Howzzat!

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...