What made news

Have been inhumanly busy past one month, but have been dying to post about so many things. So I have compiled a list of things I loved, I might blog about them in detail sometime, but in the meanwhile, please check out the following on youtube/wiki/google etc. And plz post your comments/feedback on what you like, and maybe on my next post I can feature the best ones.

Summer
Mangoes: That's what I love about summers, like Bawa says, “All fruits are god’s experiments to make mango gone wrong

Sugarcane juice and tender coconut (both happen to be sugar less)

Elections

BJP, Advani, thumbs up, commis, congs, third fronts especially Mayawati thumbs down, huge threat of mass migration abroad looms if Mayawati wins

Theatre
Bikhre Bimb, Doordarshan meets Alfred Hitchcock. Worth a watch.

Places
Bangalore: Is the metro rail project ever gonna end? are we gonna be alive to see the day when its finally built?
Hyderabad: Hot
Chennai: Hot and sweaty (worse!)

Food

Ragoo’s at KR road, the epitome of delicious veg continental food.

Music

Madagascar: “I like to move it, move it” (though its a lil old now)

Documentary
What the bleep do u know, watched it again, made an amazing lot of sense this time.

Geek stuff
Dear Macbook, Why do u have to start peeling off. Is this Apple’s commercial strategy to force people buy the macbook warranty pac costing 300$.
ipod: Is there an easy way to convert stuff into itunes format?

(fine, I admit it, I mentioned ipod only so that I could put this pic!)
Fashion

Naomi Campbell at India Fashion week wearing Saree. It takes a foreigner to tell Indians, “hello people, its fashionable to wear your culture.”

Books
Eragon: Does anyone know when the fourth inheritance book is gonna be out?
Twilight: Yet to read the fourth sequel, like the first two books, Twilight and New Moon, Eclipse was a washout, might as well finish reading the series with Breaking Dawn.

(P S: Movie sucks!)

Ponniyin Selvan: First flood, must read Tamil lit by Kalki (you get English translation too)

Google

SEKEM

Emoto Masaru- Messages from Water

My articles

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/Mar232009/metromon20090322125661.asp

http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Apr212009/metro-tue20090420131356.asp

Thats enough for now, enjoy maadi!

Dreams come true

Alladin and the magic lamp.

I always loved Genies...it began with Alladin. Then came the classic ‘I dream of Jennie’, an English soap opera dubbed in Hindi, where a NASA space scientist stumbles into a blond Genie, and falls in love with her. Then came Christina Aguilera's ‘Genie in a bottle’...which almost qualified as a teen pop anthem in 1999.

But nothing beat ‘Alladin’, and the song ‘A whole new world’. I remember, buying Alladin stickers as a 10 year old and sticking it all over mom’s new almirah, and she spent hours cleaning it later. It was one of my favourite movies till date, and I spoiled the music tape, by playing it a million times, till I could sing all the songs backwards.

At some point or the other we’ve all been Genies to someone, and it occurred to me that Genies always seem to have more fun, even though they have restricted freedom. A Genie never wants anything for himself/herself, and never runs behind treasures, but still serves unconditionally.

And a Genie is crazy, unpredictable, funny apart from being everyone’s dream come true. So more than having a Genie, its pretty awesome to be one. Its not always easy, but worth it. Check out the song and especially the lyrics.

Here are the lyrics of 'A whole new world', do catch its video on Youtube

I can show you the world Shining, shimmering, splendid

Tell me, princess, now when did

You last let your heart decide?

I can open your eyes

Take you wonder by wonder

Over, sideways and under

On a magic carpet ride

A whole new world

A new fantastic point of view

No one to tell us no

Or where to go

Or say we're only dreaming

A whole new world

A dazzling place I never knew

But when I'm way up here

It's crystal clear

That now I'm in a whole new world with you

Unbelievable sights

Indescribable feeling

Soaring, tumbling, freewheeling

Through an endless diamond sky

A whole new world

Don't you dare close your eyes

A hundred thousand things to see

Hold your breath - it gets better

I'm like a shooting star

I've come so far

I can't go back to where I used to be

A whole new world

Every turn a surprise

With new horizons to pursue

Every moment red-letter

I'll chase them anywhere

There's time to spare

Let me share this whole new world with you

A whole new world

That's where we'll be

A thrilling chase

A wondrous place

For you and me

Chini kum... a sugar free life

"Sugar is without question the number one murderer in the history of
humanity — much lethal than opium or radioactive fallout..." Putting' it
bluntly, the human body cannot handle man-refined sucrose erroneously called
sugar"- Japanese natural healer, Sakurazawa

With a lot of enthusiasm and determination, I had decided to give up sugar and white flour (maida). It felt great, coz discipline is not one of my biggest virtue, especially when it comes to my food habits. It all started one evening when I asked Bawa, “what do I do if I feel sleepy and lethargic even after proper 6 -8 hours sleep. “look at your diet, and cut out white sugar and maida” he said simply. So my Inspiration came from Bawa, who even bakes delicious cakes and other desserts sugar free, so giving up wasn't so tough.

I even flaunted my sugar free status on twitter, gtalk and face book, and drew quiet a bit of attention.

And then for a couple of day by some weird quirk of fate, the choicest of the gourmet sugar loaded delicacies were offered to me. Blueberry cheese cake, hot chocolate fudge, strawberry with whipped cream, jalebi.....it was okay till then,

but for the past 24 hours, there was mysore pak, soft drinks, tomato ketchup !!!!

stuff which I wouldn't touch normally suddenly felt like a life saving drug!

And then all those Cafe coffee days, Baristas and cake shops that I wouldn't look at twice, seemed to pop out with all its vividness while everything else including traffic blurred into the background.

The worst was, every single item on their window seemed to have sprouted an ‘eat me’ sign.

“its alright to just have one ‘strawberry-kiwi’ smoothie, who knows I might even get enlightened”.

“what if I was starving, wouldn't one bite of a back forest pastry save my life”

And then comes the worst bit, people started bombarding me with dabba after dabba of Ugadi sweets.

“Well, I can go sugarless after Ugadi, I cant go hurting people’s sentiments by not accepting their ‘sweet gestures’ ?”

Wait that’s not the worst bit, the worst bit is people acting as if you are terminally ill.

“Are u diabetic?”,

“What's wrong with you?”, or the less extreme

"Are you on a diet?"
"do u wanna loose weight?"

Then I think about why I am leading a diabetic life? and I get my answers alright!
read this - http://daghettotymz.com/current/whitesugar2/whitesugar2.html,

Q & A

Dear Bau, I have been off sugar since yesterday, and you're right, I
feel much better (less tired). I am giving it up for good, but everything from pani puri to tomato ketchup these days contains sugar. Can you please give me some tips to help me stick to this.
Answer: Once u get off it, you will realise that there are many alternatives available steer clear of all the chemical sweeteners, they are worse. Jaggery, honey, maple syrup are fantastic alternatives and in a bit you will get used to their taste. After 3 months try eating a normal sugar thing and it will leave u disgusted.

Most importantly, I feel great, though my taste buds sometimes violently protest.

But if it leaves me stronger, healthier and improve my lifestyle which I know it will, its all for the good. And oh I also saved quiet a bit of money not eating junk which I can (and i did) unashamedly spend on shopping.

The curious case of Krishna Kalyan

Today’s the day I feel weirdly nostalgic about! Its Krishna’s (my brother’s) birthday. If he was around, we would have gone out to eat at some ridiculously expensive restaurant, and he would have demanded a ridiculously expensive gift (like a macbook pro).But since I am saving so much money, I decided to dedicate this post to him.

When he was born and I was about three, I remember being wildly angry at my parents and kicked, screamed and demanded them to go right back to the hospital, and leave him there.But since then, I’ve grown quiet affable to his presence (OMG I’ve endured 20 years of torture, no wonder our family turned spiritual).

Though we fought like cats and dogs, and I’d always outwit and outdo him at any combat. That is until 14, when gods suddenly decided to grace him with height, and he started resembling a bean pole overnight, and I knew that I was physically (rather vertically) challenged to fight our brutal wars. As a kid he was a FAT baby, and he would hardly talk, little did we know that the seeds of a master arguementator was being sown, and now with his words, he can baffle the most accomplished of word smith (even dad).

He loves speaking about himself, My earliest memories of krishna talking about himself in past tense when he was two years old, saying “ Jab main one dena half ka than na..(when I was one-dena half...).” And he would say that till he was 5.

At 6, I did something that he would never forgive me of, I poured half a bottle of vinegar (very smelly) on his head, and he smelt of vinegar for one week!This started the onslaught of our fragrance wars. Our dad had gone in a ship and brought these two horrid human repellent Jasmine perfume for our mom. And we caught hold of these and used it as our arsenal. One threat of using these would stop the most intense fight. But there were times when we did use it, and then we’d have to open all windows and switch on all the fans and only then could we breathe.

He started displaying leadership qualities at mere 9 years, when he became the youngest leader of a gang comprising 12 and 13 year olds (no proof, strictly his claims, citation needed). And finally at 15 he transformed into human magically after doing YES course with Shreya Didi. Read here about it. And then well, we all lived happily ever after.

That's it. Happy Birthday bro. When (and if) you are really famous one day, I promise to be your official biographer, and we will make millions and become really rich.

Drenched in Kollam

Pic Credit: Srikanth

Things haven't been easy since the first moment I’d decided to go to Kollam. But I knew with some quirk of fate (called grace) I would land up. It was exactly one year ago that I saw Mahashivratri in Surat on TV and decided, that no matter I wanted to be there next year.

So after a lot of external conflicts (Boss, parents, missing train and a bus to Kollam) a few internal conflicts (when I missed the train), we finally landed in Kollam after a bumpy 14 hour bus ride in the end corner seat, turning all my insides into marshmallow. I’d already been feeling unwell for the past week, and could predict myself getting worse, so I thought, If i’m gonna get sick and take leave anyway, I might as well get sick in Kollam.

The first thing I hear as I reach the grounds is Gurudev’s voice taking Mahakriya, and it was then that it finally sunk in! I was finally finally finally here!
During the course of the day we went to the beach, and by evening we got ready and finally made it to the venue for the finale.
The blazing sun had finally shown signs of setting in, and as the twilight rays scattered the sky, it felt as if the whole environment was Drenched in a sacrosanct energy. There was a ramp that was constructed that was almost half a kilometre long, and nine feet high, where Gurudev could walk amidst the squealing public. There were satsangs, dance performances and even a powerpoint presentation, but most were oblivious of it, slipping into meditation before event the vibrant chanting began.




The next thing I know is that everyone around me standing on the chairs to get a glimpse of Gurudev walking on the ramp, in utter love and bliss. I have seen Guruji so many times, in so many satsangs over the past five years, but seeing him in this form, was like seeing him for the first time, like seeing pure unadulterated, uncensored divinity, that can knock out anything that has even an iota of life.

Then it was over in a blink of an eye, and here I am back at my office desk, typing out my experience in the hope of reliving even one moment of that.

And not for the first time, I realise how inadequate words can be when it comes to narrating some experiences.

My best friends wedding

For once I actually thank the Indian railways for delaying the Kurla-Coimbatore, I was almost 25 Kms away from the station, somewhere in Kanakapura, when Goli called me to give the good news. "The train is one hour late".

So we reached Coimbatore 6 am, checked into our hotel, after some suryanamaskar and meditation, we ventured to the city. The wedding function wasn't until evening.

Thanks to Goli and his adventurous spirit, we visited (climbed up) the Murugha Malay temple, and then had lunch in one of the popular 'Annapurna' chain of restaurant.At last I stood at the wedding venue, in Ree's room where she was getting ready for the wedding.

I myself had properly preened for the wedding spending close to 3 hours in the salon (and a bill to match it). "I'm fighting with Prasanna", she said with a mischievous glint.

Here I was, looking at the girl, my best friend, who I've seen growing up, from that weird Bong Mumbai snoot, to a child like Tamilian Iyengar mami.

And the transformation was unbelievable. A part of me wanted to scream, "this is totally child marriage, and that's illegal", and another part of me stood in awe, at Ree's sudden maturity which was alien to me. This was certainly not impulse queen I'd known. This was a woman ready to start a family.

My throat chocked as I saw her carrying the maadu saree, with such a grace, that even I as a Tamilian probably couldn't.

Reema in Maadu Saree

The wedding ceremony took place in proper traditional Iyengar style with unjaal (swing) and Kashi yatra, and Ree even sported a cute aandal kondai, and it was so touching to see her entire family following the instructions with an innocence of a child. And Coimbatore provided a perfect setting for it.

At the photo shoot

We left from the wedding next afternoon, after a hearty elay pota shaphad (banana leaf meal) with mixed feelings.

Having grown up all over India, mostly in north, it would be an understatement if I said I have not always appreciated my culture. But In Ree's wedding when I saw a family who were complete outsiders, embracing the culture, probably even better than their own, I felt quiet unnerved. And here I was, barely able to make a proper conversation in my own mother tongue.

Pruth and me

I really did not know about Tamil movies, or literature, and certainly did not know how to read or write Tamil. It strikes me, that its not that 'I don't know', its was 'I don't care'.

But I've decided to change that.

Life is all about deepening roots and broadening your vision and here is one of my active attempts.

Pic credits: Goli , Avinash and Vikrant (Reema's brother)

Being centered

I am going through one of those 'god-why-do-I-exist' phases again! Imagine a day like this
I wake up late (already a bad sign), take an auto to office,
then I realise I forgot my
wallet at home. Thankfully the auto guy is nice enough to accept the fare next day, so takes my phone number.
Get to work. Make stupid mistakes, and was threatened to get fired 3 times. Finally I get chucked out of making the pages (I work for a newspaper). And at this point I just observe how I feel. Things going wrong is not really big deal for me, by now, I am a self confessed expert at it. But then inevitably I always go into 'this-always-happens-to-me', or 'everyone's-here-to-give-me-a-hard-time' mode.
But today, as my boss screamed on top of her voice so that the whole office could hear how badly I screwed up, I could just detach myself and watch what was happening and just smile (internally).
And a strange calmness enveloped me. And then I felt just empty, blank.

And then a realisation of how impermanent each situation is hits me. And how empty they feel as they fade away in the magnitude of time. And every time I get back to this emptiness, I get in touch with truth. As I walk back from work to home, in the busy MG road every single day, I feel, I am at the centre, and events, happenings, emotions..are all revolving around me. While I remain rooted, untouched yet ephemeral.