The Stupid Common Man...

Ah.. yes. That's all of us. Not you netas, ministers, MLAs, MPs, bureaucrats and party chiefs. It's us- The Stupid Common People of India. It's us, who have to bear the brunt of price rices due to the artificial inflation that all you idiots have created for your own selfish ends.

Imagine, a kilo of onions costing an ABSURD Rs. 60-70 per kilo? Fuel prices going up every 2 weeks? Such things are unheard of even in countries poorer than India. If prices go up so high, only people who have ammassed (Pun- very much intended), so much of wealth that at least 10 more generations of their family need not bother about working, can only afford even the luxury of a sambhar cooked with onions.

Well, not to mention media coverage for this issue, which is as of today on the front page of a newspaper. Tomorrow, this news will be obscure and will obviously be out of peoples minds and our great babus and netas, will once again hatch plots to make money for themselves.

This is a vicious cycle isn't it? People have to slog their asses off, pay taxes (if not entirely honestly), at least people do pay taxes. These people are us- common people- IT company employees, BPO employees, Government employees, small time business people, growing companies. Where does all the money go? Oh, yes, it goes all the way to keep Ajmal Kasab and rapists alive.

The value of a common man's life in India is worse than shit. A minister's daughter is held hostage, the entire universe gets into action to rescue her. A common man's daughter is kidnapped, raped and killed, the police hardly even takes notice of it. The perpetrator? At most times, the son or a relative of a politician or a politician himself.

A minister swindles a nation of crores of money and roams happily in his Benz car, while a common thief, who would have stolen not more than 100 Rs, is beaten up mercilessly and later sentenced to 6 months imprisonment. So, as far as we are concerned, the greater the magnitude of the crime, the lesser the punishment.A corrupt and illiterate minister can get away with a multi crore Rupee scam, while a government employee of the lowest order gets kicked for asking for a cup of tea as a bribe.

In India, lives are lost when ambulances are held up in traffic jams, which have been created due to the passing of a ministerial convoy through that route. A life of a common man is lost and the minister won't even know about it and even in the rarest of events, if he does get to hear about it, he will feel no remorse.

When will all this end? The largest democracy in the world has no respect for the people who make it. SHAME.

When he retires....

I really can't imagine what the state of affairs of a billion peoples lives will be when GOD retires. You know whom I am talking about. Yes. It's HIM.

He has beaten opponents all over the world and thrashed bowlers all over many a stadia on the planet. He looks very small, but his achievements- the sky is not the limit. Often compared with Sir Don Bradman, he has always shown, why he is better than Sir Don. No offence meant.

He has won so many matches for India. He has been a bowlers' nightmare. When he is in form, no one can even think of getting him out. It has often been said that opposing captains have even stood and admired his game rather than thinking of ways to get him out. He is such a great cricketer.

Much has been said of him playing. I'm sure, he himself has not yet thought of retiring as yet. However, it is inevitable that even he will retire one day. On that day, I'm sure at least a million people will give up cricket for good. On that day, the Indian stock markets will crash a bit. On that day, there will be a lot of tears shed all over the world, for Cricket will lose it's greatest player ever. On that day, everyone would seriously wish that this day never came. It will come, that day will come, even Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar himself would be very sad.

He was within inches of a crowning glory of winning a world cup for India, but India sadly stumbled at the very last hurdle. It will only be justice to him, to win the next world cup and when he does go, it will be his final hurrah. The man who broke the 200 run barrier in ODIs, the man with the most number of career centuries and the man who has been cricket's god, he will be missed by cricket fans all over the world. His shoes are very huge for anyone to fill, but with god's grace, India might find a replacement, who might be at best, half as good as Tendulkar himself.

ROT IN HELL... *** You need to be more careful***

Not more than a couple of days back, a ba****d in Tamilnadu, who brutally raped and murdered a couple of kids was shot dead in an encounter. May he rot in hell.

RAPE. Possibly the worst crime that can ever be done. It is so frustrating that a man who rapes a girl walks free after he does the crime and to worsen it, he even threatens the girl and her family to refrain from going to the cops. Even if they do go to the cops- what happens- the cops are hand in glove with the rapist, since he in turn is hand in glove with some big shot politico.

Every single day that I open the newspaper, the lines glare at me with at least one news of rape in some part of the country. What's even worse is the media publicity for a rapist. Crap. Imagine-  cases of dads raping daughters, trusted drivers raping their bosses' daughters. Such things are utterly atrocious.

How can rape be contained? how can it be controlled? Certainly not by arresting the rapist and trying him by IPC sections blah, blah and blah. It can be controlled only by some truly bloody law (or even unlawful law) enforcement. Something on the lines of the punishment meted out to a rapist who features in RGV's Rakta Charitra should do the trick.

Boys Vs Girls... ***Controversial Topic***

Much has been debated, dissected and analysed about the sexes. It's always been said that women are the fairer, but weaker sex. Not anymore. Not true these days. Women compete with men. Women give men a run for their money in all aspects, which includes guts, glory,booze, drugs, crime, career, success in life, money and power. There have been many great men and women who have walked the face of this earth. All of them would have certainly had a contemporary of the opposite sex who would have certainly matched them at some point of time (maybe if not in their own generation, at least in another generation).

Quite recently I watched a movie which I like a lot (I've watched the movie quite a few times before that too). Shows the difference of opinions and mentalities between a guy and a girl who used to be in a relationship. The movie opens out with a guy saying that god's first creation was guys since god knows that guys know how to enjoy life. A girl pops out on to the screen and says that girls endowed with such charm and beauty are the best creation of god and guys are just test pieces. The narrator says maybe both are right, but even god can't decide on what issues will a guy and girl get along well and on what issues will they lock horns. To resolve such a conflict, he created the magic called love. Quite true right?

Well, come to think of it- we guys are happy go lucky, reckless, jovial, smart, cool, can even be a little caring, kind hearted, loving, and yes we too can be a little emotional as well. This is something that I've ripped off from Mr. Russell Peters - We guys, when we get into a relationship, girls ask us not to lie to them. We say "sure. Whatever." One fine day we sit and stare into open space for about 15 mins (YES. We guys can do that. Can't we?). The girls come up and ask us "What are you thinking about?". We say "Nothing" and we are being honest about it here. The girls keep nagging us till we actually lie "I was thinking about how cute you are". Girls ask us not to lie and we end up lying because of girls. Seriously.

Anyways, there are a lot of things that girls hate with boys. When we guys are in a relationship with a girl, does it mean that we can't even look at other girls? But yes, we are loyal to you. Somethings that girls never understand is that- how many ever girls a guy looks at or talks to, we guys (well, most of us guys anyways) almost always remain committed to our girls. We enjoy our sports and we don't really like shopping. We can see only 16 bit colour unlike you girls who spot such minute changes in colour shades and give each single shade a name. Oh my god.

Girls- you girls are absolutely pretty, charming, gorgeous, intelligent, caring, loving and very emotional. There are somethings that guys hate with girls. First thing is always suspecting guys of being disloyal. That's something that we guys can't really tolerate. Not when we are being extremely loyal. Girls hate waiting for guys, when we guys wait for over 2 hours for you girls to get ready to go somewhere. When guys look at other girls, we get a cold mean stare, but when you girls look at other guys- it's just looking.

Oh yes. You girls have to keep thinking about something or the other. Good thing- it saves us a lot of pressure and yes a lot of grey cells. And we have the direction sense when we drive. It's been scientifically proven that girls lack some of the skills that we guys have. For instance, we can catch a ball flying at us, perfectly and pretty instinctively. We can drive to any given location just by merely knowing a couple of landmarks. And yes, there are things that most of us guys can't do and all of us guys can't do. For instance most of us guys can't really cook well. Most of us guys cant really set things the way that you girls can.  Most of us guys aren't really that creative (we are bloody lazy). And yes, most of us guys don't really study that well. Most of us guys can't really take care of kids (but we do love kids). And all of us guys can't get pregnant. Something that god's given uniquely to girls is motherhood. The pain, the pleasure and the joy that you girls get in bringing a life into this world- something that no man on earth can get. Hats off to girls for that.

This really doesn't bring a conclusion to the argument- who is better. Does it? Well, neither man nor woman is better. We guys have our faults, you girls too have your faults. Let's understand each other, fall in love and enjoy life. :)

P.S: I know I might get kicked for this post.

When money and power talk...

That title is an indication of what politics is all about. Summarized and characterized by just 2 very simple but very important words. When money and power talk, anyone, absolutely anyone will have to shut up. That s the pity of it all.

A very well educated person. Probably he/she might have topped the I.A.S (Indian Administrative Services) exam, but that person can do nothing but just advice the stupid minister on what should be done. Of course, even if the person is very well educated, there are always 2 ways to get work done. 1- Money (read as bribe). 2- Power (read as threats).

It was a few days back that I was reading these couple of articles in a newspaper. Something that really proves that one can do absolutely anything with these 2 weapons- Money and Power.

As people who might be reading this blog from my hometown, Chennai, would undoubtedly know that Tamil movies which have their title as a proper Tamil name would be granted a tax exemption by the state of Tamilnadu. 1st of all. What's this rule going to bring? A renaissance of sorts for the Tamil movie industry? or is it going to increase the vocabulary? or is it going make our newsreaders and actors say words such as "pazham, vazhkai" properly? or is it going to bring down the pricing of movie tickets at multiplexes? or is it going to reduce the price of petrol? All that it's going to do is just give the movies a good for nothing tax exemption, even when the movie made is hardly of even the lowest possible standard. There are certain big shots in the movie industry who get the tax exemption despite the movie not having a proper Tamil title. The reason- money and powerful positions and people. Now that's politics.

One other article is one which shows how poor the law and order situation is in Chennai at the moment, is one on eve-teasing. Rowdy elements have always been a part of Chennai, but wreaking havoc on ladies travelling in trains is the height of it. Spitting, commenting on the ladies and making sure that other passengers who try to oppose these rowdies are given a hard time and a piece of their minds makes passengers want to desert the trains forever. The railway police are very efficient in sanitizing the trains of vendors and beggars, but are not so very inclined to ensure the safety of the passengers by any means. How come these rowdy elements have a field day? Political backing and support. Politicians need these rowdies and criminals to do their dirty work and in return they get immunity from arrests. Wonder if politicians and policemen would allow these rowdy elements to even exist if they dared to touch their daughters/sisters/friends.

There have been so many girls who have died due to this menace of eve teasing. This will not end until and unless there are good cops who dare to stand up against such anti social elements, good politicians who do not need rowdies and anti social elements to help them win elections and make money for themselves. In fact, it all begins with us- the people- by voting for the right person. Lets make our city, our state and our country a better place for all of us.

P.S: With all due respect to the Chief Minister of TamilNadu (I know you will not be reading this article sir, but it would be nice if action is taken against such anti social activities).

Why Endhiran's parking lot collection = Anjaana Anjaani's box office collection.

Now, I guess the euphoria of Endhiran's release has died down to an extent that I can actually see people looking at other movies these days. A Rajini film is always special to anybody who has watched the SuperStar's movies all these years, but now he has surpassed from being a Star in just the Tamil Cinema industry to become a SuperStar that the world now knows.

There have been so many people who have been wondering why Endhiran has become such a worldwide hit. Eclipsing the box office collections of so many other movies, showcasing a worldwide presence and making it an international phenomenon. Some of the reasons include:

1. Absolutely phenomenal marketing. Thanks to Sun Pictures' marketing team, this movie has been released all over the planet and people who don't know a word of Tamil/Hindi are watching it with subtitles in theaters in the US, Canada and other parts of the world. No other Indian movie has been marketed like this.

2. Starcast. Needless to say. Super Star Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai. This combination can't get any better. Probably the most charismatic Indian actor with one of the most beautiful women on the face of the earth. Who wouldn't want to watch these 2 people share a screen?

3. Shankar. Shankar's other name is Grandeur. Any movie that he has made till now has a high standard of grandeur - with special attention to the sets that he uses for the songs. This is one director who has a penchant for presentation. He has always made movies which really send out a message to the public. Endhiran has been his pet project for over ten years. Due to various circumstances he had not been able to make this movie, but today, no one can make a movie as grand as this one and if anyone can better it, it has got to be Shankar himself.

4. A.R.Rahman. The Shankar - A.R.R combo clicked once again. Rahman's music combined with some good lyrics has made anyone who listened to the songs tap their feet. All the songs were presented brilliantly and noone wants to miss Shankar's special touch for the songs.

5. This is not a typical Super Star movie. This is Shankar's movie rather than showcasing Rajinikanth. Somehow the name of the scientist character, Vaseegaran (meaning one who entices all) seems a little cliched.

6. Special effects - Stan Winston studios did a not so bad job with the special effects for the robots. This could have only been a little better. Had it been a little better, it would certainly have given Terminator a run for it's money.

7. Last but not the least. Even the best of movies, with the best star cast, marketing and music can flop if media do not advertise the movie that much. It's media hype and yes of course word of mouth which makes people go watch the movie in the theatres. The media hype surrounding Endhiran has been positive and has made the movie live quite up to expectations.

The bad guys that I like....

Noone likes bad guys. You like bad guys? I think there might be at least one bad guy from the below list that you, my dear reader might like.

OK. Lets get down to business. There's no top ten here- just the list off the top of my head. If I miss YOUR favourite bad guy, I'm so sorry about it.


BILLA

A list of bad guys would start with Billa. A negative character played by SuperStar Rajinikanth and later on by Ajith. The charisma of Rajinikanth was replaced by the style of Ajith. The negative roles played by both of them exudes such a dark glow to the character himself that you would certainly like one of the 2 Billas.

VAALI

The deaf mute elder twin brother, who wants to get his younger brother's wife,  is yet another memorable negative character. Though not a character which people would like, but certainly a role that cannot be forgotten by anyone who has watched the movie.

JEEVAN- KAAKA KAAKA/ NAAN AVAN ILLAI

One truly spectacular actor for a negative character would be this man, Jeevan. Acting as Pandya, a gangster who seeks revenge for his brother's killing, he showcased a villain that Tamil cinema had not seen before. With a rather unkempt and flowing mane, he instilled a sense of dislike for the character that he played in Kaaka Kaaka. His role in Naan Avan Illai brought some comic relief but yes it is a negative character, which might make people just forget that he is no negative character.

PARATTAI- 16 VAYATHINILE

Probably one of the best roles that the SuperStar has played till date. A brute rowdy who picks on a mentally retarded person (played by Kamal Haasan). One of the more popular negative characters in the history of Tamil cinema.

CHRISTIAN FLETCHER- DASAVATHARAM

Playing 10 roles in a single movie is not the easiest thing. Not when each role requires a different makeup and mind set. This particular negative character has impressed one and all to an extent. The gun toting, trigger happy, ex-CIA agent, who works as a mercenary is probably one of the most impressive negative roles played by Kamal Haasan.

INBA- AYITHA EZHUTHU

Madhavan may not have a huge fan base in Tamil, but he certainly showed that he can do a good job even with a negative role. Yet another mercenary, who doesn't mind deserting his wife, so that he can become big in politics.

ANAKIN SKYWALKER / DARTH VADER- STAR WARS FRANCHISE

Who on earth can forget Darth Vader? The background music that he has when he enters? Possibly one of the best bad guys that one can ever remember. Scheming, intelligent and so annoying that Darth Vader can be either hated so much or can be liked a lot.

MUTHUPANDI- GHILLI

"Chellam I love you." The role that catapulted Prakash Raj to being the most wanted villain in the Tamil and Telugu cinema industries. He may not have been playing that bad guy role so as to make a person hate the character, but he certainly gave one good performance which took him to the top. That character was made by Prakash Raj. Though he went on to play negative roles in several other movies, it's this one movie which made him very popular.

VINOD - KADHAL KONDEN.

Armstrong said "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." This is so very true in the case of Dhanush, who played a psychopath negative character who takes all steps that he possibly can from keeping his lady love (who loves someone else) from going away from him. One terrific negative character. One great performance. An absolute stunner.


VEERA & DEV - RAAVANAN

Tough to decide who does the negative role. Veera- the forest brigand, nicknamed Raavanan or is it the daring police officer Dev? Veera kidnaps Dev's wife and kills several policemen as a part of his revenge for the rape of his sister on the day of her wedding by some policemen. While Dev showcases his negative side by setting his wife up so that he can kill Veera. Absolutely brilliant character that man Veera.

THE JOKER- THE DARK KNIGHT

"Why so serious son? Lets put a smile on that face." Heath Ledger took villainy to a new high. A psychotic villain, bent on destroying the hero. One of the most deadly bad guys who has ever been featured in the movies. Gives you a bit of a chill, doesn't it?


CHITTI VERSION 2.0 - ENDHIRAN.

"Who is the black sheep? Meeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh." A role of a lifetime that no actor other than the SuperStar himself can do. I'm not telling you all about this role. Find out for yourself if you guys haven't yet seen the movie.

A few questions that even Google cannot answer...

These are some questions which came to my mind right at this point of time. This list will probably shrink in a few years' time.. but there are a few questions to which there may not be any answers at all..

1. Does God exist? (Quite a few atheists will love this question.)

2. What do Women really want? ( I know I've made a few enemies with my women readers here. As it is the number of people reading my blog is less, now that's nearly 50% off. Sorry ladies.)

3.Where is Osama Bin Laden hiding? (Pretty obvious.)

4. What does Kamal Haasan's real face look like? (I googled this. Trust me.)

5. When will the world end? (Google has answers to this. We can't say for sure until it happens.)

6. When did "corruption" start?

7. Do ghosts exist?

8. Do aliens exist?

Numbers 7 & 8 have been googled, debated, researched and buried and whatever "-ed" that you can think about. But opinions exist to the very widths of a spectrum.

9. When will Vijay stop acting? (:O)

10. What is the value of infinity?

Possibly- number 10 is the only sensible question in this list. All others are practically junk.

OK. My limited number of readers (which would certainly have come down to a single digit now) can add to this list, if you like.

My first wife...

Well... I got married to her not recently.. but very long ago..

I can't tell when I fell in love with her,
I can't tell when we decided that we were not going to be separated by anything at all,
I can't even tell how she told me how much she loved me.

She is probably the most beautiful thing on earth.
Poetry at its best is when we are together.
Enjoying a beautiful day of sunshine, of a light breeze.
Wherever it might be on the lawns, at the beach, or even on the terrace of our apartment.

She looks so beautiful by day and far more beautiful at night.
She is no mortal.
She is far from mortal.
She is a very beautiful game.

I can't say how crazy I am about you Cricket.
I just can't say how much I love you.
I will never be too far away from you.

With lots of love- A crazy Cricket lover.

P.S: I am sure someone will freak out after reading this. But really, that's the truth. :)

Mani Matters...

It's so hard to write about a man who talks very less. However, I find it very compelling to write about one of the greatest directors in Indian cinema- Mani Ratnam.

Many of Mani Ratnam's movies have been top award winners, most notably Nayagan, Roja and Mouna Ragam. Mani Ratnam is credited with making some of the best movies that have come out in Tamil Cinema. However, he is also known for the dialogues which are so sparingly used in his movies. One thing that stands out his movies is the characterization of his actors. Some of his characters which have been created have become so etched in the memory, that it is very hard to forget Velu Naickar (Kamal Haasan in Nayagan), Surya (Rajini Kanth in Thalapathi), Devaraj (Mamooty in Thalapathi),Anjali (Shamili in Anjali), Karthik (Madhavan in Alaipayuthey), Inba (Madhavan in Ayitha Ezhuthu), Michael Vasanth (Surya in Ayitha Ezhuthu), Gurukant Desai (Abhishek Bachchan in Guru) and quite recently- Veerayya a.k.a. Veera (Vikram in Raavanan).

If there is one man who can make even a stone act it's Mani Ratnam. His performance as a director is overshadowed by the performance of Shamili, who played the role of an autistic child who is loved by her family, detested by her society earlier and later how the same society learns to like her and love her. Such stories do not come every day in Indian cinema and such stories are very very hard to direct.

There have also been some movies of his which have been critically acclaimed such as Bombay, which is based on the Mumbai riots of 1993. One other critically acclaimed movie is Iruvar- featuring Mohanlal and Prakashraj in lead roles, a story loosely based on the lives of Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister- Mr. M.G.Ramachandran and current Tamil Nadu Chief Minister- Mr. M. Karunanidhi. This movie did not make it big at the box office, however, it is known for the directorial brilliance showcased by Mani Ratnam. Probably one of the finest movies that Indian cinema has ever seen or known, for ages to come.

Some of his other efforts include the movies- Kannathil Muthamittal and Dil Se, which form the terrorism trilogy alongwith Roja. The 3 movies- Roja, Kannathil Muthamittal and Dil Se- focus on 3 of the Sub-continent's most violent areas. Roja- Kashmir, Kannathil- Sri Lanka and Dil Se- North East India. Mani Ratnam is also credited for the blockbuster romantic story- Alaipayuthey and for one other movie treading on political lines- Ayitha Ezhuthu (Yuva in Hindi).

Everyone has a peak and a crest. That goes the same for even Mani Ratnam. The latest position that Mani Ratnam has got himself into is that he has apparently forgotten how audiences receive movies in various parts of the country. Raavan and Raavanan (the tamil version of Raavan) was released simultaneously. Raavanan did better than its Hindi counterpart, thanks to some apparently better acting by Vikram, who plays the "title role". One flaw with the Mani Ratnam of recent times is that he is more intent on creating movies as bi-linguals and tri-linguals, mindless of who acts in the movie and how well a movie is accepted in each region. For example: Raavanan need not have been made as a tri-lingual. It seemed more of an effort to showcase Ash-Abhi on screen, after a good one in Guru. It must also be noted that there was a lot of effort for Raavan- the sets, the stunts, the entire crew which had put in months of hard work to make such a movie must be praised.

Adding to that is the legendary A.R. Rahman - Mani Ratnam combination. It has worked so well in the past but somehow failed to live up to expectations with the Tamil audio of Raavanan. It was so apparent that the lyrics was not given much of importance, as they were just made, or rather forced to suit the music that had already been created for Raavan.

Despite all those recent flaws, Mani Ratnam still remains one of THE BEST directors of all time. I know I am not even in the league, where I can critique his works, but still, as an admirer and an avid movie goer, all I can say is Mani Ratnam stands tall among his peers and contemporaries. Let's just hope his next one is far more successful and probably the best to come from him.

The state of TN

Tamil Nadu. One India's four southern states. The state which boasts of a classical language spoken with many different dialects and accents- ranging from the ones spoken by Thiruvalluvar to the ones spoken by auto drivers and news readers and actresses imported from god knows where.

This state also boasts of one of the "greatest" political dynasties of modern India- The Karunanidhis. M.Karunanidhi, the Chief Minister of the state and his big family, who dominate the political scenario in Tamilnadu, at present are known for their "service" to the Tamil people. Yes- you read it right- service to the Tamil people.

Let us take a look at this TN government till now- Achievements over the past few years- Building grade separators (Once they used to build flyovers). Building a new assembly complex. Burning down the Dinakaran office- work done by M.K.Azhagiri (The C.M.'s son). Settling up a feud between the CM and Mr. Dayanidhi Maran (the C.M.'s nephew). Kalaignar TV. Free Tv's to people.

Now, did I forget something? Ah. Yes- Ulaga Thamizh Semmozhi Maanadu. Supposed to be the ultimate tribute to thamizh and thamizh culture turned out to be yet another function where the CM was praised rather than our semmozhi itself.

Ok. Now lets stop blaming our C.M. What did you and I do? Yes, you and me. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Shame.

 When the entire nation decided to protest against the petrol price rise, we decided that we will not have anything to do with it. So what if a bandh is not state sponsored? Don't we have the guts to stand up and say that "we don't want a fucking price rice in any commodity and you can fucking fuck off."? Yes. We DON'T have that guts and we don't give a damn.

At this point of time, I remember a few lines spoken by Padmashree Dr. Kamal Haasan in his movie- Unnaipol Oruvan. "If there is a bomb bast in northern India, we are not bothered, because it's not here. Not in Thamizhnadu. We are a peaceful state, that does not care about any other part of the country." This is also a bomb blast. A rice in prices every other day in India, when our neighbours sell petrol for less than what we pay- atrocity.

Things need to change. I know my writings cannot effect a change, atleast if one person reads this- next time there s something an entire nation does- that Thamizhan would probably do what he is supposed to do.

P.S: I am not pro-opposition nor am I pro-ruling. I am a person with neutral views on politics. I support what is right. I hope you too would support what is right.

Justice prevails?!!!????

25 years since the Bhopal gas tragedy, the trial has ended and the courts punish some of the minor accused, while one big shot, aged 80 plus sits in his house in new york, well furnished with air conditioners and well fed by a good cook.

The victims get paid a substantial amount, while the blame game is being played in the political circles. Warren Anderson will never be extradited to India and never will he be tried and punished in an Indian court, should our great politicians carry on playing the blame games.Look at them- has Arjun Singh ever done anything good for the country? He's the man responsible for letting Warren Anderson off and he was the great Union Human Resources Development minister, who screwed up with the reservation policy.

Think a little.. if a person like Veerappan, who has not killed in the number of thousands should be punished- What of people like Warren Anderson? If sheltering a known criminal and letting him escape from the hands of the law is a crime- then why has Mr. Arjun Singh not been arrested? Food for thought.

Satyameva Jayathe. Millions of Indians all over the world will understand what this is all about.

Something that caught my eye...

One of my friends here showed me one really amazing piece of technology. Something that the world has not yet seen. Something that would goes beyond all our imagination as far as the field of Human Computer Interaction goes.

As the name suggests- humans interact with computers and each interaction is important to an user. The thing I am talking about now is the new project natal from xbox, ( which has not yet been released to stores). What's so great about this project? See for yourself- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2qlHoxPioM and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPIbGnBQcJY&feature=channel.

I am sure you would have been astounded by those 2 links up there. Well, even I was stunned by the remarkable features of this project, however, I am sure, while being impressed by the technology, we all have forgotten one thing completely.

When this project comes to the stores- many people will certainly buy it, play with it and experience something new and of course, yes, get addicted to it. That will happen with most kids around the world. One thing that we have to realize is that if this project comes to the stores, children will certainly forget playing with physical friends. Children won't realize what it is to actually play football on the grass or hear the real sound of bat hitting ball or even ball hitting stumps.

My Parents' generation would boast of having played on large empty spaces in Chennai. Our generation can boast of striking a balance between playing video games, games on the pc and also playing on the grounds and roads in Chennai. What would the generation after us boast of? Having a friend named Milo, who can read his or her emotions and offer his help seeing through his virtual eyes? Not having a physical friend will be something that the next generation would probably boast about.

Imagine the effect that such a project will have on our kids. It is no doubt a great path-breaking project which has to be appreciated for all the hardwork, the effort and the ideas put in to create such a magnum opus. Hats off to the Xbox makers, but this will only affect kids of the coming generations. I know, this post might sound as a sort of propaganda against this new technology, but I am posting my true feelings here.

The xbox natal might be of greater use to the last man alive on earth rather than kids who need to experience what is left of earth. Green grass, fresh water, monsoon rains, sandy beaches- all these are going to be a reality for maybe a couple more generations, given the rate at which the earth is deteriorating. Let everything be natural, lets not technologically revolutionize every single thing on earth- including humans and sports.

That time of the year..

It's that time of the year again when people (read- couples) start fretting about meeting in public- Thanks to our dear old Ram Sene and their associates. Since I am now stuck up in one god forsaken piece of land, where my only access to Indian news is via the internet (Sigh- How much I miss the newsprint of The Hindu, The Times of India and The Indian Express). I wonder what's the new threat from the "moral police".

Anyways, apart from the annual threats by the "moral police", it is at this time of the year that many people choose to express their love all around the world. But seriously, why do we need a special day every year to express one's love? Feb14th? Why only on that date? Love someone- say it then and there. Just don't wait for the day.

Life is very short guys, just make sure you don't make it feel even shorter by waiting for a day when people all over the world express their love. One fine day guys, the girl you love might just turn up with a wedding invitation (as shown in so many many of our Indian movies- and call you- "Anna/Bhai please come for my wedding.") Just don't wait till then.

Well, I was reading this lovely nice book called 2 States by Chetan Bhagat (Highly recommended by all of my friends who read it). Really- one story that truly summarizes the state of Love marriages in India. Apparently, Mr. Bhagat's own life story, but yes-it rocked, to say the least. The back cover of the book reads "Love marriages around the world are pretty simple. Boy loves Girl, Girl loves Boy; They get married. However, love marriages in India have a few more steps. Boy loves Girl, Girl loves Boy, Boy's family has to love Girl. Girl's family has to love Boy. Boy's family must love Girl's family and Girl's family has to love Boy's family. If they still love each other, they get married." Really....

So, why is there this great hullabuloo about love marriages in conservative Indian societies? Basically- it's like parents' spoon feed us right from the very day that we are born, and hence they would expect us to marry the person that they see for us. It's the way it has been all these years and suddenly when their little kid (little kid- as old as 25-27 years old) comes and tells them that "I love so and so and I want to marry only that person." It comes as a huge shock to the parents. Pretty natural, considering our very own conservative upbringing. Finally after heavy shelling, firing, water-firing (read- tears) between parents and children, a decision would be reached. If the families are liberal enough, things would go through smoothly, otherwise..... long way to go....

And, yes people, it's also at this time of the year that some hearts get broken and some hearts leave their original resting place to go fly off somewhere, with another person's heart.

Win a heart- you rock. Heart break?- Never mind, Life has to go on boss...

Aayirathil Oruvan...

If the trailer was revolutionary in all aspects of Tamil cinema, the movie's 1st half promised a lot more. However, personally, I felt that the second half was a let down. The story of the movie revolves around 3 main characters played by Karthi, Reema Sen and Andrea.

Director Selvaraghavan and his team have taken a lot of pain and put in effort for this movie. More than 2 years were spent on this movie, but really, given the way the story moved in the second half, makes you wonder what the whole team was up to for all these days. Un Mela Aasadhan lives up to expectations, but since that comes up in the first half of the movie itself, it gives people less reason to stay up till the end of the movie.

Reema Sen's literally carried the movie on her boobs... oops, sorry.. shoulders. Violence and vulgarity run through the movie, with obscenities being used very frequently.Reema Sen, apparently has had a make over for the movie, but there hardly appears to be any difference between what she was in Minnale and now. If Puthupettai and 300 were the benchmarks for violence, Aayirathil Oruvan sets a new landmark.

However, one must appreciate the effort the entire team had put in for the movie. Parthiban was wasted in the role of the chola king. So was Pratap Pothen. Truly speaking, any idiot could have done those roles. The story takes a really awkward turn in the second half, with a huge chola clan making an appearance and a few pandyas as well. I'm not telling anything more.

Aayirathil Oruvan- disappointing, but still a rather thrilling experience. Should watch for the effort.

P.S:- Not for the weak hearted and also not a movie to go with your family.