The prodigious thingummyjig!

A cool dude once drew a line of comparison between Batman and Iron Man where the former is weighed down by the secret he is living as a superhero where people knew him only as Bruce Wayne, whereas the latter was extravagant in his exhibition to the world that he indeed was Tony Stark who is the Iron Man. Though I personally hands-down venerate both of these ever- imperturbable super-heroes, the wise dude who quoted the comparison, has incepted a seed of thought in my idle brain for me to deliberate.

Drawing the analogy from the above comparison, I am now convinced that when you have a phone that you and the world thinks is the best creation ever made by Mankind, would you not want to brag and be known? Yes, like Tony Stark. Okay so now pops up the question “What kind of phone will make me do that?” That, buddy is indeed a composite issue. Let me unravel it for you.

A “smart phone” is similar to a super-hero. It sees what you and I cannot see, it does things you and I cannot do. Yes, just like the ASUS Zenphone. Admit it, it is “smart”, else we wouldn’t label it so. So what’s special about my phone? It has the eye of an eagle in its 1000 Mega Pixel camera. It is as fast as Zeus’ thunderbolt, that you would feel the earth scurrying here and there at the mere stroke of the water-proof impenetrable shield it dons, with your finger. It has the voodoo-ism of reading your thoughts (no, no! only thoughts YOU WANT IT to read) and prepares itself for an everyday with you. It is your virtual personal assistant (I said VIRTUAL!) with schedules, meetings, handy typewriter and this is the best part- it organizes your power nap in the ten minutes of breathing time you get. It organizes gifts for occasions because it has drilled all your important “dates” and occasions, right through it’s’ memory spot. It is your personal yoga teacher, a Jackie Chan replica when it comes to your self-defense training sessions. It has a “Night vision scout” to enable you to try to be the superhero that it already is. The “nonchalant mode” enables you to do a manual override of establishing your supremacy of being a homo sapien, over the thingamabob that was created.  You know, I could go on, but having said so far, it would be so cheeky on my part to let my pride linger and continue gloating. So I’m going to give myself a justified break and let you explore my gizmo by yourself.

All Hail the prodigious contraption!

I’m all enthused in writing this piece of work for the contest announced by ASUS India and powered by IndiBlogger. 

The Catalyst to Do Right

For years together, I have been wanting to change someone's life in a really beneficial way, to impact them positively so that absorbing their happiness, it somehow makes you feel that you are not a bad person after all. Those are the times when those little droplets from your eyes waiting to break free when you realise you are genuinely and unfeignedly happy about something. However we just are always unable to be that little difference in a person's life, simply because we are absorbed in our little bubble with our own petty squabbles. Well, I'm no exception. Today though, however trivial my contribution is, I want to be able to be the effect of a cause worth sharing with you. Until today, I honestly had not heard of a town called Megma, situated amidst the breathtaking landscape of the Indo-Nepal border, however when I got to learn about it, I felt the need to change my perspective and probably yours too.

We are all victims of social media and this being the hour of the Elections in our country where we see around us photographs of inkmarked index- fingers having to prove the right exercised through the click of a button. Don't you however think that somewhere we are getting slack on our duty when we jolly well exercise our right? We idolize the west, right from their sense of clothing, their food, to their sitcoms, to their achievements. We stare in awe at their proficiency and literacy but have we ever "righted" something that we have always done wrong- to always set ourselves a few milestones back? The bridge to closing the gaps on the milestones, my friends as we know is good ol' Education. It is a roughed up and beaten word over centuries where now it is regarded nothing but a figment of CAT scores, expertise in Quantum physics or prowess in IFRS. Education in its true sense is a guiding light to let us see, understand, analyse and interpret this world with tools we sharpen our brains and bodies with. Most importantly, it is that catalyst, that aid, that positive vibe in another's life. We discuss politics, we discuss economies, but do we ever discuss the children in Megma who climb hills and cross boulders by foot en route their 2 Km journey to school? We see these videos of children everyday, so much that we turn a blind-eye against them. We are always superficial, but once we get to the bottom of it, the reality will hit us hard when we least expect it. These children though barren of infrastructure, of blackboards that were "black once upon a time", (as quoted by their beloved principal), of creaky tables and shaky benches, still wear the broadest of smiles in their quest to learn something new at school everyday whereas we are spoilt, pampered and sick to the thought of going to school in fancy SUVs having packed mouthwatering lunches in hot boxes. These children like those in Megma are not underprivileged. We simply chose not to give them that privilege. We constantly gloat the contributions we make to the different charities, not to forget the S.80 G exemption of the Income Tax Act that we get along with it. Don't you think it's time to ask ourselves what we derive from these "reimbursements"?

We, my literate friends are all bigots in one way or the other. We buy fancy houses, hoard the Jaguars and the Mercedes to be counted "in class" and we constantly do a cost-benefit analysis for every small thing we chance upon. We always think it is somebody else's problem, somebody else's worry, somebody else's trouble and we go on our path not giving a second thought about it. These children from Megma need the infrastructure and support from us. We are looked upon to illuminate their lives, to help them in whatever little way we can. It is important that we live up to it.

We have come across this proverb "Give a man a fish, and you'll
feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you've fed him for a lifetime." Teachers are the backbone of any country. They are selfless and undeterring from their paths of providing for our younger generation. Mr. Chandrakumar Pradhan and Ms. Neela are prime examples of the quality of love, support and their undying passion to teach these young minds. It is not common that one comes across a person saying he wants to teach children free of cost for the rest of his life. It is considered bizarre in today's world that one is so selfless. In reality, all of us cannot be selfless, but what we can do is abet him in fulfilling his dream. A half story impacts you, a complete, fulfilled happy story changes you.


All we can do is, be the catalyst and help them, to let us be the change.


This is my small role towards my attempt to do right, initiated by Tata Capital through its Half Stories- The Journey of Doing Right, knit together by IndiBlogger.

So u think you are a big screw up? Join the club!

Did u just de-activate your facebook account because u are totally sick of seeing other people’s perfect faces who have their own friends and celebrate their perfect life when you feel yours is totally rotting?

Those are the times when you feel like a total screw up because 1. There is no one beside you  when you need them around, and number 2. Your own friends treat you like a child on whom it’s their moral responsibility to advice and kill you with it when all you wanna do is find a shoulder and cry. Just cry. What we need is to be told a lie that ‘Shush. Everything will be fine’. Sometimes all of us need that little lie when we are down but we just don’t get to hear it. Just listen and let them rant. All of us are different, no doubt and often we end up asking ourselves, "Why should I always be the weak meek one? Why can’t I hide stuff like you people do and pretend nothing affects you guys and everything is so perfect in your lives." The problem lies here- "Everybody else always has somebody else, whereas I got only you." That’s why you don’t know the pain of loneliness or the pang of emptiness. 

The brain is a wonderful creation. It knows when and for what to warn you. When somebody hurt you in the past and the incident shows signs of repetition with another person, it recoils and warns you. It’s the logical adult while your heart rushes forward like the immature teenager despite various attempts by the adult to warn and uproot memories from the hurt and the buried past. In those cases, listening to your wise brain (which most of us don't) will be the most sensible way out. Sometimes all you wanna do is cry and just cry and let the tears fall freely when I read beautiful quotes that mirror my feelings, emotions, turmoil and the fact that it so perfectly coincides with my life. I go through my phone to find some solace in the beautiful cherished moments we have all shared with everyone. After I do, I realise how things have changed and I wish I hadn’t spent the time re-reading the conversations, unable to cope with the change. Exactly! That’s the problem. Change! All of us need to get used to change. But the question is how? We never know that things are going to turn wary when they are actually going on perfectly. Things may not entirely always be your fault, but leaving you disraught and messed up.

So some pointers to take forward?

1)      Never get too attached to anyone. For eg. Your best friend. He/ She may be the sweetest thing ever. Taking you out when u have had a hard day. Talking to you for hours together over phone. Getting screwed for that from their parents. Giving you their all. Remember though, they have a life too and they can't fulfill what you need when you need them the most. So never expect too much. It probably only will lead to disappointment. Detachment is the key! Initially pathetic to even take a step forward, but if you have mastered it, then the world is yours.

    2)    Learn to love yourself. I know that in most cases, that is the hardest part. We have become people, so used to admiring and living the lives of others that we fail to accept and realise the beauty and the essence in our own. We have been lost and left amidst a void you don’t know where to begin. So, belief is of the essence. It is supremely important to believe, love, trust and care for yourself.

   3)     Let go. I had mentioned not to get attached to anyone, but letting go is a harder and a more pain-staking process which calls for enormous will power, a strong focussed and obedient mind. Most of us let the minds do the thinking for us, which lead to total disasters because we never think. We simply react! When we fall, it is us to get up. You could be supported, but it is YOU, your will, your body and your organs that will respond to the fall or the pull back up on to your legs. That indeed is the toughest part, but having succeeded in doing that, you are invincible.

   4)     Do some serious damage control. Never leave any relationship sour, it would just turn bitterer than you ever thought of. The pain and the cringe you experience when you think of something or someone is a strong indicator that you still haven’t done anything to treat the situation right. Either you are wallowing in self-pity or obsessed with your ego or you simply haven’t moved a rat’s ass bit of yourself to mend the broken bridge and the rift only widens with the force of the current. Shedding a bit of ego will never hurt you, you could in fact win an entire relationship back! Fought with your best friend and whether the fault was either on your side or not, go and get him/ her back. When you take up initiative and own up to your doings or simply being forgiving and burying the hatchet will take you miles in the relationship. It is always a mystery to me and I ponder over how people cannot even talk to each other after several decades, by which the entire point of the argument would have been lost. So, buck up your courage and patch up. Getting back is the mantra!!

These things may look so absurd and so taut. Nevertheless, give it a second thought and you will see the sense in it. Several things are so simple and it is we who complicate it. If you think you are a screw up, it is because you have set a benchmark for yourself and aren't reconciling to the fact that you are you and you cannot compare and contrast yourself to the rest of the world. The irony is, we all think we are screw ups when we compare ourselves with everybody else. Why? The reason being, nobody is perfect! Remember that you are awesome, choosing to ignore what people say. Accept criticism and act on healthy criticism, at the same time let inaction not bog you down. Everything seems strange at first, familiarity with something offers that security and comfort. Grab that familiar aura and grab yourself back. Love yourself, I know I do :) 

-The Phoenix

Flab back in vogue!! :) :)

You know that feeling? That ravenous tantalizing aroma of sizzling brownies, with a generous helping of hot and silky glazed chocolate sauce. That inexplicable sensation when the crust of the samosa strokes the insides of the cavern of your mouth leaving a trail on your lips. That enigma of the last ooze of the jalebi trolling down your chin which u whip up and lick with your tongue and, you know you have tasted heaven. The aroma of the Dum Biriyani, a personal favourite, cooked to perfection for hours together, that I could wait for hours to get a mouthful. The textures of the masala packed with vegetables and the softness of the rice, and with one mouthful down, you are drowned in an aura of sheer happiness. Yes! Happiness! What the hugs cannot do, what words cannot soothe you, the parotta and the dainty coconut kurma accomplish and you, have no idea what more they can. The joy that you get when you have your favourite Pasta cooked to perfection with the choicest of cheeses, olives and sundried tomatoes so much that you just want to lick the sauce off your plate, pardoning the glares your way and the bemused waiter at your table waiting for you to mop the sauce off your hands and order dessert, until you give him that sheepish smile and order desssseeerrrrttt!!

The ecstasy that you derive from a hearty meal is uncomparable, somehow delight, exhilaration, glee, bliss, contentment, joy, and all of its synonyms in one compound package. While the world is obsessed with slim stick figures and spidery long legs, they are simply people who can’t relish food in all its abundance for crying out loud’s sake! Do people really think eating just fruits and vegetables cooked rare or al dante get them to their healthy lifestyle? Healthy lifestyle is eat what you want, be happy and pass on that happiness! Curves have been around for as long as zero-flab has been, but somehow the world took to the latter. I have however seen and observed more exquisiteness and loveliness in curves and being a little round never really hurts. If it makes you happy to eat, just eat. You have no idea how much you are complicating yourself by curbing what your body wants. As its owner, it’s your duty to deliver it. Non-gheed aalo parathas, un-creamed coffee, raw carrots and other veggies, I know they are supposedly healthy to your body, but is your mind satiated with it? I was on a diet, eating “right” eight months into 2012, I had passed the test of the last six months without rice and lost nearly 23 kilograms of myself and turned unrecognizable, that I constantly glimpsed at the ‘before-after’ pictures. By the time I was through with it, and found a new me, I was desperately craving for all the potato curry, the appalam and  the full meals I had missed. However, to my own disappointment, I had grown conscious of what I ate and every time I ate, I would feel guilty, which was never a problem earlier because all that mattered then was to eat to my heart’s full! I, however wanted to indulge and savour my knocked-out tastebuds and I sprung back into action and resumed my trademark foodaholicism. And then, obviously as a result of which I have gained a bit of (more) flesh. Like DUH! I still try to “cleanse” my system at times and try to lose a couple more pounds, but I realized when I am actually happy and that is when I have that full brownie all to myself, those creamy pastries, the sensual sponge choco truffle, that Dum Biriyani I can’t stop eating and that deep fried Kachori I realize I can’t live without.

I had been criticized for always being on the sad side of weight for long, but people turned around when they saw what I had pulled off (quite literally) and bewilderingly, showered me with compliments. I have been to Pizza Hut for a friend’s birthday dinner and sat around sipping a single glass of lemonade through the two hours where I could inhale the wafting whiff of Garlic bread and CHEESE! I had tested every ounce of self -control I had, but watching all my friends hogging on the prime dishes at the most renowned restaurants, right in front of my eyes, though made me resolute, made me gloomy. And then, I understood what meant my life, but what was consuming me. Bingeing is never something you forget! I love food! I realized that, I re-discovered myself to balance how to satisfy my body’s crave for health and my mind’s gratification for the world’s finest food by simply choosing to be conscious (sadly, obviously). Happy fooding, folks!! J J

"Where is my school?"

                                                       
                                                       

"Where is my school???"

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”- Nelson Mandela.

India being a democratic provides for right of every single child to be educated and utilize the education constructively. However, given the economic backdrop of India, the existence of most schools in towns is a sphinx. There are various government -run schools dilapidated and battered, despite which the young hearts wish to pursue their education.

My friend Vignesh Gopalakrishnan (GV) and I happened to enter into a discussion regarding the system of education here in India where kids fight over whether Vidya Mandir beat PSBB in the inter-school Basketball tournament or which school gets to host the Reverberations when nearly 60% of the students in the country side go to school just to utilize the mid-day free meal scheme.

Background

At this point, GV interjected and gave me an insight into something I had been talking only theoretically all this while. He had paid a long-due visit his village Vilagam in the Chidambaram Taluk (Cuddalore district) and was deeply disturbed at the state of the school and while on his way back home, he had a proposal in mind. He sought to return something to his village, and having studied for years together at Singapore where he had enjoyed infrastructural facilities at its pinnacle, he was distraught at the sight of the education in his motherland. Hence, he has been all the more insistent in taking up the expansion projects of the school. He gave me a brief on the background and as to what he has in mind.

His father, namely Mr. M. Gopalakrishnan Iyer and his brothers decided to donate their family land as they realized the sad state of affairs in their hometown three years back. In their younger days, they had difficulty in studying beyond 5^th standard and had to either move out to their relatives house or walk miles to study. This was an acceptable state of affairs for a young India on the verge of building its infrastructure and reaching out to the villages. However, exactly 50 years later nothing seems to have changed in this place. This situation sparked the idea of donating their land to the Government for the functioning of the Higher Secondary school (Grades 6 to 10) which has been operational since 2010.

Current Situation - Problem

In the current school, owing to the lack of space where there are only three classrooms for nearly 300 students, the children wait outside whilst waiting for their turn for the classes which are conducted inside the classrooms.

 In some situations, classes are conducted outside the classrooms under the scorching sun. On a discussion he had with the Headmaster of the school, a resolute man in his fifties, who has been highly instrumental in building and running this school, is highly oriented towards expanding the school and enhancing the children’s education. The head master firmly believes that providing a more structured and constructive means of education will ensure the regular stream of students, if not for which most children either trudge miles to go to the next village or altogether discontinue their education.

The Government provides all the necessary amenities such as books, notebooks, uniforms and food. The headmaster has committed that he shall ensure that this aid be made available to the students, regularly, post expansion as well.

Solution

There is however, a way out. Given the same land, there is additional space for construction of a few more classrooms.

However, the expansion plans have been paused due to paucity in financing the same. The projected amount of inflow required for this project is estimated at Rs. 1 Lakh INR (USD 2000). This amount represents the amount of caution deposit that is required to be paid by the village to the Government of Tamil Nadu, as a result of which the entire funding thereon will be taken care by the Government.  This could result in the erection of an edifice as similar to those of the Government schools in bigger towns.

With this, GV took a deep breath and told me “We’ll make this happen. No matter what. I am more determined than ever.” We really intend this to happen and if you believe that this cause is noble and worthy of your donation, please reach out to us at vigneshgopalakrishnan@yahoo.co.in and to all those Facebookers, do a search for Vignesh Gopalakrishnan  or on Linkedin and drop a message. We would sincerely thank every one of you and we will post a receipt of the funds in this blog.

FAQ:

Post this brainstorming and upon strategizing the course of action, something struck us and this was something that had to be thought through- Transparency in Fund management. Hence, we proposed to have this FAQ and the relevant solutions to cast more light upon this project.

1.      

             Q: I am really interested in contributing to this project. How do I go about it?

A:  You can reach Vignesh Gopalakrishnan via mail or FB or LinkedIn and take it from there.

2.      Q: How should I satisfy myself that the funds actually reach the project and how transparent is your dealing?

A: This is a major road block GV and I discovered while discussing this initiative. As this is done on a one time transfer (at least at the moment) we can get the receipt of the total funds transfer and post it in this blog. This will be done once the required amount is generated and sent out. We expect to get this done within a month at the most.

3.      Q: Will you be able to provide us a receipt for the funds contributed?

A: Unfortunately as this initiative is done by an individual, we won’t be able to provide receipts for individual contributions. However once the final transfer is done, the receipt from the school will be posted in this space.

However to acknowledge the receipt of the money, the names of the contributors will be posted here and maintained.

Reference: The first photo in the blog has been lifted from the internet using Google's search engine.

We promised to post the receipts in this blog. A ton of thank you's would never suffice. The contributors are as follows:

1.  Mr. Vivek Seetharaman- 100 SGD
2.  Mrs. Nirmala Ramdas and Ms. Shwetha Ramdas- INR 10,000
3.  Mr. R. Aravind- USD 500
4.  Mr. Ananthanarayanan- INR 5,000
5.  Mr. Karthik Arun- 50 SGD
6.  Mr. Varun Nagarajan- 100 SGD
7.  Mr. Roshan- 100 SGD
8.  Ms. Chandini- 100 SGD
9.  Mr. B.R. Venkatesh- INR 3,000
10.Mr. Mani Rajagopalan- INR 25,000

Net funds received: A little more than 1 Lakh INR :) (Most of it used towards the school registration and the remaining used for the repairs and reconstruction of the building)

All good deeds end even better. Take a look at the progress of the school and the outcome of the fund utilisation. :) A mere thank you  to all of you would never suffice:) 

Dude! Watch your step!

I turn the ignition on after fumbling for the keys and check my watch. 9.11. Sigh! Five minutes late again (comparing it to the time I left home yesterday morning which was five minutes later compared to the day before). There are a thousand things that are currently running in my mind aside of turning on the Bluetooth in my phone to sync the songs through the BT Audio in my car. The most prominent thought being the chaotic traffic I have to wade through to reach my client’s place, which is a good 12 kilometers from my abode.

I get off the slope running down my house and onto the main road, honking all the way through the five centimeters where the garbage is getting cleaned with the garbage van parked right outside the gate, mindless cyclists and pedestrians crossing blissfully while chattering over their handheld devices, whatever they may be. Upon my successful haul onto the main road, I weave through and find a place to park my drive sandwiched between two autos parked angularly in a V-shape formation in front of me. I can’t really differentiate between Obtuse and Acute and it’s like telling me what’s the difference between a crow and a sparrow. I wouldn’t really bother. The signal turns green and there is absolute pandemonium. That sheer brilliance of steel packed in a Range Rover you admired, parked diagonally right across the puny little thing that you drive suddenly swerves to the left, leaving you right in the middle. Having followed all the rules namely, indicator blinking left, your parked car on the extreme left lane indicating that you are going to turn left and the very fact that you need to turn only either left or right because there is no straight permissible, you would expect to see some discipline from the others as well. Sorry to disappoint you. You are infallibly wrong. As I turn to my left (finally!!) with 5 seconds to spare in a 90 second signal where you are one of the first five vehicles parked (that is the extent of mayhem on the road), you enter the road to be encountered by a tourist taxi Indica charging at you at 60 kmph in that narrow stretch of pot-holed Government property. You somehow apply your brakes and pray that your ABS (Anti-lock braking system) for which you paid an extra 50 grand and settled for the top end model somehow serves the purpose.

 It saves you in the nick of time, after getting a disgusted look from him for no err of yours, and from the third gear you are back to the first and in this process, you break a sweat, release the clutch too fast and the ignition turns off. By the time you recover from all this tamasha and move a little more forward, an auto plunges into the main road from another narrow street from nowhere and lands right in front of you and moves at 20 kmph looking for ‘savaari’ translated as looking for people, for him to carry on his carrying business.

  

You successfully dodge him and land at another signal, thankfully ten minutes from all that fiasco. Ten minutes of a little more honking, braking, flooring, bull-dozing the two wheelers, getting bull-dozed by buses, participating in sans- trophy races before crashing on a speed-breaker and hurting the underbelly of your precious little drive.

Finally, ten minutes away from work you are held up at a signal that stretches to about 200 meters and encompasses vehicles of all shapes, sizes and designs possible. That is the stretch when you get to see a Bentley Mulsanne while an auto attempts to kiss it with its half broken headlight which is a 4x4 itself and where you see a Mini Cooper S standing behind a TVS 50 with its driver cum owner all padded up with headgear et all waiting for that change in the signal post to green from red to boom into his maximum speed of 40 kmph.

 As I turn right, with the indicator blinking right, a character of pure genius overtakes me on the right

and cuts me in the front and turns left and that is plausible only by a dude with two more loafers sitting behind him, giving me that condescending look because he is apparently cool for two reasons 1. He made me stop in my tracks, not because he is dashingly killingly handsome (Oh Please!) and 2. He has that ‘Cool dude’ factor for having flouted the rules and for some unfathomable reason that he must have known the driver of the MLA’s secretary’s aunt’s neighbor’s servant.

As you finally turn your car onto the driveway, one patti would spring up from nowhere inches before your car’s bonnet like a suicide bomber and make u brake just by a show of hand. You have to oblige to that frail woman and not honk or give her a dirty stare as you are suddenly reminded of your great grandmother and think what you would do if she were alive and in the same situation as this patti. Pah!

While at the signal, you would get a myriad of entertainment. From office-going aunties wearing socks on their hands to prevent from getting tanned, to bunches of college and school students, holding hands and chatting all the way, texting and crossing the road, oblivious to the attention they are drawing towards themselves. You can spot these guys who are probably stick figures wearing clothes to accentuate the gravitational effect, who ride massively huge beasts like the Kawasaki Ninja, Honda CBR and Yamahas (which are brilliantly fast vehicles). When they pass by you after the signal, they are inconspicuous by then and sometimes you wonder whether they are holding on to the handlebars just to hold themselves lest they should be gone with the wind. However the best of the lot are always the well-built Iyer mamas with a kudumi returning from a homam, wearing huge pattais with their madisaar maami sitting behind them, in a Yamaha Fazer. That is by far the best thing you would have ever noticed. A sheer contrast of cultures, though hilariously funny, is the truth and a trend that’s growing big.

This has been my experience on most of the days I drive (which is 7 out of 7). The disheartening sight of people mindlessly crossing the roads while engrossed in their own world over their phones, absolutely reckless driving and carelessly defying the rules as if to scoff at them for their existence. It is high time we, as souls who exist and survive to LIVE our lives in this amazing country, started aping the west in lane discipline and traffic sense as well and not just live-in relationships and Gucci bags. Cleanliness begins with oneself. So does discipline. With the significant rise in the traffic population, it is essential for every road user to be aware of his roles and responsibilities. It is urged that every organization educate its employees and come down heavily upon those who disregard the rules and the set-up in frame. It is absolutely necessary that the Government organizes camps especially for Auto-drivers (includes share autos who are a tad worse), for in my sight they seem to be the most careless and recklessly ruthless road users who still are the very few sects who imbibe the age old Caveat Emptor (Customer is King). If the rider wishes to stop in the middle of the road, so will he stop there, not attempting to be slightly bothered at the disturbance caused to at least a hundred vehicles behind his’.

There needs to be a tightening on the provision of licenses issued to such drivers and nobody has the right to put the life of another in peril. It is really disturbing to see accidents day in and day out due to the sheer spoof of the entire system of regulations meant to be followed. I re-take the pledge I have taken all these years. “I shall drive and use the road (even while not driving) sensibly and learn to keep my ear, brain and eyes open and shall strive constantly to ensure that I cause the least disturbance to fellow road –users”. I would urge every single one of you to take this pledge and adopt it as part of your routine for you, will see that the rate of accidents plummet and then co-existing in absolute harmony will turn out to be a reality.

I am now two minutes away from office. One cyclist vigorously cycling on the wrong side swerves and enacts to me a vintage Bombay Circus stunt. He scrambles across the median and lands one centimeter away from me, scratches my bonnet with his Lance Armstrong skills and says to a bewildered me, scrunching his face, “Yen maa. Vootla solltu vantiya??”

References:

Photos: Photos have been lifted from the internet, and one blog in particular - http://chennairoads.wordpress.com/category/chaos/ 

Why on earth should I wear a saree for my wedding?

I have somehow always posed this question to myself and the ROW (Rest of the world) and somehow I have always been reprimanded for the harmless little question threatening to rock the very fundamentals of the “tradition” and “value systems” of a cult. Again, let me ask you the same damn question. Why should I wear a saree for my wedding? Those six (or in some phenomenally varied cult cases, nine) yards of silk spewn around me like I were a spindle across which the thread bobs and chokes to make me suffocate on my own wedding? Well, I did hear a mouthful when I asked the same question back home. So I thought I could safely ask you.

Yeah yeah I know traditions are meant to be followed. “Tradition”, the very genesis symbolizes this which I picked up from Wiki “A tradition is a belief or behavior passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. Common examples include holidays or impractical but socially meaningful clothes (like lawyer wigs or military officer spurs), but the idea has also been applied to social norms such as greetings. Traditions can persist and evolve for thousands of years—the word "tradition" itself derives from the Latin tradere or traderer literally meaning to transmit, to hand over, to give for safekeeping.” Ah! Wiki is a savior. Just because something was a way of life doesn’t mean it has to be necessarily followed. That’s what it says right? Ask anybody (in fact ask yourselves). Would you still trot around in a bear flesh or raw tiger skin (unless you are vying at an exquisite piece of overpriced Gucci or a Prada) just because it was how the “tradition” was way back then? Definitely not. Anyway, coming back to the topic. Jeez this seems hard. You know this is the problem. I have heard so many pros about draping a saree and the very fact that am questioning this seems so quizzical, like am trying to be rebellious for the sake of it. And worst of all, I can’t really think much. When I was just attempting to write this piece of section, I happened to ask a few friends for a few pointers. All of them. Every single one of them said “Oh God Sarees are the in thing”, “Name one girl who isn’t hot when she is draped in a saree” “Sarees are so in vogue” and finally “Dude what is wrong with you?” The traitors! Anyway, the thing is Sarees are not my thing. I was born a girl but reared as a boy. Jumping walls, playing GI Joe, trading WWF Cards, being besties with guys has been the story of my life. So yeah. It is creepy to imagine myself in a long straight piece of cloth knotted and tied with the aid of more cloth in the most uncomfortable of places is something that is going to be a bit of a situation for me when my getting married seems to be a little bit of a bigger shock. Somehow, probably due to all the westernization I became this weird you may say but to quote myself in French, “C’est moi” (That’s me!)

I sure hope that there are a few of you who would rather get married happily in a pair of Levis’ Denim replacing Devagiri and embrace Reebok rather than Raw Silk. For all those who prefer a Khakhi over Kanjivaram and simple tees over Sabyasachi (Damn! I can’t even get to pronounce half the types), try crying out to your bosses (aka elders at home). It’s high time we learn to respect what we want and “Evolve” as a race which respects it’s space and learns to adopt certain new practices as we strive to achieve a balance. Unless we ask for it, unless we cry for our independence we wouldn’t get it.
Saree for my wedding? Well. Hope not :)

Break the barriers

“Arre!! Kya hua Bhaiyya!!” “Enna da aachu” “Emandhi babu” “Yaenri aayithu” “Endhaa aayinnu” and many many more…
We would have all heard this somewhere or the other. Research psychology says that people usually mix and move with people mostly with some commonality- be it language, religion, or whatever other commonalities that appeals to the eye and the brain. We always want to be seen, spoken to, given importance to and to be understood. However, not many realize that the art of being accepted lies in the mere social interaction. Be it a simple wave, a smile or a ‘Heyyyy Sup?’.

Workplace is no different. It is rather way too complicated to be explained, or for that matter, even to be understood. Anything you do or say is always under the radar. The people you talk to, how you talk, how you carry yourself. Well if you’re silent, that gives a completely different picture as well. However the picture, a portrait of your persona it will be.

That’s where workplace ethics comes in. it’s not merely confined to the ‘Ethics and Communication’ we have all read as part of the Curriculum for our various competitive examinations. Hold on. Don’t despise me right away. I see I have been pretty cryptic right from the start, so let me get straight to the point.

Ethics is an ocean. What is right to you, would in all probabilities be wrong or perceived differently by your friend or colleague. For example, You decide to escalate something that you haven’t felt good about which is quite a sensitive issue. However, your friend feels that escalating the issue might not be the right stand to take since it is by nature, sensitive. He suggests you give it time for things to settle. However you opine that if you are unable to take the issue higher, it would probably only get worse. This is a kind of ethical dilemma we are always faced with.

Escalation of issues is a very critical aspect in every employee’s career. Any issue where he/ she feels something isn’t right should be communicated to their superiors or higher authorities. You might have a problem with a co-worker or a peer and you may have differences in work. Why the escalation is important is 1. To give vent to any trouble you have been experiencing to an independent party who will definitely be able to help. 2. If there is a problem, it will be ensured that it is not repeated. That issue will come to light only when you express your problem.

What you talk, when and how is of utmost importance. On the professional front, if something is mis-communicated, it has a profound impact on the rest of your career. As I mentioned earlier, all of us are always under the radar. Every one of us is different from the other. I may enjoy Rock and Jazz more than Classical music or I may enjoy playing outdoor games rather than PC games. That’s just me. We can play ‘spot the differences’ between you and me and we can point out a minimum of 100!!

When you and your friend are in sync with each other, you may just share the same frequency and when you don’t with another colleague or friend, it simply means you are not interested. Of course we all know that! The question is what do we do about the people whom we don’t talk to? In a corporate setup, it is natural to find that sometimes you do feel all alone and left out when you find everyone else having an identity or a group where they belong.  That identity is what is not yours; rather it is what is thrust upon you. A healthy corporate work-balance is initiated and propelled when colleagues treat others with respect and the vicious cycle of condescending behavior and ego are shattered.

Ethics in this current day scenario may be a term highly abused. Though it is in the eyes of the beholder, it applies to individuals for the betterment of themselves. Ultimately, what are rules for? We have an Ethical Standards Board in almost every single professional field and institution. Despite that, why is there an increase in the number of such issues? When a person tries to be sagacious, he does tend to be effervescent and goes a little overboard with his knowledge. Ethical skills should not be confused with the skills a person possesses. They are two worlds entirely. However, ethics while expressing your knowledge falls into the domain where it means “What you say, Say it Ethically and say it Right”. If you are having problems at the work front when you think you have been an unanticipated victim of a lack of ethic sense towards you, then the best way out would be to deal with it. How you deal with it will be how you define ethics to yourself and the others around you. A sketchy outline may never get you things staring right at your face. Drilling down to the core of the issue will always fetch more viable solutions that may plausibly provide long term solutions. Ethical principles are forever dynamic and are always subject to change with the radical changes in human rationale, but the fundamentals always remain intact. There are various literatures across the globe trying to define this one concept. Paper presentations, councils and projects worldwide are continuously striving to derive additional meaning from this one term. I just commenced my search into the depths of this term. It’s a long way to go and hopefully some day we will reach a consensus. Cheers to that!!

Bibliography: www.google.co.in

She is a riddle.

She is a riddle

A labyrinth of briddles

A jumble of sorts with passion

A lost drop in the ocean

A drop of hue

In the canvas of life’s dew

Of darkness in daylight

And shadow at twilight

Quest for a lost soul, shun

Buried deep within

The blinding faithful emotions,

The irrevocable devotion

The enormity of respect

The understanding and gratitude intact

Only a woman sans lassitude and lethargy,

With tremendous energy

You struck us like a hard wall

Dazzling and electrifying all

An incinerated phoenix

She doesn’t need gimmicks

Only a woman,

She is elite, opulent and prosperous

Sparse and impoverished

She is a need and inevitable

Often used but inexorable

She loves and loathes

Fears and braves

She is indeed a puzzle

A multifarious riddle

Nevertheless, a far fetched treasure

And a paragon to admire and cherish

- The Phoenix

   March 8, 2013

An eve's account of new years' eve

It’s 31^st December 2012. The supposed “end” of the little blue baby fondly called “Our World”. The streets, petrol stations, houses, restaurants are all lit up in glory to bid adieu to 2012 , laugh at it’s pathetic folly and welcome 2013 to make fresh mistakes. There is celebration in the air. It’s one of my closest friend’s birthday. Now this is the part where I come in.

I was at a stock count at Chengalpet, at a distance of about 40 kilometers from Chennai. I surprisingly, cannot even believe am gonna say this. I did a pretty decent job at work today. I meant. Even I cant believe it. So yeah, I was pretty much stuck with work today. And I leave work along with my friend who is with me in the cab as we head home amidst the traffic at Perungalathur where an “inch” seems to be begging for re-definition, for we are moving at a distance smaller than that. Centimeter u may ask. Oh no. Lesser than that. Oh forget it. I suck at all these conversion rates and measurements. It’s the 9^th wonder of the world as to how I even took up Accounting. Never mind, that topic reserved for later.

So yeah. As I said, I am coming back in the cab. The car, travelling at a hundred kmph (before the traffic jam, dude), the windows rolled down, my hair loose, music plugged into my ears and beating away to glory in my eardrum, I was as insanely crazy as ever. Somehow, I felt a strange feeling. Something I have never felt earlier. Oh no. Not orgasm. This seems stranger. Some kinda nauseating emptiness. Generally, I behave like those lame heroines or my demi-God metal Gurus when I listen to their songs, ruffling my hair or mouthing the lyrics to Memory Remains like the world is gonna end tomorrow. Well yeah, good point. Even the world aint gonna end tomorrow. What a paradox.

This empty feeling. Hmmm. When I generally am all alone with my thoughts, music and the crazy breeze, I run through a lotta masala from the past. I would suddenly find myself smiling and suddenly crying. I would think of the guy who never understood my love or my best friends to whom I don’t talk anymore. I would think of my guy friends thanks to whom I am now a tom-boy. I would think of my family. I would think if I would ever have a love-life, ever get married. I would think of the Arrinera Hussarya or the Lamborghini Reventon with it’s entire carbon fibre awesomess. Somehow today. Everything’s weird. I dint think of any of this (until now) other than the thought that my mind is sorta empty. Did old sages and Philosophical Gurus strive to achieve this? Well I don’t know if I am there yet, but I guess I could be there with no special effort.

I don’t even feel I have friends anymore. In all my friends’ whatsapp there is a group called “Best Friends” and I somehow don’t fit in any of them. And worst part? My “besties” aren’t on whatsapp. I mean, we don’t even talk. They seem to have other priorities too. Priorities. What an excuse for the world! Am I even sane? Or are the others not? I mean. When the entire world seems to be celebrating and having fun partying, what the hell am I doing with my life? A few people call and talk. Some complain, some gossip, some chatter meaninglessly. I listen and ingest the information. When I wanna talk, there is no one. I suck it up to myself and it goes up as my blog. I find no truth in people. No passion in work and no interest in constructive happiness. There is just a void. It doesn’t seem like a dental cavity I can fix. It seems like an unreal pothole of never-ending bottomness. As surreal as it seems, the enigma is carried forward to a labyrinth and it just never is solved. A lame emptiness of nothing. No sadness, no regret, no joy, no anger. Well. Cheers to that!! Apocalype. Dude, What the hell are u waiting for?? Bring it on!!

- The Phoenix

31^st December 2012

I, gongoozler :D :D

How many of you have felt this? You are generally happy. Suddenly there is a lull and a period of inactivity where your heart takes over your brain, rakes the memories and causing a feeling of something indescribable like the sound of knife scraping the blackboard. That feeling that makes you cringe and feel repulsion for a second so much that it feels like you are gasping for air. That same nausea. Yeah it's okay. No problem. Am taking a few deep breaths myself after writing that.

Even in mathematics, 'Constant' is never constant. It is always something that depends on others. Just like all of us. We differentiate and we integrate and ultimately all we are left is with a huge set of practical problems and lots of probabilities. We see triangles of love and circles of friends but why don't we ever get to see treatment that is fair and 'square'? BTW, Maths was never my thing. 'No wonder' you may think. Ha!

Ultimately, what are we here for? 

I am best friends with you one day and the next, you show all your frustration on me (for reasons i cannot fathom) and the day after that, we don't even know each other anymore. Like a swarm of bees, we coop together. Share the same comb and continue doing our job until the rain starts to pour and it's high time we got outta the comb and move our ways till we find another swarm. Okay am getting all philosophical and sometimes i wonder if even i understand what I am writing. However these days I tell you, the more complex and labyrinthine people write, we think they are talking real Kafkaesque stuff, where it just means that they don't know how to put the thought across simply. Okay that was flambuginous (Ha! Google it) :D 

So why exactly am i writing this blog? I actually wanted to write something of meaning and value addition to all of you guys reading it. Wanted to tell you what exactly I am going through. Looks like you are only getting a piece of the outcome of my present state of Soliloquy. And that's me on a constant state of hyper-activity. As i was writing, I was reading it out out to one of my friends and she goes like 'Ummm. Are you really okay? Do you wanna take the rest of the day off?" And to think that I just got back from a short vacation. Sometimes, loneliness really gets to you. The beauty of the English language rests here. Lone-lines(s).The lines on which you are bereft and that gaping emptiness. There is no Hiccius Doccius (something like Avra-cadavra) to change yourself or the world. Wish things were as fun as Harry Potter with the muttering of a few charms to stupefy your own life at some points. However, even in Harry Potter, people serve detentions and abandonment into the “Forbidden Forest”. Or whatever.

This blog is absolutely pointless and shows what a gongoozler I am. Well, that’s what I do. Something to keep me from falling asleep most of the times. I suddenly realize am not making sense at all. An absolute ranting for I do not know why or what for. Actually I was thinking of something while watching Iron Man. Yeah the same Robert Downey Jr. movie. If Iron = Fe (as per our 6^th Grade Chemistry lessons) and Man = Male, then does Iron Man equal Fe Male? :P Coats and Suits and decked up armor of ties and wins and buckles and hats, where am I going forward and how does it make senseth? The answer is, frankly I do not know. I have just been crazy enough to write it and am just obsessed with Gadzookery. Looks like you might need Google more than anything else before you take a gasp of air, well, I felt the same thing too while writing it :D

Thanks a lot for the patience, the love and the support towards this Bablatrice :D :D

Love and Cheers,

The Phoenix

Bibliography: 
www.google.com
www.buzzle.com

1929 in 2012- Just a different Era

You must be wondering what am talking about here. Try Googling '1929' followed by a space. Almost the first thing the World's best search engine would puke (we always say throw up, dun we?) is the Great Depression that shook America out of it's daylights. I'm not really a person into political history or particularly fond of Economics, so I'll just leave that part to the experts. So why the hell am i writing this blog, you can ask me, and i shall reply.

If that depression involved money, this depression involves humans. Money is generally green (at least in America it is), this involves people who are presumably flushed out and are like green with all the barfing and are pretty much rotten. 1929 is re-living itself in 2012. Homo Saps have considerably and enormously evolved, much to the wrath of God who is the Superseding force in any religion. Am not involving any religious riots here or anything that will make you get disgruntled with this blog. If there is God, he is somewhere out there watching humans battle out and fight like they own this planet. It's like that bemused look parents give when they see their kids fight over which G.I.Joe or Barbie (ugh!!) is theirs. God just does it on a larger scale.

Okay coming back to the topic. In a world where people are connected 24x7x366 (2012 is a leap year rt?), the world is still lonely. People still find themselves prioritising and feel that they are nobody's priority 'cuz there is always someone better than them. It is just plain weird. I feel that way, okay there is a problem with me. The whole world feels that way? Then "problem" should be re-defined. Millions of people google the key words "I am so lonely" or "I have no friends". Why do we even get depressed? Suicide on account of depression seems to be the most horrific stats these days. A ten-year old is suffering from depression! I cannot even fathom it. It is just something that everybody goes through and wonders what but never know how to name it. Some people are just upset about something or it so happens that their lives are totally miserable with fate donning every word and letter of their lives. Some seem to lead pretty decent normal lives but inside of them, they know they are pining for something and that is what they don't get and that leads to clinical depression.

In most cases, people don't even know how to explain what they are going through. Something and everything is stagnant in their lives. There is just no compulsion to talk to anyone anymore. First signs of depression. For instance, a Close friend leaves you hanging by the thread for no rhyme or reason and so you are upset. At this stage, you are just supremely upset but I can't classify it as a depression yet. That is until you start dwelling on it. You just start relating that one incident with everything around you. You and another friend go out for lunch together with others. You would automatically start feeling that people pay more attention to your friend more than you. You would start comparing the terms of relationship. Assuming you have a very close common friend, the feeling is even more pervasive. You keep looking at your phone and wait for it to buzz. It just doesn't. You accept that you are just too terribly lonely and none of your friends care. Then something surprises you. People remember your existence and do something special just for you. Just to see that smile on your face, and you also are really happy that you are remembered, acknowledged and loved. But that too, is short lived. Even during the surprise, you keep evaluating your relationship with the people, then start comparing the relationships other people have among themselves and come to assumptions and conclusions that you are the one who is the least loved, whereas the entire surprise revolved around you! We all keep evaluating our relationships. We also evaluate other's relationships. All of us are floating in a never ending bottomless pit of paranoia. "He likes her more than he likes me." "She is just prioritising him over me" These are everyday thoughts we come across.

We all go through this, just that the intensity varies. Some are in deep-shit depression where they lead lives in something like a Limbo. A state of nothingness. Sometimes people just want to be left by themselves and not plagued by "Why are you so silent? It just is not your thing". As I said, the intensity pretty much varies. Some people are too sensitive whereas the others feign indifference. Either way, we are all humans.

2012 has been predicted to be the end of the world. As we prepare for the Armegeddon and the Apocalypse (two brilliant Hollywood movies), we are trying to forget that we have actually forgotten to live. We simply whatsapp our friends first thing in the morning as soon as we wake up and indulge in some pointless conversations. These conversations settle into something like a monotone of sorts and ultimately, there is a point when people do not know what to say anymore. There is just something to be taken from this. I am not against technlogy because i just got myself an Android phone worth 29 Grand because i wanted to stay "connected". As much as i am, am mentally totally unplugged and going through a major power shut down. If this is the way the rest of the world also is, then The Great Depression of the "Evlolved" Clan is not far behind. Brace yourselves :D

Cheers,
The Phoenix

What my job does to me. :D

There are just certain things you have to live with for a portion of your life. One that tops the list is your job. Like it or not, u just gotta stay. It's not just about the money and it's not about the loyalty or anything else. You just gotta stay cuz u have to. Like how a mole buries itself for reasons best known only to itself. I gotta stay in my job (it's more like an internship) and this does matter in my CV (Curriculum Vitae' man!!). But the entire problem is.. I don't even bother about my CV. So how does it matter what comes in it? :O

My passion : Photography : : Profession : Chartered Accountancy
My soul : Writing : : Job : Auditing
My job : Stipend : : Passion : Forget it. Nothing

Ina padichu ina prayojanam (translated as "What study what use?"). Oru mannum ille. People still spit pan on roads, say "can you be able to do this faar me?" and let out grizzly bear burps in public. Yeah. Gross. Anything can be poruthufied but THAT. So yeah. coming back to work. Am posting this blog after eons and as irrelevant as it sounds, the major contributing factor to not letting me write is my work. It's Saturday and am actually delighted that i get an "OFF" on a Saturday! Seriously? U think i must be kidding and a total gekas, but no. I am taking an "off" on Saturday and God Save, am THRILLED beyond words. These days i don't mind going to work on Saturdays cuz i at least get to work casuals. And no working on a Saturday means no need to call up Fastrack Call taxi in the middle of the night (cuz my friend and i keep forgetting that we gotta go back to the village a.k.a the client's place the next day and the next and the next) I celebrate it by playing 'Move like jagger' i dunno how many times. God bless Maroon 5 :D

I am all excited that am going to meet one of my closest friends after-i-dunno-how-long on a SATURDAY THAT I GOT AS A NON-WORKING DAY :D And I was supposed to submit a work paper today (Yeah. Did i tell you that am working from home? And hell yeah, am in casuals :D *Cheap thrills i say*). I beg and literally fold my palms and ask alms for two hours grace time because i gotta see my friend whom i haven't seen in ages (I already told you that). What perfect timing! So after some struggle, i do get permission from my senior with a rider which says "Your work paper has been due since yesterday and Boss is asking for it. Do send the work paper tonight without fail" I was thinking to myself (I generally don't think aloud, thankfully) "Duh! Like i gotta choice. Not like i am gonna get sleep today too." So i lock my system (I dun shut down my system these days, you see. Let the battery go to hell. I never know when I will be asked for work papers so it's always alive. I just wake it up :| ) and i get ready and land my butt at her place. She feeds me with her home-made cakes and ice-cream, her mom's amazing mix- veg parotta which beats the Saravana Bhavan one, btw and she pampers me like i was born just to eat and despite all the food in her place she is a scrawny stick figure (Yeah of course. I oly said she fed me. I dint say she ate right?) Anyway, i hog to my brain and heart's content and am like 'Uh oh. Should i go home and work?' The other part of my brain says "Gekas. Like you have a choice" and smirks at the useless despondent side (No. Teensy weensy portion ) of my brain. I just shrug it off and go home, change into home casuals and unlock my system and stare at the 800 line items of the Cost that am supposed to classify and perform an "Analytical" cum "Substantive" testing on. So I stare at it and start colouring the sub groups so that i can filter the groups so that i can pull out a pie diagram for my "Analytical" testing. And oh yeah, what will I write for my "work done". This shit i explained to you above? :O No way! Bad way to exemplify ignorance. I start doing the mundane task and am into the 347th line item when suddenly passion overrules and i decide to write this blog.! Hola! (Translated as Holy Christ!) This has taken  thirty minutes of my time and thirty minutes means another 100 line items. Dammit. And this is just my first file. I gotta give TWO files. Say hi to Ms. Owl. :|

Am into the 456th line item ( Did i already mention to you that i suck at multi-tasking? Am just at 456. Another 344 to go. Ha! I at least got the math right :D ). So i better get back to my pie (Food? I wish!! No u gekas. My pie diagram!!!) and vouching (Oh darn I didn't tell you about the substantive testing part, did I?)  . I also got to attach tick marks (a.k.a explanatory notes as to why I haven't done some important testing that I was supposed to do :P and no, going to my friend's place on a Saturday on which i took off, doesn't count). So, that's 42 minutes spent on this blog :D Thanks for all the patience and for reading my rambling. Just don't tell my manager okay? Now if you will excuse me, I got another 1144 line items to go (includes the 800 in the second file too. Elementary math. DUH!) :D :D

Cheers,
The Phoenix :D:D

En Chennai

Guys, as a disclaimer i would like to mention as a start-up that I do not wish to offend anybody. So, kindly dun get offended and read it as a fun ride :)

As Saravan Bhavan sambar and filter kaapis and Murugan Idli shop’s 4 chutneys, mallipoo idli and onion oothappam are the face of the Modern grown up Chennai, none of us can forget the boisterous Brilliant Tutorials kai endhi bhavan (which is closed. DAMN!) and the thattukadais which have been the legacy of Chennai food’s street identity. Though nothing can beat the araichuvitta saambar and the yumm rasam to die for that is made at every Tamilian’s abode, we cannot forget the fact that we are also living in a new era of dynamism and vibrancy of Chennai-ism.

The fact that I am a Chennai-ite is not merely confined to talking Tamil at home, it’s also about respecting the fact that we are open to people pouring in from different parts of the Country because this is one paradise of the different opportunities that this wonderful city can offer. And just like anything, we are not perfect and we do not expect ourselves to be. We are content with reading the Hindu and The Times of India and definitely Business Line, in the morning as chaotic as it can get because we will never know what we need to know about which shares are bull-ish and which are bear-ish. As we recover from the chaos and finally drive to work, oh there is a traffic near Tidel park for half an hour? When we go to Mumbai and stand in the same traffic jam for an hour, at the least, it is the Mumbai Spirit, but somehow in Chennai, Damn it. :D

Chennai continues to be one of the cities that is still virgin. Now don’t let your mind wander. Even though we have Harley Davidson Showrooms and Puma and the latest Audi doing the rounds on the roads, we still take it to the nearest Pullayar kovil for a Poojai with lemon under the tyres and sandhanam on the wheel, for the prosperity and well-being of the car, and definitely the people sitting inside. Am saying that the roots are still very much intact and that is why you get to see America maaplais coming to find namma Chennai girls. :D

With maamas and maamis thronging every Sabha in the city luxuring lip smacking dishes during Margazhi where among all that food, there is a little to the entire purpose of those concerts. The ‘Besh besh’ for the difficult, breathless swaram that is sung by the musician is drowned out by the ‘Aaha. Enna oru kesari.’ :D Yes, we do listen to Dhanush’s Kolaveri, there is no holding back as Chennai  listens to Lamb of God, Linkin Park, Maroon 5, Mick Jagger, Marley and Metallica, (to name a few) at it’s best and divine form.

This state of India has been controversially criticized by the Northies who do live in Chennai, for good, and yet walk out of the room when Tamil songs are played. As much as our fanaticism for our language and music, we have never retaliated and just let things simmer. We are the clan that misses Vadivelu and his words are the order of the day. From the ‘Sssss..Shebaaaa’ and the ‘Me talking. No cross talking’ to the ‘Blive me babyma’, every part of Chennai and Kollywood is special as much as we ourselves laugh, criticize but nevertheless, still love it.

To all you Chennai lovers, Cheers with a super strong Filter kaapi!! J J