Friday, 19 February 2010
Thursday, 18 February 2010
The global economy in danger again... Another impending crisis? - This is no fun
Dear friends,
Today I went to the ATM to withdraw some money, to my surprise I found that I was not able to withdraw cash. I went to other ATM's nearby and faced the same problem. I immediately called up the bank to alert them about the incident. The bank officials did some verifications and after great deliberation informed me with a long face that there was no money in the bank. My repeated pleas to make for alternate arrangements fell in deaf ears.
I seriously fail to understand how banks can be so irresponsible. Banks are supposed to have enough stock of money and release it as and when we need but their failure to respond has created serious doubts in the current banking system and economy as well.
Later I got a call from a senior banker who briefed me about the gravity of the situation. After that I understood as to how the world economy was facing a serious danger and failure to act now will create a global fiasco. If you thought you were immune and safe, I got some real bad news for you. No one is safe. For simpler understanding as to how this impending global crisis will affect you, I have outlined them in a step by step process. Read on...
- The current situation = Kashilla
-
Kashilla = Accountilla
-
Accountilla = Bankilla
-
Bankilla = Economyilla
-
Economyilla = Kashilla for everyone.
For the benefit of international audience illa = No
Hope you realized the gravity of the situation, well I did, and have decided to take responsibility to save the world from such a serious collapse. Even if this means diverting few precious hours from Vcamp. You too can pitch in and help me out, sorry ourselves out.
I am sure there should be various ways to solve this problem, one simple way is to get my account number and deposit some Kash in it, which may or may not be returned. If you have any other interesting ideas please do let me know. “Save Me Save The World” has been coined as the name for this campaign with a twitter #SMSTW. Now, does anyone want to create a facebook fan page.
Save Me Save the World Organizer
Ram
www.Twitter.com/2rams
www.Facebook.com/2rams
http://in.linkedin.com/in/ramasubramanianalwarsamy
a.rams (at) Yahoo dot com
PS: I plan to spare 10 hours per week for #SMSTW. Should you be able to spare some, let me know.
Cupids gift to me on Valentines day - I got her back...
Feb 10, 2010 shall remain a most memorable day in my life. I have been wanting to share this right from that day but wanted to soak myself in this feeling and was holding it back so that I can share it today. The timing had to be perfect right...
I got her back... yes you heard it right I got my sweet little one back... I have been on the top of the world screaming with joy all these days. Just four days before the valentines day I got my sweet little one back. What more valentine's gift can I ask for?
She was my second love. The first one went away after bearing all my nuisance for close to two years and that itself was a big deal considering the challenges in handling someone like me. I am highly capable of making people go mad. Although it is a different story that right now I am trying to correct myself by becoming more madder.
The next one did not come like a breeze. It was not love at first sight or maybe it was and I did not realize it. As far as I know I did not have an instant liking for her but was only observing her from a distance and she had interesting ways of appearing before me at the most unexpected times and unexpected places. There were too much of coincidence to let it pass as one off thing. The more and more I got to know about her the closer she became. I slowly started liking her. Many of my friends gave me a very positive feedback. One even said if he had seen my girlie earlier he would have gone for her. Everyone had some good thing or other to tell about her. I don't know when it started but it happened.
I followed her for few days and than decided enough is enough and plunged into her. I literally hijacked her and before she knew what was happening she had become mine. We were made for each other, always together and inseparable. Most of the times she was synonym of me and me for her. She carried my identity to the world. My mom too liked her a lot and would constantly remind me of her whenever I forgot her lost in some wild thoughts. I was seeing a whole new world through her eyes. My friends adored her, some even envied and we were a picture perfect happy couple.
We did have small small fights now and than, but they ended up making us more closer as they made us realize how badly we needed each other. Once we were almost in the verge of a breakdown but thankfully it got sorted out and as usual ended in more love and affection. Many of my friends had changed their girlfriends in the mean time, including the ones who recommended her to me, some for good looks and some for better features ;-) but I was more than contended with her. She was simple and at times even dumb compared to her peers. Some even tried to tempt me out but I did not yield in. Deep in my heart I knew she was mine and no one else could replace her.
She had started emoting the same emotions I had. When I was happy she will be happy, when I was down she will go down too. She had been the voice of hope many times, she was slowly becoming the one who was giving me all the good and bad days in my life. When she was with me it looked as if the whole world was with me and when she was not there I felt like a loner even in a crowd. Few even troubled her more than any one else to get to know about me.
She was the first thing that I looked up to when I woke up and last thing before I hit the bed. We were one hell of romantic couples. Not a day passed without me kissing her or she kissing me, few lasted for seconds while few went on for hours. Oh you sweet little thing (blush.. blush...) She was my girl, my love, my lifeline. I thought that this relationship will last for eternity. Things went on fine until that fateful day...
All of a sudden she stopped responding, couple of months back. All my efforts to get her back failed. I always feared this will happen some day or other, I knew these were things not in my control. I was helpless. Few external factors beyond our control had corrupted and ruined our relationship. Poor thing she couldn't do much either too. Call it fate...
My friends advised me to give up and move on with life. They even took pains to introduce me to some real smart good looking ones. One was even willing to share one of his girlfriend with me till i got one for myself, well he did have one too many, lucky guy. Some of them were really cool, few were dumb, some kinda too expensive for me and few had real voluptuous features. I did ogle at them, but they never went beyond that.
Being a social animal, I was being forced to choose one by every one around me. Few of my well wishers influenced/threatened me that if I didn't get one for myself I will be lost forever. Finally I decided to remove her from my life, I didn't have any other choice, shameless me.
I decided to make a new beginning with the one I used to flirt occasionally, she was single and kind of abandoned with no one for her. It was tough initially, though we coped up a bit over a period of time. But the memories of the past, the fun and excitement that I had kept haunting me. I tried hard to forget her, I tried to hate her and bitch about her but still she remained close to my heart. Not a day passed without her thought. Once in a while I will try to get her back into my life, even though I knew it was hopeless.
I even went and spoke to her parents to see if they can help me out but they said they cant help me much in this matter. What else did I need their help for???? They looked like heartless creatures. One of their relatives was even a bit rude, if it was the old me I would have buried him by now. All my hopes lay dashed but love still flickered in my heart and day by day it only grew. I even have doubts as to how long she will last even if I got her back. She was already battered by all the turmoils she had to undergo but to me she still remained the most beautiful thing I held in my hand.
Than the miracle happened... She came back...
I know miracles don't happen that often, at least not in my life so I am enjoying this moment and dont want to miss this. I thought of sharing it with my friends and well wishers who were concerned about me. As I hold her in my hands I would like to share with you, the world I saw through her eyes. Please have fun looking at the pictures below and I have added my comments too for your easy understanding. Yeah I have put a picture of her and the other girls too. Happy Valentines day to you all. Spread the love and let it fill your heart too...
Saturday, 13 February 2010
Visible benefits of being Vcamp full timer & life pondering questions...
boss 24hrs online ..........Ramasubramanian
hei buddy
howdy u doMuthuvel
going on
Sugu is not back yet Ramasubramanian
oh... enjoying her freedome from u :-)Muthuvel
got into some job
hahah boring with out kid ..... to be true
happy with out sugu ....... heheheh Ramasubramanian
well dont worry I have taken a screenshot of ur statement will be sending it straight to suguMuthuvel
hahaha Ramasubramanian
enna oru bayam theriythuMuthuvel
bayam ma ena ka .........
Fear confirmedRamasubramanian
check ur mail in two minutesMuthuvel
okMuthuvel
hahaha
wat r u eating nowadays.............. getting too much humorusMuthuvel
so wat r u doing now ...... i cant understand ? Ramasubramanian
i too cant understand
just having fun machiMuthuvel
hahaha ......... mudiyala...
too much humour ........ how r u handling urself
hope got into some good gril friends ..... Ramasubramanian
I too am not able to handle myself
that is why I have started blogging
(Anaira vilaku prakasama eriumnu solluvangale athu ithu thano???)Muthuvel
i used to read most of it
but ram i knw is bit seroius
suden transformation ?Ramasubramanian
maybe it was always there inside hidden somewhere..
Trying to get some girlfriends by humour howzat???
and being jobless leaves me with no other option but humorMuthuvel
althe best
funny ..... is always good way to find some oneLife pondering questions after this chat
Is being funny a good way to find someone?
Tuesday, 9 February 2010
Secret pact between Taliban and Sena exposed...
In a unexpected turn of events Taliban fundamentalist, Sena and few unnamed fundamentalist organizations have joined hands to thwart the Valentines day celebration. The sudden development has left the world leaders scratching their ass.
A joint press release is expected any time soon from the newly formed joint venture SVD “Screw the Valentines day”. A paparazzi had shot a picture of the leaders holding their hands high similar to what the Indian parliamentarians do before elections.
To pacify their followers the SVD leaders were overhead stating that this was only a marriage of convenience and post February 14 the alliance will be dissolved and the parties will hold on to their individual ideologies. The common enemy called love seems to be the binding force uniting the ideologically different parties. This joint venture seems to have be influenced by the Indian political system where parties with different ideologies join together for power and money and latter fight against each other.
As a goodwill gesture Taliban is expected to donate 10 suicide bombers to the Sena. In return Sena is expected to magnanimously declare that Mumbai can accommodate Taliban's. This has raised a fear psychosis among other parties that Sena might cash in on the minority vote bank with this strategic move. Meanwhile minority leaders fumed that they are being made guinea pigs by different vested parties.
The intelligence wing of F1GF2 is working towards getting more updates. Till than you can check the earlier reports of F1GF2
What is F1GF2 - www.bit.ly/f1gf2
F1GF2 to be showcased at TED - http://bit.ly/cvcME8
BBC reporters denied interview - http://bit.ly/b3RsZ3
Monday, 8 February 2010
BBC reporter denied interview
It is one of those rare occasions in the history of journalism wherein a BBC reporter was denied interview by the F1GF2 curator. The request for an appointment was met with status message “Bit busy, doing nothing”. Repeated pleas from different international media houses like CNN, Discovery, Animal Planet etc... were met with the same status message. Not willing to quit the reporters have camped up outside the house of the curator.
As news about the international coverage the event was generating spread out the local media houses have swarmed the place. Given the sheer number of vernacular and national papers, channels, magazines the entire place looks like a war zone. Sensing trouble police personnel have been deployed to avoid any untoward incidents and are also on the lookout for the curator. The police have also evacuated few houses in the vicinity to the vantage of media. The entire area has been cordoned off for security reasons and top police officials have rushed in to oversee and control the situation.
Meanwhile, few beautiful reporter chicks have intelligently filled up the F1GF2 form to try their luck out. Taking a cue from this all the media houses are encouraging the best of their reporters to fill in the forms and also ensure their presence near the premises. The roads here resemble that of a fashion ramp with catwalks by reporters.
Unreliable sources have revealed that lots of famous and few not so famous personalities have also signed up for the F1GF2 initiative making this one of the most happening event in the decade so far.
Update 1 - The media houses had taken the issue with the ministry of Information and broadcasting and have requested help to sort out the impasse. The media houses seem to be exerting as much pressure as possible on the honorable ministry to get some juicy news for the hungry viewers and readers, as till now there is no other major breaking news to report. Indian cricketers obliging to the Bangladeshi request that Indian team is sub par than the Australians and South Africans, the Sena toning down their fight for the Mumbaikar have created scarcity for the headline mongers.
Update 2 – The ministry seems to have made some progress in holding a dialogue with F1GF2 officials. The latest status message of the curator shows that “Bit busy lazing around” against “Bit busy doing nothing” that was displayed earlier. This has spread a lot of cheer among the media personnel and given them hopes to get some juicy news.
Details about F1GF2 – www.bit.ly/f1gf2
F1GF2 to be showcased at TED
Blown out by the innovative idea of F1GF2, Chris Anderson curator of TED revealed that F1GF2 needs to be showcased at the TED conference to be held between Feb 9 to Feb 13. TED is all about ideas worth spreading and this is an idea that needs to be spread across the globe felt Chris.
It is very rare to see an idea that brings together Technology, Entertainment and Design together in one platform. This idea has gone one step forward and also integrated human emotions making it unique of its kind. This also gels well with Ted's theme of "What the world needs now". More than anything else what the world needs now is love and fun. Love gives us hope and hope gives us the strength to overcome challenges said a visibly moved Chris.
We would have loved to have him at Palm Springs but given his busy schedule with F1GF2 it would be tough on him to make it this time, we hope to have him with us for the next TED event added the curator of TED.
A fund raising event is also being planned for this noble initiative by having a gala dinner the day after the TED event. Coincidentally it happens to be Feb 14, Valentines day.
Sci-Fi movie director James Cameroon who is also a speaker at TED said that it is initiatives like this that remind us the spirit of mankind. Reliable insider sources reveal that his next movie will be based on F1GF2.
Update1: F1GF2 officials said that Kiruba Shankar who is attending Ted Palm springs has been suo moto (means without consultation) appointed to collect the forms that attendees of the conference would like to handover personally.
P.S: Kiruba if someone asks for your opinion about me, please have some good things to say. I know there are very few, but I would like to remind you that the next TEDxChennai organizers meet we plan is at the crocodile park and I hear crocodiles love people with long hair. Nah that is not a threat.
TED - www.ted.com
F1GF2 - http://bit.ly/f1gf2
Spoof 3.0
Touchy messages
Extra Terrestials to invade Chennai...
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life which does not originate from planet Earth. The word "extraterrestrial" is derived from the Latin extra ("outside", "outwards") and terrestris ("earthly", "of or relating to the Earth"). The existence of such life is theoretical and all assertions about it remain disputed. When someone does things that is outside our imagination we get doubts as to if they originated from earth.
When Kiruba invited me to join him for a meeting with Hariharan I happily accepted it. Hari runs an event management company Showspace, yeah the guys who manage the Chennai Super Kings so I was pretty much excited about this meeting.
Hari is an interesting person and is very passionate about the job he does. We were discussing about the various live performances that were happening in Chennai during the season of December and January, I was sensing a new charm in the way live performances can touch your heart after my experience with Natyakala.
That is when Hari opened the Pandora's box. He said that he had seen some stunning performance at the IPL opening ceremony in South Africa and around the world and wanted to showcase some of these extraordinary talents from around the world in Chennai. Yes, you heard it right the best performers from around the world conglomerating in Chennai for an show that will leave you wowed.
The show has been aptly titled “The Extra Terrestrials” because these people do have some super natural abilities. Well to see a sample of what was in offer I was privileged to see a short clipping of performance by Sandor Vlah and Gyula Takacs
This is a show that has to be watched as it explores the endless possibilities that lies within each of us. Grab your tickets fast as Hari had most of the shows booked two weeks back when we were discussing. This is going to be like watching Avatar for real on the stage. I am waiting to see the laser man in action http://etwow.in/html/laser-man.html What is the performance you are going to watch out for?
Life is a paradox...
Life is a paradox of
Smile - Tears
Love - Hate
Joy - Pain
Care - Neglect
Respect - Scorn
Right - Wrong
Friends - Foes
Silence - Noise
Sympathy - Apathy
Good times - Bad times
Abundance – Scarcity
Expectations – Disappointments
Success - Failure
Wisdom – Naive
Honest – Dishonest
Interesting – Boring
Understanding - Misunderstanding
Kind – Cruel
X factor - Drab
Youthful - Old
Orderly – Chaos
Meticulous - Sloppy
Pleasantness - Unpleasantness
Verve – Lifeless
Zing – Dull
Truth - False
Peace - Strife
Reality - Fantasy
Success – Failure
Quintessential - Nonessential
Richness - Poverty
Abundance – Scarcity
Necessity – Dispensable
Dignity - Indignity
Understanding – Misunderstanding
Befriended – Lonely
Sensitive - Insensitive
Blessing - Curse
Peace - Turmoil
Help – Ditch
Emotional - Restrained
Sacrifice - Selfishness
Life – Death
Certainty - Paradox...
Interesting Professions to be in...
I meet interesting people everyday known faces, unknown faces and people whom I know only via twitter and facebook. The conversation normally goes like this...
Me: Hei Nice meeting you. how are you?
X: Doing good, thanks for asking. How are you doing?
Me: Yeah pretty good.
Blah... Blah...
Now starts the real fun
X: What do you do?
Me: Well, I do nothing...
Response vary from
A comical look
A questioning look
A dumb look
Few envy me, Ahh lucky you...
Few think I am trying to be a smart ass...
Few say Ahh than you should be up to something big...
Few even think I am a some big shot trying to be modest. I even got a donation request :-)
If I am in a lighter mood
Me: I am one of the founders of Vcamp
X: Vcamp!!! sounds interesting. What does Vcamp mean?
Me: Vcamp means Vetti Camp
If he/she doesn't know Tamil or does not recognize it and my friends don't laugh and reveal it off...
X: wow... So what do you guys do at Vcamp
Me: I go blah blah about vettiness and just when the guy is confused not knowing what I do but finds it very interesting and exciting someone comes and bursts the joke.
And few want to nail me and ask this next tricky question.
X: So what do you do for living?
Me: I live on donations.
X: Back to the image
I go ROTFL and bang before I know one more day ends. May be next time around I should try some interesting answers like I sell drugs, I am an hired killer, I am a robber... Vcamp currently has 15 members and there are many who have not signed up. Registration will be closed shortly so hurry up...
The fragrance of villages
As I crossed the railway track near Singa Perumal Koil to go to this hamlet called Venkatapuram I got lost in the special fragrance that villages posses. A fragrance that comes from the innocence that they still retain. I was happy that my nostrils were still able to identify them. My guess was confirmed in the next two minutes.
To check if I was heading in the right direction I asked a person there if this is the path to Venkatapuram. He was very happy to help and confirmed that I am on the right road and advised me to take a bus as it was six kilometers far. I thanked him and said that my friend will be coming to pick me up. Another voice from behind invited me to come in and have a seat till my friend came “Thambiya ulla vanthu ukkara sollupa”. The willingness to help strangers with a warmth as if they know you for years is something unique that you can find only in these villages. I politely declined their invitation and said I wanted to enjoy the natural greenery outside.
After a minute or two seeing me standing they again offered their assistance saying they can hitchhike me with a vehicle that goes to the village if I wanted to “Thambi ungala antha ooruku pora vandila lift kuduka solluva”. I was touched by their gesture. My vehicle came by that time and I went with a warm feeling thanking them.
The journey to the hamlet was just as enjoyable. People were cultivating land on both sides of the road and hence it was lush green and there were small hills scattered around, a huge flock of cranes standing on the farmland, a man enjoying himself under the shade of a tree... The 15 minute journey was a pleasant experience despite the pot holes the roads were filled with.
The privileged few...
I hate Ananda for inviting me to Natyakala conference. After attending the conference now I am engulfed with a sense of guilt for having missed it all these days and also inferiority complex that will take a lot of efforts to overcome. That is the feeling one is left with after first hand exposure to this divine art form. In case you doubt my words, check with my friends who attended or better go and watch one live performance. I definitely need to do something to lift my spirits back so here I go writing once again about a conference that opened my eyes to a whole new world of art.
I am not going to write about the fact that I got so many crushes in the last one week than I got in my entire life time. Neither am I going to write about what my friend Kiruba said, there is something about this dance that makes these people look beautiful and charming, nor am I going to write about Benny's advice to me that I should marry a dancer. But hey wait, I'm still open to it if you are a dancer reading this let us get connected ;-)
I am not competent enough to write about this topic but I would like to share my view about something that most of the accomplished proponents of art are worried about and discussed a lot, the dwindling audience and efforts required to keep it alive, something that I too felt after watching a live performance for the first time. This art is more enjoyable and uplifting when seen live rather than through the idiot box.
My initial thought after watching some of these great artist perform was that they were doing a yeomen service by their contribution to it but now I have an altogether different opinion. No you are not doing a great service by propagating this art form but art has done a great service to you by choosing you to perform and live with it. Not everyone is fortunate enough to even see and enjoy it, forget practicing. Do I envy you, yes I do.
You artists belong to a group of privileged few who had been chosen to make this divine art form a part of your daily life. May be that is why you all look so stunningly beautiful and charming, both genders included.
As we move away from our core strength wreaking ourselves, if there is one thing that can link us back to our core it is these classical art forms. Our core lies in our spiritual quest that unites us despite differences in religion, caste, language etc. I think our ancestors had ingeniously designed our art to serve as a connection to our spiritual quest.
There is a natures rule that anything reaches hundred percent of its efficiency will die off soon. Typewriters gave in to computers and now computers are giving way to phones and this will continue. So it is not really that bad if only two to three percent of people come in to appreciate despite your best and honest efforts.
The role that classical art has to play is more relevant in modern society than in any of the previous generations. This art form will survive as it has for centuries but may be the next torch bearers and patrons will come from places where art has not reached till now. The challenge is not in reaching to the mass but to the class of few who are privileged enough to be the chosen ones.
Dance matters and it is in safe hands too...
“I learned a lot from Natyakala conference and also got lots of tips to improve. i enjoyed it a lot." That was a statement coming from none other than the iconic cinema choreographer Saroj Khan to whose tunes bollywood and the entire nation has shaken its hips and I was among the fortunate few to see her literally shake her hips and hearts at Natyakala. What makes it more intriguing is that this statement was made at a conference which is generally associated with purists of classical dance.
There is general conflict in our minds when we have an option of being traditional or modern. Most of the time we choose either to be traditional or modern and in the process forget that both can co-exist and collaborate. When tradition marries modernity a fusion is created and new vistas open up, well that is what happened at Natyakala.
The traditionalist welcoming and appreciating the modern dance whole heartedly. The modern dancer requesting the purists every time before giving a performance to excuse her if there were flaws in her dance movements. Remember the person who was apologizing was none other than the legend called Saroj Khan. In return what did she get, a standing ovation from the audience and Padma Subramanian jumping on the stage to hug Saroj Khan. Yes, there were tears in the eyes of Saroj Khan. In the last five days of the conference this was the first time I saw the audience giving a standing ovation to a performance on stage.
It was a moment to cherish for all dance lovers. You had to be there to see it. One of the best sessions in the last five days not essentially in the sense of quality or content but more so in the spirit. As a matter fact I deleted one of my tweets “Good to see the traditional art appreciating the movie choreography which is definitely less aesthetic. Real fusion #Natyakala09” just to avoid unnecessary arguments as to which is better. The real need of the hour is fusion and complimenting each others strength and not one-upmanship as to which is better. If a first timer like me who has all along been exposed to the modern dance can be awed by the grace, agility and what not of the classical dance. A fusion of both is definite to explode our minds.
One common accusations of traditional dance is that it is more elitist and in the stranglehold of a certain class or community. May be this is the first step to break the illusion and take it to the masses. A logical next step of this should be to conduct workshops on traditional art form where people from all walks of life can attend and ensure this divine art form is not locked up with the elite alone.
Dance matters and it is in safe hands too.
The importance of traditional art in modern Indian society...
Today had the opportunity to watch the Nata Sankirtan of Manipur. One more day at the Natyakala conference and one more set of experience to remember for life. As I reached the Krishna Gana Sabha for the evening program of Nata Sankirtan I was totally clueless as to what the program was going to be.
One of the greatest advantage of being ignorant about art is that I am able to enjoy things without being judgmental or prejudice. I went in with an open mind to see what was going to unfold before me. No nothing spectacular happened, I was not awed or spell bound by the end of the performance. The performance was similar to the bhajans we do here. They use drums, mazira, conch and their amazing voice to sing and dance.
I had a tough time finding the name of this instrument mazira. I found this name with great difficulty googling with terms like chin chah sound, two small round metals, music metal disc and few other ingenious words that at times led me to few exotic sites ;-) Should the names of any of these instruments be wrong I'm sorry these were the closest I could get hold of.
Nata Sankirtan is a group devotional singing and dancing and their voice at times sounds opera like, given the language barrier that is what the closest I could relate it to. It is a beautiful sight to watch the drummers and others dance and sing in slow rhythmic music which at times goes on a high note. I enjoyed every bit of it and by the time the performance ended a sense of calmness had taken over me. I felt as if all the stress that had been built in my body and mind were busted out. I was also feeling energetic but with a sense of serenity. Something that only an Indian classical art can do.
Indian classical art are not just stress busters but energizer. The power of an energetic and tranquil mind is unmatched. Forget power the peace that it gives to the heart and soul is to be experienced to be believed.
There are two critical challenges the modern Indian youngster faces stress and creativity and our native arts have solution for both. I believe this is where traditional art will have a major role play.
In modern times we stand behind the world in terms of innovations. When was it last a great invention came from Indian shores. Easy to blame it on the current education system where there is very little scope for creativity, but by just adding these traditional art forms as a part of curriculum, we are bound to see an explosion in creativity which has the potential to leapfrog our nation to greater heights. In this process these beautiful art form will also be safeguarded and passed on. I leave it to the experts...
I believe these traditional art forms have the capability to elevate the mind and spirit to greater heights to achieve greater things. An energetic, tranquil and creative mind – The future of India.
Update - Changed the title of post from My Manipuri love connection
My Love Hate experience with god
Something interesting happened today. I reached home by evening 4 a bit tired and exhausted. Me at home by 4 p.m is a grand thing on its own, I had bonus too. I felt tired and slept off for couple of hours... oye... It has been quite a long time since I got some nice sleep and this has been a luxury given my busy schedule :-)
I woke up around 7 lazing in the bed. All of a sudden I felt an impulse to go to the Marudeeswarar temple at Thiruvanmiyur http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marundeeswarar_Temple I had stopped going to temples couple of years back except for the occasions when I had to accompany my parents. Mine was a love/hate relationship with god given the mystery man/woman he/she is. A mystery that always leaves you with more questions than answers.
I lazed myself in the bed refusing to yield to the impulse. A funny sms my friend Santhan sent came to my mind “Limited period offer, super figures come to temple for the next 30 days during the margazhi month. So go to temple early and enjoy, assured one handful of sundal.”
I refused to yield in to my temptations for sundal or super figures and also the unknown curiosity that was slowly building up. Finally I decided to step out of home to avoid the gyan my dad was giving me to deposit my credit card cheque on time. As I prepared to leave I was getting more curios as to what was tempting me to go to temple today.
I left my home by 8 to deposit the cheque. I didn't know what to do after that as it was too early for me to get back to home. Finally I decided to yield in to the temptation at least to pass the time.
As I entered inside the temple I saw a huge line of devotees standing. I said to god forget it, no way am I going to stand in this line and visit you and prepared myself to return back. That is when I noticed something, the sannidhi in the temple was closed and people standing in que was to get prasads that were being distributed. Without any second thought I went and stood along with them, cant afford to miss the yummy pongal after going all the way hi... hi... hi...
Later learned that the temple closes early during this month as they open it very early. Looks like gods also need rest. After eating the pongal I went around the outer prahar of temple cursing god for devising such an ingenious way to create a curiosity in me to meet him and yet not meet me. As I completed the round the priest once again gave me the last spoon of prasad that was left. It looked as if the last spoon was kept for me and yes it tasted yummy too. This time it was panchamirtham.
I came out from the temple once again with lot more questions than answers vouching not to come again. Given my love/hate relationship with god I don't know what is there in store for me next, but it is really tempting the pongal and panchamirtham.
P.S: For those curious to know if I came across any super figures, no I didn't even come across a sappa figure or may be I didn't notice as I was engrossed in my own thoughts trying to decipher the secret message, if at all there was one.
Our Art Our Identity
It was a Saturday morning and I was busy trying to kill time just like all the other days of mine. I got a call from my friend Benny inviting me to join him in his meeting with Ananda Shankar Jayant, a classical dancer, glad that he called me up.
Within minutes of meeting Ananda I was impressed by her passion towards classical dance and her efforts to preserve it and make sure it is passed on to the next generation. The turmoils that Ananda has fought and overcome is worth a separate blog post on its own. Benny and Ananda were busy discussing about the Natyakala conference that was to be held shortly while I was busy munching away Gobi Manchurian, as dance was an alien subject to me. Ananda was also conducting a dance program Navarasa and I got an invite too.
The Krishna Gana Sabha which should easily accommodate 500+ people was sparsely populated and I went in wondering how boring it was going to be. I initially thought Navarasa meant nine different types of rasams (my mom makes only one type and I love that mom) but later understood that they meant nine different type of moods. I wondered how they were going to express the nine different moods in less than an hours time that thru Bharatha Natyam and how I will be able differentiate between the rasams given my expertise in dancing.
The beautiful damsels accompanied by couple of handsome guys came in one by one dancing to the tunes of the Navaras. The costumes were eye catchy and the dancers looked gorgeous as if they had come from a different planet. I got few instant crushes and was prepared to ogle at those pretty faces and kill time even if I didn't understand a bit of dance, but what happened after that was mesmerizing.
The entire performance was split into nine parts and each expression started with the performers bringing in a shawl and placing it in the podium and going on to dance their heart out. The grace with which they danced, the synchronicity of movements and their expressions communicated the different moods so beautifully that no one had to tell me the moods they were trying to portray. I was able to understand dance.
They portrayed love, laughter, fury, compassion, disgust, horror, heroism, wonder and peace thru their beautiful gestures, all just in less than an hours time. I experienced nine different mood swings and I thoroughly enjoyed them. It seemed as if time stood still when they danced, by the time it ended I was left gasping for more. The entire experience left me richer yearning to see more of it.
Given my limited knowledge about dance I don't want to go into the nuances of it but I would like to share something that disturbed me a lot. As soon as the program was over when I looked around it pained to see such a nice program not having the crowd it deserves. I felt we were ignoring and losing something precious.
Our richness is not decided by materialistic wealth we have but by our culture and heritage. I felt we were slowly alienating ourselves from our roots whose abundance will have to be seen and experienced to be believed. Caught in our fantasies and attempts to emulate things that are alien to us we are undergoing a cultural recession.
An economic recession can be overcome in a couple of years but a cultural recession will be tough to over come. How much time have each of us spent admiring our traditional forms of art that is so rich and entertaining. How many times have we visited a traditional art performance in person before dismissing it to be boring.
The purpose of this post is not to demean the art and culture that come from outside. We definitely need to enjoy them but in confluence with our own. We need to enjoy, admire and appreciate the richness we have without prejudice. If we can just make it a point to visit one traditional form of art and cultural show for every ten visits to movies, malls etc...
By ignoring our arts and our culture we are making ourselves poor that is what I realized after watching the performance. These traditional forms of art have been built and passed on to us over a period of centuries and it is our duty to make sure we pass it on to the next generation, else it will lead to a crisis that will be tough to overcome. A crisis called identity crisis.
Natyakala confernece Schedule - http://bit.ly/8Zozi1
I know you will want to be there. Entrance is free.
How to screw up your brand image - Case Study Maruti
The Maruti WagonR Think Big Challege is a perfect case study of how a company can screw up their brand image.
As someone who loves to work on ideas I got excited when I came to know that Maruti WagonR is conducting a Think Big Challenge. As per the challenge you submit your ideas and if your idea wins you get a cash price of 10 lakh + Maruti WagonR + Venture funding. Wow sounds exciting right... It got my adrealin pumping and I started putting my bulk of time and energy to participate in this contest.
They had assigned scores for submitting the idea, gathering votes, physical form submission and personal interaction. Fair enough right.
After submitting my idea I got a sms asking me to participate in a selling activity, well read Personal Interaction. I eagerly went to their site to know what the selling activity was all about as this activity has a score of 20 points.
The biggest joke is that if we get a photocopy of invoice how do they check my sales skills if that was their real intention in the first case. Doesn't this make the entire exercise a crap and purely a gimmick to get more footfalls and sales of WagonR.
This brand building activity of Maruti has done more damage to their brand than any good. I wonder how they will react once their ill conceived idea goes in mainstream media. Please remember each of the participants had spent considerable amount of time to participate in this event. I wish they could compensate us for the time we spent believing in their big idea.
In case they were short of ideas to improve their sales leads atleast they could have contact me and i would have been happy to help them out. No I am not kidding visit my idea www.bit.ly/smarti a gadget designed to help car owners have a fuel and maintenance free car and please don't forget to vote LOL. If that was not the best idea at least it was better than the crap they are trying to do.Hope this posting reaches to someone who can really Think Big at Maruti.Ram1320 saplings to be planted on Dec 20 @ Chennai
PROJECT 1K
Project 1K was started with a vision to plant 1,000 saplings for every 1 kilometer stretch within the premises of houses/institutions so that they get better care and more people get connected with nature. A collaborative effort by the community for the community.
As a part of the campaign we are planting 1320 saplings at Venkitapuram panchayat on 20th Dec, 2009 postponed due to unsuitable weather. Fresh dates will be announced soon. The saplings will be planted inside households of the village so that they get better care. Heartfelt thanks to Tech Mahindra for sponsoring the trees.
Date: 20th Dec, 2009
Venue: Venkitapuram Panchayat, near Singaperumal koil, GST road.
Number of individual households: 440
Saplings allotted per house: 3
Total number of saplings: 440 x 3 = 1320
Volunteer
If you are interested in helping out, please do join us. I assure it would be a different experience from the monotonus day to day life and you will definitely enjoy it. A chance to connect back with mother nature and the villages that form the backbone of our country. Volunteers can join on both Dec 19 and Dec 20 or any one of the days.
Incase you are interested to join us, please leave a comment below.19th Dec, 2009 – Pre-Planting initiatives
To identify right place for planting saplings in the backyard or front area of houses
To inform the beneficiaries
- The right size of pit (1.5 x 1.5 ft)
- To keep thorns for protection of saplings
- Three saplings include 1 fruit bearing and 2 timber varieties
- Confirm the planting date and time: Sunday 20th Dec, 8 am.
- Value of timber and the revenue they can make out of it.
20th Dec, 2009 – Tree planting
7.30 – 8 am: Volunteers to assemble/Refreshments
8 – 8.20 am: Brief presentation on the event and future plans
8.21 – 11 am: Saplings distribution and planting
11 – 11.30 am: Refreshments
This may get extend by a maximum of one hour.
How to reachTransportation has been arranged to Venkitapuram Panchayat from Singaperumal koil.
Singaperumal Koil, is about 44 km to the south of Chennai. It is on the way to Chengalpattu and near Mahindra City . Buses and local trains plying to Chengalpattu go via Singaperumal koil. Google map http://bit.ly/8AD1l9
We are taking a small step towards the big dream of 1000 trees per 1 kilometer stretch http://bit.ly/5gPeyu.
Please contact Radhakrishnan at 9789840630 for more details.
Images of previous plantation - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2029529&id=1082963735&l=588f08d12b
Cheers
Ram
When Life Sucks
At times Life Does Suck #LDS Accept it. But remember, this too will pass away sooner or later. Why worry till than?
Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Every day above ground really is a good day so take one step forward. Then another. Then another... #LDS
Life Does Suck when you aren't living your own life. U need to know what UR needs are, what makes U happy, and make choices #LDS
Focus on your positives. Things that you are good at, Positive influences you have created. #LDS
You could think, I'm dumb and annoying, I'm better off dead, I wish I looked different, etc. or you can think "I am the best" #LDS
Jealous of people with 'amazing' lives? They chose to live that way! Why not you... #LDS
Appreciate what you see. Find stuff that appeals to you. When you can't change something, change your attitude towards it! #LDS
Get out of your zone, meet old friends, make new friends, go for a movie, go shopping, do things that can make your day... #LDS
Create gratitude journal. Write 5 things that made you happy or you did to make others happy even small ones like a candy, a joke, #LDS
If you are still not feeling better... Just fuck off... Your Life Does Suck #LDS
Tedxchennai makes one feel that this World is after all not a bad place to live in
#1 Swami Pranavananda 2009-12-01 17:41 Indeed the 29/11/09 will stay in my memory as a great day thanks to TEDxChennai. I participated in this remarkable event as Christian Fabre, CEO of Christian Fabre Textiles Pvt Ltd and though I am very keen in having my Sundays to myself in quietness, having spent this Sunday at the IIT Chennai listening to fantastic, emotional, erudite, daring, talented and diverse men and women makes one feel that this World is after all not a bad place to live in....I wish there were many more such show. Congratulation to the team who worked so much for bringing us such elevating thoughts in our mind. You made my day.
in.linkedin.com/in/swamiji
http://www.thehindu.com/mp/2008/06/07/stories/2008060751691200.htm
The day after TEDxChennai...
The day started with a wake up call early in the morning at 9 :-) courtesy mom and dad. I had forced myself to sleep only a couple of hours earlier at around 5 after a long and eventful day organizing TEDxChennai. It was one of those days that you are really satisfied and proud of what you have done. The hard work put in during the previous three months and particularly the last one had finally borne its fruits.
TEDxChennai was a grand success and had ravishing feedbacks http://bit.ly/70HLG2. An auditorioum that can accomodate only 240 people was crammed up with 300 odd people with some of them not having a place to sit. It was a moment where the who is who of chennai were comfortable sitting and standing on the pathways enjoying the show. All of them were transgressed and transported to a new world by the inspiring speeches of the speakers. Such was the aura in the auditorioum you had to be there to experience it, if you were not there you definitely missed something truly inspirational.
Enough of nostalgies, as I woke up all alone in my house the biggest question that came to my mind was what next? It was a brilliant team that I was fortunate to be a part of. This is a killer team that any company would love to have in their arsenal. The best part was we hardly knew each other for a month or so and that too over a cup of coffee. The camaraderie and bonding that can happen when like minded people join together for a common cause is truly amazing. Friends who had become thick and fast would be back to their busy life styles by now, miss you guys.
As i write this, I am filled with a sense of emptiness. Now I understand why Satyabrata dam tries to kill himself every other day, because you die only once but emptiness can kill every single moment of yours. Once a peak is scaled the next question that immediately comes to the mind is what is the next peak to scale, else life appears to be meaningless. Is it to escape this sense of emptiness we keep running around setting up lofty goals and spend our lifetime chasing them? The Vcamp moment ;-) Well on a serious note I really wish someone had an answer.
I had been so much engrossed with TEDxChennai that all the other projects that I was involved in had gathered dust by now. I started clearing up the cobwebs that had gathered around them to create a new challenge. A new day tomorrow and a new peak to scale...
Few good things said about TEDxChennai...
- TED meet offers emotional connect for participants http://www.hindu.com/2009/11/30/stories/2009113057500200.htm
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“It has left me a changed person”: Inspiring TEDxperience at TEDx Chennai
http://www.yourstory.in/component/content/article/2867 - ranjitnair East is west & west is east...& who cares about Mark Twain - Anil Srinivasan. #tedxchennai
- ranjitnair Ok, the expected has come.High Traffic at server messages at the Sify TedxChennai streaming site :) #tedxchennai
- ashwing I am mourning because I wasn't able to go for TEDxChennai :| #tedxchennai
- nagacraj #TEDxChennai Great presentation by Madhavan. with his talk on agriculture, TED has finally arrived in Chennai
- sriiniivas Yes Madhavan spoke at #tedxchennai and we gasped and said wow and tweeted big time.. what next? how do we support him?
- KumarSachi Wish every Govt Staff thinks and acts like Dr. Santhosh Babu, IAS. MD ELCOT #TEDxChennai
- Sylvianism I am damn jealous about this Satyabrat guy... Wow whatta life #TedXChennai
- ranjitnair Don't kill the Child in you as you grow up - Jeeva Raghunath #tedxchennai
- ranjitnair Gandhiji used the Judo technique,turning the enemy's strength against him.- N Vittal #tedxchennai
- ranjitnair Charisma is the capacity to simplify & exaggerate - N Vittal #tedxchennai
- KumarSachi Every time you reach one peak, u start thinking about the next BIG peak. Satua #TEDxChennai
- KumarSachi There are many mount everests in life and u climb each one differently- Satya at #TEDxChennai
- ranjitnair Pure happiness is only achieved only after suffering some great hardships - Satyabrata Dam #tedxchennai
- ranjitnair There are many EVEREST's in everyone's life & we all climb them in our own unique ways - Satyabrata Dam #tedxchennai
- ranjitnair People in mountains all over the world own nothing but are willing to share everything - Satyabrata Dam #tedxchennai
- rightdisha Great learnings from #tedxchennai. Key takeaway "Any big mountain big or small has to be climbed one step at a time" - Satyabrata dam
- karthikjai Soul touching music! What a great start to #TEDxChennai
- karthikjai Krupa touching the lives of under priviledged children. And all of us at #TEDxChennai
- karthikjai Truly inspiring talk on softpower by sharadha. Really gets u thinking #TEDxChennai
- karthikjai A real inspiring story of hope Kavitha balliga #TEDxChennai
- karthikjai Mr.Vittal takes a dig at politicians & corruption in a real humorous manner :) #TEDxChennai
- karthikjai We need to get things working at the grassroots if we need to build a great #india Lessons from #TEDxChennai
- karthikjai The last talk by Satyabrata Dam simply mind blowing! #TEDxChennai
- karthikjai Exhausted after the tons of inspiration at #TEDxChennai Signing off to the real world :)
- rajamanohar I liked that talks of Satyabrata, Vittal and Santhosh babu, Seems all Bureaucrats are naturally good speakers :) #TEDxChennai
- Anil Srinivasan classical pianist was performing @ 9.30 a.m in #tedxchennai while his engagement was @ 3 p.m. Spirit of Ted, Hats off
- Ahh missed opportunity to network with so many cool dudes and dudis @ #tedxchennai hmm part of game when you are running around organizing
- jigardoshi Great talk on agriculture by #tedxchennai Like most thinsg in India, bad management destroys productivity
- Chinmayi And what a day!!! TEDxChennai rocks. @kiruba cant thank you enough for making me co-host! #Tedxchennai
- Chinmayi Sri N Vittal is a total rockstar.Remember being super intimidated by him when I went to tell him something.I am his biggest fan #tedxchennai
- Chinmayi Santhosh Babu, wish I had known his work when I hosted Aahaa Kaapi Klub. There really is some silver lining afterall #tedxchennai
- Chinmayi Satyabrata Dam, what a man. Wish I could actually go up the mountains too. And whattttta photographer! #Tedxchennai
- Chinmayi Satyabrata Dam one really humble man that I have come across #tedxchennai
- Chinmayi Romulus Whitaker. Man speaks kick butt Tamil and Hindi. Twinkling eyes and a wonderful talker. Session came to life there #tedxchennai
- Chinmayi Madhavan. Whattta man.Agriculture seems like super career option.If I could be one more,I'd be a farmer after training from him #tedxchennai
- Chinmayi Sharada had this wonderful presentation and only got to see Sringaram today. I am gonna buy a DVD. Seems like a super movie #tedxchennai
- Chinmayi Jeeva Raghunath reminded us to be children. How easily we lose our core with the world telling us to 'grow up' all the time. #tedxchennai
- Chinmayi Jeeva Raghunath had us all dancing and jumping in her story telling session. I was a tad shy. But she is quite the star #tedxchennai
- Chinmayi Kavita Baliga taught us again to live a life that will have an affect on others.To lead a life of fulfillment.And whata singer! #tedxchennai
- Chinmayi Kavita Baliga's rendition of the Laughing Aria will forever ring in my ears. She is a super star #tedxchennai
- Chinmayi Kavita left most of us misty eyed and Mr N Vittal came up right after and made us laugh our heart out. Sheer magician #tedxchennai
- Chinmayi One of the those days that I really felt that I had invested in a fulfilling day and was brimming with happiness #tedxchennai
- Chinmayi Would do almost anything to attend the next TED Chennai. Great Job guys. That was sheer brilliance today. #tedxchennai
- Chinmayi I really didnt think I ll make it to TedxChennai today. Splitting headache and angry stomach last night,almost called in sick. God saved me
- Chinmayi Missed to mentioned Green Man as I call him. Mullai Vanam who leaves saplings on the pavement for people to 'steal' as @kiruba found out..
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My hugs to you all... Munnabhai ishtyle...