Stop the communal rhetoric!

Day in and day out you hear the congress party speak of a secular India. They accuse the BJP of being divided on communal lines and falsely believe that they alone represent a bright secular India.Its so tiring and irritating that one wishes that the Congress shuts up and the left speaks sense for a change. The english news channels on their part are so biased against the BJP that they ought to call themselves the Congress media representatives. The influences of the electronic media has been so pronounced that a majority of young educated Indians have considered it a fad to tell that they are anti-BJP because the party has the blood of Godhra in its hands. For heavens sake people take a long look back and move on.
The congress does not in any sense of the word qualify to be called secular.At best its pseudo secular. Anti-Hindu in its projection but at heart its a party that still counts the largest number of upper caste Hindu MPs than any other party.The Congress has been at power for 30 odd years.It has lead to dynasty politics in a modern democracy and definitely should be blamed most for all the politician enforced ills on the country.Lets look back here,Shall we?
1.If BJP is accused of Godhra then Congress of the anti-Sikh riots following Indira’s assassination.Definitely all the people who claim who do not want to live under the PMship of a man who sponsored a state driven progrom against the muslims, you would not consider living under the rule of a party which actively supported the butchering of hundreds of Sikhs in the national capital because its party leader had been assassinated by members belonging to the community.Add to it the fact that Bindranwale had been incubated by Indira and the Golden temple ransacked by her too, you get a very gory picture.Now assuming that somehow the bloodbath of Godhra stinks more than that of the unfortunate sikhs’ of Delhi lets dig up another worm.
2. When the demolition of the Babri Masjid did happen it was Congress at the helm of power.P.V.Narasimha Rao chose to keep mum while that incident happened.He neither tried to curtail the large number of karsevaks who piled up at that site nor did he take any substantial punitive action following the demolition.Infact he did not even curtail the large scale rioting that followed.Now assuming that Godhra is far more significant than the riots and demolition of Babri masjid let’s look at the issue from a different perspective,
3.Congress does not want to hang Afzal Guru convicted of terrorist acts against the nation because he belongs to a minority community, Congress went ahead with the reservation from Arjun Singh and fought for inclusion of creamy layer for votes, Congress did not stop the building of the Sethu because it claimed Rama did not exist in the court before all hell broke loose.It did not even want to consider an alternate route more eco-friendly because, again its fashionable to give those anti-Hindu commends.Congress vehemently opposes uniform civil code.Why? because we all agree manu neeti is degrading to women and the so called lower caste, the concept of 3 wives and talaaq contributes to the up liftment of the nation.Congress does not dare to interfere with the madrasaas for obvious reasons. Congress watched mum when Singur happened, It did not on high moral grounds for the common man put its foot down like it did for the 123 agreement.Congress miserably failed to prevent terrorist attacks in the country, Led to a total catastrophic intelligence.Failed to push Pakistan,control Nepal and curtail SriLanka’s no witness genocide against its civilians.Its also the party which after even repeated warnings let the huge catastrophe of the Bhopal tragedy happen.Going a long way back its also the party that should be blamed to a significant extent along with the British and Jinnah for the post partition riots and much later for the elimination of the Kashmiri Pandits.Ironically Congress is also the party that spoke of compulsory sterilisation of the muslims, supported a presidential candidate who believes in spirits and speaks of a Nazi kind genetic pooling,Its the party that has repeatedly not seen any Indian good enough to be the PM for the past 10 years.Its also the party that gave us our only emergency.May be this does not mount to the atrocity of Godhra. Lets then look at economy shall we?
4.While there has been a global melt down Chidambaram should take a substantial amount of the blame.Waiver of loans, agressive pushing for credit ,American style opening the markets for credit card companies,caste based sanctioning of loans played havoc in the market.I am not even that well versed in economy. You might want to read an article from Gurumurthy in that regard. He of course belongs to the RSS in a sense, the communal monster but then he is also the character potrayed by Madhavan in Guru, that definitely must lend some credibility to the people who believe in all the media hype?
What then makes a party culpable? Only Godhra, explicit communal speeches? being chastised for wearing saffron colors when other communities display their religious identity. If you do argue that Congress’ faults are long gone past then morally you are incorrect in your stance against the BJP for Godhra or Kandhamal.Blood is always blood and the one thats dried more mostly stinks the most and is difficult to wash off.If you do believe that a BJP in power would lead to a state sponsored genocide then a) its humanely impossible due to the sheer numbers on each side it would take to fight b)international pressure would prevent that c) public anger would halt that. When you are confident enough that Congress would not repeat its blunders its unlikely BJP would repeat its biggest blunder till date-Godhra.
Surely it would not be al rite to make sense of a party that believes fielding a PM candidate is a sense of impudence,thats been throwing overtures to jaya and DMK, Maya and SP at the same time, that has come out and said 30% of Philibit is not voting for Varun and thats a big victory for them , as if BJP did not work that arithematic out.
The BJP should realise its biggest strength is that its anti-Congress. It should not be non inclusive,should mend its way and makes sure a Godhra or a Kandhamal never repeats again.
All that aside I am not canvassing for the Congress or the BJP. All that I am saying is that there has been too much of Godhra baiting. I do condemn the Godhra carnage in as vehement a manner as possible. But Godhra should not be Congress’ and that obsolete Left’s panacea for all other shortcomings. Surely looking back and assessing on a scale of political carnage the Congress would inch closer to the red mark by a margin much higher than the BJP’s? Its time we saw that and moved on.

It was comeupance at the Stamford Bridge

Now with all the drama that the last of the UEFA semifinals provided I have learnt a valuable lesson- do not switch off a match before its over. By the time the ninety minutes were up and the stoppage time was added I had lost hope. It was like relivening the nightmare. It had been excruciatingly frustrating to see Barcelona stopped by a stubborn Chelsea defense,it had hurt me to see Barca pass like dogs literally without being able to break the Chelsea defense wall,it was repelling to see the huge Chelsea players almost like mountains tower over the dimunitive barca players and most of all as a football fan it stung to not see the beautiful game win. It brought back memories of Barca imploding before and the often touted taunt that the premier league football is the best.I actually agree the EPL as a whole is the best but do their top teams play the best football? I disagree. By the end at ninety minutes, I had been reduced to tears and decided to switch off the match in shear despair.
I remember having an argument with a friend of mine when Argentina lost to Germany the last world cup. In many ways the games were similar but the results reversed.Of course the Germans played a way better brand of football than Chelsea did and Argentina are not nimble pushovers but somewhere down the line the argument remained the same.What makes great teams -Great results or a splendid and mesmerising game?I was somewhat brusquely told off that the concept of beautiful game or joga bonita does not exist. Whats the use if you cant win matches? Now, this argument is absolutely valid.And thats why as football fans you must have ached to see Barcelona win.
Barcelona have been nothing short of phenomenal,there is something ethereal about that team.With their brand of breathtaking football,them contributing to UNICEF,their youth programmes and clinics in third world countries and their astounding belief in playing the game their way under all circumstances and Messi in their ranks,they deserve the title of the best team in the world.They stand in sharp contrast to an unimaginative Chelsea team.The thing is, it was sad enough that Chelsea won Liverpool and had they repeated it against Barca it would have been a horrifying shame.
You cant and should not win matches with eightmen within forty meters of your goal post.And for all their cries of penalties not being allowed I really thought they were none except the Pique handball.Drogba dived the first time and fouled as he came into the box. The second case of a shirt pulling hardly earns penalties these days.And honestly Drogba dived so much that it was disgusting.The refree saw that and that went against him.As for Eto’ its a bit controversial.While his arm was high up in he air,his back was turned away from the ball. When your back is turned away if i am not wrong, you are not given a penalty.This coupled with the fact that the match was minutes from the finish and a final berth was at stake ,the refree probably froze on the penalty.And finally coming to Pique, either the ref did not see it or thought Malouda kicked the ball on to Pique’s arm, either way it was the strongest chance of a penaly for Chelsea. However one must remember that a penalty for Henry was disallowed and many ways it was the stongest case in the two games. So in a sense the teams are even. I am not absolving the refree off some shoddy work, that he sent Abidal off when Anelka fell of his own accord was another instance of bad refreeing.But what I am telling is that Chelsea were sore losers.They had gone to town about decisions having to be accepted after the first leg.It was almost humorous to see Ballack madly chasing the refree.One could understand the frustrations and in a sadistic way I liked the fact that the goal had come irrepairably in the injury time.And that too a fantastic goal one that would have sailed wide 7 times out of ten from Iniesta.
You see Iniesta according to me is the keystone that holds Barca. Xavi is the fountain of creativity only when Iniesta is there, Its only with Iniesta’s passing that Messi feeds off him and Xavi, its only then that there is that telepathic connection between the Barca strikers and midfielders.It was divine justice.The man who came off Barca’s youth programme,who neither has the potency of a Henry or the magic of Messi but one who epitomizes Barca’s game of beautiful football with his mesmerizing passing and staunch belief in its effectiveness had to score the golden goal.A better candidate at a better moment could not have been orchestred.

It was sad to see the biased commentary of Sky Sports and its post match analysis was shameful. I have long believed that there is almost a conspiracy by ESPN,Star Sports,Ten and Sky against La Liga and Barca in particular.Now Guus thats way more on target than the one you came up with!Nothing explains why Aston Wiga Vs Bolton would be telecast but not Barca vs Bayern. The worst was when I saw no La liga matches on air while deferred telecast of Japan vs S.Korea in baseball was being aired while Barca took on Lyon.That the most widely viewed sports network in the world would not telecast the best team with one of the best players of all times is nothing short of blasphemy.Its outrageous as a fan and a sport enthusiast and in many ways undermines the very terminology of sports.
For all of english clubs’ pace,power and deftness it does not measure upto the beauty that Barca dishes out. Its only fair that the team that payed football won.However Barca needs to take stock of its defense, Alves in particular and improve on set pieces.But for now we shall bask in the glory of divine comeupance…

Cricket is no longer a gentleman’s game

Cricket today is on an all time high showing no signs of the depression that is strangling the rest of the world.India,the economic powerhouse of the game is also now finally the super side of the game.But there is an inherent charm the game has lost.Cricket was never the beautiful one, that tag enviably belongs to that sport that drives half the world crazy and causes a nine percent increase in chances of a heart failure while watching it,football.But cricket was always the gentler one,the one without the fuss.Batsmen walked when out,on the pitch brawls were seldom witnessed and umpires were never argued with .these are of course trivial facts.But what rattles me is that the game has changed to one of money,mindless hitting and more money.
I was an avid fan of cricket once. Its perhaps technically,physically and mentally the most demanding of sports.In this game there is seldom a reprieve ,its not a team sport; essentially,its a game played by a team of 11 individuals.What i am trying to drive at is the fact that individual performances stand out clearly.You are out for a duck you are gone,there is no another point to come back like in tennis or another attempt at goal.If you drop a catch its almost always over for your side.Its a pressure cooker situation.
But whats spoiling cricket is the fact that the game is being changed into one that caters to a mass audience as a competitor to football.And therein it loses its charm.The game’s beauty lies in he fact that it can be played for five days without a result,the gentle flick of the wrists,the majestic square drives,the dominant strides of a bowler they all make the game click.its like one big jigsaw puzzle and the picture is fascinating only when it is completed.if at all you can give it an epithet you can call cricket an intelligent game. A bowler takes an over and sometimes a spell to set up a batsmen,the batsmen on the other hand must read the difference between a yorker,a slower one or say an away going one each and every time.Its a complex mind game.
But sadly today the game has been reduced to a uni dimensional affair, one of a batsman’s paradise.It was once breathtaking to see Wasim Akram come thundering down the pitch against Lara,Warney mesmerize you against Gatting,Ganguly pick Muralitharan off for a straight six or Tendulkar match wits against that lethal Aussie,McGrath.The era of Alan Donald,Waqar Younis,Anil Kumble and targets of 200 are over.Once upon a time a target of 230-240 was considered good,infact it was not very long ago.Today is the age of heavy bats and Dhonis,Yuvrajs,Sehwag and Pontings. Its great hitting ,awesome display of power,athleticism talent and even skill but you miss the fact that you look around the game and you do not see one fearsome bowler,no seaming tracks and definitely no awe inspiring contests.Cricket is now a batsman’s game.
Public wants to see huge sixes being hit, grand totals and faster games. Commercial swings have ensured that the bowler is left out cold.Perhaps India is to blame for that.Flat tracks and huge totals was a virus we exported and enforced with the help pf sponsors and a powerful board.Today the game no longer accomodates the wizardry of Laxman in its short version or the resilience of Dravid.But i am perhaps one of the very few lamenting such a cause. Most people want fast and furious T-20 s and find test cricket insipid.Today the game has lost its soul to such an extent that the IPL cant wait for general elections and cricketers are willing to risk life and pride for playing in the IPL.Globalization and commercialization is unavoidable the reason why ESPN will telecast EPL over the much more aesthetic La Liga.But who’s complaining?as far the sixes keep coming…

A Touch of Nerve-Roger Federer

My last post on Federer and Nadal touched quite a few nerves.Some one accused me of being biased against Roger,another stated that Nadal plays like a cow and looks like one and a lot of others merely stated well, they dont want to comment.All these guys are Federer fans believing as so many millions across the globe that their idol is perhaps the greatest of all time.Replying to those comments, yes I am biased against Federer in a way and No..Nadal does not play nor look like a cow from any visible angle .His butt picking habit not withstanding he is one of the hottest tennis stars I know. Though now of course he may come third in that current list after Djokovic and Verdasco.
The reason why I write this post is because I realised that my blog stats soared with the last one but on a more serious tone its because I felt that the last post was incomplete.
so why am I biased against Federer? I started as a federer fan when the Swiss began his career,it was fine until the moment people started hailing him as better than Sampras.That for me was sacrilege.When I heard that, I wondered if it was true and even spent anxious moments . After Sampras had retired I had not seen the sport for 2 years.

Federer was lucky in the sense that he had Agassi in his twilight,Safin all imploded,Roddick not so talented and Hewitt – I am yet to figure out what happened, as his prime opponents.For all their ability these guys do not hold a candle to the kind of opponents that Sampras faced,taking into account of course that Andre was past his best when Federer began to ascend .Sampras is the greatest because he dominated with such imperial authority the most competitive era in men’s tennis.
I still wonder why the media switches its claims so easily.Agassi had called Sampras the best when he lost to him, he later bestowed it on Federer when he lost to him,the same goes for Henman and a host of others who extolled Roger and are now questioning if he will ever win Nadal again.Even Sampras when asked to name his potential successor at the time of his retirement had said it would take the game of Safin and the mental strength of hewitt to dominate as he did.He did not name Roger Federer then.
I am not trying to belittle Federer, I am a fan of the sport and any fan worth his salt will know that Federer is gifted with the most talented all court game that ever was.Better than Nadal? Definitely yes.Better than Sampras? Also a yes.I am only suggesting that he is not the best player at the moment nor is he the best in history.By player here , I mean his ability to win.Talent need not translate into success always.Ask Uncle Toni.
Nothing is wrong with Federer’s game, its the same. There is no perceptible change to it before and after the arrival of a man called Nadal.If Federer could be called GOAT then he must be now too.His game is the same.The only hitch is that Federer is all elegant and grace when he is not challenged,when he is, it falls apart.He has made the same uncharacteristic errors against not only Nadal but also against Murray and Djokovic.
He reminds me of the other supremely talented Swiss ,Martina Hingis.It was painful seeing her come apart against the powerful ground strokes of the Williams,Capritati and Davenport.Her game was Swiss perfection too except her serve that is.But elegance and talent did not withstand the power and athleticism of the Williams.
If you are to go on and call Federer GOAT then it would put us in a quandary with Nadal .What would you call this guy who so thoroughly dominates Federer?
Federer lacks perhaps the one important weapon in his arsenal-the Champion’s Mind.Genius can be outdone by hardwork and dedication.For being focused single mindedly on a goal is genius in itself.Thats why the day Federer stops thinking of everything else apart from winning Nadal, he will do it not once but quite a few times.

Luck by Chance-A Review

Very few hindi movies leave me with a sense of satisfaction of having seen something nice and special.LBC is one of them because it never ventures over the top.The story subtly unravels ,never once forcing itself and Zoya delivers a better take on bollywood than Bhandarkar did.The reason I say that is because Page 3 force feeds you,LBC lets you discover on your own.The movie is languid in its pace and the story requires that partly.
The movie has well fleshed out,all too familiar characters.Dimple Kapadia’s role of a diva mom living herself again through her daughter,Isha-the daughter who is spoilt but yet retains an innocence in her,Rishi Kapoor-the over the hill producer searching for that hit again and lastly Juhi Chawla the sweet trophy wife who states facts with such naivety are all very endearing.
Zoya like her brother did in DCH has an ability to create humor in an understated manner that you hardly notice that it hits you.Like the one where we are told why becoming a hollywood hero is easier than a bollywood one,or the one where Nina,kapadia’s onscreen avatar in anger tells that the name bollywood is denigrading or even the one where Anurag kashyap states that he ripped a hollywood movie to write it as the director wanted.The entire sequence of lucky 5 for Rishi Kapoor is perhaps the most overstated of the humor.The rest leave an impresion.
The cameos are cleverly interwoven with each star sportingly playing themselves.Thus Aamir comes as the one always wanting another shot,Kareena as the tongue in cheek heroine,Abhishek as the one who loyally conveys the presence of his dad in some way everytime,Rani as the sugary sweet and ever so diplomatic star,SRK as the larger than life star willing to pout advice and finally that brings us to the one not playing himself in a way ,Hrithik Roshan.Hrithik as Zaffar Khan is very good with a sincierity that shows.He plays the great star trapped in his own image mocking SRK when he says he works for Zaffar.the part where he conveys he no longer wants to work for his mentor is very well shot and so is the scene where he shows and then subdues a sense of insecurity.
Farhan like the movie is charming in an understated way.He holds the script well and never once lets the audience sympathy slip from him.He looks cuter and fitter and one wishes to see more of him.Konkana is good as usual but she is so very getting type cast in woman of multiple layer kind of roles that one wishes to see her in lighter roles.
Zoya impresses and seems equally good and perhaps better than her brother as a director.The art direction is average though.Luck by Chance succeeds in the irony it portrays and yet never makes you feel disgusted or depressed with any aspect of the industry shown.Its one of the good hindi movies I have seen in a long time.

Rafa Roars to subdue Federer

Sport seldom witnesses a telling moment as the one we saw today when Federer broke down.Those tears told in short the agonizing moments of frustration,despair and then a sense of loss that this rivalry has meant for federer. They also told what we knew and some feared all along that the story of their rivalry has evolved into one of not equal strengths but one of Federer chasing and Nadal denying every time.
What probably hurt Federer the most was the fact that he was thwarted by an opponent who has stood between him and history with such stubborness and in that greatness time and again that he has been rendered helpless.Nadal was not even hundred percent fit. The last of Federer’s bastion fell today to make it official that the Swiss is now second best to Nadal on every surface and in every aspect of their rivalry.Today when Federer broke down I thought that Roger may never win Nadal if the spaniard is hundred percent fit in a match of high stakes because Federer has lost the mental battle long ago.Its easy to see why.
Nadal is the nightmarish colossus on Federer’s once upon a time sweet run.I have always insisted that Federer was lucky to win so many grand slams because he lacked intense rivalry.Sampras is the greatest not because he dominated its because the who’s who he dominated.Time and again people have seen Nadal as an obstacle on Federer’s path and have continued to write how Federer has to wait a bit more to fend off this challenge.The truth is far from that.Nadal has such a deadlock on Federer that their rivalry itself is to be questioned.They play great matches yes but Federer invariably ends up losing .You dont call that rivalry exactly do you? Its not Nadal who is the fly that Federer has to swat its exactly the other way round.
Today, Djokovic,Murray,Giles all believe they can beat Roger on a given day and not without reason. If Djokovic shows half the determination that Nadal has I dont see Federer winning him at this point either.It would not be right now of all times if Federer is called arguably the GOAT, for if Federer can be called that ,then what would you call Nadal?
We are always fascinated with fairy tales perhaps the reason why we rushed headlong to call Federer GOAT and perhaps the same reason why that people are wondering if its Nadal who will beat Sampras.But GOATs are not scattered across the field in every era.Nadal and Federer are indeed tennis greats and whether Nadal will break Pete’s record is only something that time will tell when the spaniard is past 25, exactly the point of time in Federer’s career when he began to unravel.Grandslams are not easier to win when you are hitting 26 and your opponent is just out of his teens, we saw that with Sampras and are now seeing it with Federer. So,lets wait and watch.

Its not that Federer cant beat Nadal,he very well can but it has to do with accepting the fact that Nadal is the better of the two currently.When he does that then he can chase to beat him with a thirst that sportsmen often display.With Nadal you can only win if you want the slam more than him and have the ability and belief to do so.
Federer has become increasingly bitter over the last year .He has mocked his fellow players,refused to give credit, time and again praised himself for winning over players like Roddick and called himself great.This paints a picture of where Roger is right now.I would rather have federer cry,shout and show a thirst openly than do it surreptiously.This man did not begin his career as Mr.Uber Cool, he was in his earlier days a vibrant personality charged with racquet abuse.Federer will perhaps beat Nadal when he removes these false layers off him and single mindedly pursues not records but Nadal.Its not past him.
For all the accusations of Nadal being defensive , sports is not about how beautifully you play and shake your locks ,its about how well you withstand the grind to win.Its something i have learnt the hard way everytime i saw argentina lose to say,germany or Barca lose over the years.Nadal has also tremendously improved with an ability to switch to an offensive play when required. This man from Mallorca has the heart of a lion, a child and that of gold all rolled into one.He has shown a sense of determination and persistence that will rewrite those very terms’ meanings. As long as his body holds he roars and stands the best. Its a passion unmatched and thats why its time to say Vamos Rafa!

What’s the fuss about the Slumdog?

 

Its been a while since I blogged.I have been busy in final year decadence with trips and treats and general fooling around. I have in the meanwhile been on a trip to Coorg , co founded a company called TLS,thought a fair bit about pot girls and hot girls, given identity and standing to sheikhu(he now tells me he is much better off than he was and when I last saw him was playing around in roller skates) and spent a day or two mourning the ingnonimous exit of Djokovic from the Australian Open.

There has been much lashing against Slumdog Millionaire in India. It started of course with Mr.Bacchan Sr himself .Many Indians have termed the movie an outrage on Indian sensibility,derogatory and even gone to the extent of advocating a boycott.The latter was done in quite a fashion by Mr.Arindham Choudhary in the Hindu occupying a quarter of his full page length add on ‘Dare to think beyond the IIMs!’

On a more serios note I think we are blowing a mountain out of a mole hill for no good reason.Status messages,blogs ad much more have derided the movie forbeing anti-indian. When I watched the movie I simply loved it.So vibrantly shot that it leaves you in awe for a while.I let out a gasp when Jamaal was asked the third Musketeer and did not forward the Jai Ho song.In short i thought here was an honesty about the film, a genuine attempt to portray the triumph of an under dog.

People have accused the film of portraying an India of slums, riots, poverty, crime and insincierity.The truth is the majority of the country falls into that category.In fact i think what is more denigrading to the sense is the highly sanitised super rich families shown in Karan Johar’s movies. That slumdog in a sense refers not only to Jamaal but to India itself is true but the fact remains that the movie asks a genuinely puzzling question-’ how does India survive and thrive despite the problems?’ its indeed a matter of wonder that how a nation burdened with illiteracy,corruption,sectraian politics,terrorism has managed to survive an economic onslaught that has withered super powers like America.The answer the movie tries to give is that India survives not despite these problems but along with these short comings. The indomitable Indian spirit draws strength from the hardships faced.In a large sense its true and that is our strength and our weakness.

What puzzles me is the intolerance shown.There is a stereo typing of India to cater to the western audiences but this movie is not alone in that crime.Curious Case of Benjamin Button ,Outsourced and a host of others are partner to it.Its similar to the portrayal of Westerners as promiscous and untrustworthy in Indian movies.That the story is based in the slums necessitates the struggle for survival shown. I do not see any degrading aspect of portrayal in slumdog as compared to the one in Salaam Bombay of the same Mumbai slums. Slumdog Millionaire is an unabashed drama with its heart in the right place.It narrates a telling tale of survival in an indomitable city.If its crime is that it exaggerates Indian poverty then a greater crime in that regard is committed by our English media .If the problem is that it glorifies poverty then our Hindi movies have long committed that sin. We do not complain against derision of gay couples in Dostana, we swallow an assault on our sensibility by a string of Bollywood films but have suddenly woken up to claim that Indian pride rests on boycotting this movie.

The movie is brilliantly shot and enacted and to all of Mr.Bacchan’s claims of equally good Bollywood films i beg to differ.You can count those in your finger tips and regional cinema is often far more superior to the films churned out in Bombay.Its indeed a moment of pride that Rehman has been nominated to the Oscars for these awards do far better justice to excellence in movies than our very own national and film fare awards.

St Mary’s Island

St Mary’s island half an hour away by a ferry ride from Malpe harbor is breathtakingly beautiful and a photographer’s delight.Its calm serene and almost other wordly.The beach and sea at this small island is the most splendid i have seen in this region.as some one put it Vijay Malya must shoot his calendar here first.If you visit Udupi do not miss it for its like Seychelles locally at seventy rupees.

Merry Christmas

Christmas like diwali transcends religions and races.As a kid in school I always enjoyed Xmas celebrations the most.Its easy to understand why.First of all there was this exotic factor to it; because you did not celebrate it at home you thought you did something special.And then there is of course Santa Claus ,the biggest brand ever in my opinion. Santa came and gave us gifts(we knew much later that it was our teacher as santa and our parents had secretly given the gifts to her) and he is a jolly good person to dance with. The funny costume with the wiggling stomach made you feel warm and nice.Lastly there is that huge collection of children’s tales and carols and songs to draw inspiration from. Afterall most stories have the goodness of christmas in them which is perhaps so wonderfully brought to life in Christmas Carol.Then there was the fact that we were taught really good carols like the one below-

You better watch out,
You better not cry,
Better not pout,
I’m telling you why:
Santa Claus is coming to town.
He’s making a list,
And checking it twice;
Gonna find out
Who’s naughty and nice.
Santa Claus is coming to town

He sees you when you’re sleeping.
He knows when you’re awake.
He knows if you’ve been bad or good,
So be good for goodness sake!
Oh, you better watch out!
You better not cry.
Better not pout,
I’m telling you why:
Santa Claus is coming to town.
Santa Claus is coming to town!

Thats one of my favourites.Importantly christmas embodies the spirit of goodness,charity,caring and the mood of gaiety.

When young the celebrations at school were always wonderful with carols and santa and gifts.the play of the three kings was staged every year and it all eneded in a lot of dancing,singing and a riot of color.Since then i have always felt drawn to this festival.Its also that part of the year when i tune into DD to watch the story of Jesus and i have done that almost every year and finally there are those gifts and sweets from friends who celebrate christmas.When its time to sing merry christmas and a happy new year you know its the time for fun filled holidays as a child and till today that spirit hangs on.

Here’s wishing all of you a merry christmas!!!( a bit early but nevertheless)

A celebration of life-Maargazhi maadam

 

What the vibrant city of Bengalooru does consciously with Bengalooru habba its quiter counterpart  Chennai has been doing routinely with maargazhi. Its almost unconscious like some endemic clock that programs a city together during the month of dec-jan every year.i do not know the reason for the significance of the month nor the origin of the customs followed during that period. At a point when I am finding it increasingly difficult to find time to be in Chennai its this month I miss the most.

The thing with maargazhi is that it transcends communities and castes .I lived for 21 years in Nungambakkam .I liked it there; you saw different kinds of people  unlike mambalam or triplicane. Even now I find areas such as the latter suffocating because you see people only in one mold always. Anyways now  I no longer live in Nungambakkam but somewhere in me I shall always belong there.

You know its maargazhi when ullikayam (garlic) and venkayam(onion) become a strictly enforced taboo. It always is but no one cares .No amount of begging and throwing tantrums would work with your mother. So its also the month I eat out often. You see when something is forbidden its all the more irresistible. Its like when, though you may be an insomniac for days before vaikunta ekadeshi you sleep at nine and eat for three people that day. But apart from no garlic maargazhi is also the month you get up early. When I was younger and more at home it used to be five or six, now it’s a more earthly eight or nine. For a person like me who sleeps at five and gets up at two in holidays(you escape the hot sun that way) such early timings is a sin but its impossible to sleep later than nine  even if you wished. For, Maargazhi is the month of the fourth veda of tamil , that of aandal’s thirrupavai. So, every channel and hence every household blares that and in some like mine my mother recites that loud enough to make my sleep uncomfortable and yet not disturb the neighbours. It’s an achievement that none of my friends in college have been able to achieve. She has this strategic point outside my bedroom that lets her disturb my utopia, keep an eye on the kitchen, watch T.V and chat to the aunty outside. When you hear elle illankiliye innam urunkudiyo you give up and get up. That’s the point she knows she will break me and hence takes the high pitch there. Its thirrupavai that’s so integral to this month, so wonderfully framed it’s my greatest regret that I don’t know thirrupavai properly. It is chanted everyday in the morning. You hear it in temples, mutts, households, TV, in the katcheris in the evening or the discourses in the morning it’s all pervading during those few weeks.

Apart from thirrupavai it’s also the month of discourses in the morning. Every sabha, auditorium or even schools has one. But what maargazhi is world famous for is its concerts in the evenings called katcheris. from junior artistes to the best you see all of them. while traditionally a carnatic stronghold you can also get to hear music from around the globe at that time. the crowds flock all the concerts, toursists come to the city and its when daily conversations begin with “inniki sudha enga padraa paaru?” each one has their favourite artiste, the connosieurs devour the chance, critics descend like a plague and newspapers devote sections to musical reviews, aunties debate who is the best this season ,the sarees and jewellery of singers become the latest fashion statement and little children(like I was a long time ago) lose their evening cartoons. Today as a part of SPICMACAY I realize why the movement or concerts fail to excite me as it does to some of my friends, its because when you are a part of maargazhi ,concerts are what the city breathes and you as a part of it fall into the rhythm. A lot of things pale in comparison to that.

Rangolis are another aspect of the month.i no longer see them in my street but when I was 12 or 13 I used to get up and assist(more like disrupt) my mom’s rangoli. You could see a whole lot of kids and aunties doing the same,  everyday every house has this huge rangoli in front of them. I was generally given a small one to fill up seperately next to my mother’s. Not a single soul later in the day would appreciate my piece of art. Everyone even your maid will point at the bigger one and seem impervious to the beautiful small one next to it. You see I had my limitations I was given only those shades not needed in the main one and I experimented a bit(like not filling it all inside the white outlines) and apparently it wasn’t that appealing.

Lastly its that time of the year when you get venpongal with ghee everyday. prasadam in each temple out does the other and idlis and vadas and sambar mirror the spirit of the city more then than anytime of the year.