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Streets of Philadelphia --- Bruce Springsteen
14 years ago
Now eat this!!
There is another take to the recent survey which concluded that talking on the cellphone when driving is as dangerous as being drunk and driving. Well…there are already a few believers who have concluded gleefully that driving when drunk is not so bad after all. After all, its as safe as talking on the cellphone when driving. Howzzat?
Superman...superman..whither art thou?
There are comic book superheroes (1970-80), comic book superheroes (1980-90), comic book superheroes (1990-00)………… and then there’s Superman. What makes Superman appealing beyond the obvious fact of his special powers is that there is grandness and nobility in his adventures. Other superheroes like Spiderman have flawed human personas. Batman has his dark side. But you can always trust Superman to take the right decision – the noble decision – the self-effacing decision. This is what is very special about Superman. Many pundits have drawn an analogy to Jesus Christ. I agree. In fact, I have always compared him with Lord Ram. Somehow Superman loses his appeal when you grow older and one tends to get attracted to other superheroes. Superman will always appeal first to a kid because its only at a young age when you are fascinated by a superhero’s invulnerable personality. As you grow older, you tend to identify with more vulnerable heroes since you want them seen in an equal fight. With Superman, the fight will always be with unequals. He can practically carry off anything under the sun. Hence his appeal lies in his powers and his personality – not the stories around him.
I entered the movie hall not expecting to be entertained by “Superman Returns”. How can a Superman story entertain you? You will have to create an implausible story line or a really wacky villain to engage Superman in an interesting duel. But I came out feeling good about the movie. Superman rules!!!
I entered the movie hall not expecting to be entertained by “Superman Returns”. How can a Superman story entertain you? You will have to create an implausible story line or a really wacky villain to engage Superman in an interesting duel. But I came out feeling good about the movie. Superman rules!!!
The day I decided to settle down in Life
It all began in Chennai. One sleepy morning awoken to the fragrance of incense sticks and the refrain of the Subrabhatam. I felt like an absolute zombie. If I was not a slob at that moment, the word never existed. I woke up to the lure of domesticity. Life changed. Memories of all those all-nighters in office shamed me. I thought it was so cool to feel above these pleasures of domestic life. “Not interested in marriage really!! Tell me something interesting.” Oh boy!! That morning I woke up, brushed my teeth (still do retain some good habits of childhood), walked down to the living room and switched on the TV as if on cue. To the disapproving eyes of my uncle and assortment of aunts. Who cares – methought. But then to get soaked in the pure innocence of an orthodox Iyengar morning – to see these aunts rush around the house with incence cones and sticks - chanting their prayers inwardly – towels neatly bunched up on freshly washed hair. Man, I was taken in. Bigtime!! Decided that this was probably the catch. I decided to get married – probably longed for the stability that I felt that day – probably felt settled in that fragrance of those incense cones. Floored!!
Pragmatism - need of hour
Statesmanlike is an adjective seldom used nowadays. How I yearn for somebody with that tag. (Always wonder how it would have been if there were leaders like Gandhi & Nehru and how they would have dealt with current day problems – would they have had tall enough statures to take a pragmatic stand against populist opinion!). Its just all right to pander to popular sentimentalism by stepping down from offices of profit that can at best be described as figurehead positions. Its okay to appeal for economic liberalization when everybody has seen the benefits and when its known that taking a stand will not ruffle any feathers. But to go against the flow and stand for what is felt right. To stand against the tide and be your own man – to stand firm with resolve against the might of the rugpullers - to take a common sense position on reservation. Now that calls for real character and any politician who will be game to do this has my vote.
Congrats!!
Congrats to Vinod on his wedding!! Just remarked to him casually - also since it was the said thing - that he looked a changed man. Imagine my surprise when he turns around and blushes. Omigosh – he is a changed man!!!
Congrats in order to Anoop too on his new offer – after being denied an increment just two days back– way to go, man!! That shows true character. A round of mails between myself (he enjoyed the privilege of having me as his boss) and Anoop just in order to place on record a few things that could not have been expressed in any forum – and there you have it – backroom punching!!
Congrats in order to Anoop too on his new offer – after being denied an increment just two days back– way to go, man!! That shows true character. A round of mails between myself (he enjoyed the privilege of having me as his boss) and Anoop just in order to place on record a few things that could not have been expressed in any forum – and there you have it – backroom punching!!
Mayday Mayday
Turned away from office on Labour day since there might be some disturbance if we insist on working. And this from our security guys!!! Makes you kinda wonder sometimes. Hmmm….I myself feel like smashing some furniture. I have lugged my heavy laptop bag containing various assortments some 15 kms on my bike. But wait…a bigger storm is about to explode. Our not working means the month end consolidation cannot be run (don’t even begin to think of it…its safe to assume it as common accounting parlance). Our month end reporting will be delayed which means our Asia pole cannot submit its results in time. In continuation, US will not be able to consolidate its results. All this since we cannot submit our results on time. We – who contribute around 0.00047% of the total group revenues. Hell to pay!! You know what they say about Armageddon!!
Itsmylife 1
Drat…double drat…this is the third time my cooker (ingeniously used for heating milk) has turned black on overheating. Such are the vagaries of living a bachelor’s life. The prospect of returning home after a friend’s wedding to scrub the hell out of the cooker is ……well, daunting, to say to the least!!!
Bangalore "Bang-galore"
I know now what it feels like to be Indiana Jones in those Spielberg flicks. Anyone would feel that – i.e. just about anyone who has been through Hosur Road (or for that matter, anyplace else in Bangalore) during the morning peak rush. God save you if you have handed the steering wheels to somebody else. Even a slight smirk on the driver’s face haunts you with visions of that sadistic hangman in those old Ed Wood flicks. People driving their own cars look like actors out of a seedy sequel to “The Fast and the Furious” out to prove a point to the Devil. But c’mon guys, this is REAL LIFE!!! Just a wee bit short of 36500 days granted to all of us. Speed thrills but it kills too!!
The heroes of our times
Life & cricket was so complicated before that particular name cropped up in all our lives – Sachin Tendulkar. A child prodigy at 15, everybody had heard of him and contributed their two bits on whether he should make it to the West Indies tour in 1989 not really caring how he would fare in future. Kapil Dev still ruled Indian cricket hearts and there was no place for anybody else. And then the Abdul Qadir over happened. Then the tour to New Zealand happened. England followed. By the time the Australia tour came up, the Mumbai tabloid ‘Mid day’ had already branded him ‘Ton’dulkar though India lost dismally and Merv Hughes became every Indian cricket lover’s bugbear (“too cocky, too flamboyant!”) But one truth was established by that time.
Superman was born!!
And from then on, it did not matter whether India won or not. Cricket became the ‘Sachin Tendulkar’ game (at least for me). Sachin Tendulkar came, saw and conquered. The promises of higher achievements made sure that there was always a heavy air of expectation whenever he walked onto the field donning his helmet and wielding a bat. Most times it was pulsating and what was magical was that one knew there were people in diverse parts of the country who fraternized in the same unifying emotion. It would be nigh impossible to imagine another mortal man who could do THAT to so many people at the same time and in the same way. He succeeded in single-handedly forcing so many people to hold their hearts when watching any match. Sachin Tendulkar did that & more with style, élan and a lot of dignity. I remember a test match in Mumbai against Australia. Sachin was not out overnight and when my cousin & I entered the stadium on the 4th day, there was only one player, one chant and only one mantra – Sachin. Even without actually talking to people, you could feel it in the very air of the stadium. The noise was deafening and even reticent people were willing to lose themselves and be part of the same infectious energy.
Harbinger of a billion hopes – he walked into the hearts of a billion Indians time and again with his exploits. Sachin had become so iconic that one tended to remember personal happenings in one’s life around Sachin Tendulkar moments. “When he hit Abdul Qadir for those 27 runs in one over, I was picnicking with friends in Alibag”. “My neighbour had that accident two days after the India Pakistan World Cup match where Sachin square cut Shoaib for a six…I think it was March 1, 2003.” Bingo!!
Maybe he does not fight 10 people at a time and win the heroine. Maybe he cannot mouth those Rajini dialogues. But just give him a bat and a helmet and have him walk out in a packed stadium and try denying the passion that he arouses in a billion hearts.
There are still some of us who wish that maybe if Indian cricket had not got its current match savers, we could still have had Sachin in his purest avatar – a mortal trying to snatch at glory, a neophyte warrior involved in a gladiatorial contest, a real life superhero making impossible targets seem real. We all have been part of this journey from prodigy to superstar to icon and these memories will always be part of Life so long as we live. Maybe he is not as exciting as earlier; maybe he is not dominating as earlier, maybe with age and injury he has lost a bit of his touch. But for all those sensational moments through his teens and twenties, for making an entire generation look beyond Bachchan, for making middleclass values look ultra-cool, Sachin Tendulkar – take a bow.
After all even superheroes are allowed to fail at times, even demigods are frail and all idols are mortal too…but Sachin Tendulkar? Naah…no way!
Superman was born!!
And from then on, it did not matter whether India won or not. Cricket became the ‘Sachin Tendulkar’ game (at least for me). Sachin Tendulkar came, saw and conquered. The promises of higher achievements made sure that there was always a heavy air of expectation whenever he walked onto the field donning his helmet and wielding a bat. Most times it was pulsating and what was magical was that one knew there were people in diverse parts of the country who fraternized in the same unifying emotion. It would be nigh impossible to imagine another mortal man who could do THAT to so many people at the same time and in the same way. He succeeded in single-handedly forcing so many people to hold their hearts when watching any match. Sachin Tendulkar did that & more with style, élan and a lot of dignity. I remember a test match in Mumbai against Australia. Sachin was not out overnight and when my cousin & I entered the stadium on the 4th day, there was only one player, one chant and only one mantra – Sachin. Even without actually talking to people, you could feel it in the very air of the stadium. The noise was deafening and even reticent people were willing to lose themselves and be part of the same infectious energy.
Harbinger of a billion hopes – he walked into the hearts of a billion Indians time and again with his exploits. Sachin had become so iconic that one tended to remember personal happenings in one’s life around Sachin Tendulkar moments. “When he hit Abdul Qadir for those 27 runs in one over, I was picnicking with friends in Alibag”. “My neighbour had that accident two days after the India Pakistan World Cup match where Sachin square cut Shoaib for a six…I think it was March 1, 2003.” Bingo!!
Maybe he does not fight 10 people at a time and win the heroine. Maybe he cannot mouth those Rajini dialogues. But just give him a bat and a helmet and have him walk out in a packed stadium and try denying the passion that he arouses in a billion hearts.
There are still some of us who wish that maybe if Indian cricket had not got its current match savers, we could still have had Sachin in his purest avatar – a mortal trying to snatch at glory, a neophyte warrior involved in a gladiatorial contest, a real life superhero making impossible targets seem real. We all have been part of this journey from prodigy to superstar to icon and these memories will always be part of Life so long as we live. Maybe he is not as exciting as earlier; maybe he is not dominating as earlier, maybe with age and injury he has lost a bit of his touch. But for all those sensational moments through his teens and twenties, for making an entire generation look beyond Bachchan, for making middleclass values look ultra-cool, Sachin Tendulkar – take a bow.
After all even superheroes are allowed to fail at times, even demigods are frail and all idols are mortal too…but Sachin Tendulkar? Naah…no way!
Borders are meant to be crossed
Borders are meant to be crossed and so are Bradmans, Gavasakars & Tendulkars.
Brian Lara stands on his own when we want to talk of batting geniuses (and this coming from an unabashed Sachin Tendulkar fan).
There is something so very enigmatic about Brian Charles Lara. Defying hopes that he fail every time he went out to bat so that Tendulkar could overtake him soon. Defying wishes that people criticize him for his flashy batting..his unorthodox play. Defying statistics. Defying history (no mortal man has returned to regain the record of highest Test score). Defying Fate. And ultimately defying die-hard Sachin fans and succeeding in winning them over to his league of admirers. Time & again. One Man. Brian Lara. Batting superstar. Cricket God.
Leave aside the 148* (with the last man standing to win the match against Australia), forget the epic 375 against England, forget the 501* against Durham in a county match, forget the 400* (to regain his batting record), forget the 11187* (and still going strong....to become the greatest scorer in the history of the game), forget the second-fastest 100 in ODI history (though it came against Bangladesh), forget the other trivial records like 28 runs of the last over in a Test Match (!!), his onfield brawls with Glen McGrath & Allan Donald and then proceeding to take them to the cleaners for a brief time before getting out to the very same bowlers ("but mate, I already proved a point"). But just for the great character that it takes to win over grudging admirers from your arch rival's camp, Mr Brian Charles Lara, wish there were more like you!!
Krishna, nee begane baaro!
Hey there (late) Mr BS Manjunathan...you ex IIML graduate .....you ex IOCL employee....you ....you tragic hero...you martyr....foolishly idealistic....young dreamer.....man who dared to go off the beaten track.....man who wanted to stand up & be counted...you...the man who wanted to make a difference!!! I gave my 2 minutes to you today. Thanks for making me feel like a human being again for those minutes...away from the zombie like existence of everyday office life. Thanks for making me feel like a whole load of shit too. Thanks so much for giving me such a big complex. My heartfelt salutations! RIP !! God Bless !!!
Monicaaa.. oh my darl....whatever!!
Knowing the way we operate in India, I am sure that a lot of horoscopes will come flowing in into Mr Bedi’s residence now that Monica Bedi has proclaimed herself single once again. Just wait for this to become a media issue soon.
My take on the Khushboo issue
You would think that the whole nation has gone bonkers. One just has to express an opinion on just, lets say, the shade of red in those pavements across the street and its all over the papers the next day with a few no-good loafers out on the streets right next to your door in their pajamas ("that's in keeping with our culture as well as our freedom of expression; those noble souls who took the time and pains to draft an absolutely impartial constitution must be kicking themselves assuming that they are allowed to do so wherever they are, God bless") protesting against what they call "a moral outrage and a deep stirring of the soul".
Just take the Khushboo episode for instance. As is only natural, the media has confounded itself and the well meaning and, of course, "better be worth what I pay" readers by merrily mixing two issues. One is compelled to ask, 'Hey dude, what's the ruckus about?' Is the whole brouhaha (one likes using such words) on
(i) whether Khushboo, being a celebrity and as is the wont with all celebrities, having to carry the burden of being a responsible one, is allowed to air her views in a public forum keeping in view the grand tradition of the 'freedom of expression' (take a wild guess on where my sympathies lie),
OR
(ii) whether the idea of 'pre marital sex' as floated by Khushboo is a tenable and reasonable idea especially with the advent of AIDS.
On (ii), I reserve my comments. Advocating safe sex is an option. But advocating safe pre-marital sex? But well, to each his own. I still do enjoy my early morning naps.
Just take the Khushboo episode for instance. As is only natural, the media has confounded itself and the well meaning and, of course, "better be worth what I pay" readers by merrily mixing two issues. One is compelled to ask, 'Hey dude, what's the ruckus about?' Is the whole brouhaha (one likes using such words) on
(i) whether Khushboo, being a celebrity and as is the wont with all celebrities, having to carry the burden of being a responsible one, is allowed to air her views in a public forum keeping in view the grand tradition of the 'freedom of expression' (take a wild guess on where my sympathies lie),
OR
(ii) whether the idea of 'pre marital sex' as floated by Khushboo is a tenable and reasonable idea especially with the advent of AIDS.
On (ii), I reserve my comments. Advocating safe sex is an option. But advocating safe pre-marital sex? But well, to each his own. I still do enjoy my early morning naps.
Just a touch of narcissism
Naah..not into Tamil politics yet!! First the shades..then the shadiness!!
Evocative....
Thought of adding this. When I first saw this sketch by the future Anjolie Ela Menon of India, I thought Lukshmi Iyer ("how’s Dubai, girl?") had sent one of those optical illusions you get in those forwarded mails (of course when you forward it to your friends, they have “already got it way back in 1972!!”). The arch seems to come down to nowhere. Also the creaky stairs ( I do not know how…..but the sketch says it …see it for yourself) reminds you of those old RL Stevenson stories. Evocative. Anything to take away from the accountant’s world of “numb”ers!!
Phew...at last!
Its over!!! All the students can now heave a huge sigh of relief. CA finals are finally over. Now the long dreary wait for the results begin.
Still time yet for those hankies to come out, for those joyous screams, for the put-on airs while entering the Institute campus (“I am qualified, dude!! You still a student???”), for those praises coming from the proud papa’s friends (“my son is a CA!!”) and those modest replies to those praises (“I think I will go for my Master’s next year”). Hey man, for the moment, just chill out!!
Cricket Hungama
Honee ko anhonee kar de, anhonee ko honee,
Ek jagah jab jama ho teenon
Sachin, Sehwag and Dhoni!
Sachin, Sehwag and Dhoni!!
Hurray…India is back to winning ways and Sachin supposedly back on the television in his most natural avatar (definitely not as an ad model).
There is an India vs South Africa game in Bangalore this week. Got tickets, anyone?
Ek jagah jab jama ho teenon
Sachin, Sehwag and Dhoni!
Sachin, Sehwag and Dhoni!!
Hurray…India is back to winning ways and Sachin supposedly back on the television in his most natural avatar (definitely not as an ad model).
There is an India vs South Africa game in Bangalore this week. Got tickets, anyone?
Why Old Man Mozz?
Old Man Mozz… when one has spent an entire childhood idolizing one of the most enduring and enigmatic personality in the lineage of comic book superheroes, one does not exhaust one’s colored cells in that cranium too much wondering what names to give to pet themes.
The Phantom shaped my childhood only the way he can. I can ascribe a lot of low grades in school to those fat bound volumes of Indrajal borrowed from a friend, purchased at the local raddi ka dukaan, stolen from the school library etc. Now you know why Old Man Mozz…right?
Then when the internet boom started, I immediately searched the web for news on my favorite hero. Maybe some long lost comics available on the net? Maybe the third part of that unfinished story is available?
At long last, I found this link and was thrilled to bits. Enjoy!!
The Phantom shaped my childhood only the way he can. I can ascribe a lot of low grades in school to those fat bound volumes of Indrajal borrowed from a friend, purchased at the local raddi ka dukaan, stolen from the school library etc. Now you know why Old Man Mozz…right?
Then when the internet boom started, I immediately searched the web for news on my favorite hero. Maybe some long lost comics available on the net? Maybe the third part of that unfinished story is available?
At long last, I found this link and was thrilled to bits. Enjoy!!
Echoing back!!
A finger on my lips & in a pensive mood, when I try to jog my memory back to that exact instant which convinced me to become a convert.....feel so very helpless...Time is Relative (Old Man Mozz says so...). But on the whys of becoming a convert to the religion of bloggers I stand on firmer grounds. A window..an outlet... a rarefied space to vomit out all the venomous pith out onto cyberspace...an imaginary pedestal to stand up on & shout out to nowhere on the issues that are close to my heart... to express my feelings in a no-holds barred manner with the comfortable knowledge of anonymity.. to let a squeak become a roar..to play out my favorite fantasies and dreams...oh drat...I just can go on & on!!
But just to settle a little formality..... "HELLO WORLD!!!"
Maybe I should stop talking to myself .....after all, I am a little hard of hearing, right??
But just to settle a little formality..... "HELLO WORLD!!!"
Maybe I should stop talking to myself .....after all, I am a little hard of hearing, right??
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