Mahesh Kumar Mourya - A teacher we will miss

My first assignment with Azim Premji Foundation as soon as i joined was to understand the education system in India. Having given this piece of information, did a lot of research about various schools and confidently sat in front of my boss who gave a smile the moment I put across my views. Yes, in all my supreme confidence was all set to dazzle her with all the facts about schooling systems - private schooling system. Well, the next couple of days I spent reading everything and anything that's available about our government education system. This was just a pre read for the Schools that were being planned across the nation. 

In this whole process, we met hundreds of interesting teachers who broadly fell into the 4 categories mentioned in my quote. I was humbled beyond my usual self to meet some stalwarts in the Indian Education system who have done some remarkable changes in their own unique ways and am going to be writing about a few of them in my posts every now and then. But this post is dedicated to Mr. Mahesh Kumar Mourya who was one of those difficult to find teacher. 

I had initially spoken to him as a part of the pre screening process for our test and he was one person in Jaipur who was constantly in touch with our team through out the entire process. When we met him in person after a series of tests and demo classes, we knew he was there to stay with us and those were similar sentiments that he had too. I personally had spoken to him in length about the way our schools are being planned, expansion, his travel, learning, knowledge sharing and he was as excited as we were to be a part of the pilot team for the Azim Premji Schools. Every now and then when the core team came back with feedback, there was always this thought that despite the fact that he had less experience when compared to a few others in Rajasthan schools he nevertheless was promising. All was well.

The last conversation I had with him was sometime in Feb this year when we had spoken about a resume he had sent me and was chatting for quite sometime about his work, travel everyday of 100kms, his son who had just completed one year. On a hot April afternoon , we received a call from the Tonk team saying that Mahesh ji had met with an accident and was no more. Stunned, all a colleague and I could do was to just sit shell shocked - guilt on each other's eyes. So many ifs , buts, could haves and would haves just flashed past the both of us. While I was the one person who had convinced him about joining Tonk which is about 100km from Jaipur, she had spoken a lot to him about the hardships he undergoes on the travel everyday. 

There has not been a single day that's gone past without me wondering what if I had not called him, he would have still been alive and would have seen his son grow somewhere. I still couldn't get myself to call his folks at home and speak. Hoping that sometime soon I get the guts to pick up the phone and speak to his family. For once am praying that and forcing myself to believe that time indeed heals even the hardest and toughest wounds. We at the foundation have lost a good teacher who was on his way to become a greatest one in a flash and have left a vacuum..

Peeking out of hiatus

Been a while since i even thought of writing anything let alone actually penned it..I hope I don't end up having a complete block when I write in future,not that I write a lot but the little that I do, I never want to stop.

Some say "there's no rest for the wicked" and now I know it for sure. Been experiencing this firsthand from the time I joined Azim Premji Foundation. So it's been a mad quarter (not that half is good), running behind numbers, goals, targets, deadlines - everything just whooshed past my head like it always do. Bore the brunt of it later with my boss - well let's say it was another thing though. So on yet another lazy Sunday afternoon (inner voice is just screaming bloody murder that every noon is this way) I kinda thought I'll list all that I have done from 2012 till now and boy-o-boy it suddenly dawned on me that am indeed another proud traveler who significantly have and will always contribute to Indigo Airlines & Indian Railways not to forget our own KPN Travels :D through the Foundation. 
Looking at the calendar that each of one of us individually created at work (sondha selavula soonyam), I realized that am going to be on the move for a while (read forever) and continue my Bharat darshan. Hoping to visit new places even if it's for a day and enjoy the work I do till it lasts. Behind all this is an ulterior motive - this way I get to spend sometime with my beloved during any transit through Hyd..
Only thing I want to do this time around is blog whenever I can, after a classroom observation or a school observation visits or even after interviews. My next post is going to be about some humble souls I have met and how they have battled it out in rough, harsh terrains to ensure that learning never stops - for themselves and to their students as well :)

What Chennai Means To Me

Thanks Vj Eshwar who gave us another wonderful writeup on "What Chennai means to him". You can read more of his works on http://destination-nil.blogspot.in/2013/01/what-chennai-means-to-me.html

"Change is the only constant thing" and Chennai lives up to these wise words.

I hated Chennai when I first landed here from Kumbakonam. Coming from a quaint little town one can understand my inhibitions with the city and it's culture. But after living here 
for close to 2 decades am in absolute love with the city, with all it's flaws. Can never understand when people crib saying this city is harsh, hot,humid,dirty and corrupt - my counter question has always been " is your city not the same?"..And ofcourse like I always say - one can get down late in the night at Koyambedu or Central, can take a public transport and still reach home safely.

From Madraspatinam to Madras to Chennai - the journey so far has by and large been great and we Chennaites have adapted to some of the changes. Yes something is amiss when 
I pass through where Saffire theatre & Woodlands drive in used to be.. Chennai to me means - the city that has made me what am today. I don't know if i can cover everything that's possible but to some extent I think these are the standouts for me definitely

1. Kollywood aka Kodambakkam,  - How can one forget that this is the land that brought out a huge difference in the world of cinema -Sivaji, MGR, Kamalhaasan, thalaivar, A.R Rahman, Maniratnam & Isai Gnani,Aachi, nagesh & MKB to name a few. Our movies speak for itself - diwali, pongal pudhu pada release iladha celebration ila :) From black & white to colour to the latest era in film industry we have seen it all.. thara ticket vaangi whistle adicha paartha padangal evlovo :D. We surely can boast about AVM Studio & Gemini film circuit that still stands tall and proud in Vadapalani. Am sure 90% of us would have started watching in local theatres, slowly moved to devi, Mayajaal sathyam complex and now completely moved on to IMax and PVR. 

2. Kalakshetra & other Sabhas - I have never in my life seen anything as inspiring like Kalakshetra - always in awe with the place on how they balance different cultures &traditions with evolving ones. As for sabhas like Narada Gana Sabha, Music Academy and the likes - mid dec to pongal is the best time for one to catch their favourite carnatic artist croon or see their favourite classical dancers perform across the city. Marghazi 
masam kalai kattum engoorla :)

3. Marina, Presidency College & the neighbourhood  - Well being a chennaite one can never be without mentioning Marina - world's second longest beach with it's new beautified look. Anyday anytime you can find people and am always surprised by the fact that there are people who still visit just the MGR & Anna Samadhi :) Presidency with it's famous gaanas (oru pakkam vanga kadal indha pakkam gaana kadal) and kadalai in marina..ahaa adha madhri oru sugam edhuvum kedayadhu..

4. Mylapore to Triplicane - Triplicane Ratna Cafe has been my usual haunt after cricket matches that used to be played in Marina or after a visit to Kapaleeshwar / Parthasarathy temple or after a tired shopping at Rasi Silks. Love their sambhar idli and vada, to this date I pay a visit to their velachery branch whenever am in Chennai. Mylai Karpagambal mess is another fav place we used to drop by and Eashwari lending library ki jai ho, have read tons and tons of thrillers to that point I exhausted their list and after a while actually moved to their Adyar branch.

5. Shopping area - It's a shoppers' paradise and we mean it literally.. Ranganathan Street, Pondy Bazaar, Purasaiwalkam,Sowcarpet,Spencer Plaza, Prince Plaza and Pantheon road to name a few places that will suit anybody's budget and pockets. Right from my college days pondy bazar has been a favourite place to shop and I still follow the tradition. Ofcourse on the flip side we have City Centre in Mylapore, Khader Nawaz Khan Road, NH Road with it's Shilpi, Cathedral Road with Kalpasree & the new found love EA to name a few for the high-end shoppers

6. All the pettais - From Chrompet - Saidapet to teynampet to sowcarpet to kannamapet it's always been "pettai rap" :)

Ripon Building, Spencer Plaza, Central Station, Burma Bazaar, Jam Bazaar, Anna arch,Saffire theatre & Woodlands Drive ( that are no longer there),MCC, Loyola, Ethiraj, Stella, IIT M, IT Corridor, ECR, OMR, local EMU, MTC and ofcourse the upcoming Chennai Metro Rail Project are a few things that the city is proud of. From tea stall to qwiky's to cafe ashvita - the city has moved on slowly at it's own pace and has caught up with latest trends. Having said this I also would like to mention that like every developing city we face issues like irregular electricity, water supply, from potholes to no roads, flooding, autowallahs who rip you, corrupt politicians and ofcourse the main deterrent for many - our weather.. but these are minor irritants and a small price to pay. I would any day prefer the hot hotter hottest weather of Chennai to cold, colder coldest of Bangalore or Delhi. This city like many have mentioned has a tendency to accept anyone who come here to make a living or to settle down. No wonder I love these lines from the song in Marina "Vanakkam Vazha vaikum Chennai pidikudhunnai unakku eedu iliye" which roughly translates to there's no match to Chennai. Which is the same sentiment I'll always share no matter where I live. Home is where heart is and for me it is in SINGARA CHENNAI :) 

I know this is yet another lengthy blogpost when compared to some crisp ones here but I just can't stop talking about Chennai :)

Over to Melani Rayen who loves music, books, clothes, shoes and who has just entered marital bliss. Melani writes at http://thechickenpuff.wordpress.com/ 

13 things I plan to AVOID in 2013

13 things that I plan to avoid in 2013 is part of the CBC contest. Chennai Bloggers Club is a group where a group of like minded bloggers meet and bring out the voice of Chennai from across the map of India :)

1.Being a shopaholic - How many is too many :) Planning to cut down on the shopping disorder I suffer with as it's turning to be compulsive, impulsive,suppressive,oppressive & depressive :(

2.Being a feedback Fathima - Suffer with a bad case of "Open mouth insert foot" which at times (read 90%) go overboard and I face the dire consequences of apologizing later after the damage is done

3.Stop singing - Save my husband, I know for a fact that everyone suffers in my block because of this trait..Edho long long ago so long ago donkey years back learnt music 
adhukaaga ipovum chinna kuyil Chitra rangeku I keep doing karaoke much to the chagrin of others. Have to avoid this at any cost before it reaches the ears of my association's president,treasurer, their thatha, paati and god knows who :)

4.Stop eating healthy - Yeah, you saw it right, am going to avoid eating healthy..Not that I eat a lot of healthy food but to gain lotsa much needed fat am going to quit being finicky 
about junk and become a junkie totally :D (evil grin)

5.Being an insomniac - This is just for the sole benefit of all the kaathu karuppu that roam around in my area..Offlate, I think there's a complaint that's been filed against my name to the chief of their gang..Gotto cut that cuppa filter coffee in the night and start taking stronger medicines (wink wink) before I hit the bed here on..Ofcourse I can understand all my nocturnal friends feeling bad that there's someone to give them competition..No more giving them complex

6.Biting more than I can chew - Simple words - Evlo mudiyumo am going to take only that much and leave the rest to others - in desserts and alcohol yaar..Too much of anything is good for nothing and some days I suffer badly coz I go tad overboard..Kid in the candy shop is what I turn at the dessert table ;) (well if someone thought I was thinking about work..sorry rude shock to you)

7.Workaholic - Oh well where do I start on this - Take a task and finish it before others, so that I can concentrate on other important things like browsing, online shopping, blogging etc..Naatula evlo mukkiyamana velai irukku adha vitutu why die on my job. Anyway appraisal system is screwed and I know what to expect, so less tensun less work :D

8.Wait until the last moment - Epdiyum vaanga pordhu thuppu most of the time (read 90% again) so why wait till the last moment rather than breaking the pot right then and there 
wherever whenever it needs to be broken. No amount of cajoling is going to do damage control at the last moment. So no more waiting - need leave 3 months later for a trip apply like NOW and coolly pack off without feeling guilty and atleast a lot drier than with all the thuppings

9.Flaring temper - I don't need anything in RED to take my temper on a high. Just a ishmmaaal trigger is enough,which actually is bad not for me but for everyone else around. My BP manages to stay intact but sadly my manager's doesn't ;) Will be a cool cat and meow softly and learn to get things done rather than gorrrr and fall flat :P

10.Taking risks - No more of taking unwarranted, unwanted risks.Risk edukaardhellam rusk saapadra madhri or am still young and youth nu no more telling..Nammalayum nambi oru 
jeevan iruku so might as well play it safe (with Bisleri) :D

11.Stop swearing in Tamizh - Aargh the bane of my existence..my parents were totally shocked to hear the non stop flow of Chennai Tamizh and its quintessential swear words 
within a short period of me migrating to Chennai..They were able to sagichify me converting from a samathu Agrahara kozhandai to aminjikarai aatha but I shock a lot of maamis and maamas even today when I open my mouth. Trying to stop swearing in Tamizh and move to decent level of swearing in English with asterix sign. Strict avoid in the list (believe me..swearing in English is not all that natural :( )

12.Fight the body - In other words I will try and stop being a superwoman (all in all azhagu rani). No rest makes my body grumpy and when my body is not proper condition, tinkering 
takes a long time and that leads to a total butterfly effect. No,am not saying that someone in Uzhavar Sandhai of America will bear the consequences of my gym body failing but ulloor la periya kalavarame varardhu. Idhellam thevaya ennaku - so beshhht is when my body needs rest am gonna lay low. Can fight inner demons only when the external one is hale and healthy - don't you agree :D

13. No more resolutions -Bloody avoid this at any cost. Resolutions, promises and deadlines are always meant to be broken. To me, next time if I feel like indulging myself with a dessert or kwaater I will do that without any inhibitions or guilt feeling of ayyo am breaking my resolution (not that I ever take a resolution on alcohol). How did I reach to this conclusion - simple..I made a new year resolution that I won't shop more, spend more and I'll save more and look where am within 2 weeks of the new year.

Ending this with famous lines from a not so famous movie - "idhu nirandharam alla..maarividum mananilai dhan" ;)




PS: Translation for those who can't get the Tangilsh in the post - (trying my bit )

adhukaaga ipovum - for that even now 
chinna kuyil - small Cuckoo bird
thatha paati - grandparents
kaathu karuppu - ghosts and other supernatural elements
Evlo mudiyumo - How much ever 
Epdiyum vaanga pordhu thuppu - Anyway will get spat at
Naatula evlo mukkiyamana velai irukku adha vitutu - how can i leave all important work in the country ;)
Risk edukaardhellam rusk saapadra madhri - risk taking = rusk eating (that easy ya)
Nammalayum nambi oru jeevan iruku - One soul actually believes in me
sagichify - bear with me
samathu Agrahara kozhandai - Sweet village belle / child
aminjikarai aatha - Aminjikarai goddess
azhagu rani - beauty kween
ulloor la periya kalavarame varardhu - inside city big disturbance coming
Idhellam thevaya ennaku - I want this ah??
"idhu nirandharam alla..maarividum mananilai dhan" - This is not permanent, my mind will change

Irony of the contest - It's being sponsored by www.cuponation.in which provides us the latest and most lucrative deals on leading brands like Myntra, Flipkart, Jabong, Expedia - mindblowing discounts to suit every need be it online shopping or travel or holiday or food :) Need i say more as to why am taking part in this ;)

Design a badge - CBC

It's amazing as to what a small group of bloggers can do to your soul :) You want to give out the best you can and no matter how amateurish it may look you still can be happy with the effort. This is my contribution to the Chennai Bloggers Club "Design a badge" contest. It's a group of like minded bloggers who are in someways connected to Chennai. Contest is sponsored by www.cuponation.in  which provides an array of discounts from leading brands. 

Perils of Ghostwriting

*Ghostwriting - A ghostwriter is a writer who writes books, articles, stories, reports, or other texts that are officially credited to another person

I wouldn't call myself a world class blogger. I write on what I can and leave the rest. So for me it's shocking when people boast that they have been in the blogging / writing circuit for years yet fail to write a decent write-up let alone a blog. At the same time giving others a benefit of doubt I do work rather tinker a few articles every now and then just to give it a finishing touch!!  Over the last year I have been a ghost writer and now I realize how stupid I have been. Well to, start with I was just editing a few docs here and a few there. Gradually as days went by I started writing the complete article on any given subject with just a gist. And accidentally stumbled upon the fact that people conveniently forget to mention that. And that is exactly why i got back to writing again much to the chagrin of a few :) It's the sheer audacity of such people that made me even write about this topic. 

To me writing comes with a passion for words - you don't have to be a Shakespeare or a Shaw to write. All you have to do is to just think and then pen down your thoughts. And writing medium need not necessarily be in English, it can be your native tongue too. I have read some wonderful articles written in Hindi & Tamil and have been amazed by the clarity of thoughts that has gone by in each article.I personally feel  writing should be original and not a haphazard job of stealing somebody's ideas, words or pictures. Wonder if I can make it any easier for people to understand..Now that's called a wishful thinking :)

Back from hibernation :)

There used to be a time when this page of mine used to be a sounding board for all that used to happen in my life. And then much to my surprise I stopped blogging about 4 years ago. Not because of any great reason..new job, new place, lot of changes and I simply forgot that I even used to write before. Then came one more surprise - got married after a whirlwind romance. With all these changes also came new set of priorities in life. Not that it gives a solid reason for me not to write, I simply lost interest is all I can say :) 

Back again in this space, feels like riding a bicycle after a long time and am sure I'll get a grip back again in a while. Atleast I won't have to be a ghostwriter anymore ;) 

R&R

After almost 6 months of slogging(well as much i hate to use the word- i really did)am on a break for 3 weeks.And the very first thing i started with is sleep..So much lost sleep to be caught up with :) Sleep now is sacrosanct to me and noone's actually calling it otherwise.Next thing is my movie marathon which is up and running again..And last but not the least in the list of to dos is my treatment for Sinusitis which is the main reason for my break.I hate it when the ENT specialist prods my nose with some goddamn thing and says "Atta gal you must have layers of hardened stuff in your head" And that actually makes me happy coz now that i have so much of grey or yellow matter in my head,no one can say that head is empty-oh comeon atleast i have something it ;)So yeah apart from the painful sessions of treatment for my Sinusitis, life is good.Bliss is the word to be precise- no office,no emails,no reporting on a daily basis - am in cloud nine atleast for the time being..I know after 3 or max 4 weeks i must get back to the same old routine but then who cares..These 3 weeks are just mine and am gonna enjoy them to the very last second.

Finally..After a real long time am here and the reason..i just discovered am romantically challenged :)Yes that's the hard fact and i have to live with it for this entire lifetime(not that i regret)..And the realisation actually made me think about the reasons as to why am this way :) And i have no clue at all..Either the choice of guys were wrong or i simply don't trigger the usual chemistry,biology or whatever nonsense.Oh yeah this also made me realise no matter what i do or say or how much ever pain i take in making myself presentable like a girl i simply can't behave or be like one :( Damn i nearly spent an all time high price for the change over but then no result..None whatesoever and nope am absolutely not worried about that at all..The only thing that nags me is the fact that if this state continues how am ie ver gonna find that Mr.right for me..As my mom fondly says that i just need to open my mouth and bahhhhhh comes the string of expletives - and lo behold the guy will have one fit of his life :) How the hell am i supposed to control something as involuntary as me swearing..Damn damn damn :(( But then i guess somethings never change and hey what to do -
"Am like this wonly " :) :)

Chuck IPL for EPL - That's me

I hate CRICKET.Am serious - i just loath the game which is considered as a religion here in India.And people here worship the players as gods.My view is this - It's all for nothing & nothing for all, that's the return you get.The much hyped IPL is very much here and i just don't understand as to what is in it that people are / were crazy about.And this mindset of mine applies to T20 also.Don't understand what makes people go crazy over their fav cricketer (this guy wudda been cursed the most for his prev performance),why is the media creating such a big hungama over nothing that's worth watching.Yes,i know it's strange for someone who is an indian and doesn't like the game which has taken all the glory off the national game and which has all the glitz,glamour,gory er glory..Blame it on all the scams that shed a new light on the game which people love so much even now.I can actually hear couple of my friends yelling right this moment they read this blog.And this doesn't mean that i don't watch cricket at all..I watch it when the aussies play tough but even that these days have lost it's sheen.I know few friends who anyday will enjoy watching a match of soccer with me than watch Cricket.Not because we feel that it's cool & hep to watch football, it's just that we prefer it more than a fixed game.
For all you know after these matches we'll get to hear the way the players were bribed by Team XYZ :) Recently i overheard couple of middle aged ladies talking about Pathan & how his timely wickets saved that particular match or whatever. Looks like the days of Pathi being parameshwar is long past gone & now it is Pathan who's taken over :)

IPL go away ..EPL here i come :)

Say Cheese :E :E :E

Laughter is the best medicine they say. My dad's side is well known for their sense of humor - esp the sarcastic kind. And my mom after being with them for years now, is finally catching up with the same. A snippet of a conversation that took place between my ma & me..

Me : Lachhuma coffee please
Mom : You just had a cup of tea an hr back
Me : So
Mom : Just give it sometime & i'll get you the coffee later
Me : Yeah i know, am after all a second class citizen here

A distant voice says - you are not IInd class it just tat you travel Unreserved
Mom : No she is not Unreserved
Me : ??? – What the hell you guys are upto?
Mom : you are a just a WITHOUT (which means tat i travel without a ticket or whatever. Worse than being Unreserved)
Me : Grrrrrrrr (gnashing my teeth)
Mom : A big grin


This is just one snippet of many such conversations that happens at my place. Now i know why we (the whole BG family) are looked upon at some places & otherwise at my mom's side. Sad that my maternal side fail to understand this side of humor.

Deaddiction

Addiction was a term used to describe a devotion, attachment, dedication, inclination, etc. Nowadays, however, the term addiction is used to describe a recurring compulsion by an individual to engage in some specific activity, despite harmful consequences to the individual's health, mental state or social life.And for me off-late it has been Orkut esp Orkut Iyers.I have already blogged once about it but then i always had some serious discussion to talk about there then which was a perfect excuse i used.But these days esp for the last 4-5 months am a regular in OI and to call myself a regular is actually something less considering the amount of (at times useless)time i spend there.Was wondering for the last few weeks as to how i even got addicted this much but like every law in the universe - i got no answer :) .Probably it might have been coz of the fact that am at home now,enjoying my break and ofcourse unlimited net usage.

Put on my thinking hats again not that it helps but yeah just some lame excuse to ponder ;)No answer again. The only thing i did at last was that i decided i'll stay away for a while and check if i can actually get out of this so called addiction.Check if my will is as strong as i think it is.

Afterall someone once said ages ago "Will is willing but the flesh is failing"

Psycho-er-logy

What is it with Psychology and people?Everytime i come out and say that i have a Masters in Psychology i get a well earned look that screams 'hey now we know as to why you are weird' or the next inevitable question ' can you read my mind?' Psychology - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychology This explains it all.
Human psychology always intrigues me.Maybe that's why i chose the subject or maybe coz am just another psychologist who feels that it will probably give me some basic answers to my confused soul & head :) All thanks to Freud & James,not that i believe completely in Freudism.One common problem is that a common man fails to see the difference between a Psychiatrist & a Psychologist.We psychologists just identify the problems but to treat them we have Clinical Psychology.But Psychiatry is completely different.But all said it takes a lot of time to even explain the difference.Again beats me down to where i started - why is it that a human brain accepts group mentality easily than an individual?Why is it as an individual some people have less psychological quotient?Why is it that few of us can look ahead and read straight through one's thoughts?A friend of mine once said that it's violation of privacy :) can't deny that but it is not that we do that every single person who crosses our way.

Psychology that way is very interesting coz i personally have tuned my senses to a great extent where i can read a person and 90% of the time it's turned to be right on target & the remaining 10% - well you know that 'To Err is human' :)On the other hand it is NOT like i have a crystal ball and talk gibberish.And most of us are blessed with not just the ability to read one's mind but also with telepathy.Part & parcel of the subject.With this iam stopping coz i'll go on & on & on if i ever start on the topic.But planning to blog about certain other interesting stuff connected to Psychology.

Tic tac tic tac

My biological clock is ticking - yeah that's what iam gonna write about today.Am not able to hear the goddamn ticking but still everybody from my mom to some naani ki chachi ki beti tells me that it's high time i tie a knot.Tie a knot - whoa whoa whoa.To whom & for what.To be frank am a disaster when it comes to relationships..Well i can understand that esp from a guy's point of view - who would want to marry a tomboy,soccer crazy weirdo like me and suffer forever :) Just kidding.Well the point is that matrimony is the only word that's been echoing in my ears for almost well for a long time now.Some days i win,but mostly i lose the argument.My poor mom has tried everything,everything to convince me and here am single and still going strong :).


Well i agree with my folks & my buddy Krishna when they say that arranged marriages are not what i think.To me it's simple,let me know the guy and then let me decide about the rest.GOK as to why such things sound so simple but prove to be complex in real.Hey bhagawan do something or atleast put me in a time machine to escape- my B clock is ticking you see :)

TZP - Yet another review

To do justice to the number of movies i have been watching offlate - am gonna write about Taare Zameen Par.Am sure that every second person has watched it already but that doesn't stop me from writing about.

I was awestruck - that's the ony thing i can say when i saw the way Aamir has directed the movie.And for a directorial debute it stands a class apart.Probably we need more Aamir Khans with such decent flicks.The way he has portrayed a 9yr old boy who suffers from Dyslexia - a 9yr old who is looked down by his own father;by teachers n students at school,neighbours who complain about him and being sent to a boarding school which only makes him stop doing the only thing he finds solace in or the only thing he's good at - Painting.The story revolves as to how Aamir brings the kid out of his shell and makes others know that Ishaan afterall is a normal student and with a little help & patience can read ,write & pass tests like other students.The last 15 mins of the movie is something which impressed me so much.Splendid performance by Darsheel as dyslexic kid.One movie which i feel that most parents should watch & learn a lesson or two.But am sure that this movie alone will never make them not compare a kid with hi sibling or neighbour or his friend.And just that this movie alone is not gonna change the way teachers look at kids who are slow learners or have Attention Deficit Disorder.That much am very sure.Afterall this is a country which doesn't believe in sparing the rod.

The movie actually has made me check out for Disha - a special school for autistic kids.Hope i get to spend some time with kids there on a regular basis in future.

Newyear new hopes

Last day of the year..What an eventful year this has been right from day 2.To say i learnt lot of things in the professional & personal front would definitely be an understatement.Couple of things that happened within family brought me closer to my sis,things that strengthened my relationship with my best buddy.I learnt to take some hard decisions,learnt to let go of past - let go of lot of other things.And these are which would come along for a lifetime.And the way it started it's ending on an even more eventful note - all for good.I leave you all guessing on this :)

Hope to see best things across in the NewYear & am sure i'll

In the line of fire - literally too

It's just last week i finished reading Pervez Musharraf's autobiography - In the line of fire.Apt especially given the current situation.The now ex army chief speaks sorry blows his trumpet throughout the book;right from page 1 till the last page.He of all the person speaks about how Bhutto & Sharif and their likes plundered the nation of it's wealth & political freedom.Bah..For someone who says he is simple there's nothing simple in the way he thinks when it comes to India.Sly rather sordid way of managing the relationship between two countries.This man does believe strongly in what the Americans have to say,the way they ask him to go about ruling his country,politics & probably given a choice his personal life too.and yeah proved to be right now when the US asked him to step down now,he did without holding back.Civilian president - funny coz as far things have been there's not going to be any big change.Afterall the New Chief Army has been personally handpicked by the man himself.Not that we don't have this kind of high profile drama in our country.We had gone through our bit of Emergency (thanx to Indira Gandhi).Infact i had to appreciate his audacity for saying that he wouldn't have allowed his plane to land anywhere but India.Several such incidents where he could have just thought twice before putting it across in public.Afterall it's not a book that was meant strictly for Pakis alone.We unfortunate souls too have a chance to read throught the book.Was so sounding so childish that if this was given as our supplementary - kids definitely will have a laugh or two.For all that that's said in the book,we have a different version.And thanks to technology we can google & can learn the truth.Am not saying that India never made any mistakes,but at the same time the way he had put across certain situations was way too much.

Whomever said Love thy neighbour will have to take a leaf out of Prez's book.After all our man's eternally in the firing line.

Men may come & men may go

No if you think that this blog of mine's going to be about my relationships or anything - then you're partially wrong :)Yeah true that it's tough to decipher & understand a gal but believe me when i say it's tougher when it comes to guys.And the funny part is that me inspite of being the apple of the eye for few of them in my life i still strike a wrong chord or two.ALWAYS.With dad,Krishna & few others but the worst part is that everytime i try & makeup i endup falling flat.I don't know where i go wrong or rather how i can.Is it wrong to express myself coz i've even faced the wrath of one such person just because he didn't like the way i decided on a certain thing in my life and we just stopped speaking.

I say Yes & he says No and when he says Yes,i say No.I wonder when i'll ever get it right,i wonder when i ever will make it right and yeah wonders never cease :)

Love - Phewwwwww

This blog is specially for those 2 who make my life.One is my twin with whom i just can't stay angry & the other one is Krishna with whom i share the same feeling.These 2 are the ones i turn to when there's anything that happens in my life.Anyday anytime i know that i can turn to them for help,solution,suggestion - you name it they give it to me.With these 2 i have been rude,cruel,angry,happy,spent some best moments of my life infact lotsa super moments.And i have always felt bad in the end for treating them that way but yeah they understand me well that i don't have to think otherwise :) (taking too much advantage).And ofcourse another person i definitely will mention here is Ajay.That idiot to whom i crib,cry when i fight with the other 2.One who really has been patient in so many things & generally the rapport we share is just great.Infact we never feel awkward or slightly embarrased when am in bangalore along with Keerthi & Steve.

If i say thanx that's never going to be enough coz it's beyond that.Forgive me if you can when i have been reckless,thoughtless & idiotic.And never stop loving me coz it's just one rather the only thing that keeps me going.And i inturn will try & curb my temper,be a nice person & stop hurting with my words.Never stop being the way you are.

Love you Lamzu for what you are to me,Krishna - love you for putting up with my tantrums & Ajay for my usual self

On a serious note

On her way back from my aunt's place on one evening my mom saw these 2 old people who were standing on the road & asking for some change or help.Very old folks & with tears streaming down.My mom stopped by & took them to a nearby stall,got them some refreshments and in the meanwhile also came to know through the old lady that they have been asked to leave their son's house because his wife can't get along with them.Luckily while standing there wondering what next,there came another lady & said that she'll take them to a home nearby.Witnessed yet another scene y'day. An elderly man with a middle aged guy.The latter holding hands,trying to counsel or rather consol him for whatever it is.One scene which is very commonly seen in many of the old age homes & care centres which are on the rising side these days.Have always wondered as to what it takes kids to abandon their parents.Oh there are people who say that they spend a fortune in putting their parents in such homes but brings the question - can't you take care of your parents?Cant you have them near you if not in your own home & take care?Men esp who thinks that their wives are right when the she says that she can't take care of his parents but will willingly do the same to her side.I know i might sound biased or probably way out of my league when i say that it's mostly the ladies who prefer to take such decisions (they say they're forced - always).But at the same time i wouldn't deny the fact that there are cases when circumstances force you to take such decisions - but my only question is that why can't you have them atleast near you & take care?Won't it give your parentsa sense of support & security?On the flip side i have also seen kids being so nice out but then make their parents work esp the household chores inside.Well to say even my own grandmom is a victim of this emotional blackmail.When i was a kid,innocent,naive one i used to feel so good about the fact that my aunt wants my grandmom always.But when i grewup all of us know that it's purely for her own selfish reasons she wants her there :( & sadly my grandmom still can't differentiate chalk to cheese.

Am sure that neither my sis nor i will ever make our parents or inlaws go through this.I know the hurt & helplessness one has to go through.Am sure most of us wouldn't but then just leaves me with just one question - why do you succumb to such things,emotional blackmail,crying out loud,financial crisis & what not?Am sure answers are many for these but..