As I Introspect.....

Leadership Series, September 17, 2011

2011-09-20T05:57:00.005+05:30

Leadership Series, September 17, 2011

The flagship event of Symbiosis Institute of International Business (SIIB), Leadership Series, was held on the 17th of September 2011 with the theme ‘Social Entrepreneurship – A Fulfilling Mission’.

Guest speakers included:

Ms. Rashmi Bansal

The chief guest and key note speaker for the event. She is a writer; all three of her best sellers are based on entrepreneurship - 'Stay Hungry Stay Foolish', 'I Have a Dream' & 'Connect the Dots'. She is also the co-founder and editor of JAM (Just Another Magazine), India's leading youth magazine and writes on one of India's popular blogs – Youthcurry

Dr. P. Namperumalsamy

He is an Indian ophthalmologist and Chairman of Aravind Eye Hospital, Madurai. He is known for bringing assembly-line efficiency to eye surgery. In 2010, TIME magazine named him as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. He is also a recipient of the Padma Shri award from the Government of India, and under his chairmanship, Aravind Eye Hospital received the 2010 Conrad N Hilton Humanitarian Prize.

There couldn’t have been better choice of speakers for the event than the above two. While Dr. Namperumalsamy leads by example by being one of India’s leading social entrepreneurs, Ms. Bansal, through her latest book, ‘I Have a Dream’, has brought to light twenty of the leading social entrepreneurs in India. The students were greatly inspired to get cognizant of the selfless deeds Aravind Eye Care Center has been doing for the country. This reaffirmed the belief that a successful business organization ‘can’ and ‘has’ to be socially conscious and socially relevant – which underlines ‘SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP’.

The pre-events day, 16-09-2011, kicked off in the afternoon with the B-plan competition. There had been an overwhelming response with as many as 48 teams participating, sending their business plans. The top 5 made it to the finals. Teams shortlisted were from IIM-A, IIT-Kgp, TAPMI and SIIB. The event presented an opportunity for budding entrepreneurs to add a social angle to their business plans, which thereby contributes to what the country is striving to achieve, inclusive growth. The panel of judges found themselves in a tight spot when it came to selecting two winners. The teams from IIM-A emerged the best among the finalists. Although winning and losing are two sides of the same coin, what really bridges them is the desire to improvise. Yes, it was a pleasing sight to notice participants, in an attempt to improvise, further discussing their business plans with the judges and the faculty members of SIIB. The latter was more than happy to offer valuable suggestions. Visiting students were appreciative of the hospitality provided. One such participant went beyond word-of-mouth appreciation and expressed her delight publicly on Facebook.

“Thanks a lot for the wonderful experience I had in SIIB during the Leadership Series 2011. It was truly a pleasure and honour being there!!! :)” - Shubhra Singh (MHRM, IIT KGP)

The B-plan event was followed by other pre-events like Survival, Tambola, Koffee Relay and Leadership Series Quiz. It was absolute fun and the campus reverberated with joy, joy and only joy. Even the so-called losers felt that the joy of participating completely overshadowed the fleeting disappointment loss evoked. Cash prizes worth Rs. 25000 were distributed. Things wrapped up with the screening of the Hindi movie, ‘Ye Saali Zindagi’.

The D-day arrived. The main event commenced at 1100 hrs on 17th September. Dr. Namperumalsamy, Chairman, Aravind Eye Hospitals, along with Dr. Rajani Gupte, Director, SIIB, lit the traditional lamp. The latter presented the welcome address, elaborating on the relevance of the theme of the event in Indian context. This, she said, shall pave way for budding entrepreneurs in the audience to add a social angle in analysing and solving business situations and complexities. Dr. Namperumalsamy delivered an inspiring speech igniting the social spark in one and all. He shared the journey of his organization’s growth path, from a humble beginning in 1976 to the position it holds in Indian ophthalmology today. He stressed that Aravind always cares for its patients and that profits were a by-product of the services rendered to the society. It’s worthy to mention that case studies on Aravind have been analysed in the Harvard, IIMA, IIMB and other leading Business schools in the world. He mentioned that as part of its outreach programme, in the year ending March 2010, 2148 camps had been conducted through which 455378 patients were screened and 76081 patients underwent surgery.

Much to the delight of the audience, Ms. Rashmi Bansal took the stage following Mr. Namperumalsamy’s talk. She appreciated the idea to have a theme as thought-provoking as social entrepreneurship. She provided an insight into her latest book, ‘I Have a Dream’, which narrates the story of 20 social entrepreneurs in India. To the students, it was an opportunity to identify 20 businessmen/businesswomen they could look up to. The stories of Mirakle Couriers and Akshaypatra Foundation were moving. While the former provides employment to the visually and the aurally challenged, the latter provides nutritious and delicious mid-day meals to school going children. Akshaypatra foundation is an excellent collaboration of the corporate and ISKCON Bangalore. The latter adds a unique spiritual dimension to the social initiative by providing nutritious prasadam to children studying in Government schools in Bangalore. This, she said, ensured fall in drop-out rates in schools and improved participation of students in academic activities. The Q&A session followed with students posing Ms. Bansal with questions on MBA, IIM-A, writing, social consciousness and entrepreneurship. Students were appreciative of the frankness associated with her answers. She made her fans’ day by signing on their copies of her latest book.

Following a brief lunch break was a panel discussion, members being an eclectic mix of corporate and social activists. The discussion emphasized that one could work for a corporate and still make a difference to the society. This, students realized, was corroborated by the work done by one of the panellists, Ms. Majula, Associate Vice president, Infosys. She also manages an NGO – ‘Sparsh- A Healing Touch’ – formed by the employees of Infosys Pune Development Centre. Sparsh has 300+ volunteers working with more than 15 NGOs in and around Pune. The relevance of CSR was discussed at length and there was great emphasis on the need to create a separate department for it at the organizational level. This, panellists believed, would do justice to what really is intended. Valuable inputs were added by Mr. Umesh Malhotra, Founder, Hippocampus. Mr. Umesh, an IIT Madras alumnus, along with his wife, Ms. Vimala, set up Hippocampus in 2003 to promote reading amongst children. Hippocampus runs ‘for profit’ children's libraries in Bangalore and Chennai and has inspired many others to start such similar ventures. Their program, ‘Grow By Reading’, he said, has been implemented in more than 250 libraries reaching out to more than 100000 children annually. Candidness personified, he stressed on the need for one to follow his/her heart and do what one strongly believes in. This, he said, was the driving force behind his setting up of Hippocampus. Mr. Pradeep Bhargava, MD, Cummins Generator Tech India Ltd, played an able moderator and kept the discussion lively with his good sense of humour. Other panellists included Mr. Arbind Singh, leading social activist and Managing Director of Nidan Swachdhara Private Limited (NSPL), Mr. Yogendra Saxena, the Chief of Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) and Sustainability at Jubiliant Life Sciences Ltd., and Kishori Gadre, Director of Janwani, an initiative of Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture.

The distribution of the SIIB Excellence award followed. The award is part of SIIB’s efforts to recognize the outstanding contributions its alumni offer to the society. From a list of more than 25 nominations, Mr. Mukesh Kumar, batch of 1997, was chosen for the award. He reminisced his association with SIIB and took Dr. Rajani Gupte down memory lane on a nostalgic trip. They shared the humble beginning SIIB has had and were in awe of the progress it has made over the years in terms of international presence, academic excellence and contribution to society at large. Mr. Mukesh shared a few of the many interesting incidents during his times. He offered valuable tips to students and emphasized on the need and suggested ways to leverage the stay at SIIB. This was followed by distribution of prizes to the rank holders across the three courses – MBA (IB), MBA (AB) and MBA (E&E).

All good things have to come to an end. Likewise, Leadership Series 2011 drew curtains after screening of the ‘Making of the Leadership Series’ video. The video reflected the assiduous efforts put in by students that were well guided by the faculty members. The many funny moments and crazy ideas that had been part of the execution process in the lead up to the event formed the vivid moments. What really was evident in every moment of the video was the intensity with which the team had worked – being as creative as they could and making no compromise on the efforts put in, by putting the heart and soul into it. Undoubtedly, a standing ovation was a befitting mode of appreciation and the same followed as everyone in the audience was floored by the commitment of the students and faculty members in making Leadership Series 2011 a grand success.

SIIB Leadership Series team expresses its sincere thanks to the sponsors and media partners – Business Standard, Pagalguy, Radio Mirchi, Planet M, Freecharge.in, Café Chokolode - the participants from other B-schools, Dr. Rajani Gupte, Director, Ms. Asmita Chitnis & Ms. Soumi Rai, Faculty Co-ordinators, and the students for the inspiration, the sweet memoirs and for scripting the scale of success achieved.

Rajesh Sridhar

Public Relations

Batch 2011-2013

The Journey of a TechMechie – Part 1

2010-04-02T08:44:00.001+05:30

Special thanks to the person (I prefer to not name) who partly influenced (not inspired) me to write this piece

Disclaimer: All characters, events in this piece are fictional. Any resemblance to those living or dead is purely co-incidental.

The first thought that comes to the mind of many readers after reading the disclaimer is “Could this have been a real-life incident?”

Trust me, it’s fictional. And I know, to some readers, this thought might have not struck. Nevertheless, creation of uncalled for reactions (or hype, if it is sometimes called) seems to be a duty of every creative person in 21stcentury India. And he/she needs it for an initial pep up.

Here we go…

The Journey of a TechMechie

Vishal, a 21 year old Mechanical Engineering graduate from a private university in Tamil Nadu, awaits the results of the interview he’s attended at a top B-school in Pune. It’s a pleasant February morning in Chennai, and he’s minutes away from attending yoga class. Brushing teeth in the backyard of his palatial old-fashioned house, he looks up at the sky (heavens) to seek His blessings. The results mean a lot to him because he’s been aspiring to pursue an MBA (from one of the top 20 B-schools in India) for the last couple of years. And in the second attempt, despite taking as many entrance exams on as many Sundays that came by, he could get short listed for the GD-PI round for this institute alone. Ask him why he didn’t perform better, he asserts, “I did my best. But, the others were better.”

Fair enough! When it comes to competitive exams, it’s all about relative performance. As a backup option, he’s an offer from Tech Mahindra Ltd. And in four days’ time, if he’s destined to, he would join as an ITP-ian at one of their Pune offices. The train tickets for the same have been reserved and he whole-heartedly wishes there arises the situation which would make him cancel the ticket and enable him live his two-year old dream. Just when he’s about to leave for the yoga class, a thought strikes him.

“The results…to be announced…today…but what time” he tells himself. “Let me check it out now. Just in case….”

He looks at the pendulum clock, which is as old as the house, hung in the hall.

“It’s 5:15 now. They might have just put the final shortlist now.”

He now feels more confident about the realization of the thought. He swiftly moves to his room, switches the desktop computer on, and starts shaking his legs left and right in great anticipation. Drenched in mixed emotions, he feels cold. Just as Windows starts to boot up, scenes of life at the institute and at Tech Mahindra flash across him in those few minutes. Although he wishes to visualize only the former, the latter alternates involuntarily. Now, his fingers start to quiver, as he keys in the website of the results page. He looks up to Him and reaffirms God is omnipresent (that includes the ceiling of his room). To add to the already soaring emotions he’s going through, the page displays a rectangular box as the latest addition – Results of the final shortlist MBA 2010-‘12.

As a reflection of his anxiety, the scenes of life at Tech Mahindra start to outnumber the ones at the institute. It seems easier to be pessimistic than be optimistic. And finally, scenes of life at Tech Mahindra surface his imagery mind, stamping those of the other, hard, beneath it. That’s reality – dreams seem to have been not ‘even’ dreams when they go unrealized. They make one think as living in Pluto that's non=existent but that seemed to have existed just a few years ago. His eyes start to get wet. He wonders if his heart is being used as a punch bag by a boxer. It beats faster than ever before. Life appears gory as though a deadly earthquake, measuring more than 6 on the Ritcher scale, has destroyed his property. Yes! That is, to an extent, true. The only property he possessed was his dream to pursue an MBA. And that’s now shattered, at least for the next one year.

He feels like banging his head onto the walls of the room but his soft-natured heart feels sorry for himself, consoles him and asserts that life could be lived happily even without an MBA degree. Various other thoughts suggest him ways to move forward, but fail to stop him from feeling devastated. He’s in two minds if he should inform his parents about the results or not. Fresh after a tumbler of filter coffee, his dad is seen browsing through the pages of The Hindu, while his mom is seen busy adjusting the gasket under the lid of the pressure cooker. It’s 5:25 am and he can sense the hyper activeness in her body language, unlike his’. He decides to delay the passage of information by at least an hour. For reasons known only to him, he approaches his mom first.

“Maa…”he says, as words about the results involuntarily reach the lips.

“Haven’t you left for the yoga class?” she asks, looking beneath the cooker, confirming if the stove is lit.

Her words bring him back to the real world – 22nd Feb, 2010, on planet Earth. Only then is he reminded of the yoga class he’s to attend in a few minutes from now.

“Ya I’m leaving now” he manages.

“You’re to get the results today, right?”

“Y….Y…yes” he stammers and leaves his house instantly, in search of solitude.

Just as he starts walking towards the yoga class, he backtracks and decides to proceed to a park. Ashok Nagar, a scenic locality in the heart of the city, is home to most of the well-maintained parks. He decides to proceed to one such, located a few metres away from home. As he rests on a bench in the park, he wonders if he should give company to the many senior citizens there. And as he looks out, he finds a few of them even jogging. But, he immediately realizes, he’s in a philosophical mindset and that, it’s certainly not the time to jog or to do yoga. He acknowledges all he needs now is peace, the private space and the time to get in touch with himself – talk to himself, understand completely what he feels inside, analyze and decide how best things could be made better, and more importantly, at the earliest.

As his inclination with the bench gets more obtuse, and as he views a larger part of the sky, memories of the past – registration at a private institute for CAT coaching, the first day class there, the crush he had on a girl who quit classes after a week, the Cappuccino times they spent at CCD that week, the two problems in ‘Number Systems’ he taught her, the tens of problems his tutor and batch mates made him understand, the hundreds of exercises he solved at home, and the hundreds of prayers he said to God to make Him realize his dream – haunted him. At the end of the recollection, he is forced to pull his T-shirt up to dry the wet region just below his eyes. Uncontrollable, the tears had indeed edged out of the eyelids – a reflection of the pain in his fast-beating heart.

“Almost a year has gone by…” he adjusts his throat as the inner feelings stiffen it, “…just like a flash of light.”

He wonders if he shouldn’t have had a crush on her but instantly realizes that things like these happen automatically. He regrets joining her to CCD and questions himself if he was justified in extending her a helping hand to solve those two problems in Number Systems. He admits, he did so not with an intention of helping but with the purpose to make their relationship closer in the early days of their coaching stint.

“Did these hamper my preparations?” he asks himself.

But then, happenings of the first week, he feels, would never have had a deep impact (as the one left by the exit of the girl from his life) on his performances. On a positive note, he feels, he wouldn’t have got even this particular GD-PI call had that girl not quit that early. Hatred towards the highly valued entity, MBA, starts to pervade his heart.

“Why the h**l should I do an MBA?” he asks himself annoyingly.

He’s reminded of the answer he’d given to the interview panel to that standard first question - why do you want to do an MBA? - posed to every so-called MBA aspirant in every B-school PI. Apart from those reasons, he’s reminded of the most important reason behind doing an MBA – the wads of Gandhi notes that would make his wallet look smaller than it actually is.

“I’m not lucky enough to do an MBA…” he regrets. And after gaining an iota of confidence, he continues, “…this year”.

Inside his heart, he thanks his saviors – the RMG at TechM – who have made him understand ‘be happy with what you have and try to make the most of the same’.

“I tried my best…but just couldn’t get through the PI” he consoles himself, and with a reluctant smile, decides to make his mind up to accept the job offered. He knows that the only subject he failed to clear in the first attempt in college was C programming and he also realizes how hard he studied to scrape through in the second attempt.

“But, when thousands of people can manage to learn programming and coding to earn 20K a month, why not I?” he tells himself.

With time, out of the blue, life in an IT company appears pleasing to him. To a Mechanical Engineering student deprived of feminine warmth, pretty looking women are definitely much more than an icing on the cake. After more than half-hour, after many deliberations, with a seemingly pleasing face, he gets up from the bench and proceeds to the exit of the park only to hit upon his dad, standing just in front of the gate.

“Hey…” he exclaims. “What are you doing here? I thought you’re at the yoga class”

To Be Continued…

The Brain Gets Numb and I Don’t Realize That!

2009-12-02T21:43:00.002+05:30

Numbness – this used to happen with my legs whenever I played violin for more than half-hour, uninterrupted, while I was a primary school student. And when I just finish the final bow, I realize the acute pain that prolongs just for a few micro-seconds. Yes! It prolongs for micro-seconds. That acute pain which I used to suffer makes me use the term ‘prolong’. And slowly, as I widen my legs apart and tap the affected leg hard on the floor, to relive me of the pain, I end up calling for more prolongation, and thereby more pain. It’s then when I used to realize how tormenting one shall feel, if one were to stay numb. But then, it eases after a few seconds.
My brain has been numbing for the last few months, for the last few weeks at least, indifferent to many things people would normally react to. I’ve never been this way for the last twenty-one years. “Now, why this sudden change?” you put this question to me, and my instant, candid reply would be a terse ‘No’ accompanied by a smile. Now, you throw another question to me, in an attempt to make me react the way I actually feel inside. “Are you happy with the numbness?” “Well….” I start, but in an attempt to put more pressure on me, you raise the tone, “You’ve any complaints? Why don’t you just party? Something for a change…” I think deep, not as deeper as you might imagine. And I reply, “I don’t think so. It’s just that I’m neither happy nor sad with the way things are going. I don’t know if it’s for the good or bad. But, just like how the sun rises each morning with neither complaints nor enthusiasm, I live every passing day with no striking reactions.”
Yes! This exactly is what has been happening for the last few months. I get up late in the morning after an early morning sleep at 2am, brush teeth, sip coffee, skim through the first few pages of The Hindu newspaper, and in a few seconds, the right index and middle fingers automatically get themselves relieved from the sheets to flip a few more pages to the editorial section. Trust me, it happens involuntarily. Whether it’s about the Indian healthcare industry, or about the Liberhan Commission report, or about the disciplined behaviour of the MNS (let them be called disciplined at least in this page), or about the Copenhagen summit, or about the India-Pakistan relations, my inner conscience has made it mandatory that I should read them, and later, if I’m unable to peruse, should scissor the editorial column and put it into the file that contains many of its predecessors. Then, I walk into the empty hall, switch on the TV. The year-old practice of switching the ‘Channel V’ or the ‘9xM’ or the ‘B4U Music’ on, starts to build in me, but before I could I press the ‘OK’ button in my remote control, I press the ‘Exit’ button and move to CNBC TV 18 or NDTV 24X7. When I turn to the former, it’s the stock market experts who answer the queries of our Indian middle class who wants to sit at home and earn money at the click of a mouse.
“Sir, I’ve 1000 shares of HDFC Bank. I bought them at Rs. 28.10 and today it stands at Rs. 1807….” And as he’s speaking, charts adorn the TV screen, indicating a 6000 odd percent return on investment.
“What the fuck, man? What more do you want today.” I yell.
“Why the hell do you people call up and flaunt your stock-marketing skills?”
Irritated, I switch to NDTV 24X7, and there I see the Harichandra of the 21st century, Mr. Madhu Koda, denying all the charges against him, and claiming that he’s the most innocent politician India has ever seen. From one level of Harichandra-ness to another, I see all politicians smiling on the screen, making sure they contribute to at least twenty minutes of the half-hour news bulletin. And, in the last ten minutes, the so-called real heroes who the 21st century Indian youth adore and admire, cricketers and film-stars, make sure they end the news bulletins on a refreshing note. I switch the TV off and walk to the dining table to find my notebook stacked between the questions and answer pages of a workshop material distributed by IMS learning Resources Pvt. Ltd. I start solving the problems, or start to practise a few Grammar exercises.
By now, if you still didn’t know what I’m up to in life these days, I suggest you please drag your mouse cursor to the right top corner, press the ‘X’ button, close the window and do something better. Else, continue reading. If you decide to go ahead, flouting the rule, go ahead, but make sure you know what I’m up to, before starting with the next paragraph. I’m a B-school aspirant. I’m aspiring to get into a B-school which is in the top 15 of all the surveys, irrespective of whatever amount of money bribed or not to the surveyor.
After solving a few problems, I get up from the chair with mixed emotions. I would be happy for the fact that I could solve many problems but at the same time, unhappy for the fact that I was not able to solve quite a few problems, sometimes dismayed by the misfortune that even after repeated peruse of the solutions pages, I was not able to digest the concepts. It just doesn’t get into this head. Then, I do the easiest thing of all –leave things to God, just pray to Him to ensure I’m not tested on these sorts of questions on the D-day. I bathe, say my prayers, lunch, and sit in front of the desktop computer to check my e-mails. Posts of a few of the pagalguys like me fill my inbox. I skim through them only to ensure there’re no more unread messages in my inbox. The jobless me, I clear the spam mails too – the e-mail account as clear as a blank slate, or if I could say, my mind.
Then, in a few minutes, I get a call from the Head of the Institute where I work, teaching students who are aspiring Probationary officers at one of the banks.
“Rajesh, free today evening?”
“Yes, tell me….” I say, wondering if I should have actually said that.
“Ok, you’ve a class at 6.30. Lecture on Time, speed and distance.”
“Ok, done”
“Fine, bye…”
As I hang up, I’m happy for two reasons. The first reason being I would earn a few more rupees and the second reason being, I would get a break. Instead of learning, I would be teaching the same concepts.
So, life, this way, moves on, every passing day. Even if at times, I’m a tad upset, I’ve KK’s Dil Ibadat or Javed Ali’s To Hi Haqeeqat to refresh me. Of course, Shreya Ghoshal is invincible. But, trust me; KK is superb in Dil Ibadat.
Well, I’ve taken one of the many B-school entrances – IIFT. I’ve done reasonably well. If this year’s cut-offs are similar to previous years’, I can’t be denied a GD/PI call. The results are to be announced in mid-December. So, just like any other student, my fingers are crossed as well.
All said and done, I’m pleased with the way life has been on for me in the last few months. As long as I’m on the right track to fetch myself a seat in a top-notch B-school next June, I wouldn’t complain but only feel proud of myself for the fact that I would’ve achieved something for the first time in twenty-two years. I just wish good things happen in the near future.
A few hours ago, I was asked by a good friend of mine as to why I’ve not been blogging for the last many weeks. She was not the first person. Another good friend of mine too had asked me the same question last week. This post is not written for their sake but just to see if these words could actually give vent to my feelings (if there're any because I seriously doubt their existence). It’s just that I thought I would share whatever I could - things that have been happening at my end in the last few weeks.
So, with a mouse in hand, I’m all set to bell the CAT on Dec 5. Come what may, I’ll give my best shot.

P.S: For people who have been following my blog for a long time, I’ve a good piece of news to share. My book has been getting very good feedback. Many, including my inspiration, Shreya Ghoshal, have been saying kind words. They’ve appreciated me for what I’ve done. I just hope my first creative child sees the light of the day really soon.

An open letter to Shreya Ghoshal

2009-10-15T14:26:00.008+05:30

This is my 50th blog post and I couldn't think of a better post than this.

To: Shreya Ghoshal

Subject: An innovative suggestion

Dear Shreya,

Hope you are doing fine. Seeing the subject, you would be curious to know what innovative a suggestion you are to receive from this die-hard fan. But just as I start to type the body of the letter, there's a second thought if this is REALLY innovative. There's a good chance of you having already received such a suggestion. Nevertheless, this idea struck me last evening, and after some analysis and thought, I thought I'll e-mail you about this. Along with the myriad songs that flood my computer hard disc and mobile phone, I have a collection of all your videos also (downloaded from youtube) - from your Sa Re Ga Ma Pa days to the recent concert at Digboi. I watch them whenever I want to seek inspiration.

Last evening, I was minutes away from leaving home to the institute where I conduct aptitude training classes for people taking the bank exams. Since I had to teach a challenging concept, I thought I'll seek inspiration from your videos, get reinvigorated and attend the session, all charged up. I watched your rendition of 'Kaatril Endhan' at the Ilayaraja Concert held in Dubai in Jan 2009. It was just amazing! The first time you sang it on-stage was in Chennai when you mispronounced 'Thedudhe' as 'Thodudhe', and later, the crowd gave you a big round of applause when you finally corrected yourself. Raja Sir followed it up with a wonderful talk. Now, coming back, I could really identify the difference in both the renditions - in terms of your body language, pronunciation, and the confidence - and your rendition at the Dubai concert was impeccable, to say the LEAST.

I know I'm not in any way qualified to rate your performances or point out areas where you had erred. But, let me tell you, when I did analyze both of your performances, I could infer many a things. Being an MBA aspirant, it's important I analyze things and develop rational thinking. In all these years, you would have heard many of your fans, including me, tell you, "SHREYA, YOU INSPIRE ME". Now, "why you inspire us?" The answer to this is subjective, and it differs from one individual to another.

But, people learn a lot from you, and that makes them idolize you. I'll give you an example. Watch the video wherein you receive your first Filmfare award in 2003. Just watch the manner in which you address the audience. That was too much for you then, and you even thank your brother for that. I don't mean to say that your brother would not have helped, but it's a sign of your homeliness. In the sense, your world was still restricted to the 4 walls of your house, and that the exposure was less, then. But, when I watch you receive the 2009 Kannada Filmfare Award, it's just amazing! You seemed to have walked up stage as though the award for you was always on the cards, and that you were expecting it. But when you do collect the award from the jury, a sense of humility paints your face and the same gets reflected in the short speech you give. Now, from this, I learn that ONE IMPROVES WITH TIME ONLY, and that ONE NEEDS TO MAINTAIN THAT RIGHT BALANCE BETWEEN SELF-CONFIDENCE AND HUMILITY. You embody both.

I think I went completely off-track (happens with me whenever I think about you and your music - I ramble quite a lot). Now, coming back, that rendition of 'Kaatril Endhan' was amazing and only someone as genius as Raja Sir could pick the right song for you. Truly, he is a GENIUS! You won't believe, I was humming that song all the way to the class last evening. For more than 10 minutes! Such a heavy traffic it was, at 6.15 in the evening, but, that couldn't stop me from humming though. Such was the impact of your rendition - flawless, as I always say, with regard to your diction. And after I came home later in the night, I listened to the original version by S Janaki. To be honest, I couldn't find one aspect of the original composition being compromised. I generally am a lover of the ORIGINALS only.

In fact, I strongly feel that the Hindi remake of Ghajini was no better than the Tamil one, the performances in particular. Surya rocked but Aamir was just OK (I'm a big fan of Aamir though) I feel, only you can revisit the 80s, provide the modern feel and at the same time, make no compromise on quality. As we all know, you are Raja sir's most favourite singer among contemporaries. And so, I feel, if you can put in a little effort towards this, you can bestow your Tamil fans with the best gift we would ever crave for - an album containing a few of the wonderful compositions of the 80s of Raja Sir, revisited by the ONE and ONLY SHREYA GHOSHAL. I'm sure the present generation will lap it up and the album CDs will sell like HOT CAKES. I bet on that. Album name could be 'Shreya Ghoshal revisits the 80s'.

Any singer can revisit the 80s and provide the modern feel BUT ONLY YOU can pull it off with no compromise on quality. To be honest, you did outscore S Janaki Madam in a few aspects, the diction in particular. I really mean what I say, and I say this, not as a Shreya Ghoshal fan but as a music lover. You yourself have acknowledged the fact that I'm a BIG music lover (remember your autograph for me?) and so, you have to believe my words. I'm sure Raja Sir will not object to this idea. You are his darling, I know. His compositions in the 80s are just amazing! and I'm sure compositions as original and as mellifluous as them can never be emulated. Hence, as a tribute to Raja Sir, you can work on this and deliver an album, which we fans are eagerly awaiting. I know 'TIME' is a factor - you really are busy with other projects but please do think about this suggestion. No other contemporary female playback singer has got a fan base in the South as strong as yours. As you tweeted yesterday, "I think this can be an incentive to really do all the things in life which u really wished to but didn't have guts or time for". Please overlook the 'TIME' factor and please make it happen before 2012. I wish to buy such an album.

The same could be done even for your own songs sung between 2002-2006. When one listens to Tum Jo Ho Kareeb (Three) now, one can realize how mature your voice has turned. And this particular song, I feel, is one of your best songs in 2009, apart from the many others. Just imagine what impact this mature voice can have on a song like Agar Tum Mil Jao or Jaadhu Hai Nasha or Aye Meri Zindagi. We did enjoy that teenager-ish voice in the original versions. That was, in fact, best enjoyed in songs like Tum Hai Jo Meine Dekha (Main Hoon Naa) and Shikdum (Dhoom). But this is something we fans are eagerly looking forward to. Hope you get time for these as well.

Just think about my suggestions. I really wish God gives you 48 hours a day to enable you satisfy the wishes of all of your fans.

Take Care. Hoping to get a positive reply.

On behalf of all of your fans, I wish you a Happy and safe Diwali. May your life become as colourful as the 'FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS'. May God bless you!

WE FANS LOVE YOU MORE THAN ANYBODY!

Regards

Rajesh

An Unusual blog - typed out in my mobile :)

2009-08-25T07:18:00.005+05:30

Last night was quite a time. As I contracted my body within the edges of the bed, incidents of the recent past started to evoke eclectic emotions in me. And just to make sure, the feelings are conveyed here with no compromise, I typed it out in my mobile right away.

I'm listening to Shreya Ghoshal's Tu Kahaan Kho Gaya. This song actually has the power to make even an insomniac sleep. Such is her rendition. But the gamut of the feelings in me seems to defy it. Shreya, first time, I must say, something more powerful than your rendition is swaying my thoughts in its direction. Life's bad but at the same time good. People tell me, this is the time to do many things, but I’m not doing that one thing which most grads do after UG – work. So, does that mean I’m doing many things? Well. Yeah. Many trivial things. Quite a few useful things as well – CAT prep. I’ve been trying to do it. Sometimes, the commitment pushes me to the extent that I solve all the problems in a particular topic in the BRM workbook of IMS. Sometimes what I do is, keep staring at the previous year's SIMCAT papers, in an attempt to discover where I'd gone wrong etc.

I'm quite confident of putting up a better show in CAT this yr. But, what if I don't? There's that probability as well. I do acknowledge it else I wouldn't even make a mention of it here. But, as of now, I don't even want to discuss it. A strong believer of ‘The law of attraction’, I prefer to remain positive. And which is why I’ve gone the extra mile by applying for the IIFT exam as well, this year. 40K candidates competing for 40 seats. In fact, the 28 seats in the general category is what matters to me. When I was a kid, my mom used to say that I was so kind-hearted in my previous birth that I’ve been blessed to be born a Brahmin now. But, in the last few months, and at least till I secure a seat in one of the top 10 B-schools in India, I seriously wonder why I was so kind-hearted in my previous birth. Enter Kapil Sibal, but Arjun Singh's orders still hold. After all, both are Congressmen and it was we who wanted them to rule us.

Well, ruling something…. Now what rules me? My mind or my Heart? I don't know. It's a case of both. Sometimes when u do something wit a lot of passion, it feels really good. But when things don't seem to click, you feel why at all you should be passionate. It's like this. Tendulkar practising hard at the nets; the middle part of his willow connecting the ball every single time. He feels great, but imagine him getting bowled off the very first ball in a match. It's like that. I worked really hard on my novel, with a lot of passion – gave my heart and soul to it. Just like him – it’s like middling the ball at the net sessions. My book has been getting a very positive reception over the last 2 months. More than 20 people across the globe have read it. Yes! Across the globe! It includes India, the US and the UK – the key areas of English novel distribution. And trust me, not one has said that it's bad. Everyone has been praising my work to sky heights. Of course, they do point out “why this, why that”. That happens with all books. The overall opinion is what matters and it's a big thumb up. I'm happy about it. But what's the point if Tendulkar is clean bowled off the very first ball he faces. What's the point when there's no GOOD publisher coming forward to publish my work. I've been waiting, waiting, and waiting. No response!

I've been conducting aptitude training classes – sharing my knowledge with people of my own age group - for the so called engineers, who don't even know the difference between a scalar and a vector. Yes! I really mean that. That's the status of Engineering education in my state of Tamil Nadu. I'm not trying to say that I’m ‘An Engineer’ in the real sense. But I can say I’m not that bad. Well, let me not think about the past; let me think forward. After all, I’m the author of ‘A Step Forward’.

Actually, I wish to spend 4-5 hrs on CAT prep every single day. I really wish for that. But the gamut of the thoughts which trouble me, and the myriad feelings I grapple with, day in and day out, prevent this wish from getting entrenched in my heart. And what happens is I see myself out of sorts posing a straight face, not just at me but at my mobile too. Even at the wallpaper of Shreya Ghoshal on my mobile. Yes! A die hard fan staring at his icon! It's been happening! I feel I must take a break, get out of home, and stay alone. That's what I’ve been wishing for, for the last 1.5 yrs, but God seems to think otherwise. He does not understand me. I don't know what's to be done. I just wish I channel my thoughts in the right direction. Well... Right? I’m reminded of the BJP. I pity them. They’ve been kicking out all the few well-learned, scholarly men from the party, and from the country too (Jaswant Singh plans to visit Pakistan). Yesterday, it was Mr. Singh. Today, it’s Mr. Shourie. Tomorrow, is it Mr. Sinha? “Mr. Rajnath, tell me”. Well, he may be kicked out as well if he speaks ill of Mr. Mohan Bhagwat. Hmmm… Let me find some sleep. The last half hour, I can say, has been rambling of the highest order. Well... Well... Happens with me :) :)

A different blog post indeed! In fact, the thoughts were so hard-hitting, and I was so desperate to post it here that I've gotten up as early as six in the morning.

I was tagged!

2009-07-07T21:15:00.008+05:30

I was tagged by Christopher. So, here I go.

1. I am listening to...Shreya Ghoshal's 'Kyun' from Khambakkt Ishq.

2. I talk... what is required. Not that I am reserved, if things are exciting, I talk lots.

3. I love... myself, apart from many others.

4. My best friends..... are people who like me for what I am.

5. Love is... to be experienced, and perceived without providing first priority to momentary pleasures. That's what I did, and will do, in future also.

6. Somewhere, someone is thinking... about something :)

7. I'll always... do things I enjoy, and do it with the best of my abilities.

8. The last time I really cried was because... I was moved by an incident in my novel 'A step forward'.

9. My cell phone ... is as close to me, as my heart is.

10. When I wake up in the morning... I hope for a good day for all.

11. Before I go to bed... I listen to Shreya Ghoshal, and I ensure that I don't repeat today's mistakes, tomorrow

12. Right now I am thinking about... an incident that happened last night.

13. Babies are... people everybody long to become, when they grow old.

14. I miss... my childhood and school life.

15. Today I... am a good person at heart.

16. Tomorrow I will be... what I am destined to be, then, although I really wish to live up to my expectations.

17. I really want to be... a nice human being till my last breath, and not hurt a single person, intentionally.

This was an interesting tag, and which is why I did it instantly. Anyone who is interested can do this tag.

Hope you enjoyed reading it.

Ani proposes, LAFARGE disposes

2009-06-30T13:31:00.006+05:30

I write this post with a sense of happiness and relief. My first sense of this feeling was at around 8 this morning, after I read an e-mail in my yahoo account inbox. As I finished reading the mail, I rewound myself to my first semester days at SRM University.

“Hi, I am Anirudh”, was how a fair complexioned, decent looking, and an average built teenager introduced himself. Apart from his character, the one thing that has not changed is the goatee on his chin - those whiskers have been part of all the trials and tribulations, in all these years - conspicuous indeed. And if they had had the ability to speak, they, for sure, would have told him this morning, “Ani, it was really worth the wait.” And since they are not gifted to share such nice words, I take this opportunity to tell him, “Ani, it was really worth the wait”. Though I rewound to August 2005, I couldn’t resist myself from getting back to June 2009. Ok, now, let’s get back to 2005 again.

Ani, the once-upon-a-time owner of a Nokia 1100, always remained an average student in my opinion, (but I suppose, he calls himself a below average student) and his academia never lived up to his expectations. But when I say that, I seriously wonder if he had any expectations from himself; because he just moved on with life. Just like how the 30th of June is happy to accept ‘sunrise’ from 29th June, Ani too, never complained about the yesterday events, and accepted ‘today’, with not great exuberance, but with a rather laidback attitude. Now let’s talk about the other aspects of him.

He’s one of the very few guys in college to be dressed in pucca formals. The Anirudh I remember, at this moment, is the guy dressed in an olive green shirt and a black trouser, carrying a very heavy bag over his shoulders, arriving in college, walking towards the Mech PG block all alone (sometimes with his bus mate Bhargav). When one peeps into those thick bound ‘classmate’ notebooks inside his bag, and the childish handwriting penned using an ever deep blue ink, one gets a feeling if the owner of the notebooks is a studious guy, waiting to rewrite history by scoring a ten pointer, or rather a nine pointer at least, but Ani never managed anything above 8 tilll the eighth semester.

The ever bubbly Mechanical ‘A’ section during lunch breaks, is also the home for the reserved Anirudh Kaushik, who remains subdued, even when someone pulls his leg. A corner smile with the goatee widening its area on the chin, would be his response. Years passed, and he still found it tough to clear a few arrears, whose exams he claimed to have done reasonably well; the most prominent of them being Operations Research. That misfortune made him not eligible for campus placements during the seventh semester. I remember, it was a pleasant September afternoon, and I was weeks away from appearing for CAT ’08. After sipping water from the filter outside his class, I was standing on the lobby in the second floor, looking down, hoping to glimpse at a good looking girl passing by.

He walked out from his class, smiled at me, and asked,“So Rajesh,CAT preparations in full swing?”

“Not really” I blushed. “The percentile scores are never crossing 80 in the mock CATs”

“Anyway, you have Tech Mahindra as a backup, right?” he consoled. “Unlike me”

“Hey you apply for CAT, man” I suggested. “Give it a shot”

“Hey I can’t attempt the math part, for sure. And I am not too keen on doing higher studies. I am not able to manage even this B.Tech” he laughed.

Though I tried to convince him saying he could make up with a decent score in the verbal section, considering the fact that he was too good at English, he seemed relentless. While his friends foresaw their futures by getting placed in renowned IT & Manufacturing companies, and by scoring good scores in GRE and receiving admits from well-known Universities in the US, his future still remained a question mark, and however hard he tried, he couldn’t find an answer.

Finally, a relief! The seventh semester results were announced, and fortunately, he cleared his Operations Research paper, ensuring he had no standing arrears; but unfortunately, with the economic recession hitting the corporate world hard, going to campus to recruit a fresher was the last thing on the mind of every HR. With time, I got a feeling if he had begun to find himself lonely in the crowd, and if the worry in his eyes made him blind to other joyous things in life. The Eighth semester exams arrived; and it was on the afternoon of the Industrial Engineering & TQM exam, the first of the three exams, when I found him standing alone at the railway station, opposite my college campus. He asked me about my future plans; with my MBA aspirations doomed for the following academic year, I informed him that I was definitely going to take up the job offer from Tech M. Though I wished to ask about his’, I knew he would have nothing to say. Without delay, he opened up, saying he would give LAFARGE, a cement manufacturing company based in Qatar, a shot.

“Don’t worry man” I consoled. “You’ll get through this one.”

“Let’s see” he snapped a regretful corner smile.

“Mark my words; you are destined to leave for Qatar.” I affirmed. “And which is why God has made you not eligible for the other companies. Everything in life happens for a reason.”

He smiled back, unaware of the fact that he was going to be one among the seven in the shortlist, which was to be announced on June 30 2009.

And this morning, as soon as I received the yahoo groups email about the shortlist, I moved to the next window with great anticipation, to see if his name was present; and just as I had expected, he was one among the five selected from the Mech department. I text messaged him right away, but the 'Kumbakarnan' he is, replied to me late in the forenoon after waking up from a sound sleep. But trust me; tonight’s sleep will be the most peaceful of all, for him. And in his reply message, he had said ‘Everything you said that day in station has finally come true’

And after a while, he messaged me again, ‘write something about me in your blog.’

I thought, “If these words in my blog post are going to make him feel happier, I don’t want to deprive him of that”

So Ani, this post is for you, mate.

While we guys are still awaiting our call letters (unsure if we’ll ever get), he’s scheduled to leave for Qatar in the first week of August to join work.

Bon Voyage, dude! May the coming years be more memorable for you!

NOKIA Connects

2009-06-19T09:23:00.010+05:30

Well, I am excited…I am feeling wonderful, really good; I am happy, I am delighted, I am ecstatic… I can use ‘n’ more of such adjectives, but, even those many expressions of my feeling in words won’t suffice, because, I am feeling unimaginably excited. What more can a music lover ask for, when his dad has just bought him a new Nokia 5130 Express Music mobile phone. Yes! I purchased it yesterday.

Ever since I first owned a mobile, three years ago, I have started to consider her (I give my mobile the feminine gender) as an inseparable possession. But for the time I spend in the restroom (at home), she stays inside my left trouser pocket 24X7. And every five minutes at least, I touch the pocket to confirm her presence; she is such a special companion. She is my only buddy who follows me everywhere I go, rather, I make it a point to carry her with me, and she doesn’t mind that. She has traveled with me under the scorching sun in the afternoons, on rainy nights, and on pleasant evenings as well.

I experienced the best of nights, yesterday, in her company. She was kissing my ears and I didn’t feel like leaving my hold over her. My right palm had a grip over her body throughout, and my intermittent looks at her face (the screen) evoked myriad expressions of joy, every time I changed tracks, from one favorite to another. Suddenly, I realize that it has gotten late, and so, I look into her again, and she displays 0117 hrs. “Three hours gone in no time!” It was an amazing feeling to listen to some of the most favorite songs, in my girl's company.

When I talk about my love for mobiles, I would also like to discuss about a section of people who seem to supposedly hate the usage of it. I have listened to various kinds of comments. Let me list a few of them.

“I am using it just to keep up my status”

“It’s such a nuisance, you know”

“It’s an unnecessary carry”

“I just wonder if people can’t live without mobiles!” would be a baseless comment remarked by someone who himself possesses one of the costliest mobiles available in the country.

“I am happy I am away from it for the time being”, would be a reply from someone who has just lost his/her mobile. I actually see it as a coverup for the irresponsible behavior.

From what I have observed over the years, I don’t see their HATE for mobiles in these stupid remarks. I see these groundless talks as an ineffectual attempt to be ‘DIFFERENT’. The world knows how well mobiles have enticed us to become ‘Man’s best friend’, and these people, by passing such remarks, are just TRYING to portray themselves as a unique breed. Ok! Fine! Let them talk against mobiles, but why the hell do they use one in the first place, and above all, why the hell do they have to sound rhetoric? Simply because, they can’t stand their own liking or addiction to that 100 gram electronic gadget.

I strongly feel, one doesn’t talk excessively about something he/she hates, rather, it’s done for something which is adored enormously. The heart loves using it but the mind is unable to bear it. What these people fail to realize is, however hard they are going to try, man is not going to stay away from mobiles. Whatever! All I wish to convey to such specimens is, “You use a mobile, or you don’t use a mobile, I don't give a fuck, but, please don’t see yourself getting fooled in front of my eyes, by passing such comments, time and again.”

Coming back to my other love, music; no blog post of mine, related to it, is complete without a mention of The Undisputed Queen of Indian Playback Singing, Shreya Ghoshal. Wow! What a wonderful feeling it is, to listen to her sing so wonderfully. Now, I feel, Nokia actually CONNECTS me with her.

It is now when I get a feeling of how blessed I am to have both of my ears sharp. To see her name appear on the screen while listening to her sing is, by itself, a special feeling. Her name spells Magic (Jaadhu) and her songs spell Intoxication (Nasha). Imagine how I’ll feel like, when I listen to her sing Jaadhu Hai Nasha (Jism). But, now, I am reveling in her ‘Kyun’ from Khambakkht Ishq. I am talking about her solo version. Wow! Terrific! Do listen to it.

Also, her songs in ‘Morning Walk’ are fabulous.

I feel good to have penned down this write-up. Just like my many other blog posts, this also is close to my heart. After all, I have dwelled upon three of my favorites – Mobile, Music and Shreya Ghoshal.

Below is the first photo I snapped on my mobile.

Back!

2009-06-09T21:10:00.009+05:30

Hello...

I am back to serious blogging. It's been a long time since 'As I Introspect' found place for frequent introspectives. But I am sure I'll make it happen in the coming days.

The happy thing is, I am finally done with my novel 'A step forward' and I am satisfied with its outcome. But what really matters on the commercial front, is the satisfaction readers get on reading it, which I hope will happen too. There were quite a few good and bad experiences while I was in the process of writing my first novel, and also, there are many things which I have learnt. So I thought I'll just pen them down here.

Firstly, as soon as I finished reading the manuscript this evening, there was a smile on my face. Apart from the satisfaction that, I have authored a novel (210 pages in MS Word Docu), I was in awe at the way the story had taken shape. When I first started off with it on Feb 18, I just had a vague idea and didn't really know what incidents will happen and also, which will happen when. But as I started to write, as thoughts moulded into words, as chapters unfolded, the story shaped up differently, something I myself didn't anticipate. That was when I wondered about the phenomenon called 'The Human Brain'. It stuns you sometimes. Apart from this example, there have been numerous occasions when I had been in awe of my own thought process.

And something I liked about my novel was that, every event that happens is part of the chain called 'A step forward'. So I just wish, every incident in our lives too, happens with relevance to our future, though I must admit that I strongly believe 'Everything in life happens for a reason'.

Actually I did no paperwork for my novel; in the sense, I never wrote the script or jotted down points on paper. The desire to write a novel always took centre stage whenever I thought deep, while reveling in solitude. Hence, writing a chapter was more or less, like writing a blog post. So, I would call my novel as a 'collection of blog posts'. What makes me call so, is actually, my approach to writing the novel by itself. And of course, just like my blog posts, my first attempt at fiction is a work straight from my heart. Being a so-called Engineer, I knew nothing about scriptwriting. But being an avid blogger, I knew to write blog posts. And so, just like how I have penned down 42 posts here, I could manage 24 there (22 + Prologue + Epilogue).

Also, writing this novel has really made me deal with patience. Though I was deriving great pleasure in writing the novel, I must confess that, there were days when the ideas and the thoughts didn't quite come about and that used to make me get annoyed with myself. But I could come over them all quite successfully.

In my opinion, the best time to write is after a sound sleep in the afternoon - the time between 4 and 6 in the evening. That's actually when I wrote some of the best chapters, and I wrote some good ones, late in the nights too (10pm-2am) - when there was noone around to disturb. By writing this novel, for the first time in life, I seemed focussed and was determined to get done something I wanted to happen. But as a matter of fact, there had been really nothing in life which 'I WANTED'.

It's a fantastic feeling, to see a word document for 210 pages written by me alone, to see a word document where my thoughts and emotions have been moulded into words, to see a word document which contains the life of all the characters I have created myself. But overall, it has been a wonderful experience and I have enjoyed every moment of it.

I feel great to have shared my feelings here. Thanks to the blogging platform and you guys. When you actually read my novel, you will know for yourself, how you have been part of the journey called 'A step forward' and how you have contributed to it.

Well... I am still waiting for my call letter from Tech Mahindra. So, I am sure I will be having enough time to introspect. So, my blogger buddies can expect a flurry of posts here in the coming weeks.

A strange feeling

2009-05-01T19:53:00.011+05:30

Hi guys...its been a long time since i blogged. I was just lying down on my bed this afternoon and the chill air from the AC helped me escape from the heat. Just like the AC, the blogging platform helped me escape from the feelings that were troubling my heart. I needed(and i still need) someone to listen to what I had to say and it was you people with whom i actually shared everything. I felt good at recollecting my recent past, from march 22 2008. That was the day on which Shreya Ghoshal made me re-enter the world of blogging with a new-found exuberance. And just like her music, blogging too made me feel good and happy. If they were her songs which made me love her, it was you people who made me love the art of blogging.

For a moment I wondered why I have actually stopped blogging now. Of coourse, I had a reason. I wanted to concentrate on my book. Well, my novel is going good. Till now, I have completed 13 chapters =104 pages. (People who would like to read them and give me your reviews are welcome to do so. Leave your mail id in the comemnts section and I shall mail you. I would be glad if you people can take time off and read my work).

A few weeks back, I received a comment from Niveditha who had said "Where you? Just cos you've big plans, don't stop blogging..." Though it was not meant to offend (hopefully...) I felt bad when I read it. I got a feeling if I was overlooking a platform which actually made me realize and hone the writing skill in me. Definitely not.

Even now, I know I am not overlooking it and I am actually waiting to get back to blogging once I finish the book by the end of may or mid june(hopefully...). But I thought I ll pen down a short write-up now, to THANK U people for what you have done to me. THANK U to one and all for reading my blogs and making me realize that "I AM A DECENT WRITER".

Take care...Bye.. See you :) :)

Happy Blogging..

I am on my way to each of your blogs to know what's happening there and i have decided to spend the night at your blog sites.

P.S: There is a special mention about most of you in my novel, and apart from this article, everyone of you will be thanked in the "ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS" page of my book when it gets published. Hopefully, it should. Let's see.

Stepping on a new platform

2009-02-18T19:27:00.006+05:30

Hello… I’ve some news to share.

I’ve begun work on a fiction and as many of you know, it’s always been a dream for me to get a book published and it still is. I wish it turns into reality soon. Being fellow bloggers, you have been following my writings for quite a long time and I owe you lots for having been so supportive and thereby exuding the confidence in me to start with this work. Thank you so much! You are the first among a few to whom I’m disclosing the start of this new venture. So I take this opportunity to share with you, the storyline of my work of fiction.

My first attempt at fiction delves into the mind of an Indian teenager to retrace the path of his life in the last five years. Though annoyed, he’s determined to make life enjoyable and prefers to take his future as it comes. Years are punctuated with months of mixed events and he begins to examine reasons for his mediocrity. Not a very ambitious person, but suddenly starts to value life at the dawn of a few unexpected memorable events. He's on a mission to dream BIG and realize the same. In the process he takes a step forward.

Based on real-life incidents, I stand in the shoes of the protagonist to narrate the events that unfolded to make him take that step forward.

It’s not completely fictional and incidents from my life shall be part of it. Just like my blog articles, it’ll be a work straight from my heart and I stand in the shoes of the protagonist to feel every word I pen. I’m indeed very happy to begin work on the same but I know, it calls for a lot of patience and shall truly be a test of my character to actually deliver something really worthy enough to reach the pages of a book. Till then, I wish to channel my thoughts in the direction of my work and hence taking a break from blogger as far as writing is concerned. I shall visit your blogs for inspiration to improvise on my work, time and again. Looking forward to a challenging but at the same time, a refreshing and a learning experience!

The exact time I shall take to complete this work remains a question mark but being my first attempt, I want to take sufficient time and deliver my BEST.

Till then, take care.

P.S: I'm thankful to Divya for presenting me the Thoughtful blogger award.

Regards

Rajesh

T20 - Shreya Special 2

2009-02-15T14:24:00.003+05:30

The Top 10..

10. Jaadhu Hai Nasha (Jism)

On listening to this song, I arrived at the equation Jaadhu + Nasha = Shreya Ghoshal. Wow! What a rendition! It’s a blessing for the Filmfare award to have landed itself at the hands of Ms. Ghoshal. Just like Saansein Madham, she improvises in the 2nd stanza and it’s simply magic. Not everybody has the innate talent to bring out so much warmth and this is where we feel divinity in music. They say, certain things in life needed to be experienced and not analyzed. This song exemplifies the same and I leave it for experience and not elaborate any further.

Favorite Line: Baahon Mein Teri Yun Kho Gaye Hai (2nd stanza)

9. Barso Re (Guru)

Shreya’s long time due for a tie-up with Rahman for a Hindi number got over with Barso Re. This song swept awards at all functions and I would rate it as one of the best songs of 2007. This is the effect a song has when two Music Messiahs – Rahman and Shreya come together. She has really given her ALL and that was evident when she sang ‘Nan Naa Re Nan Naa Re’.

Favorite Line: Nan Naa Re Nan Naa Re

8. Teri Ore (Singh is King)

I wonder if mellifluousness can get any better. No! It can’t get better than this. This song has given me warmth of the highest order. It has got me relieved of distress and made my life look more beautiful and colorful. The hoarsest in Rahat’s voice complemented Shreya’s and she’d added a new dimension to the song. This was one of the few songs to which I can listen for one hour, non-stop.

Favorite line: Teri Ore Teri Ore Hai Rabba……

7. Ishq Hua (Aaja Nachle)

This is the best example of the pathetic nature of Indian Music and films – the dependence of the former on the latter. Due to lack of publicity for this song and the movie’s colossal flop restricted the reach of this song to a wider audience. Undoubtedly, this is one of the best songs Shreya has ever sung and ironically, happens to the most under-rated. The Sonu-Shreya combo brings back memories of some really mellifluous numbers of the past. A wonderful composition backed by a superb rendition.

Favorite Line: Nazron Ko Sambhaalein, To Dil Ka Kya Karein

6. Tere Naina (CC2C)

I fear if this song will fall into the league where Ishq Hua belongs to. This is another song that has the characteristics which Ishq Hua had – bad publicity of the song and the movie’s colossal flop. This song was a real test for Shreya to match up to Shankar and she’s played her part perfectly. The composition is terrific – the speed of the song varies like ‘never-heard-before’. While majority of the faster part is taken care of by Shreya, she makes sure, they are not done at the expense of the lyrics and the diction is just spot on, especially in the second stanza when she sings 4-5 lines continuously.

Favorite Line: Mere Dil Mein Jo Armaan Hai Paaas Aake Zara Dekho Na…

5. Silsila Ye Chaahat (Devdas)

Reason for my liking can be attributed to just one – it was Shreya who sang. In the sense, nobody else could have produced that magic at such a young age especially when she sings ‘O Piya’. I liked the song so much that I wanted to see its video and since I had never seen Devdas, I downloaded the movie just to watch this song. When I did watch, I was moved to see that sync between Ash’s facial beauty and Shreya vocal beauty. A wonderful song and its best enjoyed when listened to, using headphones and not speakers.

Favorite Line: Phir Se Baadhal Ghar Jaa Hey………….O Piya Yeh Diya…..

4. Beiri Piya (Devdas)

The ranking of Silsila and Beiri Piya was a close call but I rank Beiri Piya higher just for two reasons – it won Shreya a national award and it had that amazing ‘ISSSHHH’. This just goes to show Shreya’s self-competition right from her first film. This is one of the best romantic melodies ever composed and for a teenage girl to sing the same alongside a veteran like Udit and win the national award just goes to show her brilliance. The ‘ISSHH’ announces the arrival of a legend-in-the-making, call for silence - make you listen to this melody queen with rapt attention.

Favorite Line: Tu Dhoor…..Paas hi ta ab pass hai tu dhoor….Hey kyun…Ha aaa…

3. Tu Meri Dost Hai (Yuvvraaj)

This is Shreya’s first duet with Benny Dayal, who had delivered some terrific Tamil songs before Dost happened. Shreya makes entry 2.5 minutes into the song with ‘Raat Mein’ and ironically, lightens up the song with a light shake of her divine vocal chords. Her last stanza with Rahman is mind-blowing and one couldn’t have expected for anything better. The line ‘Ek Pari Gujrati Hain’ in the last stanza is just Wow!!! And her rendition is a rendition is something her contemporaries can only enjoy and can’t actually replicate.

Favorite Line: ‘Jahan Shaam Utarti Hain…’ (The last stanza with Rahman– Wow!)

2. Ek Pal Ke Liye (Ankahee)

This was my most favorite till recently. This song has been giving me goose bumps ever since I first listened to it. I would say, this was one song which made me look up to this doyen to Indian Music. There’s something in this song that makes me listen to it every time I turn on my music system. One thing I confirmed with this song is, Shreya Ghoshal improvises with time and her second stanzas in all songs outsmart her first. This song draws you forward, and the song is best enjoyed when she sings ‘Phir Kya Ho Kya Kabar’. Mind-blowing! I feel bad to rate it second because it deserves a first place 

Winning the T20 cricket World Cup is very tough and to select The Best song of this T20 demanded efforts of the highest order and so much thought

And the winner is……

1. Kaise Mujhe (Ghajini)

There have been songs when Shreya has sang solo numbers and entertained us so well but this song when she just flashes across our ears for a few seconds and leaves a lasting impact. Terrific! That is the trademark of a legend - quality is independent of quantity. I’ve witnessed a similar impact in songs like Mein Agar Kahoon and Teri Yaadon Mein where she outsmarts Sonu and KK respectively. Now, this is the turn of Benny Dayal to face the music. The way she starts ‘Aaaaaaa…..’ makes one get softer at heart, feel more sympathetic and look at life with a broad-minded perspective. To watch this song on screen, you end up getting your cheeks moist involuntarily – Yeh Shreya ki Jaadhu.

Those few seconds when you flash across our ears like an angel are my favorite lines.

I pray God to bestow you with good health and happiness. Keep entertaining us and I wish, you sing better songs and I would like Ek Pal Ke Liye and Kaise Mujhe to drop down places next year.

P.S: Being a die-hard fan, I would also like to do some constructive criticism. The song ‘Poovinai’ from the Tamil film Ananda Thaandavam is one of the best melodies composed in recent times and hats off to you for the rendition. But I found something unusual, though you’re appreciated for perfection in Tamil diction even by stalwarts like S.P.B, a few lines in the first stanza looked out of place and I couldn’t understand what the lyrics were. I’m sorry if that was offending but this was just to make sure your reputation doesn’t get affected by even 0.1%.

T20 - Shreya Special 1

2009-02-08T22:18:00.007+05:30

I'm still between Heaven & Earth and unable to think of anything else to pen down - the meet with Shreya still haunts mesmerically. On requests from a few friends, I now post the article which I had presented Shreya on 31st Jan 2009 and it is for this that she has promised to mail me back after reading. I split them into couple of parts and here is the first. Here we go...

Shreya Ghoshal songs mean The Best and to select just 20 of The Best demands so much effort. It did get really tough when I involved myself with the task of doing the same but the toughness was something I thoroughly enjoyed and I attribute this sweet bitterness to my love for her songs. Despite the love, the last thing I had wanted was confusion and ironically, that happened first as soon as I ranked the songs of my choice. The sheet of paper on which I had ranked had all scribbling possible and the ranks kept changing every minute and it was utter chaos, to say the least. Even mathematics or physics problems that I had solved in the past never had so much of scribbling. Here I go with the rankings and a short description for my liking.

20. Pyaar Ki Ek Kahani (Krissh)

To rank a song as good as Pyaar Ki Ek Kahani at the 20th spot, it just goes to show the quality of Shreya Ghoshal songs, the lucidity in her rendition and the power of the voice to reach the audience, no matter who they’re. This song happened 3-4 years after her entry into film music and Ms. Ghoshal makes her entry into this song almost after 2 minutes with a hum and understandably, big things don’t happen just like that but grows on the audience slowly. With Sonu Nigam for company, it was wonderful to listen to them together and I feel, Shreya gives her best when she sings alongside someone as great as Sonu. In my opinion, this was the best among all Shreya songs of Krissh.

Favorite Line: Ek Tha Ladka Ek Thi Ladki Deewani (Wow! It draws you forward)

19. Shikdum (Dhoom)

Shaan happens to be one of my favorite singers and I loved his combo with Shreya and if I’m right, this was their song together. The song made for a wonderful melody, a class apart when the rest in that album were all hip-hop and rock type. It was a fast-paced melody and the childishness in Shreya’s voice was brought to the forefront and this was best evident in the below line.

Favorite Line: Achcha lo chalo, haari main haari Maan li sabhi baatein tumhaari

18. Ta Ra Ra Ra Rum Rum (Ta Ra Rum Pum)

One of the best ever melodies I’ve ever listened to. The song could be best enjoyed when one is in a state of distress. The best way to start feeling-good is turn on the music system and play this song. The rest shall be taken care of, by Shreya Ghoshal. The best quality to be appreciated in her rendition is the fact that, she makes sure she understands your distress but at the same time, she makes sure you get relieved of it. Courtesy: Cuteness in her voice

Favorite Line: Ho agar kabhi koi ghum toh, bilkul na tum…

17. Dhoom Thaana (Om Shanti Om)

This song intensifies the debate whether if Shreya is the next Alka Yagnik/ Lata Mangeshkar. To fans like me, we’re happy if she’s Shreya Ghoshal and we don’t want her to be called with such names simply because she’s a class of her own and none shall ever come anywhere close to her perfection in diction or clarity in rendition. It intensifies the debate, in the sense, Shreya takes us back to 1970s and the feel is just perfect. She beautifies Padukone with the rendition and in the process, with the fast beats, makes you dance along with SRK and Padukone. This song exemplifies her versatility and affirms the fact that her voice is not confined just to melodies though she’s the BEST at it.

Favorite Line: Kaise Banjaara Mann Ki Baat Mein Aaye, Kaise Ek Raaja Ko Manmit Banaye Kaise Pehnu Main Pyar..

16. Kaash Ek Dhin (Showbiz)

This is another of her duets with Shaan. It’s such a lovely number and I don’t know if this song became that popular. Nevertheless the beauty of a song is completely independent of its popularity and the combo of Shreya and Shaan rocks big time. The song is equally divided between them and makes for a wonderful listen. While Shaan makes it fantastic in the first stanza, Shreya outsmarts him in the second and she does to the extent, I get so much lost with her in the second stanza that I begin to wonder from where did Shaan entered when he begins ‘Kaash Ek Dhin’.

Favorite Line: Mere Dil Ko Tum Churaake… (The full second stanza- no compromises)

15. Tu Kahaan Kho Gaya (U Bomsi and Me)

This song is special to me in a way that this alone could make me sleep at the times when I was beginning to have sleepless nights. In the sense, the slowness of the song, the laziness in the rendition, reluctance in the voice modulations made up for a soothe listen that it had the power to turn an insomniac to sleep. It’s a must listen but ironically, this never turned out to be a smash hit. Divine!

It’s Shreya all the way and hence, I find it tough to pick just one line.

14. Mere Dholna (Bhool Bhulaiyya)

Firstly I feel bad to place one of my favorites at the 14th position and the competition for places starts to get tougher as we move up. Needless to say, this is one of the best classical numbers to have been composed in Indian films and such a composition’s brilliance is appreciated only when it’s rendered someone as exceptional as Shreya and Sree Kumar. The ease with which she seemed to have rendered is just wow! Amazing!

Favorite Line: Saanson Mein Saanson Mein Teri Saragamein Hain, Abb Raat Din...

13. Mausam (Kidnap)

It’s amazing to note, a singer who had sung Mere Dholna and Tu Kahaan has sung this song. That’s Shreya Ghoshal for you! Versatility personified. Minisha Lamba’s bikini act wouldn’t have electrified the screen but for Shreya’s sensual rendition. This kind of a visual effect demands an aural boost and this was perfectly provided by Ms. Ghoshal. This rendition brought back memories of one of her numbers from Jism (Got it?)

Favorite Line: Na Na Na Na Na Na (Undoubtedly…sensual best)

12. Har Taraf (Saaya)

This is one of Anu Malik’s best compositions and this song showcases Shreya at her teenage best, both visually and aurally. Yes! Shreya Ghoshal makes a guest appearance in the song as a school student leading the choir. Her presences on the screen were moments when I started to compare her visual beauty to that in her voice. The protracted high pitches calls for so much talent and that seems to be quite abundant in her. Overall this is a song which enables a music lover to enjoy the sweetness in Shreya’s voice when she was in her teens.

Favorite Line: Ye aasmaan ye zamin, chaand aur sooraj kyaa banaa sakaa hai kabhi

11. Saansein Madham Hai (Kasak)

This song is the Hindi version of Nuvve Naa Shwaasa (Okariki Okaru) composed by M.M. Kreem. A soothing number and it’s one song one can listen to, anytime – however good/bad their mood is. With this song, Shreya has affirmed the fact that language is no barrier and that she shall produce the feel in any language – the tune alone shall do. This is one of my favorites and her improvisation in the 2nd stanza speaks volumes of the talent she possesses.

Favorite Line: Rehna mujhe hain teri panaaho mein rakhna tujhe hain..(2nd stanza)

The Top 10 to be posted next weekend...

A Heavenly Sojourn

2009-02-02T21:42:00.065+05:30

When I purchased the red colored Adidas T-shirt from Shoppers Stop a few months back, I never thought I would wear the same on a day which shall mean the most to me. The bag I received from my college for organizing symposium events - I never expected it to accompany me on the day when I will feel like I'm in heaven. Yes! I’m posting this piece 46 hrs post my visit back to Earth from heaven. An event I had wished it happen before I could bid adieu to my fellow men on Earth happened, as early as day before yesterday - A 10 month dream turned into reality. Those were moments when I couldn’t differentiate between actuality and illusionary. Those were moments when I wondered if I had been gifted with special blessings from God. Yes! With special blessings from God, I had the opportunity to meet my Goddess – Playback singer Ms. Shreya Ghoshal.

I virtually sensed the heavenly moments when I purchased my ticket for the Shreya Ghoshal Live-in concert that was to be held at the Music Academy, Madras on the 31st of January 2009. Most fortunately, the sequence of events happened just the way I had wished it to and I actually wonder if God can ever be more kind to me. Hence firstly I would like to thank the Almighty for what has happened and then proceed with the narration of the most memorable (will always be the most memorable) evening of my life.

I made myself well-prepared (whether or not Shreya was, for the concert) with the list of things I had wanted to do. As soon as I purchased the concert ticket last Monday, I made it a point not to have a shave that week – 'grow as much beard and moustache as possible and then get the neatest one done on Saturday morning'. Apart from that, I documented another write-up about my admiration for Ms. Ghoshal’s music. This was done on Friday evening and I made sure, I gave my best amidst the flurry of messages friends sent – texting me names of heart specialists available in Madras if something should happen to me the next evening, out of uncontrollable excitement and joy. And as I had planned, I took a print out of the latest article I had written to present her for the evening and 2 copies of the article ‘Fallen in love….' wherein Shreya herself had commented. I also made sure I added that comment of hers at the end of the document to add 'THAT' special feel to it. One copy was taken for me to get her autograph - as a present by her and one as a gift I shall present, as a token of reverence. With all happening as planned, I rid my way to the auditorium half-hour ahead of time and gladly, was pleased to find another Shreya Ghoshal fan in the neighboring seat. We discussed a lot about the love and admiration both of us have for Shreya, our favorite songs etc.

As time passed, the star of the evening and the ever twinkling star of my heart – Shreya Ghoshal decorated the stage with her presence, entered on-stage and made her first angelic appearance in front of my 2 eagerly-awaiting eyes, which had always wondered if they could ever make use of themselves to see this child prodigy from close quarters. She started off with Silsila Yeh Chaahat (Devdas) and went on and on, non-stop for an hour and half. After a 20 minute break, she returned back and continued for another one and a half till 11.20 pm. Though her divinity-rich vocal chords were good enough to keep the audience enthusiastic and the mood thoroughly exciting, she reached us still better with her humble talk and the occasional display of her sense of humor. And despite preparing a list of songs for the evening, she heeded to the requests of the crowd and tried her best to go by what we wanted. That attitude of hers was amazing and I was completely bowled over when she said the following after singing ‘Agar Tum Mil Jao(Zeher). ‘I feel very good every time I come to Chennai because people here appreciate good music and I must confess, I loved the blog that was written by the guy from your Chennai’. Wow! Never in the wildest of my dreams did I expect her to make such a statement amidst 1000-seaters. Those words into my ears were equivalent to the pour of honey into my mouth and on listening to her appreciation; my heart got itself dissolved into these never-before-felt emotions.

Her on-stage performance was mind-blowing - actually better than what I had expected, could say The Best ever. It's really worth penning down those songs, at least for people who didn’t have the opportunity to be there. They include her fluent rendition of the classical notes in Mere Dolna (Bhool Bhulaiyya), the ever-perfect Tamil diction while she sang Munbe Vaa (SOK) and the seductive stance she took while performing Jaadhu Hai Nasha (Jism). Another aspect of hers which I must mention is her command over the lyrics – she never used a lyric book to render hindi songs. What moved me was the pleasing nature with which she asked for pardon, well in advance, if she happens to mispronounce Thamizh (this was how she pronounced the word….wow!!) lyrics but that never happened with Munbe Va (a filmfare winner) but faltered a little while rendering Uruguthe (Veiyil). Some other songs which I found as perfect as the original include Ab to forever, Waada Raha, Yeh Ishq Hai, Pal pal har pal, Piyu Bole, Barso Re, Tu Meri Dost, Teri Ore, Tere Naina (on-stage debut at Chennai) and I’ll be doing injustice if I fail to mention 'Tujh Mein Rab Dhiktha hai' (Wow!! That was jussssssttttt toooooo good. I was stunned. At her vocal best!!). I'm a little sad that she didn't perform Kaise Mujhe (Ghajini) and Beiri Piya - while her mellifluous 'ISSHH' is my sms tone, 'Aaaaaa' from Kaise Mujhe is my ring tone.

She finished the concert brilliantly with Dola Re (another filmfare winner) and it was time for me to get into action. As soon as the concert ended, I ran up the stairs and stood in front of her on-stage. She smiled at me and I reciprocated with the biggest one possible. I took out the hard copy of ‘Fallen in Love….’ and showed her. She received it and questioned ‘What is this?’. I replied ‘A small gift for you – this is my article’. One look at the title, she started with a few divine sentences which still echoes in me and it’s getting pumped by the heart on and on, along with the blood. Below is what happened.

As she read the title of the article, she started "YOU ARE RAJESH? YOU ARE ONE PERSON I WANTED TO MEET. I’m HAPPY YOU’VE COME". She then told her Personal Manager ‘He is the person I was talking about' and then pointed to her fans waiting for autographs, ‘He is the blogger guy I was talking about, during the concert. He's written such a wonderful article’. I shook hands with her (Wow!!!) and finally managed to pump out a few words, spoke something in that sense of extreme excitement, told her, 'Shreya, it's a dream come true for me', she turned her eyes away from the sheets of paper I had given, looked at me. That one word she said, with such a sweet voice - it was an equivalent to a million. She said in her characteristic style, accompanied by the cutest smile ‘Aaahaan'. People waiting for autographs were pushed away but I alone stood next to her. I was just admiring the beauty - I didn't know what else to do (and was wondering if these things were real or illusion). As I was admiring her, she winked at me and said 'Please wait. I'll autograph'. She then autographed on the hard copy and accepted my request for a photo which was clicked by her Personal Manager. I was one of the very few who had the special privilege to take a photograph alongside her, in those 2 minutes. I presented her another of the article I had just written, on the eve of the concert. On receiving, she said 'Wow!!! Nice' and has also promised to e-mail me her reply. Despite the mention of my e-mail id, mobile number along with the articles and her promise to mail me, I'm so happy with just her words of promise - that meant the world to me. She passed on the sheets to her PM to let herself autograph. As she moved out of the hall into the car, I made sure I never moved away from her, tagged along and was pleased to find my sheets of paper alone, seated next to her inside the car.

This was truly an experience I never have experienced in the past and it’ll call for something really BIG to come anywhere close to this and I can’t think of anything, as precious as this, happening in the near future.

Apart from God, I take this opportunity to thank the following people for making my dream come true (in the chronological order of events):

1. My cousin Divya and aunt who first made me take notice of the newspaper ad.

2. My parents for the financial support they provided to purchase the ticket.

3. My friend Muthu for allowing me to take his digicam.

Here are the photos. Do have a look at them.

I'll be doing injustice if I fail to convey my special thanks to that mysterious person who passed on 'Fallen in love...' article's link to Shreya. I'm waiting for the day when I could meet him/her. Thanks a lot!

Also, I would love Shreya to make a music album in the near future and definitely, that should be one of her long term goals and if it is one, I'm sure she'll look into the intricacies involved, work hard towards it and deliver one of the best ever possible. She actually deserves to make one for the talent she possesses - if not for her, at least for her millions of fans like me. My best wishes for the same.

The moments on-stage with Shreya provided euphoria of the highest order or at least, of an order I never have experienced. The odour of her perfume which hit me as hard as her ravishing looks still haunts mesmerically. Wow! It truly was A Heavenly Sojourn.

@Shreya

I conclude with a line from your song and I really mean it...

Tujh (Your music) Mein Rab Dhiktha Hai Yaara Mein Kya Karoon.. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (You and Music)

Embarrassing Moments - Part 2

2009-01-24T23:55:00.033+05:30

As I just finish mentioning about the IT paper incident, I’m reminded of the 2 terrific days (in the negative sense) of my life.

It was an October evening when I had just reached home from school. I screamed ‘Maa I’m hungry…what’s there for snacks? Else just get me a cup of Boost’ and the reply was, in a stern voice, ‘You may wait for sometime and for what you have been doing at school, you can’t expect a royal treatment’. That tone was unique in its own way – something I hadn’t heard in the past. ‘What wrong did I do?’ I asked to myself but before I could answer that, I posed to myself an honest question ‘What wrong did I not do?’. As I was coming to terms with the situation, mom came near and said ‘I want to talk to you tonight after Appa comes back from office’. I knew, something I had wished not to happen, has actually happened.

I carried with me, the cup of Boost - walked from the window to the door, from the door to the cupboard, from one cupboard to another, leaned on it, back to the door and then back to the window. The scene looked a vicious circle of despair. The drink 'Boost' may have been the secret of Sachin Tendulkar’s energy but in that state of mental agony, it certainly failed to provide me with the same. I was confused and just couldn’t figure out the exact nature of the situation. I didn’t want to make things worse and hence made sure, the TV was not switched on. I remember, the second academic term had just begun then and despite having no homework that day, I played safe by having books around me and kept staring at the faces of Indian freedom fighters on the pages of my history text. Time passed, dad arrived and when the clock was about to strike seven, mom and dad entered my room and shut the door. Though I didn’t make it explicit, I trembled with fear, inside.

Mom began ‘You know something? I got a call from your school Principal this evening?’. ‘What?’, I gasped. Yeah! Mom had received a call and my parents were instructed to meet the Principal, that following Saturday. I was shell-shocked to hear and mom questioned me, what wrong I had done over the past few weeks. Though I knew, I had done many, I felt they were never that foolishly done to reach the Principal’s ears. One tête-à-tête between us happened when I had hit the cricket ball into her cabin while practicing for the school team on campus and I thought it to be the reason behind the SPECIAL INVITE for my parents. Incidentally, I had a camp to attend that saturday and hence couldn’t accompany my parents to school. I couldn’t enjoy at the camp too and all my thinking was about the meet. I was trembling with fear all through the morning and I’m sure, any BP instrument would have showed a minimum 140/95.

I came home in the evening, and that the meet was to inform my parents about my busyness in the exam hall confused me. Understandably, any student would be busy with his/her answer paper but the uniqueness lied in the fact that I had been too busy with my friends’ papers. When my mom first said this, I was confused. The reason being, though I had involved myself in malpractice almost in all exams that year, never was I caught red-handed. The explanations followed. A junior of mine had been watching my activities in the exam hall and had complained about this to the Principal. It was a rude shock and I couldn’t digest such a thing – the intrusion of a girl in my affairs. I felt the need to take that girl to task till I knew that she happened to be my cousin’s close friend. I had no other option but to stare at her, every time we met on campus and she used to hide from me everytime.

The second of incidents in this post and the last of the series is the dreadful fight among 3 of my friends and me. It all started with a late night online chat between me and my friend. The discussion about another friend, the biggest of communication gaps ever to exist, subsisted and ignited the spark to the verbal duels. The horrible thing was, two of the three happened to be my childhood friends. The sms and the conversations I made, the following afternoon still haunts me whenever I have the smallest of its remembrances. The meet with the first friend at his place and the verbal duel he had with the second, over the phone that noon are the worst you could expect of 20 year olds. Today, on retrospect, I feel very bad and its shame on my part to have been one of the two people to have started that infamous incident. Time is the healer and I’m sure, things shall get better and better.

I feel good after having penned down what I had in me and my heart now weighs lighter. I’m not ashamed to write about what I was, and what I am today but I want to make sure, I write something much better, in future. I believe, the best of today shall make itself a wonderful past for tomorrow.

Embarrassing Moments - Part 1

2009-01-18T00:20:00.038+05:30

In retrospect, I’m reminded of some of the most embarrassing moments of my life. While some sprout a chuckle now, some still hurt to an extent. Time is the healer and deservedly, the oldest of incidents belong to the former while the latest of them fall in the latter category. Penning them down shall relieve me of the ill-feelings, to an extent. This piece may turn some sympathetic while also proving to be a good entertainment for many thereby supplanting a laugh riot. I don’t mind both.

The oldest of them happened when I was in UKG. I still have a vague memory of that afternoon. There was this relative of mine, a 50 yr old man then, who seemed too harsh. Leave alone me, be it any child, had I been him, I wouldn’t have treated a child that harsh. Just because I had failed to answer the 'Camel' as the ship of the desert, he made me kneel down under the scorching sun and I was made to repeat that sentence at least 10 times. That hurt me, both physically and mentally and I was too small a child to have so much gut to speak against. It was embarrassing to get punished by an outsider but today, I pity me. Poor kid!

I had always felt insecure in the absence of my parents and though we live in a joint family, the comfort a child shares with his parents is unmatched. I was no exception and though I never felt 'mom-sick' and did go on tours with relatives, I had done so without realizing this insecurity I used to face, time and again. Even the smallest of scolding from relatives, in the absence of my parents, pained and hurt as bad as a tight slap on one’s cheeks. Though I hardly showed up any emotion, these gloom drops piled up to form an ocean of ill-feelings and the gloomy waters drained in a laminar fashion only after the re-union with my parents. As a kid, those were the toughest of times to face but I made sure, the ocean never produced a tsunami-like outburst. Looking back, just like the previous case, I pity me.

I still remember this particular incident when my Grandma questioned me in a 'slightly' higher tone as to why I had failed to shut the back gate of the house. That was unusual of her because she’s the kindest of people I’ve ever come across. That tone really bothered me so much that I started weeping. Tears rolled down involuntarily and it was so humiliating to cry amidst 8-9 people. All in my house, including grandma were shocked to see my reaction. In retrospect, I’m bowled over by the respect I had for her even at that young age ( I was, maybe 7 or 8 yrs old) that I felt bad for such a small thing.

Another embarrassing incident happened while I was in class 9. The half-yearly IT papers were distributed to us and I had managed a mediocre 54 percent marks. Some students who had deserved better marks approached the teacher for re-correction and she was seen awarding them with more marks with no cross-checking. Sensing this, in an attempt to boost up my marks and with notoriety, I took a red ink pen from my friend’s bag, added more marks for many answers and complained the teacher of totaling error. Already carrying a 'notorious-character' certificate for passing sarcastic moments and having teased her, quite a lot during class hours, I was an exception there and she verified my paper alone. PANG! I had made the smallest of mistakes as the exact color of the red inks differed. While the ink she used was dark, mine was lighter. She questioned me if I had indulged in any sort of malpractice by correcting some answers myself but I stayed adamant by not admitting the fault. The drama gained momentum, news spread to neighbouring classes as she started screaming in a higher tone. Other teachers entered and having succumbed to the galloping pressure, I finally pleaded guilty. I was screwed badly with the class teacher jacking me left, right and center and I was asked to meet the Principal that evening. On retrospection, this passes off as yet another infamous act of mine, while in school and sometimes I feel proud to be part of this drama. The scenario then, was in complete contrast and I was shell-shocked, the moment I was instructed to meet the Principal that evening.

More of such incidents are lined up for next weekend. Watch out!!!

To be continued…

Resoluteness of Resolutions - Part 2

2009-01-10T23:46:00.026+05:30

The moment I questioned myself if I was a good human-being, I pondered over the occasional short-tempered nature of mine. Yes! I’ve made a resolution that I wouldn’t lose my temper unnecessarily. Some readers may find it cliché but it’s a tough challenge and demands resoluteness of the highest order from my side. One may wonder whether a resoluteness of such high order is actually required. Well…such a thing is required for my character. Am I frightening you??? No! That’s not the intention. I’m just being very honest.

I’ve always pondered over the reasons that ignite that wildness in me and wondered if I do get paranoid at times. One thing I’ve realized, over the years is, in an attempt to win over someone by losing temper, we end up losing to our heart. Losing to my heart is something that has disturbed me, time and again. Despite the anger or the existing paranoia, if any, there’s that benevolent person living in one corner of every heart. And when that person, residing in my heart, responds to the wake up call, I start to repent for the misdeeds done. I have experienced this quite a few times in the past and the toughest thing for me is to prove my mind right against my heart and I guess that applies to many too.

The best place to witness my short-tempered nature is on a cricket field. When a miss field happens off my bowling and especially when I’m in the middle of a good spell, I get wild. The wake up call to that benevolent man in me is not far away and he gets up just when I take the run up to bowl the next delivery. I ask to myself ‘Why did I lose temper? It was just one extra run’. That does sound perfect but it’s really tough to control myself at that instant when the fielder miss fields a straight forward chance. This was just one example and there’ve been many occasions. To be honest, I’ve shouted at my mom many a times and I most regret for the same. Sometimes, it’s the impatience to listen to her that calls for the anger/irritation. I wouldn’t use the term ‘ego’ because, there’s no need for such a thing between a son and his mom. But as I said, it’s just the lack of patience in me to wait for her to finish and before that, I would just shout and leave the place. A moment later, I would get back to her ‘What were you trying to say?’ and occasionally, when she questions the need for the impatience then, I would feel really, really guilty.

In my previous post, I had mentioned that the resoluteness shown by me was pretty decent and I still feel, it was not too bad an attempt though I did begin to lose temper occasionally. There was this class re-union we had planned on 2nd Jan and I was speaking with a couple of my schoolmates about the same. There was no co-operation from many and the attitude of a few really started to enrage me. I showed resolve and tried my best to not yell over the phone. But beyond a point, I felt, it started to get artificial and I just couldn't be my own self. In the sense, I feel I’m myself only when I put down my anger and let the other man know that I’m an expert at foul language :). Whatever! The main reason behind making such a resolution was just to make sure, my social inclinations remain as sound as it is, today. To be honest, I’m one of those few in my circle of friends who makes it a point to stay in touch with childhood friends. It’s not about storing contact numbers in the mobile, forwarding text messages, wishing friends on festival days etc. It’s about keeping the bond intact and sharing good comfort levels.

I fear, if this occasional short-tempered nature might just come in the way of future relationships. As we get older, we start to build self-esteem and want people to respect us. My losing temper unnecessarily may just balloon and pose to be an unwanted threat. So, I found the need for this small change in my attitude and thereby called for more patience to set things right for the better. I’ve come across books suggesting people to take a deep breath while they get angry and I can also remember a few 'so-called' Godmen telling people to count from 1 to 10 while they get angry. To be very frank, or if I confine to myself, it’s too tough to count numbers at a time when I'm enraged at something. Taking a deep breath really helps because, when we actually get angry, the heart starts to beat faster and that deep breath brings us back to normal and also gives that additional time TO WAKE UP THAT BENEVOLENT PERSON in oneself :)

This is a resolution I’ve taken from my heart and since it’s tough for me to work against my heart, I’m optimistic of the RESOLUTENESS OF THE RESOLUTION. I hope to continue with the same resolve and shall strive to become as patient as possible.

Resoluteness of Resolutions - Part 1

2009-01-03T21:14:00.041+05:30

‘Thank God it’s over!’ This is how most of us would have exclaimed as the clock ticked 12 midnight on 31st December 2008 and that was when we knocked the doors of 2009 expecting a better year for all. A not-so-good year 2008 was, for many, from the poor to the rich, from laborers to CEOs, from citizens to politicians and from the unemployed to the employed. Precisely, it was actually a year when many employed turned unemployed.. The year also included that 366th day, proved many astrologers wrong and made sure, astrologers really believe in their predictions when they make the same on Jan 1 2009.

I exclaim once again ‘Thank God it’s over!’

The first question many ask me on New Year Day is ‘Any New Year Resolutions?’ and I would politely say ‘No… nothing’ with a smile that makes way for two small dimples on my cheeks. The truth is, I’ve never given a thought about something called ‘Resolution’. ‘Will I work towards my resolutions?’ This is a different question altogether but the point is, I’ve never given a thought about the resoluteness of resolutions. As I was in the middle of a train journey from Bangalore to Chennai on 1st morning, I just peeped out of the window to find wall posters of Mayawati who, of late seems to be on a mission to make her presence felt in the southern states. To be honest, the first question I posed to my inner self was ‘When will these politicians stop blemishing the walls?’ The questionnaire continued ‘When will a corrupt-free India come into being?’, ‘When will educated citizens enter Indian politics?’, ‘When will secularism win over communalism?’ ' When will peace win over terrorism?' and the list went on and on. I stopped for a moment and wondered over the utopian nature of my thoughts. I asked to myself ‘Am I a responsible citizen?’, ‘Before that, am I a good human being?’ and ‘What have I achieved in life to question people in higher echelons?’

I started to reply to the questions I threw at myself. As for ‘What have I achieved in life to question people in higher echelons?’ I felt it could be answered only in the coming years. I’m just 20 and I felt it would take at least 7-8 years to satisfy my expectations and to live up to the standards that I’ve set for myself. The question of me being a good human being is definitely a pre-requisite to being a responsible citizen. Am I a good human being? Well…that called for some introspection and another interesting thing that I discovered was the toughness associated with the coming of a satisfactory answer. The term ‘good’ is multi-faceted and what appears good to me may appear bad to another and vice-versa. Only something that is just short of utopian shall befit the term ‘good’ in the minds of all or at least many. And as I thought deeper, the tenacity of the good nature of the human is quite a task and circumstances do play a pivotal role.

Sometimes too much thinking drives one away from the main topic and it’s better to confine to just one, analyze deep, draw conclusions and then move to the next. This exactly was what I failed to do and felt the then analysis just didn’t strike a chord with my latent thought ‘My New Year Resolutions’. Even now, it seems to have been at the back of my mind all this while as it is just here that I’m disclosing the thought’s latency. I wonder if I’m a lateral thinker, inadvertently but the indirection can’t be so indirect. Whatever! I felt the need to have one New Year resolution. I believe in CROSSING THE BRIDGE WHEN IT COMES but I also believe in making sure, I’m well equipped to cross at that time. Achievements will come only with time but I must make sure, I’m moving in the right direction and working towards the same. As a first step in that direction, I made one resolution on 1st and 3 days have passed till now, I’ve tried my best and it has not been a bad attempt.

Well…it doesn’t call for a Jan 1 to make resolutions. It’s just another calendar date with 24 hours but being the first day of a calendar year, some people have made it a point to make resolutions and they TRY to live up to the same while some have made it a fashion to make resolutions. A lot depends on the seriousness of the individual and the necessity of that resolution. As far as I’m concerned, I’ve always wanted to make 'that' as a resolution no matter what the date was but it’s just that I got more serious on Jan 1 when I questioned somebody as popular as Ms. Mayawati. I contemplated and finally made a resolution for the first time in 20 years. Three days have passed and it’s been good. It’s not just the remaining 362 days that shall call for this resoluteness but the real test is to sustain that resoluteness through the rest of my life. I know it’s all in the mindset and as I've previously stated, a lot depends on the seriousness and of course, individual priorities.

I’ve still not disclosed what 'that' resolution is. I'll keep it for the sequel to follow next weekend. Coffee Day claims 'A lot can happen over coffee' but for me, the tagline ‘A lot can happen over a train journey’ befits. Many thoughts have flashed across my mind during train journeys in the past too and MAYBE because, a train journey seems to be the perfect time for introspection. Maybe or is that the fact??? Well… ‘MAYBE A FACT’ :) :)

To be continued….

The only Chemistry I loved

2008-12-25T23:08:00.019+05:30

“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

2008-12-20T11:13:00.019+05:30

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

2008-12-13T15:16:00.019+05:30

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

2008-12-05T12:18:00.045+05:30

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)

Hello...

2008-11-28T20:41:00.004+05:30

A BIG Hi to every pal of mine on blogosphere. I’m BACK!!!!!!

After a not-so-good performance in CAT and a pretty good performance in my seventh semester exams, I’m back to active blogging. I had posted one on Dada a few weeks back which was totally DRIVEN-TO-WRITE. Anyway, it feels good to be back in a world where I’ve enjoyed quite a lot and made many friends. I’m back in a world where lateral thoughts are brought to the forefront, constructive criticism is welcomed, there is mutual respect for each other’s feelings and thoughts and above all, I’m back to a world where there’re no RAINS or TERRORIST ATTACKS. As an Indian citizen and being a Chennai resident, I know how it feels when things get out of control.

This post is just to say a Hi to you people. I wanted to write something nice but then, nothing interesting to write or rather my thinking is just not perfect to pen down something interesting. Quite a few may feel that a write-up on the recent terror attacks could have fitted the bill. But honestly speaking, I’m not too good at it and I don’t want to venture into a new world. Let me do some serious INTROSPECTION and I'm sure, my life's journey will come across something new this week. I shall delve into my inner feelings and share them with you next week.

Hope you are doing well. I’m on my way to your blogs and see what’s happening at your ends. See you next weekend with an interesting (hoping to make it so) write-up. Take Care..

Regards,

Rajesh

Dada, I Miss U !!!!

2008-11-10T19:05:00.045+05:30

I'm posting this with my emotions running so high. Quite a few of my blogger friends wanted me to post articles and not take this break. And I've been unable to comply with their requests for a few reasons. But Dada has just pushed me to write this. I'm just starting to miss HIM. All news channels have been telecasting those last few moments of Dada sporting India colors. And Boria Majumdar's tete-a-tete with Dada just got over and here I'm, penning down this heart-felt tribute to one of the Doyens of Indian Cricket.

I seem to have an inseparable attachment with people who have S and G as the starting alphabets of their first and surnames. SG seems to entice me quite a lot. Be it Shreya Ghoshal or Sourav Ganguly. They've, to a very great extent, inspired me and incidentally, both happen to be Bengalis :)

I just can't imagine Indian Cricket without Sourav. What a player he has been!!! What a Captain!!! Well, all these have been said many a times but then, I want to say this once more. It feels really good to cherish those Ganguly moments.....if I can say. Be it that famours arms-up, punch the air style at Chepauk in 2001 after defeating the Aussies or his broad smile after taking that final catch to win the test series in Pakistan or that historic Lords balcony sight when he flung his T-shirt and cherished that victory to his fullest extent. There're many to note because Ganguly has just been an exceptional player, in all aspects. But he's best remembered as a leader who changed the face of Indian Cricket and gave it a new dimension in the 21st century. I'm very happy, he didn't disappoint fans like me, as he repeated the Lords sight for one last time at the Nagpur players' balcony this noon, after winning the Border-Gavaskar trophy.

He's been a special player. I'm not going to get too statistical here. Everybody knows his record as a player, captain but I'm going to pen down, what every youngster shall learn from this legend. Firstly, SELF-BELIEF. Had he not epitomized this, he wouldn't have survived this long and he's what today, just because of his self-belief. Second, DETERMINATION. In his recent interview to CNN IBN, he said he had a few goals in life, one being playing 100 tests for India and when he was left out in 2005, he had played 88 tests. That determination to make his desires deserving, is just amazing and something, we youngsters should emulate. He worked hard, really hard to make that IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE. Oxymorons have, many a times, been exemplified by Ganguly's actions.

The honor he was given this morning before taking the field was a pleasing sight, and more importantly, it was Dravid and Sachin up-front, patting him on his back as he led India onto the field. Bhajji, exchanging pleasantries with his mentor, wishing him good luck was a mark of respect he showed to someone who groomed him and for what Bhajji is, today, much credit goes to Dada for having backed him in the early days of his cricketing career.. Finally, as Johnson made his way back and as the stumps were removed, it was so so touching to see Dravid, run from one end, come near Dada and hug him with so much warmth. The expression on Dravid's face said what it's to miss a 12 year old friend and a once-upon-a-time roommate. A perfect way to emote one's affection for a long-time friend. Dravid's face said it all. And The Wall followed it up with another hug a few seconds later and I feel, maybe he wanted to live that moment of his life with Ganguly alone.

It was also moving to see Dada's facial reaction as he hugged Sachin. His lips moved closer towards each other and it really expressed what it is to miss someone who has seen every run you had scored, every ball you had bowled, every catch you had taken, every win you had got for India and more importantly, appreciated and witnessed both the comebacks you had made. Sachin had a few words to say after the hug and Dada was all smiles as he bid adieu to a career which many say, has been DRAMATIC.

This is a heart-felt downpour of a Dada fan. Dada!!! You have nothing to prove. It's for the world to look up to you and get inspired. You re-defined Indian Captaincy, YOU gave the Aussies a taste of their own medicine, YOU showed us what WINNING ABROAD is, YOU backed youngsters during tough times and was never parochial, unlike many of your predecessors. But above all, You've been one of the finest ambassadors for Indian Cricket and in particular, your ODI career has been something AMAZING, FANTASTIC, FABULOUS, EXTRAORDINARY and what not, I'm running out of adjectives. You'll never retire from my heart but still, I admit, I Miss You Dada!!!

As Dada walked along the sands of time, his footsteps are the bunch of talented players he's left behind, who are currently the backbone of Indian Cricket...be it Sehwag, Bhajji, Zaheer or even the current Indian Captain MS Dhoni. Hats Off !!! I take a bow and salute this BENGAL TIGER.

Straight from the heart of a fan.....

2008-10-18T21:07:00.061+05:30

‘Success is a process and you’ve to turn stones into milestones’, were Mr. Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar’s words after he compiled another majestic innings yesterday, en route to it, crossed two more landmarks.

1. Overtook Brian Lara’s record of max test runs

2. First cricketer to notch up 12000 runs in Tests

Records have been part and parcel of Sachin’s career and these two added to the many in his kitty. It gives me great pleasure in penning down my admiration of the two Doyens of Indian Cricket, one achieved that landmark and the other applauded from the non-striker end. Yeah….they are the two men I respect the most in Indian Cricket and have inspired me quite a lot. Just scroll down and look right. I’ve always been a staunch admirer of Sachin’s Consistency and Dada’s Resilience. They’re two men whose contribution to Indian Cricket has been unmatched. Though they’re contrasting in character, it’s a treat to watch them bat together. They were once; rated as the best opening pair in ODI cricket and I opine, they still remain the best ODI opening pair World Cricket has ever witnessed. They have shared the maximum number of 100-run partnerships and piled up tons of runs much to the despair of the opponents. If it was Sachin’s elegant straight drives and wristy flicks off the legs which tormented bowlers from one end, it was Dada's graceful cover drives and flamboyant square cuts that destroyed bowlers' rythm from the other end, no matter what the number of fielders were, on the off-side. The analogy below, best describes their strengths.

SACHIN: ELEGANCE::SAURAV: TIMING

Their talent apart, they’ve been wonderful entertainers of the game and provided cricket lovers with the best of batting performances. The Geniuses made full use of their technical brilliance and have endowed us with some wonderful stroke-play over the years. It’s hard to find players of such high caliber and it’s a gift to have these two cricketers belonging to the same generation. The year 1997 saw the coming together of these two stalwarts at the top of the batting order and this was also the time, when, as a 9 year old, I started watching the game with so much involvement that I wouldn’t miss a single ball bowled. Their batting made such a big impact on me that I used to cut pictures from newspapers and magazines. I’ve, in fact, made an album on Sachin Tendulkar and with a special feauture on the 2003 Cricket WC. When I reminisce of some of their best innings, memories of my notorieties peep into my mind as I'm reminded of days when I watched cricket during exams without my mom's knowledge. Though I've been caught by mom on many occasions, quite a few of them have gone my way..

The best is that impeccable innings in September 1998 when Sachin and Saurav were on a rampage, taming the Sri Lankan bowlers en-route to their World record 252 run opening-stand. They batted, batted and kept batting till Sachin became victim of an unfortunate LBW decision and replays clearly showed the ball getting deflected off the bat. This innings happened just a day before my Social studies quarterly exam. I was in class 6 then and not switching off the TV was inevitable and I just couldn’t take my eyes off the TV. With a Social text-book on hand, I sat in-front of the TV for the entire session and my mark in Social studies was just one-fourth of their partnership score….a mere 60+. Apart from the batting, it was fascinating to see the team vibe so well under Dada’s captaincy. He took over the reins when parents in India advised their children not to watch cricket because of the match-fixing scandal. Dada led from the front, exuded confidence, made his players believe in themselves. That period also saw the induction of youngsters like Yuvraj, Kaif, Zaheer Khan, Dhoni, Pathan and Bhajji in the team. All these players were groomed under Dada’s captaincy. A pro-active captain he was, on and off the field, backed his players whenever they needed his support, made the necessary bowling changes and brought the team closer with the GREAT INDIAN HUDDLE. This was one of the very reasons which made the team perform really well in the 2003 Cricket WC and in my opinion; it became the team’s lucky mascot.

The series win in Pakistan and the test series level Down Under in 2004, was at a time when Indian Cricket was at its peak. Not many know that Dada was the first captain to call the entire 15-man squad to the dais for collecting the winner's trophy. That was at Canada when India won the Sahara Cup against Pakistan in 2000. These performances made Indians be more passionate about cricket and exemplified the need for team-work. As a fan, it was a treat for the eyes to watch the team celebrate the fall of an opponent wicket. To see 15 members uniting before taking the field with Dada doing the talking, cheering up his players made up for the perfect start to an innings almost matching the legendry Sachin-Saurav walk together to kick off the India batting.

Sachin’s contribution was no behind. Despite being criticized by his detractors, he proved time and again that he was and will always remain THE BEST. Another sight that’ll stay in my heart forever was when Sachin scored his record-breaking 35th test century. As the ball was flicked off his pads to square-leg, he punched the air with his fists en-route to the non-striker end. He turned back only to see one of his closest pals waiting to congratulate and hug him. It was none other than the Dada of Indian Cricket and it was, indeed, a wonderful sight to see that repeat a few days back, as Sachin crossed Lara’s magical score of 11953 runs in Tests. They're 'Men for the biggest occasions'

It was an emotional moment for me when I watched news stories flashing the announcement of Saurav Ganguly's retirment from International Cricket. When I read that headline aloud, my voice choked for a moment because I just couldn’t think of Indian Cricket without Dada. Love him or Hate him, you just can’t ignore him. His comeback exemplifies his self-belief and the way he’s played cricket since September 2006 has been phenomenal. He’s worked hard on his game, concentrated and paced his game just brilliantly. His has been a journey worth reminiscing and is a book chaptered with cover drives, square-cuts, lofted sixes, verbal duels and of course, Inspiring Captaincy. In my opinion, he's been the BEST INDIAN CAPTAIN. Though fans will miss this fantastic cricketer, I feel he's made the right decision and I breathe a sigh of relief as he doesn’t have to face any more humiliation and as he rightly said this evening when asked if he would re-consider his decision to quit, I quote, ‘No….this is my last series and I don’t want to depend on anybody for selection’, he put it point-blank with that characteristic smile.

I just can’t wait to watch the farewell at Nagpur and I won’t be surprised even if I end up with tears in my eyes as I see the man sporting National Whites for one last time. Age will definitely not act as a hindrance to his contribution to Indian cricket. I’m sure; he’ll contribute in one way or the other.

@ Dada

Even if you happen to bid aideu to International Cricket in a few days, you've entrenched a special place in my heart and remain A Hero who never dies.

Goodbye Dada!!!!! Miss U!!!!! ***HUGGZZZZ***

Long Live Sachin and Dada!!!! Kudos!!!!

And Sachin....carry on the good work and continue to entertain us.

P.S: I take this opportunity to inform fellow bloggers that I plan to take an indefinite break from blogosphere. I promise to be back as soon as possible.

Till then, Happy Diwali, Merry X-Mas and New year Wishes. Hoping to catch up with you guys soon… Take Care…

Interesting!!!!

2008-10-11T22:14:00.009+05:30

Yesterday, as I was browsing through one of my friends’ Orkut profiles, I came across something interesting. He had learned from his past relationships that ‘All people are basically good. It just requires a little bit of effort to bring out the best from each one’.

It caught my attention immediately and one look at it and I exclaimed to myself ' INTERESTING !!!' I pondered over it for a long time and I inferred quite a lot as I could relate to many past incidents and it was indeed, a learning experience.

As I finished reading that phrase of his, people who appeared cruel, arrogant and who deserved only a bad conduct certificate came to my mind. People who first deserved one but later bettered their impression on me came next. Just then, I started contemplating and felt what he had learned was 100% true. It first called for putting an end to the JUMPING-TO-CONCLUSIONS attitude of mine. Next, it called for patience, politeness and practicality. It spoke of the optimism embedded and the benevolence. As I went deeper, I felt the need to look at people with a broad mind forgetting any of the unfortunate incidents of the recent past and build an after-all-a-human-being perspective.

There’ve been days when I’ve pulled up a straight face at people who had failed to impress me on the first occasion. If not impress, they would have been those who had just not been my kinda people. And when I meet them for the second time, unpleasant memories of our previous meet flash across my mind and I get uneasy and don’t actually portray my own self. An indifferent attitude to a lively conversation might make the relationship bitterer and hence facilitate in creating a bad impression of me thereby leading to a breakaway of relationship before it could actually take off. Practical difficulties or situations may have made them behave in a way that annoyed me. A broad-minded perspective of things is very much needed in anything and I must understand the fact that everybody is good at one thing or the other.

So, all people are basically good. Now, what I inferred from ‘It just requires a little bit of effort to bring out the best from each one’ is this. I felt the need to be patient and wait for people to give their best. To make me understand this better, I brought to my mind some of Rahul Dravid’s finest innings which made him earn ‘The Wall’ tag. To many people, his batting looks boring at the beginning but as we wait, just like him, we start enjoying his style of play, those exquisite cover drives and the flamboyant flick off the legs. That bit of effort we put is, to wait for him give his best and the effort Dravid puts is, to understand the wicket better and that will make him give his best and we are provided with one of the best batting performances. To cite one example, I would like you to rewind to the 2003 Adelaide test where Dravid’s master-class 233 not out won the test for India and level the series 1-1. It was a proud feeling to beat the Kangaroos at their backyard and when it did happen, as a fan, I was happy like never before.

Now as I had said, practicality is another factor. People may have been forced to behave a little harsh on you but that doesn’t make them rude every time. Being rude is just one example but this is the one that annoys people many a times, or at least me to say the least. Other instances may have been on occasions when the second person may not have performed to the levels of your expectations. A hearty talk or exchange of polite words would have definitely helped but when we fail to do that, things never seem to get better.

So let’s be patient, polite and above all, optimistic. We’re sure to get better and better and make people give their best. This will definitely make us live life at its best and it's indeed a FEEL-GOOD factor.

I truly agree with my friend’s view that ‘All people are basically good. It just requires a little bit of effort to bring out the best from each one’

Words that kissed me

2008-10-02T18:19:00.015+05:30

Imagine:

~You’re coming back home after a tiring journey on a sunny afternoon and your mom welcomes with a glass of chill fruit juice. How does it feel??

~ How did it feel while you first watched the climax of Dil Chahta Hai when Aakash surprises Sid with ‘Aaj Abi Isi Waqt…just turn around’? Was it not a scene epitomizing friendship? Was it not a realistic portrayal of what true affection is?

~ Not knowing what to do, you sit by the window to watch tiny water droplets kissing the ground on a rainy day and just then, your lover calls to say ‘I Love You darling’. How does it feel? Does it not flutter your hormones nay electrify your nerves?

The above situations could be experienced by anybody and something everybody could relate to. Above all, the second person in the above situations is people who mean a lot and with whom, you share a close bond….be it your mom, friend or lover. They, on most occasions, mean the world to you. Could one experience happiness any better? How does one measure joy? Is it, in any way, related to its staying power? Is there a superlative degree to ‘Happiest’? I don’t have answers to these questions. But I did experience a joy which I never have, in the past and that made me ponder over the questions. Those few moments when I experienced that joy will forever, be part of the air I breathe.

I’ve described my blog

‘Life is not about the breath we take, It’s about the moments that take our breath away…I enjoy every moment of my life’.

But what, when moments are always part of the breath you take in? Don’t you enjoy every breath you inhale and find life happy like never before? Does it not culminate to a feel ‘Happier than Happiest’? When that happens, in my opinion, you feel like running to the terrace of the world’s tallest building, look at the sky, wink at the stars, rocket a flying kiss to the moon and tell God ‘ Thanks for incarnating me in this world….I owe you lots’. I felt like doing that on Oct 1st at 1845 hrs and here I am, posting this article exactly 24 hours after I first breathed that joy.

What’s special about the day nay that moment? Here I go…….

It was around 6.30 in the evening; I was watching TV for a while and after some time, started experiencing boredom. Hence, I switched to the best alternative - surfing the net. My pc was turned on, followed by the windows media player. I played ‘Munbe Vaa’, one of my most favorite songs. Next, I turned on the modem, waited for a while and then logged in to http://www.mail.yahoo.com

I entered:

Username: coolrajesh88

Password: ************

To my left, it read 675 unread messages in my inbox. The comments people post in my blog get forwarded to my inbox and I just leave them unread. I moved my cursor to the inbox, clicked on it and left my room for a glass of water. The song ‘Munbe Vaa’ was being played, and thinking of Shreya Ghoshal, I sipped water and strolled my way back to the room, and as I sat on the chair, I was shocked on seeing a name in my inbox. A comment had been posted by

S-H-R-E-Y-A G-H-O-S-H-A-L.

I was dumbstruck, completely bowled over. To be honest, I pinched my arms to confirm if it was reality because I have dreamed of meeting and exchanging pleasantries with her. I wondered if it was my heartthrob Shreya Ghoshal and hence, rubbed my eyes to verify if it was actually that name appearing on screen or was it just an illusion. I clicked on the subject of that message and moved to the next window. She had read my article ‘Fallen in Love with someone I’ve never met’ and left a comment at 1820 hrs and I happened to read at 1845 hrs. As I was reading her comment, the song ‘Munbe Vaa’ was still in progress and if you didn’t know, it was this song which made me fall for her. It was indeed, ‘LOVE AT FIRST HEAR’. What a co-incidence!!!!!

The playing of this song then, added to the emotions I was going through. I was on cloud 9999999999999……….….tends to infinity. I read her comment very fast that I just couldn’t wait for the next word she had typed. As I was reading, I seemed totally blind, deaf and dumb to everything around me and even had a bomb exploded in my locality, I would've failed to come to terms with it. I read her comment at least 5 times on and on as I just couldn’t believe my eyes and at the end of it, I found my cheeks moist. Yeah!!!! Tears had indeed, rolled out of my eyes which I actually have failed to realize having got lost in her words. Her words had kissed my cheeks and I believe, tears had rolled down just to emote that feeling. Is it not an indication of true love? Doesn’t this validate the purity of love? It is love sans infatuation or lust. I never have experienced so much joy and it will remain indomitable. It could only be bettered by a feeling which I, for sure, will experience while I meet her someday. I wish for that to happen soon. I just can’t wait for that to happen. Nevertheless, I’m happy for the fact that she’s aware of one Rajesh living in Chennai and that he’s waiting to meet her. Also she’s read every word I had written and that by itself is an achievement. It feels great!!

A food for thought…they say ‘Nothing is impossible in life’. This experience of mine clearly substantiates. Even in the wildest of my dreams, I never expected her to take notice of my write-up and read. She’s read and even posted a comment which was something totally unexpected, to be honest.

So friends!!! Let’s work whole-heartedly with full dedication, and we’re sure to make even the negative positive. Sounds an oxymoron? Well, just think about it. It’s something for all of us to realize if we haven’t, in the past.

Here is her comment on ‘Fallen in Love with someone I’ve never met’. Hers is the 43rd -THE MOTHER OF ALL COMMENTS. Do read it. Also read my heart-felt reply.

Shreya’s was a comment which, in my opinion, was bigger than that write-up of mine. The purpose of the article was served and the script couldn’t have been written any better. No reader’s visit, other than the Melody Queen Shreya Ghoshal herself could have made me happier.

We bloggers, post comments for articles written, but here I am, writing this article for a comment posted. Is it not ironical? Does it not indicate the height of my craze for her?

Ms. Shreya Ghoshal, are you listening to my craze??????

Love You!!!

2008-09-28T15:56:00.012+05:30

I love him the most. He’s just more than a human being. He’s more than a friend to me. He’s someone I admire and respect. Is he God? No, He’s much more than that…someone I would like to hug when I’m happy and whose words can definitely get me out of distress. He’s that one person who can make me repent, the moment I get harsh at him. My attachment with him gets special when he gets me all I want but the one thing I yearn forever is his affection. His voice, when I listen to, over the phone takes me to a land which is alien to the word ‘frustration’. He’s that one and only person to whom I’ve stated ‘I’m grateful to you and love you lots’. He’s the best DAD in the world. I’m proud to say, none except my little bro has that special privilege to call him APPA. It is a license I possess, which neither requires a renewal nor has an expiry date.

I really mean every word in the above paragraph. In fact, I mean much more but definitely not able to express it still better.

I was sitting next to him in his bedroom asking him what to do with that 1000 bucks gift voucher I received from The Hindu. I suggested a LCD monitor which has been in scrutiny for many days. We had planned to get it a week back but somehow it got delayed. Now, he replied in the affirmative. He was lying on the bed and I sat inclined with my head on his back. A sound sleep beckoned him when I interrupted ‘Appa….you read my blog this morning right? How was it? You never told me??’ ‘Yeah…good’ he replied half-heartedly. ‘Appa, you remember what I told you last night?’. ‘Yeah I do’ he replied and said what exactly I had expected him to.

I had told ‘Appa…I’m really grateful to God for having bestowed me with such a dad…I still cant think of better means to thank you or Him than admitting my love for you’. You may wonder if I was cajoling him to get something done. No, it was a heart-felt conversation and my observations on him, the way he’s been to me over the years, his purity at heart and what not ??? These make me love him so much. As I whole-heartedly acknowledged, I cuddled him till he felt the warmth a little too much. It was also that night when I told him ‘Appa, I want to write about you in my next blog’. With that smile and two dimples adoring his cheeks, he nodded his head. ‘Will you wait and read it once I post ? I asked and he replied ‘Yeah....sure’. I jumped out of the bed, ran to my room and here I’m, writing this.

As a kid, I remember the days when we had gone together, for shopping. Those crowded streets have never really bothered him and he was as agile as possible. A walk for a few yards would push me to take a seat in one of those chairs outside a shop but the enthusiast he is, would be venturing into the next shop for purchase carrying the bags too. Those sugar-cane juices, softy cones would pull me towards them and when I express my want for a softy to my dad, he gets wild ‘That’s the problem with you and that’s the very reason why I don’t take you out for shopping. You keep disturbing me with these things. They are not hygienic and I can't get you one’. I would retort back ‘Please pa…please pa…they look really tasty….please’, I plead with my right hand locking his palms. Snatching away a 10 rupee note from his purse, he would let me venture into my world of joy. After me feasting over a softy and as we leave the shopping area, he would come close to me and ask ‘How was the ice-cream?’ and that’s when we renew our talks. ‘Superb….thanks a lot pa’ would be my reply and the standard dialogue he would utter after every shopping session ‘Hereon I won’t take you with me for shopping…you disturb me too much’. I let this into my right ear and let it go through my left ear.

There’re quite a few things that makes me admire him. His concern for everybody in our family, conviviality, non-interference in other’s affairs, his desire to learn new things have made me stay in awe of him. The keenness with which he shares with me, things that interest him leaves me in admiration of his wholeheartedness and on most occasions, my admiration of his charm overshadows the actual conversation and I fail to listen to what he had got to say. His reactions when I had been through tough times in life were so solacing and had left me wonder if he actually has more concern for me than what I have. A very supportive person on most occasions he is, but on a few, he expects more from me, rather I had failed to live up to his expectations.

I’ve always loved to irritate him. Despite my mom advising me not to find pleasure, it’s just been inevitable. My mockery of his favorite singers, actors makes him get mad at me. I keep ridiculing them and try my best to show them in poor light. Beyond a point, dad loses his temper and when I try to get near him, he pushes me saying ‘either of us should stay here….if you want to, I shall leave….please don’t come near me’. And that’s when I hug him and say ‘I was just kidding pa’. Other means by which I irritate is by imitating him wherein I visualize situations and reproduce the manner in which he would have reacted. He has always enjoyed my mimic and on many occasions, hugged me and given a pat on my back for my impersonation abilities.

As I post this write-up on a Sunday evening, I’m reminded of another Sunday evening when we both were at a restaurant and that’s when my friend called to inform that I had won 2 prizes in their college national tech fest. It was indeed a great feeling to see his delight and to me, that reaction of his meant more precious than that cash prize of 5000 bucks. Had we been at home, his reaction may have gone unnoticed in the sea of people but since we were alone together, I could enjoy his reaction and that was very encouraging. He’s one person on whose principles I would like to lead my life along. There’re innumerable things to learn from him. Our food habits are completely contrasting. While he hates onion and garlic, I love them and find food items without onion bitter. And this doesn’t stop here. While he’s very active, I admit, I’m little lazy with a laid-back attitude. While he gets tensed, I'm a tension-free person.While he’s quite an introvert, I’m an extrovert. And the list goes on. Though we’re polarized in our perception of most things, one thing we share is the love we have for each other.

I’ve pen down this write-up just to tell my dad ‘Love You!!!’

P.S: I take this opportunity to thank Tara for awarding me the Outstanding Blogger Award.

A moment to cherish

2008-09-21T00:00:00.026+05:30

‘Rajesh, get up….its 6.20 already’, my mom yelled on yet another Thursday morning. ‘Yeah…I know…wait’ I retorted back. Minutes passed and she entered my room again. ‘Get up…its 6.30’ she shouted in anguish. ‘Ok…I’ll take care’ was my nonchalant reply. As I woke up after a minute, I was shocked to see my bedroom door locked. ‘Amma open the door….Amma open the door’, I screeched with the fear of missing the 7.05 train shuddering me. My brother was the savior and he opened the door. I got ready soon.

I ran down the staircase and bustled my way to the kitchen just to tell my mom ‘Amma, I’ll have coffee at college as it’s already 6.55 and I better leave now’. A nod of the head was her reply. As I was about to leave, a glimpse at The Hindu newspaper caught my attention. ‘Shall I just peep in to it ? Today’s Thursday !!’ I exclaimed to myself. Disbelief at something persuaded me from not having a look at it and I carried with me, The Times of India to accompany during the 1 hour train journey that was to follow. I boarded the train and after comforting myself near the window, I turned on the mp3 player and it, along with the ToI kept my ears and eyes busy. Diagonally opposite sat a middle-aged gentleman. After a while, I turned right to see him reading The Hindu newspaper. On his lap was rested the Hindu supplement Nxg. One look at it, I was tempted to borrow and have a look at something I had been eagerly awaiting for quite a while. Before I could just request, he folded the main paper and it swapped places with the Nxg. ‘Oh! My God’ I cried in disgust to myself. He read, read and read like he had never read that Nxg before. If I’m right, he was reading it for more than 20 minutes. When I first looked at that Nxg resting on his lap, it was Ajab Si (OSO) that was soothing my ears, and as time passed, Mein Agar Kahoon went by, followed by Dhoom Thaana and Deewangi. Even Teri Ore from Singh is Kinng passed and he was still hooked on to it. Having lost interest in my pursuit to have a glimpse at the tabloid newspaper, I got up from my seat and stood at the door to get down next. A minute was left for the next halt and that seemed the forlorn hope. I looked back to see him reading the last page. ‘Huh!!! Idiot!!! Why the F*** you taking so much time? Finish reading it fast’ I wanted to shout at him but couldn’t. My journey finally came to a halt and even after getting down, I felt like peeping in and when I did that, he was just placing the Nxg back on his laps. I wanted to re-enter the compartment, grab the newspaper, leave him desolated and run away. I failed in that too.

With despair, I strolled towards the staircase, took the foot-over bridge and entered the lush-green campus of my college. I had coffee at the canteen, chat for a while and entered my class. Minutes passed, and my friend entered the class and said in an exuberant tone ‘Hey Rajesh…you had written a write-up in your blog about your morning train journey titled 7.05-8.05 am right ?’. I could sense something special at his exuberance and I knew, something really great that was bound to happen had happened. I replied ‘Yeah…I did…why ?. ‘Hey it has been published in today’s Hindu supplement Nxg da’ he informed me enthusiastically. 'Huh ??? Huh ??? Is it ?' my voice shrilled in a different tone. And I ran to his classroom only to find the article ‘FLEETING MEMORIES’ as one of the three published for that week in Nxg. The article was footed at the right bottom with the author’s name and designation

Rajesh.S

Mechanical Engineering

SRM University.

I was on cloud nine if I could say. Never have I experienced so much happiness and I take pride in the fact that my name took to the pages of a leading national daily. It has always been my desire, if not a dream to get my article published in a newspaper and it turned a reality that day. I had sent this article in June 2008 and it got published only now. A gift voucher worth 1000 bucks supplanted an icing on the cake. On my way back home, I purchased a fresh copy of The Hindu and placed it along with the school certificates in my folder. I wish to possess this edition all my life. The instant I had a look at my name published in the newspaper was indeed, a moment to cherish.

The incidents that happened at home and in the train that morning flashed across my mind. In the past, I used to peep in to the Nxg every Thursday morning and would be eager to know if my article has been published but all in vain. This morning, as I had stated, the disbelief evaded me from reading it. And destiny had other plans during my train journey. Looking at these two incidents, I re-affirmed my belief in two phrases, I had always believed in.

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED IN LIFE

EVERYTHING IN LIFE HAPPENS FOR A REASON.

I’m glad my 25th post is written about something I can cherish all my life. It’s just a co-incidence and something DESTINED to happen. :)

I take this opportunity to thank you for reading my blogs all these days and keenly looking forward to your support in future as well. I thank blogger for uniting us.

I’ve a request. Kindly let me know that 1 post out of the 25 which you liked the most. Please post the same in the comments section and mention that 1 write-up of mine. If you can, do let me know the reason for your liking.

Tryst with teenage - Part 2

2008-09-15T22:48:00.032+05:30

Before I start with the discussion, I would like to rewind myself 4 yrs back, the time I entered teenage with all worldly desires. I would like to look back at my own thoughts, how I perceived things then and how different are my perceptions today. What was my affinity to soft-porn and porno stuff ? Did I ever watch porn ? What influence peers had on me ? Whether my teenage was lived to the fullest ? How do I see myself as I leave the teenage world ? If ever I experienced eroticism ? If ever I experienced aestheticism ? How did I differentiate then ? Lots of questions remain unanswered. After answering and analyzing all these, I’ll draw conclusions. This topic certainly needs much time to jump to the right conclusions.

All written here is straight from my heart. People who get hurt when things are told blunt shall keep away and not read this part. Those willing to read with an open mind shall go ahead.

I remember, it was an April afternoon and as I was about to doze off, entered my cousin (5 yrs elder to me). I was upstairs and the rest of the family downstairs. He entered, switched on the TV and told me to tune in to FTV. This was, if I’m right, 8 years back when I was in class 8. I had no idea what it was and kept changing channels and once that channel was on, he enthusiastically told me ’An interesting channel da this one’. I was not-so-much bothered. He watched for a while and then left. When I think of his enthusiastic dialogue now, I guess he had told just to ensure, I get convinced that FTV was just like any other channel. After a few days, on a boring summer evening, I was reminded of this channel and switched it on. The show on air was ‘LINGERIE’. Maybe that was the time when I reached puberty and no wonder my eyes began looking to my left and right rather than straight at the TV. I made sure I was ready to change the channel if at all my parents give a sudden entry and my thumb impression was inscribed on the ‘NEXT PROGRAM’ button. I was so smart that I used to flick 2 channels so that even if my parents press the ‘PREVIOUS CHANNEL’ button, I would be safe. Hee...hee. I was clever, rather cunning. This continued for hardly a few weeks and I put a full stop to this practice to avoid seeing myself in a mess. This was my first experience with eroticism.

If FTV was what enthused boys at their early teens, it is pornography that rattles the hormones of all guys when they enter high school. That's the time when the testosterones are desperate for hyper-action. My experience with porno dates to that one and only day at my friend’s place when I watched Angelina Jolie’s sex scene in the film ‘Original Sin’. I had a horrendous time that evening as I pedaled my way back home from his place. A guilty feeling pervaded my heart and I felt, it was a SIN that I had committed. Never after that did I watch porno. The guilty feeling apart, I also found nothing enjoyable (unlike my friends) to be honest and the motion / activity on screen was disturbing. That was the only day I watched porno and till date, I’ve never visited a porn site. Even today I see most of my friends hooked on to porno and they’re addicted so much. I request if any of you guys reading this write-up could actually share with me your first feel at watching porno. I’m an exception here because I didn’t like it. It’s strange or rather I’m curious to know what actually describes that feeling best and this is where I'm pushed to believe in Pantheism and above all, in the omnipotence of God. I'm unable to justify this connection with God but my instinct drives me to relate them. As for peer influence on me, I’m glad to say, none of my friends forced me to give them company in watching such stuffs and even if they were to, I’m sure I wouldn’t have backtracked. I’m a person strong in my principles and do only things I feel is right for me.

Read the previous sentence again. There’s this peculiar me wherein I feel something is not wrong but when it comes to me doing it, I’m hesitant. Yes!!!! To me, watching porno or arousal of erotic feelings is not bad but somehow I’m not convinced to get myself involved. The reason is, the moment the very thought of watching porno strikes, my heart gets fenced with guilt and fear. It’s an instant feeling and I’m unable to act against my heart. It’s not mandatory that one should watch porno but watching it is no wrong in my opinion. It's part and parcel of everyone's life and one should get to know these things. Though I was averted to watching porn I made sure, I was aware of all porno terms. Guys are sometimes, looked at with contempt if they behave too naive and I agree, it's essential one doesn't see himself a stranger to the land of eroticism.

As I had stated in the previous post, there’s that thin, impenetrable blurring line separating aestheticism and eroticism. As far as I’m concerned, it depends from one person to another. Let me cite one example, the Tamil film Billa (2007) had a scene wherein the heroine Nayanthara , in most people's opinion, scorched the screen with a two-piece bikini and went gaga over it. But to me, neither aesthetic nor erotic feelings were aroused. The reasons for which, I don’t want to disclose and make this space more erotic with my descriptions. While the same Nayanthara in the film Vallavan succeeded in MISSION EROTICISM & AESTHETICISM. One example of eroticism is the song Jaadhu Hai Nasha (Jism). I know you're reminded of the video... No, here, I refer to Shreya Ghoshal's rendering of that song. Wow!!! that was stunning. She sung at her SEDUCTIVE BEST. The best example I could cite for aestheticism would be a Rani Mukherjee or a Meg Ryan. It’s more of the skin that makes one get erotic. And that’s why I guess, a Namitha has huge fan following down south. I’m sorry to say, I just can’t watch her for more than a second and I still wonder how people watch her. And if there’re two ladies whose pictures I can watch on and on, it would be Meg Ryan and Shreya Ghoshal. The very look at their faces spell beauty. Meg Ryan is like wow!!!. Her cute smile with her eyes blossoming with sparkle really makes me go crazy and You've Got Mail (1998) showcased her beauty at its best. My not getting exposed to too much of their skin is, I believe, the only reason which make them arouse in me, the aesthetic feelings alone.

Eroticism, in my opinion is just like any other feeling which elevates a person to the next level of excitement. It’s a feeling to be respected and if there’s anyone trying to show that in poor light, my reply is ‘I’m sorry boss, you’ve got it all wrong’ I would like readers to answer this…What makes parents prevent their children from watching porno? Or rather why boys hide or shy away from parents while watching porno? Is the latter a result of the former? My question might look stupid to a few, but just give a serious thought about it and post your comments. It should end up an interesting discussion. Looking forward..

As I acknowledge my exit from the realms of teenage, I leave a happy man. I enjoyed, knew where my limits lied and stayed well within them (was never austere though). Thank God !!! I never got caught by parents for all wrong reasons unlike many of my friends who have witnessed all miseries. :)

This write-up demanded quite AN INTROSPECTION...must say

Next is my 25th post...time for SILVER JUBILEE celebrations and I dedicate it to all my readers and fellow blogger pals. Watch out for something really interesting. I owe you people, much and would like to extend my thanks well in advance. Thanks a lot !!!!

Tryst with teenage - Part 1

2008-09-10T17:18:00.008+05:30

‘What film is this? You’re watching with so much curiosity?’ my mom questioned. It was a Sunday evening and after a long time, I was watching TV non-stop for more than an hour. Categorically, it was a Tamil film that kept me glued and this was what made my mom throw at me, such a question. ‘Maa…the movie is really good…an adventurous-thriller’ I exclaimed. I switched on the TV around 4 in the evening after a cup of coffee and that was when the movie commenced. It unfolded with two youth driving on a Highway and as the car was stopped to make them attend nature’s call, a person (identity concealed) from behind the camera kills both of them with an axe. ‘Huh!!!!! What movie is this???’ I exclaimed to myself. Sun TV replied immediately with a flash, ‘A Film by Arvind’. Yeah…a Tamil film with an English title. That was fashionable a few years back. As it unfolded, every scene had something watchable. An adventurous journey from Chennai to a wooden house in the interior locales of Andhra Pradesh and the hunt for a psycho-killer formed the crux of it. An hour and a half passed when my mom entered the hall. I was glued to the TV set and my mom from behind, was watching the same and cleaning the shelf side by side. Minutes later followed an intimate scene between the lead pair, my reaction to which made me ponder over and finally pushed me to pen down this write-up. Mona Chopra (now Sherlyn Chopra) was dressed in a sleeveless top and mini-skirt whilst the male lead, (a new comer, unsure of his name) bare-bodied was clad in a jean. Mona was enjoying her rub over his chest and he was fondling her lips. They came closer and the space between them, I would say, was almost vacuum-packed. A smooch was expected in next to no time and as the lips were about to get locked, as expected in Tamil films, they moved away from each other and a coyly smile adorned their faces.

When this scene was in progress, I was unmoved and watched it just like any other scene, very much MINDFUL of the fact that my mom was just behind. I profess, the moment I saw Mona entering his room, and from her seductive stance, I got a feeling if such a scene would take place. There was a latent thought which made me wonder if I should change the channel considering the fact that my mom was watching too, but then, I exclaimed ‘Why should I ?’ And I felt, shifting channels may only leave my mom in bewilderment when I get back to the same channel after a while. Also, even if I change, I would be desperate to know if that scene had drawn curtains. This would definitely make me take a glimpse of a few clips of that particlular scene. Hence I didn’t find the need and carried on. All these thoughts flashed and I drew conclusions in a matter of nanoseconds, or atleast microseconds. On this note, I would like to add, my mom seldom accompanied me to a cinema and hence, I’ve never watched such intimate scenes (not uncommon in Indian cinema these days) in her company. Even at home, we rarely watch TV together. Hence, this, I guess was the first instance. I didn’t take notice of this act of mine with so much importance then, but, that night, when I was about to hit the bed, I was reminded of this. I pondered over. Change of channel was the first thing I would have done, a few years back, and a blush with compunction painted all over my face would have followed it up. But I would have felt ashamed for no mistake I had done. That’s where, actors, performing such erotic scenes win over you and it takes time to get back to normal. On retrospection, I found both my reactions (the one I would have done a few years back and the one last Sunday evening) neither shocking nor surprising, but interesting and something to ponder. TESTOSTERONE PROPOSES I DISPOSE befitted both the reactions. Yeah...it was my control over the sex hormones that I guess, resulted in me taking control over the situation, react accordingly and thereby draw conclusions. Now you may wonder what conclusion I drew. Yeah I did!!! I felt, it was time to recognize my exit from the realms of teenage.

As I pen down this piece, I’m aged 20 years and 188 days and affirmatively, I’m at the doorsteps of the teenage world and it's time to say goodbye to the teenage me. This acknowledgement has made me get into the process of figuring out where that thin, impenetrable blurred line is, separating the stimulation of erotic and aesthetic feelings. If I had made it ‘stimulation of erotic rather than aesthetic feelings’, it would have defined my process in a different and in a manner in which most people think. In the sense, it would have questioned the need for the arousal of erotic feelings and showed eroticism in poor light. Now, whether or not eroticism is a degrading word is not the discussion here (though I admit, it’s one of the topics I would like to think about, sometime later) but what exactly makes it replace aestheticism on most/few (the most/few here, differs from person to person) occasions. As far as my perception of the word eroticism is concerned, I would like to stay neutral as I feel, every feeling is to be respected and each has its own significance.

Before I start with the discussion, I would like to rewind myself 4 yrs back when I entered teenage with all worldly desires. I would like to look back at my own thoughts, how I perceived things then and how different are my perceptions today. What was my affinity to soft-porn and porno stuff ? Did I ever watch porn ? What influence peers had on me ? Whether my teenage was lived to the fullest ? How do I see myself as I leave the teenage world ? If ever I experienced eroticism ? If ever I experienced aestheticism ? How did I differentiate then ? Lots of questions remain unanswered. After answering and analyzing all these, I’ll draw conclusions. This topic certainly needs much time to jump to right conclusions.

To be continued…..

Expectations.... !!!

2008-09-04T23:14:00.033+05:30

‘224', my professor called. 'Absent Sir’ was my reply to the roll-call. That’s the last register number in my class and soon as he finished marking the attendance, I pulled out my mobile from the left pant pocket and the clock showed 1522 hrs. ‘Shit!!’ I exclaimed. The next electric train arrives at 1526 hrs. Before I could finish saying S-H-I-T, I was already at the stairs. I heard a scream ‘ Rajesh!! Wait…I’m coming’. I was in no mood to wait and I ran from my block to the station ( this is the only instance wherein one can see me run…to catch a train)….a 200m stretch and as I reached the gate, I could see the train entering the platform ( a few minutes ahead of scheduled arrival ). The foot-over bridge was completely out of my sight and I crossed the road, ran across the bushes, climbed over the platform, bustled towards the train and boarded the first-class compartment just before the train could depart.

Phew!!!! A relief !!. I looked around the compartment to see it almost empty. At one corner was an average-looking girl, a college-mate of mine. I wondered ‘How long shall I ogle ??? Huh !!! No point sitting here’. I called one of my friends and he said a group of five was in one of the general compartments. Huh !! I decided to travel alone by comforting myself with the mp3 player. As I unzipped my bag, the thought of having lost my earphones, this morning shook me. PANG !!. Only then, was I reminded of the presence of my mobile’s headset ( in one corner of my bag ). I took it out and connected it to my Nokia 6070 and turned on the FM radio. Ever since I bought the mp3 player, I turn snooty at the very thought of listening to radio on my mobile. Yeah !! Supercilious !!! But when things get worse, I ultimately have to get back to it just like this day. FM Radio, My Saviour !!!!

I discovered something during the journey and my discovery could be acknowledged by a few. Some may view it as a ‘Blown-out-of-proportion’ stuff while to most, it would appear déjà vu. Well… as many of you might know, I enjoy even the smallest things around me and the learning process is no different. It was, in my opinion, noteworthy and I’m glad to share it with you.

Coming back, I tuned in to Radio Mirchi first and it was Taxi Taxi. It is, these days, on the lips of every youth - a sensational number from the film Sakarakatti tuned by the Mozart of Madras A.R.Rahman. I listened to this number (one of my favorites), then, kept changing stations but never experienced boredom. Atleast one out of the nine FM stations played a favorite song of mine and on most occasions, it was two or three. Being a music addict, I was thoroughly enjoying myself and the likes of Karthik, Hariharan, S.P.B, Chinmayee and many more Tamil singers kept my ears glued to the headset. Half-an-hour passed and as I was changing stations, a thought dumbstruck me. After it's flash across my mind, I inferred what it takes to bridge the gap between EXPECTATIONS and FULFILMENT.

Had my companionship been with the mp3 player that evening, I wouldn’t have been that contented. This may not have been experienced by many but I’m the epitome of this quality. Now why is that ? If it had been my mp3 player, changing of songs is at my will but the same is not applicable while listening to FM radio and I got to accept with what the RJs and producers of the FM stations play. So, when that happens, I’ve no expectations and I’m contented with what is being played. If a favorite song of mine is played, I’m all the more happy. With an mp3 player around, I long for THE BEST and how many BEST songs, you think will suffice to fulfil my expectations ??? I'm greedy for THE BEST everytime and beyond a point, I listen to songs half-heartedly though it might be a favorite song of mine. But when the same song is being played on the FM stations, I look a contented man.

Now, that doesn’t stop me from listening to songs on my mp3 player henceforth. It's just that I’ve learnt to listen to all songs with pleasure. The osmosis inside, has made me reach the equilibrium necessary to transmit from a sense of desire to a sense of fulfilment.

No music - related write-up of mine is complete without a mention of Ms.Shreya Ghoshal. Well…all songs mentioned above / listened on radio that day were non - Shreya tracks. This nightingale, forever holds a special place in my heart and her songs are always THE BEST. . Latest of hers which is making me go overboard is Tere Ore (Singh is Kinng) and Ek Haseena (Karz). The latter deserves a special mention here. Though Shreya is not heard much with Himesh nasal-ling his way through, Shreya’s impact is wow!!!. That one line of hers ‘Roz Milne Lage’ (at 2.22 min) makes me touch the Himalayan heights of enthusiasm everytime I listen to it. Wow!!! What a singer!!!! Love you loads..also worth mentioning here is Shreya's latest Tamil song 'Oru vaarthai' from Poi Solla Porom...another amazing number and it's a fast-beat..do listen to it.

Well…something happy to share. I’ve received an award from Divya and it’s there below.

Yay! Blogging Friends Forever award came knocking at my blog : ) Thank you Divya and I’ m honoured!

Here are the rules for the Blogging Friends Forever Award:

1. The winner may put the logo on his/her blog.

2. Put a link to the person you received the award from.

3. Nominate 5 blogs.

4. Put links to the blogs.

5. Leave a message for your nominees.

THE AWARD! and now I nominte these people who i've met through the blogger... thank you for your support and encouragement too folks :)

1. Mona- One of my very good friends, benevolence personified. I’m a big fan of her poems and what not, a dentist-in-the making but above all, a friend I admire.

2. Enchanted Illusions- On her request, I've not mentioned her name. A good friend of mine, a CAT aspirant and even takes time off to read my older posts.

3. Jahnabi- She’s been here ever since I started blogging. A Critic and a good friend. Infact, she’s one of the few who rates my articles (mostly it’s 4 stars)

4. Still thinking- She has called my writings ‘eloquent introspections’ and been a regular visitor here, of late…thanks..

5. Shatabdi – My latest pal on blogger world. A chatter and she too, is a fan of Shreya Ghoshal.

P.S: If you have forgotten, above is an article wherein I had written about my experience during a train journey. Don’t forget to post comments relating to that. Scroll up and look to your right to vote in the polls. Please take time off : )

Time for Tags

2008-08-30T21:28:00.015+05:30

Welll.....in the last few months, I’ve been tagged many times but didn’t do.…sorry for that… Now, I thought I must….was tagged by Divya last week, followed by Priya a couple of days back…Phew !!!….an hour back by Express….aaaaaaand Thank God Divya’s and Express’s were one and the same….I’m a relieved man…so all the 3 tags done at one stroke !!!! Yippeee!!! Yipee!!!

Divya’s Tag ( = Express )
The rules:
1. Put Your iTunes/ music player on Shuffle
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG DOWN NO MATTER WHAT!!!
After you've answered all of the questions, tag other people and then let them know they've been tagged to do the meme themselves.

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
Saiyaan (U Me Aur Hum)

WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
My Name is Billa (Billa 2007)…Wow!!! What a co-incidence…well I hate Ajit but a Rajni fan…wish it was Billa 1981… :D

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL ?
Marudhaani (Sakarakatti)…wow!!!! Great…great…just great… well…for non-tamilians Marudhaani is Mehandi…though I hate Mehandi…the answer was relevant…hee…hee

WHAT DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Raja Ko Rani Se (Akele Hum akele Tum)..well…No Rani for me..

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
Anbe En Anbe( Dhaam Dhoom)…well for non-tamilians Anbe means Love/affection and En means My…Anbe En Anbe means My Love…my life’s purpose is not to fall in love…lollzzzz

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Teri Ore(Singh is Kinnng)…is it????..well…this song is my most favorite song these days…wow !!! What a song !!! Shreya….where are u??? I’ll fall at your feet… Her Highness Ms.Shreya Ghoshal !!!

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS?
Ek Pal Ke Liye(Ankahee)…hee…hee…what am I to say???

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Pehla Nasha( Jo Jeeta….) Hee…heee

WHAT IS 2+2?
Sahana Saaral (Sivaji)...hee...heee...is it???

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Kabhi Kabhi Aditi Zindagi….lollzzz….sound nice na????

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Kahin To Hoga Hai (Again Jaane Tu)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Shape Of My Heart (BSB)….I’ve never fallen in love…so not the right answer but I’ve lot more years to live right???? so maybe…….heee…heee…

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
New York Nagaram (Sillunu Oru Kaadhal)…for non-tamilians Nagaram means City…well I would like to live at New York but not really keen on leaving India. Let's wait and watch !!!

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Tu Mera Hai (Ada-A Way of life)…wow!!! That was apt…hee…heee...infact this is one of my favorite songs...Sukhwinder Singh roccczzz...Chitra is wow!!!

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Chale Chalo (Lagaan)…well kinda ok…or rather they motivate me…lollzzz

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Kal Ho Na Ho (OMG!!!!!)

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Jhoom Barabar Jhoom….hee…hee….just imagine ?!?!?! :) :)

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Baatein Hawa Hai ( Thank God…a Shreya Ghoshal song…listening to her songs is my hobby/interest)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Mere Dholna(Bhool Bhulaiyya)…wow!!! Great…again a Shreya number…well…gotta ask the secret behind her singing talent…lollzzz

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Everybody (BSB)…well…hee…hee…Everybody is my friend…

WHAT SHOULD YOU POST THIS AS?
Jaati Hoon Main (Karan Arjun)…ha..hee..should I???

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS TAG?
Rani ( Haal-E-Dil)….this is one of Sonu’s best song…glad it ended up atleast as the last track….

Loved doing the tag..some answers were sorta interesting and funny…thanks for tagging me Divya and Express.
Express in her blog had called me a Shreya Ghoshal maniac and I’m glad (she must be glad too) to find many Shreya songs here….SHREYA!!!! U rock!!!!

Priya’s Tag

My oldest memory
I played cricket in my house with my cousins and neighbours on sunny summer afternoons….despite the mercury soaring at 42 degrees, I was so invovlved that I used to play on and on....hee..hee...that's ME

10 years ago
I was making fun of my middle school teachers…every teacher was given the same treatment and no respite whatsoever. Those were torrid times for my teachers (When I knew only laughter best substantiates)

My first thought today morning
I’ve to put in some effort and study for CAT (had promised one friend of mine last night that I’ll study sincerely today)...did I ??? Well... she is one among the many reading this post...lollzzzz... so ?!?!?!

My time capsule would contain
I don’t want anything mighty..I just want a life I’m contented with. Something that gives me happiness and peace

This year
I’m going to put in sincere efforts to BELL the CAT and do other B school exams well. Above all, grow in confidence as a person and leave behind myself all disturbing thoughts.

14 years from now
Want a satisfying job in the banking sector. Have enough bank balance and lead a happy life. .The best thing about the future is, I can quite confidently say " I will be happy " :D

A short and a simple tag…Thanks Priya…was lovely

I'm not tagging anybody. I'm kind enough to say that ' Those wish to, shall do it '...lolllzz.

Well…as you can see, I’ve gone in for a change in my blog layout. Changes are ineveitable in life and my blog layout is no different…I’m happy with this layout…do tell me if you like it….well changes ARE inevitable but my writing style remains the same, atleast for some time…hope this style is fine with you 

Realization

2008-08-24T14:40:00.015+05:30

In my previous write-up, I had exclaimed ‘Happiness is best realised when one finds things once done, amusing’. Now, the point I’m trying to emphasize in this write-up is, ' What happens with Realization???'. Happiness may not be the only parameter. I’m describing Realization in general. What it can do to one etc etc… I’m just a 20 yr old guy and what I’m going to pen down may not exactly be true and what I write is just my opinion and what I’ve learnt from my own experiences. You may add what according to you is a better definition in the comments column.

Realization, in my opinion is a must for all at one point of time in life. Realization of one’s past incidents include the mistakes one indulged in, the arrogance that accompanied the conversations, things done with no inclination and lots more. If I confine the topic of realization to my own self, the highlighted statement was always part of mine. All these years, I had been a victim of this practice where I involved myself in activities towards which I had no inclination whatsoever. It's always commendable to aim for higher goals but what makes it achievable is the inclination attached with that desire to succeed. That was exactly what I lacked and ended up being in the middle of nowhere. Now, when one looks back at my past, it certainly defies logic when I say I'm focussed about my career. But after realization, the same can be told with confidence and authority. This is precisely what Realization can do to one. You get it ??? Realization can work wonders to people who think twice before acting upon things. Also, the timing of realization is very much important. The preceding statement could be contradicted saying ‘ It’s better late than never’ but I would like to refute ‘ It’s better early than late’. Which is early and when it is late depends on the situation and differs from person to person. Realization, if I can say, is a by-product of Introspection or rather analysis of all thoughts ( good / bad ) culminates into what is called Realization.

The positives of Realization are best acknowledged when enough time is given for oneself to analyse how exactly mistakes were done and how aversive was one to suggestions suggested then. One thing I’ve realised is, ‘When you achieve success, it’s described a multiple effort but when you have failed, you’re the only person to take the blame and there’s none around you to receive the baton of blame’. Mistakes are indeed, part and parcel of everyone’s life but life’s lived better with minimal number of mistakes. Mistakes, here, I don’t mean the blunders but the small things done in haste (with no second thoughts) which leave a lasting impression. To take a page out of my book, I realized lot many things in the recent past, how foolish I had been in giving undue importance to what everybody had got to say with no inclination on my part. Also I’ve realized the importance of patience, tolerance and benevolence - soft-skills make a person's outlook much better than his intelligence or qualification.

Now, realizing all my past incidents doesn’t make me a complete individual. It’s important how well I practise and try my best to not repeat the mistakes. I’m trying to re-invent myself as a responsible and a mature individual. The learning process has just begun but I’m sure it’ll continue forever.

P.S: I didn’t know what to post in my blog this week. Since these thoughts have been flashing across my mind for quite a while, I thought it won’t be a bad idea to just pen them down. Hope I didn’t bore you. Infact, this is the shortest write-up in my blog till date : )