Howzzat!

I’m writing the last post of 2011 in its last hour. And I’m clueless on what to write..let me see… 2011 was a year of sorts- the only year where I spent the first few months at school and the rest at college.  Now that it’s gonna be over soon, let’s think about 2012- the year the Mayans thought would spell doom for humanity. Well, I don’t think so! No offence Mr.Nostradamus but I think the ultimate end would take us by surprise and not after we have watched destruction films like ‘2012’ and ‘Independence day’ You would have probably finished making your “resolutions 2012” list. Mine goes like this- Learn to drive, Be more active, Read one book a month- alternating between fiction and non-fiction,  …(I’m watching ‘Inception’ right now..Darn good…It’s distracting me).., Spend more time for prayer, Concentrate on studies the coming semester atleast, write meaningful stuff on this blog (lol.. and my mom wants to ‘add drink milk every night’ to this list!)   ...

I got to watch this movie, Vijay’s 52 nd release, only yesterday- a good 11 days after it hit the theatres. After some 2 and half odd hours, I tried to recall something of the film’s story or the characters. But all I could remember was Vijay, Vijay and Vijay . The movie makes a God out of him! The film made at a cost of a whopping 40 crores is loosely based on the Telugu flick "Azad". The  story…. Bharathi (Genelia) a freelance journalist tries making a difference in the society by laying bare its villainous side. In the process, she gets hounded by goons who kill her aides. Minutes later, a grievously wounded Bharathi finds her attackers killed in an accident. Seizing the opportunity, she holds a fictitious hero named Velayudham responsible for the goons’ death and leaves a warning that Velayudham would continue his actions against such criminals. Around the same time, a villager called Velayudham (Vijay)  happens to be in town to collect the chit fu...

It was an incredible week for the people of Coimbatore.  The city witnessed such an assortment of events – some good, some bad; but quite hard to miss.   Evenings were marked by heavy downpours and thundershowers, resulting in felled trees and traffic-disrupting water logs. They laid bare the flaws left undetected by the Corporation.  My college bus was one among the listless vehicles stranded 2 days back and I had to sit tired and famished for nearly 4 hours!! With the local body elections around the corner, campaigning by several political parties is on full-swing.  My house alone was visited by 7 ‘hopeful’ female candidates (our ward is reserved for female presidency and it’s no surprise wives of former presidents are normally fielded in…) CM was here yesterday and traffic had to be diverted to clear her route (no wonder). Another important and much loved person arrived with less pomp and for a nobler cause.  Former Prez-Abdul Kalam made his ...

The mobile rang once again. She hit the silence button. ‘Why doesn’t he ever stop?' No answer again. He puts his phone down, frustrated and hopeless. ‘If at all she answers my call, I’m going to tell her I hate her.’ “ Ths isn’t d right time 2 talk ”, she texts him. “I hate u”, came the reply. She frowned.  ‘He’s mad..But what option do I have?’                 Pallavi looks at the mobile Srikanth got her the last time they met. It wasn’t a gift; rather a necessity. That black  `  899 phone was their only means of communication. She slid it under the table and looked up. The Chemistry lecturer was giving the class, notes which least interested her. Good thing she was sitting in a place seldom noticed.   *****                 But  Sahana did. She noticed the way the girl beside her kep...

"Common Sense is not so Common" -Voltaire

My first week as a college student was quite…eventful. New faces, new people and a totally new atmosphere. A week is all that it takes to judge a person – outwardly. You can tell who’s who of the lot- a person loaded with attitude, a person who’s shy and reserved, a person who’s neither here nor there and a person who tries so hard to fit in that it shows. There are 45 girls in our class and no one is alike. Each girl has a story of her own. You can almost see the longing to be accepted in some faces and there are some, quite unhappy with the people they share their desk with. Some look so detached but when you go ahead and talk to them, you realize they’re completely opposite to their reserved selves. I’m hoping to unearth more from such introverts. It all depends on the person. If you like the environment, you are happy. If you don’t, you just accept it. I am pretty much happy. I’ve got great people to talk to and met some who share my ideas.  It’s virtually impo...

Q. What is the similarity between Karraps (Cockroaches) and Corrupts? A. Neither of them likes to be kicked out of the closet. Q. And the difference? A. Karraps terrorize young children (and ladies) while the other sect threaten the whole nation. Q. Few examples..? A.  Various types of Karraps include Silver roach, German etc. And some of the recently discovered species of Corrupts include A. Raja, Kanimozhi, Suresh Kalmadi etc. Q. How can they be eradicated? A. The former can be eliminated by the use of roach sprays, chalks and the like whereas the latter can be exterminated with the help of social activisits like Anna Hazare or millionaire-sadhus like Baba Ramdev, provided they are supported by huge chunks of the civil society. Total eradication is unlikely in both the cases. I’ve had enough of roaches (just minutes ago, I made a vain effort to shoo them off my table). But none seem to have enough of all those corrupt officials who squander public money or those...

Dreams in Prussian Blue       When I came across the book with the blue cover and orange rimmed pages, little did it seem like it came from Penguin.  One look at the cover, I was convinced it must be Chetan Bhagat-ish . Even the author’s bio struck a chord… IIT..IISc..engineer… Dreams in Prussian Blue by Paritosh Uttam is one of the first books from the Penguin metro reads series. Colours can be quite tricky. I soon found that out after reading the first few chapters. No, I won’t be calling anything Chetan Bhagat-ish anymore. The day I completed the last chapter of the book was…quite gloomy. It’s my fault. A more mature mind would have found the end classy…      Naina , a first year student of Fine Arts College, Mumbai falls for her senior Michael Agnelo (or Michaelangelo?).  She doesn’t think twice to drop out of college and live in with him. It’s rather late when she realizes he’s a heartless snob who likes to have it the easy way...

·         It’s Amma to the fore again. It was a total sweep! I was, for once, surprised. I didn’t think it would be such a victory given DMK’s penchant for media and outright advertising. Even the pre-election polls weren’t clear. I was under the impression that there would be no clear lead. Ms.JJ proved me wrong. And the mere thought of Mr.Vijayakanth (captain!)…. the leader of opposition…..! I wish the new government and also, the people of Tamil Nadu all the very best! ·         Osama’s death and subsequent burial (or drowning?!) in the seas of Pakistan ensures Obama’s second term as US Prez. I cannot make head or tail of what’s going to be the future of global terrorism and what’s Osama’s death got to do with it. All I wish is that no one names Osama a martyr. (It could’ve been better if Osama had met his end like Saddam Hussain.) ·         IPL IV is pretty boring, even wi...

My recent visit to Karur to see my aunt and grandparents was very enjoyable. It also had something else in store for me – my aunt’s long kept book “The Power Of Positive Thinking” by Norman Vincent Peale.  I initially borrowed it for a few days but as was my nature, I forgot to return it and brought it back with me to Coimbatore (Sorry Chithi!) I usually skim self-help books but I couldn’t help reading every line of this brilliant book. My mom says that I’m very pessimistic. My mouth always gets me into trouble. Once she asked me “why don’t you learn tailoring Swetha?” “I don’t think I’m capable of doing anything with that. It’ll be waste, ” I replied. And…. You already know what must’ve happened after that. When my struggle with ‘I can’t..’s, ‘But..’s, ‘What if…’s and ‘Oh no!’s never seemed to end,  “The Power of…” came as a blessing.  It is a very peaceful book. It revolves around ideas that can lead to a positive state of mind. The book applies Christian principl...

April 13, the day to vote in Tamil Nadu. As always, the battle is set between the two mammoths, the ruling DMK and opp. ADMK.  I support neither and I’m of no use either since I turn 18 only next year.  Both the parties have offered a slew of freebies in their manifestos. I’m excited at this prospect, excited to witness the fulfillment (or half-fillment) of the promises by whichever party that comes to power. The Election Commission(ers) are now seen as the most annoying  after the Income Tax people. Everyone’s complaining from the DMK chief to the bank official who had his ATM money seized inorder to curb the “cash-for-votes” exploits. Transactions have been severely affected between mill owners and the like due to the order imposed by the EC to seize any unaccounted cash of more than a lakh. EC have been on a rampage seizing any dosh found via random checkposts. But 5 crore rupees seized from an omni bus??!  Whew! Coimbatore is seeing busy days too. The PM was ...

Flashes of joy, Flashes of pain Seem to surround my mind in vain Never have I felt such a feeling strong To say goodbye is mighty wrong I am reluctant to let it pass To part with you is the real cause Till we meet again, I try to say If you ask how, I see no way All these years, together we spent Missing moments, so much to repent Anyway, I hope you get the cue And never say adieu….    Dedicated to my school friends and all school, college pass-outs...

My exams are finally over. Phew! Back to blogging after a three month hiatus. I’ve resolved to read as much as possible this month (not lessons, books). Will really miss my folks back at school. Can’t believe my 14 years of school life has come to an end. We were quite an unlucky set. Exam fever, cricket fever, election fever and ordinary fever- all hitting us at same moment when Japan was hit by devastating waves. (oh Wikileaks fever began to hit the parliament too). But what hit us most was the unnerving news of death of two persons close to us. One was our classmate and friend dear Harsha’s dad’s death ( I’m set to write a tribute to him) and my friend Asha’s unfortunate death. Asha studied with me 2 years ago and was an extremely talented girl. On the eve of her final physics exam, the girl had a fatal fall from the third floor of her apartment with the physics book still in hand. My heart goes out to her grieved parents. She doesn’t deserve this at all. Rest in peace, Asha. ...