He had done stints in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Pune for many years now. Marriage, a lovely daughter and strenuous projects had kept him wrapped in a tiny cocoon. His parents visited him often, he never let them stay more than a week. He had a funny explanation for that, he always said that he had become a creature of habit and that they didn't fit into the scheme of things. They didn't mind, they loved him to death, they were glad their son and his family were doing well.
He had setup his employer's Mumbai office. He was their star. He loved being in the spotlight for them, he defended them untiringly on many occasions in the face of dire litigations. He had given his weekdays to his work, and his weekend to his wife and child. It was always what he dreamt of, when he walked those cobbled, tree-lined roads of his business school.
But as in all stories, this one had its shady characters too. While he was busy giving it his all, there was this man, lets call him Mr.Shady . He plotted, with a few dim-witted colleagues to whom he offered key positions, to usurp the Mumbai office from our protagonist. A plot was hatched, large amounts of money were illegitimately transfered, and cutting a long story short, an honest man was framed. The top bosses naturally looked for scapegoat,and he was their easiest way out of a huge media debacle.
He felt quite disoriented at what had happened. Its like that feeling of moving on a fast boat and suddenly being jettisoned into the water. You don't quite know how to react, but your instincts atleast tell you to swim ashore, and thats what he tried to do, prove his innocence. His friends, who had vociferously tried to state his case in the board meeting had but one choice. To help the man that they admired, recuperate and maybe fight back.
The wife and daughter were on put on a flight to Chennai, a few days earlier. He left after that fateful day. He arrived in Chennai, to the chaos of the airport that he remembered distinctly from his flying visits to city for meetings in the last few years.
But this time it was to be different, he told himself. As the cabbie pulled closer to his ancestral home in Mylapore, he was quite surprised at how much the city had changed. Where was the Madras that he had left behind ? The political slogans on the walls now made way for wonder murals from the rural landscape and Tamil literature. All the roads were flanked by magnificent posters and hoardings. The buildings all bore smart signs of multinational and big local brands. The old British names of most roads still remained. He liked that. A huge number of new snazzy restaurants had popped up. It was almost a different city.
Secretly he wondered, what all he might have missed in his days out of Madras. He reached home in the wee hours of the morning. When most cities look at their gorgeous best, the orange splendour of the rising sun, the cool air that lingers and the few people that are scampering about doing their morning chores. That being said, Chennai was an early riser.
The ghosts of the last few weeks had taken their toll, he resembled a man who had come back from a war, a war that his side had lost. The wife and child were still asleep. He left his bags near the bed, and decided to head out to have filter kaapi (coffee) at one of the many stalls on the main road which were crooning Ilayaraja songs from the 80s, a sound that he could easily relate to. Now this seemed more familiar territory to him.
The grand Kapaleeshwarar temple that stood over the area of Mylapore unflinching and majestic for centuries now, still instilled in him the peace & calm that it did during his quick pitstops at the temple during his examination days. He decided to take a trip down memory lane, quite literally. He quickly went home, asked his neighbour if he could borrow his Hero Honda Splendor, which the neighbour, a family friend for many years obliged with a smile while warning him of the bad brakes. He nodded and in his excitement, zoomed off. He quickly made his way to what can be only be described as something that everyone who ever visited Chennai would relate to, the Marina beach. The Marina beach brought back a great many memories to him. This is where he had first discovered his talent as a batsman. This is where he had first brought the girl he had a liking towards for a walk and some cut maanga. The place had been through a major makeover, it was now a swanky promenade, and there were people old and young going about their morning walks.
He took a turn at the Ice House junction and headed for the bylanes of Triplicane. Triplicane was where his closest friend from his college days ,Ram lived. This is where most of the "combined studies" sessions happened. Triplicane, it seemed to him, had frozen in time. The bylanes were still narrow. The buildings were still cramped. The cows still took first right to stray along the roads. He felt a little disgust with himself not keeping in touch with Ram and wondered where he could be.
He drove past the Zam Bazaar market & the road took him to Bells Road and Chepauk. Ah ! Chepauk, how many test matches had he begged his father to take him to, before finally the dream came true on his 15th birthday. He remembered the entire match very vividly and made a mental note to himself to thank his father as soon as he reached home.
He quickly remembered that Ratna Cafe was also nearby, so turned out and headed there since he felt some hunger pangs setting in. He ordered some idlis, and looked around as everyone seemed to be busy conversing in hushed tones. As he sat there, waiting for his idlis to arrive, a flurry of thoughts rushed through his head.
His work had kept him occupied for so many years. Apart from that his wife and child were the only things he thought of. What he might have missed in over a decade he could not imagine. But the early morning trip down memory lane made him realise that things were not that bad. Yes, he was screwed by a company that he had given a good ten years to. Yes, he was unemployed and disgraced. But he was in familiar land, among familiar people. People who knew who he was and would support him through everything. He decided to start life afresh. The meeker side of him held him from fighting back against the big bad corporation, but the Forgotten Home seemed to give him strength.
And as history would have it, he fought back and successfully at that. But success had a whole new meaning to him now.
Mylapore - A locality in Chennai, known to be a cultural hub for many centuries.
Cut Maanga - Slices of Raw mango with some chilli powder sprinkled on them, a snack often sold on the beaches in Chennai
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Today, is this how life will be ?
Today, we have a million dreams
But not enough time, to chase after them.
Today, we have technology that makes the planet a smaller place
But where are the people that really matter.
Today, we don't need eighty days to go around the world
But where are the adventures and strange lands that once excited many explorers.
Today, we have the financial means
But where is a justifiable end.
Today, we have swanky big houses
But what has happened to the space in our hearts.
Today, we live lives of comfort and luxury
But still manage the ailmemts that our grandparents never even knew.
Today, we have those plasma screen televisions to watch sporting tournaments
But when was the last time you screamed your lungs off at a stadium.
Today, is this how life will be I ask
But obviously no answer will come.
But not enough time, to chase after them.
Today, we have technology that makes the planet a smaller place
But where are the people that really matter.
Today, we don't need eighty days to go around the world
But where are the adventures and strange lands that once excited many explorers.
Today, we have the financial means
But where is a justifiable end.
Today, we have swanky big houses
But what has happened to the space in our hearts.
Today, we live lives of comfort and luxury
But still manage the ailmemts that our grandparents never even knew.
Today, we have those plasma screen televisions to watch sporting tournaments
But when was the last time you screamed your lungs off at a stadium.
Today, is this how life will be I ask
But obviously no answer will come.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
And he declared War ... on mediocre cinema
I have been seeing some very clever cinema in the last few months, but this one has forced me to come out of movie-critic retirement. It just forces one to stand up and take notice, both in terms of pure film making quality and in terms of what lies ahead for audiences to devour on the Indian screen.
Yudham Sei by Mysskin is an intense, gripping, irregular but relevant movie. It feels like an unputdownable book despite being quite slow paced in the first half. With a plotline about the enormous capacity of male perversion and stellar performances with no real superstars in the movie, it made for fantasy cinema, in my humble opinion of course.
There won't be any spoilers in this blog, I will more specifically talk about the movie watching experience. You will be thrilled if you are one of those people who relishes clever writing. The first half is quite haphazard and gives you only a few pieces of the puzzle and leaves you begging for the intermission to get over real fast. There are very few scenes which I would call over the top, except for the otherwise stoic Cheran flooring 8 rowdy-types with just a knife from a nail cutter.
The Neetu Chandra number is unnecessary but I guess it does fit into the script, and maybe Mysskin felt to just take his foot of the pedal just before the climax of the movie.
Acting is top notch. Cheran does his role to the T, I really cannot picture anyone else who could have pulled it off. On hindsight, maybe one really can't for any brilliantly portrayed roles. But in my opinion, it was Y. Gee Mahendran, Lakshmi & Jayaprakash (Dr.Judas) who really grab at your heart. The old couple tonsured heads and all make for a frightening last few minutes.
There are two particular sequences in the movie that I totally loved. The dying words of Dr.Judas, where he says to JK - " They came at us, a family with no inclination towards violence with their power, illegitimate, political and financial ; pushed us into a corner. They chased us till we could run. With their limited mental capacities if they can commit such crimes and get away with it, imagine what we with our intelligence are capable of. Now we will do the chasing. They can do the running."
The other clever reference to Mysskin's inpiration - "Rashomon" through Cheran is subtly hidden in the conversation, should make the Kurosawa fans smile.
My advice - Take your brain to this movie, enjoy the puzzle solving process with the protagonists of the movie and do not miss a minute of it.
Intelligent plotlines seem to be the flavour of the season after Aadukalam & Yeh Saali Zindagi. Maybe they will not fare as well as their blockbuster counterparts from the respective industries, but I'm sure that a Sudhir Mishra or a Mysskin will be remembered, or for the fanatics like me REVERED in the generations to come.
Yudham Sei by Mysskin is an intense, gripping, irregular but relevant movie. It feels like an unputdownable book despite being quite slow paced in the first half. With a plotline about the enormous capacity of male perversion and stellar performances with no real superstars in the movie, it made for fantasy cinema, in my humble opinion of course.
There won't be any spoilers in this blog, I will more specifically talk about the movie watching experience. You will be thrilled if you are one of those people who relishes clever writing. The first half is quite haphazard and gives you only a few pieces of the puzzle and leaves you begging for the intermission to get over real fast. There are very few scenes which I would call over the top, except for the otherwise stoic Cheran flooring 8 rowdy-types with just a knife from a nail cutter.
The Neetu Chandra number is unnecessary but I guess it does fit into the script, and maybe Mysskin felt to just take his foot of the pedal just before the climax of the movie.
Acting is top notch. Cheran does his role to the T, I really cannot picture anyone else who could have pulled it off. On hindsight, maybe one really can't for any brilliantly portrayed roles. But in my opinion, it was Y. Gee Mahendran, Lakshmi & Jayaprakash (Dr.Judas) who really grab at your heart. The old couple tonsured heads and all make for a frightening last few minutes.
There are two particular sequences in the movie that I totally loved. The dying words of Dr.Judas, where he says to JK - " They came at us, a family with no inclination towards violence with their power, illegitimate, political and financial ; pushed us into a corner. They chased us till we could run. With their limited mental capacities if they can commit such crimes and get away with it, imagine what we with our intelligence are capable of. Now we will do the chasing. They can do the running."
The other clever reference to Mysskin's inpiration - "Rashomon" through Cheran is subtly hidden in the conversation, should make the Kurosawa fans smile.
My advice - Take your brain to this movie, enjoy the puzzle solving process with the protagonists of the movie and do not miss a minute of it.
Intelligent plotlines seem to be the flavour of the season after Aadukalam & Yeh Saali Zindagi. Maybe they will not fare as well as their blockbuster counterparts from the respective industries, but I'm sure that a Sudhir Mishra or a Mysskin will be remembered, or for the fanatics like me REVERED in the generations to come.
Thursday, January 06, 2011
Just Another Victim
He was lying there on the hard tar road. The hot sun dazed his blurred vision. He couldn't feel his legs, he thought. People were running past, but no one stopped to help him. He could figure out that the dark viscous fluid on his forehead was blood. His thoughts numbed as he tried to lift himself. He succeeded in dragging himself to the edge of the road. As he collapsed, along the footpath beneath the shade of a tree, he realised his senses slowly blacking out.
What is past is prologue !
He left his home on the outskirts of Warangal at the age of 17 to get a degree in Engineering. He had done well academically throughout his life and could speak decent English despite being educated in a Telugu medium school. His parents dreamt that he would one day be the pride of the family and his brother often teased that all the village ammailu would queue up to marry him.
He was ragged. He was befriended. He was an excellent batsman. He helped out his friends in those last ditch efforts to save the backlogs from accumulating. He discovered new things in the big city, but was never overwhelmed by them.
He fell in love. She was his classmate. It wasn't the kind of romance from the Telugu films he often told her. They wanted it to last.
It had been almost three years after leaving Warangal, he now felt at home in the single room that he shared with 2 others at Tarnaka. It was an exciting day. He was going to meet her parents. It was just the way he wanted to this to go forward. He adored her and she adored him back. He knew the urban parents would probably be easier to face than his parents back home.
His friends warned him of the dangers of going out that afternoon. He smiled and trotted off with a spring in his step. He realised that all was not normal & that maybe his friends were right. But life had to go on, he avoided the rioting crowds and walked towards the bus stop. Anxiously he hopped on a bus that was headed towards the station, because the bus to Begumpet was taking too long to come.
He hastily typed an sms on the Nokia that he had bought with the money from the paper presentation he had won, when *crash*. The glass of the window next to him splintered. The stone from the miscreants struck him on the head with a force that knocked him off his seat. An elderly gentleman behind him, held his hand and guided him off the bus which emptied in seconds. The old man was beaten, he felt helpless as he was pushed aside. He felt weak and dizzy. A White Sedan was speedily trying to escape the scene. It struck him as he wandered into its path. He remembered the feeling of being thrown many feet into the air. And then there was blackness.
The movement had knowingly or unknowingly taken another life.
What is past is prologue !
He left his home on the outskirts of Warangal at the age of 17 to get a degree in Engineering. He had done well academically throughout his life and could speak decent English despite being educated in a Telugu medium school. His parents dreamt that he would one day be the pride of the family and his brother often teased that all the village ammailu would queue up to marry him.
He was ragged. He was befriended. He was an excellent batsman. He helped out his friends in those last ditch efforts to save the backlogs from accumulating. He discovered new things in the big city, but was never overwhelmed by them.
He fell in love. She was his classmate. It wasn't the kind of romance from the Telugu films he often told her. They wanted it to last.
It had been almost three years after leaving Warangal, he now felt at home in the single room that he shared with 2 others at Tarnaka. It was an exciting day. He was going to meet her parents. It was just the way he wanted to this to go forward. He adored her and she adored him back. He knew the urban parents would probably be easier to face than his parents back home.
His friends warned him of the dangers of going out that afternoon. He smiled and trotted off with a spring in his step. He realised that all was not normal & that maybe his friends were right. But life had to go on, he avoided the rioting crowds and walked towards the bus stop. Anxiously he hopped on a bus that was headed towards the station, because the bus to Begumpet was taking too long to come.
He hastily typed an sms on the Nokia that he had bought with the money from the paper presentation he had won, when *crash*. The glass of the window next to him splintered. The stone from the miscreants struck him on the head with a force that knocked him off his seat. An elderly gentleman behind him, held his hand and guided him off the bus which emptied in seconds. The old man was beaten, he felt helpless as he was pushed aside. He felt weak and dizzy. A White Sedan was speedily trying to escape the scene. It struck him as he wandered into its path. He remembered the feeling of being thrown many feet into the air. And then there was blackness.
The movement had knowingly or unknowingly taken another life.
"Trust me, it's paradise. This is where the hungry come to feed. For mine is a generation that circles the globe in search of something you haven't tried before. So never refuse an invitation, never resist the unfamiliar, never fail to be polite and never outstay your welcome. Just keep your mind open and suck in the experience. And if it hurts...you know what? It's probably worth it."
-Leonardo DiCaprio (The Beach, 2000)
If you loved the quote from Trainspotting. I'm sure this will also appeal to you on some level.
If you loved the quote from Trainspotting. I'm sure this will also appeal to you on some level.
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
The Punekar
The Punekar article about the Pune International Film Festival. Some awesome movies to look out for.
Monday, January 03, 2011
The Year That Was
The train ride last night didn't give me enough sleep. So this can be what you would call a "sleep-deprived" post. But here are a few fond moments from the last year.
January - Madras with Chari, the restaurant on ECR & his house bang opposite the Parthasarathy Temple, Siva's place at Pondicherry diagonally opposite Bharathidasan's house & the ancient movie theatre.
February - First time in Pune, New home, New Workplace, Lots of Firsts.
March - More Pune exploring #PMPML & by foot.
April - Implemented first big project at Work.
May - Did NITIE for the last time as a student, said lots of goodbyes too.
June - Mad rains in Bombay. Sales stints in Raigad & Ahmedabad. Worst month of the year, with some real mentally disturbing stuff happening.
July - Miracles do happen,Sales stint was cut short ; came back to Pune. Started work on a super project
August - First party with NITIE junta at Elevate. Slowly discovered late night bike rides in the Pune rains.
September - Starting playing Football in the mornings, was super.
October - Played the Corporate 5s tournament, got screwed but enjoyed every bit of it. Explored Marathi Tamasha & Naatak.
November - Made my first big investment in life - A108. Visited Shanghai, Suzhou - loved every bit of the trip.
December - Susheela Raman's powerful performance at NH7 Weekender. Polka Dots, Aundh. A taste of the good old days at Hyderabad with some awesome friends.
Lets hope 2011 lives up to its predecessor.
January - Madras with Chari, the restaurant on ECR & his house bang opposite the Parthasarathy Temple, Siva's place at Pondicherry diagonally opposite Bharathidasan's house & the ancient movie theatre.
February - First time in Pune, New home, New Workplace, Lots of Firsts.
March - More Pune exploring #PMPML & by foot.
April - Implemented first big project at Work.
May - Did NITIE for the last time as a student, said lots of goodbyes too.
June - Mad rains in Bombay. Sales stints in Raigad & Ahmedabad. Worst month of the year, with some real mentally disturbing stuff happening.
July - Miracles do happen,Sales stint was cut short ; came back to Pune. Started work on a super project
August - First party with NITIE junta at Elevate. Slowly discovered late night bike rides in the Pune rains.
September - Starting playing Football in the mornings, was super.
October - Played the Corporate 5s tournament, got screwed but enjoyed every bit of it. Explored Marathi Tamasha & Naatak.
November - Made my first big investment in life - A108. Visited Shanghai, Suzhou - loved every bit of the trip.
December - Susheela Raman's powerful performance at NH7 Weekender. Polka Dots, Aundh. A taste of the good old days at Hyderabad with some awesome friends.
Lets hope 2011 lives up to its predecessor.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Must find time
I'm planning a super mega post on "THE YEAR THAT WAS" and don't seem to find. 2 days in December left to go. Must..find..time !!
Monday, November 29, 2010
A Modern version of the Orient
One of the fringe benefits of working for a multinational is the fact that, there is the international trip that happens once in a while. Although it was purely for business purposes, it would have been unlikely of me if I didn't make an adventure of it.
So here I was all alone, as I nervously stepped out on foggy afternoon at Pudong International Airport braving an 18 degree chill. Got into one of the snazzy Volkswagen taxis which were to be my conveyance of choice for the next week & headed off to the Wyndham Grand. As the name suggests it was a grand place with all that came with any other standard 5 star hotel.
The week there involved shuttling between Shanghai & the city of Suzhou where our factory is located. Suzhou is exceptionally beautiful considering that it is what we call a Tier 2 city. Jinji Lake at night can be quite spectacular with a colour changing ferris wheel at the distance. I plan to visit the Lingering Garden on my next visit there
Shanghai is a walker's delight. I would like to thank Tony Luo, Lingling Gao & Takeshi Kitamura for hanging out with me on the first night out on the town. I did all that could be done on foot.
The magnificent Bund, on the Huangpu river with the skyline of the Liu Jia Zui Financial District that could give any skyline a run for its money. The brilliant imperial buildings now converted in headquarters of banks or showrooms for luxury brands. Keep an eye out for almost every luxury brand that you might have heard of to have a showroom in Shanghai.Other significant things more to my liking were the Peace Hotel, legend has it this hotel was used for espionage during the World War II era.
You will also find a single statue of Mao & a few hundred metres the financial bull that one can find on Wall Street and now even on Dalal Street. It truly is a place of contradictions where ideology does not necessarily impede growth. Then a short walk from there will take you to Nanjing Road, a pedestrian area mainly for shopping. The bright lights will dazzle your senses, but beware of the hawkers who peddle everything from fake iphones to "ladyfuck".
Xin Tian Di, an area exclusively for bars and restaurants, is also the site of the first ever congress of the Communist party of China. It has everything from outdoor coffee shops to German brewhouses to Italian pizzerias. A great place to walk around, and it also boasts of a great shopping experience in the neighbourhoods nearby. Other notable places for shopping are the AP plaza near the Science and Technology Museum & Huahui Road.
Another fantastic experience is the Maglev train. I had the chance to get on one of them to go to the airport. It touches speeds of over 300 kmph and gets you to the airport in 8 mins which is around 50 kms away.
Food is an issue if you're a strict vegetarian like me, but only good can come after eating a few meals with boiled vegetables and rice. Thankfully there are a few dishes that will come to one's rescue namely - OU(藕）、DOUMIAO(豆苗）、RUOBO(萝卜).
(Spelling & Pronounciation Courtesy - Lingling)
The honesty and the work ethic of the Chinese is clearly something that is commendable and that is responsible for their present position in the international business scene.The sights and sounds of a modern fast growing China will always be afresh in my memories for a long time to come.
My only regret is that I didn't get to experience much of the traditional China, but that will be dealt with on my next trip, I hope.
Will probably Phlog or Picasa most of the photographs. So ping me or leave a comment with your email id incase you are interested.
So here I was all alone, as I nervously stepped out on foggy afternoon at Pudong International Airport braving an 18 degree chill. Got into one of the snazzy Volkswagen taxis which were to be my conveyance of choice for the next week & headed off to the Wyndham Grand. As the name suggests it was a grand place with all that came with any other standard 5 star hotel.
The week there involved shuttling between Shanghai & the city of Suzhou where our factory is located. Suzhou is exceptionally beautiful considering that it is what we call a Tier 2 city. Jinji Lake at night can be quite spectacular with a colour changing ferris wheel at the distance. I plan to visit the Lingering Garden on my next visit there
Shanghai is a walker's delight. I would like to thank Tony Luo, Lingling Gao & Takeshi Kitamura for hanging out with me on the first night out on the town. I did all that could be done on foot.
The magnificent Bund, on the Huangpu river with the skyline of the Liu Jia Zui Financial District that could give any skyline a run for its money. The brilliant imperial buildings now converted in headquarters of banks or showrooms for luxury brands. Keep an eye out for almost every luxury brand that you might have heard of to have a showroom in Shanghai.Other significant things more to my liking were the Peace Hotel, legend has it this hotel was used for espionage during the World War II era.
You will also find a single statue of Mao & a few hundred metres the financial bull that one can find on Wall Street and now even on Dalal Street. It truly is a place of contradictions where ideology does not necessarily impede growth. Then a short walk from there will take you to Nanjing Road, a pedestrian area mainly for shopping. The bright lights will dazzle your senses, but beware of the hawkers who peddle everything from fake iphones to "ladyfuck".
Xin Tian Di, an area exclusively for bars and restaurants, is also the site of the first ever congress of the Communist party of China. It has everything from outdoor coffee shops to German brewhouses to Italian pizzerias. A great place to walk around, and it also boasts of a great shopping experience in the neighbourhoods nearby. Other notable places for shopping are the AP plaza near the Science and Technology Museum & Huahui Road.
Another fantastic experience is the Maglev train. I had the chance to get on one of them to go to the airport. It touches speeds of over 300 kmph and gets you to the airport in 8 mins which is around 50 kms away.
Food is an issue if you're a strict vegetarian like me, but only good can come after eating a few meals with boiled vegetables and rice. Thankfully there are a few dishes that will come to one's rescue namely - OU(藕）、DOUMIAO(豆苗）、RUOBO(萝卜).
(Spelling & Pronounciation Courtesy - Lingling)
The honesty and the work ethic of the Chinese is clearly something that is commendable and that is responsible for their present position in the international business scene.The sights and sounds of a modern fast growing China will always be afresh in my memories for a long time to come.
My only regret is that I didn't get to experience much of the traditional China, but that will be dealt with on my next trip, I hope.
Will probably Phlog or Picasa most of the photographs. So ping me or leave a comment with your email id incase you are interested.
Friday, November 19, 2010
It happened one night
One of them got back quite late from work. The other was waiting for the power to come back on. Both hadn't eaten. So they decided to go to one of those "late night- roadside-edible but hot food" places close to home.
So the piping hot pav bhaji came, and so did some not great but equally hot coffee. The rain had started off again meanwhile. Some pretty girls came and sat next to the table beside them. SD Burman, Manna Dey & Mohammad Rafi were putting on quite a show on the radio that night.
As the minutes passed by, the thrashing of the raindrops on the asbestos roof got stronger and sunk Rafi's voice into a minute moan. The empty tables on the roadside which were unoccupied rattled for a bit before flying away atleast a 100 metres. The raindrops were now hurtling towards us at a variety of angles.
One of them panicked a little bit, there was no power, trees were being pushed down by the strong hydraulic waves that came from the skies. The customers, the waiter and the cook were now huddled into a small room with a shutter now. The cigarette smoke & the coffee cups seemed to be the only source of warmth as the mercury dipped.
Flashes of lightning whips could be seen from the corner of one's eye. The Thunder claps were remnant of being next to the speakers in one of those rock concerts. Deafening.
The wind subsided. They ran back into the comfort of their concrete homes. It was an intense night. One that definitely deserved to be documented.
So the piping hot pav bhaji came, and so did some not great but equally hot coffee. The rain had started off again meanwhile. Some pretty girls came and sat next to the table beside them. SD Burman, Manna Dey & Mohammad Rafi were putting on quite a show on the radio that night.
As the minutes passed by, the thrashing of the raindrops on the asbestos roof got stronger and sunk Rafi's voice into a minute moan. The empty tables on the roadside which were unoccupied rattled for a bit before flying away atleast a 100 metres. The raindrops were now hurtling towards us at a variety of angles.
One of them panicked a little bit, there was no power, trees were being pushed down by the strong hydraulic waves that came from the skies. The customers, the waiter and the cook were now huddled into a small room with a shutter now. The cigarette smoke & the coffee cups seemed to be the only source of warmth as the mercury dipped.
Flashes of lightning whips could be seen from the corner of one's eye. The Thunder claps were remnant of being next to the speakers in one of those rock concerts. Deafening.
The wind subsided. They ran back into the comfort of their concrete homes. It was an intense night. One that definitely deserved to be documented.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
A smorgasbord of cultures
So I've been exploring a lot of Marathi Culture in Pune which actually gives you a better oppurtunity of doing so, rather than its cosmopolitan big brother Bombay.But of course this post is not some sort of social commentary on either of the cities.
Its more about how things that we see as alien to one another are actually quite alike. I am what you would call a Madrasi . I probably fit the colloquial definition of a Madrasi as told to me by one of my Bombay-bred friends apart from the Lungi wearing part. A Madrasi is technically anyone south of Maharasthra, he may also be referred to as Anna. But most Telugus, Kannadigas & Malayalis are often quick to react upon the use of this term to correct the user that they are actually from a different state. But I for one am comfortable with the term, born in Mylapore, bred in Ameerpet (till I finished my Engineering), then spending early days of manhood in Powai, before finally moving to Nigdi to make something of myself, its been quite a ride.
But what it has done is, it has made me culturally sensitive. Having parents who were strictly grounded to their roots made sure that I was well versed with Tamil Culture. The friends I have from Hyderabad, made sure that a Telugu gentleman was also bred in me. The folks at Pune are now watching the Maratha in me bloom.
Proof of this is the fact that I have started listening to loads of Marathi music from the late 80s (I love that era fyi). I am in love with Misal Pav & I have added Archana Joglekar to the ideal partner list after - Shobana ,Revathi ,Gayatri Joshi & Amala.
So the next time you find me making racist jokes, you know its because of my love for the plethora of peoples in our country rather than my contempt for them. Maharashtra boasts of great theatre scene due to their tamasha traditions, apart from boasting of great singers like the Mangeshkar family and Suresh Wadkar. Of course, they could do without all the "armies" that they have, but if you looked at it from the eyes of an optimist, you could tell that some of them really think that their culture would get diluted and cease to exist, beats me, but I'd like to think that I'm a puritan in some ways too(I hated it that the IPL had better ratings than test cricket & I also hate that single screens are disappearing one per day). Despite my love for Bombay, I hate the crowds and the insanity of the inter city travel. Sometimes I like to imagine what it would have been to live in the Bombay of the 70s or 80s before the multitudes were here.
Now playing - Kevha Tari Pahate from Nivdung
Its more about how things that we see as alien to one another are actually quite alike. I am what you would call a Madrasi . I probably fit the colloquial definition of a Madrasi as told to me by one of my Bombay-bred friends apart from the Lungi wearing part. A Madrasi is technically anyone south of Maharasthra, he may also be referred to as Anna. But most Telugus, Kannadigas & Malayalis are often quick to react upon the use of this term to correct the user that they are actually from a different state. But I for one am comfortable with the term, born in Mylapore, bred in Ameerpet (till I finished my Engineering), then spending early days of manhood in Powai, before finally moving to Nigdi to make something of myself, its been quite a ride.
But what it has done is, it has made me culturally sensitive. Having parents who were strictly grounded to their roots made sure that I was well versed with Tamil Culture. The friends I have from Hyderabad, made sure that a Telugu gentleman was also bred in me. The folks at Pune are now watching the Maratha in me bloom.
Proof of this is the fact that I have started listening to loads of Marathi music from the late 80s (I love that era fyi). I am in love with Misal Pav & I have added Archana Joglekar to the ideal partner list after - Shobana ,Revathi ,Gayatri Joshi & Amala.
So the next time you find me making racist jokes, you know its because of my love for the plethora of peoples in our country rather than my contempt for them. Maharashtra boasts of great theatre scene due to their tamasha traditions, apart from boasting of great singers like the Mangeshkar family and Suresh Wadkar. Of course, they could do without all the "armies" that they have, but if you looked at it from the eyes of an optimist, you could tell that some of them really think that their culture would get diluted and cease to exist, beats me, but I'd like to think that I'm a puritan in some ways too(I hated it that the IPL had better ratings than test cricket & I also hate that single screens are disappearing one per day). Despite my love for Bombay, I hate the crowds and the insanity of the inter city travel. Sometimes I like to imagine what it would have been to live in the Bombay of the 70s or 80s before the multitudes were here.
Now playing - Kevha Tari Pahate from Nivdung
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
October - Not my most favourite month
October is here. Its not been my most favourite month in the last few years for a variety of reasons which I do not want to recollect. Unfortunately or Fortunately, I am one of those people who uses discretionary amnesia as a tool for happiness in life.
But thankfully I do not have too many complaints for this month. In a conversation with someone, the someone happened to remark about me dreaming too much. I said of course, remember The Designer Mug.
I often feel like the kid in the bench next to window. I know everyone says that they were last benchers for the coolness of it, but I was a strict window bench person. High School, Junior College, Engineering and whenever I had a chance during NITIE, I was always the occupant of the window seat. I guess childhood habits die hard, I still have a desk next to a huge window at work. Of course the view isn't too fancy, the vista has utilities and the never ending sky. But windows are windows all the same.
In other news, I picked up two books on a trip to find awesome Misal Pav in pune. Bought "The Immortals of Meluha" by Amish Tripathi & " A collection of Short stories " by Kipling. Reviews of that will follow in a while. I'm halfway through the Indian adventure book which is quite a pageturner actually.
Also started watching this awesome series called Spartacus: Blood & Sand, which is a 300 meets Gladiator concept made into series. R rated for sure, not for the weak-hearted. Good plotline, and plenty of grey shaded characters.
Now playing on loop : Idhu Enna Mayam - Oram Po. #Brilliant song
But thankfully I do not have too many complaints for this month. In a conversation with someone, the someone happened to remark about me dreaming too much. I said of course, remember The Designer Mug.
I often feel like the kid in the bench next to window. I know everyone says that they were last benchers for the coolness of it, but I was a strict window bench person. High School, Junior College, Engineering and whenever I had a chance during NITIE, I was always the occupant of the window seat. I guess childhood habits die hard, I still have a desk next to a huge window at work. Of course the view isn't too fancy, the vista has utilities and the never ending sky. But windows are windows all the same.
In other news, I picked up two books on a trip to find awesome Misal Pav in pune. Bought "The Immortals of Meluha" by Amish Tripathi & " A collection of Short stories " by Kipling. Reviews of that will follow in a while. I'm halfway through the Indian adventure book which is quite a pageturner actually.
Also started watching this awesome series called Spartacus: Blood & Sand, which is a 300 meets Gladiator concept made into series. R rated for sure, not for the weak-hearted. Good plotline, and plenty of grey shaded characters.
Now playing on loop : Idhu Enna Mayam - Oram Po. #Brilliant song
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
Will these Rains end ?
I was cribbing about the endless rains to a friend. The friend asked me," But I thought you loved the rains? ". Yes I do, when I have a washing machine to wash and dry my clothes, hot coffee and good company to take a walk.
Recently,my complaints to the rain god have also been about one of my most favourite things in the world.
FOOTBALL
See I have this tournament coming up and finally convinced folks from the factory to come play football and a few of us are meeting up every morning before work. But then there is the little problem of the mud grounds that we have. Due to the rains, they become unruly and rugged. We need to legs with shock absorbers to play on those grounds.
On a tangential topic, recently read that Actor Murali passed away at the age of 46. My condolences to his family. But you the weird part, I was immediately reminded of the song "April Mayile" from his biggest hit Idhayam. To the non Tamil cinema follower let me explain the funny bit. Murali was an actor known to play soft romantic roles, case in point - the movie Idhayam.
The song I'm talking about is picturised on a couple of young Roadside Romeos in Madras (led by a young unrecognizable Prabhudeva) and talks about how all the pasumai (greenery referring to the young women) disappears in April May. Woo ! That went over most of your heads, Didn't it ?
Anyway, I need to get back to fantasizing about tomorrow's football session.
Football in the mornings = Getting back in shape = Sharp at work = Overall Good.
Recently,my complaints to the rain god have also been about one of my most favourite things in the world.
FOOTBALL
See I have this tournament coming up and finally convinced folks from the factory to come play football and a few of us are meeting up every morning before work. But then there is the little problem of the mud grounds that we have. Due to the rains, they become unruly and rugged. We need to legs with shock absorbers to play on those grounds.
On a tangential topic, recently read that Actor Murali passed away at the age of 46. My condolences to his family. But you the weird part, I was immediately reminded of the song "April Mayile" from his biggest hit Idhayam. To the non Tamil cinema follower let me explain the funny bit. Murali was an actor known to play soft romantic roles, case in point - the movie Idhayam.
The song I'm talking about is picturised on a couple of young Roadside Romeos in Madras (led by a young unrecognizable Prabhudeva) and talks about how all the pasumai (greenery referring to the young women) disappears in April May. Woo ! That went over most of your heads, Didn't it ?
Anyway, I need to get back to fantasizing about tomorrow's football session.
Football in the mornings = Getting back in shape = Sharp at work = Overall Good.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Same old Same old
Yes thats something I've been saying too often to too many people. Five days of the week are good, the daytimes keep me occupied, the nights are majorly for entertaining myself & well earned sleep.
As I might be mentioning for the three hundred and forty seventh time, weekends are cool too. Major activities include laundry,napping,TV,reading,Pune exploring and eating out.So they keep me quite busy too. But this post is not about my schedule now, is it.
Its true what they say you know,about the Devil taking over when you are idle and making your head his workshop and all that. I'm sure this would have come up somewhere earlier in this blog incase you've ever had the patience to skim through the older posts or better yet, if you have been a regular in this space.
The commute from Factory to Home and back just scares me, its free time, thats where the Blackberry comes in handy to keep oneself busy. Someone on facebook recently said something very profound, but true, that the key to happiness is a bad memory. That is something I have not been blessed with, but the courage to move on is something that I have imbibed. Thats how life works, right.
It throws shit your away, you maneuver around, use a few counter measures, evade and survive, we move on. But this is something that puzzles me, if we move on, it does not mean that we leave all the happy memories behind. Case in point being,my alma mater. I had immense fun, met some great people, learned so much and even owe where I am in life today to that place. But strangely,I do not yearn of it like so many others do. There could be many reasons to it, and I obviously am not going to sit and analyse them. Purpose of this post - To let everyone know, whatever happens, Forward is the only way to go. The past may guide us, but only the the Future will define us.
*Wow ! Good Line that - guiding and defining. Pats self on back*
As I might be mentioning for the three hundred and forty seventh time, weekends are cool too. Major activities include laundry,napping,TV,reading,Pune exploring and eating out.So they keep me quite busy too. But this post is not about my schedule now, is it.
Its true what they say you know,about the Devil taking over when you are idle and making your head his workshop and all that. I'm sure this would have come up somewhere earlier in this blog incase you've ever had the patience to skim through the older posts or better yet, if you have been a regular in this space.
The commute from Factory to Home and back just scares me, its free time, thats where the Blackberry comes in handy to keep oneself busy. Someone on facebook recently said something very profound, but true, that the key to happiness is a bad memory. That is something I have not been blessed with, but the courage to move on is something that I have imbibed. Thats how life works, right.
It throws shit your away, you maneuver around, use a few counter measures, evade and survive, we move on. But this is something that puzzles me, if we move on, it does not mean that we leave all the happy memories behind. Case in point being,my alma mater. I had immense fun, met some great people, learned so much and even owe where I am in life today to that place. But strangely,I do not yearn of it like so many others do. There could be many reasons to it, and I obviously am not going to sit and analyse them. Purpose of this post - To let everyone know, whatever happens, Forward is the only way to go. The past may guide us, but only the the Future will define us.
*Wow ! Good Line that - guiding and defining. Pats self on back*
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Fingerlickin' Good
What more can you ask for on a lazy Sunday morning. Pedro and I braved the rain to go have the most yummmazing breakfast in a long time. A gorgeous dosa with sexy molagapodi(chilli powder) and hot filter kaapi. It doesn't get any better than this ladies and gents. I think I'm so much in love with my breakfast today,that I don't think I want to corrupt the lingering taste by having lunch. So today I shall fast, until I get hungry again that is.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Comic Strip Relief
From NITIE to NIGDI, a new comic strip series from the inner cranium of blogger Aditya Narayanan recently took off on a Friday after some random incidents at his residence led him to the belief that his home is really fun place and that the little anecdotes from there that should be shared with the world.
The characters in the series are mainly based on the residents of the Nigdi Apartment, namely
Adi - The person creating this comic strip,often portrayed as a sarcastic, debonair yet bumbling personality.
Su - The dashing superhero character who is heavily influenced by Bollywood films but is supposedly innocent at heart.
Pedro - The funniest of the lot, naive and goodlooking, often ends up being the butt of the joke.
The Incredible Pulk - His burp is known to be scare the most majestic of lions, The Pulk is usually a friendly character and loves food.
Producers have revealed that other characters who are friends of the Nigdi quartet will also show up on special episodes. Shown below is Episode 2
You can find the series at :
http://www.stripcreator.com/comics/adityagn
Disclaimer: Those of you who do not know these characters might find the strip quite boring, so apologies. But someday, I will expand my horizons
The characters in the series are mainly based on the residents of the Nigdi Apartment, namely
Adi - The person creating this comic strip,often portrayed as a sarcastic, debonair yet bumbling personality.
Su - The dashing superhero character who is heavily influenced by Bollywood films but is supposedly innocent at heart.
Pedro - The funniest of the lot, naive and goodlooking, often ends up being the butt of the joke.
The Incredible Pulk - His burp is known to be scare the most majestic of lions, The Pulk is usually a friendly character and loves food.
Producers have revealed that other characters who are friends of the Nigdi quartet will also show up on special episodes. Shown below is Episode 2
You can find the series at :
http://www.stripcreator.com/comics/adityagn
Disclaimer: Those of you who do not know these characters might find the strip quite boring, so apologies. But someday, I will expand my horizons
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Normal Service Resumed
So I'm back ,after two whole months of web silence I thought it was high time I infused life in my dearly beloved blog. Also, I seem to have caught a break from the everyday workload. Today seems a little lighter.
The boat has been rocked severely in the past month, infact it came close to capsizing also, but God (read as Special Requirement for Resource)threw me a lifejacket. Excuse the metaphors, but I guess it was a much needed wake up call towards the harsh truth of life, since I was beginning to get quite complacent. So now, the shield is back and battle ready. I have since then, come back to Pune and life has probably come back to normal.
I'm working in a field that I'm passionate about, so no clash of heart and head happens. Having a day job saving the world's resources, on a very micro level albeit is quite a brownie point for the conscience. At work, I have a desk which is adjacent to a huge glass slab, so it makes for an energy efficient office and gives me a large scope to look out onto the premises and day dream. It would have been an ideal location for my last bench days during Engineering, which were spent day dreaming of the future. There are obviously many choices, many factors that have influenced my being at this point in time at this place, but I would contribute a major portion of the pie to my day dreams.
Not taking a poke at the much discussed topic of the movie "Inception", I would urge everyone to dream. I know, I still dream. Honest advice though, don't dream while driving.I speak from personal experience.
Now playing - Maathey from Morning Raga
PS: Proud Moment, after 5 yrs, I finally have a new phone. A Blackberry at that.
The boat has been rocked severely in the past month, infact it came close to capsizing also, but God (read as Special Requirement for Resource)threw me a lifejacket. Excuse the metaphors, but I guess it was a much needed wake up call towards the harsh truth of life, since I was beginning to get quite complacent. So now, the shield is back and battle ready. I have since then, come back to Pune and life has probably come back to normal.
I'm working in a field that I'm passionate about, so no clash of heart and head happens. Having a day job saving the world's resources, on a very micro level albeit is quite a brownie point for the conscience. At work, I have a desk which is adjacent to a huge glass slab, so it makes for an energy efficient office and gives me a large scope to look out onto the premises and day dream. It would have been an ideal location for my last bench days during Engineering, which were spent day dreaming of the future. There are obviously many choices, many factors that have influenced my being at this point in time at this place, but I would contribute a major portion of the pie to my day dreams.
Not taking a poke at the much discussed topic of the movie "Inception", I would urge everyone to dream. I know, I still dream. Honest advice though, don't dream while driving.I speak from personal experience.
Now playing - Maathey from Morning Raga
PS: Proud Moment, after 5 yrs, I finally have a new phone. A Blackberry at that.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
The rush of one's own earnings !
"How things have changed ?",I smile to myself these days. I've been on my own money for 4 months now. Its more than enough to sustain my expenses and do some spending.
I hang out with Abhijit, a good friend of mine from my engineering days almost every weekend in Pune City, exploring and eating out. He works at a PR firm. So he is doing pretty well too. We often reminisce of the way we were a few years ago. Those were the days when we were always doing monetary calculations.
Budgets for treats.
Sharing dishes when we realised the place was quite expensive.
Cost cutting at every step of the way.
But of course, these statements hold good only for the ones who felt guilty about spending their parents' money.
But now things are different, we have our own cash to burn. Abhijit & I are often spending on each other, occasionally we smile to ourselves and say - if this was back in college, this money would have gotten on the I Owe You list, but not now.
Its a rush to have one's own earnings to blow up. That being said, I still have a bad habit asking my folks for loose change.
- Good to know somethings don't change. -
I hang out with Abhijit, a good friend of mine from my engineering days almost every weekend in Pune City, exploring and eating out. He works at a PR firm. So he is doing pretty well too. We often reminisce of the way we were a few years ago. Those were the days when we were always doing monetary calculations.
Budgets for treats.
Sharing dishes when we realised the place was quite expensive.
Cost cutting at every step of the way.
But of course, these statements hold good only for the ones who felt guilty about spending their parents' money.
But now things are different, we have our own cash to burn. Abhijit & I are often spending on each other, occasionally we smile to ourselves and say - if this was back in college, this money would have gotten on the I Owe You list, but not now.
Its a rush to have one's own earnings to blow up. That being said, I still have a bad habit asking my folks for loose change.
- Good to know somethings don't change. -
Sunday, May 09, 2010
Is it that easy ?
You would think that you wake up one morning and feel an entire gamut of episodes in your head. You would think that it is easy to just compartmentalise each one of them, and well put pen to paper or literally speaking, put finger to keypad.
Is it that easy ?
To me writing has always been therapeutic, be it on a public forum and an awfully long mail that is, to put it subtly "saved as draft". I always wrote for myself, wrote pieces that made me ponder - either during those lonely travels or those boring afternoons. A wise man once told me that too much analysis always leads to paralysis. Yes, there could be a minor issue, analysing every little detail, every little action, wondering why that happened ? Painful, to the extent of physical pain on the upper left side of the brain. (Don't mind that, its just the overdose of medical sitcoms talking)
But I know I'm not spitting it all out. I don't need to. Things left riddles always keep me interested. Some experiences I just don't want to write about, because my words would never be able to do justice to the experience. Experiences are more often than not associated with people. Good people, each unique, each one more interesting than the other.
Its funny how people get associated with experiences - like the road trips, like the late night movies, like the rains, like those music concerts. Whats even funnier is the fact I get reminded of them each and every time I do that particular thing, albeit for a brief second.
Am I nostalgia freak ? Oui.
But in a good way. I don't sit around and sulk that those experiences won't be happening anymore. I'm like that travelling suitcase with stickers from every country it has ever been to. I don't know if I'll be there again, but I'll proudly wear that sticker.
Nostalgia is actually a far more stronger feeling for those like me, viz those cursed with boon of good memory. Talk about oxymorons. Here's another one - I have started to think that I'm simple in a very complicated kind of way. Well, I believe that should be enough for today. Someday you will find me bruised and plastered thanks to all those complications and I have a bad feeling that day is imminent.
Is it that easy ?
To me writing has always been therapeutic, be it on a public forum and an awfully long mail that is, to put it subtly "saved as draft". I always wrote for myself, wrote pieces that made me ponder - either during those lonely travels or those boring afternoons. A wise man once told me that too much analysis always leads to paralysis. Yes, there could be a minor issue, analysing every little detail, every little action, wondering why that happened ? Painful, to the extent of physical pain on the upper left side of the brain. (Don't mind that, its just the overdose of medical sitcoms talking)
But I know I'm not spitting it all out. I don't need to. Things left riddles always keep me interested. Some experiences I just don't want to write about, because my words would never be able to do justice to the experience. Experiences are more often than not associated with people. Good people, each unique, each one more interesting than the other.
Its funny how people get associated with experiences - like the road trips, like the late night movies, like the rains, like those music concerts. Whats even funnier is the fact I get reminded of them each and every time I do that particular thing, albeit for a brief second.
Am I nostalgia freak ? Oui.
But in a good way. I don't sit around and sulk that those experiences won't be happening anymore. I'm like that travelling suitcase with stickers from every country it has ever been to. I don't know if I'll be there again, but I'll proudly wear that sticker.
Nostalgia is actually a far more stronger feeling for those like me, viz those cursed with boon of good memory. Talk about oxymorons. Here's another one - I have started to think that I'm simple in a very complicated kind of way. Well, I believe that should be enough for today. Someday you will find me bruised and plastered thanks to all those complications and I have a bad feeling that day is imminent.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
The BAND Wagon
I remember this song called Sadho Re which was often aired a few years ago. With that song, Agnee made a little bit of a statement, with a fresh new sound, not often heard in Indian rock circles.
A few years later, I had the pleasure of chancing upon a few more of their numbers. "Shaam Tanha" has a very sprightly feel to it and a nicely made animated video. "Ranjhana Yaar Di" is a brilliant song, which tells a whole story in a single video. But I think the best of lot, IMHO, has to be the wordless Theme for MTV Splitsvilla. Its a poignant song in which Mohan's enchanting voice & Koko's spectacular guitar work come to the fore.
With this I think I have found my quadruplet of Indian Bands I love made up of Avial, Pentagram, Parikrama & now Agnee
A few years later, I had the pleasure of chancing upon a few more of their numbers. "Shaam Tanha" has a very sprightly feel to it and a nicely made animated video. "Ranjhana Yaar Di" is a brilliant song, which tells a whole story in a single video. But I think the best of lot, IMHO, has to be the wordless Theme for MTV Splitsvilla. Its a poignant song in which Mohan's enchanting voice & Koko's spectacular guitar work come to the fore.
With this I think I have found my quadruplet of Indian Bands I love made up of Avial, Pentagram, Parikrama & now Agnee
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