Vayu
Never expected this in chennai
I came to know of the tsunamis in the early hours today and promptly called my home. Even though my house is in thiruvanmiyur which was affected, my family said they were ok. I understand that it is mainly fishermen, people who were in the beach and houses built close-by were the most affected. To see water in beach road and cars being swept is a nightmare. Marina is one of the largest beaches in world. It takes around 15 to 20 minutes just to walk across the beach from the road to reach the sea. If water had so much fury as to topple vehicles which were parked in the road, the diaster is indeed catastophic. I hope my fellow citizens of my city cope up with this and my prayers are with them.
For those in pain
For those in pain - my deepest sympathies and my prayers. I definitely donot know the reason for your pain, but I profoundly understand your pain as such because I am also in one such scenario. All I can say is "Hangin there...everything passes, this will also pass". Life sometimes seems like a string of misfortunes and bad turn up of events. Many a time, we feel we are booted into situations where we do not belong. Then a final question - WHY? Is there reason to all this, despite all my sincere efforts why do I seem to always land up in this mess? I have always followed the codes and laws taught to me when I was young - so why is this happening? No answers will suffice these questions, because after everything is said and done, it is we, our physical self, caught in that situation. There is always an easy way out. We know that. There is always this last way where we can turn. But it is we who choose not to do that. It is difficult to give up ambition, dreams, things we love - we always put up a fight. In fight one gets hurt and it pains. The pain we suffer is that pain. Only thing that keeps me going is that I still have not lost the battle. If the battle is over I can go and take rest whatever the outcome and I have the power to give up the battle anytime - GIVEUP. So, hangin there and when this phase passes out, each of us will get our rest - one way or the other. There are always those who lose and those who win, but what really matters in the end are only those who faught. Best of luck.
Messed up again!
Not sure why this happens to me all the time. Is is a fact that I screw up everything I do or is it true somehow fate takes special interest in me to mess me up? I don't know the answer. I can only look back in my life and say that I have really tried very hard. May be I should stop trying too hard and then things will start happening for me. I am not sure how i am going to come out of this mess but I hope I do so.
Other things.
Meena told me that she liked my blog about saurav and his dunken confusion about reality. Well, I have promised saurav that next time he does get drunk I will do something really spooky like dropping him in the bathing tub to sleep or shift him to next apartment or something similar.
Truely a legend
It is with sadness that I write this post. MS. Subulakshmi, one of the greatest musical legends to be alive has passed away. I know little about carnatic music except that I can only appreciate them. I dont know any raaga, thalam and so on. But to hear this lady sing is bliss. Not just the quality but the sense of beauty, clarity and bhakti her voice instilled in a very novice listener like me is the probably the single greatest reason for my admiration for her.
Party
There was a booze party at my house, and my roomies had invited their research mates. Well, nothing extra-ordinary about this party, just that I am the only non-drinking person. But it is was funny the way party progressed. At one stage just by listening I was enjoying the party. Sometimes these people get really funny when they are drunk. I think the probable reason is alcohol makes some of their inhibitions to vanish. Then they start interacting on a more basic human level without any problems of ego. May be that's how we were when we were children. So this is one of those rare occations when the by product of getting drunk turns out to be pleasant.
Morons and absolutely dangerous too
I read
this article in Hindu about the fundamentalists regrouping in my state. I think their religion is their own curse. Utterly minterpretted and ill-informed, with little or no educational background, these people are ripe for exploitation. I don't believe babri-masjid is the answer to all these troubles. The people in coimbatore didnot do anything especially those who died. What the fundamentalists suffered in Bangalore is their own doing. You reap what you sow. When this madness of protecting religion and their God will disappear from man's stupid brain.
Fear of God
I came across an article about Kuran. To start with I really don't know much about this religion - Islam. However, if what is said in this website is right, then I shall surely not believe it to be God's words.
From Surah 16, "The Bee" He sends down the angels with the Spirit at His bidding to one of His servants in order to say, 'Give warning that there is no god but Me; therefore, fear only Me.'
I am fine with anything which says, God created, protects and...blah blah....(I am not making fun). But I am not sure about the fear for God. How can even God ask me to fear him. It is beyond my rational. I see no sense in that. To me God is love, whatever I do, God loves me. I shall never ever fear God, because I love him so much. To me when somebody says a book is the word of God and here it is said to fear God (as per God's words), I can't accept that. I find this notion disturbing. Further disturbing is the fact that such utterances are not uncommon elsewhere. I think it is said in christianity, hinduism, and probably in jewism and other religions I may not know. Not having fear does not mean having disrespect for God, to me it is rather having more faith and love for God. So infact my conclusion that all world religions are man-made, thought and written down by men, laying down rules according to the requirement of the culture they were in, makes more sense to me. There is no such thing as a perfect book and there is no book that is absolute. That is my conclusion (after all this, whether somebody believes or not, I am not an atheist).
What is happening to Bangalore?
Oflate I have been reading a lot about the state of affairs in Bangalore which needless to say is getting bad to worse. I am worried. I have always wanted chennai to overtake Bangalore, but not in this manner (not that my dream has been realized). I wanted chennai to come up on its own terms and not because Bangalore failed. Further I am really worried if Bangalore falls. It is the show piece for India. And it is a good achievement wherever it is. I don't want that to be undone. I sincerely hope Bangalore get a grip of itself and comes to its senses. I was hoping for a healthy competition among the major cities atleast, but the looks of it - I am deeply worried.
Why do Indians hate NRI?
I read this
article in Indian express. I cannot comment on the credibility of the stated persons as I have no clue who there are. But I can definitely comment as an NRI (presently) who had visited India few months back. First of all just because I critize does not mean I hate Indians or India, or there is nothing good back there. Yes, the roads are bad, too much pollution, too much corruption and so on. But I am not criticizing India for all these. I have been brought up in a proper middle class family in chennai, so that Nobody should assume I dont know anything of the poverty that exists in India (not my family, but I have seen). What irritates me the most is the lack of ethics in India. We consider ourselves to be superior culturally to the west...or are we really superior? Having seen both the cultures, I feel on a common man's regular life west seems to have better ethics that us. I have not seen people waiting patiently in queue, saying thank you, smiling at a hotel server when he serves, helping old and pregnent women, giving preference to children etc. These may be small things, but I think it is absolutely necessary that if we want to consider ourselves superior we need to inculcate these habits in us. Cleanliness, awareness and interest in environment, truthfullness and honesty etc are some i think which we lack. We have to understand that we are responsible for the world we live in and not just out homes. Important things like voting, altert citizens in the community, fighting for rights.....I have seen so many Indians not caring about these. And lastly complaing Indians. I hate them the most. People who can come up, who can make a difference simply complain at the lack of things that they dont have. Everyday morning when I go to jog at 6.30AM, all I see is useless bums sitting on roadside tea-shops talking about things that are abolutely nonsense. In the time they waste there, they can help their wives, get the children ready for school or something, go to work ...etc. Are they not allowed free time.....NO. Absolutely NO. These people are poor. They need to come up in life, give their children a better chance to live in the world...If I were there in their position, I will be working my ass out. I mean it.
