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Anna Hazare - Black, White, and shades of Grey

2011-08-27T19:33:00.002+05:30

The recent events over the past few weeks have given rise to quite many questions.
Make no mistake, the questions raised by Anna are very valid, however bad/good his path may be. Haven't our very own holy scriptures and everything else mentioned this -- The path that you take may be through sludge, but you must reach Ayodha ? When our very own members of parliament quote vedas and such, I see nothing wrong in quoting it here.

Here is some food for thought for Anna's detractors. Time and again, the most common statement that is being brandished out without any thought is this -- India is a democracy and it is supreme. Now here are a few questions to those people.

1) Let us assume that in a constituency, a candidate A, out of 100 votes, polls 40. All the remaining candidates poll 60. Obviously enough, A is declared as the winner, oblivious to the fact that 60 candidates did not want him to be their representative. Now, candidate A is the choice of the majority and nothing else. In what way is this different from a group of people demanding something ? If they form a majority voice, why can't they get something done ? And yet, the off repeated statement is that the parliament cannot listen to the voice of a bunch of people who claim they have majority.

2) Gone are the days when a single party had the complete majority. We now have a bunch of people, whose parties would have fought against each other in a few constituencies, coming together post elections to form a government, out of nothing but pure greed. Now, consider this situation -- a convicted felon can contest an election, and win it sitting in the jail. Haven't we forgot Shorabuddin ? In the current state of affairs, assuming that a party needs one seat to form a government, there is nothing to stop this convicted felon from supporting that party and even becoming the prime minister ! Is this democracy ? Isn't this a farce ? Why should the prime minster be above law in this case ?

3) A bunch of statements are being thrown around that Anna is blackmailing the elected representatives. Haven't we forgot the times when the parliament was being blackmailed by someone who was not even elected to the parliament ? Have we forgotten Karunanidhi and his blackmailing methods to get the posts that he wanted ? Have we forgotten Jayalalitha who did the same and forced second elections upon us ?

4) Another off repeated statement is that justice will prevail and most corrupt folks are in jail. Agreed they are in jail, but what happened to the money they looted ? Why should the oppressed and suppressed tax payers of this country bear that burden ?

5) It took a Lokayutka to expose the mining lobby and the scam it perpetrated. However, the lack of sufficient teeth to it resulted in Yeddiyurappa appointing his crony into the Chief minister's post. Is that democracy ?

This country has hundreds of honest and hard working bureaucrats. It would need strong laws and a fear of punishment, for them to continue being honest and hard working.

There are times when poison must be administered as an antidote for poison. This is one of those times.

There may be hundreds of folks out there who are against Anna Hazare. But there is no denying the fact that the questions that he has posed are very real and need to be addressed immediately.

As long as we continue to think that the parliament is supreme, or our version of democracy is the best, the lack of powerful laws will ensure that the efforts of hundreds of people to uphold their duties will go down the drain.

The Indian public has let go of a golden opportunity to do something good for itself, by raising dissenting voices against this opportune moment.

But then again, haven't we known all along that the real enemy for us Indians, is our own brethren ?

Shyam

R.I.P

2011-04-25T13:37:00.002+05:30

Sai Baba, who even if his devotees claim to be a re-incarnation, would justifiably be called so, simply on the strength of his various philanthropic schemes.

Shyam

David vs Goliath

2011-03-07T13:41:00.002+05:30

The recent victory by Ireland cricket team over England during the 2011 world cup does result in some introspection.

Firstly, the ICC, and some captains have gone on record that the number of teams competing the world cup must be restricted. I am of the opinion that it should not be the case, and world cup provides the perfect platform and motivation for a large number of countries, where cricket is not a mainstream sport. The achievements in the world cup would only help in a larger set of people taking up the sport, thereby helping the minnows become better.

In a throwback to a few world cup tournaments prior to this one, if India and Sri Lanka were not allowed to participate, we would not have them in the current state that they are today.

It is a different matter that Cricket prospered in India only because the moronic politicians were unable to interfere in the matters of selection, but that is a discussion for a different day.

Shyam

Alli Thanda Bhoomi

2011-02-21T10:23:00.003+05:30

While there are many a songs being listed out as a tribute to Malaysia Vasudevan, my personal favorite is this

Notice the way he uses his own breath to give an extra effect into the song. IMHO, after SPB, he infused life into Illayaraja's songs.

Shyam

Opening up the weekend

2011-02-04T09:52:00.002+05:30

Paying tribute to SPB's recent award, here are some melodies I heard on the radio the other day.

1. Just close your eyes and check out the drums, the rhythms, the percussion, and yes, that golden voice of SPB. Oh yes, you need to close your eyes to avoid seeing Baghyaraj's ugly dance moves.

2. Just check out the way Illayaraja opens this song. That graceful violins, those hums, foot-tapping drums, and yes, SPB !!

Shyam

Kai veesum Thamarai

2011-01-24T17:05:00.003+05:30

One of those days when I came home early from work and decided to have a small walk around the streets of my house, with the radio plugged into my ears.

The station played this song. I was then taken back to my returning-from-school times, when I distinctly remember this song playing out on the radio. Bliss. Illayaraja is thy name. Check out the way he opens the song, and yes, SPB's sweet voice that caresses the words & our senses.

As a bonus, here is another amazing song that is frequently played on Television. Oh yes, check out that violin interlude at the beginning of the song.

Kaavalan Review - The one in which Illaya-thalapathy roars back to life

2011-01-18T14:11:00.002+05:30

Finally ! Illaya-thalapathy Vijay comes back alive. I guess someone did some hard talk with him. All that preachy nonsense, highfalutin approach, un-necessary interference into director's realm, tampering with the story-line, e.t.c., had just one outcome -- a string of flops and thousands of internet memes and jokes.

With Kaavalan, he returns back to doing what he needs to do -- follow orders.

Kaavalan, essentially a remake from a Malayalam movie (I hear that while the base storyline is the same, there have been numerous additions/deletions), is simple and clean storytelling.

Vijay is someone who does not do anything worthwhile with his life. Fed up with this, his parents pack him off to a reformed rowdy, Rajkiran, who was instrumental in helping his mother sail through her childbirth, to serve has his bodyguard.

Rajkiran, decides that he does not have any enemies, and fearing for his daughter Asin's life, packs Vijay off as a bodyguard for his daughter when she goes off to the city for her education.

Asin decides to play a prank on Vijay to make him let-go of his bodyguard costumes, and in general, adopt a take-it-easy attitude. She calls him up and poses as his college mate, who is madly in love with him.

What happens in the end ? Does Asin pair up with Vijay ? How does Vijay vanquish the threat to Asin's life ? All these questions are revealed and much more in simple, and straight forward narration. Watch out for the rather predictable twist in the climax scenes.

Vadivelu is Vijay's side-kick. He provides some outstanding laughs. Notable among those are the "Parvathi Nambiar" joke sequence, and the barging-into-ladies-hostel sequence. As always, his facial expressions and voice modulations are out of the world.

Vijay throws out all the mannerisms and hand-swishing that we have seen in his past few movies, and tries really hard to convey the emotions through his eyes and facial expressions. I must say that he passes muster.

Asin does what is required of her, and so does the actress who appears as her friend.

Background score and songs are by Vidhyasagar. The "step-up" song has some decent rhythm and some nice moves by Vijay.

A must watch, if only to get some relief that Vijay has finally broken free from that dangerous mold that he was getting into.

Welcome back Illaya-Thalapathy Vijay. We did miss you for almost four years, where you thought that just by spewing dialogues loaded with political overtones, and trying to portray an image that you were the all saving messiah, you could be the next super-star. It takes quite a few decent movies and hits like these to get there.

Shyam

Enna Sattham (What's that sound ??)

2010-11-23T09:40:00.002+05:30

It is around 5.00 AM. No light anywhere on the road except for the light from the full moon. It has just stopped raining and the roads are still wet. No traffic on the road. Not a soul. No other noise, except for the sound of your feet pattering away, running, and your breath.

A gentle drizzle starts. Neither too heavy as to obstruct your running, nor too light. Just enough to wash away that sweat that has formed on your brow.

And then, as if on cue, the radio plays this song. What else does one need in life ?

Bliss.

Shyam

Bangalore Ultra Marathon 2010

2010-11-19T10:51:00.005+05:30

And so I am an ultra-marathoner too. It is rather disappointing that I could not finish within the time I had set myself for (I took around an hour or so extra, primarily due to extreme heat and deficient practice). However, there is always the next year.

The target was to finish the run, as my previous attempt in 2008 had to be aborted. The last 12.5 km took an eternity with agonizing stomach cramps and extreme dehydration. I later found that in spite of eating bananas and oranges at regular intervals, somehow my body got drained of salts. I got sugar and salt from a local tea shop, mixed it in water and gulped them down to drag myself to the finish line. But, the aim was clear. Crawl I will, if I had to, but I was not coming back home without the finisher's medal.

First 12.5km took 80 mins, next 12.5km took around 110 minutes, primarily because I was goading my brother Sathish to continue the run as he started experiencing difficulty in breathing. He later dropped out. The third 12.5 km took 120 minutes. The last 12.5km should have taken 120 minutes, but took around 180 minutes. The original plan before I started was to finish the first 12.5km in 80 minutes, the second in 90 minutes, the third in 110 minutes and the fourth in 120 minutes.

Lessons learnt:
1. Take date fruits or some other eatables. The bananas and oranges that are being provided do not quite make the cut.
2. Take Glucon-D. The lucosade that was being provided sucked big time.
3. Take a cap. The heat was bad, so bad that if I wet my head, it would dry out completely in under 8 minutes. And no, I am not bald !!

Finisher's medal dedicated to the missus (this incidentally is my first full marathon post marriage), who does not mind my continued indulgence in these crazy-ass activities.

Shyam

Pesa koodadhu (Don't speak)

2010-11-10T09:37:00.002+05:30

No, I am not referring to the song from the band No Doubt, but from someone, who without any iota of doubt whatsoever, is probably the best musician of all time -- Illayaraja.

1983 - Adutha varisu. Almost 30 years hence, this song is still so very stunning and fresh to listen to. Check out the violins, the string arrangement. Oh boy, the goose bumps inducing S.P.Balasubramaniam's voice. When this comes out on the radio on your way to work, you know for sure that your day would also rock.

Oh yes, this movie also had the other super hit song, Aasai nooru vagai, remix of which is still rocking the dance floors all over the world.

Shyam

Worrisome

2010-11-03T09:16:00.003+05:30

The recent spate of kidnapping incidents in TamilNadu is rather unsettling. Firstly, two kids were kidnapped and killed in Coimbatore, and secondly, another kid was kidnapped in Madras, and was released after a ransom was paid.

While this points to a general failure in law and order in the minority government led by an inept and a senile old man (Well, his law minister's nephew is the chief accused in a mass murder case), we shall place that aside for the while, and focus on something that is more important at a larger scale.

What do parents struggle hard for ? To provide for their kids. To provide the best possible comforts. Now, is this struggle worth the tension of leaving your kids with random strangers ? I am not saying that the women of the house must not work, or the men of the house must not work.

When the parents work hard to earn money and further their careers, do they even realize the risk that they are putting their kids to, when they send them to schools with random strangers ?

My argument is simple. If all the money that you earn cannot ensure the safety of your kids, there is no point in earning that money.

In both the kidnapping incidents, if you note carefully, their mothers were not working. There is nothing that prevents those mothers from escorting their kids to and from school.

While the wise men may come back and argue with me, that when the kidnappers want to kidnap someone they will do so, it would be prudent on the part of parents to ensure that they do not leave an opening for the kidnappers to take advantage of.

Heck, I know of sons and daughters of district collectors and other high ranked officials, who sent their children to school just like other parents -- in a government bus, or a van, along with other school children.

When you are a parent are not willing to go that extra yard to ensure your child's safety, this is what will happen. We are not living in a Utopian society, but one in which people who want to make a fast buck exist.

Shyam

Road Trip Reprise

2010-10-29T10:36:00.002+05:30

Around four years ago, a bunch of crazy folks, including me, cycled from Bangalore to Madras, during peak summer, in two days. You can read all about it here

Well, at the end of the trip, there was a crazy idea inside me that I should fight to finish it in under 24 hours.

Tomorrow, 30th October, a different bunch of guys, including me, are trying to do it.

We plan to start from Bangalore at 3.00AM. Weather, mind, and body willing, we will make it to Madras by nightfall. Fingers crossed, and yes, expect regular twitter updates ;-)

Shyam

Loud-Mouth

2010-10-27T09:00:00.002+05:30

There is a verse in a in Tamil song --நாத்திகத்தை பேசிட நாக்கு தந்தது யாரடி ?? meaning, who gave the power of speech and tongue to Atheists ?

Freedom of speech, or in general, freedom to do anything has its limits. Freedom always has a price. It assumes that the person who is going to use that freedom understands the situation in which he/she is in, and exercises that freedom with caution. Remember the words -- With great power comes great responsibility ?

The recent Arundathi Roy incidents are a fine example of utter callousness and totally irresponsible behavior. Granted that she has freedom to speak her mind and all that, being a so called "intellectual" and "thinker" she needs to understand the environment and the surroundings in which she is in, before making such silly and highly controversial statements.

Further, she speaks assuming herself to be the voice of the entire people of the Kashmir valley. When a person thinks of him/herself as a self proclaimed messiah of the masses, hubris is bound to occur, and this is a fine example.

Such inflammatory statements would do nothing towards solving the bigger problem at hand, but would only provide fodder for the extremists, and "sound bytes" for the hungry yellow journalists .(all ye folks from Times Now, CNN-IBN, Headlines Today, The Hindu, e.t.c., raise your hands now!!)

The Government of India, and the people of Kashmir would do well to ignore such silly and childish remarks from arm-chair intellectuals and moronic thinkers.

Shyam

Perceptions - The brain of Men vs Women

2010-10-18T11:46:00.001+05:30

Outrageously hilarious.

Shyam

Can it get any worse than this ?

2010-10-11T10:13:00.001+05:30

A student in California finds a tracking device in his car. It turns out that the FBI planted it there.

WTF ???

Shyam

Perceptions

2010-10-11T10:09:00.001+05:30

This short clip illustrates why men are from mars, and women are from venus.

Enjoy !!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSIqgBP2CqI

Shyam

The trip that was not meant to be - Part 2

2010-10-07T09:51:00.003+05:30

The first part of the travelouge is up here.

And so the next day the plan was to leave at 6AM. The train journey seemed to have hit a few of us. We started from Ambala Cantonment at 8AM. The plan was to reach Manali by nightfall. We were yet to have breakfast, and decided to have it once we cross Ambala. We were out of money and started the hunt for an ATM.

What would you do if you go to an ATM booth and find it locked ? Move to next one right ? What would you do if all of them are locked and the guards outside tell you that they open at 9.00AM and close by 6.00PM ? Just slap yourself on your forehead and curse your luck. We then decided to get to Ambala town a short distance away.

We did manage to withdraw money, but not before we checked around 12-15 ATM's none of which had any cash with them. Ambala is a strange place I tell you.

The next stop was at a petrol pump to fill up our tanks. Anand got duped of 100Rs here, when the filling agent did not reset the petrol pump's meter. We then decided to check the air levels in our tyres. That is when we got the first indication that whatever happens, chance will favor the prepared mind.

The alert sardarji noticed that the tires of my motorcycle had fresh cut marks. Something was rubbing really hard against it. He gave it another 500km before my tyres burst up. We removed all the luggage from the bike and checked it. The screws of the mudguard were indeed rubbing against the tyres. We spent the best part of an hour fixing it. It was now 10AM and we were hungry. We moved over the nearest Dhaba and had some amazing aloo paratas and curd. By the time we started our journey, it was close to 11.30AM, a delay of 5 hours, which in hindsight would cost us dearly.

We had found a scenic alternative route from Amabala to Manali here. We decided to take that. As mentioned, it was indeed scenic till we reached Ropar. In case you did not know, there is now a IIT-Ropar ;-)

We did cross a canal like that and for most part of the journey, it was indeed peaceful to drive through, with minimum traffic, and a nice river alongside. Little did we know that for the best part of our remaining journey, a river would follow us ;-)

Since we had a rather heavy breakfast, we did not feel the need for a lunch. We reached Ropar town, and stopped for some tea. The shop owner told us that we would have the hills coming at us in a short while from now.

Soon enough, we did start our ascent. It was not easy, given the fact that we did have some luggage.

We crossed Bilaspur town. It started to drizzle. In a highway, if it rains, the wisest thing to do is to continue riding, as there is a distinct possibility that there would not be any rains when you cross some disance. On the mountains, it is not the case. However, we assumed that there would be no rains when we ride ahead and continued doing so. The drizzle turned into a torrential downpour. Sathish stopped as he was unable ride in total darkness with heavy rains. Anand did not notice that we had stopped and he continued along, in the wrong direction !

We all stopped in a tea shop to make sure we do not get washed away by the rains !! It did not matter much; we were already soaking wet. After sometime, Anand returned and joined us in our shelter. We met a few folks in that shelter, albeit drunk, who advised us to go forward for a few more kilometers and we should be able to find a place to stay. Sathish did not want to listen to them, and we decided to drive back to Bilaspur, a distance of around 10 or so KM. I decided to be in front and everyone else decided that we would follow our respective tail lights. We started our drive back to Bilaspur. Halfway through, after much asking around, we found out that we were in the wrong direction, and as suggested by the drunk folks, there was a place to stay further ahead.

We then drove over and reached a resort Midway. As the name suggests, it is midway between Delhi and Manali. We managed to bargain the rates for two rooms and they were kind enough to provide us with piping hot food. We wovled it down our throats and went to sleep. We wanted to start early the next day. Manali was just 100km or so away.

The next dya, we decided to enjoy the mountain journey and take it easy. Manali was nearby and hence, we decided to enjoy the sights and sounds that we saw on the route.

The first beautiful spot we reached was the dam in Sundar Nagar.

We also passed the beas river and that huge 3km tunnel.

And yes, given that it was the mountains, there was blue sky all around, of course, when it did not rain !!!

We reached Manali rather lazily at sometime in the afternoon. We had a rather lazy lunch in Kulu near the Airport. It was a rather tasty and lavish affair. We checked into Hotel Chaman, just near the shoping complexes. It was not all that great, but we just needed a place to stay for the night. We had already lost a day, and we wanted to cross Rhotang, and get to Sarchu by the next day. We went to bed.

Little did Sathish and Anand know that they would be coming back to Manali the very next day, in an Army truck, at the dead of the night.

Shyam

The perfect Sunday a.k.a how I converted the Citibank Chennai Runners Half Marathon 2010 to a duathalon

2010-10-03T11:27:00.002+05:30

And so today was the chennai runners half marathon on ECR. Give the fact that the venue was just around 25km form my house, I thought it would be nice to bi-cycle down to the venue and run the half marathon.

Given that I have quite a few endurance events coming up over the next few months, I thought it would be worthwhile to try it out.

Since the event was supposed to start at 5.30AM, I thought of leaving my house by 3.45AM or 4.00AM and cycle down in a relaxed manner, so as to not affect my run.

However, instead of keeping the alarm for 3.15AM, I had kept it for 3.45AM. By the time I let the house it was close to 4.30AM. There was a fleeting thought in my mind that I should take the motorbike, but then I decided against it.

A few kilometers away from my house, it started pouring like cats and dogs. I felt that the weather gods were helping me in my crazy ass attempt. For the next three hours or so, it rained like crazy.

I pedaled hard and covered the 25km distance in 48 minutes. There wasn't much time to relax before the run began. I did not want to exert myself too much as I needed to cycle back home for a distance of another 25km. I set myself a target of 150 minutes to complete the 21km run, and I did complete it in 165 minutes.

I managed to bump into the Chennai Runner's regulars. After a nice shower and breakfast, I started the return bi-cycling trip back home. I was in no hurry and completed the distance in around 70 minutes.

Now, for a nice bath, and to plonk myself in front of the idiot box. This is what a Sunday is all about !!!

Shyam

Endhinran Review

2010-10-01T18:46:00.002+05:30

What would you do when you see super star Rajinikanth on the screen ? Whistle, howl, cat-call ? What would you do when you see 100's of them ? 1000's of them ?

That ladies and gentlemen, is what endhiran(robot), Superstar Rajinikanth's latest flick, is all about. What would happen when a robot acquires the ability to feel ? To sense ? The so called sixth sense ? Now, whether a robot can get that sense or not is immaterial. After all, we have seen movies prior to this with the same theme.

Rajinikanth is a scientist, who is trying to create a humanoid, who can help the Indian Army. His senior is trying pretty much the same, albeit with a darker motive. Aishwarya plays his love interest.

Santhanam and Karunas play his lab assistants and try to evoke a laugh or two, but fall hopelessly flat.

After a rather bizarre fire rescue attempt that goes hopelessly wrong, Rajinikanth infuses the idea of sense, the ability to feel into the robot. The robot now falls for Aishwarya Rai.

What happens next forms the story. Does the robot succeed ?

The first half of the movie moves at a rather relaxed pace. One can actually term it slow. One expects the second half to pick up steam and chug along. However, that is not the case.

In an act of sheer frustration, Rajinikanth destroys the Robot. WHat happens next to the robot forms the best part of the second half.

The last 30 minutes or so of the second half is where Rajinikanth creams everyone in the movie. Some brilliant voice and facial modulations make for more than 120+ minutes of slow paced story telling.

The camera work is of rather decent quality. Special mention must be made of the special effects, particularly in the climax scenes. Unlike any other special effects that we have seen in Indian movies, the effects do not look jarring or out of place. The only one place in the entire movie where the special effects looked totally bad was when Rajinikanth tosses a baby to play with it.

Aishwarya Rai is/was expected to sleep walk throughout the movie and she does what is expected of her.

While this movie is in no way comparable to Rajinikanth's earlier cult classic Padayappa, this movie does have its moments. Watch out for that goat bleating sound.

The songs by A.R.Rahman are not pretty bad at all. However, considering his earlier scores, this does not impress that much. There could have been some more effort on the background score.

Shankar has been trying to change the time tested formula of Rajinikanth's movies -- an opening song showcasing the hero as demigod, sentiments involving sisters, mothers, the usual formulaic jazz. He tried that in Sivaji with quite bad results. He does seem to have succeeded in this movie.

All in all, this movie is definitely worth the price of your ticket. In fact, one could actually sit through a best part of the movie, to be treated to a 25 minute or so graphical extravaganza.

Shyam

Mistaken Identity

2010-09-24T09:30:00.003+05:30

And so yesterday, I was returning back home in my Maruthi car. The car has totally darkened windows and a fairly large portion of the windshield is tinted too.

I was having a minor problem with my ear and the itching was fairly un-bearable.

Suddenly, there was a cop near my window, on a motorcycle, barking at me to slow down. I did, even though I did not know why he was asking me to do so.

What follows is an exchange between me and the cop

Cop: Pay up 1500 Rs fine.
Me; Why ? What did I do ? I even have me seat belt on.
Cop: I shouted at you in the signal for talking on your mobile while driving, and I have chased you for almost one kilometer. (At this moment I wanted to reply back like vadivelu in the movie Kandasamy -- Unga judgment Romba Thappu!!)
Me: Sir, I have problem with my ear. It is itching.
Cop: Don't act smart. In the meanwhile, some arbitrary fellow stops is motorcycle next to my car and tells the cop that I have been talking on my mobile for quite sometime.
Cop: See even the public have noticed you.
Me: No public or private business, I was not talking on my mobile. It is not even there in my hands, and it is in my pocket.
Cop: Show me your license.
Me: Take it. He inspects it and is satisfied that I have a license.
Cop: No, I am not convinced, am I lying ?
Me: No, you are not lying, but you did not notice it properly.
Cop is still hesitating.
Me: Switching to local tamil. Anna, trust me. I am not lying, nor are you lying. You did not notice it properly. The glasses are tinted and so is the windshield. There are a lot of cars on the road like this.
Cop: Hesitates and gives back the license.
Me (in a lighter vein): Look around you, lots of guys are speeding, and not wearing helmet. Stop them quick.

The cop goes away.

Shyam

The trip that was not meant to be - Part 1

2010-09-14T11:11:00.002+05:30

This is not an ordinary travelogue. This is a story of how a few people tried to motorbike all the way to Leh from Delhi, and at every point along the way, kept meeting the obstacles that the elements of nature threw at them, and yet, at the end of the day, survived.

What would you do if you are in a remotest corner of Spiti valley and find that the motorbike has a flat wheel ? Further, what would you do when you have the tools, and yet do not have a foot pump to fill up wheel ?

Read on.

It was a simple plan. Book the bikes on a train from Madras to New Delhi, start riding from New Delhi. We did exactly that. The bikes were off on a train to Delhi. We used the services of Green Express Cargo, a private contractor, who has taken out railway compartments on lease.

On the 30th of July, Sathish, Anand, Missus, and N, boarded the train at Chennai. We were scheduled to meet a few other friends in Delhi. The train journey was rather comfortable. Well, who ever said an air-conditioned compartment is not comfortable ? The only sore point was the absence of the hawkers, but on the plus side, we did not have to squeeze half-a-dozen of us into one single seat.

For a journey of 30+ hours, the train was surprisingly on time. We got down at Delhi and moved all our luggage to Ginger hotel right next to the railway station. The plan was to get the motor-bikes out from the train and leave as early as possible. Anand had to go to a different place to collect his motor-bike.

We had just two weeks time with us. In hindsight, you would need three weeks to enjoy the journey and the destination. If you have two weeks, your concentration must be to reach Leh, not to enjoy the journey. If we had done that, in all probability, you may not be reading this post, or our motor-bikes would be left stranded in Leh !!

At around 2.00PM, the bikes were made ready. In the time that Anand had gone to collect his bike, Sathish and myself went over to Karol Bagh and got a carrier fixed on one of the motorbikes. Note to future travelers -- get your motorbikes checked with a mechanic in Karol Bagh. The point is that most mechanics in Madras, or down South, are not familiar with tuning the bikes for the hilly terrain, but the mechanics in Delhi would be. One such mechanic is Gurdayal Singh, a.k.a, Bawa. His garage is close to Southern Hotel.

The ride plan was simple, Delhi to Manali, Manali to Leh. Since we had a late start, we decided to halt for the day in Ambala. The ride till Ambala was fairly peaceful, on a four laned highway. Of course, we needed to ask around quite many people for directions to get out of Delhi, which took us an hour or so. But once that was done, we were on the highway. As always, I decided to stick to 75-80 kmph speed for a comfortable ride. We stopped for lunch on a highway Dhaba, which strangely enough was a pure vegetarian joint. I was rather surprised to find a highway dhaba that was purely vegetarian.

By nightfall, we reached Ambala. Of course we did get to see a nice setting sun along with verdant grass fields.

We checked in Hotel Puran Palace in Ambala Cantonment for the night. An air-conditioned room was going at 850 Rs. After some haggling, we got it down to 650Rs per room. It was a rather decent place and the food was quite tasty. We slept for the night. Tomorrow was going to be a long day. The plan was to reach Manali. Did we ?

Shyam

Tanjore Brihadeeshwara temple

2010-08-31T11:46:00.003+05:30

Sometime back, I visited the Brihadeeshwara temple in Tanjore and managed to click a few snaps.

I think this one came out pretty decently.

Click here to see the rest of the pictures.

Shyam

Please stop !!!

2010-07-26T13:38:00.001+05:30

I understand that we are suckers for freebies. I can understand that we are pretty social beings and would like our friends to get freebies when we get them too.

But, in the love of God, please stop. All you facebook addicts and idiots, please stop referring me to that free ipad, free iphone 3g/4g/whatnot, free crap.

All that you are dishing out is free crap.

Shyam

Inception Review

2010-07-23T14:15:00.002+05:30

How do you write a review for a movie that has so many layers ?

How do you write a review for a movie that, after a long time, respects the intellectual capabilities of the audience ?

How do you write a review for a movie, where the director succeeds in inception ?

Inception is a rather simple movie. It is about a thief who steals ideas from the sub conscious minds of the people. However, he is caught stealing. In a chance at redemption, he is asked to plant an idea, or inception. What happens and whether he does it forms the crux of the movie. Does he succeed ? Is he able to get redemption ?

Brilliant acting and an outstanding screenplay make this a rather riveting movie to watch, where every single frame and dialogue gives you clues about the movie.

The special effects are of the highest order. Look for the anti gravity fight sequences which are so very brilliantly done.

As you walk out of the movie, you do not know whether Leonardo Di Caprio succeeded in inception, but the director has. He has planted his idea in all our minds. What did he plant ? Watch the movie to find out.

While a lot of comparisons would be made to the path breaking movie Matrix, this movie is very different from it. While Matrix had a lot of what the *** moments, this movie is rather simple and straight forward even at the first viewing. However, what is quite interesting about this movie is that once you are done with your first viewing, you start picking up a lot of scenes and situations which can be interpreted rather differently.

A must watch movie. Christopher Nolan is fast becoming one of those directors whose movies are being elevated to the must watch status.

Shyam

Top 10 reasons you bought a bad iphone4

2010-07-15T10:08:00.002+05:30

Outright hilarious.

Shyam

Memories

2010-07-09T09:42:00.002+05:30

Don't know why this song is playing out in a loop in my head since this morning. Brings back some nice memories.

Wasted bodies, fresh minds, sore throats coz of all that yelling. Air guitars. Bangalore. Purple Haze. I guess the weekend is up on me.

Same broken throats, karaoke nights, Mexico. Pussy pop, as some would call it. I call it, the rejection song of the Gringos ;-)

Damn. Youtube does not allow use of colorful profanity in the songs. That is so very awful.

To restore sanity and world peace, a song that so very much reminds of some carnatic ragam, one that I am unable to place. "Wish you were here" by who else, Pink Floyd.

If you thought that was all, well "High Hopes" ;-)

Shyam

Madras Eye (conjunctivitis) - A simple cure

2010-06-29T10:35:00.002+05:30

Madras, that wonderful city, aka heaven on earth, is famous for quite many a thing. It is also famous for Madras eye, which typically occurs around June/July, when the first rains come in after summer.

While many a quacks make money, and quite many stupid people pay money to get themselves cured of Madras eye, there is a simple cure for it; a cure that I have personally used and recommended to quite many people with great success.

The basic symptom of Madras eye is bloodshot redness, followed by swelling in the eye, and a little bit of pain.

Like many other viruses, there is no specific cure for this.

The easiest way to get rid of Madras eye is this -- take two pieces of cotton, sufficient enough to cover your closed eyes completely. Wet it with water, common tap water would do. No need to use mineral water. Place the wet cotton pieces onto your eyes and lie down. As and when the cotton gets dry, keep wetting them. Do this for one full day, approximately 24 hours. After that, you would see that the redness disappears, and you are left with just swollen eyes, that would go away in a few hours or so.

The advantage of this method is two fold; you save on a visit to the doctor, and you get one full day of rest. Try beating that ;-)

Shyam

iPhone4 madness

2010-06-29T09:28:00.001+05:30

Came in through e-mail. Contains some wonderful NSFW language. Headphone use is recommended.

Shyam

Pump up the volume

2010-06-14T09:40:00.002+05:30

If this does not get your feet thumping, nothing else will.

Ah, those rhythms and loops.

Shyam

The Return

2010-06-11T10:55:00.002+05:30

After around 18 months or so, I am returning to endurance sport.

I am in Bangalore this weekend to test the waters. A 10km run and a 20km bicycle ride.

I do not have any high hopes, but I think I should be able to finish the whole thing in under two hours.

The last time I did competitive cycling was a BSA event, where I came second in a 20km bicycling race. I think I hunted down that trail in under 40 minutes. But that was quite a few years ago.

Much thanks go out to my friend Anand, who has graciously agreed to loan me his bicycle.

Should be fun.

Shyam

It's sweet

2010-06-10T10:34:00.001+05:30

Those drums, that mellifluous voice, that short sax bends. What else does one need to say ?

Shyam

How ? How ?

2010-06-08T10:01:00.002+05:30

எப்படி எப்படி, asks S.P.Balasubramaniam in this amazing song. Can you even believe that this was released as far back as 1983 ? Almost 30 years ago. And yet, check out the lilting flute, those amazing violins, those stunning and strumming guitars, and yes, that golden voice that just caresses each and every word. Seems so very fresh.

Bliss. I think the fact that the radio plays these songs, is a good enough reason for me to get to work with my player on and headphones glued to my ears.

Shyam

Bottled Water

2010-06-08T09:42:00.002+05:30

I have always believed that if you order bottled water in a restaurant, you are a dumb ass, as you do not know that the restaurant folks just fill it up with tap water, and glue out the lids. If you do not know this, see the movie Slumdog Millionaire.

And no, this practice is not restricted to India alone, and it is quite prevalent in many parts of the world.

I remember reading a statistic that for a population of 300 million United States consumes 900 million bottles of water a year. Total and outright madness.

Anyway, here are some interesting articles. 1 and 2

Grow up people. Stop having lily flowers as your livers.

Shyam

Rare and Precious

2010-06-07T08:26:00.004+05:30

This is one of those songs that you do not come across quite often, for there are other songs in this movie which somehow became popular.

There are some wise men, who say that the opening notes of this song bear an uncanny resemblance to four seasons, though, as always, I vehemently disagree with them.

Check out the strumming, the bass guitars, and yes, that whistle.

Shyam

You are indeed god

2010-06-02T09:28:00.002+05:30

புது ராகம் படைபதாலே நானும் இறைவனே
(Since I create new ragas, I am God)

Yes indeed, King Illayaraja, you are indeed god.

Shyam

Immortality

2010-06-01T10:15:00.002+05:30

Excerpts from the song aritharatha poosikolla aasa from the movie avatharam (sung by Illayarja and Janaki)

Illayaraja:
ஏன் பாட்ட எடுத்து வுட்ட ஒரு சனம் எல்லாம் மெய் மறக்கும்
அது உசுரோட பொய் கலக்கும்
(If I create a song, it mesmerizes the people and gels with their soul)

How very true of all Illayaraja's songs !!

Female voice:
பாடுன்னு நண்பது எல்லாம் இங்கு பாட்டாக இருப்பது இல்ல
அது லேசான விஷயம் இல்ல
(What you think as song is not a song and it is not an easy task)

Illayaraja:
அதுக்காக தான் இசை அவதாரமா நான் பொறந்தேன்னு பூலோகம் பாரடுமே !!
(Which is why, the people of this world think that I am music incarnate)

As he approaches yet another birthday on 2nd June, Illayaraja moves one more step closer to immortality.

If you live in Chennai, Big FM (92.7) is playing his songs for the entire month. There cannot be any other way to beat the traffic, get into the groove and what not.

Since I was unable to get the video of the song, here are some gems:

With some amazing string and drum arrangement far ahead of its times. Of course, one can forget the shoddy work done with the video.

And here is one that is outright rhythmic (Just look at the drums and cymbals that create that foot tapping rhythm)

Shyam

A summer wedding in Kerala

2010-05-27T21:17:00.002+05:30

I have never been to any of the cities in Kerala. It has always been the mountains, and once a while, a stop over or a transit in one of the cities, and that too in an odd hour.

So, when a colleague of mine invited me for his wedding to Vadakara, I jumped at the chance. I was warned by another colleague of mine, a native of calicut, that it is not the Kerala I have seen till now.

I was surprised. How different could it be from Madras ? Boy, I was proven wrong on all counts.

So, A Belgian friend of mine, Peter Van Geit (Yeah, the founder/whatever of Chennai Trekkers), another friend, and myself reached Vadakara on a nice Friday morning.

Here are some notes.

1. Cheap and tasty food.
2. Extremely hot and humid summers. When a true blue Madrasi says that, you better sit up and take notice. I then realized what my friend from calicut was trying to warn me about -- the extremely hot and searing heat and a humidity that puts Madras to shame. I actually like it when it is humid, it reduces the body heat and keeps your body cool. But, this one was quite above anything else I had expected to be. I then realized the magic of sea breeze that comes up here in Madras. At-least there is a nice breeze in the evenings if you move out to a terrace. In Vadakara, there were none. Absolutely none. We then realized that the dothi is the best attire in that kind of weather.
3. The people looked sad and glum all the time, no matter the town or village. Peter was quite depressed by that.
4. Extremely laid back and lazy folks. In fact, we were saying that the time never seems to move there. As another friend of mine put it, even the clocks seem to be lazy in this town and hence, the time never seems to move. ;-)
5. Terrorists as bus drivers. Boy, were they fast or what. In fact, the bus in which we were traveling in, collided head on with a maruthi swift carrying a family of five. It is to their good fortune that nothing untoward happened to those passengers. Needless to say, the bus driver ran away prompting Peter to remark that sometimes, the people there do not seem to be lazy !!
6. Drive-in beaches !! I have never seen anything like that before. People claimed that there is a drive in beach, where they drive their cars, motorbikes and everything else, on the beach. Crazies.
7. Crazy accent. The auto driver said polvo. I thought it is the name of a place. Turns out, it was Pearl View, the name of a hotel !

Shyam

Another one

2010-05-24T12:21:00.002+05:30

I heard this song on my way to work today morning on the radio. What an amazing voice modulation (gamakham) by S.P.Balasubramaniam. Check out when he says "Vanna vanna valavi pottu". Karaharapriya is what I think it is. The purists may correct me, of course.

Now, if this is not an amazing song by King Illayaraja, what else is ?

Shyam

Miles Ahead

2010-05-19T12:30:00.002+05:30

Speaking of people being miles ahead, can there be any other fitting example other than this song ?

Amazing backing vocals (S.Janaki ??), guitar and drum arrangement.

Shyam

No other better way

2010-05-19T12:23:00.001+05:30

Can there be any better way to announce a return to regular blogging rhythm, other than a fantastic rhythm from King Illayaraja ?

What a rhythm, trumpet and beats.

Shyam

Mr.Karunanidhi, Chief Minister of TamilNadu, please stop being stupid

2010-05-19T12:12:00.002+05:30

Mr.Karunanidhi, we all know your affinity for Tamil. We also know your absolute hatred towards anything North, i.e., Sanskrit, or even its derivative, Hindi.

You are also blowing your trumpet, or rather, your daughter is blowing her trumpet, organizing a comedy festival called Tamil conference.

All fine.

Why is it that the dates for the conference have been transliterated into சூன்(soon) instead of June ? Don't you know that there is an alternate tamil calendar ? Why couldn't you have picked up the equivalent date from that calendar ? Oh wait, is that calendar prescribed using the Sanskrit year calculations ?

Stop being silly and stupid.

Shyam

Dhoni is correct

2010-05-13T08:55:00.002+05:30

Amidst all the brouhaha about India's early round exit from the T-20 world cup, let us pause for a minute and think about it.

There is no doubt that this is deeply linked to IPL. Absolutely. When the first IPL was held, there were none of these late night parties, heavy endorsements and all that jazz.

Cut to this year's IPL, apart from playing the matches, the players have to appear for all the post match parties too. Note the use of the word "have". I am quite sure that no player would have had an option to rebel against it.

One agrees that at this level of competition, one needs to be physically fit and should be able to do as is demanded of him. The wise men amongst us would jump to the attack of the players, arguing that if you see the football league, it is equally taxing. But hey, even there, during the previous world cup, most players were unable to play well due to fatigue.

I think the BCCI should step in and first strip the IPL of all the glamor and glitz. It is after all a sport. It does not need extra glamor and jazz.

Match practice is good. But, one should also be careful not to kill the goose that lays golden eggs.

Shyam

Summer Rainbows in Madras !!!

2010-04-30T16:07:00.002+05:30

I was late for my usual morning run. I started at 6.00AM from Velachery MRTS railway station, making my way along the newly laid 200ft road.

That road is an early morning walkers/joggers paradise. A 3km loop. Mild traffic, and lots of fellow walkers/joggers for company.

There was a slight drizzle before I started, and I could see traces of dark clouds along the horizon.

On my way back, at around 6.30AM or so, there were a few more rain drops. Pit patter they splashed on the road and stopped.

On an instinct, I turned and looked back skywards. Lo and behold, there it was. Not one, but two rainbows which I could see completely. Two brilliant semi-circular arches, in full color and splendor. What a magnificent sight. Nature at its best.

Shyam

PS: I do not recollect seeing rains in summer in Madras, let alone rainbows. Something's wrong with the weather.

Appholes !!

2010-04-29T13:28:00.001+05:30

Watch John Stewart rip apart Apple in his late night talk show, with some outstanding quotes !!

“If you want to break down someone’s door, why don’t you start with AT&T, for God sakes? They make your amazing phone unusable as a phone!”

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Appholes

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show Full Episodes

Political Humor

Tea Party

Shyam

There is nothing called secrecy, even for Apple

2010-04-20T10:05:00.002+05:30

Read these links, How apple lost its next-gen phone, the definitive proof that they wanted it back, and the details of that phone.

I hope the guy who lost that phone still has his job.

Shyam

Paiya - Review

2010-04-14T13:20:00.002+05:30

Movies that are based on a road trip are always fun. You can either make a rollicking comedy out of them, or you can make an excellent action adventure.

Director Lingusamy does neither and makes a boat load, or rather, a car load of bullshit with his latest offering, paiya.

Karthi is an unemployed youth in search of a job, who falls for Tamannah when he sees her in a bus stop. Do people still do that ? I do not think so.

He had an earlier run in with Milind Soman when he was hunting for a job in Bombay. There are relatives for Tamannah who want to get her married off to someone else.

Both of them are now being hunted.

Milind Soman said in an earlier interview that he chose to do this film as he was enamored by the screenplay. I mean he is there in the movie for five minutes, speaks completely in Hindi, and was enamored by the screenplay ? Hello, Mr.Milind, did your brains go for a walk ? Or is it that the Hindi folks do not have any better screenplay ?

There seems to be an utter lack of any kind of chemistry between the lead pair. They seem to walking through the movie like zombies.

Just while there seems to be an attempt to move the story forward, something else comes in the way and derails it back again.

Make no mistake folks, this story has excellent potential, but has been wasted by some pathetic direction, screenplay.

If the plan was to showcase Karthi as an action hero, that falls short too, as the stunts seem too contrived.

All in all, an excellent waste of time.

Shyam

Try stopping them now !!!

2010-04-09T11:50:00.002+05:30

Try stopping them now, cried the commentator, who obviously, like hundreds of other morons in the stadium, was a Manchester United supporter.

Oh well, Bayern Munich did exactly that ;-)

Shyam

All ye EPL fans/fanatics/lunatics

2010-04-07T11:53:00.002+05:30

Watch this and learn. Understand that there is something called Spanish league, which is light years ahead of any league. To put it in a different way, EPL is light years behind every other league on this planet worth its salt. Heck, even the third division Mexican league has better quality football. All you hyped up EPL players, watch the fourth goal and learn.

Shyam

Deplorable

2010-04-07T09:46:00.003+05:30

The massacre of 76 CRPF commandos by naxalites is highly deplorable.

It is time we throw all the nonsense of talks and stuff outside the window, and meet fire with fire.

Remember, for a country which detonated Pokhran-II right under the noses of communication satellites, it is not all that hard to eliminate the naxalite menace in just a few days.

As is always the case, un-necessary political pressures in the name of democracy is just adding to the mess.

Oh yes, whatever be the reasons for the origin of the naxalite menace, it is definitely not justified when they set out to massacre troops. Unless the government replies strongly, it will definitely send out a bad message.

Whatever happened to the tracing of mobile call and mobile signal from which Kishenji made the call to Chidambaram ?

Shyam

My dear motorcycle driving monkey

2010-03-25T11:16:00.002+05:30

The rearview mirrors on your motorbike have a specific purpose. It is in no way cool if you remove them and zip through the traffic.

Four boken bones and lacerations all over your body could have been averted, if only you had checked your rearview mirror for a second to see the car coming right behind you, before you lazily braked right in the middle of the road.

Other motorcycle morons who drive without rearview mirrors, I hope you take note.

Shyam

Thank Heavens

2010-03-08T10:37:00.003+05:30

Thankfully, the Oscar committee seemed to have some sense.

Hurt Locker, in any day, is a much better movie than the fantasy world of Avatar.

Shyam

Bingo !! Christoph Waltz wins Oscar

2010-03-08T09:23:00.004+05:30

To the man who made simple things like drinking milk, and eating a snack look terrifying -- you absolutely deserved the Oscar !!

If you have not seen Inglorious Basterds, do come out of the rock under which you were hiding and see it. Tarantino has created yet another masterpiece.

Shyam

Sachin Tendulkar - Second player to score a double century in one day matches

2010-03-02T08:50:00.003+05:30

Yes, Sachin Tendulkar is actually the second player to score a double century in one day matches.

So, who was the first ? Well, read this article from cricinfo.com.

No, it is not the first of April thing.

Shyam

Auroville Marathon

2010-02-10T10:23:00.001+05:30

Auroville Marathon is coming up on Sunday, 14th February. Given my rather hectic (and unpleasant) schedule last year, I must say I am rather under prepared.

I would be happy if I can finish this in under 5 hours.

Oh yes, I am still sticking to my New year resolution, and a training plan is in place. Let's see how it works out this running season.

Shyam

iPad - iDoomed ?

2010-01-29T10:43:00.002+05:30

Amidst all the hype and hoopla about Apple's latest creation (Boy, one should have seen the frenzy and hype in the internet prior to the release), there is something that is niggling in the back of one's mind.

Whenever Steve Jobs takes the stage, there is an air of confidence, a self control that is present while the product is being presented. In fact, if you see the iPhone keynote, and compare it with the iPad keynote, you can make out quite a lot of differences. The body language, the superlatives (well, it is not that an apple keynote is bereft of adjectives), and many more little things.

Further, Steve J himself goes on record saying this is the ultimate thing that he has created.

Well, it is quite simple. When you want to get eyeballs to your creation, as Apple has always been to doing, we should let the creation attract all the eyeballs and not your words.

Somehow, this time around, it is the words that attract the eyeballs and not the creation.

Secondly, when a product is launched on stage, you would expect it to be available immediately, so that the initial hype can be capitalized. That, unfortunately enough, is not the case with the iPad.

While iPad would definitely kill Kindle, I think this would, in all probability, follow the same course as Apple previous attempts at a pad -- the Newton.

Shyam

Bliss

2010-01-28T08:34:00.002+05:30

An empty winding road in the hills. Fog and mist shrouded morning. You are on a bicycle pedaling away slowly, whistling to yourself and listening to all the birds around you.

And then on an impulse, you switch on your music player. A slight drizzle begins.

As if by magic, this song comes on in your player.

Forget the video. Close your eyes and just listen to the song alone. The wonderful guitar, the amazing drums, a musical arrangement which I think has no equal. Heck, just listen to the manner in which the song opens. And yes, above all, the magical voice of S.P.Balasubramaniam.

For that instant, you are transported to heaven. Straight away.

Who else can do this, other than king Illayaraja ?

Shyam

PS: I may not be doing justice to the way I felt when I heard this song, or the situation in which I heard the song. But then again, somethings are meant to be felt and not explained.

Aayirathil Oruvan -- Review

2010-01-16T15:54:00.002+05:30

What happens when the past meets the present ? More so, what happens when the people from the past are still alive ? What happens when a present day man interacts with the people of the past ?

All these questions are answered rather intelligently in Selvaraghavan's latest movie, Aayirathil Oruvan.

The story is rather simple. A team of archeologists set out to find the path, and the last settlement of last emperor of Chola kingdom, when they fled their native Thanjavur.

Leading the team is Reema Sen, with Andrea, whose father had disappeared after finding out the location, and Karthi Sivakumar.

They need to pass through the seas and animal infested jungles before they arrive at the city.

What happens after they reach the city ?

While the ending of the movie may suggest a sequel, a careful analysis of the movie actually suggests that a sequel may not be in place. Centuries ago, the child of the king was taken away to a safe place to save him from marauding invaders. Cut to the present, the movie comes to a close with pretty much the same situation. It is quite possible that the director seems to suggest that this cycle will keep repeating itself.

The director has paid excellent attention to details, including the use of language, costumes and such.

All the actors have put in excellent performances.

The director could have spent some money in polishing the special effects (that ugly looking camel).

The camera work is of top order.

All in all, a movie that is definitely worth watching, and the one that pushes the envelope of tamil movie making.

Shyam

PS: A lot of situations need careful inference and deduction in the movie. That might prove to be the downfall of this movie at the box office, or may guarantee repeat audience.

Sherlock Holmes -- Review

2010-01-16T00:31:00.002+05:30

A very average movie about Sherlock Holmes and his antics.

Guy Ritchie attempts a cinematic take on the fabled Sherlock Holmes and his friend, Dr.Watson.

While too much of internet ink has been spilled on the movie and its merits/de-merits, what is rather puzzling is the use of shades by Sherlock Holmes. They were not invented in the time of Sherlock Holmes.

The movie gives ample scope for a sequels and more.

Watch the movie carefully to learn the sequence of events that unfold.

The one aspect of the movie that was rather expected, given Guy Ritchie's direction was the in-place hilarious one-liners, that both Sherlock Holmes and Dr.Watson deliver.

Both Jude Law and Robert Downey.Jr. give rather adequate performances as Dr.Watson and Sherlock Holmes, respectively.

All in all, a rather tolerable movie, worth a visit to the theater.

Shyam

Devi Theater Complex -- Chennai

2010-01-16T00:23:00.002+05:30

A few years ago, Devi Theater complex was the "in place" in Chennai.

Then they fell into a rut. The complex became more of a seedy joint, with all kinds of movies and such.

A year or so ago, they woke up to the fact that Sathyam Cinemas had re=invented themselves and were now a major force to reckon with, in Chennai.

Re-modeling efforts followed and today, they are a name to reckon with.

However, all said and done, they are still nowhere close to providing the same experience that Sathyam Cinemas does.

Firstly, the seats are rather badly positioned. You can see the head of person in the row in front of you, jutting into the movie.

Secondly, the snacks are way too expensive. Sathyam Cinemas provides a litre of coke for 65 Rs. Devi Cinemas provides you 650ml of pepsi (kids drink, more like horse's piss) for 65 Rs.

It is still hard to match the experience that Sathyam Cinemas provide for a movie goer.

The least they can do is to reduce the price of the movie tickets.

Shyam

Unbelieveable

2010-01-13T09:06:00.003+05:30

I was pinching myself in disbelief after reading this article.

25 MB a month for 10 USD ?? I pay 2 USD for the same data access here in India, and the speed is no slouch, considering the percentage of users that have a "feature" phone.

Shyam

Puzzling - Rather ironical

2010-01-08T10:26:00.002+05:30

Isn't is rather puzzling, or rather, ironical that a India Symposium is being held in Zurich ?

How are the international attendees supposed to know the ground realities when all they do is sit in plush air-conditioned rooms, sipping something ?

The best place to hold an India Symposium is India, dammit. Wake up, you moronic organizers.

Shyam

Kodaikanal to Munnar -- On a Bicycle !!

2010-01-07T10:25:00.006+05:30

If you ask most people who live away, or even in Kodaikanal, they would tell you that the way to get to Munnar, is to get to Palani, or to Theni.

However, unknown to many, there are numerous jeep paths in and around Kodaikanal that would get you to Munnar. One such road is the now closed to all kinds of activity -- Escape Road.

A few months ago, I came to know of the fact that I would have ample free time on my hands for the New Year. Aimless browsing gave me this link, an Australian (I think), who had bicycled his way from Kodaikanal to Munnar.

I thought I shall more or less try out the same. Here's a blow-by-blow account.

Day 0: In which I get my bicycle ready.

I cycled over from my house to Balaji Cycles in Saidapet, Chennai. I trust them with my cycle, a modest, or in words of other "cyclists", a lowly Hero Thunder Racer. Later in the trip, I would learn that this thing can really fly, and helped me cover around 30+ kilometers, across the mountains, in around 75 and odd minutes.

I spent sometime preparing a seat post, made out of steel (the rest of the bicycle is aluminum, which makes it feather light) and fixed it on to the bicycle. All gears were checked and found to be in proper condition.

I had a ticket for Kodaikanal with KPN travels. I cycled over to their parcel office in Gunidy to dispatch the cycle, only to be told that they have no service to Kodaikanal, and I can put the cycle on top of the bus in which I am supposed to travel.

I then cycled over to Koyambedu, and parked the cycle there. Later in the night, I put it on top of the bus and tied it up with their ropes.

Day 1: In which I laze around and take loads of pictures.

I arrived at Kodaikanal and went straight to Greenland Youth Hostel. There was a motley crew that was attempting a trek to Munnar, albeit through a different path. I met with their guide Babu. I tried picking his brain to get some tips. I then learnt about the fact that the jungle routes are more or less closed to all kinds of traffic. He advised me to take the observatory route along the roads, and promised me that the views are quite good even through that side. He advised me to get to a village called Kilavarai(also called Kalvarai by the locals) for the night, stay there, cross the hills and get to a village called Koviloor the next day, and from there on, to Top Station and Munnar.

After a quick bath, I repacked my bag and gave some of my luggage for safe keeping with the kind folks at Greenland Youth Hostel. I cycled over to the market and got myself a nice cloth rope. A cloth rope is, on any day, a better alternative to nylon ropes. A cloth rope would tighten up over time and make sure my bag is safe. I got some packets of date fruits (it would come in handy the second day) and some sweet bread. (Milka wonder cake !!)

I then started cycling towards the observatory road. It was quite steep, but not anything difficult. Once I crossed the observatory, I continued cycling towards the Governor's view point. As soon as you cross the observatory cycle for around two kilometers, and look for a road that turns right and goes towards a village called "Poomparai". When in doubt, ask for a Klavarai village. Turn right at this road.

You would need to cross a road like that. The next few hours were spent in cycling slowly, trying to drink in the views and spending as much time as possible, in taking some pictures. (It is a different matter that I suck in photography, but hey, the camera is mine and I had all the time in the world).

After about two hours, I reached the village of Poomparai, and had lunch. A simple meal of rice and vegetables. Boy, it tasted awesome. You will pass a temple like the one that you see here.

Poomparai village was quite beautiful with all the mist that was shrouding it. I was rather unhappy as there was too much mist and I could not take some more pictures as I would have liked to. I guess I would have spent an hour or so here, just watching the mist flow by.

I then started cycling towards the next village, Kaunji. I had to pass another village called Poondi, before I can get to Klavarai.

Since I was in no hurry, I was doing it in a relaxed manner.

Kaunji Village.

At around 4PM in the evening, after cycling for about 5 hours, I reached Klavarai village, a distance of around 40 kilometers. I was told that options to stay for the night were quite limited and hence, I should get back to a village called Poondi.

In Poondi village, there is a farmstay. However, since I was on a budget, I made some inquiries, and found a small hotel guy, who agreed to provide me with a bed and blanket for 200Rs. I would have to share the bathroom. I was quite okay with the arrangement. After all, I just wanted a bed, blanket, and a roof over my head to sleep for the night.

I parked my bicycle and walked around poondi village, taking some pictures.

I came back, and had a nice cold bath. I then had something to eat, and decided to get to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

Day 2: Lots of pushing and learning that my bicycle can really fly.

The idea was to get to Top Station and stay there for the day. I had a lot of time on my hands and wanted to relax on the entire trip. I started from Poondi village and my route was Nattampatti-Klavarai-The Jeep path-Koviloor-Top Station. I passed by some nice fields and birds.

I then reached the Nattampatti Village. As you reach the village, the road forks. Take the left fork. After you take the left fork, you would get to a bridge that is under construction. It seems that in monsoon, Klavarai village gets cut off from rest of Kodaikanal. You would cross this stream on which a bridge is being built.

A few hours of cycling got me to Klavari. Once you enter Klavarai, you would see a fork. A road to your left that is uphill and a road to your right that is downhill. Take the road to your left. After around 300mts or so, you would see a steep uphill path on your left. It seems that the recent November rains had destroyed the entire jeep path. The locals told me to be prepared to push my cycle till the end of the jeep path, a good 15+ kilometers. The locals also told me that it takes around three hours for them to get to Koviloor by walk. I estimated that since I stop frequently for pictures, it would take me around 5 hours. Once you start the jeep path, you need to hoist the cycle over your head and cross the path as it is extremely slushy and there is path just for one person to walk over. As soon as you start uphill, you reach a fork, where you take the right fork.

Over the next few hours, I would learn the difficulty involved in pushing the cycle over steep uphill slopes, and the difficulty involved in controlling your body and the cycle when you are negotiating a downhill slope.

However, the stunning views compensated for all the hard work that was needed.

I passed a few locals who told me that this path is soon (in the next three or four years) becoming a highway. They needed it badly as it would give them faster access to the towns, so that they can sell their agricultural produce. I then crossed over the border into Kerala. For the next few hours, I had no human contact. I was alone, enjoying the wind and the stunning views that I was able to get from the place.

After around three hours of pushing and pulling the cycle, I reached a jeep track. I cycled a bit and then found that the path was too steep, and my brakes were unable to control the cycle. Out of the 15+ kilometers for which I pushed the cycle, a better cycle (read with disc brakes) would have cut the pushing effort to 10 kilometers.

I reached Koviloor village at around 3.00PM. I had enough time to get to Top Station, as it was just 9 kilometers away. I was a bit hungry too, as I was unable to get anything for lunch. All that I had was some date fruits and some sweet bread. I was anticipating a nice bath and a large meal.

At around 4.00PM, I reached Top Station. It was covered in nice mist. And then disaster struck.

It was 31st December evening, New Year's evening. For some strange reason, there was no accommodation. I was told to get to Munnar, since the previous village, Koviloor, does not have any places to stay.

I weighed my options here. I can put my cycle onto a jeep and reach Munnar, or I can fight, and pedal my way to Munnar. I chose the latter.

I put my camera safely into its bag and vowed never to open it till I reach Munnar. I secured the bag and jumped onto my cycle.

For the next 75 or so minutes, I pedaled as hard as I could. The only target was to reach Munnar, around 35 or so kilometers away. The roads were quite good, but winding, and had enough ups and downs.

Luckily, the bicycle responded nicely. At around 5.15PM, I was steaming into Munnar town, totally drenched in sweat, and extremely hungry.

Day 3: I packed off my cycle on KPN parcel service. I had enough fun for the New Year.

Shyam

PS: The rest of the pictures are up here.

PPS: The route in a nutshell: Kodaikanal-Observatory Road-Poomparai Village-Kaunji Village-Poondi Village-Klavarai Village-Jeep Path-Koviloor Village-Top Station-Munnar, totaling a distance of approximately 120kms.

Further proof that Avatar is all about CGI

2010-01-06T09:10:00.000+05:30

This is ample proof that the movie Avatar is all about spectacular graphics, and less of a story.

Shyam

This day that age

2010-01-05T15:07:00.002+05:30

There was a chill in the January air when the boy stepped out of the bus in Koramangala, Bangalore. The forum mall that exists today was not even planned at that time. He began a short walk towards the fifth block area, where his seniors from college lived. They had agreed to have him for a brief period of time, before he found out a place for himself.

Just a few days ago, there was a wild party in his University hostel welcoming the new decade. It was the last day of the year and the last examination. He did not even concentrate on the examination. Universities are fun. The moment you score well in one semester's examinations, it was taken granted that you would score again and again. It was that way. It was fun. He heaved a bit, not because of the chill. Those memories would remain just that, memories. Over the next few years, many such moments would come back to him. Heck, even today, he speaks paeans about his hostel life.

It did not matter much to him that he had a job in his hometown. He had left that to come over to Bangalore for a new job, in what proved to be a rather fruitful move. He wanted to see the world and understand what it was going to offer him. He was, in effect, trying to extend the new found freedom that he had tasted in his hostel for the few years before he came over for a job.

He took a bus to get to Indra Nagar, the location of his job. The inner ring road connecting Koramangala to Domlur was under construction, and bus traffic was not allowed on that road. It was restricted to personal vehicles.

He was given a rather cordial welcome in his new office. He was their 300th recruit, trainee or otherwise. The new job seemed loads of fun, for it seemed to be an extension of his hostel life.

For the next nine months, he was drowned in his new job. For some strange reason, the company where he worked was trying out some uncharted territory, and he was only happy to be a part of it.

Nine months later, things subsided and he resumed his normal life, visiting friends, an occasional run in the inner ring road, visits to gym, to near by places, and of course his hometown once a while.

Visits to San Diego followed and along the way, he picked up a Master's degree from Indian Institute of Science, ran a few marathons, bicycled his way to many a place and of course, motor-biked his way to many places too.

Eight year later, while in Mexico, in a fit of nostalgia, he quits his job, and decides to get back to his hometown.

Yes, Ladies and gentlemen, it has been a full decade since the boy, yours truly, started his career. It has been a rocking roller coaster ride.

Here's to raising a toast to the next decade, a decade in which I hope to get that elusive killer app finished, sell it to someone and make boatloads of money, and retire away to the mountains.

Shyam

PS: Quite fittingly, since a good part of the "wild life" was spent in Bangalore, the "other half" is from there.

Brothers and Sisters of Kerala

2010-01-05T14:59:00.003+05:30

Firstly, Apologies to Swami Vivekananda for the title.

Now, my dear brothers and sisters of Kerala, we all know that the name of your state is inspired from coconut. Further, we also know your affinity for all products that are based on coconut. Fair enough. Oh yeah, sometimes, the food preparation based on coconuts rocks big time too, not to mention toddy. And yes, your state is the only place I think of whenever I think vacation.

But, what is rather unsettling is that horrible stench that emanates from each and everyone of you. You see all you folks have the habit of washing your hair everyday morning and coating it liberally with coconut oil. Over time, your hair gives out a rather horrible stench that sometimes gives the coovum, the holy garbage collector river of Madras, a horrible complex.

Please remember that there is something in this world called Shampoo, or if you are so very fond of natural products, shikakai herbs. Please use them once in a while to wash your hair.

For the love of Mary, please do something about it.

Shyam

PS: I was struggling hard to contain my puke as I am typing out this post. Such is that horrible stench.

New Year Resolution

2010-01-05T14:57:00.005+05:30

There are resolutions for the New Year, and there are resolutions. The only resolution that I am going to make is that, for the Marathon season 2010 (which starts August 2010 and ends February 2011), I plan to run atleast one marathon with a sub 4.30 hour timing.

Oh yes, I do plan to run my allocated quota of five marathons atleast this year (Hyderabad, Bangalore, Singapore, Bombay and Auroville).

Let's see how that goes.

Shyam

Avatar Review

2009-12-18T10:55:00.002+05:30

Much ink, or rather, internet ink, has been spilled over the new language and other finer details of the Avatar movie. Hence, I shall restrict this review to detailing out my observations about the movie.

1. The first question that came to my movie as I continued watching it was: Where is the power supply ? Towards the end of the movie, when the avatar creating cabin is kept inside an isolated part of the forest, where does the power supply come from ? Cinematic license, eh James Cameron ?

2. Much of Avatar seems to be heavily inspired from Matrix. The way they switch bodies and stuff. That makes one wonder about James Cameron's claim of incubating this movie for a long time. Pre-release publicity James Cameron ??

3. The claim made at the start of the movie is that the 10 ft tall creature is created using a combination of human DNA and the DNA of the natives. Now, the question that arises in my mind is this: when the 10ft tall creatures get into the forest and mix with the natives, how or what do they use to transfer the images back ? In one scene they show Sam Worthington recording his observations manually. In another scene, they show the images that he saw while he was in the 10ft creature avatar. Puzzling isn't it ? Not exactly.

Now, Avatar in Sanskrit means descent from heaven to earth, or loosely, changing forms. The Hindu Philosophy has known about this for ages and the Hindu mythology is full of stories where the activities in one avatar is recollected by another. If we use that notion of Avatar, point 3 can be easily explained.

Much of the movie, like Matrix before, tilts strongly towards Hindu philosophy.

While the last scene may look silly, childish and predictable to many, if you understand what Avatar exactly means, it fits in perfectly in the whole scheme of things.

Watch it especially for the brilliant special effects. James Cameron, as usual, has spent enough time in building up the story and characters. While one does get a feeling that he has rushed through the ending, there is no other way in which he could have ended the movie.

None of the actors seem to have had any major screen time to say that they have performed outstandingly. However, Sigrouney weaver does seem to have made sure that she is noticed amongst all the other star cast.

Shyam

PS: Now, why do I get a feeling that this movie would topple out Vijay's Vettaikaran, given that Avatar is having a tamil dubbed release ??

PPS: 2012, released in four Indian languages (English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu), grossed more here in India, than in United States.

Google Nexus One

2009-12-16T09:36:00.002+05:30

As I read this article about Nexus one, I could not help but thinking about the myopic nature of the author's observations.

He concentrates only on United States and its carriers, and in doing so, he falters miserably. He has obviously forgotten about two, or rather three bellwethers, India, China and Brazil.

All that Google needs to do is to source out the phone from Taiwan, make it available online in India and China for a reasonable 200-300 USD. The volumes that this phone will sell will definitely make up for the price point reduction that Google needs to do.

A half decent Android device, if obtained through legal means, would cost around 500 USD in India. If Google were to price its Nexus one competitively, it would be easier for them to sell it here.

This is surely the easiest way to push up Android's popularity in India. Given that the 3G spectrum's auctions are coming up in January 2010, this move would surely drive up Google's advertising revenues.

Shyam

PS: Hey Google, if you want someone to write an unbiased review of your Nexus one tailored to Indian markets, you know the buttons to push ;-)

Bangalore Midnight Marathon

2009-12-13T09:52:00.003+05:30

Bangalore Midnight Marathon was hunted down in 2:15. Considering that I had aimed for a 2:06 finish, I am not all that disappointed with the time. A few points:

1. The course was a bit boring, but had almost 1 KM of uphill and 1KM of downhill. The 2 KM lap was to be done 10 times.

2. The Domino's pizza joint along the course did roaring business. The Mexican green wave is probably one of the better pizzas that Domino's makes.

Now, the full marathon in Bombay beckons, and in probability, the full marathon in Auroville too.

Shyam

In Bangalore

2009-12-12T16:50:00.002+05:30

I am in Bangalore to do the Bangalore Midnight Marathon. Yes, we must be a bunch of crazies to run on a Saturday night when all, or rather, most parts of Bangalore would be drowned in some or other form of alcohol. Well, that is a runner for you !

Shyam

PS: Needless to say, the traffic sucks and sucks big time. The roads are filled with Saturday idiots -- idiots who have just bought a car, are learning to drive it, and take it out only on Saturday's and Sunday's.

Memories

2009-11-30T11:56:00.002+05:30

Before I got bit by the travel bug, a typical weekend, if I am in Madras, would mean relaxing in front of the Television and getting myself stuffed with all the nonsense they show in the name of a movie.

Last weekend, I managed to reprise it. I was, as usual, doing my channel surfing thing, where you do not see any movie in full.

This song was playing in some obscure channel.

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Track details

eSnips Social DNA

It suddenly stuck a chord in me. I have heard it for sure. The orchestration and interludes seemed so similar to Illayaraja's.

Google to the rescue.

This song is from the movie Ullathil Nalla Ullam, some obscure movie starring Vijayakanth and Radha, scored by Gangai Amaran, Illayaraja's brother (music does seem to be in their genes). It was directed by current comedian, Manivannan. Obviously enough, with just a few scenes, I could judge that the movie must have sank without a trace.

I then started racking my memory for a time frame in which I have listened to this song. I know for sure that I have listened to it sometime ago, but I was unable to place it.

And then it came to me in a flash. I was studying eleventh grade when Radio Ceylon picked up some real momentum and use to play some nice songs. That is my first recollection of listening to this song.

Shyam

PS: NO. I am not making up about my memories. I can still reel of some really obscure songs which I have been searching for years. Here is one: "O radha O radha, kooda va; poomalai naan thanae soodava; kadhal ennum mandhiram, kaadhil sonna kannanae;". I will post one such song, which I was successful in collecting, tomorrow.

PPS: Gowri Manohari is another of those obscure movies with nice songs that I remember about. However, victory is mine, and I have all those songs, thanks to some Sri Lankans living in Norway.

PPPS: That is the power of Illayaraja, or rather, his family, or, oh well, the musicians of 80's.

Near miss

2009-11-25T09:01:00.003+05:30

This is Thusharagiri falls, near Wayanad. It was raining by the time we reached the waterfall. The bottom right corner has a rock on which a few friends of mine were standing and enjoying the waterfalls, striking various poses and getting themselves caught on camera. I was squatting somewhere near the bottom left corner, holding on to a log that was wedged in and relishing a dip in the cold water.

Suddenly the log moved. I looked up and saw water gushing out possibly due the earlier rains.

90 seconds later the waterfall looked like this.

Notice the bottom right corner awash with water.

Two friends of mine were almost swept away. Fortunately enough, I was able to hold on to both of them. I had to go underwater and hoist the last guy to safety before I pulled myself back onto the bank.

Oh yeah, it definitely *was* fun.

Shyam

Positive Thinking

2009-11-24T08:51:00.003+05:30

A 75 year old doctor lost his leg to a disease. He was crushed. He could not longer do whatever he wanted to do. He retreated into a corner, and became more inclusive.

Kids have a strange way of making everyone open up to them. Along came a 7 year old kid and started talking to the doctor. Halfway into the conversation, the kid tried making the doctor walk along with him. The doctor resisted as much as he could.

Finally, with much hesitation, he pointed to his wooden leg and said that he cannot walk or do whatever he wanted to do.

The kid replied with much glee -- "Same pinch". It had a wooden leg too.

No prizes for guessing that shortly after that, the doctor returned to his normal life, and became a vocal advocate of pursuing your normal life even when you miss a leg.

That is the power of positive thinking.

Sometimes, in our rush to live our lives, we never pause and see the world around us. There is so much to learn from little kids.

Shyam

PS: Yes, this is a real life incident of a friend of mine. The old man is my friend's father and the kid was some random kid that popped into their house, supposedly the kid of some friends friend.

PPS: Yes, even doctors get depressed. They are humans too.

Chrome OS and Enterprise

2009-11-20T09:07:00.002+05:30

As I read articles about Chrome OS, I cannot help thinking that this might be Google's way to get into enterprises.

How ? Well, the enterprises of today buy a volume license from Microsoft, create a pre-defined image and use it across all workstations.

Tomorrow, they just need to download a version of Chrome OS, add a few configuration settings to point to their internal clouds for data storage, and voila, cost reduction. Which manager in the world would not want that ?

If I were Microsoft, instead of brushing away Chrome OS, I would take some serious action here. Given that Microsoft has now been forced to open up the file format for outlook, it is just a matter of time before native outlook clients spring up for Linux. Further, the OpenXchange project is now gearing up for a drop in replacement for Microsoft's cash cow; exchange server.

Approximately a decade ago, when I started my career, I was personally convinced that some day people would stop paying for software as a product. It is quite possible that I did not posses enough convincing abilities to convert that instinct into a business idea, which lead to me being the butt of ridicule of so many people. Well, it is news like these that make me feel vindicated.

I repeat whatever I said at that time; open source is an idea whose time has finally come.

Shyam

Walking in the Rain

2009-11-03T09:24:00.002+05:30

It has been many many years since I walked in the rain with an umbrella in hand and avoiding puddles of water that have collected on the road. May be that is what moving up in life means -- you loose track of these simple pleasures.

Well, who else but Illayaraja will come to mind when it pours down ? Check out this song that came to my mind in a flash as I was walking in the rain today.

Incidentally, this song is not even a song that is sung in the rain, like this one is.

Shyam

Chocolate Krishna

2009-11-03T09:20:00.003+05:30

Crazy Mohan's latest play, Chocolate Krishna, is quite decent. It has quite a few predictable jokes and quite a few of their usual timing jokes.

All in all, it was an evening well spent.

A few interesting things noted during the play:

1. It was a Sunday evening and the hall was full. I must check out some other play to see if anyone else have the same kind of patronage. I am sure S.Ve.Shekar has the same kind of fan following, but I have to see the other troupes to judge it.

2. Madhu Balaji, who plays the lead role in this play, must be one of the most coolest guys ever. Till fifteen minutes before the play began, he was outside the hall chatting away with his friends, extending welcomes to a few others, and what not. I was rather amazed to see that in spite of that, his dialog delivery was flawless. Well, that is experience I guess.

Shyam

10 year old Surya in Aadhavan

2009-10-18T18:50:00.002+05:30

The 10 year old Surya in Aadhavan is a major let-down. It is a fine example of what can go wrong with computer graphics.

1. The director should have removed the bushy eyebrows.
2. They should have at-least morphed a photograph of a 10 year old Surya and not a contemporary image.

Three reasons why Aadhavan is a must watch:

1. Vadivelu
2. VADIvelu
3. VADIVELU.

IMHO, he is any day better than Vivek, simply because of his body language.

Shyam

Andhi Varum Neram

2009-10-10T20:26:00.004+05:30

This is another of Illayaraja's rather un-noticed and an amazing composition. Just notice the soothing and amazing flute that comes out after the "Yedhedho mogham", and during the first charanam.

None of the instruments that are used throughout the song make you even think that they could have been synthesized. They just sound pure and original. I think that is why even after 25 long years, this song sound fresh.

Oh yes, once again, as was the case with so many stunning songs that Illayaraja produced, this one has a rather bad video. But hey, at a time when a radio was the dominant mode of getting to know the songs, did it really matter ?

Shyam

ஆணியே புடுங்க வேண்டாம்

2009-10-09T03:41:00.001+05:30

நீ புடுங்கற அணி எல்லாமே தேவை இல்லாத ஆணி தான் !!!!

Now that is comedy !!

Co-Incidence ?

2009-09-21T18:00:00.002+05:30

2003 - I travel all the way from San Diego to Virginia in February to meet up with a classmate from School. We hang out in Washington D.C the first day. The remaining two days are buried under snow. History's second worst snow storm, the President's day snow storm catches up with us.

2009 - I am now in Atlanta and it has its worst floods in 30 years. The lake behind my office is full to the brim.

A word of caution to all drivers on the road: Most of your cars, in addition to the "D" on the gear shit panel, would also have a "L" and/or an "I". While you would not even know what it is to be used for, use it now. It would increase the torque on your engine, thereby keeping the water out of your exhaust pipes. The easiest way to prevent your cars from skidding, or getting your exhaust system flooded with water, is to provide your engines with higher torque. I saw at-least 3 cars skid off the road into the gravel today morning.

Shyam

Linkin Park New Divide

2009-09-09T20:54:00.002+05:30

As soon as I heard the song "New Divide" by Linkin park on the radio (If you are in Atlanta, try listening to either 97.1 for classical hits, or 97.9 for alternate music), I could recollect that I have heard the song somewhere, but I was not able to place it.

Youtube to the rescue.

That song is a part of Transformers-2 movie. A decent movie, worth a watch.

Here is the song

Healthcare in America

2009-09-06T16:13:00.002+05:30

Dear brothers and sisters of America,
Amidst all this discussions about fixing health care system in America, all that you need to think is this; how is it that I can fly to Cuba, India, or even Europe, get myself cured, and fly once again for a follow-up and yet, have enough money in my bank, when compared to getting myself cured here in my home country ?

Further more, if I need to go to a doctor, why do I need to go through a middle man; the insurance company ? When there is a urge to eliminate the middle men in all spheres, why should health care -- the most important of them all, have middle men ?

Think about it.

Shyam

PS: Acknowledgments for the title to Swami Vivekanada.

American Cars and Fuel Consumption

2009-09-01T06:05:00.002+05:30

The Ford fusion has a fuel tank that can hold around 25 gallons of fuel. A Mitsubishi Gallant also has a fuel tank that can hold 25 gallons of fuel.

A Ford fusion is a compact car, meaning small car. A Mitsubishi Gallant is a mid size car.

QED. This is why I keep saying that American car makers have no idea on what it means to be fuel efficient.

It is a pity that a lot of moronic Indians, still swear by these cars, especially, Ford Ikon, Ford Fusion and the more recent Chevrolet Spark. IMHO, cars made by American car manufacturers must be burnt at stake.

As simple as that.

Shyam

Red Hill Ooty

2009-08-30T00:55:00.001+05:30

red-hill-tea-estate-hdr1
Originally uploaded by shyamk

Ooty is, without doubt, a fabulous place to be. Especially if you choose your locations wisely. This is the Red Hill Tea estate, Ooty. The house that is see in the center of the picture is where you would be staying.

nilgiri-insect-catcher

2009-08-30T00:51:00.001+05:30

nilgiri-insect-catcher
Originally uploaded by shyamk

The nilgiri insect catcher bird. rare. highly endangered. A minute ago there were the male and female brids on the same branch. by the time I adjusted my camera, one was gone.

Perceptions

2009-08-29T19:53:00.002+05:30

In the flight to Atlanta from Frankfurt, I was rather blessed with some nice company in form of a gentleman in my next seat. Much hilarity and dry throat ensued over the 10 hours as we kept on talking about one issue and another. It would suffice to say that I felt like I was back in REC hostel, talking away till the wee hours of morning, without any real significance. Over the next few days, I shall try to post up on some of the observations that we made.

Perceptions are funny. We tend to make them because it is impossible to analyze the entire sample space. A perfect example is ice-cream. There is Ben-Jerry's, blue bell and what not. In fact there could be more. But the one ice cream that rules them all is Hagen Daaz. If you have not tasted it and yet you claim that Ben&Jerry's is good, I promise to buy you a big tub of Hagen Daaz. I am sure you will never ever claim that Ben&Jerry's or any other two bit ice-cream is worth its sugar.

So, all you American's honking about Ben&Jerry's or Blue bell, please taste Hagen Daaz.

Shyam

PS: This was the first of the points that came up in my conversation with that gentleman. I know he will be reading this blog, but hey, what the blazes.

st-marys-island

2009-08-20T07:42:00.001+05:30

st-marys-island
Originally uploaded by shyamk

St.Mary's Island, Udupi.

green-lands-view-1-1

2009-08-20T07:41:00.001+05:30

green-lands-view-1-1
Originally uploaded by shyamk

A view from Greenlands Youth Hostel Kodaikanal.

Shah Rukh Khan detained in Newark Airport

2009-08-17T09:15:00.002+05:30

I read with much amusement the news that Shah Rukh Khan was detained at the airport and questioned for over two hours. What gave me my daily dose of humor was the "outrage" expressed by the media, especially CNN-IBN and other two bit, worthless news channels.

Firstly, he is just a citizen of this country. Nothing more, nothing less. He is not a president. In fact, when Abdul Kalam was searched, right here in India, nothing of this sort erupted. Among all this, a saner voice comes from the most unexpected angle; Harbajan Singh.

Get real folks. He has been searched. He is among the thousands of Indians and citizens of other countries, being searched by that brainless and dull headed personnel over at TSA (Transport and Security Administration) and DHS (Department of Homeland Security). It is a different matter that those folks can, at best, provide knee-jerked reactions, causing inconvenience to both Americans and outsiders traveling within and into America.

A few years ago, a star of much higher stature and acting talent was subject to the same hardship. No prizes for guessing, it is indeed Kamal Hassan. He was detained and searched. Where was all this media fury and hype ? Why, even Aamir Khan was questioned.

So, you stupid media personnel, please stop acting like the TSA and DHS folks (flogging dead horses) and try to get something constructive out of this.

A worthless actor does not deserve such brouhaha.

Shyam

Resolutions

2009-08-13T09:11:00.002+05:30

There are resolutions and there are resolutions.

Beginning Independence day weekend, I resolve to be a bit more frequent with my online presence (You know, the twitter, facebook and all that jazz).

I have been maddeningly busy with my professional life (no, that is not an excuse, but an answer to the most obvious question).

So, do expect regular posting on this blog from now.

Shyam

waves-1

2009-08-13T09:10:00.001+05:30

waves-1
Originally uploaded by shyamk

Waves bouncing off the rocks at St.Mary's Island, Udupi.

Michael Jackson is Dead

2009-06-26T05:43:00.003+05:30

I still remember it as if it was yesterday. My father bought ever the first ever cassette player to my home. It was 1993. Along with that cassette player came the tape "Dangerous". That was probably the first ever English song that I listened to in my home. I can off hand recall the lyrics of the song "Why you wanna trip on me" and "Dangerous" and "Keep it in the closet". I can tell you off hand the lyrics of all those songs.

Well, for most of us who grew up in 80's and 90's Michael Jackson was *the* pop icon. Heck, when I was in school, there was a senior who was so fond of Michael Jackson, that she was nicknamed Jayanthi Jackson, where Jayanthi was her real name.

Michael Jackosn is dead. Rest in peace whacko Jacko. For all that has been said and done, you did revolutionize the entire pop music industry.

Shyam

Where it all began

2009-06-02T10:06:00.001+05:30

This is where it all began

Birthday wishes to King Illayaraja and Manirathnam. While I still think that Manirathnam is an over rated director, there cannot be any kind of argument to the fact that there is only one Illayaraja.

Shyam

Quentin Tarantino is back !

2009-05-21T08:42:00.002+05:30

Inglourious Basterds is having its premier in Cannes.

Of course, I am quite sure that this movie cannot be seen in Theaters in India. There would be too many censorship issues. In fact, a original VCD of Jackie Brown was pathetic to watch because of too many words being blocked out.

So, time to ask someone returning from abroad for a copy !

Shyam

LTTE Prabakharan

2009-05-20T08:53:00.003+05:30

Now that Prabakharan is dead, a vast majority of politicians in TamilNadu are left without a poll plank and a election meeting rhetoric.

While I am maintaining a neutral stand on the whole issue, in my opinion, LTTE lost whatever international support and political backing they could get with the assassination of their targets outside the Sri Lankan soil. The first was the murder of ERPLF leader Padmanabha in Madras and the second, of Rajiv Gandhi, once again near Madras.

Fighting for your cause using terror or peace is one thing, assassinating your opponents outside your soil is another thing. These two do not mix. This is amply evident from the last few days of the war between Sri Lankan army and LTTE. I did not see any international committee or country trying to step in and stop the fighting. While many might argue that the LTTE was betrayed by India, that kind of an argument fails to pass muster.

The Tamil minority population in Sri Lanka may have suffered at the hands of the Sinhalese majority. However, it is indeed pitiful that they became a collateral in the war between LTTE and the Sri Lankan army, with either sides playing a blame game.

If history taught us anything, it did teach us that as long as you choose a sword to fight for your cause, that cause never gets fulfilled. However, there are two shining examples of what can be achieved when you choose the opposite path for your cause, Gandhi and Nelson Mandela.

There is a Samurai saying I remember reading somewhere: "History of any war is written after the battle has been fought", meaning, any history of a war is the account of the man who stands living after the war.

Go here to know more about Black July and the real history behind the war. A more neutral account is up here.

Shyam

IPL 2009 - Prediction

2009-05-20T08:51:00.002+05:30

Much to the shock and awe of most of us watching IPL, I think Royal Challengers Bangalore is going to win this edition of IPL. As for Chennai Super Kings, well, as long as Nitini warms their benches, it is going to be a tough ask for them.

Shyam

Small vs Big

2009-05-11T09:55:00.003+05:30

Joel on software has this interesting article on why B&H photo video store thrives even today.

I have my simple reasoning for this. Two years ago I bought my Nikon D40 DSLR from them. Till today, I get a book catalog from them, through international mail. While many, why even I would argue that this constitutes waste of paper, on a different level, I think this is their way of saying "We remember you". No prizes for guessing the store I have been recommending to all my friends out there who want to get good stuff. It is B&H photo video store.

Nice.

Shyam

Sign of things to come ?

2009-05-08T11:35:00.002+05:30

I never expected government behemoths like LIC of India to take the online route quite seriously. Paying the premium of my policy was a breeze. Good. The best thing is that I need not go to the branch and pay it.

Shyam

tiger-1

2009-04-20T09:08:00.001+05:30

tiger-1
Originally uploaded by shyamk

Taken in tholpetty wildlife sanctuary. I was so excited on seeing it just around 10ft away from me. My SLR kept focusing on the leaves and bushes in front of it that I could not get a good shot.

10 Years of Matrix Movie - The Matrix Revolutions explained

2009-04-08T14:43:00.001+05:30

This is the third part of three part series that aims to explain the all time classic movie - Matrix.

Standard disclaimer is that I did not write this series and I received this from a friend of mine quite sometime ago.

Shyam

The Matrix Revolutions

When Neo awakens in the Mobile Ave subway station of the Trainman he meets the programs Rama Kandra, his wife Kamala and their daughter Sati. Rama and his wife aren't just programs like the Merovingian and Persephone, but machines from the real world plugged into the Matrix. Machines can jack in. This was touched upon in Peter Chung's wonderful Animatrix short "Matriculated." They often plug in and take the guise of humans to insure the operation of the system. From their studies of humans and the previous Reloads of the system many machine have grown to love. Together Rama and Kamala created offspring, a program in the form of their daughter. But Sati serves no purpose and if they don't send her away she will be deleted by the machines. So they made a deal with the Merovingian for Sati to live with the Oracle. This act touches Neo who realizes that the machines are not evil but as capable of love as humans are.

Neo doesn't have his powers because he's not in the Matrix and his software cannot interact with this form of limbo. The Merovingian hoped this would happen because he too knew that Neo would walk out on the Architect. He knew of Neo's attachment to Trinity because his wife Persephone told him. The Merovingian himself is an interesting character, representing Hades, God of
the Underworld "a trafficker of information." You see the machines have allowed the Merovingian's secret society to exist because he is harmless and can be called upon for all the dirty little secrets and information they need, ultimately helping the system work. It's possible he may be a previous One or was one of the first malfunctioning rogue programs. Think of it as the FBI calling on the help of organized crime once in a while. He's allowed to have his safe haven for rogue programs such as the Trainman and the Twins and control of many programmer access points (back doors) so long as he doesn't threaten the system. The machines must definitely share a
relationship with him otherwise he would not have encountered Neo's predecessors or survived a Matrix Reload.

It also appears that Seraph may have worked for the Merovingian but I suspect their previous encounter was due to the fact that Seraph was the previous One. When Neo fights him in the Teahouse they match each other's every move to a standstill. Seraph does this to be sure Neo is the One. Also notice how when Seraph first shows up at Club Hel in "Revolutions" one of the bouncers says "Look, it's Wingless." or something like that. He's referring to the fact that Seraph is now an Angel with no wings having given up his power to Reload the Matrix just as Neo was supposed to.

Let's talk about the relationship between Neo and Agent Smith. The Oracle tells Neo that Smith has become his opposite, his negative. A result of the equation trying to balance itself out. Why did Neo jump into Smith to destroy him at the end of the original film? Neo probably doesn't know why himself, but I suspect that he was drawn to him like a magnet. As soon as Neo discovered his powers he did this act. It appears that Smith was supposed to be Neo's opposite all along. When Smith interrogated Morpheus in the original film he confessed that he "wanted out of this zoo." He was already growing too human and was on the path to becoming Neo's negative. He wanted to be disconnected from the system as evident when he takes out his earpiece during the interrogation. Smith's fellow agents are surprised to see his ear piece removed (Agent Brown: "What are you doing?") and if they suspected Smith's true feelings they may have sent him back to the source for deletion from the system since he was malfunctioning. Neo was drawn to jumping into Smith because the equation was trying to balance itself. The replicating program from the cookie may have copied on to him as well.

Now that Smith is reborn like Neo with some of his code written on to him he doesn't want to just be deleted from the system but shut down the system and everything else. His hatred for mankind is now equaled by his hatred for his machine creators. If Neo is the positive side of the equation then Smith is the negative with the desire to destroy everything. "I want what you want
Mr. Anderson. I want everything." When Neo is blinded by Agent Smith in Bane's body he gets a grip of how connected to the machines he really is and can see them for what they really are.

Neo knows that Smith has grown out of control and the machines can't delete him from the system. Having assimilated everyone in the Matrix, including the Oracle, Smith threatens the system, the minds plugged in and the machine world itself. The machines will lose their crops or powers source and eventually the virus that is Smith will infect them as well. To prove to the machines that peace can be reached with their creators, the human race, Neo makes a deal that if he can defeat Smith, a compromise will be reached. He needs their help to jack in because he still hasn't mastered the ability to do it alone. Only after battling it out with Smith does Neo realizes that the solution is simple. Smith tells Neo during the final moments "What a minute, I've seen this before. You were laying right there and I was standing here. And I say, everything that has a beginning has an end Neo. Wait, what did I say?" The answer is it isn't Smith who's saying this but the Oracle who Smith assimilated. When Smith assimilated the Oracle in her kitchen he laughed hysterically because he saw her vision of him defeating Neo. He would finally accomplish what he couldn't for so long and had made him so bitter: the destruction of the One. Smith has treated Neo with much disdain and never actually called him Neo. Smith is puzzled and scared because someone is speaking through him. The Oracle spoke this phrase to Neo before and what she was referring to was the war. It would end whether both sided survived or not. If Neo is +1 the positive side of the equation and Smith is -1 the negative side then when they are added together the sum is zero, which is what Neo does when he allows Smith to assimilate him. By
doing so he has effectively opened a backdoor for the machines to delete Smith from the system through him. The machines are affected by Neo's sacrifice and decide to recall their attacking army from Zion, ending the war and carrying out the Oracle's plan.

A truce has been made but as the Architect indicates to the Oracle it may be a temporary one. Mankind has a habit of sh**ting where they eat and the Oracle will have to become a mediator between man and machine to ensure that they work together to rebuild the Earth, un-scorch the skies and live in peace. How long will it last? "As long as it can," the Oracle says. The
first step has been made, the rest is up to man and machine. Even though the Oracle can predict the outcome of variables or events she didn't see all of this happening as she tells Seraph. But thanks to Neo and his dedication, "I believed." "For what it's worth, you've made a believer out of me."