Discover Yourself

Everyday is an adventure, a celebration and I really needed to experience this after a boring semester at college. I went to Bangalore - Mysore for the sem break.I have kin in both places, so it meant a lazy week in the Western Ghats for me. Watching lots of movies, long chats with my PAATI(granny), feasting on some yummy food courtesy of my aunt and bullying my cousin Anand was all part of my daily routine. But one night, my uncle S.R.Ravichandran decided to do a little self-development programme at home. Having attended lots of workshops and management programs at IIM-A, XLRI etc.,he was probably the best person around to do some soul searching with.
He placed a white board on the bed & armed with a blue marker and a few white papers we embarked on a most marvellous journey. He drew a a few diagrams representing how the human psyche was made of both masculine(Purush) & feminine(Prakruti) shades and that there were a lot of factors which affected the personalities we ended up becoming. It was the first time I ever heard of something like this and it gave me a new way of perceiving things. He said that it was important to grow psychologically and emotionally along with the physical growth. He asked me what I thought about Marriage - " Co-existense" came the reply. He laughed heartily and told me that I should save such opinions for later. He asked me what I thought of success, Power and Financial Freedom I said. It was probably the sort of answer that an average 20 year old would give. We spoke about lots of other things, how much IQ played a role in success and how much his diligence did.
Dinner was served and we concluded. He still left me in a state of ambiguity about "success". A sound sleep in the cold Mysore weather followed. I was to leave the following day for Bangalore. I was woken up by a phone call. It was Ravi,we said our goodbyes. Then he muttered,"Think about this SUCCESS IS CONQUERING EVERY WAVE OF OPPORTUNITY THAT COMES YOUR WAY." Food for thought indeed. I immediately felt like a surfer trying to conquer those high waves which crashed onto the shores of California. This is how I shall remain.
We all face little challenges and big challenges around every corner of the street called Life. Each one of us is unique and is armed with a special arsenal to tackle such issues. There will always be ebbs and tides. Our surfboard and our character will be our only friends in times like these.
I shall conclude with the immortal lines of Robert Frost which I read in my 8th class English text book.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

The most famous LEFT FOOT is dead

Ferenc Puskas
For the uninitiated Ferenc Puskas was part of the Mighty Magyars during the 50s. This Hungarian team that was the first ever foreign team to beat England at Wembley.He was a very unusual striker, stockily built and had the most respected left foot in the world at that time.The goal that Puskas scored is probably one of the most famous goals of all time,his pull back with the left foot that many including me are disciples of, and the shot with a sharp angle that went into the bottom right corner stands out in History. He was fondly called the Galloping Major. He is probably the only footballer the world has seen to have a near 99% strike rate. He scored 83 goals in the 84 matches that he played for Hungary. His partnership with Alfredo di Stefano for Real Madrid will be remembered for aeons to come as probably one of the most deadliest strike pairs ever. He was part of the Real team that mauled Eintracht Frankfurt 7-3 in the European Cup. Gee !! How I wish I belonged to that era, goals used to flow. Now all the bloody defenses are stingy. A stadium in Budapest has been named after this legend.
MAY HIS SOUL REST IN PEACE, MAJOR THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER LIKE YOU

Le Premier Anniversaire

Its been a year since I entered the blogging world. Boy ! It has been one helluva ride. From the front page of Hyderabad Chronicle to Blogcamp at Tidel Park,Chennai. It has given me a window to express those creative juices & I have made quite a few friends who I think share the same frequency of thinking.
Thanks to all those who have been regular visitors to the page,your comments and criticism are appreciated.
The Blogging Juggernaut shall continue on its journey in search of truth and salvation
Cheers

Who am I kidding ?!

Another semester ends. Exams are around the corner. Friends say, "Mama lets start studying !!". I concur, if we don't study for the 10 days before the semester exams, whats the point of wasting so much money & travelling 50+ kms to and fro everyday. But unlike a few others who keep saying - OUT OF ORKUT FOR A MONTH, NOT BLOGGING FOR A MONTH, I won't make such bold statements. Though I will surround myself with the almanacs of electronics and mechanical engineering. My thoughts will be about the television series I plan to host in the not so distant future (if I find a friendly producer). Its a travel show,the first instalment will be me running around in Europe. I intend to make it by road from Dushanbe to Reykjavik, making friends along the way, learning the local dialects and I especially look forward to drinking milk of the mountain goats from the Hindukush. They say it is naturally sweet. Naturally sweet like this girl who once told me that some photo of mine reminded her of Colin Farrell in The Recruit. Colin Farrell,Oil Barrel who is she kidding ?!!
These exams seem to be another topic of debate for my seniors and good friends who are doing their post-grad/working. They ask me, "Adi,whaddup !?". I say, "Ejjams ra!!". Pat comes the reply - JNTU exams ke liye you study aa !! Duhh ! These are very same chaps who have 70+ engg percentages. Seniors who have been in my position me always advice me to study and improve my scores while I still can. Now they are certainly not kidding.
So getting back to my travel show, the plan is perfect, the only flaw is that I have to rely on me to execute it. The second instalment as suggested by a dear friend of mine shall include Somalia(Africa). The poorest country in the world and the place where Black Hawk Down was shot. Oh yes !! Lets go blow the horn of Africa. Then probably go Mummy hunting in Egypt or rather go get stung by those Tse-tse flies in Zaire or maybe an amazing safari in Namibia. So if there any buyers for the show, do ping me. Of course, I have lots of other plans in my head. Only Mr.SAMAY will tell if they materialise or not. I hope I'm not kidding.
Now this is certainly worth mentioning, I have finished a book called The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. This is the first novel I have read after 7 years. The ever novel that I read was The Sixth Man by Roland Perry which was about KGB conspiracies. This is a book that no one has heard of. But I'm sure its lying in some corner of the HPS senior school library. Next on the list Leo Tolstoy - War and Peace. Leo Tolstoy eh ?! Mr.Narayanan, who are you kidding ?! :P :P

For all those who are still worried about the foot, thanks for the concern guys !! Its shown a drastic improvement, since I have been doing nothing but sitting on my arse and ordering my mother & sister to bring me everything from the morning newspaper to the pills I take after dinner. Talk about royal treatment. Sometimes methinks I was a prince or a king in my last birth, just love getting things done by other people. But then who doesn't like it.
Foot says - Enough time on the chair,sir. Time to get back to the horizontal comfort of the bed.
Me - Yes sir !! Just don't hurt too much today.
Gotta run...err I mean limp. Until next time - Cheers

Frustrating Temporary Handicaps

Well, I was going uphill and suddenly out of a blind turn, a cyclist came downhill at a high speed. He did not have brakes, so he came and rammed into me. His pedal was missing the rubber padding and that pierced my foot. Nothing serious,thank you for the concern.
This is what the recording on my cellphone tells people,whenever they see my bandaged foot & ask me "dude,what happened ?!". Its been eight days,but still there has been hardly any improvement. The Doc says that the tiny bones on my metatarsals have cracked. So its gonna be a while before I'm up and running. Due to this injury I have come to understand the hardships of the physically challenged. I can't use my left foot nad this makes it really difficult to walk. I'm forced to walk on my left heel and the majority of the weight is on my right leg. Which means every night,my right leg curses me !! I'm asked to take rest, BEDREST !
Think about it, lying down all day doing nothing is the most FRUSTRATING thing ever. I like to keep myself aware of the ongoings in the world, so the TV and Newspaper come to rescue often. I have also started reading my first novel after 7 years. Oscar Wilde is just too damn compelling. The Internet does give me immense relief, since I can catch up with all my friends in Cyberspace.
But one can never keep a person like me tied down. I started going to college 2 days after the accident. Limping around and being carried around by a few heavyweights in college. The pain is unforgiving, any fast movements and it stings. Sleep in the wrong position and it stings. Missing a round a medicines and it stings. This is what they call stinging pain I suppose. I have to lament about October 21st. It was the festival of light for many. But for me,it was the festival of sitting around on my backside doing nothing. Finally I got out of the house at night,unable to take the onslaught of boredom. The purpose of this post is purely to write away the pain, distract my mind from the pain or even the thought of the injury. I have learnt that to deal with things like this, one not only needs Physical Strength,but also Mental Strength.

Love what you do !

It was another boring Thurday afternoon. I got home dog-tired just to find that my Daddy dearest hadn't left the keys behind. So I called him & he said he would get home in a few minutes as he was somewhere nearby.
Since I had a friend for company,I didn't mind too much. I switched on the radio on my new phone and was forced to listen to the numbers that the FM stations were playing. My ears were busy with the horribly plagiarised music that one gets to hear these days. But my eyes were wandering about,gazing at the clear blue sky with a few blemishes of the spongy white cloud here and there. I wonder if something very prosaic like Physics can explain the magnificence of such a beautiful sight. Scattering of light,they say !!
A few minutes hence,I saw a sparrow flying happily towards wherever it was heading. Suddenly out of the blue (literally !!) came an Eagle and snatched it with its talons, ripping the very life out of it.In Greek mythology,this was a sign of imminent war or a period of struggle. Hope it doesn't mean the same in Modern Indian Mythology.I felt sorry for the sparrow at first, but then I realised its nature's law. All a part of the food chain.
I started telling my friend about how lucky these predators of nature are. "Why ??!!" you ask. Well,simple I say these guys work their socks (I know they don't wear any, but its a figure of speech) off, to feed themselves and those who depend on them. They love doing it & for most of them it is the only thing they have to do apart from reproduction exercises.
Compared to them, we humans are a lazy lot. We(most of us) hate to work. We do it just because we are getting paid. Then there are those benevolent few who follow the true Marxist teachings and love what they do,simply because it satisfies them. Allow me to illustrate :-
I hate to study,I know as a student that is the only thing I should really be doing. But there is a small fest in an insignificant college called MGIT which goes by the name NIRVANA. Needless to say,I have been a part of it for two years, and this fest has given me some of the most cherished memories in my life. So no matter what I get back ,I will work tirelessly for it. Now wouldn't it be a wonder if I started thinking about other things in my life with an equivalent amount of passion. Maybe that is what old Karl was trying to tell us when he was putting forth his theories.
I wouldn't go the extent of saying WORK IS WORSHIP,but definitely make sure its fun. Of course what I'm saying now, doesn't apply to Explorers, Ice Cream tasters, Fighter Pilots and Sportsmen.

Of Rainbows and Perfection

Yesterday on my way back from college it rained,but simultaneously the sun was shining. What followed was the most brilliant rainbow that I had seen in a while.We must have heard of the Irish myth of the Rainbow. It is said that the Leprechaun hides his pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The closer we go to the rainbow,the farther away it seems to go. This makes the end of the rainbow almost impossible to reach.
Somehow same is the case with Perfection. All of us strive to go to higher places in life (not talking about Heaven,mind you),this most consider is a path to perfection. But has anybody ever attained perfection ?! Perfectionists can be encountered is all walks of life,but all they do is work hard to achieve perfection. The fact that they cannot attain it,is what makes them crochety people.
I have always considered Perfection to be a far-fetched fantasy,but still there is something about doing things perfectly that gives you a kick. The ancient Greeks viewed perfection as a requisite for beauty and high art. Now how many people do we know,who go to the gymnasium or spend truckloads of money to get the perfect look ?! Do they not understand the futility in such things since when a person crosses a certain age limit, he/she will obviously face the wrath of Ageing. No botox can ever reverse this process. The best example would be - Aren't our grandparents with their numerous stories and warmth the most lovable people in the world.
I believe it was John Keats who said that Newton had killed the poetry in a Rainbow by attaching a bunch of scientific theories to it. Lesson I learnt from all this - Do your work to the best of your abilities, somewhere down the line, someone will say "Hey ! Don't You think Aditya has the perfect blog ??".
**Chuckle Chuckle**. Yeah ok ! Thats wishful thinking. Hope you got the point though.

Growing Up ! Sigh

All of us have to face the harsh realities of life atleast sometime. It was in my face a few days ago.
After attending Blogcamp at Chennai, I boarded the train back to Hyderabad. I happened to share the cabin with two other families. There were 3 minors aka half tickets along with their parents. I quickly ran & occupied the window seatso that I would while away my time on the train. But little did I know what was in store for me that evening, a rude awakening to reality if you would. The 3 kids in question were -
1.Niharika - Age 6
2.Aman - Age 4
3.Nitin - Age 2
It was around 9 pm. We had just passed Nellore,it was pitch dark outside. The parents dozed off leaving these little devils awake on the berths. I was on the lower berth & was still sitting and gaping outside the window, with the wind in my face.
I was busy looking for Orion's belt, which happens to be my favourite constellation when I felt someone tugging my shirt. It was Aman, the little tyke had got out of his berth & climbed down. So being the immature brat that I can be, I started of a conversation with him.
We spoke of everything from "Why Tom could never catch Jerry" to "What we should when older kids bully us". It was an interesting chat I must say, I learnt a lot from the kid.
He got bored in a while and requested a story as if I was a jukebox or something. I guess these must have been tales that his mother told him to put him to sleep. I started off with my favourite,The Hare and The Tortoise. Problem was he did not know what a tortoise was.
This was when Niha Didi saved the day, saved the night rather. She explained to him that it was the creature that they had seen at the zoo some days earlier. I was inspired,I went on to add that these creatures are bigger versions of the TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES. Thus I was now to entertain both the siblings.
An hour and 10 fairy tales later, the smallest of the group, Nitin awoke. He was on the opposite lower berth. He was all excited and waved his hand fervently as if to say,"Guys I want to join too". We were more than happy to oblige. We played a few rounds of Toss the milk bottle around.After he got bored of that game, we went onto the more mature game of "Where's the baby... there he is". Then after a while, Nitin's mom awoke and put him to sleep.
So I started off on another round of story telling, this time it was some story that I was making up as I went on. They seemed pretty perplexed. So I thought better of it & started quizzing the kids on life in Primary school. This is when I realised, I hadn't formally introduced myself. So I asked them if they knew my name. In unison they screamed " ADITYA UNCLE ". They had probably heard my name when I was talking to their father. But aren't we missing the big picture here. I was called UNCLE for the first time in my life. It hit me hard, I was growing older. Crow wrinkles were appearing at the corner of my eyes every time i smiled. I was balding as if someone had been using a lawn mower on my scalp. But I somehow managed to convince the two kids that I was still in college & that I also wrote exams like them thus they should call me Anna. Growing up means different things to different people, more responsibilities, more things to do in life, more wishes to fulfil etc. So Ladies and Gents, smell the beans, the coffee that is adulthood is around the corner. Grab it before it gets cold.

Movie Review - Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu

Considering that this was my first tamil movie in a Chennai theatre,I was very anxious. I had earlier seen The Rock about 8 years back.
Gautham directing Kamal Haasan,Jothika & newcomer Kamalini Mukherjee (who I had seen in Anand & Godavari) was the perfect recipe for a potential blockbuster.
The Plot
Another story in a Police Officer's Life.The story is very intense,it starts in typical Gautham fashion depicting Kamal aka DCP Raghavan showing his policing prowess beating up the goons.
He is summoned by his friend DCP Arokiaraj(Prakash Raj) to investigate the case of his missing daughter Rani, whose finger the DCP had found on his doorstep tied with a lemon & chillis. This leads Kamal to start from scratch and he slowly finds the girl's body in a field badly mutilated.
This begins the hunt for the killer. Arokiaraj & his wife move to the US to try to put this episode behind them & get on with life. A few months later,they also are brutally murdered. Kamal now goes to New York and along with his NYPD liaison Detective Anderson uses his instinct & expertise to uncover shocking clues. He discovers 4 more bodies, most of them in the same condition as Rani's body.
Narrowing down various options, the killers, Yes there are two, this adds a kick to the storyline. They are qualified doctors who are mentally disturbed and assault women who are rude to them. Ilamaaran & Amudhan (played by Panda of Gharshana and Srikanth,the dark guy who shoots himself in the same movie)are not unveiled till jus t before the interval.
They manage to severely damage Kamal & escape to India. Meanwhile Kamal's lovelife is getting back on track with Jothika, a single mom who he rescues while she tries to kill herself. His first wife Kamalini dies when a goon pushes her off the 3rd floor of a warehouse.
The movie's climax is fast-paced & gripping, a must see for all action buffs.
My Comments
Gautham is slowly showing signs of becoming a top notch director after his last two works, Kaakha Kaakha & Vetaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu. He has a very Hollywoodish style which might make him a little geeky at times, but I'm a big fan of his.
Kamal Haasan,a solid performance. It is unbelievable that he manages to do that sort of action & perform stunts that actors half his age are scared to do. That says a lot about his work ethic. This adds to his list of super cop movies like the hard hitting Kurudhi Punal.
Jothika,she is definitely coming into her own & has consolidated her status as the Tamil industry's top actress with this performance & a simultaneous release Jillendru Oru Kaadhal. Manages to portray confusion, despair, happiness & care with ease in the movie.
Kamalini,her first Tam flick & Boy ! she landed with the big fish. She plays the role of Kamal's wife as she was a veteran of many movies & is said to surprised Kamal with her professionalism. A talented girl to watch out for in the future.
The villains Daniel Balaji & Saleem Baig are scary,but we sympathise with them in the sequence at the Police Station in the flashback. The crowd was actually abusing these guys whenever they got on screen. The way the rapes & murders are filmed are very gory & graphic, so I suggest the weak-hearted to watch out for a few scenes.
Ravi Varman, the camera man has given the entire flavor and feels to the movie. In a lesser craftsman’s hand, the film would not have got this polish and finesse. His visual metaphors are apt and the lighting is amazing. The way he & Gautham explore New York would have made Woody Allen proud. Harris Jayaraj's music is varied & as delightful as ever. His cop intro songs happen to always become big hits. Get your hands on this album and you are sure to appreciate it.
The movie has had the biggest opening in recent times and is definitely among one those CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED movies.

Stevey Mate ! We'll miss ya

Steve Irwin you were a Bonzer(aussie for good guy) mate ! The Crocodile Hunter, was an Australian naturalist, wildlife expert and television personality, best known for his television series The Crocodile Hunter.
His father started the Queensland Flora & Fauna park, which he took over in 1992. He renamed it Australia Zoo. It has set an example to many of the western zoological parks about new age Animal Management. His exuberant and enthusiastic presenting style, broad Australian accent, constant wearing of khakis and catch-phrase "Crikey!" became known worldwide. In 2002 the Australia Zoo was voted Queensland's top tourist attraction.His immense popularity in the United States meant he often promoted Australia as a tourist destination there.
In 2001, Irwin appeared in a cameo role in the Eddie Murphy film Dr. Dolittle 2. In 2002, his first and only feature film The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course was released.There's a lot that can be written about this great wildlife revolutionary... if you can call him that.
Irwin died whilst filming underwater documentary footage, when a stingray extended its barb into his chest, puncturing his heart. THE WORLD WILL MISS YOU,MATE !!

Ujjain gets rowdy

Sad scenes were experienced as the nation turned its gaze to the city of Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh. It started off as a tiff between the professors & the student union members. Inspite of the Police presence in the area, the students went on a rampage abusing & even manhandling the professors.
In this ruckus, Prof. Sabharwal,a man who had a history of bypass surgeries was hurled to the ground & fell unconscious. He was declared dead when he reached the hospital. A post mortem report two days later confirmed that he died because of an injury to his ribs which caused his lungs to choke. Two other professors were severely injured. All thanks to a few power thirsty students or hoolingans.
We speak so much in detail about how we should involve ourselves in shaping the future of our nation. Will we let such student politicians be the future of our country. I think we all know the answer to this.
No man has the right to take life.This is a typical example of how power cam hush up anything. The students responsible for this horrid happening are allegedly members of the ABVP which is part of the BJP which is the ruling party in the state. Though cases have been registered, nothing concrete has been done thus far.
Guys,seriously who are you kidding. Sit up take notice,all these evils in society can be eradicated only by us. It will take a helluva long time, but Rome wasn't built in a day !!

He made Pheking stylish

"Saleem Pheku" for the uninitiated is one of the main characters in the recent movie THE ANGREZ. Though the movie is pretty cheesy,it is funny as hell. Reasons:
1.Ismail Bhai getting frustrated because he was assaulted by two foreigners
2.Saleem Pheku,who is forever trying to tell people stories of his greatness & how he did superhuman things.
This gentleman owns a purple Bajaj Chetak with silver accesories & this scooter has disc brakes. He is seen wearing Ray Ban shades, a see through vest & a flaming red shirt which as expected is predominantly unbuttoned.
Here are a few of his famous dialogues -
Well here he's boasting about how Mallika Sherawat kissed him at some party at Taj Krishna..
Pheku:Kal kya hua maloom, main ek dawat ku gaya, Krishna Oberoi mein. Wahan jaake main manager logon ku hi-hello bolke poocha Blankit Hall kahan hai...
Kirak(another character): Blankit hall ??
Pheku:Haan re bai, Blankit hall(he meant banquet hall).
Bla Bla Bla
Pheku:Phir Mallika dikhi...
Others:Mallika ???
Pheku:aree MUDDER yaaro
Here they are planning to beat up the Angrez
Jahangir:Ismail bhai ek chai mangalu
Ismail bhai:haan
Jahangir:Aree lao ji 2 chai 2 biskit 2 samose 2 alu bhonde aur chai baaaaaaaaadme, jaldi lao ji pilaning ( planning ) chalri
Ismail bhai(frustrated):Tum logan Ismail bhai Ismail bhai bolke bambu ghusare re mereku (points to his rear)
In another place,Pheku goes around telling people how Ismail Bhai was beaten up. When apne Ismail bhai comes to know that Ruksana came to know about he being *bashed* by the firangis and the way he says
"AB RUKSANA KU BHI MALOOM HOGAYA" and his face expression becomes constipatedly funny.
These are just a few of their antics.The movie is super hilarious. It is meant for the true hyderabadi thought because I doubt if an outsider would actually understand the lingo and what was going on.
NOTE:THE SEQUEL IS ON ITS WAY

Life in the "fast" lane

Hyderabad is getting a facelift. With all its new flyovers & skywalks, Hyderabad is gung-ho about how its going to look in a few years time. But till then we have to face the horrifying prospect of driving through Sardar Patel Road, MG Road, Punjagutta Crossroads, RTC Crossroads and as Yul Brynner once said Etcetera Etcetera Etcetera.
There was a time when driving used to be a relaxing experience, now it is something most of us fear. Going from Somajiguda circle to Begumpet flyover( the one opposite HPS) used to take 3 minutes & 46 seconds, but now believe it or not it takes a minimum of 45 minutes during the evenings not to mention that all hell breaks loose if it rains. Road widening & extensive traffic planning have eased the pressure a bit and also the new Chief Minister residence requires that too many vehicles are not stationary in front of it for too long as it might pose a threat. So it has become a little easier, but once the flyover construction begins in full swing, we're in for some excruciating traffic jams. Methinks in the future when kindergarten teachers say 'J for Jam', it will rather be for these traffic halts rather than the jelly.
Some people think Traffic Jams can be fun. These are the people who have their girlfriends/ boyfriends/spouses next to them, the AC running & loads of fuel to burn. Oh Yes ! This post would be incomplete without talking about the skyrocketing fuel prices. This means no more long drives for broke people like me. I will have to settle for long walks with my mp3 player for now. But some drives like the one to college are really refreshing. The grey tar road, the bright blue cloudless sky & swaying trees on either side of the road are regular traits of a typical morning drive to college. Sometimes drives can give you a very fascinating perspective on life, the long winding road ahead, the speedbreakers, the sudden U-turns all mean something to each one's life. But for now the focus still remains on the Traffic & the pollution that is burning our lungs. Hope we are rid of this, atleast by the time my children can be old enough to experience long drives.

The God of Little things

Have you ever taken time of to think about those small little mundane things which you never really gave a second thought about ?? Things that you took for granted, suddenly when you experience them give you that rush all over again.

I have always been a person who was too busy doing a million things in life & never took time off to see those little things in life that gave you the most heartwarming feeling. It has only been in the last few weeks that my life has been moving at a pace that even a snail would be ashamed of.

But a few incidents here & there have brought genuine smiles to my grim visage. First there was this little kid from the US who kept making me jealous about the amazing walks she took along Lake Michigan. I thought,well my college has a lake near it too, so I shall go for a walk also. So finally my benchmates & I took off from Kinematics of Machines class at around 10.30 am. Armed with two packets of Potato chips we started for the walk. We reached & sat on the wall adjoining the lake. Then we thought, why not get closer to water. The walk was now becoming an adventure. The wind velocity was now several knotts higher, we took off our shirts & sat along the bank on rock admiring the different shades of blue that the Osman Sagar was parading. It was still 11.30, we kept walking till we were finally totally out of fuel. It was 1 pm. We finally ended the walk when we reached the Khanapur bus stop & then we hurriedly got back to college dreading the thought of sitting in the class especially since there were regular powercuts. This little excursion of mine revealed to me how a quiet little walk with genuinely caring people along with Nature’s splendour can just make your day. So next time a friend says,” Mama,Gandipet podham..”, do not refuse. It might just make your day.

More little things were coming my way.I got home from college this evening to see a little box with multicoloured wrapping paper sitting gleefully on my table. It had arrived by courier apparently. immediately I read the from address & started ripping the paper apart. Inside lay the smartest radio in the world, it was shaped like a football with two legs. The feeling inside when an old friend actually remembers what you like & actually makes it a point to send it over to you even though you are at different locations now, you realise that some people are always meant to be a part of your life. These friends will stay on like a pyramid through time,unfazed by the weather or time to stand testament to their affection for you.

The day doesnt end there. We had a little cousins day out,which is very rare in my family since we hardly get to see each other. I was initially thinking that since all of us were different people we would hardly have anything in common & we would just eat & leave. But to my surprise, we had all grown up to become fine young men & women without any of us realising it. The games arcade was the best part of the night, with me realising that not only did I love football,but now I loved foosball too. Methinks I should spend more time with my family also. Thanks guys !

We’re still talking about the same night, I’m just planning to hit the bed when me & a friend hit of on this really thought provoking conversation about life, and how dogs & buffaloes have more fun than we humans do. All we do is worry about the future & are busy doing something about it in the present. When I was on my walk I noticed a herd of buffaloes, all they did was graze around all day, drop dung wherever they like & the only thing asked of them was to give milk, another human necessity. Buffaloes are lucky. Period ! She then asked me,” Adi, what would you like to be reborn as ? “. I probed & probed, then pat came the answer. HUMAN. I went to the extent of saying that I would like to be reborn as myself. No matter how much we suffer or curse our boring lives, I’m sure none of us would ever want to give up what we are.

MORAL:ENJOY EVERY MOMENT, EVERY CHALLENGE, EVERY DISAPPOINTMENT & WALK ON VALIANTLY

Hamari Azzurri Kahani

Football is a religion for many. I belong to the many. And mere mortals could experience a slice of heaven as the footballing demi-gods descended upon Deutschland. The last one month has been exciting & there are so many around the world that would be feeling lost now that the tournament is over.
The Italians are elated. After the Serie A was rocked by the match fixing scandal, I think Italy finally has a reason to celebrate again. It was a world cup to remember with some exciting games. This tournament has been dubbed the Defenders tournament & that is how it was till the end. The team with the better defence won took top honours. Fabio Cannavaro who I first saw at Parma along with a young Buffon. Of course the both now play at Juventus. I had predicted at the start of the world cup that the partnership of Cannavaro & Nesta would be unbreachable. Although Materazzi deputised for Nesta, he was no slow poke although he made a few mistakes sometimes. But he was a busy man in the final, he equalised, made some ruthless tackles, got headbutted & dispatched the spot kick.
Enough can not be said of Cannavaro. He was the player of the tournament for me & deserved the Golden Ball more than Zidane. Zidane only came into his own after the match against Spain, Cannavaro had been a rock for Italy since the first game. He marshalled his troops and was the perfect captain throughout. He will now occupy a special place in Italian football history alongside some legendary names life Giuseppe Bergomi,Franco Baresi & Paolo Maldini. Along with the menacing wingbacks Zambrotta & Grosso, they had a formidable defence. Their brain & braun central midfield consisting of the grimacing Gattuso & the sublime Pirlo was instrumental in their victories. Though their attack was lacking, Toni & Totti showed rare glimpses of their true self. I would not say that the best tean won, but definitely the most organised team won.
Talking of the best team, I definitely think Germany or Argentina should have taken the prize but luck had a different say. The four teams ie. Australia, Argentina, Germany & Italy, I was rooting for played against each other & consequesntly knocked each other out. Australia along with Ivory Coast, Ukraine & Ghana were the surprise packages of the World Cup. The Socceroos comebacks against Japan & Croatia trult epitomise the Aussie Spirit.
The Albioceleste of Argentina had the firepower & the defence that a tournament of this nature demanded but luck wasn't on their side. The Germans were dazzling going forward with Klose,Podolski,Ballack & Schweinsteiger. Solid in defence, Mertesacker is a name to look out for in the future. But this world cup has done them a world of good.
The French... Zidane could well have the architect of a french win, but it was a sad end for the mercurial playmaker. But youngsters like Ribery & Malouda made their presence felt.
Brazil was just as they were reaching their peak, the french pulled the carpet from beneath them. Roberto Carlos who I thought was the best left back ever was at fault for Henry scoring.
Spain still remain PERENNIAL UNDERACHIEVERS.
The Dutch will surely be better next time around because they had a very young team this time & these guys are sure to mature.
The Portuguese were a tough outfit but filling the shoes of Luis Figo will be a tough task.
The names of Ballack, Klose , Robben , Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Zidane , Vieira, Cannavaro, Totti, Pirlo ,Cristiano Ronaldo, Rooney , Beckham, Raul ,Torres, Messi ,Tevez etc will be etched in out memories forever.

Temporarily distracted

For all those who love my blogs & for all those who just read it because I send them the link, I would like to say Sorry,that I haven't been blogging off late. Been occupied with my first love, FOOTBALL. So after the World Cup is done, you can expect a maha-big post. Cheers

Silent Strength

What cannot kill you, only makes you stronger. There may come a time in your life when people you took for granted will startle you. There will be certain things which will make you question yourself. Situations might arise where you will have to give up everything that you had been doing because you realise that they are just leading to futility. There is no ordeal that is a 100% smooth.
A strong mind, an unbreakable spirit is what is required to overcome such situations. You can take the example of so many revolutionaries in the world who were blessed with these gifts. Mahatma Gandhi & Che Guevara have been named as the two most revered revolutionaries by a German magazine. They were ordinary people who were pushed to the envelope by impertinent people. But what happened when such fought back is a lesson that history is proof of.
I distinctly remember this line from a prayer we used to say during our school assembly, "NEVER BEND YOUR KNEES BEFORE INSOLENT MIGHT". This is a moral that will be with me throughtout my life. Silence is a powerful weapon. When a person provokes you, try not reacting. It will madden him. This does not mean that we are not capable of retaliation, it just means we choose not to retaliate & are stronger individuals.
Always remember WHEN YOU ARE ENGULFED IN DARKNESS, THE SUN WILL PROVIDE WITH LIGHT OF DAWN & YOU WILL NOT BE ALONE.

The Tricycle Diaries

"Tricycles",what do they signify ?

Childhood.

Ah Yes ! Childhood, the time when your only worry is whether your mother is going to scold you for spilling talcum powder on the floor so that you might play "SKATING". I'm 19 going on 20, and I have only occasional flashes of my blithe childhood. The sugarcane juice that Appa used to buy me after Greenwoods. The way my mother, who has one of the "most beautiful handwriting ever known to man" used to scribble in my notebooks so that it might seem to my teachers that I had done my homework. I often hear stories of my days as an obstinate kindergarten-goer. I am told that I used to sit on the window sill facing the railway track with my cheeks puffed & eyebrows making a V refusing to do any thing remotely academic. But Thank God for Hanna Barbera. Tom & Jerry would bring me the cheer back into my melancholic existence and thus the days went by.

Kindergarten was the place where I learnt the song, "HUM HONGE KAMYAAB". I guess I have subconsciously made an effort to make that the theme song of my life. But due to certain Irishman named Ronan Keating, "Life is a Rollercoaster" is what I swear by. Those were the days of annual concerts & I have been known to be very scared of make-up & give a hard time to my teachers at the Green Room. Reason: Well, you see my aunt is professional Bharatnatyam dancer & I saw some really scary looking guy who was supposed to dressed as a 'scary guy who was supposed to kidnap the damsel'. My friends who wear make-up these days can still vouch for the fact thats one fear I haven't got over. Life seems so simple. I remember the days when I used to jubilantly trot into Pauline Media Centre (yeah thats the shop adjacent to st.ann's) & buy books in which Alphabets were taught by elephants, Math by Mickey Mouse & Opposites were explained by the Seven dwarfs. Amar Chitra Katha & Noddy Puzzles were other favourites.

Thanks Ma for never saying no to any book I wanted. All this was just making a path for the future and as expected I'm still the same. Read(not a lot) all sorts of things except academic material.
My childhood life would be incomplete if I didn't mention Building blocks, GI Joe, Glo Friends & Hotwheels !!! Was introduced to movies at a very early age in life. Dalapathi was the first ever movie I saw in a theatre, I was 4 then. The bug bit me hard & has become one of the passions of my life. Used to love Nagesh comedies & Ilayaraja music, though I never understood the lyrics back then. Those were the days when I used to take my kiddie bat & play cricket with older people. Obviously I was bowled to using "under-arm throws". These were the days when I used to love scribbling on the walls of my house & my mother would get yelled at by the house owner.

My uncles, trust me these guys are hardcore. Made sure my every visit to Madras was eventful and fun-filled. Introduced me to computer games (Mario) in an office where they worked. Took me to every amusement park on the coast & made sure we went to the Marina beach every weekend.

I hated veggies back then. I still do but not that badly also. God ! Why do farmers grow Spinach ?? I was quoted to have said "so what if that one-eyed Popeye eats, he's just a cartoon." Intelligent Kid hunh **pats self on back** ! Rumour has it that I used to call a tomato, "gogli-wogli" & used to get the kick out of squishing every tomato I laid my eyes upon.

My photos prove that I was chubbier in the days gone by. My Soumi Akka used to say that I was a shy fella always running away from her friends & apparently I loved to break dance. Oh yes ! I used to play 'House House' or rather 'Castle Castle' too. Obviously I was always PRINCE CHARMING. But the castle was very weak & kept falling off because it was made out of pillows. Present parallels can be drawn to this, some say I build castles in the sky.

The company that made my tricycle was Tobu. So many memories, so little time to recollect. If I wrote more, I'm sure you would fall asleep. They say what you are is a reflection of what you have been in the past. I agree.

The Nuances of a Godly life

Do you believe in God ? Well whatever might be your answer to the question,do read on.
How did the whole hierarchy of Gods come together ?
Who decided that any particular individual would be a god ?
Was there politics involved ?
Were Shiva,Vishnu & Brahma the leaders of the coalition government ?
Who decided that Vayu, was the God of the Wind & Surya, the Sun God ?
Did the people actually believe in these leaders ?
Did a democracy exist or was it a totalitarian state (from the looks of it was the latter, coz this government still stands) ?
Did the Gods order Dronacharya to teach Ekalavya just coz he was ST rather than the Pandavas who were obviously OC or back then was there any reservation at all ?
Was Lord Krishna, a Pg 3 regular ?
Did Krishna & Sudhama own a chariot with a side carriage & sing, "Yeh dosti hum nahi chodenge" ?
Did the opposition of the Rakshasas actually win any seats in the House Of the Gods ?
Did Vishnu command the most powerful army in the world ? (The Narayani Sena)
Did Kings play the role of modern Sarpanches ?
Did Taxila & Nalanda universities have attendance compulsions ?
Did these places call for decent clothes ?
Did the students protest ?
Was Arjuna given the status of Tendulkar & Yudhishtir the place of Ganguly ?
Was chariot racing dominated by a certain German ?
Did the subjects allow plays hurting a religion's sentiments to be performed or were they met with oppostion like the Da Vinci Code ?
Did the students have 2 options after their primary education like either Advanced Weaponry or Kingdom Management ala the modern MS & MBA ?
Do I know the answers to all these questions ?
Does anyone know the answers to all these questions ?
DISCLAIMER: THIS WAS A FIGMENT OF MY IMAGINATION ABOUT WHAT WOULD LIFE IN THE ANCIENT WORLD BE LIKE. NO RELIGIOUS SENTIMENTS WERE MEANT TO BE HURT.

The Peacock Seekers

There was something in the moisture laden wind that brushed up against me that said , "Son ! Adventure beckons". Shiva, my partner in crime was the guide for the day as it was his ILAAKA. So we picked up the equipment ie. a camera & a helmet, and made for the Gachi Pass. At the foothills there was smoke from the garbage that was being burnt, we were forced off our transportation. My Splendor had made a laudable effort acting as a dirt-bike for most of the journey. Thank you my dear faithful stallion. Then after we had reached the farthest position on the hill after which we couldn't use the bike any further, we set out on foot. This was our base camp. Armed with our weapon of choice, a SONY CYBERSHOT 5.1 MP we made our way towards the unbelievable rock formations that stood like Goliaths.
We made our way cautiously towards a formation called "the couch". After this we passed "the triplets". This was when MR.NATIONAL BIRD, sensed us approaching & made for safety, we could see his fluttering tail a few feet above the ground disappear into the valley. Before either of us could make any move, he was safely out of view. We followed the trail. But all we found were squirrels, white-striped sparrows & orangeback rock lizards.
It is amazing how there is so much unity among all species of fauna existing at this habitat. If one sparrow knows we're around, the bugger squeals & announces to every little creature, "Watchful brethren, here there be monstrous humans !!". So much for nature loving humans..hmph !
With such a resistance put all we could do is click some pictures of the flora who didn't seem to mind out presence there. The scenic beauty was tantalizing. But we could not afford to rest. Our multicolour-winged friend was growing in confidence, because sunset was almost upon us. We started scurrying around pell-mell looking for a trail. Suddenly there was a swish of wings & the creature flew majestically away from the approaching humans ie. Us. It wasn't Sir Peacock, but one of his trusted generals, Sir Eagle. Bright brown & vigilantly checking around for intruders he went & perched himself on a rock about a 200 metres away. There was no way we could reach him. So we retreated for safety before he could launch any counter measures. Vanquished and tired, we took a different route back to base camp. This was when Shiva pointed towards some good news. A thick green foliage amongst the rocks.
We had found Sir Peacock's fortress. It was deserted now & we uncovered some of his plumage which had probably fallen off druing his emergency take-off. But there was another startling discovery that we came across. There was also some skin which was shed by a snake. What was this, was Sir Peacock forging alliances with Lady Snake of Reptilia ?? We were forced to return as the sun was fast vanishing beneath the horizon rendering the sky into a flaming orange.
On our way back we unearthed sand, which we thought was strange since it was rocky hill. We had stumbled upon various findings on this day, but Sir Peacock had 'flown the coop'. But we Humans are made of stronger stuff than that, we will return. We are not at war. All we ask for is their friendship & a few photographs.

Ironically... a week later

It seems ironic that exactly one week after my exams ended I had to go for the first movie of my summer vacations. Poseidon seemed like the best way to start of this run of movies which will last throughout the summer. It can never measure up to the original but it was fast & had you at the edge of your seat. Other movies coming up this summer are 1.The Da Vinci Code 2. X-Men 3:The Last Stand 3.MI- III Atleast these are the ones I'll be eagerly waiting for. The holidays can be fun & frustrating simultaneously. You have time to do everything you ever wanted to, but you might not have the company. Treks, Drives, Parties, Movies, Financial management yada yada yada.,lots of activities ahead. Watch this space for further developments. PS:HOPE YOU'RE HAVING FUN TOO

Blog Politics

Why do we blog ? Some would say for creative expression, some would say for fun, some would say to for uncurbed freedom. The last category of bloggers have recently caught my eye.
Recently in fiery political background of Tamilnadu, we have seen the what is being termed as "vendetta politics" or "populistic politics". I am no experienced political observer but the very thought of giving away colour tvs for free was a little unnerving. In a show on a news channel, I heard some very interesting facts about the state & that it was no. 2 or 3 in the index of every social & economic indicator. In a state where the civil society has gone way ahead of the political scenario, it is saddening to see such gimmicks being enacted for the rural society. Obviously since the urban populace is predominantly ignorant to such things (my parents don't even vote !! sheesh). When AP goes to the polls, it will be the first time so I'm rubbing my hands & excited to get my nail blackened with that li'l mark. Getting to the point, a new breed of bloggers have emerged in this scenario. These bloggers have analysed the recent happenings in the state, poked fun at the political bigwigs, given serious propositions & have given birth to a whole new genre of propaganda. It is said that these blogs get thousands of hits everyday. So I'm predicting that the internet will play a very important role in deciding the power sway with internet penetration by rural societies increasing by the day. So I thought why not hop on to the bandwagon & help these guys out. My small way of saluting these gentlemen & playing a part in paving the way to the nation's future.
PS:That last part of the last dialogue was under the influence of watching a very patriotic movie.

Half Way Through & Homicidal

Who would think that a normal, sane & a mostly peaceful kinda guy would be driven to dream of killing ?
Ah yes !! All your hands go up. All you guys are writing or have written your semester exams. I see the connection. Those horribly vague papers would turn a "chicken" of a guy violent. But who cares, in the end we all need a B.Tech & I see no one doing anything about it. Enough of cribbing I say, my blogs have always been good-humoured & will remain so.
I'm halfway through my exams & pretty much its a li'l more relaxing from now since I have 2 or 3 days gap between two exams. On this day which marks "Hairstylist Day" I was considering a shave, but then it is an idiosyncracy or more like a ritual during the exams to have a rugged look (not because the girls like it,mind you) because I'm portraying "Hmph ! I don't have time to shave also".
Hey,have you heard of that poor Tam girl Kaavya Viswanathan? I know what she did was wrong but can't the US Justice Dept. excuse her, even the affected party Ms. Megan McCafferty did not press any charges. Obviously you all must've understood why I support her cause... She's absolutely gorgeous & she's 19. *Drooling*
By the way, exams can be a very entertaining exercise at times. Here's a small excerpt from a viva session that we had :
External Examiner(EE): What are rectifiers ?
Student: **gives wrong answer**
EE:What is rectification ?
S:**again...wrong answer**
This goes on for around 5 minutes.
EE: From where did you study ?
S: HPS,Begumpet
EE: **Bangs her head**,From where did you study ?
S: HPS,Begumpet ma'am...near the airport
EE:**bursts out laughing** I meant which book baabu ?
S: eerrr..ummm
Whole Lab: hahahaha ...
Me(Just leaving the lab):ROTFL
This is what someone wrote in the answer sheet of an Electronics Paper which we all agree was a little too lengthy.
Q1: *Answered well*
Q2: *Answered badly*
Q3:*Answered half correct*
Q4:*Didn't have time to finish*
Composition: Why you shouldn't fail me in this exam ?
1.I have 76% in my first year
2.I have 70% in 2-1.
3.I never failed in any subject.
4.I have 80+ attendence percentage.
5.I have taken part in many extra curricular activities.
6.I heard once a person fails in EDC, it is difficult to pass.
7.I lost my lucky pen on the way to college.
8.A cat crossed my path just as I was leaving home.
9.I did not have breakfast before writing the exam.
10.I did my EDC lab exam very well.
Well if this guy clears his exam,I'm gonna follow his path lotsa times in the future. But I shouldnt be making fun of this , coz honestly I didn't write my paper too well either & I hope I don't flunk or anything.
Damn ! I have scared myself now. Touchwood .. Touchwood. God save me.
I'd better go study for Metallurgy now.

Damn the Dam

First, Lets lay out the cards on the table -
1. The Sardar Sarovar Dam is the biggest among the billion dollar projects being constructed as a part of the Narmada Valley developmeny project.
2. The height of the dam is stated to be 122 metres.
3. If this dam were constructed,it would leave approximately 35,000 families homeless.
Now let the games begin -
How will this project benefit Gujarat ? Cities, rich farmers, industry, politically powerful lobbies, not the people from drought prone areas. Before the water can reach Kachchh and Saurashtra, it will have to negotiate-literally-the water-intensive cash-crop growing, politically powerful districts of Vadodara, Kheda, Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Mehsana. Against their own directives, the authorities have allotted Vadodara city a sizeable quantity of water. Whats the whole hullabaloo about the height ?
The amount of potential energy in water is directly proportional to the height, thus a height of 122 metres means a huge amount of hydroelectric power which can be harnessed by Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh etc. It will also provide for displacement of water to greater distances thus way making water accesible to the draught hit areas. All this is in theory.
Nice, but why is Medha Patkar against this ? Medha Patkar who is ageing & ailing is spearheading the NARMADA BACHAO ANDOLAN, a campaign to protect thousands of poor farmers displaced or threatened by the dam. Here are the stats :
- 950 Adivasi families displaced in order to construct a Project colony at Kevadia
- 23,500 families who lose their lands to the Narmada canal
- 8,000 Adivasi families (from 104 villages), to be displaced from the Shoolpaneshwar Sanctuary, created to "mitigate" the submergence of 13,000 hectares of forest land
- Families who are being displaced by 'compensatory afforestation' and 'catchment area treatment' schemes. Their numbers have not even been officially estimated
- 10,000 fisher families who live downstream of the Dam whose livelihoods will be destroyed when the project is completed.
What the Supreme Court have to say about all this ?
The Supreme Court warned state authorities on Monday that it would stop work on increasing the height of a controversial dam if they did not properly rehabilitate people displaced by the project.

Mourning the star, leaving a scar

Disturbing scenes on the roads of Bangalore. The death of Kannada Superstar Rajkumar( yeah the same guy who was kidnapped by Veerappan in 2000) has caused the whole state of Karnataka to go into mourning. A man known for great performances during his lifetime, Rajkumar affectionately called "Annavaru" was 77 when he passed away due to cardiac arrest.
But this was in the news for the wrong reasons. Under the excuse of mourning some anti-social elements took to the streets & created havoc in the Garden city. Mobs torched buses, attacked company offices and stoned police on the streets of India’s technology hub on Thursday ahead of the funeral, which was held at the Kanteerava Stadium. This caused so much panic in the city that bigwigs like Wipro,Dell & Infosys shut shop alongside schools & markets. On the other hand people like my mother who was witnessing this on TV, immediately latched on to the phones enquiring as to whether their kin were safe.
It is a known fact that in a country like ours people who are famous are almost treated as demigods. Everyone from cricket players to actors are held in high regard , not to mention the fact that some of these people even have temples to their names. The relationship between every celebrity & their admirer is only pleasant until a certain line is drawn. We have heard of innumerable cases where people have stalked their favourite stars, attacked their homes or in simple terms made their lives miserable. This sort of fanaticism is dangerous & I for one denounce this hideous unsocial episode in Bangalore.

Being politically correct

What is the matter is with these politicians ?? I was just going into the bathroom to brush my teeth & suddenly my wandering eyes happened to fall on a piece of news that was at best "alarming". This is how it went in big block letters OBC'S TO GET 49.5 % RESERVATIONS IN IITs & IIMs. As far as my memory serves me, didn't these guys already have 25-27 % reservation in some 20 odd universities.
I have nothing against people from backward classes and am no racist. But this whole incident has made me sit down & think. By this millions of deserving students might miss out on valuable seats in these institutions. As far as I'm concerned this is just a move to gain political mileage by the ministry. I have personally experienced this two years ago during my EAMCET, when a friend of mine with a humongous 5-digit rank ended up doin civil engg in Osmania University and well all of you know where I ended up... MGIT. But no regrets... LIFE IS GOOD. Getting back to the point the whole move of giving these backward caste guys a small reservation is a good idea, since many of them may not have the adequate finances to go about their studies. But a whopping 49.5 % scares the living daylights out of me. This might turn out to be a big blow to all big institutes since now the quality of their output will definitely be lower since the quality of the input due to this reservation will be lower.
A solution I propose for this is that the Govt. should make some kinda law in which the students with lesser financial resources would be given reservation coz not all these guys from backward castes are poor & not all forward caste people are rich. So I think there should some sort of assessment of assets of the candidate & according to that they should be given reservation,privileges etc.
Concluding by saying that equality in society cannot be achieved by providing the less-privileged with golden spoons & the well- to- do with steel spoons.

Busy,Scared & Hopeful

I hope the title suggests the state of mind I'm in. I've been busy with so many things this whole semester that I haven't realised it passing me. Got lots of record work to catch up on. Have to prepare for my 2-2 exams which starts April 25. Please pray for me guys !! Will blog a lot more after my exams. PS: For NIRVANA pics contact me :)

Nirvana 2006 - Colours of Life

Hardwork definitely has its advantages & I realised that during the course of NIRVANA 2006. It was a frantic one week, I slept for a measly 2 or 3 hours throughout it. There were words exchanged between everyone. Safe to say that I was the most diplomatic of them all. Coming back to Nirvana '06. On the 24th, we had "STRINGS" performing on campus. It was a breathtaking performance, but I missed a few songs as I was vigilantly making rounds of all enclosures ensuring no problems set off. That went on smoothly & there were no mishaps. The manager Shilpa gave the concert a 3.5/5 rating. Bilal & Faisal were late for the performance but duly made up for it with their electricity on stage. Now coming to the colours of Nirvana '06.
I felt icy cool BLUE everytime we drove back from college in the cold mornings.
I felt a mellow YELLOW on the day Tantra was held since I didn't have a lot to do.
I felt a dirty BROWN whenver the CH guys were bugging me about their stall & the potter demanded double the money he earned.
I felt a smooth BLACK when all the events went on smoothly.
I felt a cautious RED during the concert.
I felt a proud VIBGYOR when everything went on smoothly.
I felt a fun PURPLE during the general quiz which was hosted by yours truly.
I felt an optimistic GREEN throughout the fest.
Overall despite some jealous counterparts from other colleges, I must say, the fest surpassed all expectations a can simply called a GRAND SUCCESS. We put forth our best in every department, the events though delayed, went on well & people had fun. Concert arrangements were perfect to a T. All the members of the Crew did a fantastic job. I will conclude by congratulating who was a part of NIRVANA 2006. Lets make NIRVANA 2007 BIGGER & BETTER. But for now, JNTU exams start April 24.
PS:Photos on Nirvana 06 on the next post.

Beauty lies in the lens of the beholder

"Pictures speak a million words", oft-heard quote. I agree. The whole idea of freezing a moment for eternity on film or lately on digital bytes, is brilliant. Photography is definitely an art . They actually have courses in photography !! I believe that the best pictures are the ones that are taken impromptu. No one can ever achieve the perfect pose. Photos can depict a array of feelings. Clicking photographs of people can be an experience in itself because sometimes the innermost emotions of the person overflow onto the picture be it joy, sorrow, anxiety or relief.
Every human being is a complex person & this is definitely reflective in his photograph. So if you really wanna get to know a person, don't ask him/her to smile. Click it in their natural realm. Taking pictures of landscapes is definitely what I take delight in. Proud to say that I've clicked pics of Hyderabad & MGIT that no one else would've done. It is one's personal point of view that comes across when he takes the picture. The angle, the juxtapositioning of two things, the light, the climate are all each photographer's toys.
I'm no PROFESSIONAL & have no intentions of becoming one. So don't consider this to be gyaan, all it is ; is my take on photography.
PS: Somaditya Sinha has been my producer, providing me his cam most of the time, Thanks bro !! Keerthi Reddy, wanna become a photographer.... YOU GO FOR IT GIRL !!

Kiss of the rain in March

Seems Lord Indra has heard my prayers & provided us with some relief albeit for a short while.Just as February was dragging to an end, the heat was just adding to the woes of my already "bored with classes" life. Its the usual summer ritual in my house, the bottles of water that resided on the dinner table now enter the icy regions of my refrigerator. My antique airconditioner is serviced & restored to a somewhat better than unusable condition. And probably what my neighbours hate the most is that I roam around the house topless after sundown. To all such people I say "My house, My body, My wish!".
But this sudden jolt in the weather pattern might have brought a smile to their disgusted faces. It has been drizzling steadily in my area & the sky has remained a bold shade of grey for the last few days. Must mention that the temparature has dropped & there is a hint of chill in the air. If there were any way of expressing a scream in written form, this sentence would have it, anyway "yyyyyeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa !!!". I absolutely love driving in the cold breeze as you might have noticed in one of my previous blogs. The moisture laden winds caressing one's face & hair fluttering about are only expressions that people who truly experience this can enjoy.
Rain also means powercuts,which in turn leads to "no working" conditions. This gives me some time that I can enjoy with myself in the dark, sitting by the window sill , listening to the rhythm of the rain falling . Rain also means mirchi bajjis. These things can cause up quite a stir in one's digestive system if eaten in the wrong places, but are must-eat items in the rain. Getting wet in the rain is another thing that I love doing, but haven't had the pleasure of doing in a while.
Have you ever noticed the sun & the moon playing hide & seek with the clouds during the rainy season. Its a wonderful sight, you might be under a patch of cloud but your friend a few hundred metres away might be enjoying the warmth of the sun or the light of the moon. Many people associate the grey monsoon with gloom. But for me it represents the respite after the scorching summer months. I feel blessed when the chilly breeze pats me to announce its arrival.
The children I'm sure love the puddles, my 4 yr old best friend Aryan, who has just started attending kindergarten is absolutely fascinated by the paper boats I make.
The rain just seems to accentuate all the greenery around us. On my way to college, I pass by this village called Narsingi. I have fallen in love with it during the rainy season. But the story of Narsingi is for another blog. For now I would like to conclude by saying that I'm a peacock. Wondering why, simple coz peacocks & aditya, both dance when its about to rain.

Its party time

Saturday March 4th, was & will definitely remain one of the most memorable days in my life. It was a rocking party at The Manohar. As you can see from the pic, Spurthi & I were the emcees. We had a lot of fun pulling peoples' legs & yapping our lungs off, which both of us love. Thanks to everyone who attended & thanks to everyone who made this happen.

Meet Mr.Busybee

They(read girls who are trying to hit on you & old women who have nothing else to gossip about) say it shows when you're in love. So judging from the unshaven guise & my shaggy hairdo, it must be safe to say that i'm nowhere near LOVE.
A sudden tryst in my life has surprised everyone including me. All the workload that has been bestowed upon me requires that I give it my 100%. I have this tendency to prioritise everything according to their importance levels & start working on them. Since I have taken up multiple tasks, I need to spend a little more time than others on the workstation. This has kept me away from a bustling social life that I once was notoriously illustrious about leading.
Its sad to note that I'm on the railroad that leads to WORKAHOLICSVILLE. A place that I did not think much of in the past. But now tha I was approaching it, it kinda provided a serene trance for me to lead my life in. No buddies to help, no girls to flirt with. It was a much needed sanctuary that I had been craving for a few years now.
Status messages of "busy" , "too damn busy" have adorned my Messenger offlate. To the disdain of many I must assert. Suddenly eating at my "world famous in Ameerpet" Chinese bandi had become a Herculean or should I say Adityan task. Hadn't spoken to a friend "just for timepass" in over weeks. Hadn't gone for a drive in months( 2 to be precise). After Mumbai Matinee, it seemed I was never gonna have a first or second show.
But as Oscal Wilde quoted in one of his short stories,"Hope springs eternal" & to my rescue came Tuck Kumar. This gentleman postponed my college fest by a month & made my work obsolete. So now I'm absolutely jobless.
But what was weird during these trying days, was that I adapted to the situation well. I didn't complain to my mum that the food wasn't spicy enough. I didn't whine to my friends that I needed a hug although I needed one real bad. People started complaining as to why I had become sober & wondered if something had happened, everyone loves a wild comic don't they ??
Life seemed in colours of grey rather than the cool blue that it had always been. But I'm happy that the phase is over, but it has definitely left a telling effect on me. The metamorphosis has left its impact, but positively I would think. Just to celebrate this , me along with a bunch of friends had a STAR WARS MARATHON PARTY at one guy's place. This was to announce to myself " I'm back". After this my other job on hand is get a decent haircut & shave. Thats all for now, Cheerio .
LAST SEEN,ADITYA WAS ASKING THE MUSINGS TEAM FOR MORE WORK BECAUSE HE WAS GETTING BORED. SO MUCH FOR "IM BACK".

r"ADI"o mirchi

This blog might basically seem like an ego trip but please, read on. The last 10 days have been the most eventful of my whole life. I have to thank my dear senior Sidhu for that ( if you read.. please care to comment). Things initially started off on Jan 29th. He called & told me that Radio Mirchi was planning to setup in Hyderabad & they were auditioning for RJs. He thought I should try. I thought "Why not ?!". So I called up the place & after half an hour of dialling finally the phone rang & I was registered for Jan 31st. So I bunked MMS lab on that day & went for this audition having no expectations whatsoever.
I went there & found a huge crowd. But all decent people no mass guys, so everything went on smoothly. I was called in for my audition 3 hrs after my alloted time, this is Hyderabad man, hota rehta. Inside was the scariest room I had ever been inside. One microphone, a bottle of water, a stool & a speaker was all I could see. Everything else was black. For a moment it felt like I was in the movie PITCH BLACK, that Vin Diesel movie in which he has inbuilt night vision.
There I had to first read a script which I did satisfactorily I think & then I had to speak extempore on a topic "SHREYA-ASIN-TRISHA" in Telugu. If I tell you how I started off, it will surely make you roll on the floor. Ahem ahem ... " EE ROJU MANAM MATLADAPOTHUNAMU MANA TOLLYWOOD LO UNNA MUGGURU YUVARATNALA GURINCHI "... after this fantabulous sentence I decided "RETREAT MY DEAR FELLOW TO THE DOMAIN THAT YOU KNOW BEST" & well... the rest of the talk was in ENGLISH. After I was done, I knew I had bombed so I sped away from the scene as if I were wearing Quicksilver's sandals (I'm talking about the original Quicksilver...not me).
Then some guy who was working there, hunted me down & summoned me back. I thought maybe with my horrifying performance I might have damaged a mic or something. But to my surprise the Lady who was one of the judges actually said, "Work on your Telugu, we'll call you back". Aaaaaaaaaa ***thats me screaming inside my head***. Was delighted. Went home & crashed. My way of calling it a day. Since it wasn't a big deal I did not tell anyone. Just a few people who I spoke to on that day.
Then two days later I was walking down a road in Punjagutta when The Lady called me again & told me that I should be there on Saturday afternoon. Call it Providence, call it first saturdays, it was a holiday that day so I could attend the final round of auditions without having to feel guilty about bunking an internal. Saturday came sooner than I expected. The morning turned out to be pleasant. I met one of my favourite people on this planet. Then by 12 on the dot I was there. As usual, it was excruciatingly time taking again... It was 2.30 by the time I went in. This time I went into the same room, but on this occasion it did not seem that claustrophobic or intimidating.
I was told about my next task -
1. Had to speak against "Hyderabad is a hi-tech city"
2.Had to speak for " Sania Mirza should wear shorter skirts"
3.Had to host a show called DR.LOVE
Topic 1 - Judge says make it controversial
I started talking about Hyderabad having heritage blah blah... then to add controversy began talking about the Congress- TDP tussle.
Topic 2 - Judge says FIRE AWAY
I do not need any help to talk FOR such a topic, so went on & on & on until the Judges could take no more & they said next topic...
Topic 3 - Judge says give nonsensical advice but make it funny
Just when I thought I had given a pretty good performance, this one made me think again, because I absolutely fired on all cylinders here. A bisexual guy calls me on the show & asks who he should go for, Suneeta or her brother Ramesh... The advice I gave will surely go down in Radio Mirchi auditioning history. The judges were laughing like they had just seen a show of THE GREAT INDIAN LAUGHTER CHALLENGE. I cannot explain how I did it, you should have been there to experience it.
After this I was called out of the recording studio & quizzed about a few things. But one little thing stood out. SECOND YEAR ENGINEERING.
They said that this was a full time job & that it would be difficult for me to do both. I asked if they could work me into a night slot. They grinned and said "GREAT SHOW , COME FOR THE INTERVIEW ON TUESDAY".
They called me again to tell me that my interview had been postponed to Wednesday afternoon at TAJ RESIDENCY.
Wednesday came, attended college half-day, went home, shaved, had lunch, put on some good clothes & went to the Taj. Here I met Ravi & Chai, CSE seniors & good friends. He stated the obvious saying that it would me another 2 hrs atleast for my interview. So both,me & Ravi loitered around for a while. Then at around 5.30 his turn came. He went & was inside for 20 minutes. As soon as he came out I bombarded him with questions. He told me that it was a chilled interview... so take light bolke.
Then at 6 it was my turn.
I went inside, one guy was familiar, the other guy was from mumbai & his name was Tapas or something. It was a fun interview. Their questions went like
When did your father slap you last ?
Were you in love ?
Do you think you have the knack to make people do wild things ?
What was the wildest thing you have done ?
How many girlfriends ?
Stuff like that. Till this it was fun, then back to ENGINEERING. Anna started saying things like we need you for 8 hours. Willing to pay you around 25,ooo but we need you full time. What the hell would I say ?? Managed to blurt ," I'm good at multitasking sir, I can work something out & do justice to both roles." Don't know if I could convince him though. Anyways they said they would get back to me on 13th. My lucky number but dunno if anything would materialise.
But what I am proud of is that out of 1500 people, the 3 MGITians who tried out made it to the last 25 & I was one of them. There were thope people, like a girl who dubbed for Ayesha Takia in Super, a girl with 8 years experience at All India Radio, a mimicry artiste from Zee FM, a whole group from Wave 9 who made it.
But all said & done THE FAIRY TALE COMES TO AN END.

Sarfaroshi ki tamanna ab mere dil mein hai

I'm here.I'm there. I'm everywhere. In short I have so much on my mind & words evade me at this time.
To start, I just got back from the movie RANG DE BASANTI. To put it concisely IT ROCKS. You might think it is a light-hearted, youthful movie. But make no mistake it is none of the two. It is the kind of movie which SHAKE you & fill you with fire. Recently I was involved in this little incident in my college, which is probably 1/100000th times of what actually happens in the movie. It goes something like - unnecessary violence by the people in the system, peaceful rebellion by me & finally me supressed by the system. If you understood any of that perplexing monologue you are well informed about MGIT. This movie is slightly like another movie LAKSHYA & SARFAROSH which also tells the audience the importance of putting one's country before everything else. I have always been a little of a rebel, a little of a patriot but until the above mentioned experience I never realised that one little act of yours could make such a difference. I wrote a small article about the injustice in college albeit with a small political mistake, i referred to a faculty member as a "guy" and some gentlemen misconstrued it to be "foul language" & all this caused quite a stir.
That apart I also attended this Dream Interpretation workshop in MOOD INDIGO 2005. In that I was told that our dreams are either a reflection of what we want to do & cannot or the other meaning could be something that what you see in the dream will transpire only if we take direction from the dream itself & work towards it. Darn !! I'm being vague again. It is just that one must realise the importance of standing up for oneself. Do not crib your problems away by blaming on this person or that person. Only YOU are responsilbe for your own destiny & when a whole nation of people realise this, that is when India will juggernaut its way to the very top. Some day when people speak of me,I do not want to be remembered as a person who was a thinker, I would prefer to be reminisced as a man who was a DOER. Some people will read this blog & laugh thinking "Saala dialogues bahut achcha likhta hai". But I beseech you, do not, for only time will tell who will have the last laugh.
On this day, I tell you this DON'T LET YOUR LIFE BE JUST ANOTHER IRRELEVANT EXISTENCE. DO NOT EVER GO DOWN WITHOUT A FIGHT. RISE & TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR OWN DESTINY THEREBY LEADING THE POPULACE AROUND YOU TO ACCOMPLISHMENT. ONLY WE HAVE THE POWER TO SCRIPT THE FUTURE.
PS: I will make it a point to personally kick your ass if you don't watch the movie. That will make you comprehend the true meaning of what I have written.
PS-PS: It was personally fulfilling to see two outstanding Tam Brams in an outstanding Hindi movie

Mumbai Matinee

It was a bitterly cold morning when we arrived at Dadar station for IIT Mumbai’s annual cultural festival MOOD INDIGO 2005. A scrawny looking guy(geek as expected) received us & dumped us in a bus. We reached the IIT campus tired & frustrated because we had taken the slowest train to Mumbai. Since we reached a day early we decided to explore the city a little. Its such a filthy city. Everywhere you see there a million people around, seems like you are stuck in one of those fast forward videos. But certain parts of Mumbai are superb.
The next day onwards the competitions commenced & we split up & covered as many events as possible. While a few people went to the Entertainment Quiz, the others went to a Fairy tale book making contest & JAM. JAM honestly wasn’t upto the level one expected it to be but it churned out a few laughs anyway. I think the “event of the fest” was definitely “HALLA BOL”, the street plays. The colleges based most plays on important social themes like dowry, infanticide, corruption & strangely enough India’s obsession with fair skin etc.
Most of the performances were mind-blowing. Special mention must be made about IIT Kanpur & DAV college,Chandigarh. The following day there was a panel debate featuring Mahesh Bhatt, Srinivasan Jain & Ayaz Memon which was truly spectacular. The World Quiz was exhausting( trust me I got 5 out of 25 right !!). This day also featured The Treasure Hunt which was wild. People was asked to bring stuff like hair with split ends, live puppy or cat etc. Then Creative Writing , Potpourri & Word Games were a few other events that the MGITians took part in. MGITians are certainly proving that wherever they go they are not just there to merely make up the numbers. Though we did not win anything big, we certainly gave our best shot though we were unprepared. These fests aren’t complete without their Pro-shows.
MOOD INDIGO ‘05 featured Indian Ocean, Shaan, Shuffling Demons(a jazz band from Canada) , Vayu & Sceptre. The best show without a doubt would have to be Indian Ocean. Their rendition of their superhit song “BANDE” from the controversial movie Black Friday was a breathtaking. It is my opinion that atleast once in your life you should experience the IIT way of life. So people if you thinking of going to Saarang’06 go ahead & make plans, because it might just change your life.
PS: We did not come back empty handed, yours truly won four T-shirts in “Guess the Blockbuster”.
MUST SAY THIS IS THE BEST EYE CANDY FEST IN THE WHOLE COUNTRY