Anger and Frustration

Its on every TV channel,every newspaper , Social media and on everyone's minds. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has been victim to revulsion, rage and hatred each time the pictures of those molesters from Guwahati are shown. We have not only hit rock bottom-but have started digging deeper.A mob of more than 30 men manhandling and molesting a teen.

I've always wondered why crimes against women happen.Now that I'm studying something that entails me to thoroughly read a newspaper, not a day goes by where there isn't a mention of rape or molestation that women are subject to. Sad to see that we've been reduced to a nation of sexually frustrated souls who have to take it out on any walking being who has a semblance of female genitalia.

Leering, leching, cat calls and the likes have become so a part of our lives that I'm sure most of the female population would agree with me when I say that at some level, we've all become de-sensitized to it. A fellow classmate and me, the other day, were walking near our college and were subject to some graphic cat-calls from a bunch of school boys, much younger than us. All we could do was laugh about it and brush it off. Though I like to replay the situation in my head with me using my non-existent knowledge of karate and throwing some kicks and punches.Are men so deprived that they have to come and lech at women at 7 IN THE MORNING at bus stops or ogle at them taking a walk in the park?

The more I look at the endless debates on these channels and the endless visuals,I'm just sad at my, rather our inability to to do something about it.While most of the nation seems to be shouting hoarse and pledging their support to the victim and voicing their fury, the other half deems it right to sit back and comment on how the girl shouldn't have been in a bar and how she shouldn't having been wearing shorts and so on.

Before you so called conservative , orthodox beings draw up plans on the best way to bring up girls, teach your sons to respect them. Added classes on how to fight the urge of sexual frustration should be of great help too.

IPL Openings..Mouth Yawnings

Boy, Something has to inspire me a LOT to blog after 6 months and I'll say the IPL 5 opening ceremony has done a fine, fine job of it.

6:30 came and I plonked myself in front of the TV to catch Extraaa(Yes with three a's) innings on Sony Max hoping that there would be a cute presenter( Seriously where did Shiv Pandit go??). Instead was greeted with the normally nice looking Samir Kocchar sporting what looked like a cross between a bad haircut and a Kodambakkam hair piece.

This was followed by the entry of cricketing greats such as Navjot Sidhu and Harsha Boghle(His hair better than Kocchar's) ..Sidhu not wasting a single opportunity to do the Balle Balle most unsuccessfully to the uncomfortable smiles of Kocchar and the Firang Cheerleaders specially flown for the occasion - All accompanied by an absolutely dismal band- really I could play the drums better. All through the one hour- the presenter and the panelists' eyes screamed out the same thing - "Oooh I've been paid a hell of a lot of money to do this Yaay me!"

The performances- The full paged newspaper ads that announced Priyanka Chopra , Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Katy Perry almost made me want to see it live. This very moment i'm soaking a handkerchief with tears of joy that I didn't.

Firstly ,By wearing skin tight clothes, you might think you look sexy..the truth is you make people squirm in their clothes..however lose. Kareena Kapoor- My pillow case kurtas fit much better and Salman Khan- Pink Pants...really???

Secondly the definition of dance does NOT involve exercise routines , aerobics or gyrating a certain part/parts of your body to a music beat.

Prabhu Deva- No regrets there. I just wish the ceremony had dances only by him.

TEAM CHENNAI IS ON STAGE!Ooooh Look at them! All smart and confident..and Dhoni looks so cute! Everything is going fin......Priyanka Chopra materializes. All cute and giggly and equally blonde and (un)adorably flirty.

Murli Vijay's mindvoice to Badri/Anirudda/Ashwin : Dai machan enna da pannara this Priyanka Chopra onnume puriyala!

Priyanka Chopra then goes : Ok now we shall have a dance by Captain Dhoni!

(Muisc)

*Dhoni disappears behind Bollinger*

EPIC FACEPALM

In the middle of these awesome super kewl acts. Gaurav Kapoor picks on the already tired, annoyed and clueless celebrities to interview..each time going ""We shall wait for the cheers to die down and then resume talking" to a celebrity when there was pin drop silence around them.

Oooh Awesome moment coming up!!The captains are coming on to the stage!

But why are each one of them accompanied by 2 models leading the way wearing the skimpiest outfits possible? Amma's counter - They should have worn Pavadai Dhavani since it is happening in Chennai. Uncomfortable Silence follows.

Hats off to the choreographers for choreographing an almost ten minute sequence involving Salman Khan that had absolutely NO DANCE. Seriously man .. how did they do it?? He just had to mime a bowler , batsman and playing a guitar. Now if that's not innovation..what is??

And finally..KATY PERRY enters.

Horrified silence.

Me: Wow she sure doesn't sound anything like her songs on CD.

Mami to Mama in the stadium watching it live : Kanna moodikongo. Katy Perry Pant potukka marandhutta.

TV switched off.

Theatre tremors

*Gulp* Day after looms large ahead !

Firstly I decided to re-visit my blog after almost 5 months.Why now..you may ask. Because I'm too nervous to sleep, am running a temperature and am finding FB stalking so scarily comforting that I decided I should do something.

The last two months have been CRAZY. Awesomely good crazy.With super hectic rehearsals and third year.. They've just been a Blur. I still can't forget how I was literally dragged to the auditions and Boy.... Am I thankful! Over these 2 months-I've learnt stuff about theatre that is going to stick with me for life, met some of the funnest people(yes..they deserve that adjective), done stuff that I thought I never would in a million years and have given way to my craziest best.Maya,Radhika,Sneha,Lachu,Poo and anyone else I've missed out..Thanks for making these 2 months what they were :)

I've managed to take my mind of the continuous prayers that I'm chanting so that I don't forget my lines on stage(something that I've managed to do in EVERY rehearsal till now*Gulp*) and put something down here.After all , there's no better solace that writing.Actually there's reading too-I've moved on from reading classics like"Lord of the Flies" and "The driver's seat" to a trashy Chick-lit novel called "Bombay fish is a Duck"- all in the name of distraction of course.

In other news around the world..Paris Hilton came to India-Oh yes and the fact that she went and partied in some godforsaken place has managed to grab more headlines than the fact that people have now been restricted to sending only 100 messages a day.Oh what a tragedy for people like me who force themselves to send at least 10 messages a day to avoid being labelled a "Social Reject".Sigh..Clearly I have issues. But Blog, I've missed you and Its good to be back *Hug*

Okbye..I shall go back to praying now.

P.S.Come for the play!

Confessions of an ignorant Football fan

I have always been a Football fan.Not of the clubs , but of the countries and the World cup specifically.Especially during the 2010 world cup , I watched almost all the matches in rapt attention.And not because all the hot sportsmen play football(That does constitute some part of my interest), I did find it genuinely interesting.

My knowledge of clubs are restricted to just their names...and the occasional mention of Christiano Ronaldo and Manchester United in the news and the occasional funny if not alarming war of words(sometimes blows) that my friends break into over whether Man U or Arsenal is better and how ridiculous Chelshit(Yes they call Chelsea that) is.

This summer , among my many other resolutions , one was to get my knowledge of football right - rules et all and the clubs especially. I started last night with the Man U vs Schalke match .

I would like to think that I emerged a wiser person at the end of it.But my road to wisdom wasn't one that was intelligent..or even close to it.Snippets from my side of a conversation through the match with a friend-who Im scared might have wanted to clobber me by the end of it.

"Raul Gonzalez is a good player no? I saw this cool poster of his in Landmark today"

40 minutes into the match "No one is putting goal :( "

"The Man U keeper looks Nice! "

"Hahaha . That Kutti chinese fellow in United called Parker or something is super cute on the field.Everyone is pushing him"

WHY ISN'T ANYONE PUTTING A GOAL(Notice grammar in times of excitement)

"Man U seems to be good on field.They run quickly no"

*at half time* "Is this match over?Why such a long break?" *2 minutes later* "They're Back!"(Followed by length of matches discussion)

"OMG This Schalke guy just caught this United guy by his neck and pushed him down.so bad!"

"Peer Kluge.Hahahaha What a funny name"

"The Refree is the Paavamest.He is running so much!"

*Tired response to this* "He gets paid to do that!"

"Shit whatte Save!"

"Goal!eeeeeeeeeeeeeee!Giggs Put it!!"

"Goal 2!!Rooney is the man!"

"IN YOUR FACE SCHALKE GOALIE!"

"Match over.All these players are removing shirts.Not that I mind."

After those 90 minutes...I thankfully emerged a wiser person.One thing I'm sure of..I'M A MANCHESTER UNITED FAN!They rock or what??

Oh and tonight is going to be Real Madrid vs Barcelona

In short Christiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi *Sigh!*

Ive snapped out of it. I'm a serious fan now.In a month for all you know..Ill be writing lengthy posts about the Mid field rule and the EPL . Watch out!

The not-so-Ignorant(or so she would like to think) Football Fan

Sharing and the likes

You Know how everyone gets that one stroke of inspiration??Most people wake up in the middle of the night with an idea in their heads , scurry for pen and paper and out comes out the most beautiful poetry or the most meaningful prose.

I had that stroke of inspiration too.This one night a week back..I was tossing and turning in bed since the next day was an exam and I somehow couldn't make myself go to sleep.When suddenly..Inspiration struck..I got this Idea in my head and in my half-drowsiness I reached out for my phone and typed fast...all what came into my head.

And when I woke up the next morning , I knew inspiration had struck me the previous night.So I eagerly turn to my phone and what I had written almost made me want to give up writing all together.Why ....WHY..... WHYY couldn't I have got that stroke of inspiration which could have helped me write beautiful sonnets or essays inspired by Mill or Strachey??

Anyways... I'm messed up ...I know.And Before you read this..Remember I was Half asleep.

Sharing is something we have all been taught since time immemorial. A concept that has been drilled into our heads since we got our first Jumbo box of crayons or that beautiful Doll. Mothers entice their children with the story of “Karna”, who was the epitome of generosity and sharing. And at some time, we all make silent promises within ourselves to imbibe that…..

But a few of us think different. As childish as it sounds, I’m not for sharing..Especially when it comes to food. We are a rare clan but we very much exist. And what really sets us apart?

· Our role model is Joey Tribbiani from F.R.I.E.N.D.S, Not Karna and each time someone reaches across the dinner table to take food off our plates, our brain cells scream in agony.

· We are the ones who have the slightest trace of a frown when our Milkshakes or Drinks are “passed around” because it “Looks” good.

· We position ourselves at the end of a long table, preferably where the waiter is most likely to serve first. First helpings are the best….and the Biggest

· We are masters of the art of subtlety. Its packed lunch day? Then we proclaim loudly that we are especially hungry and dig in. God Forbid – The other person decides to sample your lunch!

· Sickness is a godsend. We do not mind faking it as well. Most commonly used phrases “You want a sip of my coffee? Sorry Bad cold “*Sheepish Grin*. After all no one enjoys the transfer of germs in particular.

We , again as a clan, lie hidden.Some (Or I think the only person in this case) manage to speak up and the result?Im sure every person will take it in them to scrutinize that person who mysteriously has a cold each time you go out as a group.I was forced to chose between a moral obligation and a duty and hence was forced to expose my kind.

But we are a good sort…trust me.

A Play about Death

Sitting in Alliance Francaise Madras' auditorium on Saturday...The haunting theme from "The Godfather" reached my ears and I made up my mind to love this play, no matter what.Turns out that I didn't have to.

A Play About Death directed by Harish Aditya and written by Thomas Manuel and Visvak Reddy is easily one of the best plays I have seen in recent times.Someone has finally dared to bring absurdist theatre to stage!They called it a gamble and I agree.But it definitely is a gamble well paid off.What a relief it is , to sit back and revel in the dark humor and witty dialogue ,something we seldom have the chance to experience here.

I am not going to put the plot or the synopsis of the play down for the simple fact that I cannot do justice to it.and honestly also because I'm sure I will get something wrong in the process :-P.

The abstract concept of death and the debates that follow are thoroughly enjoyable.In one very poignant moment,A character wonders if Death is the only proof of a real life.The arguments on "Fictional" and "real" characters does make you ponder.The monologue at the start was a welcome departure from cliched beginnings.It grabs your attention and you are at once intrigued.The dry humor about the theatre scene in Chennai,Facebook and so on is a product of the awesome writing that has obviously gone into this.

Ralph,the "method actor" and Peter,the playwright, the two central characters along with Gordon,the common man,make sure you are never bored.The actors are nothing short of brilliant.Be it Ralph's "Method acting" or Gordon's expressions or Peter's Monologue in the beginning ,the well etched characters are complimented by the awesome acting and dialogues.The Audience plant Muzamil was one of the most realistic of his kind.

The Minimal set and Warm lighting set the right mood.The sounds at alliance deserves applause too.Not once did it falter.

Well what can I say...Most of my friends and I had tests the next day and we inadvertently kept remembering the quirky lines from the play and laughed to ourselves during the test.If you saw the play last weekend You are probably nodding in agreement to this post..If you didn't..please do not miss it the next time they put it up.Death will be at your doorstep for sure :-P

Socializing and the likes.

Even semesters are what I or any college student for that matter look forward to the most.Why?Because of the college culturals that come one after the other and offer plenty of opportunities to *Ahem* socialize.And lets face it..You know and I know..Some events are most eagerly anticipated.Most times, the college senate have to yell hoarse asking people to participate..but for some events (*insert college name*) they are in a fix as to who to send among the hordes who have volunteered to go.The spirit of participation comes forth and waits ready to prance.

My level of social skills stand at a proud zero.I cannot meet or talk to new people easily.I would rather chose to sit and listen to a Justin Bieber song Marathon than indulge in the dreaded Socializing.However this time I decided to be at my social best.Most of which included:-

1.Smiling very widely at totally unknown people who come over to enquire about something and getting a look of utter panic and *lets get the hell out of here* in return.

2.Having met people once before,spotting them again in a crowd and enthusiastically waving at them ,only for them to look straight through you.

3.My eyes get really wide and my nostrils flare when I talk to a PLEASANT boy.So in short , if i resemble a confused Bull when I talk to one of you..you now know what that means.

Now I shall switch gears and vent.What is it about judging people before you actually get to talk to them?No seriously, Just because I wear Indian clothes doesn't mean My IQ or level of spoken English should lie perilously low.

So next time you person with the artificially straightened hair,perfume thats enough to asphyxiate a mortal and make up thats so caked up thats its cracking, smirks at me..I shall run home and bring my mark sheets and shove it in your face..No seriously.

2010 ENDS...

As 2010 draws to a close(Thanks to Vodafone for the kind reminder as to how they are looting us in lieu of the new year) I decided to sit back and reflect on the roller coaster ride that this past year has been for me....

Ok Who am I kidding?No roller coaster ride and all...Just the usual with some things that made this year extra special..and some that didn't.Here I go,in no particular order.

11.I rung in the new year 2010 with a bunch of friends for the first time.Super Fun.

10.I completed a year and a half in college.Wow I sometimes do find it hard to believe that I am grown up enough to be going to college.For all the great people in college who put up with me..You guys are the best!

9.I had my first Model United Nations experience.My surprising lack of GK did not stand in the way of me having a whale of a time at SMC MUN 2010 and met a lot of new people and learnt a lot of new things.2011-I shall be attending more MUNs for sure!

8.Raghav Prashant got married.Yes the Brother got married in June after many months of intense planning and research.With the whole family in Chennai after a long time,this was easily the best part of the year.Madhumitha - I couldnt have asked for a better Sis-in-law

7.I learnt to let go.Now its my turn to sound ambiguous and intense like all those weird FB status messages.

6.I learnt never to regret decisions made in the past.What goes around comes around baby.(The ambiguity shall stop with that)*cue for cool quote on Karma*

5.An article of mine got published in Nxg(A supplement of a daily newspaper).That was a dream come true.Not to mention... worth months of waiting and ranting.

4.I realized my love for writing.I was never a great writer to begin with.But I loved every minute of it.Hopefully a lot of it will be seen this year.

3.I became a rebel.Now..Hold that thought right there.I actually cut my hair a bit short and pierced my nose.(Thats a huge leap in the world of rebelling by my standards)

2.I watched Enthiran.Yes this takes the cake.For sure.Rajinikanth Rules.Period

1.2010 you might have had your ups and downs for me....But I loved a lot of you.And I hope 2011 is as good if not better!

Happy New year everyone!

FINALLY!

The day couldn't have been better.After months of bombarding Nxg(The Hindu) with articles they finally published one of mine!!

http://www.go-nxg.com/?p=9084

Check it out in the above link.

Poorvaja :)

Indiblogger and Stray Factory's The Great Indian Blogologues-"Yours Digitally,Madras"

"I am a blogger and I pollute cyberspace" declares one of the many vibrant characters of The Great Indian Blogologues-"Yours digitally, Madras".The theater group Stray factory in association with Indiblogger adapted different blogs by nine bloggers and brought them alive on stage.With a host of actors and a bevy of characters , there was almost never a dull moment on stage and the audience had an evening of rollicking fun and laughter.An adaptation of blogs on stage was a first...A good idea that was well executed!

The whole thing was divided into 3 acts.The first act was my personal favorite."Judy finds the one" was a blend of 8 different blogs and kept the audience in splits.Judy's qualifications for her "Perfect guy" and the requirements for her funeral were a scream.The monologue by the terrorist was simply brilliant and there were so many witty one liners that the audience had almost no time to recover from the liners thrown at them in top speed.The detailed highs and lows of working as a terrorist were really funny and I felt was the best written in this act.

Acts Two and Three do not possess the same cohesion that kept Act one together but nevertheless had some of the best actors of the evening.Act 2 "Vigilante vs Vigilante" was the one that probably got the most audience response thanks to Inspector Sathya who I'm sure is going to go down as one of the most popular actors on stage.He was a scream and his interrogation with Sammy ,the detainee in the police station was nothing short of a riot.Harikrishnan leering at Sammy contributed to it all.My friend and I couldnt stop repeating Inspector's phrases after the play was over(Dead aah?Transference aah?Mudder! to name a few).The loan shark was good and I really liked how a character like that effortlessly quoted Shakespeare!.Special mention to the Lighting for this act..Towards the end It was really effective!

Act 3 which was "Confessions of a scattered mind" had adapted 5 different blogs.The outcome?I didnt quite get the connection but the individual posts were brilliant.The Lalit Modi Monologue(Shilpa,Preity..Main Hoon Na!) was my favorite and Shashi Tharoor's entry and his "Tweets" was a scream and I literally couldn't wait to read the original Blog!The guy trying to impress the girl was also something that really reached out to the audience and there was a lot of response and cheering for it(My fav -"I love you""what??""Ok bye").I really liked how it ended as well-"Please please be my friend!".The tamil skit was funny for its use of the local language complete with slang and was entertaining.The three actors there were good!The Mime depicting traffic was pretty awesome.I appreciate anyone who can move seamlessly and silently and their depictions of Autos and Cycles were perfect!

Almost always Rib Tickling and enjoyable,The Great Indian Blogologues had the audience hooked and entertained for most of the time.In some parts ,the flawless and funny writing worked and in other parts the brilliant characters that were neatly etched.It brought out the flavour of Madras all right!I felt that it really connected with me and it was definitely an evening well spent.I really wish they had introduced the actors though!The Blogologues got me thinking as well...I probably need to write more from the heart and put my views down.I have a crazy number of lists as well and as I realized..I could actually share it with cyberspace and not come off as a lunatic or a person with OCD(We shall not go there yet).

It definitely worked for me big time for It got me blogging about it!

Cheers!

Endhiran

Point number One.This post is coming weeks after the movie's release only because I got to watch the movie just yesterday.Anyone who wants to make fun of that fact can please do so in the comments section

Secondly all those Rajini and Endhiran haters out there who tore the movie apart..What did you expect when you went to see Endhiran?Coen Brothers style slick drama coupled with Tarantino's writing and the star cast of Inception?Thats your fault.( Stop reading right now If you are one of these)

Last night, when just walking into Sathyam ,I knew the movie I was going to watch would be one hell of an experience and Boy I was not disappointed.All those Rajini Jokes are totally justified.Those stunts , those fights those dances...There is definitely nothing Rajini-Kant!(If I sound like a star struck crazy fan -Well,Yes I am :-p)

Story in a nutshell.Vaseegaran(Rajini) a scientist , creates an advanced Humanoid Robot that he finally wants to donate to the army.The robot Chitti is an absolute delight.But rejected along the way for not having emotions and feelings,Vaseegaran proceeds to teach the robot that and all hell breaks loose when Chitti develops a thing for his girlfriend Sana(Aishwarya Rai).The Baddie in the story,Dr Bohra(Danny Denzongpa) does all he can to stop the success of the Robot including programming it for mass destruction.

The film was a refreshing change for its effects.Think Indian cinema and tacky effects -Endhiran thankfully isn't so and is definitely in a super league of its own.The last 20 minutes especially with the Robot army was mind blowing.The robot is delightful .In both the good and the bad avatars.

Rajini is mind blowing.As the scientist(Looking really smart.Tough to believe he is 60) and as the two versions of the robot-He thoroughly entertains.You simply cant take your eyes off the screen and the Baddie Robot was definitely my Favourite.He was the scene stealer and earned the most claps.This might easily be his best role in recent times.Coming to Aishwarya Rai..there was never anything much in the acting department to begin with so no complaints there.Though she does look really pretty.(Botox or awesome makeup..Its working!)The only misfit is the so- called comedy track which was anything but comical.Rahman's BGM is excellent and out of the songs Kaadhal anukkal(complete with amazing locales) and Kilimanjaro(The costumes!) were the best.

The movie does have its share of flaws and the logic just ricochets off track but then again..When Rajni's there..who cares :-p

Total Paisa Vasool entertainment coupled with awe.My dad who staunchly refuses to watch tamil movies as a principle actually enjoyed it.(FYI he walked midway out of "Baba" and I was terrified of a repeat performance this time around as well)

Dont miss Endhiran for anything.

Attapadi Diaries Part 2

This has been long overdue so let me get down to it.In the evening, during our first day in Attapady,we were all taken to Thunduur ,A hamlet of the Mudugar tribes who live in Attapady.The trek to the hamlet was a lovely one.It started with all of us walking on an extremely narrow concrete path which led to a small bridge over a stream.That led into this grove with really tall trees and plants.The path after that was a beautiful one, A stone path that was above the flowing waters of the waterfall with thick shrubs and plants around it.All through our walk to the hamlet , we could hear the gurgling of the stream beneath us and the loud calls of birds.(If this resembled a Wordsworth or Keats poem , It just goes on to show how beautiful it was and how it inspired me!)

When asked what were our notions about tribals , Most of us vehemently stated that we did not think of them in the stereotypical notions, but all of us sure were bluffing.We were in for a big surprise.The people we met were the warmest ,politest and of the most friendly kind.They did not hesitate to answer any of our questions about their living or culture.We spent our whole evening there and when darkness fell,A huge bonfire was lit and The Mudugars danced and sang for us,giving us a peek into their styles of art.We were on top of a small mountain and the stars above us shone like never before.However the rains had made most paths slippery and I had a small mishap of my own when i slipped down a path and landed straight on my backside.Sigh,Im still being given a hard time for it.Since It was pitch dark by the time we left the hamlets,Our trek back to the bus was a rather interesting one.2 fire torches were all the source of light we had and balancing on all those narrow paths in the dark was not easy though very exciting.My friends were not amused when amidst all the wilderness,balancing on the narrow path with the sounds of the waterfall in the background I exclaimed "This feels just like an episode of LOST".

We went back to the hamlets the next day to complete our projects and interact with them even more.We learnt a lot and spoke to many of them.They chopped a huge Jackfruit right of a tree of theirs , peeled and gave us all pieces to eat and believe me , it was the sweetest Jackfruit I have ever tasted.You simply cannot find ones like those in Chennai.We bade them a rather loud Good-bye with a farewell song we sang much to the amusement of many there.We visited a bridge built on the beautiful kunti river.It was one of the most picturesque spots we saw.Apart from that,we climbed a small hill which was a really beautiful place coupled with the green grass and mountains and stretching for miles around you and the continuous blowing of a strong breeze.We indulged in many activities such as trying to roll down a hill and climbing on top of our bus-activities that kind of had to be stopped after our teacher threatened to disown us.(Lillian Maam you rock anyways for putting up with a bunch of girls like us!)

When we see people living as one with nature,We actually begin to realize what has been happening to the planet where nature has been exploited ruthlessly and we are forcing our dominance.The trip did make all of us think about what we have been doing to contribute to it and we made small silent vows within ourselves to try and do something about it.Experiencing nature in its untouched and very pristine form can change you for the good!

MUN memories

Weirdly enough,given my obsession with extra curricular activities,I have never gone for a Model United Nations(MUN)all through school.The only things I knew about MUN came from a bunch of pictures posted on FB by a few friends which mostly involved them wearing starched formals and posing with serious looks holding files and placards or frowning at their laptops.My first MUN experience came with the Stella Maris MUN from the 16th to 18th of august.

It all started with the MUN SG Poorvaja (!) who came to college and invited us to participate.Almost immediately I vowed to go and Boy am I glad!Everything right from the procedure to the agendas seemed so complicated at first.I never ceased tearing my hair out and an introductory workshop did help but its only actually when you go and sit there that you know what to do.And it gave me endless joy that i was representing Spain(The land of HOT sportsmen..Much to my mother's dismay).

My tryst with the UN started and ended with my 8th Std Civics textbook.So feverish looking up of facts and knowing all what there was to know about Spain ensued.My almost non-existent GK rose to alarming heights and Boy ..Dad is glad!In short 10 Things about this MUN in no particular order.

10.FOOD:everyone who complained about it needs a reality check.Aloo Parathas,Kachoris,Fried Rice and samosas.It cant get better!The first day's Aloo Paratha got my instant love and loyalty to the MUN.

9.SPAIN:As I discovered Spain is too rich for its own good.The country didnt seem to have any freaking problems!FAO reported no cases of malnourishment..and the agenda was hunger.Moral:HOT SPORTSMEN do not give you good debating points

8.GENERAL ASSEMBLY:With 66 Member countries at SMC MUN it was the largest council and this ensured people scrambling to speak or shouting each other down(Which as I discovered is not exactly allowed).I kept my mouth shut for most of the time being a first timer(NOTE:For my friends-Yes This does happen once in a while)

7.HUNGER:There is a lot to it than I thought there was.Its not just the feeling that you experience 10 minutes before the bell at 12 50 PM)

6.EMERGENCY:An emergency situation introduced did a lot more than inducing wars and invasions.Columbia's loss in the form of Shakira resulted in two delegates breaking out into a jig for "Waka Waka".May she rest in peace and not turn in her grave.

5. ASSASSINATION:The sudden declaration of the death of a Famed PM left me and the delegate next to me,very immersed in the emergency, thinking that it was true.

4.LATIN AMERICA:The Latin American countries there had promptly ignored SPAIN while forming a bloc of their own.When realization dawned,they tried to convince me and Israel meanwhile was left to convince me to stay on with the bloc that had nuclear weapons and the superpowers of the world.Some talk that was!

3.WILD STATEMENTS:

DELEGATE 1-"There are no anti social elements in *insert country*,only terrorists"

(The drug cartel govt had just been overthrown in a country and amidst all the supposed seriousness)DELEGATE 2:" Point of personal privilege-There is something in my eye, can I go and wash it?"

DIRECTOR:"If there is any food found in the hall, we will throw it"

DELEGATE 3 :"Can we donate it instead"?

DELEGATE 4(At the end of day three,examining the MUN newspaper and wondering out aloud )"Who is Suryadeep seal?"

2.UNMODERATED CAUCUS:Probably my most Favorite part of the GA.The chaos and confusion that ensues when an unmoderated caucus is declared is awesome fun.I should say i was looking forward to this right from the time we were instructed not to climb on tables or remove coats(or shirts) and wave them to attract attention.

1.RESOLUTIONS:We managed to pass two resolutions...with some difficulty though.And when they were passed a lot of air punching and table banging ensued.Overheard A Delegate saying "Wow some people get too emotional"Hmpphh What would he know!

0.PEOPLE:The best part of it all.Ive met so many people and made many friends who Im sure Ill not forget in a haste.Catfights,Arguements and foreign policies aside,At the end of the day we were all a very happy bunch of countries :)

SMC MUN was super awesome and an experience .I loved every minute of it and Im sure many other did too.Applause to all the people who organized it and made it so special for so many of us!

P.S.Is it just me or did any other delegates hear "Delegates! Decorum!" or "We shall start a moderated caucus for the time period 10 minutes 45 seconds speaking time" in their sleep?

Creepy?Ok, Forget it.

Attapadi diaries-Part 1

This trip can almost be called a

beginning to life in college.After all whats college without those

excursions or "Study trips"?Let me assure you they are nothing like what comes in movies..A luxury bus with a college banner strung on the back and most often with a creepy guy in a bike following it.19 of us students with five faculty from my college went on an Eco-trip

to Attapadi,a small district 3 hours away from Palakkad,Kerala which houses the famous silent valley.We were taken there by Prof. Rayson Alex who had writte

n one of our texts in Eco literature..almost all of us were in awe of him.We went to Attapadi to see the Silent Valley as well as study the Mudugar tribes who inhabit the area.The Trip was a two day one.

(ONE OF THE MANY SMALL WATERFALLS WE ENCOUNTERED ON OUR WAY)

The train journey was uneventful.Seriously what harm can a bunch of girls get into?(Hahaha so you think).At Palakkad we

were transferred to a bus which would take us to Attapadi and at three in the morning we did what sane students would do..promptly doze off.My friend and I thought it would be extremely wise to sit in the last seats of the bus...on an UPHILL drive.We were thrown about so much I swear some of my body parts fell off on the way.Amidst the excessive shaking we did manage to fall asleep an in an hour we were rudely woken up by weird noises the bus was making.Reason?We had come close to colliding with a wall on the way thanks to the zero visibility due to the mist.The next half hour saw all of us clutching our life in our hands as the bus driver made his way through thick mist and soon enough the day dawned.

(THE JEEP RIDE TO SV)

The way to attapadi was an absolutely beautiful one with extremely scenic locales.We reached and after a bath in ice cold water and a most delicious breakfast of Puttu-Kadala,we began our trip to the Silent valley.Beyond a point silent valley can be reached only by Jeep.The two hour jeep drive through the most amazing of deciduous and later Rain forests is one I will never forget.The trails were beautiful and the roads that our jeep had to go through were mind blowing!The continuous on and off rain proved to be the perfect foil for the setting.

We realized Attapadi has more to its name.Also known as "Home of the Leeches", the silent

(THE ENTRANCE TO SV IN THE RAIN)

valley in Attapadi is extremely leech infested thanks to its forest cover and heavy rain.The end of our jeep ride to the top was to a watchtower.When climbed you could see the valley all around you and the sight was beautiful.A museum that documented the rich flora and fauna that the valley hosted was also there.Most of us got leech bites and apparently, disgust apart, there was no need to worry as leeches sucked only the bad blood from your system.It was extremely windy and in true retro style almost all our umbrellas got turned upside down or was simply blown away by the wind

P.S:There was more to this trip.Coming up in Attapadi diaries Part 2!

(I COULDN'T GET ENOUGH OF THESE TRAILS!)

ZINX @ Chennai Citi Centre

The normally crowded Chennai Citi Centre had a dash of music added to its hustle and bustle on Saturday,July 10th.Zinx,a contemporary fusion band based in chennai went live for a Club Mahindra promotion.The band comprising of Vivek on the mandolin ,Ananth krishnan on the violin,Anirudh and Leon on the keyboards,Ravishankar on the Ghatam and Kashyap on the tabla treated all of us to about 12 of their own compositions.

Fusion music is refreshing at times like now where rock and metal seem to be the call of the day.And for a person like me who despises loud jarring music,the songs performed by Zinx were a definite pleaser.The classical touch in almost all their songs was a crowd pleaser...to those Chennaiites used to listening to carnatic music,the blend in these songs is bound to become a favorite.The band also seemed composed and well organized and did not outwardly falter during their performance.The guys on the drums.keyboards and the violin shone through song after song and were the best of the band.

They had quite a good response from the milling crowd as well.Many people stood by them from start to finish and people who were entering CC and were window shopping couldn't help but stand and listen to them.A sudden request from the people organizing the event to end their performance with a filmy song did seem to worry the band ,but they finished with a flourish with "Arabic Kadaloram" from "Bombay" and were joined with enthusiastic claps and singing from everyone around them.Do catch a performance of Zinx if you are into fusion or you really need a break from all that death metal and the stuff kids nowadays call "MUSIC" :-p

P.S.Some of the technical details like the number of songs performed might not be right. Want to know more about them?Here is a link to their facebook page.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/ZINX/113263634450?ref=ts

Tambram weddings and the chronicles that follow

Hosting a wedding has been my best life experience till date.Seriously...There is a lot of work that goes into it and when everyone convenes you actually begin to appreciate and love your (large) family.This wedding was really special because it was my brother's and for the fact that his wedding was the first of our generation.Half my family lives abroad and the wedding saw almost all of them descending down for it.It was probably two weeks of sarees,Veshtis,Vethala paaku,Lots of paayasam and vadai(banana leaf sapadu),Mehendi and homams(trust me that smoke is torturous)Lots of fun I tell you!and lots of these too :-

*Your parents take the wedding as an oppurtuinity to remember the extent of your family.There cannot be something worse than leaving out an onnu vitta chithappa or mami from the guest list.absolutely forbidden!To ensure this weeks were spent in figuring out where they were and tracking them down.and at the end it also resulted in me welcoming hundreds of people not knowing who they were.cheery "Vango Vango" followed.

*My brother's early marriage sadly ensured in a lot of our long lost neighbors who had been contacted to shriek over the phone and to ask my dad if it was me getting married.Ya right.seriously why is everyone in such a hurry anyways?

*Dad thought it would be really cool to yell "Heyy Mappilai" at the airport when he walked towards us(lots of foreigners..lots of weird looks).My brother also thought it would be the coolest thing to wear an "Iron Man" tee and a spiderman cap worn backwards on his flight here..Yes it was him who got married.

*Old maami(teary eyed): "Poorvaja..I cant believe you are going to get married next!"
Me:"see I dont have a boyfriend yet so i really do not see that happening in the near future"
(*Mom shoots death glare*)

*All your well read NRI uncles deem this as perfect to ask you about your future plans.Conversation as follows

Uncle 1:"So pooji ..whatcha gonna do next?Any plans of coming to the U.S?"
Me: "Oooh Ya..Berkely or some college has a good journalism programme.And guys in San Fransisco are supposed to be really hot.But an Indian college with cute guys totally works too."
(*Dad looks horrified and mom says "Poorvaja dont be so desperate"*)

*All my cousins range between ages 3 to 10.So there were about 8 of them in the house and i now officially hate anything to do with Pokemon and Oggy and the cockroaches and Chotta Bheem.They are all little angels though!!

*My 8 year old cousin sat me down and thoroughly explained to me the tax policies of the democrats and the republicans in the U.S.It all ended in me asking him if Obama was a democrat or a republican.Trust me...Kids these days..they know way too much.Another cousin of mine was most excited when he saw that we ate on banana leaves.He asked me if we had to eat them as well.

*Smoke should be banned from Iyer weddings.Me complaining about it got me an hour long lecture about the benefits of "homam smoke" from my grandmother.The overly long wedding ceremony and the clouds of smoke that came with it saw me running from the stage every 5 minutes with watering eyes.Most people mistook it for me being emotional that my brother was getting married.Yeah..right.

All in all..I cant wait for the next wedding in the family.(Next person who says "ITS GOING TO BE YOURS" gets shot..no kidding)

Five Point Someone on stage

While other people have been deeming it heights of uncool to be a "Chetan Bhagat" fan , im one of those who have been his very steadfast and loyal readers through the years.Five point someone till date remains my favorite book of his and what more could i ask for than to see it come alive on stage?"Five point someone on stage - by Evam" proved to be the perfect foil.Retaining most of the book - The characters and the dialogues , it was a delight for every fan of the book like me.

The story follows Hari , Ryan and Alok entry into IIT and the twists and turns their lives take - they are not the best of students , Hari is in love with his HOD Prof.Cherian's daughter Neha and the three manage to stumble into trouble with every hair brained scheme of theirs- specially "operation pendulum"which lands them a suspension as well as leads to Alok attempting suicide.

The simple stage setting conveyed almost every famed setting from the book - be it the famous "insti roof" , the railway station , or their hostel room.Props played a huge plus here in adding to the sets - The vertical bed is a scream- truly a brilliant idea!The three leads have been cast well...you cant help but reah out to them. Ryan is definitely my pick of the lot...he entertained as well as looked awesome(hehe).Neha is a bit of an irritant and not being audible did not help either.The narrator ( uncanny resemblance to Chetan Bhagat) was very effective and some of the best lines in the play came from him . Eg.- "men always have to ask the tough questions - will you marry me?...is that my baby?" "Being called a commerce student is the worst insult an IIT student can get-its like a prostitute calling her client impotent".The continuous Pink Flyod which was played in the background matched the mood on stage and my friend and i couldnt help but sing along.

On the flip side some of the character monologues do not work.Hari's is impressive.And in some parts, the play does lag. But it does work to a very large extent because of how the characters connected with the audience and the narration which leaves an impact.Do not give this play a miss..it is definitely an evening well spent and will definitely be remembered!

Heroes-an epic spoof

My friend Namrata says i am the best kind of audience a pantomime can get *ore flattered* and yes i love to watch them too.Battling the mosquitoes outside museum theatre , four of us got ready to watch "Heroes - an epic spoof" by ASAP productions.The hall was packed with the crowd ranging from overtly excited kids to equally excited adults cheering with the superman theme which kickstarted the panto.

The pantomime in a nutshell-Cream bum azhagan and the Fairy godmother recruit a superhero dream team comprising of a delightful medley of heroes and heroines alike ranging from Superman , Shakthimaan , Harry potter , james bond , Little Red Riding hood.Cinderella, Snow Shite and belle to find a time extendinator (i think!) which will add years to the mayan calendar which prophecises the end of the world in 2012.going against this are Dr Manchurian Boo and Wella the wicked witch who plan on finding the time extendinator themselves with the help of three bumbling spies Spicey , Spidey , and Spikey.

What really makes the pantomime thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining are its characters.My personal favorite would definitely be Cream bun.With the flashy quick gun murugan costume and the very south indian -tamilian quirks to be precise and an accent to boot , the audience rooted for him.The cast have no qualms in making fun of themselves and this is evident when a little boy on stage yells "superman looks like a girl"!!Harry potter bears a striking resemblance to the original and is effective too with the "Hey dude..." and is a delight for every HP fan like me .Shakthimaan and James bond also shine in their parts too.The heroines each represent the quintessential dramatized girl forms - snow white always snacking , cinderella trying to be a film actress and Lil red riding hood - the tantrum throwing and candy loving kid.The Spy with the mallu accent(aye mandathalas!) and her two bumbling sidekicks were an enjoyable trio and earned their fair share of laughs for their quirky costumes and make up. The wicked witch with her "IMBECILES" provided for an effective villainess too.The costume and green make up complemented the character perfectly.

The scene with the heroes visiting Parrys is a scream.The chennaiites make up the quintessential characters.It does reflect the sorry state of our city though through a humorous take where james bond is sold his own pirated movies(Bond Biit Collection was brilliant!) ,Harry Potter looks on in disgust as people spit on the streets and Shakthimaan further cheated into drinking cooum water.The drunk guys in this scene are so genuine that you cant help but wonder if they downed a peg or two.The children are a delight as always and their confident dances leave you amazed.heroes also had some of the best renderation of songs(its raining men!!) and dances in the recent crop of pantomimes in the past few months.The technical aspects provided good support with the sounds being amazing.

On the flip side some characters do not work as well as the others but is compensated for the many others that do work with the audience.The panto tends to lag towards the end of the first half a bit.The pantomime works largely for a hard core chennaite like me because of the numerous references and inclusions of tamil pop culture right from the accent,P.James grafitti(hilarious!)to the popular film songs.The inclusion of many current events too in the jokes left some of the audience looking puzzled(and tempted me to ask them..hey do you even see the news??).Right from BT Brinjal to Krish srikanth's selection fiasco to the ban on beach cricket ,it packs it all and provides for some side splitting laughs.

Heroes is definitely and evening well spent at the museum theatre.It is not that easy to make people laugh after all!!

Poorvaja

(sorry for the painfully long post..but when i like something i tend to write lots :p)

Movie review :Ayirathil Oruvan

(spoiler alert for those who haven't seen the movie yet!)

After all the bashing and brickbats and the ooh's and aah's this movie had been getting I finally got to watch it on sunday. I am not going to pan this movie totally as selvaraghavan deserves applause for trying something different.adventure-fantasy is a genre that is generally not explored in tamil cinema. Yes , finally Tamil cinema has gotten its quota of experimentation..too bad that they have not got it totally right.

Lavanya(Andrea), an archaeologist whose father has mysteriously disappeared during his hunt for a lost chola kingdom sets out to find him with a team headed by Anitha (Reema Sen) and accompanying them is Muthu (Karthi) who with his motely crowd helps them withcarrying their things.The first half of the movie is thoroughly enjoyable with the stunning visuals of the challakudy forestsand their trek in general.The occasional comedy is genuinely funny and the songs picturized well , my pick would be u"un mela aasadhaan" shoton the lead pair as they exuberantly dance and sing in success of their discovery.the graphics are downright pathetic in the first half.visuals like that of the camel in the ruins , the jellyfish in the water(I thought they were butterflies)and an occasional animated waterfall do not work.it is downright cartoonish.it is the second half that pulls the movie down. the story ricochets in a totally different direction altogetherand some scenes appear disjointed and truly baffle you.the screenplay is at fault here.throughout the movie and mainly in the second half the excessive gore and bloodshed makes you want to throw up . in scenes like that of the big man trying to kill people with the huge ball and the fight with the red cannibals you tend to wish for the scene to end to spare you from the gore.the lost chola clan with all its subjects are scary..though gory the visuals there of the people crowding around carcasses and the entry of their king(Parthiban) makes up the few breathtaking visuals in the movie.the people there seem to have nothing else to do other flash their scary teeth,maul at dead bodies and drink blood. AO also seems to be inspired by many hollywood flicks.you can spot similarities to mckenna's gold , troy and chronicles of narnia(a friend and me couldnt help but noticethe similarities between the final battles in both these films!!)My favorite part of the movie would truly be the totally WTH moments before the interval.they truly give a jolt and is downright creepy.

Coming to the cast , Karthi is brilliant. as the loud foul mouthed Muthu nursing a soft spot for Andrea and giving her occasional coy looks in the first half he fitsthe role to a T.Reema Sen is back after a long time and she is effective both as the team leader and the princess.she looksstunning and her costumes complement her.her lip sync, though fails in parts. Andrea has limited screen time and is ok.Parthiban plays the Chola king with a spark.The music is different and reverberating and is surely one of G.V.Prakash'sbest till date.after spending three years on its making you sure did expect a lot more in terms of visual effects and the proceeding of the story and narration.this movie can be watched once but as you come out of the theater you cant help feeling "if only......"

ALL IS VERY WELL!

MOVIE:3 idiots

CAST: Aamir Khan , Sharman Joshi , Kareena Kapoor , R.Madhavan

From the stables of rajkumar hirani comes yet another thought provoking entertainer following the heels of the munnabhai series . 3 idiots(based on Chetan Bhagat’s “5 point someone”) is a tale of two friends , Farhan (madhavan) and Raju (sharman joshi) on a quest to find their lost buddy. Their reminiscences of their fun filled college days and the impact their buddy Rancho(aamir khan) had on their lives forms the rest of the story .You have the quirky institution head virus(brilliantly played by boman irani) who believes in the motto “life is a race” and spares no student , the quintessential mugger of the college yearning to be the first in class nicknamed “silencer”(Omi , again very convincing) and the beautiful daughter of the head, Pia(Kareena Kapoor) who Rancho is in love with . This fare is predictable in parts but entertaining nevertheless , the comedy is rollicking fun and the music is pleasing on the ears(Shantanu Moitra) picturized well too. The take on the education system of a high level college by rancho is justified in parts and you cannot help but agree with him when he asks people to follow their hearts and do what it wills. Something that we hear time and again but is very relevant in the competitive world filled with rat races. The actors are perfectly cast and not once do you feel that they are trying too hard to act young. The movie plays well on emotions – if one minute the audience is in splits the next minute we are in a sobbing heap .The movie pulls at all the right emotional strings all while giving us a clean , fun entertainer . A perfect movie to end this year with! Aamir strikes yet again!