Election 2009 - The Great Indian Drama.

Let me start with a Big Thank You to all of them who made my previous blog so popular and I really appreciate so many comments, made me feel really happy, I must say "Content".. Thanks to the ones who read it without leaving a trail... It was a heart felt blog, now am back with a "mind-feel" :P

It's the time we will see a lot of developments happen @ extreme speed! If you walk out of the house and travel around 4 kms, you should be able to see someone repairing the road or laying new ones! Yes, it's the time for
The Great Indian Elections.


The other day, I was at my sister's school and all of a sudden people started reparing the roads, dug it all out and blocked the traffic (it was a small lane, though) there was confusion for sometime (as always) and then work continued. I was wondering why they started working on that road all of a sudden and then dad uttered the word.. Elections and I ridiculed (as always) "ohhh no wonder"


Ok, let me try to be serious!! Elections is the time for us to voice out! Voice out our opinions, it's time to make a choice.. simple. I see newspapers, actors and the media, almost begging people to vote! Feel digusted! It's your freaking "responsibility" to vote. During elections, people are happy about getting a day off, they sit at home and galavant. And after it's over and some wrong guys comes to power, they'll see him doing all sorts of sh** and then complain about the political system. Whose mistake was it? YOURS! my friend, when you had a choice, you didn't. now SUFFER! simple and easy to understand. No one has to beg you to vote, it's your responsibility for God's sake!


I'm trying to think of 2 sane people who would make a difference with their presence... In

Politics I mean.. :) Since I call this a drama, these men are our heroes!


Dayanidhi Maran - Undoubtedly my favorite, he is smart, educated and he is action-packed (as in he does what he is supposed to do). I wish he stayed longer in his portfolio, we would have gone a long way, I don't mean Raja is bad, but Dayanidhi Maran is the best!
He brought in investments well in excess of $30b for the IT sector alone and set the ball rolling for making India a chip manufacturing hub! not a joke!


His "Vision 2010" is brilliant, realisitic and competitive.


I don't know if he'll contest from Chennai Central and if he will get a ticket from DMK, whatever happens, I wish this guy comes into politics again. There is a lot he can do for the country!!

I see his potential to become the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu at a later stage may be after the time (I'm talking about his time in politics) of Dr.M. Karunanidhi (which will be in less than 5 year), and if only that happens, you can be rest assured that we'll see some great developments.


Dr. HT. Sangliana - A retired Director General of Police (I never liked Cops so much..) with 3 doctorates, I'm sure he is something! A very honest and progressive (I usually don't use these terms for a politician) politician, since I feel they are faaaaar from being honest and progressive, so here is a welcome change.

There is a lot he has done to Bangalore and Karnataka as a cop and a politician, It's a bad idea to write just 1 or 2. however, I admired when his courage to stood up for what is beneficial for the country, even after knowing that it would cost him his relationship with BJP ( which I never liked anyway).. It required a lot of guts to do what he did. Fantastic, I admit..

I would love it if he gets a ticket in Bangalore, if he doesn't he should contest out of Mangalore, may be!

Why Mangalore?

Simple strategy, after what happened there 2 months before, imagine a cop contesting, would that restore people confidence and boost their morale?

The answer is a yes!!


Simply said, this gentleman can deliver, wherever he is, it's only a matter of time.. again, he's an amazing option for The chief minister of Karnataka (quite honestly, The only good option). Strong, Honest, Progressive, EDUCATED (in bold and Caps) and yet Simple.. He's stupendous..

Some really nice news articles about Dr. Sangliana..
http://www.nowpublic.com/world/interview-indian-mp-ht-sangliana

http://www.rediff.com/news/2000/nov/22sang.htm

My Inspiration(s)..

We all have role models (at least most of us do..), the people who inspire us, the ones we want to follow and the ones we want to be. I'm thinking who inspires me the most and from childhood till now, there have been so many people.. I wouldn't do justice if I just wrote about one person. so am gonna think write about a few people who inspired me from time to time, I'll write about teachers, friends, relatives, actor and so on...

Class 4 - I joined a new school since we moved into a new home, nothing registered well until our exams, Quarterly exams ended, the day we were going to get our papers our principal, Mr. N. Vijayan was addressing all of us during our assembly, he first appreciated the ones who did well, then gave a pep talk for the ones who want to top in their classes and then he came to people like me. The BQ! (Bottom Quartile) lol.. He said the ones who have not passed need not take this as a disaster, remember.. "Failures are the stepping stones to success". I didn't really know that I was going to hear this dialogue twice a year for the next 5-6 years but yes, after 2 years, I'd say this dialogue even before he would. After years, I figured the impact it had created. It made us more optimistic, I don't know about other but it mattered at least to me!! so our first person is Mr. N. Vijayan.

Class 5 (I guess) - Back in the I think it was late 80's or early 90's, I was a very passive student (I mean, I was just the opposite of active). Computers were just getting added into our syllabus when a young guy in his early 20's joined school, computer sir!! The school bought a few computers (IBM) and there was separate room with a thermocol ceiling, A/C and so on.. This computer sir, Anand was calm, composed and tech savvy! I still remember the way he used to handle his computer, learning Keyboard shortcuts started with him and it's still continuing. I admired Anand because computers were so freakin new and he already knew how to use it and also trouble shoot! Awesome!! Deep down, I decided, when I grow up, I want to be like him and guess what Dell happened to me when I grew up and I was exactly what I wanted to be. So Anand was my 2nd inspiration... He's now a big brother to me!

Schooling ended at class 10, I was (hehe I'm still) hopeless when it came to Math, So I decided to do something that had nothing to do with Maths! and Hotel Management was a craze back then.. I went to this college, a guy (Andrew Kurien) pitched for this course and I was in complete awe! I came back with only one feeling "This is it, this is where I want to be" so I joined Hotel Management.

Days passed.. people would ask me, "so you are going to be a cook ah?!?"
I'd say... "It's called a Chef"
Then "Yedho Samaiyal Kaaran dhaaney" (Untimately you're a freaking cook right)
It would leave me fuming.. he he!

Andrew was our Vice Principal, a man of class, a well spoken and one hell of a practical man! He'd teach us everything about service, Food, beverage, Wine! You name it! and he'd have that class.. Something not many of them would notice, I'd see what exactly he does and copy it. He liked me for it. I learnt Event Management from him. He was amazing..

College ended, sat home for a few months, then worked at a few places I don't feel like naming... and then I joined Bay Leaf, the owner Arijith Purkoyostho. He was a leather business man who owned a delivery and take away outlet called "Wish a Dish" now he had just started "Bay Leaf". Arijith was a hardcore business man and a nice boss.. It's from him, I learnt how to oversee operations of an outlet, how to react and how not to.. Sometimes he'd walk in quietly, order his food, eat and leave. Next day, he'd call us for a meeting and tell what he did right and what we didn't do right. Extremely sharp observing skill... that's what I learnt from Ari and Vidhu, his better half.

While I was working at Bay Leaf, my sister introduced me to her friend (yes, yes, her BOY FRIEND! and then husband...) Vimal Kumar. Vimal was a Management Graduate, Smart, Talented, Well Read, Tactical, A Good listener and a amazing human being... For the next 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 years, I didn't need to look outside for an inspiration, I admired him as a Financial Planning Advisor at Aviva where he went to become a Sales Manager in just a year or so... and then at Dell as a Team Manager. His strategies were clear, his team loved him, some worshipped him... I still do. His role as a husband was the most challenging and he did a pretty good job... and his role as a dad, It's from him, I learnt how to nurture a baby, he would take care of Aishu better than my sister.. much much better! He'd cook better than anyone I know.. He was flawless (almost)

God took him away from us last year coz he felt he needed Vimal up there as he was such an amazing person, he left behind a lot of amazing memories and lessons which I will never forget..(My eyes are wet, never knew how much I loved him until he was gone)

A few freinds who have inspired me.. Ben, he's smart, quick, analytical and extremely dedicated to his work.. and now also to Dimple!

Hubs, my favorite seller. Hubert is more like a big brother to me. He's charming, well dressed, and is the best balance of mass and class. (only a few will know what am talkin about).

Dinesh, my favorite cousin. Dinesh is one of the most finest executioners, he is street smart, caring and an awesome friend.

Jagz, Jagdish.. A friend, brother and a book of new ideas.. I love his optimism (something we both have in common.. I guess!)

Everytime I ask Jagz how he is and I know his response,
God's been kind brother and he'd smile.
I'd be like WTF, you have so many problems and how could you say it..
and then he'd say Life would be so boring without problems, so it's nice to face difficulties, they make us better people. (to me it was oh-so-philosophical, but he's right..)

Dayal Chithappa, he is now more a friend than a relative but yet another fine administrator. He always liked to be in control. Very dedicated to what he does.. Movies!!

Shashi, I just realized that I've not written about a single lady, no!! no!! no!! don't call me a MCP yet.. there are so many people and here is one fine boss, Shashi was my boss at Dell, she was more a nightmare back then, she was brilliant, analytical, problem solving, attentive and patient (Most of the time).. I learnt "Effectiveness" from Shashi..

Another person, whose name I don't want to mention but was my biggest strength without whom, I'd not exist today. She was caring, patient, concerned, cute, adorable {no marks for guessing that I was (was??) in love with her.. hehe} and selfless (mostly), I learnt how to support one's family from her! She was marvellous..

My blog mates Divya & Rach, they tempt me to write something most of the time. (Rach made me write this one) they are such wonderful souls! we keep gossiping, sharing ideas, read each other's blogs, find faults (most of the time I'm the fault finder, ya am such a ***** he he)

Rajnikanth - Oh am a huge fan of him, I like his movie plots! After Annamalai, every movie had almost a similar screenplay. He is rich, then he loses everything and then he gets everything back. Sanwich Principle? hehe.. but his songs, dialogues, action blocs are awesome. You could only admire his presence on the silver screen and more importantly his simplicity. I thought it was all a publicity gimmick until I saw his wife recently, she uses an Ambassador (Car) too!

Movies - If I write even a 4 liner about each movie that inspired me, I'd end up writing a book! :)

Dad, I saved the best for last.. Dad worked with the railways for 33 years, got out of service now working with NGOs. He writes ( he's written 7 books) ! He sings (1 music album)! He serves (Tsunami relief, free ambulance service, environmental awareness campaigns, you name it! He Inspires!! Love him and respect all the others I've mentioned above!

Cheers! (I learnt to sign off with cheers from Shashi..)

So that's a long essay! but everyone I've written about deserve more than this... I swear!

Life's Tough..

Not many of them know this side of me, I usually don't whine, have always wanted to be like a duck, like how it doesn't show it's struggle under water, above! It looks calm and cool.

I've been quite successful in being the happy me! but guess what am bloody human, I have my downs, and I want to spit it out rather than bottling it up coz it's a mental condition unlike the duck's.

I went for this interview and I badly needed that job!! BADLY! I was told it will have question on business maths, probablity and... something else which I don't even want to remember. I "kinda" prepared! I have this thing about an interview day, I like to be uber-organized, so I was. I reached the venue exactly at the time I was told..

Interview started, a nice lady said something (I didn't pay attention) and gave me the question paper, had 90 mins to finish. I open the paper, I saw stars. It was looking like a class 12 math question paper, I went nuts! ( I scored 41% in maths in class 10 and went on to study hospitality management only because it did not have Mathematics), in the mean time another set of people joined in and the lady gave the same instructions and I could hear so clearly now, don't write on the question paper and I was like sh^&!

I finished in 95 mins, I wasn't even sure if I got even a single answer right but I did something... well actually a lot of things. I quietly asked the lady, "would you be really upset if I wrote on the question paper?" Response, "not at all". At last some relief! She was the perfect HR material!

Then lady asked me to wait at the lounge. I knew I wouldn't get thru!! I so knew, but I waited for the girl to inform me "officially" and she did.

I walked out smiling but I was fuming inside, angry about myself. I wish I studied maths when it was my time to study... back in the days! I never did, now I regret not doing that.. I really do! I always wanted to work for them, I don't know if I will. but I WANT TO!

Then I met a friend for coffee, she is one of those few people I love to confess everythin to.. had a nice chat with her, we spoke for 2 hours, about movies, her life, my life, she called me a chauvinist and I got oh-so-offended but then at the end I felt a lot better after spending time with her..Glad I have such friends...

I later said to myself the same dialogue I tell all my friends when they are going thru a rough patch in life.. "Tough times don't last, Tough people do"

Life's tough, not impossible; not for me!

Beat This!

Once you read this, imagine this happening!

Rakhi Sawant ranting about something on the 15th Feb, says she is totally against something that is on the newspaper, she entertains all of us as she always does.

Then our lead actor picks up the newspaper to see what is in store on the 15th Feb. Reads the headlines "Mutalik Goofs up real big" and there are so many strings of news that explain what happened in various parts of the city, let's take a sneak peek of a few of them..

News 1 - At Mangalore, there was this couple sitting at a pub, the sevaks barge into the pub and demand them to get married, the couple declines saying they cannot get married. The man gets bashed up and then the couple are forced to marry each other. Then the sevaks realize that the girl is the man's elder brother's girl friend.

News 2 - At Mumbai, there is a couple sitting at a posh restaurant, the sevaks get in as usual, the spot a couple and walk towards them, the sevaks realize that it is Saif and Kareena, the sevaks run for their autograph. then they realize that they are here for a different issue but they make some alterations, the let them go after some autographs and pictures.

News 3 - At another city, there is a couple that is exchanging sweet nothings in a car, the sevaks stop them, since they realize that these couple can't be anything close to brother and sister, they get them married, later another set of people come and pick up a fight with the sevaks, reason : this couple were having an extra marital affair and they got these guys together.

News 4 - The Sevaks along with Mr. Mutalik spot a muslim couple, over excited about getting a muslim couple married the hindu way, they just get it done in a matter of seconds before someone could come to support the muslim couple. Then the girl removes her burka, says "sorry papa, I didn't have any other way" and seeks his blessing!

Mutalik faints and wakes up with a MPD (Multiple Personality Disorder) the other personality is our dear Rakhi Sawant who we saw in the first scene!

Mockery of Democracy.

The Mangalore Pub attack has created huge chaos and as always attracted so much media attention. I wonder why there are so many people to say something about the attacks but we still wake up everyday and lead our lives, the difference between the men who attacked the women is.. they woke up one fine day, realized Pub culture is wrong all of a sudden and They did what they did and we all blog about it and get on with our lives. We are lacking ACTION. We're not heading in the right direction as citizens or as human beings. We need to get out of our seats and protest!

If someone does something bad to someone else and we don't react to it, it will be done to us next. It happened in Mangalore, no one except the media is bothered about it; it will happen in Bangalore one fine day. Guess what will happen the next day!

Mr. Yedi will bring in a new law, all pubs in Karnataka will be closed.

Times of India publish about this for the next 5 days will a lot of views of people.

Pubs will eventually open but with very lil support and extremely less occupancy!

That's where we are headed!

Circus - The Thrill

Circus, I watched the movie along with the fans of Golden star Ganesh at Aparna theatre amidst a lof fun, excitement and whistles, then rushed to Fame Lido for the special screening in the evening, the evening was filled with a lot of excitement. You could see the excitement on Mr. Dayal's face, he was ensuring everything is going as planned. For the one's who doesn't know him, he is an excellent planner and an exceptional executor, doesn't take too much tensions but very aggressive. A Good Business man and a lover of movies, he can talk the brilliance in the quality of Al Pacino, Dr. Raj Kumar, Shivaji Ganesan, Rajinikanth and Ganesh, and you'll know he is not just talkin about action but about loving Cinema, which I think he passionately does.

Circus', Radio Mirchi's and Fame's team put up a good show at Fame Lido. Commendable Team Work, in spite of a lot of tension.

The movie started and the projection was real good. Good there by Fame! As I watched the movie, I could feel that this movie is not like any other kannada movie, this is a class apart. No obscene jokes, no tears, no melodrama, not much of love, not much of Sentiments! Just nail biting, rib tickling Thrills. I'd so damn! wow! and smile at the jokes.

Aparna theatre had fans whistling when the Hero runs into the scene, Ganesh has done a fantastic work, no wonder he is the golden star, he's got the potential to go a long way, let's see how he progresses after Circus.

The movie made people sit and wait for the next scene, people were actually sitting on the edge of the seats! For a Kannada movie, I felt overwhelmed..

The songs were very well done, music, camera and Choreography of the first song (Baaro Geleya) were Very Good, there was this remix of Dr. Raj Kumar's song (Jeeva Hoovagidhey) which was welcomed by Ganesh's Fans, another song (Sajnarey) this is a song which was made with live instruments which is now an absolute rarity these days. The Super hit song was "Pisugudale" Bhatru's (Yograj Bhat) Lyrics were subliming, he, as always, has done a brilliant job!

Oh yes! We did miss the title track which the director chose not to screen till they finish 50 days. The reason the song was removed may be because it was working against the thrilling sequences. Who would want to watch a song when they want to know what is going to happen in the next scene? not me. But honestly, it takes a lot of guts to remove the title track. Dayal needs to be appreciated for this. Ganesh too has not been worried, he's been co-operative which is awesome.

For the fans of Ganesh, this is a must watch, not for the songs but for the screenplay, for Golden star's action and his smartness. The thrills could have been tight, would have liked to watch Circus like a Kurudhi Punal or A Wednesday or Slumdog Millionaire, what I mean to say is we could have watched the movie with just the thrills and no songs! I think Kannada Films will get there sooner or later. But Circus is the first step into the road less travelled.

The movie is a happy ending as always (I like happy endings) :)
There was a press meet post the movie at Fame and Mr. Dayal said "He wants Press friends to highlight the fact that the movie is not the usual formula and that they have tried to break away from the usual kannada cinema image.

In my opinion I think Dayal was right, this movie was good, excellent logics, you could see good continuity, exciting background music, fairly decent graphics (could have been better though), nice thrills. The introduction of the heroine has been done well. Archana Gupta looks like a promising actress, the director has shown her pretty well which does not happen for a new-comer in kannada cinema.

The Director of Photography - Shekar Chandru has done a marvelous job! Shots inside and outside the trains were incredible. Editor - Jony Harsha has done a commendable job. Music - Emil has been great, 3 songs are a hit out of 5. Great background scores.. we could feel the western styled thrill.
All in all Circus looks like a good team work! Good job by Dayal, Ganesh, Archana, Shekar Chandru, Harsha and team...
You guys will go a long way!

Nandi Utsav 2008.

Nandi Utsav is the 14th year anniversary celebrations of Nandi Bharatha natya Kala Sala. I'll quickly take you thru "Bharathnatyam" and a very little about Nandhi Bharatha Natya Kala Sala. I'll then share my thoughts about Nandhi Bhratha Natya Kala Sala and Nandi Utsav.

Bharata Natyam (pronounced as ba-rata-na-tiam) is a classical dance form of India, celebrated for its sophistication, subtlety and stylization. Bharatanatyam is an ancient classical dance style, originally performed in the Hindu temples of Tamil Nadu, in southern India. The Indian dance system is the oldest and most comprehensive in the world, having an unbroken tradition that goes back 2000 years.

The name 'Bharatanatyam' is derived from three basic concepts of Bhava, Raga and Thaala.
The general interpretation for the name is

BHAva (expression) + RAga (music) + TAla(rhythm) + NATYAM(dance) = Bharatanatyam
Recognized for its dynamic rhythm and rich vocabulary of expressive gestures, its hallmarks are crisp geometrical movements, sculpturesque poses and stylized expressions. Visually, it is a dynamic, earthly and precise style of dance with a distinct linear quality

Nandi Bharatha Natya Kala Sala is a Bharatha natyam school at Nandidurg Road, Bangalore. Headed by Guru Mrs. Geethalakshmi . Mrs. Geethalakshmi is one of those dance experts who are striving to keep the art alive. The popularity of Bhratha naytam has had a nose dive after we got introduced to dance forms like Disco, Salsa and Jazz. however, I admit that people like Geethalakshmi have been quite successful in what they do. The Utsav had about 50 people performing! for a person like me who thought Bharath natyam is a not-so-cool form of dance it was a moment of revelation. I could feel the rhythm in my body after spending my evening at Nandi Utsav.

Performances that stood apart - Chandra Chuda padham, Mohini Attam, the folk dance, Subramanya Bharathiar's padham and the Krishna dasar's padham.

People who did really well - Yamini, Kavya, Divya and Meera! these guys had the passion and it was all over the place when they peformed. Lovely!!

Appreciate the students who are still keen about learning and performing Bharathanaytam, their parents and all the dance teachers! You guys are fabulous.

A lot of things kept me out of action for a long time, I wanted to start on a positive note and this was it - Nandi Utsav! It has made me get back to blogging. In the next few days, am going to be blogging frequently. Lots to share and loads to think about.. I want to write about 26/11, 01/01/2009, Circus and a lot of controversial stuff as usual.. Wishing you all a wonderful year ahead. Cheers.

PS - thanks to people like Divya, Pooh and Vats who've got me back to blogging! 3 cheers to you.. :)