Vande Mataram in the clouds

Every year, I get terribly homesick come August 15th. Its malarum ninaivugal all the time. We had these grand independence day celebrations in the school quadrangle (and I was among the few that would faint regularly because we would stand in the hot sun waiting for the chief guest for over two hours). Finally, the chief guest would arrive, and after singing Janda ooncha, they would finally let us go into the auditorium for the cultural programs (including the mandatory bhangra and speech about national integration). Those were the days.....

I was in BE second year during India's 50th independence day. Even the biggest cynic could not have stayed immune to the all pervasive patriotic fervour that day. My friends and I wore salwars matching the tri-color, and everyone was singing A.R Rahman's Vande mataram (maa tujhe salam).

(image source: www.amazon.com)

I'm not a big Rahman fan, but he truly outdid himself with this song. The lyrics are fantastic -

Tere paas hi main aaraha hoon, apni baahen khol de,
Zor se mujhko gale lagale,mujko phir woh pyar de,
Tuhi zindagi hai, tuhi mere mohabbat hai, tere hi pair mein jannat hai,
tuhi dil, tu jaan, mamaa...

The background music is cleverly understated. Mainly dominated by percussion instruments and Rahman singing "maa", the song conveys the majesty of India and the profoundness of the phrase "Vande Maataram". The song picturization was innovative. The camera captured India's earthy tones and the colors of the flag beautifully. My favorite shot was that of a little baby girl (wearing a rajasthani outfit) and staring into the camera with her big beautiful eyes.

Seven years later, flying back to Chicago on friday morning after a lot of delays and cancelled flights (American airlines), I experienced one of those classic moments.. The sun was shining brilliantly through my window, the clouds were far below, and closing my eyes and listening to Maa tujhe salam on my mp3 player, I was transported...Who needs wings to fly, when music can make your soul soar?

PS: In the same album, check out the track titled "Revival". It is the original Vande Mataram sung by Anuradha Sriram. I do not have any words to describe this composition

Hey guys, this one is for you

I received this hilarious forward from my friend. Sorry guys, its all true!

NEW EVENING CLASSES FOR MEN
OPEN TO MEN ONLY - ALL MEN WELCOME.
Note: Due to the complexity and level of difficulty, each course will accept a maximum of eight participants. The course covers two days. Topics covered in this course include:

DAY ONE:

HOW TO FILL ICE CUBE TRAYS
Step by step guide with a slide presentation

TOILET ROLLS – DO THEY GROW ON THE HOLDERS?
Roundtable discussion

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LAUNDRY BASKET & FLOOR
Practising with hamper ( pictures & graphics )

DISHES & SILVERWARE: DO THEY LEVITATE TO KITCHEN SINK OR DISHWASHER BY THEMSELVES?
Debate among panel of experts

LOSS OF VIRILITY
Losing the remote control to your significant other – Help line and support groups

LEARNING HOW TO FIND THINGS
Starting with looking in the right place instead of turning the house upside down while shouting “It’s not there!" “You’ve moved it!” or “We’ve run out!” - Open forum.

DAY TWO
EMPTY MILK CARTONS: DO THEY BELONG IN THE FRIDGE OR THE BIN?
Group discussion and role play

HEALTH WATCH: BRINGING HER FLOWERS IS NOT HARMFUL TO YOUR HEALTH
Powerpoint presentation

REAL MEN ASK FOR DIRECTIONS WHEN LOST
Real testimonial from the one man who did

IS IT GENETICALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO SIT QUIETLY AS SHE PARALLEL PARKS?
Driving simulation

LIVING WITH ADULTS: BASIC DIFFERENCES BETWEEN YOUR MOTHER AND YOUR PARTNER
Online class and role playing

HOW TO BE THE IDEAL SHOPPING COMPANION
Relaxation exercises, meditation and breathing techniques

REMEMBERING IMPORTANT DATES & CALLING WHEN YOU’RE GOING TO BE LATE
Bring your calendar or PDA to class

GETTING OVER IT: LEARNING HOW TO LIVE WITH BEING WRONG ALL THE TIME
Individual counsellors available.

Maniratnam's magnum opus!

Just read in rediff today that Mangal Pandey's producer Bobby Bedi's next 200 crore venture is Mahabarath, directed by none other than Maniratnam. Work for the movie starts in 2006.

Remember Thalapathi? Maniratnam had reprised the classic Karnan story as Rajni's life story, and glorified the Karnan-Duryodhan friendship with the Rajni-Mammoty relationship. Many scenes in Thalapathi were inspired by the Mahabarath!

If this news from rediff is true, it surely could end up being the greatest movie in indian cinema. I cant wait!

Book Review - how not to write...

Finished two bad books in one weekend. They do not write good books anymore do they? I'm trying to remember all the good books and stories I have read (like the Gift of the Magi or classics like To kill a mocking bird), just to remind myself that good books still exist.

A long way down - Nick Hornby

The author has taken every random thought that filled his mind over the past year and filled 352 pages of the book (what a waste of rain forests). The story line is simple - four strangers end up meeting on top of 10 story building in London, all intent on killing themselves. They end up not doing so and form a weird support group. There is nothing redeeming about the end of the book - three of the four characters' lives are a lot more screwed up than what it was when they decided to jump off the building. How depressing!

PS: I checked out the reviews for this on amazon.com. Most of the reviews were favorable. I still stand by what i say, i prefer simple books that have a real story.

Trump - Think like a billionaire - everything you need to know about success, real estate, and life - Donald Trump

Hubris. Egotism...add any other words you can think of here. Even the title is silly - does Trump really think he has the authority to tell the reader everything they need to know about life? Is life made up of the apprentice and saturday night live (two shows that i have never ever seen even once).

Instead of teaching you "everything you need to know about success, real estate, and life", you get Trump's two cents on everything from why the UN is failing as a peace organization (because they did not have the good sense to award Trump some New York renovation project) to what kind of pet you need to have (pitbulls - no, trophy wives- most certainly yes).

Stick to your copy of how to make friends and influence people . . . you may well be on your way to getting a raise, paying your mortgage and marrying your college sweetheart. Who needs billions?!

The blissful book worm

I've gone back to my first love...reading! Try to borrow these on your next library visit.


Harry Potter and the half blood prince - Much better than Order of the Phoenix. Though this book has over 600 pages, its a great page turner and the end of the book is kinda sad (though i can almost guess why the person who killed someone had to commit the murder). Rowling has cleverly woven in serious adult issues such as racism, class differences and believe it or not.. the war on terror into the plot! On the flip side, this book is most certainly not for kids below 16, and reading about Harry Potter's love life is way too weird!


The Historian - by Elizabeth Kostova
If you like reading about history, medieval europe, travel, and vampires, this one is for you! I have been listening to the audio book. Though the narrative is rather slow, this first time author manages to hold the reader's interest.



The Five people you meet in heaven by Mitch Albom -
This is a tiny little book, ideal for inflight reading. It could have just been a short story, some how, the author manages to stretch the plot out to fill 208 pages with wide spaced text. The writing style is pretty similar to that of R.K Narayan. The message conveyed by the book was actually very touching - about how all our lives are inexplicably interlinked with each other and how our tiny actions make huge differences in the lives of other people.


Digital Fortress, Angels and Demons by Dan Brown -
Dan Brown's books are entertaining, but he is worse than the current tamil cinema script writers. All his books have EXACTLY the same formula -
Nerdy professor (who plays a lots of sports) meets Brilliant female researcher/historian/scientist who is also totally hot; they have to crack a piece of indecipherable code within exactly 24 hours or some catastrophic event will destroy a major establishment which in turn will threaten world peace. Oh, and by the way, the main character in charge of the major establishment is actually the villain. In angels and demons, the Vatican is threatened, and in Digital fortress, its some National security agency. Both the books are the same otherwise. But, I am not complaining. The novels are fast paced, and good enough to help you survive a delayed american airlines flight from atlanta to chicago!

There are a bunch of non fiction books that I am reading too. Watch this space!