From death unto life

 

Blazing guns and death sirens were screaming behind me as I ran for a shelter, clutching my 2 year old son. “They have arrived” shrieked an old lady, trying to catch up with the runners. Every Friday “they” came, looted and left. At least this was the norm until 2 months back when they stopped coming completely. Today they came again, and how.

Ours was a village like any other with quaint houses, lush green trees and clean rivers. Every morning cattle danced beatifically in the waters and women sang songs of glorious warriors while going about their daily chores. Our men were mostly farmers except for Jomo Ongayo. Rumor has it that he studied medicine and has become a doctor since, first one from our village if it were indeed true!

I was one among those women, for whom her little boy meant the world. Noah! His laughter filled my heart like an inflated balloon while his tears debilitated my soul into tiny fragments. He was the ‘egusi of my eye’. Egusi was a very important crop in our area, it quenched our thirst and pacified our hunger.

My daily routine was unexceptional except for my son. My husband, Mongoya died a year ago. It was the famine that killed him. A lot of us had reached the brink of death that year, but we were spared, I want to believe for a bigger reason.

Post famine, our village was exposed. Vulnerable men and women grabbed every opportunity to make bread. Little did they know that life as they knew it would be destroyed in the coming days.

The sun had set and the sky had fallen asleep. My little Noah had drifted off to the land of fireflies and rainbows. As I walked along the lawn, a cool breeze lightly brushed my hair. A muffled screaming was consciously growing louder. I walked towards the sound. A pale Narisa, my neighbor was wailing uncontrollably at the body of her dead son. She was surrounded by 3 goons holding swords dripping with blood. And that was the first murder that I witnessed.

This continued for days and weeks. Goons would enter a household, slash the throat of the man in charge and loot the valuables. No one knew who these men were and why they did this. The local authority riveted in fear at the mention of them. They came to be known as “Khoff” (terror). Gradually, we came to realize that this was not going to end, we had to either die at their hands or flee from this horror. Though the former provided instant respite, my resolute to live and love led me to the latter.

We noticed a visible pattern in their atrocities. They came out in gangs and wreaked havoc on Fridays. With the passage of time, the Khoff burned down men, women and children only to scale the heights of monstrosity. Charred remnants of dead carcasses and uprooted vegetation was piling up week after week. Our bucolic village had been transformed into a blood bath.

Fridays did not cause panic anymore. We became inured to murder, blood and hardships. If we were lucky, we survived the week. And then came that fateful night. That was the first Friday in months the Khoff did not come. They did not kill, they did not harm. I slept through the night with my eyes open. When the first rays of the sun hit the earth, it was clear that they did not come. “Have they gone for good? Have they eroded our village of everything that they will not come anymore?”

The coming weeks saw our lives return to normalcy. Men went to the field, women washed in the rivers and children played under the sun. My baby Noah saw his mother smile in a long time. I took him to the river, bathed him in the cool waters and fed him fresh, ripe egusi. My eternally pulsating heartbeats calmed down, mind stopped racing and head called off its throbbing. But gods would not be kind to us for long. Their kindness had an expiry date and that day was the last day I stayed there. The Khoff returned with full might and I decided enough was enough.

Grabbing Noah by his waist, I began to run. I ran for two straight kilometers, till I saw the last field that marked the end of our village. They buried houses, belongings and everything that was once mine. They killed my friends, neighbors and surroundings, but they could not kill my spirit to live. . I was determined to find a way.

Leaving my horrendous life behind me, I walk with my son, my last ray of hope.

---Nimisha E P

The day I met...wait for it...MOHANLAL!

May 8th 2013.
It was the kind of day you would wear a loose fitting cotton dress and soak in the summer sun. All that changed after a phone call from a dear friend of mine, my life would change forever. ( the word 'exaggeration' suggests itself right now).

I couldn't  believe my ears! I tried to catch a breath, I yelled into my mobile "Really? You can do that? I can come?". My friend being the angel she was said, "Of course! Otherwise you'd kill me". Come to think of it, I certainly would have, otherwise. After I was reminded my by body that respiration was inevitable to survive, I breathed in an immeasurable amount of air.

Meeting him was not a big league dream, not the one that did not let you sleep. It was what I would like to call a siesta dream, a nice 'if this happened, it'd be cool' kind of a dream. But realization of dreams, however insignificant, can be fulfilling.(Mind you!Not that this was insignificant.)
I have grown up watching him on the big screen. Al Pacino of Malayalam movies is what hardcore fans call him. This man played a huge part in upholding Malayalam movies and  establishing the 'Golden era of Malayalam Cinema'. Naturally, I loved him.

Okay where was I?
The first task at hand was to choose a dress to fit the occasion. Alright I agree that wasn't a big league problem , but I wouldn't want him wondering why I turned up in rags!
So I wore a pleasant looking Salwar kameez and set out on a journey that would be etched in my memory forever( again, exaggeration).

We reached a picturesque farm house where the movie set was made. We walked in anxiously when some guards stopped us. We told the producer's name like we were instructed to, and viola we were in! No actors had arrived at the set so we took a tour of it. It was beautiful, with fancy paintings and furniture. After waiting for a brief 20 minutes I saw a crowd gather at the entrance...'Could this be it?', I thought...

A simple man wearing khaki shorts,a random t shirt and face full deep in beard walked in. The humbleness in his personality struck me.There was the man himself, standing in front of me at arm's length. I wanted to jump and scream but the little sense left in me held me back.

A few minutes passed,I did not approach him. I have to admit the guy was intimidatingly humble(if that makes any sense at all).Words almost failed me but I managed to grab composure and say "I amm a big faan". Damn too cliched..but don't blame my brain, it was a little unnerving. The next thing I said to him was a piece of made up nonsense...I said "My grandmom has sent special regards, she loves you" . But hey,that worked. His face brightened up."Hurrayy!",I thought!
Next thing that I thought was appropriate was to click a picture.Instantly I dug up my cell phone and as if it were cue, the producer offered to click a picture.
Not to mention I fell in love with the picture and it was to stay as my display picture, FOREVERRRRR.

Mohanlal ,the darling of Malayalam cinema was in front of me, I enquired about his current and upcoming projects. He told me that he was in for a shooting for a kannada movie, Mytri (which has released in Bangalore this year). Lovely I thought. After a few minutes of interaction, we reached a deadlock. I had nothing else to ask him, he was shy guy ( Can you believe it? CID Ramdas- a nonchalant, self effacing guy?)  I graciously let the man do his job and walked away. I had a lot of questions to ask..but none of it really materialized. I was so full enthusiasm that I forget all of them.
(And I was aspiring to become a journalist,ha!).

After another hour or so, I waved a goodbye at him, (not that he was looking) and left.
Like I already mentioned, this day would be etched in my memory forever. (unless dementia plays villain)

Lalettan Zindabad. (hashtag malluswag).

Souls, nostalgia, memories.

August 31st 2009..was a bright, cheerful day. It was the kind of day that made the beginning of college more colourful.The unconditional excitement of meeting new people, new friends and new everything was brimming.

My feet  hardly touched the ground..I woke up tip toeing towards my wardrobe. Even in my semi conscious state "What do I wear?", was the constant question on my mind. The right clothes on first day was important. After all you had to make a mark for yourself on day one. (thinking back I realize my clothes didn't matter, my hairstyle did the trick. ;) )

Fresher' day did not live up to its hype. It was a clumsy function organized by the college but that did not deter my spirits. I was thrilled to find new faces, new prospective friends. I hoped the following days would be thrilling.

I met my first friend on day one and I'm happy to tell you she's still on my top list of friends. Ragging was one apprehensive aspect of college mainly because of disturbing news from all over the country. But I was not faced with any humiliating experiences, all was in good spirit. 

As days passed I met and befriended many girls and boys. Some stuck with me while others retracted. The brand new experience of college gradually changed into a routine, sort of  a daily experience. Mysterious faces that intrigued me initially became an everyday occurrence. And before I knew it..I was in second year- a senior!

Second year was normal. By this time,my  friends were clearly defined. Boundaries were made and access was restricted. Friends became closer and enemies grew further apart. College became dearer and engaging. If you were to ask me recollect incidents from this year I could think one incident- a fight that me and my friend got into. It was a blood-curdling experience then, however it is less unnerving today. 

Third year was a highly productive year for all of us. I was involved in extra curriculars and what they say about them is right. It brings you closer no matter what the differences are. Most of our energy was exhausted at the end of this year but no one complained.

I gained some friends while lost others. I realized that this happened at the expense of time. Time did not wait for me. I was in fourth year already, the year I would graduate. Graduation was always considered as a distant event. Yesterday I was attending freshers day and today I'm buying my graduation attire? Time flies they say but in what supersonic speed??

Today, I have graduated from  college and I'm assuming it is nostalgia that made me write this. Well maybe. But this is also to present my bizarre theory out there. A theory about how a  part of me still lives in college. (Okay I cannot rule out nostalgia)

Here goes my theory...

'I suggest that when you graduate, a part of you remains in college. This can be a part of your soul, a memory either about you, incidents in college or anyone in college. When anybody in college recollects these memories..the soul lights up.. and you feel this connection in the form of nostalgia? Vice verse, if nobody in college remembers you..well you have nothing to be nostalgic about.'

Doesn't that make sense in a twisted, weird kind of way? Only if you leave behind memories worth remembering will you be nostalgic. Gladly, I have a lot of soul fragments floating and I'm certain they're being remembered everyday.

The Kishkinta Ride

"Once more polama ,daddy?

NO!!"

25th December,2013 was a holiday. This was a much needed holiday for all of us. The entire batch yearned to spend a lazy holiday at home, but this wasn't going to be such a day.
After many a failed attempts at planning, we decided to visit a water theme park..after various rounds of voting and vetoing we finalized on 'Kishkinta water theme park". Some of my batch mates told  me not to have any prior expectations but  me being me held great hopes at a fun day.

As discussed, we all met up at a common point at 10.30 AM. (You might hear different versions of this story wherein I would be described as unpunctual, but pay no heed! :D ). 16 of us boarded the local Chennai safari (or MTC some might call it). We changed two buses and after an hour of traveling, landed in the kishkinta island. As I reached there, a wave of nostalgia crossed me. Come to think of  it, my childhood would have been incomplete without the regular  Kishkinta and Black Thunder ads on TV.

We bought entry passes(quite frankly they were priced on higher side) and ventured into what we hoped would be a memorable experience.

Ride 1:
Wow!Whatte a start. This was an aerodynamic lift thingy. It made us a little dizzy but fun nonetheless.

Ride 2:
Okay dashing cars. Bleh. Could've skipped that. Next ride

Ride 3:

"Closed for lunch. Pinne vango."

Ride 4:
Columbus woooohooooo.

But hey,thats it. Dry rides were done.
(Say whaaat? )
We were shocked. There were hardly 4 dry rides.Someone aptly summed it;"these are trial versions da ,where is the real deal?" This was when I understood the initial 'don't get your hopes up'  expression.

As depressing as it was, we were trying to focus on the water rides, for it was called ' WATER' theme park.

The water pool lived up to our expectations.Large waves of water crashed into us, it came as a blessing under the blazing hot sun. Neither fiery red eyes nor tanned bodies could get us out of water.
After a full two hours of splashing and swaying ,hunger succeeded in doing that task.

The collective growling of our stomachs couldn't be missed from a mile away. It is said that  a hungry Indian would go at any lengths to fulfill his food needs, even otherwise unimaginable things like following a queue. We patiently waited in line only to find out that our orders were canceled. Instantaneously, the 16 of us started to yell at the chef cum manager guy. Helpless, the guy managed to get us 11 plates. With no second question, we devoured it.

Tsunami:

After the elephants, Kishkinta is next best known for Tsunami. Of course it was a man made Tsunami.
After almost an hour of announcements and build up at the wave pool, it finally arrived. And when it arrived, it took us all away. It was an adventurous experience and yes I wouldn't want to do it again.

 Water Rides:
I have to agree this was awesome. Water slides were not a new sight, but there was something that made the combination of water and rides the perfect recipe for fun.

One hour of fun on slides, we had had enough. At the end, it turned out to be an eventful day.So this batch outing was a sooper success.

But then:
"Once more polama daddy?

Still, NO!"

P.S.: Once more polama daddy translates to "Let's go again "in Tamil, referring to a Kishkinta ad.

For people interested to do further research on the subject,here's a YouTube link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8OE3K6LFR0

Back to sChOOL !

Remember those times when English grammar was not existent, let alone an enemy? Seems like a long time since that happened, right?. School days, yes! This was when new and hip words got added to our dictionary at the blink of an eye! Come on, you used them and thought they were cool, and some actually were.


Various everyday words mostly stemmed from regional dialects like Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil etc. These words became a huge part of who were (/are).

Cutting short..

1) Your head: This word was a winner. 'Your head' is an exact translation of Nin thale in Kannada. It was used as the first and best retort at something/anything you did not agree with.

Don't agree with me? Your head!

2) Sim simply : You remember this word, don't you? It loosely means doing something for no specific reason or simply, very very simply. For instance if someone ate erasers, he simply 'ate erasers' wouldn't suffice, 'sim simply ate erasers' was how it was done. 

Simsimply don't eat erasers ya!

3) Maha : Maha was used to describe enormity. Maha literally means major or great in almost all South Indian languages.
In can be used in context of size, intelligence or anything big really.

This maha fellow's intelligence is unbelievable!

4) God promise : Are you accused of something you might/might not have done? Are all evidences pointing towards you? There comes God promise to the rescue. God of all promises, utter these magic words and the trial is over. You're innocent. Nothing flies over God promise.
God promise, miss!

5) Dude : Basically this isn't an Indian origin slang (as you all know). However, we've teased this word to our convenience and made it our own. A recent research has shown that the word 'dude' is used as frequently as uprisings in Egypt. Dude!

'Deewd, doood, dud' are some of its variants.

6) Da, Ra, Macha : These are the Indian equivalents of dude. They are used to address male friends. (not necessarily friends though). Some might prefer dude to da but what dude, da is any day cooler!

7) Getdowning : This is a grammatical error alright but it is so silly. I distinctly remember thinking getdowning WAS 'getting down'.

I was getdowning the bus when suddenly that cycle came!

8) Thu : I still use this word, don't you? Thu is used to express frustration. You can insert it anywhere and it instantly changes the mood. Want me to demonstrate? 

A : Hey, how are you?
B : Thu, I'm fine.

Get it? No? Okay moving on..

9) Chumma : Being a Malayalee myself, I've used chumma more than you! Chumma means 'simply' but then again chumma and sim simply are on different levels.(you should know that by now).

10) Pakka : Pakka is a variant of '100%'. How would you know that somebody who agreed upon something would actually follow through? If he said 'Pakka, I'll do it'! Pakka meant surety, pakka meant pakka!

Here are some of your suggestions :

11) Yappa: Yappa is used to display annoyance. You either hate this word, or love it. There 's no in between. I am a user , it comes perfectly handy to show disgust! \m/

12) Nimajji : Nimajji is a popular term that is almost offensive. However, noone ever takes it badly. It means 'your granny', an Indian version of 'Yo mama' but somehow, less offensive.

These are just a few of the many words that have shaped us. If you think I've left out biggies, please help me edit this!

P.S.:  I'm not very familiar with non South Indian slang words. Forgive me and help me broaden my word base.

Shit just got real

This post was inspired by a blog I read online.
It went on like this, 'I'm twenty something..ish'.

I'm twenty something..ish too. Am I worried? Yes. Can I do something about it? No.
Someone summed up my transition  from12 to 22  -Shit just got real.
That, I thought was perfect.

That nagging feeling I have, of a 12 year old being trapped in the body of a 22 year old is awkward. Aging I thought, was not for me. My mom aged, my dad aged, but me? Damn. Shit just got real.

In five years time I would not be here, blogging about my anxiety but will most definitely be mopping or paying premiums. And five years ago, I was this kid who graduated school. In this window of ten years I would transform from a skinny,chilled out girl to a 'healthy', not so chilled out (yet very very cool) person. Thinking about it gives me the 'chills' .

I'm whining alright. I want to be 20 again. I want time to freeze, like right now.

Ah I am asking for a bit too much,eh? I constantly fear if I am wasting time, waiting for this 25 year old self to occupy my body. How do I welcome the latter that she'd say "Girl, yo 25?Yo too cool for this!" ?


Yes I need a plan.

 P.S: A plan that doesn't involve ponds anti age miracle.
 
So what could I do?Umm....

1. Find my passion? Too cliched and almost meaningless. Passion finds you.(Here have a passion fruit if you like) :\                                                  
2. Become a billionaire? Ka Chiiiiiiiiiiiinggg! ( Did you sing Shania Twain?) *fist bump*
3. Or write a book? *grammar/patience grins*

(Me : Can I have ponds anti age miracle,please?
Shop guy : How many?
Me : All of them, aall of them I sayyy!!)

I have recently relocated my entire life and well it feels good and bad. Good mainly because it's new, it's mysterious...and bad well because it's all new! In this strange town that I'm in..I feel young again. Like a scared teenager exploring the corridors of my new workplace, running into people from dead end corners . It is as if 'god' pre read this draft and handed over the situation to me( right now I can almost see him grinning..*you asked for it*).
I can safely assume new adventures await me, to capture them and squeeze all the fun out. So cheers to all the fun I'm going to have!See you on the other side, the fun side. Ciao.

Wind Chimes..

Dainty wind chimes sway

Bringing musical warmth to me.

Cleansing my bleeding ears of

News from death and misery.

I lie soaking in endless joy

A torment relief recipe for free.

For music from wind chimes is

Indeed a great symphony.

Back and forth they go

As I languidly dream of love.

Sleepy eyes, tired mind and I

No longer hear its song.

Trees, waters and birds

Indulging, brimming with life.

Calm my thoughts, head, and I

Hear a faint melodic tune….

Wind chimes play along

Waking me from blissful sleep.

Awake or asleep let be, I cannot

Miss its amiable compassion.

Darkness

As darkness descends, I cry in agony

Grey skies look down upon me

Fear engulfs my little soul and I

Yell into darkness, hollow channels.

My screams transcend life and light,

No knight in shining armor saves me

I die alone, fragment by fragment.

Piece by piece my death unites.

A deep pain pierces my heart

Of the sights I cannot appreciate

For life blooming, trees swaying are

Gone, affairs of the past.

“Save me”, I implore in vain.

Dark fumes consume me, tear me apart.

Slowly, I relieve my fear, accept my fate

I die today but my fear dies with me.

Jobless? Who me?

DAY 1

8AM

30th August, 2012 was just another day. I woke up at around 8, took bath and  began to dress hurriedly. I picked out a random salwar kameez, swept through my hair and that's about it. I made sure I had my file , ID card, some certificates and good wishes from Amma before leaving

9.10AM

I usually reach college on time(sometimes I reach late...OK most of the time I'm late!!) . That day was no different.Oh did I tell you?Today was the day a reputed company was coming for campus recruitment.(nothing to get excited about, I was from Biotech and no placement aptitude test passes without C or C++ questions. Yawn!). Anyway, it was 9.15 and me and my friends ran towards our auditorium (AKA cow shed ). This cow shed should be given a little more credit alright.They improved upon it as much as they could. It looked decent now.

So there we were, waiting for this 'company fellows' to give their presentation and get it over with! 600 of us had gathered there for a comapny that would take 40-50 odd students.Humph!

Suddenly 4 people walked inside alongside our placement officer(PO). The latter ,our PO is seen as the biggest asset of our college.
(Make it quick with the presentation and test, we are sleepy).
Our PO formally introduced them ..(glorifying everybody). This was followed by the 'company fellows' talking to us and praising us so much that they used words like 'champions, heroes' etc. I couldn't care less.
After the presentation, they briefed us on the rounds that we had to battle as we went along. All in all there were 5 rounds; aptitude, group discussion, technical interview, paragraph writing and HR interview.

11.30AM
90 questions, 90 minutes (Okay, doable..but what about C, C++ questions???).
There were 4 sets of question papers and I got set D. I looked at the paper and a small ray of hope flickered .No C or C++ questions. Phew. Math, Logical reasoning and verbal. Now I had a chance (of clearing this first hurdle). Yes, it was not impossible now..

It was not very tough (at least for me). My 90 minutes were up..I submitted the paper and went to eat. My friends and I started discussing the paper.. we wanted to clear this. I mean if we couldn't clear this..what could we do? (after all, this had no computer questions as that was our excuse for previous exams!).

3.30PM
As I walked back to the classroom where my prospective career would be decided...I was nervous.I looked at my friends, they were shaky too. One guy walked in with a bunch of OMR sheets and started to read out names. Many names passed...no sign of mine. My vision was directed grimly at his lips, trying to conceive every syllable even before it came out as sound..
There it was..I could see it coming.. "Niimiiishaa", he said. I breathed heavily!!!

5PM

Now the first part was done. 7 of us from our department cleared the test (awesome!) and 150 odd students in total. Next round was group discussion (GD). Frankly, I was not fazed by this round because I knew I could rattle up something/anything and move on.
They divided us into many (many) groups. I was in group number 12. I waited patiently till my turn..trying to think of good points for any current affairs topic. At last they called us in..we were 10 of us. "Social networking sites, good/bad for youth'. Aah this I ll definitely clear I thought.
And I did.

6.30 PM (I think)

Since I cleared my GD I was next in line for technical interview. Technical, my foot. I knew nothing technical in anything except maybe in my field. Some lady called my name and I ran into a room that read 'Panel 4' (I think). There I was sitting in an interview room for the first time in my life!!I could not process my thoughts but I tried to remain as cool as possible.(I kept reminding myself that this was not the end of the world..but somewhere inside me I wanted to be 'victorious').
Let me tell you, apart from a very few basic 'C' questions she did not trouble me. She asked me about my projects and technicalities involved. I explained everything with utmost elaboration and diagrams.(Yes I overacted to impress her). I smiled and nodded at her so much that I felt a little dizzy afterwards.
But it was all worth it. It went well and I was happy.


7.30 PM

It was time for the results ..and 3 of us from my class cleared the interview along with 70 others. They wound up for the day and asked us to sleep over the fact that we had another round tomorrow. (paragraph writing was not elimination round)
Great !How Am I going to sleep?!

DAY 2

8 AM
I was ready by 8 AM today (Yes, I wore a suit that my friends had gifted me on my birthday..loved it). I reached college at around 9 and directly went to placement and training room.

10AM
Well, the 'company fellows' showed up by around 10 O'CLOCK.They did not waste much time in giving the topic for paragraph writing. 15 minutes and they collected the paper. I was pleased with what I wrote. It was decent, I thought.

11AM

One of the coordinators announced 10 names and asked us to go for HR interview, immediately. Like NOWW. (Yes I was the second to go in!!).

The interview was not technical, but it was the 'make or break' types.It was chilled out . The panelist made me read out my passage. He said a 'good' in the end (I'm sure he wasn't listening). He asked me if I was ready to relocate and I promptly said 'YES'. (it was like a reflex..anything he asked and I said 'Yes, of course, Why not Sir?').He asked me why I wanted this company only when I had other companies coming. I gave such a tactical answer for this..(I gave an imaginary pat on my back for my instant answer!) .If I reveal the answer, I ll have to reveal the company..Ping me on FB for this.

11.30 AM

I was done with all the rounds..what to do now? I called Dad, Mom and everyone and told them what happened. I was bored.12PM , 1PM, 2PM..no change in status. Yawn.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>Fast forward

7.PM (yes you read it right!)

After the 7 hour wait..finally the scenario started to change. Students were done with all rounds and results were in sight.HRs, leaving out the formal stuff started announcing THE names. 10-15 names passed..no sign of my name..(Damn they chucked out all Biotech people! Why did we join this branch?).

Suddenly..there it was..NIMISHA EP (I was so proud of my name that day).
What?? I got the job?Before this could sink in...he called out my friend's name. Yay two of us from Biotech. (\m/)
They took 55 of us that day, 55 'champions'.

This is how 30th and 31st August went from being really ordinary days to extra ordinary days in my life!!!(and for 54 other people).

PS : I would like to tell you that I rejected this offer recently, but I will hold this experience dearly as it was and will be my first real job experience!

The melancholy of Bollywood movies.

'Second half of the movies Rockstar and The Dirty Picture would make the worst movie ever.' I happened to hear this on  radio and it made me wonder.Why? What is the problem with the second half of Bollywood films? (There are movies with both the halves being hopeless, but let's not get into that now).

In India, superstars are made overnight. Today, the elite '100 crore club' is something every Bollywood hero aspires to see himself in. Indian/Bollywood movies are defined by the money they make and rarely by the content of the film. For instance 'Son of Sardar' and 'Bodyguard' were called sooper hits and praised by every viewer. I died watching one and  survived because I did not watch the other.

Heroine. How can Kareena Kapoor market 'Heroine' as her most expressive performance when the movie is full of stereotypes and artificiality?

Players. Enough has been said about this film but I'm forced to say a thing or two. Sonam Kapoor as a hacker and Bipasha Basu as an automotive engineer ? 'You've made fun of your film already, Sir.'

Is it  impossible to write a not so over-the-top screenplay? Are the screenplays contrived ? Why else would actors accept movies like they do? Why else would Akshay Kumar act in that alien movie and market it as if it were EPIC?All this goes beyond me.

Coming to some good cinema Bollywood has produced in the recent past..Barfi. Okay don't throw your footwear at me, I enjoyed it. I realize it was blatantly copied ,but the fact that I enjoyed the film cannot be taken away.

Kai Po Che.. well I did not thoroughly enjoy this film but it should be credited for being the first mainstream medium to showcase Gujarat riots. Kahaani..well it was a fine film. They tried to make the film real but I'm a little hard to impress I guess. I distinctly remember a scene where Vidya interacts with a couple of kids and that scene reminded me it wasn't as real.

I just remembered..SONGS. One main ingredient for success! 'Cocktail' - the songs were so catchy that the zero content script was forgiven. A certain percentage of viewers enjoyed the film too because of those well timed songs. Humph!

 I'm of the opinion that no song/actor/director should compromise the script.But who cares for my opinion.

Okay going back to whatI do best.Nothing.

Ciao.

Observations..

Just a while ago I made a trivial observation..I did not want to dismiss it because trivial observations can lead to ground breaking results(but not this time around). Anyway I realized I text messaged a friend of mine who stays not so far away. Well nothing new I know..but this got me thinking.I wondered about our heightened sense of dependency on technology. This dependency has become so deep rooted  in such a short span of time!

For fun's sake let us imagine our day with minimum technology .I know its hard, but let us give it a try.
So you wake up in the morning on a coir mattress ( say like the mattresses made in SSIs which are not heavily mechanized). You freshen up and then think of checking your Facebook page...oh wait!You do not have a computer, let alone internet.YAWN..a boring day already.Why don't you go outside and enjoy the nature around you?Sigh!What about a TV or a cell phone? No..that's absent too.
Well then you might as well go back to sleep.

Time for another observation..Recently I had a neighbour wishing me on my birthday(so sweet of her). Well the funny thing is she wished me through Facebook when she could just as easily have wished me in person. I agree a FB wish would save you the cost of a long distance call but wont a face to face wish have more warmth than a virtual message..?  Well I don't know anymore..because I too have been caught in the cobweb of the virtual world..where everything is unreally real. Its not a bad thing altogether, but sometimes it is nicer to meet people and keep the spirit of relationships alive.(bleh)

Yes there are times when I wish things would go back to being simple and straight like in the 90s.(but then Woody Allen showed that all of us did want to go back). So I should stop my observations (indeed trivial) and breathe all of it in!

The teacher in me..

Saturdays..

I'm looking forward to every Saturday..no not because it is a weekend, but because I get to meet some very interesting students.Yes, MY students.

A close friend of mine told be about Indian Literacy Project( ILP), a program which supports education and literacy projects in rural and remote areas across India.Their main objective I learnt was to be a 'catalyst' for 100% literacy in India. For this, college/school going children or youth in general could be the 'co factors'. This interested me greatly. If I could teach somebody/anybody of what little I know and if that would help the person..then there was nothing better.So we registered for the program and waited anxiously for the following Saturday.

On D Day, one Mr.Harish met us halfway and led the way. He is the man in charge of ILP in that area.A very genuine Harish brought us into this clean yet discolored room. I was fidgety because I did not know what to expect. Two minutes later, 40-50 children swamped the room with a biig thud.They were welcoming us with flashing smiles and wavy hands. I was thrilled to know that they were as excited as I was. Made me less nervous in a way. Harish introduced us to the children and briefed us on what we could do. He told us we could arrange activities, read stories to them..familiarize them with English words ..bottom line was to keep them engrossed.

I decided to begin by reintroducing myself.. I looked at their faces, glistening and happy. It was clear to me that they wanted to be here.No amount of laziness or force was behind their coming (it was unusual to me because that's not how I went to school). I asked them to tell their names, school and standard. There were students from 1st standard to 8th standard, all of them from Government schools. They admitted that Kannada was an easier medium of communication(in comparison with English I assumed).
We chatted for quite sometime and I got a vague idea as to what I could do.
After a while my friend suggested we make one big circle and ask random questions to each other. We began with 'Which is the capital of India, Karnataka' and the like. Then we moved into cricket and not surprisingly it struck a chord.The boys knew considerably well about cricket( the girls were a little clueless though). One particular boy Shreyas, he surprised us. He could name winners of the cricket world cup since the first tournament in 1975 to the present (with the year). Lovely, we thought! A while later, the tables turned..they took us on by asking us proverbs and 'kadamkadhas'  in Kannada and we did NOT know the answers. They lightly mocked us and we laughed too.With some more gibber jabber..we decided to call it a day. By waving a biig 'Tata'..we left. I could still hear their screams and cheers behind me. I thought next time I would be more prepared.

For the next Saturday, we prepared tiny chits with one English word written in it.So whichever word you pick, you make a sentence using the word. As usual they ran into the class on seeing us..and we began with no further delay. We told them what we had planned for the day and they had an expression which pretty much said 'Game on'. So one by one they picked up chits and made( tried to make) sentences. Some were so enthusiastic that they came for the second..third round. Later, we split the group into two and began reading stories to them. A boy named Narayana told me he knew many many words in English. I told him to write down as many as he knew. He did so and it was quite frankly a big list. He confessed that he could not speak English even though he knew all the alphabets and words(well English is a funny language). I felt an urge in me to help him..I told him I would do my best and guide him in that respect. I was also glad to see young girls, sitting along with theirs brothers and reading books. We read  a lot of books and stories to them..
My friend noticed some children getting restless.. so we ended things for the day. Before we left, they asked us if we could arrange a painting competition next week. They also wanted prizes..a pen for first, followed by a pencil and then an eraser. We agreed at once because this indicated that they liked us wanted us back with more to offer..

A big wave and we left..left with a sense of contentment and unconditional joy.

Kkkahani Khatam Kab Hogi?

Watching television serials has become a major part of the average Indian homemaker. An unending saga about Saree-clad women would almost always be the storyline.In the past month, I have had a terrible time watching episodes from a serial(from a well known channel) and I have to say these writers are more creative than science fiction writers! My question is how one can sit through every episode knowing very well that it is over hyped and exaggerated?!Some soaps bring mind numbing 'twists' like introducing a twin for every damn character!!

Ekta KKKapoor has already done enough damage with her KKkahanis. She has taken cinematic liberty to another level.Every serial of hers has a central character who is the epitome of love, goodness and all the likes, when in today's world survival is dictated by nerve and spine.So please wake up and smell the coffee, Mam!

In another one such brainless drama, a character falls into a coma. The doctor and a 'swami' suggest she marries as its the only way she can 'come back to life'. How preposterous can it get? A medical miracle of some sort would still be believable!Rural parts of the country which have access to these serials can fall prey to these situations and even go to the extent of mimicking them. Instead of using  television media to the advantage of projecting good sense and judgement, it is doing the exact opposite.

I  seriously hope and pray that a brand of healthy and sound serials are contrived by sensible writers, because our women(who are the targeted audience) deserve a lot more.

The Long Goodbye

I try to recollect his gentle face everyday, his way of talking and the pure man he was. I knew death was inevitable, but I  always thought of it as a distant event. This close encounter left me shattered.

To begin with, my grandfather (Narayanan Nampoothiripad) was a very knowledgeable person. In fact, “Education is the manifestation of the perfection already in man” was his  favorite quote. Though degrees did not certify his knowledge, he knew how to raise a family of 4 children. He got formal education till middle school and made the most of it. Coming from an orthodox Hindu family he worked as a head priest in the family temple. He was married to my grand mom and remained so for 60 long years! Once his children were well settled, he decided to take time off.

He loved being surrounded by people and people loved him too. At the age of 90 he liked to believe he was 60 and boy did his looks agree or what? One would have been been stunned to see his tuft of black hair when he was almost a century old! (There was a time when people called him Dilip Kumar!).He never at once had a lonely, cheerless existence. The granddad I remember was a gentle kid; I affectionately called him my buddy. He told me stories from the Mahabharata and taught me slokas .Yes, his favorite hobby was to hum Sanskrit verses. He knew over 100s of them and very dutifully sang them. By the time he was 90, he developed a small hearing problem but that did not slow him down one bit. He showed every bit of enthusiasm to his surroundings. He read the morning paper with no word to spare. He had his appetite for knowledge, intact. His sense of humour was pleasant, yet so harmless. Even during his last days he was independent, not intending  any trouble to anyone around him. He was indeed a man of words and deeds.

The most prominent thing is that he has left behind a mark in my heart-a mark of love and concern.

It has been 2 years since you are gone and I miss you terribly. It chokes me to realize that you will not return. Your absence has created a vast void in my life..However...if I am sure about anything, it is that you will always remain in my heart and be my guiding angel throughout this journey called life.

Life right now..

Phew!Finally I get time to create a blog.No don't get any wrong ideas that I'm free and my burden in life has reduced to zero!Infact it is the time when I have to absorb stability and balance.Well I'm in 12th standard,and a science student.I'm supposed to slog my day out,but hell I'm not doing that.Then again I feel I have the brains to tidy up everything and swing back with some worthy marks.My parents don't nag me to study these days .I don't know if it's a good thing because i believe its either because they have a loooot of faith in me,or they have nothing.(i hope it's the former).
Deviating from the studies part ,everything in life looks decent.