Retrospect

It wasn't so good. I woke up from a half broken sleep. I was still away from my destination, still trying to cope up with the fact that I am on the narrow edge of my life.
Life - Is it too complicated as it seems to be or just like a portrait of which I am the artist. The colours and lines that just blend with the pictures that rise around me in each day of my life. Sometimes, it has been good, sometimes quite a wreck, but had it been disappointing. Why? Because I am the artist of my life.



There was a time -  I couldn't use my legs to take me to where I wanted to. I could not use my hands to grab the things. I stared at my mother, my eyes gleaming at her, to teach me. I screemed with my untrained tongue, as loud as I could, to teach me to epress my thoughts. To teach me to walk out and look at the open window, out of which I have imagined quite a lot of shadows and colours. I wanted to grab my father's hand, when he was busy counting. I didnt know what he was doing at that time, since my fresh brain didn't have any acquaintance with Currency bills. I used to sit with my hands crossed and my face in between , gasping at him, counting, recounting , sitting there for long, concentrating.
The past seems to be a shadow. A fainter shadow, that still, call out to me to etch it down.
Told stories of my past are often fascinating for me. When Mother says, you did this, did that, I often go back in my shadows of memories, trying to gasp those stories.
I don't remember when I started to walk this earth. No one told me yet. But I have a lot of told stories, of what I did, when I started to use my legs.

Is there any good news?

I don't know how many people belonging to different races across the world face this question. But, I do know that you will surely face this question, if you are a keralite, or may be surely, if you are an Indian. The question will bring more sense, if I tell you,  the context at which the question is being asked.

The context is , you are newly married and has covered a  minimum of 3 months and your relatives start asking you or your wife : "Is there any good news?".I hope you got the nerve of the situation. If you are still stumbling in the wonder pot, let me explain in bare words that the question is whether your wife is pregnant or not?

It's a common notion in  Indian society to get pregnant as soon as you are married. It doesn't matter, whether the couples are mentally, physically, or even financially prepared for one of the great turning point of life, but the family, mostly the relatives wants it  sooner enough. What I still don't understand in my intellect : Is the utter meaning of marriage is just child raising and living the life for the kids? Doesn't the couples could decide when they are ready for the kid.

I just had a casual chit chat with one of my colleagues in this matter. He was married at the age of 26. Now, he is a proud father of a baby girl at the age of 28. He told me that there was a lot of pressure from his relatives, about getting a baby sooner after his marriage, and the pressure kept on building as the months started counting from his marriage date. But, his wife and himself kept nerve and had the baby at the right time, which they felt it was the right time. At a time, when they were prepared to raise a baby in their life.

The question is why this society is still primitive in the case of marriage and child raising. There was a time, when humans were historic and man and woman were tied together for evolving their family. Or in plain words, at that time, sex life was meant just for raising kid and woman is meant to bear it and grow it until it is ready to hunt or raise a kid herself.

That is a very very modern time from then, but the ideology still remains the same, with the root cause holding over the ages. The insistence of getting a baby as soon as you are married is still a culture of many races. I don't know exactly how many, but there do exists a lot.

In my opinion, there is a precise time for baby's arrival in the life of a couples. It has to be in their decision, when they need it. When a baby arrives in a family, the boy and girl(if they get married at a early age, if does happen now a days), must have the discretion to decide whether they are grown enough to grow a seed out of them. Also, they have to financially prepared, because a new member in a middle class family really does makes quite a difference in terms of budgets. At the same time, they must be psychologically prepared to accept that they areready and worth to raise a newborn in the path of virtue that they had lay out.

At least the society must stop asking around this centuries old question and grow up to face the new world and circumstances.

Lazy Saturday

I woke up late today. Rather it would be better to say that, I was awoke a bit early, but was lazy to get up from the bed. So, had a morning snooze, till my wife poked out of the bed. She had plans to go to nearby temple and I was the delayed one. so, I tried to get ready,  but when I was out of the bathroom, she has already went to the temple. But I managed to reach there in time, and was lucky to see her happy face.

There is much to plan for today. Onam celebrations are booming in the city and the  start of the vacation  is a quite a bright to blend into the crowd. So, the afternoon will be a eventful one.

This part of the blog is just a break from my tiring and boring job of pressing the clothes. I was and maybe I am still( My wife says so) a very lazy guy when it comes down to household works and routines. I don't know why I am so, but I am. But when life moves, change is inevitable. So, I am trying and trying my best to grab that change. So, ironing the clothes is may be the just that eventful change.

Afternoon snap is a dream during weekdays, a dream that get drowned in the list of work schedules that get processed every minute. But, today was different. A blessed weekend afternoon provided me enough bandwidth to get that long awaited sleep.

The plans for evening went right. I had an outing with my wife to the crowded city. The fest at 'kanakakunnu' palace grounds is as flourishing as previous years. The amusement wheels are still under final touch-ups and promised a second to them at a later day. Just had snap to share of the upcoming Giant wheel.

[caption id="attachment_91" align="aligncenter" width="224" caption="Giant Wheel under construction"][/caption]

The city lights for the oncoming festive week are still being under launching process. The full swing is still has not come. But to summarize, it was a good end of a lazy Saturday. The visit to the cousin's house, on the way back home was really great. My little cousins are the sweetest cuties, I know in this world.I do love them a lot.

So, I am back home, scribbling all these to my blog. What's next? I could say it, if I could stop this everlasting yawn. Sweet dreams to 'Bloggerville' Brotherhood.

Are humans civilized?

A question of debate? yes, may be for some. It has been a question asked by many humans over centuries. And the humans itself has proved themselves on the long run of existence on earth. The ability to think and perceive makes them at the top of evolution.

Now, let me put down the situation that made think about this centuries old question. I left office early today and  I was on my way back to home., to begin the week long vacation ahead. The 'Onam celebration' - the native festival of kerala is just a week ahead and the people are on their final preparation to celebrate the festival of prosperity and equality. I stopped on the way to get a hair cut. There, I saw, on the crowded bus stop pavement, an old man lying unconscious. I just observed the place for a moment. The crowd around him was passing by, as if he is just a lifeless form or an object indeed.

There could be many interpretations going inside the minds of people passing by and the onlookers. Many will think him to be a drunkyard, sleeping unconscious on the road side. Even I had the same first impression. May be many have went near him, before I turned out and might have checked him. But, the question I ask is what ever be the reason of him lying at that odd place motionless, if that person was a relative of any one of them, would they stand there , watching the helplessness? Let me remind the readers that the relations are buildups of human civilized mind. For uncivilized animals, there is only race, the race of their kind. They respect their race, no matter how carnivorous they are.

The least minimum thing anyone present there could have done is to phone police and just pass this information. I don't know how long this man was lying there. But, that very scene made me make the first call of my life to the police helpline. I called the control room and informed that an old man is lying unconscious at the Karamana bus stop. The personnel at the other end ensured that help is on the way. I waited there for a while, to check on the police. But time passed on and none came.  I again looked at the slow moving traffic with dismal hope and started on my way home. Out of the first corner, I saw a police van moving towards the opposite direction. I hoped it was moving to fetch that old man.

I had to go through the same place after around 2 hours from then. I looked out for the place where the old man was lying. Now, even that small area was jam packed with people. I felt like there were waiting to occupy that empty piece of clearance available on the evening crowd. But, to my heart, it was a mere piece of inhumanity that happened right in front of my eyes. With this thought still, revolving in my brain, I asked again to my heart

How civilized are we?

Childhood

Time has never been the same, since the days from school was brought to an end. Those days, emerged in fun and laughter, away from the tensions of stress and work, was quite a heaven. Just sit , close your eyes, bring those days to your mind. Relax, fondle through those memories. You will see that even time cant dim those those bright streaks of passion that grown you up. Relish those memories. You were matured on those seeds of innocence.

Jogging with a camera click

Recently, I changed my jogging route. And the change was thrilling as ever it could be. The path that captured my heart is the mud path separating the 'Vellayani' lake and the fields. At rainy season, the fields gets filled with water and the path looks like a sunken bridge across the water.
Its summer in my suburb and the temperature is very high during the day. Even at night, high humidity keeps the sweat running down my cheeks. Until two days back, anyone would agree that, its the worst time to get your jogging suits on and step out. The summer rains came like a blessing and nights were colder. The morning rose with wet mud with fresh life making the surface busy and the slight cold wind tickling the bare skin. And when my wife, its time for the morning stroll, I didnt hesitate to step on my 'Nike' and plug in my ipod and take the path. The 'vellayani lake', which I mentioned is just 2 km from my home. The first morning view of the lake was so impressive that, I couldnt resist taking the camera to capture the beauty that nature revealed.



The cloud laden sky and the streaks of sunlight on the virgin water seemed so ethernal. The lake surface was so calm and quiet. The only ripples were caused by the quest by the birds, to find the fish breakfast. I stood there for a while breathing in the freshness that nature poured into me.
To the other side, were the fields that stretched wide to the horizon. Usually rice is cultivated in these fields, sown just after the rain. Once it is harvested,comes the harvets festival of Kerala, Onam.
And this time of the year, vegetables are grown, in order to balance the pH value of the soil. Well, these technicalities never bothered me when I took my second snap.



I was sublimed into the nature for a while. Forgot everything. Just with a blank mind and I stood, staring at the vastness that engulfed me. Wow, really poetic. So, this was the very begining of my jogging session for couple of days. Then, I switched on my ipod and stepped to home jogging all the way with a calm and dancing[Ipod was rocking] heart.

Mahabalipuram Rediscovered - KRISHNA’S BUTTER BALL

First scene that caught my eyes was the huge rock, that stood in such a way that, It appeared like it was suspended and would roll down at any moment of time.



It was more long to the back and was well balanced. But it was an amazing piece of art by nature.





Let me introduce the readers a bit of history of this place. The ‘Pallavas Dynasty’ ruled south India over from the 3rd century till the end of the 9th century A.D. They were very powerful kings and also profound thinkers. During their rule, they brought in sculptors, painter and architects from various places and appreciated the great works. The monuments they build in MPM were mostly rock-cut and monolithic. It is believed by some that this area served as a school for young sculptors. The different sculptures, some half finished, may have been examples of different styles of architecture.
So, this rock, also known as KRISHNA’S BUTTER BALL, was the first object in that historic cemetery that caught my eyes. Keep reading as I move to rock cut ‘Mandapams’ in the next Blog post.
To be continued…

Mahabalipuram Rediscovered

The essence of meeting the past is something that is to be felt and realized, not told. But still, I am beginning a new series in my blog, exactly, a travelogue to Mahabalipuram, one of the listed heritage sites by UNESCO. Watch out for my oncoming blog posts for my travel recollections and the tales behind each of the pictures that my camera captures from the remains of a great dynasty. I will be taking all my residents of "Bloggerville" to the tour of these realms of historic importance, through a series of blog posts. As it is said, A long tale is often told in parts, and enjoyed so. So, let’s move to the preface.

First thing, that I would like to recollect is how and when I reached "Mahabalipuram". The place is officially known as "Mamallapuram", but I like the old name. There is also a far enough behind the names too. Hold on...

I was in Chennai, the district capital of Tamilnadu in south India, the state that upholds a lot of history over ages. It was on an official tour of three days, attending the 'Microsoft Security Summit 08' as a delegate of my Company. As per the trip plans, I never had any ambition to visit 'Mahabalipuram', which is 60 Km south from Chennai. As it went, the winding up of the third day proceedings, went off quite fast. And by 11:30 AM, I was in my hotel room. My train to home was on schedule by 7:30 PM. I was going the hotel catalogue, and my eyes stuck on the beautiful picture of Shrine temple in there. I was lost for a moment. For a avid traveler like me, it was quite irresistible. The next 15 minutes, had me checked out of the hotel, bought extra cells for my camera, and took a cab in the direction of the call of my Soul.

How to reach
Chennai International airport Is the closest airport. The nearest railway is in Chengalpattu and it is well connected by road ways. The (ECR) East coastal road which connects Chennai and Pondicherry passes through this place. And I took this ECR, the fastest rout, if you are travelling via road from Chennai.

First Sights
I reached ‘Mahabalipuram ‘aka MPM from now on for my ease, in 2 hours. The first sights were a typical inside village life of south India. But a great deal of modernization has been imparted because of the placement of the site in the world tourist map. There is lot of crowd in the street adjacent of the entry of the heritage site. The archeological Department of India has encircled the site with grills. The entry is restricted by a 5 RS ticket. And so, I step foot on the land where past was still awake.
To be continued….

Alice in Wonderland brings me back

As a child, for some people, least for me, introduction of books was an awesome experience. It gave wings to my imaginations. And the book that I read for the first time made me tip toe to the world of creative reading and writing of self imagination.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="250" caption="Alice In Wonderland"][/caption]

I read this book, when I was 6 years old. I was a very good admirer of books from a very early age. I had a private tutor named "Anil". I called him Anil Sir. He had a very good collection of books and he too wrote poem in the native language 'Malayalam'. He budded in me the habit of reading and the first book that I borrowed from one of the friend in school was "Alice in Wonderland".

I always liked the part of tumbling down the rabbit hole. When I saw the Movie "The Matrix". and when Morpheus says to Neo, "...feels like tumbling down the rabbit hole .....". I was thinking about the first tale I ever read.

Alice in wonderland - It brought me a lot of dreams. Believe me or not, for around six months or so, I saw all the sorts of crazy dreams , crazy places, animated creatures, all seeded in me by the imagination of Alice. My child mind enjoyed those dreamy moments and grown up reading more and more dreams and aspirations of fellow humans in their written works and epics.

My preferred writing medium

Ever since one of the famous contemporary Indian writer, Arudhathi Roy compiled her Booker prize fame "The god of small things", in her type writer, the erra for creative writing in a soft medium than paper has begun for me. I used to write, scribble on paper in my school days, college and also had a habit of diary keeping.

But the profession, took away the time and the skill to hold the pen, I may say. My visualizations, my aspirations etc causes tiny impression on my laptop keyboard, letting the letters go forward and forward , making meaningful sentence. I don't have to go for proof reading after all, since the red zig zagged line under every misspelled word says it all. Also, I don't have to go behind publishers, since I know there will be a person who will read this blog, the next moment I publish it. So, here I am the author, proof reader and the publisher. How better the things could turn out? With paper? I don't think so.

I'm a dog person

I owned a Labrador retriever 2 years back. His name was 'Tommy'. I loved him a lot. Not only me, he was loved by everyone in the family. He too loved us a lot. It was explicit when he jumps up to reach us, when we come home after the ride. The morning walks with him was very enjoyable, he used to pull me and run, It was 100% fun. I would never be a cat person, because, a cat is loyal only for its comfortableness, whereas Dog is loyal for the care and food we give. They also protect us in the all the possible ways it could, during a crisis.

But I am very sad to write it over here that 'Tommy' passed away, an year before. he was suffering from some genetic problem in his blood , and I didn't knew that, until it was very late. Any ways, after he went away from us, we never had a mindset to buy a new puppy. May be because, he left such a deep scar of love in our heart and its very unique to him..him only.

What I have learned in Bloggerville?

Thanks to Carol, for the term "Bloggerville" . She has coined the meaning of blogging to a very homely word. So, we the bloggers in the bloggerville, the place where we blog, read blogs and share and enrich the thoughts that we never let out anywhere.

In this blog world, I learnt that, sometimes, the thoughts that get filled in the empty spaces of mind, needs to be pushed out. It may be memories, stories, suggestions, whatever it may be it get etched to the blog posts. The real significance that a blog writer gets is, even though there will be thousands of people who finds a particular blog boring and uninteresting, but in the blogville or the vast blogger world, there will atleast one blogger who will like that post. That is something, that I feel wonderful about the bloggerville.

When do someone Blog? When a person is so interested in writing, or when he has a lot of spontaneity in his ideas or thoughts? In my experience, some people sort out to blogging, just to preserve their writing skills and their talent of creating 'magic with the words' sharpened. A blog scrap a day or two makes them feel at home. Another set of people is those who has a lot of ideas , opinions, and views about a single or on varied subjects. They want to scream it out, collect public opinion about them. The result is a new blogger is born, and eventually, the writing skills will improve and that is just the better part of it.

Crazy blog readers often comments about fellow blogs readily accepts comments about his. I would say, Blog world has rather become a community. I really enjoy reading a few of the blogs, which I regularly follow. There are people who live in a very different society, place and in a distinct harmony. When I read blogs from them, my imagination just moves on with them. I recollect about a blog entry from 'carol' of balsam ponds writing a  few words about the winter snow blocking the road to her house. I have never experienced how a snow fall in my life. I havent seen any snow covered road in my life, except in movies. Even then, the words of her, of exactly what she saw from her kitched window, just led my imagination miles across to the woods of northern Minnesota.

So, sometimes, blog is really a turner. Speak out to the entire world, and let those who wants to listen read your words. Just feel like standing on top of a moutain and screeming out to the bottom of the lungs. Mostly,you just hear an echo. Wont it be better, if you hear slightly different sound back..It feels good to me.

Seat me next to the quiet starer, please

Frequently in Life, Bus do pay a good break. Those long hours in bus and preference to cut the time between the start and destination varies with the mindsets. THis is how I feel about a co-passenger. What about you?

In a day long bus trip, All I carry handy is my i pod loaded with heart pounding music, that stays audible above the roaring engine of the bus. So, My plan remains the same and simple. Pod, enough water to drink and occasional snacks at the bus stops, if found tempting.
So, in the case of a side sitter, I would rather prefer that he doesn't mind me at all. Just keep on his own business. I usually find the long bus journeys to be very good opportunities to think, beyond the daily busy schedules, think about the past and keep the mind blank. In those moments, I would rather prefer to be alone, rather than sharing or bugged up by the co- passenger.

Sometimes,. I have cut past the bus journeys with a best seller keeping my eyes busy. Even in that case, I feel I am pretty good to be left alone and wandering in my past dreams or in the words of an author.

It just slide past my eyes

The aspect of observing things has many dimensions. In many of the situations, we don't actually see, what just passes in front of our eyes. The sight we see, usually emcompasses those that really matters to us. Our conscience just ignores the rest of it. This behaviour is seen in majority of the humans and the extreme of this leads to a completely selfish human life.
Last day, I just happened to look at the rising sun. I was immersed in a deep thought for a while. I was thinking, may be after how many years, I just thought about the sun. We know, that sun rises, set, it's all there. But have you ever just looked at sun and stood for a while, enjoying the orange linings it imparts to the scattered clouds. It was a wonderful scenery. Though, it happens, every day in front of me, I never looked up.
This irony made me analyse some of the daily aspects that generally miss out. Have you ever has a habit of looking at the tires of your vehicle, just before you mount it? Well, I believe no. You will always find the tire being punctured, only after starting your vehicle.Other than for medicines or food items, do you have a regular habit of checking the expiry date when we buy commodities?
There are many many things, mostly distinct for every people, that appears to be a regular event or happenings, but we dont notice it, since its has no direct impact on us.
Usually, it appears that , unless some event has implication us, we thoroughly neglect. It is true for accidents and mishaps too. One example, I like to quote is, unless, we read or experience a theft at home, we wont have that seriousness in checking that the doors and windows are fastened and secured.
Also, thinking of relations,we all do have a lot of friends who touched our lives at some point of time. As time passes, we get less intimate with some and move closer to another branch. When I see their mobile number in my cellphone very coincidently, I just recollect them, and plans to make a casual call to time,either tomorrow, today itself when I am free. But experiences clearly states that I never made that call in most of the time.
So this is the picture that I would like to give. there are many things that we see and go unnoticed, unless it appears to us as a shadow that either stings or loves.

First rule of relationships: Sincere

Sincere
No matter how you behave to the world, a healthy relationship always demand a sincere partner.Even in the case of loosing head, you can be truthful to your partner, and so be she. This makes the relation more and more worthy to hold on.

Patient
A unavoidable rule , if you have to stick to the first one, i.e. Sincerity. If your partner is sincere and is telling you a bitter truth, and if you don't have the patience to listen to the entire subject, what will happen? Just sing "....gone are those days......"

Always keep in touch
For relations, silence is rust. If you dont keep in touch with your loved ones, slowly the distance increases and the bond weakens, rest is self explanatory.

A stubbed toe is worthy of tears

Who will disagree to me that a stubbed toe is not worth a cry? I wont say so. After such a painful vacation in my childhood days. One of the best thing thing about me that I cherish is my clear memory of my life. I do and can remember a very very long back, though the past is not so far.

It was one of Onam vacation, that every child waits, because it is one of the longest mid term break in schools. It was just the second day of vacation, I was coming home with Uncle on his cycle. I was standing behind on the carrier.A pot hole, cycle jumped and so did I. But on landing, I got my toe between the rear cycle wheel. Wola, I cried my heart out, not just because of the sudden pain. But how, a stubbed toe is going to ruin the rest of my vacation. Isn't it painful?huh!!!!

Ripples of Relations

Life is not simple. Even not simple enough to say that "Its simple". Specially when it comes to relations. Relations are bonds made on a calm waters. And to maintains relations is to fish without causing ripples. Or you should be cunning enough to explain that "ripples" were caused for a virtue. Mind you, its not simple to convince, not always.

I do get confused. People are very possessed when it comes to blood to blood relations. Biology says humans are social creatures. It must that humans are bloody creatures. How better,we bond relations, when it comes to choices, blood relations always emerge with an undisputed favor.

Why cant people think from the perspective of the ones, on whom their actions, words or gestures make an impact? I think major part of the problem can be solved by this. The thought always goes in the direction of"I am done this much, why he/she couldn't AT LEAST this for the cause of the relation"? What if the first person itself could have done all for this time being, to maintain the relations, to let the other understand fully, that he was wrong, rather than waiting for the actions. At least it would save the time and tension, May be the next time, at a similar situation the second person will be much better off than the first.

That is when we can call humans a social being, rather than a bloody being.

Oh, for three more hours

Who would not cherished an extra moment in life? An extra second, just before splitting from your sweetheart's lips, a minute extra just before the bus leaves, an hour before the movie begins, a day more after you remember that today is the anniversary and you forgot the present. Wishes goes on.

When this strike my mind, I though what if Someone, none other than God( Who else could make such lucrative offers) gives an extra 3 hours right now to me? Or to you? What would you do?

Well, I accepted the offer for time being. Let me plan. I was early from office today. I mean 1 hour early.There were guests at home, and I couldn't resist switching off my laptop and biking to home, after my wife's phone call. It's just third week after marriage and resistance to say no, is impossible. Atleast for me. There goes another 90 minutes of my valuable time, chit chatting and then I logged on to my PC to visualize the Almighty's offer.

I am tired, hungry, and more over sleepy. I know. God is never so kind enough to provide it with enough "TIME" (Again, huh ), to [plan for the gift's usage. All I could think now, is to have some food , go to sweet bed and go for a dreamless night.

And 3 extra hours, well, in life, more than just 3 hours have gone wasted, which could have made drastic changes in life. Just for an example, wasted time in school, college, lazy hours. So, let me at least make some health now, right? Sleep extra just for the day.

Return to innocence

All I could feel was silence surrounding me. Though silent, it had an eternal calmness. I was numb, yet was filled with happiness of uncertainty. I opened my eyes to allow the first rays of sunlight into me. The clouded sky , streaked with sunrays, made it look like sieve of light. It appeared to me like a arrow buried amulet of a greek warrior. My eyes wandered in all directions. All I could see was the cloud ladden sky . All I could feel was the wetness of the dew on the grass, which brushed at my body. I wpondered where I was.

I slanted my head to allow my eyes to see more, know more of the certainty. I saw an old tree , a banyan tree, blushed in its spring leaves. It stood with the elegance of centuries it has witnessed, the changes it has accepted with its humble silence. My eyes became more and more educated about my surroundings. In the vastness of an empty field, cloud laded sky with streaks sun light brushing past me, the old tree staring at me, I found myself, laying still and flat on ground, unable to decide on the future, confused with the present and guilty of the past.

My serene thoughts merged with the environment surrounding me. I let my mind go loose, over the fields, feeling the wind and kissing the sky. I was so relaxed to enjoy this new freedom, freedom of thought and existence, freedom of emptiness in mind. I was flying, in the highest of my spirits, lying with the nature , and mind flying high.

A loud noise shook my free flying mind. The innocence and calmness, with which it was flying high was pushed aside and was replaced with fear of existence. It came back to me and hide inside me. And me?I switched off the alarm with the numbness of the broken dreams.

When the rescue ship comes, I'll tell 'em: I am not ready to come back yet

How better the dreams could be? Well, it really makes you so tempting that you will wish "OH God, please make it happen".

Well, I just had a similar dream yesterday night. Some beautiful, serene isolated island in the pacific,a lot of food, that would last an year or so. I cannot recollect all the food items available, but I believe I saw almost all of my favorite items, either ready to be grilled or toasted.

Then, there was my wife, beautiful as ever and loving as eternity. With her in that beautiful island and the whole life ahead, I just couldn't believe I was dreaming. With a no stress world and promise of food, life would have been simple and just been a 180 degree turn. There was nothing to think about, no worries, no hassles, a world there is no need for money or money earning job. Wow, it would have been great. Atleast a month, I would have taken for granted.

But, it was just a dream, and I took it in the same sense. Ya, if we think of reality, there are quite a lot of facts and burdens to be sorted out in such kind of life. But, enjoying a dream and living it for a moment is really a great experience.

Standing on the edge..

Life has been vibrant and colorful for me, ever since I stepped into this world. Yes, there had been times of shades and broken hearts, its a kinda unavoidable. you know that. Every one knows that. But, if I recollect, altogether I am happy in the way, life is moving on, in my way.

My childhood, as I would recollect was of adjustments to the wishes and the eager to learn. I knew, my parents was having a hard time trying to give me quality education. I kept aside most of my dreams( Oh ya, I couldn't resist screaming out and pouring tears on few exceptions :) ). Between, I would like to mention that, I have a good memory, not of the junky education or book stuffs, but of my past. If I just relax and wander through those memories, I could see my entire past life as if in a Polaroid screen. Maybe , I should also try for an auto biography.

Oops, I am going odd track. so, that was the childhood, then college, a bunch of friends, hula halla life and a bit of care to get the name etched on the degree certificate. That period was very short and went past me like a lightning.

Then, evolved from me is a IT guy, who nooks around cubicles, stare at screen with glassy eyes and emotionless face for hours, trying to figure out what the hell went wrong in a thousands and thousands of code syntax's to find out, what is wrong. Please don't misunderstand me, I am not mad, But it is for what I am paid for. Current scenario is not much different, But I do a similar stuff for a different boss, but the result is same, they pay me for what I do.

Then, whats the edge? where I am standing. Ever since, I was born, my parents say you are growing, teachers say you are learning and growing, friends say you are loving, cheering , and excited and growing. My boss says, you are growing, professionally. Now, what about life now? is it growing for me, or I have stopped?

Well, all I think about the edge is the new beginning. A life after marriage. Its not so easy for guys to accept the changes or the wholesome responsibilities that is waiting there for you. The bachelor friends of mine would sanction that. Yes, I know marriage brings in you life, the all awaited love, feeling of being loved, a lovely wife to care for more than your life and the responsibilities of being a family man. Yet again, whats the edge, I am standing?

I am standing at the edge of implication of all the learning, growth, profession and the life. Living a single life is far far different from the life which is blended to another. There, personal , professional, what s ever linked to you is linked to your wife/husband. so, there , I would say, you have stopped growing, stopped learning, and is going to make a new beginning. I am on the edge of the bachelor life and is on the beginning edge of the family man life. Am I on the edge? Sure I am !!!!

A notch on politics

I am not a political kind of person. Neither I keep any interest in specific political party or supports them. But, I do have views independent of any of their agendas. Views on how the politics should work for the benefit of the people and the country.
It just got to my mind, when I went through the candidature list of my area, reading of candidates from various political parties contesting to be the members of Indian parliament. And I got specific interest in one of the candidate, about whom I will be discussing today.
For the information of my non Indian Bloggerville residents, India has 26 states and each state has many districts. There will be 1-6 political constituencies in each of the district. I reside on Kerala state and in the Trivandrum district.
So, this candidate, about whom I am talking was born in Kerala, in Palakkad district, not in my district where he stood for the election. I am pretty sure, he doesn't even know the roads in trivandrum, so better as even a 6 year school going child in Trivandrum does. Second, at the age of 18, he left to overseas for studies. Then, after studies, he got job as "United Nations Under secretary".So,this may be his first visit to trivandrum, or perhaps, to India itself, that too after the offer for standing in the elections, by the political party supporting him. So, the strong point that makes me against him is that, he never knew the place, people or their problems , where he stood for the elections.
Second, there are too things to wonder? Why he was offered a seat to stand for elections and why did he accept it? Here are my views. It's a public fact that this guy is a very rich man. He has lot of financial assets both in India and abroad. So, one thing the political party can be assured of in this deal is the vast funds he can offer for the election campaign and the consequent party advertisements and field work. Next, the reason for which he might have accepted the offer to stand for election, is because, the best deal the political party could offer him is, if he wins and the party has majority in the parliament, then, he will be awarded with post of "external affairs minister" in Indian ministry. I am pretty sure, it would be his dream job, after serving so many years in United Nations. It will be a glamor career change for him. I don't hide the point that, he is well qualified for the post. He has the education, experience and the caliber to take on that post.
Another point that I emphasis is, he used his power of voting as a citizen during this election for the first time, and too at a age of 38 and when he itself is the candidate. In India, a citizen can vote from the age of 18, and he never even thought for getting his voter's Identity card, until it was required for him to stand in election. If he wasn't standing for elections, he would not have even voted in this elections too. Or may be until the day he returns to India(or will such a day come), to settle down for life.The fact that hurt me most is that he was kinda proud in announcing this fact publicly after the elections. He should be ashamed to consider himself as a Indian citizen , at least to declare himself as a candidate to represent a constituency in the India Parliament.
And now, what if the people rule him out? What if they think that he is unworthy of representing them ,and gets him down in the elections? Well, he will return abroad, from where he came. He will resume his career, in the same or much better way. He has nothing to lose. Also, the political party, a single defeat won't be a big trouble, until the margin gets so tight. But still, the money received will stand high.
It will be just the people who will be the jesters on this whole political melodrama.

Do you love water? Strange question huh? What I meant to ask is do you love water so much that you will hug it. Am I getting so poetic? Never mind, I felt so, after I plunged myself into a river after quite a few months.



What a day it was. I really loved being with my cousins and brothers. It was such a relishing week end. It was after the lunch, someone clicked on the idea of visiting the nearby river. It was planned to be just a visit, but the rocks and the rambling water was a real invitation. Next sequence was to send one of the cousins to go back home and fetch towels and drying kits, when others, including myself, dropped into the river.

It was a boon in hot summer. I really felt the cold water cooling my boiling brain. Though wild waters always have its own risk, I too slipped quite a few times on the moss filled rocks. The algae and the wetness has made the quite slippery. The waters also had unpredictable depths at few points, caused either naturally or due to sand mining. But irrespective of any of the demotivating reasons, none of us retrained from wetting ourselves.

I stretched myself, after a very long time. I had been recently into a swimming pool. But the pleasure of been in wild waters is nothing compared to the artificiality of the pool. I didnt mind anything. Just kept on swallowing the freshness of the surroundings, absorbing the coldness of the water under the hot summer sun. and the fun part operated by the cousins. It was a gret day out and I am all fresh and rejunevated. I am looking forward for the next opportunity to make the dip. Good night "Bloggerville".

Healthy Living in a cubicle

I think the health problems are brothers of IT world. The usual neck pain(Its has been with me for a couple of years by now), the dumbness of the spine, and the frequent cold and fever , the footprint fo sitting in AC for long hours to keep the clients happy, all have its own contribution.
Can we improve upon the situation? There are designs, but to implement , all that is required is time. And I never found that resource plenty with me, after I dived into this IT pool. A jog in the cold morning, or a workout with friends in the local gym, or a dip in the swimming pool, all are refreshing, and I have tried out each one of it in the near past years of experience in my IT career. But the difficult part is to sustain the momentum to more than a week . All that works is to a maximum of 2-3 weeks, at the best 1 month. Then a deep shit of projects holds me to the seat in the icy cubicle and I am there working 14X7 to make money, of course. But what I am losing is the precious health. There should be some alternatives. May be , maybe if ever someone drops to my blog and has the patience to read all my Bla bla's , then that guy/girl/woman/old timer will have a suggestion to make. Till then let me hug my PC, love my girl and live as far as possible..

If I was in old school in an assembly....

It is my dream, to address my school assembly in my present. I have great recollections of those days, when I used to stand in sun, listening to the prayer song being sung by the school choir. Then, it was followed by the principal's speech, probably with a scolding note.

But I used to enjoy standing sessions in a mild morning, when the sun wasn't too bright, and the breeze was gentle across the school grounds. I wished that I too stand there one day, throwing out words of wisdom.

If I get a chance now, I would say words of wisdom, but rather say a few things out of my experience that life has taught me.I would tell them,

1. School romance is absolute waste of time and money, because girls dont take life as seriously as we do in imaginations, at that age.

2. Don't dream that school life is full of worries and let it pass away soon, Believe me, you will never get a beautiful and cheerful time in your life.

3. Dont eat your book. But learn all that the life teaches you, and never forget it till your life ends.

4. Love your parents. You will feel that they think wrong for all you can think about. But, it will be very late when you realize that , they were right in all things about you.

Dreams

Man is borne to dream

Make castles in clouds

Carried away in ethereal whites

Down to the dismal hopes

life teaches but still reaches-

out to the pleasure of dreams

Breaks the heart and makes you stray

But still dreams for the best

False dreams often misguide

Leads you through virtual hopes

Doesn't let you know till the brink

Until you are perished and striven

Hold your dreams dear ones

Never believe it to come true

until u behold in heart

and make it worth coming true..

The athlete in me

None of the sports magazine will not be able to list up all my talents. Any of the sports magazine will have to illustrate the all the gaming experience, I am capable of. Did u think of me as a sports megastar. Sorry people. it is not the fact I tend to clarify. I am not pro in any sports, but manages to play and enjoy most of them.

In the beginning of my school days, right at the age of 7-8, I was mostly into running, Kind of Jessy owens type, running for fun, not for medal though. I had a good fall 4 years after that , having a minor fracture on the right leg. Though the damage was minor, I never ever was able to run as fast I was before. Maybe a confidence factor, but I never made i through.

In the coming years, the craze at school was football, all ran behind the checkered ball, so did I. Though didn't make much goals , I got some guys do it and enjoyed it to the much. Off times, during the hottest summers, when I was pulled indoors by my mother, I had the game of king and queen to try on. Often won few games to my brother, lost a lot to others. Later when my bro starts defeating me, I lost interest to the king, who was losing empire one after another.

At my teenage, the world cup cricket came to Indian sub continent. And the Sachin era has begun. So, we too turned into cricketers, who loved "First Batting", least preferred bowling and fielding . Maybe , I would say, those are the times, I made most of my sports career, made a few shining performance once in a thousand matches, in the grassy outfields , between houses, over 4 storey buildings and in the empty lanes in front of my friends house.

Even between this, I had my hands on Badminton, then on the computer games, Gta and NFS being my favorite ones, not missing the medal of honor series. PC games quite often gave me the satisfaction of triumph.
Between this, the readers of the mag should also know that the sportsstar in me likes to read a lot, write quite often and also tried and is trying body building. But never reached anywhere to 1 pack least.
I always praise myself with the following quotes, when someone ask me about my sports interests.

"Jack of all trades, master of none "

Listen, Understand

How often we listen? The sounds around us, people speaking around, the sounds of nature. Do we even bother to listen to any that we consider not having any value in our life? But, let em ask, things that presently seems valueless may also impose some effect in our life. Once my friend, visited my house and he was saying later on that, while on my way to house, he could feel the sound of train. And I told him, there was a railway station nearby, a few kilometres away. But, to my surprise, I realized that recently, I never felt any such kind of sound. Maybe my ears are used to ignore it, as the nature of ignoring unimportant things. My friend may also forget the very existence of the train station, next time he also may not feel the sound of train, following the human traits of ignoring the unimportance.

The dumbness, that grow within us, the dumbness that says to ignore the nothing else to our selfishness is a social jargon now. What I feel is that in this fast world, we don't have a second to stop and listen, not even to our conscience. The world runs, and so we. But is the goal? God knows..

Sambhavami yuge yuge

"Yada yada hi dharmasya,

glanir bhavati bharata,

abhyutthanam adharmasya,

tadatmanam srajamiaham;

paritranaya sadhunam,vinasaya cha duskrtam,

dharma-samsthapanarthaya,sambhavami yuge yuge."

(Bhagavad Gita 4:7&8)

These 8 lines from Bhagavad Gita mpressed me most today. These 8 lines carry a lot of meanings , as different it could be intrepreted. Some could say it purely religious. But I would say, it carry a lot definitions more than religious. But, yet I am not well authorative to define meanings. I felt it there is a bad thing in life, whenever there is a negativeness, there will always be a source of gooness that inspires us to move forward, no matter how down we are. Back to work again....

My bucket list starts with

Dreams are meant to be lived. We dream, because, we wish to have it or live in it. Then why don't we pursue it? Just look out for the wonderful opportunity that turn your dream into reality.

To thank my parents

Who I am, what I am  is all of their care and love for me. They taught me that questions have answers and there are no answers without a question. I realized ,through them that the life is worth living and money is something that is required only to make the life a little better, but not to breathe. I will thank them, at the moment, when I will have the feeling that I have nourished all of their dreams as their son. At that very moment, I wish to thank them for giving me this wonderful life.

To Visit my places in dreams

Ever since, I began to enjoy the beauty of God's creations, I wished to enjoy it, by living in it. The places of beauty that captured my attention was always painted to my heart. The grasslands of prairies, the canyons of colorado, the beaches of Indies, the island life of nicobar, the mighty pyramids, a long list of Godly and human creations that makes this world beautiful. I just want to see them, feel them, just once in this lifetime.

To propose again to my wife with Eiffel tower in the back ground

Oh yes, I have heard a lot of romantic couples saying that Eiffel Tower is one of the most romantic spots in the world. I just want to feel it. I want to propose my love of my lifetime in front of Eiffel tower. Well, I believe love gets more intimate and strong with time. I want to flare it up by proposing her again at Eiffel tower at some point in our lifetime.

To publish my autobiography

I am not a person of public importance. My importance sustains with my family, my wife and all the loving people around me. I am born and grown, living in that cradle of love. My memories being so sharp, that i could remember all the sweetest and innocent, and the sad moments of my lifetime. Together with my passion for writing, my conscience have always pushed me to write my own story. Though it wont be an interest to a third person, I just to prove that every human leaves behind a story of their own, no matter how uninteresting it seems to the world, still a story is born.

Sea Voyage

Sea has always mesmerized me with its vastness and secret attire. I enjoy watching the sea movies. Even from the childhood, I have wished to travel in sea. I know that the real sea-life is incomparable to the movie versions, but I want to live and feel the reality of the sea to the skin.

My bucket list starts with

Where the mind is without fear

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;

Where knowledge is free;

Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic wars;

Where words come out from the depth of truth;

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;

Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;

Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action -

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake. "

Beauty of words doesn't lie on how it is written, but what it reads.These versus when stumbled to my ears, in a long long past of my school days, it didnt meant to me nothing more than a chanting that has to be etched to heart. When I saw it again, I realized the essence of freedom and oneness filled in these verbal quotes by one of the greatest poets of modern India - RabindranathTagore.

"where tireless striving stretches its arms to perfection". How opt it is to hold high the spirit of hard work fruiting to perfection. And the thought that reason doesnt come from dead habits, but from a creative mind. The interpretations to these lines may vary based on the personal outlook, but I guarantee that it will make an impact for sure. .