Quo Vadis?

This post is related to a small series by another blogger and I suggest you read that series also to get a well-balanced and rounded view on wedding receptions. You know what happens in a typical wedding reception – meet, great, eat and beat the hell out of there if you do not know the couple well enough and usually we do not for most of the weddings we are invited to. For the others we are not invited but are a part of the wedding. So when we go for a wedding which is a social compulsion you know when the groom or bride or their families are known to you or your family and you end up at the wedding for the usual eat greet, I mean meet, greet etc. I have the habit of being in time for the actual wedding because I personally feel that it is meaningless to start off with just the eat bit and I would like to part of that special moment for the new family that is starting on that day irrespective of the couple being aware of our presence. So I attend the wedding ceremony...

Driving home from yet another official road trip this time from Chittoor, I came across a traffic holdup and it appeared to be one of those funeral processions with loud music and noise. I was frankly shocked when I saw that it was not a funeral but a religious procession organized by a religious party. What was shocking was that several young men had put hooks on their bodies and were pulling cars and lorries on the road and worse there was a merry go round mounted on a truck and hanging from the wheel were four men suspended by hooks into their bodies. The sight was revulsive to behold and I just moved away.  The people on the road were watching the procession with mixed emotions while kids and grown men danced along to some awful songs. I understand that penance for some involves mutilation and many other similar actions, but I cannot understand why this song was used for a religious procession. The fact that a religious party organizes this and that penan...

This is a very late review and by now the word on the movie has ensured that the theatres are full even a month after the release.   The movie is a winner and I was genuinely puzzled by the reactions of the kids who were there in the movie cheering loudly at the interval. Not sure if it was the reaction to the snacks or the movie itself. The trend of making different movies with new actors and depending on a good story and screen play ensures that people go to the theatre with zero to sky high expectations and often come back happy. This is one such movie eliciting laughs from genuinely funny moments avoiding slap stick and enjoyable underplayed acting. The cute and hot heroine (is she one?) and her role is another brilliant touch but she was missed after the interval. The scrupulously clean politician and his family are brilliant characters and as the climax unfolds you smile and wince at the state of the nation and politics. The twists at the end make an almost pred...

Feminism From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Feminism is a collection of movements and ideologies aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights for women. This includes seeking to establish equal opportunities for women in education and employment. This post was spurred by a recent online incomplete discussion that happened recently after a talk show on radio. It is very difficult to get an unbiased or non- judgmental media person these days, most have a bias and do not hesitate to hide it. A recent discussion on Chennai Live 104.8 FM was on two issues the first was the attempt to bar mannequins in Mumbai from wearing lingerie in store windows and the second the sending back of women without dupattas by the photo crew for Aaadhar somewhere in the country. Based on these two events callers were asked for their views, there were varied opinions from men and women who called in but I noticed that the women callers were cri...

Mount Road is a motorist’s nightmare. I will rephrase that, Mount Road is a rule abiding and disciplined motorist’s nightmare. You simply do not know what to expect on that road. You will encounter traffic from all sides even from roads which are meant to be one-way only and it is disheartening to see traffic police standing helplessly at the lawlessness before them. Disciplined and orderly driving will ensure that all can reach their destinations but our short cut loving people throw all caution to the wind and make every attempt to save time by driving wherever they please. The Metro Rail has exposed the ugly side of Chennai and I am not talking about the piles of rubbish strewn everywhere but the attitude of the people who break rules. In my earlier post I was heartened by the good folks of Chennai sadly the good folks are painted black by the black sheep. The attempted bus road system on Mount Road fell flat because of the opposition of the local residents who were den...

I love road trips for family outings especially for short out of town breaks. I did one trip to Coorg last year and last month I did one to Munnar. As usual I got the car serviced, asked for the brakes to be checked, tyre topped up with N2 and we left. As we worled this trip around a a wedding in Palakkad we took a circuitous route which was nevertheless very adventurous as we drove through a sanctuary for a major part of the journey from Palakkad. As we were ascending for most of the journey we encountered speeding vehicles on the other side, sometimes forcing me off the road and considering that there were no boundary walls and usually a deep drop off the other side made it slightly uncomfortable. Around 20 odd kilometres before Munnar I was forced off the road yet again and this time I had a flat from a sharp stone. It is for such instances I have become a convert to N2, the tyre did not deflate instantly as the gas is inert but we needed to change the spare. Fortuna...