Quo Vadis?

I wanted to write a big post about the year and its highs and lows and even got the outline ready but then decided that I will share with you my mail that I had sent out today to all my business contacts. Hi, As we stand at the threshold of a New Year, we may have mixed feelings, some good some bad, but in a few hours we will start the New Year with the greatest gift of mankind – Hope! I would like to share with you two poems from my list of favourites as a small New Year gift. 1) From the Gitanjali, written by Rabindranath Tagore, even 61 years after Independence, freedom is a distant dream for many. Battered, bruised, wounded, scarred be it in Orissa, Kashmir or Mumbai in the past year let our country awake into a new beginning…. Gitanjali 35 1 Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high; 2 Where knowledge is free; 3 Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls; 4 Whe...

As you enter our colony you will be greeted by our live tree, as it is getting taller you can see how difficult it is getting to string the lights! Our star is in the balcony as fear of the rain brought it indoors a couple of years ago and it continues... Our bigger artificial tree, normally we put up two such trees, this year I thought one is enough after all Christmas is not about a plastic monstrosity. Maybe next year I may scrap it altogether Our crib, created by D. A good job I may add. The reason for Christmas... and yet this year it did not feel like Christmas.

I've been tagged! 1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Like the person who tagged me, I haven’t had egg nog. So, I will go for hot chocolate. 2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Back then Santa was fun , but now gifts are only from my loved ones and often from whoever picks me as their Chris Child 3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? We have a real tree that is atleast 15 feet tall and every year we drape coloured lighst on it, but I think that next year I will give it a rest. Christmas did not sprout from a tree 4. Do you hang mistletoe? No mistletoe. Haven’t seen one except in Tom and Jerry, when Jerry kicks Tom under it 5. When do you put your decorations up? Usually at the start of advent, now D does it when she can 6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Biriyani any time, holiday or not 7. Favorite holiday memory as a child: Going to my grand parents place in Coimbatore and having fun with cousins. 8. When and how did you learn the tr...

Note: This post is my personal comment and it is not intended to hurt anyone. A gloomy market is like a glass half filled with water. It is either half full or half empty depending on how you look at it. Looking at the option of opportunity can make people believe that this is the time for the entrepreneurial jump. Now what are the options available? Plenty but something that has spread like wild fire spanning the spectrum from cottage industry size to a multi crore, multi location even spanning continents, and mass employment providing operations is the business of religion. Your read that right, the business of religion is booming like no other and the CAGR if somebody were to do it in absolute numbers would make many hard nosed business men salivate. But why the business of religion? Simple, for starters you need no investment except oneself, many of the corporations started of f with or by a bright spark. A bright idea and good use of the basic four P’s of Philip Kotler and you hav...

Take a good look at the picture. What does the image of a pointed forefinger bring to your mind? Many things I would guess, but has it ever brought the fact that no less than three fingers are pointing backwards. When things go wrong, the most used or abused finger is this forefinger and the most ignored are the other fingers that are telling an untold tale, the tale of the often silent accomplice. How much of the issue was cause by him whose hand the fore finger belonged to? The question is not, what did I do to cause 26/11, but is there something I could have done to prevent it... Also Indiblogger has come up with a good initiative. It’s called The “ Rebuild India ” Mission. Check it out.

By now the media would have numbed you with their incessant reportage of the incidents of “26/11”. Much has been said and much more will be said by every one who thinks he / she has an opinion to matter. I have my opinions too, but they are not on 26/11. Yes a bunch of motivated, misguided young men created havoc and it spurred endless chest thumping jingoism for all and sundry. We have also heard enough of the “Spirit of Mumbai” that is attributed to the ability to recover each time. Pause for a moment and look at all this with a cynical eye, I did and I think it is silly. Firstly these men have killed around 200 and wounded double the number in the space of 4 days and they are terrorists, hordes of men killed innocents in Orissa with simpler and cruder killing devices and they are rioters or religious zealots. I ask you for the victim cowering in fear is there any degree of terror, do the flames evoke lesser fear than bullets and grenades? Just because they cannot afford to dine in s...

Dhanya tagged me some time ago and when I look back I realize that procrastination deserves a pace in the list of my addictions which I can’t help noticing are very similar to Dhanya. So here it goes in random order: 1)Internet: Sometimes I wonder how I managed to spend so much time on / in the internet. But the bottom line is it has grown up on me and it ranks very high on the list. 2)Never put off for tomorrow what you can put off today. As mentioned earlier procrastination is a second habit. From time immemorial last minute efforts have been the general order of the day, be it cramming for exam or a report at work. 3)The news: I manage to read 3 newspapers / business dailies a day and always keep one window open on my laptop with the breaking news scrolling every minute at work 4)Cricket : I can watch matches of other nations too and I enjoy the ICL as much as I do the IPL and thanks to T20 I can watch cricket after work and not miss much 5)The pot: well it may sound funny but I su...

Was in Studio5 earlier , I saw these lights and wanted to see if my camera – phone could capture it. I guess it did. If you thought that only the brainy fruits got into Anna University, look again you will see many fruit eaters too. Presenting Melissa in D’s tee. Poor M had to undergo a surgery earlier and being the restless being that she is (like her owner), she kept ripping her bandages apart. The vet suggested that we can try putting on a shirt minus the collar as a restrainer for her bandages. D went one step higher and pulled out her tee and voila. P.S It was an effective solution, the bandages survived this time.

Went to a wedding reception over the weekend with D. Today the template for a reception is so uniform that you can sleep walk through it. Land at the venue, plastic smiles fixed, meet / nod at the unknowns and unknowns around you, queue up for the mug shot with the newly weds, unload our burdens on them (the gifts of you please), rush to the next queue (for food this time), eat heartily, chew on the betel leaves, nod / meet some more, walk out. Every reception is a variation of this template. Anyway I will cut the frills and come straight to the food. Food is an integral part of all celebrations in India and in most places around the world. Any celebration will reach its climax in the feast afterwards and a lot of care is given to the food served. Some of the guests who had come for my wedding still fondly remember the biriyani that they enjoyed that evening. So you can understand how much importance the feast holds in the scheme of the wedding. I had an enjoyable meal that evening and...

“You have a slipped disc” my physiotherapist announced rather unceremoniously last week after subjecting my back to various levels of pressure with his trained hands. Among the many reasons for this condition include my “over healthy” constitution and my excessive bike journeys early in my career. To confirm his diagnosis, he (the doc) prescribed a MRI scan To the new comers :- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMRI), is primarily a medical imaging technique most commonly used in radiology to visualize the structure and function of the body. Read more Simply put it is a costly exercise to take images of your body in so many angles that you will actually feel proud of this extraordinary portfolio. Anyway I scheduled a time with the lab and waited my turn on the day (Friday the 7th to be precise). I was advised to change into the hospital outfit that looked like a checked school boy uniform and await my turn till the previous patient is done. This p...

Saw the movie “Poi solla porom” yesterday after postponing it for so long and at the end of the movie I guess I waited too long. It was an enjoyable movie that was lighthearted and at the same time was a telling commentary of the social systems in place today. You couldn’t help but empathize with the head of the family and his long desire of buying a plot of land for his dream house. The plot on which he was willing to put his entire life’s savings and the retirement funds that would have been otherwise used for his last days. I will not brief you on the story because I would rather you see it for yourself. (It would be a steal if you can get a 10 bucks ticket at Satyam!) What I liked about the movie in no particular order: * The wide range of emotions from expectation, satisfaction, pride at a job well done, to anger, frustration and helplessness neatly shown by Nedumudi Venu demonstrated why Malayalam cinema is famous for realism. * The absence of the template that defines most comme...

If you read the financial dailies you will not miss large reams of paper being devoted to the financial crisis that is sweeping across the world. So much so that it is become the topic of discussion during coffee breaks replacing reviews on the new movie that is giving headaches to its viewers. (note: head in tamil is thala). Opinions they say is like your backside, everyone has one. I have a backside and so here is my opinion on the financial crisis. I would like to use a few references from various sources to construct my opinion, here it goes: 1) From the Bible (pity people use holy books for only one side of life) Luke Chapter 6: 48 -47 : That one is like a person building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when the flood came, the river burst against that house but could not shake it because it had been well built. But the one who listens and does not act is like a person who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against it, i...

“If it can’t get any worse it can only get better” “If you fall, fall on your back that you may see the sky and rise again” In the midst of the financial crisis that is sweeping the world these two statements may be a band aid to many bruised, battered and wounded souls. Crashing markets, sub prime crises, pink slips, pay cuts, layoffs, downsizing… the list of taboo words are growing. In the middle of this carnage, I remember seeing an article where people have started reading Marx again and another in which better the west is slowly accepting that the Indian banking system was not a bad thing after all. What goes around comes around… Sub prime crisis to the unknowns is simply giving a loan to somebody who is not credit worthy. When I joined work in lending, the two basic principles of lending were clearly laid out to me by my first boss: Before you lend check 1) The ability to repay and 2) The intention to repay, common sense tells you that ONLY if 1 AND 2 are right the client general...

Wasteland, did you inform your house that you are making your last journey? Death-seeker (not the Death Eaters from Harry Potter), have you no other vehicle but mine to kill yourself? Buffalo! See how it goes… Foreign stranger, don’t know who taught him to drive? Spoilt brain, having no clue what he is doing… He is who is going to get ruined....will he never learn? (every time, a bad driver crosses my path, I swear)

The following is an essay that I wrote for a contest in our church for the annual parish feast. I did not win anything for this, but would like to know your feedback. "The St. Paul I know" As the fires burned around them and bodies fell many Christians like you and I huddled in the shadows of a village in Orissa. These people feared the loss of their limbs, their goods, their loved ones or even their lives from the marauding mobs before them. Even as they peered through the haze they could vaguely see the faces of their tormentors even as the smoke cleared their horror increased as the faces of their neighbours were in the forefront. The very same shopkeeper, milkman, vegetable vendor, who had been an in separable part of their lives are now threatening to end their very lives. Even as the persecuted wondered at the sudden change of events, several questions arose that went abegging for answers. What had happened in the space of a few days to tear a community apart? Can somet...

Being a teetotaler, bars and other watering holes have no appeal for me except for the fact that they are sources of great entertainment. You just cannot imagine the crazy things that inebriated people do; well everything except puking all around their antics are a whole lot of fun. However the main reason I stay away from night spots is that the smoke kills me. Did I forget to mention that I don’t smoke too? The divine forces intervened to give me an allergy to smoke especially the carcinogenic kind, so smoky places are a big no, no. I met up a couple of friends in Escape, the bar (ok pub if you please) in Green Park, Hyderabad. I was so happy to find that I could actually breathe easy Thanks to Mr. Anbumani and even better see other people in the darkness. The turn off though was the music dished out by the resident DJ. It ranged from “Heal the World” to “The reason” and even when we were left pondering if Escape was a gay joint considering that we could not see a single member of th...

The following is an extract from The Times of India Chennai edition dated 13/10/08. Animal manners Dogs seem to better understand the plight of the starving. On Sunday morning, an old lady with tattered clothes came begging to a teashop. When the tea shop owner shooed her away, she pleaded for some biscuits, but he could not be moved. Seeing the dog outside the tea shop eating biscuits, the old lady tried to pick them up. The tea shop owner chased her away, saying the biscuits were for the dog. When the woman turned and started walking away the dog pranced up to her with a biscuit in his mouth and dropped it at her feet. The woman picked it up and walked away. Humbled by the dog’s act, the teashop owner called her back and gave her tea and biscuits.

It’s been a while since my last post and when I look back I see quite a lot has happened that warrant a mention. So here it goes in no particular order: 1. Got a forward from a colleague and being a real sign of the times, many people in USA woke up to another bank that ceased to exist. Wall Street is the new Fall Street and all those who once envied its lofty heights are rubbing their hands in glee at the depths it has reached. Brings and old Red Indian saying to mind, “What goes up, must come down”. What is indeed sobering is that this is not an isolated case and many top shot companies may cease to exist if they don’t correct their courses… 2.Saw an absolutely gripping F1 race yesterday. The Singapore experiment seemed to be a big success and a big part was the absence of rain. Also it showed how team work can work wonders. We had Nelson Piquet Jr. crashing into the wall and handed the victory though not on a platter but somewhat closer to his team mate Alonso. With all due credit t...

The other day I saw a post box. Now, there was nothing remarkable about that post box to warrant a second glance but I couldn't help myself. I looked back and thought when was the last time I actually posted a letter. I guess it must have been in Pondicherry when I was doing my MBA. Back then we were so cut off from communication that the post box was the best friend for poor students like me. In those days mobile phones were a luxury I could only dream off and only the cream of the lot had one. I remember vividly my classmate and good friend Jonah sitting on the terrace of our hostel trying to catch a clear signal so that he can talk to his folks living in Uganda. The others like me had the option of walking two kilometers to the nearest phone booth and if that was closed hike, take a bus, cycle or whatever means possible to get to the nearest PCO (remember those?) 3-4 kms away from the campus. Every incoming call to the hostel was an event in itself. But since this p...

The theme of the call-in show was “Generation gap – does it exist today?” I thought of calling in and giving my point of view but sadly I was too late. Anyway debating the topic in my mind I came upon this insight that I thought I will share it with you so. I believe that the most important responsibility for parents apart from bringing up children, providing for them etc is instilling values in the children. Value systems are the building blocks to character which is probably the best heirloom that children can inherit from their parents. So there will be a generation gap if value transfer stops. But it is very fashionable to take trivial things as the basis for generation gap as it exists today. What people take to be a generation gap is often the different metrics people use for the same values. Values are fundamental but I think everyone can have his or her own metric to measure the values. My parents instilled values in me but I can see before my eyes how they measure the same val...

It’s been two whole weeks since I last blogged. It’s been even longer since I received a visitor or even a comment on my page. Maybe my writing standards have dropped or maybe others have improved while I have stagnated. I think it is time to start blogging again, because in my blog I can be just me. I do not have to be politically correct nor must I try to balance the feelings, sensibilities, responses, expectations of those around me. At some point of time being selfless is self defeating in itself. Of late life in isolation does not seem to be a bad thing after all at least in good doses. I have realized that often the best solutions to problems come when one detaches himself from the problem and analyses it rationally. But either I am too emotionally attached or I just cannot seem to be rational. Rationalism by itself can be so cruel. If failures are the stepping stone to success, I guess I’m ascending a very long staircase. Why do we climb such high staircases when we know that w...

The inevitable happened yesterday. I’m talking about the fire that ravaged a part of one of the many death traps in Chennai. This trap which goes under the named of Saravana stores like many others of its ilk are grotesquely ugly multi-storied buildings that are built with scant respect for the laws and rules of the land. These buildings have neither fire and other disaster safety mechanisms nor simple things like a fire exit or even worse windows. The damage from this fire is estimated at 1.5 crores, peanuts when you view in perspective of the business done annually. What is disturbing is that money power has tied down the legal and government machinery here. Unlike Delhi where on the strength of the Supreme Court verdict, mass demolitions of unauthorized constructions went on till politics intervened. Sadly nothing will change, despite this accident and all the hue and cry it raised. Why? Simple, nobody died. Down the ages someone had to die for others for any good to come about. It ...

Two things happened yesterday that will stay in my mind for some time. First: I was on my way to the part time MBA class (I was going to teach) I had to cross the railway gate at Tambaram Sanatorium. Like many other crossings on that line this one also will be shut for long periods. Anyway when I saw the drop gate closed I pulled up my bike and started to wait. As usual there were so many who ducked beneath the gate and went across the tracks on foot or on two wheelers, many often chatting on their cell phones. Parents’ handholding their kids and showing them how to cross train tracks added to the absurdity of it all. In some time there were a few other motorists who pulled up alongside and waited for the gate to open. I was happy to see that in the midst of all this law breaking madness there were still a few who believed in self discipline. Suddenly a delinquent sporting a big moustache tried to muscle his way through and started screaming at all for blocking the way. The bike rider ...

Hi, Good day to you. You are warmly invited to a music concert on Sunday, 31st August at 6 pm at the Sivagami Pethachi Auditorium (Inside the M.C.T.M Chidambaram Chettiar school) in Mylapore on Luz Church Road. This is a concert done by The John Millns Choir in aid of an organisation named Friends For The Needy and also in memory of the Late Rev. John Millns who was in Madras during the late 1940s and 50s as a minister of the Wesley Circuit of Churches. He was a great Tenor singer himself and trained many when he was here, the Founder-Conductor of the John Millns Chorale, Jabez Janagaraj, being one of them himself. The concert will be accompanied by an Orchestra (all of whom play for Ilaiyaraja and Rahman) comprising 8 violins (4+4), 3 violas, 2 cellos, 1 double bass, a trumpet and flute and will also be accompanied on the keyboard by Samuel Abeysekera, the Founder-Director of the famous Tamil Trio - The Three Chords. An added attraction will be the trombone for one orchestral numbe...

Seen: A new housing project in Hyderabad called (can you believe it?) "Space Station 1", the project has been promoted by the Alien's group (sic). They invite people to become an alien. Whatever will they think of next. Makes you wonder if people have become so short of ideas. Heard: Actually this was heard during the train journey to Hyderabad. I usually tend to be serenaded by the clatter of the rails that tend to put me off to sleep. The rail track lullaby was rudely overshadowed by a thunderous noise, which grew in cacophony as more sources of the sound joined in. In all my life I have never heard such loud snoring and that too in a chorus! I had nightmares in my sleep from thunderstorms to earthquakes with accompanying sound effects. Seen: I'm a little wary of the rains in Hyderabad as when it rains it floods the city so when the heavens opened up while I was in an auto I was just a bit uneasy. My unease increased when the auto driver refrained from using the win...

We will be celebrating 61 years of independence tomorrow. A popular radio show was asking people what was their take on independence. Various views emerged but somehow they all seemed to be on a very superficial level. So what is my take on independence? It means responsibility. Why responsibility? because when you are free, you think you can do anything, but you cannot. Freedom means you have the power to choose between good and bad, right and wrong. And in the choice lies the responsibility. Life is often the consequence of our choices. Happy Independence Day!

Been out of blog world for some time now. Work, illness, marriage have all taken their toll I'm struggling to find that all elusive balance. Boss says "When you have no results at work, personal life takes a back seat", but why work if there is no personal life. Right now personal life and work are getting intertwined so much I take time to realize what I'm doing. I should bounce back soon.

The homily of yesterday (20th July) struck a chord in my heart. I have ranted, raved, cursed and done all the usual things many of us do about the ills that plague our society and how powerless we are to do anything about it. Feeling powerless is one thing but apathy as to why bother is a terrible crime. Anyway coming back to the homily based on the gospel of Mathew, the preacher Fr. Abraham SSP said “be the leaven for the bread or a mustard seed”. He proceeded to tell how little tasks make a big difference, like a smile or a word of comfort to the needy or sometimes the mere presence to grieve a sorrowing person… the list if endless if only we choose. The words of a favourite hymn goes “ … It only takes a spark to get a fire going, and soon all those around can warm up in its glowing…” Simple isn’t it? Strange how a simple phrase like “Thank You” can mean a lot to some. You may have seen the Munnabhai series of movies where the protagonist hugs a sweeper in appreciation for his servic...

Hi. Been a little busy, so haven't posted in some time. Capt. Jack sparrow had been raving about the newest dancing superstar.Don't know where he finds these, but after his constant recommendations I found this on Youtube some time ago. Frankly I have no words to describe this... but I think you may. PS: He is called Sam Anderson, more of the same on Youtube, don't miss the In da club & sivaji mix version.

Saw this tag on Lemonade's and Anju's blogs. I'm not into Flikr but this was a post I just cldnt resist.. Here are the rules. 1. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search. 2. Using only the first page, pick an image. 3. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker ). 1.What is your first name? Clement (incidentally it means mercy) 2. What is your favorite food? Right now? Biriyani (all time favourite) 3. What high school did you go to? St. Bede’s 4. What is your favorite color? Blue 5. Who is your celebrity crush? Nayanthara, international I like Charlize Theron 6. Favorite drink? Water (can't beat it ever) 7. Dream vacation? Seychelles 8. Favorite dessert? Tender coconut pudding from Fruit Shop 9. What do you want to be when you grow up? Satisfied 10. What do you love most in life? My family. 11. One Word to describe you. Unique 12. Your flickr name. Clement_kw This is an open tag, you are welcome to take it.

Some random incidents that I have heard or seen... Heard : Woman in nightie, wearing a dupatta, speeding on a two wheeler on Poonamallee High Road today morning. Seen by D and reported to me. I wonder: A nightie + a dupatta = daytie?? Heard:“Eating out is bad for health and makes you pile on the kilos.” Seen: I think the first part is right but I have learnt that one sure fire way to loose weight is to eat out more. Inflation is shrinking portions so much that soon you may need a magnifying glass to locate the mini idlis floating in the sambar and yes, mini coffees will be served in table spoons henceforth. Heard and seen: I had named our dog Melissa, so long ago. She is a bitch. (Remember wise people that a female dog is a bitch and a female whale is a cow) At that time I was a Computer Science student and when we had this pup at home, mum suggested that being the techie guy I should name it something to do with computers. I tried RAMy, ROMy, Floppy (sounded good) but without the Dis...

Got this from a friend some time ago, was clearing out my mailbox and read them again. Thought I will share them with you.... "Don't let your worries get the best of you. Remember, Moses started out as a basket case" Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited - until you try to sit in their pews. Many folks want to serve God, but only as advisers It is easier to preach Ten sermons than it is to live one. The good Lord didn't create anything without a purpose, but Mosquitoes and Sand Gnats come close. When you get to your wit's end, you'll find God lives there. People are funny..... they want the front of the Bus, the middle of the Road, and the back of the Church. Opportunity may knock once, but temptation bangs on your front door forever. Quit griping about your Church; if it was perfect, you couldn't belong. If the Church wants a better Pastor, it only needs to pray for the one it has. God Himself does not propose to judge a man until he is dead. S...

Started and almost completed a post on traffic in Chennai and the short supply fuel crisis, but somehow saved it and may never post it. It’s one of those days when you wake up and everything seems like a blur and you are just going through the motions. It’s one of those days when the weight of responsibilities seems to weigh down even more and you wish for a brief respite. It is a day when I wish I was back to the “wonder years” when my biggest worry would have been a simple school exam. Today I have to take up so many tests daily; passing them is not enough, it is a given; I need to do exceedingly well as in the workplace you are made to believe that you are expendable. I have to answer so many questions that are thrown at me from every possible direction but the biggest questions are those from within. I do not have answers and am searching for words nowadays. Words that just have meaning are useless and I need words that not only mean what I intend to say but must also have the desi...