Thoughts and perceptions

2011-03-31T12:05:00.002+05:30

The paranoia that took cricket:

That the media's capability to transform into a megaphone and magnifying glass is a fact well known. And now it is driving people on either side of Wagah into a frenzy. The fact that cricket was transmogrified into a war from a mere sport is the result of such aggrandizement blown my the media bugles. Add to that the couple of frenetic advertisements showing men bleeding in blue(meanwhile this is a copied fantasy).

Capitalists who thrive on the emotions derived continue to make more money, when fans and wannabe fans 'rock' the stadium, with cameras capturing PYTs with their chin painted with colours of the national flag. One cannot help admiring the national spirit in the painting, if not the girl, lol.

Such is the state of display from the citizens over displaying nationality, when there is not such active participation in forums discussing the arms deal or the hackneyed nuclear deal discussions, thus making cricket frenzy a mere hollow sounding vista for venting the patriot's blood, just like an emotional catharsis.

Evolution of cricket from test matches to one days to 20-20s is undeniable, nevertheless such dramatic hacking of a game must never be allowed to wilt the basic sportive nature of the game.

Winning or losing, is not significant as it is just a mere sign of the culmination of the game. The way each teams fights, the strategies and other technicalities is where lies the sport. This enlightened moderation enables oneself to take a victory or a loss equally, and remain unperturbed awaiting the next game, instead of stirring up a commotion in facebook and sending forward messages mocking the losers.

Sport was originally a replacement for the civilized man to farther himself from primitive barbarianism. It is sad indeed that some overtones of current times is pushing the wheels of progress in the reverse direction.

2011-03-18T20:28:00.004+05:30

Beating around the brain:

It was just another one of the boring day a few years ago. A rudderless surfing the internet when blogs were the craze(when twitter was getting popularity and facebook was getting introduced) when i came across this blog.

The emotional way she described the song(words fail when it comes to bombay jayshree) made me get myself involved, the monomaniac i am, for hours listening to it again and again.

The lighthearted flotation feeling when listening to an enamoring fresh musical rendering for the first time, irrespective of the genre, is one to die for. And the lullaby based on Dhivya prabhandam from Bombay Jayashree which was in 320kbps high quality left no room for complaining about quality either. It is akin to the first shower of the monsoon, when you know that it is going to be repetitive, and with each encore, trying to appreciate it in different possible ways.

Carnatic music is one which i should have acquired properly, nevertheless, i could connect with it subconsciously. Whether i am conditioned to do so, or it is natural is a wonderful subject of study for a psychology student who will never submit his thesis. Oh and the viewing of it from the lens of religion is a whole new unexplored vista!

Comparisons are inevitable: and these music genre tend to restore orderliness for the critic in the mind by setting new benchmarks. It is both a sad and a happy thing to happen, sad because your quest for quality will remove a substantial portion of what is called a new generation music, and happy because you are now a more discerning music listener.

From then on, i am in a state of being lost in limbo(courtesy Inception movie). I couldn't wholesomely get in resonance with any music. Fast numbers appear to be too rudimentary and melodies draggy and text-like. Not that i am not listening to cine music, but the passionate listening has reduced to a state of enlightened moderation.

Professor PV Ramakrishna, who was handling digital communication for me, once retorted in class, "with age and maturity, the frequencies of music appreciation tends towards the middle of the spectrum".

I would be glad if i fall into such a stage from my current limbo.

2011-02-07T21:50:00.002+05:30

Ko music review:

Perhaps, this will be(hopefully) the shortest music review for a Harris Jayaraj musical.

Yennamo yedho is a for the most part a melody garnished with rap element , bearable just for the melody and direct instrumentation. Sounds dull and uninteresting.

Gala Gala is a sort of assorted, mega drum song with meandering flow. Fast paced by Harris standards. Bearable, listenable. Thats about it.

venpaniye is the traditional Harris melody, akin to the uyirile from Vettayadu vilayadu, deal sweetened by Bombay Jayashree.

The rest of the songs are so bland and Neo-Rehman-isque ventures. It never worked for the Master, and history repeats for the Student.

2011-01-19T20:53:00.003+05:30

The taste of pepsi

It was the summers in school time. 7th standard i suppose. It was a shirt drenched in sweat playing in the PKD school grounds. We all were returning back home. None of us had a paisa left. Except V.prabu. He had a ten rupee note.

Luckily, pepsi then costs around that amount in the nearby grocery shop. The shop owner was one kindhearted to give us three straws for a bottle of pepsi. Me, V.Prabu and Saravana Kumar took the other end of each of the straw and started sipping. 3 in 1 kind of.

Amazingly, the sweat and the thirst in the tongue made me relish the taste of pepsi like anything.. It went empty in no time(duh!).

It was the first and (until now) last time pepsi tasted the ultimate best and when i managed to drink it without the gases escaping through the nostrils.

Sadly, Saravana Kumar is no-more.

2010-12-22T12:49:00.003+05:30

Whither democracy?

These are real testing times for the Indian polity. Democracy which is an institution to serve the people's welfare is subverted to usurp power to feed the watershed of corruption and criminality. A country cannot be governed* for people's welfare in an eternal state of scams emanating one after the another, making people lose faith over the institution of democracy: as seen from the bitter resentment in the comments poured by the people in the various media.

There are inbuilt defense mechanisms, like the CBI which evince attention for its purported stance of taking people to task. But then the usurpers of power are nonchalant when pointed about the might of the CBI. The politican want to plunder the country and its resources to fill his coffers at any cost and the disturbing trend here is the brazen attitude and the rapaciousness with which he/she defends his misdeeds by obfuscating the facts put forward in the accusal.

It is too premature and sans logic to conclude that democracy has failed, though a section of the population is assertive of the fact and continue to disobey the law- either actively or passively. The one who pays the bribe is equally guilty to the one who is demanding. The attitude of the people is disheartening. They have accepted corruption and bribery to be the norm of the day (and days to come). Ordinary people of the country are too much indulgent in the race to make their day fruitful to pecuniary results. How much of persistent advocating can bring up a change in the thinking of the common man is indeed tentative.

Democracy in itself owes its existence to the collective conscience of the people. Thus when the individual gains more importance over the group or society, the State where such muddiness and instigated turbidity prevails no longer can be called a democracy.

Today, corruption, nepotism, favoritism are the informal rules of governing. What applies to the grassroots, is applied to the higher orders. This canker is feeding to the societal inequality. Surprisingly, it is the very resilient feature of the democratic attributes(like dialogue, accomodation of dissent) that which further adds to the tools of the perpetrators. Thus when charged with corruption, the politician evades immediate action in the name of commissions and enquiry.

It takes a moment to point an error. The resolution of it is the real issue. The foremost of all is to make people aware. Aware of what is happening in this country- the facts as sharp as they actually are. This coupled with making people enlightened about their stake- which a high degree of education can only give. And media do has a positive role to play here. Media should be kept free of the same political culture which is ruining the country.

Indians are so generous that they lift political icons into dynastic appeal. Had congress resorted to democracy in their polity, it would have gotten itself a merit list for a able administrator. And the main opposition would cling on to democratic platform to fight the battle, rather than appealing to mass sentiments.

The classic case of left vs right(communists vs capitalists) is obsolete, and the political dichotomy is now only over the degree of liberalization. Then it is no more a dichotomy, and hence the inherent dissident is now extinct. Thus when group is advocating bad capitalism, and it lands in a quagmire as a consequence, the government has to bail it out. And then the same citigroup later does business sound and healthy, doing a decent burial to any lessons that has to be learnt. We live in turbulent times.

*Governing is a better word than ruling

2010-11-13T13:34:00.003+05:30

Engeyum Kaadhal music review:

"Simplicity is the Ultimate sophistication", said Leonardo Da Vinci. An artistic reflection i guess. Harris Jayaraj has been doing on the lines of this decree, if his latest tamil film musical is to be commented upon. Music sounds so simple- fewer instruments- there is no Rahman-ish too many instruments and complex orchestration. Instruments which a amateur music composer would choose, yet an outcome which sounds matured of a seasoned music maker. In one angle, Harris is one, there is a pattern occurring in all his songs, the soft jazz oriented novelties thrown around occasionally, like the fake opera bit.

How original it sounds, is not more important than how utilizable the music is while you are listening to it. Instant captivating, a feel of lightness- say when i am driving a car, or relaxing myself at the end of the day. I am not arguing that music has to be 'familiar' each time, but it must be complying to the first line of this blog post.

Let us proceed to the review.

Engeyum kadhal.
Aalaap Raju
Comes out as a fresh piece. Terrific simplicity. Foot-tap beats. Devan's humming in the background. A clean song for any time of the day.

Thee illai

Naresh Iyer, Mukesh, Gopal Rao, Mahathi

The opening violin hints at an unbearable pain of the heart, yet the opening contains attuned stifled excitement. Female voices are tending to the higher frequencies and this is becoming the fad. Second stanza instrumental is typical trademark of Harris. I love the way the drums roll whenever the opening lines are played each time- dramatic.

Nangaai

Richard

Made in haste or retarded pop culture garnished with lyrics to tamil populace. The style of fusion is what makes you listen to the song.

Lolita

Karthik, Prashanthini

Karthick's song all the way. A parallel to Uzhaga azhagiye song. Again the same simple beats, guitar prancing with it. Sparkling stanza tunes, which are instantly hummable. Harris and drum rolls!!! And the sax interludes. There is not a bit of laxity anywhere in the composition.

Bathing at cannes
many artists
Rap songs, with the hackneyed rap beats. Nothing more to say.

Nenjil Nenjil

Harish Raghavendra, Chinmayi

Here's another engrossing melody, from the inimitable melody maker. Chinmayi, the softest of all feminine with Harish, the male counterpart. Pad's spank every alternate second. In feeling aspect, the heart melts to the mood of the song. Peculiar combination of the chorus and carnatic instruments in the second half(anbil avan- VTV). Flawless tamil lyrics matched to perfect diction. One of the best tunes i have ever heard as of now.

Dhimu Dhimu

Karthik

As if all the melodies dont make the package complete, Harris gives us another Karthick song. Guitar and beat and Karthick: this adds up to a soothing, calm non-boisterous song. Yes, there is sax interludes. And the old school formula, which the composer relies so often- the end stanza pacing up of the song.

Barring the two aberrations(for commercial purposes- target audience inclusiveness) the five songs are more than worth the time you spend on it. Music for the basic purpose is overwhelmingly satiated and i think majority of the populace too will be. Thus ARR can proceed clinging to the apex of his high-brow work, this description is of questionable veracity but widely accepted, when Harris continues his artistry of making music simple, listenable and is capable of refreshing a tired mind(the contrary of ARR's enervating music).

Harris is one odd man out of the boisterous many, whose works confine to(or atleast attempting to) Leonardo's assertion.

2010-09-25T20:45:00.002+05:30

snippets

The congress forms the government. And then they speak about the congress and the government.

Ayodhya is the battleground for the babri mosque supporters and Ram temple activists. Someone goes to court, and on the eve of the judgment, government gets proactive. Activists(i don't know when they become one) plead for out of court settlement. The erudite Supreme Court makes government a party to it. What an illustration for the word, 'quagmire'.

Manmohan Singh, the honorable PM, quips that there is no free lunch for anyone in India. The rodents chuckle rollicking over grain filled jute bags, for they have proved the PM wrong!!

2010-08-03T17:46:00.005+05:30

Endhiran film music review:

Well, the songs have come up. And Rahman's fans all over twitter and the blog world are exhausting every superlative adjective to glorify the songs and getting in sync. They justify, Rahman is lord and what comes from the lord is consecrated, and therefore no negative comments to be aired.

"Well the songs are superb(assumed to be superb), and hence i will listen to it. Because Rahman's intellectual depths are revealed only in the nth time of hearing"

The world is increasingly becoming liberal, and therefore it is best left maniacs and fanatics to their own idiosyncrasies. Even if i am one myself.

Music is defined as a periodic noise. That's a negative description but nevertheless fits the bill. Even if it is slightly periodic, or if it follows a pattern, or it produces a soothing sensation something which induces sleep to a tired mind.

This is one form of describing music, and when it resembles jarring, woofer wrecking, random synthesized sounds, the apparent difference between music and noise is wiped off.

Endhiran is one such album, where the character of music is lost in the drumming and echoing background noises.

Pudhiya manidha has this robotised voices and ARR himself joins the robots, and his daughter adds a soft element, and then the the song actually starts at 2:20 when SPB starts his hum. Aw..... what a voice, after a long time, the reign of the real male voice in tamil film music. Yeah i mentioned periodic, yes the beats simple and periodic, sudden bursts of voice(with the annoying goat sounds produced by Rehaina, ARR's sister). SPB voice is robotised at times, which hampers the rhythm. song brought to life by SPB.

Kadhal anukkal : Pardon me, is this song composed by Rehman? Any average Joe can come up with a similar tune and presentation. Tippu's voice exactly for Vijay Prakash.

Irumbile oru idhayam: The voices playing in the stereo is so bizarre. ARR voice is excellent and mind-blowing at times but which is hidden behind the grandeur of music. (how much it fits for the hero on screen is another issue), An average song. Will be nice for a drive in the car.

Chitti dance:Not exactly music by any standards.

Arima arima: Purely for the video and not so sumptuous for audio standalone listening. Rhyming verses, Sadhana Sargam will not to match the actress voice. Noisy and too loud at any volume.

Kilimanjaro: Rahman's sister is a menace to this song's intro. Otherwise, it is a nice song with Javed Ali and Chinmayee!!!!! Her modulation is so different and intoxicating. Beat is heavy and slow paced funky. The only listenable song, which doesn't enervate you , fresh and stands out from the others. Tribal elements.

Boom boom:Musical notes resemble Shivaji's adhiradi song. Kailash kher's voice dont have much applicability. Female voice dont fit: and the synthesizing makes it irritating. More of noise and less and less of music.

......
They said ARR is a genius, and his works rings only to the ears of true intellectuals, common men like me will take many times to grasp it. Is there anyone listening to Shivaji or for that matter VTV?

Musical notes which are complex for the sake of it.

2010-03-10T13:11:00.000+05:30

Vinnaithandi varuvaya: my take

Is the movie about love at first sight? Yes and no. Maybe familiarity (also) breeds love. When one sided love is the cinematic-ally established normality, when the other end too feels it, then its (blessed) co-incidence. And when you are deep into it, you make promises, whether it is realizable or not. But you have to, to get the going.

A boy(karthick) actually(not hero). Narrates his story to us. Watch it without the pre-concluded characterizations. Quite a few movies are a visual real life event. The few-worded guy, who chases his love. In life, something happens in the flow. It depends on whether u allow this 'flow', or u discredit it. He took it by the flow. He believed it is his love. And stood by it. Till the end of the movie. Maybe till he 'moved on'. Or not.

The other religion girl's dilemmas throughout. The on-screen aesthetics(costumes). Her unwillingness to take the plunge. Beautiful portrayal of a girl (also) in love, who want to have it all, and quite different from stereotyped tamil heroines. Trisha could have done it better. GVM should have picked some other emoting girl for the lead. Especially when she asks karthick to move on, there's lack of emotional display. Only the dialogue delivery by Chinmayee helps.

The background music is blaring at times. ARR did an experimentation, his usual now-a-days.

The climax is a director's trick. Though ending not so like 'hero and heroine lived happily for many years' , it leaves a lasting impression. Awesome depiction of the feel of love towards the end. Especially when karthick displays his angst hiding his tears while describing his girl.

Love is a feeling. There is no success or failure rates to it. This movie illustrates it. I regretted(and that is also a feeling) what happened to karthick when he tells us with emotionally cracking voice what exactly is love. I couldn't agree more.

This movie's one of a kind. Accept it as it is.

2009-12-01T16:58:00.006+05:30

God's own country….revisited:

The trip to guruvayoor is always an enchanting one, the prime reason being the drive through the kerala countryside's lush greenery- a kind of dark greenery of the rainforest type and also the numerous intervening streamlets. Not only that, the villas which are encircled by a wild garden around, no doubt aided by the abundant showers.

Right after crossing the Tamil nadu border, there is a marked change in the visual environment-the first evidence of is the narrow Kerala roads-also the undulations indicating the lethargic communist government (which otherwise is too eager to ring in the cash box out of liquor sales-this is a common scene in which you see restless citizens of the so-called communist state queuing up to get their daily supply, just reminding a ration shop). The road from pollachi to Thrissur does not qualify for even a state highway (after Kerala) but I am not complaining-for the average speeds is around 50 to 60 kmph.

At such speeds, one can assume that it should be a leisure drive, but it is not the case. The driving style of most vehicles qualifies for rash driving and one has to be too careful not to cause any undue mishaps.

The scene of the leeward side of the western ghats with the occasional white line indicating a temporary waterfall is a common scene on the left side of the drive. Thrissur is about 120 kms from Pollachi and road was drivable only after Vadakkencherry where the NH 47 gives a very smooth drive after that. This is the scintillating part of the journey, where you cross the palghat gap, with dense canopy on either end. There are also rubber plantations on slopes, with the green plastic bags tied to sap rubber milk. After this stretch it is urban most of the way and there is nothing to offer other than the ubiquitous villas.

We reached the temple by 2 pm. The entrance time for the evening prayer is by 3.30 pm and hence the traditional way of going to the temple pond and all that. I wore my dhoti and to protect from any embarrassment I added a belt too. But the belt was too contrasting to the dhoti so I tied another small towel around the belt. Now the package is complete.

There were dark clouds hovering around there, and hence it means rains soon. But this is a combination of monsoon and equatorial rains, and I am feeling sticky in the queue out of this humidity. Right from entering the temple, there was some prayer songs being recited in carnatic ragas by a child prodigy that was so serene and going well in this spiritual atmosphere. Then nature started its own raga. The rains-it rained and how. It was pouring and I cant even see properly as near as 50 meters.

This was a splendid moment when on one side there was the smooth voice of some child and on the other side the pour of the rains and waiting without losing patience for the temple gates to open. And to this extravaganza, there added another charm-yes it was near 3.30 pm and there was the usual ritual before opening for the evening prayers with the traditional kerala style ‘sendai’ drummings. How scintillating was the day….

On entering the temple, I could see that there was some ritual in which three elephants decorated and with all the embellishments was being given a sort of an acclamation from the other side by drums and cymbals with the occasional wind pipes blowing at the peak times. In listening to this, in no time I was near the deity and so I concentrated on my prayers. Lord Guruvayoorappa was still a mystery to me. At one time he looks like a child, and at another time like the normal form as seen in the printed form. Perhaps, that is the uniqueness of this temple. This time, He really looked like a child sporting a huge smile (as shown by the sandalwood paste applied) and it was like He smiling at me as I go near Him.

It again started to pour and the feeling was like I was standing near a giant waterfalls. The temple area was swept clean and the whole area looked fresh. Mom went for taking prayers another time, and in the meanwhile I was listening in awe to the music.

After prayers, the traditional guruvayoor visit customs like buying halwas and pappad packs and then we started to home. Near thrissur, I made a small accident, when the brake was not enough to compensate my lack of attention to prevent the bending of the wagonR’s bumpers and backdoor. Fiat’s radiator was leaking badly. It was a tough time there and after a wait of 2 hours or so, we settled it there with cash after getting an estimate from the service station and started to home again.

The engine temperature was soaring to new heights as there was no water in the radiator. It was really trying to get down at houses and ask for water at this odd time of the day, every five km of so. Sometimes it was totally empty and vapors coming from the hood, rain was pouring hard, with me getting wet and then messaging what I was undergoing to a friend, stopping at inconvenient places, talking to unknown persons, getting searched by night patrol policemen and finally it was 1 pm when I returned home.

Truly a oxymoronic day with extreme states within a few hours.

2009-11-25T14:27:00.003+05:30

Sin city

Watching this movie is one of the rarest moments in life to indulge in movie watching experience. Reminds of the cartoon age of the black and white colours adding dull moods into the already pernicious screenplay.

Ignore what you are actuallywatching in the screen- what you get in any other film, but concentrating on how it is presented gives an awesome cinematic experience .of the technical aspects-the colour, graphics, the grossness of the violence and the character accessories.

Sin city is one movie which reminded me why i must be passionate about cinema without being too much critical about the connect with reality.

2009-10-31T11:30:00.000+05:30

Why am i conservative?

The conservative atleast knows what it takes to become a liberal.

2009-10-04T15:08:00.001+05:30

The hues of pastoral life..

2009-10-02T11:57:00.004+05:30

The thought process.

I’ve been to tirupathi in the eve of the annual function, called the brahmotsavam, a grand event. The lord of seven hills in His deity form, parades before lakhs of devotees in His vahanams(vehicles). More than the devotion, it is enlivened to see people’s crowd engaged in a harmonious spiritual cheering.

From pollachi, it was the bolero (the crude jeep masquerading as a car) with five people onboard. I didn’t drive, for the bolero is a commercial utility vehicle and therefore lacks of mannerism of the car. The route taken was pollachi-palladam-tirupur-salem-vellore-chennai-tirupati, as there was a need to attend a private function at Chennai. The road after salem was four-laned and demanded a total toll charge of 150 rupees-not bad as Chennai was reached in a record time of 10 hours with several breaks in between.

Right before sriperumbuthur onwards (where rajiv Gandhi was assassinated) one can see the industrial mode of the city. The nokia factory welcomed us, with its innumerable buses ferrying workmen (nokia employs more women than men). Sriperumbuthur town follows the memorial sight of the past (lost) prime minister of the country, with its very large Indian flag swaying in the breeze. Chennai has never changed, except for the slight increase in the disorder in the traffic system, pollution levels, primitive driving styles, bribe tainted traffic men, etc. Urbane living has its own merits of being in a civilized environment, but the cost one pays for that in non-pecuniary terms is enormous. The population surge of this country has changed the western equations of urbanization, and life in the part of the planet is more consummate and savourable in semi-urban areas than at the cities. Urbanity is synonymously capitalism and a living mirage, a kaleidoscope. You race with aspects like time, money, fame, your designation, your flat bedroom numbers, etc. A race which you are dragged into, consciously or sub consciously. Liberalism is commensurate to your degree of your adjustment to urban living. Urbanity is all about variety; the difference it feeds into your daily life. The evening, I went to one of my acquaintance’s home. It was a simple 2 bedroom flat in a posh area, as I already mentioned, he is used to urban living and even though he has a better home back at the town, he cannot leave from the iterated routines for which he is trained into until now. But towns like pollachi is fast changing, it is showing characteristics of this citified living, but all on a micro scale. A residence at DB road, RS puram Coimbatore is a near equivalent. But life is not as we scheme, and it is better we escape out of delirium and get in touch with the threads of reality. Refined mannerisms, a forward looking attitude, liberal views, and a mind trained to accept and worship multitudinous is what attracts everyone to the city. Except for the population of our ill fated country, urbanity is not unwelcome.

The next day afternoon, we started to tirupati. As the starting lecture in public administration states, mankind has evolved and civilized a lot, and human life has become more complex and intricate. The temple town, now a large city, bores no sign of any religious involvement; all of it is reserved to the hill temple zone. The faith of an individual is feeding the roots of capitalism. The constant buzz of horns and not even a micro second of gap to cross the road are evident of the ruthlessness of Market economy. I am a tourist here; you people must respect me; for in theory the customer is the king. But all that is ironical and only customer’s money is king. The real feel of the pilgrimage is uphill at tirumala(i). The whole place is a charity destination, with speakers in hymns of the lord with carnatic music that which is a serene soothing to a perturbed mind, which you can hear distinctly out of all the noise around. If you walk uphill, then you can forget the fatigue for mostly it is M S Subbulakshmi’s renderings or the live bhajans held near the temple. Until the queue reaches the temple entrance, there is always a physical stress of the crowd. But once you enter the main temple, it is completely different. The aesthetic appearance and the poignant attitude of the mind and heart in seeing the rare sight of the lord before you overcomes everything on its way. The devotees exclaim the lord’s name out loud; to explain it I can say that it is all a resonance phenomenon; a thousand people on the same motive and same belief will naturally create a spiritual resonance, just in the same way how a throng of urbanites creates urbanism. The oonjal seva, in which the lord Himself poses in a relaxed manner outside the temple to his devotees with a mild sway, listening to the hymns sang by some carnatic singer gives a very realistic spiritual feeling. Here I am, before you, however complex the world gets, simple are my ways… I never know whether I am religious or not- a mind trained to science intellect should deny god; but it is not seen in the commonplace. Scientific living, which is living by rationality and observation, may be true; but what is human life that which is filled with formulas and a set of observations contained in the universal set U? What hope is there for me to live, if everything happens by formula and logic? There is a void arising out there, and religion fills this void. The belief that one day in future I will be in a better position is the assurance derived out of a prayer to Him, and thus I can live the rest of the days with hope, whether I reach the destination as promised or not.

Religion is the ensemble integration of each and every conscience’s spiritual health.

Thus if thousands are sitting and worshipping the lord’s sight, and if I sit and propound theories, my intellect may be satisfied, but then to get into resonance to live the life of the times, I need to follow the same, even for a few seconds it may be, but which gives a eternal gratification of having blended with humanity.

2009-09-30T18:03:00.000+05:30

Unnaipol oruvan

After a really long time, i got a gap for a movie, unnaipol oruvan only because the movie was short. The audio and video aesthetics was not bad for a sub-urban theatre(sic). It was the first semester physics professor who taught me the difference between a cinema and theatre, quite funny isn't it?

The movie's starting is awkward. Right after the CBFC certification, there is this new Music director Shruti Hassan and Blazee going on a fusion call, quite blaring and Shruti Hassan not so gratifying to look at. Her voice though, falls in the lines of new-gen tamil rappers and pop manias.

Audiography is spoken much about in this movie; i dont find so. For in many scenes, where the audio has to make the viewer's heart thump, it goes all out loud and diverts attention a la italian job and bourne ultimatum. The last scenes in which the lead incinerates his evidence is appreciable. Perhaps, some contemplation must have been given as the target audience is never BGM discerning for an action filled movie. Nevertheless, a hearty bow to the young composer in her maiden attempt.

There were some editing refinement required, especially at the earlier scenes. Kudos for the terse dialogues, mockery-fun rich, esoteric jibes in the lighter moments. One needs full concentration to get 100% into the movie. It is vehemently a spoof of Barkha Dutt(and her smoking!) and derision of their foible. Mohanlal performs his role as a role model to the real officers. I dont think Kamal had made the chief secretary's role wantonly deriding; perhaps Lakshmi's trial play made it so.

Dramatic portrayal of real police station scenarios, a sort of contemptuous look in kamal's eyes in almost all the scenes, character perfection(especially Arif) add muscle to the movies screenplay. Kamal could have got even more suspense built into the jeep explosion scene at the end.

The movie is all a mild spice of black humour of the terror fighting infrastructure of the country; and this leaves none including the IT geek. There were a few incidents when the scenes became predictable with 'having seen earlier' effect.

If the script is original, kamal would have deserved an unconditional applause. But there's no equivalent for this script in tamil.

A 3rd rate joke: One front bencher, perhaps a vijay fan, commented: "Vijay would have made the movie a megahit with his hilarious dialogue delivery".

2009-09-15T22:50:00.001+05:30

Pollachi : climate

The climate of Pollachi is roughly defined as six months of rainy season and six months of fair weather. In detail, the climate can be classified as The southwest monsoon season-June to September The Retreating monsoon season-October to December Fair weather periods-January to May.
The geographical location of Pollachi is 10° north, 77° east qualifying as a tropical climate zone. Pollachi plains are separated from Kerala by the Western Ghats, and connectivity to Kerala state is through the sudden gap occurring in the ghats called the palghat gap. It is the presence of the gap which allows the rain bearing clouds of the south western monsoon to shower on the plains. However the quality of rain is not comparable to that on the side of Kerala, though relatively when compared to the leeward Tamilnadu areas the region is wet. Because of this Palghat region is relatively drier as the absence of an effective barrier rules out orographic rainfall. The rain begins anytime during the month of June. The climate condition before the monsoon period is usually fair, though when the sun is overhead during April-may end there is oppressive heat and humidity yielding torrential rains. The monsoon begins within a few days after its onset in Kerala. When it starts to rain at Kerala, Pollachi becomes cloudy and when it intensifies there, it begins as a mild drizzle here. At the successive advancement of the monsoon, the rainfall gets heavy. But at Valparai hills the rainfall is as heavy as on the Kerala side. There are usually periods of breaks in the monsoon season ensuring fair weather at times and during august-september, when the sun is overhead, there is again humid condition and there are torrential rains. It is interesting to watch the sky as there are monsoon clouds at western side and dark cumulonimbus clouds at the other end. Any favourable conditions like a low pressure situation in Bay of Bengal will intensify the monsoons and there will be widespread showers throughout the day. The monsoon season continues till September or until the intensity of the western winds fall. Traditionally Onam festival period is marked as the monsoon limit day. It may be pointed out that the break periods of the monsoons is a result of absence of cloud forming conditions in the Arabian Sea; this is directly related to the El Niño condition at South Western pacific oceans.

The reversal of the wind direction is a phenomenon happening somewhere in October. Winds start to blow from the eastern direction-this is called the retreating monsoon period. This produces the same effect as that of the south western monsoon season, though the quantity and timing are not as regular. Any the low pressure situations in the Bay of Bengal results in formation of rain clouds yielding heavy precipitation throughout the day. After December, there is fair weather. Nights feature cold clear skies and hence early mornings are foggy; days are relatively warm. This transforms into proper summer days in the following months. The mild breeze from the west reduces temperatures from becoming unbearable. March, April and may are the peak summer months when the temperature stays around 35 degrees maximum.

Pollachi's unique geography enables it to get rainfall from both the advancing and retreating monsoons. In addition to this there are torrential rain seasons when the sun is exactly overhead which is characteristic of equatorial climates. The tropical cyclones formed during the monsoons intensify the rainfall. Because of the sufficient rains, it is primarily an agricultural region. Coconut is the mainstay though vegetables, tapioca, groundnut, cotton are also cultivated. Groundnut and other grains are cultivated in a normal year, and at times when there is a delay of monsoons, farmers resort to cotton and other drought resistant crops. Paddy and sugarcane are grown in irrigated areas but citing increasing labour costs, more number of farmers are resorting to coconut planting. Most of the soil is red sandy soil. Black soil is at a few areas.

2009-08-27T19:10:00.000+05:30

Valparai and chalakudi trip:

I've been to valparai a few times in almost all the seasons. It eventually taught a cardinal principle in life: that life is a journey and not the destination. The process is more important than the end-product itself. For a motor enthusiastic, the power of the engine in tackling the steeper head-on inclinations is itself a treat than what nature has to offer.(Nature is offering nothing, but we humans interpret it that way, to kill that conscience which reminds you that by your visit you are adding carbon footprint). Driving up is a detrimental to the purpose of travel, for it leaves you with only 20-30 percent of your attention to watch and feel. Hence a bus is the best mode to do a trip. Economically too it is better, and you leave a little less carbon on earth in the journey. For the rest of the tourists it may be agreeable, but for a person with a heavy conscience like me, it is never convincing to waste resources.

The engine sound (I wont call it a noise) when pulling uphill-especially near the peak when the torque does its duty is an absolute delight to hear. It is the moment when the engine is proving its power. Such moments are a plenty in this trip, and with the newer generation turbocharged diesels, it is an absolute treat with the added turbo whistle. This thought was ringing in my head right from the moment I saw a bus with destination to chalakudy via valparai from pollachi. This bus starts from pollachi bus stand by 9 pm, reaches valparai late at night, and starts from there to Chalakudi via athirapally falls early in the morning. This timing information I got from the driver. So in no way I can take this bus to valparai, and since the starting time from valparai is at 9 am, I have to catch the early morning buses to valparai to reach before 9. The time could not be more apt, for it was mid of july, and it had been the monsoons from june. There could not be a better time to visit the western ghats. Dad was like, where in the rain you are going? I did not reply, for any reply would be like only when it is raining the going will be, and will invite wrath.

The next morning, I got up early, went to the bus station at 5, and already some hill-bound passengers were waiting there, therefore satisfied from the fact that the first bus is still not arrived. It was already shivering, but I wore only a vest inside. But Valparai is not going to threaten you with bitter cold, so this was more than enough.

The 5.30 bus came. It was from the shed, so it is confirmed that there is no night service from valparai. This is better, for the driver will be fresh, and so less chance of an accident (look how my capitalist mind is thinking?) in the rains. There were only 10-15 passengers in the bus, and it was starting to drizzle. The turbo was not sounding properly-I think these drivers don’t lubricate it properly, or because of the constant high rpm travel they get busted so early. It was a BS-II turbo, and BS-III turbos will be even better in NVH. But who cares, and will a journey be a journey without the engine sound? I sat in the single seat beside the driver, but the conductor promptly asked me to sit behind. For this is the VIP seat it seems, and meant for staffs. The fare was 21 rupees and reaching Aliyar, it halted for tea. Taking a tea is better, but it will lead you with an overworking kidney, so the minimum intake of liquid is better.

From Aliyar, the ghat session begins. The road fringes the dam, and on reaching Monkey falls(which actually is a waterfall) the hair pin turns begin. There was a roar of water from the falls. The road condition throughout is excellent, except for some narrow segments where the oncoming vehicles have to stop from even 200-300 mtrs. It was drizzling a bit more now but once on some considerable elevation, it was foggy and no rains. The 8^th or 9^th pin is the steepest, and it is actually a viewpoint to see the dam. The engine now was at its optimum heat, for there was a rush of warm air from the engine cover to my feet. So, this is how the driver survives the cold by a simple pant-shirt attire. Before reaching attakatti, the forest has dense canopy, a rainforest like scenario, buzzing insects, darker colour of leaves. Maybe there is a gap in the hill ranges so that there is heavy rainfall in these segments. The bus slowly passing these areas is a very lively feel. When Attakatti is reached, the rain has stopped, and everywhere there was this stream of rainwater channeling towards the slopes. The real chilling (not cold) started from here. The sort of which makes you shiver, even though the temperature is around 18-22 degrees. There was a contrast here, the chilling winds from the window on one side, and the engine heat from the other side. Still I did not close the window, and the fellow at the backseat got up disgruntled and went back. I felt relieved but also had compunction. My appearance with a unshaven face with the recent tonsure from tirupathi might have discouraged him from requesting to close the window.

The Waterfall tea estates came, and this was a considerably larger estate. Then came the forest again, and it was scintillating to see the fogging of the mountain slopes, with the chilling winds ever-present. It rained on from here, and it never stopped. Then the bus stopped again for tea: at Kavarkal, where there is a huge boulder. The principle of having less tea was to be broken; for I was more than shivering. Bus was the primary mode of transport for the school children, and since this was the first bus, there were a lot of them. They were watching me shivering, with a simple shirt on, and I tried to walk in the rain. But the rain drop size was large enough to hurt the skin. So I huddled back into the seat. Also there was a traffic created there by two slow moving trucks carrying firewood from the plains. But the trouble came from a inane tourist in a maruti 800 who took a U bend head on without even noticing the struggling trucks(the trucks were NA engined) to stop just a metre before them. There was a whish-whash of air brakes and a relief of not being a witness to the crushing of the 800.

From kavarkal, it was the mist that took priority over the rainfall. Any vehicle coming down is seen just 2-3 meters at front, and that too by the headlights. I think xenon white lights will be totally useless in this situation. The windshield was totally white, and I was awe-struck when I heard the driver teasing a passenger whether he took bath from a waterfall (pointing to it). On every corner, there was a gush of fresh, chilling winds at considerable speed along with the mizzle. A schoolgirl was sitting beside me and she told that all the season it was raining like this.

I left civilization, for the appearance of cottages are direct contrasts from the concrete jungles of the town. Rottikadai was the next bus stop, and after that it was valparai town. It started to pour again, and as the bus reached the Gandhi Statue stop, I alighted. I had only a cap, but nevertheless enquired about the chalakudi bus. They informed me that one bus had gone at 7.30 itself. Now it was 8, and next bus at 9. So having one hour ahead, I went to have a coffee/refreshment. After the bakery’s coffee and four biscuits, I felt hungry still. So I entered a café, and had set dosai and vadai as add-on (though not requested). The bill was for 19 rupees. Cheap, yet tasty. Sambhar smelt and tasted good. I then waited at the bus stand, and the rain had stopped. Then the yellow bus to kerala which I saw the previous day at pollachi was sighted.

I boarded the bus, and this too was empty-just 10-15 people there and most of them to local destinations on the way. It then started to drip, but weather was fair enough to keep the windows open. From valparai, it is a descent down, and then climbing up to sholayar dam. In between there is a place called Mudis. There was no other vehicle except the estate truck (mostly the eicher) or the ambulance. There were very narrow bridges with a sea of water flowing below: some of these bridges never had railings that even an M800 car cannot pass without precaution. The driver, having used to the roads, took them swiftly, giving a lead-in of more than necessary. Over these bridges there were markings indicating periodic maintenance. Roads were pathetic, but the bus never complained and even then a tata safari overtook us. Perhaps an estate owner, for no tourist will(can) take such speeds in these roads.

After a few such bridges, then it began to ascent. Now it was crossing Mukkotumudi-meaning three-line-peak. There comes a tea factory with the blower sound. After this the bus reached the end of sholayar dam, when there was a turn left to reach the dam. This was indeed the TN border, and right ahead Kerala state welcomes in a green-red hoarding. The working government can be seen in the way the bus caters to estate workers-people those who dresses in bare necessities and using plastic bags to make them water resistant. People work in the rain plucking fresh tea leaves, their supervisor in a shorts, shoe and in a better position (because he had an umbrella). The place which is looking like a heaven to me, is pretty an ordinary workplace for these people. Estate owners and workers often go on talks for wage revision; they usually ply on recession and world competition to drape their profits. And it is always a compromise promising the bigger cake for the next revision, every time. How could then estate owners manage to drive around in imported 4x4s or premium SUVs? Maybe this is all the perils of the capitalist mode of our economy.

Then there was a local deity, and the usual kerala familiar nocks like communist party symbols and names in red on all walls. There was a kerala forest checkpost, and it welcomed us to the vazhachal forest division. Enter the forest and it began to rain heavily-it was pouring on the windshield and the road was a mini-stream. The driver complained about the lack of a ditch on the edge as the water flowing on the road makes it worse. The chilling was absent here deep in the forest; a character of rainforest scenario. From advancing into the forest, the change of vegetation is perceivable. The leaves are long or broad, the colour was a deep green and light green. By description they seem to be deciduous, but the density of the undergrowth and the buzzing of insects reminds of the rainforests. It is really enchanting to see the variety of the greenery along with trees (eucalyptus the most). The road got narrower as also the inclination. Kerala Sholayar dam was sighted on the right. There were a few areas where there was a foot long depression on the road-even the 20 inch wheels struggled to combat them. The use of the first gear (low gear) and the turbo at its peak and I could see tarmac again. On every incline, one can hear the drop of the rpm of the engine gradually, with the torque picking up-the constant pull that is experienced, and with a slight depressing of the pedal, and it pulls up effortlessly. I was unaware of the total kms to be covered in the forest or the trip time, and this added an element of thrill to the journey. Also there were broken trees lying across, cleared-up for the time being. This reminded me of what actually to do when there is a fresh incident of trees blocking the road! There was no way to even reverse the bus. Then the driver started to honk at every turn, he was prompt for at one blind corner a kerala private bus (the 7.30 bus) came out of nowhere. The air brakes ensured the avoiding of a collision. Then there was a bit of reversing and so on. Also, there were a few trucks (all kerala 10 wheelers) and the way the drivers adjusted mutually can teach a lesson in road courtesy.

There were a few forest outposts with officials ready to clear the next tree on the road. I started to wonder how mankind survived in the past in these forests; what will he do to save him from wildlife. Kerala government’s policy of minimum interference to forestry may arise from a real concern on nature or a lack of will to do so, but it does retain the nature in its natural form. Then there came this bamboo trees, and they were too narrow that the shoots hit the windshield everytime. The paint on the fringes of the glass frame was completely removed because of this. After this, it was getting downhill. Until now, the rains didn’t stop, and the on the descent there were streamlets, rapids and all ways how water found its way to the chalakudi river. At a few places, bamboo bundles were being loaded to open chassis tata lorries. Then there was freshly laid elephant refuse on road-the driver remarked that elephants here were naughty and were a real menace at night. Nevertheless trucks ply this route at night too. If broad daylight it was awe-inspiring, imagine how night will be.

After a kerala checkpost, the driver stopped for tea again. I enquired an officer to know that athirapally falls were 7 kms away. From here, the road was broad and better. The falls are at a distance from the road and so only a distant view is possible. After this the forest cleared to give a very pleasant scene of palm and rubber plantation on either sides. Womanfolk were busy plucking palm for oil extraction. Then there were some typical kerala houses(that mosses grown terrace, with fair-complexioned girls in traditional dresses with sandal paste across their forehead). The benefit of gulf remittance can be seen in beautiful penthouses and villas even a British will envy. Chalakudy is neither pleasing nor disgusting. Rain seemed to have washed clean the town. It was 1.15 pm when it reached the bus station.

I got down, looked for some hotel. There was one simple one directly opposite to the bus stand. Since time was limited (2.15) I was prepared to take food there itself. Rice was the standard mattai rice, sambhar, pepper rasam. Every person there took sambhar twice or thrice, and I am the only person who asked for buttermilk. This rice has better vitamin B components, so I am not complaining. Then I took a small walk and returned back. Coffee was in my mind and three street vendors didn’t have their boiler! Then one fellow prepared some coffee that was next best to hot water.

The bus was ready to start. I took the seat back of the driver. Then near chalakudy the driver asked me to take the VIP seat (the single window seat). I was more than happy, and the view of chalakudi falls was enchanting. There was more volume of water than ever, for it was the peak of the season. There were a few tourists though, there was a madras family with a girl in her 20s. She was a bit corpulent. Indeed they were surprised to see a TN bus this side, for they would have traveled half of kerala to reach the falls. The driver advised me that I should have taken the 7.30 bus and after some time at the falls I could have returned in this bus. I nodded, but said to myself that seeing the falls was not in my wish list. There were no rains and I could catch a bit of sunny weather too. Chalakudi River, as seen while crossing it over the bridge was really terrifying; the quantity of water and the speed of the flow really inspired awe. Any trained swimmer could not survive for more than 5 minutes. This confirms that kerala receives more rainwater from the monsoons from the Western Ghats, though almost all of it is sent back to the sea. Hence the humid weather on their side too. TN has a more even plain, hence water can be put to much use.

The threat to the natural ecosystem is not from elephants or the loaded trucks; it is from the prolific, filthy rich Keralites. Every cascade side was occupied by a wagonR or santro: blaring music, alcohol bottles. V.K.Krishna Iyer is writing columns and columns in The Hindu about this boozing culture. At some point there was a guy with a booze bottle in his hand, dancing wildly. Throughout the journey, there was no rain. There was a fresh tree brought down by the rains and the bus actually has to scrap it sideways. Then I had a chatting session with the driver: he said that the mileage of the bus was 5.33 kmpl. Possible, for it was a short chassis bus. The engine is new(only 60k run!). The driver then delivered a packet(some food packet) on the way to someone at 10 feet bridge area(mid way in the forest). I was wondering how a single person could stand in the forest waiting for the bus. He had no protection gear-only a simple dhoti. And what is he doing there? Perhaps bamboo grazing. When the engine sound is reduced to a hum, I could hear the tranquility of the forest. The driver informed me that tribes live in forest cultivate banana, rice and all stuff, so they are not dependant on civilization to live.

There was a little rain after Mudis. It was getting dark at 6 pm-I could feel the closing of the day. The mild breeze, chilling temperatures, cloudy skies, eternal greenery etc. is to be etched in memory for the time being. It became dark after valparai and the only consolation was the occasional rush of wind at the corners. The foggy sections before kavarkal was even more dangerous to drive. Then rain started after Attakatti. Down the hill a TN scorpio overtook the bus in a dangerous speed, proving that they are no less civilized than their kerala counterparts. The bus driver, courteous enough, took it without any hitches for it was just another day at work. I reached pollachi at 9 pm.

Nevertheless of the 4.5 hour sleep in the previous night, I was able to hold on for the entire journey.

A trip to remember and cherish in my life in memory, for in future change eventually changes everything.

(I regret having taken an ill-decision to avoid camera for fear of getting wet).

Pollachi-valparai 65 kms
-chalakudi 166 kms
Athirapalli – chalakudi 30 kms
Valparai to chalakudi 4.25 hrs, 100 km

2009-08-23T16:00:00.002+05:30

aadhavan(2009)
Harris Jayaraj

Hasili Fisiliye
Karthik,Harini
Captivates from the second listening. The nuances in the female tunes impresses instantly. Harris' wonders in simple strings and the meaningless gibberings(though rhyming) is becoming his trademark. The way the melody is maintained throughout speaks about the maturity of the composer. The rap-like flecks in tamil is new.

Yeno Yeno Panithuli
Shail Hada,Sudha Raghunathan,Andrea
The strings are ok, the tunes are ok, stereo-hummings are fine, yet there is a lack of coherance. The honeymoon charms of carnatic singers in cine music is over. A fine melody, if you are not a discerning listener.

Vaarayao Vaarayao
Unnikrishnan,Chinmayi,mega(opera Voice)
Unni, chinmayee..Lot of expectations. Listening this is comparable to getting wet in mild monsoon drizzle. Fresh, simple tunes. Violin, saxaphone, opera sonants,perceivable bass,pitch change at the end..all are mild spices to a matchless melody. More than satisfied.

Dheko Dheko
Suvisuresh,Sandhya,(Rap Voice&Lyrics)Sricharan
The tragedy of commons*. But Harris had made it bearable, if not avoidable.
*Every composer now facing pressure for a full-fledged rapping in tamil music.

Harris Jayaraj's work these days are much easier. Even the archaic drums sound better in his composition, than the pads in other composer's abuse. There is a inherent smoothness of flow in his serious compositions. Choice of voices cannot be more better. There's a bit of inspiration here and there.

Melody seekers, open thy ears and listen to civilization once again!!

2009-03-03T19:28:00.000+05:30

"homely"

Indian matrimonial columns are abundant with ‘wanted homely bride’ amidst other quaint quips. Feminists, Pro-feminists and self-declared social reformists (of either sex) now jump up and down pointing to this as yet another evidence of male chauvinism treating women as commodity packed in boxes and the like.

At the surface level, homely is a notional term, not being necessarily specific. As you delve deeper, it may mean:

A product of home or tending towards home. The bride must have a greater affliction for home and hence must choose to go home, rather than loiter around. It may also be taken that the bride must have a recognizable, verifiable lineage.
The groom prefers a girl for his home (a home-maker).
Free from all ostentations or superficial embellishments.
Lacking allure, without being positively ugly.

This is the most positive definition to be taken of a homely girl. The groom mentions that the bride need not be beautiful (so as to attract).
To conclude, since in matrimonial column every word counts, it must be a wise groom who uses ‘homely’.

2009-03-03T19:26:00.003+05:30

purposeless rant:

Farming in India is not a profession; it is the near equivalent of mendicancy from the nutrient-depleted Indian soil. Agriculture is practiced quite crudely here when compared to that of capitalist countries where it is properly subsidized, commoditized, marketed and traded. India lacks these supports. Capitalists of this country shed tears over the ‘subsidy losses’ over free power, when even erudite market theorists in this State cannot predict from where the next shipment of wheat will come from.

Green revolution is projected as a success story, but the long term implication of intensive wheat in Haryana and Punjab’s remain unstudied. The repeated iteration of fertilizer usage and single crop cycle has already rendered lands infertile from salination. This vicious cycle is a catalyst to soil degradation which culminates in desertification. Wheat millionaires are not under tax net. This practice of rewarding one crop grower and penalizing the rest is untenable.

When wheat is like this, the condition of rice is getting worse. When the perennial snow fed rivers of North is assuring the irrigation of wheat, rice regions are increasingly becoming prey to erratic rainfall. The monsoons are either devastatingly heavy or lull, and peninsular India is going to be the first of climate change when quantified agriculturally. The tropics are inheriting the climate characteristics of Equatorial region, minus the rainfall. Trends indicate that rice too will soon become a permanent imported commodity.

Mere sloganeering that agriculture must be infused of technology is not going to help. Right investments are needed; farmers must be apprehended of the pros and cons of hybrid varieties and its field characteristics. Drought resistant varieties must replace the high-yielding ones (of the Green Revolution eras). The science infrastructure of this country must assist the field, but we have a situation where the farm and the lab are both disconnected, which we can see from the GM (Genetically Modified) quagmire. Agriculture practices need to be sustained. This is not an industry to expand infinitely. Record yields must be a benchmark, but not a target. Rationalizing the yield and traditional farming with less usage of chemical fertilizers, with crop cycling will definitely restore the original composition of soil.

People today have fast-food eateries and mouth-watering cuisines to feast upon, but the amount of wastage increases with successive stages of preparation. Thus Oats, which is essentially an animal feed finds fashionable to consume, when traditional indian Finger millet, Pearl millet, Sorghum, foxtail millet(which is totally vanquished) is getting a raw deal. Lifestyle mandates the use of refined oils (which are refined of fat and cholesterol) for cooking to retain the taste of food at the same time. Both fat and cholesterol are damned to be some ills which are reasserted by White-coat doctors who do no other kind of professional duty other than endorsing particular refined oil brand. The million dollar question is why consume something which you want to burn-out later in spas? It is a wonderful idea to intake less calorific food in the first stages of cooking, thus conserving resources. The irony is that those who need all the fat and cholesterol are deprived of it (the physical workers) for such is how the ‘free market’ theory is.

As the quip is popular now, we live on borrowed future- not only of resources, but of our own lives. We must consume less, instead of professing farmers to produce more. The population of our country is about to stabilize at 2045, with almost one and half times more demand.

Corn is the main feed for livestock around. Neo-energy seekers are deriving alcohol from it, and hence substantial rise in demand for those. The solution is to consume less oil (petroleum). This is a worldwide phenomenon, but the demand for oil may drive us to this situation too.

The use of public transports instead of private cars (with reduced efficiency).

Buffet system at large dinner gatherings.

Incentives for people to use LCD screens instead of old-school CRT types.

Green tax on air-conditioned spaces-to be used as a negative obligatory tool. Building Construction Codes for prescribing maximum light and natural air usage. The argument that air conditioning is necessary to escape pollution is unwarranted. Then you may suffocate at the instant you are exposed to outside air.

Again green tax on Executive class air travel. Pack in more space in existing airbuses.

The list may go on, but it depends on individual’s tenacity and a practical realization of the situation.

2009-02-15T14:20:00.002+05:30

my temperament or what..?

After a really long time, it happened for me to see a movie on DVD. Now, that’s very rare, as I never get to see any movie of recent times, and theatre is out of reach by self-inflicted restrictions. The movie was Dham Dhoom.

Well, the hero’s family is a happy family. Or apparently a happy family. Everyone are looking so innocuous, ever-smiling and above worries. Dad and mom look so vernal akin to their honeymoon era. Oh and a nipper to tease the hero…
A north Indian actress to masquerade a south Indian girl, helped by Chinmayee for the voice. (So when Asin speaks on her own, that is news.) However hard she tries to be, her cameo as a prankish village girl doesn’t come naturally...
The standardized form of rural India, with its ‘nothing-to-do-but-to-fight’ people, festivity, rustic food attitude etc is there in this movie too. Now you see this Anu Hassan in aunty role (same as in Run). She fits well too. But her smiling too much is unwarranted.
Like any other, hero traps heroine into love (that is faster than speed-dating) or vice-versa. Then this love metamorphoses into a supernatural spiritual phenomenon, incapable of being obliterated, protected by white feather of some long digested bird and a strange village breeze (which blows at urban area at the climax). And yes, the heroine presumably a Hindu, prays in a church for her love to bloom. Voila. What national integration. So the film is National Award material with its secularism. Did I mention that the heroine is skinny, exactly at size zero? I bet you cannot find one such proportion in the whole of Tamil Nadu. One of my friends says that she is an actress only when she is donning the role of a drunkard (in hindi movies.)
Hero goes to western lands (in fact northern land). He suddenly becomes a liberal and dances in pubs with blondes and even takes one home. Then some crime and the rest chase. Every Russian state apparatus is a failure, and the hero sets everything right himself (as usual).
Now ordinary film reviewers will be enamored by the ‘character’ role played by Jayaram and that Indian girl in Russia (she prays in a church). An Indian IFS officer, engaged in petty drug mafia!!! And here the love takes shape of a triangle…
The climax scene was a bit fishy; one villain came in a Ford Endeavour. I was suspecting whether Russians like Ford but later the cops came in Ford Ikon!!!
Now, since Ikon is an Indian car, how come Russians use it for their fatherland safeguard???
A bit of BGM score I ripped off to mp3s. Tributes to Harris Jayaraj.

2009-02-03T19:21:00.001+05:30

Ayan: Music review (on the fly)

nenje nenje
harish ragavendra & mahathi
The opening was a bit bland. But right after the beats opened up (1:18), you get the song. Even then, Harish's segment needs rectification. Again, crafted for Bombay Jayasree. Mahathi's inherent sweetness is not utilized. The lyrics, though smoothed out, are not coherent to each other. So you don’t feel the core melody component that was conceived. Lyrics are pathetic, nothing meaningful or to any insight in it. (Maybe it was the trend of the times). Pretty listenable and appreciable in parts, and may enchant the current day listeners as a melody. Bass harmonics stay longer sometimes. Female voice is on surround stereo all the times. String orchestration is a bit boosted.

vizhli moodi
Karthik
Proper, flawless melody. The stanzas are really captivating, and add to the poesy. Excellent beat setup, synchronized to the lyric flow and/or vice versa. As smooth as butter, it ends in no time (feeling). Pristine lyrics.After a long time, there’s the prancing BGM, though the jarring single surround bass beat. Why this in a melody?
A very original, salutary composition.

oh..hayiye..
Benny Dayal, Haricharan and Chinmayi
Variety, Harris is right at it, but the outcome is a fusion work. Rock guitars in the backdrop!? nenjukkul nulainthu, moochukul...Damn it Harris..what is this.? Straight lift from vaaranam ayiram's ? There’s real fire in the song after 0:57. The song assumes a very different tone in the stanzas. Especially after 2:42, when Chinmayee accentuates the natural rhythm of the tune. Her humming blends with the background score, sounding like an instrument. Haricharan is crisp. Note the stereo change of voice at 4:24.
Frequent drum roll. Classy fusion.

Pala pala
Hariharan
Glad to hear Hariharan, but not like this. Pandemonium rules the roost. Even i started to rhyme balleilakka from Sivaji, as this song is being played.
The commercial success of this song depends solely on the videography.

Honey honey
sayanora philip, Devan
Better with voice mute(offered in winamp plugins and in some hifi systems) or while driving. Lyrics and voice modulation renders it brimming with lasciviousness. An experimentation, but with the irritating english interludes (that are the fad now). The tamil diction of the female voice is near perfect. Audio can be matched to the video of the notorious 'my hump' song.
Drag on the bass string. The beat sequence is interesting.

Again, another noteworthy outcome from Harris, though not wholesome. Life is a lot relative, and therefore a welcome relief from the vogues of hardcore drumming and mindless cacophony(vijay and simbhu).

2008-05-28T19:54:00.001+05:30

Travel experience-1

The kerala express enroute from delhi to coimbatore always gives a dull and a monotonous experience-first the vast stretches of UP plains, then MP-the link from Bhopal to Itarsi is the only hope for a typical adventure seeker and that too passes in the midnight. One can only read a book or gaze at other passengers or move from coach to coach-that too in this hot summer is bane. Also I have this bitter experience in this train-always the social communist profile of Keralites brings a sort of irritation also with the annoying noise from one or two infants.

Worrying about taking the same journey again, I decided to do something different and took a different route this time-the west coast, also called the konkan route instead of the East coast. There were two options available-wait till Wednesday and take the sampark kranti-the non-stop train through Rajasthan and Gujarat or the Mangala express through Bhopal and Bombay. I preferred the latter-Rajasthan’s heat and sampark kranti’s ride quality the reasons.

It was raining Tuesday morning, and I had a tough time loading my baggage. The roof ended above my coach and the social Keralites were using my coach to reach theirs. Delhi was unusually having pleasant climate and I felt a bit disappointed in missing this weather. Anyway Pollachi will be more equable, therefore I need not worry more about climate. I had the upper berth-70 near the toilet, though this coach was older in design having good space between the toilet and the last compartment. But you have to manage these pestering unreserved tickets-passengers I meant. These Keralites wont mind sharing a seat with them-and people like me have to wage a lonely war against them. I took the single seats in the sides. Luckily I got another chap opposite to me. The other side was taken by 3 families-one traveling till Bombay-a really 0.1 tonne marathi lady, with a pencil boned hubby-he was rather short and much younger to her. They had a daughter-a young kid-4 year old, though small for her age. The child was playing with her huge mom, who would sleep apart from the time munching the lays chips. This couple was buying everything that came from the pantry, apart from the station vendors. This man must have married within the family, as their behavior suggested so.

The other couple with the male’s sister (I suppose) and their near 11 year old adamant, yet with typical north kerala girl’s face didn’t give much to notice, but they seemed to be a regularly traveling in this train as evident from their mannerism like getting adjusted to the train’s toilet. At Bombay, they got their food stock replenished. Damn these Keralites. They are everywhere. The third set was a Karnataka family. Only two men came to sleep at night, though they would create a commotion for that. The Kerala lady was speaking to me in hindi, though I resisted to do so. She was seeing me speaking to the vendor in Malayalam-common sense need not be this much uncommon.

But what was worth mentioning is the route after Kalyan-Panvel station. It was 10 AM the next day, and the diesel engine’s roar and the mechanical horn was a perfect recipe for the forecoming experience. Cumulus clouds, green backdrop, dark tunnels, dangerous speeds. That’s what is konkan. If it had rained, it would have been more spectacular. I had decided to do this route in the monsoons. Even without ithe rain it had much to offer. For example the NH 207 whichn was running parallel to it-you can compare the speed of the train with the fast cars on it. I also encountered a wagon full of lorries, yes you read it right, the truck wagon-the lorries at the end had a bar between the wheels to prevent them from becoming instable. The air was cool, and within the tunnels it was even cooler.

It was Thivim station. My mobile's down, and i need to inform my dad the time of arrival. The train was waiting for a crossing. I got down, crossed the track, and went to the other platform and waited for the STD booth fellow to come. He was a handicapped fellow, so I waited patiently. As soon as I picked up the phone, I heard the whistle. Not of my train, but the crossing one. I was shuddering-for I cannot cross the track to my train. I ran back, only to find that the train was only a 10 metre away and approaching. To jump now is to risk life. Once this train has crossed, mine would start. So I ran till the end of the platform till the end, crossed and boarded my train co-incidental to the whistle. I didn’t make the call, but it was a thrilling experience.

The whole Konkan got more and more diverse from Ratnagiri. It was at 9 pm it reached Goa. I can’t hold on, went down to make a call. Goa was humid, and the station was too rudimentary. From now on until Kerala(Mangalore) it was done at night, so nothing spectacular, other than sleeping. The train too got more communist in Kerala-it was stopping at all stations, doing an average of only 40 kmph. It reached Shoranur 1.5 hours late. The porter took 100 for the trunk I carried. At Delhi they took only 40. Damn the principles of communism. Shoranur to Palaghat was an open stretch of road, and taking the steering after a long time gave me lot of energy to the gas pedal. Palaghat to Pollachi was a bit bad, yet i managed to touch 70 and even 80 at times. Anyone might think that this is ordinary speeds but anyone who knew about kerala roads would understand better.

Train journey had grown a lot of character in me. A flight would have been better in saving time. But there's something called passions.

2008-04-25T15:22:00.005+05:30

Embarassment

Pretty girl was sitting near me in the class. I know her name, and knew something of her, yet i put up a non-acquainted expression in my face. One chap sitting at the back was whispering "hey..whats her name..?". I took my cell phone, typed her name(hiding from her, though she was curious to see) and passed it back. He returned back..smilingly. I kept the cell in my pocket.

Then, i suddenly remembered that i need to send an SMS, so absent-mindedly took the cell and casually saw it. She too looked. It displayed her name(the idiot at the back didnt clear the screen). Then i tried to smile.

2008-04-20T13:34:00.002+05:30

resurrection

As the classes at both the coaching institutes are over, there is feel of ample time left throughout the day. The whole day is refreshing, and i am not getting tired as earlier. However, the sort of solitary confinement without 'seeing' places and people is driving me into boredom and monotony.

Standing and staring from the balcony is also unexciting. Am tired of seeing UPSC students discussing something or the other.Deciding to have a break, i went to Connaught place, the most 'happening' place of Delhi, with a fellow. He was busy shopping, and i had a stirring time-pass. I then had a discussion about the words mentioned in all the oncoming PYT's T-shirts. With summer around and no trace of winter left, the 'distraction co-effecient' of young girls attires is trying hard to bring down the 'preparation health'.

The metro train ride too was as bland as before, but when i reached back home, i suddenly felt a lot of energy left with me. Reading books doesn't seem to be that much boring, and i got myself back into my routine.

2008-04-15T19:32:00.001+05:30

useless post-1

Every day(not necessarily morning) i do this unsuccessful attempt to normalize my teeth with some insane standardized models. Toothpaste comes in a variety of colours and flavours, because market economy believes that the customer should not be easily taken for a ride. The actual colour of an otherwise insane, well-maintained human being's teeth is in a tad lighter shade of white. The same 'colour' is the factor which toothpaste makers use to fool us.

We have this 'pure white' toothpaste which makes use of the commonplace common sense of the individual: that is if your teeth has to be white, you invariably need a whiter toothpaste. This white toothpaste will leave you grumping about the colour of your tooth throughout your life. When you use this paste in front of a mirror, the contrast provided is so stark that you immediately grow complex. Some of them assume that it is getting whiter, and some others simply avoid looking at the mirror. This is supposed to be a traditional rule in the industry; also some pretend to be natural by adding lime and neem flavoured ingredients. These people are bringing down the quality by compromising the original flavour; also by this way, they can compromise with the original ingredients also.

Next comes these coloured and the flavoured. And sometimes a mix of both. One takes care of your odour and another your teeth. The colour boost your morale; it gives a false sense of colour to your teeth by using optical illusion(contrast) and the other distracts you through the taste. Hence a 'value for money' segment is created, where you get neither value nor you save your money. Atleast the colourless paste made you brush properly; the coloured ones bring laziness in you. The flavour is making you addictive. Thinking individuals who wish to call themselves 'different' fall in this category.

If there are people who manage to think beyond this level, then they are definitely the learned erudite: they need to be tackled by the book. Unheard of 'technical terms' and 'jargons' they use to describe as being included specially to prevent any future problems. If you think even better, then they fall for some medical group's endorsement. All these mockery combined with cool and threatening graphics in TV advertisements makes the left over minority lose hope. Even after this there may be a few left, but they are not accounted into the marketable quantum.

Next, we will have a look on the advertisements. Some products conclude beforehand that they cannot target everyone; so they go for specified targets. Like a fat boy having a tooth problem and a smart boy having glistening teeth. Old men retaining their teeth and cracking nut with it. Phew.

Then the personality oriented. People are dumb enough to believe after repetitions, even if they suspect in the first case. Because it is being shown with a popular personality.

Next is the ideal family. Everyone, the newly-wed looking hubby and wife, even after two children-definitely a girl and a boy(they have to balance isn't it) grinning at you. This Utopian family ad will create tussles in your family. Sometimes you are so vexed that you start losing faith in life too.

Using a popular actress in negligees and cute little children speaking with their child accents, and other visual distractions are all made to make you distract. For example, not having a glance of the actress displaying their teeth means that you are deemed as a person incapable of appreciating beauty; the same with the children means you are inhuman and lack of human values.

"And what the hell are you trying to say?"

Exactly. The purpose of knowledge is to be in an informed state all the time. So next time, when you brush, you are not doing so like other uninformed populace; for now you are an enlightened guinea pig.

2008-04-05T15:28:00.000+05:30

A story with a lesson:

2008-03-28T03:57:00.003+05:30

Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Just finished Notes from the underground by this author. Thought of putting up a few quotes.

"I swear to you that to think too much is a disease, a real, actual disease"

"I am to blame because, first of all, i am cleverer than anybody else around me"

"I am one person and they are everybody"

"Which is better: a cheap happiness or a lofty suffering?"

"I could no longer fall in love, because i repeat, with me to love means to tyrannize and hold the upper hand morally"

"Humiliation, after all is purification"

Worth a read. I cannot go compare it with Crime and punishment. Each is unique in its own way. While crime and punishment was to do with psychology of a criminal and the inner conscience of a person, combined with some breathtaking dialogues, this book is entirely different.

Psychology is the common subject of discussion. Combined with some intelligent talk. A negation of popular normalizations. With direct and slanting mockery. Mockery of not the usual, but a massacre through satire. Satire even in the way the author handles the readers. And finally, how he recovers.

I would have rated it the author's best. But crime and punishment stands the best with the characterization.

2008-03-22T17:24:00.005+05:30

Its called a holy crap....

I sometime think that we humans are the most 'evolved' species in this world. Evolved-means getting better than the past, or civilized, or put it simple, thinking better.

This thought of mine got severe rebuke, in particular from yesterday.(today's the so-called holi). Human beings, that too from this part of the planet, believe in a cynical perpetuation of the built-in disorderliness in their genetic structure, in guise of culture and celebrations. What we see around are only hypocrisies of civilization, and beneath the skin, the crude mentality of the Neanderthal gene is still in its nascent stages.

This is not with holi alone. Diwali celebrations at Delhi revealed the ugly facet of big bucks resting with this emotionally unstable tribal group. Words like 'splurge' and 'surge' are taken to be something positive. What the hell are you boasting about increase in literacy levels or urbanization, if you still retain that ancestral tribal attribute?

Both the extremes of the established norms of civilization show the same characteristics. According to me, the evolution of mankind in real terms would be something like this:

(this is not generalized. Applicable to some part of the planet only.)

2008-03-20T04:36:00.003+05:30

Co-incidence:

They both were born in the same town. On the same day of the same month of the same year, with a marginal time difference. Let us name them Castor(the elder) and Pollux(the younger), as they both were born under the sun sign Gemini. They never met consciously until it was their 9th class, when Castor joined Pollux's school. Even at the school they was not any appreciable relationship developing between them. Castor has gone to Pollux house once or twice. And Pollux once repaid the visit with his mother. But that was for a separate reason.

They both went to their school in their bicycles-they had the same distance to cover-like two parallel lines. Sometimes, they met on-the-way and talked a few words, even then there was not a sign of propensity between them. It was the day of their matriculation result for them to join hand for any purpose. Then they moved apart. Castor, because of his affinity for tamil language, took tamil as his second language for higher secondary. Pollux took french, as he was averse to the tamil teacher. But they both chose computer science as their group option, even though a career in doctor would have suited them both. But the decision was purely theirs-even though the school correspondent, their parents, and other peers were motivating to take biology. The merit-based shuffling of classes drove them both to be in a single class again. They both became a little closer then. They both had a special liking for their 10th class history teacher-and they went and met her together, to see her new-born baby. It appeared that they wanted a grand celebration of their last birthday at school. Pollux suggested giving cakes to the entire class. Castor, though a cost-conscious fellow, agreed whole-heartedly. But they both chose not to wear a 'colour dress' for the day. Both had the feeling that the class didn't celebrate their day it deserved.

Then came the plus 2 result. Castor got 1118. Pollux got a little lower. Pollux applied for a retotal, and got 1118 later. Even then they both didn't bother. This was a little surprising, to both their parents though. And then came the next surprise. Both got into the same college, at the same university(though Castor was earlier planning to join a different college, Pollux was waiting for his retotal result) though their branches were different. There was an another element too-in the next year school annual day function, both their names got recognized as having joined premier institutes, though other such names were not mentioned. And yes, these two went to the function as well.

Even at college, though there was a tendency among new comers to cluster together with regional fellas, these two remained split. None could predict/know that these both were having such a unique history. They were split politically in the college elections too. Future plans for both were different. Castor wanted to do something different-to get placed in a different company; Pollux had a aim in IT-he was doing dual degree simultaneously. But timeline told a different story. Exactly one year later, Castor was preparing himself to land at Delhi for UPSC exam preparation, without knowing the fact that Pollux was also getting ready for the same. They individually had the same dilemma in choosing optionals; they both had their own high-profile sources to enquire about the same. And to their surprise, they both decided on the same optionals.

Even now, staying at Delhi, they never show up any 'closeness' towards each other. Any outsider will feel only a negative correlation between the two. Believe me, they both were awake mysteriously just before their first time quake experience at 4.45 Am!

It wasn't as if they both dont discuss among them all these. But they rarely do it seriously if they. Quite a few movies they have watched at cinemas they enjoyed it to the same level. Both were avid listeners of Madonna-both for her voice and her beauty. Even though they both took mobile connections at different times under different schemes, they both got the same type of near-fancy numbers. They have discussed that they would love to marry the same IPS lady who appeared in a newspaper, as felt earlier by them separately. And they love discussing protocols of communication and logic of behavior. Both have the aptitude for improving vocabulary:they both keep a diary for the same and update it daily.

They both were not belonging to the same social group, nor family size(Pollux was the last among three, Castor was single) and others-means the ambience of their brought-up were not the same, even though a grim outline of their characters in isolation and thinking matches well. They were behaving like a child most of the times-happy and energetic if everything goes well, sad and pessimistic if things dont turn up as expected. Both have developed a greater affection to their mothers. They have only a formal respect for their fathers. Mother was the all-in-all for both. The duo were always ready to work for others(provided they had a considerable benefit or honour derived out of it-they both think alike here). Also they never mind profligating for a display of their pride. Both were environment sensitive personalities-they dont tolerate being disturbed from their status. Both were unexplainably lethargic in some situations, even though it may be a case of extreme urgency. They generally display a cool and calm attitude(even if they aren't, they appear as). They dont show too much interest in cricket or such typical engagements, because they both were too much concerned and involved about themselves. They plan a schedule only not to follow. There cannot be a similar dual personality duos.

It was not as if there were no difference among them. Castor was an extreme introvert most of the time, he doesn't like being formally social, whereas Pollux was an extrovert most of the times and therefore the reverse. Pollux always runs behind the teacher-to get a good impression; Castor cant be much happier if he got a 'black mark' from his teacher: he admires the way people advise him, though both these personalities never deviate from what their Core says. Castor was a cost-conscious fellow, whereas Pollux was brand-conscious. Pollux doesn't do this sort of thinking, whereas Castor expresses(like this). And some more differences do exist among this duo. Maybe, because they were not biological twins. But if indeed they were biological twins, then it would be nothing special to write about like this as a phenomenon.

2008-02-29T18:39:00.000+05:30

Kiran Bedi

Madam, you speak about discrimination only after not being elevated to the post you seek-then you are trying to play smart with the gender card.

You fail to understand the system-even being part of the system.

Throughout your career you were busy attending ceremonies, speaking feminism, penning down paragraphs in leading magazines,taking trips to UN.

You never took/were assigned a CID section posting: a vital qualification for the post you aspire for: and did you think Delhi's top-cop post has nothing to do without that experience?

Dhadwal was in no way inferior to you: he was in this city: he came up from 'down-under'(unlike you). Your threatening to withdrew from the services shows your delicate mental strength which had now weakened further.

You feed the 'crisis hungry' media, not realizing that the consequences are detrimental to yourself. You end up only lowering your image that records carry. Sympathy wave works only for politics-you are the wrong person in the wrong field.

Anyway, Indian government wont mind you taking another trip to the UN. And you wont feel shy to refuse...Go, prepare for your essays/guest lectures in peace.

2008-02-29T16:22:00.004+05:30

The relevance of Gandhi

1) Albert Einstein, an unparalleled scientist of the century, expressed in stupefaction about Gandhi and his principles as, "the coming generations would find it hard to believe that Gandhi was a creature made of flesh and blood". This may be still a superstitious phenomenon for western thinkers around the globe, but one can see the manifestation of Gandhi in every soul of the country. His countrymen still cherish and apply his modest yet the most potent of all the political ammunition the world have ever seen. Even his martyrdom was only to reign in reaffirming the principles he was preaching all his life in the country. That he disbanded from the thought of striking the British during the Second World War is itself a revelation of the Christ of the 21st century teaching by inflicting pain on oneself lessons in ethics. He did the strenuous task of integrating his countrymen-not prominently as a political gathering but as the emotive, sentimental, deeply passionate integration-the absence of which was the trailing factor until his arrival to the independence movement. His understanding of India and Indians from the extensive tours throughout the country gave his concept that it is that through religion that human love and compassion for fellow humans can evolve-he is the both the question and the answer-the pilgrim and the pilgrimage. His proclamation that salt tax was the most inhuman of all gave the clarion call to his countrymen. His humility was evident even from the way he chose his attire though it was a powerful message conveyed to the hopeless destitute Indian peasant and the socially backward-that they are second to none in his movement. Even the present day’s problems have a Gandhian solution-Gandhi advocated nationalization and trusteeship of the capitalistic insignia. Perhaps the greatest of the thinker in physics might had really gone into the mind of the transcendental humanitarian of this universe, the relevance of which timeline alone can witness.

2) Einstein’s revelation in utter awe regarding Gandhi that future generations wont believe that there existed such a human being in flesh and bones was not to be taken in for an admiration: there’s an element of satire too in that expression. In the country that derives pleasure in non-stop preaching of this man’s ideals to the world, a grim outlook daunts out when weighing what India really is doing with Gandhism. Ahimsa, or non-violence, has also an element of resignation: that Gandhi said ahimsa stops at cowardice was evidence to this. If his principle and preaching were not applicable in entirety even in his own motherland, the veracity in preaching it all over the world has doubtful credentials. If Gandhi was to be attributed as the best humanitarian and the emotional integrator of his country, then why should he demise through an assassination? Was that not suggestive of a fundamental flaw somewhere: a logical discrepancy? A leader, who had to be a strategist, lost his opportunity when the British were at war-he was busy teaching ethics, though he earlier broke salt tax. His tours around the country and his speeches only gave the impression among Indians that he was a conjurer. There was not an element of pure understanding between the leader and his followers-a ceremony rather than a movement was the mass perception. If, as claimed, Gandhi did the incongruous task of emotional and spiritual integration, this country would have shed less blood. But facts speak otherwise. That you were dressed like a distressed farmer was not going to really help the situation any better. Gandhi’s thoughts and actions were practically fitting in the lines of an iconoclast rather than that of a mass leader. His lessons on restrained consumerism was dumped a long while ago. The veneration of Gandhi was a customary memorial service than having any element of life in it. One can conclude that Gandhi was anachronistic of all the times.

2008-02-02T14:22:00.000+05:30

Dialogue:

There was a pair(which means a male and a female) walking on the main road of Old rajinder nagar. Looked like typical UPSC aspirants. The boy must be from HP/RJ, and the girl looked like a south Indian. Wow. What a splendid contribution to national integrity by vajiram institute....

Like every 'pair', this pair too walked slowly. With occasional smiles exchanged. I happened to get closer to them and therefore was able to overhear the conversation.

girl: "i'll ask you a question. You shouldn't refuse to answer.."

boy:" "

girl:(with a south Indian accent)" how did you suddenly become fair"
(which means that this girl knew him for some time)

he: "hehehehe" (blush)

(and the interaction went on)

Long live vajiram.. Long live national integrity...

2007-12-30T22:17:00.003+05:30

IAS: the year end

Well. just a few day back the mains class at direction for geography got over. Well attending two classes-geography and general studies had put me in a tough schedule..

8.04 Am-alarm-getup-switch on the immersion coil placed in the bucket(i use a hanger to suspend) ; collect the newspapers-ET and Hindu..Somehow i started hating the hindu-especially the editorial in political matters and the articles on statecraft or politics. Horrendous,toxic Marxian blood. Regular IAS aspirant readers are always smitten by this 'dragon' which throws useless marxian venom from China and Russia.
ET is quite the opposite, and indeed it is a clash of titans when you read both ET and Hindu.

Finish glancing both the papers at the headline by 8.50, when the immersion coil will be at its maximum temparature-water boils, but it is a myth-it cools down in no time-the winter phenomena.

9.03 i come out of the bathroom, gobble up that stuff in the polythene cover(food-grade!?) and start the marathon by 9.12.

9.30- i reach direction, and neetu amma will be ready to leave her chair for the class. Then starts the Rajdhani or Shadabti or whatever you call- and i'll tell you one thing-my vocabulary has improved a lot these days, quite because of Neetu amma's intensity of delivery. The class goes in loops-one loop is interlinked with the other and it is very careful job to find out the exact link between them. If you go with the loop, you are caught sleeping unaware. Maybe that is why there was a speaker provision there. Notes are complex(i am referring the sentence) which incorporates the maximum points in minimum words. It is sufficient if you are able to grasp the loop linkages. And map-she's really good at map, as you will be impressed by the way she has mugged up the orient longman atlas-even the page numbers. Even if you are not getting the theory, you will get with the map practice, i bet. Well both the positives and negatives for this lady is complex to express, so i wont venture into that..

1.30-1.45 pm-return from geography class-a fast 15 minute walk of a 1.5km stretch to room, have the south indian lunch delivered at the door step, then go into the communist world(i mean, reading hindu) and the capitalist world after a 15 minute nap(thats not a nap-thats the time required in transition to neutralize me from the communist ideologies infested newspaper hindu)

4.30 pm-ah..time for GS class..give a miss call to meet krishna-for coffee and a shared hot dog at Shankar road bakery and then head for the vajiram institute.

7.45pm -return from vajiram, read some magazines, then dinner.

9 pm to 2 am-geography ang GS modules, side by side..

8.04 am-alarm ringing....

I have forgot counting the days, or know what the day is...i realise that a month is over when land lord calls for rent or when the butler asks for his bill..

And preliminary is a near 4 months they say...i am shuddering at the thought of the exam..

2007-11-11T12:00:00.001+05:30

Autocar India : Brand loyal?

The november issue of ACI carried a roadtest of the newly launched getz crdi with a comparison to swift diesel. Rather than a roadtest, it seemed like edging out the getz in each comparison. Read on.

Hyundai getz had launched their crdi version with the same engine that powers verna, the road rocket, with 110 hp power and amazing torque of 24 kgm at 1900rpm. Its a 1493cc motor, and with a top speed of 185kmph as according to ACI.

ACI is known for crying foul about Indian cars from tata(like indica, indigo,sumo) for being underpowered-agreed, they have less numbers than the European counterparts. Strangely, they dont mouth anything against maruti. And we know how maruti cars are equipped with. Maruti and rattling go together, and the 'new' swift is not an exception. We cannot blame Indian roads-there are other car makers who give a rattle-free performance on the same Indian roads. ACI claims -"a new step forward for maruti" still with their swift.

In the review, it was given, "In fact, it(getz) is so quick, it can keep up with a petrol powered palio1.6 or even a fiesta 1.6. Still it must be said that swift's performance is more then adequate for everyday driving, the smooth build-up of torque and the better throttle response(read:fiat's technology)more than compensating for the lack of power"

Wow, ACI is speaking about 'adequate', 'smooth build-up'(slow), 'compensating for lack of power' Blah blah.. Compensate power with what? torque? then too, getz crdi does a 24kgm as low as 1900rpm then 19.37kgm at 2000rpm for maruti.

"2 kpl better than swift..a big big victory". Have you ever heard autocar celebrating for such figures before? This is a premium hatch category, and performance too matters more. And obviously the 1.25L(swift) motor will definitely give more mileage than 1.5L(hyundai) motor.

Coming to maruti swift, its a car that is wider(1690mm) than an ambassador(1660mm) and the space of an alto in the rear. You may call it sporty design or giving great handling, but engineering is all about where you do the trade-off beween two crucial parameters. If maruti want to hnow more, let them try their sx4 with the cedia; or lancer for that matter. Even the 'very nice handling' is achieved on not stock tyres, and from the launch of petrol swift, spare part prices of the car is on-par with most other models / expensive to tata cars.

The getz diesel is a definite worthy buy, but for the lack of ABS option. Expect a few months for a discount or more 'value' to the product. But comparing to swift diesel and positioning it below swift is a bit more of paranoia than logic and common sense.

2007-08-12T15:25:00.001+05:30

Bheema audio review

Harris has revealed more techno-beats in this album than in any of his works.

Mudhal Mazhai
Artist(s): R. Prasanna, Hariharan, Mahathi
Lyricist: Na. Muthukumar

Wonderful start. It gives a strong sense of the melody associated with the song. The stanzas dont keep with the early gloom, but mahati's voice comes to the rescue. Perfect synchro with the techno-beats to the tunes. Was heavenly when i heard it at the night's silence...

Siru Paarvayalae
Artist(s): Karthik, Harini
Lyricist: Thamarai

Karthick has a rebellious opening, but harini is there to calm down the pace. In Harris' dictionary, this is a fast-beat, but to the 'gaana' clad tamil cine audio a simple melody again. Stanzas have a running nature.As read in another review, the increasing use of meaningless junk in filling between stanzas irritates. Happy to hear harini after a long time..
Hariharan would have been suited more..

Oru Mugamo
Artist(s): Krish, Naresh Iyer
Lyricist: Pa. Vijay

You have the film's influnce in this song all the time. It distracts to listen intensively, so cant comment. Bass is too much. Is harris listening to too much of Srikant Deva?

Ragasiya Kanavugal
Artist(s): Hariharan, Madhushree
Lyricist: Yugabarathi
Rangu Rangamma
Artist(s): Vijay Yesudas, Kailash Kher, Swarnalatha
Lyricist: Pa. Vijay

Only to add numbers. Ragasiya song has pathetic language. I may resort to ultra-violence soon, if madhushree is not to improve her tamil soon...Rangu is a fast-track, just for the sake that it has to be a fast-track.

Enadhuyirae
Artist(s): Chinmayee, Sadhana Sargam, Sowmya Raoh, Nikhil Mathew
Lyricist: Yugabarathi

Too many female singers, isn't it? But not inspiring for a listen-again or humming. This Nikhil Mathew was selected from Vijay TV's super singer contest. He voice neither sounds fresh-you can alter any kartik or naresh iyer to get his voice. Even after the hot tea, i felt sleepy after listening to this song.

The first 2 songs are good. Listenable, even after repeat modes, and it grows on you. Both these songs have typical harris recipes-jazz mode, husky voices running in BGM. Bheema was a big production, and harris has to be careful in his future works.

rating-average all, 2 good numbers, all else fills-up the album.

Edit:after a fortnight of repeated listening the tunes, it was the oru mugamo..that attracted to listen again and again..that female voice is captivating..(the rappa rappa part).

2007-07-07T18:01:00.005+05:30

Delhi to this semi-urban town boy...

When the kerala express train i boarded at Coimbatore reached Delhi slowly, i was expecting the charm of the nation's capital right from the railway station:'Hope and despair' is what life is all about, and so there came the station, which never had a clear station board, or a sweet voice greeting you, or the platform number where you are going to deboard.. However i managed to get my platform number from the 'technical' information from the track info displayed for railway gangmen..And the whole station looked untidy with noise and disorder well beyond the tolerable level of any typical indian railway station. Phew..

Auto'wallahs' did the usual trick, asking for twice the amount for the ride, and the usual style of bargaining worked. But the auto never crossed the 20-25kmph speed, much to speak about the infrastructure of the nation's capital.

One most treacherous aspect of Delhi's life is your life expectancy on its roads. Cars and scooters ride with the utmost contempt for pedestrians. If you are lucky enough to manage them, you have the city's buses grinning for you. I love cars, and Delhi people thrash their cars like anything. Earlier i have read somewhere that 'you must look after your car like your wife'. Hmm.Not applicable..
These buses are not running on diesel, but on CNG, hence they are not able to pick-up the speed because of less torque from the gaseous fuel. It is sickening to travel / see a fully laden bus struggling to breathe free.

Hindi is the language, and hindi is the only language. These Northern people has settled comfortably in hindi, and they don't care about the world for other languages, including english. The dravida movement which started after independence could have been stronger, i felt....Too late...

A strong positive note about the capital is the metro train. I typically like it because
1) It was constructed under the guidance of Mr.Sridhar, an engineer

2) Air conditioned travel(which i have a few reservations, the difference in internal/ex temperature is large, so it is irritating when you leave the premises)

3)The typical air-horn, which the driver uses when approaching a station. I sometime stand deliberately nearer to the track for the driver to use the horn.

4) the electric motor initial moving noise, like a jet stream.

And finally Delhi girls..They are very typical to describe : tight T-shirts-mostly black colour, 3/4 or a perfect fit jean, with a not-so-perfect meeting between the two clothes. Light to moderate dyed hair, clear forehead(i mean no bindi or any other), no jewelery, and almost same facial features like thin lips, angular face, and a not-so-distinguishable colour from each other(It irritates..).
They are not seen in the day-time, but at evening you see them tottering around without any purpose. A majority of them, however visually appear affluent, eat at platform stalls and i used to wonder whether they would mind their hygiene..I am not going into the intricacies of what their life-style and what-abouts, but as a whole to me, are pretty avoidable stuff if you want to maintain that media tagged 'conservative' nature....I cannot avoid a very positive opinion for south indian girls arising after all this...hehe.

update:

Delhi and the steering wheel: At first thought, it was mesmerising to see women take up the steering wheel of most of the cars on road. Wow, thats visible women empowerment-i felt embarassed too, seeing how easily they tackle the traffic. Then, as time rolled on, i could see that it was all an illusion-men let their women to drive because of...
1) When you meet with an accident, you can easily blame the other car driver-provided it was a male driver.

2) It takes a little time to switch off the ignition-in this case the husband can immediately get down(with or without his crude weapon) to strike the other car/the driver. If you think i am freakish with my second point, then you are not a resident of Delhi.

And if you are ready to believe me, One fine morning, i saw a girl in her alto, making vulgar gestures to another lady in a red swift.

2007-04-08T18:49:00.002+05:30

sivaji review:
audio:

ball-ei-lak-ka(6.08)
SP Bala
The core theme of this song is beautiful. Yet Rehman has given unwanted embellishments which stops nothing short of bringing down its easy reach. The fast beat song, with good bass areas and never heard before roll can be more appealing with all the 'remix like' effects stripped down.
(5/10)

vaa-ji vaa-ji(5.49)
hariharan, madhusree
hariharan's voice is at its best in melodies, but in high pitched melodies, he fails to impress.(remember-sollamal thottu-dheena). The lyric and the tune of 'vaji vaji' is instantly attractive, but the proceedings fail to deliver. Madhusree is still naive to tamil. Simple beats and instruments, but again a slight sense of remix effect occasionally. Unsymmetrical composition, otherwise would have been a good melody.
(5/10)

sahana(5.21)
udit narayan, chinmayee
Another melody, spoiled by Udit Narayan's pronunciation and unwanted high spiritedness. Chinmayee's voice is fresh and young. A parallel composition to 'ennuyir tholiye' from kangalal kaithu sei. The chorus in the interior is defying the mood of the song. Chimayee's rendering of 'sahara' at 1.12,2.05,5.04-07 reveals the lost Rehman, the Rehman of Roja and Alaipayuthe. A soft ride on a slow wagon.
(5/10)

athiradee(5.47)
ARR
Western instruments and western rapping presentation starting in a arabic tune with tamil lyrics. Random beats and chaos rules in the song.
(3/10)

style(5.13)
Blazee
Recently, there was a flurry of tamil rapping in SS music shows. This song must have got inspiration from the publicity those shows captured. There is nothing in the song for tune or melody seekers, not a bit of carnatic influence. This song shows how rehman has transformed into and why you can’t expect anything pliable from him.
(3/10)

sahara(4.32)
vijay yesudas, Gomati sree
Not a stripped down version of sahana, as said in other reviews, this is a totally different presentation. Gloomy mood is at its best, and i bet you will go asleep without your conscience. VY promises more, that his rendering of the sahana might have been much better. Flute has a third voice here.
(8/10)

the boss(3.20)
blazee
A similiar venture to the baba theme from baba. This time with 'matrix' like beats with a tune repeating again and again.
(3/10)

overall-(4.71/10)

verdict/comments:
Rajini is a mass hero and his movie songs should reach to the masses. This audio is the right opposite to that and is only made for discotheques or high end music systems. The audio has failed to impress, not only for Rajini fans but also for general music lovers.
SPB is the one capable of doing Rajini's voice, but he was denied more than a song. A melody-the sahana could have been rendered by him. Vaaji vaaji is pretty ordinary. Athiradi, style and Boss are unbearable scraps from his factory. Rahman has not graduated from tamil to western music, but has been caught in a warp between his native raga based music and his dream world of western music. He had failed to understand the distinctness of both the worlds while attempting to bring western effect to Indian music or vice versa. Rehman is becoming a threat to the carnatic music influence in film music. One or two albums like this, if meets success, then will seal the fate of the remaining 'raaga based' tamil music.

Ventures like this, involving big names like AVM and Rajinikant should make the director extra-cautious while choosing professionals. Shankar should have relied on Harris Jayaraj or any other better suited music directors for his movie.

Rahman's fans argue wisely that Rahman has matured to composing with layers-an imaginative concept that the songs reveal more music in many hearings. This is very similiar to cheering up yourself with a bad album when you have bought it for a dearer price. Such layers, which is actually complexing the tune/raga of voice/instruments, even if present, should find its place in the albums and not for movies. Film music is a narrowed down version of the art of music and there is no scope to show such complex talents there. Everything has to work by a formula. Ilayaraja, the Maestro, is a living example of the above rule. His all works are simple and appealing even now, and this breaks down the notion that simple tunes wont work in the long-run.

Deva's work reaches the masses easily-refer Basha if there is any doubt. Remember there is nothing called cheap music(for which Deva is often accused of) and refined ones-the quality is for each one's individual sensation. But Deva is incapable now. Shankar's failure in Boys made him go for Harris in Anniyan, yet he reverted back. If Harris is not capable, then the current ARR is far worst. In Anniyan, the andangakka song was an instant hit and all others were listenable, and had a good success rates recently with gazni and VV. Whereas the three new attempts by ARR in sivaji is totally absurd and unappealing. Harris was flexible for Shankar and might have costed less in AVM's budget. Perhaps that was why Shankar abandoned Harris.

How India performed in the world cup cricket is the same as what Rahman has done for the movie. Shankar should have done a lot in the video segment to augment to the loss in the audio to make the show appealing.

2007-03-30T19:24:00.001+05:30

We, Indians?

Anyone raking in the pre-independent history of India can dispute the indigenous nature of the Indian constitution. With whatever ornateness may the historians describe the formation of the constitution, it is basically a transcription work in general. A land of umpteen divisions was done to a trading company and then to the company's homeland, through intimidation and coercion. And when they left, of course they did not leave a land suitable for self governance. Hence was the popular negation in those times in Britain of the success of Indians managing themselves. However, due to the incredible work of Patel and others, the landmass was politically united. Political unity is no guarantee for the country remaining united socially. The behavior of the land as an federation of states override the united ness of the nation as a whole. Amidst this situation, we have a consortium of communism inspired or western inspired leaders and 'secular' columnists trying to paint the country with their brush. What need to be understood is that people have a degree of tolerance and intolerance. There has to be equilibrium between the two, and too much of either is harmful to the very existence of the pluralist society.
After independence, if everything were done perfectly, we might have witnessed the psychological unification of the country. We are speaking about soft borders with Pakistan, forgetting the fact that almost all states have land disputes between them. Kashmir has been evolved into a tri-nation dispute, which is primarily due to the negligence of proper decisions deferred. The article by Praveen Swami in yesterday’s Hindu delves deeper into the state and reveals about the religious factions doing duty there. Even if Kashmir is conceded to India by Pakistan, then we have an equal malign to trouble our economic growth just as how Kashmir has been for about half a century. Dividing the country by language is one among the serious blunders imparted to India by the grand old party of India. The reason cited: that terrorism may be let loose by factionist elements in the respective states. The way we learn from our history text books as how Patel was called the Iron Man of India, but rarely did we know how he earned that.
In fact, a few authors, the latest one being Subramaniamswamy of janata Party, through his book has emphasized the need for unification of the country as a nation-not the physical unification of the state’s borders but the chemistry(through Hinduism as a sole tool, according to him, which may not work before secularism). We are in fact a two dozen nation within a nation, and we don’t have enough time to satisfy with the pseudo-unity we have. We need to rework on our constitution and a few mincing acts like allocating a north Indian officer to work in south India and all other secondary activities are not going to help anymore. India lacks a charm of national unity. You may cite the support for cricket and other celebrations as evidence of the integrity of the nation, but these are impertinent affairs magnified through the media’s glass. The real spirit of unity is what is absent. You may witness this while how Singur and Nandigram is stirred, there were no active involvement of the intellectual capabilities of the remaining country. Watching/ participating in TV debates and blogging are no way going to materialize as a mean of serious interaction. Indian media houses are not able to provide an unbiased serious journalism overcoming commercial interests. Such were a few of the platforms required for the beginning process of the aforesaid psychological unification of the country breaking language barriers.
The learned erudite should be the ones who should trigger the process, but sadly, the dependence on western or communist relics is what they do. What they feel justified for Iraq and Iran was not applied for the locals of this country and this is the slavery mentality still prevailing even after half a century. The matured way of dealing with Kashmir or Gujarat (not 2002 alone-even before that) or Assam or the Dravidian divide will come out only with such a state prevailing in the nationhood and not in the politics driven integration. We will have to wait for centuries from now to witness what should have been partly completed by now.

2007-02-05T13:08:00.001+05:30

Audio review
Pachaikili Muthucharam(2007 Q1)
Author: Harris Jayaraj
Verdict: Two snazzy songs and the rest to add numbers.

Unakkul nane(4.40)
After really long time in Tamil film music, there comes a song in the 'perfect' series. The male intro has been ordinary, with a mix-up of the tune. But when the intro goes off and the charming Bombay Jayashree's voice opens, the mood of the song is revealed and adds thump to your heart through the beats. The second stanza's music, rendered so well, is also added to the trailer. A second compiling from Madhushree(famous for her butler tamil) is unwanted.
(9/10)

Un sirippinil(5.33)
Sung by Gowthamy Rao & Robby this one makes less use of instruments,not typical of the composer. The mood is gloomy and it maintains till the end. Jazz bit (the sax with the hum) makes a surprising blend to the music.A deep melody with a perfect enchanting milieu as that of ondra renda(kakka kakka)
(7/10)

kathal konjam(4.49)
Naresh Iyer
The 4 min 49 sec rendering of this song will take you by surprising, as you initially think about it as a short bit. Military music rendering, with the old-roll and a guitar makes an impression of a college troop's maiden version. The voice modulation at the end says you are listening to Harris.
(4/10)

karu karu vilihalal(3.36)
Krish, Naresh Iyer, Karthik
The exact theme of this song reminds of a war preparing, or a strong message, but as it proceeds it goes smooth and turns out to be a mixed bag. Only one stanza and with a rock-guitar, harris might have made it at the last lap of his sleepless night.
(4/10)

Overall: 6/10

2007-02-02T11:10:00.001+05:30

Cricket and the parliament:
The ordinance passed by Indian parliament regarding cricket broadcast was nothing short of the classic case of Congress government delving into its historical way of 'governance through ordinance'. The 1991 economy crisis was entirely the responsibility of the ‘grand old’ party of India; even then the party never fails to grasp the moral of the story.

Nimbus has acquired the license to air cricket matches played in India for a certain scale of time; therefore any cricket match can only be watched from channels that make a deal with Nimbus. As clear as water. But there is the Indian parliament, which is often involved in activities other than of its own. Is now bringing a regulation to make mandatory sharing of signal to DD network, with a revenue sharing 75:25 of Nimbus: DD making sense? But consider DD, which is having a leaking broadcast, or a wider geographical signal spread and without encryption, it may reach areas beyond India, as Nimbus says, to even the Middle East, which would mean all the invested dollars eating the humble pie. Whether it is the game or the business, winning is the ultimate deal and is possible in the process being fair.

An important point to note here is that, the parliamentarians have not shown so much eagerness to the recent notorious Noida children killings or the Assam massacre, but too quick to respond to a sporting affair. I don’t wonder that it may be the idea of Rahul Gandhi, the new kid on the block, to gain for vote bank politics among the youth of the country, with the judicious Sonia giving a hearty endorse. I also recollect the 94 crores that vanished from the accounts of Mr.Quottroachi, the cold-blooded intermediate in the Bofors scandal, how the CBI messed it all ending in a wild goose. AIR and DD stand behind the government, quoting ‘public-welfare’. While what welfare is sought from a cricket match to the public is a mystery, that the game is of ’national importance’ is a gimmick.

It is such protectionism that failed the Indian economy from the early independence times. DD has its own channel called DD-sports, which by proper management should do the deal directly with Nimbus, not by the back-door policy. Whatever the finance minister projects for the GDP or the celebrity show on the stage, it is this policy making et al that decides.

2007-01-27T10:46:00.002+05:30

Audio review:

(So, Ramz back on the seat of the occasional audiophile!!)

Unnale unnale(2007)
author:Harris jayaraj

1)june ponal,july kaatre(6.01)

Sung by a new voice,the music doesnt sound fresh. Fresh in the sense even when u listen for the first time, u r reminded of the similiar tunes in other songs,a typical choice of instruments, similiar to manjal veyil, but at a slower pace. The opening sax was too good, and harris has kept the mood unspoilt till the end, and the song is sensed best at the night, or in a lone drive.
rating: 7/10

2)hello miss imsaiye(4.30)

A mix-up of all what he can do. perhaps the worst in the album,a lift-off from Yuvan's vannathupoochi in bala.Yuvan had a source somewhere. If this song is split up as per instruments, then u get a good background sequence for a tamil action movie. Bass guitar felt too long, mind ur woofer for jarrings. A fast song, good voices, but poor composition. Not even suited for dance floors.
rating: 4/10

3)Vaigasi nilave(5.39)
The female voice, madhushree dont know the language. yet she has a good voice, which is wasted in wrong pronounciation. The start is good, then it slows down and suddenly stalls. Continious beats and guitar and sudden stalls are becoming standard in HJ compositions,as said for the previous ones, the music fits better for background. Ah Aah's mayilirage may be superimposed(u feel) as the female voice is the same,plus the tunes.
ratingL 3.5/10

4)mudhal naal(4.26)
The not so boring, not to celebrate type of song. Simple instrumentation. Same guitar interludes, with flutes, and the tempo maintained till the end. KAy KAy and mahalaxmi has the rendering done. The song is comparable to ullam kerkume's ennai pandhada.
rating:5/10

5)Ilamai ullasam(2.10)
If u need one strong reason to praise HJ, then it is for these short songs, or bits. They may or maynot be in the movie,but sounds so superb, with those smooth flow of voice and equally rich, good, background.
rating:7.5/10

6)unnale unnale(4.43)
The break from convention is interesting sometimes. Look at the intro voice..i am sure a male voice needs some electronic processing to get that effect.
Karthik is too good, to be complemented by Harini at the end. Active,catchy tunes, with right mix of voices at the charanams is typical of harris.(refer moongil kadugale..saamurai). But english blabber at the intermediate lines have no appropriation. Overall the best pick of the album.
rating:7.5/10

overall:5.75/10

2006-12-05T23:10:00.001+05:30

GDP and Politics:
In recent times, Indian economy is increasingly under the scan worldwide. GDP, which is considered an important parameter of the size of the economy, is consistently showing near 10% growth. Yet this cannot be termed as the best performance, as we have our north-east neighbor showing double digit growth, and their performance seemed to be balanced well, a result of well-planned approach. Indeed we are making a copy of what China did in the past, including the SEZ approaches.

The parliament, as usual discusses the credit of the current achievement, with even economic experts themselves involving in it. Whether BJP was the reason for growth, or was it the policy of Manmohan and Chidambaram during the Rao period. Neither of them was responsible. Read on...

Nehru's education in England seemed to be in no use in developing the free India. His references to socialism and communism with the plan of social democracy were a failure. The socialistic policies followed by him and his party were the long history behind the 1991 economic crisis. Debt-ridden, the government has actually no choice but to implement the IMF regulations. It includes many reforms like privatization, liberalization and the 'free economy' concept. These words were never heard before in Indian land, except at Indira's times and were widely regarded as an epidemic by the socialistic supporters. FDI was allowed (read: forced) to enter the country. From 1991 to 1995, it took time to get the initial hiccups removed. Also a large number of committees from bank reform to tax reform were constituted and were working in tandem with the IMFs regulations. IMF’s regulation also includes capital and current account convertibility. Hence, the playground necessary for globalization of the country was actually backed by IMFs policies. The process of integrating with the world economy was slow but at a specific pace. After 1995, the computer technology boom, also called the Information technology regime took control of the economy. After the y2k, India got a deal struck with increased communication technology and high-speed connectivity, and soon India proved a suitable hot-spot for IT. BPOs, or back-offices too joined the information highway along with the software industry; and the latter being transformed as solution providers, the economy witnessed never-before surges. The term emerging market was attached to the Indian share market and the sensex peaked everyday. Now, has the congress or BJP played a role here?

Attributing globalization to all the ills happening in the country was what the entire 'Politburo' and 'social thinkers' of this country can do. India has benefited strategically from globalization in many spheres. What was expected from the govt was that the revenues from globalization should be put to proper use; in improving health, reducing poverty and rural-urban migration; improving infrastructure.(or, governance!). Instead large scale corruption in deals, say like the VolksWagan deal are rampant. So it is the politics that is ruining the economy and therefore the formers claims land nowhere. Also there are the social activists, like Medha Patkar, Aruna Roy, Arundati Roy and others who take to the streets for each and everything. Transparent governance is what is expected from the honorables from this country, if not anything else.

A lot of hurdles are being created by the left parties. There might have been further improvements had the BJP returned to power in 2004; but it was a misfortune from the people of Kerala and W Bengal that made it impossible. It is wise to recollect from the 2006 budget speech of Chidambaram, quoting Vivekananda’s words:

“We reap what we sow. We are the makers of our own fate.The wind is blowing; those vessels whose sails are unfurled catch it, and go forward on their way, but those which have their sails furled do not catch the wind. Is that the fault of the wind?....... We make our own destiny.”

2006-12-01T23:06:00.000+05:30

Reservation:

Reservation as a policy was done with too much arguments, and even doing so, there was not a consensus on this issue. Reservation is not against anyone; it is a convenience of some sort. Then where does the scope for argument come from?

That reservation should be based on some parameter of consideration(say, the early bird in the case of a train ticket) does not stand in cases of social upliftment. That this country remains united despite being divided in race and caste is a phenomenon, certain policies are required to maintain the constitutional guarantee of providing 'equality of status and of opportunity'. Past Indian society was not even and so there was not an equality in education. Graduates were from upper-castes, and due importance to education was not given by others. It is not the fault of these other caste people; it was because the upper castes/classes got the incentive many centuries before. So none can take the blame, or in other words, advancement of one group with the mass remaining static was the problem. So here comes the solution to address it: compulsory inclusion of lower classes. Again this has not to be taken as exclusion of upper classes. Even if this education reservation produced not-so-employable graduates, the country gave patronage to them with reservation in jobs too. In the 1960-80s, govt jobs were the only aim of graduates and civil service exam took the topmost priority. Therefore reservation in these jobs gave a social upliftment in not only the economic status, but also the attitude of the society. A district collector from the Sc community would surely stand a role-model for not alone the community alone. Thus created the awareness on importance of education. Every father sent their children to schools with the dreams of making a government officer. With the poverty and agri-driven status of the common man, his child cannot be expected to come out with flying colors; even if it is a very miniscule of them. Even today children going to govt schools depend on the mid-day schemes and after school, they assist parents in their activity. There has to be a way for these govt school literate: again reservation in jobs earn them their bang. This is the motivation for the street child to attend a school.

That reservation denies opportunity for the upper classes is not totally agreeable. It narrows down the field; but the space created from the process had worked wonders. In fact social democracy's best illustrated by the policy of reservation.

Let us come to present terms. These OBCs have developed well. There has been performance from all cylinders of the classes. A transition is undergoing. These all creates a need to review the reservation policy. The creamy layer concept was a apt legist ration. OBCs now stand tall, if not equal to the upper classes. Yet there is one aspect to be discussed; the rural diasporas. Rural quota scheme is under scrutiny, as it had already tasted failure in tamilnadu. With counter-arguments to reservation gaining momentum with considerable strengths in the argument, the govt is in a fix: of whether considering a change of plan which requires brain work, or to continue with the current policy which needs no additional intellectual capability. Reservation needs no special allocation in budgets; hence Chidambaram too will be happy; but the alternative to it needs. This was the first drawback. Large investments to care for the education of bpl children, or special policy like universal education are all requiring capital, which is already scarce.(ever?)

Hence for the time-being , as per the supreme court, the current policy can be pursued with the creamy layer for both OBCs and SCs. But the agenda against reservation is in the naive form and it may gain momentum in coming years . All the govt has to do is to use the time it was provided with to come with alternative policy without troubling the academic structure or the social stability.

2006-11-27T23:51:00.001+05:30

Some Mr.Honourable told that we walk 2 steps forward and 4 steps backward, though i don’t remember exactly the Mr. H and the exact number of steps. Such assertions do not imply much in the critical analysis, yet at a general observation of what happens around, it does. Take the infrastructure of transport. A thickly populated country like India, which has no substantial geographical impediments (i know what i am saying) should try to improve the
Public transport system, in terms of coverage and frequency. You identify important corridors, mark them National Highways, convert them to 4/6 lanes and get octroi for every section. Thus 2 steps forward. Then you reduce duties on small cars, which obviously will cost less, and therefore be bought in large numbers by the ever-growing population. The result: small cars selling like anything like a chain reaction. The result: complete chaos in the Indian roads. Thus 4 steps backward.

There is no denying to MNCs to setup their foundry units and manufacture cars here. Let them produce, sell or export any sized car. The government then have to pursue policies such that a cheap public transport system makes everyone think twice to buy a car. India is not US where 2 in 3 owns a car and practically we don’t have the infrastructure to support it.(we even cannot create it).This indeed adds to the problem of fuel prices. Indian oil complains of losing 40 crore everyday (huh!)For oil subsidy. Such losses are to be compensated by the tax-payers money, which is again a case of an unwanted fund-maze. Clearly, all the rising oil bills and environmental hazards drives for a comprehensive analysis, with eminent scientific think tanks, who do not kill their conscience before they think.

Yet before the high-brows come up with a benevolent solution to the complexity, small brains can have their chances too. Say reduce tax for cabs, such that they become cheaper, thus bringing cheap mobility with a limited privacy. Also restriction of parking areas to a distant open-space, while the main streets or bazaars remains motor-free. Even if cars are reduced, then we can have less standing fuel on private vehicles, thus reduced oil guzzling. One has to question the sops being provided to the small cars. Say 1200 cc engine with less than 4 meter qualify as a small car. This small car sells almost the whole number in India. Thus crowded Indian roads. There can be a differential in fuel prices, as for private usage,transport,or for other purposes. Truck fleets can have a reduced tax-rates and not as subsidy, according to their running kms. As when tax slabs stand as per running kms, the fleet managers cannot evade through this reduced taxation.

Instead of fuel, electricity can be used for transport, the railway being the prime mover. Railways need heavy investment at the beginning and almost a miniscule in operation. Better than the roads, the railways have better options for PPP. With future dependence on nuclear energy and phasing out the carbons, the required emission levels could be achieved easily. Usage-based tariff for power, solar street lights, etc are still unexplored too. With all such step-by-step approach, we can reduce dependence on fossils and rely on clean, green and safer world for our future.

2006-11-25T11:15:00.000+05:30

Congress and Indian polity:
India’s super Prime Minister, Sonia, recently opened her mouth to let the world know of her cognitive content. In her usual style of scavenging from the congress archives she picked out what her hubby said about corruption, that the beneficiary receives only 14 paisa from the allocation of one rupee. This was a very terse, cogent expression that even the common man could understand. She gave a new interpretation on this, saying that since many people were involved in implementing schemes, perhaps all the money goes for them. There is no complexity in understanding what Rajeev came out with his mathematics. Deduct 10% starting from the minister, department secretary, joint secy, additional secy, DRO, contractor, local union office and the supplier. Not to mention to the party treasury. Perhaps her proactive son is the only one capable of explaining her.
India is a playground for this madam and her off springs. She would win a seat from the constituency where people are in a time-warp of the 1950s; then she would resign whenever she likes, enjoy the secular dailies headlines portraying her as a martyr and in 24x7 channels as a pinnacle of sacrifice. Then she would contest again with her child Rahul who uses the shadow of his father to gather votes. Winning by a still larger margin that would enter Limca world records and enter the parliament again. And hold the chairmanship position unofficially. And the congress govt in maharastra is playing a number game too with the report of suicide cases of farmers in vidharba. And the PM plays with numbers in announcing a relief package in crores. Recent among all is the mathematics of SEZ in states.
A 20 point program was dug out from the congress crematorium. In the process another corpse was also found. It was called 'garibi hatao'. Now both these were painted anew and brought to the show. Manmohan uses 'inclusive' in all the speeches of recent times. Perhaps thinking about his inclusion in the 2010 PM candidature. In the IG meeting held at Delhi, he assured that his government will remove terrorism at any cost. Later at a minority welfare meet he speaks with cold indifference (or Sonias) that Islam and terrorism were not at all related, and this terrorism has no religion. Then Manmohan should answer this question. Then Where does the word jihad come from French? Spanish? Latin or Greek?
In a recent eye-2-eye at a private news channel, in response to the leadership crisis the BJP leader Arun Jaitley responded "we don’t have a Nehru family like congress to wait for the next president". Truly, the congress was the party in leadership crisis, with the party supremo chosen out of a dynastic approach. Even now, when there is a talk of making Sonia PM, Rahul is being worshipped as a saviour as seen from the birthday celebration. But he kept it a low-key affair, his concerns all for bringing India his Columbian girlfriend (see, history repeats). Cosmopolitan citizens who condemned the BJP rally questioning her credibility of the chair, became invisible when Mr.Q, Sonia’s friend, silently walked of with Indian crores, with the escort of Indian law ministers assurance.
With the congress showing no sign of preparing an alternative leadership in the near future, we have more to expect...

2006-11-15T22:21:00.002+05:30

The Hindu and its neutrality
The Hindu claims it as a national newspaper. In its articles in the editorial columns, it often criticizes the BJP and RSS, referring them as 'fundamentalist' forces. There is nothing wrong in this terming citing its secular neutrality, except that when middle east comes into the discussion, it goes for the rescue of the very same but Islam religious fundamentalism. In fact, the words has seen much trouble from the latter groups, and witnessing the recent trends of terror threat created around the world, in particular through the air travel, it is a foregone conclusion that this jihad is going to be the next wide-scale disaster to the world after the II world war(it already is). Mr. Ahmedinejad, Iran’s executive, was interviewed by the Hindu, and the interview went as a gentleman’s press-meet. Later and before, the Hindu has always carried support for Iran, either directly or through criticism of US atrocity. And this gentleman, proudly says, “I see no reason for Israel to exist”. The Hindu never finds any problem to publish that too. Frontline, its magazine is a vehement supporter of anyone who opposes the US. As if nothing has happened to the US at all through Islamic terrorism. It was solid history that even before India was formed as a secular state, these countries were secular by their constitution. Perhaps the Hindu would ignore for mystic reasons.

Leave international affairs. India had suffered a great deal from the Islamic fundamentalists, than from any other form of aggression (say NE). The Kashmiri pundits, who were a native of JK, were now driven out fear of terror. Even the Muslims there were not spared from their own religious extremism. You would have very few days to count when no activity takes place in the valley. There seems credible evidence when BJP complains of soft approach of terrorism by the congress, yet its editorial finds no problem with it. In the eve of Malegoan blasts, Praveen Swami, in an article wrote about the growth of hindu terrorism in malegoan and his own sources of evidence of arms accumulation with the RSS. Shortly after the police came out with a Pak based militant groups hand in it. It also could be noticed that MH police were under the congress govt and therefore a feedback was avoided, which might have stated ‘Manipulation of evidences'.

Even the president was not spared by the newspaper. The nation knows of what happened in Bihar in 2002. When a dissolution of the Rabri Devi govt was requested bt the then BJP at the centre, the prez refused, which was highly acclaimed by the paper. Later in the prez foreign tour, he was woken at 1 am, and asked for a sign to dissolute Bihars assembly when a legal BJP govt was abt to be formed. And the paper too was with the prez foreign tour i suppose. Also, the Office of profit bill return was described as a 'constitutional overreach', though it was legal to do so, by law and also by morality. That the prez returned stating valid reasons and it was did so after the tendered advise of expert members of the law community was not taken into a legal point in the argument. It even undertook a criticisation of the prez for taking the sukhoi-30 flight and the submarine journey. What else does a prez from a technical background is expected to do?

Whatever feedbacks come in the newspaper, it is done with the most superbia. Even regretting errors too. Lately the paper has added a readers editor, whose only job is boasting of the secularity, social responsibility etc etc..Even finance papers like ET gives good political analysis nowadays. With the absence of TOI and HT in the south, the market is strong for the paper. With the advent of DC, the Hindu changed its graphics, also with the tagline, always classic, always contemporary.

Yet, there is once successful reason to be found when one subscribes to this paper. It fetches more value in old-paper mart.

update:
It is China's agression in Tibet. Tibet autonomous area, properly. And 100 were dead. Which means not quite a 'common' revolt that is happening there. There's no report about it in this paper. How could you expect a newspaper, whose editor devotes 2 full pages immediately after the editorial page writing about Tibet-sorry, lobbying for China's side.
Nowadays even Economic times gives more justified reports with respect to these aspects(communism, socialism, nandigram etc).

2006-11-12T21:43:00.001+05:30

Indian car market:

The Indian car market has never seen such an advent of latest german and Japanese engineered cars. Now the Indian customer is confused over the choice he has to make. Maruti Udyog, which has retained the loyalty of Indians, still sells in large numbers, except that majority, if not all, is from the economy segment. Maruti did try to sell the Baleno and Grand Vitara which showed significant changes from the brand it created, but in vain. There has to be a charm to be instilled in the Indian customer, and so far Hyundai and Toyota had managed to do that in success. Still petrol powered cars sell the most, though diesel engines are capturing markets with the turbocharger and the CRD magic.

Tata, who made trucks with the help of Daimler Chrysler (the reason why still its trucks are called benz) did venture into the car market with the launch of its highly successful sumo. India’s first true SUV, the safari and first estate, the Tata estate were all from tata. Mahindra, who replicated willys jeeps, and later became famous for the MM 540 brand, is also a tough competition to the Toyota with its Scorpio. The UV, priced too good to resist with the CRDe engine, is truly an Indian product, though the common rail unit was from Bosch. Hindustan motors, with the Ambassador grand, which saved a CM of a state, made a little comeback. Amby still has the comfortable ride in its rear seat. (10^th best ride in all cars compared). With the 2.0 ISUZU diesel motor under the hood, it is all modern except the shell.

Here comes the question. Which is the car of India? It was the maruti 800 some time back and the Alto now, according to sales charts. But one is expected to wait a little, for tata is getting ready for its 0.1 million car, to be launched in 2008. Since the car is going to be powered by diesel too, it truly deserves be wait. Yet I don’t believe you would have your ‘personal space’ to comute by the time the car is released. T.R Balu with his repeated mentions of 4/6 track roads will make situations better, but it comes at a price. (My 100 km trip from vellore to dharmapuri took Rs.100 as toll). And the nations prime minister making open applications to invite in infrastructure means that the govt is not going to do anymore investments in it.

Nevertheless, the choice of the Indian customer in his car seems to deviate much from logic. Queries to magazine editors ask: “powerful, midsized family mover, clubbed with safety and economy”. And that mentions almost all the dimensions on which cars are engineered. Yet it works because the people believe in what the manufacturer says in their advertisement. This is in particular to the promotion of Swift. By understanding CG and stability, one can say that a car that is designed with an Altos interior space and Ambassadors width will have good handling characters. And the car media need not pamper it in almost all its editions. One typical user said, “It is the replica of mini cooper sold in Europe”.
So we can understand all the reason why the car is claimed to be European styled.

Perhaps the only car-maker who had tasted bad business in India albeit the best engineering was Fiat. Indeed it was Fiat who was the technical brain of the premier padmini, which under the 1100 tag, was India’s race machine in earlier 70s.The Uno had almost all the ingredients of the Indian tastes. Ample space for its size, diesel powered, 20+ mileage, powerful AC and enough grunt for 5 passengers. Yet it failed to show its performance in the sales chart. Suddenly people started targeting the company for the service segment. As if Mercedes Benz had all service backup every km on road. The media is too bad in this too, with bringing up every parts list, such as door and bumper, as if every car bought has to meet an accident compulsorily. Fiats siena and the palio are truly world-class diesels. Tough built, best suspension and solid stance on road. It may be said here that not every car maker can be a maruti to have a govt backup for investment and the support of socialistic people who rely on govt for the choice of their car too!!!

Second-hand market in India is widely pronounced in II tier cities and towns. In my hometown pollachi, you can see vehicles with registration nos from wide geographical locations, even from Bombay and Bangalore too. Maruti cars too are relied much in second sales for both their good service backup and cheap spares. When people buy cars in large nos, their localization in manufacture makes parts cheaper and hence cheaper spare parts and service. This is the equation behind maruti’s success. Skoda is the very recent entrant having sold good numbers despite competition from Toyota, another late-entrant (direct).

With its tag as emerging market, the Indian market is still to see quality products. All the so called luxury cars, despite being well priced, have reduced options as that available in the International market. Let us wait and watch for better options in future.

2006-11-08T21:26:00.001+05:30

Indian agriculture:

Montek Singh Ahluwalia at the Economic Editors conference revealed that the sensational 8 percent level in GDP for the tenth plan is not a possibility, falling short of some 0.8 points. He accused the moderation in industry growth as a prime factor and assured that under the eleventh plan, it would be taken care as due importance would be given to agriculture which has shown under 3 percent growth(even 1.5).

Recently, when Dr.Manmohan Singh visited Vidharba, the plight of farmers consuming suicides were taken to him(the nations prime minister becomes aware only then). After a series of packages announced he left, whether or not the packages aid the peasants. And the suicides continued. Like all previous announcements, agricultural subsidies have helped to increase the turnover of fertilizer companies and agro based industries and intermediates lest the farmers. Take the case of 6866 crore loan waiver in tamilnadu. Large farmers who took loans to buy tractors that lease for the small farms got the waiver too. One of my neighbor managed to get a loan for a two wheeler with her agri patta. Such were the stream of welfare-evasion creating a bottomless pool of gross subsidy gulping by the agriculture sector of this country.

Let us speak plain facts, without the need to make false promises to the agro-dependant population of this country. India is currently witnessing an industrialization that the developed countries witnessed earlier. It means a transfer of the nature of jobs from raw, unskilled back-breaking farm work to that skilled, timed and union backed labor. It means a loss of workers in the farmlands and growing urbanization in industrial towns. Therefore the charm of NREGA and revival of agriculture to green revolution era with a plethora of subsidies won’t help. SEZ on even communist Bengal’s farmlands and the Banglore-Mysore expressway munching fertile farms with the supreme court declining to accept PLIs for the farmers in SEZ cases means the socialist democracy is clear in its signal. Already I ate Australian chappathis for a few months and I hope it is the US turn next year. Maybe European the third year. Prediction of 50 lakh tonne of wheat import for 2007 means that India has lost its status of self sufficiency in food production. Except that it is not in the official records. One need not speak about the story of pulses too here.

There is some sort of agricultural leasing to industries, where the farmer allows the industry to cultivate the raw materials (cotton) in his land and accept the margin thrown by them. Though this was reported in the media, it was projected as some charitable activity of the industrial powerhouses.

Truly India is a developing industrial nation. The gvt can promise industrial jobs to all peasants and shares to all farmers for their lands instead of pledging funds for the sector in its natural death process. Then what future lies for the Indian farmer? Time is not so far when the term ‘Indian farmer’ becomes absurd.