Lost and Found...

BPL - The World Cup Hangover!

2011-05-24T02:38:00.000-07:00

India won the World Cup to our immense joy on Saturday, the 2nd of April 2011. The Marina in Chennai at midnight was jam packed. Parties all over the city (and nation) went well into the night. It was a sin if you slept before 2 am! Inspite of all this there were this manic few who managed to get up early on the morning of Sunday, the 3rd of April 2011 and make it to BPL! BPL? Is it the Barclays Premier League? Oh no! It is the Bhumi Premier League, the cricket tournament held between the volunteers of various projects of Bhumi!

With a week's notice time, each of the four teaching projects of Bhumi came up with a team and a team name. The Dynamites from Dronacharya and Eklavya (DnE), the Kalakkal Kanini team, the GhiLE from the Little Einsteins (LE) and the MAD Madrasters XI were all set for the biggest cricket extravaganza of Bhumi! The Kalakkals and the Dynamites were the most punctual teams in that order and hence were blessed to play the first match when the sun was just about rising!

The first match proved to be an absolute run feast with the Dynamites sending the Kalakkals on a leather hunt. With a stiff target oh 120+ in 8 overs at hand, the Kalakkal Kanini went about their chase nonchalantly. Just when we thought the Kalakkals will be the runaway winners, a final over come back by Dynamites meant the game was tied and a super over was called for. It proved second time lucky for Kanini as they emerged winners!

Conversely, the second match witnessed some disciplined bowling from both GhiLE and MADrasters XI. MADrasters, batting first, set a modest target of 85 in 8 overs. The chase by GhiLE started of sluggishly, but picked up momentum past the halfway mark in their innings. With 11 required of the last 2 balls, two stunning sixes proved to be the clincher in this humdinger.

While the boys sweated it out in the sun, the girls split themselves to prepare refreshments and also cheer the teams on! The refreshments included the standard bread butter jam, fruit juices and a certain special drink which no one knows the name for. The drink's recipe was rumoured to have been trashed as soon as the drink was made. Nevertheless, most of us had second helpings and enjoyed it. Moving on, the finals between GhiLE and Kalakkal Kanini turned out to be a one sided affair. GhiLE with its continued disciplined bowling restricted Kalakkals to a modest score of 70 and knocked off the same with an over to spare and emerged comfortable winners of BPL. The biggest winners though were the HR team that put together this gala event which turned out to be a wonderful get together for the hard working volunteers. Three cheers to them!!!

Farewell my dear!

2011-02-01T09:56:00.000-08:00

At the ripe old age of twenty one,

Began my affair obvious to everyone.

Through sweltering heat, sweat and grime,

I fought for her to be always mine.

She grew upon me, as time went by

And none could take her place, thereby.

Attention she drew, wherever I went,

A boon she was, that man didn't have to invent

They said she was soft, they said she was shiny.

They said she was cute, they said she was curly.

At times she went wild upon me,

And an hour begone, tame became she.

Until this day, I am happy to say,

I let my beloved be happy and sway.

But today! All the very best I wish you,

For, Oh my dear hair! I am going to miss you!!

-Irah

Venkatagiri Trek - Part II: 'CHEER UP! The worst is yet to come!'

2011-01-02T04:54:00.000-08:00

It was a pleasant morning. The camp fire was dying down slowly and the sun raising up the horizon. With a very comfy sleeping bag I enjoyed a warm night's sleep with my pullover's hood doing its part in keeping the cold away. After a quick refreshment, we trooped to an amazing view, near the camp, of the peak we set out to conquer. After a quick photo session there, we started packing out things and were set to leave the comforts of our camp by about 8 am.

After a small confusion on the trial to be taken we hit the right path for the steep climb down. I should mention here, that thoughts of reaching the peak was aborted and everyone were set to enjoy the return. Slowly in batches we climbed down the steep trial back to the cross-streams and by 11 30 am we were all down, except for two. The first thing everyone did after coming

down was to jump into the pools around

and take a long dip. The small cascades of water nearby were too inviting to skip. It was a wonderful refreshment after the demanding climb down.

Meanwhile, the more senior members of the trek, curbed their instincts to set up the cook pots for some soothing tea and tasty soupy noodles. Thanks to them, all the hungry souls who emerged out of the pools had a wonderful and filling lunch. After enjoying ourselves till about 1 30 pm near the cross-streams we began our retreat. The two missing members came down through another trial while we were about to leave. It was decided that while some (which turned out to be half) of the others will stay back give those two company, the others will proceed with the villager in the lead.

The old villager led the lead pack at a flat dead pace, that was well kept up by the group. With breaks twice every three hours and one long break to make sure our fellow group of trekkers caught up with us at a major crossing, we still made it to our base camp without any delays as dusk set in at about 7 pm. Then began the long wait for the group that followed us. With little or no communication about them until about 9 pm, we were sure they were lost.

Two of the group that already reached decided we will need to head back and find them. They wanted a third and I volunteered. And so began the rescue mission.

Trekking in the night is so much different from that in the day. The obvious trial that we followed a day ago in broad sunlight was not so seemingly obvious in the darkness of the night. We had one off the trial detour which was enough to tell us that we could not do this without more help. We called up the remaining guys at the base camp and told them to get some villagers for help.

Meanwhile, as suggested by Nagin (who was one of the other 2 rescuers) we started laying markers to mark our trial. Soon, we hit the right trial and were on our way. We reached a point on the trial where none of us could predict the right path. So we decided we'll wait for more help at a known location than get lost ourselves. We waited for about 15 minutes at the dirty stream crossing. Help, in the form of 4 energetic villagers, soon arrived. They led us at a sure pace through the forest to our friends in another half hour. Finally the entire team of 50+ trekkers reached the base camp safely by midnight and back to Chennai in the morning. All along in my mind, I thought the T-shirt I wore that day said it all: 'CHEER UP! The worst is yet to come!'. Thus ended the trek that I enjoyed and learnt a lot.

New Year's Eve

2011-01-01T05:59:00.000-08:00

It was 3:45 am in the morning. Masoom and me had missed our stop at Sulthan Bathery. We got down at a place called Kalpetta and the night still cold and unrelenting. Ambling across the road we seated ourselves at the bus stop to re-track our way back to Sulthan Bathery. After a 15 minute endurance wait we got into a bus that will take us to our destination in what we thought would be an hour's time. We were wrong. It took us only 30 minutes. Welcome to Kerala - God's own country!

We soon met up with Justin, who had found a room for us to crash in that unearthly hour. After reaching our dorm, we killed time chatting or sleeping (in my case) until about 7 am. A quick bath and a refreshing breakfast @Indian Coffee house, we were ready for the Chembra peak, the highest peak in Wayanad District. Passing through the winding, twisting and scenic lanes of Ambalavayal, Vaduvanchal, Meppady (where we quickly shopped some fruits and grub for the trek) towns in Justin's Swift, we reached the base camp of the peak by about 9 30 am.

The peak, 2100m above sea level, was nestled among the protected forests of Kerala. We had to obtain a pass of Rs. 500 (valid for a group not more than ten in number) for a trek to the peak. What was more surprising is that the forest officer demanded Rs 200 as deposit against the plastic bottles we were carrying uphill. We happily paid the deposit. It was really heartening to

know that atleast one state in India cares about its tourist spots and reserved forests (as we saw the trend continued throughout our trip). We also got a guide, one Mr. Mohan Raj, father of two girls, who led us up the trial.

We were allowed to drive another four plus kilometers before we pulled into a parking area and began the trek at about 10 am. Initially we hiked for about 2 km to reach the watch tower, after which the real trek began. The trek basically consisted of crossing 6 peaks and a lake before reaching the actual peak. Ten minutes into the climb, we were soon panting. The incline was as such, and the inclination further was relentless. Half way up the first of the peaks, we found a trickling stream of water that was cold and refreshing! Rejuvenated, we reached the first peak in good time and had a quick photo session.

We had a brief respite in the form of some flat terrain after the first peak. But that was just a teaser. The climb got steeper and tiring. Two more peaks past, we reached what was called the Hridayasagar lake (so named for its heart shaped bank). The lake lives up to its name and serves as a perennial source of drinking water for the wildlife existing in the forest. We also got to see the now prohibited camping area near the lake. Unfortunate that camping there was banned since a forest fire broke out few years ago, destroying some part of the forest and the wildlife.

Soon we were back up the trial in quest of the peak. We passed, what our guide knowledgeably guessed as elephant and leopard trials, but never came across the owners of the same. Maintaining a steady banter and pulling each other's legs we reached the peak at about 1 pm for some of the stunning views. It was peaceful and breath taking. We just couldn't stop clicking on our camera! And in about 15 minutes we were soon covered by mists on almost all sides. More reason to take out the camera! We were snapping away for sometime and lo! it was time to start the descent.

The climb down was surely faster but the incline was such that, we (at least I) felt our knees taking in a lot of pressure. So after a steady and slow one and half hour climb down we were back at the parking area. Justin with his 'mallu' bonding with Mr. Mohan Raj got us to enjoy a refreshing dip at a stream flowing near the base camp.

The water was super clean and super cold! After splashing around for sometime, we were off. We caught a quick bite on the way at Meppady.

Our next stop was at Ambalavayal to get some food packed for the night. By 7 pm, we met up with the owner of our to-be camping site for the night and by 7 30 pm we were at the place! Our campsite was to be a rocky area covered by a forest on one side and an upcoming resort (which the owner is yet to complete) on the other side. Masoom and myself quickly set about setting up the tent at the campsite. Justin meanwhile, helped the owner and the caretaker set up the bonfire. By eight we were all set!

The night was cool, the fire blazing and pitch darkness all around us. The tent set sturdy, just a few feet away from the fire with comfortable sleeping bags waiting for the occupants. It was a perfect new year's eve for the three of us! We settled around the fire chatting and munching, on and on, on and on. In between we did our best to keep the fire ablaze until midnight.There was enough firewood and oil to last two nights! Soon it was time for the countdown and out came the cake we bought on the way. 10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...Welcome 2011!!

Venkatagiri Trek - Part I: Yaay! My First Camping Trek

2010-12-01T15:00:00.000-08:00

The scheduled departure according to the prep mail was 3:20 am from Koyembedu. My heart sank seeing that. The last time I had to catch a train around that time, I dozed off nicely. I set myself up to do my office work until late on friday to make sure I didnt miss this time around. Well, as it turned out, I didn't miss the bus after all. My scooty was happily parked in the CMBT stands and I was walking out of the terminal towards the assembly point well on time. Slosh! My right leg went right into a tarred slush accumulated along the pavement outside. After registering my attendance, I had the unfortunate chance to grace the toilets of CMBT to cleanse my dirt. Not sure if I cleansed it or added more, but my newly purchased, 1 day old pair of shoes took the treatment well enough for me to continue.

After some incorrigible delays we finally set forth on what was my first camping trek to Venkatagiri hills, somewhere near Renigunta in the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh by 5 am along with 54 other members of the Chennai Trekking Club. I peacefully slept off my journey and woke on time for the breakfast near the base. The target as per the maps distributed was a total of 40 km in two days. We started Day 1 at 11 am from the base village into the hills. The initial part was a hike past the dams, wading through a dirty stream, walk across a pebbled river bed and into the tree cover leading to the foothills.

Next came the walk along the wide stream. This was a mixture wading in the stream, jumping across boulders on either side of the stream or fighting your way through the brambles along either of the banks. After slipping and sliding along the stream, we made it to the first pool by around 2 pm, right on time to munch into our Tamarind rice for lunch. The next part was pretty similar, except that both the boulder jumping and wading the stream became more slippery. After around an hour and half more of saving our ankles and legs from visible damage, we made it to what can be called as the pool by the cross- streams. The pool here was fed by two streams falling in between the mountain's steep.

The senior trekkers, after an hour of scouting and discussions, decided that the steep climb would be the best way to reach the peak which was our destination. By 4, half the group crawled their way up the steep, marking the trail with ribbons for the followers. I, along with my newly found friend, Ashok, started a little later on what was the best part of the trek! I loved the climb as it was challenging and a slip would be as costly as one's life.

We caught up with the crowd ahead in pretty quick time. The plan was to locate a campsite near an upper stream and attack the peak either by night or by early morning. Alas, after much searching, it was found that a campsite near the upper stream was impossible and the peak unreachable from where we were! By then, the remaining half joined us uphill and we were able to thankfully locate a campsite by around 9 30 pm. Not many thought of food as everyone hit their sleeping bags as soon as they could...

Going MAD @ICCW

2010-10-20T05:54:00.000-07:00

It begins after work every Thursday. A slew of messages. Few confirmations. Some explanations. And hence some substitutions. And we are all set for Saturday at the least. Oops, the preparations? Well, that happens either late on Friday nights or Saturday mornings. Ironically, Sundays, which are substitution days have better preparations.

The weekends for me unusually begin by 6 am with either cricket on Saturdays or football on Sundays. Making it home by 9 30 am becomes quite a challenge! What with a bath and some quick preparations (if its Saturdays) to follow! But still, after what they call a 'crow's bath' and a quick revision, am off by 9 50 am. One thing that is of great help to me is that the destination is just a minute's drive away. I somehow make it before 10 am.

Once at ICCW (Indian Council for Child Welfare) with my fellow teachers, the English class, preceded by a quick discussion (on the topics to be covered), begins. My 'wards', for want of a better name, are only four or so they seem. They are christened as Chandiran, Amul, Balaji and Deepan. The youngest, Balaji, is playful all the time and ever so restless, but has prompt, witty and correct replies to any of my questions. The oldest, Deepan, finds some reason or the other to skip the classes but catches up with the fellow mates pretty easily, when he does attend. Chandiran, would love, not to play games, but to finish of the day's lesson at the earliest. And Amul, the conformist would agree to anything I say. I couldn't have ended up with a more complicated set.

It is a challenge I cherish. Trying to play a game for three while the fourth sits trying to get on with the class can be mind boggling. But that happens every Saturday to me. Even when all three (Deepan rarely attends) listen to my class, one steams ahead like a jet, the other rattling along like train and the third crawling along like a cart. Patience, to answer their doubts even when they may have to be repeated to each one individually one after the other, is a prime ingredient. The gauging of the kids' moods for the day is also a huge help. This, I realised while handling the younger kids. It is impossible to do something they don't want to. Playing along with them when gets their attention much better than rebelling against. Just to make sure they sit with you all through the two hours is simply an achievement in itself.

Its amazing how one improvises without meaning to, during the two hours he/she spends while teaching. Only last week, I had to engage 7 of the youngest kids, in rotation so that my fellow teachers could conduct one-on-ones for their 9 wards. A word building, followed by a spelling contest, followed by Chinese Whisper, and then a story time. The last one was straight out of my granny's favourite reciting to me and my cousins. It gives you enormous satisfaction when cute little bright faces drink in whatever you say like it was something really sweet. What is most encouraging is, when I get back next week, their recollections/remarks on what they learnt/heard last week.

Well what is the moral? A fortnight ago I was attending a family function, where my cousin's kid was stuck to her mom all morning. Pop, comes my other cousin's kid with her grandparents. An idea strikes! I got them together, and together they were for the remainder of the function. They still quoted the 'high-five' game, I introduced to them out of nowhere, when I met them during Navrathri. The nursery rhymes we sang together still resonate. But most of all, the twinkle in their eyes and the innocent laughter I heard that day will keep me going for more. Time to get more MAD!!

P.S: MAD refers to Make A Difference, an interactive English learning programme for children who have limited or no proficiency in the language.

This one's for my Granny...

2010-10-07T12:04:00.000-07:00

Thursday, 7th of October 2010

The days preluding were filled with excitement. I used to bug my Paati (granny) to decide what is that new thing we should get that year. Something always was new every year and so it should be according to her. Finally when the first day arrives, I used to get so excited that all my time at school that day would go in thinking about the evening. I used to beg her always, 'please don't start without me'. And always, she used to wait for me.

Evening I come back from school, expecting appa (dad) or chithappa (his younger bro) to come from office, because without them nothing would start. First the basic framework gets down from the dingy lofts in the corner room. Then the seven long steps. And I always had to help in their descent. Whether I am big or small didn't matter. Always. Once they are down, the building of the frame is done. My paati ever so thoughtful, used to soak the screws, nuts and bolts a day before in keroscene. After appa and chitha are satisfied with the frame, the steps are placed and two pure white dhotis (8 ft long) cover the entire set up.

Meanwhile paati starts clearing the things above the age old trunk box in the store room, to start unloading our complete repertoire of dolls. Oh my! Each doll was precious. I used to recite out how many Ganesha, Murgan, Krishna, Shiva and what not! we had every year to my sister (Sharanya). And every doll had its own story. It was so much fun listening to them. The little Appu dolls (that I still have) were the most dearest. Paati always used to tell that the pair cost just 50 paise.

Once my shuttles between the store and drawing rooms are done and the trunk empty, we move back to the corner room for the unloading of more dolls! Appa likes to pull my leg there by wantedly skipping several sets of dolls that I used to look out for. The 6 dancing girls, 5 freedom fighters, the ladies with the kids, the fruits and vegetables set, the three biggies (Lakshmi, Saraswathi and Murugan), the Ramar crowning ceremony, the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu, the two Kamadenus all had to be there. The tantrums I used to throw when something was missed by appa there. Ahh!! I used to shout so much. But paati patiently would tell appa what was missing and where to look, making sure I was satisfied.

Then, I, being so short and unable to keep the dolls in the topmost step used to direct appa to keep what dolls where, with paati pushing my him wherever she had to. Then once the top steps are completely filled and we are down to the bottom few, I take over completely. Paati would help me keep every thing the way I want. And once all the steps are filled and with the big Murugan on a plank, for itself, on the floor, my real work starts!

The biggest fun of all Navrathri celebrations for me was the spreading of sand on the floor and laying out the cricket set, park set, band set, a zoo, a temple, a pond and what not! Patiently from around night 9 30 pm after dinner till almost midnight, I used to do my favourite thing. I never let anyone else help me. Paati would soak some seeds in water 2-3 days before to add some real greenery to my setting. Wow how much I loved it!

And today, when the day came back, it hit me, how much I miss the fun I had with Paati all those years. Miss you so much paati...

With lots and lots of love

Appu

A Story to Tell (continued)...

2010-03-26T13:27:00.000-07:00

So was it love at first sight? No. He didn't know what struck him then. He was barely of age then. He never gave much thought of what he witnessed. The last time he met her, he could not string two words together and speak to her. It was an unnerving experience, but he got over it as time passed.

Then he met her again after two years. He was determined to talk to her. He got his chance. A good one at that. It was one of the best hours of his life. He kept talking with her on and on, on and on. He never noticed the passage of time. They covered a myriad of topics including hobbies, birthdays, films, favourites etc etc. It was like getting to know each other after a long gap. But was it just that?

Through the entire conversation he, for the first time in his life, was listening and speaking to someone with utmost freedom. Willing to expose himself as much as he can without realising what he was actually doing, but at the same time trying to know more about her. Alas! all good thing in life do turn out to be short. This wonderful conversation had to be cut short due to her prior commitment with her friend. When the interruption occured the first feeling he felt was one being left alone. He felt weird. Why should he feel like that?

It was then he realised how nice it would be to have this person in life, with whom he just shared so much and would like to share so much more. Someone to whom he can talk about his likes and dislikes without the slightest of reservations. Someone whose thoughts and suggestions he was ready to take in when provided. Someone for whom he was ready to do anything. But is it enough that he likes her so much? Shouldn't that be mutual as well?

He understood what he felt could probably not be reciprocated. But he decided he will not give up until he tried atleast once. So then, he tried to communicate to her as often as possible. This proved difficult as his geographic location could not be altered for another two years. But he did contact her once every quarter (if he was lucky), that too not direct. He couldn't help thinking both with optimism and pessimism about his suituation. Nevertheless, he never lost hope. He took this as a learning experience to face the possible extremities of life. Still, he had to tell her...How else will he get to know?...

P.S: Sorry for a delayed sequel!!

The Least We can do...

2010-03-23T11:11:00.000-07:00

They are all five feet tall. They always go forward. They have bigger brothers running around. There are thousands of them littered in the streets of Chennai from Redhills to Tambaram, from Avadi to Mylapore, from Valasaravakkam to Villivakkam. They easily move around the nooks and corners of the city. They are yellow in colour and are the most feared but also the most preferred. Yes, I am talking about those three- wheeled "friends" of tourists locally called 'auto'.

One of the first things that anyone coming to Chennai, knows about them is that their meters are useless. The rumour mills run that the meters are heated up, mechanically/electronically sabotaged etc etc. One month of frequent travelling (almost twice every weekday) by autorickshaw gave me a fair idea of the background of this problem.

A standard auto driver who hires a vehicle pays Rs 150-180 as rent per day amounting to a maximum of 5400Rs per month. Petrol in Chennai costs Rs50+ a litre. And the average mileage of an auto is approximately 30km (on the best case). Logically speaking in Chennai, a driver can cover 160 km in 8 hours of driving. The meter rate of Rs 7 per km gives him 1120 Rs and an earning of approximately 650Rs per day, deducting petrol and rental charges. But practically, covering a distance of 120 km per day is the best one driver can hope for. This halves his earning to about 350 Rs per day. So what does he do?

Every driver I encountered kind of gave me the impression (when I was chatting with them) that their primary aim of the day is to earn the rental charge for the day (Rs 180/-). Hence the pattern that I observed went like- trips in the morning proved costlier than that in the evening. Shenoy Nagar (my house) to Nungambakkam station is a 3km ride for which paying Rs30/- is reasonable. I pay that on return in the evening, but the morning trip I always end up having to bargain to reach the same rate. The bigger the distance, the bigger is the deviation, I believe. Their idea is to earn as much as possible in minimum number of trips to cover their rent, petrol. Once they reach that target, they relax themselves to drive for reasonable prices. So what is the solution?

The goverment could probably standardize the rental rates charged by the owners, based on the day's trips, with a nominal minimum charge fixed. That could basically reduce the pressure on auto drivers to pay the now fixed component- rent. Also the current meter system, considering the maximum rent paid of Rs 180/-, gives a driver just Rs 3.50/km to a driver or a maximum of 50Rs per hour, could be changed according to the standardization of the rent. Mind you, 15k per month without any HRA, PL, CL or any other benefits is not enough for a family man to lead a standard life in Chennai. So what can we do?

The best judge of the state of auto drivers is they themselves. So this is what I learnt to do if I do take an auto. Name a price (which I think is reasonable) to the driver. If he accepts, great!! Else, simply walk away to find another who fits your needs. The least we can do is not make them more miserable, than they already feel by fighting with them :-). Mutual agreement always rules over a bargained one!!

On a cold December night...

2009-12-22T04:50:00.000-08:00

A question of life,

Thoughts swirling in strife,

Arriving upon a difficult decision,

To end all the confusion.

To confront or negotiate,

Without having to be considerate.

Both will cause considerable pain.

But maybe, the former will have some gain.

With the mind made up,

Upon a horse's stirrup.

The message sent across,

With a die on the toss.

Fire was met with ice,

Without a hint of war cries.

The bidder losing contact,

To keep the mind intact.

The path ahead lay clear,

With the heart devoid of fear.

Cried the sky with all its might,

On this cold December night...

-Irah

A dedication to Ravi and Priya...

2009-12-09T10:32:00.000-08:00

There dawned a beautiful day
Shining bright through every single ray
To signal a new beginning
That is important to every human being

The day that marks this union,
Also makes way for a family reunion.
Friends from both near and far
Also make their presence at par.

With hearts full of expectation,
And months and months of preparation,
Here you stand in Holy matrimony
Ready to embark upon this wonderful journey

So, here we, cousins, all gather
On this day, the sixth of December
To wish you and your newly wed wife
The best and a happy married life

-Irah

One down, several more to go..

2009-10-20T11:03:00.000-07:00

After a couple of games of latenight scrabble and a not-so-deep-sleep, I was woken up by my mom screaming at me to drop her off at the Central Station for an early departure. Still yawning and cursing in my head I freshened myself up, donned a tracks and sweatshirt and geared up for the drive. The plan was to drop mom off and go for jogging as is my usual morning custom (that is, obviously if I getup that early).

It was still dark outside. So with my bike's headlights on and the speedometer hardly going below 40kmph, my first half of the plan was done in ten minutes. Then a sudden intuition struck me. I was wide awake after the ten minute drive and was all for it. So I drove on to my destination without further ado. The morning breeze was just too awesome. For all you know, I could have gone on and on until I ran out of fuel. Alas! I had other plans.

I parked my vehicle and started walking. Walking along the place that was the greatest of company to even the most loneliest of all. The source of inspiration for many. The never say die attitude. The calmness and stubbornness. The rise and fall. The charge and retreat. The sight that held me was truly mesmerising. A vastness of the silvery gold colour. The sound of gushing water. The calls of the early birds. Wow!! I was really happy that I woke up so early.

Being in Chennai, somethings always irk me. One such is the fact that in spite of having my hometown as one of the best places to watch the SUNRISE, I've never had the pleasure. What is ironical is I've watched the sunrise at Pondicherry and Kanyakumari, but not here!! Twenty one years, six months and ten days its taken me to fulfil this one small wish. And when it finally happened today, i simply loved it.

Fifteen minutes of pure joy at seeing our dear old sun comeout all serene and beautiful. I felt like saluting (which I did) to a dear old friend whom I am seeing after a long long time. And this is what I thought:

Dear Sun, you maybe hot at noon
But now, you are more beautiful than the moon.

Thank you mom!

Those 24 hours...

2009-09-28T09:32:00.000-07:00

There came a day never to be forgotten,
When he was feeling totally downtrodden.
To lift his spirits, his heart and soul
And thus achieve his ultimate goal.

The dawn neither special nor important
The afternoon, as always, dry and despondent.
Came the evening to hold his sway,
Making his heart go completely astray.

Words unspoken, looks unexchanged,
Conversation blossomed, as if arranged.
The plan was made, the clock was set.
Tomorrow was never to be an upset.

Dawned the night, past twilight,
His thoughts on getting everything right.
Leapt his heart in excitement and joy,
Slept his mind in peace, to enjoy.

-Irah

A Story to tell...

2009-09-09T08:23:00.000-07:00

DISCLAIMER: Any resemblance to real life characters is purely coincidental.

He saw them after a very long time. He lost it all then. He blinked as a bat, for the first few minutes. Even if he had opened his mouth, nothing would have come out. They just took everything away from him. He had lost his world. Lost the world which he lived. Lost the world that would have been his, otherwise. He was simply dumbfounded. He couldn't move nor could he turn away. He couldn't sit watching them nor could run away. He couldn't stop thinking about them. They simply seemed to be the only things alive in the world. Everything else was a farce for him.

What was most surprising was that they seemed to be asking him so many questions. Questions starting from his origin to his current well being. Questions that probed him like a X-Ray scanner. Questions he thought will never arise. Questions he never wanted to think an answer for. Questions he never thought he would ask himself. Questions that tortured him day in and day out. They just kept coming on and on. Never to stop.

Was it heaven? Was it hell? Was it pain? Was it gain? Was it life? Or Was it death? He never knew. They hit him like the sea that hits the shore. Whenever he thought they left him, they came back again and again and again. They gave him everything. They gave him peace. They gave him happiness. They made him sad. They made him grieve. They were like a vicious circle from which he could never escape.

He then realised. He then awoke to the fact that something was missing. Missing from him. Missing within him. What was it? His heart. His heart was never his from the moment her 'eyes' met his.

P.S: The writer disclaims the disclaimer.

My First Day at Work...

2009-08-31T08:25:00.000-07:00

After innumerable number of delays (starting from a slow computer at home until purchasing a season ticket) I finally caught my train, the connecting train and reached office with a five minute delay on the reporting time of 10:30 a.m. Another 6 people joined today along with me. The day started as predicted with the now familiar HR guy. He briefed us upon the agenda for the day and had a few forms for us to fill. Then he embarked upon the origin of the company and dutifully explained its vision and mission.

From then on, it was as informal as if I had gone to a friend's place for a gettogether(pardon me for a bit of exaggeration). The HR took us first for a tour of the office, introducing us to most of the the existing staff (which numbers upto only 56 including 2 Americans, a Mr. Workaholic and a Ms. Workaholic). Then we headed for a sumptuous lunch (free of cost at the company pantry). After lunch, the company's Chennai head had an interaction with us. We got bugged away from the original rendezvous by constant drilling upstairs (RMZ Millenia II is yet to be fully furnished) and again ended up in the pantry (no food this time).

Then we had a 'no nonsense' presentation given to us by the maintenance guys who clearly mentioned that there are no restrictions on internet usage as far as we do our work. We should be getting our terminals in a day or two. It was 4 in the evening and we guys were chit chatting around. The HR made a reappearance and accompanied us in pairs to our cabins (nice and clean). Then came our senior staff with something looking similar to a telephone directory. She told us that we'll need to familiarise with the book(Perl language manual) within four weeks. That is to be the training part.

Around 5, all the new joinees headed for a late tea at the pantry (milk, tea, coffee, biscuits etc etc). We were just discussing about when to leave, when someone carried in a cake, samosas, soft drinks etc into the pantry. We were told to wait for sometime there as there was a regular end-of-month party to celebrate the birthdays of people born in August!! One among the new joinees was also August born (cake had his name too!!) Almost everyone turned up and it was nice to interact with them again.

My first impression: A very friendly, work while you work and play while you play, workplace. A very nice place to start working.

My Costliest Suburban Experience

2009-08-09T11:36:00.000-07:00

The past few days have seen a lot of trips to the Chennai Central Railway Station and the Chennai Airport for those fortunate and unfortunate few of us who are still in this heavenly home. It was one such send off that was before me today. Today the difference being it was in broad daylight rather than the not so chilling night. The plan was to be at the Airport by 4 p.m.

As is the case, when I normally go out these days, I take along my mobile's earphones along wherever I go. But today, I was forced to go without them in spite of turning my room upside down in search of it. Later I found out to my astonishment that my mum had mistaken it for her own and hence put it inside her handbag for safekeeping. Anyways, I normally prefer to take my bike, or rather a humble scooty pep, all the way to Airport with the earphones plugged in just to attend calls. But, like the timing, my mind also was thinking something different today.

As I am to start working from September 1st, I planned to check out the parking system available at the Chetput station and hence use the suburban services to reach my destination. Whenever my mind works that way, my mobile steps in to break the loneliness and keep me company during the journey. But with no earphones, that trip seemed to be uninviting. After much contemplation, I preferred the suburban locals over my beloved bike for the trip. Then, I hardly knew that how much it was going to cost me!!

The plan went on smoothly and I purchased a return ticket from Chetput to the airport and was on time for the send off. After the send off, we were pondering the possibilities of further time pass. But as fate would have it, we all headed back home. With a return ticket and more plans already made for the evening I was happy to head back home. The moment I reached the platform, a local was coming in. I was careful to skip the vendors and head into a normal coach.

The scene unfolded as the train started. I turn into the compartment to see a child performing some 'kutikaranais' and moving like a rubber in and out of a small hoop. I couldn't stand watching it. I tried to stand near the exit, but my way was blocked by some guys who were too engrossed in the performance.

Luckily, the next station came and I chose to get down and find a compartment further down the train. I found a relatively much emptier compartment with nice cushioned seats and hardly any of them occupied. My heart leapt with joy and I took a window seat wondering how this compartment was so empty. I looked around and was unnerved to see LADIES written in bold across the inner sides of the compartment. But, there were other gentlemen in the compartment, which is why I got on in the first place. So seeking further explanation, I looked around and saw that I had unwittingly chosen a first class compartment.

My instincts told me to get down at the next station and find another compartment. But my mind was debating that being a sunday, there will not be any checkers to corner me. I gave in to my mind and I persevered. Meanwhile, the train had reached Saidapet, and an unassuming character got on the train and asked me for my ticket. I knew then, I was cornered. After I handed in my ticket, he told me 'This is first class' and moved away to check others grabbing my ticket. I went behind him and he told me the fine is Rs 295/-. I dont know if he expected anything else, but I conceded it was my mistake and I'll pay. He was slightly taken aback and told me to sit down. Then I guess he expected me to try and reduce the fine, but I took out 300 bucks and he slowly started writing my first fine ticket.

By then, Mambalam had passed. I offered to get down in the next station and change compartments. I know it was too little too late, but always better late than never. To my surprise, the checker stalled me saying you can continue travelling in this compartment. I was slightly taken aback, but I had no reason to complain. He chased down a slightly physically challenged couple down to the platform on the next station and moved out of sight. Just as the train was about to move a new checker had come aboard and asked me for the ticket. I explained to him that I just paid the fine and that the guy who fined me told me I can sit here and complete my journey. His immediate retort was 'Still you continue to sit here' not hearing my second part. Now that was really worrying because I couldn't have managed to pay the to be coming fine.

Thankfully, my co passenger came to my rescue and told him that I was tellling the truth. The checker accepted it and left me in peace. I was utterly bemused after the second checking and in my confused state I got down at the place I started and headed for the parking lot. On my way home, the first signal I was to pass was changing from green to orange and was to change red in a second. I would have stopped for the signal anyways, but today being special, I was proud to be the first to stall at the STOP line and while I waited I wondered how true was the saying 'Once bitten Twice Shy'....

Kart Attack

2009-07-10T03:26:00.000-07:00

The day began as lazily as the past few days. A shout from mum at around nine in the morning woke me up partly. A grumble, a close of door and another crash with a lazy hand on the fan switch. Ah! back again to my precious sleep! I wake up again to a series of irritating buzzes from the calling bell to find that the servant maid is waiting outside my door. Oh! its that time already? I pull myself to the bathroom and finally after half an hour was clean and dry. After a quick brunch at about 2.p.m and an hour or so on the idiot box, I walked upto the new McD outlet nearby to meet my friends.

From there the journey began. I was first introduced to the luxuries of having a WagonR and its surprising capabilities of easily accommodating eight boys who've just about reached the age of 21 (actually one still has not). We chattered our way through the hustle and bustle of a normal Chennai evening traffic (special mention about the Chamier's Road, Cenatoph Road Junction leading to Kotturpuram). And finally we hit the ECR at about 5:30 p.m. After another 20 minutes of ECR traffic we reached our destination outside the city near Sholinganallur.

First Impression: Why the hell did I drive with 7 crazy boys all the way to this place for 5 minutes on track at the cost of 150 bucks? We enter the track and it was a pleasant sight, atleast for the mechies with me (6 out of the 8). The track was probably around 450 metres in length with U-bend and the regular S curve of a normal racing circuit. The entire track was bordered with stacks of tyres for the obvious and appropriate reasons. We had to wait quite a bit because of a corporate crowd that seemed to be spending its day off there. It was worthwhile because the day was into twilight and added to our excitement. The only dampener being the mechies showing off their technical knowledge on a test model.

We split ourselves into groups of four. The first four was a pure mechies race which was incident free. The only notable happening was that one of the unfortunate four was lapped by the rest atleast once with the race leader doing it twice to earn a extra lap! I was pitted with two other mechis and a tricalite. They let me start the race and the first lap was probably my best. I didn't have any problems. The track basically consisted of a high speed straight with a slight curve on one side of the U and another high speed straight with a S in between. My second lap started with a disaster. Two of the other three flanked me at the beginning of the straight and all three with the accelerator to the floor headed for the slightly narrower curve. And before I know what happened the other two were right in front of me without a gap for me to move ahead. When they did pull ahead I went BAM! on to the chicane. A track man pulled my car out of the misery and I continued my race. After several more laps, a hit onto another chicane, I was chased by the race leader again. I fended him off for the two laps until the chequered flag. It was an amazing experience.

We were all (except for one) for another go on the track. Unfortunately, rain played spoilsport and we had to get going. We headed for the relatively new Foodcourt at Acendas for dinner and hit the road home. It was fun to be part of an injury free accident. And it was a nice change from the dull life at home that has become a regularity for the past two months.

Ghajini (Hindi) vs Ghajini (Tamil)

2009-01-02T06:13:00.000-08:00

The storyline was pretty much the same in both except the ending. The Hindi version, I felt, was crisper and better. The Tamil one had dragged a twin of the villian and blah, blah... into the story.

The emotional scenes in the Hindi version had more stress and rightly so. The song 'Kaise Mujhe' was a well added entity.

The Hindi version also cut down on the length of certain songs and totally did away with 'Ranghola' song in the tamil version. But I felt the Hindi version sorely missed a duet. Both films' numbers will be remembered for a long time.

The Hindi version was slightly more coherent and consistent. The fight scenes in the Tamil version seem to forget the passage of time.

As far as acting is concerned, Surya slightly scores over Aamir. Surya in the flashbacks is more convincing than his counterpart, though I should say I hardly kept an eye on them during that time. Otherwise they were equal to their tasks.

Jiah Khan's role was more sensible than that of Nayantara's, though I am sure quite a few will disagree.

Pradeep Rawat as villain was similar in both, though I am not sure if he lived upto to the expectations of Bollywood followers. I couldn't find anything wrong.

And Asin was ever vivacious and at her best. In the tamil version, I felt the flashbacks were the best part. As in those parts really lighted up the theatre. It was an equally brilliant potrayal in the Hindi version as well.

These were some points which I could compare in the two versions. I would rate the Hindi version slightly higher than the Tamil version taking into account the above arguments. What about you?

And So, It Began...

2009-01-01T09:10:00.000-08:00

One fine morning, the student president came to the campus and we decided that today would be the day.

The past few days had been one of the most irritating days in college. You know, those times when you are full enthu about something and ready to put into action all those ideas into perspective, but are hampered by few people higher up the hierarchy. It is not that they are determined to be road blocks, but they worry about the most trivial of matters, which we students hardly worry about. It was one such time.

Towards the end of the semester in April, when we had those 'so called' study holidays, we made our first attempt to infuse some of our ideas into our convener. We were rebuffed within minutes siting the fact that 'our career determining' exams were round the corner and whatever we had to say could wait. 'Yeah right, we would love to stay back and have a chat with you after exams' I thought. But sadly, we had to. I had decided ages ago that I will stay back, come what may, with a project to fill my time. But my chairman, poor fellow, had an arrangement made in his hometown and had to postpone his plans to accommodate this meeting.

So the 'crucial' exams got over and within hours we were back in his office.

He made us sit down and inquired about our exams and our plans for the holidays. We answered his queries and at the end of the next ten minutes, we were slightly impatient to get on with our job in hand. Alas!, that was just the beginning. The following two hours we were discussing some of the most obscure topics peppered with some unwelcome interventions by a variety of people. And finally when we came to the topic of our interest he was too tired to listen and we were too tired to explain. And at the end of a brief try he tells us that he is going on vacation for fifteen days. God save us. My chairman left home immediately and I was resigned to my project.

Today, he returned bringing with him the good news that 'The Man' is back. We decided that a presentation in print would be our best solution to avoid the diversions. And so we sat down after breakfast at about noon time and incorporated our thoughts, ideas, possible difficulties and their solutions in a forty three page ppt. We fixed an appointment late in the evening. Both of us were hungry and half emptied our pockets at samfox and dhabba one. Unfortunately we couldn't procure the print in campus and had to go to Thiru. We got a mixture of high quality and low quality prints summing up to four copies of the original.

We were already late and hurried to catch the local bus to return and to our utter dismay we found out that all we had was a torn tattered ten rupee note which the conductor duly rejected. After all the delays we had so far, this was the most unexpected and hilarious. But fortunately, one kind young man on the bus offered to buy the tickets for us. I regret that I never asked him his name, but without him we probably would have had to leg three thousand five hundred metres not to mention yet another delay in the process. Thank you dear friend. We rushed to the convener's room and he took our presentation and went through it straight away. And So, it Began...

What It Takes to be a Prof?

2008-10-17T23:44:00.000-07:00

As a student, we always crib and complain constantly that our profs are pathetic. They don't know anything. What will we learn from them? What is the point of attending class? We ask so many questions among ourselves. Here I try to answer some of them...

I am more of a student who believes in classroom study than self - study. I generally don't prefer to bunk classes unless I am forced to (or sleeping of course). And three years of college has intrigued me more and more that how the interest invoked by school teachers in studies is way, way higher than that by lecturers in college. A simple example would be, a question by a teacher in school would result in a chorus raucus, while in college it is replaced by collective silence. Why should it be so different to teach in a college?

This thought kept crossing me far too many times while my mind wanders aimlessly. I feel, though I may be wrong, that the lecturers or profs we complain about may actually have had other plans of earning their living. But circumstances change and bang! here they are trying to teach us in class. The point is not many today are actually willing to take up teaching as a profession. How many of you are willing to be a lecturer? The job, one feels is monotonous and boring.

I haven't had much of teaching experience. I just taught a few classes of the 'C++' language to the juniors when I was in second year. It was most enjoyable, mainly because I loved the subject. It was my favourite in class XII. The response I got was encouraging to say the least. Then I also realised that it is not enough to know or love a subject to teach it. The willingness to teach the stuff, the push to make the students understand, the enterprise to infuse interest in the subject are also key ingredients to become a lecturer. But most of all, every lecturer should keep in mind the fact that how it was to be a student in his days and how it should have been...

A Desperate Night

2008-05-23T10:43:00.000-07:00

I reached Chennai Egmore after a tiresome journey from Trichy at about 9 pm. I ran, to catch a local to the next station to reach Central to see off a close friend. My stomach began to rumble on the way. I walked up and down the platform in vain searching for my friend. I called him up to find that he is still in the waiting room. Poor fellow, had a huge suitcase (The nerd was on his way to US via Delhi for an intern!). We waited for 2 more minutes for his father to arrive.

We made a move towards platform ten. With a war starting in my stomach, I was able to pull the suitcase somehow, for some distance, in addition to my laptop and backpack. I spent the remaining time, roughly fifteen minutes, gossiping, all the while trying to keep a straight face.

Then after the train left I decided enough is enough and went straight to the Saravana Bhavan there. I extended the cashier 50 bucks and asked for a traditional, but satisfying set of chappathis and curd rice. To my astonishment he informed me that I was four bucks short. I was simply too shocked to protest, yeah right like I could. I took the parcel and reached home by 10 45pm, washed my dirty hands and face and sat down for, what I felt at that time, a sumptuous dinner.

Alas, I realised that it was a drop in the ocean. My mother was not at home nor anybody else. In fact, I was the first inhabitant of the place to spend the night after some ten days. As expected, processed provisions in the house were running low. I raided the fridge at around 11 15pm. A bunch of my favourite dry grapes was never going to be enough. Out of sheer desperation I opened the freezer. To my happiness, I found three dabbas along with frozen ice cream spoons. Now my imagination ran wild, considering the summer season and my deep frying in the day train. I quickly dislodged the stuck dabbas from the freezer and opened them one by one.

The first one had dry green peas. So did the second one. And the third one, no surprises there, green peas again. I was mad. I went to my only solace, the Internet. Just when I was chatting with one of my closest friends, I heard a bell ringing. I was not entirely out of the trance, so as was reasonable a Kwality Walls three wheeler flashed across my mind. My dear friends, it was a bicycle with kulfis, surely not the ones you'd like to have at that moment. I would have had mess food for that matter! And so I slept that night thinking this will be one story with no happys endings.....

Cricket

2008-05-03T02:53:00.000-07:00

My passion comes first and hence does cricket. And cricket for me is synonymous with someone called Sachin Tendulkar. I grew up watching him play. Cricket for me seems to be enjoying itself when he is on song. Its something I have tried time and again to express in words, but always in vain.

I do not say that he is the greatest batsman. But what I say is when the man is at his best, cricket seems to be at its elegant and graceful best. He is not as technically pure as Rahul Dravid or as explosive as Adam Gilchrist. But he blends the technical purity with subtle robustness that appeals so much to the eye. His straight drives of the back foot are a class apart. I have not yet seen someone else, who has dispatched the ever precise Glenn Mcgrath over square leg with authority and conviction.

If some one can stay at the international level for such a long time he is bound to have some records against his name. Records come, records go, but geniuses seldom do. Every cricketer goes through bad patches. The great Sir Don Bradman signed off his career with a pair. He achieved so much during his time, which was half as that of our Indian great.

If you compare the number of matches they both have played, you'll see that modern cricketers play thrice as much matches as compared to the oldies during the same duration of time. That is evolution of cricket from a game that was played to enjoy and pass time to a game that has become a money spinner.

In this regard, I should mention the recent aberration of the game introduced in the form of T20. If people call flying balls from players' bat to be entertainment, baseball is the game that they should be watching. Seriously, cricket was introduced as a ball game in which both the batsman and the bowler have an equal chance. But now it is a bat game that involves bowlers as jokers who try prevent scoring while batsmen are heroes who plunder runs.

In this context, it is important that test cricket is given highest priority. The true test for a cricketer is to last five days and do his best. Not to be the best in a slightly improved form of gully cricket and getting paid in astronomical figures for it. But who gives a damn! They are getting paid anyways.

People say its a fast moving world and we need to adapt to things accordingly. OK, right we are moving fast, but where are we heading to?...Only time will tell.