a la recherche

Call it a tragedy or stupidity

2009-06-21T12:27:00.001-07:00

How long are we going to read such haunting headlines in our news papers
"5 year old boy ran over by school van"

"autorikshaw carrying the small kids hit by a lorry"

and after all this, here comes another headlines.. on June 20th 2009

Boy slips and falls, comes under wheels of MTC bus

Who to blame for this....
the child....
the parents who allowed the kid to go in the bus...
the bus driver and the Conductor who did not see who is on the foot board..
the government which gave free passes for the children...

whatever happens at the end , the the life of an innocent kid is taken away...

what is in for the learning..

People see this News talk about it..next day they go back to office and the same kind of headlines are repeated may be in the near future ...Who knows?

Blaming the kid and the parents in this particular case is meaningless as they are forced to take up MTC as a mode of transport due to the living standards.
They cannot afford to have private vans or autorikshaws to take their kid to school.

The driver or the conductor could have been extra cautious.
[but that never happens . we are already aware of their attitude aren't we..:( ]

We shall not blame the government directly rather the onus is on them indirectly.
They have come up with a plan or kind of freebie to attract the votes of parents
by providing the free passes to the kids. We are happy with the plan and a nice move to encourage school going kids.

But the kids have to struggle to get into the buses and they have strong contenders of young teenagers on the foot board and this makes them insecure on boarding the bus.

Have a look @ the foto..A terrifying experience for the young school goers..
[Photo Courtesy : hindu]

So what can we do to avoid such haunting headline in the News.

The Ideal solution for avoiding such situations would be to have separate school buses for the School goers [ to recall ..separate ladies Buses were in rule some years back] .
They should have automatic closed doors and should flee with two conductors or route champions and they should be specially trained for child care.
Should not carry more than 60 children.
The existing fleet from the MTC can be used and there is no need for an addition fleet to be purchased and the existing routes can be used.

we know its all utopia..but it can be done...and media has a bigger responsibilty in implementing such new innovations in the transport and Safety of young children.
This would attract a huge number of vote bank.[suyanalathilum oru pothu nalam]

To be Born on this land is not so easy and seeing a child dieing on the road for no fault of his is miserable, and my Deepest condolences to the Family who have lost their Kid.

Good Article on the Road Safety of the Children:
http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=Dangerous+autorickshaw+drives&artid=JGKE1FAGjqQ=

There comes the link....

2009-06-21T12:04:00.000-07:00

Hi guys its been long long time for me from bloggin...

yeah..been in the midst of new developments around me..

So whats the news...i was jus checking the news papers a week before...
and was so happy on seeing this news [but dinnot get time to post in my blog..]

its the news of a foot over bridge..being linked to the MRTS Station in Thiruvanmiyur..
Foot over bridge to be linked to MRTS station

so why the sudden happiness..buddy? Becoz i remember writing about this in
one of my previous post ."The Height of Stupidity.." on Saturday, October 18, 2008..

Atlast our officials and officers have come up with a plan. Happy news ti the
commuters and the fellow IT Professionals who efficiently use the public transport.

Hats off to the Railway and the Highways authorities !!!!!

meaning of a smile....

2009-02-25T13:12:00.000-08:00

took this snap @ IIT campus in the morning hours...actually we went in hunt for spotted deers...but could spot no deer...atleast my favorit butterfly showed up...

The meaning of my smile

I smile
When I am fascinated
I smile
When I am scared
I smile
When I am admired
I smile
When I am dumped
I smile
When I’m hiding something
I smile
When I want to say odd things
I smile
When I’m a little bit shy
I smile
When I’m about to get angry
I smile
When I wanted to cry

Guess,
I can’t name it all
For all I know
My smile makes you fall

Now,
Can you define my smile? :)

I got this poem in net...thought it was good ..and goes well with my photo....

Butterfly effect Continues....

வேஷம்

2009-02-16T11:41:00.000-08:00

வேஷம் போட்டுக்கொண்டு
கோஷம் போடும் சில மனிதர்களை
இந்த தேசம் இன்னும் நம்பிக்கொண்டு தான் இருக்கிறது!!!!

The Story of a Pencil...

2009-02-16T11:25:00.000-08:00

A boy was watching his grandmother write a letter.

At one point, he asked:

“Are you writing a story about what we’ve done? Is it a story about me?"

His grandmother stopped writing her letter and said to her grandson:

“ I am writing about you ,actually, but more important than the words is the pencil I ‘m using . I hope you will like this pencil when you grow up”

Intrigued, the boy looked at the pencil. It didn’t seem very special.

“But it’s just like any other pencil I have ever seen”.

“That depends on how you look at things. It has five qualities which, if you manage to hang on to them, will make you a person who is always at peace with the world ."

‘First Quality: you are capable of great things, but you must never forget that there is a hand guiding your steps. We call that hand God, and he always guides us according to his will.

‘Second quality : now and then, I have to stop writing and use a sharpener . that makes the pencil suffer a little, but afterwards, he’s much sharper. So you , too, must learn to bear certain pains and sorrows, because they will make you a better person.

‘Third Quality: the pencil always allows us to use an eraser to rub out any mistakes. This means that correcting something we did is not necessarily a bad thing; It helps to keep us on the road to justice.

‘Fourth Quality: what really matters in a pencil is not its wooden exterior, but the graphite inside. So always pay attention to what is happening inside

‘Finally, the pencil’s fifth quality: It always leaves a mark. In just the same way you should know that everything you do in life will leave a mark, so try to be conscious of that in your every action.’

Its a story from Paulo Cohelho, in his "Like the Flowing River" - Thoughts and reflections
I found this so interesting and that is what is true life...

I managed to get an apt picture for this story...

SEVEN POUNDS OF FLESH...

2009-02-15T15:23:00.000-08:00

a single line of the story...

Seven Names. Seven Strangers. One Secret. [courtesy IMDB]

what would you expect from the director of "Pursuit of Happiness" ..joining Will Smith..who always keeps me thinking..

how can he act on a variety of roles...that too..this one..splendid!!
a character tht would never be off ur mind..i had already added this into my favorit movies...

so whats in ..a story of a person who wants to help people for his silly mistake...
and takes all chances...in his life to help them...and faces even some humiliation...
in the end the director unfolds the mystery...a perfect fit to the end...

so what did he gain? and what did he lose? its better to watch this one without any spoliers...

The cinematography is wonderful..and those sharing moments of Tim[Will Smith] and
Emily Posa...are shot well..those beautiful meadows... and the details u see on the screen,
amazing art work.

the jelly fish in particular has played a big role..watch out for it...its the deadliest ever creature ...and u'll know why????

Color Band

Emotional
Mystery
Youth
Urban
Rural
Children

Running in

Inox Movies

07:30 PM
10:05 PM

Satyam

Seasons
4.15 PM
10.20 PM

Mayajaal

15:00
19:35

to learn more about the film:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0814314/

நான் கற்றுக்கொண்ட பாடம்..

2009-01-18T11:37:00.000-08:00

எதிர்பார்ப்புகள்..
அதிகமானால்
எதிர்மறைகளும்..
அதிகமாகும்..
எதிர்பார்புகளை..
குறைத்துக்கொண்டு...
எதிர்மறைகளை...
எதிர்கொள் !!!!

-அசோக்.ரா

how is it to be in a battle...

2009-01-17T14:14:00.000-08:00

how is it to be in a 'battle'

January 7th 1959, Large throngs of people gather to cheer the victory march of
Fidel and Che on the 'streets' of Havana , capital of Cuba commemorating the victory of their great "REVOLUTION"..

the same day after 50 years..the 53000 employees of a numero 4 SW Giant of India shocked from the "REVELATION" of their ex-boss about the balance sheet.. the 'streets' of BSE and the NSE seemed so narrow for the investors...with questions against India Inc's survival of the fittest..

the two events making different effects though...

One against a capitalist regime which paved way for the success of socialism
and the other a clear struggle of an one man army against growing globalization pressures

the 'truth' ....yet to be unfolded....

How does it feel as an employee of the great organization,which was on the media months ago for its excellence in service and governance and now being on the news and headlines not jus a single day but for each second for the adversaries..

It feels like being in a battle field not jus a battle with powerful ammunitions against an enemy or a target but ,

a battle against survival..

battle against the heavy loans..

battle against the media speculations...

battle against poaching..

battle against will power and regaining business and bringing back old glory..

testing times of of a battle are those decisive movements of taking stride..
many questions arise in mind...

stay calm ?
what do u mean by it.Its a big havoc goin down there how can I stay calm..I jus get hundreds of calls from my home , family and friends who are hyped much about the situation by the media..

quit?
Really speaking the market is really bad with a huge slow down of IT sector and recession all across the borders..quitting the company at this stage is like falling into a pit..

wait for the announcement of a new leadership?
What can the new leadership bring to the Company.
They jus bring trust and faith among the stakeholders.Trust by leadership ..
That's what we have learned form previos employers..and all through our lives..

Finally it boils down to the date 31st january...its not the D-day rather its the S-Day...The world is gonna watch and the cameras of all the Media giants and correspondents placed on the gates of the HQ in Hyderabad.

coming back to the decisive moments....the sense of panic shud be reduced..
[its easy to say but its not so easy..when u r in the middle]

A company of this huge size with man power on par with industry standards
is not gonna be washed away in overnight and there is enormous hope that the new leadership brings success and take the company out of these blot soon, to keep in track of the operations and the employee has a responsibility of a soldier who keeps his eyes focused on a single goal and continue the same work till the battle is over..

I jus hear a voice "so is it gonna end this month?"

சிந்திக்க வைக்கும் சில உண்மைகள்...

5 எழுத்து தனியார் வங்கியினர் ..இரவோடு இரவாக..அறிவுப்பின்றி
கிரெடிட் ..வரம்பை குறைத்தது வேடிக்கை.....
3 மாதங்களுக்கு முன்பு அவ்வங்கியின் நிலைமை..எல்லோருக்கும் தெரிந்ததுதான்..அனைவரும் நம்பிக்கை இல்லாமல் பணத்தை எடுத்து
வேறு வங்கிக்கு மாற்றியிருந்தால் ????????
பாவம் அவர்களுக்கு உலகம் உருண்டை என்பது தெரியவில்லை..
எங்கள் அன்பான வசைகளுக்கு இணங்கி..ஓரிரு நாட்களில்
credit limit பழைய நிலைக்கு கொண்டுவந்தமைக்கு நன்றி..

அலுவலக நுழை வாயில் காவலர்களுக்கு இப்போதெல்லாம் நிம்மதி..
ஏன் என்று தெரியுமா ? "எந்த வங்கி கடன் தரகர்களும் [representatives] எங்கள் அலுவலகம் பக்கம் வருவதே இல்லை.."

32 ஆவது புத்தக கண்காட்சியில் நான் வாங்கிய.. "Understading Balance Sheets" இப்போது படிப்பதற்கு சுவாரஸ்யமாக இருக்கிறது..

'பெஞ்ச்'இல் உள்ளவர்கள் மற்றும் வேலை பளு அதிகம் இல்லாதவர்கள்.. 'கணினி தட்டச்சு பழகிய விரல்களின் எண்ணங்கள் '
என்ற தலைப்பில் ஒரு சிறுகதை தொகுப்பு எழுதலாம்..

The Awarrrrrrrd goes to...

2009-01-14T14:33:00.000-08:00

Breaking SWEN

This year's best 'EDITING and SENSATIONAL' award goes to 'OLD DELHI TV' aka ODTV...

the second place goes to 'SEMIT WOW' aka SW..

the race for the title was very narrow..we had difficulties in choosing the number one 'SWEN' channel...

Juries say...

SW channel lost the race..by not providing enough sensational "SWEN"...[sources]

the audience felt 'ODTV'..has good sentiment and editing was faster...the special effects and the backgrounhd score of the 'TRUTH NEVER DIES' Saga has inspired lots of people and it had great effect on the people.[sources]

The TRP ratings were higher for the past one week n what else u want for a good
'SWEN CHANNEL'..argues an analyst..[sources]

we have not yet got true pictures or official announcement but 'SOURCES' [i dont know what kind of sources they are] confirmd they were true...

And we have special correspondent arranged to catch hold of the ODTV CEO to get his immediate reactions.

[Poor lady waiting with her prepared 'stereotype' question book ...for hours together without knowing that,it is a holiday for the ODTV]

a special correspondent from Mumbai was able to speak with the CEO of the 'SEMIT WOW' channel through phone to get his immediate reactions.

Correspondent: "Sir what do you think about the award given to you?".

CEO: "HUM RAHE HAIN PYAR..DILWALA DULHANIA LE JAYANGE...CHALTE CHALTE."

Correspondent: "Did you expect this to happen this year? Last year you won the award? What do you think in getting the second place?"

CEO: "HUM RAHE HAIN PYAR..DILWALA DULHANIA LE JAYANGE...CHALTE CHALTE."

Correspondent: "Dont you think you deserved this place instead of the ODTV?"

CEO: "HUM RAHE HAIN PYAR..DILWALA DULHANIA LE JAYANGE...CHALTE CHALTE."

Sorry for the Technical difficulties...
[The correspondent thought it was Sharukh who got the award. Poor lady.]

That's all for today....good bye from

'Channel 108'

Half baked information is always better than nothing. (C) copyrights reserved 2009

enga aatha award kedacha 108 thenga koyillukku odaikkuratha vendikittanga...
atha vachithan intha channel arambichom...

vaaranam aayiram...a classical drama....

2008-11-14T12:51:00.000-08:00

vaaranam aayiram review...
much awaited ..vaaranam aayiram hitting the screens today...
it has lived upto the expectations...[mine]

but we jus managed to get tickets..in Albert theatre...which is not a good choice for this movie....may be i thought I can write more about this film after getting one more view in satyam cinemas...

surya's performance...in a whole..scintillating....he is gonna drive most of the female fans crazy with this performance ....he stands apart in those wonderful romance scenes...surya rocks...with his physique which suits best as an army General...but i am afraid he is not gonna become the kollywood Salman..with his shirts off always...

dialogues..are good...I regret i cud not hear most of them ...

the most liked one...where he tells to Sameera reddy
'1 weekla US poiduveengala..appo final papers ellathulayum pass aayiduveegnala?'

Gautham has played his role excellent as director...a different portray from him..this time...a bit slower screenplay which may be unusual for the tamil viewers..and atlast falls into trap of kidnapping...sir oru doubt ..ungala yaarachum chinna vayasula kadathittu poitangala..

songs ...songs..so what less can u have from a Guitarist..Harris..ultimate songs ..wonderfully pictured...with nice words from Thamarai.. the 'adiyae kolluthae' song...vibrant...one ...but disappointed at times with the re-recording of Harris...which did not bring the feel for some of the emotional scenes....[ flute and violin cud have been used more...]
guitar..mm...excellent show...

so whats in the film...

its jus a journey of an army soldier dwelling in past....and present...
some memories are not be lost forever...never ...
simple one depicting the relationship of a father n son...

a Father...not of our generations..may be upcoming father's.....surya shines in this role...Surya...getting in first love...then some mishaps..thrown out of life comes back from those emotional restraints...with some heroics..in the middle...the three ladies on the lead..Sameera, Divya Spandana and Simran have done their roles to the perfection...credits to Gautham and Rathinavelu(cinematography)..his visuals are eye catchy...

worth watching it..a feel of good cinema..

Color Band

Family
Youth
Urban
Rural
Children

fashion..life of models

2008-10-31T14:06:00.000-07:00

Disappointed with a movie last week...we don't want to continue with that mission of Aegan ...so we opted to for a different language..yeah hindi ...hindi seeko bhai... : )

this time it was INOX...yeah we r jus trying to forget about MAYAJAAL...and save some money..[u know what, its more costlier for the tolls(perungudi and ECR) and parking which is worth for getting some bite of crackers and coffee in the interval...]

I have seen Madhu's films earlier ..viz., Page3 ,Corporate and Traffic Signal ..and he is
always in line with reality ...bringing the real happenings to the silver screen...nobody would disagree with that...

This one was nothing away from it...a cellular world of modeling brought into screen with wonderful touch of emotions,anger,attitude,fame and disappointment..

The story starts with a young budding model...entering the fashion industry..hoping to become a super model....the story revolving around her.. way of not handling the fame in proper way and the fate that befell her...the friendship between Megna[Priyanka] and Janet[Mugdha Godse] portrayed well...the make up men...etc..not to forget the performance of Shonali [Kangana] reaching her destiny at the end...

the visual details ....makes the film more interesting...the camera and editing always on par...the performances of the lead star is wonderful.

background score..is good..
costumes play a good role...a + point for the whole story....
who wud forget ..those costumes in Corporate..

worth watching it...

the end was good...a mix of emotions...with flashes around...

I lived on the moon..

2008-10-28T12:15:00.000-07:00

Its a very old one..but still i wanted this on my blog..a cool animation video...with wonderful lyrics...

http://www.yanim.net/ilotm/ilotm.htm download the video from here...

I lived on the Moon

Dear little lad
Here is the story of my life
I lived on the moon
Grey flying snakes along
the mountains of destiny while
the three tailed monkeys
were drawing the stars.
Light from the Sun and I
hide myself on the dark side, alone
I’ve run so far
to find my way
Then I dream again… alone

Dear little boy, Listen
to the voices of your soul
it showed you the way
Of silence and peace
Follow your thoughts and fly
Choosing all the things that you desire
Giant Waves, fireflies…
Your dreams will be your only shell
Your secrest, your hiding place, my son
Don’t let them try
to crush your brain
let you go far
….my son

check out his site...

http://y.puig.free.fr

[dont miss to plant the seed if u wanna go into the site ..try u r luck in catching the flies..]

aegan ...mission continues...

2008-10-28T03:12:00.000-07:00

தீபாவளிக்கு எந்த படம் release....ajith film..ok lets count on this..

ஏ gun வச்சிருக்கேன்....கிட்ட வந்தா சுட்டுருவேன்...[ajith style la..]..

I expected this dialouge. :( for my disappointment its was not there...

debut direction from raju sundaram....so decided to book a matinee in sangam cinemas thru internet...jus for 75 rs..[luckily we dinnot book in Mayajaal..it wud have been a heavy toll on our purses..U'll find why we were lucky....]
after much hype..in box office...and media..the expectations are too high for the film not on par..

ஏகன்..மொத்ததுல ஒரு லொள்ளு சபா பார்த்த feeling...
'aegan mission continues'....this is the end..of the film...
we don't want this to happen again...pls director...
இந்த மாதிரி mission எல்லாம் தமிழ் படத்துக்கு வேண்டாமே..

It was not like a first day film ....we had to cheer up most of the Ajith fans ..
action packed comedy film..thats the feel before u see the film.....camera was sleeping all the time...I donno when the tamil cinema crew will come out of this 'Binny Syndrome'...

எல்லா chasing scenum binny மில்ல்ஸ் தான் முடியுனுமா?

c'mon guys ther are lot of places in chennai...

songs not impressive...and even bg...i doubt Yuvan has scored the music.....
[எங்கயாச்சும் டீ சபுட போயிருபாருன்னு நெனைக்குறேன்]

ok lets come to the story....

ajith தாடி வச்ச நேர்மையான ஒரு police officer..
சுமன் ஒரு வெள்ளை டோப்பா வச்ச ஒரு கொடுரமான வில்லன்..படத்துல பார்த்தa அப்படி தெர்ல....ஒரு காமெடி கேரக்டர் மாதிரி தான் இருக்கு....
நயன் ஒரு chemistry professor...
முக்கியமான நபர் ராம் பிரசாத் ...the search is for him...அவர தேடித்தான் படமே...மத்தியில நடக்குற..கதை தான் அஜித் student ஆகி love பண்ணி...
வழக்கம் போல மசாலா ...கொஞ்சம் ..ஸ்கின் ஷோ..அப்புறம் dance..
இந்த மொக்கைக்கு நடுவுல ஜெயராம் torcher vera தாங்கலை..

படத்துக்கு highlight the song sequence from காதல் மன்னன்...'உன்னை பார்த்த பின்பு நான்..' அஜித் is so handsome..with his same old flair..which he had years back...

the climax..of the film..
sorry to say..
donno what happened..I guess somebody woke me up...
could only see the lines 'aegan mission continues' flashing on the big screen...

+
ajith is fresh always in the film with his smart looks....
the screening of the
VARANAM AAYIRAM trailer in the interval...
[first time watched this trailer...'simple but powerful']

-
the characters are not getting into mind..not even a single...எதோ படம் முழுக்க வந்துட்டு போறாங்க..

height of stupidity..

2008-10-18T02:17:00.000-07:00

the over bridge in front of tidel park.

Most of us have noticed this over bridge near the tidel park.
the intent of the corporation here , is to avoid pedestrians crossing the road in peak hours.
Yeah hats off to them.. they have solved this issue, but they forgot about the people
getting down from the MRTS Train..

Think about this..

I am getting down from the train in platform which is in the third level,
I take 100 odd steps down to get to the entrance of the station...
[The answer from the officials if questioned "WE have escalators inside the station.."]
then again I need to climb up 50 odd steps and climb down the same odd 50 steps...
oh man..what a way to lose your carbs without any physical trainer...
thanks to Chennai corporation ...

so before i switch on my system...I have lost half of my energy...

so where does the innovation,technology gurus go..are they really blind ..

I get an answer, "oh c'mon man..they are already working on world's greatest projects..u know...
they don't have enough time to fix this small over bridge..."

"oh is it...." I am just surprised by this answer..is it true? I dont know the answer either..

"Why can't we have sky bridge directly from the platform which connects this ..." i ask my friend who is a civil engineer..
[ I had seen this in many down towns in US cities.I am sure there would have been an indian brain behind this So why not implementing here .]

"You mean to say..break all the windows and construct that..yeah better idea..but whos going to do all these...and whats the use.."

"I dont know who is gonna do this...but I am sure its gonna come in near future...If we act now , at the least we can save some INR in energy bills and also some time..in climbing up and down and wasting our energy..."

One side the Corporation encourages people to use public transport in return to the lost energy....
so what do we call this ..."height of stupidity"

a harsh way to say though..

பட்டாம்பூச்சி விற்பவன்...

2008-10-02T04:34:00.000-07:00

சாப்பாட்டு மேசை மீது ... close up....

பட்டாம்பூச்சி விற்பவன்...

இது என்னடா கூத்து...பட்டாம்பூச்சிய யாராவது விப்பாங்கலா?
வித்தா யாராவது வந்து வாங்குவாங்கலா?

நல்ல கேள்வி?

பதில் தெரியவில்லை..

அறிந்தவர்கள்..அறிவிக்கலாம்..

ஏனெனில்..அவை உயிரோட இருப்பது 10-20 நாட்கள் தான்..

http://butterflywebsite.com/faq.cfm

wake up and smell the coffee

2008-10-01T11:16:00.000-07:00

a coffee art ..rather the latte art...i caught this in one of the coffee day...in pondicherry...
there are only 2 in the city....ok lets forget about that..

so do u like the picture.. the answer is always 'yes'..
who would dislike the smell of the coffee with a heart...
so what is on the people's heart who bring the beans for these coffees...are they happy....as u come out of a coffee day....

do check out this movie...

n thanx for Zorilla from UK for providing the link of the movie in my photo blog(i had posted this today..)

to learn more about the movie...
http://www.blackgoldmovie.com/

next time u come out of the shoppe...jus think to the bottom of the cup...

நல்லதோர் வீணை செய்து...

2008-09-30T12:13:00.000-07:00

நல்லதோர் வீணை செய்து...
அதை நலம் கெட புழுதியில் எறிவதுண்டோ....

it was fun today...my canadian Manager in US saw this in gtalk status
and was saying to me in the chat...

"That text after your ID is confusing to me, I couldn't tell if it says 'leave me alone I am not working today' or if it says 'Open for Business' "
then it took time to explain him that it was jus apoem... he his reply...

"oh, I was only kidding. It looks nice
I can barely read english though so I can certainly not read that poem"

I guess he liked the pattern...who knows... Barathiyar Pattu US managerukkae pudichuruchu....athula oru chinna santhosham...
I jus remember one more incident....when he called me some time ago and he had this song
' yaro ..yarukkul ingu yaro....'. so funny...:)

i had a dream...

2008-09-29T23:13:00.001-07:00

I had a dream..y'day..

it was overwhelming joy... u desire for that dream to repeat itself...

u often feel that when u see some missing faces...which never go of ur mind or heart...

it was a kind of dream...

'yeah i waited and waited and last she came with her enchanting smile...

(it was unexpected though..but its true nature of human beings which keeps us intact...through our life...)

I said 'Hi'..that's it all over..there was no response either..jus a smile again..'

searching answers for the meaning of that smile....

chaos starts...ther is no end for the butterfly effect..it still continues...

Auroville A must visit place

2008-09-26T00:17:00.000-07:00

The magnificent globe ..the center of the auroville...

vision starts thus....

Humanity is not the last rung of the terrestrial creation.
Evolution continues and man will be surpassed.

Auroville.. a place u wud never think of and love to go again and again..and u gain more about humanity on visiting this place..a must visit place...beyond the borders of religion and divisions..and a place for PEACE..rather call it MOTHER...

The MOTHER describes...the globe as thus...

A place...for trying to find one's consciousness.

*****

It is like the Force, the central Force of Auroville,
the cohesive Force of Auroville.

its an architectural marvel...with two stairways leading to the inner chamber..

@ the center there is a crystal mounted on a golden pedestal..which is illuminated by a ray of light from the center of the globe with natural sunlight and @ night times illuminated by the same ray powered by solar power...( I had seen the crystal during my first visit to Auroville way back in 2001- It was on July 1st 2001 I guess...before my first day of my career in IT...)

I cud'nt restrain myself from writing about this place before hand of my experience with LASIK operation which I underwent in Aravind Eye Hostpital, Pondicherry last..week..so a good place to start with my power corrected eyes :)...

a nice journey amidst the trees ..i was wondering ... such a barren land transformed to a forest ..with almost soils from 123 nations...what a proud moment it would have been to MOTHER in achieving this...

so how to get in there...
I wud suggest to take a bus from Madya Kailash , or Thiruvanmiyur..on any ECR bus to Cuddalore or Pondicherry...Pay just 55 - 65 INR...
from Pondy u need to catch a bus to Kalapet to get down at Auroville..from there its a 8km journey inside..the forest...where in you can catch an auto.

Its better to hire a cab from Pondicherry which would end cheaper than bargaining..with auto walas...

The way we ended up there was a bit interesting story...the day we went,
there was a mourning for an auto driver..and the autos were not functioning and an auto driver demanded 150 INR for jus 8 kms. We thought it was too high and waited there , I found a French guy to drop me there at Matri mandir and GK had a milk vendor to drop him,so nice people.

Auroville is a perfectly planned city, where u dont see large skyscrapers,but magnanimous trees around you, which gives a feeling of being in a different planet.

The concept behind this initiative was inspired by

'unity among lot of diversity'

we all know its a dream..

as the mother says...

"The only hope for the future is a change in man's consciousness. It is up to men to decide if they will collaborate with it or if this change will be enforced on them by overpowering circumstances."

we dinnot get a chance to visit the inner chamber though.
This would require booking 3 days prior to your visit to Matri Mandir...

Normal visiting timings would be 10 am - 12 pm in mornings
and 2 pm -4 pm in evenings to get passes for viewing the Globe.
The passes are free of cost.

Some highlights of matri mandir:

12 gardens around the GLOBE...
12 petals which symbolise the virtues..
the Amphitheatre.
The Banyan(as we know banyan is the symbol of unity)

some highlights of the whole city

a nice visitors place
exhibition of the auroville
a model garden with most uncommon variety of herbs

To know more about auroville in detail and go into some history of this place..
visit the official site of auroville.

www.auroville.org

I guess auroville should be on everyone's travel diaries not just for single visit... :)

some pics from my third eye to share with....

the banyan...

a perfect blend of rock,water and green...

வறுமைக்கோடு

2008-09-25T23:07:00.000-07:00

இது ஏழைகளுக்கு மட்டுமல்ல...

Letters from Iwo Jima

2008-09-13T17:08:00.000-07:00

a sense of watching an extraordinary film...its the reality...

so how did I end up in watching this very good movie...

it was another bad CTW...as usual...

jus hung out @ velachery...checked out satyam n Inox for Wall-E...nope no luck this week even...no tickets...

k what to day...we then decided to go to OAT, IIT Madras...somebody told dasavatharam is to be filmed..

it was hoax..

okay we saw the posters..it was written ' A Letter to IWO JIMA'..

hard to pronounce it..then i read 2 more times...and GK rightly said ...it cud be a war film....

ok decided to go inside...

The film started off in the battle field in Japan...with full darknes..throught out the film...with
english subtitles...yes its a Japanese film..
The story is about the bombardment of the Americans on the Japanese island...
where the young men know they are in the losing end..and fighting for their pride and the
emperor...lot of suicides...deaths..the true picture of war and despair ..perfectly blend..

I wonder how Clint Eastwood, the American Director...was able to go to the other side...i.e., the
Japanese couterpart's view ....of the war...

I am afraid ...we are not even able to make a film with the people of the nearest border within our country..things to ponder..in future...:)

so whats the end,every body die except the old secret which Saigo whispered to his baby in mother's womb before he enters the battle field to serve his land and the numerous letters from IWO JIMO waiting to be despatched...

a touching end though...

some of the scenes in the film depict the existance of true humane characters...which keeps the mankind intact in this world..and making better and better...
noteworthy are the scenes showing the Japanese treating an american soldier, the soldier who pretends to kill a dog...

vellai pookkal....hope for a better tomorrow....

2008-09-13T16:14:00.000-07:00

nothing to forgive....is this a better place to live...

the news channels scrolling this bad news...across the country... about the serial blasts

that went over in Delhi..tonite ...killing innocent 20 -25 lives
(official figures in different news channels differ)

we jus check the news..and after three or four days....people forget...

and for those families,who lost their loved ones,its gonna be terrible
for their rest of their lives.

Is it a sign of human species endangering their lives in the word of 'freedom...'

is there freedom n e where? whats the lesson taught?

lets sleep in hope for a better tomorrow...

வெள்ளைப் பூக்கள் உலகம் எங்கும் மலர்கவே
விடியும் பூமி அமைதிக்காக விடிகவே
மண்ணில் மஞ்சள் வெளிச்சம் விழுகவே
மலரே சோம்பல் முறித்து எழுகவே
குழந்தை விழிக்கட்டுமே தாயின் கதகதப்பில்
உலகம் விடியட்டுமே பிள்ளையின் சிறுமுதல் சிரிப்பில்
(வெள்ளைப் பூக்கள்)

எங்கு சிறு குழந்தை தன் கைகள் நீட்டிடுமோ
அங்கு தோன்றாயோ கொள்ளை நிலவே
எங்கு மனித இனம் போர் ஓய்ந்து சாய்ந்திடுமோ
அங்கு கூவாயோ வெள்ளைக் குயிலே
(வெள்ளைப் பூக்கள்)

sa-ro-ja saman nikalo

2008-09-06T12:52:00.000-07:00

SA-RO-JA ...இந்த படத்துக்கும் தாம்-தூம் க்கும் நெறைய SIMILAIRITY..என்னன்னா போன வாரம் saturday mayajaal la பாத்த அதே Screen 4, அதே seat nos 1-5, அதே ...I thoda... நான் சொல்ல மாட்டேன் படம் பாருங்க...yenna 150 rs kuduthurkomla ..

பேசாம 'ச - ரோ- ஜா ' க்கு பதில்.. ' யு-ச-ரா ' ன்னு வச்சிருக்கலாம்... ஏன்னா படம் முழுக்க யுவன் சங்கர் ராஜா தான் தெரியுறார்....very good BG score...with three fast beats..one item song..just to add some masala....vazhakkam pola..

சக்தி கண்ணன் NO WORDS.... worth to watch the scenes in the van....stunning ...COOL CINEMATOGRAPHY...THE NUMBER DOST BADA DOST...shot well with smooth transitions...thanx to avid sw...this song is a visual treat to watch...

all start with a container ..and the IPL match in hyderabad..I guess...VenkatPrabu is directly from the grounds of chennai 28 tournament..bringing the same old team bfr the story starts to get a grip, infact cricket is the turning point of the story or in other words story of the friends begin there , and with some twists and turns till the caravan with the four(charan,vaibhav,siva & premgi) plunges suddely into a thriller , amidst the kidnap of a girl with some timing comedies.

Especially EKS sorry EKP(Premgi)for his tireless efforts inspite of his love failures,u feel like saying 'adappavi kidnap aana ponna kooda vittu vaikkalayae...' ('sir antha ponnu peru enna sir?'. He gets an answer as 'Gayathri' during his intro scene...but fails to answer this question when asked by Vaibhav @ the end of the movie.....EKP ..parava illai vidunga aduta padathula pick up pannikalam...)...SPBCharan...the most realistic character of the movie..good show by him...Jayaram and Prakashraj play their roles a usual, latter being used less in most of the movie....

the visualization to give continuity to the film across different time periods done excellent, jus like chapters of a novel. The colour tones used well to achieve this.On the whole ,Technically sound film.

Climax to be noted , for its technical difficulty , well the suspense held along till the end.
I wonder is it a season of 'chasing' for Tamil cinema. Starting from Dasavatharam, Dham-Dhoom and now sa-ro-ja this time, a good idea though for dragging the picture for 2 1/2 hrs, some times the audience get bored with lengthy and monotonous scenes....

kudos to Venkat...he has his own way of story telling....keeping it simple.

A good entertainer to watch.

http://www.sarojathefilm.com

COLOR BAND

Family
Youth
Urban
Rural
Children

Chennai 2060 - Part 2

2008-09-01T23:56:00.000-07:00

Vast stretches of coastal India may just go under water if global warming goes unchecked. According to a report titled Blue Alert by Greenpeace, if present trends are any indication, there will be a five-degree increase in temperature over the next hundred years. This will submerge large areas and displace around fifty million people in India alone. A policy change, the report says, can still avert a two-degree rise in less than a decade. Now an attempt is being made to mobilise public support to force the government to take a firm stand on climate change. “In Chennai alone there will be ten million people who may be displaced. They’ll be like climate refugees. So we want them to understand this and exert pressure on the government,” said Natasha Chandy, Communications Coordinator. Many countries have signed the Kyoto protocol in order to bring down green house gas emissions to levels that existed before 1992. But global emissions have actually risen by 24 per cent mainly due to emissions from developing countries like India and China. Although the US tops the list in Co2 emissions, it wants developing countries like India and China to take the lead. While a new threat is emerging due to global warming, this is an attempt to build pressure through the public so that India can lead the world in mitigating climate change rather than waiting for a catastrophe to happen.

war & geography

2008-08-31T14:35:00.001-07:00

War - Way of GOD to teach us Geography

read some where...

meeting the horizon....butterfly effect part IV

2008-08-29T13:05:00.000-07:00

Pamban Bridge. A man made architectural marvel .I took this snap sitting on the doorsteps of the compartment holding my Canon Rebel XT in one hand and other on the door. A thrilling experience

so did I board the bus? nope this time...its the train..of course it was the one I boarded on March 21st 2008 , on my way back to Chennai from Rameswaram There was a little tussle with the TTR .I had forgotten my PAN card which was the primary identity for the online passenger tickets . I was having an identity card which was useless and the argument ended futile and in the end i paid a penalty of 1200 INR.

nevertheless this train got me an identity as an amateur photographer... among the 11 winners of the Best Vacation Photos co-sponsored by Cleartrip and ZOOMIN ..the above picture you see was short listed for the final 11 from thousands of pics posted on the portal...it was a surprise ..which came thru mail...i was little thrilled...a first step of an amateur..on his wonderful journey of 'meeting the horizon'...

so what do I call this day..with lot of events..

I shot a perfect sunrise...from the 6 th floor..and posted the picture..@ 7 am with title 'open -up open-up'... wonderful lyrics from AGUILAR..(nescafe song -open up,open up) . Label 'photography'

I posted 'how often u miss the bus '....this morning..@ 11 am.label travel..

the sunset on the above picture , a perfect end to a sunrise...

a new day..to end in a good note.....

butterfly effect continues......

how often you miss the bus?

2008-08-28T23:04:00.000-07:00

The wound caused by the second degree burns last week on my calf and ankle is still burning....I feel the heat inside….the watch shows 8.25 a.m. its Friday 29, August 2008 I am back after my first shift..

Exactly @ this time the bus which picks me up every alternate Friday to Rochester Downtown is on the way from Xerox Building No.112. The watch with the thermostat shows 2 degree Celsius and the analog dial showing 8.28 am and 10:28:05 FR on the overlay. I could feel the chillness, with my calf muscles starting to cramp.

[It was all GREEN everywhere on Tuesday and suddenly it’s covered with snow. First time experience of snow fall .Believe me ne body would love it, what a wonderful experience. It wasn’t snowing now, but the heavy snowfall had laid a sheath of frozen ice which made it feel colder even…. I just stand on the pavement below the sign post…It was rather an early snow fall this year. This was the bad calendar year …Katrina, floods in Mumbai and Chennai. I guess the earth was feeling so hot and it needed some coolants sparing a displacement of millions of people from their normal life.]

I look @ my watch yups… its 8.28…I am thinking why hasn’t the bus come yet.. oh my man.. has the bus left early today? No not at all….then what might have happened…god damn if I had missed this bus...I need to wait for another hour …really….it’s too cold out there and I need to walk back another 2 Kms to my apartment.. it’s a pain in the neck….

[People seldom use public transport and they use their own cars to move around places , not to say cars , most of them are big SUVs with a mileage of 20 -30 miles per gallon. That’s too harsh on the atmosphere less mileage more damage to the air and now the blame on depleting the air falls on the third world countries. It’s Ridiculous, they started it all and now they owe it. They have already done the damage. Still not to put behind the amount of fossil burned residue which we (India) dump into atmosphere ,it’s nearly 40 % of which the US had taken to reach from 1900.]

Ok what do I do now in the middle of the harsh weather near the restaurant ...do nothing ..stare @ the restuarant ...its interesting to see the outer wall of the restuarant , it changes each day. Its Friday today and PINK is the color for the day (“inraya rasiyana niram ilam sivappu “..Sun TV Rasi palan comes to my mind). its a bad start for the day...The unlucky part is I don’t have a choice of going inside the restaurant either, reason being timings of the restaurant. Its open only from 6pm.

I wud be flying in a share auto if it was Ameerpet or Thiruvanmiyur depot..but it is Webster where there is nobody around u to board the bus and u r the lonely human being waiting there staring @ bare roads and the locked door of the restaurant. I just grudge myself on getting a little late, I should have walked bit faster…ok..cool.. no point in thinking back….decided to wait for another 45 more minutes..thers is no plan B ..i put on my creative ear plugs..sound chords ready for the voice of Shreya Ghosal number “Enakku piditha padaal athu unakku pidukkumae…”a wonderful song…let me wait….nine more songs and there you go.... to board the bus Route no 2 From Thurston to Main & Clinton.....

open up .. open up..

2008-08-28T18:01:00.000-07:00

snapped this picture...today morning..after my shift from the 6 th floor... a wonderful view..thx to vasanth for having his SX 100 with him....

wonderful lyrics to go with this picture

You can be rich, with no money to spend.
You can do everthing, when you understand.
You can be mother, when you are a man.
Open up, You know that you can.
Open up the borders and start in your head

Open your mind to thoughts seldom said.
Open your heart, and open your mind.
Open your thoughts and don't stay behind.

Open your eyes, open you mind.
Open your thoughts, don't stay behind Open up,
Open up, Open up, Open up, Open up, Open up. Let's get there.

You can be rich, with no money to spend.
You can do everything, when you understand.
You can be mother, when you are a man.
Open up, You know that you can.

Open your eyes, open your mind Open your thoughts, don't stay behind.
Let's get there. Open up, Open up, Open up, Open up. Let's get there.

Open your eyes, open your mind.
Open your thoughts, don't stay behind. Let's get there.
Open up, Open up, Open up, Open up. Let's get there.
Open up, Open up, Open up, Open up. Let's get there.
Open up, Open up, Let's get there.
Open up, Open up, Let's get there.

Words & music : AGUILAR

Voice:SHUNZA

IM A S U R V I V O R

2008-08-27T11:34:00.000-07:00

my first post...in blog...

Now that you are out of my life,
I'm so much better,
You thought that I'd be weak without ya,
But I'm stronger,
You thought that I'd be broke without ya,
But I'm richer,
You thought that I'd be sad without ya,
I laugh harder,
You thought I wouldn't grow without ya,
Now I'm wiser,

You thought that I'd be helpless without ya,
But I'm smarter,
You thought that I'd be stressed without ya,
But I'm chillin'
You thought I wouldn't sell without ya,
Sold nine million.

I'm a survivor I'm not gonna give up

I'm not gon' stop
I'm gonna work harder

I'm a survivor
I'm gonna make it I will survive

Keep on survivin'

Thought I couldn't breathe without you,
I'm inhalin'
You thought I couldn't see without you,
Perfect vision,
You thought I couldn't last without ya,
But I'm lastin'
You thought that I would die without ya,
But I'm livin'
Thought that I would fail without ya,
But I'm on top,
Though it would be over by now,
But it won't stop,
You thought that I would self-destruct,
But I'm still here,

Even in my years to come,
I'm still gon' be here.

I'm wishin' you the best,
Pray that you are blessed,
Much success, no stress, and lots of happiness,

After all of the darkness and sadness,
Still comes happiness,
If I surround myself with positive things,
I'll gain prosperity.

a tribute to the lord of indian cinema

2008-08-22T16:36:00.000-07:00

Kamal Hassan ...I call him the lord of indian cinema...for he has tried most of the things a normal film maker wud have tried..and its good to have this song in my blog..

and I recall some of his words in the recent interviews..."I encourage lot of young and brilliant engineers to come into this medium which has most power but beware , its not a place for those toddlers who enter here to learn cinema, its art but still it is a competitive profession.."

he frowns " If somebody says that ..the films directed by me are not reached or comprehended by the tamil people ..I wud totally disagree as a true tamilian.."

Most us have watched Virumandi ..an example of good screen play...in the recent either in the SUN TV [It was a highlights of a full feature film...20-20 mania has caught up with SUN TV too...]
this particular scene in Virumandi....where he cries in the grave for her grandma..this particular scene is the crux of the of the film and this might not have reached most of the urban audience...but the details...he has put in for this scene..amazing man...i donno why this film was not a block buster....

lots n lots ..to write abt him..

remakes of old films are a a bit trendy nowadays..n i have one question to the film community ...have they ever thought of remaking a Kamal Movie? If they com eup with such ventures no doubt it can be only him doing the remake...

n today when i was on the way to the vadapalani i had a chance to view the posters of 'Nayagan'...it was kinda degrading national award winner . A clear example of how the treatment is , for such a master piece which changed the trends in among Tamil cinema audience. I dont have any personal opinions of the actors whoever have acted in this 'new Nayagan' film. It would be good if Tollywood put their heads on this issue i protecting the the names of those films...like they have in Hollywood...

kudos to his recent efforts..in Dasvatharam..luckily this film was not picked by the so called "Nattai munnetra pOrkodi thookum athangavathigal.."
[ I hear a voice " ethanga... vathi sir..."]..
not to put down some of the efforts from Ravi Varman. It was a good feeling when I had a chance to meet him a month ago @ Inox..

a mini biography..of the great multitalented professional..from IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0352032/bio

some of his interviews and speches in You tube...I was bit lucky to witness his speech in 2003 book fair ..hold by the TNABP.. an inpsiring one for tamil lovers..

interview on Dasavatharam
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0WvnSbQXsI

Interview part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjlD7IEQ3cE

Interview Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjlD7IEQ3cE

His speech on Hogenakkal Issue.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AF8xv9tOvfY

His speech on Sujatha's Condolence meeting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fey2zzRU_eo

70 kmph- Butterfly Effect Part III

2008-08-21T13:18:00.000-07:00

22 Aug 2008,Friday 12°55'1"N 80°13'50"E 3.50 pm

70...60..50..40..30..20..crashhhhhhhhhhhhhh..a minor accident.veh no : TN-07 P 5312...the victim skidded off the road by braking on the rubble and sand that collected on the road due to rain the prev day, but he escaped with second degree burns in his right calf which was tangled between the brake lever and engine.Luckily it was near the T shop and it happened @ the shoulders of the OMR road . Within seconds there were people to help him out and took him to the company med centre...

The guy who skidded was none other than me. I started off 3.45 to reach office @ 4 pm. It was a bit unusual time, i generally used to go around 5 pm to office. It was a coincidence that i thought i wud complete this blog after my work on friday n jus uploaded the picture Bfore that this had happened. It was on the card always..the road being rough exactly near the entrance and 2 days back, @ the same spot there was head on collision of two busss. Statistics proved here , it was an accident zone...u wont believe months ago i saw a dead man 10 metres away from the same spot being hit by a milk van around 2 am in the morning. It was a terrific xperience that night.I cudnt go up to my desk that night n continue with my coding...

12°55'1"N 80°13'50"E

...0..10..20..30..40..50..60..70..fiero suzuki...reaching 70 in jus 10 seconds.. its 3 am.. the clock ticking.....70..60..50..first turn a long turn ... time 3:02

full throttle...50..60 ...70...80..a straight till the 12°56'26"N 80°14'9"E...
slowing down..to 60...a slight turn..time now is 3:04...

60 ..70....80..90...on a straight ...wow....its like flying....the engine getting the hardest beat ever...and the pumping of pistons..i feel the vibration.....may be the bike has become too old.. the pistons being 7 years old...

[I remember in the same road beating the 110 mark with the same bike...on a sunday afternoon..after the entrance exam I had to take up for the non-gate for my masters..it was rushing to watch the football match of FIFA 2002 between Argentina and Nigeria which the Albicelestes went on to win the match with a goal from Batistuta...]

a sharp left ..gear down to 3 @ 12°57'51"N 80°14'47"E for a sharp turn and one more straight the most difficult part of riding a bike in this straight , a challenge for most bikers
time 3.05.

some more lefts n rights thru the the small streets to reach the destination 12°58'56"N 80°12'35"E to get some hrs of sleep....time 3:10..

next day...nope i am not going to office on sSaturdays..n Sundays these days..

the ride starts on Monday from 12°58'56"N 80°12'35"E to the beginning...hope for no crashes this time.. its all in the game of falling and getting up and the game never ends...

butterfly effect..continues..

How do you know what to cut away?

2008-08-17T16:03:00.000-07:00

An old saying in photography has it that – "If your photographs aren't good enough, it's likely because you aren't close enough". This is often misunderstood to mean that one should be shooting with a long lens, or just doing close-ups. Not so. What is meant is that any photograph is of necessity about "something", and it is the photographer's task to hone the image so that it contains, to the greatest degree possible, only that which the photograph is intended to be about.

There is an apocryphal story that one day the Pope came to visit Michelangelo in his studio while he as sculpting his "David". The Pope marveled at the partially completed work, and asked, "How do you know what to cut away?" Michelangelo's response was, "It's simple. I just remove everything that doesn't look like David."

The trick, or rather – the art, is, of course, not in simply removing everything that doesn't look like David, but in knowing both what that is and how to do it. Therein lies the story..

Read some where...I guess it is luminous landscape... good one...

My Formula is Cab

2008-08-10T21:23:00.000-07:00

12.30 A.M., Parking Lot, Karapakkam Service Lane

I woke up by a strong wind gushing thru my window and the fluttering sound of the trip sheets. I had just made a trip to perambur from karappakkam. I cud see a blurred image of the trip supervisor nearing my car.

I wonder is it just fate or a passion for driving, for if it was passion I would have become Schumacher…[believe me I am not a fan or a follower of Schumacher. I hardly get time to even have a normal diet…just heard this name when one of the employee uttered this name. Out of curiosity, I was asking him who he was and what was special about him…]

Then I told to myself , all the cab drivers are in a way F1 drivers...the Schumachers and Alonsos who drive their way to the chequered flag 18 times once in a year and during each race have pit stops compared to our drivers who also get lot of pits stops, rather all along the journey in the roads of Chennai. There is no G-force its only the S-force It’s called the Survival force which is more powerful than G –Force.

'முத்து இந்த ரெண்டு பேரை போய் தாம்பரம் tambaram sanatorium la விட்டுட்டு வந்துரு ', supervisor

[can u drop them in tambaram]

'சார் உங்களுக்கே இது ஓவரா இல்லையா? ஒரு 2 மணி நேரமாவது தூங்கிகுறேனே ..'

[this is to bad sir..i need atleast 2 hrs of sleep]

'சரி விடு நான் co-ordinator கிட்ட பேசிக்கிறேன்..

[k then i'll speak to the co-ordinator]

'சார் உடனே கோச்சிகுறீங்க'

[c'mon sir..i was jus kidding..no probs..]

Two Employees got into the cab by the time I was ready, with just a face wash. Already I am in half sleep I really appreciate the guts of the employees who have trust on me and getting in my cab but never I have disappointed them and still maintain my speed and they are always safe in my cab. Yep I have an infallible concentration when it comes to driving.

One of associate who got into my cab was having a small gift pack and the other associate was asking what it was, and he said he has been awarded the star performer of the team for his continuous hard work for the past few weeks and making the project success in given time.

Sometimes I m just bored of this question ’When do you start your day?’ in fact annoyed .don’t worry I am not a Hancock and getting wild on hearing this again n again , To say I neither start nor end the day…the trip sheets are the sheets of the daily calendar…unlike the calendar which only has one sheet per day…the trip sheets have countless papers to be torn … completed four trip sheets…@ the time of dawn..yeah that’s the end of my day…does that make sense…have I answered the question …mm ..

I have crossed the Medavakkam high road n the cab going smooth with the latest song from subramanypuram…in FM…I know the two young men don’t understand that as they were northies…but they loved the song…one guy was just tapping his fingers to the tunes of James Vasanth on the dash board as he was listening…

They continued with their conversation about salaries and since I had been in Hyderabad for around 4 yrs before coming to Chennai , I had picked up good hindi…they were mumbling that they were yet to receive their appraisals n the salary they get was very less which was more than 10 times the salary I get… …

I went back to my school days..thinking, If I had studied well I cud have become SW engineer…with a white collar job…who said .I m not…Still I am in a white collar job …always wearing the white shirt as uniform….

While getting down the Associate said, in butler tamil

’nalikku konjuum fast a vanthidu..Muthu…enku konjam velai irukku..’

I was gazing at him still he walked to his door and I am sure he will have a good sleep till he wakes up tomm in the afternoon before he gets ready to the shift. Now I have another 20 more kms back to office….in the middle ..a pit stop for ...a tea …n biscuit.

I leave it to you to decide is it fate or passion for me to be in this profession ..I cannot blame fate for some reasons..but its not a passion though ...but I still love this job...carrying those tired minds back home safe...and bringing them next day to office in time…without any appreciations or awards…:)

Chennai 2060 [சென்னை 2060]

2008-08-07T16:51:00.000-07:00

மனித இனம் தொலைந்து போகாமலிருக்க ஒரு
தொலை நோக்கு பார்வை வேண்டும்..
அப்பார்வையின் விழிகளில் தொடங்கும் இந்த பயணம் தான்
'சென்னை 2060'[Chennai2060]

இது ஒரு முடிவல்ல... ஒரு ஆரம்பம்.....

H i t t i n g t h e L C D s . .s o o n . .

As the twentieth century draws to a close, many scientists, business leaders, government officials, and citizen activists see handwriting on the global wall warning of impending ecological collapse. I have done my best to examine the validity of that view, working not as a scientist but as an investigative reporter, armed with an open mind, a restless curiosity, and the freedom to explore. I freely concede that the ambitious scope of my inquiry has made omissions inevitable. I could not examine every environmental hazard in the detail it deserves, anymore than I could visit every country I would have liked. Travel is like knowledge: the more you see, the more you know you haven''t seen. But I saw more of this planet''s people and places than I ever dreamed possible, and I am deeply grateful for the privilege. I only hope that this account of my journey illuminates enough of our environmental predicament to help light the way forward for the people who live it.

Earth Odyssey

by Mark Hertsgaard

I was bit lucky to get this book ..from an old book exhibition in Secunderabad..
bought this for 60 Odd rs but the truth and information I got from this book were priceless..

உயிர் உதிரும்பொது உறவுகளும் வீனோ.. உலகம் இதுதானோ..

2008-08-06T14:00:00.000-07:00

a very good song from Subramaniapuram
a good melody from ...Shankar Mahadevan and lyrics from Yugabarathi..[no words to say]
good visuals from Kathir behind the cam...

கழுகுகளின் கண்களிலே மரண பயம் இல்லை..
ஊமைகளின் தாலாட்டை செவி உணர வாய்பில்லை..

புழுதியிலே ரத்திணமாய் இருந்ததொரு தொல்லை..
பாவங்களை பாராமல் பழகியதனால் தொல்லை..

தேவை பூமியை தினம் தேனாக்கும்..
கோபம் துயரங்களை சேர்க்கும்..

கனவுகளில் விழுந்த என்னை கவலையிடம் அனுப்புகிறாள்..
இளமையெனும் கருவறையில் எரிதழலை கொளுத்துகிறாள்..

உயிர் உதிரும்பொது உறவுகளும் வீனோ.. உலகம் இதுதானோ..

அவளுடைய கற்பணையை எழுத வழியில்லை...
கூண்டுக்கிளி நான் ஆனேன் வெளி வரவும் வாய்பில்லை..

இவனுடைய உண்மைகளை ..உளர வழியில்லை..
தோல்விகளின் வீடானேன் துணை வரவும் ஆளில்லை..

வாழும் மாணிடரின் சுமைகள் தீராது..
காலம் உறவுகளின் தீவு..

இதுவும் ஒரு 'Butterfly Effect' தான் - Part II

2008-08-03T13:08:00.000-07:00

I am going back to the post few days back....

Its good to continue with that today.
Being a friendship day... I thought it was time for me to meet my old friends..and especially Buvana....she had gone to 3rd standard by now and she looked so cute in today's dress ..and thank GOD for those wonderful ART drugs and some good hearts..around the world..which had made all those marks on her face vanish away..and she looked so fresh with lots of energy...dancing to the same rhyme..(how can I forget that..its song which always keeps me in an upbeat mood..)...joined by Anitha who has moved on to 4 th standard...
Anita had lots of games loaded for GK , Arvind and Me. with her tiny fingers she was able to depict spider man by joining her thumb and index fingers and placing them on her eyes.
I was like speechless it was so cute , and I was jus admiring the beauty with which she was narrating all funny happenings of her school. Lots of PJs she shared I thought next time i come here i shud carry a notepad with me to jot down all of them.
she showed us her cute little doll..her 2 A photograph..and her 2 hair clips which her teacher had presented few weeks..before...which made us go back to our young age.
Anitha was telling to GK
'R u leaving now..why can't we play for some more time..u better stay here...',
saying this she smiled...
and I cud see from her beatiful eyes the need for care, affection and whatever every child in her age wud desire for ...

We were there for around 2 hrs and each and every moment we felt like somewhere in a place where u never been.. a kinda sacred place.. we started of with intros...and talking to them a friendly...sharing their dreams likes..dislikes....etc..and every time u see a kid u get the Question 'What is your name?'...
and a true warm handshake u can never get in ur life time..it was total fun..and we enjoyed..our time..with these young kids who are jus like butterflies with their own colors....and always hoping to reach higher and higher.. not aware of the deady disease*...they carry with them for none of their fault....

We left the Home , not wanting to leave ... but its sleep time for the kids..we came out with smiles .. of getting new friends who were so special... on this friendship Day...

the butterfly effect still continues...

நட்புக்காலம்

2008-08-02T19:45:00.000-07:00

புரிந்து
கொள்ளப்படாத
நாள்களின்
வெறுமையான
நாட்குறிப்பில்
தானாகவே வந்து
அமர்ந்திருக்கிறது
எனக்குப்
பிடித்தமான
உன் புன்னகை !!
- அறிவுமதி [ நட்புக்காலம்]

Happy friendship day!!

முதல் முத்தம்

2008-08-01T05:42:00.000-07:00

மண்ணில் விழும் ஒவ்வொரு மழைத்துளியும்
முதல் முத்தமே...

அர்த்தம் புரிந்தவர்களுக்கு மட்டும்..

-அசோக்

இதுவும் ஒரு 'Butterfly Effect' தான் - Part I

2008-07-31T16:23:00.000-07:00

பட படன்னு பறந்து செல்லும் வண்ணத்து பூச்சி
ஒரு வண்ணத்து பூச்சி!
அதில் அழகழகாய் நிறத்தை மட்டும் பாரு
அந்த நிறத்தை அதில் பூசி விட்டது யாரு!

முட்டையாக நான் இருந்தேன் கருவிலே..
சிறு புழுவாக ஊர்ந்து வந்தேன் இலையிலே..
என்னை சுத்தி கூடு.
நான் கட்டிகொண்ட வீடு!

படுத்திருபேன் காத்திருப்பேன் நாட்கணக்கில்
பின் இறக்கை வரும் பறந்திடுவேன் உயரத்திலே !!!!

young girl buvana's dream ..
a [+ ] ve dream of flying high with fluttering wings..
which is already in chaos... she is unaware of..

I heard this song first on January 18th 2008..it was my b'day...a day of mixed...events....

note: i donno who the author of this rhyme is...but the song means lot to me...

ASIMO performing a symphony

2008-07-22T00:58:00.000-07:00

how can I have a blog without asimo..most of you might have watched this video...but still..a good one to post..i just remember the great writer Sujatha..for his en iniya iyanthira..when i see this ASIMO....

the official site
http://world.honda.com/ASIMO

பல்லவனில் ஒரு நாள்...[a day in pallavan]

2008-07-20T22:28:00.001-07:00

1980 s..

I just love to travel in pallavan bus...ஏதோ ஒரு இணை பிரியாத..ஒரு பந்தம்...My bro and I used to travel to Saidapet from AU campus daily evening for our tuition when we were young around 10 yrs old....the bus number 18B...oh man!! how can i forget those wonderful travels...we had lotta things to share with us...and gotta end in small fights..most times I leave it to him....

then the other most traveled bus is 23 C...u know the best route ...coz it starts from besant nagar and covers all the important theatres..before it reaches aynavaram...

albert, shanti, anand, devi, alankar, safire, satyam,abirami,Casino...so u can c lotta of clg bunkers in the bus..

thers been a long relation with the pallavan from my young age….may be I missed those wonderful travel during my post grad days… [may be I was a bit studious those days...and had the wonderful sorimuthu as my companion..look for him in future...]

March 14 Friday 2008…( happened Real)

My bike did not start the earlier night[ it was a rainy day that night ]...n the next day.. I had to catch up a 21 H from SRP tools to reach my office in Karapakkam, Chennai.

This route has mixed bag of passengers..small children old people ..laborers from ground zero...to the top floor..on the new OMR road... all have equality among diversity ...all cheap labors who work for the weekly wages...(40 hrs for an IT engineers..and more than 60 hrs for others..) awaiting on the increase of dollar rate ..pity for them in future...many more OMRs in Zambia or Kenya or any other third world country are gonna come...as the business cost becomes more in India…

The bus has crossed perungudi…and I was gazing @ the toll plaza that was under construction ..

People start staring @ those..young men who have lost their identities...with their ID tags of those companies which have grown towards sky roof as our inflation rates. I got a seat near behind the driver....I was SMS ing my friend…that I would be reaching office by 3, during the course overheard a conversation between two gentle men who were clad in lungi and a shirt..i cud notice from the stains on their shirt that they were painters...

Their conversation was so interesting that I started listening to them…

They were talking about the bad times they had with their previous companies …the talk switched over to their Kids education…

One of them said ..

' எங்கபா...நமக்குதான் படிப்பு வரல...

என் ரெண்டு புல்லைங்களும் நல்லா படிக்குது...

நாமதான் ஒயுங்கா படிக்கலை...
அதுங்கலாச்சும் ..கைல paint brush புடிக்காம பேனாவ புடிக்கட்டுமே...இன்னா சொல்ற… '

[it was our fate that we are forced to come to this profession...lets c our kids are educated well...and are holding pens instead of paint brushes..in future....]

I was happy though for those kids ….and for the hopes of the dad.....

January 8th Sunday 2023(happening..)

I had a bad accident last night, January 7^th with my brand new Honda ZRV[ I had to abandon my Honda CRV which was 10 yrs old to its grave yard where all the vehicles which were older than 10 yrs were dismantled and Government would give a depreciation amount for the car..]......

That day was a Saturday …it was a special day though … with some memories going back to 15 years lingering my mind….reason for the accident...not a drunk n drive…( well it’s been 15 yrs on the same day…I had the last social sip of spirit..)..instead it was the truck driver who hit me back ...was in high spirits*..

Next day I was in the dealer outlet….[U hardly c a service centre on a Sunday…]for service and spares...and there was service engineer... who accompanied me to evaluate the damage done to the SUV...with the whole rear door crushed against the main body with no remains of the proper shape and color…of the car…

he introduced me two engineers and said they were the high def color officials for their center....

my mind was fully occupied with calculations .... what the repair estimates would sum up to and so worried about color matching of the door with the color of the main body …mean while I noticed those two gentlemen I met, having a device in their hands and I was curious to know what it was ..I went up to one of them...and asked him what it was... He said it was a virtual paint brush and he started explaining about them…

‘ u jus park ur car on the bridge and the sensors on the wall evaluate the damage area and jus take a snap shot of the whole car, does the color mapping . Once that is done our job is just to use this virtual brush to paint the car seeing the big screen in front of us and the rest is done by the painting unit'.

@ the backdrop the other guy srood before the big screen showing the 3D visual of a car and he started painting a small glitch on the front bumper…with his magic wand.. i cud see the color change in the area where the paint has has been wiped off...on the car..

i was surprised by this scene and asked him, 'Did u design this software?', the answer was 'yes it was us '.

I smiled @ those two men and said..'Its great..n what made u to design such a SW …' he replied with a smile of his own style…a sign of achievement…

'It was my dad who inspired ...who used to sit under sun for hours using his spray.. to paint those cars which are out of the tinkering assembly...n we thought in future we should make his job easier .It all started with the final year project during my under grad Mech. Engg.. @ CEG where I demonstrated with a small prototype , n my bro who is 2 yrs younger than me , he did his part with his image processing as his final year project in ECE…thats a small inspirational story ....now we are into the same job of our dad.....but in a way hi tech ... much easier without dirtying our hands..or shirts...’

I was not sad for their dad for he believed their kids never had the paint brushes in their hand, instead I felt happy.. they stood proud holding the brush….

The title paint brush wud been a better title for this post…but still I had a special love for pallavan and all the dreams start @ little travels..and small talks… thought this wud suit.....wat say...;-)...

வெறுமை

2008-07-20T22:14:00.000-07:00

வெறுமை . .

ஒரு முறை.. அல்ல இரு முறை அல்ல ... பல முறை வந்து செல்லும் இந்த வெறுமை…. இது ஒரு தொடர் பயணம்… தொடக்கமும் அறிந்த முடிவும் அறிந்த உண்ர்வற்ற ஒரு வெறுமை...

on my way from Hyderabad to Chennai alone in Charminar Express...

2008-07-02T13:20:00.000-07:00

ஆலம் விழுதுகளாய் வேறூண்றி இருக்கும் பள்ளி நினைவுகளின் பதிப்புகளிலிருந்து ஒரு சில பக்கங்கள் ...

In a way i am doing injustice to the English Teacher..Nirmala Krishnaswamy(our x princi)..by starting the blog in tamil...[reason may be the effect of bunking the english classes...:) ]...same time I am happy doing good justice to my tamil teacher..Malarkodi..maam..[எல்லாருக்கும் எருமை தயிரு ஞாபகமிருக்கும்ன்னு நெனைக்குரேன்...]
n e way language is not a barrier...for those wonderful journeys...

the transliteration of the starting lines...
'pages from the school memories rooted strong as the banyan'

The banyan logo of the school perfectly suits the title of the post.Banyan represents eternal life because of its seemingly ever-expanding branches so as we are with lot of branches across the world by spreading the knowledge from those woods* .

Lets board the time machine to take us back to the mid 80 s ,where most of the memories are still afresh

on the voyage...there are lot of confessions [ஒப்புதல் வாக்குமூலம் ]...

lets start with the prayer...

Prayer always starts with the bajanai Goshti...[sharada[vocals],smitha [with her harmonia potti],rada]..following a one news reading and one thought for the day(sama mokkai ithuthan..)
We do some research in the harmonium in 12 c2...(on how to stop it working so that there is no prayer the next time..)

the below song comes to our minds..this one sung in primary school...

matha pitha guru banthu saka..
naryana satya narayana..
alla thumho...
yesu thumho...
butha saurashtra mahavir thumho..
naryana satya narayana...

[ first i heard this song when i joined in 2 nd std ....]
சமத்துவம் இங்கதான் ஆரம்பமாகுது.....equality starts in the school and thats the way our education has been designed...

Primary school now. We had no fences that time and were free to move around and this is the place where dog shows happen. Lot of memories in primary school, tamil recitation of thirukkural(i jus remember this whenver I read the one with sujaatha's descriptions hich I own now..) and handwriting competetion...

The majestic front elevation of the primary school.The windows are of the 4C class room an isolated class form other sections, with a good location jus behind the sports room...so we were lucky to select good condition foot balls before other section guys..take them away to the games period.

this is the 3 B class room...2b was the class i joined in vana vani..with Valli maam as class teacher..where we started using our english...we used to complain..'mam this boy is pinching me...' i used to practice this line...for more than a week..in way it was my first usage of spoken english...

3 rd standard...a promotion from pencil to pen..an exciting experience.. after writing in pencil we got used to write in pen , so lot of thefts and big headache for the teachers to sort them out...
custard apple..(vellanga)..was famous in our school ground..the high school guys pelt stones on them and we jus wait for picking them..and putting in our lunch bags...but this was banned...in primary school..n each afternoon ..there would be raid for them in lunch bags ..so sad the caught guys are given a punish ment of kneeling down in front of the class..

going to middle school...

a separate location and has its own state of the art ground with three palm trees and one banyan tree...at exact centre of the ground..... somebody shakes these trees ...
u can get around 100 tennis balls caught by this tree for more than 10 yrs...
middle school was little boring as we dinnot have shuffling for the whole three years..the same old girls and boys...:( in the class...but guys have become little matured..and gals too..so lot of stories..and gossips..but our gang had a clean chit from those gossips...)
It had a nice squash wall....good things were , we were allowed to borrow National Geographic books... from our geography teacher Shanta Natarajan...(we used to borrow this books for its beautiful pictures..;) It had camera ads...n i go back to those yrs and think of that pages...when i hold my canon eos rebel in my palms..) but it was difficult to steal these books as we did in library due to the high security for these books......but for the General library books...the security lapse was more which allowed us to steal some hardy boys and Nancy Drew..[still I have some of them..] .. a small master plan was needed to get them from library by escaping the eyes of the library teacher....

Tamil class outside the class room 0n the sands under the banyan tree , the most enjoyable...for various reasons...
this place on the photo just had beads from the tree...its now completely rooted down to the ground...this was the gathering place for the squash tournaments..which was adjacent to the 8 A section..
foot ball...one of the favorit games...and also the cheapest ..u just need four stones and a palm seed....the match starts @ 7.30 am before the prayer....@ the prayer..we are all with drenched with sweat..and the first hours are always sleepy hours...winners are always our boys... parents being the losers needing to buy new pair of shoes....boys with open crocodile mouths in their foot....jus the socks peeping out form the shoes...(they cost around 110 rs ..)..new pair of shoes last for just 10 days..and rest of the quarter with open croc mouths....

high school....

guys going from their khaki half trousers to steel grey pants..a transition for the boys..a bad news for the purses of parents....

first thing come to my mind in high school is 'All about a Dog' , guess this was the first lesson in the English book. this story is about an old lady with her puppy dog..in an helpless situation of snowy night..asked to get down from the bus as the rules say..'pets are not allowed in bus..'the story revolves around the conductor and the old lady..still there are some humans as the conductor...with less humane..character..

The secured corridor..of vana vani..the princi room and the high school teachers staff room...

The high school got many changes , a change in timings, classes start @ 7.50 and prayer from 8.30 to 8.45 and jus 7 more periods to go before we go home @ 2 pm....so early..to home..nay.....we go to foot ball ground..and shopping centre(the place where we get pepsi cola for 50 ps...) and go home @ 5 pm..
A very good way of bunking the first period is to come late to school by 5 mins, as a punishment u are not allowed to attend the first period ..thats cool and bonus u get an entry in the diary .This is the time I practiced my dads sign my bro used to escape with my mom's signature ,I felt that was not a challenge coz my dads sign took me around..10 to 15 days to practice ...

bombing of the bathrooms...(its real story..not a fiction..)

a fine morning...two guys..go into bath room(boys) with very powerful...explosives...
donno what their intentions are ..but a thought of great achievement..

plan A : light the tortoise coil ...and place the bomb's shell's knot on the tortoise coil ...once the tortoise...lights and it takes some time to reach for the knot ..so that the bombers have time to flee....a state of art time bomb...

plan B: sanal kayiru(thread)..it can also hold the fire burning for long time..(5 to 10 mins)..this thread tied to the bomb shell thread...

these bombs are tested for perfection in their testing grounds, before they are planted in the spto.

minutes later there is huge sound is heardfor the whole school....worried faces are ..those of the princi and glad faces of bombers .Next day in prayer the bombers escape and some innocent 12 th std guys are caught for this act...the three main bombers...GK(currently an entreprenuer in healthcare in coimbatore....) , Prabha(bokai..as a consultant ) and I.Praveen (currenlty working in US)..confirmed this after 10 years.....
this happens every diwali...

This flag post is the gathering area before the exams...our main aim is to confuse..with out of syllabus questions....jus creating sensation..before the exams..

Some slangs that were in use.....

அட்டை கத்தி, ஸப்பை காக்கா,இத்திலிமா பில்பி இன்னும் பல...

the most memorable event was the farewell party for the 12 th std guys..given by us...the stage is set at the middle school...for the dance ..(thillana thillana ..thithukinra thena...)..a wonderful experience of preparing for this..(ஆடுநத விட practicce பன்ன கும்பல் தான் அதிகம்...)...nobody might have tried this on stage..getting the same steps...and that song was getting little slow in the middle..with mrithangam music...we even got that on the stage..a wondeful response was there for this song..and other song which was performed in annual day function was the album from cotton eye joe..

Thangam memorial...

a festival bonanza of basket ball tournament conducted by Vana Vani...it all starts with the chase for sponsors..a good chance for bunking the classes... would get an extra half a day leave on the opening ceremony....but the real thangam memorial started when we were in 9 th or 10 std...
at that time we started the cheer gang.. with tiffin boxes n water bottles as instruments...
but i still doubt this ever cheered the basket ball players...but for the cute girls form Shishya school,Adyar...and also our school girls :( ...

still remember one of the song ..prepared by our cheer gang...(ithu vanthu oru Bakthi padal...namma pasanga praveen,gsaravana and damu puthusa konjam lines add panni mathittanga...)

கல்லானலும் கல்பனா வீட்டில் கல்லாவேன்.. [our school pupil leader]
நான் புல்லானாலும் புனிதா வீட்டில் புல்லாவேன்..
நான் மரமானாலும் மம்தா வீட்டில் மரமாவேன்..[mamtha she came from canada..to study in vana vani]
நான்.....

present gate of Vana Vani...

the nursery section...

chander..gk and prabha..(atleast GK tries to pose..as attending the class...which he never did in school..)

the way to school....from 13 th cross street....

jus before boarding the bus for khone falls tour..
left to right from top.....
1. sathish(hip hop..style), vsaravanan, suresh kumar,
2. raajkumar(theevetti), ashok(ascii),I praveen,GKarthik(GK),Prasad(Dori)
3. s saravanan(smottai) and prabhakar..(bokkai)
I

it can't be any better place then vana vani... no where in our life we might have experienced such a wonderful place interlaced with nature and the calmness..a perfect location for a school. Wanted to share more..moments..jus got some which are fresh in my mind...

The pics here were shot with Canon EOS rebel , and we took some snaps jus on a hang out in IIT campus...on a sunday and they came good..so thought of sharing those nice pics and some old memories..becoz each pic has a story within..lot of changes in the buildings of the school..but the colors of the trees are always green as our memories are....
நிறம் மாறாத மரங்களை..போல் என்றும்...
பசுமை நிறைந்த நினைவுகள் தொடரும்...

- ashok.r

check out this space for GanapathiPuram... arriving shortly from coimbatore..