'Dude.. I think its high time you start thinking about your marriage... '
'Oh.. why so?? '
'C'mon Yaar!!! You bought a new flat and now a new car.. what else do you need to get married?'
'you mean to say these are the prerequisites to get married??'
'Of course.. These can be used to impress the girl's parents..'
'Hmmm.. Is that enough?'
'Yeah. If the parents like you, its all set.. what else do you need man??'
'I always thought being liked by the girl I am to marry was primary!!'
'Not necessarily.. You trap the parents, the girl will fall in place..!!'
'Thats very insightful'
'By the way. what marriage are you planning to do? Arranged marriage or love marriage??'
'I never really have thought about that'
'Let me tell you this.. Arranged marriages have 90% success rate and love marriages only 10%'
'Really.. why so??'
'Arranged marriages start as a compromise. For all the ups and downs in such an arrangement there's always room for compromise. But Love marriages start more on a winning note than sheer love and any tussle in such a lovely life would only get worsened between the egoistic souls and ultimately all that love shatters and breaks up. Arranged marriages have more adjustment than love. The only striking similarity between arranged and love marriages is the dearth of love...'
'Wow.. I dont know if its you or the drink you are having but it certainly was an amusing allegory!! How do you know all this??'
'Experience dude.. Its just plain experience!!'
'Experience?? How can you gather so much experience considering your age!! How many times did you get married??'
'Huh.!! Just like you dont need to get into the ocean to know the profundity of its depth, you dont need to get married for that matter to know what marriage really means..'
'Then what is the source of your so called experience'
'I have a girlfriend.. No.. I had a girlfriend!!'
'Had!! What happened this time?'
'Nothing... Im seriously thinking of breaking up!!'
'Hmmmm. If I remember correctly you seem to have mentioned the same thing last time...'
'No.. This time its seriously serious!!'
'And what is so seriously serious this time??'
'She doesnt love me. she only pretends to do so. She is using me.. The day she is done with me, she will ditch me and go with somebody else.'
'what makes you think so??'
'She has so many friends and most of them are guys.. She keeps going out with them often. she doesnt have time for me!! I know all woman are like that...'
'I dont think you can generalize on that aspect. But you should be aware that she has her own life, her circle of friends, ambitions and everything. You just happen to a part of her life, a very special part it must be.. but you are not the only part of her life... Such sathi savithri things only happen in movies and to be precise only the old movies. Now they have stopped happening in movies also.. This is life dude..'
'Ya.. Thats fine but why only guys???'
'Haha.. You are insecure and that makes you possessive about her. You are afraid that you might lose her to some other guy'
'I am not possessive.. May be i am a little... But I love her and I dont want to lose her!!'
'Dont worry.. Its only natural to be possessive about someone you love!!'
'But why doesnt she understand me?? Why do we have to quarrel all the time? Why is it so difficult to understand woman??'
'Quarreling and then pacifying, hurting and then loving these are all the defining blocks of a relationship. They bring love in you, fill you with hatred, enrage you, make you cry, make you laugh.. They can arouse every possible emotion in you and you do the same with them. You dont understand them and they dont understand you and sometimes there's none better to understand each other. You cant live with them, you cant live without them. Thats how it is..'
'Ya.. May be you are right.. I think I will talk to her!!'
'I know you would do that anyway!!'
'Oh yeah.. Thanks dude..!!'
'Anytime..!! Finish your drink...'
'ok.. Merry XMAS and a happy and a prosperous new year!! I hope you will find your quarreling partner soon!!'
'Hopefully. Thank you.. wish you the same!!'

'Whatever happens, happens for your own good son!!' one of the apologetic ways to appease ourselves. Life hits you hard, crushing you beneath like an apathetic garden roller running over and over a vine ripened tomato trampling it till every bit of the pulp is ironically ironed out (pun intended!) and left to rot, it turns out to be for your own good. very well!!

'Problems in life make you a tougher person!!' the bundle of blunders botched bringing oneself to bear the brunt of bother and finally beating it out only to be borne again with the bloopers but with befitting experience. Brilliant!!

Good or bad, experiences are something which fill your life with memories sweet or bitter it may be.. It cant get worse than living a lackadaisical life where everything has come to a standstill except the callous clock ticking its way forward.

When things are not right nor are they wrong and all you do is drudging along a listless path, again and again expecting a different outcome everytime and not getting any all the time, life gets insane.

An year has passed by. 2007 will soon be 2008... And nothing else seems to have changed..!!

Greetings!
Diwali is here again.. The festival of lights and sounds and more illuminating and blinding lights and more deafening and clamourous sounds.. Diwali is celebrated on the momentous occasion of the return of Lord Ram back to Ayodhya. That was when people of Ayodhya lit lamps to welcome him back home... One wonders who got the nasty idea of bursting crackers as part of celebrations, but that tradition seems to have been followed till date.. Lord Ram's credibility which is clouded and under scrutiny thanks to the Government dint seem to hamper the Diwali celebrations.. The government says that Lord Ram does not exist or he is a drunkard and many more.. but the government says many things..
Whenever asked about how one celebrated diwali, yours truly fabricates a ready-made reply.. 'I dont really appreciate the idea of bursting crackers and adding to the alarming levels of noise pollution. I simply dont encourage such childish ways of celebrations!!' leaving an impression of an environmentalist or something close to that, but the concealed truth always remains that one has never been in good terms with the crackers or rather say is a little frightened about them!!
One is wary of only the red coloured loose crackers which are wild, reckless and dont have a time sense to burst unlike the other bigger and better versions which tend to pop out in a timely and orderly fashion albeit a thunderous noise renting the air.
Rockets are the most graceful among the firecrackers as they get air borne and paint the moonless night sky with dazzling display of colours. But a slight human fallacy could even bring these graceful ones to shame. There was an instance when one misfired a rocket and it went chasing one's brave and ferocious dog all over the house and straight into its kennel shutting the poor thing inside for two days..
Diwali is the most awaited festival of the year and its fun with brilliantly illuminating diyas, sparkling fireworks, showering flower pots and sparkles, the bombs are rather deafening (part social concern and part fear) and can be downplayed. Let this diwali bring happiness and prosperity to you and your family and everything that is generally said in greeting cards, mails, notice boards..
Happy and a Safe Diwali..!!

Greetings
The festival season is round the corner, compatriots especially the married ones are out for vacations, bachelors partying every night and of all this when one encounters a monday morning, the last place one would wish to be is amidst the computer monitors burping out a beep sound now and often and the chilling spikes of the office AC, which is cooler in the winter and hot in summer (thank God it doesnt drip during the rains!!) Vis-a-vis the weather.. But as fate goes yours truly was sitting right there staring at the monitor wondering why is that we dont have an earth quake or a bomb threat and told to get out of the office or atleast an alien invasion in hyderabad city and suddenly an idea clicks followed by the beep sound giving it a shot of affirmation..

Why not go for the movie Transformers playing on the big screen in prasads!! The show is at 2:15, and one can be back by 5:30 and feel like one has never been away... And by 6, the 9 to 6 working routine is complete and one can call it a day!! How good it would be if we had time system like that of the schools. A serious issue is tackled with the onsite managers in a meeting...
'this is a high prority call we cannot meet the deadlines with the current estimate and effort, we need to put in more effort and....'
tringggggggggg
people start packing the laptops and everyone's running, some towards the lift some taking the stairs.. not a speck of life is visible in the work premises
tringgggggggg
The entire building is devoid of any breathing life, the lights are switched off and the security guard does a final check up to shoo away those lousy souls who do not wish to go home and are hiding beneath the cubicles.. Wish we had something like this.... but that could also bring a morning bell after which we get to see the latecomers kneeling infront of the reception and one would often end up being a part of the kneeling practice than mere standing witness... Everything comes in a package, good along with bad...
The package theory had more to say in the theatre when good was happening on the big screen and the bad was lingering next to one in the form of a bickering couple. The made-for-each-other couple pointing the index fingers at one another and cussing a stream of 'gammunundu's (ironically a telengana telugu word to shut up) and one only kept guessing why they were here?
Was it like 'lets get two tickets for transformers on the big screen and quarrel' or 'i wanted to go somewhere and you brought me here to this sick movie'
One feigned a look of disgust and immediately felt like trash for the feeble attempt in vain thereby seeking the attention of the pointed index fingers and scornful faces... One finally had to remain contended with the nonchalant bickering and give up the painstaking attempt to concentrate on the movie and started wondering about life...
Blessed are those who have a clear mandate about what they want in life and go all out chasing it!! And there are lot others who just keep moving about in life, who are here because they dint fit somewhere else, who are chosen but not choose to, who are inspired but seldom prosper, who live their lives the way its always lived... Chasing for jobs one or the other doesnt matter if not foreign education and dollar dreams if not management education and plenty of money and so on so forth... Success stories are like icebergs, we only know the best and visible part of it unaware of the zillion failures crushed and trampled beneath.. And then the cube is destroyed.. Goodness triumphs and once again the earth is saved... It only happens in movies.. The couple might need more tickets to continue.. or may be they have it .. Life is still moving on..!!

When one is lonely and lost in this fast paced world and one’s heart is squeezed with the sorrow of the dear ones not near, missing their presence and developing into a pain within the heart, growing and finally fermenting into a memory, a sweet memory of yore when their presence was not very special to one as it is now bringing forth a smile escaping one’s lips.

When one is exhausted and resigned to rest after a game of cricket under the searing sun, impervious but the clamorous pain on the hurting knee or a cramp on the shoulder muscle questioning the need to endure such pain; that pain fills one’s mind with the moments of glory and a sense of pride for the seamless effort very much appreciated and applauded.

After a refreshing work out in the gym when one carries along a tinge of sharp pain, a pain always acknowledged at a sense of touch or the slightest movement of the muscles but a sure shot reminder of muscle growth, envisioning a physique as that of the Greek Gods.

When one’s conscience is burdened with the guilt of a wrongdoing, a pain that rouses as one is reprimanded(flogged rather..!) for the sin and the guilt borne with it, filling the eyes with tears and the same time washing away the pangs of guilt freeing one’s conscience from the sin.

And the labour pains endured to bless a new life into this world, pains can certainly be painful but they leave you as a better human being. Pain is God’s way of teaching one how much one means to Him, to others, how much others mean to one, how special it is breathing every moment in this world… Pain is God’s way of blessing us…

A sweet thought like a sweet pain…

5 important lessons to learn from a humble pencil.

1. It tells you that everything you do will always leave a Mark.
2. You can always correct the mistake you make.
3. The important thing in life is what you are from inside and not from outside.
4. In life you will undergo painful sharpening which will make you better in whatever you do
5. Finally, to be the best you can be, you must allow yourself to be held and guided by the hand that holds you.
   

Where is the space for eccentricity when the mind is clogged up with mediocrity??

A mundane activity which absorbs every bit of the grey cells and don't use any of them, like a Trojan (even my thoughts are corrupted.. phew!!) sucking up all the enthusiasm, creativity( absurdity is a better word!) like a Dementor and drilling in a sense of fatigue at the end of the day.

Where is the space for new relationships when the heart is longing for the old ones??

An overflowing Nostalgia filling your heart and giving you moments of happiness and hurting at the same time. The pointed arms of time trying to empty the heart pricking some holes in it but the nostalgia is overbearing and intense like the incessant rains.

Where is the space for a purpose or meaning when the life has turned mechanical??

Life turning into a paper printing machine, printing papers everyday knowing not what they print and printing more papers, frequently oiled, occasionally repaired and finally replaced with better working ones.

The mind might be blocked, the heart filled up and life still printing papers but everything has to move on, continue trailing the path where the mediocrity might give way to creativity, it can get all bright and sunny with the nostalgia evaporated and emptied, and may be life could very well turn into a painting brush..

Life has to move on…

Greetings!

Independent India has turned 60... an age generally considered for retirement, independent India is still young and growing... barely out of the womb in the early 90s India has stepped into adolescence juvenile, vulnerable and flexible capable of being moulded into any form. The Independence day celebrations were rampant with the most spoken about friend's community 'Orkut' taking it to the fore. All the profiles were seemingly decorated with the Indian tricolor.. Decorations remind me of school where every section would compete to decorate their class rooms and the one with the most beautiful (flamboyant rather.!) decoration was adjudged the winner. Flag hoisting, march-past, drills, speeches about India and its great leaders, freedom struggle and all the social studies text book stuff, national anthem, Lata Mangeshkar's song with the discussion that this song brought Nehru to tears(we used to discuss this every august 15th)... and of course the two asha chocolates along with paper cut Indian flag and a pin to hold it onto a swelling chest gleaming with pride.. That was independence day..!! Forwarding Independence day messages (garbage in- garbage out), displaying an August born patriotism in the form of orkut profiles, cell phones, emails, blogs(this one included!!) and other stuffs... watching the repeat telecast of flag hoisting, march-past (who will want to wake up in the morning to watch that live)... This is independence day..!! Its just a holiday (which most of us prefer on friday or monday.. long weekend!!)

Independent India, my emphasis on the word Independent is only to showcase India post independence though there wasnt any significant impact on India post and pre independence barring the fact that British Raj suddenly decided to leave its hold on this then chaotic nation to rule on its own and the partition as an aftermath.. It took 60 years for this nation to reach where it is now. A union of chaos (like the unity in diversity my social teacher use to say!!), this nation is an example of the true definition of diversity. Diversity in religion, region, language, cast, class, creed amassed and engulfed, this nation had survived its way along here.. I can assert that any other nation with the diversity and population density such as this would have crumbled into smaller unions. India survived as a single nation. India has maintained its integrity where religious strife is prevalent now and then, here and there so as to maintain the status quo, where sex is still a taboo and any kind of sexual liaison is deemed to be an act of treason, where horrendous acts like sati and child marriages are still practised in the remotest villages, where the metros are booming and the villages pushed into the oblivion, where corruption co-exists with cricket and bureaucracy befriends bollywood, where the billion people are always ready to cheer the Indian Cricket Team and have no regard for the national sport or any other game for that matter (chak de effect!!)... with all this traits and frails India has survived.. Now India is hoping at a sprinter's pace.. It has to learn to live not just survive..!!
Happy Independence day..!!

5:45 AM when the world does not exist for more than 80% of the people, the alarm goes off... the alarm tone is a melodious suprabatham musical composed by A.R. Rehman which is pleasant to hear under normal and conscious circumstances, but 5:45 Am!!! the euphonious turns cacophonous and all that matters is the way to turn that thing off... The day has begun with jogging on a vast school ground doing rounds, more rounds till I sweat out and then a set of push-ups with every push-up making my tummy flatter and muscles forming under my belly like a row of speed bumps on the road... and then I hang onto something and start pulling my body up with my arms. A bulge starts to develop at the front of my upper arm and gets protuberant and solid with every ascend. I have done 49 of them and this is the 50th one, I look up from the lowest end and I can see my arms on the whole, bulged at the appropriate places and ready to take me up and suddenly.....
"Wake up you Lazy Ass!!!"
The bulge is all gone, the speed bumps have disappeared and the belly road turns convex.. I shake my head and find myself on bed with A.R Rehman still playing the tune with an honest intention to wake me up.What a dream it was... Who says we are scientifically advanced when we dont have the technology to exercise in our dreams and enjoy those fruits in reality!! The day this happens is when we can truly say 'Dreams come true!!'
"Cut the crap and get out of the bed!!"
Oh yeah.. This is Rocky Balboa, the boxing champ with six movies... He is now retired and living in my mind as an inspiration..!! I get out of my bed finally, get dressed and meet my companion in this auroral activity. I wonder if he goes through all this as I do or much worse? We reach the school ground and start our jogging....
Round 1: Rocky starts his theme song and I sense a rush of adrenaline spurting me into action.. I feel my blood rushing through all the body parts, the cool breeze brushing through my silky (not so silky, somewhat silky.. debatable!? whatever!! ) hair setting it into a rhythmic movement. It feels so nice and good...
Round 2: Rocky is still with me and now I am aware of a beating in the chest coming from my reticent heart. It still feels nice and good thanks to Rocky...
Round 3: The theme song is barely audible, Rocky is there somewhere.! My breathe gets faster and short and I start using my mouth for respiration. My legs feel heavy but its good becomes I am still going...
Round 4: Rocky must have gone to wake up some other lazy ass.. lots of responsibilities you know!! The music is gone, I hear a monotonic sound probing through my ears. I look at my partner, he is still with me calm and relaxed, unaware and impervious to everything thats happening to me. This is just a passing phase, everything will be back to normal Rocky will be here anytime and I trudge along...
Round 5: No sign of Rocky, no music, no adrenaline rush, its just the ground-breaking, heart-thumping, muscle-aching reality. I am panting and every step forward is like a milestone dragging me closer to the end point. Just when we are a few meters away from the destination, my friends says one more round... I am astonished and develop a burning rage to choke him to death, in spite of all the pains I say yes!!
Round 6: Nothing happens. My mind is blacked out..!! I just keep tottering ahead and finally we collapse on a heap of sand finishing a remarkable six rounds...
I am in a state of eternal bliss lying on that cool sand catching my breath watching people, all kinds of people... some playing football, some athletic built running continually some heavily built walking at a brisk pace reminiscent of the old motion pictures, some lazy ones sitting and gossiping promising their wives and kids at home to be sweating out here... After a few minutes we start our next course in the hyper activity, pull-ups and push-ups... I start with hanging onto an outward branch of a neem tree tall enough to keep me off the ground and start pulling my body up.. I do it four times with great difficulty and try for the 5th one, but it doesnt happen.. Newton's gravity wasnt ready to allow me pull myself up... I give up and go for push-ups... I do 15 of them at a stretch and stop immediately knowing well that anymore of those would give me a broken nose... we call it a day and head back home.. At home I feel my body aching and happy at the same time that I have done it, I have accomplished the task for today..
But again tomorrow is another day....

Greetings

I somehow have a strange feeling that my blog is being closely monitored by my manager, because a couple of days after my previous post where I mentioned about my productivity (confused?? go read my previous post, even I had to do it before starting this!!) I see myself slogging for long hours... My nose was to the grindstone last week with work and long time pending java certification exam (this is something which every other software developer, programmer, tester or whatever with little exposure to java takes. I dint want to be an outcast in that respect so decided to join the herd..) I got through the exam and also managed to put my work aside (you dont finish your work, the moment you finish it you find more of it rushing towards you!!)

Competition is omnipresent.. We see it everywhere, in our work, play and of late I see that in myself. A cutthroat competition between my 'chest' and 'belly', the chest slowly losing the battle to my protruding belly as its stanch supporter my 'back' has started a non-cooperation movement owing to a lot of pressure.. Dreaming about 6 pack like that of Brad Pitt and calling them abs than tummy sounds good but reality is so cruel that able to call it a tummy than paunch finds so much satisfaction!!

Choice a gift to the humankind is a very interesting thing. Sometimes its good, sometimes I tell you its really bad.. when you have too many choices you never come up with a clear mandate. For instance consider our political scenario, if coalition government wasnt enough we cant take a decision on who should be our next president?? The polls and vote war for the next president is all over the internet... while this debate is on, elsewhere there is another vote war on a grand scale happening, a different kind of war; the war for 'new' wonders of the world!! Some cranky billionaire wanted to have new wonders for the new world and started an online poll, the biggest of its kind (though half of the world is not voting) to decide on this. India's entry to this list is still its only wonder The Taj Mahal - a tomb built by a long dead king for his dead queen near a dying river and left to crumble. I feel India's entry to the wondrous list must be the world's most preferred Bollywood personality - Shilpa Shetty ( I heard even Mike Tyson is interested in meeting her when he comes down to India!! ) But that is too much of skin show, very unindian (kissing and all) and dearth of talent. when it comes to real talent there is no better entry than the hyper-talented singer and now superstar - Himmesh-'OO'-Reshammiya. The cap wearing star caps them all, the wondrous wonders!! We also have The Boss, the south Indian superstar who is not only famous in India but places to east of India, who at this age is breaking box office records. A baron of the box-office, he can be India's entry or his movies can surely make it to the top 7. Then there is Amitabh Bachchan ancient enough to be called a wonder and ubiquitous to win all the online and sms polls, he can be a worthy contender too.. Finally its a matter of choice.

The results will be announced on 07.07.07... On the same day we also have "Live Earth" a 24 hour 7 continent concert series bringing together musicians all across the globe to bring awareness and to engage people on a mass scale to combat our climate crisis. This is a noble cause to make us realize the seriousness of global warming and climatic changes. There are several practical and day-to-day tips on climate crisis solutions like switching off our computer monitors (or shutting them down) when we leave the office as it can eliminate upto 45,000 tons of CO2 per year (if 1 million people do that). The world is in danger and this is the least we can do to protect our planet and save our selves(SOS) ... Good Day!!

They say 'thoughts become words and words turn into action', but here my actions of late have stirred up some thoughts about words.. Action here I refer to the billable time (My company charges a hefty amount to the client for the time I spend here in office!!) I have used up thinking about the productive work that could have been done and doing perhaps all sorts of nothing.. Action where i spend that same time conversing with friends and strangers-to-be friends through a chat window in a way that seems like I have not seen or heard about them for decades, and also try to extend those conversations in every way possible. Like the BoF (I will soon get into this!!) thing goes, seldom I get a like idle minded person to converse with on the other side of the chat window.. This diurnal sort of activity has evoked a random thought process in my numb mind, a thought about words.. words as they were and as they are and the English language in general...

English a dominant international language, is the official language throughout the world spoken by over a billion people. A language with one of the richest set of vocabulary among the languages borrowing words from several languages like the erstwhile British empire borrowing and many times looting( this word is borrowed from India.. Coincidence or Comeuppance??) several countries in the name of civilization and colonization. A language which has words like 'Floccinaucinihilipilification' just to describe something as worthless. The 21st century though has something else in store for the english language. The age of Nanos (Micros and Minis are done away with) where everything is getting narrowed(nanoed!!) like the Nano technology, Nano accessories - iPod nano, Nano skirts (Oh my Oh my!! wish we had those too!!), the words are also getting nanoed up!! Few words and sentences which have evolved(devolved??) to the nano age....

whats up >> wassup >> ssup>> zup ...........
anyway >> anyways (the s effect) >> neyways >> neways.....
cool >> kewl (???)
about >> abt.. you >> u.. we >> v.. the >> da

some sentences..
lol - laugh out loud
rotfl - roll on the floor and laugh (heights of communicating emotions!!)
brb - be right back
bfn - bye for now (may be replaced with boy friend for now!!)
BoF - Birds of the same Feather flock together!!

Then there was a menon from palghat who was complaining 'whots wid you misserable peeble comblaining about my zimble english??' This malayalish form of beautification of the language has taken south india by storm. Menon's english might be a source of parody to others but its valid to him just as its American or Strine variants are to their speakers.. Atleast its far better than the cacophonous sounds made by the Americans and the Australians.. Of course there is the Hyderabadi Hindi and Hinglish spreading across India.

Speaking about hyderabad, the bomb blast in the old city shocked the very foundation of this peaceful city. Hyderabad was always confined to the reactionary end of Newton's Third Law reacting to violent disturbances in other regions in the form of petty brawls and occasional stone pelting. But extreme emotions are shared only with the close ones, hence the altercations and hurling stones(??) are as much part as the affection among the hindu-muslim fraternity.. The bomb blast an action on its own was a tragic attempt to disrupt that fraternity. Like Mahatma Gandhi said 'Hindu Musalmaan Bhai Bhai' (bye-bye; by-by was always I thought it to be, making my own interpretations.. Bhai-bye, by-Bhai, where the Bhai would be the mumbai waala Bhai and the other one bid a good bye or gone by!!). Hyderabad always stood to follow that saying in its true form.. An intimacy that is often shown in the Indian patriotic movies with a muslim in a green dress, hindu a saffron one and others or sometimes mother india in a white attire clubbed together to somehow form the Indian flag and if divided, the green would turn greener with envy, saffron turns red with rage and white stained yellow.. The green, red, yellow combination of eh.. em.. oh yeahh.. you guessed it right, traffic signals(!!) depicting chaos and disorder (this reminds me of Indica, Indicabs which are ruling the roads these days.. They can cut you from anywhere scaring the living lights out of you and then flashing a sarcastic note on its back.. 'How am I Driving???' I missed being sandwiched between two Indicabs by a whisker today!!) Getting back, ultimately we are all Indians with our own flaws and foibles, vanities and inanities, nano cultures and zimple english, hinglish, we argue we fight with our neighbours and friends but we shouldnt allow the extra terrestrial and anti social elements to upset the unity that we share.
Jai Hind..!!

With the boundaries of different muncipalities vanishing and giving way to a greater entity, Hyderabad has transformed into Greater Hyderabad, the second biggest city in India next to New Delhi. One region in this city which deserves maximum bit of attention and praise is none other than Kukatpally, the pride of Greater Hyderabad!! Kukatpally stretches from moosapet, sangeeth nagar, kukatpally village, sumitra nagar, balaji nagar, A.P.H.B, vivekananda nagar, bhagyanagar colony, satavahana nagar, HMT hills, jalavayu vihar, pragathi nagar, vasanth nagar, nizampet, jntu and K.P.H.B(Largest colony in Asia when built). Kukatpally was initially recognised as the educational hub of hyderabad with several schools(??) and junior colleges. The first and most famous school in kukatpally, Rao's school now has two branches (in kukatpally iself!!) with its own three storeyed building. (who wants a playground?? we go to school to study.. dont we??) The junior colleges are found everywhere with Sri Chaitanya junior kalasala claiming the maximum number of buildings, where the younger generation struggle (study I mean) to fulfill the dreams and ambitions of their parents, the dream of getting into IITs and major Engineering colleges and not forgetting the world famous(!?!?!) University and Engineering college in the very heart of this region, JNTU.. The big dreams it all starts in kukatpally!!

It was when kukatpally decided to open up to the world that the investors across the globe started diverting their attention to this region in the form of Reebok, Adidas, Tansihq, Sony and major showrooms like R.S. Brothers, Chandana Brothers, Kalamandir, Kalaniketan, Chermas and more in the pipeline bringing in people across the city, state(!!), country(!!!) to visit these shopping malls but the residents of kukatpally still prefer the well-established brands of our own region such as surya selections, pooja selections (the all-in-one showrooms with dress material ranging from inner wear to the lastest fashioned clothes for men, women, boys and gals). Entertainment wise, Kukatpally hosts a total of 9 cinema theatres and a multiplex in the making.. Kukatpally also attracts tourism with places like 'The Gateway of kukatpally' (similar to the Gateway of India in Delhi). Some(??) even consider this to be the 'Gateway of South India(!!!!!)' and the golden(like) statue of Thandra Papa Rayudu with his sword drawn out and the white fort (famously known in the region as the BJP office, though there isnt any office in the location!!). Every year during Vinayaka Chavithi, kukatpally hosts the most plump of the Ganesh's idols in hyderabad(!!) at the white fort (though khairatabad ganesh idol is claimed to be the tallest, Lord Ganesh is very well known for his plumpness than the height). Kukatpally also has a beautiful lake presently known as the IDPL Lake and soon to be renamed as Kukatpally Sagar (similar to Hussain sagar, why is Hussain sagar called a sagar???) where lots of Ganesh idols are immersed every year making it famous like the Hussain sagar.

Kukatpally is also famous for the sale of marbles and granites. It is rumoured that Shah Jahan imported marbles from kukatpally for making Taj Mahal(!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). To share the fame and pride of kukatpally, Hi-Tech city connected itself in the form of a direct road to kukatpally and thus bringing in chunk of traffic and exorbitant land prices. The Highway that connects North and South India runs through the heart of kukatpally, the journey to states like Karnataka, Maharastra, Chattisgarh starts from kukatpally in the giant delux volvo buses. This region has the potential to rise and reach greater heights thereby making Greater Hyderabad gleam with pride!!

P.S: The second part of Trip to God's own country will be delayed as the author is awaiting some photographs of the trip which will arrive soon!!

Greetings!
Just when I was getting vexed with the lacklustre life I was living, the news of my cousin's marriage shone brightly down upon my monotonous life like the summer sun. It was all bright and sunny (though I dint feel the heat then!) and I was all excited as I was on for a trip to kerala, God's own country!! Kerala has always been a wonderful destination for vacations, with beautiful places, greenery all over, beaches and much more, but my visits to kerala was always limited to meeting my close, distant, direct, indirect, known, unknown and soon to be known relatives scattered all over the state. This time I have taken a firm decision to reserve two days of the ten days of my stay for an outing. With that decision in mind I landed in kerala the day before the marriage. I met the groom who was all excited and tensed with the scorching sun shining upon his bald head like a nimbus. Thinning hair, expanding tummies and risk of diabetes are some warning signs of getting married for most men.

The marriage was at a distant location and we had to go there in a private bus. The bus was racing through the very narrow and curvy roads, trees on both sides with overgrown branches that slaps you across your face reminding you of the admonition, "Do not peep out of the window". We also witness road blocks and diversions thanks to the strike happening at that place. A strike because the supreme court was not just to karnataka and karnatake was not just to tamil nadu and both in turn were unjust to kerala, so lets make the life of our own people miserable and show that we are not be sidelined. No wonder a four year engineering course takes fives years to complete in this state. Strike because there is no food, strike because there is no water, strike because.. well there is no strike!! The marriage was simple and quick followed by a delicious 'sadhya' (lunch) served on banana leaves. Now it was time for me to go to my father's hometown which was some 100kms away from this place.

A qualis was arranged for us to get there and I got into the front seat next to the driver all set for another ride. I was astonised to find that a total of 11 members were planning to take a ride along with me in the same vehicle. So I was accompained by two gentlemen in the front seat, who were much beyond the average human size with forearms that of popeye, bluto's pot belly and plump bottom. I was virtually the Olive Oyl in that state with long legs jam packed on either side of the gear box. My left knee was the DJ of the vehicle changing the song at every possible turn or bump on the road. My eyes were fixed on the road looking at every possible road sign. Every road sign had a story of its own. Some of them(green ones) were good to me as it showed.. "Trishur 53 km and then Trishur 51 km", some(yellow ones) were really bad as they read "Thrishur 51 km" and later would change their mind and say, "Thrishur 54 km (hahaha)". Some were even mocking at me "Have a pleasant trip!!" After a while the DJ couldnt take it anymore and put an end to the music. The driver stopped the vehicle and everyone felt that it was a matter of common sense (which unfortunately is not so common these days) that what we intend to do was not humanly possible. Two wise gentlemen then took an excellent initiative of commuting by bus and the rest reached the destination congested but contented.

After a day's stay at my father's place I found myself again in a super fast bus on the narrow roads, greenery everywhere, slapping trees and lovely gals (famously known as kerala kuttys) with long hair well oiled and plaited, sandalwood paste on their forehead. I reached my mom's place where I got a chance to visit the famous (rather infamous) elephant whose long cherished dream to make it to the newspapers was finally met, in a grand way. He is called 'Uma Maheshwaran' and he holds a distinct record for runing non-stop for 3 hours, where he preferred a straight path to the narrow curvy roads, trampling everything that came across his way. He loves to play with humans though he has his own distinct style of playing by swinging the person on his tusks and throwing him as far as he possibly can. I met most of my relatives where all that I do is put up a big broad smile....
Relative: "Deepu, you have changed.. You became fat!!"
Dee: Smile
Relative: " so what are you doing?? "
Dee: "working"
Relative: " Working!!! Where?? Saudi?? "
Dee: "hyderabad"
Most of the job seekers in kerala, with the highest literacy rate and the higest rate of unemployment move to the Arabian peninsula for jobs.
Finally I get some time for myself and then we plan a trip to Munnar......

I am a super hero I am no less mortal
I am a king, with riches and fame
I am a poster in every teenager's room,
I am an idol for every other dreamer
I am God, I am worshiped all over.

I am a super hero I am no less mortal
I cannot err, I should not fail
For I am no mortal, I am no immortal either
I am killed, my effigy burnt
My funeral conducted, if I fail
My family tormented, my assets torn down
I turn a traitor, everytime I fail

I am a super hero I am no less mortal
I am Sachin Tendulkar, I am Yuvraj Singh
I am Mahendra Singh Dhoni, I am Rahul Dravid
I am made to win, I cannot fail...

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other word would smell as sweet."

This was quoted by William Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet. This quote will not hold its place in today's world where Everything's in a name... A name has a surname, given name, assumed name, family name, full name, half name, code name, pet name, nick name and everything is in a bloody name. Like for example take my name, Deepu which according to the standard naming conventions (listed somewhere!!!) is not deemed to be called a full name. It can be a half name, a pet name, a nick name whatever(there are gender concerns too as deepu tends to sound more feminine).. My friends have chopped my half name further and call me Dee... Thanks to the SMS language that has taken the world by storm, some even call me D!! So deepu being feminine and incomplete was always accompanied by Valathara and Ashokan (my dad's name)

Sir: "Whats your name??"
Dee: "Deepu"
Sir: "!!! whats your full name?? "
Dee: "Deepu is my name sir.. Valathara Ashokan Deepu"
Sir: "ok.. You are Ashokan Deepu"

Dee: "Hello, This is Deepu joining the call"
Someone: "Oh.. I thought deepu was a girl"
Dee: "!@#$**"

The most recent problem I faced with my name was in my passport. The name details in my passport was inappropriate. My surname column was empty and the given name had my full name 'Valathara Ashokan Deepu' (You know Deepu cant live alone!!). I was told that to get a visa you ought to have a surname. Its the surname, the family's pride that you carry with you when you go abroad. So to make my ancestors gleam with pride I went to the passport office in secunderabad. The passport office was surrounded with lots of agents sitting with type writers, xerox machines, web cams n digital cameras to serve the public. As soon as I parked my bike near the office I was escorted by three agents to their place. One of the dudes looked at my passport, knew what the problem was and started filling a form. Once again the surname column was empty and in the given name he put my name as Valathara Ashokan Deepo (Yo!!). Probably he felt Deepu was obsolete and Deepo was the in thing. After some request he finally agreed to change it back to Deepu. The form was complete, photos were taken, copies were made and finally I asked him what am I doing with this form?? He said this is for the E.C.N.R (emigration check not required) and thats the most important thing I need now. 'what about my surname? ' (I knew my ancestors were watching me!!) He was silent, shocked and kept staring at me......

He came out of the shock and took me to another agent, perhaps the most important man around the passport office with a demeanour which hints that he is most eligible person to be the next prime minister of our country. After studying my passport, he concluded that its not a trivial issue. He explained the difficulties using passport jargon and told me that the issue can be resolved and I can get a fresh passport immediately if I pay him 2000 bucks failing which, it will take a long time to get a new passport. 'How long is that long time??' '15 to 20 days' (15 to 20 days!!! Anything can happen.. India might lose to Sri Lanka, the agitated Indian mob will burn down the passport office along with the homes of the Indian players. My passport will turn to ashes and my ancestors will curse me!!!) I thanked him for his wonderful suggestion (and wished him good luck for the elections!!) and headed into the passport office with a new form, a new photo, new copies, a surname.. The new passport will be given to me in a week's time.. Shakespeare might have not faced the problems that I have gone through or he would have given a second thought before quoting that.

"whats in a name??? Deepu, Dee, D!!
Everything's in a name!! Surname: Valathara Ashokan Given Name: Deepu (male)"

Greetings!
Here's another masterpeice from the number one brand in sports equipment, Nike. It was always known for its exceptional creativity in the advertisement segment. For the first time Nike has come up with a major cricket commercial outside America. Its an awesome video potraying Cricket (Very much Indian) being played on the top of a bus stuck in a traffic jam with an excellent background song!! This commercial video full of nuance captures the true spirit of Indian cricket, galli cricket taken to the level of being played on the top of bus and truck with players fielding on the top of cars and hanging on traffic signal post. As usual there isnt much of the sportswear endorsed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib3WSzJyqVQ

Apparently this is all part of Nike's Cricket World Cup push and its major attempt to tap into the Indian market. Nike has also become the official apparel sponsor for Team India and it recently unveiled the new national team uniform.

Nike has signed a five year contract for which the company paid BCCI a sum of 169 crores. Though internationally No 1, with dominance of huge margin which even led to the No 2 and No 3 players in the world to merge (Adidas buying over Reebok), Nike has not really made its presence felt in the Indian market with only 15% of market share and Reebok commanding 40% market share and Adidas 20%. The company has planned to strike it hot with cricket in its arsenal and World cup around the corner.

This surely speaks volumes about the realisations of major compaines around the globe of the potentials of the Indian economy which is growing steadfast. Good luck for Nike, Good luck for Team India with a brand new apparel, lets hope the Indian spirits are high and firing in the world cup as shown in the video.. India.. Just Do It!!

Welcome to India!
A multi-lingual, multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-multi country with 28 states and counting, the Indian subcontinent is a nation which is as diverse as anything can get. Yes, we have a national language, a national animal, a national bird, a national sport, a national this, that and everything like every other nation but these are not very national or common. If there is anything that binds this disparate nation, then that is cinema and cricket. Cinema is not merely Indian but a global phenomenon. Motion pictures are globally made as a source of entertainment, education and is also a powerful mode of communication. Acknowledging and appreciating cinema is a ceremony that has been existing for a long time and one of the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony is the Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars.

The Oscars, the American Academy Awards ceremony which recognizes excellence in film making in the whole wide world!! (Whole wide?? ). This reminds me of the Baseball World Series, a championship series played between the American League of one part of the world and National League of probably the same part of the world. (World Series??, whole wide world??) The Oscars belong to the whole wide world of America where the small, insignificant rest of the world is invited to bask in the american glory. Indian cinema at the Oscars can be compared to a child, awestruck and mouth agape peeping through a window the ostentatious display of whole wide american excellence in cinema, when its talent is being admired and acclaimed globally. But the child only wants a small piece of the american pie, like aamir khan who only goes to Oscars and is never seen at a Filmfare event, like the disappointment we see whenever an Indian Film does not make it to the Oscars even if it does, it does not win the coveted award. Let us hope the child get its share of glory in the coming years.

That being said, cricket is one uniting religion in this country which has sachin, dravid, ganguly, dhoni treated as Gods and demigods.. Though the number of cricket playing nations are less, cricket is loved as a universal sport. Unlike the Baseball world series, cricket is soon to witness its once in four years carnival, the ICC World Cup. World cup has always been a spectacular event since its inception in 1975. But lately this event is losing its charm with the increasing number of teams. This year world cup is hosting an unbearable 16 teams and the period is being inflated to 47 days, three weeks more than the soccer world cup. Though the event begins on march 13th, there isn't a single match of real excitement until the super-8 series which starts on march 27th. Unlike soccer, cricket is not a game where we can expect major upsets, a kenya surprising the westindies or a bangladesh numbing pakistan is a rarity in cricket. Cricket is a long game and the gap is too wide for an upset. I feel a India versus Bermuda match is like a boxer warming up by practising his punches on a meat bag before the main event. Its all in the game and like every Indian even I am eagerly waiting for the world cup and hope that Team India wins the world cup!! Good luck India.. Good luck for Cricket, Cinema, world cup, Oscars and everything that unites us!!

Greetings!
Though I am (or was) a keralite by birth, I have lived my 22 years (soon to be 23!!!) in hyderabad as a hyderabadi.. So its the hyderabadi blood that runs through my veins, hyderabadi delicacies appetizing the gourmet in me and of course the hyderabadi hindi that I speak!! (not very successful with that). Keeping the hyderabadi spirit I am here to talk about something that connects, something that runs through like the blood vessels in our body the old, historical, classical hyderabad and the modern, stylish and contemporary secundrabad. The hyderabad traffic, something that can surely be attributed as the lifeline of hyderabad, which keeps hyderabad moving and alive. what can I talk about traffic, its just the same like in other cities in our country or better or worse or competing with others to get more worse... But for my mind, this traffic (in shakespearian style!) is more or less like a play, a drama with the commuters, pedestrians and everything you find on those roads playing their roles, and there are some colourful chracters in this play that I would try to introduce in this topic...

Hyderabad roads can be compared to a race course, actually its more than a race course with the path full of potholes and gutters and something where you get to see Moto GP and Formula One Grand Prix happening on the same track at the same time...
'A treat to the human eye
A threat to the passerby!'
Moto GP is run by the dudes of hyderabad, who are well known for cockroaching (my apologies for the neologism) their way ahead through anything that they define as a path and F1 Grand Prix by their arch rivals, auto rickshaw (herewith reffered to as Ferrari) who can zip their way through much to the peril of the precarious passengers. These Ferraris are known for their sharp turns at great speeds performing incredible feats and rolling over in the end result..
'Fear is Fun...
Passenger's Fear is Auto driver's Fun... '
So with the dudes and Ferraris holding the reins of defining and pushing the limits of speed, we also have the dudes of yore and now retired from the race, struggling to keep up with the pace and constantly hurling curses on those who do.. Hey C'mon!! they are all playing their roles, the dudes, the ferraris aren't they?? Some go a long way and retire, some go even longer and higher and rest in peace!! Its all in the game.. Then there are the big guys, the APSRTC buses who always seem to have some number displayed on their foreheads.. 216, 217??? or is it 007, james bond style because these guys surely have the license to kill and do whatever they please on the roads(track I mean).. And finally the latest entrant, the 21st century ultra modern riders displaying the oh-so-cool stunts like talking on the mobile while riding....
"Hello... I am coming.."
Yamraj:" Hi!! Welcome..."

With all these characters thrown in we have the hyderabad traffic racing, struggling, strolling ahead.. Now for some of the common scenes and more introductions as the scenes are enacted.. This scene is when all the characters meet at the crossroads (ameerpet for instance) and suddenly the atmosphere changes....
"Its the time to disco!!"
Oh yeah the disco lights are on... Red Yellow Green Yellow Red Yellow Green Yellow...
Red means rush ahead as fast as you can, Green means move with caution and Yellow means.. Yellow means what?? May be its for the disco lights to look more colourful.. So they all party, singing and honking at each other.. Nice and sweet. But not all the crossroads are so nice and sweet or rather meant for partying even though they have those disco lights. You will soon know why!! Just at one of those crossroads a dude eager to rush through looks around and finds no danger lurking around, he slowly tries to sneak across and suddenly.... Something from nowhere crosses him at lightning speed, an alien attack perhaps!! our dude looks around and up in the sky for any signs of UFO but only finds his engine turned off and the key missing!! what was that and why does it want my key?? In that moment of panic his eyes finally sight the alien dressed in khaki trousers and not so white shirt with a strange looking helmet something used in the army. He's no alien, he's none other than the argus-eyed traffic cop waiting at the other end with a tight lipped but radiant smile beaming with pride for the feat accomplished with an agility and adroitness rarely seen among his clan. The dude is fully aware that this cop is only known to speak liquid currency, so the negotations take place the settlement is made and the dude surges ahead furious with his futile attempt..

This whole family of cops can be seen at various places, playing different roles with an ulterior motive of earning some money. Their primary targets are always the dudes and one of the scenes often taking place is where the cop standing next to a maruthi van on which is written RTA certified PUC.. The cop stops a dude passing by..
cop: " pollution"
dude:" who is polluting?"
cop: "pollution dikaao!!"
Just then a ferrari passes by puffing smoke like a chimney but the cop knows he's not a pricy catch. after sometime we see the heads of the dude and the cop trailing a two wheeler with the eyes fixed on the rider.
"Gorgeous!! wasnt she?? "
Both of them nod indicating a tacit approval.
Good she wasnt wearing a helmet. Who wants those beautiful faces covered with helmets. Some do wear, much to the dismay of the dudes. whats the use? whats the use when the dudes zip and overtake just to catch a glimpse of that face through the rear view mirror (alas! some use of it). sad state of affairs. Helmets should be banned for those lovely damsels on the roads.
A lot more scenes happen in this play and a small topic is insufficient to describe all those. With bits and pieces of information I know, this play was a mere bricolage of my mind. There are more colourful and lively characters known and unknown making this lifeline of hyderabad, which is bustling and growing enormously.

Disclaimer: All the characters and scenes aforementioned are only the product of my hallucinations. They have absolutely nothing to do with the real life of hyderabad. Hyderabad is a wonderful city with organized traffic and wide and clean roads and cops who know nothing but discharging their duty assiduously. If you witness any of the incidents or scenes then its only a delusion created owing to your tired, over stressed, crazy and psychopathic mind. Good day!

Greetings!
Here we are stepped into yet another year of our lives and marching ahead. Every year we see and are part of joyous celebrations around the world happening on this technically defined new year.. This might not be a milestone or a significant event in our lives but surely is a means to appease ourselves, our minds by celebrating mediocrity. We simply cannot tolerate routinism, we are always in dire need of celebrations, happiness, sorrow, pleasures, emotions..... A mixture of all this and more and more and insatiably even more... We cant take loads of just happiness, then it becomes routine. we need that dose injected with sorrow and other unhealthy emotions. We cannot live, forget living even exist in a world of complete peace. Thats how it has been. Right? Too much of digression perhaps.. With my neurons charged up and firing, digression should be permissible to certain extent.. Isnt it? ok getting to the topic in discussion. Let me clarify, folks! this is not a wake up call from God to write abt God.. God!! I have some personal questions here.. He or She? Human being? Animal? Super natural force? Something beyond our understanding? So I limit myself to stating God simply and quite contentedly as God.

God made man (thats what Im trained to believe!) and man made religions. Every religion right from its inception has been serving some altruistic purpose. We humans who have classified (in the beginning of course) ourselves into religious groups have been following and preaching the purpose. Well in the course of time we felt mere classification isnt enough (mediocrity you see!) and started differentiating ourselves into religious sects and in addtion started cultivating religious fanaticism which slowly led to intolerance and many more disastrous events in this world. So religions ultimately tend to be a human purpose whatsoever it was and it is now.. Lets just separate the God factor from the religions for the time being and look for it in our day to day lives...

Who calls for God and when?? Most of us do... some of us pray or call when we are in need of help, support to fulfill our desires in life, some do it when in trouble, some attend to God to seek guidance in life and a good number of us also tend to express our gratitude for everything that God has showered upon us whatever way it might be.. Very well.. and there are some who make a living in the name of God. I would like to quote something from the movie 'Bruce Almighty' where Morgan Freeman who dons the role of God dressed in pure whites (one of my favourite characterisations of God, different and interesting) says "People want me to do everything for them. What they don't realize is *they* have the power. You want to see a miracle, son? Be the miracle.." That supernatural force or something beyond our understanding has gifted us this divine spark to think and decide on our own. That spark is always with us, within us... when we call for God we are associating with that spark, calling within ourselves.. Its just that some of us feel that presence strongly at some sacred places like shrines, temples and churches. That omnipotent force is everywhere and can take any form or shape, like that of a friend who pulls you out of a peril, a foe who forgives you even though he gets a chance to destroy you, a mentor whose words of encouragement has helped you reach your goals and many more such instances.. If you truly and wholeheartedly desire to achieve something, then the whole universe conspires for it to happen for you.. This could be God or a mode to communicate there is... isnt it??