The 49th post

Dear friends and followers, there are totally 54 posts in this blog now. 3 of them written by my friend Suresh (aka Subi), and 2 posts that have no real content. So, practically this is my 49th post. 49 posts in about 3 years is not a big achievement at all, but it is a good point to look back and analyze a bit.

(You can click on the images below to see them better).

Subject range and stats

In these 49 posts, I have attempted travelogues, humor, suspense, romance, poems, eco-gyan, movie reviews, personal musings and even history based fiction. Some of these posts received wide attention and a few of them did not gain any attention at all.

Though I have tried to balance between Thamizh and English, number-wise, there are more posts in English. For a good number of my readers Thamizh was not the second language in school and so they have trouble reading Thamizh. I had to retain their readership!! Plus, my humor is contrived - except in a couple of posts that I wrote immediately after reading "Three men in a boat". The contrived humor works out better in English (Of course, you may argue that it doesn't work out anyways).

I have not ventured into any social issues and 'should-be-discussing' topics. That would require assessing all sides of such issues and being able to come to a conclusion. I should be able to do it, when I have made myself knowledgeable enough.

The popular ones

"Kaadhalagikk kasindhurugi" has received the maximum number of page views. I myself have read it many times. Even if my own page views are subtracted, I think it would still top the list.


Going by the number of comments (after subtracting my own comments), the top 3 are:

Busy for nothing (13 comments) - Some of these were greetings and not comments on the post.

Love and my first blabbering post (13 comments) - This was my first major success.

Kaadhalgikk kasindhuriugi (11 comments)

My picks

I have a special liking for the 3 posts below. They have unearthed old memories for some of the readers and helped them relive those cherished moments:

The one on dad's retirement

Yeh tumhari meri baathein

Venu Lane - Biodiversity hot spot

Traffic inflow and stats

I don't consider myself a good writer (not after reading posts by Seralathan (serious writing) and Jaya Madhavan (humor)). Further, I write mostly about what I have been through, what I think, what I want to be. When there is so much of "I", my writing may be of interest only to my close friends. So, I have some hesitation in publicizing my blog.

To begin with, most of my readers were my close friends, then it extended to a few co-workers. Only a very few followers are strangers to me. Thus, my readers circle is very small. A small number of people have dropped in, to read just one or two posts.

Some friends have helped to extend the readership by forwarding links through mails and facebook. I was surprised to see traffic flowing in from countries like Russia and Ukraine where I have no friends (unless Veerabahu was ever posted there for one or more of his frequent foreign assignments).

I have some traffic flowing in through Seralathan's books review blog. That may be natural because, some people who know him are likely to have known me as well. But, I was surprised to see traffic flowing in via talesofthewanderlust (Madan) and some-sensible-nonsenses (Divya). I should thank Seral, Madan and Divya for extending the readership of my blog by listing it in the list of blogs they follow.

Some traffic comes in accidentally too. Have a look at some of the key words that lead people to my blog:

Visitors trend:

I used to receive comments from many friends. Marriage and parenthood has made some of them busy (that is not a complaint :) ). It is a pleasant surprise when some of them comment after a big gap, that gives me assurance that they still visit my blog.

Anyways, not all of my readers leave comments in the blog itself. For various reasons, some friends talk to me over phone, some of them mail their comments and some give feedback when they meet me. Some of them share their own experiences and memoirs with me. Interestingly, there are some good writers among them, but they do not maintain a blog or are inconsistent. I have tried encouraging them to write as that is one way to get better - that and reading more.

I have also got a few good critics who pat me when I write well, tell me when I could have done better and advise me even on the font size.

Looking at the stats, the page views seem to be picking up in 2012.

Overall, I am pleased with how it's going. A couple of friends have suggested that my writing is going to the next level. That is definitely encouraging. Thanks for the continuing support folks. I love you all.

The break

The reason for this 'looking back' analysis even before reaching the 50th post is because I plan to take a mini-break giving myself some time to prepare for the exams (2oth May). Because, once I plan to write on something, it begins to occupy a corner in the mind and creates restlessness. Sometimes, many pieces run at the back of the mind at the same time. That is an unwanted luxury with exams around.

A compelling reason may arise pushing me to change my mind in a hurry and break the break as well. The 50st post might not be far away. Hopefully, Sachin would have scored his 100th hundred by then!

Venu Lane - The bio-diversity hotspot

My maternal grandparents' house, built with bricks was never coated with cement or paint on the outside. The rooms, except the hall, were roofed with terracotta tiles. Such an architecture inherently provided with lot of crevices, clefts and other 'thesaurus'eous openings. Perfect setting to house all verities of arthropodians. Arthropodians, aren't just another groups of 'podians', they do have intimidating features.

Along with the arthropods, there were other creatures: the 4-legged, the 8-legged and the 5-legged (a differently-abled cockroach who lost a leg in an encounter with grandma). There were also the multipedes, centipedes and even wikipedes ("Wiki" is a Hawaiian word meaning "fast" or "quick"). There were so many of them that we did not even have to install an antenna when the house got its first TV. There was no need when all those arthropods had at least two antennae each.

There was one room that wouldn't allow sunlight. The hall had an attic which served as a dump yard for old vessels, audio cassettes ("Parashakthi" kadhai vasanam and the likes), outdated medicines and "Soviet" magazine issues from the days of Stalin and Lenin. Also, anything that I wanted to hide from my little sister was thrown into the attic. It basically supported 9 families of rodents, 1 cat, its visitors and many colonies of termites among others. Occasionally, my uncle too.

There was a garden behind the house which was the abode of many creepy creepers - a water melon plant and snakes inclusive. Actually, 'garden' is a overstatement for what we had. Drumstick trees, few shrubs of shoe-flower, pumpkin creepers - were all that grandpa would classify. Rest were wild herbs and grass and he gave them different names on different occasions. The snakes were real though.

Considering that I spent most of my vacations as a kid at the said house, I had enough experiences to write an entire series of "Night of the scorpion and others Inc" unlike Nissim Ezekiel who stopped with just the one poem. Probably I would have started with 'The night of the angry ant':

I remember the night when I

was stung by an ant. One hour

of power-cut had driven him

to circle beneath the candle light.

More candles, one torch light,

more insects and the endless power-cut.

Yet to be enrolled in school

I had no homework nor sense.

Boredom caught me and I

tried to trap the ant

under a geometry box

(which was not mine).

Upon release, the angry ant

bit my little finger.

Tears down my eyes

and a red fluid down my finger

(for I was seeing blood

for the first time),

I turned and twisted in pain

singing 'why this kolaveri'.

My angry aunt killed

the angry ant and she

covered my finger with a cloth.

The bleeding stopped

and the pain subsided.

Did I stop crying?

No! Not until I was given a banana.

When the power was back

I saw the dead ant being carried

by its men while I

was still eating the banana.

It wasn't just about the nights anyway. In the mornings, we had a pack of monkeys visiting the locality at regular timings. If the monkeys crossed east-west, the time was 7am. If they crossed west-east, the time was 4pm. If they did not turn up - 'Ekathasi' celebration in local temple (which meant they did not have to visit our garden for food). One day, when my little sister was sleeping in the cradle and we were busy in the kitchen, a monkey had come into the house and was checking out the cradle. We had to shoo-shoo it, least my sister would have grown up to be the female version of Mowgli or 'Elizabeth of the jungle'. Only slightly different from how she grew up in my company.

Grandpa's house had a wide assortment of slippers though no one in the house wore them while in town. But at the mere sight of a mouse, each one would swing their favorite slipper. They rarely hit a mouse and only ended up hitting each other. The mice and myself had lot of fun.

While sleeping, grandma would spread the mats leaving a small margin between the wall and the mat. That margin was to be the undeclared wildlife corridor. The nocturnal insects would use it as a freeway without having to interfere with the sleep process of us, humans. But, occasionally we used to have man-insect encounter...like when a cockroach decided to take the road not taken and crawled over the over-bridge which was my arm. That was when, I used my well-trained shriek. Chorus by little sister. It was in this encounter that the above said cockroach became differently-abled due to grandma's angst. (In daylight, it would not have been handicapped...it would have been simply dead).

It wasn't just about fear and adventure though. There was the joy of capturing jewel beetles (பொன் வண்டு) in match boxes; feeding sparrows; following the squirrels; watching the garden lizard hoping it would change colors like a chameleon; feeding dead beetles to ants; planting mango seed; urinating on it hoping it would grow fast; even waiting for 4pm for the evening parade of the monkey pack.

Eventually we grew up, technology advanced and a sense of hygiene took over. The garden was relatively cleaned up, the trees were pruned. These days, the monkey population has migrated elsewhere, sparrows are not to be seen, squirrels are rare. The crevices and clefts are still there in lesser numbers. The fear of scorpions and centipedes is also still there, though I believe they have already departed us.

My nieces and nephews do not visit the house much and they don't believe my stories. What a pity!!

(post script: "Venu Lane" is the name of the street in which my maternal grandparents lived. I plan to write occasionally, based on my experiences from the days in Venu Lane).

(picture courtesy: http://www.ourhabitatgarden.org/creatures/insect-creatures.html)

வணக்கம் வெண்பா

வெண்பா எழுதிப்பார்க்க வேண்டும் என்பது நீண்ட நாள் ஆவல். இந்த வாரம் வரிந்து கட்டிக்கொண்டு விதிகளை மனப்பாடம் செய்து எழுதியும் விட்டேன். கற்பனைக்கு வினைக்கெட (மெனக்கட) வேண்டாம் என்று, சில மேற்கத்தியப் பாடல் வரிகளை மொழிபெயர்த்துள்ளேன். இவற்றின் ஆங்கில மூலத்தைப் பாடியவர்கள்:

MJ - Michael Jackson; CD - Celine Dion; 'N - 'NSync; BA - Bryan Adams;

BD - Bob Dylon; MLTR -MLTR; BZ - Boy Zone

இக்கலைஞர்கள் என்னை மன்னிப்பார்களாக! இனி உங்கள் பாடு...

1.

I'm starting with the man in the mirror

I am asking him to change his ways

-MJ

முன்நிற்கும் பிம்பத்தின் மெய்யோன் திருந்திடப்

பின்நிற்கும் நன்நெறியில் பார்

(பார் - உலகம்)

2.

I know that I can't describe

What I'm feeling inside

..

I guess I live with the fear

This could all disappear

If I try to put it in words

-CD

நன்மொழி வேண்டிமுன் கெஞ்சினம் சொல்லின்பின்

கைத்தவறு மென்றஞ் சினம்

3.

I could build you a bridge that spans the oceanwide

But the greatest gift I give you would be to stand by your side

-CD

அருங்கடல் நீண்டளக்கும் பாலந் தரலின்

பெரும்பரி சென்துணையு னக்கு

(பெரும்பரிசு, என் துணை)

4.

Here I am - This is me

There is nowhere else on earth I'd rather be

-BA

இவ்விடம் வந்தேன் இவணாவேன் உன்நிழல்

நீங்கி இனிப்போவா னேன்

5.

When you speak the angels all sing

This is the kind of magic you bring

-MJ

அன்பேஉன் மாயநாவைச் சற்றசை - கேட்டு

மகிழலாம் தேவதை இசை

6.

When I 'm all alone with the stars above

You are the one I love

-MLTR

விண்மீன் துணைத்தும் தனித்தேன் உனையே

நினைந்தேநான் காதலித் தேன்

7.

Love me for a reason

Let the reason be love

-BZ

காரணங் கொண்டெனைக் காதல் புரிகஅக்

காரணமுங் காதலே கொள்க

8.

That he not busy being born

Is busy dying

-BD

பிறத்தல் அவசரத்தில் இன்னும் சிலரும்

இறத்தல் வழியில் பிறரும்

9.

Steal a little and they throw you in jail

Steal a lot and they make you king

-BD

சிறுபொருள் கள்வன் சிறையில் அரும்பொருள்

கள்வன் அரியணை யில்

10.

When I look into your eyes

I know that it's true

God must have spent...

A little more time

On you...

-'N

நன்முகத்தாள் மெய்யுரைக் கண்காட்டும் வானுரை

நான்முகத்தான் மெய்வருத் தல்

(தளை எங்கேனும் தட்டியிருப்பின் என் தலை தட்டுக!!)

Bladderful of thoughts (Thoughts full of bladder)

Note 1: If you have a weak heart or appetite that cannot bear words like bladder, urinary system etc., do not continue reading the post
Note 2: I promise not to write about health conditions or doctors in the next 3 posts
Note 3: Even as I was conceiving this post, I realized that "Three men in a boat" still has its influence on me..will soon get over it

I had been to one of my school friends' marriage last week. He is a doctor now and the bride too is a doctor. The marriage hall was full of doctors, been-doctors, soon-to-be-doctors and will-be-doctors. The bride's father is a professor and hence there were many doctors from that line too. Because of that and owing to illness, it seems as if I spent last month with more doctors than engineers.

I have not been feeling 100% bhupeshy in this one month period even after having recovered from a prolonged fever. I decided to see a doctor who had done some higher studies on medicine just to see if all that education helps him really. So, I woke up early this Saturday @9.30 and after checking with couple of sources, went to one of the big hospitals in Coimbatore. I told the doctor my symptoms. He asked me if I had fever recently and if I had shivering in the night. My answers were "yes" and "oh yes". Then he asked if I had discomfort while urinating. I told him, "slightly", now convinced that the education was really helping. He thought I might have stone formation in the bladder. He asked me to get a UltraSound scan of the abdomen and also take a urine test.

Happy that I was now getting promoted from antibiotics and syrups to Ultrasound scans and urine tests, I called my folks and told them about it. My father thought the formation of stone was due to the heat and because I was always in office..my mother felt it was because I was married to my laptop and spent most of my time with it...my cousin thought it was because Irfan Pathan bowled two stupid balls to Dhoni in the Kings XI Vs CSK match. Finally, my sister declared that it was because I repeatedly made fun of how relieving it is to get one's bladder empty and she referred to two of my earlier posts in this blog as examples. That seemed to be the most convincing reason of all. I thought the doctor should be able to figure all that out by seeing the reports and I went to the US scan centre first.

The notice there read: "Do not take food for 4 hours before the scan. Get the bladder full by drinking 2 litres of water or 2 tender coconuts. When the bladder is full, please let the nursing assistant know". The nursing assistant gave me the same instructions again. When it comes to urinating, I am like a dog that raises its legs at every lamp post - meaning - I could do it anytime....but I felt, my bladder wasnt full enough for the occassion at that point and took 2 glasses of water..not convinced, went out and took a glass of water-melon juice...and then one tender coconut. I felt full and went to the scan centre. The nurse asked me to come back after an hour as the doctor had not arrived yet. While I was wondering if I could it hold it that long, she suggested that I should probably get the urine test done. At the lab, I was given a small container to get sample. When I gave back the container, the attendant asked if it had enough for a sample....I said I could actually contribute for the tests of the next 3 patients in queue. She said, such an idea could only come from someone who studied management. When I said, I am an engineer, she felt that explained it even better.

I had one hour now to be passed. I called my room-mate and I told him of what happened. I asked him if he could bring the book I was reading to the hospital for time-pass. He asked me the title and I said "Go kiss the world"...he said a more apt title to read at the point would be "Go piss the world". I applied some time and travel concepts and realized that I will not be able to meet him before my scan appointment and asked him not to bother.

Anyways, I got busy filling my bladder again. I arrived at the scan centre few minutes before my scheduled time. The place had a lot of pregnant ladies for the scan. I hoped they didnt misplace the reports and declare me pregnant. The nurse was calling out names and I had to wait for my turn. It was well past my appointment time and my name hadnt been called. I would not have minded it had it not been for my bladder being full. I anxiously went to the nurse and asked when my turn would come. Then she realised that she hadnt noted down my name at all. I told her that I could not hold long and that to get my bladder filled again would be far more difficult than emptying it. She seemed to empathize with my situation and immediately called out my name. As soon as the scan was over, I ran like a mad man to the restroom.

With both reports in hand now, I went to the waiting room. Before the doctor arrived, I had to empty the bladder again twice. I must have drunk some 4 litres of water. When the doctor looked at the report he said he didnt see any stones in the report. I told him that even if there had been a diamond in my bladder, it would have dissolved in the gallons of liquid I had taken that day. Then he did the routine checks and wrote down the names of some anti-biotics. He asked me to take them for 2 days and made me sign in blood(I fancy that he might use it for some testing), that I will not make fun about emptying the bladder. Ofcourse, I got an exception for this one post.

When I returned to my room and took a tablet out, I was amazed. It was so big that, if it went undissolved to the bladder, it could increase the water levels in the bladder,like how the clever crow raises the water level by dropping stones inside.

Moral of the story: Drink 2 to 3 litres of water a day even if you are a camel, to avoid stone formations. Even though it turned out that there was no stone in my bladder, I was all the time thinking that I may have to spend the rest of my life trying to dissolve it. (On the hindsight, I was also thinking that the amount of coke I drink must be able to erode even a rock).

"Doc...what did you make me gulp?"

I wouldnt say this is new to me or you. You have all been there, there and there. And I wouldnt say the below is all true..I dont half remember what happened to me in real life in the last two days; to give a unadultered version of my dreams in the same period, would be impossible and boring. There are stuffs that I have made up.

On Friday evening, I, along with my friends, returned from a trip to "black thunder" (a theme park near Coimbatore). The taste of masala puri taken at black thunder was lingering in my tongue, and, so I took it for dinner too. I climbed the innumerable steps to my mansion room, took bath (to wipe off the chlorine) and scanned through my book-shelf....then scanned through the DVD collection. "Delhi 6" was inviting. I sat with my laptop. Watched the movie, then as usual, read a few facts about the movie on the net. Got reminded of "Pirates of Carribean" somehow and watched a few clips from the movie. That's the point till which my brain cells have a clear record of. Many people in the rest of the story are real life characters, but I dont know what business they had in my dream - especially Abhishek Bachchan.

I was sitting in "Lalkudi" restaurant, waiting for a table, when a guy next to me started talking in Malayalam. I noticed that his forehead had a "KL" registration. I told him, "Sorry, I dont speak Malayalam". He again said something in Malayalam - the only thamizh word being 'Time'. I told him, "Sorry, I dont understand a word of Malayalam". He showed me the TV. Anil Kumble was being interviewed by my uncle and Kumble declared that Malayalam will be Coimbatore's official language effective immediately. I was starting to feel very insecure about myself. These mallu guys already had a very streamlined body like a fresh water fish and had their way with girls with the sweet language they spoke. Now, that being the official language, I had to learn it. Abhishek Bachchan agreed to help me. After all, he had the best American accent by an Indian actor (Kamal Hasan ranking second). "What an idea sir'ji?" - I told him. There was a condition though, Amitabh would take the introductory session. I was cool with anything.

The new woodland shoes started biting. Peter said, "What is the need for a shoe in black thunder...come on, have you ever been to a water theme park?". He pushed me into the water and said "Savvy!!". I laid in the water, for how long I dont know. I was still in the water, but I knew that everyone in the world had left. They did not know that I was in black thunder drowned in the 'lazy river' which is 2 feet deep. I suddenly remembered that black thunder was for sale. May be, people just left black thunder and not the world. Even if they did leave the world, the first one to go would have been a mallu and I knew the official language in the new earth was Malayalam. So, I was happy to be left out here.

I knew I had to wake up, but could not. I felt heat all over the body. May be I was in a fire ride and not a water ride. These guys used to have something called "Volcano". I realized that I could get out of this, if I could finish one of the 3 tasks I was supposed to do.

1. How better could have "Delhi 6" ended.
2. Set up hints for a treasure hunt that we were planning to have in office.
3. Complete the blog post about "Why I am not expressive" - which I had promised to Jai that I would write about.

I had a tough time choosing between the 3. They all seemed equally tough. With my hands and legs tied, with my nose blocked and with a soar throat which made me mute, I could not do much. Suddenly, one of my friends appeared and said - "You never really care for your friends. You care for only the pretty ones". At this, I was very very deeply hurt and woke up with all my might. I picked my phone and messaged her saying "Watch 'Dog day afternoon'. Al Pacino is awesome". She replied immediately saying, "I asked you to watch 'Amelie'. Have you?". "I think I have swine flu or something. Or may be it is just because I read '3 men on a boat', the other day. Will call you when I am fully conscious".

After 10 minutes, I was a little conscious. The time was 10.30am. I had cold. I was having a bad throat - not as cute as Rani Mukherjee's though. I had fever. I searched my roommate's medical box and found a tablet that said "Crocin - Cold and Flu". Gulped it and went down to take break fast. I asked for warm water to drink and it tasted like elixir (no, I havent tasted elixir). Back to room, I had a pile of clothes to wash. I soaked them in RIN (no, they are not sponsoring this post) and surfed the net a bit. You know, I am immune, brave and all that. So, inspite of the fever, I washed the clothes. The power went off. I thought of lying down for sometime.

Peter woke me up and said - "It is already Sunday and you are not doing anything about your fever. Will Abhishek Bachchan come and fill in for you tomorrow?". But I was helpless. I was already outside of the universe. Jai had trans-ported me through digital imaging for his project. May be, I am yet to get used to the trans-porting..and hence the fever, body pain etc. He has promised to get me back to earth during the maintenance window which was on Saturday night EST (Earth Standard Time). I hoped, he remembered that due to Day Light Saving, the timings have changed.

It must have been about time, for someone was playing 'Nenjukkul peidhidum maamazhai' and I could hear it. The guitar's vibration forced me to wake up. I realized that it was my phone. My cousin was trying to reach me. I hid the phone under the pillow and mumbled "I need some oxygen or may be adrenalin. Depends". That suddenly reminded me that I had to meet the doctor.

The time was 3.30pm. I woke up in a hurry. The body started aching. I still didnt have a clue as to how better "Delhi 6" should have ended. I should probably start with the blog post. But, first, Doctor. I shaved as much as I could, for I did not want the doctor to conclude that I was just dying out of hunger and really was not sick. I walked down the 4 storey mansion. There was a clinic just opposite to my mansion. The board read "Consulting hours - 5pm to 6pm". $#*&# (I don't normally swear or curse). To hell with doctors, they dont work half the time the rest of the world works. I walked the street to see if there was any other clinic. There were 5. One was a homeopathy clinic, one for pregnant women, one was an eye-care clinic, one specialized in skin disease and the other said "Dr.X, BSc Medicine" - wait, are you kidding!!.

I had a cup of tea and climbed 4 floors back. The next thing I did was to sleep again. I set the alarm for 5pm and kept the phone far away from me, least I would hide it under the pillow again.

Myself, Peter, my cousin, some doctor and Sonam Kapoor(Peter had a crush for her, but I was Abhishek Bachchan..right? Don't tell Peter.) were running around Black Thunder to find the next hint for the treasure hunt. Peter shouted in Malayalam "Werent you the one who set the hint..why are you running with us?".
"The hints that I had set were before Black Thunder was sold off" - I shouted back in Malayalam..(Wow...did you notice that..my accent?). He seemed confused.
My cousin sent me a message saying - "pls call me". I thought he must have got lost somewhere. But my phone was the treasure we were trying to find. Idiot, how the hell could I call him, when the very thing we were searching for was my phone. Then it occurred to me that if I could read the message, then probably the phone was somewhere near. I woke up and found the phone in my hand. My cousin had really messaged me and I had really read it. Anyways, he was getting on my nerves. Lazy guy, had no work to do on Saturdays and was probably trying to reach me to say 'Hi'. I replied saying - "Hey..I am fine. Coimbatore is equally hot. Black Thunder was disappointing. Will call later. Busy now" and switched off the phone. The time was 4.45 anyways.

Washed my face and went down again. Fever wasn't there now, throat had cleared comparitively...my goodness...I had atleast one reason to go to the doctor - I still had body pain. I was happy for that (!!!). The doctor had no compounder, no nurse, one fan and a poster that said "Swine Flu is curable....blah..blah".
The doc looked like he bunked his medicine classes for the 5 to 6 consulting session. I told him that I had fever. He took the thermometer. I said, "It is
not there now". I told him that I had a bad throat. He asked me to pull my tongue out. I said, "It is better now".

"Do you have blocked nose"

"No"

"Do you have cough"

"No"

"Shivering"

"No"

He looked confused. Probably he thought I was not going to give him the consultation fees.

"But I had body pain and it is still there"..I smiled as I said that.

He checked my blood pressure. He asked me to breathe in and out, while he probed my back with his steth. (Is this guy, just using all his equipments).

"What do you do?..I mean, where do you work"
"In a private firm" (I prefer not to tell that I work in IT field...I might be robbed).

He gave me one of those looks that interview panelists give when they want to say "Could you eloborate that?".

"I am a programmer in a small company"
"Which one?"
"Cognizant" ( I will be robbed).

He scribbled the names of 3 tablets. ( I later found that one of them was paracetamol) and asked me to take rest.
"Fees?"
"30"
"Three zero"
"Yes"
(Wow!!..dude, he is a good guy..you know...not all doctors are like that).

The medicines costed me 97.13 (VAT inclusive).


It was only 6pm. But I badly wanted to give myself a psychological boost. Took 4 idlies, pretending to my stomach that it was dinner and took the tablets. Ofcourse, slept off again. I started shivering after sometime. Started having cough. I had a blocked nose. "Did the doc ask me those questions, to know the symptoms or to give me those symptoms?". I decided to google and check what those tablets were for - but only after I woke up. I knew I was not asleep, but I knew I was not awake either. By the way, "How better could have 'Delhi 6' ended?".

I could sleep no more after 9pm. I felt better, like, a fresh water fish from Kerala. Called my friend and explained why I had not seen "Amelie" yet. Called
my cousin and gave him an account of the Black Thunder trip. Made sure, he didnt talk about it again. Opened the laptop and decided to write about the blog on "Being Expressive"....but switched to an earlier promise made to Arvindh, about writing a fiction and got that done.

Went to bed at 2.30am. Had a good sleep. No dreams...or may be I just dont remember them. Woke up at 6 and logged in immediately to see if there were any comments on the new post. Srikk, Seshu and Subi had declared that it was no fiction and that it was an account of my love-failure in real life. "How better could I end this story?" - I thought. Gave it a second climax..which was more bollywood types - just so that it would sound really like a fiction.

Soon, me and my Appleton friends got into a conference call - a long one. When I got off the call, the power went off. I took my morning dosage of the medicine and slept off. No dreams..or may be I just dont remember them. When I woke up, I had no body pain, no cold...but fever was still there. I was happy that I had a reason to have one more dosage of the tablets (What kind of disease is this? Is this a symptom of swine flu?). Delhi 6 climax didnt matter any more. I finished setting hints for the treasure hunt. Thought "Being expressive" needed more time for assimilation, and instead decided to write about the last 2 days of absolute laziness.

I am going to see what those tablets were meant for. I still have fever. Cheers!

Sweet Nothings!!

கல்லூரி விடுதியில் தங்கிப்படித்த காலங்கள் பசுமை நினைவுகள். நான்கு அல்லது ஐந்து மணி நேரங்களுக்கு மேல் வகுப்பு கிடையாது. இரண்டு மாதங்களில் ஐந்து நாட்களுக்கு மேல் தேர்வு கிடையாது. வாரத்தில் இரண்டு நாட்கள் செய்முறைப்பயிற்சி வகுப்புகள் (PRACTICAL) இருக்கும். அதற்கு முன் தினம் மட்டும் கொஞ்சம் மூளையை வருத்த வேண்டியிருக்கும் (பயிற்சி வகுப்பிற்கு முன்னர் மூளையைப் பயன்படுத்தும் அளவிற்குக்கேட்கப்படும் கேள்விகளுக்கு விடை சொன்ன பின்னரே உள்ளே அனுமதி கிடைக்கும்). சனி, ஞாயிறுகளில் வகுப்பு எப்போதும் கிடையாது. அப்பா கொடுத்த ஐனூறையோ ஆயிரத்தையோ செலவு செய்த பிறகு, மீதம் இருந்தது நொடி நொடியாய் நேரம் மட்டும் தான்.

தினமும் பத்து மணிக்கு உறங்கிவிடும் என் போன்ற நல்ல பிள்ளைகள் கூட, வார இறுதி 'மொக்கை'களில் கலந்து கொண்டு கேள்விச்செல்வத்தில் வள்ளுவர் மெச்சும் பிள்ளைகளாய் விடிய விடிய திளைத்திருப்போம். சிம்ரனில் ஆரம்பிக்கும் பேச்சு மெல்ல சித்ராவின் குரலில் கொஞ்சம் லயித்து விட்டு, வைரமுத்துவை கொஞ்சம் வம்பிழுத்து, சிலப்பதிகாரத்தை மேய்ந்து விட்ட பின்னர் ஒரு நண்பன் ஆரம்பிப்பான் - " நான் தூங்கப்போறேன்டா...". பின்னர் கதவருகில் நின்றவாரே, கண்ணகி சிலையைப் பற்றிய விவாதத்தில் கலந்து கொள்வான். அப்படியே சிலிக்கன் சிப்புகள் பற்றி யாராவது புத்திசாலி நண்பன் அரை மணி நேரம் பேச மற்றவர்கள் கொட்டாவி மூலம் நேர்மையான கருத்தைத் தெரிவிப்போம். ஒவ்வொருவராகக் கூட்டதில் இருந்து கலைய, சில கோட்டான்கள் விடிய விடிய 'டாபிக்' மாறிக்கொண்டிருக்கும். சில அறைகளில் கேரம் போர்டோ, சீட்டுக்கட்டோ சூடு கிளப்பிக்கொண்டிருக்கும். இன்னும் சில அறைகளில் நெப்போலியனோ, மார்க்கோப்போலோவோ நூற்றாண்டுகளுக்கப்பாலும் குடிமக்களை உத்வேகப்படுத்திக்கொண்டிருப்பார்கள். 'சிவகாமியின் சபதமோ', 'சிக்ஷ்த் சென்ஸ்' திரைக்கதையோ, கரட்டான்பட்டி பேய்க்கதையோ, காதலி பிரிந்த சோகக்கதையோ, வாத்தியார் பெண்ணுக்கு லெட்டெர் கொடுத்த வீரக்கதையோ எல்லாரிடமும் சொல்லுவதற்கு ஏதாவது இருக்கும். கதை ஏதும் இல்லாதவற்குக் குறைந்தபட்சம் 'ம்...' கொட்டுவதற்குத் திராணி இருக்கும். சில கதைகள் நேயர் விருப்பத்தால் ரிபீட் அடிக்கும்.

அடித்துப்பிடித்து வேலை வாங்கிய காலத்தில், எங்கள் தலைமுறைக்கு அறிமுகம் ஆனது அலைபேசி - மணிக்கணக்கில் அரட்டை அடிக்க ஏதுவாய் இருந்தது - இன்னும் இருக்கிறது. (அடுத்தடுத்த வருடங்களில் அலை பேசி ஒரு அத்தியாவசியப் பொருளாக வளர்ந்தது ஒரு தனிப் பொருளாதார வரலாறு).
கல்லூரி காலத்தில் இருந்த வெட்டிக்கதைகள் போல இன்றும் நிறைய இருக்கின்றன. அவற்றின் கூடவே சேர்ந்து கொண்டவை அலுவலகப் போராட்டங்களும், ஏமாற்றங்களும், சாதனைக் கொண்டாட்டங்களும்..... திருமணம் பற்றிய தயக்கங்களும், கலக்கங்களும், அழைப்புகளும்......பின்னர் - பரிசுக்கு நன்றிகளும்.

திருமணம் ஆகிவிட்ட நண்பர்களிடம் தொடர்பு மெல்ல தேயத்தொடங்குவது உண்மைதான் (தோழிகள் பெரும்பாலும்; தோழர்கள் சிறிய அளவில்). அதற்கான சந்தர்ப்ப, சூழ்நிலை, சமுதாயக் காரணங்கள் இருக்கின்றன. வாழ்வின் இந்தக்கட்டத்தில், இதனால் தானோ என்னவோ எனக்கு 'ROCK ON' திரைப்படத்தின் 'Ye Tumhari Meri Baathein' பாடல் மிகவும் பிடித்து விட்டது என நினைக்கிறேன்.

உலகின் ஏதோ ஒரு IP அட்ரெஸ்ஸில் இருந்து கொண்டு, இதைப்படித்துக் கொண்டிருக்கும் நண்பர்களே.....எனது ஆவலும், அப்பாடல் வரிகளின் அர்த்தமும் இதோ:

" நம் நீண்ட பேச்சுகள் தொடரும் இது போன்றே
நம் சந்திப்புகள் தொடரும் இது போன்றே
நம் இரவுகளும் பகல்களும் கழியும் இது போன்றே

பேச்சு முடியும் இடத்தில் தொடரும் புது விஷயங்கள்
அந்த விஷயங்கள் கொண்டே புனைவோம் புதுக் கவிதைகள்
நம் கவிதைகள் இதயங்களை வருடிச் செல்லும்
வார்த்தைகள் இசையில் உருகிக் கரையும்
அர்த்தங்கள் பாடலில் மூழ்கி நிறையும்

அந்தப் பாடல்கள் நம்மை மலர்ச்சியால் அலங்கரிக்கும்
நீ மலர்ந்த பாடல்களை எனக்கும் இசை, நண்பா!"

(கொஞ்சம் உரிமை மீறிக், கருப்பொருள் மாறாமல் சில வார்த்தைகளை மாற்றி உள்ளேன். இந்தியில் பாடலை எழுதியவர், பல அருமையான பாடல்களை எழுதியுள்ள Javed Akthar)

புகைப்படம்: http://www.gettyimages.com

My recent obsessions

After watching Jodha Akbhar, I spent the next 3 to 4 hours surfing the net about Akbar, Mughal History and such. When someone told me about how Vaishnavites don't prefer worshiping Lord Shiva, I spent the next one week or so, reading about Shiva and what Hindu Mythology says about him. I am not talking about just academic research....to quote another example, until recently, I listened to 'Sindbad the Sailor' from movie 'Rock On', almost every night.
Do most of you go from obsessions to obsessions, like me? That's probably a gene that we carry from our great grand parents - the monkeys.

Anyway, here are some of my recent obsessions:

1. Firefox - I don't remember what prompted me to install Firefox...probably, my friend Vinayak's propaganda :). It's been sometime now. But I generally switch between Firefox and IE. For the past 1 or 2 days I have been exploring the features in Firefox. I have been trying different skins. "Mozilla Firefox" skin is the one I am using currently. Unfortunately, I have to use IE in my office laptop.

2. Stumble Upon - While hunting Firefox, I stumbled upon 'Stumble Upon'. I created an account and chose some of my favorite search topics. Every time I click on 'Stumble!' button, it shows me a website relevant to my favorite topics. The last one I hit was a site on 'Buddhism'. Haven't explored much.

3. Theology - Well, this has been a permanent obsession. I am a non-believer - yes....but I like to read about the philosophies and mythologies of different religions. (I am the second kind that Mel Gibson describes in 'Signs').

4. 15th Lok Sabha in India - A couple of bitter experiences in college created a distaste in me for politics. My roomie Siva, who is my window to current affairs, gave me updates on the Lok Sabha election results.....and the Manmohan magnet pulled me towards NDTV and CNN IBN. I have been reading positive comments about Rahul Gandhi, Omar Abdullah and generally about luring youth towards politics. Hoping for good governance in the next 5 years. (For those of you who think I am a communist, 'Equality' and 'Secularism' are not principles of communism alone :) )

5. Animation movies - I have watched a series of animation movies over the last 3 months (Antz, A Bug's Life, Madagascar, Lion King 1.5, Wall-E and 2 or 3 more). The best thing I like about animation movies is the philosophy most of them carry (Eg: Secret Ingredient in Kungfu Panda) and the intelligent dialogues (Eg: from 'Madagascar' - Alex (Lion) to Marty (Zebra) - "You know your black and white stripes? They cancel each other out! You are a nothing"

6. Ye tumhari meri baatein - Song from Rock On. This is my anthem now. The lyrics are simple and the music is soothing. In the comments section of this blog, someone has tried to translate the song line by line: http://pritiahuja.wordpress.com/2008/08/17/song-on-my-mind-3/

7. Kaakkaichiraginile Nadhalala - Poem by Bharathiar. He sees and feels God in feather, grass and fire. God is everywhere!! Scientifically speaking: http://alpha-beta-blogma.blogspot.com/2009/03/blog-post_31.html

8. 'Blue Night' - MLTR. Romantic lyrics and a cool video.

9. http://vadakaraivelan.blogspot.com - he writes well, in simple Thamizh about day to day topics and has a lot of fan following.

I wanted to make it 10, but couldnt think of any recent obessesions to add. So, there ends my obsession to write at least 10 in every list :)

Love and my first blabbering post

"What according you is love?", was the question a friend recently brought up during a weekend gathering of 6 of us from my friend's circle. 5 years back I would have immediately thrown in my 2 pennies. The few grey hairs that decorate my side burns now, made me keep quiet. I knew the answer was not easy. I said, "I dont know". Sometimes the biggest wisdom is recognizing "I still dont know". This night, my mind is clogged with questions. So, here I am sitting under an imaginary Bhodhi tree and a 60 watts aura around me, with the knowledge that I surely wont attain enlightenment.

A couple marry. The wife loves the husband very much. They are the 'made for each other' couple. They have the 'new couple' craze for may be the next 1 year....then the craze gets tainted with the daily house hold disputes. They have not stopped loving yet.....just that they are entering a differen stage of love.

After 2 years, a child is born. The wife is a mother now. Most of her time is spent on the child. Has the love for her husband stopped? No, she still loves him. But she has someone more special to take care of now. The love spectrum has undergone a major shift.

The kid spends time around his mother most time for the next 4 years. I dont have to say that the mother's love is the purest and probably never ending form of love. The kid may not understand it at this point, but eventually he will, when he is in Appleton - away from home, writing blogs. The kid starts going to school, makes friends, meets teachers. Some kids, because of the kindness and fondness shown, love their teachers. I have seen kids who chose 'Betty Miss' Vs. Mom.

The kid becomes a teen. He reaches a stage of independence. He meets new friends. Develops new habits. He starts spending more time outside than in the house. The teachers thrust assignments. The parents thrust discipline. Naturally, he loves his friends' circle more than anything else. He has no respect for his mother/father/teacher. He may or may not love his parents depending on the pocket money and importantly how they accept his friends.

[wait now, have you already raised your eye brows and started jotting down points to retaliate? Read my disclaimer at the end. Hail the discoverer of disclaimers!!!]

The teen goes to college. He makes some special friends here. At college, especially in hostels where everyone is deserted from their family, where there isnt much to do beyond class hours, where there is so much fun, hobbies, love failures, shortage of pocket money and bad mess food, a bond develops which is stronger than the bond with siblings. Some of these frienships would continue life long.

Then eventually, there is a special one. Now, he would walk the sea, bend the sky, pluck the stars and die if needed. This could be love or infatuation. As if it were grammar, this passage should end with "What is the difference between love and infatuation?"

Infatuation eventually dies. After 2 years, assuming that there was no proposal/acceptance scene, the girl becomes an academic interest. "Oh she is doing MBA..?...I see", "Oh she married that guy Vinoth...?!?...I should have probably given a try". But - love - wherever she is, he cares for her. He may not walk the sea, bend the sky, pluck the stars, but he would sit with her one whole night listening to her problems...he would sacrifice a cricket match when she is in town(it is a big deal, girls!!)...his phonenumber/password/car registration something has her name/nick name. He never frowns that she did not marry him. He just wishes her good luck.

Well ofcourse, he could marry her and not do any of the above.

A couple of passages back we introduced some people called "life long friends". They are still there. But each of them is running his own love thread. So, the love among the friends is assumed to be global constant 'k' and can be used wherever the equation needs them.

Let us say he marries the special one. We have made a circle and come to 'New couple craze'. Wait....I ignored the mother for a long time....well, not me, HE. Right after his teenage, the love for his mother has undergone a spectral change. Mother's love is taken for granted just like friend's love is contant 'k'. Occassional calls and weekend meets will keep 'k' a constant unless some money-lending involves.

All this while, the mother never stopped her love for the child. As a kid she loved her mom, then her friends, then the special one, then the husband, then the kid, then.....well, there is no 'then'. The love for the kid never stops....she cannot love anyone more than her kid. (May be until super-hero 'grandchild' gives entry). A mother's love is not a human-only property. It is common to all vertebrates.....(hopefully, invertebrates dont read my blog).

Ofcourse there are other forms of love - siblings, cousins, pets, after-college friends and others that I cant clearly think of at 4 am.

Well, the point is, love is like God, it doesnt have a form. One can survive as an athiest....but not as a non-believer of love. Love is like energy, it transforms from form to form. Love is like light, it shows different colors when reflected by different objects. It doesnt have a definition.

Love involves happiness, celebration, satisfaction, inspiration, motivation, pain, disappointment, possessiveness, envy, disputes and re-union. It also involves songs and dance in Bollywood movies.

It exists in the real world!! For a man to survive, he needs, food, clothing shelter and love at every stage of his life. The best thing about love is, the more you give, the more you get.

The universe is huge, the stars small, the earth smaller, and human life very insignificant. Life is short and there is no time to be hating anyone. Fill life with love. Enlightenment.

(Disclaimer : I know some guys who love their parents than anyone else, I know guys who still talk to their friends everyday, I know Bollywood movies that dont involve song and dance. I dont claim this blog post to have said everything about love. Amen!)

எல்லாம் வல்லவன்

தூணிலும் இருப்பான் துரும்பிலும் இருப்பான்

அணுவைத்துளைத்தால் அதனுள்ளும் இருப்பான் -

அங்கிங்கெனாதபடி எங்கும் நிறைந்திருக்கும்

ஆதிப்பரம்பொருள்

e மேல் மிதக்கும் மைனஸ்

(இதுவும் பழசுதான்....2007ல எழுதினது..)

படம்: http://www.espacelollini.com/alb/atome_grand.jpg

நெய்தல் திணை

நெசவுக்கலைக்கு இரையாகிறது பட்டுப்பூச்சி
சிலந்தி வலையிலும்.......

என்று ஆரம்பித்தது என் சிலந்திக்காதல். இப்படியாகப் பள்ளிப்பருவத்தில் விட்டத்தைப்பார்த்துக்கொட்டாவி விட்டப்பொழுதுகளில் சில சிலந்தி வலைகளில் கொஞ்சமாகச் சிக்கிச் சீக்கிரமே தப்பித்துக்கொண்டேன். பின்னர் கல்லூரியில் கால் பதித்த மாத்திரத்தில், கவிதையும் பதிக்க எண்ணிக் கூரையைப் பார்த்தபடி கூர் தீட்டிய போது கண்ணில் பட்டன ஒரு எட்டுக்கால் பூச்சியின் கால்கள் எட்டும் எட்டாமல்....அந்தக் கணத்திலிருந்து இன்று வரை தவறாமல் சிக்கிக்கொள்கிறேன் கண்ணில்படும் சிலந்தி வலையில் எல்லாம். சொல்லப்போனால் பாட நூல்களை விட நான் மிகவும் ஒட்டிக்கொண்டது சிலந்தி நூல்களில் தான்.

சுவற்றைப்பார்த்து உறக்க நிலைக்குச் சென்ற மதியங்களில்,

எச்சில் மொழிந்த சிலந்தி,
கட்டி முடித்தது ஒரு கூடு.....
அடடா எச்சத்தில் ஒரு வினை முற்று!!

என்று இலக்கண மயக்கம் வந்ததுண்டு.

எல்லாப் பூச்சிகளும் அமித்தாப் பச்சனைப் போல 6 அடிகளுடன் தோன்றினாலும், இவை மட்டும் ஒருதிருக்குறள் இலவச இணைப்பு வாங்கியது போல் 2 அடிகள் கையூட்டாகப் பெறுகின்றன. சில வகைசிலந்திகளுக்கு எட்டு கண்கள் கூட உண்டாம்......extra கரங்களும் கண்களும் இருப்பதால்சிலந்திகள்தான் பூச்சி வகையராக்களின் கடவுளாக இருக்கும் என்று கூட எண்ணியதுண்டு.

ஒரு முறை குறுக்கெழுத்துப் போட்டிக்குப் புதிர்கள் தயார் செய்யும் பொழுது வழக்கம் போல் ஒருவலையில் சிக்கியதில் 'பழைமைக்கு அடையாளம் இந்த நூலகம் (5)' என்று புதிர் வைத்தேன் - 'நூலாம்படை' என்ற சொல்லுக்கு. 'கன்னிமரா' (இதுவும் ஐந்தெழுத்து) என்று எழுதியவர்கள் எல்லாம்பின்னர் அறைக்கு வந்து ரெளத்திரம் பழகிச்சென்றார்கள்.

மூன்றாம் ஆண்டில் எனக்கென்று தனி அறை ஒதுக்கப்பட்ட போது, எனக்கு முன்னரே குடிபுகுந்திருந்தது ஒரு சிலந்தி. 'அறைக்குள் மாளிகையா?' என்று ஒரு கவிதையைத் தெளித்தேன். ஏளனமாய்ப் பார்த்து விட்டு, தன் எச்ச வினையைத் தொடர்ந்தது.

பின்னொரு நாள், என் தந்தையின் வருகைமுன்னிட்டு, அழகியல் கருதி, ஒரு நன்மகனாய், கொஞ்சம்தயக்கத்துடன் சிலந்தி வெளியே சென்றிருந்த பொழுதில் அண்ணாமலை சரத்பாபு போலகூட்டைக்கலைத்தேன். ஒரு மணி நேரத்தில் இன்னும் அழகாய் எழும்பியிருந்தது ஒரு தொங்குதோட்டம்.

எத்தனை முறை வேண்டுமானாலும் கலைத்துக்கொள்..
அற்பனே முடிந்தால் என் கலையைக்கொல்!!

என்று என்னைத் தலை குனியச்செய்தான் அந்த அற்புதக்கலைஞன். அடுத்த நாளே, அறையில் சிலபடங்களை ஒட்டி வைத்தேன். ஒரு படத்தில் மலை, மற்றொன்றில் காடு, மூன்றாவதில் வயல், நான்காவது பாலைவனம். அவற்றின் அடியில், குறிஞ்சித்திணை, முல்லைத்திணை, மருதத்திணை, பாலைத்திணை என்று எழுதினேன். சிலந்திக்கூடு இருந்த இடத்தில் நெய்தல் திணை என்றுஎழுதினேன். அங்கு விரிக்கப்பட்டிருந்த வலையில், மீனுக்குப் பதிலாக ஒரு ஈசல் பூச்சி மாட்டிஇருந்தது.

காதலாகிக் கசிந்துருகிய காலத்தில் கூட,

மற்றுமொரு முறை கலைக்கிறேன் காதல்
மீண்டும் குடியேறுகிறாள்
என் காதல் சிலந்தி

என்று உருவகத்திற்கு உருவினேன் சிலந்தி வலையை.

நான்கு ஆண்டு கல்லூரி வாசம் முடிந்து அறையைக் காலி செய்வதற்கு 2 நாட்களுக்கு முன் அன்னாந்துபார்த்த போது, காணாமல் போயிருந்தது சிலந்திக்கூடு.

இன்று கணினிகள் விரித்த வலையில் சிக்கிய பிறகு நேற்று காலை நினைத்துக்கொண்டேன் அந்த ஒற்றடை நாட்களை. இந்நேரம் மற்றுமொரு சிலந்தி ஏதாவது ஒரு அறையில் எவனுக்கேனும் போதி மரம் நெய்து கொண்டிருக்கும். இப்படி உலகெங்கும் நூல் எழுதிக்கொண்டிருக்கும் எல்லாச் சிலந்திக்கும், இந்த எழுத்துக்கள் சமர்ப்பணம் ஆகட்டும் !!!

நன்றி: 'எச்சம்-வினை' வார்த்தை விளையாடிய சேஷாத்ரிக்கும், 'நூலாம்படை' பின்ன நூல் கொடுத்த சுரேஷிற்கும்.
படம்: http://ringoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/spider-web-ring.jpg

அடியேன்

"அடிக்கடி கவிதை எழுதுவியோ"

"ஓ!
உன் ஒவ்வொரு அடிக்கும் கூட
சில அடிகள் எழுதுவேன்"

(சில வருடங்களுக்கு முன்னால் எழுதிய கவிதை இது)
படம்: http://www.gettyimages.com/

"Innocent Voices"

நதிக்கரையில் ஒரு அழகிய கிராமம்.கடைவீதி- பள்ளி-ஆலயம். மணி அடித்ததும் ஆரவாரமாய் வெளியேறும் குழந்தைகள். ஓடிப்பிடித்தும், நொண்டியடித்தும் மாலைப்பொழுதைக் கழிக்கிறார்கள். சூரியன் விடை பெற்றதும், பெற்றோர்கள் பிள்ளைகளை அவசர அவசரமாய் வீட்டுக்குள் அடைக்கிறார்கள் - ஊரடங்கு உத்தரவு.

'ச்சோ'வென சத்தம். ஊரைச்சுத்தம் செய்யத்தொடங்குகிறது வானம். திடீரென்று தோட்டாக்களின் தாண்டவம் - மழையின் சத்தத்தை மட்டுப்படுத்துகிறது. மரங்களாலான குடிசைகளின் சுவர்களை மூர்க்கமாய்த் துளைக்கின்றன தோட்டாக்கள். கட்டிலுக்கடியில் அடைக்கலமாகின்றனர் குழந்தைகளும் அம்மாக்களும். பிள்ளைகள் முகத்தில் இப்போது மழலைக்கு மாறாக பீதி அப்பிக்கொள்கிறது. சில உயிர்களைச் சூரையாடியபின் இளைப்பாருகின்றன சாய்த்து வைக்கப்பட்ட சாயில் துப்பாக்கிகள். பயத்தில் நின்று போயிருக்கிறது மழை. மற்றுமொரு விடியல். கலக்கமாய் உதிக்கிறது சூரியன்.

கொரில்லா வீரர்களுக்கும் ராணுவத்திற்கும் இடையே நடக்கும் உள் நாட்டுப்போரில் சிக்கிச் செத்துப்பிழைக்கிறது இந்தக் கிராமம்.

12 வயதான எல்லாச் சிறுவர்களையும் வலுக்கட்டாயமாகப் பணியில் சேர்த்துக்கொள்கிறது ராணுவம். ராணுவத்தின் பெயரில் சொந்த நாட்டுக்காரர்களைக் கொல்ல விரும்பாத ஒரு சிறுவன், கொரில்லாக்களை நாடிச்செல்கிறான். அவன் பிஞ்சு உடலைத் துளை போடுகின்றன ராணுவத்தின் தானியங்கித் துப்பாக்கிகள்.

"Innocent Voices" என்ற பெயரில் மொழியாக்கம் செய்யப்பட்டத் திரைப்படத்தின் சில காட்சிகள் இவை. பல காட்சிகளில் என் கண்களில் நீர் தேங்கியது. எத்தனையோ நாடுகளின் இன்றைய நிகழ்வுதான் இது.
படத்தில் வரும் ஒரு பாடல் வரி: "இன்றும் நேற்றும் ஒன்று தான். நாளை என்பது என்றும் இல்லை"

படத்தின் முடிவில் என் மனதில் ஓடிய எண்ணம்:

எந்தக் கூரையின் மீதும்
குண்டுகள் விழ வேண்டாம் -
எதன் பெயரிலும்.
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ஒரு திரைப்படம் என்ற பார்வையில், இது மிகவும் நேர்த்தியான படம். பாசம், ஏழ்மை, நம்பிக்கை, கவிதை, அழகு, காதல், வீரம், போராட்டம் அனைத்தும் மிகவும் உண்மையாகக் காட்டப்பட்டுள்ளன. ஒளிப்பதிவு, வசனம், திரைக்கதை, நெறியாள்கை, நடிப்பு,படத்தொகுப்பு எல்லாவற்றிலும் சர்வதேசத்தரம்.

Prince, curse and the poem

Thought of posting a poem and since I havent written one recently, here is an old one written by me somewhere in 2004 or 2005. This requires some back ground.

One morning when we were still transitioning between college and corporate world, in came a forward which goes as below (I have shortened it):

Handsome prince - cursed by a witch - can speak only one word a year - can save the word every year, so that, for example, after 4 years of silence, can speak 5 words in the fifth year - meets a lovely princess - waits for 2 years to say 'my darling' - in the second year, decides to wait few more - 9th year, walks to her and says '"My darling, I love you! Will you marry me?" - and guess what the damsel said - "Pardon?".

That's a cruel comedy for the romantic minds. Anyway, here is what I wrote on it:

பல திங்கள் மெளனித்து
வார்த்தை வார்த்தையாய் சேமித்த காதலை
ஒரே வார்த்தையில் சிதறடித்தாள் -

"Pardon?"

(I havent used the exact words here...I am not sure what I wrote originally).

Ok...here is a transliteration(**) which I made up just now:

"Months of silence

And pounds of love

Gathered in his heart -

When the words were uttered

She spelled a bitter curse -

"Pardon?"

** Post Script added on (1/4/2009): The usage of 'transliteration' is wrong here. A better word would be 'Translation'.