Finding the Feet

If the ball pitches short of length, you will need to rock back onto the back-foot to adjust to the bounce. If it is pitched full, you move your feet to the pitch of the ball to place it in the gap precisely. If it’s on middle and off, you shuffle your front foot across to play the ball into the midwicket region in leg side. If it is a spinner tossing up the ball, you might judiciously jump out of the crease to the pitch of the ball and loft it over the infield. The longevity of a batsman’s career at helm depends on how well he moves his feet to counter the fearsome balls thrown at him, but it’s not just the life of a cricketer that depends on the rule of finding your feet.

The story is similar for every one of us who ventures into a new thing or another almost every next moment. It might be a gadget that you just brought, a course you just opted for, a new person you just met up with, a relationship that you’ve just entered into or a new job you just got appointed for.

Just like the T-20, ODI& Test variants of the game, the above mentioned moments also classifies itself into various kinds, based on the significance and influence those events are bound to make to your life and into your foreseeable future. Some of them are like the normal T-20’s were you don’t waste time trying to find your feet, rather just go after the bowlers from the word ‘Go!’. You just go by trusting your instinct or hunch were in you might succeed or may even lose, but who cares, it’s just a T-20 and not the end of times. Then there are others like the 50 overs a side ODI matches, were you can’t afford to throw it away right at the start. Again, you wouldn’t want to waste a hell lot of time finding your feet, because then you’ll be lagging behind your mates with the task at hand.

Then comes the very random, occasional opportunities or events like a test match, were you are completely new to the situation and have a lot of time to compromise and be content with. The successful ones here are those people who accumulate the crease the longest, survive the most, for which you have to find your feet and get it moving exactly at the right times. First days of a job is one of those big opportunities and I am now padding up for that big test of mine. The conditions are totally unlike anything that I’ve seen ever before. It’s a challenge, but also an opportunity.

Many of the so called big problems in life may seem gigantic to many of us, but in fact it’s just a matter of finding the feet, changing our attitudes or perspectives of how we look at it. Picture them as challenges like seeing off the new ball in a test match and it is surely going to be an interesting chapter of our lives, which we are bound to come over with valuable investments of our time and our efforts.

Battle of the Rivals – India v Australia

I'd wanted to write an article about Sachin Tendulkar when the master blaster scored the first ever ODI 200 in history, last year; but then, an exam kept me from doing that. I'd also wanted to write an article on the eve 1st match of this World Cup; but then a bad fever and infected throat had me rest in the hospital instead. Now on the day of the what is called the business end of the tournament, the first quarter finals, nothing will and nothing can stop me from coming up with this piece of writing on a sport that i love, that flows through my veins, that flows through the veins of over a billion people, Cricket!

Ever since that historical test match at Kolkata against Australia in 2001, the outlook of Indian cricket team had taken a U-turn around the world. Under the inspired captaincy of Sourav Ganguly and magical performances by Laxman, Dravid & Harbhajan India thrashed the then "Invincible" Australian side from almost impossible scenarios and even went on to win the series. The 2003 Indian tour to Down Under saw India winning a test match in Australia after ages, once again choreographed by Dravid & Laxman. A final resistance from Steve Waugh in his final international innings saved the test for Aussies and the series was drawn at 1-1. Since then, huge waves of anticipation followed every single India-Australia fixture and also produced some of the most finest & exciting performances of the last decade.

Today we are one day to go for yet another India-Australia contest and probably the most important one since the 2003 finals at Johannesburg. The core of Indian team remains the same even today, but Australia is no longer the might they used to be.

• Zaheer Khan will be daring to go against the Australian openers again, wanting to make up for his ill-fated opening over 8 years ago.
• Sachin Tendulkar will want to make his 100th international ton against his favorite opposition in a match that will take him closer to his only remaining dream, the World Cup.
• Sehwag will be looking forward to relish the big stage yet again, wanting to bat for the length of the innings and thus single-handedly take the match away with his blade.
• Yuvraj will want to continue his excellent showings with both bat & ball in his rebirth, a couple more of good performances and the Player of Series trophy could be in his showcase!
• Harbhajan will want to lead the spin trio from front, hunting the kangaroos down just like the way they did over a month ago at the warm-ups!

The above five couldn't stop an Australian team when it mattered 8 years ago, and they wouldn't want to repeat those mistakes again.

Enough said, Australia have always been my favorite team outside India and Ponting the captain is placed shoulder-to-shoulder with my icon Ganguly. I know its funny, but I often compared his autocracy in the field to the then President of USA, George W Bush. Its a shame that this game ain't happening at Mumbai with the World Cup all but up for the grabs. On any other day, against any other opposition Ponting, Lee & Clarke would've been the players I would've loved to see smiling, but not tomorrow. Come tomorrow evening, the Kangaroos will enter into the bulls ring surrounded by over 50,000 cheering fans, taking on the mighty tigers of India. Over a billion viewers will want to see the raised willow of a smiling Sachin & joyous celebration of Zaheer & Co in the field. Go India, Go!!!

My Story of a Cinema Going.

How many times have you gone to a theatre to watch a movie? I've gone plenty of times, and probably the list may well have been destroyed beyond recollection. But every now and then one of those movie-going-experience becomes different, memorable. Don't ask how they become memorable, it could be the rush-hush and adventures of getting the ticket, it could be the face of one beautiful girl you came across and it could also be for some disgusting incidents that took place. Here's my little story of going to a cinema some days back.

In this land where names sound more like that of a breaking of plates, getting to talk in English is rare. Even rarer is to watch an English movie in theatres and the rarest of incidents took place this December 1st. The movie My Name is Khan released in China.

Traditionally only 20 foreign language movies are permitted a release in China and this year My Name is Khan was one of those top 20 movies which makes it to the cinema halls in China, and stunningly, 10 months after its real release. The news of the release came out in the first week of November and we happened to know that Shahrukh Khan & Karan Johar would be there in Beijing for the premier of the movie in China. So our initial plans were to fly to Beijing to meet them. Fly to a city 1200 KM away, to meet an actor, and almost during our exam time. Plan dropped!

Then we came to know that the movie is releasing in two malls in Nanjing and we were again excited. Days passed by as exams came and swept us away. Someone had kept a remainder for the 30th of November, reminding the release of My Name is Khan and things were back in minds and plans were to be made again. Anxiousness was the ask of the day even though the movie had been watched a few days after its release in some cheap camera prints and later in crystal clear DVD's.

We will whistle when the titles roll. We will throw paper pieces when SRK makes the intro. We will shout; we will clap; we will create havocs.

Every Indian had a reason to be proud of because no movie of any other friends of ours had come here; none of those Pakistani/Nepali/Srilankan/Indonesian/African movies. God knows if all of them have even a film industry. So this positive energy continued from the classroom to the lunch hall and several friends from other campuses joined us too. The energy followed us through the metro trip to the place, and racing against time, we reached the hall at 2.45 PM and the show was supposed to start at 2.40.

Having reached the ticket counter, there was not many people enquiring or picking up tickets even though the mall had 9 theatres or so. We asked tickets for "My Name is Khan" which they didn't understand in the first go. So the geek among us who ate-drank-and-slept on Chinese language asked the lady in that language and she replied with a mouth full of flourish. "Wo de ming jiao ke an?" and the smile continued. That was incidentally the name of the movie in Chinese which translates to My Name is Khan literaly. So we shouted back "Yeah!!".

Suddenly her smile kind of disappeared and she asked the lady in the next counter, who seemed to know better English and the lady informed us. " Wo de ming jiao ke an mei you yinwen, shi zhong wen"

All our plans were broken down to pieces!! The damn movie was in Chinese and not Hindi/English. All the excitement and preparations only to see a Chinese poster of My Name is Khan.

Google Vs Facebook. Strength’s Vs Weaknesses.

To start of with, this one ain’t a technical post. This is a post explaining the thoughts that crossed my mind during my first 5 minutes in Facebook Mail. The bolded text is the happening in the I-World (Internet-World) and the text below are my thoughts.

So there was this big buzz in the I-World when Mark Zuckerberg announced a thing or two about Facebook Mail, a couple of weeks back I guess.

Another newbie in the I-World and lots of waves created. The success of Facebook means high expectations on the yet to materialize Facebook Mail. So I send in a request to get an invitation for the new Facebook Mail.

I got the Facebook Mail today. I was asked to upgrade the normal messages to the new Facebook Mail & I was given my new Facebook E-mail ID.

My first expressions were in a “Glad” note. Glad, as in I got hold of the Facebook mail before many of my friends. On the first look, it looked plainly similar to the old Facebook Messages, except that may be it covers the width of the page now.

So just to check the working of it, I sent a mail from my Gmail to the new Facebook ID. Back in Facebook when I tried to access the mail I had sent in from Gmail, they said there was a temporary glitch. A problem which did disappear by a refresh, but that was enough for me to come out with a Moral message. The following was my next post in FB.

Facebook Mail Sucks!! Zuckerberg can't beat Larry Page in the mailing front! (FB vs. Google: P)

What’s the Message from all this?

Google has the most successful search engine in the world, and one of the better mail services in Gmail, and another super success in Blogger. But none of those helped a bit when they ventured into Google Buzz, an application similar to Twitter. Google Wave is another, yet similar story of tragedy.

Facebook has the most successful social networking site in the world, but their next big thing; the Facebook Mail looks all set to be a crash & burn.

Everyone has got their own domains, Facebook the Social Networking & Google their own ones. Then why do they have to cross borders into another one’s territories ambitiously? Just as a nation enters into another one’s territory eyeing to reap benefits, but ends up in wars, destruction & famine. If those efforts were spent in their own territory, surely they would’ve been a brighter nation. Alike, instead of transcending into others domain, I wish Facebook expand and improve the glitches in their own services and the same  goes on with Google.

Facebook, Google, Twitter and all similar applications were all results of some brilliant ideas and dreams. Why are they now diluting their dreams by carving out pieces from others dreams?

Work on your Weaknesses rather than another one’s Strengths! ~ Naveen.

Ashok Chakra. A Tribute to Mumbai 26/11.

Today, 26/11/2010 marks the 2^nd anniversary of one of the most horrifying incidents of Post-Independence India. Let us salute the brave souls who lost their lives fighting selflessly on the 3 black letter days in Mumbai and also pray for all of the deceased souls.

 

Click here for the full list of the deceased during the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Everyone will have a story to tell about this day, the date. My story of the Mumbai attacks goes on like this. On the night of 26^th Nov, 2008, I was chatting with a friend of mine from Mumbai. So while we were chatting, the news of a terrorist strike broke out and this friend was the one who told me about it. She rushed on to make a couple of phone calls to ensure the safety of her friends. I glanced across several websites to get to know the details and was incidentally relieved to find out it was not a bomb blast, which could really take away lots of lives instantly. Only after a while did I notice that the attack was even more dangerous and serious than a bomb blast. Live terrorists were shooting down innocent lives with machine guns in many crowded and landmark places of one of the most populous cities in the world. While this friend was chatting with me late in the night, she got a call and a moment or two later, returned to say her friend was also shot at the Taj Mahal Palace and went offline before I could offer a word of console.

I’ve always had this belief that the best of anyone comes out when in troubled times. I have fond memories how people unite in face of troubled times. Back in Sainik School while in the 9^th class, we used to be the junior-most in the house, inferior to the 10^th, 11^th & the 12^th guys. So facing the rigorous punishments on a day to day basis, what really happens is that it unites each one of the sufferers into one, one big nutshell. Mumbaikars found the same strength in the troubled times and they showed their courage and determination by going to their respective works from the very next day. By doing so, they had given out a clear message to the perpetuators of the attack that nothing can hinder the spirits of the people of Mumbai and the citizens of India.

Two years have gone and the lone captured terrorist Ajmal Kasab is still alive. Several leads have been found, but no real action has been taken against the real organizers of the crime. Heaven knows what, ‘Dossiers’ have been exchanged between the Indian & Pakistani governments and even the Media doesn’t have a count of it. The country has been spending crores of money to keep Ajmal Kasab alive, on his safety and security, but honestly, does that man deserve all these?

I can’t help myself not to criticize the judicial system of our nation. A person who killed 166 innocent people with machine guns; who as per the court waged war against the country, why in the hell is he alive still? I don’t know if many are aware of this, but SI Tukaram Omble sacrificed his own life while trying to arrest Kasab alive. This is an excerpt from Wikipedia.

Baudankar says that Assistant Sub Inspector Tukaram Omble was hit by the bullets as he was the first to charge towards Kasab and his associate armed with just a stick. "All those who were with Omble survived as he stood like a shield," adds Kadam. "When we saw that Omble was not letting go of the terrorist's gun, we knew we could not let his sacrifice go in vain. He held on and we completed his unfinished task," his colleague Sanjay Govilkar said.

It’s nothing like the news of a death sentence for Kasab makes any change in my life or gives me a high, but it’s that the life and sacrifice of brave men like SI Omble goes down the lane worthless in the present situation. The loop-holes in our Judiciary that keeps him alive even today are almost making fun of the sacrifices of those valiant officers. Lets hope the perpetuators of the attack gets caught, and soon the whole of terrorism gets wiped away from the face of our planet.

26/11 is now a part of history and bullet holes on the walls and the scars in the hearts of Mumbaikars shall remain forever. The least we can do is to be better citizens of this vibrant nation. For a nation which has had to face many unfortunate challenges like the terrorist attacks, cross-border insurgency and interior Naxalism, it’s a shame that our politicians are adding on to the woes by stupid scams and scandals, which becomes bigger & filthier every next time.

The Ashok Chakra is an Indian military decoration awarded for valor, courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the battlefield, during peace time. 15 Police men and 2 NSG commandos lost their lives encountering terrorists. Officers Hemant Karkare, Vijay Salaskar, Ashok Kamte and Tukaram Ombale and 2 NSG commando’s Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan & Havildar Gajendar Singh were awarded Ashok Chakra for their sacrifices. We salute one and all of them.

Image Courtesy - Flickr

What Men Want? Check Out!!

“What Men Wants” is a blogging contest conducted in & by Blogadda.com. What attracted me to this topic was that a search on this topic in Google returned 34 million less results compared to “What Women Wants” and so I am here trying to eliminate the deficit (Ha-ha!), and on course trying to find out a diplomatic solution to “What MEN want”!

Similar posts on the wants of Men & Women are of abundance in the blogosphere and one obvious thing are the lists, specifying points as in men liked to do this and not this, men wanted this and not this, men meant this and not this. C’mon, how it is that one can describe the nature of more than 3 billion people through a list of likes & dislikes.

Then the genuine question is what is it that I can present, which differs from others, and still gives at least a hazy idea of what men really wanted. I can only write on what I want, and that may or may not be a real reflection or the real answer to the question. Suddenly the filaments of the so called bulb in my brain sparked and resulted in it shining at over a 1000 Watts!

ASK QUESTIONS!!!

Wow! That ain’t a bad idea. I mean, I can go on and ask this question as in a survey to people around me, Men of course, and see what they have to say. It also makes better sense considering it will be Men’s choices and not ‘a’ Man’s.

So this is what I heard from my friends.

The first one says. “Women...Money…Enjoyment!! …a big life…with lots of dreams…money…more money…lots of people…partying…want to share moments with family…and yeah, of course…you know it!! (The S-word)” So, I asked him, on the kind of girl he dreamt… “A pretty one, traditional, loyal, friendly, patient…and with a long hair…” And he had a giggle saying the long hair.

The second one went on like this… “I want to hit to gym for ever, a fit body always! Then, a beautiful girl, with a pretty pair of legs” On things other than girls, he said “I want to be able to sleep as much, have a nice job, high salary, less working hours, enjoyable life, a Lamborghini, enough n more time to enjoy, and a beautiful wife”. He adds he wants to have multiple dates with hot ladies in town, the dream girl of everyone. Well, I can say he might travel to the moon, but not his last wish.

Another guy was a bit different. He said he wanted to travel a lot, before adding onto the lady-part. He said “I want to travel around a lot…” and later added… “I want 2 kids, the elder one girl and the younger one a boy. A home beside the sea, a small one though. A wife who’s elder, say 5-15 years older than him.” He got some conditions too “She shouldn’t smoke and drink. Well…drink, occasionally okay, but not at home.” According to him an elder girl takes better care of you, much like a baby. Not a bad one.

So what is to be understood from what we’ve heard now? From the opinions and voices of Men from different nations, who have different sets of minds? Everyone wants a girl, a lovely relationship. They dream high and aspire for a grand house and fat-fat pay cheques. They want fun in their lives and wish to share them with families. They want racy cars and want to see the world.

So the question that crosses my mind now is, are all these the wants of just men? If a lovely relationship is the want of men, what is it that women want? If money and grand houses are what men’s wishes, do women dream of being broke & homeless? Ain’t having a family and living the life out with them as much a women’s wish as it is for men? So what is the big fuss of what women want and what men want? As I believe it, it’s not the gender that defines wishes, but personality and character. A person with a very serious outlook about life may have a set of things that he wanted in life, irrespective of him being an M/F. Another set of people who always sees the funny side in a life might want different things in their life; and here too, I don’t see the gender/sex defining a line that differentiates the wants or the aspirations of both.

Personally I feel the question very stupid and the truth is that many of the blogs which points out things that men like, women like and what we don’t like are only good to have laugh about. They are only good to you if you are a film director and you want an easy method to describe your characters, the female lead in a ‘Girly way’ and the hero as a ‘Macho Man’, for in real life, follow your instincts or you are paving your own path to troubled days.

The funniest thing about the question is, when I asked my friends “What do you want, as a Man”, they all jumped back on to me, shouting “Women & *** !!!”, as if answering a Rapid-Fire round for a gift hamper.

Go to www.myntra.com and check out t shirts for men! Also visit the largest community of Indian Bloggers at BlogAdda.com

The Man, his Diary and a Story!

The alarm tore apart the silence in the room; starting off smoothly, slowly and steadily gaining pace and sound. The shade of a hand, rose in the darkness and started crawling in the surface; searching for something and in a few seconds it got hold of the alarm clock and killed the already loud tone. Hesitantly a figure rose on its knees, it was that of a nicely built man; he looked all around in the dim light, as if searching for something and switched on the lights by the bed side. The room was not as messed up as a young man’s, a bachelor’s room. There were quite a lot of books in the table and some clothes hung on his chair, the shelf was closed down and the room was pretty empty but for the table, the mattress, the study table and chair.

He opened the laptop lid and starred to the background wallpaper for a few seconds and opened the VOIP calling software in his laptop, and dialed a number from the contacts.

Tringg….Tringgg…Tringg…..Tringg…..

Hello Mamma…

Albertttt!!!..... You are so on time again, right at two! (Looking at the clock rear side) Where are you now baby?

I am way far off, Mamma… (Far away from you he whispered)…

Far?? So what time is it over there?

Time..? I just woke up now Mamma…

Why do you sound different? Have you caught cold or cough Alby?

No Mamma…I am fine…

You said far, are you in the Siberians? Should be pretty cold out there…

No Mamma…it’s not the cold! I said… I am fine…

Alby, it’s been three years now, when are you visiting me?

Soon Mamma, I gotta go now, next week…Mamma…

Oh… So soon again!! Love you Alby…

You to Mamma…take care!

He pressed the end call button and kept his eyes on the phone number and the magical letters beside it, ‘Mamma’. Several expressionless moments passed by and he got down from his bed and went to the far end of the room and opened the door by it, the bath room. He spent several moments in front of the mirror, running his hands through the scars and marks and acne’s in his face, again the silence prevailed. Closing the bathroom door behind him, he took a sip of water from the flask and sat beside the study table. He searched for something among the ocean of books, and soon had that thick covered elegant looking book in his hand and the hard cover read “Diary – 2008”.

Under the elegantly written “Diary – 2008” was a hand written phrase in a nasty way which read “ Call Registry – only for saturdays”.

He smiled and opened it and kissed his mothers photo which was right at the first page. He moved on to the bookmarked page and read it and the page before it and the one before it, the dates kept on changing, but not the writing. The same text kept on repeating as in one of those impositions you were made to write in your yester-year classes, only the handwriting changed, which kept swinging from impressive to un-readable, probably explaining the regular mood swings.

He took the pen and started scribbling.

Called Mamma today. Another week has gone by and another week is to come. Another 6 days and 23 hours and 50 minutes to go; the wait for the last week now goes down the lane, the lane of history and its almost 3 years now. I still find it d…

“Albert…Alberttt!!...”

There was a knock on the door and someone was calling out his name, he dropped the pen by and rushed to the door dragging the chair while he was getting off it and making the irritating high frequency sound of metals.

The elderly sounding voice from outside, that of a woman, continued,

“...oh…how many times have I told not to drag the chair Alby? And how many times, not to lock down the door always?? You never listen to me…”

A rare smile crossed Albert’s face and replied, opening the door…

“You know I love irritating you, Mrs. Haven…”

“You & your love!! It won’t be long before I take away that chair from your room. Alby… have Suzanne come with the medicine yet??” enquired the elderly lady.

“No Mrs. Haven…its just 3.20 now and today is Saturday; your memory is rusting Mrs. Haven”

“Oh…well,come and have your lunch now…right now!!” added the lady in a stern voice.

“Sure Mrs. Haven…I’ll be there in 10 minutes…”

She let a sigh and said “Okie!!”

Closing the door behind him, he went back to his diary. He ignored the bookmark and raced to the back cover of the diary and took the cross-folded sheet of paper, nicely written on the flip sides and appeared to have been folded over and again in the same manner. He opened and glanced through, wondering if his hand writing was the only thing that had improved over the 2 years since writing it. It read,

Dear Mamma…

I want to apologize to you Mamma and this surely is not the letter you would have wanted to read, after not hearing from me for so long. I am sure you will have the patience to read through these lines and … and I love you Mamma.

I have been lying to you for all these years Mamma, of being busy across borders and oceans, with some work. I have been in an asylum in Philadelphia all these years I was infected by a disease and I was no longer wanted by my company. I was coming down to meet you on your b’day several years back and I lost consciousness while in the subway. The people took me to hospital and they found out my disease and with no personal information and contact details, they were forced to send me to the asylum where I had been for all these days.

I was told by the doctors on how serious my situation was and having faced troubles from my work place and among my old friends, I decided to stay full time at the asylum under the supervision of Dr. Stevens and Mrs. Haven & our lovely care taker and nurse, Suzanne. The time here was peaceful, with every one of us, the inmates being in more or less the same situation. I never returned to you fearing how your friends might respond to my sickness. I never even had the heart and guts to visit you. I called up only once in a week, because i wanted you to get used to, living without me, and i called you every week because i owed you every second of my life, for the breath that i took in was all a mercy of yours.

Mamma, I had AIDS and I am to be blamed for it. My actions are to be blamed and my care-less nature is to be blamed. I apologize to you for the discomfort this letter is causing you and I pray to god that you have the strength to overcome this. I’ve been regretting all my actions for the last years, knowing millions of hours of regret won’t let me rectify my moments in the past! I cry for another chance, for a wiser yesterday and a better tomorrow. I am sorry for leaving you all alone and by the time you read this, I would have closed my eyes for one last time.

Today is your birthday Mamma, a few years prior to when you will read this though. Happy Birthday Mom!!

Loving

Alby.

Oct 15, 2006

He was brought back to senses by Mrs. Haven’s loud thud on the door asking him to come over for lunch. He wiped the tears trickling down and moved on for lunch. At the dining hall he tiredly dragged the chair making the loud irritating metallic sound again.

“Alby, again how many times have I told you, not to drag the chair?”

He smiled and replied,

“You know I love irritating you, Mrs. Haven…”

 

AIDS not only kills you gradually but also kills your status in the society. People have their fear of being infected by working with or touching an infected person. Infected ones are hurt more by the way others behave to them rather than their bodies. This one’s a short story which was inspired by the Tom Hanks starrer Philadelphia in which he’s an infected men, who was thrown out of job on discovery of his disease. Various other films these days speak of the terrible diseases like AIDS and Cancer and the best thing one can do is to curtail one’s actions for a better tomorrow.

The Ultimate Truth!! ( Guest Poem)

This is a guest post or a guest poem by Ardra, a friend of mine. She has some awesome thoughts and an awesome way of penning them down, and its a privilege to have her let me post this poem in my blog. I thank her for always honestly commenting on my earlier posts and now, for letting me publish this in my blog.

Oh, Oh, Ohhh…..
How I love looking in your eyes
That’s where Innocence sleeps!
The same innocence of a new born baby…
Soo fresh…so dreamy…so nascent!
I have found myself lost in those…
Not once , not twice but everytime I’ve looked at it!

Oh, Oh, Ohhh…..
How I love to see your smile…
That’s where my Happiness lies!
The same smile of my Guardian Angel’s…..
Soo alluring…so mesmerizing….so beauteous!
I have forgotten all my sorrows…
Always when U smile at me!

Oh, Oh, Ohhh…..
How I love to stay in your arms…..
That’s where I belong!
The same protective feeling it gives….just like when I was in mother’s womb…
Soo careing….so indulgent….so benevolent!
I have felt the protective warmth…
Takeaway all the dead cold memories!

Oh, Oh, Ohhh…..
How I thrive on U
Stumbling over words to express how I feel
Because, U have always boldly seized my voice!
How you are the first one
I've found myself willing to learn and grow with
Because, U r my past, the present and the future!
U have invaded my heart
Broke all the walls that have taken me so long to build!
Now, all it conveys to you is my fears of getting hurt
As well as the fact that I don't care anymore
Because my heart has been taken over by U
And now, there is no turning back!.

My Camera Speaks II : World Expo 2010 Unveiled

I am sure I messed up with the trust of my readers by faking an experience from a live football match, with out actually entering the stadium, but then this time is real and genuine and you wouldn’t want to miss this one.

The World Expo 2010 is a 6 month long carnival at Shanghai – China, one of the major economic centers of the world. Over 190 countries and 50 international companies have pavilions, which is also the largest World's Fair site ever at 5.28 square km. The exhibition which is to end in over a month’s time is expected to attracted around 70-100 million ( 7-10 crores ) visitors, the largest for a single event ever. An astounding 3 Lakhs visitors are told to be visiting the expo-site every single day.

These are some of the pictures from the Expo-site.

…At the entrance of the Shanghai World Expo Site…

…The Tricolor…

 

…The Long Queue, nearly 300,000 people pass through these queues every day…

…The pride of China, Chinese Pavilion ( two views )…

…This one’s a Chinese Cultural Pavilion ( my personal favorite from the site!)…

…The Expo Axis…

 

…Three outstanding buildings in Shanghai, as seen from Expo site, (left to right) the Oriental Pearl tower, the Jinmao Tower (11th tallest in world) & the Shanghai World Financial Center ( 3rd tallest in world)…

…Country Pavilions…

…Australia & Finland…

   

…Greece & Sweden…

…Iceland & Ukraine…

…Canada & United Kingdom…

…South Africa & Argentina…

…Inside the African Pavilion…

…The Lupu Bridge, adjacent to Expo site…

     

…The China Aviation Pavilion… 

These photos are entirely clicked by either me, or on me. Please do not copy any with out my consent.

Further photos from the trip & a detailed report about Expo & Indian Pavilion shall follow. Please subscribe to my blog, to receive alerts on my blog updates. (Check back at the right side – top, to subscribe)

Happy Engineer’s Day! A Tribute.

 

Happy Engineer’s day to you mate~!

I know you are quite confused as like, ‘there is a day for the engineers too?’

Yeah dude, there is one and it is today. The 15th of September is regarded as the Engineers Day in India, as a tribute to one of the first and finest engineers India has produced, Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya. Today is his 150th b’day and let us, with all the pride, wish our fellow engineers a Happy Engineers day.

When i accidently came across this piece of knowledge, that of today being the Engineer’s Day, i knew nothing about him except his name, courtesy the Visvesvaraya Science & Technology Museum, Bangalore. Google and wikipedia helped me expand my knowledge of this great man and here are a few lines about him, a tribute.

Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya was born on 15th of Sept 1860, 150 years prior to today, at Muddenahalli village in the present day Karnataka. He earned his B.A. from the Madras University in 1881 and later completed civil engineering from College of Science, Pune. Upon graduating he took up some tedious projects under PWD & Indian Irrigation Commission. Visvesvaraya achieved celebrity status when he designed a flood protection system to protect the city of Hyderabad from floods. He was also very much responsible for the Krishna Raja Sagar Dam across River Cauvery in Mysore & upon completion, it was the biggest reservoir in Asia.

Upon retirement as an engineer, he was made the Diwan of Mysore and he was made the Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire by the British, for his invaluable contributions to the public. Sir Visvesvaraya was conferred with the honorary membership of the international Institution of Civil Engineers ( London based ), a fellowship of the Indian Institute of Science ( Bangalore based ) and several other honorary doctorates. He also received Indian Republic's highest honor, the Bharat Ratna, in 1955. He passed away on the 14th of April, 1962 in Bangalore. A true marvel who had lived for over 100 years.

I remember this true legend on his 150th birth day and i wish everyone a Happy Engineer’s Day!

Engineers are the ones who create this nation, structurally. Respect & support them.

A Coffee in the Park!!

“Varsha, I’ll get you a coffee, stay here only, okay?” said Karthik.

She nodded saying “Ok, be back fast”.

She walked a bit and sat down in one of the benches in the garden. It was quite late in the night and there were not many people in her vicinity in a star-less night with the clouds covering the moon and the only source of vision were those lightings on both sides of the paths in the park and they were small enough to hide the tears in her eyes.

Her last four years flashed through her mind and she closed her eyes to let her mind talk with the breeze.

(Thoughts)

Varsha and Ananya lived in a rented house, in the a floor above the owners, another malayali family permanently settled here in Bangalore. Varsha worked as a clerical staff in the most glamorous and loved youth magazine of the town but those words failed to find a meaning in her life. For Varsha and her 3 year old kid Ananya or Anu, this house was their heaven and hell and all. It had a common room, a kitchen and a bedroom with a bathroom attached to it, and their common room and kitchen making up as their place to dine. Varsha left Anu in a play school while at work and often received a crying baby at the end of the day.

In the evenings they never had any TV to entertain them  neither a computer to bring the world to their fingertips. Evenings were usually silent with Varsha busy on some books and Anu never really had the cute kind of life, usually any 3 year old had. Life was silent for them but the important thing was that it’s been sailing forward without much of troubles for the last 3 years.

A pat on the shoulder shook her. She was in this world, not of dreams or horrors, of her on life, the way it’s been for the last 3 years. She turned back to see who it was and found Karthik with a smile in his face, has he changed at all in the last three years? , thought Varsha.

Karthik saw the traces of wiped off tears down her cheeks and thought how no woman can quite hide the tears in their faces and the sadness in their hearts, even while trying to!! The tears in her eyes made him realize that she might need to spend a bit more time alone and so excused himself saying he had to go make a phone call from the booth.

“Hmm...Yeah, okay!” replied in a lame voice. She watched Karthik disappear into the semi darkness,

(Thoughts)

Karthik has never changed a bit, thought Varsha, he’s the same guy she has known for ever, the same Karthik with whom she leapt into the pond every single day while in her child hood days, the same Karthik with whom she went riding cycle for hours in their native place, the same Karthik who taught her Mathematics the night before her 10^th class boards and the same Karthik who presented her with a kiss in her right cheek on her 17^th b’day. Karthik had promised with another kiss on her 18^th b’day that he would, till his last breath, be with her, and it was a love, which had no origin and which they knew will never have an end, a love story without boundaries.

Today the same Karthik has just become her most un-expected guest.

(Earlier in the evening…)

Even though they had a calling-bell at the door, it was never used as they never had any guests, unless when Anu used to make Varsha ring it, her fondness for the ting-tong sound, but today at 8 PM it was strange to hear the ting-tong again and Anu came running from the bedroom thinking Varsha rang it, just to put a smile across Anu’s face, only to see Varsha busy with her cooking. Varsha was equally surprised to hear the ring and called out ;

“Who is this?”

“Varsha… Karthi…Its Karthik…” was the reply from the other side.

The name had sent vibes through her body and she was nothing more than a statue for a few seconds until Anu enquired who it was! She took Anu by side and opened the door. Karthik was not shocked at the sight but Varsha was, not shocked, but sad and that was quite visible in her eyes and her face and the dullness in dimples proved it all.

Karthik came in, he wore a blue shaded jeans and a casual t-shirt with some crazy writings, he still had the look of a college-goer and look at Varsha, who was in her night dress, Anu clinging on to her clothes, yes she’s a mother!! Varsha found starting a conversation a bit tough, not because he’s a stranger, but because she knew him too well and she had done too many things, she should never have done.

“I got your address from one of your old class mates at Bangalore…” said Karthik while stepping into their house and Varsha nodded closing the door. Varsha went to the corner switchboard and switched on the fan.

“What’s your name kiddie…” Karthik turned towards Anu and asked just to break the strong silence that prevailed in the room.

“Myy! name isssss Ananyaa…” replied Anu in a childish-rhyming way. (My name is Ananya.)

“Anu…my………daughter” added Varsha in a slow, paused way.

Karthik responded with a nice smile and kept his trekking bag in a chair and looked around the house, another few broken moments of silence.

“So what do you do now Varsha?”

“I work at a Magazine office, you?”

“I am about to complete my CA. Magazine? You became a writer?? ” asked a seemingly astonished Karthik.

A smile slipped into her for the first time since the ring of the doorbell.

“No…not a writer, as a clerical staff” replied with an extended smile and the tensions eased out.

The conversation went on in a light way for few minutes while Varsha served him a cup of coffee.

“Varsha…why don’t you come back, to home, your grandfather had asked me to search for you and persuade you to come back, at least once. Forget all that had happened…” said Karthik

“No Karthik, I never even expected to meet you, and I am sure, and particular, I am not going back, I can’t go back, no one will ever forgive me for my mischiefs” replied Varsha.

Karthik on hearing those words felt distressed and readied to leave. Varsha persuaded him to stay with them for this night and once Anu was off to bed, asked Karthik if they could go out for a walk.

(Karthik is back after phone call)

She heard the sound of approaching footsteps and turned back to see him, it’s been about 5 minutes alone. She thought if Karthik had gone to call her grandfather to tell him that he had met Varsha at last!??

Karthik came near her and handed her a bottle of Orange juice. She took it but never opened the cap.

“Karthik, can I say something?” said Varsha

“Yes, you said you wanted to talk to me while at home and haven’t spoken a word yet” said Karthik

“Karthik, I am sorry for what had happened, and what I have done to you, I was so out of control at Bangalore…” she paused and glanced at Karthik’s face. Karthik didn’t utter a word, but indicated her to continue speaking and Varsha thought, Karthik has really matured over this 3 years.

“Actually, it all happened during our second year, we were just playing games, we were playing tricks on a guy, I acted like I had a crush on him, but he was an innocent guy and………I don’t know what happened ……I changed a lot, used to drink with girls……” she paused over and again and checked the expression on Karthik’s face. His face was calm and pleasant and the look in his face made her feel a bit more comfortable.

“ I fall in love with him…and decided to get married, but … but he died in a bike accident the day before our register marriage, it was a few days before my graduation…”

“ Then why didn’t you return to home or call me?” interrupted Karthik.

“ I was pregnant…” she was looking down and went to the bench and sat down there covering her face, as if to hide the tears.

“ But Varsha, how could you…, I haven’t seen you for 4 years…… and not for one moment have i thought about anyone else… and you…from college…it was shocking when I heard this news from your friends and I was angry and made up in my mind that I will never ever check for you again” Karthik spoke this time and Varsha was looking into his eyes, she sensed the pain in his eyes and touched his palm, symbolically asking for an apology.

“Karthi…” she called him but he didn’t reply.

“ Will you accept me now?” she never planned to ask such a question, but it just came out of her mouth.

“ But you don’t love me anymore, and if you didn’t care to even make a call in the last 3 years, why now?” asked a seemingly shocked Karthik but in a stern voice.

Varsha remained silent. Karthik continued

“…you said you won’t even come home with me, even to meet your grandfather…then why now all of a sudden?? ”

“Karthik, this is not about if I love you or not, this is about life and the reality of it. What I want at this time is safety ……. Security ….. Care …. I want to be ensured a life, where I know I have something to look forward to every evening, when I know I need to wake up early in the morning to prepare food for my family and serve my husband a cup of bed tea, someone to look after and guide Anu…… something like life and family ” replied Varsha with her eyes meeting that of Karthik’s.

“But you never thought all these 3 years ago…” said Karthik who now stood up and took the Orange juice bottle from her hand and took a gulp.

“Karthik…”

She didn’t have another word to say but enough was conveyed in that single mention of Karthik …the pain in her heart…the support and the care she and Anu missed…the loneliness in her life…everything.

Karthik sat down in the bench just as Varsha had stood up to join Karthik; Karthik took another gulp of the juice and looked at his watch. He said it was 12.10 in the midnight and enquired when she had office the next day. She said she would take a leave if Karthik stayed back. They decided to go back to her home, which was just 15 minutes’ walk away. They walked slowly and in silence, often looking into the other one’s face and in an instant, Karthik grabbed her hands and asked

“ Varsha, we have been inseparable for the first 20 years of our lives, unfortunate moments occurred and all these 3-4 years were the price we had to pay for it…” he paused , with a smile and continued “ … I will go back home tomorrow and talk to grandfather and convince everyone…”

Those words were spoken as if he had prepared them in his heart beforehand. Varsha had tears rolling down her cheeks and Karthik smiled at her with a widely open mouth, she wiped off her tears and stood there for once, it was just 5 minutes from the building.

Karthik looked surprised and stood back too. Varsha came near to him and kissed him gently and murmured in his ears “ I am sorry for …”

Karthik didn’t let her finish the sentence as he closed her mouth with his hand and said…

“All that happened yesterday has disappeared with the setting sun, I am glad I found you out at least today, all these were our fate, which just had to happen, which just had happened and this is also fate, now all that remains  is us. Me, you & Anu”

Varsha was relieved to hear those words and she held on to his hands and felt the warmth and they walked silently to her, to their house.

A story about love, hatred, emotions, feelings, relationships…A story of Life! The most important things in anyone’s life is the safety and the security of their life, the belief that someone is there for them, always.

A Serene Lakeside Evening…

It was drizzling and there was a slow and smooth breeze across the lake. As i moved far from the daily traffic, far from the crowded cities, far from the hurrying roads, far from the developed world, i found my footsteps becoming slower and the air around me fresher. There were no more horns and sounds of roaring motor engines and the only waves hitting my ear drums now were from those tiny water droplets falling over the lake and the humming of those occasional birds. Far away, there were the luxuries of modern life in the form of beautiful hotels with eye catching lights and wonderful gardens with more lightings and fountains. But on this side of the lake i was just surrounded by the moist tender grass all over in a moon lit evening beside the silent lake. There were no massage girls here as it could have been the case in those luxury hotels across the shore, but these tender grass tickled my feet and i could smell the mixture of mud and water and the smell of grass and the smell of fresh water, those smells very much of the nature and not of those costly perfumes. In front was the amazing lake and across this lake stood the attractive club houses and hotels with attractive lightings. On the right and left far ends i could see the city looming from far and the never ending array of tall buildings seemed like stars and constellations up in the sky, from this distance. As i continued to walk there were occasional couples crossing me and they were talking and feeling their love for their partners. I never made any sound, so that i don’t disturb this silence of the nature.


As the road at the other end started getting closer, the horns of vehicles and the sounds of hurrying people were again present and even the pure smell of nature was diluted with the smell of fuels and metals. I was till now, as if in a dream and all these thoughts of enjoying the silence had to be left behind, because in this world everything rested on how quick you moved and how quickly you thought and how quickly you did things. There were no place for the slow movers and lazy thinkers and i feel that's why as time goes forward fewer people believes in the fancy stories and the fantasy worlds because if you have to believe all those, you have to enjoy the slowness at least once in life to get to feel how it is!!


I am not trying to say that the development and innovations the human race has so far achieved are not good enough, but to be a better human being you also need to understand the nature and enjoy its beauty, you have to slow your steps at times and think of the things you see at your front, your back and your sides and smell them, feel them and enjoy them. After all, all these beautiful sights and smells and feelings and sounds could sometimes cheer and satisfy you more than the money you earn.


Now i had no other option, but to walk faster or else i will have to wait for 90 seconds at the traffic light.

A Curse, That Never Dissolved!! – Part 1

Societies are often cruel to criminals. They never care if the person had suffered in jails or if they had come out as a better man. Once in jail, many don’t get a second chance in life.This story is dedicated to all those people who had a tough life out from jails just because of a mistake they had done in their Pasts.


He kept his plate and the glass aside at the usual place. This tiny space inside the 3 walls and a “cage like” prison door have been his life for the past 8 years. He hadn’t switched on the light today because he preferred to spend this night in a darkness. He had dreamt of this day so long and often had felt this waiting too painful and had made himself busy with other things and thoughts. But now that day was just a sunrise away.


Yeah!! He’s all set to be free tomorrow. This was Sivan’s last day of conviction. He will no longer be served government food and will no longer have to hide himself in the darkness of the prison cell. He will no longer have to sleep in a rotten mat in this cracked floor and neither did he want to. He will no longer have to fight a rat inside his cell. There were nights when it used to be too hot to stay inside but how could he go out from the lock up? The first days in the cell were the worst ones because he was just 22 then and many others in jail were above 35. He used to feel the horror even in their absence and things were unexplainable in their presence.


He had dreams about going back to this world where he could walk outside with all the freedom in the world and where he could talk to people on normal things and not about their fates and pasts. They could make a future rather than just dream about it here. He was thrilled to go out and meet his relatives and eat those once favorite foods of his. The jail warden Sekhar always liked him. He never disobeyed any officers orders neither did he make any trouble or fight with any other cell mates. He was always the one of the 1^st ones to stand up or rise their hands when a volunteer was asked for. Sekhar used to say it was his bad luck and ill fortune that he ended up here at such a small age. But was it really his bad luck or bad fate or misfortune?


He was not another convicted but innocent guys whom you see in movies. He had murdered another person when he was just 22. He had murdered Rajesh, his classmate, his friend, out of their political enmity. He had stabbed that guy thrice with a broken Soda bottle on his upper abdomen. Back then he was not alone. He was the leader of their party in collage and was a popular figure among the students. Sivan was beating Rajesh and people were yelling things like Beat Himm!!! .. Kill Himm!!.. It was those people watching the fight from outside who gave Sivan this broken bottle piece. But none of them were convicted and the court had summoned him to prison for 8 years. He had a long and lonely road in front and none of his friends joined hands to share the hardships he had to face.


The curse that lasted for the last 8 years will finally be over tomorrow. His last meal in that steal plate was over and that glass will no longer be serving him water. They had been some of his possessions for the last 8 years. The next morning before leaving, Sekhar advised Sivan for some time and asked him to give a call sometime in future or incase he needed something.

For the comfort of reading, the story has been split into 3. Continue reading in the below post!

A Curse, That Never Dissolved!! – Part 2

Please read the 1st part before this. Its a continuation.

He went to bus station to catch a bus back to his native. His hometown was 7 hours by bus. He looked at his face in one of those mirrors in the toilet at bus station. He had changed a lot. He was an attractive guy while at collage and always had a distinct hairstyle. He was fair and handsome and his character and looks always attracted people. He was stylish in his own terms but now he had lost it all. He was just an unshaved man with a dark complexion and no distinct hair style. He was now just another man in the crowd.


Back at his home town, he met with a sudden tragedy. His family has shifted from that place and the house they used to live was empty now. None of the neighbors had any idea of their whereabouts. 8 years ago, they were very much depressed at what happened to Sivan. His father had pronounced him out of the family when he came to know of his arrest and hadn’t gone to prison to meet Sivan even once in those 8 years. He made up in his mind that he won’t search for them until he found a decent job and made a nice name for himself.


He didn’t have a nice time in the hometown were people always referred to him as that guy who murdered his class mate while at collage. People kept on talking about Sivan in bus stops and tea stalls and barber shops and bars. Many of them didn’t know him personally and occasionally asked “ So you are that guy who murdered your classmate? You were in jail for 8 years? ...” All these disturbed him very much and he wanted to say them that he was a changed man and he was the most disciplined prisoner at jail. But none of them cared to these stories and they were reluctant to give job to this man. He tried many jobs but none of them ended up long as they kept on humiliating him and many threw him out of the job without any real reason. He felt really sad and heart broken when people referred to him as a criminal. He had already lived in the jail for 8 terrible years and felt it was his time to live now.


He called up his warden at jail Sekhar and came to know that he was in hospital after a heart attack. He was worried after hearing this and the news of Sekhar’s sickness made him forget his own worries. He felt his eyes speaking to people of his restlessness and left the seat and stood by the door.

Please continue reading in the 3rd Post

A Curse, That Never Dissolved!! – Part 3

Please read the 1st two parts before continuing with this one.

He was surprisingly welcomed warmly by his wife and 17 year old boy. They said Sekhar had spoken high of him for all those 8 years and so they didn’t hurt him even with a single word. After 3 days Sekhar was discharged and Sivan said to him the complete episode at his home town. Sekhar offered words of condolences and arranged him a job in a factory in Trivandrum . He also insisted that it was better Sivan stayed at Trivandrum because no one knew Sivan neither his history.


His time seemed to get better and smoother and he no longer dreamt those scary dreams. He started living the life he had dreamt while at prison. He was sure his bad days were over and was happy for this transformation in life. He was a lively man again. Days went by smoothly and it was nearly an year since he was out of jail. He now believed the curse upon him was finally and really over.


During that time, an old friend of his from the jail got released and the same police warden had given him Sivan’s address. He was so happy to know that Sivan had finally emerged out of all tough times and have started working. He went directly to the factory to meet Sivan and called out loudly. “Sivaa..Nee ipo decent aayi joli oke cheythu thudangi alle...Nee aake maariyalloda..purathu irangiyappo aake onnu chethu aayalloda..” which meant .. “Sivaa.. You have started doing a job now ! Great man..You have changed a lot...Once you got out, you have become fair also..”


Unluckily for Sivan the owner of that factory was on rounds and he asked Sivan who was that man. He said he was an old friend, and that man out of his anxiety of meeting Sivan, added that, he and Sivan had spent 4 years together in jail. Sivan was shocked at the mention of “jail” but the owner was even more shocked. He asked the details and Sivan had to describe the full story of how he got into the jail. The owner scolded him in front of the rest of workers and said he don’t want a criminal in his workforce. His heart was broken at those lines and he begged the owner for keeping him. By that time he had already moved on to the next workers space. The news spread in the factory like a wild forest fire. People, even those with whom he had dinner yesterday, started ignoring him from then and often kept talking behind his back about the incident in the factory.


Once again he and his Inglorious Past has been the topic of discussion in the hotel he ate daily. He felt his last one year’s hard work in getting a name and identity had been spoilt in a second. He was almost getting into this world of common people without the distinction of being a murderer and had started sleeping normally without any wild dreams. But this could change it all and it could be an unchangeable change. Now he didn’t even have the mind to go to another place and start all over again hiding his identity as a cold blooded murderer.


Now he was again that guy who cursed his fate and foolishness and rash rise of blood in an unfortunate moment. He cursed that guy who threw that broken bottle to him. He cursed those guys who charged him up to bash Rajesh. He cursed all of them but all of them could be leading a happy life now and he was left with nothing rather than this tag of a Criminal who had murdered his own class mate at the age of 22.
The humiliation he faced since his release from the jail have been more heartening than those physical hardships he had to go through in the initial days at jail. He cursed his fate and wished a Death Sentance could have been much better because then he couldn’t have had to face these hardships from people. He could have lived the rest of his life in that prison and could have had those random nice people inside who understood each others sentiments and he at least had a glass and a steel plate and a room of his own and a darkness to hide himself. But here outside he had nothing of his own and he was an alien Criminal who had gone to jail for murdering his own class mate.


He thought all these could have been because of the curses of Rajesh and his relatives and his friends. Rajesh...a fellow classmate. A guy who sat in the same benches and read the same books and who used to eat from the same mess and paid the same fees. Sivan had ended Rajesh’s life in a moment. But Sivan was living a life full of hardships. He felt the people around him were all demons killing him inch by inch by each word they spoke. He had already suffered for 9 years and how much more will he have to suffer with the tag of a criminal or a murderer? Why should he suffer like this? His heart was burning with these thoughts and he cried out and left out huge groans. Many heard him but none cared. After all he was just a dreaded criminal to them.


To end it all for ever, he went to the tallest building in the town and jumped from the top of it. He had Rajesh’s face in his mind and he was cursing himself at heart even in those last seconds.

My Journey...A Tale!! (Part 1)

While in an evening walk, while in a crowded bus or a train, while at a library searching for your favorite book or at your favorite hotel for a special dinner, while at the marriage of your distant relative or in an unknown forum over internet,...you meet people! You might give them a smile! You ask for their help, to find a book or your way or the time or some place, unknowingly many a times. You talk to some and listen to a few. Who are they? They are strangers. The same strangers whom your Papa must have warned of to be careful about. And many of those strange friendships or strange-ships lasts no longer than the dress  we wear. This being a small script cooked up in my mind, thinking of those strangers who had helped me expecting none in return, shared their simple and humane thoughts with me and even those who had nothing to give but a nice smile.

Krupaya dhyaan deejiye! Gadi no 6248 Thiruvanathapuram se hokar Manglore tak jaanevali Parashuram Express platform no 2 par aa chuki hein….

This sound of the railway announcement woke me up. I looked through the bars of the window and found that the train had reached Ernakulam Jn station. The hanging televisions in the station played the trailer of an up coming Mohanlal flick which is to release coming Friday. The sound of the video was only vaguely hearable courtesy the loud cries of the Chai-wala's and the murmurs of anxious and impatient passengers. My watch said it was 11.42 AM which meant i had slept for like 3 ½ hours. I bought a newspaper from one of those bookstalls in the platform. The front page was filled with the news of India winning the 2011 Cricket World Cup.


I was reading an article when i noticed that a uncle who sat opposite to me was starring at my newspaper and i offered it to him and he smiled and thanked me. I smiled back and glanced at the people in my vicinity. An old lady with a spectacles was reading a thick covered book, a middle aged man in a t-shirt and jeans was sleeping and another person was reading an Outlook magazine and he had a blue tooth device in his ears. All of passengers seemed to be content with their own mobile phones and books.




I looked out through the window and enjoyed the green-Kerala. There were this beautiful sight of paddy fields and coconut trees besides the track all over with occasional railway crossings where vehicles waited in long queues for the gate to be opened. There were these loud whistling/horn of the train occasionally and i was tuned to this rhythmic beat of the mating between the rail track and the metal wheel. A number of thoughts went passing through my mind and i wondered how many times have i boarded this same train. I remembered this incidence of how i knew Italy had won the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

( Scene: Same train Date: Some-time in mid Aug 2006 )

I was boarding this train from Trivandrum and was already late that i couldn't read the newspaper before hand. I entered the bogie minutes before it left and luckily found myself a seat beside the window. At that instant i saw the picture of Italian Soccer team with the cup in the front page of a newspaper and out of anxiety grabbed the newspaper from some one whom i had never ever met. I was just reading that article when that man grabbed the paper from my hand and scolded saying "Excuse me, who taught you these manners?? .. can't you see that am reading it young man??" and i was embarrassed in front of rest of the passengers.

For the comfort of reading, I've split this into 3 parts. So continue reading in the next post!

My Journey...A Tale!! (Part 2)

Please read the above post if you haven't. This is a continuation

The next few minutes i sat still with my face pressed against the window bars as if reaching out to catch some sight at the far end. The train was out of station and sun was lazily starting his day's work. The incident was as bad as getting slapped on your face and i figured out what a stupid thing i had just done. "I should have at least asked for the paper!!" I kept on repeating at heart. I now knew there was no point in staring out at the semi-dark early morning sky and took out a film magazine from my bag and pretended to read it. But again and again those thoughts kept coming back to my mind and i even cursed him many a times at heart for embarrassing me! 





May be 20 minutes after that he tapped my knees and gave me the paper and apologized for those rash moments. I said it was my mistake and apologized him back with a stressed smile and accepted the newspaper. My mind eased out and thanked him with a brighter smile few seconds later. He too spared a smile at me and i felt a silent conversation taking place. The situation eased out by then and i was all into the newspaper. I read all the articles and described to him about Zidane's head-butt incident and how much Buffon deserved the Best-Goalkeeper award. He as if to change the subject said cricket was his favorite sport and added he had watched the 1983 Cricket World Cup final live on television.


My watch ticked by fast for me, as i was enjoying the film magazine. He as if out of boredom asked me what do i study and i said i was doing 1st year B.Sc. He added that he was working in the Secretariat. His tone seemed to change to an advisory mode and i was least interested to be advised by some one i never even knew, and i wanted to go back to my magazine. But with no other option, i pretended to listen to him and nodded at times just to ensure i was awake. At an instant i asked where he was getting down and he said Kottayam. That meant i will have to bear him for about an hour and cursed my fate for all the ill happenings of the day. Later i switched back to my magazine and a few stations later the stranger left and by then i had made up i will never be friendly to a stranger.

Please Continue to Part 3 in the next post!