Quo Vadis?

If you have just started to drive in namma Chennai there may be times when you find that your reactions to certain situations may be improper because of a communication gap that exists between you and the other road users. Let me explain a few instances: (Please note that these instances are from the perspective of the driver of a 4 wheeler & so may not be completely understood by 2 wheeler users) Instance 1 : You drive down the road and then you see a 2 wheeler rider diagonally across nodding his head up and down at you . You think:  he is saying “You can proceed” or maybe he is nodding to music or even exercising a stiff neck What he really means is: I am a (porambokku) waste land and I am going to jump across you this second and if you do not want to waste your car you will let me pass Instance 2: You are driving down the road and there is a 2 wheeler rider on the wrong side nearly blocking the path giving you a sheepish smile You think:...

People come into our lives for a reason, a season or a life time. Today I met one who has left me still wondering. It started with the driver behind me blinding me with his headlights, now when you drive with your mirrors if the driver uses the high beam behind it can be very disorienting. So unable to drive I pulled over and flagged the car behind with a polite request to dim the lights. That started of the ugliest 10 minutes in recent times with a stream of profanities, when I refused to back down as I am large and my size can be intimidating the man attempted to run me down with his car, fortunately  he was restrained by his co-passenger. The inevitable good Samaritans materialized out of nowhere ostensibly with the intention of resolving the fight but with the motive of clearing the road so they could drive on. When the entire scene seemed pointless I simply moved aside and let the idiot pass so that he can make the life of some body else miserable.   So t...

Should auto fares be raised? A seemingly simple question and for anyone living in Chennai the obvious answer would be a resounding YES but there is a need to understand why things are the way they are today with respect to the fares. -          I do not know the number of autos in the city, but I do observe that several autos that ply in the city are registered outside the city limits and that puts the locals under stress -          The vague policy of the government in allowing different fuels like petrol, gas and diesel and attempting to uniformly price the fares of autos run by differently priced fuels -          The rampant overloading of the diesel 3 seater autos that carry anywhere upto 10 passengers is not only unsafe but also denies passengers to the normal auto drivers -          The lack of regulation o...

What are we teaching our children these days? I have often worried about this question as I come up with some shocking answers: Nothing Lots of bad things by our actions More bad things by our words More bad things by letting the idiot box be their baby sitter The occasional good thing some where in between The first school for our children is the home and the lessons learnt at home stay a life time and form the child. It is a big challenge to be conscious of every word & deed because indeed the Young India is watching. We may have smirked at the ad by The Hindu, even mocked the people in the home of the government but time to spend a moment of introspection into what goes on at home. The future of our children is in our hands. (Picture of a TOI campaign)

So thanks to Chriz I discovered it is 2190 days since I said I Do. Actually I said I will since the questions were framed as “Will you take… “ The wedding was neither a love marriage as defined nor an arranged marriage and it led to its fair share of complications which are still being resolved. It has been one long and sometimes difficult journey but as a wise man said it is not the destination but the journey that makes it worthwhile. The laws of nature ensured that every high was followed by a low and the cycle continued so that it left me grounded and grateful for every moment of togetherness these many days. The fruit of our love and the apple of our eye will be stepping into school opening a new chapter in our lives and it holds a lot of excitement and challenges for us. Much was accomplished and heaven willing much more needs to be done but for now it is a time of gratitude and thanksgiving. I sign off with an earlier post of mine that sums up li...

This post is an entry for a competition by The Chennai Bloggers Club (CBC) for its members in association with CupoNation. CBC is a community of folks from Chennai who are passionate about blogging. CupoNation is   India ’s largest coupon portal   specially designed to meet the needs of all the online shoppers.   They can be found at http://www.cuponation.in/ I am not into design but a Google image search for landmarks of Chennai threw up this wonderful shot of the Napier Bridge. I have put together my contribution for a badge of the CBC. The reflection and the original looks like C B C, doesn't it? : )

When I have some time to kill I watch the comedy channels on TV, beyond the inane rubbish of the hosts, the irritating calls of extremely jobless people and the painful advertisements you can eventually find a few really funny gags and for a brief moment I relax and permit myself a few chuckles or rarely a full throated laugh. If what you want to do to is just relax then do as mentioned above and you can save yourself a few rupees instead of going to a theatre (yes no thiruttu vcds please) to watch the hit (supposedly) of this Pongal season, Kanna laddu thinna aasaiyaa. From the crowd and the nearly full house at AGS Navalur for a 7.35 pm show it appeared that many folks were piqued as I was on the movie and the promise it held. SIGH. The movie to keep it short is just that, comedy time running for a normal movie length, the heroine and the dialogues make up for the comperes and their conversations and the songs which are an assault on the ears are like the advertisements a...

Why do they have sign boards on roads? It is to help even the unlearned to understand and in universal understanding the sign above means that you are not meant to go that way. So what is it that makes every idiot learned or otherwise driving on the wrong side of a narrow lane leading to a blind curve? It is providence that no major accident has happened till date. On the above mentioned curve is one of the landmarks of Chennai mentioned by Sylvian in his quiz question earlier . Our very own Hotel Saravana Bhavan may be many things for many but for its quality it is vouched by many not less my doctor who has been treating me since my diaper days. He has told me if I must eat out it would be better off for me to eat there. Considering that a recent Pizza Hut expedition resulted in a tummy upset it is very sound advice indeed. Just heard that a pilgrimage group from my church was involved in a road accident and the initial reports suggest a driver fault. Apparen...

Hand, foot, mouth is a disease that is spreading in Chennai. When kids put their hands in their mouths they catch an infection which causes rashes all over. The doctors say that it will subside in a few days and there is no cure. That is with kids who do not understand the gravity of the action;  these days we have grown up idiots who are suffering from foot in mouth disease and they go and put their dirty shoes also for good measure.                                   I am talking about these idiots who are making inane comments to the media about things which they frankly seem to have no clue about but will still speak because they have been given a VIP status. VIP also means velai illatha p!@#$%^&* and every idle mind lends himself to the devil said a wise man. A spiritual leader has just joined the foot in mouth club with a statement I don’t think worthy of r...

On the last day of the Christmas season the Epiphany, thought I will share with you a song that I made with my friends in 2011. This is an original composition by Mr. Samuel Abeysekara, organist for over half a century of the Wesley Church, St. Thomas Mount. He had graciously permitted me to use it as a part of my album. The singers are my friends under the banner CREW 150: 6, words & music by Samuel Abeysekara. (P.S. The wife and I have sung also)

What is it with some men and their bursting bladders that they have to ruin every wall they see? I hate it when I have to see guys relieving themselves as I open my front door. Even my dog (sadly she is no longer with us) was better behaved and well toilet trained. Shamefully today Gods have been reduced to toilet sentinels. If there is anything worse than these men, it will be those who spit from their bus seats. AARGGGHH! Chennai has been famous for its medical facilities but you can’t help noticing the new fads in medicine these days, fertility centers. Advances in medicine and a desire for children despite the age of the parents have led to centers proudly proclaiming that a 50 year lady has given birth due to their expertise. Not sure this is a healthy trend, there is a time for everything and to beat the cycle of nature can end up self defeating. Festivals are flowing from one to another, on the last day of Christmas season a New Year crept it almost silently due to...

Janus is the Roman god of gates and doors (ianua), beginnings and endings, and hence represented with a double-faced head, each looking in opposite directions. He was worshipped at the beginning of the harvest time, planting, marriage, birth, and other types of beginnings, especially the beginnings of important events in a person's life. Janus also represents the transition between primitive life and civilization, between the countryside and the city, peace and war, and the growing-up of young people. Janus was represented with two faces, originally one face was bearded while the other was not (probably a symbol of the sun and the moon). Later both faces were bearded. In his right hand he holds a key. The double-faced head appears on many Roman coins, the likes of what you are seeing in the picture above. Hey people after that long prologue let me first wish you a belated but nevertheless very very happy new year. May the good Lord bless you and your loved ones with His ch...