Vodafone Alerts!

The recent Vodafone ad campaign ' Make the most of now’ primarily marketing mobile alerts, is simply mind-blowing. Tune in to your television sets (any channel) during a prime-time slot and you would end up watching these TVC's. Simply amazing ads!!

Coming from the house of ad behemoth, O&M (Ogilvy and Mather), this ad leaves the audience awe-struck for its simplicity, novelty and brevity. TVC's are ramified into four sections, viz,. Astrology Alerts, Art of Living Alerts, News Alerts and Beauty Tips (Forgive me if I had missed out something).

If you take a closer look at these ads, you would find only the talkie( soundtrack) portion ( no mono/dialogue) , which makes the ad even more interesting. It keeps you guessing each moment… And also, one-ad-fits-all, I mean the process of translation/dubbing the ads to cater to the regional languages is absolutely negated.

Out of the four ads, my favorite was Astrology Alerts, a fascinating ad with a fitting cast (man, girl and the lift operator). A soul-stirring (Take me away song) background score! Unbelievably shot! The other ads were also really good. When I saw these ads for the first time, just moments into it, I was able to smell the cookies… I knew it was definitely an O&M ad!A league of its own!

All the four ads can be downloaded here!

Happy New Year again :-)

Evano Oruvan'in…Review.

Voila!!! Year 2007 has been glorious for Tamil Cinema. Sivaji, Billa and Pokkiri set the cash ringers ringing, drawing huge profits for producers, distributors and theater owners. Sivaji , was the most talked about film in Bollywood and it became even popular when it made it to the UK top ten. Not only the masala cinema clicked, but offbeat movies such as Paruthiveeran, Thamizh M.A , Onbadhu Roobai Note, Veyyil were also received well at the box-office....A very good sign indeed… And I almost forgot Mozhi.. A feel-good entertainer from Radha Mohan!!!

Fag-end of 2007, witnessed a critically acclaimed movie Evano Oruvan, plainly adapted from a Marathi film Dombivli Fast(2005) directed by Nishikant Kamat. Madhavan was so intrigued watching this movie that he immediately called up Nishikant, asking him to cast him in the movie if the movie is ever remade in Tamil. Nishikant and the technical crew made their debut in Tamil and Evano Oruvan arrived. Evidently mesmerized by the movie, Madhavan decided to don the mantle of dialogue-writer under the wishful/watchful eyes of Seeman and co-produced the movie with Abbas Mastan and K Sera Sera. Double-debut for Madhavan, as Dialogue-writer and a co-Producer.

Made with a shoestring budget, Evano Oruvan is a circumstantial account of a middle class man who inadvertently becomes an overnight notorious criminal. Sridhar Vasudevan(Madhavan ),a bank employee, leads a monotonous Mon-Fri-9-5 life… He is agitated by the fact that everything in the society is powered by money, where moral and ethics are only dictionary-bound. Vasudevan manages to keep his emotion in leash, until corruption knocks the door of his bank in the form of 'Cherian' .After a steamy confrontation with Cherian, Vasudevan runs amuck and eventually takes a Krishna-avatar (with a cricket bat), to fight against the evil of the society. Finally, a fiery police encounter spells doomsday for the Anti-Hero who waged an Anti-Social War!

Movie has lived up to its tagline 'Ungalil Oruvan'… I was easily able to identify myself with Sridhar Vasudevan. There are so many things contributing towards that identity factor. Am a middle-class salaried employee living in a suburb of Chennai ,just like the place Nanaganallur. Electric Trains are my mode of transport and I also hanker for Jannal orae seats. And the most important thing, I've seen for myself, the corrupt face of society. Enraged and pent-up, I flee, I quit, I retire... unlike Sridhar Vasudevan!

Actor Madhavan has done immense justice to his role and the same holds water with Sangeetha( as Vathsala). Seeman as a cop is a complete misfit, a square peg in a round hole. He doesn’t suit the character and his dialogue delivery is sporadically artificial. Madhavan as a dialogue-writer has excelled. Some of the dialogues stunned me and left me reeling. Worth a mention are 'Unmae Sudum,adhuku munnadi Unmayae namma suttudanum', 'jannal seat'a pidikarthukulla uyirae pordhu' ( one has to see the movie to understand the profound sense of this dialogue). Nishikant has diligently worked on the screenplay, to ensure the film doesn’t sound like a documentary. It is slow, but really doesn't consume your time. Really doesn’t. It takes a lot of courage to direct a film without songs and Nishikant has done it with Evano Oruvan. No songs. No frills. Pure cinema!

Without an iota of doubt, Nishikant has presented the problem of 'Corrupt Society' dutifully, but the solution?? Well, the solution is left up to YOU!

Stain your hands( with blood) or

Join your hands( against corruption).

Wish you all a Happy New Year!!!

Hope Year 2008 is even better for Tamil Cinema!

Ilaiyaraaja & Counterpoint….

Yesterday, I bumped into this word called 'Counterpoint'! I had absolutely no clue what this word meant and I started wading through innumerous websites and journals to get the hang of it... Here you go!!!

Counterpoint is often defined as the art of combining independent lines. The term derives from the Latin contrapunctum, meaning ‘against note'. When there is more than one independent melodic line happening at the same time in a piece of music, the music is said to be contrapuntal. The independent melodic lines are called counterpoint. Bach's counterpoint, often considered the most profound synthesis of the two dimensions ever achieved, is extremely rich harmonically and always clearly directed tonally, while the individual lines remain fascinating.

The Musical Saint, Mr.Ilaiyaraaja, know for his out-of-the-world novel compositions, has incorporated the counterpoint technique during his prime (Late 70's and 80's) with élan. The brilliance lies in the fact that the counterpoint technique is so native to western music and Raaja has adopted that into the musical patterns of Tamil songs nonchalantly. The way Raaja has blend the western music with east is simply riveting. Sheer Genius!!! Raaja has also experimented a two-voice counterpoint in conjunction with a third voice, amid mellifluous interludes … Also, Raaja celebrated this Bach-smitten- technique with instrumental counterpoints in his illustrious musical journey!

Here are some of the songs which has shades of the counterpoint technique, and all these years we've been listening (at least I've been listening) to them without actually understanding the technical nuances of it!!!

But do we need to really understand them to appreciate Raaja??? Well, yes… We'd appreciate him even more!

• En Kanmani Un Kadhali, Chittu Kuruvi ( 1978)
• Poonthalir Aada, Panner Pushpangal (1981)
• Kanmani Anbodu, Guna ( 1981)
• Poomalaye, Pagal Nilavu(1985)
• Vikram…Vikram, Vikram ( 1986)
• Nee Partha, Hey Ram ( 2000)

P.S: Am not an expert in music. This is just an honest attempt to exemplify, counterpoint technique and glorify the brilliance of Maestro. Please let me know if you find something incorrect!

Onbadhu Roobai Note & Evano Oruvan - Movie Review...

Whhhhhhhhoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa… Over the past few weeks I am treated to the hilt, when it comes to movie-watching… I've never felt so glad and content watching Tamil movies. First it was, Ram's novel 'Kattradhu Thamizh' , last week eyes soaked watching Thankar Bachan's biopic 'Onbadhu Roobai Note'….And icing on the cake was Nishikanth's 'Evano Oruvan', which I saw last night, at a rather lesser-conspicuous Anna theatre at Mount Road…

Thankar Bachan's 'Onbadhu Roobai Note' chronicles the life & times of Madhavar Padayachi (Sathyaraj). The first half sees Madhavar's rise, as a self-contented, hard working and upright individual hailing from a remote village Pathirakottai, near Panruti. Madhavar, a philanthropist by nature, leaves no stone unturned when it comes to helping the people in his village. This selfless nature of Madhavar sows the seed for a perennial camaraderie with Khaja Bhai and his wife Kameela (played by Nasser and Rohini), then struggling to come-up in their life. As time rolls, movie sails through to the second half and punctuates Madhavar's downfall. Madhavar's brother spills venom, and influences Madhavar's sons and in-laws to rebel against the monarchical rule of Madhavar. Sons and in-laws are reduced to mere puppets at the hands of guile-natured uncle. Madhavar, infuriated by their action, decides to desert the family. He along with his wife Velayi(Archana), leaves the villages and seeks help from Khaja Bhai(Nasser), who by then grows in stature and wealth. Khaja Bhai(Nasser) readily helps Madhavar, and sets-up cattle poultry for their living. Misfortune never comes single, and Madhavar loses his long-time company(Velayi) in a freak accident. Devastated by wife's demise, Madhavar languishes in seclusion and decides to return to his village. The very next day Madhavar resigns his soul at Pathirakottai!

Thankar Bachan makes no bones about his penchant for village-centered subjects. And his later offering ‘Onbadhu Roobai Note’ suggests there is more in the offering. Thankar Bachan has marshaled his resources well, and Sathyaraj after 'Vedham Pudhidhu', 'Kadalora Kavidhaigal', 'Kadamai Kanniam Kattupadu' and 'Periyar' has got a fair chance to show his mettle. An once-in-a-lifetime role, for Sathyaraj and he has grabbed it with both hands. The film travels intensely on the shoulders of Sathyaraj and the shoulders have never drooped. After watching the film, I couldn't resist thinking, how an actor of Sathyaraj's caliber is wasted all these years by the Tamil film industry. Nasser, Archana and Rohini have enacted their role to perfection. The film’s treatment is raw, rurally-raw! Music doesn’t score much. Films set-up amid this kind of milieu has lot of scope for RR, and I must confess, Bharadwaj has not made the best of the opportunity. Thankar as a cinematographer has excelled in capturing the rustic-refreshing mood of the movie. Vairamuthu’s has penned the lyrics and deserves a fair round of applause.

Mr.Thankar Bachan - Take a bow!!!

Evano Oruvan review, coming soon…

Kattradhu Thamizh (2007)

Almost a month back I watched this movie 'Kattradhu Thamizh'… I was completely taken aback when I learnt Ram Subbu was a debutant-director. A fresh plot interlaced with a gripping narrative commending sustained interest, coming straight from a debutante did really surprise me. Nevertheless Ram has scored heavily with his first outing.

Since lot of ink is already spilt on reviewing this movie from all possible quarters, I shall be pithy in this review. A contrived attempt!

Prabhakar, a devout Thamizh fanatic fumes at the step-motherly treatment given for Thamizh (language), and the fact that it happens at Tamilnadu (Home of Thamizh language) only rubs salt into wounds. Piling on to the misery is his haunted childhood and lost-love. Manic-depressed Prabhakar goes on a killing-spree and finds solace in killing people brutally. Hackneyed, it may sound, he finally finds his lover again, after momentary happiness their efforts to reunite bombs, and they relinquish and perish their life at earth to join hands in heaven.

Ram Subbu deserves a pat on his back for spearheading such a beautiful-yet-complex story. But am hard-pressed to say, the screenplay sagged occasionally. And they were some sporadic glitches as well, for example, protagonist roaming scot-free after sabotaging 27 lives, lacked logic and reasoning. But that shouldn’t cast aspersion on this talented director. Tamil Cinema has found a new lease of life, and directors like Ram Subbu , Ameer, Gautham, Vasantha Balan should be given due credit.

Jeeva, made his debut with 'Thithikudhey', and has grown by leaps and bounds since then. He's become really choosy and has the ability to deliver- more-than-expected with aplomb. His penchant towards selecting roles of various hues is sure to take him places. And 'Kattradhu Thamizh' for sure will find a place in his repertoire. Yuvan has simply rocked. He's started earning more respect for his re-recording than songs. 'Paravaye engu irrukirai' sung by the maestro himself is the best of the lot. Kadhir, the cinematographer of ‘Kattradhu Thamizh’ deserves a special mention for his adept cranking of ARRIFLEX.

A must-watch for people who belittle Tamil Cinema!

A must-watch for people who believe Tamil Cinema is graduating to the next level!

A must-watch for people who indulge in hero-worshipping!

Happy Belated Birthday!

It was not just another child artist who donned the greasepaint at the tender age of 6 for the movie 'Kalathur Kannama'(1960)… The world had little hindsight about this prodigious talent… Little did they know about the destiny of this child-prodigy…

A wannabe director, Kamal never wanted to face the camera, before he would be first spotted, cradled and nurtured by the ace-director KB, who persuaded him to take up acting and eventually proffered him meaty roles in his earlier years at the filmdom… The actor has come of age since then, taking success and failure into his stride with equanimity… 38 years at the tinsel town, he's ruled the roost and is hungry for more success as ever…

Perhaps he’s the only actor in the world to have dabbled with myriad arts of film-making such as Production, Direction, Writing, Lyricism, and Choreography …Saluting the legend of Kamal Hassan…The real thespian...

Happy Belated Birthday!

Raining cats and dogs in chennai...

It has been raining incessantly the whole weekend... The torrential rainfall has already wreaked havoc and thrown the city out of gear... Have a look at this...

Azhagiya Thamizh Magan(ATM) - Music Review!!!

Albeit I never follow Vijay's movie/music premiere, I was hooked on to ATM, the moment I came to know that 'Mozart of Madras' has wielded his baton for this movie. After Sivaji's runaway musical hit, ATM's music piqued lot of expectations among hoi polloi. And has Rahman lived up to the expectations? Here's a peek at what ARR had to offer in ATM…

* Ella Pugazhum (Singer : AR Rahman)

A booming intro song! Typical ARR style. Promises to invigorate a drowned spirit. Preludes and interludes sounds just perfect, Rahman notching incredible decibels with his high-pitch( at times vociferous) is a good listening experience… Will throw ‘Vijay’ fans to an irrecoverable state of hysteria. Cinema Halls are in for a big diwali bash with this opening song… And be prepared for 'once-more' requests... They are going to be aplenty of them… However, after constant repetition of this song, I couldn't help noticing the residues of ' Ararai Kodiyil' song from 'Anbe Aruyire'…

* Kelamaal Kaiyile(Singer : Sriram Parthasarathy, Saindhavi)

My pick of the album. Fresh. Pristine. Never-heard-before tune!!! The blend of Sriram-Saindhavi duo is magical. And I guess this 'Kokilam-Kokilam' pallavi, will become ubiquitous… Sure, it will top the charts.

* Maduraikki Pogadhadee( Singer : Benny, Archith, Dharshana)

As soon I was done with the first 2 songs, out of the blue I was confronted with this 'folk'ish number. And I must confess, ARR has not scored heavily with this song. I found reviews, drawing comparisons of this song with his erstwhile classics of 'Kizhakku Chemaiyile'… I could only pooh-pooh these Rahmaniacs... They want to praise him, regardless of whatever he does… Songs he composed for 'Kizhakku Chemaiyile' , 'Tajmahal' or 'Sangamam' were legendary… Beyond Comparison...And people are making a mockery, by doing such out-of-line comparisons…

* Nee Marlyn Manroe(Singer : Benny, Dayal, Ujjayinee)

This song started -off promisingly and sunk without a trace. Rahman's effort to sandwich a techno with Rap, has went in vain. Occasional Tamil lyrics interlaced with lackluster tune, makes it one forgettable song.

* Ponmagal Vandhal(Singer : MD Aslam, Ember Rap)

When Rahman first experimented with a remix ( Thottal Poo Malarum),I got despondent! Just because, this genius had lot of original music to offer, why should he resort to remix… Definitely I am not belittling people who venture out doing remixes and stuff… But what we expect out of ARR is fresh and original music... And this ain't one! The only consolation is the terrific husky-voice of Aslam...

* Valayapatti Thavile(Singer : Madhumita, Naresh Iyer, Ujjayinee)

I was hardly able to distinguish ‘Maduraikki Pogadhadee’ and 'Valayapatti Thavile' for quite some time… After repeated listening, I was comfortable… I still felt something nagging… Then I quickly realized it was very similar to 'Kummi Adi' from 'SOK'…

ATM music might be embraced with thumping hands by Vijay fans... But certainly not an album, Rahmaniacs can boast about… A complete let-down!

Clash of Titans...

After their epic-R16-encounter at The Wimbledon 2001, Sampras and Federer are due to clash one more time in an exhibition match at Malaysia on Nov 22. It seems just like yesterday, when the Swiss sent him( Sampras) home packing in a grueling five-setter! The fact that they've never played against each other since then, should generate lot of interest. Hope Sampras gets a sweet revenge!

Taxi Driver ( 1976)

Hailed as a landmark film of the 1970's, the story of 'Taxi Driver' piggy-backs on Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro), an isolate-distorted-illusive- paranoiac-delusional-misanthropist-vietnam-veteran. Travis perceptibly smitten with insomnia, spends sleepless nights as a cabbie. The ugly face of New York City precipitated with scum, filth, and decadence sets off Travis to go on a reckless rampage, as he ends up rescuing Iris Steensma (Jodie Foster), a twelve year old prostitute from the willful custody of 'Sport' Matthew (Harvey Keitel), who runs a brothel. And Media catapults Travis an over-night-Hero!

Martin Scorsese has admirably skewed the movie through the eyes of Travis. Be it the loneliness, filthy streets of New York, non-chaste women et al… Scorsese has etched all these attributes and shades at will and with utmost perfection. Most of the scenes were shot with a pinch of dark, suggesting the estranged mind of Travis, and they were absorbing and at times very disturbing. The climax, shot for well over 5 minutes, unleashes a bloodbath, with most of the central characters involved. A massacre!!! Had it not been for the creative camera angles of Michael Chapman, bloody-scene could have doomed... Laconic dialogues penned by Paul Schrader are worth a praise, it had the stimulus to inject pain, and rarely pleasure. I really enjoyed some of the one- liners…

On every street in every city, there's a nobody who dreams of being a somebody.

Shit... I'm waiting for the sun to shine.

Thank God for the rain to wash the trash off the sidewalk.

You're only as healthy as you feel.

Bernard Herrmann (remember the nerve-jangling music of ‘Psycho’), music was really instrumental in making the movie 'Taxi Driver' a classic… The subtle Jazz, occasional sforzando of drums took the movie to dizzy heights of haunt, suspense and hallucination.

(Just a day after composing the music for ' Taxi Driver' Bernard Herrmann passed away...)

Having said all this, I must admit I did not enjoy watching 'Taxi Driver' as much as I did enjoy watching 'The Godfather’, ‘Psycho’ or 'Raging Bull '. With all due respect to Martin Scorsese, I did not feel the pounding heart, lump to my throat, an occupied-cum-disturbed mind, intense emotion et al… Scorsese is masterful in generating such inexplicable feelings out of watching a movie…

Perhaps, the Italian Version of the movie (which I actually saw today) has played the spoilsport…Lost in translation :-(

I'll pick the English version and hopefully I should be made to eat my own words and may be I'll eat a humble pie … :-)

India, still a one-man-army?

After being steamrolled on earlier occasions, Indians were yet again brought to their feet by the invincible Aussies in the 5th ODI at Vadodara. More than the defeat, the meek surrender of the Indians was the real cause of concern… Barring Sachin's valiant 47 and last minute resilience from the tail-enders, the score card wasn't a happy reading… It was an excruciating experience to watch Sachin left reeling for partners, as the wickets kept tumbling at frequent intervals… Had it been not for Sachin timely knock, Indians would have bundled-out themselves for a paltry 80 or 95… Adding insult to the injury was the derogatory 'monkey chant’ off-the-ground-heroics of the notorious crowd against Symonds… Denounce those uncivilized assholes!

Now here's the million dollar question…Is India still a one-man-army??? Can Indian cricket survive without Sachin…?

Even though Sachin's batting has always been found under the scanner, invariably Sachin's knock has helped India in many a victories… The recently lost 3-4 ODI NatWest series at England saw Sachin amassing 374 runs at an enviable average of 53.42, with 4 half-centuries (3 half-centuries resulted in India's victory) under his belt... Of course there is huge junta who wouldn't agree with me on this point… Here's another fact-file for them...India's only victory in the current and on-going Future Cup came in the 4th ODI at Chandigarh and the Master' piled a gritty 79...

Sachin has always been the savior, when the Indian batting has been in doldrums… And am sure when Sachin hangs up his boots, he’ll leave a huge void… And these bad-mouthing journalists will understand what a force Sachin was to reckon with and how indispensable he was... But then it would be too late…

And without Sachin Indian Cricket will never be the same…

P.S: Latest update is aussies have scored a massive 317/8 in the penultimate game… And if India were to win this game, Sachin’s intervention is mandatory…

Engineered to Enthrall!

Here's my dream machine…Masculinity personified. Look at the dazzling metallic finish… Sexy curves… It is definitely a man-made-miracle… I just yearn to park her in front of my house some day… I don’t know how long the wait is, but it will be certainly worth it!

Have a look at some of her incredible dimensions:

Displacement: 346.00 ccm (21.11 cubic inches)

Engine type: Single cylinder

Stroke: 4

Power: 18.00 HP (13.1 kW)) @ 5000 RPM

Torque: 27.00 Nm (2.8 kgf-m or 19.9 ft-lb) @ 2875 RPM

Compression: 7.3:1

Bore x stroke: 70.0 x 90.0 mm (2.8 x 3.5 inches)

Fuel system: Carburettor

Cooling system: Air

Gearbox: 4-speed

Transmission type final drive: Chain

P.S : Lot of people say, it's inane to opt for a new bullet, instead a second hand bullet with a face-lift is the intelligent way to own the beast … Do you agree???? Please share your thought…

A stroll down memory lane...

Prelude

It's such a wonderful feeling to reminisce about the good old college days. Many a times, we grope for the 'rewind' button to travel back to the time when we once wore a carefree-careless-care-a-damn attitude as college students and bunked our classes loitering around the city with weird hairdos, torn denim pants and other wacky stuff… Gone are those evergreen days… But if you ever get a chance to relive/recap those effervescent moments, sure you'd grab them with both hands. Wont you? Period.

Train to Paradise

Param made a rare visit to Madras and we (Hari, Param & Me) decided to pull the time machine and hit the ‘rewind’ button. We planned to visit our college! Well, I’d like to rephrase that… We planned to go to college, again!

Hari and myself (minus Alfy, Madhu and Satish) boarded the Suburban Electric Train (prominently known as EMU) at Chromepet, which actually was our routine mode of transport during our college days. We slipped into a tête-à-tête and after momentary time-lapse, train was fast approaching T.Nagar. Param was expected to join us. He was late. Gee, he had to sprint all the way to board the train, in the end he made it in the nick of time (as he always does). We (the trio) couldn't resist from getting on to the footboard of the train...

After all we've traveled in the footboard counting post after post, station after station during our college days… We had enjoyed (and continue to enjoy) every inch of railway tracks laid by the Englishmen. It was just a tribute to the endless footboard travels we had done all through our teens.

The moment we stepped on to the footboard against the strong gush of wind, we sensed a sudden rush of blood to the head!!! Kodambakkam passed in a jiffy...Presto, we alighted the moment train entered the Nungambakkam railway station (we normally do). Took the staircase to reach our college. I still remember those days when we were fresher at college, and we took the shelter out of the staircase to escape from being ragged.

And as we strolled the lean passage, we were there (we did miss the peanut shop on the way).

The Paradise

Loyola College! 'Man, things have changed. Just like our lives… ‘We thought to our self looking at the huge edifices cropped up recently, for they never existed when we did our bachelors. Some of the buildings were CUT and PASTE to different locations. Nevertheless the aura hadn't changed. The vintage Loyola was still intact. We criss-crossed our college in length and breadth. We went to the canteen, Betram hall, and the church, playground, meadows and hostel premises.

Although we never stayed at the hostel during our bachelor days, Param was a hosteler during his MBA days. But he was ousted though, within a year for all wrong reasons (No pun intended ). He did have a lot of hostel stories to recount and time flew by (and we were busy searching for ice-cold water that param was harping about)…

After a brief stint at the hostel we navigated our way back to the concrete-seat-bench just opposite to our class. And on the way, we had a steaming elachi tea…

Flooded with trees on the either side, the seating pavement is the perfect place for a soul in search of a whiff of fresh air. We fondly recollected an incident. A blast form the past!Our college elections held exactly at the same place. A no-hoper by the name 'Harikrishnan' won the election hands down… I could still remember that day…

And it was the same place where Hari and myself were waiting for Param, when he appeared for his arrear exam in mechanics paper. I shall take you through that scene… The exams were over. Param never expected us to present that day in the first place and the moment he figured it was us, he came rushing down from the third floor to meet us…I had never seen him so jubilant… And most importantly he passed the exam!

We had thousands of hundreds other instances to recollect. I took with me some memorabilia that I collected when we were in our college and we had fun scanning each and every one of them. It was thoroughly refreshing… To name a few…

• Terminal Question Papers
• Alfy's answer sheet (we normally take the q.paper and the answer paper with us after the exam… Alfy, remember ‘The one’ – From Metallica)
• Farewell Gift ( One hell-of-a-fortune for Vaidy)
• College Diaries
• Loyola Fast Food Bills

We then headed straight to clerks room…Near the display and sign boards… It was nostalgia again… Let me detail... Attendance was marked on a day-to-day basis against each student and it was displayed on the display boards. In case of any discrepancy (cases like you were marked absent when you were present et al), you can report to the admin and get things sorted out... The only time we ever had a look this display board, was when the Lack-of-attendance list was displayed. We knew for a fact our name would definitely figure in that list. But what we were really concerned about was the fine amount ... :-) And at times getting debarred for attendance was also on the cards… So with butterflies in the stomach we would show up at display board to check for our attendance… As luck would have it, we never got debarred for attendance…

The Paradise Lost

College days were heaven. It was so fast… It is gone... It has vanished so hurriedly…

We now had to press the ‘stop’ button and press ‘play’… Wish we could press the ‘pause’ button… And enjoy…

Epilogue

The entire evening was awesome. The only glitch, we missed the presence of 'Funky' Alfy, 'Silly' Anand and 'Innocent' Rajamani… Their presence would have been icing on the cake. At least next time around, we ALL should congregate at Loyola…

Signing off ambivalently...

Sam Walton's Made in America - Final Cut...

I picked up this book, during the month of July and over these 3 months I feel like I had enrolled for a management program attending classes on a regular basis. That’s how interactive the book is… Sammy knocks my door each day to deliver a piece of lecture :-)

Well, to say the least the book was 'Breathtaking'… In the past, I've read the autobiographies of Iacocca, Branson et al… But nothing is quite revealing & revelling like ' Made in America ' … It is like a black-magician revealing all the tricks, he had learned all through all his life, to a commoner… Simple and Transparent, vintage Walton style…

I really do not subscribe to the thought ' If you are a Management Student/ If you are looking at entrepreneurship as a serious career option this book is must-read'… Nope, not at all…But having said that, I must admit there are lots of take-away from this book… Mammoth in number… Profound in sense… Just pick up and read this book, thou shall be delighted learning Walton's way of management!

One of the most absorbing book residing in my shelf, no second thought about it!!!

FuSiOn - Life was on!

Fresh out of college with pristine thoughts

Unaware we’d be bind through a common knot

Stupid quarrels to candid talks, we’ve travelled together in unison

Inundated with undying love and true affection

Over and over this relationship doesn’t sour

Never shall die the spirit of FUSION, we may roar!!!

Maestro's Terrific Twenty!

My all-time favorite numbers strummed on Ilaiyaraja's harmonium!

• Sangathil Padaadha - Ilaiyaraaja, S.Janaki ( Auto Raja)
• Idhayam Oru Kovil - Illayaraja ( Idhaya Kovil)
• Madai Thirandhu - S.P.B (Nizhalgal)
• Vellai Pura - K.J.Yesudas ( Pudhu Kavidhai)
• Poo Maalayae - Ilaiyaraaja, S.Janaki (Pagal Nilavu)
• Pothivacha - S.P.B, S.Janaki (Man Vaasanai)

• Nethu Oruthara - Ilaiyaraaja, Chitra ( Pudhu Pattu)
• Naan Thedum - Ilaiyaraaja, S.Janaki ( Dharma Pathini)
• Adiye Manam - S.P.B, S.Janaki (Neengal Kettavai)
• Raja Raja Chozhan - K.J.Yesudas ( Rettai Val Kuruvi)
• Kalyana Malai - S.P.B ( Pudhu Pudhu Arthangal)
• Rakkamma - S.P.B, Swarnalatha( Thalapathi)
• Illaya Nila - S.P.B (Payanangal Mudivadhillai)
• Nee Partha - Hariharan, Asha Bhonsle( Hey Ram)
• En Iniya Pon Nilaave - K.J.Yesudas ( Moodupani)
• Idhazhil Kadhai - S.P.B, Chitra ( Unnal Mudium Thambi)
• Indhaman - Ilaiyaraaja, Chitra (Karagattakaran)
• O Vasantha -S.P.B, S.Janaki (Neengal Kettavai)
• Sangeetha Megam - S.P.B (Udhaya Geetham)
• Thendral Vandhu Theendum - Ilaiyaraaja, S.Janaki ( Avadharam)

The list is absolutely personal and grossly restricted. Feel free to add your favorite Raja rendition.

Unethical Journalism!

I read this blog last week and was foaming at the mouth about this irresponsible-unethical-journalist, who's compiled a pile of shit and had sparked-off unwarranted debate!!!

T20 final between India and Pakistan, touted as 'Mother of all finals', did prove to be humdinger of a contest and the former managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat… A thorough edge-of-the-seat-thriller. Post match, during the presentation ceremony Ravi Shastri invited the losing captain Shaoib Malik to have a few words… This is what Shaoib had to say...

“First of all I want to say something over here. I want to thank you back home Pakistan and where the MUSLIM lives all over the world. We gave our 100%, India have a strong batting line-up. We did well to restrict them to less than 160 but our batting didn’t come through. The Indians bowled really well and we played some bad shots. That’s why we ended up on the losing side in this game.”

It is evident that Malik had uttered something repulsive… But what people should/must understand is the fact that it wasn’t just repulsive, but impulsive as well. Pakistanis have this dubious distinction of slaughtering English to agonizing levels, and Malik was no exception. But whatever he said wasn’t intentional and words popped out of his mouth on the spur of the moment...

Now that all is said and done, what is the role of media here? They should have ideally subsided Malik's words and should have engaged themselves with the match analysis and stuff…But what it has done??? Or rather what this Columnist had done… He's picked few words (Malik’s of course) and totally blown that out of proportion. During a time, when the peace process between India and Pakistan is scaling amazing thresholds, articles such as this, which threaten harmony, must be severely condemned.

Investing time in the 'Comments' section would best illustrate my point. If you read through carefully, you can find threads where people engage themselves in a war of words. It was chaotic, on one hand people defending Shaoib and reprimanding on the other… It was even more agonizing when I read oodles of comments appreciating the columnist for reporting this story… What kind of a show these people are putting out there? Fuck ‘em!

If the author had expected all of this hullabaloo and clamor, and had that been his intention, he's deemed to be forbidden from writing anymore!

A perfect solution to this menacing problem is to allow the players to honestly express themselves in their native language. Soccer does it, why shouldn't cricket embrace this practice and let the game be devoid of controversy.

Just another day…

Just another day in the life of an S/W engineer……

The alarm continuously blared, deafening my ears

Not just once, twice, but thrice

Perhaps to indicate the sunrise

Lazy enough, I woke up reluctantly

Putting an end to an unfurnished dream

Presto!! It was 7.15 am, I had to scream

In attempt to run the daily chore

Took a toothbrush in one hand and a bath robe in the other

I realized it was time to take a shower

Time was racing ahead, while I was busy

Searching for the iron-crease pant, shoes and socks, all scrambled

I wonder at times, why these things couldn’t be ‘google’d

Just in the nick of time, got hold of my office bus

Managed to spot a window seat

To catch a glimpse of nature’s treat

Minutes passed, Time Elapsed

I found myself in front of a PC

Thinking how this gadget drives me crazy

Checked my inbox, only to learn that I was flooded with mails

Eventually lost myself in the world of Code reviews, Bug fixing, Meeting Deadline…

But what I have actually lost is only a fair amount of hairline

My computer screen clocked 1 pm, it was lunch time

Endless delicacies were lined up to treat the taste buds

But an elite crowd felt the real delicacy lies only with the cigarette buds

Eyes were begging for a quick nap, courtesy: heavy lunch

Alarmingly, my boss buzzed me, time for a client meeting

In other words, a war minus shooting

After a much deserved tea break

I composed myself to work on the pending task

What really posed like a daunting task

At 10 pm, tiredness and stress got the better of me

Long hours and stuck in the confines of my bay

I pushed myself to call it a day

The alarm continuously blared, again

Wish the day could be a Sunday

But the calendar read “Thursday’

Just another day in the life of an S/W engineer……

Cryptic Crosswords...

http://www.anandnatrajan.com/FAQs/crosswords.html

Aa..Aa... FM!

Crawl through any major road in Madras, you'll chance upon a hoarding! On one such instance I got myself entangled to an array of vinyl boards, ostentatiously displaying foul-smelling ads of Aaha FM!

And this blog is to give vent to my anger against such one-off dirty-advertising!

I must admit the fact that I've never seen such an inapt and filthy advertising for quite some time.Snaps of women and men spanning all age, sweating and prompting a sleazy face, with a catch-phrase “Pozhudhupokkin Ucchakattam”! Boy, what is the fuckin' rationale behind this catch phrase and the snaps???? I don’t understand…

When I first caught a glimpse of that ad, I felt it was sensual & provocative. The expression they carried on their face did really tantamount to the animated face engaged in foreplay.

Any ad-man, who's worth his salt, wouldn’t have ventured out for this soon-to-be-forgotten ad!