tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53258841096479456652024-02-20T07:49:57.279-08:00Coffee with lifearunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282510458129850473noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325884109647945665.post-90488055370239362522017-02-03T10:46:00.000-08:002017-02-03T10:46:15.055-08:00And that's how we fell in love..<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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"Hello? Hello? Hello?.. Is there anybody in there? " .. Pink Floyd slowly filled the void of the silence in between the whiffs of the chill breeze .The summer had begun and the occasional chill breeze was a welcome respite. I stood there still on my terrace as my mind engulfed in a strange state of tranquility.<br />
<br />
It was two years since I last heard from her. By now she must have a kid too, I thought. A extremely familiar silence welcomed me.<br />
<br />
I hope she is happy.<br />
<br />
Err..Let me be honest. Now I am actually lying to sound like a nice guy.<br />
<br />
Truth lies somewhere in between. I was just not that cruel enough to curse her and not that awesome enough to fake the phony I-hope-she-is-happy-somewhere thoughts..As an average rest-of-us kinda guy, I was stuck somewhere in the middle. <br />
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I have no idea on true love except for what I have seen in movies. It seems like true love happens on once. And that's it. You brood and live on with the memories.<br />
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Unfortunately, I don't seem to be the one cut out for this definition. I have no idea on what is right or wrong. But all I know for sure is "This too shall pass". And so did it. <br />
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While the initial phase of separation is the hardest, "time" somehow magically seems to heal everything. I had indeed moved on. And yes, for real. <br />
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As a consequence, the best-of-my-photoshop-edited pics were already up in the matrimonial sites. My family was scouting around for that perfect made-in-heaven match<br />
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And from my side, just like any other hopeless but hope-to-get-married-soon guy, I joined a gym. Six packs were a rage then. And yes, yours faithfully also wanted that Dangal transformation. After all which gal would say no to a six pack.<br />
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Mission: Single pack to Six pack in 60 days<br />
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But fate had other plans. I had grossly underestimated the potential of my single pack.<br />
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"Is the water cold" goes a voice which I would rate moderate on the sweetness quotient (Personal note: Oye, if in case you happen to read this, it's still supposed to be a complement). I turn back and to my surprise its that same beautiful girl whom I was eying for an entire week in my otherwise desolate gym. She had joined a week back. And it provided a welcome respite from the usual sights of tight-t-shirt hugging tummy of the gym owner, hip-hop listening middle aged aunties and the underwear showing headband uncles.<br />
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Anyway back to the story, there is a tamil saying which goes<br />
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"Cycle gap kedaicha, Auto otiduvan"<br />
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Roughly translates as "if you even get the gap for driving a cycle, you will drive an auto"<br />
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With this profound Chennai quote as my inspiration, my so called conversational skills which had gone on a kumbhakarna mode for some years came to the forefront. Half an hour later I ended up talking about the weather, the cricket match on the screen (where I explain to her certain complicated things such as how to differentiate a T20 and a one day match, how to identify a no-ball etc. Cricket enthusiasts do forgive me), her job (where she did the complicated explanation of very interesting topics such as oil, pipes, process..grr ), college life, CAT preparation , MBA blah blah. Phone number was the only part missing. And she goes like "Can I have your phone number, because I need some guidance on MBA". God, once in a while does exist!<br />
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From then on, the script goes as per serendipitous design - Messages, late night phone calls, coffee shop indulgence, long bike drives, movies, shift in gym to Talwalkar (which helped in the process of adding few more kilos), night walks together, pani puris and her love friendly scooty which only starts when I kick..With no dramatic alaipayuthey madhavan moments, love seemed to take its own sweet pace as we slowly got comfortable with each other. And yes, one fine day, with no swaying trees stopping, no rains, no romantic arr song in the backdrop, no out-of-the world surprises,<b> love </b>just happened. The summer was at its scorching best, the traffic was extremely heavy, honking horns were the background music, our faces were covered with sweat and dust, no 100-ways-to-propose plans and yet love just swept us off our foot and man, it was so magical. <br />
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"Wow! maybe this was the girl that destiny had planned for me. "<br />
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But unfortunately your past still has its traces still left, which sometimes lets your mind come in when a few things are to be actually decided from your heart.<br />
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As I grapple around with these struggles which she clearly wasn't too comfortable with, the big blow came when her folks found out about us.<br />
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Me being the in-love-but-my-past-says-give-it-some-more-time mode meant a disaster was in the making. Our parents spoke and things didn't work out as expected.<br />
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And then something happened. Something I would regret for my entire life.<br />
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Her cute smiling face saw the first traces of blood (and that will be the last time ever. I promise.). She wasn't able to open her left eye which is generally deployed to deliver that trademark mischievous wink whenever she sees me. Her head had a large bump which on a normal day I would have made fun of as "this is why I ask you not to think too much. See your brain is popping out". But these were not normal times. She was beaten up for having chosen a jackass who could'nt stand up for her. Pause and let this sink in. Please abuse me under your breath for sometime if you don't know me or the next time you see me if you know me. I deserve it.<br />
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Everytime I think about this, I feel so small. I was indeed a jackass. And someone just got hit because she loved me and wanted to be with me. It's a regret which I will carry along with me for my entire life. Oye, I am so sorry. Please don't forgive me. (unfortunately given the heart she has, she did..) <br />
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And amidst the two weeks of break up and several months of her entire family not talking to her, our next phase of love story happened. <br />
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This time she was obviously the confused one while I had made up my mind that it has to her - come what may. And since she was fed up with all the shit going around, she took an onsite to Italy. The best part is she had told everyone that it was for 6 months while it was actually 3 months.<br />
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Lol. And this is exactly where the "tragedy" portion of our story ends and the comedy portion begins. The backdrop of a confused girl supposedly in Italy, but living in a ladies hostel in Chennai, a once-confused-redemption-seeking-love-struck stupid asshole trying to woo the girl back is the perfect recipe for some amazing fun and memorable stories which I reserve for my kids and hopefully my grand kids.<br />
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I used to go to her hostel each and everyday post work and take her out to each and every coffee shop and food outlet. Slowly I wooed her back and it was the awesomest (sorry english teachers..I made that word up) and most exciting time of our lives. The late night walks, bike rides, secret kisses, satyam cinemas, cold coffees, subs, that joyful wait in front of the ladies hostel (err joyful because I was expecting her and not because of what you think) gave us more than enough memories to treasure.<br />
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As expected from us, our love story needed to have some twist.<br />
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One fine evening, I called her up and said "Oye, will pick you up at 6.00 and lets head to Lloyds Tea house".. She with her ever cute smiling can't-I-have-paani-puri-instead face said "I need paani puri. Dot." It had been ages since we went to Gangotri and what better way to spend an evening than a pani puri at gangotri.<br />
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Since it was a crowded day, I asked her to take a seat inside, while I went to pick the pani puri.<br />
Suddenly I heard a loud voice, "Hey Shal. What are you doing here". Holy shit. That was her sister along with her kids. I almost dropped my plates. Thankfully she didn't see me. I put my kerchief on my nose trying to blow my nose and in the next 30 seconds was on the parking lot and in the next minute off to god-knows-where but let it be as far away as possible from gangotri.<br />
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And how we handled the whole saga without getting caught, will be our secret story for some other time.<br />
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Soon enough, within a month, as scheduled by the devious man up above, we got caught again.<br />
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Lol..<br />
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And this time for a change something very different happened.<br />
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Fed up. They got us married!! <br />
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From then on we have been living happily ever after.<br />
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<b>And yep, that's how we fell in love.. </b><br />
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<b>P.S</b><br />
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Today being her birthday and the day I revived this blog.<br />
<br />
Let me take the liberty to post a personal message.<br />
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I Love you Shalz..and Happy Birthday Baby :)<br />
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arunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282510458129850473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325884109647945665.post-2447241167633996262013-03-10T12:58:00.001-07:002013-12-21T00:04:11.043-08:00Smile ..Come what may !!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFdJLwIhj4EVck717ADXuGXAYCeOpz9CdfFMlst5bkw9X7LRH-1Us9-OTzItr3SJug8uoG53R2yxj0Esnd3PBMUmiP7_sEv0dnluSuFmTZGqfxY6fLYtxcPHCB0czRuWHSup7iLuOf9Wdg/s1600/holland_w400.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFdJLwIhj4EVck717ADXuGXAYCeOpz9CdfFMlst5bkw9X7LRH-1Us9-OTzItr3SJug8uoG53R2yxj0Esnd3PBMUmiP7_sEv0dnluSuFmTZGqfxY6fLYtxcPHCB0czRuWHSup7iLuOf9Wdg/s1600/holland_w400.jpg" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">A few years back when I started writing, the intention was not to come up with some life changing philosophies or earth shattering truths. The asshole that I am and will always be, all that I wanted, was to record every silly, stupid, feels-like-heaven moments in my life, so that someday when I read it in future, I may realize "not bad..its a life well lived indeed ". And the fact that I was blissfully in love makes the memories even more special</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Its been two years..A lot of things have changed..my sweetheart for whom I started the blog is not with me anymore ( not the kinds where the heroine is diagnosed with cancer..relax..we broke up or to be precise her folks screwed it up )..this post is a little flashback on the last two years of my life.. its about how yours faithfully almost screwed it up..but thankfully the climax is the same - Smile ..come what may !!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">On a rainy night ..a night which I wish never came..</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There were random people running helter skeltor splashing little paddles of water in their search for a cover from the rains. The frenzy of vehicles sped through the roads as the headlight smoke gave dizzy illusions passing through the rain drops. I stood there in the middle of the madness ..devastated and lost..</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">I didn't hear the horns..I didn't see the people..I didn't see the blinding lights..I didn't feel the rains..I didn't feel the chill winds..strangely she was the only thing I could see..for I knew maybe that would be the last time...a painful silence slowly devoured me..</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">She came close to me and bought her arms around my drenched body .. "Arun, take care"..those were the only words that I heard. I held her tight. I wasn't going to let her go. I felt her breath on the back of my neck. I tightened my grip around her..there was silence again..the longest and the most painful period of silence ever in my life.."Don't make it hard..Arun.." ..the moist eyes of mine finally gave in..A few drops ceaselessly slid through my cheeks combining with the rains to finally find its place on her shoulders..</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">I let go..I didnt want to..but I had to ..</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She turned back and started walking towards her scooter..I </span>didn't<span style="font-family: inherit;"> want her to go.."Dont go" my choking unspoken voice pleaded..it felt like a knife had just passed straight through my heart.. I kept walking helplessly behind her wishing for her to turn back..wishing for her to come back..wishing for her to tell me "It's all just a dream"..wishing for her to kiss me..wishing for her sweetest rendering of "I love you Idiot"..</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">As life has it, certain wishes were never meant to come true..her shadowy silhouette slowly disappeared along the empty long stretch of the road..the illusion of small colored circles flashed in and out of my moist eyes ..That was the last time I saw her..</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Slowly I found my voice as I shouted a whisper "Oye..I still love you" ..The rain was deafening..Maybe that's why she couldn't hear.." I still love you.." my muffled voice echoed..A part of me died on that day..I kept walking.. with each and every step an excruciating emptiness crawled through me..My heart kept getting heavier with each and every passing minute...I sat on the road..shamelessly cried..it was pain and more pain..I didn't know how long I was there.. kept staring at the skies..and it continued to rain..</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>From that day, life had completely changed..</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>"I took to drinking..I couldn't imagine a life without her..and my only solution to forget her - ALCOHOL.. From drinking once a week , the frequency gradually increased as I realized the more I wanted to forget the more I got reminded of her..I slowly started drinking throughout the day.. hardly attended classes during my final year..somehow scraped through the placements..but slowly started hating people and graduated towards higher levels of intoxication ..got caught in the world of drugs and soon my performance at work was becoming pathetic with every passing day.."pathetic" was actually being kind for describing the work that I did..Soon I was kicked out of my job..Stayed at home..kept drinking and continued using drugs..Mom kept crying throughout the two years..Finally I am now admitted in a rehabilitation center.."</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Well, this is how my story could have been..but lets see how the actual script played out..</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>From that day, life had completely changed..</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Three days later she got married..I woke up on that dreadful day..I had my marketing class scheduled for the morning..not that any other class was going to make it better..but this definitely made it even worse..as usual got up late..went running to the mess.. had pongal..it was straight from heaven.. (If i ever get a chance to re attend my BIM interview again and they asked me "Why BIM ?"..I would without a blink of an eye, reply "PONGAL sir !!!") I attended all the boring classes for the entire day, faking a smile which concealed the storm brewing inside.. returned to my room at 11 in the night .. And cried for the entire night ..I was feeling miserable and the pain the whole experience puts you through is beyond explanation..but somehow that day also came to pass. And this is precisely how the second most painful day in my life got over ..</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">What did I do in the next two years..</span></span><br />
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Honestly, it did take its own sweet time for me to recover..and I am still not too sure if I am completely over her..or maybe I never will..but f<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">or once in life, I have decided to stop taking myself so seriously .. there is very little I could do about the whole situation..while there is no denying the agony and the lovely memories which still keep haunting me, somehow the hope that there is always something beautiful waiting to happen tomorrow keeps me going...While I have no idea why the story had to end this way, I believe a few years down the line,when I write, I would introduce you to my special someone who would have made this ordinary story into a fairy tale by then..So while I am sure, I will fall in love again, much more crazily and have loads of blissful moments to share and keep the blog alive, the last two years were eventful in their own special ways..it did</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"> have its own set of joys and sorrows and boy what a ride it turned out to be..</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">I ..umm..errr </span></span></div>
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Got a pre placement offer and was the first to get placed in my college<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Got drunk, danced, laughed and shouted my way to glory for the entire final year</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Enjoyed every bit of hostel life ..especially the blissful final year..bliss is an understatement</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Discovered it was a Sunday only because there was a chicken biryani being served </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Slept like a log for most of the days and woke up straight into lunch</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Met some amazing people</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Was SIMBLY HAPPY for most of the days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Landed a job which I am really passionate about</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Travelled 100 km to eat dindugal biriyani</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Went on a trip with complete strangers</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">found a new hobby - swimming</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Got my dream bike - a bullet - funded completely on my own salary</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Spent an entire night on the marine drive laughing my heart out and recording my first 24 hour sleepless stint</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Fell in love again..while it didn't last for long..it was heaven till it lasted</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Joined a gym and nearly fainted on the first day </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Went to vandaloor zoo and got excited seeing a lion </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Went on a spending splurge </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Had my first family get together after ages</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Stayed with my lovely mom day in an out..a blessing that I realised after 4 long years</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Get to taste the worlds best home made dosas every day</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Still get treated like a king at home</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Still get pocket money from my mom.."Amma..I earn".."So what" and her stern cute look follows</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Went on an eating spree..covered every cuisine from Greece to China</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Had intellectually stimulating discussions with worse-if-not-equal assholes like me on every saturday night</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Started visiting Bharat matrimony site more no of times than my FB page </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Still get Kozhi(chicken) leg piece in my dreams</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Went on a bike trip all alone ..watched TV and came back :(</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">And to be honest while I really didn't expect my life to turn out this way.. the last two years were definitely one of the best times I have ever had ..</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have no clue on what is in store for tomorrow..But I have decided.. </span>Whatever<span style="font-family: inherit;"> happens I am going to </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">SMILE .. COME WHAT MAY !!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">and this is how I came out of the biggest tragedy in my life..Period</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">P.S: Oye I know someday you will get to read this.. In case you end up reading till here.. I just wanted to let you know that "I still miss u" :)</span></span></div>
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arunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282510458129850473noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325884109647945665.post-9153918722213119422012-08-08T13:49:00.002-07:002013-12-21T00:12:40.379-08:00Mere Paas Ma Hai !!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"Dai Dog..Where are you ??" I growled wiping off yet another newly formed layer of sweat from my forehead..Standing on the streets in the perfect setting of a sunny april in chennai is definitely not as </span>romanticized<span style="font-size: small;"> as it sounds..For once, I visualize myself nodding " Haan ji" to my poor north Indian friends who have spent most of their life cribbing about the two inevitable things about chennai - the heat and the girls.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">After an endless wait of 5 long minutes my good old useless friend turns up. I jump into his car and finally after the usual exchange of profanities which take us down to the lowest levels of civilization , we give our usual "may the mosquitoes enter" wide mouthed laughter. I was meeting him after ages and still everything seemed to be the same..From the days when we strolled around the</span> streets wearing those fancy colored "Ramarajan-has-definite-competition" kinda shorts with a cricket bat carryin sachin's pic on one shoulder and his arms on the other to the current days where allen solly and van heusen have sadly displaced the evergreen attire..nothing seems to have changed..the laughs, the useless conversations, the swear words,the bird watching sessions..hmm..there are a lot of things which can screw you and for everything else there are friends..</div>
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With a lot of "machi A is going out with B" .."WTF !! then what happened to C " list of stories with A to Z representing our entire list of eventful friends, he drove his car to his mom's school.."Machi..two minutes work da"..Since we had 2 hours more for our movie I wasn't complaining.</div>
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I was going there after ages and the moment we entered I had a pleasant surprise..the new compound wall which had replaced the old rusted barbed fence, a small playground with garishly painted see saw and a slide with the kids happily running around replacing the old worn out barren land, a medium sized building which smelt of fresh paint, and the usual this-one-for-sure-will-never-change bespectacled teacher with a heavy dose of jasmine on her head who kept repeating something followed by the thunderous response of the same thing from the kids.Looks like "development" has finally caught up with this little unknown school which continues to keep the dreams of a lot many underprivileged kids alive.</div>
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As we entered one of the teacher greeted us with a warm smile and said "we need to get MS Word installed"..I (the ex software engineer) and he (the current software engineer) gave the oh-that's-complicated-but-no-fear-for-we-are-here looks and got down to work..15 min and we clapped our hands off indicating symbolically that the mission was accomplished.</div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">And that's when his mom came in with her usual 100watt smile intact. I was seeing her after ages and the usual "how are you" questions were exchanged. We gorged on the snacks and I was getting ready to leave as I always believed a "5 min conversation" was all that was required to stop the other generation from complaining in their usual accusatory tone "these kids cant respect ppl" .And thats when she suddenly threw a shocker.."How is this saree" she asked with a twinkle in her eyes.. "umm err..ya its good Aunty" I replied a little surprised by the question .. "Its a pattu saree..He bought it for me "she gave a proud smile pointing at him ..He looked down as if searching for something in the floor with a "don't embarrass me" smile..I have always been a sucker when it comes to these sentimental scenes in real life and I gave my usual I-have-no-idea-how-to-react-but-will-smile. She asked " can you guys spare two min and come with me"."Ma its already late..we need to catch a movie" he whined still having not recovered from the previous sentimental scene.She suddenly caught him by the hand and started walking with her proud smile intact. Left with no choice I followed. She barged into a room which proclaimed "5 C" (i.e 5 th std C section for those have become a tad bit too old to remember the nuances )</span></div>
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A local DTS version of "Good morning Teacher" echoed across the dusty walls of the room. She still held his arms while he sheepishly tried to wriggle out. And she slowly left it go and turned to the kids and pausing a second taking a whiff of breath , she smiled and asked "How is this saree" ..a pause followed "Super ah erukka" (Is it good). "Super ah erukku " the class roared while breaking into giggles. I felt really weird. Why in the world does she want to show off was my first reaction ." A pattu sari..ya right..so what..How does it really matter" I kept mumbling getting a bit impatient</div>
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With absolutely no qualms, she went on " Do you know who bought it..This is my son and he bought it for me..." </div>
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"Now once u grow up, will you get a good job "..The class blissfully shouted "yes".." Will you buy your parents something like this"..the "yes" continued and she gave a pause letting the moment to sink and went again " Will you buy your parents something like this".. "Yes Mam" the chorus continued..<br />
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And suddenly it felt very strange. It slowly dawned. Maybe its not about the saree..</div>
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And slowly she looked at me "How much ever I earn, nothing like a gift from my son..I know what you must be thinking..but even if one of my student is inspired by this..my job is done"</div>
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I went blank for a second..an enigmatic silence followed..and ironically while there was this strange sense of emptiness, the heart felt heavier..."How much ever I earn, nothing like a gift from my son" the voice echoed ..The last time I bought something for my mom was 5 years back And I still remember the happiness on her face. That was the first time in 21 years that she got something from me. And a year had followed where she would display it across to each and every soul right from my my maid to the poor paper wallah and follow it up with a "my son bought it for me " story. "Bliss-fullness" was the word.</div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">In the pretext of a busy life, I somehow comfortably took for granted a lot of wonderful people in my life. My mom was one of them. While I kept searching for love everywhere around, little did I realize it was right there..very close to me..all along till this very day.. But being the idiot I am..Kept her waiting all along..</span></div>
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Sometimes some of life's biggest realizations come from some of the most stupid circumstances. I had mine that day.</div>
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"Better late than never" I gave a wink and a shebaa-atleast-now-I-realised sigh. I came back home to find her peacefully couched in the living room sofa. "Ma, get up" ..Before she could resist I pulled her up while she murmered "Why da".."Now you close your eyes"..My grandma and my little brother had finally got their last confirmation on their year long analysis and gave a glance across each other while they nodded to their mind voice "GONE CASE !!"</div>
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I thrust it into her hands and asked her to open her eyes. She saw her favorite "Dairy Milk" in her palms and smiled "but why now". I gave a naughty smile and said "For every new beginning.. we should start it off with a sweet "..</div>
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"And may I know what is beginning.."</div>
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I took her close, gave her a hug and whispered "<i>nothing ma..I love you loads..just thought I should let u know.</i>."<br />
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Felt like heaven..</div>
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The moon shone, stars twinkled and the birds flew happily.<br />
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Now while I finally spend some time with her, As always you ppl keep smiling..Come what may !!<br />
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P.S : "even if one of my student is inspired by this..my job is done" ..Hmm ..Aunty, your job is done :)</div>
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arunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282510458129850473noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325884109647945665.post-62983956162974660932010-06-15T07:03:00.000-07:002010-08-12T06:16:35.916-07:00Big Problem Machi !!!<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJ50MZgM-no4yV44Ecd3I57lsdvTuduTplh7PQxW1C80neaaUDsIAAzZ9nHzpORRoUbvsjYLAtuYMJg3QqQ7mRGX2Wnvq2WnpNdR4N2PatsKTdDPMnIR6LsasqEZN2jxkHkT0rDeoHpaf/s1600/86847692_8a5a8ea1e5_o.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 352px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJ50MZgM-no4yV44Ecd3I57lsdvTuduTplh7PQxW1C80neaaUDsIAAzZ9nHzpORRoUbvsjYLAtuYMJg3QqQ7mRGX2Wnvq2WnpNdR4N2PatsKTdDPMnIR6LsasqEZN2jxkHkT0rDeoHpaf/s400/86847692_8a5a8ea1e5_o.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504510083987382866" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">The pointed tip of the dark lead traced the trajectory of a straight line, suddenly took a sharp turn and then slowly curved along to form an oval . It paused for a second and the same ritual followed .....</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> Lets zoom out a bit. Two tiny fingers struggled to hold the gigantic nataraj pencil while continuing the ritual of carving the cursory form of letter 'A'.</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Lets zoom out a bit more . A curly haired, little boy wearing a garish red shirt sat across the floor deeply engrossed in perfecting the art of cursive writing . Boss , Can you zoom in a bit ..Holy shit..Thats me out there ..20 years back on this same day , same time , there I sat struggling to make my quivering fingers produce the perfect A . And I swore for the first time in my life cursing the 'miss' who had given me homework , cursing the big pencil which I couldnt hold , cursing the travails of going to school everyday , cursing the pain of reciting "papa black ship have u any wul..." </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"><span style="font-weight: bold;">"BIG Problem Machi "</span> I thought for the first time...</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">A few years later ...</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">An internet center had opened near our school . The entire school buzzed with rumours that the 10th std A sec guys had seen something in the internet . A few days later amidst the dim lights I was gaping petrified at the small 15 inch monitor . OMG should it be so huge ..A drop of sweat fell from my forehead as realization struck . Oh no...</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"><span style="font-weight: bold;">"Big Problem machi "</span> I thought yet again..</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">A little more years later...</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Arun Di Caprio stood with Sabarish Winslet ,both of us resembling the pose of a scarecrow ."Every night in my dreams I see you ..." the song echoed through the rickety bus amidst the roars of laughter from our seniors as I struggled to get the 'charanam' of the Titanic song right...The ragging sessions had begun ...</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"><span style="font-weight: bold;">"Big Problem Machi"</span> the same thought...</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">In kolkata , each and every species which can be classified under the biological tag "male" had a girl ..exceptions: Ramu , Somu,Yogi, Mama , Dinku and of course me....</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Finally the day had come when men would be men and as every Ramesh and Suresh we had known had inspired us with their adventures in the discotheques , it was time we had a beginning to our adventures . And what better day than the new year . We nonchalantly threw 750 bucks at the counter and walked in with excitement ...The party had begun ...It was rocking ... What a night ...At 3 p.m in the night we all stood in a circle in the center of our living room...We looked at each other for a second and the next second we all wailed together " Aiyoo poche " (Its gone)..The wails just got louder each time we got reminded of the 750 bucks , the couples in the disc , the only 5 dumbos who danced together and atlast that look ...arghhh ..that look that they gave us...the wails got stronger..</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255); font-weight: bold;">"Big Problem machi "</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">...</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">The 8-in-1-rented-home days , when we have a once in a blue moon treat and of course end up with the pride of having laid to rest a a few more sacred species of Hen and finally the next day when you wait outside the only bathroom as tears start flowing from your eyes automatically while your hands are still pounding at the bathroom door...A voice from inside shouts back " Dai , enga kooda nimmathiya erukka vida mattiya ...ennada unnaku prechana ??"</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">(U wont let me have peace even in here...whats your bloody problem???")</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"><span style="font-weight: bold;">"Big Problem machi "</span> my whimpering voice struggled to come out of my mouth...</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">On a rainy saturday evening , I stood there on the shores of marina as her little fingers held on to mine and we slowly walked through the gentle waves as the drizzles of the about-to-begin rain fell on us . One of the softest-drops fell across my eyelids and for a frozen moment in time the eyelids kissed themselves . And the image of me standing next to her in our wedding flashed across . With a sudden jerk , I opened my eyes . Thank God it was just a dream !!!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"><span style="font-weight: bold;">"Big problem machi ..."</span> I thought again...</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Those screwing exams , grueling lab sessions , placement struggles , the software industry , admission grills , interviews , the monotonous lives , the ever increasing traffic , the empty wallets , sambhar sadham , power cuts , my ever increasing body width ...</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Hmmm.....<span style="font-weight: bold;">Big Problem Machi !!!</span></span><br /><br />And suddenly I notice I have been having this BIG PROBLEM Machi syndrome throughout my life ...Right from the time I have started to exist , there always seems to be some problem ...but strangely none of the problems I had in the past seem worthwhile now..I really wonder as to why the fuck did I ever treat them as a problem in the first case ...Most of my problems in retrospect have been moments which I cherish and laugh about the most..<span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Be it my cursive writing ordeals , or the net center debacle or the ragging blues (I still miss those guys...they were the best seniors ever ) or my sweetheart with whom I have survived for 5 years and hope to survive a 60 more</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">!!!</span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> or my lovable roomies with whom I have spent one of the best useless days of my life ...</span>This point in time when I am blabbering out here again I do have my own set of problems ...and boy they do look damn serious to me...What am I supposed to do??<br /><br />Well easier said than done ..Though I really have no idea on how these bloody problems would get solved or as to how in the world will these current problems turn into chershable memories ..All said , I realise one thing for sure ...we shall always have some problem or the other always .."such a pessimistic thought" I must say..But probably if we ponder a little more over the simple statement "we shall always have problems " what a refreshing perspective it brings...<br /><br />If I have problems so do you . So does everyone in the world . Probably the intensities would vary ..while I have a big problem today u might have a small one , but tomo u might have that same big problem while I am left with the itsy bitsy ones..But irrespective of that if everyone one of us have problems , why should I feel sorry for myself that I am the only one whom life treats unfair..<br /><br />I cant believe it took me 24 years to realise this !!! problems are just a normal part of this beautiful journey called life ...So my dear problems , I am all set to have you by my side all along the journey..but I am sorry u wont be getting the importance which u always got from me previously..rather next time u r there I would rather say "watha , vaada machan my dear problems"...<br /><br />Problems have been raping me so far...<br />Its high time I lay back and start enjoying sex !!!!<br /></div><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> </span>arunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282510458129850473noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325884109647945665.post-81338364561691432862010-05-23T08:33:00.000-07:002010-05-26T06:34:55.243-07:00The god of small things ...<a style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTyxS_gw95kxXfdhi3OJRlObgSuOCLVg_dJpmJ4x_31Dz_N-FwIVBA55NwWzKoCn0wFy3aJOVG_a-3_pwIkBBpKBihaNPXCWFHmEd2MScDISaQ450Tbgi8QPvx-Q2NhhhFv7jnLg0BSdts/s1600/163522896_bfe8d8a03c.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 392px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTyxS_gw95kxXfdhi3OJRlObgSuOCLVg_dJpmJ4x_31Dz_N-FwIVBA55NwWzKoCn0wFy3aJOVG_a-3_pwIkBBpKBihaNPXCWFHmEd2MScDISaQ450Tbgi8QPvx-Q2NhhhFv7jnLg0BSdts/s400/163522896_bfe8d8a03c.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474534926184388210" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Dabbling between preparing the steel sector report which I had to submit the next day and answering the highly intellectual questions from my 8th standard cousin athulya was no mean task . "An ant and an elephant went swimming. But instead of swimming together, they took turns getting into the pool. Both were never in the pool at the same time. Why?" she continued ..<br /><br />As usual I put on my act of thinking by bringing in a few variations of lines across my forehead and tapping my forefingers in slow motion on my cheeks..and after a lot of frantic efforts to think I gave in and retorted with the usual "PASS"...<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">"</span>They had only one pair of shorts"... The roar of laughter broke through the room , with my 5 th std brother and his gang of friends solely responsible for the 'roar' part of the laughter.<br /><br />With a sheepish smile I got back to my report " Indian steel sector contributes ..." and before I could complete "Arun cheta , do you believe in god " ...<br /><br />I didnt know why she asked me that all of a sudden but without a thought I replied "no"..<br /><br />And what followed was a huge gasp by all the children and there were a lot of whispers and hustles . I was too busy to think and it was a spontaneous answer .<br /><br />"But how can that be . Why dont you believe in god ???" she immediately asked ..<br /><br />I was in no mood to give an insightful answer which would go about and bring about a profound change in the children and anyway I didnt believe even if were in the best of moods I would be doing that .<br />"Why do u believe in god ??" I replied without a thought continuing to type the report .<br /><br />"Umm ...because he is there everywhere and he helps us......." the reasons kept coming with each and everyone adding on to the chaos ...<br /><br />The clock struck 1 as I tiredly switched off the computer and waded my way across the darkness of the room with the cell phone light giving me a reason not to trample the little hands of my brother and the not so little hands of my mom hugging him tightly . A few careful steps and there I lay peacefully across my bed .<br /><br />Just as thoughts across my mind were getting shutdown , one little thought creeped up ..<br />Does god really exist ??<br /><br />An image of a man lying across the ghostly white sheets , with several pipes going in and out of various parts of his body flashed across ...those unspoken words that I heard as I stood there ...Those locked up tears which hid themselves amongst my smiles for a very long time finally had a reason to bid adieu to my eyes and landed on the strewn prayer books across the floor..Those screams and cries which strangely I seem to never hear.....and slowly his eyes closed ...the nauseating smell of medicines spread through the room as I felt a strange darkness...My eyes closed for a second and for one last time I whispered "I love you dad"...<br /><br />"God doesn't exist " the inner voice overcame the pain which I felt yet again and I slowly closed my eyes and drifted off.<br /><br />It was yet another sunday and my brothers gang had arrived for they had an important cricket tournament today . As usual our hall became the cricket ground and I took the responsible role of the-neighbourhood-mama-who-scolds-children-for-breaking-his-window-pane with the sole aim of protecting our TV screen and gave them stern glances and warnings to which of course no one gave a hoot ...<br /><br />"Dai , pradeep ...ennada romba naala kaanom..." I asked pradeep the 4th std grandson of our neighbourhood maid . ( Pradeep , what happened to you ...you havent turned up for a long time )<br /><br />"ella na ...summa thaan " he smiled ...(nothing bro , just like that )<br /><br />The match had started and soon the struggle of protecting my TV screen got aggravated with the additional role of the umpire controlling the tempers of the warring cricket legends .<br /><br />The day passed by and it was the evening time and as I was deciding on which biscuit to choose from , in the kitchen ..."Do you know what happened to pradeep " the familiar tone of my mom echoed ..<br /><br />I lay there motionlessly across my bed staring across the twirling fan which induced strange emotions ..Pradeep's father had left his mom long back for another woman .. And she was working in a garment factory to make ends meet and make him study ..and she did manage to put him into a decent school in our locality..but soon fate had some other plans ..a guy lured her into the acting industry with a promise of giving her an acting chance in a serial..what followed was little bit of manipulation...she did get a blink-and-u-will-miss portion in a serial and along with that a few videos taken secretly to blackmail her ...<br />Last week she had decided to sleep for the last time but this one was on a railway track....<br /><br />The question propped up "Do you believe in god ???"<br /><br />The smile of young pradeep which hid the scars his heart carried flashed across...What did god find so evil in him that he wanted to take that little smile away from him..<br />The glimpses of the two children who were playing across the rohini signal jumping across each and every car window and spreading an orange cloth and pleading to buy flashed across...and that little smile they had which mocked at the hot afternoon sun as their sweat shone across the dust laden faces ...the small kid who taught me there is so much joy even in the simple art of selling sundal...the old abandoned lady who sipped through the 2 rs tea enjoying its warmth and comfort as I stood there watching.. the images of numerous ppl who struggle across the streets as they fight for each and every day of their lives against the street dogs , against the soaring sun, against the hunger ,against the bruises, against the feelings of being left out and at last against the us ....<span style="font-style: italic;">the </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">us</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> who never had the time to see them</span> ...<br /><br />Do you believe in god ??<br /><br />Well , yes I do ..<br /><br />But its not found in those statues . Its not found in those hilltops where people throng in herds to find him...Its not the one whom I blamed for all my troubles ...Its not the one for whom people kill each other..<br /><br />Its rather right there amongst that little smile that pradeep had ... amongst that little joy which those kids across the signals had ...amongst that iota of happiness which every sale of sundal brought to the boy...amongst that little smile which signifies human spirit...that spirit to keep standing up each and every time we fall and put up that little smile...<br /><br />God is really not something I cannot see ..its right there ...right across the different faces which have only one religion...the religion called "human spirit" ...a few are lucky to be smiling now...and a lot who are not so hope to do so one day or the other....Each and every one of us go through a lot of struggles . For some its comparatively easy , for some its hard , for some the pain is unbearable ...<br /><br />At the end of it , this too shall pass .. and so does each of our struggle...but that little smile that we find at the end of each painful period we go through...that is where I see god...<br /><br />So maybe next time before you drop a ten buck note into the coffers of a so-called-powerful-temple , probably you can feed a hungry stomach...n probably bring that little smile ..<br /><br />and who knows , you might even get to have a glimpse of god too in the deal !!!<br /><br /></div>arunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282510458129850473noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325884109647945665.post-87802415468360529552010-05-15T22:02:00.000-07:002010-05-21T10:23:50.303-07:00Ta..na..na<div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"><span style="font-size:100%;">My eyelids were about to kiss themselves , as the cozy sofa provided the perfect settings for a lazy sunday afternoon..ta nah nah ta na nah na na .. a thean-vanthu-payuthu-kathinile ( honey-coming-attacking-ears ) kind of soothing music slowly ventured into my ears and slowly moved through the various long-time-no-use parts of my brain and along the path it went on to trip a few nerves which brought my just-about-to-kiss eyelids to the wide-open state . The eyes traced the origin of the music to the 22 inch plasma screen across the room . It was the new tanishq ad for the wedding jewellery collection . Watch it below ...<br /><br />.<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyl1gaKc9rBLLJJCmQKQvRATDQzd_bfevTw3lF2aJvP5yfJNwGscqX6y-didYbmOKHQ2RSYFXSwqPkznnmkXA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><br />Beautiful ad I thought . It was so subtle , poetic and somehow stuck a chord with me...But soon the highly anticipated kissing scene between my eyelids replaced the ad and soon I was fast asleep...<br /><br />Ta..na ...na..tha..nah na nah na...<br /><br />"Anushka ....good girl ...good family ...why dont you meet her???" my father hinted..<br /><br />"Not Interested pa" I smirked.<br /><br />"Settled in St Jose ...</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >America </span><span style="font-size:100%;">" the story continued..<br /><br />"Not interested " I replied nonchalantly .<br /><br />"Do you have a girlfriend .."<br />I gave a stern glance...<br /><br />"Then what marriage is a good thing ..." he was about to start again if not for the abrupt shout by my mother..<br /><br />"Stop here " she shouted ..." I need to eat . You both continue . I will be back......".<br /><br />Soon we were sitting inside the hotel .<br /><br />"Is this the time to eat ??" my father quirked in an irritated tone.<br /><br />But before the arguements could continue the waiter placed a huge chicken leg piece on my plate . The leg looked juicy and reddish hot with the aroma of the different spices fighting amongst each other to enter my nostril ."Aaahaa " I exclaimed as the smell took over to my head while the reddish brown leg piece gleamed with its reflection originating at the centre of my pupil and slowly spreading out . Then came the biriyani . The leg piece seemed to peek secretly from the midst of the biriyani rice seducing my already starved lips .<br /><br />Ta..na ...na..tha..nah na nah na... the music kept playing.<br /><br />I slowly took the piece by its leg and felt a vicarious tingle already ascend through the taste buds .<br />But suddenly the waiter realising something , asked "are you the mappilai ??" ( are you the to-be-bridegroom ??)<br /><br />"Oh ...so this is the kalyana special chicken biriyani..mmm...We are not interested . leave it arun . Lets go " my mom quickly remarked and got up.<br /><br />I gave a long look at the chicken piece...I got up and slowly walked out not before turning again for one last time and gave a desperate sigh . A </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >sigh</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> which if I had the authority to amend the English language would have added a few more 'h's and made it </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >sighhhhhhhh</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> to explain exactly what I felt..<br /><br />A few minutes later as we steered across the traffic , I casually asked " What was the name you mentioned ???"<br /><br />"Anushka......"<br /><br />The same background music ...Ta..na ...na..tha..nah na nah na...<br /><br />My dad got a message from my mom...<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >"Its been 25 years and you still don't know that our son is a theeni pandaram !!!!"</span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br />( I beg your pardon...please dont ask me to translate )<br /><br />Ta..na ...na..tha..nah na nah na... Biriyani that makes you marry ...<br /><br />AAArrghhhhhh ....the shout of my bro slowly echoed across just about a few windows ,a few homes ,a few trees , a few streets and finally just barely managing to reach and disturb the peaceful sleep of the stray dog lying on the last street.<br /><br />I lay there across the bed innocently with my bro's arms instead of the leg piece in my mouth .<br />After listening patiently to the not so likely-to-be-expected-from-a-10-year-old-swearing words , I innocently asked still amidst my dreams ,<br /><br />"Where is my leg piece..Am I not married , yet !!! "<br /><br /></span></div>arunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282510458129850473noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325884109647945665.post-6214299984239640972010-04-16T09:46:00.000-07:002010-04-30T08:43:21.974-07:00Now , I know the answer ...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGihO8Sis546MCoVjF6tW1DqSCYSWFJjvmln8DTscplURb6q6WX7i-zfopj2j_kfcLBqdmBhDcZvCcd7-LkjoZae369djRxXXtdZw9QApSIhGbeOuF-gNW5BGJp9ua6pV88BfXhOh-9o_y/s1600/rainyday-1.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGihO8Sis546MCoVjF6tW1DqSCYSWFJjvmln8DTscplURb6q6WX7i-zfopj2j_kfcLBqdmBhDcZvCcd7-LkjoZae369djRxXXtdZw9QApSIhGbeOuF-gNW5BGJp9ua6pV88BfXhOh-9o_y/s400/rainyday-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461458838820261186" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Feb 18</span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">th</span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> ,2009 </span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Amidst</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> the </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">bantering</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> of the bangle selling lady who had finally decided to take rest on the path near the door of the </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">train's</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> compartment , </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">amidst</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> the wails of the child which rubbed through its flowing nose , </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">amidst</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> the face of the old beggar which held those untold stories , amidst the gushing water across the tap with the gargling sound from the uncle's mouth supplementing it , I sat there on the doorstep motionlessly still with the mirage of trees , barren lands , electric wires ,transformers sketching across the endless horizon...</span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">It was yet another assignment as a part of my job and there I was on my way to </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Edappal</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> , a small village in </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Kerela</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> .<br /><br />The same question cropped up "Why do I need to do this ??" . </span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">One question which haunted me for two years and as always the answer was the same .</span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">"My salary is getting credited day after tomorrow " the inner voice spoke . The same salary which the first time bought my mom a diamond pendant , the same salary which bought my girlfriend the gold ring , the same salary which bought me my </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">pepe</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> jeans , the same salary which bought me cold cofees at coffee day ....</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">but there was </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">one little insignificant thing</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> which it never bought me ....</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Happiness....</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">A lot of such train journeys had passed before I finally had the guts to call it quits and finally follow my heart ...Its been a year . Have things changed . Have I learnt something . Have I really earned my smile....</span> <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"><br /><br />July 10</span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">th</span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> , 2009<br /><br /></span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">A new life had begun . The grinds and grills of an MBA had begun , the assignments had begun , the presentations had begun , the screwing ups had begun ,the friendships had begun , the dreams had begun , the journey had begun ....</span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">As all these began , there was this sudden excitement towards which committee you had to be in . As every B School proudly says we are run for the students , by the students and of the students , it is these committees that actually do the above stated ...</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Having been existing for 24 years , if there is one thing that I am completely sure of me - its the fact that I can easily beat anyone to the top of Forbes worlds most laziest people list .</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">So obviously to join no </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">committees</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> was my first motto but as fate had to play its role (I reserve that story for some other time) somehow I ended up in one of the </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">committees</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> - </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">placom</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> (the placement committee).</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">The entire batch after those mind boggling classes had a sigh of relief as they sipped through the hot coffee , guffawing and rambling about the various rumors and </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">grape wines</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> of the college . At one lonely corner of the college , "Mam , this is </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">arun</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> calling from....can we get an appointment for a corporate presentation for our execs placements " ..The calling had begun for fixing appointments for making presentations the next month to corporates (yup the same place from which I had come )..One month had gone by and so did lot of coffees and </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">interseting</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> gossips .I was missing all the fun and somewhere deep inside it didnt feel great... The planning had begun for the presentation at </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">delhi</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> ( I was in the delhi team !!) , the brochures , the </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">cds</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> , the list of companies , </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">addresses</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> , hr nos , train tickets , stay ...the list went on...</span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"><br /><br />Soon I was walking across the streets of </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">delhi</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> , trying to find out where the offices of the companies were situated . As always I ended up walking several miles</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">, thanks to my 'ek gaon mein ek kissan ' hindi speaking skills .This became a routine as the mornings were filled with work and the evenings were filled with bird-watching sessions and tandoori chicken . With a hectic one week all the presentations were made .</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">And then finally came the DAY ..The first company was coming to campus the next day . Its 2 P.m in the night as I took the final printout of the resumes of the students who had applied . And At 2.30 p.m I went to the guest house to welcome the recruiters to the campus( they had a delay in their travel..a pretty loooong one ...phew) and showed them around their rooms and finally went back to my room at 3 P.M .</span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Just when i thought I had just slept , a call woke me up "</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">Arun</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> , what would they be needing for breakfast " . The clock needle seemed to quiver around the number 6 as I woke up and soon I was running across in my blazer accompanying the recruiters for the breakfast .</span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">The process had begun . There were several last minute corrections in the resume , several queries ,and several anxious faces ...<br /><br />The day went on and on and slowly the filtering was done with the final 10 ready to enter the interviews. The clock showed 11.30 p.m as the final candidate went in ..</span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">I stood there outside with my knees starting to ache and my tired eyelids desperately wanting to kiss each other...<br /><br /></span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">The same old question dawned</span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> "Why do I need to do this ?"</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">But before I could really think the door threw open and the last candidate was out . </span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Soon I went inside after a 10 minute hiatus . The </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">HR's</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> seemed to be in a very serious discussion and finally the gave me the names </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> . Two of them had been selected . Quickly I dialled their nos and said " Hey , congrats you are selected "....</span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"><br /><br />And that one single moment that followed . I will never ever forget. ...that strange inexplicable feeling ...that little flutter across my heart ...that subtle joy ..that final taste of that little thing which money never bought me ...that little thing called <span style="font-style: italic;">Satisfaction</span>... .I guess the guy on the other line said thanks but I </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">don't</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> remember . And it </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">didn't</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> matter . In a few minutes </span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> I could see shouts of joy "</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">machan </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">I made it</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> " ,clenched hands punching the skies with </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">ecstasy</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> , smiling faces reaching out to their near and dear ones sharing their joy </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">. </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"><br /><br />At one silent corner ,as I watched all these the question cropped </span> <span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">"Why do I need to do this ?"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">A few meters away from me I saw that joy on his face . That smile of conquering everything .That joyous voice over the phones shouting "ma ., I am placed " . That expression which spoke of victory and that some thing which I will never be able to explain.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">And a silent voice within me spoke</span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> " This is why you need to do this !!!"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Months of hard work ,those missed coffees , those cribbings, those from-where-the-hell-do-they-crop-up problems ,those never ending planning , all those pains which went to it , my aching knees ....None of these mattered....</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">I slowly dropped into my bed .. I smiled ....</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"><span style="font-weight: bold;">April 15</span><span style="font-weight: bold;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">th</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> , 2010 </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">The year had ended . I stood there near the door of my train compartment on my way back to Chennai from Trichy. There were times when I worked for money . And now these are times when I work for free , and I bet on my life that sometimes I have worked much more than what I actually did when I was paid . And honestly it feels great . To know that you worked , not for money , not for your personal gains but in order to bring that little smile on someones face .</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">And now I realize the problem was not my job but....</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">the person for whom I worked ...<span style="font-style: italic;">money..</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">I gave a smile as the winds brushed through my face and ruffled hair .</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">The same question but.....</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Now I knew the answer ....</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">I kept smiling ...<br /><br />Sometimes these simple experiences go on to teach us the biggest lessons in our lives...U keep searching for that 'something' everywhere and all of a sudden it just comes so unexpectedly , just like that chill breeze on a hot summer afternoon , nothing dramatic , nothing mind blowing ,but just hidden amongst the casual yet-another-day-of -life....So lets stop complaining and start relishing these simple experiences for what they have to offer and do our small part to bring that little smile back into people's lives...<br /><br />Smile ...come what may !!!!<br /></span></div>arunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282510458129850473noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325884109647945665.post-76013236552598826362010-02-15T18:31:00.000-08:002010-02-15T19:40:30.274-08:00Last-ing moments !!!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw_zcRzp60KLicTjev3j3UZdR35BJWq820GgYTqiEt2R4jAqKoddtkeWqMxqEYUPwb4ZOAC7cIk_U6i1UrLyqxIkhUzFdZiDIL5rdwTRBhMHwKbyexuLjx0b0yynMfgtHeaZzB1wC7tvbj/s1600-h/DSC_0031.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw_zcRzp60KLicTjev3j3UZdR35BJWq820GgYTqiEt2R4jAqKoddtkeWqMxqEYUPwb4ZOAC7cIk_U6i1UrLyqxIkhUzFdZiDIL5rdwTRBhMHwKbyexuLjx0b0yynMfgtHeaZzB1wC7tvbj/s400/DSC_0031.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438680911491871602" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">The First love ,the first kiss ,the first job , the first paycheque ....there is always a lot of nostalgia and feelings attached to those "first"s in everything .<br /><br />But however we strangely seem to have forgotten about the last drop of petrol which miraculously saw you through till the nearest petrol bunk , the last one rupee in your pocket which got you the rasna which you savored all along your way back from school ,The last glimpse at your friends answer sheet which you got you that 1 mark which passed you , the joy of watching the seconds hand cover the last minute of the most boring lecture , the last iota of vision before your eyelids close themselves to the mystical chants caled lectures , the last day at the job you hated the most ,the last drop of the chocolate milkshake which dances across the rim of the glass before it lands on your lips , that last time you saw that beautiful stranger who gave that little smile which made you gasp "Wow !! I am in love " , the last time you held her hands before the train left , the last drop of tears which fell across her pink cheeks as the train kept moving as I stood there still watching her dissapear , the last time my father smiled at me , the last time you met your college gang , the last phone call which eventually continued for 4 years and still continues , the last 50 paise balance which just lasted as you spoke the words "oye , I miss u..." ,the last milestone which said chennai 2 Km as I drove the last lap of my 350KM ride from trichy to chennai , The last time someone came and told you "Hey you are looking awesome "(Though seriously ,I doubt whether there was a "first" time this happened leave alone the "last"), The last walk across my college corridor , the last Photograph which had all of us together ...hmmm<br /><br />Well , irrespective of whether they are the "firsts" or the "lasts" there is always the joy and longing whenever we get reminded of these . We all have our own stories where these "lasts" did matter .And unfortunately these lasts never got their due so I just decided to take some time to recollect mine as I suddenly remembered its a long time since I LAST wrote my blog .. And no wonder these were truly last-ing moments !!!!<br /><br />Now its time for you guys to cherish your "last"ing moments , and while you do that I shall make a move ...and as always<br /><br />Do Keep smiling , come what may ...</div>arunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282510458129850473noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325884109647945665.post-41441505842532958582009-12-22T07:45:00.001-08:002009-12-23T18:53:32.856-08:00Musings of an idle mind ...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMzymdfe6EqoqhdcMB-3laadFIpwJycG8yKz59xy7NcU_zTILo-Wgw4CHk36t1om1nbe-UL1kcMh2LIVb25zEamrHVr484iRRe8gm6-73WddKiCw_Y2CfhiA6loOwRaMj5LB93tWkiLLiv/s1600-h/life-in-four-photos.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 222px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMzymdfe6EqoqhdcMB-3laadFIpwJycG8yKz59xy7NcU_zTILo-Wgw4CHk36t1om1nbe-UL1kcMh2LIVb25zEamrHVr484iRRe8gm6-73WddKiCw_Y2CfhiA6loOwRaMj5LB93tWkiLLiv/s400/life-in-four-photos.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418425325116341458" border="0" /></a>
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mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> </div><p style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Sometimes even the most humiliating questions lead to the most enlightening moments of your life . It was a long day . A very long one to be precise as I sat there waiting on a dust laden bench in pune railway station with a please-gimme-atleast-one-biscuit longing dog staring at me as I finished the last 'good day' biscuit . Well , the biscuits name strangely seemed to be mocking at me as I got reminded of the day ....
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<br />It was yet another interview , yet another pursuit for the MBA madness..Unfortunately , these gentlemen in the panel were interested in what I learnt in engineering( However I appreciate the thought !!! feels nice ) ... I struggled to remember a few basic theorems he had asked in electrical engineering (5 years is a really looong time...And phew ,what a eureka moment to realise that ) and of course later followed by a How-does-it-work question with his fingers pointing out to any object remotely connected to electricity in the room or rather was kept near an electrical plug point . I stared at him , with an inner voice replyin 'boss I am not your I-read-daily-lessons and an-electrical-engineer-is-what-I-always-wanted-to-be kinda guy , I am a normal , yet another part of the humble race of ppl who open their books a day before the exams , curse the author , drink the magic potion "tea" to stand against the travails of a closing eyelid and finally at the end of it all find the true joy in life when they see the P- for pass in their results"....Not even the such- deep-indepth knowledge ( ahem...ahem...) that I gained during my insightful engineering years came to my </span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">help , as the two years of life as a software professional had robbed me of the remaining so-called-electrical-knowledge .
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<br />"Kripya , dhyan dijiye " an abrupt voice ended my flashback . I flexed my muscles and lifted the huge bag that I had containing a shirt , a pant and my underwear . The girls stood there wowed at my ability to lift such a huge bag with such an ease . Or so I thought as the only other specimen whom I had previously introduced to you "the dog " ...yup the same one which was after my good day biscuit gave a bark which said "you better get lost before I ....(censored) "..
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<br />Thus with such a nice farewell I boarded the train and soon after was lying on the top berth enjoyin the little wafts of air which these old fans strangely still seem to produce .
<br />
<br />Somewhere deep inside I was feeling a little bad for screwing the interview . And the question dawned " So what exactly was engineering all about if it was not for the circuits , motors or whatever ????</span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> </div><p style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">And slowly I drifted away ...</span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> </div><p style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-family:times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Those increasing ‘lub-dub’ sounds of my heart when I bunked a class for the first time in my life , those “macha , quick da ...the watchman might see us “ shouts as I crawled beneath the fence which was neatly cut by some kind hearted senior just enough for me to pass excluding my tummy , and after a 5 minute extreme-yoga-inhaling session I managed to pass through but unfortunately my jeans bore a small hole which would go on to become the only remains of the history of adventurous bunkings that followed , and those long journeys back to the city to watch ‘our kinda’ movies ....Those “wowwwwww.......” exasperation as we stood in the middle of satyam theatre gaping at mallika sherawat </span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">scorching the screens in Murder ,those few shouts that</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">followed from behind which meant we better find our seats</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">else the name of the movie might not just remain a coincidence ...Those gossips which went about the college as to who was with whom , and what did x do with y while z went on with q ....soon the gossip section at the end of the four years stood like – ABCDEFG ...XYZ and you just had to keep rearranging them ...those laments about ‘wont we ever get a girl friend ‘ ...those 5 minute glances at unknown faces and those 1 in a million probability where they get returned ....those classes which taught you the art of sleeping with eyes wide open , those gruelling lab sessions , record writing and finally those vivas where you learn the philosophy ‘when a rape is inevitable , its better to lie back and enjoy “ ...Those lovely friendships which you make ...a few which last ...a few which don’t ...the joy of discovering the chillness of the sea in a late evening at marina , those days when I felt why couldn’t life just stay like this as I blew the smoke from the lemon flavoured hookah ...the smoke that made everything around hazy , unclear but yet a sense of inner peace somehow strangely seemed to be there as the world that I had always known disappeared ... the juice shop at nungambakkam which provided the perfect inspiration to all our life’s useless philosophies on girls , beer ,bikes and porn...those cremation ceremonies for many a chicken at our own Loyola fast food ...those placement blues ...those gre,cat madness ...those football matches which took us through an entire year....Those love affairs , those fights , those disappointments , those failures ...Those inevitable fightbacks against life , just barely managing to stand after a lots of falls... Those once- in- a -blue -moon good scores ...and those......</span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> </div><p style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-family:times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Oops , I have reached Chennai and thanks to the benevolent soul who shook me up and ended the ‘happy-days’ movie of my life...</span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> </div><p style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-family:times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">I slowly woke up as the answer dawned</span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> </div><p style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-family:times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">So what exactly was engineering all about if it was not for the circuits , motors or whatever ????</span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> </div><p style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-family:times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">“Two days with a 100 bucks second hand bakshi textbook from the moore market , and I would have answered each and every “how does this crap work “ questions.....But those lovely memories and moments of these 4 years ...hmmmm... College wasn't just about the motors ,the circuits ,the labs , thesemester exams ,the placements ....Its was about something else
<br /></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> </div><p style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"> It was about life....
<br /></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> </div><p style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-family:times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">And boy , I did live mine !!!!</span></p> arunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282510458129850473noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325884109647945665.post-79789245116218979202009-12-05T18:53:00.000-08:002009-12-06T09:09:10.048-08:00A cup of life<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5eQ4U3rvxdJlVwumoj_4Ld5WVyT_M6063Ks6L88vPvy0msCme1pDhyYZitXs7pco2-VnUU8BTmdm3x3l10vBIuTm5DEknJgtdcxQ3Ek6exET-y5KHhepYP37LUUd_opLNg82GGvJI54UD/s1600-h/addicted-to-love-wallpapers_8116_1920x1440.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 421px; height: 315px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5eQ4U3rvxdJlVwumoj_4Ld5WVyT_M6063Ks6L88vPvy0msCme1pDhyYZitXs7pco2-VnUU8BTmdm3x3l10vBIuTm5DEknJgtdcxQ3Ek6exET-y5KHhepYP37LUUd_opLNg82GGvJI54UD/s400/addicted-to-love-wallpapers_8116_1920x1440.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411968605536571362" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Its been a really long time since my last post . Thanks to my assignments , presentations , ever increasing sleep hours and alas finally here I am back again as always at my useless best....</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Yet another wonderful day started off as I woke up at 9.30 a.m realising that I was a tad bit too late for my research methodology class which was at 8.45 (thanks for that , it was a wonderful day indeed )...Half asleep I monotonously took 'the hindu' as always cursing the dry contents for I missed the masala of Times of India . Something familiar caught my eyes . "CAT 2009 debacle ".....</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Aaha ...not that I was remotely bothered by CAT 2009 but however the word cat was good enough to bring back good old memories of the MBA madness phase which I once went through ...those mock cats , those dreams about IIM which I had while I was teaching bankers how to select using the mouse (a part of my wrk ...ahem ahem...Of course I am an ever proud software engineer ) ,those endless application forms , CAT , NMAT, SNAP , XAT ....and those heart stopping moments before each and every results ......those unusual self-thy-named-invented diseases that I get a week before each and every GD call, for an off from work ..a loving boss who eventually forgot me in due course of time .... those 5 minute friendships before GD's ..."hey , I saw u at XYZ interview right " cliches ...those shouts across the gd hall as to why INDIAN economy was better than the Chinese...those why MBA questions...those oscar winning dialogues on how MBA was my calling and why ALWAYS I wanted to do an MBA ...those presentations blaring we r so and so ...those final converts ...those advising grandpas , mamis , mamas ..those "machan watha naan school poren ....ooooooooo...B SCHOOL " a la james bond style punch dialog...those obvious spits which followed the dialog...</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">and atlast a few dreams which shall always remain as dreams .......</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">I smiled ....</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Kept smiling as I realised I had missed the second hour of the lecture too as the clock screamed 10 a.m....</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">But honestly , I didnt mind</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">I fell on my cot , pulled the bedsheet across my face and zzzzzzzz.....</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">A day well spent I thought as I slowly dozed off sincerely wishing I would be awake for the afternoon class....</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">As always few memories are worth recollecting...somewhere it makes you feel good and laugh at all those silly , stupid things we have done ..We might have really been worried about those so called mistakes we made that time ...But now , all thats history and gets stored under the "moments to smile " folder in your heart...so lets make mistakes , not be too harsh on ourselves , smile across each and every situation and take life as it comes with "Watha ...I love you , my dear life "(wish it was a wife instead !!!) attitude . Irrespective of the end , the journeys are always the best part . I know not everyone must be having the best times of their lives ...But its just a matter of time before things get back to being great and who knows the current situation might just be the one which would provide you with those evergreen amusing memories for ur entire life...</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">So no matter how much life screws you, do keep smiling and enjoy life...</span><br /></div>arunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282510458129850473noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325884109647945665.post-82376040661624851092009-11-05T10:25:00.000-08:002009-11-05T12:30:50.483-08:00A little bit of vodka and life....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh937vAE3yz23eWa9pvPq1-d31TXEIYXx6jS0X2LRbb5TOmFYAwVE7AZbTCFudIWwNreSgk2LZ5UvTrurfXP6veyH9rGMfbsVlra4yJWymCA4nUmNnTYcv69gWvFJRVLRoVkRZx0Bcebis8/s1600-h/928476yqhwghka8d.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh937vAE3yz23eWa9pvPq1-d31TXEIYXx6jS0X2LRbb5TOmFYAwVE7AZbTCFudIWwNreSgk2LZ5UvTrurfXP6veyH9rGMfbsVlra4yJWymCA4nUmNnTYcv69gWvFJRVLRoVkRZx0Bcebis8/s400/928476yqhwghka8d.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400718095707449186" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">"Macha , cheers da ....watha this is the most happiest day of my life " I shouted oblivious of the poor street dog which had an abrupt end to its sleep . The shouts slowly travelled through those empty streets of kolkatta , across those trees which kept dancing to the tunes of the wind , through the moisture laden yet-to-blossom-flowers , across the water filled potholes , across those tired people getting back home with the id card which held the stories of dreams lost and untold.....</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Giving me company along with the vodka bottle were three other dissillusioned souls .</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">shankar - a lead guitarist of a wannabe band from chennai </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">,</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Parthiban - yet another unfortunate mechanical engineer ,</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Selva - a wannabe politician </span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">and<br />me - an electrical engineer who knew nothing about current ,circuits ...<br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">We all had one thing in common other than the single bottle of vodka ...</span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"><br /><br />All of us were software engineers ....</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Yup , we belonged to the elite lot who were paid in lakhs , had plush offices , spent like crazy and so on.......</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Or thats what I dreamt 2 years back ...I still remember the wait across the crowded hall where the names where spelt out ...arun kumar r ......watha ....yeahhhhhhh....I stood there with my hands spread as the joyous shouts echoed throughout the hall....and that window seat on the bus where I struggled to convey to my mom those golden words " Ma , I am placed........"</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Yet another glass of vodka went in as I got reminded of today's afternoon where I gave back my swipecard as it was my last day at office . And honestly , I have never felt better...</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Money was good ...It bought me everything except for that something....that something which could remove that emptiness...that something which I would do just for the love of doing it...that something which would let me follow my heart ...</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Now as I get ready for the new journey in search of that 'something', I see the longingness , those lost dreams, the pain in those eyes ....Those eyes which belonged to me a few days back, those eyes which will belong to thousand of more recruits who will keep swarming in....</span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">And somewhere deep inside I know it wouldnt be long before my master 'money' catches up with me and the compromises would again happen...</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">But till then I have the chance to script my own story ....I finally get a chance to live not for what the society thinks I should be , what my friends think I should be ,what my family thinks I should be but for.....</span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">what I think ,I should be</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">And as a humble beginning to this so called new self-discovery , this blog holds a special place ...coz it gave me the courage to do something just for the love of it ....and all those who took the pain to read through my posts and those sweet ppl who commented on my blog , I am forever indebted to you ppl for you unknowingly convinced an average-not-so-good wannabe writer within me to believe in his dreams...and everytime I read those random out-of-blue praises it feels like heaven ...</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">As the final sip of vodka goes in , I fall back...</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Its time to start dreaming ...</span></div> </div>arunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282510458129850473noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325884109647945665.post-62307543718169277232009-10-25T07:05:00.000-07:002009-11-05T10:23:39.960-08:00From me to you ...<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLadVQc2s210D50hP_FkVybF8aYIvH3ZxhQmh-HmNlIRAMc795ha-_FCPfhkJydxiOpk4iYwRC9CpwIM8wGcVVYURbzUwG279j71cidNSBsPlIGGuGGIWSKw4CTmOgfpSfZibruvfKmLO0/s1600-h/color.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 354px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLadVQc2s210D50hP_FkVybF8aYIvH3ZxhQmh-HmNlIRAMc795ha-_FCPfhkJydxiOpk4iYwRC9CpwIM8wGcVVYURbzUwG279j71cidNSBsPlIGGuGGIWSKw4CTmOgfpSfZibruvfKmLO0/s400/color.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396592771801611394" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Thousands of kutti kutti fights ...</span><br /></div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Hundreds of misunderstandings ...</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Loads of possesiveness....</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">A few heart shattering moments ...</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">A little bit of ego clashes...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">That sudden thought of losing it all ...</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">and its been three years ...</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">nothing seems to have changed ..</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">or did it ??</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">We survived through everything...through every bit of the joy and the pain..through each and every struggle , blows and falls ...nursing each others wounds , growing stronger day by day , sometimes hurting each other in the process ...what started off just as yet another college love story , maybe went a bit too far was what the entire world thought ...or to be frank thats what we ourselves thought but time had its own plans and got its magic woven into our lives ...</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">three years is a pretty long time .Lots of things changed ...</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">those lovely walks along the college road .....</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">those lovely roadside teas...</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">those astrology sessions at the beach..</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">those days when I spent the entire day cleaning my bike just because I was supposed to go out with you the next day...</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">those days when the wallets were empty but the hearts were full ....</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">those days when I rode across 20 km just to wave a single 'hi' ...</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">those days when the phone bills kept raising while I always felt we never spoke enough ...</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">those lovely afternoons where we roamed around the streets of anna nagar in search of an abandoned puppy ...</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">those evenings when I held your hands wishing on the sun that set across the horizon...</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">those nights which taught me what missing someone really meant....</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">and finally along with all these ....</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">yet another thing changed ...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-family:times new roman;" >......US.....</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">I started chasing a career , money and a few more of things which I never could decipher...In the journey that followed I made a few sacrifices , made a few choices , made a lot of blunders...</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">And I thought it was always for that someone ...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">for that you..</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">but little did I know it wasnt what you wanted ....you wanted somethin else..it was not about gettin back those walks or talks ...though from heart there isnt a day that passes where I do not wish for those moments...it was more than that ...it was about the spirit ...it was about that zest for life which we both had ...that beauty which we saw in those chill zephyrs , that cold waves which splashed across our feet and that one last phone call each night....it was about the joy of living each moment ...we really did own the world though for a very small time ...and somewhere along the way we got lost admist work pressures , CTC's , careers , onsite and what not...</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">But at this moment , as I sit along the low parapet walls of my terrace crisscrossing my legs and savoring the hot tea with the chill breeze giving me company thanks to the cocunut trees , there is just one thing I would like to say ...</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-family:georgia;" >There is just one little, insignificant thing that still hasn't changed ...</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-family:georgia;" >"I STILL LOVE YOU ".......</span><br /></div>arunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282510458129850473noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325884109647945665.post-86153207961556619982009-10-06T07:03:00.000-07:002009-10-06T13:26:55.938-07:00Romancing with Life ...<div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrIDLCMSV6IZ225gd82Jkiz4hEjpbUsAsd1PPotcab_K25H-G96EyX8LkNFP1v24k8e2Q5j9ZJJYg3kZH70buGs-Nwm4pNqeVlJTzpuTEopmYwbgBCkt9Uygn9HL22KV6GjXkDPhhudVEg/s1600-h/B14.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrIDLCMSV6IZ225gd82Jkiz4hEjpbUsAsd1PPotcab_K25H-G96EyX8LkNFP1v24k8e2Q5j9ZJJYg3kZH70buGs-Nwm4pNqeVlJTzpuTEopmYwbgBCkt9Uygn9HL22KV6GjXkDPhhudVEg/s400/B14.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389576799606929154" border="0" /></a>Garishly painted walls , dim lights which find their way through the smoke filled air , blaring sounds from an old radio , broken chairs and ....<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />Long back at the same place...<br /><br />"Watha" I slammed against the table "why the fuck did she do this to me machan ". The unusual silence greeted my anger...everyone around me kept quiet .....<br /><br /><br />Not long back ..<br /><br />"machan ...she is back with me ...ummale finally machan ...can u believe it guys...<span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >she is back</span> ...she is mine ...just mine...oooooooooooo" the ecstatic shout echoes through the small place as my clenched fist punched across the air with joy....<br /><br />at sometime I dont remember ...<br /><br />"Aah finally , its all over machan ...<span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">we are engineers</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>....we made it...no more exams ..no more labs ...no more machines ..no more circuits ...aahaaaaaaaaa feels like heaven ..."<br /><br />at a time which I wish to forget<br /><br />"machan I am placed in a software firm...whoaaa.....loads of money...foreign trips ..team parties ..pubbing...partying..n of course girls machan...ooooooo" I kept dreaming on the same broken chair . ( I still pity myself for all those dreams....silly me )<br /><br />A few months back ,<br /><br />"This IT field is killing me . I am going to do an MBA ...dont ask me why ...honestly I dont know ...But I have decided ..."I took a decision admist the hazy smoke at the same place...<br /><br />exactly 4 months back ,<br /><br />" I am no more a software engineer ...I am a student once again...aah ..finally back to college ..err not exactly a college but to a school ...a B school ...whatever ...watha its back to good old fun times " I kept smiling ...and of course at the same place ...<br /><br />Well WTF am I coming at ...<br /><br />Honestly , there is absolutely nothing philosophical coming up to interrelate all these incidents . So rest assured . There is just one little common thing .<br /><br />All these took place at the same place and were followed by the same dialogue .<br /><br />A dialogue which never changed though the times had changed . A dialogue which shall always remain forever irrespective of whichever stage I pass through in life . A dialogue which stood the test of time and forever etched itself in my life to become eternal .A dialogue which represented the aftermath of every emotion I went through in life - love , hate , failure , success , frustration , hope and joy .<br /><br />And its time I let the world know those magical words ...<br /><br />and it goes like<br /><br />" ANNA .... ORU PLATE CHILLI CHICKEN THANGA !!!!!"<br /><br />(bro , 1 plate chilli chicken plz )<br /><br />And honestly , if it weren't for those lovely chilli chickens at our own roadside-fast-food-centers where each and every important incident of my life were either celebrated or brooded over , life would never have been the same .<br /><br />Sorrows or joy , failures or success , rejection or acceptance .....all these come and go ...But make sure you dont lose out on these occasions to have the inevitable "chilli chicken". With a chicken out there on our plates we shall take a vow to believe in life , to enjoy our good times , to laugh our hearts out , to take failures in our stride , to stand back each and every time we fall , to make the best out of what life has to offer , to celebrate our freedom and at the end of it .....ummm errr .....Of course , eat the chicken on our plate ...what else !!!<br /><br />This is dedicated to all those lovely souls who shared their glories and falls in life with a plate of chilli chicken at our very own street fast food centers .....<br /></div><br /></div>arunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282510458129850473noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325884109647945665.post-68373298330199934032009-09-17T21:52:00.001-07:002009-09-17T21:52:12.141-07:00A whiff of nostalgia ...<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXh1zU-BLzuBFw5FZc4zz-6Ynh1k-Np-7LaPVjmmTM3P0mwxmxK69LshT-kIgAmLw-wwKOuDlCD1MxEvJGL_Z_rAihCjs7sASTsjo7OcjVtakUwRziRhm9RScwSEzq6A0ZJIELgiximnRv/s1600-h/rain_by_cunyadenki.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382478390889805330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXh1zU-BLzuBFw5FZc4zz-6Ynh1k-Np-7LaPVjmmTM3P0mwxmxK69LshT-kIgAmLw-wwKOuDlCD1MxEvJGL_Z_rAihCjs7sASTsjo7OcjVtakUwRziRhm9RScwSEzq6A0ZJIELgiximnRv/s400/rain_by_cunyadenki.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="color: #3366ff;">Sleepless nights ... swollen eyes.... half hearted break fasts .... 2 minute phone calls... unshaven 3 day beard .... endless ppt's and pages which keep flipping ...that inexplicable feeling you get the moment you see the question paper...That little smile that you carry thinking "Oh , thats the 3rd consecutive rape " ...three hours pass by only to hear "macha the paper was fucked up "...well , its not the paper that got fucked but ....hmm....the same old smile ....</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #3366ff;">There was not much I could do .</span> <span style="color: #3366ff;">I lay back on my cot unmidful of the papers and stationery scattered on it ...the dust laden fan sprung into action ...Hidden amongst one of the several unknown cities of India.. amongst the outskirts of trichy.. amongst the several hostel rooms.. in the one little corner of my room , I gave a deep breath as a whiff of chill breeze had still managed to find me ...The smell of moist sands filled the room as they greeted the rains ... I slowly stood up , looked through the window which let in some rays of light into the otherwise dimly lit room ...The zephyr again braced me ...</span> <span style="color: #3366ff;">I smiled . Reason ...I have no idea ...It felt special ...it felt nostalgic ...</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #3366ff;">The joy of watching the first 'kathi-kappal ' travelling through the muddy waters leaving ripples that got lost as I grew and people said you are a 'grown up'....The freedom of dancing in the rain as if no one was watching (except for my mom)....Those little kicks across the water filled potholes which left my white canvas shoe with a beautiful mixture of colors ..The colours of innocence , freedom , joy ....Those cricket matches played under the rains...Those celebrations where rain drenched T shirts hugged each other..Those rainy evenings when I cried for I loved someone more than myself ... Those days when I never let her know my tears from the rains ... Those walks in the rains when I held her hands ...those little drops which blessed her little finger and slowly fell on to mine ..Those little romances with life as I sped through the empty stretches of chennai on a rainy friday night ...those special moments which still keep lingering around somewhere in the dust laden chambers of our hearts....Those moments which keep reminding us there is still a child in us ...</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #3366ff;">I guess life is all about those special moments . Its not about the days we did something great . Its just about those days where we did simple things , but nevertheless loved doing them. Its about the days where we were 'us' ....The days when we really lived our hearts out , believed we could be whatever we wanted , had dreams , laughed our hearts out ,had wounded knees and fought back like a warrior ..... </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #3366ff;">But as we grew up somehow the child in us got lost in search of the so called bigger things . We got more cynical , depressed , complained at the drop of the hat .And I am no exception .But hold on ... </span><br />
<span style="color: #3366ff;">Well , we still haven't lost it all. We still have a chance ...Dont we ??</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #3366ff;">And here comes my chance ...</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #3366ff;">I love the rains ...</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #3366ff;"><span style="font-style: italic;">And here I go ....whoaaaaaa</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #3366ff;">While I get drenched in the rains (probably after a very long time ) you keep discovering the child in u .</span><span style="color: #3366ff;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #3366ff;">Life is always beautiful so keep smiling and keep enjoying...cheers</span><br />
</div></div>arunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282510458129850473noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325884109647945665.post-53749525233494229502009-09-17T18:04:00.000-07:002009-10-02T22:48:52.256-07:00But , Why me ??<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3vtOmrBxk07xXvLed6VrFKRRqX5cg1SfK8dersRgxjRP38gbTAl6dpVE28LG2UqETWngRNIIIFjkGujop7GXL9FJeFq8r__fH8HhuCXga76GRK6XVi2aPuVggDTPbSu4k7ktppBCQuB7z/s1600-h/christmas-themes-wallpapers-desktop-1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369070758733130274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3vtOmrBxk07xXvLed6VrFKRRqX5cg1SfK8dersRgxjRP38gbTAl6dpVE28LG2UqETWngRNIIIFjkGujop7GXL9FJeFq8r__fH8HhuCXga76GRK6XVi2aPuVggDTPbSu4k7ktppBCQuB7z/s400/christmas-themes-wallpapers-desktop-1.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 300px; width: 400px;" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-family:georgia;" >Little did I know three months back , while I was having one of my yet-another-kumbakarna sleep in the afternoon </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">, that soon sleep would become one of the most scarcest and sought after luxury . Thanks to my eventful entry into the 'much sought after ' B-School life. With exams taking their toll for the entire week I finally managed to get some sleep , as my eyes slowly dropped dead ,hidden amongst the pages of my marketing book . Though it wasn't intentional , nevertheless ,it was heavenly . Aah ... The good old sleep ....the good old honor of spreading your legs ,arms and enjoying the breeze of the dust laden ceiling fan , the good old cuddling and tossing around in the weirdest of positions , the good old nayanthara and preity zinta running behind me ...The good old dirty dreams ....the good old saliva drooping from the borders of my mouth finally finding its destiny in my dirty pillows ...Sometimes in life even the most simplest of things turn out to be the most enjoyable ones.</span><br /></div><div style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255); text-align: justify;"><br />But as someone said , good things never last for too long . At some time , must be early in the morning , not sure , but since I was in the final stages of my dirty dreams it must be logically the morning ( Aaha ...I have already started applying my MBA brains ) . A shrill noise suddenly shrieked through my ears giving a strange vibration across my head ...Was it nayan or preity ...were they getting naughty ... must be ...or maybe not I realized , as I soon picked up my phone and fought for sometime trying to open my eyes to read the message ....<br /><br />"Oye wife , had a great talk yesterday night..dont you want to wake me up with a coffee ....I love you so much wife ...Ummmhaaah"<br /><br />sender<br />SIVA<br /><br /><br />WTF !!!!!!<br /><br />As usual this weird friend of mine had sent the message intended for his girl friend to the poor-me .....<br /><br />The clock showed 6 am . "Why this ratha veri machan" , I kept thinking ...<br /><br />I slowly took my mobile ....<br />and typed<br /><br />"watha ...<span style="font-weight: bold;"> A$$ H@*e</span> "....<br /><br />And thats the least I could do , before I slowly sat up looking dejectedly at my marketing book .<br /><br />Good bye nayan ....Good bye my dear 'heavenly sleep '.........<br /><br />Its back to study time folks ....<br /><br />Will be back soon , once my midterms are over ...meanwhile you ppl keep having fun !!!!<br /><br /></div>arunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282510458129850473noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325884109647945665.post-37055391162990014782009-07-30T00:18:00.000-07:002012-08-16T10:01:03.583-07:00Oye ....ever been to heaven !!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiewyYVaa-mdpXlXQv_tROphOwAlzTyYK1y1eJRmrTohzke_fheC2DuyW8yFDyjzwNhbLXkPlmIAeilppqvXTVBP9UmPEeAfvHClTXrL-WiEE3ZxP2wIcUvx-G1iXu_Ss9KflixyYZmznj/s1600-h/BESThearts.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364685534170634946" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiewyYVaa-mdpXlXQv_tROphOwAlzTyYK1y1eJRmrTohzke_fheC2DuyW8yFDyjzwNhbLXkPlmIAeilppqvXTVBP9UmPEeAfvHClTXrL-WiEE3ZxP2wIcUvx-G1iXu_Ss9KflixyYZmznj/s400/BESThearts.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 299px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="color: #3366ff;">The speedometer showed a needle vibrating across the 100 kmph mark as I raced through the empty curves in ECR . The sea breeze filled with a little extra bit of moisture as there was the most-unexpected-rain in the afternoons of one of Chennai's most dreaded summer season, gave us company all along the empty landscapes bounded with hordes of pine trees on either sides alternating with the sea shores . The hoardings of the endless resorts and eat outs decorated each and every corner of ECR . </span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #3366ff;">ECR is known for its speed and the breeze .</span> <span style="color: #3366ff;">Each and every time you are there its a whole new different journey . The never ending horizon with a promise of an exciting adventure , the cool zephyrs which passionately kiss you , the pumping of the heart when you drag your bike along with you in a bend, The touch and go escapades with the 'mamas' who stand with their speed guns - the stories are many ...</span> <span style="color: #3366ff;">I adjusted the rear view mirror as I caught hold of her face changing into different shapes under the impact of the wind .She was struggling to keep her hair down and at the same time hold herself on to the bike . "A bit slower , idiot ," her muffled voice mixed with the sound of the wind feebly entered my ears .</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #3366ff;"> As I further accelerated my grip , her grip around me tightened . <span style="font-style: italic;">"Oye , ever been to heaven ,"</span> I shouted ...</span> <span style="color: #3366ff;">She smiled still struggling with the wind . <span style="font-style: italic;">"Well here we go " </span>...I bent myself almost kissing my tank . While I left the fury of the wind to take its target with full might . "Whooaaahhh" she shouted . The wind came roaring and she slowly spread out her hands as I kept the throttle at its maximum . "Ooohooooooo , I am flying " she laughed ...Her laughter echoed through the lonely stretches of ecr , across the dancing trees , through the cloudy skies and at last through the tunnels hidden deep inside my heart.</span><span style="color: #3366ff;">...... </span> <span style="color: #3366ff;">I slowly sat up . She was still laughing .</span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #3366ff;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> "Oye have you ever been to heaven ? "</span> ...</span> <span style="color: #3366ff;">She cam<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">e forward , bit a little bit of my right ear and whispered<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">"Ya , just now ...I was in heaven ".</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span><span style="color: #3366ff;">As the breeze slowly brushed my ears, the little remains of moisture in my ears evaporated under the cold winds as I slowly got mesmerized .</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="color: #3366ff;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"Ya just now ...I was in heaven "</span> the voice kept echoing in my ears.......</span></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #3366ff;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-style: italic;">And so was I .......</span></span></div>
arunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282510458129850473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325884109647945665.post-49510745297666082222009-06-26T07:06:00.000-07:002009-07-05T03:41:20.046-07:00It just seems like yesterday....<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWffluCxnixXpDrboqev6a0dANnPBYSaEqtE9l8I5hMz6Y7w6QJynRL7QYXP5s4lKFgSvunW6Sza47tXuw2YoFwQhYcTewT0YfhGYdEypHH5wICRZ5jmlEJMoNo1S1zEpC4CTLUTAlkU2/s1600-h/SuperStock_1566-331605.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; WIDTH: 414px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 276px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348786988435872834" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWffluCxnixXpDrboqev6a0dANnPBYSaEqtE9l8I5hMz6Y7w6QJynRL7QYXP5s4lKFgSvunW6Sza47tXuw2YoFwQhYcTewT0YfhGYdEypHH5wICRZ5jmlEJMoNo1S1zEpC4CTLUTAlkU2/s400/SuperStock_1566-331605.jpg" /></a><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,102,255)">"</span><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,102,255)" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Oye</span></span><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,102,255)"> you are getting me wet," I shouted as yet another splash of water coming from her kicks across the silent sea drenched me . I kicked back sending the salty water right across her face. "Thu...</span><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,102,255)" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">thu</span></span><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,102,255)">," she started spitting , unable to withstand the salty taste . And a few seconds later both of us were trying different styles of kicks , trying to perfect the one which would help land the maximum amount of water on the other person. And the poses struck while trying these ,</span><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,102,255)"> ranging from the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">thakida</span>-<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">thaka</span>-<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">thimi</span>-<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">malayala</span>-<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">bhagawathi</span> pose to the Oh-god-I-stamped-a-fresh-<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">cowdung</span>-pose</span><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,102,255)"> held the attention of a lot many curious </span><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,102,255)"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">passerbys</span></span><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,102,255)">. ...</span><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,102,255)"> .Soon I was there walking along the shores of </span><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,102,255)" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-error">besse</span></span><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,102,255)"> , drenched like a pig , with the sandals on one hand and the two little soft fingers on the other .The bottom of the jeans which was initially folded in order to resemble the height level of the traditional </span><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,102,255)" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-error">Patta</span></span><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,102,255)">-</span><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,102,255)" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-error">patti</span></span><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,102,255)"> shorts<br />(the one worn by Raj Kiran ) had slowly lowered itself and carried loads of wet sand along with it , thereby perfectly supplementing the slow drag of the foot along the shores . We laughed , hit each other in the softest way so as to just about qualify as a 'hit', shouted and again laughed . Honestly , I </span><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,102,255)" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">don't</span><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,102,255)"> know why we always laugh ........</span><br /></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; COLOR: rgb(51,102,255)"><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify">The walk neither had a place to start nor a destination , but the nomadic freedom of strolling along the shores in search of the 'nothing' ( maybe because I felt like I had everything) truly made it special . The entire screen of the skies seemed to open themselves , as the stage of the sea shore was all set to witness a little peek-a-boo into one amongst the so many simple yet beautiful moments of our lives .<br /></div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify">The waves kept kissing our feet and as they retreated the feet got a little submerged in the sand followed by a wide scattered scampering of the crabs into their holes . This happened for a few times and soon the feet got entirely submerged . And as we took it out , the laughs continued . Those meaningless laughs which had only one reason . Love...We kept walking , as if we were the only ones on the beach having our own special moments . The breeze seemed to follow us wherever we went . The upturned dusty catamarans , the smell of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-error">bajjis</span></span> , the little quiver each time a zephyr sails across the damp parts of the body , the joyous <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">shouts of</span> the children playing merry-go-round , the footprints that you leave behind on the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">wet sand</span> , the little boys with bright smiles carrying <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">the smell</span> of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_15" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" class="blsp-spelling-error">sundal</span></span> along with them , The <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_15" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">balloons</span> which strew the sands with the help of the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_16" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">beach</span> breeze escaping the wrath of the shooters who stand with wooden guns ,the couples who get cozy in their own world oblivious of the stares of millions around them , the astrologers wanting to have a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_16" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">share of</span> my sweethearts tiny little palms in the promise of predicting a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_17" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">bright future</span> - forming the backdrop , I held her hands whispering the hope of a future ,while the little fingers played around and held to each other promising never to part .<br /><br />The wet footprints left behind us slowly got washed away under the gentle waves . The never ending horizon loomed across the ocean forming a thin line between the sea and the sky as the sea covered the entire endless stretch that my eyes could span . The wounds of our past slowly healed and vanished just like those footprints with the hope of a future called 'us' slowly embarking upon the horizon .<br /><br />"<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_17" class="blsp-spelling-error">Oye</span> ", I placed my palms on her cheeks with my luckiest index finger being the first to touch, and a little-less-luckier middle finger coming second . I slowly hushed away a few strands of her hair which were playing around in the wind and tucked them behind her left ear . She smiled as always . This was the ...err.. I had lost the count as to how many times I had done that on that day . It started a few hours back when we had gone to get her a pair of shades , and each and every time she wore one I used to follow the ritual . Her blush accompanied by the little bend in her curved eyebrows whispering me the unspoken <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_18" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">words</span> 'How is it ? "...She looked heavenly irrespective of the shades ..."<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_19" class="blsp-spelling-error">Oye</span> .. What happened " she shook me as I again went into daydreaming mode .<br /><br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic;font-family:webdings;" ><span style="font-family:times new roman;">"Nothing ...its just that I got lost in you , yet again..... ,"I thought</span><br /><br /></span>Soon after , with a one leg broken chair holding the plate of beach <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_20" class="blsp-spelling-error">bajji</span>s , and two other chairs holding us , the madness called love continued , as we savored the 'onion <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_21" class="blsp-spelling-error">bajjis</span> ' of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_22" class="blsp-spelling-error">besse</span> . The conversations which never had a topic for the last two years as always continued too .<br /><br />It was at this same place a year back she came up with a strange request<br /><br />"Can you write a poem for me? "<br /><br />I obliged and immediately went on like ....<br /><br />"You know what ???"<br /><br />"what???"<br /><br />"I love you a lot !!!!! ....."<br /><br />No wonder she never spoke about poems from that day onwards .....<br /><br />And suddenly since I remembered that , I gave her a wink and sending a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_23" class="blsp-spelling-error">bajji</span> through my mouth I mumbled<br /><br />"You know what???"<br /><br />She gave a naughty look of nostalgia and shouted ,<br /><br />"I love you a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_25" class="blsp-spelling-error">lottttttttttttttttttt</span>.............."<br /><br />The echoes of our laughter broke through the waves of the ocean ....<br /><br />I guess those laughs are still alive, lost somewhere amongst the waves of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_26" class="blsp-spelling-error">besse</span> and and each and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_27" class="blsp-spelling-error">everytime</span> we go to <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_28" class="blsp-spelling-error">besse</span> , a few more laughs get added to our deposits of love amongst the several others in the waves of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_29" class="blsp-spelling-error">besse</span>.....<br /><br />In the canvass of 'our lives' the splash of colors of hope , love and joy spread as we thanked 'fate'-the artist' , who had indeed done a nice job .. I wish time had just frozen there ....<br /><br />Those crazy days , meaningless laughs , even-an-ass-hole-would-write-better-than-you poems , aimless walks , never ending drives , heavenly whispers , naughty winks .....<br /><br />It just seems like yesterday........ </div></div>arunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282510458129850473noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325884109647945665.post-32861007704295622022009-06-24T00:26:00.000-07:002009-06-24T21:58:48.831-07:00ARNOLD KUMAR goes to the gym !!!!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOymDKQDKMwDbKsqM9PXAE39JkvQ3mI0VwOoLiyM0go4LWE5l1LOcwSrY7VWJ36ZVwFAnrIja_ChNatwCH0-hDSarJeaWyk8gXMAxoBJFj_YGCGTT1aPA9t4_56daNl2zX9OMWltN6t_vh/s1600-h/Arnold_Schwarzenegger,_Mr._Olympia,_Bodybuilding.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOymDKQDKMwDbKsqM9PXAE39JkvQ3mI0VwOoLiyM0go4LWE5l1LOcwSrY7VWJ36ZVwFAnrIja_ChNatwCH0-hDSarJeaWyk8gXMAxoBJFj_YGCGTT1aPA9t4_56daNl2zX9OMWltN6t_vh/s400/Arnold_Schwarzenegger,_Mr._Olympia,_Bodybuilding.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350811937271010850" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">It was the ...</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">umm</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> ...I </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">don't</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> remember the exact count but must be the sixth or the seventh time I was glued on to star movies watching my </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">thala</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> ( our screen heroes for whom we would do anything ) </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">sylvester</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">stallone</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> bash up the </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Russians</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> in RAMBO 3 . All pumped up I went in front of the mirror , stripped off my shirt ...And giving a What-a-man look at myself , I shouted "</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">yeaaaaaaaahhhhhh</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> " which almost shook my entire colony (My downstairs mama has got yet another reason to complain against me in the society meeting ...).<br /><br />I wrenched and flexed each and every not-visible-to-human-eye muscles on my body and called my young 10 year old brother .In fact he had come there without me </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">calling</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> him courtesy- my nasal capacity ."Count the no of packs " I called out to him giving a proud look .</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">"One . " he stopped .</span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">"And then ..." I flexed again ..."One" this time he sounded louder "and </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">that's</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> it ".......</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">"</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Yeahhhhhhhhh</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">" I growled again and took two push ups (the maximum till date ) ...</span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">"Now count " I sounded like an arrogant goon .</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"><div style="text-align: justify;">"One "......."<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Ayoo</span> , mummy , even <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">thollai</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">thangalai</span>...please help me " ( Loosely translated - "I am fed up with his antics...mom please save me )...<br /></div><br /></div> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Soon I realised I had just a single pack . Five short .<br /><br /></span> <div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Oh god . I thought for five minutes sitting at the place where each and every guy on earth spends his maximum time and usually comes up with brilliant ideas .Soon I flushed all the useless ideas and came out . Decided . I am hitting the gym from tomorrow ...<br /></div> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"><br />"MISSION ARNOLD </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">KUMAR</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> " - from </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">arun</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">kumar</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> to </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">arnold</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">kumar</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> in three weeks ......</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">(</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">coz</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">sylvester</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">kumar</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> sounded weird )</span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"><br /><br />The next day at gym...<br /><br /></span> <div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">"<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">Macha</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">don't</span> over do ...just warm up "said my so called body builder , friend <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">Visu</span> .<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">"ha ha ...<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">ethellam</span> nee <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">arun</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">kumar</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">kitta</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">sollu</span> ...<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">naan</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">arnold</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">kumar</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">da</span> "</span> I growled looking sympathetically at the other silly-small-boy-body-builders out there as I kept dancing around in a round disc which kept rotating from one side to the other along with me . This was easy . I mean for Arnold <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">kumar</span> , obviously , anything was easy .<br /><br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Then slowly I lifted some weights and did a few other similar versions of it and finally when I went on to the leg crunches section . "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">Macha</span> , you are over doing it ...do the leg thing next week else you wont be able to walk " he warned ..."Silly fellow ...<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">kumar</span></span>...<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">arnold</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">kumar</span></span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">machan</span> " I replied with the poise of Reid & Bond ad.<br /><br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">He gave a smile for which I <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39">didn't</span> know the reason then . I slowly worked for another half an hour and finally packed off . Felt great that day . Did some shadow boxing on the streets oblivious of the constant stares from the garment-factory figures and the so-called-ladies-college ....<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40">umm</span> its hurts but still...<span style="font-weight: bold;">Figures </span>( phew , I managed to type it )...<br /><br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">The whole day went about boasting about my adventures at gym . My poor bro was lifted into the air many a times as a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41">testimonial</span> for my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_42">gymming</span> . Poor bro , I can imagine how I would have felt had someone lifted me somewhere close to the ceiling fan and rotated me ....<br /></div> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Finally I slept early as I was very tired .<br /><br /></span> <div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">The next morning ...oops sorry the next afternoon I was still struggling to get myself out of my bed . Felt someone should bring a stretcher to get me to the bathroom . Oh no . Each and every muscle ( <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_43">don't</span> laugh ...no comedy intended .I might have muscles ..miracles do happen ...)...coming back each and every muscle pained .<br /><br />And suddenly my cell phone rang . "Come to my office urgently . I have some work for you " my mom spoke . Oh but why today . Anyway , with no other option I somehow managed to get up and when I began to walk . Oh , what the fuck . I was walking as if I had a football in between my legs . ( "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_44">Macha</span> , you are over doing it ...do the leg thing next week else you wont be able to walk " the flashback played across ) ....I tried to join them but in vain .<br /><br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> Oh no , I was getting late . Will check this out later I told myself and soon I was there standing <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_45">amidst</span> the passengers of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_46">chennai</span> suburban rail. And the imaginary football between my legs was still there . I tried different styles and position to bring them back together . But nothing worked and while I was still trying I saw a small boy staring at me and he wore a naughty smile . Then he stared at something behind me . I turned to see what it was . It was the diagram of a man with a huge ....ummm...ditch it ....it read ...Dr rajkumar ...some crap...<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">contact me for cure of hernia</span> ...Oh no ...Now I understood (My flashback went to those L.K.G days when my father warned me to wear an underwear or I would end up like that ). The boy was still staring with the I know-what-you-did-smile intact . <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_47">Aaaarghhhh</span> ...Naan avan ellai thambi (I am not him )...Its not what you think , dear young fellow ...Oh , but how do I explain . The stop arrived and I got down . He still kept staring and suddenly he broke into an uncontrollable fit of laughter ...Aaaargh...I quickly turned around and tried to walk normally ..But in vain ...Arnold <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_48">kumar</span> - the damage is done .....<br /><br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">I stood staring at the mirror at the end of day happy to get rid of the imaginary football (of course after a whole day's struggle ) and decided a single pack was much better for me .<br /><br /></div> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Finally after much emotional trauma and tears , I , </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_49">arun</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_50">kumar</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> , bade goodbye to Arnold </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_51">kumar</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> .....</span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">And </span></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255); font-style: italic;" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_52">that's</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255); font-style: italic;"> how the world lost </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255); font-style: italic;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_53">Arnold</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255); font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255); font-style: italic;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_54">kumar</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">........<span style="font-style: italic;">.(Sobs)</span></span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"><br /><br />P.S : I wish I never come across the boy in my entire life ...</span>arunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282510458129850473noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325884109647945665.post-81668106845676206922009-06-23T07:06:00.000-07:002009-06-24T22:00:02.973-07:00Even I had a story . . .<a style="font-family: georgia;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Vb8AdvchDyHtA5JDBW9ygrUvptBTu4US88BfHsX-sMPNNNw1QZ00-hWZ1FDgxm2nizxE0kLDK39snLNmwRiJea06CDn5MYBIy9oZLzFrBrkTz2K3YuixNkL9czK8_yncc3RITU9370Il/s1600-h/beetle.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Vb8AdvchDyHtA5JDBW9ygrUvptBTu4US88BfHsX-sMPNNNw1QZ00-hWZ1FDgxm2nizxE0kLDK39snLNmwRiJea06CDn5MYBIy9oZLzFrBrkTz2K3YuixNkL9czK8_yncc3RITU9370Il/s400/beetle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349293431894578722" border="0" /></a><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft 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mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i><span style="">The tanned brownish roasted skin on my face shone under the scorching 2 pm sun with sweat giving the final touches to the excited face. "6 runs of two balls” , I heard my friend bala shout . All of us stood tensed on the field praying for the bowler to do the trick. He came running in like a giant and with a quick twirl of his arm , released the ball. Thud ...the ball went for a four . The thunderous applaud from the opposition deafened my ears . The dismayed looks on the bowlers face aggravated by a several fold frown on his forehead were of no respite to us. "Come on machan..." someone shouted from the field. Just a ball to go. A win wouldn't leave us with a diamond studded trophy , a million dollar prize money announced by the govt or a home at bandra . In fact it was more than that . It would leave us with respect , the honor of walking out of the ground with our heads high and the priceless joy of winning . The bowler wiped the fresh stream of sweat across his forehead. Silence enveloped the ground as all of us stood there tensed . The bowler slowly came running in and with each and every step , the heart beats slowly increased . We all took a deep breath as he released the ball . For the next few Milli seconds every heart stopped . "thud "...the batsmen swung his bat with his full might . "yeahhhhhhh" the ground roared . This time the deafening noise was much more deafening as I had my voice supplementing it .The batsmen was clean bowled . Joy is always described by subtle emotions . But this time the fury of joy teared upon the wildness hidden within us and we all ran towards the center , growling , hooting , whistling and finally the mad scramble ended in a huddle . The sweat from each others shirts , mystically combined to give the intoxicating smell of success . We all stood as one . Victory was ours . "Watha..." we all shouted in unison . The heads stood high and the hands with the fists closed were open towards the all encompassing skies . We had won ...
<br />"Anna , ten rasna packets " I shouted to our indirect team sponsor Mani Anna, waving out the hard earned ten rupee note . "Looks like you guys have won," he jovially asked , handing us our precious rasna packets. "Can anyone beat us? " a victorious arrogant voice retorted back from one amongst us . The boisterous laughter followed with Mani Anna giving us company for everyone of us knew it was our only win after ten matches and that too by a whisker ."watha teamukku oru 'O' podu "..........."Oooooooooohhhhh"the thunder bolted again . What a feeling . I still couldn't believe we had won . I sipped the frozen rasna savoring the taste . <span style="font-family:webdings;">After all it had come from my hard earned one rupee . Felt like heaven ....honestly.</span><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
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<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"> ###################
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<br />"Beep ,Beep " the mobile buzzed as I was sitting in my office cabin .
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<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"Your account has been credited with Rs XXXXX "
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<br /></span><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">It was the much awaited 31st of the month , but as always the strange sense of emptiness filled me . Its been 2 years and nothing seems to have changed , the emptiness keeps coming back , yet again . I sipped through the insipid tea churned by the coffeemaker , staring out at the vast emptiness of the skies through the stained glass window . A few birds flew happily flapping their wings against the winds , savoring their 'gifted' freedom of an unknown future .Yet another sip went in as I stared at those birds , at the vast blue skies , the stains on the window pane which created mystical blots on my vision of the skies .....I kept staring , lost in an enigmatic sadness which slowly traveled its way forming a lump in my throat . </span>
<br /></div><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >
<br />How I wish ......
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<br /></span><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">With the bat resting on my shoulders just like you see in the mahabarata serial , I walked along </span><span style="font-style: italic;">with our team discussing the turning points of the match . We paraded the streets oblivious to the shouts of the autowallahs and other innocent passerbys . </span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family:webdings;">We were the winners</span> . </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Soon the stomach-ache causing laughs followed as we tread to what we do the best - Pulling each one's legs . As always the usual targets of our team were the ones with the maximum carnage caused on their image . What a walk . The trees along the streets seemed to be dancing to our tunes , the vendors seemed to be singing , the breeze gently kissed us ...everyone and everything seemed to be perfect . The laughs , The pride and joy of victory walked alongside with us ....<span>And why not , <span style="font-family:webdings;">after all we were the winners</span></span></span></span>
<br /></div><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">
<br />Probably the best walk I ever had in my life........ </span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span>
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<br /></span><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">There I was walking alone on the lonely streets of kolkata with just a stray dog giving me company on the hope of some food . A chill wind blew ruffling my hair and I gently closed my eyes for a second . And strangely there was no difference . The darkness had already set in . The slow steps , the longing heart which had become a slave to money and the desires buried long back combined themselves and mixed along with the chill wind whispering elegies of unknown languages into my ears . Finally , I reached the ATM , took out some money . Looking at the crisp 100 rupee notes I faked a smile ........yet again.</span>
<br /></div><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >
<br />
<br /> </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >################</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >
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<br /></span><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255); font-style: italic;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">"Ma , we won . I hit a six of sudheer's ball . It went off like ............." this was the fourth time I was telling her the same story . Still she listened with the same interest and curiosity . I hugged her and slowly went off to sleep . I dreamt about the match , The last wicket ,the sixes , the dive catches the rasna , the look on the opponent's face.......The entire match had a re telecast in my mind . I kept dreaming . </span>
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<br /> </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" > ################</span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >
<br />
<br /></span><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I struggled to get sleep as I kept rolling from one side to the other . "Where will my manager ask me to go tomorrow ? Why the fuck am I here ? Why do I have to do this ? Shall I resign ? But its a lot of money . Will I get another job ? What will the world think of me ? Am I a loser???????? . With a storm inside me , I opened my eyes staring at the whirling ceiling fan - my only companion during those several sleepless nights. The clock showed 3 a.m . </span>
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;">Life was a mess.......</span>
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span>
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span>
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<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"Ma I am going to play "....</span>
<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"But its only 6 a.m ..." and before the sleepy voice of my mom could complete I was excitedly walking on towards our ground .</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> Yup , our ground</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> . I kept hitting shadow sixes throughout my walk . "Hi da , lets start " a friend of mine called out .The sun was at its merciless best as always .</span><span style="font-style: italic;">But who cares , </span><span style="font-style: italic;">we could brave the heat , the rains and the winds . </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:webdings;" >After all , we were the winners </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:webdings;" >.....</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> We played for the entire day and cursed it for ending so soon . It felt great and each passing day was a delight</span><span style="font-style: italic;">.</span>
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<br />"Oh god , Its 7 a.m already ", I banged the alarm , gave a frown which encompasses all the synonyms of frustration . I hoped the day had never begun . Hoped it would end soon . The mechanical life had begun yet again . The running had to start . The leather shoes ,the uncomfortable formals , the ID card which proclaimed me to be a software engineer hung across my neck . I gobbled a banana and set off for 'yet another day' ....... <span style="font-size:100%;"> </span>
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<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span>################
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<br />Well , Its just been sometime and how much life has changed . Those days of joy , dreams , freedom , curiosity have slowly been filled with anxiety , frustration and sadness . As I write this I realize slowly how much I have really missed enjoying life for its simplest pleasures in the mad chase for money which promises the 'mirage' of a secured future and happiness . There were times when I realized there was something majorly wrong in the way I was living my life and I started looking for solace in the endless list of self-help books . But nothing seemed to help . But today as I took some time to dwell into my past , and my so called stories of my life , strangely it had all the answers to my unanswered questions . And I slowly realized the true answer to our search lies within us - Within the stories in which we were the heroes , and within the ones we dismissed of as too trivial . Well we are all heroes , and the stories we all have are one of the best ones ever . As I ponder over my so-called stories , I have finally decided . I am just one week away from my resignation .
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<br />After two long years , this day I did what I always wanted to do . Though I am financially poorer , no more a part of the esteemed industry , no more a respected person amongst my family , no more a sensible person according to the society ....<span style="font-style: italic;">I am finally free </span>. Free to do whatever I like just like how I was ten years back . Free from my master called money . I am not really sure how long it will be before I go back to my master . <span style="font-style: italic;">But now at this moment I am free ...</span>And this blog is a humble beginning for my new dream . Beyond the scolds from my English teacher who thought I was a too dumb to write , the fear of what people might think , and beyond my own doubts of whether I could really write something a little better than crap (honestly , I still have it each time I write ) I finally decided to go ahead . And it seriously feels great each and every time I sit down to write . And its heaven when I receive a few comments and the thought "maybe it is just a little better than crap " crops up ( Though I am still not really sure ) .But nevertheless finally I went ahead and did it. And what a difference it made . I finally had the courage to do something just for me . And for those who have read till here , thanks a lot , for unknowingly , you have made someone believe in his dreams and follow his heart. Its just not about the blog , its just about making time to do things which we always loved doing but kept postponing because of the fear of what others might think and because of the innumerable reasons we thought about as to why we wont be able to do it . But finally after all these years a little 5 minutes that I spent while walking across my old school playground , which brought in all those sweet memories , has taught me what I was missing all these days . It was the courage to go about and do something which you really enjoy . For once, finally , I didn't do something for money or to spruce my resume or to impress someone . Feels great......
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<br />And if in case you ppl ever get some time off , try switching off your mobile phones , go to your terrace , lie down for once without bothering about the dress getting dirty , plug in a pink floyd , feel the cool breeze in your hair and try recollecting those wonderful stories you had where you were the heroes or heroines, where you did everything you dreamt off , where you wandered with the spirit of an adventurer enjoying the warmth of the sunny afternoons , where you cycled your way towards freedom , nursed your wounds from the first fall like a warrior....The ones which your heart always died to tell to the world and most importantly to YOU . Each of us have a story to tell hidden there somewhere deep within the dust laden chambers of our hearts and you never know your story might just be the answer to what you were always searching for , just like how it happened to me .
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<br />For all the heroes and heroines , that's it for now , keep cherishing those golden days while I shall be back soon .
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<br />P.S : sorry for the long post
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<br /></div> arunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282510458129850473noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325884109647945665.post-71455285994555734162009-06-22T02:57:00.000-07:002009-06-22T20:03:07.031-07:00A litlle bit of life....etc<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPIMy6s88kL7US7qez24TU0LxYaceaD96IS5YFH96CZXiwdph_KPGUhN34Q-ziLbMLIGe-JIxV6wiNuEr9iSZtsF9mspkTq_YupRS4GpTlewNf54AM9m6_ehwOsCuuI6qtKSznL29ZM6PP/s1600-h/02102006336_edited.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPIMy6s88kL7US7qez24TU0LxYaceaD96IS5YFH96CZXiwdph_KPGUhN34Q-ziLbMLIGe-JIxV6wiNuEr9iSZtsF9mspkTq_YupRS4GpTlewNf54AM9m6_ehwOsCuuI6qtKSznL29ZM6PP/s400/02102006336_edited.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350105444663332210" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">A girl crying in the middle of central railway station chennai . An angry father accompanied with a shocked mom blasting her . "appa , I am not lying to you . Please trust me " the chocked voice cried ......</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"><br />Unflushed toilet , deadly smell from the dried shit which would make you pass off koovam as fragrance , amidst this stuck hiding in the toilet was a bespectacled thin lean boy trying different versions of pranayama not being able to grapple with the smell.....<br /><br />In case you watch tamil flicks , by this time you must have guessed what the story is going to be about..But hold...just read on...<br /><br />A few weeks back ( in the month of december 2006 ),<br />the gang as usual ,under the able leadership of mr bajji had zeroed in on yet another useless place namely sweet chariot at the isphahani center in chennai for the usual weekend outing. The usual kalays had begun and as always vani and suppy are the targets . “Guys , I am fed up searching for new places in Chennai ..We need to come up with something new ..” bajji sparked off what happened to be the start of an amusing adventure . “How about going out of Chennai “ , daddy came up with a eureka kinda expression . 3rd year of college , bunking the boring lectures ,unused pocket money , secret trip outside Chennai that too with the girls…the offer was too good to resist …20 minutes of serious discussion and we had decided…Destination Bangalore !!!!<br /><br />9 different versions of lie for the same cause . The parents were convinced. And everything was planned , right from the journey to the stay . 3 whole days at Bangalore . But as it always happens , there was a small blotch in our proceedings . While we had booked our tickets the names of the 4 girls were not in order but instead in an alternate manner with our names in between. But we were in no mood to retreat and we decided to go ahead .<br /><br />The day had come . We , the guys were there beforehand and I had the ticket with me . A rough plan was for the girls to somehow manage and send off their parents without allowing them to come inside the station . But with the kind of smart ppl that we had , it was an outright failure …<br />Vani’s mom , manju’s dad and mom had come inside the station . We took to hiding inside the next compartment .<br /><br />We hoped that they wouldn’t take the pain to check the chart .<br />2 minutes left for the train to start . Plan was fine till then .<br />Everything was fine till then and the train started moving .<br />“ooooooo…gimme a five “ … The joyous celebrations had begun..<br /><br />But suddenly the train stopped again . "WTF ...What is wrong with the indian railways "I swore . And suddenly the hero within suppy awakens and he swings out of the compartment a la james bond style ( only the gun was missing ) and peeps over . The coast is clear . No problem guys he signals a thumbs up .<br /><br /><br />Just a few seconds later came the shock . "Guys your game is up . My mom has found out everything " .The message in my mobile displayed ..<br />"macha what happened ??".. I flashed my mobile to daddy . And soon the train picked up . And a few minutes later as we went to our compartment we got the shock of our lives . Vani and manju were missin ." They got caught " came the explanation .<br /><br />There was a silence for the next 5 min .Then slowly "macha , if you dont mind can you pass the lays packet " . That was all it required for us to come out of the so called sad-feel and soon we all feasted on the lays packet still trying to fake a sad face .... "well there is no point cribbing lets go out there and enjoy" was the conclusion ...and once we come back we shall sort things out .<br /><br />Bangalore arrived and we were soon unloading our bags at the rooms of the hotel . Wow . Finally we are out here all by ourselves . Though there was a little nagging thought about the other two , little did we know about manju, for the fraud that she was , we had underestimated her .<br />"Guys we r comin there along with vanis mom as you all know that our industrial visit is very important for our internals ...wink ...wink" the message buzzed...She had pulled it off , yet again ...<br />Vani and Manju joined us the next day ...<br /><br />Whoaaaaaaa ...We were all together again.......<br /><br />And what a trip it was ... A disc outing which miserably failed eventually with us landing in a restaurant which we thought was a disc where we had to pay an entry fee and later go back and plead them to return it back , an outing to a temple after which there was a strike called and we had to walk 5 kms back to our hotel ...But inspite of all these debacles -the thanni party , the dancing , those dumb c sesssions , the I-Confide sessions , the millions of photos clicked , the vetaiyadu vilayadu movie , bowling alleys stood the test of time in our memories .<br /><br />Probably the most daring thing that we ever did as a gang .<br /><br />I know its a very long time since we all met and the probability of catching up again is very miniscule..<br /><br />But however the days that I spent with my beloved gang were the best days of my life . I still miss them and at some small corner of the heart the belief that we shall all meet once again still lingers .<br /><br />We all must have had our own gangs and sadly with the clock ticking by lot many gangs have become a part of history . We would have had millions of misunderstandings , fights , ego , why-did-he/she-do-that questions , but however at the end of it all that matters now are the days we all had spent together under the sunny afternoons with shoulders rubbing together standing as one - THE GANG ...This is dedicated to all the lucky souls of the world who had been or are still a part of the lovely gangs ...<br /><br />I miss you ppl.....<br /></div>arunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282510458129850473noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325884109647945665.post-862563144329177492009-06-21T01:41:00.000-07:002009-06-21T12:51:34.714-07:00How I wish ....<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBZVywsJwgXRgzrL5jOC5uX6qRvC70U5CDmQ1-Wdb6VHQ8iUg9ARo7RfmNml0p8U_zq8PVmOTjEkpMi5VZzP0-KFj8TjelnmYjFrQ0umK8xAihsQD7p57MWcdadcyjhEpOeWlQYqmF1lYm/s1600-h/ATcAAADDsnP-FFlwGajvFg5zGf5JjsiaAKEkMmIJT8tKeoLMVkWqdn1cWQ1wV8x_9OwePnAlaShed89FXNTGU1xeM7knAJtU9VARucNWaBBkj0OlSDAFGIpiOIpIpQ.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBZVywsJwgXRgzrL5jOC5uX6qRvC70U5CDmQ1-Wdb6VHQ8iUg9ARo7RfmNml0p8U_zq8PVmOTjEkpMi5VZzP0-KFj8TjelnmYjFrQ0umK8xAihsQD7p57MWcdadcyjhEpOeWlQYqmF1lYm/s400/ATcAAADDsnP-FFlwGajvFg5zGf5JjsiaAKEkMmIJT8tKeoLMVkWqdn1cWQ1wV8x_9OwePnAlaShed89FXNTGU1xeM7knAJtU9VARucNWaBBkj0OlSDAFGIpiOIpIpQ.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349714555717117362" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">There were people running around here and there. The smell of jasmine swept through the entire house . The ladies had their oiled haired pinned down in the traditional kerela style and the white sarees made them look even more beautiful . The men were at their smartest best , with the traditional shirts and 'mundu' and kept talking as always with an I-know -everything arrogance . The ladies scampered here and there spelling out the names of different things like the fruits , the steel thattu and so on , along with concern about their whereabouts . The younger members of the family were eagerly clinging on the balcony grill waiting for the first sight of a white ambassador . The scene out there with different fruits and sweets arriving each and every passing moment would have led anyone to mistake it for a home-version of coimbedu market .</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">"They have come " the young voices shouted . The voices echoed through the halls , kitchens and finally through the bedroom where the bride was getting ready . The word 'commotion' no where did justice to what was happening now . People got frenzied and started giving the final touches to the positioning of various almirahs , bedsheets , chairs , tables ...But honestly most of them were exactly at the same position even after the final touches . The laughter of excitement , curiosity emanated from the brides bedroom . </span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">The so called big shots of the family stood at the steps welcoming the huge groups of people who had accompanied the groom . "Welcome " they all recited at different intervals .<br /><br />Soon the people had taken their position. The calenders fluttered with the ladies searching for the auspicious time while the elders kept conversing . At one lone corner of the room , through the window panes which smelt of fresh paint , two beautiful eyes tried to sneak in through the numerous heads ,trying to get a first glance of the one with whom the remaining life was going to be blessed with . Amidst the smiles and giggles , the bride somehow managed to get a small space through the heads .<br /><br />He sat there elegantly dressed in black bell bottoms , and a crisply ironed white shirt . His big moustache handsomely complemented his face and he looked around the room when he got a few second respite from the array of questions posed at him . Just as his eyes scanned the room and were about to return back to the set of people , he saw those two lovely peeping eyes which sent the promise of a life together and the excitement and commitment of a joyous future . The two eyes met for maybe a few seconds , and love was in the air instantaneously ( and of course the music "run thana num thana " - the one from old Ilayaraja hits played through the background ) .</span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"><br /><br />"Ask the girl to come " one amongst the elders had called .The entire crowd stood silenced as they waited with bated breath to see the girl . The girl came with a few new stainless steel glasses filled with coffee , whose aroma mystically mixed with the eagerness in her eyes transforming itself into a all-encompassing smile . </span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">And suddenly ..."thud " somebody hits and the coffee spills over .</span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"><br /><br />"Idiot what are you doing" . Rubbing the remains of the coffee drops on my shorts I flashed a black and white photo to my mom . It was the wedding day photo of my mom and dad which I had discovered while cleaning the almirah. "I was just wondering how your engagement must have been " and gave a sly smile . She gave me a nostalgic smile and nodded her head getting lost in her thoughts about past...."Idiot " she slowly whispered in a chocking voice and left the room with the smile intact. As she left the room , I saw the picture of my dad hanging amidst a few garlanded flowers on the wall . I gave a deep sigh......</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"><br /><br />How I wish .....</span> </div>arunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282510458129850473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325884109647945665.post-63885494556456809592009-06-11T05:10:00.000-07:002009-06-11T05:33:47.443-07:00What a maggi !!!<a style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiva3cdyEwO0KuyQARhl-QhqoaPwICyGYwISgSJDXY5HymuDxA4iqbOpxZ06RIIIGgdTArZIwiUosGYz8jSFiPYI49S3TN-9vgAQz3TgZWPX5K80p00PRuHPt8BkXsTi_2Si01226FTy0LK/s1600-h/mvc-362x.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiva3cdyEwO0KuyQARhl-QhqoaPwICyGYwISgSJDXY5HymuDxA4iqbOpxZ06RIIIGgdTArZIwiUosGYz8jSFiPYI49S3TN-9vgAQz3TgZWPX5K80p00PRuHPt8BkXsTi_2Si01226FTy0LK/s400/mvc-362x.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346044801922237586" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> Knowing her penchant for laziness I had my doubts as to whether she could cook . But dismissing all my doubts , "I know to make maggi " she replied . I dont know if I-know-to-prepare-maggi would be considered anywhere close to the art of cooking . But the fact that I was impressed by it would let you form an idea about how much I knew about cooking . I always preffered the final step in cooking . Eating .<br /><br />Now that the great cook was a maggi expert I cut the maggi packet and broke down the maggi amidst thunderous applauds from her . I bowed to show my respect and gently told "now you proceed madam". "Oh , but I dont know to operate the gas ". Now the man in me had to come out to the front . I did all the necessary permutation and combination and finally gave her a smile of victory . And I quickly dialled my mom to get the details on how to operate the gas . "Thu " the spit narrowly missed my face ...<br /><br />Soon with the gas burning , we were all set to cook our first lunch . After 5 minutes of reciting the process from the torn maggi packet and yet another five minutes of anxious wait ( the one where you walk across here and there in front of a maternity ward ), the maggi was ready .<br /><br />I took two plates and she gave a stern look after which I dumped one plate back to where it was . Slowly we emptied the so-called-maggi into the single plate . Had it been a little more solid I would have rolled it into a banana. Anyway just like the ones who had never seen food , the two forks fought across each and every corner of the plate picking each and every noodle . In 3 minutes the , best lunch of my life had got over. I looked at her and gave her a smile .<br /><br />I slowly took the maggi wrapper and read the ingredients ,<br />A little bit of maggi ,<br />A small amount of water ,<br />A little bit of masala ,<br />A little bit of chopped vegetables ,<br /><br />And I gave a pause , looked at her..<br /><br />"And loads of love " we shouted in unison and soon after the laughs filled the room.......<br /><br />What a maggi !!!!!<br /></div>arunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282510458129850473noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325884109647945665.post-86275872798802059002009-05-23T02:03:00.000-07:002009-06-21T01:37:19.215-07:00Smile please !!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpCtaeGkDDPLTfMuj4WwEEn2r1UYfBqe-GfbP3WZ0NNWOUacgpTt7sXepjEGOJmEb0J9g6CuCRIC7zSQxIutMG1hoQaJAa2htWvxLOo62ri6AD14ASCjKDXvI7ngZOuR7P_usgatjz0qKM/s1600-h/62544445_cec7bf4fde.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpCtaeGkDDPLTfMuj4WwEEn2r1UYfBqe-GfbP3WZ0NNWOUacgpTt7sXepjEGOJmEb0J9g6CuCRIC7zSQxIutMG1hoQaJAa2htWvxLOo62ri6AD14ASCjKDXvI7ngZOuR7P_usgatjz0qKM/s400/62544445_cec7bf4fde.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338965598461396018" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">What do you do when the person who taught you to walk , walks away from the world in front of your eyes ?<br /><br />What do you do when your best friend walks away with the one you loved the most ?<br /><br />What do you do when your last respite , your gang of friends , break up all of a sudden ?<br /><br />What do you do when you meet with an accident which almost took your life and leaves you with a scarred face ?<br /><br />What do you do when your marks go plummeting and you start thinking you are a loser?<br /><br />What do you do when all of this happen at the same time ?<br /><br />What do you when you don't have a single soul whom you can call and say " my life is fucked " ?<br /><br />What do you do when in spite of all this you are supposed to make people laugh while you are crying within ?<br /><br />..........<br /><br />Give up ......<br /><br />That's precisely what I did 4 years back .<br /><br />Sometimes life seems to be so cruel that it keeps delivering blows one after the other . I fell down . And it hurt . While I tried to stand up . There was yet another blow . Much stronger and more painful . I still tried to stand . But only to be put down by yet another blow . I didn't know what to do . I was lost . Someone told me "never love someone with all your heart . It hurts " .. I laughed . But now everything had changed . It really hurt . And for once I couldn't rebuff it since I knew the pain . Days passed with the strange loneliness and the stone like heart getting even more harder .<br /><br />It was yet another day in the february of 2005 , when floyd was playing from the speakers at the corner of my room . And slowly as I got lost in the music , I looked out through the balcony , staring at my orphaned dust coated unicorn , which looked like a lost soul searching for an oasis in the middle of the desert .<br /><br />A year back it meant the whole life to me . I still remember the way I used to clean , one speck of dust and I would be vigorously rubbing it with all might immediately till it shone at par with the rest of the bike. One scratch and I would have sleepless nights as if someone had hurt me . A small sound from the bike and I would make the life of the mechanic , hell .The feelings of joy that I got the first time I gave the throttle ,the silent vroom sound it made when it started , The feeling of owning a bike , the proud trips across the city roads ,the bends we made together ...priceless ..." Honey I am not going to forget you after all I still do love you " I thought to myself trying to push aside the loneliness which had engulfed me .<br /><br />A few minutes later , it was us , taking a ride through the roads of heaven or so it felt . The sun shone brightly , the traffic snared and we slowly beat each and every vehicle consoling each other and the much needed hope seemed to be coming from each other . We screeched to a halt as the lights had gone red .<br /><br />I adjusted my coolers and casually glanced across . The heart beats stopped for a second . A waft of cool breeze scurried across the hot afternoon and swept across me . Standing at the front of the signal right across me on the other side was someone in a red scooty . A churidhar which was a combination of blue and white , lovely brown eyes , curved eyebrows , a flawless perfection which took the form of her face , the silky black hair that seemed to flow and a cute crooked nose . Well that was the nearest , I ever will get to see God . She casually kept playing with her hair as my heart fluttered .. I prayed that she should take her left since I was going that way and that would mean I could savor her beauty for a few more precious minutes . The signal turned green for her . I waited with bated breath . She slowly gave the throttle and the angel just went past me . And as unlucky as I could get , she took her right . But while she passed across me , she turned maybe for a second or lesser than that , and she gave a smile . Must have been the mildest version of a smile but still she gave smile . I fell in love instantaneously . Slowly she faded as the distance between us grew and she merged with the traffic . "honk" a loud noice brought me back to life and I gave my throttle and slowly crossed the signal taking the right , exactly the opposite road she had taken .<br /><br />Well ,though , this was probably the shortest love story I ever had or would probably not qualify for a story but it taught me one important thing . I still could love . I could love with the same passion and intensity though it was just for a minute . Hope was back again . There still was more to life beyond what I was seeing . And though the entire world I personally knew had given up on me , a smile from mysterious stranger had brought me back to life . How strange , but how true ....<br /><br />Sometimes even the smallest of gestures from a stranger can completely change your life . So whatever be the problems in our life never forget to smile . You never know who might be falling in love with your smile . And irrespective of whether you are black , white , ugly , fat, lean , tall , short or anything else , the remedy is not in a fairness cream or a weight loss medicine , its much more cheaper and easily available . Its in your smile . Just a simple , straight-from-the-heart smile and you are the most beautiful person on the world . And you never know whose life you might just be changing .<br /><br />So , keep smiling , come what may...<br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"><br /><br />P.S:<br />It's been 4 years and I still search for her everytime I cross the signal ...and maybe one fine day........(smiles...)<br /></div>arunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282510458129850473noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325884109647945665.post-26424102362896658242009-05-19T05:24:00.000-07:002009-05-19T08:56:08.241-07:00Before-the-exam moments !!!<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8BT6VNl6syVlYTFmZIn2f5SCPMumVGGrfRa_i49Zdjl6pFk34xP_PJtUvMcPmH0We-7ho9IoHluex8SA7WmIW5DB348W3MnpZFrhesudmFoFzC6PtSED8nHrQ7BcFO6PRuQEMgJMQ1uEq/s1600-h/home_photo_books.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 305px; height: 355px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8BT6VNl6syVlYTFmZIn2f5SCPMumVGGrfRa_i49Zdjl6pFk34xP_PJtUvMcPmH0We-7ho9IoHluex8SA7WmIW5DB348W3MnpZFrhesudmFoFzC6PtSED8nHrQ7BcFO6PRuQEMgJMQ1uEq/s400/home_photo_books.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337552143630459506" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">"Oh shit , I still have got 4 more unit's to complete and still just one more day to go " , the perspiration started showing on my otherwise stoic face . I looked at the clock - the hour hand seemed to be in a hurry because three hours had just passed by and I was still stuck with the weird diagram of an electrical circuit . Though I don't believe in mythological stories , I believe the art of turning pages while studying for an exam would come closest to the current version of Akshaya Pathiram . They simply , keep on coming . And no wonder my mind thinks of all these weird comparisons before an exam ...</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">"watha , u bloody motherfucker 'induction motor ' " I swore at the diagram in my textbook. I was fed up . I dont care the f*** , how u rotate , how u start or about anything else you do . Strange as it is , I guess the lone piece of induction motor hanging above me heard it, as it stopped suddenly . Holy shit , the current had gone ( courtesy arcot veeraswamy , our electricity minister ) . Another hour passed by as I stood by my balcony and went on a killer spree killing each and every mosquito which came in my way with the electric bat . And each time , I killed one , the spark would come and my young brother ashwin would clap . I gave a wicked laugh relishing the killing spree .</span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">"That one has escaped " my brother pointed to one notorious mosquito which tried escaping from me . I chased it . "Daaaaaaaaaai " I ran behind it . "aaaaaaahhhhh" a loud sound of someone crashing on the floor came . "loose "( a moment of truth in pain is what I would call it !!!) my brother ajith yelled out before giving me a kick . "Aaaaaahhh" now it was my turn . Suddenly there was a big spark . The lights turned on and the same-under-curse induction motor starts revolving . "Aaaahhaaaaaa" we shouted in unison as the breeze from the khaitan fan gave us a welcome relief from the heat .Simply put , "aaaaaaaaaa" vilirunthu "aaaahaaaaaaa varai ...</span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">( By this time you must be shouting "aaaaaa" after reading such a P.J , else if you are a ardent follower of tamil movies especially the vijaykanth genre , it would be "DAIIIIIIII , mariyathaya come to the topic ")</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Coming back to the so-called story ,the four units still remained . I again took the heavy weights in the form of my books with a deep "sigh" , to the extent, that would have made it obvious to my mom sitting in the next room that I didnt brush my teeth . But it was fine ,as long as she didn't find out that ,I hadn't taken my bath . Oh No , its 11 . Its the "Kadalai Time " ( the only time when I am punctual ). the cell phone buzzed with the obvious name flashing on the tiny screen . Machan , please dont waste time else definite "govinda !!! govinda !!! " - the inner voice spoke . "Cha , silly fellow " I told and suppressed him .</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">"Oye , I've got lots to study . so we will wind up in ten minutes and another help , You got to wake me up at 4 in the morning ," I told her slightly terrified about the repercussions ."Sure da" she replied . She had agreed . I still couldn't believe it was her . Man , I can never understand these girls .</span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">After what looked like a few minutes , she spoke few words which froze the skin under my blood ."Oye , I guess you have saved me the trouble of waking you up at 4. Its already 3 . 30 "</span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">My entire body became numb .It just seemed as if we just started . Well thats the magic which only girls can perform and in my case it was much easier . Words struggled to come out of my mouth , felt as if someone had stuck a fresh , round piece of dung into my mouth and on top of it was drilling it with a rod ( honestly not only the mouth rather at a part which ends my digestion process) .</span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">I quickly said goodbye and the numbness in my body slowly moved towards my brain and soon I was fast asleep .</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">"Wake up ," I saw the unclear round face of my mom and after a ninety degree turn I saw yet another round face showing 10.30 . "Oh shit " ( not the literal meaning , and the timing was just a coincidence ) I jumped on the bed . And in five minutes I was ready for the last phase of the battle . The pages turned , the books interchanged and as always the head spun .</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">The climax was nearing . It was a losing battle . Amazingly , the clock struck 5 . Well whats-your-bloody-hurry look sprang up my face when I stared at the clock, as always cursing it .</span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">"OK its not working " I thought to myself .Now for the final savior . I took the savior as delicately as I could in my palms , my eyes gleamed with evil pride and wickedness . The dull pages of the torn previous year anna univ question booklet cast its shadow covering my entire pupil . The battle is not yet over . We Fight till we die - a chorus rang through my head as the inner me had gathered a crowd . 15 questions and thats it . And the rest shall be put to ' rest ' . The marathon began and finally ended with the books getting piled over my face as I got buried amongst them slowly at midnight.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">The next day dawned and a few hours later , when I was just about to enter the exam hall ,</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">"god , help me get above 90" a poor padips girl was praying .</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">I gave an Ayoo-what-a-pity smile .( didnt know whom to pity )</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">I murmured something to myself . Curious huh . Well here it goes - " vantha malai pona may***" ( sorry wont be able to translate . anyway let me try, "If it clicks its a mountain else its hair gone "... late realization I shouldn't have translated ...lol). I grinned and entered .</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Well the rest they say is history . Honestly , how much ever we loathe exams , when played back in the memory they always are special and enjoyable. The fun and the moments they provide us are worth every bit of the effort .Everyone has their own Before-the-exam traumas and debacles , but finally after all the struggles , the joy of seeing that '"pass " on your mark sheet .. truly priceless....I hope you ppl reading this would be reminded of your 'before exam moments' except for the rare case that you belong to the padips category ( who knows even they might have some stories . Its a funny world with funny ppl . U never know ). And I am sure each of you have an interesting story and would probably be smiling thinking of those lovely days . Well , do stay in the same mood and keep smiling while I return soon .</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">P.S: I did pass the exam . ahem ahem .... <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Just pass</span> !!!!</span></div>arunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282510458129850473noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325884109647945665.post-19550020141553421602009-05-16T02:58:00.000-07:002009-05-20T01:38:12.590-07:00WTF is the subprime crisis ??<div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5Carun%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><link rel="themeData" 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9]><xml> <o:shapedefaults ext="edit" spidmax="1026"> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:shapelayout ext="edit"> <o:idmap ext="edit" data="1"> </o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--> </div><p style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="MsoNormal">Just like every MBA aspirant I too went through a period where I really wanted to know "What the fuck is this sub prime crisis which led to this mess "....After a long search through numerous articles written by famous economists I understood that "an asshole like me would me would never understand the crisis...But nevertheless not wanting to give up I mixed up a few fundas from here and there and present to you the simplest explanation of the subprime crisis hopefully ... Though I dont take credits for this article , its dedicated to all assholes like me who always wondered "WTF is the subprime crisis"
<br /></p><p style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="MsoNormal">
<br />Not only in India even in the US, buying a house is considered to be one of the best investments one can make. This is particularly true because the government, as part of long standing policy, encourages people to own their own homes by allowing tax-deductions on mortgage interest payments. This means if you took a loan to buy a house and are making monthly payments towards the mortgage as well as towards property taxes, the government puts some of that money back into your pocket by allowing you to deduct a percentage of those expenses from your federal taxable income. In other words, a certain portion of your house-ownership cost is written off by the government from your tax bill.
<br />
<br />Since the US government does not consider providing any such relief to people who rent , the financial incentive to own a home is that much greater.
<br />And The housing boom was obvious . For the last few years, prices of houses were skyrocketing in the US driven by ever-increasing demand. So much so that people, many many of them in fact, started thinking like Mr. Ramaswamy below:
<br />"Hey this house is worth $500,000. In a year it will be $600,000. So if I can sell it then, I can get a 20% return on investment. "
<br />Of course there is a small problem. Ramaswamy's net worth, in terms of his savings, are $10,000 (2% of the house's cost). And just to make things worse, he has a bad credit history having defaulted on his credit card bills a few times. In order to make the very basic minimum down-payment for the house (usually 20% of the cost), he needs $100,000 i.e. $90,000 more straight away.</p><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> </div><p style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="MsoNormal">He goes to the bank.
<br />
<br />Now in normal situations, the loan officer would look at Ramaswamy's bank statement and his credit history and show him the door telling Ramaswamy politely that he just does not have the equity to make such an expensive purchase.
<br />However these are not normal times.
<br />What happens is that on seeing Ramaswamy's loan application, the loan manager smiles, shakes Ramaswamy's hand and provides him the loan on his down-payment. Yes the full $90,000. Plus the loan manager also provides as loan the rest of the house cost (i.e. loans him an additional $400,000) enabling Ramaswamy to take possession of the house right away with zero-down.
<br />
<br />So what does Ramaswamy provide as collateral? Nothing.
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<br />The only catch is that in exchange for the high (and unreasonable) risk the bank is taking on giving this loan , it expects a very high rate of interest from Ramaswamy. This transaction between Ramaswamy and the banker (let his name be Kanduvaddi kandaswamy) is what is known, as "subprime lending". Kanduvaddi kandaswamy is happy because he is going to get a lot of money as interest for his investment (albeit more than a bit risky), which, in turn, is going to translate to a higher commission for him.
<br />And Ramaswamy is only too glad to get any loan.
<br />
<br />As he tells his worried brother Madaswamy "Don't worry about the high rate of interest. In a year, we will recovered our money and quite a bit more. So no problem."
<br />And so this came to pass that thousands of such "sub-prime" loans are written by greedy creditors out to make a fast buck on the high interest rates and then accepted (often many loans at once), with glee, by equally greedy common citizens who think, based on advice given by "pundits", that the housing market would be the golden goose that would keep on giving year after year.</p><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> </div><p style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="MsoNormal">The Federal National Mortgage Association, nicknamed Fannie Mae, and the Federal Home Mortgage Corporation, nicknamed Freddie Mac, are special private corporations that have strong government ties. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were started by the US government so that they may provide credit to the banks (i.e. the primary lenders who loan money to people to buy houses). This was to enable primary lenders to provide more mortgages to common people and thus promote home ownership.
<br />
<br />In short a "periya thalai" ( the godfather )
<br />
<br />Let me explain how I think this works (the actual process I guess is a bit more involved). Say I buy a house for $500,000.. The total amount I have to pay back to my bank at the end of thirty years (my mortgage period) is $600,000 distributed over monthly payments. The bank however has to pay the seller of the house $500,000 right away and then wait for 30 years before they have their full principal and interest back. In other words, the money would be "stuck" for that period of time.
<br />This is where Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac come in. They go to the bank and if they believe that the bank has followed sound lending practices, they buy the mortgage from the bank for say $520,000. Which means that the bank gets its $500,000 back immediately along with $20,000 interest without having to wait for years. It has thus not only made a profit but it has recovered its principal leaving it free to re-invest this amount into another mortgage.
<br />
<br />Now Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac will be the party responsible for collecting on the $600,000. Since the mortgage was bought for $520,000, at the end of the mortgage period it will have made a $80,000 profit.</p><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> </div><p style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="MsoNormal">Now where did Freddie Mac/Fannie Mae get this $520,000? Why doesn't it worry about the fact that its money will be stuck for 30 years? That is because Freddie Mac/Fannie Mae sell what are known as mortgage-backed securities to investors.
<br />Just like an index fund allows an investor to invest in a bouquet of companies with the spread of companies reducing his risk of betting his money all on one horse, a mortgage-backed security (MBS) allows an investor to own stakes in a large number of different kinds of mortgages.
<br />So when Freddie Mac/Fannie Mae make the $80,000 profit on its $520,000 investment, it can keep a percentage of the $80,000 as its commission and passes on the rest as dividend to the MBS-holders i.e. all those who made an investment in that particular mortgage.
<br />Now as is evident, higher the rates of interest are on the mortgages that form an MBS, more are the payouts to the investors in that MBS. With financial experts betting on the housing market to grow and with the consistently high returns on such securities, the prices of MBSs appreciated greatly with investment banks, institutional investors like pension funds and hedge funds all rushing in for a piece of the action. And added to the fact that securities issued by Freddie Mac/Fannie Mae had an implicit backing of the federal government (i.e it was "expected" that the government would cover the investment in case of financial downturns) and one can understand the craze for Freddie Mac/Fannie Mae MBSs.
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<br />Now were Freddie Mac/Fannie Mae head honchos well-aware of the shaky foundations of the MBSs they were peddling? You bet they were. But then why should Ramaswamy and Kanduvaddi kandaswamy be the only greedy ones when Peelamedu pavadai , the big boss of Freddie Mac/Fannie Mae is also in the game? Buoyed by the high returns on MBSs, the management of Freddie Mac/Fannie Mae helped themselves to obscene bonuses and vulgar pay-increases.
<br /></p><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> </div><p style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="MsoNormal">Of course, in the midst of all the excesses, they conveniently forgot that they were to use their profits to buying more mortgages, increase capital flow in the housing market and thus push down mortgage interest rates.
<br />
<br />Money as they say does strange things to memory.
<br />In the lucrative business of buying mortgages, Freddie Mac/Fannie Mae were not the only players in the town, though they were the largest. Different kind of financial institutions like insurance companies and even normal banks were falling over themselves in order to buy sub-prime mortgages from the primary lenders and sell them as part of their investment products. Yes those very loans that had been given to credit-unworthy people like Ramaswamy who had no assets to cover the huge amounts of money they had taken out.
<br />
<br />Something was bound to give. With a financial disaster of a war, rising national debt, falling dollar, job losses and out of control oil prices, those people who had taken multiple mortgages out on their $10,000 bank account no longer had the money to make the high monthly payments.
<br />The buyers they had predicted would buy their houses at a premium—well suddenly they were no where to be found.
<br />So thousands and thousands of home-owners just threw up their hands and declared bankruptcy. Houses were foreclosed and seized. People were evicted.
<br />But then the question remained: who would buy these seized homes?</p><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> </div><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> </div><p style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="MsoNormal">No one. Cause people had no money—a state technically called "Govinda govinda". Banks, once they realized that the housing bubble had popped, had tightened their lending policies (too late guys) and so loans were no longer easily available. Houses stayed on the market forever. Their prices nose-dived.
<br />And mortgage-owners were left holding non-performing, fast deprecating assets on which they had to pay property tax in order to keep holding onto them till a buyer could be found.
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<br />Remember that $600,000 payment Freddie Mac/Fannie Mae needed in order to pay the dividends to the MBS holders and also take their commission, the expectation of which had forced MBSs to stratospheric levels ?
<br />Well the news was that there was no $600,000 coming..
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<br />MBSs , once bought at high premiums, had started losing their value rapidly.
<br />Disaster was now at the gates. For banks who had invested in mortgages themselves. For Freddie Mac/Fannie Mae. For people who had bought MBSs. For anyone who had guaranteed a mortgage or bought one. In short, ruin for most of the economy as black suit bankers sat on a mountain of useless MBSs that was often not worth the piece of paper written on.
<br />
<br />Was that all?
<br />I made one gross oversimplification in my preceding narrative. (Well more than one. But bear with me.)
<br />When greedy banker Kanduvaddi kandaswamy gave the loan to Ramaswamy, he told him that Ramaswamy will get the loan only if he takes out an insurance on his mortgage so that if in the (unlikely) case that Ramaswamy cannot make good on his financial commitment, the insurance company will pay the remaining amount on the mortgage. Ramaswamy now has to make monthly payments for his mortgage insurance (over and above his mortgage payments) but Ramaswamy doesnt care. Cause he has the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The fact that the mortgage is insured is also good for Kanduvaddi Kandaswamy as he has covered his bases, should someone ask him what kind of risk mitigation steps he has taken.</p><p style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="MsoNormal">
<br />Now let's consider the situation from the point of view of the insurance company. Jambulingam , the big chief, suddenly gets all these house-buyers who want mortgage insurance and are ready to pay a nice premium for them. Ibu thinks to himself :" This is good. With the way the housing market is, there is not much chance of the house buyer going bankrupt–he will always be able to sell his house and make a lot of money. So no chance of him defaulting. Let me keep on selling these insurance products."
<br />And so he keeps selling. Because his company is well-known, the insurance-buyers never ask him "Do you have assets to cover all your insurance liabilities?"After all, when we buy car insurance from Geico or Progressive, do we ever stop to ask them if they actually have the money to pay $25,000 for damages, if I total someone else's car? No we do not.
<br />And so insurance companies kept on making out these insurances far beyond their covering capacity. The premiums were like "free money", insuring (as one expert opined) cars in a country where there were no car crashes. Why just housing? Companies started insuring any kind of big loan with the guarantee of coughing up the cash should the loaner default. Just like mortgage-backed securities, these "I shall pay up when you cannot" instruments (technically called credit default swaps) were being bought and sold on the market at high premiums and companies who were dealing in them were raking in the profits.
<br />What that meant was Jambulingam, the insurance guy , would sell the rights to collect premium from Ramaswamy to the others , say muttal mani and loose mohan would in turn sell that credit default swap to someone else. The market for credit default swaps were red hot —AIG, one of the biggest names in insurance had $78 billion worth of swaps !</p><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> </div><p style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="MsoNormal">Again, all this was fine till the day the housing market went boom. Thousands of people began to default on their loans. All the cars in that crash-free world had just run into each other. The insurance companies and the buyers of credit default swaps, needless to say, did not have the cash to cover the claims. With the housing market going down, different other kind of business deals started going sour. Even more debt insurance claims were made. And the more they were made, the deeper the owners of credit default swaps sank into the swamp.
<br />Then of course there were the investment banks—the Bears and Sterns and the Lehmans of the world. They had their proverbial finger in each of these superhigh yield pies be it the mortgage-backed securities or the credit default swap markets. As a result of years of high-paying lobbying initiatives, the investment banks had made sure that they operated under the minimum of controls and oversight, freeing them to take unreasonable risks while investing.
<br />Initially it all went according to plan. Even better than the plan as a matter of fact. The more they raised the stakes and the more outrageous the risks they took, more money they got.
<br />Income forecasts were manipulated by taking into account the so-called "value" of the credit default swaps whereas in reality it was nothing but "funny money" that existed only in an optimistic future, a tomorrow that would ultimately never come. And with such rosy forecasts and on the back of its great current "performance", Wall Street paid out record performance bonuses across the board.</p><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> </div><p style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" class="MsoNormal">Till of course disaster struck. The MBSs sunk to junk and people started calling in the credit default swaps. The banks did not have enough assets to cover even a fraction of its liability.
<br />When angry Rajnikantha says with this one rupee I will become a millionare in sivaji it sounds macho and cool. Now when investment banks are shown to have followed that same principle, it's quite horrifying. To put it mildly. No wonder then that investor confidence and their overall credit-worthiness suffered.
<br />The only way for the Lehman’s and the Bears and Sterns to be able to survive would have been to raise money from the market and use it to discharge their obligations. But the credit market had frozen up. No financial entity in Wall Street was trusting anyone else with their resources. Starved of its cash flows, an investment bank like Lehman Brothers that had survived the Great Depression and two World Wars went belly-up. So did Bear Sterns before it was acquired.
<br />AIG and Freddie Mac/Fannie Mae were in danger of coming to their knees but since they were considered too critical to fail , they were given federal life-lines through infusion of tax money to keep them afloat.
<br />Two of the biggest banks–Washington Mutual and Wachovia were not so lucky and was taken over by other corporations.
<br />And most importantly, the High End Girlfriend Index, the true indicator of the value of Wall Street fat cats, collapsed spectacularly.
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<br />The face of the financial world had changed within a few weeks.</p> arunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282510458129850473noreply@blogger.com4