My 4 days in Chennai

I had wanted to go to my sister’s place in Chennai for quite some time now. The Janmashtami holiday on Thursday, 2nd of Sep seemed to fit bill just nicely. Apply for leave on the 3rd and voila what do I get? Four days of freedom. With my project undergoing a lean phase, there was every chance of my manager approving the leave and little probability of getting recalled due to production issues or the likes. Absolute bliss! What more could a techie ask for? So off I went to Singara Chennai. [Beautiful Chennai, I know...what a joke... :)]

Day 1:

Arrived dead tired at my sister’s, after having travelled in local trains and
standing in the wrong bus stop for almost 30 minutes before realizing that the bus stop has been shifted! The usual Indian-family-reunion-emotional drama ensued. With my mother having come over from my place there was no dearth of affection. Add two cute little kids to this potent mix and I was in an exalted state for the most part of the morning. The late morning and the whole afternoon went mostly as it does for me when I am on vacation...deep slumber... :) It was in the evening that all the action started. An array of games was on display and we were not sure which one to play. My nephew was hankering for Business (Monopoly), my mother was for Chinese checkers and my 2 yr old niece wanted us to do colouring along with her! Finally, we settled for a couple of games of Chinese checkers.

Day 2:

I managed to find my way to Wipro Sholliganallur Office. What took me back was the ticket fare. No, it wasn’t because the fare was exorbitant. In fact it was the other way around. I stared at the conductor in total disbelief when he issued a 4 rupee ticket. Did he hear me wrong? In Bangalore the same journey would have easily cost anywhere between Rs.11 to Rs.13 [Depending on the conductor’s mood and at ease with which you speak Kannada.]

Met loads of my friends in CDC and played catch up. Returned home with a box of cookies for the kids...they couldn’t have asked for a better mama, could they?

Day 3:

My friend Balaji and I had decided that we would allocate a day for hanging out in some mall. Since I hadn’t been to Spencers Mall (a crime by Chennaites standards), we decided that we would spend the day there. After having a sumptuous meal at a nearby restaurant I entered the vast unknown territory called Spencers. We probably spent an hour there. The mall was a great let down after all the hype I received/heard from my friends and family. We moved on to next place on our itinerary which was the newly built swanky Express Avenue mall.

The mall was quite big or at least much bigger than Bangalore’s Forum Mall. We were sauntering in and out of shops and our throats were parched in no time. We went in search of a watering hole and found a Cafe Coffee Day outlet. I reluctantly browsed the menu card for some cheap drink only to find one in the low 100s! There was a greater shock waiting for me when the deceiving cashier spit out the bill amount. It came to close 340 for just two drinks. He had added the some silly toppings to the drinks. Given my scorched state, I was in no mood to protest. Moral of the story, always have water bottles filled up to the brim before stepping out of your home.

Another notable incident was when I spotted an old friend of mine in Odyssey. I really wanted to go and connect with her but my silly inhibitions prevented me. Good going dude, with this attitude and at this rate your glorious list of girl-friends [which currently stands at 0] is going to skyrocket!

After having purchased some books and window shopped to our heart’s content, we came to the entrance of the mall and stuck into small talk. It was during this time that I realized that my friend Balaji was really perturbed by something. He was quite concerned about the dressing sense of some of the women there. I was having a gala time though, feasting my eyes on the fairer sex... :) Why do we always see women as the sole custodians of morality and culture?

Day 4:

Woke up only in the afternoon. More games, food and then it was off to Bangalore again.

Freedom…what it means to me

Freedom

Freedom can mean a multitude of things to different people. To a bubbling toddler freedom from the physical clutches of his ever protective wards, to a raging teenager it could mean relaxation on the much hated ‘time restrictions‘. Freedom is clearly a subjective word but there is a clear convergence in all the instances. Freedom is liberating and makes one feel unrestrained, a feeling parallel to none other.

To me, as an individual, freedom is the ability to chart my own destiny. It is an endowment to practice, without fear or compulsion, a religious ideology of my choice. It is the liberty to lodge democratic protests against the state on policies which I sense are inappropriate and the free will to work in institutions that I want to work for. Overall, freedom on an individual perspective means the ability to decide and implement what is best for oneself.

As a citizen, freedom has been a significant factor in nation building and a feeling of oneness. It refers to the ability of my nation, India, to hold her head high and assert herself in the comity of nations. Additionally, freedom has been a causative factor in the empowerment of the downtrodden and under privileged. Subservience, a by-product of lack of freedom, has proliferated access and opportunities denial in our nation for many centuries. Its absence, thankfully, is slowly but steadily creating inclusive growth.

Bertrand Russell quotes “Freedom in general may be defined as the absence of obstacles to the realization of desires”. This probably captures the essence of freedom in its totality. Freedom is to humans what oxygen is to the lungs, a vital component for survival. To sum it up, freedom has been and will be a cornerstone of human development till humans exist on this planet.

Jai Hind!

P.S. I had submitted this write up for the ‘What Freedom means to me’ creative writing competition held for Wipro employees. The word limit was 300. So you can see that i was really constrained for words. The competition is over now and i didnt win…:( So thought that i might at least share it here…

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas…A Movie Review

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is a movie about the Holocaust and is based on a book by the same name. The movie is set in the backdrop of the World War II, when Nazi Germany was on rampage in Europe and killing innocent Jews in the disguise of nationalism. This movie stands apart from the rest of the Holocaust films as it portrays a perspective of a son of a Nazi commander rather than narrating the gruesome discrimination and humiliation meted out to Jews, as other movies’ do.

The movie starts off with the Bruno, a happy go lucky 8 year old, being forced to shift from the Berlin to the country side as his father, a Nazi commander, has been posted take charge of a Jew extermination camp. Obviously Bruno’s father utters nothing related to the camp and successfully convinces him that the country side home will be as good the current one.

Bruno’s adventure seeking instincts get the better of him in his country side home. He discovers ways to kill time by playing in his favourite swing, the house servants and even exploring the backyard that leads him to the ‘farm’. It is in this ‘farm’ that he chances upon Shmuel, an 8 year old Jew inmate. The friendship between the two boys blooms over time but at no point does Bruno realize that the ‘farm’ is actually an invidious Nazi pogrom and that his own father is at the helm of things there.

As the film moves on, Bruno encounters several incidents during which reality is laid out thread bare. But Bruno, being an adventure seeking innocent 8 year old, refuses or probably is just too young to understand the gravity of the situation around him. His naive attitude tugs your heart. You get emotionally overwhelmed when he laments about ‘How adults cannot make up their mind’, an obvious reference to a Jewish servant whom he thinks gave up his medical profession to become a potato peeler! His enquiry about the same servant’s return after a lethal thrashing, doled out by his father’s Nazi underlings, buttresses his innocence and cements the idea that this boy has no idea whatsoever of what is going on around him.

I am going to leave out the climax, intentionally. Try to grab a DVD copy of this movie.

Disclaimer: Emotional disturbance guaranteed!

P.S. What are the other Holocaust movies which you liked?

Are we turning into an INTOLERANT society?

Hi All,

Gone are the days when intolerance was considered repulsive and divisive. Intolerant people being labeled extremists and frowned upon are things of the past now. Welcome to a 'new', 'united' India where intolerance is a way of life and anything counter doctrinal is treated as blasphemy and equated to slaughtering the sacred cow. Be prepared to get labeled as 'anti-national' if you dare to criticise the blatant wastage of the CW games. The same fate awaits citizens who question the anti-Naxal strategy of the government. Except this time the tag attached is that of a ‘Naxal Sympathiser’.

It doesn’t take rocket scientist to figure out where all this is leading to. Tolerance is slowly but steadily getting shunted out of our polity. Intolerance is glorified as the new ‘Unity’. ‘You are either with me or either with them’ syndrome is ominously looming over us and is threatening to make us an intolerant society which refuses to take any constructive criticism and goes even to the extent of condemning varied viewpoints as anti-patriotic.

Offhand I can think of a few reasons why this new attitude has crept in. This intolerance is largely due to the fear arising out of failures and wrong doings. So if someone speaks out against you, label him a terrorist, an anti-national or better still a traitor. Rally popular opinion against him and bury his credibility. Additionally, this serves as a potent warning to anyone who might dream to take this path. There is also a fear among us that diverse, non-homogenous views perpetuate divisiveness and hence we need herbicides like intolerance to weed out divergent views. I feel the final one is the most dangerous of all and needs immediate attention.

I guess this trend is a cause of concern for all of us. Why are going down this path and where is all this leading us to? How do we put an end to this self destructive journey? I am hoping some of you out there might throw in some answers.

Five things i have learnt from my Mama's 60th

Family functions have always been events that I have cherished and loved to participate. The congregation of so many people at one place is by itself a rarity these days, given our fast pace of life. Coupled with serene village atmosphere, where these functions are usually held, you get a carnival with ever lasting memories.

I was fortunate enough to be a part of my MAMA’s [uncle’s] 60th birthday celebrations last week. I observed/ realized a few things which were compelling enough to pen down.

1. Late night work is a good way to bond

Family events are synonymous with work. There is always a mountain of it and the more you think you have completed the more seems remaining. But when done in the right atmosphere, work can be conquered. I found this out during continuous late night ‘shifts’ I had with my cousins. Dwelling over the past or sharing the present was such a great experience. Catching someone whose eyelids just can’t keep open was equally fun.
[To all those naughty ones who were smirking after seeing the first point, put a leash on your thoughts. What were you thinking? ]

2. Make your presence felt

Be everywhere. Do everything. Don’t say NO. NO is taboo in public functions. Learn it if you don’t know it already. Or at least fake it! Move around, raise some eyebrows if you have to and run some errands for that distant relative of yours. (Whom you will be meeting for the first and the last time) Make sure the overall effect is one which raises your profile.

3. Be prepared to cope with totally unanticipated scenarios

Be it when asked to do some urgent work when nature’s call becomes more than just a request (!)or when someone catches hold of you and narrates a long winding story of your antics, be prepared. Have a smile on your face. Reciprocate the warmth and you will soon realize that the chance meeting is actually mutually beneficial.

4. Take advice in the stride

Advice, like alcohol in a beer fest, will be free flowing. The usual ones will be “Get married early”, “Focus on your career”, “Why don’t you consider part time studies in lieu of a full time one?” What else do you expect when you are surrounded by people twice your age and ten times your wisdom? Take it your stride. Put across your points and have a healthy discussion. After all, learning from other’s experience is smarter isn’t?

5. Education's importance is finally being realized

My mama had, for the sake of convenience, outsourced the cooking department to a well known chef. The usually busy chef happened to be a little free on one of the nights and we had a chance to interact with him freely. He was gloating with joy on how his daughter had got a good score in grade 12 examinations and how she has proceeded to pursue her engineering. He had specific details of her ‘cut-off’ and how she might manage to eke into this college and probably not into another, which just goes to show how involved he has been in the entire process. All this for a man who might have barely cleared grade 10(sorry Mr Chef if I have underestimated your academic qualifications). The news was all the more sweeter as he was willing to support his girl child to the hilt which normally would not happen in a rural setting.

Do you fear excellence?

Hi All,

I am coming back to this space after a long time. I had some hurdles to cross and they required my undivided attention, hence the prolonged absence. While overcoming the above obstacles, I experienced a certain strange feeling which I thought I should share with everyone.

I fear excellence. I fear perfectness. Let me get myself clear here, I don't fear PEOPLE who are brilliant or near to perfect. I fear perfectness as a virtue. While surmounting the obstacles, something in me was telling not to go for perfectness. It’s not achievable. Or worse still, it’s a sacred cow which was not to be slaughtered. It’s better left untouched.

This feeling could have stemmed from the fact that I am more pessimistic than I am optimistic. But I have reasons to feel that this might not be the only reason for the peculiar sentiment which I was undergoing. I have always wanted to be among the top. I have always wished to be showered with laurels. But at the same time, I have also dreaded the academic limelight. At those times I did not know what was making me feel in such a way.

But now I have understood it. I am frightened by excellence. I am not sure if this is restricted to academics or extends to other spheres of life as well. I am equally confused as to whether this might be as bad as it looks or could actually be a blessing in disguise as excellence, which I consider to be an unachievable virtue, keeps pushing me further and further.

So what are your thought on this? How do view excellence and how do you deal with it?

IPL Mess...who would have thought?

Hi All,

During the past two weeks, we have seen so much controversy involving cricket, politicians and business houses that it promises to thrill no less than a typical Bollywood film. We have encountered controversies in the past [we live in India!] but this one seems to be a lethal mix of money, politics and patronage.

The IPL’s fall from grace surprised many. [To be frank, I am still a little perplexed] After all, this was touted as India’s answer to other major global events like the EPL and the UEFA Champions League. Some even brazenly equated IPL’s introduction to India finally arriving on the global stage and claiming its rightful place in the comity of nations. With a dynamic commissioner, cash rich franchisees, raving media and crazy fans who were waiting to lap up everything that was thrown at them, the IPL had everything going for it. But it was not to be. Not when you have somebody from the inside who decides to blow the whistle and bring down some really powerful people along with his imminent exit.

As the puzzle untangles, we are led into a world of murky business dealings, proxy owners and shell companies. What is even more shocking is the global angle to all this mess. The IPL truly seems to have taken globalization to a whole new level. Suddenly we have Mauritian companies trading with Singaporean ones for media and distributor rights for IPL. So much for countries that don’t even have a significant cricketing viewership or for that matter a significant population to start with!

Now leaving all the politics aside, I am starting to wonder what’s coming the game’s way. With so much negative publicity, IPL’s image has surely taken a beating. What’s next for the IPL, the teams who have invested millions and the players hoping to rake in some money before they retire and the fans who have shown so much love and affection for their favourite teams?