Move on

Now that i've moved on to WordPress, you can read my posts at my new blog...

- Words & Lines - 

Hope we'd meet there :)

Cheers

God Bless

Re : Leibster Blog Award

Let me congratulate Deepak Raghuraman for his dual Leibster Award :)

He has posted some terrific questions in his post at his blog Get Inspired !!!!!!!

And here are his questions and my answers for them..

1) What is the most happiest moment day in your life and why ?

- I would say every moment of my life is the happiest moment. Life is blessing from God, and a life with so much pleasures is the greatest, one can receive from God. So I enjoy every moment of life.

2) Who is the one person who inspires you most and why ?

- A difficult question, as many people have inspired me in various ways and it's a hard one to choose a single person. Still if it's one person who has inspired me the most, it is Swami Vivekananda. I love reading his anecdotes. I have always adored the way he lived and the examples he has set for the generations to come. He was very much ahead of his times.

3) How you want to see yourself in the next 3 years ?

- Ahh!! Honestly I don't have a clear idea, to answer this question. Anyway i'd be doing my higher studies and please don't ask about it, as I have many ideas and I haven't narrowed down to a particular one.

4) If you have given an opportunity to create and implement one social awareness campaign, what would it be ?

- Public Hygiene and Cleanliness. 

5) What is the best blog you have ever read (Can restrict to blogs of CBC members) ?

- You're dragging me into trouble :D Honestly the blog(s) of everyone at CBC are great in one way or the other. So I can never choose a single one.

6) Education or Experience – What would you vote for ? You should select one and tell why ?

- Both are very necessary for a person to get voted. But I feel experience gains a upper hand. That's because education alone cannot make one a good politician (I assume that you asked this question with respect to getting voted in a political election) Experience is very much needed, to know the nuances and tactics of politics.

7) You are given an option to have a conversation with one person, who is no more. Who will you choose and why ?

- M.S.Subbulakshmi. Just for the sake of hearing her voice in person, i'd like to have a conversation with her.

8) What did you want to be when you are a child and what you are now and what you want to be in future ?

- I had so many dreams while I was a child..wanted to draw, read, write, sing, etc.. And now i'm doing most of them ;) The future is bright and hopeful, still i'm ready to face anything that comes my way. I don't have a perfect plan for the future.

9) Make a rhythmic prefixes for the 7 days of week . Eg: Super Sunday, Marvellous Monday etc.,

- Super Sunday (Thanks for the example)

Monstrous Monday

Terrible Tuesday

Worn-out Wednesday

Tiresome Thursday

Fantastic Friday

Splendorous Saturday

10) What is the Best and Worst in Blogging ?

- The best of blogging that happened to me is CBC :) In general, blogging is more than just typing our heart out. It gives an individual a good social presence. 

The worst is that some folks don't understand the meaning of staying within their limit, in terms of blogging. Plagiarism is yet another bad face of blogging.

11) If a movie was made about your life, what would be the title for the movie and who will you chose to play the lead role ?

- Answering the second part of your question, I can never play the lead role, coz i'm poor in acting! Frankly saying, I can't emote well for the situation. Happy or sad, any situation will bring the same look in my face. While typing this i'm getting a thought..maybe being emotion-less is my attribute and I can portray the character of 'Kaushik' better than anyone else :D

Now coming to the first part of the question, the 'known part of my life' is a very very simple story which cannot even feed a single episode of a mega-serial, let alone making a film. And i'm not ready to let out the secrets of my life (which may probably make a good entertainer :P)

God Bless

Wordless Wednesday #2

This post is part of The Chennai Bloggers Club's Wordless Wednesday series initiated to keep the spirit of blogging alive and challenging.

Facebook #2 - Etiquette (The lack of it)

"I'd never stop if I keep writing about FB, and that should be the case with most of us, as we have had so much of indulgence with FB. Happy Reading, Happy FBing", thus saying I concluded the post Facebook, which was posted a few weeks back. And I begin the second part of the post with the same lines (Andhadhi¹ Style :P) 

I wanted to update a status on the 'Etiquette' that has to be followed, and not being followed in Facebook. Since it's a lengthy lament, it's better that I post it here.

Basically the word 'Etiquette' means behaving in a professional and decent manner. Don't ask me where I got this definition. Blogging even without such basic knowledge would the 'EPIC facepalm moment of the century'

Image Courtesy - Facebook

Facebook is meant to connect with the people we know and make new friends and be in touch them. It's okay to make a part of our lives public and get our share of 'likes', 'comments' and 'shares'. And it's fun to return these favors. The problem (my problem) starts when someone crosses the gossamer thread. Tagging me in photos which are highly irrelevant to me, posting stupid posts on my wall, and the possibilities seem endless. Still funny is the fact that people are bothered about the likes and comments that I make. I can only hope and pray that these people get a life - a life which isn't obsessed with silly things.

For an example, during the Valentine's season last month, there were a hell lot of people who tagged me in photos, of which some gave out the meaning of love (as claimed to be), some giving the advantages of being single, some which gave color codes to follow on V day and what not! Of course FB gives me the option to choose whether to have the tag or remove it. That and friendship apart, why drag me into this non-sense? 

Still worse the comments which my posts attract. By the standards of FB and also the standards that I've set for myself, I make sure that I post well mannered stuff on my timeline. The fussy comments on these harmless posts make me go wild often. The 'Anniyan' in me wakes up when the comments contain phrases like "when did your job start and what is your starting pay?" (This comment on my profile picture), "what did you talk with her in the phone?" (On a harmless status), "with whom did you go to the film?" (On a status about the film which I saw) Believe me, these have happened! Wish I had taken a screenshots of those, so that it'd be useful to make this post more colorful :D

FB gives the facility to personally message me, and what is the need for this absurdity? When I remove the rubbish done by them, they get 'offended' and this small strain leads to a bigger rift.

I can post many more examples and you can recollect many such incidents involving yourselves.

This may not be an important social issue that needs any attention. But an annoyance that needs a full stop. 

Still more to come. Happy reading and Happy FBing with etiquette :)

God Bless

-----

Andhadhi - A style of writing, where the context starts with the ending word/phrase of its previous one.

Friday Flowers

This post is part of The Chennai Bloggers Club's Flower Friday series initiated to keep the spirit of blogging alive and challenging.

Flowers are one of the most beautiful things that occur in nature. The beauty that they possess and the fragrance that they spread have attracted millions of bees and poets alike.

"As a tree laden with scented flowers spreads fragrance in the forest, a worthy son brings glory to the whole family", so says Chanakya ( Reference for the exact quote ) Of course in today's world, it can be re-quoted as...a worthy child brings glory to the whole family.. Such glory and honor is commanded by the flower which stands as a mark of 'beauty with pride'.

Every great poet has described the flower in all its glory in their works. How can one forget mentioning one of the most popular quote on flower, while posting about flowers - "A Rose is a Rose is a Rose"

Right from the Stone Age, man has always labored to recreate the glories of nature in his own ways. And flowers are his most favorite. From the engravings of the pre-historic caves, to the paintings that adorn a recently constructed home, flowers have been represented everywhere. This proves that the love, which man had on flowers, begins from the day one of the history of man and it continues to the present day.

Flowers have been a part of every person's life. Flowers are the main hosts in the festive of any culture. No festival or occasion goes without the presence of fragrant flowers. 

Flowers can also been used to describe the variety of life. The various colors of flowers represent the various emotions and situations of life. Some may be good, some bad, some pleasant, some heart-wrenching, some bright, some boring. Its the combination of the flowers of various colors that make a beautiful garden. In the same manner, its the combination of the various emotions that makes life beautiful and interesting.

Adding a personal quote, one of my favorite poems on flowers is 'The Lily and The Rose' by William Cowper ( Full Poem - The Lily and The Rose ). It is a poem in which both these flowers fight within themselves for the post of 'The Queen of Flowers'. I had this poem in my English syllabus at school. If I were the judge to choose among them, clearly I'd have chosen Lily as 'The Queen of Flowers', as its my personal favorite. I love the fragrance of lilies more than any other one. I love walking about the flower market at Pondy Bazar which abounds in lilies.

So keep revering the qualities of flowers, which is a gift to mankind from God, and do good like them.

God Bless

Sthree

Life Giving as a Mother,

Caressing as a Grand-Mother..

Nurturing as Nature,

Though fluctuating as Temperature..

Naughty personified Sister,

Beauty personified Life-Partner..

Gentle as the Breeze,

Unpredictable as the Sneeze..

Strict as a Teacher,
Still calm as a Preacher..

Happy as a Baby,
You are sharp and Savvy..

Will fight many a Combat,
Make a home cozy and Compact..

Can bake a good Egg,
And break a strong Leg..

Be a man's Wife,
Add meaning to his Life..

Epitome of Courage,

You are no Mirage..

Oh beautiful Sthree,

There's no parallel to Thee..

This, a dedication by me.

Liebster Blog Award

This is my first Liebster Blog Award and I should thank Kamakshi for it :)

Here is Kamakshi's Blog - http://keigetswings.blogspot.in/

Now the rules (copied and pasted)

- Each person must post 11 things about themselves. (Honesty is the best Policy)
- Answer the questions that the tagger set for you .
- Choose 11 people and link them in your post.
- Create 11 questions for the people you've tagged to answer.
- Go to their page and tell them.
- No tag backs!

The 11 things about me

1. I love to spend time alone, but that doesn't mean I don't like the moments that I spend with my friends. I cherish the time that I spend with my friends as much as the time I spend alone.

2. I consider myself to be very spiritual and 0% religious. I feel there exists a lot of difference between the two and I have managed to maintain the differences well in my life.

3. I love cartoons and I try to watch any cartoon for a few minutes everyday. My favorite cartoon character is Bugs Bunny.

4. I love to experiment with food, but within the constraint of being vegetarian. Even after trying a variety of food, my all time favorite is curd rice ;)

5. I love people who are straight forward and I wont mind even if they're a bit rude. But I can never tolerate people who talk behind a person.

6. I love secrets and would never cheat a person by revealing his/her secret. That's the reason many of my friends confess their secrets to me.

7. I love fantasy and would like to write a fantasy novel, sometime in my life.

8. I hate the sound of tearing papers.

9. I love all forms of art and cherish experimenting with them, but will never support degradation of art in name of being modern, bold or anything.

10. I hate the number 11. So the next point goes blank :P

11. 

The 11 questions from Kamakshi and my answers

1. What is love according to you?

A. Love is something divine and it cannot be forced upon someone. It must occur on its own.

2. What is the one thing you want to change in your life?

A. I'm a very difficult person and cannot be easily satisfied, though I don't show off my dissatisfaction. I want to be a more easy person.

3. How often do you use swear words?

A. Not very often.

4. What do you think about my blog? How can I improve? -Link-

A. Your blog looks great. The best thing about your blog is the pictures. They look awesome! Areas of improvement, I don't have any points. But will inform you in case I feel something can be improved.

5. Who is the one person that you wish to apologize and why?

A. My grandma, for not understanding the love she had on me, properly :'(

6. What do you think about maggi noodles?

A. My favorite dish, once upon a time.

7. What does travelling mean to you? [as in new places]

A. Adventurous, new vistas, new people, new culture, new perspectives of life.

8. What do you think about women?

A. One of the best creations of God. The bearer of life, indeed. 

9. Which country do you want to settle down?

A. Home sweet home, India. Though I wish to spend a good part of my life in New Zealand.

10. Which according to you is the toughest language to learn?

A. Sanskrit.

11. Name 3 of your favorite restaurants in Chennai.

A. Adyar Ananda Bhavan, Barbeque Nation, Punjabi Dhaba @ Mount Road.

The 11 bloggers whom I nominate are

1. Susan Deborah

2. Gopalakrishnan Krishnasamy

3. Aarti Krishnakumar

4. Venkat Ramakrishnan

5. Sumita Pai

6. Gayathree Ganesan

7. Deepa Iyer

8. Deepak Raghuraman

9. Prashanth Ashok

10. Akash Govindarajan

11. Gayatri Venkataraman

The 11 questions for the nominated bloggers are

1. Given a chance, what would you transform into?

2. Who inspired you to start blogging?

3. What was your first post about?

4. Which season do you like and why?

5. Which is the naughtiest prank you have ever done? 

6. Have you understood the purpose of life?

7. At which moment of your life, you could feel yourself flying over the clouds?

8. Can you mention the most stupid tweet you have ever tweeted?

9. WHY? (Give any answer that strikes your mind)

10. Am I crazy?

11. What is the significance of the number 11 in this award? :D

God Bless

A Million Words

This post is part of The Chennai Bloggers Club's Wordless Wednesday series initiated to keep the spirit of blogging alive and challenging.

Taken at Bangalore on the Festive Day of Pongal

Serenity

This post is part of The Chennai Bloggers Club's Serene Sunday series initiated to keep the spirit of blogging alive and challenging.

On the mention of the word 'Serene', the first image to flash in our mind would be that of still water, to most of us. And hence I thought that this image fits in here perfectly.

The Oxford Dictionary defines Serenity as calm, peaceful, tranquil. It is on a serene canvas of water that we can see a beautiful painting of reflections. A tree may not be as interesting as it's reflection over a clear pool of water (according to me) 

A reflection is more beautiful on serene water, a thought is more powerful in a serene mind. On a rippled pool, the reflection gets disturbed and it spread outward. In a disturbed mind, the thought gets disturbed and it moves away from the point.

The more serene a drop of water, the more stable to holds on; the moment it gets disturbed, it loses out and crashes down. The principle applies to our mind. Serenity added stability to our mind, while disturbance does no good, other than creating a hell lot of confusion.

So maintain the serenity of our mind and spread it.

God Bless

SALT

This post is part of The Chennai Bloggers Club's Salty Saturday series initiated to keep the spirit of blogging alive and challenging. 

SALT - can be seen in different perspectives. The patriotic guy would be reminded of the Dandi March, the movie buff about Angelina Jolie's Salt, the addicted-to-serial aunty would frown on being reminded of the unga toothpaste'le uppu iruka (does your toothpaste contain salt) ad, the diabetic grandpa would detest it though he'd be longing for his dose of salty snacks, the historian would state that the word salary came from the word salt, the sadist boy would remember killing the snails by sprinkling salt, the nerdy school topper would spring out its chemical formula NaCl, Kamal Hassan would imagine that the President of USA would not know what NaCl stands for..and so on

The humble salt delivers several perspectives and meanings that are magnificent. Salt is a substance that dissolves completely into the food that it is added to, and enhances (rather gives life to) the taste of it. It can be compared with a person who stays hidden in the society but does great things. There are so many such people who do great things but still remain silent and humble, without boasting their glories. A dish may contain several exotic items which are cooked elaborately and decorated in an awesome manner. But without the simple salt, it loses its worth (this may not be applicable to every kind of food) Similarly a country can have great leaders, revolutionists et tous, but the country cannot prosper without the humble citizens who work collectively.

A few years back I read in a book (the name of which i'm unable to recollect) which emphasizes on the example of salt in our daily lives. It says that adding salt to food is similar to negative approach in life. Pondering on the negative effects that might be possible, gives us the strength to be prepared for the worst. The negative scenario gives us the threats and we can make ourselves immune to them or prepare ourselves to face them. Adding too much of salt will spoil the food and too much of negative thinking will lead us no where.

Salt can also be compared to the emotions that we express. In moderation, salt gives life to the food and emotions add meaning to our lives. Too much of anything is too bad. And no cookies for guessing why the proverb comes here! High content of salt creates a Dead Sea and high emotional content makes our life, dead.

Oops..seems like i'm going too much the philosophical way. So let's move the other way.

There are infinite instances in our films, where salt is equated to showing loyalty in the punch dialogues, sentiment statements and introduction songs :P Not to forget the so called comedy scenes where salt is added by mistake/intentionally to something and someone eats (or drinks) it :|

As I said in the beginning, Salt is a humble thing, but the perspectives that it gives, it as vast as the ocean, whose second most constituent is salt again :)

Do Good and Keep Reading.

God Bless

Apoorva Raagangal

It's indeed rare that i'm posting about a movie. Movies don't fascinate me much and that reason is enough for me to say that I don't watch many movies. Of course I do watch some, but that's just for some time-pass and I don't get much involved in them. That being the case, there are few movies which had captured my interest and I remember every detail of it. And i'm sure that the contents of this list is very small and the movie topping the list is Apoorva Raagangal.

Screenshot of the title - taken from the video in Youtube - Apoorva Raagangal

Directed by the veteran K.Balachander, it is also the first movie where Rajini Kanth appears (a well known fact) The others include Kamal Hassan, Srividya, Jayasudha, Major Sundararajan, Nagesh and to name a few.

The movie begins with the song Ezhu Swarangalukkul, sung in a concert by M.R.Bhairavi, also referred as M.R.B, played by Srividya. The story later unfolds itself, with Nagesh being the family doctor of M.R.B. Kamal Hassan portrays Prasanna as a perfect angry young man. Prasanna is a revolutionist and gets involved in unnecessary fights. Major Sundararajan is Mahendran, who owns a theater which stages dramas and during one funny play there, Jayasudha gets introduced as Ranjani.

Prasanna's mother had passed away long back and his relationship with his father is not in good terms, as his father doesn't support his revolutionary ideas. This makes him go away from his home and after the turn of certain events lands up at M.R.B's home. Ranjani gets introduced to Mahendran and later it is shown that she is the child born out of wedlock between M.R.B and her lover, who ran away from responsibilities before they could enter into wedlock. Ashamed of this fact, Ranjani runs away from her home and lands at Mahendran's.

Though out of context, the funny moments of Nagesh do not drag or reduce the pace of the movie. Some turns take place and the couples decide to get married in spite of the age differences. Though it may seem bizarre, the director justifies the events that take place and while watching the movie, one doesn't feel the bizarre-ness. The two couples are still unaware of what is happening at the other end and it is two tracks running all the while. K.B proves his mettle here!

Meanwhile sruthi bedham (synchronization loss) comes into the song. The past lover of M.R.B, who is also the biological father of Ranjani, Pandiyan, played by Rajini Kanth, comes in. He looks really stylish, right in his first on-screen appearance. He has had no looking back from then! The two separate tracks merge in and the movie gets heated up and it is well maintained till the climax.

People usually consider Rajini Kanth's character in this movie as a negative one. Making your lover pregnant and running away is of-course a bad man's work, though given the circumstances and the bgm played for Pandiyan, makes him appear as the one of the most pathetic character, only after M.R.B. In fact I would say that Prasanna has some grey shades to his character.

Music is an another special aspect here. M.R.B being portrayed a music artiste, it is obvious that a good deal of music must be thrown in and it is given in right doses. Adhisaya Raagam..one of the major hits from the movie is a very special composition and really a "Adhisaya Raagam"

Now some things that linger are my mind are that whether there were any protests while this movie was released, and if any other director would have taken such a subject, without an ounce of vulgarity?! It has become a trend now-a-days for groups to protest against films stating that it affects their 'culture', this or that. But given the controversial subject and that too in the year 1975, it seems to have had no issues and went to win several awards and critical acclaims.

Whether the movie is good or bad depends upon the way it is done by the director and the way he extracts the work from the actors. The choice of actors is again a plus point in this movie. Rajini Kanth hardly appears for hardly 20 mins yet his work was appreciated by many and the rest is history.

I would say this is one of the 'landmark' movie for the Tamil Movie Industry (I hate the word Kollywood). And again I want to mention the director's caliber here. K.B has done several other works which shine to-day, though Apoorva Raagangal seems the best of his, to me.

Just imagine if the movie is remade today..and if it is done by the likes of  S.J.Suryah!! OMG!! I just can't imagine the mess that would be the result!! :D Just kidding.

So keep watching good movies, also some not-so-good ones, at-least to know that we are quite intelligent than many of the other homo-sapiens present out there! :D

God Bless

Ref : Apoorva Raagangal - Wikipedia

My Love - FOOD

How can I miss out the evergreen, favorite topic of one and all (there might be some exceptions, but I can't find any exceptional person who doesn't like food)

'There is no love sincerer than the love of food' says George Bernard Shaw, in his play 'Man and Superman' (Quote Courtesy - Quotations Page). And no one can disagree to this. On this Valentine's Day eve it is only obvious that I post about my first love (and of course gonna be with me always)

Food is the basic necessity for any living thing to survive. It is for the 'daily bread' that so much of struggle goes on all over.

For the sake of this post, let me localize the topic to the food of man, instead of food of any living thing. And let me not talk about the struggle for food. Let's concentrate on the love of food, for now.

When I started typing about food, the smell from kitchen is virtually pulling me out of room. That is the power of food, which acts upon me. 

My love affair with food had actually started even before I had realized what was going on in the world, and I had successfully carried on to date. We've never had any break up-patch up dramas :D I've never and will never miss out food on any occasion, citing silly reasons And that doesn't mean that I miss out food for valid reasons. Except that I fast only on one particular day in the entire year.

This symbol is (and going to be) very much a part of my life. I'm..or rather was brought up to be..vegetarian. And I have no regrets about it. Never was I tempted to try out non-veg, knowing or unknowing. And again I wish to quote from George Bernard Shaw - 'Animals are my friends and I don't eat my friends' (Quote Courtesy - Brainy Quote) And I need not elaborate on this quote; it is simple and self explanatory.

Now coming to the varieties, many people assume that being a vegetarian leaves me with lesser choices, which is no way near the truth. I do not have any specific favorite and I just relish and enjoy every kind of food (within the limitations that I've set - being vegetarian) that I come across. South-Indian, North-Indian, Chinese, Chettinad, Tandoori, Punjabi, Continental, Mughlai, Udupi, Mysore, Kerala, etc, etc ,etc, etc are in fact the broad classification of the food varieties that I relish. If I intend to narrow down, then my lifetime wouldn't be sufficient to write down them all ;)

This one needs a special mention here. Earlier I said that I do not have any favorite food, though i'm partial to this one - Thachi Mamu - Thayir Saadam - Curd Rice or however you call it. It is the simplest of all foods, but the best of all (my partiality shows off here :D ) Squeezing the rice with chill curd with all the five fingers gives a pleasure that is unequalled in anywhere/anytime. Once the preparation is over, the yum..yum..yummy curd rice slides down the throat and that moment can't be described as you need to experience it :)

Normally when people discuss about food, many comfortably ignore or forget the other good parts of food. Yes you get it from the pic - cookies, pastries and the other bakery products. Being an all-rounder in food'ology (if such thing really exists), I give a 360 degree look in this case. Just imagine a life without these types of crunchies. How boring our class-rooms, picnics, midnight chats would have been without them?!

Now ends this post on my loved one. Sure would continue with much on the same. So keep reading, eating, loving.

Happy Valentine's Day

God Bless

Facebook #1

That I've posted about Google, i'd be doing grave injustice to my other dear friend, if I were not to post about him (plz do not mind the pronoun here) and hence this post is dedicated to Facebook.

I came to know about FB sometime in the year 2007 or so, but I (and my friends) was more interested and familiar with Orkut, the reigning social network at that time. But even them I had registered in every site that I was invited by my friends. These sites include Myspace, Facebook obviously and several others which I struggle to recollect at this moment, as I never used anyone of them, with the exception of FB.

Screenshot of my FB profile

Earlier I found FB boring to use, as it was too formal compared to Orkut. The themes and the various other colorful applications that made Orkut popular were missing here. Though there were some good apps here also, I found them not as much indulging as those in Orkut.

But then slowly FB was soon catching up, with interesting apps such as Farmville, Cityville and some more. These along with the professional look (the same look which I described as boring and formal earlier) brought in many people here. People started moving swiftly and steadily to FB and the destruction of Orkut was complete (not an apocalyptic destruction actually, though my words make it seem that way :P)

The best feature of FB was (and still) regulating the use of First and Last Name. Thanks to it that i'm able to remember even the last names (mostly the names of their dads) of the people of whom i'd be least bothered. Though I get irritated by the last names that some people would display (I do not wish to mention them here, you know what kind of)

An another thing that I love about FB is the way it keeps evolving. I do find a lot of people complaining about the changes, especially when the timeline was introduced, but I tend to differ. I had liked most of the changed that FB had made, except that it took some days to get accustomed to it. Some do post info that FB is trying to sell our details, and again i'm not bothered about it. We need to draw the line on how much information we share and our problems stop at the point where we draw the perfect line.

I'd never stop if I keep writing about FB, and that should be the case with most of us, as we have had so much of indulgence with FB. Happy Reading, Happy FBing

God Bless

Music #1

Honestly saying(typing :P) I really don't know where and how to start about music. That's because I've so much to express and so many things come to my mind on the word music.

Music can be felt in everything and anything within and around us. The heartbeat of our mother while we reside in her womb, our first cry on arriving, the lullaby sung for us, the word that we speak, the joyous cry of our mom hearing our first word, the thud while we fall down walking the first time, our cry coz of hunger, our cry coz our nappy becomes wet, the laugh when we get tickled, the shouting that we do and get, the sound of rain, the horrifying sound of thunder, water flowing from the tap, an airplane flying, the sound of waves, the sound of vehicles, a dog barking, a cat meowing, the leaves rustling, the temple bell, the priest's chant, the mooing cow, the click of mouse, the keystrokes of keyboard, the printer printing, unfolding a newspaper, turning the pages of a book, opening and closing the lunch box, switching on the switch, OMG!! the list never seems to end. I need a lifetime to describe every music in life. Maybe that's not enough as we discover new music everyday.

The dictionary defines music as some sound which is pleasing. In that case every single person would have different taste in music. The definition of music is being broad, anyone can have their own customized definition and version of music.

Already being said that my thoughts about music is vast, I intend not to write a single post about it, rather a series of posts on music, which shows my thoughts and experiences in music, various kinds.

To start with, even before I had a formal initiation in music, the lesson which I learnt was, music be it any kind, is always divine. Different forms of music is similar to different colors of similar cups kept on a table. The colors alone vary, but not the quality or beauty of it.

Music has various genres - classical, blue, rock, pop, country, acid-rock, punk, electronic, hip-hop, rap, folk, jazz, etc etc etc..

A disturbing trend which I have noticed among few is that, they learn a particular kind of music and they get a feeling that the other genres is not as good as the music that they've learnt. Certain people who have learnt Carnatic Music consider Western genres as lesser forms, and some, who have knowledge in Western genres consider Carnatic as the music for retards!!

Music, be it whatever kind, is always Divine and gives the same effect, though it cannot be refuted that, if a person has knowledge in some kind of music, he can enjoy it more than the others, as he can understand the nuances (faults too) in that piece.

Thus saying I complete this post for now by sharing a beautiful piece of Carnatic Music.

Kriti : Dolayam
Composer : Annamacharya
Raga : Khamas
Tala : Adi
Language : Sanskrit
Renderer : M.S.Subbulakshmi

God Bless

Google

Needs no mentioning of source :D

I'm pretty sure this post needs no introduction, rather this post itself is not necessary, when I talk about Google. But I thought of posting about one of my best friend and hence I carry on.

Google is serving more than a mere search engine. When I use the word 'mere', I mean that a lot more can be done in the Internet than searching for stuffs. And Google does a lot more than that.

The first purpose which it serves for me is that, it shows me whether my system is connected to the net or not. Well, the 'Network' icon on the tool bar (+ modem lights) is supposed to be used for this purpose, but i'd prefer Google.

The most commonly used functionality is of course to search for info, which is done readily and perfectly most of the times. 

My fascination for Google starts with its simple and bright homepage. The Wikipedia says that Google's founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin were not much experienced in HTML and hence they developed a simple UI for the homepage. I'd say that this UI is far better than the ones which are designed by good HTMLers.

In addition, the occasional Doodles are really awesome! The wait to see the Doodle on a festive day seems like waiting for a present. Certain Doodles come as a surprise as we might have not known any occasion  which falls on that particular day.

An image which circulates in FB displays a b/w image of the Google logo and asks us to tell its colors. Honestly, it was at that moment I realized that, though I stare at the logo everyday for several moments, several times, the colors don't stick to my mind and i'm still to by heart the colors. Anyway the consolation was many had the same problem (is it a problem anyway?)

I'd be committing a grave crime if I say that I conclude my post on Google at this juncture, and that's because there's much more that needs to be posted about Google. It's not a simple one though.

And Google - 2 comes soon in bloG de KaushiK. So keep reading and do kind.

God Bless

medi'A'ilment

Just now saw a newshour debate in NDTV 24/7 on the topic, whether the media is being used as a platform for fringe groups. One among the participant was N.Ram, the chief editor of The Hindu.

In the past recent and in the distant past too, there were several instances where many unknown groups became popular overnight by petty issues, which were overblown by the media. And I felt good that NDTV, had taken up such a topic to be discussed live.

There are so many incidents which come to our memory when we start this topic - women barred from going to pubs, Valentine's Day issues, dikats, protest against films citing reasons that some scenes 'degrade' or 'insult' their religion/community/state/blah/blah, protest against exhibitions/novels/paintings/interviews and the list never seems to end!

Now starting to analyze the reason for these kind of confusions, freedom of speech is of course guaranteed to one and all, but it comes with responsibilities and moral ethics. Just for the sake, one cannot talk or come out with any stupid work and people do have a right to protest against those. The same with the 'artistic freedom' claimed by some. Your artistic freedom does not guarantee or provide you any right to ridicule or degrade a particular person or group.

Coming to the protesting groups, i'm reminded of a story which I wish to narrate it here.

M.S.Subbulakshmi, the spring time singing bird needs no introduction here. While honoring her with the prestigious Bharat Ratna, there were some who were against it saying that she was poor in Sahityam (for those who don't have much of knowledge in Carnatic, Sahityam means lyrics) and I don't want to continue it further, as I don't intend to make a joke at this juncture :)

If you wonder in what context this story is narrated, people will criticize and ridicule us if they want to, no matter how cheap they go. The sun doesn't stop shining just because a dog barks at it.

If this becomes the attitude of the people and they being really genuine, why should they get offended at the simplest or harmless stuffs? Is it any kind of hidden guilt, hidden in their minds? 

And the media (not entirely) do get a chance to prowl upon every single issue to increase their TRP ratings (which God alone can understand with clarity) ad try to blow them out of proportions. 'Pen is mightier than the sword' proves well here, where TV+internet is today's pen.

Earlier the nib of this pen was not that strong as it was today and several issues burned down without causing any blister. But today these nibs have multiplied and with infinite source of ink, the pen is staining the social fabric.

The role of media is to be responsible and take the news as it is to the general public, rather than conducting useless surveys, debates, opinion polls et al. This kind of media can (will) do more harm than good to the nation, in general.

P.S 1 - Reg the stupid critisism on M.S - No one bothered to protest on it, as everyone were too busy listening and enjoying the mesmeric voice of her - I read this in an article in the archieves of a newpaper and I'm not aware of the genuineness of it.

P.S 2 - I forgot to include a scenario - Paid Media, on which I'd post in near future

P.S 3 - I'm waiting for the slightest provocation, to get offended and raise my voice against something and protest!! but nothing seems to cross my way!! :P :P

God Bless

Mall-function

Being bored going the same way, I decided to take a long different to reach my office today and I had to pass through the newly opened Phoenix Mall in Velachery. Though I had some plans of giving it a visit the earlier week, couldn't make it. So I was thinking (and also making plans) of visiting it. Then from no where certain thoughts hit me.

Phoenix Mall @ Velachery
Image Courtesy - The Hindu

Chennai has already got quite a few malls inc the good old Spencer Plaza, cozy Citi Center, adorable Ampa, enormous EA, Alsa, Abirami et al. And now a new mall; now the question arises, WHY?

This can have several answers. Approachability - Most of the malls are situated in the central / central-northern parts of Chennai and the people residing down need their own ones. Fine. Real Estate - These kind of centers surely do uplift the surroundings and increase the value of the land surrounding them, giving a good time to the real estate promoters and the kind. Good. Brand - The shopping malls and the brands associated with them surely do uplift the soul and image of the city. Great.

While pondering over the other side of the coin, we get certain other valid points too. Our state..we'll localize to our city, is already reeling over several issues - power deficit, traffic snarls, diversions due to the construction of the metro rail, bad roads at places, conditions of roads during the rainy days (not to mention the condition of Velachery during the rainy times :P; only a Chennaite would know that :D), the congested locality and few more that I may not be aware of.

Thus saying I leave my case here open.

I'm not against any kind of 'good' development. As and when a new mall is opened we almost abandon the older ones. Spencer is rotting due to lack of maintenance (this is attributed to the loss of patronage) and the Citi Center is awaiting a similar fate. And in future the others may be heading there as new ones pop up. The real need of the hour is to revamp the existing landmarks, put them into proper and regular maintenance and enhance their reachability, rather than opting for new ones.

P.S: While typing this post, alongway I planned my visit to the Phoenix Mall along with my friends, and my review about the mall coming soon ;)

Ref :
Malls can play a crucial role in urban development
Netizens speak

tHE lAW oF tHE gARBAGE tRUCK

Of late, there is some change within myself which I regret a lot, though I lost that feeling of regret once I started reading this book. I have not yet finished this book, while typing this post, though it has brought about a great change in my life and the way I think.

Though I was pretty normal all these days, all of a sudden some sort of changes occurred due to the arise of some strange thoughts in my mind. All of a sudden I got a thought as if I’m the last person on earth and the others have perished leaving me all alone here. I myself don’t know the exact reason for this sort of solitary feeling. Though I always loved being myself and being alone, for a few days I got this sort of thoughts. And ‘coz of this, I even stooped doing my favorite jobs – reading and writing. Rather I just sat alone and thought of some stupid stuffs.

It was then that one day I just went to the library in my neighborhood and my hands lay on this book. I thought it might be interesting and got it issued.

On reaching home, the book was laid to rest for a period of 4 days, when I just lost my memory that I had taken a book and I’ve got to read it.

Then one fine morning I opened the book to read it…

…

WHAT IF YOU COULD TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE WITH ONE DECISION?

   You can.

   I wrote this book to show you how.

…

Image Courtesy - Amazon

These were the only lines written by the author, David J.Pollay in the first page of the book and it really got me into it. By the way I forgot to mention the caption that appears on the cover page ( image above )

..How to Respond to People Who Dump on You, and How to Stop Dumping on Others…

I suppose I need not say more about the what this book might contain. The message is very much clear in the cover page and the first page. What exists in the 244 other pages is just the expansion of these lines. And I don’t consider myself, to be that intelligent and or in possession of any such trait and I began my journey through the book. I’m nearing halfway and hope I finish it by today night.

As I said earlier, just by reading the beginning half, I understood the truth of life and got a clearer view around me.

God Bless