Aamir...

The unpredictable Bangalore traffic on a Friday night enabled us to reach the bus stop an hour earlier. Thanks to the talkative man, I was able to escape the boredoms amidst squeaking honks and crowded waiting rooms. No, I didn't meet a friend or a stranger but one of RK Narayan's novels "Talkative Man". What better way to break the reader's block than to pick up a RKN novel and enjoy the familiar territories of Malgudi! This is the first RKN novel I managed to read in 2008. The protogonist TM narrates his experiences with a visitor named Rann in his home town Malgudi. Characters like TM (his actual name not once mentioned!) are very common in small towns, with their stories and gossips doing the rounds in streets and lanes. Thanks to ancestral property and wealth, TM leads a comfortable life and focuses his time and energy as a journalist writing about incidents that happen at Malgudi and sends them across to leading newspapers, with a hope of getting the words i...

Lately the number of my blog posts have come down drastically. I find it difficult to put words on paper, call it the writer's block. There is another block that has hit me hard these days - the reader's block. It's been a while since I have read a novel or a non-fiction (last was "The Kite Runner"). My attention span has been reducing as time progresses. So many thoughts and questions arise which I safely put aside and do not dare to ponder too much. December is usually a month of joy and happiness, with Christmas and New Year, wondering about my new year resolutions which I hardly keep up. But it used to be fun, just to pen them down. This year, the mood is different - globally due to recession, economic slow down and horror faces of terror, with a few of my dear friends getting impacted hard. I cannot wipe off their sorrows or frustrations but I'm trying to just listen to them so they can talk and let out their anger which might help them feel a bit relieve...

Although I have been living in Bangalore for six years, I haven't explored much of Karnataka except for the nearby Mysore. I feel it's quite strange given the fact that I love to travel. Early this year, I visited Madikeri with a bunch of friends and it was a fresh experience. Last weekend, it was the turn of Mangalore. With a big group of friends interested in this trip, our travel planner took the efforts to book the tickets and a place to stay. A big surprise came to me when I noticed the cranky side middle berths in our train. The railways would be making great profits but it's so very inconvenient for common people. A person of short stature like me found it hard to fit in my head. I wonder how the tall guys or girls would manage. The morning breeze and the scenery reminded me of my numerous Kerala trips. After a quick shower at the hotel, we got dressed and were ready to satiate our hunger pangs over complementary breakfast at the hotel restaurant. The hotel manager ...

After reading Skely 's post, I felt I should note down this day in my dear blog. I'm glad that we won against Aussies with all the might and strength. A convincing victory it was! But I want to write this post for a different reason. One of the three veterans has signed off today from test cricket; yes, I'm referring to Dada a.k.a Sourav Ganguly. I have been following his cricket career completely ever since the England tour in 1996 where he made his test debut. His back-to-back test centuries, many successful opening partnerships with my idol Sachin in ODIs, the way he smashed the Pakistani bowlers in Sahara Cup at Toronto, his aggressive captaincy inspiring many youngsters like Yuvraj and Kaif and most importantly, his classy off drives and cover drives making him "next-to-God in offside batting" - He used to be my second most favorite Indian cricketer (Do I need to say who the first one is!). The time will come when the other two will also face the same day. I ...

I have never felt this way while reading a novel - eyes welling up and emotions stirred. "The kite runner" provided this new experience and am glad I read this book. With 5 hours to spare in a train journey and with a couple of magazines in my handbag, I wondered how I would be able to while away my time. I don't know if I'm fortunate or otherwise - my reading speed is pretty fast and I was confident that I could browse through the magazines in an hour. I suppose God has heard my thoughts. An old man was selling a bunch of books and I chose "the kite runner". The initial part of the story was a beautiful narration of the childhood friendship between Amir and Hassan set in the backdrop of Afghanistan. There were funny and playful moments until a disaster happened which changed their lives forever. I stopped at this juncture during my train journey. After more than a month, the Diwali break provided a good relaxing time to continue this superb novel. Followin...

While browsing over the newspaper this morning, two contradictory news items struck hard on me that has been disturbing my thoughts ever since I glanced at them. One was the unbelievable rent rates (around 10 lakh rupees a month....you read it right! it's for one month and not for one year) that high flying corporate executives are ready to shell out on exclusive villas in Bangalore. Although newspapers tend to exaggerate the figures, even if I reduce this amount by 50% and consider it as 5 lakhs a month, it's still a huge figure for rent which I'm not able to digest. I turned a few pages, wondering how people are ready to shell out such monstrous money on rents. Another article caught my fleeting glance. Because of lack of growth hormones, a 22 year old woman in Gulbarga district still has the physical and mental traits of a child. Since her family couldn't even afford a single meal in a day, they couldn't spend on the hospital expenses to get this defect on her pi...

Email that I had sent to my Consumer behavior (CB) Professor and my projectmates at PGSEM on Sept 02 2008 below: While coming to work today, I came across this restaurant "Bon South" in Koramangala which specializes in South Indian veg and non-veg cuisines. This initiated some CB related questions on brand associations and culture in my mind. 1) The exterior ambience of this place somewhat looked like a continental/Italian restaurant. Will someone looking for a South Indian cuisine identify with this exterior? 2) The brand name (Bon South) itself sounds non South Indian. How can consumers relate to it? I feel this is where the restaurant "Malgudi" has touched a chord. The external appearance, the doors resembling traditional Chettinad homes and ofcourse, the brand name has clear associations to South India. 3) Most importantly, the menu offered by Bon South (got this info after some Internet search) has a range of options from all four South Indian states at an exor...

My first tryst with watching a cricket match live from a stadium occurred long time back in Chennai . It's been more than six years since I shifted to Bangalore but never got a chance to experience live cricket from Chinnaswamy stadium. This indeed came true last Sunday on the fourth day of India v/s Australia test match. With tickets being booked online, all we had to do was reach the stadium on time. I was expecting a huge crowd on a Sunday morning but people started thronging the stadium only after 11 AM. As I entered the stadium, I realized that this is the last series for Ganguly. Although I am not a big fan of him, I felt a little sad because Sachin's last series may not be that far. My childhood hero (he still is!!) has started to play lesser number of matches due to injury concerns. When the players were busy with their net practice, we settled for good seats in our stand. After a while, the stadium started to erupt in loud cheer. While I was wondering what the fuss is ...

My contribution to Cafe Writing - Sept & Oct Project dark clouds beckoning to pour down mist traveling from distant mountains Cool breeze adding to the glory I stood there contemplating A tiny drop let caressing my palm announcing the arrival of monsoon injecting a fresh stream of energy I stood there motionless glad to have caught the first splash, the murmur s of threatening thunder passing cryptic message from the heavens I stood there in awe hot cup of tea awakening my pallid senses rivulet s flowing swiftly by my side, swoon ed by this magical evening I stood there feeling blessed

Rambled this piece during a quiet evening date with the sea and the waves at Marari Beach கரையை தொட்டுச் செல்லும் அலையே என்ன சேதி கொண்டு வந்தாய் எனக்கு என்னை ரசிக்கும் உனக்கு பரிசுகள் பல கொ ண்டு வந்தேன் தொலைதூரத்திலிருந்து உன்னிடம் எதையும் எதிர்பார்க்கவில்லை உன் புதிர் மொழியின் அர்த்தம் தேடும் வேளையில் எதிர்பாரா நேரத்தில் உன் கண்களின் பிரகாசத்தை உணர இதோ கொண்டு வந்தேன் ஆழ்கடல் சிற்பிகள் எத்தனை அழகு எத்தனை வடிவம் என் சமர்ப்பணம் இந்த அதிசய சிற்பிகளுக்கு வெள்ளை கூடை கொண்டு சேர்த்த பல வண்ண பூக்கள் தொட்டு எடுத்த என் கைகளும் நிறம் மாறிய அற்புதங்கள் ஆதவன் மறையும் வேளையில் மேகக்கூட்டம் ஆடும் நடனங்கள் அமைதியான இந்த தருணத்தை எடுத்து செல்ல முயலும் வார்த்தைகள் தென்றல் தீண்டிய என் கூந்தல் கவிதை எழுத துடிக்கிறதே அதை கட்டுப்படுத்தும் என் கைகளும் போராடி களைக்கிறதே காற்று திசை நோக்கிச் செல்ல கால்கள் இரண்டும் பறக்கிறதே மேகத்தின் உள்ளே நீந்திட என் மனமும் அலை பாய்கிறதே

With the clock striking midnight and my fingers busy typing a case analysis (and one more case to read for another course), the stress that's building up is automatically cooled down by this brilliant romantic yesteryear melody "Gazab kaa ye din" from Qayamat se Qayamat Tak. What a superb classic! This perfect moment has to be recorded in my dear blog. Music can be a coolant, a refresher, whatever you might want to call it. Sometimes I wonder if my iPod (and iTunes) has some artificial intelligence abilities. Because the songs it picks up in shuffle mode suits my mood so nicely (thanks to Apple!). This song reflects my fantasy in some way - getting lost in an isolated forest with my loved one where no laptops, TVs or mobile phones will ever work. The innocence and fresh feelings the two characters portray in this song is just amazing. When I listened to this song first time in Doordarshan long time ago (remember Rangoli on Sunday mornings!), it brought a smile to my face....

When a three day vacation is in the offing and you will be starting from Dindugul in Tamilnadu, what better place to visit than the lovely Kerala? It has almost become a ritual for me to visit Kerala once a year. And everytime I go, I want to keep coming again and again. Combining this vacation with my wedding anniversary celebration, the travel planning part of my brain got activated. I looked into different resorts and travel possibilities, booked the train tickets and finally narrowed down to Marari Beach resort in a village named Mararikulam near Alleppey. I love planning a vacation and it makes me realize that travel planning could be considered as an alternate career :-) The resort is around 60 kms from Ernakulam railway station. With the exorbitant charges for pickup claimed by the resort, we decided to arrange on our own. Thanks to the taxis right outside the station, we were able to reach the village for a reasonable price. The vast expanse of the greenery inside the resort to...

Although unattended and unvisited, I don't want my blog to end up like the hundreds of blogs that started around the same time as mine. I wouldn't call this huge gap as a writer's block. I believe a block would occur when you sit down to write something but words don't come out. But this didn't happen to me, rather I was busy shuffling between many things that I didn't happen to sit down in the first place and ponder. I need to allocate some time to reflect and analyze my course of action. This brings to my mind an interesting book that I got to read - " A year by the sea " by Joan Anderson. Although the perspective is different, I can relate to the protogonist's feelings in some way. Joan aged 50 years feels that she has been living her whole life running around with family responsibilities and taking care of her kids' demands. One fine day, she decides to let go of everything and move to a small cottage by the sea shore for a year. Living by ...

My contribution to 3WW - XCVIII The sun so close to slumber clouds creating hues and shapes in the canvas of blue sky, a loner bird alongside vast expanse of the lake wings flapping briskly Reaching for the million stars, unnoticed but unruffled time bound but unflurried rhythmic movements in the air a linear flight to be admired the view spectacular and gorgeous!

There is one name that I'm associated with in one form or another in the years of my life so far - be it a friend, a neighbour, a hero or a class mate. And that name is "Karthik". My childhood friend who used to be my neighbour is "Karthik". I had another younger friend in my apartment with a similar name "Karthikeyan". In high school, one of my friends who used to be a big fan of cricket, updating me with scores regularly in class hours is "Karthick". As though real characters are not enough, the fictional characters came to the limelight. My most favorite Tamil movies are Mouna Raagam, Kaadhal Desam and Alai Payuthey. Guess what, the heroes are "Karthik"s. Karthik's character in Mouna Raagam, although it's a guest role is etched in my memory forever. The few scenes between him and Revathy have portrayed beautifully, the playfulness, fun and love. I cannot stand the fact that he gets killed due to unforeseen circumstances. ...

Ever since I started learning about Oracle database sometime back in college, DML always meant Data Manipulation Language. But from July 2008, DML means something else and also a special one. I'm one of the top rank holders in the first year of PGSEM 2007 batch and I'm part of the Director's merit list (in short, DML). It's a nice feeling to get this award since the competition among the 140 students in my class has been intense throughout the year. Although I was aware about this award when I enrolled in PGSEM, I never aimed for getting this award until Quarter 4 started (I swear!). Due to the initial enthusiasm, Quarter 1 went really well for me. In Quarter 2, there was a huge monster called Macroeconomics which pulled down my good CGPA very badly. In Quarter 3, another not-so-huge monster called Law swallowed some more decimal points from my CGPA. At the end of quarter 3, I was at rank 15. That was when I realized I have a chance to get into top 10. With encouragemen...

My contribution to Sunday Scribblings - Solace As the day dawns, ushering in hope and inspiration along with a bunch of to-dos hovering in the air, the much needed solace is a hot cup of tea. My morning begins with switching on the gas stove, brewing tea and mixing it up with hot milk. No matter what, I can never skip this routine. Although my hubby keeps suggesting that I should either wake up early or skip having tea on Fridays and Saturdays when I have to rush for my MBA classes, I can never give up my special tea (might skip breakfast, though). Infact, I claim that I can make better tea than the ones served in many restaurants. This obsession with tea didn't begin until around 6 years back when I moved from Chennai to Bangalore. Coffee, Boost and Bournvita used to be my favorite beverages then. Tea is something I prefer to have anytime of the day. I'm working on a term paper for my Consumer Behavior elective and guess what - the topic that is assigned to me by chance was ...

With a year just whiffed past offering an experience to remember for a life time and another year and a half to go, I'm sure the zeal and passion I have for my PGSEM course will continue. So what if I like to be the first bencher, not bunking classes and being attentive? I'm having my share of fun. During my engineering college days, I used to hate attending many boring lectures that I would bunk and sit at home. But at IIMB, every session is packed with action that there is no reason to bunk. Every week is brimmed with varied activities - be it quizzes, assignments, case analyses and ofcourse, exams that test your application of the concepts and not your memory. Along with 13 core courses in the first year, I also learnt how I can squeeze time out of my daily routine, prioritize the tonnes of work that land up in my plate and optimize my workload. The confidence that gave me in first year led me to take 4 electives in this quarter. "You have taken 4 courses and one of the...

Having been an ardent admirer of Dr.Abdul Kalam, his books and his vision 2020, I always had the dream to hear his speech in person. This dream turned a reality at IIMB last evening. I got to experience how a good opening of a speech can make a powerful impact, a lesson I learnt from Toastmasters. He started off with the following verses:- Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Just walk beside me, and be my friend. Dr.Kalam painted a picture of his vision 2020 and highlighted different areas such as infrastructure, energy and agriculture where management graduates can play a vital role. He also urged on the importance of employablity and put forth key leadership traits such as vision, exploring the unexplored, courage and integrity. Creative leadership means being a coach rather than a commander and a mentor rather than a manager. More than his talk, I admired the way he tackled the questions. When a guy listed down a series of probl...

Seeds of leadership were sown when I fought for the fundamental rights of kids - to play and have fun. As I sit in my balcony trying to make sense of the extremes "business of a business is business" and corporate social responsibility, the kids in my apartment complex are enjoying the company of each other, playing some games and shouting on top of their voices. I could feel myself being transported back to 14 years when I was one among them. Every evening, after school it was a fun evening with my neighborhood friends. Being the eldest, I came up with new games and activities. "My son is preparing for CA. Do you know how tough the exams are? Go home and stop playing every evening" - my neighbor uncle blasted us one day. I boldly replied "Ask him to close all the windows and study". I didn't care much about his son's studies then. When I look at the kids today, I regret the fact that I have grown up. I sit here, admiring these little kids and thei...

My contribution to 3WW a horrendous job to wade through the dark forest dried leaves, brown sticks strewn around everywhere holding hands together frequenting this wonderland quite often, hoping for a treasure to get exposed someday rain played spoilsport drenching the brown mud and rocks making the grounds slippery bringing alive the sucking leeches undeterred by the lashing wind unscathed by the oozing blood determined to discover the trove working diligently, we dug deep an old wooden box locked tight by its side with intricate carvings revealed itself with pride fine to falter and flounder the only objective to open , there she lies, our sweet pie the cute kitten, feeling shy

My contribution to Cafe Writing - May & June project Aroused by the pure rays of the sun wakes up to the mellow voice of the cuckoo with no need to scurry, admires the beauty of the shades and colors of morning sky devours the tunes of enchanting temple bells the fragrance of burgeoning jasmine bushes every reason to feel zealous about the dawn unscathed by the hustle and bustle of metros nerves her to hit the road yet again in her embellished bullock cart waving hands to the men and women of the distant green fields a nomad by choice, wandering through life befriending toddlers and children on her way humming to the tunes of the rustling leaves in quest for her destination, nowhere

A perfect weekend it was! With the last free Saturday for the next one year (My 2nd year of PGSEM begins this Friday), it has to be something special. I woke up late at 8:30 AM and prepared myself a hot cup of tea. I love to sip my tea slowly and glance through the newspaper headlines. A day began that way makes me feel so good. I don't like to rush around this morning routine. But I don't get to have such a luxurious time every morning. It's been a month since I shifted to my new home. But the cleaning hadn't got over yet. After 2 days of efforts, my home now looks so neat. The feel-good factor cannot be explained in words - with my bookshelf neatly stacked, my study table arranged with all those colorful, not-so-frequently used MBA textbooks, my music system plugged in and ready to be played anytime I want. Sifting through the horrendous pile of items and characterizing them into useful and junk is not an easy task with a person like me who loves to cling onto each an...

Here comes another interesting, witty and melodramatic novel "The 3 mistakes of my life" from Chetan Bhagat, his third offering after "Five point someone" and "One night at the call center". This new book has a similar flow in terms of simple phrases and day-to-day conversations. Contrary to his other two books, this one is slightly serious and touches upon real issues like politics and religion. The protogonist Govind plans to start his own business (a cricket shop in particular) along with his two best friends Ishant and Omi. Govind has been responsible right from his childhood and has been supporting his mother. Mathematics is his passion and he can only think in terms of numbers. Ishant, a local cricketer is very passionate about the game. His attempt to join the army failed because of which his dad is unhappy about him. Omi, the son of a priest is a very reclusive and aimless person but very much inclined towards his religious beliefs. There are other...

என் குழப்பங்கள் என் ஏமாற்றங்கள் இன்று நான் தோன்றவா? மலையின் பின் ஒழியவா? உலகத்தை பார்த்து ஒரு சிறு புன்னகை ஆனால் அதை கவனிக்க யாருமில்லா சூழ் நிலை வாழ்க்கை ஓட்டம் ஓடும் மனிதர்கள் ஒரு நிமிடம் என்னை பார்க்காத சிறுவர்கள் குழவிக்கு சோறு ஊட்ட நான் இனிமேல் தேவையில்லை Animal Planet டும் Pogoவும் போதும் சிறு சிறு சோற்று உருண்டை கையில் வைத்து நிலாச்சோறு குடும்பத்துடன் ஒன்றாய் வெற்றுத்தரையில் அமர் ந்து அன்று என் முன் கதைகள் சொல்ல ஏராளம், இன்று தொலைக்காட்சி முன் கை விரலுக்கு வேலை தாராளம் A rough translation in English Why such a state? My confusions My disappointments Should I rise today? Should I hide behind the mountains? I look at the world and offer a slight smile, But no one to notice is my pathetic state Engaged in the race of life are the adults, No leisure time in the hands of the children To feed the newborn, I'm no longer needed There is Animal Planet and Pogo these days Small balls of rice placed in the centre of palms, the whole family united together and ate their dinner in front ...

When you do something which used to be a routine activity after a very long time, it feels very special. I totally agree with this statement. I used to be a regular listener of Sun Music a year ago. But after a few months, the same songs were repeated and mostly, those were the new songs. I couldn't bear to hear the stupid comments or questions from those VJs. They just spoil the experience of music by continuous talking. Once I got into PGSEM, I stopped watching Sun Music completely which gave me some time in the evening for my course work. Now, with the vacation and a new Tata Sky connection at home, I turned to Sun music last night. I'm not sure if it was my luck or they have seriously changed their songs collection. My favorite songs started flowing one after the other and moreover, the RJ was also bearable. Some of the songs that I listened to and happily sang at the top of my voice while preparing dinner are these - Rojavai thalattum thendral from ?? Poongatru un per soll...

The last weekend was very special for numerous reasons. First and foremost, I had never stayed in a campus hostel either during my school or college days. Thanks to the 3 day leadership event "LCube" organized at IIM Bangalore, I got to experience the life in a hostel as a PGSEM student. What a beautiful campus IIMB has! Although I go to IIMB every weekend for my classes, I never took the time to roam around the entire campus and admire the greenery. The campus is so serene and peaceful, with absolutely no noise from the traffic woes of Bannerghatta Road. This stay also gave me a chance to meet new people - both my seniors and juniors. It also paved a way to know the fun side of a few of my classmates. These three days were packed with action that I slept for less than 6 hours and yet I felt fresh the whole day. The leadership workshop brought in a lot of fun and thought provoking activities, games and theatre events. Although I didn't get much of the theory that was disc...

Points that I presented to 2008 batch PGSEM students as part of their induction programme on June 1st 2008. My presentation was an overview of "Strategic Management" course which is a core course in Quarter 1. Disclaimer Based on my experiences as a 2007 student Strategy - Given a firm’s strengths and limitations under certain market conditions and external environmental factors, what should be its objectives in order to build a competitive position in the industry? What’s this course all about? - Provides a foundation for subsequent courses on marketing, finance and operations - Covers many analytical frameworks to identify a problem and evaluate alternate solutions - Emphasize on holistic thinking when taking important decisions - Identify and analyze the impact of - external factors such as Govt policies, market conditions and industry dynamics - internal factors such as strengths of the firm, capabilities and weaknesses Frameworks - SWOT - Porter’s five forces model -...

It's a rare occasion when two albums of Rahman of different genre release around the same time. I was hoping that Ada would be better than Jaane Tu yaa Jaane naa but I was wrong. JTYJN is a superb album with many beautiful songs. Except for one song, Ada didn't impress me that much. "Meherbaan" from Ada is such a soothing, caressing melody that my eyes have been welling up ever since I listened to this song for the first time last week. It starts off with a similar tune as of "Shauk hai" from Guru but that's just for the first couple of seconds, after which Rahman takes the listeners through a magical journey. I'm just mesmerized by his voice and the humming while the background score goes slow. The instrumental version of the song is equally good. Although I'm not attracted to any of the other songs in this movie, I'm just hooked onto this brilliant composition and voice. This is definitely one of my favorites of Rahman. The album JTYJN has ...

My contribution to Sunday Scribblings #112 - Quitting It's been more than three years since I started cooking food. With a lot of experiments and trials, I can now say that I've become comfortable preparing a meal. But there is one thing which I couldn't master yet, even after several times of practice. It's the art of making perfect round chapathis (Indian bread). I tried kneading the dough using my hands as well as using a food processor. Once rolled, there was never an even distribution of the dough on all sides. I can whip out such unique shapes that kids can learn geometric figures just by looking at them - rectangles, squares, triangles, pentagons etc etc. You name the shape and I can make it for you except the elusive circle! I tried harder and put more efforts but the focus shifted from Geometry to Geography. I rolled the dough and shapes of Kashmir started to appear. I rolled some more, extended it downwards and made it into a perfect map of India. I knew my hu...

her eyes searched for him hoping to catch a glimpse before leaving for home a daily routine it was! her day became colorful jumping with rejoice beaming with grace a secret smile it was! he's nowhere to be seen that evening, wandering around with hope she returns home disappointed his first victory in billiards celebrating with friends, a sudden momentary discomfort which he is unable to explain an invisible wave starts to form a telepathic link for lifetime between the two!

My contribution to 3WW delayed edge focus trudging up the deserted hills focusing on the rough trail his footsteps not so wary, peeping over his old watch hoping he doesn't get delayed his milestone in his vicinity, placing his careful last step standing on the edge of the cliff his eyes immersed in the spectacle of sunset

It's been more than a month since I rambled anything. It looks like "my nest" is infested with spider webs. It's about time to clear them up and fill my nest with so many events and changes that has happened. My PGSEM exams got over and I'm on weekend summer vacation. Yay! I can't believe one year has passed by so quickly. I plan to look back and write in detail about the first year as it might be informative to PGSEM aspirants and also to people who wonder what I do over weekends. At work, I shifted to a different group and it's been good so far in terms of understanding a different business domain. Now, the biggest change! My hubby and I shifted out of the rented house and moved to our own apartment. This is the first time I shifted my house in Bangalore after six years. It's been very busy with preparations for the house warming ceremony, setting up the new home, getting rid of junk stuff and buying other essential things. I can seriously feel the ...

இளநீர் இனிக்கிறது அதிசயமாய் மனம் கசந்திருக்கும் வேளையில் எதிர்ப்பார்க்காத தருணம் தரும் புத்துணர்ச்சி

Six different women narrate their life experiences. They hail from different backgrounds but the one common thread that ties all of them is the influence of men in their lives. And it is this thread that becomes a point of discussion in a ladies compartment of a train journey. The lead character, 45 year old Akhila takes up the responsibility of supporting her family after her father's death. A strict routine, day after day pushes her to a stage that her family considers her just as an earning member and not as a normal woman who could have feelings and would love to have a family of her own. She remains to be a spinster, searching for the answer if she could stay alone for the rest of her life. In search of her quest, she boards a train to Kanyakumari where she happens to meet five different women. Janaki, the old lady whose son disrespects her but she believes that a woman can never live alone and that she is bound to be with a man; Margaret, the chemistry teacher whose husband i...

That's how the drive to Madikeri was last weekend (Update: a couple of weekends ago). A fresh experience! As on Friday, I was in two minds whether to go for the trip or not. In the end, it turned out to be a memorable trip. Only an outdoor event can force me to wake up at 4 AM. We got ready quickly and all our bags were packed. The city hasn't yet started its gear and it was a perfect time to start our Indica's gear. We picked up our other friends on the way and hit the Mysore Road before sunrise. The weather was cool and the day began with a cloudy sky. After a quick breakfast at Kamat, we were back on the road ,occasionally stopping on our way to capture the beautiful scenic spots in our camera. It started drizzling and the downpour became heavy by the time we reached Bylakuppe, a Tibetan settlement area. The monastery was an awesome sight and was neatly maintained. The drive was enjoyable, more so to the drivers who had fun overtaking the Accents and Santros and also bei...

As part of the prescribed readings of our "Operations Management" course, I came across this interesting and insightful book "The goal" by Eliyahu Goldratt and Jeff Fox. It's definitely an eye opener in terms of breaking some of the traditional mindsets in manufacturing processes. The story revolves around Alex Rogo, a plant manager who is facing the challenge of improving the performance of his loss-making plant in 90 days. If he fails, his plant will be shut down and many workers will lose their jobs. There has been huge delays in delivering the orders. There are issues with throughput and inventory. Priorities keep changing and expeditors are always on their toes. Overtimes or robots don't help either. Although Alex has been putting long hours at work trying to fix issues, there is no improvement whatsoever. On the other hand, his personal life is affected and so is his marriage. An accidental meeting with one of his professors Jonah opens up a new window...

Tagged by Preethi 1. LAST MOVIE YOU SAW IN A THEATER: Jodha Akbar - loved the costumes, grandeur and ofcourse, Hrithik! 2. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING? "Ladies coupe" by Anitha Nair. Just started with it. Hoping to complete in a week. 3. FAVORITE BOARD GAME? "Snake and ladder". It was fun to play on the day of Vaikunda Ekadesi with my grandma....the more the number of snakes that eat you, the more the number of sins you have committed...that was her logic! 4. FAVORITE MAGAZINE? I'm not really a "magazine" person but I used to read Sportstar regularly during my school and college days. "read" means admiring the pictures of Sachin, Mcgrath, Steve Waugh, Pollock etc :-) 5. FAVORITE SMELLS? Smell of Jaathi malli (a different type of jasmine) Smell of a Pooja room in a traditional Indian house....it's divine, thanks to the flowers, incense sticks and tulsi leaves. Smell of fresh filter coffee 6. FAVORITE SOUND? Of MUSIC? Any form of flute Sound ...

I have been intrigued by mystery stories for a long time. Though I haven't read much in this genre so far, I have watched quite a few movies and was thrilled. When I heard about Agatha Christie in a movie (Taare Zameen Par, to be precise), I decided to borrow one of her mystery novels from the library. "A pocket full of rye" is a page turner and keeps you guessing until the story ends in a twist. The head of the family Mr.Rex Fortesque is poisoned by one among the members of his family. The inspector Mr.Neele who handles the investigation unravels the motive and identifies the killer using a nursery rhyme. As I turned the pages, I was guessing who could be the killer and my guesses kept changing. In the end, all my guesses were wrong. A short and crisp storyline and a well connected plot has made this novel a pretty interesting read. I hope to read more of her novels in the coming months.

My contribution to 3WW A chase of a lifetime peeking away from daily treasures one step at a time, you walk the giant hops twice as fast with great effort, you catch some only to find bigger monsters staring right at you from a distance tangled by the ever alluring race taking bigger and wider strides you reach to master those creatures, unrealized that you've transformed to a tamed, timid slave at the end conquer or to be conquered money not the final frontier understand the loss before gain life meant to be superior

My contribution to 3WW Dark and eerie, 60 minutes to midnight elders snoozing after a long tiring day remote buttons stressed quick hops through TV channels wide awake siblings the apartment 's active souls a sudden pause of the thumb the title of the movie allures so begin s a scary horror flick the background score threatens hands go numb , heart pounds maximum, midnight draws close, characters come alive fearful to watch anymore breathing tends to shallow switching off the TV scarier nightmares to follow My brother and I used to watch horror movies in the night when the rest of the family sleeps. I rarely watched the whole movie. Somewhere in the middle, I used to get so scary that I couldn't watch it anymore!

My contribution to 3 word Wednesday - rest, sidewalk, twice A long, clean sidewalk tall trees on one side rushing traffic on the other concrete benches at few steps providing the needed rest for tired, worn out legs An ideal seat for a chit-chat munching peanuts, sipping tea cool wind, taking away my hat outcome of Diwali shopping heavy bags on either side, strolled along the stretch twice here comes Metro rail with its fiery speed this experience goes peril My favorite hang-out stretch in MG Road, Bangalore has been demolished due to the construction of Metro rail tracks. The shopping experience is no longer the same!

Anees Jung, the author has traveled across India, visited different cities and villages to analyze the lives and struggles of women from different backgrounds and the issues that loom large in front of them. Right from birth till the last breath, a woman faces problems and turmoils from her own family and the society. The author narrates her experiences in meeting women from Hyderabad, Varanasi, Kanyakumari, Mumbai and also many villages. Irrespective of caste or religion, there have been barriers put forth in front of women from centuries which many are trying to break free from today. Be it the act of female foeticide, gender discrimination when it comes to education or work by their own parents, childhood marriage and a veiled day-to-day routine, these issues are rooted in many remote parts of the country. With no education or financial support and their struggles to lead a normal life, women feel stuck with these issues and couldn't find a way out of them. The one shocking vers...

I did something last Sunday which I haven't done for a long time. It all started with hubby's plan of attending an Indica car users meet in Cubbon Park. The last time I visited Cubbon Park was way back in 1990. Sunday was meant to be the day to break the jinx, I suppose. We reached around 10 AM and greeted the fellow Indica users. The casual talk gave way to more technical details of cars and SUVs and I started losing interest. Discussing about specifications of cars is not my ideal way to spend a leisurely Sunday morning. I started walking and admiring the tall trees, the yellow flowers on the grass bed, the clear blue sky, the dry leaves and the water droplets on top of hibiscus petals. It's interesting to see different people, taking a nap on the benches, having a picnic with family, jogging hard to stay fit, the visitors and the regulars. After taking a stroll around the park, I went to Bal Bhavan (children's park) and was thrilled to see the amusement rides. How mu...

My contribution to Sunday Scribblings #100 - Time machine Eyes red and brimmed with tears Rice balls difficult to swallow Future appeared desolate and grim Near and dear consoled to support efforts to alleviate the grief and pain gripped with deep sorrow devastated with the death of my mom, in the painful moment, I receive a special gift from God soothing and comforting the lyrics and the beats a melody fresh and new to the eardrums of a 11 year old playing from the radio in the rusty old tea shop life moved on fine a 15 year long journey pampered by the love and care of my dad and now my hubby yet the time machine brings back the sadness, reminds me of the trembling pain and the caressing comfort my precious song of a lifetime This precious time machine is a Tamil song "Kaadhal Rojaave" from the movie Roja.

One of my favorite genres of reading is Indian Writings in English. I picked up this novel written by Anitha Desai from a local library. The crisp summary at the back of the novel intrigued me and it was worth a read and a good change amidst the heavy management books. The protogonist, Nanda Kaul having lived a life of obligations and responsibilities decides to spend the rest of her life alone in the quiet, untouched hilly region of Kasauli. Her only companion is the caretaker Ram Lal who clearly understands Nanda and lives in his own way with no disturbance to her solitude. The garden being left as it was, her past time was to observe the huge pine trees and the views of the plains from the hills. The rare hour of afternoon nap has now become a daily routine to her. Time moves slowly at her own pace, reading books and contemplating about her days. She no longer needs a family or obligations. One line summarizes her rationale behind her decision - "Life would swirl on again, in a...

My contribution to Cafe Writing - February project Options #1 and #6 Option #1 Timed writing - wrote this piece in 9 minutes and didn't edit it. Option #6 Fiction You have to walk carefully in the beginning of love; the running across fields into your lover’s arms can only come later when you’re sure they won’t laugh if you trip. ~Jonathan Carroll, Outside the Dog Museum Eyes speak a thousand words a glance depicts hundred emotions The whole world transported elsewhere Every wake moment in deep thoughts outbursts of temper to dear and near white roses look extremely colorful vision towards a distant gaze day dreaming a daily routine unusual smile painted on the face music feels so divine and pure, catching up on sunrise not a difficult job anymore! memorable symptoms worth a treasure beginning of love a rare phenomenon for sure!

My contribution to Read Write Prompt - #15 Dark clouds obstructing the morning rays, leaving behind a shade of uncertainty "Is it really 6 o' clock?", she wondered "Did my alarm clock ring early?" Opening the window, she glanced, the first drizzle of the summer the refreshing smell of the petrichor the croaking noise of the frogs Eyes yet to be awakened, she was truly hopeful a lovely day alone at home an escape from the drowning lectures "Get ready soon", her mom's phrase hardly reached her dreaming mind Ensuring the clouds are here to stay, not passing beauty, she rejoiced Switching on the radio news confirming all schools declared a holiday, her joy knew no bounds the blessed rain's surprise gift

My contribution to Sunday Scribblings - #99 Passion Twittering moment, excitement at its peak hands folded in unison, offering prayers adrenalin pumped up heartbeat racing fast, Irresistible temptation sun peeps out of the dark clouds not moving a micro inch, follow every minuscule action wide open lids with full focus eyeballs gazing hard and hopeful a sixer zooms past way beyond the stands, Jumping in passion victorious day for cricket

My contribution to Cafe Writing February Project- Option 5 Poetry From December to March, there are for many of us three gardens: the garden outdoors, the garden of pots and bowls in the house, and the garden of the mind’s eye. - Katherine S. White Immersed in beauty of nature amidst varieties of flora A hot cup of tea in one hand and a fountain pen in the other blue ink waiting to give shape to thoughts serendipitous weather for the afternoon seated on a wide hammock ends tied to eucalyptus trees standing tall, despite the cool wind chirping cuckoos, respite from noise around white rabbits and kittens playing with joy in harmony jasmine bushes spreading fragrance blossomed red roses augmenting beauty the proud hosts of my garden reverberating hums of honeybees colourful shades of butterflies flapping wings of seasonal birds footprints of ever active squirrels the frequent visitors of my garden mellifluous music of the flowing stream Time doesn't zoom past here, moments meant to be...

I have never watched a movie in a cinema theater a day before any exam but I always wanted to give it a try. Exams come and go all the time but a free premiere show ticket of the much awaited movie doesn't land in one's hands everyday. This is exactly what happened to me last Friday, an opportunity to watch "Jodha Akbar". With two exams lined up on Saturday, it was a difficult yet daring choice if you ask me. I took it and now I don't regret it. Those 4-5 hours of preparation wouldn't have made any big difference to my performance, anyway. Jodha Akbar is a superb movie for its grandeur and magnificent picturization of the forts and battlefields, the colors and wonderful costumes and ofcourse, the brilliant music by Rahman. Ash and Hrithik have portrayed their characters so well that I don't think anyone else could have fit their roles. The songs have been beautifully picturized, especially the "Marhaba" song. For a person who managed to learn Hin...