Another year has passed....

We started the new century with hopes and dreams, of a peaceful present and a hopeful future. Sadly, each passing year has been bloodier than the previous. Combined with the relentless onslaught of natural disasters and the threat of global warming, the world that our children will inherit is a dysfunctional, damaged, hurting, violent place. Is it fair? Is it pardonable?

This is why i am really looking forward to the new year. Hopefully, it should be a new dawn, with new hopes for peace, everywhere. The shift of power in the US offers great possibilities and if well utilized, could restore America's rightful position in the world. Companies are slowly realizing that profitability and environmental responsibility are not mutually exclusive ideas. Technological advances could bring us closer to the dream of total reliance on renewable energy. We can always hope, and we can always pray....we do not have a choice.

Farewell Peter...

Ray's mom - "I dont want to be your trophy wife"
Ray's dad - "what contest in hell did i win?!!"

And when Peter Boyle (Ray's dad) said this, it didnt seem mean or rude, it was just plain funny! I was really saddened by Peter Boyle's passing. He brightened up many boring evenings for me, and without him, Everybody loves Raymond would not have been half as good. As Ray's dad, he was simply brilliant! With deadpan humor, and tons of sarcasm, Peter enlivened every episode. We'll miss you Peter ... Everybody loves you..

Ode to the Mahakavi...

On this birth anniversary of Mahakavi Subramaniya Bharathi, I realize that my writing can never do sufficient justice to his greatness, or even adequately articulate the intensity of my admiration and devotion to his thoughts and ideals.

I can only quote from some of my favorite works of his..

"Engirundho vandhaan..
Idaijaadhi naan yendraan..."

(He came from somewhere, and said he belonged to the community of cowherds....- From Kannan yen sevagan)

"Thani oruvanukku unavu illayenil jagaththinai azhithiduvom"

(We shall destroy this world if one person goes without food - From Bharatha samudhayam vaazhgavey)

"Bhoomiyil yevarkum inni adimai seiyyom
Paripoorananukkey adimai seidhu vaazhvom"

(We will never be enslaved to anyone in this world, we will enslave ourselves to the Supreme one and live - From Aduvomey palli paaduvomey)

"Pillai piraayathi izhandheerey
Neer pinnum an nilai pera vendiro"

(You lost your childhood, dont you wish you could get that back? - From Karpanai oor)

"Nandridhai therndhidal vendum
Indha gnanam vandhaar pin namakkedhu vendum"

(We should choose what is right, and when we are enlightened in such a way, what else do we need?)

"Than seyal yenni thavippadhu theerndhingu
Nin seyal seidhey niraivu perum vannam
ninnai charan adaindhen kannammaa
ninnai charan adaindhen...."

(Instead of agonizing over my deeds, I should perform your deeds and attain fulfillment, and hence i come to you seeking solace...)

And then it was winter.....

Where did spring, summer, and fall this year go? I cannot believe how fast time flies. Here are some pics of this year's first snow fall.

Movie Review - Babel

I do hope this movie is an aberration. I pray that this does not start an annoying trend in Hollywood (if it doesnt already exist) - that of Oscar fishing. Movie makers are supposed to just try and create good cinema, and then hope to win awards. They cannot decide that they want Oscar nods, and then start throwing in a mish-mash of suitable elements into a movie.

The storyline is about the terrible situations that ordinary people could get into unknowingly, how such situations could spiral further out of control, and finally, how such situations end up in nothing but tears, despair, and agony. This is the common thread that weaves together the seemingly disparate concurrent events happening in Morocco, Mexico, and Tokyo.

The most annoying parts of the movie are the Tokyo sequences - the shocking MA rated scenes are not even necessary for the storyline and simply seen gratuitous.

Babel is not entirely bad - the cinematography is fabulous and the movie is bolstered by stellar performances by Brad Pitt and Adriana Barraza (who plays the mexican nanny). The director does succeed in keeping us engrossed in the narrative in the beginning - however, somewhere in the middle of the movie, we realize that there is nothing redeeming about to happen. Nothing is going to save the characters from the cesspools that they have fallen into, and that is when we lose hope, both for the characters of the movie, and for ourselves getting our ticket's worth of entertainment.

Whats hot and whats not

YAY :-) :-) :-)

* Panera Bread's veggie friendly menu - You can actually have breakfast, lunch and dinner and there. The rotating soup menu gives you a reason for repeat visits

* AMC cantera charging 5 bucks a ticket for all shows before 12:00 noon - its a great way to kill a boring afternoon and you can actually feel good about having fun at the movies without burning the bank

* Beyonce's deja vu - I dont really get the tune of this song, but she sings her lungs out, and plus sister looks and sounds totally fabulous

NAY :-( :-( :-(

* Cell phone users who do not use the "silent" or "meeting" feature in their workplace; And they are the same boors that download flamboyant ring tones..so all day, you are forced to listen to these pesky little things sing non stop (and the proud owner is not even in the office)

* There is a time for everything- however, people start talking about or promoting things too early, waayy to early. Case in point, thanksgiving is not even over yet, i have barely had one cup of pumpkin spice latte, and suddenly, Starbucks is displaying christmas colors in their stores and even on their cups and serving eggnog lattes and ginger bread. The midterm elections are just over, Nancy Pelosi has not even installed her new drapes yet, and people are already talking about the 2008 presidential elections. So, in essence, washington is ALWAYS in an election mode. The people trying to get their names on the primary ballots are mostly senators. So, when are they ever going to get time to say, pass laws?

So is this fate?

Check out the two links below. They are related news stories and genuinely scary -

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15759622/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15254176/

Reminds me of the Final destination movies..

So ok, i said i was going to blog everyday? I guess i need to define what "everyday" means. Because, for me, a week rushes by in a second. One day its monday morning, and suddenly its friday. It seems like this year just started, and suddenly, its going to be december. Where did summer and fall go and why is it winter already?

Hot and happenin...

Whats HOT !!!

* Podcasts rock!!!! More on this in my next blog. Its like a whole new world that i have discovered

* Justin Timberlake sure brings SEXY BACK!!!

* The first woman speaker of the US congress - Despite every effort to demonize the stylish 66 year old grandmother (ooooo she looked scary on 60 minutes?!!!! gimme a break!). She won, and won big!!! and her drapes shopping did not go waste!

Whats NOT!!!!

* The terrible regressive storyline in the Godfather (now titled Varalaaru). When will Thamizh cinema directors wake up and get out of their stone age mentality????

Back to Blogging

Ok..here it is...a grand new revival of my blog!!!!! The regular readers of my past blogs know my routine by now - i'll blog like theres no tomorrow, and then i'll disappear forever. If you know me, you also know what my old excuses are - too much work, not enough time etc etc etc.....

I want to blog again. There are so many fun little things that happen in my life, and its wonderful to share it with people - family, friends, and strangers alike. I promise - at least one post per day (if not more). I look forward to your comments, and even your contributions (as guest columnists in my blog!)

"Gas prices fall more than 7 cents"- Is this the end of the tunnel?

 

price for gasoline declined for the second week in a row, dropping to the lowest level in two months, the government said on Monday.

 

Source: Gas prices fall more than 7 cents - Automotive - MSNBC.com

Where I live, I have not seen the 7 cent drop yet. The prices have slowly dropped by 2 cents, and it may be a while before we catch up with the rest of the country. I'm still holding my breath every time I drive past a gas station. As many statistics show, we are not driving any less - just cutting back on other things. Car pool anyone from the west burbs?

The Art institute of Chicago

Chicago is a magnificent city, and it is a tourist's paradise. I have lived in the surburbs for the past few years, and I can still find novel places to visit on a sunny weekend in Chicago.

Yesterday, we took advantage of one of the last few summer weekends of the year and visited the Art institute of Chicago's museum. It is a fabulous destination for art lovers and even interests the easily bored!

Getting there...

Driving is not a bad option, the trick is finding parking. The millenium park and other garages are close by, but pricey (about $25) We got lucky, and managed to find parking on the side of a parallel road (Columbus), for $3 an hour. The metra (you need to catch a trolley from union station) and CTA are other good options.

Make it a day trip...

The beautiful Buckingham fountain and the Millenium park are very close by. You can also take a walk down the Magnificent mile for some heavy duty window shopping and see the beautiful Chicago river. The big bean at the Millenium park (officially known as Cloud gate) is a must-see. It was created by Anish Kapoor (a british indian).

At the museum...

Check out the museum's website at this link. I spent the most time, in the gallery showcasing scupltures from India. The displayed idols encompassed the Hindu trinity. I really enjoyed the detailed descriptions posted next to each diety. The write-up for the Nataraja idol was profound, condensing major Hindu beliefs in one simple paragraph. Another beautiful sculpture was a Varaha avatar depiction from Rajasthan, with a delicate Bhoomadevi gently resting her hand on Vishnu's (as the boar) snout.

Check out my photo blog for some pictures.

The museum also has a fantastic collection of impressionist era paintings by artists like Monet, Van Gogh, and Renoir. I have always loved the water lilies by Monet, and I couldnt believe i was standing simply two feet away! The most spectacular painting is "Paris street, Rainy day" by Gustave Caillebot. The effect of rain on the Paris cobblestones of Paris is unbelievably realistic.

Windows live writer rocks!

Thanks to Miss. Paranoid's post, I downloaded Windows live writer. This is my first blogpost (or rather my test blogpost) with it. Its awesome! I did not have to refer to any help file, its as easy as just opening a notepad file and typing. Inserting hyperlinks, spell check, changing fonts etc.. are just a breeze. I usually dislike downloading toolbars to internet explorer, but window's live toolbar seems good. Ofcourse, it very heavily pushes MSNBC and other microsoft related sites, but the novel feature is, you can browse multiple websites within a single explorer window using the tab feature . I tried to insert an image here, but i got an error message (it probably has something to do with Blogger's settings). Anyway, with this new tool, I really have no excuses to not blog frequently anymore, so do watch this space for more!

Dailamo? What the *%^&??!!

I am still shaking my head with disbelief. Dailamo from Dishum is supposed to be a great big superhit song. Apparently it used to constantly play on radio mirchi. A google search for Dailamo took me to many websites praising the song to the skies. I had to find out for myself what all the hype was about, and I made the mistake of listening to the song.

It was terrible! I agree, the tune is catchy, but I couldnt stand any of the vocals. This is what I HATE -

* Words that do not have any meaning (Dailamo?????) It shows an utter lack of imagination
* Thamizh is a beautiful language - why kill it by pronouncing it with a western accent?
* Kaalaleke????? The lyricist could not think of a proper word to use in the beginning of the song, so he takes a real thamizh word and distorts it to fit the tune
* The weird suggestive ooohh aaahhh noises the male singer makes through the song

There are many bad songs. What upsets me with this song is the fact that it is such a big hit in India, and I do not get it at all. It scares me because my reaction implies one of two things - either i am too old fashioned, unwilling to change with the times, or people in Thamizhnadu have changed so much, become so westernized, and become so much more non-conservative. Where does that leave me?

Thendrale ennai thodu

I am trying to unearth Illayaraja's gems. My quest (through many forums and blogs) led me to his soundtrack for Thendrale ennai thodu.

I have no recollection of watching the movie. Per music india online, this movie was released in 1985, staring "Mike" (as in microphone) Mohan and Jayshree. Mohan is one of the classic examples of how a good jaadhagam (or God knows what) can propel a person right to the top. He was a mediocre actor. Somehow, he managed to act in some really good movies (Mouna Raagam being the most memorable) and many of his movies ended up having superhit songs (such as Payanangal mudivadhillai, mella thirandhadhu kadhavu etc). Jayshree was one of the "homely" actresses at that time. She was very pretty, Sadha reminds me a lot of her.

Of all the Ilayaraja albums that I know of, this is easily one of the most innovative. The composition of tunes, the orchestra, the raagams that he has used...his brilliance cannot be described in words. Here are my favorite songs -

Kavidhai paadu kuyile - I've always adored SPB and I fell in love with him all over again after listening to this song. The raagam is similar to needhane yendhan pon vasantham from ninaivellam nitya. The tune is racy and flamboyant

Pudhiya poovidhu - Shades of Sudhdha Dhanyasi again. The tabla type beats in the background make all the difference. SPB rocks as always, and Janaki keeps up with Ilayaraja's super difficult (but super melodious tunes)

Kanmani Nee Vara - This is the best in the album. Malayamaarutham is one of my favorite raagams (manasayatulo by Thyagaraja is a divinely beautiful composition in this raagam). Ilayaraja effortlessly uses this raagam and weaves wonderful romantic tunes. Jesudas is surprisingly disappointing in this song - he doesnt quite hit all the right notes. But Uma Ramanan more than makes up for his shortcomings. She was one singer who never quite made it, but that gives me a topic for another blog post.

Here is the link for this movie in music india online. Do not miss this album!

Movie Review - Something Something unakkum yenakkum

I have only myself to blame. The silly title offered me enough warning - and i went ahead and watched the movie anyway, hoping for a good family movie with Jeyam Ravi and Trisha.

The movie sucks. Is Thamizh cinema that starved for original ideas? The movie's story is a straight lift from Maine Pyar Kiya. To make matters worse, there are entire sequences lifted from Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. The gaiety looks terribly artificial (i have been to a million Thamizh weddings, when do people do impromptu bhangras?)

Trisha does her usual thing, but her standard four expressions that she alternates through this movie and all her other movies (mischeivous, sad, supportive-to-the-hero - repeat)are tiring . Jeyam Ravi is made to overact all through first half, though he is watchable in the second half.

By the way, the hero and his family are supposed to be from London. There are shots of his dad (Bhagyaraj) talking on the phone with a "London" backdrop. There are huge skyscrapers and 5 lane (on one side) expressways. I have travelled to London many times, so correct me if i am wrong, is that really London?

The Ohare international terminal

I spend my days rushing through my regular routine - work, home, work, home....And then, a couple of times every year, I am jolted from my inertia, and reminded of the big world outside of my little cocoon, and the land I left behind for my new home.

A trip to the international terminal at Chicago Ohare to pick up my parents or my mother in law is always a memorable experience. The people watching experience is great fun.

Every arriving flight brings the same kind of people - the nervous young grad students, the tired and bored business traveller, the shy and apprehensive new bride, the harried mom with hyperactive children, the overwhelmed grandparents... And the reaction of the people who have come to receive them is also identical - we are nervous, excited, impatient and finally, immensely relieved when we see the face of our long awaited loved one.

It makes me think of how small the world really is, and how alike all of us really are. Why then do we fight?

Movie Review - Syriana

Its not a new release, but if you are looking for a good dvd to watch, search
no further. Urgently narrated, intriguing, complex, relevant, and compelling - Syriana is arguably one of the best Hollywood movies of this decade, and also probably one of the most important.

I do not wish to give away any details of the story here, as it is a treat to watch the events unfold. The movie makers are daring enough to weave a complex web of geopolitical machinations. The storyline is punishingly complicated, but the intent seems to not be confusion - the movie makers simply want to communicate the fact that we live in a complex and completely interlinked world. Domino effects are inevitable, and every action sets off a terrifying chain reaction.

The casting is flawless. Christopher Plummer, Matt Damon and other known faces like Amanda Peet provide ample support. The characters portraying Prince Nasir and the young immigrant oil field worker also touch your heart with their heartfelt performances. And George Clooney? He is fantastic! Completely deglamourized (he added 30 pounds for the role), he slips into his character with consummate ease. Watch the movie just for him!

What to write?

There are many topics that I want to write about, current affairs mainly. However, I have resolutely decided to stay away from anything potentially partisan. This includes my musings about wars, the debate on stem cell research etc.etc..

And that explains my silence on the blog front (and of course, the insane workload). What will I write about? Movies? There is not a single Thamizh movie right now that is worth watching (my blog readers, i will be glad if you disagree with this, and suggest a few good movies for me!) Travel? There is not much variety to my trips up and down I-355. And that is why you see this blog meandering between the following three topics - food, music, and Madras nostalgia. I am desperately trying to break out of this rut....maybe books? gardening? home decor? Help!!!

The hottest song this summer

Well, if I have heard an english song, then it must be really really famous (because, as you know, its going to take me another 5 years just to finish discovering all the Ilayaraja songs)

Anyways, Hips dont lie by Shakira is super hot! Check this link out for the music video. The beats are racy, the hip hop sections (by Wyclef Jean) are cool, the lyrics are not great, but makes it all the more easier to sing along, and then Shakira....her dance movements make even Madhuri Dixit seem pale.. She does make a man wanna speak Spanish... The rest of the album is surprisingly ok, unlike many other albums that have exactly one good song.

Rediscovering Raaja jems

"People claim they are Illayaraja fans, but they just listen to Pani Vizhum malar vanam and Illaya nila pozhigiradhu..." - said Miss.Paranoid to me.

And she is right. I was in danger of falling into the Punnagai Mannan/Sindhu Bhairavi rut. I saved a few olden goldies to my mp3 player yesterday, and smiled all the way to work.

Check these songs out -

En jeevan paaduthu - Karthik and Saranya starred in this really weird movie. Basically, Karthik has a love failure, kills himself and becomes a ghost. Saranya discovers his diary, reads his story and sympathizes with him, and becomes friends with him (the ghost). Finally, she realizes she is in love with him, and many soulful Illayaraja songs later, she kills herself and the two ghosts live happily ever after. I cannot believe this...i actually watched the full movie and even remember every scene! Like my mom says, if i had paid this kind of attention to my books, i could have gone to Harvard!

Anyway, some songs are really good.

- Ore murai un dharisanam by S.Janaki captures the longing of a girl in love

- Katti vechuko un anbu manasa is too good - it has the catchy thavil beats. I think Deva copied this for Vaali, and in turn, the beats inspired Rehman for the Mayilirage song from Anbe aaruyire

- Engiruntho azhaikum - There are two versions. The male version seemed a little boring, and the female version is actually sung by Lata Mangeshkar. She sings it well, however, her accent is not easy on the ears at all (especially when it comes to words like "azhaikum"

Some other songs -

- Neela kuyile from Soorasamharam - This song is almost as good as Naan yenbathu nee allavo from the same album. The only jarring notes are from the background music between the charanams, and it was composed that way for the song picturization (the hero is going through some trauma after battling the bad guys and the heroine is helping him out). Chitra is soulful, and Arulmozhi (a singer who never got his due) is as good as SPB

- Medhuva medhuva from Anna nagar mudhal theru Chitra and SPB elevate this song with their crystal clear voices, despite the fairly trite lyrics.

That brings me to another topic. Ilayaraja never had the advantage of Vairamuthu's superb lyrics the way Rehman did. That gives me enough material for the next blog post.

Great Kathiawadi food at the Village Hut

Just yesterday, my husband and I were lamenting the lack of good vegetarian indian restaurants in the Chicagoland area. After some googling and a helpful friend's recommendation, we went to the Village hut at Glendale heights for lunch. Well, I know that most of my blog readers do not live near Chicago, but I wanted to write this article because of the superb cuisine. And I am hoping to inspire you into hunting for the closest Kathiawadi restaurant near where you live.

We were not given a menu. Instead, the restaurant owner, after ascertaining that we were first-timers, decided that we should go for the Kathiawadi style lunch. The food was awesome. We were given a big jug of Chas (buttermilk flavored with cumin and chilli powder) and papads for starters. The appetizers were regular vadas and something like a cross between dhoklas and dosais.

Now on to the main course - we were served a wide variety of curries, dhal, kadhi and bajra rotis. The unique aspect of Rajasthani and Gujarathi cuisine is the simplicity of the recipes. There are very few ingredients used, and no heavy masalas or rich tomato gravies. And absolutely no cream in the dishes (something desi restaurants are notorious for). My favorite was the patra curry - colocasia leaves stuffed with a besan filling and steamed and then made into a curry. We finished the meal with a decadent walnut-milk-something. My next project? To try and start cooking Kathiawadi food at home.

Chilli curry

I am discovering the joys of gardening. It has been really hot for the past few weeks, and the plants on my deck are growing wild! The weather has been really kind, every week has had alternating rainy and sunny days.

I bought a little "mariachi pepper" plant in spring, and dumped it in a pot and forgot about it. This beautiful plant is now almost too big for it's pot. I had to pluck the peppers as they were almost too heavy for the plant.

I really wanted to make molaga bajji, but my health conscious husband vetoed the idea. So, I used the peppers in my other favorite recipe - Mirch ka salan. If you have not tried this recipe, you do not know what you are missing! This is the perfect dish - it has an unusual combination of mughlai, north indian, and south indian flavors, and is both hot and sweet. Hemant Trivedi's cookery corner has the best recipe for this dish. I recommend you follow every instruction (i skipped the peanuts as I am allergic). You can use any kind of green chilli, or even bell peppers for this dish. Check out the other recipes on his website as well - the udipi sambar really has the hotel sambar taste.

My photo blog

For a precious few months in the year, everything is green in the midwest. Check out my new photo page on flickr. Here is the link. An easy way to view the pictures is to click on one of the photo sets, to the right of this page (i have two sets currently). Click on "all sizes" to save a full size image to your pc.

Oh..How the world has changed!!!!

I just discovered a Chennai metroblogging pool on flickr.com. There are some amazing Photos of Chennai, and if you browse through other collections of the contributors, you can check out some beautiful pictures of Thamizhnadu.

You have GOT TO SEE THIS PHOTO. It is one of the best i have seen recently. The picture speaks a 1000 words, and captures the essence of Chennai in one snapshot -- The fancy multi national company hoarding jostling for space with the little potti kadai, PCO booth and tiny Aruna repair shop in a blue box...The crumbling sidewalk and bright plastic water buckets...Hmmm...I miss you Madras....really do..

Cool music blog

If you love Ilayaraja, you have to check this new blog out. It carries the most comprehensive article about Ramarajan hits !

The exhilaration of bicycling!

Summer in the midwest

I've lived in Chicagoland for nearly three years, and I've only now discovered the beauty of the great outdoors. I used to try and run, but found it really boring. You require a tremendous amount of energy, no skills (except the ability to constantly propell yourself forward), and you really do not see new places (how far can you run before you should turn back?). I've finally discovered something i truly enjoy - bicycling! Dupage county is a haven for bicyclers. There are trails in the various forest preserves (Herrick, Blackwell, Mcdowell etc). The different forest preserves are connected by the Illinois prairie path, which is a gravel path running through many counties.

Cycling is deceptively easy, but it really is a superb workout for your lower body. You are so busy having fun, you barely notice your pumped up heart rate. Some tips, especially if you are a newbie like me -

* Avoid backpacks especially in hot weather. I just sling a little handbag over the handlebars
* Always carry a water bottle. You get dehydrated faster than you think. Gatorade is also a good option
* Carry some identification with you, and a little cash. You can stop by a gas station and get water if you need
* Carry a digital camera if you can!

Back to hindi movies

I stopped watching hindi movies a few years back. I'd had my fill after watching movies like Devdas, Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Gham etc and thought Bollywood was not capable of making good movies anymore. But i was wrong, and i've spent the past few weeks trying to play catchup. Here are some of the good ones

Parineeta - Parineeta is surprisingly different. The director almost succeeds in recreating a period feel (1960s Calcutta). It is an endearing love story, bolstered by fabulous performances from Saif Ali Khan and Vidya Balan. Newcomer Vidya has been as lovingly photographed as Rajjo in 1942 a love story. The movie's end is botched up, but it doesnt detract from the effect the rest of the movie has.

Darna zaroori hai - Darna mana hai was good, and Darna Zaroori hai is even better. More power to you Ram Gopal!

Fanaa -
Usual Bollywood candy fluff, made watchable by Kajol! She looks slimmer, and her performance is as heartfelt as her DDLJ Simran. The music is catchy too (i know, i know, usual mushy stuff, but its fun nevertheless)

Mr. and Mrs Iyer
Simple good cinema, with a strong storyline and fantastic performances. Konkana Sen excels as the Iyer mami.

I know. Some of the above movies are kinda old, but I am playing catch up. Better late than never right?

Where are my blogger friends?

I usually click on all the links to the right (Paranoid, Parvathi etc etc). They have been super silent for a while. And then there are the one-post-wonders. Mother Blogger and My bad....I have their links in the hope that one day, they will suddenly start blogging again!

My new fav song...

Mere haath mein tera haath ho..
Saari Jannathein mere saath ho...
Tu jo paas ho, phir kya yeh jehan?
Tere pyar mein ho jaaoon Fanaa...

This elephant can dance too...

Source. - www.time.com

During my first month in the USA, sometime in August 2000, I called my dad, and I was giving him a detailed account of my new world. Comparing it to India, I remember telling him this ..... "People criticize India all the time. NRIs visit India and constantly crib about the pollution, and the bad roads. Foreigners still look at India as the land of Maharajas and snake charmers. Indians while patriotic, often have little pride in their motherland, hankering after approval by anyone not Indian. What all these people forget is, it took countries like the USA many centuries to get to where they are today. Despite its centuries old history, India is a relatively young country. Its been just 53 years since we got our independence. Its only a matter of time before India realizes its true potential"

Looking back, I guess i was echoing the sentiments felt by almost every Indian who moved to a foreign country and realized that if there was heaven on earth, it was in India, right in the crowded streets and cramped apartments that we grew up in.

Time magazine's cover story for the week is about "India Inc", touting India as the next great economic super power. I read the article with mixed feelings...intense pride, cautious optimism, and a good deal of fear. Why fear? Whatever India does, India does incredibly and exceedingly well. Any phenomenon in India does not grow - it exploded. I refer both to the good and the bad.

The good? The incredible brilliance and ingenuity of Indians. Our tenacious, and single minded ambition have built an unshakeable reputation for us in every major company across the world. "Hes a typical desi guy, pretty good" - is a common refrain in the corporate world. The 80s and the 90s saw a phenomenon - hordes of bright young Indians migrating to the USA and Europe. While people in India lamented about the terrible waste of talent and brain drain, these expatriates slowly but steadily built a solid reputation for Indian brain power. Indians in mainland India also slowly but steadily chugged along, building a solid India, despite the government in many occasions.

The bad? We all knew that India would one day break out of its ugly shell...I dont think anyone ever imagined that in this decade, we would actually be recognized as a superpower, in an incredibly positive article, published by America's leading magazine. However, India's explosive growth and success is unprecedented..even Indians shake their heads with disbelief. The rich are richer, the middle class better of than ever, but what about the poorest of the poor? The caste distinctions in India are stronger than ever, rearing their ugly head in reservations. Excessive wealth is leading to many social ills. I do not wish to sound like a wet blanket, but are we growing too soon, too fast? With tremendous power comes great responsibility (as a certain comic movie said, alluding to the USA in fact). Are we ready?

Check out the article at the link below...
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/current
You need to try and read this article this week. When the article is archived next week, only subscribers can have access.

Eureka! Eureka!

I found it! Its a piece of magic! It will bring world peace...Well, maybe that is a stretch, but think about this - when you have a divine cup of coffee in the morning, the happiness it gives you really lasts all through the day. You would then spend the whole day in a happy coffee buzz and not do something silly like say, start a fight?

My blog readers obviously do not need introduction to madras filter coffee. If I assumed wrong, then check out this wikipedia link for an introduction to heaven-in-a-cup. And while we are on the subject of Madras, here is a really interesting article by Tishani Doshi.

A few years ago, I moved here from Madras. Like any other true FOB desi, I was most distressed by the fact that coffee here, in its most basic form, is AWFUL! It took me two years to adjust both to life in the US and less than perfect coffee. I learnt to make do by using disproportionately large amounts of creamer, or making folgers with lots of milk, aathufying it for all its worth, and telling myself that it tasted a bit like filter coffee.

In 2003, I went to Madras for my wedding and returned with a slim stainless steel coffee filter as part of my "seeru". As a new bride, I found that the one and only thing my accomodating husband expected from me was a good cup of filter coffee. I also realized that I could become completely americanized, but I could never ever get coffee cravings out of my system.

So, every weekend morning started with the same routine - I would grind regular american coffee into a finer powder, boil water and pour it into the filter. It sure sounds simple, but the little devil had a mind of its own. Many days, I would watch the filter all morning, and not even a drop of decotion would percolate through. Grinding the coffee was also a real pain in the wrong place.

Anyway, after many months of lamenting, cursing, and experimenting, I solved the coffee powder problem. I now buy "Eight o clock coffee" - whole arabica beans, dark roast. I then set the instore coffee grinder to the espresso setting and walk out of the store with a fresh bag of super fine coffee. It is so fragrant, that it reminds me of the days when I would walk back home with a prized bag of leo coffee and every passer-by would turn around to catch a whiff.

Well...getting back to the topic (the piece of magic remember?) - I woke up this morning, and I knew i could not battle the coffee filter anymore. After many hours of extensive online research, I reached the conclusion that espresso coffee is probably as thick as decotion. The method for preparing espresso is radically different though. Hot water is forced through coffee powder at high pressure, and then escapes through a spout.

There are a wide variety of espresso machines available in the market, starting from $30 for a simple Mr.Coffee or many hundreds for a starbucks style barista machine. I wanted to go in for something really simple, and hence chose the stovetop "MOKA EXPRESS" machine. Apparently, this machine is a big italian icon, and a great favorite of many european households.

Using the moka express is as simple as a kettle. Just fill the lower compartment with water, place the coffee powder in the filter part, screw the top portion on and place the contraption on the adupu. I followed all the instructions and held my breath. And I think i hit bulls eye! The decotion was prepared in a couple of minutes, and the resulting coffee tasted pretty good. Here is the link to this product in amazon - do check out all the reviews.

Some more experimentation needs to be done - I used turkish ground coffee instead of espresso ground coffee. This caused some coffee grounds to get mixed up with my decotion. Also, i did not tamp the coffee powder sufficiently. However, with a little practice, i am sure i have found the magic keys to heaven in a cup!

Summer movies

I am still crazy about watching movies in the theater. The magic of an enormous screen and greasy popcorn cannot be replicated at home. Also, I love watching trailers. These days, trailers give away the entire story line (remember the movie Forgotten?) or they show all the good scenes and watching the entire movie is a wasted effort then (King Kong).

When watching the DaVinci code, I saw two trailers that had me shaking my head in disbelief. One is for "The omen". I guess every person on the planet has watched the original. From the trailers, this movie is not different ,so why are they even bothering? Another movie is the World trade center (yes really, that IS the title of the movie). Starring Nicholas Cage, this movie seems blatantly exploitative.

Here are some (hopefully) good movies to watch out for -

Cars - Way too cute, this is another potential winner from Pixar
Danielle - In the same genre as the DaVinci code, this is a limited release. Given its controversial subject, i am not sure if it will even make it to many screens
The devil wears Prada - The book was a fairly good read. With good direction, it could translate into a deliciously bitchy fun movie
Lady in the water - M.Night Shyamalan. Need i say anymore?
The reaping - Another movie based on religion, the synopsis looks promising

Movie Review - The DaVinci Code

Huh. It was not a bad movie at all. I was pretty surprised, because, www.rottentomatoes.com made it sound like it was as bad as Cat woman. The movie is a faithful adaptation of the book. Typically, when a book is made into a movie, it almost never lives up to your expectations. However, in case of the DaVinci code, the book and the movie are at the same caliber - kinda ok...not bad..but not too great..

Heres the story in two line - A professor of religious symbology is called to solve a murder case in Paris. However, there are sinister forces at work, and with the help of a pretty french cop, he embarks on a quest to find a secret that could shake the foundations of Christiantity.

The director (Ron Howard) tries his best to prevent the movie from looking like a boring history lecture. Many computer graphics are used to illustrate the clues that Tom Hanks is trying to decipher. There are flashbacks in black white, with heavy snippets of history, and these add to the pace of the movie.

There are two major flaws in the movie. The lead actors - especially Tom Hanks. With really awful hair, Tom Hanks looks like he just got out of bed, walked to the set and sleepwalked through the movie shoot. The french actress that plays Sophie tries valiantly (and ends up looking cute in some scenes) but receives absolutely no help from Tom Hanks or the cinematographer.

The second flaw is the cinematography. The movie could have had a really spectacular look, considering the locations that the script takes the viewer to. However, the movie ends up looking about as visually appealing as a hospital waiting room.

With a pair of really passionate lead characters, and shot in rich sepia tones, the movie could have been taken to a whole new level.

So the final verdict? This may be a hit movie, but dont expect to see a big Dan Brown movie franchise (and i must say i am a little relieved. Dan Brown is one author who plagiarizes himself, but thats another subject all together)

My work week...

I realized the following -

* forget the Sarbanes Oxely act - bullshit needs to be regulated (as complete elimination is practically impossible)
* WTF (what the f***) needs to be legitimized as an appropriate response for deserving emails
* The act of asking for updates from someone should be placed in the same category as other harassment acts
* Every question need not be considered a good one. Some questions are pretty stupid
* Laptops and cellphones should be banned from meeting rooms. Noone is THAT important
* Blackberrys should be banned. Period.

My hot new laptop

This is my first post from my super cool Lenovo laptop. It has everything except a built in coffee maker. I can even swipe my finger print to log in (instead of a password)

My professional life is threatening to absolutely engulf my personal life (if it hasnt already), and hence, i consider my laptop buy an "investment". I can now blog from my bedroom, listen to music in the kitchen, watch a movie online anytime etc etc etc......

I have made a resolution to do atleast one thing every single day that will enrich my personal life. It could be something as simple as reading a chapter in a book, or something as big as buying a laptop. So, this is how my week progressed ..

Monday - Painted three walls in my house and decided to stop eating cookies from Subway (each friggin cookie is 220 calories!)
Tuesday - Learnt a new keerthanai in Hamsadhwani and spoke to mom and sis
Wednesday - Bonded with hubby dear.....

There is really an art to living a balanced life, i hope i figure it out someday soon...

Sudhdha Dhanyasi, MLV and Sudha

My morning commute turned from mundane to sublime when I listened to M.L Vasanthakumari's rendition of Naarayana Ninna Namada smarana. I have long been a big M.S Subbulakshmi fan. Now, my regard for M.L.V is almost equal to my love for M.S.

To me, no other singer's voice can convey bhakthi the way M.S Subbulakshmi's does, and I am also now convinced that noone else's voice can be as sweet and melodious as M.L.V's.

Another big bonus with listening to M.L.Vs concerts is that you can hear snatches of a very young and brilliant Sudha Raghunathan. The harmony between guru and sishya is so evident. Sudha's voice never over powers M.L.V's, and M.L.V generously stops singing occasionally so that Sudha can shine too.

The song Naarayana ninna is a Purandaradasa composition in the Sudhdha Dhanyasi raagam. Different raagams evoke different emotions in the listener's heart. While every raagam is beautiful in its own way, raagams like hindolam and kalyani are sure more easier on the ear than raagams like saveri or mayamalava gowla.

Sudhdha Dhanyasi falls in the former category - it's combination of swarams is dramatic. A seasoned vidhwan can sing complex alapanas in this raagam, but it is also easy enough even for a novice to identify, appreciate and sing along.

Along with Sindhu Bhairavi, Sudhdha Dhanyasi is an apt raagam for conveying feelings of devotion, love and wonder to the glory of God. Other songs in this raagam are Azhaga (in praise of Muruga) and the timeless Himagiri thanaye (G.N Balasubramaniam's rendition of this song is unbeatable).

Moving on to light music, this is also one of Ilayaraja's favorites. Check out some of the songs below -
* Sempoove poove from Siraichalai
* Poondhaliraada from Paneer pushpangal
* Maasi maasam aalana ponnu (Dharmadurai)

Here is the best of all.. .The original Thottal poomalarum from Padagotti!

Love you Simon and Garfunkel

Some lyrics from "I am a rock"...

I have my books
And my poetry to protect me;
I am shielded in my armor,
Hiding in my room, safe within my womb.
I touch no one and no one touches me.
I am a rock,
I am an island.
And a rock feels no pain;
And an island never cries

Book review - Monsoon diary by Shoba Narayan

After a long time, I read a truly delightful book - "Monsoon diary" by Shoba Narayan.
The actual book does not have a lot to do with Monsoons - however, the evocative beauty and the innate Indianness of the word captures the feeling the book creates in you .

The subject is pretty simple. It is an account of the author's life, intended to focus primarily on the culinary aspects. Shoba is a typical tam bram girl. She is brought up in Adyar, her grand parents from from Kerala, she goes to grad school in the US and ultimately marries an iyer aathu america mapillai. (sounds familiar?)

If R.K Narayan immortalized life in the small towns of Kerala and Karnataka, in the pre-independence era, Shoba comes pretty close to doing the same for the old Madras. Madras in the 70s and 80s (and even the early part of the 90s) was a quiet green haven, striking the perfect balance between its ancient Dravidian heritage, and the remnants of British colonialism. Shoba captures the spirit of that Madras. The book also beautifully describes one of the most endearing aspects of life in India - the people that you encounter all through the day (the paal kaaran, kariga kari, isthiri kaaran etc!!!!)

The pace of the book lags a bit during the latter half, especially in the chapters where the author describes her grad school life in the USA. Also, there are a number of recipes listed in the book. They are very good, but the most glaring omission is the absence of a good sambar recipe! Ofcourse, this book is not intended to be another Meenakshi Ammal's cook-and-see, but, isnt the cornerstone of our lives a good cup of arachuvitta sambar?

Shoba's book is a must have for any Madras born thamizh lover's library!

Movie Review - Azhagai irukkira bayama irukku...

I understand one part of the title. The "bayama irukku" part. Enakku bayama irukku. Thamizh cinemavoda nilamaya nenacha rombavey bayama irukku. Now the azhagai irukka part....who exactly are the movie's makers referring to here? Well, i dont want to sound too bitchy, i'll rest my case.

AIBI (the popular acronym for the movie) starts out as a convoluted love rectangle (ha! you didnt see that one coming did ya). Just when you wrap your tired mind around the rectangle concept, the script writers zap you with another twist in the tale. Its not a snazzy new rectangle concept, its just another jaded love triangle subject.

The director tries to handle the story differently - by adding call-outs and animated cartoons. If you hated the stupid CGI parrot in Main prem ki diwani hoon, do not even attempt watching AIBI.

Bharath is good. He is no longer the gawky Boyz teenager, and his performance has the right mix of vulnerability and playfulness.

Yuvan Shankar Raja's music is one of the high points of the movie. Its different, refreshing and very much like the new Chennai...I am still clinging on to the old Madras and Yuvan's dad's slow songs, so it will take a while for his music to grown on me.

The first half of the movie is actually a little watchable, if you try and ignore the heroine - Mallika Kapoor. Everything goes downhill when the Ooty flashback starts, with "coimbatorelendhu ootyku CARliyey polam" - fame Renuka.

I can tolerate an over acting heroine or an over acting mother. Throw both of them into the same movie...and make them yell a LOT...and you begin to see why even the movie's writers included the cautionary term "bayama irukku" in the title.

What now?

Last night, I started watching Sex and the city on WB. I then realized a shocking truth - i cannot watch it anymore. I have watched every single episode 50 times. I have now truly reached the point where I know every single dialogue and can even recall every dress Carrie wore. For the past year, SATC was my great escapist tool. Now, what do I do? Can there be life after SATC?

Well, maybe yes. I just spent all of sunday catching up on episodes of Big Love (on HBO) and the Mind of Mencia (on comedy central). Big Love is about this polygamist family living in Utah and its pretty interesting (like all other HBO series).

The Godfather

I saw Godfather again last night, for the 30th time. People think only guys dig the Godfather. There is something so incredibly powerful about this movie, and Brando and Pacino give the best performances that Hollywood has ever seen.

In You've got mail, Tom Hanks tells this to Meg Ryan ... "The Godfather is the i-ching; the Godfather is the sum of all wisdom". That is so true! Everything you need to learn from life, you can learn from the Godfather!

So, here are my favorite quotes; They are profound!

"...and if I ever need any guidance, who's a better consiglieri than my father?"

"Never tell anybody outside the family what you're thinking again."

"Leave the gun...take the Canoli"

"Its not personal..its business"

Back to blogging (for the nth time!)

I stopped writing for a while, for various reasons. However, Without blogging, I feel like a part of myself is missing, or rather, deafeningly silent. Afterall, is there a better forum for me to rant about bad airline service or worship The King? (do I even need to mention that I am referring to Ilayaraja?)

So here I am, back to my favorite old blogspot. I do not know how long this new renewed zeal for blogging will last, but I already have five different articles queued up in my mind. So my faithful readers (or rather Mom and Sis!).. Rejoice! The lazyblogger is back!!

Ajith rocks

Whew! Just saw the trailor for Paramasivam and I'm still shaking my head with disbelief. Ajith has lost atleast 30 pounds, and looks like he is 26 again (i typed in 21 to begin with, and then realized thats a million years younger than me, so typed in a number thats closer to ahem..my age!!).

My blogging

It seems to have a pattern, i blog like crazy for a weekend, then I stop; I write a few nostalgic articles, a few cynical articles, post a recipe and bitch about a bad Thamizh movie. I think I am stuck in a blogging rut. Most of my favorite bloggers are also suddenly silent.

Madras during Margazhi = Heaven on earth

Oh those glorious Margazhi days in Madras! The blustery winds and storms of Karthikai give way to misty cold mornings, and the narrow side streets in Mylapore are decorated with beautiful rangoli patterns. Lazy me, I never woke up early enough to enjoy the absolutely divine chakkarai pongal, puli saadham and thayir saadham that many temples served. My adorable paati brought back prasadham for me though.

One of the things I am truly grateful for in my life is the childhood I had growing up in Mylapore. Starting in the middle of december, and continuing upto the beginning of Thai, Madras hosts one of the greatest music festivals in the world. I lived a short walk away from some of the great music halls - The music academy, Mylapore fine arts, Naradha gana sabha, Bharathiya vidya bhavan, Rani seethai hall etc...

90% of the concerts during the december music season are traditional Carnatic vocal, but you also have a small but very significant number of hindustani, bharathanatyam, kathak, jugalbandhi and instrumental recitals. The performances are organized by the seniority and popularity of the artists. Free concerts held in the mornings have performances by budding artists, and these are often the best concerts to go to. I have had the pleasure of watching performances by Sudha Raghunathan, Unni Krishnan and many others, long before they became super stars.

Going to the katcheris is an experience by itself. The crowd is very heavily TamBram, mostly populated by the Mami Mafia dressed in their winter finery. The first two rows are typically filled with thathas and paatis, and a few Americans and Europeans dressed in tie and dye clothes with jasmine flowers in their hair. Every new entrant into the auditorium will be immediately stared at, and the Mamis also double up as fashion police. The curtain then lifts and the artists make a grand appearance. The male performers have it a little easy, but the female singers are compelled to dress like divas (they fear the mami mafia too you see). You can see the most spectacular kancheepuram sarees and accessories on Nithyashree, Sudha and Bombay Jayshree.

The music finally starts and all the mundane things are forgotten. There may be many critics for the Katcheri season (too many concerts in too little time, not enough Thamizh music etc). My question for them is this: Have you ever sat through an entire concert, a really good one at that?

Even the most sophisticated music systems cannot ever capture the spirit of a live Carnatic concert. I cannot find the right words to describe it- its a combination of Bhakthi, talent, and a unique relationship which the performers establish with the audience for the duration of the concert. Its three and a half hours of pure bliss...

When the concerts got over, we would then head to the cafetarias. These have gained a lot of popularity over the past few years. The original purpose was to offer refreshments to tired rasikas as they hop from one concert to the next, and unfortunately many people look forward only to the tiffin and not the concerts these days. For a similar reason, December was also the only time I got to meet a lot of my relatives. Because we lived so close to the sabhas, they would stop by our house. The official reason for their visit was apparently to say hello to my paati, but my mom and I knew better.

My parents and I would walk back home, doing an intensive review of the concert, with my mom humming different raagas to herself and I pretending to look bored (it wasnt cool at my time to be seen in Katcheris!).

Life has changed now, its years since I've spent a december in Madras. There are many people like me out there, and die-hard Carnatic music fans in the USA are attempting to recreate the Margazhi magic. Between may and june, a lot of major Carnatic singers make the Dallas-NJ-Phoenix-California-Chicago rounds. I was lucky enough to catch a brilliant T.M Krishna concert this summer with my parents. And to make the Katcheri experience complete, we managed to quickly review the sarees the ladies around us were wearing, I got stared at by every mami in the crowd and we even had good tiffin and kaapi before we went back home..