Wednesday, December 28, 2005

crazy it might seem...

I've always had these thoughts in my mind:

#1 Required Invention : When we see something nice, we can take a picture of it. At any later point of time, all we have to do is take out the picture, look at it and admire the beauty of the object.
Same way, whenever we listen to something nice, we can record that sound and listen to it again and again, as and when we desire.
But, why isn't there anything we can store our feelings in. Just imagine a very precious moment which you would like to cherish for ever. Why can't we store that and take it out and feel just as wonderful at any other point of time?
Why isn't someone working on inventing such a gadget??

#2 Capital punishment : When a person commits a crime like murder or rape what is the punishment that he deserves?? Capital punishment? Let him die just like that...without any pain at all. Well, I think he should suffer.
Why do we still test cosmetics and pharmaceuticals on animals? Why not use these men for the tests.
Poor animals, let them go free. Why make them suffer for no fault of theirs. Why not test the drugs on these men deserving punishment, let them also be experience the pain, misery and anguish that they put their fellow beings through!

Sunday, November 27, 2005

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire


Rating: *** (pretty impressive actually)
What was good: The third task in the Tri Wizard tournament
What could have been better: More action at the Quidditch World Cup
Good Looking : Cedric Diggory
Looked Lovely : Hermione - at the Yule Ball
Nasty Looking : Mad Eye Moody
Good Laugh : Mc Gonagall's lines when she teaches the students how to dance
Scary : when Voldemort says "lose the spare" and Avada Kedavra is used on Cedric

On the whole : a good movie..... though the whole book could not be captured in the movie...the parts which have been shown are great!
Now awaiting the 7th book and the 5th movie :)

Friday, November 25, 2005

Quite an adventure...

You work late and take a rick(shaw) ..... it starts pouring... chill winds blow on incessantly. All of a sudden the rick starts to sway, the driver slows down, one of the back wheel's gone astray.
Traffic piles up right behind the rick, vehicles honking in all directions.... then a traffic cop comes along to divert the traffic away.
You realise that you are just about a kilometer away from home, so you decide to call home and see if someone can pick you up... just when you are trying to explain where you are, your phone battery is dead. Thanks to the rains, there is no one walking along the road from whom you can borrow a phone and make a quick call. You take a chance and ask the auto driver if he has a phone...and what do you know- he does, but no card balance he tells you.
You then borrow his phone, take his sim card out, replace it with your sim card, make a call explaining exactly where you are... take the sim card back, return the phone, thank the driver and be grateful to God that there still are some decent, helpful people around!

Finally got back home drenched....was good fun though ;)

who's that gal?????

A) KATE WINSLET AT 21
B) NICOLE KIDMAN AT 21
C) JULIA ROBERTS AT 21
D) None of the above ??????




Its Sonia Gandhi...was she cute or what????

Thursday, November 17, 2005

As the year end draws closer.....

No, I'm not talking about 31st of Dec but 25th of Nov... that's firm year end for us and the work pressure right now is just too much. Working non-stop for 12-13 hours also just doesn't seem to ease out the work load. Have to work the next two weekends also.
But things to look forward to:
1) Harry Potter and the goblet of fire : Yeah just waiting to watch this movie
2) Week long vacation in December : 5 weekdays + 2 weekends = 9 days of bliss (still deciding where to go)
hm.... those sure are comforting thoughts....
Year end- here I come!

Friday, October 28, 2005

The day Titanic sank

Got this from my brother !


Thursday, October 27, 2005

new age US passport

So a really hi-fi passport with electronically stored data... what next??

Read about it here

and here

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

....and it continues to rain in Bangalore

I just can't remember when it rained so continuously in namma bengalooru! Its been going on non-stop... since I don't know when. Weekend was pretty bad with so many reported damages.
Today didn't feel like Tuesday at all. The weather was all gloomy and wet right from the word 'go'. In the afternoon it started pouring and didn't seem to cease at all. Around 6pm we got an internal mail informing us that many areas were flooded, we just had to stop working, take a cab and head back home. All of a sudden there was a rush for booking office cabs. A few unlucky people got their cabs immediately. Unlucky why??? since they are the ones who were stuck on the road the longest. All roads got blocked and traffic came to a stand still. For almost 2.5 hours traffic did not move. So everyone was asked to wait until the situtaion improved.
Now came the sudden rush. People started realising that they were going to be in office for a few more hours so unless they got something to eat right away, there may be nothing left. The thought of even our caterers being stuck in the jam and no dinner being available caused a little panicky situation. The snacks counter in the cafeteria was wiped empty within minutes.
Finally after a long wait, around 9 I left office and got back home close to 10. Its still pouring out here.
On the brighter side - if it continues to rain this way, we've been asked not to come in to work tomorrow :)

Wednesday Update :Sure enough.... today's been nice and bright with not even a drop of rainfall... well, what can I say !

Now for some bizarre news. Were the Gods so pleased with this ritual that they decided that it should rain endlessly???

Monday, October 24, 2005

Heartless or just too terrified to face reality?

Imagine this - A lady in her late 30s, her husband - struggling to earn a living, her 2 children - one in college and the other is school. Her parents, sister’s family are quite well off. Why don’t the parents help the daughter, maybe she got married to a man of a different caste/religion against their wishes.

One not so fine day, the lady is diagnosed with leukemia. Treatment is something this young family cannot afford. They try to get funds from as many people as they can, friends and strangers.
Do her parents care? Maybe…maybe not….. they visit her once in a way.

All of a sudden her mother decides that her other daughter who is in the family way needs her, so she packs off to the US and stays there for months together.
Back at home, this lady’s condition is worsening,
What she needs is love – what she gets is pity from some random person who is in no way concerned, who only wants to comment on how unfortunate our lady is but help in no way.
While in the US the mother is taking care of a kid who is a couple of months old, doesn’t she even for a moment think about what her ailing daughter is going through?

Our lady doesn’t lose hope, she does all that she can for her family, when she is at home and feeling a little upto it, she even goes into the kitchen and cooks for everyone. She always has a smile on her face and doesn’t forget to enquire how everybody is doing.
Her husband shuttles from work to the hospital, trying his best to make ends meet and also take care of his love. Her daughter shuttles from college to the hospital - right now she is her mom’s best friend, taking care of all her needs. Her son is too young to accept what is happening so shuns away from everyone and keeps to himself.

All of sudden her condition becomes really bad, on testing, doctors find that 70% of her cancer is back… now her chances of survival depends solely on bone marrow transplant from her beloved sister. But is her sister even interested in this??? Well we have no answers.
One day morning, our lady is breathless….has absolutely no one to take care of her but a dear friend who has been with her in all these trying times of pain and suffering. The friend rushes to take her to the hospital. The doctors say she won’t last long….
Now atleast, do her parents, sister or anyone show their concern???? Well it doesn’t appear that way, coz no one has even called them up to find out how she is…..

Today morning, She has left us…. May her soul rest in peace!

My only question is - What were her parents thinking?? Don’t they have a heart??

Sunday, October 16, 2005

addicted to sending msgs requires rehab ?????

Just saw this news report about a teenager who sent so many msgs from his mobile phone that had to be sent to a rehab centre.... crazy or what!

Friday, October 14, 2005

sighted any UFOs off late ?

Google Maps provides information on reported UFO sightings. Just wondering if there were any reported abductions ;)

Friday, October 07, 2005

mood forecast for the next few days

Yipppeee ! good week coming up... just 3 working days!
Thanks to the Navaratri festival ... Wednesday and Thursday is off :)

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

funny ... but that's life!

A few ground rules:
  • Inside every small problem is a large problem struggling to get out
  • Whenever a system becomes completely defined, someone discovers something which either abolishes the system or expands it beyond recognition
  • You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you Can't Fool Mom
  • The only things that start on time are those that you're late for
  • Spend sufficient time confirming the need and the need will disappear
  • Opportunity always knocks at the least opportune moment
  • A little ignorance can go a long way
  • Logic is a systematic method of coming to the wrong conclusion with confidence
  • The shortest distance between two points has to be still under construction
  • If at first you don't succeed, read the manual
  • It is impossible to make anything foolproof because fools are so ingenious
  • The legibility of a copy is inversely proportional to its importance
  • Assumption is the mother of all screw-ups

Monday, September 26, 2005

Some of my fav music videos

In no particular order...

1) A-Ha : Take on me
2) Dirty Vegas : Days go by
3) Alanis Morisette : So pure
4) Janet Jackson : Runaway
5) MLTR : That's why
6) Fatboy Slim : Weapon of choice (which features Christopher Walken)

Shall update the list as and when I think of more.
Lots of music videos available here for viewing :)

Saturday, September 17, 2005

FRIENDS – a Theme

Just finished reading “Five point someone”. Don’t know what happens to me when I read a book like this or watch a movie like DCH, that it triggers in me unexplainable feelings.
What exactly does the word friend mean? Where on earth (or in some cases even outside) do these people come from? With no warning whatsoever, they pop into your life. You have something in common with them and BANG they become an intricate part of your very being.
All of a sudden, you have someone whom you can actually speak to, someone to share your views with, your feelings, your thoughts, joyous moments, funny tidbits, crazy ideas, smart ass comments….
Yeah, they’re also there for you when you want to vent out your concerns, inhibitions, miseries and pain.
Want to share intimate secrets?? Yeah… they’re right there with all eager ears and comforting arms to embrace you.
A mail, a message, a phone call … that’s all it takes to put a big smile on your face and a bigger one in your heart!
Before this, you didn’t even have a clue that such a person existed; now you cannot imagine a life without them being a part of it.
One tiny word of affection is enough to assure you that are there…. and that they truly care.

Blessed are those who have friends like the one’s I do :)

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Space Explosion ???

How many kilometers make a light year? (isn't 12.6 billion light years too far off ?)
How did they manage to calculate when the Big Bang occurred ?? (isn't 13.7 billion years a teeny weeny bit in the past)
News reports say that the farthest explosion to date occurred on Sep 04 and the scientists were able to detect it only after a couple of days.
Why?? ... because the light from the explosion took so long to reach the Earth.
How amazingly weird...read on!

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

Sweet Innocence

Once a week, I take classes to teach kids to play the keyboard. There are two groups – 1 very small kids in 1st, 2nd standards and then the other group which has kids from 4th to even college. This weekend, the 2nd group was practising to play a tune we'd learnt to play the previous week, while I was teaching the younger ones to play the Happy Birthday tune.
I first taught Sriram to play it, when we reached the 3rd line I sang Happy birthday dear Sriram… to which he grinned and learned to play it.
Next was Indraneel… I used his name in the song when I taught him and lastly there was Sai Lakshmi to whom I sang Happy Birthday dear Sai.
I asked them all to play one it at a time while the other two watched to see if they were playing it right. Sriram got stuck at the 3rd line so I asked Indraneel to teach him the third line… All this happened while I was listening to the other group play what they had practised.
Suddenly there was a lot of noise from the little ones. What’s happening I ask them to which Indraneel replied… “Miss… this boy doesn’t know how to play his name…he keeps playing my name in the third line, teach him how to play his name”.
To which Sriram sai "Miss...iseent eet thee same note?"
I just couldn’t help but smile and tell him “only the words change for each one of you, the notes stay the same no matter who plays it!” To which Indraneel nodded his head and they resumed playing the tune… I still am not sure if what I said made any sense to him :)

Sunday, September 04, 2005

Rose at 87

I received this message as a forwarded mail from my friend. Lots for us to learn from it :

The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.
She said, "Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I'm eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?"
I laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of course you may!" and she gave me a giant squeeze.
"Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked.
She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids..."
"No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.
"I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!" she told me.
After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake.
We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this "time machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.
Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.
At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor.
Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know."
As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, "We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.
There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success.
- You have to laugh and find humor every day.
- You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it!
- There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing; you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change.
- Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets."
She concluded her speech by courageously singing "The Rose." She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives.
At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago.
One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.

These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE.

* Remember, Growing Older Is Mandatory. Growing Up Is Optional.
* We make a Living by what we get; We make a Life by what we give.
* God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.

Sunday, August 28, 2005

Spread the Message !

I have the ultimate power in the world
Say my name and people shudder with fright

I just love my ability to multiply and spread pain
Age no bar sex no bar, the one I choose will sure be destroyed

Human beings try every possible means to try and stop me from spreading,
Little do they know how badly they’re gonna lose in this fight

Reports about my plunders you can read in every available medium
I’m so (in)famous throughout every country on the face of the earth

One thought recently struck me:
If I’m so famous as a killer, would saving lives make me even more popular?
If I could use my powers to heal rather than kill
Would they call me “Cancer - the Wonder cure” !

The joy of giving!

Every year I look forward to this day, when I go to the cancer institute and spend time with the children there. Kidwai Institute of Oncology is near Dairy circle, Bangalore.

Walk into the hospital premises and you’ll see 100s of people wandering around. A common feature that I’ve noticed is the look in their eyes when they see someone new, a glance of hope that someone will tell them it is going to be alright and can only get better.

We went around lunch time, most of the kids were out in the open courtyard, their mothers feeding them. As soon as they see you approaching with a packet of chocolates, they momentarily forget about their food and come running towards you. See, aunty’s got chocolates, you’ll hear them tell each other as they beckon all their friends to gather around you. The ones who come running would be those who’ve been diagnosed with cancer very recently and are yet to start treatment. There would be others who are in the midst of their treatment, frail and weak, silently lying in bed with eyes shut tight.
What’s your name you ask them in all the languages that you know, to one of them they’ll respond back saying Rakesh, Akash, Asha. Ask them where they’ve come from - Penukonda, Salem, Mysore...they’ll tell you. Which class are you studying in will fetch you answers like 2nd, 3rd or 5th standard.
Why... I don’t understand they have to go through such a misery, so early in life. No childhood pranks, no jumping around in the playground, no getting wet in the slush when it rains. All that they get to see around them is other children who are also unwell, scary people in white coats, scarier instruments piercing them and causing pain. A mother carrying a child (who couldn’t have been more than a year and a half or 2 old) just walked into the room. Blood cancer is what had been diagnosed. The child is clinging on to its mother tightly, not wanting to let go of the comfort, doesn’t even want to look at you. But once you give the child a bar of chocolate, the sheer delight you see in its eyes, the smile that spreads across its face... is just too wonderful to describe!

A group of youngsters had also come today, one of them carrying a guitar and one of their group members in a very funny cartoon costume. On seeing the group arrive, all the children gathered outside and sat down in front of them. This group must have been a part of a Christian missionary, I’m just guessing this as they were singing songs in the praise of the Lord. The songs which they sang were very catchy and they even had hand gestures to go along with the words. These guys made the children sing along with them, made them laugh out loud - momentarily making them forget where they were and the reason they were there.

To take “some” time out of our selfish lives.... for “sometime” to forget about our mundane daily problems, to be able to spend a short while with people who are in need of company….. they don’t want our money…All they need is LOVE. As my mother often says- youngsters today, can achieve so much in life, they just have to make up their minds and come together, with their efforts….the whole world will surely be better place!
WE DO CARE... right ???

Thursday, August 25, 2005

Hilarious !

This is how Douglas Adams' - "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" begins...

People often ask me how they can leave the planet, so I have prepared some brief notes.

How to Leave the Planet

1. Phone NASA. Their phone number is (713) 483-3111. Explain that it's very important that you get away as soon as possible.


2. If they do not cooperate, phone any friend you may have in the White House- (202)456-1414-to have a word on your behalf with the guys at NASA.

3. If you don't have any friends in the White House, phone the Kremlin (ask the overseas operator for 0107-095-295-9051). They don't have any friends there either (at least, none to speak of), but they do seem to have a little influence, so you may as well try.

4. If that also fails, phone the Pope for guidance. His telephone number is 011-39-6-6982, and I gather his switchboard is infallible.

5. If all these attempts fail, flag down a passing flying saucer and explain that it's vitally important you get away before your phone bill arrives.

Now, shall get back to the book :)

Monday, August 15, 2005

Away for the weekend!

Evening of 12th August, 2005 -– finally the much awaited long weekend was here. We (my parents and I) decided we'’d drive down to Mysore and then go to Bandipur from there.
As planned, we left home at 6.30 AM 13th morning, not wanting to get stuck in traffic. The 4-lane highway to Mysore is still being laid, and this can cause a bit of a frustration to the person who is driving because for every 4-5 kms that you get to drive at top speed, you are forced to take a diversion and drive on the other side of the road along with the oncoming traffic. We stopped for breakfast at a place in Maddur and then reached Mysore at about 10 AM.
We checked into the hotel, left our bag and baggage there, took a cab and started off on our journey. On the way we saw so many fields full of sunflowers. It was such delight!
About 23 kms from Mysore is Nanjangud, very famous for its Nanjundeshwara temple. What fascinated me about this temple is its copper colour. Every other temple that I can think of is painted in blue, green, red... and made as multi-coloured as possible.
After crossing Gundalpet village, on the right hand side, there'’s a road leading to Gopala Swamy Betta. My friends had told me that this was a must -see. On the way up, we stopped to take some pictures. Our driver pointed out deep into the forest where we were able to spot a herd of elephants romping around. We quickly fetched binoculars from the car sighted an elephant family happily moving along with its little one. Unfortunately it was too far off and I was not able to take a picture of it. When we reached the top, the weather was just wonderful. It being a cloudy day, it was very windy up there and the light drizzle just made it perfect.
We had been told that the safari at Bandipur was from 4-6 PM only, so we had to now hurry without any further stops. Bandipur was filled with people. I guess there were more visitors there than wild animals. Even before getting into the area reserved for safari, we could see deer prancing around and crossing the road.
There were even elephants been taken to the lake for a drink. For the safari, a trip in the usual bus costs Rs.25, if you want an open jeep it costs you Rs.1500. We thought it would be worth it to take the jeep but then, sadly the jeep had been booked for the next two days.... (we later on found out, that this had been good-- in a way)
So, off we went on the safari, looking out in every possible direction, trying to spot elephants, bears and maybe even a tiger. As wefurtherfuther into the forest, we spotted lots n lots of deer, a couple of peacocks, elephants which ran away and quickly hid themselves behind bushes, well away from our sight. So in all, we lots lots of deer and monkeys. Even if we had managed to go by the jeep, this is all we'’d have seen : ) Having done with the safari, we went back to see the elephants which were now ready to gives rides.

Back in Mysore, we had dinner at the hotel and retired for the day, listening to the pitter patter of the rain outside and the constant grrrr.... of the AC that slowly took over.
Sunday morning after breakfast, we went to the palace gates and tried to take a few shots of the beauty which lay within.
From there we headed out to the KRS dam which houses Brindavan gardens. Walking amongst the numerous fountains its not too difficult visualise a Jayapradha and a Jitendra doing a dance number with lots of jhatkas and matkas in their ever so colourful garb!

2 weeks back, the water level in the dam had risen so much that it had overflowed and the garden had to be closed to the public. So we were assured of lots n lots of water at the dam. Sure enough, the water wasup toled upto the brim. It was just amazing to see the huge mass of water which spread out in every direction.
Having ticked off all the places we wanted to see this time, we headed back to Bangalore. We had lunch at the same place where we'd had breakfast the previous day. In a few hours time we were back in Bangalore and at home. Thus ended the journey from the wild jungles of Bandipur, we were back at the concrete jungle called Bangalore!

You can view all the photos here :)

Thursday, August 11, 2005

feeling lousy...

Just don't know why this lousy feeling creeps up once in a while. Been feeling this way right from morning. Could it have anything to do with the weather?? hm... its been cloudy and dull... but then I love the rain..so, that should have cheered me up, but no!
Got home and been listening to "Saawariya" from Swades over and over again... why this of all songs... I don't know, but just feel like listening to it....
2 more days and then its the long weekend... well that thought does bring a broad smile on my face :)

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

100 photos......

Came across this very interesting website which hosts 100 photos of events which changed the world.....check them out here.

Sunday, August 07, 2005

Annual day ....music class

Last Sunday, was the annual day in my music class. This day, every year, all the students of my music teacher have to perform on stage along with pakka vaadhyam. I was to sing one keerthanam and one devaranaama. The keerthanam was one, which I was confident of and had practised thoroughly, but the devaranama was one which was decided in the last minute after lots of rejections by my music teacher. This particular song is a toughie because it was a ragamalika with the ragams changing from hamsanandi – brindavani to shivaranjani. How much ever I practised... it just didn’t seem to have the effect which my teacher’s voice produced.
My cousin sis had come down for the weekend after a real long time, my orkut friends were having a meet… I wanted to be with these people. I was cribbing that everything had to happen on the same day. It was either all or none.
Anyway, the Sunday function went on really well..(ahem..despite of my singing) ;). The icing on the cake was the song which my teacher sang, it was so moving that many people had tears in their eyes when she finished. Its really rare to find such talent!
I was speaking to my teacher today, and she told me a very funny incident. After the function got over that day, one small kid came up to her and said very disappointedl.."aunty.. you sang better than me". Being very amused, my teacher told her "yes dear, if I didn’t, you wouldn’t come to me to learn" and she quickly added "when you grow up, you will sing better than me" to which the kid plainly replied.. "no..even then you will only sing better" and walked away! What innocence :)

Monday, July 11, 2005

No answers




Where did we go wrong she wondered. Nothing had worked, however hard she had tried. Maybe our relationship was never meant to be.... was her conclusion.
I didn't expect too much! After all, I am a human being and I have my own strengths and weaknesses. Who will listen to me? In everyone's eyes I'm the one who's at fault. Is there anyone I can speak to... who will really understand my point of view??? thus... she pondered into the night.. hoping the new day would bring with it maybe not answers to her questions, but at least some sign that life would get better...if it really was meant to be!

2 Comments:

Shashi Rajasekaran said...

hmmm..sleep indeed is a soothing mate... one thing is sure of each new day...its takes u far from yesterday..no matter how happy or sad it is...

7:26 PM
viji said...

Oh yes Rivi, been there..done that.
This post sure conveys a state of mind tht several ppl go thro :)
Tht pic u hv put up... really looks so apt...i cud almost c myslf in it.

Sunday, July 10, 2005

ughhh......


Terrorist attacks in Ayodhya…bomb explosions in London… twin bomb attacks in Iraq…the list goes on….
People get killed, life and property’s destroyed,the whole world’s taken aback! What is the purpose? What is achieved by such vicious means?
Wikipedia says "Ayodhya literally means not to be warred against". What an irony! How many wars have been fought in/with respect to Ayodhya right from the Thretha yuga to the Kali yuga.
If its not the terrosists attacking, then its our very own junta doing the battling act. Ram or Rahim…does it really matter? Political parties triggering off disputes leading to communal clashes. How many such conflicts have we seen in the past and how many more are we to see in the future!
Will this all ever end? Or will there come a day when we’ll all be shell shocked to see that there is no report about any militant activity anywhere in the world for the day!! Only time will tell….
In the meanwhile all we can do is wait and watch as the world turns into a crazier place or maybe we could be up to date with the latest in the terrorism front by browsing through http://www.terrorism.com/ Ever knew such a website existed? I for one, didn’t!

Sunday, June 19, 2005

Still up ???

Could hardly sleep last night. Not that I wanted to stay awake or anything like that. Just kept tossing and turning in bed. Even before I knew it, it was time to get up. Knew I was going to have a rough day at work, but this rough it would be... I didn't anticipate.
Whether Mr. Murphy said it or not, I am saying this: if something can go wrong, it definitly will; if something can get complicated -- rest assured, it will. For the past few months, I've been doing this task, never has it been so cumbersome. What I had finished in just 1 day last month, I'd been doing over this entire week. It was due for submission today, so no matter what, had to finish it. Was in office till almost 10pm. Got back just now, amazing thing is I still have the energy left to check mail and write this blog. Well, now that I've done my deed for the day, I guess its time for ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz......... so off I go!

Tuesday, June 14, 2005

A day to remember

31st of May… I’d been waiting for this day for a couple of months now. It was day when I was to participate in the community team work organised by our office. It was a tough choice I had to make between spending a day at an old age home and spending a day with under privileged children. After a lot of deliberation, I chose the latter.
"Baale" is the name of the school that we were visiting. It is run by an NGO called Paraspara Trust. Here, girl children from the slums aged between 7 and 14, whose parents cannot afford to educate them, are taken care of. The children living here are given basic education and also taught means of earning their livelihood. There are close to 60 children here. 30 between 7 and 10 years and about 30 from 10 to 14 years of age.
13 of us had volunteered to go to Baale on the 31st to spend the day with the children, conducting games and competitions for them. We started out from office, after having breakfast at 8.45. We were carrying with us food for the children, prizes for them and also lots of old clothes which they were very much in need of.
The school is 25 kms from Yashwanthpur so the journey took close to 2.5 hours (thanks to the traffic and bad road conditions) during which we played Antakshari and a very hilarious round of dumb charades.
On reaching the school, we saw the children eagerly waiting for us, all dressed up and ready to perform for us. We first distributing sandwiches to the kids and with breakfast done, it was time for the fun and frolic to begin.
We started off with the dance competitions. Half way through Dhoom (which was the first song they were dancing to), the battery of the tape recorder ran out, so we moved over to the drama competition. The 1st play which they enacted, depicted the difficulties rural girl children faced. The next one was a comedy drama revolving round an insane doctor and the third and last one was another comedy about a deaf family.
Next in line were the games. We conducted lemon and spoon race, sack race and also had a round of musical chair. By the time we finished with the games, it was close to 1pm- time for lunch. The kids patiently waited for everyone to get their plates loaded, recited a prayer and only then did they start eating. A few of us volunteers, being early lunch goers, were famished by then, so we too loaded our plates and hogged away to glory along with the kids.
Right after lunch we had the drawing competition. While most of them drew sceneries and made them really colourful, some of the kids had amazing themes for their drawings. One girl’s theme was unity of religions. Another had drawn 2 girls, one in school uniform and the other one in working garb -- with "send this girl to school" neatly scrawled in kannada next to it. We were really amazed by their talents.
In the meantime , someone had gone and got the battery charged up, so we could go ahead with the dance competition, this time without any breaks. How much these kids had practiced! They never seemed to tire out at all. They pulled all of us also to dance with them. It was really good fun!
It was close to 4pm. We distributed chocolates, fruits and juice to the kids. Then was the official prize distribution ceremony. We’d seen to it that all the children won prizes for something or the other. After all…. we weren’t there to judge them, only to cheer them and encourage them.
When we started to pack up and leave all the kids came to us, shook our hands said sweet thank you-s and asked us if we’d be coming the next day also. Sadly we wouldn’t be going there the next day, another group of volunteers were going there to build a playground in the school. So we promised them that we’d try to come and see them when ever we could.
An entire day spent with kids, I personally learnt so much from them. Seeing these kids, the love, affection, enthusiasm they had, even though they faced so many problems in life at such a young age – made me realise that life wasn’t just about school, college and work. It was about people, challenges, efforts, perseverance and the ability to have a big smile on your face and laugh out loud even though you weren’t sure if tomorrow you would even have any food to eat or clothes to wear. Little angels they were and they definitely made our day very memorable (though it was supposed to be the other way round). I now gladly look forward to the same time next year, when we’ll again get to do something similar

The pictures can be viewed here : http://good-times.webshots.com/album/357833666ioeibY

1 Comments:

Shashi Rajasekaran said...

good job buddy...

hats off..

Sunday, June 12, 2005

Life…..Destiny….. Fate….?

The thought often crosses my mind. Is there something really called destiny…fate…. does everything in our lives happen as per what is written in the stars?
Whenever I’m in a phase in life where I find myself heaving, pushing and struggling to go forward, I tell myself-- this is how it is meant to be. The end result of the struggle has been pre-decided. I only have to go through this ; one day at a time and in the end I’ll reach the final destination --where I am supposed to be. This technique has always helped me get through rough patches in life.
But then, who is it that wrote up our destinies, and whom did he/she consult before writing it? What were the points that were considered for this? Is there any chance of making some minor changes if required? Would they be willing to do a cut-paste or a delete function if requested?
I realise that I ask too many questions. Maybe I should just keep these random ramblings to myself and spare the world of this misery.
Fat chance…... I suffer….. the world suffers…. (evil laughter)
So until the next time another absurd thought crosses my mind… cheers!

Wednesday, May 18, 2005

Nice Ones....

Nice Ones....

Here are some of my favourite quotations!
  • The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather is a lack of will
  • The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.
  • If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
  • I was asking myself why I was having these obstacles in my life...then I suddenly became aware that these obstacles were my life, and I began to enjoy them
  • Those who stand for nothing fall for anything.
  • Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he isn't. A sense of humor was provided to console him for what he is
  • Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go
  • Ever notice that 'What the hell' most of the times is the right decision?
  • Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around
  • I absolutely love this one --- "I am a kind of paranoiac in reverse. I suspect people of plotting to make me happy."

3 Comments:

Shashi Rajasekaran said...

buddy.. real good ones.. last when i visitted ur blog i just read the first one and though.."oh no not again..not another arindam choudri stuff.." and closed the page.. this time i was overtly bored.. skimmed through the whole stuff..noce collection..btw how are ur piano claases gng..

8:57 PM
Srividya said...

Thank u thank u... don't judge a blog post by the first line :P
Anyways clasees are great... and hey how come you haven't been updating ur blog. Don't u realise how many people u are depriving of their dose of "food for thought"!

10:04 PM
aNTi said...

hmmm.. long time no see online Chiyaan.. wassup.. and hey this was a nice post.. and i actually did not know u had a blog!

11:27 PM

Monday, April 18, 2005

How Wrong

I see her sweet face every single morning; those big bright eyes, that mischievous smile. She’s an adorable kid. Ammu is the daughter of our house maid.
This kid has been tagging along with her mother right from she was little. Agreed, her mother does the housework for us, but does that mean that kid also has to?
Ammu will turn 11 this year. Like other kids her age, she too attends school – the only difference being she is required to “work” in the mornings before school and in the evenings immediately after school time. Make a kid her age work? Give me a break, what about the kid’s life as a child? What childhood memories will she have? Scrubbing, cleaning and getting scolded for wasting time?
I don’t think a 11 year old member of our family would be required to even wash his/her own plate; but this kid is expected to sweep, dust and clean??? Get a life!
Today when Ammu came home in the evening, her little sister was tagging along with her. I won’t be surprised if that kid gets all geared up to be the next Ammu.
How many kids around world are suffering like this?
If people of our own families don’t see how wrong this is, how can we blame others!
We talk about community work and social service.
Why don’t we look into our own homes and see where we can make "the difference” !

2 Comments:

Shashi Rajasekaran said...

oops.. all of us are guilty..so no cooments....

but we shouldn't stop at writing...lets talk someday what difference could we make...

3:04 AM
Srividya said...

good thought! let's do that next time :)

What a way to begin !

The show was at 1.30pm. We had to leave home latest by 1 to be able to watch the movie “right from the Nirma ad” as amma puts it. But then, there was something important I had to do before the movie. I had to go and enquire about piano classes. “Its just 11.15 ma, we sure can get back with enough time to have lunch before we go watch the movie” I assured her.
We only knew the location of the class, but didn’t know the exact place. I looked around hopefully. The only sign of music around there was a guitar hanging on the outside wall on the 1st floor of a building. But how on earth could they possibly carry a piano up there, I wondered.
The name at the bottom of the stairs read Victor Albert. So, this was the right place.
We climbed up the dingy flight of stairs and walked into what looked like a mechanic shop. No it didn’t have tools spread all over, it just reminded me of one, don’t know why. On the left there was a Sitar and a guitar, to the right of us was this kid who was playing the keyboard and a man sitting next to the kid, with his back towards us. There were a couple of guys there, one of whom handed me a diary and asked me to fill in details like my name, address, phone number and the instrument of my interest-- which I did diligently. “Please wait, he’ll be with you in 10minutes” this guy said and left.
All these years I thought 10 minutes was like 600 seconds, which went by real fast. Only today I realised when some people say 10 minutes, they subtly mean an hour or so.
There we were waiting to speak to the master, enroll and if possible start with my first lesson today itself. Little did we know what was in store. Patiently we kept waiting while Mr.Albert (who shall henceforth be referred to as he /him as the case may be) spoke on the phone. All of a sudden, we heard weird shhh…ing noises. This was him, still speaking over the phone. “Where had we landed” we wondered.
Then the maid came by and had to clean up the place. So we got up so that she could sweep and mop the floor. “Why doesn’t he talk to us, and get it over with” amma asked me. How I wish I knew. So there we were still patiently waiting for him.
Finally at 12.20 a man who looked a lot like what Jesus Christ would in today’s time, showed us to the table where Mr.Albert sat.
Well, this Mr.Albert didn’t look anything I imagined him to be. First of all his name didn’t suit him, maybe a Sayed or a Mohammed would have suited him better. Anyway that didn’t matter. He opened the diary where I’d jotted down my details and in a very accusing tone said “Why have you not written today’s date?? It is the presence of mind”
Eh??? Excuse me??? But I kept my mouth shut. He then scribbled down the date and shut the book tightly mumbling “This is for our records”.
Thus he begun “Let me now make a presentation to you, I’ve been doing it this way for 35 years”. So, on and on he went about the individual, undivided attention that students here got. “Yeah-sure, I saw that” I thought to myself.
Finally he drew a line on the page and wrote a few numbers, which was the break up of the fees that I was required to pay, and said, “now this is what it is. So once you have finalised if it is going to be worth it, and you really want to join, you can come back take the application form and then enroll for classes”.
The only thing that I blurted out was, “I have already decided that I want to join. The reason being I WANT to learn, so could I please have an application form and could you tell me when I can start”
At this, he turned to Jesus Christ and told him to give me the details.
Whew! There, it was over and the time was already 1.00 pm and appa must be wondering where on earth we were.
Man! Did we rush back home, gobble down lunch and dash to watch the movie.
Say Albert and I only remember the Aaal-bert of the movie “Samsaram adhu minsaram”
As Manorama puts it Aaal-bertu.. come naa commu.. come-naati go!
Cheers!

1 Comments:

Shashi Rajasekaran said...

well have you joined the classes????

and about the colours of life.. i would prefer it to remain as colorful as it is...

but we also need that shade of black which tells us how beautiful white is..

Friday, April 15, 2005

When was the last time that I ...

  • Got up feeling all nice and bright right in time watch the sunrise (never used to do that even before, but that’s not the point here, is it?)
  • Stuffed my face with chocolates, pastries or even ice-cream
  • Went to the park and watched the kids play to their hearts' content
  • Did nothing but lie down with lights switched off and listened to music
  • Visited the amusement park and went on a ride that scared the life out of me
  • Spent time on the terrace at night watching the stars twinkling away merrily
  • Laughed so hard that I had tears rolling down my cheeks
  • Stayed up all night chatting with friends – really miss those fun filled days
  • Went and watched a movie and had a ball of a time
  • Played the keyboard and came up with a tune that I would fall in love with and listen to endlessly
  • Watched a comedy show on TV and forgot about the world around me
  • Looked at the sky full of fluffy clouds and imagined what its shape reminded me of
  • Watered the plants just so that I could enjoy the smell of wet mud
  • Blasted music in such high volume that people came to order me to turn it down
  • Went to the beach and spent the day just watching the waves touch my feet and go away
  • Went on a shopping spree till I almost got bankrupt
  • Had a long telephone conversation with close friends (something other than cribbing about life)
  • Smiled to myself on being reminded of a precious moment or two….
When did I last do any of these… I truly don’t remember.
What has become of the “ME” that I used to be?
Who am I? I just wonder !

2 Comments:

Shashi Rajasekaran said...

its wish full thinking if thou wants the "ME" to be timeless.. it never is..

"the old order changeth..giving place to the new"..its the most ineviatble law of nature...

hmm the plaesure we have walked through in life are like kneaded clay.. so flexible.. so much fun to play with.. but derives a use when baked into pots....we are getting baked everyday.. getting plastered everyday to a wall thats to wall us..

3:02 PM
Srividya said...

Hey pal
I agree with what you say...change is the order of the day.
But should we let our lives change so much that we forget the very nature of our true selves....? this was what I was musing about :)