Firecrackers, new clothes, sweets and treats, parties, friends and family – that just about sums up a typical Deepavali for me. Throw two little kids into this mix, one too small to comprehend too much, while the other just about the right age to start enjoying everything and at the same time to start fearing the sound of the hydrogen bombs and Lakshmi vaedis. All it took was some fragments of a story, a few sparklers, flower pots and ground chakras...and some jaangris. How simple a child’s mind is and how easily distracted when in the company of a loving grandparent. Deepavali came and went leaving as always fond memories, plenty of pictures (thank God for digital cameras) and a few extra pounds around the waist. But this time, it also left me with another thought. Instead of everyone sending everyone else sweets who then have to figure out how to dispose off them before they spoil, wouldn’t it be nice if we could express our wishes a little differently? Can we not donate however much we wish to spend on these treats to a worthy cause and just send a card to everyone wishing them and informing them of our donation? Would that be considered cheap or would a supposedly progressive society accept and appreciate it?
I remember an episode from Seinfeld where George fakes donations to a ‘Human Fund’ during Christmas time just to escape gift-giving at work. Of course the lie catches up to him and yada, yada, yada.
But I'm not George...
November 7, 2008
September 26, 2008
Road to Hell
For a second it seemed like I was back on I 95. In the driver's seat, Dire Straits playing, zooming by just knowing where the road would curve left or right. Then, a sudden halt...buffaloes! Holding up traffic in, possibly, the busiest road in Hyderabad! OK, so we wait awhile, get around them and within a few seconds hit the next roadblock - new and improved potholes thanks to the measly rain we had a few weeks ago. A slalom run through them ends in speed bumps at the end of the road! Speed bumps when the top speed one can go is 20 kmph!
Yes, seat belts are a must in Hyderabad or else, a momentary lapse of reason may make you jump out of your running car.
Yes, seat belts are a must in Hyderabad or else, a momentary lapse of reason may make you jump out of your running car.
September 24, 2008
Black or White
While watching a cookery show that had shrimps on the menu, my helper asked me what it was. I tried explaining the Tamil word for it...'Yera' i think. She remarked that it was usually black and then, without missing a beat went on to add that the shrimps on the show were white because they were in Europe!
September 16, 2008
The name is Rajinikanth????
I've read a lot of books. Some good, some average, many boring but none that I thought of as terrible. But there's always a first isn't there? What's sad is that this book is non-fiction; a biography... about the most famous South Indian actor (debatable, some would say) alive!
How can one go wrong with a biography? The star's rags-to-riches story, professional facts, photos, comments from peers should pretty much cover it all. Hah! I wish.
Chapters alternate about the star Rajini and Shivaji the struggling boy. Its almost like a movie...present and flashback except that it happens for every scene. The author's English is terrible. She constantly moves from one tense to the other seamlessly, leaving the reader confused. She has mis-spelled names of movies, actors and many other important facts. She has literally translated most of the words (i.e say it in Tamil and write it in English). Many of her assumptions are completely biased as she is a hardcore 'thalaivar' fan. Like the teacher that everyone has had at some point that said 'open the door, let the climate come in', someone somewhere has said 'he has two daughters, both are girls'. Never before have I seen this in print(and not in the bloopers section, mind you). Apparently spelling and grammar checks were used neither by the author nor the editors. To publish this book and charge a whopping Rs. 495 is a crime. I feel cheated (although I didn't pay full price for it).
If we shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, should we by it's title then?
How can one go wrong with a biography? The star's rags-to-riches story, professional facts, photos, comments from peers should pretty much cover it all. Hah! I wish.
Chapters alternate about the star Rajini and Shivaji the struggling boy. Its almost like a movie...present and flashback except that it happens for every scene. The author's English is terrible. She constantly moves from one tense to the other seamlessly, leaving the reader confused. She has mis-spelled names of movies, actors and many other important facts. She has literally translated most of the words (i.e say it in Tamil and write it in English). Many of her assumptions are completely biased as she is a hardcore 'thalaivar' fan. Like the teacher that everyone has had at some point that said 'open the door, let the climate come in', someone somewhere has said 'he has two daughters, both are girls'. Never before have I seen this in print(and not in the bloopers section, mind you). Apparently spelling and grammar checks were used neither by the author nor the editors. To publish this book and charge a whopping Rs. 495 is a crime. I feel cheated (although I didn't pay full price for it).
If we shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, should we by it's title then?
September 9, 2008
Magician, artist, dare I say God? - Part 2
I wrote Part 1 September 2007. Unfortunately part 2 is a whole year later. A bad year for Federer by his standards; exit in 1 Grand Slam semi-final, runner up in the next 2 (although badly thrashed in one) and finally a winner at the last. Based on the last couple of years, number 15 will hopefully come about at Wimbledon. That's where Sampras beat the record as well. Federer respects tradition. He will do the same. I hope he's saving the best for it.
August 19, 2008
July 7, 2008
Conflict
Many times, the mind knows something that the heart does not want to acknowledge or believe. May even seem like a premonition sometimes. But the heart firmly rejects any thought of it. A sort of denial. "No, it just can't happen that way", believes the heart while the mind smiles smugly. The body that connects these two is in a state of limbo not sure who to go with; the all-knowing mind or the ever-believing heart. Its a tough time waiting for the result and when it comes, there are unshed tears. I'd like to believe that those same feelings were shared by both.
June 30, 2008
M&A
The current trend of mergers and acquisitions (m&a's) has spread into all industries. So much so that I have been impacted by one too. No, I'm not an i-banker that closed any deals nor am I an employee that's been canned. It's just that my daughter's school has been acquired by another group, a bigger and supposedly a more profitable group that can run things better at her school. So we've gone from being a 'mom and pop' school to a franchise-run academy! Maybe the future holds better food, open on weekends, better staff, a uniform and definitely a higher fee! There's no place for mediocrity anymore, only the bottomline counts. Especially for the schools.
June 28, 2008
Music to move
Sare Jahan Se Acha, The Lambada, Jingle all the way, Suprabhatam and a whole host of other random songs from Bollywood, Tollyhood, Kollywood and even the Billboard Top 10! What do they have in common? Absolutely nothing (thank god) other than ending up as monophonic tunes that play when cars back up.
What is the purpose of this tune playing? To warn the buffaloes, sorry people (maybe buffaloes and cows occasionally) that are behind the vehicle to move out of the way. You might think that that is something that would logically happen when one sees a car or truck coming at them. But no, not in India. Be it a person or animal, they continue with whatever they were doing ignoring the vehicle until it almost bumps into them and then (this is even better) glare at the driver as though the fault were his/hers. For a passing observer though, this tune playing is so annoying because it does not cease until the reverse gear is disengaged and that usually happens only after the confrontation with the party blocking the reverse has ended; a quite laborious process.
What is the purpose of this tune playing? To warn the buffaloes, sorry people (maybe buffaloes and cows occasionally) that are behind the vehicle to move out of the way. You might think that that is something that would logically happen when one sees a car or truck coming at them. But no, not in India. Be it a person or animal, they continue with whatever they were doing ignoring the vehicle until it almost bumps into them and then (this is even better) glare at the driver as though the fault were his/hers. For a passing observer though, this tune playing is so annoying because it does not cease until the reverse gear is disengaged and that usually happens only after the confrontation with the party blocking the reverse has ended; a quite laborious process.
If you're ever in a state of amnesia and have forgotten which city or state in India you are in, you can find out based on the accent of the person that says the most famous of these reverse tunes "Attention please! This car is backing up"! "Attention please! This car is backing up"! "Attention please! This car is backing up"!
It makes me want to screeeeeeeeeeeeeeam!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
June 8, 2008
We are the champions...almost
"If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster and treat those two impostors just the same" go the immortal words of Rudyard Kipling.
The French Open ended today and with it Federer's quest to become the best ever. Yes, he has many more years of tennis left in him but the chances of a French Open victory seem to have faded. There is only so much kindness that fate will show before the draw gets tougher and the game becomes more difficult. How must he feel?
A football match coming down to a penalty shootout is most exciting for viewers (however nail-biting it might be) but the worst ever for players. It all comes down to the goalie and which side he decides to dive to. The recent Champions League final was all that and more. The Chelsea captain could have won it for them with a simple kick but slipped and missed and went on to lose. How must he feel?
The Chennai Super Kings made it to the final against all odds. As lackadaisical as their fielding and batting was, the chances of a victory were not too remote. To take the match to the last over with 8 runs for the asking captain Dhoni decided to go with Balaji who was just back from a long break due to surgery than with Gony who had already taken 3 wickets. Reason? Take a risk, maybe the batsmen will be fooled by the pace of the ball (or lack of it). 1 ball left, 1 run needed, batsman hits a 4. How does the team feel?
As a avid follower of many sports, I find it so difficult to forget the game and go to bed in peace when the person/team I've been supporting has lost. I wonder how the athletes can digest their loss, make their peace and move onto the next event.
Tonight will be a sleepless night but not because of my little one.
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