The Best ever Drive

My Dad is very special to me. Today I reminisce all the selfless sacrifices he has done for me. He doesn’t drive a car, Motorcycle or even a bicycle. To put it this way, he never attempted to learn driving.

All he knew was work and me. He considered me to be his world. I recall the days when he used to carry me on his shoulders to my school which was 5 kilometers away from my house. I have always asked him to get a vehicle for himself but he refused. Not that he couldn’t afford it but for reasons unknown he never owned one.

After lot of persuasion, in the summer of 96, he got me a bicycle. No longer, I required the services of my Herculean father because Hercules MTB was there to serve me. I considered it to be the ferrari’s of the world and used to zoom across streets giving tough time to the street walkers.

One fine day, I fell down from the cycle and went home weeping. I explained whatever happened to my mother. She applied Pain balm and put me to sleep. At 1 A.M., I felt an enormous pain when someone touched my hand. It was my Father. He enquired about what happened and knowing the seriousness of the injury he didn’t wait for the dawn. He put me on his arms and marched towards the hospital which was 8 kms away for treating my fractured arm. During my stay in the hospital too, dad used to shuttle between house and hospital getting me good food. He never let my mother do those stuffs. My mom at times used to shout at my dad for being over sensitive towards me.

Even today he makes sure I’m not put into any botheration for getting his work done. I don’t know if I can refer his behaviour to be egoistic but I simply love him for what he is.

For past 25 years those legs have been working round-the-clock for me.

Today I intend to make his travel easier with this car which I have bought for him.

As I drove the car I could see smile on my dad’s face. I can make out what it means. He felt happy that I lived up to his expectations.

I will continue to do so in future too.. Love you Dad:)

Beautiful things in Life:)

If I say I wish to play hide & seek, sleep in my mother’s lap, you would feel that I am being kiddish. But for a second, give it a thought. Those were the beautiful moments we enjoyed in our life when we were ourselves. Today, our life has become very monotonous & mundane, that we don’t have time to spend with our family, friends & loved ones. So I thought to pen down few things which I consider to be beautiful in life that I am missing so much.

To me,

1. Joint Family was beautiful,
2. Playing with my dad was beautiful,
3. Dad’s food is beautiful,
4. Mom feeding me was beautiful,
5. Midnight tea was beautiful,
6. Beaches were beautiful,
7. Bird Sighting was beautiful,
8. Long chat over the phone was beautiful,
9. Speaking to the loved one was beautiful,
10. Long walk with her was beautiful,
11. College tour was beautiful,
12. College bunking was beautiful,
13. Commuting through train was beautiful,
14. Night stay was beautiful,
15. Getting drenched in rain was beautiful,
16. Snooker was beautiful and
17. Birthday dinners were beautiful,

I reminisce all these moments which had been an integral part of my life and take this opportunity to thank everyone who were part of these wonderful moments. I know those days will never come back but those memories will always be etched to my heart.

56 Tonnes in 7 days!!!

Newsprints are never tired to fill the columns with articles on Financial Crisis, recovery signals, Inflation etc.. Amidst all these reports one distinct report caught my eyes. It’s about the yellow metal. Yes! You guessed it right.

According to reports, India has consumed 52 tonnes of Gold in 7 days i.e. from October 11th to October 18th 2009. The total worth of this is somewhere around Rs.8706/- crores.

Now tell me. Where is Recession or Slowdown? :)

Not a "Nobel" Act

As millions of Americans look up to their President for saving the Country from the biggest financial crisis, Barack Obama will boast upon his outstanding contribution to International Diplomacy & Peace Keeping that has helped him to secure the 2009 Nobel Prize for Peace, another Feather in his Cap. Oops! Did I say that? What’s startling is that he has been nominated for the Nobel Prize in less than 2 weeks of taking charge of office & before the February 1st nomination deadline. Conversely it looks like the Nostradamus syndrome has been worked out foreseeing him to excel in bi-lateral talks, peace keeping measures & reaching out to the world to curb Nuclear Proliferation. All this comes at a time when US spends nearly $ 1 Billion every year on its soldiers fighting in the borders of Afghanistan. As US cries on nuclear proliferation it is to be noted that it spends more than $2,600,000,000 for ballistic missile defense system and total spending of $35,100,000,000 on all US nuclear weapons and weapon related programs. Amount quoted was spent until 1998. I leave it to you to judge the total money spent on nuclear program as on date. His propaganda for peace hasn’t taken shape and lot of concrete work is still left. Considering all this it is really funny to know that he has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He surely deserves an award but it is too premature to award the President with a Nobel Prize.

Purpose of Life

I came across an article “Purpose of Life” in a news column and decided to explore it on my perspective.

What is Life? This is one question which would baffle everyone. It may mean different things to different people.
Every time someone’s born, there is a meaning to their existence on this earth but seldom do they realize it. To me there are three types of people,

1. People who take life as it comes. These people are so called fun loving person who enjoy life to the fullest. They are around us and in large numbers too.

2. There are few others who challenge life and stream their destiny towards what they want. They fight the odds in their life and add meaning to others life by setting an example, being a source of inspiration to this world. Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, Lance Armstrong are few names I could think off.

3. Finally the most important category of people are those who try to understand the basic reason for their existence. They manage this by trying to understand themselves and speaking to their consciences. These people are very special and are hard to find. Acts of Discovering themselves, Meditation, forgoing worldly pleasures are some of the characteristics I could associate with them.

To my limited knowledge I could associate only one living person to this stage. He is none other than Resident hero of Tamil Nadu RAJNIKANTH. God has showered upon him abundant Wealth, Fame, Love, Respect & Power yet he is searching for his trueself. I don’t think it’s a Sanyasa stage but it is characterized by the search for inner peace.

It is difficult to practice this stage but surely achievable. Individuals of type 1 & 2 are controlled by their life whereas type 3 people have the ability to control their life. This is a special characteristic that sets them apart.

I Feel if anyone reaches that stage then the purpose of their existence is Justified. What do you say?

He Deserved a Better Life!

As I was rambling across Hyderabad bazaar, I bumped into this child named Dharsan. He was busy selling flags and other accessories related to Independence Day. As India gets ready to celebrate 63rd Independence day, Dharsan is one among millions of children who are deprived on their right to education. He was hard selling the flags to me but I was just thinking about the extreme conditions we live in. As the debate on brain drain is never ending, India is wasting many intellectual brains like Dharsan. Finally I offered Rs 10/- to Dharsan and told him I didn’t require the flag. He bowled me over with his response, “In that case I don’t want your money sir” told Darshan. With my jaws down I picked up couple of flags from him and started to move on thinking “HE DERSERVED A BETTER LIFE”.

Think before the ink

With 15th lok sabha elections round the corner in Tamil Nadu I would like to share my thoughts with you all.

Tamil Nadu created history in the last election by voting to DMK led UPA and made them victorious by sweeping all 39 constituencies. Golden projects like free television sets, 1 kg rice for 1 Rupee, free gas stove came into existence for the past 3 years. Unfortunately these schemes have made people of Tamil Nadu lazy as never before. According to Maslow’s theory of hierarchy, man strives; sweat it out for his basic needs of food, clothes and shelter. My point is if a government satisfies his needs for free is there a need for him to work hard? I certainly believe No. A saying which fits perfect to this situation is termed in tamil as “Moolai illathavanai Muttal aakara kathai ithu”. Do you guys have any idea of what’s the next freebie from the Government. Check out the picture below.

As you laugh think about it. Everyone talks about free television, gas stove, land etc.. but seldom they talk about creating jobs. I adore ADMK supremo for her courage, conviction she has to stand by her words. Veeraanam is an example of it. If not for her, we would be longing everyday for the metro water lorry to drop by our home. Law & order was far better in her times. I’m not trying to be pro-jayalaitha too. It’s just the comparison of two sides of the weighing machine.

Every one of us are partly responsible for what Tamil Nadu is today. So when you cast your vote on May 13th be sensible and vote for the person who would do good and misuse his power to the least degree. Afterall everyone are part of the dirtywater called Politics.

For people who wants a change, vote for Mr.E.Sarath Babu, an example of rag to riches story, IIM-A lad contesting in South Chennai constituency. For more info about him visit http://sarathbabu.co.in/in/

For cynics I would like to clarify that he may not win but a few thousand votes will make good for two reasons. One, existing politicians will get to learn that no longer you can fool around with people (atleast I believe they will). Second, it will send a strong signal across youth population who desperately want a change but doesn’t know how to go about it. It would encourage them to play a larger role in politics which will inturn foster the growth of India.

Do not waste your vote. Remember one thing, if there is a 90% voting in a particular constituency then there will be a phenomenol change in the result.

Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be a change you want to see”. Im trying to be a part of it by triggering your thought process.

Bengaluru Trip

Its been a long time since I had been out of town. I desperately needed this break and Rajiv's marriage was a blessing in disguise. As I was reaching my destination the cold winds passed shivers in my body just to say "Welcome to Bengaluru! :)". Hotel Brindavan was a great place to stay. Their hospitality gave me a home- away home feeling. I enquired the route for few destinations and proceeded to meet my friends. As I said Rajmahal Vilas to the Auto Driver, he immediately acknowledged and turned the meter ON (unlike chennai autowalas who have it for ritual purposes:) ). Well laid wide roads, Green wherever you turn, disciplined driving and a smooth traffic is what I experienced in the Silicon Valley of India otherwise known for its so called bad infrastructure. Probably business day stress was not on the roads I guess. I had a sense that the auto driver was not seasoned with the area but somehow took me to the right place. I had an altercation with him on the meter charge since I doubted that he would have taken the longest route. Guess what would have been his reply? He politely said, "Sir, I shall stop near the sergeant. You can enquire him if you have doubts on me." I was dumbstuck with his innocent reply. He returned me the change not withholding even 50 paise. I was impressed with him. Truly for him "Customer is king". Brigade road was happening as ever and hasn't lost its charm. CCD, Barista & Pizza corner have filled their presence throughout MG Road & Brigade Road. Perfect place to do window shopping and spend time without spending money;). Meeting Priya's mom was special and her "CARROT HALWA" was amazing. This trip would not be complete if I hadn't met this revered person Rashmi, My Close Friend. Overall if you ask me if I would love to live in Bengaluru, my answer would be a big No..No.. because of some nagging incidents that happened as I passed the streets of bengaluru which made me feel that bengaluru was not a safe or rather great place to live in. Thanks to the migrated population and the blend of various cultures thats has agitated the Youth's mind.

Happiness

Is it winning a lottery? (or) Closing a Multi - Crore business deal? (or) Accomplishing the dream house, Expensive Car and servant maids who would act upon our wish?

What is happiness?.. I questioned myself.

I am sure most of us like kids. There may be various reasons why we all like kids of which most common would be its cuteness. It is not only because it is cute but the smile which a child adorns symbolizes the happiness within the child which has a great power to melt anyone’s heart. This happiness within the child attracts every one of us. But as the child transcends through various stages of life like Child, Adolescent, Adult this smile for some reason or the other is not the same. What I mean is that the definition of happiness becomes more materialistic as we grow. We feel we are not the controller of Happiness but it is derived or defined by possession of Money, Materials, Muscle Power etc.. Of course Money, Material & Muscle Power may give us happiness but it is never sustainable because once you achieve something we are no longer happy with the same. We tend to look for something else and then else and then else.. Finally we are left with everything we desired but for happiness. This may look exaggerated but this is a fact of life.

Let me explain the same with an anecdote.

Once there was a king who was jealous of his servant maid, for simple reason being he was always happy. Every time the servant maid passed by the king was nonplussed thinking to himself “I have abundant wealth and I control this entire kingdom but I am not happy compared to what the servant maid is” The king called the servant maid and asked him how he manages to be so happy when he himself with all his wealth was not feeling contended in life. The humble servant maid replied to the king “Your Excellency! I come from a poor family and my requirements to run the life are minimum. I am able to meet this with the salary you give. My wife is responsible enough to run our family with my salary and my sons do not spend unnecessarily. Hence I am happy.”

The King not convinced with his answer called for a meeting with his ministers. He asked the same question. After hearing to the King, one of the Minister said “Your Excellency! I am not sure how he is happy. But if you desire I can make him feel disappointed in life”. The king gave a thought and said “Go Ahead”. In a week’s time a bag dropped from the roof of servant maid’s hut. He opened the bag and was surprised to see the bag full of gold coins. He started counting one by one. Soon he found out the bag contained 99 Gold coins. He was searching for one more coin to make it One hundred. He went around the hut, on top of the roof, scanned the floor but couldn’t find one. He wanted to make the total count 100 Gold Coins. So he decided to save money to buy one more gold coin. In doing so he became very stingy, he didn’t like his wife spending even to meet the daily requirements, he was angry with his children too for spending money. He felt everyone in his family were irresponsible. And consequently happiness never turned back in his life.

The essence of this story is that for a moment if the servant had thought of living with those 99 Gold coins he and his family would have been happier. But like many of us, he went on to search for something without appreciating what he had for the present and in turn lost his happiness.

Happiness is not having what we want. It is wanting what we have. Happiness is within us. We are the controller of happiness. We are the co-creator of happiness.

You don’t have to do anything extraordinary to be happy. We need to follow simple rules of life like,

- Free your heart from hate.
- Free your mind from worry.
- Live Simple.
- Give More.
- Expect Less and see happiness engrossed throughout your life.

To conclude, People are to be loved and things are to be used but my dear friends there is so much confusion in this world that things are being loved and people are being used. It is a small curve that straightens many things in life. It is within us. We seldom use it. Smile:). Smile from your heart and be happy. Make everyone happy.:)

Jai Ho Rahman!

When Rahman composed for “Roja” in 1992 no one would have thought this lad would create so much waves among Music Fraternity. After the success of “Roja” there was no looking back. Truly Rahman’s music has not only transcended regionally or nationally but also internationally. Slumdog Millionaire is one such example of it. From a humble start from his backyard to setting up One of India’s best recording studio & Music teaching School his contribution to music has been phenomenal. I often wonder what makes his music very special?. I guess it should be the sheer diversity in sound tracks he comes up with in every film. Seeing him winning two Oscars, I feel as though I have won it for myself. So much connection he makes with his fans.:)

Slumdog Millionaire is not the best of his work. If he wins 2 Oscars for this itself, I think the Academy jury should take a look at his best works like Roja, Uyire, Bombay etc. I guess everyone would agree with me on this point.

What bowls me over about Rahman is that even after reaching the pinnacle of success his humility is simply amazing.

Hope to see the Mozart of Madras in Madame Tussauds:)

Whatever it may be born in a country where this lad was born or to be more precise being in a city where he lives I feel really proud…

Aella Pugazhum Iraivannukae!!!

Get-Together

As my watch tickled 7 P.M. I left my home to attend the marriage reception of my School Friend. Initially I thought of saying him a Hi! and depart from the place immediately. But thinks turned out to be otherwise.

I reached the reception hall only to feel alien. But soon couple of our friends came in and we engaged in casual talk. Slowly numbers increased and suddenly I felt as though I was in my class. Sooner the marriage hall turned out to be a Get-together party. Most of our conversations were hovering about how different people were from what they were in School. They have transformed unimaginably. Few were grown in size, couple of fatso looked as though they underwent liposuction. ;) The group had people from all walks of life like Entrepreneurs, Veterinarian, Software professionals, Bank Employees, Celebrities, Housewives etc..

It was great pleasure to meet friends who left school midway, people with whom I confide with, people with whom I had silly fights, who helped me in exams & puppy loved ones. It was all nostalgic. We revived our contact information’s and parted with a smile:)

After all a Smile costs nothing but enriches both the Giver & Receiver.

(Mobile Reminder Beeps)

Ouch! Have an alumni meet tomorrow. Have to start early. Good Night!