Niceties Part Deux

What if the scene was relocated to my city of dreams, the queen of the bay of Bengal, the city of filter kaapi, idli and coconut chutney, The place I haven't been for more than 2 weeks in the last 3 years, yet know so much about and still relate to.

I miss you my Chennai.

Disclaimer: If this post unintentionally causes harm, resembles reality and brings back old memories, the butler did it.

You turn to me and ask whether it hurts to be so nice? Is it difficult to be this person? I smile. I am not making an effort to be so. This is me. I do what comes to me naturally without thinking twice. Why is it that this nature seems daunting, odd, fearful and unaccustomed to many, including you?

Luz corner creeps me out. The junction that is so familiar seems very distant to me. Its probably because I have been focusing so much attention on a lot of things that I would not have cared about a while ago, that I have lost sight. The little things I enjoyed, the minuscule observations that I made, the conformation to change I adore seem like things from the past. Maybe my city is going through the same gamut of emotions too. To change or not to change seems like the question of the hour amidst blaring vehicle horns, fragrant Jasmine braids, little tots running behind their moms and the bells of the Navasakthi Vinayaga temple.

A pat on my cheek brings me back to you. You are not convinced. You still tell me it is not possible to be this way. I tell you I have not been any other way. I do not know if you will ever agree with me.

We walk past the Bombay halwa house and the smell of their delicious samosas hit my olfactory receptors, doing a "should I eat two or not" jig on their way to the limbic system. Sanity prevailed coupling with the fact that you hate the place and anything thats deep fried, I decided to pay no heed to the evident advances of the golden triangles. It was your idea to stop at the Hanuman temple and I thank you for that. We walk around the main garbagraha and I look at you take a small pinch of the kungumam and apply it in between your eyebrows, your eyes closed, thinking about things that will take eons for me to understand. To me, That simple conditioned act seems so powerful, evocative and humbling.

We step out of the temple, hand out some change to the reclining mendicants by the door and continue walking down Royapettah high road. You lean against me. I sense your taut shoulders pressing against my ribs. You seem bothered. I put my arms around you as you lean against my nape. A smile escapes your lips while you find your own cozy corner. I kiss your warm forehead, consecrated by the red sindhoor. A trace of red finds its way onto my lips, while the warmth permeates you. I look up at Thiruvalluvar calmly sitting over PS sivaswamy salai for an instant, only to reacquaint myself with the curious brown eyes looking at me inquisitively. Its going to be a long night.

We walk across Brindavan Street close to the overbridge and watch the revelers make way from the Gandhi beach. The crowd intimidate you for a bit, but the myriads of happy faces have an aura of their own. The energy that permeates the night makes everyone put their best step forward. You take my hand in yours and drift aimlessly. I wonder what you are wondering. You look at me and smile. The same smile that caught my eye, the one that makes your eyes light up and curves the corners of your mouth. That same smile, following which I cannot comprehend what could happen next.

I know we have our tribulations, doubts, insecurities and faith (or the lack of it). I know that during this winding course, things will not end up being what it seemed. We still carry on, being ourselves, believing in the things we always did and said, say and do. Thats what makes cold dreary nights not so gloomy. Our world conforms to us eventually.

I bend down to kiss you as you tug my collar, arching your neck and closing your eyes. Before our lips touch, we both stop and look either way. 3 kids gape at us, their parents next to them gape at us. We look across the road to see a traffic police man gape at us.

I got up, straightened my collar, winked at the kids, nodded at their parents and did not make eye contact with the cop. I take your hand in mine, tug you close as we match our steps, walking down the long road ahead of us.

Krishna Nee Begaane Baaro

KS Chitra's rendition of this song brought a tear in my eye last night. This Kannada kriti, set in Yaaman Kalyan raaga was composed by Vysaraya Thirtha. I had to scout for the links on youtube and did indeed find a goldmine. Here are some of the immortal renditions of this song:

1) KS Chitra



2) Hariharan:



3) Hariharan @ Puttaparthi in front of the Sathya Sai Baba, where he transitions from the classical version to his contemporary version effortlessly



Lastly, the Colonial Cousin's version:

These Photographs

Dear friend S made up for a dreary evening last night with her cheerful disposition, optimism and enthusiasm in embracing new beginnings by diving right into the thick of action.

You never know where life will take you ( a lot of times), but you have your anchors. The inner circle of people who are totally game for counselling sessions, drinking binges, impromptu road trips, hazy philosophising, reality checks and being asswipes in general. Life gets even better if they end up being where you are, or vice versa. Sadly, when all things mostly good and occasionally bad come to an end, the material and virtual memories are what serve as remainders of the better times we have had. The people who matter are the ones you want to see all the time.

Quote, unquote, these pictures bridge that gap and keep us closer, however cliché it is:). Very aptly put. Well said S.

P.S: This post was hastily written on a peaceful ride to Longwood and enthusiastically transcribed to cyberspace before one could say internet.

P.P.S: I did not know quote unquote and quote, unquote conveyed different meanings until 10 minutes ago.

Niceties

You turn to me and ask whether it hurts to be so nice? Is it difficult to be this person? I smile. I am not making an effort to be so. This is me. I do what comes to me naturally without thinking twice. Why is it that this nature seems daunting, odd, fearful and unaccustomed to many, including you?

You are not convinced. You still tell me it is not possible to be this way. I tell you I have not been any other way. I do not know if you will ever agree with me.

We continue walking and you lean against me. I sense your taut shoulders pressing against my ribs. You seem bothered. I put my arms around you as you lean against my nape. A smile escapes your lips while you find your own cozy corner. I kiss your forehead. the cold skin makes my lips quiver, while the warmth permeates you. I look up at the CITGO sign looming over Kenmore square for an instant, only to reacquaint myself with the curious brown eyes looking at me inquisitively. Its going to be a long night.

We walk across Brookline ave and watch the revelers make way from Fenway. The crowd intimidate you for a bit, but the myriads of happy faces and red caps have an aura of their own. The energy that permeates the biting chill of the night makes everyone put their best step forward. You take my hand in yours and drift aimlessly. I wonder what you are wondering. You look at me and smile. The same smile that caught my eye, the one that makes your eyes light up and curves the corners of your mouth. That same smile, following which I cannot comprehend what could happen next.

I know we have our tribulations, doubts, insecurities and faith (or the lack of it). I know that during this winding course, things will not end up being what it seemed. We still carry on, being ourselves, believing in the things we always did and said, say and do. Thats what makes cold dreary nights not so gloomy. Our world conforms to us eventually.

I bend down to kiss you as you tug my lapels, arching your neck and closing your eyes. It will take me a while to get back to planet Earth. But I softly land, my feet firmly in the ground.

More Slides

A great presentation should hold your attention from the very first word . It should convey the contents to the audience presuming they know little but not take them for granted at the same time. It should make you think, raise questions in your head, try to answer them yourself and then look forward to the next slide.Having been to hundreds of and delivering a few of them, the thin line of demarcation between grades of presentations actually becomes much clearer. I sat through one of the best talks of my life this afternoon. Suddenly the grass seemed greener, the skies bluer and the science more familiar.

Behind fantastic presentations lie minimal words, simple explanations, visual representation, eye contact, acknowledgement, punctuality, sincerity and a smile on the face. Practice does make a lot perfect.

Sad Eyes

On a lonely bus ride back home via Dorchester, the Ipod's shuffle program chanced upon a song which I had all the while thought to be one of the better works of a musician whose music I did not particularly enjoy. To my surprise, it was being crooned by one of my most revered artistes.

I come back home to do some research only to find out that the song in question sad eyes was originally composed by Bruce Springsteen as part of his 1990 album tracks. Enrique Iglesias, citing himself to be a major fan of the boss, covered the track in both spanish and english.

The original version of the song:

and when Enrique Iglesias takes over:

Dynamite Division

More reason to be proud of the Massachusetts General Hospital and the Harvard Medical School, as Dr. Jack W. Szostak, who is faculty shares the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2009 along with Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn of the University of California, San Francisco and Dr. Carol Greider of the Johns Hopkins University.

Their work mainly concerns the enzyme that build Telomeres- Telomerase. What are telomeres? Chromosomes are now an integral part of our vocabulary and their importance in genetics is the equivalent of the importance of alphabets in this sentence. Telomeres are essentially repetitive DNA strands which are formed on the edges of dividing chromosomes, preventing damage to the chromosome during duplication. Telomeres play a part in controlling cellular division. Their function and action is regulated by the enzyme Telomerase. The works of these scientists also show that the activity of the telomeres, which is controlled by telomerase, plays an important role in limiting the number of cell divisions to a fixed number, thereby effecting the aging process and limiting life span. Cancerous cells produce telomerase in abundance, which causes them to constantly replicate.

Bapu

We may not always agree with him.
We may not always pay heed to his words.
We may not follow his path.

Where we are today, is because he was there then.
Where we will be henceforth is because he was there then.

Bole to, Happy Birthday!!

(pic courtesy: herosworkshop.wordpress.com)

Thought for the day

I promise never to whine. I really do.
I do not want to turn into one of the million who think its their prerogative to whine first and breathe later.
I promise to suck it up and live to tell.
I will not make any one's life as miserable as mine, by a simple whine.


I amaze myself sometimes.

I still haven’t found what I am looking for

U2’s second single from their uber hit 1987 album, The Joshua Tree, is my favorite single from the band, beating the usual suspects like One, Sunday bloody Sunday, The hands that built America and A beautiful day.

For their 1988 album and movie Rattle and Hum, U2 recorded this song with a choir from Harlem called the New Voices of Freedom.

A live version of the song from Zagreb, Aug 2009

Bruce Springsteen performs with U2 during the latter's induction into the rock and roll hall of fame.

Finally, David Cook’s rendition of the song during the 2008 American Idol finale.

Lessons from the one Part 2

( This is the second in a series of posts that aim to translate the complex lessons of Rajinikanth songs to a more eloquent, absorbing, influential and effective form. This post could be unintentionally funny, but keep looking at the larger picture and make the most out of it)

Rajini's Muthu was released in 1996 and was widely considered by many as one of his celluloid platforms for his political aspirations, which was largely speculated by many (The fizzle of his dizzle is a shizzle for another day). The dialogs, songs and scenes were inadvertantly assumed to be political statements and revisited many times by loyalists. Also, it was the first time AR Rahman was composing for Rajinikanth and he did not disappoint. The song in question was the title number, which has Rajini ride his horse chariot, leave the reins midway, turn around, do an impromptu dance-all while sitting, stop and check out the ladies of the village, eat their festive cookings, shake a leg with them, and finally compete and win a race with a 4 wheel automobile. The song by itself is a fantastic composition, involving symphony style scores orchestrated by the late H Shridhar, and SP Balasubramaniam does complete justice with his full throated rendition.

There's only one master.

The rest are all his minions.

A fool contemplates his fate.

One who overcomes it is great.

There is no weapon to win over this world, no ploughs to pluck flowers.

Why do we need material comforts, when this world is yours when you relinquish desire.

Man loves the earth and the earth reciprocates it.

The earth eventually wins over us but we do not seem to understand it.

When we have money in our hands, we are its boss.

When we are submerged in money, then its our boss.

Understand the meaning of life, live life in your own terms.

The sky is yours and so is the earth, but why do we keep bickering in vain?

Nature tells us its our prerogative to live, its natural to have problems in life.

The birds look at me and say "wassup"

The flowers bloom and say" home boy, you are too cool!!"

Riddle Me This

Would you do something for the thrill of doing it?

Would you be someone for the heck of being like them?

Why are we the way we are?

How will we be if we were someone else?

What will we think?

What will we do?

Given a choice, Will we be who want to be or will we be who we are?

Will our perceptions be different from theirs?

What makes us think like this? success? failures? relationships? boredom? focus?

Turn the Page

What defines a good writer?

I must confess that I have never been a voracious reader of "books" in the classic sense. I read a lot but my gamut of literature encompasses a wide spectrum of text beyond prose and poetry in the literary sense. I see friends and family who swear by books and are notorious in their copious reading habits, bringing me to my next question, does reading complement good writing or good writing skills promote more consistent reading habits?

I believe it is a little bit of both. To me, writing is a recollection of ideas, perception and views of the individual.One's writing style can be influenced by the works and the authors they read but I cannot say the same about what they would want to write about. Its about finding a niche. If you cannot find one, you need to create one. However, I have always felt that I am more diverse in my reading ever since I started writing. One thing I aspire to do is be more consistent in writing. Also, one needs to believe that they can live up to their expectation of good work.

I say keep reading. I have rediscovered the hidden pleasures of great books and I am smacking my lips in page turning glee.

I am a Barbie Girl!

S: T, you are looking so pretty.
T: Thanks, so do you.
S: You look just like a Barbie Doll.
T: Why? because I have big boobs and long legs?
D: ROTFL

The NBA-IPL Conundrum

An old post initially penned as an email over a lazy Saturday evening during the peak of the IPL season and the NBA playoffs.

I think I know why I prefer the NBA to the IPL despite:

a) being a big fan of cricket
b) the NBA and the IPL being packaged identically including shorter games, booze and cheerleaders..:)

It has to do with the way I have seen cricket growing up. My first memories of great cricket included the 1987 World Cup in India which Australia won and then the controversial 1992 World Cup down under which had a lot of firsts

1) Color Clothing
2) Day-Night Matches.
3) South Africa's comeback
4) the World Cup debut of a little boy from Bombay called Sachin Tendulkar.

My interest grew and I started following cricket much seriously in my teens and I still endear myself to a lot of quality cricket from the 1990s and the early 2000's.

1) The Titan cup game 8 in Bangalore (1996) where Javagal Srinath and Anil Kumble kicked Australia's ass.
2) The 1996 World Cup blitzkriegs of Sanath Jayasuriya and Lance Kluesener.
3) India's victory over Pakistan in the 1998 Independence cup final.

4) Australia vs. South Africa, World Cup Semifinals 1999 ( I still remember that day because M was so upset that the South Africans lost, that she cried for more than 2 hours locking herself in her room) and their subsequent final victory.

5) Sachin Tendulkar's and India's fantastic performance in the 2003 World Cup and their subsequent failure in the finals.

When I came to the US, the interest in the game started waning due to the inaccessibility to watch it and the inability to play it often. There was a point of time when I did not see a single game for more than 2 years. I resumed watching it sometime in 2006 and then the horrible World Cup happened in 2007.

I think I watched the 20-20 world cup last year and it was fun. For some reason, the one day format of the game has been more endearing to me than the 20-20 because I feel that the one day games gave everyone scope to perform. The pinch hitters, the technicians, the all rounders all had roles to play, along with the seamsters, the spinners and the medium pace bowlers. the 20-20 has become a more of a who can hit harder contest, and the fast pace of the game along with the mega bucks that can be made is what is promoting its popularity.

The NBA ever since its conception has been like these-2.5 hours of game time, smoke, light and the show makers. This is how Basketball was in the 90's during the era of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, the 2000's reign of Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O ' Neal and the LA Lakers to the present day dominance of Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Add to the fact that Basketball is so physical and cannot be played any longer than the 48 minutes of game time. The league extends 9 months throughout the year, with each team playing 82 games throughout the regular season.

Most importantly, till late, Cricket was seen a national sport and the entire nation got together to support the Indian team, unlike sport in the US which is mostly league based with each city having its own franchise and their denizens pledging loyalty to their home teams. There is a US Basketball team, I think they convene together once in a while to participate in the FIBA World Championships and the Olympics. But then the rules of the games/court dimensions are different from that of the NBA. Lets save the technicalities for another time. I don't think they have national teams for hockey, football and baseball- the rest of this great country's sporting passions. The importance given to college sport in this country cannot be seen anywhere in the world. Period. and then there is the MONEY.


I love cricket but then I really don't know whether if I would be able to enjoy the IPL the way the folks are doing now. At the end of the day, its a fantastic game, and like a lot of my other friends who cringed at the thoughts of a cricketing league but are ardent supporters now, I could end up being a believer. Only time will tell.

Lessons From The One

We progress through life, shaken, stirred, hurt and depressed. We still get back on our feet and move on, because we learn. You see, learning is such a lifelong process . We all have our shares of teachers who have thought us so much and yet we have learned so little.

Apart from the usual suspects in my formative years (parents, school teachers, experience and pornography), I have had fantastic mentors in my Karate Sensei and Yoga Master, who have guided me in much more than just Kata's and Asanas. There have been other significant presences in my life who have taught me a lot.

We lost one recently. The one gloved man, the king of pop. My First pop album purchase was MJ's Dangerous. My obsession towards his videos made me make my grand uncle watch " In The Closet" in between his afternoon movie sessions. For the uninitiated, it is that video where vest clad MJ makes finger gestures and pelvic thrusts towards scantily clad Naomi Campbell and we are supposed to keep it in the closet. MJ gave us moral lessons on racism by not worrying if our loved ones are black or white, told us how to run away and beat it, deny infidelity by telling billie jean that its not his son and serenading Rio De Janeiro about how they don't care about us.

The other big daddy whose theories shaped up my perceptions is someone the entire state of Tamilnadu reveres and the other states..well can't quite keep upto. Born Shivaji Rao Gaekwad in Maharashtra, coordinating public transportation in Bangalore to lighting up the silver screen and the faces of many a tamil movie goer, Superstar Rajinikanth is the ultimate philosopher.

Rajinikant's movies are a festival, which makes everyone from the 2 year old kid who claps when he appears on the screen to the producers who make millions of his movies very happy. In case of recession, get Rajinikanth to do a couple of movies and see the country hoisting back on its feet.

The highlight of a Rajini movie is his "entry" song which regales the wholesome goodness of the character he plays along with a lot of worldly wisdom interspersed. The best singers compete to sing this song which is supposedly the "highlight" of the movie, featuring fantastic stunts/fight sequences/ intense build ups before Rajini makes his characterestic entry and breaks into song. A lot of the things said in these songs have made sense to me over considerable periods of time.

This post is the first in an ongoing series where I attempt to transalate some of Rajini's theories on life and its meandering intricacies to a global audience in order to restore peace, order and calm in this world.

The first song I hope to make sense of is from the movie "Padayappa" when an inebriated Rajini bursts into a classic song and dance routine.




and here is an amateurish attempt in making sense of the great one!!


Oh !! I am getting high.
Oh!! I am becoming shameless
Oh!! I am becoming smarter
Oh!! I am overflowing with honesty

The dude who ate porridge for lunch is under the ground next to the dude who ate gold dust!!
This life is supposed to be lived..and we leave this earth the same way we came in.empty handed.


You can lock diamonds and gold, but can you lock away life?
Tell me someone who has peace of mind apart from a kid or a sage ?
"Our life is ours as long as we can breathe" said a smart man.
This Earth is the same for all of us, but why do we still keep fighting?

You cannot choose your dad and mom.
You cannot choose your face or color.
You cannot choose your birth or death
The only choice you can make is the way you live your life.

5

Our lives are filled with unique people whom we look at, look up to and look forward to.
People who enrich our days with their presence, words, actions and thoughts.
Some stay forever while some are the love of your life for a few minutes.
Some believers, some critics.
Some pats on your backs and some kicks on your butt.

From The Outside

A long lost friend got back in touch courtesy facebook. A recent email caught her reminiscing about her days in primary school with us and the nostalgia she felt looking at her classmates all grown up and going about their lives. She eloquently put her thoughts in these simple words which conveyed so much.

"I feel like I am looking at something that is so familiar yet I cannot understand"

As we stumble about our lives, we leave a lot of our past behind, voluntarily or due to the lack of a choice. I love it when opportunities present itself to revisit it-the childhood that molded us, that awkward phase we are so familiar with, the cute girl(s) in your class you tried so hard to impress (or the cute boy(s) who impressed you), your first friends (incidentally some of my closest), your teachers, the little show-of-strength sessions and lots of laughter. The memories could be fleeting, ingrained, life changing or immaterial. Its never too late to revel in that joy that a lot of us are a part of already.

Good to have you back old friend. I hope you have a good time.

CSI and THE WHO?

CBS's mainstay are procedural dramas and the CSI series top the list and the listings. CSI: Las Vegas and its two off shoots CSI: New York and CSI: Miami are three of the top rated shows on network television in the US as well as in syndication in different countries around the world.

The theme songs for all the CSI shows are songs composed by the British band, THE WHO. The title song for CSI: Las Vegas is the signature hit "WHO ARE YOU"



This song was one of THE WHO's biggest hits and according to Pete Townshend, the lead guitarist of the band, the song is associated with eastern mysticism, with the words WHO ARE YOU? directed towards god.

CSI: NY ( which incidentally is my favorite) uses BABA O' RILEY as its theme ( which is my favorite WHO song). Recorded in 1971 and written by Pete Townshend as part of a science fiction rock opera called Lifehouse, which was later abandoned. The title of the song is derived from the Band's spiritual influence Meher Baba and their musical influence, Terry Riley.


THE WHO perform Baba O' Riley:




WON'T GET FOOLED AGAIN is used for the theme of CSI: MIAMI ( yes, Horatio Crane and the sunglasses!!). This song, again one of their biggest hits, was written by Pete Townshend to herald the power of music and how it reflects the people. The song is about a revolution, in the first verse, there is an uprising. In the middle, the rebels overthrow those in power, but in the end, the new regime becomes just like the old one.

THE WHO performing won't get fooled again at the LIVE 8 concert in London.

Sundays at the park with AD.

Walking by the Boston commons late this afternoon, I got to do a lot of fun things:

a) Got scared out of my wits by a squirrel jumping on my bench.
b) Danced with a group of doped Jamaicans at a reggae party.
c) Chased by a dog from the frog pond till the tennis courts.
d) Caught up with AD after a month of missed calls, false promises, late night voice messages, SMSes, off-liners and emails.

I love AD. My best man, brother and comrade. One of the very few in the world who can reiterate what I think in his own inimitable panache. One who stood his ground, despite initial setbacks and came back in style. We go back a long way and we will go ahead further.