Love

For a title as soft as this, be warned! this is not a breezy essay on love!

Lets make no mistake here. I am talking about that feeling that blossoms between a male and a female,when they are in search of a partner for life. So when I say 'love' I mean only this.

What do I call love? Or is the question - What does this word mean to the world now?

'Indianism' is a nice term. Combination of a parody and reality. I heard it first from my Communications skills staff,while attending trainings in my company. A term used to describe common mistakes made by Indians in spoken english.Now its a term that defines ALL things that are funny and characteristic of indians. Things we follow,we attempt,we wannabe,we look forward to....

So if love was taken as an Indianism. What is it supposed to mean? What do we really think of love and what do we really want it to be? Simple. This entire affair now is going to be plainly 2 things - What we think of love to be and What we actually EXPECT it to be.


Love is still Taboo isin't it? or so we want everyone to think. When we really don't. We want someone pure,innocent,so good looking,plainly heavenly,angelic,naughty,understanding,magnetic,fun to be with,hot,.... ;) whow! I ve not even run through half my mind and look at the list.

Is anything really that perfect in this world? Yes. Love is. why? its a feeling that accepts another person even when they aren't perfect. It evens out the odds and make them perfect - for you. When you step out to the real world. You find people expect exactly this and nothing less from their partners, but however don't really mind bending the rules.

But when you don't play the game by the rules.... how do you expect to be clean? Doesn't love loose its actual form?

The exact reason behind people doing this is Indianism. Savvy? We not only want to be good, little children who obey our parents,friends and relatives, who please them endlessly, but also want an engaging relationship that gets us close to the west. A relationship we want to flash to people,people we meet in our life. A relationship that gives us all the things we yearn for,to stay with us as a dress-rehearsal for our 'real' married life. Literally.

Someone to explore our world, likes,dislikes,desires,pleasures from the deepest and possibly darkest parts of our heart. The catch is,WITHOUT A COMMITMENT! - Why do we need a bloody committment when get all this and more for free? We get explore the worlds of different people and different ideas and still stay foot-loose. Every Indian child - male or female is considered divine as long as they follow their parents orders. WOW! India's the best place to live on earth!

Sex has over the time become part and parcel of all the other goodies offered by such relationships. Talking about SEX. What did you think of when you just read this word here? Or should I ask, HOW did you feel when you read this here?

If you liked the term n yet wanted to show off an air of ignorance. Congratulations! Yr a true Indian.

Everything seems good. Except untill you are at the receiving end. You can cheat on your partner-to-be as many times as you want. But you can only pray you get someone at the other end of the spectrum. When something fishy happens, you can only see the darker side of yourself and you end up suspecting yr partner,facing your own guilt.

You hear your wife talking in awe about her boss, you get reminded of a time you hooked with someone in office. you hear your husband too happy to receive a cal from a junior - you see yourself in a casual realtionship with your neighbour many years ago. Its all you you you - just the darker you! :) funny isin't it?

A simple thing seems so complicated.But then.. what's life without complications? The term 'PRACTICAL' by itself now means something really really really easy to carry out, without breaking a sweat. Example - 'falling in love' with someone and marrying a person of your parents' dreams. Best of both worlds! what a tender offer?

So now in India,a guy who is practical may 'love' whomsoever she wishes,carry out the above mentioned deeds and marry someone else. Similarly a girl can do the same and move on. Fantastic. We seems to have forgotten something. We are still Indians. We do NOT share the mindsets and views of the west.

Now comes the end of the beginning of the end!!! we 'wanna' chase our dreams. We 'wanna' live the life we often dream off. But we also want ourselves to be 'practical'. Crap? totally!!

We demand love as an unopened,tightly-parcelled,wrapped gift. But what are we presenting ourselves as? half-hearted,frustrated,used and tattered.

Now I am not saying that every couple that joins hands in a ceremony called marriage is suffering this fate. Oh no!..... I am saying every god-damn couple soon will!! Fate becomes reality. How's that?

All those people out there who are trying to align themselves with the west. Talking american accent,eating junk,dressing up like them,'hanging out' like them,living their lives like them. Ask them to take a pause and look into themselves. Truth is they have got lost in their search for something they really didn't want. Be yourself. You might not be 'cool' and the world might not love you. But you will. And yr the only one who's gonna stay alive and with you as long as you are alive! Poetic ain't it?

Bottom line? Love is just not for everybody. Its only for those who want to live through it and with it.
Can't take the pressure? bow out!
Don't want to face your desire? :-) look at yrself in the mirror!!
Want to play it safe? You are sooooooo out of this league!!!
Want it to be easy and still as you like it?

There's nothing called true love. There s just an interpretation of what 'love' means to you. That is what is real. Nothing else is. Period.

People who feel cheated and left for dead cause of all this 'Love failure'. Live through it. It was a risk,you played it and came out alive - at least.

In a world of cannibals, you need to be the best man-eater.

That's why I loved it when Joker tells the Dark Knight,

"When the chips are down, these "civilized people", they'll eat each other. I'm not a monster. I'm just ahead of the curve. "

Stay ahead of the curve. A meaningful curve.

Vijay - A chronology

The latest news that reads in the Tamil Film industry is about a personality called Mr.Vijay. distributors seem to be really upset over this guy plainly cause his movies for the past 4 years, with the exception of Pokkiri seem to have sunken without a trace at the BO.Simple.


Let us trace the growth of this man,which to this day remains a mystery in my mind.


Vijay was left quite embarassingly unnoticed in his first few movies. Unnoticed for anything including looks, physique,performance,impression...all except one thing. The guy was a gifted dancer. 'Gifted' here is a relative term. It just means there was something to salvage.


With a lot of effort from his dad, known for his horrible,non-sense movies of the 80s,this guy 'sustained' himself in a film industry where there were two Titans who would go on to become legends in the South film industry. One man was one of a kind. The other man re-defined method acting. Enough said.


With many other middle aged actors in their prime during the early 90s, this young man with limited talent could find no place to stand.


Then, things changed. The tastes of audiences changed and the ratings of one of the Masters went crashing over the roof and the other became quite un-dependable at the box office. The middle aged actors started getting older and boring. The young brigade had to march in. They did. And disappointed.


When Rajnikant and Kamal Hasan starred in movies together and solo during the late 70s,people knew they were getting the best of cinema they could. Little did they know that they were seeing on screen,the last of the talented actors tamil cinema had to offer for 3 decades!


When this gap formed, There were very few actors in question. Ajith,Prashanth and Vijay. The release of Mani Ratnam's 'alaipayuthey' added just one more to the competition. It was just a mere inclusion. R.Madhavan.


With such huge space to evolve and greater tendencies to sustain, our heroes meandered and ended up where they are now.


Prashanth's limited acting skills were widely known and he soon gave way to a horrifying list of flops. His life and his status as the most eligible bachelor left him in tatters by the end of the next decade.


R.Madhavan was widely touted as the next big thing, and he ended up uniquely spoiling his career with probably the worst film selection. its hard to beleive that a guy of his calibre could manage only 6 blockbusters in a decade - Alaipayuthey,Minnale,Run,Ayutha ezuthu,Guru,3 Idiots - of which only 3 were lead roles. At some point I began to wonder if he wants his audiences to hate him.... well how else would you explain world class movies like 'Arya','ennavale','guru en aalu' , 'thambi' ,'priyasakhi','piriyamana thozhi'?.. to say a few that is...


Truth is he never wanted to stay in Tamil industry all through his life.


I think I spoke too soon. I ll take back my words. there are ways to select movies with much less care. Ajith is living proof. The man with such captivating looks,actings skills and style was touted to the next superstar,if I remember it right, on the release of Rajeev menon's 'Kandukondein Kandukondein'. No one could have guessed where he would be for the next 5 years,and by the end of the next decade. He did do a lot of hard work at the bar.. his paunch and sagging eye bags are present day proof to that.. but thats not what he was there for. 'Red' is still a bench mark for a 'career-spoiling' movie. It is yet to broken.


Then we have our 'star' who suddenly became one. Yes. I still remember the day I looked with astonishment on the paper news that read Vijay's 'Badri' movie cut-outs were being showered with litres n litres of milk. Something only Rajni and the other gods enjoy in Tamil Nadu. Coca-Cola got Vijay to do an AD claiming that Vijay was more popular than madhavan and Ajith in rural areas. hmmm.


A mild fact would clear our minds here. The Collections of a un-famed movie with no big stars except Ramya Krishnan called 'Paalaiyathu Amman',released at the same time, turned out double the BO collections of 'Badri'. Veppilai for thought.


Suddenly, a guy who was just hanging on the minds of people only through movies like 'Poove unakaaha', 'Kadhalukku mariyadhai','Priyamanavale' and 'Kushi' became a 'little superstar' ,oops!!! pardon me that name too was taken later by an idiot. His legacy would require another blog.



And so started the career of a so-called 'superstar' of the Tamil industry. the guy continued to churn out flops and yet people celebrated him as an actor, when he was not even able to do justice to any of his roles. People had forgotten he was there by chance and luck. His memorable movies were all director-oriented and none were hits JUST because he starred in them.


By this time even Rajni movies did not have that guarantee. Expecting that from our 'Star' would be an absurdity.


The distributors saw this irrational hype as a chance to mint money through his new-found status as a 'Star'.Suddenly Vijay movies were being bought with high prices and his salary shot up due to no apparent reason. His movies were quite mediocre and none really stood as a cut above the rest. Maybe only hard workers need to face terrible appraisals.


Many movies were seen as pure attempts to murder movie goers - Youth,Bagavathi,Pudhiya geethai and more recently Sukran,Aadhi,Villu and SURA.


I would have expected him to select sensible movies like Kushi that requires less hype n hoopla,not to mention less acting.

Wait. That was not it. This man really did wanna become the next big thing in the industry. Paaaren??!! So he saw himself as a replacement to Rajni. Bad move. The image change drastically reduced his fan base and continues to do so.



Now for the last 6 years, If I remember it right he has just 4 hits - Gilli,Pokkiri,Thiruppachi and Sivakaasi. too less for a super star don't you think?

Apart from copying from Rajni, his lack of originality made him copy or rather 'rip-off' performances,styles,motifs,expressions,costumes..if there is anything else left, from stars in the telugu Industry. HO!!! .. humm!!

Now.. these distributor fellas, who milked his profits in blockbusters like 'gilli' as trying to wash him off during his rough times. I wouldn't blame him.


Everyone know his limited ability and un-reliablity. It was their fault in the first place to make this guy a 'Min-guarantee' fella. He continues doing his job. Don't blame him now. It is unfair to penalize Vijay now. you let him grow, you banked on him when he gave 3 flops a year. you minted money when he commanded the BO. You guys must suffer for the state of the industry now.


Let Vijay act. There are still people who defend Vijay. People who expect good movies from him. Maybe this is what the Buddha meant when he said 'Hope'.

But I know. He will have an intro song,a heroine to blame if the movie flops, 4 stunt scenes,punch dialogues(even after utter mockeries that have been made of it),sentiments with an eye on politics,an action block in the climax. And people will watch them. That s the in-explicable part of it.

Things seem to be changing after the release of your recent Sura. Even Vijay fans don't wanna admit they like you now.

But!! Vijay sir,I have never had any hope on you. I might never will. It is only a matter of time before you start your foray into politics. You are never gonna win. I know it, the world knows it. The world won't forgive you for bringing guys like Perarasu and Ramana into the film industry. It was because of people like you that I stopped watching Tamil movies.

In all my life,I ve never seen a movie that received as much Flak as Sura. I am hopin I never will.

Prejudice,sense,honour ..the height of all of it and yes!!... a little gore!!

"If Kasab is given life, the common man would lose his faith in the court"

Words of wisdom and sensibility. Better late than NEVER.

Kasab has been sentenced to death. The news was made public today afternoon as India awaited
the judgement on a rare case of a Live terrorist who was caught and lived to tell us all the tale of Pakistan's Shame.

The judge's decision should be lauded if not worshipped. I hope every Judge on earth takes a leaf from M L Tahaliyani's book and treats crime the way it should be.

"What??!! He has been charged with war,murder and planned massacre.. what else did you expect?" I am sure this runs through your mind as you go through this. But no. In India it is never that easy. It was a pleasant surprise..at least for me




Crime is a plague. It should be treated with the right medicine before it eats you up. India has for long tried to maintain its image as 'cultured','tolerant','non-aligned','merciful'... oh crap.. add as much as you want to this bullshit heap of words.



TO me all that it means is 'LAME'.

As a lover of stories, I can only see this through fiction.

In Tamil mythology and Hinduism 'Nayannar' is a term given to selected Devotees of Lord Shiva who are remembered for their limitless trust and devotion in lord Shiva, apart from being special in many other ways.

There was once a Ruler who called himself "Meiporul Naayanar". His name by itself in tamil means 'the essence' or 'the true meaning'. Being a brave and fearless warrior he remained undefeated and was famous for his just ways.

A rival King who was unable to defeat him dressed himself up as devotee of Shiva and succeeded in Stabbing the Nayannar to death. Even before his last breath, the ruler asked his furious bodyguard not to kill him and take good care of him,

WHY??? - Just because he was trying to imitate a devotee of Shiva. This man... the ruler who gave his life for his faith in Shiva is kept right among his biggest devotees and still spoken about in awe.


The Second one is about Angulima. Best known as a disciple of The Buddha. He was previously a murderer and thief, who was enlightened by Buddha and even gave his life for his faith in Buddhism and hence non-violence. The horrible part was that he was beaten to death by a few villagers who bore a grudge against him right from his robber days.

A man who single-handedly defeated an entire battalion of the King's Army was beaten to death by a few common men, and was left to die as he was begging them for water. His very name comes from the idea that he cut the fingers of the people he killed and put it around his neck as a garland. A man so ferocious and psychotic, gave his life for a faith he believed in.

Am I talking about India?? Nah! Not even close. I am more worried about my people than my country. 'Country' could mean anything.. government,politics,land,culture,religion,language..

But 'people' can't mean anything except one thing.... My people. The people in my God-Forsaken country.

Every time I look at the news,I can't help thinking of the civilians who died in the attack. But even then....theirs was just unfortunate end.

The NSG commandos who stormed the targets. They are the people who made me think. They are people who make me wonder. THEY are the living examples of people I quoted above. Human life is above all and priceless. They were willing to give their life for a faith they believed in. Patriotism.


Crime is an evil and MUST be dealt with an iron hand. After Kasab, a female has been caught leaking confidential state secrets to Pakistan. I am hopin she dies a horrible death a lot sooner than Kasab.

Death by radioactive exposure...a bomb blast...carnivores mauling her remains...scavengers feeding on her bones....a ring/finger found at the banks of a crocodile lake...any remains of her attire found on a branch at the edge of a cliff. Sinister..ain't it?

Let the world watch it. Let the world know our dark side. Let criminals know what happens to people who feed on our blood. there is nothing called culture when there is gloom. It is far better to punish those who don't deserve to live than to watch an innocent,patriotic,poor family weep over a dead Indian.



In this aspect, Rorschach from Watchmen is my pick. Picking out criminals and wiping them out like one of them. Let them meet a horrible end... a gruesome death - that they have, in the past, meted out to others.


Why do I sound so harsh and preposterous? ok...Lemme think.... What gave this woman the courage to leak out details from a country to another? Answer: The fearlessness given to her after she saw what a joyous life criminals enjoy in India. What would have gone through her mind when she did all this?

Even if she gets caught.. she gets media attention, a lawyer to defend her and a year full of police custody or even better... she could become a politician.Already having earned in millions, she could go on to earn billions!!! Such a lucrative deal. Who wouldn't think of it?

She wouldn't even think of treason if she is fed the fear that she may die an unthinkable death with no one to help her if she leaked secrets that could KILL Indians.

KILL.

Death of a life that belongs to the soil. My country.

Prejudice is an unreasoned dislike for something. The phenomenon that pushes terrorists and keeps them going. Something I truly hate. I wouldn't call my hatred 'prejudice'. I do have a reason to hate criminals.

But yes. I would take sheer pleasure in hating them even if I don't find a proper enough reason. They are one of a kind. The kind that doesn't deserve forgiveness,compassion,thought or LIFE.

As Sir Michael Caine says in 'The Dark Knight'..

"some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn."

The country,the books,toilets and 3 idiots.

Abrupt beginnings.

I can never help myself out of my abrupt introductions to any topic.

I picked up a feud with a guy on a site called mouthshut. I learnt he was not that bad later on. Am I really beginning to lose my respect for elders?

in reality, am sure you d be surprised to see how well i treat ppl who are older to me.

Maybe I am a fiery writer by nature :-) the smiley here means a lot - without the smiley u would have thought i was serious. Now since I ve added it, it seems like a comic self-parody. simple difference.

The argument between me and the other fella was simple. He said that the film "3 idiots" glorified suicide and semi-nudity. 'semi-nudity' here means a lot of scenes shot in bathrooms and toilets. Sigh! ... if only people knew how eventful those places our in a student life. Right from morning fights till birthday bums!


Let me tell you a little story.

But first a history. Read only if you have time or when you have time.

India was a land where ppl were clearly outspoken and had no qualms about depicting very intimate details of life. This does not include their private life however,since it was considered pure and divine. The poems and works on literature which openly admire love,nature,relationships,sex,women's rights and women themselves(queens and princesses included) are living proof.

In our gurukools and other systems, things like these were never left unturned. boys were trained in all the arts and ladies were trained for the same within cities. This idea about women of courage is told time and again in our folklore.

The british and some narrow-minded ppl - the zamindars for example, wanted to break down our system for their advantage. They succeeded. But that is a discussion for another time.

In primitive india there were no toilets. At that time even Europe had no public toilets. there were poor men in the streets who carried a bucket and blanket for this job. They used to kinda 'lend' it. People who borrow it, use it for their haste and pay him an amount. Now how s that?



It was sometime during this period that we were told NOT to talk of this topic and that talking of it is not CULTURED. We were told to cringe at the mere utterance of it. And that in a country where agriculture was the main industry!!!

Who do you think might have started this? Some suddenly-civilized ancestors of ours?

The education system however took the major impact. The british wanted to break down our traditional system of learning with nature and bring in a system for the slaves - which we were to them.

They didn't want us to enjoy learning - as we would under the guidance of a dedicated guruji. they wanted us to despise education. They wanted to make it tough. To make all the poor feel it is unaffordable. I am sure you know why Gurusaday Dutt became famous in the first place.

He was the first Indian to clear the ICS exam and at the same time have enough wealth to proceed for higher studies.

Their plan I was talking about,was simple- they create a system that ll become a kind of 'fashion' and 'obsession'... to an extent that people ll start blindly copying from it.And become tooooo dependent on it,again to an extent that they ll think that this 'education' ll mold their lives and not their actual intelligence.

Just imagine! A country with such naturally-brilliant people and a rich legacy of education. Now under the mercy of a system set by idiots who played our superiors!

This system is not some rocket-science. It IS our present system.

But Then ... we were not powerful enough to fight them. The system remained. Then they left our country. The system remains. And for 60 long years!

I know what yr thinking.

Yes. I do feel a terrible hatred for people who support the system and criticize those who go against it. Every single person who supports this system are people who benefit from it. Like Chatur and Suhaas in the very same movie for example. They know about the system more than everyone else. That is exactly why they are so successful and so supportive of this.

Sound like someone s hurt my sentiments? No my sentiments aren't hurt...... Not now. :-P

That was a long time back when I struggled to keep up with the 'marks' and so called competition. People who learn from me would score 'marks' much more than I do. :-)

As I became 'mature' I realized all that was rubbish. Now I can see through ppl and fathom how good they are.

When a film is made on it. I am but left in awe about the positive message it spreads. I am amazed when people say "its the students who are to blame!"


The film does have lot of flaws. ppl constantly dropping their pants. etc., But if that was such a meager thing, why do ppl take it so seriously when so many issues like student suicides are being discussed?

Talking about toilets... is it something that is essential? In India, even at the corporate level people tend to ask permission to visit the restroom. A film cannot change that. But We may start something only when ppl realize it is such a simple thing and we can openly discuss about letting our kids visit toilets when they wish and not make a fuss of it.


Don't u really think small,sweet children are being oppressed by the present 'conservative' system that even refuses to talk about proper toilets n lavatories. Explains why Indian toilets are kept that way-- because they are meant to be that way.

Now for that story

Years before when my biology teacher wanted to teach us the reproductive system. She said something.

"children , there are many rumours and hard talk from our society regarding children of your age being taught the reproductive systems. I am telling u,its just another important part of the anatomy. pls don't listen to anyone and skip this topic. I feel you should have the knowledge of every minute part that makes you up."

Though we started on a slightly reserved note, she went on to explain the entire process by which the system works without a word about sex.

There was everything to learn. How the male and female hormones bring in the tough manliness and mild femininity.

I listened in rapt attention as she told how beautifully the zygote is nurtured in the female uterus.

In the years to come, i was amazed to note that NO ONE else had any idea about it, but had ideas a hell lot more than necessary about SEX.

No prizes for guessing why no one else has ANY idea about this

If you are shocked on reading what you just have - Read the name of the blog.

No I am not the guy who is gonna revolutionize the Indian Education System or anything else for that matter.

I might just be the guy who may start the revolution. :-)