Silence haunts.

No song in the air. No words heard. No movement. The air is still. Visually you are aware that people are in the room. But nobody speaks. Nobody has anything to say. Nobody is making any specific eye contact, even.

We are so used to noise, voices, music that such a sudden hit of silence is disturbing. Silence can come from a variety of factors. The quiet period after a fight is quite unnerving. The prominent tension in the air can drive any person insane. Awkwardness sets in.

The sound of a pin falling is crystal clear. You wonder how you underestimated your hearing all along. Movies use the silence concept to build up suspense. But otherwise in other scenes, you'll notice a background score. You don't pay much attention to it, but when its absent, you know something's missing.

The silence before the storm - everybody dreads the storm. Most silences are followed by storms, if not soon after, a while later. The later the storm approaches, the worse it gets. But until then, all you can do is wait for it.

Wait. In silence.

What do your parents do?

My parents are in the Iron & Steel business.
My mothers irons.
And my father steals.


Courtesy ~ Dad

White Lie

Lie to me - "White Lie"

I say I'm 10 when I'm 9 and half.
My Uncle tells a joke and I try to laugh
In gym I fake a headache, but I want to quit
I say I love the sweater that my Grandma knit.

But that's a white lie
       White lie
It's the kind you want to tell, a white lie
       White lie
So your mom won't have to yell, a white lie
       White lie

Everybody does it cause it feels alright and it's more polite
But a lies still a lie, even when it's white

I pretend I'm asleep when my dad walk's in
I said I ate my chicken, but I just ate the skin
Your face can say you're lying, when your mouth says you're not
Your pants are on fire, but they're not too hot

When it's a white Lie
       White Lie
It's the kind you want to tell, a white lie
       White Lie
So your dad won't have to yell, a white lie
       White Lie

Everybody does it, cause it feels alright and it's more polite
But a lie's still a lie, even when it's white

While it might be hard, to say what's true,
Would you want a white lie told to you?

Looking into the mirror...

She was fuming ! She HATED dressing up. She hated it more, when she didn't have a choice. She gave more importance to a person's presence than appearance - so, she didnt really see the point in dressing up. Sarees were her worst nightmare. One long piece of cloth draped around with folds at the appropriate places - Origami on the human body ! How on earth could she walk normally when there was the perennial fear of the Saree falling off? She was cursing her stars, why'd she have to wear a saree, why'd she have to dress up, why'd she have to be born INDIAN? Quite obviously, Aarthi was not connected to her roots.

The doorbell rang. They must have arrived. She sighed thinking about the usual routine - Welcoming the new family with a plastic smile, asking them to sit down (while they examine your wealth by your living room unsubtly), bringing them tea and snacks (while they observe your walking skills), catching a quick glance at all the family members especially the prospective groom, doing some meaningless chit-chat, and sending them off while they promise to get back to you. NOT AGAIN, she helplessly complained.

Mrs. Rajalakshmi Sudhakaran, fondly called Raji, was a very interesting personality. Her views vibed with the present generation's. Even during her times, she always questioned traditions and broke the orthodox barriers. She didn't have full family support in all her ventures, but that didn't hinder her progress. Quite naturally, she was unbelievably shocked when her son had asked her to find him a wife.

Raji was now in a sticky situation. Had she observed what her elders did, she'd know the norms of "ponnu-paakardhu". She had just resorted to passing the message through her friends circle. They would find her son a suitable wife, she hoped.

She walked into the Ramanathan residence. When she received this young girl's photo, immediately she saw a spark in the girl's eyes. She somehow reminded her a lot of herself. Also, this girl's photo elicited a "Hmmm ok" response from her son unlike his usual "No".  Mr and Mrs. Ramanathan welcomed Raji and her son warmly. After ten minutes of formal conversation, Aarthi walked in with coffee and some snacks. Raji smiled when she noticed how Aarthi had had some trouble with her saree. She was transported back to her days, when she walked in, in a salwar kameez suit after spending what seemed like a 100 years, trying to tie her saree. Ofcourse, that family concluded that she had a mind of her own and took back their proposal. Three months and 5 days later, Rajalakshmi married the man of her dreams in a small temple at the end of their street. After the proceedings, they went to have lunch at a nearby restaurant, for the first time as man and wife. "2 Masala dosais and 2 coffees"..."Sure sir, do you want some sugar in that?"

"Do you want some sugar in that?", Aarthi asked for the third time. Her prospective mother-in-law seemed to be in a trance. She wasn't like the other mothers she had met. Something was different about her. She felt an aura of positive vibes from this lady. Her son was blessed with handsome looks, alright ! But Aarthi wanted to know more about Mrs. Sudhakaran than her son. For the time being, she learnt some small facts - doesn't like any sugar in her coffee.

Reasons why I love my college

• Its right in the middle of the city - A twenty minute drive from home.
• Huge beautiful campus. Lots of picture-friendly spots. Wonderful inexpensive food at the canteen.
• Its supposed to be the 5th best university in India, after four IITs.
• We respect all forms of religion and get holidays for every festival.
• Consistent pleading with our professors can result in cancellation of classes or lab sessions. Chorus braying of "Ma'aaaaaaam" or "Siiiiiiiiiir" at the appropriate time will work too. Sometimes it actually makes them feel guilty about taking class.
• Professors have high regard for the college authorities. They cancel classes so that they can attend the Dean's daughter's wedding.
• All cultural events are conducted in a very grand scale. Sky-rocketing budgets, appearances made by film stars, screening new films at the OAT are a few plus points.
• We believe that the monsoon season must be enjoyed at home. This includes the extremities of torrential rainfall and light drizzling.

What to say?

I no know what to write. I should supposed to be able to write daily for the week. After just finishing seeing other posts on the blog, I should supposed to write correctly in the English, is it not? But the words ... uh ... flow le varle ma. So, I talk in the language, i know. For my comfortable only I am keeping. You also madichifying and reading the post so, I should supposed to say thanks machi. I will do the yescape now. I come back later and write like Peter akka.

Thy university shapes thy vocabulary !

Luck, by chance

She woke up to the tingling sensation of the cool breeze and the sounds of the birds chirping, which tempted her to take a morning stroll around the block. She walked like she usually does, extremely slow, taking in the pleasure of the cool weather for she knew it'd be hot and humid in a few hours when dawn breaks. The roads were mildly lit. There was only the occasional paperboy or milkman on the roads at this hour of the day. It was a Sunday!

She knew these roads like the back of her hand. Every road sign on every street, every bump on the footpath, there was a zero percent chance of her feeling lost in this area. As she came to a junction (which is usually packed with bumper-to-bumper traffic at other times of the day), she felt a sudden reckless urge to walk on the road. As she disembarked the footpath, barely 3/10ths of a second had passed when she was blinded by headlights. She stood motionless. Her mind sensed a car approaching, but her body couldn't move. Sounds of screeching brakes filled the air around her. The driver tried to come to a complete halt, but she knew inertia wouldn't work her way. "This is what happens when you decide to do something out of routine", she thought to herself. "All I wanted to do was take a walk. One wrong decision and here I am, alive for now ... possibly dead in a few minutes ... this is not how the day was supposed to go".

Dhristi was an ace swimmer. She was envied by all her peers at district and national level swimming competitions. Not only was she immensely skilled, she was confident and determined. And that took her places. Lines of trophies on the wall and photoframes spoke of all the times she was applauded (which were many). From the outside, Dhristi's life seemed perfect. Unfortunately, it was far from !

Although Dhristi was extremely talented, something always stood in her way. And this was an obstacle that couldn't be tackled - Luck. Was her luck bad from the start or did she acquire it after her naming ceremony, no one knows. Dhristi always had a fixed routine. After years of experience of what works for her and what doesnt, Dhristi and her parents set up a hassle-free routine for her. This ensured that nothing drastic would happen. There still was a large possibility that something could go wrong, but having followed the same routine every week instiled a sense of belief that maybe tomorrow will be like today - With an absence of bad. Over the years, Dhristi stopped indulging in her impulsive cravings and stuck to her routine to ensure that her swimming career doesnt drown. She didn't mind foregoing a social life, there were worse situations at hand. She soon grew afraid of breaking free from the routine - her mind swam around thoughts of losing a limb or two - nothing was worth that.

Sunday morning, 6 am, she should've been in her 18th or 19th lap in the pool. But here she was, blinded by the headlights, thinking about why she had such ill luck. In that moment of chaos, she couldn't help but smile! Life wasn't quite a challenge for her, Luck was :) Here she was, away from her world, away from her routine, away from the possibility of seeing a tomorrow, yet she was happy. Happy that she finally gave in to her craving. She finally knew how it felt to be free. Above her, a white bird flew high across the sky...

Dhristi was a fun person. Her sister, Poorvika, carries forward her swimming legacy.

The pleasure of the Weekend

After an array of long senseless dreams, your body clock is tuned to get up to the same time every morning. But today is different. You wake up, see the time and are RELIEVED that you can go back to bed again. Its a Saturdaaaaaaaay ! No college, no work, no 4 lane traffic, no abuses to motorists on the road, no long walks to class from the parking, no weird looks when you walk in late to class, no answer-sheet distributions. Just the sheer pleasure of pulling your sheets over your head and returning to the land of the senseless dreams.

Wake up hours later (after completing the 12 hour requirement) to a cup of good hot coffee. Read the supplements, comics, movie reviews unhurriedly ! Watch some television in the morning, catch up on shows that you've missed. No work planned for the morning :) Such a calming feeling !

Unfortunately this lasts only for a day. Sunday evening is interspersed with the monday morning blues following which is another interesting yet exhausting week !

Enjoy it while it lasts :)

The Flintstones !

Opening theme :

"Yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyabba-dabba-doooooooo!"

Flintstones... Meet the Flintstones,
They're a modern stoneage family.
From the town of Bedrock,
They're a page right out of history.

Let's ride with the family down the street.
Through the courtesy of Fred's two feet.

When you're with the Flintstones,
have a yabba dabba doo time,
a dabba doo time,
we'll have a gay old time

Closing theme :

Flintstones... Meet the Flintstones,
They're a modern stoneage family.
From the town of Bedrock,
They're a page right out of history.

Someday, maybe Fred will win the fight,
And that cat will stay out for the night.

When you're with the Flintstones,
have a yabba dabba doo time,
a dabba doo time,
we'll have a gay old time

"Wiiilllllmmmmmmaaaaaa!!!" bang bang bang

HAPPY 50TH ANNIVERSARY !!!



One in a thousand !

A very popular phrase this, denoting exclusivity attained by sheer talent or heap loads of luck. But what does it feel like to be THAT one ?

Built in 1010 AD, the Brihadeeswara temple in Tanjore, Tamil Nadu recently celebrated its 1000th year of existence. There are surprises in store even before you enter the temple grounds. The temple has been built like a fort, shielded from all sides. As you pass the main entrance, the grandeur of it ALL hits you in the face! The enormously sized Nandi is what greets you, up front. The giant Lingam in the sannidhi, the lush green fields around the premises are a treat to the eyes. This is the only temple that houses the Lords of the all eight directions. Looking around at the astounding architecture of the temple and its hugeness makes you feel like an ant in a giant's world !

Mechanically moving in with the crowd after having gotten a good glimpse around the entire temple, we had to move to our zone positions. There was a hint of drizzle now and then, which felt as though He was mockingly testing whether we'd get nervous or worked up. Since we had some time to kill, Preethi and me tried to imagine and conjure up flashback. Same temple, same architecture all around, same sannidhi up front, but about a 1000 years back. The era where the similar type of dance (now called "Bharatanatyam") was performed by the dancers, earlier known as "Devadasis". The energy that radiated from the grounds that these devadasis once danced upon, was felt by all. There were positive vibrations all around. A thousand years later, we were about to dance on these same grounds - History was about to repeat itself !

The time had come. The emcee has announced the list of dance items that were to come. The lights went on. Cameras were flashing all around. Video cameras set into place. All of us got into our positions. Ten feet, 2 rows, in front of me, were the senior dancers - the cream of our dance industry - whom we are all in awe of, waiting for the music to begin in the same position. Behind me, 900 odd dancers doing the exact same thing. Once the music had begun, there was no stopping us. All of us danced like there was no tomorrow ! Every time there was a turning movement, we all tried to save and lock up the visuals that our eyes were observing. In one of the lines of the song, my favourite quote was roped in - "Life's a stage, all men and women are mere players". Speaking for all, I can say that at that moment, there were no thoughts about work, city, food, family or anything else. After soaking in every single second spent there, we finished with a bang! History was created !

There were talks about this performance being nominated in the Guinness Book of World Records. But a line my father just mentioned, made me wonder how I hadn't thought about it before :

"Bringing in a 1000 dancers for just one performance can be easily achieved, your record can be broken, it isnt impossible. But bringing in a 1000 dancers for one performance to commemorate the 1000th year of the Big Temple, NOW thats impossible to repeat. Thats a story that'd make your grandchildren proud of you !"

Its was wonderful to be One in a thousand - to be a part of history !

Self-Expression

Observing people is one of my favourite ways to pass time ! Every individual seems like a unique "character" through my scrutinising spectacles ! But one common quality among ALL, is their need to self-express !

Everybody wants to be heard. Everybody wants to be opinionated. They want the world to know what they're thinking or feeling ! Some people have magnetic personalities - crowds of people cluster around them and listen to their life stories.They have no problems in being heard! The other quiet sort try hard to break out of their shells for people to notice them. These days, the presence of the virtual world provides the shy community some much required respite ! They resort to social networking sites : facebook (updating status messages every hour) or blogging !

The advantage with expressing oneself in the virtual world is the self satisfaction that your views are out there, in the open, for all to read. Whether people actually read it or not, is a different issue altogether ! So this way, you needn't demand people's attention or put on airs of having a very (fake) busy life amidst people !

Expressing oneself is impossible without languages, you might say. The speaker and the listeners must know the basics of the language spoken, to understand what the speaker wishes to express, you might say. True, to an extent - but I don't completely agree. Take the Opera or a dance recital, for instance. The songs are sung in an unfamiliar language. So, during the course of the show, you learn to observe the dancer and his/her movements !

Body language expresses a lot.  More than one can even imagine! It's the only 'language' thats understood by EVERYBODY, all around the world! When you're nervous, you're fidgety. When you're happy, you're smiling/laughing. When you're sleepy, you're nodding off. When you're thinking, you subconsciously scratch your head or tap your cheek with a finger. When you're injured, your hands automatically move to the injured area ! Normally you wouldn't pay attention to these gestures. But somewhere in your mind the relation, of what each gesture denotes, is saved. Try watching a movie, in mute. Half an hour into the movie, you can predict the storyline to quite an accurate extent !

Makes you ponder over how films were perceived when they were audio-less ! A fun game of Dumb-Charades among friends, is another example ! As oxymoronic as it may sound, silence truly speaks !

"There are times when Silence has the loudest voice!" - Leroy Brownlow

Alive and Kicking !

After a morning-long depression about losing out on all my previous blog entries, this new blog has come ALIVE ! To everybody who is considering deleting your blog - DON'T ! You'll want to read your entries 4 years later :)

Ah ! Feels good to write a new post, again ! Going by my previous blog entries, I can assure that my posts always reflect my thought process : you'll find a new idea, a new expression every two sentences, so bear with me !

Deja vu, is personally, one of my favourite feelings. It doesn't quite come under an "emotion" category, so i'll just call it a feeling ! People always say "First's a Charm !" . Well, it is ! The first raindrop, first schoolday after months of vacation,  first dance rehearsal after a hiatus, first drive in the rain ! There's always an exciting feeling buzzling around anything "first". Even though you'd witness a thousand rainy seasons in your lifetime, feeling the first raindrop of the day on your shoulder makes you smile ! All you'd want to do is forget work, take the day off and enjoy the rain with a hot cup of coffee! As trivial as it may be, if something becomes part of routine, every time you visit the same place or encounter the same situation, you tend to act like you did earlier - because you know how it ends and you're happy with the ending ! Isn't that what we ALWAYS want - A Happy Ending ?