3rd season..

we all know that madras has only 3 seasons..and its now the 3rd..(hottest)
aiyoo..last 2 days have been horrible..all tearings (athaan paa kizhinjings)
scorching heat and due to some crazy phenomenon no wind(read sea breeze too) last 2 days..so chennaiites have fun..
am off to Blore for a week..(just to escape sun and parents;-))

Note: what ever happened to all those good souls who used to leave their foot prints (athaanpaa comments) here? summer there too?

Pramod Mahajan

Its sad that Mahajan was shot at and by his own bro. hmm..I WISH HIM ALL LUCK AND STRENGTH TO GET BACK FIT. He doesn't deserve this.
Whats the use being a very impressive and talented character with good sense of humour, quick wit and ability to win friends at will, cutting across parties? And while just about every body was being impressed or influenced by him there was someone just in the inner most circle sitting and hating him all along..phew..sometimes life isn’t fair, ain’t?
ASIDE 1: One thing that I cud not figure out was the way police were parading that bro of his who shot at pramod. His face was all covered with a black cloth while he was taken in to custody and most newspapers carried that photo(w/o a face!)..hey..these guys parade a rape victim in all light and glow and here a murderer (well..almost) was covered..
Che..the system needs cleansing..prolly one of the first the Lokparitran guys shud take up..
ASIDE 2: If u r wondering why this post so late - This one was written by me couple of days back but got lost due to some tech error (blogger.com or my DSL or my PC ). What ever, but keep one thing in mind, here u just cant get away without reading any crap that I decide to blog or (as in this case) blogged..such convenience blogs r, aren’t they?

hey..atlast thuglak online!

At long last the best satirical and political Tamil magazine of the inimitable Cho is online (probably against his apprehensions about technology!)
here it is..
http://www.thuglak.com
so go ahead and enjoy Cho's matcheless and irrepressible comments..
but no free lunch mind u! subscribe..

Payasam!

I don’t think I need to reiterate my revulsion for China or anything leaning left..
I stumbled on a very interesting blog on some truth on china here.
As we all know one hardly gets to know of the ground reality in China (like the fudged statistics or big islamic mess and ofcourse Chinese oppression in Uyghur/Xinjiang or their cheap/free labor called prisons or plagiarism industry on the rise and hurting the west off late or organ thefts and many more..)

Over to payasam now..
Did u hear of the disturbance (hey.what happened to me? Why do I call it disturbance?) er unique protest by a Chinese origin lady during the summit of chinese premier and US pres? Now u can see this here in that blog. Pl see the video (courtesy youtube) which shows this lady protesting and shouting something in Chinese and the whole press turning their focus on her leaving 2 presidents baffled..
Oh! Kya scene hai re..that made my day..I cant describe my contentment in words !

Infact it’s the genuine falun gong problem she voiced out. It’s a second time that’s she has done this to a Chinese premier (earlier to some other xxxang – ok Jiang:-)) Its also a protocol failure on the part of US and add to that Hu’s obsession with protocol. These Chinese any way don’t forge such embarrassments..so US better be careful..and that’s another benefit for us if our foreign office plays it well.
That’s payasam ain’t?? for sure for me..
infact my cup (of joy) is overflowing:-)

sacrifice? for what??

I saw the clips of the Nepal agitations and protest marches on TV. Its really moving..so many people (young, very young and old) being hit by the police. Ok accepted that it’s the job of police to control, regulate, monitor etal..Till I saw the clipping I always felt if the police (or army) are stopping the protestors with canes/lathis its their duty and intent too. I did not care to sympathise with the protestors bcos all along I felt it was the Maoists. Any one leaning left, I hate to the boot and here these Maoists are cutting in to our country too and have a free run up to AP! So I need not tell u how much I hated them and how much I wanted them to be curbed and cramped.
So what moved me on the video clips?
For once I saw that it was not only Maoists but many more. And I saw people marching inspite of the police force hammering them..people bleeding..hurt badly but still being a part of the protest. Man! What can push one to so selflessly be a part of such violent protests? What involvement and connection one shud have to go get hit like that! After all many lost their lifes too. What conviction they shud have been made of to give their lives for a goal. And knowing that he/she will not be there to even see that ambition fulfilled! Have u ever been moved to nuts by any issue to revolt like that? i mean not to have participated but to have been affected at the first place!
Now…Are u also associating such a feeling to our freedom struggle? No!! Don’t get me wrong. Iam not in any way comparing or equating our freedom struggle to this Nepal happening. I used to always wonder what could motivate a person(s) to involve in a struggle like that in the manner they did, just not caring for their own lives. They will not be able to witness the intended goal of their involvement. Phew..what a sacrifice..unmatched..just think of the marches with flags and getting hit and dying (like kodi kaatha kumaran in TN) or shouting “Inquilab Zindabad” and getting hammered or voicing “Vande mataram” and getting thumped or simply being a part of some peaceful protest march and getting beaten..and all for what? For the next generation or for u and me - most of who never saw an alien ruling (ok..till atleast last elections) or the struggle itself..
And come to think of it how we are screwing the freedom so attained! Hmm..

Request to all (esp bloggers)

Folks!
I had written about the general scenario in TN and esp about lokparitran too in my previous post. With Elections just a few days away, it dawned on me - why not try do something for these new guys - "educated" ones.So please read this below and try to pass on to as many in ur know to advise their friends/kith/kin in the said 8 constituencies in Madras, to vote for these enterprising guys. Not only the bloggers but all U who happen to read this please pass and try making a dent in our system.

I am sure we all would have at one time or the other professed some heavy fundas to ‘improve’ our nation. We would have surely had heated arguments about how and why things go wrong here..many of us wud have been silent spectators to the system being abused/misused..
And many a times we wud have said “some educated guys shud have the courage and strength to come to politics and cleanse..”
So here are some educated well minded folks who have started a party with some conscience. Please see http://www.lokparitran.org/ for their vision, philosophy and the people involved. Though it has come to be known as “The IITians party” its formed by a group of like minded “educated” people.

Now in this coming TN elections they have fielded candidates in following 8 constituencies in Madras.
Santhanagopalan – Mylapore
Elanthirumaran – Chepauk
Ishrayel Mahesh – Thousand lights
Prashanth Sharma – Egmore
Arvind Tiruvaiyar - T.Nagar
Rajamani – Annanagar
Hariharan – saidapet
Rabindra Ganesh – Park

There are already sms and fwd emails going on..
But my request to you all, esp fellow bloggers (with heavy readerships) to spread the word around and request the people in their (and your) know in these constituencies to vote for them. Lets for once try some “educated” politicians..for a change..

Let us be a part of some awakening and let us do more than just yapping suggestions for a change. Here some guys have come out. Lets come out and extend all possible support in the best ways we can.

Note: I have sent this as a mail to some big time bloggers requesting them to act on it too..Hope they help create a dent!

UPDATE: Thanks to Rajeev sreenivasan who has given this some publicity by flashing in his blog.
My fav Thennavan also joins the band wagon in helping spread this. thanks Mukund!

Politrix..

Long since this topic was touched here..simply bcos it has not been worthy enof..
here i dont mean to demean the entertainment value that has been offered by all and sundry esp here in TN..
for eg. y'day when MK was asked about saratkumar's exit from his party and his party's lack of contribution to nadars..his reply was a gem: Please see the number of kamaraj statues that we have installed during our regime!
oh!!! see the contribution..and the shameless pronouncement of it..
forget that kamaraj was beyond all these and least of all his caste..or this sarat quit bcos of lack of contri to nadars..
Its all happening here – like Ravi shastri wud always say (rather the only thing he wud keep saying)

But looks like its JJ all the way..though the scared and shivering oldie MK is trying to match her goodies distributed with his peromises of free color TVs, free lands and what not..only not many believing him.. Then we have Vijaykanth who is commanding a good 10 to 25% at many places (as per op polls)..my guess is he will win the deposit in many constituencies, which itself is a great deed (which u cannot assure for BJP or cong in TN!) He is indeed getting lotsa crowd at most places..

Its essentially a choice between devil and demon, murderer and killer, fryingpan and fire or even worse jj or mk..

But wait!! There is the Lokparitran (the party founded by ex IItians )who are standing at 8 places. So for all those who always used to remark – ‘educated shud come forward and participate’ here we have these guys..who more than these guys can be better to qualify the ‘educated’ criteria..

LADIES AND GMEN..PL ASK ALL UR FRIENDS, RELATIVES OR WHO EVER TO VOTE THESE GUYS IF THEY ARE CONTESTING IN THEIR CONSTITUENCY. Just Help them win their deposit, encourage them to repeat and also encourage more people to come out and vote them. May be next time all these tea shop experts cant tell us “ ask the educated to come and clean”..atleast we can assure that some tried..

Note: Please go ahead and give ur valued advises/suggestions in the comments column. I assure to pass (all valid ones) it to them. ofcourse commennts on others mentioned in this post is very much welcome.

A ‘Dry’ subject..

When it was just a couple of weeks since I had returned back home, I happened to visit a friend of mine at his apartments. He was preparing to go to the top floor (mottai maadi) to tie a cloth hanging rope and then to dry his clothes. I wondered why he has to take the rope to tie every time he needs to dry clothes and why not leave the rope there. He said that causes more practical problems like -others drying their cloth to many other complications..I was stunned and told why wud u care if someone used it or not when u r not using it anyways. But he just smiled and shut me saying ‘its just couple of weeks since u r back dear..’ my retort that I was born brought up here did not cut any ice.
Now after so many days I went to his place again and he said he was waiting for me since he wanted a solution from me. See if u can help with a solution!

After my comments last time he decided to leave the rope there on the top floor. Firstly he found it odd to use it fro himself when some people had already put their clothes there for drying..and then came this peculiar addition. Once when he had hung his clothes up for drying and when he went to pick them up after a few hours, he found all his clothes pushed to a corner and theirs majestically hanging. Now what shud he do? How to guess who was the culprit from the 23 other occupants? Wait a few hours there at 40+ degrees till they come and admonish them? Throw all their clothes down in disgust?
So he has resorted to his own tying and untying after each ‘dry’..so was he right at the first place? Was I stupid?? (no use shouting a general yes – substantiate)
Such silly issues have no easy answers..man! In swiss they used to say that 70% of the community/neighbourhood problems arise from the washing room! We desis have witnessed lotsa interesting stories there..but now and here, am astonished..

Puthaandu nal vaithukkal..

Happy New Year folks..
(for the uninitiated - today is the tamil new years day/Baishaki/vishu)

Deconstructing death riots..

It should all have started like this.
you know the marriage those days were like elaborate (min 3 days)..I see it as a rare opportunity for get-together and partying then..so it all wud have started like marriages – inviting as many and partying as much, ofcourse with limitations like finance, willingness to party, location etc..still it shud have started like that..then some people to prove they are better off (and to proclaim they can beat the limitations of the near and not-so-dear) wud have made elaborate plans..then would have added a few more days, may be few more dishes, may be some song and dance and so on..and it evolved (if one can call it evolution, sigh) to number of kilos of gold becoming a statement..so now u sort of get it right – from where to where..simple marriages to simple get togethers to loaded get togethers to statements..
Then some ‘intelligent’ wud have come up with an idea of ‘why the F shud marriages alone be a statement affair’ and so wud have percolated it to death..oh! No! not his own..but may be his kith or parents..so he wud have started off giving a good meal then some dance (the TN folks beat all logic here and have band, song and ‘kuthu’ dances)and drink ofcourse..and so on..so this ‘statement’ philosophy penetrated the death scenes too..sigh sigh..

Here’s where the best part of this evolution (sic) comes..So my area biggie has 2 larges more, their area biggie has 30 people more, that neighbourhood biggie has 30 baskets of flower more, here that fella has 100 more mourners, the dance for another was more ferocious..and so this bottomless pit started expanding..

Then our “great civilization” marches in to the 70s..One MR.C.N.Annadurai dies and some 15 million attends his funeral (as recorded by Guiness, wikipedia et al)..so u know where we stretched it..Then came Indra, rajiv , MGR and all.. So here just numbers wud not suffice right? So the death/funeral was accompanied by riots..
hey! we have so many enterprising youth staying absolutely unemployed and what do we do? Wait for an opportunity and show off our ‘strength’ and ‘capabilities’.. so the number of people killed, number of gaadis burnt, number of shops looted – all became a part of this statistics galore..I happened to witness the rajiv one and MGR one (in chennai) at very close quarters..It’s a shame to mankind..but who cares here?? It’s a part of 'statement' gmen! Who cares if its ur car that’s burnt or who cares if it’s the state run buses that are burnt or who cares if it all falls on our own head in the form of increased tax or who cares if multitudes need to get stuck without buses or trains and who cares if it is women and children who form the maximum percentage of affected and may even have to walk 10s of Kms to reach back..hey u also form part of the “statistics”..
So Now when the thespian Dr.Rajkumar died in Bangalore the statistics out did lotsa earlier ones..so those affected, burnt, faced the brunt etc all soared high..
So THE STATEMENT MADE!! The envious neighbours like in TN, AP etc are watching and silently swallowing the shame..
Don’t worry..it’s a matter of time and we all know for eg. there is an ageing politician here in TN..yeah I might sound very crude, but we all here know this is his last election..so when “it” happens, man! the great TN folks will come out crores, riot in tonnes, let people suffer in multitude, loot in millions and prove our cultural and civilizational value..Bangalore shall not be on top for long..
And ye alle gmen! Don’t tell me u were not warned..

Same pinch..

Its generally fascinating and intriguing if some one else sounds the same views as u..and if that some one is more popular, articulate and widely read as this blogger at a vantage point,its even more interesting..bottom line is some one else also prescribed the same – pull out (o)ur accounts from SBI as said here..No..I did not take off from there..no inspirations really! Sheer coincidence bcos it’s the same news that affects most of us..
Also see that he has also written about the OBC reservation thingy..did I not say he is articulate?

News round up..

The one that really affects millions is the strike by SBI..what bloody dreams of developed nation, global economy, liberalisation,open market and all those big talks when we still have the commies ruling in vital areas like this. Imagine the bank (hey they have cute Ads –surprisingly SBI -these days stating they have the max ATMs, branches et al..) with the largest retail accounts, the one that is the main banker for most of the state govts and many PSOs and here they are shut for a week now..the reason: the unions & employees want more money..yeah and its all about that extra they want in their pension..as it is they have more than other public sector banks and if their income at any time is to be linked to their performance, they wud earn pittance..what a shame these unions and strikes are still here..they really need to be treated like what JJ did a few years back to the state govt eployees, dismmissing more than a lakh of them at a time(but minus that climb down)..I just cant stop fuming at these Ahs..imagine the old and despearate pensioners to salaried govt employees, to various people affected by this mindless strike..meanwhile heard that the FM chidu had intervened and was stern to them..I was too happy to know that he did not mince words and pointed to them that they were indeed unreasonable and also have higher pays an pension schemes..I wish the govt and RBI puts a strong foot and teach these commies a good lesson.. Also saw some news items that many state govts moved their treasuries accnt away from SBI to other banks..good! let them lose a sizable business and let many officers who were on strike be made answerable for loss of business and face salary cuts..grrrt grrrt..Iam reminded of the time when the top swiss banks -UBS and CS generated bad blood and so lost their face amidst the public during the swiss air crisis and hordes of people closed their account in these 2 banks as a mark of protest and opened else where..that shud happen here..

Another news doing lots of noise and a cause for worry is this sudden ‘concern’ the worst singh that we can ever get next to the VP one, arjun singh , talks about reservation, numbers and all that...NO! its not any serious concern to educate the backward and poor people, its just to hoodwink the vote bank..This nasty-than-all-politrixian is trying his old games of polluting the populace..here he is trying to expand the reservation only for the OBCs..some crazy stuff, which in a glance I cud only make out that this 50% reservation is aimed for some 50-60% percent of the population! How brighter can u get?? And with this he screws up the atmosphere esp before the polls in 6 states..(ok such numbers cant affect TN bcos they have crossed all imaginations and beat all logical % long back and it’s a supreme court order that is actually holding it by not allowing such reservations to go beyond 100:-)) And we all including this nasty singh knows that its not the real poor people and rural masses who are going to benefit..when they come out for some reservation for yadavs then it’s the sons and d’ters of laloos, mulayams and the richer- than-most yadavs who benefit and not the really deserving yadavs..similarly everywhere.. Just pan ur thoughts to ur college days. Do u remember any worthy deserving student who did get the education bcos of the reservations. I strongly remember in my set almost all those from the quotas were very well to do fellas..may be they really hailed from the deserving castes ( or what ever criteria they needed to get this benefit) but surely not the deserving ones..I mean they wud have any way did Engg (or better higher ed) and more than the graduation bcos they really had all the money and exposure..The really deserving candidate sitting in some rural area wud still be running his father’s cycle shop or idly shop..sigh..sigh..

Looks like Natwar singh & co are nailed..good..he is another unwanted and unbearable nonsense politrixian anyway..good for him..let him never open his noisy ugly mouth again in public.

There is the condom scam going on just to spruce up things, if u think there weren’t (m)any.. yeah..after the stamp paper, fodder now condom scam! Some crores made (or lost depending on which is ur perspective) on condoms.. u can enjoy some dissection on this till we get the next scam..

PS: pl have ur BP checked after a news round up..in my case the handy machine failed:-(

Kidventures

Dont u think the nexgen is far ahead..see some samples here..
This kid in my neighbourhood is known for his notoriety but we were amused when one day his mom suddenly voiced out, “oh! I have to leave immly. 2moro is my son’s hindi dictation”. Fact 1: he is all of 5 years
Fact 2: he is too good at studies inspite (or is it bcos?) of his notoriety.
So we were stunned at this sudden concerned rush of his mom. Then we came to know that this kid freaks out in hindhi per say like in other subjects but when it comes to dictation he fails. Or I call it freaks out. Its like this: as the teacher dictates he generally fails to write them it seems. So u wud be tempted to think he has not caught the alphabets correctly. No! generally he writes well enough. Even in the dictation he writes the first said word later, 2nd one last, later one earlier (in the gap he has left probably). So the teacher, his mom (and now us) are baffled how he does that! Jumbling the order to the extent that the teacher knows these words were a part of the test but does not know if the marks shud be awarded! Howwzzzaat??

Then there is this smart kid in our n’hood who is coolly beram pesifying (bargaining) for chiclets..to come from 1st floor to give his mom the house key else she has to come up to collect them it seems:-)

Another kid wanted her father to buy 3 chiklets (I forget the brand) and not more or less..This left us wondering and then found out its bcos then only she gets some cardboard top free..(hey..u don’t watch pogo rit?)

My nephew whose family recently moved to Blore said this when asked if he knew kannada – “i know kannada, but can talk only in school, not in house” sappai kattu kings..

There was this kid who got admission in to a tuff school in blore! I was so inquisitive to know how they bagged it and it was bcos: in the school interview as soon as they enetered the princi’s room he was offered a choclate. This kid peels off and even before gobbling it cooly searches for a dustbin..the princi is maha impressed and so no further questions what so ever and he is awarded a seat. So what u may ask, but the parents vouch he has never done it b4 in his life..so who teaches them all these tricks?

Another smart one when told the crocodile and elephant myth story asked “why did the huge elephant shout for god’s help when it had the other 3 legs and cud have stamped the croc ‘nach nach’ and escaped, no?”

There was this soo smart at 7 who asked her grandma when she was narrated the story of Krishna, kamsa et al..she just coolly asked her granny “ if kamsa knew the 8th child is gonna kill him, why did he leave both mrs & mr vasudev in the same prison”..such a question at 7 years – am saying she understood the implication while posing this question, but too much ain’t? and I cud not over hear the granny’s reply to such profound question..sob..sob..

Centre Vs state..

Have u ever got this thought that the organizations under the centre are far better than the ones under the states..I mean in the typically governmental functioning styles..
Recently had to visit the IT dept and also the state tax dept..while most guys in the income tax (comes under centre) are very reasonable, transparent and mostly non corrupt where as the state tax officials smack of corruption to the boot…no! I am not imagining. The auditor and friend along with whom I went too felt the same..
But a long way to go..one is reminded of some of the slapdash organizations like railways, customs, excise etc..
How I wish these all were run smooth and fair enough and we the people, the reason for their existence, really benefited from these..hmm…somebody stop me from dreaming..

SHE!!!!!!!!!

It was a romantic night! Really!! Ambience was just perfect, the place surrounded by variety of trees..since it was evening (late by my standards) more chirping of birds and crickets and what nots; She was there just at an arm’s distance, tantalizingly beautiful…Add to all this almost virtual n incredible background..oh! thanks to the now-on-now-off power situation of Karnataka, she is just gorgeously glittering due to the PCSriram-like lighting of the nearby highway lights..Just as Iam waiting for the dinner, with her just a meter apart as I said just 2 sentences back…am almost tempted to touch her..the loneliness and the almost dark back drop just prevents me..Thanks to the proximity of ranganthittu bird’s sanctuary some vague bird (not to be seen) with more vague chirpings..hmm..and she – that’s the perennial beauty called cauvery is just an arms distance away..and Though I was tempted so much as said above- the dark, fear of crocodile (rumor courtesy : the boat man) and almost no inhabitation near by stopped me..from feeling her, that is;-)
This unbelievable setting at Amblee resorts just on the bank of Cauvery at srirangapatna! That’s where I spent the last weekend ladies and Gmen! A fanatastic place..that restaurant right on the banks and me getting the last possible, i.e. closest to cauvery table..phew...again I never get tired of cauvery at various settings and probably need to do ganges soon to overcome this cauvery_awe of mine..

To digress from cauvery: the travel to Mysore from Bangalore these days is a gr8 experience with the ‘Vajpayee roads’ almost ready (up to 95%) its a sooper experience..and fine stop over eat outs like Kamat’s lokaruchi ..only problem is at some places your side of the 2 or 3 lane’s rightmost becomes the only lane for the upcoming traffic..this happens due to some fine tuning on the other side but comes about without any warning! and so while u attempt to overtake a slower vehicle (invariably on ur front – Murphy?) u are suddenly caught unawares..