'B' for Baarishhhh!

What is the one thing that always makes us feel alive....yet again. Whether it is the real or the reel life, our hearts, minds and every element of the body gushes up at the sound of one drop....!

There is something about rain that makes me melt at the very sight. I wonder if its the sudden rush of positivity that comes with it, the musical sound that each drop makes or just the mere sight of watching the clouds pour their hearts out! And somehow, we are able to relate so many amazingly beautiful feelings with this change in season - romance, dance, joy, life, and so many more!

On the split side, I also know how much some folks hate it for all the mess the damn rain creates! Whether it is our water-clogged roads and crappy city drainage/sewage systems or for that matter the utterly messy-muddy streets and homes that come as a return gift from the celebration ;) Cant really blame them but for rain lovers like me, there is absolutely no better respite than enjoy a breath of fresh air...err water! For some strange reason, I always look at it like a transformation of some sort; like it is an implication of the complete wash-out of all negativity from our lives while paving way for the good times.

Someone really wise once said, "And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain, there would be no rainbow." So smile through the season, dance away with the silver liquid drops, live it up with the refreshing change! :)

If Only....!

Aahh, my first blog after a long break from the blogosphere. This evening, when i logged into check my blog after like a trillion ages, i sensed a sudden rush in me as i breezed through all the things that I had written so far. And then it made me realise that i hadn’t really spoken to myself this deeply in sooooo long! Well then, here I am, back in action to start a completely new series of some very interesting and deeply opinionated thoughts, straight from my heart!

This morning, as I drove my way to work, I came to a particular signal that I have crossed about a million times in my last six months at Chennai. I waited impatiently for the green light to hit my eye. Just as I moved my fingers over the stereo knob to switch between the radio channels, I heard a faint tap on my window. I looked to my right to find a young girl of about 15-16 years of age standing in front of me and with her hand signals, it was more than obvious that she wanted money from me. She told me in tamil that she hadn’t eaten for nearly a week now and that she also wanted to take some food back home for her younger brother and sister. The woman in me did not investigate her intention or her genuine-ness but instead frantically dug out some change to offer her. She received the money with much elation and joined her hands to thank me. I was simply staring at her, not understanding what to say to her. My silence was broken by loud honking noises of cars behind me which was a signal for me to move ahead.

I am sure each one of us has experienced such a situation plenty of times in our day-to-day lives and you must have come across several such young kids that are left to make a living through such activities. While many of us would argue about the circumstances in which such kids are left to street begging to survive, I am confident that many others would also wonder about how the omnipresence of these youngsters can be reduced in today’s world. In today’s generation where industrialization has revolutionized practically everything around us, isn’t there any way we can collectively ensure that the no child or adolescent is left to wander on the streets and treated as trash. We all, as young minds of our country, have the capability to make a difference to change this scenario. If only, each of us took a resolve to better the life of one such individual, we could save the lives of so many young aspiring minds around us. Think about it!

IPL - Indian People League!

I would never call myself a cricket fanatic or the kinds who would spend sleepless nights to watch a cricket match. I have always just been sufficiently interested in the game, more so for the hunky-dory men of various teams than for the love of the game itself. But the year that saw the birth of the baap of all cricket leagues, the IPL, was the turning point in enlightening me with my true passion for the much ado cricket! I know, as an Indian, I’m supposed to be naturally in love with it, worship it, and literally live by it. And I guess it was really the IPL that managed to evoke the ‘Indian-ness’ in me.
I can barely recall what the agony, ambush and exhilaration during the previous seasons were but the IPL season 3 sure did make itself memorable for me! It was the evening of April 17th2010, when the ‘God’ (read Sachin Tendulkar) was going to brighten the Bangalore skies with his starry limelight and aura. Unlike the many maniacal people in my life who bow down to the man for their weirdly funny reasons, I hold an extremely high degree of respect and honour for his rigor and undying attitude on the pitch. Nevertheless, I was being loyal to the city that feeds me bread and butter so RCB was simply my take, obviously. I was just waiting to shout, cheer, go mad with the crowd and just have some good innocent fun.

My cousin and I sped in our flashy red i10, with more than enough time for the match to start, but just to dwell in the merriment, keep our spirits high and not miss a single moment of our much awaited evening out. I still remember we were waiting in the painstaking city traffic when we heard a big boom near the gate right in front of us. Yes, as expected, people ran haywire, some in panic and others in horror, before our diligent city cops rushed in for timely action and rescue. I was in the car, my terrified eyes glued to the window and my half reddish nose patched against it, and then it struck me that, wow, I had just witnessed a live blast! I’m probably making this sound like some cheesy joke but what I experienced that moment was nothing close to one. It was plain hard truth, a live tragedy happening in front of my eyes. It’s quite funny how our perception over things changes in matter of seconds. I remember watching such attacks and blasts on news channels being covered with all the recent updates of what’s in and what’s out and wondering what it must be like to really be there at one of those spots. And voila…here I was facing this live, and not through an idiot box!

It’s shocking to see what ‘Cricket’ actually does to us Indians (on a happy note!). The minute I entered the stadium and grabbed my seat, I knew right there that the 40,000 something Indians packed inside the M. Chinnaswamy stadium didn’t really care much about the tragedy/mishap that they saw outside. It was clear, they were here to shout, cheer and have fun, just like me! This is something I LOVE about us Indians. Nothing in this big bad world deters us from our most passionate things, even a bomb blast! The game between RCB and MI started with delay but still grabbed as much attention as expected. Amidst all the beautiful red and blue flags swaying end-to-end, there was noise (the kinds that don’t annoy you), some boo-ing, and lots of loud shrill whistling that kept the players on the field going strong.

And then by some magical stroke of luck, I met Mr. Sunil Gavaskar! Thinking back now, I feel so thankful for just being there at the stadium that evening amidst all the crappy things happening around. The short rendezvous with the man himself was quite an event for me besides sharing camera space with him. My excitement knew no bounds and it was super evident on my facials as well. I showed every trace of happiness that my body could handle and it didn’t matter if the man in front of me thought I was absolutely spastic! I knew this was my moment and I was all out to bask in it. The match closed in favour of MI, who displayed utmost brilliance on the field. My evening was a delight any which way, for all the crazy incidents that the real God threw at me!

The Perfect Life Partner!

No, this blog is not going to discuss about that paisa vasool Govinda-starrer laughter riot, but yes it attempts to be a more non-filmi take on the much used phrase. Offlate, I have noticed a good chunk of my near and dear ones getting married, mostly the arranged kinds where the girl’s family goes through the rubbish rigmarole of those lucrative matrimonial websites that boast of finding you the perfect life partner! Excuse my parlance but I seriously do not understand how a mere flashy decorative website could find you the man/woman of your dreams. No offense to those that have found their better halves this way, but my understanding of the institution of marriage stops me from accepting this just like that. I personally have nothing against these matrimonial sites and webpages but I simply fail to understand how families and particularly youngsters like me believe that something like this could get them what they want. In the recent past, when I found some of my own friends go through this process, most of them didn’t even know what they were looking for before they registered themselves onto one of those columns. And while filling up their profiles to be put up for the rest of the ‘bachelor’ janta, they did it like they were updating their facebook or orkut profile! They wanted to make it look all fancy and hep with their best looking pictures on display in the hope of catching some equally smart and good-looking bakra to tie the knot with.

If matrimony is just about finding guys/girls who match all the pre-requisites for an official marital status, then what about the ‘getting to know each other’ and the ‘matching of mental wavelengths’ bits. Ok, I may be sounding too critical about this. Yes, quite often, people scouting the matrimonial columns do get that golden chance to meet with their prospective halves to get to know each other better, but that’s merely a meeting or two which is equivalent to an evening coffee or an early morning stroll with a friend. Without sounding judgmental, that leaves hardly any space for the couple-to-be to know what the other is really made of! It’s obvious, as humans we always tend to put on our best face when we meet someone for the first time – more to do with creating that great first impression! In such circumstance, how does one really figure the true nature of a person?

We often associate the words ‘chemistry’ and ‘compatibility’ with couples. I think in practically every generation the stability of any couple is primarily determined by their so-called compatibility levels despite the societal (relatives, neighbors and the likes) emphasis on how well they look together or how conveniently can one support the other (financially I mean!). Well, there is sometimes a lot of pressure from parents and extended family on this front but I just wish people (ignore the generalization....again) today realized that this is not a matter of a few days/weeks/months but an entire lifetime and hence choose their partners after much consideration and thought.

Friendship means...

I think it was the 5th year of my existence when I had my first encounter with the much talked about word ‘friendship’. Mom took me out for one of those usual evening escapades to a nearby park for kids of my age. I was always fascinated with those colourful swings and the very thought of sitting on them lifted my spirits high. So it was another of those days when I went to this little play area to soak in the merriment. As usual, the park was modestly crowded so I patiently stood next to a rose coloured swing awaiting my turn. The next minute I found a girl standing towards my right in front of the same swing, probably in queue for a ride. When the swing fell free, I ran to grab the seat and occupy it. Just as I was about to place myself in it, I looked behind and found the little girl crying. The mini waterfall evoked a strange feeling in me. I didn’t know her and she definitely had no role in my life. But to my surprise I walked up to her, grabbed her wrist and made her sit on the swing. My brief act of kindness stopped her tears and brought a beautiful smile on her face. Wiping her pretty face, she held her tiny square-shaped palm towards me and said ‘Friends?’ to which I nestled my palm into hers and shook it vibrantly. From that moment, we were friends and I found a wonderful companion in her. She formed a beautiful part of my early childhood days and gave me my first definition of friendship.

After that episode, making friends became a regular activity for me like eating, sleeping or watching TV. It was simple, easy and very satisfying. It was like waking up every morning to find one more person to add to my kitty of friends. While most of my teens and adolescent years saw me through this behavioral pattern, it was only in the early 20s that I realized what friendship truly signifies. Friends for me have always been people who have cared to spare a precious moment of their time to cooperate and support me to do something significantly worthwhile. But it was to my disappointment that I found my theory of friendship change dramatically over time, sometimes leaving me positively alarmed but mostly with a deep regret and morose.

There was a period when being friends with someone meant sharing the intricate details of one’s personal and professional life with another and finding that special someone to safeguard each other’s deep dark secrets. It was about trust, faith and honesty. It was about accepting the other person with all his/her flaws and inhibitions. It was about going the extra mile to preserve the thin line of truthfulness between two individuals. It was about being oneself with the other without any pretence or fake camouflage.

I think it was sometime during my early days of college when realization dawned upon me. All’s not well in the friendship paradise after all. People and times never stay permanently with you. They change, sometimes for the better and at other times for the worse. Priorities multiply and in turn triple the insecurities. As humans, we absolutely hate to see people especially friends change and drift away. We refuse to acknowledge that our friends like us are humans too – demanding, complex and yes, selfish. Today, the whole making and breaking of friendships sounds utterly commonplace. This vicious cycle has turned into a regular exercise or activity for people who treat it like another fashion fad or ‘cool’ thing to practice. And not just friendships, over the last couple of years, relationships in general have been transformed into nothing but myriad give-and-take exchanges. The more you invest in a relationship, the more they assert you gain out of the same. But obviously if you choose to let your ego take the better of you, then you lose not just your partner but also the relationship. And while people today are struggling hard enough to maintain a healthy balance in their day-to-day relationships and encounters, there are other things that seem much harder than just the sacrifices and compromises they make.

As a keen observer, I have often seen my couple friends face difficulties with regards to each other’s friends. I mean every single friend is invariably put through the couple compatibility test, which in most cases is mandatory in order to move closely with the couple in question. More often than not, single friends also end up ignoring the couple either because they find them too involved within themselves or too boring to handle. Obviously life becomes much simpler if the couple has a common set of friends who are connected with them both physically and emotionally. However, the real problem arises when the couple has a different set of friends each and the other is simply expected to get along with his/her spouse’s gang. An extension to this complexity is the fact that sometimes it also becomes harder for the male spouse to gel comfortably well with his wife’s male friends and vice versa.

They say when you marry a man/woman, you not only marry the person but his/her entire family. But today, this cliché’ is slightly altered with the ‘you also marry his/her friends’ clause as a necessary add-on. Whether it is that weird-drunk-looking friend who just cannot give up his strange behavior at parties after a couple of tequila shots or the irritating super nosey eavesdropping maniac who lives by her gossiping skills and desperate poking into personal matters, couples are often under pressure to like their spouse’s friends and of course treat them well.

I think ultimately it’s all like a mind maze, the more you get in and try figuring your way out, the more it spirals you into complexity!

Chennai: Take it OR Leave it!

I recently had a mini trip to Chennai on the pretext of a cousin's wedding. Well, the hidden meaning of course was a loud, extravagant reunion of sorts among relatives, family friends and others! Personally, I am an ardent lover of South Indian weddings. I mean I thoroughly enjoy the bling, the glamour and all the gossip behind the screens. However, attending this function was a big concern to me considering my existing "Chennai is yuck" kind of an attitude and "Geee....I'm never going to Chennai" mindset.

Nevertheless, I did make it in one piece to the city and to the function. But as I spend those two days in that frying hell, I couldn't help but notice every little thing that's a part and parcel of Chennai. Starting from the railway station, to the taxi/auto drivers; they are real specimens to observe! Trust me. I still remember rambling myself out of the super crowded Chennai Central station and suddenly found myself surrounded by atleast a million drivers waiting to take me on. "Amma enge ponum?", "Amma taxi venuma?"...when my grey cells managed to understand all these one-liners simultaneously at light speed, I looked up and said with a smirk, "Vandam". However, the minute i asked them directions to the car park, they all fleeted away in a jiffy as though I was a ghost waiting to pig out at them.

And even weirder are the people (only those that I encountered during my stay so ignore the generalization). I mean they take their own sweet little time to scan you upfront when you are introduced. I understand it as a mere expression of "Oh, look at her/him! Where has she/he come from?". Before I start sounding like an absolute complaint box, I have met blokes of this nature everywhere but what sets the Chennaites apart is the funny way they do this act!

Despite the pot boiling heat, the meter-less auto rides, the trying to shoo away cows and buffalos from the middle of the road, the unbeatable and over-filling kalyanam saapadu, the lavish glittery silk sarees and the conveniently uptight veshtis, the not so clean yet loved beaches, the endless idlis, dosas and upmas, Chennai is a unique place after all. I mean for a nothernized Tamil brahmin like me, it turned out to be a pleasant (seriously) surprise and a refreshing outing from the usual metro fun and frolic. At the offset, all those (including me) who often under-estimate this city for obvious reasons, could well be charmed by the warmth and "being loved" feeling that one gets here.

What Women Want?

Finally i got myself to start blogging and as my first blog, I'd like to share the tiny piece of writing that won me some good appreciation and kudos on the recent Women's day!

Read with a pinch of salt!


Oscar Wilde once quoted: “Women are meant to be loved, not to be understood”.

When I first read the flyer from the TED team on this pretext, my eye balls froze on the three golden words: WHAT WOMEN WANT! I call them golden for the mysterious aura they create when pondered over, just as the way women truly are. Mysterious. Well, as a young woman myself, I can hardly deny the fact that we Venusians personify the word.

It took me a while and I hemmed and hawed before accepting that yes, women are complex souls but definitely not confused. We want to be loved, BUT not to the extent that emulates a melodramatic Yash Chopra re-production; We want to be protected, BUT don’t really expect our better halves to do a superman plunge; We want to be buried in gifts, BUT only the kinds that we love to endorse. While women, more often than not, know what they really want out of every miniscule circumstance they are in, they are seldom open about their thoughts. Hence, the complexity.

Time and again people have debated over why women are this way and that. While women love to bask in the glory of their acclaimed prowess, they bravely acknowledge and accept the ‘too complex’, ‘hard to interpret’ and ‘not understandable’ accusations from men. With deliberate efforts in penning down some unbiased thoughts, I personally see this as a “Self Viewpoint” disorder among both men and women. I have often noticed both the sexes deriving and interpreting situations through personal outlook and perspective with convenient neglection of the other person’s point of view. The direct consequence of such encounters is nothing but assertions on both the sections of being crazy and difficult. If men argue that women are complicated, I counter-argue that men are impossible! If women cannot be understood then they should definitely not be mis-understood.

With long proven theories and endless validation of stories, one thing is certain. Men and women want and expect different things from different scenarios. They are wired differently and simply adhere to their natural behavior of counter-arguing to prove their point. While both know what they really want, they clearly do not realize what the other wants! This verbatim clash of the sexes has flourished over several centuries and the “You are complicated” battle has managed to survive through the tides of time. As an after-thought, its high time people (men+women) rose above such petty mis-quotes and looked together towards a broader horizon of possibilities and encounters.