Anuradha Sridharan

My contribution to Cafe Writing Option #4 - Poetry “In silence and movement you can show the reflection of people.” — Marcel Marceau Days and months pass by with speed of light, a blink is all it takes No time to stop by, to reflect and ponder an hour is all it needs Eyes wide open from a deep distant slumber, The dark sky and the calm street the fiery red ball about to embark on it's daily routine A tranquil awakening of the senses Thoughts wandering, yet crystal clear conscious deep breaths inhaling positive vibes battering eyelids close, opening a whole new world A meditative state a slowing heart beat immerse in mellifluous chants experience the silence the serenity of the dawn the soul moves, the body still

Very few films make a deep impact. Even after coming out of the movie hall, you tend to be in a state of rigorous thinking and pondering over the message broadcasted by the storyline. I happened to watch one such incredible movie last night. People have written excellent reviews about "Taare Zameen Par" in the past one month. Having been a big fan of Aamir Khan from my childhood, how could I afford to miss his first directorial venture! TZP will make you laugh, cry, reminisce childhood memories, go back to school life, think about our class mates, the irritating everyday grind named homework and much more. The storyline portrays the pressures faced by kids and how they miss out on having fun in the most important phase of life called childhood. Blame it on the parents, teachers, education system, competition or whatever! The pressure is only on the increasing side and no wonder, kids also face the symptoms of stress and depression. The protogonist Ishaan displays different sh...

My contribution to Cafe Writing - Option three : Can you picture that? I'm amazed by the clear blue skies, the vast oceans, the huge mountains, the planets and the distant galaxies. When compared to this entire spectrum of evolution or God's creation, whichever way you prefer to take it, how tiny and miniscule we, human beings are! But the one nature that makes us think that we are the biggest in the whole world is a small 3-letter word "EGO". It is an inherent nature to be egoistic, just that the magnitude of this nature varies from person to person. I get to observe this nature in many people on the roads these days - "How can a Santro overtake me? Let me show the power of my Mercedes", an example of a 4-wheeler driver's pride or ego. "How can that guy drive on the pavement and bypass the traffic? I have every right to do it", a motorbike zooms past, proving his ego. Rushing through every minute, the working professional thinks that the 9 AM ...

My contribution to Sunday Scribblings - #93 "The Date" A normal start nothing unusual, I pack my luggage for my weekend travel Work fills me up the entire day sipping coffee at my decorated bay Couldn't wait to spend time with you those precious 2 hours for the next 4 days the sparkles unrealized the words untold we play our favorite game the game of kings and queens A master of chess You defeat me in no time, A sheepish grin Our fun at its prime the moment unexpected, the feelings unexpressed my hands in your palms our journey has begun the perfect proposal, no words to embellish this special day, forever I'll cherish

My contribution to Writer's Island - Over the horizon Pondering over the possible outcomes At times adventurous, at times scary over the horizon, in the days to come hoping for the better, yet not ready inevitable changes in the path of life embrace the thorns, not just the roses scholars say so; pains induced vary a drop of blood or a permanent wound praying for a canvas of colors let the brightness spread joy, looking for the purpose of existence let the peace empower the progeny no more inhibitions and fears the horizon is to be faced, giving shape for a much larger horizon A cyclic process, yet not predictable

It's a cold morning. As usual, I woke up late and had to rush to take my office cab. I reached the bus stop a minute late (probably!) and waited for almost 20 minutes. But the cab was nowhere to be seen. I had two options - either to board a crowded bus which would take atleast an hour to reach office or an auto-rickshaw with the driver demanding extra charges or a tweaked meter reading. I opted for the latter. After crossing 2 kms, I realized it's indeed an auto rickshaw with a tweaked meter. Instead of 40 rupees which is the normal fare, the meter reading showed 45 rupees. I didn't want to start my day having a fight with the driver for the extra 5 rupees. I handed over a 50 rupee note and asked for the balance of 5 rupees. He gave me back a 10 rupee note and said that the meter has some problem and it's showing a wrong fare. I gave a smile and thanked him. "Wow, there are honest auto drivers in the city", I was thinking while walking towards my office. It f...

It was a new experience for hubby and myself, going for a drive by ourselves. A long drive with greenery on both sides and a fresh breeze for company is a perfect plan for a Sunday. Being a late riser given an opportunity, such a drive has been put on the back burner for a while. But that wasn't the case last Sunday. After a whole day of classes at IIMB on Saturday, I woke up at 5:30 AM on a cold Sunday to hit the road. By the time, I had my cup of tea at my usual slow pace, reading the newspaper and then getting ready and having breakfast, it was close to 8:30 when we actually started the trip. Traffic wasn't bad as we expected on a Sunday morning. The iPod was playing the most appropriate song for a drive "Ennai konjam maatRi" from "kaaka kaaka". After crossing the KR Puram junction, to our surprise, the road was covered by fog and there was very little visibility. On the single lane NH4 highway, there were impatient lorry drivers and private bus drivers w...

Bliss may not be the right word that expresses my feelings when I listen to this masterpiece of Rahman - "Shauk hai" from Guru. Something more than bliss! When I watched Guru, I liked this song that's more like a background tune. But I wasn't as crazy as I am right now. I have the Guru audio CD but this song is not available. On a lazy blog hopping Sunday afternoon, I discovered that "Shauk hai" is available in a mp3 collection of Rahman from Sony BMG. I was thrilled and couldn't wait to get hold of this MP3 CD. I went to Landmark a couple of times and returned back with disappointment since they were out of stock. I then tried Odyssey, a smaller store when compared to Landmark but no luck there either. A third visit to Landmark helped me get hold of the masterpiece. At a price of 95 rupees, this CD has a compilation of 50 superb Rahman songs from Bollywood. Some of the least popular but beautiful songs from Meenaxi and Water are also available. But I bo...

My contribution to Cafe Writing - January project (Option #2) Words to be used - breathless, change, elusive, pensive, reflect, surge, tide, vibrant An elusive discomfort, A necessary vacation The wooden beach house allures, The shores of the ocean beckons I run towards the tides , Struck by the vastness, breathless A pensive look at the horizon A reflection , nevertheless The vibrant colors of dusk, myriad hues of shadows the sun goes into slumber for the moon to come alive A clear sky with sparkling stars A surge of fresh inspiration The dawn of a new phase The change of a year