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.

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

Another Lecture…at 8!

 

*Ddinq…Ddinqq…ding din…Ddinqqqq!!!*

Now those were the sound of bullets and it’s the message alert of one of my friends mobile. This guy never puts his mobile on silent mode, and I am quite sure he’s one of those guys who have broken the heavenly silence and peace in the classrooms courtesy all his masala ring tones and crazy message tones. This is an 8’o Clock lecture as the topic name suggests and the teacher being the friendly one who introduced herself on the first day as Lisa, unlike the usual Zhao’s, Lin’s & Liu’s, never takes attendance at all. So what I mean to say is that not many cared to even take off their quilts from their faces, spare for attended this class on a 10 degrees Celsius morning and as of now, at 8.43 AM, there are… *Counting*…there are 16 guys in the class, out of a total of 60 odd Aeronautical major’s.

So, our Laoshi, which means teacher in Chinese was fighting out with some viruses in the computer as I was entering the class some time back, and after a couple of restarts and even getting professional help from our fellow students, has finally started her lecture on Composite Materials. This one’s got more to do with chemistry of the materials, and I hate chemistry, but I think I’ll have to say, the subject is interesting.

So I and this guy whose message tone just now made me take up the pen and scribble all these a few minutes earlier, we were coming from hostel to classroom together. Our walk from the apartment to the classroom felt to take all the time in the world today. I was at instants discussing in my mind the Bigg Boss show and how sadly Samir failed to be the captain yet again. (I watched all the episodes, from Oct 3^rd to yesterdays in a matter of two days, continuously, and now I am too anxiously waiting for each days show.) Bigg Boss addiction even abrupted my biological clock and resulted in me skipping 3 classes on a trot. So as our walk seemed to take all the time in the world, we discussed about how the fishes in the canal, and how they could be feeling cold. I mean, we wear thin shirts on summer and big furred weather jackets on winter, and aren’t they just surviving/living stark naked through all the seasons? So what happens to them when the top layer of the canal freezes and it becomes freaking cold?

So amid these multiple thoughts and discussions I asked him that, haven’t we been walking for a long time, and why aren’t we reaching the classes yet? I had questioned myself in my mind, if the distance had increased courtesy some expansion to the surface of the earth or increase in curvature or is it another symbol of the beginning of the end of the world?? (Stupid Me!!)

*Thud*

The sound of the closing door brought me back to senses as another guy just joined us on the lecture and it’s… 22 now (Oh, BTW – Ain’t that my number?) I didn’t even know when the rest of them entered the class. So didn’t I mention it was an interesting lecture, lemme go back to it now. Good bye guys, and have a nice day, whoever happens to read this.

P.S:- This was an accidental writing and I’ve published this the way it is, without Editing!

Wishes!

 

Now, if i ever had the pen, with which i could script my future, my wishes and desires, my choices and dreams…

I would have scribbled and scribbled and scribbled for ever…

 

Now, if i ever had the key, to the very next phase, to the tomorrow, to the unknown, to the dreams…

I would have opened a thousand doors…

 

Now, if i ever had the lock, that locked apart the fears, the tears and the weaknesses, all the scary dreams…

I would have locked myself with that…

 

Now, if i had that mask, that dress, that power, that strength…

…

An incomplete creation as I can name a billion if’s and now’s and wishes, for this is human life and we all are humans. A never ending saga of desires and ambitions, from the moment he takes in his first breath of his own to the moment where he cries for just one more breath. If all these questions were to be put across in one sentence, shall i not ask where can i find Super Man’s Chaddi’s!

…Reporting live from the Stadium…

Few days back, I made it  to the first ever International football match of my life, in a stadium. China was taking on Paraguay in an International friendly at Nanjing Olympic Center. A visual treat even though the match neither created the kind of excitement an Argentina-Brazil match would create, nor were there the players like Lionel Messi & Kaka to create an Awe-moment.

…About the Stadium…

(The pics are both that of NOC – Nanjing Olympic Center)

It was the greenest of the turfs shining under a well-lit flood light, a sight in itself which beholds your breath. Now how about being surrounded by a sea, or rather an ocean of seats, red & blue in color, some 65,000 of them. The giant screen at the far ends of the pitch, up above the goal posts kept on flashing advertisements & right at the center of the pitch, 8 people stood with a big banner, above their heads, that of the main sponsor’s, the KIA Motors. The KIA motors had also arranged something like a motor exhibition outside the stadium where the newest models of cars were lined up.

I might not be able to stop the outflow of words if I start explaining the stadium & the facilities outside. There was a huge, a really huge swimming pool, there were signboards to the tennis courts, the warm up fields & huge underground parking lot, even though we never made it to any of them!

It’s not every day that an international football match got hold in any stadium in this part of the world & that ensured a decent audience of over 10,000 inside the stadium, many with & without flags, many in & out of their team jerseys, many with & without lays packets & the most popular of all, many eating & not eating barbeques.

So all in all, it was a night to remember, at least until I have a better experience of an international match, be it football, cricket or the upcoming F1 races in Delhi.

…Before you leave, hold on!…

….Hey, did I mention that I was in the stadium? Oh, no. Never! I am not crazy enough to spent $25 just to watch a crazy match between the retarded Chinese & unknown Paraguayans. We just visited the stadium to know how it feels to be in a stadium & we watched all the proceedings from out of it, there were more than enough space for you to stand and there was just enough openings between the stands were you could take a peek at the proceedings. Yes, I would have been happy enough to spend this $25 had there been a Messi or Cristiano or at least a Rooney ;)

Our positioning was such that we could clearly see the center of the pitch and not the wings & we almost cursed the Paraguay players for cruising into the Chinese defenders only through the wings. Our curse payed off too, with Paraguay breaking the deadlock as early as in the 8^th minute.

Three pair of tiring legs and a goal - which was nothing compared to exceptional, we decided to leave or rather gift our balcony stands to those Chinese who were positioned behind us, eagerly following all the see-able moves of their national football team, National Heroes- may be!

The much talked about screen in our “minds” came into being again, and this time rewinding our memories to those awesome goals by the greats of the game. A long walk to the bus station, a silent nap in an empty bus and we were back in our hostel rooms in less than 40 minutes!

 

This post was selected as one of the Tangy-Tuesday posts by Blogadda.

A Philosophy called LIFE!!

A crying baby, more like a doll comes out from a mothers womb, days and months pass by, you start crawling, standing, walking, talking, playing, you go to schools and colleges and then do a work, you get married, have kids and go to office day after day at the same time and return at the same time, you get money, you lose sweat, you make friends, you turn your back at some, you watch your kids grow, you parents grow, your friends come, go and many change, your hair changes colors, your skin loses freshness, your eye sight deteriorates, you become slow and shallow and you lose your parents, friends, mates , the faces that smiled and cried with you, the mouths that ate and talked with you, the eyes that saw you and the ears that listened to you, the legs that walked with you and the palms that you shook once, all perishes into the soil, into the mother earth, and the ones left back cry and weep, remembering them, the days, the time and tide they shared together. A Journey which started in a cry and ended in a breath, knitted together by the seasons and the times and the relations and the prayers and dreams.

Seconds…Minutes….Hours….Days….Weeks….Months….Years….Decades….A cycle whose tires never gets punctured, it goes on for ever and ever and ever.

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 Journey to the Unknown Spaces..An Explanation!

A Journey to the Unknown Spaces!




Reviving memories, i don’t know how this title happened to my blog. It was not one, i had put up after spending hours thinking and imagining. My finger’s had just passed over a few alphabets and they formed words and those words were stitched together and at the end of a few seconds, the thing in the blog title space read “A Journey to the Unknown Spaces”. Back then i had never read more than a couple of blogs and i never knew anything about the blogs and the widgets i could put in and the financial prospects of it.


Frankly at the moment of creation, i never considered it as anything more than a personal diary, or if not so personal- nothing more than a diary, where i could periodically put in my happenings and views and ideas and thoughts and almost anything and everything. And that has been happening too, I’ve posted my random thoughts on a variety of subjects, my way of seeing and understanding certain things, but then i heard that the title of my blog ain’t doing justice to the contents in it, in an online forum. So then i tried to operate my own blog title and tried to find out the meaning of it and what i meant by it.


Is this a travelogue describing my visits to various places ??


No its rather a collection of writings which i have made inside the four walls of my hostel room or the shabby class room or the un occupied seats beside the lake just outside the campus walls. So to the question, is this a collection of travelogues, its a big no!


But then going through it all again, as a whole, isn’t this a travelogue too? If the question ‘to where?’ arises in your mind, to no where.


The journey to tomorrow!! A day or a thing that never comes. This is a travelogue of the journey, called life. A journey filled with high’s n low’s and turns and twists and happiness and sadness. A Journey filled with everything, but nothing. A Journey of which you don’t quite know who you are going to be out from collage, or where you are going to be or what is going to happen the next year, the next month, the next week, the next day, the next hour, or even the very next moment. Its the travelogue of my life, when i travel from horizons to horizons, to Explore the Un-Explored and to get to Know the Unknown.


A Journey called Life, to the Unknown. A Journey to the Unknown Spaces!


A few people have questioned the title of my blog (A Journey to the Unknown Spaces). They expected it to be a collection of  travelogues or journey descriptions, and were left confused after seeing the content. This was an attempt to explain the title in my way. 

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 Lecture at 4…

I’ve always heard, seen and enjoyed works of students, those who had became creative during their most boring lectures, be it in the form of poems, articles, cartoons or caricatures. So i too, hoping to make a good article, took the pen in one of the most boring subjects ever. 

Its been more than an hour (its 5.05 PM now) since i had entered the hall and the interval was already over. All i had created were numerous “writes & cuts” in my book. Seemed like the “Writing During Boring Lectures -Theory” was not working for me. Those who had written, drawn or penned down poems could have had the advantage of a silent atmosphere, thanks to their sleeping friends, opposed to the noisy one here and let alone an article, i couldn't even find a suitable/interesting topic to think about. Now i understand why always teachers ask us to be silent in a class, so that we don't disturb those guys right at the back benches, escaping to their own world of wildness and fantasy.

But a look around at all those interesting characters in the classroom made me regret, not for entering this noisy class, but for not noticing the randomness of those people, and those random things they were doing. I’ve always heard that cinema fraternities should make more films on reality issues rather than regular melodramas and un-human action stunts and romancing around the trees. So i stopped thinking on what fantasy i should write about and started writing on those things i saw in my right, left , front and back.

So this is my Heat Transfer lecture (not that the subject is of any significance to this article ). I doubt that the 32 students (including me!) in the class could be those jobless ones who had nothing else to do. The topper in our class was seated in the front on the right side . He was like an island, all the seats around him were totally empty. There were 2 more guys in the 1^st two rows, and they looked like listening to Sir, well.. let alone god know the truth..!! Then there were groups of students here and there, discussing and murmuring as if preparing for a group task. Discussing in lame voices, but as drops n drops of water collected together forms an ocean, these murmurs created a buzz all around, as if the humming of an approaching bunch of bees.

There are people reading books, those with headphones & iPod's, discussing the Oscars and the upcoming cricket tourney, discussing about how they felt like..when they killed that rat inside the test chamber at “environment control labs”. There were guys eating buns and biscuits and drinking flavored milks or juices. Thank god!! At least no one is smoking inside the hall. And then there is a lecturer at the front, negligent of the happenings in the class, was so busy with his lectures, as if delivering a lecture on the most interesting topic to the most interested & active students ever. The only positive is that, the freedom and an assurance of No-Attendance ensured no one was sleeping in the hall. If an education Inspector was on rounds, through the Verandahs, he might mistake this buzzing sound as those made by an active classroom, responding to the teachers questions, and could be really impressed, provided the doors stays shut and he stays outside!

When i learnt what “AWESOME” really means!!

  

At last i feel like I am doing some justice to the name of this blog. Yes! A Journey to the Unknown Spaces. I am attempting to write an account on a travelling experience. Don’t get me wrong by these big words like travelling experience and all, i am just going to talk about how it felt to go out and explore some new things on a relatively not-so-cold evening.There were hardly any clouds in the sky and as it neared the evening, the winds became light and all in all gave way to the most pleasant conditions to have an evening walk.

The campus have finally got back its life. The silent roads inside the campus a couple of days ago have suddenly disappeared and now there were these clattering sounds of suitcases rolling through the tarred roads, and the tak-tak sound of ball hitting the ground and baskets from the basketball court. All those Chinese who had gone home for vacations were back and they all seemed to have a fresh kind of energy. We were happy too, not because these guys are finally back, but for the warmth in the air.

Me and my friends started walking to the direction we have travelled the least and walked through those roads we have never been to. The air became more fresher and the roads emptier. The tall buildings started disappearing and there no longer were taxis in the road that could take us back to our university in case we were lost. The side of the road was unpaved, reminding us of most of the roads in Kerala. It was an area slightly in a higher altitude and we were like walking up and it was getting a bit more colder (thank god, there were no winds). There was a board intended for tourists and it had a description about the whole place in English with a detailed map too. We were walking through the road that goes to the top of (a tourist spot) Purple Mountain. It was quite far away and there was the this Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in the left side. So we deviated from the course and went into the mausoleum. There was a ticket counter in the front but none was there, and they would probably have said that visiting time is over, but luckily there were none and the way-in was open too. It was a double bonus because the place was so silent and lovely in the night and we didn't have to pay the entrance fee.  You almost wonder how you could find some silent places like this just kilometers away from the heart of one of the most biggest cities in China. We walked around and was impressed by the scenic beauty rather than the historic importance, which were discussed many a times on our Chinese Culture classes.

If i were to describe the place in a single sentence i would say, “Its like the perfect place for you to take your love on a surprise date.” The place was totally silent, not that no body was there, but everyone enjoyed this silence. It was getting darker and the view of clear sky with the moon and the stars made it even more beautiful (it really looked like a planetarium). Each and everything i saw there made me regret for not carrying my camera. You had the moon secretly gazing at you between those leafless-trees. You had the reflection of those trees ,the moon and stars on a still man-made lake, which reminded me of the song “mele velli thinkal, thaazhe nilaa kaayal”. You could hear the sound of water falling over man made falls and then see the perfect view of lighted skyline at a distance. These are some of the rare incidents when you unknowingly chants “ awesome, awesome, awesome”.  After enjoying all these picturesque views, i want to continue my journey to find more of these unknown spaces…

"22" . A date that's worth getting Excited!!

If you ask me, which is the most happening or eventful day of a month, i might point to 22nd. Not just because 22 is my date of birth, but every time the calender passes through this date, knowingly or unknowingly something out of the box happens. Taking an example, on 22nd Dec 2008, i was awarded the scholarship, and on 22nd Dec 2009, the declarations about the scholarships for 3rd year came. My friend from Sainik called me 2 days back and told he could be visiting a city near to my place and possibly, we could meet, and i asked him when is he coming? and he said on 22nd Jan 2010. And i asked my teacher when is the university re-opening after the Spring break? and she told on 22nd Feb 2010. Looking back to my school life, on 22nd Mar 2007, i wrote the worst exam at the boards ( Maths) and that was apparently also our last day in the school. Being a brahmin, the 1st time i had non veg food was also on the same day!

Usually, i am not that kind of a guy who expects things to happen according to fate or what ever. But with these small and big things that have contributed, 22nd of any month is a date worth waiting, to bring with it something special.

China.....

Today is 16th of Jan 2010. My 5th semester have finished today. Well, not the perfect of the ends one can wish for, considering the fact that, am surely gonna fail the last 3 exams. This semester was really fast, as if powered by a RAMJET (sorry lads, just to show off that am here 2 study and not on a tour :P). Well, not just this semester, the life here in China has been really fast. And after each an every semesters, we used to think the same, the last sem was the fastest. And now i dare to say that, "The last one was really the fastest :P".

OK, setting the time machine back to 15th of Oct 2007. I think Neil Amstrong, wouldn't have felt this strange when he stepped onto moon for the 1st time. Ethnically, the Chinese are so different from Indians, that you feel you have traveled to farthest country in the globe. And when you hear them speak or read their boards at the airport, you know why your "bemused" friends back home asked , " Y China?!!" .

So we knew that Nanjing was like 300 Kilometers away from Shanghai and we were travelling by a bus, the university had sent for us. So on the way, we stopped some where for out dinner and it was so fabulous that, we were almost asking the driver to take us back to the airport, so that we could catch the same flight back home.

But all-in-all, the life in China has been worth all these. Enjoying a life ain't a new thing, but enjoying a life with this kind of freedom is not something that every guy gets in life and i think i am really fortunate.