I AM also THAT

CSK wins final

2010-04-25T22:37:00.002-05:00

Nice contest, cleanly fought until Sachin refused to walk after edging one to Dhoni. There was a bit of luck for Raina but the way he rocketed to 50 after getting to 13 off as many deliveries, really set it up for the Super Kings. In the end, Dhoni's masterstroke in Pollard's dismissal and Tendulkar's mistake in keeping Pollard in the dugout till 18th over was the real difference. I was a little disappointed to see Raina missing out on the Golden Player award. He deserved it better than Tendulkar for his allround performance with the bat, ball and in the field. (or for that matter Kallis!)

I feel bad for Lalit Modi who read out his own eulogy at the presentation podium with quotes from "The Bhagavat Gita". The man may be corrupt but he sure can put together a great show. The way he moved the tournament to South Africa last year or the Bangalore game to Mumbai before the semifinals speaks volumes of his abilities. It also demonstrates how efficient an oligarchy can be if the oligarch is efficient. I personally think Lalit Modi should outgrow cricket and consider taking up Homeland Security job in India. I am convinced that he is best suited for running that office as evident from IPL provided his loyalty still rests with India.

As for cricket, see you guys in Champions Trophy. Oh wait! there is the T20 WC before that.

Nityanandam!

2010-03-04T22:50:00.004-06:00

A powerful master with a great message: "I am not here to say that I am God. I am here to show that you are God", is obviously likely to sway the hearts and minds of seeking individuals. My heart goes out to those individuals who today feel like a lost child looking for his mother in a carnival (Translated : thiruvizhala tholanja kuzhandai madhiri). This shock is huge for them that walked away from their careers and families to get a glimpse of what the Swami talked about in every discourse. The grief must be only multifold for those young women that chose to spend time in the many ashrams worldwide in service.

To them I say;

If you are ashamed of the Swami's actions but are compelled to follow through with defending the Swami rather than admitting your own mistake of throwing away everything for a false master, please do not feel guilty. Today you may want to return to your normal life. That is absolutely fine. First of all, there is nothing to be ashamed of. If you liked the message, it still holds good. For the message does not get tarnished because of the Swami's actions. All the messages existed long before his prominence and will continue to hold good in the future long after we all depart. If you have lost respect for the Swami, consider him as merely a person who delivered them eloquently with illustrations just like your high school physics teacher who tried to convince you about Albert Einstein's Theory of Relativity as if he had arrived at the same conclusion in the school labs. There is a sure difference between experience and understanding but it may not be evident for us ordinary people.

It is not to say that your master was not self-realized, as I found a lot of consistency in the spiritual message which is very difficult to maintain in volumes of discourses unless there is complete understanding or real first hand experience. I leave that debate for you and the Swami's skeptics to fight. I have not been in the vicinity of his physical realm to participate in that discussion.

That aside , many of you have been able to throw away the material life altogether for spirituality. All you have to do now is continue in the path wth another master or by yourselves under the guidance of the scriptures. Chin up! It is still better than folks like me who are afraid to take the initial plunge.

To finish up, a few lines from Vettaikaran song to bring back strength to all affected souls:

asatoma sat gamaya;
tamasoma jyotir gamaya;
mrityorma amritam gamaya;
om santhi santhi santhih.

Sachin 200

2010-02-25T19:10:00.001-06:00

well deserved 200 by the master.

IPL 3

2010-02-21T23:04:00.001-06:00

can't wait.... I mean watching Shiv Sena and Telangana

John McEnroe

2009-08-28T00:00:00.003-05:00

is the best character tennis has ever produced. Tennis, before it became a brutal power game. Ofcourse Becker was the best and Stefan Edberg and Roger Federer too.
Wait, I am confused. Nandan Bal was the ultimate best.

Feet of God

2009-08-20T19:30:00.004-05:00

Bettering WRs in every outing, Usain Bolt must have God's feet.

WW III

2009-05-24T22:00:00.001-05:00

The only way to stop the Third World War is to prevent it from happening. It may be too late in Nov, 2010.

Satyam Raju

2009-04-11T14:32:00.001-05:00

Satyam a thiruppi pota Maytas.
Raju va thiruppi pota ujar. Bajaar la ujaar aa irukanum kanna.

IPL Season 2

2009-02-06T00:09:00.002-06:00

Chennai Super Kings get Andy Flintoff. This, I believe, is a better buy than Kevin Peterson that B'lore Royal Challengers snapped up. With Hayden fully available, Michael Hussey, Dhoni and now Flintoff, CSK can rest assured of a final berth. I can't wait now. To those Pakistani players who opted out, "don't worry, you won't be missed."

Senkottai Hari is

2008-12-25T18:02:00.001-06:00

Bhajan King.

Rewind

2008-12-03T22:16:00.002-06:00

In 2004, the DOW was oscillating around 9k and oil was testing $40.
I was a relatively new immigrant on H1B with very little in the bank and struggling to keep my contract job by the month. Here I am, in familiar territory after full five years. Is it your story too?

Diwali Greetings

2008-10-26T20:03:00.002-05:00

Happy Diwali to all.

Fed Failout

2008-09-21T01:27:00.002-05:00

The recent attempt to buy bad mortgages seems a bold move that has rejuvenated the market. While I pray that the American govt. has the capacity to sustain the weight of these mortgages till the housing market turns upward, I am skeptical. I am skeptical as I would be when a stock reverse-splits only to loose all the gains in the ensuing weeks. Atleast it gives a chance to redeem for those who are deep into these financial companies. I hear sell and buy gold.

Disclaimer : I know nothing about finance.

Republican Irony

2008-09-02T23:02:00.004-05:00

I think Sarah Palin is a good choice for VP. She can be an understudy to McCain to boost her experience while he is at the helm. Chairman of the House will not be a tough task for her as a day job

Democrats wasted no time to say that experience is no longer an issue in the campaign. However, every time they mention that, Obama's inexperience is dragged to the forefront and invariably his community service record (laughable for a person aiming for the highest office) is brought to his defense. This makes McCain's choice brilliant.

To counter Obama's grand convention, I wish McCain had held his convention at the backyard of a foreclosed house/mansion. That would have been more brilliant.

The irony here is:
Dick Chaney stood against gay rights, his daughter turned out gay.
Sarah Palin advocated abstinence till marriage, her daughter came home pregnant.

But, I am sure Sarah will come out stronger on this issue. For atleast, her daughter did not exercise choice that would have aborted her mom's VP candidature before it began.

The fact that Sarah delivered her son as recently as April 2008, reminds me of an old joke in my family. My aunt came home to my grandmother's place for delivery only to find out that my grandmother had left to her mom's place for her delivery.

Hope Sarah keeps her cool and delivers a great speech at the convention that will clear all doubts and establish her as a deserving VP nominee of the GOP.

I still wish Hillary runs as an independent. But I get Obama took care of her campaign debt in return for the speech that she delivered at the Dem Convention. Bill might have ended up making money at the end of the convention.

DNC ( H )

2008-08-11T20:19:00.002-05:00

It is time for the third front in America. Hillary should branch off from the DNC and start her own party. With Obama's popularity plummeting each day, there is no better time for America to look at a third alternative. Who better than Hillary?

Hillary should re-attempt to present her case to the American public on the wake of the John Edwards scandal. Having been a victim of a extra-marital scandal herself, the sympathy of the commoner will be with her. First she should try a coup in the DNC. If unsuccessful, she should extend it beyond the DNC and form a DNC (H). Afterall American politics seems too organized for too long. It is time to shake it up. She will emerge successful, if she can tap in the money from Middle East and corporate America.

Add Indian flavour to American politics. Politics is about plays - support and withdrawal at the right times. This is Hillary's moment. If you want to win, you better play. You will be too old for a maiden presidency next time. Announce before August 15th.

M & M Test Series

2008-07-30T23:57:00.006-05:00

The second test is underway. The good thing is, India is batting first. Atleast the defeat will be narrower than the innings and 239.

Mendis and Murali should return wicketless otherwise India should go forward with Sethu Samuthram Project and kill Srilanka's economy. I can't think of any other counter-attack. Can you?

Dinesh Karthik must be replaced by Parthiv Patel. We should try and save a life where we can.

Talking Points

2008-07-06T18:15:00.003-05:00

Perhaps, that is why he was not named Federest.
Yet he demonstrated grace in his loss.
Nadal deserved it afterall.

Roshakara Raina

2008-06-27T10:07:00.002-05:00

Dhoni attributed India's loss to Pak in the Kitply Cup final to Raina's slow (relatively) innings without naming names. However Dhoni showed faith by sending him up the other in the subsequent Asia cup matches and boy did Raina respond. I did not watch the game but 202 for 1 of 26 overs is exceptional against Pak.

Raina unakku rosham adhigam da,
adha vida Dhonikku un mela paasam adhigam da.

Dasavatharam - Plaster of Paris

2008-06-15T20:55:00.005-05:00

The movie had a grand opening and a logical climax. Everything in between seemed to be hurried to accomodate the additional Kamals. Only an egotic guy like Kamal would do ten totally unrelated characters by himself. I wonder how much he got paid for this movie. Somebody tell me, it was not ten times his salary. Or was it eleven times considering that Kamal had penned the script also. Only that explains the budget of 140 crores. Except for the chopper, graphics, makeup and the Bio-technology lab there is not much to spend on. Probably Mallika Sherawat's item number consumed a lion's share.

Why Himesh? Kamal could have corrected himself after watching/listening to the BGM and had Devisri Prasad do the score for the songs too. Mr. Reshamiya was very pedestral. Devisri Prasad was awesome

The movie overall was better than Sivaji. There was a continuity to the story inspite of 10 Kamals. The director made sure that Kamals were not a distraction.

The Rangarajan Nambi character was majestic. I don't know why they showed the 11th century sequence. It had no relation to the story except Govindaraja Perumal and Chidambaram. But that was the bit I enjoyed the most. I almost felt like crying when the idol of Govindaraja Perumal was removed from the oracle and also when Rangarajan Nambi was forced to say the Panchakshara Manthram.

Balaram Naidu character was a combination of good imagination and acting. The dialogues had a lot of humour and Kamal's accent took it one step further.

The Dalit character was played well. Kamal has to do this - as if they don't have enough representation.

The Muslim role was useless. So was Avtar Singh.

The Paati role was good but the make-up made Kamal look very ugly. I think they might have used the same make-up that was applied on Sukanya during the Indian shoot.

The villain and Japanese characters were well disguised. The Japanese, I just couldn't recognise Kamal. Especially the stunts were fantastic.

The lead hero disappointed me with no kissing scene, underwear scene or dance scenes. Asin looked like Kamal's daughter in the movie. I can't imagine him not touching her for the entire movie. It was like eating curd rice without lemon pickle.

Bush Kamal was awesome. He carried the dumb looks well. The voice was okay too.

Overall it was an unnecessary but very good attempt by Kamal. Considering that Amithabh, Rajni, Vijay ... don't take such painstaking efforts for the same results, Kamal stands apart. I enjoyed the movie.

But Kamal is sure to be affected by the Bhramagathi Dhosham for throwing Govindaraja Perumal around like a soccer ball.

Hillary Clinton - Ooru rendu patta koothadikku kondaatam

2008-06-03T20:59:00.007-05:00

I am no big fan of Democrats. However, I must say I am impressed by Hillary Clinton by the end of this race for nomination. Barak's inspiring speeches clinched Iowa before the junta realized that it was nothing but hollow rants delivered well. Everybody including yours sincerely thought that this was Hillary's election. Barak Obama managed to sneak through the back door and win Iowa, thanks to the initial hype. Today, if they go back to Iowa, she is sure to win there. With Iowa and NH, Barak would have dropped off. Luck favoured him, when the Clinton-lastname was a baggage to her. She won California, Texas, Florida, Michigan not to mention Ohio, Penn, Masachusettes, NH, NJ and NY. It beats me that these fools would nominate anybody else.

And what's with the media sucking up to Obama in public! It took Fox News to play a balancing act. Everything seems wrong.

Amidst all this chaos, the Republicans have fielded their best guy, in John McCain. With an unquestionable bipartisan record and loads of experience both in military and politics, he stands tall in front of an inexperienced Obama.

I urge Clinton to run as an independent, and hope for doing a Joe Lieberman at the national level. This is the Democrat's year. They are likely to spill it.

Who is better suited than Hillary to make the case for a third party. With more popular votes in her kitty and an anti-incumbancy wave (at party level), this is her best chance to run as an independent. Her voter base is strong - seniors, women and blue collar workers. Waiting for four more years (I am sure McCain will beat Obama) is foolish. There is no point in being loyal to a party that pronounced her dead inspite of her strong showing in every other race. She now knows her friends. It is a great asset. With this loyal base, I hope she considers an independent run.

Either way, hats-off to Hillary for running an exciting and energizing campaign. She proved to everyone that she is a fighter. In the stage of men, she competed hard and emerged victorious in many a bouts. My respect for her only increased manifold.

Queen of Hearts

2008-05-26T23:17:00.003-05:00

The sun fades under the pillars of the palace balcony. There is no news from the battlefield yet. The king's walk starts to gain pace and his senior counsel matches every step to step closely behind. Not a word has been spoken for quite a long time. Anxiety in the air.

"Are you thinking what I am thinking, Guruji" asked the king. The Guru, taken aback by the abrupt stop to a rapid walk shivered, "Pardon me, my Lord." He continued, "Yes, yes I am worried about the same thing. Hopefully the messenger brings us some good news otherwise it would not be a bad idea for you to sending the queen to the field before you step in yourself."

"Send the queen before myself! How can I do that, Guruji? That would be unbecoming of a king to send his wife to save the kingdom. Are you doubting my capacity?" rages the king to silence the Guru. They resume their walk with no further conversation.

(Sounds of footsteps)
After saluting the king with the customary praise, the messenger hands over the leaflet to the king. The king hurriedly opens it. "It is from the General", he shouts in excitement. He continues to silently read the entire leaflet much to the curiosity of the Guru.

Guruji comes closer as the king folds the scroll - "The general says things are getting out of control. Our men are fighting bravely but the enemies are aggressing with all their might. They have reached the banks of Tungabadra. If they cross the village we will have to surrender or die. There is no question of surrender.
Tell me Guruji, what can we do to stop the aggressor?"

The Guru hesitantly "Maharaja...". The king angrily intervenes, "You want me to send my beautiful queen whom I married after falling in love, to the battlefield before I myself take up the sword and armour. What do you have against my queen? She has always been respectful to you and admired your spiritual and intellectual depth. Why would you suggest sending her. Or are you doubtful of my ability to defend my kingdom and wife! I am baffled by your suggestion, dear Guru. Please explain your position or you will feel sorry."

Oh!my Maharaja. How can I ever doubt your strength and tact? There is no person in the world to match your valour. Your brother and you together can take on an entire army. However the situation here is different? Your brother has already been killed. The aggressor is ruthless. He is moving inside our territory very quickly. You must be very careful and not allow them to penetrate the three villages that lead to our city. The Maharani is very popular in the villages . Remember when her father was the king, the people from these villages were working closely in the Princess's palace. They will do anything for their Queen. The same is not the case with you. You are pretty new to them. Only the villagemen can slow the enemies down. Our army is strong enough to defeat them if their speed is fluxed. Only the queen can garner this support."

The king ponders for a few seconds and reacts; "What would history say about me Guruji. Here is a king who has all four limbs intact in his body. Yet he sends his wife to defend him. That is the greatest insult that can ever happen to me. I cannot let this happen to myself. I would rather go down valiantly than to hide myself behind my beloved. Afterall, she is my life. she is such a devoted darling. The way she looks after me and our children, her interest in arts and her care for the welfare of my people have all been impeccable. I cannot send her to war and sit at home."
"Then take her with you, my Raja"; quips the Guru.

The king has decided to go alone. The brigade is ready in the morning for him to lead. The valiant king reaches the banks of Tungabadra and fights hard. The enemies are hurt badly but more and more keep coming at the kingsmen. After a long battle for eight days, the king finally succombs to injury and fatigue. A brave fighter he was but he has fallen to the might of the enemy's army. The enemy king runs through the villages and captures the city. The Queen of hearts becomes the new Queen of Spades for her beauty and appreciation for art remains intact.

Short games but long tournament.

2008-05-21T16:57:00.003-05:00

Greed on the steering wheel and stupidity as a co-passenger are driving the IPL into a new journey. What started as a pleasant trip is turning into a never-ending journey. A tournament that began with a flourish, completely overshadowing the rival ICL in every way, captivated entire India and much of the cricket following western world. Everyone associated himself with the team of closest proximity to where they hailed from. Not an exception, I was backing Chennai Super Kings, never minding that it was led by MS DHONI and opened with Hayden and Parthiv Patel. For the first times since the radio days, I was supporting the Aussies. It was refreshingly new. Huge totals were put in the first few games, making one feel for the bowlers, do they deserve such a treatment. Nevertheless, it was thorough-bred entertainment from start to finish. Each game was anticipated and followed very closely.

As the tournament progressed and as the Aussies and NZealanders disappeared to show up for their country against WI and England respectively, as the pitch started deteriorating and as bowlers began to understand their role better, totals were falling. The pressure to perform might have been a factor. With a few exceptions, great names with huge price tag looked very ordinary and very inconsistent. It was always beyond me why people pay huge sums for a piece of art only because the artist was popular. It was foolish to me. Now they are not alone.

Rajasthan seems to have a magic formula to T20 cricket. Other teams went with the direction of the wind, winning a few and losing the rest. . Maybe because Chennai is losing, but I am getting tired of the length of a tournament. It is afterall a shortened version of the game to keep up with the fast pace of modern man. It seems never-ending. Low totals and some ordinary cricket have blown away the initial charm. Now I can't wait for the semi finals and the finals to get over. And why are the semis and finals, all, scheduled in Mumbai? I hope Mumbai doesn't make it to the semis. This will hurt the greedy organizers. Chennai is hopeless. Yet, I am rooting for MS Dhoni' Super Kings. Bring Back Hayden! Bring home the Ugly Cup.

Witness

2008-05-15T13:23:00.000-05:00

The grace of the morning sun
Waits with unhurried patience
Behind the closed door, wall and curtain
Lets my cozy privacy with reverance.

As I leaves through the portal
To address the daily chores
Much to this ignorant mortal
Energises the entire house

It happens now abound
The spring of infinite joy
I is nowhere around
The presence is quite wary

After a mundane day at work
I returns to the empty house
The lights are on
But the grace is already gone

THE END

2008-01-06T13:36:00.000-06:00

You try a lot not to give up. For yourself, for the society, for your status, you stay in the game. Yet sometimes you come to terms with the fact, the fact that you don't have it in you to reach the finish line. Others may believe and insist that you continue. But you don't. For it is vivid that staying on is never going to be good enough. Making a comeback may be tougher but that does not justify sticking on. As I work towards freeing myself, I urge everyone to read a little, meditate a lot and think of GOD all the time.

H a p p Y N e W Y e a R

2008-01-01T10:32:00.000-06:00

I begin this New Year with the same resolutions as the previous year. Hope it is not the same way next year.

Wishing all of you a very very Happy and Prosperous New Year.

Weird

2007-12-18T23:14:00.000-06:00

If you didn't know, I am a big Rajni fan. Infact, I go crazy whenever I watch his movie in the theatres. This has been the case since Mappilai which was the first movie I watched without my parents and on the first day of release. I tried to sport the Rajadhi Raja hairstyle in the 9th grade. My friend and I put the tick mark on school uniform after Pandian; the vibudhi after Annamalai. I watched Mannan nine times in Santhi and three times in Liberty and several times in video. We bought T-Shirts with Rajni face and wore it for a couple of movies. I have watched Thalapati sitting on the floor with blood all around me.Yet my favourite movies are:
Vazhvey Maayam
Michael Madana Kama Rajan
Avvai Shanmugi
Nayagan
Devar Magan
Panchatantram
and only then Rajni films.

Bitch

2007-12-12T19:48:00.000-06:00

1. Kannadasan wrote:
Alone he longed for her to return,
Come she did but only with company (her husband?),
Soon he became responsible to save the guy's life,
"Bitch, get lost", was what he really meant.

--------------------------------------------------

2. Happy Birthday Thalaiva.

Back a star. The star is back

2007-12-09T11:07:00.000-06:00

There have been very few occassions in life when you support someone with full conviction inspite of all odds and that pays off more than you expected. I am not talking about Oprah's support for Obama here. That, we will have to wait to know.
The way Saurav has forced himself back in to the team really gives joy and a rare sense of victory. Imagine! every get-together that I attended during his exile, was a huge battlefield for me; to defend my support for Dada with almost everyone else lining up with GC. I am grateful for this innings albeit against a depleted bowling attack. Considering the situation when he walked in, 61-4, his chanceless innings that possessed immense concentration and sheer determination was a treat to watch. Yuvraj was the spearhead in his partnership with Ganguly, however Ganguly's contribution in Yuvi's comeback innings needs mention. The support and encouragement that Dada provided during partnership proved why he was the most loved captain during his prime.

Now it becomes difficult for Kumble, Vengsarkar and co. to feature the best playing eleven for tests. They can't afford to leave out Dhoni, Laxman, Jaffer, Dravid, Saurav, Sachin or Yuvraj. This means either Sachin or Laxman have to make a sacrifice and move to the top of the order. The pedestrial series for Karthik has dooms written all over his future with Parthiv Patel knocking hard.

I don't see an alternative unless the seniors want to play on rotation. Yuvi is indispensable.

For he has nothing more to prove, Ganguly can retire on a high, resting assured that his legacy is intact in the annuls of Indian Cricket

Missing Vaisha

2007-12-08T16:30:00.000-06:00

Durga Suktam

2007-12-06T00:05:00.001-06:00

Siva

2007-12-03T11:15:00.000-06:00

Everyone knows that Bramha has four faces. That Lord Siva has five, is not well known. Well here they are
1. Sadyojaatam
Sadyojaatam prapadyami Sadyojaataya vai namo namah. Bave Bave naathi bave bavothbavaaya namah
2. Vaamadevam
Vamadevaaya namoh: jeshtaya namah sreshtaya namO rudhraya namah kaalaaya namah kalavikaranaaya namoh balavikaranaaya namo balaaya namoh balapramathanaaya namas-sarvaboothadhamanaaya namO manonmanaaya namaH
3. Aghoram
Aghorebhyothaghorebhyo GhoraGora thareybyah. Sarveybyas-sarvasarvebyo namasthe asthu rudra-roopebyah
4. Tatpurusham
Tatpurushaaya vidmahe vamadeyvaya deemahi tanno rudra: prachodayaat
5. Iishaanam.
Iishaanas-sarva vidyaanaam Iiswaras-sarvaboothaanaam bhramaadhipathi bhramanodhipathi bhrama sivome asthu sadaasivom

Panchaksharam: Na ma si va ya

Chennai Superstars

2007-12-03T11:07:00.000-06:00

The ICL T20 League has kicked off in style. Chennai Superstars rock; living up to the Team Ad which is by far the best among all the teams. I enjoy watching them perform as much as I enjoy their advertisement. Go Superstars!

Hare Rama Hare Rama

2007-11-25T20:28:00.000-06:00

Two blogs ago, I had posted a snippet from Rama Bhujangam. The very next day I was sharing it with my friend and kind of asking him to read and post a comment on the blog While discussing, he mentioned the name of Muralidhara Swamigal to me. Immediately I got a ring from another friend who informed me about the disciple of Muralidhara Swamigal giving a discourse in another friend's place.
The eloquent Ms Poornima Kumaraswami, who had dropped out from software industry to pursue GOD, spoke about the Mahima of "name chanting". She effortlessly quoted from Gita, Vishnu Sahasranamam and narrated from Bhagavatam to highlight the Nama Mahatvam. I was thoroughly impressed with her vast knowledge and her ability quote from Adhi Shankara', Tulsidas andChaitanya Maha Prabhu to Ramana Maharishi and everyone in between. during the discourse that she gave for the three days. Today she initiated me to the

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

mantra.
Now it is my responsibilty to chant it atleast eleven times in the morning and eleven times in the evening. There are absolutely no conditions to reciting. Although it is prefered that it be recited in the puja room or in front of GOD, it is not required. Although it is prefered that it be recited in a clean physical and mental, it is not a condition.

Kali Santarana Upanishad confirms her claim that no niyama is required to chant the Hare Rama mantra.

Narada asked: ‘O Lord, what are the rules to be observed with reference
to it ?" To which Brahma replied that there were no rules for it. Whoever in a
pure or an impure state, utters these always, attains the same world of, or
proximity with, or the same form of, or absorption into Brahma.

I will try my best to recite this for the rest of my life -> atleast the rest of this year -> atleast the rest of the month -> atleast tomorrow morning.
Please refer to http://www.godivinity.org/ if you are interested in attending the discourses or knowing more about the organization.

Home Alone

2007-11-21T11:24:00.000-06:00

The vast sand of the Thar
Riding a camel-back
Like a man in the desert looking for water
Waiting for my daughter.
Her smiling face
her curious look
her practice walk
with elegant grace
When she lands
I will hug and kiss
her tender hands
Let that bring me eternal bliss.

RAMA RAMA RAMA RAMA RAMA RAMA

2007-11-21T00:24:00.000-06:00

Bajeham Bajeham Sada Ramachandram
Twadanyam na manye na manye na manye.

Spring of temples

2007-11-17T21:44:00.000-06:00

Shri Ganesha Temple and Marakattai Hanuman Temple will come up within 10 miles of each other. Ten acres of land have been bought in Plano and Frisco respectively costing over a million each. It beats my mind as to why the administrators of both these temples could not consolidate the effort to save on cost and provide a single high quality place of worship for the residents of the metroplex given the proximity of the two sites.
Even in the matters of God, man cannot set aside his ego! While it is heartening to see the sudden spring of temples, the inability of the community to come together is glaring to go unnoticed. With the limited supply of Indians (Hindus), I can only pray that the God(s) take it upon Himself to see these mega-projects complete successfully with abundant funding from generous Hindus.

Not so happy 25 hr Birthday

2007-11-05T20:52:00.000-06:00

Thanks to the DST change this year , for the first time I had a 25 hr birthday. I was awake to greet myself at 12:00 midnight as there was no one around. What a sick feeling! I also stayed up to roll the clock back at 1:59 to ensure that I didn't miss the extra hour in sleep. Imagine! Having spent 32 full years in God's green earth, not once intently harming anybody on my way, there is no one around for my birthday. What a sick feeling! Of course there was a call from the mother and then the wife, well before midnight. And a few emotionless orkut messages like WYHBD, which I appreciate in anycase.

Hence I vowed not to come in contact with any human being on that day. A phone call from Vishy modified that resolution from "contact" to "direct contact". I stayed put in my house and turned to the TV for company till I started feeling hungry. It didn't take long for me to realize that the utensils were not washed. I was in no mood to wash them on my birthday. So I googled my refrigerator to find some stale cut-leaf spinach that was left there before my trip to India in September. Nothing else in there for my hunger. Yeah! there was a ketchup bottle squeezed to its limit and a oorgai bottle which was also not looking good.

To up the spirit, I decided to send myself a Birthday greeting. You wouldn't believe; my laptop quit working. (It is functioning properly today)

My mind was hell bent on cutting short the resolution and fleeing to the nearest Indian restaurant. However my will power got the better of my weakness and I denied myself the luxury of a good meal. After searching the kitchen a bit more, I sank into my recliner and resigned to the TV. At around 4:30 I get a call from a NJ cousin. I chatted with them for 20 mins. I must confess that I enjoyed the call for the entire period. After that I went back to the TV to watch the Villain climax scene and all the programs after that. This way my birthday came to a conclusion as Pakistan put up a defensible 239 at Gwalior.

Well I would have traded this fall-back birthday for a spring-forward birthday any day.

Life really sucks when love is absent. After 32 years it dawns on me. I fear the years ahead.

First meeting

2007-11-02T23:08:00.000-05:00

For the first time in three months, Babu standing at Pillar bus stop, takes notice of this girl. She has been travelling in the same bus, sitting on the same seat everyday. Dressed in neat school uniform, her distinct, calm and elegant presence in the crowded bus cannot be missed. And Babu's eyes are no exception. She too looks at him talking to his friends for a quick 2 seconds. For the first time their eyes cross each other's. Quickly they shy away as if to suggest that it was an accident. Babu turns towards his friends to continue his conversation as the bus leaves. But his mind has already boarded the bus to Churchpark. However, in a few minutes, Babu recovers from the brief impact and goes about his day as usual without any further thought about the morning meeting.

Babu - Initial days

2007-10-29T22:14:00.000-05:00

For the first time in his life, Babu takes a PTC bus to go to school, having studied in a nearby facility for all these years. The first few days are a learning experience. He catches the early bus and reaches school ahead of the bell and strictly adheres to the route he knows. He stands inside the bus and even misses the crowded buses on his return home. This way he spends a couple of months making a few friends and familiarising the alternative routes and buses on his way to the school. By now he gets his Bus Pass issued at the school and he adds a break at Panagal Park to increase his options to reach Royapetta. Gradually he socializes with his co-travellers. Before the mid-term exams he masters the "travel by bus" and forms a gang of friends who take the same bus to reach their respective destinations. He begins to step on to crowded buses and also travels on foot-board. He gets on and off of buses at will, travelling ticketless with no guilt.

Later...

School and God

2007-08-27T22:07:00.000-05:00

The very first establishment of learning must have been orgnised to preach the glory of God in the form of religion. The churches in the west and temples in the east served as centres of learning. Philosophy was the subject around which sciences, and mathematics were taught and learnt. Scholars were saints and godmen.
Today the irony is, both in Communist China and democratic USA, God is forbidden from school. A perfect example of union in two extreme positions. Slowly, over decades, both countries will move towards the other and swap positions, causing the earth to be an eternal bipolar planet.

Sashtiabdaboorthi

2007-08-15T00:04:00.001-05:00

With a well-defined boundary and a stable federal government, she was reborn to the sacrifices of a million patriots. Her beauty, her vastness in culture, are all matchless.

Many of us born post-independence do not know the essence of freedom. We tend to debate the unfolding of events and the choices of our leaders during the formative years. Today, I put all that aside to say "Thank You Freedom Fighters".

The abundance of the land which was plundered to poverty and sickness is slowly returning after 60 years. Even history was unfair to reset her counter when it is only evident that civilization was sown in her soil. Nevertheless,today we march forward spreading her glory inch by inch in all directions.

Mother! I salute you. Jai Hind.

Fans not statisticians

2007-08-13T21:35:00.000-05:00

Dravid's this statement

"Cricket is special in India, I'm sure they'll be celebrating back home in India as well,"

certainly does not reflect my sentiments. First of all, Dravid's decision not to enforce the follow-on was not in the best interest of cricket. Alright, Zaheer pulled an hamstring and his other bowlers were tired on a new day. But to allow England off the hook inspite of a three hundred run lead is inexplicable. Yet Dravid went on to say that he wants to win the series and not particularly the game to defend his strategy at the end of the third day. To my mind India lost there. Let us go back to the first test where India were given a relatively modest total of three hundred and eighty. Given the conditions, India faultered to humility only to be saved by Varuna Bhagavan.

Okay, even if we accept Rahul's "defensive strategy", it is hard to explain the defensive batting that he displayed when the need of the hour was a rapid thirty from all the batsmen. But for Saurav's brilliance India was on the verge of a collapse that would have embarassed a billion fans in front of the monarchy. Imagine a score of 115 all out in the second innings that would have reduced the target to a gettable 435 with an hour for England. How on the world was it a defensive move to bat third when you had the chance of getting England out with an innings to spare or if necessary, score the remainder going in last? I am disappointed, to say the least

Dilemma

2007-07-28T23:17:00.000-05:00

Silly as it may sound, I stopped using the alarm clock after reading a Deepak Chopra book. Ever since, my wife has been donning the role of Vishwamitra Munivar, singing Uthishto Uthishta Govinda Uthishta...(I still don't know why he should use Govinda Uthishta albeit the same God in a different Yugam) to wake me up. Nothing is under my control, certainly not the time I rise in the mornings. Tomorrow I want to get up at 4:30ish to watch Tendulkar score a big hundred at Trent-Bridge. The signs are ominous. Yet I may miss out unless I go back to the alarm. What if he misses out? I don't want to watch the master go like how Karthik did today - first ball after tea.

In the evening, Ayaz called to ask if I was available to play for the Tornados, tomorrow. I replied in the negative sighting my allergies. He asked me if I knew anyone and followed up with "I just need a body". Now I realize how insulting it must be for Saurav and Sachin. "No nerves in the Tongue" doesn't mean you can't control it.

Ekta - not Kapoor but Unity

2007-07-15T11:50:00.000-05:00

Suraj ek,
Chanda ek ,
Tarey anek.
...
Hind desh ki nivasi sarey ek hai.

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Yin Yang

2007-06-26T20:16:00.000-05:00

A layer of black,
a layer of blackish-grey,
a layer of grey,
a layer of greyish-white,
and a layer of white
conceal the beautiful blue sky
from the naked eye.

The black gets grey;
the grey gets white;
it 's all finally blue
when you reach that height.

See outside,
seek inside
the prevading Blue;
reveals none but thy self.

CM - in Style

2007-06-19T16:41:00.000-05:00

Sun, is he?
Moon, is he?
Who is he?
Respond quickly.

The recent developments in the Indian politics at the federal levels has pushed me to the edge of the seat.
1. The bon-hommie between Amma and Thalaivar.
2. Amma's elevaion to the Convenor of the Third Front.
3. The split between DM and K.
4. Karunanidhi turning 84.
5. The recent interview of CB Naidu and Superstar Rajnikanth duing the Hyderabad screening of Sivaji.

For a long time Amma has been struggling to find a trustworthy partner within her party. Initially she tried to work with Thirunavukarasu. Then she roped in Sarath Kumar. But nothing worked for her. She was forced to install O. Paneerselvam, a virtually unknown first-time MLA, to protect her party from being hijacked during her Supreme Court enforced sabbatical. While he was loyal enough , his charisma didn't help the party. For the next election, she resorted to ally with long-time enemy Vaiko, which proved costly in the rural areas.

Today, her time off the power has given her time to think and I believe she has come out with a better strategy. I suspect an unofficial MoU between Amma and superstar Rajnikanth that would see Amma focussing more on the National politics taking on her other arch-rival from the Pizza Corner, leaving the state to a trustworthy neighbour from the Poes Garden.
Rajnikanth's interest in politics is know. However his inability to decide on

"when to enter, how to enter, nobody knows"

as he says, has been the problem for his fans. But with Sivaji's success looming large, is it the "right time to enter". Can Amma use Rajni to rope in Dayanidi Maran to consolidate her position and take an aim at the bigger chair.

The presidential race is the first test for her at the national level. She sprang a surprise on DMK and Congress by nominating the incumbent for another term inspite of the NDA nominating Shekawat as their choice. Now DMK, whose superemo, played a big hand in nominating the lacklustre Prathiba Patil, is put in a fix. He cannot afford to not support a Tamil Muslim, being the saviour of the minorities and Tamil that he claims to be. Infact he is obligated to convince the Congress to reconsider their stance on Abdul Kalam, who in all fairness deserves a unanimous second-term notwithstanding his lack of spine to contest in an election. This is a master move by JJ. When Naidu proposed Kalam, the first time around, he was hailed as the King maker. Now, Amma has gone further by doing damage to the opponent territory. If all unfolds as planned in the next two years - Naidu will be Andhra CM and Superstart will be his Tamilnadu counterpart. The UNPA with its strong southern victory can launch Amma as the Prime Minister with a few horse-tradings taken care of.

Rajni who

"never goes back on his words or reclaims the materials he donates"

will be loyal to her, she knows. This will allow her to fight the bigger fight without fear of losing her position in the state. MK Stalin will be watching all this with his brother from behind the jail. I hope Rajni considers me for a MLA seat. I am willing to play the role of the NRI pilanthrophist that he so wanted to be in Sivaji - The Boss.

Anbey Sivam - Late night wisdom

2007-06-18T00:35:00.000-05:00

Every living being is Sivam,
As HE leaves remains the Savam.

Next Indian Coach ?

2007-06-13T21:47:00.000-05:00

As the quest for the next Indian Idol gains momentum in Sony TV, an even bigger quest is on for the Indian cricket fans. Who will be the next Indian coach. It all began with the great Sir IVA. Richards offering unsolicited advice to the Indian team soon after their shameless exit from the World Cup. Then Chappell was rumoured to continue as coach or atleast head the NCA for a new term. Chappell managed to run away with his life.

Ravi Shastri was convinced to shoulder the mantle temporarily for the Bangladesh tour. The funny thing was that a bowling and fielding coach were announced for this all important tour. India crossed the eastern border with three coaches for three departments. One would only expect that Venatesh Prasad or Robin would be named the coach at the end of the tour. That was not to happen. BCCI is like Rajastan State Bumper lottery. The odds of luck overweighs any logic.

A casual talk by the BCCI raised Dave Whatmore's hopes to Himalayan heights only to ruin his current stint with the Bongs. Afterall India had to avenge for their WC defeat. They took it on him, poor Aussie.

Kapil Dev, a patriot that he is, intervened to question the selection of a foreign coach. "Whatmore? Who is he?", he exclaimed. Even Sunil Gavaskar was quoted to prefer a Desi coach albeit Arjuna Ranatunga from the island nation. One day or the other India has to invade that country for the atrocities they commit against our Tamil brethren.

Suddenly, a new name popped up. Graham Ford quickly topped Google search list for no one in India knew about him. He happened to be the Coaching Director at Kent. Remember, that is where they picked up John Wright. Thanks to Dravid's recommendation.

Finally Graham Ford was selected over John Emburey after a one-hour presentation at Park Sheraton. It seems Sharad Pawar and team were gobbling up their dinner during Emburey's presentation. They just didn't pay attention to whatever he said.

Graham Ford like any IT guy attended the interview for fun. He decided not to risk his life for limelight. He probably remembered his successor, Bob Woolmer.

The search is still on. The voice of Swadesi's louder than ever. Who will BCCI name as the next Indian Coach? Will it be the Chinese guy who is likely to become the Indian Idol.

If I were them, I would choose a respected Desi with proven track record. Sandeep Patil comes to mind immediately. If he is not available, my next choice is Bharath Reddy. Although he has played only a handful of matches for India, Barath Reddy enjoys a good relationship with several youngsters in the current Indian team. Bharath Reddy was the Sports Director for Chemplast's Jolly Rovers team which had big names playing in the local divisions. Current national players including Dinesh Kartick, Harbajan Singh and Dinesh Mongia regard him as a great coach. Hemang Badani, L. Balaji and Harvinder Singh have spoken highly of him. Sanmar Group chairman N. Sankar praises him for finding new talent for his club. Several Tamilnadu players including Jesuraj Rajamani (my favourite for this season) and S. Badrinath (who was almost there) attribute a lot of their success to him. More than that Bharat Reddy and Abdul Jabber successfully ran cricket camps in Madras following Brijesh Patel. He is also a close friend of Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev. Rahul Dravid,having played a lot of cricket himself in Chennai for India Cements, will surely have a lot of respect for Bharath reddy. He has also served the BCCI as the South Zone talent resources development officer in 2002-03. He will be able to identify new talent that Vengsarkar claims not to exist.

The most important reason is he is Shriya Reddy's father and also my relative of sorts.

Be thy friend

2007-06-09T01:37:00.000-05:00

The only person who has been with you this whole life, is You. Be thy friend. Talk to yourself. Even more, listen to yourself. You will find new ways to solve your problem for no one knows your problems better than you do.

You are ready to advice others on their issues. You will be ready to advice yourself too. Just that you are not listening to yourself. Your advices to yourself go unheard because you are not listened to. Nobody is paying attention to you. Not even you. Its 1:47 AM. Go...sleep. Listen to yourself.

Heard you! 40 winks.

Astrology for the day

2007-06-07T11:57:00.000-05:00

Usippi vittu Usippi vitae odamba rana galam aakaraangapaa.

You have been stressed by choices between responsibilities at home and in your career. Now, however, your philosophical outlook on life can suggest answers that have been hard to find. No matter what you want, don't resist the current changes that can lift you out of the shadows and into the bright Sun. Consciously flow with the astrological tides, for they can carry you to a wonderful place.

Root

2007-06-05T20:42:00.000-05:00

com is the root of internet
Om is the root of universe.

To those Converts - my religion

2007-05-29T23:44:00.000-05:00

Socialism and secularism in India have done enough damage for the people to loose their spine. I learnt about the mass conversion to Buddhism. It really pains me. One of the converts was on record saying "Jainism was another option, but its rigidity is hard to practise". Dah!

Then, we have guys like Sriram, who wants to be called Thiru Ram for he feels Sri is a North Indian word. One of my friends suggested "Thiru Dan" because Ram is also a North Indian name. Therefore ThiruRam isn't appropriate. I couldn't stop laughing.

Self-respect cannot be obtained externally. It is how you value yourself. You become a Buddhist, Jain, Christian, Muslim or remain a Hindu, nothing will change for you. Buddha's teaching is surely one way to reach the Ultimate Truth. But to enter into religious escapade to escape social discrimination is a grave mistake. So is to sell religion as a commodity.

Ekam sat vipraha bahudha vadanti

Truth is unique. Learned people call it different names.

Hinduism is not the name of our religion. It was a name given by foreigners to the people who lived around the Indus - whose religious and philosophical derivations came from the Vedas. According to the Kanchi Paramacharya, His Holiness Jagadguru Sri Chandrasekara Saraswati Swamigal, our religion has no name. His point was that only if there existed an alternative, you require a name to differentiate. However, the different derivations of the age-old Vedas, encompass all the philosophies known to the world. Just like many stream leading to a river, many paths can lead to God.

To think of God as a human-being is imagination. Tell that to the king of the forest, he will roar in rage. Tell that to a bird, and it will immediately point out that "no way God can't fly". It is required to imagine God. However, it is foolish to cling to the imagination like most Hindus do. To dismiss the image worship, like Buddha and Prophet Mohammad did, shows their spiritual status. But to preach it to ordinary people is highly irresponsible. It is like skipping a few steps in the spiritual ladder. The chances of you tripping and falling down is more than being able to directly climb to the top of the ladder. Foundation is important and image worship serves as a strong basis for the spiritual journey that every man undertakes.

Sivaji - Mudhalvan

2007-05-21T23:08:00.000-05:00

Dayanidhi Maran has been made the scapegoat of the Stalin-Alagiri showdown that brought to light the extent of power-struggle going on behid the scenes. With Karunanidhi's kidneys losing the motor by the day, the tussle for power reminds me of this old Tamil saying;

Appan eppo saavan, thinnai eppo gaali aagum.

Until now Maran has been very polished and careful not to react emotionally. The next few days, he will be spending weighing his political aspirations against his brother's media moghul status which he shares to a great extent; before coming out with his next move. This may take as long as June 3rd before we get to know what is really going on.

Will he join Amma to form a DMJ or will he join Captain to form a DMVJ all in the interest of keeping his business including the Sumangali Cable network afloat?

This will be interesting to see, because both Karunanidhi and his wife have significant stakes in SUN TV. It also shares office space in the DMK office, which should be no big deal for Maran as the uplink happens from VSNL to Manila (based on my old information).

If he joins Amma, SUNTV will take over Jaya TV only for the duo to split when they part ways after a couple of years. If the nexus happens, that will spell death knell for Kalaignar's Dravidian politics that has been an hobson choice ever since the Indian Independence except for a few years here from Rajaji and a few years there from Bakthavatchalam and Kamarajar. Even MGR and Amma had to allign themselves to Dravidian theology to garner public support. As Karunanidhi fades, will go with him -the hardline Periyar philosophy - springing several options open in the air. DMK will split into hundred small parties like how Duryodana's head split into 100 Kaurava's in MahaBharatha. It is all gain for Amma unless a determined Vijaykanth makes a few smart moves. Or spare a thought for the Rajinikanth factor...

Naan eppo varuven, eppadi varuvennu yaarukkum theriyadhu;
Aana vara vendiya nerathila kandippa varuven

Sivaji - the boss, who missed out his oppurtunity, the last time around, when Shankar offered him the lead in Mudhalvan, will also be watching like an eagle for the right time to jump in. If Sivaji comes anywhere close to Chandramuki in box office, Rajini will launch in style. Overnight, entire TN will reallign itself behind SUPERSTAR barring a few fanatics belonging to PMK and Dalit Panthers.

Finally,I am running for office under his banner. Afterall I am the first to speculate thalaivar's Chief Ministership for the next 20 years in Tamilnadu. I deserve atleast a MLA ticket if not a minister post. I am buying two Premier Veshti's for Diwali.

GB Humor

2007-05-16T19:01:00.000-05:00

TV Guy: Mr. President, thank you for joining us for this interview.
GB: Hey TV Guy, pleasure to be here.
TV Guy: Sir, have you put any thoughts on where you want to have the GWB Presidential Library.
GB: Library? TV Guy, did u get the wrong person. I am not Bose, the scientist guy, I am Bush, the president.
TV Guy (chuckles): No sir, I don't mean a laboratory. I want to know about your library after your term ends.
GB: Oh! I gotya. In the White House we have 3 full and one powder. The staff and visitors get there own. I am very particular about hygiene, you see.
TV Guy: But sir...
GB: Hold on.. After my term, I will move back to the ranch and it will be in th e open air like the good old days.
TV Guys: Sir, with all due respects, I am not concerned about the lavatries.
GB: Then what?
TV Guy: Library, where we get books...
GB: O yeah, the bookshelf... You got to be clear, TV Guy. Laura has a degree in keeping bookshelves. She is into all that, not me . My dad's got one of those too in Texas.

Bruce Lee - The Lost Interview

2007-05-05T01:21:00.000-05:00

Listen to the spiritual wisdom and watch the confidence oozing out of Bruce Lee.

Nash for Nowitzki, Fred Thompson for President.

2007-05-04T02:30:00.000-05:00

John McCain - He said " I know how to reach across the aisle and they know how to reach across the aisle to me.". I say, "That cost you the Republican nomination which is a prerequisite to being the President of UNited States"

Rudy Guillianni - Popular, maybe effective but came out very dishonest. He was afterall just a Mayor before he jumped into the big league.

Sam Brownback - Indifferent yet impressive.

Tom Tancredo - Will not get immigrant votes.

Romney - Eloquent. However, you have better odds of winning the race for President of India where people are always on the lookout for secular leaders and the timing is ripe. You are like the Sanjaya of American Idol. They will keep you in the race for ratings.

Others - I heard the job market is good. Post your resume on monster.

Fred Thompson - Please file for nomination.

And what's up with the teams that I support. They go down to underdogs without a fight, irrespective of the sport. Nash for Nowitzki. Warriors smoking Cuban cigars!

The Master and the Master Blaster.

2007-04-03T23:15:00.000-05:00

India will approach John Wright to come back. Tom Moody will be in great demand from world over. With Pawar & Vengsarkar at the helm and Sachin in the midst of controversy, I will not be surprised if a Mumbaikar like Chandrakanth Pandit or even Sunny (if he has the time) take over.

As Kiran More rightly asked, where is the performance?.
After putting in 17 years, if you need a coach to get the scoreboard moving, what can we say?.
If you had problems with the coach, what were you doing so long?.
If you want people to spare a thought for your emotions now, where were your thoughts when you expected the government to pay for the excise duty to import your Ferrari? You were elevated to a special status in India, deservedly. But there is an amount of responsibility that comes along, which you have failed to fulfill. If you had stayed silent, we would have liked you for your humility and modesty, inspite of the failure. You spoke and the timing, here too, is bad.

Finally a few words of wisdom - It is easy to be graceful in success, people elevate you to higher levels praising your modesty. But it is hard to be graceful during failure and that seperates you from the greatness that you are equated with.

Sa(chin), Ra(hul) and Greg

2007-03-30T21:20:00.000-05:00

I think Greg's tenure has already been extended secretly - Sorry Sir Viv.The announcement will be public pending the tamasha of World Cup post-mortem report/meeting. On several occasions Greg has stopped short of asking Tendulkar to quit, fearing the public rage - Remember his comment "Sachin's best days are over"?. Sacking Ganguly was one thing but Greg was quick to realize that Sachin is at a different level in India. He quietly "moota kattified" his idea of dropping Sachin and started asking him to be a mentor for the youngsters. Now he has sought his brother's help to achieve what he couldn't dare attempt. Ian has advised Sacin to retire. It is strange that he chose to advise Sachin through cricinfo or whoever, instead of talking to Sachin as a wellwisher. I smell something fishy. If Rahul is not dropped as captain or if Greg's contract is renewed, India will be pushed to a level that would require them to qualify for the next World Cup competition.

Having said that, I request you Mr. Tendulkar to resign gracefully. Have Kumble share his retirement letter, if you need a template. Also pass it on to Ganguly, if he needs help. This is the best time. I would have called you and requested this personally. But unlike Ian, I don't have your cell number.

I also think that we need a foreign coach. I don't think any former Indian cricketer can command respect from the current generation of cricketers. Imagine Nayan Mongia or Venkatesh Prasad trying to dictate to Sehwag or Yuvraj or Harbajan. Only a guy who can intimidate them with his English can control them .

My new Indian team XX comprises:
--------------------------------
Gaurav Dhiman
Cheteshwar Pujara
Robin Uthappa
Shikar Dhawan (three out of first four must play)
Virendra Sehwag
Yuvraj Singh
Dinesh Karthik (wk)
Mohammed Kaif (c)
Rahul Dravid (should leave way in 2 yrs)
Suresh Raina
Mahendra Dhoni (Wk)
Irfan Pathan
Munaf Patel
Zaheer Khan
Piyush Chawla
Murali Karthick (may be long shot)
Sreesanth
Romesh Powar
Jesuraj Rajamani
Harbajan Singh

PS: Vengsarkar - I can take over, if you need some rest. Afterall you have tried to do it all by yourself in the last one year.

Wearing Bermudas for the next two days.

2007-03-23T23:53:00.000-05:00

Cricket has joined hockey as another sport that Indians used to be good at.
I could have spent all my energy wooing Viswanathan Anand or a Koneru Humpy who seem to be real champions. I remember this chess stud, K. Sasikaran, who was sponsored by my previous employer, DSQ Software for appearing in competitions around India.
If only cricket was a "low key" sport like chess, India would have advanced to the next stage. There is no motivation for them to win. The money comes from elsewhere. They just have to keep their spots in the team, money flows in from all over.

Rahul, go home, ask your mom to hold your cheek and comb your hair.

Sachin , what can I say!

JMM is already demanding Dhoni to give back the land that the Jarkhand govt. gifted to him

Why limit with the coach. Start getting foreign players to play for India. Afterall BCCI is registered in Bermuda (I think).

I still pray for Bermuda to beat Bangladesh and help India reach the second round albeit two points less. Last ditch effort to salvage some pride - I still don't want our zeroes to be killed.

Ravana killed Rama

2007-03-23T15:50:00.000-05:00

I was right and I was wrong.

Good luck India

2007-03-22T22:45:00.000-05:00

Srilanka showed no signs of hangover after their loss to NZ (thanks Ajay) in the warm-up game.
They came back well to dominate their first two games. Whereas India were buoyed by the warm-up victory and suffered a concentration lapse just enough for the Bongs to capitalize on. Whatever happened has happened. Now it is time for Indians to get their act together and prove that their are real heroes and not just reel heroes.

India should consider Harbajan in the place of Kumble but must replace Agarkar with Sreesanth or even Irfan or play two spinners at his expense. Leaving out Agarkar can make the difference between victory and defeat. I also think India must put Srilanka into bat, if toss favours Rahul. Getting Jayasurya and Sangakara early is key. I am not too concerned about Mahela but Silva can be a little dangerous too. Also in the chase, India should look to attack Vaas from the go. Victory is must and in the horizon. If India bat first Muralidharan will be the major threat after the initial spell of Malinga. India sould look for 240-270 minimum considering that there has been a lot of rain. Arial shots will help. Dhoni should be given a chance to come up. Whether Rahul will experiment has to be seen. Uthappa, Sachin, Sehwag, Dhoni and Yuvi can win it for us by clearing the stadium and rotating strikes. Ganguly will be a liability for this game considering the law of averages. Maybe he will get to bowl.

In the match against Bermuda, the banner read "Go to Barbados or stay back in Trinidad". I say every player should bear that in mind.

Finally like Pakistan did, pull one for Bob and our own Greg, who have gone through a lot these two years in the sub-continent. With Pakistan out of the tournament, I hope they will be rooting for us. On a Friday their prayers get answered, right guys!
For my part, I will recite Bhagya Suktam in the morning.

Out of context - Brings fame - Spoils humor

2007-03-21T21:54:00.000-05:00

Omar has given a link to my blog that will result in adding a few extra eyeballs to the million patrons that already follow my writing. Alright!

However, to be quoted out of context is sadenning or rather frightening in this case. The extract does not portray the subtle humor (also attempted in the post scriptum - that few fellow Tamil patrons alone can get). This has resulted in me claiming that the Prez had ordered an assasination of some sort. Come on, a guy who took over an entire country in a bloodless coup would never do that. Atleast, a sane me would not seriously claim that.

It will be the biggest international cover up - next only to the assasination of Rajiv Gandhi, when not even a single prominent partyworker died - if this goes without investigation in the name of the World Cup.

Also the above statement has been partially taken somewhat making my claim serious.

Omar, thanks for the two-minute fame that you brought me. I, only, wish that you had taken the time to understand my fallible English and not gotten me into (this Presidential) trouble. I pray that not as many read your articles too :-) (atleast in this case).

Ajay, thanks for letting me know about this article. I will be scared to death for the rest of my life.

Announcement: I am not the suicide type. Nor am I suffering from any ailments. So, unlike Woolmer's case, you will be left only with two options for me.

Woolmer killed?

2007-03-18T20:28:00.000-05:00

I am not being insensitive or anything. I am just not willing to wait for people to finish mourning before this doubt surfaces.

Who killed Woolmer?
1. A Paki cricket fan
2. A Paki cricketer
3. A Paki president order
4. The Paki coach himself

I think Woolmer, with all his experience would not have commited suicide. He is also known to be cool and sensible. So it cannot be a cardiac arrest. I have not known anyone to vomit during a cardiac arrest.

He was a pioneer. He introduced technology to cricket coaching. His innovative practise sessions were well received by players and his analyses were next to none. Inspite of all this, he made a big mistake, choosing to coach Pakistan. That proved costly and his family paid dear. These words will be echoing in the minds of his immediate family. It will be the biggest international cover up - next only to the assasination of Rajiv Gandhi, when not even a single prominent partyworker died - if this goes without investigation in the name of the World Cup. My heart goes out to his close family and friends. God give them the courage through this ordeal.

To me, his biggest achievement is sticking to his religion, despite coaching (in)Pakistan - where Yo Yo failed.

PS: Indian cricketing fans are no different. I prescribe two Tamilnadu constables(next only to Scotland Yard per Captain Vijayakanth) and sorbitol for Greg Chappell.

What's the point!

2007-03-18T12:28:00.000-05:00

Anand Vasu has totally ignored the chances of the Bongs beating SL. Given their back to back wins over NZ and India, the possibility is equally high. That will not eliminate the need for India to win both her matches. However it will ease the need to up the NRR to qualify to the Super Eights even if it means that India will go with two points less. If SL manages to beat the Bongs, yes NRR will apply and if India manages to pull it through, it will carry two points to the Super 8 - ideal for India

Let us analyse the Super 8 with that assumption that India qualifies with the Bongs without the two pioints.
Assuming Aussies and SA will win all their games and qualify to the semis as the top two teams. Then India has to win all the remaining games beating NZ, WI, Eng, Ireland. This will give us a chance to qualify as the third or fourth team. If Bangladesh manages to surprise one of the above teams, it is even better for us. From the semis, it is anyone's game

But if we continue to lose, then what is the point? We don't want an India losing its way to the final, do we?

I also propose to replace Rahul with Sachin or Saurav as the captain from the very next game. There is nothing wrong in being proactive to win the WC. Otherwise it will be another four-year wait. And this proposal has nothing to do with the ongoing Cauvery row.
The reasons are
. Chosing to bat after winning the toss against the bongs
. Not being creative on the field.
. Not using the power plays to good effect.
. Bringing Sehwag late.

Day of Bengal?

2007-03-17T20:05:00.000-05:00

With Pakistan out of focus, let us zoom in to how we can get India qualified for a berth to the second round.
India must beat both Bermuda and Srilanka.

With that given, there are two ways India can qualify.
External factor:
All Indians should take a day off and pray for Bangladesh to continue their impressive run and beat Srilanka and Bermuda also.

Bermuda upsetting Bangladesh or SL is a factor that I don't wan't to consider at this point

In India's control:
India should look to beat both Srilanka and Bermuda and in the process up their net run-rate. That will decide who qualifies for the next round in the event of a three way tie.

India should also try not to disqualify SL because we do not want B'desh in the second round. That will result in India carrying 0 points with them. Ideally still a SL, India qualification is possible with India carrying 2 points to the second round. If it fails to happen, Rahul should resign and die a natural death from cricket, for choosing to bat after winning the toss.

Elsewhere Ireland is almost sure of its second round berth unless Pak loses to Zimbabwe and and creates confusion during exit.

Patriotic (read disappointed) Indians will blame the tournament format, but I insist this format is the best possible that ICC can ever come up with.

England too should be wary of Kenya. In all I see the Aussies and the SAns enjoying every bit of this drama.

I think only Group A is certain of both the MAXO's qualifying.Group B and C still might see both Maxo's scraping through. One minnow has re

Sunrise will see Rahul's effigy being burnt alongside Sachin's allover India. Kaif and Laxman are happy men inside. Saurav, despite his slow fifty, saved his face on this day of Bengals!

Cinema or Cricket

2007-03-17T00:44:00.000-05:00

If both India and Pakistan qualify for the second round and if the current schedule is to be believed, I may have to choose between Sivaji and Cricket. I cannot stay out for a full day in the theatre, considering Ishanvi's needs.
This is what will be running in my mind for the next 4 weeks:
Rajini or Rahul?
Sivaji or Sachin?
Cinema or Cricket?

I think I will settle for the WC game and watch Sivaji in thiruttu DVD.
Even better, if Pak does not qualify for the second round.

Verdict Update: It looks like I was half-correct. Seems like both teams won't make it to Super Eight. I will be whistling thru my ears cheering Super Star.

Puzzle for a change

2007-02-27T11:48:00.000-06:00

Three couples say A-A', B-B' and C-C' are stranded in an island. Luckily for them, there is a boat that can carry them to the other side of the shore. But only two people may travel in the boat at any point of time. All the husbands are "sandhega praanis". They don't trust their wife staying or riding with other men in their absence. How do everyone reach the other side without having to compromise on integrity.

PS: no one knows swimming and there is no long rope to tie to the boat and pull it from the other side. Also no one can think or act like Vijayakanth. The only means of transportation is the boat.

Here is another one that is in Japanese. Figure it out for yourself.

Legends of South India - T. Krishnamacharya

2007-02-21T21:58:00.000-06:00

Yoga has become very popular in recent years with new centres opening in every street corner like Jamba Juice. Each centre also subscribe to a branch of Yoga from the school of Iyengar Yoga, Pattabhi Jois, Indra Devi or Desikachar .

What is amazing is all these masters learnt and practiced under the same Guru, Shri Thirumalai Krishnamacharya. Born on Nov 18th 1888, he lived exactly to a hundred.
Wiki has captured his life history. His disciples are spreading the Yoga - revealed to him partly by Nathamuni (in his dream) and partly by a guru in the Himalayas -Krishnamacharya remains unknown to most outside the Yoga world. He moved to Chennai and taught Yoga till his last years before dying of coma.

School books grow up, finally

2007-02-17T11:36:00.000-06:00

"Make your own conclusions", say the latest NCERT textbooks on politics after Indian Independence. I wish I had that choice of drawing my own conclusion. How many times, Mrs Santhi Chandrasekhar had asked me to get out of the class because I didn't agree with the book.

1.I was forced to believe that Gandhi and his policies were the lone cause for India's freedom struggle. Infact I knew no one other than Gandhi, Nehru and Bose. Bose was called an extremist; in the contrary he was a pure nationalist. Borrowing words from the British to describe our freedom struggle was the most foolish thing to do.

2. I was persuaded to praise the glory of the Mughal Empire. Akbar was probably worth a mention, not the ones that came before and after.

3. Dravidian history was restricted to Tamil text books and stateboard schools

4. Post-independence India was all about Nehru and his Panchsheel.

5. Ambedkar was glorified in the civics textbooks for the sole reason that he was a Harijan. No mention about the giants that preceeded or even Alladi Krishnaswami who contributed a great deal.

6. Who wanted to know about Alsace and Lorraine when there was little mention about the battle of Panipat and Raja Raja Chola's conquest beyond the Ganges.

What a waste!

Aurobindo's Gandhi Bashing

2007-02-13T23:57:00.000-06:00

I don't want to be that guy who posted a clip on You-tube imitating Gandhi.

But here is a quote that was as refreshing as a cuppa Madras filter coffee.

When Gandhi's movement was started, I said that this movement would lead either to a fiasco or to a great confusion. And I see no reason to change my opinion. Only I would like to add that it has led to both.

-Aurobindo June 23, 1926

However a few may argue that it led to India's independence. I see it as something that was given than earned. Your thoughts?

Sachin - The difference.

2007-02-13T00:08:00.001-06:00

I recently came across this magnum opus on Sachin. Must see for all Indian Cricket fans. Please watch all three parts.

Soothsayer from UTOPIA

2007-02-12T14:59:00.000-06:00

My prediction for the first round. I think South Africa will top Group A. The second round will see a resurgent India beat Australia in a totally one-sided game in their first game. India will continue its run beating West Indies, New Zealand and England before being checked by South Africa. India will start afresh beating Pakistan in their last game. finishing second behind South Africa in the overall table.

Group A

South Africa
Australia

Group B

India
Srilanka

Group C

England
New Zealand

Group D

Pakistan
West Indies

Second Round

South Africa
India
Srilanka
Australia

Semi Final

India vs Srilanka -------------> India
SA vs Australia -------------> Australia

Final

India vs Australia

Rahul Dravid lifts the cup.

India will beat Srilanka in a bitterly fought semifinal. Australia will trounce SA in the other semi setting up a 2003 encore - but this time only to go down to the Men In Blue.

Sehwag will prove vital with both bat and ball throughout the tourney. Yuvraj will give way to Dinesh Karthik as his lack of preparation will show in the early games. India must use Sreesanth only to rest Zaheer or Munaf for the initial games.

Keep off Azhar now

2007-02-09T23:55:00.000-06:00

Looks like Nagpur police were fearing layoffs. The city was so crime-free that they found a prey in the young West Indian, Marlon Samuels. "South Indian nahin, North Indian nahin, East Indian nahin, West Indian hai woh. Harey yaar woh toh Mumbaikar hi hai."

Now every other cricket writer will suddenly remember Hansie Cronje or Azhar. Let me tell them something. Keep off Azhar. He might not have been the best to play for India - coming after Sunny and followed soon by Sachin, Saurav and Rahul, but he certainly was vital during the gap. His exploits in domestic cricket and his three consecutive test tons on debut for India, are testimony enough. He was the first Indian to dive for stopping a cricket ball, in an era where the rest of our heroes were happy to escort it to the ropes. Fitness and agility were his trademark. He led India through some bad times and emerged as the most successful Indian captain before Saurav surpassed him. For him to be denied his well deserved ten thousand one day runs and hundredth test cap is severe punishment.

Whether match-fixing is real or not, whether he was involved or not, there can be no debate that he was a great cricketer. And if he had let out some information regarding the playing eleven or the toss and his batting or bowling line-up , that I don't consider match-fixing. Match-fixing is an allegation which would fit only someone who influences the result of a game by making obvious choices to turn the game. You and I would be equally gullible, if we were to get the kind of offers from the Sheikhs of Dubai for tipping on who will start or not.

Now leave him alone. And dear police officers, please try to solve the Noida killing case that has put the entire nation in shock, rather than chasing budding cricketers in the hotel rooms from city to city.

Let Ajju and Bijju live happily hereafter.

Strong Resolve

2007-02-01T22:45:00.000-06:00

Deepak Chopra, whether he is a realised soul or not, he writes well and I stay motivated for one full week every book I read, every time I read. The positive words of encouragement oozes out of every page. It helps a pessimist like me.

This year is very unique. I have kept resolutions throughout January. I just declared holiday for resolutions today. A well deserved rest to well kept resolutions. May be the key was not sharing the resolution with anyone. Not letting others keep watch on me, not making a joke of them and constantly reminders from within were key, I think. Now I am in control. I can flirt around without fear.

Lets see..,

My World Cup Team

2007-01-31T23:25:00.000-06:00

Saurav Ganguly
Robin Uthappa
Virendra Sehwag
Sachin Tendulkar (vc)
Rahul Dravid (c)
Yuvraj Singh
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Ajit Agarkar
Irfan Pathan
Harbajan
Zaheer Khan
Dinesh Karthik (12th man)
Munaf Patel
Anil Kumble
Mohammed Kaif.

I would have given more chances to Joginder Sharma which could have given us a viable alternative to Irfan Pathan's indifference with the ball.

Mohammed Kaif's place can go to anyone from Suresh Raina to VVS Laxman to Romesh Pawar depending on who Vengsarkar, Chappell and Dravid want. I think Mohammed Kaif will be the best option considering his three half centuries during the Carribean tour. He might never pad up if Yuvraj finds his touch.

Kings vs Mudhugu Puncture

2006-12-04T22:18:00.000-06:00

Kings
The catcher aims the ball below the knee to get the other players out.

Mudhugu Puncture
The catcher aims the ball above the waist and below the head, to get the other players out.

SA bowlers practised Mudhugu Puncture while Indians were busy playing Kings in the sub-continent.

Muttikku kizha Raja(flicks,drives...). Muttiku mela kooja (Pull.. hook...)
Dinesh Karthik is the only Indian to pass the South African litmus test. Although statistics don't share my story. To drop him for the tests will be the biggest of all blunders.

From YoYo to MoYo - When Gods came begging

2006-11-30T17:53:00.000-06:00

I have always considered Mohammed Yousuf as a good batsman, rating him only a shy below Laxman in class, elegance and modesty. Ever since he converted to Islam, his game has raised to a new high, getting better by the day. Today, he is ready to give Ponting a run for the money, to be the top player in the circuit.

Every article about him mentions his faith and his recent conversion to Islam, just as I have. I wonder if his recent run has anything got to do with Allah. Or is it Jesus that is showering his blessings to win MoYo back to Christianity. I think the Gods are fighting for him and it is showing on Yousuf's performance. Nevertheless, I must admit that Yousuf possesses some great quality that you and I don't; that Gods are knocking on his willow every time he walks out.

Now I urge VVS. Laxman who has been brought back to the team as Vice Captain to do the following for India's sake.

1. Grow a beard -atleast a mouche
2. Convert to Islam
3. Get the name changed to VVS Latif
4. Touchbase with MoYo and find out what else he did to get the Gods on the negotiation table.
5. Finally do whatever it takes to save India's pride in South Africa.

If Laxman tastes any success then Tendulkar, Sehwag and Ganguly should be summoned to convert.

The Secret Language of Babies

2006-11-17T22:23:00.000-06:00

How I learnt what Ishanvi is telling me! Thanks to Oprah.
Amazing Medical Breakthroughs: The Secret Language of Babies Video

Vasanth & Co

2006-11-09T22:30:00.000-06:00

Mr. Vasanth insists on sticking his face on every advertisement. Maybe he thinks his ugly face brings trust to the grinders and mixies he sells. Or maybe he wants to take away the dhrishti from his enterprise. Whatever be his excuse, folks I was doing it unintentionally. These nice people who I read and comment regularly, have chosen to display profile images of visitors. All I intended was to display the image in my blog's profile. I hate to vouch everthing I say with my ugly visage. Hope Mr. Vasanth realizes this too. Also the music director S.A. Rajkumar. Good that he is obsolete now and the audio cassette market is down.

Nothing to cheer

2006-11-07T22:50:00.000-06:00

Desis who have not yet given up their Desi passport can rest assured that India alienated Iran for a lost cause. The nuclear deal will not see Daylight. The costly moves of sacking Natwar Singh and the transfer of Mani Shankar Iyer by Madam Sonia, Dr. Singh and friends should be regarded futile. The jihadis of Iraq and Afghan will turn to the nearest secular nation to seek revenge when America decides to "cut and run". And those mujahideens will be overwhelmingly aided by the House Majority with little resistance. You think Democrats = Democaracy! You deserve it. By the way if you are the Desi who has already taken the oath of allegiance to Uncle Sam, you will not escape the tax hikes either. Well, it does n't matter to me either ways as I wanted to see Dr. Singh's nose on the ground like "Boys Bharath's".

PS:- Howard Dean and John Kerry should pursue "Stand Up Comedy". So should Bush after 2008. I live in Texas, I had to write this irrespective of my position.

Delhi Ganesh

2006-11-05T14:56:00.000-06:00

Delhi Ganesh is the best actor in Tamil Cinema. Followed by Gemini Ganesan. The most over-rated Ganesan is Sivaji. While the other two Ganesans had a hero's profile, Delhi donned only support roles. His entry into the industry was late. His career has spanned over 25 years beginning with Pasi in 1979. He played Munian and made a mark for himself in that Shoba blockbuster. Who can forget his roles since then in movies like Sindhu Bairavi - Gurumurthy , Nayagan - Iyer, MMKR - Mani Iyer and Avvai Shanmugi - Sethurama Iyer. His roles have ranged from a poor rickshaw man to a Bhramin cook and everything in between. Even being cast as a Bhramin in many of his movies, Delhi has shown utmost variety in each outing. He has also taken to Chinna Thirai and is living each of his characters everyday on TV. Whether it is comedy or serious roles, he appears to play them with effortless ease. And that is probably one reason why he goes unnoticed inspite of awesome performances. He has also played villain roles. Although it didn't suit him very well. Today, I enjoyed watching Avvai Shanmugi yet again on Sun TV.

ISHANVI

2006-11-02T17:11:00.000-06:00

She already has her own website. Isn't that cool.

Honeymoon is over

2006-11-01T23:46:00.000-06:00

It has been more than a year since Rahul Dravid was elevated as Team India's new bride. The honeymoon seems to be over for the captain ever since the WI ODI series began. Atleast the predecessor was screwed only by the coach. Imagine getting screwed by the mighty West Indians, Aussies and your own teammates simultaneously. It's one thing being a wife, it is a whole new game to be a whore.

Don't get me wrong, Rahul's individual performance seems to have no effect with the additional responsibility. Just that the team could use a better captain. Anyone who can really think, please.

Dilip Vengsarkar is partly right in bringing back Anil Kumble and partly parochial in introducing Wasim Jaffer to the limited edition of the game, this late in his career. He would have done well to name a new captain even if he had shown parochialism and turned to Tendulkar. Obviously this hype is not working and there is hardly enough time before the big event.

Mahatma?

2006-10-02T23:45:00.000-05:00

Gandhi became more popular than Gokhale and Ranade (Please read this article by a Pakistani). If only the Britishers had given freedom to India around the first world war period, we wouldn't have had to celebrate this day as a national holiday. In the land that witnessed great souls like Vivekananda and Ramana (contemporaries of Gandhi), it is a shame to give this nothing more than a stubborn patriot, the title of Mahatma. History is unfair and wrong. I resent this, but who cares? Anyways Happy Birthday, wherever you are, you lucky ****

Divided Nations

2006-10-01T21:50:00.000-05:00

Team A -------------------------------- Team B
USA ------------------------------------------- Iran
UK ------------------------------------------- France
Australia ------------------------------------- Russia
Pakistan ------------------------------------- Pakistan
---------------------INDIA------------------------------
Israel ---------------------------------------- Venezuela
Italy ----------------------------------------- China
Spain ----------------------------------------- North Korea
Japan ----------------------------------------- Cuba
Canada ---------------------------------------- Syria

The nations of the world are divided. Each one has taken a side. Be it for religion or skin colour or short-term benefits. While India is clearly undecided, Pakistan is on both sides.

Seemantham 9/24/06

2006-09-29T17:47:00.000-05:00

A snap from Vaishnavi's Seemantham on Sunday. Friends and relatives were present to shower their love and blessings on both of us and the to-be-born. Now, it's time to bootstrap for the biggest event of my life.

Nancy Disgrace?

2006-09-14T22:22:00.000-05:00

Trial by media had its latest victim, when the mother of a missing child commited suicide. Nancy, allegedly, suspected the lady of some wrong-doing in her son's disappearance. The boy's dad has given Nancy, a clean chit. The child is still missing. It will be interesting to see how Fox News will make the public react to this story. Just watched it on the "NO SPIN ZONE".

Now Grace is being grilled by paparazzi. She refused interviews. Her response via email:

"We feel a responsibility to bring attention to this case in the hopes of helping find Trenton Duckett, who remains missing. Our goal in our continuing coverage of Trenton's disappearance is to enlist the public's help in finding him," Grace's statement read. "While Ms. Duckett's death is an extremely sad development, we remain hopeful that Trenton will be found safe, and we will continue to cover the case until it is solved."

Titled - Tamil Singham

2006-09-10T23:46:00.000-05:00

Thr script is ready. The movie will be named "Tamil Singam". The movie has 5 songs and 12 fight sequences. The songs will be placed at equal intervals.

The first song will be a reluctant Captain being ragged by the "Pannaiyar's daughter" Sada.

The second song features Simran in a dream sequence where Captain is dressed in Kakkis (I mean our Tamilnadu police dress with medals and Cap with national emblem)in Canada. Much like the Sakalakala vallavaney song from Pammal K.

The third song - this is an emotional song that takes the story from the death of Kumaresan's family through his time in Jail. The song ends when Kumaresan reaches his village.

Fourt song is just an amazing koothu celebrating a successful operation while Captain is in the ranks of LLTE.

The fifth follows within a couple of scenes - This is a pathos more like the one in Nanda (" paniya illai mudhal mazhaiya. en ninaivil edho...") or the one starring madhavan in mani's movie.

The music director will be Vidyasagar. Rehman doesn't go well for Captain. Ilayaraj is reserved for his total village subjects. Harris Jayaraj wd be good but he is out of stock now. So we settled for Vidyasagar under one conditions. The condition that Vidyasagar would not score for the stunt sequences.

The stunts in this movie will be the USP to distributors and audience alike. There will be no re-recording. The sound produced from the impact of Vijayakanth's arms and legs on the enemies will be kept to its original. It is hard to reproduce, experts say. So Captain has demanded for original sound. However upon persuation he has agreed to include some effects like "buguvey buguvey buguvey" "akum akum akum" "hiye hiye".... as the enemies fall after coming in contact with Captain's blows. Special walls have been erected at the locations to withstand Captain's powerful legs. If you know him, Captain never kicks the enemies directly. He needs to have three steps before contact. This helps him generate the awesome power that we experience in the theater.

Public are encouraged to go to theaters and warned not to watch it at home on thiruttu DVD. The Television sets are likely to tremble during the fight scenes and the powerful dialogues towards the climax. The tremor will measure to a ritcher 5 earthquake. Beware!

Starring Captain

2006-09-06T23:37:00.000-05:00

When so many Tamils are suffering in the south of the border, it is difficult to pretend that Kashmir problem is more important for us to resolve. India governed from up north does not want to entertain the seperationists in SL because it would hurt their standpoint in Kashmir and Assam. But didn't they help B'desh to break free from Pakistan. Hail! Vaiko.

As a first step, I want to see Vijayakanth make a movie around the Srilankan Tamil crisis. The storyline is ready.

Vijaykanth is a tailor in a remote village in Tamilnadu .A tailor who does not have his own shop, Captain goes from house to house to earn his living.

The scene shifts to Chennai. The DGP, IGs, DIGs, Home minister and other law and order personnel are summoned by the Chief Minister for an urgent meeting to discuss the murder of an Indian dignitary during his recent visit to Sri Lanka. Various strategies are brought to the table but nothing promising. That is when one low-ranked, honest police officer stands and mentions the name "Kumaresan". The entire room goes silent. Who is this Kumaresan, the CM asks innocently.

Scene shifts to a very busy marketplace where a few goondas are creating havoc. The sirens of the police van brings the area SI who gets beaten up badly. At the right moment enters Kumaresan (Vijayakanth) and the rest is ...

A few incidents like this during a direct confrontation with the villain Kumaresan falls into a trap and as a result his family members (Simran as wife , and two children get killed) and Vijayakanth gets blamed for bribery or something like that.
After serving a few months in jail, Vijayakanth returns to his native village and changes his name to Ravi and occupation to "Tailor". Thus ends the flash back.

The government goes back and forth trying to persuade Kumaresan to rejoin the forces. Kumaresan hesitates but eventually agrees to join the mission. But he wants it to be a "One man operation". However this one man operation includes Senthil (comedian) and the village pannaiyar's daughter who is madly in love with Tailor Ravi (even before the real story is revealed).

Vijayakanth leaves for Srilanka (in disguise) with his customary manja jolna pai and azhukku veshti. He wants to really mingle in the LLTE group to understand how they operate and to dismantle them from within. He reaches Mullai Thivu on a Kalla Thoni. From there he gets an acquaintance who helps him reach Jaffna, the headquarters of LLTE. He, somehow manages to enter the organization and quickly rise in the ranks. He is now the right hand for the head of LLTE Mr Sirupillai Kripakaran. He becomes third in command after Sirupillai and Ilamsingam.
Although he is here on a mission to thwart the LLTE from inside, Kumaresan soon realizes that the LLTE is an organization comprising of good people and the Tamil cause is just. His focus soon shifts on the SL govt. His investigations revela that the SL givt. is using its power to blame LLTE and show the organization in poor light. How Captain successfully brings out the truth and gets freedom for Tamils can be seen in the Silver Screens.

Alternative

2006-09-05T23:39:00.000-05:00

If, all of a sudden, water were to loose its property of quenching thirst, everyone will consume it in gallons before they realize or come to terms with it. What is a good alternative? Tender coconut water?

Ego - Royally screwed

2006-08-29T22:30:00.000-05:00

A husband and wife have their usual arguement and decide not to talk each other then after. Thus a few days pass by and yet their anger wouldn't subside. They now invent a new way of communicating without giving up their ego. They start writing stick-notes with crisp messages like "Please bring groceries" or "Pick up the kids from the school" and a few more days go by. This was working well for them for day to day communication. One evening, the husband is desperate to talk to his wife and ask her to wake him up at 6:00 am the next day as he has a very crucial meeting at work. However, he decides against breaking the ice and writes a note and sticks it by her bedside. The message reads "Please wake me up at 5:30 tomorrow morning". He waits to make sure that the wife reads it and then hits the sack. Next day he gets up on his own and finds out that the time was 7:00 am already. He pounces out of the bed and starts yelling at his wife "Why didn't you wake me up? I saw you reading the message." She points to a sticknote saying, "Oh! didn't you read my message". It read "It's 5:30,honey. Wake up!".

Bhaja Govindam - Spiritual ladder

2006-08-23T12:07:00.000-05:00

Shree and Vishy have interesting questions in the comments section of my previous post.
Who is Guru?
Let us try to answer this question by defining who is not a Guru.
He is not a Guru, who pins the disciple to his beliefs inturn creating an attachment. A true Guru merely points the disciple to seek the path of non-attachment and allows the disciple reach that state on his own.
What is non-attachment?
It is obviously not attachment. But one should realize that it is not detachment either. Running away from the family due to domestic or financial issues does not mean that a person is non-attached. From where ever he is hiding, that person will be thinking more about his kith and kin resulting in more attachment and desperation. So forcing out of responsibilities and attachment will only rebound manifold. Therefore, both attachment and detatchment need an effort and neither qualifies as default. The default state is non-attached. So the effort is to return to default.

Non-attachment cannot be achieved by practise. It is the default state of every being. However, the mind has wavered from this central state to focus on various thoughts and desires. The mind, therefore needs to be trained to focus on the centre rather than on the circumference where the thoughts and desire live. That is what requires practise. The state of non-attachment brings about freedom. With that freedom, one will become fearless. His actions and judgements will be considered selfless and his decisons will be for the greater good.

To quote from Bhaja Govindam:

Satsangatvey Nissangatvam
Nissangatvey Nirmohatvam
Nirmohatvey Mischaltatvam
Nischaltatvey JivanmuktiH.

Sankara has clearly defined the path to jivanmukti.

1. Satsangatvey Nissangatvam

What is satsang?
Satsang means "good company". Good company is nothing but the union of minds to bring awareness to our self - awareness that the mind should focus on the centre and not on the desires sorrounding it. The awareness that "me" the centre is not affected by the "I" outside. Such a group that works towards this goal is alone satsang. In short, the starting point is the "satsang" which leads to "nissangatvam" (non-attachment). Temples and other punya kshetrams are the most common/obvious places to find such good satsang.

2. Nissangatvey Nirmohatvam
The state of non-attachment removes desires and automatically eliminates moha (delusion). This state helps us focus on the centre. Thus calmness and equanimity descends on one's self.

3. Nirmohatvey Nischaltatvam.
With the diminishing of delusion and the rise of clarity, one will be able to concentrate better on the centre. Sustained concentration alone can remove desires totally as the mind tends to waver back to its earlier thoughts.

4. Nischaltatvey jivanmuktih
Continuous awareness and complete concentration leads to mukthi (liberation) within the lifetime.

Adi Sankara, knowing that it is difficult for novices like us to reach the state of liberation, has provided us with this 4 step ladder to elevate ourselves.

Many of us get caught to one of the steps and choose to stay there forever. However in his Viveka Choodamani, Sankara has explained clearly that self-realization is the ultimate goal and one does not need to go to temple or take shower or be in a clean environment to reach it. All of these are mere facilitators and should be taken at face value.

Disclaimer: My interpretations are based on translated commentaries and my perception. Please use this post as a mere pointer to figure it out for yourself.

Tvameva Tat Tat Tvameva

2006-08-17T22:48:00.000-05:00

Tat tvam asi - Thou art That

is the most important hidden message of the Hindu scriptures. In an attempt to understand GOD and realize the world we tend to look outward. Over millions of years, from the period when darkness wrapped darkness around, desire has slowly taken away life and buried it deep under the worldly pleasures. The world created thus, as viewed externally, is explained as an illusion and looking inward alone will lead to the root of all beings. The great saints like Sankara, Ramana maharishi, Ramanuja, Desika, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Vivekananda have travelled the million years' worth of depth inward to reach the TRUTH. They all ended with a common conclusion - That life is universal. That You are the Truth, and the Truth is You.

Usha, to answer your question from Narayana sooktam:

Sa bhrama, sa siva, sa hari, s'endra s'okshara, parama swarat.

From GanapathuaAtharvasiirshopanishad:

Tvam bhrama Tvam Vishnustvamrudrastvamindrastvamagnistvamvayustvamsuryastvam chandrama tvam bhrama: boorbuva: svarOM.

It really doesn't matter as long as you pick one and place the complete faith.
Krishna, arguably is the most charismatic of them all - "Karshati ithi Krishnaha".
He gave the Bhagavat Gita. He graced the Gopikas (gender no bar) and Yadhavas (caste no bar) who knew no rituals/agamas of worshipping but love and Bhakti. He is the most recent Vishnu Avataram. His leelas are bountless. He is the Supreme God, if you believe.
Sarvam Krishnarpanamastu.

Ramayana to go

2006-08-14T23:30:00.001-05:00

ISKCON has done its share in spreading "Krishna Consciousness" in this part of the world. I have been quized by many colleagues about Hare Krishna. However it was strangely surprising when an American at work, asked me about Ramayana in the lift, today. "Do you know the story of 'Ramyana' "; he asked curiously. The elevator had already reached 5th floor and he had to get out there. Sure, I, not wanting to disappoint this person, gave him the gist of the story in the short time we had. "Rama killed Ravana", I quickly responded.
"Interesting", he said and got out.

Spammers welcome.Goodbye! to xyklmnju

2006-08-10T14:59:00.000-05:00

When I enabled word-verification, I was trying to do away with those unwanted comments. Deepa's post has changed my mind. I come to agree that I need not be overly protective about one's comment in my blog that may/may not provoke another . Therefore, henceforth I shall not try to moderate comments or shoo visitors away by making them spell difficult words especially when they are in rage.

Real reason? Comments are drying out. Spam me.

PS:-
Therefore, henceforth is oddly nice to use, I feel.
It reminds me of "You cannot start a sentence with because, because because is a conjunction".

Joe, Ganguly and the jump from WTC

2006-08-09T22:44:00.000-05:00

Not long before they were dumped, both these men were at the helm of affairs in their respective fields. Both won't give up and want to fight their way back, inspite of all odds. One finds a place among the 30 probables on the same day as the other severes his 40 year long relationship with the Dems to run as an independent. Whether one of them succeeds to break in to the mainstream again, is yet unknown. Nevertheless, it will be a great fightback for whoever does.
Ask Sourav or Leiberman, how it feels to be pushed from up there.

No content to write, nor content with life

2006-07-27T23:40:00.000-05:00

I do not live in the war-torn region of Lebanon/Israel.
Nor I have any connections in Baghdad/Tehran.
I don't have to take the Subway to NY or the trains in Mumbai to get to work.
I do not subscribe to the "Religion of Peace" to feel the stress in the West.
I am lucky to be born; to the north of Palk Straits.
More so to have escaped the Grandfather's rule there.
I was not affected by Katrina or Rita.
I pay no state tax.
Yet I feel life can be better.

Greed or Motivation?
Be it either. It doesn't seem to have an end.

Want more and more.....
I mean buttermilk. Heading to my refridgerator...

What Roberto Baggio failed to bring to Italy comes home.

2006-07-10T00:35:00.000-05:00

Italy wins the cup. I celebrated the win too.

Roberto Carlos - Arigato

2006-06-29T22:11:00.000-05:00

Imaginations run galore @ Pepsi. But does Roberto Carlos really have to go this far against Japan?

Jose + 10

2006-06-26T13:27:00.000-05:00

It took me a while to get over dissapointing Dirk's lack of big match gamesmanship , as Wade walked away with all the laurels. Switching to football, where the ball hits the net probably just once or twice in the entire game, was not an obvious alternative. Mexico and Netherlands losing to lesser opponents (yes I do mean Argentina) inspite of better display of talent and strategy brings out the irony, haunting me of the Maverics's loss to the Heat from 2-0 lead.

Now I am left with no choice but to root for Ghana which has been the only other team that I enjoyed watching. They are playing Brazil tomorrow.Who knows?

Watch these Commercials. These give me a respite.
Jose + 10
Continued here

And the funniest one sporting David Beckham as if he is not having enough trouble from the media.