Mumbai and Chennai - Last week! The week that was...

If you were an Indian and a Chennaite who lived in Chennai, last week would have been a tough one when compared to the others.The reason being, the recent Mumbai blasts which shook the country and the Chennai rains.Well, enough information was already given by a thousand people including the media about the blasts. So, nothing much to discuss about it here.I was watching the media-game(news delivered in X,Y,Zee channels here in India) during these crisis.

Mumbai blasts - I was almost glued to my seat watching NDTV 24/7 interview popular faces to comment upon the blasts.One such person was eminent cricket personality Harsha Bogle. I was stunned to hear him speak about the blasts. Well, he spoke absolutely what many positive-minds would think at the moment. He showered his anger rightly and expressed very boldly what many of us felt(I am sorry, I don't have the video clip here). He also mentioned about a politician, who had initially commented about going for a bandh due to the blasts. Harsha asked rightly if that was necessary. I was happy about NDTV for relaying bold interviews(which was not biased and politically favorable).

The entire country's anger turned towards politicians. But my question is, 'how long will this anger last?' A week? Or till another flash news appears in TV channels? People tend to forget and move on... If we had corrected from our(the country's) previous mistakes such mishaps would not have occurred or rather the intensity would have been less!

Chennai Water-logging - Another calamity or rather the nature's winter hobby was, the Chennai rains last week. Well, we had enough of it! Few months back I heard that a 'Maha-Yaagam'(a Hindu custom or rather a mode of prayer offered by many people, at a time, in a common place; each one them litting fire separately and chanting mantras - Well, that's my definition, and not from Wiki!) was performed in Thiruvanmiyur,here in Chennai, praying for rains this year, as it was almost dry even during the end of September.And guess what,rains started immediately the day next of the 'Yaagam'. A friend of mine commented sarcastically that, it was the smoke which arouse during the 'Yaagam' that travelled across creating clouds which caused the rains.Again, that might rise a new controversy of , belief and atheism which I am not getting into.

Coming back to last week, it rained madly in Chennai. There was water, water everywhere, no single drop to drink! Apart from sea-water, the phrase went well with the massive water-logging on Chennai roads. Not just T Nagar or Velachery (the usual low-lying areas where one can see muddy lakes during rains), but even the so called protected and sophisticated 'creamy layered zones' was hit badly by the rains. In one of the local FM radio channels (Radio City precisely), 'Neeya Naana' fame Gopinath had mentioned a point about it which I felt was valid...

Gopi had asked opinion from the public shooting a question which was like this: "Chennai experiences heavy water-logging during rains which even affects normal life. Every year we record higher and higher cms of rain all around Chennai. If that is the case, then why do we fight for water in summer? Why are we not saving the water during rains? Are we lacking enough infrastructure for the same?" The questions he normally asks people are not biased and are direct. Well, I am sure that would have made a thousand people think, including me. Media does help building a better society!

Vaaranam Aayiram

Verdict - Surya deserves an applause!

Vaaranam Aayiram is about the bond between a father and a son.I am sure most sons who watched the movie would have experienced at least one 'scene' in common with their own father in life.Well, that's what Gowtham Menon, the director of the movie claims, that this movie is a real life story of his father.Gowtham Menon has never been in the list of my favorite directors before this I saw this movie or rather I never felt anything great or new in his work. Now, he slowly seams to impress me with Vaaranam Aayiram.

Surya - This man has already been my favorite actor, ever since I saw him in Peralagan. I also liked his performance in Pithamagan.In Kaakha Kaakha through him, I saw the life of a policeman in Tamil Nadu(but tell me which policeman is as handsome as Surya was!). In Vaaranam Aayiram, he has shown his talents in acting, dancing, singing, expressions, romancing, humor(a little lesser though, in this movie),body building(a special mention) and more.

Simran - She best fits the mother character than the college girl. Well, that's what a mother of a child in South India could maximum do in acting. I wonder how do Hollywood actress manage to do action movies and maintain their physique even after child birth.

Divya Spandana - Not used to the fullest in the movie!

Sameera Reddy - I liked her smile. More than director's commands, it also depends on the actor has or follows his own style of acting which most of Indian actors lack.

Special features of the movie which made me write about it here:
1.Surya and his hard work. The father Surya, his expressions and mannerisms to match that of a 60 year old man.Drug addict Surya, his arrogance and message to younger generation.His 6 packs. Manly!

2.The messages in the movie - Cancer kills(or rather cigarette smoking kills); Drug addiction and its after effects; Join the army; And the best message of all - Overcome your depression by deviating yourself into any kind of activity that you feel is worthy! The dialogue Surya delivers exclusively for the younger generation about body-building to overcome depression was absolutely well-received and an excellent thought! Well, I felt this is how movies should be, at least for the young guys who bunk their schools and colleges to watch a show!

3.Joining the army and its importance.

4.Songs - Though usual Harris Jayaraj ones, I liked 'Analmele Panithuli' (a different approach from Harris) and 'Anjale Anjale'(for Karthik who is my favorite and the 'type' of the song which was foot-tapping or rather a 'kuthu' song)

On the whole, though it has its own flaws , a good movie to be watched and I am happy Tamil Cinema can be this informative to the youth! I was moved after watching it!

Those two movies

Thanks to Praveen who shared his DVD collections with me. After a long time, I got a chance to watch 3 movies from the collection - Cinema Paradiso, Scent of a woman, Shawshank Redemption. And do I need to say that these movies are still in the list of 'All time best movies'?

Well, I did like Scent of a woman, but then the movie was entirely based on Alpacino in the background. Hence I skip commenting about it right now except for a punchline 'What a man - Alpacino!'

Coming to the other 2 movies; Cinema Paradiso - Man, Is this a movie or an encyclopedia! I have been watching Hollywood classics for a few years now. Till few years back, I was under a wrong notion that 'Manirathnam was the best director', 'Kamal Hassan was the greatest actor', 'Illayaraja was the best music director'. I feel everyone would have felt like this in the beginning till you extended your exposure. The world is so big and we have seen very less of it. After I got an exposure to these classics all my previous notions shattered into pieces. And I am happy about it!

Cinema Paradiso - A movie for a lifetime! I guess this statement will explain it all! Every single frame of it is to be treasured. For people who have not watched it yet, go for it right away. It revolves around the story of a man right from his childhood. The word 'child' reminds me of the little kid(the one seen in the picture above) who has broken every one's record of acting (I meant ‘broken records’ because, for his age what he has delivered is mind blowing). People say that the recent Tamil flick ‘Veyyil’ is a remake of Cinema Paradiso. I have not watched ‘Veyyil’ yet, neither do I want to watch it anymore. Because, I don’t want to come to a conclusion, that these Bollywood and Kollywood directors lack brains to even copy a movie properly. Well, that’s totally another debate which I don’t want to get into.

Shawshank Redemption - another masterpiece! I call it a 'Man Movie'. And the reason being, either the movie is full of men and no single woman in it or the theme behind would grab the attention of a man more than a woman. Still I forced myself to watch it completely as I was curious in knowing what made it top the list of 'All time Best movies'. I got glued to my seat till the end of the movie because; of the direction, thrill it created, the life of prisoners and the ailments they suffer from, the ruthless jail wardens, the punishments one would suffer from in jail, Andy's composed nature and patience and of course his master plan to escape from jail, Morgan Freeman (an obvious reason for anyone who watches the movie to like it), last but not the least -the master plan. This movie reminds me of 'Great Escape' , which had a similar theme.

She is 60+2 !

She reminds me of a video forward which I recently saw, where a small kid looks at her and says "You are a senior citizen now"; and the camera focuses on her, she still flies in the air briskly showing off her colours.

Another year gone but still feel the same way as felt last year, about the I-day. Another holiday? Wake up late in the morning, hold deep thoughts whether to take bath or not, out of laziness brush the teeth and have a heavy breakfast, keep watching television browsing channels for I-day special movies.

The flag hoisting, the national anthem, the songs, the special plays, the speeches , the tri-color, the excitement etc. which were made mandatory in schools and colleges seem to slowly vanish?

No way! Either celebrating for the gold medal after 2.8 decades; or the sudden disappointment within , looking at the name 'India' going lower in the Olympics medal tally; Patriotism- is still the same!

In the name of Spa

'Arpana' is her name, or rather pseudo name; real being that of Mizorami origin. She has traveled hundreds of miles just for a happy living (or rather living). She is my favorite lady among the other Mizorami girls here. Paying 700 bucks, and sacrificing an hour, you got to experience her work. She is the senior hair stylist in 'Nxxxxxxx Beauty Saloon'. No one has ever taken the liberty of hitting me so hard on my head than Arpana. Hitting I mean is, have you seen a tabla being hit by Zakkhir Hussain? That way! Well, that’s how a massage has to be, so can’t help it.

A month ago my new hair style(reminds me of Maya's curlz experience) was supposed to be new to Chennai. The stylist told me that she had learnt that just the day before I was experimented on. Somewhat similar to testing on a rat before declaring an invention. Well, this hairstyle is supposed to be 'Layers with bounce'. Does it really look like that was what my question. Before starting the 'hair-cut' she promised me that, this hairstyle is going to make a revolution here in Chennai and people will definitely give a look at me for this. And yes, they did. I used to hold my breath till I boarded my bus everyday morning while crossing the stray dogs. Well, the hairstyle isn't that bad to my eyes...

These days their services are not up to the mark. People like me are searching for a good competitor in the industry. 'Customer satisfaction' is their motto for which a lot of adjustments are being made. Customers asked to wait for hours together during power cuts(of course power shutdown are a common in Chennai, and places like hospitals and beauty saloons etc are supposed to have an alternative); someone being sent to purchase fruits in the middle of a fruit facial treatment(it is the duty of the management to look after whether the necessary stuff for a treatment is ready or not before starting it, especially in a renowned saloon); customers asked to shift locations during the middle of a session(I have seen people being helped to walk here and there in the saloon with a face mask on). The beauticians all being from the same native keep chatting with one another while treating customers. Who knows, whether they are scolding the customer for eating away their free time (for me Mizo and Nepali are not as easy as Malayalam or Telugu to decipher). Once a customer became irate and shouted at one of those girls for constantly talking to her colleague in their language.

Beautification and massaging has become a part of well being in today's life, especially for people in metros and of course for those who work in odd hours. Today, there are still men who look for brides 'tall, fair complexioned, with a long hair etc.’ Make a search in matrimonial sites or give a glance to the classifieds and you will know. In fact there are places where the guy's family quotes for more dowries if the girl has any ailments. I have not come across any such news if the case had been the other way round. Fathers of girls - wake up!

'Hanu' in Dasa

I am still wondering why I have not come up with the second part of my review. Have I got bored of reading a hundred reviews here and there about it? No matter how 'big' the movie is, these days none of them seem to attract me for long.

And for all you guys who wonder, what the name of the monkey which appears in Dasavatharam is - Hanu and not, Anu. Hanu as in Hanuman!!! I had got enough teasing while watching the movie itself. I accept man evolved from monkey, but then this 'Hanu' looks very unhealthy and skinny.Next time you watch the movie take a look at its face.

Awesome punch by Govind: Kadavul illanu naan sollala, irundha nalla irukum nu thaan solren. Anbe Venkataachalam!

Dasavatharam – My View

Though the movie released yesterday with a grand opening all over, I got my chance to watch it on the second day. Getting a ticket in Sathyam Cinemas in Chennai is not that easy, especially on the very second day of the most awaited blockbuster of 2008, ‘class-cum-mass’ movie. So I decided to head towards Mayajaal (ECR) which screened 45 shows of 'Dasavatharam' per day. Finally, when I had the tickets in my hand I was anxiously waiting till the show time. Though it cost me Rs.400 for two tickets, the actual cost should have been Rs.240 (120 each). Well, I actually dint mind paying 400 bucks at that point of time; because I was waiting to watch this movie for months, just like many others.Another unforgettable experience was to watch the movie sitting in the first seat, raising my head at an angle of 45 degrees.

The movie:
Before watching
Let me explain what raised my expectations to watch this movie. First of all, my love towards ‘Lord Krishna (precisely Vishnu) and his leela’. From my childhood (even today) I got addicted listening to stories(by means of my grandmother, animated movies, books,etc) of all his avatars. Most of the devotional songs which I keep humming would be of Lord Krishna’s. So my attractions towards the movie (or rather why I wanted to watch Dasavatharam) are
1. ‘Name of the movie’ itself (Curiosity about the 10 avatars or roles)
2. Kamal ( though I wont accept him as a 'Ulaganayagan' he is definitely our 'Ulloor Nayagan'- a legend of Tamil Cinema)
3. Mukuntha-Mukuntha song ( a short description of the 10 avatars)
4. Tsunami ( after 26Th Dec 2004, I grew a separate love for this word ‘Tsunami’, not for the destruction it caused but for the scientific truths about it)
5. The hype it created
6. Is it worthy enough to bag an Oscar award?

After watching
A roller-coaster ride! A must watch movie! 3 cheers for Kamalhassan! Well, I am not the first person to say this; a thousand movie critics have already praised Kamal since its release yesterday.

For a change, the 10 avatars of Lord Vishnu, all of which belongs to the Hindu religion have been portrayed as 10 different roles in the movie, but with a mixture of many religions. Well, the usage of religious or caste-based words is not new in a Kamal’s movie.

As Nambi of 12Th century, I liked Kamal’s costume and his justification towards the role as I felt it suited him better than anyone else in Tamil cinema. Special cheers for his biceps!

Scientist episode bagged the first place of all the others, mainly due to my interest and love towards bio-technology. Note the word episode and not the role. Otherwise scientist Govind is a normal Kamal whom we saw in any other movie. Poor actor’s skin was given a chance to breathe fresh air without much make-up for this role than the other ones.

Villain Fletcher exposed the most stunning performance and the make-up matched the role so perfectly when compared to others. A mixture of most Hollywood popular faces put together with Kamal’s negative-role acting. Mallika Sherawat has done justice for the money paid to her. Nothing more nothing less!

Dalit ‘Vincent’ is the second best in make-up and an unforgettable acting of all the other roles. As Vincent, Kamal would definitely win a many more hearts in Tamil Nadu other than his current fans count. To be more precise, support from a wide range of fans from the wide range of communities (castes) spread across Tamil Nadu.

Naidu, is my favorite character. His delivery of Telugu mixed Tamil dialogues is so original which reminded me of my Andhra-based professors in college, colleagues, friends etc. But, I felt the flaw here was, as per the story , the case under Naidu's control being an international one about a terrorist should have been handled by a more responsible officer, while Naidu is considered to be the comedian of the movie. (Remember, the movie is aimed for Oscars and just not another Tamil Cinema). Of course people who watch a movie for 3 hrs and more will expect a bit of humor in it, but I felt this(such an officer given responsibility to trace an international culprit) won't happen in real life.

The Chinese man - an extra-ordinary brilliant piece of acting combined with make-up. The stunts are stunning and it looks like a professional ‘hooo-haaa’ kind.( I am very poor in the names of these Ching-chong fights. Used to admire them in many Jackie Chan movies).

Paati (old woman) character will stay in the hearts of many due to her acting and voice modulation. She (the character) touched my heart in the climax when she actually took the dead Dalit’s head and put it on her lap crying for him, breaking the so called rules of many ‘caste-creed’ wars between the upper and lower castes in Tamil Nadu. (Of course, this is just a movie and not a real-life attempt. But I am sure this will be an eye-opener for many)

Punjabi- cheers again for the make-up, but I expected more from the role. The colors seen in the song ‘Oh Oh Sanam’ are attractive enough. JayaPradha is just another character in the movie and nothing much. I felt Kiron Kher would have best suited the role.

Bush – I liked the way he smiled at the crowd while traveling in the car. Truly reminds me of the president of America. The English accent is interesting.

Tall Musalman -Comparatively lesser dialogues. Again, I felt a flaw in the make-up done on him. His face resembled more of Fletcher's (Villain role). Actually his is the one role which didn’t attract me much.

On the whole, of all the reasons I expected, and I feel the reason it deserved an Oscar award is Kamal , his acting, his make-up - precisely his effort.

But…

Asin is the biggest drawback in the movie. Most of her scenes were unwanted or rather irritating for an ‘Oscar aimed movie’. Her love towards the ‘Perumal’ idol till the end of the movie could have suited her role if she was showcased as a lunatic. Being a normal young Tamil girl her innocence shown towards the scientist’s words on bio-technology and its importance, were an overdose or probably over-acting. She is a pretty damsel whose characterization is not been concentrated much in the movie.

Other drawbacks in the movie are the unnecessary fight sequences, rape-attempt scenes (Asin’s), a group of soldiers trying to open the temple’s main door using a wood log while Nambi trying to close it from the other side; are the ones which equates this project more closer to an usual Tamil movie.

Music is another drawback. Rahman would always have been the best choice for this movie, he being the Guru (Of course next only to Illayaraja who has become old enough to give good music these days). He knows better than Himesh.

And it is a known fact that 'Dasavatharam' is a total Kamal movie , while Ravikumar being namesake. Tsunami effects are not up to my expectations or rather not up to Hollywood standards. Remember how sea water gushed inside Titanic after the hit of an iceberg?

On a nutshell, D-A-S-A-V-A-T-H-A-R-A-M is ‘THE’ best Tamil or rather Indian movie I have ever watched. But, not enough for Oscars!

*** keep viewing for 'Dasavatharam – My View(Part2)'.

Finishing 'Thair Saadham'

Srikanth: No matter what you say, ‘thair saadham(curd rice) thair saadham’ only…No match for it!!!
Maya(sarcastically): Hey, don’t keep praising yourself every time.
Srikanth(with an angry tone): Maya , don’t call me thair saadham. One more time you do that I will kick your ass.
Maya (giggles): Why do you scold me for saying the truth. You eat ‘thair saadham’ right? That’s the reason I named you that way.
Srikanth: I eat any type of cuisine but ‘thair saadham’ is an excellent finishing. I got used to. It usually is like a thanks note in my menu.
Maya: Hmmm, then?
Srikanth: My dad eats ‘thair saadham’ with milk sweet. What do you say for that? I know you will have some comments on it.
Maya:!?!? (Went blank with a raised eyebrow)

KK mama (Srikanth ‘s dad) lives with his 'Thair saadham'. During an informal chat Srikanth had told maya that mama eats 'thair saadham' in many combinations. Frankly speaking, I have eaten it with pickle and love to have it with paalak paneer gravy. But mama eats it with rasam, and unbelievably with milk-sweet too. Will that combination work? Maama’s love towards 'thair saadham' has reached heights.

Yet another Po'em

Here is another poem, or rather a scribbling. It is a general saying that people write a poem when they are sad/depressed, romantic/being-loved, happy/energetic. This one too falls under one of the category....

Tears...

You rolled over my cheek,
and wet my shawl;
I thought you would better,
stop your crawl!

This time you made your session
a little longer than before;
Please leave me alone,
my eyes can't strain anymore.

People are watching me cry,
and I guess I must stop it now;
You trouble me almost everyday,
vanish today and come tomorrow.

My face-cloth is fully wet,
by your downpour;
Now will you please stop
embarrassing me more.

But to tell a truth
about you that's hidden;
You are my only mate who,
surprise me all of a sudden.

View Prasanna's poem from a different angle...

Hindi malum hai kya?

Whether Hindi is national language or not is a different question. Why are many people in Tamil Nadu not willing to speak Hindi - because they don't know Hindi, as simple as that! For many people in Chennai Hindi is still "Kuch kuch hota hai", " Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge". According to a NI (North Indians), Chennai is a place last in his list either to get a transfer or even for a short stay because he says "Less people speak Hindi there, how do I communicate even to an auto walla?" Everywhere in India people speak Hindi - be it Bangalore or Jabalpur.

For many Chennai'ites learning Hindi was never a 'must' during one's academics. "Ek Gau mein ek kissan raghu thaatha" - hope raghu's thaatha( grandfather) doesn't mind his profession being changed. But this is a serious issue. Hindi - National or Official language? Lets leave it apart for sometime. We are at one point of time forced to take Hindi as a language during school. Is that useful for our day to day lives now?

During my 9Th class , I remember coming out of Hindi class and joining Tamil class from the very next day just because I dint like my Hindi teacher. But then from my second class I was forced to study Hindi. I still remember "Saanch Barobar Tap nahi, joot barobar paap" - having memorising the Dhoha(like Thirukkural in Tamil) everyday with the fear of getting punishment. Today I research, by anyway is that Dhoha helping me converse with people who know Hindi?

Can the education systems be changed such that children get an exposure of spoken Hindi during school? Well, most of the Tamil parents make their children study Hindi hardly for 3 years. During that time if spoken Hindi is imparted to them, on a long run one more language will get added to their list.

Bridging it - India and China!

China :
Opens longest sea bridge.Descriptions of the bridge follows:

Distance : 32 kms
Construction started: 2003

Construction completed: 2007

Duration taken to complete: 4 years
Purpose: Connects Jiaxing City with Cixi City(2 major cities)

India(Chennai):

Opens Kathipara bridge(near Guindy). Only one phase of the bridge stands completed.Description of the same follows:
Distance: Less than 1/2 km
Construction started:2005

Construction completed:2008

Duration taken to complete: 3 years (one phase)
Purpose: Connects GST road towards Vadapalani(one phase)

Cheating....cheating!

The instructor cheated me. 3 weeks back when I checked my weight it was '_ . 3' kgs( _ intentional for light-hearted readers). Yesterday (after 3 weeks of heavy workout sessions), I could not take my eyes off the weighing machine which read '_ . 8' kgs (an increase in 0.5 kgs).

I immediately called for a personal meeting with the owner and the other trainers of the fitness center, to complain about my 'loss in money and gain in weight'. I made my face as an angry customer in front of them. I decided I am not going to compromise with their explanations.

Mr.Moses, the owner of the center decided to give a start from their side. He said, "We are very sorry if you feel our training is not satisfactory for you ma'am. But let me clarify one thing from you, did you follow our diet plans?" He then turned to my trainer and asked her if she provided me the diet plans sheet. Only then I came to know diet was 50% of the weight loss program.

I have been hogging like anything for the past 3 weeks thinking my exercises would compensate them!!! God has saved my calories!

Short Story - Bengalooru - The ultimate destination? (Part 2)

Back with Bengalooru series. Here is a true story which happened recently to a person whom I know.

After a long break and relaxation in his hometown, Srikanth is back in Bangalore . He started his career in Bangalore but developed the same in Chennai. Chennai’s dust and sun did not create a bit of dislike for him. But Mr.Kurubaani (his senior manager) wanted Srikanth to enjoy Bangalore for sometime. Their conversation went this way….

Kurubaani: Srikanth, people with your experience are thriving to fly on site. May I know the reason why rejected your turn.
Srikanth: Boss, personal issues.
Kurubaani: (to himself) I can't accept this man.
Srikanth: Sorry about that, could you please give me an alternative.
Kurubaani: You will have to move to Bangalore soon for your next assignment
Srikanth: Sir, but….
Kurubaani: No but’s and if’s please. Next week report there in Bangalore . Good day!
Srikanth: (cries within) Indha aal nadu mandaila nangunu onnu vaikka mudiliye.Why don’t managers understand we have issues. Why is that the company does not help its employees. Am I saying I won’t work. Why don’t they give me a project here. At least for sometime till my issues are resolved.

The following week Srikanth reached Bangalore at around 10.30 in the night on a dull Sunday. He took a pre-paid auto amid lots of call taxi people hounding him to take their vehicle and was travelling to his guest house clutching his luggage. The road was almost empty and desolate and Srikanth was enjoying the breeze though he was sleepy. Srikanth has already had few worst experiences there during his last stay. This time the ‘Tamil Nadu-Karnataka dispute on Hogennakkal’ added fuel to fire.

The auto driver tried to act as if he was a local by talking in the native language of Bangalore even though he knew only a few words. Suddenly Srikanth observed a motorist whizz past the auto at a fairly good speed and suddenly slowed down. A similar incident took place 2 years back while Srikanth was returning home and the auto driver stopped in the middle of a dark lonely road. A speeding auto came behind and Srikanth had to run fearing for his life. He knew both autos were following him, but luckily another auto came and Srikanth took that one to reach his home escaping the thieves.

This time Srikanth was reminded by that incident and wanted to be more cautious as he had 3 bags with him including a trolley suitcase. The motorist who overtook the auto slowed down to run parallel with the auto. He started staring at Srikanth and gave him wild looks. Srikanth wanted to ask the motorist “ What the f*** do you want?” Suddenly he was struck by a thought what if the motorist was the auto driver’s friend.

He was almost reaching his destination while the motorist still kept following the auto. The auto driver now crossed the destination and kept on driving. Srikanth got very suspicious and asked the driver if he knew the route correctly.

The motorist still followed and over took the vehicle. The auto suddenly stopped. Srikanth was going to get down of the auto as his suspicion rose to its peak. Within a fraction of second the motorist drove fast passing the auto almost as if to strike Srikanth down deliberately. Then only Srikanth realized that the motorist was drunk and it had been a holiday in Bangalore . Suddenly a hand touched his shoulders.

Srikanth turned back in a force to hit the person with his hand while he heard a statement “Welcome to Bangalore ”. That was Srikanth’s friend waiting to receive him. Srikanth smiled back and paid the auto driver and left to his room.

Lost 10 kilos...

...is what I always wanted to say. Looks like and feels like I have lost 10 kilos in a day's workout which is supposed to be my first ever proper workout session. Now don't raise your eyebrows saying "Have you never worked out till now? Shame on you!". I never used to go to a fitness center because of mere laziness. I was a trainer myself at home and was convinced with my 5 mins(maximum of 5 mins and minimum of 1 minute) aerobics/dance/workout (I keep changing its name according to my convenience). One person who constantly giggles looking at me workout at home is my mom.

Though my jeans never fit me these days as they used to, I convinced myself thinking my body doesn't need any exercise because I eat a lot and walk a lot which compensates each other. After repeated public demand I forced myself to join a fitness center and kick-started my sessions today successfully.

With lot of precautionary measures I filled my stomach from morning assuming that I would need a lot of energy to workout. Hearing my food itinerary maybe the trainer thought for a minute I need to be given counseling about ‘how to stop eating’. Well I am not a foodaholic though, but ‘Cornucopia’ at Cenotaph Road has made me addicted to ‘Continental cuisine’, while the ‘Dhabbas’ welcome me with a smile. Though the hospitality of ‘Don Pepe’ on Cathedral Road is not that good, the sizzlers they serve are awesome and I mainly go there for ‘Pussy Foot’ and ‘Virgin Mary’ ( names of drinks). ‘Eden’ at ‘Harrisons’ gives mouth-watering ‘Pastitso’, while ‘Sangeetha Desi Mane’ at Citi Center serves ‘Namma ooru Saapadu’ (South Indian meals).

Few people wanted me to stop outside food once for all, while others came up with a slogan ‘eat well, workout well’. I decided to follow the latter. Not too late though :-)

First full meal!

From the beginner’s kitchen, here is yet another successful preparation(how I decide its successful is based on my kitchen Vishwamithra’s comments – my mom). During my teens whenever I went to kitchen or whenever my mom used to yell at me for not doing any household work, my dad used to save me shouting at her back. He says never disturb a child when she is studying; and I took that as an advantage to escape household work.

Coming back to today’s recipe, apart from the usual side dishes I concentrate on, this is a perfect breakfast / night dinner which served two. It took nearly 1 hour and 30 Mins for me to display the output. It’s nothing new, but the usual ‘Roti and Sabzi’(trust me right from the flour preparation till the garnishing the entire work was mine this time); which came out perfectly well. During the middle of the preparation I had to grab an orange from the fridge and satisfy my hunger, I could not hold till my dish was ready. First time proper cooking so took a long time than usual and most of all I knew how my cooking will be and hence didn’t want to rely on that. If I don’t trust my own cooking then why this mess - practice makes things perfect!

Some few years back when I actually started cooking I found it real difficult as there were no proper guides for beginners. Hence I want to share my experience with people who are planning to kick-off your kitchen experience in near future. I would be very grateful to hear from beginners like me, experts, and masters in cooking art.

Roti and Aaloo gravy

Dough preparation:

• Put 1 to 2 cups of flour in a convenient vessel.
• Add salt as per your needs, a pinch of turmeric powder
• Those who want can add 1 tablespoon of Vanaspathi, or ghee to make the Roti’s rich.
• Mix them well with your hands to make it a perfect dough. There are many dough makers available in market. But I would suggest mixing with our own hands because it gave my hand muscles a perfect exercise for 5 minutes.
• Leave it exposed to air for five minutes.
• Make hot Roti’s with the dough.
  
  Aaloo Podimaas
  
  Ingredients:
  Potatoes – 2
  Onion – 1
  Carrots – 2
  Green Chillies – 2
  Curry leaves
  Coriander
  Turmeric powder
  Chilly powder
  Salt
  Oil
  
  Preparation:
• Boil the potatoes and carrots in a pressure cooker for 5 mins
• Fry onions in pan with required oil till it turns golden brown
• Add curry leaves, chillies, turmeric powder, chilly powder and salt.
• Add water to it and let it boil for 2 mins
• Mash the boiled potato and carrots and add to it.
• Leave it on fire for 2-3 mins
• Add coriander leaves to the gravy and serve it with the Rotis.

10,000 B.C.

2008 AD as we are in, refreshing back about "10,000 BC" - A movie of its kind! My kind of movie too! I always wonder about how 'this' all happened and changed. 'This' i mean the transformation of man, the growth of civilization, the boundaries, the wars, the languages etc.

The movie is about fight and animosity at those(pre-historic) times. Man has had so many enemies, one side its the wild animals-the large tooth tigers and the mammoths; while the other side it’s the man himself.

We can see the differentiation between men from different regions of the world, men from different civilizations. Well, we see that even now. The movie shows where and how it all started.
The pyramid construction; men being treated slaves for it; the killing of the mammoths for food; were all beautifully portrayed in the picture. One more creation with awesome graphics but there is surely something missing.

Recipe - Spice up the Fish!

Ingredients:

Fish ( preferably the squared ones) – 2 pieces
Ginger – small piece
Garlic – 3
Pepper – 1 small spoon
Green chillies – 2
Lime juice – 1 table spoon
Corn flour – 1 table spoon
Turmeric powder – 1 pinch
Salt
Oil
Onion and Coriander leaves for garnishing

Preparation:

1. Wash the fish cubes well with water and keep it aside
2. Put ginger, garlic, pepper, green chillies in a mixer and make it a fine paste.
3. Make fine holes on the fish with a sharp knife.
4. Put the fish in a big bowl; Add the paste prepared, lime juice, turmeric powder, salt to it.
5. Marinate the ingredients all over the fish such that the paste spreads thoroughly inside the holes.
6. Spread corn flour in a plate. Apply the flour thoroughly over the fish.
7. Put oil in a pan and once the oil is heated put the fish on the pan and heat it for 3-4 minutes.

8. Let the fish fry properly on both sides.
9. Remove the fish pieces from the pan and garnish it with the finely chopped onions and coriander leaves.

10. Serve it hot with mint sauce.

IT Speak - Had a break?

*non-ITians excuse
If I say ‘IT is growing everyday’, nothing new in it. But if I ask ‘where do you stand in the growth?’ are you going to take a thought about it?

If you relax for sometime closing your eyes; by the time you open your eyes the ‘world’ would have gone far away from you. The only possible way you could reach the ‘world’ would be to double your speed. ‘The rabbit and tortoise’ concept is not going to work out here. And I bet if you are not physically and mentally prepared to double your speed; then you are a loser!

Taking a long break from work, especially during your ‘crucial growth period’ is like inviting trouble with a ‘welcome drink’. Certain ‘breaks’ are unavoidable. But again be prepared to double your speed. Don’t imagine yourself as a tortoise, as the rabbits here are not fools to give you way.

The ingredients to reach the ‘world’ (that is to double your speed are); a whole you, with no worries, physically fit, mentally prepared, a good aim at the target, and of course a smile on your face(the last one is my personal suggestion everywhere)! If you feel you have them all then take the plunge – the second time! Else wait!

Shhh....No politics here!!!

I happened to visit a village near vellore where in few of the homes had no proper electricity, no proper food; water was contaminated, and more. But one thing which I could see in almost all the homes was a small television with "Tamil Nadu Arasal Vazhanga Pattadhu" written in blue. And every home had a cable connection with a few channels in which Kalaignar TV was compulsorily present.

A kind lady offered us tea as we came from far far away(from Chennai). As I was waiting for it, a small kid came home from school, threw his bag and grabbed the remote control. He tuned to 'Kalaignar Music' (am not sure about the name of the channel) and started dancing for Chimpoo's 'Kutti pisase' song. Heights!

I asked him when he will do his homework. He gave me a list of TV programs after which he said he will eat and sleep and will do homework the next day morning. This is 'India Tomorrow' (at least in villages) for us. But one appreciable aspect was every family had a 'TV' of their own and the ladies had some entertainment rather than gossipping with neighbours all time.

Struggle more and u will get.......

.......IT back!
Flash news today says "Ahmedabad, has registered a whopping Rs 1.44 crore salary offer, which is the highest in all the IIMs in India".

Heard about increasing 'dowry' for Software engineers(earning less than 10 L/annum) in AP...

How is it to be a mother of a girl child?

On the day of delivery,her prayers are to the maximum.As they say,its rebirth for a woman.But what actually is her prayer to god?Is it for a safe and non-problematic delivery or for a boy child?Well, people will definitely debate with me if I say that, as these days modern Mother-To-Be are 'OK' with any child, be it a boy or a girl.

Recently I had a chat with a woman who was a Mother-To-Be , she says her prayers are for a boy child.I was very curious in knowing the reason.She said, "I don't want my child to face the problems I faced in life".I replied back saying "Lady! come on, a child has to be either a girl or a guy.Why restrict one gender? It was Adam and Eve and destiny was, Eve had to face the consequences, no matter what." Am I right? I didn't want to disappoint her or to prove her prayers were wrong by talking more.But I felt bad thinking what if every woman thinks like this?

'Rear Window' experience

'Rear Window' directed by Alfred Hitchcock which was nominated for Oscars is a movie in which a man in wheelchair spies on his neighbour through his telescope and becomes convicted that one of them has committed murder. He enjoys being in the wheelchair as he is entertained by the various activities of his neighbours. Same way......

.....few weeks it was a great experience for me who had sprained my leg due to a minor accident at home.Sitting sedentary with a remote on my hand at one place(my bed) made me discover thousands of new ideas.Food, water, paper, books,junk all to my place. I can say I enjoyed this.Doctor advised me not to move for few days.There were in fact talks of buying a mobile commode.God saved me from that worser situation.For the first time I spent weekday afternoons at home, discovering what neighbours do. Same as what happened in the movie, I heard and saw a lot of fights,romances,chatting,cooking etc. I was not eavesdropping, but had no choice but to hear it, as my room window was on a corner of the plot closer to my neighbours respective windows.

In one window, a young girl was seen always on her mobile, I assumed she was engaged with a guy and was staying at home. The other window where a boy was yelling (a+b)^2=(a^2+2ab+b^2), and stuff. Probably his maths exam the next day(You guessed it right! I wrote this post during Half-Yearly exam time but forgot to post it then).Third window was a kitchen window where the magic of spices were disturbing me so much while I should be on diet. When I got bored with the windows I would pick my remote. Thanks to the sprain! It kept me away from so many things!

Last minute rush-up (December month)

2008-My first post this year! Let it be about 'the last few days'!

Do you postpone things to the 11Th hour and struggle at that moment? Well, I do! I do a lot of postponement and I admit I do multitasking in the 11Th hour. A lot of time goes waste thinking whether to do it or not, how to do it, what will be the consequences etc (merely speaking planning consumes a lot of time while actual implementation has to be rushed up).One good example is I never eat the whole day and finally stuff a lot of food compensating for the whole day! (I know you never expected such an example :-)).

If we give it a serious thought and look at the events (exclusively bad) that had taken place in the last week of December, that's called real postponement or last minute rush-up. No one expected Benazir's death during the year end. What about Tsunami? Well, that's god's postponement. Maybe god decided of a Tsunami in 2004 and kept postponing it till last week of the year.