Is a show aired on CNN-IBN , anchored by the veritable bakra , Cyrus Broacha. The post Diwali episode , which I saw recently was damn hilarious. The first digs at IPL. The likes of I-dont-know-which Ambani , I-will-have-bikini-babes always Mallya, Sallu-I-too-have-a-six pack SRK , Hollywood stars etc have evinced keen interest on owning the clubs . The latest news is that even EPL owners want to have a bite of IPL .That is interesting news. Cyrus gives us a few other bidders who have tremendous enthu but have a few riders and conditions.
Pervez Musharaff is bidding for ?
The one where everyone is in military uniform.
Aamir Khan-
All the players rehearse 12 times before the match and should always interfere with the captain.
Farah Khan -
As long as all the players have a retro and a gay appeal. Like floral decorations on pads, pink uniform etc
Sanjay Leela Bhansali -
As long as all the players wear shades , strictly black or blue. Monochromatic cricket.
Laloo Prasad -
Only if I can have my children. I have ten now, fighting for the eleventh.
Ram Gopal Varma-
As long as I can remake the "The great Indian squad that won the WC in 1983"
SRK -
Only if I can get the weakest , least successful team, the underdogs. However, effeminate guys with six pack will be preferred . He will call his team - Saawariya
Amitabh Bacchan-
If I can feature in every ad between the overs.
Karunanidhi -
Only if there is Tamizh commentary , rational tamizh players, names in tamizh, ads in tamizh with frequent doses of anti Hindi, anti English, anti God.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
SCOPE INTERNATIONAL :)
Phew !! Finally I feel so relieved . Words cannot do justice to the amount of happiness , relief and joy I have now. Euphoric would be an understatement for the kind of state I am in. I would rate this higher than JEE ,thats because I was confident of cracking it. But, I was in a total depression now after screwing up CAT - resulting in a feeling that I am analytically challenged and reject after reject in the 1st 3 days. Like Sisyphus who continued to roll the stone up , very well knowing that it would roll down the other side of the hill, I continued filling up infinite forms, writing the tests, waiting eagerly and the inevitable reject. I cannot agree more with Kesavan's (Baada) words after he got his job - Hajaar, no, lakhs of money are there. I am elated and excited, probably have not been this much since post JEE. Dad is impressed, mom had never heard of the company, but is of course extremely happy. And I am sure junta here are slightly syked and surprised by this turn of events, especially given my worst level CG here.
My mom's initial reaction was "Oh no not another banker in the family !". Thing is there are too many people in banks in our family and extended families . I suppose her apprehension was short-lived after further impressive details from my side. Dad is yet to digest it ! Many do not seem to be knowing Scope International, so I prefer saying I got placed with Standard Chartered Bank as Scope is a subsidiary of SCB.
There were 5 rounds - 2 online tests, 3 250 word essays, 1 GD and a final interview. A pain maxx psychometric test took 2 hrs, a quant test 1hr. After that the 1st s/l of 80 guys was put up just yesterday night and today morn was my GD. I went in with zilch expectations because the PPT said we would be having a tech and HR interview after the GD .In the tech part, analytics and coding, both would be tested. I thought pack,I dont even know the syntax of printf or what include meant. Lets do the GD and get a feel of it.Thats all.This was my first GD.
The first lucky aspect was a mild group with no sood putters. GD was peaceful. He wanted our views on Next Gen banking. I started off very arbitly, my points not being very well received. A weird point by one guy was the driving force for me. I blasted him, diplomatically of course, and from then it was very strong. Someone suggested grassroot banking and I came up with sood points ,using jargon which not everyone was well versed with ,like microfinancing andNobel Prize for Grameen bank, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)- educating farmers and giving them loans would be a win-win situation, thinking on the lines of NREGA in banking for rural areas and all that. I am sure the moderator was perplexed. Junta in the group were talking about gadgetry, fingerprints, eye detection, security, a new 3rd form of virtual money this that blah blah and I was totally tangential , talking irrelevant stuff like microfin , upgrading PSUs, and crap in all forms. 4 from each group were shortlisted. I felt I would have been screwed had it been 3 , because there were 3 guys better than me.
Then followed the interview. Again luckily, the same mod was the interviewer. As soon as I walked in, he recognized me and asked me if I was Rajeev. That was really heartening. I was kinda prepared for HR , so it was a cakewalk. More so, because he was very friendly. I felt that it was a travesty of an interview. It was like a conversation in a pub between 2 strangers. Not an iota of C, not a speck of tech !! HR, unadulterated. Finally, when he was through, he told me that my GD performance was excellent. I had a flicker of hope then. And finally I get the news. The profile says Business Analyst , the way I see it, it is more of coding with a full knowledge of banking operations.
The training as of now will be in Nungambakkam. With MOP Vaishnav, Ethiraj, WCC, Stella all nearby I can look forward to some eye candy now after 5 years in this place. It is also a shopping hub and has many good restaurants and is in the heart of Chennai, so no cribs as of now. With no other branch in India, I will surely be here for the next 2-3 years. Room mates are already taken care of, a couple of my dear old Btech wing mates who are with Covansys here. This is again something which I really look forward to , as I badly need a frequency matching social life.
I only need to meet my prof to kill this euphoria. He has told my fellow Mtechs that all Duals under him are on the verge of getting an extension and a couple of guys have already called me up saying prof is seething with rage and I need to meet him once. I am about to leave now , will cook up some story on the way.
For a change, after years of mediocrity, I am proud of myself .
My mom's initial reaction was "Oh no not another banker in the family !". Thing is there are too many people in banks in our family and extended families . I suppose her apprehension was short-lived after further impressive details from my side. Dad is yet to digest it ! Many do not seem to be knowing Scope International, so I prefer saying I got placed with Standard Chartered Bank as Scope is a subsidiary of SCB.
There were 5 rounds - 2 online tests, 3 250 word essays, 1 GD and a final interview. A pain maxx psychometric test took 2 hrs, a quant test 1hr. After that the 1st s/l of 80 guys was put up just yesterday night and today morn was my GD. I went in with zilch expectations because the PPT said we would be having a tech and HR interview after the GD .In the tech part, analytics and coding, both would be tested. I thought pack,I dont even know the syntax of printf or what include
The first lucky aspect was a mild group with no sood putters. GD was peaceful. He wanted our views on Next Gen banking. I started off very arbitly, my points not being very well received. A weird point by one guy was the driving force for me. I blasted him, diplomatically of course, and from then it was very strong. Someone suggested grassroot banking and I came up with sood points ,using jargon which not everyone was well versed with ,like microfinancing andNobel Prize for Grameen bank, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)- educating farmers and giving them loans would be a win-win situation, thinking on the lines of NREGA in banking for rural areas and all that. I am sure the moderator was perplexed. Junta in the group were talking about gadgetry, fingerprints, eye detection, security, a new 3rd form of virtual money this that blah blah and I was totally tangential , talking irrelevant stuff like microfin , upgrading PSUs, and crap in all forms. 4 from each group were shortlisted. I felt I would have been screwed had it been 3 , because there were 3 guys better than me.
Then followed the interview. Again luckily, the same mod was the interviewer. As soon as I walked in, he recognized me and asked me if I was Rajeev. That was really heartening. I was kinda prepared for HR , so it was a cakewalk. More so, because he was very friendly. I felt that it was a travesty of an interview. It was like a conversation in a pub between 2 strangers. Not an iota of C, not a speck of tech !! HR, unadulterated. Finally, when he was through, he told me that my GD performance was excellent. I had a flicker of hope then. And finally I get the news. The profile says Business Analyst , the way I see it, it is more of coding with a full knowledge of banking operations.
The training as of now will be in Nungambakkam. With MOP Vaishnav, Ethiraj, WCC, Stella all nearby I can look forward to some eye candy now after 5 years in this place. It is also a shopping hub and has many good restaurants and is in the heart of Chennai, so no cribs as of now. With no other branch in India, I will surely be here for the next 2-3 years. Room mates are already taken care of, a couple of my dear old Btech wing mates who are with Covansys here. This is again something which I really look forward to , as I badly need a frequency matching social life.
I only need to meet my prof to kill this euphoria. He has told my fellow Mtechs that all Duals under him are on the verge of getting an extension and a couple of guys have already called me up saying prof is seething with rage and I need to meet him once. I am about to leave now , will cook up some story on the way.
For a change, after years of mediocrity, I am proud of myself .
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
MURPHY
Whenever I go to Shakes and Creams (or any ice cream outlet for that matter)I always get a feel that the other guy's ice cream is better. Even recently , among 3 ice creams I felt mine was the worst. Is it due to wrong choice or a perception of the mind ? So, while I was married to Pista , I lusted after Nutty Affair and Black Currant. Is the same perception thing applicable to wife also ?
Thursday, September 27, 2007
BASKING IN REFLECTED GLORY
Why was SRK's presence at the final accorded so much importance ? Like all others he just went there (a) To watch the final live (b) Give his son that experience and (c) Promotion and publicity for his new film Om Shanti Om. After the presentation ceremony he went and hugged them. So far so good. Now, Rajdeep Sardesai interviews him and asks a question on these lines - " Shah Rukh , do you think your presence inspired the Indian team ? " What crap! Thankfully, he did not take credit away from the Indian team.
It was free publicity for him and the eternal diplomat and charmer that he is, he perfectly cashed on that. I am happy he did not promote himself . But every news channel , online news sites like cnn-ibn , rediff and even newspapers had a photo and some unnecessary coverage.
So much footage and publicity for just being there !
It was free publicity for him and the eternal diplomat and charmer that he is, he perfectly cashed on that. I am happy he did not promote himself . But every news channel , online news sites like cnn-ibn , rediff and even newspapers had a photo and some unnecessary coverage.
So much footage and publicity for just being there !
Friday, September 21, 2007
Why CHAK DE is a winner
Enough has been said about this movie . I do not wish to start all over again. Here are some of minute details and a few reasons why I rate it high -
1) The choice of the lead actor- SRK . He suits the role to a T. He was a hockey player during his college days and is a very good athlete. Never in the movie do you get a feel that he is "acting" as a coach. People have said that he has sacrificed his image and his role is kind of subdued. The film started and ended with him , so he is the real hero.
2) SRK is shown going home on a scooter . His house is in a near slum like area. Though I would contest an Indian Hockey captain being depicted as a lower middle class guy , it certainly tells us about the sorry state of the players.
As an aside , to give you a flavour of the facilities and treatment meted out to the players , the Chennai Open -2007 was won by India recently. A couple of weeks ago we had been to Savera , at- the- max -a -4 star hotel. The Indian team, along with the Japanese guys, whom they had beaten in the semis just then, was having dinner there. Though I was elated to have food alongside them , one certainly would not expect the National Team to have food sitting beside him. There was no autograph seeker either. Fittingly , the Ind-Eng final was being aired and people preferred that ! The entry at(to?) the Nungambakkam Stadium ( I think) was free. Too bad, being a part of a sports crazy wing gumbal, we never knew that . Most of them passionately follow cricket, football, tennis , hockey and F1 . Phew !
3) The training sessions , practice, exercise etc are near perfect. Having undergone many similar ones , I can vouch for the authenticity. Once again, I never felt SRK was acting . Full marks on this count.
4) The choice of the girls - Apart from a couple of them, there was no glamour or oomph content.They were pretty much the cliched girl-next-door types. Sensible
5) This is the best part - It is devoid of the Great Indian Film Curse. No songs, duets or love track. Almost all the Indian movies of this genre have had a love track. Lagaan, in fact, had a small triangle element too, with the firangi also putting fight for Aamir. Closer home , Sye in telugu, based on rugby had a full love track with 6 songs. And much closer, Chennai -600028 , based on gully cricket, had duets too.
6) The players are asked to register at the desk before the training for the WC . An AP female , Nethra Reddy, says
Nethra, Andhra Pradesh se .
The clerk says- Oh Madrasi ho kya .
She - Nahi Andhra se hoon.
He - Madrasi ya Andhra, Kya farak hai .
She - Utna hi jitna ek Rajasthani aur Bihari mein.
Perfectly sums up the attitude of the guys above Vindhyas .
7) I am not sure of this one, but there are many who feel Muslims in India support Pakistan in an Indo-Pak match. While I personally know of some classmates in my school who did that , but that is a very minute fraction. As expected , SRK aka Kabir Khan, center forward, and captain, goofs up the shot in the WC final against Pakistan and is branded a traitor. In fact a guy scribbles gaddar on his wall. This needs guts , given the superstar status he enjoys , and also due to the fact that he is also a Muslim.
Readers are welcome to chip in with their views . My personal rating - * * * * (scale of 5)
1) The choice of the lead actor- SRK . He suits the role to a T. He was a hockey player during his college days and is a very good athlete. Never in the movie do you get a feel that he is "acting" as a coach. People have said that he has sacrificed his image and his role is kind of subdued. The film started and ended with him , so he is the real hero.
2) SRK is shown going home on a scooter . His house is in a near slum like area. Though I would contest an Indian Hockey captain being depicted as a lower middle class guy , it certainly tells us about the sorry state of the players.
As an aside , to give you a flavour of the facilities and treatment meted out to the players , the Chennai Open -2007 was won by India recently. A couple of weeks ago we had been to Savera , at- the- max -a -4 star hotel. The Indian team, along with the Japanese guys, whom they had beaten in the semis just then, was having dinner there. Though I was elated to have food alongside them , one certainly would not expect the National Team to have food sitting beside him. There was no autograph seeker either. Fittingly , the Ind-Eng final was being aired and people preferred that ! The entry at(to?) the Nungambakkam Stadium ( I think) was free. Too bad, being a part of a sports crazy wing gumbal, we never knew that . Most of them passionately follow cricket, football, tennis , hockey and F1 . Phew !
3) The training sessions , practice, exercise etc are near perfect. Having undergone many similar ones , I can vouch for the authenticity. Once again, I never felt SRK was acting . Full marks on this count.
4) The choice of the girls - Apart from a couple of them, there was no glamour or oomph content.They were pretty much the cliched girl-next-door types. Sensible
5) This is the best part - It is devoid of the Great Indian Film Curse. No songs, duets or love track. Almost all the Indian movies of this genre have had a love track. Lagaan, in fact, had a small triangle element too, with the firangi also putting fight for Aamir. Closer home , Sye in telugu, based on rugby had a full love track with 6 songs. And much closer, Chennai -600028 , based on gully cricket, had duets too.
6) The players are asked to register at the desk before the training for the WC . An AP female , Nethra Reddy, says
Nethra, Andhra Pradesh se .
The clerk says- Oh Madrasi ho kya .
She - Nahi Andhra se hoon.
He - Madrasi ya Andhra, Kya farak hai .
She - Utna hi jitna ek Rajasthani aur Bihari mein.
Perfectly sums up the attitude of the guys above Vindhyas .
7) I am not sure of this one, but there are many who feel Muslims in India support Pakistan in an Indo-Pak match. While I personally know of some classmates in my school who did that , but that is a very minute fraction. As expected , SRK aka Kabir Khan, center forward, and captain, goofs up the shot in the WC final against Pakistan and is branded a traitor. In fact a guy scribbles gaddar on his wall. This needs guts , given the superstar status he enjoys , and also due to the fact that he is also a Muslim.
Readers are welcome to chip in with their views . My personal rating - * * * * (scale of 5)
Thursday, September 06, 2007
UTI - I don't TRUST U
Recently , I went to the SBI ATM in the campus to draw about 500 bucks to get a track at a shop near Velachery. In fact , it is just below the TIME coaching class and for some inexplicable reasons is named Sperm . Without going on a tangent , the issue was that the ATM had cupped and I borrowed my friend's UTI bank ATM-cum-debit card. The guy at the shop accepted the debit card and he swiped it at the counter. To my amazement and horror it did not ask the PIN . I asked the guy and he said that the machine did not ask for any PIN. My friend and I just left without much delay and then this question surfaced - What if he loses the card and the finder swipes at it at will, since PIN is anyway not being asked ? Assume that he takes a few hours to discover the loss and block it. Those few hours could spell disaster. I later came to know that even ICICI cards do not need PIN . In my experience with SBI , I have always been requested to punch in the PIN .
I wish to know 3 things -
1) Is it absolutely mandatory to punch in the PIN everywhere ( for UTI/ ICICI ) and that this was a one-off incident ?
2) Is the requesting of PIN machine specific ?
3) In the unfortunate and foolish case of PIN not being asked , how do you safeguard against losses in the wake of a lost card ?
I wish to know 3 things -
1) Is it absolutely mandatory to punch in the PIN everywhere ( for UTI/ ICICI ) and that this was a one-off incident ?
2) Is the requesting of PIN machine specific ?
3) In the unfortunate and foolish case of PIN not being asked , how do you safeguard against losses in the wake of a lost card ?
Monday, September 03, 2007
FUSSY NIGHT
Disclaimer - Extremely objectionable language and content
Yesterday, on the way to the mess I found a whole bunch of guys in "Superman" attire i.e the briefs (to be more crude undys) worn on the pants ,heading to Students Activity Centre (SAC) . Another gumbal had bedsheets as dhotis . Our hostel guys had their pants worn on the heads like caps . All these guys , under the able supervision of their second yr seniors and hostel secretaries were on their way to Freshie Night at SAC. Btw this is the same place where the convocation takes place .
A Freshers Night is supposedly to break the ice between the juniors and seniors , the end of the ragging sessions and is mainly to pave the way for their smooth transition from the spoon feeding of schools to independence here and finally for a peaceful integration into the campus atmosphere. And how do the guys do it ? Firstly, every hostel has a dress code like the ones mentioned above . I won't be surprised if the freshie junta come partly naked or in objectionable attire sometime next year. Next , every hostel has a space earmarked and you are not supposed to trespass or intrude in other territories. After some stupid lecture the culturals start . All you have to do is boo majorly , mouth choicest expletives at the guys (God save the girl who has mustered enough courage to sing on the stage there) and discourage the participants. Next , under the able supervision of your seniors you have to take turns to scold other hostel junta . It is a no-holds barred abusing session . Then form a chain and run around the SAC . If you are centred or cornered in any area , you get bumps .
The culturals invariably have a skit , a couple of dance numbers -most often some country max gult song , some mimicry session by talented guys and the usual singing sessions. What do you have in the skit ? Dialogues and jokes with only one meaning- double meaning and blatant ,explicit references to porn, sex, shag, etc. The first year courses are like CY 101 - Chemistry, PH-101 - Phy. In our first year the play was called PY 101 - Pondy , which is lingo for porn here. If you thought I enjoyed it then and decided to be preachy now , well I never enjoyed the freshie nights . As a matter of fact even the hostel night plays. People are much more sensible now , thankfully , and there have not been any such plays in the recent times. Most of us, me included, do enjoy double meaning jokes and stuff, as long as it is subtle and not crass. This certainly is not enjoyable. If you are obsessed with porn go and watch it in your room . Under the pretext of entertainment , do not spoil the atmosphere. And if you think I am dead against watching porn , ping me in person, my blog is too decent to answer that :P
Finally for the most important thing of the day - Mr and Miss Freshie . After the usual catwalk or whatever is the questions session. The so called oxymoronic "beauty and brains" . Do I need to give you a flavour of the questions ?
Will all this ensure peaceful integration of the freshers ? Will this ensure developing a great rapport with the seniors ? IIT s have always prided themselves in their irreverence to established tradition - the credit system , informal classes, facilities, quizzes, 3 months of summer hols etc are some of the things found exclusively in the IITs and to some extent other colleges. As my friend said , it is this irreverence that has taken us this far. I beg and plead the organisers to follow established tradition atleast on this front . You need not go to expensive pubs and book dance floors (Like every coll in Hyd does ), Whatever happened to innocuous intro sessions , leg pulling and decent fun sessions . In fact I prefer stuff like paper dance to this, not for the obvious reason of being close with females, atleast it is not disgusting .
All said and done , I would prefer doing away with this night . At any cost you are bound to get ragged and very soon will develop a great rapport with the seniors. our batch had a great rapport with the 4th yr junta in our 1st yar and most of us remember every 2nd, 3rd and 4th year guy even now. We didn't need any fussy nights for that . If a guy is talented in dance or singing , it will come to the fore in the hostel surely. You don't need to get booed by 500 guys for that . And how do you call curtains ?? Without a drop to drink ( I mean water) and without a morsel of food. They can't even think of having a dinner !! Don't even think of asking about departmnet freshers party . They are better , atleast we got tea and cakes and unfairly more than one !!!
This is the 3rd crib post about IIT after the Himalaya thing and the monkey menace. I always maintain that but for some of these things , not all of which are trivial , I have had the best stay of my life here .
Yesterday, on the way to the mess I found a whole bunch of guys in "Superman" attire i.e the briefs (to be more crude undys) worn on the pants ,heading to Students Activity Centre (SAC) . Another gumbal had bedsheets as dhotis . Our hostel guys had their pants worn on the heads like caps . All these guys , under the able supervision of their second yr seniors and hostel secretaries were on their way to Freshie Night at SAC. Btw this is the same place where the convocation takes place .
A Freshers Night is supposedly to break the ice between the juniors and seniors , the end of the ragging sessions and is mainly to pave the way for their smooth transition from the spoon feeding of schools to independence here and finally for a peaceful integration into the campus atmosphere. And how do the guys do it ? Firstly, every hostel has a dress code like the ones mentioned above . I won't be surprised if the freshie junta come partly naked or in objectionable attire sometime next year. Next , every hostel has a space earmarked and you are not supposed to trespass or intrude in other territories. After some stupid lecture the culturals start . All you have to do is boo majorly , mouth choicest expletives at the guys (God save the girl who has mustered enough courage to sing on the stage there) and discourage the participants. Next , under the able supervision of your seniors you have to take turns to scold other hostel junta . It is a no-holds barred abusing session . Then form a chain and run around the SAC . If you are centred or cornered in any area , you get bumps .
The culturals invariably have a skit , a couple of dance numbers -most often some country max gult song , some mimicry session by talented guys and the usual singing sessions. What do you have in the skit ? Dialogues and jokes with only one meaning- double meaning and blatant ,explicit references to porn, sex, shag, etc. The first year courses are like CY 101 - Chemistry, PH-101 - Phy. In our first year the play was called PY 101 - Pondy , which is lingo for porn here. If you thought I enjoyed it then and decided to be preachy now , well I never enjoyed the freshie nights . As a matter of fact even the hostel night plays. People are much more sensible now , thankfully , and there have not been any such plays in the recent times. Most of us, me included, do enjoy double meaning jokes and stuff, as long as it is subtle and not crass. This certainly is not enjoyable. If you are obsessed with porn go and watch it in your room . Under the pretext of entertainment , do not spoil the atmosphere. And if you think I am dead against watching porn , ping me in person, my blog is too decent to answer that :P
Finally for the most important thing of the day - Mr and Miss Freshie . After the usual catwalk or whatever is the questions session. The so called oxymoronic "beauty and brains" . Do I need to give you a flavour of the questions ?
Will all this ensure peaceful integration of the freshers ? Will this ensure developing a great rapport with the seniors ? IIT s have always prided themselves in their irreverence to established tradition - the credit system , informal classes, facilities, quizzes, 3 months of summer hols etc are some of the things found exclusively in the IITs and to some extent other colleges. As my friend said , it is this irreverence that has taken us this far. I beg and plead the organisers to follow established tradition atleast on this front . You need not go to expensive pubs and book dance floors (Like every coll in Hyd does ), Whatever happened to innocuous intro sessions , leg pulling and decent fun sessions . In fact I prefer stuff like paper dance to this, not for the obvious reason of being close with females, atleast it is not disgusting .
All said and done , I would prefer doing away with this night . At any cost you are bound to get ragged and very soon will develop a great rapport with the seniors. our batch had a great rapport with the 4th yr junta in our 1st yar and most of us remember every 2nd, 3rd and 4th year guy even now. We didn't need any fussy nights for that . If a guy is talented in dance or singing , it will come to the fore in the hostel surely. You don't need to get booed by 500 guys for that . And how do you call curtains ?? Without a drop to drink ( I mean water) and without a morsel of food. They can't even think of having a dinner !! Don't even think of asking about departmnet freshers party . They are better , atleast we got tea and cakes and unfairly more than one !!!
This is the 3rd crib post about IIT after the Himalaya thing and the monkey menace. I always maintain that but for some of these things , not all of which are trivial , I have had the best stay of my life here .
Monday, August 06, 2007
President ,Poly-tricks and Issues
Recently , July 20th to be precise , we had a woman taking oath as the President of India. There was a huge hue and cry over the fact that it would send a strong message to the world that India was committed to empowerment of women and that this would usher in a new revolution and mark the emancipation of women . This election was not without controversy and dirty politics .It was very well known that she wasn't the ruling Congress-Left alliance's first choice . The linguistic chauvinists - Shiv Sena refused to support their old friend's candidate Shekhawat on the grounds that Patil ji was a Maharashtrian and it would be a great honour for Maharashtra. Old timers would remember that the last time around they refused to support the candidature of Sushil Kumar Shinde ( I guess VP post), who was a Maharashtrian. Strange are the ways of these guys! The thing which interested me was the farce called UNPA or Third Front - an alliance of disgruntled regional opposition parties and discredited leaders. Notable among them were our very own Amma , Naidu garu ( Yeah, AP and TN are my own ) and ousted CM's like Mulayam etc . In a press conference Amma was at her belligerent best - "The boorish and churlish language used by the blah blah.... " . Our Naidu garu was nodding his head up and down , sticking out a finger here and there . It was pretty much like GD wherein all others were arguing and one man simply saying "Yeah . yeah.... No No... Errr.. But.. Yeah " . Eventually they ended up being the proverbial dhobi's dog ( Dhobi ka kutta . Na ghar ka na ghat ka - A dhobi's dog doesn't have a permanent dwelling. Neither a house nor the washing ghat ) . Coming back to the July 20th thing , Pratibha Patil seemed so frail and weak that she could very well be called Pratibha Paati . ( Paati = granny in Tamizh ) . At one instance Sonia madam was beside her . I couldn't help but wonder at the aptness of super star's dialogue . Sonia "pera kettale summa athurudhu la" ( Ok I agree. I am a plagiarist. This dialogue was seen in Baada's blog). Sonia even has Manmohan Thatha to dance to her tunes . Let's see what Sonia madam has in store for us , for she now has " Mere do anmol Ratan , Patil aur Manmohan" !
The run -up to the election was also pretty amusing . There was this Shekhawat vs Shekhawat contest. Apparently Patil's husband was a Shekhawat and the candidate contesting against her was our VP Bhairon Singh Shekhawat. At about the same time Bollywood super star Himesh Reshamiyya had roped in the scorching hot Mallika Sherawat for the remix version of the immortal Mehbooba Mehbooba. My friend remarked "Machi she shakes her assets very well da . She should be renamed Mallika Shake-a-wat ". We continued the discussion and felt that Mallika wouldn't be a bad choice for the Prez post. She is also a woman , she is also a Shake-a-wat , she is pretty bold , smart , sexy etc . In short she would be a sensational and sexational first citizen . By the way, what would Mallika be called if she were to be the Prez ? Rashtrapatni for sure!!!
Munnabhai has been sentenced to 6 yr imprisonment . He is housed in some Yerawada jail , in the same wing as his one time accomplice Abu Salem . The place is (in)famous for in-prison , inter gang fights. It reminds me of the jail scene in Lage Raho Munnabhai. Munna and circuit are put behind bars for a day . Munna says great leaders have been imprisoned and they have had roads and margs being named after them. Hats off to Sanju Baba's vision . He perfectly envisaged that he would be imprisoned sooner or later . Now, public sympathy is bound to embrace him . I wouldn't be surprised if there is a Munnanagar / Munna marg soon in Mumbai . For Kollywood actors embroiled in legal issues, this is your best chance. Pain some director to remake Lage Raho Munnabhai , put in hazaar jail scenes and Voila! You have the entire state vouching for your innocence . Pathiban Kanavu Srikanth , are you reading ?? ( His wife has filed some case .)
Will ponder on other issues sometime now .
The run -up to the election was also pretty amusing . There was this Shekhawat vs Shekhawat contest. Apparently Patil's husband was a Shekhawat and the candidate contesting against her was our VP Bhairon Singh Shekhawat. At about the same time Bollywood super star Himesh Reshamiyya had roped in the scorching hot Mallika Sherawat for the remix version of the immortal Mehbooba Mehbooba. My friend remarked "Machi she shakes her assets very well da . She should be renamed Mallika Shake-a-wat ". We continued the discussion and felt that Mallika wouldn't be a bad choice for the Prez post. She is also a woman , she is also a Shake-a-wat , she is pretty bold , smart , sexy etc . In short she would be a sensational and sexational first citizen . By the way, what would Mallika be called if she were to be the Prez ? Rashtrapatni for sure!!!
Munnabhai has been sentenced to 6 yr imprisonment . He is housed in some Yerawada jail , in the same wing as his one time accomplice Abu Salem . The place is (in)famous for in-prison , inter gang fights. It reminds me of the jail scene in Lage Raho Munnabhai. Munna and circuit are put behind bars for a day . Munna says great leaders have been imprisoned and they have had roads and margs being named after them. Hats off to Sanju Baba's vision . He perfectly envisaged that he would be imprisoned sooner or later . Now, public sympathy is bound to embrace him . I wouldn't be surprised if there is a Munnanagar / Munna marg soon in Mumbai . For Kollywood actors embroiled in legal issues, this is your best chance. Pain some director to remake Lage Raho Munnabhai , put in hazaar jail scenes and Voila! You have the entire state vouching for your innocence . Pathiban Kanavu Srikanth , are you reading ?? ( His wife has filed some case .)
Will ponder on other issues sometime now .
Monday, July 16, 2007
GOD'S OWN COUNTRY - Trip of a lifetime
Camp Fire ,Thekkady : Very happy
Munnar :Why are you staring at the cameraman ?
Munnar - Webshots
Veega Land, Kochi - What are you eating?
Veega Land, Kochi - Where are you??
Kokku Meena thinguma (or) Uppu Karuvadu (or) Sarakku Vechirken :P
Dil Chahta Hai ?
Allepey backwaters - Exposing eh ?
Jackass
Allepey backwaters - Trying a Neo in the boat
Periyar Sanctuary - You are blessed
Kalaripayattu Veeran - Don't mess with me
Veerans
Thekkady trek - Celebrating Life ( What is the guy fourth-from-right doing? )
Munnar - Unfortunately poor light
Munnar waterfall - The entire gumbal ( Who took the photo then)
Post drying - Towel boys
Munnar Lake - Polluting it eh ?
Munnar Lake - Heaven
Munnar rose garden
Munnar :Why are you staring at the cameraman ?
Munnar - Webshots
Veega Land, Kochi - What are you eating?
Veega Land, Kochi - Where are you??
Kokku Meena thinguma (or) Uppu Karuvadu (or) Sarakku Vechirken :P
Dil Chahta Hai ?
Allepey backwaters - Exposing eh ?
Jackass
Allepey backwaters - Trying a Neo in the boat
Periyar Sanctuary - You are blessed
Kalaripayattu Veeran - Don't mess with me
Veerans
Thekkady trek - Celebrating Life ( What is the guy fourth-from-right doing? )
Munnar - Unfortunately poor light
Munnar waterfall - The entire gumbal ( Who took the photo then)
Post drying - Towel boys
Munnar Lake - Polluting it eh ?
Munnar Lake - Heaven
Munnar rose garden
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
KUMBAKONAM-2
Note : Sorry for the inordinate delay. ( As if you have been waiting eagerly ) I have been too tied up with movies, friends, roaming around etc.
We then proceeded to Mayiladuthurai to visit Parimala Ranganathar ( ThiruIndalur ) . Parimala Ranganathar was simply too amazing. Probably one can spend hours analyzing the Thirumugam , the pot belly , chatur bhujam, Thiruvadi etc. Surely one of the most beautiful idols I have seen so far. He is my new favourite .Infact all Ranganathar idols are awesome. Finally we went to the Saivite shrine of Vaideeshwaran Koil. My paati and mom totally avoid going to Saivite temples. She says if it is unavoidable go there and view Lord SrimanNarayana there. Vaideeshwaran Koil is famous for its healing and medicinal powers. ( Vaidya + eeshwaran ) . My Chitthi gave me a small lump of jaggery which was to be immersed in the Pushkarni. I assumed it was eating stuff and popped it into my mouth . Needless to say my cousins had a hearty laugh at my alacrity. As an aside Raghava Swamy at Thiruvallur , is also known for his curing abilities. Infact he is called Vaidya Veera Raghava Swamy.
We then proceeded to Mayiladuthurai to visit Parimala Ranganathar ( ThiruIndalur ) . Parimala Ranganathar was simply too amazing. Probably one can spend hours analyzing the Thirumugam , the pot belly , chatur bhujam, Thiruvadi etc. Surely one of the most beautiful idols I have seen so far. He is my new favourite .Infact all Ranganathar idols are awesome. Finally we went to the Saivite shrine of Vaideeshwaran Koil. My paati and mom totally avoid going to Saivite temples. She says if it is unavoidable go there and view Lord SrimanNarayana there. Vaideeshwaran Koil is famous for its healing and medicinal powers. ( Vaidya + eeshwaran ) . My Chitthi gave me a small lump of jaggery which was to be immersed in the Pushkarni. I assumed it was eating stuff and popped it into my mouth . Needless to say my cousins had a hearty laugh at my alacrity. As an aside Raghava Swamy at Thiruvallur , is also known for his curing abilities. Infact he is called Vaidya Veera Raghava Swamy.
Finally we returned totally exhausted at 10 pm and after dinner crashed immediately. The next day my Perimma and her sons came. That day was spent totally at home. All of us were together after 9 years. These guys keep meeting at the drop of a hat, I somehow don't get to go Kumbak regularly. When we all last met 9 years back,about 15 of us, we saw Jeans. The next 2 days were also spent at home and the temples. We got an opportunity of viewing Kodai Abhishekam at the Raamar Koil and a first row seat meant viewing without hassles. Back home there was a mini war among my cousins and myself for the Puliyodharai.The dumbass that I am, I wasted time segregating the molagai pieces while they cashed on the remaining part. A nice lesson learnt - females don't vittukuduthufy when it comes to food. The best part of the stay was my virtuoso Paati's heavenly food. My Perimma left that night and it was our turn to bid a sad adieu. Our bus was at 10 am the next day. The return journey was again a torture. I was in the aisle seat and my cousin in the window. It was a classic and literal case of "out of the frying pan,into the fire" when I swapped places for sometime. I didn't sleep a wink thanks to the heat,a modicum of normal conversation also not possible due to the movie.
We reached Chennai late in the afternoon . We went to Thiruneermalai ( 61), 7 kms from Pallavaram. Once again a very beautiful temple and a standard Kollywood temple scene shooting place. This temple has 4 sannidhis with Perumal in different postures - Ninran (stood) , Irundan (sat) , Kidandhan (slept) and Nadandhan (walked). Ninra Thirukolam is Neervanan , Irundan is Shantha Narasimhar (in the Praharam), Kidandhan is Ranganathar and Nadandhan is Thiru Vikraman. There are some legends associated with Sage Valmiki's penance and his insistence on viewing Lord as Neervanan and hence that form. Another legend is about Thirumangai Azhwar's dedication and pertinacity. There was a great deluge when Thirumangai Azhwar wanted to view Perumal in Thiruneermalai. The place was completely immersed in water.So, Azhwar waited there for some six months and then took Perumal’s darshan and the subsequent Mangalasasanam. It is said that we get the palan of visiting three Divya Kshetrams - Srirangam( Ranganathar), Thirupathi (Neervannan ) and third name has decided not to make it's abode in my brain, as a result of which I cannot recollect it here.
This marked the end of a sublime trip. God's own country was to be ravaged by 12 of us the following week. The pictures worth thousand words will be posted soon. Any attempt to describe the beauty of the place would be blasphemous as it is beyond my descriptional ability , due to which I have decided to resort to the easier way of posting pics, in this process ensuring that my esteemed readers and my blog don't miss out my adventures , thus entrenching a deep sense of satisfaction in me and giving me a chance to spurn any tag of "lazy, thus not blogging" !!!
We reached Chennai late in the afternoon . We went to Thiruneermalai ( 61), 7 kms from Pallavaram. Once again a very beautiful temple and a standard Kollywood temple scene shooting place. This temple has 4 sannidhis with Perumal in different postures - Ninran (stood) , Irundan (sat) , Kidandhan (slept) and Nadandhan (walked). Ninra Thirukolam is Neervanan , Irundan is Shantha Narasimhar (in the Praharam), Kidandhan is Ranganathar and Nadandhan is Thiru Vikraman. There are some legends associated with Sage Valmiki's penance and his insistence on viewing Lord as Neervanan and hence that form. Another legend is about Thirumangai Azhwar's dedication and pertinacity. There was a great deluge when Thirumangai Azhwar wanted to view Perumal in Thiruneermalai. The place was completely immersed in water.So, Azhwar waited there for some six months and then took Perumal’s darshan and the subsequent Mangalasasanam. It is said that we get the palan of visiting three Divya Kshetrams - Srirangam( Ranganathar), Thirupathi (Neervannan ) and third name has decided not to make it's abode in my brain, as a result of which I cannot recollect it here.
This marked the end of a sublime trip. God's own country was to be ravaged by 12 of us the following week. The pictures worth thousand words will be posted soon. Any attempt to describe the beauty of the place would be blasphemous as it is beyond my descriptional ability , due to which I have decided to resort to the easier way of posting pics, in this process ensuring that my esteemed readers and my blog don't miss out my adventures , thus entrenching a deep sense of satisfaction in me and giving me a chance to spurn any tag of "lazy, thus not blogging" !!!
KUMBAKONAM -1
Note : This is my first attempt at spiritual and religious stuff . It surely is not my cup of tea. Kindly excuse me for any inadvertent mistakes that might have crept in. Many fundaes which I have acquired might seem trivial, nevertheless read on .All corrections, bouquets, brickbats are welcome :)
After infinite planning and confusion thanks to my cousin ,I was finally able to make it to the temple town of Kumbakonam with her . We left by a non AC, non deluxe , ear splitting and headache causing DVD coach day bus on Thursday (10th ) at 8am and reached at about 2-30 types. It was a total scorcher of a trip.The first few words of my paati left me sad for the rest of the day - Enna kanna thala mudi poye pochu , karuppa, olli aa irukke. Chennai varache evvalavu nanna vellaya busku busku nnu irunde . Paarka romba kashtama irukku. Looks like glamour enhancement has to be given some serious thought. After thulping awesome food and facing usual stuff like you are eating very less I crashed. My cousin and I set out to cover the local temples late in the evening. The Big Street has a Raaamar koil , Anjaneyar koil, Koorathazhwan Sannidhi, Udayavar Sannidhi and Chakrapani Koil ( Chakrathazhwar - who is an incarnation of Lord's Sudharshan Chakra. Btw learnt that all Azhwars are incarnations of weapons and accessories of Lord Vishnu ) . A small connecting street leads to Sarangapani Koil , which is one of the 108 Divyadesams (No 14 - Thirukudandhai). With the exception of Sarangapani koil we covered all . My Chitthi had just returned then from a week long south tour covering about 25 Divyadesams and we spent the rest of the time with my Chitthi and her daughters.
The following morning we started off with Suriyanar Koil near Kumbak and Uppiliappan Koil and NagaNathaswami in ThiruNageswaram ( 8 kms off Kumbak). Uppiliiappan Koil , another of 108 (No 16 - ThiruVinnagar), is probably one of the most important and famous temples for Vadagalai Iyengars . The Lord was decked in Thanga kavacham - total gold from top to bottom. It is a very rare privilege and my paati and mama who have been in Kumbak for more than 50 years have not been able to witness this grand spectacle. It was a sight to behold and I just could not think of praying anything at upon looking at the Lord. Btw Uppiliiappan Koil is also referred to as Tirupati of the South as He is known to protect every devotee and fulfill each of their desires. The prasadam here is given without salt ( Uppu illadha appan I suppose) and the saltless Puliyodharai was as divine as the ones in any other temple. NagaNathaswami Koil , which is just 5 mins away, has a Rahu Kshetram and is visited to ward off the doshams that are associated with the stars (Dosha Pariharam). Milk is poured over a black idol of Rahu during Rahukalam and is viewed in batches . It is said that the white milk turns blue on being poured. It did turn blue but I felt if white milk is viewed in a black blackground it will surely be seen as some other colour. No more fundaes either on colours and physics or on legends , the milk did appear blue, so I'd better shut up.
This was the first innings for the day. We went back home , thulped again , rested for a while and the second innings resumed at 2-45 types. My Chitthi wanted to go to Koothanoor which has a famous Saraswati Koil . My paati just then intervened and told us to go to Thirusirupulioor, (Divyadesam No 11), which was just 10 min away from Koothanoor. She remarked that the Lord there was so small in the sayanam form that one could easily carry the idol at the hip. The idol was really small but the state of the temple was in shambles. A typical description would be "ee kaka illa koil la" . There was no power either. The temple was small but very airy. The Moolavar is Arumakadalamudhan and the Utsavar is Kripasamudrar.In the Thiruveedi of Perumal, there is an idol of Puli Muni (His actual name is Vyakrapadar).Legend has it that Lord was pleased with his penance and granted him a boon to have the hands, legs and fingers of a Tiger which would enable Puli Muni to cover more Divya Desams .The sayanam is Bhujanga Sayanam.It’s the smallest Thiru Oruvam in Bhujanga Sayanam.The Azhwars felt that Perumal here was too small.So Perumal asked the Azhwars to view his Thiru Oravam in Thirukannamangai ( Divya Desam No 27.Moolavar is Bakthavastala Perumal. I heard it is one of the biggest Thiru Oravams - not very sure about this).
contd. in the next post
contd. in the next post
Sunday, May 20, 2007
WEEKS- BEFORE AND AFTER
May 6th-12th :
At granny's place in Kumbakonam. Cracking food , many cousins, hazaar temples, nice fundaes. A memorable trip
May 13-20th :
Chennai on 14th.
3 temples - Tiruneermalai, Ashta Lakshmi Koil, Tiruvallikeni
Middle finger to mess- did not even register and thulped outside daily.
Infinite movies, many revisions.
Infi hours of crash
May 20th-26th :
Board train today. Munnar, Kochi, Kumarakom, Allepey, Thekkady
May 27th-June 26th :
Hyd :D
June 27th ............. (till maybe I get placed :P)
Sit alone in room without my dosth, sitcoms, movies,books, mug for CAT, GRE, do MTP etc etc
Chennai Nagaram urangum neram thanimai adarnthathu
Veyil sooper aa kollardhu…
Nangu kannadi suvarkalukulle nanum mezhukuvathiyum…
Thanimai thanimaiyo… Kodumai kodumaiyo…
Roughly Translated as :
Its night in Chennai City..
Sun killing me in a sooper manner..
And Wind comes via Ship and its walking on the streets now..
But in my room now…its only me and some candles..
Oh .. its very lonely…and lonely is pain..
There is a logical error I know. How can you have sun in the night ! Just to morph that song and indicate that the summer is horrible right now :P Reminds you of that sardar who wanted to land on sun when a fellow Surd tells him to go in the night :P
At granny's place in Kumbakonam. Cracking food , many cousins, hazaar temples, nice fundaes. A memorable trip
May 13-20th :
Chennai on 14th.
3 temples - Tiruneermalai, Ashta Lakshmi Koil, Tiruvallikeni
Middle finger to mess- did not even register and thulped outside daily.
Infinite movies, many revisions.
Infi hours of crash
May 20th-26th :
Board train today. Munnar, Kochi, Kumarakom, Allepey, Thekkady
May 27th-June 26th :
Hyd :D
June 27th ............. (till maybe I get placed :P)
Sit alone in room without my dosth, sitcoms, movies,books, mug for CAT, GRE, do MTP etc etc
Chennai Nagaram urangum neram thanimai adarnthathu
Veyil sooper aa kollardhu…
Nangu kannadi suvarkalukulle nanum mezhukuvathiyum…
Thanimai thanimaiyo… Kodumai kodumaiyo…
Roughly Translated as :
Its night in Chennai City..
Sun killing me in a sooper manner..
And Wind comes via Ship and its walking on the streets now..
But in my room now…its only me and some candles..
Oh .. its very lonely…and lonely is pain..
There is a logical error I know. How can you have sun in the night ! Just to morph that song and indicate that the summer is horrible right now :P Reminds you of that sardar who wanted to land on sun when a fellow Surd tells him to go in the night :P
Friday, May 18, 2007
TA RA RUM PUM
Listen Rani! Please stop crying. We have had enough of it in Black , Paheli, Hum Tum , KANK . Give us a break.
Friday, May 04, 2007
UNNALE UNNALE
Scene in the airport where heroine's parents do pooja etc : Straight lift from HUM TUM
Scene where the Sada tells the hero to decide between friends or her : Straight lift from DCH
Similar scene where Vinay's friend calls Sada and tells he wasn't there in his room : DCH
The final scenes of Day 1, Day 2 etc : KAL HO NAA HO
And hazaar other straight lifts. Jeeva says " it is a whiff of fresh air ". He was partially right . A whiff of air only - fart . Like Salman's hawa ka jhoka in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. Mark my words, stay away from the theatres. Kajol , please teach your sis Tanisha . Acting is not only showing cleavages. The only points worth mentioning are the neat ending, good picturization of June ponaal. The ULLAM KETKUME team has come a total cropper.
Scene where the Sada tells the hero to decide between friends or her : Straight lift from DCH
Similar scene where Vinay's friend calls Sada and tells he wasn't there in his room : DCH
The final scenes of Day 1, Day 2 etc : KAL HO NAA HO
And hazaar other straight lifts. Jeeva says " it is a whiff of fresh air ". He was partially right . A whiff of air only - fart . Like Salman's hawa ka jhoka in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. Mark my words, stay away from the theatres. Kajol , please teach your sis Tanisha . Acting is not only showing cleavages. The only points worth mentioning are the neat ending, good picturization of June ponaal. The ULLAM KETKUME team has come a total cropper.
AAH SE AAHA TAK
Phew!!! What a sem! Surely would have beat my peak JEE prep days . Yesterday was the last paper.The only things in my life were assignments, projects, models, reports, seminars .We had to shoot a video for the hostel night and wing junta got shit pained with my eternal absence . Incidentally there was zero mug and needless to say got screwed royally in the end sem. I don't remember having slept before 4 am for the last month or so. I am still not vetty. A classmate threw another bomb yesterday saying 3 lab reports were pending . Somehow garnered enthu and finished one yesterday. Actually thinking of packing the other 2 . I am already half dead , add a couple of lab reports and stuff and soon there will be a " Requiem for a Desi " level movie :P
It was the same with all Dual Deg students because most of the projects were group ones. At one point of time I was with 3 groups , the sets not being disjoint though. I literally had to "allot" times and dates!!! Add to this some weekly presentations etc. I am shit pained with this pres and ppt. I would have given some 10 this sem . The summer interns have been another futile affair so far - Infinite rejects and cupaxe interviews . The only ray of light is a Bangalore company TIMKEN , the results of which are pending. Apparently these guys are world leaders in bearings ( yeah the same ones which you encountered in Engineering Drawing ) . It will be out today. Of course there is no tension whatsoever , if not an intern will start the " In partial fulfillment of my Mtech Degree" Dual Degree Project ( DDP ) . Else the regulars are always there - CAT , GRE , Kumbak trip etc.
Amidst this energy sapping , limbs crying , brain dying, stretching me beyond me physilogical and psychological limits , I managed to catch up a few Tam flicks . Mozhi was a very nice movie . Prakash Raj's timing and Jyo's performances were the highlight. Jyo , I will miss you . Pachaikili Muthucharam had the typical Gautham touch - awesome first half , nice songs and background music by Harris, 'cut the crap' dialogue , dull and protracted endings . He seems to be a huge fan of Scorcese and wants to have the same language and gore in Tam. As Kesavan once said - He puts maajar fight for the first half and appears to finish the second half in one night out or so. I love his movies but for the last half hour or so. It has been the same with all his movies - Minnale , Vettaiyadu , Kaakha etc. Pachaikili is worth a watch certainly though. Harris is totally rocking these days. Apart from the aforesaid movies Unnale Unnale has a couple of very good songs ( June ponaal , Vaikasi nilave etc) and has given good numbers in a gult movie Munna (Prabhas and Ileana) also. Good stuff, but Rahman is way ahead. ( Please don't include Sivaji . Yucky music :P )
This sem was over in a jiffy and I think I can live in totaal bliss next year. The grades will not be relevant anymore after this sem . There are not many courses either - just 2 next sem . 4th year has been good. I have discovered the joys of sitting under the teacher's notes , nodding my head in the class , writing down notes , submitting assignments on time etc for one full year. The team projects were the best part . The usual misunderstandings and verbal duels aside , there haven't been any problems at all . I am pretty satisfied with myself and decent grades will only be the icing on the cake. Actually I am not bothered about it right now, my deep sense of satisfaction overshadowing the smallest thoughts about grades :P
Coming up soon- senti and parting
It was the same with all Dual Deg students because most of the projects were group ones. At one point of time I was with 3 groups , the sets not being disjoint though. I literally had to "allot" times and dates!!! Add to this some weekly presentations etc. I am shit pained with this pres and ppt. I would have given some 10 this sem . The summer interns have been another futile affair so far - Infinite rejects and cupaxe interviews . The only ray of light is a Bangalore company TIMKEN , the results of which are pending. Apparently these guys are world leaders in bearings ( yeah the same ones which you encountered in Engineering Drawing ) . It will be out today. Of course there is no tension whatsoever , if not an intern will start the " In partial fulfillment of my Mtech Degree" Dual Degree Project ( DDP ) . Else the regulars are always there - CAT , GRE , Kumbak trip etc.
Amidst this energy sapping , limbs crying , brain dying, stretching me beyond me physilogical and psychological limits , I managed to catch up a few Tam flicks . Mozhi was a very nice movie . Prakash Raj's timing and Jyo's performances were the highlight. Jyo , I will miss you . Pachaikili Muthucharam had the typical Gautham touch - awesome first half , nice songs and background music by Harris, 'cut the crap' dialogue , dull and protracted endings . He seems to be a huge fan of Scorcese and wants to have the same language and gore in Tam. As Kesavan once said - He puts maajar fight for the first half and appears to finish the second half in one night out or so. I love his movies but for the last half hour or so. It has been the same with all his movies - Minnale , Vettaiyadu , Kaakha etc. Pachaikili is worth a watch certainly though. Harris is totally rocking these days. Apart from the aforesaid movies Unnale Unnale has a couple of very good songs ( June ponaal , Vaikasi nilave etc) and has given good numbers in a gult movie Munna (Prabhas and Ileana) also. Good stuff, but Rahman is way ahead. ( Please don't include Sivaji . Yucky music :P )
This sem was over in a jiffy and I think I can live in totaal bliss next year. The grades will not be relevant anymore after this sem . There are not many courses either - just 2 next sem . 4th year has been good. I have discovered the joys of sitting under the teacher's notes , nodding my head in the class , writing down notes , submitting assignments on time etc for one full year. The team projects were the best part . The usual misunderstandings and verbal duels aside , there haven't been any problems at all . I am pretty satisfied with myself and decent grades will only be the icing on the cake. Actually I am not bothered about it right now, my deep sense of satisfaction overshadowing the smallest thoughts about grades :P
Coming up soon- senti and parting
Friday, April 27, 2007
CAPTIONS FOR MECHANICAL ENGINEERING T-SHIRT
Note : Some of you might find some parts of this post objectionable. Just read it and apreciate the creativity without dwelling much on it :P
In the mech forum here our guys were discussing the possible captions for our dept t-shirt. Some absolutely brilliant ones -
1) The cracker :
Elec T-shirt : Said God " Let there be light" and we took over.
Mech T-shirt : Said God "Let there be light" and we said "Lite ra mama"
2) I am a stud. I can screw from both sides. ( If you are bulbing , see what a stud is in images. Ensure that safe search is ON)
3) Where there is a drill , there is a way.
4) We're mechanical nuts. Screw the universe.
5) Since there are a huge number of U-shaped tubes in Thermal Power Engineering we shall call it "U-Tube - Sandcast Yourself!!!"
6) If you cant screw or you have gone nuts, God might have RGed you. Dont despair , come to us for better design.
7) From screwing to manufacturing , we do it all.
In the mech forum here our guys were discussing the possible captions for our dept t-shirt. Some absolutely brilliant ones -
1) The cracker :
Elec T-shirt : Said God " Let there be light" and we took over.
Mech T-shirt : Said God "Let there be light" and we said "Lite ra mama"
2) I am a stud. I can screw from both sides. ( If you are bulbing , see what a stud is in images. Ensure that safe search is ON)
3) Where there is a drill , there is a way.
4) We're mechanical nuts. Screw the universe.
5) Since there are a huge number of U-shaped tubes in Thermal Power Engineering we shall call it "U-Tube - Sandcast Yourself!!!"
6) If you cant screw or you have gone nuts, God might have RGed you. Dont despair , come to us for better design.
7) From screwing to manufacturing , we do it all.
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
CRICKET,MOVIES,FOOD,BOOKS
Very much mean life for me.Probably books not much.Still nothing wrong in claiming that as long as there is no one to test me on the same!
We had our inter hostel cricket match against Ganga last weekend at the lush green CCG i.e Chemplast . Ganga was a tough opposition with about 6 insti players. It was going to be very tough for us. We batted first and lost our thulper within no time.In fact the very first ball! It was like I was padding up and adjusting the thigh pad and hear "Desi jaa bey" in no time! The new ball was swinging and decided to see it off. Some studd max quality left-arm pace bowling saw me eternally defending and it was the right thing to do then. Unfortunately I continued in the same vein and couldn't accelerate later and got out for a paltry but solid 10 with no edges or misses :P. Thanks to some quality batting ended with a decent 143 off 25. Ganga chased it in a professional manner. Mayura came up with a wise crack - "Ganga is mightier than Jamuna da. So it was obvious that they would defeat you"!After a slow but solid start without losing wickets they shifted gears and scored it in 20 overs. It was a clinical performance and we were beaten comprehensively. The singles in the middle overs did all the damage and they always kept the scoreboard ticking - the essentials of cricket in the middle overs. This was something we failed to do. The atmosphere was glum and our Sports Sec started crying. We were answerable to about 200 guys back in the hostel but what about our players who are answerable to 1 billion! Can't imagine what they would have fet like. A pic in my Orkut album gives a feel of the same.It has been a memorable journey with the red cherry, willow, Chemplast and more importantly the team for the past 4 years. I might play in the coming year but will surely miss this team, many of whom are my wing mates. The "under-lights" tennis ball encounters at Sangam too will be missed sorely.Imagine a high-voltage chasing match under lights with the entire opposition hostel booing and baying for your blood and your team requiring 3 off 1 ball level stuff. Well I have been there and done that. Also received a gold medal last year without being in the playing 11 , so not many regrets now. ( Reminds you of Parthiv and Amby Valley?).
To forget the cricketing debacle we went to Bessie beach . I wanted to thulp Southie stuff and so we headed straight to Murugan Idli. It was a a huge letdown, given the hype surrounding it, the scores of people waiting outside etc. It is simply too costly for the stuff served (single idly 6 bucks). The chutney was the only saving grace. Somehow I dont find Saravana Bhavan too much to my liking. Quality is good but quantity is minimal. I can show hazaar cheaper restaurants in Hyd with almost the same quality. Beats me totally, given that Chennai is the hub of all these idli-sambhar stuff. Infact my classmate, who had a one year stint with BITS Ranchi remarked that the 5 bucks Masala Dosai in the canteen there was the best he has ever eaten!
Murugan Idli : Just about ok, nothing extraordinary
Finally saw Quentin Tarantino's cult movie Pulp Fiction. I was not at all impressed by Kill Bill and thought Tarantino was over-rated. However I wish to change my stance now. Pulp Fiction is simply too good and the choice of the actors like John Travolta, Bruce Willis, Samuel Jackson etc only made it better. I suppose Mani Ratnam's non-chronological way of portraying the events in Yuva was inspired by movies of this genre. Just can't wait to watch his first movie Reservoir Dogs which was Kaante in Hindi. A Tarantinoish description would be :It is fuckin awesome :P
Verdict : Strongly recommended. Hazaar gory and obscene,unparliamentary language.
This sem has squeezed me to the last drop literally. Just manged to read one book- Triple by Ken Follet. It is a classical espionage thriller revolving around Israel and its fights to acquire nuclear weapons. Totally engrossing and riveting stuff. Once again looking forward to reading Eye of the Needle. I think Fanaa had its inspiration from this. I am not sure though.
We had our inter hostel cricket match against Ganga last weekend at the lush green CCG i.e Chemplast . Ganga was a tough opposition with about 6 insti players. It was going to be very tough for us. We batted first and lost our thulper within no time.In fact the very first ball! It was like I was padding up and adjusting the thigh pad and hear "Desi jaa bey" in no time! The new ball was swinging and decided to see it off. Some studd max quality left-arm pace bowling saw me eternally defending and it was the right thing to do then. Unfortunately I continued in the same vein and couldn't accelerate later and got out for a paltry but solid 10 with no edges or misses :P. Thanks to some quality batting ended with a decent 143 off 25. Ganga chased it in a professional manner. Mayura came up with a wise crack - "Ganga is mightier than Jamuna da. So it was obvious that they would defeat you"!After a slow but solid start without losing wickets they shifted gears and scored it in 20 overs. It was a clinical performance and we were beaten comprehensively. The singles in the middle overs did all the damage and they always kept the scoreboard ticking - the essentials of cricket in the middle overs. This was something we failed to do. The atmosphere was glum and our Sports Sec started crying. We were answerable to about 200 guys back in the hostel but what about our players who are answerable to 1 billion! Can't imagine what they would have fet like. A pic in my Orkut album gives a feel of the same.It has been a memorable journey with the red cherry, willow, Chemplast and more importantly the team for the past 4 years. I might play in the coming year but will surely miss this team, many of whom are my wing mates. The "under-lights" tennis ball encounters at Sangam too will be missed sorely.Imagine a high-voltage chasing match under lights with the entire opposition hostel booing and baying for your blood and your team requiring 3 off 1 ball level stuff. Well I have been there and done that. Also received a gold medal last year without being in the playing 11 , so not many regrets now. ( Reminds you of Parthiv and Amby Valley?).
To forget the cricketing debacle we went to Bessie beach . I wanted to thulp Southie stuff and so we headed straight to Murugan Idli. It was a a huge letdown, given the hype surrounding it, the scores of people waiting outside etc. It is simply too costly for the stuff served (single idly 6 bucks). The chutney was the only saving grace. Somehow I dont find Saravana Bhavan too much to my liking. Quality is good but quantity is minimal. I can show hazaar cheaper restaurants in Hyd with almost the same quality. Beats me totally, given that Chennai is the hub of all these idli-sambhar stuff. Infact my classmate, who had a one year stint with BITS Ranchi remarked that the 5 bucks Masala Dosai in the canteen there was the best he has ever eaten!
Murugan Idli : Just about ok, nothing extraordinary
Finally saw Quentin Tarantino's cult movie Pulp Fiction. I was not at all impressed by Kill Bill and thought Tarantino was over-rated. However I wish to change my stance now. Pulp Fiction is simply too good and the choice of the actors like John Travolta, Bruce Willis, Samuel Jackson etc only made it better. I suppose Mani Ratnam's non-chronological way of portraying the events in Yuva was inspired by movies of this genre. Just can't wait to watch his first movie Reservoir Dogs which was Kaante in Hindi. A Tarantinoish description would be :It is fuckin awesome :P
Verdict : Strongly recommended. Hazaar gory and obscene,unparliamentary language.
This sem has squeezed me to the last drop literally. Just manged to read one book- Triple by Ken Follet. It is a classical espionage thriller revolving around Israel and its fights to acquire nuclear weapons. Totally engrossing and riveting stuff. Once again looking forward to reading Eye of the Needle. I think Fanaa had its inspiration from this. I am not sure though.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
WEDNESDAY MORNING BLUES
Before you jump to the conclusion that the title has been wrongly spelt , I would like to say that you have read it right. Matak life is peaceful in one regard - classes start only at 9 am. However this Wednesday is turning out to be a huge pain in the ..well many parts of the body. The only day which starts at 8 am ,for others that is. Ideally I should have been a part of the "others". Unideal that I am, I am still trying various means to enter that group. 21st Feb marked the 6th C-slot Mechatronics class bunked so far . Very much like the Aussies who have lost 6 matches, 5 of them on the trot,I too have bunked 5 on the trot, had an off on 14th Feb, and bunked again on 21st Feb. Once again if thoughts like some day ,which supposedly is celebrated by lovers and which coincidentally falls 9 months before Children's Day, forced me to smell the coffee well before 8 am, you are wrong. I had a quiz on 14th.
The usual methods like cell phone alarm etc have not resulted in any success. I tried an Anbuselvanish act of elundiri and also the self-pepping,self-talking acts of Sreesanth but to no avail. Can any of you kindly give me a wake up call on Wednesdays at the following times?
1) At 7 am (with a pleasing tone ) : Kindly wake up Dear Rajeev
2) At 7 - 15 am (a tinge of insolence) : Wake up you lazy bum.
3) At 7-30 am : free to use any of the words aimed at Anbuselvan by Pandya
The rates are negotiable. Half advance will be paid , the remainder depending on the success of the calling programme.
The usual methods like cell phone alarm etc have not resulted in any success. I tried an Anbuselvanish act of elundiri and also the self-pepping,self-talking acts of Sreesanth but to no avail. Can any of you kindly give me a wake up call on Wednesdays at the following times?
1) At 7 am (with a pleasing tone ) : Kindly wake up Dear Rajeev
2) At 7 - 15 am (a tinge of insolence) : Wake up you lazy bum.
3) At 7-30 am : free to use any of the words aimed at Anbuselvan by Pandya
The rates are negotiable. Half advance will be paid , the remainder depending on the success of the calling programme.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
SAARANG...
So yet another uneventful Saarang passes by - the usual suspects thulping maajarly , some new talented freshies being discovered, the Peter gumbal from the freshies ready with the informals vol- informals coord- spons/PR coord- PR core, and lazybums like me who have resigned themselves to "Saarang is not for me". Overheard some guy "Macha these quizzes and word games are a pain in the a** da. Anyway we can't win here, let us go to other college fests and crack puts". Totally agree with this. If you haven't understood it yet all this is a euphemism for "I am way below Saarang standards". There is a slight tinge of regret on not being able to participate in other ways like managing something or becoming coords, but by and large I don't even have the enthu to do something like that now (also I am over aged you see) , so in all probability I will be going home next year, if I get placed by then.
Saw the artists for the pro-show and I could think of only one thing, the two golden words of IITM lingo - Pack daa. Thanks to the herd mentality found myself attending Sukhwinder Singh's "unprofessional show". It was horrible,surely the worst in my 4 years. Junta came up with many wisecracks - Suckwinder singh, Dukhwinder singh ( dukh = sad), Thookwinder singh (thook = spit ) and the best Fu**winder singh. Kambakht Ishq was the best of the lot, Ramta jogi, O saki saki rey,Omkara, Bunty aur Babli were ok types. Some memorable quotes -
1) Put the light on the backside please. I want to see the audience.
2) Where you want me to come ( steps down and is with the crowd now). Please give me side.
3) Calls a female onto the stage . She breaks into an impromptu dance with our hero. Our hero insists " We are only acting. We are brother-sister. We are friend"
4) This takes the cake. For the last song of the night, which obviously had to be Chayya Chayya our guy says " Now I want small childs to dance with me".
Some other things which enlivened my drooping spirits were the awesome babes and the cricket match. Total eye-candy only, and unlike my previous post I do have good adjectives ;) . The experience at Chepauk was very good. We painted our faces , bought a couple of pee pees (It makes that sound) , bought a flag , band and drowned ourselves in saffron , bearing a striking similarity to RSS/VHP activists. Sachin was practicing near our stand before the start of the match and I just couldn't think of a better start. Saw three of the all time greats - Lara, Sachin and Dravid smash 50's and also saw Sachin in flesh and bones near our stand (Royal Sundaram B stand) and I couldn't ask for more. Lara simply rocked and the field placements sucked. I always maintain that and continue to do so - Dravid's field placing has never been good.There was a huge roar when Sachin was near us and the poor guy was pained because India was losing and the junta there were fully cheering Sachin. An Indian win would have been the icing on the cake. Nevertheless a very gratifying experience.
There are a couple of weddings in Chennai, my Dad and most of my close relatives from Hyd are here. Thanks to a severe bout of cold, cough, sore throat and what not, I haven't been able to attend the Monday one and don't think I will be attending today's either. I was looking forward to attending these , but luck decided otherwise. Surely missed out on a 2nd innings of eye-candy and good food. It's back to classes and the usual routine after a 6 day layoff.
Saw the artists for the pro-show and I could think of only one thing, the two golden words of IITM lingo - Pack daa. Thanks to the herd mentality found myself attending Sukhwinder Singh's "unprofessional show". It was horrible,surely the worst in my 4 years. Junta came up with many wisecracks - Suckwinder singh, Dukhwinder singh ( dukh = sad), Thookwinder singh (thook = spit ) and the best Fu**winder singh. Kambakht Ishq was the best of the lot, Ramta jogi, O saki saki rey,Omkara, Bunty aur Babli were ok types. Some memorable quotes -
1) Put the light on the backside please. I want to see the audience.
2) Where you want me to come ( steps down and is with the crowd now). Please give me side.
3) Calls a female onto the stage . She breaks into an impromptu dance with our hero. Our hero insists " We are only acting. We are brother-sister. We are friend"
4) This takes the cake. For the last song of the night, which obviously had to be Chayya Chayya our guy says " Now I want small childs to dance with me".
Some other things which enlivened my drooping spirits were the awesome babes and the cricket match. Total eye-candy only, and unlike my previous post I do have good adjectives ;) . The experience at Chepauk was very good. We painted our faces , bought a couple of pee pees (It makes that sound) , bought a flag , band and drowned ourselves in saffron , bearing a striking similarity to RSS/VHP activists. Sachin was practicing near our stand before the start of the match and I just couldn't think of a better start. Saw three of the all time greats - Lara, Sachin and Dravid smash 50's and also saw Sachin in flesh and bones near our stand (Royal Sundaram B stand) and I couldn't ask for more. Lara simply rocked and the field placements sucked. I always maintain that and continue to do so - Dravid's field placing has never been good.There was a huge roar when Sachin was near us and the poor guy was pained because India was losing and the junta there were fully cheering Sachin. An Indian win would have been the icing on the cake. Nevertheless a very gratifying experience.
There are a couple of weddings in Chennai, my Dad and most of my close relatives from Hyd are here. Thanks to a severe bout of cold, cough, sore throat and what not, I haven't been able to attend the Monday one and don't think I will be attending today's either. I was looking forward to attending these , but luck decided otherwise. Surely missed out on a 2nd innings of eye-candy and good food. It's back to classes and the usual routine after a 6 day layoff.
Friday, January 19, 2007
DUNSTON CHECKS IN!
IIT Madras is a residential institute with nearly 460 faculty, 4500 students and 1250 administrative & supporting staff and is a self-contained campus located in a beautiful wooded land of about 250 hectares.
Thus says the institute website. To an outsider the imposing campus would present a wonderful sight with the greenery,lower temperatures (they say it is 2-3 deg lower than the average temp of Chennai),the deers crossing the roads and the occasional glimpses of stags ,blackbucks etc.Any forest is incomplete without our forefeathers. Needless to say the campus is infested with monkeys. We have monkeys in all forms and sizes. To put it in the words of Maneka Gandhi or Manisha Koirala in Indian we have sweet little ones, naughty mid sized ones and huge papas and mamas.I certainly would like to change the adjectives describing them.Who wouldn't if he found monkey shit on opening his window and his clothes in the ground floor.
Monkeys have become a menace.These days they seem to be coming only in batches.Batch is an understatement,army would be better.They come in not less than 20-25 and wreak havoc in the wing.It seems like an F1 race .The first pitstop is the wing dustbin and peacefully dig the stuff ,throw out the unnecessary things like papers,refills etc and gorge on the banana peels,fruit left overs,pizza leftovers in the cartons etc. The race continues and the Alonsos ,Schumachers now head to the water dispenser or the wash basin.Ok fine,let them eat,throw everything,drink water etc.How the hell do we tell them not to shit in the wings esp near the water dispensers ?
Firstly this problem is due to the excessive concretisation of the open spaces in the institute over the last few months. We now have this huge Himalaya and four seven storied apartments masquerading as hostels. This pushes them to the green areas near our hostel which has hazaar green cover. Repeated complaints fall on deaf ears and the lips have only one standard answer - They have not occupied our place, we have intruded into their territory. This was coined by a Prof who is famous for her Ash type figure ( I repeat- only figure. Infact it is a favourite question during the ragging sessions.Ping me for details ) . One just cannot rest peace when the door is ajar because you never know when the army is going out to plunder the room.
Some probable (cant say if they are plausible ) solutions-
1) Leave them in the Snake Park/Cancer Institute/CLRI. Of course Anna Univ is also fine. I do believe in "Other students should not be left out. They too should experience IIT life"
2) Leave them in the houses of the proponents of animal rights. I would be eager to see how these guys react when they find monkey shit outside their windows.
3) Shift IIT . Proximity to any of Stella Mary's, Ethiraj , Queen Mary's etc is my first choice.
Things lost partially/entirely due to monkeys :
* Alarm clock, tablets in first sem.
* My roomie's mirror. They too are conscious of their looks , you see.
* Hazaar T-shirts which are hung outside in the wing. Some of them due to shit, some because the monkeys hang on them and throw them down. ( Reminds me of an old, superhit NTR song " Aaresuko poi paaresukunnanu ..". Can't translate)
* Hazaar vests and briefs. Somehow never found them wearing these. Will upload photos if I find them.
P.S : This movie was called Ek bandar hotel ke andar in Hindi. In my case it would be Hazaar bandar HOSTEL ke andar
Thus says the institute website. To an outsider the imposing campus would present a wonderful sight with the greenery,lower temperatures (they say it is 2-3 deg lower than the average temp of Chennai),the deers crossing the roads and the occasional glimpses of stags ,blackbucks etc.Any forest is incomplete without our forefeathers. Needless to say the campus is infested with monkeys. We have monkeys in all forms and sizes. To put it in the words of Maneka Gandhi or Manisha Koirala in Indian we have sweet little ones, naughty mid sized ones and huge papas and mamas.I certainly would like to change the adjectives describing them.Who wouldn't if he found monkey shit on opening his window and his clothes in the ground floor.
Monkeys have become a menace.These days they seem to be coming only in batches.Batch is an understatement,army would be better.They come in not less than 20-25 and wreak havoc in the wing.It seems like an F1 race .The first pitstop is the wing dustbin and peacefully dig the stuff ,throw out the unnecessary things like papers,refills etc and gorge on the banana peels,fruit left overs,pizza leftovers in the cartons etc. The race continues and the Alonsos ,Schumachers now head to the water dispenser or the wash basin.Ok fine,let them eat,throw everything,drink water etc.How the hell do we tell them not to shit in the wings esp near the water dispensers ?
Firstly this problem is due to the excessive concretisation of the open spaces in the institute over the last few months. We now have this huge Himalaya and four seven storied apartments masquerading as hostels. This pushes them to the green areas near our hostel which has hazaar green cover. Repeated complaints fall on deaf ears and the lips have only one standard answer - They have not occupied our place, we have intruded into their territory. This was coined by a Prof who is famous for her Ash type figure ( I repeat- only figure. Infact it is a favourite question during the ragging sessions.Ping me for details ) . One just cannot rest peace when the door is ajar because you never know when the army is going out to plunder the room.
Some probable (cant say if they are plausible ) solutions-
1) Leave them in the Snake Park/Cancer Institute/CLRI. Of course Anna Univ is also fine. I do believe in "Other students should not be left out. They too should experience IIT life"
2) Leave them in the houses of the proponents of animal rights. I would be eager to see how these guys react when they find monkey shit outside their windows.
3) Shift IIT . Proximity to any of Stella Mary's, Ethiraj , Queen Mary's etc is my first choice.
Things lost partially/entirely due to monkeys :
* Alarm clock, tablets in first sem.
* My roomie's mirror. They too are conscious of their looks , you see.
* Hazaar T-shirts which are hung outside in the wing. Some of them due to shit, some because the monkeys hang on them and throw them down. ( Reminds me of an old, superhit NTR song " Aaresuko poi paaresukunnanu ..". Can't translate)
* Hazaar vests and briefs. Somehow never found them wearing these. Will upload photos if I find them.
P.S : This movie was called Ek bandar hotel ke andar in Hindi. In my case it would be Hazaar bandar HOSTEL ke andar
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
@CROSSROADS
15th January, at twenty twenty three,
X on his bed, his future shrouded in mystery
Pre-final year,pre-final year
How I wish you never appear!
Thinking about job,CAT,GRE (read greeee)
While his peers are on a movie watching spree
His friends shouted veni,vidi,vici
He could only think of veni,vidi,vetti
Software said one; finance, flaunted the other
8 am class he went,lab report said the professor
A CAT crossed his path, the mind struck a chord
Spake one :MBA without work ex? It does sound odd
Keep your options open, said mom
Write GRE, as goes the norm
5 years for Ph.d!Its too long a time
CAT is dicey and unreliable, said T.I.M.E
Its eleven now,time for some coffee
X jumps out,decides to be tension free
Confusion and dilemma still reign supreme
The conclusion will come soon, I scream!
P.S: Hazaar thanks to Gads, Naren and Sandy for proof reading and helping me out with the title.
X on his bed, his future shrouded in mystery
Pre-final year,pre-final year
How I wish you never appear!
Thinking about job,CAT,GRE (read greeee)
While his peers are on a movie watching spree
His friends shouted veni,vidi,vici
He could only think of veni,vidi,vetti
Software said one; finance, flaunted the other
8 am class he went,lab report said the professor
A CAT crossed his path, the mind struck a chord
Spake one :MBA without work ex? It does sound odd
Keep your options open, said mom
Write GRE, as goes the norm
5 years for Ph.d!Its too long a time
CAT is dicey and unreliable, said T.I.M.E
Its eleven now,time for some coffee
X jumps out,decides to be tension free
Confusion and dilemma still reign supreme
The conclusion will come soon, I scream!
P.S: Hazaar thanks to Gads, Naren and Sandy for proof reading and helping me out with the title.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
GURU
Warning : Spoiler alert, long post, many mistakes might have crept in, no enthu to rectify
Continuing from where I left in the previous post , we went to Mayajaal in ECR yesterday in pretty much the same manner described in the previous post for the late night show GURU at 10-45 pm. We managed to reach there just in time and got the 2nd row tickets . In my opinion Prasads multiplex in Hyd is much better than Mayajaal. Without digressing much , let me stick to the main motive of the post - review of the movie.
This flick traces the rags-to-riches story of the Reliance emperor Dhirubhai Ambani played by Jnr Bacchan with aplomb without much distortion. Thankfully Mani doesn't give him many dance numbers , which were an eyesore in Dhoom 2. The movie starts off with Guru telling us to dream high and addressing his employees in a stadium. Immediately it shifts to the 50's and shows a young Gurukant Desai leaving to Turkey , after failing in the 10th class. After a slow start showing Guru working for Shell it slowly gathers momentum when he returns to India to set up his own business. Guru is portrayed as an unrelenting and persuasive guy when it comes to money matters. Mani has always had stud cinematographers like P.C Sreeram,Rajiv Menon, Santosh Sivan ( remember Chayya chayya ) etc. Ash's intro scene - the barso rey song was beautifully picturized and full marks to Rajiv Menon ( the Minsaara Kanavu a.k.a Sapnay director) . But I felt Trisha's Nuvvostanante was one of the best intro songs of recent times. Shriya was nowhere close in Mazhai. Guru convinces Ash's brother , who is his close friend, and marries Ash and starts his business with the dowry . The movie is totally engrossing at this stage , showing the various strategies,many unethical adopted by Guru to expand his business. This is the best phase of the movie backed by some super sensational background by Rahman and power packed dialogues by Abhishek. In typical Mani style the confrontations between Guru and the rivals , ministers etc are shown without the loud dialogues and Rahman immediately changes the mood of the scene with a sudden burst of amazing beats. Total riveting stuff. The dialogues surely deserve a mention. Surprising how Mani uses one line to convey a host of emotions!
Mithun plays the Communist editor of a newspaper . He initially supports Guru and is instrumental in his initial success which throws light on the lisence and permit system prevailing then. Guru slowly builds his empire and ensures that he is in the good books of the political leaders. The busines-politics nexus is highlighted in one scene with a minister. Guru resorts to many unethical ways due to his obsession with money. His meteoric rise exploiting the loopholes in the law, golmaal in shares and debentures, fake exports etc do not have Mithun's approval. He pits Madhavan, his reporter against Guru. The more he exposes Guru, the higher he grows and more is the profit. Vidya Balan's role dilutes the intensity of the powerful scenes in the 2nd half which beautifully juxtapose Guru's continual profits and Madhavan's image maligning spree. Guru meanwhile starts his " saviour of the middle class " campaign. Thousands of middle class people invest their hard earned money in his SHAKTI CORPORATION. Guru's dream of building India's biggest company is shown by means of few group photographs with increasing people in the background and bigger factories and culminates in a stadium photograph showing thousands of employees. Surely a picture is worth a thousand words.
The final scenes are a huge letdown. Having taken us on a delectable ride thus far , Mani disappoints in the climax. There are chargesheets and commissions appointed for this case. Guru suffers a paralytic attack. In the final hearing he is given 5 mins to defend himself in full public. Guru says nothing was legal and ethical in his initial days of cloth trading and everything in India is flawed. Big B simply rocked in the scene. The dialogues found great acceptance as many applauded in the theatre.The comparison to Gandhi's freedom struggle was in bad taste. . As the one responsible for the upliftment of middle class he questions if the dream to make India's company a world leader is wrong. He finishes his speech in 4 1/2 mins and says " Yeh bijiness hai. Isme bhi maine 30 second ka munaafa paaya hain". He is surprisingly let off with just a fine of about 60 lakhs for tax evasion etc. This probably was meant to show the poor anti-corruption laws then. The next scene shows an older Big B jnr and a bigger crowd and a motivating speech and the titles.
The movie has its share of brilliant moments. Abhishek has greatly improved every aspect of his acting . Apparently he has taken hazaar cues from Al Pacino in Godfather ( friends said that) and apes his dad too in the final moments which remind us of SARKAR. Overall the combo of sensational acting, amazing music, superb dialogues and Mani's directorial abilities give us a winner , the poor climax notwithstanding. Go watch it for Mani's brilliance. I wouldnt mind a revision!
Rating: * * * 1/2 ( scale of 5)
Continuing from where I left in the previous post , we went to Mayajaal in ECR yesterday in pretty much the same manner described in the previous post for the late night show GURU at 10-45 pm. We managed to reach there just in time and got the 2nd row tickets . In my opinion Prasads multiplex in Hyd is much better than Mayajaal. Without digressing much , let me stick to the main motive of the post - review of the movie.
This flick traces the rags-to-riches story of the Reliance emperor Dhirubhai Ambani played by Jnr Bacchan with aplomb without much distortion. Thankfully Mani doesn't give him many dance numbers , which were an eyesore in Dhoom 2. The movie starts off with Guru telling us to dream high and addressing his employees in a stadium. Immediately it shifts to the 50's and shows a young Gurukant Desai leaving to Turkey , after failing in the 10th class. After a slow start showing Guru working for Shell it slowly gathers momentum when he returns to India to set up his own business. Guru is portrayed as an unrelenting and persuasive guy when it comes to money matters. Mani has always had stud cinematographers like P.C Sreeram,Rajiv Menon, Santosh Sivan ( remember Chayya chayya ) etc. Ash's intro scene - the barso rey song was beautifully picturized and full marks to Rajiv Menon ( the Minsaara Kanavu a.k.a Sapnay director) . But I felt Trisha's Nuvvostanante was one of the best intro songs of recent times. Shriya was nowhere close in Mazhai. Guru convinces Ash's brother , who is his close friend, and marries Ash and starts his business with the dowry . The movie is totally engrossing at this stage , showing the various strategies,many unethical adopted by Guru to expand his business. This is the best phase of the movie backed by some super sensational background by Rahman and power packed dialogues by Abhishek. In typical Mani style the confrontations between Guru and the rivals , ministers etc are shown without the loud dialogues and Rahman immediately changes the mood of the scene with a sudden burst of amazing beats. Total riveting stuff. The dialogues surely deserve a mention. Surprising how Mani uses one line to convey a host of emotions!
Mithun plays the Communist editor of a newspaper . He initially supports Guru and is instrumental in his initial success which throws light on the lisence and permit system prevailing then. Guru slowly builds his empire and ensures that he is in the good books of the political leaders. The busines-politics nexus is highlighted in one scene with a minister. Guru resorts to many unethical ways due to his obsession with money. His meteoric rise exploiting the loopholes in the law, golmaal in shares and debentures, fake exports etc do not have Mithun's approval. He pits Madhavan, his reporter against Guru. The more he exposes Guru, the higher he grows and more is the profit. Vidya Balan's role dilutes the intensity of the powerful scenes in the 2nd half which beautifully juxtapose Guru's continual profits and Madhavan's image maligning spree. Guru meanwhile starts his " saviour of the middle class " campaign. Thousands of middle class people invest their hard earned money in his SHAKTI CORPORATION. Guru's dream of building India's biggest company is shown by means of few group photographs with increasing people in the background and bigger factories and culminates in a stadium photograph showing thousands of employees. Surely a picture is worth a thousand words.
The final scenes are a huge letdown. Having taken us on a delectable ride thus far , Mani disappoints in the climax. There are chargesheets and commissions appointed for this case. Guru suffers a paralytic attack. In the final hearing he is given 5 mins to defend himself in full public. Guru says nothing was legal and ethical in his initial days of cloth trading and everything in India is flawed. Big B simply rocked in the scene. The dialogues found great acceptance as many applauded in the theatre.The comparison to Gandhi's freedom struggle was in bad taste. . As the one responsible for the upliftment of middle class he questions if the dream to make India's company a world leader is wrong. He finishes his speech in 4 1/2 mins and says " Yeh bijiness hai. Isme bhi maine 30 second ka munaafa paaya hain". He is surprisingly let off with just a fine of about 60 lakhs for tax evasion etc. This probably was meant to show the poor anti-corruption laws then. The next scene shows an older Big B jnr and a bigger crowd and a motivating speech and the titles.
The movie has its share of brilliant moments. Abhishek has greatly improved every aspect of his acting . Apparently he has taken hazaar cues from Al Pacino in Godfather ( friends said that) and apes his dad too in the final moments which remind us of SARKAR. Overall the combo of sensational acting, amazing music, superb dialogues and Mani's directorial abilities give us a winner , the poor climax notwithstanding. Go watch it for Mani's brilliance. I wouldnt mind a revision!
Rating: * * * 1/2 ( scale of 5)
Friday, January 05, 2007
NEW YEAR REVELRY
Ideally this post should have been written 3-4 days back but thanks to wing fart sessions,visiting some relatives, some outings, sem starting works etc didn't materialize. I came to Chennai on 31st ,well in time for a new year bash with hostel junta.After hazaar dillydallying and beating around the bush we finally decided to do something at 8pm. A casual perusal of the New Year Special which had the "hot spots" in the city and the various parties around resulted in a mini heart attack. Firstly everything had the wretched word which brings loads of anger and disappointment on every single guy's face - couples only. Next the rates which never even came close to a 3-digit no. Finally we embarked on a wild-goose chase with just the name of the destination - Farm House on ECR and absolutely no idea about the conveyance,location,costs etc. 10 of us got ready and after some smsing and gtalking decided to go by share auto via Taramani. The usual haggling ensued and we reached the place in 2 groups.We had a small squabble with the manager regarding seat allocation. Ego and pride got the better of us and we moved out only to realize there was nothing nearby. Better senses prevailed now , Alfa and me decided to dole out a dose of Gandhigiri,went in with "vinamrata" and were told to wait for 10 mins and finally got a seat.The ambience was amazing,very much like a farm house and the place was tastefully decorated.I had a slight inkling that this too would be hazaar costly and the mini heart attack resurfaced after seeing the menu card. Wodehouse would have said " I would have broken the record for the sitting high jump". Then was the time for some "strat putsing". 2 guys who got placed recently were coaxed and convinced to foot the bill . (Actually it was a part of the "hidden agenda" for the night ). The bill being taken care of , we ordered left,right and center. We veggies had no cribs, apparently the non veggie food wasn't that great. However I have to admit that the quality and the service were in no way commensurate with the rates. The inordinate delay left many of us fuming. Somehow finished everything without leaving a grain, watched some pyrotechnics at 12 and then dispersed.
We decided to do something out-of-the-box and went to the seashore sans people . The eerie road that led to the shore, dark and chilly night, barking dogs etc all added to the fun (and fright!) but somehow mustered enough courage to go the shore. We stopped at a point but Murali and Chenna went further upto the water. ( Mallika Sherawat would have said " These are men with balls " :P). Sea,Sand,night,no junta etc.What will guys do? Obviously take a leak! Having relieved ourselves we now set out to go to back to the city,first to Besant Nagar beach and then to IIT.
We walked a good distance greeting all the revellers along the road and finally found a share auto. Again the usual haggling, stuffed ourselves into the max-7-seater and then started the real fun. Throughout we morphed popular songs with a generous dose of expletives and sung at the top of our voices at a CelineDion level pitch. Surely any passerby would have thought we were drunk and totally out, which wasn't the case. Bessie beach was unusually crowded at 2-30 am. We got hold of an ice cream each and just sank into the sand.The guys with oodles of energy ventured out into the waters while the less enterprising just decided to "eat the air" and relax.After some farting and recollecting good old memories we just slept. The pic shows a natural pose,totally oblivious to the surroundings. It was already 3-30am. Finally we made a move fearing a lathi spanking from the policeguys who were shooing away junta and reached our hostel at 4 .We started off the new year in the hostel with football under lights. Scored a goal somehow and the aching legs finally told me to go and crash.
This was certainly a cracker of a night. One thing which I shall certainly miss next year is this bunch of friends and the wing camaraderie . Any time,any place be it cofee or mess or any outing one can find enough company. This will be sorely missed next year. Anyways many more placements/apping treats in the offing and hope to have a blast this sem. GRT,Chola,Park,Mayajaal etc are just some of the places which will soon be blessed by the
Sixth wing junta of Jamuna!
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