Divide & Rule

England!!! Here we come!!

Not long ago, The British East India Company followed a rule. A rule that killed the essence of our Country. Today, our new age politicians have embraced their British counterparts' thought process.

Divide & Rule.

Telengana's creation is now just a Parliament Session away. With haste, the central government and their allies in business have voted for creation of India's 29th State with much fanfare. I wonder what Shri Vallabhai Patel must have felt were he alive today. The so called Iron Man of India ensured that the warring factions were united and a mess that our Princely states were, were united and become one.

The current day politicians, with no regard to the hardwork done by our great leaders, have started the reverse process already. Under the garb of ease of governance, the government has opened a Pandora's box that is bound to have abysmal effect. All this will enable is more looting of our Natural resources and a pacification of the egos of a powerful few.

Already the country is gearing up for protests to form 9 more states.. including Mayawati Quad-furcation of Uttar pradesh, Bodoland, vidharba, saurashtra, gorkhaland, kongunadu et al.

If this goes on, wonder what we will call our nation? United States of India?? Ah.. that should sound appetizing to the politicians as they rush to the USofA for anything and everything. Maybe, they are looking to beat US of A for the number of states.

God Save Us!

United States of India, anybody?

Delhi Belly

The huge, stinking and filthy underbelly of India has come to the fore with the highly deplorable gang rape in Delhi. Has India become so very insensitive? Is there any culture left in us? Our society, which boasts of a rich cultural heritage that runs millenia behind, has become one of the most crime filled societies of late. Gang rapes, Honour killing, incest, tempermental firing at trivial things, road rage, accidents, murders, kidnapping. Not a single day passes without Indians learning about all of the above incidents.

What has happened to bring about this drastic change in the conduct of our society? We cannot even call ourselves as civilized anymore. Socio-economic drift could be one of the major reasons. Rajnikant says in his movie Sivaji,"Rich get richer and poor get poorer" and it cannot be far from truth. There is indeed

a vast difference in the social status of people. While it has been proven time and again that rich and the connected can get away with any heinous crime, people will invariably get influenced to try and breach the boundary of civilized society.

Lack of determination in implementing any penalty is our bane. It is infact becoming a daily activity to learn about an eve-teasing incident or rape and gang rape. We are slowing losing the grip on our youngsters. When they should be taught about chivilary, moral and ethics, they get to learn about backstabbing, grabbing attention through tittilation, playing politics and indulging in public display of indecent exposure in the name of liberalization. If this is liberalization and freedom of expression, I pity the generation that idolizes this.

A decade ago, when FTV was banned in India, there was a huge furore in the Parliament admonishing the audaciousness of the Government. In retrospect, the scaling down of that stance has definitely influenced more bolder shows, that are in stark contrast to our indian thought process. How else can one describe the onslaught of shows like Roadies, Splitsvilla, BiggBoss etc which openly encourage participants to indulge in mouthing profanities, backstab, play dirty politics and expose as much as they can?

You know what, the inflow of TV shows is also a Foreign Direct Investment. An investment of western thinking in the tender minds of children. If you think harder, this FDI has not even been discussed or noticed by the intellectuals. If the civic society or other flag bearers of social causes have to protest, it is against such uncouth sitcoms that are gradually degrading the morality of our next generation.If a non-linear FDI on media can create such a devastating implact on our society,I shudder to think of what would actually happen if FDI is allowed in India.

As a gentleman rightly said, 300 years ago 1 MNC came to India, the East India Company, which lorded over us and here we are, on the cusp of inviting hundreds of MNCs to bring in their products, along with their work culture.

Lost are those wonderful moments when our parents used to come back home at 6 or 6:30 in the evening, bring along a small parcel of cup cakes or other regional snacks, which were freshly prepared and consumed with a day or two.

Gone are those days when we used to have sufficient time in between Rangoli, Chitrahaar, Ek se badkar ek and Surabhi. There was quality entertainment for the entire family. Sitcoms reflected the society and we had serials like Mahabaratha and Ramayana that hailed our rich cultural heritage. When these epcis were screened, the streets were empty. Invariably, the crime rate at that point in time had also dipped.

Lost are those wonderful times spent with the family, talking about the day's happenings. In short, we have literally lost a wonderful era where there was genuine love and affection among family members and a respect for others.

The Delhi incident has evoked extreme reactions from our elected members. If they are genuine, it has to be appreciated. But if it is only to grab the headlines, this incident is nothing but a piece of news item.Unless there is a radical and immediate change in our approach, anarchy will set in.

Intolerance, insensitivity and insecurity are ruling over our senses.

Teaching has to change. Parental care has to increase. Grandmothers and grandfathers should propogate the goodness and cultural richness of our country and its heritage. Moral values and moral science classes need to be part of our curriculum. Prosperity cannot be gauged by the material richness alone, it is in the action and thought of an individual. A filthy mind can only lead to misery. Unwanted TV shows that do not gel with our culture and heritage must be shown to door. Unless the top people think about it with a long term perspective, we will lose our generation next.

We need to act and act immediately.

My first Sax Performance!!!

My first performance with a co-saxophonist Prashant GV and Amiya Suresh on Piano @ Sams School of Music High Scorer's Concert 2012 held at St.Pius X Church, Kumarapuram, Trivandrum.

Thiru Anantha Puram

Trivandrum has evolved from the word Thiru-Anantha-puram, which quite literally explains the posture that Lord Vishu lies on his serpent bed. By far, this has been my longest stay in my hometown.  Having always visited Trivandrum during vacation, I used to frequent the spots favoured by tourists.

 

This year, we decided to visit the around the city and the capture the places in a difference way.Have put together this collection:

Santhigiri Ashram

 

The Santhigiri Ashram is around 16 kms from our house on the MC Road.A picturesque and serene place, it is a must visit for people wanting to have a peaceful day. The highlight of the Ashram is the Lotus shaped sanctum sanctorum which contains the moral remains of the Ashram's founder.

 

 This is Varkala - Papanasam/Sivagiri. Considered as equivalent of Kasi, it has an amazing beach and a temple few metres from the shore.This shot above is of a stream that was running a few feet from the actual beach. The setting sun threw a good reflection and made a good shot :) Varkala is one of the most preferred tourist spots in Kerala. A 100km round trip on a sunday evening made this a trip to remember.


The Evergreen Shankumukham: For a change, this shot of Shankumkham is from the beach towards the road. Everytime we feel bored, we head to this beach. As kids we used to visit this beach primarily to ride cycle in the city's only Traffic park. If I remember right, a hour long rental of cycle used to cost Rs.2. You could say that this is the place that taught us to ride properly.. oh and the awesome cutlets we used to get!! Swapna should know this :) :) :)

 

How can one leave out KOVALAM!! Awesome place, ain't it? So here we go.. a collection of photos. We visited the Vizhinjam Lighthouse too this time when Vijay and Swapna came down this year.

 

 

Meenmutti and Ponmudi concludes the list of places we could travel to. Ponmudi is a hill station 57 km from our house. It is a hillstation with nothing on top other than the peak! No houses, no commercial establishments, nothing! Just Pristine greenery on all four sides. For the weary travellers there is on Kerala Tourism Development Corporation's cottages available for stay. Heard they are very pricey and hence even the foreign tourists prefer to take a taxi ride from trivandrum and returnt the same night. This was my first ever drive to a hill station and thankfully, had only 22 hairpin bends. 22!! with a full load on board and Avanthika with us too, I was a bit tensed. Thankfully, the scenery and the traffic-less road made it a drive to remember.

 

Meenmutti waterfall is 18 km downhill from Ponmudi. Once of the most well maintained public spaces I have ever seen. THere is even a deposit to be paid for all the plastic bottles we take inside the location. On return, if we have all the bottles intact, the deposit is returned, else there is a fine for littering too! In a nutshell, this is an awesome awesome place to visit! Abhilash, I think we ought to start our road trip from ponmudi. lets plan.     

 

Enroute Meenmutti, on our car, Christened The Road Runner :

 

 

Atop Ponmudi :

 

 

Mist covering the hilltop:

 

 

So, pack your bags, come home, we can drive to all this places again!

Petrol Petrol Everywhere

Mayawati has been trumped, Mumbai Indians have been thumped but what takes the cake is the sucker punch delivered with brutality on us.A hike of close to Rs.8 after adding the taxes, octri etc on petrol is the final blow. Not a big believer in the Jasmine revolution, now I think that is the only way to fight the most corrupted government that has ever ruled India.

Every city in the country now needs a Tahrir Square. The land of milk and honey has been done and dusted, it is just a land of scams and scamsters now. Bloody hell the audacity of this dimwit, nimcompoop government!! Presenting the already overloaded people with a price rise on the 3rd anniversary of its second term. I was among the lot who rejoiced when UPA came back to power. The promise was huge but the stats just prove that every single act the government has passed has come a cropper not to add the CWG, Coal, and the mother of all scams - 2G has all come under this rule.

Enough of the debates on News channels. Looks more like a choroegraphed WWE matches.I think for the first time the Hartal in my hometown is justified and God willing I will support it to the fullest.

Out with your pens brothers. Change is the need of the hour. ROLL BACK THE PETROL PRICE. STRIP THE MPs and PMs off their Salary.CONFISCATE THE BLACK MONEY ABROAD. MMS sir.. this is when we need you. Break your shackles for once please!! I still hold you and the team that framed the liberalization policy responsible for kindling the greed among the political class. Pls do something!!

An anguished, disheartened and a totally helpless Indian.

Statistics say that Chetan Bhagat is the most sold Indian author now. I am so very happy for him!! But I am not too sure as to how many of them have truly understood his books. Take Mighty Mayawati's latest brainwave! She has put forth a case of Quadra-fucation of UP. Definitely a bad hangover after reading (or hearing about??) CB's 2 states!!! Chetan Bhagat better run for cover!! Controversies these days seem to be the birth right of all celebrities. I wouldn't be surprised if there is a hue and cry that Chetan Bhagat's 2 states has influenced her decision!!

Okay. Enough kidding.

Mayawati has announced her decision to split UP into 4 smaller states, after having "obtained clearance" from her "Cabinet". Yeah right. If there was a cabinet and if there were ministers who would disagree with her. What nonsense! Am wondering what the Iron Man of India would be thinking if he were alive now. He toiled hard to get India unified and now he is seeing his work being dismantled systematically. Telengana, Gorkhaland, now 4 for UP... spare a thought for the kids learning Geography!! And what about us the quizzers who love to keep every google-able detail in our brains?? Mayaji, at least ensure that the names of the states being planned have a pan-India flavor.. We in south India will have trouble pronouncing Paschimmanchal and are bound to confuse with Poorvanchal and Uttaranchal!

Brr...Czechoslovakia seems so easy!!

Go Occupy

Occupy your mind that is. Austerity measures is the new karma for Governments all over the world.(You know what Karma is.)Greece and Italy have new goverments. Euro is on a shaky ground. Crude is on a high and the stock exchanges are melting.Above all, the US is seeing an unprecedented movement. The Occupy movement. US folks are asking the Wall street to cut down their golden parchutes and handshakes for the sake of bringing the cost down.

As usual the greatest, top most selling writer of our times, Ms. Arundhati Roy has spoken supporting the movement.Imagine, Ms.Roy delivering such a lecture when our Indian economy is booming, well for the wrong reasons. Inflation is on the stairway to heaven while the dollar is appreciating against the rupee to the great happiness of all my onsite friends :) Unfortunately, it does have a dark side to it. The government is Stuck in a moment it cannot get out of. But, the show must go on. The only way to over come this is to be Comfortably numb.

A Momentary lapse of reason from the Goverment has sent the inflation sky high, adding Another brick in the wall to the common man's life. The delicate sound of thunder is Echoeing on The Wall as the Division bell of the classes is clearly sounded. While we suffer silently, all those Smooth Criminals are attaining Nirvana. Its true that They dont really care for us.But remember, We are the champions and we will rock you pretty soon! Try as you might to Beat it down, The Moment is not far away.

Get over it you biggies, these are Money for Nothing. The change is now Blowing in the Wind.Its a Brave new World out there as We are the Brothers in Arms who have no Fear of the dark. The Final Count down has begun to Run Free on the Open Road, to Change the World.

This is it!Lets come together to stop them from taking the Highway to Hell, after all its a One World!

{Just for fun :) :) :)}

Latte, Espresso, Cappuccino and Filter Kaapi

It was a HUGGE surprise when our company decided to replace its old powder based coffee and hot (milk based) bevarages vending machine with  "branded" Cafe Coffee Day machines. The highlight? Freshly ground coffee bean based Latte, Espresso and Cappuccino and fresh milk to go with it!!

All of a sudden the exciting aroma of ground coffee is permeating our module. Paper cups got replaced with Stylish Mugs. The coffee break timings are reprogrammed as "As we come into office", "one hour before lunch", "one hour after lunch", "snack time coffe" and "just as we leave".

Each break has us flaunting a cappuccino or a latte or an espresso. Adventurous few did try mixing coffee and tea!! Well you can't blame them right? If we mix coffee and chocolate and call it as Chococcino or Mocha, guess CofTea is acceptable too!

This has been in practice for a good month and a half now. This is when the flavor gets used to and you are tired of telling your friends that "Oh I just had my double espresso coz its a night out today". Today, I honestly needed that shot and that is when I realized something:

Latte : This is nothing but Milk coffee, typically given to 5-6 years old in Tambram household

Cappuccino: A slightly stronger coffe where the Coffee "Dicoction" goes in first and milk is added next. Given till we reach college.

Espresso: Lol this is the best. Known as "Kattan Kaapi" in Downsouth TN and Kerala, a "Dicoction only" kaapi which is taken by people who cannot afford milk!!

Just not able to stop smiling at my cup of Double espresso + Milk .. ohh sorry.. my Double strong Filter Kaapi.

I'm loving it!

Divide and Rule comes to Haunt us back!!

The black patch that our Cricket team is going through brings back very old memories of how our earlier captains were welcomed with "Chappal Mala" et al. Though the things are not so bad this time around, the definitive whacking we received from our colonial enemies is a rude slap on our face. The England tour

of 2011 has laid bare the fact that we lack a quality fast bowling department. Agreed our batsmen also failed fantastically. But it was the bowling department which allowed the English to mount unsurmountable scores for a Sehwag-less India.

Well our depleted bowling attack can also be blamed on the British. They have depleted our nation of the likes of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. And the run machine Yousuf Youhana or should I call him Mohammed Yousuf? As I was reading Shoaib Aktar's claims that Sachin was afraid of facing him, I wondered what a team it would have been if were an undivided India!! The divide and rule and partition has literally come back to haunt us. Imagine a team line up with Sachin, Sehwag, Dravid, Laxman, Gauti, Dhoni, Yousuf youhana, Kumble, Saqlain mushtaq, Wasim Akram, Waqar younis, zaheer khan (12th Man) and bench consisting of Raina, Yuvraj, Afridi, Harbhajan ......

This would have been the world's super team. The British sure had a lot of forward thinking done!!

Well if wishes could be horses...

August Kranti

Only a life lived for others is worth living - Albert Einstein.

Anna Hazare. You can like him, hate him but cannot ignore him. Will Anna Hazare be the person who brings down Dr.Manmohan Singh? Honestly, I am waiting for Dr.MMS to drop his facade and say: "Enough is Enough. I am sick of being a person who can make no decision". What else can you expect from our ageing Prime Minister? I felt angered when Loh Pursuh LK Advani called Dr.MMS a weak PM. The whole nation was aghast when this tirade went on. But now, the entire nation says in unsion that our PM is not the person we expected him to be.

In the past 48 hours, the Central Government has come across as being powerful, authoritarian, confused, afraid, and stupid in front of world's second most populous nation. The Government has tried every trick in its bag to prevent Anna Hazare's movement, with little success. Had it ignored Anna Hazare and let him begin his fast, this movement might have fizzled out. No, they never learn from past mistakes. They made Baba Ramdev a hero by scooping down on his protest and now they have made Anna Hazare a Goliath, with the heart of David!

But unlike Baba Ramdev, Anna's protest is seeing unprecedented support from public, on its own. It is heart warming and totally shocking to see that the "Aam Admi" (this word being the only success of UPA) support swell for Anna and his team. All of us are feeling the effect of a corrupt system. We never raised our voice as we had our lives to lead.

No change is possible unless there are sacrifices. We need not look beyond our own struggle for freedom. We all know that Corruption is rampant and we have come to accept it as a way of our lives. The powers that be have also ensured that we live in a country where action against a corrupt minister takes years to come where as Police action against an activist can happen in 3 minutes. Irony is that both are lodged in the same prison. So, basically we are 1) Afraid to dirty our hands 2) Lack that conviction to see things to its logical end and 3) Lack that guidance for fighting against the system.

Now that Anna Hazare has emerged as that leader, the Government is in a fix. This government appears to be the most corrupt one since Independence and that must be rankling high on their minds. With the leader, starts a movement and with the movement starts a following. In the new age, Twitter trending shows the popularity of a person or an incident and certainly Anna Hazare seems to be red hot, so hot that the Government cannot handle. The Delhi Police must be at its wits end having to act as errand boys for the power corridors.

Maybe the Jasmine Revolution has reached Indian shores. This is not what our country needs. Dr.MMS should take moral responsibility for what is happening. I cannot believe this is the same person who gave economic freedom to India is now stifling the right to lead a corruption-free existence. Well, if things have come to this level, then Dr.MMS is surely responsible for this fiasco. Cutting up of the Indian Melon aka the License Raj has enabled corruption to take strong roots in India. Being the architect of our economic freedom, Dr.MMS is also responsible for its side effect: Rampant Corruption. I am sure after this term gets over (hopefully soon), Dr.MMS will come out with an autobiography or an authorized biography stating how helpless and singled out he was in all his decisions and that given a chance might like to redo or undo certain decisions.

Its things like these make me believe in proverbs like No use crying over spilt milk etc. Like Russel Peters says: "Some body gonna get real hurt today. Be a Man" Its time that our ruling powers wake up and face the nation like Men. If you are so sure of your decisions, dissolve the government, take moral responsibility for huge corruption in the country, cleanse your party and face fresh elections with relatively cleaner candidates. If you come out honest, we will support you too.

Quid pro quo. Game?

Till then, its high five to Team Anna. I think he is now following Gandhiji's words: Be the Change you want to see.

PS: This protest has not caused any problems in the stock market, Infact, Sensex has gone up by 110 points today. So our India Story is unshakable just that the side effects are starting to kick in big time!

The Relativity of Wrong

Two and two makes four. Have we ever contradicted that? Or questioned that? What if two and two makes some thing else, a car? Odd? Rightly so. These are something which we have been told and we follow it with out questioning it in any way,as there is some logic associated with it. Issac Asimov in his book, The Relativity of Wrong questions this logic of ours. Introduced to his writing by my cousin, who researches on renewal energy in the US, I took to his works immediately. A self confessed Physics afficianado, the book was nothing short of a revelation. Physics is some thing which I can very easily relate to. This comes from my belief that everything in life is centered around physics and marketing/sales. Another loose end? Well, let me tie them together.Physics and its principles are present in every single activity we do. Right from brushing our teeth to walking, from lying down to eating, every single action is governed by laws of physics. Now why do we do all this? Brush, groom ourselves etc?? We need to sell ourselves every single day. The planning is what I call marketing. You may argue, biology, chemistry and maths all play their part in our lives. But still, the blood that flows is in a liquid state. The mitochondria in our cells, have a defnitive shape. The number of chapatis we eat is still a shape. The our very soul is encased in an entity called our body, which is again a shape. All these things are fundamentals of physics. So in essence physics rules the world.. or the science behind physics runs the world.

Is physics God then?

Relate to my first question. We have not questioned His presence. And people who do so are shunned from society. I dont say there is no God. To a beLIEver, religion/God is the faith he has in a particular set of rules that guides his path to enlightment. My belief is my strong relation to Physics. Doesn't this branch of science help us in understanding the arrangement of the planets in our solar system? The same Ragu and kethu etc that we follow, is explained by physics in a different name. Temples are supposed to be the residence of the God Almighty. It is believed that the altar is the concentration of the ominous powers. I dont contradict that either. Infact, the design of the tall towers and spires of temples have been constructed in such a way that the energy concentrates through it and is maximized in the sanctum sanctorum. If you take the hymns and mantras that are revered, you can immediately see that even these mantras hold the five forces viz, Water, land, sky, fire and wind to be the most important thing in world. Rudram, Namakam, Chamakam, Sree Suktham and Purusuktham are one of our most important hymns which I was introduced at a very very young age. When I set about finding the meaning of these hymns, I learnt that even these hymns sang praise of these five forces.

Sandhyavandanam is one of the customary rituals that has to be performed by every brahmin who has undergone Upanayanam. This is a ritual that is meant to wash away our daily sins. I love doing the Sandhyavanadanam as they have a logical flow to it. Starting from the Achamanam, where we take 3 sips of water to the way we finish it, there seems to be a reason for doing it. We utter mantras throughout the 20-25 minute ritual while being seated, doing breathing exercise and also standing up. Even the achamanams have been so placed that after a prolonged spell of chanting mantras, these drops of water really help in

quenching the parched throat. Also, the 10 Pranayamas in the ritual help in breathing. The "namaskarams" we do at last also help in stretching our body. Finally, all the mantra that we utter help in exercising our facial muscle and gives a chiseled look to person who religiously practices Sandyavandanam. Its another fact that I have stopped doing it because of sheer laziness.

Now, my family is orthrodox in every sense. And so its no surprise that my family is aghast when I say that I am not a complete believer. They consider that being blasphemous. And when I said that I am stopping my visit to the temples, they almost gave up on me. I tried explaining that I cannot view God in the form that we worship, an idol etc, they strongly believe that I am a gone case. If God is omnipresent, then what is the need of visiting temples? Moreover, I am a strong believer in the five natural forces, which I am able to relate to. I don't see what is wrong in this. If there can be a reason that I am able to relate to, then I will be more than happy to visit temples. Another major factor is the way temples are fucntioning these days. Its more of a commercial center than a place of worship.

If my questioning the age old traditional practices, visiting the temples have rankled seniors and the learned, is it not their duty to explain things to me and set me on the right path? I prefer a logical explanation to each of our practices, which I can follow without an iota of doubt. But unfortunately, people find it wrong and stop short of even having a discussion with me on the topic. All I asked was this: Why should we go to temple to worship? Why should we idolize? What is the meaning or logic behind each of our rituals?

I'd be more than happy to understand this and follow my religion in full earnest. Until such time, I prefer staying agnostic.

The Nano Dream

People at Tata House must be desperate I believe. What else can you call if the Tata Motors tries to push its Nano at discounted prices to one of its largest companies in the group? Last week, all of us at our company received an email from our CEO asking us to be a part of the Great Nano revolution by availing Nanos at 25k lesser than the market price. The clincher? Limited Edition versions of Nanos with Mr.Ratan Tata's autograph on it.

This comes at a time when the market is abuzz with talk about the colossal failure of India's automotive marvel. All the leading magazines and news channels have aired special programs and cover page articles on what went wrong with Tata Nano. With a sunk cost of close to Rs.3500 Crs, and the sales yet to really take off, its seems a bad move from the top corporate house to see sales through its affiliate companies.

Nano was undoubtedly the most expected automotive product in a long time. But when it did debut, the excitment fizzled out seeing a product that at best can be called a "4-wheel drive". The sporadic "thermal incidents" (as the company refers to the incidents of Nano catching fire) have created a huge doubt in the minds of potential buyers. This product might have clicked in a big way had been introduced in 1998 or there about. Now, with a growing income and better options to choose from, it does look like a misplaced product.

It is indeed commendable that Mr.Tata had a great vision to give India its cheapest car. I am still amazed by the way Tata motors captured the small load vehicle market by introducing Tata Ace, a well researched, relevant product. But somehow, Tata Nano still doesnt have that connect that Ace had. Ace served its purpose and opened up a whole new market. It had all that an Piaggio diesel load-auto didnt have. But with Nano, it wanted to people to migrate from two wheelers to 4 wheelers, which in any means is a huge shift. It was a mouthwatering deal to own a car within the 1lakh rupees bracket.

Neither did it stick to the promise of Rs.1 lakh nor did it fulfill the fantasy of people who wanted a real car. It looks like a richer cousin of a 4 stroke autorickshaw. The rear-engine's sputter just about underlines that fact.

May be the intentions were very right, just that the project parameters were too unrealistic?? I am happy that Mr.Tata could realize his vision.It will indeed be interesting to see how many of us in Tata Group grab this chance of buying ourselves a Nano. With a sizeable population of the country being employed by the Tata Group, may be the reaction to this special campaign will decide the future of Tata Nano.

Lets wait and see.

 

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this post is entirely mine. Any conclusion arrived at based on this article is entirely at the reader's discretion.

Thank God, Its not Sashi Tharoor!

Oslo has been targetted by "home-grown" terrorist. Why is it that none of the nations are able to foil such dasterdly acts? I happened to see the photo gallery of the blast and shoot out victims on The Hindu a moment ago, and call it coincidence, I was listening to the "Bombay Theme" by AR Rahman. Unknown to me, I felt anger, helplessness, frustration and pity looking into the pictures. The grim reality was only hightened by the haunting tunes. What bloodshed!

Amidts all the reports, there was one customary note from the Chief of UN, Mr.Ban Ki Moon, deeply condemning the cowardly act. What bullshit! Buck up Mr.BanK-i-Moon.. your organization has become the most unbankable one. What is the point in having an organization that talks so much, has conferences all round the year with zero results?

It really brings us back to the funadmental question : Is the UN really relevent in current times? All they do is make a hue and cry when any disaster, be it Man made or natural, strikes and then go back into their air conditioned offices and conduct meeting. In a way, its like one of our IT companies, albeit a non functional one. Our IT Companies talk about being Proactive rather than reactive. Its another irony that there is no word called proactive. Its either act or react, isn't it? 

Crime in any form is deplorable. But when a global watch dog becomes a mute spectator and just reacts to all these acts, its just unacceptable. And thats why I said, thank God its not Sashi Tharoor at its helm. At least we are saved from knowing the UN's reaction through his tweets!!That would have been a total disaster!!

Last week Mumbai, this week Oslo and Kabul keeps erupting everyday. So,all you conspiracy theorists, out with your claim of Armageddon. For once, you could be true and it would be a pity as it looks like none would survive to record your achievement.

Mumbai attacked - AGAIN!

Can you believe it??? Mumbai is under attack again! This is the nightmare I used to carry every single day I used to travel on the Western line from Andheri to Churchgate. And now, 3 bomb blasts in South Mumbai today.. at peak hours again. The details are not clear yet but already reports suggest that the blast has claimed 9 lives.


Though I do not travel by the local trains now, it still is shuddering to think of travelling in Mumbai. Already the security checks at major places and offices are too much.. with this it will only make life more difficult for Mumbaikars.

7/11, 26/11 and now this: 3 IED devices went off at Dadar West, Opera House and Zaveri Bazar today between 6:50 and 7:00PM claiming 9 lives and injuring over a 100 as of now.

Our prayers are with the family of the unfortunate few who lost their lives today and with the injured who are admitted in various hospitals.

Crazy Crazy World

What has the world come to? Doomsday on 21 December 2012 was hard to believe even a couple of months ago. But the amazing turn of events in the Arab world makes us revisit the prophesy again. Most disturbing is the turn of events in Libya where the government got cracking on its citizens opposing mad man Muammar Qaddafi. This actually began in Bahrain which first unleashed its Army in the wee hours of the morning on its citizens in Pearl Square. Wisely though, the Royal House withdrew this audacious attack, fearing backlash from the Western powers. But no such effect is evident on Qaddafi who has the guts to state that all Libyans love him. The Mad man's regime continues and its effect is felt world over in tumbling bourses and spiraling oil prices. God help all of us who are just coming out of the worst recession in world history.

The major reason for the populist Arab uprisings seems to be because of the oppression which the people suffered at the hands of rulers who in some cases have been around for more than 40 years! Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. How true is this in the case of Arab nations where absolute Monarchy or Dictatorship is the only power center? Arab citizens are of the view that a democratically elected parliament based on a nationally accepted constitution is the only way out. But is it really the case? They have just given vent to their anger on all the possible forums and have also successfully toppled long stable governments in the wink of an eye. Is it all really worthwhile?

Change is the only thing that is constant. But a change without a proper direction is like a rudderless ship. It will have its bottom torn apart. I have always had this opinion that a military rule in India will lead to a more organized society than what it is now. But, being in an Arab nation which is called a welfare state and also taking in consideration all that is happening around me, I can see that that too is not a correct solution. In fact I am confused.

To draw an analogy, let’s see how the state I grew up in, Tamil Nadu is shaping up. We have a democratically elected government running our affairs for close to 10 years now. How has it helped the people? Well, the average income of a household has definitely increased and the lifestyle has also seen uplift. But is the government ruling the state responsible for it? Not really. We have always yearned to be like our counterparts in the Western country so as people; we have made this state a safe haven for investment. We, as normal law abiding citizens, want to lead a life of contentedness and hence we are burning the midnight oil to ensure that we are wealthy and prosperous enough in the years to come.

But, is the government actually doing anything at all? I would say the answer is no. India on the whole is riding on the great Indian story with galloping stock markets and blazing IT Superpower. But, somewhere in the middle of things, we have forgotten to ask: What about governance? What about our growth plan? Things have come to such a position that we don't care whether its Ram or Ravan who is ruling the state as long as we get our monthly cheques. Slowly, the aam admi is feeling the pinch of inflation on his wallet. He is starting to question why prices have to double each year when the Price of a liter of milk in US hasn't changed in a long time.

With the plethora of scams hitting the country, our taxes meant for improvement of our country's infrastructure is falling into the hands of a few powerful lot who in turn enrich themselves, but cleverly masquerading in the public as a good government servant. For instance, the print, visual and audio media in Tamil Nadu is completely controlled by the first family. So, all the medium of propagation is already in their hands. It is they who will decide what its citizens need to hear, see and read. Is this any different from the likes of Qaddafi and his son? I don't think so. It’s a well known fact that booth capturing in the southern part of the state is a long time activity and is noticed, but ignored completely by the state and central officials. I am surprised people don’t see this as tyranny!

Cinemas were one area of relaxation for the public. But, now, even the movies are produced, purchased, released by companies and theatres owned by the first family and also reviewed and ranked high in channels owned by them. WOW! Amazing.. THIS can happen only in Democratic, Republic nation called India.

If this is not enough, the government decides that its people do not have enough outlets for entertainment, so it decides to give a TV Set free to all of them! And since that TV can accommodate 100+ channels, the government sees it fit to start its own Cable/Satellite TV! Little do people realize that this will take their view of Tamil Nadu to each and every home in a single move and also ensure that the channels held by them gets better revenue!

Wait wait.. you cannot completely write off the government, can you?? ;). It did have a brainwave when it realized that giving the people TV alone won’t suffice as they will end up being lazy and earn less. What did it do? Give Rice at Re.1/- per KG and other commodities at such low price that people will have sambar, pongal and vadai at home and keep watching the Government TV beaming the First family's political propaganda. The family head doesn't stop there. He further enters the visual and print medium with his books and scripts that are converted into movies that bomb without a trace. A good move to convert black money to white??

And if this is not enough, the MP from the ruling party also thought that he could get his hands on a couple of, if not more, telecom companies so that they also give free Mobile handsets to people for the next election. Thank God he is lodged in Tihar Jail.

With all this happening in front of our eyes, we are still content with it as long as our pay packets are on time and we can maintain the current lifestyle.

NO.. please don't get me wrong.. I am not asking to replicate a Tahrir Square at Marina Beach or MGR Samadi. Just trying to let the Tunisians, Egyptians, Lebanese, Yemenis, Bahrainis and Libyans know that grass is always green on the other side.

This is the world as it is. People come, people go. Corruption, Greed and thirst for power will always be there as long as Earth lives, just like the cockroaches.

Ciao.

Artificial Kidneys!!!

I am taking a break from the Abha Roadies to write about this wonderful new invention: Artificial Kidney. I was browsing the usual news websites when this article caught my attention:Artificial Kidney.

An Indian, Mr.Shuvo Roy based in US, and his team has created the first implantable artificial kidney. WOW! This is something we should have had years ago. No, I am not complaining that it has come so late. This comment stems from my experience when my Dad was affected with Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD). He was diagnosed with High Blood Pressure 10 years ago and due to his smoking habits, his kidney performance deteriorated rapidly.

He is not the first in the family to be affected with PKD. My paternal grandmother, my first aunt all had this killer disease which proved fatal for them. Luckily, my Dad had the courage and more importantly the will power to overcome this disease.

A fistula and 75 painful haemo-dialysis later, we were able to plan for his renal transplant. But his kidneys had been so badly damaged that he had to undergo a bilateral nephrectomy. 4 weeks later he had a successful renal transplant.

It was really bad to see 200 odd pin pricks on his hand meant for dialysis. I sincerely hope this new device from MIT will help reduce the physical pain and the cost of dialysis for all those who are suffering from renal disease!

Congrats Mr. Shuvo Roy!

The Abha Roadies Part 2 : Al-Soodah & Al-Hablalah

Never thought mornings could be cold in the Desert Kingdom. Opening the window…. Awesome sight.. could literally see mist right in the middle of the road. And slowly brightness was filling in. Had a good night’s sleep and we were raring to go.

Lol.. I was challenged by a colleague that I wouldn’t find a hotel in Abha where I could get a decent breakfast. Little do they know about Malayalis .. well.. I forgive him.. because Mallus are the only guys who can set up a tea stall on the moon! Won’t believe it? Take a look!!

:D Yeah.. I found out a proper Mallu hotel.. the eponymous Kairali Hotel. And whats more, the owner was from TRIVANDRUM :D :D Joy doubled and I marched all of them promptly in for a sumptuous breakfast… Imagine : Having a breakfast of Aapam and Kadala curry in a place like Abha.. Fantabulous!!

Guess for the first time people realized the goodness of knowing Malayalam  There on.. Yours truly was the food guide for the ever hungry lot. Finally we left for the first destination on our sightseeing map. It’s a place called Al-Soodha. The way to Al-Soodha was scenic. Mountain ranges and splashes of greenery were really pleasing to the eye.. a far cry from the cement forest that Riyadh is.

A couple of stops for photo shoot later, we reached the destination. Please don’t mind the repeated adjectives I am using because it really looked AWESOME! After being in Riyadh for the past 7 months.. this place was heaven. Brought back memories of Munnar and Vampire’s place at Kodaikanal. Hmm.. that reminds me.. Devil.. we ought to plan for that trip soon.

Al-Soodha’s attraction is the rope car that descends down the valley. It has been set up by companies that run Ski gondolas in Switzerland… got passes for all of us and we planned to go together in a single gondola. Pity it could seat only 8 passengers. It was getting colder at the hill top so Harini and me decided to get our sweaters out. By the time we came back, our group had left. Since this is a country that gives importance to families, we were given an entire gondola  Amazing climate, good scenery and just us in a single gondola / rope car … very romantic right? Not at all  .. though we wanted a car for ourselves, we found the experience a little shaky.. dropping down 3km on an unstable cable car was difficult. 10 mins later we went down to the bottom station. We spent a good 2 hours there talking, walking and photographing the beautiful landscape.

                                                                                                                                                                          

The trip back to the top station was also good, albeit a little faster.  Once atop the hill, we enjoyed the cold weather and sauntered back to your cab. We had planned to go back to Khamees’ for lunch. And I was able to reserved food for us @ Delicia thanks to Mr. George Joseph who works there!  We stopped on the way to watch a few monkeys and also had a short trek down to a water reservoir before we had lunch.

Mr. George was at his courteous best when we went for lunch. Post lunch, we raced against time to visit a historical village called Al Hablalah. It’s a totally different place as it looked as if the world ends here. A sheer drop and nothing in front for a good 1000 – 2000 meters. Pity we couldn’t enjoy it in proper sunlight. Sunset started at 5:14 PM and before I could take some snaps, darkness crept in.  Sadly, we made our way back to our shiga mohfrusha and wound up for the day.

Desert Trip : The Abha Roadies Part 1

Wow! What an amazing trip it was. After slogging for the past 7 months, finally got a break : Bakrid or Eid Al Adha vacation. We planned for an impromptu road trip to Abha, the southernmost city in Saudi Arabia which is the summer resort of Gulf-ites. 4 families on a Hyundai H1 on a 2650 KM round trip in 3 days.. you could call us crazy.. but whats life without a bit of craziness??

We started out on a pretty cold day at 8:00 AM from Riyadh, hoping to reach Abha by day end. Little did we know that it would take us 15 hours to do so! The trip started in high spirits with rousing cries of “Ganapati Bapa Moriya” coupled with a cued cry from Anusha, a toddler.

We ate, sang, slept and finally reached the city before Abha at 9:15 PM. Much to our dismay, all the shops were closed owing to Eid. Finally, found a hotel called Delicia.. and with high spirits wandered in. Turned out to be a Malayali hotel.  Blessed are these people who will not shy from setting up a tea stall on Moon. Happily I spoke my way through setting up a special table for the 19 of us (Oh.. 7 bachelors were in a separate vehicle) and ate our way to glory.. imagine running up a bill of SAR 335 for 19 ppl when a modest breakfast for 2 types of Parathas, chicken lollypop and tea/coffee for 60 ppl @ a get together had cost us a little around SAR 900 :D  Ahem… lesser said about food .. the better..

The Road to Neverland :)

Finally we reached the place we were to stay.

It was no Hotel California but what the locals here call as “Shiga Mohfrusha” (Arabic for Furnished apartments). Honestly, I don’t know the name of the apartment where we stayed during our road trip to Abha. But it was decent enough.

Plonked on the bed and went to sleep with expectations of sight-seeing the next day. Actually, both of us wanted to see if we could really use the leather jacket and Harini’s jacket in Abha :D and not to forget the sweaters!

To be frank.. yeah it was cold.. so the jackets did come handy!

Next day… next blog.

Its Classic!!

01 November 2010. Our first anniversary.

Before we knew, we have completed one year of married life! Time has just flown!! Been an amazing, fun and tension filled first year.

Looking forward to all the fantastic years ahead, with a Classical touch ;)

Ambrosia and the CNN Hero of the Year

Ambrosia means food meant for Gods. Everyday we are blessed to choose from so many types of food which would make even the Gods envious.Have we ever thought how many of them outside have no access to hygienic food for even one time a day? Or have we ever thought of how much food we waste in a single day? In the Mumbai branch of the IT company I work for, there is a stats board that shows us how many KILOS of food we waste each day. That always brought back memories of the deeds of person I know in Madurai. He is family friend and an award winning Chef who used to work for a 5 star hotel in Bangalore. He was bound to go to Switzerland when an event changed his entire outlook towards life.

His name is Krishnan. Why would I be talking about Ambrosia, food wastage and Krishnan? It has a connection. Krishnan currently feeds around 400 odd people in and around Madurai every day, with piping hot food. The event that changed him is really a heart rendering story. How many of us will have the guts to drop sophisticated lifestyle and job to just help the poor?

Read about his story here (Source: The Hindu): Krishnan's Story

Now, why would I be reminded of him when I see the food wastage at my office? Well. 7 years ago, 3 of my friends and myself decided to celebrate our birthdays in a different manner. We decided to sponsor a meal by visiting his trust: Akshaya. We never knew that Krishnan would makes us tour with him in his Omni van and make us hand over the food parcel to the needy. It was an experience beyond words. The moment his van drove up to the designated spot, people who take food from him waited patiently for him to hand over the parcel, with an eager expectation.

Many of these people were in a state where they couldnt distinguish the food they were having. And it was his parcel of food that kept them going strong. Many of them were mentally unstable as well. It was a heart warming sight to see them trust a stranger and take the food he offered.His kitchen is impeccable with high standards of hygiene. And he personally oversees the food he prepares.

The palette might not have an impressive menu, but it filled a few 100 stomachs. Since it was our birthday we remember him making a sweet "Kesari". We promised ourselves that we should help him in any way possible when we started earning. Sadly that never happend. And all that wasted food at our office always brought back memories of the effort Krishnan makes to provide a sumptuous meal to the needy.

It made us more careful with the way we ordered food in bulk and have since considerably reduced the wastage after a party. Now, the main reason why I am presenting this story is because Krishnan has been shortlisted for CNN-Heros of the Year award to be held on Nov 25 at Los Angeles.

I request all of you accessing my blog to please vote for him and make him the preferred choice from India.

The prize money is huge, apart from the $25,000 he would get for being shortlisted, if he wins, he would get an additional $100,000. With that he should be able to build is dream home for the needy, the Akshaya Home and also medical service for them.

Please pass this story on to all of them.

Subi: I am depending on you to pass this story to all at St.Xaviers and ask them to vote for him.

My friends in IT: Please pass this on to your near and dear so that Krishnan wins maximum votes! Hope we reduce the food wastage @ our homes and work place.

To vote for him visit: http://heroes.cnn.com/vote.aspx

We need heroes like him.