Was it worth it !

October 26th Friday, 06.00 am, inside a bus near the borders of Chennai:
(Anees and Karthik are cramped inside a government bus near Chennai. They both are really tired, eyes hollow because of the sleepless last 2 nights)

Karthik: Was it worth it!
Anees: I don't know but it was fun wasn't it ?
Karthik: I don't know if we should have gone there. We don't even know what happened to the other 4 guys.
Anees: Hope they make it to office today, otherwise we're all screwed up.

9 hours before, at Kempegowda bus stand, Bangalore. [October 25th, Thursday]
(Saran is running all over, and we 5 friends waiting for him. He comes after a while)

Saran: There are just 2 seats in that bus and that too close to the driver. We need to decide which 2 make it first.
Anees: Guys, I have to go, my mom will come back tomorrow, and you guys know the consequences if I'm not at home.
Karthik: I have to go as well, you guys know why.
Saran: Alright, the first 2 is decided, you guys carry on, we 4 will make it to Chennai somehow. Just take care.

3 hours ago at Lalbagh, Bangalore.
(All the 6 of us are gathered at the park, all faces exhausted, frustrated and gloomy. )

Saran: Ok guys, this isn't fun anymore and I think we did a mistake coming here in the first place. It's getting late now, we need to catchup some dinner and try to find a way to get back to Chennai.
Rest of us: Nod our head in agreement and take an auto to Kempegowda bus stand.

1 hour ago at Lalbagh, Bangalore:
(Karthik weeping, on a bench and rest 5 of them around him comforting and pouring water on his head. Sanju had just landed a huge log of wood on Karthik's head. It was an accident. )

Anees: Dude, c'mon don't weep, the hurt will go off.
Karthik: It's not the pain I'm weeping for. It's the fact that Sanju is so frustrated and unhappy about the shopping we all did. It's spoiling the entire trip and I'm feeling bad for it.
Anees: Sanju, you shouldn't have shown your anger on him. It was our collective mistake we went to that shop. Whatever you did is still very wrong.
Sanju: His head down in apology, feeling a little guilty may be.


15 minutes ago, Lalbagh, Bangalore:
(Sanju and Saran and throwing pieces of wood and pebbles all over the park aiming at targets. One such log of wood lands hard on Karthik's head. )

Raj & Selvam: Macha, are you alright.
Karthik: No, this is hurting too much.
(He begins weeping as others gather around, Saran runs around to get some water. )

3.00 p.m., Show Off, Jai Nagar, Bangalore

Karthik: This is amazing man. I mean, I can get an Armani T-Shirt for 300 bucks. I'm gonna collect all the best brands here.
(He ends up with No Fear, Armani, Versace and a scullers tshirt. Others are no better, Anees with his load, Saran with a bunch and so is Raj. We all queue up in the billing counter. )
Billing guy: The total is Rs. 11,000/-.
We look at ourselves, Anees puts up his bargaining cap, but in vain. Then decide to strip down on our purchases.
Billing guy: So it's a total of 5,500/-
Anees: [After persuasive bargaining the settlement is at Rs.5000/-], Sanju macha, can we have your debit card. I'll pay you back once in Chennai.
Sanju: I'll pay you da, but to be frank, I am not happy with blowing up our cash at this purchase [but his card is swiped clean].

2 hours earlier , 1:00 p.m. KFC, Brigade Road, Bangalore

Anees: Finally all are here. So guys place your orders.
Sanju: French fries and coke
Karthik: Chicken burger and coke
Selvam: Chicken burger and coke [actually it's whatever Karthik orders].
Saran: Chicken burger
Raj: Some veggie
(All the guys have a sumptous lunch at KFC after missing for couple of hours. )

2 hours earlier, 11:00 a.m., Brigade Road, Bangalore

Anees: Where are these guys da, suddenly all vanished !
Karthik: No idea macha, I remember Sanju went out with Atheeq, no news since then.
Anees: Well now that everyone's gone, there's a thrill ride in some mall here, lets go there.
Karthik: Why not..
Anees: Hope they all make it to Brigade Road for lunch at 1:00.

2 hours earlier, 09:00 a.m a restaurant in Brigade Road

Sanju: Finally our breakfast is over. What a hectic morning
Selvam: Yes what a hectic morning.
Karthik: So what's plan guys?
Anees: Let's walk around the Brigade and MG Road, plenty of shops and crowd to look around.
Saran /Raj: Yeah sounds good.
Atheeq: Hey Sanju, why dont you come with me, have some place to show you.

2 hours earlier, 7:00 a.m, Curzon Court, Brigade Road, Bangalore.

Karthik: Macha, my credit card's blown up, 0.00 credit remaining. But here sir try swiping it.
Hotel Receptionist: It works sir, your transaction's through. Your room's in the first floor:
Anees: That's great, your credit card's magic man, it works even with 0 credit.
Karthik: Must be the overdraft facility
Anees: [To hotel guy] Sir, we have some friends visiting us. Guide them to our room please
Hotel guy: This is awful lot of luggage for the 2 of you.
Anees and Karthik: [Wink at each other]

15 minutes ago, Brigade Road, Bangalore:

Saran: Macha, Anees and Karthik go to the hotel, try to get a 2 bed room and Freshen up. We'll visit the hotel as your friends and once into the room, will freshen up asap. The hotel guys will not know a thing.
Anees: Good idea, but what are you guys gonna do till we settle down, it'll take a while.
Raj: We'll probably take a walk around the MG Road, it's cold and pleasant anyway.
Saran: Fine, here take all our baggages and move on.
Anees: Curzon court looks fine. Karthik, come let's go, hope everything works out fine.

45 minutes before, Cantonement Stationm Bangalore:
(All guys land up in the Bangalore Cantonement Station to a cold morning )

Selvam: Guys, it's damn cold out here !

12 hours before, 6:00 p.m., Temple Towers, Chennai , CGI Conference room
(Sitting around a round table)

Anees: So tomorrow's a holiday and we have to go out somewhere.
Karthik: How about Pondicherry?
Anees: Can we fly to there, or atleast train journey till there?
Saran: No, only bus services.
Anees: How about Bangalore then?
All guys: Look at each other, the silence here meant a yes !
Saran: Selvam, Raj, you both go to the Central station and get us all tickets to Bangalore.
Anees: Rest of us will go home and pack our dresses for tomorrow. Meet you guys at Central by 9:00 p.m.

3 hours before, 3:00 p.m., Temple Towers balcony

Anees, Karthik, Sanju: Isn't it a wonderful weather today, feels like we should go for a drive !

Trip to the Government Home

Sunday, 29 June 2008, Chennai.

This Sunday started like any normal Sunday, with just a simple plan of making it to Dasavatharam (a Tamil movie) with Deep (my sister), my aunt (my mom's sister), Arun (my cousin) and his wife. Lazed around this morning, and made it on time for the 11 am show which unfortunately was delayed by an hour. Used this time to grab a Pepsi and a game at the gaming zone at the Abirami mall. We then watched the Dasavatharam extravaganza (even though it was my second time, I enjoyed it like any first timer). It was after this movie, that I took an unexpected walk.

It was my aunt's suggestion to park my car in her office premises (Goverment Home for Girls) right next to the Abirami theatre. My aunt wanted to show us her office and the premises she and my mom grew up in. As I walked into the gate, I realised it wasn't my first entry to this gate, and the last time I walked in was the fateful day of Feb 17th, 1997, the day that changed my life. I had come here from the hospital to pick my aunt but it was little too late, as she had already left for home. That instant just flashed and here I was walking into the same gate 11 years later. But as I walked in, I realised that in a few minutes I would be traversing 40 years back.

This "Government Home for Girls" is a wing of the "Center for Social Defence" a State Government entity. It is meant for girls who fall into the categories of Orphans, Economically Backward or Minor girls serving some kind of law offence. My grandma admitted my mom and my aunt to this Home under the category of Economically Backward kids. Understandably so, since these girls were the younger ones among a family of 6 girls and a boy.

As I walked into the gate, I felt an unusual aura, more of an emotional one. I was actually seeing the buildings and spaces my mom lived the 10 + years of her life. My aunt first showed me the room where they lived when they initially joined the home. This campus actually hasn't changed much in the last 40 years except that a pond has been covered by rubbles, a dormitory demolished and a new Computer Science block been installed. The door creak still remains the same, the windows are still the same and the walls haven't changed much either expect for a few coats of paint on them. I remember my mom telling me about the rigorous routine in the campus, where their day started at 5 in the morning and went on till 9 in the night. The toughest part was to carry water in huge vessels every morning to water the plants about 50 meters away. The kitchen was shabby, well, what more can we expect from a poorly maintained government home. I saw the present day little girls running around very ordinarily dressed. My mom wouldn't have been much different those days, a shabbily dressed little girl. My mom was average in her studies, and it seems she and my aunt used to go across the pond and study under a tree not to get disturbed by their peers. As we walked further, we saw play areas with volley ball poles erected which have always been existing here. I also noticed an overflowing tank because of a faulty tap. Thought to myself, if such taps existed 40 years back, my mom's mornings would have been much better eliminating the need to carry the water this far. Aunt showed us the rooms where my mom and her spent the latter part of their schooling. This is where I thought my mom spent the most time of her grown-up childhood days. 

Living in this home, I know what part of childhood she missed out on. My eyes were wet from the time I walked into the campus until I walked out of it. I could actually correlate now, why she was a mom who never got tired of her daily chores and always had something to do for us. This was probably the reason she gave my sister and me wonderful memories. She was always devoid of it herself and I felt she re-lived her childhood days through us. Well, the second most time she spent outside her married life was at this home.

Real Life Quotes !

In the following post, I have tried to compile a list of quotes or phrases that I have personally encountered and which were quoted by real life characters that I know. These quotes are serious, witty or even meaningless. In some cases they have become a trademark of that person itself. Do feel free to include such quotes encountered by you too, you might never find it published elsewhere !
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"Enjoy your school life as much as possible."
Quoted by: Sathy Achen ma'am in 1995
Location: Xth classroom.
Occassion: It was another of our English classes, when Sathy ma'am said this. Going by her words, I made it a point to make the most of the next 2 years and still consider those 2 years at school the best part of my life so far.

"If Anees was in my place, would you have avoided him? "
Quoted by: T. Senthil in 1996
Location: Our way back from Johnson's tuition
Occasion: Me, Sanju and T.Senthil were cycling back home after the 7.30-8.30 p.m. Johnson tuition classes. Me and Sanju wanted to discuss about some common issues and gave Senthil a lame reason and asked him to take a different route. He replied back with the above question and neither Sanju nor me had an answer to this, as we would not have avoided Anees in this circumstance. We both felt guilt struck, and eventually ended up as best friends with Senthil. This was an incident that paved way for a life-long friendship, unless Senthil screws up in future :-p.

"Talak Talak Bussss ! "
Quoted by: Venkatesh Athreya in 1996
Location: Bangalore, Coorg and Mysore
Occasion: This was a slogan created by Venkatesh Athreya, the front-runner of the best brat award of Kola Perumal's 1997 batch. Only the guys of that batch know it's true inner meaning ;-)

"What's that popular movie of MGR ? "
Quoted by: Pillai sir in 1996
Location: 1st floor, Physics Tuition Class, Anna Nagar, Chennai.
Occasion: Well, this was a question quoted by Mr. Neelakandan Pillai (a.k.a Pillai Sir) in one of his Physics tuition class where I was an attendee in the morning 6-7 batch. For a moment the class wondered what connection did this question have with 12th grade Physics. Oh by the way, MGR is a Tamil movie superstar turned politician who ruled the Tamil Cinema till about early 70's. When asked the question, few classmates prompted some names they knew including "Ayirathil Oruvan", "Ali Baba" and "Enga Veetu Pillai" before someone prompted "Anbe Vaa". "Anbe Vaa" happened to be the name Pillai sir was looking for. And then with no correlation he went on to derive the Formula for Induced EMF in an AC Generator. The derived formula for Induced EMF goes this way:
Induced Emf = N B A ω sinωt
- omega (ω) can also be pronounced as "va". Now if we read this formula again, it'll sound like this:
Induced EMF = "Anbe Vaa Sine Va dee". [Makes no sense but so damn easy to remember !]
Such is the power of creative teaching, I remember this formula till this day 12 years later. Hats off to you Pillai sir!

"I WILL BROKE THE GLASS"
Quoted By: T Senthil in 1997
Location: Anees house, Arumbakkam, Chennai:
Occasion: It was like any other casual evening meeting for we friends (Anees, Me, Senthil, Jagdish) and was sometime after our board exam results. Senthil was on a high after scoring 92% in English and equalled Rajesh Krishnan in English who was also the topper of that batch. For some reason, when Anees pissed him off, Senthil ended up quoting "I WILL BROKE THE GLASS" in a very serious tone. Me, Jagdish and Anees were quick to pounce on Senthil for having said this and scoring 92% in English with such bad English, something which has embarrased Senthil till this day.

"I don't have any siblings now, but you may get it in some shop here !"
Quoted By: Sanju in 2000
Location: Spencers Plaza, Chennai
Occasion: Sanju was out on an official outing with Julie an official from Clicktickets.com, Dubai. They were shopping at Spencers Plaza when Julie asked Sanju, how many siblings he had. Not knowing what siblings meant, Sanju ended up quoting this !

"It's a nice weather, I think we should go for a drive."
Quoted By: Anees in 2001
Location: CGi, Temple Towers, Nandanam, Chennai
Occasion: It was indeed a very pleasant day this September. Anees prompted this comment and the next day being a holiday, we were tempted to implement this idea of Anees. We ended up packing our bags to Bangalore the same evening. That Bangalore trip was a truly wild experience and deserves a separate blog!

"Actually, there is a problem."
Quoted By: Me in 2001
Location: Planet-Yumm, Koyambedu, Chennai
Occasion: My first meeting with Neena. This was more of a meeting that went horribly wrong. Neena was a very good friend of mine, and I hadn't met her in person till then. That day, our office was declared holiday due to power failure. Sanju and me took my TVS Champ and rode it till Raja-Rajeshwari college to meet her. All I knew was her bike was a Bajaj and number ends in "66". I was lucky enough to meet her at the college parking lot, and we 3 went to Planet Yumm, Koyambedu. Sanju and me together had 60 bucks on us, so we had to be consious about our order without Neena knowing it. We ordered carefully, Neena a Chicken Burger (30/-), Sanju a Fanta (10/-) and me a Lime juice (15/-). But when the bill came the amount was 65/- and we guys were short by 5 bucks. My lime juice was the culprit as the menu had a wrong price printed. Neena saw the expression on my face and asked whats wrong and I said "Actually there's a problem". She actually paid the entire bill then. This certainly wasn't the way I wanted our first meeting to go.

"TIME INCREASE, GAP INCREASE !"
Quoted by: Raj in 2003
Location: Tea Shop outside Dignity Center, Saidapet, Chennai.
Occasion: All we friends (Sanju, Anees, Senthil, Saran, Selvam, Raj and me) were having our usual bajji's outside our then office CGI, when Raj out of nowhere uttered this line. It didn't make any sense to us then and were all bullying him for saying this. Infact, he wasn't sure why he said it in the first place. But now, we all realise how very true this line is. At this point this is how we friends are scattered, Sanju in New Jersey, Senthil in Arizona, Anees shuffling between Mumbai-Chennai, Raj in Bangalore, Me in Chennai, Selvam in Chennai, Saran in Mumbai. Gap did increase as time increased.

"I EVEN LIKED THE WAY SHE REJECTED ME !"
Quoted by: Arun Kumar Sekar in 2008
Location: Syntel State Street Area, DLF IT Park, Chennai.
Occasion: Rajesh Chopra, Arun and me were taking a post-lunch stroll at the lawns outside our DLF office building and our topic drifted to early day crushes. Arun began mentioning about his school day crush and how much he liked everything about her. In passing he mentioned the following: "She was an amazing girl, and I liked everything about her, infact I even liked the way she rejected my proposal". Rajesh and me glanced at each other and bursted out laughing. This will definitely be a one-liner to bully the "Deewana" Arun anytime.

Deccan Chronicle Article

Date of Picture: 12th Feb, 2006.
Date of Publishing: 14th Feb, 2006 - The Valentine's day.

HOW IT HAPPENED...

It was the official Bachelor's treat for Senthil's marriage, which was to follow exactly a week later. Our itenary for the evening, meet up at Mocha and then decide on the rest of th evening. Only constraint for the evening was that our host Senthil, had to board the 9.30 pm bus.

Senthil, Sanju, Karthikeyan, Selvam, Raj and myself reached around 7.30 pm, followed by Anees. Unfortunately, Senthil had to leave before Saran arrived. It was in this time gap that a photographer approached our table and requested a picture of us, and we were more than glad to pose for him. We had no clue that we would be featured in the Valentine's Day edition about single guys not fretting even if they don't have girlfriends on the Valentine's day.

IRONY:
The host of the treat was absent when the picture was taken.
COINCIDENCE:
All of us were ... REALLY "pair-less" this Valentine's day and were ideal models for the article, even without ours and the editor's knowledge.

Characters from Left to Right :
Anees , Selvam, Karthikeyan, Sanju, Raj and Myself (Karthik)

Please Help Me !

Friday, 15th, June 2007

"PLEASE HELP ME !", said a voice behind me. I looked around and saw a man, must be in his early 20s, handing out a little package. He said it was a wallet and he was selling it. I ignored him and walked into the ATM.

[The Backdrop:
It was a Friday evening and I was on my way from office to a friend's place. A lot of uncertainity on whether we would make it to Shivaji (first day of release) tonight. At last we (Sanju, Rajiv, Selvam, Candy and me) managed to get some tickets . I parked my bike outside the Anna Nagar ICICI ATM hoping to withdraw some cash for the movie. ]

I walked out of the ATM, the wait in the queue relaxed me a bit, after the hectic tension-prone journey amidst the peak traffic. I came out to find the same guy trying to sell that wallet to other prospects. I called him and asked "How much for it ? "Rs. 90" he said. In my quest to bargain I asked "Would you give me two for Rs.150 ?". His reply "No sir, this is the last piece I have, and to be honest I'll just make Rs.10 if I sell it to you for Rs.90". I gestured to see the wallet to check its quality, and felt it was a good bargain. So paid him the money and got my wallet. I had actually seen this guy a few weeks back in the same area trying to sell wallets to people coming out of a restaurant. There was an honest appeal in his sales call that prompted me to ask him his name. "Senthil" he said. Seeing his communication abilities, I'm sure he could have got into a better job. And I asked him "So why did you take up selling wallets?". His reply, "He's preparing for UPSC exams and this was a part-time evening activity to get him going". I appreciated it and wished him a best future.

Then I took off, feeling content and like an angel after HELPing a young man by making his last deal of the day. There was something terribly wrong about my bike now, looked down, and .... oh GOD, it was a flat tyre !

I looked around and said "PLEASE HELP ME !"

A Train Journey

Hi... it's me again with a brand new blog. I always thought my blogs would be about my excursions to interesting places. Well, here's a blog on a journey of a different kind. Hope you guys enjoy this one.

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Tuesday, May 2, 2006

KINDNESS UNLIMITED: This is a small incident that happened in the summer of 2004, something that had an impact on my actions till today atleast. I have always been wanting to write about this one and here it comes.

I was returning to Chennai from Kottayam (a small town in Kerala) after attending my best friends, Ranjay and Shema's wedding. It was a 14 hour train journey starting early evening from Kottayam, so I had to figure out means to kill time. Worst was, I didn't have any planned source of music or reading. I saw an Indian edition of Reader's Digest in the hands of a lady next to my berth, and since she was not reading it, requested for it and she didn't hesitate. There were some interesting articles but what interested me most was an article on "Kindness Unlimited" movement initiated by Mr. Kalbag - a Mumbai wala.

The article quoted a lot of examples of kindness towards fellow humans, kindness towards other creatures, and on how the movement kickstarted in India because of Mr. Kalbag's thoughts and initiatives. This article somehow interested me and I jotted down the URL's and related email ids. However, it was not long before I witnessed a real account of what Kindness (or selflessness to be accurate) meant.

It was getting late in the night, must have been around 10 and most of them around my berth sleeping, not to mention the snores. I did notice movement of a few women in their mid-twenties in the subsequent slots (any guys' travel fantasy ). There was one particular woman among them who did not seem to belong to any of the berths, just strolling along the compartment like any non-reserved traveller would . Seeing me awake she came to me and requested if she could sit in my place till I was awake. "Of course" was my reply, a little hostility in my tone.

Further conversations revealed that she was travelling to Chennai with her other friends to take up an entrance test to pursue a nursing course. I suddenly popped up the question, "How did you think you could manage to complete a 14 hour night journey without a reserved ticket?" for which her reply surprised me. She said that she had a reserved ticket and pointed her finger at a berth occupied by a lady and baby barely a few months old. This girl told me that she saw the mother and baby sleeping on the train floor since they did not have reserved tickets and she sacrificed her berth and consequently her nights' sleep. On asking how she would manage the entire night, she gave an immediate modest reply "I am a young girl and strong enough to stay one night with no sleep". This comment of hers made me feel very small in front of her. I wanted to accompany this girl in her sleepless venture , but she insisted that I catch some sleep and that she will manage with her friends, she was young and strong after all ! She rejected my request with a smile and went ahead to where her other friends were.

I still remained seated, staring straight into the night trying to overcome this hair raising experience...

I had just witnessed KINDNESS UNLIMITED ...

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(p.s. for those interested in this movement, do visit http://kindnessunlimited.tripod.com/)

Spinning Around

I wanna travel to the end of the world,
Not knowing where to begin,
Not knowing where to end.

I wanna go for the search of my soul
In the High Land, Far Skies or Deepest Hole
And all I can see is a mask of Staring Souls
Hiding beneath blue eyes, skin and bones
Each in its own quest longing for more.

I travel way too far and way too deep
Passing Stones and Wind out there to beat
And all I know is I keep spinning around
Trying to stand my very own ground
And then I say to myself, “May Be…
… I should travel to the end of the world”