The only Chemistry I loved

“Re-write your Statement of Purpose (SoP). This is how you have to go to the US”, I quipped to my friend, a MS aspirant seated next to me. “Wow! See this guy. He’s truly a Man-on-a-Mission”, I continued unable to keep a check on my emotions. These excited remarks had a tinge of envy attached to it and deservedly, I was experiencing and watching something lovely. The reasons backing my emotions were quite preternatural and I wondered if fantasy could actually meet reality. If it could, then Life would be adored with an unprecedented beauty. As a reader, if you’re wondering where I was experiencing these wonderful emotions, it was the first show of the Tamil film ‘Vaaranam Aayiram’ featuring Surya and Sameera Reddy.

The protagonist is on his way to the US in search of his dream girl who’s pursuing MS at Berkley University, California. It was at this moment when I asked my friend to re-write his SoP to land in the US. The scenes that unfold on his arrival at California till intermission is a must-watch for any romantic movie buff. Though it’s quite hard to accept the storyline, it doesn’t contradict reality as much as the scenes in today’s movies where our so-called Heroes fly with agility from one skyscraper to another. Coming back to the movie, it’s a sincere attempt by a 20 year old Engineering graduate to SWEEP HIS GIRL OFF HER FEET. Being a 20 yr old Engineering graduate, I could relate to Surya’s emotions quite easily and to be honest, I felt it was worth the bucks to go in search of her. To the eyes of a 20 yr old, Sameera Reddy is buxom, full of life and creates a pang at your heart.

As soon as Surya landed at Sameera’s apartment and especially the moment after she offered him accommodation at her place, I exclaimed to myself ‘I really have something to watch if not experience’. To be honest, this kind of a life is what every teenage guy would love to lead, in a city as cosmopolitan as California and with a woman as sexy as Sameera. Hats off to the director and especially Surya for having cinematographed those scenes quite beautifully and it was indeed aesthetic. Surya deservedly, has carved a niche for himself as the Chocolate Boy of Tamil cinema. As he rightly admitted in one of the scenes “Spending 90 days with a girl in the US was as refreshing as an Ilayaraja song”. I’ve opined to quite a few of my friends (girls) that they look prettier in white salwars and this opinion of mine has been acknowledged by many when they've worn the same. On watching Sameera (clad in whites), on her way to Surya’s home, I exclaimed to myself “Will it ever happen to me?” Those whites were an icing on the cake and made Sameera more gorgeous.

The song “Adiyae Kolludhey” is beautifully pictured and the REFRESHING CHEMISTRY between the lead pair makes it a must-watch for any teenager. Admiring his girl’s beauty while she’s asleep, hugging the pillow on which she slept, added aestheticism to the already existing beauty of the scenes. Accompanying her almost everywhere she went, remaining jobless and staying in the same apartment by neither earning nor spending a penny, Surya has reveled in the belief ‘All is fair in love and war’. The scene where he accompanies her in the cab while she’s on her way for a project work was mind-blowing and it was too romantic a scene. I’ve always felt that romantic scenes best reach the audience when portrayed implicitly and it was a decent attempt by the lead pair. Beyond a point, I started to envy the man so hard that I wanted him brutally murdered because he seemed to have enjoyed much more than what was expected. Such was their love and it was well substantiated in the scenes.

Being chemistry avert, this was one exception I marveled at.

I take this opportunity to wish you a Happy and a Prosperous 2009 and sincerely wish to receive your continued support.

A Diary Entry

This is my first attempt at fiction. Due to technical difficulties, I stand in the shoes of one of the characters and pen down this diary entry.

Dec 20, 2008

I learnt what it takes to build relationships and understood the multi-faceted nature of friendship. I learnt how hard it is to resurrect one and understandably, underwent the hardships associated with it. I learnt how tough, overcoming mental stress is and despite this, presenting oneself in the best manner possible to overcome the acrimony is a yeomen service one is rendering, just for maintaining a friendship. I experienced the fury when a smiling face had to be put up just for the heck of it. I did come across joy, warmth, and the exuberance associated with a pure, heart-felt and lovely relationship called FRIENDSHIP. I admit, I got a feel of happiness only, and put behind me, the melancholic past after I learnt to bridge that inconspicuous gender gap that had clogged our re-union. And this bridging put an end to the months-long ordeal.

I realized, there’s nothing more sorrow than accepting your friend’s straight face and there’s not anything that could make you happier than the delight, your friend bestows you with, even for a few seconds. I definitely want to forget the sorrow of the former but the happiness accompanied with the latter shall be treasured all my life and beyond a stage, I yearned for the wonderful moments we once shared. Can you imagine your friend not giving a smile at you, and pretend to have not even taken notice of you, after having sat just near you, for an hour? But how is it, when your buddy calls early in the morning at 6, even after three missed calls, to convey birthday greetings despite the fact that the meeting between you is just minutes away. When the former happened, never in the wildest of my dreams did I expect the latter to follow, in just a few months, and when the latter happened, I wondered if the former had actually taken place.

We had given birth to a baby called ‘Friendship’ while in school and just like any kid, ours too was so much attached to us and in its infancy, it was so much fun to play with, throw banters at each other. But when it was time to part ways with each other (as we moved to different high schools), we seemed blind to the fact that the baby (friendship) had to be shared equally between us and that it shall not be taken away with just one. The baby’s beauty could have been best realized and subsequently admired had we shared and when I, on my part, failed to realize this then, the baby had to be orphaned and later, it questioned to us, its birth when we were in the process of reunion after two years, in college. It’s extremely tough to get the comfort level going and fortunes did fluctuate when reunion was done in college as the last two years that preceded was too big a gap to be bridged. High school is when we enter teens and emotions run high when we just finish high school (especially in my friend’s case) and begin a new life in college. And at this point of time, in an attempt to give back life to this baby, we ended up getting petulant and made life tougher. Though we share a lot in common, the differences seemed more prominent and the prejudiced minds never really got us going in a friendly direction.

Amidst the tribulations, I acknowledged the presence of a concealed unwitting liking for each other and this exactly acts as the fulcrum on which the endurance of our friendship rests. In retrospect, I qualify this aspect of friendship as the prerequisite for a strong bond between friends, filled with trust and affection devoid of egos and mental blocks. I best enjoyed the happy times because I had a taste of the toughest times too. As time passed, we understood each other better, shared the best things in life and I always made sure, I did things that she liked the most and our friendship reached unprecedented heights. And just when it attained its peak, due to reasons known just to us, we had to move a little away from each other and became the most dependants on wireless communication.

Ironically, we spent majority of our time together when we were not the best of friends and had to move a little away from each other when our friendship reached an unmatched peak. All said and done, I still treasure the times we shared and the series of events, full of twists and turns were indeed a learning experience and deservedly, weaned me off prejudice. I still yearn for the days when I was bestowed with happiness of the highest order and life then, looked beautiful and joyous like never before. I shared the best of times for those few days when we were the best of friends and also stayed together. Without an iota of doubt, we are still the best of friends and despite the reasons that distance us, I hope for a much better life ahead (and the very best of times in the coming months).

Rajesh

Building Perspectives

A few days back, I was conversing with one of my childhood friends and we were discussing about changes in people and the way life has changed for each one of us. We’ve known each other for a long time (14 years to be precise) and hence I asked her, ‘Having known me for a long time now, how do you see me today and what do you have to say about my character?’ She played safe, in my opinion and what she actually said was ‘career-conscious, a music addict and pretty straight-forward’ and summed it up ‘you trust your friends a lot’. That was quite unexpected because I was expecting a more informal and an in-depth analysis. When I questioned her formality for being safe (if I could say, circumspect) in her comments, she said ‘I generally don’t see the negative side of people and I take the positives alone' That was fair enough and I certainly cannot question her approach towards people. 

To me, building perspectives is very important and I observe people very keenly and there's a section of my friends who used to appreciate my mimicry while in school. I try to study the other man’s mind in the midst of a conversation and in general, their body language. There is a saying ‘People share one thing in common : They’re all different’. Being a staunch believer in this, I admire God for His wonderful incarnations. Each one is different in one way or the other and it's pleasurable to study people and analyze their different approaches towards life. I’ve always tried to imbibe in me, qualities that I’ve found impressive in others. I get inspired but I’m not influenced. There’s quite a difference between the former and the latter. Coming back, after hanging up the phone that night, I pondered over this idea of ‘Building Perspectives’. My flair for observations and thereby building perspectives has been on for quite some time and the discussion with others doesn’t stop with my friends alone but extends still further. A protracted conversation with my uncle about our family members made up for a wonderful and an interesting discussion, a few days back. We opened up on our opinions about each one in the family and I was happy for the fact that, most of my observations were almost spot-on and my uncle held similar views. Even the most trivial of actions/attitudes failed to go unnoticed in our eyes and we (myself and my uncle) had studied almost everything. And as we were discussing about people, he cautioned me not to bring these perspectives in the way of relationships, in the sense, he didn’t want me to get obtrusive. I promised him that I had always built perspectives only to smooth relationships and definitely not to harm. 

A watchful build helps to study people at length and also lets one to analyze people’s responses/reactions to different situations. I’ve always tried my best in getting the better out of people which I feel, is done by analyzing both their strengths and weaknesses. It helps in many ways and when you study both, you shall keep away circumstances which make that person uncomfortable and make the air pleasant by bringing in conversations to make him/her more comfortable. And as my uncle rightly pointed out, unsubstantiated opinions might turn into prejudice and make one over-react to situations when not called for. This, in turn, bitters the relationship.

Last evening, I was watching a program on CNN IBN wherein Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was responding to people’s queries on methods to tackle mental stress. He was sharing the screen with Anubha Bhonsle and giving answers that looked 'easier-said-than-done'. Tackling mental stress is one of the toughest things in life for a common man and for every question thrown; he answered with a wide smile on his face and responded in a manner that looked just an ordinary thing. In actual practice, it’s not that easy as he mentions and similarly, building the right perspective is quite tough and one gets better only with experience. 

Good Judgement comes with Experience &

Experience comes with Poor Judgement

Though we might not build just the right one, life’s all about ‘Building Perspectives’.

P.S: I would like to receive your votes in the poll (look right top corner)

A Musical Journey - Songs and Reminiscence

It was around 11 last night when I was rolling around 360 degrees on my bed, just not able to get that one thing I wanted – SLEEP. Yet another Sleepless in Chennai was in the making until I hit upon the idea of doing something I’m always fascinated about – Listening to Music. As I delved into the musical notes of the songs and with the moon alone looking at me, I embarked on a virtual sojourn of various phases of my past. Each song played, had something attached to my past and apart from supplanting a sleep tonic, it also made me feel light-hearted and pleasant. Here I go...… 

Song: Na Jaa Ne Mere 

Film: Dilwale Dulhaniye Le Jayange (1995)

I was reminded of those sunny evenings when I walked my way back home from school singing this song like no one is watching. I seemed totally lost in my own world with Simran (Kajol’s screen name) and if I’m right, I was in my 5th standard when that film happened. On retrospection, I feel there’s no particular age to feel Love. Love takes many forms with varying intensities and this was one, experienced by an 8 year old. I equated my walk to Shahrukh's drive from airport (in that song). This is one of my most favorite videos and I wish I could drive on the roads of Europe one day ( not alone, but with my girl beside) :)

Song: Poovinai

Film: Ananda Thaandavam (Audio released last month)

This is one of the finest Tamil melodies composed in recent times. This melody is special in a way, it has Shreya Ghoshal's midas touch and no wonder; this happens to be the most played track in my mp3 player. When I listened to this track last night, I was reminded of the morning of my Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) exam last week. This was the most stupid paper I studied this semester. It was too dry and I couldn’t get into my head, certain topics. And that morning, as I was trying to learn by rote, the learning just didn’t happen and I ended up with fury all over my face. Just then, I realized Shreya’s intimidating musical power. I listened to this song and related those from the text to my favorite lines of hers. I learnt those tough sentences when Shreya made her presence in that song on Srinivas' exit.. It sounded disgusting to relate those boring chapters to this mellifluous rendition but I had to compromise for a few more marks in the exam. Things got better, and so did the exam. It was much better than what I had expected

Song: Tum Se Hi

Film: Jab we Met (2007)

This is that song which made me take notice of Mohit Chauhan’s fineness in rendering a song and this track won over me for its composition and picturization.. The song video depicts with excellence, the impact of a woman’s absence in a man’s life. When someone whom you like so much, parts ways, you see her everywhere. And when I watched it, I imagined myself in the shoes of Shahid and wondered how I would react to such situations. Mohit’s rendition was an icing on the cake and the pain in Shahid’s heart reflected on Mohit’s vocal chords.

Song: Netru Illaadha Maatram

Film: Pudhiya Mugam (1994)

I would rate it as one of Rahman’s finest Tamil compositions. When I heard this song, I was reminded of the 1996 Cricket WC semi-finals between India and Sri Lanka. It was 3 in the evening on a sunny March day in 1996 when my aunt had come to pick me from school. As I rushed out of the school gates, the first thing I asked her was, ‘What is the score?’ and she said ’Sri Lanka 15/3 in 5 overs. Jayasuriya, Gunawardena and Kaluwitharana out’. I sat on the two-wheeler with gusto. My aunt is a decent singer and she sang this song on our way home. That was the first time I heard this song and the joy in the song (of a female who has just fallen in love) synced just perfectly with my joy at hearing the score.

Song: Main Koi Aisa

Film: Yes Boss (1997)

It was a sunny afternoon in the summer of 2000 and I was looking at my cousin standing in-front of the mirror, admiring his own beauty, combing his air, lifting that front part of his hair, whistling and what not??? He was on his way to a movie with his friends. He had just finished his 12th exams and I was in his house, with my 7th standard science text book. As my cousin was in the process of self-beautification, the song 'Main Koi' was being played on the music system. I wondered if I could ever freak out with my friends. Just imagine the situation!!!! He's getting ready for a first show with his friends and I was sitting with my science text, uninterested. A poor kid, I was. And this yearn I once had,  tags along with the song, everytime I listen to it.

Though there are more songs that could be added to the above list, I’ve mentioned only a few here just to ensure, my space stays with me. For a Music addict, it’s always a nice feeling to listen to his favorite songs and with memories attached to them, both the song and the memory seem 'Made For Each Other' with past incidents getting entrenched in the musical notes of the songs.

I'm a person who:

~ Can Never Forget His Past

~ Is Always Living With Memories

P.S: Please vote in the new poll that I've created (Right top corner)