Touch Revolution Losing Real Touch

My mom moved her palm over my shoulder to divert my attention and asked if I needed some coffee before she went to bed. I had to keep awake all night, as usual, but I nodded no. I was working, completely stressed out, and feeling irritated. Maybe she din't know that I was trying to get calm amidst all the irritation, so she just asked me and moved away. It felt soothing. Though she really did not intend to touch and comfort me, I just woke up from an annoyed schedule. Din't think such usual and simple unintended and sometimes intended touches would give a somewhat alright feeling sometimes.

Amidst that schedule, as now I felt calmer, I started thinking over this sense of touch. Why did this make me feel and think over it again? Haven't I been touched for long? Yes, true, nothing would have touched me except the clothes I wear on. It must really be atleast a few weeks since I was touched and I lacked that feeling. And strangely, I'vent touched someone in at least more than a month. Sounds simple or Strange!! But its sheer shame and incredible too. Just working, sleeping, eating, bathing, and what else. Trying to rewind more backwards, I stil don't remember touching my mom or sis in sometime. Striking the keyboard, my finger tips have the feeling that those keys r the ones who are to be touched and the rest maybe untouchable. If not for the keyboard, my fingers and palm revolves around the mouse. How long!! Long!! Long!!! This is years now. I'm tapping the keyboard, moving the mouse, scrolling, clicking buttons on remote or my mobile phone. I've reduced using my mobile for at least a year now. But still I don't own a laptop, an iPhone, or even an iPod. Maybe this is why I don't own them. I loved the Touch Revolution, for all that happening around me with respect to technology in mobiles, computers, players - all touch interactive. If without owning a lot of these Touch-tech gadgets, I live a life of an untouchable, what you all guys on earth would be doing with all these stuff.

I don't have a dog or else it'd have scratched me for being such a human (or not being human). Maybe only because there was no reason to touch - and only bcos of it had I been like this for sometime. It must be bcos of that that my skin got hard as a buffallo's and I'm irresponsive to actions. I think everyone knows how touch can cause healing; not how Jesus healed people - but with the sense of touch and feeling of touch that evokes sensitivity in a person, and that in part effecting in healing. To say, the way a mother treats her baby or wards him off diseases by running her palms over him & the way a cat cleans its kitten with its rosy little tongue. (Just remembered the times my cats - Pussy and Ceilu - rolled all over me and brushed me with their silky fur everytime I got back home and Ceilu even licked me with his pricky tongue sometimes. Then I should be mentioning 'Tuttoo,' our bow-wow who licked me often and bit me more often. I'l miss them forever, for their touch). So..thats how I'm feeling now as if longing to be touched.

To keep alive, u dont' need to be touched. But to make you feel u r still alive, you need a touch sometimes. Feel alive! Keep touching. Keep sensing. Even for atoms, when they don't touch each other, there is no reaction. Let us not lose the real touch by welcoming the Touch revolution. Afterall, gadgets are only made to entertain us or make our lives more easier. Sensing what we are doing would make us more sensible. Lets understand one another by touch, by what is perceived rather than rolling our tongues a million times for all the blabber. A gentle pat, a soft touch, a feathery float of your fingers on the other's hand, and even a shakehand would make a difference even when hours of chat won't do. Well, I will also remember that I'm writing all these for myself. And I also hope everyone's better than me.

Image Source: coldmousehand.com

The Cockroach Funeral

The 'Grand' funeral of the cockroach - it was grand for us and maybe for the cockroach too (if it were to watch it from heaven or anywhere it was supposed to be after death). We were just kids, maybe under class 4 (don't exactly r'mber). The members who conducted the funeral were myself, my sister, and two of our cousins. It was bit rainy that day and after the rains were over, we walked out to our playspot to check if some of our toys were left outside. But, what we could find was a cockroach dead (killed by the rain? or due to oldage!). We din't plan anything, but we all started doing something as we fixed our eyes and looked deeply onto the cocokroach. We placed the dead cockroach in the bed of an empty matchbox. We collected flowers from the garden and filled the empty sides of the matchbox with small flowers. Before these, we decided the place where the cockroach is to be burried. Though not a grave was dug, we cleaned the spot and creamed the area with white sand and placed lots of flowers all over the place, while at the other place, though v.near, the cockroach was being decorated. Now finally, a hole was made in the matchbox and a thread tied to it. With the other end of the thread in my hand and after decorations complete, I started pulling the rope thereby dragging the cockroach coffin to the place where we'd planned to place it. We could manage to get only some inches of thread from the spool and so there was not much space between myself and the coffin that followed me. Reaching the place, we took the box, covered it with more flowers, slowly put sand over it, built a small sand tomb on it, and stuck flowers on the tomb. We destroyed a lot of flowers that day, though we dint really feel we destroyed. (Away from topic, I really don't know what relation flowers had to any function. But it feels fine to have flowers everywhere). We prayed for the cockroach (don't r'mber what we prayed - one can expect what kids would pray). I can be sure now that I'd have prayed deeply and better than what I pray today. This was how the cockroach funeral happened.

We used to talk of such incidents that happened during our childhood whenever all of us got together. But this time, I remembered it sometime after I sprayed 'Hit' on a cockroach.

Everyone says, a child knows no harm and hurts none. Though simple, I can understand how mood and behavior changes and affects a person with age. Maybe it was our mood that day to conduct a ceremony, but today I don't even give time to think whether I should kill it or not.

Image Source: yellowfox.org.uk

Becoming an Organizer

I've never organized a small picnic at school or after school be it with anyone.  My friends do the job and I just had fun joining them.

The real organizer amongst us was Ranjith.  He'd make the plans, convey it to everyone, make arrangements (food, vehicles, and whatever necessary), and just inform us the time when we kicked off the trip.  We've been roaming around right after class 12, together as a team.  But I've always been with him when he made arrangements or organized atleast a small trip to another city (bcos the other usual picnic spots were all within our hometown - the finest place on earth, as we'd say).  Its not difficult to recollect the days when we planned for a tour and sketched it out at some of our homes for hours and some even days to go for Kalikesam or Kovalam or even maybe Thirparappu. Then, there were several changes sometimes until the time we departed.  I usually got harsh scolds from Ranjith for being me and being late ;-).  Even the Gods couldn't help it!  For some of us to meet at some point, we had to call up multiple times to every person involved.

It din't happen now - 12 years after organizing our first trip.  Maybe we grew older.  But it wouldn't have changed pattern if all of us were still in the same place as before.  Now that all of us in different locations and two among us working overseas, we had every possible way to get in contact unlike before.  Eagerness took the show forward and Connectivity played the key role.  I never even thought I'd manage this well or even organize it to some extent and then leave the rest to the guys.  And I was burdened with work for a long period until now.  Some interesting steps took me forward and it would be Thilak who asked me to take the move.  I thought I'd do it for the guys without anyone asking me to do it.  The houseboat trip was an idea that came off Ranjith and it was his mails that made the entire subject interesting.  Then Thilak made it start by getting me the address and asking me to have a talk with the agent and enquire on it.  I could meet them one afternoon and after discussion when I could know all what was involved in the trip, I really got deeper into it.  Then all our inboxes had mails every day with replies from everyone.  I wished we'd some online page where we could scribble our ideas and share all these info and the next person can reply to it.  I'l have to kick Jishin for that only being a dream.  Putting off the dream, we continued mailing until everything including vehicles and timings were finalized.  But still its amazing to know that this whole program was organized online through mails, with everyone at a different location, not many meeting in person, holding talks, and so on.  Makes me feel we've grown technologically taller, wireless broader, and relatively stronger than ever.  

But this could make me believe again - Teamwork Works

Hope we carry on the same spirit with more progressive ideas for all our future programs.

It would be only from Ranjith that I learnt the way of organizing a trip and every step that involved to make it happen. All my thanks to Chingam :-) at this point in time, for making me an organizer though not better than him.

A Lazy man is just a step away from being a hardworker.  He just has to wake up!!!  Trying to keep awake :-)

Duty on Time

This can be a followup to my previous post - "Bringing Some Smile."

I could mainly understand why many of us don't seem to dream bigger and aim higher. It's really not that we don't aim for the sky; in a country like ours where we still struggle for drinking water and get wrinkles by power cuts, only such issues seem to be our primary concern and not the sky. Well, I'm really not an usual blamer of the politicians and the government bcos they can be blamed forever until either our attitude towards them changes or they change their attitude themselves rather than only looking at the altitude they are at.

It's when someone lacks a basic necessity it becomes a need for him and he thrives to fulfil that need - and at such points, the somewhat bigger needs become goals and the more bigger ones become ambitions. Never to wonder when people have dreams of getting into public transport buses that arrive on time without loads of passengers who really look like testing their arm caliber on the window rods by hanging around the door. What more? Education becomes a goal when it actually should be equal to drinking water - at reach for everyone, properly used, and not wasted. There are still lots waiting outside government treasuries, employment offices, municipalities, corporation, and anywhere you could happen to go for a cause. One real cause for the long wait is definitely lack of duty on time. When we wish that our goals be fulfilled at some point, we often are compelled to take a longer and different course to reach them and thereby fulfilling other not-so-real goals. 

I can't forget the days I waited for a bus to reach my workplace on time; every nite just thinking if the bus would arrive the next day though late. What I really should've been thoughtful about would be my work target at office, which I couldn't give a thought itself - but I was only pondering on how to reach the place. This would describe how necessities become goals to a certain extent and so imagine the state of getting bigger.

It wouldn't be good to ask someone to do his/her duties bcos they should be knowing what they should be doing, but not doing. With due respect, I'd better perform mine, as usual, on time so that the ones seeking me don't wait and aim smaller. If everyone doesn't forget his duties, I hope the cycle definitely changes, thereby everyone doin their duties. So let duties be done, as they are supposed to be done, on time. Let everyone aim higher in thoughts and goals. 

Image: CartoonStock

Bringing Some Smile!

I'm in my hometown for my friend's marriage and its hot and fuming here in Nagercoil, though this should be normal this season. Arrival was not so fine bcos mom wasn't feeling well this day. Before too much boredom could surround me, I had to do something which I could do only this holidays. Maybe I wouldn't get some other time like this, after getting back to work, for setting up the broadband connection, which I had applied 9 months ago and still waiting. This small-huge thing had seemed an unattainable task for me in the past half year. I had been very thoughtful quite a number of weeks just thinking if this were possible bcos things of this sort were happening only in my hometown; the powercut, the delay in providing a connection, and few more.

Don't really wanna compare such things with Chennai, where I'm for the past 4 years now, bcos I know that would bring about the worst impression of my hometown to anyone and mainly the hometown-boaster in me. But still, this has been a v.long wait until now for a broadband connection since the time I applied for.

March 23rd - this day, as I mentioned earlier didn't seem fine when I landed at the railway station. After arriving home, I reminded mom to call up the BSNL office and check status of our connection as they had assured us of giving the connection by month end. So this definitely had to happen now before I left for Chennai. 'Twas good news when mom told me that BSNL staff would be arriving sometime in the afternoon and will be setting up the connection by today. I was happy on hearing this, but not surprised much. I was moreover anxious about their visit and kept thinking if they would really show up at our door. After an hour, we called up the engineer again and enquired about their visit time so that I could rent a PC or get it from a friend coz I hadn't taken my system with me there. After they confirmed, now I was really happy, phoned the nearby system people, who could provide me a laptop and not a desktop PC, for a day's time. I din't expect such rentals for a laptop in my hometown - Rs. 200/day. But it din't matter me today. Fetched the laptop home then.

Now, I was waiting for the BSNL people to come home. I couldn't do much with the laptop I rented, until that time, bcos it din't possess a sound card for me to enjoy some songs. And by 4 pm, three people arrived; a senior engineer, his jr. (i suppose), and a lineman. I welcomed them as I should be and they immediately stepped to work; took out the brand-new wi-fi modem from the box, connected the lines, powered on, got the cables to the laptop and configured. Hurray! my home is connected and broadband internet connection is working fine with good speed. All this done within 15 minutes. They cleared my doubts, which I asked them as well, and they left asoon.

I only had smiles later this day after 4.30 pm. Checked mails, offlines on IMs, Orkut, and then I din't know what to do. The feeling that I'm at home and connected over the internet kept me wondering. Is this what I've been waiting for so long? And all thats now over!! But this indeed is a v.long wait considering the time I had got multiple connections at our home in Chennai and also the previous place we resided. But I'vnt felt happy after acquiring a connection from any ISP in Chennai - bcos it was that so simple there. But this day - maybe this is one of the simplest things on earth - I felt happy. But I really shouldnt' get smiles for this bcos I'vnt got it for free; I've paid and waited for months, and connections are supposed to be given to anyone who has completed all required formalities. Still, this was Herculean task amidst all criticisms. This must be what "the simplest things sometimes seem very unimaginable."

This "part of duty" for the officers seemed a huge task for me. Just taking the positive side of things now, I would anyway thank all of them at BSNL for providing this now without further delay. Maybe everything happened as per schedule.

This day has brought me some Smile, real Smile.

[I started this post on March 24 (Tuesday - 14:51:01 IST) with the rented laptop, but before I could finish and publish, I had to return the rented laptop.]

Dedication Pays Off

...and now paid off for Rahman.

What a day has it been - the day of the 81st Annual Academy Awards!

I haven't been watching the Oscars 'Live' for quite a long time now except watching it as part of news just to check who got and for what.  It wasn't the case this year after about 6 years.  I was waiting for this day and woke up at 4.30 am (IST) today.  

This day is simply beautiful after Rahman winning 2 Oscars and the Slumdog team sweeping the rest.  Celebrations in Chennai still on the go.  Channels and FMs havn't shut their mouth til this late.  I was alone at home all day and could share some happiness only after my sister returned from work at 10 pm.  Cheered, clapped, and couldn't go beyond.  Wanted to scribble something today - A fine, great day, and a memorable one for me too.

I really wished Sridhar Sir was there with Rahman today.  This saddens sometimes - after lots of hardwork for years, he couldn't even hear this good news.  The movie was nominated just some days after he passed away.

Can't talk of Rahman more now!  Just as everyone says, I too believe this should have been long before happened for him for many of his better works.  But I just believe dedication pays off some day even though late.  Committment in anything you do is sure to gain you something someday.  Just gives me some hope and strength that though working like a donkey doesn't fetch me an award, doing some work in committment with utmost quality is not going to let me down.  The world may notice you some day or may not notice you any day, but the happiness in doin the work the way you prefer gives the most satisfaction. 

Its been a long way A R R, but not a thoroughfare.  U made your own routes and everyone knew you'd reach here someday.  

Remembering Tsunami - 2004

Honestly, I din't remember this day until a few minutes ago.  Most people wouldn't forget December 26, for it was the day India experienced Tsunami in 2004.  I was in my grandmom's house during that time in Trivandrum.  Being in my grandparents' place, I am always disconnected from the rest of the world (but thats another reason why I like being there :-) and this day also was like that.  Some of my cousins and aunts were there too bcos everyone had come together the previous day for X'mas.  We really had a great time this season setting up the X'mas tree, hut, dolls, stars, lights and all.  We started working on it from the second week of December.  We were very happy this season bcos we've never celebrated X'mas this grand in my grandparents' house with all of us together.  

We came to know of the Tsunami hit only after switching on the television later in the evening on the 26th.  It was disastrous to see and know that most coastal areas of Tamil Nadu were affected including my home district - Kanyakumari.  But the next day (Dec 27), there was news that our place (Kaniyapuram) was likely to be affected too bcos we were just 1.5 kms off Puthenthope beach.  Around 9 pm, we could see all our neighbors packing up and moving their vehicles out of the park.  We just went out to see what's happenin and it was unbelievable.  People were walking in clusters towards the route opposite seaside.  The road, as far as I could see, was full of men, women, and children.  It was like watching a movie wherein the people flee from their hometown when they are asked to leave after a disaster or catastrophe or even similar to a post-war situation.  Is this happening to my heaven-like place?  Before I could stand still thinking of all these, my uncle called me in and asked me to pack some really important things and leave with everyone immediately.  I hesitated to leave bcos I couldn't think of it.  I know there won't be a problem for us and the tides are not going to reach us here. Moreover, I din't want to leave home; the X'mas tree was still shining brightly with lights on it, the balloons and ribbons all over - how could something happen at such time - am I dreaming? Not! I couldn't leave anything behind.  But I had to take something and get everyone prepared before my uncles get more angry. Everyone was packing something, maybe dresses. I din't know what to take along with me then.. got my officebag, took my diary, the certificates I got with me, and a pair of dress - nothing more could get into the bag!  Now I had to bring everyone together and walk out.  Still hesitated, lingered at the door, and then passed the X'mas tree, which was outside the house in our garden.  

Now, I and my cousins were looking at the tree in the garden and the dolls inside the decorated cardboard hay hut.

One of my younger cousins asked, "Are we goin to leave all these behind?"

I was in the same state of mind and wanted to ask my elders the same question, but playing the mature way, I didn't.  But when my cousin asked me, I replied "We'll save them...just pick'em up."  And we collected the dolls of Baby Jesus, the angels, the shepherds, the flock and the gifts too, and within seconds we put them all in a box, opened the room and put them on the shelf above.  The kids felt happy, and me too.  Felt as if we saved something or someone from a critical situation. Now we were a bit happier and walked through the short lane from our house to the road.  

Just then someone said, "Don't forget to let the dog (Pappu) loose."  True golden words they were.  Imagine if the waters entered the area and he is tied to the tree. 

My uncles directed me the route to take, but they were not accompanying us.  I was surprised.  They said it was necessary for them to stay there and would be with us later.  I too wanted to be there at home sending the others away.  For that moment, I wished I were older than my uncles so that I could order them to take the others away and stay there ;-).  Pity, I was younger then. 

 

All of us walked in a group along with other people. I can't explain the experience - entirely different.  Walking away from home.... I know I'l be back.  But when?  I could see people carrying their children and many others their baggages and even two of them carrying their television sets with them.  I din't know where we were going until I asked my grandma and she told me we had a relative some 1 km away and we were goin to stay there that night.  Walking together with lots of people was experience in a lifetime in a situation like that.  KSRTC had started free bus service by then to pick people from beach areas and drop them at the bus depot.  We could see buses moving at the speed of ambulances while we were walking.  That added much tension to everyone as if something v.serious had happened. 

We reached the relative's house, but I've not known them before. While others went in, I was out watching others pass by - don't know whether they too had some relatives at the other corner or are they just goin to walk till dawn.  Wanted to spent that nite someway and come home.  I too joined the others who were watching television in that house.  Some channels were telecasting live the situation in other parts of Kerala and Tamilnadu.  Any place, we could see people walking in groups to some other place like we did.  Disastrous things happened at good times and there comes good times after disasters also.  What a way to spoil the New Year that all were awaiting.  How could Tsunami match the days between X'mas and New Year?!  I always kept wondering at nature's gifts, or God's.  Nature has everything beautiful within it and it shows its ugly faces at times in form of earthquakes, floods, volcanoes, cyclones, and now a Tsunami.  Not talking of that now.  

After some hours of stay in our relative's house, we planned to leave for home.  We just enquired the situation with our uncles and went back home.  Others were still moving opposite us when some like us were moving back home.  Entered home and this feeling I can't express - I'm back and its "home."  This is why we call it home.  I knew I'd be back, but not so soon.  We were at our X'mas tree again and we're happy we can light it again tomorrow.  I could also understand something; there is no need to panic at any situation - just be aware, awake, and alert.  That will tell u what to do.  My uncles were out all nite gathering news from friends who were still near the beach and we were looking for alerts on TV.  Later fell asleep bcos of tiredness and woke up afresh the next morning (really not much time in between) with bright sunlight beaming on me to have hopes for a good day.

This day - that Year is memorable not bcos of Tsunami alone; this day had a feeling of togetherness.  All of us were together - it makes me understand what family and society is.  Everyone in the neighborhood were together, everyone rich or poor walked together bcos everyone had to leave something or everything behind and all they could take along with them was their loved ones with lots of love in their hearts.  This must be the Tsunami-message to the world if it had not killed any.  Losing some, we understand the value of many around us, who being close to us feel being very far from us.

H. Sridhar - Sound in Silence

The Man of Sound is Silent Now

H. Sridhar, the Wizard of Sound 

The Wizard of Sound is no more.  It was late news for me and moreover, bitter - I only knew it on the 5th of December that he went into silence forever on Dec 1.  It was tragic news immediately following the terror attack.  H. Sridhar - The man who mastered and engineered sound throughout his career.  He could perfect sound as sound as it could sound to its natural tone.  To describe him more would be a very difficult task for me bcos the legends who worked with him, and the music industry, who are shocked too, have already shown their gratitude and poured in all possible word to define him and his work.  

Not even many of music lovers would recognize him despite the fact that he was right-hand of A.R. Rahman.  He had been associated with A.R.R. right from the onset of A.R.R's career.  The way the duo has performed outstanding music needn't be explained.  I liked the way he designed and mixed sound as the way I liked A.R. Rahman.  Only because of him have I come to know of audiography and wished to be an audiographer and pursue a career in sound engineering after my schooling.  Well, that's still a dream - bcos I know it can only be a dream, with no steps of advancement.  The way I heard music after he stepped in cannot be expressed in words as I find no other form other than music to express it, as he is related to it.  If Rahman introduced music in the digital form, this man too would be the cause for its digital introduction. 

Theres no doubt the music fraternity will miss him forever.

But its still hard to believe, as many say, he passed away at the age of 50 from a massive heart attack.  He was a hardworker as I could know from everyone in the industry.  This must be life - unpredictable!  Just imagine, he was working the last night with A.R.R. and Murugadoss at the final stages of Aamir's Ghajini.  He left the workplace around 4 a.m. and  by around 8.30 a.m. he was gone in his sleep not to wake up anymore.  The loss would be a loss forever for his family and A.R.R. more than anyone. 

I just can't imagine how Rahman would be feeling right now having lost his close friend and teammate, who has been with him throughout his career.  I've been tracing to get some news from Rahman regarding this and I got this:

Shocked at the untimely death of his friend H Sridhar, the music maestro packs off for a break in the US.

AR Rahman has been so shaken up by his friend H Sridhar’s death that he has packed his bag and headed off to New York to spend some time away from Chennai.   “Rahman has been shattered. Sridhar was absolutely fine, working with Rahman till the last day on the music of Ghajini. Nobody expected him to pass away at such a young age,” said a friend.

He won the prestigious President's Gold Medal (National Award for best Audiography) four times.  

"He engineered the correct sound equilibrium to the Mozart of Chennai's tunes."  - Sify.com

"H. Sridhar was a towering icon when it came to mixing music." - Indiaglitz.com

"He was the best sound engineer I have ever worked with, he pioneered the DTS format in the country."  - Director Priyadarsan

He was a favourite of Mani Ratnam, Shankar, Kamal Hassan, P C Sreeram, and many others.   He pioneered the use of Digital Sound in the DTS format in the country.  What more can someone say of him after having opened up a new era in the history of music and cinema.

And, everyone who knows his work and search for his name in movie titles, you can't find it anymore.  More saddening is that there wont be the 'H.Sridhar/Siva Kumar' title in cassettes/CDs anymore. 

But still, every time I slide up and down the equalizers on my audio system, I am sure without doubt, I will remember you Sir.

You're one of the very few technicians and mastermind I will admire forever. 

This post is a tribute to 'Sridhar Sir,' as many call him in the industry, to whom this is the least I can offer.

Image Source: Indiaglitz

Firing Mumbai & Raining Chennai

"Chennai now has a different kind of water problem: the problem of plenty." - 'The Hindu' said. They had to say this bcos Chennai always had the thirst for water from its birth and any amount of water would just be vapour in quite some time. But this seems really plenty. Plenty plenty down the road and nothing conserved!

Burning Taj

I'm still watching the TV screen on my right. My TV went off only when the power went off - in the last 48+ hours. To reiterate the incidents, which you too would have come across on your screens, is boring. But I really felt the need to write this one out at least to relieve some pressure off me. Now, the net is flooded with blogs and images of the War on Mumbai. Its really astounding to know that all bloggers were active blogging all day and nite for the last 50 hours now. I've been through many of those and its really gives me a feeling of unity when most of them share their feelings and have almost the same feelings. Many bloggers were active throughout feeding posts every minute and even every second sharing information. Kudos to all of them. And by now, Flickr is flooded, like the waters in Chennai, with images of Mumbai and the Taj in various stages of operation and in various angles. Wonder so many of them were out there amidst the chaos picturing it.


The Taj Hotel is a real monument for me, though I've visualized it only through photographs in magazines, images on television, and so. It cant be ruined to this form. No wonder they call it the worst attack on India.


Most news channels took a break only after 48 hours of continued live telecast and reporting. Maybe its survival and business for them, but they could do everything to be informative and give people more information on the situation around and especially for those who were in their homes in Mumbai knowing nothing about the situation outside. But did they do the right thing? This is the news that shook the nation and the world for sure.


But the bad news is that they din't have any other news until now (60 hours past since attack began). Everyone just forgot Chennai covering only Mumbai. Its the 6th consecutive day its raining in Chennai and the whole city flooded. Most of the state of Tamil Nadu is attacked by the cyclone "Nisha," which has claimed some lives and too many losses. Schools and colleges remain closed for the 3rd consecutive day and most to reopen on Dec 1. Only local news channels took effort to show them amidst the Mumbai terror. The value of a human life is the same whether attacked by a terrorist or a cyclone. But not to blame it on the channels anyway, bcos its an issue of national integrity and they have done the best to stay connected - I could find reporters risking their lives, lying flat on the ground, stil reporting every second of the incident. But the fact that Chennai suffered and is suffering a lot is still unnoticed. Instead of repeating the whole scenes that happened right on day 1, they could have gone further with other news at least once in a day, which has not been reported until 3 days now.


There still isn't power supply in most areas of Chennai and people aren't much aware of the situation around them and the floods and then how of Mumbai. It must also be for the first time that a former Prime Minister's death went unnoticed. The former PM's death news just scrolled beneath without anyone reading a word about it.


This is not a blog for the channels. The topic just flew off from me this way, which I dint expect.

Image from Flickr

Struggling to Live?

I would have been more happy if I commenced this new blog on a happy note, as done before.  But I really couldn't stay so long with this blank page.  The incidents, the news, the images, and the firing.....

This wasn't a good week for me either, as for the whole of India.

Are we really struggling to live?

Sometimes, it seems so.   Some people lived to struggle for freedom and we still Struggle to Live!

Its either Nature's Attack or a Terror Attack.  Either way, there has been excess supply of both.  The Terror Attack on Mumbai and the Heavy Rains in Chennai.  Any attack, its we suffering!  The rains can't be blamed bcos nature knows no boundaries and can't be taken to court for surpassing. 

How 'bout the humans who know the law, frame the law, and are Inhumane?

Image from Flickr