Inky Pinky Ponky!

Phew!! What a so-called debate it was! Happy that it is over and happy that corruption has surfaced yet again in Parliament circles. Does anyone deny that Indian politics is beyond the reach of Gandhi's smiling rupee notes? Well - you need to consult a doctor for sure. Dont live in a mirage!!

Having followed the proceedings on this confidence motion and the frantic efforts taken to buy votes, one can clearly understand why the country aka India is in such a fantastic state of affairs. The people at the helm are so flexible when it comes to policies, that money factor is the real policy driving mantra. If this were the case, how would the common man benefit?

Firstly, I dont see how the two day proceedings can be termed as a debate. Most of the time, it was only one person speaking and there were either too many rebuttals that the session was adjourned or no one cared to respond back in a responsible manner. This was more of a waste of time. Most of India's politicians hardly know what is nuclear energy leave alone the need for it. In such a situation, people voting beyond party lines was only because of the sudden surge in their bank accounts or because of their perceived opportunism cometh the upcoming elections.

It resembled a desperate act in a reality show, with every parliamentarian aware of the 24/7 media following the debate. MPs who came out to take a break or to have some food, were hounded for some sound bites and they readily offered to speak whatever they wanted and "flash news" was the order of the day!!

The average intelligent indian - if ever did exist - will realise that no country has a clean democracy and hence one shouldnt expect too high standards from India's elite governing league as well. But then, is this how we are going to benchmark our MPs - who are supposed to represent individual constituencies of this country?! For example - how many of these MPs actually went to the constituency they represent and talked about this deal and reflected that in their vote? NONE.

Though the people of the country vote for politicians, it is the political party's dictum they have to adhere to. This is so ironic and leaves the people totally out of the loop on decisions which are going to impact them in every way! Ofcourse, I am not talking only about the nuclear deal, while placing this argument. Any decision which is to be taken by these MPs gets aligned on party lines, so what happens to the participation of people in the decision making process?

As long as channels like CNN-IBN are afraid to join hands with the people in highlighting corruption amongst the MPs and trying to pave the way for a cleaner society, the helpless lot of democracy - namely people - will only have to sit back and pray for their fate.

Private governance is much better than this public drama of 'Inky Pinky Ponky - I vote for a Nukey!' One thing that we have been assured of by this immoral display in the confidence motion, the country is not running because of these law makers. It is up and running despite them! So long as the wheels dont come off, no one wants to get out of the vehicle and check it upfront nor do they have a mechanism of doing it!!

I can safely tell myself, in my lifetime, I have also seen the day when politicians turned prostitutes! This unexpected day has also come and gone! You never know whats going to happen next. :((

The Birthday Wish!

'Mind the Gap'.
Three words familiar to anyone who has spent time in London. Words, in my current geographical location, have absolutely no meaning. Chennai is the epitome of 'Chaos theory' what with the vehicles on the road, each following their own rules. There is virtually no gap to mind or maybe the gap is so negligible that one just has to mind it else its an accident in the making!

Wimbledon to Velachery has been a transition marred by antonyms. Ofcourse the economic latitudes are different in both places and the 'quality' of life is where it all hits back, in effect.
Somehow, the switch has happened. Work parameters have changed, new team mates to work with, new things to learn and to top it all, new challenges.

Always believed that working in London was really tough, with the immediate deadlines and the delivery expectations - but having spent a quarter of an year in my role - lo behold, and there was the truth!!!

How my week starts and how it ends, can only be felt, if recorded live. In all this funfare, I have left behind a lot of things which I used to do regularly in London, one of them being blogging. The other being cricket. There is just about no time to think of those things in my current diary. All my appointments are full - if possible, should try for an exceptional approval with God to extend the duration of one day by atleast another 4 hours.

That way, 'yours sincerely' can deliver what one asketh for!

A few hi's and bye's to what used to be my normal friend circle - thats another area which is dying by the minute. Soon, it will be left to only reminiscing about the good old times and not much of sustaining it. How the world can change, how things can come to the opposite extreme, I really wonder. Surely knew that this day would come, but never did realise it would come soon and with what impact.

The sun is never the same I enjoyed while playing cricket. 'The British Summer' would never come again. On my trip to Scotland, some years ago, the guide remarked - 'In Scotland, one can see all four seasons in one day'.

To adapt it a bit - 'In Chennai, one can see summer all through the year'.

A quarter later, I can feel for all that I miss. One fact outclasses it all. Pondicherry, my birthplace, is just a couple of hours drive from here and with very similar climatic conditions. The Pilani connection brought with it, even tougher extremes. London probably was an exception in my Carbon footprint. Now that the correction has been implemented, its back to the basics, back to the future's past.

Having watched 'Dasavatharam' oflate, am mind-boggled with 10 roles, but needless to say, there are FOUR in mine. The office worker who has more to do in less time; the baby sitter who loves to take care of his daughter; the sportsman who has lost his cricketing lifestyle (but is still catching 'Chennai mosquitos' and keeping his fielding instincts intact) and the family man who is reviving his lost contact with relatives.

If role number FIVE will evolve, will become clearer soon. Hope the Script Writer is listening! On my birthday today, this truly is what I can best wish for!!!!!

Defining Infinity!

In south India, typically Jackie Chan movies were always enjoyed by one and all - for the gravity defying pace of action stunts and in recognition of the fact that Jackie himself used to do all these stunts. This being a welcome change from what the Indian heroes could muster!

Once the action sequences started, it was quite like every single second, something was happening - new, different and captivating!

These aspects can be very well related to one other movie which we are all acting in. The movie of our office life. A typically IT person's day starts off with a few pleasanteries, introduction shot of the hero/heroine getting ready to go to work...and then the first action scene is on the road - as they find their way through 'auto' goons and 'bus' rowdies and finally reach office as one unit.

Then comes the real twist in the story. Its always a new deadline, a new problem or simply put - good old goondas! Fighting your way through each and every such baddie does take a lot of toll on yourself, emotionally, physically and in some lateral ways - financially! Finally, round one is over and its lunch time - movie interval.

Just like we have in the test matches, the session after lunch is the longest of the day - and this is where we get emotional scenes. The constant routine takes its toll on the lead characters and how they come out of this, is very much the central plot. The manager typically plays the 'mogambo' role, always ensuring that work is delegated, be it - emails, phone calls or even through the 'dummy' team lead.

Finally, the sun heads west and the story draws to a logical conclusion. For some, it might mean their love has been fought and conquered, love for the job and the purse, ofcourse. For others, it might end with sacrificing their time for a lost cause, hefty bar bills and maybe some time off alone, on a philosophical touch. For the majority though, its just another role. Like Vijayakanth or Mithun. For the western world, this would be Madonna or Britney Spears. (What they do daily, be it silly songs or hyped controversies, its always the same everyday!)

Nothing different from yesterday, nor from tomorrow!

The madhouse called 'office' has just taken off through the roof, what with India being the hub of most services' projects from different continents and oceans. 'Services' in itself is a relative term and quite often doesnt have a quantifiable limit to it. In short, its always more than what you do; clients never know how to spell 'satisfaction' and the managers always know how to stretch 'targets'.

Some of my friends are battling it out every day like the war against the 'aliens', believing everyday would be their last 'independence day' fight. This blog is DEDICATED to all those sincere souls, to all those who work hard, sometimes go home and connect and work through the night, WITHOUT FOOD AT TIMES, WITHOUT REST MOSTLY!

Infinity has been defined in our office framework quite clearly. It is the unsatisfiable yet definitive quest for achieving 20/20 excellence, in the midst of short term 'ones and twos' and the final 5 overs 'boundaries'. When the personal memoirs of IT folks start to flow out, thats when the rest of the world will know what it is means as 'defining infinity'.

A Diamond to shine!

They say, every message, every thought, comes at the right point of time; certainly indeed to the right person. Its never a second late or early - at the same time, its not to your neighbour or to your relative.

Attempting to 'file life' into specific areas of reasoning or analytically adapting once's senses to interpret incidents around us is one 'divine' difficulty in this materialistic world of ours. Having got the time to do that, and to reach out to others to help with the decoding of the DNA of our life's chronology of incidents, there indeed seems to be some ultimate motive behind it all.

The drama we enact, has a racy screenplay, only that we know it only scene by scene. Aspirations on knowing how it will all end or how it could end is mostly beyond the powers of human comprehension. Or atleast thats where the limits of our 'conscious comprehension' end.

The journey of our souls - transmeating across different body forms - as explained in my earlier blog - 'Sarvam Anityam'; is indeed graded against certain levels of understanding or competence, forming the 'cut-off' point for moving to the next stage of enlightenment. All of us reading this blog, are in one such phase. Quite certain, most dont know or dont realise this, difference between 'knowing' and 'realising' detailing the fine line of 'reviving one's inner divinity'.

Its just like a switch in us, which lights our soul, making it look beyond the materialistic world and even beyond the reach of flesh and blood. That superior purpose is why we are all living for.
A millionaire never necessarily will influence the gradation of his life's value against that ultimate purpose of learning. Nor would a poor man have a quota towards the same.

Its all fair in life. To one and all.

Tough to defend in a scientific discussion, hard to prove in day light - there indeed exists a concept called 'reincarnation'. The closest we come to this, is in certain movies. But the reality is we are all acting in one such 'reincarnated' role, in one such mega movie; OURSELVES. For some, it may be just a few times, for others the time taken might be longer. But in all, we are all donning a new face, a new set of human relations, a new set of situations. The core US is still the same.

'Dasavatharam' or ten avatars (in translation) is probably the minimum number of reincarnations one soul has to undertake. For the journey to purfying it, isnt easy and takes time and effort, in the right direction and at the right time. We all have a diamond inside us. The same size, same shape. The effort into purifying our souls, manifests itself into 'shining one face of this diamond'. Thats simply why, one person is different from the other. The number of surfaces shining in one, will not be the same as the other. But in effect, we are all the same, when we reach the final act of 'complete purification'.

Aatman or the 'living soul' can become Paramatman or the 'ultimate soul'. Just a word needs to change here. Time taken would simply be a minimum of 'Dasavatharam'. Not only for Kamal Hassan, for the rest as well.

The power of ONE!

The Indian Premier League started off some weeks back with a lot of frenzy, hype and hips. What with the media grabbing every single four, six and slap as part of the mainstream national news, the cheer gals doing the rest. In the middle of all this ruckus, the core element was to compete on a cricketing field and compete well.

The teams which were created were fairly distinct in their composition, some banked on the icon players, some on youngsters, and most others on foreign players. Before it all began, Hyderabad was considered as probably the strongest team, Chennai coming a good second. Mumbai, Bangalore were so-so and Rajasthan was even considered an 'also-ran'. Delhi, Kolkata and Punjab where neither great nor hopeless.

All this on paper.

'Start the music' and then comes into fore the reality of the matter. From paper to execution, the kind of distinct progress and failures, which the different teams have made, is monumental. Hyderabad for one, lost lost and only lost all the time. The who's who batsmen of the world couldnt really upswing their fortunes. Swing they did, top edging the ball into the hands of fielders. Rajasthan on the other hand, had players who were hardly known even to their next street families. Unknown names, totally invisible hype, just one good leader and a few good soldiers around.

Thats probably all that it takes to win a match, a competition or a challenge. One leader and a few good men. At school, I had learnt about Dalton's law of partial pressure. It went something like this - "the total pressure exerted by a gaseous mixture is equal to the sum of the partial pressures of each individual component in a gas mixture". Scientifically proven, atleast thats what my science teacher made us believe!

Extrapolating Dalton's law to each and every IPL team, the total power exerted by a team should be equal to the sum of the strengths of the individual players, foreign or indian. Far from being the truth, its totally the contrary. Teams like Hyderabad have lost the plot, inspite of some extraordinary players, who can put pressure on most other international teams in the world, what with this only being an IPL tournament!

Rajasthan on the other hand is the elephant in hiding, coming out with twice the performance per person and doubling their success rate as many times. Blame it on Dalton for cheating millions of children and teachers at schools? - Not completely. What Dalton didnt compute is - not all gases can mix very well, at all times. Should we say its the same with humans as well. Team building cant just be added as sum of the individual performers - there is an invisible ether called leadership, thats the Fevicol which binds all of these potential humans and binds them almost inseparably.

In the coming days, there will be many more twists and turns in this tournament, but one should remember that winning and losing as a team doesnt happen by itself, be it on the cricket ground, in the corporate world, or amongst a band of fishermen weathering a storm in the Atlantic. Matters most as it should be, is the effective understanding of the purpose of channelising our efforts in one cohesive direction; to win a tournament, clinch a deal, or even gravely to save our own lives.

If we do that, we can disprove Dalton and his grandfather's law as well.

Only dont miss the enjoyment of the challenge as your boat plunges into the sea, but to arise with the next wave!

The power of ONE giving way to the wave of hope!

All in a room!

When ideas get ignited, there is enough room to light the universe.

When discussions get heated, there is enough force to burn the sea.

When personalities collide, there is enough impact to accelerate the burning.

Somewhere between the three lines above, in the many percentages there exist, we live our office lives, in the one constant place we are well acquainted with - the meeting room.

Window less, poorly A/C'ed, insufficiently chaired - some of the average constraints which go with it.

But in all, what matters is the people who get into the room mainly the status of their minds as they step in - open/partiallyclosed/completely locked and sealed - which sets the temperature of the room or be it the polarity of the chairs.

Easy to box it out in a closed quarter, one often is tempted to takeup the cause of the Martian and the issues of frozen water, issues that are only buried well inside otherwise. Is the Martian cause the true reflection of our internal thoughts, of our personality and its shortcomings? Or is it to be tabled under the systematic justification of being 'honest' and its superlative - being 'oneself'?

As much as this can be argued from dusk to dawn, the average participant doesnt really want to see ideas ignited beyond a spark, discussions heated above permissible fire safety standards or personalities to collide to the tune of gladiators. Paid we all are todo our role optimally well, but does that give any perks to us to buy a sword, dagger or knife?

'The room' knows well that everyone in it are entitled to their own opinion and their views. It also knows that every single point of view needs to be presented to help get the holistic picture, from even the acutest of photographic angles. Senses it, at the end of it all, that as much as it is used day in day out, it cant utter a word, maintain a decorum or manage a decision. Not in the morning, noon or pre-night!

The prayer it probably utters every day, at dawn -

May everyone who enters today, be a healthy participant..
Though atleast one might not always agree completely, let this not be anger's precedent..
If at the end of it, there is a timely decision, it shouldnt be over any incident..
Maintain there should, the purpose and the value of using me as your work's useful component!

The Brush of God!

This was a journey which I had done a zillion times, by bus, car and occasionally in my dreams. Except for the last mode, typically it takes around 2 and a half hours. The road to Chennai from the land of Pi has come miles and bounds from the days of the 80s. Undoubtedly, one of the best roads to be made along the Indian coast, the East Coast Road (ECR) brings with it fresh updates from the sea in the form of the ever flowing steady breeze, coupled with some distinct road making skills (probably done by an IT company) with very little defects and version upgrades.

This journey was nothing different at all. I took a very ordinary - deluxe bus - as they call it. The crowd in the bus ranged within the whos who in the social front. As I sat in the aisle seat, my favorite on any transport vehicle, 'sir sun' was getting ready to retire to sleep. He had a tough day, ensuring that all those who ventured out, young and old, underwent equal ratios of perspiration and pain. After all, thats part of his minimum requirement along the tropic of cancer!

Artistic as it should be, the sky presented a strange combination of colors. With no clouds between my eyes and the moon, a light blue color spread its wings uniformly followed below by a lightish grey shade. Below the gray shade was the lowermost band of the orangish or pinkish or light red - for lack of a better term - a 'color dish'. What was significant wasnt the colors in question, we have seen them from time immemorial - but the blending therein. One couldnt distinctly see where the blue ended and the grey began or where the grey ended and the color dish took off.

So suttle and so effective was this combination, and the breeze from my right was helping me enjoy the moment in a dazed manner. Really wish we knew what brush God used to help create distinct colors but with invisible but still effective boundaries. The time was well past 6 and the farmers had all left for their homes, distant as it were, from their fields near the road. The gentle sway of the coconut trees, in communion with the breeze from the sea, the sun smiling its way to sleep, the suttle color combinations and the fading light. And all this was so natural and non-intervened by the human. The only irritation here was the stupid movie which was playing in the bus, blaring its volume!! (I really wish I could sue the corporation on noise pollution aspects.)

As the sun set, darkness fell, the bus rolled on, trees came and went, the breeze dipped and blared - my mind was still stuck with one thought. I have come back to where I belong. Belong I always did, but never did I spend the time to be here, with an 'evolved' mindset. The approach earlier was to get the chance to move on to a distant land. Now it is time to settle back in my groove, in the only place in the galaxy I can truely call 'Home'.

And what better way to decorate it, but with the 'Brush of God'!

Bond to Billa!

The exertions of a 'well used to' lifestyle can be far-reaching when you step out of it. That was and is my feeling in the past few weeks. Having moved away from snowy London to the 'Land of the Hot Sun' - Chennai, the transformation is much bigger than what I had given it room for.

When you lose something, it doesnt just go away in a second, it slowly starts to fade away. Like the gentle water current carrying the lotus away, a metre an hour. Have got to a mode of 'forgetting' what happened in London - work/life and otherwise... memories come to me now and then.. but then they are on the decline.

A new city, new lifestyle, new role - thats called a 'package' of purpose. Much needs to be seen as to how I am going to come in terms with these alterations in my 'carbon foot print'. Atif Aslam has become my new soulmate singer. Having heard him first time with the 'Tere Bin' song, he has helped me go across different spheres of emotions - especially during this 'change over' phase. Enroute to office today - heard one of his songs on FM, and much has to be said about his influence on getting me to react and express my interflicting points of view in my own sphere of influence.

While this phase will go, for sure and I will get used to life in India, there are those faces and minds - with whom I have worked through issues - big and small - over the 1000 day era; faces with exceptional minds and even better comraderie. They will not be forgotten, not today, not ever. Honestly thats the edge of the sword piercing through me - as can be said - the edge is the one which makes the most impact. Life is always only as worth as the quality of the people with whom we spend it!!

My sun gods - though are in vicinity. Rahman and Rajni are all over the place - thanks to the power of the box called 'television' and its spouse - 'cable tv'. Not much unpacking has started as yet, and thats going to also take its toll - when artifacts of the previous 'era' are going to haunt their way through my memory cells, revitalising the moments which can be frozen for a lifetime.

'Bond to Billa' is the road taken - whether some U-turns are possible or it is strictly one-way, nobody is sure of it. Neither am I. (For the sake of the western audience - 'Billa' is the name of a RAJNI action movie; and Bond is ofcourse 007)

For now, the F-WORD is to 'Follow the flow'. Inspiringly enough, its not too rapid.

The botany of money.

Around half past seven, today evening, I am walking down the 'Green Mile'. The sincere rotating door lets me out of the office building, thinking that its just another day, another person. Well, my 'Dear Door', I can assure you its not.

12 hours earlier, I am sleeping not too well. Its probably the most significant day of my work in London. The last day. Reached office in the morning with a very different feeling inside me. The yellowish shade of the sun was quite the same as 'usual' - talking about which, the Northern line did get held up at more than one stop. 'Not too sure of how to approach this occasion' - my mind kept escalating to my heart. After all, I had to wait 3 years to get to this point. Made innumerable compromises interspersed with unimaginable regrets. Wasnt like I was moving a continent, I was moving it with my hands tied!

The day begins with the normal last day emails being flouted to my 'near and peer'. Much of my closer circle was acquainted with this news anyway. The 1000 day journey has helped me get closer to a lot of good souls, professionally and personally. This was the apt opportunity to remember them all and thank them for it. Lunch was special with one of my closest colleagues (also pronounced - 'friend').

Post lunch is pretty much when the amigos start sharing their adios in person. Met people whose retinas werent in my line of sight for over a year. Some of them atleast. Others spared a second to reminisce of the battles and wars fought together. Moments which when rewinded to, derive satisfaction of the highest order. Most challenges won, ofcourse. Others ended in a truce - due credit to the 'one enterprise' concept. This project is obviously one of the world's biggest and the stakeholders are the cream of the industry. Honestly, almost!

As the angle of the sunrays started tending to 30%, it was a fully operational routine of meeting up with my 'band of brothers' and a few ladies too. Seeing people take a moment for you; as a person, as a team mate, as a friend & speaking some wonderful words; my heart retorted back to my mind - 'thats genuine, the person's auricle confirms it'.

Started off on this road path, with nothing but a bag of dried leaves, leaves of experience. An open mind and a little understanding of photosynthesis, helped sprout and root many seeds of 'steady progress'. As the vines of challenges became stronger, strangling the trunk; out came a branch with each tighter grasp; aptly titled 'route to the fruit'. Such is botany, the funda of our work lives. (Not much is said of the caterpillars and insects which preyed, they come under Zoology!!)

Work-Life balance is often spoken about, not realising that work is a branch of life. Its the branch which bears the key fruits - rupee, dollar, pound - many distinct botanic species. The satanic part of it is where the work ends and a small part remains for 'family'. The part which helps nourish the trunk.

'Dear Door', which I passed through, for the last time today; had missed the biology classes, at the carpenters'. That explains why it didnt swing a bit slower for me, just this once, just this day.
That extra second, to relish and rejoice, the journey I have completed to the point of wishful 'no return'. Shouldnt we have some 'slow-motion' days, days when every second gets a bonus 'second', every word echoes a bit longer in your ears, every tear takes more time to reach the floor??!

Will surely miss my co-plants in this jungle. The jungle by the river. And that Ladies and gentlemen, is a "plant's memory". After all, this is the botany of money, we are talking about.

The botany of money.

Be the change!

A normal routine each day. Take the train from my home and go North and then, by the time you have got comfortable and are moving to the inner zone of your morning meditation (read 'snooze'); at Kennington, forced you indeed are to switch over to the platform beside and wait for the Charing Cross branch. (I always end up taking the Bank branch, call it co-incidence or conspiracy.)

It was one such un-impressive journeys, a few days back, and the train halted at Oval. In came a lady with a dog. She came in and was helped with the heavy dog by a co-passenger. Once she got in, the person sitting on the corner seat, gave her a place, the gentleman he proved to be. The lady made the huge black dog sit down near her feet. She made sure that the dog wasnt blocking the way or touching the by-sitter's legs.

By this time, the train had started moving and I was standing across this lady, standing near the pathway door, between the coaches. I was looking at her with quiet intent, not because she was beautiful, not because she had a good dog, but because she was smiling with what seemed 'inner happiness'. A pleasant smile, it was indeed. She seemed to know something which was different, something which was so reflective of pure satisfaction. Probably she was enjoying her train ride or she was going to meet someone important and was happy - I will never know. As I kept looking at her, she wasnt looking back at me. She simply couldnt. She was blind.

There are moments which freeze in your life, moments which you really dont understand much from, but still know 'just about enough' to realize its teaching you something significant. This was one of them.

In the land of America, Obama was having a tough time with the media on his pastor and his blunt comments, pro-racist and anti-american. And the noose was getting tighter by the day. News channels were scanning the pastor and his speeches 10 times per hour. It seemed like this was more important than anything else to the American news editor. Sitting on my sofa couch, I was following this story keenly and was disappointed Obama was getting the rough end of the stick. It obviously wasnt fair.

The tide turns. Obama marks the time and the hour to make his 'retaliatory' speech. Its aptly called the 'race and unity' speech. I had come back from work, that day, and was trying to scan how the speech went, and finally got a youtube link and was seeing him deliver it. Surely, it wasnt an ordinary speech - political or american. There was a much more significant and 'basic' message in the words he uttered. The chronology of events were all coined up in the best possible way, so were his body language and the way he orated, going about, from 200 years back to this day.

Aptly, this speech, is suggested, as being 'the speech of our generation'. It has evoked a response far too significant, and far too historical. Stunning was the reaction to see it live - I felt like he was just 'too good' to be a human. He truly had his MOMENT of RECKONING.

The two contrasting episodes, only made my brain cells work overtime. Here was one lady, who could have easily fallen into the vaccuum of the 'unseen' world but was living life as normal and still managing the 'most' pleasant of smiles one can ever see. Here was a man, who delivers a speech, which comes out not just addressing the current problem, he is faced with, but has all the right words and meanings to be placed in 'history's place of honour'.

Both of them are fighting their own challenges. As is typical with every human, we always think our problems are the worst. But the beauty of it all is that they dont think they will lose and they hence wont. They know they have to change the world, but to initiate that, they become the medium for change.

'Be the change' is their motto, inked in the unspoken smile here and emphasised by the uttered speech there. But its only all the same. When it comes to action, both have won their wars hands down. Both are equal heroes in my 'hall of fame'.

By their actions, both have changed their lives, their immediate environment and inspired many people in their generation like me. A simple step, taken in the right direction, never sounded light. Its always heavy and has helped guide others towards it too.

Start to End.

What begins with a sudden beat, ends in abrupt silence.

A fresh composition on this thought, hot off 'garageband'. The song is listed at:

http://www.icompositions.com/music/song.php?sid=83801

Listen with an eager ear - its got a deposit of composite mixtures and moods.

iComposed

Some of those who mean something to me, those who are in my inner circle, already know and have heard these before. But there are others, who mentioned I should include this in my blog as well. For them, please check out the below link:

http://www.icompositions.com/artists/avsatish

These are some of the compositions I had done some months back. The last one is atleast 4 months old. An apple a day keeps the doctor away - guess, it lets the musician get in. Thanks to my Macbook Pro for being patient enough with me as I went about creating these musical short stories. Some of them have only a title to go with it, one has a short story.

Ladies with umbrellas and gents with raincoats (typifies today's London weather) , I hereby present 'iComposed'.

FIVE FAVES

Five different pieces of creativity. Well, some more by mistake than intent. But thats how probably we all learn and evolve. Mistakes. The eternal part of everyone's lives. Its only a matter of time before we all make another one. Ever thought why we had to do something wrong and only then learn what the right way or the right thing was??!!!

Never mind, on a weekday evening, at home, my brain works at less than 30% of its total utilization. Cant always bring out words and thoughts in every blog. So for a change, this one is all about five favorite pictures. FIVE FAVES.

For the benefit of those who dont know the 'sequence' of events here, the above five artifacts were done by me and my family on one of our outings last month. One hour of intensive 'clay creativity'. The one on the top, was made by me and my daughter. The next two ones were made by Suja. The last two were made by 'Yours sincerely'. The earlier blog is this line of discussion is found here - http://thoughtsofthetrip.blogspot.com/2008/02/playing-god.html

The 'case of the vase' or the 'plot of the pot' has been deciphered hereby!!!

The Sabbath Hour!

Super Tuesday 2 came and went. In Australia, India went on to snub the 'cry babies' of their napkin award. History in the making certainly, but this tour was so acrimonious from the first day the Indians left for Australia - the victory is sweeter million times over. Ofcourse thats the Indian in me digging in!!

Harbhajan has become the kind of revolutionary player, and anything said or hurting him has transcended to every Indian as a personal insult. Strange as it sounds, I was not too happy to see the Australian fans booing him on the fence. But what matters is who has the final laugh. India has truly accorded this victory second only to the world cup win. The kangaroo has been reigned in and its the era of the Tiger. The Indian Tiger!! - ironically, the 'animal' species is supposedly on the decline in the subcontinent!

Across the Pacific, Obama lost Texas and Ohio, but still managed to maintain the delegate lead over Clinton. I guess in that sense, its a draw here. No concrete win to either little Dave or mighty Golly.

As I sat pondering over where my next blog was going to come from, I had to answer some queries which have come my way in the past few days. Some of the readers think that it takes me ages to write a blog. Well, to get the facts right, it takes 30-45 min to write one blog, complete with all editions - the small exclamation and the final fullstop. So please stop moaning that I have too much time at my disposal for getting this blog up and running.

The fact is that, every single one of us has enough time to do that ONE activity - outside work, outside family - which makes us feel satisfied when we hit the bed at nite. The one activity which keeps us going within ourselves ; doing justice to the 'hidden' talents, to the very basic meaning of 'genetic variation' that gives us our individuality - truly and simply!!

Call it a habit of doing crosswords on the way to work - trying to read some books day in day out - regularly watch that one tv serial, enjoining the emotions it brings out - dancing to good music - watering plants like there is a drought on earth - blogging your heart out - sports activities during the weekend - swimming a mile a day - the list is endless.

What translates into this habit of ours is an outcome of our 'reptilian' instincts. This activity will help us either feel confident about ourselves or help bring out the positives 'intellectual-wise', something which we need to keep the inner glow going. Close your eyes for a moment and you will immediately realise that UNIQUE activity - the gateway to our INNER HEAVEN.

Ok. We know what we need to do. Whats the conversion ratio like here? Pathetic and appalling. Why is it so? Quite easy to say this. Its become a hidden rule these days, that to spend time for oneself is not that encouraged as it could be. The average Indian woman, finds it difficult to take time every day, out of the busy schedule which engulfs her. Husband, children take her for a jolly ride and she gets on board due diligently. I would say, she is the one who needs a break most importantly, to help refresh herself a bit.

Men are not that far off. Maybe they are running behind completing tomorrow's task by today evening or they are planning of day after's meeting. Its always becomes thinking of 'whats next' that 'the present' becomes a pre-extension of 'the future'. Not that I blame them for it.

This is the nature of the game we call 'Life'. Onsite, on the third rock from the sun, its all about how the solar system operates. If only the earth was a bit slow in revolving around the sun, one day wouldnt exactly stop at 24 hours. That might just mean, that we probably get, say an hour, the SABBATH hour, to do the activity which will keep our internal engines running with a spirit of joy and satisfaction.

The SABBATH hour. To those who believe they can slow down 'mother earth' to get extra time, the editor recommends a good doctor in your locality. But for those who want to live within the constraints and yet find this hour, well, its all about your willingness to let go of something very low in the 'daily priority chart' - which can be done tomorrow.

No one will know that the task has been put on hold. No one neednt care either. Its your life and you know whats best for you. Married, single or mingling! The divine fact is that today will never come again. If you can do anything to keep yourself happy, the difference you will make around you will easily double or triple.

Whether you sign in to save the INDIAN 'TIGER' or not, first sign in to save 'yourself' and let your heart smile. A smile that has been rightfully earned. BY YOU AND YOU ONLY.

40 minutes.

Its David vs Goliath!

Tendulkar. An awesome innings - some slog shots - but in all - for the first time in recent years - he has scored a century in a final - and that too chasing - and that too in Australia - against Australia - and most importantly carried his bat throughout the innings.

The odds in the above sentence are much bigger when put together. It was an unbelievably clean innings, no chances provided through out. Cometh the time, indeed the contribution. Treating Johnson and Hogg like 'bowlers at the nets', surely takes a lot of 'attitude'; something which can be a double edged sword, given the occasion.

Australia is increasingly becoming a 'cry baby' team, citing every single frown and scratch as a reason for racist behaviour. They are not used to getting rapped on their hands and their mouths taped match after match. Thats what happened this series and suddenly they just dont know how to play cricket. Their standards have sunk to a new low this series. Much has to be said about how India has dealt with all the controversies sprouting almost every day like the 'morning newspaper'.

Tendulkar often behaves like the true ambassador of the game - the beamer from Lee hitting him on the shoulder, when he was on 98 - well, it had all the ingredients for the next controversy in Sydney - only that this was Sir Sachin. Such moments will stay in the 'Indian cricket memory bank' for years to come.

The elephant in the room, thats what he was called before the match, Tendulkar came up with a 'once in a lifetime' batting display. If India goes on to win on Super Tuesday 2, then it will really be the icing of the cake for Tendulkar. Will it be the youthful Indian team or the aging and experienced Australians who will win this series?! Only time will tell.

Meanwhile, in a distant part of the world and a different game, Super Tuesday 2, is bringing with it, an equally intense competition. The land is America and the game is the Democratic primary elections in Texas and Ohio, the hot spots. Obama has emerged as 'the clean candidate' with a lot of charisma and style. His delivery and composure sure take the breath out of the viewer. I am absolutely in awe about the body language Obama portrays with such effectiveness.

Clinton, I dont have anything against her, but she seems a touch 'artificial' and thats probably going to cost her the nomination. As it stands, I dont have the issues of 'healthcare' and 'national security' high up in my brain cells, so the only thing that appeals to me is the way they go about talking, rather than what. She considers herself as the 'rightful' nominee and treats Obama as if he were a novice compared to her 'experience'.

2 battles, both entirely different, but the underlying tussle is the same - its David vs Goliath. On one side is the the fresh perspectived, hungry to win, young challenger and on the other, the 'experienced' and 'aged' competitor, banking on 'previous glories, to see it through.

Two days from now, the world can be a totally different place... the sun wont rise in the west though, not just yet!

iPhone iThankU!

Every person has a melting point, where they overcome the sea of temptation and go for the splash. That was just my moment today. Should I, shouldnt I - was the big question in my mind.

iPhone caught my eye a year before, when I was thinking of buying an iPod. I told myself, I will wait and buy the iPhone, even if it takes time. Cometh the time, cometh the opportunity!

It came in the guise of one of my mates Bon Footweak (name changed) who incidentally didnt really like the iPhone he managed to smuggle from US. We met up in one of those dark alleys near the river, the ones your mom always warned you of. Showing off the new piece, the rugged and wide-eyed dark man shrugged with a hoarse voice - 'You wanna check this out. I like it, but you know, in my line of work, there's place for just one gun. This aint fitting in'.

After a lot of intro and externospection... I went for the fair price that he offered me. Surely this line is just to make him feel good about the sale ;). There it was, all mine. A couple of tricks were needed to get it working and I quickly realised that yours sincerely wasnt exactly 'Nimble fingered Dinkle'. Embarassment followed when Footweak showed me how to get the 'job' done. He was just too good at it. Hail the Wigan Cowboy!

Came home to realise that my MacBook Pro had already scented 'the second apple' in the home. With a grin, I broke the news of the arrival. MP wanted to see what it was all about. Surely one could sense the competitition in the room. 2 apples and poor human me! Soon, the introductions were made. MP didnt really seem happy to see most of the dashboard functionalities in 'iP'.

It struck me like 'a short circuit on fire' - machines are just like humans!!! Explaining my point of view for this expansion in my personal space, I promised them that I will bring out distinct roles and responsibilities so that both could know what were their new 'areas of influence'. A meeting is lined up early next month, once I got well acquainted with iPhone's capabilities.

What can only be my first and last Leap day in London comes tomorrow.. and I made the iLeap in eager anticipation of the moment. If I could keep this iPhone until the next leap day arrives, I would have done some iJustice to it.

My 'phone' is brilliant
My 'player' is pure
I saw a 'combo', of that I am sure
She smiled at me on the subway, she was with another man
But I won't lose no sleep on that, 'cause I have another plan..

U'r beautiful, U'r beautiful, U'r beautiful - its true...!!

I saw your face in a crowded 'webpage',
And I didn't know what to do,
'Cause I thought I'll never be with you.

Yes, she caught my eye
As I browsed on by
She could see from my face that I was, happy and high
And I don't think that I'll 'lose' her again
Should we share a moment, it wont be in vain..

U'r my iPhone, U'r my iPhone, U'r my iPhone - iThankU!!!

Take 2!

American Gangster

A movie of some intense scenes. Lots of words spoken and less number of bullets shot. Now thats a change for a start. A true story, it speaks of the mind of two distinct characters - assumingly a true story of the 1970s.

Denzel steals the scene with his new style of intense business sense. 'My Man' is a dialogue which will remain with the audience much after they have left the cinema hall. Very rare to see him in a negative role, he infuses that rare bit of insight into the mind of a 'driver' who rises to run the drug business in America.

Russell on the other hand, is that 'Kamalhassan' kind of cop, the man who lives and breathes honesty in his work while not being a good family man. Guess this was the time before AIDS came to the world. The scenes where he is asked if he reported the 1 million dollars he found during a raid - are really hilarious. The final scenes where he is seen negotiating with Denzel with style and precision dialogues, tops the act.

In all, a very engrossing movie with a lot of powerful scenes, not for the weak hearted. And yeah, it is deservedly a 'must watch'.

3:10 to Yuma

Another movie. Russell Crowe steals the show as the cool, arrogant WANTED cow-boy bandit. At first go, the movie was damn boring, so I switched it and was watching something else. But then, better sense prevailed later in the flight and I managed to watch a substantial part of the movie.

Lots of bullets, lots of style and some real heart stopping action. Thats how the summary should be. Honestly, since the flight landed before the movie got over, I havent seen the full movie. So the summary here, should also be equally incomplete.

The Last King of Scotland

Man, this is a movie which has a lot of 'brutal scenes in it'. I wouldnt recommend it to my wife. That much is sure. A lot of powerful acting by Whitaker. I remember seeing him in some smaller roles and this time he has iced the caked and eaten it too! A leader, of whom no one has an idea what he would do next. Some of his dialogues are not audibly clear. Thats probably the only post-production glitch.

Real drama unfolds between the dictator and the doctor. A lot of super scenes dot the movie from the start to the end including the assassination attempts and the final scene where the doctor escapes from Uganda. Watch the movie for Whitakar. He deserves the Oscar he received for this role.

Playing God!

Not a day goes by when we dont think/thank/curse or blame God. If anything by that description exists, is a totally different perspective. The fact is that we do include and embrace this concept as if it were an extension of our day-to-day life. Life, in its truest manifest is really a miracle, no one denies - but to 'offshore' its success to a '3rd Party' source called 'God' isnt 100% fair. It wasnt fair during the days of the Harappa culture, nor it is in our current 'nuclear' landscape.

Nothing of this thought was in my mind when we went out to have fun at the pottery class in Merton Abbey. The one hour journey it was, it revealed a lot more than just pots and pans. It all starts with a piece of 'clay' - something which we can easily ignore if found in a dirty road corner. How often have we seen this in odd places, never to even consider it worth thinking about!!!

When this totally irrelevant and insignificant thing was placed in the centre of a wheel - even then nothing major was different about it. Start the motor and then - lo' behold - you are creating 'something' out of 'perceived nothing'. The first few moments would be dealt in creating a solid base and then you go about expanding your dreams and thats creativity at its finesse.

Its only a matter of time when the right composition of 'water','clay' 'circular motion' and most importantly - 'your intent' helps create a totally valuable thing. Its as good as bringing something to life. Initiating life, is how I would term it. Once this blueprint is done, its time to take it off and then let it dry and settle. The shine would be applied over this piece in a matter of a few days. Thats when it takes one of its many positions in someone's world as 'my nanny's favorite tea set' or 'my doggy's food plate', as the case maybe. Thats light years from where it all started!

My wife created a very good bowl, but when she was trying to take it off the wheel, probably a minor dent was made to the outer surface. She was very specific about it as she knew it had happened. To me, it was invisible as the ether that surrounds us. I never saw it. To clarify, even if I did manage to see it, I wouldnt have thought of it from an 'imperfection' perspective.

'Zoom out a bit' and look at each human as starting off as that piece of clay. The right amount of 'ingredients' are put to create his core constituent - soul - and the next steps are to expand laterally into other spheres of 'individual personality'. No two humans are the same, neither are two bowls. All of us have some imperfections, caused intentionally or unintentionally. Sometimes these 'not good enough' qualities in us might not be looked at, in the same way, by others.

Irrespective of what we have in us as 'pre-paid', we can always 'top-up' our lives, by finding ourselves different situations, in which we best-apply the 'messages' of 'our mobile life' - making the experience worth it to others. Even the material world we live in, tells us this simple thing all the time. The Karmic life was always preaching this even before the wheel started spinning.

The wheel of God!

Every aspect of why we are, has a reason and cant be changed. But nothing of what we can be, has a cut-off limit. The eagle never touched the sky and never will! The waves never got tired of 'reaching out' to the shore. Simple things in nature reveal the power within. Understand this and move on to make your dream and all the while, reach out to as many people as possible and touch their lives for the better. In simpler words, start 'playing God'.

If you play it seriously enough, this is probably the one game which wont just end...not today...not tomorrow!!!

Win Win.

Waving a hand, beaming a smile, winking an eye.. body language is indeed a very natural extension of what we intend to mean and the tone of it. Being among the adult populace, this might not come out as brightly as a 100 watt lampie.

Throw in a child (preferably around 2 years old) and try talking to him/her and thats when it hits you like a live lightning strike coupled with 'power-ridden' magnetic waves. 'Yes' can be the heavy shaking of the head up and down four times in the blink of an eye. 'No' being the cousin of 'Yes' in the right left direction. 'Come here' can be the frantic waving of the hand as if there is no tomorrow, and 'sit down' will always end up with a thumping series of pats at mother earth, irrespective of which floor you live in.

'Rejection or fear' will echo in your ears like the never-ending reverberation in a hollow cave. It will take many a minute to subside down. 'Laughter' can thrill you like the pleasant sound of the wave hitting the beach, on a lonely quiet tropical island.

Thats pure communication. Something which one can relish as the essence of the true soul. Pure in what it means and effective in the way it is exercised. Babies are indeed the gateway to God.

Walking down the street, I was looking at a couple of youngsters, in their single-digit ages, running and dancing in joy. Their parents were around, which made them feel secure, but it was their natural expression of a 'hop' and a 'smile' which livened the faces of everyone who were watching them. As I was entering the workplace, the security guard caught my eye. He was visibly grinning looking at the small girls dance and walk. A moment of joy. However brief, such moments make a lifetime. Or atleast, they make part of a good movie.

We have all been children at some point and must have hopefully brought smiles to some people around us. If they have forgotten our mischiefs, that is! Its our turn to look at generation next and re-live those sublime acts of bliss. So next time you see a baby or a child, let your 'time-driven life' come to a halt - spend that extra second enjoying that positive smile and grin. Cant be nothing but win win!!

The Principal's principle.

Sitting in the many exams we wrote during an year in school, there was nothing new about this one. Except we wrote it outside the classrooms and in the corridor. The reason being simple. There was no power that day in school, because of the torrential rain. This is how the North East monsoon dictates its arrival in Pondicherry, the land of Pi.

I remember the school principal standing outside the school, dressed in a white flowing gown, holding a black umbrella, his face stern and eyes dead serious. He wanted to get the exam completed that day. Typically, my school, always has a history of defying all these natural or man-made interventions. Many a college bandhs or strikes as we also know them, didnt really have an impact on our schooling. It was all down to one person's conviction and thinking. If he said 'no' and he would do it many a time, everything around him supported him without a whinge or a frown.

He owned the world around him and there was nothing more fascinating for a student of age 13 than to see one man dictate all that he could within his powers and do it very well. He was a very young man, and could slap a student real hard. He was known to remember faces/names very well and it was always thought to avoid meeting him in any kind of 'grey' or 'dark grey' light.

The streets in Pondicherry tend to get swollen with water, but faster than the current of the water on the road, used to be the message of a school closed or open that day. Having to cycle nearly 5 miles, it wasnt very often that I got to school finding it closed. This wasnt exactly the time of the internet and broadband, nor was this the era of the mobile phone and sms. The black telephone with its cyclic rotars, to dial the numbers. Thats where this time belonged to. The new fancy rectangular phones were slowly appearing in some remote houses.

What stood out, in all that rain, in all that adversity for every student, deep in their heart, was the fear of not being the 'odd one out'. No one wanted to be seen as taking advantage of the 'drops from the sky', lest they have to take it up 1-on-1 with the principal, the very next day morning. So no rain, thunder or storm - and Pi land had its share of these fancy 70 kms/hour speed winds - came in the way of the 'road to school'. It, from the principal's point of view was always free and safe for every student to come, as was ideal.

The corridor was unusually cool winded, and the rain drops were occasionally landing on the guys sitting in the front of the three rows. But the spirit of the school was 'at par' with any exam. The students were laboriously writing sheets after sheets, especially for those 10 mark questions. I think this was a 'Science' exam.

The exam got over, like any other - but to be fair to this one, I can remember it many years later and still manage to live it today. A testimony to the power of determination. Not mine, but that of my school principal. The Principal's principle - thats what this is all about!.